A new pan-African fruit industry association, Afruibana, gathering fruit producers and exporters from Cameroon, Cote dIvoire and Ghana, was officially launched this week in Brussels.

Open to African fruit and vegetable farmers, the new platform seeks to put in place strategies to improve the sectors competitiveness and increase the access of African products to the European Unions markets.

Rough competition, a deteriorating label, increased tariffs, etc. are some of the challenges facing African fruit, especially bananas, whose producers are often obliged to throw away a good part of their harvest.

To reverse this trend, African fruit producers and exporters officially launched a new platform called Afruibana last Wednesday (July 19) in Brussels during Cameroon Trade Minister, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atanganas visit to European institutions.

The Douala-based association, an open platform with a mission to defend the interests of African fruit farming, will enable fruit producers on the continent to pool their efforts and make their voices heard better in international trade.

Afruibana is thus the permanent representative of a community of fruit producers and exporters across Cameroon, Cote dIvoire, and Ghana. The association will take steps to foster fruit exports to EU countries. It will also serve as an interface between producers in the sector and European institutions to secure financing and support for African fruit growers.

Afruibana also has a key role in the representation and advocacy for asserting the quality and importance of agro-industrial value chains across the African continent in terms of economy, social affairs and environmental impact.

Chairman of Afruibana Joseph Owona Kono was quoted by the portal bizcommunity.com as saying that The European Union is the main outlet for African bananas, for historical and geographical reasons. In Cote dIvoire and Cameroon, the agricultural sector makes up approximately 60% of the economy in these two countries, he said.

Farming is thus one of the main sources of jobs and income for most of the rural population. For this reason, Afruibana has an essential role in reinforcing our ties with European agencies, favoring trade between Africa and Europe, promoting socioeconomic development and contributing to the fight against migration, he said.

A number of future European political decisions are of a strategic importance for African producers. Afruibanas role is, therefore, to raise awareness among European decision-makers about the interest of maintaining and developing African farming not only to continue exporting quality bananas but also to develop the economy in our countries by shoring up rural employment and family-run farms, explained, on his part, Jean-Marie Kacou Gervais, vice-chairman of Afruibana.

In many African countries, notably Cote dIvoire and Cameroon, the banana sector plays a key economic and social role. It is both a source of income and stability. In terms of income, in Cote dIvoire, the largest banana producer in Africa since 2016, the sector generates 100 billion FCFA per year and creates more than 50,000 jobs, 15,000 of which are direct. With a production of 280,000 tons last year, the first West African economic power wants to bring up its banana production to 500, 000 tons in 2019.
Morocco is the best placed sister country in Africa that can assist Ghana in its agricultural development efforts, said Ghanaian foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, who is on an official visit in Rabat.

Speaking following a meeting with Moroccos Agriculture Minister, Aziz Akhanouch, Botchway stressed the need for building on the cooperation framework between the two countries in the field of agriculture, recalling that the two countries are bound by agreements signed during the visit of King Mohammed VI to Accra last February.

During her visit to Rabat, Botchway also met Moroccos Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita. The talks centered on the need to foster cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, through holding regular political consultations via the Moroccan-Ghanaian joint commission, a mechanism set up for over ten years.

The visit by Ghanas Foreign Minister also focused on the means to implement the 24 agreements that were signed during the royal visit to Ghana.

Concerning Moroccos bid to join the ECOWAS, the Ghanaian Minister expressed her optimism saying that the Kingdom is already a key partner for all countries in the region.
@patriciamazzei @alextdaugherty

For months, Cuban-American lawmakers have deployed familiar rhetoric to warn Washington colleagues of a democracy under threat in Latin America, where people are deprived of food and the ballot box, and where economic collapse could empower Russia uncomfortably close to home.

This is a dysfunctional narco-state that is in a death spiral in terms of its ability to function, said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

We are talking about a nearly failed state in our own hemisphere, said Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

We will have a swift and firm response from our own administration, said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami.

But the tough talk isnt about Cuba. Its about Venezuela.

The fight for a free Cuba  a fight carried in their bones, transcending all politics  has fueled Cuban-American lawmakers for decades in their campaign against Fidel and Raul Castro. But President Donald Trump has already taken a tougher line toward Cuba, as the legislators wanted. So, the unfolding Venezuela crisis has become Cuban Americans new crusade.

Just like it has been too long for the Cuban people, most people are coming to the understanding that this is part of the same movement, the same cancer that has been sickening the Cuban people and the Venezuelan people for decades now, Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo said in a Capitol Hill speech to Venezuelan activists and lawmakers Wednesday.

Cuban-American Republicans and Democrats agree President Nicolas Maduro must be stopped. Their united front could amplify their clout: As with Cuba, one of their own  Rubio  has proven to be the White Houses go-to legislator on Latin America.

Rubio, a Republican whos spent years in Congress criticizing Maduro, says hes been in regular touch with Trump and especially Vice President Mike Pence about how to sanction Venezuela if Maduro moves forward with a planned July 30 election. That vote would create a constituent assembly empowered to rewrite the nations constitution, effectively replacing a democratically elected legislature with Maduro loyalists.

The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles, Trump said in a statement Monday, released as Rubio made similar remarks on Twitter. If the Maduro regime imposes its Constituent Assembly on July 30, the United States will take strong and swift economic actions.

Rubio, Ros-Lehtinen, Curbelo and fellow Miami Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart back banning Venezuelan oil imports, a drastic measure once considered unthinkable against the No. 3 oil supplier to the U.S. But also in favor is a local Democrat, Weston Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents thousands of Venezuelans.

The message: On Cuba, Rubio and company faced significant opposition, both on Capitol Hill and in Trumps administration. On Venezuela, they dont.

Theres not a single senator that Ive seen, and no House member that Ive heard from, who still supports this regime, Rubio told the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute in bilingual remarks Wednesday. Once there were people who sometimes backed [former Venezuelan President Hugo] Chavez, or said things about Chavez in the past. But that doesnt exist anymore. No one here supports Maduro.

Even Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat who worked with the late Chavez, frequently traveled to Venezuela during Chavezs presidency and is the only sitting member of Congress who attended Chavezs funeral, supports sanctions.

We are compelled to take a stand on whats right, Meeks said. Sanctions that are being considered are the right things to do.

Behind the bipartisan push is a deeply held belief that Maduro is just another Fidel  and a sense that if Cuban Americans and their allies dont defend Venezuela in Washington, no one will.

We need to let the Venezuelan people know that they are not alone in this fight, that we stand together with them, that we will not rest until Venezuela is free from oppression and is once again a nation of democracy and the rule of law, Ros-Lehtinen said in an impassioned speech Wednesday.

The position is certainly heart-felt, but politics arent entirely out of the picture: Venezuelans fleeing Chavez and now Maduro could emerge as a significant voting bloc in Florida, the nations largest swing state.

Read more here.
@PatriciaMazzei

The Miami-Dade County Republican Party kicked state Senate candidate Alex Diaz de la Portilla from his party seat Thursday, five days before he competes in a special GOP primary Tuesday.

Diaz de la Portilla lost his Republican Executive Committee seat after failing to attend four party meetings, Chairman Nelson Diaz said. Three absences are enough for disqualification under party rules.

"Everyone's treated the same," Diaz said Friday.

A total of nine REC members got removed Thursday, as first reported by the Florida Politics blog. The list included state Rep. Manny Diaz Jr. of Hialeah. But as a sitting lawmaker, Diaz Jr., no relation to Diaz, will remain an REC member -- just not representing one of 40 party districts.

Diaz de la Portilla, who represented REC District 20, missed four meetings and an organizational meeting in December, when members were sworn in and party officers were elected. That meeting wasn't counted against anyone as an absence, Diaz said.

When members request excused absences, they're usually granted, Diaz added. But Diaz de la Portilla never did.

"I resigned from that post 4 months ago," Diaz de la Portilla said in a text message to a Miami Herald reporter Friday. Asked for proof of his resignation, he didn't respond. Diaz said the REC had never received any such notice from Diaz de la Portilla.

Diaz de la Portilla accused Diaz of bias.

"Nelson Diaz is in violation of party rules that require that he remain neutral during the primary," Diaz de la Portilla said.

Diaz rejected the notion that booting Diaz de la Portilla from the party days before the election could make it look like the local GOP was favoring one of Diaz de la Portilla's opponents.

"We're not taking sides at all," Diaz said. "This is not the party's fault, that Alex failed to show up to any meeting in the last seven months."

Diaz de la Portilla is campaigning for Senate District 40, in a nasty primary against state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz (no relation to the party chairman) and attorney Lorenzo Palomares.

This post has been updated.
On a country road on the outskirts of Missoula, five painters arranged their canvases and palettes in the back of trucks and on fold-out tables to paint in the open air.

Looking over a field dotted with hay bales, trees and Butler Creek snaking through the middle, each painter interpreted the scene differently. Despite the heat and the occasional fly that stuck to their wet paint, the painters remained outside all day.

For a week, about 16 painters worked outside in different places around Montana  Lindbergh Lake, the base of the Mission mountains, North Crow Canyon  creating between one and three paintings a day. They traveled from Idaho, Florida and around Montana to participate in the Dana Gallerys 15th annual Paint Out event.

At the end of the week, the artists work will be displayed at the Dana Gallery for a month, beginning July 20. Participating artists range from young beginners to career painters who make a living as artists. Many were mentored at one point by Robert Moore, whose paintings are displayed in galleries all over the western United States.

Moore finished his first painting of the day  a large and brightly colored piece with delicate, visible palette knife strokes  around 3 p.m. Moores style is unique, he said, because it's evolved from his struggle as a colorblind painter. When he looks at a rainbow, he sees yellow and blue, yet his paintings use every color in the color wheel.

In the past it's been very frustrating, but now Ive learned that I can put any color down as long as its in order, and it will feel natural, Moore said. So its exciting for me to paint what I perceive, knowing that its not what other people perceive.

Moores paintings occasionally feature a red leaf, or violet in an unlikely place. But viewers often appreciate his different color relationships, and tell him not to change it, he said. His color blindness also pushed him to study color theory for years, giving him an in-depth understanding of color harmonies and relationships.

Working outside around other painters helps make the creative process more collaborative. Moore can walk down the road to give advice to some of the painters he mentors, including his own daughter, Anna Moore, who also participated in the Paint Out and recently graduated from art school.

Annas job at the Paint Out was originally to tend to her dads palette, but he relieved her of that duty so she could paint as well. Anna became interested in painting through her dad, and while she found it really frustrating growing up, she pursued it in college nonetheless. This is her second year participating in the Paint Out.

I like the people, Anna said. Its like a little reunion every year. And hanging out with each other during down time is super fun. Or even when were painting near each other theres joking and laughing and singing, and its pretty fun.

Dudley Dana, who owns the Dana Gallery along with his wife, said the Paint Out event is a great way to get painters, who often work alone, working together. Throughout the week, 20 sponsors can commit to buying a painting at a special showing held just for them. That revenue has kept the gallery on its feet, Dana said.

I dont know if we would still be here if it wasnt for that, he said. We sold 37 paintings at the first Paint Out.

Dancers and writers also were set to attend the official exhibit opening on Thursday as a way of blending different art styles.

Garth Williams, who lives in Burley, Idaho, started painting later in life, after years spent playing rock and roll in a band called The Undertakers, and racing motorcycles across the country. Moore mentored him for about 20 years, and he said painting is 1 percent talent and 99 percent hard work.

My favorite thing to paint are aspen, because Dad used to take me fishing, and wed get up on these streams in Montana, Williams said. So thats I guess why I paint landscapes, because it reminds me of being a kid growing up and the fun things we used to do together.

Williams now supports himself with his painting, which has been a kind of second career for him. Painting in the open air is more difficult than in the studio, he said. As the sun moves, shadows change, and when a fly landed on his painting, he just painted it into the canvas.

All these things are affecting the moment when youre trying to really put something together, Williams said.

Paintings from the Paint Out will be on display in the Dana Gallery through Tuesday, Aug. 15.
There are no facts in Jamaica, the folk saying goes, only versions. Thats the fitting epigraph to Roger Steffens So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley, published by W.W. Norton.

Composed from interviews with more than 75 friends, family and confidants of Marley and amassed over several decades, So Much Things to Say is the biographical equivalent of a statistical mean: a way to compile a complete portrait of the musical legend from the sum experiences of the people who knew him best.

There is a chorus of voices here  including Steffens own. An archivist, historian and Bob Marley expert, Steffens does not present a portrait of the artist through his own lens, as dub-poet Linton Kwesi Johnson says in the books introduction, but instead presents us with a collage of impressions seen through the eyes of others. In other words, So Much Things to Say calls on many voices to recall the one iconic voice  Marleys. I have set out to illuminate with first-person depth the parts of his life that have been only partially explored, Steffens writes  including Marleys pre-recording years in Kingston, his visits to Africa, the attempted assassination of him in 1976  and also the intimacies of his friendships.

The co-host of KCRW-FMs Reggae Beat in the late 70s, a decade when he also toured with the Wailers, Steffens is now known for his photography, which has recently garnered attention through the sun-soaked and nostalgic Instagram account run by his daughter, the Family Acid. (The Family Acid: Jamaica a book of 40+ years of photography from Roger Steffens trips to the island was released in February 2017.)

Steffens frank and candid photos punctuate So Much Things to Say too, putting faces to the many names that speak across its pages.

Here are a few of those names, and glimpses of what they had to say:

JUNIOR MARVIN, WAILER

We jammed for three hours straight before we said anything to each other. Then we looked at each other and laughed, slapped five and Bob said, Man wan come play with I? And I said, Id love to! And I was a Wailer.

KATE SIMON, PHOTOGRAPHER

I was down in Kingston in 76 shooting Bunny for his album Blackheart Man I got out of the pool and there was Bob Marley sitting at one of those tables with tin umbrellas. And thats when I took the Kaya portrait. It wasnt a formal photo session or anything. I was wearing a swimsuit, thats how informal it was Bobs face is so open, his smile so big, his gaze is so sharp, that the photograph seems to give off light.

COXSON DODD, FOUNDER OF STUDIO ONE

When the Wailers came for audition, all they had was songs done earlier by groups, American Groups I told them I love the sound of the group, but they need to come with their own material. Well, I played a couple of American recordings, so as to give them the theme, or lyrics, Garnett Mimms and the Enchanters, Cry Baby, stuff like that. Im the one who selected all this stuff for Bob.

PETER TOSH, WAILER

The first instrument I ever played was a guitar. I made it out of a piece of board, sardine can, and some plastic line, the plastic you use for fishing. Get good sound too. When I left for Kingston all I took was my little grip, and some food to eat on the way, and meself, and Jah in my heart.

CINDY BREAKSPEARE, MARLEYS COMPANION

I knew from the first time that I ever spoke with him at length, that a deep relationship would change my life permanently He would offer mango as a gift, or simple little things like that, which I thought were very charming.

NEVILLE WILLOUGHBY, JAMAICAN BROADCASTER

One day I was in one of the studios at JBC and in walks this man Hes nobody in fancy clothes or anything, and he has the guitar case, almost battered one would say. But he walked like he was somebody, regally, thats the way to put it, I think. And so I asked, Who is that man? And she said, Bob Marley. 
A wind-driven fire in the Brewster Creek area near Rock Creek Road prompted officials Thursday night to issue evacuation notices.

The Goat Creek fire, which was started by lightning is being driven by strong and gusty winds, had expanded to 800 acres. It is located about six miles south of the old Bonita Guard Station near Interstate 90 and about one mile east of Rock Creek Road. The Granite County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation notices for the Brewster Creek area and pre-evacuation notices for the Rock Creek residences between mile markers 5 and 13 on the Rock Creek Road. Tock Creek Road is closed to local traffic only from mile marker 1 to Gillis Bridge.

The Clinton Rural Fire department, Missoula Rural Fire Department, the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service have crews fighting the fire. Helicopters and multiple aircraft also have been called in.

Weather will not help firefighting efforts in the short term.

The National Weather Service is calling for increased fire danger Friday, as a dry cold front passes through the area.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for western Montana through Friday night, meaning low humidity and gusty winds will create erratic fire behavior and potential new fire starts.

The fire danger is currently High on the Bitterroot National Forest, with fires spreading rapidly and quickly increasing in intensity after ignition.

Firefighters there were actively working on numerous blazes Thursday, and the wildfires have prompted some closures.

The Lolo Peak fire covers about 182 acres in the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness. The fire is pushing south into the wilderness area, but the northern edge showed minimal growth. Planning efforts are being developed to minimize impacts to local communities and infrastructure. Smoke is expected to remain visible from U.S. Highway 12, the Bitterroot Valley and Missoula.

The Dominic Butte fire in the Sapphire Mountains is located on the Stevensville Ranger District, east of Corvallis in the Sapphire Mountains near Willow Mountain Lookout and Dominic Point.

No structures are threatened, but trail and road closures are in place for Willow Creek Road and Burnt Fork Lake.

The lightning-caused fire was discovered Wednesday around 3 p.m. and quickly grew to 25 acres. A heavy air tanker and two SEATs  single engine air tankers  made multiple retardant drops on the fire and helped establish a perimeter that firefighters on the ground are working to reinforce.

Currently, 65 firefighters, five engines and two helicopters are assigned to the blaze, which is being actively suppressed. Theyre working on building a fire line around the perimeter and extinguishing hot spots outside the fire's edge to prevent it from growing.

Crews also are trying to establish a hose line around the north end of the fire, and three helicopters are assisting with bucket drops of water from local lakes.

Additional resources have been ordered, including one 20-person hand crew, bulldozer and water tender. The fire is burning in heavy timber and brush in steep and rugged terrain.
History appears in the strangest of places at the National Museum of Forest Service History.

Unless nature called, most of the 275 or more people who showed up Thursday morning for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a visitors center and discovery trail on Highway 10 West never had reason to notice one of the more intriguing exhibits.

Its called the Poo-Poo Project. Its detailed on the inner walls of a Forest Service innovation called the concrete vault toilet, which was developed in 1982 by Missoula Concrete Construction and remains the model for the industry 35 years later.

No matter where you turned or, well, sat Thursday, the stories and people who made the U.S. Forest Service museum-worthy abounded. Its billed as the only museum in the country devoted to telling the forest conservation story of the United States.

They asked me to help cut the ribbon. It must be a tough ribbon, joked Claudia Brown, who said her husband, former state forester Gary Brown, made the national museum in Missoula his baby and his mistress before succumbing to lung cancer in 2010.

While Gary Brown couldnt be there Thursday to enjoy the fruits of his passion, were going to keep him alive. Were going to keep him in peoples minds, Claudia said.

She joined executive director Lisa Tate, Missoula Mayor John Engen and Dale Bosworth in the ribbon-cutting at the winding, landscaped Forest Discovery Trail.

Bosworth was Chief of the Forest Service from 2001 to 2007. After retiring, he returned to Missoula, where hed headed Region I before he left for the agencys highest post in Washington, D.C. Bosworth spoke on behalf of the 25-member museum board in the shade of a crowded white tent, even as smoke began to billow from the Lolo Peak fire and commercial and firefighting aircraft took off and landed at the nearby Missoula airport.

Bosworth highlighted the legacy of the Forest Service before and after its creation in 1905, from its first chief, Gifford Pinchot, to todays restoration and outdoor recreation era.

National forests built much of the West, he said. They supplied the wood for railroad ties and shops and homes in small towns. Grazing leases helped people make livings and feed the country.

Thereve been a lot of things that weve taken from our national forests over the past century, and when you look at them today, theyre in pretty darn good shape considering all that weve taken, Bosworth said. My view is that maybe this museum might inspire us a little bit as a public in general to reinvest in these national forests and grasslands so that the next generations might have the same opportunities that weve had to take so many things and enjoy so many things from them.

Missoulas newest county commissioner Dave Strohmaier, a historical researcher and past Forest Service firefighter, recalled his years working at the Nine Mile Ranger Station west of Missoula.

Every day that I walked in the barn out there to sharpen a Pulaski or roll some hose was a tangible and visceral reminder of not only the task and the mission I had before me on that day but the many generations of folks to whom I was connected who worked at that ranger station over the decades, he said. Thats important.

Volunteers scrambled to accommodate parking and seating for a crowd that was larger than expected. Tate said one of the volunteers counted 275 people but thought he might have missed some.

We thought 100 to 200 maybe, the executive director said. To me its really encouraging because we dont have an advertising budget and we just promote the best we can with the resources we have. The fact that we have such a large turnout for this event tells me theres just huge support and interest in what the museum is doing and in this subject matter.

Part of what was unveiled Thursday, and will now be open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Labor Day, was a Forest Discovery Trail that wound through the grove of Champion trees. Started in 2002, the grove consists of a couple dozen species of western and northwestern trees cloned from the biggest, toughest and oldest specimens. It's one of a half-dozen archival libraries of trees scattered across the nation from Florida, Virginia and Michigan to Salem, Oregon.

Eight interpretive signs told the stories in text and graphics of the conservation leaders like Pinchot and President Teddy Roosevelt, who called conservation a "national duty.

The narrative was courtesy of a research grant from Humanities Montana, said education director Cheryl Hughes, who spent two days in April at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

That helped us authenticate a lot of the information and gave us a good lead on photographs, because Pinchots whole collection is at the Library of Congress, Hughes said.

A timeline 30 feet long traces the conservation movement from the decade before the Civil War through the early Forest Service years, and the custodial management era that started after the Great Fires of 1910 in Idaho and western Montana.

The Great Depression brought the Civilian Conservation Corps, followed by the Forest Services role during World War II and postwar development from 1946-1959  an era that included the Mann Gulch fire in Montana, the rise of Smokey Bear and when the Forest Service moved from soft hat to hard hat.

Next came the multiple-use management era of the 1960s and, from 1970 to 1992, the time of environmentalism and public participation. The last panels discuss ecosystem management and the future of the Forest Service.

The trail will be expanding and will offer more interactives for youngsters, including a knot-tying station at the Backcountry Horsemens demonstration corral.

We were hoping to have that done today, but we just couldnt quite pull that together, Tate said.

The visitors center is a restored rangers cabin from the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho that was reassembled here by Gary Brown and others 17 years ago. Inside is a gift shop featuring lots of Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl items.

A mining and minerals exhibit includes an iPad with short videos on the subject. Its one of the museums traveling displays that was called home for the occasion. Tate said at the end of the summer itll be sent to the Cradle of Forestry Museum in North Carolina, and later to Ketchikan, Alaska.

Steve Sherick, 82, of Missoula toured the grounds in a wheelchair pushed by his wife, Doris.

Its a very good thing to have in Missoula, said Sherick, a 36-year Forest Service veteran who was on the team that opened many of the Job Corps centers across the nation in 1964. The reason its here is the people in the group had a desire to put it here.

Some talk Thursday was about what isn't here yet. A capital campaign for a 30,000 square foot Smithsonian-affiliated museum center is roughly halfway to its goal of $9 million.

The National Conservation Legacy and Education will be built to the south of the fire lookout that will rise 46 feet above the lobby. Its a building that a few hundred people can better imagine after Thursday.

Bosworth thanked the many whove helped get to this point.

Im just tickled theres so many people, and give your support to the museum the best you can, he said.

As for the Poo-Poo Project, it was devised a few years ago to keep owls and other cavity nesters from seeking out the inviting (for them) open-top air vents on vault toilets. The Port-o-Potty Project has a simple fix: Attaching screened covers to the vents, as explained inside the vault toilet.

That's an interactive project, too, Tate said with a smile.

Its called creative place-making, and Im all about that, how you can turn something ordinary into something unexpected," she said. "Thats what we hope to do with this whole series is to have different things that people dont expect."
At the end of an all-day hearing on misconduct complaints against Hamilton attorney Robert Myers  in particular his actions during his 2016 judicial race  Jon Moog with the states Office of Disciplinary Counsel summed up his view in two sentences.

This is nothing more than character assassination. Mr. Myers should be disbarred, he told a panel from the state's Commission on Practice.

The complaints against Myers include that he ran ads with inflammatory allegations he knew were false when he ran for judge of Ravalli County District Court against incumbent Jeff Langton last year.

The radio ads and a mailer included allegations that Langton received drugs from a child, committed fraud, and made repeat references to a prior driving under the influence of alcohol conviction the judge has on his record, including the use of a jingle of Liquor Langton.

Although the roughly 11 hours of hearings Thursday began in the morning, Myers did not arrive until the afternoon, saying he misunderstood the schedule.

But once he did show up he had many things to say, including that the ads he ran were political speech and therefore protected under the First Amendment.

I stand by what I put in the ad, I have a First Amendment right to say it. I dont care what the Supreme Court of Montana says, I certainly dont care what Judge Langton says, Myers said. I move to dismiss this and we get back to being Americans, he said.

When Langton testified, he said the ads were a smear campaign.

I could not believe this man would stoop this low, he said.

Myers said he had independently corroborated the statements in the ads, then said he hadnt, then said he had for some, and also that he hadnt meant them as facts, only as stories he had been told by other people.

At one point Myers refused to testify, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination, because Langton has asked law enforcement to open a criminal defamation case against Myers, who referred to himself as a private attorney general.

Asked why he never reported any of the allegations of illegal conduct to authorities, Myers said he hadnt done so yet.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, he said.

A member of the commission asked Myers if he knows the rules of professional conduct for attorneys and those for a person running for a judge position. Myers said he did, but believed many of them are unconstitutional, and that the Montana Supreme Court should be ashamed for upholding them.

They should be ashamed of themselves for letting this guy back on the bench ... Ive been fined $10,000 for telling the truth about this guy, Myers said, referencing a sanction Langton imposed on him for behavior in a court case in Ravalli County.

Langton imposed that sanction after Myers accused the judge and another attorney of having secret communications, said that witnesses in the case had been tampered with and after Myers attempted to subpoena the judge to provide a deposition.

Langton, who has been on the bench since being elected in 1992 and is currently the longest-serving district court judge, said Myers is the only attorney he has ever had to sanction.

In addition to his request for Myers disbarment for the most incendiary ads that Myers agreed he authored and put out, Moog asked for a two-year suspension of the attorneys law license for a pair of ads he ran during the primary and a three-month suspension for his behavior in the child custody case that led to his sanction.

The panel will file reports of its findings in each case with the Montana Supreme Court, along with a disciplinary recommendation if they believe one is necessary. The high court will make the ultimate decision of what punishment, if any, Myers will face.
WASHINGTON (AP)  White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Donald Trump's embattled spokesman during the first six months of his presidency, abruptly resigned his position Friday.

Spicer quit in protest over the hiring of a new White House communications director, New York financier Anthony Scaramucci, objecting to what Spicer considered his lack of qualifications and to the direction of the press operation, according to people familiar with the situation. Spicer had long sought the strategic communications job for himself and had been managing that role along with his press secretary duties for nearly two months.

His decision to quit was sudden and took advisers inside and outside the White House by surprise, according to the people with knowledge of the decision. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the personnel matter publicly.

Spicer's daily press briefings had become must-see television until recent weeks when he took on a more behind-the-scenes role. Deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has largely taken over the briefings, turning them into off-camera events.

Spicer spent several years leading communications at the Republican National Committee before helping Trump's campaign in the general election. He is close to White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, the former RNC chair, and several of the lower-ranking aides in the White House communications shop.

Priebus told The Associated Press that he supports Scaramucci "100 percent," despite reportedly trying to prevent the financier from getting multiple administration positions.

"We go back a long, long way and are very good friends," Priebus said of Scaramucci. "All good here."

Scaramucci is expected to play a visible role as one of Trump's defenders on television. But Spicer and other officials questioned his hiring as communications director ahead of the president's push to overhaul the tax system and other policy issues.

Spicer and other press staffers had been feeling that they finally had the press shop operating effectively, aside from matters related to the Russia investigation, said one of the people familiar with the situation.

News of Spicer's resignation set off a chaotic scene at the White House.

Inside the West Wing, a gaggle of reporters more than a dozen deep crowded around a doorway leading to the press offices seeking more information on Spicer's departure and other potential staffing moves. White House officials announced that Sanders would hold the daily briefing  the first on camera since June 29  on Friday afternoon.

Spicer's tenure got off to a rocky start. On Trump's first full day in office, he lambasted journalists over coverage of the crowd size at the inauguration and stormed out of the briefing room without answering questions.

Spicer, who often displayed a fiery demeanor in tense on-camera exchanges with reporters, became part of culture in the way few people in his job have, particularly through an indelible impersonation by Melissa McCarthy on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

She portrayed Spicer as a hostile figure who tore through the briefing room on a portable podium, willing to attack the press.

A Roman Catholic, Spicer was dealt a blow when Trump excluded him from a group of White House staffers and Trump family members who got to meet Pope Francis when Trump visited the Vatican during his first foreign trip in May.

Spicer remained loyal to Trump but frequently battled perceptions that he was not plugged in to what the president was thinking, and had to worry that Trump was watching and critiquing his performance from the Oval Office.

Throughout the start of the administration, there was always the possibility that Trump would undermine something Spicer said by simply sending out a tweet.

Spicer is a Rhode Island native and a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

He apologized in April after he attempted to compare the Holocaust and Syrian President Bashar Assad's use of chemical weapons, saying it was "inexcusable and reprehensible."
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Jackson Maloney, a 17-year-old Butte High student, is among a contingent of teenagers adding their voices to the political debates zigzagging around Washington D.C. this week.

The American Legion's Boys Nation participants arrived in the capital Friday, July 21, after being selected from participants in Boys State in June. They'll remain for a full week of events.

The program, founded by the American Legion in 1935 as an answer to socialist "young pioneer" camps, aims to teach young people about the processes of local, state, and national government. The American Legion Auxiliary runs a similar program for young women, Girls State.

In Washington, participants take part in the legislative process start to finish, introducing bills, debating them, and voting to override vetoes if needed.

Some of the legislation awaiting introduction at this weekend's session include a bill to make Election Day a federal holiday, a bill to remove mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, and a bill lowering the drinking age to 18.

Maloney's bill proposes a tax break to companies that offer affordable health care to their employees. The bill he debated at Boys State in Helena dealt with the cost of meals in state prison, suggesting an increase in food costs in order to bring down healthcare costs, Maloney said.

No matter the subject, he's been preparing to debate his ideas at a national level.

"When you're dealing with...pretty much the cream of the crop from the states, you don't want to go in there looking silly," he said.

Maloney, the son of Celine and Steve Maloney, says that seeing political turmoil from a distance has made him even more determined to bring integrity to his role  even as he recognizes the political maneuvering that role sometimes demands.

"One kid (at Boys State) spoke against everything that he really believed in...because when it comes to Montanans, it's really going to help them," Maloney said. Seeing his peers in the mock Senate balance their personal opinions with what they see as their so-called constituents' interests was an inspiring lesson.

"We need more of that, kids saying, 'This is good for people I'm representing,'" he said.

That's a mindset that Maloney says he can get behind long-term.

"I really like politics. I want to shape it," he said. "I want to be more of an influencer instead of someone who stands by and watches."
ANACONDA  A coroner's jury found Thursday that Anaconda-Deer Lodge jail inmate Zachary Thomas Williams died by suicide earlier this year.

The jurors also ruled out negligence in Williams's death. It took the jurors a few minutes of deliberation to reach their verdict.

Williams, who was 24 at the time of his death on Jan. 8, was facing trial on six counts of felony child abuse that could have meant up to 90 years in prison. Williams was accused of causing serious harm to his girlfriend's 1-year-old son last fall. The baby lived but suffered a detached retina, and his brain rotated inside his skull, according to County Attorney Ben Krakowka.

The child is blind and will likely require significant care for the rest of his life. He is severely developmentally delayed and has cerebral palsy, Krakowka told The Montana Standard.

Detention officers found Williams inside his cell at about 10 p.m. on Jan. 8 kneeling with a bed sheet wound into a rope and tied around his neck. Williams tied the other end of the sheet to the cell's 3-foot-high handicap railing.

The state medical examiner Dr. Sunil Prashar found Williams's death to be a suicide by asphyxiation due to hanging.

No alcohol or drugs were found in Williams's system during the autopsy, Prashar said during his testimony at the inquest.

According to court testimony, three detention officers cut Williams down and worked to resuscitate him until medical professionals arrived on the scene. The medical professionals then took over, attempting to revive Williams using a defibrillator machine.

Several witnesses, including a state investigator and detention center officers, testified that Williams had threatened suicide several times while in jail. As a result, he was evaluated by a crisis response team. A mental health professional found that Williams was playing a game.

"It was not a cry for help," said Anaconda Assistant Police Chief Bill Sather.

Sather testified that Williams frequently claimed he was going on a hunger strike, but at the time of his death, he weighed three pounds less than he had when he first entered jail 77 days before.

The day of his death, Williams put a sheet up over his cell door window. As a result, detention officers took Williams's bedding away from him.

But Williams had ripped a strip from the bed sheet and hidden it, possibly between two mattresses he had placed onto his bottom bunk bed.

After officers removed Williams's bedding, he put sheets of paper over his cell door window. He moistened the paper to make it stick to the door.

State investigator Jeremy Ewan testified that he found a Christmas card and a personal notebook in Williams's cell. A letter Williams had written to his mother was also examined as evidence.

Ewan stated that nothing Williams left behind mentioned suicide but that he complained in his writing about the criminal justice system. He also wrote about his depression issues in his personal notebook.

Krakowka said no charges had been filed in this case. But it is standard procedure to hold an inquest when an inmate dies in custody.

Butte-Silver Bow Coroner Lee LaBreche presided over the inquest. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Coroner Jessie Billquist-Jette recused herself from conducting the inquest due to the potential for conflict of interest since Williams's suicide happened at the county jail. Billquist-Jette called it standard practice in inquests that involve law enforcement.
A woman who had supervisor responsibilities at the Butte Pre-release Center faces a felony charge for allegedly having sexual intercourse with an inmate at the facility.

Brittany Popovich, 29, was charged this week in Butte Justice Court with a felony for having sex with the inmate on Oct. 20 and Nov. 5 last year at an apartment building at 205 W. Granite St. in Butte, according to court documents.

Under Montana law, an inmate cant give consent to sexual contact with a supervisor at a correctional facility.

Popovich turned herself in earlier this week and is free on bond. A person convicted of sexual intercourse without consent faces a minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum of life behind bars. The maximum fine is $50,000.

Efforts to reach Mike Thatcher, who oversees the pre-release center for Community, Counseling and Correctional Services, by telephone through his office and cell numbers were not immediately successful.
Five new county employee positions sought by Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Dave Palmer are still in a preliminary spending plan for the new fiscal year, but they have commissioners deeply divided.

And the issue  the most contentious among council members so far this year  is not settled yet.

After another terse and at times confusing discussion and debate Wednesday night, commissioners split 6-6 on whether a draft budget should advance with the positions in it or not.

They include a new construction supervisor making $72,000 per year plus benefits, a county arborist, and paying retiring Planning Director Jon Sesso $45,000 a year from pollution settlements to be a part-time Superfund coordinator.

Palmer, who was presiding over the meeting, immediately cast a tie-breaking vote to keep the staff additions in the plan and move it forward on a 7-6 tally. He proposed them in the first place and broke the tie without hesitation or comment.

Ive been thinking about them for months, Palmer said Thursday morning.

Commissioners can still remove one or more of the positions before a final budget is enacted, most likely sometime in August. But even that possibility or likelihood drew arguments.

Commissioner Dan Foley, who says the county cannot afford to keep adding positions each year when Butte isnt growing, said before the vote that few changes are made to budgets once a preliminary plan is OKd.

Make no mistake, if you are voting for this motion, you are voting for all five positions, Foley said.

NOT A DONE DEAL

But several commissioners suggested the council consider the merits and costs of each position individually, and that can still happen. Commissioner Cindi Shaw said during and after the meeting that the matter is in no way a done deal. The vote was simply to move the budget along, she said.

We did not approve all five positions, she said afterwards. Each one should be given their day in court.

She disputed Foleys claims that changes are rarely made once preliminary plans are endorsed.

We have made them at the 11th hour, she said.

Commissioners offered motions and counter-motions during the debate, leading to confusion at times as to what was on the table. Finally, Sheryl Ralph made a motion to end all motions that drew the 6-6 vote and tiebreaker from Palmer.

A public hearing on the budget is to be held before council Aug. 2 so the public can weigh in on the plan in person. A final budget could be voted on in a special meeting Aug. 14, but that date could be pushed back.

ANNUAL CONCERNS

Concerns over spending come up every year during budget talks, but a few factors might have heightened sensitivity of the issue for commissioners this year.

For one, county officials say an increase in water rates is needed to fill a shortfall in revenue for operating the system. Under a proposal commissioners gave a preliminary nod to later Wednesday night, rates would go up 10 percent this year and another 10 percent next year.

Like the budget, that plan is not a done deal yet. Letters about the proposal will go out soon to all water customers, a public hearing must be held, and commissioners must formally act on a final plan after that.

The initial plan floated by Palmer and other county officials would have raised rates by 45 percent over three years, but some commissioners said that would be especially hard on poor residents and those with fixed incomes.

Second, Palmer is not doing what Matt Vincent did three out of four years he was chief executive: tapping reserve funds from Buttes Tax-increment Financing Industrial District (TIFID) to prop up spending without raising taxes.

Vincent got about $1 million in TIFID money to supplement the county budget in 2013, about the same in 2015, and nearly $1.4 million last year. He lost a re-election bid to Palmer last November.

Palmer never objected to those moves but said Thursday that the industrial district needs its reserve funds now to pay for major infrastructure improvements to help existing and future businesses.

Commissioners also know that residents began paying higher property taxes last November to fund most of the $8.7-million waterpark being constructed at Stodden Park. Theyll start paying a little more on top of that this year for operating costs.

In addition to the construction superintendent, arborist, and Superfund coordinator, Palmer wants an in-house accountant for two of Buttes tax-increment districts and an accountant for the Parks Division and county building manager.

Palmer said Thursday that he will continue advocating for the positions as budget talks continue. Some wont cost taxpayers any additional money, he said, and they should all make local government more efficient and productive.

But so far, he has let his department heads do most of the pushing.

When someone comes in and asks questions, I will tell them my side of the story, but I havent really called anyone (commissioners) to try to lobby for them. It might come down to that. I think they are needed.
Police reports

Alleged check forger

Lee Garcia, 69, of Butte was arrested Wednesday afternoon for allegedly stealing and forging a check. According to Undersheriff George Skuletich, Garcia was depositing a check at Opportunity Bank on Harrison Avenue originally made out for $3.33. The check had been modified to read $500, Skuletich said.

Skuletich also said that Garcia was a suspect in other forgery cases around town and would be charged with felony forgery because the sum of the alleged forgeries was greater than $1,500.

Wanted in two states

Police stopped a driver for making unsafe lane changes on Front Street late Thursday night and discovered he had arrest warrants out of Michigan and Oregon.

The driver, Nathan James Kipp, 41, of Portland, Oregon, stopped in the parking lot of the Thriftway Store at Utah and Front around 11:20 p.m. Thursday. He had a warrant from Michigan, but authorities there were not seeking extradition.

He also was wanted on a felony warrant out of Oregon and was being held for authorities in that state on Friday. Police say he also had a pipe used to smoke drugs and was booked on a misdemeanor complaint for that.

Medical call leads to arrest

A Butte man was arrested Wednesday after police responded to a medical emergency on the 300 block of West Broadway and found that Kevin Menefee, 37, had violated probation in a drug-related case from Gallatin County. Menefee is being held on $25,000 bond.
As more and more wildfires burn during an increasingly hot and dry summer, Montana will likely have to take $30 million out of a fund that pays for fighting fires to prop up an anemic state budget instead.

Now, some state leaders worry there wont be enough left in the fire fund to pay for suppression efforts through the end of the summer.

I could just about put money on it (running out), said Sen. Pat Connell, the Hamilton Republican and professional forester who carried the 2013 bill to create the fire fund. Our option simply will be to go into a special session of the Legislature to pay the bills.

Faced with a tight fiscal situation because of declining natural resource production, the Legislature this spring decided to pull money out of the state fire fund, if necessary, to maintain an informal $200 million rainy-day fund and to reduce the depth of cuts to other state operations and services. Gov. Steve Bullock argued the cushion was needed to maintain the states cash flow throughout the year, but many GOP legislators insisted the figure was too high.

Lawmakers created four levels of so-called triggers that would pull from the fire fund and make cuts elsewhere across state government if revenues came in lower than projected. And thats what has happened. Nearly all state agencies will be affected by the cuts in some way, and many are preparing for the most-severe actions possible. Details of the cuts are expected to be announced next week.

Many legislators suspected some cuts might be necessary, but the gap between projections and actual tax collections is wider than anticipated.

The Department of Natural Resources has spent somewhere between $5 million and $10 million fighting fires this summer, said director John Tubbs.

By the end of the week the department hopes to get an idea of how much money was left in in the suppression fund after fighting last year's fires. In ballpark figures, Tubbs said he expects about $60 million to $63 million. If the state makes the steepest level of cuts, it would leave just half of that amount for fire suppression. No money will be deposited in the fund this year.

While theres no such thing as a typical fire year, this summer has the makings for an expensive one.

This spring all the national fire forecasts suggested a moderate fire season. Those were wrong, Tubbs said. Northeastern Montana is in a severe drought and the western side of the state has dried rapidly following a dry summer in 2016. Theres also a lot of fuel to burn because of spring moisture.

We are seeing fire activity now, and I think anybody thats been around the state would really be hoping this would be mid-August, Tubbs said. Theres nothing to suggest were not going to have a very active fire season.

Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, was one of the main architects of the bill implementing the triggers. He said legislators last spring were accounting for an average fire year when they decided to tap the fire fund, but there are still other ways to pay if Montana burns more than expected.

Even if all the triggers are hit, the fund would still have more than $30 million, he said Thursday. That was taken into consideration. And then theres the governors emergency fund, and the DNRC (Department of Natural Resources) has some additional money.

Jones said in his 13 years at the Legislature, hes only seen the fund exceed what would be left in the account this year once, but acknowledged anything could happen.

In 2013, the most costly year in recent memory, the state spent $57 million on fire suppression. In a more normal year the state spends about $20 million, but that number can be much lower  in 2011 it was just $2.5 million.

Theres obviously potential to be a challenge if this is going to be a severe fire year and next year will be a severe fire year as well, but I hope next year will be a better budget year.

The fund is filled from leftover money from state agencies.

Connell lamented that the fire fund was chosen as a key way to patch the budget.

The fire fund was not designed to be a piggy bank to rob, but to pay for legitimate costs of fire suppression, he said, noting he supports the states aggressive techniques using both ground and air attacks early on. While helicopters are expensive to fly, he argues their use saves money in the long run when compared to flight costs to suppress fires that grow even larger.

Connell pushed back on assumptions made by some legislators in April that this years fire season would be mild because of heavy snow pack and consistent spring rains. Paraphrasing a college lesson from Montana historian K. Ross Toole, he said, It dont matter how much (moisture) you get, just when you get it.

The snow pack and spring rains are great for fisheries, surface water and reservoirs, but it doesnt do a damn thing to reduce fire risk, he said. Humidity, temperature, fuel moisture and availability of fuel are all that matter.

He said the snowy winter and wet spring only caused more vegetation to grow than usual, and now high temperatures have dried out much of it. As a result, the state is blanketed in an abundance of fuel waiting for a spark.

By the next two-year budget cycle in 2019, triggered cuts might be unnecessary. This year the Legislature established a new Budget Stabilization Fund, where the state will sock away extra money in good times and from which it can withdraw cash in bad times. But the state has not yet had enough time to build up its emergency savings account, of sorts.

For this year, only time will tell how the summer unfolds.

Anything could happen, Jones said. There should be enough to fight the fires, but if there's not, theres always a special session.

The DNRC is working to knock down fires before they grow past 10 acres, something Tubbs said could save the state millions. Aircraft capable of dropping water on fires are spread around the state and firefighters have stopped hundreds of fires most people havent heard of because they werent named.

Our initial attacks are being very effective, Tubbs said. Still, its a long way to September.

Tubbs said he expects some additional revenue, possibly up to $10 million to be deposited into the account at the end of this fiscal year, which is next July. But two bad fire years back to back could mean problems.

The biggest risk is if it gets really big this year, it would be a problem going into next fire season if we had two consecutive high-cost fire years. Wed really be in trouble.
The latest bizarre revelation about the Russian governments meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections dominated national news last week.

Yet the American public is still substantially in the dark about this meeting. On Friday, McClatchy Washington Bureau reported that a Russian-American lobbyist also attended that Trump Tower meeting. Donald Trump Jr. didnt mention the lobbyist when he purported to be transparent about the meeting at the same hour it was being disclosed by the New York Times  13 months after it occurred.

As Americans try to make sense of this Trump family intrigue, the Donald Trump Jr. story has nearly obliterated public discourse on crucial policy issues, such as the Senates health care legislation.

Although Donald Trump Jr. admits expecting to get negative information about Clinton at that June 2016 meeting, he claims that no such information was actually provided. Yes, he put his hand in the cookie jar, but he didnt get any cookies.

That doesnt excuse his terrible judgment. Donald Trump Jr. compromised himself  and the other Trump aides he brought to the meeting. Writing for the National Review, David French explains the blackmail threat well:

By taking meetings with enemies, expressing a willingness to cooperate with enemies, and concealing those meetings, you grant your enemy leverage over your political fortunes. We do not know the extent of the Trump teams interactions with the Russians. The Russians, however, do, and they know if the Trump team is lying in its most current round of public statements. If there are further contacts or more or different embarrassing paper trails, then that knowledge can hang like the sword of Damocles over the heads of relevant Trump officials. Can that impact their dealings with Russia?

Appalling disregard for honesty is a terrible distraction from the bad policy changes that have been made in the first six months of this administration and are being made  like ripping apart the nation's health care safety net.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the FBI should be investigating Donald Trump Jr.s Russian contacts, along with other evidence of Russias attempts to influence, disrupt and discredit Americas election process. House and Senate committees must pursue truth before party loyalty to publicly disclose what really occurred as Vladimir Putin infiltrated Americas free and open election process.

Its going to take time to unravel the Russian connections. First, Americans need to pay attention to what Congress and the president are doing this week. Legislation is pending in the Senate and has passed the House to drastically reduce access to health care for middle- and low-income Americans, especially for women. Speak up now to prevent Washington, D.C., from harming Americas health.

-- The Billings Gazette
MUSCATINE  The city of Muscatine is considering acquiring and rehabilitating the former Escorpion Bar on Mulberry Avenue.

The brick building at 500 Mulberry Ave. was built in 1900, according to the Muscatine Area Geographic Information Consortium. The rear wall recently caved in, according to Community Development Coordinator Adam Thompson.

Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Michael Maharry has been organizing the project and acting as mediator between the city and three parties interested in restoring the building.

Thompson said the city hopes to acquire the building and sell it for rehabilitation. The city may need to repair the unstable rear wall for about $10,000 before it can be sold.

"Whether standing or not, (the wall) wasn't doing anything," Thompson said. "It is not load bearing and all the weight goes to the sides."

The city worries the side walls will soon be compromised, but Thompson said a mason has deemed the building salvageable.

City officials hope to begin the process of transferring the property by August, and have a contractor rehabilitating the exterior and roof by December, Thompson said.

A new landfill cell will soon be constructed in Muscatine.

Aldermen awarded a contract to Rittmer Inc. for $622,600 to build the fifth landfill cell in the county. The fourth landfill cell is almost at capacity, according to the bid letting documents.

About $550,000 is budgeted for the project, and there is $220,000 in the remediation plan budget to cover the cost of the leachate lagoon construction.

In order to construct a new landfill cell, the city said the storage building on the site, at 2700 Highway 61 N., must be demolished or moved. The city council agreed to move the building for about $24,000, and construct a new foundation, at a cost of about $38,700.

There is $150,000 in the landfill budget for building construction.

Construction contracts awarded

Also at Thursday's meeting, aldermen awarded a contract for the construction of a new roof at the Water Pollution Control Plant's Diffused Air Flotation building. The building's roof was damaged in the March tornado, and has been leaking.

Bryant Roofing Co. submitted the low bid for the purchase of a new membrane roof for around $26,400. Insurance should cover most of the cost.

Aldermen also awarded a contract to All-American Concrete for reconstruction of Cleveland Street, for more than $403,800. Road work will be done on Cleveland Street between the Frontage Road, in front of McDonald's, to 2nd Avenue.

Wandering Words

The city council also discussed the Muscatine County Arts Council's Wandering Words Poetry contest Thursday. Aldermen have chosen locations for the winning poems to be stamped into concrete in sidewalks around the city.

Poems will be located on sidewalks outside the Musser Public Library, City Hall, the Pearl Plaza, and in locations at 2nd Street and Iowa Avenue.

In other business

Aldermen approved the purchase and installation of a new tunnel scale at the Transfer Station, for $33,600.

The Muscatine Fire Department will purchase a new aerial truck for $1,119,400.

The police department will purchase two new detective vehicles for about $40,000.
MUSCATINE  A trial is set for 2018 in Muscatine District Court in a class action lawsuit claiming residents have suffered damages from pollution emitted from the Grain Processing Corporation plant.

The approximately 15-day trial will begin July 9, 2018, in district court. The suit was certified as a class action by the Iowa Supreme Court in May, and includes residents who have lived within 1.5 miles of the GPC plant on Oregon Street since 2007.

Residents claim the pollution, including smoke, odor and haze, has caused personal inconvenience and discomfort and has prevented residents from enjoying their properties, according to lead counsel Sarah Siskind.

Residents, who first brought the case against GPC in 2012, have testified the pollution has interfered with entertaining outdoors, has caused physical symptoms, such as burning eyes and sinus congestion, and has left dust and particles on homes and vehicles.

GPC has argued the plant has been operating since the 1940s, well before most class members moved into the area. The company claimed it has invested more than $100 million between 2006 and 2015 to upgrade the plant and reduce emissions.

In an interview, Siskind said the class will not include personal injury claims, because it is difficult to determine if a health problem was directly caused by pollution. The class will only focus on property damage and the use and enjoyment of residents' properties.
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 []
This week, three matatu operators were sentenced to death for robbing, stripping, and sexually assaulting a female passenger three years ago.

Bus driver Nicholas Mwangi, conductor Meshack Mwangi and petrol station attendant Edward Ndungu jointly with others, robbed the woman of Ksh 10,200, a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone worth Ksh 27,000, one bottle of perfume, a clutch bag, and makeup kit all amounting to Ksh 41,700 on the night of September 19 and 20 at Millenium petrol station in Githurai 44.

The incident shook the country after a video of the disturbing incident emerged on social media.

Following the sentencing by Nairobi Chief Magistrate, Francis Andayi, former radio personality Ciku Muiruri has shared a story about how she almost fell victim to the moral brigade in Thika town many years ago.

Read below.

***********************************

I was almost stripped naked once by the moral brigade that strangely enough seems to only be found at matatu stages. I was twenty years old.

Matatu stages have always been Red Zones where a moral brigade stands to attention, eyes darting furiously, awaiting a violator of their decency rules  And not just in Nairobi. Everywhere.

I took a ma-three to Thika. The minute we pulled into the stage, I knew I was in trouble. There were at least 30 matatus parked there and the place was swarming with drivers and makangas. Oh oh. My skirt was black and white, a little cute thing with a slit at the back. There was no way in hell this get up would go unnoticed. The distance from this particular Red Zone to a nearby hotel was around 200 meters. I figured that I could make it before the pack organized itself.

You have to understand mob psychology. Individuals are quite unwilling to go out on a limb. One guy will never come up to you and start stripping you because he considers your clothing indecent. The loss of responsibility of the individual only occurs with universality of behavior  If many of them think its okay to harass a girl, then it must be okay. The bravado increases with the size of the crowd. As long as I could cover the 200 meters before a crowd gathered, then I would be safe.

[showad block=6]

The longest walk of my life begins. 10 meters. A few looks. 20 meters. A few murmurs. 50 meters. Someone, after consulting his buddy, pips up. Im getting nervous. 100 meters. The guy who piped up is following me. His friend and two other guys join him. 120 meters. Im getting really nervous. They are now six, then seven. Their voices get louder as their numbers swell. They are getting emboldened. Lewd comments start. 70 meters to go, I will not make it. I say a silent prayer.

My heart is pounding. Im terrified. I keep praying. God, please help me! A car stops. Its an elderly woman, grey hair peeking out from under her headscarf. Get in, she says in vernacular, a sense of urgency about her.

I want to hug her. I jump in, my legs shaking. The mob disperses, disappointment in the air. The spell is broken and they are again individuals, senses restored. One of them hands me a bag through the car window that I hadnt even realized I had dropped. How paradoxical. A minute ago he was ready to publicly humiliate and disgrace me.

Charles Mackay, a poet, summed it up best when he wrote. Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.

An angel saved me that day, a woman, not of my generation. She probably thought my skirt was risque. But she helped me anyway because right thinking people do not support violence against women. Another lady was not so lucky. She was stripped and robbed and the 3 men responsible have now been sentenced to death. The stripping offence is 25 years and robbery with violence carries the death sentence.

First of all, they wont actually die. After the 1982 coup dEtat attempt, Hezekiah Ochuka, Pancras Oteyo Okumu and two other masterminds of the coup were convicted of treason, sentenced to death and consequently hanged. They were the last people executed in Kenya to date. Reason is that sitting Presidents regularly commute the sentences of those on death row to life imprisonment.

If a terrorist got life, would you complain? Probably not. Thats what these men are, make no mistake. The terror I felt that day as I walked those 200 meters is indescribable.

The Vulva is sacred. All around the world, for centuries, it has calmed seas, stopped wars, corrected injustices and saved the environment. Exposing it because you dont agree with what someone is wearing is grotesque and wrong. Tough break guys, but you will serve as an example to others. Next time, the herd mentality will vanish as one by one, the reality of possible life in prison sets in.
Earlier this week, NASA flag bearer Raila Odinga urged Kenyan women to deny their husbands s*x on the eve of the General Election.

The former Prime Minister was speaking at a public event in Homa Bay County on Monday.

We are going into a war and we must fully conserve our energies before the day of battle which is August 8th, none of us ought to have sex on the eve of the poll, this will ensure that we wake up early to vote and remain vigilant throughout the day until the results are tallied and announced, said Raila.

The remarks have not been received well by Nairobi preacher Godfrey Migwi of House of Hope Church in Kayole.

According to a report by The Nairobian, the pastor has claimed that he is mobilizing other City preachers to sue Raila Odinga for the remarks.

He reportedly said it is against the Bible and the law to deny another their rights.

The Bible is clear on conjugal rights, thus Im mobilizing my fellow preachers so that we can plan on how to sue Nasa Presidential candidate Raila Odinga for the remarks, he said.

He added: as a preacher, Ive handled several cases where spouses part when one party denied another his or her sex rights thus he(Raila) and any other leader ought not to be taken serious at all.

The pastor claimed that Railas remarks only apply to the elderly and not young couples who still have a long way in building their families.
Revered media personality Karen Knaust Karimi has moved to stop rumors that she is expecting from spreading.

The former K24 presenter took to social media recently to address a picture which appeared to showed her spotting a baby bump.

Karen, now a wildlife blogger and reporter, blamed the illusion on a dress she was wearing at a recent event.

She wrote: Before any of u make any assumptions Im not Pregnant!!!! It was a flowing short dress.

The German/Kenyan media personality quit Media Max in March this year.

She is set to relocate to the Middle East where her fiance works and resides.

I am glad my then-colleagues and bosses at Mediamax supported my decision to leave the station for greater things. I was not moving to another TV station. I have plans of fully relocating to the Middle East in a few months time, said Karen Karimi in a past interview.

Her fiance is a pilot who works for a Middle East airline.

They had planned to wed in August but they have since decided to wait until after the August 8 general election.
To end the week, here are links to the stories making headlines.

Trump says he wouldnt have picked Sessions if he knew hed recuse himself Trumps remarks, in a 50-minute interview with The New York Times, represent an extraordinary rebuke from the President toward the nations top law enforcement official who happens to be one of his earliest political allies. Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which frankly I think is very unfair to the President, Trump said, referring to himself.

China holds live fire drills, as border dispute with India enters fifth week The comments, made by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang during a regular press briefing Tuesday, come amid what has evolved into an increasingly bitter and entrenched border dispute between the two nations. The standoff, now entering into its fifth week, centers on a thin strip of land in the junction with Bhutan.

New details emerge in shooting of Australian woman Officer Michael Harrity has talked to state investigators, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said. Officer Mohamed Noor, who was in the car with him and fired the weapon in the fatal shooting Saturday, has exercised his constitutional right not to speak to state investigators, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Tuesday.

Qatars US ambassador: We can live under Arab embargo forever There is no damage to our economy. Qatar is solid in its economy and we are comfortable and we can continue like this forever, ambassador Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani told CNN.

John Wayne Gacy victim identified, ending familys 40-year agony Gacy is believed to have murdered at least 33 men between 1972 and 1978. Some 40 years later, six of those men are still unidentified. But one family was brought closure Wednesday, as Cook County authorities identified James Jimmie Byron Haakenson as another victim of the so-called killer clown.

The Russian spies living next door The couple, known as Richard and Cynthia Murphy, had appeared to be part of a typical American family, living in a beige, two-story colonial-style home with their two young daughters at 31 Marquette Road. Cynthias business card said she worked as a financial planner at an accounting company in nearby Manhattan.

I Do Not Cook Polls and Im Not Related to Raila.. Angela Ambitho Despite its latest opinion poll showing Uhuru ahead of Raila, Jubilee has no love for Infotrak.

Dennis Itumbi Delivers Hilarious Comeback After Migunas Diss on TV There is no love lost between Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant Miguna Miguna and State House digital director Dennis Itumbi. On Monday, Itumbi had taken up the role of Rutos spokesman, taking to social media to inform Kenyans why the Deputy President was skipping the running mates debate. It s

If You Want to Be My Minister, I Will Give You a Job Later. Uhuru to Raila President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto yesterday told opposition leader Raila Odinga to desist from attacking Cabinet Secretaries over baseless accusations. The President and the Deputy President said Railas attacks against acting Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Dr Fred Matia

Governor Mutua: Why is Wavinya Ndeti Dodging Accountability Debates Machakos County Governor Dr Alfred Mutua has faulted his main opponent Wavinya Ndeti for dodging debates. According to Mutua, Ndeti is running away from public scrutiny having dodged three debates. The most recent debate was scheduled for yesterday and organised by KTN. In a statement rel

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. And Paul Manafort To Testify Next Week Before Senate Panels WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters)  The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Wednesday that it had called President Donalds eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort to testify on July 26 at a hearing. Trump Jr. and Manafort are expected to be questioned about allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S.

32 Million More Would Be Uninsured Under The Latest Senate Health Care Bill Thirty-two million fewer people would have health coverage, health insurance premiums would double and the insurance market would destabilize over the next 10 years under legislation the Senate may take up next week, according to a the Congressional Budget Office published Wednesday.

A Trump Tweet Has Inspired A Hot New Death Metal Band Name While tweeting about the GOPs latest failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, Trump wrote the Dems scream death as OCare dies! The Republicans never discuss how good their healthcare bill is, & it will get even better at lunchtime.The Dems scream death as OCare dies!- Donald J.

Barack Obama Praises John McCain As One Of The Bravest Fighters Ive Ever Known Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday posted a heartfelt tribute to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), his 2008 presidential opponent, following McCains announcement that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters Ive ever known, Obama wrote on Twitter.

Donald Trump Doesnt Seem To Know What Health Insurance Is, How It Works Or What It Costs President Donald Trumps interview with The New York Times generated plenty of headline-making comments. But his remarks on health insurance, the biggest topic of the week, suggested he didnt know how it works or how much it costs. So pre-existing conditions are a tough deal.

Alvaro Morata bids farewell to Zinedine Zidane ahead of Chelsea move Alvaro Morata was spotted saying goodbye to his Real Madrid team-mates Chelsea have agreed a club record 70.6million deal for the Spain international AC Milan had shown interest but are set to turn their attention on Andrea Belotti Chelsea will still look to add three more players, Alex Sandro remains a target Alvaro Morata has said goodbye to his Real Madrid team-mates as he prepares to seal a 70.6million move to Chelsea.

Neymar to PSG: Inside story behind 196m deal that would stun world Barcelona star Neymar could be set for a 196m move to Paris Saint-Germain The Brazilian is unlikely to get out of the shadow of Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp Club angered by Neymars nights out with Lewis Hamilton and Justin Bieber They fear he could go way of Ronaldinho,

Paris Saint-Germain ready to seal world-record 196m deal for Neymar Paris Saint-Germain are confident of sealing Neymar for 196m this summer Club would pay huge transfer sum and give Neymar wage of 596,000 a week Neymar is tempted and was struck by the vision for PSGs future in initial talks The fact French club have a strong Brazilian contingent is also a plus for Neymar Eye-watering fee would allow Barcelona to pursue move for Kylian Mbappe Paris Saint-Germain are growing confident of sealing a sensational swoop for Neymar in a world-record 196million deal.
Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist Busy Signal is expected in the country in a weeks time.

The award winning star will be performing in the upcoming Free Up Peace concert in Nairobi. The concert is scheduled for July 28 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

The Free Up hitmaker is excited about the show and is honoured to be part of the events greatness.

Im gonna be performing in Kenya with my band. It will be a celebration of greatness, the 33rd Anniversary of Shashamane. Im awaiting just to be there to represent for Kenya, Busy Signal said.

Busy Signals band will be arriving in Kenyan on July 24 with Busy expected two days later on July 26.

The event organizer, Papa Bingi of Shashamane International, said: The security will be beefed up just like Romain Virgo show last year. Busy Signal is a very good entertainer and he is ready to rock the Kenyan audience plus Im also trying to promote our own homegrown reggae artist and they will be able to showcase their talent.

He added: This will also be Shashamane International 33rd Anniversary in the business plus we are trying to educate the youths to be peaceful during and after the election and that is why the show is Dubbed Free Up Reggae Concert.
The year is 2017, the General Election is barely three weeks away, and once again, a majority of Kenyans will vote along tribal lines.

The truth of the matter is that Kenyans have always voted for one of their own and we are still far from eradicating this ancient mentality.

However, it would be unfair to say progress is not being made, albeit at a snails pace. More and more Kenyans are coming out of their tribal shells each day, and a good example is Robert Alai.

Another voter who appears to have broken from tradition is Gordon Opiyo. The voter from Siaya County has penned an interesting post about the struggles of being a Luo voter.

With interests in the politics of Siaya, Nairobi, and Busia Counties, Mr Opiyo notes that the governors of the three counties were imposed on them. However, five years later, there has been little development in the counties.

Read from the horses mouth below.

**********************************

Masaibu ya Jaluo Voter: I am a Jaluo voter from Siaya County, Alego near the border of Siaya and Busia. I have interests in Busia and Nairobi. Busia because my lovely Wife comes from there, and half of my Kaugagi clan settled in Samia- so I have blood relatives there. Besides, Port Victoria in Budalangi is the entry point for goods I get from Lolwe Islands in Uganda in business. Nairobi, because I stay and work from there.

Incidentally, all the Governors in Siaya, Busia, and Nairobi are from ODM and are very close to Raila.

Since Im Luo, Im told that I must support  one of our own and help him take power. After helping our own take power, he will help my life become better since Okuyu led by Ohuru have stolen everything.

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But when I reflect back at the 2010 referendum campaigns,  our own told us that we vote for Devolution so that resources are brought to Siaya, Busia, and Nairobi- so that even if Okuyu steal elections- we will develop our Counties  whether Okuyu like it or not. So, in 2010 we voted the Katiba wholeheartedly knowing that whether Okuyu steal elections or not  money will come to Siaya, Busia and Nairobi, and we will develop whether Okuyu kithni or ndekni.Money did come.

In Siaya our own forced us to elect some stranger called Rasanga after we rejected his aging brother Oburu. He told us that he would guide Rasanga to do as he wanted, and electing someone he cannot control like Oduol would be disastrous. In Busia, he told us that Ojaamong grew up in his house, and would do as he was directed. In Nairobi, he told us that Kidero was the dawa Nairobi needed, and Kidero would do as directed.

Nearly five years later, Rasanga, Ojaamong and Kidero did as directed. Siaya is a complete mess. The only development we saw was insults telling us that we are poor. Only companies associated with our own are getting paid.and Siaya has broken the record of being the only County that does not have a single project initiated in nearly five years.

In Busia, Ojaamong spent more time in Lodgings than in office. The result is that Busia has gotten a raw deal. In Nairobi, the less said, the better. Curiously, as a Luo voter, Ive not come across any Luo who has benefitted from the massive looting, apart from companies associated with our own.

When we tried to kick out Rasanga, Ojaamong and Kidero for failing,  our own forced them down our throats again.

Since Im Luo, Im not supposed to ask why. Since Im Luo, Im not supposed to question why our own is openly stealing County funds through proxies Rasanga, Ojaamong and Kidero. Im supposed to hunt for non existent scandals by Okuyu leaders, and not supposed to talk about open, blatant theft being presided by our own through his proxies.

Since Im Luo, Im supposed to believe that our own who mercilessly steals from poor Luos and Luhyias in Siaya, Busia, and Nairobi  will perform miracles if given the big post in Nairobi. Since Im Luo, Im supposed to believe that Ill benefit if our own takes power  yet even with massive resources in Siaya, Busia, and Nairobi- Im yet to see a single Luo apart from close family members of our own benefiting.

That is just a small part of my Masaibu. If I dare question, Im called a traitor and sellout. Nobody is allowed to ask our own to account for anything. our own is always right.
We have been hearing social media murmurs about an alleged NIS poll, and now Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga has brought it to the mainstream.

In a press conference yesterday, Raila issued a list of 42 police officers drawn from GSU, Kenya Airport Police Unit, traffic and the dog unit, whom he says have been brought in to perform special duties. This is all aimed at rigging the election in Jubilees favour.

The officers have been assigned what the Kenya Police Service calls special duties via a circular dated June 23, he said in a statement. They have been issued with clearance certificates and asked to report to headquarters to be issued with discharge certificates before July 2. Their identification cards have been withdrawn.

Information at our disposal indicates these officers will be recruited as polling clerks of the IEBC.

According to Raila, Jubilee is doing all this after panicking and realizing that they will not win the August election. He spoke of a secret NIS poll that has found him to be way ahead of the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.

Heres the statement in part.

We have details of a meeting dated Nairobi, Friday 16th June 2017 whose preamble said that an opinion poll commissioned by the NIS the week before had caused massive panic in government as it put the race at 30 per cent to 70 per cent in favour of NASA.

It was after this poll that Jubilee hurriedly formed a team that discussed in their own words, three possible scenarios of the impending General Elections outcomes, and their likely repercussions.

The recruitment of police officers into election activities and the mobilisation of other security agencies for so-called peace operation fall within the recommendations of the Jubilee team under scenario number two which was An Undisputable Raila Win.

The jubilee minutes dated Friday 16th June 2017 described a Raila win as tragic and said president Uhuru Kenyatta would out rightly reject the results and refuse to hand over power.

It is under this scenario of a Raila win, which now looks increasingly likely, that the on-going activities fall.

The Jubilee strategy team had recommended, among other things, use police officers as polling officials (presiding officers, polling clerks, and polling/party agents.)

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This is the first time Raila is speaking of the alleged NIS poll, though it has been mentioned on social media numerous times.

There has never really been consensus among Railas supporters on the figures on this alleged NIS poll, but they all agree Raila will win by a landslide.

On May 30, several Raila supporters on Facebook cited an NIS poll that apparently had Raila at 51% and Uhuru at 39%.

Another NIS poll came out in June giving Raila 54%. Uhurus vote meanwhile remained steady.

Then earlier this month, Railas popularity grew exponentially according to the NIS. 65% of respondents prefer him over Uhurus 32%.

On Wednesday this week, Raila dropped a little according to another NIS poll released by Gordon Joe on Facebook. He got 57% while his closest rival Uhuru Kenyatta increased his support to 41%. Still a comfortable first round victory.

Barely 24 hours later, Raila announced that he is projected to get 70% of the vote by the same NIS.

Well, its a bit confusing with all these polls doing rounds, but NIS has never come out to confirm or deny that they conduct any polls. Not that we would expect them to.

But I guess Im more worried that the NIS intelligence apparatus are so porous that every Kenyan now receives a copy of what should essentially be classified material.

Im also disappointed with local polling companies like Ipsos and Infotrak for what is clearly inability to apply scientific principles in conducting opinion polls. They have both found Uhuru ahead of Raila. Its true that they are perhaps vulnerable to manipulation, but how do you explain that a Nasa-commissioned poll conducted by American pollster John Zogby found Raila ahead by just 0.8%, not the 20-40% projected by the NIS?

Does the NIS have hidden knowledge in random sampling which may explain why every other pollster gets their numbers insanely off?

Truth is we will find out in just over 2 weeks whether Raila will win the presidency by the largest margin in Kenyan history (Kibaki had 61% in 2002), or whether all these numbers are just made up.
The family of Ugandan businesswoman Zari Hassan is in mourning following the death of her mother.

Halima Suleiman Hassan succumbed to Kidney and heart-related complications at a Kampala hospital early Thursday.

She died aged 58.

An inconsolable Zari took to social media yesterday morning to break the sad news.

She mourned her mother as the best gift from God.

Its with deep sorrow that my family and I announce the death of our lovely mother who passed on this morning. May her soul rest in peace, May Allah forgive you your sins and grant you Jana. You will forever be loved our Old Sun, us as your kids were given the best from God as our mother. We appreciate all you did for us. We will forever cherish you Mama. Sleep well, wrote Zari.

Its with deep sorrow that my family and I announce the death of our lovely mother who passed on this morning. May her soul rest in peace, May Allah forgive you your sins and grant you Jana. You will forever be loved our Old Sun, us as your kids were given the best from God as our mother. We appreciate all you did for us. We will forever cherish you Mama. Sleep well? A post shared by Zari (@zarithebosslady) on Jul 19, 2017 at 9:58pm PDT

Zaris parner, Diamond Platnumz also took to social media to mourn his mother-in-law.

He wrote: Mwenyez Mungu ailaze Roho yako Mahali Pema Peponi Amini.

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Zari Hassans mother was hospitalized at Kampalas Nakesero Hospital since June and was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.

Her passing comes nearly two months after the death of Zari Hassans ex-husband, Ivan Ssemwanga.
Warren Buffett's company reported a $2.7 billion loss Saturday as the paper value of its investment portfolio fell during the third quarter, but most of its operating businesses performed well with the notable exception of Geico.
The powerful trade association that represents champagne makers has sued bloggers, water bottlers and haute couture fashion brands. They warned Apple against calling the gold iPhone "champagne" and spent three years making sure that no one but French producers could snag champagne-related wine URLs.

But on Thursday the Comite Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne scored an even more significant victory, when Europe's highest court suggested in a nonbinding ruling that even products containing the French sparkling wine may not be able to use the name "champagne."

The opinion from the European Court of Justice - on a product sold by the discount grocer Aldi as "Champagne sorbet" - reinforces and expands the reach of European Union laws that dictate that only Portuguese dessert wine can be called "port," and that only the British-made blue cheese can be called "Stilton."

While the opinion is not final, experts say it furthers the Champagne region's effort to protect its brand.

"Champagne is fighting this battle in Europe, and they seem to be winning," said Bernard O'Connor, a managing partner at the European law firm Nctm who specializes in trade and agriculture law. "It seems logical that they'll next take the fight to global markets."

The case in question involved "Champagne sorbet," which Aldi sold at a number of its German stores in 2012. The dessert contained 12 percent champagne - the real kind, from France - but the Comite Champagne claimed the use of the protected name on a non-wine product risked cheapening it.

Under long-standing European law, hundreds of traditional foods, wines and spirits that are closely linked to a specific region enjoy special protections: They're granted exclusive use of the regional product name, and legally guarded against a range of infringements.

Stilton cheese must be produced in the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire in Britain, using pasteurized local milk. (It cannot, ironically, be made in the nearby town of Stilton.) Port specifically describes a fortified wine produced in Portugal's Douro Valley. Feta, Manchego, Roquefort and Asiago must come from Greece, Spain, France and Italy, respectively.

Even indirect or passing uses of protected names are illegal, in many instances. Food producers cannot "misuse, evoke or imitate" a protected name, which has been interpreted in several national and EU-level cases to mean that they can't use it to label, advertise or draw a comparison to other products.

In other words, Miller High Life - the "champagne of beers" - would not fly in Europe.
AMERICAN CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH

Worship at 10 a.m. Programs for children and youth during worship service. 2 Andrew Road, American Canyon.

ARBOR ALLIANCE

Join us Sundays at 5 p.m. Why 5 p.m. worship? It is a good time for busy people and young families. Kids church and nursery available. The Arbor Alliance Church is located at 721 Trancas St., Napa. A place of joy and refreshment in Christ. thearborchurch.org, 530-304-4704.

BEIT ABBA

Messianic Jewish ministry of The Fathers House is held the first and third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. Child care provided for ages infant to 7 years old.

The Fathers House, 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org/beitabba.

CARMELITE MONASTERY

Mass times: Sunday, 9 a.m.; Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. (except for the first Saturday of the month, Mass will be at 11 a.m.). Morning of recollection every first Saturday of the month: Spiritual Talk, 9-10 a.m.; Confessions, 10-11 a.m.; Mass, 11 a.m. Bible study, on Tuesdays with Father Michael Buckley: Tuesdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. following the 8 a.m. Mass (contact the office to confirm time and day at 944-2454, ext. 103). Confessions-English: Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 10 a.m.-noon, 3-5 p.m., 8-9 p.m. Confessions-Spanish: Wednesday, 10 a.m.-noon, 3-5 p.m., 8-9 p.m. 944-2454; oakvillecarmelites.org. The 39th Annual Carmelite Benefit Dinner will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING

Services are 9 and 10:30 a.m. with Youth Program and Teen Group at 10:30. Rev. Jay Langs topic is I See the We in Me. The Spiritual Mens Group meets Aug. 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Ongoing activities include Course in Miracles Tuesdays, 6:15-8:15 p.m. and Open Meditation Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. Spiritual Cinema Night Aug. 11 will feature What Dreams May Come at 7 p.m. 1249 Coombs, 252-4847.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH

Sunday service and Sunday school for youths up to age 20 at 10 a.m. The Wednesday evening service is at 7:30. Child care provided at all services. New hours for the Reading Room, located in our church building, open to the public weekdays except Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. All current Christian Science literature, including the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the renowned Christian Science Monitor, are available to all to read or purchase; 2210 Second St., Napa; 255-5255; christiansciencenapa.com.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, NAPA  SECOND WARD

Sacrament meeting is each Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 11:15 and Priesthood and Relief Society at 12:10 p.m. Young mens and young womens programs are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Corner of Trower Avenue and Dry Creek Road, Napa. 224-6496.

COMMUNITY CHURCH OF LAKE BERRYESSA

We will begin a series on the New Testament. Join us as we examine the teachings of Christ and his followers and see how these teachings guide our lives today. We are a non-denominational Christian church welcoming all to enjoy the eternal life changing power of Jesus Christ. A weekly food distribution is available along with groups and activities. 6008 Steele Canyon Road at Moskowite Corners. 252-4488.

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM

We welcome the community to meet our new spiritual leader, Rabbi Niles Goldstein, Friday, July 21. At 5:30 p.m., we will enjoy Oneg followed by Kabbalat Shabbat Worship Services with Music Director, Gordon Lustig. Saturday, July 22, from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m., be inspired at Torah Study with Rabbi Goldstein. Sunday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to noon, join us at a Community Blintz Brunch Fundraiser to support THE TABLE-feeding hungry people in Napa. 1455 Elm Street, Napa, 253-7307, cbsnapa.org.

CORNERSTONE MINISTRIES

Sunday service is at 10:15 a.m. Spanish Church begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday school and childcare are available at both services. Our midweek service is at 6:30 on Wednesday nights. There is childcare and childrens activities at this service. Middle school and high school study meets on Wednesday nights as well at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Room. On Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., Freedom From Bondage meets in our Youth Room. 3305 Vista Ave, 252-2909. cmnv.org.

COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

At 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, Rev. Lynda Hyland Burris and liturgist Peg Cann will lead the service. Texts for the day include words from Chapter 13 of Matthew: He put before them another parable. Rev. Burris has entitled her sermon Seeds and Weeds. Special music will be a vocal duet by Judy McCracken and Carla Yost. Following worship, Community Life Commission is hosting an All-Church Picnic in Groves Grove. RSVP to 255-9426, cpcnapa.org, facebook.com/cpcnapa. 1226 Salvador Avenue, Napa.

CREEKSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Join us for Sunday services at 9 and 10 a.m.. Childrens programs during the 10 a.m. service. On Wednesdays at noon and at 6 p.m. CrossWalk Talk, come and talk about some of the most provocative themes from the book, The Shack. Your faith will stretch. Visit us; our primary mission is to usher people into a growing, life-enhancing, world-improving relationship with God. 1050 Hagen Road, Napa. CreeksideChurchNapa.org; 255-7266.

CROSSWALK COMMUNITY CHURCH

Join us on Sundays at 10 a.m. for services in the courtyard. Childrens programs also available during the service. Meet with Pastor Pete on Wednesday at noon in his office for continued discussion of Poverty in America. 2590 First Street, 226-1812.

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Envision is our current sermon series, focusing in on the vision of First Christian Church. Well be looking closer at 1 and 2 Timothy and how each of us has a place in the larger picture. Sunday services are at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. 2659 First Street, Napa. fccnapa.org.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Please join us this Sunday. Two services: 9 a.m., with special music by Tom Flesher, and 10:30 a.m., with praise music led by Florida Stringer. Travis Lodes, our Youth Pastor, will be preaching at both services and his sermon topic will be Heres the Truth, I Dare You to Live It. Scripture reference will be James 2:14-26. After both services, in our Welcome Center, there will be coffee and treats. Childcare for newborn to age 5 is available all morning. Sunday School: Friendship Class meets at 10; class for kindergarten through grade 5 will meet at 10:30 a.m. 1333 Third St., 224-8693, fpcnapa.org.

GRACE CHURCH OF NAPA VALLEY

Sunday services: Worship service at 9 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Adult Sunday school classes at 9 a.m. Childrens service at 9 and 10:40 a.m. Nursery and preschool care available. Junior high ministry meets Tuesday, 7 p.m.; high school meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 3765 Solano Ave., Napa. 255-4033, GraceNapa.org.

HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

We continue a six-week teaching series titled Vision. What could the church be? What should the church be? Where is the church going and how do we get there? We hope to bring clarity to some of these questions as we chart a new direction. If youre a regular church attendee, never been or maybe its just been awhile, we invite you to come join us this Sunday and start the adventure with us at 10:30 a.m. Spanish speaking service on Sunday evenings starting at 6:30 and an Alcoholics Anonymous group that meets weekly on Monday and Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. 970 Petrified Forest Rd., Calistoga.

HILLSIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

We meet at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 100 Anderson Road, Napa. 255-3036; hccnapa.com.

HOLY GROUND CHRISTIAN CENTER

Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m., and Bible study is Wednesday at 7 p.m. 3860 Broadway, Suite 111, American Canyon. 373-2015.

LIVING VINE CHURCH

We meet every Sunday morning at 10. 3305 Linda Vista Avenue, Napa. 226-5551.

MEMORIAL CHAPEL AT VETERANS HOME OF CALIFORNIA, YOUNTVILLE

Sunday worship service, 10:15 a.m. Coffee fellowship one hour before service. Bible study on Wednesday at 1 p.m., Fellowship Room, with refreshments served; prayer meetings Thursday at 1 p.m. The memorial chapel is on the Veterans Home at Yountville campus on California Drive, across from the administration building. 944-4840.

MONT LA SALLE CHAPEL

Roman Catholic liturgical services are open to all in this chapel of the De la Salle Christian Brothers at 4401 Redwood Rd., Napa. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11 a.m.

NAPA COMMUNITY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Guest speaker Brian Curtis, a physical therapist in the Napa area will be presenting Forgive It Up this coming Sabbath, July 22 for the worship service at 11:15 a.m. Brians sermon is about letting things go and forgiving. napacomm.com, 1105 G Street, 252-2444.

NAPA METHODIST CHURCH

We are a progressive and reconciling church, where all are welcome. Two Sunday morning services: 9:30 a.m. Sanctuary service and an 11 a.m. modern-style Fusion Worship service held in the Asbury Room. Childrens Worship and Nursery are available during both services. Silent Meditation is Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Vacation Bible School is July 24-28. 625 Randolph Street. 253-1411, napamethodist.org.

NAPA-SONOMA FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS)

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Silent meeting in the custom of Friends. Meet at the VOICES Youth Center, 780 Lincoln Ave. Enter at parking lot on left side of building, using door at end of wheelchair ramp. Quaker signs will be posted on Sunday mornings. We welcome visiting friends or those who are new to Quaker practice. nvquaker@gmail.com; 253-1505.

NAPA VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

Join us Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for Bible Study for all ages, 10:30 a.m. for worship service and a fun, interactive and energetic childrens program for preschool through fifth grade. Nursery provided for all Sunday services. Sunday evenings at 5 p.m., join us for A Study in Revelation with Steve McCoy. Steve will guide you verse by verse through the book of Revelation. Learn all about what the Bible says about the end times and what it means. The public is invited. 303 Trower Ave., Napa. napavalleybaptist.org, 252-2100.

NAPA VALLEY BIBLE CHAPEL

Special guest Dr. Ed Anthony will speak at the 11 a.m. Bible Hour on Sunday, July 23. Dr. Anthony is a professor, author, musician, and speaker We start Sunday services by remembering the Lords death, burial and resurrection during a time of worship and thanksgiving at 9:30 a.m., followed by a fellowship and coffee time starting at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., we enjoy a time of Bible teaching. On Wednesdays at 6 p.m., we meet for a brief Bible study and a time of prayer. A Christian movie night is being held at a home in downtown Napa at 6 p.m. on Fridays throughout the summer. 1559 Second Street, Napa. napavalleybiblechapel.com.

NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH

Is the idea of a High Priesthood an irrelevant and even archaic concept in this the modern age? Or is there something not only relevant but even critical for the believer to understand about this Biblical concept? Join us Sunday as we explore Hebrews 7 and the theme: The Perfect High Priest. Service is Sunday at 10 a.m., childcare and Sunday School provided. 4149 Linda Vista Ave, Napa. 337-4328. napavalleychurch.org. NVCC is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.

NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Fellowship time follows. All are welcome because all belong to God. The church is located at the corner of Jefferson and Elm, Napa. Info, 226-8166, napavalleylutheran.org.

NAPA VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS

July 23, 10 a.m. Exploring Common Ground Traditional Service with Rev. Jeanelyse Doran Adams and Service Assistant Wrnear Wilcox. Join Maggie Ingalls and Rev. Jeanelyse as they explore how the deep roots of relationship inform our exploration of common ground and prepare us for action and transformation. Infant care, child care, and religious education provided. 1625 Salvador Ave., Napa; nvuu.org; 226-9220.

NEW LIFE TABERNACLE

Sunday school at 10 a.m., followed by worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday evening service the first Sunday of every month. Bible study on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. at 2625 First St., Napa. 255-1062; NewLifeNapa.com.

ST. APOLLINARIS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Join us each third Saturday at the crossroads of faith and culture. St. Apollinaris Catholic Church 3700 Lassen St. Napa. 257-2555.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

St. John the Baptist Church holds daily masses in English at 7:30 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Weekend masses are Saturday at 5 p.m. (English) and 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sunday 8 a.m. (Spanish), 10 a.m. (English), noon (Spanish), and 5 p.m. (English). Wednesday evening mass at 7 (Spanish). Corner of Caymus and Yajome downtown.

ST. JOHNS LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Childrens Church during the 10:15 a.m. service at 3521 Linda Vista Ave., Napa. 255-0119; StJohnsLutheran.net.

ST. MARYS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Worship on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. or Sundays at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. (organ and choir). Childrens Chapel (Sunday school) is at 9:50 a.m. Sunday. Nursery care is provided during the 10 a.m. service. Coffee hour follows the worship services on Sunday at 1917 Third St., Napa. 255-0991; StMarysNapa.org.

ST. STEPHENS ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., sing using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Refreshments and social time after the 10:30 Service. Evensong and Bible Study Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at 1250 Oakville Grade, Oakville. 944-8915, ststephensoakville.org.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH

Mass times are Saturday at 4 p.m. (English), Sunday at 8 a.m. (English), 11 a.m. (English) and 1:30 p.m. (Spanish). Daily mass is at 9 a.m., except on the first Friday, which is at noon and in English at 2725 Elm St., Napa. 255-2949; stthomasaquinasnapa.com.

SALVATION ARMY

Join us for services Sundays at 10 a.m. at 590 Franklin St., Napa. napasalarmy.org.

THE FATHERS HOUSE

Service times are Saturday, 6 p.m., Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. Child care and Kids Church are available (ages infant through sixth grade). Youth ministry Encounter meets every Wednesday night at 7. Celebrate Recovery meets on Monday nights at 6:30. The Fathers House, 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org.

UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER IN NAPA VALLEY

Sunday, July 23, We are happy to welcome back Reverend Judi Elias as our guest speaker this week. Her message title is The Wilderness Experience. Our Sunday Service music is selected and performed by Lon Eakes. 11:40 a.m. Forum. After a Refreshments break, Rev. Judi facilitates a one-hour Forum exploring the insights and perspectives of the attendees concerning her Sunday Service message. Sunday Service and Forum held at the historic Grange Hall, 3275 Hagen Road (1/2 mile east of the Silverado Trail), Napa. Parking next to the building. UnityinNapaValley.org, 255-6881.

YOUNTVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH

July 23, Contemporary Worship, 9:30 a.m. and Traditional Worship, 11 a.m. Lead Pastor Jim Huckaba is continuing a sermon series called Armed And Dangerous. Sundays sermon is entitled Talking and Walking Our Faith. From Matthew 10: 31-32 ; Romans 10: 9-10. Adult Bible Class, 9:30 a.m., in the New Ministry Outreach Room. Childrens classes, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the Callison Ministry Center Room 1 Jesus and Me. (birth-kindergarten), and first-fifth grades are offered. Vertical Student Ministry 11 a.m.; fifth-eighth grades and high school students in the new Ministry Outreach Room. 6619 Yount Street, Yountville, 944-2179.
I suspect everyone is a fan of the movie, Casablanca, its exotic location, its air of romance, mystery and luxuriousness. The juxtaposition of bright colors of the bazaar and soft desert light, and the combination of African, Arab and Mediterranean styles create a powerful and dreamy motif.

The blend of ethnic designs and decorative patterns and arches absorbed from different cultures are what make this way of designing special. Decorating with Moroccan inspirations is warm, sensuous, and very popular.

It is easy to bring this look into your home with tiles, doors, rugs, furniture, piereced-metal lanterns, and textiles, resulting in a unique and inviting living space.

Architectural details, such as curved wood arches and doorways, patterned window frames, high ceilings and mosaics are some of the ways to add the Moroccan influence.

Colorful, hand-painted tiles are a common material in this style. Mosaic tile and tile designs are perfect for walls, floors, kitchen backsplashes, countertops, and bathroom decorating. Any time you incorporate tiles into your decor, the look will be spectacular, colorful and impressive.

Of course, forged metal Moroccan lanterns, metal furniture, silver tea sets, serving trays, wall and mirror decorations, crafts and decorations in Moroccan style are always chic. I love the look of a brightly tiled ceiling for dramatic effect. Bathroom and kitchen fixtures made of copper or brass also reflect this style. Bringing luxurious metal materials and striking craftsmanship into living spaces are the hallmarks of Moroccan decorating.

You can also add the Moroccan feel by adding carved wood furniture in the Moroccan style. Amazing carved wood bed headboards and tables stand out. Leather and textile poufs and large floor cushions are easy ways to add just a touch of Morocco.

Window curtains in bold colors are another way to bring this style into your home, as are beautiful Moroccan carpets. Add embroidered pillows, bedding fabrics, and other textiles with different geometric patterns. A draped canopy over the bed, over a seating area, or on a ceiling surely brings in that desert tent feel.

Color is another symbol of Moroccan style. Rich blue and green color shades, reminiscent of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea are emblematic. Voluptuous reds and bright oranges remind us of the spectacular African sunsets. And, of course, golden yellow and silver are part of the desert landscape. Bring these colors in through the use of decorative pillows, rugs, and poufs.

Dont be afraid to mix bright colors. Mix bright orange and pink successfully by painting a wall a bright orange and adding pink poufs while setting them against a sand-colored floor.

One of the great things about bringing Moroccan styles into your home is that they mix well with just about any style, since Morocco is the crossroad of many cultures. Sometimes, all you need is one element to add that luxurious and exotic look. In the modern version of decorating, use these details in your rooms to create fabulous modern interior design with the appeal of this ethnic decorating style.
A Napa estate sale this weekend will benefit the Veterans Club at Napa Valley College.

The family of Thomas Hugh Williams, a U.S. Army veteran, will donate proceeds from the sale of his personal property to the NVC student veterans club, whose members will organize the sale Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 3572 Willis Drive.

It will be passing down veteran goodwill from those who served to those who served, said Napa Rotary Club president Brian Gross, who is handling the sale of the home.

To support the Veterans Club, donors may send checks payable to NVC DAS-Vets to Napa Valley College, Veterans Office, 2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway, Napa, CA 94558.
For many years, Californians have heard experts (read: folks who figure to profit by touting the theory) claim their state suffers from a lousy business climate and is steadily losing middle-class population and jobs to other states, especially arch-rival Texas.

The current national Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, even made radio and television commercials while governor of Texas touting the advantages of moving there. And there have been moves: a major one is the ongoing shift of Toyotas U.S. headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas, just outside Dallas.

Through all the rhetoric, some of it orchestrated by corporate move specialists plainly out to fatten their own wallets, California continues growing, with population now more than 39 million, more than the entire country of Canada and 12 million more than fast-growing Texas.

Yes, plenty of youthful, educated Californians feel compelled to move away by the high prices of real estate in the states largest urban areas. And some corporations try to accommodate those moves by establishing satellite facilities in places like Boise and Tucson, where homes can be bought for less than one-third the price of comparable real estate in coastal California counties.

But theres a reason California keeps growing despite it all: the states economy is fundamentally healthy. A new, comprehensive study from the business-oriented personal finance WalletHub website finds this states economy is not only strong, but is the second-strongest in America, trailing only Washington state.

WalletHub ranks California in the top five among states in startup activity, percentage of jobs in high-tech industries and patents granted to individuals. Texas, meanwhile, ranks 20th overall and is not among the top five states in any significant category.

This comes despite the fact that Texas and other states not in the top five overall often offer businesses discounted land, plus years of tax benefits, in exchange for moving.

What gives California its top-flight rating? The state is 7th in the U.S. in growth of gross domestic production, 15th in exports per capita despite its humongous population, tenth in median household income despite its host of low-income undocumented immigrants, eighth in upswing of nonfarm payrolls and last year had the seventh-largest state budget surplus per capita.

None of this shuts up the critics. And no one can seem to stop Texans from trying to denigrate California. While hes no Rick Perry in the department of foot-in-mouth rhetoric, current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently disparaged his own state capital of Austin by saying I will not allow Austin, Texas, to California-ize the Lone Star State. Of course, Austin has been trying to do that to itself for years, creating a mini version of Silicon Valley, but with lower real estate prices.

The oil and natural gas price bust, fueled in part by a fracking-induced surplus and also by Californias pioneering and widely-emulated emphasis on renewable energy, has had plenty of deleterious effects on Texas.

For example, average wages in California  higher than those in Texas for decades  grew much faster the last two years here than there. The California economy overall outgrew Texas last year by 2.9 percent to 0.4 percent, the Houston Chronicle reported.

This doesnt make California perfect. For example, the states real poverty rate (based on average income compared to basic expenses) is the nations highest, chiefly because of high rents and home prices. But that statistic also is flawed: When four-bedroom coastal homes routinely sell for $2 million and up, they tend to skew the average real estate price thats part of the real poverty calculation. The same for rents when three-bedroom houses in coastal cities often go for $6,000 per month or more.

The upshot is that the folks Gov. Jerry Brown likes to call declinists have been exaggerating Californias impending demise for many years. Reality is the same as its been for most of the last century and a half: California outstrips the rest of America in almost every economic area.
They say opposites attract. There is a yin to every yang. There are two halves to make a whole. Perhaps that is what brings the two regions of Valpolicella and Lugano together. Two independent wine regions in their own rights, Lugana is the home of white wine, while Valpolicella is the home of red wine. Together, they offer a broader spectrum to wines.

Lugana

Lugana is a small wine appellation in the southern part of Lago di Garda, Italys largest lake, in Northern Italy. The region extends from the bottom of the lake and runs 12 kilometers east to west, overlapping both the provinces of Veneto and Lombardy. There are 1,800 hectares of vineyards cultivated, with 75 percent of these vines in Lombardy. However, 60 percent of the wine produced comes from the Veneto.

The region of Lugana is a morainic amphitheater, created by the glacier that formed the lake. Being south of the lake, which provides a good microclimate, Lugana enjoys a Mediterranean climate but is also exposed to the cold winds from the Alps. The predominate soil type is clay that is rich in minerals.

Lugana was one of the first denominazione dorigine protetta (PDO) in Italy but was the first PDO in Lombardy. The grape of Lugana is turbiana, but we know it as trebbiano di Lugana, not to be mistaken with any other trebbiano grape. Turbiana (trebbiano di Lugana) is a diverse grape that is slow to ripen but has rich acidity and can be used for still wine or sparkling wine.

The wine styles of Lugana:

 Basic Lugana: Covering 90 percent of the PDO, the wine is a pale straw color with fresh citrus and floral notes.

 Lugana Superiore: A designation since 1998, this more complex wine must be aged for at least one year and there can be some oak exposure. The wine is a golden yellow with aromas of apple, tangerine, almond and spices.

 Lugana Riserva: Aged for a minimum of 24 months, six months of which are in bottle, this wine offers more complex notes.

 Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva: A late harvest wine, this style has 12 g/l of residual sugar. The richer, more concentrated grapes produce a wine that is dense on the palate but not too sweet.

Lugana Spumante: Made both in the Charmat and Metodo Classico methods, this style is very limited in production. It is a pale-yellow color with fruity notes.

Valpolicella

Located on the other side of Lago di Garda, closer to Venice, Valpolicella borders Lago di Garda to the west and is protected by the Lessini Mountains to the east and north. It is a fan-shaped territory with a series of valleys and soft-sloped hills covered with vineyards and olive and cherry trees.

Being located north of the lake, in comparison to Lugana, Valpolicella has a cool continental climate that is influenced by Lago di Garda and the Adriatic Sea. The Monti Lessini foothills to the north is the coolest region due to the same winds from the Alps that affect Lugana. Sitting at a higher elevation than Lugana, the soils range from morainic gravel to alluvial deposits. Focused on sustainable and environmentally-friendly grape-growing, the vines in Valpolicella are pergola trained and the main grapes are corvina, corvinone and rondinella.

While Lugana is a lesser-known wine region specializing in white wine, Valpolicella is the top red PDO wine in the Veneto region and well-known for its Amarone. Including Amarone, there are four PDO wines.

The wines of Valpolicella:

 Valpolicella DOC  These youthful ruby-red wines with cherry and rose notes are bright, fresh wines with soft tannins.

 Valpolicella Ripasso DOC  This wine is made with the basic Valpolicella that spends 15-20 days with residual Amarone lees. The wine is heavier and the alcohol higher than the basic Valpolicella. Ruby red with garnet in color, the wine has notes of red fruits and vanilla and is velvety and rich on the palate.

 Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG  The grapes are picked and laid out in lofts to dry before pressing. The result is a wine of intense garnet color, higher sugar and an intense nose of dry red and black fruit, tobacco and spices.

 Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG  Made out of dried grapes, like amarone, the fermentation is stopped to maintain the sugar. The resulting wine is ruby-red in color and has dark, rich, jammy fruit notes, while velvety with good acidity on the palate.

Enjoy a glass of wine from Lugana and a glass of red from Valpolicella and see how two independent regions together create a full spectrum of wine styles.
NATO Allies and partners are providing aircraft and helicopters to help Montenegro deal with forest fires in the Lustica peninsula. Montenegro approached NATOs Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) for assistance on Monday (17 July 2017), and the request was immediately circulated to NATO Allies and partners. A Ukrainian fire-fighting aircraft Antonov 32P has been in Montenegro since Tuesday, and two helicopters  contributed by Bulgaria and Switzerland  arrived in Montenegro on Wednesday. Two more fire-fighting aircraft will be deployed from Israel in the coming days.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the assistance today, saying: I welcome that Allies and partners came forward in a matter of hours to help Montenegro deal with its devastating forest fires. Montenegro is our newest Ally, having joined the NATO family just over a month ago. Our rapid response demonstrates that we stand with our Allies. This is what Euro-Atlantic solidarity is all about.

The EADRCC is NATOs principal civil emergency response mechanism in the Euro-Atlantic area. It is active all year round, operational on a 24/7 basis, and involves NATOs 29 Allies and all partner countries. The Centre functions as a clearing-house system for coordinating both requests and offers of assistance mainly in case of natural and man-made disasters. More information is available here: www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52057.htm.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-19 15:59:43|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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BELGRADE, July 19 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic have expressed willingness to enhance bilateral cooperation and underlined the need to explore potential areas for further cooperation.

During his meeting with Brnabic, Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), said the two economies are highly complementary and there are many cases of successful cooperation.

China is willing to work jointly with the Central and Eastern European(CEE) countries, including Serbia, to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the CEE-China cooperative mechanism so as to realize common development, Zhang said.

For her part, Brnabic said the results of Serbia-China cooperation are inspiring and the bilateral cooperation bears great significance for the development of Serbia's economy and the improvement of people's livelihood.

The Serbian government will earnestly implement existing cooperative projects, actively explore new areas for cooperation and better play the role as a bridge between China and CEE countries, the prime minister said.

Zhang arrived here on Sunday for an official friendly visit to Serbia. During his three-day visit, he also met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-20 20:08:05|Editor: ying

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RAMALLAH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian national unity government slammed on Thursday the newly announced Israeli plan to build 1,100 new settlement units in northeastern Jerusalem.

The new plan in light of the ongoing tensions with Israel over Al-Aqsa mosque over the past days "adds oil to fire," a government spokesperson Yousef Al-Mahmoud said in a press statement.

Al-Mahmoud accused the Israeli government of "insisting on pushing the situation towards more tension," adding that "it is against all efforts to achieve breakthrough in the political process."

Israeli daily Haaretz reported Thursday that the Israeli authorities will work on a plan to build 1,100 new settlement units in northeastern Jerusalem that would disconnect Palestinian neighborhoods and tear them apart, geographically.

The newspaper said that the new plan will expand the construction area in Jerusalem towards the east and connect it with two other settlements in Ramallah.

Al-Mahmoud called on the international community to move immediately "to condemn the dangerous Israeli escalation and hold the Israeli government fully responsible."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 00:31:41|Editor: Yamei

Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) of Rwanda, speaks during the opening ceremony of YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, on July 20, 2017. Delegates attending the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Kigali on Thursday called on African countries to enhance the potential of young Africans in order to achieve a prosperous continent. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

KIGALI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Experts and officials on Thursday urged the African youth to focus on entrepreneurship and job creation in order to exploit and utilize the multi-million opportunities offered at the continent.

They made the call at a panel dubbed "How do we get to 50 million jobs by 2020?" during the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit that formally opened on Thursday in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

"The future of young Africans lies in Africa, not Europe or at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Our African youth should be at the forefront of job creation by being innovators and entrepreneurs," said Akinwumi Adesina, president of African Development Bank (AfDB).

He called on the youth to venture into agriculture income generating projects and create more employment saying that agribusiness has become a lucrative business in the developed economies.

"If we don't show confidence in our young people, who will do it? African Development Bank is committed to create a good financing vehicle to support African young entrepreneurs and innovators," Adesina said.

Entrepreneurship, job creation, among young people hold key to address high levels of unemployment which would reduce poverty and accelerate the continent's growth, said Vera Songwe, executive secretary of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

"We must challenge the African youth to seize opportunities created by the continent's growth in order to create a better future for themselves and Africa. Africa's economic dynamism, young population and potential for entrepreneurship and innovation form a strong foundation for the future Africans want," she added.

Entrepreneurship and innovation among the youth is an engine of social and economic transformation of Africa which should be harnessed, said Tony Elumelu, a Nigerian economist and entrepreneur,

"I encourage young people in Africa to work hard and turn their entrepreneurial dreams into working businesses. African economies should create a conducive environment, and fix challenges like lack of access to finance, market and electricity, in order to enable the youth to exploit their talents," he said.

During an interactive panel session, young African entrepreneurs committed themselves to drive the youth connect Africa agenda and create jobs for their peers in their respective countries.

Around 200 million of the 1.2 billion Africans are youth aged between 15 and 24 years who need to be well groomed and nurtured for the better future of Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assistant administrator and director of the Regional Bureau for Africa Abdoulaye Mar Diye said at the summit.

Statistics of the World Bank indicated that Africa also has the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, which stands at 60 percent.

The three-day YouthConnekt Africa Summit is organized by the government of Rwanda, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UNDP. The summit from July 19 to 21 is dubbed: "Realizing Africa's Youth Potential."

It attracted about 2,800 participants including top executives from multinational companies that operate in Africa, leaders of civil society organizations, Africa's development partners, members of the academia, successful entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurs, members of start-up companies, artists and youth opinion leaders from 90 countries across Africa and beyond to interact and discuss on enhancing the potential of the youth in Africa, according to the organizers.

Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma, one of the world's leading entrepreneurs, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group is also expected to be among key guest speakers at the event.

The summit is designed to realize Africa's demographic dividend by combining elements of skills development, entrepreneurship, access to jobs and finance, awareness raising on issues related to youth development, and promotion of youth citizenship and leadership, said the organizers.

By changing mindsets, engaging youth in national policy, fostering solidarity, engaging youth in delivering SDGs, YouthConnekt Africa will empower 200 million African youth to take a more proactive role in shaping their future, according to the organizers.

The first YouthConnekt Africa Summit is expected to initiate the roll-out of the program across the continent.

The summit will also mark the launch of the YouthConnekt Africa Hub, which will offer regional support to national YouthConnekt Programs and the YouthConnekt Africa Empowerment Fund, an initiative to empower young people in Africa to impact their communities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 02:58:27|Editor: Zhou Xin

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NAIROBI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan mobile phone operator Safaricom is working on the introduction of an international business-to-business cash transfer service, which would enable local companies and importers to pay for goods internationally.

Brian Wamatu, head of mobile money product, M-Pesa service told Xinhua on Thursday that using new lessons learnt from Chinese mobile money product, Alipay, which does not depend on agents to run its business but creates a payment platform, using mobile phones, mostly smart phones and cards to facilitate payments, the Kenyan firm would improve its customer experience.

"We are in the journey to get what is best for our customers to customize some of those features used in Alipay to get what is best for our customers," Wamatu told Xinhua in an interview in Nairobi.

The introduction of the money transfer to international destinations is still pending an approval of the Kenyan Central Bank.

Safaricom's most successful business unit, M-Pesa, its mobile money transfer service, has become a major payment platform, currently used by over 10,000 companies to receive funds from bills.

"We have the highest transactions by volumes and value from our mobile payment system," Wamatu said, referring to how the firm's product, M-Pesa, has managed to capture the market.

At least 57,000 merchants are using M-Pesa service, which enables their businesses to receive cash from commercial transactions, Wamatu said.

He said M-Pesa has remained a stable product, used in the economy to improve the customer experience and has contributed much to an improved business environment in Kenya.

At least 95 percent of all e-commerce operations in Kenya are currently taking place on the M-Pesa platform.

Wamatu said M-Pesa was currently in talks with businesses around the world for its business partnerships and especially with Chinese companies.

These partnership talks are driven by the fact that China is a growing trade and investment destination for Kenyan businesses.

"We are exploring possibilities because most of our customers are asking to use M-Pesa for international trade. We are working on a few things, which include seeking the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) approval and testing of the product before it comes to the market," Wamatu said.

The launch of the new Safaricom international payment platform comes as Alipay, one of the world's leading payment platforms, plans to enter the Kenyan market.

Wamatu said the success of the Kenyan money transfer product was a result of strategic communication with customers. He said Safaricom welcomed the entry of competitors because the Kenyan market was still largely a cash-based economy.

"It took a lot of for us to educate the customers on the need for this service," Wamatu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 03:49:00|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, July 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 Palestinian protesters were injured in clashes with the police in East Jerusalem on Thursday night, as Israel's security cabinet was adjourned to discuss the removal of controversial metal detectors at a Muslim shrine.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that after the evening prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, dozens of worshippers came down from the hilltop compound and hurled stones and glass bottles at the police.

The police responded with dozens of stun grenades, trying to disperse the protesters.

Local media reported that at least 20 Palestinians were wounded during the clashes.

Also on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a special meeting of his security cabinet to discuss a possible removal of the metal detectors that Israel has installed on Sunday at the gates of the flashpoint site.

The meeting, in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, includes top ministers and heads of the security system.

Muslim leaders called for a mass prayer in East Jerusalem on Friday, in protest of the new measures.

The military and the police boosted their presence in the city with hundreds of police and Border Police officers and five army brigades that were put on call.

The contested electronic gates were installed after three Arab citizens of Israel carried out a shooting attack last Friday, killing two Israeli policemen. The assailants were shot dead by the police.

Worshippers have been refusing to enter due to the new metal detectors, with Palestinians charging the step is an Israeli attempt to claim further control over the site.

The Palestinians, as well as some Arab countries, urged Israel to remove the gates, saying it was a violation of the long-held status quo under which the Muslim Waqf is in charge of running the site.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 03:49:02|Editor: Yang Yi

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MOSCOW, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia aims to build its navy into the world's second in terms of combat capabilities, according to the Fundamentals of Russia's State Naval Policy Through 2030 approved by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Russia's naval presence in world oceans is the country's indisputable right and Russia will not allow foreign navies to gain overwhelming superiority over its navy, said the document.

The U.S. concept of "global strike" poses a direct threat to global and Russian security, it warned.

Long-range high-precision cruise missiles will become the core weaponry for Russia's submarines, surface fleets and coastal troops by 2025, said the document.

The Russian navy will strengthen its Black Sea Fleet by building up the contingent on the Crimean peninsula.

Russia will also try to ensure the permanent presence of its naval forces in the Mediterranean and other strategically important waters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 04:59:58|Editor: ying

A Mexican Navy member stands guard during an operation in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on July 20, 2017. Eight alleged members of a drug cartel were killed on Thursday in a firefight with army troops in the east of Mexico City, including their suspected leader, Felipe de Jesus Peru Luna, the government announced. Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy and Army issued a statement, saying that the clash happened in the neighborhood of Tlahuac, after the suspects attacked federal police officers. (Xinhua/Francisco Canedo)

MEXICO CITY, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Eight alleged members of a drug cartel were killed on Thursday in a firefight with army troops in the east of Mexico City, including their suspected leader, Felipe de Jesus Peru Luna, the government announced.

Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy and Army issued a statement, saying that the clash happened in the neighborhood of Tlahuac, after the suspects attacked federal police officers.

Felipe De Jesus Perez, alias "El Ojos", thought to have been in charge of drug trafficking in the east of the State of Mexico was among the dead.

The statement said the troops arrived on the site after intelligence services detected the presence of members of the cartel, which operates in the Mexico City areas of Tlahuac, Milpa Alta, Xochimilco and Iztapalapa, as well as to the east and south of the capital.

The group is also thought to have carried out murders, kidnappings and extortion in the city.

Mexican media reported that Perez Luna was linked to around 50 executions, including a senior commander of security forces in the State of Mexico, Felipe Carmona, who was killed in February 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 05:15:09|Editor: yan

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by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Over 40 people were convicted of corruption by an Italian court here on Thursday, at the end of an unprecedented trial against organized crime in the Italian capital.

Overall, some 46 defendants faced charges of corruption and mafia-related crimes for being part of a network that siphoned millions of euros of funds by rigging public contracts.

Some 41 of them were found guilty of corruption, and five acquitted. However, none of the defendants were convicted of mafia association.

The leader of the gang -- 59-year-old, one-eyed, former neo-fascist Massimo Carminati -- was given 20 years in prison. His right-hand man Salvatore Buzzi -- a convicted murder, and later chief of leftist cooperatives operating in various social activities -- was sentenced to 19 years in jail.

The two men were the kingpins of the network, which involved not only common criminals and entrepreneurs, but also employees and officials in Rome's municipality, and local politicians from across the spectrum.

The gang infiltrated various sectors of the local administration by rigging public tenders, including those for waste collection, migrant housing centers, and public green maintenance.

Several officials and politicians in previous administrations were also given long prison terms, including former CEO of Rome's public waste management firm Franco Panzironi (10 years), former center-right councilor Luca Gramazio (11 years), former center-left speaker in the city hall Mirko Coratti (6 years), and former center-right councillor Giordano Tredicine (3 years).

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi awaited the verdict at the "bunker" courtroom of the Rebibbia prison in the eastern suburbs of the capital.

"This is a deep wound in the fabric of the city of Rome," Raggi told reporters after it was read. "What has been surely ascertained today is that a criminal association has been able to heavily influence the political choices of this city, and we are seeing and paying for the damages every day," she added.

Starting from Carminati and Buzzi, some 19 defendants in the trial faced the allegations of mafia association and other mafia-related crimes.

Indeed, the case has become known as the "Mafia Capital" scandal, and the trial has represented the biggest judiciary effort so far against organized crime in Rome.

Mafia-related charges, if proved in court, bring about severer sentences under a much tougher legislation, according to the Italian penal code.

According to prosecutors, Carminati's gang run its illegal activities with the same intimidating methods and style of a mafia group, but without being subordinated to any of Italy's three traditional mobs.

The judges disagreed, sending a blow to the prosecution office, and stating that Massimo Carminati was a "common" -- although habitual -- criminal.

"The judges have acknowledged the existence of two separate criminal associations, but simple, and not with the aggravation of mafia," prosecutor Paolo Ielo told reporters outside the courtroom.

He announced he may appeal the ruling, but avoided any criticism by saying that "judgments must be respected".

"The court's ruling is clear: Mafia Capital does not exist," Ansa news agency quoted Giosue Naso, one of Carminati's lawyers, as saying. The lawyer criticized the prosecution's attempt to liken the group to a mafia organization. "If everything is mafia, then nothing is mafia," he stressed.

The reading of the verdict was followed by a large audience in court, and broadcasted live by RAI state television. The trial began in November 2015, going through some 230 hearings.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 05:40:25|Editor: yan

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by Xinhua writer Lyu Tianran

KIGALI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Localization of StarTimes in Africa has benefitted African countries in various areas, and is also beneficial to StarTimes, President of StarTimes Pang Xinxing told Xinhua on Wednesday in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.

Currently, StarTimes have more than 4,300 staff in Africa, of which about 96 percent are Africans.

On August 26, 2008, with the successful opening ceremony of the company's first project in Rwanda, it opened the prelude of its digital television operation in Africa. The company now has branches in 30 African countries with nearly 10 million customers in Africa.

StarTimes's investments in Africa have directly created more than 4,000 job opportunities for the youth in Africa. It has created another 50,000 job opportunities in Africa through the companies' agents, Pang told Xinhua in an interview on the sidelines of YouthConnekt Africa Summit.

From our own experience, if a company wants to gain development in Africa, it should make efforts in promoting Africa's social development, quality of African people, and also make efforts in creating employment and government revenues, said Pang, adding that it should have a sense of social responsibility and respect local employees.

Through localization, StarTimes created lots of jobs for African people, especially the youth, and also gained development, said the president.

"StarTimes will continue to increase its investment in Africa, which will bring more jobs to African people."

Pang said that both China and Africa have many good film and television programs, and there is huge demand for translating and dubbing.

So, the company's next plan is to create employment opportunities for the youth in Africa through paid crowdsourcing on internet, he said.

Pang also expressed gratefulness to Rwanda where the company started its business in Africa. "President Paul Kagame gave StarTimes' first investing opportunity in Africa, and gave us support in popularizing digital television in the east Africa and even the whole continent, we will further increase our investment in Rwanda."

The three-day summit is organized by the government of Rwanda, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It attracted about 2,800 participants including top executives from multinational companies that operate in Africa, leaders of civil society organizations, Africa's development partners, members of the academia, successful entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurs, members of startup companies, artists and youth opinion leaders from 90 countries across Africa and beyond to interact and discuss on enhancing the potential of the youth in Africa, according to the organizers.

Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma, one of the world's leading entrepreneurs, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, is among key guest speakers at the summit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 07:18:32|Editor: Yamei

A volunteer lights up a torch at the opening ceremony of the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts in Jerash, Jordan, on July 20, 2017. The 32nd Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts kicked off here on Thursday. The festival will feature oriental and western performances, folklore shows, songs and dances in addition to child plays, musical performances, poetry readings and cultural seminars. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 07:51:20|Editor: Yang Yi

Zhang Ronggao (in blue T-shirt), father of missing Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, arrives at the courtroom before an arraignment toward Brendt Christensen,who was indicted for kidnapping of Zhang Yingying in Urbana, Illinois, the United States, July 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

CHICAGO, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Brendt Christensen, the accused kidnapper of Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, pleaded not guilty to charges against him on Thursday during his arraignment at a federal court in Midwest U.S. state of Illinois.

The arraignment in federal courthouse in Urbana of Illinois lasted not more than five minutes, and Christensen broke his silence, speaking some time during the proceeding.

As expected, Christensen pleaded not guilty in his third appearance in less than three weeks in U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long's crowded courtroom.

In a statement, Christensen's attorney Anthony Bruno said: "he's demanded a jury trial and he plans to persist in his plea of not guilty."

Asked about the worldwide attention the case has received, Bruno said: "bad things happen everywhere. Nowhere else in the U.S. is a person from China more welcome."

Bruno said the case could go on a year or more.

U.S. lawyer Wang Zhidong, who has been offering legal support to the Zhang family on a voluntary basis, said outside the court, "this result is not unexpected and the case enters into another stage."

Christensen's next pretrial hearing was set for 2:45 p.m. on August 28, and his trial date is set for Sept. 12.

FBI officials also say they don't believe that Zhang is alive at this point. Law enforcement agencies are still searching for Zhang's location.

Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), was last seen entering a black Saturn Astra car driven by 28-year-old Brendt Christensen on June 9.

Police arrested Christensen for kidnapping 26-year-old Zhang on June 30, but Zhang's location is still unknown.

The FBI believes Zhang is deceased, based on facts presented in court, court documents and other facts uncovered during the ongoing investigation.

Christensen was indicted on July 12 by a federal grand jury on a criminal charge related to Zhang's abduction. He has been remaining in custody since then.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 08:07:55|Editor: Song Lifang

Palestinian protesters take part in a protest against the closure of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, in Gaza city, on July 20, 2017. Israel shut down the holy site and installed checkpoints and metal detectors at its entrances after three Muslim Palestinians with Israeli citizenship gunned down two Israeli policemen last Friday. The attackers were then killed by Israeli police inside the holy compound. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 08:46:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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MELBOURNE, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A hotel industry boom in Melbourne, the capital and most populous city of Australian state of Victory, is being driven by investment from Asia, it was revealed on Friday.

The Victorian government has approved a spate of new hotels across Melbourne in the last two years, including prestigious Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental locations.

Overall, more than 8,050 hotel rooms have been approved in Melbourne with a vast majority of the new buildings containing residential apartments as well as hotel rooms, a trend common in Asia but unusual in Australia.

A report by Deloitte Access Economic released on Friday found there was a higher demand for hotels in Melbourne than any other Australian city with 88 percent of rooms in the city occupied in February 2017 compared to the national average of 66 percent in 2016.

"We can't build hotels fast enough," Robert Doyle, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, told Australian media.

"I'm writing proposals for conferences and conventions for 2022 and 2024. All that requires hotel rooms."

Josh Rutman, director of real estate firm CBRE, said much of the investment into the industry had come from China, Malaysia and Singapore.

Rutman and Doyle both said that as space ran out in the Melbourne city grid, developers could help improve the Docklands, a major planning experiment which has largely failed.

"A mixed approach where you do have residential, retail and a hotel, that's what brings life to these precincts," Doyle said.

"Docklands is a precinct that struggled for probably the first seven or eight years when 30 to 35 was percent completed.

"It's now 60 percent complete and over the last 10 years employment in that whole area has grown by 300 percent."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 08:57:47|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ISLAMABAD, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has rejected parts of a recent U.S. report, which said that "Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten U.S. interests in Afghanistan."

The U.S. state department's "Country Report on Terrorism 2016" released on Wednesday also claimed that "Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan."

The Pakistan foreign ministry Thursday disputed findings of the report and said the country has taken strong measures to fight terrorism.

"We have taken indiscriminate and all out action against terrorists. They are on the run. Most of them have fled to Afghanistan, the country which is in turmoil for the last 40 years, and due to which there are large ungoverned spaces being taken up by the terrorists," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said while commenting on the U.S. report.

"As is evident from the statistics and media reports available, a considerable number of leaders and senior commanders of the Haqqani network and other terrorists have been killed inside Afghanistan," the spokesman said during his weekly briefing.

He said Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts have been met with success, and acknowledged by a number of countries including the United States.

To a question about Pakistan's role in the context of peace in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan has always whole-heartedly supported all efforts for reconciliation in the war-shattered country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 10:04:11|Editor: Yamei

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UNITED NATIONS, July 20 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN official said Thursday that challenges must be overcome to put South Sudan back on track for peace.

"The peace process faces numerous challenges that must be overcome if we are to make the most of the opportunity created by the deployment of the regional protection force and put the country back on the track for peace and stability," El Ghassim Wane, assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, said when briefing the Security Council on South Sudan Thursday morning.

He warned that "the security environment remains extremely volatile" and stressed that South Sudan "needs an effective and credible ceasefire."

Wane added that every effort should be made to ensure that "the National Dialogue is inclusive, transparent, takes place in a free and secure environment and is supported by a broad political consensus."

He also underlined the need for the international community to send strong messages to the South Sudanese leadership of all sides that "the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable."

"A change in behavior is long overdue," he said, adding that the pursuit of political objectives through violence should not be allowed to continue.

On Wednesday, a delegation from the UN Mission in South Sudan and government officials visited Kolmerek village in the Jonglei region. They condemned a violent attack that happened there last weekend and called for calm.

The UN mission is supporting peace efforts and has sent peacekeepers to the area.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte(C) visits the troops engaged in the battle with the Maute group in Marawi City, the Philippines, on July 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Presidential Photo)

MANILA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited the war-torn Marawi City on Thursday to check on the government security forces fighting to completely liberate the besieged city from militants allied with the Islamic State (IS) group.

Army Lt. Col Jo-Ar Herrera said Duterte dropped by the military camp in the city to show his strong support for the troops.

"The visit shows that the president is very firm in his strong support to the ongoing military operation in the city," Herrera said.

Fighting continues to rage in the city since May 23, which has so far killed 565 people.

"The troops are happy to see their commander-in-chief visit them in the battlefield," Herrera said, adding that the visit boosts the morale of the troops.

Herrera said Duterte brought with him some "goods," including watches, for the troops.

During the visit, Herrera said Duterte also checked on the firearms that the military have seized from the militants.

According to the military, Duterte spent four hours in the camp. The presidential office has yet to issue a statement on Duterte's visit to the war zone.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 10:44:36|Editor: Yang Yi

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BISHKEK, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of China's Silk Road Fund was here Thursday for a meeting to discuss establishing a cooperation fund between Kyrgyzstan and China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Kyrgyzstan's first Vice Prime Minister Muhametkaly Abulgaziev stressed at the meeting the need to create a financial instrument of cooperation for both sides.

Kyrgyzstan's location in Central Asia is key to implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

The initiative China proposed in 2013 aims to build infrastructure and trade networks connecting Asia, Africa and Europe along ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.

"Kyrgyzstan participates in the integration of the initiative to create the Silk Road Economic Belt with the development strategy of Kyrgyzstan and the Eurasian Economic Union," Abulgaziev said.

"China is a leading investment partner, which has been making various investments for many years," he said, adding that his country and China have seen active cooperation in sectors including the service industry, mining and agriculture.

At the meeting, the Chinese side said it is ready to make efforts to develop a model of mutual benefit for establishing the Kyrgyzstan-China cooperation fund, while stressing the fund should be set up on the basis of commercial principles.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 11:25:01|Editor: ying

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions attends a press conference of the Department of Justice in Washington July 20, 2017. Jeff Sessions said on Thursday that he would stay on his job despite President Donald Trump's public attacks on his recusal from the ongoing Russia probe. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday that he would stay on his job despite President Donald Trump's public attacks on his recusal from the ongoing Russia probe.

"I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate," Sessions said at a press conference of the Department of Justice, "I'm totally confident that we can continue to run this office in an effective way."

Sessions was responding to a series of questions about Trump's broad swipe at his administration's top law officers in a New York Times interview Wednesday.

Trump said he would not appoint Sessions to lead the Justice Department had he known Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

The president also lashed out at Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted later on Thursday that Trump's criticism did not indicate the president has lost confidence in the attorney general.

Trump "clearly" has confidence in Sessions or "he would not be the attorney general," Sanders said.

In March, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation.

The U.S. intelligence community alleged that Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential race last year and there were connections between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.

A federal special counsel and several congressional panels are investigating these allegations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 11:55:11|Editor: Zhou Xin

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WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States agreed to step up trade cooperation in civilian high-tech sectors at a key economic and trade talks concluded on Wednesday.

The two countries pledged to relax export controls under the precondition of guaranteeing the civilian nature of related goods and implementing the protection of intellectual property rights so as to expand and balance two-way trade, according to the Chinese delegation attending the first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED).

The CED is one of the four major dialogue mechanisms established by the two countries in April during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.

Washington has for decades set numerous bans on the export of high-tech products to China citing "national security" concerns.

"If the United States were to liberalize its export barriers against China to the same level as those applicable to Brazil or France, the U.S. trade deficit with China would narrow by up to 24 percent and 34 percent respectively," Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang quoted an article published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when delivering a speech at a China-U.S. business luncheon on Tuesday in Washington.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at his opening remarks at the CED that the two countries need to work together to maximize the benefits for both sides and develop a fair and balanced economic relationship between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 12:10:15|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SEOUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to make a positive response to dialogue overtures earlier this week to discuss military and humanitarian affairs.

Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun told a press briefing that it would be a very pressing issue to defuse military tensions and restore communication channels of the military authorities for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.

The spokesman urged the DPRK once again to rapidly make a positive response to Seoul's dialogue offer.

On Monday, the defense ministry proposed to its DPRK counterpart for holding talks about military affairs on July 21 at Tongilgak, a building in the DPRK side of the truce village of Panmunjom.

The dialogue proposal was aimed at stopping all hostile acts near the military demarcation line (MDL), which divides the two Koreas.

Pyongyang, the spokesman said, had yet to give any response to the proposal until this morning, making it actually impossible to hold the inter-Korean dialogue on Friday.

The ministry said the military talks offer would be effective by July 27.

Separately, Seoul offered Monday to hold a Red Cross dialogue with its DPRK counterpart for the reunion of families of the two Koreas, who had been separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The dialogue on the humanitarian affairs was proposed to be held on Aug. 1 at the Peace House, a building in the South Korean side of Panmunjom.

Pyongyang had yet to give any reply to the humanitarian dialogue overture.

Unification Ministry vice spokesperson Lee Yoo-jin told a press briefing that South Korea will not fluctuate between joy and grief with the DPRK's attitude toward its dialogue offer, urging Pyongyang to accept Seoul's talks offer.

Lee said that Seoul needed to take a step forward in a calm and gradual manner in dealing with inter-Korean affairs, noting the dialogue overtures were made to build peace on the peninsula and help resolve the humanitarian issue.

The vice spokesperson added that Seoul had yet to have any plan to make another dialogue offer to Pyongyang.

South Korea's dialogue offers were made as follow-up measures to President Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula Peace Initiative, which was announced in his Berlin speech on July 6.

During the speech, Moon proposed to the DPRK stopping all hostile acts near the MDL from July 27, which marks the 64th anniversary of the armistice agreement ending the Korean War.

The reunion event for the separated families were proposed to be held on Oct. 4 that marks the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 4 Joint Declaration, which was announced after a summit meeting in 2007 in Pyongyang between late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il.

Whether Pyongyang would accept Seoul's dialogue overtures remained uncertain ahead of the annual South Korea-U.S. war game, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian, scheduled for next month.

The computer-assisted simulation exercise would reportedly kick off on Aug. 21, which would become the first U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise under the new South Korean government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 12:45:27|Editor: Zhou Xin

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WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Two of the world's largest dark web markets AlphaBay and Hansa have been shut down because of international law enforcement investigation, according to the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and Europol.

The U.S. DOJ announced AlphaBay's closure at a press conference on Thursday.

It said in a statement that the so-called dark web marketplace AlphaBay has been used to sell deadly illegal drugs, stolen and fraudulent identification documents and access devices, counterfeit goods, malware and other computer hacking tools, firearms, and toxic chemicals since its creation in 2014.

According to Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, there were more than 250,000 listings for illegal drugs and toxic chemicals on AlphaBay. Both AlphaBay and Hansa websites were involved in illicit trade such as drugs and weapons.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the investigation case, "pursued by dedicated agents and prosecutors, says you are not safe. You cannot hide. We will find you, dismantle your organization and network, and we will prosecute you."

The operation to seize the AlphaBay site was led by the United States and contributed by law enforcement authorities in Thailand, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, as well as Europol.

The crackdown coincided with efforts by Dutch law enforcement to investigate and take down Hansa, the third largest criminal marketplace on the dark web.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 13:00:34|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The world's largest and third largest dark web markets, AlphaBay and Hansa were shut down due to international law enforcement investigation, the U.S. Justice Department and Europol said on Thursday.

What is a dark web market, and how does it work?

The Internet is actually made up of three different layers: the surface web, the deep web and the dark web.

The surface web are web pages that show up using search engines such as Google, Baidu and other similar websites.

The deep web has pages that normal search engines can't access and are therefore hidden, accessed via passwords and authorization.

The dark web is a network of untraceable online activity and websites on the Internet. It's used by many people for different things but it's infamously used by criminals to hide illegal activity online.

The dark web was originally created by the U.S. government to allow spies to exchange information completely anonymously. The U.S. military researchers developed the technology, known as Tor in the mid-1990s and released it into the public domain for everyone to use.

Therefore, the dark web market thrives online. "Just like the forest, the dark web hides things well. It hides actions and it hides identities. The dark web also prevents people from knowing who you are, what you are doing and where you are doing it," said Daniel Prince, Associate Director Security at Lancaster University on website The Conversation.

The dark web markets are simply digital marketplaces, created via the same kinds of technologies that typically underpin bitcoin, which they accept as a way of payment. So they aren't illegal originally.

However, most dark markets may quickly become illegal as soon as they allow the trafficking of drugs, weaponry or other illegal items.

Once the online marketplace breaks the law, it rots away to be an illegal website. And then law enforcement officials will follow to investigate.
 

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 13:10:36|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China agreed to expand bilateral trade in services with the United States during the first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) concluded on Wednesday.

"Despite a huge deficit in services trade with the United States, China nevertheless believed that trade in services between China and the United States is mutually beneficial, and is willing to engage in mutually-beneficial and win-win cooperation in trade in services," a Chinese delegate to the one-day talks said Thursday in a statement to Xinhua.

Given the differences between China and the United States in the size and structure of their services industries, it is possible to exploit their own comparative advantages and complement each other, the statement said, adding that "expanding bilateral trade in services can also promote balanced trading relations between the two sides."

The two countries discussed trade in services in the high-level economic dialogue, and the United States expected China to further open up its services market, according to the statement.

"China agreed to further open up, deepen its cooperation with the United States, and forge new areas of growth in bilateral commercial cooperation," said the Chinese delegate.

The Chinese State Council last week approved a pilot plan to open up Beijing's service industry by removing some restrictions on the sector. Local governments will ease restrictions on foreign investments, streamline regulations and encourage innovation.

The plan also highlights reforms in major areas, including science and technology services, the Internet and communication, culture, education, finance and tourism.

China has been trying to shift its economy toward a growth model powered by consumption, services and innovation. The service sector accounted for more than half of the Chinese economy last year.

David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (a century-old U.S. think tank based in Washington, D.C.), and former official with the U.S. Treasury Department, believed a high-quality U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty (BIT) would help U.S. export services to China and build the foundation for a better bilateral trading relationship.

"The U.S. primarily exports services. It's hard to export services if you cannot invest. So I see the bilateral treaty as an opportunity for U.S. firms to have new business in China, and that's going to encourage more exports and create good jobs in the United States," Dollar told Xinhua.

In Dollar's view, the Trump administration may not have enough resources to resume BIT negotiations with China in the next two years, as the administration has chosen to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and modify its free trade agreement with South Korea.

"The United States Trade Representative's Office is actually quite a small department with limited capacity...It's hard for them to then have a third priority," he said.

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said Wednesday that China understands that the Trump administration has to revise all the bilateral and multilateral investment and trade deals with other countries, which could take some time.

However, there are growing calls from the U.S. and Chinese business community to sign the investment treaty as soon as possible, he said.

Related:

China, U.S. agree to bolster trade in civilian high-tech sectors

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States agreed to step up trade cooperation in civilian high-tech sectors at a key economic and trade talks concluded on Wednesday. Full story

China, U.S. reach certain consensus on agricultural cooperation during economic talks

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States have reached certain consensus on agricultural cooperation during the first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) concluded on Wednesday. Full story

China, U.S. discuss one-year cooperation plan during economic dialogue
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 13:15:39|Editor: Yang Yi

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PHNOM PENH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian transport minister Sun Chanthol said Friday that about 70 percent of national roads and bridges in Cambodia had been constructed under the concessional loans from China.

"In Cambodia, more than 2,000 km of roads, seven river bridges, and a Phnom Penh Autonomous Port's new container terminal have been already built under the concessional loans from the People's Republic of China," he said, adding that since 2004, China had lent Cambodia more than 2 billion U.S. dollars for road and bridge development.

Currently, another four road and bridge projects were under construction with Chinese loans, he said.

He added that Chinese support was crucial for Cambodia, not only to connect transport infrastructure locally, but also to link the nation's transport infrastructure to its neighboring countries.

According to Chanthol, Cambodia's infrastructure development was also in line with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

The minister made the remarks when he received mechanical equipments for road and bridge maintenance donated by China's Henan Transport Investment Group Co., Ltd.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 13:45:47|Editor: Song Lifang

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MELBOURNE, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Victorians with advanced terminal illnesses will be able to seek voluntary euthanasia from 2019 onwards under a proposal put forward by the government of Australian Victorian State on Friday.

The Victorian Parliament will hold a conscience vote on medically assisted suicide in late 2017, meaning Members of Parliament (MPs) will be free to vote on the legislation however they see fit regardless of their party's position on the issue.

An expert panel, chaired by the former president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Brian Owler, on Friday delivered its report with 66 recommendations that will establish the framework for the legislation.

"In essence this reform is about alleviating the suffering of people who are dying and it's about respecting their choice about the manner and the timing of their death," Owler told reporters in Melbourne.

"I'm sure that this topic will be debated in the coming weeks and months and months.

"We think that this model, which we acknowledge is the most conservative model for assisted dying in the world, is the right model for Victoria."

The panel recommended that euthanasia be made available to patients aged 18 or older who possess a "sound decision-making capability" with a condition that is expected to cause death within 12 months.

The request to die must come from the patient themselves and they must be assessed by two independent doctors, one of whom must be an expert in patient's illness, before they are given the lethal drug.

"This is the most conservative model or framework that exists in the world," Owler said.

If the legislation is passed by parliament, Victoria will become the first Australian state to legalize euthanasia.

Jill Hennessy, the state's minister for health, said there were 68 safeguards within the recommendations to protect Victorians and medical professionals.

"It is my very firm, yet personal view, that we need to do better by those that are dying, those that are terminally ill, those that are bearing suffering that is unspeakable for them," Hennessy said.

"We are a death-denying society. It's my view that it is cruel to let the status quo continue to be the state of law in the state of Victoria."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 13:55:55|Editor: Song Lifang

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A teacher was shot dead by two masked gunmen in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar Thursday night, the latest in a string of targeted killing in the militancy-hit country, said provincial government on Friday.

"Sahab-ul-Haq was shot and killed in a mosque in Sholani area, Chaparhar District, south of provincial capital Jalalabad city, Thursday night when he was offering night prayers," it said in a statement.

The 50-year-old man was serving in a girl high school named Bandi Mirano in the province, 120 km east of Kabul, for years, according to the statement.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the case and efforts were underway to find and bring the perpetrators to justice, the statement added.

The civilians considered to be supporting government, civilian government employees, religious leaders, tribal elders and persons involved in peace and reconciliation efforts came under attack in targeted killings over the past years.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,660 civilians were killed and over 3,580 injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan in the first six months of the year, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 14:10:57|Editor: Song Lifang

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UNITED NATIONS, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Thursday endorsed the outcome of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calling for expeditious implementation of the 17 targets sought for lifting millions out of poverty.

Government ministers and high representatives, who participated in the forum at the UN headquarters in New York, reaffirmed their commitment made in 2015 to "effectively implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, for all people everywhere, ensuring that no one is left behind."

Almost two years of implementation since adoption of the SDGs, "our individual and collective efforts have yielded encouraging results in many areas," the document said, but acknowledged that "the pace of implementation must be accelerated as the tasks facing us are urgent, and decisive action is also imperative for implementing and raising awareness of the targets."

While extreme poverty has fallen globally, progress has been uneven and 1.6 billion people still live in poverty.

While stressing that the agenda is "people-centered, universal and transformative," the document also said it must "balance the three dimensions of sustainable development -- the economic, social and environmental," seeking to "realize the human rights of all."

"Eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development," it said.

"The 2030 Agenda is accepted by all countries and is applicable to all, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities," the document added.

However, there were some disagreements in writing the document as it has so many stakeholders, not just the member states of the United Nations, but also UN agencies, departments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Australia, Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and the United States opposed a paragraph which called for further effective measures and actions.

Those measures aim to remove obstacles for full realization of the right of self-determination with peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation.

Sponsors of the paragraph said the obstacles adversely affected their economic and social development and the environment.

The paragraph was ultimately upheld by a vote of 104-8.

The United States also objected to a paragraph that said efforts would continue to promote a universal, rules-based, open, transparent, predictable, inclusive, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as meaningful trade liberalization.

The paragraph was retained by a voted of 112-1 with 46 abstentions.

The document was approved by the HLPF Wednesday and accepted by the full ECOSOC Thursday without a vote.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 14:21:06|Editor: Song Lifang

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The University of California, Berkeley, said Thursday it will join a research funded by U.S. Defense Department (DOD) to improve the safety and accuracy of gene editing.

The project is one of the seven announced the same day by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of DOD responsible for the development of new technologies for military use with a total 65 million U.S. dollars in funding.

The team led by UC Berkeley included the University of California, San Francisco, and Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California.

DARPA noted that the project is aiming to develop better ways to insert gene-editing molecules, including CRISPR-Cas9, short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats Associated Protein 9, into living cells; explore applications of CRISPR proteins other than the popular Cas9, such as RNA-snipping Cas13a; discover more anti-CRISPR proteins that can be used to keep gene editing under tight control; and employ these tools in the fight against major viral diseases, such as Ebola and Zika.

In addition, the research team headed by UC Berkeley's Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers who worked on CRISPR-Cas9, will investigate whether these tools might someday be capable of disabling bioterrorism threats, such as novel infectious agents or weapons employing CRISPR itself.

Phase 1 funding to UC Berkeley and UCSF will amount to about 1.65 million dollars over two years, with a potential additional two years and 1.64 million dollars of funding. As a partner in this effort, Sandia will receive funds directly from DARPA, under its Safe Genes program.

UC Berkeley is also part of another DARPA project funded by the Safe Genes program. Assistant Professor John Marshall has teamed up with a University of California, Riverside, team to develop robust and reversible gene-drive systems for control of Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. With emphasis on biosafety and reversibility, the DARPA award will also fund preliminary testing in contained, simulated natural environments and in high-throughput, rapidly reproducing populations of yeast as a model system.

Renee Wegrzyn, who manages DARPA's Safe Genes program, was quoted as claiming Thursday that "DARPA launched Safe Genes to begin to refine those capabilities by emphasizing safety first for the full range of potential applications, enabling responsible science to proceed by providing tools to prevent and mitigate misuse."

Echoing what Wegrzyn stated, Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry at UC Berkeley, noted that "from a biosecurity perspective, we hope that our technologies displace less safe technologies, and by demonstrating that gene-editing activity can be prophylactically or therapeutically shut down, discouraging its potential intentional misuse."

The other DARPA-funded projects will take place at the Broad Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and North Carolina State University.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 14:56:19|Editor: Song Lifang

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BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to end the CIA's training for rebels in Syria, media reported Wednesday, a move widely seen as a positive sign to promoting political solution to the prolonged civil war.

END OF CIA PROGRAM

Trump made the decision to scrap the program of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) nearly a month ago, after an Oval Office meeting with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and national security adviser H.R. McMaster ahead of a July 7 meeting in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin, unnamed U.S. officials were quoted by the Washington Post as saying on Wednesday.

The CIA program was launched in 2013 by the Obama administration to arm, fund and train moderate opposition fighters in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to ouster the Assad regime. It is estimated that about 10,000 fighters have been trained in the past four years.

The program achieved little success after Moscow sent troops into Syria to support the Syrian army in 2015.

Before assuming office in January, Trump suggested that he could end support for the FSA forces, which was founded in 2011 by officers defected from the Syrian army, and give priority to fight against the Islamic State.

The White House and the CIA declined to comment on the Washington Post's report.

However, the United States still backed the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a multi-ethic and multi-religious alliance of Kurdish, Arab and other minority militias in the civil war that has entered its seventh year, despite strong criticism from its NATO ally Turkey which considers the Kurds-dominated SDF as a threat to its national security.

The SDF has almost besieged Raqqa in northern Syria, the last stronghold of the Islamic State after the Iraqi army liberated Mosul early this month.

The U.S. officials told the Washington Post that Trump's decision had the backing of Jordan, where some of the rebels were trained, and appeared to be part of a larger strategy to focus on negotiating limited cease-fire deals with Russia after the IS is defeated.

While observers are concerned that the struggle for control of IS territories between the Syrian army and U.S.-backed rebels could lead to fierce conflicts, Trump's decision at least brings a glimmer of hope for a political settlement.

"I don't think there will be a fight between the Syrian government forces and rebels for control of IS-held areas because Washington and Moscow are heading toward an understanding of sharing influence," Maher Ihsan, a political expert in the Syrian capital of Damascus, told Xinhua.

POLITICAL SETTLEMENT

The White House adjusted its policy on Syria as France which spearheaded in the campaign to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011 has recently dropped its demand for Assad's departure.

France is opting for new "doctrine" to handle the Syria crisis, in which the departure of al-Assad is no longer a pre-condition to launch post-war talks, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a joint press conference with Trump in Paris last week.

"We have indeed changed the French doctrine towards Syria in order to have results and work very closely with our partners, in particular the United States of America," Macron said.

Maher Ihsan who attended the latest round of Geneva peace talks on Syria said, "I noted that France has highlighted its priorities, including fighting terrorism and stopping the use of chemical weapons in Syria, while removing Bashar al-Assad is out of the question. This makes the opposition confused."

Meanwhile, the Qatar crisis also undermines the rebel forces, experts said. Several Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Qatar last month, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran. Qatar denied all the accusations.

"The Gulf crisis weakens support for the rebels as the opposition forces are now divided into a Qatar team and a Saudi team," Ihsan said.

I think the situation in Syria is moving toward pacification if the international community kept exerting efforts, he added.

Commenting on the seventh round of peace talks which were wrapped up on July 15, U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said "we have made incremental progress, no breakthrough, no breakdowns, no one walked out."

Xie Xiaoyan, China's special envoy for Syria, said at the talks that "at present, there are still big differences between and among the Syrian government and the opposition, so a step by step approach should be taken to handle the relatively easier problems first, so as to form more consensus and accumulate mutual trust."

It is also important to adhere to the principle of self-determination in the political process of the Syrian issue, that is, to let the Syrian people to decide their own future, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 15:01:25|Editor: ying

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KABUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have killed 98 suspected insurgents across the country since early Thursday, said the country's Defense Ministry on Friday morning.

"In past 24 hours, the ANDSF conducted anti-terrorism operations to clear some of the areas from terrorists and enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan, killing 98 armed insurgents and injuring 36 others," the ministry said in a statement.

Among those killed during the raids were several members of Taliban militant group and four Islamic State (IS) fighters, the statement added.

The troops also discovered and confiscated rounds of light and heavy ammunition during the raids conducted in 13 of the country's 34 provinces, according to the statement.

The statement did not mention if there were any casualties on the side of the security forces.

Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants recently as the Taliban and IS fighters have been attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions across the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 15:26:32|Editor: ying

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SEOUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korean exports posted a double-digit growth for the first 20 days of July thanks to strong ship exports, customs data showed Friday.

Exports, which account for about half of the economy, reached 30 billion U.S. dollars in the July 1-20 period, up 22.4 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.

The country's overseas shipments had grown for eight months through June.

The daily average exports in the cited period reached 1.94 billion dollars, up 22.4 percent from a year ago.

Ship exports more than tripled, leading the overall export expansion. Exports for semiconductors and automobiles increased 47.7 percent and 11.8 percent each in the July 1-July 20 period.

Shipments of auto parts and telecommunication devices, including smartphones, fell 5.1 percent and 16.8 percent respectively. Smartphone exports maintained a downward momentum as local manufacturers increased production in overseas factories.

Exports to Vietnam and the European Union (EU) logged a double-digit increase, and those to China and the United States, South Korea's top two trading partners, rose 3.2 percent and 5.4 percent each.

Imports advanced 13.3 percent to 25.9 billion dollars in the cited period, sending trade surplus to 4.1 billion dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 15:36:39|Editor: Liangyu

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by Will Koulouris

SYDNEY, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The partnership between China and Australia is stronger than ever, according to an Australian federal minister, who said on Friday that there are plans in the pipeline to boost the relationship even further in the fields of innovation, industry, and science.

Arthur Sinodinos, the federal minister for industry, innovation, and science told Xinhua that his department is currently working with China to "identify the projects" that will facilitate an even greater level of cooperation between the two nations.

"We are very keen for global collaboration, and China is a very important part of that process for us going forward," Sinodinos said.

With the shift in China towards a consumption driven economy, and one of the current aims in the five-year plan to shift from heavy, to high-tech industry, Sinodinos said Australia has to adapt to take advantage of the new opportunities that are available with their largest trading partner.

"What we also need to do is adapt to the way China is changing, so as incomes go up there's more focus on higher level demand for businesses, in the food area for example, more processed foods, or more sophisticated business professional services and these are all areas where Australia can do more," Sinodinos said.

"We've got a very good food processing industry and that is really starting to spark off the demand in China, as well as elsewhere, so as China's economy evolves we have a capacity because of the diverse structure in our own economy to meet those needs."

To drive any adaptation in the Australian economy is dependent on having sufficient investment capital to do so, and with the benefits of this capital injection on full display in the country, Sinodinos said that a high level of outside investment should be seen in a positive light.

"From our point of view Chinese investment in Australia is very welcome, we try to make the areas where we have controls over it as clear as possible, so everybody knows the ground rules, we try to encourage investment in productive areas, in agriculture," Sinodinos said.

"Our point is we like the contribution of foreign direct investment which brings in that overseas knowhow and expertise, as well as the capital it brings."

But the traffic between Australia and China is not one way, with many Australian businesses now seeking to take advantage of the vast opportunities available within China, opportunities that Sinodinos said should be explored, and proffered advice for those seeking to capitalise on the strong bilateral ties, made even stronger by the 2015 enactment of the China Australia Free Trade Agreement.

"The best thing to do is to study the market, understand the market, it's also important to have local partners you can trust, that you can work with. I think that's important in order to help create a presence on the ground," Sinodinos said.

"The other thing is to be able to assure people in China when they are getting your service or goods that they are getting what you've sent them, rather than what's been substituted by someone else. So having that assurance across the supply chain is going to be important as well."

Asides from the well-deserved image of Australia being "clean and green", Sinodinos said that his government's - and his own ministry's push - to invest further in the science sector will draw even further opportunities for collaboration between the two nations.

"As a government is we have major science agencies like the CSIRO, Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation, Institute of Marine Science and major pieces of research infrastructure across the country," Sinodinos said.

"What I want to do as a government is make sure we have really good, globally recognised infrastructure around research and science - and that attracts people to do work with us, and we're seeing those go to people for collaboration - and that collaboration is what promotes ideas, networks, and connections which can lead to more commercial opportunities."

In terms of one of the biggest commercial opportunities not just in China, but the world - the Belt and Road Initiative - Sinodinos said that his government is "waiting to see how the initiative evolves," and is hoping that it creates market opportunities that can be accessed by all.

"We commend China for taking leadership on such an initiative, and we'll see how it fits into our own initiatives, like our development of Northern Australia, among other things," he said.

As to the future of the relationship between China and Australia, the minister was upbeat, and said that the partnership between the two countries can "be what we want it to be."

"I want to see a relationship of mutual respect and where we understand where the Chinese economy is developing, as how as it matures there are opportunities for us to be part of that, and how we can be partners in also maintaining a global rules based order," Sinodinos said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 16:02:08|Editor: ying

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BEIRUT, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group said on Friday that its fighters had begun an operation against militants on both sides of the country's border with Syria.

Hezbollah's al-Manar television and its "War Media" social media channels carried announcements of "the start of a military operation to purge outskirts of Arsal and Qalamoun of armed terrorists."

The operation has been anticipated for several weeks, and comes after Lebanese soldiers carrying out raids on Syrian refugee camps in the area were met with suicide bombings and a grenade attack.

Military sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the Syrian Army and Hezbollah fighters started since dawn Friday advancing towards the areas occupied by militants on the Flita front inside the Syrian territories, and the outskirts of the border town of Arsal from the Lebanese side.

The source added that the attack was preceded by heavy artillery and rocket fire, while Syrian warplanes launched more than 41 raids in less than 12 hours on the militants' posts.

It pointed that the Hezbollah fighters crossed the demarcation line with the militants on the outskirts of Arsal and advanced towards Wadi al-Oueini and Wadi al-Zaarour while the Syrian army crossed the line and advanced towards al-Qalamoun and Flita.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said "the Lebanese army will carry out a planned-out operation in outskirts of Arsal and the government gives it freedom to do so."

There was no official indication on Friday on whether Lebanese troops were involved in the fighting in the mountainous border region.

The security situation in Arsal has long been a concern.

In 2014, militants kidnapped 30 soldiers and policemen after clashes in the area. Four of the hostages were killed and a fifth died of his wounds, while 16 were eventually released in December 2015 and another nine hostages are still being held.

Around 45,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations live in the town, but more are believed to be living in camps in the outskirts area, although their numbers have not been confirmed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 16:12:14|Editor: ying

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DAMASCUS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A double battle started Friday on both sides of the Syrian-Lebanese borders against the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a military source told Xinhua.

The battle started against the Nusra Front militants in the Qalamoun barren area in Syria, and the adjacent Juroud Arsal barrens on the Lebanese side of the borders, said the source, on condition of anonymity.

The Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah started the operation in Syria from the Talet Burkan area in the barren of Flita town, said the source, adding that the attack was coupled with artillery shelling and missile fire on the positions of the terror-designated group.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah advanced in Juroud Arsal toward the Nusra positions in Qanzah, and Wadi al-Qariyah southeast of Juroud Arsal amid battles with the Nusra Front.

The Syrian air force is playing an important role in covering the advance of the ground troops on either side of the borders, carrying out at least 14 air raids since early Friday.

The battle was anticipated as it aims to end the presence of the al-Qaida-linked militants in the barren areas of both countries, as the militants used to smuggle weapons and explosives to both countries using the barren areas.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 16:22:22|Editor: ying

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DHAKA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- At least five people of the same family were killed and another went missing after a rain-triggered landslide struck their house in Bangladesh's southeastern Chittagong hill region early Friday, said police.

Razaur Rahaman, a senior police official in Chittagong district, 242 km southeast of capital Dhaka, told journalists that five bodies have been recovered.

He said another person went missing in the landslide.

The incident, the third in less than two months, occurred at a remote hilly area of Chittagong's Sitakunda anytime after midnight due to incessant rain, said another police official Tajul Islam.

All the deceased trapped under the rubble, he said, had been pulled out after an hour-long rescue operation.

Among the dead are two children, Islam said.

In recent years, according to experts, unplanned urbanization, and illegal constructions, mainly in the outskirts, have increased the chances of landslide and other disasters in five districts in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

They said hundreds of families, particularly those who have migrated from other parts of the country due to climate disasters, have settled on such foothills which always have the chances of landslides.

The country's meteorological office said it recorded 378 mm rainfall in the Chittagong hill region in the last 12 hours till Thursday night, which was higher than the rainfall that had triggered deadly landslides in the region on June 11.

The fresh incidents were reported as the wounds of last month's massive landslides are still yet to heal.

At least 153 people are reported to have been killed and hundreds of others injured in the landslides that devastated places in five districts in Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh on June 11 night.

The victims included four members of the Army, two of whom were officers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 16:22:24|Editor: Liangyu

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by Xinhua writers Jin Minmin, Gao Pan

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Continued cooperation and consultation are key for both Beijing and Washington to rebalance and strengthen economic ties.

Such an approach, now and for the future, is necessary for the world's two largest economies amid a sluggish global economic recovery and a surge in anti-globalization sentiment. A timetable and a roadmap for cooperation produced from the first round of their Comprehensive Economic Dialogue illustrates how committed both sides are to coping with new changes.

The two sides have agreed to focus on macro-economic policy, trade, investment as well as global economic governance.

The consensus reached on the services trade is expected to foster new growth points. Beijing's willingness to expand market access further as required by Washington is expected to promote trade balance.

For the U.S. side, the huge surplus for China in bilateral trade has been a big headache and was a focus of the July 19 dialogue of high-level officials.

China now accounts for around 70 percent of the U.S. trade deficit. However, the imbalance has not come as a result of unfair policies, but as a natural product of globalization and free trade. Moreover, the U.S. trade deficit is largely exaggerated, and homemade.

In fact, current trade balances don't adequately capture the complex nature of international trade today, as quite often goods move across multiple national borders to reach the final market. As China is at the end of the international supply chain, its exports to the United States include values imported from the latter and other countries.

A study by economists with Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that using a value-added approach to measure bilateral trade reduces the U.S.-China trade imbalance by 33 percent in 2013.

Meanwhile, as a trade deficit is the flip side of capital surplus, it indirectly fills the gap of domestic savings and investment.

Stephen Roach, a senior fellow with Yale University, said, "lacking in savings and eager for growth, the U.S. relied heavily on China's vast reservoir of surplus savings to make ends meet." China's huge stake in U.S. treasuries has helped the latter fund record budget deficits.

China and the United States have built prosperous and reciprocal economic relations over the past few decades. A codependence, with China producing more and the United States consuming more, still does more good than harm, lifting millions of Chinese from poverty and allowing Americans to spend less.

The bilateral trade volume exceeded 550 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, representing an increase of more than 200 times from over 30 years ago. By the end of last year, two-way investment totaled more than 170 billion dollars. Chinese investments across the United States have directly created 141,000 jobs.

Pragmatic cooperation of mutual benefit and deepening exchanges aided with more dialogue to ease tension will help China and the United States avoid a trade war and enable their economic relations to contribute more to their own growth and the global economy.

Related:

China, U.S. agree to bolster trade in civilian high-tech sectors

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States agreed to step up trade cooperation in civilian high-tech sectors at a key economic and trade talks concluded on Wednesday. Full story

China, U.S. reach certain consensus on agricultural cooperation during economic talks

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States have reached certain consensus on agricultural cooperation during the first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) concluded on Wednesday. Full story

China, U.S. discuss one-year cooperation plan during economic dialogue

WASHINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States discussed a one-year action plan of economic cooperation during the first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) on Wednesday. Full story

China agrees to expand trade in services with U.S.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 16:52:39|Editor: ying

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JERUSALEM, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel barred access of Muslim men under 50 to Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Friday and deployed some 3,000 policemen near the site amidst expected protest over security measures.

The move came after Israel's security cabinet decided not to remove the metal detectors installed at the entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following a shooting attack nearby last Friday that killed two policemen.

A police spokesperson said in a statement that site is opened for women of all ages and for men over the age of 50.

The spokesperson added that following security assessments, "heightened security will take place in and around the Old City (of East Jerusalem)."

"Police and border police units mobilized in all areas and neighborhoods and will respond to any incidents or disturbances throughout the day. Police are coordinating to enable Friday prayers to take place and at the same time secure measures are taking place," the statement read.

The measure was expected to trigger more anger at the volatile site.

The military and the police boosted their presence with five army brigades that were put on call and 3,000 of police officers were deployed outside the compound area.

The contested electronic gates were installed after three Arab citizens of Israel carried out a shooting attack last Friday, killing two Israeli policemen. The assailants were shot dead by the police.

Worshippers have been refusing to enter due to the new metal detectors, with Palestinians charging the step is an Israeli attempt to claim further control over the site. The measures sparked daily clashes between worshippers and police, with dozens of Palestinian injuries.

On Thursday, Muslim leaders called for a mass prayers in the site on Friday, in protest of the new measures.

The Palestinians, as well as some Arab countries, urged Israel to remove the gates, saying it was a violation of the long-held status quo under which the Muslim Waqf is in charge of running the site.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:06:58|Editor: Liangyu

A policeman gives out traffic safety manuals to children in Yinchuan City in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, July 20, 2017. Traffic police of Jinfeng District invited children to take part in the traffic safety education activity at Yinchuan detention house on Thursday. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 16:57:42|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Three terror suspects and one Iranian security officer were killed in anti-terror operations in northwestern Iran, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Friday.

Four other terrorists and one IRGC member were wounded during the raids, the IRGC said on its website.

The rest of the terrorists fled to the border region, it added, without disclosing further details.

Iranian security and intelligent forces will deal determinedly with the "foreign-supported elements" which threaten the security and tranquility of the country, the IRGC added.

Last month, the IRGC also disbanded a terrorist group in the western province of Kurdistan, killing three terror suspects and arresting one.

Over recent months, Iranian security forces have launched anti-terror operations in different parts of the country.
Palestinian Muslim clerics speak with Israeli border guard outside the Lions Gate, a main entrance to Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017, after Israel barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday prayers. (AFP PHOTO)

JERUSALEM, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel barred access of Muslim men under 50 to Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Friday and deployed some 3,000 policemen near the site amidst expected protest over security measures.

The move came after Israel's security cabinet decided not to remove the metal detectors installed at the entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following a shooting attack nearby last Friday that killed two policemen.

A police spokesperson said in a statement that site is opened for women of all ages and for men over the age of 50.

The spokesperson added that following security assessments, "heightened security will take place in and around the Old City (of East Jerusalem)."

"Police and border police units mobilized in all areas and neighborhoods and will respond to any incidents or disturbances throughout the day. Police are coordinating to enable Friday prayers to take place and at the same time secure measures are taking place," the statement read.

The measure was expected to trigger more anger at the volatile site.

The military and the police boosted their presence with five army brigades that were put on call and 3,000 of police officers were deployed outside the compound area.

The contested electronic gates were installed after three Arab citizens of Israel carried out a shooting attack last Friday, killing two Israeli policemen. The assailants were shot dead by the police.

Worshippers have been refusing to enter due to the new metal detectors, with Palestinians charging the step is an Israeli attempt to claim further control over the site. The measures sparked daily clashes between worshippers and police, with dozens of Palestinian injuries.

On Thursday, Muslim leaders called for a mass prayers in the site on Friday, in protest of the new measures.

The Palestinians, as well as some Arab countries, urged Israel to remove the gates, saying it was a violation of the long-held status quo under which the Muslim Waqf is in charge of running the site.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:07:56|Editor: Liangyu

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NANCHANG, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Migrant worker Qiu Laiyun can finally return to work, after a legal dispute over a work accident has been resolved.

Qiu seriously injured his right hand in February when he was hired to do logging for Wu Xingchang, a farmer in Luoshi township, Fengxin county in eastern China's Jiangxi Province.

The two had been locked in a dispute over Qiu's medical expenses ever since. Local officials tried to mediate on several occasions but without success.

Xu Jianhong, 44, a township counselor since 2012, intervened to prevent the dispute from escalating, successfully solving the deadlock.

"Villagers used to resort to violence in case of disputes. But many now choose to find lawyers when they have trouble," Xu said.

Fengxin was the first county in the province to pilot the township counselor system. At the end of last year, virtually every township in Jiangxi had such counselors, which are a great help for farmers.

Zhou Shaobin, a villager in Zhangshu city, Jiangxi, has benefited. Two years ago, his son drowned after being pressured to swim in a river by several classmates. He asked for compensation from the families of the six boys without success, even attempting to fight them.

Counselor Zou Xiaohu offered help, finally persuading the parents in the classmates to compensate him.

"My son died all of a sudden. If it were not for Zou, I might have resorted to extreme means," Zhou said.

Counselors teach the public to protect their interests legally, offering legal service for concerned parties, prompting more villagers to solve disputes through legal means instead of petitions, said Jin Yuansheng, head of the Fengxin County Justice Bureau.

Besides lawsuits, spreading legal knowledge is also important work of the counselors.

"We provide legal advice on important projects and land deals for the township government and villagers and legal training," said Fu Shugen, a township counselor in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi.

Counselors at governments of different levels have played an active role in explaining legislation, key policy-making and resolving complicated disputes, said an official with the Jiangxi Provincial Justice Department.

"They bridge the rural legal gap and contribute to maintaining social harmony and stability," the official said.

Township counselors have also been piloted in other provinces across the country.

In Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hubei Province, each township has set up a "legal clinic" for the public. Counselors also offer online consultation services for those deep in the mountains.

In the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, 33,600 villages and communities had counselors at the end of 2015.

"The counselor system is a key move to promote law-based governance and will prompt government employees to enhance legal awareness," said Yan Sanzhong, a legal researcher at Jiangxi Normal University.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:17:59|Editor: ZD

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CAIRO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- One soldier was killed and three others injured when masked gunmen opened fire late Thursday on a police vehicle in Egyptian province of Fayyoum, official news agency MENA reported.

The militants shot at the security car on a main road in Fayyoum, 103 km south of the capital Cairo, said the report.

The interior ministry said in a statement that the attackers hid in a farm land near the Fayyoum-Cairo highway and targeted three police vehicles.

The forces sealed off the area and launched a manhunt for the attackers, the statement said, adding that the wounded were transferred to hospital.

Fayyoum province hosted large numbers of Islamists and members of outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Last week, a militant, who was accused of planning and conducting attacks against policemen, was killed in a shootout.

Egypt has been suffering wave of anti-security operations, mainly centered in North Sinai since the army-led ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Lately, some of the attacks have crept into the capital and other cities. Hundreds of security men and dozens of civilians have been killed in attacks.

A Sinai-based extremist militant group loyal to the regional Islamic State militia claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:23:05|Editor: ZD

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TOKYO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks on Friday with the leader of its junior coalition Komeito ally and has confirmed that he intends to reshuffle his cabinet on August 3.

The Japanese prime minister, who has seen the support rate for his cabinet tumble in recent media polls amid a series of high-profile scandals including himself and other senior lawmakers, told Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi that the appointment of ministers from Komeito to his new lineup will be based on the coalition party's opinions.

Currently Komeito has one member in Abe's Cabinet and Yamaguchi said that he will discuss with his party whether he wants Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii to retain his current portfolio.

Yamaguchi, in talks with Abe on Friday and with regards to the current scandals blighting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), implored the prime minister to comprehensively answer the questions to be levied at him by the opposition camp at special committee sessions planned for both chambers of parliament next week.

The prime minister, following an initial refusal to be grilled, has now said he will attend the special parliament sessions to answer questions on allegations that he had used his influence to manipulate a government decision to benefit a close friend to benefit his opening of a veterinary school in a special deregulated zone.

The operator of the school, Kake Educational Institute, run a by a close friend of Abe's, was allegedly selected based on pressure from the prime minister's office.

Kake Educational Institution has applied for permission to open a new veterinary department in the specially deregulated zone 15 times since 2007, yet all of the applications were rejected.

However according to whistle-blower Kihei Maekawa, former vice education minister, official ministry documents indicate that Abe's influence was used in favor of Kake finally being selected.

Maekawa has also said that aides close to Abe had also exerted pressure from the prime minister's office for the school to be selected and its construction expedited, according to explanations on the matter he gave during a special parliamentary session.

Yamaguchi went on to urge Abe to fulfill his duty to the public and fully account for himself over the latest school-linked scandal.

Separately, Abe may have secured the support of Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to stay on in his cabinet role.

Kishida, however, had previously made assertions to the contrary and is widely seen as a potential challenger for the LDP's top post and has garnered a lot of support from his own and other factions within the ruling party, currently perturbed at the prime minister for the party's poor performance of late.

Among a plethora of scandals impacting the ruling camp, the LDP also suffered a crushing defeat in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election recently, which is widely considered a future indicator of national politics.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:23:06|Editor: ZD

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WELLINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Over a million contacts have been made to New Zealand's telehealth provider for advice on health issues as well as mental health and addiction support, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said on Friday.

The National Telehealth Service operates a number of significant health information services and this week hit a million contacts in just under 20 months, Coleman said in a release.

This includes over 600,000 contacts to Healthline, 141,000 to mental health and addiction services, 150,000 to Quitline and 43,000 for poisons advice, Coleman said.

"All these services are staffed by a trained, professional workforce," he said, adding that Telehealth services provide "convenient, accurate, immediate and free health and mental health advice round the clock 7 days a week via the phone or online."

Late last month, 1737 "need to talk?" was launched by the ministry as a free four-digit number people can text or call to talk with a counsellor anytime, day or night. The service has drawn more than a thousand contacts since its launch, and the one millionth contact to Telehealth was a text message to 1737, Coleman said.

"We're seeing a lot of young people contacting the 1737 number -- mostly by text. It shows the benefit of engaging with young people in the ways which work best for them," he said.

The National Telehealth Service, launched on Nov. 1, 2015, consolidates a range of ministry-funded helplines through one clinically-supported platform including Healthline, Quitline, immunization and poisons advice, the depression helpline and other mental health and addiction lines.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:58:28|Editor: ZD

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AMMAN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have called for efforts to end the tensions and restore calm to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, the Jordianian news agency PETRA reported Friday.

In a phone conversation late Thursday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan the rising tensions between Palestinians and Israeli forces at the holy Muslim site over the past days.

They underscored the importance of immediately and fully re-opening the mosque for Muslim worshippers, while demanding Israel respect the historical and legal status to the holy shrines in East Jerusalem, PETRA reported.

The two foreign ministers also urged the international community "to exert rapid and effective efforts" to de-escalate the tensions in Al-Aqsa Mosque and end Israel's unilateral actions, it added.

About 80 Palestinians were wounded Thursday in clashes outside the mosque compound with Israeli security forces, which fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the Palestinian protesters.

The clashes were sparked by Israel's installation of metal detectors at the gates to the Al-Aqsa compound, known as TempleMount by the Jews, after a terror attack last Friday in which three Israeli Arab gunmen were killed after shooting dead two Israeli policemen.

Muslim worshippers have slammed Israel for breaking the status quo and attempting to claim further control over the holy site.

On Thursday, Muslim leaders called for mass prayers in the mosque on Friday, in protest of the new Israeli measures.

Israel on Friday banned Muslims under 50 from doing prayers in the mosque, while deploying about 3,000 security officers around the compound to fend off Palestinian protesters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 17:58:31|Editor: ZD

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Lilongwe, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Malawi's Blantyre magistrates court on Thursday granted bail to the country's former Agriculture Minister George Chaponda who was arrested Wednesday, on corruption charges, after spending a night in police custody.

The bail is on the condition that Chaponda and his accomplices each provides around 274 U.S. dollars cash bond and two sureties bonded at around 28,570 U.S. dollars, surrenders his traveling documents and reports to the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) once a fortnight.

The country's graft busting body, the ACB Wednesday arrested Chaponda along with Rashid Tayub of Transglobe Produce Export Limited, a locally registered farm produce trading company, for their alleged involvement in the dubious procurement of maize from neighbouring Zambia.

Also arrested on the same and out on court bail is Grace Mijiga Mhango, a renowned entrepreneur and former Chairperson of Grain Traders and Processors Association of Malawi.

Court hearings are expected to start next month when Chaponda is expected to answer three charges of corruptly performing public functions, misuse of public office and illegal possession of foreign currency, according to the ACB.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 18:03:34|Editor: ZD

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VIENTIANE, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Laos and Thailand have reached an agreement to enhance technical cooperation in natural resources and the environment, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with respect to this cooperation was signed by Lao Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sommad Pholsena and his counterpart from the Kingdom of Thailand General Surasak Karnjanarat in Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday.

Under the agreement, during 2017-2021 the two countries would work together in areas such as pollution control, environmental promotion initiatives, water resources management, capacity building on climate change, and sustainable development, according to the report.

The two ministries will transfer or exchange scientific and technical information, joint organization symposia, training, study tours, staff exchanges, and joint projects to demonstrate environmental-management approaches and technologies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 18:08:40|Editor: ZD

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MANILA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Six policemen, including a town police chief, and a civilian were killed and three other policemen injured in ambushes Friday staged by suspected New People's Army rebels in southern Philippines, the military said.

The first ambush, staged in barangay Magsaysay in Guihulngan town in the province of Negros Oriental, targetted town councilor Edison Delarita, said Capt. Ruel Llanes, spokesman of the Army's 303rd Brigade.

Delarita was on the way to his office when the armed group waylaid him and his driver, Michael Jambalus, who ended up dead.

Delarita survived the attack unscathed and was able to call for police help.

Llanes said policemen promptly responded and were also ambushed by the same armed group in the same area, leading to the death of six policemen and wounding of three others.

The slain policemen included Guihulngan police chief Supt. Arnel Arpon, said Llanes.

Llanes said troops from the Army's 79th Infantry Battalion, augmented by armored assets, have been deployed to pursue the perpetrators.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 18:23:51|Editor: Liangyu

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create ADDIS ABABA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese companies have created more than 28,300 jobs in various sectors during the past five-year period in Ethiopia, an official at the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) told Xinhua Friday.

According to Mekonen Hailu, EIC Communications Director, a total of 28,391 jobs were created by 279 Chinese companies in the east African country during the period of January 2012 to January 2017, of which 20,072 were permanent while the remaining 8,319 were temporary jobs.

Out of these jobs, over 19,000 were created in Ethiopia's manufacturing sector as the sector is leading its African peers by attracting companies from China both in numbers and financial capital, with a total number of 276 projects both under implementation and operation phase during the stated period, Hailu said.

The data from the Ethiopian Investment Commission further indicated that the 279 Chinese companies that were set operational during the reported period are additional to 100 other Chinese companies that are now currently under implementation in the country.

The 279 Chinese companies have a registered financial capital of over 13.16 billion Ethiopian birr (over 572 million U.S. dollars), it was indicated.

Construction, service and agricultural sectors are the other sectors hosting a great number of Chinese companies in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

According to recent data from Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry, Chinese companies have invested around 4 billion U.S. dollars in Ethiopia during the last two decades, creating job opportunities for over 111,000 Ethiopians on permanent and temporary basis.

China is also Ethiopia's largest trading partner, in which the two countries' trade reached 6.37 billion dollars in 2015, while growing on average 22.2 percent annually for the last several years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 18:54:15|Editor: ying

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COLOMBO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary- General Antonio Guterres has commended the Sri Lankan government for establishing the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), saying it was a significant milestone for all Sri Lankans still searching for their missing loved ones.

"The United Nations stands ready to support this process and the Secretary-General looks forward to the OMP becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of the independent commissioners, " a statement from the UN Office in Colombo said on Friday.

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday issued a gazette notification setting up the long-awaited office of missing persons, which will probe into the disappearance of thousands of people during and after Sri Lanka's civil conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.

" I signed the Office of Missing Persons Gazette today. This marks another step forward in Sri Lanka's path to sustained peace," the president said on twitter Thursday.

The OMP will be given wide powers to investigate the disappearance of more than 20,000 people, mostly minority Tamils who were the worst affected by the conflict.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 18:59:20|Editor: ying

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MANILA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday that the government will stop peace talks with communist rebels, saying the government is just wasting money in negotiating peace with the insurgents.

In a speech in Davao City on Friday, Duterte said, "I believe you, Mr. Sison, We stop talking. We're wasting our time... Let us renew the fighting for another 50 years. It's what you want..."

Duterte was referring to Jose Ma. Sison, the exiled founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

"Let us stop talking. I'm tired. It's a great expense to send people there for nothing. Let's start fighting, stop talking," said the president.

Duterte's statement came a day after he threatened on Thursday to launch an offensive against the communist rebels after the ongoing war to liberate Marawi City from Islamist militant is over.

In his remarks to the troops in Marawi on Thursday, Duterte said he is no longer interested in peace talks with the rebels who are continuing to attack government security forces despite the ongoing peace talks.

"There is a resurgence of attacks. They (the communist rebels) owe us a lot. I no longer want to talk to them. They have killed many of my police and soldiers," Duterte said.

"Once the war in Marawi is finished off, we will reorient and go after the NPA."

Duterte's spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said on Friday that peace talks with the communist rebels are on hold until an "enabling environment is achieved."

"Regarding the peace talks ... everything is on hold at this stage until the conditions that are favorable will be agreed upon by both parties," Abella told a news conference at the Malacanang presidential palace.

Asked to clarify Duterte's statement, presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said that "I have not heard him say categorically talks over or terminated.'"

"If there will (be) a new official announced position, then let's all wait for a categorical statements coming from the president no less," said the advisor.

Dureza Wednesday announced the scrapping of the scheduled backchannel talks with the rebels. The informal talks were arranged to decide whether or not the stalled fifth round of formal talks will be continued or discontinued.

The Duterte administration is apparently angered by the recent rebel attacks against government security forces and even private business who refused to give money to the rebels.

Last Wednesday, rebels attacked the presidential security men in Arakan town in Cotabato Province, which resulted in the killing of a militia man and wounding of five presidential guards.

Two unarmed marine soldiers who were buying vegetables in a wet market in Palawan province were also killed.

Wednesday's attacks in Cotabato and Palawan are among the latest offensives launched by the rebels in recent weeks.

The stalled negotiations to end the decades-old communist insurgency is scheduled to resume in August. But Duterte had warned that he would not allow peace talks to continue if the communist rebels continue its offensive against government security forces.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its NPA guerrillas have been fighting the government since 1969. The NPA, one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies, concentrates its attacks in rural areas and small-scale skirmishes with the military.

Previous attempts to forge a peace pact with the communist rebels have failed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 18:59:25|Editor: ying

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BERLIN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- German Minister of Finance Wolfang Schaeuble has drawn parallels between contemporary Turkey and government practices in the former state of East Germany (GDR) on Friday.

"Turkey is arresting people arbitrarily and no longer upholds even minimal standards of diplomatic conduct," Schaeuble told Bild newspaper. The situation reminded him of East Germany which was why Berlin could no longer guarantee the safety of German tourists in Turkey, the report said.

"If Turkey does not stop playing these games -- as further exemplified by the removal of the visitation rights of German parliamentarians at Konya NATO base in Turkey -- we must tell our people: you are travelling at your own risk," Schaeuble said.

After a year of deeply fraught relations between Berlin and Ankara, tensions between the two NATO partners reached boiling point on Tuesday after the Turkish arrest of German human rights activist Peter Steudtner.

The announcement that Steudtner had been placed in police custody sparked outrage in German political circles. The head of the SPD parliamentary faction, Thomas Opperman, complained that Erdogan had inaugurated a "new stage of escalation in German-Turkish relations."

On Thursday, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel cancelled his holiday to tighten national safety recommendations for travel to Turkey in response to the development. The Foreign Office now officially urges Germans in Turkey to "exercise heightened caution" when in the country.

Gabriel also delivered a strongly-worded speech in which he warned Turkey that Germany would hold talks with the European Union (EU) to re-evaluate financial aid the country currently receives as an accession candidate. He demanded the immediate release of nine German citizens currently in Turkish police custody.

Turkey is still in official talks to join the EU although new negotiating chapters have not been opened in years. Gabriel questioned whether negotiations over Turkey's customs union with the EU could be completed in the current political climate.

The German foreign minister also suggested that Germany would re-examine forms of national economic aid to Turkey, such as Hermes export credit guarantees which are used to minimize the risk of international business for German entrepreneurs.

Alongside Schaeuble, several senior German politicians expressed support for Gabriel's speech and the resulting toughening of Berlin's stance towards Ankara.

Speaking to the Bild newspaper as well, German Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas cautioned German tourists that those "who travel to Turkey, are unfortunately not spending their holiday in a state under the rule of law."

According to Maas, Turkey had to realize that its behavior was inacceptable and that the German Federal Government was united and determined in action.

Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the German Chancellery, echoed these concerns, describing his government's measures as "absolutely necessary." Altmaier argued that the German government had a responsibility to ensure to safety of its citizens and firms. He did not rule out additional measures.

"We will continuously assess whether further action is needed, " Altmaier told the news channel ZDF.

According to her press speaker Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also believes that a reorientation of German policy was "necessary and unavoidable."

Turkey lashed back at the front of official German criticism, describing Berlin's stance as inappropriate and inacceptable. Ibrahim Kalin, president Erdogan's speaker, told the press that Gabriel's statement was motivated by domestic politics.

A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry accused its German counterpart of seeking to benefit from hostility towards Turkey and Turks.

According to the Bild newspaper, the German government has frozen existing arms export projects between Germany and Turkey as a preliminary measure. While details remaining unclear, such a move would mark an unprecedented step for defense relations between allied NATO partners.

Turkish-German relations have been severely strained since a military coup failed to unseat president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016.

Ankara has rejected Berlin's criticisms that it engaged in an excessive crackdown on political opponents in response to the coup and is resentful towards its German NATO partner for allegedly granting asylum to Turkish revolutionaries.

Figures released on Friday by German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees suggest that the number of Turkish asylum seekers in Germany has risen dramatically since July 2016.

There is also a long-standing spat between Berlin and Ankara over attempts to prevent Turkish politicians from holding campaign rallies in Europe. Hoping to win support amongst Turkish migrant communities for a controversial constitutional referendum which ultimately passed in April 2017, Erdogan and members of his AKP party ran up against heavy opposition in several European capitals.

Turkey retaliated by banning German parliamentarians from visiting their country's armed forces stationed at the Turkish military base of Incirlik and Konya from where they were participating in the international military effort against the so-called Islamic State.

In June, German lawmakers voted to transfer troops from Turkey to a new base in Jordan after several attempts to defuse the diplomatic crisis failed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 19:14:35|Editor: ying

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GENEVA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Friday said it welcomes this week's launching of a Pakistan government program to register undocumented Afghans living in the country, estimated between 600,000 to one million.

"This significant step will help regularize the stay for many Afghans at a time when return to their home country may not be possible," said UNHCR spokesperson Duniya Aslam Khan.

Afghans registered under this new scheme will receive Afghan Citizen cards, providing them legal protection from arbitrary arrests, detention or deportation under Pakistan's Foreigner's Act said the UNHCR.

"The citizen cards will allow Afghans to stay in Pakistan for the time being, until they can be issued documents, such as passports, by the Government of Afghanistan," said Khan.

The initiative will bring much needed relief for many Afghan families where some were registered refugees, while others had no legal status.

UNHCR said the registration of undocumented Afghans follows three years of consultations between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and refugeed agency.

It forms part of Pakistan's Comprehensive Policy on the Repatriation and Management of Afghans, endorsed by its cabinet in February this year.

The plan includes: extending the validity of the Proof of Registration cards to some 1.4 million registered Afghans refugees until the end of 2017; a commitment to adopt a national refugee law; and a visa regime for different categories of Afghan refugees who have the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

The six-month registration programme began July 20 with the launch of a pilot in the country's capital Islamabad and the north-western city of Peshawar, which hosts the largest number of undocumented of Afghans.

The program is expected to be rolled out in all four provinces from Aug. 16.

Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Ministry of States and Frontier Regions and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation will oversee the project with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 19:34:56|Editor: ZD

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WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) saw the world's two largest economies resolve a number of issues in their trade relationship while agreeing to work together to solve outstanding problems.

China and the United States discussed a one-year action plan for economic cooperation during the dialogue, which concluded on Wednesday, and agreed to cooperate in areas such as finance, trade, investment and global economic governance.

The two sides also agreed to address the trade imbalance between the two countries, highlighting the willingness to expand trade cooperation in services, in civilian high-tech sectors and in agriculture.

Given the difference in size between China and the United States in the services industry, it remains possible for both sides to exploit their own comparative advantages and complement each other, a Chinese delegate said Thursday in a statement, noting that "expanding bilateral trade in services can also promote balanced trading relations between the two sides."

"Despite a huge deficit in services trade with the United States, China nevertheless believed that trade in services between China and the United States is mutually beneficial," the statement said.

David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and former official with the U.S. Treasury Department, believed a high-quality U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty would help U.S. export its services to China and build a foundation for a better bilateral trading relationship.

On the CED, the two countries agreed to create a more open investment environment in their respective territories.

There are growing calls from the U.S. and Chinese business communities to sign the investment treaty as soon as possible, Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said Wednesday.

The two countries also pledged to relax export controls and protect intellectual property rights.

"If the United States were to liberalize its export barriers against China to the same level as those applicable to Brazil or France, the U.S. trade deficit with China would narrow by up to 24 percent and 34 percent respectively," Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang quoted an article published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when delivering a speech at a China-U.S. business luncheon on Tuesday in Washington.

On agriculture, the two countries have reached an agreement on inspection and quarantine protocols for U.S. rice exports to China, said the statement.

According to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. rice exports to China can begin following the completion of an audit of U.S. rice facilities by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. It will be the first time for the United States to export rice to China, said the department.

China and the United States exchanged views on issues such as the removal of the ban on Chinese and U.S. poultry products on a reciprocal basis and the export of China's dairy products and aquatic products to the United States.

The CED is one of the four major dialogues established by the two countries in April during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 19:34:58|Editor: ying

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KABUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan army personnel found and defused 58 rounds of landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) across the militancy-hit country within the last 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that the engineering teams of Afghan National Army will spare no efforts to recover and thwart the IEDs and landmines as they remained a major threat to the military personnel and civilians.

The Taliban militant group and Islamic State (IS) affiliates use the simple but difficult-to-be-detected IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians, according to military officials.

The latest recovery of the landmines and IEDs would further improve the public security and have foiled major terror attacks, saving scores of lives from expected tragedies.

The statement came as Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,660 civilians were killed and over 3,580 others injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan in the first six months of the year, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.

Out of the casualties, 337 civilians were killed and 591 wounded in IED attacks over the period.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 19:34:59|Editor: ying

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A civilian was killed and another wounded Friday after Indian army troops fired upon protesters in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The civilian identified as Tanveer Ahmad Pala was killed in village Beerwah of Budgam district, 27 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Two youth were hit by bullets fired by army in Beerwah today and of them one succumbed to his wounds at hospital," a police official posted in Budgam told Xinhua.

"We heard some people hurl stones and brickbats on army, following which they fired towards them."

The killing triggered protests and panic in the area.

A police spokesman in Srinagar said a patrolling party of army was returning to its camp and near Beerwah some miscreants pelted stones on them.

"Someone among these miscreants also hurled a firecracker towards the army. Because of bang, the army men thought a grenade was tossed and the retaliated," the spokesman said.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the psyche of majority of Kashmiris. Irate residents took to roads and clash with police. The youth throw stones and brickbats on contingents of police and paramilitary, who respond by firing tear smoke shells, pellets and bullets, which often proves fatal.

A separatist movement and guerilla war challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 20:10:17|Editor: ying

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ISTANBUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A strong earthquake on Friday killed two people in the Greek Island of Kos in the Aegean Sea.

Two people including a Turkish man were killed and at least 100 others injured in Kos, 24 km off Turkey's resort town of Bodrum, according to Turkish press reports.

The earthquake also triggered a tsunami standing up to 40 centimeters high, Istanbul-based earthquake research center announced.

Haluk Ozener, director of the Kandilli Observatory, told reporters that the tsunami swept between 10 to 100 meters into the coast of Bodrum, Mugla Province and caused floods.

Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) first reported the magnitude of the quake at 6.3, but Kandilli has revised it to 6.6.

A total of 358 people were admitted to hospitals across Mugla while 25 others have been under treatment, Turkish Health Ministry said in a statement.

Most of the injuries were reported when people attempted to flee the quake, which struck at 1:31 a.m. Friday (2231 GMT Thursday).

Tourists and local people spent the night in parks or streets, media reports said.

Turkey has sent a ferry to the Kos island to evacuate more than 200 Turkish citizens who were spending their holiday there, Daily Cumhuriyet reported.

Kandilli has measured 160 aftershocks till now with a maximum magnitude of 4.8, warning that tremors with magnitude up to 5.5 are expected.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 20:10:20|Editor: Yang Yi

Wang Min, former Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of northeast China's Liaoning Province and senior national legislator, stands trial for bribery, corruption and negligence of duty at Luoyang Intermediate People's Court in central China's Henan Province, July 21, 2017. (Xinhua)

ZHENGZHOU, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Wang Min, former Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of northeast China's Liaoning Province and senior national legislator, stood trial for bribery, corruption and negligence of duty Friday.

Wang was accused of abusing his power to help others with business and promotions, among other offences, and accepting money and valuables worth more than 146 million yuan (21.7 million U.S. dollars) personally or through others when he served in senior positions in Jilin and Liaoning provinces between 2004 and 2016, according to the trial held at Luoyang Intermediate People's Court in central China's Henan Province.

Prosecutors alleged that Wang embezzled 1 million yuan for personal use when he was Party chief of Jilin Province in November 2009.

Wang was also charged with dereliction of duty. During his time as Liaoning Party chief, Wang failed to properly supervise local elections and was responsible for serious election fraud including vote buying, according to the indictment.

His negligence undermined the election system, resulting in "major losses in the national and public interest and had an especially vile social impact," it added.

Wang was vice chairman of the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee of the 12th National People's Congress after leaving the post of Liaoning Party chief.

Wang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

More than 60 people attended the trial, including legislators, political advisors, journalists and members of the public.

The verdict will be announced at a later date.
He Wen, Deputy General Secretary of Amity Foundation delivers his speech during the launching ceremony of Amity "Living Water" drought relief project in Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, July 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Amity Foundation, an Independent Chinese social development organization, launched a four million yuan (591,000 U.S. dollars) drought relief project on Thursday that's expected to benefit 50,000 people in Ethiopia's Somali regional state.

Speaking at the launching ceremony in Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa, He Wen, Deputy General Secretary of Amity Foundation said the project, with funding from the Chinese government, is part of Amity's program to create a healthier and harmonious world.

"The 4 million Renminbi will provide safe drinking water and hygiene kits for the drought hit Somali regional state in Ethiopia benefiting 50,000 people," said Counselor Lin Zhimin of the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia.

Amity in 2016 alone received 200 million yuan, 80 percent of which came from China, to work on community governance, philanthropy, international expansion, innovative development, research and advocacy and institutional capacity.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 20:15:19|Editor: ying

Fractures on the port of Kos island are seen after a 6.4-magnitude quake hit the sea area on July 21, 2017. Two people were killed in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that jolted the Greek Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea on Friday, national AMNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Giannis Kiaris/Eurokinissi)

ATHENS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Two tourists were killed and dozens of people slightly injured in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that jolted the Greek Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea on Friday, Greek officials said.

The two victims died when a roof on a bar collapsed, said Yorgos Kiritsis, mayor of Kos, which is part of the Dodecanese islands.

The victims were a 40-year-old Turkish national and a 20-year-old Swedish national, said Yorgos Chatzimarkos, deputy governor of the South Aegean.

About 90 people with slight injuries received first aid in a local hospital. Among the fifteen people who remain hospitalized, five have suffered more serious injuries and will be airlifted to hospitals on nearby larger islands by helicopters, Chatzimarkos said.

The five people are two Swedish nationals, one Norwegian and two Greeks, according to local police.

Seismologists in the Geodynamic Institute of the Athens Observatory located the tremor's epicenter at a depth of about 8 km and 15 km off the east coast of Kos.

Greek experts have been monitoring the seismic activities closely, as strong aftershocks continue, Geology Professor Efthymios Lekkas, head of Greece's Antiseismic Protection Organization, told the national news agency AMNA.

Engineers are evaluating the material damages across Kos island, said Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Spirtzis.

The Kos airport is operating, but the port and the seafront area have been seriously affected by the tremor and the aftershocks. Necessary work will be carried out as soon as possible so that the port will operate again soon, Spirtzis said.

Ferries were unable to dock at the port on Friday, according to the Greek Coast Guard.

Dozens of locals and tourists spent the early hours of Friday outdoors, since several houses and hotels have been damaged and beachfront buildings briefly flooded from the waves caused by a mini tsunami, local media reported.

The buildings which have suffered the most damage were old constructions. Among them were churches, an old mosque and part of the ancient walls at the island's Roman-era market.

Seismic-prone Greece is often jolted by earthquakes. About 100 people died when a 6-magnitude quake hit Athens in September 1999, which marks Greece's worst quake-related tragedy in recent years.
Photo taken on June 29, 2017 shows passengers disembark a train running on the Chinese-built light rail in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. The light rail has serviced more than 65 million passengers since service was launched in September 2015. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

ADDIS ABABA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese companies have created more than 28,300 jobs in various sectors during the past five-year period in Ethiopia, an official at the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) told Xinhua Friday.

According to Mekonen Hailu, EIC Communications Director, a total of 28,391 jobs were created by 279 Chinese companies in the east African country during the period of January 2012 to January 2017, of which 20,072 were permanent while the remaining 8,319 were temporary jobs.

Out of these jobs, over 19,000 were created in Ethiopia's manufacturing sector as the sector is leading its African peers by attracting companies from China both in numbers and financial capital, with a total number of 276 projects both under implementation and operation phase during the stated period, Hailu said.

The data from the Ethiopian Investment Commission further indicated that the 279 Chinese companies that were set operational during the reported period are additional to 100 other Chinese companies that are now currently under implementation in the country.

The 279 Chinese companies have a registered financial capital of over 13.16 billion Ethiopian birr (over 572 million U.S. dollars), it was indicated.

Construction, service and agricultural sectors are the other sectors hosting a great number of Chinese companies in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

Passengers arrive at the Nairobi train station in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 9, 2017. Nearly 12,000 passengers had traveled on the newly launched Standard Gauge Railways (SGR) linking Kenya's port city Mombasa with its capital Nairobi in the first week after the launch on June 1, according to the operator. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

According to recent data from Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry, Chinese companies have invested around 4 billion U.S. dollars in Ethiopia during the last two decades, creating job opportunities for over 111,000 Ethiopians on permanent and temporary basis.

China is also Ethiopia's largest trading partner, in which the two countries' trade reached 6.37 billion dollars in 2015, while growing on average 22.2 percent annually for the last several years.
Jack Ma (2nd R), founder of the world's largest e-commerce trading platform Alibaba, poses with participants after his public lecture at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, July 20, 2017. Ma is visiting Kenya in a tour arranged by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to promote global entrepreneurship and to mentor young and upcoming entrepreneurs. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

NAIROBI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese electronic payment platform Alipay plans to enter the Kenyan market as an indigenous company, where it would create a payment platform for companies operating in the East African region's largest economy, the company's founder Jack Ma said on Thursday.

Ma, the founder of the world's largest e-commerce trading platform, Alibaba, is visiting Kenya in a tour arranged by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to promote global entrepreneurship and to mentor young and upcoming entrepreneurs.

"We would enable you to buy and sell. We want to enable every business to trade globally. Alipay is definitely interested. We would give money to a Kenyan company to start this business, not Alipay. We are here looking for people. We are also talking to payment companies," Ma said during a public lecture at the University of Nairobi.

The lecture, attended by the Kenyan minister of information and Communication Joe Mucheru and UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi, explored e-commerce and entrepreneurship skills.

In his public lecture, the Chinese business magnet and thought-process leader, urged innovators and entrepreneurs to embrace failure and lack of success as a positive business spirit.

Jack Ma, founder of the world's largest e-commerce trading platform Alibaba, meets with local entrepreneurs in Nairobi, Kenya, July 20, 2017. Ma is visiting Kenya in a tour arranged by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to promote global entrepreneurship and to mentor young and upcoming entrepreneurs. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

"Do not be afraid to fail. Get used to failure," he said, describing the historic entry of his online commerce site Alibaba's foray and the initial failures that it encountered before it grew to a massive 556 billion U.S. dollars business empire which currently employs 56,000 people.

Ma said his business has created 33 million jobs in China and is currently capable of undertaking massive logistical operations, delivering 65 million packages all over China.

Talking about the possibility to grow the online business distribution, Ma said he believed 90 percent of businesses around the world were likely to be online.

The Chinese businessman known and respected globally for his innovative business solutions, said he saw a great future in Africa and urged both political and business leaders in the continent to embrace innovation.

Insisting the growth of technology in this era was the third phase of a global business development cycle, Ma said the new phase of technology development, driven by intelligence systems, would require the development of brains and innovations where innovation would replace human beings.

"We will make machines like people. The world faces challenges. Great jobs will disappear. This is the challenge. Change is the best opportunity and people complaining is the best opportunity for people to develop products and solutions to address the complaints using the internet," Ma told the audience.
Youth delegates take a selfie before the opening ceremony of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, July 20, 2017. Delegates attending the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Rwandan capital Kigali on Thursday called on African countries to harness the potential of young Africans in order to achieve a prosperous continent. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

KIGALI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Experts and officials on Thursday urged the African youth to focus on entrepreneurship and job creation in order to exploit and utilize the multi-million opportunities offered at the continent.

They made the call at a panel dubbed "How do we get to 50 million jobs by 2020?" during the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit that formally opened on Thursday in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

"The future of young Africans lies in Africa, not Europe or at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Our African youth should be at the forefront of job creation by being innovators and entrepreneurs," said Akinwumi Adesina, president of African Development Bank (AfDB).

He called on the youth to venture into agriculture income generating projects and create more employment saying that agribusiness has become a lucrative business in the developed economies.

"If we don't show confidence in our young people, who will do it? African Development Bank is committed to create a good financing vehicle to support African young entrepreneurs and innovators," Adesina said.

Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, July 20, 2017. Delegates attending the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Rwandan capital Kigali on Thursday called on African countries to harness the potential of young Africans in order to achieve a prosperous continent. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

Entrepreneurship, job creation, among young people hold key to address high levels of unemployment which would reduce poverty and accelerate the continent's growth, said Vera Songwe, executive secretary of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

"We must challenge the African youth to seize opportunities created by the continent's growth in order to create a better future for themselves and Africa. Africa's economic dynamism, young population and potential for entrepreneurship and innovation form a strong foundation for the future Africans want," she added.

Entrepreneurship and innovation among the youth is an engine of social and economic transformation of Africa which should be harnessed, said Tony Elumelu, a Nigerian economist and entrepreneur,

"I encourage young people in Africa to work hard and turn their entrepreneurial dreams into working businesses. African economies should create a conducive environment, and fix challenges like lack of access to finance, market and electricity, in order to enable the youth to exploit their talents," he said.

During an interactive panel session, young African entrepreneurs committed themselves to drive the youth connect Africa agenda and create jobs for their peers in their respective countries.

Around 200 million of the 1.2 billion Africans are youth aged between 15 and 24 years who need to be well groomed and nurtured for the better future of Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assistant administrator and director of the Regional Bureau for Africa Abdoulaye Mar Diye said at the summit.

Statistics of the World Bank indicated that Africa also has the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, which stands at 60 percent.

The three-day YouthConnekt Africa Summit is organized by the government of Rwanda, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UNDP. The summit from July 19 to 21 is dubbed: "Realizing Africa's Youth Potential."

It attracted about 2,800 participants including top executives from multinational companies that operate in Africa, leaders of civil society organizations, Africa's development partners, members of the academia, successful entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurs, members of start-up companies, artists and youth opinion leaders from 90 countries across Africa and beyond to interact and discuss on enhancing the potential of the youth in Africa, according to the organizers.

Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma, one of the world's leading entrepreneurs, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group is also expected to be among key guest speakers at the event.

The summit is designed to realize Africa's demographic dividend by combining elements of skills development, entrepreneurship, access to jobs and finance, awareness raising on issues related to youth development, and promotion of youth citizenship and leadership, said the organizers.

By changing mindsets, engaging youth in national policy, fostering solidarity, engaging youth in delivering SDGs, YouthConnekt Africa will empower 200 million African youth to take a more proactive role in shaping their future, according to the organizers.

The first YouthConnekt Africa Summit is expected to initiate the roll-out of the program across the continent.

The summit will also mark the launch of the YouthConnekt Africa Hub, which will offer regional support to national YouthConnekt Programs and the YouthConnekt Africa Empowerment Fund, an initiative to empower young people in Africa to impact their communities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 20:45:41|Editor: ying

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NAIROBI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to prioritize climate change adaption and mitigation in the Third Medium Term Plan (MTP) which runs from 2018 to 2022, officials said on Friday.

Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat Director General Julius Muia told Xinhua in Nairobi that the government will focus on climate change because it has emerged as a key constraint towards development.

"As we develop the next medium term plan, every sector will include a climate change component so as to combat this growing phenomenon," Muia said when the Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Base Titanium to market Kenya's mineral sector abroad.

Muia said that climate change has not been fully captured in the previous development plans because it was a relatively new concept.

Stakeholders have already provided input for the draft Third MTP which should be ready before end of July.

Muia said that climate change is important to Kenya because it is part of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The East African nation will also prioritize the exploitation of its blue economy which is largely untapped.

"We want to expand investments in the coastal and inland water bodies as a way to expand wealth and job creation," he added.

He observed that Kenya's territorial waters in the Indian Ocean are equivalent to 40 percent of the country's land mass.

Muia noted that most African countries are yet to fully exploit its oceanic water due to boundaries disputes with its neighbors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:01:09|Editor: Liangyu

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by Christine Lagat and Wang Xiaopeng

NAIROBI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Linet Kwamboka was excited when she learnt that Jack Ma (Ma Yun), the CEO of China's e-commerce giant, Alibaba, was visiting Kenya to give motivational talk to young entrepreneurs in the East African Nation.

The 29-year-old founder of a thriving technology start-up eagerly waited for an opportunity to hear the inspiring story of a self-made billionaire who overcame setbacks to establish an e-commerce behemoth with global tentacles.

Kwamboka was among a select group of Kenyan digital entrepreneurs who were granted an opportunity to have a private audience with Jack Ma on Thursday before he addressed an open forum at an innovation hub located in an upscale Nairobi suburb.

During an interview with Xinhua after the meeting with the founder of Alibaba, Kwamboka said her quest to become a successful technology based entrepreneur got a new impetus thanks to inspiring words from a man whose humble roots never dissuaded him from aiming for the stars.

"Jack Ma's visit to this country was a historic milestone as we aim to become an e-commerce hub. His life was full of false starts yet his enduring vision made him the king of e-commerce in China and beyond," said Kwamboka.

She revealed that young entrepreneurs had a candid conversation with Jack Ma on a wide range of issues like how to accelerate growth of start-ups through creation of a sound ecosystem during the private meeting.

"I was among the five entrepreneurs whose intimate conversation with Jack Ma yielded fruits. We benefited from his insight on how to build an enterprise from scratch and create a supportive ecosystem to enhance their resilience in the face of setbacks like competition and under-funding," Kwamboka said.

The owner of a four-year-old start-up called Data Science Limited was upbeat her business will thrive in Kenya and beyond thanks to gem of wisdom obtained from an iconic figure in global online commerce.

"The future outlook for my business is promising and I look forward to enlisting additional strategic partners and talented employees to enable us grow," said Kwamboka.

Jack Ma's first visit to Africa was described as an epoch moment and a testimony that the world's second largest continent has vast opportunities that should be harnessed to propel its socio-economic transformation.

His two days visit to Kenya that culminated in public forums where he lectured young entrepreneurs on the virtues of hard work, resilience and empathy was hailed as historic by citizens from all walks of life.

The Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Mukhisa Kituyi, said Jack Ma is the embodiment of youthful aspirations and that his visit to Kenya will ultimately leave an indelible mark.

"Last year, Jack Ma was named UNCTAD's Special envoy for youth empowerment and his tenacity, drive and passion will definitely inspire Kenya's young entrepreneurs," Kituyi remarked.

He urged Kenya's youthful innovators to emulate the fortitude and strategic genius of Jack Ma as they build their own version of Alibaba.

Kenyan techpreneurs listened keenly as Jack Ma challenged them to seize the vast opportunities accompanying exponential growth of online commerce.

Martin Kasomo, a 21-year-old founder of an online payment platform for small and medium sized enterprises, said that an audience with Jack Ma opened his eyes to unexplored opportunities in Kenya and abroad.

"Jack Ma's life journey is a case study on triumphs in the face of adversities and his visit in the country injected fresh optimism into the youth who are aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs," Kasomo said.

He added that Jack Ma's phenomenal rise is an inspiration to Africa's youthful entrepreneurs who are overcoming immense hurdles in their quest for success.

Kenya's youthful innovators and founders of technology based start-ups embraced Jack Ma's advice on pursuing their dreams irrespective of setbacks that stood in their path.

Waweru Murimi, a 29-year-old founder of a start-up that connects freelancers to clients, said that Jack Ma epitomizes positive energy, sunny optimism and fortitude in the face of immense obstacles.

"Kenya's young entrepreneurs could even establish companies that are bigger than Alibaba if they implement the powerful insight from a man whose fighting spirit has earned him a prestigious slot in the list of 21st most influential global business moguls," said Murimi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:06:11|Editor: Liangyu

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KIGALI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese billionaire entrepreneur Jack Ma on Friday called on African economies to advocate for the culture of entrepreneurship to address high levels of unemployment on the continent.

He was speaking at the Africa business breakfast roundtable hosted by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) on the sidelines of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit that opened on Thursday in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

"Africa economies should encourage the culture of entrepreneurship and growth of small and medium enterprises to alleviate many of the continent's social and economic problems, most especially high employment rate, poverty and hunger," said Jack Ma, founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

He added Africa should have the same goal and desire to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth to take the bulk of its population out of poverty.

"African countries need to diversify and expand their sources of economic growth while creating opportunities for more inclusiveness. Creating jobs through entrepreneurship will also help the continent achieve higher growth rates," he emphasized.

At a meeting session, Jack Ma called on African countries to take advantage of the technology and internet and sell Africa-made products abroad.

On whether Jack Ma will invest in Africa, he said "Yes we are considering investing in Africa and the value shall be to sell African products and services to the rest of the world using online service."

"Mr. Ma your story reminds us of who we are as Rwandans, that with resilience you can transcend all odds and become successful," said Clare Akamanzi, chief executive officer of RDB.

The three-day YouthConnekt Africa Summit is organized by the government of Rwanda, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UNDP. The summit from July 19 to 21 is dubbed: "Realizing Africa's Youth Potential."

It attracted about 2,800 participants including top executives from multinational companies that operate in Africa, leaders of civil society organizations, Africa's development partners, members of the academia, successful entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurs, members of start-up companies, artists and youth opinion leaders from 90 countries to interact and discuss on enhancing the potential of the youth in Africa, according to the organizers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:06:13|Editor: ying

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RABAT, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A protester was critically injured Thursday night during clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the northern Moroccan city of Al Hoceima, local authorities said on Friday.

The injured, who fell into a coma after a stone struck him on the head, had been admitted to hospital, the authorities said in a statement.

The government will "identify the person and clarify the circumstances of the incident," the statement added.

The protester, however, was identified as Imad el Aatabi, and was in "critical conditions," the Moroccan news site Alyaoum24.com reported, citing sources at a military hospital in the capital Rabat.

Police in Al Hoceima fired tear gas to disperse a massive protest in the city, which called for the release of detained activists, on Thursday night.

The police said in a statement that 72 policemen and 11 protesters were injured during the demonstration.

Nasser Zefzafi, the jailed leader of the protest movement, called before his arrest in late May for a massive demonstration on July 20, the anniversary of a famous battle between the region and Spanish colonial forces in 1921.

The situation in Al Hoceima has been tense since October 2016, when fish vendor Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death after climbing into a rubbish lorry to retrieve his swordfish confiscated by police.

The demand for justice for Fikri in the northeastern region has evolved into a major grassroots movement to require greater government investment to create more jobs.

Morocco has not witnessed any protests of this size since the pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab spring in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:06:15|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top Chinese leaders visit a major exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing, capital of China, July 21, 2017. Senior leaders Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also visited the exhibition. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, on Friday visited a major exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for unremitting efforts to build the army into a world-class military.

Senior leaders Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also visited the exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.

Xi hailed outstanding feats made by the army under the leadership of the CPC in the past 90 years for national independence, people's liberation, national prosperity and people's happiness.

"We should remember the glorious history, inherit the red gene, and advance the great cause initiated by the older generations of revolutionaries from a new starting point," he said.

The president encouraged people to strengthen their confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strive for the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the exhibition Friday morning, Liu Yunshan said the exhibition aimed to make good use of history as a textbook, while calling on people to rally closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core.

The exhibition features major PLA battles, historical events, decision-making processes and achievements throughout its 90-year history.

Models of the PLA's major military equipment in active service are exhibited, while interactive subjects that simulate the drills are also available.

More than 1,000 photos and 1,300 relics, as well as paintings, military gear and other items are on display.

The items include photos of China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning in training in the South China Sea, models of China's first hydrogen bomb and first air-drop atomic bomb.

Aug. 1 marks the PLA's 90th anniversary.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:11:28|Editor: ZD

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CAIRO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed on Friday in a shootout with police in the Egyptian province of Fayyoum.

"The two wanted were hiding in a deserted house in Cairo-Fayyoum Road," Interior Ministry said in a statement.

When the police approached the house, the militants opened fire at them, the statement added.

Late Thursday, a soldier was killed and three others wounded when masked gunmen attacked a police vehicle in the highway.

Fayyoum hosts a large number of Islamists and members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Egypt has been battling growing terror activities after the military toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading to the capital and other cities, which have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

A Sinai-based extremist militant group loyal to the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:41:44|Editor: ying

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RABAT, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Two Moroccan policemen have been seriously injured during clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the northeastern city of Al-Hoceima, local authorities said on Friday.

"An element of the Royal Gendarmerie and another one of the National Police, who are in a serious condition, were evacuated from Al Hoceima's Mohammed V hospital where they received the necessary health care," Al Hoceima's local authorities said in a statement.

In an earlier statement, Al Hoceima's local authorities said a protester has been in a coma after being struck on the head during the clashes.

The authorities noted that the injured policemen and protester are in "stable" conditions.

On Thursday, police in Al-Hoceima fired tear gas to disperse protesters and stop their banned rally to call for the release of the detained protest activists.

The police said in a statement that 72 policemen and 11 protesters were injured during the demonstration.

Nasser Zefzafi, the jailed leader of the protest movement, called before his arrest in late May for a massive demonstration on July 20, the anniversary of a famous battle between the region and Spanish colonial forces in 1921.

The situation in Al Hoceima has been tense since October 2016, when fish vendor Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death after climbing into a rubbish lorry to retrieve his swordfish confiscated by police.

The demand for justice for Fikri in the northeastern region has evolved into a major grassroots movement to require greater government investment to create more jobs.

Morocco has not witnessed any protests of this size since the pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab spring in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 21:46:47|Editor: Liangyu

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KALININGRAD, Russia, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese naval fleet reached Russia's Baltic city of Kaliningrad Friday, ready for a joint drill with Russia scheduled in the Baltic Sea in late July.

The Chinese fleet consists of one destroyer, one frigate, one supply ship, ship-borne helicopters and marines. The Russian side includes one frigate, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and marines.

The two sides plan to conduct air-defense, maritime search and rescue, underway replenishment and other exercises.

Chinese and Russian navies will conduct a variety of joint drills and attend the parade in St. Petersburg on the occasion of Russia's Navy Day to deepen friendly and practical cooperation between the two militaries, and consolidate China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, said Tian Zhong, deputy commander of the Chinese Navy and the Chinese director of the joint drill.

The drill, code-named "Joint Sea 2017," aims to jointly carry out rescue missions and protect the safety of economic activities at sea.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 22:12:14|Editor: ZD

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by Bai Ziwei

BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- After graduating from Tsinghua University this summer, Xu Yingqiang left Beijing to work for a chemical trading company in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

"In cities like Chengdu, I can still pursue my dreams, but without all the struggling," said the 24-year-old graduate.

This year, the number of China's college graduates is expected to reach 7.95 million, an increase of 300,000 on last year, according to the Ministry of Education.

Other than swarming into megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, more students want to start their careers in second-tier cities, including the provincial capitals and coastal cities, according to a recent survey.

The survey carried out by Zhaopin.com, one of China's leading recruitment websites, showed that 37.5 percent of China's new college graduates in 2017 wanted to work in second-tier cities, while 29.9 percent preferred top-tier cities.

"A few years ago, only a couple of students graduating from universities outside Chongqing came for our job interview, but this year we have a long queue of people with master's and doctoral degrees from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou," said Huang Zuge, an HR official in a Chongqing Internet company.

BOOMING ECONOMY

Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that besides Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, eight smaller metropolises stepped into China's 1-trillion-yuan (148 billion U.S. dollars) GDP club in 2016, including Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Suzhou and Hangzhou.

The rapid economic development of second-tier cities was the main factor attracting fresh graduates, said Su Hainan, vice president of the China Association for Labor Studies.

Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province and host city of the 2016 G20 summit, hit a record with double-digit GDP growth for seven consecutive quarters in 2015 and 2016.

As the city where China's e-commerce giant Alibaba is located, Hangzhou is famous for its online business development. The export of its cross-border e-commerce reached 5.27 billion dollars from January to November of 2016.

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, is home to offices for 278 Fortune Global 500 companies, and also a key city in China's Belt and Road Initiative.

"I think Chengdu will continue to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative, and I see ample opportunities in trades with the advent of the China (Sichuan) Pilot Free Trade Zone," Xu said.

Sichuan's free trade zone was launched this April, and over 7,000 new companies have registered in Chengdu during the past three months.

FAVORABLE POLICY

Besides economic growth, the implementation of favorable employment policy in these cities is appealing to new college graduates.

Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, provides housing and living subsidies from 6,000 to 15,000 yuan per year for graduates with different types of degree.

Those with doctoral degrees who work in Changsha can get 60,000 yuan of subsidies when they purchase their first residence in the city.

Liu Xuezhi, an analyst with the Bank of Communications, said adopting favorable employment policies met the need for innovative development in second-tier cities.

The government of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has financed 595 entrepreneurial programs, disbursing 16 million yuan of subsidies and reducing 30 million yuan of guarantee fees since 2015, according to the city's Employment Service and Administration Department.

High-quality human resources are becoming a strong drive in the industrial transformation and upgrading of middle-level cities, said Liu Yuanchun, an economist and vice-president of Renmin University of China.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 22:42:33|Editor: yan

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MADRID, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Support for the independence of the Catalan region in northeast Spain has fallen sharply, according to an opinion poll carried out by the Opinion Studies Center (CEO) of the Catalan regional authority.

Friday's "El Pais" newspaper reported that support for Catalan independence now stands at 41.1 percent, 3 percent down by the 44.3 percent who were in favor of separating from Spain in March.

Meanwhile, the poll showed that 49.4 percent of people were against a split, up from 48.5 percent four months ago.

The findings come as the Catalan authority is in conflict with the Spanish central government over the celebration of an independence vote, which is scheduled to be held on Oct. 1.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has promised that what the central government considers to be an illegal vote will not take place and continues to insist his government would use the Spanish Constitutional Court to block its celebration.

Thursday saw Rajoy make a plea for unity while opening a hotel in the Catalan city of Lleida.

"The roads towards rupture will not lead anywhere," said Rajoy, asking for Catalans to follow the "route of empathy and common sense."
Shoucheng Zhang speaks during a session of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2017, March 25, 2017.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 20 (Xinhua) -- A team of researchers in the United States has found evidence for the Majorana fermion, a particle that is its own antiparticle.

The discovery followed a plan proposed by Shoucheng Zhang, professor of physics at Stanford University and one of the senior authors of a research paper published Thursday in journal Science, and his colleagues.

"Our team predicted exactly where to find the Majorana fermion and what to look for as its 'smoking gun' experimental signature," said Zhang. "This discovery concludes one of the most intensive searches in fundamental physics, which spanned exactly 80 years."

In 1928, English physicist Paul Dirac made the prediction that every fundamental particle in the universe has an antiparticle, as its identical twin but with opposite charge; and that when particle and antiparticle met, they would be annihilated, releasing a poof of energy. A few years later, the first antimatter particle, namely the electron's opposite, the positron, was discovered.

In 1937, Italian physicist Ettore Majorana predicted that in the class of particles known as fermions, which includes the proton, neutron, electron, neutrino and quark, there should be particles that are their own antiparticles.

The first firm evidence of such a fermion was found in latest lab experiments on exotic materials at the University of California (UC) in collaboration with Stanford, by a team led by UC-Irvine Associate Professor Jing Xia and UCLA Professor Kang Wang.

The type of Majorana fermion observed is known as a "chiral" fermion because it moves along a one-dimensional path in just one direction. While the experiments were extremely difficult to conceive, set up and carry out, according to the researchers, the signal they produced was clear and unambiguous.

"It does seem to be a really clean observation of something new," Frank Wilczek, a theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who was not involved in the study, was quoted as saying in a news release from Stanford. "It's not fundamentally surprising, because physicists have thought for a long time that Majorana fermions could arise out of the types of materials used in this experiment."

Majorana's prediction applied only to fermions that have no charge, like the neutron and neutrino. As an antiparticle has been found for the neutron, scientists have good reasons to believe that the neutrino could be its own antiparticle

About 10 years ago, scientists realized that Majorana fermions might also be created in experiments that explore the physics of materials.

What they've been looking for are "quasiparticles," namely particle-like excitations that arise out of the collective behavior of electrons in superconducting materials, which conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency.

The process that gives rise to these quasiparticles is akin to the way energy turns into short-lived "virtual" particles and back into energy again in the vacuum of space, according to Albert Einstein's famous equation E = mc2.

While quasiparticles are not like the particles found in nature, they would nonetheless be considered real Majorana fermions.

Over the past five years, scientists have had some success with this approach, reporting that they had seen promising Majorana fermion signatures in experiments involving superconducting nanowires.

In the experiments at UCLA and UC-Irvine, the team stacked thin films of two quantum materials - a superconductor and a magnetic topological insulator - and sent an electrical current through them, all inside a chilled vacuum chamber.

While the top film was a superconductor, the bottom one was a topological insulator, which conducts current only along its surface or edges but not through its middle. Putting them together created a superconducting topological insulator, where electrons zip along two edges of the material's surface without resistance.

It was Zhang's idea to tweak the topological insulator by adding a small amount of magnetic material to it, making the electrons flow one way along one edge of the surface and the opposite way along the opposite edge.

Then the team swept a magnet over the stack, to make the flow of electrons slow, stop and switch direction. These changes took place in abrupt steps, like identical stairs in a staircase.

At certain points in this cycle, Majorana quasiparticles emerged, arising in pairs out of the superconducting layer and traveling along the edges of the topological insulator just as the electrons did.

One member of each pair was deflected out of the path, allowing the researchers to measure the flow of the individual quasiparticles that kept forging ahead. Like the electrons, they slowed, stopped and changed direction - but in steps exactly half as high as the ones the electrons took.

These half-steps were what the researchers call the "smoking gun" evidence of Majorana fermion.

The results of these experiments are not likely to have any effect on efforts to determine if the neutrino is its own antiparticle, noted Stanford physics professor Giorgio Gratta, who played a major role in designing and planning one of the four experiments currently underway to check on the neutrino.

"The quasiparticles they observed are essentially excitations in a material that behave like Majorana particles. But they are not elementary particles and they are made in a very artificial way in a very specially prepared material."

Acknowledging that the search for the famous fermion seems more intellectual than practical, Zhang said it could have real-life implications for building robust quantum computers in the future.

Since each Majorana is essentially half a subatomic particle, a single qubit of information could be stored in two widely separated Majorana fermions, decreasing the chance that something could perturb them both at once and make them lose the information they carry.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 22:47:38|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday denied the claims that 68 German firms in Turkey were under investigation.

"These companies are owned by German individuals, but they are (run by) Turks. Some of them have been in operating in Turkey for over half a century," Yildirim said after attending Friday prayers in Ankara, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

Yildirim made the remarks in response to German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel's statement on Thursday that Berlin would not encourage German businessmen to invest in Turkey, nor would it provide investment guarantees to German companies.

The Turkey-Germany relations have further strained since early this week, amid the Turkey's detainment of one German human right activist who attended a suspected meeting in Istanbul.

German is the biggest trade partner of Turkey. Yildirim called for not making "worrying statements" targeting businessmen keen on investing in Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 22:52:38|Editor: yan

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DUBAI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said on Friday through Twitter that Qatar's decree to amend the law on combating terrorism was "a positive step."

In a sign of detente since the outbreak of the Gulf crisis, Gargash tweeted to his 449,000 followers on twitter that the Qatari decree was positive because it has the capability "to deal seriously with the list of 59 terrorists."

Back in June, the Saudi-led quartet, of which the UAE is part of, issued a list of 59 individuals and 12 organisations, blaming them of having a "terrorist" history or terror intentions and of having links to the State of Qatar.

Gargash said further that the pressure of the crisis "pays off" and could lead to "a sensible change of direction as a whole."

Since June 5, when the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and issued a sea, air and land transport embargo against the gas-rich Gulf state, Gargash regularly communicated the UAE's position on Twitter.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 22:57:40|Editor: yan

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KIGALI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese billionaire entrepreneur Jack Ma on Friday announced four projects to support African entrepreneurs, African young people and efforts of conservation in Africa.

"I will work with UNCTAD to support 200 African entrepreneurs in the next 5 years," said Ma, founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Ma, also special advisor of UNCTAD also announced that he will work with universities and governments to develop training program for African young people on e-commerce and cloud computing.

The third project is to set up a conservation award for conservation rangers. Every year, the award will be used to recognize 50 African wildlife conservation rangers who has been guarding natural heritages, said Ma.

"We plan to have the program lasting for 10 years to initiate a closer link in the conservation world between China and Africa," he said.

According to him, the award will be contributed by Alibaba Foundation and Paradise Foundation, a China-based conservation organization.

"I'm going to personally donate 10 million U.S. dollars to establish a young entrepreneurs development fund, to support young people like you! To support hope today, and it becomes prosperity for tomorrow," he said.

Ma made the announcement at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit being held in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda. The three-day summit is organized by the government of Rwanda, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UNDP. The summit from July 19 to 21 is dubbed: "Realizing Africa's Youth Potential."

It has attracted over 3,000 participants including top executives from multinational companies, leaders of civil society organizations, Africa's development partners, members of the academia and youth entrepreneurs from 90 countries across Africa and beyond to interact and discuss on enhancing the potential of the youth in Africa, according to the organizers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 22:57:45|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- An expo to facilitate trade between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will take place in September this year, according to trade promotion agencies from the three countries.

The expo, with a focus on regional cooperation in smart manufacturing, the beauty industry and food, will be held in Weifang in east China's Shandong Province from Sept. 23 to 25.

According to Guo Yinghui, head of the exhibition and events department of China Chamber of International Commerce, the expo will push the development of a free trade agreement between the three countries and speed up regional integration.

"The world economy is still going through a downturn after the financial crisis. The stable economic and trade development of East Asian countries, including these three, will be crucial for Asia's growth," Guo said.

According to Zhang Daolan, chief representative of the Beijing office of Tokai Japan-China Trade Center, a trade promotion agency, the medium-high speed of economic growth in China has added to the confidence of Japanese companies in China.

As the business environment in China has continued to improve in recent years, the agency has seen increased investments by Japanese enterprises in China, especially in high-end manufacturing fields such as automobiles and machine tools, Zhang said.

This will be the third year that China has co-hosted the expo. Around 1,000 companies, 55 percent of them from overseas, attended the previous expos.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:07:52|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police confirmed the death of a second Palestinian youth who was killed during clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in East Jerusalem on Friday.

Muhamad Hasan Abu Ghanem, 19, was injured during clashes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Tur, where he lived, according to Police Spokeswoman Luba Samri.

He died in hospital and the circumstances of his death are "still under probe," she added.

Some Palestinian media reports, however, said at least five were killed in the clashes after noon.

At least 250 Palestinians were wounded in clashes, according to Palestinian Red Crescent.

Earlier, 17-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Sharaf, who was injured during clashes in his neighborhood Silwan, died of his wounds in East Jerusalem hospital al-Maqasid.

Eye witnesses said he was shot in his neck by an Israeli settler.

Both were buried shortly after death for fear that Israel would confiscate their bodies.

The death of Sharaf sparked more protests throughout the West Bank.

According to media reports, heavy police and military forces fired at the protesters with live ammunition and rubber-coated bullets.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:07:54|Editor: yan

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The deadly Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) disease has wreaked havoc in northern Tanzania's district of Arumeru, subjecting hundreds of growers to unimaginable losses, authorities said Friday.

Grace Solomon, an agricultural officer in Arumeru District said five wards (with more than 30 villages) have been affected with MLN.

The official said that about 340 hectares of maize farms have been destroyed by the deadly disease in the areas located on the slopes of Mount Meru, the second tallest after Kilimanjaro.

MLN landed in Tanzania a few years ago from neighbouring Kenya, hence posing a major food security threat in the east African nation and the region at large. The disease arises from the interaction of two viruses: maize chlorotic mottle virus (MSMV) and a virus from a group named potyviruses, often sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV).

"We're encouraging farmers to venture into crop rotation farming technique, which is one of the solutions being proposed to reduce the pain of MLN," she said, adding: "Other farmers are being told on their need to go into other crops, but, farmers are reluctant to change, arguing that other crops are not as lucrative as maize."

Crop rotation, according to Grace, helps to break the virus in the soil as the disease is most rampant in maize plantations.

"We're also encouraging farmers to set on fire the remains of the maize plants because if they are left in the field, the disease will remain as the virus will also remain in that to infect another crop in the next farming season," Grace said.

Mrisho Gambo, Arusha Regional Commissioner, called upon agricultural experts in the region to work closely with farmers and advise them on how to deal with the disease.

"As a government, we're working hard to find a sustainable and widely applicable solution to the new maize challenge, which is now posing a food security concern, particularly in the affected areas," Gambo said, directing extension officers to carry-out regular visits to farmers and collectively address MLN.

Jeremiah Nkatisi, one of the affected farmers in the district said farmers in the area were disappointed by the disease, which seems not easily contained using pesticides.

Like many farmers on slopes of Mount Meru, Nkatisi's hopes vanished in a thin air, as nothing remained on his five-acre farm because of the disease.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:07:55|Editor: yan

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RAMALLAH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Health Ministry said three Palestinians were killed Friday in clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces after Friday noon prayers.

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem, and the third died from his wounds during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the nearby town of Abu Dis.

Palestinians called for a day of rage protesting against Israel's new security measures taken at the entrances of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, including the installing of metal detectors and cameras.

Palestinians were further angered Friday after Israel barred Palestinian men under 50 from access to the mosque for doing Friday prayers.

Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinian protesters as clashes erupted outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, Salfit and Nablus.

At least 200 Palestinians were also injured during the clashes, Palestinian medical sources said.

Palestinian Muslims refuse to go through the metal detectors to enter the mosque, accusing Israelis of attempting to claim further control over the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known as the Haram al-Sharif compound by Muslims and the Temple Mount for the Jews.

On Thursday night, Israeli cabinet decided not to remove the metal detectors and cameras installed at the entrances since last Sunday.

The measures were taken after last Friday's shooting, in which three Israeli Arab gunmen killed two Israeli policemen near the compound before shot dead by Israeli police after a chase.
Palestinian worshippers sit outside Jerusalem's Old City after Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017.

The rare ban came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen. (AFP PHOTO)

RAMALLAH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Health Ministry said three Palestinians were killed Friday in clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces after Friday noon prayers.

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem, and the third died from his wounds during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the nearby town of Abu Dis.

Palestinians called for a day of rage protesting against Israel's new security measures taken at the entrances of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, including the installing of metal detectors and cameras.

Palestinians were further angered Friday after Israel barred Palestinian men under 50 from access to the mosque for doing Friday prayers.

Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinian protesters as clashes erupted outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, Salfit and Nablus.

At least 200 Palestinians were also injured during the clashes, Palestinian medical sources said.

Palestinian Muslims refuse to go through the metal detectors to enter the mosque, accusing Israelis of attempting to claim further control over the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known as the Haram al-Sharif compound by Muslims and the Temple Mount for the Jews.

On Thursday night, Israeli cabinet decided not to remove the metal detectors and cameras installed at the entrances since last Sunday.

The measures were taken after last Friday's shooting, in which three Israeli Arab gunmen killed two Israeli policemen near the compound before shot dead by Israeli police after a chase.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:33:05|Editor: yan

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BUCHAREST, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Moldova and Romania will continue implementing bilateral projects, said on Friday Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip after meeting with his Romanian counterpart Mihai Tudose.

"There are a lot of joint projects which we want to continue. We established extension of the bilateral cooperation in the commercial and economic sector," Filip told a joint press conference with the Romanian prime minister, who is on a one-day working visit to Moldova.

The Moldovan prime minister expressed hopes that the gas pipeline connecting Romania to Moldova's capital city of Chisinau will be put into operations by the end of 2018.

"This is about independence and security, more precisely the energy security of the Republic of Moldova," stressed Filip, adding that they also discussed the electric power network of Moldova to Romania's power grid.

Filip emphasized, "Romania is the main commercial and economic partner of Moldova," and invited Romanian companies to invest in his country, by taking part in the privatization program of the Moldovan state-run companies.

Moldova's European integration had also been discussed at the meeting, according to Filip.

For his part, Tudose said that Romania will remain an advocate of Moldova's interests and pro-European aspirations at international level, and will further back the Moldovan government in carrying out more economic projects.

During the talks, the two prime ministers also agreed upon a joint government sitting in Chisinau this autumn and organize monthly ministerial meetings to spur the implementation of their joint projects.

This is the first working visit to Moldova by Tudose who was appointed to the office of prime minister late June. He also met Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu and participated in a ceremony where 96 school minibuses were donated to Moldova, under a memorandum signed on March 22 on education assistance, the second donation of school minibuses to Moldova, after 100 donated last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:33:07|Editor: yan

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ISLAMABAD, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Army said Indian troops fired on civilians preparing for Friday prayers, killing at least one person and injuring four others.

"Pakistan Army effectively responded, killing 3 Indian soldiers, injuring many. Three Indian posts were also destroyed," an army statement said.

The statement said that the Indian ceasefire violations "continue despite facing losses of men and material inflicted by Pak Army's response."

Giving details of the latest incident, the military said that the Indian Army targeted innocent civilians in Gheekot and Mandal villages of Lipa sector where civilians were preparing for Friday prayers.

"One young boy shaheed (martyred) and four civilians injured," the statement said.

"Pakistan Army stands by its innocent civil population and would continue to respond befittingly," the army said.

Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC, the de facto border, between the two rivals in disputed Kashmir, in 2003. However, both sides routinely accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:43:19|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW/KIEV, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine, known as the Normandy Four, will hold a phone conversation next Monday to discuss the conflicts in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko disclosed the convening of the phone meeting, saying that he will demand a real ceasefire in Donbas, including the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

A civil war broke out in Donbas between government troops and pro-Russian separatists following the February 2014 revolution that led to the fall of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Violence has been plaguing the region since then.

The Normandy Four or the Normandy Format is a diplomatic group of leaders from the four countries set up to resolve the Ukrainian crisis in accordance with peace deals reached in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in February 2015.

Several rounds of Normandy Format meetings have been held so far, but mutual accusations of ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian government and the Donbas insurgents made these meetings largely fruitless.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:48:24|Editor: yan

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SINGAPORE, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's investment on research and development has created a strong base for technological advancement, according to its 10th Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) Meeting held here Friday.

Chaired by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the meeting discussed the implementation of the RIE2020 Plan, which was endorsed in January 2016 with a total fund of 19 billion Singapore dollars (about 13.9 billion U.S. dollars) for the time period from 2016 to 2020.

That is a great leap forward from the first 1990-1995 timespan with an appropriation of 2 billion Singapore dollars.

The most recent five-year plan was focused on four fields, namely the advanced manufacturing and engineering, the health and biomedical sciences, the services and digital economy and urban solutions and sustainability.

Singapore has embarked on building the next-generation grid system by combining gas, solar and thermal energy into a single intelligent power network which would be more sustainable and land-saving.

Singapore has also set up a national program on artificial intelligence (AI)-- AI.SG, under which efforts are been directed to three areas of application, namely finance, healthcare and city management solutions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 23:58:28|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Elzbieta Bienkowska, the European Union's (EU) Commissioner for Industry, has demanded that Volkswagen do more in response to the company's international emissions cheating scandal, local media reported on Friday.

In a letter to all EU ministers of transport, Bienkowska said that she "expected a recall rate of 100 percent from Volkswagen."

The Commissioner urged national authorities to force Volkswagen to take thousands of diesel vehicles back which had allegedly only passed emissions tests with the help of illegal software.

Cars which fail to meet EU norms "must be removed from traffic", she said.

Bienkowska had written the Wolfsburg-based company's CEO Matthias Mueller on June 19, asking him to provide "detailed data" on the status quo of recalls.

"So far, I have received no answer from Volkswagen," she said.

Bienkowska recently also accused German authorities of failure surrounding the widening of the emissions cheating scandal to Daimler AG, the owner of the famous "Mercedes-Benz" brand.

She described it as "worrying" that the newest accusations had not been discovered by national traffic authorities. Bienkowska voiced similar concerns over further cases of suspected emissions cheating within the Volkswagen brands Audi and Porsche.

The German automotive industry has suffered a heavy blow to its reputation following revelations that carmakers falsified vehicles' emission levels during test conditions with the help of illicit software.

Volkswagen AG was the first German carmaker which was revealed to have engaged in such "emission cheating" for its diesel vehicles in 2015. A U.S. federal judge ruled in April 2017 that Volkswagen must pay "2.8 billion dollar criminal fine for rigging diesel-powered vehicles to cheat on government emission tests."

As recently as last week, new allegations were made against Daimler. The German Minister of Transport Alexander Dobrindt has ordered an investigation and went as far as to raise the possibility of driving bans for diesel cars. Daimler subsequently announced the recall of 3 million Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Volkswagen CEO Mueller hit back after Bienkowska's comments, accusing governments and the European Union of running an "intense campaign against diesel motors".

Mueller told the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung" that diesel motors were being misrepresented and called for an "objective, balanced discussion".

Following the publication of the EU commissions letter, the "Handelsblatt" reports that Volkswagen brand Audi has announced the recall of up to 850,000 vehicles in Europe and markets other than North America.

Audi emphasized that the recall would not incur any costs for customers and described the upgrade as a "service".

The goal was to make diesel motors fit for the future, contribute to reducing air pollution and avoid the imposition of driving bans, Audi said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 00:13:37|Editor: yan

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ADEN, Yemen, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Battles between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and the Shiite Houthi gunmen intensified on Friday over the control of a strategic military base in the country's southwestern part.

Local army commanders in the country's coast city of Mocha told Xinhua by phone saying all hilltops overlooking the strategically important military base of Khalid-bin Walid were seized by the Saudi-backed government troops.

According to the Yemeni military sources, the Houthi-controlled strategic military base is now surrounded by the government troops from all sides, leaving Houthi fighters with no place to withdraw to.

However, the other army sources confirmed that the advances against the Houthi fighters in their hideouts were slowed down due to the large number of landmines planted in the area.

Officials close to the Shiite Houthi group dismissed the claim of making ground advances by the internationally-backed government troops, saying that their forces pushed the Saudi-backed forces back, killing several soldiers in the fighting.

Residents said that warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition continued to target the reinforcements of the pro-Houthi forces in the surrounding areas of Mocha city.

On Tuesday, Saudi-led aircrafts mistakenly targeted a displaced persons' camp (IDPs) in Mawza' district, Taiz province, where the coalition backed forces have been waking a military operation and trying to make ground advances against Houthis in the area.

The United Nations on Friday blamed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition for the airstrikes that struck civilians in Taiz, saying no military targets in the area were hit.

According to the UN human rights office, the strikes hit three families who were staying in a makeshift straw house after being displaced from their homes three months ago by fighting.

Yemen has been suffering from a civil war and a Saudi-led military intervention for around two years. The civil war began after the Houthi militants with support from forces loyal to the former president ousted the UN-backed transitional government and occupied capital Sanaa militarily in September 2014.

The internationally-backed government controls the south and some eastern parts, while the Houthi/Saleh alliance controls the other parts including the capital Sanaa.

The UN has sponsored peace talks between the warring factions several times, but the factions failed to reach common ground.

The civil war, ground battles and airstrikes have already killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian agencies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 00:13:37|Editor: yan

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SHANGHAI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll has risen to four after an accident during the demolition of a multi-story building in Shanghai Friday afternoon, the local government said.

A total of six people have been rescued and sent to hospital, and four died after medical treatment failed.

The accident occurred when a multi-story building in Jiading District was being demolished and fell onto a neighboring hotel, trapping an unknown number of people.

Police and firefighters are currently undertaking rescue operations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 00:33:52|Editor: yan

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KATHMANDU, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), aviation regulator of the country, on Friday announced that Nepal has passed a safety audit conducted by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

As a result, the global aviation watchdog has removed significant safety concern (SSC) tag imposed on Nepal's aviation industry since July 2013. But Nepal is still in the blacklist of the European Commission (EC) since December 2013 after ICAO's SSC tag.

"We were carrying significant safety concern tag until Yesterday. The red mark over Nepal is now gone," Sanjeev Gautam, director general of CAAN told Xinhua on Friday.

CAAN believed that the removal of Nepal from SSC tag would ease Nepal to be removed from the EC blacklist as well.

This will also ease Nepal's international airlines including the state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation and privately-owned Himalaya Airlines to expand their flights to new foreign destinations, according to CAAN officials.

These airlines have been planning to reach a few new foreign destinations, but they are struggling to get landing rights because of SSC.

According to a press statement of CAAN, a meeting of SSC Audit Committee of the ICAO on Thursday decided to remove SSC mark from Nepal.

Earlier, a two-member team of ICAO had conducted audit of Nepal's aviation sector from July 4 to 11. The team had audited Nepal's compliances in four areas of aviation safety - legislation, organization, operations and airworthiness out of eight critical areas.

Following the completion of audit, the ICAO put Nepal's compliance rate at 66.08 percent, higher than minimum threshold of 60 percent, according to CAAN.

Following the removal of SSC tag by the ICAO, the CAAN is now preparing to request EC to remove Nepal from its blacklisting. "We will send a letter to the EC early next week," Gautam said.

Once the EC removes Nepal from its blacklist, it will open the door for Nepal Airlines, which is planning to go Europe after acquiring new planes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 00:38:59|Editor: yan

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KUWAIT, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Friday that the crisis between Qatar and a Saudi-led Arab alliance would only be resolved with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Al-Jubeir made the remarks in Rome, Italy, after meeting with his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano, the state-run Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

Responding to a question by a KUNA reporter, Al-Jubeir said the Saudi-led bloc, which also includes the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, hopes Qatar would accept and commit to six principles it has tabled.

The principles include demands for Doha to commit to fighting terrorism and extremism and preventing their financing, prohibit inciting propaganda against its neighbors, and stop interfering in their internal affairs.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, as well as Qatar, are all members of the six-nation GCC, whose members also include Oman and Kuwait, which have not joined the anti-Qatari bloc. Kuwait has been playing the role of mediator to broker an end to the Gulf standoff.

The crisis started early last month when the Saudi-led alliance abruptly cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the tiny rich Gulf nation, citing its support of terrorism and interference in their internal affairs.

Initially, the Saudi-led bloc issued a list of 13 demands for Doha to correct its policies, including closing the Al-Jazeera TV, stopping financial support to terrorism and downgrading its ties with Iran, as preconditions for resuming diplomatic ties.

Qatar has rejected the charges while refusing to accept the demands, citing the right to defend its sovereignty.

But signs of easing of the crisis have emerged following a recent visit to the Gulf by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as the Saudi-led group agreed to water down their demands to six broad principles.

During Tillerson's visit, Qatar and the U.S. signed a deal on combating terrorism financing, one of the core demands by the Saudi-led alliance.

Meanwhile, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a decree on Thursday to amend some provisions of its law on fighting terrorism, including defining the terms of "terrorist acts," "terrorist entities" and "freezing of funds," as well as procedures related to "terrorist activities."

This was immediately welcomed by UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash, who said on Friday through Twitter that Qatar's decree to amend the law on combating terrorism was "a positive step."

Gargash said that the pressure on Doha by the bloc "pays off" and could lead to "a sensible change of direction as a whole."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 00:54:07|Editor: Yang Yi

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (L) meets with European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Athens, Greece, on July 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Greece seeks a fair solution of the Cyprus issue, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Friday while meeting with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

Mogherini visited Athens to exchange views with Greek officials on regional and international issues ahead of the high level talks which will be held with the Turkish government next week.

"We are active supporters of the global and regional role of the EU and we want to strengthen this role... We are looking forward to a fair solution of the Cyprus issue," Tsipras said.

"I am convinced there is enough substance for a continuation of the process when the political conditions will be appropriate," Tsipras said, adding that despite difficulties, Greece supports Turkey's European course in order to boost stability and progress in the wider region.

The latest round of UN mediated talks held earlier this July in Switzerland for the reunification of the island ended inconclusive two weeks ago.

Greece and Turkey have been involved in a blame game on which side bears the responsibility for the impasse to reach a settlement agreement for Cyprus which is divided since 1974 after Turkey occupied part of it in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

"The EU continues to stay fully committed to find a sustainable positive solution for the Cyprus issue," Mogherini said on her part, expressing gratitude for Greece's role in the negotiations she also attended, Greece's national broadcaster ERT reported.

The EU official visited Athens a few hours after a strong earthquake of 6.6 magnitude on the Richter scale hit the island of Kos in the southeastern Aegean Sea, according to a new announcement by the Athens Observatory. Two tourists were killed, and dozens of others injured in the quake.

Mogherini expressed the EU's solidarity with the Greek people.

"We are at your full disposal to support in all possible ways and (I express) all the solidarity to Greece and to the islands that have already faced difficulties of different kind," she told the Greek PM, pointing to the refugee crisis.
A residents shows China's RMB and US dollar banknotes in Qionghai, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Meng Zhongde)

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China agreed to expand bilateral trade in services with the United States during the first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) concluded on Wednesday.

"Despite a huge deficit in services trade with the United States, China nevertheless believed that trade in services between China and the United States is mutually beneficial, and is willing to engage in mutually-beneficial and win-win cooperation in trade in services," a Chinese delegate to the one-day talks said Thursday in a statement to Xinhua.

Given the differences between China and the United States in the size and structure of their services industries, it is possible to exploit their own comparative advantages and complement each other, the statement said, adding that "expanding bilateral trade in services can also promote balanced trading relations between the two sides."

The two countries discussed trade in services in the high-level economic dialogue, and the United States expected China to further open up its services market, according to the statement.

"China agreed to further open up, deepen its cooperation with the United States, and forge new areas of growth in bilateral commercial cooperation," said the Chinese delegate.

The Chinese State Council last week approved a pilot plan to open up Beijing's service industry by removing some restrictions on the sector. Local governments will ease restrictions on foreign investments, streamline regulations and encourage innovation.

The plan also highlights reforms in major areas, including science and technology services, the Internet and communication, culture, education, finance and tourism.

China has been trying to shift its economy toward a growth model powered by consumption, services and innovation. The service sector accounted for more than half of the Chinese economy last year.

David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (a century-old U.S. think tank based in Washington, D.C.), and former official with the U.S. Treasury Department, believed a high-quality U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty (BIT) would help U.S. export services to China and build the foundation for a better bilateral trading relationship.

"The U.S. primarily exports services. It's hard to export services if you cannot invest. So I see the bilateral treaty as an opportunity for U.S. firms to have new business in China, and that's going to encourage more exports and create good jobs in the United States," Dollar told Xinhua.

In Dollar's view, the Trump administration may not have enough resources to resume BIT negotiations with China in the next two years, as the administration has chosen to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and modify its free trade agreement with South Korea.

"The United States Trade Representative's Office is actually quite a small department with limited capacity...It's hard for them to then have a third priority," he said.

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said Wednesday that China understands that the Trump administration has to revise all the bilateral and multilateral investment and trade deals with other countries, which could take some time.

However, there are growing calls from the U.S. and Chinese business community to sign the investment treaty as soon as possible, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 04:00:39|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest and what's dubbed the most advanced aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, is set to go into active duty on Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump will preside over its commissioning at Pier 11 on Naval Station Norfolk in the state of Virginia, months after he boarded the ship to speak on his plan for the U.S. military.

The 13-billion-U.S.-dollar ship, named after former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, was delivered to the Navy in late May, after eight years of construction, development, and testing.

Incorporating the U.S. navy's first new aircraft carrier design in 40 years, the 1,100-foot nuclear-powered supercarrier used advanced technology and operational systems to allow aircraft to take off and land more quickly, but with a smaller crew.

Its electromagnetic catapults are able to launch a third more fighter jets than traditional systems in older carriers, while releasing less heat and being less noisy.

Besides, the 100,000-ton warship has a larger deck to improve aircraft maneuverability and a repositioned tower for better visibility.

There will be a crew of 2,600 sailors on aboard the USS Ford, about 600 fewer than a Nimitz-class flattop, according to the U.S. Navy.

The USS Ford, the most expensive U.S. military vessel originally scheduled for delivery in 2015, has caused concerns about its technology.

Trump urged earlier the Navy to go back to using steam catapults to launch aircraft because the electromagnetic systems "cost hundreds of millions of dollars more" and "it's no good."

Senator John McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, once lashed out at the delayed delivery, saying it was unacceptable and entirely avoidable.

There are 10 U.S. carriers being operated in the 11 carrier-force mandated by Congress, after the retirement of the USS Enterprise in 2012.

In addition to the USS Ford, there are two other aircraft carriers of its class. The USS John F. Kennedy is scheduled to launch in 2020, while the Ford-class USS Enterprise is scheduled to begin construction in 2018.

The USS Ford will go through a series of tests before becoming operational in the next few years.
A girl is pictured in front of a damaged building in Gorlovka, eastern Ukraine, on July 10, 2016.

MOSCOW/KIEV, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine, known as the Normandy Four, will hold a phone conversation next Monday to discuss the conflicts in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko disclosed the convening of the phone meeting, saying that he will demand a real ceasefire in Donbas, including the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

A civil war broke out in Donbas between government troops and pro-Russian separatists following the February 2014 revolution that led to the fall of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Violence has been plaguing the region since then.

The Normandy Four or the Normandy Format is a diplomatic group of leaders from the four countries set up to resolve the Ukrainian crisis in accordance with peace deals reached in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in February 2015.

Several rounds of Normandy Format meetings have been held so far, but mutual accusations of ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian government and the Donbas insurgents made these meetings largely fruitless.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 04:15:50|Editor: Liu

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WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday urged the four Arab countries to lift a land blockade on Qatar considering the tiny Gulf country's latest "positive movement" on counterterrorism.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut diplomatic ties and imposed sanctions on their neighbor, accusing it of supporting extremism and terrorism, an allegation denied by Qatar.

The incident has spiraled into one of the worst regional disputes in years.

Last week, Tillerson traveled to the Middle East. During his trip he signed an agreement with Qatar on combating terrorism financing in an effort to ease the tension in the region.

The Qataris have continued to move forward and have been "very aggressive" in implementing the agreement, Tillerson told reporters Friday before his meeting with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Washington.

He also said that Qatar has indicated "a willingness" to sit with the four countries and "discuss the demands."

Tillerson urged the four Arab parties to begin to take positive action and lift the land blockade as "a sign of good faith."

On June 23, the four countries issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha, including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting Qatar-Iran diplomatic ties.

Since Qatar's response seemed unsatisfactory, the Arab quartet have decided to maintain their sanctions against Qatar.

Earlier this week, the four seemed to have modified their demands, urging the Gulf nation to commit to six principles on combatting extremism and terrorism and negotiate a plan with specific measures to implement them.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 04:15:53|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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DUBLIN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Bank of America on Friday confirmed Dublin as the preferred location for its principal EU legal entities following Britain's departure from the EU.

The decision was confirmed by Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan at a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

"Dublin is the home to more of our employees than any other European city outside the UK," Moynihan said.

"We already have a fully licensed and operational Irish domiciled bank which combined with Ireland's strong commitment to business and economic growth makes Dublin the natural location to consolidate our legal entities as we transition," he said.

Varadkar welcomed the announcement, saying that Bank of America has a long-standing commitment to Ireland.

"This announcement follows a number of recent announcements by leading global financial institutions and is a strong endorsement of Ireland's attractiveness as a location for investment, and of the government's approach to securing Brexit-related activities," the Irish prime minister said.

Bank of America celebrates 50 years of operation next year in Ireland and Dublin is the home of more of its employees than any other European city outside of Britain.

The decision to consolidate the bank's legal entities in Dublin will ensure that the bank can continue to serve its customers both in Ireland and across the EU, after Britain leaves the EU, according to the bank.

The bank currently has two offices in Dublin. It is planning to move investment banking and market operations to the Irish capital.

At present, some transnational banks are preparing to signal plans to expand in Dublin as they prepare for Brexit, in what is likely to result in the addition of hundreds of financial jobs.

Early this week, Citigroup chose Dublin as one of a number of European locations for expansion as part of its Brexit response. The U.S. mega bank is looking to add to its existing 2,500 workforce in Ireland as it advances plans to deal with Britain's exit from the EU.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 04:41:07|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A knife-wielding Palestinian man stabbed and killed three Israelis and seriously injured another one in a West Bank settlement on Friday night before he was shot and "neutralized," Israeli officials said.

The assailant arrived at the Israeli settlement of Halamish, north of Ramallah, where he entered one of the homes and stabbed three people, said a military spokesperson.

According to initial reports by the emergency medical service, a 70-year-old woman was in a "critical" condition and a 30-year-old man was "severely" injured. A 60-year-old woman sustained moderate injuries.

The condition of the stabber was not immediately clear. The military spokesperson said he was "shot and neutralized," apparently by one of the residents of the settlement. A later report on Walla news site said he died of his wounds at the scene.

Forces are scanning the area in search for more assailants, the spokesperson said.

Earlier on Friday, three Palestinian youths were killed during protests over metal detectors installed by Israel in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. At least 367 more Palestinians were injured, according to the Red Crescent.

Anger across East Jerusalem and the West Bank boiled on Friday after Israel limited Muslim access to the compound.

The detectors perceived by the Palestinians as a violation of the status quo at the volatile site, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 04:56:21|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian army said on Friday that its forces killed 30 terrorists in the country's North Sinai province.

The army said in a statement that the terrorists were killed during military operations in the province over the past four days.

Another five terrorists were also arrested during the military campaign, according to the statement.

Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorist activities following the military removal of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently-blacklisted Brotherhood group.

Most of the terrorist operations, which killed hundreds of civilians, army personnel and policemen, were claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional IS militant group.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens to questions by journalists during a press conference in Doha, on July 11, 2017.

The US and Qatar announced they have signed an agreement on fighting terrorism, at a time when the emirate is facing sanctions from neighbouring countries which accuse it of supporting extremism. (AFP PHOTO/STRINGER)

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday urged the four Arab countries to lift a land blockade on Qatar considering the tiny Gulf country's latest "positive movement" on counterterrorism.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut diplomatic ties and imposed sanctions on their neighbor, accusing it of supporting extremism and terrorism, an allegation denied by Qatar.

The incident has spiraled into one of the worst regional disputes in years.

Last week, Tillerson traveled to the Middle East. During his trip he signed an agreement with Qatar on combating terrorism financing in an effort to ease the tension in the region.

The Qataris have continued to move forward and have been "very aggressive" in implementing the agreement, Tillerson told reporters Friday before his meeting with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Washington.

He also said that Qatar has indicated "a willingness" to sit with the four countries and "discuss the demands."

Tillerson urged the four Arab parties to begin to take positive action and lift the land blockade as "a sign of good faith."

On June 23, the four countries issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha, including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting Qatar-Iran diplomatic ties.

Since Qatar's response seemed unsatisfactory, the Arab quartet have decided to maintain their sanctions against Qatar.

Earlier this week, the four seemed to have modified their demands, urging the Gulf nation to commit to six principles on combatting extremism and terrorism and negotiate a plan with specific measures to implement them.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 05:46:52|Editor: yan

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TRIPOLI, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Friday condemned a religious edict issued by the Supreme Fatwa Committee of the rival eastern-based government that forbids followers of Ibadi doctrine to lead prayers.

"I renew my strong rejection for the call of exaggeration and insulting and targeting religious doctrines, as happened a few days ago against the Ibadi doctrine," Serraj said in a statement on Friday.

"Islam is a religion of love, brotherhood and tolerance. It is a religion of mercy and peace. Our Libyan society is loving and interconnected with all its components. It knows only compassion, unity and communication despite all crisis," the statement said.

The Supreme Fatwa Committee of the eastern-based government issued a religious fatwa or edict on July 9, forbidding prayers led by Ibadis, a religious faith mostly followed by the Amazigh minority.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday condemned the fatwa. "Religious authorities in Libya should stop pandering to extremists by castigating minorities in incendiary language," Said Eric Goldstein, HRW deputy Middle East and North Africa director.

"The Interim Government should repudiate this dangerous edict and affirm that all faiths and sects deserve tolerance and equal protection," Goldstein added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-22 06:47:17|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has accused Germany of harboring "terrorists" following German threats to slap sanctions and to issue travel advisory for its citizens amid a violent escalating row over Turkey's arrest of human rights activists.

Germany told its citizens on Thursday to exercise caution when traveling to Turkey and warned that it might cut off export insurance guarantees and other forms of economic cooperation, the latest step in the deterioration of relations between the two key NATO allies and close economic partners.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel cut short a vacation to denounce on Thursday the arrests in Turkey of several human rights activists, including a German citizen, Peter Steudtner, a representative of Amnesty International. "We are reorienting our policy toward Turkey," Gabriel said.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called Gabriel's remarks "threats and blackmail," which were not "worthy of a serious country." He accused Germany of harboring terrorists by "providing shelter" to the Kurdistan Workers' Party and to the followers of the self-exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of plotting a failed coup attempt last July.

The harsh exchange was the latest step in the worsening of relations between two countries with deep economic and demographic ties. Even before the coup attempt in Turkey last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had begun to disturb many German officials and also other western leaders.

Several dozens of military personnel and diplomats applied for asylum in Germany while Turkey demanded, in vain, for their extradition. Germany as well as some other EU countries also infuriated Erdogan for refusing him to hold rallies for the Turkish diaspora ahead of the crucial April constitutional referendum that granted the Turkish head of state extensive executive powers.

The tensions came to a new head this week after the Turkish authorities decided to hold Steudtner under arrest. He was detained on July 5 with five others, including Amnesty International's Turkey director, in a raid on a hotel where they were attending a digital security workshop. The Turkish authorities have accused them of having links to terrorist groups.

"The case of Peter Steudtner shows that German citizens are no longer safe from arbitrary arrests," Gabriel said. Berlin said nine other German citizens, including two journalists, Deniz Yucel and Mesale Tolu, were being held by Turkey.

Gabriel said the Germans had been accused without evidence. He cited their detentions as "examples of the absurd accusations of terror propaganda that obviously are only meant to serve to silence every critical voice in Turkey.

The German government will consider "further measures" in the coming weeks, after discussing the future of financial aid for Ankara with its EU partners, in the context of the long-stalled talks on Turkey potentially joining the bloc, Gabriel said.

Berlin also said it would review Turkish applications for arms projects.

In Turkey, ministers lashed back, with Cavusoglu accusing Germany of maintaining an "unacceptable, one-sided" attitude. He said that threats and blackmail would find no answers in Turkey, but also maintained a more mellow tone pointing out that the two countries needed to focus on their long-term goals.

For his part, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin slammed Germany as "great political irresponsibility" in stepping up its travel warning. He pointed out that millions of Germans were fully safe visiting Turkey and those under judicial prosecution were only a handful of German nationals.

President Erdogan told his country in a speech on Friday to "pull itself together," and said that "Germany cannot scare Turkey with threats."

Erdogan also strongly denied reports that some German companies were investigated by Turkish judges for suspected terrorist links.

The German Bild newspaper asked in a rather cynical mood if "Erdogan would also arrest (German) tourists" in Turkey, which is a major destination of millions of Europeans each summer.

Some 3 million Turks live in Germany for many decades as they immigrated as workers, and trade volume is also big between the two countries.

"This is probably the biggest crisis in modern times between the two countries," said Hakan Celik, a political commentator on CNN Turk news channel.

"Let's hope that the countries solve this crisis with dialogue and common sense," he said, adding that there was a lot at stake, namely commercial ties, in this row.

Turkey launched a massive crackdown against Gulen followers but also all kind of opposition circles, in which some 50,000 people have been detained and 150,000 sacked or suspended from the judiciary to academia.

Erdogan argues that this move and the state of emergency are both essential.

This unprecedented purge has been criticized by Berlin who refused to extradite suspected coup plotters.

At the beginning of July, Germany began withdrawing its forces from NATO's Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, after Ankara refused German parliament members from visiting them.
Bastille Day celebrations in PoS

After assuring that France is very active on the global warming front, with 194 countries having adopted and signed the Paris Agreement to date, Picquart took a jab at the US President for his recent withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. He said: Not because the newly-elected President of a very large country has decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, that one must give up. On the contrary, we must re-double our efforts to ensure that our planet remains habitable for our children and grandchildren.

Make our planet great again! as President Emmanuel Macron has been proclaiming since June 1. Picquart said President Macron has since decided to invite world leaders to Paris on December 12, to review the progress of the Paris Agreement at the conclusion of the COP21 (A United Nations Climate Change Conference).

Among the other challenges of which the ambassador spoke is that of transnational crime, recalling one year ago, when criminal terrorism caused the deaths of 86 people in Nice.

He said it is absolutely necessary for free people to come together to eradicate these plagues. Picquart then noted the close cultural ties between France and TT , and once again sang praises to Calypso Rose (McCartha Linda Sandy Lewis) who has experienced great success in France where she was awarded a Victoire de la Musique earlier this year.

An excited Picquart stated that France, is a great sporting nation, that may well be hosting the Olympic Games, in 2024 once ratified by the International Olympic Committee during its next session which takes place in Lima in September.

Then raising a toast to TT he said: I renew to you my warm wishes for our two countries to be able to build together projects which bring hope and progress. Long live the Republic, Long live France.

Long live Franco- Trinidadian friendship. Dennis Moses, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs in bringing congratulatory greetings to the Government and People of the French Republic on their Bastille Day celebration said here in TT , our countries intertwined histories have left traces of French influence in aspects of our culture and architecture as well as in our agricultural sector.

He added that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1962, there have been collaboration in many sectors including health, water management, aviation, construction and security.

Moses said too, there has also been significant engagement in education, with the Alliance Francaise being a pillar for French language and culture in TT .

In more recent years, Moses spoke of TT s participation in a Carnival Trade Mission in Paris and other European cities, as well as local films being screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

He then expressed the hope that both countries continue to mutually benefit from the sharing of our rich cultures and move toward deeper collaboration, following the Schengen visa waiver agreement signed in 2015.

After commending France for its leading role taken on the global stage in dealing with environmental issues, Moses raised a toast to prosperity, well-being and bon accord between the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the French Republic.
Man sees son first time in 30 years...in court

Grant, 35, appeared before Magistrate Kerianne Byer on a charge of breaking and entering an abandoned house at Commissiong Street in Cocoyea Village. Grant pleaded guilty and court prosecutor Sgt Ian Sylvon began relating the facts of the charge saying that on June 20, Grant went to the Mon Repos Police Station to seek assistance in going to a house on Commissiong Street to retrieve his Identification Card and National Insurance Card.

Constable Brad Lee Lum already had a report that the house of Judy Kingsale on the same street was broken into and items stolen. Confronted with the allegation that his ID and NIS cards were found in the house were his, Grant confessed.

The house that was broken into, was also robbed of a flat screen television set, a DVD player, tool-kit, electric saw and two gas tanks, totalling $7,600. On June 14, Kingsale went to the house and discovered the items were missing.

When Magistrate Byer delved into Grants life, Smith came forward to announce that the accused is his son whom he had not seen in over 30 years. The court heard that when Grant was six months old, his mother placed him on the steps of Smiths house. Smith said he gave Grant to one of his sisters and in 1994, he (Smith) left for the United States.

Grant told the court he did not know the man standing next to him and proclaiming to be his father.

The accused became emotional when Magistrate Byer told Smith that her assessment was that his son lacked guidance. Smith told the magistrate that his son never opted for education and kept bad company. He admitted being out of the country during Grants formative years. Asked by the magistrate where Grants mother was, Smith said, When she dropped on my doorstep when he was six months old, she never came back. Magistrate Byer told Smith it is not too late to make amends with his son. Because the items sold from the house that was broken into, were never recovered and because he has a criminal record, Magistrate Byer said she has to mete out a punishment that fits the crime.

She then sentenced Grant to two years imprisonment with hard labour, telling Smith that he should visit his son in prison and begin the process of healing and coming together To this, Grant muttered, I do not know my father as he was led out of the court in handcuffs.
Defence Force apologises to Maharaj

Yesterday, Maharaj obtained a response from the TTDF which stated that based on the findings of a Board of Inquiry, he did not authorise or had any knowledge of Al Rawi and his childrens visit to Camp Cumuto or how the minors came into possession of high-powered weapons belonging to the TTDF on the army base.

After being fingered as the one who authorised civilians namely the AGs children, to enter sections of the base usually barred from civilians and allowing for the children to handle machine- guns, Maharaj stoutly denied this and in a bid to clear his name, wrote to the TTDF under the Freedom of Information Act asking for a copy of the Board of Inquiry report.

Maharaj received a response from Lt Col Sheldon Ramnanan yesterday, which stated, The record of proceedings of the Board of Inquiry did not name you, Major General Kenrick Maharaj, nor did it state that you had any knowledge of the subject range practice and or that you granted approval for same to be conducted. The Defence Force sincerely apologises for any inconvenience and or embarrassment caused to you by the aforementioned. On April 25, then Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Rodney Smart, by letter, stated, It was established that the former Chief of Defence Staff Major General Kenrick Maharaj, acting on his own volition, authorised the range practice. Photographs of Al-Rawis children holding high-powered guns at Camp Cumuto were shown by Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal during debate in the House of Representatives in October.

The TTDF subsequently set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate.

Contacted yesterday, Maharaj said, the responses did not meet my expectations and I have chosen to reserve comment until I decide my next move. Efforts to reach Ag Chief of Defence Staff Hayden Pritchard for a comment yesterday proved futile. Newsday was told he is overseas.
Minister quite satisfied with cargo vessel

He told the media after a tour of the vessel yesterday afternoon at the Port of Port of Spain, that one of the problems was that truckers were not accommodated on the Atlantic Provider and Trinity Transporter. The two will be pulled out of service once the Cabo Star begins its service.

The Cabo Star will make a return trip in one day over six days a week. It has the capacity to accommodate 130 big trucks and 130 passengers with seating capacity for 49 in a television room and sleeping accommodation in cabins that cater for four persons in each.

As a chartered vessel, Sinanan said, the charterer will provide maintenance and staffing.

The vessel, which arrived in Trinidad yesterday, will make a trial run to Tobago today, and it is expected to provide its first public service on Monday.

It is expected to reach Tobago between four and a half to five hours once they get the feel of the route, Sinanan said.

Ths vessel, leased at US$22,000 a day, he said, is on a one-year lease. Government is seeking to lease it for a further three years in the medium term. In the interim, Government has also mandated the board of the Port Authority to start the process of buying a new vessel for the long term.

On the process for procuring the vessel, Sinanan said, the Port Authority put out bids to tender and there was just one response. As such the Port Authority looked at all unsolicited bids and made the best choice.

Asked about the arrival of the Ocean Flower II, Sinanan said contrary to reports of the vessel breaking down and not being able to arrive in time, he said, I dont know about mechanical issues.

The report that I have is that the vessel is on its way to Trinidad and Tobago and we expect it here by the end of the month. He added, I can say that just as I waited to see this vessel here, I am anxiously waiting for the other vessel to arrive. Asked about Bridgemans (Trinidad) registering in June shortly after it was given the contract to lease the two vessels and if that was not strange, Sinanan said, he saw nothing strange. Bridgemans is capable of defending themselves.

Most of the multinational companies that operate in Trinidad do register a local company, he said, naming a number of petroleum and other foreign companies.

With someone suggesting that Bridgemans was in catering before, Sinanan said, I dont know that they were in catering before. I know that the Port Authority went out for a vessel.

They would have done their due diligence. He said he has full confidence in general manager and chief executive officer Charmaine Lewis and the board of the Port Authority.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe, who accompanied Sinanan on the tour said that like all Tobagonians she was pleased that the people will have a more reliable and suitable service.

I, like every Tobagonian, wait to see this vessel fully functional and fulfilling the needs of Tobago and Trinidad also, she said.

She said Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy will tour the vessel on its arrival in Tobago today.
Family wants justice for dead biker

Krishna Rampersad, the husband of one of Pauls cousins, delivered the eulogy at Pauls funeral ceremony yesterday morning at the familys home in Reform Village, Gasparillo.

On this ill-fated, catastrophic dreadful afternoon, all the dreams and aspirations of BJ were destroyed, said Rampersad, drawing loud applause from mourners.

They were destroyed by a reckless driver. I do not know how this person can live with himself knowing what he has done to this innocent family. I do hope the police officers do their part in ensuring that justice is served. Hundreds of people - the majority of whom were Pauls Paramount Transport Ltd co-workers and a small group of leather-jacketed bikers - were present.

Paul, described as an experienced rider, died while taking his 15-year-old daughter Nicolette Paul for a ride on his motorcycle which he had bought only three weeks before. A white Elantra motor car which was reportedly trying to overtake a line of cars on the Reform Link Road, collided with Paul and his daughter killing him on the spot. On the website of the company Electrovek steel always in stock 1.4762 rohre at an affordable price.

Nicolette, badly injured, is still in the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital but is said to be recovering well, not yet aware of her fathers death. The driver of the car was also reported to have been taken to the hospital after the accident.

Gasparillo police are investigating.
Move to refurbish prison welcomed but...

At a press conference at the associations office in Arouca, Richards said, We will always accept that because we have always been saying that we operate in derelict prisons. But the reality of the situation is when you move persons from the Port-of- Spain prison, given the fact that we have our condemned section in Port-of-Spain where we have a number of high risk inmates, where will you put them? He said he hoped Government was not looking at placing the prisoners at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca because it was inadequate due to the failure of the electronic system and it does not have an alarm.

We will not accept or continue to accept the non attendance to these other prisons that is not functioning properly.
No issue with 360-camera

Persad-Bissessar reportedly expressed concerns about the use of a 360-degree camera when Rowley greeted her.

In a statement, Parliaments corporate communications manager Jason Elcock said photographers were allowed into the room to cover the greeting between Rowley and Persad-Bissessar.

He said the Parliament had a conventional camera and a 360-degree camera in the room.

The 360-degree camera was located behind Rowley and Persad-Bissessar to photograph the entire room.

Other cameras would have photographed the 360-degree camera due to its location.

Elcock said all cameras, including the 360-degree camera were removed from the room before Rowley and Persad-Bissessar began their threehour meeting.

He also said the photo of Rowley and Persad- Bissessars greeting has been on the Parliaments website since Tuesday evening.

Elcock stated the Office of the Parliament shares a very close relationship with the media and is extremely disappointed by the level of irresponsibility displayed by some sections of the media, in seeking to make a story which caused undue concern where absolutely no story exists.
Geneticist: Watch who you marry

She named such disorders as muscular dystrophy and the heart-disease cardiomyopathy.

While such disorders can be passed on to children, Ramlachan said they can be identified by tests and then guidance given to couples on procreation.

She said the technology now exists to screen embryos for genetic abnormalities before a doctor performs implantation during an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure.

Ramlachan mulled aloud the issue of possible designer babies whereby couples select to have babies with particular features such as high IQ and an absence of diseases.

It will be available, she said, but adding that such choices could be made against a backdrop of ethical and moral considerations.

Saying that people in the Caribbean need to start thinking about these issues, Ramlachan declared, It is happening right now. She said American actress Angelina Jollies bout with breast cancer had helped to raise the question of the mandatory screening for genetic diseases.

Another famous case as that of Layla Richards, a one-yearold British child suffering leukemia or cancer of the blood, who in 2015 was the first person to be cured of cancer by the use of genetics.

Ramlachan lamented a degree of public ignorance over genetics some of it caused by media hype.

She said genetics has helped humans to arrive at their present place as a species, as she cited its past use in helping to tame animals, grow food crops and fight disease.

Underling the power and mystique of genetics, she said that 60 percent of the human DNA sequence is the same as that of a banana.

DNA is a material found in every living cell that acts as a code to convey the characteristics of individuals from generation to generation.

Likewise, all that separates a human from a chimpanzee genetically is just 1.5 percent of their DNA sequences.
Mayo residents say no to dynamite blasting

Beharry said at the meeting they were told the heavy equipment became too costly to maintain. He said residents expressed their concerns but were told their properties would not suffer any damage.

Sometime today TCL is expected to have a dry run and Beharry told Newsday they were told to listen for an alarm in order to prepare themselves.

He said residents were preparing to protest and a meeting is expected to be held at 6 pm today.

Newsday contacted TCLs communications manager Michelle Langton who said she was abroad but was aware of the meeting to inform residents of TCLs plan.
PoS nurses want consultation on possible move to Couva

Stuart was responding to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowleys statement after meeting with Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday.

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Stuart said neither the Ministry of Health nor the Government contacted them or asked their opinion on how it is going to be treated with.

He said the Port-of- Spain General Hospital crisis has been an issue they have been brining up with hospital officials concerning the central block for years.

If you walk on the floor, you can actually see cement breaking away from the columns of the hospital, Stuart said.

Imagine your hospital is supposed to be one of the strongest buildings in the country because when there is a disaster everyone from any area will end up in the hospital and (you have a situation where) the hospital cannot stand up to any significant type of earthquake.

We have been witnessing this because we have actually seen the ceiling and the columns crumbling.

This is an ongoing issue and is a real course for concern.

What if the seismologists are saying, that TT is due for a major earthquake, is true? The hospital will come down with staff and patients inside. Stuart said the staff is willing to work in the institution because they know the immediate need.

However, he said one of his concerns was, if they are moved, where are the staff going to be relocated? The staff at Port-of- Spain Hospital is employed with the NWRHA and the Couva hospital is under the South West Regional Health Authority.

We dont know how it is going to operate.

Are they going to ask people to resign from the NWRHA and work with the SWRHA? No word has come to us and we are only hearing what is reported in the media. Stuart said the original plan, even before the Childrens hospital was considered, was to build a new Port-of-Spain general hospital in the vacant area adjacent to the current compound.

It shows how politics can cost an entire society gravely because imagine you never had that hospital on a plan, none of the three hospitals that was on the plan has come off the ground to date, except the Point Fortin Hospital that has been recently started and the Arima Hospital.

The Port-of-Spain hospital has not been touched as yet.

The three hospitals that should have been built during that period were not built.

More than a billion dollars was spent and we got a hospital that its location poses severe difficulties for people to reach it.

You built a hospital basically seven minutes away from the district health facility in Couva which was recently extended the other day. Stuart said there is a need for better planning and a need to listen to stakeholders to avoid similar situations.
France hailed for commitment to environmental issues

Moses was speaking at a reception held to celebrate the French national day known as Bastille Day on July 14 and hosted by France Ambassador to TT Heidi Picquart.

On the perpetration of a number of terrorist attacks carried out on French soil in recent times, Moses said the this countrys government has joined with the international community in condemning them. The attacks, he said, violates the fundamental rights and freedoms enjoyed in a democratic society.

Frances resilience in combating these incidents, he said, has shown that the inherent joie de vivre (joy of living) embodied in the French spirit cannot be dimmed.

Noting the exemplary bilateral relations that exist between TT and France since they established diplomatic relations in 1962, he said the two countries have collaborated in a range of sectors including health, water management, aviation, education, construction, culture and crime and security.

It was his hope, he said, that TT and France continue to mutually benefit from the sharing of their rich cultures, and to move towards deeper collaboration in the future.

In his address, Picquart spoke about the universal ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity associated with the French Revolution of 1789.

The challenges of climate change and transnational crime, he said, were critical issues affecting TT, France and the world at large.

Noting the close cultural ties between TT and France, he referred to local cultural icon Calypso Rose, who experienced great success in France where she was awarded a Victoire de la Musique in February this year.
The power grid is failing in Central America

Earlier this month a massive power outage hit Central America, leaving millions of people without electricity for hours. The outage was caused by an overload in the Central American Transmission System in Panama.

Though it mostly affected people in Costa Rica and Panama, the outage also partially affected power in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. These countries all share the same electricity transmission line, which extends approximately 1,130 miles between Panama and Guatemala.

Each country has its own security mechanism that automatically disconnects from the regional system in case of an incident or imbalance. Unfortunately, Costa Ricas protection system was not able to address the problem, leaving 1.4 million homes and businesses without power for five hours, reported the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (also known as ICE). ICE immediately diagnosed the problem, noting the origin of the blackout was outside of the country.

Chaos reigned as most traffic lights were down and police officers had to step in to direct the traffic in all seven provinces. In San Jose, Costa Ricas capital, only 159 traffic lights were operating normally because they run on solar energy, noted Public Works and Transport Minister German Valverde.

During the power outage, 71 accidents were reported across the country, with 36 of them occurring in the Greater Metropolitan Area. Many business owners were forced to close early and the Water and Sewers Institute reported water shortages in several communities.

Since the main airport in San Jose was run on backup power, it was the least affected by the outage, The Civil Aviation Administration said in the same news release. Juan Santamaria International Airport, however, had to suspend operations for 30 minutes to run a safety verification protocol of its control tower and communications systems.

It was Coast Ricas  which is among the most developed countries in Latin America  first major power outage since 2007 when a failure at the Arenal-Canas transmission line in the province of Guanacaste caused an hour-long power outage across the country.

In Panama, an estimated two million people were left in the dark after the power outage, interrupting a major speech of Panamanian President, Juan Carlos Varela. Furthermore, Nicaragua had to tap power from the grid of its neighboring country, Honduras, to keep the lights on. (Related: Find more news about the electrical grid at Power.news.)

Is Central Americas power grid in need of an upgrade?

During a press conference, President Luis Guillermo Solis and ICE Executive President Carlos Obregon said the power failure in a transmission line in Panama caused a strong imbalance of 500 Megawatts, which caused a failure in Costa Ricas surge protection system.

As reported by the Tico Times, this was the second time in one week major parts of Central America were left without power for hours. Just days before the latest outage, a series of explosions and a fire at an ICE substation in Desamparados, Costa Rica, south of the capital, left more than 121,000 of its customers without electricity for almost 24 hours.

Since its not the first time problems on the Panama line have occurred, questions about the failing power grid are arising. Will power outages become the new issue Central America has to face? In March 2017, a similar power outage occurred, leaving parts of Panama without electricity for as long as 16 hours. As a result, the Panamanian economy saw a loss of revenue of more than $20 million, or $1.3 million per hour. The grid failure also affected other Central American countries, including Nicaragua and Honduras.

Central America is not the only one facing power issues. Recently, President Trump ordered nationwide preparation against power grid collapse initiated by cyber warfare. Read the full story.

Sources include:

Yahoo.com

TicoTimes.net

UPI.com

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Egypt expressed concern over the countries, which do not respect the UN Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on terror groups, singling out Qatar for what it called its pro-terrorism policy.

Egypts Deputy UN Ambassador Ihab Awad Moustafa went in a tirade against Qatar before the UN Security Council after the adoption of a resolution renewing sanctions on the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda.

It is crucial for the Security Council to make the countries that dont respect these resolutions accountable he said, insisting, it is shameful that the Security Council has failed to hold Doha responsible for its actions, which, he said, cannot continue.

The Egyptian diplomats remarks prompted a reaction from Qatars UN ambassador, Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani. She accused him of making baseless accusations. She said Egypt is not acting in the best interest of the UN because it is exploiting its non-permanent seat at the Security Council to drag in issues that are not relevant to the councils agenda. Such irrelevant issues are just serving Egypts own national agenda.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar early June over funding of terrorism. The bloc also cut ground, air and sea links with their neighbor.

The ongoing diplomatic rift has been described as a family affair that should be solved through dialogue spearheaded by regional states; most especially member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Deputy Ambassador Moustafa insisted that the UN Security Council resolutions must be effective and must stop any violation because Qatar believes that the economic interests and the different political orientations will protect them from any accountability vis-a-vis the Security Council if they violate its resolutions.

Meanwhile reports that the quartets demands for the boycott and blockade be lifted on Qatar have been watered down from 13 to 6 has been rejected as false.

The reports surfaced this week after Saudi Arabias permanent envoy to the UN Abdallah Al-Mouallimi briefed a group of UN reporters about the six principles, which, he said, would be easy for Qatar to abide by after it rejected the first 13 demands, it deemed unrealistic.

Mouallimi said the six principles, come up during the July 5 meeting of the foreign ministers of the quartet, include Qatars commitment to combat extremism and terrorism, prevent financing and granting safe havens for such groups, and suspend all acts of provocations against its neighbors.
A court in Blida, 45 km South-west of capital Algiers, has put on trial a 30-year old blogger over posting on Facebook classified documents revealing the countrys procurement of 200,000 canisters of tear gas in 2016.

The blogger, Abbelhakim Mohandi, was arrested on July 16 in the city of Blida after security authorities accused him of disseminating secret documents showing that the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) acquired 200,000 canisters of tear gas 37/38 mm from Condor S.A. Quimica, a Brazilian company, in 2016, local media tsa-algerie.com reports.

Mohandis lawyer, Amine Sidhoum told the media the defendant, who first appeared in a court July 18, has been charged for dissemination of secret documents, of illegal detention and publication of materials.

Mohandi is also facing another charge over insults to a state body, reference to the DGSN.

The court set July 30 as verdict day.

Mohandi is admin of several online forums including El hidjra wa nass el ghorba DZ and Revolution des jeunes algeriens.

BBC correspondent Said Chitour was arrested last month over alleged handover of secret documents to a foreign power for money. He faces life imprisonment if found guilty.
Moroccos efforts to tap into new tourism markets yielded fruitful results helping the country boost tourist arrivals with approximately 3 million visitors in the first four months of 2017, that is a 10% rise compared to the same period last year, said the Oxford Business Group (OBG).

The sector performed strongly across nearly all segments, with only cruise-ship arrivals slipping in the first quarter of 2017, the OBG underscored in a report, noting that this generally positive performance comes at a time when security concerns and political instability continue to take their toll on several of other traditionally popular destinations in the MENA region.

The report cites Mohamed Sajid, the Moroccan tourism minister, who said the tourist sector is on course of expanding by a forecasted 5.5% in 2017, with overall visitor numbers reaching 10.9m. Revenue is expected to hit $6.5bn, up from $6.4bn in 2016, the OBG added.

The report also sheds light on Moroccos incentives to attract Chinese tourists by relaxing entry requirements for visitors, recalling that Morocco took the step of exempting Chinese nationals from visa requirements at the beginning of June 2016.

The visa exemption initiative, announced during King Mohammed VIs visit to China in 2016, resulted in a three-fold increase of arrivals from China compared to 2015.

Growth is expected to continue through 2017, with 100,000 Chinese tourists forecast to visit Morocco throughout the year, up from 42,000 in 2016, states the OBG.

The OBG also highlights the improvement of Moroccos air connectivity with China, notably after the Office National Marocain du Tourisme (ONMT), established partnerships with three key international airlines  Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air France  with a view to increasing the number of regular flights connecting Chinese cities with Moroccos prime tourist destinations.

On the other hand, the OBG notes that visitor numbers from other key markets also increased over the first four months of 2017. Thus the number of tourists grew from the US by 47%, Spain (26%), Germany (22%), Belgium (21%) and Italy (16%).

A stable and secure political environment, combined with incentives and infrastructural development, has helped Morocco to create an attractive investment climate, resulting in a raft of new hotel projects, the report highlighted
Oops, how did that get there? Photo: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Back in May, Nicole Kushner Meyer was caught mentioning her brother Jared Kushners name and his new position in the Trump administration during a pitch to Chinese investors. During the event in Beijing, investors were told that they could receive an EB-5 investor visa if they put at least $500,000 into Kushner Companies luxury-apartment-building project in New Jersey.

After this stirred controversy in the U.S., the Kushner family apologized, and confirmed that Jared Kushner had left the company to join the Trump administration and was not involved in the project.

Kushner Companies apologizes if that mention of her brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors, the company said. That was not Ms. Meyers intention.

Nearly three months later, CNN found that Jared Kushner is still being used in online promotional materials by two businesses working with the Kushner family. A post on the WeChat page of the Florida-based U.S. Immigration Fund references Kushners appearance on the cover of a recent issue of Forbes Magazine with the headline This guy got Trump elected.

The page, which is in Chinese, refers to the Kushners as real estate heavyweights and notes the celebrity of the family is 30-something Mr. Perfect Jared Kushner, who once served as CEO of Kushner Companies.

The WeChat page of Qiaowai, a Chinese immigration company, says Kushner Companies is linked to Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Given this, in the Trump era, the EB-5 program is likely to receive support and be expanded.

A Kushner Companies spokesperson told CNN that the company was not aware of these sites and has nothing to do with them. The company will be sending a cease and desist letter regarding the references to Jared Kushner.

U.S. Immigration Fund noted that the post is several months old and said it was originally posted by a 3rd party immigration consultancy firm on its company WeChat and was reposted to USIFs WeChat by the companys Chinese social media consultant. They said its now been removed.

Qiaowai has yet to respond, and the webpage was still up on Wednesday afternoon.

It seems Kushner Companies has been having some communications problems with the other two businesses. Back in May, Kushner Companies suggested it didnt know an image of President Trump was included in a slide used during Meyers pitch because it was part of a presentation by the events organizers, meaning Qiaowai. Kushner Companies had nothing to do with it, the company claimed.
Hes certainly behaving like someone whos hiding something deeply incriminating. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The legal conflict between Donald Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller is escalating rapidly. New reports in the Washington Post and New York Times are clear signals that Trump is contemplating steps  firing Mueller or issuing mass pardons  that would seem to go beyond the pale. Except: Trumps entire career is beyond the pale and, in his time on the political stage, the unthinkable has become thinkable with regularity.

Trumps actions are best understood in the context of the overwhelming likelihood he, his family members, and at least some of his associates are guilty of serious crimes. The investigation might not produce proof of criminal collusion with Russias illegal hacking of Democratic emails. (Though reasonable grounds for suspicion already exists in abundance.)

Where Mueller seems to be creating special pain for Trump is in his investigation of financial links between Russia, Trump, and other members of the presidents inner circle. In his interview with the New York Times Wednesday night, Trump threatened to fire Mueller if he probed into what Trump called financial matters unrelated to Russia. The Post reports that Muellers examination of Trumps financial dealings is the presidents primary frustration and that Trump is especially disturbed that Mueller will access his tax returns.

Trumps lawyers have stated explicitly what Trump hinted at in the interview: He regards an expanding of the probe as a red line that might cause him to fire Mueller. The fact is that the president is concerned about conflicts that exist within the special counsels office and any changes in the scope of the investigation, Sekulow said. A close adviser added, If youre looking at Russian collusion, the presidents tax returns would be outside that investigation.

Trumps team is not merely warning Mueller to stay away from random, unrelated transactions. They are specifically holding up Trumps financial dealings with Russians as out of bounds: Theyre talking about real estate transactions in Palm Beach several years ago, Sekulow tells the Post. In our view, this is far outside the scope of a legitimate investigation.

The Palm Beach transaction is a source of longtime suspicion. Trump purchased a property for $41 million and then, after improving it, sold it just two years later to a Russian oligarch for more than twice as much. This is a completely natural area for investigation. If the Kremlin wanted to finance Trump, overpaying for a property would be an obvious way to do so.

Mueller is also investigating other Trump financial transactions. Trumps opaque business dealings include a lot of shady figures, including members of the Russian mafia. Why has Trump adamantly refused to disclose his tax returns, even at a significant cost to himself? And why does he appear to be so terrified at Mueller looking under these rocks? The simplest explanation is that he is probably hiding something deeply incriminating.

Trump has shown himself immune to widespread warnings that certain steps are simply not done. His hiding of tax returns, firing of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (who was investigating Russian financial crimes when he was let go), and ousting of FBI director James Comey were all steps that would seem to immolate his career. Ordering the Department of Justice to fire Mueller, or pardoning the targets of his investigations, would be an open announcement that Trump considers his financial ties to the Russian underworld and state to be beyond any legal accountability. The ominous threats emanating from the White House are that of an administration mobilizing for war against the rule of law.
Sad to see Dennis Rodman go. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images

United States citizens will soon be barred from traveling to North Korea, a move the Trump administration has made in the aftermath of the June death of Otto Warmbier. The Ohio-native was imprisoned after visiting North Korea last year and died last month after he was returned to the U.S. in a coma.

Though it hasnt been officially announced by the government, the ban was confirmed by two travel agencies that take Americans to North Korea. Both Koryo Tours and Young Pioneers Tours have said that the ban will go into effect at the end of August. An anonymous U.S. official has also confirmed it to CNN. After the ban goes into effect, anyone traveling to North Korea on a U.S. passport will have it invalidated by the U.S. government.

The new rule will not affect many Americans. In recent years, the number of visitors to North Korea, which the State Department warns Americans against visiting, has rarely exceeded 1,250, according to ABC News.

News of the travel ban comes just as the U.S. state closest to North Korea begins to prepare for the possibility of a nuclear strike. On Friday, the Hawaii Emergency Management System began rolling out an education plan to prepare Hawaiians for the possibility of 15-kiloton nuclear bomb being detonated 1,000 feet above the capital city of Honolulu.

So far, it calls for PSAs telling people to get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned, according to Hawaii News Now. That may seem obvious, but with as few as eight minutes to prepare for an imminent strike, its about the only message thats worth spreading. The state is also planning to test a new emergency alarm system in November.

We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards, said Vern Miyagi, the administrator of the agency.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the head of CIA is spouting off about regime change in Pyongyang, which might make Hawaiian officials move a little faster to prepare for that bomb.

It would be a great thing to denuclearize the peninsula, to get those weapons off of that, but the thing that is most dangerous about it is the character who holds the control over them today, Mike Pompeo said at Aspen Security Forum Thursday. So from the administrations perspective, the most important thing we can do is separate those two.

As for the regime, I am hopeful we will find a way to separate that regime from this system, he added. The North Korean people Im sure are lovely people and would love to see him go.

Pompeos comments mark a far more friendly attitude toward regime change than comments from other administration officials. Like the one from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said in April, Our goal is not regime change.
McConnell is still planning votes on health-care legislation next week. But many things have to go right for his strategy to succeed, and not all of them are within his control. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

It appears that the saga of the Senates consideration of major health-care legislation is going to end as it began: in a deep fog of secrecy and uncertainty, with no clear outcome in sight.

Even as Senate GOP leaders insist they will press for votes next week, there is not, at present, any version of legislation to repeal and/or replace Obamacare that the requisite 50 Republican senators can support. That is most emphatically true of the two proposals currently on the table: the revised Better Care Reconciliation Act (itself a variation on the House-passed American Health Care Act) that Senators Lee and Moran torpedoed last weekend, and a revived straight Obamacare repeal plan modeled on the legislation the Senate approved and President Obama vetoed in 2015.

The two big questions at the moment are whether there is some hypothetical twist on BCRA that can pick up a few more votes without losing any of the bills previous supporters  and whether, with or without any such deal, McConnell can secure the 50 votes he needs to bring up the legislation for consideration in the first place. If that answer to the second question is no, then nothing else matters.

An announcement yesterday by the firmest-of-firm Republican opponents of BCRA, Rand Paul, that he would indeed vote for a motion to proceed if he is guaranteed a vote on a straight repeal plan, created a fresh glimmer of hope that McConnell can bring up health-care legislation even if the path to passage of any particular plan is unclear. Once the bill is on the floor, the Senate budget process requires a brief but uncontrolled period of wide-open amendments commonly called a vote-a-rama. Even as Republicans fight off mischievous Democratic amendments designed to put them on record as favoring or opposing various high-profile health-care policy propositions, theyll have the opportunity to eventually coalesce  or so McConnell hopes, anyway  around some BCRA revision that will be offered as a substitute for the House bill the Senate will use as a starting point.

As to what such a revision might look like, it would almost have to closely resemble BCRA in its basic structure to keep conservatives onboard. That means maintaining a permanent cap on federal Medicaid expenditures, and including some version of the controversial Cruz amendment, which would allow insurers to offer cheaper and less comprehensive individual health-insurance plans. The Cruz amendment is designed to lower premiums for younger and healthier people, at the risk of much higher premiums for those with preexisting health conditions.

Getting Senate moderates to vote for a bill with a Medicaid per capita cap and the Cruz amendment is where the whole process has ground to a halt. But it seems the strategy is for McConnell to throw absolutely every nickel of funding at his disposal (somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 billion in excess deficit reduction, according to the latest Congressional Budget Offices assessment of the revised BCRA) at the states to ease immediate coverage concerns caused by the rest of the bill.

But there is an existential threat to this scheme that could emerge as early as today, when the Senate parliamentarian informally lets senators know of her rulings as to whether various provisions of the pending bill (and various likely amendments) pass muster under budget rules requiring that all items are germane to federal spending and revenue levels. According to a handful of experts assembled by the Times, there is a decent chance the parliamentarian will deem the Cruz amendment unallowable. If so, that would leave McConnell with the unsavory choice of finding some way to regain conservative support for yet another revision of BCRA or, worse yet, overturning the parliamentarians ruling on the Senate floor. This latter contingency would, many fear, lead to a de facto abolition of the legislative filibuster, since a simple majority could at any time rule any provision germane to a budget bill, which cannot be filibustered.

So a lot is going on under the cloak of secrecy as we approach the climactic week. Still another variable is whether and when John McCain  diagnosed earlier this week with brain cancer  returns to the Senate. His absence means that it takes only two dissenting Republican senators to derail the critical motion-to-proceed necessary to get the ball rolling on health-care legislation.

All in all, the odds of legislation successfully emerging from this nightmarish tangle remain quite low, despite the insistence of the GOP leadership and the president that failure is not an option. The fundamental problem remains that just enough Republican senators either absolutely demand or greatly fear, a reversal of the movement toward universal health coverage that Obamacare represented and partially achieved. That is a conundrum that even Mitch McConnells role model, the Great Compromiser Henry Clay, would have struggled to resolve.
Photo: Getty Images

As the Trump presidency rumbles along, it has been plagued by one particularly fierce and dogged critic: Donald Trump, whose lengthy history of intemperate tweets has left behind dozens of published, archived statements that stand in direct contradiction to his administrations policies. Now, in the White House, he has a companion.

Earlier Friday, New York financier and entrepreneur Anthony Scaramucci was appointed the new White House communications director. Much like the early days of Sean Spicer  may he rest in peace  folks, us included, were quick to follow and note Scaramuccis Twitter presence. Notably, the Mooch is among the most prominent White House members of #TeamFollowBack: He follows an absurd 168,000 people (including yours truly). Maybe more to the point: His feed is filled with tweets that directly disagree with the president. He has since deleted a few of them, namely ones that blatantly criticized President Trump, but for the most part, Scaramuccis Twitter remains a museum full of relics that seem to fly in the face of key tenets of the Trump administration.

On walls.

Walls don't work. Never have never will. The Berlin Wall 1961-1989 don't fall for it. pic.twitter.com/urKlDWAhdt  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) December 1, 2015

On guns.

We (the USA) has 5% of the world's population but 50% of the world's guns. Enough is enough. It is just common sense it apply more controls  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) August 6, 2012

On party affiliation.



@cda0519 I am not a partisan. For Gay Marriage, against the death penalty, and Pro Choice. I am for social inclusion, fiscal responsibility  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) June 8, 2012

On Trump.

Uh oh! @Scaramucci is deleting old tweets that criticized Trump. Don't worry, the internet is forever! pic.twitter.com/ksCeBVIzU5  Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) July 21, 2017

On free speech.

The first amendment supersedes any of our individual opinions. It is the strength and bedrock of who we are.  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) November 15, 2011

On Russia.

@hedgeygrl Michele, follow all terror roads, they lead not just to Damascus, but to Moscow.  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) September 13, 2012

On climate change being real.

You can take steps to combat climate change without crippling the economy. The fact many people still believe CC is a hoax is disheartening  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) March 11, 2016

On Hillary Clinton.

"@infovestment: @Scaramucci if Hillary keeps this up,she might be back in play for 2016...." I hope she runs, she is incredibly competent  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) April 16, 2012

@frenchcarguy I like Hillary. Have to go with the best athlete. We need to turn this around.  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) April 20, 2012

On blaming all Muslims for the actions of a radical minority.

"It is a fight within Islam, overwhelming majority see Islam as a religion of peace, want to live in multiracial/ethnic/faith democracies"  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) January 23, 2016

On  actually, this one has nothing to do with Trump, but just read it anyway.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In the fight against Russian hackers, Microsoft is using its vast legal resources to go after the tools used by mysterious hacker group Fancy Bear, and not the group itself. According to the Daily Beast, Microsoft filed suit against the hacking team in court last year, accusing it of computer intrusion, cybersquatting, and infringing on Microsofts trademarks.

But dont expect a 400-pound hacker to take the stand in an American courtroom anytime soon. The tactic is designed to allow Microsoft to cut Fancy Bear off from the servers it needs to carry out its cyberattacks and intrusions. The Daily Beast reports that so far, Microsoft has wrested 70 command-and-control points away from the hackers, who may or may not be agents of the Russian government.

It has also taken control of domains used by the group, such as livemicrosoft.net and rsshotmail.com, both of which use trademarked Microsoft assets. As soon as Microsoft began sinkholing these domains, Fancy Bear would register new ones, turning the court proceedings into a type of whack-a-mole that currently requires an independent monitor to oversee takedown requests.

Fancy Bear has been nearly untraceable, and Microsofts subpoena powers have provided little information about who the hackers are or where they reside (they make payments with bitcoin or prepaid credit cards). But so long as companies like Microsoft keep finding ways to move them around, they create more opportunities for the hackers to slip up.
Bye-bye, my Spicey boy. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

There is an enormous amount of competition in the White House for most memorable employee. But sadly, the top non-president contender has just stepped aside. Exactly 181 days, 23 hours, and some change after Trump took the oath of office, White House press secretary Sean Spicer has officially resigned his post. As press secretary, Sean Spicer did  well, honestly, not a whole lot of good. But he did, through his weird love of cinnamon gum, his hatred of Dippin Dots, and his inability to pronounce some pretty basic words, worm his way directly into the heart of the internet. Lets look back on all of the content Spicer provided:

That time he, indirectly, gave us all those rogue National Park accounts.

When the central account of the National Park Service tweeted some pictures of the small crowds at Donald Trumps inauguration, the account  and all its subsidiary accounts  were placed under temporary gag by direct order of Trump. Sean Spicer insisted the White House had nothing to do with the shuttering of the accounts, but it was later revealed that was untrue. As a result, we got rogue accounts run by people claiming to be employees of NPS speaking out anonymously and, even better, actual NPS accounts, like the Badlands tweeting about climate control and Death Valley talking about Japanese internment during the 1940s.

His tweets. All of them.

During the early days of his time as press secretary, people mined Sean Spicers old tweets. There were some real gems, let me tell you. Spicer had tweeted, multiple times, about how Dippin Dots is, in fact, not the ice cream of the future. He also had it out for Daft Punk.

I think I have said this before but Dippin Dots are notthe ice cream of the future  Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) September 22, 2011

The gum thing.

Sean Spicer chews and swallows something like 35 pieces  two and a half packs  of cinnamon gum each day. Before noon. Thats weird, though Spicer said his doctor told him its totally safe.

Alternative Facts

A great way to hit the ground running is by actively lying to the American people on day one. Spicer stood before the press and insisted that the crowd at Trumps inauguration was the largest in inaugural history. (This is a lie, and the photos speak for themselves.) His comments, in addition to Trumps, would later inspire Kellyanne Conways now-infamous alternative facts line on Meet the Press.

That time he got confused by satire.

Spicer retweeted a video from the Onion entitled Five Things to Know About Sean Spicer saying nailed it. One of the five things was a description of his role as press secretary as to provide the American public with robust and clearly articulated misinformation. Its truly unclear if Spicer actually watched the video.

When a woman yelled at him in an Apple Store.

Spicer was spotted in an Apple Store  apparently buying something in the Apple Watch family  when a woman approached him, calling his boss a fascist. He probably should have just sent an intern.

Asking @PressSec questions in Apple Store since he doesn't like the press. https://t.co/l493z2gG4x  Shree  (@shreec) March 11, 2017

That time he forgot how to say concentration camps.

While discussing Bashar al-Assad reportedly using sarin gas to attack Syrian citizens, Spicer essentially rewrote history. We didnt use chemical weapons in World War II. Yknow, you had  someone who is despicable as Hitler who didnt even sink to the, to the, to using chemical weapons. (Hitler, obviously, did just that.) He later couldnt remember what concentration camps were called, instead coming up with Holocaust centers.

When somebody found his Venmo.

Friendly reminder: If you hold a highly public position in one of the most powerful governments in the world, maybe set your Venmo account to private. Otherwise, people will certainly troll you by requesting money.

When he confused Donald Trump and Ben Carson.

While tweeting what should have been an announcement about Ben Carson as the newly confirmed secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Spicer accidentally announced the role had gone to Donald Trump. He even tagged Trumps account in the tweet. (Both Carson and Trump have Twitter handles that begin with REAL.) This mistake was later rectified.

That thing with the bushes. Or, um, being among the bushes.

After James Comey was fired from his role as FBI director, the Washington Post reported that Spicer spent time talking to reporters in near darkness after spending several minutes hidden in the bushes. Later, the Post would update their story to clarify that Spicer had been among the bushes, rather than in them.

Several 1500-word stories about Spicer have failed to capture what his post-pub phone calls are like better than this correction does. pic.twitter.com/IWQheEBjVS  Tom McGeveran (@tmcgev) May 11, 2017

The time he joked about Russian salad dressing.

If the president put Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight somehow thats a Russia connection, Spicer told American Urban Radio Networks Washington bureau chief April Ryan during a press briefing. Cue the salad-dressing memes.

spotted at White House pic.twitter.com/xEpVBup7IK  Sam Stein (@samstein) March 28, 2017

The time he didnt take any questions and a choir of reporters yelled his name at an empty podium.

Farewell, Sean. We, the viral-content bloggers of the world, miss you already.
Musky. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Elon Musk clearly knows his talents. Hes a billionaire who commands a small archipelago of companies, and hes probably the first person you think of when you think of electric cars. But his real gift is both more prosaic and more important than any particular executive or managerial skill: Elon Musk knows how to get attention.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO was certainly putting that gift on display yesterday morning, when he made a striking and confusing claim about his recently launched infrastructure venture on Twitter:

Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017

City center to city center in each case, with up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators in each city  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017

Almost immediately  as transportation, tech, and infrastructure journalists frantically called the many government press offices implied in the tweet  headlines like Musk Touts Approval of New York-Washington Hyperloop also blared the claim uncritically. At first, it was unclear what exactly Musk meant yesterday morning, since reporters quickly discovered that the many government entities from which the Boring Company couldve received verbal govt approval at the local, state, and federal levels didnt know what he was talking about. By way of clarification, a spokesperson for the company told The Guardian that his boss was referring to promising conversations with government officials, though even then only the White House would cop to having participated in these conversations, and only in the vaguest terms.

Eventually, the truth  or something resembling it  came to light: The entire story appears to boil down to someone in the ill-informed but infrastructure-obsessed Trump administration telling Musk or an associate they thought an underground New York to D.C. hyperloop was a cool idea. The fact that what Musk claimed was a vast exaggeration at best meant that it quickly garnered tens of thousands of retweets, egged on by Musk kibitzing about extending the hypothetical line to Boston and eventually building another in Texas. One woman on Twitter claimed to be crying.

The entire incident would be more surprising if it wasnt simply what Musk does. Yesterdays tweets are pure Musk shtick: lightly self-congratulatory, outlandish, opaque, and not really true, at least in the traditional sense of the word. Its also emblematic of how Musk has helped to puff up his own legend. This isnt even the first time hes pulled something like this in the past week. On Saturday, he trotted out an old favorite of his, the overwhelming danger of artificial intelligence, while being interviewed by Nevada governor Brian Sandoval at a meeting of the National Governors Association. Musk made an appeal for the regulation of artificial intelligence, which hes repeatedly said is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization. Its a claim actual roboticists look askance at, to put it politely, but that generally doesnt stop Musk.

Thats not to say that Musk doesnt truly believe in the danger of a coming robot apocalypse  or in the importance of his verbal govt approval  just that these claims follow a pattern. This week is just the latest in Musks history of unusual claims and behavior. Last summer, when Teslas semi-autonomous vehicles were involved in several crashes, Musk said reporters skeptical of automated cars bore responsibility for traffic deaths. Profiled by Vogue in 2015, he casually suggested SpaceX would cut the time it took to get to Mars in half. He jokingly encouraged comparisons to Iron Man when he was spotted visiting the Pentagon for what was probably a meeting about a satellite, and briefly joined Trumps tech council to eventually engage in the empty gesture of quitting. Apropos of nothing, hell just tweet about how much he loves floors, then decline to elaborate. Hes always happy to play the publicly quixotic billionaire, at turns cheeky and bristling.

Its not necessarily surprising that people pay close attention to Musk: Hes one of Silicon Valleys best-known figureheads. But its interesting that Musk garners nearly as much coverage, if not more, than famous tech figures like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page, all of whom are worth vastly more than Musk, and have somewhat more concrete accomplishments on which their legends might be built.

Without diminishing Musks obvious success, its worth noting that PayPal, which Musk co-founded and first made his name and fortune with, largely took off after he was ousted as CEO and the company was bought by eBay. SpaceX, the company that Musk hopes will allow him to die on Mars, largely owes its survival to contracts from NASA and other government and military agencies. Tesla is a stock-market darling, but even Musk admits that its overvalued. (And thats not even covering its various sales and labor problems.)

But Musk doesnt need to be batting 1.000 to get attention  especially not if he has a good understanding of how the media works. The tech press is both complicit in and trapped by the Musk shtick: Eccentric Billionaire Has Strange Idea and/or Statement is a story thats hard to pass up, but it also means that when Musk says something as patently untrue as his verbal govt approval tweet, reporters have to contend with his coyness, even though he was almost certainly being deliberately vague in order to get written up and covered by cable news. There are decent ways to do this reporting, like pointing out that Musk may not be dealing in good faith, or not publishing headlines that seem to affirm  or at least uncritically spread  his dubious claims. But for the time being, as long as he wants press, Musk will get it, because hes Elon Musk.

And because people want to read about Musk. Musk is in the business of trying to sell people a very specific and largely unrealized vision of the future, one thats far more exciting, at least as he describes it, than those offered by the Zuckerbergs and Bezoses of the world. And hes smartly realized that there is a public appetite for research-intensive, futuristic moon shots (sometimes literally), even if politicians and civil servants are wary of making those kinds of commitments. Musk, of course, has no such caution. But because his future doesnt pay the bills or produce much in the way of tangible results as quickly as a giant logistics network or an advertising duopoly, he has to generate public excitement about the possibility of electric cars, vaporware hyperloops, and commercial trips to Mars. Those are large-scale, infrastructural projects that necessarily involve government support and regulatory hurdles. But that means the excitement Musk needs has to be ginned up with little concrete progress to help it along, which is why he has his shtick. When he cant effectively lobby the government, he tries to appeal directly to the public. And because Musk is a salesman at heart, theres inevitably some sort of ask. Heres what it was yesterday:

If you want this to happen fast, please let your local & federal elected representatives know. Makes a big difference if they hear from you.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017

Besides, when he says something really egregiously bizarre, hell just do what he did today and walk it back:
LMAO

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Damn! @ John Cusack. He ain't lying tho.



Edited at 2017-07-20 01:33 pm (UTC)

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Yep. I feel bad for McCain and his family because cancer is fucking evil. But I'll be honest, when the alert popped up on my phone last night I let out a little laugh just because this is only going to further highlight just how awful the GOP are. (And then promptly felt really guilty because this is an actual person suffering.)



McCain has amazing healthcare paid for by taxpayers and because of that his family isn't going to have to worry about medical debt on top of taking care of him in what is unfortunately his final days. Wouldn't it be nice if that was true for every American?

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McCain has lived a long full life and as you said has the best healthcare in the world. No need to pray for him since prayers don't heal people the way healthcare does .

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I had the exact same reaction when I saw the news alert on my phone as well. John Cusack's not wrong.

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My mother in law just got out of the hospital today after having operations for both colon and endometrial cancer. Doctors are confident that she's cancer free now :)

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i mean..... bloop, he tells it. he just said exactly what's on our mind, tbh

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Im shook tbh. Like yeah he has brain tumor and the best healthcare available.

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His tweet is glorious.

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I'm not so sure about that. McCain is an old school republican not some populist partisan nut job. I would bet a fair amount of money he was actually a big part of getting the votes to get ACA passed in the first place. Note the last quote and who its from.

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good thing you have insurance, you fucking asshole

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Mte, and money

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Tell em, Mr. Cusack.

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Fuck cancer tbh

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absolutely

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I wouldn't wish glioblastoma on anyone, it leads to such an undignified and painful death. Having said that though, fuck anyone who thinks this shouldn't be politicized. It's due partially to the ravaging nature of this disease in particular that this SHOULD be politicized. Bc many people out there will come face to face with it or something similar to it and not have the same sort of care. Even the best care out there is no match for a cancer like this so imagine not having adequate treatment.

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Yeah, same. I wouldn't even wish it on Trump. It seems so horrendous. Even with the best care you basically have a year to live, and what kind of year is that? It's filled with chemo and surgeries. It sucks.

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Nah I wish it on trump

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My dad was diagnosed with it in April.

Last night, CNN's twitter said his tumor was removed and I blasted them saying how? And fuck them for giving people false hope. GBMs are inoperable. They always come back and almost nobody survives them. My dad won't and neither will McCain. I feel bad for everyone who gets this. It's frightening and robs everyone of their happiness. Fuck cancer.

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I agree. I wish McCain the best but this should be a wake up call that every American needs quality healthcare.

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All of this. Cancer is harsh, but I couldn't help but think, "This would be considered a pre-existing condition, not that he needs to worry about that."

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It's been 13 and a half months and I'm still trying to cope.

All the best to you and your family. xxx

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i hate cancer for robbing me of my father 3 years ago. there's still not a day that i don #t miss him.

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Trump Team used Obamacare funds to run negative ads against it per The Daily Beast

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Waiting for Trump's BS

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He already said "Get well soon!! xoxox"

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From the source:



President Trump tweeted, Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family. Get well soon.

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Which intern wrote that tbh

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I'm dying @ "Get well soon" like he doesn't have motherfucking cancer but just the flu

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Jfc. There's no fucking getting well soon from this PARTICULAR type of cancer. There is no remission. There's no tumor removal.

Fuck. Fuck this administration.

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And just to be clear, it wasn't a tweet, it was a picture of the statement from the White House Press Office, tweeted out from his two accounts with the text in the actual tweet copying a line in the official statement. Trump had not a damn thing to do with that statement.



Obama, who ran against McCain and was subject to the racist garbage that came from his campaign said something personal. Sarah Palin, who hates McCain, said something personal. Biden put out a personal statement. So did both Clintons. Hell, so did Kellyanne. But Trump couldn't be bothered.

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Cancer can be so fast moving, especially brain cancer. Hopefully his family is able to spend as much time as possible with him given the outcome isn't too great but especially at his age :( My aunt was 54 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and maybe about a month or 2 later it was so aggressive that it spread to her brain and died 6 months later in hospice care.



I get not wanting to politicize it but as a lot of us were saying in last night's post--we are all one medical emergency away from our lives changing forever. If you don't have health insurance you could be one crisis away from debt and bankruptcy. Everyone deserves the same access to healthcare McCain has without worrying about the cost. People should not have to make gofundme pages to survive in this country. Republicans should ask themselves what would happen if they were diagnosed with brain cancer and had no health insurance. They can never open up their scope of empathy beyond colleagues like McCain and Scalise and yeah that pisses me off. People who don't want to point out the healthcare aspect to his care just don't want to face the truth imo. Last night I saw comments from people like Ben Jacobs like "Pro tip: If your take on John McCain is anything besides "I hope an American hero makes a quick and full recovery" you should never tweet." rme.

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I read somewhere that Americans are starting to think that medical issues actually do cost millions of dollars and that's why some are so scared of universal healthcare...like, people really think that setting a broken arm should cost tens of thousands of dollars.

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There's actually a great video from 2012 where Dr. Gupta tells you how much everything costs-from the IV bag, scans to even one hour in an OR. http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/06/27/n-medical-equipment-cost.cnnmoney/ Just basically how costly medical equipment can be - which is 10x more costly than your actual diagnosis most of the time. But what gets me (and I work in a hospital in Toronto right now) is that plenty of other countries have figured out healthcare!! Previously I spent one summer working in a Jacksonville hospital and the environment is completely different from Toronto. So many people act like universal healthcare is impossible in this country and it drives me up the wall. It's the same with gun control. There's such a fear around healthcare here and so many politicians prey on that fear. Meanwhile we spend billions on our military and other bullshit.

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It SHOULDNT cost tens of thousands of dollars, but it can, because the absolute biggest problem with US healthcare are cost controls.



I went to the emergency room for a cut on my finger which was much less worse than I thought it was. All they did was clean my cut and put a bandage on it. The cost? $2,000. I paid $800 out of pocket.

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Like when scalise was shot and republicans were clutching their pearls as if they haven't made it easy for any psycho to buy a gun.



I think it's okay to say hey get better but also let's discuss how millions of Americans don't have this luxury. People don't even have access to BASIC healthcare like vision and dental. Even when you buy insurance through the marketplace, it does not come included with dental or vision.

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i don't understand not wanting to politicize it. mccain is a politician, his decisions affected the lives of millions of people, there are people who are dead because of his decisions, people who are dying because his decisions, and there are families of people who are in dire situations because of his decisions. he didn't have to be a racist, homophobic, classist, war monger who put his elect-ability and his party over the well-being of the people over whom he was privileged and over whome he had power. he made those decisions, he fought consistently for certain things for at least the last decade, why erase that? how is it respectful to him to lie about his priorities?

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. Republicans should ask themselves what would happen if they were diagnosed with brain cancer and had no health insurance.



I have the feeling that they've convinced themselves that true hardworking Americans have access to health insurance, and that it's only the lazy people who want handouts who don't have insurance.

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Obama and the way he is with words is just a class unto himself. Here's hoping the best recovery possible.

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As soon as I read that tweet my brain went right to this.





God, do I miss them. Exactly. I came to the comments just to say this. The whole Obama family - class doesn't even cover it.As soon as I read that tweet my brain went right to this.God, do I miss them.

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LOL That second gif is all of us.

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YES, that line "cancer doesn't know what it's up against, give it hell" is just perfect, unlike that fucking "get well soon" Trump tweeted

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Did anyone see the commentary out of the Trump nyt article where it's obvious he thinks health insurance is life insurance and has them mixed up?

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he's stupid af

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just commented about this, he's so fucking dumb and out of touch.

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Not only that but he thinks a typical plan is TWELVE DOLLARS A YEAR.

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He's probably never had or even thought about either one in his entire life before this.

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oh yeah, and that he "know(s) a lot about health insurance."

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It's amazing how he accumulates such in depth knowledge of everything despite never having had any previous experience with it.

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He's rich enough that he's most likely never even thought about needing to have either one so this doesn't surprise me in the slightest honestly

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https://www.buzzfeed.com/bimadewunmi/meechy-monroe-was-more-than-a-youtube-star-to-me?utm_term=.wvrbEGgNX#.rgZk4q3Lw Meechy Monroe dying at 32 of brain cancer got to me. I met her in a hair conference in Paris a few months before she was diagnosed and watching her long suffering on social media has been unsettling

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so fucking unfair

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Fuck cancer. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

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ia w/ john cusack. feel awful that he and his family are going to have to deal with the horribleness that is cancer, but there are ppl who are faced with this same diagnosis who can't even get a fraction of the care(or any care for that matter) and it's so depressing.



also amazed at the NYT article where the current fraud in office apparently doesn't know the difference between life insurance and health insurance when claiming that working 21-year-olds pay $12 a year for health insurance and at that rate they'll eventually have an amazing policy.



Edited at 2017-07-20 01:44 pm (UTC)

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when they're seventy they'll have great insurance yep

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What the fuck @ that last part of your comment. Holy shit, he really does not understand the differences between health insurance and life insurance. 

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that $12 a year health insurance comment floored me like OMFG!!!!! it makes me rage harder that repubs are allowing this. like does he say this insane shit to them at those stupid AF dinners he keeps having?????

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This is why it's so important to correct people but I feel like a large chunk of people just see that as being hateful, and then if the person is in a position of power people are too scared to, it's so ridiculous.

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$12/year sounds more like renter's insurance, and only when it's bundled with an auto policy. Even in that situation, it's still like $4-10/month for the barest coverage for your stuff.



Where in this country can you get any kind of medical care for $12/year? My band aid and neosporin budget is more than that. Without hydrogen peroxide or anything, cause that pushes it up over $20.

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thank you for this comment

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I'm gonna add this to the post

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This is lovely of you and thanks for including international helplines. So many people here tend to leave the US numbers only.



ty <3

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thank you

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Holy shit. My mouth literally fell open at work when I got this news.



RIP

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Replying to my own comment, he has six children. Jesus.

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wow :( :(

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idk this...wow

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:( Wow. I feel so terrible for the family.

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I actually gasped out loud when I read this. How sad :(

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mine too..JFC

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same I actually gasped, I can't believe it X_X

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It really took a minute for me to catch my breath again. I was stunned!

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I felt my heart sink. I fucking love these guys so much. His poor wife and kids. And the rest of LP. Shit, man.

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I audibly gasped and said "what?!" into my quiet office when I saw. Still can't believe it.

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I legit gasped.

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Holy shit 

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Leaving 6 kids. Jesus.



Edited at 2017-07-20 06:26 pm (UTC)

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ikr

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I was shocked when I read he had that many in his wiki a while back.

But apparently he adopted some with a woman who had kids in a previous relationship.

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This is some shit

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Oh my god how horrible :(

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Holy crap. o_o RIP

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this is devastating. RIP.

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awful :(

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OMG.



I'm shaking right now.

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whoa

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this is so sad...leaving behind 6 kids and such a talented artist. fuck :(



i know a lot of people who were planning on going to the blink 182 and linkin park concert next week. it was cool that they were having a ~renaissance with their music rn



Edited at 2017-07-20 06:31 pm (UTC)

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shit there was someone here who posted about trying to decide whether or not to go and i told him/her to go bc blink 182 live with matt skiba was amazing.

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oh shit

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Scarlett's song at the end was beautiful, it made me cry

I am glad Gunnar and Scarlett are taking a break, they both need to grow and learn before being together for good



I miss Avery



Juliette was selfish, what's new, I just wish she would do this shit to people that deserve it...



I like Jessie a lot, I honestly like her better than Rayna, she has more personality

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I like Jessie too but at the same time I'm not sure if I trust her 

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I think they handled the miscarriage well.



Also im glad we have been put out of our misery in terms of Gunnar/Scarlett. idk why the writers even bothered to get them back together if they were gonna be miserable right away for no good reason.

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I know I haven't watched a few episodes (Scarlett was pregnant only an episode or two when I stopped) but



Maddie and Juliette get nominated for the same American Music Award



How

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lol isn't there a category for 'best country song' or whatever? Probably that.



I'm gonna be so annoyed if they turn maddie and Juliette into Juliette and Rayna.

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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needs more juliette. idgas about gunnar and his manpain

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Zendaya is such a goddamn queen. Will def watch this later.

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I really liked the video. And I thought that it was cool that they talked about positive news at the end. Gotta promote people doing well and inspiring others.

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Yes! I like the idea of ending on a hopeful note. Heaven knows we need it...

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This is cool. I really liked the good news at the end. I liked the celebration of black excellence when there's not enough of that going around.



Seriously though, I am so mad about this recent police shooting in Minnesota. The lawyer for Justine Damond also represented Philando Castile and he has the nerve to say that Justine Damond was the most innocent victim of a police shooting he's ever seen. The fact that a police officer is most likely going to go down for a police shooting because he was black and the victim is white enrages me so much when black person after black person gets killed by the police and nothing happens. It's such bullshit.

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It's so frustrating that this is only happening because Justine was white and the police officer is black. If he had been white, they wouldn't give a fuck and would make up an excuse for him to get free. It's really such bullshit.

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he's being cast as probably muslim (bc most somalians are muslim), and he's an immigrant too so it doesn't get any better than that for conservatives in finding a politically blameworthy police officer, if there must be one

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I agree on Philando Castile, but they still haven't decided whether to even charge the cop who shoot Justine Damond yet though, so I wouldn't say it's a forgone conclusion that he's going to be jailed for it

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bless ha!

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I laughed @ "what are your parents feeding you"

i think it's a good introductory video

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It's only available though her app?



Which is only available on iphone?



Well that's too bad then.

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You can watch on her website.



Is that the whole video?

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The whole video is on the last tweet.

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Thank you.

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I TRULY LOVE ZENDAYA SO MUCH

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This isnt may its well known that she is the worst. That girl will support anyone for a fucking job. I can see her fading into irrelevancy faster than the rest of them.

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Yeah she is never going to be a big star. Too unlikable and untalented tbh.

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You just described Kristen Stewart, so you can't count Ashley out, more's the pity.

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4) Former FWB of James Franco

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is that a bad thing? i'd do him. he seems like the type of guy whod fuck you right and then bother you with some "intelligent" nonsense but he's pretty so you dont mind, go for round two, maybe three, and then never see him again. (..i dont love myself)

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I would've hooked up with James c. 1999-2002, ngl. But post-2010....no thanks, lol

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I laughed so hard when I got to the 'I don't Love myself' part of your post, sorry. XD

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the only thing I really like about her is her penchant for tiny tattoos

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Just saw the title and knew I would looooove this post lol. Thank you, OP.



Also my favorite comment from an Ashley Benson post, I don't remember who wrote it. - "Bitch you were in Spring Breakers. Stay humble." lmaoooooooo

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can't stand her but probably not to the level to create an original post about z-list celebrity history of being problematic lol

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honestly, this was only going to be done after she reposted the pic of woody allen to her twitter lmao.

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and none of these things are that bad like??

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https://enfantsrichesdeprimes.com/collections/all



Also not here for people talking about seeing 'Valerian and the city of a thousand planets' then complaining about Woody Allen.



This is not a choose your own adventure.



Ugh I know for a fact that stupid 'DJ Heroin' t-shirt cost $255 as well. She probably didn't pay for it but fuck her, still.Also not here for people talking about seeing 'Valerian and the city of a thousand planets' then complaining about Woody Allen.This is not a choose your own adventure.

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whtf are these prices, who is paying 1k for a simple hoodie

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Dumb rich idiots. The brand was also started by a dumb rich idiot.



Its not a basic sweatshirt, its a PIECE!!!1



Edited at 2017-07-21 11:45 pm (UTC)

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Whats the deal with Valerian?

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Kanye's collection is less basic than that.

...and i can even try to justify Kanye's prices but those.. ugh this is what i call "bs fashion" do some crap, make it overpriced let the instadummies w money buy it. (which is not too different from regular fashion at times)

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I'm so HERE for this post

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never watched PLL, but the cast drama with Lucy always intrigued me

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I need to know this cast drama, I've always wondered!

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didn't it all stem from over a guy or something like that?

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Whatever happened seemed to have been resolved after a while because by the end of the show all of them were friends again.

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LMAO

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loooool i need to see that ahah

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and said "what?" LMAO

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I don't know anything about the cast but I want some drama, can somebody spill the tea?

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I never hear much about the other girls. Troian, Shay and Ashley don't seem close with Lucy for whatever reason.

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Lucy didn't even go to Troian's wedding

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that's because Troian can do better

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I knew she wasn't gonna go the minute she wasn't invite to the bachelorette party in Italy. Shay didn't attend the wedding because she was working, but she posted a really cute message on IG congratulating her and Patrick that gave me all the feels.

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Lucy went to Troian's wedding, she didn't go in her bachelorette trip.



Edit to say-- I didn't realize I replied into different spots with the same thing, whoops!



Edited at 2017-07-21 11:43 pm (UTC)

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Lucy did. Shay didn't.

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Doesn't deserve to be associated with the name H*nna.

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Why are we acting brand new? She has always been the worst. In other news, a friend met Troian by accident outside a 7-11 in NYC this morning and took a picture with her. She said that she was really nice.



Edited at 2017-07-21 10:42 pm (UTC)

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She definitely knew. She posted it the day after Amanda was 5150'd for that pantless fire-starting thing and even referenced her in the caption.

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By the end of the show she was acting more like Ashley than Hanna, tbh.

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The last few seasons Ashley stopped acting tbh.

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Hating on a celeb? A true ontd original.

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Yas OP thank you! I'm in shit ton of pain I need a post like this!

Can we maybe guess that she is just really dumb?

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Bitcoins do not magically appear out of nowhere. Each one is mined in a blockchain process that eats enough electricity to power an American household for 1.57 days.

This process is what gives the coins their value. The work involved in the creation of the smart contracts gives cryptocurrencies the authority to be used to buy items  a privilege ordinarily left to governments and treasuries.

If bitcoins are the currency of the future, its miners must consume electricity that does not overthrow the global carbon budget. This revolution must be powered by renewables, and blockchain techniques themselves could provide the impetus for this level of control over energy flows.

Imagine youre growing a whole lot of tomatoes, but you cant trade them over the fence with the neighbor for their zucchinis  youve got to go to the supermarket to sell to them and buy from them, said David Martin, CEO of the Australian firm Power Ledger. Thats the situation in energy markets now  we want to change that.

Currently, private households that have solar panels on their roofs can sell back their excess energy to the local or regional grid that is most easily accessible to them. They earn back a low rate per kilowatt hour by selling to the utilities companies, but offering the extra power to other homes in a peer-to-peer network would generate higher returns. The process would incentivize the adoption of solar power and raise energy capacity at the same time.

To keep track of the trades, Martin says the platform would use a proof-of-stake algorithm, analogous to the proof-of-work formula at work in bitcoin mining operations.

Related: Will Oil Inventories Continue To Fall Over The Summer?

Using the [modified] blockchain brings more transparency, including on data exchanged. It uses the fraction of energy of conventional blockchain. Proof-of-stake is ideally suited for energy, Martin told the Guardian.

The system would use smart meter data and existing infrastructure to make the new energy market a competitive alternative to fossil fuel-based power, which tends to be limited by a physical production rate, rather than by computer power.

Yes, I believe that proof-of-stake blockchain applications can validly compete with other non-blockchain based solutions in energy trading, he says. Peer-to-peer energy trading is nascent, notoriously difficult to manage and blockchain solutions might be useful.

Innovations in the policy landscape will necessary to allow blockchain-based energy to thrive.

The system was designed at a time when regulators didnt contemplate distribution and storage, let alone customers trading among themselves  everything is set up for a system of generating power a long way away from a centralized source, Martin said.

Currently Power Ledgers experiment is limited to a 500-site test in Auckland, New Zealand, via a partnership with the island nations largest power provider. The blockchains scope is limited geographically so far, but a supportive legal and solar infrastructure could bring this new concept to the forefront of the grassroots energy trading landscape.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
WTI has traded in a $3.90 range so far in July ($43.65 / $47.55) and the sideways price action has lead to waning market enthusiasm for bulls, bears and option traders who are betting aggressively on a quiet market. Over the last two weeks fund gross long positions in NYMEX WTI havent budged while gross short positions have been cut by 28%. In ICE BRENT speculators have also been inactive on the long side while cutting gross shorts by 13%. In options markets WTI U17 at the money implied volatility has dropped to a multi-week low at 28% on a lack of large directional bets which have been justified by a 2-month low in realized volatility (20-day) to 26%. Lastly, even retail is getting less excited about crude having withdrawn $450m from the USO in the last two weeks.

- So where will we find excitement? Next weeks calendar includes an OPEC + Russia strategy meeting on Monday which is unlikely to yield a policy shift, a Fed rate decision with 97% odds (via Fed funds futs) of unch, possible public hearings with Don Jr, Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner and a DOE report which we think will prolong the two week stretch of strong data. We think that, if anything, this news cycle skews risk to the upside and it could be worth using newly cheap options to play for another leg higher. On the OPEC side, Petroleum Policy Intelligence commented this week that Saudi leadership is considering taking another 1m bpd off the market and Senate Intel hearings will- if anything- prolong the slide in the DXY. Both events could briefly shift prices higher with help from a DOE report which we think will show decreased Saudi imports, a strong headline crude oil draw and elevated demand driven by the recent spike in global refining margins.

- OPEC data was mixed this week reminding us of two important themes - 1, OPEC members are pushing the limits of the current output agreement and 2- recent gains in Libya and Nigeria could be hard to maintain. On the first item, preliminary estimates see July OPEC production +145k bpd m/m which would represent a new YTD high in the cartels output and sow additional doubts about their ability to coordinate supply cuts. Meanwhile Iraq is publicly promoting its plan to ramp production up to 5m bpd by year-end (from 4.4m bpd in June) and Ecuador stated that they will no longer participate in cuts in an effort to strengthen their finances. As for the second item, Nigerias production and export woes were headline news this week due to pipeline vandalism. All-knowing prompt brent spreads digested the weeks news flow and moved slightly higher. Brent V17/Z17 rallied to -55 cents on Friday forecasting a reasonably strong supply/demand balance in coming month.

(Click to enlarge)



For spreads- inventory draws vs. future output

WTI spreads continued to moderate this week with help from drawing overall stocks and sub 58m bbls in Cushing. On the demand side refiner inputs continue to impress and could be aided in the near term by a rally in US margins to new YTD highs. In front spreads WTI U17/Z17 yielded just 22 cents / mo contango suggesting large inventory draws should persist in the US through the balance of the year. On the downside, however, we saw limitations to potential rallies in the swap market where producers were busy selling WTI Cal 18 near $49/bbl. CSO markets also saw bearish flows with trade groups building short positions in flat calls in 4q17 and 1h18.

US producer data showed a slight uptick in hedging w/w while the rig count flattened and output continued to increase. Overall production came in at 9.43m bpd last week for a 32k bpd w/w improvement. Output in the US has recovered by more than 1m bpd from its Summer 16 low and is within 180k bpd of its 2015 high. The US rig count actually fell by 1 w/w to 764 and is higher by 44 rigs over the last ten weeks in a clear slowdown relative to the previous ten week period where they increased by 95 rigs. The producer + merchant short between NYMEX WTI and ICE BRENT stands at 1,872k contracts- 13% below its March high.

Funds cut bait and run in both directions

Speculators were net buyers of NYMEX WTI and ICE Brent contracts last week due to short covering rather than any new bullish excitement in the market. Combined net length between the two main contracts jumped 8% w/w (30k contracts) as gross shorts were cut by 45k contracts. The total gross short in the market is still 40% above its 2yr average and looks capable fueling more short cover rallies. Related: New Solar Tech Produces 50% More Energy Than Silicon Cells

Funds were also net buyers of refined products last week on short covering. The net position in RBOB futures and options flipped to a long of 7k contracts while the net short in heating oil was cut from 21k to 11k. As for ETFs, the USO experienced a net sell of $93m last week bringing the two week total to $450m as retail money throws in the towel on long-oil ideas.

Sideways market sends options lower

Option values in the front of the curve were cheaper this week for at-the-money strikes and downside risk while call options strengthened. As of Friday WTI U17 atm vol priced near 28% which was 2 vols lower w/w and wingy call options traded to a premium on 50d vol for the first time in recent memory. In the back of the curve WTI M18 50d vol was basically unchanged w/w near 30% and 25d puts traded at a 7-vol premium to 25d calls. 20-day realized volatility sank to 26% this month for a 2-month low suggesting prompt option premiums could fall further in the near term.

(Click to enlarge)

DOE stats continue to strengthen

- Wednesdays data showed better than expected draws across products including a 4.7m bbl crude draw despite heavy PADD III imports

- US refiner inputs continue to look strong and should be able to keep a bullish pace due to recent margin improvements

- US producers continue to pump at warp speed and dampen the potential for a bull run in flat price. Our view is that strength across the $50 mark in WTI swaps would generate a mountain of hedging.

US crude inventories fell 4.7m bbls w/w and are now flat y/y at 491m bbls. Regionally, PADD I stocks fell 1.3m bbls (-10% y/y,) PADD II stocks fell 2.6m bbls (+1.5% y/y) and PADD III inventories fell 721k bbls (+1% y/y.) Cushing inventories fell 23k bbls w/w and stand at 57.5m bbls. Imports saw a significant w/w jump to 8m bpd (+386k bpd w/w) and are lower y/y by 1.7% over the last month. Exports declined by 190k bpd w/w to 728k bpd.

US refiner demand continued its bullish trend last week printing 17.1m bpd. Overall inputs are higher y/y by 2.4% with PADD I runs flat y/y, PADD II runs +4% y/y and PADD III inputs +4.5% y/y. Refinery utilization is currently running 94% which is higher y/y by 1% and seems poised to maintain its recent trend after margins have improved across the US and overseas. The WTI 321 crack traded over $20/bbl this week representing at $5 rally over the last month. For east coast refiners RBOB/Brent rallied to nearly $17/bbl and overseas gasoil/brent traded up to $12/bbl for a 2017-high. Related: The Abrupt Demise Of Dutch Gas

US gasoline inventories also had a stronger than expected headline number with an overall w/w decline of 4.4m bbls. Overall inventories are now lower y/y by 4.1%. By region, PADD I inventories are -10% y/y, PADD II stocks are +1% y/y and PADD III stocks are flat y/y. On the demand side domestic consumption remains unimpressive printing 9.6m bpd which is lower y/y by 2%. Exports last week were 573k bpd and higher y/y by 45% due largely to LatAm demand increases. YTD domestic demand + exports are higher y/y by less than 1%.

US distillate inventories fell 2.1m bbls w/w which was a much stronger number than expected. Overall inventories are now -1% y/y. Regionally, PADD IB inventories fell 1.3m bbls and are -6% y/y, PADD II stocks fell 1.2m bbls and are +7% y/y and PADD III stocks added 990k bbls and are +8% y/y. Distillate exports printed 1m bpd last week and are -20% y/y over the last month. Domestic demand printed 4.3m bpd and is higher by 11% y/y.

By SCS Commodities Corp.

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Saudi Arabia is following through on cuts to its crude oil exports to the United States, weekly EIA crude import data show, after Riyadh stated a couple of months ago that it would purposely reduce exports to the U.S. to force a reduction in the worlds most transparently reported inventory.

According to EIA figures, U.S. crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia averaged 524,000 bpd in the week to July 14, the lowest weekly level since June 11, 2010. In the week to July 7, U.S. imports of crude from Saudi Arabia averaged 851,000 bpd.

Weekly import numbers are volatile due to the timing of crude tanker arrivals and customs clearance, Reuters analyst John Kemp recalls.

Nevertheless, the latest available weekly import data is the lowest level of weekly Saudi crude imports in more than seven years.

The four-week average U.S. imports of crude oil from Saudi Arabia was 810,000 bpd for the four weeks ending the week to July 14  and this was the lowest 4-week average import figure since January 2015.

For the month of July, the Saudis were planning last month to cut exports to the U.S. by around 35 percent.

For August, Saudi Arabia is planning its oil exports to the U.S. to be below 800,000 bpd, as it will be slashing its total crude oil exports by more than 600,000 bpd to the lowest level this year, a Saudi industry source told Reuters last week. Related: Dirty, Difficult, And Dangerous: Why Millennials Wont Work In Oil

As early as in June, the U.S. started importing Iraqi oil at a rate of 1.1 million bpd to replace the export cuts announced by Saudi Arabia, figures compiled by Bloomberg showed.

Over the past few weeks, the EIA has been reporting draws in crude inventories, and this weeks draw of 4.7 million barrels put U.S. commercial oil inventories at 490.6 million barrels, within seasonal limits, which wasnt the case six months ago.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The number of active oil rigs in the United States fell this week by 1 rigits second loss in four weeks, and its third loss this yearin a sign that the gains weve seen week after week are starting to slow. Combined, the total oil and gas rig count in the US now stands at 950 rigs, with oil rigs falling by one and gas rigs falling by one.

The market may want to rejoice in this weeks falling US rig count, but things dont look so good everywhere when it comes to oil pricesBaker Hughes also reported today that Canadas rig count increased by 15, erasingand then someany optimism that may otherwise have come from the falling number of active rigs in the US.

Prices had fallen by mid-day on Friday on reports that OPECs production would likely increase in July, lowing compliance from the cartel, which had dipped in June as well. Estimates are that OPEC production in July will exceed 33 million bpd, with production increasing from the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and even heavyweight Saudi Arabia.

At 11:23 am EST, WTI was down 1.56% at $46.19 while Brent crude was up 1.38% at $48.62both benchmarks below last weeks levels. Related: Permian Oil Reserves Are Grossly Exaggerated

Ironically, or perhaps fulfilling earlier suggestions along these lines, OPECs noncompliance may yet prove to be the best antidotealbeit a temporary oneto US shales aggressive growth, which has seen a near 50-percent increase to the number of active oil and gas rigs in 2017 alone. As the market shows its displeasure with OPECs rising production, prices fall, and these lower prices may put pressure on the US shale industry, and may result in fewer rig gains each week. Unfortunately for OPECwho appears to be in a bit of a picklewhile the lower prices may slow the run on US shale, as long as prices stay low, OPECs many oil-dependent economies will continue to suffer budget holes, and Saudi Arabia probably cannot afford an Aramco Valuation with lower oil prices. The reality may be at this point that OPECs only remedy is significantly increased demand, without which there may not be enough room for all the oil players to pump at-will.

At 16 minutes after the hour, WTI and Brent prices had fallen further and were trading at $45.90 and $48.27 respectively.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Oil thieves are bringing Nigerian crude oil pumping stations to their knees, according to a new report from World Oil.

The 60,000-barrel per day Agbada 2 flow station run by Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria stood idle for most of June due to significant leaks in the pipeline used to transport its crude to export terminals. These leaks were likely deliberate, caused by illicit groups that collectively steal 30 percent of Nigerias crude that flows through pipelines.

Were trying all sorts of things, you wouldnt believe it, Igo Weli, a Shell official at Nigerian oil capital, Port Harcourt, told World Oil. But how do you protect thousands of kilometers of pipelines against people who are out to sabotage them?

Nigerian oil production was stifled in 2016 from constant attacks on foreign oil infrastructure. Groups like the Niger Delta Avengers argue that Abuja did not fairly distribute oil revenues across the country, leaving remote, but oil-rich territories in poverty.

But the larger theft problem has little to do resource distribution, according to experts.

Its constant, said WoodMac analyst Gail Anderson. Its a big amount of crude being stolen. Nigeria is selling much less oil on the international market than what is coming out of the ground.

The region has precious little to show for the oil its produced, Anderson added. Sabotage wont go away until theres some kind of economic and social transformation. Its an ongoing battle.

The leak affecting Agbadas distribution channel at a port in the Gulf of Guinea caused Shell to declare a force majeure on the asset, allowing the multinational to legally miss deliveries.

The environmental costs of constant pipeline ruptures are steep as well. The extra expenditures take away from human development initiatives that would benefit Nigerians.

The government is more awake, Weli said. It realizes how important this is -- $1 billion spent cleaning up oil spills could go to schools or hospitals.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Nawaz Sharif could get into trouble if his children failed to justify the source of money: SC 21 July, 2017



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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Ways that Players Used to Take Advantage of Slot Sites ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court observed in clear terms on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, being a public office-holder, could get into trouble if his children failed to justify the source of the money that led to the acquisition of the four controversial London apartments.



When they (Maryam, Hussain and Hassan Nawaz) failed to satisfy the court about the means for possessing the London apartments, the brunt has to be borne by the holder of public office, observed Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, who heads the three-judge Supreme Court bench that has taken up the voluminous report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).



The observation came when senior advocate Salman Akram Raja, who represents the PMs children, argued that all investments and businesses were dealt with by Mian Sharif, and his grandchildren  none of whom held public office  were only the recipients of the funds.



The recipient of questionable funds for which they have no answers, retorted Justice Ijazul Ahsan, while Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked the counsel if he realised what he was saying.



Moreover, the court noted, the JIT had built a super-structure in its report and which was also deficient on many counts, but even it had not implicated the children in any wrongdoing.



The court was also perturbed by the response of the UAEs Ministry of Justice, which had not acknowledged the stamp and seal used by the Dubai court in the notarisation of the tripartite sale proceeds agreement of 25pc shares of Ahli Steel Mills.



The documents procured under mutual legal assistance were statements of facts and more credible than the one being produced before the court, the judges observed.



The counsel, however, had no answer save that it might have been a mistake. He then asked to be allowed to go to Dubai to establish what had happened, saying that such gaps should have been taken up with Hussain when he appeared before the JIT five times.



Before adjourning the hearing until Friday  when the case is expected to be closed  the Supreme Court also asked the counsel to explain the prime ministers position on Capital FZE, a new offshore company that had surfaced in the JIT report.



Before concluding proceedings, the judges first consulted amongst themselves, and then Justice Saeed asked the counsel, point-blank, where the funds for Capital FZE came from.



The counsel though said he would explain on Friday after consulting his clients, but assured the court that no salary was ever drawn from the company by the prime minister in his capacity as chairman of the board.



Was he entitled to draw a salary, Justice Khan asked, adding that if a person did some work and got a salary, it became part of his assets.



The court also reminded the counsel that 650,000 British pounds were also moved from FZE to the Flagship Investment Company.



The court also regretted that despite JIT requests, former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani was not inclined to come to the Pakistan embassy or answer questions via video link, and repeatedly insisted on having the JIT to come to Doha instead.



He may not be photogenic, Justice Ahsan wondered, adding that the matter ended when Sheikh Al Thani simply refused, saying he was not subject to Pakistani laws and courts.



Should we all go to Doha, where even flights dont go anymore? quipped Justice Saeed.



In response, the counsel recalled the 2012 Arsalan Iftikhar case, where the apex court had held that the person being interrogated must be informed in advance about the accusations against him/her so that he/she might furnish answers.



Mr Raja insisted that information could have been sought from Sheikh Al Thani and, if necessary, the team should have travelled to Doha.



But Justice Ahsan highlighted that as a star witness  since the entire money trail presented by the Sharif family rested on him  it was the defences responsibility to produce him before the JIT.



The court was also upset over an earlier document presented before the court by another counsel regarding Coomber Tradings and Nescoll and Nielson, where identical documents were used and the trust deed was signed on Saturday in a country where it was not possible to seek official appointments on a holiday.



The court did not seem convinced by the explanation offered by the counsel on the Calibri font used in the trust deed and said that in countries such as England, law firms were extra cautious not to use beta versions that were not made available to them.



The court also asked Additional Attorney General Mohammad Waqar Rana about the punishment for presenting forged document to the Supreme Court. According to the AAG, the sentence was seven years in prison, but hastened to add that the parties should have the opportunity to explain their positions.



It breaks my heart when I see such documents, Justice Saeed regretted, saying that the law would take its course.



Mr Raja also presented a bill of export to establish that machinery did leave Abu Dhabi customs for Saudi Arabia after the liquidation of Ahli Steel.



But Justice Ahsan wondered why Abu Dhabi was chosen and why Dubai customs had no record of the transportation of the machinery, asking why the document was not presented earlier.
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WARRENSBURG  A group of Warrensburg retired teachers has filed a grievance against the district because they say a more generous health insurance plan is being dropped without their consent.

The complaint, which was filed in April, alleges that the district violated Article IX of the 2015-2019 Collective Bargaining Agreement when it sent notices to retired association members that it would no longer offer the Blue Cross-Matrix health insurance plan as of July 1.

As in many teacher contracts, the Warrensburg agreement has a clause stating that the health insurance plan and percentage paid by the employee will remain the same when they retire.

Warrensburg Teachers Association President Matt Bruce said the district receives its health insurance through the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES.

The retirees feel like they have been cheated out of what they would get when they retire, he said.

Empire Blue Cross discontinued the Matrix plan.

Bruce added that he is not sure what is happening with this complaint. He has not heard back from the attorney with New York State United Teachers union.

The retirees are technically not part of the union, according to Bruce.

Were trying to kind of advocate for the retirees, he said.

Bruce said he hopes the retirees and the district can reach an agreement.

Superintendent John Goralski said he denied the grievance because the Matrix plan no longer exists, as it was dropped by Empire. The district offered its retirees the PPO plan, which was the best available.

He said the Matrix plan has a deductible but no co-pays, while the PPO has co-pays. Some employees had retired under a previous contract in which they are not required to pay anything toward the premium, according to Goralski.

There was a handful of people who were on the Matrix who had met what was the lifetime max, which means they dont pay a deductible amount, he said.

The Board of Education affirmed Goralskis decision. He said the next step would be for the union to take it to arbitration.

School districts across the area have been dropping the Matrix plan for current employees and new hires. For example, Fort Edward negotiated the plan out in the contract it settled in October and had teachers switch over to a PPO plan. Salem, Fort Ann and Hadley-Luzerne also have eliminated the Matrix plan as an option in new contracts.

The Cambridge Central School District is facing a similar issue. Eighteen retired district employees filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court of Washington County in January 2016 because they said school officials improperly changed a prescription drug benefit without their consent.

BOCES dropped the Empire Blue Cross Matrix Plan with prescription drugs effective July 1, 2015. The retired employees were affected only by a change in how prescription drugs were purchased.

Instead of retirees paying 100 percent of the cost of the drug and being reimbursed for all or a portion of the expense, they would pay a co-payment of $15, $10 or $25 per prescription for up to a 30-day supply.

The co-payment is not eligible for reimbursement. The NYSUT union said previously that retirees do not have to pay anything once they had satisfied a $6,250 out-of-pocket lifetime maximum deductible.

The lawsuit is still pending.
It was a miracle.

Perhaps that is overstating it, but it is as close as we have seen to divine intervention in the political world since the results of the November election were made official.

Seven liberal-leaning citizens and three conservative-leaning citizens sat down in Bolton Landing to discuss issues, their differences and the political divide in this country.

And nobody got hurt.

Two of our editorial board members attended the Better Angels event earlier this month, one as an observer and the other as a participant.

The miracle was the 10 of them found common ground and left smiling.

Both our board members were impressed by the process and wondered how it could reach a broader audience.

Dan Gealt, one of our citizen representatives, said it changed him.

My biggest takeaway from the event was how surprised I was at how little I have been really listening to the other side,  Gealt said. Since the event, I have been listening a lot more and I have consciously restrained myself from blasting out so many rote responses. And I now find myself gently pointing out to people that they might be doing exactly what they complain the other side is doing.

The goal? A kinder, gentler political discourse.

The Better Angels organization was founded not too long after the election.

This is directly from its website:

Better Angels is a bipartisan network of leaders and organizations whose vision is to reunite America. Our method is to improve our societys approaches to conflict. We seek an America with less uninformed animosity between left and right, less separation of upscale America from the rest of America, and fewer good reasons for the governed to hold the governing in contempt. To work for these changes, we show why reducing polarization is an urgent priority, bring people together from across the divides to rethink currently polarized issues, seek out and train leaders, and recommend policy reforms that will permit progress and compromise to be substituted for impasse and frustration.

We cant imagine anyone disagreeing with those lofty goals.

Moderators David Blankenhorn, president of Better Angels, and David Lapp, lead organizer, have been traveling around the country by bus during the month of July.

Their program in Bolton Landing was described by our Editor Ken Tingley, who observed but did not participate, as group therapy for the political divide.

We believe there are thousands of us who could use a session on that couch.

The two-hour program is tightly controlled by the moderators so that the participants listen, so that they understand and learn something about the people who have different beliefs than they do.

We call it achieving disagreement, Blankenhorn said. Were not trying to get people to change their views, but to listen. If you listen and try to understand, if you are confident people will listen, you become a human being and friendship develops and the rancor goes way down. It sounds simple. Its like magic.

Obviously, one event for 10 people in Bolton Landing is not going to move the needle on political discourse.

So were proposing more.

Wed like to see Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties become ground zero for political discourse using the Better Angels model for listening and respect.

Were entering a period of time where were committing acts of violence based on political differences, Blankenhorn said. Its a dangerous thing. What I think we need to do, what Im committed to doing, is coming together to talk across these difference as fellow citizens.

Wed like to see at least one person in every community step forward and invite the Better Angels folks to hold an event in their community center, their library, their school auditorium. From what we saw, there is as much to be learned by watching the process as participating.

This should not be a referendum on the president, but a referendum of what we expect from each other as American citizens.

We envision a grassroots movement that sets the tone for those in local and state government as well as Congress; a movement that demands listening and civil discourse.

Were asking the county chairmen for the Democrats and Republicans to climb on board and participate.

Wed like to see Republican chairmen Michael Grasso (Warren County), Dan Boucher (Washington County) and Steve Bulger (Saratoga County) sit in on a panel with their Democratic counterparts Lynne Boecher (Warren County), Sheila Comar (Washington County) and Todd Kerner (Saratoga County) and experience the discussion firsthand with other citizens. The goal being to set the tone for civility for all future campaigns locally.

This acrimony must end.

We urge them all to make the call.

We urge them to make the commitment along with other citizens all across the region.

Call those folks at Better Angels at 212-246-3942.

Bring them to your community.

We leave you with this quote:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory ... will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

That was from Abraham Lincoln in 1861. It has never been more appropriate.
Editor:

Fighting for Children PAC suspended its support of Sen. Marisol Alcantara for her lack of efforts in bringing the Child Victims Act to the Senate floor during the past legislative session.

Sen. Alcantara was supported in a Democratic primary as an IDC member over a regular party Democratic candidate. Sen. Alcantara took the endorsement with the knowledge the PACs specific goal was to see a new Democratic majority leader in the Senate. The Senate Dems numerically hold the majority. Sen. Alcantara aligned herself with Trump Republicans in the Senate including keeping Sen. John Flanagan as majority leader.

Sen. Alcantara stayed quiet on the Child Victims Act. Sen. Alcantara never once issued a press release, refused to attend PAC rallies, put in her newsletters or stood on the Senate floor to demand Sen. Flanagan allow a vote. Sen. Alcantara did stand up and yell "white privilege to another senator who is a leader in the Senate Democratic Conference. Sen. Flanagan and his Republican predecessors have stopped the Child Victims Act from coming to the floor for a vote for over 11 years. There have been 500,000 kids sexually abused in New York as a result of this inaction.

We had the 32 votes to pass CVA, and Sen. Alcantara did not use her voice to help her constituents in the 31st District.

Fighting for Children PAC held rallies and donated the maximum to help Marisol win by 1 percent in September 2016.

The IDC waited to submit their own compromise bill, but despite Alcantara stating the bill would be voted on, it never was and Alcantara-IDC stayed silent once again appeasing Majority Leader Flanagan.

Gary A. Greenberg, founder, Fighting for Children PAC, New Baltimore
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T20 World Cup: Babar Azam wants Pakistan to continue with winning momentum in title clash

T20 World Cup: Morgan backs Willey to play ahead of Jordan in the final if Wood is unavailable

India's tour of New Zealand would be a great learning experience for Umran Malik, Kuldeep Sen: Zaheer Khan
The only leader the regional Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce has ever known is stepping down.

President and CEO Tara Barney announced her resignation early Friday, citing the desire "to pass the torch to new leadership."

Im honored to have led the Quad-Cities Chamber, alongside great area leaders and a strong staff, Barney said in a news release. The community has much to be proud of for its commitment to creating a more dynamic regional economy.

Barney has been part of the chamber since 2002 when the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities were represented by separate entities.

After serving as DavenportOnes senior vice president of the Downtown Partnership for more than four years, Barney was promoted to CEO and retained that position when the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities chambers merged into a regional entity in 2010.

The chamber's board of directors will conduct a search for a new CEO, but until that time, Vice President of Member Services Kristin Glass will serve as the interim CEO.

Barney was an honoree in 2016 for the Athena Award, which recognizes leadership in the workplace that helps to inspire a new generation of women leaders.

Chamber board chair Pat Eikenberry credited Barney's leadership in helping to push many its successes.

During Taras time as CEO of the Quad-Cities Chamber, our region has seen many successes, including most notably the successful launch of a regional, bi-state business organization, the formation of Q2030 and the Quad-Cities Manufacturing Innovation Hub, among other things, Eikenberry said. We are grateful for Taras leadership and wish her well in future endeavors.
The 2010 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean country of Haiti prompted response across the world, with an emphasized effort at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, Bettendorf.

Ann Wester, a retired nurse, coordinates the St. John Vianney program that, in partnership with others, is building a new school, pays teachers a higher wage than average, hosts a medical clinic on an annual basis and takes steps to promote economic development.

After the quake hit in 2010, Wester said a group of church members was asked by Rev. Robert McAleer to see what could be done. A team of five traveled to Haiti nine months after the disaster.

At that time they met a priest, the Rev. Jean Salomon Vincent, and settled on helping in a rural area, Jean-Denis, Haiti, three hours north of Port-au-Prince.

After that initial visit, the group came up with a long list of needs. First on the list was the installation of new fans in the church. "We fixed that need as soon as we returned home," she said.

The St. John Vianney effort works in tandem with Hands Together Palm Beach, a group that helps Haiti out of southern Florida. It is also linked with Haiti through the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas.

One of the biggest challenges has been helping the village school. Teachers had not been paid in 18 months, Wester said, so funds were raised to repay the teachers, and also to raise the pay.

Medical care was also needed. Now, the church provides a five-day clinic, held in January every year.

"Our church is fully committed to this effort," said Wester, who retired as a nurse from Genesis Health System, Davenport. She has visited Haiti seven times since 2010.

The people of St. John Vianney have been generous. For example, money is raised for Haiti during a massive garage and rummage sale held in June at the Bettendorf church.

In addition, the volunteers support the food program for the children in school. Protein foods and spices are supplied, and rice is donated from an agency. "The students have lunch every day now," Wester said.

The new school is under construction, it is being paid for by the Bettendorf church, and by the Florida organization.

The St. Denis church, in the Notre Dame Du Rosaire Parish, is the site of the annual clinic. Medical personnel travel from the Quad-Cities, but the volunteers also hire medical help in Haiti.

The latest mission team included 40 people, with 27 from Iowa and 13 from Florida. The trip was eight days long, and a clinic was held for five days at a time.

All supplies needed at the clinic are shipped from the United States, and this includes toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, Tums, Tylenol and ibuprofen.

"Many of the people have sore backs, and stomach issues," Wester said. There are patients with high blood pressure, or hypertension, and headaches.

The Americans are still learning about the Haitian culture, Wester said. At a basic level, what is important to Haitians is also important to Americans, she said.

One person on the most recent mission group was Katie Kustes, 16, Wester's granddaughter who will be a junior at Bettendorf High School. Katie kept a journal during the trip and worked at the clinic's intake center where the Americans saw almost 2,000 patients.

"My favorite part by far was the kids!" Katie Kustes wrote in the journal. She brought along nail polish, hair ties, beads, Frisbees and other fun things to play with.

According to Kustes, the Haitian children seemed happy because they focus more on what they do have, and less on what they don't have. "That's something we all need to do more of," she wrote.

The overall goal is to help the parish and the community to become self-sustaining, Wester said. To that end, they promote economic development by providing the Haitians with a tiller. It has been rented out to 120 farmers to increase rice production.

Wester calls the Haitians friendly, and very helpful. "It's fantastic to go to church with them," she said.
Davenport's original skyscraper is rising again as The Current Iowa hotel.

In the former Putnam Building at Second and Main streets, Amrit and Amy Gill's Restoration St. Louis has renovated a tired downtown office building into a modern luxury hotel that champions the building's past and will be a showplace for the Midwest art scene.

The $33 million Current, which opens Wednesday, July 26, is the latest Quad-City historic restoration by the St. Louis developers and part of their $62 million City Square redevelopment that includes the former M.L. Parker Building, just east of the new hotel.

The artful hotel is what Amy Gill calls "the younger, hipster sister" of the nearby Hotel Blackhawk  the first Davenport project tackled by Restoration St. Louis seven years ago.

"It's not just about being an artsy hotel; it's about bringing that artful approach to everything we do," she said.

That artful approach is grounded in 500-plus pieces of Midwest-generated art, including a wooden cut-out wall map of the Quad-Cities, blown glass resembling waves on water and a life-size cow sculpture Gill calls "Bessie," which all are in the lobby. Original paintings and sculptures by Midwest artists are found throughout the Current, including in its Baja Mexican restaurant off the lobby  called Viva  and in the region's largest indoor/outdoor rooftop restaurant and bar, known as Up.

In addition to the two new restaurants, which are open to the public, the Current features 78 suites. It has 14 luxury apartments, meeting space and a host of amenities in the hotel and adjoining Center building.

Built by Davenport construction company Russell, the Current joins Hotel Blackhawk as part of the Marriott's luxury Autograph Collection. It was designed by Checkmate Design, Restoration St. Louis' architectural and design firm.

Borrowing the Autograph Collection's branding tagline, Amrit Gill said the new hotel "is exactly like nothing else."

"Our experience is art," he said, adding that the artful experience begins from the time visitors walk through the door, "to how we bring them food and how we clean the room."

'Less art museum, more art experience'

The 1910 building, the last designed by iconic Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, makes for a fitting palate for the art-filled hotel.

The building's appearance prior to the overhaul? Not so much.

The Restoration St. Louis team gutted the former office building, "giving it a lot of love," Amy Gill said, and followed a simple, yet sleek interior design, mostly white, grey and black colors, to allow the artwork to take center stage.

"The palate is so bland to make the art stand out," Amy Gill said.

Meanwhile, she and her husband searched the Midwest for all kinds of contemporary art.

They toured art fairs, museum galleries and small private collections, hand-picking pieces that fit into a specific vision: A Midwestern, fun, local approach to an art hotel.

I was trying to buy pieces from all kinds of people, Amy Gill said. I want everyone represented, all walks of life and all types of humanity. Thats what art should be about.

Gill says 40 artists are represented from places such as Chicago, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana and Texas as well as St. Louis and the Quad-Cities in what she calls an art museum in flyover country.

"The whole impetus is we can find artists here  really good artists  and bring them to the forefront," she said. This is for the underappreciated artists from the Midwest."

Their team got a few leads from Tim Schiffer, executive director of the Figge Art Museum, which is just a block from the hotel.

Its a great match to be so close, Schiffer said. Im glad theyre supporting local artists. When you see art that is created nearby, you get a flavor of a place. Itll make the hotel special.

The proximity creates a natural relationship with the Figge, Schiffer said. Plus, a handful of artists who have artwork in The Current also are featured in the Figges collection. That includes Iowa City- based artist Nancy Purington, Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, the chair of Augustana Colleges art department and Michael Meilahn, who created the popular blown-glass installation, called Corn Zone, often on display on the ground floor of the museum.

Still, Gill says the hotel is "less art museum, more art experience."

"People may not think it's fancy enough art, but we're not going for fancy art," she said. "We have that across the street at the Figge."

"We're serving $3 tacos here," she added. "It's cheap as chips."

Introducing a trend

The Current Iowa is part of a trend that appears to be making a home in the Quad-Cities: Boutique hotels.

Two other projects in downtown Moline fit the bill, including Heart of America Group's 5th Avenue Historic Block project and the Amin Group's nearby Element by Westin. The Element is an extended-stay hotel that is part of The Q multi-modal station development.

The boutique concept was introduced to the Quad-Cities by the Gills, who led a $35 million renovation of the historic Hotel Blackhawk in 2010.

A boutique hotel is a smaller, more intimate place where the guests get to know the people who work there, said Amy Gill. Theyre huge right now. They appeal to millennials who travel and want to have this unique experience.

The Gills, who have been in the restoration business since the early 1990s in St. Louis, say the Blackhawk paved the way for the Current.

We would never have been able to finance this if the Blackhawk had not been successful, she said, recalling the financing challenges in the Hotel Blackhawk project.

But just seven years later  with the Blackhawks occupancy rates sitting in the mid-70 percent range  theres room in the market for another boutique hotel.

Now downtown Davenport is thriving, booming and everybody wants to be here, she said.

Restoration St. Louis not only restored the Blackhawk but followed up with two office-building conversions into housing, along with a warehouse-loft conversion and now City Square.

Gaining momentum

In the years since the Blackhawk opened, the boutique trend has gained momentum in medium and large markets.

Over the last several years weve seen the trend, at least regionally, to move away from large 200- to 300-room hotels along the interstate to downtown, smaller hotels, said Joe Taylor, the president and CEO of the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In the 1970s, for example, larger hotels were built along the interstates, such as Holiday Inns and Jumers Castle Lodge in the Quad-Cities, he said.

Then we were trying to capture a leisure visitor on the interstate, and now the dynamics have changed, Taylor said. We have more meeting space, different niche markets were going to, and our downtowns are developing.

Heart of America founder Mike Whalen, who is excited about his own 5th Avenue hotel project in Moline, said the industry has now woken up to the research that shows travelers want an experience.

Its different than 30 years ago when the traveler was looking for consistency, he said. Now the traveler is going on TripAdvisor and other (websites), and they want to find a cool place to stop.

As Amrit Gill said, boutique hotels attract the traveler who isn't concerned with sticking with one brand and collecting hotel rewards.

Sixty percent of the transient business comes from people who collect hotels like foodies collect restaurants, Gill said.

The Gills, however, say their small and unique touches make the Blackhawk and now Current Iowa stand out among the boutique landscape.

During one of her many recent visits to Davenport from St. Louis, Amy Gill watched a guest arrive at Hotel Blackhawk and overheard staff say to him, You havent been here in a month.

You dont get that feeling in a regular hotel, she said, That feeling of I belong here.

Economically huge

When The Current Iowa opens, it will mark the achievement of a massive goal for downtown Davenport, according to Kyle Carter, executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership, an initiative of the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

It may be lost on people how unlikely this seemed for many years, he said. The cost and complexity of the project was enormous, and the building was vacant for 30-plus years.

Beyond that, the Currents opening marks another step in completing City Square, which encompasses the block that stretches along 2nd Street between Main and Brady streets. Phase one was renovating the former M.L. Parker Building into Class A office space and luxury apartments.

When the $62 million makeover is done, Carter said it will be a bigger deal than the Blackhawk opening.

The Blackhawk had a special place in peoples hearts on an emotional level, he said. From an economic point of view, this blocks completion is a bigger project.

That block also will house the future Urban Campus being built by Scott Community College.

City Square emerged in 2011 after the Gills proposal for a land-based casino in downtown was not selected. Still, the project incorporates ideas proposed in their casino bid. They also were drawn by the building's history, being designed by Daniel Burhnam.

Amrit Gill said they envisioned the Putnam building as a hotel since the beginning. That was in part because it helps meet a need of the RiverCenter for more available hotel rooms to help the convention center draw more and larger events to downtown, he said.

Just adding a hotel is really necessary, Carter said. You could argue there's room in the market for another one.

While converting the Putnam into housing would have been less work and less expensive, Amrit Gill said, The Current Iowa  with its lodging, restaurants, art and skybar  is filling a void.

The community needs more hotel rooms. The community needs that excitement in downtown, he said. We do what the community needs."
A Minnesota man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole after a Scott County jury convicted him of breaking into a Davenport womans home and sexually assaulting her in 2015.

Kenith Lamar Lewis, who prosecutors say was paroled for a similar crime eight months prior to the assault, maintained his innocence during a nearly 40-minute sentencing hearing in Scott County District.

As long as I live, your Honor, I will fight this, because I dont deserve this one, he told District Court Judge Mark Smith.

Lewis, 53, of St. Paul, was convicted in May of first-degree burglary and third-degree sexual assault.

His first trial ended in a mistrial in January after jurors could not agree on a verdict.

According to police, Lewis broke into the woman's home in the early hours of June 15, 2015, while she was sleeping.

The woman told the judge during Fridays sentencing hearing that Lewis told her as he assaulted her that he seen me through a window and he had to have me.

After the assault, he made her shower in front of him with her back turned toward him and sprayed her with a spray bottle of cleaner he had found in the house, the woman said.

He also warned her not to call the police, she said.

Police were able to identify Lewis through DNA comparison from DNA located in the sexual assault kit and a known DNA sample from Lewis.

He was arrested in June 2016.

The woman said Friday that Im just never going to be the same person that I was before that night.

She lost her job and began to abuse drugs. She feared going to sleep at night and always looks over her shoulder no matter where she goes. She finds herself locking windows and doors and gets up constantly to check and recheck them to make sure they are locked.

I am slowly working my way back to becoming a good mother, daughter and sister, she said as she started to break down in tears. Im sober, Im strong and Im a survivor. 

She added, I was not his first victim and if hes allowed back into society, I wont be his last.

Scott County Attorney Mike Walton said Lewis in 1991 confessed to breaking into the home of two women and sexually assaulting them. He was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison, of which he served more than 24 years before being paroled in October 2014.

Lewis time in prison, Walton said, did not rehabilitate or deter him from committing a crime almost identical to the prior ones. He further said that had it not been for the DNA data, the case may never have been solved.

Life in prison is (an) absolutely correct and just sentence for Mr. Lewis, Walton argued.

Lewis disputed that the evidence presented at trial supported his conviction and said that there can be no evidence against me because I havent committed a crime.

This is probably the most horrific chapter in my life, and Ive had some bad chapters, he said and vowed that he would fight his conviction.

Smith said before handing down his sentence that he found the womans trial testimony credible and that the facts of the case. The judge further said that based on the facts of the case and Lewis criminal history, you well deserve to be incarcerated for the rest of your life.

Because of Lewis prior sex abuse convictions, Smith handed down a mandatory sentence of life without parole on the sex abuse charge. He also sentenced Lewis to a concurrent term of up to 25 years on the burglary charge.

Lewis, who was given credit for time already served in the Scott County Jail, has 30 days to file a notice of appeal.

Prior to sentencing, Smith denied Lewis motion to set aside the jurys verdict or grant him a new trial.

He was represented by attorney Michael Motto Jr.
Strategic Behavior Health has wanted to open a $14 million, 72-bed psychiatric hospital at at Tanglefoot Lane and Golden Valley Drive since 2015. But in two previous attempts to move forward, Iowa's State Health Facilities Council has deadlocked on certificate of need hearings. The board met again Thursday to hear arguments from supporters and detractors. Reporter Ed Tibbetts will have a story on the day's events, but for now follow his Twitter feed for a play-by-play of the hearings. Here's a sample:
Ebonie Wilmington said she remembers her daughter Essence being a quiet, shy girl who wouldnt talk to anyone unless someone talked to her first.

Looking back, Wilmington said, I never would have thought then that Essence would be dancing and performing in front of thousands of people. She was always quiet. She would talk to you when you talked to her.

Essence answers peoples questions in concise, well-crafted sentences and then waits for the next question.

The 15-year-old allows her accomplishments as a dancer, entertainer, artist, and, yes, dance instructor, to speak for themselves as she moves into her junior year at Davenport North High School in the fall.

In the meantime, Essence will chase another goal on Saturday as she will put her talent for Hip Hop choreography and dance to the test when she becomes the first person from Davenport to compete nationally in the NAACPs Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, or ACT-SO.

According to the NAACPs website, ACT-SO is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.

ACT-SO includes 32 competitions in STEM, humanities, business, and performing, visual and culinary arts. Almost 300,000 young people have participated from the program since its inception 30 years ago.

Essence explains her love of dance started with a third-grade talent show at Washington Elementary School that she didnt want to do.

I didnt want to do the talent show, she said. My auntie made me. I always loved Hip Hop and I loved to dance on my own, but I was really shy.

But it was that one talent show that has become a catalyst for accomplishments that many teens only dream, and has set the stage for the future.

Once I did that talent show, that was it, Essence said.

Currently, Essence is the co-captain of the Davenport North Pom Cats dance team. She has her own business in that she has 17 students that are learning intermediate and advanced Hip Hop choreography and dance. And there is more.

I want to be an entertainer when I grow up, acting and dance, Essence said. My parents and I are looking into performing arts schools.

To help take care of that future college tuition, she has her students and she is in the dual graduation program where she will earn both her high school diploma and her Associates degree, putting two years of college behind her.

With her students and her dance competitions and dance team obligations, Essence is holding a 3.5 grade point average.

During the summer, to stay in shape, she lifts weights three days a week from 7-8:30 a.m. She has dance team activities from 9-11 a.m. On Wednesdays, she teaches her dance classes from 6-8 p.m.

Its a lot to handle, Essence said, and there is pressure. But, she said, her mentors, her parents help alleviate the stress.

We make sure there is balance, her dad, Vernon Wilmington said. Thats our job as parents.

Essence said it was mom and dad who recognized her talent and gave her the tools to pursue it.

They told me theyd get me into dance classes, and I enjoyed it and I kept pushing myself and my parents motivated me, Essence said. They both work really hard and that motivates me to work hard.

I think it was during the talent show at Washington when the light bulb went on for me, Vernon Wilmington said. Were sitting there and shes dancing and were like, Wow.

It was scary because she was so young and she was able to make moves that we didnt think she could make, he said. There were also a couple of other events, too. One was a modeling show where she captivated the audience just by doing a mere gesture. People were coming up to us afterward telling us she had talent.

Her first true dance lesson came at 9-years-old when her parents placed Essence in the Imani Dancers under Dorian Byrd.

She was with the Imani Dancers and then the Hip Hop dance group formerly known as RusHour, theyre known as Re-Fl3X now, called, Vernon Wilmington said. Theyre manager kept contacting my wife, and they kept saying that for her to be so young she has great talent. Here they were older in their late teens and she did a couple of projects with them when she was 11 or 12.

One of the biggest opportunities presented itself when they were attending a dance convention in Chicago, he added.

My wife saw a flyer for the Chicago BullsKidz, and on the flyer it said you have to be from Chicago, Vernon Wilmington said. I told my wife and she told me, and I quote, I dont care were going.

Essence made the BullsKidz, and for almost a year we traveled to Chicago for games and for her to practice and perform in front of 20,000 plus people at the United Center. Thats when people began coming up and telling us they have a daughter and if Essence could teach her some dance moves.

What started out as a couple of students at age 12 has blossomed into a growing business where talent is nurtured, Vernon Wilmington said.

Shes teaching out of our house, but were thinking where she wants to go with her teaching, he said.

For the past few weeks, Essence has been balancing her time between her obligations and the ACT-SO competition.

They left for the competition in Baltimore on Thursday.

I dont get nervous, Essence said. When Im on the floor Ive learned to tune out the crowd and perform my routine.

That is what it takes to compete against national competition, she said.

Im ready.
Whether restoring a once-grand dame of a hotel to her original luster, gutting a forgotten building or constructing new housing, developers Amrit and Amy Gill have a focus.

"We are neighborhood redevelopers," said Amrit Gill, Restoration St. Louis' president and chairman. "If a neighborhood needs a hotel, apartments, office space, a community college  we put that together. Whatever a community needs, that's what we are."

The Gills, whose company made its Davenport debut with the historic renovation of Hotel Blackhawk seven years ago, have blended a love of history and architecture with their strong sense of community.

In June 1991, the then-newlyweds launched their first company, A & A Contracting, a St. Louis-based construction company. At the time, they also had day jobs: Amrit in mergers and acquisitions and Amy as a major accounts representative for Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages.

Amrit Gill, a native of India who came to the United States to attend graduate school at St. Louis' Washington University, recalled their foray into construction. The first project was renovating a three-family apartment building, which was followed by a six-unit building, then a 24-unit building and so on.

By 1993 he quit his other job because, "it was getting harder to just moonlight," he said.

Amy Gill, a hands-on partner since the beginning, continued to work for Southwestern Bell until 2002  two years after they launched Restoration St. Louis. She now is CEO of Restoration St. Louis and president of Checkmate Design, their architectural and design company.

As they have in Davenport, the Gills' focus in downtown St. Louis has been on historic renovations and neighborhood revitalization.

"It's not the buildings that are important, well they are important," Amy Gill said correcting herself. "But it's really the neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods (in St. Louis) had deteriorated so much that it was hard for people to be invested in them."

Long before coming to Davenport, the St. Louis couple focused on the historic neighborhoods where they lived: The Loop and the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhoods. After the first 10 years in business, Amrit said, they had renovated 80 buildings and completed their first major, comprehensive redevelopment: Coronado Place.

In 2000, Restoration St. Louis tackled the largest project to date  a $41 million renovation of Coronado Place. The architectural gem, a former 150-room hotel, was converted into 165 apartments with a ballroom, two restaurants and meeting space. The adjacent Lindell Towers also were transformed into new housing. The Coronado had been vacant since 1985, and severe water damage caused the ballroom walls to collapse.

Amrit still gets a gleam in his eyes as he speaks of restoring the Coronado to the original architecture of the late Preston Bradshaw, a prominent St. Louis architect in the 1920s. It even re-opened on what the building's 50th anniversary in November 2003.

The Gills followed up with the Moolah Theatre & Lounge, a former Masonic Temple, that today boasts 40 apartments, a movie theater and a bowling alley.

Amy Gill, who is as comfortable designing elegant and cool spaces as she is leading a construction site, said, "Bankers want to invest money where they see success. Nobody wants to invest money in somewhere they might lose their money. Our job is to talk people into that... Once they see our success, other developers get other bankers to invest, and it just feeds off one another."

In fact, the Gills wrote on their website: "Where some see old neglected buildings and wrecking ball fodder, we see new hope. This is why we continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the revitalization of architecturally significant buildings, neighborhoods and thriving communities."

Amrit Gill said the business model is "to do what we think the community needs." He estimates they have completed 400 projects  small and large  in their 25 years in the business.

But not all come at a profit, he said. In fact, he said their office joke is "we are a for-profit organization that acts like a not-for-profit."

In a neighborhood known as The Grove, Restoration St. Louis' efforts have led to a complete transformation of a blighted, neglected and crime-ridden neighborhood. Now, 12 years later, Amrit said "It is the hottest destination in St. Louis."

In The Grove, they have renovated or built more than 70 buildings "from a single-family shotgun house to building a new five-story apartment building, Gateway Lofts," Amy said.

"Amrit calls it urban husbandry," she said. "You take the worst 10 percent and renovate them."

Their lead in what now is a thriving neighborhood of new housing, restaurants, retail, offices and a hotel, sparked others to join in the transformation, Amrit Gill said, estimating that The Grove has as many as 30 developers today.

He also is quick to point out Restoration St. Louis is a team. "Amy and I get all the credit, but I have a lot of talented people with the team I have in place. I can go anywhere, and they can do it."
A $2.2 million judgement likely will cause some collateral damage.

Some think that should include Bill Dixs job as the Republicans' leader in the Iowa Senate.

A Polk County jury this past week awarded $2.2 million to Kirsten Anderson, a former staff worker for Senate Republicans in the Iowa Legislature. The award was the result of Andersons lawsuit in which she alleged her 2013 dismissal was retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment.

The state  more specifically, Senate Republican staff  claimed Anderson was fired for poor work performance.

The jury ruled in favor of Anderson, and the $2.2 million award will be forked out by Iowa taxpayers at a time when the state budget is already seriously pinched.

When a lawsuit results in seven-figure monetary damages, often the impact is felt beyond the checkbook.

Already two public calls have been made for Dix to resign, including one from a Republican senator.

Sen. Rick Bertrand, a Republican from Sioux City, issued a statement Wednesday in which he called for Dix to resign.

Sen. Dix has a pattern of retaliation, we all know that, and unfortunately power has that effect on some people," Bertrand wrote. "This jury did not believe that Ms. Anderson was justly fired, and ultimately her dismissal was Bill Dixs decision, and that lack of judgement has consequences."

Dix recently removed Bertrand as a chairman of the Senates transportation budget committee.

Des Moines Register columnist Kathie Obradovich reached the same conclusion: Dix should resign.

By failing to provide a professional work environment and even minimally competent management, Senate Republicans failed in their duty to protect taxpayers. Now every Iowan has to pay the penalty with their tax dollars, Obradovich wrote this week. Every one of the people with responsibility in this case, from Dix on down, should resign.

Dix did not respond to Bertrands call for his resignation, according to a Senate Republican spokesman.

But Dix did defend himself and his staff in response to the jurys decision. He maintained the defense that Anderson was fired only for her poor work product and absolutely no other reason.

During my leadership of the Senate Republican Caucus, harassment and inappropriate behavior was addressed immediately and effectively and it will continue to be addressed in that manner in the future, Dix said in a statement. The Senate Republican Caucus is now a safe environment and there is no tolerance for any and all types of harassment.

Anderson testified that she first began complaining of sexual harassment in 2010, according to the Des Moines Register, and she was fired in 2013.

Dix was voted Senate Republicans leader in 2012.

The jury's ruling and calls for his resignation come at an otherwise heady time for Dix. In the 2016 elections he helped Senate Republicans gain the majority  and, as a result, control of the legislative agenda  in the Iowa Senate. Then, in 2017, he led Senate Republicans as they joined with House Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad to pass myriad pieces of conservative legislation long sought by GOP lawmakers and voters.

Like a good neighbor

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker this week endorsed Kim Reynolds in Iowas 2018 gubernatorial election.

Reynolds will be the successor incumbent in the race  she ascended from lieutenant governor after former Gov. Terry Branstad resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China. But Reynolds faces a Republican primary challenge from Cedar Rapids mayor Ron Corbett.

GOP leaders have been lining up behind Reynolds  earlier this month Iowas Republican U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, announced their support for Reynolds.

Gov. Reynolds is a strong leader whose bold vision promises a bright future for the people of Iowa, Walker said in a statement issued by the Reynolds campaign. She works tirelessly for Iowas hard-working families, and Im proud to endorse her and the commonsense reforms shes advancing in her state.

Walkers support means more than just a press release: it likely means the Wisconsin governor and conservative hero to many nationally will be willing to do what he can  i.e. raise money  for Reynolds campaign.

Of course, Walker has his own re-election campaign to run in 2018. He does not, at this point, have a serious primary challenger.
Christopher Peters, a Coralville surgeon and business owner, will kick off a tour of Iowas 2nd District to announce hes running for U.S. House.

Peters, 57, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack in the 2018 election. He challenged Loebsack in 2016, losing 54 to 46 percent. But he carried 15 counties in the 24-county southeast Iowa district that Donald Trump won.

The 2nd District includes Iowa City and the Quad-Cities.

Voter registration in the 2nd District favors Democrats 180,539 (34 percent) to 154, 654 (29 percent), according to the Iowa Secretary of State.

Peters will start his announcement tour Sunday in Iowa City with stops in Sigourney, Oskaloosa, Newton and Knoxville on Monday. He will be in Davenport July 27. Times and locations are yet to be announced.

Peters, an Army veteran, has continued to travel the district since November and Ive seen that Iowans are as frustrated as ever with their federal government.

Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans in Washington have put forth practical ideas to address our most pressing issues, he said. The people Ive met want an independent-minded representative in Congress.

Peters describes himself as libertarian-leaning. In 2010, he ran for the legislature as a Libertarian but said hes spent most of his life as a Republican.

Breaking with the GOP, Peters said last year he would not vote for Trump because of the then-presidential nominees comments about women and minorities.

Im an independent, thoughtful guy, he said during the 2016 campaign.
Pedaling 400-plus miles across Iowa on a traditional, two-wheeled bicycle apparently lost its lure 10 years ago.

Since then, one RAGBRAI official said he has noticed an increasing amount of adventure-seekers test out alternative, and unusual, modes of transportation during the weeklong trek, which begins Sunday in Orange City.

Weve seen everything under the sun, from unicycles to skateboards, said T.J. Juskiewicz, director of the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

Heading into this years journey, I caught up with a couple of Quad-Citians who are gearing up to join the growing list of outliers.

First-time RAGBRAI participant Logan Dykema of Bettendorf plans to complete the 411-mile ride on his unicycle.

I got the idea that I wanted to do it last year, but I knew it would take me about a year to get ready for it, the 26-year-old said.

His 36-inch rig lacks gears but features a set of small handlebars and a disc brake system, which allows him to relax and control his speed on downhill stretches.

Although this marks his maiden multi-day voyage, Dykema has been cruising around on a unicycle since the sixth grade, when his aunt gave him his first one-wheeled apparatus as a birthday present.

In preparation for the most exercise-filled week of his life, the Pleasant Valley High School grad said he has been riding four to five nights a week.

"I've tried to focus on hills quite a bit," said Dykema, who works as a help desk specialist at Twin State Technical Services in Davenport. Its harder to go up hills with a larger wheel.

He plans to carry a small backpack with water, a poncho in case it rains and essential tools, including a small hand pump and a spare inner tube.

To everyones advantage, this year's ride has been labeled the third-shortest and third-flattest RAGBRAI in the event's 45-year history.

However, Dykema predicts the last leg from Waukon to the small Mississippi River town of Lansing could pose quite a challenge.

"It's only 44 miles, but it has 3,200 feet of climb," he said. "I've never done that much climbing in that short of distance, so it will be interesting."

Swapping her road bike for her fat bike, fellow Bettendorf resident Tina Anderson also will stand out next week on her eighth consecutive tour across the state.

Equipped with 4-inch-wide tires, her fat bike weighs 30 pounds  twice as heavy as her road bike, which she has used in the past.

Its slower and heavier, said Anderson, who hopes to average about 10-13 mph throughout the week. The bikes about as big as me.

The 46-year-old Deere & Co. employee said she felt inspired to break out of her comfort zone last summer when she lost her mother to an aggressive form of brain cancer.

"I'm doing it for those who really can't," she said. Im also doing it to show people that if you put your mind to something, you can do it with determination.

Its nowhere near as hard as it was watching my mom go through cancer.

Anderson, who also lost her 13-year-old daughter to brain cancer in 2007, will hit the road Saturday for Orange City with other members of Team LIVESTRONG.

In 2014, she launched a fundraiser ride in the Quad-Cities called Tour de Brew, which has raised $35,000 for cancer charities, including the LIVESTRONG Foundation.

During her training sessions this summer, Anderson said she has seen Dykema practicing along area trails.

Its amazing, she said of the unicyclist. Hes definitely taking on a big challenge.

Dykema will set out on Saturday for northwest Iowa on one of five charter buses provided by the Quad-Cities Bicycle Club, which will transport his camping gear next week from town to town.

Just shy of 310 people from 32 states registered with the QCBC to take advantage of its convenient $255 service, said Dixon Novy, director of RAGBRAI logistics for the club.

Its the best bang for their buck is what Ive heard several times, Novy added. We have a good group of people who will help each other out.

Both Dykema and Anderson expect to see others on setups similar to theirs.

When asked what advice she'd give to first-timers, the veteran RAGBRAIer, speaking from her own experiences, said:

"You can't be afraid to ask for help along the way."
ANKENY, Iowa  After two years of trying, Strategic Behavioral Health won permission Thursday from the state of Iowa to build a 72-bed psychiatric hospital in Bettendorf.

On a vote of 4-1, Iowas Health Facilities Council voted to approve a certificate of need over the opposition of the Quad-Cities two largest hospitals, Genesis Health System and UnityPoint Trinity.

Chairman Harold Miller of Bettendorf, a former Genesis physician, voted for the application, as did Roger Thomas, of Elkader, Roberta Chambers, of Corydon, and Brenda Perrin, who is from Cherokee. Connie Schmett, of Clive, was the sole dissenting vote.

Chambers has consistently supported the application and was moved by testimony of people who told, at times, harrowing stories of long wait times for help.

I think its time we listened to those people, she said.

The two-year battle has, at times, been bitter. During the hearing Thursday, both sides traded charges about the level of charitable care the other side provides its patients.

However, after the decision, Genesis Chief Executive Officer Doug Cropper, UnityPoint CEO Rick Seidler and Jim Shaheen, the president of Strategic, talked for a short time in the hearing room. All said afterward they were committed to cooperation.

Still, the decision was a defeat for the Quad-Cities two largest hospitals.

Were disappointed, Cropper said afterward. He said hed thought his side had shown the need for behavioral health care was being met.

Shaheen said afterward he was pleased with the decision, and that the company would follow through on its promises to provide not just in-patient care but to work in the community to offer a range of behavioral health services.

It took two and a half years but were excited. We think it was worth the time and energy. We believe patients and families are worth fighting for, he said.

Shaheen said he expects to close on the property at Tanglefoot Lane and Golden Valley Drive, where the hospital will be built, in about a month. Construction, he said, could start three months later with opening expected a year after that.

Thursdays decision came after nine hours of testimony here, the third time that Strategic has gone before the state to seek permission to build. The previous two hearings ended in 2-2 votes.

Strategic argued that in-patient beds are needed, and with a sole focus on behavioral health, it provides specialized care that cant be found at a medical hospital. It said that even as Genesis and UnityPoint have added behavioral health services, that hasnt satisfied the demand.

Strategic officials said there is room for its operation and the two hospitals to co-exist. The company has argued that offering more services to people would lead those who arent getting help to step forward and seek out help.

"Theres enough people that need our help for both of us, said Michael Garone, Strategics development director.

A range of Strategic supporters also told of numerous instances where they said beds werent available in the Quad-Cities and that people had to go elsewhere.

Supporters from other parts of the state urged approval.

Richard Vander Mey, a magistrate from Tama County, told of a young man with autism and who was taken into custody after attacking a family member. He said the man was chained to a bed in a hospital for days while waiting to get appropriate care.

He called such treatment in Iowa shameful.

What we are doing to them is criminal. Its criminal, Vander Mey said.

UnityPoint and Genesis disputed the idea that the need isnt being met in the Quad-Cities.

They pointed to added psychiatric beds over the last couple years. And Cropper told the council even as more people are getting services, capacity hasnt been exceeded.

This isnt a formula. This isnt conjecture, Cropper said. This is what is happening, he said, day in, day out.

Genesis and UnityPoint also also raised a frequent argument  that SBH would not take adult Medicaid patients. That has been a key question throughout the dispute.

Strategic has asserted it will take Medicaid patients, which tend to be people who are poorer or have disabilities, and that a change in a federal rule and a letter from the states Medicaid director made the hospitals' claim a non-issue.

However, Genesis and UnityPoint argued that point and emphasized, as things stand now, Strategic still cant take those patients in Iowa.

The hospitals argued Strategic would cherry pick better paying patients, thus undermining the viability of existing providers, who they say are providing the safety net to the needy.

"Our ability to serve all will be compromised. Thats the issue, said Doug Gross, an attorney for UnityPoint.

Some of their supporters echoed that argument. Frank Klipsch, the mayor of Davenport, said there is an evolving local model for care and, he added, he doesnt want to see that disrupted.

We are making progress, he said.

Strategic first applied for a certificate in mid-2015. The two tie votes came because one of the five commissioners on the panel was absent.

This time, all five members were present.

Miller is a new member of the panel. At the outset of the meeting, he disclosed his past relationship with Genesis, said he believed he didn't have a conflict and that he could make an unbiased judgment. He asked if there were any objections to his participation, but no one objected.
A Davenport man and woman were arrested Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and money laundering following a federal investigation dating back to August.

The same day, Jennifer Hoang, 25, and Randy Wardrip, 23, made an initial court appearance on the charges in U.S. District Court, Davenport.

Detention and preliminary hearings are scheduled July 24, according to court records.

The United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Iowa said in a news release that federal search warrants were executed at two locations in the 600 block of 15th Street and the 4800 block of West Locust Street Wednesday as part of the investigation.

Warrants also were executed in Asbury, Iowa; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Selma, Oregon; Portland, Oregon; Grants Pass, Oregon; and Clear River Falls, Nevada, according to the release.

Police also arrested Douglas Tran, 57, of Henderson, Nevada, in connection with the investigation.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. A recent letter writer says people are "prejudiced" against President Donald Trump's voters. He says we should put aside partisan politics and fall in line behind the big orange duck.

The letter writer further has the temerity to compare Trump's win with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs won the World Series fairly by outscoring opponents - not by the Electoral College and with the secret aid of Russia.

Its not "prejudging" Trump voters to assume they are xenophobic, racist, misogynistic know-nothings, who bash immigrants, Mexicans, Muslims, the disabled, and others. Trump did not disavow the endorsement of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. His supporters are tarred with these unsavory associations. As my grandmother used to say, "Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas."

The writer also accused Trump opponents of "rioting, looting and the destruction of property." I have seen only peaceful marches by (mainly) women in pink hats with baby strollers.

Many here and abroad have come to see Trump as unhinged. More than 50,000 mental health professionals have signed a letter stating Trump should be removed under the 25th Amendment, as "unable to carry out the powers and duties of his office." The original letter, signed by a retired Harvard psychiatrist and 34 colleagues was published in The New York Times. The doctors conclude Trump is unable to make rational decisions.

An unqualified president in a dangerous world is a recipe for disaster.

Patricia Welch

Davenport
Now there are at least seven of President Trumps inner circle that has denied any contact with the Russians, and then it turns out they did. Trumps former campaign chairman and foreign lobbyist Paul Manafort made millions working for the pro-Putin Ukrainian leader, and then while running Trumps campaign the Republican platform changed to not supporting Ukraines democracy.

At a real estate conference in 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said, "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. We don't rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia." And now with Trump, Jr., son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and Manafort meeting with that Russian lawyer wanting dirt on the Democratic National Convention, and wanting to talk about the Magnitsky Act sanctions against Russia, what is a person with common sense to think?

Why did Trump's inner circle lie on their disclosure forms? Why is it always Russian contacts that they try to hide? Why does Trump alienate all our allies, but cozy up to dictators? Why not show his tax returns? Just like Russian President Vladimir Putin became a billionaire while in control in Russia, Trump is laughing all the way to the bank.

It took three years to finally sort out President Nixons lies and find the truth. I hope this doesn't take as long.

Chris Kaffenberger

Clinton
An open letter to the office of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds:

I am writing to inquire about your stance on the health care bills currently under consideration in Congress. As you are aware, Iowa elected to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This expansion was initially funded fully by the federal government, with a plan to scale down to 90 percent federal funding by 2020. This expansion also helped Iowa cover over 100,000 more Iowans. Indeed, we saw our state's uninsured rate drop from 8.1 percent in 2013 (before the ACA took affect) to 5 percent last year.

Federal funding for the Medicaid expansion will be cut under the Senate health care bill (Better Care Reconciliation Act). What is your plan for the hundreds of thousands of low-income Iowans who gained insurance under this program? Will Iowa's state budget absorb this cost to keep them covered?

Can Iowa's budget even handle this? One estimate by the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities estimates a 500 percent increase on the state cost to maintain the expansion. Or will you drop the program altogether at the peril of these hundreds of thousands of Iowans? This appears to be a lose-lose scenario.

However, another option does exist. You could use the strength of your office to publicly pressure U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, to reject this bill.

I hope you are considering these consequences. I hope you are considering Iowans.

Drew Kelley

Clinton
PIERRE | South Dakotas election-assistance board recommended grants up to $9,000 apiece for eight counties from the federal Help America Vote Act fund Thursday.

They are Brule, $9,000; Davison, $9,000; Fall River, $9,000; Hughes, $9,000; McCook, $9,000; Potter, $9,000; Sully, $8,770; and Ziebach, $6,300.

The board also endorsed a second round of money for three counties in Indian Country  one being Jackson  to operate in-person satellite voting centers.

They are:

 Buffalo County received $2,100 to run a center at Fort Thompson during the general election.

 Dewey County received $7,768 for a center at Eagle Butte during the primaries and general election.

 Jackson County received $16,121 for a center at Wanblee during the primaries and general election.

The recommendations will now go to South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs for decisions. Counties that receive Krebs approval must send receipts for actual expenses after the 2018 elections to Kristin Gabriel.

Gabriel, senior elections coordinator and HAVA grants coordinator for South Dakota, reviews eligibility of each expense. She in turn submits receipts for a second review by Kea Warne, the deputy secretary of state for elections.

Counties must be at zero balance in their state-held HAVA accounts to be eligible for more HAVA money. They can use HAVA cash to offset up to $9,000 of expenses per election cycle. The maximum grant is $9,000, except for extraordinary circumstances.

Nine counties are at zero balance, Gabriel said. They are Hamlin County and the eight that received positive recommendations Thursday.

Jackson showed a balance of $2,245. Jackson County is not at a zero balance for their state-held HAVA fund, Gabriel said. They must be at a zero balance prior to receiving the HAVA grant funding.

The $9,000 restriction, however, doesnt apply to counties in Native American reservation areas where in-person satellite voting centers operate.

Indian Country counties can receive more than $9,000 to run voting centers. The voting-center grants are for one site per county. Counties dont have to be at zero balance.

Five counties have more than $100,000 in their accounts. They are Beadle, $126,345; Brown, $149.148; Codington, $101,979; Minnehaha, $473,448; and Pennington, $209,380.
Democratic congressional candidate Tim Bjorkman of Canistota will conduct a series of town hall meetings across South Dakota in the coming weeks.

The first two meetings will take place at the Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy St., at 2 p.m. July 25 and 6:30 p.m. July 26.

There has been a lot of political talk but, sadly, no action on the monumental issue of health care, Bjorkman said in a release. Its yet another example of Washington politicians not listening to us and not working together.

Bjorkman said in the release that he invites South Dakotans of all political views to attend the town hall meetings.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.  Nancy Mulcahy and Todd Phelps, fifth-grade teachers at Hot Springs Elementary, recently completed an intense, six-day immersion in American history at the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. The two then later joined fellow Hot Springs teacher Koreen Hammel at a similar week-long experience at Gettysburg, Pa., sponsored by Gilder Lehrman. The Gettysburg institute was entitled The Civil War through Material Culture and Historical Landscapes.

Both institutes are designed for the teachers to learn new methods of engaging students in history lessons.

The Teacher Institute in Williamsburg was created to encourage history education and make it engaging for students. Now in its 28th year, the Teacher Institute helps prepare teachers to help students meet national and state history standards through hands-on immersion experiences in colonial history.

The Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute provides participants with interactive teaching techniques and skills to become mentor teachers who can assist their peers and other educators to develop active learning classrooms and make history exciting for their students.

During six-day sessions on location in Colonial Williamsburg and the surrounding area, participants engage in an interdisciplinary approach to teaching social studies with American history as the focus. Teachers have the opportunity to exchange ideas with historians, meet character interpreters and become part of the story in The Revolutionary City. Throughout each day, teachers work collaboratively with Colonial Williamsburg staff and Master Teachers to examine interactive teaching techniques and develop instructional materials that improve instruction, raise literacy levels, enhance thinking skills, and bring history to life in the classroom.

Colonial Williamsburg builds on a nearly 60-year educational outreach tradition by exploring new technologies, expanding successful initiatives and offering new ventures to fulfill its educational mission. Teacher Institute was developed to improve the quality of American history education in the nations schools and insure that every student gains an understanding of the principles behind our system of government. The program began in 1990 with 44 fifth-grade teachers from two southern California school districts. Today, more than 8,900 teachers from all 50 states, two territories, and five foreign countries have participated since the inception of the Teacher Institute.

The local teachers experience was made possible through generous donations by several local business and organizations, most notably Bill Graves State Farm Insurance and Massa Dental Clinic, who each contributed $500 each to sponsor the trip

Other contributors included Farrell, Farrell & Ginsbach, Nelsons Oil & Gas, the Hot Springs Elks Lodge and Masons, Builders First Source, Circle J Glass in Chadron and the Elementary Student Council.

Established in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century revolutionary capital of Virginia as a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nations founding men and women. Within the restored and reconstructed buildings, historic interpreters, attired as colonial men and women from slaves to shopkeepers to soldiers, relate stories of colonial Virginia society and culture  stories of our journey to become Americans. As Colonial Williamsburg interprets life in the time of the American Revolution for its guests, it also invites them to interact with history. Williamsburg is located 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., off Interstate 64. To learn more about Teacher Institute, visit www.history.org/history/teaching/tchsti.cfm
PIERRE  South Dakotas Highway Patrol officially welcomes its largest group of new troopers to the agency in more than 40 years this Friday during a graduation ceremony held in the State Capitol Rotunda in Pierre.

Class 59 consists of 20 recruits -- 15 men and five women. It is the Highway Patrols largest class since 25 recruits graduated in 1974.

This is a good group of recruits, who come from many different backgrounds and perspectives, says Col. Craig Price, superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Their different skill sets and life experiences will make the Patrol stronger and help us to better meet the needs of the public.

The recruits have completed eight months of training which included basic law enforcement training, attending the South Dakota Highway Patrol Recruit Academy and finally, field training. The period from initial application to graduation is about one year.

This has been an intense period of training, but these recruits need to be ready for any situation they might face, says Price. It has not been easy, but Fridays graduation is the culmination of their hard work and dedication. We look forward to celebrating the moment with the recruits and their families.

The graduating recruits and their duty stations are: Jeremy Biegert, Belle Fourche; Zach Bruzelius, Pierre; Andrew Buns, Wall; Joshua De Wild, Chamberlain; Paige Erickson, Rapid City; Brian Gordon, Murdo; Ashley Granville, Pierre; Tyler Jackson, Rapid City; Shane Johnson, Mitchell; Peter Klein, Belle Fourche; Jordan Melius, Aberdeen; Devin Olson, Britton; Eric Peterson, Beresford; Brandon Ridgeway, Brookings; Brynne Rist, Platte; Maxwell Schrader, Spearfish; Sara Schumacher, Pierre; Jared Smith, Gettysburg; Daniel Woodring, Rapid City; and Tyler Woodside, Faith.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard is the guest speaker for the ceremony, which starts at 10 a.m. At the end of graduation, the new troopers will receive their patrol cars which will be parked behind the state Capitol. Many of the graduates are scheduled to be on duty as early as Saturday, July 22.

South Dakotas Highway Patrol is part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.
An Arizona man was sentenced to five years of probation on Wednesday and ordered to pay $200,000 for airmailing mercury, a hazardous material that leaked at a South Dakota airport in 2015.

Shortly before being sentenced at the Rapid City federal courthouse, Darren VanHouten, 45, pleaded guilty to the charge of mailing an injurious article. He admitted sending a parcel containing about 10 pounds of mercury from the U.S. Post Office in Kingman, Ariz., to an address in Hill City, according to the statement of facts he submitted to the court.

VanHouten said he knew mercury is a hazardous substance that should not be mailed.

On May 1, 2015, a day after sending the parcel, the mercury leaked while being transported through Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

A U.S. Postal Service employee noticed the substance leaking on the floor of a mail-sorting facility at the airport, according to a May 2015 report in the Argus Leader. The building was shut down for nearly a week, and occupants were relocated while the facility was cleaned and its air quality monitored.

A hazardous material team involved in the cleanup set up a 150-foot perimeter around the building. Shipments in the same freight as the mercury were slated to be destroyed, the newspaper reported.

The response involved the expenditure of over $200,000 in remediation costs, VanHouten's factual statement reads.

Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann ordered VanHouten to pay $203,000 in restitution, including $179,000 to the U.S. Postal Service.

Exposure to mercury, a naturally occurring element, may cause serious health problems and is a threat to developing fetuses, according to the World Health Organization.

Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, as well as the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes, the organization says.

VanHouten had originally also been charged with transporting hazardous material in air commerce. It will be dismissed as part of his agreement with federal prosecutors.

He was arrested in March 2016 and granted conditional release the following month, according to court records.

VanHoutens reason for mailing mercury is not clear. The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to provide information beyond what was laid out in his statement of facts.

Rapid City Regional Airport hasnt encountered an incident of hazardous materials being transported through the airport, according to spokeswoman Toni Broom.
A man was re-sentenced Thursday for kidnapping and assault convictions in Pennington County  almost 30 years after the South Dakota Supreme Court ordered his sentences changed.

Byron Red Kettle, 50, was originally sentenced in 1989 to life in prison for kidnapping a Box Elder convenience store clerk, whom he sexually assaulted after fleeing with her to Nebraska, according to court records.

Red Kettle was also sentenced to 30 years for assaulting a correctional officer at the Pennington County Jail, where he was detained after being arrested on federal kidnapping charges.

Judge Roland Grosshans, of the Seventh Circuit Court, ordered Red Kettle to serve the Pennington County sentences after completing his federal sentences.

A year earlier, Red Kettle had been sentenced in federal court to serve, one after the other, life in prison for the clerks kidnapping and seven and a half years for assaulting the correctional officer.

Red Kettle appealed his Pennington County sentences to the state Supreme Court. He said the lower court made a mistake by ordering his Pennington sentences to run consecutively with his federal sentences because both were for the same offenses.

The Supreme Court agreed with Red Kettle. In a 1990 ruling, it asked the lower court to make the Pennington County sentences run at the same time as the federal sentences.

It is not clear why the court order was not immediately followed, but Red Kettle was not resentenced until Thursday afternoon.

The correction to your sentences was overlooked, and Im under obligation to correct that, Craig Pfeifle, the Seventh Circuit Courts current presiding judge, said in a conference call with Red Kettle, who is detained in Nebraska.

After being released from federal custody in 2009, Red Kettle immediately began serving a Nebraska sentence related to the clerks sexual assault, according to federal court records.

He became eligible for parole last month, based on his information with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. But Red Kettle cannot be granted parole since he has a detainer stemming from his South Dakota sentences.

Pennington County Deputy States Attorney Tracey Decker, who represented the state in Thursdays hearing, told the Journal nobody knows yet how Red Kettles resentencing was overlooked for 27 years.

Ive never seen this happen before, she said.
PIERRE | Members of the Legislatures task force on initiatives and referendums talked Wednesday about again moving the deadline for filing voter-signed petitions that seek changes to South Dakota laws.

The only decision reached, however, was setting aside legislation that would limit the number of proposed constitutional amendments, referred laws and initiated measures that could appear on a ballot.

The task force chose Aug. 23 to meet for a third time, starting at 8 a.m.

Chairwoman Emily Wanless of Sioux Falls told members to plan for final action that day on the 11 other proposals made so far. Be prepared as a group, Wanless said. Lets try and accomplish all of that next time.

One of the drafts would give circulators more time for submitting voter-completed petitions for initiated measures. The deadline for citizen-initiated measures and constitutional amendments now is one year before the general election.

The deadline for initiated measures would change to June 30 of the election year, under a proposal from Sen. Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls.

He said grass-roots groups would benefit from having more months to gather signatures.

Secretary of State Shantel Krebs said a court challenge could create problems if June 30 becomes the deadline. She said state law requires her office to have ballots ready Aug. 1.

Another option would be to add time on the front end, suggested Krebs, who is a nonvoting member of the task force.

She said some petitions arrived at her office minutes before the 5 p.m. cutoff in 2015. We have a time stamp as well as a date stamp, Krebs said. We know theyre going to push, Im afraid, as far as they can.

Sen. Jim Bolin, R-Canton, offered drafts that would raise the threshold for voters approval of constitutional amendments to either 55 or 60 percent. Bolin, a task force member, said the requirement should be higher for a constitutional amendment than for changing a law.

Brown County Commissioner Duane Sutton of Aberdeen supported the concept. The constitution is kind of the holy grail. We need to hold that to a higher standard, said Sutton, a task force member.

John Fiksdal of Sioux Falls spoke against giving more latitude to the Legislative Research Council to offer advice beyond comments on style and form. Fiksdal, who runs a signature-gathering business, also opposed giving jurisdiction over the format of petitions to state governments Board of Elections.

That would be similar to telling legislators the longest their bills could be, he said.

It doesnt make any sense to me, Fiksdal said.

Linda Lea Viken of Rapid City defended the proposal. Viken, a Democrat on the Board of Elections and a task force member, took the side of Krebs, a Republican.

The form makes it difficult to do the work they have to do, Viken said. Its just making them (petition forms) uniform in a manner that makes them easier to process.
Smoke from fires in central Montana drifted into western South Dakota on Friday, and the hazy conditions are expected to continue through today.

On Friday morning, smoke was "blanketing the whole town" of Spearfish, according to Assistant Fire Chief Robert Mathis. By early afternoon, a thick haze had drifted over Rapid City.

Great Plains Fire Information reported around 10 a.m. Friday morning that smoke from the fire was drifting into the Sundance, Wyo., area. Billings is about 270 northwest of Spearfish.

The National Weather Service in Rapid City received several calls about the smoke Friday, as well as messages on social media.

"Our advice is for elderly, young and anyone with respiratory problems to avoid exposure to the outside air," meteorologist Alex Calderon said.

The wildfire smoke had not affected any of Rapid City Regional Airport's departing or arriving flights, said airport spokeswoman Toni Broom.
Parents make many sacrifices for their children, but going without food shouldnt be one of them.

To that end, Feeding Our Families, a pilot program at the Club for Boys, is providing free meals for the parents of club members when they dine with their children at the club.

The Club for Boys summer food program serves hundreds of free breakfasts, lunches and snacks to club members, and to anyone in the community who is 18 or younger. The club is reimbursed by the state to feed siblings of members and anyone 18 or younger, but adults who accompany a club member or nonmember sibling during meal time are charged $3.50 a meal.

When Mark Kline, the clubs assistant executive director, recently saw a mother go without food when she brought her child to the club for a meal, he realized parents also needed help.

I looked over at the mom sitting there not eating and watching her daughter eat, and it just hit me that this is a family that struggles at times, and were not able to feed this parent.  It was a terrible thing to see, he said. I knew we had to do something  that we could do something.

Transportation to food sites like the Club for Boys, and money to buy food, are two major obstacles for parents who are trying to feed their children, Kline said. If parents do not have the money to eat, they are less likely to have an incentive to take their child to the club for meals.

Klines initial goal is to feed 10 parents per day, five days a week.

Oftentimes, parents of our members are not getting the nutrition they need, Kline said. We can save them some money and make sure the whole family is healthy.

The cost to offer 300 free meals for parents this summer is $1,000, Kline said. Feeding Our Families is jointly sponsored by Feeding South Dakota and by local Great Clips co-owner Leslie Valega, who donated $1,000 to cover the cost of parents meals.

Now, parents are getting the nutrition they need and they are able to spend quality time with their children. We are only able to do this because of Leslie's generosity and our partnership with Feeding South Dakota, Kline said.

Great Clips already sponsors a Hooked on Hard Water fundraising event for the Club for Boys, and Valega wanted to do more. Shes personally witnessed the positive effects the Club for Boys has on local children and adults.

We have some stylists who have boys who go there, Valega said. We have a lot of customers who go to the Club for Boys. Our staff appreciates that were supporting something that helps them.

I just think the Club for Boys is so important, and they do so much. I meet more and more men who were part of the Club for Boys who say, Theyre a part of who I am today. They taught me so much that helped me grow into a good man, and we need those, she said.

The idea for a program that feeds parents as well as kids is brilliant, Valega said. Seriously, whos helping the parents?  I would love to see this take off just to help strengthen parents and strengthen families. I think parenting is the hardest job. How do you do that if youre lacking resources? How do you function well?

Feeding Our Families is an important step toward addressing food insecurity in Rapid City, Valega said. It is shocking and it is sad, she said of the number of children who dont have consistent meals.

How are we going to raise happy, responsible adults if theyre starving?

The need is great, and staffers at the club witness that reality every day. In June alone, the club served almost 3,700 breakfasts, nearly 6,200 lunches and about 3,800 snacks. Kline hopes that with enough support, the Feeding Our Families program could be continued long term.

If we can raise enough support, I would definitely continue it next summer, he said. When we remove all the barriers facing families, it enables our members and their families to have more resources, and it makes our families healthier. So, too, does it make our entire Rapid City community better.

Sponsoring Feeding Our Families ultimately has benefits beyond fighting hunger, Valega said. Its a lesson in compassion for those boys and their families too. If they dont ever see it modeled, how can they be that someday?  It teaches them there are good people who will help you.
On Thursday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released the names of two national monuments  one in Washington and one in Idaho  that would not be changed in size or status as part of an ongoing review of national monuments ordered by the Trump administration.

Conspicuously absent from that short list was the Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument right here in his home state of Montana. Zinke said in late June that the Breaks status would likely remain unchanged, but he has yet to make that official.

He is strongly urged to do so.

At the direction of the President Trump, Zinke is engaged in reviewing the status of more than two dozen national monuments. He is undoubtedly under a lot of pressure to make a show of eliminating or shrinking a significant number of them.

Zinke needs to show some independence on this and resist whatever pressure he is feeling to change the status of the Breaks. This area, almost half a million acres in size, is in largely the same condition it was in when Lewis and Clark first formally documented it as part of the Louisiana Purchase in the first years of the 19th century. And it continues to provide excellent habitat for mule deer, elk and other plains species of wildlife.

A poll conducted recently for the Montana Wildlife Federation found that nearly 60 percent of Montanans oppose any change in status or change in size of the area protected in this national monument.

During the recently ended comment period on the issue, some 12,000 Montanans urged that the Breaks be left alone. An analysis by the Bozeman-based Headwaters Economics found that nearby local economies expanded following the designation of 17 national monuments.

Since the Breaks monument designation in 2001, cattle grazing leases have been continued in the area. And the designation did not affect existing mining claims and energy leases.

Gov. Steve Bullock and Sen. Jon Tester have voiced their support for keeping this monument as is. Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte are urged to lend their voices to his effort as Zinke considers the fate of the Breaks.

The Missouri River Breaks was a breathtaking addition to the national monument system when it was designated 16 years ago. And it should stay that way.
Sentencing of alleged masterminds of unlawful referendum set for August 10

MOSCOW, July 21 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova)  The Tverskoy District Court of Moscow will pass a sentence upon four men charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization on August 10, the courts representative Svetlana Maximova told RAPSI on Friday.

Earlier, a prosecutor asked the court to sentence RBC journalist Alexander Sokolov, activists Kirill Barabash and Valery Parfyonov to 4 years in prison each, and publicist Yury Mukhin to 4.5 years behind bars.

The defendants are indeed members of the Initiative Group to Campaign for a Referendum for Responsible Government, which, the authorities believe, is the successor of earlier banned Peoples Will Army (PWA), Mukhin told RAPSI. However, the action group aiming to organize the referendum was established yet in 2010, he said.

Sokolov, Parfyonov, and Barabash are charged with continuing to run the prohibited in 2010 Peoples Will Army, earlier headed by Mukhin. After the PWA was banned, the accused founded the Referendum Initiative Group seeking to make the authorities directly answerable to the people through changing the countrys Constitution.

Nevertheless, the prosecution says that in fact Mukhin and his supporters have attempted to destabilize the political situation in Russia and accomplish a regime change with illegal means.

In 1995, Yury Mukhin, a proponent of radical change, founded the Duel newspaper, which attempted to reach out to Russian conservatives and far left. The newspaper was banned in 2009 on grounds of extremism.




Russian shipbuilding company's ex-head to remain in detention in U.S.

MOSCOW, July 21 (RAPSI)  The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has dismissed without prejudice a petition filed by the ex-head of the Far Eastern Center of Shipbuilding Igor Borbot, charged in several criminal cases in Russia, seeking a writ of habeas corpus over the denial of U.S. immigration authorities to release him on bond, copies of court documents at RAPSI disposal read.

Borbot, a Russian citizen who entered the United States in September 2014, was arrested by immigration officials in April 2016 and entered into removal proceedings because of overstaying his visa. It was chosen to detain Borbot because he was subject to an Interpol Red Notice as he was wanted in Russia on criminal fraud charges.

After examining the petition, the court ruled to dismiss it saying it lacked jurisdiction to review the denial of bond by the immigration court and the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The New Jersey court also found ungrounded Borbots claims that the immigration courts abused their discretion by placing the burden of proof on him to show that he was not dangerous because of him being on the Interpol wanted list, which he contended was error.

The court disagreed further with Borbots assertions that his detention had become overlong, and that he should therefore be entitled to a bond hearing where the Government bears the burden of proof, and found that his continued detention did not deny him due process.

Meanwhile, Russias Prosecutor Generals Office seeks deportation of Borbot, who is involved in several criminal cases launched in Russia over the embezzlement of more than 4 billion rubles (about $68 million at the current exchange rate) during the construction of the Star shipbuilding complex. Borbot and some of his former colleagues left the country and were put on the international wanted list with Borbot himself being sought by the Interpol.

In November 2016, Borbot filed a lawsuit against several top Russian officials, including Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade in Russia. Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec Corporation, and Andrey Shishkin, Vice-President for Energy, Localization and Innovation for Rosneft, were named as co-defendants, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by RAPSI.

Borbot alleged that his prosecution in Russia and arrest in the US were a result of his refusal at one time to hand over to the defendants his assets, in particular his share in the Vladivostok Development Company (VDC) he founded in 1994, which invested in a number of profitable projects and was worth $350 million.
At the end of an all-day hearing on misconduct complaints against Hamilton attorney Robert Myers  in particular his actions during his 2016 judicial race  Jon Moog with the states Office of Disciplinary Counsel summed up his view in two sentences.

This is nothing more than character assassination. Mr. Myers should be disbarred, he told a panel from the state's Commission on Practice.

The complaints against Myers include that he ran ads with inflammatory allegations he knew were false when he ran for judge of Ravalli County District Court against incumbent Jeff Langton last year.

The radio ads and a mailer included allegations that Langton received drugs from a child, committed fraud, and made repeat references to a prior driving under the influence of alcohol conviction the judge has on his record, including the use of a jingle of Liquor Langton.

Although the roughly 11 hours of hearings Thursday began in the morning, Myers did not arrive until the afternoon, saying he misunderstood the schedule.

But once he did show up he had many things to say, including that the ads he ran were political speech and therefore protected under the First Amendment.

I stand by what I put in the ad, I have a First Amendment right to say it. I dont care what the Supreme Court of Montana says, I certainly dont care what Judge Langton says, Myers said. I move to dismiss this and we get back to being Americans, he said.

When Langton testified, he said the ads were a smear campaign.

I could not believe this man would stoop this low, he said.

Myers said he had independently corroborated the statements in the ads, then said he hadnt, then said he had for some, and also that he hadnt meant them as facts, only as stories he had been told by other people.

At one point Myers refused to testify, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination, because Langton has asked law enforcement to open a criminal defamation case against Myers, who referred to himself as a private attorney general.

Asked why he never reported any of the allegations of illegal conduct to authorities, Myers said he hadnt done so yet.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, he said.

A member of the commission asked Myers if he knows the rules of professional conduct for attorneys and those for a person running for a judge position. Myers said he did, but believed many of them are unconstitutional, and that the Montana Supreme Court should be ashamed for upholding them.

They should be ashamed of themselves for letting this guy back on the bench...Ive been fined $10,000 for telling the truth about this guy, Myers said, referencing a sanction Langton imposed on him for behavior in a court case in Ravalli County.

Langton imposed that sanction after Myers accused the judge and another attorney of having secret communications, said that witnesses in the case had been tampered with and after Myers attempted to subpoena the judge to provide a deposition.

Langton, who has been on the bench since being elected in 1992 and is currently the longest-serving district court judge, said Myers is the only attorney he has ever had to sanction.

In addition to his request for Myers disbarment for the most incendiary ads that Myers agreed he authored and put out, Moog asked for a two-year suspension of the attorneys law license for a pair of ads he ran during the primary and a three-month suspension for his behavior in the child custody case that led to his sanction.

The panel will file reports of its findings in each case with the Montana Supreme Court, along with a disciplinary recommendation if they believe one is necessary. The high court will make the ultimate decision of what punishment, if any, Myers will face.
The Curdy Farm Easement project required no discussion among the Ravalli County Commission before the board unanimously approved using $125,000 in open lands bond money for the project.

But the nearly 20 people who attended Thursday's public hearing and those who provided comments on the project all spoke in favor of its approval.

Tonia Bloom, a member of the Open Lands Board, said that Corvallis Future Farmers of America has seen increased interest from local youth. If land like the Curdy Farm isnt available to farmers in the future, those youths will move somewhere else.

Gavin Ricklefs, the executive director of the Bitter Root Land Trust, said that the Open Lands Board actually scored the Curdy Farm as more valuable to the county than the land trust did, which clearly demonstrates its importance.

The Curdy Farm was reviewed by the Open Lands Bond Program, which assists landowners in finding the funding to conserve their land. It will cost $125,000 for the Open Lands Bond Program to help purchase the easement, according to Ricklefs.

The $125,000 covers the development value of the land that the Curdy family is giving up. Because the appraised value of the conservation easement is $400,000, the Open Lands Bond Program is getting a pretty good deal, according to Ricklefs.

The approval of the Board of Commissioners preserves the land as agricultural open space in perpetuity.

The land is made up of 100 percent "soils of state importance," which means the property is extremely fertile. This year Mary Rodriguez, the Curdy Farm landowner, said they pulled three tons of hay per acre.

Rodriguez and her brother Willis Curdy said they could imagine a wide variety of different agricultural uses for the land in the future.

There will be plenty of uses for this land for centuries to come, Rodriguez said.

But no subdivisions or development forever.
VICTOR  The sweet smell of fresh paint and a wide smile on the face of receptionist Lesley Robinson greet patients walking into the new Bitterroot Physicians Clinic North.

In the well-lit reception area, Becky Howard and Nancy and Ray Vierra explain that theyre coming to the new clinic on a regular basis to follow their favorite medical provider,Rebecca Conroy, who is a family nurse practitioner. She used to practice in Stevensville.

I was the first patient here, Nancy Vierra, who lives in Victor, says proudly. The new clinic is so convenient; we were going to Stevensville, but this is right here and we love that Rebecca is here.

My old doctor would have to look at my chart to know my name, Ray Vierra adds. After I went to see Rebecca the first time, she remembered who I was and thats a big thing. Ive been going to see her ever since.

Howard adds that even though she lives in Stevensville, she goes to the clinic in Victor because the staff is over the top.

Theyre so nice and caring, Howard said with a smile. They even ask me if the air conditioning is bothering me. Where else do you find that? You dont.

The new clinic is part of the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospitals effort to provide medical care closer to where patients live. Last year, the hospital opened the Bitterroot Physicians Clinic South in Darby, and the Victor clinic quietly opened in April. On Thursday, July 27, theyll hold an open house with a barbecue to better introduce the Victor facility and care providers to the community.

The facility, on the southeast corner of Highway 93, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

The reason behind that is the school is open Monday through Thursday, and these hours give parents the opportunity to schedule appointments when their children arent in school, said Amy James-Linton, the MDMH spokesperson. We really wanted this to be accessible.

Conroy grew up in Darby and earned a masters degree in nursing in Idaho. She came back to the Bitterroot Valley in 2009 because she wanted to be a rural health care provider.

At the clinic, she provides a range of services including lab work, minor procedures, and chronic care management.

Right now, Im seeing patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, and a lot of people concerned with their weight, she said. Im also seeing people with depression and anxiety, which may be related to the earthquake we had.

"Im also treating bumps and lumps  the kind of things that happen when youre working in your yard. And sunburns. Lots of sunburns. People need to wear sunscreen when theyre floating down the river.

James-Linton said these clinics are anchors in their communities. While they encourage people to make appointments, Conroy said she keeps openings in her schedule for walk-ins.

If you give us a call, well get you in today, Conroy added. We dont have an x-ray, so if people call and say something fell on my leg, we can call ahead and get them in someplace.

My focus is on trying to get the very best care that I can for patients.

The clinics address is 2386 Highway 93 North in Victor. The open house and barbecue will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the public is invited. People can call 375-2990 to schedule an appointment.
On Friday morning a new team took over operations for fighting the 1,983-acre June fire burning near the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

The change in acreage is due to better mapping from an overnight infrared flight.

Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black, an interagency team, has assumed command of the 200 personnel fighting the wildland fire that is threatening structures south of Highway 14/16/20 and about 25 miles west of Cody, Wyoming.

A 6 p.m. community meeting will be held Friday at the Yellowstone Valley Inn in Cody to update the public about the operations.

On Friday firefighters were using hose lays, sprinklers and hand lines to protect the UXU Ranch and Blackwater Lodge. Crews were also continuing to improve hand lines installed on Thursday along Blackwater Ridge and were looking to extend that to the north and east along the North Fork.

Aviation resources will assist firefighters as needed with bucket drops and reconnaissance.

Rain over the fire on Thursday slowed the growth and movement of the fire, but wind gusts out of the southwest ranging from 20 to 30 mph were forecast for the region on Friday although temperatures were predicted to be unseasonably cool.

The fire is burning in rugged terrain loaded with beetle-killed pine and is consequently being managed as a full suppression fire, which so far remains uncontained.

An area closure includes the Elk Fork Campground, Elk Fork Trail and Blackwater Memorial National Recreation Trail.
HELENA  A Montana prosecutor asked a judge Thursday to require U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte to be fingerprinted and photographed after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a reporter.

Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert asked Justice Court Judge Rick West to reject the Republican congressman's request that he be exempted from the usual booking process for criminal defendants.

A mug shot would certainly be used as ammunition against Gianforte in his bid for re-election. Already, national Democrats consider him a potential target as they seek to recapture the U.S. House.

Gianforte pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a reporter for the Guardian newspaper, Ben Jacobs, on the eve of the May 25 special election won by the Bozeman entrepreneur.

Audio posted by Jacobs shortly after the attack recorded sounds of a scuffle, followed by Gianforte yelling for the reporter to "get the hell out of here." Jacobs tweeted that Gianforte had "body slammed" him and broke his glasses while he tried to question him about his position on federal health care legislation.

West ordered Gianforte to pay $385 in fines and court costs. West sentenced Gianforte to 40 hours of community service and ordered him to undergo 20 hours of anger management counseling.

West also ordered Gianforte to be officially booked, but his attorneys objected, saying Gianforte was never actually arrested. Sheriff's deputies said Gianforte was questioned briefly at the scene but was never detained.

It's not clear when the judge would issue a ruling. He could schedule a hearing or rule based on the written arguments.

A Gianforte spokesman reserved comment until he could consult with the congressman, who he said was en route to Montana from Washington.

Gianforte's attorneys challenged West's booking order by asserting that a Justice Court judge "does not ever have authority to issue an order directing a defendant to be fingerprinted or photographed." They also argued that he was exempt from booking because he was charged with a misdemeanor, not a felony.

Lambert said Gianforte's attorneys erroneously interpreted the law and that the judge does have the authority to order Gianforte to be booked.

Gianforte publicly and privately apologized to Jacobs, and paid more than $4,600 in restitution for medical bills, travel and other expenses. Gianforte also gave $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
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America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
ABC/Fred WatkinsCommon isn't adopting a child -- he's adopted an entire New York City school instead.

The "Glory" musician, in partnership with Burlington Coat Factory and AdoptaClassroom.org, recently adopted the Renaissance School of the Arts in Manhattan.

He also donated $10,000 to the school for student supplies.

Common's mother, Dr. Mahalia Hines, and students were present during the special announcement ceremony Thursday.

"We're in a great place," Common told ABC News when asked his thoughts on the next generation of artists at the school.

"They're very insightful. They got something that we didn't have, and I think we gotta acknowledge that and nurture it and give it the most support and give them the best chance."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Wanted: An Afghanistan Policy

A.J. Caschetta

From start to finish, it took fewer than 45 months for the U.S. to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The U.S. entered into a war in Afghanistan shortly after September 11, 2001, and we're still there, 190 months later. After two presidents, five secretaries of defense, and nine CENTCOM commanders, the Summer of 2017 finds Americans awaiting yet another administration's policy to win the war in Afghanistan.

Six months into the Trump administration, the long-awaited Afghanistan strategy has not yet been articulated, much less implemented. When James Mattis, the sixth secretary of defense to oversee Afghanistan, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 12 we learned only that a new strategy will be unveiled sometime in mid-July.

Mattis admitted that America is not winning its longest war and hinted at adding 4,000 more troops. Is this a harbinger of something different in Afghanistan, or evidence of yet another administration perpetuating a 16-year-long "mission creep"?

No one can say for sure what role the unpredictable Donald Trump will play in devising the Trump administration's Afghanistan policy, but we can probably rule out extremes. A full-on, WWII-style fight aimed at victory is as unlikely as a full departure of all U.S. personnel.

Even a departure followed by a "bomb when necessary" strategy (a favorite of the "more rubble = less trouble" crowd, who prefer U.S. military might delivered from the relative safety of 35,000 feet above the problem) is unlikely. At the televised hearing, when Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss) said that a pull-out would be "a massive mistake." Mattis agreed that it would be wrong to "walk away."

The worst compromise might be simply to maintain the status quo of half measures, drone warfare, and restrictive rules of engagement imposed on U.S. ground troops.

Perhaps Mattis will offer another counterinsurgency strategy focused on winning "hearts and minds," spending money and showing Afghans that we are their friends. If they don't know that by now, more USAID programs and bags full of money will not convince them.

Will the 4,000 additional U.S. troops be expected to train and form close partnerships with Afghan soldiers? This status quo measure becomes more difficult to defend every time another American soldier (or three) is killed (or wounded) by an Afghan soldier on patrol or in a "safe space."

A successful strategy in Afghanistan should emulate past successes there and avoid repeating past failures. The early victories in the war were achieved by small numbers of highly mobile, special operations forces and CIA paramilitary teams working with the Northern Alliance. The Afghans did most of the fighting, but we provided information, equipment, and tactics they lacked.

A successful strategy should also look to American successes elsewhere in the world.

When the Trump administration announced in April that it was sending troops to Somalia for the first time since the Clinton administration, it was not thousands or even hundreds, but dozens. On June 11, what the Pentagon calls an Al-Shabaab "command and logistics camp" in Somalia was destroyed by U.S. airstrikes partnering with the forces of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and his allies in the African Union. On July 2, they struck again.

Most important, a successful Afghanistan policy must recognize that the Taliban is an unregenerate enemy. If Eli Lake is right that "the objective for Trump's strategy is to force the Taliban into peace talks and to push for a negotiated settlement," then July will almost certainly bring another status quo policy destined to failure.

Even before the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, and right up to the Bush presidency, the Clinton administration negotiated with the Taliban. Before 9/11, the Bush administration negotiated briefly to prevent the Taliban from destroying the Bamiyan Buddha statues and to build a pipeline from Turkmenistan to India. The Obama administration frequently negotiated with Taliban officials, perhaps in the hopes that treating them like legitimate politicians would make them act as such. It failed when Clinton tried it, when Bush tried it, and when Obama tried it. It will fail if Trump tries.

The one thing everyone agrees on is that unlike Obama, Trump will not "telegraph" his policy by announcing numbers and dates. But every day that we wait contributes to the inertia of the status quo and makes it more difficult to break free of our 16-year rut.

If President Trump cannot end the status quo in Afghanistan, by the end of his first term he will be sending Americans to fight a war Afghanistan that began before they were born. If that's not enough to motivate him, perhaps he will be moved by John McCain's warning of increased Congressional oversight. Speaking for the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain told Mattis, somewhat ominously, that "unless we get a strategy from you, you're going to get a strategy from us."

A.J. Caschetta is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum and a senior lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Guwahati : Assam police apprehended four militants of a newly floated outfit group and seized arms and ammunition from lower Assam's Baksa district on Thursday, officials said.

According to the reports, following a tip-off, a team of Baksa police had launched operation at Goreswar area and apprehended the militants.

The nabbed militants were identified as Mintu Sinha, Hitesh Bezbaruah, Hitesh Kalita and Munindra Patowary and they are belonging to newly floated outfit group United Independent Assamese Army (UIAAA).

Police had recovered one 9mm pistol with magazine, two rounds live ammunition, extortion notes and Rs 28,250 cash in possession from them.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati : Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit , Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Arunachal Pradesh Governor PB Acharya congratulated President elect Ram Nath Kovind who is set to succeed Pranab Mukherjee as the 14th President of the Indian Republic.

In a statement Governor Purohit said that Ram Nath Kovind who hails from Uttar Pradesh has had an illustrious career wherein he worked for amelioration of the weaker sections of the society.

He also said that his stint as the Governor of Bihar and his subsequent election to the post of President would augur well for sustainable positive actions for the development of whole of the country.

'His vast experience as a member of the Rajya Sabha would help him to carry forward the rich legacy of Rashtrapati Bhavan and contribute to the growth and development of the country,'A Purohit said.

On the other hand, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal congratulated Ram Nath Kovind on his election as the 14th President of India on Thursday.

In a telephonic conversation, Chief Minister Sonowal congratulated Kovind and termed the election as good news for the people of Assam and the North East alongwith the rest of the country.

Sonowal also expressed hope that the entire region would see a new dimension in terms of all round developed in future.

Sonowal who was one of the proposers of the nomination papers of the NDA candidate, further mentioned in a statement that Ram Nath Kovind is well known for his strong advocacy of the rights of the weaker section of the society, social development and spread of education. With his election as President, the nation building process would receive greater impetus, the Chief Minister stated.

'Starting his journey from a farmer's family, Kovind Ji is now all set to adorn the top constitutional post of the country. His vast knowledge and understanding about the Constitution will immensely benefit the nation,'A Sonowal said.

Arunachal Pradesh Governor PB Acharya also congratulated Ram Nath Kovind on his success in the Presidential election.

In his congratulatory message, the Governor expressed his confidence that under Kovind's leadership, India will reach the 'Guru's position in the world as peaceful and prosperous Nation.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati : Lieutenant General DS Ahuja, General Officer Commanding, 101 Area on Thursday handed over Cheques worth Rs 75 Lakh as terminal benefits from the Army to the family members of Late Major David Manlun in Shillong.

The cheques were presented in a simple event organised at the martyr's house in Happy Valley, Shillong. Several Military and civilian officials attended the event.

Major David Manlun (32), son of a veteran Subedar M Khamzalam (Retired) was commissioned into the 1st Battalion the Naga Regiment in Mar 2010.

He was posted in Nagaland with 164 Inf Bn TA (NAGA) since 2014. Major Manlun, laid down his life in the highest traditions of the Army, while leading an Army operation on 06 Jun 2017 against three militants of the outlawed ULFA(I) in Nagaland's Mon district bordering Myanmar.

The unmarried martyr is survived by his parents and three siblings. His father is a retired Subedar from the Assam Regiment, his elder brother is presently serving with the Assam Regiment in Shillong, his only sister is married to an Army officer and his youngest brother is studying in college.

The General Officer stated that an additional amount of Rs 40 Lakh including the Central Govt ex-gratia grant shall be released shortly to the family.

The process for release of State government ex-gratia grant of Rs 7.5 Lakh has also been initiated.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
CPN UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal

Rautahat, Nepal: CPN-UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has challenged the Rastriya Janata Party- Nepal (RJP-N) to be tested from the people by partaking part in the local level elections.

Speaking to journalists at his own residence in Gaur, the district headquarters of Rauthat district, on Friday, Nepal, who is also the former Prime Minister of the country, also accused the RJP-N of being afraid of people.

Nepal has made the allegation with challenge to face the elections in the mean time when the agitating RJP-N has shown a green signal to take part in the third phases of local level elections scheduled for November 18 in province number 2.

During the function he also claimed that his party would emerge as the largest party even in the scheduled third phase of local level elections.
Renovating for a banquet hall? Ted Boniecki stands on a plank Sunday inspecting the renovations he and Lenny Stevenson (on sidewalk) were performing on the former Legends Night Club building...

Suspect steals, abandons cars in crime spree A 33-year-old Clare woman is behind bars following a strange sequence of events that began with the suspect allegedly abandoning her car at a Croswell...

Safe heist suspect nabbed after chase The second suspect wanted in a May breaking entering at the county fairgrounds now faces additional charges for fleeing police. The 22-year-old Peck man was...
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'Cult' is a word that gets thrown around casually a lot to describe everything from Mormonism to Soul Cycle. But here in the Bay Area there's been a special affinity for cultism, and cult-like organizations, this being one of the nation's epicenters of hippie-dom, freedom of expression, and the various after-effects of the 1960s that took on an air of religiosity. In some cases, these have been somewhat benign  if weird  groups that help lend our region some of its beloved, ingrained kookiness. In other cases, they've led to violence and mass death. Let's dig in, shall we?

The Manson Family

August 2019 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the infamous Manson Family Murders, a drug-fuled, three-day spree in Los Angeles that left seven dead and basically ended the 1960s counterculture movement. A bunch of other people (up to 35 individuals) died thanks to Charles Manson and his cult of hippies but all anyone seems to care about are the Tate/LiBianca Murders of August 1969. A great long-form article detailing the Manson Family can be found in LA Magazine (recommended over the book Helter Skelter, even). Anyway, Charles Manson lived at 636 Cole Street in the Upper Haight for a time  during the Summer of Love, in fact  and famously rounded up a rag-tag collection of local street kids on a beat up school bus to relocate to the wilds Los Angeles. Manson Family member and murderer Susan Atkins was one of those kids, and worked for a time as a stripper in North Beach. When Manson didn't become a famous rock star in LA, he channeled his energies into brainwashing his young followers with drugs, orgies, and endless lectures in the desert. Eventually he incited them to kill a collection of people, including some they'd had dealings with and others, like Sharon Tate, at random, under the auspices of starting a much-needed race war. Tate, the actress and stunningly beautiful wife of director Roman Polanski, was eight months pregnant when she was stabbed to death during the second scariest home invasion I've ever heard of (this is the first). Abigail Folger, a coffee heiress, was killed alongside her as was Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and Steve Parent. Two nights later, the cult went to the home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, tied them up, and stabbed them. On the walls at both crime scenes, Manson's followers wrote words like "Pig" and "Helter Skelter" in the victims' blood, ostensibly to incite a race war. Manson Family members went on to do nuts things like try and kill then-President Gerald Ford, shave their heads for court (official cult activity), and carve swastikas into their foreheads. Most of Manson's followers were in their late teens and early 20s and most those involved in the murders remain in jail to this day or, in the case of Atkins, dead. Every so often they come up for parole, and even if a parole board recommends it, all CA governors up to now have denied it, as was the case last month with both Bruce Davis and Patricia Krenwinkel.  Beth Spotswood

Peoples Temple

What began as an idealistic, multi-racial, utopian community and religious movement bent on equality morphed over two decades into the evil grandaddy of all Bay Area cult stories. It was called The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, and charismatic leader the Rev. Jim Jones started it in 1955 in Indiana before relocating his flock to Northern California and ultimately establishing his church in San Francisco. He had anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 parishioners at its peak, preaching about love, socialism, and racial equality, and serving in his parishioners' eyes as a healing force after the tumult and racial violence of the 1960s. But by the early 1970s, Jones had almost entirely shed Christianity and began referring to himself as a god, and under the sway of a barbiturate addiction and intense paranoia about the government shutting down his church, he established what he said would be a utopian community beyond the federal government's reach in Guyana, dubbed Jonestown. (The best telling of the story may be this 2006 PBS documentary that you can watch in full on YouTube.) The most die-hard of Peoples Temple members (though defectors from the church were treated to intense manhunts and intimidation) gave up their possessions and followed him there, over a thousand of them, much to the dismay of some of their families here in the Bay Area. And on November 18, 1978, the day after Bay Area Congressman Leo Ryan and his aide Jackie Speier arrived in Jonestown with an NBC News crew to investigate what was going on, Jones led what would become the largest mass suicide in US history, with 909 Peoples Temple members and their children dead after drinking cyanide- and Valium-laced Flavor Aid  not Kool-Aid, as the popular phrase would have it. Speier, who survived a shooting that same day that killed Ryan, has continued to rail against the way the Jonestown story has been popularly understood. "There was nothing about it that was a suicide," Speier has said. "They were killed, they were murdered, they were massacred. You cant tell me that an infant or a two-year-old child that was injected with cyanide does so voluntarily. And that horrible phrase now that is part of our language drinking the Kool-Aid is always one that sends me into orbit because I think people so misunderstand what took place there."







Spiritual Rights Foundation

Unlike most of the organizations described on this list, the hypnotism-based Spiritual Rights Foundation appears to still be up and running  albeit under aliases like Academy for Psychic Studies, the International Spiritual Hypnosis Institute, and Health and Wealth Incorporated. The foundations formula of hardcore Christianity, hypnotism, and New Age mysticism has not landed them in any legal hot water in the last 15 years. But there was a period in the late 1990s when (now deceased) multiple wife-toting leader and 1-900 psychic hotline proprietor Rev. Bill Drury and the Spiritual Rights Foundation were facing allegations of hypnotizing young children, multiple custody lawsuits from parents whose children were being kept on the Berkeley property, and at least one statutory rape charge, earning them cult status from multiple media outlets.  Joe Kukura





Booking photo of Winnfred Everett Wright: Marin County Sheriff's Department

Winnfred Everett Wright's 'The Family'

Near the rolling hills of Lucas Valley lies Marinwood, an unincorporated area of the county that for years was the home of a pseudo-religious vegetarian sect led by Winnfred Everett Wright called "The Family." From the late 1980s to early 2000s, Wright fathered more than 19 children with multiple women, four of whom ended up sharing a home with him and at least 13 kids. According to an SF Chronicle report from 2003, Wright subjected the kids "to a catalog of beatings, forced fasts and psychological abuse outlined in a 'book of rules.'" An investigation into the family began in 2001, after the starvation death of 19-month-old Ndigo Campisi-Nyah-Wright, leading to revelations that another infant Wright had fathered had in 1990 died at a home in San Francisco's 18th Avenue and was left there, rotting, for days. That same Sunset District home was where Wright made some of his early recruits, subjecting them to "a mishmash of Rastafarianism and karma and white guilt, telling women brought to the home that they "had to work off the white mistreatment of black people. It was their responsibility to work off their karma." In court to face charges in Ndigo's death, Wright follower Deirdre Hart Wilson testified "I was terrorized into hating my parents, trusting no one... and not respecting the rules of society." Wright received a 16-year, eight-month sentence in 2003 for his crimes in 2003, but was released on parole in 2010 and at last report was living in Ventura County.  Eve Batey





Newsweek magazine's cover from their March 29, 1976 issue

The Symbionese Liberation Army

The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) is most famous for kidnapping 19-year-old heiress Patty Hearst and keeping her in a closet until she was brainwashed enough to help them rob banks and extort money from her parents to feed the poor. The SLA was an early 1970s extremist organization of young people who were aggressively feminist, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist. Before kidnapping Hearst from her Berkeley home, two members of the SLA killed Oakland school superintendent Marcus Foster because they thought Foster was going to introduce ID cards into Oakland schools, a plan Foster was actually opposed to. So when two of the organization's members were arrested for Foster's murder, the SLA decided to kidnap Hearst in an attempt to trade her for their captured comrades. The whole story is really fascinating and complicated, but basically, Hearst is kept in a NoPa apartment closet, renamed Tania, and forced to record audio messages calling her parents fascists until she dons a beret and helps rob banks, including one on Noriega Street in which two civilians were killed. Hearst was arrested in San Francisco and sentenced to seven years in prison. Her sentence was later commuted by President Jimmy Carter and she was eventually pardoned by Bill Clinton. She now appears in John Waters movies occasionally and shows her prized dogs, including one named "GCH Hallmark Jolei Rocket Power" in dog shows. The SLA went on to engage in a violent shootout with Los Angeles police before returning to the Bay Area where the robbed another bank before being (mostly) arrested. One must read Patty Hearst: Her Own Story to fully bask in the 1970s insanity of her experience. American Heiress is another fantastic book about the SLA and Patty. And (here goes your whole afternoon,) you can watch a 2-and-a-half hour documentary about Hearst's kidnapping on YouTube.  Beth Spotswood

'Purple People' and OneTaste

Technically called Lafayette Morehouse, the East Bay group nicknamed the 'Purple People' is based on a commune in Lafayette, and has been a "sex cult" over the years after taking shape in 1968. It was founded by Victor Baranco, a self-described doctor who may have also gotten his start as a collector for the mob. Baranco famously hosted a public event in 1976 in which he brought a woman to orgasm multiple times, and his Morehouses around the Bay Area became known as "intentional communities" where people gathered and lived for "orgasmic meditation. (The remaining Lafayette Morehouse compound with its purple doors remains the object of dares by local high schoolers, who regularly drive on to the property for kicks, and it's been run by Baranco's second wife since his 2002 death.) As early as 1971, Rolling Stone exposed Baranco as a con artist who lured burnouts and lost hippies to his communes in SF Victorians, made them work for free to fix them up, and then sold them for profit. A former student of Baranco's, Nicole Daedone, embraced his profit-making motives and sexual evangelizing, and she founded her own company based on similar principals called OneTaste, which had many an article written about it and its orgasm workshops in the early 2010s. The workshops, which cost five figures to participate in, reportedly put a lot of people in debt  there were also claims of prostitution and coersion by former employees  and it was possibly this Bloomberg expose in 2018 that prompted the FBI to look into OneTaste's business. The company's web presence has since disappeared, and it appears defunct.  Jay Barmann





'THX 1138', Warner Bros.

Synanon

If youve seen George Lucas THX 1138, youve seen members of the Church of Synanon  because Lucas needed hundreds of bald extras, and many Synanon members were required to shave their heads. Though initially meant as a drug rehabilitation program, the 60s and 70s-era Synanon grew far more radical, forcing abortions and vasectomies on enrollees, and eventually attempting to murder an attorney prosecuting them with the old rattlesnake in the mailbox trick. By then the group was powerful enough to buy a giant headquarters in downtown Oakland, but a slew of criminal activities exposed by the Point Reyes Light brought the church down and won that paper a Pulitzer Prize in 1979.  Joe Kukura

Berkeley Psychic Institute

It's one modern day organization that continues on despite many public indictments of its cultiness  including this first big one by Mother Jones in 1979, and continuing more recently with multiple Yelp reviews and this 2014 piece in the Chronicle in which the writer went to get his aura "scrubbed" and ended up having his balls "drained." The Berkeley Psychic Institute bills itself as a "school for spiritual development" focused on clairvoyance, more recently conducting training programs they call Psychic Kindergarten. If you believe in psychic powers and auras, you may be less inclined to see BPI as cult-like, but Mother Jones suggested nearly 40 years ago that founder Lewis S. Bostwick had created the affiliated Church of Divine Man as a religious "cape" to protect the org's non-profit status, and the church continues to this day holding services for "psychic Christians." The BPI now has four locations in Northern California offering pricey training sessions and aura "scrubbings," and it is run by Bostwick's widow, Vr. Rt. Rev Dr. Susan Hull Bostwick. So they believe in the occult, but are they a cult? You can decide, but Listverse recently included them in a list of California's 10 Craziest Cults.  Jay Barmann





Your Black Muslim Bakery

Once known simply as a place with great vegan bean pies, Your Black Muslim Bakery, an Oakland-based bakery slash real-estate-empire, began to gain a different sort of attention when the son of its founder began racking up arrests in 2005. At first, Yusuf Bey IV's crimes seemed almost laughable: an aggressive argument with a movie theater manager here, a liquor store rampage there. By 2006, he'd allegedly tried to run down a couple bouncers who'd just thrown him out of the New Century strip club in SF, and by 2007 he stood accused of coordinating the kidnapping of two women. On August 2, 2007, Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, who had been investigating the Bakery, was shot to death as he walked down an Oakland street, a hit ordered by Bey in an effort to cover up what a subsequent investigation revealed was a compound filled with guns, a pattern of sexual abuse of women and children, and assorted other crimes committed by true believers of the senior Bey's. In 2011, Bey IV was convicted in Bailey's death. Presently serving three life sentences the maximum security unit at Salinas Valley State Prison, he's reportedly now leader of an organization called "Your Black Resurrected Nation," and promised in 2012 that "there is a surprise in store for both friends and enemies." The whole story's even stranger and more intense than our space here allows, so if you want to know more, check out Thomas Peele's Killing the Messenger, which gives an exhaustive and detailed look at the rise and fall of Bey and his Bakery bad guys.  Eve Batey



Related: San Francisco's 16 Greatest Infamous Local Legends
The article stressed that Vietnam and Cambodia stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight against common enemies to gain national independence.



With support from Vietnam, Cambodia liberated itself from the Pol Pot genocidal regime on January 7, 1979, it noted.



Since the two countries established diplomatic ties 50 years ago, their relations have gone from strength to strength.



In economics, two-way trade rose from about US$ 150 million per year during 1997-1999 to US$ 3 billion in 2016. Vietnam is currently the fifth biggest investor in Cambodia.

The two nations have also supported each other in security, defence and education as well as at regional and international forums, such as the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle, the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam cooperation, ASEAN and the United Nations, the article said.



The paper emphasised that the two peoples have coordinated to maintain the traditional friendship on the basis of respecting each others independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, not interfering in the others internal works and supporting each other.



It also stressed the need to intensify vigilance to stop plots to destroy bilateral relations.



The National Television, National Radio of Cambodia and the state news agency AKP highlighted Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs activities in the country, saying that on this occasion, the Vietnamese Party chief and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen witnessed the signing of a joint statement on intensifying the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship and cooperation, and several collaboration agreements.



Trongs State visit was also covered by English-language dailies, including the Cambodia Daily, the Phnom Penh Post and the Khmer Times on their July 21 issues.

VNA
The Journal released a list of the 15 best action movies recently. Movies with lots of action that also happened to be science fiction movies were excluded from the list. Those films havent been forgotten though. This is the list for action-packed science fiction movies. And while the first list only had one sequel, the science fiction movies are dominated by sequels.

Science fiction is a broad term, so were just including action-heavy movies. Films like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Back to the Future and 2001: A Space Odyssey wont be included.

To keep things original, were still using the one-movie-per-franchise rule that was used on the original list. Otherwise, half this list would be Star Wars movies.

Enough shenanigans. Here are the 10 best action-packed science fiction movies.

10) Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

IMDB: 7.9

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Best scene: The montage of William Cage training and dying repeatedly.

Best line: I don't know. We've never gotten this far.  William Cage when asked what to do next after obtaining an important piece of equipment.

If youve ever wondered what it would be like to combine the movie Groundhog Day with a futuristic version of D-Day, then you should see Edge of Tomorrow as soon as possible.

Tom Cruise plays Major William Cage, a public affairs officer with no combat experience for the United Defense Force. After upsetting a general, Cage is sent to France to be on the front lines of a major assault against a horde of aliens known as mimics. Cage kills a rare kind of mimic but dies in the process. Somehow, Cage awakens again on the day before the invasion while retaining all his knowledge of the day he died.

After dying a few more times, Cage decides to start training a little bit each day before dying again. He starts to get better at being a soldier and may be the key to defeating the alien horde.

9) Escape from New York (1981)

IMDB: 7.2

Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Best scene: Snake's gladiator fight against Slag.

Best line: "Not now, I'm too tired. Maybe later." - Snake Plissken to Bob Hauk after Hauk asked if Plissken was going to kill him.

The first dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic future movie on this list, Escape from New York was released in 1981 and takes place in 1997. A 1997 where crime has gotten so bad, that the entire island of Manhattan has been turned into the lone maximum security prison in the U.S.

After Air Force One is hijacked by terrorists, the President uses an escape pod that lands in Manhattan. Ex-soldier and now prisoner Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell, is tasked with rescuing the President and will be granted a full pardon if successful.

Escape from New York is wacky and weird in all the right ways. From the gangs in the streets attacking any car that drives through, to the bridges leading out being littered with mines, Escape from New York is certainly original and entertaining.

8) Star Trek (2009)

IMDB: 8.0

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Best scene: Kirk and Sulu fighting on the massive drill on Vulcan.

Best line: "So go get some more guys and then it'll be an even fight." - James T. Kirk to a group of tough guys after they said Kirk was outnumbered four to one.

As of 2017, there have been 13 Star Trek movies. The reboot of the franchise in 2009, Star Trek easily wins with only a few other films in the series in the same ball park.

A young James T. Kirk, played by Chris Pine, joins Starfleet Academy as a cadet. A distress call from Vulcan is picked up by the academy, and since the main fleet is out of range, the cadets are mobilized and sent to investigate. They run into an advanced Romulan ship that fires on them. After the captain of the Enterprise surrenders to the Romulan ship, the young cadets on board must step up and save the day.

While many of the earlier entries in the Star Trek franchise are very cerebral, the reboot keeps that aspect but also injects much more action and adrenaline. It has all the classic characters from the original series, plus a cameo that actually works with the story.

7) RoboCop (1987)

IMDB: 7.5

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Best scene: RoboCop on patrol for the first time stopping crimes.

Best line: "Dead or alive, you're coming with me."  RoboCop

RoboCop achieves a rare feat by combing hyper violence, satire and dark humor into a movie that isnt just competent, but successful.

In a future version of Detroit that is bankrupt and plagued by violence and crime, I know its hard to believe, mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products, or OCP, buys the Detroit Police Department. After Officer Alex Murphy, played by Peter Weller, dies in the line of duty, OCP uses its own technology to turn the recently-deceased Murphy into a cyborg known as RoboCop. RoboCop is tasked with cleaning up Detroit while also dealing with OCP, the hand that controls the strings.

You know a fictional character is a big deal when it becomes synonymous with the city it is from. Rocky has a statue in Philadelphia. Mary Tyler Moore also has one in Minneapolis. RoboCop is currently having a statue built for him in Detroit.

6) The Matrix (1999)

IMDB: 8.7

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Best scene: Neo fighting Agent Smith in the subway station.

Best line: "Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?"  Morpheus

What if our lives were a false reality and all of humanity as we knew it were just pawns in the struggle between man and machine?

Keanu Reeves plays a disillusioned employee for a large software company and is also a hacker in his spare time that goes by the code name of Neo. Neo meets another group of hackers and learns that he is living in a virtual world, invented by machines to control humans. Neo joins the hackers to fight in the revolution against the machines.

In addition to using ground-breaking visual effects, The Matrix was an original story that was incredibly entertaining and interesting. Try not to think too much about the sequels though.

5) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

IMDB: 8.1

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Best scene: The race/chase back to the Citadel in the third act.

Best line: Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can and run.  Imperator Furiosa

If robot overlords, cyborg police officers, diplomatic relations on an intergalactic scale or aliens arent your thing, Mad Max: Fury Road is essentially a massive car chase through the desert of Australia.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future devastated by nuclear war, Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy, is captured by despot, Immortan Joe. Max has type O negative blood and is used as a universal donor for one of Immortan Joes War Boys. Meanwhile, Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, attempts to free the slave wives of Immortan Joe from captivity. While the War Boys and Immortan Joe chase Furiosa, Max is chained to the front of the car of a sick War Boy and is forced to choose a side.

While movies in recent years have been dominated by superheroes, computer-generated special effects and convoluted plots, Mad Max: Fury Road is as refreshing as it is simple. Win the chase through the desert, or die.

4) Aliens (1986)

IMDB: 8.4

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Best scene: Ripley fighting the Queen in the power loader.

Best line: "That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over.  Private Hudson after the transport ship for the space marines explodes.

While 1979s Alien, the original film in the franchise, was very good, the sequel Aliens gets the nod here.

After Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, survives the events of the first film, she is debriefed as the only living person to have contact with the alien. Later when contact is lost with the colony Hadleys Hope, the planet and location that the alien from the original movie was found, Ripley accompanies a unit of space marines as a liaison to investigate the problem. It turns out the problem is really bad as a horde of aliens have massacred the population. Now its up to Ripley and the marines to stop the aliens.

The first Alien movie, directed by Ridley Scott, is very atmospheric and more of a horror movie. Aliens, directed by James Cameron, keeps much of that feel but ratchets the action up. The action has to go up when the space marines and Cameron are involved.

3) Predator (1987)

IMDB: 7.8

Rotten Tomatoes: 78%

Best scene: Dutch and the predator each preparing for their final confrontation against each other.

Best line: "I ain't got time to bleed." - Blaine after being told he's been shot in the arm and is bleeding.

Predator probably encapsulates what an 80s action or science fiction movie is better than anything else. It checks off all the boxes of the decade. Super strong, roided-out, foul-mouthed tough guys? Check. Big guns and bigger personalities? Of course. Arnold Schwarzenegger yelling about choppers? Absolutely. Appearances by Jesse The Body Ventura and Carl Weathers? You know it. A scene with a minigun mowing down half the trees in the forest? Confirmed. Two heavily-armed individuals forgoing weapons and deciding to fight in hand-to-hand combat instead? Affirmative. Sequels that get progressively worse? Obviously.

Dutch, played by Schwarzenegger, leads an elite special forces team on a mission to rescue hostages and a cabinet minister held in Central America by guerrillas. The team easily dispatches the guerrillas but finds out that the hostages are dead and the CIA liaison with them was just there to recover intelligence. The frustrated team heads to their extraction point, but doesnt realize that an alien from an advanced race is following them. The alien starts to hunt the group and begins to kill them one at a time. Its a race to see who, if anyone, can get out of the jungle alive.

"Predator" is the leanest movie on this list and uses simplicity to its advantage. There isnt a convoluted plot or wasted time, just a bunch of testosterone-fueled commandos trying to survive in the steamy heart of the jungle.

2) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

IMDB: 8.5

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Best scene: The scene with the two terminators meeting for the first time in a mall that ultimately ends with a car chase.

Best line: Hasta la vista, baby.  The T-800 prior to shooting the other terminator.

The second Arnold Schwarzenegger film on this list, and also the second movie directed by James Cameron, Terminator 2: Judgment Day combines the actor and director to create a pop culture juggernaut.

In a post-apocalyptic future where humans and machines are at war, the machines send a cybernetic assassin known as a terminator back in time to kill the leader of the human resistance, John Connor, while hes still a child. The humans find out and send a different terminator, reprogrammed to aid the humans, back to protect Connor. The terminators only have Connors name and location, Los Angeles, and must search to find him. They battle across all of Los Angeles to complete their respective missions.

This is probably the best movie for both Schwarzenegger and Cameron, which is really saying something. Its also rare for a movie that has ground-breaking special effects to still look good over 25 years later. Watch the original Terminator from 1984 to see effects that have not aged as well.

1) The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

IMDB: 8.8

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Best scene: The battle on Hoth.

Best line: Whos scruffy looking?  Han Solo after being told by Princess Leia that hes a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder.

What were you expecting, Battlefield Earth? A Star Wars movie was always going to be number one, the only question was which one. The first sequel beats out the original due to the battle on Hoth, the showdown between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and finally for the twist about the Skywalker family tree.

After destroying the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance has moved its base of operations to the ice planet Hoth. The Empire finds evidence of the Rebels base and launches a full-scale attack, forcing the Rebels to flee. Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, travels to Dagobah to finish his Jedi training, while his friends are captured by the Empire. Skywalker must choose whether to finish his training, or save his friends.

One of the biggest strengths of The Empire Strikes Back is that it builds on the original Star Wars. Instead of having a plot that invalidates the first film, it expands the universe. It's also different enough from the first movie to feel fresh, while also not being so different that it feels foreign. Plus, The Empire Strikes Back has Darth Vader, Han Solo, a chase through an asteroid field, Princess Leia, Boba Fett, freezing people in carbonite, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian and the twist on Vaders identity. This had to be first on the list. It was never a fair fight in the first place.
The Big Sick teaches so many lessons it should come with a final exam.

Revealing plenty about relationships  particularly in times of stress  and the bond that families share no matter what the culture, it rouses a world of emotions in less than two hours.

Based on Kumail Nanjianis real-life experiences, the new comedy covers so much territory youll feel like youre a part of his family  his Pakistani-born Muslim family.

Working on a standup career, Nanjiani (he uses his own name and doesnt mask many of the details) falls for a heckler (Zoe Kazan) at one of his sets. She goes home with him, they start a relationship and insist theyre not going to let it get complicated.

He, after all, is bound to a family tradition and, most likely, will marry someone with the same religious beliefs.

She isnt clued in on the nuances of his family and cant understand why he wont meet her parents. The two split and then he gets a call asking for permission to put her in a medically induced coma.

Comedy?

Oh, yes. While director Michael Showalter veers toward Terms of Endearment at one point, he manages to find humor in the darkest situations.

Nanjiani meets her parents at the hospital and doesnt have the heart to tell them hes not seeing their daughter anymore. He learns plenty about their lives, too, and sees where Emily gets her drive and quirky spirit.

Holly Hunter and Ray Romano are so good as the parents youll want them to fill in more blanks. She, in particular, is a real force, insisting they need to move their daughter to the No. 1 hospital, not the No. 17th. If the Academy is paying attention, shell be remembered come Oscar time.

Nanjiani fits in nicely, but finds more humor in his own family. Theyre fairly proper, particularly when it comes to matchmaking. Mom pretends the parade of Miss Pakistan contestants just dropped by while theyre having dinner. He calls them on it, but its clear theyre married to tradition.

Showalter finds ways to mask the wounds of the situation (think: My Big Fat Greek Wedding) but doesnt hide from confronting some very big issues. "The Big Sick educates more than any number of very special television reports. It shows what a typical Muslim family is really like and how much love it exudes. In scene after scene, its very difficult to dismiss his religion or wrap it in stereotypes.

When Kazan emerges from the coma (spoiler alert), a new story unfolds  one that says illness doesnt change everything.

Nanjiani and Emily Gordon (his wife and co-writer) arent afraid to ask tough questions. They also know that which makes us uncomfortable also can make us laugh.

The Big Sick doesnt cure all that ails us, but it certainly suggests being different isnt lethal.
DENISON, Iowa | The Crawford County Fair welcomed 47 animals to its goat show on Thursday morning, a high-water mark for goats in recent years.

Through a chorus of bleats, Mary Wadsworth, superintendent of the goat show, said the field for the fair had doubled.

"You should bring back the open show," said Matthew Konen, the goat show judge, who came from Des Moines to adjudicate his fourth goat show of the week. "I used to compete at the open show here. It was a good one."

Konon, who raises 20 Nigerian dwarf dairy goats, has seen goat numbers rise in recent years, matching an increase in goat meat and milk demand.

Darcy Boettger, who farms near Arion, Iowa, with her husband, Dave Boettger, helped ready their three children, Emily, August and Hugo, as they showed six goats at the show. (A fourth Boettger child, Anna, shows rabbits and chickens, not goats.)

"This is our fourth year showing at the fair," said Darcy, pausing between sprays of fly repellent to a goat held by Emily. "We got into goats after we got a market calf four years ago and it died.

"This was an activity that year that we could still get into and have a market animal," Darcy said.

That was in 2014. The goat show that July must have gone OK, for the Boettgers have been back ever since.

"We were hooked," she said.

Emily Boettger, who graduated in May from Denison-Schleswig High School, said a goat, for the most part, is easier to handle and has a better disposition than a calf.

"I've shown everything but sheep and chickens," said Emily, who plans to study ag biochemistry and genetics at Iowa State University this fall. "Goats are my favorite to show because they have personality."

Darcy said it's much easier to travel to a goat show, because everything, goats included, can be hauled in a pickup truck. There's no trailer or chute to worry about, nor assistance needed in unloading and loading the animals.

"You have more control with a goat than you do with a 1,200-pound calf," she said.

The Boettgers, who market the 60-80-pound goats they don't sell as show or breeding stock, are currently getting $2.20 per pound for the meat, which is often transported to eastern Iowa for ethnic celebrations.

"I haven't had goat meat," said Dave Boettger, who tends to 300 Black Angus cows on their farm. "Darcy and the kids have had it and they said it's good."

In addition to the Crawford County Fair, the Boettgers have shown goats recently in Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska, taking part in competitions sanctioned by the American Boer Goat Breeders Association, which aids in the family's marketing efforts.

"This has been a great activity for Darcy and the kids," said Dave, who noted that he and Darcy met years ago while showing hogs at the Crawford County Fair.

He laughed when asked how much they knew about goats before immersing themselves in this activity four years ago.

"We knew nothing about goats," he said. "We went to shows and we listened to what the judges said and we learned. We're still building our herd. The rewards are coming."

A couple of rewards came minutes later as August Boettger claimed grand champion breeding Boer doe honors. Sister Emily earned reserve champion honors.

"Both goats were mine," Emily said of the first- and second-place finish.

It prompted me to ask: "If both were your animals, how did your younger brother show the grand champion?"

"I gave August the goat I thought would finish second," Emily said with a smile. "I thought the animal I had would be the champion."

Emily Boettger, who earned a 35 on her ACT college-entrance exam this year, showed she still has something to learn when it comes to the local goat show.

"I thought my goat was bigger and smoother," she said with a slight shrug. "The judge liked the other one because it was longer."

Live and learn. And keep growing the herd in an activity that's on the rise. That's what I discovered on Friday at the Crawford County Fair Goat Show.
Screenings

Free blood pressure screenings, 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living, front lobby. No appointment necessary.

Programs/Self-Help Groups

Al-Anon Information Center, call 712-255-6724.

Al-Anon and Alateen, meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 712-255-6724.

Alcoholics Anonymous, beginners information, call 712-252-1333.

Arc of Woodbury County, serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons.

Child Care Resource and Referral, provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers. Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180.

Co-Dependence Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church, Fireside Room.

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA), 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.

Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month (third Thursday in November and second Sunday December) in Mercy Medical Center's Leiter Room. For families who have lost children. Contact Nancy Webb 712-212-4032 or Don Mulder 712-541-5512.

Clinics

Siouxland District Health immunization clinics, call for appointment, 712-279-6119 or 1-800-587-3005.

Information

Family and Addictive Illness series, for more information, call 234-2300.

Iowa Fathers, 6 to 8 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month at Hope Lutheran Church, Education Building, 218 W. 18th St., South Sioux City, Neb. Support group to help single, divorcing and divorced parents residing in the state of Iowa.

Mercy Pathways Outpatient Program, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, on the third floor, Mercy's Central Medical Building, 801 Fifth St., Suite 360. Provides hope, help, opportunity to connect through group therapy for individuals experiencing personal, relationship, psychiatric issues. For more information, call 712-279-5991.

Narcotics Anonymous, meetings daily, various times, dates and locations. For more information, call 712-279-0733.

Overeaters Anonymous, 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive; 6 p.m. Tuesdays at St. John's Lutheran Church, 402 Lane Ave., Storm Lake; 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Nazarene, 226 N. Main St., Viborg, S.D.; 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at Newman Center, 320 E. Cherry St., Vermillion, S.D.; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. A 12-step recovery program for people who have problems with food and weight. No fees.

St. Lukes Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on fifth floor of St. Luke's, located at 2720 Stone Park Blvd. Offers several levels of outpatient care including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and group therapy. This program provides support and integrated treatment to individuals experiencing personal or relationship issues as a result of their mental illness. For more information and admission criteria, call 712-279-3906.

Sobriety By Faith, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For more information, call James Mothershead at 712-577-9715.

The Link-Recovery and Freedom, 1603 Glen Ellen Road; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday workshop, and Christian 12-step meeting 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For all ages. Call Dee at 389-7432.

Tarahouse Meditation Center, 8 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6:30 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, all at 3112 Rebecca St. Three easy 10-minute sessions in small group; beginners welcome. For more information, call 490-6410.

Blood pressure and blood sugar screening, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in the lobby at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Free to public.

Support Groups

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Hawkeye Club basement, 420 Jones St. For more information, call 277-5935.

Celebrate Recovery, Bible-based 12-step recovery group. Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Childcare provided. 712-490-3343. All welcome.

PFLAG of Siouxland, (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), 7 p.m., fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. St. Mark ELCA Church, 5200 Glenn Ave., in the upstairs meeting area. 712-258-3116.

Singles widowed and divorced, all ages, 4 p.m., Sundays. McDonald's at Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard. 712-252-2675.

GriefShare, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

H.E.L.P. Ministries, spiritual NA support group, "Sunday on Saturday" service 6-8 p.m every Saturday at 513 Main St., Sioux City. Donald, 712-574-1744.

HIV/AIDS Support Group, meets weekly. For more information, call Darla or Teri at Siouxland Community Health Center, 712-252-2477 or 888-371-1965.

Hospice of Siouxland, seeking volunteers. For more information, call 712-233-4144 and ask for a volunteer coordinator.

La Leche League of Siouxland, breastfeeding support group meets every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at Morningside Lutheran Church. Children are welcome. For more information, call Mary at 712-546-7280 or Jacquie at 712-255-2998.

Living Each Day Cancer Support Group, 7-8 p.m. second Thursday of the month, Floyd Valley Hospital, Conference Center Room 2, Le Mars, Iowa. Open to all cancer patients, cancer survivors and family members. No charge. Pre-register by calling 712-546-3441 or 800-642-6074, ext. 441.

Mom and Baby Support Group, 10-11 a.m. last Monday of the month at the Orange City (Iowa) Hospital, lower level. For new moms and babies. 712-737-5260.

Tri-State Sober Project, 12-step meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Friendship Community Church, 305 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff. 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, Transitional Services of Iowa, 1221 Pierce St., Sioux City.

Doug's Donors Support Group, information for organ donors and recipients, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Fridays, 5:15-6:30 p.m. second Thursdays of the month at Mercy Cafeteria Woodbury Room. 712-277-1050.

Divorce Care, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

NAMI Siouxland, (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Support Group meets 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday of the month at Friendship House, 1101 Court St. For individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. 712-255-4209.

Orphan Sunday, 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday at Sunnybrook Community Church loft, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive.

Post Polio Support Group, 11 a.m. first Thursday of the month at Perkins Restaurant by Menards. 712-490-8213.

Relationship Support Group, 7 p.m. Fridays at Marketplace Mall. For more information, call 239-3129.

Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Individual and Support Groups. For more information, call CSADV in Sioux City at 712-258-7233; Plymouth County at 712-546-6764; Monona County at 712-423-3443. Advocacy and support available 24 hours a day at 1-800-982-7233. All services free of charge and confidential.

Sickle Cell Disease Support Group, 11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at St. Luke's Hospital, meeting room 1. For patients, their family and any concerned member. Call La'Keshia Rainey at 712-203-2019 for more information.

Single and Parenting, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

Sioux City Association of the Deaf, 7 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Morningside Church of Christ, 5015 Garretson Ave. Regular meeting, September-May; no meeting, June, July, August and December.

Siouxland Autism Support Group, second Thursday of the month at Northwest Area Education Agency, 1520 Morningside Ave. For more information, call Julie Case at 712-490-8939.

Siouxland Epilepsy Support Group, 5 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Prestwick Apartment Clubhouse, 4230 Hickory Lane. For anyone diagnosed with seizures or epilepsy and family or friends. For more information, call Steve at 274-6927.

Siouxland IC support group, meets quarterly in Sioux City. For patients struggling with interstital cystitis. For more information, call Jacque Dundas 316-641-9766.

Siouxland Informational Group for the Blind, 2-5 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Northern Hills Retirement Community, 4002 Teton Trace. For more information, call 712-266-8926 or 258-8151.

Grief support group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 5 for 13 weeks (may join at any time), Crescent Park United Methodist Church, 2826 Myrtle St., Sioux City. Scott, 712-899-6315.

Siouxland Ostomy Association, 2 p.m. first Sunday of each month (except September, which will be second Sunday; and no meetings June, July, August), in Room 300 at Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St. For more information, call Dick Lindblom at 251-2453.

Siouxland Parkinson Disease Support Group, 1 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at Siouxland Center for Active Generations, 313 Cook St. For more information, call Sally Reinert at 402-987-3516.

South Sioux City Weight Support Group, 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church, South Sioux City. For more information, call 494-1401 or 494-2133.

Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland, 520 Nebraska St., Suite 101: Women's Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month; LGBT Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Friday of the month; Adult ADHD, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; Advocacy Group, 1:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 712-255-1065.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, group meetings various times, days and locations in Siouxland. For information on the chapter in your area, call 1-800-932-TOPS.

Voice Disorder Support Group, meets as needed at Mercy Medical Center, Buena Vista Room. 712-279-2686.

Women's Peer Support Group, in Wayne and South Sioux City, Neb., for those who have experienced domestic abuse. For more information, call the Wayne office at 402-375-4633 or 1-800-440-4633; in South Sioux City, call 402-494-7592. Help and support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services free and confidential.

Woodbury County D.M.D.A., noon-2 p.m. first Saturday of the month at Country Friendship Acres, 4501 West St.; 7-8 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at 515 Court St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at 441 W. Third St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at 409 W. Third St. in the Community Room. Support group for people with disabilities and mental disorders.

Natural Mamas in Siouxland, 1 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in the Garretson room of the Morningside Public Library. All ages of children are welcome to come with moms. For sharing natural living tips, recipes, natural remedies and health, homemaking, mothering, etc. For more information, call 402-913-0038 or visit their Facebook page.

A Step Beyond support group, 3:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, except for August, November and December when it meets at 5:30 p.m. (no meeting in January) at the Christy-Smith Resource Center, 1819 Morningside Ave. For more information, call 712-276-7319.

Divorce care, 5 p.m., Sundays. Fireside room, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 South Martha St.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings, 4 p.m. Thursdays at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 315 Hamilton Blvd.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Morningside Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave.; 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. John Lutheran Church; 7 p.m. Sundays, Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.. 712-277-2901.

Art therapy support group, 5:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Registration required, call 252-9387.

After Breast Cancer Support Group, 5:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call Brenda, 252-9370.

After Prostate Cancer Support Group, 5:15 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call 252-9426.

Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter Support Group, 2 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; 4 p.m. third Tuesday of the month (under age 65) at 201 Pierce St., Suite 110 (Famous Dave's building); and 6 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For more information, call Emily Lord at 712-279-5802.

Christy-Smith Funeral Homes of Sioux City, extensive grief library at the Morningside location. Open to the public during weekday hours. For more information, call 276-7319.

Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness Support Group, 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday of the month in the lower level of the Orange City Hospital. For more information, call 712-737-5260.

Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Mercy Medical Centers Older Adult Services Welcome to Medicare, 1:30-4 p.m., the first Friday of every month at Connections Area Agency on Aging, 2301 Pierce St. To pre-register, or for more information, contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-279-6900.
SIOUX CITY | Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City generates 1,324 jobs that add $192.5 million to Siouxland's economy, according to a recent study by the Iowa Hospital Association.

In addition, Mercy employees by themselves spend $57 million on retail sales and contribute $3.4 million in state sales tax revenue.

"As the area's largest healthcare employer, Mercy Medical Center plays a vital role in the economy of Siouxland," said Jim Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center. "For over 125 years, Mercy has been a part of this community and has maintained a strong, mission-driven approach to caring for our patients. We are honored to be their trusted health partner for life and honored be a part of the Siouxland community."

The Iowa Hospital Association study examined the jobs, income, retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the states health care sector. The study was compiled from hospital-submitted data on the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals and with software that other industries have used to determine their economic impact.

The study found that Iowa hospitals directly employ 72,008 people and create another 55,492 jobs outside the hospital sector. As an income source, hospitals provide $4.5 billion in salaries and benefits and generate another $2.3 billion through other jobs that depend on hospitals.

In all, Iowa's health care sector, which includes offices of physicians, dentists and other health practitioners, nursing home and residential care, other medical and health services and pharmacies, contributes $16.6 billion to the state economy while directly and indirectly providing 324,977 jobs, or about one-fifth of the state's total non-farm employment.

"Through the many changes in health care, there is one certainty: That hospitals and health care are vital to Iowa's economy," said IHA president and CEO Kirk Norris. "As our political leaders in Washington, DC and Des Moines consider legislation and regulations that impact hospitals and health care, they need to keep these facts in mind. As providers of high-quality, low-cost health care, good jobs and economic stability, there is no replacement for community hospitals."
SIOUX CITY | An Anthon, Iowa, man has pleaded not guilty to possession of methamphetamine and a stolen gun.

Branden Mullicane, 31, entered his written pleas Thursday in Woodbury County District Court to single counts of felon in possession of a firearm, third-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance.

Mullicane was arrested July 4 after Sioux City police spotted him driving the wrong way on Sixth Street near Jones Street. During a pat down after Mullicane was pulled over, an officer found an unmarked pill bottle containing methamphetamine in his pocket.

A handgun wrapped in a stocking cap also was found in the back seat within arm's reach after a search of the vehicle. An investigation showed the handgun was considered stolen out of Woodbury County, and Mullicane later admitted that the gun was his.

Mullicane also faces theft charges stemming from a June arrest in which he was found with guns and other items stolen from a pair of Anthon businesses.
SIOUX CITY | Since her sister's death more than two years ago, Monica Terriquez said she's had to take late-night phone calls from her father, one of the strongest people she knows, and listen to him cry about his daughter's death.

She's continually had to assure her mother that she'll fight if ever in a life-threatening situation.

Each year as Terriquez celebrates her own birthday in April, she's reminded that her sister, Margarita Morales, was killed during that same month.

At least one blessing has resulted from the tragedy, she told Rogelio Morales Friday. She now has custody of the son he had with Margarita, a sweet little boy who, Terriquez said, looks up to her and her husband as his parents. But at some point she'll have to explain to him why he is not living with his biological parents.

"For that I cannot forgive you," Terriquez said, looking directly across the courtroom at Morales. "Our lives will never be the same, and that is because of you, Rogelio."

District Judge Jeffrey Poulson sentenced Morales, 29, to a mandatory sentence of 50 years in prison for second-degree murder for the April 19, 2015, strangling death of his estranged wife. Morales must serve 35 years before he's eligible for parole. He also must pay $150,000 in restitution to his wife's estate.

Morales stood trial last month in Woodbury County District Court for first-degree murder, but after more than 11 hours of deliberation, the jury convicted him of the lesser charge, allowing Morales to avoid a sentence of life in prison.

Morales, of Hubbard, Nebraska, strangled his 21-year-old wife with his hands while parked in his car in the 2200 block of Floyd Boulevard after she told him she wanted out of their marriage and was leaving him. Morales told police that the next thing he remembered was that Margarita was not breathing and she may have been dead. He then took her to his sister's house, where they called 911.

Morales apologized to his wife's family and his own for putting them through a difficult time and said he misses Margarita and their son.

"I don't know what happened that night. People might not believe that, but it's true, and I have to live with that," he said.

At trial, jurors heard Margarita Morales' former co-workers at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino testify about how their friend described her husband as jealous and controlling, someone who appeared to be angry if his wife went out with her friends after work rather than being at home. Morales had assaulted his wife two weeks before her death, causing her to move in with her sister.

Before sentencing Morales, Poulson overruled defense attorney Mike Williams' motion for a new trial. Williams said at the conclusion of the hearing that he has filed an appeal of the verdict.
SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City Council deferred demolition of the former YMCA on Nebraska Street at a Thursday hearing after viewing plans for a multi-million-dollar renovation of the derelict building.

Paul Bernard, managing member of Residential Equity Partners LLC, the Concord, California-based company that owns the building, told the council his company plans to invest around $3.3 million in the property to turn the structure into an office building, for which he already has two prospective tenants.

"This was built to be a YMCA; this was built to last forever," he said. "The building is still structurally solid."

In addition, Bernard said the company is in discussions to purchase the property to the south and build a $7.4 million five-story parking structure.

Bernard showed preliminary drawings to the council and said while he doesn't have a solid date for the proposed 18-month revitalization to begin, he plans to keep the building secure and maintain the premises in the meantime.

The building has sat vacant since 2009, when the Siouxland YMCA sold it after moving across the river into the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA building on the South Sioux City riverfront. It has changed hands twice since then, with conditions going downhill following gutting work that landed a former owner in prison for violation of asbestos removal standards.

Residential Equity Partners LLC, had purchased the building in October 2015 for $4,148.

The building landed on Thursday's hearing agenda along with seven other properties.

Bernard acknowledged his company had not done well with upkeep of the property but said he would begin work on closing off potential entrance points Friday.

Sioux City code enforcement manager Darrell Bullock said he agreed the building was sound, and that the inspections staff would entertain proposals by the council to allow the owner more time for development.

"I think he's made a very strong commitment by flying here from California to represent this building," Bullock said. "There have been some hiccups in maintenance along the way, and he's committed to making sure that doesn't happen."

Councilman Alex Watters said he believed the project merited a demolition deferral.

Obviously we dont want dilapidated properties around our city, but were not in the business of taking ones that are structurally sound, either," Watters said. "Especially if we can add something to this scale; I think the council wants that.

The council voted 3-0 to defer the item until Dec. 4. Councilman Dan Moore and Mayor Bob Scott were absent from the meeting.
On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast which re-creates the conversations that happen when Iowa's political reporters get together after deadlines have been met. This week's show features James Lynch, Erin Murphy, Christinia Crippes, and Bret Hayworth.

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WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump has nominated Northwest Iowa's Sam Clovis to a key role in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That appointment was made Wednesday, according a release from the White House press office.

Clovis, who currently serves as senior White House advisor to the USDA, was nominated as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics.

The U.S. Senate must confirm Clovis before he takes the new post. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue supports Clovis' nomination.

Most previous undersecretaries for research, education and economics have had advanced degrees in science or medicine.

Before resigning last fall, Clovis was a tenured business administration professor at Morningside College. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University and a doctorate degree in public administration from the University of Alabama.

Clovis took an extended leave of absence from Morningside in August 2015 to serve as chief policy advisor and national co-chair for Trump's presidential campaign. Trump finished second in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses en route to the Republican nomination and the White House. Clovis often served as a Trump surrogate during the campaign.

Clovis did not return immediately return messages to the Journal Friday.

A political activist in Iowa GOP politics, Clovis ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in the Republican primary in June 2014 and then as the GOP nominee for state treasurer that fall.

The rural Hinton, Iowa, resident is also a former talk show host on Sioux City radio station KSCJ.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Citing pets' fear of loud noises, PETA has delivered a message to South Sioux City: get rid of noisy fireworks displays.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) President Ingrid Newkirk sent a letter to Mayor Rod Koch on Thursday, asking him to "create a stress-free environment for South Sioux City's humans and animals" by only permitting "silent fireworks" to be discharged around the 4th of July.

The animal rights organization cited "an increase in complaints about loud fireworks this Fourth of July" in the northeast Nebraska city, where fireworks have been legal for many years.

In her letter, Newkirk said booming pyrotechnics may cause pets to run away from home.

"Animal shelters see a large increase in the number of lost dogs following traditional fireworks displays. Often, dogs go missing because they panic and jump over fences or break free from chains. Some even jump through glass windows in order to get away from the terrifying sounds. Many animals arrive at shelters with bloody paws and broken bones. Some are never reunited with their families, and others are doomed to an even worse fate," she said in the letter.

Not only family pets are terrorized by fireworks, Newkirk claims -- even wildlife may run in terror from the noises, onto roadways. Birds, she said, fly into chimneys and houses in fear.

Koch could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday or Friday.
SIOUX CITY | Stacked piles of construction supplies under a shaded area made for a great impromptu break room for a roofing crew from Premier Systems Inc. on a scorching afternoon in Sioux City.

To passersby, it would appear like the men were slacking off. However, they were following their supervisors' orders to avoid overexertion as Siouxland deals with a severe heat wave.

We have a job hazard analysis form and a safety meeting every morning with the guys, said Chad Krastel, a production/safety manager for Premiers Sioux City office.

Before each shift begins, Krastel said a Premier project manager arrives at a job site and explains the importance of working at a slower pace, taking frequent breaks and hydration  the company provides each worker a quart of water every hour.

We also lessen their workload, he said. In the spring and in the fall, they can do multiple jobs in a day, whereas something like this we would typically give them one job a day unless its really small and then maybe two or something like that.

We just try not to overwork them and make sure they stay hydrated. We provide them water, different things sometimes  well come out and bring Gatorades and different things like that.

With temperatures soaring into the 90s and the heat index hitting triple-digits in some parts of Siouxland this week, finding ways to stay cool remains a challenge for laborers exposed to the elements.

Im not enjoying it, said Emily McNaughton, a landscaper for City Farmers Ground Maintenance, a local commercial and residential landscaping firm.

On Monday, McNaughton and her team started their day in Dakota Dunes and by the time they reached Mercy Medical Centers campus in downtown Sioux City in the late afternoon they had already made a dozen stops and developed a solid strategy on how to cool down.

We have air conditioning in the truck so thats pretty easy, but, just pretty much cold water and cool rags and stuff if we get too overheated or find a good shade spot, she said.

McNaughton said one thing that helps is the drive time between stops, which she noted provides an opportunity to recharge and offers temporary shelter from the heat.

A few blocks away on the corner of 14th and Jackson streets, a four-man team from Outlaw Concrete toiled away under the sun to install a new a sidewalk at the intersection.

Randy Vaughn, a concrete setter for Outlaw, said they are working 12-hour days and collectively go through about five gallons of water a shift.

We usually try to take a 15-minute break every two hours, he said.

Besides rest and water, Vaughn said he takes over-the-counter potassium pills daily. Hes experienced signs of heat sickness before, so he tries his best to avoid it while on the job.

When you dont drink enough water and then youre kind of working and you dont have time to stop, you start getting dizzy, you know, and you can actually feel the heat pretty good, he said.

At the Sioux City Foundry Co., which has plants in Sioux City and South Sioux City, safety director Val Corbin said guidelines in the Occupational Health and Safety Administration mobile app are key to production facilities heat safety strategies.

Its hot out there; we know its hot out there especially over in South Sioux with the furnaces, she said.

Corbin said the OSHA app provides the days heat index and it dictates how often workers should hydrate and take breaks and details how companies should respond to a heat-related emergency situation.

Furthermore, Corbin said she and department heads will determine if a shift needs to be adjusted to start earlier due to heat. They train employees to look for signs of heat stroke among their co-workers and workers are provided fans.

Its never going to be comfortable, but we definitely want to take away chances of heat stroke and were definitely on top of the issues caused by heat, she said.

Krastel, the production/safety manager from Premier, said sometimes he or his project managers have to convince employees, who are paid based on how much work they do rather than an hourly sum, to work less.

They are obviously paid very well, but we want to make sure they are safe too, he said.

Guys will say, I want more work, but well have to slow them down. Its not always what they want; sometimes you have to think of their best interest.
Regarding the Woodbury County board's decision to ignore the Iowa Supreme Court "order," I think we live in a republic - rule by law.

Public buildings contain much more than just courtrooms, where nobody - repeat after me, nobody - is arguing weapons should be allowed. To say Matthew Ung and Jeremy Taylor support that is not only a total lie, but proves those commenting don't follow the news, but invent it. Public buildings contain legislative and executive functions, and you don't have to be a lawyer to know that the Iowa court has never before claimed jurisdiction over other branches of government. Hello? Red flag. For one - repeat after me, one - justice to think he can totally change the direction of the gun rights law that went into effect July 1 goes to show that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

The decision of the supervisors to side with the rule of law would not be so hard if it wasn't for Dave Drew. I like the sheriff and believe he's an improvement over his predecessors, just like the current crop of supervisors, but let's get one thing straight: It is not brave to hide behind a piece of paper from a judge. He is not taking charge, he is hiding behind a bad role model.

Tyrants often don't steal power with their own hands, usually it's those "just following orders" who go about their own territorial quest to control their slice of the pie while ignoring the fact that they're choosing the wrong side. - Evan Nettleton, Sioux City
The people elected representatives in Iowa who passed a wide-ranging gun rights bill, with a provision that allowed for concealed carry of firearms for personal protection in the Woodbury County Courthouse similar to what we had for decades prior to 2013. Attorney groups and others lobbied against the bill before it became law, thus showing their bias. Also, the Woodbury County sheriff lobbied against it in Des Moines, making his opinion very clear. Thats his right, and maybe he is correct. But opinions should never be conflated with law. If a judge ordered you to jump off a building, you wouldnt do it. If the court ordered you to enforce an unconstitutional order, though, weve seen how many counties in Iowa do it without a second thought. Putting the cart before the horse is banning all weapons in almost every county building before proving that the judicial branch actually has control over almost every county building.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel refused to place an upper limit on refugees that the country accepts, speaking in an annual interview broadcast on Sunday.

"As far as an upper limit is concerned, my position is clear: I will not accept it," she said, saying that numbers could be reduced by regulation and taking action to prevent the situations that cause people to flee one country for another.

That position places her in conflict with CSU leader Horst Seehofer who threatened not to enter into coalition without an annual upper limit for refugee numbers.



Angela Merkel, the last chancellor of Germany, has something in common with Hawaii's Judge Derrick Watson. Both refuse to set any kind of limits on migrants.The majority of the "refugees" are economic migrants. And there are plenty of poll numbers that show huge percentages of entire countries in the region would be eager to move to Europe or America if given the chance. Does Merkel have a plan to raise their GDPs until they have the same level of prosperity as Germany? If she has such a plan, she might want to start out deploying it in Greece or Poland.But Merkel doesn't really have a plan. She has dogma. And that dogma refuses to actually limit the flow of migrants. Despite how much damage has already been done to Germany.Frau Merkel doesn't care how many women have been raped, how much violence has occured or how every promise she has made of refugees contributing to Germany has fallen apart. All that matters is never admitting that she was wrong.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 20, 2017)The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on the Eisenhower Connector near the 495 off-ramp on Wednesday, July 19.



At approximately 7:56 a.m., officers were dispatched to a shooting. The initial investigation has shown that a "road rage" incident occurred between the occupants of two vehicles. The driver of one vehicle shot at the occupants of a second vehicle. Officers located an injured female, 33, of Bladensburg, Md., at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body. She was transported to an area hospital and remains in stable condition. The second occupant of the victim vehicle was an adult male who was not injured.



Ernest Stickell, 59, Mechanicsville, Md., has been charged with Malicious Wounding and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. Stickell was taken into custody by the Maryland State Police Wednesday afternoon.



The Alexandria Police Department thanked the Maryland State Police, Virginia State Police, St. Mary's Sheriff's Office, and Fairfax County Police Department for their assistance with this investigation.
James F. Di Misa.

WALDORF, Md.

(July 20, 2017)Community Bank of the Chesapeake announced James F. Di Misa, EVP, Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan as College of Southern Maryland's (CSM) Trustee, effective July 1, 2017. Mr. Di Misa replaced Michael L. Middleton, who served the past ten years as Trustee."I am humbled to serve in the capacity of Trustee for CSM. The many contributions the College makes through its commitment to quality education and cultural and economic development make an immense impact to our communities," said Mr. Di Misa. "I recognize this position carries significant responsibilities and I feel privileged to see it through."Mr. Di Misa joined Community Bank of the Chesapeake in 2005 and has over 30 years of banking experience. Prior to joining Community Bank, he was Executive Vice President for Mercantile Southern Maryland Bank. Mr. Di Misa earned his Associates of Arts degree from the College of Southern Maryland, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from George Mason University and received his Master of Business Administration from Mount St. Mary's College. He also holds a Stonier Graduate School of Banking degree from the University of Delaware.Mr. Di Misa is actively involved in the community. He is the current Chairman of the Charles County Rotary Scholarships Program, Board Member for the Town of La Plata Ethics Commission, past President and Founder of the La Plata Business Association, past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Maryland Bankers School and Governor Appointment (2008-2014) to the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board.The College of Southern Maryland's Board of Trustees provides leadership and direction for the college's mission and policies to be successfully implemented. CSM's mission is to "help their students and community meet the challenges of individual, social and global changes." CSM Board Members are appointed by the Governor, for a five-year term, representing Charles, St. Mary's and Calvert County equally.
During a recent Pride Month kick-off in Philadelphia, the campaign More Color More Pride, a movement to recognize nonwhite LGBT communities within the broader pride movement, unveiled a pride flag with an additional black and brown stripe to represent LGBT people of color.

The original pride flag from Gilbert Baker had eight colors  pink and turquoise alongside the six colors that make up the current design. Pink was removed because the dye was difficult to obtain, and turquoise was removed thereafter to give the flag an even number of colors, the six we know now.

Each of the current colors has its own symbolism: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, and violet for the human spirit, according to Slate News.

The black and brown stripes that the More Color More Pride campaign added to the flag represent people of color in order to make the pride flag more inclusive. It is meant as a symbol for LGBT people of color, much how the trans and bisexual flags represent their respective parts of the LGBT community.

The campaign was created by Philadelphias Office of LGBT Affairs and local advertising agency Tierney, and the flag was revealed at Philadelphias City Hall.

Were proud to host this celebration for the community to come together not just for Pride, but also to reinforce our strides towards combatting discrimination within our community, honor the lives of our black and brown LGBTQ siblings, and uplift our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion within our community, Amber Hikes, the executive director of Philadelphias Office of LGBT Affairs, said.

According to Hikes, Philadelphia is the first city to publicly recognize racial discrimination within the LGBT community. The citys own Gayborhood has faced multiple instances of racial discrimination within the past year  leaked video footage showed a nightclub owner using a racial slur, and there have also been instances of discriminatory dress-code policies at the local gay bars, according to CNN.

The city of Philadelphia has created this campaign and flag to begin combating discrimination within its LGBT community.

Im proud to join the LGBTQ community in the fight for justice, equality and stand in solidarity with all members of the LGBTQ community, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said.

The new flag has already sparked much conversation  and argument  over the presumption that the original flag already included colors to represent diversity.

The Stonewall Riot  started on the backs of working-class African American and Latino queers who patronized that bar, Reverend Irene Monroe, founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights group said. Those black and brown LGBTQ people are not absent from the photos of that night but have been bleached from its written history.

The Pew Research Center administered a survey in 2013 that showed 34 percent of LGBT respondents identified as nonwhite. According to Hikes, the majority of critics to the More Color More Pride flag were white gay men.

White people do not know what racism looks like, because that is not the definition of racism, Hikes said.

When this flag was unveiled as a symbol of racial equality in a community that has not always been racially inclusive, Hikes said there was an immediate response, both in support and in criticism.

Right off the bat, [this flag] has absolutely started a conversation, certainly in this city and beyond, Hikes said.

Other iterations of the pride flag, such as the transgender and bisexual flags, have received much less criticism.

The fact that two stripes have triggered the online and offline responses that it has, it just proves that there is entrenched racism and anti-blackness [in the community, Philadelphias Black and Brown Workers Collective Abdul-Aliy Muhammad said. This is real, this is lived, and this is felt by us on a daily basis.

Charley Beal, a longtime friend of Baker  the designer of the original rainbow flag who died in March  said that the new flag should be taken as an independent symbol.

I encourage it, and I think people who know Gilbert would, Beal told NBC news. The only thing we would ask is that other people would not take it and put Gilberts name on it, because they didnt do it in consultation with him, and he didnt do it.

A spokeswoman for Philadelphias Office of LGBT Affairs said that the new flag should be seen to represent additive inclusion and was not created to be a replacement to the existing flag.

Since its initial release, redesigns of the More Color More Pride flag have popped up online and at pride rallies that offer a clearer breakaway from the original design.

The spirit of this flag is not a departure from the original principles, but we hope that adding black and brown to our communitys strongest symbol will serve to recognize the contributions people of color make every day in the LGBTQ+ community, the spokeswoman said in an email.

Hikes said that since the flags unveiling, many LGBT groups across the nation have reached out to her and the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs for permission to use the flag in marches and pride events.

The rainbow flag is the single most recognizable icon for the LGBTQ community, a video for the campaign says. Its a symbol for everyone to rally around. Yet communities across the country are divided. People of color have been marginalized, ignored, and even intentionally excluded.

The video continues, We say that were inclusive. We celebrate it. Now its time to go further. To broaden the horizons of our community. To change our iconic symbol. Its just a start, but its a start.

For more information on the More Color More Pride flag and campaign, visit MoreColorMorePride.com.
Kim Davis and Rowan County Not Liable for Attorney's Fees

ASHLAND, Ky., July 21, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Today, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ruled that neither Kim Davis nor Rowan County are liable for attorney's fees over the marriage license issue that began in 2015. Judge Bunning did overrule the Magistrate's Findings and Recommendations that concluded the ACLU was not entitled to any attorney's fees because the plaintiffs were not the prevailing party. Bunning found that the temporary preliminary injunction entitled the plaintiffs to attorney's fees and went on to rule that the Commonwealth of Kentucky would be liable to pay the fees and costs, not Kim Davis or Rowan County.

"We are pleased that neither Kim Davis nor Rowan County are liable for attorney's fees or costs," said Mat Staver (photo), Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, who represented Kim Davis. "The part of the ruling that finds the plaintiffs were prevailing parties is contrary to the law because the legislature mooted the case by passing a law that provides for the precise religious liberty accommodation Kim Davis sought. While Kim Davis and Rowan County are not liable for fees and costs, neither is the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and this aspect of the ruling will be appealed," Staver said. "The Magistrate correctly found that the plaintiffs were not the prevailing parties. That ruling is consistent with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Governor Matt Bevin's executive order and the legislature mooted the case and prevents the plaintiffs from being prevailing parties. Without prevailing party status, there can be no attorney's fees," said Staver.

After the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Judge Bunning's injunction against Kim Davis, Magistrate Judge Edward Atkins earlier this year entered an order in the case denying the ACLU's demand for fees, concluding, "the plaintiffs are not 'prevailing parties' . . . and are therefore not entitled to an award of attorneys' fees." Despite the fact that his injunction against Kim Davis was vacated, however, Judge Bunning overruled Magistrate Judge Atkins to impose attorney's fee liability on the Commonwealth, and specifically stated that neither Kim Davis nor Rowan County are liable. This aspect of the ruling will also end the damages lawsuits by the other two couples against Kim Davis in her official capacity since Bunning found that Kim Davis was acting on behalf of the Commonwealth in her official capacity. The Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution precludes damages against the state.

Former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear refused to provide Davis a simple accommodation. As a result, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin signed an executive order immediately upon his election, creating a new marriage license form which does not require a county clerk's name and title, and the Kentucky General Assembly unanimously made Governor Bevin's protections permanent for Davis and her fellow county clerks. Former Governor Beshear could have avoided this litigation had he provided a reasonable religious liberty accommodation.
Editors note: TDNs election coverage started this week and will continue next week with stories about races for Longview City council and school board positions and other offices.

After nearly a decade of running unchallenged, Woodland City Council member Benjamin Fredricks faces healthy competition this year  from the husband of a fellow council member.

Jeremy Heffernan is opposing Fredricks for council position 6. Heffernans wife, Jennifer, already serves on the council and is running for re-election this year.

A third candidate for position 6, Michael Wheaton, announced this week that he is dropping out of the race because hes too busy to hold a council position.

Wheaton withdrew too late for his name to be removed from the ballot, though, according to the Cowlitz County Elections office.

Even with Wheatons withdrawal, theres plenty for the remaining two candidates to debate as the small city grapples with how to boost public safety, reduce traffic, improve roads and meet the other demands of a growing city on limited funds.

Benjamin Fredricks

Fredricks says he appreciates some competition. The incumbent was appointed to the council in 2008 and ran unopposed in two elections since then.

I have always thought that running unopposed is a shame because people should have a choice when they get their ballot, Fredricks said. Im grateful this is the first time Ive been on council where every single seat is a contested seat. It makes the process better.

Fredricks said hes proud of the work the city has accomplished in the last nine years, citing construction of a new police and fire stations and improving exit 22 to attract more commercial development. Hes looking forward to the several projects down the pipeline, such as Scott Avenue intersection enhancements and the industrial development of 426 acres of recently annexed city lands.

I want to be at the table for those discussions. Im excited to be a part of that, he said.

As a branch manager at the uniform company, Cintas Corp., Fredricks runs a location with $5 million revenue. Hes carried his organizational skills and professionalism from the business world over to the City Council, introducing new procedures to make the council meetings run more smoothly and orderly.

I have been trying to improve the citys professional image since the day I got here, Fredricks said.

Thats one reason why he supported hiring a full-time city administrator last year.

You have to have someone driving the organization, and Im pleased we started that process and weve put procedures in place, he said.

Having an administrator will save taxpayers money by increasing efficiencies and preventing lawsuits, Fredricks argued.

As a council member, Fredricks said he aims to lead by example, and though he isnt afraid to be decisive, he knows when to set aside his personal opinion to represent his constituents.

Fredricks said he finds it extremely problematic that a husband and wife could serve on City Council together if his challenger wins and Jennifer Heffernan retains her seat.

The concept is to have group of seven that have various different backgrounds that can come to the table and really create the best policy for the citizens, Fredricks said.

And he said he worries a married couple wouldnt offer enough varied views.

Jeremy Heffernan

Heffernan said he and his wife have different styles for approaching problems. If there were any questions of a conflict, Heffernan said one of them could recuse themselves from the decision. And they would set a rule to not discuss city business outside council meetings, he said.

I believe very strongly in open government and transparency, he added.

A father of five children, Heffernan grew up in Western Washington and moved to Woodland from Longview 15 years ago. He never has held elected office, but he served in the U.S. Army in 1990s and he worked in various roles for Cowlitz County since 2001.

Im familiar with how government works. Im familiar with the laws and where to go to find information and what agencies to talk to and how theyre connected, he said.

Heffernan said government officials dont always respect and listen to voters.

I feel like a lot of times  voters are looked down on as not being informed, not being smart, and I havent appreciated the attitude toward the public, he said.

For example, he criticized the City Council for returning to voters again to ask for a sales tax increase to fund roadwork improvements, when voters already rejected a similar measure last year

Rather than seeking tax increases, Heffernan said he wants to re-examine city spending to reduce costs. He wants to re-evaluate city administrator position, and he suggested that funding for the salaried role could be used for positions in other departments.

As a deputy county clerk for Cowlitz County Superior Court, Heffernan said hes worked with coworkers to reduce costs by reviewing internal processes.

Heffernan said his coworkers and employers have described him as conscientious, professional and detail-oriented.

As a council member, Heffernan said he would be more responsive to voters and advocate for their vision instead of pushing a vision on them they dont want.
Democratic candidate David McDevitt, whos making a second bid for Washingtons third congressional seat, will hold a town hall event in Longview on Tuesday.

Even though the 2018 midterms are more than a year away, the Vancouver resident and businessman has either held or attended about a dozen town halls throughout the district as he seeks to build more name recognition.

Last year, the first-time candidate lost the districts top-two primary to former state representative Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, who filed his paperwork with the secretary of state in May just hours before the filing deadline. Moeller was ultimately defeated by incumbent Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler by more than 20 points in the general election.

McDevitt said in an interview that one of the lessons he learned from his first race is that name recognition is crucial.

A lot of the ability to overcome an incumbent has to do with name recognition, he said.

Thats why hes committed to doing at least two town hall events per month, he said.

McDevitt said hes also approaching fundraising differently  so far hes already loaned his campaign $200,000.

The average winning House candidate spent about $1.3 million in 2016, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Herrera Beutler spent roughly $1.8 million in her last reelection race, according to FEC filings.

On the policy front, McDevitt said hes focused on raising incomes and improving health care. McDevitt said he supports gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour over a number of years; he also favors a health care for all system that separates health care coverage from employment.

If you could decouple health care from employment, it would make health care completely portable, he said.

With regard to Cowlitz County, McDevitt said hes specifically concerned about a lack of affordable housing, noting that prices have increased while incomes have remained relatively flat.

Im acutely aware of some people who are being priced out of their rental properties, he said.

McDevitt said he also recognizes that cities like Longview and Kelso have shed hundreds of jobs as the timber industry has become increasingly automated, and said he would like to see more innovation in that area.

He said he thinks theres room to manufacture other wood and composite products locally using solar, wind and hydropower if businesses are given the right incentives.

Despite his progressive stance on most issues and support for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in last years Democratic presidential primary, the Washington State Progressive Caucus endorsed Dorothy Gasque in June. Gasque, a combat veteran who has also filed paperwork to run as a Democrat in 2018, was a Sanders delegate last year who helped lead the protests at the Democratic National Convention.

So far she has raised nearly $10,000 for her race, according to FEC filings.

With more than nine months before the deadline to file for 2018, McDevitt noted that theres still plenty of time for more well-heeled candidates with better name recognition to jump into race. For now, he said he intends to continue meeting with people throughout the Third District to hear and discuss their concerns.

McDevitts town hall will be at the Longview Public Library on Tuesday, July 25, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Monsters are lurking around Hudson Park Elementary, but instead of terrorizing kids, theyre teaching them valuable life lessons.

The Monsters Among Us camp, designed by Rainier School District Student Services Director Dr. Laurie Kash and directed by Hudson Parks P.E. teacher Charlie Newton, is geared toward teaching Rainier kids about the danger of drugs, as well as survival skills.

Emma Hisey, 12, whos going into seventh-grade, said she learned quite a bit in just her first four days at camp.

We get to learn how to survive in the wilderness, and its very helpful, she said. We also learned that drugs are not safe and theyre very bad.

The week-long camp, which began Monday and ends Friday, is for students entering third-grade through seventh-grade. Newton said 20 kids participated this year.

Newton, 29, said the camps goal is to teach kids about the perils of drugs through experiences and games, rather than lectures. The theme is based on the Monsters Among Us comic book series, written by Portland author Andrew Shayde.

Youre not just dictating to them, youre not getting on your podium and saying, You do this, and this is what it is, the director said. Were creating a learning environment where theyre discovering things on their own. Were just setting up a setting. Were guiding them, but were not telling them.

An example of this is the Mothman character, played by Rainier actor Dylan Disch. Mothman discovers the Elxir of Excellence (drugs). Although the elixir makes him happy at first, he soon experiences negative effects, similar to the highs and lows of using drugs.

Disch, 28, said he was able to draw from his life experiences to bring Mothman to life.

I grew up with a mother who was addicted to drugs and substances like that, so I became estranged from her, he said. Some of the kids have said to me, Oh, are you actually drunk? Im hoping that its actually getting through to them not to do (drugs).

Both Charlie Newton, as well as his wife, Leora, a special education teacher at Hudson Park who is helping to run the camp, say their storytelling style of drug education is more effective than very-direct versions earlier programs, such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) adopted.

D.A.R.E. was a very direct program, like, If you specifically use this drug, this will happen and these are the side effects, Leora Newton said. A lot of the negative commentary on the D.A.R.E. program is that it almost heightened and glorified drug use.

Through discovery, kids buy in and remember a lot more than if just being lectured to, her husband added.

The D.A.R.E. program has been criticized for being ineffective. A 2009 analysis of 20 different studies conducted by University of Cincinnati statisticians found teens enrolled in the program were just as likely to use drugs as were those who received no intervention, according to Scientific American.

Although Kash designed and coordinated the camp, she couldnt attend, due to a job interview in Austin, Texas that week. However, she agreed with the Newtons that teaching kids lessons through stories and games is effective.

Its an idea that we came up with a few years ago to have a narrative-based, physical education camp that taught kids science and survival concepts, Kash said. The narrative is what prompts the kids to learn these things.

This is the third camp in the past four summers run by Kash and Charlie Newton. In 2014, the theme was Sasquatch, and in 2015 it was the zombie apocalypse.

In 2016, there wasnt enough funding to run the camp, but this year, Kash added a drug-prevention piece, and the city of Rainier approved a $2,500 grant on June 19 to help run it. Half of the grants funds comes from Oregons marijuana business license fee, according to the city of Rainier.

The camps other main focus, beyond drug and alcohol prevention, is teaching kids survival skills, such as fire safety, filtering water, and how to build a shelter.

The director said the best example of these lessons came in 2014, when kids learned about first-aid safety through attacking, then healing Sasquatch.

With Sasquatch, we werent sure if he was good or bad, so we made catapults and flung food at him to see if he would come out, he said. He did, then we found out he was hurt, because we saw blood spots. So we learned a little bit of first-aid: How to do a splint, how to do a bandage, stuff like that.

Upcoming fifth-grader Samuel Poorman, 11, said he loved getting to run around in the gym and the woods near Hudson Park.

Its really fun, because we get to be really active, he said.

All in all, the Newtons said theyre proud that the event turned out as well as it did.

Having the funding this year and being able to pull it together has been great, because I think its a really great (thing) for kids to learn: Not only survival skills, but our drug and alcohol message as well.
hidden

Tesla Inc said SolarCity co-founder Peter Rive is leaving the company, eight months after the electric car maker bought the biggest U.S. residential solar panel maker.

SolarCity was founded by Peter Rive and his younger brother Lyndon in 2006 with financial backing from their cousin and Tesla chief Elon Musk. Former SolarCity Chief Executive Lyndon Rive announced his resignation in May. Peter Rive will be leaving the company to explore new opportunities, a Tesla spokesperson said in a statement. Tesla bought SolarCity for $2.6 billion last year, paving the way for Musk's ambitious plans for a carbon-free energy and transportation company. The sale came as investors worried about the solar panel installer's debt-fueled growth.

Under Tesla, SolarCity has slowed installations and focused on the most profitable projects that generate cash upfront. Rive was overseeing the development of solar roof tiles, which are expected to go into production this summer. "Peter's responsibilities, including work on Solar Roof, will be distributed among Tesla's existing engineering teams," Tesla said.
tech2 News Staff

Google commemorated media theorist Marshall McLuhan on his 106th birthday. McLuhan came up with many concepts that are fundamental to how we understand media today. One of his most famous observations was that the "medium is the message", which explored the various ways that a particular channel of communication affects individuals. The idea brings to light the inherent effects of sound, print and videos.

The doodle depicts the four eras of communication, progressing from the left to the right. In early history, man primarily used voice for communication, which is shown in the acoustic age. The second panel shows the written age, when most information was transmitted through text. Then is the advent of mass production, and McLuhan making a television appearance, which catapulted him to worldwide fame for his ideas.

The fifth panel shows the "global village", a famous concept by McLuhan. He predicted the advent of the internet, particularly how computers would be used for research and communication. The democratic and global access to information, would make mankind form a collective identity. In modern internet parlance, this is referred to as the "hivemind". The final panel shows the electronic age.

McLuhan anticipated many aspects of modern culture, and famously said, "First we build the tools, then they build us." He predicted that technology would allow the consumers of content to start producing the content themselves.

Famous books by McLuhan, where he presented his theories include The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man, The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man, The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects and War and Peace in the Global Village. The Doodle is being shown to Google users in the North Americas, some countries from South America, Western Europe, India, Australia, Indonesia and Japan.
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A group representing major technology companies has aligned itself against Qualcomm Inc in its legal dispute with Apple Inc by calling on regulators to reject Qualcomm's bid to ban the import of iPhones.

A lobbying group that represents Alphabet Inc's Google, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Corp, and Facebook Inc filed comments with the U.S. International Trade Commission. They argued that barring Apple from importing foreign-assembled iPhones that use Intel Corp chips, as Qualcomm has requested, would cause "significant shocks to supply" for phones and would hurt consumers.

Qualcomm declined to comment. Intel and Apple rival Samsung are members of the group, called the Computer & Communications Industry Association. Apple is not a member of the group. "If the ITC were to grant this exclusion order, it would help Qualcomm use its monopoly power for further leverage against Apple and allow them to drive up prices on consumer devices," Ed Black, the CEO of the group, said in a statement. Whats at stake here is certainly the availability of iPhones and other smartphones at better prices."

Qualcomm supplies so-called modem chips to Apple, which help iPhones and iPads connect to cellular data networks. The two have been locked in a sprawling legal battle in which Apple has objected to Qualcomm's business model of requiring customers to sign patent license agreements before buying chips. In turn, Qualcomm has accused Apple of directing its contract manufacturers like Foxconn to withhold license payments in a bid to hurt Qualcomm. The conflict has taken a toll on Qualcomm's profit outlook. Earlier this month, Qualcomm sued Apple on separate allegations that Apple infringed six patents around making iPhones work better without draining the battery.

Simultaneously, Qualcomm filed a complaint with the U.S. ITC seeking to ban iPhones that use chips "other than those supplied by Qualcomm affiliates." Apple began using Intel chips in the iPhone 7.
tech2 News Staff

NASA's New Horizons team have successfully detected the next target of the spacecraft, using a number of ground based telescopes in a remote location in Argentina. The primitive object, known as 2014 MU69, is more than 6.5 billion kilometers away from the Earth. The Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) was imaged as it passed in front of a distant and unnamed star. The event is known as an occultation, and the campaign is considered to be one of the most challenging ground based observations conducted so far.

The observations will help scientists better understand the size, shape, orbit and environment around 2014 MU69. Even the Hubble Space Telescopes, one of the most powerful astronomical instruments deployed so far, could not accurately establish the size and shape of the KBO. Over a congratulatory call to the team, NASAs director of planetary science, Jim Green said, "It was the most historic occultation on the face of the Earth. You pulled it off and you made it happen."

24 mobile telescopes were deployed in the remote region, and five of these have been confirmed to have observed the occultation event. As a result, scientists have an idea of the size and shape of 2014 MU69 for the first time. The observations will be useful in preparing New Horizons spacecraft of its flyby of the KBO, which will be a record for the most distant object explored by man so far. The New Horizons probe is scheduled to fly past 2014 Mu69 on 1 January, 2019.
IANS

Russia's nuclear power corporation Rosatom is open to signing a contract with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) for supply of six 1,200-MW nuclear reactors at one go so as cut costs and time, said a senior official on Thursday.

"One of the options given by NPCIL is to sign the contracts for supply of all six 1,200-MW nuclear power reactors together. We are considering that option as well," Sergey P. Oriov, Head of Atomstroyexport (ASE) Representation in India, told reporters here.

ASE is the export arm of Rosatom. He also said that by the end of this month, ASE and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will sign important contracts, including for long manufacturing cycle equipment, contract for drawings and first priority design - pertaining to the proposed fifth and sixth 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli districts, around 650 km from here.

Oriov said signing of agreements for six reactors all at once would save time and costs, and added that now the contracts for supply are signed for two units at a time. India is planning to buy six more nuclear power plants from Russia with 1,200 MW capacity each. The location for the proposed six more units is yet to be decided though they have to be in a coastal state, Oriov said.

At present, India and Russia have signed an agreement for six 1,000-MW nuclear reactors, of which two have been built and are operational at Kudankulam. Construction work on the third and fourth units has already started.

Speaking about the price of units 5 and 6, Oriov said it would be around the price at which the contract for supply of units 3 and 4 was concluded. India will be paying around Rs 40,000 crore to the Russian supplier for the third and fourth units to be built in Kudankulam.

Oriov said the Russian company hopes to see one nuclear power unit getting commissioned every year between 2023 and 2026 in Kudankulam (units 3 to 6). Speaking about the first two units at Kudankulam, Oriov said the first unit has been fully handed over to NPCIL after the warranty period and the second unit is now running under the warranty period.

The second unit will be shut down in December 2017 for refuelling purposes. The first unit which is currently shut down for refuelling will start operations early August, he said.
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Swatch Group on Friday painted a brighter outlook for the rest of the year as the world's largest watchmaker said demand for Swiss timepieces in China and Europe is improving. The maker of Longines, Tissot and Omega watches said it expected "very positive growth in local currency" for the rest of 2017 after net profit rose 7.2 percent in the first six months of the year. Net profit attributable to shareholders rose to 269 million Swiss francs ($282.8 million) from 251 million, but fell short of the 285 million expected by analysts polled by Reuters.

Swatch highlighted "significant growth" in mainland China, one of its most important markets, adding that Hong Kong sales had stabilised after a long decline, with data this week showing a rise in Swiss watch exports. Chief Executive Nick Hayek told Swiss news agency AWP that he expected local currencies sales growth of 7 to 9 percent this year.

"Having seen the development of Swiss watch exports this year, most people expect the watch market to improve in the second half of the year, but they don't expect any fireworks," said Jon Cox, luxury goods analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux. In recent years Swiss watch sales in China and Hong Kong have been hit by a crackdown on gift giving and corruption under Chinese President Xi Jinpeng. There was also an improvement in Europe, a market hit last year by extremist attacks which deterred many visitors from destinations such as Paris.

The company reported a strong start to the second half of 2017, saying there had been accelerated growth of all brands in June and the first few weeks of July, particularly among its more expensive brands which include Breguet and Blancpain. "The Swatch Group anticipates very positive growth in local currency in the second half of the year," the company said in a statement.

Apple Watch Competition Remains

Swatch said sales of watches and jewellery had been "very positive" in the first half, despite the highly valued Swiss franc taking a bite out of the figures. Sales fell 0.3 percent to 3.71 billion francs versus the 3.73 billion forecast by analysts. With currency effects, removed sales rose 1.2 percent. Kepler's Cox said he expected mid single digit sales increases for Swatch for the whole of 2017 in constant currencies after an acceleration to high single digit sales improvement in the second half.

But he said problems remained with weak margin improvements at Swatch, while connected watches like Apple Inc's Apple Watch remained a threat to Swatch which generates roughly a third of its revenue from watches which sell for less than 1,000 francs. Swatch shares, weakened after rival Richemont reported disappointing results in May, were trading slightly higher in early trading, up 0.3 percent to reverse earlier losses.

Luca Solca, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas, remained cautious on the stock, saying the upswing in higher priced watches favoured Richemont - the owner of Cartier - more than Swatch. "Overall we seem to be slowly but surely seeing improvement in final demand from consumers," said Solca. "But there is a long way to go."

Reuters
PTI

Telecom regulator TRAI today rejected industry body COAIs demand for another round of discussion before implementing changes in the existing rules on mobile call interconnection charges. "I dont think that is required now because we think we have had extensive consultation process," TRAI Chairman R S Sharma told reporters in response to query on COAIs demand.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had requested TRAI to share model that it used to levy existing mobile call termination charges and discuss the model that it decides to use for making changes in present norms before implementing it.

In a communication to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, COAI has alleged that TRAI is "acting in undue haste to conclude the review of IUC (interconnection usage charges)". However, the industry body did not include views of Reliance Jio and Aircel in the letter. BSNL, MTNL, Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices are not the member of COAI. Telecom operators levy interconnection charge (IUC) on incoming calls from the network of other operator. These charges are passed on to mobile subscribers by service providers.

TRAI fixes IUC that comprises several components. Charges levied for interconnecting mobile calls dominate the IUC issue. A telecom operator charges 14 paise per minute for every incoming mobile call that it receives from other operators network. Incumbent operators -- Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular -- have sought doubling of mobile termination charge (MTC), a part of IUC, saying that terminating incoming calls on their networks costs 30-35 paise per minute.

While Reliance Jio, Reliance Communications, Aircel, MTNL have request abolition of mobile termination charges. Sharma said that telecom operators requested TRAI to conduct a workshop before open house discussion which he agreed and it was organised on July 18. "Normally, we complete work on a consultation paper in six months but for this consultation we are about to celebrate anniversary," Sharma said.

COAI Director General RS Mathews said operator should be given opportunity to review the model that TRAI plans to implement. "The question of haste is do with ability of operators to review the model which is fundamental and foundational to determining whether it (IUC) is 2 paise, half paise or 36 paise. How do you come to conclusion what that is? This is what we are trying to emphasise that if you want to conclude IUC review properly then give appropriate time frame to operators," Mathews said.

A Reliance Jio representative at the event said that demand for repeated discussions by COAI is a tactics to delay review of IUC from which incumbents are benefitting. The consultation paper was issued in August last year following a letter written by COAI objecting over application based call service announced by state-run telecom firm BSNL. BSNL launched calling app with concept to make even ISD call charges at par with calls made within India. However, due to objection raised by COAI the app service has been put on hold.

Disclaimer: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also own Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and Tech2.
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Moscow and Washington are in talks to create a joint cyber security working group, Russia's RIA news agency reported on 21 July, 2017, citing Andrey Krutskikh, a special presidential envoy on cyber security. "The talks are underway ... different proposals are being exchanged, nobody denies the necessity of holding the talks and of having such contacts," Krutskikh said, according to RIA.

Svetlana Lukash, a Russian official who was at the recent G20 summit of global leaders in Hamburg, said earlier this month that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to discuss cyber security questions, either via the United Nations or as part of a working group. However, U.S. and European intelligence and security officials told Reuters on 21 July, 2017 that they were not participating in the talks, which they said were confined to mid-level political officials.

One of the officials, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity, said cooperation on cyber security was a "pipe dream" while Russia continues to deny that it hacked last year's U.S. presidential election, as three U.S. intelligence agencies concluded publicly in January. On an Air Force One flight home from Europe last weekend, Thomas Bossert, Trump's top counterterrorism adviser, told reporters it would be premature to suggest the United States would be talking to Russia about a possible cyber security "partnership."

"A partnership suggests that you've reached a place where you believe that you have a trusted relationship and you've come to some common agreement on ideals and goals and behaviors," he said. "I don't believe that the United States and Russia have come to that point yet in cyberspace," Bossert said. "And until we do, we wouldn't have the conversation about partnership. But we had to have a dialogue, and that's where we'll start."

Trump said earlier this month he had discussed the idea of creating such a group with Putin at the Hamburg summit. Senior U.S. Republicans greeted the idea with incredulity, saying Moscow could not be trusted, and Trump later appeared to back away, saying in a post on Twitter: "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't."

Widespread concern and confusion about the possible cyber working group reflects the Trump administrations struggles to articulate a clear approach to international cyber security issues amid inconsistent statements by the president and ongoing personnel changes. Chris Painter, a widely respected bureaucrat who led the U.S State Departments international engagement on cyber security, is leaving his post at the end of the month amid media reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to shutter Painters entire office.

Painter is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee next week about cyber diplomacy. White House cyber coordinator Rob Joyce told reporters on Wednesday that no final decision had been made about Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, but said the State Department would continue to play a prominent role in developing cyber norms and brokering international agreements.

"I am confident that Secretary Tillerson is not going to impair cyber security," Joyce said.

Reuters
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The US Justice Department said on Thursday it had shut down the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, working with international partners to knock offline the site accused of allowing a global trade in drugs, firearms, computer hacking tools and other illicit goods.

Authorities said the law enforcement action was one of the largest ever taken against criminals on the dark web, part of the internet that is accessible only through certain software and typically used anonymously. AlphaBay allowed users to sell and buy opioids, including fentanyl and heroin, contributing to a rising drug epidemic in the United States, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news briefing in Washington, D.C. to announce the action.

"The dark net is not a place to hide," Sessions said. "This is likely one of the most important criminal investigations of the year  taking down the largest dark net marketplace in history. The move struck a blow to an international drug trade that has increasingly moved online in recent years, though some experts thought its impact would be limited.

"The takedown of AlphaBay is significant, but it's a bit of a whack-a-mole," said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University. Criminals, he said, "are going to flock to other places." AlphaBay mysteriously went offline earlier this month, prompting speculation among its users that authorities had seized the site. It was widely considered the biggest online black market for drugs, estimated to host daily transactions totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Justice Department said law enforcement partners in the Netherlands had taken down Hansa Market, another dark web marketplace. AlphaBay and Hansa Market were two of the top three criminal marketplaces on the dark web, Europol chief Rob Wainwright said at the press conference.

The international exercise to seize AlphaBay's servers also involved authorities in Thailand, Lithuania, Canada, Britain, and France. The operation included the arrest on July 5 of suspected AlphaBay founder Alexandre Cazes, a Canadian citizen arrested on behalf of the United States in Thailand.

Cazes was logged on to AlphaBay at the time of his arrest, allowing authorities to find his passwords and other information about the site's servers, according to legal documents. Cazes, 25, apparently took his life a week later while in Thai custody, the Justice Department said. He faced charges relating to narcotics distribution, identity theft, money laundering and related crimes.

FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe said AlphaBay was ten times as large as Silk Road, a similar dark website the agency shut down in 2013. About a year later, AlphaBay was launched, growing quickly in size and allowing users to browse goods via the anonymity service Tor and to purchase them with Bitcoin currency.

Reuters
US bans travel to North Korea after Warmbier death

Reuters, Seoul :

The United States will bar Americans from travelling to North Korea in the coming weeks, two travel agencies said Friday, a month after a US tourist, student Otto Warmbier, died following his imprisonment by Pyongyang.

China-based Young Pioneer Tours, which had taken Warmbier to North Korea, and Koryo Tours said the ban will come into force on July 27 -- the anniversary of the end of the Korean War-with a 30-day grace period.

"We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea)," Young Pioneer Tours said on its website. "After the 30-day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government," it said.

The company did not say who had notified it of the ban, which followed its earlier announcement that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea in the wake of Warmbier's death last month.

Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockerell told AFP that his company was notified by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which usually acts on behalf of the United States in North Korea since Washington has no diplomatic ties with the isolated regime.

The official announcement "will basically end American tourism" in North Korea, Cockerell said.

Travellers wanting to visit the North must go with a tour company. Americans are required to fly to Pyongyang from Beijing, while other nationalities are allowed to go by train. But the US State Department has strongly warned Americans against travelling there.

Warmbier, 22, died after being medically evacuated to the United States suffering from severe brain damage. He had spent 18 months in captivity in North Korea.

US President Donald Trump blamed Pyongyang's "brutal regime" for his plight.

North Korea accused the United States of waging a "smear campaign" and denied that Warmbier was tortured or abused.

The University of Virginia student was arrested at the airport as he was leaving Pyongyang in January last year and sentenced at a show trial to 15 years of hard labour for stealing a political poster from a hotel.

His case added to already high tensions in the region over North Korea's weapons ambitions, culminating in the country's successful test launch earlier this month of an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say could reach Alaska.

Young Pioneer Tours, founded in 2008 by a British expat, came under fire after Warmbier was flown home in a coma following a flurry of secret diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.




Merkel may win election, but lose her Finance Minister

German Chancellor and leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party CDU Angela Merkel and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble A attend the CDU party convention in Essen, Germany

Reuters, Sasbachwalden :

Wolfgang Schaeuble has won his parliamentary seat a dozen times, survived an attempt on his life and guided Angela Merkel through the euro zone crisis. Now, the German chancellor may have to sacrifice him to secure a coalition deal.

Merkel's conservatives are likely to win a national election on Sept. 24, but lack of an overall majority could force them to continue their alliance with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). SPD leaders say their price for a re-run of the current 'grand coalition' would be for Schaeuble to vacate the finance ministry and hand it to them. Schaeuble personifies the fiscal discipline and financial stability that many Germans crave. But for the SPD he goes too far.

For Merkel's political opponents, Schaeuble's emphasis that both Germany and other EU countries adhere to Europe's budget rules risks denying French President Emmanuel Macron the flexibility to revive his country's economy.

Germany is awash with tax revenues but France is in a tighter spot. The SPD worries that insistence on French budget discipline will not give Macron the room for maneuver to foster growth. If Macron fails, the SPD's concern is the EU will fail or that far-right leader Marine Le Pen could win power.

SPD Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he had asked Merkel which scenario in her view would be more expensive for Germany: a slightly higher budget deficit in France or Le Pen as president in five years.

"We Germans must change our position," Gabriel said.

Softening Schaeuble's approach to the euro zone would not go down well with many Germans. In his home region of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where hard work and saving is a way of life, he enjoys cult status.

In Schaeuble's view, governments must stop piling up debt so that future policy makers still have some money to spend.

In a wheelchair since a deranged man shot him at an election campaign event a few days after German reunification in 1990, Schaeuble lives for the job and has signaled his willingness to stay in politics. "I'm ready to continue," he told voters in Sasbachwalden, his home town near the French border.

Schaeuble does not let his disability hold him back.

In May, he flew half way around the world to spend 12 hours in Durban, where he attended several panels at the World Economic Forum on Africa, backed efforts to attract more investment and lectured students on how the EU works.

It is this relentless drive that commands the respect of voters and colleagues alike.

"When I go to breakfasts and party meetings with him, he is the one who is the most aggressive - ready to take on the Social Democrats," a senior German government official said.

But while polls suggest Merkel will win a fourth term in September, she might end up losing Schaeuble as finance minister.

Merkel faces tricky coalition talks over ministerial jobs in the next parliament.

Senior members of the two parties most likely to be her junior coalition partner - the SPD and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) - have made clear that they have their eye on the finance ministry this time.

"The SPD won't repeat the mistake it made during the coalition talks four years ago," Gabriel told reporters.




KISHOREGANJ: Deputy Commissioner Md. Azimuddin Biswas speaking at a programme organised by CARE Bangladesh at Kishoreganj Collectorate Conference Room on Thursday noon.
Md. Saifullah Azad, CERM :Islamic finance in Bangladesh has undergone a journey that is marked with various significant milestones. Major achievements of the industry in term of its development since inception may be highlighted here. Islamic finance in Bangladesh has become a key segment in the financial system. A novelty of the journey has transformed into a mainstream financial system now. This is a consequence of continuous initiatives to build a solid foundation, focusing on infrastructural, institutional and capacity building measures. However, adequate regulatory and supervisory framework though solid legal framework still required for further acceleration and streamlining of Islamic finance in Bangladesh. These measures are the cornerstones of growth of Islamic finance industry in Bangladesh.Only one Islamic bank started its humble journey in 1983 and there are now 8 full-fledged banks, 23 conventional banks operating partial Islamic banking offer over 100 financial products beyond the basic financial offerings. The industry is characterized by increasing competitiveness and innovation. Islamic banking assets have also grown remarkably in Bangladesh contributing significantly to the development of the real economy of Bangladesh.Augmented integration with the global market has enabled greater trade and financial linkages. Bangladesh is now positioned at the forefront of international developments with increasing connectivity between financial centers, and more cross-border Islamic financial transactions. These interlinkages will open up greater opportunities to introduce and strategically position Islamic finance services globally while providing opportunities for meaningful participation of our local players as lead arrangers for some of the global sukuk issuances. The gains will also be extended to our ancillary service providers that will able to establish greater connections with the international market.The future growth of Islamic finance, especially cross border, is very much dependent on the harmonization and mutual recognition of legal views and rulings across the globe. In the context of the legal Standards, the dynamic process of its development involves the act of harmonizing the differences and embracing diversity. This broadens the reference scope for scholars to have an enriching debate on the best application of law in contemporary finance, based on the customs, legal and operational framework of each market. The act of balancing the authenticity and practicality of the different legal interpretations is an important component in seeking a solution for the benefits and welfare of the mankind.Continuous enhancements of curriculums in universities are critical to increase the employability factor of graduates. These include reconfiguration of the academic programs at universities and enhancements to the learning tools and methods of teaching.Acceptance of experiential learning opens the window of opportunity for learners to go beyond theory-based teaching. Examples include industry-wide internship, real life problem solving assignments and apprenticeship programs for them. These methods create greater connection between classroom learning with the real world. Experiential learning is a strong stimulant to knowledge acquisition that encourages learners to develop their skills while experiencing responsible decision making in real-time. Experience in real life situations differentiates experiential learning from cognitive and behavioral learning. This provides the learners with a competitive edge and increases the probability of success for graduates at entry-level into the workforce. Bangladesh, with its long history that includes the development of Islamic finance over three decades is content rich and ideal for case study research. There are many matters and areas that require in-depth research and solutions. The case study method is another popular learning tool that has proven to be effective in enhancing and strengthening critical appraisal and understanding among learners. The case study method also provides an opportunity to discuss multiple perspectives in dealing with issues.In essence, practitioners and professionals need to be more exploratory and brave to rigorously investigate or examine real life situations and complex scenarios and benefit from hindsight and learnt lessons that can give new solutions for future growth. We need to encourage universities to move towards experiential learning. Learners will be exposed to legal and operational requirements covering areas such as product structuring, legal, accounting as well as risk management. The transparent nature of the standards would enable learners to critique and form their own views and conclusions. It will be a leap forward to change the paradigm on the theoretical and operational aspects of legal applications. Thus, those initiative is certainly a game-changer for Islamic finance education programs in Bangladesh. Those initiatives will also be important milestones in terms of academia-industry cooperation in equipping the learners with industry relevant and contemporary application of legal contracts in Islamic financial products and services. Given the new content on the subject matter, a pre-condition to successfully implement the learning guide is to train and expose lecturers to multiple disciplines of subject matters. Particularly, as the applications of the legal and operational requirements cover various fields that include legal, accounting, risk management and information technology. Developmental training is a critical component as it enables the imparting of knowledge effectively.The role of learning institutions is essential to develop talent with higher skill sets, the industry also has an important role to ensure effective deployment of graduates as they enter the workforce. The number of graduates is indeed increasing at a rapid rate. The general feedback of scholars however is the lack of opportunities for employment. But the reality is that the industry still grapples with shortage of the right talent that can lead and energize innovation. A solution can be to reconcile the expectation gaps of the industry and graduates. Talent enrichment program is one area where we can pursue to bring out the best of student talent. Enrichment programs in areas beyond law, such as leadership training at the early stage of recruitment would strengthen the confidence of learners and provide the required exposure for them to understand and appreciate the intricacies of business environment.There is a need of specialized institutions in Bangladesh for Islamic finance and banking contributing towards sustainable developments for professionals and expertise in the sector. The Islamic finance and banking sector as a whole should be significantly benefitted from the contribution of these institutions. Some professional institutes are accommodating the needs of Islamic banking and finance but these are not adequate. Henceforth, the establishment of a chartered institute e.g. CISI UK is a must for creating Islamic finance professionals to promote the highest standards of professional practice amongst Islamic finance practitioners. Many countries such as UK, Malaysia, and Bahrain are far ahead in promoting Islamic finance literacy and development. They have huge investment in Research and Development (R&D) to move fast forward of asset-based/asset-based banking practices. Some well reputed universities in the world are promoting graduation, post-graduation and doctoral degree in Islamic economic, finance and banking which further enrich their banking system. Over the years, specialized institutions have been established in Malaysia to enrich the talent ecosystem in Islamic finance.These institutions, namely INCEIF, ISRA, IBFIM and the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF) have collectively contributed towards sustainable development of professionals and expertise in the Islamic banking industry.Finally, broader collaboration between the academic fraternity and the industry players is a must. They must work together to develop a finest mechanism that will make the overall learning experience more comprehensive, exciting and interactive. They may review the strategic aspects to re-energize and reinvent the Islamic finance talent development. Thus, the coordinated efforts will determine the path of Islamic finance moving forward for the enriched capacity of the sector.The writer, a banker by profession is a Certified Expert in Risk Management (CERM) from Frankfurt School of Finance, Germany. The views expressed in the article are the writer's own and not necessarily the organization he represents. Email: [email protected]
National Fishery Week observed

A Correspondent :

Raozan Upazila Fishery Department observed National Fishery Week on Wednesday last through releasingfish fries rally and discussion meeting at Upazila sadar under the aupices of Upazila administration.

Chairman of the Parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Railway ABM Fazle Karim chowdhury MPgraced the discussion meeting as chief guest. Upazila chairman Ehsanul Haider Chowdhury Babul vice chairman NoorMohammad and women vice chairman Fouzia Khanam Mina were the special guests in it.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shamim Hossain Reza presided it.Upazila fishery officer Aminul Islam, Upazila education officer Md. Saiful Islam ,Primary education officer Abdullah al Mamun spoke on the occasion among others. After end of meet, a rally paraded the upazila sadar highlighting the significance of the Fishery Week.

Later, fish fries were released in the Upazlla centra Mosqe pond by the chief guest. The chief guest also handed over crest to the successful fish cultivators of the upazila in the meet, our correspondent sources said.


5 sent to jail over govt rice stealing

Chittagong Bureau :

A Chittagong court on Wednesday sent five persons, including an official of Food Department, to jail in connection with a case filed over the seizure of 155 tons of government rice.

The court also ordered to deposit the food grains to Central Storage Depot (CSD). The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shahdat Hossain Bhuiyan sent them to jail after police placed them before the court, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (prosecution) Nirmolondu Bikash Chakaraborti.

RAB-7 seized seven trucks loaded with 155 tons of government rice and detained five persons, including Pronoyon Chakma, manager of CSD in Halishahar area, from City Gate area of the city on Monday night.


Science is (also) for women

Elizabeth Koprowski :

There's no denying hard numbers. According to most estimates, men outnumber women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In recent years, there have been concerted efforts to both identify why women are less likely than men to study and pursue STEM subjects and to encourage female interest in STEM fields. Still, in the US women make up just under a quarter of STEM employees while representing nearly half the country's workforce. And the same applies to countries around the world. In the UK, fewer female STEM graduates go on to work in STEM industries and while more than 40% of British mathematics students are female, only 6% go on to professorships in the field. Even in the Nordic region, where women have impressive parity in the workforce, some female STEM graduates struggle to find job opportunities. And in Asia, only three countries were able to demonstrate equality in the male-to-female ratio of scientific researchers.

Historically, women have been under-represented in the STEM fields, but given the recent efforts made by countries, governments, and educational institutions to rectify the disparities, it seems surprising that women are still so outnumbered in STEM industries. It's even more surprising when one realizes that STEM fields are prime occupations for female graduates. And here's why.

Governments around the world recognize that the gender gap in STEM fields is no laughing matter. In fact, the lack of women in STEM fields is a major concern for some countries, where women make up a significant part of the workforce, and their absence in STEM fields indicates a pretty hefty loss of revenue. In Scotland, for example, the lack of women in STEM occupations represents more than 150million in income. It's not surprising then that countries and organizations around the world are working to encourage women to pursue STEM studies and enter the workforce. Mentorship programs are one of the most popular forms of initiatives because many experts believe that women fail to become interested in STEM subjects due to a lack of female role-models in the sector. The Million Women Mentors program (USA) and the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Malaysia are just two of many initiatives aimed at bringing women in STEM fields together. Mobility and retention programs, like the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program and the Science in Australia Gender Equality program, also strive to address the challenges women face in STEM studies and careers. Still, women remain marginalized in specific areas of the STEM sector, and when organizations like the American Chemical Society give out awards, men are disproportionately represented.

But all these initiatives and encouragement are not without some positive results. In fact, there are indications that the future of women in STEM fields is looking brighter. First, STEM student numbers are not nearly as disparate as the workforce. While men still significantly outnumber women in engineering and computer sciences, most of the other STEM sectors show growing equality, and in some areas, like biology, women outnumber men. And employers want to hire female STEM graduates. Most industries now recognize that diversity is important, and in the STEM sector women represent a much-needed demographic. So why are women still outnumbered by men. Some research suggests that the historical lack of women in STEM fields has created a self-fulfilling prophecy, where women fail to apply for or engage with STEM careers because they believe they will not be considered. But new figures indicate otherwise. In at least one study, researchers found that when employers considered an equally qualified male and female candidates, the female candidate was selected nearly 70% of the time. Other statistics show that companies with female leadership have better investment returns and that diversity in the workplace equals greater employee retention rates.

So what's the deal? If governments and educational organizations want to help women succeed in STEM field, and employers want to hire them, why are women still under-represented. Well, first off, women are not under-represented in every field. In fact, in mathematics, physical sciences, and biosciences, women earn nearly if not more than half of all bachelors degrees. Women are significantly outnumbered only in computer sciences and engineering degrees. At the PhD level, women outnumber men in biosciences, and in the United States, more than 50% of all medical scientists are women. These figures seem to indicate that women are interested in STEM fields and do participate in certain areas of the workforce. The continuing shortfall seems to come mainly from the technology and engineering sectors of STEM industries, but these sectors make up a significant portion of the economy in many countries. This means that while women have made inroads into certain STEM fields, there's still lots of room for improvement

Women won't always be outnumbered in STEM fields. Scientists and educators used to believe that one of the reasons that STEM fields lacked female participation was because women were less suited - both intellectually and temperamentally - to scientific research. This is, of course, nonsense and more and more women are going on to study STEM. Employers want female STEM graduates and governments around the world want to help women study STEM subjects. So, why wait? If you have a passion for computer programming, or chemical engineering, or microbiology, find a program and explore the many exciting opportunities offered in science and technology!

Elizabeth Koprowski is an American writer and travel historian. She has worked in the higher education system with international students both in Europe and in the USA.
Higher math in lower grades: Hurting or helping kids?

Cindy Donaldson :

Every parent wants to see her child keep up with peers, and these days that means taking algebra in the eighth grade. But sometimes we forget that algebra is a very demanding course, full of sophisticated and abstract ideas. Do students really need to take this higher math course in lower grades, or can it do them more harm than good?

There are two sides to the issue. Politicians like the idea of offering algebra in middle school. They argue that the world has sped up over the past generation; technology has gotten more complicated, ideas more complex. Why not introduce harder concepts at younger ages? In 2008, California lawmakers began a campaign to make algebra mandatory for eighth-graders, a shift that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger compared to President John F. Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon.

Meanwhile, many researchers believe that middle school students aren't ready for algebra. In a 2008 letter to the editor of The Ventura County Star, Professor of Education Dr. Bruce Mitchell argued against California's proposal. His letter referenced the studies of Dr. Herman Epstein, who believed that the human brain has rapid growth periods and plateau periods where no growth seems to take place. For most students, the middle school years occur during a plateau stage, and Epstein argued that "the plateau stages were not optimal times for the introduction of new higher-level thought processes, particularly algebra, which eighth-grade students fail more than any other subject. Historically, algebra has been most often offered in grades 10 though 12. That occurs during the age 14-17 growth-spurt stage, when it's OK to teach abstract reasoning concepts."

After listening to these two sides, parents are forced to make a choice: trust the politicians who claim that our children need to take algebra at younger ages, or the researchers who think that our children need to wait. It can be hard to figure out the right path for your child.

To get some answers from a hands-on expert, I spoke with award-winning high school math teacher, Jerry Brodkey. Dr. Brodkey has a PhD from Stanford in Mathematics and Curriculum Education, and has taught math for thirty-one years. He had some definite opinions about the move to teach algebra at younger and younger ages.

The "normal" track for math classes has shifted down in the past ten years.

When Dr. Brodkey began teaching, the normal track was for students to take Algebra I in ninth grade, followed by three years of college-prep math. This worked well for most students, and there was always a way for a select group of students to get ahead by taking algebra in eighth grade and advance to Calculus by their senior year. But in the past ten years, Dr. Brodkey has seen "an explosion of students taking algebra in the eighth grade. In the past five years, I'd call it a super-explosion." The normal track in many schools now has students taking algebra in the eighth grade.

The pressure to stay on the new "normal" track pushes students into math classes for which they are not ready.

Every year, Dr. Brodkey meets with parents whose freshmen have been appropriately placed in algebra. But want to know how they can accelerate their children onto the new "normal" track so they will reach AP Calculus by their senior year. In turn, Dr. Brodkey asks the parents whether the student wants to make this jump, or if it's a parent-driven decision. He asks them to be careful: "When a student is pushed to take a class for which he is not ready, he rarely acquires a lifelong affinity for math. Instead, he develops a desire to get out of math classes as fast as possible." He has found that when these students get to Calculus, they can struggle. They can do the first step in the problem, but not the next nine that require solid algebra skills.

Parents push their children onto this track because they think it's necessary for college admissions.

Parents are feeling tremendous pressure about getting their children into college. They are seeing students with a 4.3 GPA get turned away from top universities, and they are desperate to find an advantage for their child. But from Dr. Brodkey's perspective, pushing a child onto the Calculus track doesn't always help: "I think that college admissions officers like to see a student with a solid foundation, effective communication skills, and a record of working well with others, not someone who has struggled to fit in an extra AP class."

The move to introduce algebra in lower grades comes from politicians, not teachers.

Like many teachers, Dr. Brodkey questions the motives for California's campaign for eighth grade algebra: "I think that this push is part of a political agenda to show rigor in the schools. I can't see how it's a positive; it's not a student-centered decision. Any student can learn algebra, but the timing is critical." Algebra is an extremely challenging course, even more so than Calculus. Teachers introduce a brand-new topic every three or four weeks, and expect complete mastery. Thirteen and fourteen-year-old students are still developing their emotional and organizational skills, and algebra is a course that punishes any immaturity a student may have.

Algebra can be taught at lower ages, if it's introduced slowly.

Dr. Brodkey approves of the movement to layer algebraic concepts into early education. He asks his eight-year-old daughter questions like, "What number plus eight will make twelve?" He talks to his ten-year-old son about inequalities. But he feels that the traditional way algebra is taught now, with its demanding pace, is not appropriate for all middle school students. "Eighth grade algebra is fine for some students," he says, "and there may even be one or two students per school who benefit from the increasing hyper-acceleration of algebra into the seventh grade. But to make it an expectation for all students is not doing them any good."

The age at which a student takes algebra must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The age at which a student takes algebra is an important and individual decision, not one that should be made by blanket policies. Parents and teachers must work closely together to determine a student's placement. If you're a parent wondering whether to accelerate your student, there are some clues to look for. Algebra-ready kids are:

Organized

Mature

Able to pass an Algebra Readiness test

If you think your child is struggling in any one of these three areas, you can do him a favor by waiting another year before enrolling him in algebra. Placing your child in the right math class will teach him to feel successful and confident about his math skills. But pushing him up when he's not yet ready can bring on a case of math anxiety that will last for a lifetime.
Valory Music Co. Brantley Gilbert kicks off this weekend Friday night by playing the iconic Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming -- and things only get bigger from there.

Sunday, hell get to do a song at the NASCAR race that just happens to be named after him: the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400. The Georgia native admits its all beyond his wildest dreams.

You dont ever think about things like your name on a race like this, he says. But its pretty cool. You know, to be a part of something that means so much to a lot of people is powerful. Its an honor.

You can check out all the action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Brantley's label mate, newcomer Carly Pearce, will perform the national anthem.

Brantley will return to Indianapolis next month, for his August 5 date at Klipsch Music Center.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Employees are governed by Service Rules, not Organogram

High Court Division :

(Special Original Jurisdiction)

Quamrul Islam

Siddique J

Razik-al-Jalil J

Bellal Hossain Miah and anothers .........Petitioner

vs

Government of Bangladesh and others .....Respondents

Judgment

May 5th, 2016

Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972

Article 102(2)

Dhaka Municipal Corporation Ordinance (XL of 1983)

Section 157

Organogram and Service Rules are different things. Organogram means an organizational chart, showing graphically the relation of one official to another or others of an establishment. It is also used to show the relation of one department to another or others, or of one function of an organization to another, or others. However, the service rule is a governing law to govern the service of the employees. If any appointment is made without following the service rules, that cannot be sustained on the ground that the provision is permitted by its organogram. Approbation and reprobation, the doctrine applies only to the conduct of parties. . ..... (32 & 33)

Mohammad Hedayet Hossin. Advocate-For the Petitioner.

AM Aminuddin with Sakib Rezwan Kabir, Advocates-For the Respondent No.6.

Judgment.

Razik-al-Jalil J : In this application under Article 102 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, all the instance of the petitioner a Division Bench of this Court issued a Rule Nisi on 19-4-2012, in the following terms:

"Let a Rule Nisi issued calling upon the respondents to show cause as to why the impugned Memo No.05.132.046.00.00.0 11. 2011-338 dated 29-3-2012 (Annexure E) issued under the signature of respondent No. 3 transferring the respondent No. 6 and 7 in contravention of the item No. 17 of the Schedule of the Dhaka Municipal Corporation Employees Service Rules, 1989 should not be declared to have been issued without lawful authority and is of no legal effect and/or such other or further order or orders as to this Court may seem fit and proper."

2. The facts leading to the issuance of the Rule, in short, are that the petitioner was appointed on 1-6-1988 as Accountant (Bill) in Dhaka City Corporation (now abolished), vide Memo No. 1551/cOtwet(ms), dated 1-6-1988. The petitioner was promoted to the post of Accounts Officer (Officiating), Miscellaneous Branch, Accounts Division on 17-8-1996, vide Memo No . 286/cOtwet (m-1) 30, dated 1981996.

3. The Respondent No.1, being empowered pursuant to Section 157 of Dhaka Municipal Corporation Ordinance 1983, enacted Dhaka Municipal Employees Service Rules 1989. Therefore, the said Service Rules of 1989 was/is being applied as governing law with regard to the service of the petitioner. According to Item No. 17 of the Schedule of Dhaka Municipal Employees Service Rules-1989, the post of the Chief Accounts Officer will be filled in either by direct recruitment or by promotion.

4. Thereafter, the petitioner was given additional charge of Deputy Chief Accounts Officer pursuant to the decision dated 4-9-2008 and 8-10-2008. By Office Order dated 25-6-2009 the petitioner was promoted to the post of Deputy Chief Accounts Officer. Accordingly, the petitioner received the charge of Chief Accounts Officer of the said Corporation on 2-8-2009 from the earlier Chief Accounts Officer upon signing Memo. No. 278 wntwet, dated 2-8-2009. Accordingly, the petitioner wrote a letter, dated 2-8-2009 intimating the Chief Executive Officer, Dhaka City Corporation with regard to obtaining his charge and joining in the post of Chief Accounts Officer. Since then the petitioner has been discharging his duty as Chief Accounts Officer (in Charge).

5. On 1-12-2011, the Dhaka City Corporation was bifurcated as 'Dhaka South City Corporation' and 'Dhaka North City Corporation' by Local Government' (City Corporation) (Amendment) Act-2011. After such bifurcation the petitioner is still discharging his duty as Chief Accounts Officer-in-Charge and Additional Charge respectively in Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporations.

6. Subsequently, the authority concerned decided that the Service Rules 1989 of the abolished Dhaka City Corporation would remain applicable for regulating and controlling the services of the employees of those two City Corporations. Accordingly the copy of the said Minute dated 8-3-2012 was forwarded to the authority concerned vide Memo No. 46.070.007.00.00.199.2011-454, dated 25-3-2012 for taking necessary actions. Thereafter, all on a sudden. Respondents issued Memo No.5. 1 32.046,00. 00.0 11. 20 11-338, dated 29-3-2012, (Annexure-E), transferring Respondent Nos. 6 & 7 to the post of Chief Accounts Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation from the post of Director, Railway Audit Department, Dhaka and Director, High Commission Audit Department, Dhaka, respectively in contravention of the item No. 17 of the schedule of the Dhaka Municipal Corporation Employees Service Rules 1989. Being aggrieved by this order, the writ petitioner filed the instant petition and obtained the instant Rule.

7. The petitioner by filing a supplementary affidavit dated 23-10-2014 stated that after such bifurcation, the petitioner had discharged his duty as Chief Accounts Officer-in-Charge and Additional Charge respectively in Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporations until joining of Respondent Nos. 6 and 7 in the post of Chief Accounts officer of the Dhaka North/South City Corporations. Thereafter, an office order dated 13-5-2012 was issued releasing the petitioner from the post of Chief Accounts Officer-in-Charge and Additional Charge. As a result, the petitioner was discharging his duty as Deputy Chief Accounts Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation.

(To be continued)


Departmental proceeding not same as criminal proceeding

(From previous issue) :

It is also admitted that treafter the petitioner has filed a departmental apeal. But the said appeal was dismissed by an order dated 23-7-2001. Subsequently the petitioner has filed an application under Section 4(2) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, before the Administrative Tribunal, Dhaka, challenging the aforsaid order dated 23-7-2001, which was registered as Case No. 160 of 2001. The Administration Tribunal, by an elaborate judgment and order dated 19-4-2003, rejected the case of the petitioner filed under Section 4(2) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, in which, as we find, all legally material facts were duly considered by the Tribunal. It is also admitted that, being aggrieved by the aforesaid judgment and order dated 19-4-2003 of the Tribunal, the petitioner had preferred an Appeal No. 115 of 2003 before the Administrative Appellate Tribunal, which was dismissed for default by order No. 20 dated 20-3-2008. Section 6(a) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, provides for preferring appeal before the Appellate Division under Article 103 of the Constitution against any judgment and order of the Appellate Tribunal.

8. In view of the foregoing facts and circumstances, we are of the view that the petitioner having not preferred any appeal under Article 103 of the Constitution, before the Appellate Division, as per provisions of section 6(a) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980, the judgment and order 19-4-2003, passed by the Administrative Tribunal, has become final.

9. Once a dispute has been settled by the judicial body, there is no scope to refer the aforesaid representation dated 2-9-2014, Annexure- K(l), to the Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office and thereby to re-open the matter. In other words, the Principal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, being the executive authority, cannot sit in appeal over the judgment passed by the Administrative Tribunal or by any other judicial/quasi-judicial authority, by re-opening the matter. Nor this Division, far less the executive organ, can arrogate to itself the jurisdiction vested in the Appellate Division under Article 103 of the Constitution, read with Section 6(a) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1980.

10. On the other hand the executive authority, in this case the Principal Secretary of Prime Minister's Office, has no competence or authority to re-open the issue already decided by a competent judicial body or Tribunal or to sit as court of appeal over a judgment passed by any court or any Tribunal. Any persos aggrieved by any judgment or order of a court or Tribunal can address to the higher forum in the judicial highrearchy, if there is any, not to any other person or authority. The order or judgment thus passed is final and conclusive, so far as a dispute resolved by it. This is based on the doctrine of separation of power.

11. As regards the contention, though no more necessary to address indeed that the petitioner was discharged from a Criminal case filed against him, we do hereby hold, to make it clear, that a departmental proceeding is not same as a criminal proceeding. It is not necessary in a departmental proceeding that any persons should be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, a stand of proof required in a criminal proceeding. The preponderance of probability is enough to found a person guilty in a departmental proceeding. This difference between these two forums has to be understood and to be followed consistently. One is not barred by the findings of other, nor the procedure followed by them are of equal stringenecy in nature. In the light of the deliberation recorded herein above, we find no merit in this rule.

Order

In the result, the Rule is discharged.

No order as to cost.

(Concluded)
One in 8 people who voted for Trump having second thoughts

New York (Reuters) :

About one in eight people who voted for President Donald Trump said they are not sure they would do so again after witnessing Trump's tumultuous first six months in office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 2016 voters.

While most of the people who voted for Trump on Nov. 8 said they would back him again, the erosion of support within his winning coalition of older, disaffected, mostly white voters poses a potential challenge for the president. Trump, who won the White House with the slimmest of margins, needs every last supporter behind him to push his agenda through a divided Congress and potentially win a second term in 2020.

The poll surveyed voters who had told Reuters/Ipsos on Election Day how they had cast their ballots. While other surveys have measured varying levels of disillusionment among Trump supporters, the Reuters/Ipsos poll shows how many would go as far as changing the way they voted. The survey was carried out first in May and then again in July. In the July survey, 12 percent of respondents said

they would not vote for Trump "if the 2016 presidential election were held today" - 7 percent said they "don't know" what they would do, and the remaining 5 percent would either support one of the other 2016 presidential candidates or not vote.

Eighty-eight percent said they would vote for Trump again, a slight improvement over the May figure of 82 percent. Taken together, the polls suggest that Trump's standing with his base has improved slightly over the past few months despite his Republican Party's repeated failures to overhaul the healthcare system and multiple congressional and federal investigations into his campaign's ties to Russia.

To be sure, most presidents lose support among core supporters the longer they are in the White House. According to the Gallup polling service, former President Barack Obama saw his popularity dip among Democrats and minority voters, though it did not come until later in his first term. But Obama, who won the Electoral College with greater margins than Trump, was not as reliant on retaining his core supporters.

The minority of Trump voters who said they would not vote for him again gave varying reasons in interviews for why they had changed their minds. Some were tired of his daily trolling of Democrats, the media and the judiciary. Some were disappointed that the Trump administration has not yet swept illegal immigrants out of their communities. Others said the president has not ended the mistrust and hyper-partisanship in Washington as much as they had hoped. "If I had to walk around wearing a T-shirt saying who I voted for, I may have voted differently," said Beverly Guy, 34, a Trump voter who took the poll in July. If the election were held today, Guy said she would vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.

Guy said she picked Trump mostly because she did not support Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. She never cared that much for Trump and now finds herself rationalizing a decision that has angered many of her friends. "I care more about my neighbors than I do about politics," she said.

Another poll respondent, Brian Barnes, said he was standing by his choice to vote for Trump. He thinks the media is focusing too much on the Russia investigation and not enough on Trump's accomplishments like his elevation of another conservative justice to the Supreme Court.

"I think he's doing all he can," Barnes said, "even though the Republicans in the House and Senate are creating a lot of problems" by not passing a healthcare bill. Experts in American politics said it makes sense that a transformative political figure like Trump would retain a high degree of loyalty from his supporters no matter what negative headlines are swirling around the White House. Political winds do not shift quickly in a strong economy, they said, especially when many of the president's decisions have yet to take root.

"People are still invested in the choices they made" on Election Day, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "They're not about to admit that they're wrong, at least not yet."

Elaine Kamarck, an expert in American electoral politics at the Brookings Institution, said the erosion in Trump's base could certainly hurt his chances of re-election, though it is too early to say so for sure. The most important question is whether he loses support where it counts - in battleground states that he barely won last year. "If these disenchanted Trump voters are in California, it doesn't matter," Kamarck said. "If they live in Wisconsin or Michigan or Pennsylvania, it matters."

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States and has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of about 5 percentage points. The July 11-12 poll gathered its sample from 1,296 people, including 541 Trump voters, while the May 10-15 poll gathered its sample from 1,206 people, including 543 Trump voters. In both cases, Ipsos weighted their responses according to voter profiles gathered from the U.S. Census' voting and registration supplement to the Current Population Survey.
Qatar's Emir orders change in law combating 'terrorism'

Al Jazeera News :

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has issued a decree amending some provisions of a law on "combating terrorism", the state news agency reported.

The decree issued on Thursday included definitions for the terms "terrorist", "crime", "terrorist acts", "terrorist entities", "the freezing of funds"

and the "financing of terrorism", according to the Qatar News Agency.

It also identifies procedures related to some "terrorist activities".

The decree stated that individuals and entities accused of "terrorist" activities have the right to challenge charges lodged against them before the court.

The amendment is effective immediately upon its publication in the government newsletter, the report said.

The order follows an agreement between Qatar and the United States that seeks to curb "terrorism financing," and which was signed during a visit to Doha by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Qatar was the first state in the Gulf region to sign an agreement with the US on combating "terrorism".

Tillerson had praised Qatar for signing the deal, and for committing to the effort "to track down and disable terror financing".

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates accuse Doha of funding what they call "terrorism" - allegations Qatar strongly denies.

The four countries cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

On June 22, the Saudi-led group 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 lifting the blockade.

Doha rejected the demands, and the countries now consider the list null and void.

The blockading countries later issued a six-point demand.
1,200 students sued

Eden College students stage demo in city

Staff Reporter :

The students of Eden Mohila College staged a demonstration on Friday in the city's Azimpur area in protest against police action on DU-affiliated college students who arranged a sit-in program in front of the National Museum demanding reduction of session jam by taking of annual examinations and publishing routine immediately.

The students blocked the Azimpur Road with banners and festoons on Friday morning. With various slogans, they demanded reduction of session jam, immediate holding of annual examinations and publishing routine.

A procession was brought out from the college campus around 11:00am marched through city streets including Plassey intersection.

The protesting students said, they have been victims of tremendous session jam and irregular annual examinations since affiliation with Dhaka University.

Seeking anonymity, several students said that they were not even getting the nominal opportunities

they used to get when they were students of Eden College under the National University (NU).

On Thursday, the students of seven government colleges of Dhaka city, which were affiliated with the DU in February last, gathered at Shahbagh to join a sit-in program with several demands mentioned above.

Police surrounded the students from all sides to prevent any chaos by any quarter.

But at one stage, police used rubber bullets and tear shells when the students tried to get out of their venue. At least 10 students were critically injured in the clash.

Meanwhile, Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) M Mazhar Ali, as a plaintiff, filed a case on Friday night accusing 1200 unidentified students on charge of obstructing police to perform their official duty, carrying out attack upon them, attempt to murder and conducting terror activities.

"A case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station against 1000 to 1200 unnamed students on charge of obstructing police to do their duties during the demonstration," said Abul Hasan, Officer-In-Charge (OC) of the police station

The 13 protesters, detained during Thursday's scuffle, were handed over to the authorities of their respective colleges, he said.

Dhaka College, Eden Women's College, Badrunnesa College, Government Titumir College, Kazi Nazrul Islam College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College and Mirpur Bangla College -- were affiliated with the National University before shifting to Dhaka University in February this year.
No excise duty on Hajj pilgrims' plane fare this yr

Staff Reporter :

Hajj pilgrims will be exempted from any excise duty on their plane fares this time.

A single ticket fee for them will remain unchanged at $1475.

Minister for Religious Affairs Matior Rahman on Friday announced such excise duty exemption while visiting the Ashkona Hajj camp in the city.

"This year the Prime Minister has declared a cut in the additional excise duty on plane fares for pilgrims, so pilgrims have not to pay the additional excise duty," he mentioned.

Earlier on July 6, the Ministry of Religious Affairs had instructed to add excise duty to the plane fares and asked the pilgrims to pay additional Tk 3000 with their Hajj package payment.

More than 1.27 lakh pilgrims from Bangladesh will fly to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year.

The Hajj flight will start from July 24.


Fall in export growth

Business leaders seek govt intervention

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Concerned over the receding export growth, business leaders have sought interventions from the government to revive export-oriented industries in the country.

They also urged the government to form a 'taskforce' comprising relevant stakeholders with the purpose of understanding international trade dynamics to ultimately increase the export growth.

Bangladesh's export growth in the just concluded fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 hit 15-year low at 1.69 per cent owing to poor shipment performance from the apparel sector.

"Local export industries are facing tremendous challenges owing to their eroding competitiveness in global arena. This has pushed Bangladesh's export growth to historic low in the just concluded fiscal year," M Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) told The New Nation yesterday.

He said, "We need immediate government intervention to prevent falling export growth. And the government should offer sops to export-oriented industries for enhancing their competitiveness."

The FBCCI leader also called upon the government to formulate a plan of action to achieve higher export growth and assessing the challenges as well as opportunities of local export industries.

"A 'taskforce' could be formed for devising the plan," he added.

Mohiuddin, a leading garments exporter of the country, demanded for reviving the country's apparel industries considering their contribution to the national economy.

"Traditionally, apparel industry account for over 80 per cent of the country's total exports. So, the industry needs special care from the government," he said,

The apex trade body leader mentioned that apparel industry is facing stiff competition from its global peers due to high cost of production coupled with energy crisis. This is a critical area that the government should look into. Otherwise, the country's export could plunge further.

"Our export posted an unexpected fall in the immediate past fiscal year causing concern to us. Such a development demands immediate government response," Abdus Salam Murshedy, President of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) told The New Nation.

He said Bangladesh is the second largest garments exporter in the world after China. The growth of garments export went down to 0.26 per cent in the FY17 reflecting the real situation of the industry.

"The industry faces major challenges in the wake of falling commodity prices and sluggish demands in major markets like the US and the EU. Even, apparel export continues to fall in the UK, Canada and non-traditional markets taking a hit from economic uncertainty there," he added.

He mentioned that Bangladesh loses in export markets due to lack of marketing, quality of products or weakness in export conducive infrastructures and competitiveness.

Bangladesh's export earnings in FY17 stood at $34.83 billion with a shortfall of more than $2 billion from the government-set target of $37 billion, according to the provisional data of the Export Promotion Bureau.

The earnings' growth was the lowest since the FY 2001-02 when it was negative 7.43 per cent.

According to the data, the export earnings from goods in FY17 fell short of target by 5.85 per cent.

Export earnings from RMG products in FY17 stood at $28.15 billion with a minimal growth of 0.20 per cent. Earnings from the sector, however, fell short by 7.34 per cent against the government-set target of $30.38 billion.

"Both external and internal factors were behind the unexpected export falling in FY17. Shrinking global demand for local apparel products and devaluation of currencies of the major importing countries were the main reasons for the growth.

It is sending the signal that Bangladesh is losing its competitive edge, while its competitors are doing well. The government must come forward to respond with current situation and devise a plan to revive the country's export sector," Faruque Hassan, Senior Vice-President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told The New Nation.

Worried by the falling export growth, he said, "Bangladesh should reduce the cost of doing business and enhance productivity of local industries in order to remain competitive in the global export market. At the same time, it should concentrate more on market and product diversification to boost exports."
PM stands beside harassed UNO AL leader suspended for filing case

Special Correspondent :

The arrest of Borguna Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tarique Salman for using a sketch of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Independence Day greeting cards has created widespread discontent among the government high-ups.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangabandhu's eldest daughter, also expressed severe astonishment over the incident and said that the picture, painted by class-V student Adrita Kar, was not 'distorted'.

"The UNO has done a good job arranging a competition over Bangabandhu's sketch and printing the award-winning picture in

the cards," PM's adviser HT Imam told the media quoting Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier, the matter had drawn the attention of PM when the arrest news of UNO along with his handcuffed photos went viral on the social media network Facebook where several hundred users sharply criticized the government. Besides, some mainstream media also published news and columns condemning the government for the same.

Tariq Salman was released on bail on Wednesday afternoon two hours after he was sent to custody in a Tk 5 crore defamation case filed for distorting Bangabandhu's portrait. The court fixed July 23 for the next hearing of the case.

Religious Affairs Secretary of Barisal District Awami League and president of Barisal Lawyers' Association Obaidullah Saju filed the case against him for publishing cards using Adrita's painting on the Independence Day last year at Agailjhara upazila.

The case was lodged with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's [CMM] Court in June. The UNO was transferred to Barguna Sadar from Agailjhara upazila after filling of the case.

Against the backdrop of social outcry in favour of the UNO, the PM now stands beside him saying that none was able to paint accurate portrait of Bangabandhu till the date. "Even the paintings of Bangabandhu used by us are also little inaccurate. I knowthese are not fully perfect. By filing case, a praised matter has turned into a controversial issue," she was quoted as saying after she saw the painting.

The accused UNO told the media that he arranged the art competition on March 17 on the day of Bangabandhu's birth anniversary last year and the award-wining painting was used on March 26 marking the Independence Day.

Questions have also been raised how an UNO-level officer was arrested without prior approval of higher authority. Especially, the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of the district concerned have been blamed for such work.

Another big question has also risen how the judge took the case into cognizance. In this regard, HT Imam said that both the DC and SP were fully responsible for the arrest of the UNO and foe being handcuffed. He also hinted at taking action against the duo.

On Friday, the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association protested the case filed against the UNO terming it "motivated" and "humiliating". The association also demanded withdrawal of the case.

The AL high-ups also claimed that Obaidullah Saju was a new comer and joined the Awami League only five years ago. But local sources said that he along with his family was an Awami Leaguer since long.

Meanwhile, the Awami League central body suspended Obaidullah Saju from the party on Friday for filing a case and harassing the UNO. "He was suspended for filing case against the UNO," AL Joint General Secretray Mahabubul Alam Hanif said last night.


KL rescues 14 Bangladeshi trafficking victims

bdnews24.com :

The Malaysian Immigration Department has rescued 14 Bangladeshis while busting a human trafficking syndicate, according to local media reports.

Its director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said three suspected Bangladeshi agents were also arrested in a raid on a residential premises in Ampang near Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Malay Mail Online reported quoting state news agency Bernama.

The suspected agents were allegedly responsible for managing the victims' arrivals and controlling the premises, the report said.

The department raided the premises following public information and intelligence, Mustafar said, according to the report.

The Immigration Department officials found 20 mobile phones belonging to the victims and cash of 28,500 Malaysian ringgits on the premises, which was locked from outside for the purpose of duping the authorities, the report said.
Disturbing Human Rights situation

ACCORDING to several past reports published by Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, and Swedish Media, there has been a rise in incidences of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh in the last couple of years. Several reports by Ain o Salish Kendra seem to support this allegation. As a sovereign state how does Bangladesh perceive such allegations? Why even after so many disappearances is it difficult to perceive who the real culprits are ? Why cant we ensure the security of the common citizen, or those who are politically and ideologically different to those in power ?

Meanwhile black laws like Section 57 of the ICTAct which prohibit total freedom of expression force journalists to ask for its repeal.The Editors' Council demanded that the government fully repeal Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act and refrain from taking any initiative to re-introduce similar provisions in any new law.It also demanded withdrawal of all cases filed under this Section against editors and journalists and release of the detained journalists.What can we say about the future of our rights to express freely ?

We have one of the best anti-women violence laws in the world--yet only 20,000 cases are filed under this law every year.Is it fair to say that the incidence of women being oppressed and being subject to violence are much higher than the number of cases which are actually filed ? It is the rare case which brings the victims to book--like that of the maid servant who was tortured brutally and then dumped in a dustbin.

Founded in January 1948, BCL played a significant role in the country's Liberation War and other historical events, including the Language Movement in 1952, Six-Point Movement in 1966, uprising of 1969, AL's win in the 1970 elections and the street agitation against Ershad. But when politics of power and money replaces ideology-based politics, infighting and clash are unavoidable.When the President of the country says that student leaders are more interested in themselves, things like tender manipulation, extortion and grabbing of dormitory seats come to mind. Not to mention the over 125 deaths in the last eight years with the latest casualty being a BCL activist in Sylhet yesterday.The victims include 60 BCL leaders and activists and 54 common people. So where is the future of public education ?

Holding taxes are at an all time high in Dhaka, yet we have no one to control the chikunguniya outbreak which has many unreported cases.Why cant the two City Corporations use revenues to do proper pest control by carrying out regular mosquito control actions ? Meanwhile Chittagong seaport, which handles about 90 percent of the country's export-import trade is tied up as vessels need to wait there for days to offload goods due to a shortage of jetties.

All of these incidents indicate various anomalies in our body politic, in the ways things are conducted in our nation, in our method and systems of governance.The remedies to these things are known--the solutions are simple .But in almost every situation there is an inaction in delivery, in making the situation better. If we continue to see the abnormal as normal, the future of our country is bleak.Acceptance of our flaws and self correction are the first steps to the realization of our potential.




2 Palestinians killed as Jerusalem protests rage

Palestianians clash with Israeli forces outside al-Aqsa.

Al Jazeera News :

At least two Palestinians have been killed, according to local media, and hundreds more injured amid mass protests over new Israeli security measures at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In the first incident, an Israeli settler killed an 18-year-old Palestinian man in the Ras al-Amud neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The death was confirmed by Israeli security and the Red Crescent.

A second Palestinian was also confirmed killed by live fire during the demonstrations that followed Friday prayers, officials at a hospital in Jerusalem told AP news agency.

Israeli police also fired live ammunition, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at Palestinians protesting against the new measures, including the barring of Muslim men under the age of 50 from the holy site and the installation of metal detectors. The protests come a week after a deadly shoot-out at the occupied East Jerusalem compound, which triggered tensions. The rallies started after the Muslim Friday prayers, which took place around midday local time. Video of the clashes shows Israeli police kicking a man who was praying in the street. At least 140 Palestinians have been injured in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Earlier in the day, police swarmed into Jerusalem's Arab neighbourhoods, particularly in and around the walled Old City where the shrine is located.

At least 3,000 Israeli police and border police units had been deployed to the area, according to a police spokesman. Israel's security cabinet said that Israeli police would decide when to remove metal detectors and turnstiles installed at the compound last week - a disappointing statement to Palestinians who view the measures as collective punishment and an infringement on

the status quo, which gives Muslims religious control over the compound and Jews the right to visit, but not pray there.

Israel tightened its grip on the compound after two Israeli security officers were killed in an alleged attack by three Palestinians, who were killed by Israeli police following the violence.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received recommendations from different sectors of Israel's security services on the metal detectors. Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet, said the barriers should be removed, while Jerusalem police insisted they stay.

Palestinian member of the Knesset Mohammad Barakeh told a meeting of Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem early on Friday that the security cabinet's decision is a "political game".

"The Israeli government's [decision] of referring the matter to the police is a political game in order to absolve Netanyahu of any responsibility by implying that this is not a political issue, rather a security issue, but the truth is that this is a political decision." The leaders rejected Israel's measures and vowed to continue to hold prayers outside the compound until the barriers are removed. Over the past week, there have been daily demonstrations and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians. On Friday, a Palestinian advocacy group said 10 prominent Palestinian activists had been detained in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Hatem Abdel Khader, the Jerusalem leader of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, was among those arrested.

The Palestinian group Hamas and Muslim leaders worldwide called for mass protests on Friday over the measures. On Wednesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya warned Israel against crossing a "red line" at al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

"To the Zionist enemy, I say openly and clearly: al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem are red lines. Truly they are red lines," he said.

"To the enemy I say, your policy of closure and imposition of collective punishments against the residents of Jerusalem and our places of sanctity will not be tolerated. "

The Doha-based International Union of Muslim scholars called for all Muslims to show solidarity with worshippers at al-Aqsa in a "day of anger".

"We call on all Muslims to make this Friday a day of anger against the Zionist actions in Jerusalem and the people residing there," a statement by the group read.

Earlier this week, Jerusalem's top Muslim leader called on all the city's mosques to close on Friday and encourage worshippers to gather outside the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque for the weekly Friday prayers.
3 killed in Bogra road crash

UNB, Bogra :

Three people were killed and 14 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Dhonkundi Food village area of Sherpur upazila on Friday morning.

One of the deceased was identified as Abdul Jalil, 65, hailing from Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha district.

Khan Md Erfan Ali, Officer-in-Charge of Sherpur Police Station, said

that the accident took place when the Gaibandha-bound 'Barnali Special Paribahan' bus collided with the Dhaka-bound maize-laden truck around 11am, leaving Jalil dead on the spot and 16 other people injured.

Among the injured, one died at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital and another on the way to Bogra.
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Franklin County authorities have arrested a man suspected of making bomb threats to Sesser-Valier schools and committing other crimes in Franklin County.

Gabriel Isaiah Estrada, 19, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been indicted by a Franklin County grand jury for falsely making a terrorist threat, disorderly conduct, intimidation of a minor and harassment of a minor by electronic means, according to a news release from Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones.

A detective with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office and a detective with the Benton Police Department traveled to Okaloosa County, Florida, to make the arrest alongside local police on July 19. Estrada is currently being held in the Okaloosa County Jail pending an extradition hearing, and he is expected to be transported to Franklin County soon.

Estrada allegedly made the bomb threats to Sesser-Vallier Community Unit Schools on Feb. 21, 2016 and Jan. 17, 2017.

The release calls the investigation, which has been ongoing for the past several months, a complex forensic computer and other electronic media investigation. The Benton Police Department, Sesser Police Department, United State Marshals Service and Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office assisted in the investigation.

The investigation is ongoing and more charges are anticipated.
When the national media talks about entrepreneurship, the same industries seem to come up again and again. The tech startup, the consulting firm, the real-estate company, the new restaurant chain  and the list goes on.

But one group of entrepreneurs is rarely talked about, despite their vital importance to the American economy. We cant forget about our farmers.

We are a nation planted by farmers. Benjamin Franklin called farming the only honest way to acquire wealth. Thomas Jefferson said our government would remain virtuous as long as it remained chiefly agricultural. Abraham Lincoln was born into farming and described agriculture as a great calling.

In Southern Illinois, farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers who are trying to get off their feet tell me their cost of doing business is climbing and their income is shrinking. They tell me they have very little to reinvest in their businesses and their employees, and they are struggling to stay afloat.

Farming and ranching operations are getting financially squeezed because of low commodity prices and the need for increased credit in order to expand or diversify. Small, family-owned businesses are being most affected. Despite the common misconception that most farms are large corporate enterprises, the fact remains that 97 percent of the 2.1 million farms in the U.S. are family-owned operations. Even more importantly, 88 percent of all farms are small family farms with less than $350,000 in gross cash farm income.

The United States Department of Agricultures Farm Service Agency plays an important part in helping to finance expansion or diversification with its Direct and Guaranteed Loan Program. While both FSA loan programs are heavily utilized, they have not kept pace with the cost of starting and diversifying an agricultural business. For example, in Illinois the maximum amount to borrow under the Guaranteed Loan Program is not large enough to cover the cost of a 100 acre parcel of highly productive farm ground or even a hog barn with the latest technology in animal husbandry and bio-security.

After hearing from lenders and entrepreneurial agricultural producers in Southern Illinois, I authored bipartisan legislation, the Beginning Agriculturist Lifetime Employment (BALE) Act, to modernize the Guaranteed and Direct Program at USDA. These reforms will better reflect the current costs of owning, operating, expanding, or diversifying an agricultural operation to make it sustainable for Americas next generation of producers.

According to the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, the average age of producers in the United States is 58.3 years. That may seem high, but a 2015 USA Today report indicated that the average age of a producer in Japan, by comparison, is 66 years old. The United States is heading in that direction if we do not incentivize and make available the tools necessary for the next generation to stay on the farm.

For our nation to thrive, we need our farms to thrive. The BALE Act gives agricultural entrepreneurs in Southern Illinois and throughout the United States the ability to do just that.
Throughout American history, religion has played a significant role in promoting social reform. From the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century to the civil rights movement of the 20th century, religious leaders have championed progressive political causes.

This legacy is evident today in the group called religious progressives, or the religious left.

The social gospel movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as I have explored in my research, has had a particularly significant impact on the development of the religious left.

What is the social gospel movement and why does it matter today?

What was the social gospel?

The social gospels origins are often traced to the rise of late 19th-century urban industrialization, immediately following the Civil War. Largely, but not exclusively, rooted in Protestant churches, the social gospel emphasized how Jesus ethical teachings could remedy the problems caused by Gilded Age capitalism.

Movement leaders took Jesus message love thy neighbor into pulpits, published books and lectured across the country. Other leaders, mostly women, ran settlement houses designed to alleviate the sufferings of immigrants living in cities like Boston, New York and Chicago. Their mission was to draw attention to the problems of poverty and inequality  especially in Americas growing cities.

Charles Sheldon, a minister in the city of Topeka, Kansas, explained the idea behind the social gospel in his 1897 novel In His Steps. To be a Christian, he argued, one needed to walk in Jesuss footsteps.

The books slogan, What would Jesus do? became a central theme of the social gospel movement which also became tied to a belief in what Ohio minister Washington Gladden called social salvation. This concept emphasized that religions fundamental purpose was to create systemic changes in American political structures.

Consequently, social gospel leaders supported legislation for an eight-hour work day, the abolition of child labor and government regulation of business monopolies.

While the social gospel produced many important figures, its most influential leader was a Baptist minister, Walter Rauschenbusch.

The legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch

Rauschenbusch began his career in the 1880s as minister of an immigrant church in the Hells Kitchen section of New York. His 1907 book, Christianity and the Social Crisis asserted that religions chief purpose was to create the highest quality of life for all citizens.

Rauschenbusch linked Christianity to emerging theories of democratic socialism which, he believed, would lead to equality and a just society.

Rauschenbuschs writings had a major impact on the development of the religious left in the 20th century. After World War I, several religious leaders expanded upon his ideas to address issues of economic justice, racism and militarism.

Among them was A.J. Muste, known as the American Gandhi, who helped popularize the tactics of nonviolent direct action. His example inspired many mid-20th century activists, including Martin Luther King Jr.

The intellectual influences on King were extensive. However, it was Rauschenbusch who first made King aware of faith-based activism. As King wrote in 1958, It has been my conviction ever since reading Rauschenbusch that any religion which professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the social and economic conditions that scar the soul, is a spiritually moribund religion only waiting for the day to be buried.

Social salvation and the religious left today

Kings statement highlights the importance of the social gospel concept of social salvation for todays religious left.

Although many of its primary leaders come out of liberal Protestant denominations, the religious left is not a monolithic movement. Its leaders include prominent clergy, such as the Lutheran minister Nadia Boltz-Weber as well as academics such as Cornel West. Some of the movements major figures, notably Rev. Jim Wallis, are evangelicals who identify with what is often called progressive evangelicalism.

Others come from outside of Christianity. Rabbi Michael Lerner, founder of the organization Network of Spiritual Progressives, seeks not only to promote interfaith activism but also to attract persons unaffiliated with any religious institutions.

These leaders often focus on different issues. However, they unite around the social gospel belief that religious faith must be committed to the transformation of social structures.

The Network for Spiritual Progressives mission statement, for example, affirms its desire: To build a social change movement  guided by and infused with spiritual and ethical values  to transform our society to one that prioritizes and promotes the well-being of the people and the planet, as well as love, justice, peace, and compassion over money, power and profit.

One of the most important voices of the religious left is North Carolina minister William Barber. Barbers organization, Repairers of the Breach, seeks to train clergy and laity from a variety of faith traditions in grassroots activism. Barbers hope is that grassroots activists will be committed to social change by rebuilding, raising up and repairing our moral infrastructure.

Other organizations associated with the religious left express similar goals. Often embracing democratic socialism, these groups engage issues of racial justice (including support for the Black Lives Matter movement), LGBT equality and the defense of religious minorities.

An attractive option?

Despite the public visibility of activists like Barber, some question whether the religious left can become a potent political force.

Sociologist James Wellman observes that often religious progressives lack the social infrastructure that creates and sustains a social movement; its leaders are spiritual entrepreneurs rather than institution builders.

Another challenge is the growing secularization of the political left. Only 30 percent of Americans who identify with the political left view religion as a positive force for social change.

At the same time, the religious lefts progressive agenda  in particular, its focus on serving societys poor  might be an attractive option for younger Americans who seek alternatives to the perceived dogmatism of the religious right. As an activist connected with Jim Walliss Sojourners organization noted, I think the focus on the person of Jesus is birthing a younger generation. Their political agenda is shaped by Jesus call to feed the hungry, make sure the thirsty have clean water, make sure all have access to healthcare, transform America into a welcoming place for immigrants, fix our inequitable penal system, and end abject poverty abroad and in the forgotten corners of our urban and rural communities.

This statement not only circles back to Charles Sheldons nineteenth century question, what would Jesus do? It illustrates, I argue, the continued resiliency of the core social gospel belief in social salvation for a new generation of activists.

Can the religious left achieve the public status of the religious right? The theme of social salvation that was critical to Walter Rauschenbusch, A.J. Muste and Martin Luther King Jr. might, I believe, very well galvanize the activism of a new generation of religious progressives.
DENMARK  The City of Denmarks water and sewer fund remains in the red for the third consecutive month with a current negative balance of $97,607.28, account Rusty Munoz reported at Monday's Denmark City Council meeting.

To date, the city has spent $278,183.25 more than is budgeted for the water and sewer department, Munoz said.

In contrast, the total general fund revenue is higher than anticipated, stemming in part from relief funds the city received for Hurricane Matthew damages, he said.

According to the financial report, the general funds total revenue in excess of expenses is $322,639.21.

City Administrator Heyward Robinson reported Denmark had completed State Department of Commerce compliance monitoring for its water works improvement project, receiving a satisfactory rating.

Robinson also reported he met with Lower Savannah Council of Governments officials and Stantec design engineers to coordinate plans for the city's new streetscape, which includes development of an additional block in downtown Denmark -- between City Hall and Coker streets -- through a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant.

The administrator reported, too, that plans and bid documents are being prepared for the new city hall construction, with only minor changes and adjustments needed. He said the heating and cooling system would be bid out separate from the city hall construction.

The citys unused water tank is being prepared for dismantling and removal sometime in August, Robinson reported.

During the public comments, citizen Ashley Jordan asked if the water tank could be saved. She wanted to know if the rust could be removed and if the tank could be repainted using grant money, as occurred in another town. Jordan asked if the town had considered the costs of removing the rust and repainting the tank versus taking it down.

Mayor Dr. Gerald Wright said council deliberated on the pros and cons of removing the tank for several months and affirmed that all options were considered before making the decision that it must go.

Councilwoman Bonnie Love said she hated to see the water tower go, too, because she was on the Dogwood Festival Committee when dogwood blossoms were painted on the tower. However, she said the town does not have the funds it would take to properly restore the water tank.

In other business, Police Chief Leroy Grimes reported officers recently came in contact with suspects armed with some powerful weapons, including an assault weapon with three clips. The individual who had the assault weapon was on federal probation, and a federal warrant has been sought on the man, he said.

Grimes said he asked his officers to be especially careful with this sort of weaponry being in the city.

In addition, the chief reported he is seeking help for a homeless woman in the Denmark who wants to get a home so she can get her children back.

Also during the meeting:

Grimes reported 58 new cases were filed by the department last month.

The Denmark Fire Department reported responding to a total of 14 calls last month.

Cedric Hudson of the Public Works Department reported the water department repaired four leaks. He said the annual drinking water quality report for 2016 was completed and submitted to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and the city had with no violations. Hudson said the report is available for review at city hall. He also noted that DHEC issued final approval to place into operation the water system on Brooker, Copper, Mills, Sawdust and Rome streets.

Chris Wilson, chairman of the Keep Bamberg County Beautiful Board, introduced Mary Tilton of Denmark, the program's new director. He asked that the council make the organization aware of any highly littered areas in Denmark. Tilton, a former teacher, said she hopes to reach out more to the schools and the community and is already aiding in picking up recycling from the high school and getting it involved in the KBCB program.
A man who's serving an 18-year prison term for stabbing a man to death has now pleaded guilty to armed robbery.

Harvey Randall McDaniel, 46, pleaded guilty on July 12 to an armed robbery charge from 2010.

Circuit Judge Ed Dickson sentenced him to 15 years, to be served concurrent to the 18-year sentence. He gave him credit for the time hes already served.

McDaniel is currently imprisoned at Lieber Correctional Institution. Online inmate records show that McDaniel's projected release date is Sept. 26, 2030. He's not eligible for parole.

McDaniel pleaded guilty in December 2014 to voluntary manslaughter in the 2010 death of 47-year-old William Danny Black.

Black was discovered stabbed to death in his Stanfield Court home, located off Charleston Highway, about two miles south of Orangeburg.

Authorities determined that he had been stabbed multiple times several days before his body was discovered.

By that time, authorities were already looking for McDaniel in the unrelated armed robbery case.

A few days later, investigators learned McDaniel was in a Thompson, Ga. motel surrounded by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents. After five hours, he surrendered to both GBI agents and officers of the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators determined McDaniel had been in a motorcycle crash after the armed robbery of the elderly Orangeburg man. He had been hiding out in the Georgia motel ever since.

In other reports:

* Zion Israel Rider, 21, of 762 Webster Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for four years.

The charges against his co-defendants are pending.

* Courtney Earnell Folk, 37, of 581 Lazy Lane, Bamberg, pleaded guilty to breaking into a motor vehicle, petit larceny and malicious injury to personal property.

Dickson sentenced her to three years in prison to be served concurrent to the sentence shes now serving.

* David Burton Clark Jr., 44, of 129 Fargo Road, Santee, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and malicious injury to personal property.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for three years, provided that upon the service of one year, the balance will be suspended to two years of probation.

Dickson gave him credit for having already served 118 days in jail.

* Jahwan Kimbrough, 24, of 130 Trell Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for one year, concurrent to sentences hes already serving.

* Olanda Cepeda Givens, 47, of 6883 Kips Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, second offense.

Dickson sentenced him to jail for five days and a fine of $1,100.

* David Burton Clark Jr., 44, of 129 Fargo Road, Santee, pleaded guilty to grand larceny.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for three years, provided that upon the service of one year, the balance will be suspended to five years of probation.

Dickson gave him credit for having served 118 days in jail.

Restitution in the matter will be held in abeyance for 30 days.

Dickson said that if restitution isnt ordered, probation will be reduced to two years following his active sentence.

* Homer Melton Hall, 61, of 114 Squire Drive, Cordova, pleaded guilty to hit and run involving property damage.

Dickson sentenced him to 90 days in jail or a fine of $100.

* Heyward Dalton Jr., 55, of 2640 Leeds Avenue, Charleston, pleaded guilty to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, unlawful prescription drugs and two counts of attempting to obtain controlled substances by fraud.

Dickson sentenced him to five years, to be served concurrent to his active term.

* Bobby Miller, 38, of 215 Cue Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence, use of vehicle with intent to deprive and failure to stop for blue light.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for three years, provided that upon the service of one year, the balance will be suspended to two years of probation.

Dickson ordered him to successfully complete a batterers treatment program and anger management.

* Latwayne Lamar Sumpter, 29, of 116 Redglobe Court, Vance, pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence and failure to stop for blue light.

Dickson sentenced him to three years in prison, provided that upon the service of 90 days, the balance will be suspended to 18 months of probation.

Sumpter is required to complete a batterers treatment program.

* Desmond Levon Brown, 20, of 465 Dantzler Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for blue light.

Dickson sentenced him to 90 days in jail. Hes allowed to serve weekends.

* Kevin Dustin Peagler, 29, of 1934A Jason Street, North Charleston, pleaded guilty to night hunting.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for one year, suspending the term to 18 months of probation.

* James Jacques, 32, of 186 Brightwater Drive, Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for three years, suspending the term to two years of probation.

Jacques must successfully complete a batterers treatment program and continue relationship counseling.

* Jehan Tremayne Butler, 40, of 880 Richardson Street, Cross, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Dickson sentenced him to two years in prison and payment of a $2,000 fine, suspended to 12 months of probation and a $300 fine.

* Rodney Terril Gadson, 50, of 50 Flora Drive, Yemassee, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary, malicious injury to personal property and grand larceny.

Dickson sentenced him to four years in prison to be served concurrent to his active sentence.
HOLLY HILL -- One of the topics of discussion at the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Three Board of Trustees meeting on July 11 was an academic paper by a Lake Marion High School graduate that was subsequently published in The Washington Post on July 6.

The piece highlights the lack of resources in some of South Carolina's poorest school districts and contends the solution is equitable funding for all districts.

Ehime Ohue of Sumter, who is in her first year at Duke University on a full ROTC scholarship, originally wrote the paper for her "Introduction to Human Rights" class. When it appeared in The Washington Post, the article was headlined "At Duke, I realized how badly many South Carolina schools are failing students like me."

Ohue wrote that at her high school College Homecoming at Lake Marion High, she heard other graduates say, "Lake Marion does not prepare you for college." But she went on to write, "This failure does not fall solely on my alma mater, Lake Marion High. The state of South Carolina perpetuates what's called the 'Corridor of Shame,' a string of rural school districts where students receive inferior educational opportunities."

Gibbs-Brown said Ohue's story was not intended as an indictment of Lake Marion High School or OCSD3. Rather, in the academic paper that served as the basis for the story, the student sought to describe the overall educational environment in South Carolina, the superintendent said.

Ohue noted in the article that "high school was where I really noticed the disparities. We didn't have enough math teachers and barely enough working calculators. When the high school added the International Baccalaureate program, the first class of students completed the program, but none were awarded the diploma. I enrolled the second year the program was offered, and our math teacher was still ongoing training. When he announced he would not be returning, training had to start again for another teacher."

She added, "Two AP classes were announced my senior year, but were scheduled at the same time. We were considered a technology school, but our computers were always down. Many of my peers ended up dropping out or flunking out of college. And my school is considered one of the best in the region."

Ohue wrote that as a freshman at Duke, "I feel the effects of the 'Corridor of Shame' every day.

"Sometimes it is hard for me to understand materials my peers clearly find familiar. Often, I feel inferior. I never agree with other students who say, 'Everything we are going over now we basically learned in high school.'

"What hurts worse is that most students like me will never attend a school as prestigious as Duke. Some may not get accepted, but others may not even apply, including those who lack confidence because they know they've missed out on opportunities and resources."

Ohue noted that school districts in the Corridor of Shame had successfully sued the state seeking equitable funding, but added, "change has been slow to reach the schools themselves."

Gibbs-Brown said Ohue used her recollections of Lake Marion High School in discussing ways the state could improve students educational experience.

In other business at the school board's July 11 meeting, trustees approved the first readings of three revised sections of the district's policy manual.

This is a big project, Gibbs-Brown said. Weve been having to go through policies that have not been updated in some time. Were still working on (the manual) and going through it.

Some of the revisions address issues related to personnel and school management, bringing the language in the manual into line with current best practices at other South Carolina districts, the superintendent said.

The revised sections also fine-tune certain codes for student conduct. For example, the cellphone policy the district piloted at Lake Marion High last year has been officially incorporated into the code.

Trustees also heard reports on summer projects now under way.

Summer is a good time to go through and have cleanup going on, Gibbs-Brown said. We have a lot of documents, papers and instructional materials that we invested in. So, Ive taken time to go through the district offices and talk to personnel about what it is we need to keep, what we can possibly send to schools for support  seeing what we can utilize and what we may be able to discard.

In the schools, the same things are going on with lots of old papers and lots of old materials, she said. We have a shredding company that we work with coming in and picking up the loads of paper and loads of documents for us.

The shredding company helps the district ensure it is "adhering to confidentiality rules, and making sure that were keeping documents within the state and federal guidelines for the number of years that we have to maintain those documents," the superintendent said.

Operations Director Gerald Wright reported planned summer maintenance projects at district facilities are nearing completion.

We are probably about 90 percent engaged with all of the projects that we had scheduled, he said. The other 10 percent, some of them we just couldnt start until this point in time. Some of them involve painting and carpeting. You cant bring all of your contractors in at the same time.

Hopefully, we will have most of our projects completed by the end of the month, Wright said.

District Transportation Director Kevin Addison reported all the districts buses were undergoing summer maintenance, noting he expects all buses to be ready for the first day of school on Aug. 22.

Addison said the state Department of Education is going to provide the district with hardware and software for routing, scheduling and GPS tracking of the buses.

The goal of the Department of Education is to have this program in place for the 2017-18 school year. Right now, theyre in the procurement process of getting the hardware and software in place, he said.

The system is intended to improve the efficiency of the districts bus transportation system with more efficient mapping systems. It will also enable the district transportation team to better monitor the locations of buses when they are out on the routes, Addison said.

The next regular meeting of the OCSD3 Board of Trustees will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the district office.
Distribution of the first set of coffee plants has commenced, and the first few hundred trees under a recently initiated coffee production project here have already been planted.





Bearing the name Shenton Farms, the process commenced around September 2016 when provisions were made for the initial 50,000 plants to be germinated at the Governments Agricultural Facility at Orange Hill.

That phase complete, the process of distributing the first set of seedlings got started last week.





According to Gary Blackman, Operations Manager at Shenton Farms, during a visit to the facility earlier this week, 15 farmers are already on board among whom the 50,000 plants will be distributed.





According to Shenton Farms personnel, the plan is to make some 120,000 available for distributions as an effort to increase the number of coffee farmers ensues.





It is anticipated that by the time the project takes root, 1,000 acres of coffee would be grown at various farms across the country.





Blackman explained that the arrangement is that the farmers are the custodians of the trees  plants are essentially lent to the farmer  but the company will pay the farmer for the crop.





Getting it going





This latest development in the local coffee project follows months of planning and initial discussions with those behind Shenton Farms.





The faces include Sam Shenton (Project Manager), son of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ziferblat, a chain of coffee shops in the United Kingdom and Europe.





Shenton explained that early discussions were held with the government, and the idea was expressed that there was an interest in growing coffee here.





Following months of initial talks and sensitization exercises, the project began to shape.

The type of coffee being produced originates from the Coffea Arabica, which is also grown in the Kona regions of mainland Hawaii, and according to Shenton and Blackman, is among the best in the world, but requires cooler temperatures to ensure best quality product, meaning growing at higher altitudes.





Challenges





Philmon Allen, Senior Extension Officer with the Coffee Project, explained his role in the project  that of reaching out to the farmers.





Allen explained that the response from the local farmers has been good so far, with many expressing an interest.

But there were some setbacks, he said, in that the crop, as was explained, requires cooler temperatures  ideally lands laying at 1,000 feet.





"When I checked the lands however, they were located at low altitudes, acres of land, but at the wrong altitude, Allen told THE VINCENTIAN.





The other issue was that of access. According to Allen, there were instances where excellent lands were discovered, but access to these areas posed a serious problem.

So far, the ideal locations have all been mapped; these including the Lot 14 area on South Rivers, Congo Valley and Montreal.





His next mission will be to follow up in these and other idyllic areas in order to bring more farmers on board.

But he too expressed optimism in the project, saying that, once established, coffee can be harvested over a period of years.





Leading farmer on board





Another local who was very much enthused to be a part of the project was renowned farmer Lennox Hucks Dabreo, whose farm is located in the Congo Valley region.





He indicated to THE VINCENTIAN that he intends to cultivate up to 5 acres in coffee. To date, he has already planted about 300 seedlings.





Dabreo explained that one of the reasons he decided to get involved was because of the present state of agriculture. He said that the sector was currently plagued with disease affecting some of the main income earners, including banana and some root crops.





Having already invested in the cocoa project, the decision to expand into coffee was easy, he said.

"So now I have decided to get into coffee, adding that he was getting too old to continue struggling in the banana industry.





"My thinking is, in farming, nothing beats a trial but a failure, so once you try and you fail, then you try again, Dabreo said, adding, "I dont give up that easily. (DD)




Left:Keith Miller, Head of Security/AIA, has asserted that there has been no evidence uncovered to support the theft of personal items from checked-in luggage at the AIA. Right:Hadley Bourne, Chief Executive Officer/AIA, said that each complaint about theft at the AIA is thoroughly investigated.

Authorities at the Argyle International Airport (AIA) have said that to date, they have not been able to verify whether any of the complaints of theft committed against passengers is true or not.





Chief of Security at the AIA, Keith Miller said on a radio broadcast on Wednesday, that they have used several methods in their investigations, but uncovered no evidence to suggest that security personnel have been removing items, other than those prohibited for flight.





"Screeners are not allowed to take bags into the baggage area  no personal items  so how are they removing these articles out of the hold baggage area? Miller questioned.





Cameras are strategically placed, and management determines where the search tables are positioned which, more often than not, is in close proximity to the Closed Circuit Television cameras installed at the AIA, Miller explained.





Bad for business  Another complaint





Millers response came in the wake of a number of allegations brought against security staff at the AIA, primarily on Social Media, indicating that individuals, upon inspection of their luggage after leaving St Vincent, have discovered personal items - clothing, underwear and shoes - missing.

One individual, who asked to remain anonymous, told THE VINCENTIAN that she discovered some items missing from her luggage when she arrived in Barbados, on her way to the UK.





She said that she left the state on July 12 and when she arrived in Barbados and was reunited with her luggage, she realized that the lock had been broken. A quick search revealed that items were missing.





According to her, there was no Checked by AIA card anywhere in her luggage, which was explained as the procedure when luggage is searched after check-in.





"I have been to St Vincent over 25 times, from the age of 5 years, and this has never happened to me, she said.

She estimated that the missing items valued some 300 pounds sterling, and included clothing, sunglasses, underwear and cosmetics.





According to her, her children and sister were similarly affected.

"Its unacceptable and disgusting. I love St Vincent, but Im reluctant to come back.





Management sympathetic





Hadley Bourne, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AIA, also stated that management has tried to be sympathetic with all who have made complaints. However, in some instances: "When we try to investigate, the information is not forthcoming.





The authorities have even looked into setting up a unit to deal with the issue, Bourne said, and assured that every complaint made has been investigated.





He reiterated that to date they have been unable to confirm if any of the allegations have been true.

"And its unfortunate, we have had some success cases, had one yesterday (Tuesday), where an individual found items they initially assumed were misplaced.





He admitted that when security personnel cut the locks, the luggage becomes compromised.

"But based on data and the complaints, it is a certain trend we are seeing, and we will continue to monitor and investigate, Bourne said.





Bourne confirmed that there has been a gradual increase in the number and frequency of accusation of theft against AIA personnel.





"But take a step back and think. We are getting this outcry. Do you think that people know they are under scrutiny and (would) continue to do what they are doing? We would have to be the most brazen thieves if that was the case, he pointed out.
Left: Scholarship recipients (from left) Brielle Compton, Jaydealeah Chambers and Joelle Campbell. Missing is Joshua Browne. Right:Book Voucher recipients who were on hand to receive their awards.

Forty-six students who were successful in this years CPEA examination have been rewarded by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Cooperative Credit Union (SVGTCCU) .





Last Tuesday, at SVGTCCU Headquarters in Pauls Avenue, four students received full scholarships valued at $33,000, while forty-two students accepted book vouchers valued $4,200, during the SVGTCCU Scholarship and Book Vouchers Presentation Ceremony.





The scholarship covers the students educational needs for 5 years of secondary school and 2 years at college. The recipients of this years scholarships are Joelle Campbell, Joshua Browne, Brielle Compton and Jaydealeah Chambers.





Daniel McMillan, Accountant at the SVGTCCU, congratulated all the recipients. He said that 2017 was a good year for students sitting the CPEA exams, as the overall percentage of passes increased from 83 percent to 85 percent.





McMillan boasted that every year before any members of the union can get their dividend from whatever surplus is created, the union put aside $40,000 to support university students. "So as you can see, every single year, the SVGTCCU gives out tens of thousands of dollars back to its members for educational purposes, said the accountant.





President of the SVGTCCU Kay Martin Jack said that the Union is once again demonstrating one of the principles on which the credit union was founded, that is "people helping people.

In the last 6 years, SVTCCU has given out 21 scholarships and 252 vouchers to students in SVG. Martin Jack said that the purpose of the exercise is to recognize academic excellence and "provide community support to our young and future members.





The President also said that in addition to the four scholarships, the Credit Union also awards two scholarships  one student from Barrouallie and the other from either the Northern or Southern Grenadines.

Simeon Greene Jr received a scholarship from the SVGTCCU in 2012; He said the support helped to ease the financial burden on his parents. He expressed gratitude to the SVGTCCU, and implored the recipients to be determined and work hard, and encouraged them to, "Listen to you teachers, choose your friends wisely, keep on studying and last but not least, put your trust in God.





Speaking on behalf of the scholarship recipients, Brielle Compton from the Grenadines island of Bequia, said that a few years ago she stood on the grounds of the SVGTCCU to do a choral speech along with some of her friends, to mark the opening of the very building in which the ceremony was taking place. "I never dreamt that today I will be here as a recipient of a scholarship from this very institution, said Compton.

Noel Campbell spoke on behalf of the parents and expressed gratitude to the SVGTCCU for the support, noting that in such difficult times the support will go a long way.




Left:Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris recognised Taiwan as a great supporter of St. Kitts and Nevis. (Photo Credit: Caribbean News Service) Right:Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins, St. Kitts and Nevis Ambassador to Taiwan, highlighted the conditions nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis must satisfy in order to qualify for visa free entry into Taiwan.

Following diplomatic involvement by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, the Ambassador to Taiwan, Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins and the Honourable Mark Brantley, the Republic of China (Taiwan) announced on Friday 14th July, that it was offering visa free access to nationals of St Kitts and Nevis.

The Prime Minister said: "Taiwan has been a great supporter of St Kitts and Nevis and this step further demonstrates the strength of our collaborative partnership which brings benefits to the citizens of both countries in the areas of business, tourism, trade and cultural reciprocity.





The measure, which takes place with immediate effect, will grant nationals up to 30 days visa-free entry into Taiwan.





The Hon. Mark Brantley said: "I feel privileged to have played a part in achieving this exciting opportunity for the citizens of St Kitts and Nevis and for further embedding a truly bilateral relationship. The visa free access granted today by Taiwan is a clear indicator of the global confidence in the integrity of our passport and the due diligence measures that we have put in place to make applying for citizenship by investment a more robust process. It also means that the power of our citizenship has been further boosted and elevated to a global level of free movement, making it one of the most powerful in the Caribbean and Latin America.





Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins advised that in order to benefit from this arrangement,

citizens must satisfy a number of criteria. She said that they must hold a standard passport valid for at least six months; hold a return flight/ boat ticket, or a flight/boat ticket; have a valid visa for an onward destination; and possess no criminal record, as verified by immigration units upon arrival at an airport or port in Taiwan.

Over the last 2 years, nationals of St Kitts and Nevis have already had visa free travel to a range of other countries, including Brazil, The Maldives, Indonesia, Seychelles, Bolivia, Sierre Leone, Kenya, Ukraine, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and now Taiwan. (Source: Government of SKN)




Open letter to the Vincentian public





Last Monday, July 17th, the government of the U.S. President Donald Trump issued an unbelievable communique threatening Venezuela with "strong and prompt economic sanctions if elections are held next July 30th to elect the members of the National Constituent Assembly .





At the height of the absurd, Mr. Trumps government condemns the holding of free and democratic elections in Venezuela, which will be carried out under the authority of the National Electoral Council, as contemplated by our legal system.





The U.S. government is accustomed to humiliating other nations in its international relations and thinks that it will receive subordination as a response, but more than 200 years ago Venezuela decided to be free and independent, for which we accept neither tutelage nor threats from any Country.





The convocation of a Constituent Assembly is clearly contemplated in our National Constitution (articles 347, 348 and 349), and it is a mechanism that will allow us to promote a great process of national dialogue directly from the grassroots. It is an act of political sovereignty of the Republic, and nothing and nobody can stop it.

With this behavior, Mr. Trumps government unabashedly shows its absolute partiality with the violent and extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, who favored the use of terrorism to overthrow a popular government, democratically elected on April 14th, 2013.





The Bolivarian Revolution has been under permanent threat from the U.S. government, which for years has financed conspiratorial actions against our country. It is appropriate to recall how they promoted and supported the coup in 2002 against President Hugo Chavez, which was defeated in less than 48 hours by the decisive intervention of the Venezuelan people and the patriot military.





Hidden behind the obsession of the White House against Venezuela is its clear intention to retake the control of the wealth of our country, which for decades was plundered by U.S. companies. It was with the Bolivarian Revolution that this process of pillage was stopped and our wealth was put to the service of the development of the Venezuelan people and the integration with our brothers in the Caribbean and Latin America.

We call on our Vincentian brothers and sisters, who have permanently expressed their solidarity with the people and government of Venezuela, to understand the magnitude of the brutal threat contained in the communique of the White House, which is a threat against all free peoples.





The xenophobic and racist government of Mr. Trump has decided to ignore the fundamental principles of international law, such as self-determination and independence, to advance in a process of recolonization of Latin America and the Caribbean. What they are seeking against Venezuela, in a perverse alliance with the subjugated right-wing governments of the continent, they can apply it tomorrow against any other nation that refuses to bow to its mandates. That is why our call is to defend the sovereignty of Our America together.





In these days in which the future of freedom or submission of our peoples, of being independent or neo-colonies is defined, the anti-imperialist thinking of the Liberator Simon Bolivar is more applicable than ever:

"The United States seems destined by Providence to plague America with misery in the name of freedom. Simon Bolivar, 1829

Kingstown, July 19th, 2017




By Azernews





By Kamila Aliyeva

The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project, which provides for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, can help the European Union (EU) member states to remain resistant to energy shocks until Europe is ready to further reduce the use of fossil fuels, including gas, the European Commission (EC) official representative said, Trend reported.

The SGC project, which is designed to ensure the supply of Caspian gas to Europe via Georgia and Turkey, is a key project for the energy security of the EU, he said.

Speaking about the future role of natural gas in the energy supply system of Europe, the EC official noted that the strategy of the EU Energy Union includes an ambitious goal - reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

"The European Union is making significant progress in this area, especially in the implementation of energy and climate policies until 2020. For the period after 2020, following the rapid ratification and entry into force of the Paris Climate Agreement, the Commission adopted a package entitled Clean Energy which sets the regulatory framework for long-term energy and climate goals, thereby promoting a further transition to a cleaner economy," he added.

Within the framework of long-term transition to a low-carbon economy, gas will continue to play an important role as additional fuel, according to EC representative.

Being relatively low-carbon fossil fuels, gas can be used to supplement renewable energy supplies. Nevertheless, demand for gas is projected to decline over the next decades, especially under the influence of climate and energy policies until 2030. However, it is projected that as domestic gas volumes in Europe will also decline, gas imports will remain stable until 2040. Accordingly, as part of its energy security strategy, the EU remains committed to projects such as the Southern Gas Corridor that can help EU member states maintain resilience to energy shocks, he said.

Therefore, all components of the SGC were included in the list of Projects of Common Interest approved by the European Commission.

The SCG project is set to change the energy map of an entire region. 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.

The Shah Deniz 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.

Earlier, the EU Commission stated that it will continue to seek to extend the Southern Gas Corridor to Central Asia.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

From the roar of traffic and clatter of jackhammer, to the groove of music and lullaby of birdsong, sounds have a huge impact on our lives.

If you could listen to your city, what would it say?

Russian artist Ulyana Podkorytova presented her project INVENTIO in Baku.

INVENTIO consists of sound compositions, paintings and video, inspired by Baku, its atmosphere, people and history.

The presentation took place at Gogova Foundation Artists Residency, Trend Life reported.

The head of Gogova Foundation Artists Residency Mila Bazeva, Director of British Council Azerbaijan, Elizabeth White, graphic Illustrator Arif Huseynov, honored art worker Ziyadkhan Aliyev and others attended the event.

Within two months, Ulyana Podkorytova collected the sounds that, in her opinion, most accurately characterize the city of Baku.

The artist believes that in the era of globalization, when people have less to interact with physical and sensory field, the only possible way of getting fresh ideas for the artist is the feeling of space outside and conversations with people. After spending some time in a new place, artist becomes a part of unknown city. He becomes a researcher and part of local society.

"Three small sound composition that I made from the collected sound material, telling the listener about life in Baku. The first etude consists of beep of machines, voices of taxi-touts, and warnings of police and melodies of mugham. The second etude combines the sounds of the sea, oil production and threads cut by weavers at the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. The third part of the composition is more inspiring, as it is composed of an infinite number of children's voices flooding the city," said artist.

In addition to unique sounds, exhibition features paintings depicting the schema ofetudes, and video.

Russian artist thanked the guests for their visit to the exhibition, as well as young Azerbaijani artists.

"Vusal Rahim painted the ends of the canvas in the night, while Mammad Rashidov helped with shooting video and actively supported the whole team," she said.

The exhibition will run until August 27.

The Gogova Foundation for the Support of Contemporary Art and Culture is a non-profit organization founded by Mariana Guber-Gogova in 2016. The main goal of the Foundation is to promote young artists at home and abroad by holding exhibitions outside commercial galleries, including exhibitions in state institutions, and through educational programs that bring together artists, art critics and curators.

The Foundation has launched its programme with an exhibition of works by Olya Kroytor at the Kasteyev Museum in Almaty (Kazakhstan) in September 2016 and a large-scale exhibition of Russian and Austrian artists at the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Nizhny Arkhyz (Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, North Caucasus) in October 2016, in association with the Ministry of Culture of Karachaevo-Cherkessia and the Austrian Cultural Forum.

Gogova Foundations Residency in Baku was set up to promote professional dialogue and the exchange of ideas between artists from the CIS, Central Asia and the Middle East. The task of the Residency is to give young artists the space and time to create projects, which they have proposed and which have been selected by an Expert Council, consisting of leading experts on contemporary art.




By Azernews





By Kamila Aliyeva

A number of large U.S. companies stand for amending the draft law on tightening sanctions against Russia, expressing concern that its adoption in its present form could adversely affect U.S. business.

The list of such companies is quite extensive. It includes, in particular, the aerospace corporation Boeing, the financial conglomerate Citigroup, the operators of payment systems Mastercard and Visa, the oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, the energy General Electric, the auto giant Ford, the chemical Dow Chemical, Procter & Gamble and other companies., TASS reported citing CNN

These companies do not advocate a complete rejection of the bill, but believe that its individual provisions can be harmful for American business. Their representatives are negotiating with the congressmen and trying to achieve changes in the draft document.

A new tough package of sanctions against Russia because of its alleged interference in the political processes in the U.S. was previously approved by the Senate on June 15, but has not yet been considered by the House of Representatives.

The proposed sanctions involve a reduction of the maximum period for market financing of Russian banks to 14 days, and companies in the oil and gas sector - to 30 days.

The document also suggests that the U.S. president can impose sanctions on persons who intend to invest in the construction of Russian export pipelines more than $5 million per year or $1 million at a time or to provide projects with services, technologies and information support.

The question of new Russian sanctions has been raised by a number of senators in both parties after the intelligence community announced in January its conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election on behalf of President Donald Trump.

But, the White House promised to block this document if it gets to the president's signature. Earlier, White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said that a new version of the draft law on sanctions poses risks for the implementation of U.S. foreign policy. Currently, the U.S. aims at normalizing relations with Russia and establishing cooperation.
Dubai Future Accelerators, a programme run by the Dubai Future Foundation, is calling on the world's most innovative companies to help find solutions to the biggest challenges of the 21st century.



The programme focuses on building partnerships and developing regulatory friendly environments that support deep technology start-ups with the potential to radically improve the world.



Beginning in October this year, government entities and technology partners will join forces to develop innovative solutions for healthcare, education, travel, energy, water, and more. The programme integrates 4th Industrial Revolution-inspired technologies such as AI, robotics, blockchain, 3D printing, genetics, and virtual reality, with the government providing regulatory support to develop pilot projects at the city-wide scale.



The first two editions of the programme recorded overwhelming success, attracting more than 4,000 applications from the world's most innovative companies. Out of the 65 accepted companies in the first two cycles, 74 per cent signed with a government partner to work on pilot projects.



In the third cycle, the programme will launch a new humanitarian accelerator in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives. This is a first of its kind in the Arab World that will connect technology start-ups with UAE's humanitarian sector to multiply their positive impact. It will focus on creating job opportunities for refugees, educating refugee children and increasing Arabic literacy, as well as testing new solutions for water sanitation in underprivileged countries.



Emirates is also joining the Accelerators to drive new opportunities in the aviation sector, using autonomous robotics and personalisation to transform the airline into a, greener, more responsive and sustainable platform for global travel.



Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Accelerators, said: "Over the past year, we have enjoyed remarkable success in terms of the enthusiasm of participating government entities and the number of partnerships signed with pioneering companies.



This year, we will see new partners come on board to collaborate with global innovators to create advanced working models and future solutions. This will consolidate the UAE's - and Dubai's - position as a leading test bed of government support for technologies that tackle the biggest challenges of our time, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) shared its experience in implementing world-class maritime registration and licensing services with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport in Abu Dhabi (DMAT) during their recently held meeting in Dubai, UAE.



DMCA is the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating and supervising all aspects of Dubais maritime sector.



Both parties also exchanged expertise to achieve their common goals of further improving the marine licensing system according to the highest international standards and reinforcing the UAEs position as one of the most important maritime and logistics capitals in the world, said a statement from the authority.



The meeting held at the DMCAs headquarters underscored the significance of constant collaboration between federal and local government authorities to enhance the countrys maritime transport sector, a pivotal player in the UAEs economic growth and diversification, it said.



Attendees of the meeting from both sides discussed the countrys maritime registration and licensing mechanisms as well as compared the proposed fees for maritime services in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to implement best practices and ensure customer happiness and satisfaction, it added.



The DMCA representatives also presented the authoritys different services, with special emphasis on its continuous endeavours to upgrade Dubais maritime registration and licensing processes through a unified platform.



These initiatives are critical to the management of local maritime operations according to the highest standards of occupational safety, best environmental practices, and local and international decisions.



The two sides stressed their commitment to jointly organise relevant workshops and exchange expertise, experiences, and information for the benefit of the maritime sector.



Ali Al Dabbous, executive director of operations, DMCA, said: We welcome our fruitful discussions with the DMAT delegates.



The meeting was part of our efforts to consolidate actual work; ensure our common objectives to boost the UAEs maritime sector; develop and improve the level of our services through joint initiatives; and provide smooth, quality, and highly efficient solutions to bring customer satisfaction and happiness, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
India-based Kale Logistics, a leading IT solutions provider for the logistics industry, has announced plans to set up a Centre for Innovation for IT in Air Cargo Industry at its recent annual Thought Leadership event - Clear View 2017, which was held in Greece.



Kale Logistics is planning an initial seed investment of $25,000, and this centres objective is to help the air cargo industry in adopting information technology for an agile, effective and equipped air cargo business, said a statement from the company.



The event is a first of its kind interactive platform (unlike other normal air cargo events), which had encouraging participation from IATA, leading airlines, cargo handlers, industry associations, regulators and prominent industry consultants from North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.



Clear View debuted in February 2016 at Dubai, UAE, and received an overwhelming response from industry leaders who believed that forums like Clear View were imperative to bring industry players together and catalyse discussions for the growth and development of the air cargo industry.



Delegates present at the summit debated on the modal shifts that are being experienced in the air cargo industry to comprehend threats and opportunities associated with it. Apart from the debate, one of the key point of discussion was the impact of booming e-commerce industry on the cargo sector.



Glyn Hughes, global head of cargo, International Air Transport Association (IATA), said: Clear View is the forum where leaders from the industry meet and talk about some of the challenges, and most importantly, the possible solutions.



It is a wonderful forum for brain storming and coming up with actionable ideas that we can all work on because innovation is everybody's job and thats really what clear view is all about, he said.



Such events and any other forum where the supply change partners come together, challenge each other which is critical, debate the issues and formulate an action plan for the future, is absolutely vital for the industry, he added.



Vipul Jain, chairman, Kale Logistics, said: The logistics industry has undergone severe transformation in the last year. Globalisation, digitisation, innovation, e-commerce and the growing importance of customer centric approach are some parameters that have led the industry to undergo a paradigm shift.



The main aim at our event is to facilitate a discussion to understand the scope of challenges and opportunities that await the air cargo domain, he said.



The ultimate objective of this summit is to gain industry insights to create a sustainable model with cognizance of the present and future business trends, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Utico, the Middle Easts largest private utility, has signed a 10-year agreement with the Federal Water and Electricity Authority (Fewa) to serve the Northern Emirates, under a worlds first purchase contract model, a report said.



The agreement which allows the federal utility to pay only when it consumes water compared to the model followed world over where payment is not linked to usage, reported Wam, the official Emirates news agency.



In a statement, Utico said the agreement which has a minimum consumption commitment of 6 million gallons per day, MIGD, is already operational and the daily consumption by Fewa has already increased 8 to 10 MIGD with the rising water demand. Another additional 9 MIGD contract has also been requested by Fewa, the company said.



"The agreement sets a new benchmark in the world for such contracts. Usually utility agreements are `take or pay contracts wherein the buyer ends up paying the supplier even if there is no consumption. Other unique features of the Utico-Fewa agreement includes fixed pricing during the tenure and no power tariff increase pass through during this period," said Richard Menezes, managing director, Utico.



The tariff agreed by Utico and Fewa also takes into account Utico laying transmission lines to connect Fewa network at six different locations 50kms from the generation facility in Ras al-Khaimah, Richard said.



He said that in line with the rising demand, Uticos investment in Transmission and Distribution, T&D, facilities have crossed Dh800 million ($218 million).



"We are also planning to invest in a 70 kilometre pipeline to unserved areas, particularly to support farms," Richard said.



Utico has also closed a sovereign funding deal of $147 million with the Bahrain-based ASMA Capital owned by Islamic Development Bank, IDB, Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, PIF, and Public Pension Agency, PPA, Ministry of Finance of Bahrain and Ministry of Finance of Brunei. The fund will be deployed for expansion and to enhance Uticos unique business model that helps reduce subsidies for the government and lower consumer tariffs.



On the Fewa contract, Richard thanked Mohammed Mohammed Saleh, Director General of Fewa, for supporting Uticos innovative business model.



Utico currently serves over 650 industries and owns generation capacity of 31 MIGD per day with additional 22 MIGD under construction. It also owns 120 MW of power generation facilities and over 450 km of T&D assets, making it the largest private full service utility in the UAE. Its customers include many industrial parks, government owned entities like the sea ports and public institutions as well as real estate developers.



In April 2017, Utico became the first company from the Middle East to be awarded the Desalination Company of the Year 2017, voted by worldwide industry peers in Madrid.
Ramaco Carbon may receive millions from the Department of Energy to develop carbon products from coal mined in northern Wyoming.

The company proposed the first new coal mine in Wyoming in decades after acquiring the raw mineral rights in 2011, before the coal sector fell into a steep decline. In February, it announced its desire to change gears given the downturn and develop a carbon research facility and industrial park near Sheridan, fed by the proposed Brook Mine.

This research has far-reaching implication for the coal, transportation and materials industries, said CEO Randall Atkins. This grant recognizes the world-changing potential of this research, and were excited to be involved in the work ahead at our Wyoming operations.

The federal grant was awarded through the departments vehicle technologies program and may offer up to $7 million for carbon fiber research, the company said in a press release Thursday afternoon.

The proposed Ramaco mine would be small in relation to the states coal sector, where the largest surface coal mines in the country lie. But unlike the mammoth operations to the southeast, Ramaco says it will bring diversification to the state through research and technology.

Ramaco is poised to realize the long-desired goal of expanding Wyomings high-tech manufacturing economy, said Don Collins, of the Western Research Institute of Laramie, a nonprofit joining Ramaco in the proposed research park.

Sheridan County hasnt been mined since the mid-80s, but the last company to dig coal in the region has fought Ramaco over boundaries and more recently over the companys mining application.

State regulators deemed the application, which lays out a plan for operations and environmental safeguards, technically adequate. Local landowners say the mine plan proposed is dangerous, leaving the region at risk for sinkholes, diminished air and water quality.

The states Environmental Quality Council will make a decision on the contested mine plan Aug. 1.
Casper, Wyoming / August 12, 1932July 18, 2017

On Tuesday, July 18, 2017 Charlotte Jean Boner wife, mother, grandmother and sister passed away peacefully at the age of 84.

Charlotte will be forever remembered by her husband of 60 years, Herman, and their two children, Debbie (Mike) Young, and Scott (Amy) Boner; and her four grandchildren who adored her, Kyle (Olivia), Bryce, Bradford and Brooke.

Charlotte was born in Miller, South Dakota August 12, 1932 to Bill and Mamie Labor. Her family later moved to Rapid City, South Dakota where she attended elementary school and graduated from Rapid City Central High School in 1950. Charlotte attended South Dakota State University and Black Hills State University where she earned her degree in elementary education. After marrying Herman on June 2, 1957 the couple made their permanent home in Casper, Wyoming.

Charlotte began her career teaching third grade but soon left to become the co-owner and operator of Tic-Tac-Toe Pre-School for seven years. Later, she returned to public education and taught Kindergarten at North Casper and Mills Elementary schools until her retirement in 1994.

Charlotte was an active member of many organizations. She belonged to the United Methodist Church, PEO Chapter AT, ADK Teachers Sorority, Red Hat Society and Gourmet Dinner Club. She also loved to play bridge with her many friends in multiple bridge groups. Her family owned a cabin at Lake Alcova for 37 years and most summer weekends she could be found there entertaining and helping to create joyous, lifelong memories. Herman and Charlotte also spent many winters in Mesa, Arizona after retirement with old and new friends and family.

Charlottes contagious laughter, jokes and sincere love for life were relished by all. Her greatest joy was spending time with cherished family and friends, sharing a meal, a laugh or a fond memory and her special light, love and exuberance for life was felt by everyone she encountered.

Charlotte is survived by Lois (Dee) Watson, Brookings, South Dakota; Donna Trentz, Deadwood, South Dakota; and Bob (Diane) Labor, Rapid City, South Dakota. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Mamie Labor; her brother, Bill and brother-in-law, Chuck Trentz.

Memorial services for Charlotte will be held at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, July 25th at First United Methodist Church in Casper. A reception will immediately follow at Casper Country Club. A private family service will take place at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church, 302 E. 2nd Street Casper, WY 82601 or Wyoming Food For Thought Project, 900 Saint John Street, Casper, WY 82601.
Wyoming students receive the best return on their college education investment in the nation, according to a recent study.

Students who earn their bachelors degree in Wyoming pay just $22,422, according to Student Loan Hero, which is the cheapest in the United States. With that degree, theyll make $13,500 more than a Wyomingite with a high school diploma alone.

With an average salary of $45,519, a graduate in Wyoming will make back the money he or she spent on college in a little more than 18 months, Student Loan Hero says. Thats a five-year return on investment of 203 percent.

Thats significantly better than the national average, which is about 52 percent. Wyoming is followed by New Mexico (151 percent), Arkansas (120 percent), Texas (114 percent) and Georgia (104 percent) for states with the best return on investment for college graduates with bachelors degrees.

Vermont had the lowest return on investment, at -56.5 percent, and Student Loan Hero estimates it will take graduates there 11.5 years to recoup their investment.

Bachelors degree holders in Washington D.C. had the largest dollar amount difference between themselves and high school graduates, at more than $32,000.

Wyoming has consistently ranked as one of the cheapest states for secondary education costs. A separate study by Student Loan Hero, released in March, ranked the state third in the nation for college affordability, behind New Mexico and California.

The University of Wyoming is the states only four-year public institution, though its complemented by seven community colleges. Both UW and the community colleges have announced tuition increases for the coming years, but officials say they arent worried that it will dissuade students from pursuing their degrees.

Enrollment figures seem to support their optimism: UW is expecting its largest-ever freshman class in the fall, a needed uptick after a down year.

Nobody is competing with us at all on a tuition frwont, UW President Laurie Nichols told the Star-Tribune last month.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Thought the 2016 presidential election settled the hard-fought campaign once and for all? Not everyone is there yet.

An advisory committee that President Donald Trump created to examine the integrity of U.S. voting systems held its first meeting Wednesday. And its vice chairman, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, said afterward that "we may never know" whether Trump's rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, won the popular vote through voter fraud.

Trump himself claimed shortly after taking office in January that he would have won the popular vote if 3 million to 5 million immigrants living the country illegally had not been allowed to vote in the presidential election last Nov. 8.

There has been no evidence of widespread tampering or hacking that would change the election outcome. Throughout the campaign, Trump pushed false claims about voter fraud, repeatedly claiming that the system had been "rigged" against him. He tweeted in late November that he would have won the popular vote "if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally." He also complained that the news media wasn't covering "serious voter fraud" in California, New Hampshire and Virginia.

In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016

Here are the statements from Kobach and how they compare with the facts:

KOBACH, in an interview Wednesday with MSNBC, on whether he believed voter fraud helped Clinton win the popular vote by 3 million to 5 million votes: "We will probably never know the answer to that question because even if you could prove that a certain number of votes were cast by ineligible voters, for example, you wouldn't know how they voted."

Asked again whether he believed Clinton won the popular vote, Kobach said: "We may never know the answer to that question."

Kobach replied "absolutely" when asked whether the votes for Trump were also in doubt.

THE FACTS: Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump, giving her the largest popular vote margin of any losing U.S. presidential candidate.

Certified results in all 50 states and the District of Columbia show Clinton winning nearly 65,844,610 votes, or 48 percent of the total, to Trump's 62,979,636 votes, or 46 percent, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. She is the fifth U.S. presidential candidate to win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College, and therefore the presidency.

With all states voting, Trump finished with 304 Electoral College votes, to 227 for Clinton. The Electoral College has 538 votes.

TRUMP, promising that a health-care rewrite he is pressing Senate Republican lawmakers to pass will "provide better coverage for low income Americans."

THE FACTS: That's not how the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office sees it. Deep cuts to Medicaid and changes that would shift medical costs to consumers with individual private policies are likely to result in fewer low-income people having health coverage.

In most states, Medicaid coverage is either free of charge or involves only nominal costs for low-income people. The GOP "repeal and replace" bills would phase out a Medicaid expansion that's mainly for adults, while also limiting future federal spending on the program. According to the budget office, projected federal spending would be reduced by $772 billion from 2017-2026 in the Senate bill, and 15 million fewer people would be covered by Medicaid by 2026.

As for private insurance, the Senate bill envisions a shift to skimpier plans with higher deductibles. "As a result, despite being eligible for premium tax credits, few low-income people would purchase any plan," the budget office said.

___

Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.
A driver died Wednesday after colliding head-on with another car near Jackson.

Ronald Campbell, 72, of Topeka, Kansas was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Campbell was traveling westbound on U.S. 26 outside of Jackson when his Subaru crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, according to the release. It struck a Ford sedan, overturned and came to a rest on its roof.

Campbell's passenger and the driver of the Ford were taken to hospitals. Information about their injuries was not immediately available.

The incident marked the 76th fatality on Wyoming highways in 2017. There were 50 deaths during the same period in 2016.
Cheyenne Regional Medical Centers discharge of a blind patient to a shelter unequipped to deal with the persons needs resulted in an investigation that will lead to increased oversight by the state Department of Health.

Laura Hudspeth, the administrator and state survey agency director for the department of health, said the hospital had lost its deemed status for Medicare and Medicaid but that it is still certified for the services, meaning it will continue to receive payment for patients covered under them.

That could change, she said, and the hospital could lose that funding if it doesnt take action to correct the discharge-related issues identified by state regulators.

Essentially, she said, the loss of status means the hospital will face increased oversight by the department of health, rather than by a federal joint commission, which is the typical overseer.

A complaint prompted a state investigation of the hospital on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. According to the state report, law enforcement brought a blind patient to the hospital on May 2. The hospital discharged the patient, whose name and gender is not identified in the report, on May 19.

The patient had suffered a stroke in his or her past and had a history of not taking medications. The hospital had been in contact with three family members, who ultimately declined to take in the patient, at least in part because no one was available to care for him or her, the report said.

Hospital spokeswoman Kathy Baker said the hospital has appealed the decision. She said that the hospital believes health department surveyors could return to Cheyenne Regional in the coming weeks, though she stressed thats far from certain. If surveyors were to return and make a favorable recommendation to CMS, the hospitals status could be restored shortly after, she said.

Hospital staff told one of the family members that the patient would be sent to a shelter on May 19 because there is no medical reason to continue to hold the patient.

The hospital made arrangements with the shelter for the patient to take his or her medications, and a taxi took the person first to a pharmacy and then to the facility. Hospital staff made follow-up appointments for the patient to meet with support agencies and physicians.

Prior to admission to the shelter, the hospital reported the patient was independent, the report said. At the shelter, the patient required assistance, monitoring and care that the staff at the shelter were not trained to provide.

The patient would leave the facility to smoke and then would be unable to find his or her way back in, the report said.

The patient was reliant on the other residents at the shelter to assist him/her to the bathroom and when no one was available the patient was incontinent, the report said.

The shelters case manager called the Cheyenne hospital on May 22 and 23 and reported that staff at the shelter were unable to provide the care the patient needed. The hospital was unable to help.

In an interview with state investigators, hospital officials said that staff tried to convince the patient to stay, but that he or she was determined to leave. The medical necessity had expired and the patient was his/her own responsible person, the officials told investigators, according to the state report.

The report concluded that hospital staff knew three days prior to discharge that family wasnt able to take care of the patient but did not pursue other options than the shelter. It also charged that the staff did not complete a thorough safety assessment of the post-hospital discharge destination and that there was no evidence of staff providing the patient with information about the safety risks associated with residing at the shelter.

Its unclear when the report was given to the hospital. It was filed online Friday and is dated June 21.

The report includes the hospitals plan to address the concerns. The plan includes revising the discharge policy to include one step that staff research and present all options of placement destinations and another that requires staff verify a community based destination has the capability ... to meet the patients needs prior to discharge.

The plan also calls for the hospitals director of case management to monitor discharges for patients who have mental health concerns. An audit of discharges will be conducted every quarter beginning Sept. 1 and ending September 2018. It will continue periodically after that.

Hudspeth said that if action is not taken by the hospital, it could lose its Medicare and Medicaid funding, she said.

Our goal isnt to remove the funding, she said. Our goal is to come back into compliance.

She said the loss of deemed status does happen at times but that she couldnt remember the last time it happened in Wyoming.

Star-Tribune staff writer Arno Rosenfeld contributed to this report.
Saturday I attended the reception at the Casper airport for 100 of my fellow Vietnam vets, an event hosted by the Casper Star-Tribune, the Wyoming Veterans Commission, Hilltop National Bank, Granite Peak Development, Mountain View Hospital and the McMurry Foundation. My heartfelt thanks to all of them, and to people in my community who thank me for my service when they see me in my Vietnam Vet cap.

Driving home from that wonderful event got me thinking about service in Vietnam, the service of my fellow vets at the ceremony and ones not there, including the more than 58,000 whose names are on that beautiful black wall in Washington. Every time to go to Washington I go say hello to a few old friends whose names are there. And I thought about those many more, including several who attended the reception in Casper who still suffer terrible wounds from Vietnam.

I thought what lessons have we learned from Vietnam about service to country. I cant speak for all my comrades, but most, I think, no matter their views of how the war was fought and the politics of it, are genuinely proud to have served. Some volunteered and some were drafted, but they all served. When I went to the Selective Service office in the old post office in Lander on the very day of my 18th birthday, it was a proud day. I knew I had a duty to serve my country if needed.

And a few years later when I heard President John F. Kennedy say, Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country, it brought tears to my eyes, like I still get when I hear the national anthem or when I see a wounded soldier.

What has become of that sense of duty in America today? I worry about that a lot. I think when President Nixon did away with the military draft in 1970 it was one of the greatest acts of political cowardice in the history of this country. It was clear he wanted to do away with the protests and riots against the Vietnam War.

I didnt like those either, but that was the cowards way out. If you dont have to go, it destroys the motivation to protest for most. If the public is not invested, they dont pay attention to what is happening. A tiny fraction of us serve in the military now. It doesnt cost much to be an American today. If you watch the man in the street programs on TV it is clear that hardly anyone even knows were still at war, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, various places in Africa, the Philippines, etc. There is no declaration of war by Congress for any of that, except for a silly argument that an Authorization for Military Force passed by Congress after 9/11 might still apply. Has no one read the Declaration of Independence, which says our government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed?

One thing we learned in Vietnam, and many times since, is that it is much easier to start wars than to end them. It is the job of Congress to discuss and debate whether to start a war. They should carefully consider what it is we intend to accomplish, how do we plan to do that and how can we pay for it. Costs must include paying for the care of wounded soldiers for the rest of their lives. I see buried pretty far down in the news that we are apparently doubling down in Afghanistan. Going for another 15 years, another few trillion dollars, and more dead and wounded soldiers so maybe we can move that country into the fifteenth century?

My personal opinion as to whether that is a good idea is not relevant  but what is needed is that we decide that through our elected representatives in Congress. There should be informed consent of the governed. We should have the draft again so Americans are invested in what their country is doing and sharing the burden of that. The lottery is fine, but we should not have exemptions for college students who owe the country more than anyone else. If our president cannot convince the majority of our citizens, and a majority of Congress, that a war is necessary and just, then maybe we should not start  or continue it.
Let us consider the qualifications of President Trumps nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Holy See: one Callista Gingrich of Virginia.

She is a former clerk on the House Agriculture Committee.

She is the author of childrens books about an elephant named Ellis.

She sings in the choir at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

She plays French horn in City of Fairfax Band.

And, she testified Tuesday, she has looked at some of Pope Franciss encyclical on climate change.

But really, Gingrich was receiving a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because of one qualification: She is married to Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House and a major backer of President Trump.

And now, for his support of Trump, he is getting the ultimate patronage: the chance to live in Rome on the taxpayers dime while his wife, the president of Gingrich Productions, enjoys a plum posting. Newt, who converted to Catholicism several years ago, set his wife up nicely for the job by co-hosting two videos with her about Pope John Paul II, produced with a Gingrich political ally.

But if it is good news for the Gingriches, it is an(other) insult to Francis from Trump, who has sparred with the pope over immigration and climate change. Newt carried on a six-year extramarital affair with Callista in the 1990s when she, 23 years his junior, was a House staffer and he, as speaker, led the impeachment of Bill Clinton over his extramarital affair with an intern. National Catholic Reporters Michael Sean Winters called it astonishing that a party that celebrates family values at every turn has a president who is on his third wife and who has bragged about his extramarital affairs and who is appointing an ambassador to the Vatican who had a six-year affair with her future husband while he was still married to his second wife.

The nomination of Callista is also Trumps beatification of Newt, who has done as much as anyone to coarsen American politics  and to pave the way for Trump  with his name-calling, demonizing and brinkmanship.

All presidents reward supporters with patronage. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson will be our man in London. On Gingrichs panel Tuesday was George Glass, a big Trump donor, tapped to be ambassador to Portugal though he doesnt speak Portuguese.

But the choice of Callista Gingrich is another category of cronyism for an administration populated by friends and relations rather than appointees of merit. This has fueled the Russia scandal, stalled the agenda in Congress and made the administration seem singularly incompetent  yet Republicans in Congress have been unwilling to say that this is unacceptable.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced Gingrich on Tuesday by noting that she was valedictorian of her high school class.

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., who succeeded Newt in the House before moving to the Senate, declared that one of her great, great persuasive talents is to not only convince Newt to marry her, but convert him to Catholicism.

Gingrich, an uncomfortable smile fixed on her face, provided, in lieu of actual answers to questions, strung-together snippets of cliches.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked about refugee policy, on which Francis and Trump disagree. Gingrich responded with a bromide about a deep commitment in this country to work to forward peace and stability.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., asked how she would work with the Vatican to counter extremism. Gingrich responded with a word salad about looking forward to working on those issues of our shared policy opportunities.

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., asked about the popes climate change encyclical. She responded with boilerplate about how President Trump wants to maintain that we have clean air and clean water.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., asked if she had even read the encyclical.

I have looked at some of it, the witness replied.

Are there pieces of it that particularly resonate for you?

Well, Gingrich replied generically, I think were all called to be stewards of the land.

Staffers on both sides of the committee were now grinning at the pained responses.

Johnson, attempting to rehabilitate the witness, urged her to talk about her study of John Paul II and what she learned about U.S. and Vatican leadership. Gingrich retreated again to platitude: Its so important that we reach out to places like the Holy See to forward good in this world, she said.

That was enough for Johnson, who pronounced her perfectly suited for this position.

Perfectly situated, at least.
Compressed Natural Gas Station Opening In New York To Meet Demands

Truckers in New York may find another outlet in refueling their trucks with an alternative energy source  this time in the form of compressed natural gas.





Saratoga Springs, New York-based fuel distributor American Natural Gas announced earlier today the opening of a compressed natural gas (CNG) station in the Syracuse suburb of Liverpool, New York.



According to American Natural Gas, the new station is located at 7253 Oswego Road near exit 38 on the I-90, with a location that that will be easily accessible for heavy-duty vehicles in the area.





Drew West, Chief Executive Officer of American Natural Gas reports that the Liverpool station plans to meet the demand in the region for compressed natural gas with a strategic location near the New York State Thruway.



Our customers are helping drive our expansion, as we continue to hear and respond to their needs for alternative fuel infrastructure across New York State, said West. This facility supports our customers with a strong addition to our network of stations and will offer easy on-and-off highway access for class 8 vehicles. It also creates new opportunities for fleets interested in CNG, which will now have convenient access to the cleaner, safer and more affordable fuel.



American Natural Gas reports that natural gas is the cleanest burning alternative fuel with the capability of powering heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks.



The company also reports that natural gas is abundant in the country, with trucks running on the fuel emitting 13 to 21 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than vehicles powered by gasoline.



American Natural Gas reports that the company currently owns and operates nearly 40 fueling stations across 13 states in the country.



In the state of New York, American Natural Gas has reportedly developed a network of compressed natural gas stations for long-haul drivers traveling between the areas of Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany.



According to American Natural Gas, the Liverpool station has been equipped as a fast fuel station in order to accommodate high-capacity and large volume users.



For more information, visit the website for American Natural Gas.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some July 21 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.
Ann Kirkpatrick is scheduled to announce Friday, July 21, that she is officially re-entering the political arena as a Democratic candidate in Congressional District 2.

The three-term congresswoman told the Arizona Daily Star she is jumping into a crowded field of Democrats hoping to win the primary and run against the two-term Republican incumbent, Martha McSally, next year.

The district is expected to draw the national spotlight in the 2018 midterms since the election will likely be a close race that both parties think they can win.

Kirkpatrick moved to Tucson from Flagstaff in April to explore a run against McSally.

However, it wasnt until Wednesday that Kirkpatrick became a registered voter in CD 2. A campaign official confirmed Kirkpatrick had changed it online and had been previously registered to vote in Flagstaff.

The registration change was confirmed by county officials.

Over the last few months, Kirkpatrick says she crisscrossed the district, which includes all of Cochise County and a portion of Tucson and Pima County, and has heard from residents concerned about federal health-care reform, climate change and Americas standing in the world.

Other residents, she said, told her they were concerned about the lack of checks and balances at the federal level.

We really need a leader who can be a check on Donald Trump, Kirkpatrick said.

Health-care reform was at the top of the list of dozens of residents.

Even in her own family, Kirkpatrick concedes the rising costs are a challenge.

One of her grandsons was born prematurely, requiring an extended stay in the hospital that without insurance would have cost roughly $80,000.

Kirkpatrick says she opposes repealing the Affordable Care Act, but acknowledges it is far from perfect and that Congress needs to step in to address various problems.

She isnt a stranger to Tucson  she earned her law degree from the University of Arizona and worked in the Pima County Attorneys Office from 1981 to 1985.

Kirkpatrick left Congress earlier this year after deciding against running for another term in Congressional District 1, which covers several counties from Oro Valley to Flagstaff. She instead unsuccessfully challenged Republican Sen. John McCain for his Senate seat last year.

Other CD2 Democratic candidates include former state Rep. Bruce Wheeler, emergency room Dr. Matt Heinz, retired assistant secretary of the Army Mary Matiella, small-business owner Charlie Verdin, businessman Billy Kovacs, consultant William Foster and pilot Jeff Latas.
Even before Sen. John McCains diagnosis of brain cancer this week, many people suspected he would not finish his term.

Yes, when he won his sixth six-year term last year, he was still sharp and bullheaded. In squashing his Republican and Democratic challengers, he made it look like he could serve till hes 100.

But he was 80 years old on Election Day, and retiring mid-term would allow the governor to give his Republican successor a leg up on re-election. It seemed pretty possible.

Now that calculus has changed. McCains diagnosis with an aggressive brain cancer makes it very likely he will not finish his term.

If not, what happens? Actually, its pretty simple. Gov. Doug Ducey appoints a replacement, who by law must be a Republican, like McCain. The appointee then must stand for election at the next general election.

If McCain were to retire in the next year, then whoever Ducey appoints will have to run in November 2018.

Really, that system is simple. Whats more complicated is thinking through who Ducey might choose to replace McCain. This is something thats been idly discussed since Nov. 8, but now those discussions are much more urgent.

I cant claim to know what Duceys been thinking or talking about when it comes to possible new U.S. senators. But the likely candidates arent hard to figure out. So Ive come up with two tiers of possible candidates and a wild card, listed in no particular order.

Top tier  mostly congressmen

Kirk Adams  Duceys chief of staff has a few big things going for him: He is close to the governor, he is allied with the dark-money groups that can boost campaigns, and hes a known conservative largely acceptable to state Republicans.

Rep. Trent Franks  The Glendale Republican is perhaps the favorite Arizona congressman among evangelical Christian conservatives. Ducey would endlessly please the Center for Arizona Policy and its supporters if he picked Franks.

Reps. Paul Gosar, David Schweikert  Both are conservatives who represent relatively safe Republican districts. That means, if Ducey appointed either, it wouldnt put their seats at risk. But Schweikert has the electoral advantage in a statewide race of being from the Phoenix area, while Gosar has lived in Flagstaff and Prescott.

Rep. Martha McSally  This possibility deserves a little deeper reflection because she is ours, after all.

Cons: McSally represents a swing district, which means it will be harder for Republicans to retain the seat if she leaves for the Senate. Also, shes from Southern Arizona and therefore a harder sell in Maricopa County. Finally, shes a moderate compared to the other possible candidates.

Pros: McSally is a former military aviator, like McCain. She is a woman, of course, and she has shown a strong ability to raise money. Also, she might lose anyway next year, so why not appoint her? (See above.)

Second tier  mixed bag

This tier contains some long shots, some curiosities, and some place-holders  people who might serve until the next election.

Andy Tobin  A former speaker of the state House, Tobin has played several different roles for Ducey and now serves on the Arizona Corporation Commission. The governor could count on him to keep the seat warm for the next candidate.

Robert Graham  Graham is the former chair of the state GOP and played a prominent role in the party nationally until leaving office after the presidential election. He is known by Republican activists and could be a placeholder or possibly a longer-term selection.

Jeff DeWit  The state treasurer and Ducey famously tangled over Prop. 123, which Ducey proposed and DeWit opposed. Theyre not friends, so the chance Ducey would appoint him is pretty tiny. But appointing DeWit would mean removing a possible challenger to Sen. Jeff Flake in 2018, and it would put a Donald Trump loyalist in one of Arizonas Senate seats.

Sen. Debbie Lesko  A leader of the state Senate, Lesko famously pushed for increasing the school voucher program last year and has been the state chairman for the Arizona Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a group loved by Arizona conservatives and hated by Democrats.

Matt Salmon  The former congressman retired last year to spend more time in Arizona with his family. However, he could be persuaded to at least be a placeholder.

Rep. J.D. Mesnard  The speaker of the state House, Mesnard is young for the job, at 37, but that could be a strength. Ducey has shown a preference for young supply-side nerds in his hires.

Wild card

Doug Ducey  The governor can appoint himself and would not be the first governor to do so. It would allow him to make a bigger name on the national stage, which he has been preparing for. However, he is more of a chief-executive type, and being a senator wouldnt necessarily help in a presidential run.
Arizona might not be famous for its fried chicken, but it can be argued that a handful of spots have are serious contenders.

Luckily for Tucson, Best Things Arizona thinks that three of the state's 10 best spots are in our town.

From an old classic to a relative newcomer, these restaurants all offer something different when it comes to fried chicken.

First on the list is Welcome Diner, which arrived in Tucson last October and is located at 902 East Broadway Boulevard.

"Three words: fried chicken biscuits.Thats all the Welcome Diner needs to dominate the local food scene," Best Things Arizona writes in the article. "Though their classic American fare more than holds its own, its their fried chicken biscuits that bring customers through the door."

Next on the list is May's Counter Chicken and Waffles, 2945 E. Speedway Blvd.

"This southern-style eatery may have a diverse menu, but its known for two thingschicken and waffles," according to Best Things Arizona. "Wash it all down with one of their famous Bloody Marys and you just might reach food nirvana."

Last on the list, but certainly not least, is Tucson classic Lucky Wishbone, with multiple locations across town.

"Theres nothing lucky about Lucky Wishbones success. Established in 1953, theyve grown from a small Tucson hole-in-the wall into an omnipresent chain with seven locations," Best Things Arizona writes. "Behind all their success is mind-numbingly delicious fried chicken."

It's hard to find a Tucsonan that hasn't been to Lucky Wishbone, and many people enjoy their fries and garlic toast just as much as the fried chicken it accompanies.

Check out the full list here. If you're not hungry yet, you will be.
Cover politics, immigration, health care, national security, agriculture, banking, campaign finance, the military, LGBTQ equality and pretty much anything else for long enough and the road will intersect with Sen. John McCain.

Hes often described as a fixture, and after 35 years in Washington D.C.  two terms in the House and now his sixth in the Senate  the description fits.

McCain has been a regular visitor to the Arizona Daily Star over the years, meeting with news reporters and the Editorial Board to give updates when Congress was in recess and when he was running for re-election.

The Stars editorial department has endorsed McCain for re-election in the Senate, although not for president. Weve agreed with him, and criticized him strongly, too. Hes done the same.

These interviews have been a chance to ask McCain questions about Arizona concerns, and theyre often wide-ranging conversations that also encompass national and international matters. Weve had fiery disagreements with the Republican senator, but have always respected his passion and knowledge of global affairs.

But the times we think about now, with the news that McCain has an aggressive brain cancer, are those moments when the policy talk gave way to a glimpse of John McCain the man  how he accepted a compliment on hosting Saturday Night Live in 2002 by promising to do a song and dance number the next time he visited the Star, and his glee at being offered two kinds of cake at an Editorial Board meeting a few years back. (You have to try both, he said, and we agreed with him.)

Or the long, quiet pause he took to gather himself as he talked about the 2008 presidential election, when he spoke about a fellow veteran hed known well.

It is human nature to search for a lesson when faced with bad news or a tragedy, and McCain has become an example of why affordable, accessible medical care is so crucial for everyone.

No one, not even John McCain, who survived more than five years of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, is exempt from illness or disease.

McCains diagnosis is also a stark reminder that no matter what we believe, what political position we take, what job we have, how much wealth we possess, or how hard we work, each of us is a single person facing life the best we know how.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS): Televangelist Zakir Naiks organisation Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) on Friday approached the Delhi High Court against a tribunals order which had upheld the central governments decision to ban it under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal recused herself from hearing the matter and posted it for July 27 before another bench.

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Saying there were sufficient reasons and cause to declare IRF an unlawful association, a special tribunal headed by Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal of Delhi High Court on May 11 had upheld the November 17, 2016 notification banning IRF for five years.

Filing an appeal against tribunals order, the IRF sought setting aside of tribunals May 11 order, aguing that actions done by individuals named in the FIRs  Naik and his aide Arshi Qureshi  cannot reflect on the organisation.

The ban will affect the charitable and education work being done by IRF, said the plea, adding that FIRs were based on speeches allegedly made by Naik years before the charges were raised.

On March 16, a single judge bench of the High Court had also dismissed IRFs plea against the Central governments decision to immediately ban the organisation, saying immediate action appears to have been taken in interest of sovereignty, integrity and maintenance of public order.

On November 17, 2016, the Union home ministry imposed an immediate ban on the organisation under the Unlawful Activies (Prevention) Act.

The Central government had produced before the court the relevant documents, based on which the decision to ban IRF was made, and said the need for taking urgent step was felt in view of the apprehension that Indian youth could be radicalised or motivated to join terror groups like Islamic State by the alleged statements and speeches made by the organisation and its members, including its President, Naik.

The government had also said that as per notification, Naik was also accused of making statements which were derogatory of other religions and thus, spreading communal disharmony.
Help India!

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter

On Wednesday, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh again misled the country by making a completely false statement by claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had never promised to offer a minimum support price to farmers but had instead promised to give a profit of 50% to farmers on the production cost.

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All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) has said that not only is this a completely false statement, but the agricultural minister also did not clarify how the farmers can gain a profit of 50% without having an MSP in place.

Defying Singhs claim, social activist and founder of Swaraj Abhiyan Yogendra Yadav tweeted a video dated April 4, 2014. The video clearly shows that Modi had promised to fix the crops MSP at above 50% of the production cost.

By claiming that Mr. Modi never promised to declare MSP, isn't the Union Agriculture Minister misleading the country? pic.twitter.com/unjU4ikmj1  Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) July 21, 2017

The video was shot in 2014 when the then Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was campaigning for Raju Shetty, Lok Sabha candidate from Sangli, Maharashtra.

Ironically, Raju Shetty moved towards farmers side since the farmers agitation across the India has started.

All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee has said, What is encouraging and reassuring for the farmers of India is that MP Raju Shetty, in whose election campaign Modi is making this promise, is today exposing the false and hollow claims of Modi.

Shetty is a member of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and was a key member in the recently organised Kisan Mukti Sansad held at Delhis Jantar Mantar. He was also leading the Maharashtra chapter recent farmers protests.

Exposing the false claims of the central government, Raju Shetty said, I had supported Modi on the condition that he would give MSP over 50% of the cost value of the crop. He has not yet fulfilled the promise. He should stop dreaming of a second term if he does not fulfil the promise.

VM Singh, Convenor AIKSCC, said, It was under the pressure of this movement that the issue of farmers was raised in the Parliament. The farmers movement not only received support from various MPs across party lines but many MPs from the ruling party as well as the opposition also reached Jantar Mantar to show their solidarity with the farmers.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has overseen the launching of a new anti-submarine frigate HMS Glasgow at BAE systems in Glasgow. The ship was christened by the Defence Secretary and with the Royal Navy on the rise again will be the first of many to follow.

The ship comprises 118 crew and is the length of 15 buses and features 2 sonar with a medium calibre gun. An air defence tower is also featured together with an acoustically quiet hull. All ships of this model will cost 1.23 billion.

The ship travels 26+knots, or just under 30 miles per hour, and has a range of 7,000 miles to project British power beyond our shores.

What with a new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and now these new ships it seems the maritime power of Britain is back.

Times gone by

The British have always prided themselves on their naval prowess with King Alfred Apparently founding the first British Navy in the dark ages. It was our naval power that helped forge Britain as a super power from the 18th and 19th Centuries onward. Whether it was Drake fighting the Spanish Armada or Nelson dying in battle at Trafalgar, right up to recent times Britain does indeed have a proud naval heritage.

It would seem plans are afoot to make the Royal Navy "great again" to borrow a phrase from beleaguered US President Donald Trump. Although the astronomical costs of these warships could be questioned the UK does need to defend itself in a dangerous world.

With Russia, China, Iran, North Korea all having varying degrees of sea power it is only right the UK and her Allies answer this call.

The UK will always - unless something drastic happens - be a member of NATO and our fleet will play its part in NATO and for British only operations. As the UK proceeds to the exit door of the EU, we will always be close militarily to our European and American cousins in areas of naval cooperation.

Change of administration

If Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister in the near future many will be worried no doubt about his attitude to defence. It is well known he has no time for nuclear weapons and said recently at Glastonbury he would scrap Trident. He also said he would never initiate nuclear war and even said he could not bring himself to press the red button in any first strike on the UK.

Of course, this flies in the face of the Labour party saying they would be keeping Trident, and what Corbyn would really do if elected with the sea launched missile is not yet known. Corbyn has admitted he is no pacifist and would use military action as a last resort.

Nonetheless, because the UK needs conventional defence Corbyn would most likely carry on the policy of the May government and support the growth of the Royal Navy.
Regardless if you grew up eating a Krispy Kreme Doughnut from a store in your neighborhood or you just tasted a tasty, sexy glazed Krispy Kreme donut for your very first time, you may be surprised to know that the company has existed for over 80 years.

Krispy Kreme since 1937

All of it started in the late thirties. Suddenly in 2000, Krispy Kreme's went public, became a contemporary American icon and a global Breakaway Brand. The Krispy Kreme narrative has significant lessons for those luxury real estate advertising professionals who've decided to descend from their competitions and pursue market leadership in their market.

Making an abysmal personal brand and triggering a chain reaction of hype is challenging. However, it might be incredibly rewarding if it is implemented continued and economically. The word of mouth advertisements about this premium, top quality donuts was just like a shot heard round the world. Proceed over Winchell's donuts, which opened their starting donut store on October 8, 1948.

Global donut shops

Winchell's is the West Coast's biggest donut series with over 170 units, in 12 countries, also locations in Guam, Saipan, and Saudi Arabia. Move over Dunkin Donuts, the world's biggest coffee and baked goods chain, with over 7, 000 Dunkin Donuts shops globally. Fast forward to Melbourne Australia, 2006 for its Great Opening of the company's first Doughnut shop in town.

The opening of a Winchell's or Dunkin donut store usually doesn't have this kind of a reaction.

Krispy Kreme: hype or quality?

Most fans agree that its taste of Krispy Kreme donuts is superior to its other brands. How much of this is its effect of hype and how much is its exceptional flavor and texture distinctive to the Krispy Kreme brand?

How much can it be a factor of a superior's anticipation experience?

The right brand name can play a very significant role in creating a breakaway brand. Like most consumers, we had to discover what all its fuss was when K. Kreme donuts eventually got to the local supermarket.

The breakaway brands

Loving pictures and social connections can play a significant role in creating a breakaway brand.

An important part of this is spent on introducing new brands in its market. Lately, Microsoft launched a brand new digital audio player brand known as ZUNE to compete for head-on using Apple's iPod.

Fortified using deep pockets Microsoft is gunning for Apple that has its breakaway brand in this space. iPod Was a Jonny come itself lately as lots of other brands had tried to become its dominant Digital audio player.
On Tuesday night, Republican Karen Handel defeated Democratic challenger Jon Ossooff in a run off election to fill a vacant congressional seat in Georgia's 6th district. After sending out several tweets on the matter once the news broke of a Republican victory, Donald Trump returned to social media to bash the Democrats the following morning.

Trump on Twitter

When Donald Trump kicked off his campaign for president, it was clear that he was going to be a candidate like no other before him. Running as a Republican, the former host of "The Apprentice" spent much of his time on the campaign trail bashing his opposition, which switched to Hillary Clinton and the entire Democratic Party after he won the GOP nomination last summer.

Following his upset win over Clinton in the general election, Trump was soon sworn into office where his partisan battles with the opposition kicked into high gear. Despite holding a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Democrats have done their best to push back and block the policies that have been put forward by Trump and the Republicans, including their attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, with a much criticized alternative. As seen on his Twitter feed on June 21, Trump is not happy with the alleged "obstruction" coming from his political opponents.

Democrats would do much better as a party if they got together with Republicans on Healthcare,Tax Cuts,Security. Obstruction doesn't work!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2017

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday morning was Donald Trump and the president was quick to lash out at Democrats for not working with their Republican counterparts in Congress.

"Democrats would do much better as a party if they got together with Republicans on Healthcare, Tax Cuts, Security," Trump tweeted out, before adding, "Obstruction doesn't work!"

Twitter reacts

As expected, social media critics of the president didn't hold back their thoughts in responding to Donald Trump's Tweet about obstruction.

"They're stopping you from giving tax cuts to the 1%, taking healthcare away from veterans, ruining our relationships, and hurting security!" Jules Suzdaltsev tweeted out.

Amazing how forgetful the GOP has become. Like the plot of Finding Dory or Momento but instead of the main character, it is all Republicans.  Adam Best (@adamcbest) June 21, 2017

By the way, obstruction DOES work! Or have you literally passed no serious legislation whatsoever in the last 5 months?  Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) June 21, 2017

"Obstruction doesn't work!?

Trump being elected, GOP control of Congress and Neil Gorsuch are evidence to the contrary," director Adam Best wrote in response, before adding, "Amazing how forgetful the GOP has become. Like the plot of Finding Dory or Momento but instead of the main character, it is all Republicans." "You mean the healthcare bill that the GOP won't show anyone?" Tony Posnanski rhetorically asked.

Working together isn't just agreeing with the GOP on everything. It is making changed so BOTH SIDES win.  Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) June 21, 2017

You control all 3 branches of the federal government & still haven't accomplished anything...what on earth are you talking about?  Kno (@Kno) June 21, 2017

Please explain to the American people how Democrats can get together with the @GOP on healthcare when your party is working in secret. Sad!  MatthewDicks (@MatthewDicks) June 21, 2017

Obstruction is GOP secrecy & @POTUS surreptitious & dishonest behavior. It's a self-serving power trip that ignores We The People. #Resist  Edie-Jane Clarke (@ediejanec) June 21, 2017

"You control all 3 branches of the federal government & still haven't accomplished anything...what on earth are you talking about?" another tweet went on to read. The backlash continued on social media as Donald Trump's critics were showing no signs off backing off their opposition, while pointing out the irony of many of his remarks.
It's no secret that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has had his trouble dealing with the media. While Spicer is usually the one getting grilled by reporters, it was the press secretary who decided to give his thoughts about the press.

Spicer on the media

Ever since Donald Trump announced that he was going to run for president, he's been at odds with the majority of the mainstream media. From the day he launched his campaign and labeled illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers," the former host of "The Apprentice" and the press have not been on the same page.

As time moved forward in the 2016 presidential election, Trump would routinely bash the media, often referring to journalists as "terrible people" on the campaign trail. Following his surprising election win over Hillary Clinton last November, Trump and the media have been at each other's throats, with members of the administration often clashing with cable news hosts on a daily basis. For Sean Spicer, he's been forced to interact with reporters multiple times a week, doing so during the daily press briefings at the White House. The interactions have become so heated that even "Saturday Night Live" used them as part of a highlight skit, with actress Melissa McCarthy playing the roll of the press secretary.

With Spicer's job rumored to be on the line, he took part in a radio interview during a June 21 broadcast with host Laura Ingraham.

Sean Spicer: Reporters Ask Snarky Questions at Briefings to Become YouTube Stars https://t.co/0iiswrj9mS pic.twitter.com/cBdIl353g7  Mediaite (@Mediaite) June 21, 2017

Joining conservative radio host Laura Ingraham on Wednesday, Sean Spicer elaborated further on his thoughts on reporters, especially their line of questioning during the aforementioned press briefings.

"There's a lot of them that want to become YouTube stars and ask some snarky question that has been asked eight times," Spicer said of the press. "It's our job to make sure that we are providing updates of what the president is doing and the advances he is making on his agenda," he continued.

Sean Spicer: Some reporters want to use press briefing "to become YouTube stars" https://t.co/YMFWFsJUW9 pic.twitter.com/rfse1ibpJA  Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 21, 2017

During the interview, Sean Spicer agreed with Laura Ingraham in that many members of the press are engaging in alleged "performance art," accusing them of being "snarky" with their questions.

The two appeared to be on the same page, ironically being that Ingraham is on the reported short list to replace Spicer as press secretary.

Next up

While it's unknown what the future holds for Sean Spicer, it's clear that he's in line with Donald Trump and many others at the White House who don't believe the press is doing a fair job in covering the administration. With Spicer's job on the line, only time will tell how it all plays out.
Money Laundering is resulting in US$ pouring out of South Africa and most of it belongs to the South African tax payer. Through a shocking conspiracy of bribery and blatant theft, it is being removed from South Africa and ending up both in Dubai and in the United States of America.

U.S Dollars from South Africa go Stateside

According to South Africa's Daily Maverick, a highly respected online news site, the U.S. law firm, White and Case, recently commented on the fact that money from South Africa has found its way to the USA. It has allegedly been laundered by the Gupta family, to a Stateside company called Brookfield which is owned by Gupta relatives.

This is not the only instance of illegal money movement involving United States Dollars and it could lead to the USA government opening an investigation around the Gupta's and Zuma's.

Money laundering and the BBC

International media attention is vital for corrupt Africa, so a timeous video by the BBC is well worth mentioning. The new short documentary by the BBC was released this week with the teaser-words, "In South Africa, allegations of high-level corruption are being fuelled by a huge leak of confidential emails. Mixed up in the scandal is a British PR company, Bell Pottinger, which has been accused of fuelling racial tensions in order to distract attention from a powerful family with links to President Zuma.

Andrew Harding reports..."

Bell Pottinger, a once respectable UK based company has virtually been brought to its knees by the revelation of their Zupta links and their despicable race based propaganda. South African Tweeters forced the company to close public access to their Twitter account.

#BellPottinger must:



Make public all communication with Guptas

Declare all funds received

Invest these funds back into SA  Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) July 14, 2017

Money laundering is a criminal offense.

The most interesting aspect from the South African tax-paying point of view, is the USA legislation known as The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. In the event the Guptas, or as they are known in South Africa, the Zuptas, (owing to their close links to the Zuma family), are prosecuted, their assets may be seized and returned to their rightful owners; that is the South African people.

Concerned citizen groups hampered by lack of funds

Apart from the handful of filthy rich, corrupt and greedy members of the 'Zupta' conspiracy, the other 52.999 million South Africans, are reeling from staggering losses removed from state and parastatal coffers. A handful of concerned citizen groups such as OUTA (Organization Undoing Tax Abuse) are working day and night to pursue these criminals via the still respectable justice system. The problem is that these organizations and opposition political parties, are funded by South Africa's tax payers in their personal capacity, and it is an uphill and expensive battle they are fighting.

If the USA steps in to investigate the Zupta alliance, and it seems there is enough evidence to do so, thanks to exhaustive efforts by the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and Scorpio, the Daily Maverick's investigative unit, there is a chance South Africa just may escape the clutches of this despicable conspiracy and even better, may recover some of the stolen money.

South Africa president wants out of the International Criminal Court

South Africans are not as stupid as the Zupta's think. South Africans are angry and fed up, but hamstrung by corrupt and reluctant officials who refuse to act against the presidential Zuma family and their associates, the Gupta's. It is not for nothing that President Zuma is fighting hard to remove South Africa from the International Criminal Court! Whilst the next election could change a lot, South Africans are not sure they can wait for 2019.

USA Money laundering legislation may just offer a glimmer of light at end of the long, dark tunnel of corruption that South Africa is currently facing.
President Donald Trump just added one more enemy to his list. After the president fired FBI Director James Comey, the only one left on the Russia probe team was special counsel Robert Mueller. Attorney General Jeff Sessions just crossed from the friend to enemy list.

Sessions said on Thursday that he would stay put as AG as long as that is appropriate, The New York Post reported. When he said that, Sessions defied Trump who said on Wednesday that he regretted appointing Sessions as AG who later recused himself from the Russia investigation.

Work in his favor

After Trump fired Comey, the task of investigating the alleged Russian collusion with the Trump campaign team fell on the AG. He likely was counting on Sessions to be on his side and conclude the probe that there was no Russian interference. After all, the AG was part of Trumps campaign team, besides being a personal friend of the real estate billionaire.

Trump, however, failed to take into account that like the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Sessions undisclosed contact with Russian Ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak would crop up. In the case of the AG, it turned out he had more than one meeting with Kislyak that Sessions had no choice but to recuse himself from the investigation.

It inevitably passed the task of investigating the Russian meddling to Mueller on Comeys request.

The president apparently thought he could outwit everyone by firing Comey and then appointing someone to lead the probe whom he thought would favor him, but it was Comey who outwitted him by requesting for Mueller.

The choice of Sessions to favor Trump came out from the presidents mouth, who said, Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets the job, recuses himself, which frankly is very unfair to the president.

Pardoning everyone

Now that he has two enemies  Mueller and Sessions  Trump is apparently changing strategy in anticipation of the special counsel digging dirt in his finances.

The New York Daily News reported that the president is seeking advice from his lawyers if he could pardon his campaign staff, family members, and himself. The presidential pardon is allegedly part of a wider plan to undercut Mueller.

Trumps team is trying to build a case against the special counsel by claiming conflict of interest because of Muellers inclusion of the real estate billionaires finances, which Trump believes, is beyond the scope of the Russian probe and ground to terminate the special counsel, The Washington Post reported. White House staff are reportedly coming up with a list of the other alleged conflicts of interest of Mueller.
Quincy Jones with Michael Jackson at the 1994 Grammy Awards (Chris Walter/WireImage)Quincy Jones took the stand Thursday in Los Angeles in his lawsuit against the Michael Jackson estate, and he made it clear straight away that hes not taking legal action against the King of Pop.

"I'm not suing Michael," Jones said as he looked at the attorney for the estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm suing y'all."

The producer of Jacksons Thriller, Bad and Off the Wall albums says hes owed $30 million in royalties from those releases and other music he recorded with Michael.

Jones claims his agreements with Jackson stipulate he would receive additional payment when those songs are used for films, such as the posthumous concert documentary This Is It. The estate attorneys argue Jones is only entitled to a percentage of record sales.

Estate attorney Howard Weitzman asked Jones if he should receive money from music licensed for new projects, even though the estate interpreted the contract to mean he was not entitled to licensing fees. Contract montract," Jones responded. "If we made the record, we deserve to get paid."

When asked why he didn't file his lawsuit while Jackson was alive, Jones said, "I cared more about him as a human being than about the money."

The estate previously offered Jones a settlement of between $2 million and $3 million before trial, which it what it believes Jones is owed.

Closing arguments in the case are scheduled for Monday morning.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The Brown Family moves to California as their matriarch, Ami Brown, undergoes some testing due to recent health concerns. The "Alaskan Bush People" Season 7 premiere episode shows the family trying to be strong while facing the unknown.

Ami tries to remain tough

Ami tells Billy that she is in so much pain, and she can't take it anymore. Good Lord will take care of us, he always does, Billy reassures his wife. Ami says she can handle it because she's tough, adding that they went through other obstacles and survived a sinking boat with babies.

Billy shared on "Alaskan Bush People" the initial diagnosis of Ami's health.

The first doctor they went to found nodes in her throat through an MRI and recommended they consult another doctor. They did a test on her chest and said Ami needs to undergo a biopsy because they found a mass on Ami's lungs that they believe could be cancerous. The diagnosis has shaken the Browns, with Billy saying that from that moment of hearing the gravity of Ami's sickness, everything seemed to change.

Matt and Snowbird talked about what they are going through while they are waiting for the results of the tests. "Nobody wants to say the word cancer," Snowbird said. In the confessional, Snowbird said they encountered several challenges in life, obstacles that tried to bring them down, but they were able to fix them.

Their situation right now is the hardest, "Because they can't fix it," she added.

Brown family leaves Browntown

According to Discovery, while Ami needed to undergo treatment, the Browns left the Alaskan bush. Noah stayed behind to take care of their homestead. Gabe admitted that it is difficult to be far from their home and from doing the things they like.

Not knowing what is going to happen makes the situation even harder for them. Everything is changing, and Billy said they would have to leave the bush. Matt also stated they need to pack up and go.

Stage 4 cancer

The "Alaskan Bush People" Season 7 is revealing the details as the events unfold, so there was not much information in the first episode.

However, a source reportedly confirmed to the Facebook page called "ABP Exposed" that Ami has stage 4 lung cancer.

The Brown family, including Bam and Allison, are reportedly in Arizona now. They left Los Angeles this week for an unspecified reason. Previous rumors said chemotherapy and radiation treatment have done nothing to slow down Ami's condition. It is not clear whether Noah already left Browntown as well and joined the rest of his family.
The new Alaskan Bush People Season 7 previews an earnest discussion between Matt and Snowbird. The family has been plagued by a problem they have never encountered before  Amis worsening health condition.

Ami is reportedly suffering from cancer. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, how the family reacts and being affected by the current situation is indicative that something worse is happening within their home.

The cancer talk

The heartbreaking moment shared by Matt and Snowbird will air in the upcoming episode of Alaskan Bush People. Snowbird is shown trying to hold back her tears but eventually broke down.

"Nobody wants to say the word cancer, she cried. Matt nodded and repeated the same phrase.

Nothing has been directly confirmed in Snowbirds confession. However, what has been shown in the preview is a seeming confirmation that Amis health condition is highly at risk. She then recalled how their family is able to overcome other problems that came along their way over the past years.

She sobbed more when she realized how different their situation is now and how hard it is to accept that they cannot do anything to fix it. Trying to find strength from each other in their Browntown home, the two are keeping their emotions intact.

But the struggle is real for Snowbird who could not keep up in her role as Brown familys main source of strength because the person who fuels her personal strength is actually in a helpless state.

She is then comforted by Matt saying that they are strong people who are there to support one another.

The Brown family's current struggle is summed up by the show's Facebook page: "An unthinkable reality, involving a person you've always thought to be immortal."

Amis real state

Yesterday, a Facebook page called ABP Exposed posted an update claiming they have received a confirmation that Ami Brown has stage 4 lung cancer.

The post has earned many sympathizers hoping for the Alaskan Bush People matriarchs recovery.

Amid words regarding Amis health conditions, Alaskan Bush People season 7 producers havent yet issued a statement to address the rumors. But the upcoming Wednesday episode shows that the family is bringing Ami to the hospital for testing.

In addition, the Brown family is reportedly packing up to leave Los Angeles to move to an unspecified location. According to The Inquisitr, the Brown family is considering leaving their Alaskan home and kick off another chapter of their lives somewhere new.
Caitriona Balfe of "Outlander" just finished up filming season 3, but the last day of filming didn't go as planned for her. IB Times shared the details about how Caitriona Balfe ended up getting injured during filming and went to her social networks to share the details with her fans. She does a great job of updating everyone on her Instagram page about what is going on with her during filming.

What happened to Caitriona Balfe on the set?

All that happened to Caitriona Balfe was a small red mark on her face, but she actually blamed it on her good friend and co-star Sam Heughan.

Of course, these two work together a lot on the show. They actually had to film a few stunts for this season of "Outlander, " and they did some of them on the last day of filming. She teased that this injury is the reason that they save these things to be filmed for the very last day.

They were actually doing something out on the water in a boat. It turns out that Sam actually ran them into a log. Of course, this wasn't on purpose, but that is what caused Balfe to get the red mark on her face. She actually ended up face first on this log. Hopefully, they were able to laugh about it all after they realized that she wasn't hurt too bad. At least it was the last day of filming and they didn't have to find a way to cover it up with makeup for very long.

Caitriona also mad a short video of their wrap party

In this small video, it looked like Balfe was doing well and having fun at the party. Sam was there as well having a good time, but they weren't giving away "Outlander" spoilers to the fans even though they really want to hear them. She has left Cape Town and is headed back home.

Now that "Outlander" is done filming, she can get a break and enjoy some time off. They will have to film the next season, but no word on how long she will get a break before heading back to work. Sam and Caitriona are both in need of some time off.

"Outlander" just finished filming season three of the show and they are already working on writing season four.

The fans can't wait to see the new season and see how it all goes. Luckily, this show sounds like it will be around for a while.

Are you shocked to hear that Caitriona Balfe was injured during filming? Are you excited for season 3 of "Outlander" to air on Starz? Sound off in the comments section below on your thoughts, and don't miss "Outlander" when it returns to Starz. It will start airing on Starz in September and the fans feel like that can't get here soon enough.
The castaways are finally rescued from the island in today's episode of "Days Of Our Lives." A devastating news is waiting for Chad back in Salem.

Chad hears Abby is marrying Dario

While Chad has fallen in love with Gabi, his feeling for his wife is still there. So when he returns to Salem, he would be heartbroken to learn that Abigail is now engaged with Dario. "Days of Our Lives" spoilers via Celeb Dirty Laundry tease that Chad would try his best to accept the news. But knowing that Abby is not the kind of person to rush things through, he would later develop suspicions that something is not right.

In previous episodes, Dario convinced Abigail to do a quickie divorce. Her mother, Jennifer, tried to talk her out of it, but she would not listen.

Abby sees Chad and Gabi kissing

When Abby walked away from Chad, she pushed him and Gabi together. But when she sees Chad and Gabi kissing now that they're back in Salem, she would still feel hurt. "Days of Our Lives" spoilers said she is expected to meltdown when she confronted Chad.

Then the divorce will be brought up, and Abby will tell Chad that they will proceed with it. Chad would say it's okay with him, but deep down, he's not. He would try to work things out between him and Gabi. However, his suspicions about Dario and Abby's wedding would make him do some investigations to reveal what's wrong.

This would also affect his relationship with Gabi as the latter would see how concerned he still his for his ex-wife.

Is this the end of Chabby?

The couple is experiencing such as a huge obstacle in their relationship that viewers are led to believe that Chabby love team is coming to an end. However, there are still speculations that suggest Abby and Chad would be able to get through this adversity.

Chad would save Abigail from marrying Dario, who is only using Abby to solve his deportation problems. They have a beautiful story and they always find their way back to each other. Of course, it would crush Gabi, but she would have to find love somewhere else.

Elsewhere in "Days of Our Lives," Deimos is putting his dark scheme into action as part of his revenge against Sonny and anyone related to him.

The castaways will throw a party to celebrate their safe return, which Deimos will take advantage of. Deimos will put the drug Halo into their drinks. Everyone would act erratically and lose their normal selves. However, "Days of Our Lives" spoilers reveal that Deimos would be the one to end up dead. Who killed him? That's the mystery to be solved.
"Its always Sunny in Philadelphia," but it sure does look cloudy for its fans. It has been recently announced and confirmed by Dennis (played by Glenn Howerton) and Dee (played by Kaitlin Olson) that the much hyped over Season 13 of "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will be delayed for reasons both personal and professional.

Whats even worse is that everybody has been eagerly looking forward to seeing their favorite gang in action after the recent completion and final of the largely acclaimed Season 12 of the show, and now well have to wait until 2019.

Yep. No new season for over one and a half years. Quite a fat load of bad news to digest.

Inside slice of the cake

In a recent interview, Kaitlin said that the reason for the delay in Season 13 is that everybody from the gang is swamped with their individual projects and that itll all come together once theyre done shooting for their other shows. It is a widely known fact that most actors have their charts and calendars booked in advance for at least over two years worth of shows, and this doesnt come as a surprise at all considering the talent of our beloved gang.

Just found out the new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been delayed a year.  Heath Kiker (@heath_kiker) June 18, 2017

It is entirely possible that Dennis might be there in Season 13, owing to the rumors due to the sly information in the finale of Season 12.

Glenn said in a recent interview that he is open to the possibility of doing more due to the extended hiatus, but there is a slight chance that he might not return, which has left the fans sad and disappointed.

"It's always sunny in philadelphia season 13 delayed a year" pic.twitter.com/fThFOi5y5n  Emma Sinclair (@EmmaKSinclair) May 3, 2017

Our thoughts

In accordance with the fourteen season contract, the show has with its network FXX, and it seems inevitable that the gang will return to finish it.

Because the show has attained a lot of traction over its massive twelve seasons of tickling quality drama, it would be an absolute shame if the gang did not return to put a fitting end to their epic saga. We are confident that the gang isnt the kind to let its fandom down and furthermore their contract with FXX is a ray of hope that we will see more of them.

The achingly long wait will also work in favor of the show as far as the hype is concerned. There is a lot of money on the table for everyone involved in the project. A lot of fans, although bummed with the unfortunate news do believe that itll be worth the wait if Glenn Howerton comes back.

Go on, Charlie Day. Work your magic. Make things happen. There is a planet full of fanatics with dreamy eyes who absolutely adore you and your show, and are patiently waiting for the gangs return on our television sets.
Bengaluru-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm, Halli Labs is being acquired by Google on June 12, 2017. Google is a world wide popular American Multinational technology company that specializes in internet-related services and products, founded on 4 September 1998 and its present Chief Executive Director is Mr. Sunder Pichai. This is Google's first acquisition in India. Google is not only acquiring Halli Labs company but also hiring its employees. The amount of hiring the company is still undisclosed. The founder of Halli Labs is Mr. Pankaj Gupta.

The aim of this acquisition is to expand artificial intelligence capabilities and to add new users to the internet.

About Mr. Pankaj Gupta

Pankaj Gupta had started working for Twitter in 2011 as Senior Manager, Personalization and Recommendation and he quit his job at 2013. He has worked at Stayzilla as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) since June 2016 and left in March 2017. Currently, he is working as Director Of Engineering at Google NBU (Next Billion Users), San Francisco, California, USA.He is a combo product, data and engineering guy. He has published 30+ papers and 20+ patents.

Halli Labs is a 4-month-old start up out of Bengaluru. According to Halli Labs, it was founded with the goal of applying modern AI and ML techniques to old problems and domains, in order to help technology enable people to do whatever it is that they want to do, easier and better.

Halli Labs said, "What better place than Google to help us achieve this goal".

Excited to share that the @halli_labs team is joining @Google. https://t.co/RHxmXKKxZR  Pankaj Gupta (@pankaj) 12 July 2017

Companies acquired by Google in 2017:

January 5, 2017 - Limes Audio (SWE)

January 19, 2017- Fabric (USA)

March 8, 2017- Kaggle (USA)

March 9, 2017- AppBridge (USA)

May 10, 2017-Owlchemy Labs (USA)

June 12, 2017-Halli Labs (India)

Caesar Sengupta - Vice President (Next Billion User), Product Manager at Google has welcome the team of Halli Labs to Google.

Defining the strategy he said, Our goal has not just been to help more Indians get online  but also to help Indians create the online experience they want; one that serves their needs and enables them to have an impact on the entire world. So we have been thinking about how to build products and services for this wave of new users  products that work for any level of connectivity, in local Indian languages, and across the devices that are most frequently used in India.

Defining the strategy, Mr.

Caesar told that their goal has not just been to help more Indians but also to help them in creating the online experience which they want. One that serves their needs and enables them to have an impact on the entire world. So his team has been thinking about how to build products and services for this wave of new users-products that work for any level of connectivity, in local Indian languages, and across the devices that are most frequently used in india.
Prospective tenants visit the public rental housing at the Xinyue apartments in Shanghai, on May 15, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's housing authorities said cities with net population inflows need to accelerate the development of rental housing projects, including encouraging cities to increase land supplies for residential rental projects.

According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the authorities have piloted longstay rental programs in 12 citiesGuangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shenyang, Hefei, Zhengzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing.

These cities will pilot multiple-channel housing offerings to residents who do not buy their own homes, including university graduates, migrants and relocated staff, said the notice released on the ministry's website on Thursday.

The circular highlights land policy which enables newly built commercial housing projects to allocate some of the apartments to be leased instead of being sold. Metropolises and large cities can pilot programs to use land for collective rental housing projects.

In terms of financing, the ministry's circular said the authorities encourage banks and other financial institutions to strengthen financial support for rental housing projects, which take a longer time to break even than other types of housing development.

"Selling homes, particularly those of good quality in prestigious locations may realize a quick return. Leasing homes requires developers to have strong liquidity management capacity and rich expertise in property management," said Francis Yeung, general manager of sales and marketing at real estate developer K. Wah China.

State-owned enterprises with expertise and experience in the real estate sector are also encouraged to operate in the residential leasing market by developing and managing large-scale leasing projects.

China's residential leasing market is currently dominated by individual homeowners rather than institutional operators. About 2 percent of properties in the residential leasing market are operated by institutional operators, according to a report released on the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development's official website.

The circular said cities with net population inflows are required to establish government-run trading platforms for the residential property leasing market to facilitate effective, fair and transparent transactions, with a particular emphasis on protecting the rights of tenants.

Sheng Yue, an official with the ministry's leasing market supervision division, said that the trading platform will also help to supervise and monitor the residential leasing market.

Several cities have launched policies on the development of residential leasing market. In Shanghai, two land parcels were let to developers to build rental apartments for highly skilled workers in mid-June.
SAO PAULO  The Brazilian economy is just starting to recover and expects more investment from China, Sao Paulo Mayor Joao Doria told Xinhua here Wednesday ahead of his visit to China.

Doria, who is going to visit China from July 21 to July 30, said China is Brazil's most important business partner and Sao Paulo's largest commercial partner.

Sao Paulo is the largest city of Brazil and South America with 12 million inhabitants, said the mayor, thus it's an excellent place for Chinese companies to invest in the areas of industry, commerce, technology and services.

"We have programs to encourage foreigners to invest in Sao Paulo," said Doria, "and we will start in August the largest ever city privatization program. This means that we will offer opportunities to the private segment acquiring services and public properties."

The city is interested in receiving investments in transport, technology, urban mobility, housing, healthcare, and public security, Doria said.

"These are the main areas to which we intend to invite the Chinese investors," the mayor said.
Jack Ma (R), the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group gives lectures to young entrepreneurs in Nailab. [Photo by Liu Hongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

Kenyan business people, both established and upcoming, as well as the youth, have greatly applauded Jack Ma's visit to the East Africa's nation.

Interacting and listening to the entrepreneurial insights by Alibaba's founder, highlighting how he overcame failures and rejection to build a multi-billion business, opened up a new chapter in the attendees thinking and perception on business challenges.

Ma, the founder and executive director of Alibaba Group, met and shared his experience with young entrepreneurs, business people and university students.

He spoke about starting and building a successful venture, and challenged entrepreneurs to see every challenge as an opportunity and encouraged them to take advantage of it, instead of complaining.

Samuel Ajiboyede, Chief Executive Officer of Workclick, an online company, said Ma's experiences was a great encouragement to young entrepreneurs as there was no business challenge impossible to overcome.

"His story of rags to riches is a great motivation to young people, pushing them to pursue entrepreneurship with the confidence of building big businesses in future," he said.

"I'm proud to be part of the audiences to learn from his insights."

Ajiboyede added the Alibaba's model of empowering people instead of focusing purely on income generation was a great challenge to him, and said he looked forward to emulating it in efforts to grow his company.

Eng James Mwangi, Chief Executive Officer of Kurrent Technologies, termed July 20 as a historic day, where Kenyan business people and the youth met the Chinese tycoon face-to-face.

"I was impressed by his belief on the potential of Africa, especially the young people," he said.

"I loved his advice about how we should create solutions as it is where the opportunities lie.

"The message should be passed on to all young people. They should be encouraged to take advantage of the existing technology and stop complaining."

Mwangi added young people should take advantage of the internet platform to build e-commerce solutions driven by the desire to provide a solution similarly to what Ma did, instead of decrying about the increasing unemployment rates in the country.

"Young people should look at becoming employers instead of being employed," he said.

Walter Ruigu, Managing Directorof Camal Group Limited, said Ma's visit to Kenya, along with engaging of the youth, will greatly impact the lives of many young people to venture into entrepreneurship.

Noting Ma is a respected figure in China, Ruigu added many Chinese people will be motivated by his visit to consider venturing in Africa, terming the visit as a good branding for Kenya.

"His story of coming from a poor background and making it to a multibillionaire is very inspiring to the young people," he said.
Ever wonder why Tokyo does not flood?

Next time when you are walking around the Japanese capital, stop for a minute to consider this: Just 50 meters below the ground is a labyrinth of tunnels, cathedral-like water tanks and massive pumps that can remove 200 tons of floodwater every second.

It has been described as the biggest underground man-made drainage system in the world.

With around 30 percent of Tokyo's population living below sea level, mostly along Tokyo Bay or the many rivers that feed into it, the metropolis has had a long history of disastrous flooding.

As the capital city grew and Japan prospered, protecting the world's largest metropolitan economy and its inhabitants  over 13 million in Tokyo today and more than 36 million in the greater metropolitan area  became a national priority.

The simplest solution would have been to build a reservoir. But the question facing urban planners was: How do you build a reservoir in a city twice as dense as New York? The answer: Build it underground.

The results were the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, also known as G-Cans, and more recently, the Furukawa Underground Regulating Reservoir.

Completed in 2006, the G-Cans gathers the overflowing floodwater from rivers in Tokyo, such as Oochi Kotone, Kuramatsu, Nagakawa and Arakawa, and drains it into the Edo River.

It is the world's largest underground floodwater-diversion system, said Koichiro Omoto, a water specialist with the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo.

Costing around $3 billion, the G-Cans connects five of Tokyo's rivers via vertical drain shafts, each big enough to hold the Statue of Liberty with room to spare.

"The shafts are connected by a 6.3 kilometer underground tunnel, through which excess water from heavy rain travels and is collected in a subterranean reservoir," Omoto told China Daily.

Once the storm subsides, the water in the reservoir gets pumped into the Edo River at a point where it has the capacity to carry the excess water to the ocean without further flooding.

The water is released at a combined rate of 200 cubic meters per second  the equivalent of completely draining one Olympic-sized swimming pool every 12.5 seconds. The pumps are driven by four turbines powered by Boeing 737-sized jet engines.

People walk with their umbrellas during rainy weather in Tokyo. In recent decades, the intensity and frequency of rainstorms in the Japanese capital has increased dramatically, which could put pressure on the city's drainage system. AFP

And when it is not filled with water, the reservoir becomes a popular tourist attraction.

Omoto, citing government figures, said the project has likely saved around 48 billion yen ($430 million) in property damage alone since it became fully operational.

In recent decades, the intensity and frequency of rainstorms in Tokyo has increased dramatically, according to the government's information agency.

Tokyo's annual rainfall averages around 1,500 millimeters which is not unusual. Singapore and Manila, by comparison, have over 2,000 millimeters of rainfall a year.

In recent years, localized downpours  dubbed "guerrilla rainstorms" have also become a problem, taxing the existing drainage systems and forcing authorities to expand the city's water diversion network.

The Furukawa Underground Regulating Reservoir is the latest addition to Tokyo's network of underground water-storage facilities.

The Furukawa River winds through Tokyo's Shibuya and Minato wards, which are some of the city's most densely packed neighborhoods, according to the government.

Due to space constraints, the reservoir has been built 15.24 meters directly underneath the course of the river, which often makes acute turns, complicating the project's construction.

The 3.3 km long, 7.5 meter diameter drainage tunnel can hold 135 million liters of storm water, which is equal to the volume of 54 Olympicsized swimming pools.

Systems like the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel and the Furukawa Underground Regulating Reservoir have dramatically reduced the flooding and damage caused by heavy rainstorms.

"It is also largely thanks to these kinds of underground and out-of-sight systems protecting Tokyo that it is uncommon to see pools of standing water on the city's streets, even after the heaviest of rains," the government said.

"As Tokyo continues to adapt to changing weather patterns, it is likely that these systems will continue to play a key role in protecting the city for many years to come."

But there are some who do not share that optimism. With the effects of global warming becoming increasingly obvious, there is no degree of certainty as to the severity of storms and rainfall.

Nobuyuki Tsuchiya, a civil engineering expert and author of the 2014 book Shuto Suibotsu (The Capital Submerged), has his doubts.

In an interview with The Japan Times, he said weather conditions previously considered very rare are becoming increasingly prevalent due to the growing impact of global warming. He noted that weather and rainfall patterns are changing.

Akira Kawamura, a professor of engineering at Tokyo Metropolitan University, agreed. In the same interview, he said: "Should the banks of the Arakawa River (which flows from Saitama prefecture and through Tokyo to Tokyo Bay) break, the damage would be so extensive that it could annihilate the entire capital, with the below-sea-level areas in eastern Tokyo, including Koto and Edogawa wards, likely to be hit the hardest."

The World Bank noted that extreme weather conditions are among the most devastating effects of global warming. These include powerful typhoons, monsoon rains, hurricanes and tropical cyclones that wreak havoc on cities and other lowlying areas.

It said floods are considered the world's "most frequent destructive natural disaster and the cost of rehabilitation is taking a toll on most of the world's economies".

With the growing frequency and intensity of abnormal weather conditions across the region, Tokyo is held up as a model of what can be done to protect urban areas from flooding. However, such preventive measures come with no guarantees.
China's green concept of 'sponge cities' to mitigate flood risk and better manage rainwater resources will have applications all over Asia

China is setting a new global standard in urban development that will save cities from flooding by collecting, filtering and storing rainwater.

As one analyst put it recently: "Rainwater is one of the world's most wasted natural resources."

During the monsoon and typhoon seasons, huge amounts of water are dumped across the region, eventually running off into waterways, streams and rivers.

China's urban green development program is changing the concept of city planning. The old focus on concrete and asphalt is being replaced with parks, wetlands and drainage systems that collect, filter and store water underground and take the excess away from built-up areas to deposit it downstream.

"What you are looking at is basically an urban sponge," said Stefan Rau, an urban development specialist with the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB).

China coined the term 'sponge cities' to describe its green urbanization program, Rau told China Daily. He cited Singapore and Tokyo as two outstanding examples of water management in an urban environment.

The Chinese government's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) highlighted water conservation as its first priority in the nation's building infrastructure network. It emphasized that water resource management, water ecology remediation and water environment protection will be the most important elements of infrastructure construction.

The idea behind sponge cities is that districts, residential estates and regions will be developed with storage facilities, filtration basins and wetlands, and roads and sidewalks will have waterpermeable surfaces.

"These measures will be supplemented with modern wastewater systems, suitable adapted industrial areas and public green spaces. According to the planners, the cities will absorb as much water as possible and store it for future use  like sponges," said the Eco-Business website.

"One goal is that at least 70 percent of rainwater will be absorbed through the ground instead of being directed directly to rivers. The program envisages that by 2020 every fifth city in China will have the corresponding infrastructure. By 2030, this will have risen to 80 percent."

Urban specialist Bharat Dahiya said that while 'sponge cities' sounds like a new concept, it has been in practice in Asia for millennia.

"What is currently being done is a reframing of this age-old concept into the context of today's urban realities, like old wine in a new bottle," he said.

A senior adviser with the environment, development and sustainability program at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, Dahiya said: "There is huge scope for its use in Asia for enhancing the sustainability of regional urban development that should be promoted and supported."

He said this is particularly important as cities throughout the region face growing challenges from increased incidents of flooding due to the impact of climate change.

"This has led to groundwater depletion often caused by excessive and unregulated groundwater withdrawals, saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, poor water resources management in watersheds (both countryside and cities), and (resultant) water scarcity across the entire spectrum of cities and towns," Dahiya said.

"Given these unprecedented challenges, the importance of the sponge cities concept in the Asia regional urban context cannot be overemphasized, especially vis-a-vis urban policy and planning."

The ADB's Rau agreed, adding: "Asia's cities urgently need to reinvent themselves to become more resilient to the effects of climate change, flooding and water scarcity.

"Well-planned urban green spaces can significantly reduce the risk of floods and manage water resources in a sustainable way, while making cities more liveable and green," Rau said.

"Picture a whole city that absorbs, harvests, stores, filters, purifies and slowly releases rainwater  like a sponge. Rainwater is retained, naturally filtered and cleaned, and then slowly discharged into rivers and drained into the soil. This is the principle of the sponge city.

"You basically combine both gray infrastructure (pipes and drainage systems) with green infrastructure (parks and wetlands).

"By being able to harness water, clean and store it (preferably underground) you can use it during extended dry periods."

He said urban planners, whether in China or elsewhere in the world, will have to make water collection and storage a major part of urban planning.

Bangkok, a city of more than 8 million people, was once known as the Venice of the East with its network of canals the main mode of transport. Today, most of the canals have been filled in and replaced by roads and apartment buildings.

Manila was once called the Paris of the East, but the city, along with its beautiful architecture, was destroyed during World War II by both the Allied and Japanese forces.

The Philippine capital was never rebuilt to reflect its past. Canals and waterways, once used to drain off water following torrential downpours, have become garbage dumps and open sewers.

Jakarta, with a population in excess of 10 million, has also paid a high price for poor urban planning.

The Human Cities Coalition  a public-private partnership of organizations, initiated by a group of Dutch companies and founded in 2016  said last year that the rapid pace of urbanization in the Indonesian capital has given rise to multiple problems such as floods, traffic congestion, poverty and inequality.

"Jakarta faces some unique water infrastructure challenges due to the 13 rivers that feed into it," the coalition said.

"Large swaths of the city sit below sea level, with some places sinking 25 cm per year (on average 5-10 cm). This means flooding and the ensuing pollution are a constant  if not life-threatening  challenge for the many low-income inhabitants that currently call places like North Jakarta home."

As in many Asian cities, floods can occur in Jakarta for various and overlapping reasons, such as rivers brimming with garbage, waste-choked waterways, high levels of river sedimentation, and overflowing seawater.

Rau said there is "very little you can do with older, established cities. But with new urban developments, you can adopt the sponge or green infrastructure approach."

One sponge city program backed by the ADB is in Pingxiang, in East China's Jiangxi province. With a population of nearly 2 million, the city has seen a rise in the frequency and severity of floods since 1998.

Major floods between 1998 and 2014 affected more than 496,000 people, caused the collapse of more than 2,600 houses, and resulted in significant economic losses in agriculture.

A flood that struck the city on May 25, 2014 caused an estimated $115 million in economic losses. Inadequate sewer systems and wastewater treatment have also severely affected water quality and the wider environment.

The Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban Infrastructure Development Project will protect floodplains, restore wetlands and create wider green spaces along rivers.

"Through such initiatives, the project aims to address in a connected manner key challenges of flooding, river pollution, untreated wastewater and lack of rural-urban linkages," the ADB said.

"Embankments and wetlands along rivers will be rehabilitated and landscaped, helping to cleanse rainwater runoff. Rural embankments are planned as agriculture shelterbelts with edible crops, and flood-resilient farming will include training for farmers in advanced organic crop growing.

"Public greenways along the rivers will create open spaces with enhanced water and rainwater management."

Since its launch by the central government in April 2015, China's sponge cities program has so far included 30 cities and regions. Each of these municipalities receives an annual grant of at least 400 million yuan ($58.6 million).

According to Lu Kehua, vice-minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, 130 cities across the country already have plans to be converted into sponge cities.

Michael Zhao, an associate and expert in water management in the Shanghai office of global urban designers Arup, said: "In China, the climate is bringing more rain in summer. From June to September, there will be high density rainfall which is bringing up urban planning problems.

"There's already been very serious flooding for four or five years each summer," Zhao told The Guardian newspaper. "You will see flooding in more and more cities. As urbanization brings more people to those cities, the problem becomes worse and worse."
Vikram Gandhi debunks the myth that financial returns must be sacrificed when investing in social causes.

A savvy deal-maker whose investment banking experience stretches over two decades, Gandhi said social ventures need not just be charity.

Gandhi said social investments can assure returns that not only match market rates but also have an impact on the underserved  what he calls "impact investing". This is a particularly important message in India, where social investing is yet to take off in a significant way.

"In India the underserved, or those at the bottom of the pyramid, is a huge market," he said.

"I believe that if one can apply business principles in a product or service (for the underserved) and can provide it at a price point that makes sense to that customer base, and at a cost structure where one is profitable, it becomes a much more sustainable and scalable model."

Gandhi's definition of impact investing is the creation of a business that offers products and services for a community at a profit, and which can be reinvested for growth and scalability that also helps to serve others.

As proof, Gandhi cites his venture: Asha Impact, which invests in and provides support to scalable social enterprises.

Gandhi founded Asha Impact, in which he and Pramod Bhasin  who set up Genpact, a pioneer in business process outsourcing  are the primary investors. Together they have invested "tens of millions" of their personal wealth "under the Asha Impact umbrella" in ventures that combine both commercial returns and social impact.

"Typically Asha invests between $1-3 million in early-stage companies, which includes potential follow-on investments," Gandhi said. One of its most successful investments was low-income housing, where Asha Impact invested in a company that builds houses and sells at a reasonable profit.

"We cannot disclose investments in individual companies due to confidentiality reasons but the housing company is in its early stages of development and growth," Gandhi said, adding that the profits are being plowed back into other housing projects.

"So this is a good example that a for-profit model can work alongside philanthropic activities, and it does not have to be an 'either-or' pursuit. The fact that an investor can make money by producing a product or service for a community which is otherwise underserved is a win-win situation for everybody."

Gandhi started "serving the community" while still at school.

"The school I went to encouraged community service, but my tryst with philanthropy started with visits to a nonprofit social service organization called Asha Daan, started by Mother Teresa, where I would go every week to teach English to poor students," he said.

However, his first significant involvement in serving a large community was in setting up AIESEC's India chapter. AIESEC, founded in 1948, is a global nonprofit organization that enables young people to work in different countries.

Gandhi was selected to head the organization in India while he was still in college. Soon, he was elected to head AIESEC's global operations. He moved to its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for a year.

Before long, other opportunities emerged. While working for AIESEC in Mumbai, Gandhi caught the attention of Ratan Tata, the head of Indian conglomerate Tata Group.

"I worked closely with Mr Tata for about two years, on various projects including some for the Tata Trusts  the charitable arm of the Tata Group," he said.

The AIESEC experience also kindled a desire to acquire an overseas qualification, though Gandhi already had business degrees from Indian institutions. He was accepted by Harvard Business School's MBA program.

But this "expensive degree" also meant putting his philanthropic plans on hold for a while, and opting instead for a more lucrative career.

He ended up working for Morgan Stanley and later Credit Suisse. But "while I was pursuing a career in high finance and high-end consultancy, I never really stepped away from developmental activities", he said.

During his stint as an investment banker and a consultant, Gandhi managed some philanthropic initiatives at Morgan Stanley. He also dabbled in microfinance by joining the board of Grameen Foundation  the global nonprofit organization founded by Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi Nobel laureate.

However, Gandhi yearned to return home. "Being an Indian at heart, I always wanted to come back to India after living in the US for a few years. Yet, family commitments and the children's education made it tough."

But 23 years later, having achieved career goals, financial security, and with his children's education completed, Gandhi returned to his roots.

From a structural standpoint, life has three phases, he said. "The first is education, to prepare for the world. Building a career and family and financial security comes next, which I did for the next 25 years till I was 50. But then, having achieved those goals, I decided it was time for the next stage  that is, to return and build a legacy."

According to Gandhi, impact investing is a continuum. On one hand there is philanthropy, where one writes a check and does not expect to get the capital back. Then, there is the other extreme, where one invests purely for return.

There is a spectrum in the middle, and impact investing covers that too.

Gandhi operates in that middle spectrum. He explained that Asha Impact is a virtual platform that functions like a private equity or venture capital firm, but sourcing transactions that have a targeted social impact.

His focus has extended overseas as well. A few years back he founded the Harvard South Asian Initiative, which brings together different colleges under Harvard University's umbrella to solve problems in the South Asia region.

And now Gandhi is eyeing China, where impact investing is still in its infancy and he sees huge potential.

"Our plan is to create more awareness of the benefits of impact investing through our network in Hong Kong and Shanghai," he said. "As increasing levels of private wealth are being created, this is an opportune time for Chinese 'family offices' to participate and become more active in this area."

For Gandhi, commitment to the community is much more than a philanthropic wish. He considers it a moral responsibility.

Born into a family that was comfortably off, he recognizes he enjoyed access to opportunities denied to the 400 million Indians living below the poverty line.
By WANG LINYAN and ZHANG RUINAN in New York | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-07-20 05:18

The Illinois man indicted by a federal grand jury in the kidnapping of visiting Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying is scheduled to be arraigned at 3 pm on Thursday in a federal courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.

Brendt Christensen, 28, of Champaign, Illinois, who has a master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), was arrested on June 30 on a charge of kidnapping Zhang, 26, who attended the same school.

Zhang has not been seen since, and police believe that she is no longer alive.

During the arraignment at the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Urbana, the judge is expected to read the indictment to the suspect and ask the suspect if he has a plea, said Wang Zhidong, a lawyer representing members of Zhang's family.

The arraignment also will address a bail application by the suspect, and if he pleads not guilty, the court will set a trial date, Wang said.

Christensen's lawyers have said he will plead not guilty.

Amid the intense interest in the case in China, the US and around the world, a defense attorney and retired professor, Steve Beckett, joined Wang this week (double check) to offer free legal services to members of Zhang's family.

"I will bring a criminal law perspective to the team to help Zhang's family," said Beckett, who was director of trial advocacy at the University of Illinois College of Law for 31 years before he retired in May.

Wang said Beckett is an old friend of his law firm partner.

"I believe his extensive knowledge of criminal law and legal procedures from his 44 years of experience as a practicing attorney and law professor will offer Zhang's family better legal consultation," Wang said.

Beckett said he heard about the case through one of his former Chinese students at UIUC.

"I've never seen such a weird case before, especially when an international student from the university is involved," he said. "We don't want to see such things happen again."

Thomas Bruno, one of Christensen's lawyers, said on Tuesday that his son, Anthony, will represent Christensen in court on Thursday.

"We will make sure the defendant is well represented and his rights are protected," said Bruno, who is also deputy mayor of Champaign.

The indictment unsealed on July 12 charges that Christensen kidnapped Zhang and held her captive on June 9. If convicted, he would face a maximum penalty of life in prision.

China continues to keep a close eye on the case and strongly expects the US court to conduct a fair trial to bring justice to Zhang and her family, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang on July 14.

China will continue to provide assistance to members of Zhang's family, Geng said.

On July 14, Crime Stoppers' representatives and members of Zhang's family announced in Champaign that the reward for clues leading to Zhang's whereabouts was raised to $50,000. With a $10,000 reward posted by the FBI, the reward money now totals $60,000.

Wang said Zhang's family members would be at the hearing on Thursday, and they are still hopeful that she is still alive.

"Yingying's father said that the family would not go back to China until they find Yingying," Wang said on Tuesday.
Beijing expects stronger coordination and cooperation to promote peace and dialogue in the Middle East as it hosted vists from prominent political figures of four countries in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

China's recent interactions with the region have come into the limelight as Palestine's president, Tunisia's foreign minister, the United Arab Emirates' minister of state and Qatar's foreign minister traveled to Beijing this week.

When meeting with Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will continue promoting peace and dialogue in accordance with the needs of countries in the Middle East to further push for political settlements of the Gulf crisis.

In response, Mohammed said Qatar values its friendship with China and China's role in the region, and Qatar appreciates how China has reacted since the crisis began.

Currently, the Middle East situation is "at a critical crossroad", and "since there's no stability in the Middle East, the world can hardly enjoy tranquillity", Lu told a regular news conference on Thursday.

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has always kept track of the peace, stability and development in the Middle East region, he said.

"There are no selfish interests behind China's addressing the Middle East issue, and it completely acts out of the well-being of regional countries and their people," Lu said.

A range of new proposals were made by Chinese officials during the recent sequence of visits and talks in Beijing.

Niu Xinchun, director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that behind the trips to China are the welcome gestures of the Middle East countries toward China's playing a greater role in the region and the region's leaders' hopes to ease tensions there.

Xue Qingguo, a professor of Arab studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the recent China visits showcase China's impartial role in regional issues as well as China's good ties with the Middle Eastern countries.

"What China could do is to beef up its mediating efforts and offer its proposals. This does not mean China will get entangled or meddle in the standoffs. Instead, China offers helps within its capacity," Xue said.

In his talk on Tuesday with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, President Xi Jinping said China will hold a seminar for people who want peace in Palestine and Israel this year to contribute ideas and solutions to the Palestinian issue.

When meeting with visiting UAE Minister of State Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber on Wednesday, Wang unveiled China's three-point position on the lingering Gulf crisis, including supporting an early start of talks by all parties involved.

Wang also proposed a four-point principle on the Libyan issue when meeting with his Tunisian counterpart on Wednesday, calling for reinforced international cooperation in the fight against terror.
A controversial Audi AG advertisement that uses a bride as a metaphor for secondhand cars has been withdrawn, although it still can be viewed on at least one popular Chinese video platform as well as foreign news websites.

The video begins with a solemn wedding ceremony being interrupted, presumably by the fussy mother of the groom. She roughly checks the bride's nose, ears and teeth, much to the couple's and guests' dismay.

The future mother-in-law concludes with an OK gesture before realizing that she had forgotten to examine the bride's breasts.

The 30-second commercial, titled "Audi Used Car Advertisement  Facelift" concludes with a narrator booming: "Important decisions must be made carefully," while directing viewers to a site that sells used cars "assured by official certification".

Audi, a German luxury car maker, is a division of the German multinational Volkswagen Group.

Both Audi AG and its Chinese joint venture partner apologized and pledged to withdraw the commercial after the bilingual ad, aired online and in Chinese movie theaters, sparked a furious backlash in China.

Many Chinese viewers said they were particularly disgusted by the mother pulling open the bride's mouth to check on her teeth, which some interpreted as equating women to livestock and slaves.

"I'm surprised that Audi could come up with such a low advert!" a viewer identified as LWEI7023 from South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region said.

Another netizen, Hujinghuai from East China's Zhejiang province, said the commerce and industrial administration should fine Audi heavily.

"We sincerely accept criticism and advice (and) will lose no time in withdrawing the advert and offer our sincere apology to the public," the FAW-Volkswagen Audi used-car division said in a statement on Thursday

Lianshu was among the first to post a protest on her Weibo account on Monday, decrying "a disgusting advert that utterly objectifies women". Her post had been forwarded nearly 30,000 times by Thursday.

"One person, with the help from thousands, can really make a difference," the blogger said in another post on Thursday.

Although the video clip that Lianshu used in her account would not open on Tuesday, the ad was available on miaopai.com, a popular Chinese video platform, and could be viewed on the websites of Daily Mail, the BBC, the Financial Times and other foreign news sites as of Thursday. The ad also is embedded in several US news stories.

Michael Wilkes, head of corporate communications of Audi China, confirmed to China Daily that the ad was produced exclusively for the Chinese market.

"The ad's perception that has been created for many people does not correspond to the values of our company in any way," the company said in a statement. "The responsible department of the joint venture has arranged a thorough investigation of the internal control and coordination processes so that an incident like this can be excluded in the future."

According to Advertising Age, a trade publication for the industry, the ad was produced by the Beijing office of the New York firm Ogilvy & Mather.

Ogilvy and BBH China had been handling creative duties for FAW Audi, the joint venture in China, but the account recently moved to Leo Burnett Beijing, Ad Age reported.

Ding Junjie, dean of the Advertising Institute of the Communication University of China, said he believed the Audi commercial may have flouted Chinese advertising regulations on bias against women.

"It is silly to try to establish a link between weddings and secondhand car trade," Ding said. The ad fancied itself clever but ran afoul with fundamental social culture and ethics in China, he said.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com
Louisiana has benefited greatly since Chinese investment increased in the US Gulf Coast in 2010.

"It (cooperation between Louisiana and China) is not just a thing we might be able to do in the future, we are actually breaking ground now, and I'm excited about that," Governor John Bel Edwards told China Daily on July 13, on the sidelines of the 2017 National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island.

Chinese commerce is already a transformative force in Louisiana's economy, with extensive trade and recent cross-border investment linking the two more strongly than ever, according to the Louisiana Economic Development website.

The Bayou State is now the third-largest recipient of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the US. Louisiana's 2016 exports to China amounted to almost $8 billion, making China its top export market, according to US Census Bureau statistics.

"Last year, Louisiana ranked 17th among 50 states in trade with China. Trade with China increased from $7.5 billion to $9.1 billion at the end of 2016. And the largest commodities are organic chemicals, minerals, fuels, plastics and nuclear reactors," Edwards said.

Top exports to China include agricultural products, copper and ores. Last year, the state's voluminous agricultural exports contributed to a nearly $7 billion trade surplus with China, the largest of any state.

Now there is a new commodity in the picture, liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Among the initial steps in the China-US 100-Day action plan of the Comprehensive Economic Dialogue - agreed to by President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April - Chinese companies were invited to negotiate long-term contracts for LNG shipments from US suppliers.

The step indicates more growth opportunities for Louisiana - a state with an abundant natural gas supply.

Louisiana is speeding up LNG facility construction not only for export but also for local chemical engineering.

"The announcement of the official policy of the importation of natural gas is going to be very helpful," Edwards said.

In April, China's Wanhua Chemical announced a $1.12 billion plan to build a chemical manufacturing complex in Louisiana.

The plant, which will produce methylene diphenyl disocyanate (MDI), a major chemical used in insulating foam for refrigerators, is expected to create more than 1,100 jobs. A site will be selected this year.

The project would be the second-largest Chinese investment in Louisiana, following the $1.85 billion methanol complex under development by Yuhuang Chemical in St. James Parish in 2014.

Both companies chose Louisiana because of the state's proximity to inexpensive natural gas as well as its convenient waterborne transportation.

"We are very blessed geographically with the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River," Edward said proudly.

Louisiana now has more than $90 billion in LNG export facilities in the planning stages, under construction or in operation across about a dozen facilities.

"We've always used the pipelines to move our gas to the rest of the country, but now those pipelines have been reversed, bringing more gas to Louisiana not only for export but also for chemical engineering," said Edwards, who took office January 2016.

"And we have Chinese investment in natural gas for export along the coast," he said. "The very first plant actually did export, but most of the plants are still under construction, including the ones that are being financed by the Chinese companies," he added.

In May, Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai visited Louisiana and met with Edwards and other state officials.

Edwards told Cui that Louisiana regards China as its primary FDI partner.

"We are going to do more as a state to make sure that we can increase the comfort level with people, that it is the right place to invest money, and we're willing to infrastructure things properly," he said.

"The opportunities are there in Louisiana. With our efforts and people's support, the partnership between China and Louisiana will be strong and growing," Edwards said.

hongxiao@chinadailyusa.com
With only dozens of "comfort women" victims alive today, a prominent historian of their plight called for international efforts to preserve the historical documents for future generations.

"A lot of the documents and photos of 'comfort women' were ruined by fire or water as the Japanese military tried to destroy the evidence when they were defeated," said Su Zhiliang, a history professor at Shanghai Normal University, who has spent more than two decades researching the "comfort women" system and campaigning on behalf of the victims.

The Japanese military set up the first "comfort stations" (military brothels) in Shanghai in 1932. By the full-scale invasion in 1937, the stations were all over China, from northernmost Heilongjiang to southernmost Hainan Island, said Su during his visit to San Francisco at the invitation of the Comfort Women Justice Coalition, an activist organization based in the city.

The "comfort women" system was soon expanded to Southeast Asia, until the end of World War II in 1945. An estimated 400,000 girls and women were forced into prostitution by the Japanese military.

Half of them were from China, 140,000 to 160,000 from South Korea and the rest were from Japan and other Asian countries, according to Su.

The "comfort women" documentation was not meant to protest against Japan but to preserve the "shared memory of humankind", said Su, also director of China's Comfort Women History Museum at Shanghai Normal University.

"What the Japanese military did to 'comfort women' is an atrocity against human rights, especially against women's rights, that ever happened in human history. Not only Japan, but the whole world should reflect upon it," he said.

In 2015, Su was prominently involved in the Chinese application to have Nanjing Massacre and "comfort women" documents inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, a compendium aimed at preserving documented heritage of universal value.

While the historical documents of the Nanjing Massacre were listed on the program, the application of "comfort women" was rejected by the UNESCO Committee as a result of intensive behind-the-scenes lobbying from Japan.

Last June, the applications were submitted by an international joint committee representing eight countries and regions - Chinese mainland, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, the Netherlands and Japan - as well as three war museums in the UK, the US and Australia.

Su showed some of the key evidence filed with the application - including the records of the "comfort stations", photos taken by the Japanese soldiers, and a membership roster of a Korean natives association in Nanjing - at a lecture attended by activists from different communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A record dated February 1938 shows that more than 8,000 Japanese soldiers entered the "comfort station" in the small town of Zhenjiang in East China over 10 days. The ratio of "comfort women" to Japanese soldiers was 1 to 178.

Another important record is a roster of a Korean natives association found in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. Among the 210 people with their names, occupations and addresses recorded on the roster, 127 were "comfort women", with the youngest being 19.

"In 1944, there were about 2.5 million Korean people in China. This roster shows 60 percent of them were 'comfort women'. We believe there are much more 'comfort women' than the estimated figure," said Su.

This autumn, the UNESCO committee will discuss the application and make a decision despite the efforts of the Japanese government.

Last October, Japan, the second largest contributor to UNESCO, announced the suspension of its payments to the organization to protest the inclusion of Nanjing Massacre documentation in the Memory of the World Register.

"Japan continues to deny its role even in the face of powerful evidence. But facts are facts, and lies are lies. Even a child understands that. Historical facts cannot be changed by a revisionist government," said Lillian Sing, co-chair of the Comfort Women Justice Coalition.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
Business discussion - Washington US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (center); Jack Ma (right), executive chairman of Alibaba Group; and Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of The Blackstone Group, speak at the US-China Business Leaders Summit held on Tuesday at the US Commerce Department in Washington. About 20 Chinese and US business leaders took part in the talk. The meeting was held a day before the China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue chaired in Washington by Ross, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang. Chen Weihua / China Daily
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Hanoi, July 20 (VNA)  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong held a meeting in Phnom Penh on July 20 with Vice President of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and President of the Senate of Cambodia Samdech Say Chhum.



While reviewing relations between the two nations over the past 50 years, Say Chhum stressed that the Cambodian people will never forget the sacrifices of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, who helped the Cambodian people escape from the genocidal disaster, revive and develop the country.



He shared the common perspectives of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability between the two countries, and promised to join hands with other Cambodian leaders in further promoting ties with Vietnam.



Having expressed his admiration for Vietnams great achievements over the past 30 years of reform, Say Chhum believed that the Vietnam people would continue reaping successes during the process of national construction and development in the future.



For his part, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulated and highly evaluated great achievements that Cambodia has gained during its national construction and defence process.



He affirmed that despite changes in the world, Vietnam will consistently make every effort, together with Cambodia, to safeguard, maintain and reinforce bilateral relations for the common interests of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.



The leaders spoke highly of cooperative ties between the two countries over the past years, including relations between the Cambodian Senate and the National Assembly of Vietnam, suggesting that they should continue fostering cooperation and exchanging experience in legislation, while supervising the implementation of treaties, agreements and deals signed between the two countries, thus deepening the Vietnam-Cambodia traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.



The leaders also held that Vietnam and Cambodia need to increase the exchange of information and coordinate closely at international forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN and sub-region cooperation mechanisms, contributing to peace, stability and growth in the region and the world.



Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong proposed President Say Chhum, along with the Senate and the National Assembly of Cambodia, will continue creating more favourable conditions, especially in terms of legal aspect, for Vietnamese nationals to lead stable lives and contribute to Cambodias national construction and development as well as enhancing the friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.



The leaders also agreed that the two sides will continue their joint efforts to successfully organise activities of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2017, stressing that this is a good chance for the two countries to enhance public awareness, especially among young generations, about their solidarity and traditional friendship.

VNA/VNP
Phnom Penh, July 20 (VNA)  Vietnam always attaches importance to and has continuously enhanced the solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.



The Party chief made the affirmation while meeting with Honorary President of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin in Phnom Penh on July 20 as part of his State visit to the neighbouring country.



Congratulating Cambodia on its successful organisation of commune/ward elections in 2017, the Vietnamese leader expressed his belief that the country will successfully organise next elections, especially the Senate and general elections in 2018.



He affirmed that Vietnam treasures cooperation between the two countries legislatures over the past time, and suggested President Heng Samrin continue his instructions to intensify coordination and cooperation between committees of the two legislative agencies, especially through the exchange of experience and expertise in legislation, supervision and decision-making on major national matters.



The two sides should step up their collaboration to prompt ministries, agencies, localities and businesses to effectively implement treaties and agreements signed between the two countries, helping to deepen the traditional solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, said General Secretary Trong.



For his part, President Heng Samrin pledged efforts to preserve and advance the solidarity, traditional friendship and goof neighbourliness.



He thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for their support to Cambodian during the struggles for national independence and against the Pol Pot genocidal regime, as well as the cause of national recovery and development.



The Cambodian leader said the bilateral cooperation between the two legislatures is thriving, contributing to the relationship between the two countries.



The host described great cooperation achievements recorded by the two countries over the past 50 years as a momentum to bring their relations to a new height and a new period.



Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong took this occasion to inform his host that the Vietnamese Party, State and people have decided to donate 25 million USD to help the Cambodian NA construct a work building for its Secretariat and committees.



The two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the donation between Vietnamese NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu and the Second Vice NA Chairman of Cambodia.

VNA/VNP
Vietnam and Bangladesh will continue to boost legislative cooperation through exchanges of high-ranking delegations, share legal experience and implement cooperation agreements between the two sides.



The agreement was reached by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury during their talks in Hanoi on July 20.



NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in Hanoi__Photo: VNA

They also agreed to consider the establishment of the two Parliamentary Friendship Groups, which will serve as a bridge to boost exchanges between parliamentarians of the two countries as well as will work to promote the economic cooperation and exchanges between the two people.

They entrust relevant agencies to accelerate the building and preparation to soon sign a cooperation mechanism between the two countries to increase cooperation efficiency between the two legislative bodies.

At the talks, they expressed delight at the continuous development of the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Bangladesh .

NA Chairwoman Ngan spoke highly of the visit to Vietnam by the Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, the first visit by a top Bangladeshi legislator since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973.

She said the visit will help promote the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two nations and two peoples, and open up a new development stage between the two legislative bodies.

Ngan affirmed that Vietnam has always attached importance and wished to enhance the traditional friendship and cooperation with Bangladesh .

Vietnam s NA will create favorable legal conditions to help foster the cooperation between the two countries in all fields, she said.

Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Shirin expressed her delight at leading the high-ranking Bangladesh Parliament delegation visit to Vietnam .

She invited NA Chairwoman Ngan to visit Bangladesh , and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure.- (VNS/VLLF)

, ,
HA NOI  Viet Nams Beta Media JSC has signed an investment agreement with Hong Kongs Blue HK Investments Ltd to construct low-cost multiplexes in small cities and suburbs in the country.

At the signing ceremony, Beta Medias general director Bui Quang Minh affirmed that he still owns more than 50 per cent of the shares and will continue to run the company, though he did not disclose the amount received from Blue HK or the stake it holds.

Beta Media is valued at US$27.5 million, Minh said.

Prior to this, Beta Media has received investment capital from Viet Nam Investment Group (VIG), the investor of Galaxy Cinemas and Galaxy Studios.

A cinema investment company, Beta Media was established in 2015 with the launch of Beta Cineplex cinemas in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. It follows a low-cost model and focuses on small and outlying provinces.

Currently, the company has four multiplexes in Thai Nguyen, Ha Noi and the southern province of ong Nai, each with four to five screens. Its ticket prices are 60 to 65 per cent lower than the high-end cinemas in major cities.

The company expects to launch another six multiplexes this year, in the central province of Thanh Hoa, the northern province of Bac Giang, Ha Noi, HCM City, and the southern provinces of Khanh Hoa and An Giang. Its target is to operate 20 theatre complexes in Viet Nam by 2018.

Beta Media also offers catering services at the multiplexes. Recently, the company also entered the area of film production and distribution.

Its cinema complexes in small cities and provinces and in suburban areas without competitors have been more effective than in large cities such as Ha Noi. The investment required in smaller regions is 60-70 per cent of the investment in big cities, Minh said.  VNS
CAN THO  European consumers cannot recognise brand names of most goods imported from Viet Nam since many businesses are not fully aware of the importance of building trademarks and have not complied with EU standards for exports, Claudio Dordi, technical assistance team leader of the EU-MUTRAP Project, said.

Most of Viet Nams agricultural products sold in the EU market are labelled with Chinese and Japanese brand names since Viet Nam exports raw materials to these countries, Dordi told a trade policy forum organised by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Centre for Investment and Trade Promotion of Can Tho City on Thursday.

According to the expert, up to 99 per cent of coffee products imported into the EU come from Viet Nam, but few consumers know that fact.

Aside from coffee, the countrys cocoa, tea, toys, footwear and apparel are also facing the same situation, he noted, adding that European consumers equate Vietnamese goods with Chinese products, forcing importing countries to raise more quality control barriers towards Vietnamese products.

The expert urged Vietnamese exporters to modernise their production lines and develop strong brand names for their firms.

They also needed to update changes in import policies of partner markets.

Nguyen Phuong Mai, a specialist of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project of the UN Industrial Development Organisation, said enterprises should affirm their reputation by implementing the CSR Pyramid, which includes economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic domains.

The top of this pyramid is the philanthropic domain, indicating that benefits produced by businesses go beyond the societys expectations.

Alain Chevalier, senior technical advisor of the programme Decentralised Trade Support Services for Strengthening the International Competitiveness of Vietnamese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, introduced the Standards Map of the International Trade Centre.

The software helps exporters learn about the main features, requirements and export-related policies.

Accordingly, Vietnamese firms exporting goods to the EU should understand that local consumers are ready to pay more for goods meeting standards, in an environmentally friendly manner and with social responsibility, he added.  VNS
HCM CITY  TTC Energy Joint Stock Company has signed an agreement with Saigon Co.op Investment Development Joint Stock Company to install a 588 kWp solar power system on the roof of the latters Sense City Department Store in Ben Tre city.

TTC Energy, a member of the TTC Group, will use 280W mono solar panels produced in the US.

The agreement makes Sense City Ben Tre the first department store in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta to use clean energy.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of an investment promotion conference held in Ben Tre Province on Thursday in the presence of former Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong and chairman of the Government Office and minister, Mai Tien Dung.

At the conference, which was attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and many senior officials, TTC Group got the licence for its Binh ai wind power plant from Ben Tre authorities.

To be built by the Mekong Wind Power JSC, another member of the TTC Group, the plants 15 wind turbines will have a capacity of 30MW and is expected to start producing power in 2019-20.  VNS
HCM CITY  India, which supplies about 1 per cent of all textile machinery to the Vietnamese textile and garment industry, wants to increase that ratio in the coming years, a business meeting heard in HCM City on Thursday.

Speaking at the event, Smita Pant, the Indian consul general in HCM City, said While we are exporting over US$450 million worth of textile machinery to the world, the export to Viet Nam is about $400,000.

Viet Nam imports a lot of textile machinery from China, South Korea and Taiwan but not from India, she said.

She called for more exchanges between the two countries to promote co-operation in the textile sector.

The event was attended by executives from eight member companies of the Indian Textile Accessories and Machinery Manufacturers Association (ITAMMA), who met with their Vietnamese counterparts to exchange information and explore business opportunities.

Kishore Khaitan, ITAMMAs chairman, said India offers quality textile machinery at more competitive prices than Europe.

We can offer you solutions customised to meet your requirements for upgrading, modernising and meeting the needs of the market in terms of developing innovative products.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, deputy general secretary of the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Association, said Viet Nam is the fifth largest garment and textile exporter in the world with exports of $28.5 billion last year.

But it imports a lot of the raw materials and equipment used in the industry, she said.

Since India has strength in textile machinery, technology and raw materials and Viet Nam is dependent on imports, they could mutually benefit by co-operation, she said.

Under the ASEAN-India FTA and the upcoming Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), garment and textile products are among the items the two countries would cut tariffs on, she said.

So it would be an opportunity for Vietnamese firms to expand their sources for machinery, equipment and raw materials, she said.

ITAMMA on Thursday also signed memorandums of understanding with the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Association and Incham to promote co-operation in the textile sector between India and Viet Nam.

ITAMMA plans to set up a technology service centre for the textile industry in Viet Nam to enable its members to access the Vietnamese market, Khaitan said.

The centre would not only offer machinery and parts, but also have a training centre for upgrading the skills of technicians working in the Vietnamese textile industry, he added.  VNS
Viet Nams merger and acquisition (M&A) market is seeking a big push as signs of a deceleration have crept up this year.  Photo tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn

HA NOI  Viet Nams merger and acquisition (M&A) market is seeking a big push as signs of a deceleration have crept up this year.

M&A deals in Viet Nam hit an all-time record of US$5.8 billion in 2016, a growth of 11.92 per cent compared to 2015s value, according to a report released at a press meeting to launch the M&A Forum 2017 on Thursday.

However, the market has seen a slowdown since the latter half of last year with fewer stellar deals. The total value of M&A deals reached just $1.1 billion in the first quarter of this year, down 24.4 per cent year-on-year.

According to the latest research by the M&A Forum 2017, the domestic M&A market will likely not surpass 2016s peak without a breakthrough.

This will require a big push from the Government and businesses to boost M&A activities to grow stronger in both quantity and quality, said Le Trong Minh, editor-in-chief of Vietnam Investment Review, organisers of the M&A Forum 2017, scheduled to be held in HCM City on August 10.

M&A activities in 2017 will face challenges of rising competition in drawing foreign capital between Viet Nam and regional countries and a slowdown in State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) equitisation process, as well as the low quality of Vietnamese companies and small scale of the economy.

The Governments latest report showed that the progress of SOE equitisation has not kept up with the Governments and investors expectations.

Only 52 SOEs were equitised in 2016, equivalent to 25 per cent of the number recorded in 2015. In the first half of this year, the number was just 20, down 24 per cent from the same period last year.

Viet Nams M&A market value is small in comparison with other ASEAN countries such as Singapore with total M&A value in 2016 hitting $62.3 billion; Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia around $11-16 billion.

In terms of deal values, most M&A deals in Viet Nam were small with over 64 per cent valued below $20 million.

Foreign capital continued to play a dominant role in executing stellar deals with sizes of between $20-100 million. For example, Thailands Central Group spent $1.05 billion to acquire Big C Viet Nam from the Casino Group, and TCC Holdings purchased the entire chain of Metro Vietnam Cash & Carry for $800 million.

Overseas investors accounted for roughly 77 per cent of the total value of M&A deals in Viet Nam in 2016. Asian companies continued to lead the market in terms of the number and value of the deals with Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong being the top five buyers in Viet Nam.

Retail, consumer goods and real estate sectors were the most attractive ones for M&A activities, especially deals in the retail sector accounting for 38.5 per cent of the total value in 2016.

Two scenarios for M&A Viet Nam 2017

The working group of the M&A Forum 2017 provides two scenarios for M&A activities in 2017, of which the conservative ratio predicts the total value of M&A deals to reach around $5 billion this year, down 14 per cent from 2016.

In the optimistic scenario with a breakthrough from SOEs equitisation, total value could reach $6.2-6.5 billion or higher, equivalent to a growth of 6.5-10 per cent.

State divestments from big companies such as Sai Gon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corp (Sabeco), Ha Noi Beer Alcohol and Beverage JSC (Habeco), Petrolimex, Vinamilk and MobiFone are on the investment radar for both foreign and domestic investors.

In 2017-18, M&A deals will continue to focus on retail, consumer goods and real estate. In addition, telecommunications, energy and infrastructure are expected to emerge and see some big deals.

Vietnam M&A Forum 2017

Vietnam M&A forum 2017, an annual event of mergers and acquisitions for companies and investors from Viet Nam and other countries, will take place at GEM Conference Centre in HCM City on August 10.

The event has been co-organised by Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) and AVM Vietnam since 2009 under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Under the theme Seeking a big push, the forum will be the platform to exchange suggestions, introduce opportunities and share experiences to create a breakthrough in the market this year.

About 30 international and Vietnamese guest speakers and 500 senior leaders from investment funds, Vietnamese and international corporations are expected to participate in the event.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam will have one more wholly foreign-owned bank if the merger and acquisition (M&A) deal on OceanBank is finalised, a State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) official said on Thursday.

Bui Huy Tho, deputy director of the Department for Management of Credit Institution and Banking Operation Licensing under the SBVs Banking Supervision Agency, said that a foreign investor has started the second phase of comprehensive assessment of the OceanBanks operation before deciding to acquire the lender.

The potential investor is serious about the deal and has shown willingness to successfully finalise it, Tho said in a press briefing on M&A Viet Nam 2017 Forum, which will be held in HCM City on August 10.

He affirmed that the acquisition of a credit institution was not a simple task, and it was necessary to give investors time to consider and appraise the situation, because banking operations, involving many assets, are complicated.

If the deal is sealed, Viet Nam will have another wholly foreign-owned bank, as the investor wants to buy 100 per cent shares of the bank, Tho said.

OceanBank is one of the three banks the SBV took over at zero ong in 2015, due to its inability to settle soaring bad debts, to prevent a systematic collapse of the banking system. The other two are GPBank and the Viet Nam Construction Bank.

Tho said that domestic and overseas investors have shown interest in acquiring stakes in the other two banks, and they have been allowed by the central bank to approach them for detailed information before making the next move, Tho said.

He said the Vietnamese Government was encouraging local and foreign investors to participate in the restructuring of the three ailing banks.

Concerning information that some banks have scaled down their business or withdrawn capital from local partners, Tho said that this was not a negative phenomenon.

Regarding the Vietnam International Bank (VIB)s acquisition of the Commonwealth Bank of Australias HCM City branch, the official said that the CBA had closed its branch to focus on partnering strategically with VIB in Viet Nam.

On the divestment of the Hongkong Shanghai Bank Corporation (HSBC) from the Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank), Tho said this case was not worth worrying.

He said HSBC had set up a local bank in Viet Nam with 100 per cent ownership, and the bank was operating efficiently; thus, it was understandable if it no longer want to be in a strategic partnership with Techcombank.

Tho stressed that these moves were in accordance with the SBVs strategy in managing credit institutions, in which the central bank wanted to reduce the number of credit institutions but focus on improving their operation quality, scale and transparency.

He also forecast that with the birth of Resolution 42 on bad debt settlement, the main obstacles in dealing with collaterals would be removed, which would also facilitate and encourage more investors to take part in restructuring ailing banks through M&A activities.  VNS
HA NOI  The core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is smart manufacturing plants. However, Vietnamese enterprises are not fully prepared to access the revolution, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Cao Quoc Hung has said.

At the business conference Digital enterprise  on the way to Industry 4.0, held in Ha Noi on Thursday, Hung said together with the foundation of rapid development and high-level integration of science achievements and modern technologies in sectors of digitalisation, bio-technology and physics, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to remarkably change the appearance of manufacturing of the world and Viet Nam in the near future.

Besides this, this model will help enterprises increase their productivity, flexibility and efficiency, as well as shorten production time to make products available in the market, resulting in improvement of an enterprises competitiveness. Consumers can also benefit from higher quality, more reasonable prices and favourable products, as expected, he added.

He said the revolution could create both opportunities and challenges for Viet Nam. If Viet Nam did not catch up with the world and the regions development, it would face challenges and effects of backward technologies, decreasing production, abundant skilled labour and copyright violation.

The deputy minister also forecast an inflow of old technologies from developed to developing countries.

Active approaches to state-of-the-art technologies and new development trend of the Fourth Industrial Revolution have been strongly supported by the Vietnamese Government and have been clearly stated in Directive 16/CT-TTg, which was issued by the Prime Minister of Viet Nam on May 5, 2017, with regard to the enhancement of the capacity building approach towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Involvement of authorities at all levels, in particular of the business community, is the prerequisite for Viet Nam to optimise opportunities generated by this revolution. Supporting companies in accessing information and data, technology transfer and transforming into a digital enterprise will be one of key priorities of the MoIT in the future under Directive 16/CT-TTg.



Sharing ideas, Tran Viet Hoa, deputy director of the ministrys Department of Science and Technology said local firms would face challenges under the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Viet Nam has 97 per cent of small-and-medium sized enterprises with registered capital of VN4-7 billion (US$176,000-308,400). The small scale of these enterprises would make them unable to import new technologies into production.

Currently, up to 70 per cent of machines and technologies were imported in the 1980s and 1990s. More than 75 per cent of the technologies were fully depreciated.

A survey of the department showed that the rate of applying IT in automation and production management has been very low.

Another survey of the Ha Noi Small-and-Medium Sized Enterprises Association revealed that businesses were not fully prepared to access the revolution. Up to 55 per cent of surveyed firms believed that the revolution would have a significant effect. However, only 12 per cent said they have been preparing for the revolution, some 55 per cent have been studying about this and 79 per cent have been doing nothing, according to the survey.

Christian Berger, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Viet Nam, said: The Fourth Industrial Revolution has enormous potential to deliver. However, close cooperation and dialogue are needed nationally and internationally to ensure that we receive the benefits but avoid the risks from digitalised and automated production. It is essential that in our deliberations, we do not forget that people are the main actors, the main resource and the one goal of any development."

Siemens terms its path to the Fourth Industrial Revolution as the Digital Enterprise. With Digital Enterprise, Siemens offers solutions to address specific requirements of the manufacturing and processing industry. These solutions combine the world of planning and operation to create an integral plant management concept covering the entire lifecycle of an industrial plant. The path to Digital Enterprise is comprised of four core elements that logically build on one another. Each of these core elements is comprised of a unique portfolio that prepares our customers for the revolution. Vietnamese customers are not alone on the way to Industry 4.0. They can count on Siemens, Siemens Vietnamese president and CEO Pham Thai Lai emphasised.

To take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Viet Nam needs to create motivation for enterprises, such as creating favourable conditions or legal framework so that they are confident about joining the revolution. Networking and technology transfer should be the optimal methods for Vietnamese companies on the path to Industry 4.0, Marko Walde, chief representative of AHK Viet Nam & chairman of GBA Viet Nam, said.

The event was co-organised by MoIT, the German Embassy in Viet Nam, Siemens and German Industry and Commerce Viet Nam (GIC/AHK Viet Nam). It attracted more than hundred delegates, including senior government policy and decision-makers, business leaders and specialists, who came together to address emerging challenges and opportunities generated by the megatrend of digitalisation with a view to support Vietnamese enterprises on the path to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  VNS
BAC GIANG  The northern province of Bac Giang plans to revoke licences from several investment projects that are moving too slowly, according to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

One of the Bac Giang City projects is an expansion of a agricultural processing factory financed by Viet Nga Limited Co. Covering 6,600sq.m in a Mai District, the VN13.45 billion (US$560,000) plant halted operation since 2012 due to its investors financial difficulties. The plant will have its investment certificate revoked if the investor fails to resume its operation before November, the department said.

The department added it will also request for an approval from the provincial Peoples Committee to withdraw an investment licence of $17.8 million Ha Noi Prince hotel complex, developed by VINAPROD JSC, in Xuong Giang Street. The complexs investor has yet to kick off the complex after receiving the licence in 2007.

Two other slow-moving projects - the Thang Long private school project invested by uc Tri Education JSC and Anh Hong commercial and service complex fianced by Anh Hong Co - have received similar warnings from the department.

The city is currently home to 250 projects, including 29 foreign-invested, with a combined investment capital of more than $1 billion, department statistics reveal.

Bac Giang Province will create conditions to encourage businesses to boost investment, compensate for land clearance and hasten infrastructure construction.

It will enhance administrative transparency and strictly punish officials hampering enterprises.

Along with supporting investors in land clearance, the province promises to maintain dialogues with investors to address difficulties. - VNS
HCM CITY  The New York  headquartered HarperCollins in coordination with the HCM City Books Distribution JSC (Fahasa) on Wednesday opened a childrens book exhibition at Fahasa Bookstore in HCM City to commemorate the publishers 200th anniversary.

On display are more than 2,000 books in foreign languages on education, literature, economy, psychology, and books to help readers to cope with challenges and head for success in their careers and life.

Harpers is known for publishing many famous works, including The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein; Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Big Nate by Dr. Seuss; Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin; and All the Light We Cannot See by Richard Doerr, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2015.

In addition, HarperCollins has published books on the economy, psychology and education such as Good to Great; Think Like a Freak; and Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built.

HarperCollins publishes books in 17 languages each year. Authors of HarperCollins books include winnes of the Nobel, Pulitzer, Newberry and Caldecott Medal and Man Booker awards, according to a Fahasa press release.

The company began in 1817 as a small, family-run printing shop in lower Manhattan. In 1990 Harper acquired Collins Publishers in the UK.

We are excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary and give thanks to employees, authors, librarians, booksellers and customers whove been instrumental in helping HarperCollins become a part of the global literary culture over the last 200 years, HarpersCollins CEO Brian Murray said.

The book exhibition will end on July 30.  VNS
Phnom Penh  Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held talks with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni following an official welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese Party leader in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

Welcoming the Vietnamese Party chief and his entourage, the King described the visit of Nguyen Phu Trong as an especially important milestone in the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship and comprehensive co-operation between Viet Nam and Cambodia in the context of the two countries celebrating 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties (June 24).

The host and guest exchanged news on their respective countries recent affairs and expressed their delight at progress achieved by both sides.

The two leaders looked back on bilateral engagement in the past five decades and agreed that the ties, fostered by generations of Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders and people, have overcome obstacles and yielded fruitful outcomes.

King Sihamoni expressed his deep gratitude toward Viet Nams support for Cambodia during its past struggle for national liberation and against the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, as well as in the periods of rebuilding and developing the country.

Calling Viet Nam a great and trustworthy friend of Cambodia, he said his nation will always stand by Viet Nams side as a good neighbour.

King Norodom Sihamoni vowed to continue his father King Norodom Sihanouks legacy in cementing the long-standing friendship with Viet Nam.

For his part, Party General Secretary Trong stated the growth of Viet Nam is closely linked with assistance from international friends, including Cambodia.

He took the occasion to invite King Norodom Sihamoni and the Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk to visit Viet Nam this year and in following years, which was accepted by the King.

Both host and guest pledged their commitments to spare no effort in imbuing the next generations with the Viet Nam-Cambodia traditional relationship and comprehensive cooperation.  VNS
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to clarify details on the case of two Vietnamese teenagers reportedly missing in the United Kingdom, said ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang on Thursday.  VNA/VNS Photo An ang

HA NOI  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to clarify details on the case of two Vietnamese teenagers reportedly missing in the United Kingdom, said ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang on Thursday.

During a regular press conference, Hang said that the ministry has ordered the Vietnamese embassy in the UK to contact local authorities and confirm the identity of the missing girls. The embassy is to carry out citizen protection measures should the report be true.

UK press reported last week that police officers were conducting searches for two Vietnamese girls, 14 and 15 years old, who were last seen getting into a taxi near York Minster, North Yorkshire, on July 16.

The foreign affairs ministry will provide constant updates on the case, the spokeswoman said.

Regarding Vietnamese citizen Tran Viet Van who lost his life during strikes by the Philippines army against terrorist group Abu Sayyaf last week, Hang said that the Vietnamese embassy in Manila was working closely with local authorities to repatriate Vans remains to his family.

Hang also announced the latest foreign visit by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand this month. Hue visited Indonesia from July 19 to 21 and will head to Australia on July 22 before beginning the last leg of his trip in New Zealand on July 26. The Deputy PM plans to meet with top leaders and the business community of the countries, the spokeswoman said.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam and Bangladesh will continue to boost legislative co-operation through exchanges of high-ranking delegations, share legal experience and implement co-operation agreements between the two sides.

The agreement was reached by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury during their talks in Ha Noi on Thursday.

They also agreed to consider the establishment of the two Parliamentary Friendship Groups, which will serve as a bridge to boost exchanges between parliamentarians of the two countries as well as will work to promote the economic co-operation and exchanges between the two people.

They entrust relevant agencies to accelerate the building and preparation to soon sign a co-operation mechanism between the two countries to increase co-operation efficiency between the two legislative bodies.

At the talks, they expressed delight at the continuous development of the traditional friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between Viet Nam and Bangladesh.

NA Chairwoman Ngan spoke highly of the visit to Viet Nam by the Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, the first visit by a top Bangladeshi legislator since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973.

She said the visit will help promote the traditional friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between the two nations and two peoples, and open up a new development stage between the two legislative bodies.

Ngan affirmed that Viet Nam has always attached importance and wished to enhance the traditional friendship and co-operation with Bangladesh.

Viet Nams NA will create favourable legal conditions to help foster the co-operation between the two countries in all fields, she said.

Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Shirin expressed her delight at leading the high-ranking Bangladesh Parliament delegation visit to Viet Nam.

She invited NA Chairwoman Ngan to visit Bangladesh, and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure.  VNS
PHNOM PENH  The visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong offers Viet Nam and Cambodia a chance to chart a new course for their relationship, said Cambodias Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen at his meeting with the Vietnamese leader in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

Hun Sen, who is President of the Cambodian Peoples Party, said the visit by Party General Secretary Trong during the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Year bears historical significance and constitutes a vivid manifestation of the time-honoured traditional friendship between the two parties.

The leaders agreed that achievements attained over the past 50 years serve as an important foundation and provide a springboard for the two countries to lift their ties to the next level with durable trust, productive and concrete assistance, broader co-operation and closer coordination at multilateral forums.

They affirmed that changes on the world arena cannot affect the solidarity and friendship between the two countries, expressing their belief that the current visit to Cambodia by Party General Secretary Trong and the recent visit to Viet Nam by Prime Minister Hun Sen will help spur the multi-faceted co-operation between the two countries.

They agreed that regular meetings and contacts between senior Party and State officials should be maintained, and education on the bilateral ties for people, especially youngsters, promoted.

They reaffirmed the principle of banning any political and military force from using each others territory to threaten the others security, stressing the need to reinforce collaboration on humanitarian activities, managing the shared border, checkpoints and activities at sea, and combating trans-national crimes.

They reached agreement on accelerating the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers fallen in Cambodia.

They agreed to step up links between their two economies, focusing on infrastructure, energy, tourism, agriculture, forestry and fishery, towards achieving a two-way trade value of US$5 billion prior to 2025.

Party General Secretary Trong raised the need to implement co-operative initiatives in the greater Mekong sub-region on the basis of protecting the environment without negatively affecting the livelihoods of people living along the river.

He also referred to the development of a development triangle between Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia and co-operation in the greater Mekong sub-region. On the East Sea issue, the leaders agreed to continue working closely with countries concerned to push for the settlement of the dispute by peaceful measures on the basis of international law.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese Party leader asked the PM to help the Vietnamese community lead a stable life, enjoy fair treatment and contribute to the host countrys growth.

Party General Secretary Trong and his entourage laid flowers at the statue of Norodom Sihanouk, and visited the Kings mother, Norodom Monineath Sihanouk. King Norodom Sihamoni hosted a state banquet in honour of the Vietnamese leader and his entourage.  VNS
PHNOM PENH  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong held a meeting in Phnom Penh on Thursday with Vice President of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and President of the Senate of Cambodia, Samdech Say Chhum.

Reviewing relations between the two nations over the past 50 years, Say Chhum stressed that the Cambodian people will never forget the sacrifices of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who helped the Cambodian people escape from the genocidal disaster, revive and develop the country.

He praised the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive co-operation and long-term sustainability between the two countries, and promised to join hands with other Cambodian leaders in further promoting ties with Viet Nam.

For his part, Party General Secretary Trong affirmed that despite changes in the world, Viet Nam will make every effort, together with Cambodia, to safeguard and reinforce bilateral relations for the common interests of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people.

The leaders spoke highly of co-operative ties between their two countries, including relations between the Cambodian Senate and the National Assembly of Viet Nam, suggesting that they should continue fostering co-operation and exchanging experience in legislation, while supervising the implementation of treaties, agreements and deals signed between the two countries.

The leaders also agreed that Viet Nam and Cambodia need to increase the exchange of information and co-ordinate closely at international forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN and sub-regional co-operation mechanisms.

Meeting with NA President

Viet Nam attaches importance to the solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensive co-operation with Cambodia, said Party General Secretary Trong while meeting with Honorary President of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and President of the National Assembly, Heng Samrin in Phnom Penh on the same day.

He affirmed that Viet Nam treasures co-operation between the two countries legislatures, and suggested President Heng Samrin continue his instructions to intensify co-ordination and co-operation between committees of the two legislative agencies, especially through the exchange of experience and expertise in legislation, supervision and decision-making on major national matters.

For his part, President Heng Samrin pledged efforts to preserve and advance the solidarity and good neighbourly ties between the two states.

Party General Secretary Trong took this occasion to inform his host that the Vietnamese Party, State and people have decided to donate $25 million to help the Cambodian NA construct a building for its Secretariat and committees.  VNS
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue (L) meets leader of the Indonesian ruling part, the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta.  VNA/VNS Photo o Quyen

JAKARTA  Viet Nam and Indonesia will continue to strengthen bilateral ties via high-level visits and meetings and fostering partnerships between Party, State and parliamentary agencies, senior officials agreed on Thursday.

People to people contacts will also be promoted, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue and leader of the Indonesian ruling part, the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri said in talks held in Jakarta.

The Deputy PM ends a three-day visit to Indonesia today.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress in bilateral relations, especially their elevation to the status of strategic partnership in 2013.

Megawati recalled the positive impressions that she had gained during her visit to Viet Nam in 2003 as Indonesias President, during which the two sides signed a joint statement on a framework to further friendly and comprehensive partnerships as they entered the 21st century.

They also agreed on the delineation of continental shelf, laying a firm foundation for both sides to strengthen relations in major areas.

Megawati stressed that she would, in all positions, always support the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Deputy PM Hue said Viet Nam highly valued the great contributions of late President Sukarno and Megawati to the growth of bilateral relations.

He stressed Viet Nams constant policy of treasuring its friendship and strategic partnership with Indonesia, and the countrys wish to further develop the ties in both bilateral and multilateral aspects.

He said this would contribute to reinforcing peace, ASEAN unity and promote the blocs central role in the region.

In the Deputy PMs meeting with Thomas Lembong, Chairman of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, the two sides said they were glad at the growth in economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries.

Indonesia currently ranks 30th among 119 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam, with 61 projects worth nearly US$500 million.

Both sides said they recognised the high potential for strengthening bilateral co-operation, especially in promising areas like infrastructure, energy, telecommunications and banking.

They agreed to encourage businesses of both countries to strengthen information sharing and foster connectivity, thus enhancing competitiveness of ASEAN enterprises and contributing to the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community.

Deputy PM Hue affirmed Viet Nams determination to renovate its economy and support the private sector, aiming to utilise all resources to improve its competitiveness and enhance global integration.

He suggested that Indonesia increase investment in Viet Nam.

Thomas Lembong said that Viet Nams hosting of the APEC Year 2017 was a good opportunity to foster solidarity and co-operation within ASEAN as well as between the bloc and its dialogue partners in the region.

Earlier the same day, Deputy PM Hue delivered a speech at a seminar on geopolitical and economic transitions in the region.

He noted that the world was experiencing a new, large-scale power transition since early 21st century that would greatly affect countries in the region.

Viet Nam, Indonesia and ASEAN have similar socio-economic conditions, he said, stressing the need for the two countries and the grouping to strengthen co-operation to reinforce intra-bloc solidarity and co-ordination.

This is needed to cope with challenges, ensure security and meet development targets, contributing to peace, stability, co-operation and prosperity in the region, he added.  VNS
HA NOI  The family of martyr Luong Khanh in Nha Trang City couldnt hold back the tears when they received a letter from a stranger informing them of the location of Khanhs grave.

The martyr had been dead for years but the family couldnt afford to search for his body.

The informant was veteran ao Thien Sinh in Vinh Khanh District of the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

Since 1976 Sinh has sent about 40,000 letters to martyrs families and relatives, supplying them with information he learned from trips to cemeteries nationwide.

Since we heard about my elder brothers death, every day my mother longed for a letter which might inform us of the place he was buried, Sinh recalled.

Understanding the mothers pain and martyrs families thirst for news, Sinh decided to start travelling to cemeteries.

At 20, Sinh fought in the Quang Tri battle field until Liberation Day on April 30, 1975. Four years later, he re-enlisted to fight in Cambodia. Returning from both battlefields, he began a normal job.

Using his free time, first he travelled to cemeteries close to Khanh Hoa Province to search for his brothers grave where he also found many unmarked graves. Then he started collecting information engraved on the graves and began writing letters to martyrs families.

My father-in-law is lying down here. Its such a feeling of warmth knowing my father-in-law can finally rest in peace, said Tran Huyen Tran, the daughter-in-law of martyr Luong Khanh, as she visited Khanhs grave.

He died when my husband was only three. Years later, my mother-in-law lost hope in finding his grave due to the familys economic hardships," said Tran, a resident of Nha Trang City.

I and my husband burst into tears upon receiving Sinhs letter informing us that our father was buried in a cemetery in Tay Ninh Province and then Sinh and my father-in-laws comrades helped bring him home, Tram added, saying that the father enlisted in 1976 and died two years later in Cambodia.

It was sad that my mother-in-law was not alive to witness this miracle.

Over the past decades, Sinh has gone far and wide to more than 200 martyrs cemeteries including those for unknown soldiers from the central province of Quang Tri to provinces in the southeastern region.

Visiting any cemetery, Sinh noted down every name, age, birthplace and any information available on martyrs, searched for more information and decoded them before writing letters to the martyrs families.

The trips took place day or night; sometimes he even slept in cemeteries.

I do this out of love for my fallen comrades. I always feel something pushing in my mind and my heart, the veteran said.

Sinh has also helped carry the martyrs remains home.

It is an indescribable joy to bring them home, seeing them rest in peace. Im determined to do this job as long as my health allows, said Sinh.

Sinhs mission hasnt gone unnoticed. He has received support from local post offices with more than 10,000 commune-based post offices delivering the letters to martyrs families for free. Many other veterans have also helped him with funds to buy envelopes and papers.

My whole family is grateful for Sinh as he let us know the location of my elder brothers grave, martyr Bui Van Phuoc who died in Cambodia aged 22, said Bui Van uoc, at his brothers grave in Khanh Hoa Provinces Ninh Hoa Township.

Deputy head of Khanh Hoa Provinces War Veterans Association, Ngo Mau Chien, said Sinh is a person dedicated to work related to veterans, especially writing letters about martyrs graves.

Due to his efforts, Sinh has been granted numerous certificates of merit by the Viet Nam War Veterans Association and Khanh Hoa Provinces War Veterans Association.

Living relatives of the martyrs call Sinh a perfect connector.

And Sinh will continue his journey as he is uncomfortable with so many Vietnamese martyrs resting place still unknown to their families.  VNS
HCM CITY  Around 110 young overseas Vietnamese from 25 countries on Wednesday took part in the opening ceremony in HCM City for the 2017 Summer Camp of Viet Nam.

The camp, which is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Committee for Overseas Vietnamese and the HCM City Peoples Committee, is being held from July 18-31.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Thi Thu, deputy chairwoman of the Peoples Committee, said the summer camp, which has been organised for 13 years, has given overseas Vietnamese the opportunity to interact with local young people in Viet Nam.

The camp also helps participants improve their knowledge of the Vietnamese language and better understand the origin of Viet Nams history, culture and tradition.

The camp includes activities in HCM City and Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces, as well as charity and exchange activities with local youth.

The participants will visit historic monuments and tourist attractions in the South.

Besides being exposed to Vietnamese culture, habits and customs, the young people will also learn about environmental conservation and protection activities in the Mekong Delta.  VNS
HCM CITY  A lotus flower design has been chosen for the terminal of the proposed Long Thanh International Airport in ong Nai Province near HCM City.

It was announced after a meeting between the Ministry of Transport led by transport minister Truong Quang Nghia and the Airport Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) on Wednesday.

According to the chairman of the ACV, Lai Xuan Thanh, the ministry had collected public opinion on the design of the terminal in Ha Noi, HCM City, a Nang, and ong Nai and also from professional associations in the country.

He revealed that 26 members of the consultative group, or almost 60 per cent, chose the lotus design.

The design had been proposed by Korean company Heerim Architects & Planners Co Ltd, and short listed along with two others by the ACV following public displays of all designs.

The others were designed by a Viet Nam-Japan-Singapore consortium and a Japan-France joint venture.

The ACV would hold discussions with the consultative group to make improvements to the design, Thanh said.

The airport is expected to cost US$16.03 billion.

It will have a capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo a year when completed in 2025.

The current international airport, Tan Son Nhat in HCM City, is bursting at the seams after exceeding its capacity much earlier than expected.  VNS.
HCM CITY  A dengue patient who was recently brought from the Mekong Delta province of ong Thap to the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases went into shock in the ambulance.

When the vehicle reached the hospital after a drive of several hours, doctors said it was too late to save the victim, Dr Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, the hospitals head, told a workshop on Thursday in HCM City on improving prevention and treatment of dengue fever.

The patient was one of three to die while being unsafely brought from their local hospitals to his, he said.

In such cases, doctors at the local hospital should not send patients with severe dengue to the HCM City Hospital of Tropical Diseases. They should instead call our hospitals hotline to get advice on how they should treat.

The hospital would guide them and send doctors to the hospital in question to help treat the patient, and this would help reduce the deaths caused by dengue, he said.

Dr Hoang Van Tuyet, deputy head of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Ha Noi, said similarly two patients had died on the way to his hospital.

Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy head of the Ministry of Healths medical examination and treatment department, said the ministry would instruct health departments around the country to regulate such transfers between hospitals.

The National Hospital of Tropical Diseases should set up a hotline for hospitals in Ha Noi and the northern region to provide professional assistance, he said.

Hospitals should also follow the ministrys guidelines on diagnosis, treatment and emergency aid for dengue patients to reduce fatalities, he said.

One 19-year-old patient was diagnosed with the disease but not treated based on the guidelines, leading to shock and death, he added.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long warned that the disease would see an upward trend in the next few months.

More and more people would probably contract it and hospitals have to improve their capacity to treat it, he said.

They should take the initiative and call higher-level hospitals that have experience in treating it -- such as paediatrics and tropical diseases hospitals  for professional advice before deciding to transfer their patients there, he said.

Tran ac Phu, head of the ministrys preventive health department, said 57,492 cases of dengue have been reported in the country this year, 9.7 per cent higher year-on-year.

Fifteen patients have died, Phu said.

HCM City, Ha Noi, a Nang and the provinces of Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa, An Giang, ong Nai, ong Thap, Soc Trang, and Tien Giang have reported the highest number of cases.

Dr Phung uc Nhat, deputy head of HCM City Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, said usually heavy rains start in May, leading to dengue fever breaking out in July and lasting until October.

However, there were many heavy showers in February this year, so the incidence of dengue has increased since May. VNS
by Hoang Nguyen

BEN TRE  To attract eagles, Ben Tre needs to build nests first, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told an investment promotion conference held by the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province yesterday.

More than 500 Vietnamese and foreign investors from various sectors - like renewable energy, eco-tourism, and agricultural and aquatic processing - participated in the event.

Phuc was impressed by the big investor turnout, especially the presence of some major companies, whom he called eagles.

To persuade them to stay and invest, Ben Tre needs to focus on four things, he said.

The first is to offer land to investors, especially in aquaculture, high-tech agriculture, processing and manufacturing, to support the agricultural sector and build more industrial parks.

The others are to build infrastructure; provide investors with high-quality human resources; and adapt to changes and improve public services to take care of investors; and work together with them and share difficulties with them, he said.

I am very happy to see that many executives, even the ambassador of Denmark to Viet Nam, and investors from Thailand, Japan and [Viet Nam] have hailed the support provided by Ben Tre authorities.

But that is not enough, the province needs to listen to and work together with enterprises.

It needs to have a strategic plan to overcome the challenges of salinity intrusion since Ben Tre is one of the places severely affected by climate changes, he said.

Recently the Japan International Co-operation Agency agreed to provide loans worth 24.2 billion yen (US$216 million) for the Ben Tre Water Management Project to mitigate salinity.

Phuc said he would soon hold discussions with the Dutch Government on measures to deal with climate change and rising sea levels in the delta, especially the worst hit areas like Ben Tre.

Foreign connection

Danish Ambassador Charlotte Laursen said Ben Tre has a long history of co-operation with Denmark, whose projects there cover both capacity building and poverty reduction, and include biogas, fisheries, agriculture, the environment and water.

Though there are an increasing number of Danish investors interested in the Mekong Delta, especially Ben Tre, most Danish investments in the country are in Ha Noi or HCM City.

I think I need to make the Danish investors more aware [of Ben Tres potential] because they look at bigger areas like Ha Noi and HCM City. I am very happy to come to Ben Tre and bring some investors with me so they can see the potential for themselves.

According to Ureerat Ratanaprukse, the Thai Consul General in HCM City, Thais rank among the top foreign investors in the province with a total registered capital of $142 million, and Ben Tre is home to four leading Thai companies.

For Thailand, Ben Tre is definitely one of our important economic partners in Viet Nam.

She said the Thai companies choose to invest in Ben Tre due to 3Ls -- location, logistics and labour.

Ben Tre Province and provinces in Thailand share many common characteristics. Situated in the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre is suitable for agricultural production. Its abundant and high-quality natural resources, especially fruits and fisheries, make Ben Tre a strategic location for food processing industries, including those from Thailand.

Thanks to its geographical proximity to HCM City and Can Tho and two bridges connecting to nearby places like Tien Giang, Ben Tre has very convenient transportation, she said.

Ben Tre has an abundant and skilled workforce, with 50 per cent of its 1.5 million population being workers, more than half of them trained, she said.

But more importantly, the provinces support for all investors through several measures including tax exemption plus the determination and commitment of the leaders, which are clearly reflected in the 2017-20 provincial Master Plan on improving the infrastructure, industrial clusters, tourism, agriculture and renewable energy - in particular solar and wind energy, make Ben Tre an attractive hub for investment.

With its incentives and constant support to investors, Ben Tre has attracted 40 new projects this year.

Of them, 37, worth VN20.6 trillion ($900 million) are by local investors and the remaining three are FDI projects worth $217 million.

At the conference, 30 projects worth VN 45 trillion ($2 billion) received licences from the provincial authorities.  VNS
HOA BINH  Truong Quy Duong, director of Hoa Binh General Hospital, where eight patients died in a serious medical incident, submitted his resignation at a closed-door meeting on Thursday.

The meeting focussed on reviewing Duongs responsibility as director of the hospital when the medical incident occurred in May 29.

The results of the ballot showed that 88.2 per cent of the voters had agreed to take the disciplinary measure of issuing a warning to Duong and the remaining agreed to other disciplinary measures.

At the meeting, Duong was asked to resign from his position and proposed to be given another working position following the conclusion of the provincial departments disciplinary council.

Previously, on May 29, 18 patients underwent kidney dialysis treatment in Hoa Binh General Hospital. Soon, they reported nausea, abdominal pain and shortness of breath.

The same day, eight patients died of suspected anaphylactic shock.

The results of the tests on water samples from dialysis machines showed that water samples had a low level of potential of hydrogen (pH) and high conductivity; the florua level in machines were 245 and 260 times higher than the permissible limit of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).  VNS
AN GIANG  The southern province of An Giang has held a ceremony to commemorate and rebury the remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers who died in Viet Nam and Cambodia during wartime.

As many as 168 remains were found in Cambodia and some domestic localities in the 2016 and 2017 dry season by groups such as the An Giang Military Command.

Of these, 10 martyrs have been identified by name and 158 others remain unknown.

During the search for the remains of martyrs, search teams also received help from the local authorities, armed forces and people of the two countries.

Speaking at the ceremony on Thursday, Vuong Binh Thanh, Chairman of Peoples Committee of An Giang affirmed on behalf of the people of the whole country and martyrs families that provincial people and soldiers will take care of the graves of martyrs.  VNS
HOA BINH  The Peoples Court of Hoa Binh Province on Thursday sentenced one man to death and three others to life imprisonment for drug trafficking and transporting 30 bricks of heroin.

Ngo Huu Tinh, 25, a resident of Ea Kar District in the Central Highlands province of ak Lak, was handed the death sentence, while Pham Xuan Nang, 38, from Tu Ky District in the northern province of Hai Duong, received a life sentence for the same charge.

Two of their accomplices, Pham Van Phuc, 22, and Vu Van Nam, 41, both from Ea Kar District, were also given life sentences for transporting the drugs.

The court also handed out sentences to two others. Vu inh Hieu, 22, will serve 15 years in prison, while Nguyen Van Giang, 36, will be in prison for six years for drug trafficking.

As per the indictment, Phuc and Nam were arrested while transporting 30 bricks of heroin on motorbikes from the northern province of Hoa Binh to Ha Noi on July 1, 2016.

During interrogations, the duo confessed that they were transporting the heroin for Tinh, who was seized soon after.

Following the instructions of ao Van Soai, Tinh and Nang had hired Hieu to transport the heroin. Hieu had roped in Phuc, Nam and Giang. Tinh would give them VN50 million for each successful trip.

The police have issued a wanted notice for Soai, who is absconding. - VNS
HCM CITY  Support for beneficiaries of special policies, including heroic martyrs, is being continued this year, with increases in funding for people in need, the deputy chairwoman of the citys Peoples Committee has said.

Speaking on the occasion of the annual 70th Day for War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27), Nguyen Thi Thu said the citys Party, State and residents continued to support citizens who had contributed to national independence.

Since the beginning of the year, the city has spent more than VN42 billion (US$1.84 million) to care for war invalids and martyrs families, she said.

The city has more than 271,000 policy beneficiaries, including 5,184 Vietnamese heroic mothers, according to the citys Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

On the occasion, Nha Be Districts Peoples Committee on July 17 held medical examinations for local policy beneficiary families and presented gifts.

Le Thi Anh Tuyet, head of Cu Chi Districts Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office, said besides providing monthly allowances, the district has offered preferential policies to policy beneficiaries, including health insurance, healthcare services and reduced fees for education.

The district has also spent around VN160 billion ($7 million) upgrading and repairing cemeteries, graves of martyrs and heroic monuments.

A representative of District 9s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office said the district has about 1,560 policy beneficiaries receiving monthly allowances.

Thu uc Districts two former communes of Hiep Binh and Tam Binh have been awarded the title Hero of the Peoples Armed Forces. The district has more than 2,800 policy beneficiaries receiving monthly allowances.

Support measures

City authorities at all levels have helped policy beneficiaries escape poverty and improve living standards.

Nguyen Thi Ut, head of Nha Be Districts Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office, said the district authorities had introduced them to jobs, provided loans, and granted scholarships to students from poor families.

District 9 authorities have also renovated or built gratitude houses, provided low-interest loans, vocational training, introduced many policy beneficiaries to jobs and offered special policies on education and healthcare.

In Cu Chi District, mass organisations have supported a total of 115 poor households to help them increase their incomes.

Mai Thi Xuan Hong, head of the Thu uc Districts Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Office, said "Since last year, the district has renovated 25 gratitude houses, and offered land and built new gratitude houses for three policy beneficiaries facing difficulties.

The deputy chairwoman of the districts Peoples Committee, Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy, said the district had asked the citys Peoples Committee to help them raise funds to build gratitude houses for an amount higher than the VN60 million ($2,636) currently given per family.

Nguyen Thi Thu, deputy chairwoman of the citys Peoples Committee, said that by the end of the year the city would complete all files that request recognition of martyrs, war invalids and policy beneficiaries.

She said the city would continue to support the policy beneficiaries facing difficulties, search for the remains of martyrs, and identify remains of unknown martyrs.  VNS
HCM CITY  Avoid or embrace technology? is a question faced by educators in the 21st century as students become increasingly dependent on their smart devices.

We can no longer avoid our students love of and dependence on technology, said Ushapa Fortescue, an Oxford Teacher Academy trainer.

Fortescue spoke at the annual Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference 2017 held on Friday in HCM City, organised by the Vietnam-USA Society English Centers.

Fortescue said that teachers should understand how digital natives interact and allow the use of cellphones, which she had previously banned in her classroom.

She uses cellphones to teach listening skills to her students, and encourages students to talk about topics such as the last photo they took, the nicest message they received during the week, or the person who contacts them the most.

I also allow the students to have Facebook time in the classroom, she said, adding that on a class Facebook page, students can write messages on the pages wall.

This gives them practice in writing, but Facebook time should be limited to only five to 10 minutes, she said.

When students in her classroom prepare for the Cambridge English exams, they are given guidance in how to interact with teachers, classes in other countries and Cambridge English pen friends via social media.

Joanna Raskin, the commercial head of Southeast Asia and the Pacific at Cambridge English Language Assessment, which is part of University of Cambridge, said that English teachers should help their students learn how to use and share digital resources by creating, organising and uploading information with certain tools, media and social networks.

Such resources can build collective and personal understanding, Raskin said.

Integrating skills such as critical thinking, communication, problem-solving and collaboration into English teaching are also important, as well as the effective use of references.

Students also need help in building competency in soft skills and foreign-language proficiency to assist them in future work, she added.

Gordon Lewis, vice president of Language Programmes for Laureate Higher Education at Laureate International Universities based in the US, said that not all innovation was connected to technology.

In fact, technology can even have a negative impact on innovation in certain circumstances, Lewis said. It can facilitate creative projects, but not having it isnt always a deterrent. Absence of technology has actually improved class interaction.

The conference, with the theme Redefining English Language Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century Context, focused on the changes and innovations in English-language teaching and learning in a world where students are surrounded by developing technology, internet access and a myriad of digital devices.  VNS
Visitors to HCM City are advised to visit the mangrove forests in the coastal district of Can Gio.

Leaving the citys busy streets, drivers take travellers off to the coast to visit the lush biosphere reserve, where they take a boat through the criss-crossing waterways of the mangrove forest, stop for lunch, and admire the idyllic countryside.

Travellers can also climb on a scooter with an experienced guide to leave the city, watching as the scenery changes from bursting urban street to rural countryside with enormous rice fields, terrace houses hidden under the shade of fruit orchards, and dirt trails.

They can take a ferry across the biggest river in Sai Gon and perhaps visit a local incense workshop before stopping for lunch at a restaurant by the riverside and savour freshly caught seafood.

They can head to Rung Sac Guerilla Base and enjoy a boat ride through the waterways of the amazing mangrove system, designated a national biosphere reserve.

The tour also offers a chance for visitors to ride the scooters themselves.  VNS
SEOUL  South Korea on Friday urged North Korea to accept its offer of military talks aimed at reducing tensions along the border, describing it as a "very urgent task".

The statement was released by the South Korean Defense Ministry after North Korea remained unresponsive to Seouls proposal, made on Monday, that bilateral military talks be held on Friday at Tongilgak, a North Korean building in the truce village of Panmunjeom.

"The Defense Ministry once again urges North Korea to accept our proposal as soon as possible," the statement said, adding that it has become difficult for the talks to be realized Friday as Pyongyang has "not shown its position as of now".

Seouls overture came after North Korea claimed to have carried out its first test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4.

It was the first formal olive branch extended by the South Korean government of President Moon Jae-In.

"It is a very urgent task to ease tensions between the South and the North and reopen channel of dialogue in the military field for the sake of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

The United States, South Koreas key ally, believes the time is not ripe for inter-Korean talks as there are no signs that the North is prepared to halt its nuclear and missile development programs.

In announcing the proposal to the North, South Korean Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo Suk said earlier South Korea wants the meeting to help halt "all acts of hostility" near the Military Demarcation Line that bisects the two Koreas.

South Korea also called for restoration of cross-border military and government hotlines that North Korea severed last year.

The hotlines were severed in the wake of South Koreas additional sanctions on North Korea over a nuclear test.

The South Korean government separately proposed reopening Red Cross talks to discuss ways to resume family reunions. The North has also not responded to this offer.

The Souths Red Cross proposed holding the talks on August 1 at the Peace House, a Panmunjeom building controlled by the South.

If North Korea accepted the Souths offer for the military talks, it would have been the first official governmental talks between the two Koreas since vice ministerial talks were held in December 2015.

The temporary reunions of families that remain separated since the end of the Korean War were last held in October 2015.  KYODO
WASHINGTON  The International Monetary Fund late on Thursday approved a one-year, US$1.8 billion loan programme for Greece but will not release any funds until the eurozone agrees on a debt relief plan, in a highly unusual compromise step.

The approval in principle means the loan "will become effective only after the Fund receives specific and credible assurances from Greeces European partners to ensure debt sustainability, and provided that Greeces economic programme remains on track," the IMF said in a statement.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Greece and Europe will need to agree on a debt plan "soon".

"As we have said many times, even with full programme implementation, Greece will not be able to restore debt sustainability and needs further debt relief from its European partners," Lagarde said.

The new IMF loan "is contingent on this agreement on debt relief."

But unlike many previous instances when this format has been used, the fund did not set a deadline for fulfilling the missing criteria, in this case a debt relief plan.

Delia Velculescu, IMF mission chief for Greece, told reporters the sides "agreed today not to set a deadline to avoid setting expectations" that, if unfulfilled, could create "deep market disruptions".

But she said there has been "good progress" made in the talks between Athens and Brussels.

Once a debt plan is in place for Greece, the IMF board will have to once again give its approval in order to release any funds.

The precautionary standby loan will expire on August 31, 2018, shortly after the expiration of the European Stability Mechanism programme.

Breathing space

Lagarde said the loan "provides both breathing space to mobilise support for the deeper structural reforms that Greece needs to prosper within the euro area, and a framework for Greeces European partners to deliver further debt relief to restore Greeces debt sustainability."

The IMF last month announced it would revive the seldom-used option of approving a loan "in principle," in order to convince eurozone finance ministers to release desperately needed new funds to Greece.

Germany had refused to consider more debt relief unless the IMF participated in a loan programme, creating an impasse that endured many months.

The unusual move to approve a loan with no immediate funds was a compromise response, but fund officials insist it is not bending the rules.

The tactic has been used in 19 cases previously -- all in the 1980s -- for countries like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Yugoslavia.

The latest 8.5 billion euro disbursement from the eurozone loan program to crisis-stricken Greece was approved last week, just in time for Athens to avert a default on a 7-billion euro debt payment.

Ambitious surplus

Lagarde also alluded to another dispute with Europe over the countrys finances, and the best use for any excess cash.

She acknowledged that the new economic reforms -- which broaden the tax base and reform the pension system -- can help the country achieve an "ambitious" primary budget surplus of 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the medium term, from 2019 to 2022, a target eurozone officials have insisted on.

However, after 2022, "this target should be reduced to a more sustainable level of 1.5 per cent of GDP as soon as possible, to create fiscal space for better targeting social assistance, stimulating public investment, and lowering tax rates to support growth," she said.

Using the funds for program to protect vulnerable groups "is key to preserving the sustainability and fairness of Greeces adjustment effort."

The loan programme also sets a ceiling on central government debt of 325 billion euros.

IMF staff project the Greek economy will grow by 2.1 per cent this year, after no growth at all in 2016, rising to 2.6 per cent in 2018.  AFP
LA CROSSE, Wis.  Two of the best known names in convenience stores in Wisconsin will be down to one next year, as Kwik Trip buys PDQ Food Stores.

Kwik Trip, based in La Crosse, has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of the Middleton-based PDQ, which includes 34 company-operated convenience stores in southeastern Wisconsin.

Our family is committed to owning and growing the company for another 50 years, said Mark Zietlow, real estate manager and third-generation owner of Kwik Trip. The PDQ store locations are an excellent fit in our growth strategy for Wisconsin.

Zietlow said Kwik Trip anticipates adding more than 1,000 jobs with the PDQ acquisition and future remodeling of the stores.

The PDQ stores will keep their identity until mid-2018, when the stores are switched over to the Kwik Trip name during remodeling of the stores.

PDQ has been around for 65 years and Kwik Trip for 52 years.

The Kwik Trip chain now has 570 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, employing more than 19,000 workers.
CEDAR FALLS  A Nashua man has been arrested in a tire slashing spree in Cedar Falls.

Residents reported six incidents involving cut tires in different areas of the city Tuesday, and witnesses gave police the description of a man seen leaving the area and his license plate.

Christopher Paul Rumachik, 31, of 608 Wentling St., was arrested at home Wednesday for second-degree criminal mischief. He was taken to the Black Hawk County Jail in Waterloo, and his bond was set at $5,000.

Two charged in drug,

guns investigation

CEDAR RAPIDS  Two Ossian men have been indicted on drug and weapons charges in connection with an investigation in Winneshiek County.

A grand jury handed up the indictment Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids charging Kaleb David Breitsprecher, 22, with three counts of distribution of heroin and one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm. Cole Blake Breitsprecher, 24, was charged with one count each of distribution of furanyl fentanyl and being a drug user in possession of a firearm.

Furanyl fentanyl is a less potent analog of the opioid painkiller fentanyl and was designated a Schedule I controlled substance in 2016, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The crimes allegedly happened in April and May 2017, court records allege Kaleb Breitsprecher was in possession of a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle, a Diamondback .380-caliber pistol, a Liberty .22-caliber revolver, a .22-caliber Ruger rifle and a 12-gauge Remington shotgun on June 6.

Cole Breitsprecher was allegedly in possession of a different Bushmaster XM-15 rifle, a different .22-caliber Ruger rifle, a different Remington shotgun, a Remington .45-caliber pistol, a .380-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, a .308 Remington rifle and a .30-30-caliber Marlin rifle on that same day.

The government is seeking forfeiture of the firearms.

18-year-old arrested

in Oelwein robbery

OELWEIN  One person has been arrested after robbing people at an Oelwein home at gunpoint.

Linn County authorities arrested Kavon Tyree Coleman, 18, on a warrant for first-degree robbery, and he was transferred to the Fayette County Jail in West Union. His bond was set at $50,000.

According to authorities, a female acquaintance of Colemans went to a friends house around 7 p.m. June 28, and she allegedly didnt close the door after she entered.

A short time later, Coleman entered the house with a handgun, demanded money and threatened to shoot one of the victims in the leg, court records state. The female friend collected a wallet, and they fled, records state.

Court records show Coleman is currently on probation for an August 2015 robbery. In that case, Coleman and others allegedly took a man to a bathroom in a home on South Frederick Avenue, made him strip and took his wallet, clothing, shoes, phone and about $600 in cash, records state. The victim was threatened with a gun and punched in the face but was able to escape.

Coleman was initially charged with first-degree robbery in the 2015 holdup, but he pleaded to a reduced charge of conspiracy and was granted a deferred judgment, which would have erased the charge from his record if he completed five years of probation.

The deferred judgment was revoked in August 2016 after he allegedly violated the terms of his probation.

Peter Veal is guilty

in double murder

FORT DODGE (AP)  A Lake Mills man has been found guilty of killing two people and trying to kill another in Mason City last year.

A jury Thursday found 31-year-old Peter Veal guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Officers sent to a Mason City home in November to check reports of a shooting found the bodies of Caleb Christensen and Melinda Kavars. Prosecutors say Veal shot Kavars and stabbed Christensen to death. A witness, Ron Willis, testified he saw the killings and Veal tried to shoot him, but the gun jammed. Willis was then able to escape.

The trial was moved to Webster County due to pre-trial publicity.

Peter Veal is the brother of Ruthann Veal, 38, who is in prison for stabbing Catherine Haynes to death at Haynes Waterloo home in 1993. At the time of the slaying, Ruthann Veal was a 14-year-old runaway.
WATERLOO  The Rev. Tom McDermott, now pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, found his calling in life when he got in out of the rain  next to a graveyard.

He had studied at Iowa State University and worked his grandparents farm south of Epworth for several years.

One day he was marking off a location for a grave in the cemetery near St. Johns-Placid, the century-plus-old rural Catholic church where he and his family worshiped.

He ducked out of the rain and struck up a conversation with his parish priest, the Rev. Joe Hauer.

The conversation would change his life.

Somewhere along the line, the question came up, Are you happy? McDermott recalled. I said, Yeah, Im happy. I always wanted to farm, but I havent found Mrs. Right yet. But Im doing what I always wanted to do.

Hauer was vocations director for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. But he hadnt always been a priest. He taught school at Sacred Heart in Waterloo prior to ordination. Hed been where McDermott was at that point in his life.

Hauer asked a question for which McDermott couldnt find a good answer.

He said, Do you think youre doing what God wants you to do? And that was a different question, McDermott said. And I couldnt put that one away.

I had lots of reasons why I didnt want to be a priest, he said. He didnt want to be an administrator. He didnt want to stand up in front of people. But, he said, I couldnt say God didnt want me to be one.

The rest is history. This year, McDermott is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his ordination.

And hes getting a little more company within the priestly ranks.

A milestone

The Archdiocese of Dubuque, which covers the northeast quadrant of Iowa, notched a milestone this year.

Five men were ordained into the priesthood. Thats the most in 28 years, since nine were ordained in 1989, and matches the total number of ordinations from 2012-16 combined.

More is to come. The archdiocese is on track for another seven ordinations over the next couple of years. About 20 men from the archdiocese are enrolled in seminary at different levels. It takes six to eight years of training to become a priest.

The archdiocese, which had 400 priests in the 1950s and 60s, is holding its own, stemming predictions of a continued decline. In 2013, archdiocesan officials projected the number of full-time priests would decline from 91 at that time to about 75 over five years.

Four years later, that decline has not happened. There are 92 active priests in the archdiocese. Some priests are working past retirement age  well into their 80s  but new priests are being ordained.

Thats good news for local Catholic parishes, which in 2013 conducted a pastoral planning process that called for some parishes to share priests if one of the pastors in place at that time retired. While that planning process led to greater cooperation among the parishes on programs such as adult faith formation and social action, no parishes have had to share priests.

In fact, openings are being filled. When the Rev. Dave Ambrosy, pastor at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Waterloo, was appointed to the pastorship at St. Marys in Waverly, the archdiocese moved to fill that post. A newly ordained priest, the Rev. Kevin Earleywine, has been temporarily assigned to Queen of Peace while arrangements are being made for a permanent pastor to take charge of that parish, with its sizable Latino population.

The archdiocese is drawing to the priesthood men who have worked in other fields, like McDermott and seminarian Jim Goerend, 49, working at Blessed Sacrament this summer. He was a school teacher for many years before seminary. But theres still a younger crop of men coming fresh out of college and seminary like Father Earleywine, 27.

He was ordained May 27 and is ministering at Queen of Peace until the permanent pastor arrives. Then he will move to Iowa Falls, serving a cluster of parishes in that area.

Hearing the call

From the time I started seminary, it seemed like there was this growing number of seminarians, said Earleywine, who grew up on a farm in southern Wisconsin, attended Loras College in Dubuque and worked in a mission on the west side of Chicago for six months.

I was just looking at the number of ordinations. This year we had five of us, and theres two behind us and five behind them. Its a big deal. Its been a long time.

Four were ordained in McDermotts class in 1997, the most between 1989 and now.

Just for me, from my own experience. I do have a lot of hope in my generation of Catholics, Earleywine said. Being in college and campus ministry, I think theres a lot of young people who do have a desire to re-engage their faith.

Of course, theres numbers of people leaving, Earleywine said. But offsetting that, there are a number of outreach programs like FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Those movements help instill the idea in young people that God has a plan for them, Earleywine said.

I think our culture is moving to be a-religious and more secular, Earleywine said. But I think theres a response to that. Its led in a greater emphasis in those of us who have faith to claim our faith and take it seriously and engage people, as a response to the more secularized culture. Its inspired more people to rise up.

Studies have shown while church enrollment has remained steady since McDermotts ordination, church attendance has declined. He hopes the uptick in ordinations reverses that trend.

I think were doing a better job of extending the invitation to priesthood and religious life, said McDermott, who has been on a committee reviewing applications to priesthood. Were doing a better job of showing the relevance of priesthood, the sacramental side of our spirituality, instead of letting people take it for granted.

The aha moment

For Goerend, a native of St. Lucas, a heavily Catholic community in Fayette County, parents were always encouraged to talk to their kids about vocations. Vocations also were promoted when he attended Loras.

But he wasnt ready at that time in his life. He had a girlfriend, traveled and worked in the Twin Cities and Rochester before getting a teaching degree at the University of Northern Iowa. He taught for eight years at Waukon High School and North Fayette High School in West Union.

But It seemed like there was something more that I was supposed to be doing, he said. Its hard to really describe it or put a finger on it, but just the feeling that I was being called to do more than stand in front of a classroom.

Really perceptive friends, including a guidance counselor at Waukon who was a devout Catholic, said, I think Gods calling you to the priesthood.

An a-ha moment came at Mass one summer when Goerend and his mother were visiting a church in Prairie du Chien, Wis. The priest said in his homily, Why arent you saying yes to what God is calling you to do?

At that moment it was as if I was the only one sitting out there. It was like, OK, I cant hide anymore,  Goerend said.

He was concerned about going to the seminary at his age. But when he advanced to Mundelein Seminary near Chicago as part of his training, he discovered other seminarians closer to his age.

McDermott said hes seen people enter seminary from graduate school, the military or other outside work. While not the rule, they are supplementing an influx of seminarians.

When McDermott entered seminary more than 20 years ago in his late 20s, the average age was about 31. There were more second-career vocations, he said.

What it takes

Candidates for the priesthood are normally required to get a four-year undergraduate degree and a four-year graduate degree from a seminary. Those who have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field take two years of undergraduate study to get a philosophy and liberal arts background, then four years of theology at a seminary.

The requirement Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy is not going to change any time soon, McDermott said.

It was a consideration for me, as I think for all those considering this vocation or vowed religious life, he said. I have six siblings and they have 33 children among them, so I was I think wired for children. ... Id always planned to have a family.

But celibacy has been a great gift to me, he said. I find great spiritual benefit in how it makes Christ the one I turn to first and most for relationship. That is, I think, crucial for the well-being of the priest and the parish.

The salary may be relatively modest  $23,000 in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. But it offers paid health insurance plus room and board and a pension.

McDermott believes there is a spiritual factor in the rise in vocations.

God has promised us well have vocations for the church, he said. For priests and seminarians, I think there is a sense of purpose: I am engaging my spiritual life, and I want to help others do that.

As the culture as a whole becomes more individualistic, there are those who say, I find great value in community, and I want to do something that helps the greater community, McDermott said.

This is a great vocation for inviting others into that life together.
CHARLES CITY  The new owner of a Charles City apartment complex said he inherited bad tenants and was in the process of removing one when a tenant shot and killed another man near the complex June 30.

Casa Apartments, formerly Highland Terrace, bought the property in April. It includes six buildings on Clark Street, Clarkview Drive and Terrace Road.

Owner Mike Casa said hes been trying to make the complex safe  and better  ever since. Security of the area is being taken very seriously, Casa said.

Antoine Williams, 36, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nathaniel Fleming, had been a tenant since Feb. 1, Casa said.

The previous owner rented to him without running a background check, Casa said. He was one of the bad guys we identified upon taking over, and were moving him out of the complex.

Casa said they started to monitor tenants when they acquired the complex. Williams was found to be one of the tenants who would occasionally disturb peace, Casa said.

The situation was discussed with him and he agreed to vacate the property on his own instead of being evicted, Casa said. He was cooperating and moving out. He was moving on the day of the shooting.

Casa said the shooting happened off the property, and Fleming was not a resident.

It was isolated incident when two bad guys could not resolve a disagreement, Casa said. Now both of them are gone, and vacancy will be filled with good tenants.

Police say Williams fatally shot Fleming multiple times during an argument around 10 p.m. June 30 near the complex, in the 2100 block of Clarkview Drive.

Casa said he has seen community support since the incident.

Actually, residents in the community want to help us as well, Casa said. Everybody wants to improve the situation in this complex and make it great again.

The complex features 96 units in six buildings, with open space between buildings for walking dogs and play areas for children.

Since taking over, Casa installed lighting systems around the parking lot and buildings and wants to install a video surveillance system.

Casa Apartments hired an on-site property manager.

Hes here 24/7 to assist residents and knows whats going on at night, Casa said. He can monitor whats going on. If there are police calls, he can mark tenants.

Casa implemented a zero-tolerance policy for crime and drug use. Any criminal activity is cause for eviction. As part of the screening process, those previously convicted of misdemeanors or felonies will not be considered.

Since taking over, six to nine tenants who did not comply with standards have been removed, Casa said.

Vacant apartments have since been remodeled.

When we took over, there were 30 percent vacant in the complex; now were 95 percent full, he said.

Casa has moved in 20 families since April and has a discount program with Simply Essentials to get employees and families moved in.

Casa Apartments began to utilize social media and other marketing initiatives to advertise vacancies around the country.

The majority of Casa Apartments properties are in Illinois. Casa said they have had success in turning around other properties, like a complex in Rockford, Ill.

Charles City is a nice little town, Casa said. We were looking for our next investment, and this is a nice place to start. There are worse places than Charles City.
FORT DODGE -- A Webster County jury found a northern Iowa man guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder Thursday.

Peter Veal, 31, Lake Mills, sat quietly as the verdict was read, but tears were shed in the areas of the courtroom reserved for Veal's family and the families of the victims.

Veal is the brother of Ruthann Veal, currently serving prison time for a 1993 murder in Waterloo.

Mindy Kavars died of a gunshot wound to the throat shortly after 2 a.m. Nov. 17 at a residence in the 1600 block of North Hampshire Avenue in Mason City. Caleb Christensen died of multiple stab wounds.

Police said Veal committed those crimes and attempted to kill Ron Willis, who was also in the house. Willis testified Veal pointed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger, but the gun didn't fire.

Willis said he ran from the house and called 911 while Veal tried to get a jammed round of ammunition out of the gun.

Melissa Kavars Hall, Kavars' sister, said the trial became about Veal and Willis, and the victims seemed to be forgotten.

"Mindy was kind and loving and very funny," she said. "We don't want her to be forgotten."

Kavars' daughter, Alexandrea Kavars Rhine, said she hopes her family and Christensen's family now can "find the peace we desperately needed during these brutal months."

Veal is tentatively scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 25. The mandatory sentence in Iowa for first-degree murder is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The trial, which was moved to Webster County due to publicity, began July 10.

Ruthann Veal, 38, is housed at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville for stabbing Catherine Haynes to death at Haynes Waterloo home in 1993. A 2015 obituary in the Globe Gazette newspaper list her and Peter Veal as siblings.

At the time of the slaying, Ruthann Veal was a 14-year-old runaway. She was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
WATERLOO  A city wastewater collection superintendents job is on the line after he pleaded guilty to allegations in Utah he used a public account for work on a septic tank project at a home he was building.

Michael Ryan Broadhead, 38, who had been a wastewater collection manager in Salt Lake City before being hired in Waterloo, was also accused of making more than $5,000 in non-work-related purchases on a Salt Lake City credit card.

Broadhead left his Salt Lake City job before he was named as Waterloos collection system superintendent in March with a May 1 start date. The charges were filed in Salt Lake County District Court a few days after he started his new job, and he entered a guilty plea July 14 to misuse of public money, a felony, according to court officials.

Broadhead was sentenced to two years of probation. He has paid $11,000 in restitution.

Waterloo City Attorney Dave Zellhoefer said Broadhead hadnt been charged at the time the city of Waterloo hired him, and none of the references contacted during the hiring process mentioned the situation.

Broadhead cooperated with Waterloo city officials when they learned about the charges, but no final decision has been made regarding his future employment status, Zellhoefer said Wednesday.

Hes superb at what he does, Zellhoefer said. He made a mistake, and hes paying for it.

Broadhead didnt return a phone call for comment Thursday.

Court records allege the misuse of the city card spanned from 2014 to 2016, according to officials.

According to media accounts, in November 2016 Broadhead used a city account to rent an excavator and bought a septic tank to be placed at a home he was building in Eagle Mountain, a community south of Salt Lake City.

After he rented the equipment, a concerned citizen photographed one of Broadheads employees, who was also charged, using the equipment at the address, officials said.

The day after the work, Broadhead had the costs of the excavator and tank moved to his personal account, officials said.
CEDAR FALLS  When Fred Hubbell thinks about the future of Iowa, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate isnt just looking a decade down the road.

The states going to be here, hopefully, another 350 years, twice as long as its already been here, right? Well, that takes some investment, Hubbell said. Whether its a business or whether its a school or whether its a state, you cant keep cutting your way to success. It just mathematically doesnt work.

Hubbell, a former chairman of retailer Younkers and former president of Equitable of Iowa life insurance company, held an hourlong discussion at University of Northern Iowa Thursday night with about a dozen students, faculty and staff to discuss the future of education and the workforce in Iowa.

Its part of a statewide tour Hubbell launched after announcing his bid for governor. He focused on education and economic development by visiting higher education institutions and union training sites across the state.

Hubbell also faced a question on what UNI would look like in 10 years.

I would hope that the institution would feel that it is contributing to the overall success of the state in terms of helping to educate and develop people here, Hubbell said. I think its incumbent upon all of us to try to work hard to make sure that our institutions like this one have the resources and have the support  to try to do the best job that you can to help the rest of the state be successful.

He said it is unlikely the state can continue doing all it has done in the past, but also was clear education is a public good.

Its very vital to whole Waterloo-Cedar Falls area that this institution thrive, not just survive and youre quickly  moving toward a survival mode as opposed to a thrive mode, and we need to turn that around, Hubbell said.

Hubbell also got student perspectives on rising tuition rates. He noted the challenge of explaining to the public how higher education is more dependent on tuition as state support is cut.

Hubbell said that wouldnt change overnight, but he is interested in reducing tax incentives for businesses that arent creating jobs in order to increase education funding. He said he would work to sell his ideas to business leaders.

Hubbell said his experience as a leader distinguishes him from a crowded field  there are at least seven Democrats considering vying for their partys nomination in the June primary. Other Democratic candidates running or exploring a bid are state Sen. Nate Boulton, Des Moines; state Rep. Todd Prichard, Charles City; former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Andy McGuire; former Iowa City Mayor Ross Wilburn; former Des Moines School Board President Jon Neiderbach; former aide to Gov. Tom Vilsack John Norris; and union leader Cathy Glasson.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the url on the website.

WATERLOO  Local bus users are now able to keep track of their ride on a smart phone.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched a new bus-tracking website which will allow riders to get up-to-the-moment information about the movements of each bus on every route.

You can go to a website and see all of our fixed route buses, said Mark Little, MET general manager. Its real-time information about where your vehicle is at.

The website at transit.unitegps.com/mt shows a color-coded page of each MET Transit fixed route. Users can click on their route, opening up a map with an arrow that serves as a bus and updates every four seconds.

When the arrow is green, the bus is moving. When the arrow is red, the bus is stopped. Yellow dots indicate key stops on the route and link to a route schedule.

Its going to be very simple to use and its going to be very helpful to our riders, Little said.

Numerous road construction projects and detours have bumped some MET buses off schedule this summer, which can leave riders wondering if the bus is on its way or if they might have missed it.

We transport a lot of folks with disabilities on our fixed routes, Little said. This will make it so they dont have to stand outside and wait for a bus stop in inclement weather.

MET riders are encouraged to go to the web page and use the add to home screen feature to make the site easily accessible on Android and iPhone devices.

Little said MET Transit has been working on the website since it was encouraged by Cedar Falls Councilman Nick Taiber.

While such global positioning system, or GPS, sites for public transit systems are common in major metropolitan areas, Little believes MET Transit is only the fourth system in Iowa to utilize the technology, joining the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority and universities of Iowa and Iowa State.
On Iowa Politics discussed Fred Hubbell, Des Moines businessman, running for governor and the sexual harassment lawsuit by a former GOP Iowa Senate staffer.

On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast which re-creates the conversations that happen when Iowa's political reporters get together after deadlines have been met. This week's show features James Lynch, Erin Murphy, Christinia Crippes, and Bret Hayworth. This week's show was produced by Sarah Muller and the music heard in the podcast is courtesy of Past Masters.

Chat with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @OnIowaPolitics, and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. Know an Iowa musician who should be on our show? Send their band sound files to oniowapolitics@gmail.com
CEDAR FALLS  Like any other high school counselor, Nathan Nelson wanted to take his upperclassmen on college visits this summer.

But Nelson  who works at the Minnesota School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley, Minn.  wanted to do it in a way that fit the mission of his magnet school.

So he and another teacher, Hillary Wackman, took nine juniors and seniors paddling down the Cedar River to visit three Northeast Iowa colleges this past week.

Im kind of discovering, Wow, a lot of (Iowa colleges) are in pretty nice Iowa farm towns on rivers, Nelson said. This spring, I decided Id better go down there and see if theres anything to this.

There was, and Nelson also got a great response from Luther College, Wartburg College and the University of Northern Iowa for the trip. His students, who will receive one credit for the trip, also liked the idea.

Instead of just making that choice because, Well, I like the campus, its Well, how is it related to the natural environment, and then how am I going to recreate? Nelson said. As a college student you can get attached to the campus, but you can also get attached to the land. Its a pretty good idea for our students.

The group began by driving to Luther on Monday and taking a tour before any paddling took place.

We didnt get to canoe up there, but they told us a little bit about the Upper Iowa River, Nelson said. Decorah is a very beautiful town.

From there, they drove to Cedar Bend Park and put in at the Cedar River, floated the four miles to Waverly, and stayed in Wartburg dorms overnight.

Its funny  before you start canoeing, that two hours before is a lot of work, Nelson said, noting the group has to pack and prep the canoes. Then you get on the water and it really feels worth it. Just that relaxing feeling that canoeing provides.

Tuesday, they toured Wartburg, meeting with a professor of environmental studies, then paddled south toward Cedar Falls and camped overnight in Black Hawk Park.

On Wednesday, the group paddled the remaining hour to downtown Cedar Falls for their final college tour at UNI before driving back to Apple Valley.

The timing meant the group saw mild weather up until the drive home Wednesday evening, when storms blew through Northeast Iowa.

Who would have known that our greatest adventure was the storm on Interstate 35 between Clear Lake and the Forest City exit on the way back home? Nelson said, noting they saw five overturned semi tractor-trailers that had been pushed by the winds. We were in the school vans and OK, but it seems like we just missed those winds by a few minutes.

Nelson said he was proud of his students not only for putting in the extra work of a canoe trip on their college visit, but being open to the idea of attending an out-of-state college.

A lot of kids would say, Im not interested in going to Iowa. But we think its kind of cool, Nelson said. You either get it or you dont  theres something more down here, its just beautiful. These kids get it.
WATERLOO -- A Waterloo man was arrested after police say he assaulted members of his family as well as three police officers who responded.

Kevin Eugene Hampton II, 21, of 526 Dawson St., was arrested Thursday evening at his home and charged with three counts of serious domestic assault, aggravated domestic assault, assault on a peace officer and two counts of assault on a peace officer causing injury.

Waterloo Police say they were called to Hampton's home for an assault in progress.

When they arrived, Hampton's wife, Santana, told police she and members of Hampton's family had been in an argument with him when Hampton allegedly began punching members of his family.

According to police reports, Hampton was charged with punching his mother, Shari Hampton, 49, in the face and shoving her to the ground; punching his 15-year-old brother, Dylan Hampton, in the face as Dylan was trying to help Shari; punching his sister, Heather Medina, 28, in the face; and punching his wife, Santana Hampton, 23, in the face and shoving her on the stairs.

Shari Hampton was taken to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital after the assault, according to reports.

When officers arrived, they say Hampton then pushed a door into Officer Jordan Ehlers, punched Officer Andrew Sears in the back of the head and kicked Officer Keaton Northup twice in the chest as police attempted to put Hampton in restraints.

Hampton remained in the Black Hawk County Jail as of Friday on a $10,000 bond for the aggravated domestic assault charge. The six other charges carry a no-bond hold.
It wasnt quite a wicked-witch-is-dead Munchkin happy dance, but the white noise of foregone conclusions drowned out Republicans relatively muted regret over their failure to repeal and replace Obamacare.

It was never gonna happen. Not no how.

Partly this is because the GOP version of reform would have first done harm to our most vulnerable citizens  the elderly, the disabled and the poor. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins cited drastic Medicaid cuts as her reason for withholding support of the so-called Better Health Reconciliation Act. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also said he wouldnt support the bill because it didnt go far enough in repealing Obamacare.

When two more GOP senators  Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas  defected Monday night, the deal was undone. Lee said the bill failed to repeal all of the Obamacare taxes. He also said the bill didnt go far enough in lowering premiums for middle-class families or in loosening costly regulations.

Thus, the weeks-long tornado of hot tempers and chill winds culminated Tuesday morning when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell realized he didnt have enough votes.

Health care is such a mind-numbing boondoggle that one must take frequent breaks from thinking about it. Therefore, let us pause for a moment to applaud the relatively unknown L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Neither the passage of time nor the contempt usually bred by familiarity seems to dim the popularity or the seemingly eternal applications of his masterwork. In my experience as a columnist, Ive found few issues, characters or moments  whether writing about Bill Clintons steamy White House encounters or McConnells bland ruminations on regret  that dont benefit from Baums contextual frameworks.

There. Now to yawn-inspiring health care reform in all its failed foregone-ness.

During almost a decade of writing sporadically about health care in its various iterations, Ive interviewed dozens of people from a mix of related fields  medical, business, legislative and political. Not once have I found a single person who thought the GOP could pull off a repeal and replace. Why?

Firstly, because the vast majority of Americans are fundamentally opposed to allowing others to suffer. And secondly, sort of, the ACA affects one-sixth of the U.S. economy. How does one untangle a knot of 20 million strings? Why not just repeal and replace California and call it a day? It would be easier.

The fact is, Obamacare was never perfect nor should anyone have expected it to be. Today, we have a health care system in pitiful disrepair, as insurance companies opt out of exchanges, premiums continue to climb, and healthy, young people forgo insurance premiums that would have subsidized coverage for unhealthy, older Americans and the less fortunate.

Therein lies the crux of the least solvable problem inherent in such a gargantuan, multifaceted overhaul: It denies, emphatically, the nature part of being human, which is in constant tension with government-mandated insurance coverage. The central question is: How do you make it both cost-effective as well as fair?

Many Americans simply dont see the fairness in a system that requires them to pay high premiums for others poor health, some of which is, lets face it, earned. Not deserved, but sometimes resulting from poor lifestyle choices. Why, indeed, should a single, childless 30-year-old male who runs three miles a day, eats rationally, doesnt drink, smoke or take drugs, be saddled with insurance premiums to cover pregnancy, abortion, alcoholism, addiction or an abundance of health consequences resulting from obesity and inertia?

For that matter, why should women have to subsidize mens sexual dysfunction curatives when, by the way, men dont have to pony up for womens corresponding, post-menopausal, medically appropriate intercessions. Here you see one of the finer-print dilemmas. Wed rather force nuns to concede tacit approval of abortion than insist insurance subsidies be tied to healthy behaviors.

Im sorry if this sounds heartless; the brain calls it reality. No wonder Obamacare was so difficult to craft and a replacement equally so. There are simply too many moving parts to make the sucker float  and too many reasons to not sink it.

Since McConnells repeal-only idea seemed doomed Tuesday afternoon after GOP Sens. Collins, Shelley Moore Capito and Lisa Murkowski said they oppose immediate repeal, perhaps, finally, Republicans and Democrats can snap on their wizard hats and cobble something workable together. After all, its the only thing they havent tried yet.
A $2.2 million judgment likely will cause some collateral damage.

Some think that should include Bill Dixs job as the Republican leader in the Iowa Senate.

A Polk County jury last week awarded $2.2 million to Kirsten Anderson, a former staff worker for Senate Republicans in the Iowa Legislature. The award was the result of Andersons lawsuit in which she alleged her 2013 dismissal was retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment.

The state  more specifically, Senate Republican staffers  claimed Anderson was fired for poor work performance.

The jury ruled in favor of Anderson, and the $2.2 million award will be forked out by Iowa taxpayers at a time when the state budget is already seriously pinched.

When a lawsuit results in seven-figure monetary damages, often the impact is felt beyond the checkbook.

Already two public calls have been made for Dix to resign, including one from a Republican senator.

Sen. Rick Bertrand, a Republican from Sioux City, issued a statement Wednesday in which he called for Dix to resign.

Sen. Dix has a pattern of retaliation, we all know that, and unfortunately power has that effect on some people, Bertrand wrote. This jury did not believe that Ms. Anderson was justly fired, and ultimately her dismissal was Bill Dixs decision, and that lack of judgment has consequences.

Dix recently removed Bertrand as a chairman of the Senates Transportation Budget Committee.

Des Moines Register columnist Kathie Obradovich reached the same conclusion: Dix should resign.

By failing to provide a professional work environment and even minimally competent management, Senate Republicans failed in their duty to protect taxpayers. Now every Iowan has to pay the penalty with their tax dollars, Obradovich wrote last week. Every one of the people with responsibility in this case, from Dix on down, should resign.

Dix did not respond to Bertrands call for his resignation, according to a Senate Republican spokesman.

But Dix did defend himself and his staff in response to the jurys decision. He maintained the defense that Anderson was fired only for her poor work product and absolutely no other reason.

During my leadership of the Senate Republican Caucus, harassment and inappropriate behavior was addressed immediately and effectively, and it will continue to be addressed in that manner in the future, Dix said in a statement. The Senate Republican Caucus is now a safe environment and there is no tolerance for any and all types of harassment.

Anderson testified she first began complaining of sexual harassment in 2010, according to the Des Moines Register, and she was fired in 2013.

Dix was voted Senate Republicans leader in 2012.

The jurys ruling and calls for his resignation come at an otherwise heady time for Dix. In the 2016 elections he helped Senate Republicans gain the majority  and, as a result, control of the legislative agenda  in the Iowa Senate. Then, in 2017, he led Senate Republicans as they joined with House Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad to pass myriad pieces of conservative legislation long sought by GOP lawmakers and voters.

Good neighbor

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker this week endorsed Kim Reynolds in Iowas 2018 gubernatorial election.

Reynolds will be the successor incumbent in the race  she ascended from lieutenant governor after former Gov. Terry Branstad resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China. But Reynolds faces a Republican primary challenge from Cedar Rapids mayor Ron Corbett.

GOP leaders have been lining up behind Reynolds  earlier this month Iowas Republican U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, announced their support for Reynolds.

Gov. Reynolds is a strong leader whose bold vision promises a bright future for the people of Iowa, Walker said in a statement issued by the Reynolds campaign. She works tirelessly for Iowas hard-working families, and Im proud to endorse her and the commonsense reforms shes advancing in her state.

Walkers support means more than just a press release: It likely means the Wisconsin governor and conservative hero to many nationally will be willing to do what he can  i.e. raise money  for Reynolds campaign.

Of course, Walker has his own re-election campaign to run in 2018. He does not, at this point, have a serious primary challenger.
After all of the negative Trump news thats been pouring over us, its time somebody in my biz said a good word or two about Donald Trump. In fact, both Donalds  senior and junior.

Because in one sense, Im convinced theyve got to be smarter than they appear. Of course, Donald Sr. and Donald Jr. are prone to say and do things that make them look goofy, inept, untruthful or maybe even worse to all of us outsiders. But Im operating now on the assumption that, most of the time, they sure must have their reasons for doing what they do.

In recent days, the Donalds both managed to separately launch themselves into the news in incidents that involved Russias elites. Both cases prompted the cognoscenti to scoff at them. But Im thinking they no doubt had what they considered were good reasons for looking bad.

Washington just discovered what many world leaders knew a week earlier: At the Group of 20 summit in Germany, President Trump had a reportedly hour-long second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that no one reported about at the time. It seems Trump just walked around the table and started talking with Putin, using only the Russian presidents interpreter. Then he reportedly stayed for one hour. U.S. talking heads tsk-tsked that Trump had no U.S. witness or note-taker there; they call it diplomatically dangerous. True enough. But Im thinking that was precisely the way Trump wanted it. For reasons he knows and we dont, he wanted no witnesses of what he really wanted to tell Putin.

Now consider Donald Jr.  and the mess he just got into about disclosures of a meeting he held more than a year ago in his Trump Tower office with a Russian attorney with Kremlin connections. It turned out Donald Jr. had been told the attorney wanted to pass along Russian government info damaging to Hillary Clinton  and he was elated to get the info. Clearly caught, Donald Jr. smartly released meeting-related emails himself  and went on Fox News ever-friendly Sean Hannity Show to add his carefully spun perspective.

It turns out it was nothing, Donald Jr. said, insisting the meeting instead was just about U.S. adoptions of Russian kids.  It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame.

And when Hannity asked if that was all of it, Trump Jr. assured: This is everything. This is everything.

But it wasnt everything. In daily drips and dribbles, news leaked about other controversial attendees. Don Jr. hadnt mentioned a Russian who formerly had intelligence ties. And finally a fellow named Irakly Kaveladze, who, years earlier, had attracted considerable attention from U.S. government investigators:

SUSPICIOUS BANKING ACTIVITIES: Possible Money Laundering by U.S. Corporations formed for Russian Entities.

The October 2000 report by the U.S. Government Accounting Office (now Government Accountability Office) detailed the activities by which Kaveladze had been involved in an enterprise that reportedly worked with 30 to 50 brokers in Moscow for whom it had formed about 2,000 corporations in Delaware. They opened bank accounts for those corporations with Citibank and Commercial Bank and moved Russian money through those accounts to other international locations in the decade following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Kaveladze works for the Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov, who, with his rock star son, Emin, had helped Trump bring the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013. Of course, this latest kerfuffle over Kaveladzes appearance at Donald Jr.s is hardly proof the former Russian money laundering facilitator hoped to open a laundromat in Trump Tower. But it makes this much clear: The session that swelled from three to eight, including several Kremlin-connected insiders, sure wasnt a forgettable, Seinfeldian meeting about nothing, as Donald Jr. tried to con Foxs Hannity viewers into believing.

So why would Donald Jr. choose to look like hes hiding something? He must have known admitting to the other meeting attendees would lead you to think something improper was discussed.

The latest revelations of meetings with Putin and other Russian elites  and independent witnesses  leads me to dig up the oldest and most vexing piece of the Trump puzzle: His refusal to disclose his income tax records.

All other modern presidents revealed their taxes to assure us they had no conflicts of interest. They all agreed to make sure you knew they had no unknown domestic business partners  and especially, no global oligarchs who had invested foreign funds in their business ventures, perhaps hoping to reap a geopolitical profit.

But Trump wont give us similar assurances about his business entanglements. He insists on keeping his income taxes secret. Even if it means hell look like he may be hiding a huge, terrible secret.

All we can do is continue to take our president at his word. And keep trying to follow his money.
An assault was reported on the areas recreational trails over the weekend when a 47-year-old male bicyclist was attacked as he attempted to ride around a group of youths near Black Hawk Creek.

The assault occurred under the U.S. Highway 218 bridge near Falls Avenue around 6 p.m. Sunday. One of the perpetrators punched the cyclist, striking his head as he passed. The rider, who was wearing a helmet, was able to keep control of his bike and continue riding  as one member of the group briefly gave chase.

Its another disheartening development, as the local trails system has seen a sprinkling of assaults over the past several years.

Any assault, anywhere, anytime, is a despicable act. What makes these particularly disturbing is they happen in the vicinity of an asset many in the Cedar Valley have come to know and love  our recreational trails system.

Attacks on the trails are not widespread, but there have been some serious assaults. Two of the initial, and most eye-opening instances, occurred in mid-2011 and early 2012 when two women were slashed with a knife while using the recreational trails. One was attacked on the Sergeant Road path near Martin Road, the other on a path going through George Wyth State Park.

A Waterloo man was subsequently sentenced to 14 years in prison for those attacks.

In 2015, authorities increased patrols in area parks after a woman was beaten and sexually assaulted. She had been jogging on a trail in George Wyth.

Last summer, two trail assaults occurred on successive days. In the first, a male was sucker-punched from behind and kicked on the ground. The second involved a woman who was struck by individuals with arms extended as they passed her on bicycles.

The Cedar Valley Trails system is a community jewel, not simply a ribbon of asphalt out in the woods. Through the refuge it offers to residents and visitors alike, it has been tied to our community identity.

This system is as dear to many as our own neighborhoods. Its a place where people should be able to feel safe.

Thousands of runners, bikers, walkers, families and pet owners have used our trails system for more than 25 years. The system, connecting Cedar Falls, both sides of Waterloo, Evansdale and even extending down the Cedar Valley Nature Trail to Cedar Rapids, is one more way people in all locales can feel a little more connected. It exposes all users to this areas natural beauty.

The Courier regularly receives letters from out-of-town visitors who comment on our trails system, those who have enjoyed them and who wish they had such a community asset closer to their own homes.

For those reasons, its a community asset we need to protect.

Theres some early hope for the apprehension of those involved in the latest attack. On the same day as the incident on the trails, two other people in the downtown area reported being beaten by a group of youths riding bikes. One was robbed. The Waterloo Police Department has released a video from a bicycle theft in the area that may be related to all three incidents.

We hope this lead helps local law enforcement in finding those responsible. Anyone who can help identify anyone in the video, or with any other information, is asked to call the Waterloo Police Department at 291-4340.

In the meantime, trails users should always take precautions to protect themselves. Be aware of your surroundings. Its recommended those using the trails dont wear ear buds, so they can hear whats going on.

In past instances, law enforcement agencies have recommended trail users employ the buddy system  riding with others, and to carry a cellphone to report any suspicious activities.
Jul 21, 2017 | By Benedict

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has partnered with the Navys Disruptive Technology Lab to develop the militarys first 3D printed submarine hull. The 30-foot carbon fiber demonstrator was 3D printed on ORNLs Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) 3D printer over the course of a few days.

Building submarines is a costly business. With your average submersible SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) hull costing between $600,000 and $800,000, the Navy is constantly looking for new ways to lower the price of its production methods.

Thanks to a recent partnership between ORNL and the Navys Disruptive Technology Lab, there could now be a radical new way to cut the cost of submarines by up to 90 percent. Using ORNLs BAAM 3D printer, the team was able to fabricate an affordable, 3D printed, SDV-inspired hull.

The 3D printed hull, an Optionally Manned Technology Demonstrator, was inspired by traditional SDVs, but is unlike anything that has ever plumbed the depths before. The 30-foot structure is made from a carbon fiber composite, and consists of six main pieces. Incredibly, the entire processfrom concept to assemblytook less than four weeks.

This could be hugely important for future submarine production, since SDVs currently take around three to five months to manufacture. With the BAAM reducing this time by a huge amount, the Navy is now in a great position to take advantage of on-demand production of aquatic vehicles.

While the current 3D printed demonstrator hasnt been built for water testing, a future printed hull will indeed be put through its paces in the deep. After the Navy team scooped the prestigious NAVSEA Commanders Award for Innovation last week, it is now ready to create a second 3D printed hull that will be tested at an elite testing facility in the Navys Carderock facility in Maryland.

Amazingly, ORNL and the Navy team say that fleet-capable prototypes could be introduced and put in the water as early as 2019.

Of course, the Navy cant give away too much about how it built its 3D printed submarine, but both the armed forces branch and ORNL say they will use their experience gained on the project to develop further 3D printed technologies of a similar nature.

The 3D printed submarine, 30 feet in length, becomes the Navys largest 3D printed asset.

Other 3D printed submarines have been built in the past, but none have been on such a scale as this. In may 2016, we reported that a team of engineering students from the UKs University of Warwick was planning to bring Godiva 2, a functional 3D printed submarine, to the European International Submarine Races in Gosport, England.

Last month, Navy sources confirmed that the use of blockchain technology was being explored to protect the Navys 3D printing data.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Jul 21, 2017 | By Tess

Nathan Seidle, the founder of Colorado-based open source hardware supplier SparkFun, has demonstrated how a 3D printed robot he built and programmed was able to crack a safe in just 15 minutes. The DIY safe-cracking robot only cost about $200 to make.

The project began last Christmas, when Seidles wife gifted him with a locked safe she had found on Craigslist. The safe, a $120 SentrySafe, had been sold by its owner because they forgot its initial combination. As a lover of DIY projects and challenges, the safe seemed like the perfect gift for Seidle.

With the same version of the safe at home, Seidle was able to investigate the devices structure in close detail, which enabled him to come up with a design for a robot specifically built for cracking a SentrySafe. Along with his team at SparkFun, the maker spent roughly four months designing, printing, testing, and tweaking the robot.

The robot itself consists of several 3D printed parts (including the bit that fits around the safes dial), an aluminum frame, magnets to secure the bot to the safe, an Arduino board ($20), a motor ($40), and a number of sensors programmed to see if the robot turned the safes handle properly.

Over the course of the four months of development, Seidle adapted and refined the safe-cracking robot, which was built to automatically test every combination of the safe. This approach, called bruteforcing, was not totally feasible, however, as it would take the robot about four months to test every possible three-number combination (of which there about a million).

To reduce the work for the robot, Seidle figured out a number of vulnerabilities in the safes design which could be exploited. First, he realized that the safe has a flight tolerance for error, meaning that a number above or below the proper combination number would work as well. (For instance, if the combination started with a 5, a 4 or 6 would work.) This realization meant that instead of testing every number of the combination, every third number would suffice.

Seidle also discovered that the safes dial did not need to be fully returned to its original position after trying a combination, and could carefully turn the dial in a way that kept two of the three rotors in place while the last number was changed. This trick, said Seidle, meant his robot could open the safe in under a day and a half.

Funnily enough, the final trick that enabled the bot to open the lock in as little as 15 minutes actually came from a design feature that was meant to prevent safecrackers from opening the safe: the combination indents. Upon careful inspection, Seidle noticed that the indents of the third rotor (the final number) all measured the same width except one, which was a hundredth of an inch narrower than the other eleven indents.

This led him to realize that if his robot could measure which indent was narrower than the others on the locked safe, the last number of the combination could be found instantly. This feature reduced the robots working time down to a maximum of 73 minutes and, as weve been saying, a minimum of just 15 minutes.

Ultimately, Seidle is not aiming to become a professional safe-cracker, as he hopes his project will help safe-making companies to realize that vulnerabilities in their products can be exploited relatively easily, with 3D printing and low-cost electronics making safe-cracking tools more accessible than ever.

(Images: SparkFun)

"Youre going to have an army of geeks like myself poking and prodding and trying to do things like this," Seidle told Wired. "The nature of the toolset is getting cheaper, so more nerds are getting brave with their puzzling.

Seidle will be demonstrating his 3D printed safe-cracking robot at Defcon, the hacker convention held annually in Las Vegas. There, hes going to be breaking into the $160 SentrySafe model in front of a live audience. The newer safe model also incorporates a key lock, which Seidle found he could break using a ball point pen. They added a layer of security that is completely useless, he said.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Stefan wrote at 7/24/2017 8:48:09 PM:But.... what was inside the safe when they opened it the first time? :D




Even the triumphant finale is antiheroic  instead of hearing Churchills We shall never surrender speech in his stentorian oration, its read sotto voce by a soldier. This emotional abstemiousness may prevent an Oscar success on a par with Saving Private Ryans. Oscar likes overt emotion, like Sean Penn shouting, Is that my daughter? in Mystic River. Yet it makes the victory seem more hard-earned, rigorously unsentimental.



The films multipart structure is less satisfying than the narrative jigsaw puzzles that made Nolan famous (Memento, Inception). Its hard to keep track of where the three stories and sets of characters intersect, partly because the characters are so minimal.



So maybe Dunkirk wont get 11 Oscar nominations like Spielbergs more teary war film. On the other hand, its clearly the most stunning movie of 2017, so maybe it will get 12. Either way, it's a victory.

Tim Appelo is AARP's Movies For Grownups editor. Follow him on Twitter: @timappelo
In McCain's case, the senator and former presidential candidate showed no neurological problems before or after the operation, his doctors told CNN. The clot was discovered during a routine physical exam. Blood clots, however, are not one of the most common symptoms at diagnosis, Willmarth says. McCain also reported feeling fatigued and having brain fog as well as intermittent double vision, which prompted a CT scan.

Treatment options vary



As with many tumor types, the exact cause of glioblastoma is not known. Treatment may combine several approaches because the tumors contain so many different types of cells. Certain therapies may work for some cells, but others may not be affected at all.

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"The first step in treating glioblastoma is a procedure to make a diagnosis, relieve pressure on the brain, and safely remove as much tumor as possible through surgery," according to ABTA's website. "Because glioblastomas have finger-like tentacles, they are very difficult to completely remove. This is particularly true when they are growing near the parts of the brain that control important functions such as language and coordination."

Radiation and chemotherapy may be used to slow the growth of tumors that cannot be removed with surgery. Mayo Clinic doctors who are involved in McCain's care told CNN that a minimally invasive craniotomy was performed. Postsurgical brain scans show that the tissue causing concern has been completely removed, and the senator has shown no neurological problems. He would need to heal from his surgery before beginning radiation.

McCain's condition is the same one suffered by his former colleague Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, as well as film critic Gene Siskel. Both men died from complications related to the tumor. Median survival is about 15 months, and about 10 percent of patients may live five years or longer, Willmarth says. ABTA offers resources to help patients through their journey, including navigating second opinions, finding clinical trials and treatment options, and supporting caregivers and patients throughout their experience.
Pretending to be sick isn't just for high school students who haven't studied for exams or the office worker trying to sneak in a sunny afternoon at the ballpark. In fact, faking illness can be a nice little side gig  if you have the desire and skills to act out an ailment and be examined by medical students in training.

Hospitals and medical schools rely on people who pretend to be sick  called standardized patients  to provide invaluable experience for doctors who are just beginning their careers and need to become comfortable interacting with and performing physical examinations on patients. At George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Services in Washington, D.C., standardized patients can earn between $18 and $28 an hour to feign diseases and conditions.

It's not as simple as showing up and saying you don't feel well, either. Participants in most standardized patient programs undergo hours of training on how best to mimic a specific illness. It usually takes several prep sessions to learn to assume a new identity, work with the medical students during the "examination" and evaluate them with their supervisors after a visit.

The job recalls a classic Seinfeld episode in which the frenetic Kramer signed up as a pretend patient and was dismayed to learn that he had been assigned the role of a gonorrhea patient. In the sitcom, the scenes were played for laughs  Kramer performed his gonorrhea role so convincingly and dramatically that he was forever typecast and had to quit the program entirely  but standardized patients perform a serious and vital role in the medical training process. And though many standardized patients are trained actors making money between gigs, the role can also be particularly attractive for older and retired people, who may have more flexibility and free time to participate in such programs and who represent a demographic with a wide range of health issues and often-elusive diagnoses.
School board, county commission and zoning meetings are this week

Here's a look at who's meeting this week and what's on the agenda.
Registration Is Opened Till 1st August & Everyone Who Is 21 Or Older Has A Chance To Win A Free Trip To The Exotic Islands In Hawaii

Honolulu, HI, USA  July 21, 2017  Hawaii.com has announced an amazing offer of winning a trip to Hawaiis iconic Food and Wine Festival. Everyone now has a great opportunity to sign up and become a member of Hawaii.com to get these amazing giveaways and promotional offers by the number one travel portal of the Islands of Aloha. For all those planning vacations in the Pacific this summer, this offer is going to bring a memorable trip of their lives to the exotic paradise of the west.

Winning these giveaways is quite simple and just by signing up on our website and becoming a member, anyone can enter the giveaway, said the spokesperson of Hawaii.com while explaining the process of entering the giveaways. Our membership allows the members to earn points which can be used to enter the giveaway and the sign up alone gets you these points with ease, she added. Hawaii.com is a travel website and a tourism portal that is aimed at promoting the Exotic Hawaiian Islands.

In addition, the travel website sends out weekly content promoting the rich Hawaiian history, culture, activities and events. Moreover, there are several amazing travel deals offered by the website on vacation packages, accommodations and activities. Furthermore, the company offers an average of five trips giveaways to Hawaii each year and for the lucky participants of 2017, this is a golden opportunity that knocks once in a lifetime.

The trip offered by the website includes several amazing attractions for the tourists and these include a round-trip by the Hawaiian Airlines with the domestic airfare for two. Also, the trip includes four nights stay in a luxurious resort at Ko Olina with daily breakfast for two. In addition, it includes a pair of general admission tickets for the iconic festival and its signature events where the lucky winners can enjoy food, drink, culture, dance and much more. Entries will be accepted till August 1st, 2017 and participants much be 21 or older.

For more details about this amazing festival and to register, please visit the link below: www.hawaii.com/giveaways/win-trip-hawaii-food-wine-festival

Media Contact

Company Name: Hawaii.com

Contact Person: Brant Songsong

Email: help@hawaii.com

Phone: 808-695-6309

Country: United States

Website: www.hawaii.com
Services Offered To Schools, Daycares and Camps

Valparaiso, IN  July 21, 2017  The need for treating lice and to preventing it from spreading is extensive through the Valparaiso, area. On June 1, a new Certified head lice treatment and prevention center opened in the city.

Lice Perspectives is pleased to announce its head lice treatment services now in Valparaiso and the surrounding communities of Northwest Indiana. Lice Perspectives is celebrating their Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening on August 10th. The event will be hosted by the Valpo Chamber of Commerce.

Lice Perspectives offers a number of services dedicated to treating and preventing head lice. It is a Certified Head Lice Awareness and Control Center with Treatment, Removal and Education, with being the one and only Shepherd Certified head lice removal company in Northwest Indiana.

Lice Perspectives provides screening, diagnosis and head lice treatment for children and adults. In addition to offering lice treatments, the team at Lice Perspectives offers mobile services in the comfort of your own home as well as School, Daycare and Camp head checks are also available.

More than 12 million people, mostly children and school personnel, get head lice every year. Head Lice is not a topic commonly discussed on social media and Lice Perspectives understands this and is dedicated to delivering the utmost compassion and understanding to this frustrating experience.

Lice Perspectives can be a valuable resource in the Northwest Indiana community, providing education, counseling and support services to families and school communities. All parents dread that phone call from the school nurse saying their child has head lice. We look forward to providing families in the Northwest Indiana area with a safe, non-toxic and effective treatment for head lice, said Krystal, the healthcare professional who owns Lice Perspectives. Lice Perspectives offers same day, evening and weekend appointments, so children and parents can return back to school and/or work lice-free the next day.

Lice Perspectives provides immediate relief without the use of pesticides or toxic chemicals. Every family receives a customized Care Plan following the treatment as well as full education on how to keep your home and environment lice-free!

Lice Perspectives operates around Northwest Indiana in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton and Starke Counties, as well as the Chicagoland area. Potential clients can contact the company at www.liceperspectives.com to learn more about whether they can be covered by the services offered by the team.

The team accepts FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts) and HSA (Health Savings Accounts) for coverage. Numerous payment plan options are also available. Daycares and schools can also discuss how different charges may be utilized depending on a number of key points for making it easier for such places to get a variety of services utilized in many forms.

Media Contact

Company Name: Lice Perspectives

Contact Person: Krystal

Email: liceperspectives@gmail.com

Phone: 219-617-1142

Address:786 McCool Road, Suite 10

City: Valparaiso

State: IN 46385

Country: United States

Website: www.liceperspectives.com


June 2017 Quarterly Actvities and Cashflow Report

Adelaide, July 21, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Mithril Resources ( ASX:MTH ) ("Mithril") and its exploration partners are exploring for gold, nickel and copper throughout the Kalgoorlie and Meekatharra Districts of Western Australia, and the Coompana Province of South Australia (see Figure 1 in the link below).



Key Points



Nanadie Well (Copper - Nickel - Cobalt)



- Broad downhole widths of visible copper sulphides intersected in all three diamond holes drilled to test Nanadie Well Copper Deposit and new EM conductors at the Stark Copper Nickel Prospect, including:



o 30 metres of disseminated, blebby, matrix, semi - massive and massive copper sulphides in first drill hole testing new EM conductor at southern end of Stark.



- Final assay results expected in late July.



Willow Well (Gold)



- Surface rockchip samples return up to 8.22g/t gold from new Fenceline Gold Prospect.



- Elevated gold in rockchip samples from a 120 metre long zone defined by sub-cropping ferruginous and brecciated quartz veining.



- No previous drilling and remains open along strike.



Lignum Dam Project (Nickel / Gold)



- RC drilling at the Mexi Nickel Prospect returns 40m @ 0.46% nickel, 305ppm copper, 354ppm cobalt and 66ppb PGE's from surface.



Spargos Reward (Gold)



- A maiden 2012 JORC Code compliant Indicated and Inferred Resource of 1.01Mt @ 3.9g/t gold (126Koz gold) was estimated for the Spargos Reward Gold Deposit.



- Spargos Reward lies on a granted Mining Lease held by Corona Minerals (65%) and Mithril (35%).



Exploration Plan for next Quarter



- Integrate drilling assay results and update geological models for the Nanadie Well Copper Deposit and Stark Copper Nickel Prospect.



- Downhole EM surveying of recently drilled holes at the Stark Copper Nickel Deposit and Nanadie Well Copper Deposit.



- Further mapping and sampling at the Fenceline Gold Prospect.



Corporate and Cash



- Cash reserves of $0.82M at 30 June 2017.



Exploration Overview



During the June 2017 Quarter (the "Quarter") Mithril identified the new Fenceline Gold Prospect (Willow Well Project - Meekatharra) and successfully carried out drilling programs at the Nanadie Well Copper Deposit and Stark Copper Nickel Prospect (both Nanadie Well Project - Meekatharra) and the Mexi Nickel Prospect (Lignum Dam Project - Kalgoorlie).



A 2012 JORC Code compliant resource of 1.01Mt @ 3.9g/t gold (126Koz gold) was also estimated for the Spargos Reward Gold Deposit (Kalgoorlie).



Corporate



During the Quarter, the Company spent $0.17M on its exploration activities outlined in this report and at 31 June 2017, the Company had cash reserves of $0.82M.



Nanadie Well Project (Copper-Nickel-Cobalt)



Nanadie Well (Mithril 100% and earning up to 75%),



During the Quarter, diamond drilling was undertaken at both the Nanadie Well Copper Deposit and the adjacent Stark Copper Nickel Prospect (located 80 kms SE of Meekatharra, WA - see Figure 1 in the link below).



To better understand the deposit's geological setting and to confirm its potential to host other minerals such as cobalt, nickel and PGE's (see Mithril's ASX Announcement dated 28 March 2017), one diamond hole (NDD17001) was drilled below a previous intersection of 160m @ 0.37% copper, 0.07g/t gold from surface (which included 6m @ 1.39% copper, 0.24g/t gold and 9m @ 2.03% copper, 0.35g/t gold in NRC12013.



NDD17001 intersected multiple intervals of disseminated copper sulphide (chalcopyrite) mineralisation over 10's of metres between 50.6 metres to 170.55 metres* with several internal zones (3 - 5 metres*) of vein and stringer copper sulphide mineralisation at the respective target depths. Assays are pending.



Two diamond holes (NDD17002 and 003) were also drilled at Stark where a high-powered SQUID ground EM survey identified multiple bedrock conductors (named M1 - M5d) with (conductivity thicknesses ranging from 660S to 5,000S. The M1 conductor has a strike length of over 300m and is interpreted to represent a southern extension to existing high-grade copper mineralisation.



The large M1 conductor lies below and immediately south of drillhole NRC15001 which previously intersected mineralisation in two parallel zones, i.e.; 2m @ 3.27% copper, 0.10% nickel, 0.55g/t gold, 0.38g/t PGE's from 157 metres and 14m @ 0.40% copper, 0.08% nickel, 0.04g/t gold, 0.22g/t PGE's from 200 metres.



NDD17002 successfully intersected 30 metres* of disseminated, blebby, matrix, semi-massive and massive copper and iron (pyrrhotite) sulphide mineralisation from 248 metres downhole, at the M1 conductor modelled depth (see Figures 2 and 3 in the link below). Assays are pending.



The intersection extends the Stark Trend significantly to the south and demonstrates that the M1 conductor is related to copper sulphide mineralisation.



NDD17003 drilled to test the M3 conductor successfully intersected 8 metres* of disseminated, blebby, matrix, semi-massive and massive copper (chalcopyrite) and iron (pyrrhotite) sulphide mineralisation from 94 metres downhole, at the M3 modelled conductor depth.



All holes were cased for DHEM surveying to assist with targeting further drilling. This surveying is expected to commence when a DHEM crew become available in the area.



At the date of this Report, all drill core had been cut and sampled with final results for the three holes expected in late July.



The Nanadie Well Copper Deposit (2004 JORC Code Compliant Inferred Resource of 36.07Mt @ 0.42% copper, 0.064 g/t gold - 151,506 tonnes copper and 74,233 ounces gold estimated by Intermin Resources Limited ASX IRC in 2013) lies on tenements subject to a Farmin and Joint Venture Agreement with Intermin Resources Limited ( ASX:IRC ).



Under the terms of the agreement, Mithril can earn a 60% interest in the tenements by completing expenditure of $2M by 14 April 2019, and an additional 15% by completing further expenditure of $2M over a further 2 years.



Willow Well Project (Gold)

(Mithril 100%)



Rockchip sampling undertaken during the Quarter has identified a new gold prospect (called "Fenceline") on the 100% - owned Willow Well tenement (EL51/1615), approximately 70 kms southeast of Meekatharra, WA and 20 kms north of Stark (see Figure 1 in the link below).



At Fenceline, a zone of sub-cropping ferruginous and brecciated quartz veining has been mapped and sampled over approximately 120 metres strike length with rock chip results ranging from 0.43 g/t gold to 8.22g/t gold (see Figure 4 in the link below).



The zone, which has never been drilled, has an estimated surface width of up to 5 metres and remains open along strike to the south east where it passes under an area of alluvial sheet wash and drainage.



Mithril plans to conduct further detailed mapping and sampling ahead of potential drill testing in the second half of 2017.



Lignum Dam Project (Nickel / Gold)

(Mithril 100%)



During the Quarter, Reverse Circulation hole KNRC001 was drilled to test a broad zone of shallow nickel-coppercobalt - platinum + palladium ("PGE's") anomalism within weathered ultramafic rocks at the Mexi Nickel Prospect (located 50 kilometres north-northeast of Kalgoorlie, WA - see Figure 1 in the link below).



KNRC001 intersected a broad zone of weakly disseminated sulphide - bearing high MgO ultramafic (peridotite) beneath a zone of strong weathering - sampling of which returned 40m @ 0.46% nickel, 305ppm copper, 354ppm cobalt and 66ppb PGE's from surface.



Maximum analytical values for any single metre sample of the fresh disseminated sulphides were; 1730 ppm nickel, 514 ppm copper, and 91 ppb PGE's.



To assist with ongoing assessment of Mexi, KNRC001 has been cased with PVC to provide a platform for downhole EM surveying.



Spargos Reward Project (Gold)



(Mithril 35%, Corona Minerals 65%)



A 2012 JORC Code compliant Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.01Mt @ 3.9g/t gold (126Koz contained gold - see Table 1 in the link below) was estimated for the Spargos Reward Gold Deposit by independent mining consultants Al Maynard and Associates Pty Ltd (AM&A) on behalf of Corona Minerals Limited ("Corona"), Mithril's exploration partner at Spargos Reward.



Spargos Reward is located 55 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie, WA (see Figure 1 in the link below) and lies within M15/1828 which is held in a Joint Venture between Corona (65%) and Mithril (35%).



Gold mineralisation at Spargos Reward occurs within a sub-vertical zone of strong shearing and alteration (quartz - pyrite - arsenopyrite) at the contact between felsic volcaniclastics and quartz biotite schists and has been historically mined to a vertical depth of 120 metres (via underground and open pit) with total production of approximately 29,260 ounces @ 8g/t gold.



The new mining depleted Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a mixture of validated historical drilling data and recent Corona drilling data (85 drill holes for 13,176 metres of combined Reverse Circulation and Diamond drilling) over a strike length of 300 metres and from surface (420m RL) to an approximate depth of 500 metres (-50mRL).



Other Projects



No work was undertaken during the Quarter on the following projects:



- Grey Dam South (Mithril 100%),

- Leaky Bore (Mithril 100%),

- Coompana (Mithril right to earn 20% / OZ Minerals 100%),

- Duffy Well (Mithril 100% - Doray Minerals earning an initial 51% and operating), and

- Kurnalpi (Mithril 100% - Chesser Resources earning an initial 50% and operating).



Exploration Plan for next Quarter



- Integrate drilling assay results and update geological models for the Nanadie Well Copper Deposit and Stark Copper Nickel Prospect.



- Downhole EM surveying of drillholes NDD17001, 002 and 003 at the Stark Copper Nickel Prospect and Nanadie Well Copper Deposit.



- Further mapping and sampling at the Fenceline Gold Prospect.



Notes Specific - March 2017 Quarter ASX Announcements



The following announcements were lodged with the ASX during, and immediately subsequent to the Quarter. Further details (including JORC 2012 Code Reporting Tables, where applicable) for each of the sections outlined above can be found in the announcements.



- New Meekatharra gold prospect - 28.06.2017

- Broad zone of copper sulphides at Stark - 19.06.2017

- Exploration and Drilling Update - 06.06.2017

- Mineral Resource for the Spargos Reward Gold Deposit - 23.05.2017



Note: Downhole widths



To view tables and figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/B4151D82





About Mithril Resources Limited





Mithril Resources Limited (ASX:MTH) is an Australian resources company whose objective is the creation of shareholder wealth through the discovery of mineral deposits.

The Company and its exploration partners are actively exploring throughout the Kalgoorlie, West Kimberley and Murchison Districts of Western Australia for economic nickel, copper, zinc, and vanadium deposits.

In the Kalgoorlie District, Mithril is exploring for nickel on the Kurnalpi, Lignum Dam and North Scotia Projects which lie along strike from, or adjacent to previously mined high-grade nickel at the Silver Swan and Scotia Nickel Deposits.

In the West Kimberley, Mithril is exploring for zinc on the Billy Hills Project which lies adjacent to the previously mined Pillara Zinc Deposit.

In the Murchison, Mithril is exploring for copper, nickel and zinc mineralisation on the Nanadie Well Project and for copper, silver, zinc and lead on the Bangemall Base Metal Project. Mithril's exploration partner  Monax Mining Ltd is also exploring for vanadium on the Limestone Well tenements.


Noosa Mining Conference Presentation

Adelaide, July 21, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Havilah Resources Limited ( ASX:HAV ) (Havilah) is pleased to release an updated version of its presentation, entitled "A New Mining Force in South Australia" which will be presented by Managing Director, Dr Chris Giles on 21 July 2017 at the Noosa Mining Conference.



This presentation summarises progress on the Portia gold mining operation and Havilah's plans for the future. The presentation will also be posted on the Company's website at http://www.havilah-resources.com.au



To view the presentation, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/NBW97L14





About Havilah Resources Ltd





Havilah Resources Ltd (ASX:HAV) is a debt free South Australian gold producer having recently financed and developed its first gold mine at Portia in north-eastern South Australia. It plans to follow on with three copper-gold-cobalt mining developments at North Portia, Kalkaroo and Mutooroo, which are underpinned by a JORC resources mineral inventory of over 1.4 million tonnes of copper, 3.6 million ounces of gold, and 18,000 tonnes of cobalt.


Timmins Meetings

Rouyn-Noranda, July 21, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Very nice to see gold trading a bit stronger to start the week. Optimistically, the upward trend will continue. The sad reality is the paper market will continue to dictate the price of the commodity, regardless of a diminishing supply, and growing demand in the physical gold market. We're seeing growing opinion amongst the experts that a correction in both the S&P, and Dow is on the horizon. Some are suggesting this will happen as early as 4-6 weeks, and are recommending liquidation, and profit taking over the next 2-3 weeks. That sort of financial event, although brutal for most, is usually good for gold. And, its generally good for any equity with gold.



Given that back drop, there are interesting rumours about Dupont's trip to Timmins last week. Apparently, he was seen in the company of some of the biggest neighbours the Timmins Porcupine West gold Deposit has! He met with at least five separate groups! The rumours are unsubstantiated, so the names of the companies Dupont met with would be just guesses. The point is, Explor's ( CVE:EXS ) ( EXSFF:OTCMKTS ) President & CEO appears to be actively searching for a partner, or buyer, for the TPW. These meetings in Timmins may be follow ups to Dupont's trips to Toronto last month? All the intermediate, or senior gold producers operating in the Porcupine Destor Fault Zone, are publicly traded companies. As such, they all have a mandate to increase shareholder value, and ensure a continuous flow of proven up feed material to their mills.



Given the proximity of the TPW gold deposit to most of them, its conceivable there could be a number of bids for the property, especially once the assays are released on the 3,000 meter drill program completed late last month. Once those assay results are incorporated into the Hollinger-McIntyre modelling system, and the 43-101 upgrade completed, they should have a gold deposit worthy of a very serious look by all the majors, & intermediates. As indicated in the past, the TPW has a 2,000 meter Strike Length, open at both ends, and open at depth. Those facts will play heavily in the 'Deposit Potential' thinking of any prospective bidder, and there may be proposals, given the number of 'groups' involved.



NOTE: This forum commentary was published from a third party source. It has not been verified by the company.





About Explor Resources Inc.





Explor Resources Inc. (CVE:EXS) (OTCMKTS:EXSFF) (FRA:E1H1) is a Canadian-based natural resources company with mineral holdings in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Explor is currently focused on exploration in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The belt is found in both provinces of Ontario and Quebec with approximately 33% in Ontario and 67% in Quebec. The Belt has produced in excess of 180,000,000 ounces of gold and 450,000,000 tonnes of cu-zn ore over the last 100 years. The Corporation was continued under the laws of Alberta in 1986 and has had its main office in Quebec since 2006.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he was no longer interested in peace talks with Maoist-led guerrillas and planned to hunt down the insurgents once the military has retaken a southern city from Islamist rebels.

Speaking to troops fighting pro-Islamic State militants on the southern island of Mindanao, Duterte said he would order an offensive against the New Peoples Army (NPA) after Marawi City is back under government control.

I do not want to talk peace, Duterte, dressed in a camouflage outfit and combat boots, said on Thursday at an army brigade headquarters about 2 km (a mile) from the battle area.

No more talk, let us fight, Duterte told businessmen in southern Davao City in a speech on Friday.

Automatic gunfire and artillery shelling were heard during the presidents four-hour visit, which was kept secret for security reasons. He distributed watches and supplies and promised soldiers pistols, body armor and other equipment.

There is a resurgence in communist activities, and after you finish here, we will re-orient and go after them, he said, adding that the communist rebels had taken advantage of the crisis with Islamists to attack government forces in Mindanao.

A municipal police chief was among six police killed by Maoist-led guerrillas in an ambush on their way to investigate a report of a shooting in the central Philippine town of Guilhungan on Negros Island.

Duterte is dealing with the biggest security challenge of his presidency, with troops stretched to secure an island of 22 million people, wary of attacks by Maoists and activities by a loose alliance of militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, foreigners among them.

More than 420 militants, almost 100 soldiers and 45 civilians have been killed in the nearly two-month-long siege.
Political parties are working overtime to devise strategies for winning election. BJP and RSS have proved smarter by creating rift between Hindu-Muslims by raking up issues like cow protection. First they imposed a ban on beef and now cow vigilantes are assaulting people carrying beef. Akhilesh Yadav lost election by saying,Kaam bolta hai and Mayawati thought that she will win by offering tickets to Muslim candidates. So unless you rake up an emotional issue, you are not going to win election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier attacked Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh for following politics of appeasement. He said that if kabristan (graveyard) is built in a village then shamshaan (crematorium ground) should also be constructed there. He added that if electricity is provided uninterrupted during Eid then no disruption should be caused during Diwali too. He played the Hindutva card by saying that there should not be any discrimination against any religion.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has demanded a separate flag for Karnataka. He has also appointed a committee to look into this matter and design a flag for the state. The Karnataka CM is raking up this issue to counter BJPs Hindutva agenda ahead of the 2018 assembly polls scheduled to be held in the state. If Karnataka gets its own flag then it will be the second state after Jammu & Kashmir to have one. He is trying to play with the sentiments of people by raking up regionalism issue. Everything is fair in love and war and also in elections. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is indulging in politics of appeasement. She has offered honorariums to Imams and Muezzins from state government funds. Durga puja celebrations were prohibited after 4 pm to accommodate Muharram processions.

Regional sentiments should be respected by for limited cultural purposes but the danger is that it may take the shape of separatism. That is why I recently said that Modi must visit different states regularly stay there for some days. He should interact with local residents and have a dialogue with the state government. The PM should refrain from organising road shows. Sincere visits to check development and administration is what people want.

We express our concerns about rising population but frankly speaking there is no one to listen to what we have to say. It is necessary to control human population which is rising rapidly. I have raised this issue many times but nobody is willing to listen. Television channels and newspapers are afraid to raise this issue as they are worried that penalty will be imposed on them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing a good job but he does not like to receive feedback. We must value the services of staff working in hospitals, factories, defence forces, paramilitary forces and other such vocations like teaching. I am surprised to see that no teacher (say VC of a university) or retired military general has been considered for the post of President or vice president. It is necessary to seek assistance of trainers and technicians from foreign countries. Government must also encourage entrepreneurs to move out, buy land in Africa and set up plants there. China is constructing off shore facilities to meet such needs.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)


Note: Read the full article at The Italian Insider. Thanks to commenter HL for the link. What do you think will happen to the rates of special education, chronic illness and spectrum disorder rates if these mandates take hold? Glaxo made the politicians an offer they couldn't refuse. And now parent's can't refuse vaccinations for their children.

ROME- Protests raged throughout Italy and the Governor of Veneto appeals against a recent law rendering certain vaccinations mandatory for children under 16. Opposition continues against the measure even after an amendment in early July reduced the number of compulsory vaccinations from 12 to 10 and the maximum figure for financial sanctions for parents dropped to 3,500 euros.

On Saturday night, a flash mob followed by a torchlight procession took place in Livorno organized by the Committee for the Freedom of Choice to Vaccinations (Comitato per la liberta di scelta vaccinale). The frontline protestors held a sign saying Dont mess around with health: freedom of choice and safety. This protest of 100 people was small-scale in comparison to other recent protests such as the one in Pesaro on July 8, which saw over 10 000 people arrive from all over Italy wearing orange T-Shirts. The latter event saw parents chanting freedom, freedom whilst holding up their children, according to reports by Il Fatto Quotidiano. Philosopher Diego Fusaro spoke at the event and claimed that the issue of vaccinations is an issue of economic interests, those of multinationals and the idea of no alternative. Parents also took to the microphone to tell of how they believe that their children have fallen ill due to vaccinations. Protests have taken place throughout June and July in Rome, Milan, Florence and other major cities.

The Region of Veneto has filed an official complaint to the Constitutional Court against the Decree Law No 73 of 2017. What we reject, said Governor Luca Zaia, is state intervention that imposes a collective obligation  which makes Italy the country with the greatest number of compulsory vaccinations in Europe.

The move, however, has been supported by the Institute of Health (Instituto Superiore di Sanita, ISS) in a letter sent by the organization to Emilia Grazia De Biasi, President of the Hygeine and Health Commission of the Senate. The Institute wrote that the severity of the laws sactions is justified by the situations urgency and the emergency caused by a decline in vaccinations and by the national epidemic. Sabino Cassese, former judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy, is another supporter of the law and wrote in an article with Il Corriere della Sera in May that the two rights in questions, that of Health and that of Education, have a differing importance. The first regards the very life of a person and so prevails over the second.
Pictured is an image of the front page from Oct. 4, 1995.
A sign and abandoned house sit on the grounds of a long-abandoned, 62-acre village in East Haddam, Conn. Iglesia Ni Cristo, a fast-growing Filipino church, purchased the deteriorating collection of Victorian-style buildings to be repurposed for use by the religious group.
First Citizens Bank area executive James Bennett and New Ellenton City Council member Ron Reynolds speak at the community meeting about the bank.
Construction continues at the mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel fabrication facility at the Savannah River Site in Aiken County. Reports state plutonium oxide shipments to SRS have been suspended.
July 20, 2017

The July 14 attack by three Palestinian citizens of Israel that led to the death of two Israeli soldiers and their own death by the Israeli security has focused attention on two Palestinian towns in Israel.

Umm al-Fahm, a city of 52,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel, lies in the Wadi Ara area. Twenty kilometers (12.5 miles) north of the West Bank city of Jenin, Umm al-Fahm is home to the northern branch of the radical Islamic Movement and its leader and former mayor of the city, Raed Salah. Three cousins who shot the two Israeli border guard police came from this city. Muhammad Ahmed Jabarin, 29, Muhammad Hamid Jabarin, 19, and Muhammad Ahmed Mufdal Jabarin, 19, traveled to Jerusalems Al-Aqsa Mosque and carried out the shooting rampage. Shortly after the news of the attack emerged, the city council of Umm al-Fahm met and issued a statement calling on the towns citizens to remain calm.

Some 40 kilometers west of Umm al-Fahm and in the heart of the Galilee lies the town of Mughar. While Umm al-Fahm is predominantly made up of Palestinian Muslims, Mughars 22,000 citizens belong to three faiths: Muslim (20%), Christian (20%) and Druze (60%).

Mughar is home to Israeli Advanced Staff Sgt. Maj. Hayil Satawi, a Druze citizen who was killed in the Jerusalem attack. Satawi, 30, was married with a three-week-old son, Ramos. The other policeman killed is Staff Sgt. Maj. Kamil Shnaan, 22, and hails from the predominantly Druze village of Hurfeish also in the Galilee area.

Media attention was focused on the town of Mughar because it has a mixed religious population and due to the 2005 violent tensions in the city. During the intercommunal strife, youths belonging to the Druze community reportedly roamed the citys streets, attacking properties and cars belonging to Christians. Druze mobs who were incited by a Facebook post attacked and injured 12 people, two of whom were shot. Cars and homes were also damaged. At the time, according to The Guardian, the violence in Mughar was a reaction to a Facebook entry that included photos of naked schoolgirls that was regarded as affecting the honor of Druze women. The police later arrested a 16-year-old and accused him of being behind the rumor that caused the violence.

Following the attacks in Jerusalem and cognizant of the potential of a recurrence of the internal violence, the religious and political leaders of Mughar met July 17 and issued a joint statement. The leaders called on the local community, especially the youth, to be tolerant and not to fall for rumors; they urged the police to do their job to protect the village from anyone breaking the law.

Adnan Tarabshi, one of the founders of the Palestinian theater company El-Hakawati and a local activist in Mughar, told Al-Monitor that thousands participated in Satawis funeral and visited his family. We had delegations from all over the country, including one headed by former Mayor of Umm al-Fahm Hashem Abd al-Rahman as well as other political and religious leaders.

Tarabshi said that there is a general consensus the attacks in Jerusalem targeted the occupation forces and were not specifically targeting Druze policemen. However, he noted that many mourners expressed opposition to the location of the attack. Many of those who paid their respects to the bereaved family said that they felt the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque should not be a battle ground and expressed opposition for the choice of the location of the attack as being inappropriate, he said.

Unlike the other Palestinian citizens of Israel, the Druze community is obliged to serve in the Israeli army. Many continue the mandatory three-year conscription by joining the Israeli police. Tarabshi, a member of the Druze community himself, has refused to join the Israeli army and is publicly opposed to mandatory conscription. His opposition to conscription was very costly and he went through a difficult period because of his insistence not to serve.

However, Tarabshi said that the Druze mandatory conscription is no longer a major issue. In terms of numbers, Palestinian Muslim and Christian citizens of Israel are voluntarily joining the Israeli security forces in much larger numbers than the small Druze community, he added.

Palestinians in the occupied territories have at times complained that the Druze members of the Israeli security are sometimes very brutal in their dealings with Palestinians in occupied areas, while others say that the shared language and culture often help in defusing some of the tensions.

The Druze spiritual leader in Israel, Mowafak Tarif, was quoted in the Israeli media July 17 as condemning the attack at Al-Aqsa Mosque and insisting that the Druze and Muslim communities need to maintain proper relations at this time. Ayman Odeh, the head of the Joint List of predominately Arab parties, called the statement of the Druze leader a responsible standpoint, Ynet News reported.

Mohammad Barakeh, a former member of Knesset and the head of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab citizens of Israel, was the leading local politician to visit Mughar and pay respect to Satawi's family.

On July 18, Barakeh posted a detailed account on his personal Facebook page about the deliberations with the members of the higher committee, saying that a vote of 11-3 approved the visit to the Druze family. Barakeh insisted that the visit was agreed to for social and traditional reasons and to avoid further tensions, insisting that all are in agreement that the occupation is the main source of all evils.

A day earlier, Barakeh said in an interview on Musawa Channel, which is funded by the Palestinian government in Ramallah, that he is concerned about the danger of an uptake in incitement against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

He noted that the wise people in Mughar will be able to upkeep their unified relationship, but that there is a need to block any attempts of "fitna," or religious-based mutiny. This is not a conflict with the Druze community who are part of our people. We are united, we reject any violence or attacks on religious sites, he said.

The vigilance of the leaders of Mughar proved to be necessary. In the space of three days, on July 15-17, unknown assailants shot at the local mosque twice and threw a stun grenade in the town causing fear among the towns 20% Muslim population. No one was injured, but the attacks have caused widespread concern that revenge acts might occur in retaliation of the killing of the Druze policemen.

While most attention continues to be focused on Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the relative tranquility and peace that exists among Palestinian citizens of Israel has been shaken up with a total of five Israeli citizens having been killed on the same day, leaving behind families and communities that are trying very hard to pick up the pieces and restore the relative peace that existed within their communities.

Correction: July 21, 2017. An earlier version of this article misstated Mughar's population. It is home to 22,000 citizens, not 12,000.
July 19, 2017

CAIRO  18 Days is not only the duration of the 2011 January 25 Revolution but also the title of one of the most controversial films in the history of Egyptian cinema.

Oddly, the Egyptian film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival but did not reach the Egyptian masses until July 3, 2017.

The film did not stir controversy because it is political or because it focuses on one of the most sensitive political events in Egyptian history; in fact, many films have been stricken by bans in Egypt because they are political. Instead, it is controversial because its lack of screening in Egypt is so mysterious.

The controversy behind 18 Days was sparked in May 2011 when news spread about it competing at the Cannes International Film Festival, though few in Egypt had heard of it. Its producers clarified in a statement on May 13, 2011, that the film consists of 10 stories or short films recounting humanitarian and political events during the revolution from both inside and outside Tahrir Square. An elite group of actors, including Ahmed Helmy and Mona Zaki, starred in the film.

The statement said the film is initially a work of art not intended to promote any political idea or fuel revolution, indicating that preparations started in February 2011 with the personal efforts of the filmmakers and that profits will be allocated to development projects.

Almost a week after it appeared on YouTube, the film got nearly 3 million views despite its somewhat serious and rather depressing social and political content, and was able to have a rating that competed with that of films released in cinemas during the 2017 Eid al-Fitr season.

The film was screened in May 2011 at the 64th Cannes Film Festival as part of the festivals new initiative celebrating cinema in a different country each year. It also participated as a contender in the Baghdad International Film Festival in 2011. However, it was never released in Egypts film theaters. In October 2015, Vetogate news website reported the film was banned by Egypts General Directorate for the Censorship of Artistic Works because of its offensive language and reported that the censorship authority had informed the filmmakers of its comments.

In a press statement on July 5, Khaled Abdul Jalil, the head of the General Directorate for the Censorship of Artistic Works, said the film was not banned by the directorate since it was never submitted to it, asserting that the directorate has nothing to do with the films delayed screening.

Also on July 5, Sherif El Bendary, one of the films directors, told Raseef22 news website, I do not know who has been banning the film all this time.

In an interview with CNN on March 6, director Yousri Nasrallah  a co-director in the film  said, The film has been banned in Egypt by the censorship authority and some security services because some are trying to obliterate the memory of the January 25 Revolution.

The former head of the General Directorate for the Censorship of Artistic Works, Sayyed Khattab, had told Al-Monitor during the shooting of the film in 2011, Two permits are required to show a film in Egypt. The first is the shooting permit, which is obtained by the filmmakers after having submitted a copy of the script to the Directorate for Censorship. '18 Days' has obtained this license, and no comments were raised on its script. The second permit is the commercial permit to show the film in film theaters. This permit is obtained when the Directorate for the Censorship approves the final version of the film. The filmmakers of '18 Days' did not submit this version to obtain such a permit.

He added, The film is a collaborative work of several producers and directors, and they may have disagreed about its commercialization or release date, especially if one of the filmmakers modified the script approved by the Directorate for Censorship during the filming by adding obscene and offensive terms showing in the version released on YouTube. The dispute between the filmmakers is likely due to inconsistencies in statements between Nasrallah, who claims the film has been banned by the Directorate for Censorship, and Bandari, who says he does not know who is banning the film.

The film contained some scenes showing torture by State Security Investigations service officials of citizens calling for demonstrations on January 25, 2011, and this may be why Nasrallah insists that the film was banned by the censorship authority or upon recommendations of security services.

Khattab ruled out this possibility, saying, Many artistic works displayed between 2011 and 2012, and perhaps even now, have criticized the Interior Ministry under the Mubarak era. This does not harm the current Ministry of the Interior, whose leadership has been changed several times in the past years.

He added, It is also unlikely that the foul language would be the reason for a ban since several films have been able to solve this issue by bleeping or by rating the film for specific age groups. I think the reason the film was never screened is due to a dispute among filmmakers who have divergent political orientations and views and different ways of dealing with the recommendations of the censorship authority.

In a press statement July 5, Nasrallah said he was thrilled the film received such a large number of views after years of being banned. A source close to the filmmakers told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Many of the filmmakers had lost hope of seeing it shown in Egypts film theaters. They were happy with the fuss it caused and the millions of hits it obtained and did not submit to YouTube management any request to remove it.

Film critic Nader Adly explained the success of the film on YouTube by saying, "The film is very influential and really good despite the weakness of some of its stories. I think the six-year ban created a great desire by the audience to see it.

He added, YouTube is popular among the youth, and youth played a major role in the revolution. They are interested in seeing their personal experiences in the revolution materialize on screen.

State efforts have found it harder each year to ban, track and remove artistic works. The same networks and social networking sites that served as a platform for young Egyptians demands for political freedom on January 25, 2011, have now become an arena for the protection of artistic and cinematic freedoms after the screening of 18 Days in July 2017, regardless of who was behind the film not being screened.
July 21, 2017

Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, Irans development policies and investment plans have been formulated in so-called five-year plans (5YPs), with the first one starting in 1989. Five 5YPs have been completed so far, and Iran started the implementation of the sixth 5YP on March 21. The approval and implementation of this latest plan had been delayed due to disagreements between the government and the parliament  disagreements that point to key differences on what political stakeholders understand as a development plan. The objectives of the original plan have previously been discussed by Al-Monitor. This article will concentrate on the diverging views on development planning and what it will mean for the future of economic policymaking in Iran.

One of the main characteristics of the original sixth 5YP bill was the fact that it was relatively short and kept referring to future executive bylaws that would determine the detailed approach. Many conservative lawmakers criticized the plan during parliament debates, stating that it did not qualify as a development plan and it clashed with the macro policies of the country.

Incidentally, the original plan only defined five priorities, but in the course of the parliamentary debates and the criticism from the Guardian Council, lawmakers ended up adding more articles and eventually defining "35 priorities." Top priorities in the original bill included improving water and environment conditions, improving the business climate, reforming local and national governance structures, promoting mining and related industries, tourism and the transit sector. In the amended version, other priorities such as financial sector reforms, promoting pay structures based on social justice, empowering poorer social classes, restructuring pension funds, etc., were also added to the document.

The amended version was so different from the original plan that Akbar Torkan, presidential adviser and head of the Free Trade and Economic Zones Organization, called it a "list of good but unattainable desires." Furthermore, Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Hossein Ali Amiri said that the document that was passed in parliament and forwarded to the Guardian Council had changed so much that its implementation would be impossible or very difficult.

Though the amendments included some good objectives, such as a ban on governmental investment in sectors where the private sector was active and the need to introduce more transparency in capital markets, the core problem is the clash of two diverse approaches to development planning. On the one side, there is a government that wishes to keep the overall development goals simple and allow the executive branch to draft relevant policy approaches within annual budget cycles. On the other side, there is a parliament that is mainly driven by provincial or sectoral interests who insist on defined investments and government allocations. The latter approach does not produce a comprehensive development paradigm, but rather a list of fragmented initiatives and investments that may in some cases even undo each other, e.g., one province investing in the mining industry without the needed supply chain while the neighboring province is investing in tourism or services.

Consequently, 28 years since post-revolutionary Iran started drafting and implementing 5YPs, experts assess the state of development planning very negatively. Abbas Shakeri, the dean of the Faculty of Economics at Allameh Tabatabaei University, explains the main shortcoming. "In Iran, we don't have development planning, i.e., we don't look at the actual realities in society in order to set specific goals and then draft a plan and create the needed infrastructure that will help us achieve the set goals.  Our actions are just shock therapy, he said.

Respected economist Farshad Momeni believes the country is experiencing a crisis. He believes that in the five 5YPs since 1989, a disastrous alignment between nonmanufacturing sectors, a short-term government and a spectrum of domestic neoclassical views has taken shape and has undermined manufacturing and economic development. In Momeni's analysis, the main losers in the process of the past 28 years have been society at large and the manufacturing sector, and the crisis has reached such dimensions that the country will have to make a new strategic decision about how to go forward.

Other economists, such as Shahla Kazemipour, believe that the Management and Planning Organization (MPO) should become independent from the government so that it can draft and implement 5YPs without political considerations. However, in a country where the Central Bank is still fully dependent on the government, it is far-fetched to look for the emergence of an MPO that can draft and implement development plans without any political interference.

The fact is that even the best plans and laws cannot be implemented properly if the countrys bureaucratic structures lack adequate capacity. As such, before one decides what kind of approach is needed, Iran needs administrative reforms to increase bureaucratic efficiency, transparency and discipline. Such structural reforms would also need to be accompanied by cultural and social reforms, including addressing religious and superstitious beliefs that impede the country's economic development.

In parallel with the above-mentioned reforms, Iran needs a clear definition of development and also a clear strategy forward. Notions like "economy of resistance," which sometimes is presented as "resilient economy" and otherwise as "resistance economy," won't help the confused state of affairs. Furthermore, general statements such as the goals defined in the 20-Year Program are too vague to be measured.

One potential approach could be that Iran gets rid of the 5YPs in their current format and instead develops either regional (e.g., northwestern region, southeastern region, etc.) or sectoral (e.g., mining, tourism, agriculture, etc.) development plans. One could also create a hybrid system of plans involving both regional and sectoral plans, but the key point is that they have to be aligned and also guided by a clear and measurable national goal. The advantage of such plans would be their decentralized structure and the ability to take into account the specific requirements in each region and sector more accurately.

As long as Iran's mainstream political forces do not agree on a clear paradigm for development, economic planning and policymaking will remain ambiguous, vague and at best fragmented. It remains to be seen whether President Hassan Rouhani will use his momentum in his second term to take tangible steps in this direction.
July 20, 2017

Every now and then, Iranian media outlets are full of news and analysis about the boundaries between the private and public spheres. The most recent episode began July 7, when Mohammad Tarahomi, legal affairs traffic police deputy, announced that personal vehicles are not considered a private sphere and are thus subject to all public regulations, including mandatory veiling. The trunk and glove compartments of personal cars are, however, considered private spaces, because their interiors are not visible and therefore not subject to random police inspections.

The matter of what constitutes private versus public is not just an obsession of the police. Experts from a range of disciplines, including grand ayatollahs, lawyers, political analysts and lawmakers, all publicly express their views and advocate their perspectives on the matter. It is within this context that the quest for privacy has given rise to a mushrooming of privately managed residential complexes, especially in the Caspian Sea resorts in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan.

For many Iranians, these private complexes offer a Sharia-exempt space, or in other words, a small-scale free mini-city in which women commonly flout mandatory veiling, sunbathe on the beach and publicly consume alcohol. This side-stepping has not, however, gone unnoticed by the vigilant eyes of the Moral Security Police, whose head, Gholam-Heydar Heydari, on June 21 warned owners of such complexes that they must abide by public laws. Immediately after the warning, Reformist parliamentarian Mahmoud Sadeghi stated that private beaches are considered personal spaces and that police patrols and inspections of these complexes are forbidden without a court order based on reasonable grounds and on a case-by-case basis.

What is at stake in this controversy is the demarcation of the jurisdiction of law and the expansion of exempted areas, namely the private sphere. Topping the list of contended issues are those involving sartorial codes, such as the wearing of headscarfs; morality laws, like forbiding consumption of alcohol; and traffic control laws, like noise pollution, which is a euphemism for unlicensed music.

In cases where people do not see the total abolishment of such laws as viable options on the horizon, they find ways to bypass them that still leave room for negotiation with authorities. Although challenging the law on mandatory veiling is considered against the Sharia as understood by the state clergy, debate on the boundaries of the private sphere is accepted in principle.

The acceptability of the principle of non-intrusion into the private sphere is partly based on a 1982 decree by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, that is praised as the emblem of Islams respect for the privacy of individuals. Although Khomeini did not use the term private sphere in his decree, and while it was issued primarily to speed the Islamization of laws in the post-revolutionary period, three of its articles directly relate to protected freedoms: Article 4 warns against arbitrary detention without a court mandate; Article 5 admonishes the unlawful confiscation of private property; and Article 6 prohibits nonconsensual entrance onto private property and into personal businesses, wiretapping without a court order and disclosures of personal information.

Three factions are now distinguishable in the debate over the boundaries of the private sphere. First, traditionalist clerics and their grassroots followers  supported by certain high-level statesmen  advocate their version of an Islamic public sphere in which any manifestation of non-Islamic behavior should be withdrawn into the hidden enclaves of homes. In short, they define privacy as invisibility. Following the recent uproar over the boundaries of the private sphere, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi clearly stated on July 11 that the main criteria for privacy is invisibility. In this vein, Makarem Shirazi argued that if one erects a glass house in the middle of a public place, it should not be considered a private sphere merely because it is personal property.

The second group consists primarily of people with Reformist political inclinations, lawyers and civil society activists who campaign for establishing the boundaries of the private sphere to include private property. For instance, parliamentarian Mohammad Kazemi asserted on July 8 that a personal vehicle is on the whole a private sphere and that the visibility or invisibility of the vehicles internal space is irrelevant.

The third group comprises administrative bureaucrats as well as mid-level technocrats and managers within the police and the judiciary. Their views are largely based on executive expediency and concerns about applicability rather than on ideological or political grounds. While they generally go unnoticed in these politically loaded public debates, their views toward the regulation at hand are highly instrumental in the final application or abolishment of a law. For these administrative bureaucrats, law enforcement officers and judicial personnel, the main priority is a decrease in the massive workload that results from the criminalization of widespread social behaviors, such as de-veiling and consuming alcohol. Hence, in effect, the very executive bodies responsible for enforcement of social disciplinary restrictions can also often simultaneously be the main obstacle to them.

On the whole, the highly charged debate over the private versus the public is yet another example of the broader social and political divisions in contemporary Iran as well as the varied modes of resistance against the official discourse of the state. If questioning restrictive Islamic laws transgresses the discursive red lines of the Islamic Republic, opponents of such regulations can initiate entirely new public debates in which claims are reproduced with a legitimate language but with the same aim and the same function, namely to expand social freedoms.
July 19, 2017

President Mahmoud Abbas has been sending local and international mediators to Gaza to discuss a range of issues that would achieve reconciliation, Hamas leader Yahya Moussa revealed to Al-Monitor. Abbas efforts come following the rapprochement that began taking shape between Hamas and Egypt, and seem to be aimed at undermining the understandings the movement reached with dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, according to Moussa.

The internal crisis between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah on the one hand and Hamas on the other has worsened since Hamas formed the administrative committee to manage the Gaza Strip instead of the national consensus government, amid bleak reconciliation prospects. Consequently, the PA took a series of measures against Gaza, including cutting off the Gaza employees salaries and forcing them to retire early. The PA also stopped covering the bills for electricity supplied by Israel to the Gaza Strip. This pushed Hamas in June to conclude deals with Dahlan, under Egyptian sponsorship, to alleviate Gazas crises.

Moussa said that international parties, including United Nations Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who visited Gaza at the end of June and early July, and Fatah leaders in Gaza offered their mediation and transferred messages between Hamas and Abbas to settle their differences and revive the Palestinian reconciliation. The Fatah delegation discussed during its June visit to Gaza ways to end the growing rift between Hamas and the PA, but their efforts have failed so far because each party is insisting on its demands.

He noted, The mediators communicated Abbas conditions for reconciliation, which include Hamas disbanding the administrative committee, empowering the consensus government to work in Gaza without any restrictions and holding presidential and legislative elections within six months. Moussa clarified that Hamas told the mediators it would not discuss any conditions or details before the PA lifts all its measures against the Gaza Strip.

Mladenov visited the Gaza Strip twice in less than a week: on June 29, when he carried suggestions and messages to Hamas from Palestinian officials, and on July 3, to get answers about the suggestions related to the reconciliation and the PAs measures in Gaza.

Moussa did not rule out the possibility that Abbas mediation aims at disrupting the openness between Hamas and Egypt and blocking the road to understandings with the Dahlan-led reformist current in Fatah. Abbas is worried about this rapprochement and wants to foil it. He added, "Several Fatah leaders showed resentment and criticized Egypt after loosening its blockade and allowing entry of industrial diesel to the Gaza Strip.

He added, The understandings between Hamas and Dahlans current are putting off Abbas and Fatah, and he is doing his best to stand in the way. Abbas thought that such understandings would never happen and he was shocked to see otherwise, and started taking action to foil them.

In a July 13 press statement, member of Hamas political bureau Mahmoud al-Zahar said that Abbas wants to impede Hamas understandings with Cairo through maneuvering. Zahar said, The understandings between Hamas and Dahlan focus on three issues, namely activating the Palestinian Legislative Council, settling the social reconciliation issue by giving compensations to families of those killed in the 2007 clashes and activating the National Islamic Committee for Social Solidarity and the projects for the poor.

The committee, established by Dahlans reformist current in 2014, aims at proposing small projects to poor families to provide them with a constant source of income that they can live off through sums of money donated from several Arab countries.

Yet Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatahs Central Committee who is in charge of the reconciliation file with Hamas, disputed Moussa's claim. It's not true that mediators have been sent to Hamas. During his visit to Tunisia on July 6, Abbas denied this and said that there is no mediation with Hamas and that he would never accept it," Ahmad told Al-Monitor.

He added, Hamas asked Mladenov to step in, but we refused. Abbas and Maldenov met on June 22, a week before he went to Gaza, and Abbas talked about his vision for the Palestinian reconciliation. In April, the PA sent a written document to Hamas with clear demands to end the rift. The demands included disbanding the administrative committee, allowing the national consensus government to operate in Gaza and holding elections.

The Hamas-Dahlan understandings have raised the ire of Fatah. In a July 1 press statement, official Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasmi said, The understandings are illegitimate and are paving the way for separating the Gaza Strip, which is in line with Israels goals. Still, the PA and Fatah are steering clear of criticizing Egypt, which brokered the understandings.

In a July 12 press statement, Qawasmi said that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Abbas during their meeting July 9 in Cairo that Egypt prioritizes the legitimate Palestinian government, that its loose grip in Gaza is motivated by humanitarian reasons only and that it will not allow the Gaza Strip to separate [from the rest of the Palestinian territories].

Abbas adviser Mahmoud al-Habbash told Al-Monitor, The PA did not and will not shut the door in the face of any party willing to mediate to end the rift. But Hamas must abide by the pillars of ending the rift. Our demands are clear, and Abbas initiative represents them.

Habbash commented on the recent Hamas-Egypt rapprochement, saying, The only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people is the PLO. We trust the Egyptian stance, and we are not worried about Egypts policies toward Gaza. Our relations with Egypt are tight.

Habbash noted that the Palestinian leadership is not interested in the Hamas-Dahlan understandings. He said, We do not care about that, and this point is not even on the PAs agenda of discussions.

Amid the PAs insistence on its demands to end the rift as per Abbas initiative and Hamas calls for the PA to lift all sanctions on the Gaza Strip as a prelude to discussing the reconciliation conditions and measures, it seems all mediations will have been in vain. The rift seems to be widening between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with each passing day.
July 21, 2017

WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today urged Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies to lift their blockade of Qatar as a sign of good faith following what he called aggressive efforts by Doha to address their concerns.

Tillerson made the comments alongside visiting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the State Department amid signs the Qatar crisis may be easing. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt began imposing a blockade on gas-rich Qatar in early June.

I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade, which is really having the most  negative effects on the Qatari people, Tillerson said. That would be  a good sign if the four countries would do that. And Im hopeful theyll consider that seriously.

Omans leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, has a keen interest in seeing the dispute between rival Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members peacefully resolved as his country braces for a possible leadership transition. In power since 1970, the childless 76-year-old has suffered from colon cancer for several years.

Tillerson said hed seen positive movement in recent days.

The Qataris have continued to move forward  to address many of the terrorism, terror financing, counterterrorism concerns that people have, and they have been very aggressive in implementing that agreement, he said.

A top UAE official, in one of the first conciliatory messages since the crisis erupted in June, also praised Qatari actions today. In a tweet, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash praised Qatar for showing an interest in taking action against dozens of people with alleged Qatari links that the UAE and its allies have designated as terrorists.

"The Qatari decree to amend the anti-terrorism law is a positive step to deal seriously with the 59 terrorists," Gargash tweeted.

Omans top diplomat did not speak to the press at the brief encounter. But Oman  a benefactor of a US security guarantee  wants to see the GCC/Qatar dispute resolved equitably, Gulf experts said.

Qaboos recently appointed somebody seen as a likely successor to take over, Sigurd Neubauer, with the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told Al-Monitor. My point is that Oman looks at how the Qataris are being treated. They have an impending succession coming. Unless this thing with Qatar is nipped in the bud, Oman [fears it] could be next.

The Saudis have always tried to coerce Oman to take [Riyadhs] lead, to submit to its position, Neubauer said. It has a chilling effect on Oman.

The Omani diplomat was also due to hold meetings at the White House today with Trumps envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt on possible confidence-building steps to boost Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Neubauer said. Oman hosts an international center for clean water research, the Middle East Desalination Research Center, which the US government has seen as a potential vehicle for advancing Israeli-Arab cooperation.
July 20, 2017

The Turkish Twitter-sphere went abuzz July 14 with a post that read, "The bird has flown away. Wishing the same for the remaining 80 million." The tweet belonged to ethnic Armenian linguist and writer Sevan Nisanyan, who had been behind bars since January 2014. True to his flamboyant style, Nisanyan had chosen Twitter to announce he had escaped from prison and was a free person again.

For years, Nisanyan stood out as a colorful individual on Turkey's intellectual scene. A Yale and Columbia University alumnus, he is the author of a prominent etymological dictionary and travel guides, but the book that made him a truly controversial figure was the "Wrong Republic," which questioned taboos about the Turkish Republic and its founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, infuriating secular and nationalist Turks. With his blunt criticism of religion, he also drew the wrath of pious Turks as well.

The chain of events that led to his imprisonment began in 1995, when Nisanyan relocated to the picturesque village of Sirince, near Turkey's Aegean coast. Sirince was in a state of decay, and Nisanyan began renovating its traditional houses, converting them into stylish hostels known as "pensions."

Thanks to Nisanyan's efforts, Sirince soon became a popular tourist destination. Yet, there was a problem. The place was a protected area  off-limits to construction  which meant that Nisanyan had engaged in illegal construction activity. His transgression, however, had more to do with the cumbersome Turkish bureaucracy. After the village was declared a protected area in 1987, the authorities were supposed to revise the area's zoning plan within a year, which they failed to do. A stone's throw from the magnificent Ephesus, one of Turkey's top historical sites, the village fell into a state of disrepair. Exasperated from petitioning the authorities for the new zoning plan, Nisanyan decided to go ahead anyway. In the meantime, he had begun to produce his controversial writings, which, quite tellingly, coincided with a series of demolition orders for the pensions. In one interview, Nisanyan said his troubles began after he became a columnist for the Taraf daily in 2009. "Twenty-three demolition decisions followed in 2010," he said.

In an illegal construction haven such as Turkey, the authorities' sternness vis-a-vis Nisanyan and the trials that followed were quite unusual. The most striking example is perhaps President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's gigantic palace, which was erected on a protected area despite a court ruling that had ordered the construction to stop. After the 2014 ruling, Erdogan challenged the court with a memorable comment: "Let them demolish it if they can."

Nisanyan, too, refused to heed the demolition orders. In a further act of defiance, he erected a tower to "proclaim his own republic." When word came that the authorities would carry out the demolitions, he said "only over my dead body" and sent out invitations for his own "funeral" to draw public attention to the controversy. Sirince eventually remained intact, but Nisanyan landed behind bars on Jan. 2, 2014, after one of his convictions was upheld.

Before going to prison, he gave an interview to a magazine, for which he posed in a bathtub, holding a glass of wine. "The state cannot ruin my spirits, even if I have to serve another 8 years in jail," he said.

Myriad campaigns were organized for Nisanyan's release, including one involving prominent Turkish mathematician Ali Nesin, who had set up a unique Mathematics Village in Sirince. Nesin, too, faced an investigation on charges of illegal construction, which demonstrates how the judicial stick is being used against intellectuals in Turkey.

While in prison, Nisanyan was convicted in a number of other cases. Keeping track of his trials and jail terms has become quite difficult. According to Nisanyan, the upheld convictions totaled close to 18 years, which, under procedural rules, meant he would spend 6 years in jail  that is, if no other convictions followed.

Nisanyan was put in an open prison, where inmates are allowed to leave the jail premises on certain days. Nisanyan used this right to escape. He simply did not return to prison this time. Following his Twitter post July 14, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag hurriedly made a statement that an arrest order had been issued for the escapee. Prison officials, meanwhile, faced disciplinary procedures.

Nesin describes his friend as a polyglot who speaks fluent English, French and German, in addition to having skills in Arabic and Latin, not to mention his "terrific" command of the Turkish language and its etymology. Nisanyan's whereabouts remain unknown, but this outstanding intellectual is believed to be no longer in Turkey.

While Nisanyan was escaping, six leading human rights defenders  Idil Eser, Gunal Kursun, Veli Acu, Ozlem Dalkiran, Peter Steudtner and Ali Gharawi  were rounded up after police raided their training seminar on an Istanbul island without any legal justification. The activists have now joined other prominent colleagues in Turkish prisons, where about 170 journalists as well as parliament members and writers are also languishing  victims of Ankara's massive crackdown on dissent since last year's coup attempt. Hundreds of academics, meanwhile, are grappling with trials, in addition to their expulsions from universities. Those who remain free live under the constant threat of judicial action.

This brings us back to Nisanyan's tweet, in which he seemed to liken all of Turkey to a prison, wishing freedom for all his compatriots. Referring to the clamor his message provoked, he later tweeted, "I guess I put the feelings of the [whole] country into words. Eighty million dream of fleeing the madhouse in which they are locked up."
July 20, 2017

As Mosul was liberated last week from the Islamic State (IS) after a yearlong military struggle, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi defined it as the collapse of the IS caliphate and a grand military victory.

But a million-dollar question still lingers: How does the government translate this military win into a sustainable political victory that will bring peace, prosperity and justice to Iraq? Minds are generally clear on what to do with IS, and why, but answers to the how questions are still not easy.

IS created major waves of violence, harrowing security issues and billions of dollars' worth of economic losses in Iraq for three years. The country's already-fragile social structure was further damaged and ethnic/sectarian tensions became even more sensitive.

Baghdads central authority and its representation of the country as a whole weakened. New questions arose about relations between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), while countries such as Iran, the United States and Russia stepped up their influence on Iraqi politics.

Iraq extensively used the media to illustrate how the government has restored confidence in its national army with successful anti-IS operations in Anbar and Ninevah provinces. But independent observers say that, especially in Mosul, the situation is not very promising. Executions without trials, cruel treatment of people moved out from the city, unexplained losses among detainees, angry graffiti promising revenge, and social media comments are inflicting new wounds in the collective memory of Sunni Arabs. Although it is generally said that Mosul's civilians didn't participate in IS' cruelty, Sunni Arabs of certain age groups are being treated as the "usual suspects." Social peace is strongly endangered.

As IS was a territorial entity in Iraq and Syria, the struggle against it was carried out with conventional military thinking. The goal was to wipe out the group's so-called state structuring. To keep IS from setting up a state, opponents had to eliminate its revenue sources, destroy its military capacity and target its leadership and institutions. Its military capacity came under intensive pressure on multiple fronts from the beginning of 2015: The United States supported Baghdad, Erbil and the Syrian Kurds' Democratic Union Party (PYD); Iran backed Baghdad and Damascus; Russia helped Damascus; and Turkey worked with the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

In other words, pure military measures have been used to keep IS from existing as a strong, solid entity and to reduce it to marginal status. It can then be taken on with anti-terror actions instead of a military campaign.

The basic tenet of this conventional strategic thinking was to produce simple solutions, one of which was to find an ally in the field, arm it, give it air support and let is fight IS. Another simple solution was to find and kill thousands of foreign fighters who had joined IS in Iraq and Syria. But everyone was aware that killing extremist Salafi-jihadi foreign fighters in the field also provided ample fodder for heroism sagas in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq and Somalia  the states that provided the most IS recruits.

In combat against IS, Kurdish ethno-nationalists and armed Shiite militias emerged as local partners. The anti-IS coalition still relies on Kurdish ethno-nationalists to handle Raqqa and on Shiite armed mobilization to deal with the situation in Mosul. But now another crisis looms: How can the world eventually diminish and then, in a coordinated and synchronized fashion, eliminate the threat that Sunni/Salafi, Kurdish ethno-nationalist and Shiite armed groups could mobilize to fill the vacuum left by IS, thereby posing an existential threat to Iraq? Baghdad and Damascus cannot possibly overcome these nonstate mobilizations on their own. That would require US and Russian cooperation in the field, but the power struggle between those superpowers won't allow for that anytime soon.

Moreover, the military strategy against IS seems to be concealing two other important questions: How has IS continued to resist, right down to the last streets of Mosul, even though it has lost much of its military power in the past three years? How many suicide attackers are still dedicated to their cause?

Although IS has lost some critical territory and revenue resources in Iraq and Syria, we're not seeing any significant deterioration of its organizational structure. When IS expanded territorially it became an easy target, but now that it is reverting to its ideological roots and going underground, it will be tougher to find and eliminate in Iraq and Syria. However, as IS shrinks, the divergences between globalists and localists in its ranks will become more pronounced.

As I wrote in November 2015 (Is the Islamic State going global?), it's increasingly difficult for IS foreign fighters to remain in Iraq and Syria. And while the elite IS leaders are generally fully loyal to the organization, many of the foot soldiers have been jumping to more moderate, but still extreme, Salafi/jihadi organizations. We will now watch and see if these fighters will become more moderate in line with their new outfits, or if they will radicalize the groups they've joined.

The Salafi/jihadi networks currently active in the region are linked to, or inspired by, one of four categories of groups: IS; al-Qaeda or Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra); less extremist Islamist groups such as Ahrar al-Sham that represent a bridge between hard-liners and more moderate Islamists; or comparatively moderate, armed Sunnis/Salafis.

I believe IS is hard-pressed in Idlib and Raqqa in Syria and in Anbar in Iraq. IS may shift its weight to the area between Deir ez-Zor and western Anbar. Ideological and organizational boundaries between the above four categories will become more obscure. In this process, the evolution of groups such as Ahrar al-Sham  which has one foot in the radical camp and the other in more moderate groups  must be watched carefully.

Although today IS may well be on brink of collapse as a war machine and quasi-state, it is probably stronger than before in cyberspace and propaganda machinery. That is, sadly, why the declarations of military victories remain half-baked.

One last question is simpler: Is IS suffering from a disease in itself, or mere symptoms of a structural problem, such as a collapse in institutional terms and emergence of ungoverned territories, or disintegration of an already-alienated Sunni populace from power-sharing in Iraq and Syria? If IS is suffering from a disease in itself, I have good news for you: Probably by the end of 2017 we will be saved from this disease. But if we conceptualize IS as I do, as having mere symptoms of a structural problem in the region, then be warned: We have just started the struggle and the road ahead is very, very rough.
July 20, 2017

BAGHDAD, Iraq  Two young Iraqi filmmakers have been taking on forbidden subjects in their productions despite the risks involved from offending tribal customs and traditions as well as some religious groups. Zamen Ali, who graduated from Baghdad University's Faculty of Fine Arts this year, has produced a short movie featuring a lesbian relationship, while the director, Wareth Kwaish, has finished shooting Disco Baghdad, a film about the nightlife of young people in Iraq.

Ali's film takes place against the backdrop of credible threats by militant groups against homosexuals and anyone considered to be flamboyant in some way. Earlier this month, Karar Noushi, a young Iraqi actor and visual arts student, was stabbed and killed after being kidnapped by militias in Baghdad. Last year, Human Rights Watch documented kidnappings, executions and torture of gay men and men perceived to be gay by militia groups, including Muqtada al-Sadrs Mahdi Army.

Ali's and Kwaish's films have both proven to be award winners, garnering international attention. In May, Ali's film Gemini (Al-Jawza) won the Silver Award at Baghdad University's International Film and Television Festival for students at the Faculty of Fine Arts. The film  which tells the story of a girl who has a sexual relationship with a female friend  is scheduled to be screened at the Dubai Film Festival in December.

Gemini is Alis first short feature. She also stars in it. Homosexuality has [always] existed in [Iraqi] society, but people do not talk about it, Ali told Al-Monitor. I wanted to present something that would examine this idea in a moderate way without coming off as indecent or offensive.

Ali further stated, My main concern while making the movie was not whether the audience would accept it or not. What I wanted to do was make a movie that would look at a problem in our society that no one has touched upon before.

Ali, known for her social activism, admitted that she felt scared for a moment when the film was first screened, but the harsh criticism she thought she might face never came to be. Her professors supported her making the film, and when it was screened, members of the audience were impressed by the idea and how it was presented and treated, she said.

Kwaishs short films have been shown at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Mizna Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, held in the United States, in Minnesota, where his film A Nation Without a Homeland received an award in 2015. My job as a filmmaker is to break taboos and address them like any other subject, he told Al-Monitor.

Since he started making short films, in 2008, Kwaish has been documenting protests and demonstrations in Iraq with his iPhone. He worked for four years on Disco Baghdad, a feature about a group of young men trying to open a club in Baghdad, which Kwaish calls the city of death.

Kwaish often relies on international film festivals to have his movies screened, as he has had difficulty showing them in Iraq. Frankly, I was very scared of showing my films in Iraq. I once got the courage to rent a space to screen one of my movies. I told the people in charge that the movie did not deal with any thorny issues, but in fact it was a short film on demonstrations in Iraq.

The film industry does not have a long or strong history in Iraq. Since the founding of the modern Iraqi state in 1921 until the fall of President Saddam Hussein in 2003, there have been about 100 films produced in the country, many of them according to the mood and whims of the countrys authorities.

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, many young people began to show an interest in cinema, thus producing a new generation of filmmakers who unfortunately face major obstacles in financing their work. There are no local funds to support them, and the national government pays no attention to art.

Iraq is a very young country when it comes to the film industry. There is no cinematic support in Iraq except for some attempts by the Iraqi Independent Film Center and Art City for Production, Kwaish said.

Ali says production is the main problem for people working in film because of the lack of government support for cinema and only very little from private companies. In addition to the dearth of financial support, Iraq also lacks theaters and other venues for screenings.

All movie theaters have been turned into stores, warehouses or theaters for live performances, Kwaish said. The few remaining movie theaters are restricted to commercial malls.

Despite this, both young directors remain determined to follow their chosen paths. Kwaish, studying in France, is working on finishing another movie. The film tells the story of a girl who gets her period for the first time and how she deals with it and how a sheikh tries to sexually harass her, as he fails to see the child that she is, Kwaish said. Meanwhile, Ali was coy about his future project, saying, In my next movie I will break another taboo, but [I] will not talk about it now,

Their taboo-breaking movies have only been screened for small groups of intellectuals in Iraq, so one cannot gauge Iraqi societys view of them. For the moment, screening independent movies for larger audiences is not an option.
The Bolta Group opened its $48.7 million manufacturing plant in Tuscaloosa County today, with state and local officials celebrating the consummation of a long-sought project.

The plant, which currently employs about 200, is expected to have a workforce of about 350 people by the end of next year. It was first announced in 2013, after the company scouting locations since 2011 in Alabama for a base of U.S. operations.

But company officials mulled over how big to take the operation. Bolta, a division of the UK-based Purico Group, was founded in Germany in the 1920s and specializes in chrome plating, surface finishing and auto decorative trim. It is a Mercedes-Benz supplier. Purico, which has several diverse holdings, wanted to take Bolta to the U.S. but looked for the right fit.

Purico founder Nathu Puri, who was at the opening ceremonies, said it was important to "do the right thing."

"I do whatever I have to do to be the best," he said. "It's very difficult to go to a new place and find the right people. But we expect to expand."

Anil Puri, Purico chairman, said it was the company's aim to "manufacture exactly where our customers need us."

Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said he hoped that the Puri family would, in years to come, wonder why they hadn't come to Alabama sooner.

"We stand with you, not only today, but we will into the future," Canfield said.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox also presented the family with a street sign, as the street going to the plant is now named Puri Drive.

"We are thrilled you are here," he said.
Kenny Payne will be at Jack's new location in Fort Payne Saturday, as it reopens for breakfast business. It's a place he's more than familiar with.

Kenny Payne, his wife Kim, and their two sons.

Payne started to work there as a breakfast cook on Aug. 4, 2002. Now he is an area supervisor of five stores in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. He met his wife while she worked there. And he has traveled the state in jobs for Jack's, which is much more than he would have expected when he walked into the place at age 19.

"I've met so many people all over the state of Alabama," he said. "I'm a big people person, and that's why I get out of bed every day and come to work. I love what I do, because I love people."

Back in 2002, Payne had working as a projectionist at a Fort Payne theater when his brother, who already worked at Jack's, recommended looking for a job there.

"I was just coming in to get me through college," he said.

But he caught on fast. Within a month or two, he was offered a breakfast manager's position. By January, he was an assistant manager.

By the next summer, he had met Kim, whom he later married. But that launched him on the next phase of his job.

"We hit it off, things started happening, and I went to my boss and told him the situation," Payne said.

Jack's new Fort Payne location opens Saturday morning for breakfast drive-thru.

Payne then became part of Jack's training team - a group which goes to new store openings and trains new employees. This took him to other parts of the state, and it allowed him to continue his relationship with Kim without interfering with the job, he said.

Something else happened.

"I didn't really make up my mind until then," he said. "Right about that time, I began to see that I really enjoyed doing this. I liked working with people. I realized it was something I could do for the rest of my life. And I just went on from there."

As life unwound, Payne found himself going to Jack's locations in Stevenson, Collinsville, Boaz, to another Fort Payne location and elsewhere. He now oversees stores in Henager, Scottsboro, Stevenson, Lookout Valley, Tenn., and will soon supervise the Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. location.

"When I started, we had 68 stores," he said. Today Jack's has more than 140 locations. And Payne has been able to follow that growth process. Kim is now a registered nurse working in Chattanooga and Fort Payne. The couple have two boys.

Payne wasn't sad to see the old Jack's building go, as the new one is only a few feet away from the old location. He helped take down part of the old one a week ago. The new store, which is part of a new corporate design, has a biscuit maker that allows customers at the counter to see them take shape.

Kenny Payne takes down part of the old Fort Payne Jack's location.

He also gets to see employees come in as he did, many young and unsure of what the future holds. Food service, he said, is a tough, demanding job that calls forth physical and emotional commitment every day - much more than most people expect.

But commitment in any job is worthwhile, he said.

"You need to find a job and stick with it," he said. "Master the craft that you've got. I think everybody should have to work customer service at least once in their life. It teaches you to deal with people."

In more ways than one, he said.

"To have this store and know where I came from, as just an employee, that's huge to me," he said. "I've met some extraordinary people on my journey with this company. I met my wife, I've got two kids, all pretty much because of Jack's."
The Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit arrested three on trafficking in methamphetamine and other charges on Tuesday.

About 70 grams of meth, marijuana, two handguns, drug paraphernalia and $2,048 were seized from their vehicle, according to authorities.

Derrick Christopher Ward, 38, of Hokes Bluff, and Candie Nichole Callahan, 27, of Gadsden, were arrested on outstanding felony drug warrants after arriving at an unspecified business on Tuesday. Alexis Lyn Grubbs, 19, of Piedmont, who was a passenger in their vehicle, a Kia Spectre, was also arrested.

Ward was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, unlawful possession of marijuana second degree, and carrying a pistol without a permit. Ward has previous conviction for manufacturing of methamphetamine second degree.

At the time of his arrest, he was out of bond in Cherokee County for unlawful possession of a controlled substance in Cherokee County. His bond on the new charges was set at $50,000 cash.

Grubbs and Callahan are both charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and unlawful possession of marijuana second degree. Their bonds were set at $50,000 cash.

Callahan also faces additional drug charges from previous cases, according to the Etowah County Sheriff's Office.
After being handcuffed by U.S. Capitol Police during a protest in Washington, D.C. and spending six hours in a hot holding area, two Alabama women still do not regret their experience of being arrested for the first time in their lives.

More than 300 demonstrators from across the nation poured into the senate office buildings Wednesday to urge Republican lawmakers to cease their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Their voices echoed through the halls as they told stories of sick loved ones. Frannie James, a University of Alabama global studies professor who lives in Tuscaloosa, recorded the experience on Facebook live as other demonstrators gathered at Sen. Richard Shelby's office and chanted "Shame on Shelby". Rainsville resident Kathy Lauderdale stood beside her along with another woman who grew up in Pell City but now lives in Philadelphia.

In the video obtained by AL.com, loud warnings from Capitol police to cease and desist collided with the demonstrators' chants. Officers said the protest violated D.C. Code. The women then sat down and start chanting "Healthcare is a right. Fight. fight. fight." A few minutes later, the women's hands were bound with zip ties.

Killing the bill. Dead. Posted by Frannie James on Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Since the women decided not to stand up as an act of civil disobedience, James, who is wearing a black shirt in the video, was dragged away from the scene. She said she was making a statement to show how much she was willing to put on the line for health care, she said. Her 26-year-old daughter has bipolar disorder I, bulimia and has a history of substance abuse and suicide attempts. James said her daughter's anxiety has increased because she's afraid her preexisting conditions will lead to higher premiums.

"If our healthcare is cut any further, the mentally ill will be out of coverage and onto the streets, into emergency rooms, into jails, into graveyards," James told AL.com, echoing the same words she shouted that day in front of Shelby's office. "If healthcare is cut, my daughter's blood will be on their hands."

Lauderdale, a nurse practitioner who works in rural clinics, said she tried to keep her patients' faces in mind as she was carried out by police. When the Affordable Care Act passed, she remembers seeing parade of people who once didn't have healthcare crying after getting insurance. However, there were also the clients who died because lack of access to specialty care.

"Many nights, I close my eyes," Lauderdale said. "I see their faces and I can't sleep."

The third woman decided to walk with police. According to James, the third woman said she has a grandmother in Clay County who is on Medicaid.

Alabamians weren't the only ones who were arrested. Police said in a press release that 155 demonstrators were also handcuffed because it is "unlawful for a person, alone or in concert with others, to crowd, obstruct, or incommode...the entrance of any public or private building, and the use of or passage through any public building or public conveyance." It is also unlawful to demonstrate inside the office buildings. Police said officers responded to 45 locations in the senate office buildings starting at 2:15 p.m. James said they were arrested around 4 p.m.

James said all the protestors were escorted into a holding area for processing. Since there were so many people arrested, it took nearly six hours for the three of them to be released. They paid a $50 penalty to forfeit their right to a trial and were released without a criminal conviction.

The holding area was an uncomfortable place for Lauderdale to be in, she said. The seats were hard and the room was hot. She thought about those who were placed in jail cells during the Civil Rights Movement after marches and other demonstrations.

"I was standing on some pretty tall shoulders of those who had to spend weeks in jails." Lauderdale said. "Anytime I felt a little sorry for myself, I kept visualizing the people who came before me who didn't have it so easy."

James and Lauderdale returned to Alabama on Thursday, but they said their fight won't stop. James said the experience of getting arrested during a protest was ironically empowering. She said she will continue making visits to her senator's local office and making phone calls to make sure her daughter's story is known to politicians.

"We want something with lower out-of-pocket costs. We want something that doesn't discriminate based on age or gender or pre-existing conditions," James said. "I am just empowered to do all I can to have my voice heard."
On September 7, 2016 an inspector with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management found something was wrong with Buck Creek, a tributary of the Cahaba River near Alabaster.

The inspector was following up on a citizen complaint about pollution of the creek near Carmeuse Lime and Stone's Longview facility in Saginaw, just off U.S. Highway 31, and found a murky white creek with water that looked like Milk of Magnesia and had a pH around the same level.

There was aquatic life observed upstream of the Carmeuse facility, the inspector noted. Downstream there was none.

The inspector took water samples from Buck Creek registering 11.3 and 12.05 on the pH scale, which measures the acidity or alkalinity of liquids from 0 to 14. Milk of Magnesia, an alkaline substance used to neutralize excess stomach acid, has a pH of 10.3. Ammonia has a pH around 11.6 and household bleach is about 12.6.

Alabama water quality standards specify that discharges should not raise pH above 8.5, or more than one unit above normal. Upstream of the facility that day, ADEM inspectors found Buck Creek had a pH of 7.24.

The total fine to Carmeuse -- for removing all observable living things from a section of the creek and raising the pH of the creek water to levels comparable to household cleaning products -- was $32,000.

In a consent order negotiated with ADEM and finalized June 20, 2017 (full text embedded below), Carmeuse also agreed to submit a plan to reach compliance with their permit and other environmental laws, and to "evaluate the need and feasibility of remediating Buck Creek."

Environmental group says it's not enough

Cahaba Riverkeeper David Butler, who first reported the situation to ADEM in June 2016, said he felt the Department's response and penalties were inadequate and that the settlement is not in the best interests of the people of Alabama.

"We view this as a very complacent response to what is a pretty nasty situation," Butler said. "Honestly, we were pretty shocked at the condition of the creek here.

"We're a small non-profit and we don't have the resources to do everything we'd like to do, but we've been out here I'd say at least 20 times monitoring water quality and we feel like ADEM should be taking a similar approach."

ADEM has not documented an inspection of the site since Sept. 7, their second 2016 inspection of the facility. A July inspection performed noted excess chlorine and sediment, but observed "no adverse impact to aquatic life observed."

The inspection report did not specify whether any aquatic life was present to be adversely impacted, but Butler doubts it based on his own observations of the creek.

Butler said he lodged another complaint with ADEM after reading the July inspection report, and the department performed the second inspection in September. After this inspection ADEM officials met with Carmeuse on Sept. 20 to begin discussing the violations and negotiating a settlement.

Butler said he measured the pH of Buck Creek at 12.47 on January 24, 2017, suggesting that even as ADEM negotiated a settlement, the issues with the creek were still very much ongoing.

"There was no estimate [from ADEM] of how many days the company was in violation," Butler said. "There was no estimate of how much of Buck Creek was sterilized, no estimate of how much it might cost to clean up, and no clear indication of why the violations occurred or went undiscovered for so long.

"We feel like the Department has created a culture of settlement, so knowing they're going to settle, they don't do their homework."

On a July 10 site visit by AL.com, Buck Creek still showed noticeable discoloration of the water near the facility -- though not as severe as some previous photos show -- with extensive white staining and sediment visible on rocks, vegetation and dirt in the creek bed. There was no observable aquatic wildlife in the creek at the two locations AL.com visited downstream of the facility.

Now, Butler fears that if the company is allowed to determine itself whether remediation of Buck Creek is necessary or feasible, the chances of remediation are diminished.

Buck Creek flows into the main part of the Cahaba River near where it crosses from Alabaster into Hoover. Butler said that section of the Cahaba is already listed as impaired for sediment, which is a significant issue with these discharges, and that pH this high raises concerns about impacts to the river as a whole.

ADEM external affairs chief Lynn Battle said the department had no additional comments on the situation at Buck Creek beyond what was in the consent order, which states "the Department believes that the penalty assessed below and the following conditions are appropriate to address the violations alleged herein."

ADEM cited Carmeuse for three single violations of its water pollution permit in the consent order.

Butler believes the violations were not three isolated incidents, but rather than an ongoing series of discharges that have occurred for a year or more.

"This settlement ignores the fact that each day in violation should be a separate violation," Butler said.

The order states some of the violations are considered "easily avoidable," and increased the penalty, but there were multiple other factors for which ADEM could have increased the penalty to Carmeuse but did not.

ADEM did not weigh economic benefits Carmeuse might have gained due to violations -- as the law allows -- saying in the consent order that they were unable to calculate what the benefits might have been.

The department also opted not to increase the penalty to Carmeuse even though the company "has a history of previous violations."

Butler said he was also troubled that the company did not self-report the violation, and that the inspections they are required to perform did not detect a problem.

"I think the most troubling part about this is you don't see any enhancement of the penalty for the fact that they didn't discover the problem themselves, even though they're required to sample at every outfall that discharges," Butler said. "From our perspective, we recognized immediately that something was wrong just by a quick visual look at the creek.

"To think that somebody there never noticed a problem is disturbing."

Carmeuse: Discharges caused by drainage from lime production

Carmeuse's compliance plan is due to ADEM in August and a spokesman from the company's North American headquarters in Pittsburgh told AL.com that Carmeuse is currently working on the plan and will make its deadline.

The company "immediately began an investigation," after being informed of the uncontrolled drainage to Buck Creek, according to Carmeuse Vice President and general council Kevin Whyte.

"Initially, an area of surface erosion from a waste lime storage area was identified as the likely source," Whyte said via email. "Further investigations conducted by Carmeuse also identified several areas impacted by water infiltration along the embankment of a reclaimed quarry pit. The issues appear to primarily relate to historic activities at the site, not current operations."

When asked why the company did not notice and self-report discharges into Buck Creek, Whyte said, "[n]either the area of the property where the initial erosion issues were discovered nor the areas of water infiltration are where regular day-to-day operations occur or are easily visible."

Whyte said the company has performed some regrading work around the eroded site and is continuing to evaluate the hydrogeologic conditions at the site.

"Once site conditions are understood, Carmeuse will be able to implement any work required to address the issues impacting Buck Creek," Whyte said.

Carmeuse is a Belgium-based company with limestone facilities across Europe, Asia and North America. The company's Longview operation in Alabama employs about 130 people, Whyte said, and produces limestone, limestone aggregate, quicklime and hydrated lime. Those products are used in paper manufacturing, steel production, roofing shingle manufacturing, flue gas and water treatment, and construction.

Symptom of a larger issue?

ADEM Director Lance LeFleur has said on multiple occasions that the Department strives to be friendly to businesses and industry, but Butler contends that ADEM's actions in this case are only friendly to businesses who cut corners.

Butler said that by allowing the violations in Buck Creek to continue for more than a year after the Department became aware of it -- and not seeking more aggressive penalties within the framework of the law -- ADEM is negatively impacting the companies in Alabama who do go the extra mile, and spend the extra dollar, to comply with the law.

"It's not an incentive for companies to do the right thing, to spend the extra money to make sure they don't have a problem," Butler said. "To me, that's a significant factor in favor of not spending the money.

"They can just say, 'well if we get caught, there's not going to be any big penalty, so let's just take our chances.'"

ADEM consent order by Dennis Pillion on Scribd
Two north Alabama defense attorneys are disputing a judge's ability to override a jury vote and condemn a capital murder convict to death.

Although a change in state law earlier this year takes away judges' ability to reverse a jury decision and sentence a capital murder convict to death, judicial override might not be over.

The judicial override law bans judges from imposing the death penalty when a jury votes to sentence a capital murder convict to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The law became effective with Gov. Kay Ivey's signature on April 11. But, the law appears to leave a question about the cases to which it applies.

For people who were charged with but not convicted of capital murder prior to April 11, prosecutors say judges still can impose the death penalty, even if a jury votes for life without parole. Defense attorneys, on the other hand, say their clients are protected from judicial override -- just like any suspect charged after the April 11 signing date.

One case in question involves Richard Burgin, a man recently convicted of capital murder in the notorious Huntsville church food pantry killings. His lawyers argue Madison County Circuit Judge Karen Hall cannot sentence the 54-year-old to die for killing brothers Anthony and Terry Jackson in 2013.

Because a jury voted 8-4 to send Richard Burgin to prison for life without parole, Judge Hall must impose the jury's recommendation, Huntsville lawyers Larry Marsili and Chad Morgan said in a court filing. The lawyers argue Alabama's recently-enacted Judicial Override law prohibits the judge from reversing the jury's sentencing recommendation.

Burgin was convicted and sentenced in May -- a month after the law was signed by the governor. But, prosecutors say the law doesn't protect Burgin because he was charged with capital murder before the bill became law. Burgin was arrested for capital murder in 2014. He was indicted the following year.

The only sentencing options in Alabama capital cases are life without parole or death. Alabama had been the only state that allows a judge to override a jury's recommendation when sentencing capital murder cases.

Judge Hall has not said whether she plans to sentence Burgin to death.

The judicial override law states, "This act shall apply to any defendant who is charged with capital murder after the effective date of this act and shall not apply retroactively to any defendant who has previously been convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death prior to the effective date of this act."

"It leaves open the question of someone who has been charged but not convicted," said retired Judge John Carroll, a professor at the Cumberland School of Law. "It's not crystal clear."

Madison County Chief Trial Attorney Tim Gann disagrees.

"In the law, they made it real clear," Gann said. "It's not retroactive and it doesn't apply in this case. It's a done deal. It's unambiguous. For us, this is a dead issue."

Joy Patterson, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Attorney General's Office, said the defendant would need to have been charged after April 11 to be protected from judicial override.

Burgin's trial was conducted under the theory that the judge had the final say in sentencing. The Madison County District Attorney's Office asked the jury to sentence Burgin to death, and now prosecutors are requesting the same from the judge. Sentencing is set for Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m.

Because the defense lawyers argue the judge can't override the jury's recommendation, they say a sentencing hearing is "unnecessary and unauthorized," the court filing states.

"The newly enacted law makes no reference to the initial date of charging concerning the applicability of the law, instead indicating that the law 'shall apply to any defendant who is charged with capital murder after the effective date of this act,' Burgin's lawyers said in the filing.

Defense lawyers Morgan and Marsili also argue that if the legislature intended for the law not to apply in pending cases, like Burgin's, that lawmakers would have specified that.

Alabama Sen. Dick Brewbaker, a Republican from Montgomery, drafted the Judicial Override Bill.

"The intent of the legislature, and what we thought we were doing with passing the bill, was that upon signature of the governor, it would end judicial override in Alabama," Brewbaker told AL.com. "I think everyone in that chamber who voted for the bill thought, going forward, the juries' wishes would be the last word in all cases."

The Judicial Override Bill passed the House and Senate before being sent to the governor.

Birmingham lawyer Richard Jaffe has handled several death penalty cases in his career. He said at this point, the important question isn't whether judges can still legally override a jury verdict, but rather, "Why would they?"

"Because of the new law and the tenuous nature of the override practice, it would be perilous, and frankly, quite foolish for a judge to override," Jaffe said. "It's not in anyone's best interest for a judge to override. It's not fair to the victims' families or to the defendant. It would just be something that's litigated for years to come."

Jaffe told AL.com even before the law changed in April, many judges said override was so questionable that they wouldn't do it.

"You have to think about the constitutional implications," Jaffe said.
The chair of a House committee that oversees NASA on Friday endorsed U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks' candidacy in the state's Senate Republican primary.

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, is chair of the Science, Space & Technology Committee.

He is at least the third member of Congress to endorse Brooks, R-Huntsville, in the Aug. 15 GOP primary.

"Congressman Brooks is smart, honest and conservative," Smith said at a news conference at Huntsville International Airport. "That is a powerful combination."

Before the midday announcement, Brooks accompanied Smith on a tour of Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal.

"Congressman Brooks has been an active and valued member of the Science, Space & Technology Committee," Smith said. "He has been a strong advocate for our space program. And he represents Alabama with hard work, integrity and conviction."

Brooks has previously been endorsed by North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows -chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus - as well as U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks.

In an interview with AL.com, Smith also said that he was the first member of Congress to donate to President Trump's election campaign and was the first member of Congress to donate to Brooks' Senate campaign.

Smith said that he "very, very rarely" gives political endorsements in primary races and that Brooks did not ask him for an endorsement.

"This is unusual," Smith said. "But then again, Mo Brooks is an unusually good, strong candidate. I have no hesitation at all."

Smith described Brooks as a strong supporter of Trump's agenda - a criticism Brooks has received in political ads supporting U.S. Sen. Luther Strange in the primary election which allege that Brooks is not a supporter of the president.

"Mo embodies and supports so much of the president's agenda, he has a 100 percent voting record supporting the president's issues. The president wants to clean up the swamp, Mo Brooks wants to clean up the swamp. They're going the same direction. Trump is a strong supporter of space, strong fiscal conservative and wants to reform government.

"I just feel very strongly that having supported Donald Trump, it's very easy for me also to support Mo Brooks. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Mo Brooks in the Senate will support the president's agenda."

Endorsements from colleagues in Congress are strong testimonies, Brooks said.

"These are people who know first-hand that it is false when Luther Strange claims I support (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi," Brooks said. "These are people who know it is false when Luther Strange claims I am weak on border security or a border wall. It's always important to have eye witnesses who know the true facts."
A mother of two was held at gunpoint while four teens stole video games from a Hartselle home, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office said.

According to investigators, three males forced their way into the residence on Norris Mill Road at 3 p.m. on July 10. The mother was in the house alone and one of the males was armed with a handgun. The armed male forced the mother to the floor while the other two males went through the house. They took a gaming system and some video games, authorities said. They then got into a vehicle driven by a fourth suspect and fled from the house, investigators said.

The mother took a photograph of the vehicle and two of the suspects as they left the scene. She then contacted law enforcement. Authorities were unable to locate the suspects despite a thorough search of the area. Investigators were able to gather clear surveillance video on July 11, but it did not capture the tag on the vehicle.

The victim and a friend spotted one of the suspects in Hartselle on July 13. Hartselle police and the sheriff's office were notified and the vehicle was located at a trailer park. Investigators gathered enough information to arrest the driver of the vehicle, 19-year-old Jared Austin Cooper, of Danville, for first-degree burglary. He was taken to Morgan County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

Authorities identified three additional suspects during the investigation. Two of them will be charged as adults. Lauren Casey Stafford, 16, of Hartselle, was arrested Wednesday for first-degree burglary and was booked into jail on a $10,000. Authorities are still looking for 17-year-old Brandon Michael Prince, who is also wanted for first-degree burglary.

Since the fourth suspect was charged as a juvenile, no information was released on that suspect.
A Woodville man was arrested after he allegedly stabbed two men in Skyline, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said 24-year-old Raymond Lawrence Talley assaulted victims Robert Clinton Owens, 54, and Anthony Jerome Shrader, 51, at 3:30 p.m. at a home in the 400 block of Manning Dive on Tuesday. Talley left the scene in a Ford Ranger pickup truck he stole from the residence before law enforcement's arrival.

The victims were treated by the Skyline Fire Department and were airlifted to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

At 8:20 p.m. that night, investigators with the sheriff's department and Scottsboro police spotted Talley driving the stolen truck on Alabama 79 near County Road 114 in Scottsboro. Talley was arrested without incident and he was charged with several outstanding arrest warrants including bond revocation, third-degree domestic violence for harassment and criminal mischief. After an investigation into the stabbing, investigators charged Talley with two counts of first-degree robbery. Talley was taken to Jackson County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Hackers who breached a Kansas Department of Commerce data system in March had access to more than 5.5 million Social Security numbers in 10 states, along with another 805,000 accounts that didn't include the Social Security numbers, according to records obtained from the agency.

The department will be required to pay for credit monitoring for most of the victims of the hacking, according to records obtained through an open records request by the Kansas News Service.

Besides Kansas, the other states affected by the hack are Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Oklahoma, Vermont, Alabama and Illinois.

The suspicious activity was discovered March 12 by America's Job Link Alliance-TS, the commerce department division that operates the system. It was isolated March 14 and the FBI was contacted the next day, according to testimony from agency officials to the Legislature this spring. The Kansas News Service filed its open records request May 24 and the commerce department fulfilled the request Wednesday.

A commerce department representative didn't immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The data is from websites that help people find jobs, such as Kansasworks.com, where people can post resumes and search job openings. At the time of the hack, Kansas was managing data for 16 states but not all the states were affected.

After the hack, AJLA-TS officials called in a third-party IT company specializing in forensic analysis to verify the coding error the hackers exploited was fixed and to identify victims.

The documents show the commerce department also contracted with private companies to help victims, provide IT support and to provide legal services. The state is paying $175,000 to the law firm and $60,000 to the IT firm. The commerce department didn't provide the cost of the third contract.

Earlier testimony to lawmakers indicated a fourth company, Texas-based Denim Group, was contracted in April to review code and provide advice for improvements, which has since been implemented. The agency didn't provide documents related to that contract.

Kansas will pay for up to a year of credit monitoring services for victims in nine of the affected states. Delaware residents are eligible for three years of services because of contractual obligations to that state.

The agency said in May this was the first known breach of AJLA-TS' databases and the contractor's response exceeded requirements in Kansas law. However, the commerce department said it had sent about 260,000 emails to victims but couldn't contact all victims because it didn't have their email addresses. Kansas law does not require notification to the victims via post or telephone, the department said.

The call center for victims, which can be reached at (844) 469-3939, will remain open through the end of July.
Using a recent Alabama Attorney General opinion for backup, Alabama superintendent Michael Sentance has told the state board of education to stop micromanaging and interfering in the Montgomery County schools intervention.

In an email response to Vice President Stephanie Bell, R-Montgomery, Sentance attached the July 17, 2017, opinion affirming Sentance's sole authority over the operational management of the Montgomery schools intervention.

Sentance's response came after Bell requested Sentance provide to the board "a complete list, including names, titles, date of hire, current source of salary funding and salaries" of any hires in the Montgomery school intervention.

"Please provide a list of all administrative hires at the state and local (MPS) level completed (or currently being processed) after the state board approved the hiring freeze," Bell's email to Sentance instructed.

Bell, in the Thursday afternoon email, gave Sentance a deadline of 12 noon on Friday to produce the list.

Bell told AL.com she made the request because she was getting a "flood" of calls and communications from people concerned about who was being hired for the intervention.

Sentance responded, saying there have been no hires at the state department since the board's resolution of June 8 prohibiting Sentance from doing so.

With respect to Montgomery County schools, Sentance said they have "moved a number people out of the Central Office, some have been replaced and some new positions have been filled," and said he would schedule the state department personnel overseeing the intervention to brief Bell on the details.

Sentance writes, "I did not object to having any discussions with the Board about the plans or the progress in Montgomery County as I thought it was a useful public forum for many to discuss the status and plans for the district. However, you have sought to interject yourself again into the operations of the district, it is time to stop."

At each of its recent board work sessions, the board has taken up the Montgomery schools intervention, asking for details and questioning Sentance's actions and those of the newly-formed Office of School Turnaround. Those discussions have sometimes lasted an hour or longer.

The board tied Sentance's hands in the June 8 resolution and interfered with the regular hiring process, Sentance said.

Two state board of education members, Vice President Stephanie Bell and Ella Bell, D-Montgomery, live in Montgomery.

In her demand to Sentance for the list of hires, Bell wrote she had been contacted "by numerous local individuals who are extremely concerned about unknown 'employees' moving into offices in the Montgomery County Public Schools."

Bell initially copied the entire board on her request, and Sentance replied to all who were included on her initial email.

Sentance explained the Attorney General's opinion to Bell:

"The State Board of Education has no authority over such matters. Any interference in the operation of the district is contrary to law and beyond the scope of the Board's power. We honored the Board's June 8th action to the peril of the district. We lost only a few teachers due to the delay but we cannot wait any further to make progress in the district. As is evident from the school-level instructional audits, our principals need support to become the principals that our schools need and we are building a system to be effective with that support. The June 8th resolution, insofar as the MCPS district is concerned, is void."

Sentance told AL.com that after reading state law covering educational interventions, he concluded the board was exercising more authority in the intervention than the law allowed.

The Attorney General's opinion confirmed his understanding of the law, he said. Sentance said he requested the opinion a little over a week ago, adding the Attorney General's office was "very responsive."

When asked about the Attorney General's opinion, Bell said it "is certainly a concern" that Sentance would ask for the opinion without consulting the board, but defended her actions, saying, "I represent a constituency and they deserve an answer and so do we as a board."

"We voted unanimously to intervene and as a result we have a responsibility to make sure it is being done appropriately," Bell said.

The board is in the process of evaluating Sentance, and those results will be presented at a special-called board meeting on July 25.

This story updated at 6:05 p.m. to include Stephanie Bell's responses and to clarify what Bell requested Sentance to produce.

Attorney General opinion dated July 17 2017 by Trisha Powell Crain on Scribd
A hotline in the US is trying to tackle the high rate of domestic violence against nurses in the Nigerian diaspora.

New York, US  It was an ordinary afternoon when Anthonia Iheme left her work at a nursing home in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and got into her car. But as she was about to pull out of the car park, she was shot  twice. Her vehicle lurched forward and clipped the side of a parked van before going over a pavement, down a small hill and striking a chain-link fence bordering the nursing facility. The gunman followed. He approached the drivers window and fired several more shots.

The attacker was Anthonias husband. It was July 24, 2008. After murdering his wife, he called 911 and declared: I have killed the woman that messed my life up  a woman that destroyed me.

Years later, Grace Ogiehor-Enoma sat quietly on the J train heading to her office in the New York borough of Brooklyn. When the train emerged above ground, her phone rang. The caller had hidden his ID.

Tell me why I should not kill my wife now, he raged.

Although she receives similar calls 10 to 15 times a year, they never cease to startle Ogiehor-Enoma. The man, calling from the state of Georgia, launched into a tirade against Nigerian nurses in the United States.

Some of the women, they deserve what they get, he said. Ogiehor-Enoma let him vent.





When he had finished, she assumed the role of educator and counsellor. She asked: What would become of his children? What would become of him? By the end of her commute, she had managed to talk him down.

After 10 Nigerian women  eight of them nurses  had been killed in the US by their partners between 2006 and 2008  shot, stabbed or bludgeoned to death  Ogiehor-Enoma decided to act.

The nurse and executive director of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA) started handing out her mobile phone number at community gatherings and events. It became an unofficial, de facto hotline for Nigerian men abusing or contemplating killing their partners, for couples seeking help, and for abused women.

The unofficial hotline was part of her organisations efforts to understand and tackle domestic violence among Nigerians in the US. Why was there so much violence against nurses? What should be done?

READ MORE: Combating domestic violence in Iraqs Kurdish region

Deciphering violence

Domestic abuse and fatal cases of partner violence are global phenomena. According to the United Nations, 38 percent of murders of women worldwide are committed by their male partners, and partner violence is the most common type of violence against women, affecting 30 percent of women globally.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports that three women are killed every day in the US by their partners. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), black women in the US have historically experienced intimate partner violence at rates higher than white women.

These numbers, however, fail to account for the plurality of experiences within the African-American community. The BJS National Crime Victimization Survey did not track domestic-related murders and murder-suicides by perpetrators with an immigrant status until July 2016.

NANNNA wanted to determine the specific factors driving violence in the Nigerian diaspora. In 2011, they conducted an informal investigation into the murders of Nigerian nurses, gathered anecdotal data by reviewing comments on Nigerian news sites and blogs, hosted focus groups and used knowledge gleaned from the hotline.

Their findings revealed a recurring theme for Nigerian women in the US. They earned more than their partners and worked long hours, which kept them from what their partners perceived to be their domestic duties and led to suspicions of infidelity.

It also revealed a clash between a particular strain of patriarchy  as embodied by the Nigerian man accustomed to the norms of his male-dominated homeland  and feminism, as represented by the acculturated Nigerian woman.

Women were accused of losing their identity in the US and being corrupted by its women-friendly legal system.

NANNNA is currently collaborating with two psychiatrists at Yale University, Theddeus Iheanacho and Charles Dike, to formally research domestic violence against nurses in the US and Nigeria. Based on news reports of fatal domestic violence cases, Iheanacho estimates that on average in the past decade about three to four Nigerian nurses are killed by their intimate partners every year.

In Nigeria, the balance of power, most of the time, is in the mans hands, so he has less recourse to violence, says Iheanacho. Domestic violence is acceptable in Nigeria.

Nearly a third of all women in Nigeria, 28 percent, have experienced physical violence. Nigeria has disparate pieces of legislation. A few states have passed legislation on domestic violence, but others permit husbands to physically correct their wives. Nigeria signed the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act into law only in 2015, after a decade-long legislative process. The bill finally tagged spousal battery as an offence.

[But] there is no enforcement of laws around domestic violence in Nigeria, says Iheanacho.





Sometimes the abuse can escalate to extreme violence because women often stay in abusive relationships and refuse to take advantage of the different sources of aid available to them in the US. They believe as Ogiehor-Enoma puts it, that as Nigerian women you have to be married to gain the respect of the community.

Why nurses?

One of the reasons nurses are targeted is because it is a common profession for Nigerian women in the US.

Based on data from the Migration Policy Institute as of 2015, Nigeria was the third source country for foreign-born registered nurses in the US. The field is relatively easy to get into; one can become a certified nursing assistant, picking up extra shifts and working for $12.78 an hour, in a matter of weeks.

Nigerian nurses [also] marry Nigerian-American men as tickets/passports to higher income and better quality of life, states the NANNNA study, which also revealed that some Nigerian-American men often return to Nigeria to marry nurses or women they later convince to adopt the profession.

After bringing their female partners to the US and or funding their nursing education, some of the men feel entitled to their partners salaries and insist on controlling their income. Once the women start to work, the men expect a return on their investment, says Ogiehor-Enoma  but in the US they often find it harder than anticipated to control their partners.

Decisions about how money is spent are a source of conflict. The women were blamed for rebelling against this expectation and sometimes flaunting their superior contribution to their peril, says the NANNNA study.

READ MORE: Russian MPs back easing punishment for domestic abuse

It is not just the prevalence of the nursing occupation in the community that accounts for why most of the victims of fatal domestic violence cases are nurses. For Iheanacho, the murders of nurses are almost symbolic.

Nurses are just representative of a professional woman, he says. A nurse from Nigeria represents a successful professional, potentially independent, woman.

Ogiehor-Enoma receives calls from irate husbands, complaining that now their women are nurses they no longer feel respected by them.

Her hotline has deepened understanding into the issue, and it is also filling a void  offering help to a community that is often not reached.

Official marriage counselling or involving the authorities in marital disputes is not common in the Nigerian community because back home we tend to focus on elders; reporting the woman or the husband to the mother-in-law or to the family member to discuss the issues, Ogiehor-Enoma says.

Community members, like most immigrants, are often unwilling to seek help from official sources of aid for fear of the authorities and of betraying their own group.

Research findings suggest West African immigrants are more likely to turn to informal avenues such as religious leaders, friends and relatives for help with domestic violence than the authorities, psychologists or marriage counsellors.

OPINION: Gender equality  A game changer for nature

Filling the void

The advice and counselling Ogiehor-Enoma dispenses draws on her medical training, her Nigerian background and common sense.

When she receives calls from men, she refers them to local NANNNA leaders in their state; and she directs abused women to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The calls are confidential and are often from nurses and their partners. But it is difficult to get these men and women to trust and use resources outside the community.

After the 2011 research, NANNNA presented its findings to the Ministry of Health in Nigeria and created domestic violence groups in their 13 chapters across the US.

Ogiehor-Enoma faces a lack of resources to create an official hotline with designated responders other than her as well as the culture of silence around domestic violence that prevents more people from using existing services to openly discuss intimate partner abuse.

More research, services and programmes tailored to the cultural needs of the community are needed to effectively monitor and curb domestic violence, she says. This would involve collaborating with diaspora groups and religious centres such as churches and mosques.

There have been no fatal cases since the death of Nigerian-American nurse Nnenna Laura Ogbonna-Onwumelu in Baltimore, Maryland on February 16, 2016.

The calls to Ogiehor-Enomas hotline are decreasing, and she isnt certain why, but she attributes it partly to a lack of awareness and peoples unwillingness to discuss domestic violence. Perhaps opening a direct line to her community has also helped with curbing domestic violence, but without the data, its hard to tell.

Ogiehor-Enoma, like Iheanacho, believes the murders are just the tip of the iceberg, as the abuse endures and remains normalised below the surface. For their study, Iheanacho and Dike screened 100 Nigerian nurses in the US and Nigeria, and while their final findings will be reported in November, Iheanacho says the majority of the women screened positive for intimate partner violence.

As much as the Nigerian diaspora tries to save face and tackle its issues internally, Ogiehor-Enoma admits their aims cannot be met alone. More external assistance and resources are needed for community-run programmes; particularly programmes targeting men. Our community needs help, she says.
Istanbul, Turkey Taib launched a real estate investment company. Jasmine is completing a bachelors degree in environmental engineering. Maisa, who is passionate about music, has created a choir, while Reem provides psychological help to fellow Syrians.

All live in Istanbul and speak Turkish fluently, and all are Syrian refugees.

Since the outbreak of Syrias war in 2011, Turkey has welcomed more than three million Syrian refugees, but their coexistence with the local population is not always easy, as tensions fester over the ensuing demographic and socioeconomic pressures. Living conditions for Syrian refugees are often difficult, but many have overcome these challenges to push for a brighter future.

Al Jazeera visited members of the Syrian community in Istanbul to discover how they are rebuilding their lives.

READ MORE: Sirkhane Social Circus School helps refugee children in Turkey
There have been no surprises in Mosul. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was roundly defeated, and the combined forces of the Iraqi security services are victorious.

In eastern Mosul, which was liberated months before the rest of the city, Iraqis are seeking to return to normality as fast as possible, by reopening their businesses, resuming classes and exams, organising cultural activities, rebuilding libraries and engaging in reconciliation initiatives. In case there was still any doubt, Iraqi society is once again proving just how resilient it is.





Sadly, that is not where the story ends. As if reading from a script, a stream of soldiers, federal police officers and popular mobilisation fighters have engaged in mass arrests, torture, and summary executions of suspected ISIL fighters.

Increasingly, the perpetrators record every detail of their gruesome acts and post them on social media for all to see, including videos in which captives are thrown from the top of buildings and showered with bullets after they land on the riverbank. Just as seriously, individuals who are thought to be related to ISIL fighters, colloquially referred to as ISIL families, are imprisoned in horrific conditions, many of them left without sustenance and medical care.

For the sake of clarity, the perpetrators include people of all faiths and races and are members of almost every security agency imaginable. In fact, just about the only security force that has not been accused of human rights abuses is the Counter Terrorism Service, which has been leading the fight against ISIL since 2014 (because the CTS is not politicised, it has not received anywhere near as much attention as other groups, such as the Popular Mobilisation Forces and the Peshmerga). Its commander, Lieutenant Abdel Ghani al-Saadi, is rumoured to have unsuccessfully challenged his counterparts from other agencies, as he learned of the abuse that was taking place, before storming out of the city.

Senior interior ministry officials have noted that torture and unlawful killings will be investigated and prosecuted in all cases, but it is common knowledge that prosecutors and judges are largely powerless to move against the security forces, despite a few token arrests. In fact, some of the worst perpetrators of abuse have argued that courts are so corrupt that any ISIL fighter who is arrested could bribe their way out of prison.

Also predictable is that commentators have reacted according to their political colouring. Sectarian Sunni politicians, who have barely raised a whimper to condemn the unrelenting wave of terrorist attacks that have targeted Baghdad since 2003, rediscovered their humanity when the images from Mosul were circulated online. Meanwhile, many pro-government Iraqis and foreigners have been busy trying to brush the abuse aside as an inevitable byproduct of the conflict and as altogether unimportant given the context. Commentators have also noted that Iraqis largely do not care about this type of abuse, and any attempt to disseminate information on what happened is motivated by an attempt to sow discord in Iraq.





There is little question that many Iraqis have suffered deep traumas that are often at the root of the abuse that was recorded and distributed over the past few weeks. Even so, the attempts to minimise what has taken place, the explanations that have been offered and the conclusions that have been reached are both misplaced and very dangerous.

Apart from the fact that many of the victims are probably innocent of any criminal behaviour, and apart from the obvious inhumanity of the way that they were treated, the fact is that torture and summary executions are totally prohibited under international and Iraqi law.

In that context, the failure to prosecute the perpetrators does not just mean that criminal elements are allowed to proceed with their lives unpunished. It also sends a very clear message to all security services that they can act with impunity in a city where they already have an inflated sense of their own power. It is precisely that sense of lawlessness that was so damaging before 2014 and which will create fear among ordinary people.

The tragedy is that news of the abuse has already travelled far and wide, which has lessened the service of those soldiers, police officers and others who served with distinction and professionalism. More importantly, it betrays the sacrifice of the very many martyrs who gave their lives in liberating Mosul, Tikrit and other parts of Iraq from ISIL occupation.

And as acts of brutality and random arrests continue to go unpunished, broad segments of the population will be unable to distinguish between rogue elements within the security services and those that are worthy of trust. They will learn to fear the same security force which liberated them, which is precisely the type of relationship that ISIL and other terrorist groups seek to exploit.

Many of us have been warning that the Iraqi state will need to engage in deep reform to prevent the re-emergence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Some of these reforms are obvious and not hard to achieve, including improving the implementation of laws that are already on the books and designed to prevent abuse by criminal elements within the security services.

It seems that that advice is going unheeded and that the Iraqi state is once again contributing to what will likely be more instability and suffering. If that does transpire, then it should also not come as a surprise.

Zaid al-Ali is an Iraqi lawyer. He has law degrees from Harvard Law School, the Universite de Paris I (Sorbonne), and Kings College London. From 2005 to 2010, he was a legal adviser to the United Nations, focusing on constitutional, parliamentary and judicial reform in Iraq. Since the beginning of 2011, he has been working on constitutional reform throughout the Arab region, in particular in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. He has published widely on Iraq and on constitutional law.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
In announcement hours before expected protests by Palestinians, Israel police further tighten restrictions on holy site.

Israeli police said on Friday that Muslim men under the age of 50 would not be allowed at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in an announcement made hours before expected mass protests.

Palestinians prepared for fresh demonstrations over new security measures at the holy site in occupied East Jerusalem, a week after a deadly shoot-out at the compound that triggered tensions.

The rallies were expected to begin after the Muslim Friday prayers, which take place around midday local time.

Entry to the Old City and Temple Mount will be limited to men aged 50 and over. Women of all ages will be permitted, a police statement said.

Police swarmed into Jerusalems Arab neighbourhoods in the morning, particularly in and around the walled Old City where the shrine is located.

At least 3,000 Israeli police and border police units had been deployed to the area, according to a police spokesman.





Israels security cabinet said that Israeli police would decide when to remove metal detectors and turnstiles installed at the compound last week  a disappointing statement to Palestinians who view the measures as collective punishment and an infringement on the status quo, which gives Muslims religious control over the compound and Jews the right to visit, but not pray there.

Israel tightened its grip on the compound after two Israeli security officers were killed in an alleged attack by three Palestinians, who were killed by Israeli police following the violence.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received recommendations from different sectors of Israels security services on the metal detectors.

Israels internal security service, Shin Bet, said the barriers should be removed, while Jerusalem police insisted they stay.

Palestinian member of the Knesset Mohammad Barakeh told a meeting of Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem on Friday that the security cabinets decision is a political game.

The Israeli governments [decision] of referring the matter to the police is a political game in order to absolve Netanyahu of any responsibility by implying that this is not a political issue, rather a security issue, but the truth is that this is a political decision.

The leaders rejected Israels measures and vowed to continue to hold prayers outside the compound until the barriers are removed.

OPINION: Palestinians have a legal right to armed struggle

Over the past week, there have been daily demonstrations and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians.

On Friday, a Palestinian advocacy group said 10 prominent Palestinian activists had been detained in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Hatem Abdel Khader, the Jerusalem leader of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party, was among those arrested.

Day of anger

The Palestinian group Hamas and Muslim leaders worldwide have called for mass protests on Friday over the measures.

On Wednesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya warned Israel against crossing a red line at al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

To the Zionist enemy, I say openly and clearly: al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem are red lines. Truly they are red lines, he said.

To the enemy I say, your policy of closure and imposition of collective punishments against the residents of Jerusalem and our places of sanctity will not be tolerated. 

READ MORE  Timeline: Critical events at the al-Aqsa Mosque

The Doha-based International Union of Muslim scholars called for all Muslims to show solidarity with worshippers at al-Aqsa in a day of anger.

We call on all Muslims to make this Friday a day of anger against the Zionist actions in Jerusalem and the people residing there, a statement by the group read.

Earlier this week, Jerusalems top Muslim leader called on all of the citys mosques to close on Friday and encourage worshippers to gather outside the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque for the weekly Friday prayers.

Grand Mufti Muhammad Hussein said Palestinian Muslims should instead gather outside the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque for the weekly Friday prayers.

Thousands of Palestinians usually attend Friday prayers at the compound.

OPINION: Playing with fire at Al-Aqsa

Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem on Friday, Al Jazeeras Imran Khan said it was clear Israeli forces dont want Muslim worshippers outside Lions Gate, one of the entrances to the Old City.

He said Israeli forces pushed about 100 Palestinians from the road leading to the gate and were only allowing residents to enter the Old City.

The worshippers are very angry, Khan said.

Israeli forces at various checkpoints had turned away buses carrying Muslim worshippers to Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank and elsewhere, several Palestinians told Al Jazeera.

The wider al-Aqsa compound is known as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, by Muslims and the Temple Mount by Jews.

Abbas calls for intervention

Netanyahu said this week that he does not want to alter the status quo.





But Palestinians fear Israel is trying to retake the site by stealth.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short a trip to China on Wednesday to return to the occupied West Bank to deal with the mounting tensions.

On Wednesday he urged the international community to intervene.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had spoken to Abbas by phone earlier in the day, urged his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to remove the detectors.

Given the importance that Haram al-Sharif carries for the whole Islamic world, the metal detectors put in place by Israel should be removed in the shortest possible time and an end put to the tension, Erdogan said.

The site houses al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, Islams third holiest site after Mecca and Medina, as well as the ruins of the Biblical Jewish Temple.

Questions about control of the site frequently lead to outbursts of fighting.

Additional reporting by Ibrahim Husseini.
Clashes continue to rage between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators across occupied territories.

At least three Palestinians have been killed, according to local media, and hundreds more injured amid mass protests over new Israeli security measures at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In the first incident, an Israeli settler killed an 18-year-old Palestinian man in the Ras al-Amud neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The death of Muhamd Mahmoud Sahraf was confirmed by Israeli security and the Red Crescent.

A second Palestinian was also confirmed killed by live fire during the demonstrations that followed Friday prayers, officials at a hospital in Jerusalem told AP news agency.

OPINION: Palestinians have a legal right to armed struggle

The Palestinian Authority also reported that a third man was killed during clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank.

The two other fatalities were identified as Muhamad Mahmoud Khalaf and Muhamad Hasan Abu Ghanam.

Israeli police also fired live ammunition, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at Palestinians protesting against the new measures, including the barring of Muslim men under the age of 50 from the holy site and the installation of metal detectors.

In one incident, an Israeli soldier, who was carrying a firearm, kicked an unarmed worshipper while he was praying.

The protests come a week after a deadly shoot-out at the occupied East Jerusalem compound, which triggered tensions.

This Israeli officer kicked a man while he was praying outside al-Aqsa Mosque compound. https://t.co/nrDVx0IKHX pic.twitter.com/oednoFTGWs  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 21, 2017

The rallies started after the Muslim Friday prayers, which took place around midday local time.

At the conclusion of the Isha evening prayers, clashes erupted again with Israeli forces firing stun grenades at the crowd, Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, who was reporting outside al-Aqsa, said.

At least 140 Palestinians have been injured in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Earlier in the day, police swarmed into Jerusalems Arab neighbourhoods, particularly in and around the walled Old City where the shrine is located.

At least 3,000 Israeli police and border police units had been deployed to the area, according to a police spokesman.





Israels security cabinet said that Israeli police would decide when to remove metal detectors and turnstiles installed at the compound last week  a disappointing statement to Palestinians who view the measures as collective punishment and an infringement on the status quo, which gives Muslims religious control over the compound and Jews the right to visit, but not pray there.

Israel tightened its grip on the compound after two Israeli security officers were killed in an alleged attack by three Palestinians, who were killed by Israeli police following the violence.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received recommendations from different sectors of Israels security services on the metal detectors.

Israels internal security service, Shin Bet, said the barriers should be removed, while Jerusalem police insisted they stay.

Palestinian member of the Knesset Mohammad Barakeh told a meeting of Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem early on Friday that the security cabinets decision is a political game.

The Israeli governments [decision] of referring the matter to the police is a political game in order to absolve Netanyahu of any responsibility by implying that this is not a political issue, rather a security issue, but the truth is that this is a political decision.

The leaders rejected Israels measures and vowed to continue to hold prayers outside the compound until the barriers are removed.

OPINION: Palestinians have a legal right to armed struggle

Over the past week, there have been daily demonstrations and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians.

On Friday, a Palestinian advocacy group said 10 prominent Palestinian activists had been detained in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Hatem Abdel Khader, the Jerusalem leader of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party, was among those arrested.

Day of anger

The Palestinian group Hamas and Muslim leaders worldwide called for mass protests on Friday over the measures.

On Wednesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya warned Israel against crossing a red line at al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

To the Zionist enemy, I say openly and clearly: al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem are red lines. Truly they are red lines, he said.

To the enemy I say, your policy of closure and imposition of collective punishments against the residents of Jerusalem and our places of sanctity will not be tolerated. 

READ MORE  Timeline: Critical events at the al-Aqsa Mosque

The Doha-based International Union of Muslim scholars called for all Muslims to show solidarity with worshippers at al-Aqsa in a day of anger.

We call on all Muslims to make this Friday a day of anger against the Zionist actions in Jerusalem and the people residing there, a statement by the group read.

Earlier this week, Jerusalems top Muslim leader called on all the citys mosques to close on Friday and encourage worshippers to gather outside the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque for the weekly Friday prayers.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on Friday prayed in public spaces in solidarity with worshippers in Jerusalem.

In Hebron, Palestinians gathered in the Hussein Stadium for Friday prayers.

https://twitter.com/NasserZB/status/888362233700519937

Translation: Hebron right now.

Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem on Friday, Al Jazeeras Imran Khan said it was clear Israeli forces dont want Muslim worshippers outside Lions Gate, one of the entrances to the Old City.

He said Israeli forces pushed about 100 Palestinians from the road leading to the gate and were only allowing residents to enter the Old City.

The worshippers are very angry, Khan said.

Israeli forces at various checkpoints had turned away buses carrying Muslim worshippers to Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank and elsewhere, several Palestinians told Al Jazeera.

The wider al-Aqsa compound is known as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, by Muslims and the Temple Mount by Jews.

Abbas calls for intervention

Netanyahu said this week that he does not want to alter the status quo.





But Palestinians fear Israel is trying to retake the site by stealth.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short a trip to China on Wednesday to return to the occupied West Bank to deal with the mounting tensions.

On Wednesday he urged the international community to intervene.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had spoken to Abbas by phone earlier in the day, urged his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to remove the detectors.

Given the importance that Haram al-Sharif carries for the whole Islamic world, the metal detectors put in place by Israel should be removed in the shortest possible time and an end put to the tension, Erdogan said.

The site houses al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, Islams third holiest site after Mecca and Medina, as well as the ruins of the Biblical Jewish Temple.

Questions about control of the site frequently lead to outbursts of fighting.

Additional reporting by Ibrahim Husseini.
UN human rights office says strikes hit three families staying in a makeshift straw house after fleeing their homes.

The United Nations has blamed a Saudi-led coalition for a deadly air strike on civilians in Yemen this week, saying there were no military targets in the area hit.

The UN human rights office said on Friday that the strikes hit three families who were staying in a makeshift straw house after being displaced from their homes three months ago by fighting.

The attack on Tuesday in the Mawza district of the southwestern province of Taiz killed at least 20 people, including four children, according to residents.

READ MORE: Report says Yemens cholera epidemic is worst on record

The office said in a statement that the strike was carried out by Arab Coalition Forces, referring to the Saudi-led alliance fighting Houthi rebels in support of Yemens internationally recognised government.

There do not appear to have been any military objectives anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the destroyed house, it added.

The Saudi-led coalition has faced repeated criticism over civilian casualties in Yemen. It accuses the Houthi rebels of using civilians as human shields.





The coalition has admitted responsibility for some strikes that killed non-combatants, including a raid on the rebel-held capital Sanaa in October 2016 that killed more than 140 people at a funeral ceremony.

The United Nations called for a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the latest incident.

The conflict in Yemen has escalated dramatically since March 2015, when the Saudi-led forces launched a military operation against the rebels.

Since the conflict began, more than 10,000 people have been killed and millions have been driven from their homes.

The country is also facing a health crisis, with the charity Oxfam reporting 360,000 suspected cases of cholera in the three months since the outbreak started in April.
The latest surge in fighting with Russian-backed rebels along the volatile front line is the bloodiest in recent months.

Clashes with Russian-backed rebels killed six Ukrainian soldiers on Thursday, officials said, in the bloodiest surge in fighting along the volatile front line in recent months.

The violence flared several days after a top rebel leader announced a plan to form a new state that Kiev warned could put a long-stalled peace plan further in jeopardy.

Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said rebel shelling killed six servicemen and wounded two more around the insurgents de-facto capital Donetsk.

READ MORE: Justice elusive three years from MH17 crash in east Ukraine

Three more soldiers were killed and three injured when their vehicle drove over a mine north-west of the second biggest rebel city, Lugansk, Lysenko announced.

On the other side of the front, a separatist news agency accused Kiev of wounding three civilians in a bombardment by heavy weaponry.





On Wednesday the army, in a statement, announced the death of two soldiers in bombardments 40 kilometres from Donetsk.

Ukraine and the West say Russia has funnelled troops and arms across the border to fan the flames of war in Europes backyard.

Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and its explicit political support for the rebels.

US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington condemned the latest violence in eastern Ukraine.

The last 24 hours were considered the deadliest one-day period in 2017, she said, calling for Russia and the forces that it arms, trains and leads in the east, to immediately observe the ceasefire.

Nauert says the United States calls on those forces to allow international monitors to have full, safe and unfettered access to the conflict zone.

Rebels propose new state of Little Russia

Donetsk rebel chief Alexander Zakharchenko on Tuesday announced plans to create a new state to replace Ukraine.

The proposed country was to be called Malorossiya (Little Russia)  a Tsarist-era term for an area covering much of modern day Ukraine  and have its capital in Donetsk.

The plan appears to be dead in the water after other rebel bosses rejected it and the insurgents backers in the Kremlin dubbed it a private initiative.

However, it sparked fears it could drive another nail into the coffin of a stalled peace process that has failed to end a conflict that has claimed 10,000 lives.

A deal brokered by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany in the Belarusian capital Minsk in 2015 has hit a wall but is still viewed by those involved as the only way of unwinding Ukraines war.
President Mahmoud Abbas move follows deadly clashes that left three Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that the Palestinian leadership will freeze all contact with Israel, as mass protests over new Israeli security measures at the al-Aqsa compound turned deadly.

In a brief televised speech on Friday, Abbas said all official contact would be suspended until Israel removed metal detectors installed there last week.

I declare the suspension of all contacts with the Israeli side on all levels until it cancels its measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque and preserves the status quo, Abbas said.

The announcement follows the killing of at least three Palestinians in clashes in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank on Friday after Israeli police fired live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse protesters.

Hundreds more were wounded.

Three Israelis have also been killed in a knife attack in the occupied West Bank settlement of Neve Tsuf.

READ MORE: World reacts to Israel-Palestinian fallout over al-Aqsa

Its a major move by Mahmoud Abbas, Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcet, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said. It means ending security cooperation, that is something a vast majority of Palestinians have been calling for.

Its a way of trying to increase the pressure on Israel to remove the metal detectors that have sparked the protests, he said.

Muslim leaders allege the metal detectors are part of a purported Israeli attempt to expand control over the site. Israel has denied such allegations.

The ancient marble-and-stone compound is revered by both Muslims and Jews.

It houses the al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third-holiest site, and the western wall of the compound, also known as the Wailing Wall, is considered the holiest site in Judaism.

Israel installed the metal detectors after Palestinian gunmen launched a deadly attack from there last week.

Israel said the devices were needed to prevent more attacks. But Palestinians view the measures as collective punishment and an infringement on the status quo, which gives Muslims religious control over the compound and Jews the right to visit, but not pray there.

READ MORE: Al-Aqsa: Palestinians killed as Jerusalem protests rage

The United Nations has called for de-escalation of violence and tensions in Jerusalem.

Farhan Haq, the UN spokesman, told reporters on Friday that ultimately, what is important is for all of the people at the holy sites, including all the worshippers at the holy sites, to feel that their religious liberties are being respected.

He said the issue was complex and that we do understand legitimate security concerns, but on the other hand it is important that the status quo at the site by retained.
Global Witness says at least $750m paid to Congos tax bodies and state mining company disappeared in 2013-2015.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is losing a fifth of all of mining revenues because of corruption and mismanagement, a campaign group has said.

In a report published on Friday, Global Witness said at least $750m paid by companies to the Congos tax agencies and state-owned mining company Gecamines disappeared between 2013 and 2015.

At least some of the funds were distributed among corrupt networks linked to President Joseph Kabila, the group said.

The losses deprived the state of funds that should have been used on public services, it added.

Congo is Africas top copper producer and the worlds biggest supplier of cobalt, which is used in mobile phones and electric cars. It also produces coltan, diamonds, tin and gold.

However, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

READ MORE: Civilians bear the brunt of fresh fighting in DR Congo

Congos mining revenues should be helping to lift its people out of poverty, but instead huge sums are being siphoned away from the public purse and into unaccountable agencies headed up by people with ties to political elites, said Pete Jones, a senior campaigner at Global Witness.

The findings come amid renewed political unrest in the Congo after the countrys election commission announced that a vote to replace Kabila was unlikely to take place this year.





The political turmoil and persistently low prices for Congos exports has caused the franc to lose 40 percent of its value in the past year.

Global Witness said a key cause of discontent with the regime was the chronic lack of funding by the government in basic services such as schools, hospitals and roads.

The main culprit in the diversion of funds was Gecamines, a state-owned company tasked with the exploration, research and production of Congos mineral deposits, its report said.

Gecamines is haemorrhaging money in suspect transactions  while simultaneously failing to make any substantial contribution to the national treasury or invest in its own mining operations, the report said.

Congos secretive tax agencies, meanwhile, keep back a portion of mining revenues for their own funds rather than transfer it to the treasury, it added.

The missing revenues rise to $1.3bn when other state bodies and a now-defunct provincial tax body were included, it said.

Lambert Mende, a spokesman for Kabila, said the judiciary would deal with corruption cases.

We have institutions in charge of handling such cases. The courts are working and if its true that money from mining revenues is being embezzled, those involved will be brought to court and be prosecuted, Mende told the DPA news agency.
Lebanese armed group and Syrian soldiers attempting to clear fighters from the Juroud Arsal mountainous border area.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Syrian army have launched an offensive to clear fighters from an area of the Syria-Lebanon frontier, according to reports.

The operation is targeting fighters in the Arsal area, on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal, and in areas of the western Qalamoun mountains in Syria, the commander said.





A commander in the military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad confirmed the assault to Reuters, while a Lebanese security source explained to DPA news agency that shells were raining down on posts belonging to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda previously known as al-Nusra Front, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The Qalamoun Mountains between Syria and Lebanon have also been a base of operations for ISIL fighters.

Several thousand Syrian refugees are living in camps in the Juroud Arsal region, a largely barren area situated in Qalamoun between Syria and Lebanon.

The Lebanese army said it is helping Syrian refugees flee the area to safer grounds.

Al Jazeeras Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Beirut, said the fighting  has intensified in the past few hours in an area that spans roughly 200 square kilometres.

He explained that the Lebanese army has set up a perimeter area to block armed rebel groups from Syria from potentially crossing the border into Lebanon.

They essentially want to prevent any of these fighters  from coming into their area, Tyab said.

Hezbollahs al-Manar TV said fighters were being targeted in Arsal and areas near the Syrian town of Fleita.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army has deployed reinforcements on the outskirts of Arsal in anticipation of the operation, aiming to prevent fighters from fleeing into Lebanon.

READ MORE: Army raids Arsal refugee camps, one killed

Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was al-Qaedas official affiliate in the Syrian conflict until last year when it formally severed ties to al-Qaeda and renamed itself. The group now spearheads the Tahrir al-Sham alliance.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Tuesday that the Lebanese army would carry out a carefully planned operation in the Juroud Arsal area, but there was no coordination between it and the Syrian army.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International urged the Lebanese army to prioritise the protection of Lebanese residents as well as Syrian refugees in the area when it launches its operation.

They must refrain from using lethal force except when it is unavoidable for self-defence or defence of others against threats of death and serious injury, Amnestys Lynn Maalouf said in a statement on Tuesday, adding: Thousands of lives are on the line.

In 2014, the area was the scene of one of the most serious spillovers of the Syrian war into Lebanon, when fighters briefly overran the town of Arsal.

The Iran-backed Shia group Hezbollah has provided Syrian President Assad with crucial military support in the war, a role that has drawn heavy criticism from its Lebanese opponents, including Hariri.

A source close to the Hezbollah movement told the DPA news agency: This might be a preliminary shelling for the long-anticipated military operation by Hezbollah to root out the militant groups from the outskirts of Arsal  Hezbollah militants are ready for the anticipated battle.

Meanwhile, activists in the area said Syrian warplanes also carried out a round of raids on the fighters posts in the border region.

Artillery shelling echoes across region

Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Assads forces throughout the Syrian Civil War.

A resident in the northern Bekaa region told DPA that the sounds of Hezbollah artillery shelling echoed across the region.

They added that the Lebanese Red Cross had started setting up field centres in the northern Bekaa region in anticipation of a battle.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, said the fighters are holed up in areas on Arsals outskirts and some pockets at the Syrian-Lebanese border.

READ MORE: Lebanons army targets ISIL fighters near Syrian border

Some expect that the battle will not be an easy ride for Hezbollah due to the nature of the terrain.

Arsal is surrounded by hills and deep valleys, and fighters are positioned on the hilltops and have a clear view of any advancing force, a military expert who requested anonymity told DPA.

On July 11, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah proclaimed that its about time we put an end to the threat of the militant groups in Arsals outskirts.

The Mayor of Arsal, Bassel al Hujeiri, told DPA that people inside the town [are] afraid and worried about the uncertainty of the situation in the area.
Residents say army fired indiscriminately at protesters, as police claim soldiers were being pelted with rocks.

The Indian army shot and killed a man and wounded another while firing at a group of protesters in the Indian-administered Kashmir region.

Police on Friday accused the group of throwing rocks at soldiers, but residents said the army was shooting indiscriminately and only a few rocks were hurled  and none hit soldiers.

The slain man, a tailor in his mid-20s, was hit by multiple bullets and died on the way to a hospital. The injured man was reported to be in a stable condition.





Soldiers fired after some rocks hit iron shutters of shops that were closed owing to a general strike in Kashmir, witnesses said.

Police claimed that patrolling soldiers were pelted with stones near the main mosque in western Beerwah town where worshippers gathered to offer Friday prayers.

A firecracker was hurled at the soldiers, who mistook the loud noise for a grenade and retaliated, police claimed in a statement.

Fridays killing triggered widespread protests as hundreds chanted slogans against Indian rule and demanded the Indian army leave Kashmir.

The strike was called by separatists who challenge Indias sovereignty by closing down shops, businesses and schools in most parts of the region.

The separatists also called for a march by Kashmiris to the United Nations office in Srinagar, the regions main city.

Authorities clamped a stringent curfew in downtown Srinagar and areas near the UN office in anticipation of anti-India protests and the march.

Armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear patrolled streets and blocked roads with razor wire and steel barricades.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.

Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for the Indian-administered portion to become independent or merge with Pakistan.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

India maintains roughly 500,000 soldiers in the territory.

READ MORE: Manufacturing consent in Indian-administered Kashmir

Anti-India sentiment runs deep among Kashmirs mostly Muslim population and most support the rebels cause against Indian rule despite a decades-long military crackdown to fight the armed rebellion.

India has accused Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, which Pakistan denies.

Rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian forces in recent years and public opposition to Indian rule is now principally expressed through street protests.

Last week, Indian authorities said clashes in Kashmir killed 10 people  five police officers, a soldier, two civilians and two suspected separatist fighters.

Suspected separatists ambushed a police patrol in the town of Achhabal, killing five police personnel, a police officer told AFP news agency last Friday.

Armed groups active in divided Kashmir have stepped up attacks in recent weeks on Indian government forces patrolling the area as part of counterinsurgency operations.

Officials say dozens of youth have joined the separatist ranks since last July after a popular commander was killed by security forces, sparking months of wide-scale protests in the territory.
Popular leftist leader Lula accuses political rivals of targeting him in court to push him off next years ballot.

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist leader who is topping polls for the 2018 election, has told his supporters protesting his conviction for corruption charges that his political opponents were persecuting him in the courts.

In the main avenue of Sao Paulo, the biggest city in Brazil, Lula took aim at Judge Sergio Moro, who sentenced him to nearly 10 years in prison but allowed him to remain free on appeal, and the prosecutors leading the so-called Car Wash corruption investigation.





Since theyre not able to defeat me through politics, they want to defeat me with lawsuits, he said on Thursday.

Police declined to estimate the number of people attending the protests in Sao Paulo, which Lulas Workers Party helped organise.

Smaller rallies took place in other major cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre and Fortaleza.

During his two terms as president between 2003 and 2010, Lula, a former union leader, helped to lift millions from poverty in Latin Americas largest economy.

But he has also been blamed for boosting the public deficit as a spending spree aimed at tackling the global financial crisis extended for years to come.

If an appeals court upholds Lulas conviction, a ruling which is expected to take at least eight months, Lula will be barred from running for office next year.

Apartment bribe?

Lula has repeatedly denied taking any bribes during or after his presidency. He has described the investigation against him by Judge Moro as a campaign to prevent his return to power.

Part of the probe focused on allegations that Lula received a luxury seaside apartment as a bribe from one of Brazils biggest construction companies, OAS.

OPINION: The scandal and tragedy of Lulas corruption conviction

Judge Moro said Lula had illegally received $1.1m.

Between the crimes of corruption and money laundering, there are sufficient grounds for sentences totalling nine years and six months of incarceration, Moro said in his verdict.

The sentence by Moro, whose wide popularity for his anti-corruption work has prompted some to see him as a possible presidential candidate, fed into broader political fissures in Brazil.

Lulas chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office last year, with her vice president, Michel Temer, taking over the reins.

Temer himself is battling for his own political survival after being charged with taking bribes.

Two weeks ago, Moro sentenced an influential minister in the governments of Lula and Rousseff, Antonio Palocci, to 12 years in prison for corruption.

Palocci played a central role in the Car Wash scheme, most of which unfolded when Lulas Workers Party was in power from 2003 to 2016.

Prosecutors said Palocci was a point man in the flow of bribes between the Odebrecht construction group and intermediaries of the Workers Party, laundering more than $10m used for party campaign finances.

Odebrecht, an industrial conglomerate with projects around the world, named Palocci the Italian in its list of code names for politicians regularly taking bribes in exchange for lucrative contracts with Petrobras and other favours.
Philippine government halts talks with communist rebels after series of attacks as president vows new offensive.

The Philippine government has frozen efforts to resume stalled peace talks with communist rebels following a series of attacks, officials said.

Government negotiators were supposed to hold back-channel talks with their communist rebel counterparts in the Netherlands at the weekend, but the meeting was scrapped after attacks earlier this week.

Three government troops were killed, and six soldiers who were part of the presidents security group were wounded in the separate attacks, DPA news agency said.

Everything is on hold until favourable conditions will be agreed upon by both parties, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters on Friday.





On Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte told soldiers in a visit to a military camp in besieged Marawi City, 800 kilometres south of Manila, that the communist rebels would be their next target after fighting armed groups linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

After we finish off those fools there, we will re-orient our offensive against the New Peoples Army, he said, referring to the armed wing of the rebel group the Communist Party of the Philippines.

OPINION: Dutertes reality check in Mindanao

I dont want to talk with them anymore, he added. They have killed many of our soldiers, many of our police officers. Imagine, killing two soldiers while they were going to the market. That really angers me.

Duterte was referring to two unarmed soldiers who were shot dead while buying supplies at a public market in the town of Roxas in Palawan province, 510 kilometres south-west of Manila, on Wednesday.

The killing was suspected to have been in retaliation for the seizure of a communist rebel training camp a few weeks ago, the military said.

The Philippines has been beset by separate communist and Muslim-led insurgencies in various parts of the country for decades.

Communist fighters and rebels from Muslim armed groups both challenge government forces in parts of the country.

Also on Wednesday, Maoist fighters attacked a checkpoint on the Mindanao Island, killing a paramilitary guard officer and injuring five soldiers from the presidential guard.

READ MORE: Residents mourn battle-ridden Philippine city of Marawi

The clash at the checkpoint came a day after Duterte asked congress to extend martial law until the end of the year to tackle unrest by Islamist armed groups.

The violence highlights the challenge facing a military stretched on multiple fronts in Mindanao, an island of 22 million people.

Documents allegedly obtained by the army showed Maoist rebel leaders had ordered fighters to step up attacks after martial law was imposed in Mindanao on May 23, Ano said.
Riot police in al-Hoceima fire tear gas to scatter hundreds of protesters who defied a ban to march against injustice.

Police in the northern Moroccan city of al-Hoceima have fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters and stop them marching in defiance of a government ban.

Organisers from the al-Hirak al-Shaabi movement dubbed the demonstration the million-man march and said it was aimed at protesting against repression.

Scores of police could be seen around al-Hoceima since early morning on Thursday, and by early afternoon they began sealing off access to all main squares, AFP news agency reported.

By late afternoon hundreds of people began gathering in several meeting points across the city intent on marching as planned, but as they tried to advance the police charged and pushed them back.

Al-Hoceima, the main port in the Rif region, has been hit by unrest since a fish seller was crushed to death in a rubbish truck last year as he tried to retrieve swordfish confiscated for being caught out of season.

Calls for justice snowballed into a wider social movement demanding jobs, development, and an end to corruption in the mainly Berber region, where residents have long complained of neglect and marginalisation.

Hirak has won strong support among the regions diaspora, and many former Rif residents living abroad had returned to the city to join the march.

Ali, a political science researcher from al-Hoceima living in Canada, said he had returned to the city to show my support for the Hirak movement.

Continued tensions

Hours before the protest was to kick off, activists said on Facebook that police had blocked protesters from entering the city, citing high orders.

Most shops in the city were closed, and there were reports that the Internet and phone service had been temporarily turned off.

In the Sidi Abed neighbourhood, police fired tear gas at demonstrators who were chanting Long live the Rif and Long Live Zefzafi  in reference to jailed Hirak leader Nasser Zefzafi.

Witnesses said demonstrators hurled stones at the police as they charged and knocked some to the ground, and that the security forces threw stones back at them.

We are in a country where there is no freedom of expression. We have asked for hospitals, jobs, public transport. What is wrong with that? asked one of the protesters on Thursday.

Police arrested around 12 activists, including the head of a news website, Hamid El Mahdaoui, according to local journalists.

READ MORE: Morocco  What is fuelling unrest in the Rif?

Among Hiraks demands are calls for a serious inquiry into the death of Mohcine Fikri, the fish seller; release of political prisoners; and the construction of universities, hospitals and libraries in Rif.

The movement gained traction in recent months after the arrest of Zefzafi, along with 150 of his fellow activists, led to solidarity marches and clashes across the country.

A solidarity march in the capital city Rabat last month drew more than 100,000 protesters, the most since the 2011 regional uprisings.

Tensions have eased in recent weeks and earlier this month security forces reduced their presence in al-Hoceima and another northern city Imzouren, which had been on virtual lockdown.

Authorities have promised to do more to help the region and relaunched a 2015 programme to improve its infrastructure, health facilities and education services by 2019.
Secretary of State calls for an end to siege of Qatar, saying US is happy with its efforts at combating terror funding.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has urged Arab states to lift a land blockade on Qatar, saying the US is satisfied with the Gulf nations efforts to implement an agreement aimed at combating terror financing.

They have been very aggressive in implementing that agreement, so I think were satisfied with the effort theyre putting forth, Tillerson told reporters just before meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the State Department on Friday.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with their arch-foe Iran, allegations that Doha denies.

The July 12 agreement between Qatar and the US seeks to track down and disable terror financing and was signed during a visit to Doha by Tillerson.

READ MORE: Glorious Tamim  You won and you were silent

Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a decree on Thursday setting new rules for defining terrorism, freezing funding and terrorism financing, and established national terrorism lists.

The UAE welcomed the new rules on Friday in one of the first positive signs from the four Arab states since they cut diplomatic, commercial and transport links on June 5.

Their sanctions include closing Qatars only land border, refusing Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from Qatar.

The measures have disrupted the import of food and other items, and caused foreign banks to scale back business with Qatar.

I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade which is really having the most, I think negative effects on the Qatari people, Tillerson said.

He added that Qatar was willing to sit with the four countries to discuss their demands to end sanctions, but that it was important to Doha that the sovereignty and dignity of all five countries be respected in those discussions.

The Saudi-led group initially issued a 13-point list of demands, which included the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

Doha rejected the demands, and the blockading countries later issued a modified list of six demands.

Several Western diplomats have visited the Gulf over the past two weeks in an effort to ease the dispute, yet no breakthrough has been achieved.








Brussels-based rights group says siege is against principle of non-interference in other countrys internal affairs.

A Brussels-based human rights group has asked to visit Qatar to monitor reported violations and other human rights breaches affecting citizens and residents of Qatar following a blockade imposed against the country.

The siege is in contrast to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of state, especially the principle of non-use of force or threat against other countries, mutual respect and coexistence in peace with neighbouring countries, the Alliance for Freedom and Dignity (AFD) said in a statement on Friday.

The rights group plans to send human rights monitors from 20 countries, including the United Kingdom and France, to gather testimonials and statements from individuals and families affected by the blockade.

READ MORE: Rights body highlights human cost of Qatar blockade

Their request comes as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the lifting of sanctions against Qatar on Friday.

The rights group said the field visit was essential to establish an independent picture of the human rights situation in Qatar.

The independent human rights monitors also asked to conduct on the spot and spontaneous hearings and meetings with the locals and the Qatari civil society.

The rights group also said that it is talking to officials in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, as part of its effort to help resolve the crisis.





Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain accuse Doha of funding what they call terrorism  allegations that Qatar strongly denies.

The four countries then cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

On June 22, the Saudi-led group 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 lifting the blockade.

Doha rejected the demands, and the countries now consider the list null and void.

The blockading countries later issued a six-point demand.

On Thursday, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a decree amending some provisions of the countrys law on combating terrorism, the state news agency reported.

The order follows an agreement between Qatar and the United States that seeks to curb terrorism financing and which was signed during a visit to Doha by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Qatars emir expresses readiness for dialogue but says any solution to the Gulf crisis must respect sovereignty.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has said that his country is ready for dialogue to resolve a diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led group, but stressed that any solution to the crisis must respect his countrys sovereignty.

We are open to dialogue to resolve the outstanding problems [so long as Qatars] sovereignty is respected, Al Thani said in a televised address on Friday, his first since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with the peninsula.

Qatar has been targeted by the unprecedented campaign, Al Thani said, adding that he valued Kuwaits mediation and the support of the United States, Turkey and Germany for their efforts to resolve the crisis.

The emir thanked Turkey for putting into force quickly a cooperation agreement signed between us and meeting our basic needs.

It is clear that the campaign against us was preplanned. We took a test and passed it, Al Thani said.

The emir hailed the solidarity and resolve that Qataris have shown in the face of the crisis, and said it would make his country, which will host footballs World Cup in 2022, even more resilient.

Smear campaign

People are amazed to see Qatari people maintaining a high level of morale despite the unprecedented smearing campaign, Al Thani said.

It was a true ethical trial. Our people have passed the test with colours, and we have held steadfast to our principles and traditions even in the time of trials, simple for the reason that we respect ourselves.

I call on all of you to continue to hold on to that.

Key points of His Highness The Emir of the State of Qatar's speech pic.twitter.com/5YfaAVBQ4R       (@saifaalthani) July 21, 2017

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt have imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with their regional rival Iran, allegations that Doha denies.

In his address, the emir stressed that Qatar was fighting terrorism not to please others, but because it believes in that mission.

Qatar is fighting terrorism, relentlessly and without compromises, and there is international recognition of Qatars role in this regard, he said.

The US and other Western countries have dispatched senior envoys to the region to press both sides to resolve the dispute.

Undermined our sovereignty

The crisis was precipitated after Qatars News Agency, the countrys state media, was hacked to post a false statement from the emir purportedly critical of the US foreign policy.

Al Thani said the four countries tried to undermine Qatars foreign policy, and muzzle freedom of expression.

The perpetrators have undermined our sovereignty and independence by fabricating false statements to mislead international public opinion, the emir said.

Qatars Ministry of Interior on July 20 said the cyberattacks originated in the UAE.

Qatar-Gulf crisis: All the latest updates

The Saudi-led sanctions include closing Qatars only land border, refusing Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from Qatar. The measures have disrupted the import of food and other items and caused foreign banks to scale back business with Qatar.

Initially, the Saudi-led bloc issued a tough 13-point list of demands needed to resolve the crisis, including 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 refused to bow to the demands within a 10-day deadline, and the anti-Qatar bloc has begun to shift its focus toward six principles on combatting extremism and terrorism.

The speech comes a day after Qatars ruler issued a decree setting new rules for defining terrorism, freezing funding and terrorism financing, and established national terrorism lists.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US was satisfied with Qatars efforts to address concerns about terror financing and counterterrorism.

He urged Qatars neighbours to lift a land blockade as a sign of good faith.
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Thousands turn out to rally against new bill allowing parliament to appoint supreme court, with EU also voicing concern.

Tens of thousands of people have protested in the capital of Poland against a new law that allows parliament to appoint supreme court judges and defies a European Union warning that the move undermines democracy and the rule of law.

Police said 14,000 people participated in Thursdays demonstration, while city officials claimed the number was up to 50,000.

The bill, sponsored by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), was passed by parliaments lower house earlier in the day after tumultuous debate, triggering one of the biggest protests since the PiS came to power in late 2015.

It calls for replacing all supreme court judges except those elected by a judicial panel that is to be chosen by the parliament. The supreme courts tasks include validating elections.

Thursdays vote came a day after the European Union gave its largest formerly communist member state a week to shelve judicial reforms that Brussels said would put courts under direct government control.

If Warsaws nationalist-minded PiS does not back down, the government could face fines and even a suspension of voting rights, although other eurosceptics in the EU, notably Hungary, will likely veto strict punishment.

In the best-case scenario, Poland will see its clout in Brussels wane further. It has already been damaged by mounting frustration among its EU peers arising from bitter disputes over issues such as migrant quotas and nature conservation.

OPINION: Polands Bialowieza  Losing the forest and the trees

We will  not allow them to trample European values, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, leader of the Polish Peoples Party (PSL), told a crowd in Warsaw. We will not allow ourselves to be pushed out of the European Union.

A crowd in front of the Presidential Palace, carrying Polish and EU flags responded by chanting, Free Poland, European! Free Poland, European!

Sources close to the Presidential Palace told Reuters news agency that President Andrzej Duda was on holiday on the Baltic coast.

Tens of thousands also demonstrated in other Polish cities.

I wanted to be here on this historic day when our freedoms for which we fought for more than 25 years are being taken away, said Piotr, 48, who came to the protests in Warsaw with his five-year-old son.

The government says the changes are needed to make courts accountable and to ensure state institutions serve all Poles, not just the elites that it says are the support base for the centrist opposition.

PiS has offered no concessions, instead presenting the EU criticism as unacceptable foreign meddling in the domestic affairs of the country, which overthrew communism in 1989 and joined the EU in 2004.

We will not give into pressure, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said on Thursday evening in a special state television address defending the bill. We will not be intimidated by Polish and foreign defenders of the interests of the elite.

Rift with the EU

The bill will go to parliaments upper house on Friday, where PiS has an absolute majority. President Duda, a PiS ally, will have to sign it before it can become law.

Critics at home and abroad say the legislation is part of a drift towards authoritarianism by the government, which espouses nationalist rhetoric coupled with left-leaning economic policy.

Since being elected in 2015, PiS has tightened government control over courts and prosecutors, as well as state media, and introduced restrictions on public gatherings and the activity of non-governmental organisations.

Last week, parliament passed another bill that ends the terms of current members of the National Council of the Judiciary, one of the main judicial bodies, and gives parliament the power to choose 15 of its 25 members.

Political opponents, rights groups and the EU have said the changes undermine the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary, a fundamental democratic principle.

OPINION: The rise of Polands urban movement

While PiS remains broadly popular among many Poles, particularly poorer and older voters from the countryside, there have been widespread protests against the plans.

European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish centrist prime minister and arch-adversary of PiS, said on Thursday that he had asked Duda for an urgent meeting about the political crisis in the country.

Tusk said in a statement that the PiS moves on courts were backwards, went against European standards and values, harmed Polands reputation and risked marginalising the country.

The European Union is not only money and procedures. It is first and foremost values and high standards of public life. That is why a wave of criticism of the government is rising in Europe and in the whole West, Tusk said.

A senior aide to Duda, Krzysztof Szczerski, said Tusk should instead focus on explaining Polands stance in Brussels.

The president is surprised that there has been such increased engagement in this matter by European institutions because everything is in accordance with the Polish legal order, Szczerski told Reuters in an emailed statement.
US, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon weigh in as protests continue over Israeli-led restrictions on Palestinians at holy site.

Tensions between Palestinians and Israelis over the al-Aqsa Mosque compound has prompted the international community to call for calm and a restoration of the status quo, which gives Muslims religious control over the compound and Jews the right to visit, but not pray there.

Palestinian worshippers had refused to pray inside al-Aqsa Mosque since Israel installed new security measures following an attack on July 14, when three Palestinian citizens of Israel shot dead two Israeli security guards before they were chased inside the compound and gunned down.

Israel then cancelled Friday prayers and shut down the compound for the first time since 1969, prompting outrage among Palestinians.

Thousands usually gather at the mosque for Friday prayers.

The compound was reopened two days later after metal detectors were installed at the entrances, which Palestinians viewed an encroachment of Israeli control over the holy site.





In protest, Palestinian worshippers have been conducting prayers outside by the gates.

Israeli security forces clamped down on daily demonstrations this week, resulting in dozens of injuries.

The site houses al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine, Islams third holiest site after Mecca and Medina, but also the ruins of the Biblical Jewish Temple.

World officials have expressed their concern and called on Israel and Jordan, the custodian of the compound, to reach an agreement in a bid to defuse the tensions.

Turkey

Any restriction on Muslims entering al-Aqsa Mosque is unacceptable, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The protection of the Islamic character and sanctity of al-Quds [Jerusalem] and al-Haram al-Sharif [Al-Aqsa Mosque compound] is important for the whole Muslim world.

It is unacceptable for the entry of Muslims and Palestinians to the mosque to be blocked, said presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kahn. We interpret the move as a shift in the status quo at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Lebanon

In a statement released by his media office, Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned and denounced the recurrent Israeli aggressions against the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque and the closure of the doors of the mosque against the worshippers.

The recurrent Israeli aggressionsare part of an Israeli scheme to target the sacred sites after the usurpation of the land, in its attempt to continue changing the geographic and demographic status quo in Jerusalem, the statement read.

The United States

In a statement released on Wednesday, the White House said it is very concerned about the tensions surrounding the compound.

[The] US calls upon the state of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to make a good faith effort to reduce tensions and to find a solution that assures public safety and the security of the site and maintains the status quo, the statement said.

Jordan

Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told the European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini that Jordan is exerting its utmost to restore calm and end the crisis, based on principles of security, stability and Israels respect of the historical situation in Jerusalem.

READ MORE: Timeline of Al-Aqsa Mosque

He also underscored the importance of the international community to de-escalate the situation and prevent further tensions, by cancelling all Israeli actions that aim to impose new facts on the ground.

Egypt

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Foreign Ministry urged Israel to stop the violence and warned of escalating tensions at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

The statement called on Israel to stop violence against Palestinians and holy places, and to respect Palestinians freedom of worship, and not taking more measures that may trigger conflict and decrease the chances of reaching a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Council of Ministers called on the international community to bear the responsibility to halt these practices that deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the globe.

The weekly session, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, described the Israeli act as a dangerous development that would further complicate the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

South Africa

South African Muslim leaders and civil rights groups have condemned Israels restricting access to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holiest site.

OPINION: When Palestinian women take up arms

We have appealed to Imams across the country to concentrate their sermons this Friday on what is happening in Al-Aqsa and rally solidarity for fellow Muslims there, Shakir Baker, operations manager of the Al-Quds Foundation, told Anadolu Agency.

We have called on Muslims worldwide to fast every Thursday until al-Aqsa is liberated.

International Union of Muslim Scholars

The Doha-based International Union of Muslim scholars called for all Muslims to show solidarity with worshippers at al-Aqsa in a day of anger.

We call on all Muslims to make this Friday a day of anger against the Zionist actions in Jerusalem and the people residing there, a statement by the group read.

The European Union

We call on the state of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to work together and make all efforts to find solutions that ensure security for all, respect the sanctity of this holy site, and preserve the status quo, said Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.

We also call on all political and religious leaders to act responsibly and work towards restoring calm. We will continue to closely monitor the developments.
More than 360,000 suspected cholera cases have been recorded over just three months in war-ravaged Yemen, says charity.

An ongoing cholera epidemic which has swept war-ravaged Yemen is the largest ever recorded in a single year, with more than 360,000 suspected cases in the three months since the outbreak started, the charity Oxfam said.





Since cholera began to spread in April, the epidemic has killed more than 2,000 people, while the country grapples with death, starvation, malnutrition and diseases due to a worsening humanitarian situation caused by the war, Oxfam said in a statement on Friday.

It is quite frankly staggering that in just three months, more people in Yemen have contracted cholera than any country has suffered in a single year since modern records began, Nigel Timmins, Oxfams humanitarian director, said in the statement.

Cholera has spread unchecked in a country already on its knees after two years of war and which is teetering on the brink of famine. For many people, weakened by war and hunger, cholera is the knockout blow.

The charity said it fears that the total number of people infected with cholera could rise as high as 600,000, making it one of the largest outbreaks since records started in 1949.

The previous annual record was in Haiti in 2011, when 340,311 cases were recorded.

It is hard to imagine how much more Yemen can take before it collapses entirely, Timmins said.

Starvation and war

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies launched an air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and backing Yemens UN-recognised government.

Two years of conflict have killed more than 10,000 people, wounded tens of thousands and displaced millions.

In a statement released earlier this month, UNICEFs Yemen office said that most children in the country lacked basic medical care, adequate nutrition, fresh drinking water, suitable sanitation and education.

READ MORE: Yemen conflict  Who controls what?

The World Food Programme said more than 17 million Yemenis do not know where their next meal will come from.

Earlier this month, Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, said at a news conference in Sanaa that aid groups in Yemen had pulled resources from the fight against malnutrition to battle the cholera outbreak in the country, raising the risk of famine as they struggle to find funds.

Were trying to do our best, but its very much beyond what we can cope with, he said.
Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
In this special on religion, Tahir ul Qadri attacks ISILs ideology, and we debate if Pope Francis is a reformer

In this UpFront special on religion, prominent Pakistani Islamic scholar Tahir ul Qadri weighs in on why ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, also known as ISIS) is an enemy of Islam and discusses Pakistans controversial blasphemy law.

Also on the show, we debate whether Pope Francis is as unorthodox as is claimed by some, and whether his attempt to reform the Catholic Church is popular or not.

Headliner  Islamic scholar: ISIL enemies of Islam

The ISIL group claims its ideology is rooted in Islam, but for some Islamic scholars, that is far from the case.

Tahir ul Qadri, a widely respected Islamic scholar in Pakistan, called ISIL the enemies of Islam.

They have nothing to do with Islam They are distorting Islam. They are exploiting the name of Islam, says ul Qadri, who once wrote a 600-page religious decree condemning terrorism. They are enemies of humankind, enemies of Islam.

The discussion also went on to include a debate over Pakistans controversial blasphemy law and how it is applied.

In this weeks Headliner, prominent Islamic scholar Tahir ul Qadri attacks ISILs un-Islamic ideology, and discusses Pakistans blasphemy law.

Arena  Is Pope Francis a real reformer?

Since his papacy began in 2013, Pope Francis has established himself as a peoples pope. He is popular around the world, and has a reputation as a reformer, able to reinvigorate the Catholic Church for the modern age.

But how successful have his reforms been? And are his stances on contentious issues, such as divorce and homosexuality, too progressive for some of the followers of the Church he leads?

For Austen Ivereigh, author of The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope, criticisms of Pope Francis for being too liberal are misplaced.

[T]he shift that Pope Francis has introduced, and I agree it is a significant shift, is not an adaptation to modernity, says Ivereigh. It is the recovery of a deeper tradition within the Church, which, sadly, some people, who have a particular idea of what the church and the pope should be, simply dont recognise.

When Francis was elected, I celebrated that election, says Matthew Schmitz, literary editor of religious magazine First Things. The reason Ive come to change my mind is that Ive seen that Francis is building his programme of supposed reform at the expense not only of the Church, but also at the expense of its most vulnerable members.

In this weeks Arena, Catholic writers and analysts Austen Ivereigh and Matthew Schmitz debate Pope Francis reforms to the Catholic Church.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook.
Since at least the time of Julius Caesar's coup in 49 B.C., man has surrendered his freedom to various strongmen who have offered to compromise liberty in exchange for swift political results. This tradeoff, a lapse in that "Spirit of Liberty," which Edmund Burke felt was the "greatest security of the people," is the despot's quickest and most ordinary way to power.

As Burke wrote in his 1791 "Letter to a Member of the National Assembly":

Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites ... in proportion as their soundness and sobriety of understanding is above their vanity and presumption  in proportion as they are more disposed to listen to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to the flattery of knaves. Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free.

Without caution and self-control, and a reverence for the principles of the law, true liberty is impossible  even, and perhaps especially, when the pursuit of greater liberty is the goal of those needlessly spurning the law. Society's need for self-control becomes fulfilled by dictators and strongmen in proportion to the citizenry's decrease in self-sufficiency.

It is ignorance, the wellspring of tyranny, which most often makes a population unable to practice good government and able to avoid demagoguery. When "soundness and sobriety of understanding" give way in the face of "vanity and presumption," social rot inevitably ensues. And, unfortunately, the American body politic is, according to years of poll taking and studies, exceptionally ignorant on the topics of geography, politics, and history.

In 2011, the World Values Survey reported that 44% of non-college graduates and 28% of college graduates in the Unites States supported "having a strong leader who doesn't have to bother with congress and elections"  a sign, if nothing else, of widespread exasperation with the conventions of Western representative government. Yet America itself was conceived, as John Adams declared in the 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as "a government of laws and not of men," and therefore the precedence of principles before personalities is at the very heart of the American experiment  as it is, ultimately, at the heart of all good government. The results of this survey point to an unfamiliarity with what can happen when representative societies entirely reject what Max Weber described in 1922 as "rational-legal legitimacy" in favor of "charismatic," personality-based legitimacy. In light of other studies that show a widespread ignorance of the Supreme Court, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and even who the current vice president is, we can see at least in part why these views are so pervasive.

Perhaps the most noteworthy finding among the studies that examine the political knowledge of Americans is that the confidence of a subject's opinion often increases as familiarity with the issue in question decreases. For example, in 2014, in the aftermath of Putin's invasion of Crimea, Daniel Larison in The American Conservative reported a survey study carried out by three political scientists, which discovered that respondents' support for military intervention in Ukraine increased in a direct correlation with their difficulty in locating Ukraine on a map:

The further our respondents thought that Ukraine was from its actual location, the more they wanted the U.S. to intervene militarily[.] ... [W]e found that the less accurate our participants were, the more they wanted the U.S. to use force, the greater the threat they saw Russia as posing to U.S. interests, and the more they thought that using force would advance U.S. national security interests[.] ... Our results are clear, but also somewhat disconcerting: The less people know about where Ukraine is located on a map, the more they want the U.S. to intervene militarily.

In fact, as a 2017 article in Foreign Affairs said about this same survey, "[o]nly one in six could identify Ukraine on a map; the median response was off by about 1,800 miles." "It shouldn't come as a surprise," Larison later wrote in a 2017 reworking of his 2014 American Conservative piece, "that less knowledge about a foreign country corresponds with a preference for more destructive and irresponsible policies in relation to that country. If someone doesn't even know where a given country is, it is unlikely that he knows much about the surrounding region or the probable consequences of military action."

It should not take a sociological genius to see that this phenomenon, especially combined with the forces of the internet and modern mass media, makes for a polity ripe for mass manipulation and political demagoguery.

In a 2016 piece for the New York Times entitled "How Stable Are Democracies? 'Warning Signs Are Flashing Red," Amanda Taub wrote:

Across numerous countries, including Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States, the percentage of people who say it is "essential" to live in a democracy has plummeted, and it is especially low among younger generations.

While the article, which cites Harvard lecturer Yascha Mounk's and University of Melbourne political scientist Roberto Stefan Foa's research on "democratic deconsolidation," is of course suffused with the standard anti-Trump and anti-conservative biases, it holds several useful pieces of information, if for no other reason than that it is an admission, straight from the horse's mouth, that the Millennial generation is historically disenchanted with representative and constitutional values. Across Western nations, the citizenry has, with each succeeding age bracket, progressively lost faith in the democratic process.

Taub continues:

Drawing on data from the European and World Values Surveys, the researchers found that the share of Americans who say that army rule would be a "good" or "very good" thing had risen to 1 in 6 in 2014, compared with 1 in 16 in 1995.

And, further:

The researchers calculated that 43 percent of older Americans believed it was illegitimate for the military to take over if the government were incompetent or failing to do its job, but only 19 percent of millennials agreed. The same generational divide showed up in Europe, where 53 percent of older people thought a military takeover would be illegitimate, while only 36 percent of millennials agreed.

America and other Western nations have scored as politically "deconsolidated" on what Taub describes as the "Mounk-Foa test." According to this test, these nations exhibit several similarities to Venezuela during the period prior to the ascent of Chavez, including a decreased belief in democratic values, openness to non-democratic forms of government, and support for "antisystem parties and movements." The idea that Trump's election was in fact a democratic response to the non-democratic impulses of Clinton  older Americans, who her study found were more democratic on average, had an especially important role in electing Trump  is, for some reason, never a serious consideration in her article. For the arguments made by Harvard academicians and The New York Times in favor of liberal cultural superiority, the social milieu of this new "deconsolidated," "social justice warrior" generation could hardly be described as one of traditional conservatism.

In psychology, the DunningKruger effect is a cognitive bias whereby the ignorant or those of "low ability" are deluded into believing they possess expertise or wisdom in a given field. The subject's very ineptitude and lack of experience is what prevents him from discerning his true level of ability. As we have seen, if such a bias is allowed to range unchecked, it can grow from personal ignorance into a trend in the political life of an entire nation. And if, as Edmund Burke said, we fail to "listen to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to the flattery of knaves," then we shall certainly no longer be "qualified for civil liberty" and will become, inevitably, unripe "for liberty on any standard." We shall witness the decline of responsible government in America, drowned out by radical demagogues; our idiotic policy choices; and the increasingly blithe, unaware populace that supports both.

Jack H. Burke is a member of the Fordham University Class of 2017 and a former contributor to the Fordham Political Review.
On July 10, the failing New York Times ran Three Legs Good, No Legs Bad by Paul Krugman who asserted that the reason Republicans cant come up with a non-disastrous alternative to Obamacare [is] because you cant change any major element of the Affordable Care Act without destroying the whole thing.

Krugman then informs us that ObamaCare is a three-legged stool. The first leg requires that insurers offer the same plans, at the same prices, to everyone, regardless of medical history, which deals with the problem of pre-existing conditions. The second leg is the individual mandate, which requires (some) Americans to buy health insurance. And the third leg of Krugmans stool is subsidies for those who cant afford to comply with the mandate; i.e. expanded Medicaid and tax credits to buy private health insurance. The key point is that all three legs of this stool are necessary. Take away any one of them, and the program cant work.

But if ObamaCare really is a three-legged stool, then thats a major design flaw. Why wasnt ObamaCare designed to be a four-legged chair? Many animals are quadrupeds, and can still get around if they lose one leg. Redundancies and backups are built into everything nowadays. Jetliners are designed to be able to fly on one engine. So was the stool deliberate, or are the architects of ObamaCare just doofuses who shouldnt be allowed anywhere near public policy?

Krugmans problem is that he wont admit that ObamaCare has more than three legs, even though he writes: you need to realize that as written (and interpreted by the Supreme Court), the laws functioning depends a lot on cooperation from state governments. What Krugman calls cooperation was actually force, and the high court held that, as written, ObamaCares expansion of Medicaid in the states was unconstitutional. If ObamaCare depends on the states, why are the states not a fourth leg?

Medicaids expansion has still not expanded to the entire nation. Medicaid is becoming so costly that its a major item in the budgets of many states. What if the states rebelled and told the feds to handle Medicaid themselves? Then wed be back to three legs, and Krugmans metaphor would still stand.

Another leg Krugman fails to recognize is the risk corridors, which are bailouts of insurance companies. (Find recent court cases here and here.) Republicans are now calling the risk corridors stabilization funds. Senator Rand Paul objects to these funds, because theyre taxpayer funding of private insurance companies. But the risk corridor funds were a part of the original ObamaCare, so we got another leg here. Then theres the bailouts known as Net Worth Sweep, Yet another leg. Maybe ObamaCare is really a chair or a table, or maybe even a credenza.

ObamaCare is an ungainly creature propped up by numerous legs all held together with duct tape, bailing wire, snot, and lies. Krugman isnt a true leg man, as he cant see all the legs. Or maybe metaphor isnt Krugmans metier.

But what do we do about the disaster known as ObamaCare? Sen. Paul is showing us the way by objecting to the insurance company bailouts. But its the entire subsidy program that needs to be deleted, and Republicans are keeping it. Instead, Congress should accept responsibility for poor folks in the subsidy program who have pre-existing conditions and put them into Medicaid. That should cost the taxpayer less than the ObamaCare subsidy program. The subsidy program was a new entitlement, when we couldnt even pay for the old ones. End the subsidy program and therell be no need to borrow another $180B to stabilize a defunct program. That should go far in getting Sen. Paul onboard.

So weve dealt with the problem of pre-existing conditions. Now, what do we do about the issue that cost the GOP the votes of the lady senators: i.e. Medicaid? To get these ladies votes, the repeal and replace bill should leave Medicaid alone. Medicaid needs top-to-bottom reform, but the current bill is not the place to do it. Leaving Medicaid unscathed for the time being might rile certain Freedom Caucus members. However, everyone who cares about spending and deficits realizes that Medicaid must be reformed, and soon. So save Medicaid reform for later, because repeal and replace needs to be kept simple.

Having taken care of his third leg, what do we do about Krugmans first and second legs? Well, we saw them off. We allow insurance companies to formulate whatever policies the market calls for, and charge whatever prices the market deems fair, because the feds will be getting out of the insurance market. And we end both the individual and the business mandates to buy insurance. Ive already urged the repeal of McCarran-Ferguson, so well have a national health insurance market. Lets try free-market capitalism for a change. Hoorah!

What Im proposing is full repeal, but with one addition: putting into Medicaid the patients in the individual market with pre-existing conditions. And it should go into effect on January 1, 2018. The only reason Republicans would want to delay implementation of the replacement is because they want to continue with the Democrats rotten idea of the tax credit subsidy program, which is one of the worst ideas of ObamaCare. The subsidy program is why we have the dang bailouts.

At 4 percent of the population, the individual market was the smallest non-VA insurance cohort before the advent of ObamaCare; it was 7 percent two years later. It was to those in the individual market that Obama made his dishonest pitch about how premiums would go down by $2,500. The opposite has happened. It is folks in the individual market who have been hurt the most by ObamaCare. Because of the harm done to it, the repeals that affect the individual market should happen immediately; i.e. the end of mandates and uniform policy requirements.

Why did the Democrats foist the ultra-expensive patients with pre-existing conditions into the tiny individual market, rather than accepting that responsibility themselves and putting them into Medicaid in the first place? Why did the Dems infect the smallest cohort with the sickest patients? Its because Democrats want control. Its the same reason they require uniform policies, and uniform prices, and uniform Americans. Its their lust for power. Democrats must pay for the all the damage theyve caused by reversing the ObamaCare now.

In 2015, former Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius made statements similar to Krugmans. She said that Obamacare was so intimately entwined into the healthcare system that we couldnt go back. Indeed, there was nothing to back to. I responded with Are We Really Stuck with Obamacare? It may not be a three-legged stool, but I think it still stands up; you might give it a look.

Jon N. Hall of Ultracon Opinion is a programmer/analyst from Kansas City.
House Speaker Paul Ryan can remake his image and effect real change even if he is unwilling to help President Trump score successes on the policy goals of constructing a wall on the southern border, repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and overhauling the tax code.

Thus far, Ryan has yet to strike any offensive policy blows for the Republican base that elected him, President Donald Trump, and the majority of the members of Congress. Standing as the passive leader of the House of Representatives, he has failed miserably at jumpstarting an American renewal.

For the first six months of the Trump administration, under Ryans leadership, Republicans, along with Democrats, have chased phantom Russian boogiemen and balked at meaningful budget cuts while repackaging the redistributive ACA to benefit insurance companies.

From the sidelines, the Republican congressional leadership has cowardly stood by while their newly elected President was grossly attacked by mainstream media, foreign governments, Democratic leadership, and celebrity personalities.

Rather than take the media to task for savaging the reputation of the President of the United States, Ryan smugly, and very publicly, chastised President Trump in June 2017 for his tweets which are not appropriate.

When is there any substance to Speaker Ryans commentary? Is this really the leadership that Republicans thought they had elected?

Upon his reelection as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ryan himself tweeted in November 2016, Now, its time to go big.

A quick check of the top stories on the speakers website in July 2017 shows a current agenda that is neither bold nor big: flood relief for Wisconsin, a pay raise for the military, a Q & A session on human trafficking, and a Made in America marketing campaign.

On the cusp of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells failure to shepherd an ACA repeal and replace bill through the Senate, there may be a small opening for Ryan to immediately resurrect his reputation by putting forth a big and bold, full repeal of Obamacare, as promised.

Repealing ACA

The upside of actually repealing ACA, terrible legislation passed in the dead of night on Christmas Eve without the support of a single Republican senator, is that the tattered reputation of a governing party that has failed in its most important, constitutional function of establishing an annual budget, will be on the mend.

To sell the repeal to moderate Republicans, Ryan can promise subsequent legislation that will grant funding, equal to or in excess of current ACA appropriations, to all fifty states for the express purpose of paying for healthcare, without any strings attached.

Repealing ACA effective January 1, 2018, will result in new insurance carriers jumping into state markets, existing plans continuing without a single change, high-risk pools becoming more solvent as states enroll more members, clinics filling the void for the underserved and new kinds of products rolling out onto the market, once again offering Americans choice and freedom over their most basic, personal health insurance needs.

Naturally, the likelihood of Congress adopting this repeal/grant-making scheme is slim.

In February 2017, former House Speaker John Boehner, Ryans mentor and predecessor, predicted that a full repeal and replacement of Obamacare is not going to happen.

However, if ACA is not repealed, in full, there will be retribution. A party of sham politicians will be revealed to the public who will then reject incumbent officeholders in the voting booth during the next primary season.

Worse, Speaker Ryan will have managed to inject even more uncertainty into the economy and hasten the insolvency of everyday Americans.

Patient voters, who reasonably expected change after putting a new political party into power, will have to, finally, acknowledge Capitol Hills serious principal-agent problem that precludes members from voting in the countrys best interest.

Fair Treatment of All Americans Act

Staking out his own populist stance, Speaker Ryan could put forth new legislation that puts Americans first, living up to the U.S. Constitutions requirement for equal treatment of all citizens.

With a catchy name such as the Fair Treatment of All Americans Act, Ryan could solicit a string of amendments from 218 congressman eager to sponsor legislation that could actually have a meaningful impact on Americans.

For example, private sector employees should not be contributing to Social Security while federal employees pay into a separate, gold-plated pension system.

Closed recruitments for vacant positions in the federal government should be prohibited. Congress could make every new job open to every single American who would like to apply for a federal position.

A Community Impact Statement (CIS), similar to an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that protects endangered species, could be required to protect the communities of American citizens before waves of new immigrants and refugee populations are dumped into their neighborhoods.

Counting only U.S. citizens in the census taken every ten years would prevent the number of legal and illegal aliens from determining how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives.

A nondiscrimination clause could be written that prohibits discrimination in hiring, employment, admissions and benefits solely on the basis of American citizenship by employers, universities and government agencies.

Conceivably, the Fair Treatment of All Americans Act would become so popular with the general public that every Congress would have their version and political candidates would fall over themselves dreaming of ways to cater to every American in their platform statements.

Creative Problem-Solving

Alas, where is the creativity in congressional legislation?

A $30 trillion debt problem, massive waves of third world immigration, and a rapidly deteriorating culture have not gotten the attention of Congress.

What is leadership waiting for?

Speaker Ryan pretends to be a great budgeteer, but having neither passed an annual budget nor balanced one, nor provided transparency in federal spending, one wonders how he gained this reputation.

If Speaker Ryan will not bring sanity to the legislative budget process, the public must be the voice of reason to break the stranglehold of the federal bureaucracy, which is bolstered by a genuine lack of congressional oversight and over-flowing coffers.

There is still time for Speaker Ryan to slash the crippling debt, lower the tax burden and rid the country of the scourge of illegal migration. But if he cannot, for personal and private reasons, go on the offensive, can he at least not squander this miracle of one-party rule to deliver some meaningful defensive propositions that will help Americans reclaim their country?

Dr. Marguerite Creel is a professional public administrator who seeks to restore adherence to the rule of law and fiduciary responsibility in Americas bureaucracy.
Our dysfunctional Congress is riddled with self-serving politicians who resist for the sake of resisting. It needs disciplined problem solvers who embody the spirit of public service. The most unproductive Congress in 164 years needs more military veterans to supplant strident career politicians.

Admittedly, that's easier said than done, but there may be ways to make races against entrenched incumbents more competitive. For example, there's a checkbox on your tax forms that reads: "Presidential Election Campaign: Check here if you ... want $3 to go to this fund[.]" There should be another checkbox, more conspicuous, with the caption, "Do you want $X of your federal tax dollars to go to the Elect Veterans to Congress Campaign Fund?"

The usual grievance merchants who cling to equal protection conventions should be quelled by the fact that minorities have an equal opportunity to serve. Moreover, when the hispanic demographic is included, the racial makeup of the U.S. military roughly mirrors the population at large. Admittedly, women are less represented among veterans, but their numbers are increasing inexorably. Indeed, they apparently intend to storm the halls of Congress, so let's give them the financial wherewithal.

Our electorate is deeply divided, and we probably get the politicians we deserve: rather than lead opinion, they wallow in intellectual laziness and exacerbate tensions with intemperate propaganda. In this context, the potential rewards of electing more military veterans, who are more likely to pursue practical solutions than succumb to orthodoxy, exceed the costs. Actually, since presidential candidates are relying less on public money, an additional option would be to divert proceeds from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to the Elect Veterans Fund.

While most voters don't see campaign finance reform as a big problem, they are sensitive to veterans' needs, as are pandering politicians. Taking care of veterans is one goal that fosters bipartisan support, so diverting flexible funds (in 2014, Congress converted political party convention funding to a pediatric research program) to benefit would-be veteran candidates may engender goodwill. Indeed, the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees are about the only ones in Congress who sometimes reach accord, shepherding legislation that benefits veterans through the congressional labyrinth.

A political axiom is that "money is the mother's milk of politics." It is also something many veterans with the gumption to run for office lack and is a big reason their appeal doesn't always translate into electoral success. Perhaps the Veterans' Affairs Committee could prevail upon their colleagues to amend campaign finance laws to fund veterans seeking federal office. This could do wonders to restore trust to an institution whose approval ratings are abysmal.

Interestingly, Congress's disapproval ratings have mirrored the declining number of veterans serving in Congress. These charts show the decline of veterans in Congress. Not only in absolute terms, but the percentage of veterans in public office has declined greater than their percentage of the population. This chart from Gallup shows the decline of Americans' level of confidence in the three branches of government. None is salutary, but Congress's public image is downright dismal. This table is even more embarrassing for our labored lawmakers, especially when contrasted to the military. When asked about their confidence in various institutions in American society, Americans rated Congress lowest with a measly 9 percent in June 2016 and a paltry improvement to 12 percent in June 2017. Conversely, the military is highly esteemed, with confidence levels of 73 and 72 percent, respectively.

Hmmm...I know that a tenet of our constitutional republic is to not conflate military and political power, but Congress would surely benefit from an influx of veterans infused with military-style values.

There is an ingrained creed that veterans have forged in the military cauldron that will better serve our republic. Rather than fight for fight's sake (someone once joked that Schumer would block his own nomination to the Supreme Court), they know who our real enemies are and fight to win for America. Their experiences prepared them for principled debate without describing the political opposition as enemies of America. Veterans are trained to be pragmatic problem-solvers who are less inclined to sacrifice what's good for what's perfect. Such ideological purity may exist in the partisan echo chambers of Congress or the ivory towers of fake academia, but it is ephemeral in the real world.

Winning a House seat in 2012 cost about $1.6 million, but much of that was concentrated in battlegrounds. Consider that the Presidential Election Campaign Fund's balance was about $290 million in 2015-16. Despite far fewer taxpayers contributing overall, in recent years, about $40 million is added annually to the fund. It's reasonable to predict that a Veterans' Campaign Fund would quickly surpass that and, when divvied up strategically by political party officials, would help replace lazy incumbents with patriotic, disciplined public servants who are not obsessed with orthodoxy but are keen to help make America great again.

Clearly, both major parties believe that veterans are attractive candidates, though their general appeal is not enough to unseat incumbents latched onto the money teat. Our society acknowledges the importance of military veterans by giving them bonus points in federal hiring scoring systems. Public funding to elect veterans to federal office would level the political playing field and give a much needed boost of dynamism to the legislative process. Maybe we'll even end up with a do-something Congress.
What do you get when you put one American on a British cruise ship with over 4,000 citizens of the U.K.? Answer: a lot of questions about Donald Trump.

The population worldwide has gone bananas  "ba-nah-nahs," as the Brits would say  over The Donald. From the Thames to Timbuktu, it seems folks are either mad at the president of the United States or mad for him. On this "matter," very few straddle the fence. And as for the fence, itself  the one proposed along the southern border of the United States  it, too, is hardly a neutral subject.

Let's just say that rarely could the reaction to either Donald Trump's persona or his proposals be characterized as nonchalant. Regardless of how apolitical his armchair critics may profess to be, or how remote from America's unique political system they reside, all creatures great and small appear to have an opinion about the current occupant of the White House.

It is irrelevant how I happened to be the lone Yank on a British cruise ship during a fortnight that ironically included the Fourth of July. In spite of my apparent telltale American accent  or perhaps because of it  I was generally chatted up as a sort of floating curiosity.

Before the voyage, I had harbored the faux hope that I wouldn't be spotted as a colonist, at least not immediately. Yet as soon as I opened my mouth, I was repeatedly asked what part of America I came from and what I thought of Donald Trump.

Keep in mind that the British press is as liberal as our own. On the day I flew home from Southampton, London's Sunday newspapers were bristling with criticism concerning President Trump's "defense of Western civilization speech" in Poland. Commentators huffed that he had cast a pall over the G-20 conference by failing to fall in lockstep with other world leaders. One editorial writer opined that Trump's "sacking" of the FBI chief was further proof of the dictatorship America had suddenly  shockingly  become.

But as is the case here at home, it became quickly apparent to me that the citizens of the United Kingdom are very much divided over the direction in which their own country is going. Still, several of those I talked with seemed visibly surprised by my defense of our sitting president. After all, educated women were assumed to have constituted the bulk of Hillary's support.

Some Brits had also bought into reports of general unrest in the States since Trump's surprising victory. There were misconceptions, as well, about Obamacare, which many presumed to be much like their own government-financed health program. They needed reminding that the United States, with a population of 330 million, must shoulder the burden of a far more costly system, one that consumes one sixth of our economy, enrolls only about 10% of our population, and has not performed as promised.

Eyes predictably glaze over when one gets into the weeds of political theory. Cruisers don't mind a challengingly burnished crust on their creme brulee, but servings of factual details are harder to digest. And since most of the palaver with strangers took place around a dinner table, on queues, or during lulls in attractions on a sight-seeing bus, the banter tended to remain general  and generally polite. Despite being on international waters, I still felt like an guest in a land other than my own.

On only one occasion did I resort to biting my tongue. During dinner with a small group of businesspeople associated with the cruise, one of the men  an Austrian-born owner of a costume company  loudly expressed his disdain for Trump, branding him disgusting, ambitious, immoral, and totally unqualified for the office to which the red-necked masses of America had elected him. Had I not risked embarrassing others by rising to his bait, I could have reminded him of how less righteously indignant his Austrian ancestors were toward the Fuhrer, a fellow Austrian, when his German army, facing scant opposition, triumphantly invaded the homeland.

Over my fortnight of cruising, it became clear to me that those Brits who had favored Brexit also gave Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt. Those who hadn't didn't. I even began suggesting that without Britain's bold break from the European Union, the Trump phenomenon might never have happened.

Once broached, political discussion can widen in surprising ways. The reserved Brits, known to hold outsiders at arm's length, embraced this American as a kindred political spirit or even as a sparring mate. In any event, the dikes of resistance caved under a flood of curiosity.

In fact, they expressed many of the same concerns and frustrations as those living on the other side of the pond. The influx of immigrants, for example, was a big concern, largely because it seemed to be getting out of hand. I was told many times that the British educational system is not up to the standards it used to be. Concerns were voiced about how the next generations of English subjects would cope. I began to feel vibes of U.K self-awareness not unlike that of Trump's "put America first." And, of course, they are much closer than we are to the migrant crises in Europe.

But there was little doubt as to the deep love held by the British for what Lord Byron called their "tight little island," even as they, like the poet, sailed south to sunnier climes. One passenger from Yorkshire told me he had been many times to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, but never once to Scotland. "We don't travel north," he joked.

One balmy afternoon, as our massive vessel streamed out of the port of Gibraltar, hundreds of passengers crowded onto the upper decks, waving plastic British flags and belting out songs like "Rule Britannia" and "Why, oh, why, Delilah?"

I was impressed by this show of patriotism, and it occurred to me that it might be the thing that would ultimately pull a country through to victory against those who would do it harm. I worry that there may not be enough of that deep-rooted patriotic fervor left in my own country in these perilous times.

Regardless of their opinions or motives, my fellow travelers deserve praise for showing interest in the head of a country other than their own. I wonder how many Americans, if queried, would have any inkling, for example, as to the identity of Theresa May. Britain's "royals," not her politicians, rule the airwaves here. But then again, I imagine that Donald Trump wouldn't mind some of that "royal treatment," either.
From start to finish, it took fewer than 45 months for the U.S. to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The U.S. entered into a war in Afghanistan shortly after September 11, 2001, and were still there, 190 months later. After two presidents, five secretaries of defense, and nine CENTCOM commanders, the Summer of 2017 finds Americans awaiting yet another administrations policy to win the war in Afghanistan.

Six months into the Trump administration, the long-awaited Afghanistan strategy has not yet been articulated, much less implemented. When James Mattis, the sixth secretary of defense to oversee Afghanistan, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 12 we learned only that a new strategy will be unveiled sometime in mid-July.

Mattis admitted that America is not winning its longest war and hinted at adding 4,000 more troops. Is this a harbinger of something different in Afghanistan, or evidence of yet another administration perpetuating a 16-year-long mission creep?

No one can say for sure what role the unpredictable Donald Trump will play in devising the Trump administrations Afghanistan policy, but we can probably rule out extremes. A full-on, WWII-style fight aimed at victory is as unlikely as a full departure of all U.S. personnel.

Even a departure followed by a bomb when necessary strategy (a favorite of the more rubble = less trouble crowd, who prefer U.S. military might delivered from the relative safety of 35,000 feet above the problem) is unlikely. At the televised hearing, when Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss) said that a pull-out would be a massive mistake. Mattis agreed that it would be wrong to walk away.

The worst compromise might be simply to maintain the status quo of half measures, drone warfare, and restrictive rules of engagement imposed on U.S. ground troops.

Perhaps Mattis will offer another counterinsurgency strategy focused on winning hearts and minds, spending money and showing Afghans that we are their friends. If they dont know that by now, more USAID programs and bags full of money will not convince them.

Will the 4,000 additional U.S. troops be expected to train and form close partnerships with Afghan soldiers? This status quo measure becomes more difficult to defend every time another American soldier (or three) is killed (or wounded) by an Afghan soldier on patrol or in a safe space.

A successful strategy in Afghanistan should emulate past successes there and avoid repeating past failures. The early victories in the war were achieved by small numbers of highly mobile, special operations forces and CIA paramilitary teams working with the Northern Alliance. The Afghans did most of the fighting, but we provided information, equipment, and tactics they lacked.

A successful strategy should also look to American successes elsewhere in the world.

When the Trump administration announced in April that it was sending troops to Somalia for the first time since the Clinton administration, it was not thousands or even hundreds, but dozens. On June 11, what the Pentagon calls an Al-Shabaab command and logistics camp in Somalia was destroyed by U.S. airstrikes partnering with the forces of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and his allies in the African Union. On July 2, they struck again.

Most important, a successful Afghanistan policy must recognize that the Taliban is an unregenerate enemy. If Eli Lake is right that the objective for Trumps strategy is to force the Taliban into peace talks and to push for a negotiated settlement, then July will almost certainly bring another status quo policy destined to failure.

Even before the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, and right up to the Bush presidency, the Clinton administration negotiated with the Taliban. Before 9/11, the Bush administration negotiated briefly to prevent the Taliban from destroying the Bamiyan Buddha statues and to build a pipeline from Turkmenistan to India. The Obama administration frequently negotiated with Taliban officials, perhaps in the hopes that treating them like legitimate politicians would make them act as such. It failed when Clinton tried it, when Bush tried it, and when Obama tried it. It will fail if Trump tries.

The one thing everyone agrees on is that unlike Obama, Trump will not telegraph his policy by announcing numbers and dates. But every day that we wait contributes to the inertia of the status quo and makes it more difficult to break free of our 16-year rut.

If President Trump cannot end the status quo in Afghanistan, by the end of his first term he will be sending Americans to fight a war Afghanistan that began before they were born. If thats not enough to motivate him, perhaps he will be moved by John McCains warning of increased Congressional oversight. Speaking for the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain told Mattis, somewhat ominously, that unless we get a strategy from you, youre going to get a strategy from us.

A.J. Caschetta is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum and a senior lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
It seems that one of the first "female" applicants to the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman program, one of the Navy's elite special warfare schools, may in fact be a male "transsexual."

According to Military.com:

In October, a SWCC petty officer notified their chain-of-command that they identified as being transgender, Salata confirmed to Military.com. According to Navy policy guidance released last fall, a sailor must receive a doctor's diagnosis of medical necessity and command approval to begin the gender transition process, which can take a variety of different forms, from counseling and hormone therapy to surgery. Sailors must also prove they can pass the physical standards and requirements of the gender to which they are transitioning.

It seems that the Navy is having to deal with the same situation that has plagued schools across the country for the past year or so, in which male athletes who "identify" as female compete in girl's sports, leaving the actual biologically female contenders in the dust.

And yet the Military.com piece, and the Navy spokesmen, still gush on about what "a major milestone" it is for women.

Well, at least they won't have to "adjust" the course the way the Army did for the females attending the Ranger school.

You know, Orwell died way too young.
In the July 20 Wall Street Journal, former attorney general Ed Meese called attention to the practice at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) of smearing political opponents. Mr. Meese pointed to a remark by the group's Mark Potok to suggest that the SPLC is not content merely to smear its targets, but aims at their destruction. Potok's remark called to mind a David Plouffe comment cited by New York Times reporter Amy Chozick last August 3:

David Plouffe, President Obama's former campaign manager, proposed the idea in June. "It is not enough to simply beat Trump," he wrote on Twitter. "He must be destroyed thoroughly. His kind must not rise again."

Consider the IRS campaign against Tea Party groups seeking tax waivers. Add to that the "John Doe" campaign against conservatives in Wisconsin, a campaign that included the use of midnight raids by SWAT teams on the homes of conservatives. It seems fair to conclude that the U.S. left views politics not in a debating society context, but in a civil war setting  the aim being the obliteration of the enemy.

I am not aware of any editorials in the leftist media denouncing police state tactics against conservatives, tactics clearly intended to destroy conservatives so that their "kind" do "not rise again."

The Wall Street Journal editorial page stood alone in the media against the outbreak of leftist totalitarianism during President Obama's second term. Recently, the Journal took note of the campaign by Senate Democrats to sabotage nominations by the Trump administration, a campaign that, undoubtedly, will be cited by leftist columnists to illustrate the incompetence of President Trump, the better to destroy his presidency.

Consider, too, this New York Times editorial statement, August 20, 2016:

It could be that the polls are right, and Mr. Trump will go down in flames. But while that will solve an immediate problem, a larger one will remain. The message of hatred and paranoia that is inciting millions of voters will outlast the messenger. The toxic effects of Trumpism will have to be addressed.

If a defeated Trump presented a problem for the New York Times, imagine the immensity to the Times of the problem of an elected Trump. And so, every day, the Times addresses "[t]he toxic effects of Trumpism[.]" To what end? To its destruction, of course.

This, after all, is what leftists  certainly since Lenin's day  tend to do. Destroy the opposition. Republicans: Those are Leninists in Democratic clothing you are dealing with. Don't say you were never warned.
Not surprisingly, there is already talk of 2020. It's the way it is in this crazy age of campaigns that go on for years.

What is very surprising is that Democrat donors and elites are seriously considering nominating Senator Kamala Harris, a liberal U.S. senator with very little national experience.

It sounds to me that this is a party living but not learning. Has one of these donors looked at an electoral map of the U.S.?

I agree with George Neumayr:

The growing chatter among Dems about her as a potential 2020 candidate is yet another illustration of the party's lack of seriousness. At a time when it should be downplaying its image as an out-of-touch bi-coastal party, it deepens that image by pushing one more San Francisco radical forward. Who knows, maybe Harris can run with Pelosi. According to press reports, Harris wowed supporters of Hillary's at a recent fundraiser in the Hamptons. What a compelling look for a defeated party  a San Francisco kook feted by routed East Coast plutocrats impressed by her stern questioning of General Mattis over the plight of transgender soldiers. That should work well in the Rust Belt and the South. Even Mark Penn, Hillary's former strategist, is wincing at the party's direction. He recently wrote that the party can't recover if it stays on this far-left course. He proposes that the party adopt a more measured, less intolerant liberalism. But his plea is falling on deaf ears. The party is in no mood for any Sister Souljah moments. It remains the party of MoveOn.org, evident in the gushing over Harris for having raised money for it off her classless antics against Sessions and company.

Do these donors seriously think that a liberal woman from California will win? Besides that, Harris is not just liberal. She is an extreme leftist on most issues.

Frankly, she reminds me a lot of another liberal and very ambitious woman, Wendy Davis, who was trounced in 2014 in Texas.

Davis "bought her fame" by hitching her wagon to an abortion debate in the Texas legislature. Harris is buying her fame by becoming the face of the so-called "resistance" to everything Trump.

Then, like Clinton, Davis thought demographics would elect her. It did not work when Hispanic women were turned off by her abortion message.

Twenty-twenty is so far away that anything can happen. After all, who predicted President Obama in 2005 or President Trump in 2013?

Nevertheless, Harris is the wrong choice for a party decimated under the Obama years.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk), (YouTube) and follow me on Twitter.
The Democrats  and the left in general  are exactly like the Bourbons: they learn nothing, and they forget nothing.

The latest evidence of this is the anointing of Kamala Harris as Dem frontrunner for 2020. According to recent media reports:

California Senator Kamala Harris is once again being mentioned as a top Democratic contender for the 2020 presidential election, with one insider quoted as saying recently, "She's running for president. Take it to the bank. She's absolutely going to run."

So who is Kamala Harris? She is a former California attorney general elected senator last year who hails from San Francisco. In other words, she is a product of the weird left, that subsection that in recent years has taken over from the two other subdivisions of the left, the hard left (communists, socialists, academics) and the wimp left (college kids and suburban whiners).

A glance at her own campaign site will tell us everything we need to know. Her "issues" page consisted of four subheadings: women's issues, LGBT+, "voting rights," and illegal immigrants. There is nothing else. In the 21st century, a candidate for a major party from a major state can be elected to the Senate by appealing solely to victimology.

The "women's issues" section contains the standard boilerplate: "Protect A Woman's Right To Choose," "Equal Pay For Equal Work," "Stop Campus Sexual Assaults." But there's also one curve ball: "Combat Cyber Exploitation."

This sounds pretty generic at first and could mean anything, until you read farther and realize that she's referring to "revenge porn." "A 21st-century form of violence against women that involves posting intimate images online without consent, cyber-exploitation often results in significant harm to a victim's personal and professional life and physical safety." Now, this is, in fact, a thing, as the Millennials would put it, but it's not a big thing  it's generally limited to various misfits and fringe types. Not a major issue, and an oddity for a serious candidate.

For gay rights, she has the perennial "End Discrimination Against The LGBT Community Nationwide," but also "Ban the 'Gay/Trans Panic' Defense Nationally." This is also a thing  apparently some killings have occurred when it is discovered that a female did not quite fit the standard definition. But it's not widespread, and it's unclear that anybody has ever prevailed with this defense. It's also unclear what Harris means by "ban." There's a standard methodology in the legal world involving "precedents," which is something that Harris, as a former A.G., ought to know  but apparently she doesn't.

In the illegals section, Harris boasts of "expanding rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of their immigration status, in health access, student loans, and more. She will continue to fight for the rights of California immigrants and their families, including workplace protections." In other words, spearheading the illegal foothold in American society. Simply put, Harris is the American Angela Merkel.

So there it is: no attention to issues of national import. Nothing about jobs, the economy, taxes, not a single word about anything involving international issues. Instead, a focus on victimology, straight down to niche issues that most of the country has never heard of.

This, then, is what the Democrats are willing to put up for the presidency in 2020. Harris should be easy enough to beat if the GOP and conservatives at large can get over their fussiness about confronting minority females. (On that same subject, there's the fact that Harris, not to put it indelicately, slept her way to the top as Bay Area political kingpin Willie Brown's mistress. So she's also something of a female Bill Clinton.)

And oh, yeah: what is it they haven't forgotten? That putting up an attractive light-skinned black can pay big dividends. That worked for them in 2008, and they're never going to forget that.
Charlie Gard  the 11-month-old British baby whose case has gained international media attention and tweets of support from the pope and President Trump (as well as offers of legislative help from a committee of the U.S. Congress)  will have his final day in court on Friday, July 21. His fate  death or hope  will be decided once and for all by a judge early the following week.



Charlie's parents arrive at court, London, U.K., Friday morning, July 21, 2017

Charlie's case has been dragging on in the British court system since shortly after he was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition  mitochondrial DNA depletion  at age three months last fall. His British doctors maintain that his prognosis is hopeless, and they want him to die. His parents disagree  and now they have on their side the world's leading expert in the field of neuromuscular disorders, Michio Hirano, M.D. of Columbia University in New York.

Dr. Hirano flew to London, where Charlie is hospitalized, and examined the infant with the hospital's permission on Monday and Tuesday, July 17 and 18. Although experts taking care of Charlie and evaluating his condition are supposed to refrain from commenting publicly, since the case is under judicial review, the London press has reported that Dr. Hirano tried to convince the British physicians and the hospital that Charlie could benefit from the experimental therapies that Dr. Hirano has pioneered and that Charlie should be allowed to be taken to New York for treatment there. These same press reports indicated that the British doctors are ignoring Dr. Hirano's advice and holding firm that Charlie should be disconnected from life support, prevented from leaving the country, and allowed to die as soon as possible.

So it is now up to the British High Court to decide what to do. AOL News U.K. reported early Friday morning U.S. EDT that the Family Division of the High Court in London has scheduled a final two-hour hearing on the case on Friday, July 21.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates [Charlie's parents] want Mr Justice Francis to rule that their 11-month-old son, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, should be allowed to undergo a therapy trial overseen by a specialist in New York. Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Charlie is being cared for, say the therapy is experimental and will not help. They say life support treatment should stop.



Chris and Charlie Gard

Earlier judicial proceedings in the British High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court in London have all ruled against the parents. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, described as a supra-national or international court established by the European Convention on Human Rights, declined to hear the case in late June.

One can scarcely imagine the stress that the parents, family, friends, and supporters of Charlie Gard are experiencing right now as this weekend, potentially the final one of the young child's life, is approaching. Hopes were raised earlier this week when Dr. Hirano examined the boy and reportedly concluded that there is hope for him  in terms of both extended survival and significant improvement  if he can be transported to hospital in New York. Meanwhile, the parents of another patient of Dr. Hirano's with a condition similar to Charlie's, Arturo Estopinan, have come forward with testimony that Dr. Hirano's experimental therapy helped their son to survive and to significantly improve his quality of life. The British physicians, politicians, and judges, however, are holding their ground. They are serving a statist master  the U.K.'s National Health Service, a single-payer socialist system in place since 1948  that requires death panels and rationing to keep itself going. There is simply no accommodation for a patient like Charlie in this decrepit and failing nationalized system.



Baby Charlie Gard (BBC Featureworld)

The supporters of Charlie and his parents from around the world  and there are untold numbers of them (who at last count have contributed over 1,339,950  the equivalent of $1.75 million U.S.) for Charlie's treatment in New York  are praying that the British High Court will do the right thing and allow Charlie to go to the United States without further delay.

UPDATE:

In a brief article from London time stamped 7:07 AM EDT, Friday, July 21, the AP reported: "Judge Nicholas Francis, who has overseen the latest round of hearings in the case at London's High Court, said Friday that parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates could present evidence in full-day hearings early next week. He said the evidence must be new and relevant to the case."

This development contradicts a wide range of previous reporting which said that today's  Friday's  hearing would be the last one before the judge's final decision in the case is announced next Monday or Tuesday (July 24 and 25).

Watching this from afar, one can only conclude that this drawn out process must be unbearable for the parents of Charlie Gard. Meanwhile, every day that the decision on his fate is delayed is another day that Charlie and his parents are being prevented from traveling to New York, where he can get access to a therapy that has a chance of actually helping him.

Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who writes about national politics, media, popular culture, and health care. His new website is AltMedNews.net. His July 13, 2017 one-hour interview on the Hagmann Report can be watched here.
Director Christopher Nolan's big-budget blockbuster movie Dunkirk opens this weekend on thousands of screens across the country. It's the inspiring story of the British retreat from France in May 1940, made with Nolan's typical attention to detail and excellent storytelling.

But a reviewer for USA Today, Brian Truitt, complained that the film lacked major female characters and no "people of color."

The trio of timelines can be jarring as you figure out how they all fit, and the fact that there are only a couple of women and no lead actors of color may rub some the wrong way.

John Nolte of the Daily Wire applies the necessary beat-down:

Did Truitt do any homework about the background of this movie? He does appear to know that Nolan's latest is based on a true story, which I guess is a start, but he probably learned that from the trailer. The real question, though, is just how clueless about history, about the biggest world event of the 20th century are you when you find it "jarring" that Wesley Snipes doesn't show up to save the day or that Sandra Bullock is not driving a tank that will explode if it goes under 50 miles per hour? Complaining about the lack of women and minority actors in a movie about Dunkirk is like complaining about the lack of Sinatra music in Straight Outta Compton or wondering why cancer failed to get equal time in Philadelphia or hectoring Hollywood over the omission of realistic sex scenes in the Toy Story trilogy. And we cannot only blame Truitt, who is probably a victim of public schools. How did his trigger warning, one so feeble-minded it ranks as a non sequitur, make it past the USA Today editors? Are they all half-wits or does someone personally dislike Truitt so much they have stopped protecting him from himself? Sorry if the following is inconvenient to your McCarthyistic desire to bully filmmakers into thinking and believing a certain way, but the settled science tells us the following: Trapped at Dunkirk were young, white males. Saving those young, white males were other white males. Trying to kill those young, white males were other white males. Journalism is dead, and it was a suicide.

I recall similar complaints about the 1993 film Gettysburg. "No black soldiers!" There were black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Why not add a few black faces to the film?

Well, the answer is simple: no black regiments fought at Gettysburg. There were "camp followers" and teamsters attached to the Union army who were black but no fighting men.

History can be very inconvenient for the politically correct. I suppose they could have hired an actress to portray "Winnie" Churchill" or a black actor to play a high-ranking Nazi officer. It wouldn't be historically accurate, but that's not the point, is it? The point is to be "inclusive" and recognize the feelings of women and minorities who shouldn't feel "left out."

I sometimes wonder what history will say about our times in 1,000 years. Will historians decry the idiocy the age? Or will they celebrate it? I suppose it depends on which ideology wins out.
Top Secret files reveals how Churchill saved Britains Nazi King

Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower didnt want us to know about King Edward VIIIs plans for peace with Adolf Hitler and Nazis. Papers released by The National Archives considered too difficult, too sensitive include a 1953 top secret memo from Churchill discussing German telegrams carrying reports by Nazi-sympathiser the Duke of Windsor, as Edward VIII was known after he abdicated in 1936.

He is convinced that had he remained on throne war would have been avoided and describes himself as firm supporter of a peaceful compromise with Germany, says one telegram from Portugal, where the duke was staying in July 1940. Duke believes with certainty that continued heavy bombing will make England ready for peace.

Blomberg:

Edward abdicated so he could marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. The couple set up home in France, but when World War II broke out they moved to Spain. The government in Madrid, formally neutral but sympathetic to Germany, asked for guidance from Berlin as to what should be done with them. German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop replied, asking if they could be kept there. Then he ordered a watch on their house. Ribbentrops interest was piqued when he was told, a few days later, that in private Windsor spoke strongly against Churchill and against this war. While he considered what to do, the duke and duchess made their way to Portugal, where they made similar comments. The Nazis decided to act. The duke should return to Spain under all circumstances, Ribbentrop wrote, adding that they should then be persuaded or forced to stay there. His plan was then to offer the duke the granting of any wish, including the ascension of the English throne.

Churchill duly made the Nazi Windsor governor of the Bahamas.

When the Windsors were reluctant to leave Europe, Churchill threatened Edward, who held honorary military rank, with court-martial. Ribbentrop, anxious not to let his prize escape, launched Operation Willi to persuade the Windsors to return to Spain, kidnapping them if necessary. But despite sabotage attempts and bomb threats, the Germans failed. The plan was to persuade the duke to leave Lisbon in a car as if he were going on a fairly long pleasure jaunt, and then to cross the border at a specified place, where Spanish secret police will ensure a safe crossing, according to a note sent to Ribbentrop.

You can read more on how close the UK came to being overrun by Nazis in this great story on Flashbak.

Anorak

Posted: 21st, July 2017 | In: News, Politicians, Royal Family Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Turin, July 21 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said Friday that Italy would not take lessons from its EU partners after the Visegard group leaders sent him a letter calling on Rome to "close the ports" to asylum sekers. "We have the right to demand solidarity from our neighbours, countries with whom we share the European project," Gentiloni said in Turin. "We don't accept lessons, nor threatening words. "We limit ourselves to serenely saying that we do our duty and we demand that Europe does it without giving dubious lessons".

Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban announced Friday that the the four leaders of the Visegrad group, which also includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, had written a letter to Gentiloni calling in it to close its ports to asylum seekers.

In the letter the four said refugees had to be differentiated from economic migrants before they arrived in Europe. According to Orban, who is not ruling out the military option, the problem must be resolved in Libya. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday that 93,369 asylum seekers arrived in Italy via sea up to July 19 this year, 85% of the total of 111,514 for the whole of Europe. It said 2,360 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year.


PARIS - Libyan President Fayez al-Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar will meet in Paris on Tuesday, July 25, upon the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Al-Hayat quoted diplomatic sources as saying on Friday.

The daily added that the meeting would be a sort of ''recognition of Haftar's position on the ground and of the legitimacy of the war he conducted against radical groups''. According to Libyan channel 218, based in Jordan, the summit will be held on July 25-26. The reports have not been confirmed by either the Libyan army or the Tripoli government.

The French president in mid-July announced new diplomatic initiatives aimed at promoting stability in Libya. Al-Hayat noted that the meeting ''is part of a framework of efforts put forth by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt'' and ''is being held after the victories by (Haftar's, Ed.) army in southern Libya and Benghazi''. It added that the meeting is also meant to serve to ''close ranks between the various powers on the ground and the UN-recognized power represented by Sarraj in order to create calm ahead of elections''. ''The achievement of this aim constitutes the main idea for all the movements and diplomatic efforts already widespread in Abu Dhabi and Cairo,'' it continued. The Paris talks will also ''aim to facilitate the mission of the UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame'' and ''the same sources have denied that Sarraj will agree to cede the presidency to Haftar''.
Over 93,000 migrant arrivals to Italy in 2017 - IOM 85% of the total of 111,000 to come to Europe by sea

(ANSAmed) - GENEVA, JULY 21 - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday that 93,369 asylum seekers arrived in Italy via sea up to July 19 this year, 85% of the total of 111,514 for the whole of Europe. It said 2,360 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year.




ROME - Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano on Friday said Italy intends to boost bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia because ''our relations are very good and there is space to further improve them'' at the end of talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jobeir at the foreign ministry in Rome.



Alfano said the meeting with his Saudi counterpart was ''positive'' and they held in-depth talks on ''the situation in the Gulf, Libya, our economic and commercial relations'' because Saudi Arabia ''is an economic partner'' with whom in 2016 exchanges were worth nearly ''six billion euros''.



Several Italian companies ''have an important presence in Saudi Arabia'', Alfano also said, mainly in the energy sector and infrastructure and there are ''excellent perspectives'' in other sectors. ''Important Saudi investors are present in Italy'', added Alfano, stressing that ''our companies will show their worth in the coming years''.



His Saudi counterpart al-Jubeir explained that relations with Italy are ''historic'' and expressed the wish to ''widen them'', thanking Italy for its work in ''confronting the region's challenges''.



Discussing Libya, Alfano said there is ''need to streamline negotiations'', in particular the ''mediation system''. The Italian foreign minister continued saying that it is necessary to give the new UN special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, a strong, unique role as mediator so that he can synthesize previous negotiations ''to give strength to the country's stabilization process''. Alfano also said there is no plan so far to visit the country.



On the Middle East he said that ''we are against events undermining the two-State solution'' and ''we are against the fact that terrorists are considered martyrs. This behavior pushes away solutions''. ''It is important to maintain the solution of two States for two people, with Jerusalem as capital'', he concluded, noting it is necessary to ''encourage the two sides to go in that direction'' without getting ''distracted by events'', and wishing for ''reason to prevail and that we are able to restore confidence''.


ROME - In the ongoing diplomatic war against the government of Qatar ''we have nothing to negotiate'', said Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who met Friday with Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano in Rome.



The young foreign minister told a press conference that Qatar must choose if it wants to ''stop funding terrorism'' or continue to do so, he said. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have said they are not providing ''any support to terrorism, funding to terrorism and are not inciting hate speeches''.



The Qataris ''have accepted eight out of 13 requests in 2014'' but they were ''never implemented''. It is necessary for Qatar to ''abide by those principles. We don't do it to harm Qatar'', he added, noting the step was painful but necessary to ''guarantee that terrorism is not supported anymore''.



Riyadh has the intention of ''moving forward to improve the country'', he stated, but ''if we have to confront terrorism the process is complicated'' and for this reason ''we are intolerant towards terrorism'' and ''determined to work with allies'', including Italy.



Adel al-Jubeir stressed Saudi accusations also against Tehran.



''Iran sponsors terrorism - he stated - establishes terror cells in our countries, violates international treaties and is introducing arms and explosives in Kuwait, Yemen and Bahrain to destabilize the region''.



Talking about the situation in the region, he continued saying that ''it's not a matter of Sunnis or Shiites but of Iran trying to dominate the region. We cannot allow it'', and it is necessary to reject this ''aggressive attitude sanctioned worldwide''.



Al-Jubeir also said that Iran sends its Revolutionary Guard corps to Yemen, as well as to Syria and Iraq ''interfering with domestic affairs and boosting the fire of sectarianism''. Iran needs to decide whether the country represents ''a revolution or the nation-State'', he concluded because ''the revolution is emotional'' while ''the State is rational'' and until Iran decides ''we cannot move forward''. (ANSAmed).
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
New MV Agusta Brutale 800 is the latest offering from the exotic Italian bikemaker for the Indian market.

Italian bike maker MV Agusta has introduced the new Brutale 800 in the country at Rs 15.59 lakh, ex-showroom, India. The launch price is post-GST and will be the same throughout the country. 9 units of the new motorcycle have already been booked. The Brutale 800 is the second 800cc MV after the F3. It was first showcased at the 2015 EICMA motorcycle show but its Indian launch was delayed due to certification issues. In India, Motoroyale is the official partner of MV Agusta and the motorcycles are assembled in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

The Brutale 800 is a gorgeous motorcycle with its beautiful mix of curves and sharp edges that screams Italian exotica from whatever angle you view it. The basic design of the new bike is similar to the older Brutale 800, with the new floating tail section being the most evident visual distinction. The oval headlight has been carried forward but it now features LED DRLs and the iconic triple exhaust mufflers have been retained but are a bit larger than before. The instrument cluster is an all-digital unit which has been redesigned and the switch gear is also new.

Powering the bike is a new Euro 4-compliant 798cc motor. The triple-cylinder engine produces 110PS at 11,500rpm and a peak torque of 83Nm at 7600rpm. In comparison to the older engine, power figure is down by a massive 17PS, while torque has risen by 2Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with slipper clutch and the new bike also gets bidirectional quickshifter (segment-first).

Talking about electronic goodies, the new MV Agusta Brutale 800 features 8 traction control levels, 3 ABS levels and engine braking control. It also gets four riding modes on offer - Rain, Normal, Sport and Custom. The MV Agusta Brutale 800 competes against the Ducati Monster 821, Triumph Street Tripleand the Kawasaki Z900, but being a premium motorcycle it has been priced significantly higher than its rivals. Also Read - Ducati Monster 821 Review

The bike employs a tubular trellis frame that has been suspended on fully adjustable Marzocchi USD forks at front and Sachs monoshock unit at the back. Braking is done by double floating 320mm dia disc brakes at front while a 220mm dia disc unit does duty at rear. The MV Agusta Brutale 800 tips the scales at 175kg (dry weight) and fuel tank capacity is 16.5 litres.

Source: ZigWheels.com
BJP leader RK Singh said that changing the status quo in Doklam will endanger India's vital interests.

New Delhi: A day after Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that if China unilaterally changes status quo of tri-junction point then it poses a challenge to India's security, the Bharatiya Janata Party has warned Beijing against making an enemy out of the whole world.

BJP leader RK Singh said that changing the status quo in Doklam will endanger India's vital interests and therefore they cannot withdraw from New Delhi.

"China is wrong and as this is a tri-junction that means our boundaries are also involved," he said.

He also said that China should stop making aggressive statements, and says that, this kind of dialogue "goes with the Chinese attitude" which they have been showcasing for the past 2-3 years.

"This they are doing not only with India, but the rest of the world. It suddenly started feeling that it has great powers and therefore it can do whatever it feels like and expand as it pleases," he said.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed Member of Parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India on the Doklam plateau standoff.

Chattisgarh MP Chhaya Sharma raised the issue of presence of China in the South China Sea, to which Sushma countered by saying there is no threat to India from Beijing as she "cannot say China is encircling New Delhi in terms of sea presence."

Although the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday reiterated that differences between India and China should and would not be allowed to become disputes and added that communication the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.

India and China have been witness to the standoff for long over the tri-junction area of Doklam sector near Bhutan.

The stand-off emerged after the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) construction party attempted to build a road near the Doklam area.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.
They were seeking the Prime Minister Narendra Modis response to the farmers plight and agrarian crisis.

New Delhi: The Opposition, led by the Congress, on Thursday did not allow the Lok Sabha to function over the issue of payment of minimum support price (MSP) for farmers across the country and the agrarian crisis, as they raised slogans and entered the Well of the House, forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House for the day after two adjournments. Amid pandemonium, the House could only function for less than an hour.

The moment the Lower House assembled for the day, the Opposition MPs, led by the Congress, Left, Trinamul Congress, NCP and RJD, entered the Well shouting slogans highlighting the plight of farmers, even as Question Hour proceedings began. They were seeking the Prime Minister Narendra Modis response to the farmers plight and agrarian crisis.

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar requested the Opposition members to allow the House to function, reminding them that when the Lok Sabha sat till late on Wednesday night to discuss the farmers crisis, only two members from the Opposition were present.

You (Opposition) could have discussed the matter, but only two MPs were present... Therefore kindly dont shed crocodile tears for farmers, he said.

The Speaker adjourned the House for 18 minutes at this point till 11.30 am. When the House reassembled, the pandemonium continued as Opposition members re-entered the Well of the House and started shouting slogans.

As the unruly scenes continued, the Speaker appealed to the protesters to return to their seats and then adjourned the House till 12 pm.

However, when the House resumed to take up different issues during the Zero Hour, the Opposition members again came into the Well raising slogans.
Ram Nath Kovind is second dalit after K.R. Narayanan, and first BJP member to be President.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Ram Nath Kovind on being elected as the 14th President of India, as BJP President Amit Shah looks on, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The NDAs candidate Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday became the 14th President of India. Mr Kovind trounced his rival and Opposition candidate Meira Kumar by securing 65.65 per cent of the votes.

Mr Kovind would be the second dalit President after K.R. Narayanan, and the first BJP member to hold the office of the President. He will be sworn in on July 25.

Ms Kumar, who promised to continue the ideological battle after the results were announced, lagged far behind with 34.35 per cent votes. On hearing of his victory, Mr Kovind, whose selection had surprised many even within the BJP, said that it was an emotional moment.

Read: Difficult times for Kovind to uphold Constitution, says Meira Kumar

Reminiscing on his journey thus far, which will culminate at Rashtrpati Bhavan, Mr Kovind recalled the time when the thatched roofed of his mud hut would leak.

Today there are many Ram Nath Kovinds who are getting drenched in the rain, working hard, toiling in the fields for one square meal in the evening, he said.

The President-elect said he would be their representative in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In five days, Mr Kovind will move into the five-acre presidential palace built on the 330-acre estate in the heart of the national capital.

BJP chief Amit Shah hailed Mr Kovinds victory as historic and added that it was the victory for the poor, downtrodden and marginalised and their aspirations.

Read: 14th President was always a frontbencher in class

Ms Kumar tweeted her congratulations: I congratulate Sh. Ram Nath Kovindji for becoming the President of India. My best wishes are with Sh. Kovindji as it has fallen upon him to uphold the Constitution in letter and spirit in these challenging times.

The total value of votes polled by Mr Kovind was 7,02,044, while Ms Kumar got 3,67,314. What raised eyebrows was cross-voting in favour of NDAs candidate.

Cross-voting in favour of Mr Kovind was witnessed in Goa, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was gladdened by the extensive support for Ram Nath Kovind Ji among MPs and across various states.
Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a five-star hotel in south Delhi here on the night of January 17, 2014.

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday asked the city police to file a status report with regard to the ongoing probe into the death of Congress MP Shashi Tharoors wife Sunanada Pushkar.

A bench of Justices G.S. Sistani and Chander Shekhar directed police to place within three days their report during hearing of Subramanian Swamys plea for a court-monitored probe by the CBI-led SIT into the matter. The direction was issued by the bench after Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra informed the court that the status report of the investigating agency has been given to him in the court room so he wants to go through it before placing it on record.

Mr Mehra further informed the court that SIT has been constituted in the matter. He further said that the BJP leaders petition has raised serious allegations against the police probing the matter, so the agency be given time to place their stand.

Considering the request made by Delhi police counsel, the court fixed the matter for August 1 while directing them to supply an advance copy of the status report to Swamy, the ministry of home affairs and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Mr Swamy has alleged that inordinate delay has been caused in the investigation which is a blot on the justice system.

Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a five-star hotel in south Delhi here on the night of January 17, 2014.
The Congress claimed that Ms Kumar had secured the largest number of votes as an Opposition candidate since independence.

New Delhi: The eighteen Opposition parties candidate for the presidential elections, Meira Kumar, congratulated President elect Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday.

After the results came out, the former Lok Sabha Speaker polled 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314 as against Mr Kovinds 2,930 votes with a value of 7,02,044 (more than 65 per cent votes).

Speaking to reporters, Ms Kumar said, I congratulate Ram Nath Kovindji for becoming the President of India. My best wishes are with Kovindji as it has fallen upon him to uphold the Constitution in letter and spirit in these challenging times.

She added, My fight for secularism, the oppressed and the marginalised continues. I thank all my well wishers for their support & good wishes.

Ms Kumar thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other members of the Opposition parties who had fielded her as the consensus candidate.

The Congress claimed that Ms Kumar had secured the largest number of votes as an Opposition candidate since independence.

No other candidate who lost in the presidential elections had secured at least 34% of votes.

After Ms Kumar was chosen as the Opposition candidate, she had urged all the voters in the electoral college to vote as per the voice of their conscience. She had also traveled across the country meeting the electors.

During her campaign she said, Ideology of social justice, inclusiveness, secularism, transparency, freedom of expression and press, poverty alleviation and total destruction of caste system binds India together. It is very important that we protect and preserve it.

Both the treasury benches and the Opposition parties have termed the presidential election as a mature election in which no personal attacks were made on either of the candidates.
Researchers from Yale University in the US found that health care providers rarely perform stethoscope hygiene between patient encounters.

Hand hygiene has traditionally received much more attention than stethoscope hygiene, but microbiology data show that stethoscope contamination after a single exam is comparable to that of the physician's dominant hand (Photo: Pixabay)

New York: Using dirty stethoscopes to monitor patients may increase their risk of contracting infections by antibiotic-resistant superbugs, scientists including those of Indian-origin have warned.

Researchers from Yale University in the US found that health care providers rarely perform stethoscope hygiene between patient encounters, despite its importance for infection prevention.

They conducted a quality improvement pilot project in which they observed stethoscope hygiene (alcohol swabs, alcohol gel, or disinfectant wipes) at the start of a four- week rotation for medical students, resident physicians, and attending physicians at an academic teaching hospital.

The baseline observation of stethoscope hygiene among staff found zero occurrences. They also looked at hand hygiene, which can include alcohol gel or soap and water.

The team then sought to educate clinicians about the importance of stethoscope hygiene, and emphasised the expectation for clinicians to conduct stethoscope hygiene between each patient encounter. Despite this, the result was the same: zero occurrences of stethoscope sanitation.

Hand hygiene has traditionally received much more attention than stethoscope hygiene, but microbiology data show that stethoscope contamination after a single exam is comparable to that of the physician's dominant hand, said researchers including Naseema Merchant.

Potential pathogens cultured from stethoscopes include Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium difficile, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

A previous study found that stethoscopes were capable of transmitting potentially resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

"The results highlights how rarely stethoscope hygiene is performed. Standard education may not be the answer to this problem. Behavioural and cultural modification to improve hand hygiene still remains a challenge, despite being studied in large randomised trials," said researchers, including Shaili Gupta.

"We anticipated low stethoscope hygiene rates, but were surprised that no one performed stethoscope hygiene, despite the fact that it is on the checklist for second-year medical students' final evaluation demonstrating competency in performing a complete history and physical at our institution," they said

The study was published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
According to new research, youngsters show less trust in figures such as politicians and religious leaders.

According to study, just nine percent of respondents described themselves as trustful of religious leaders and a mere two percent said the same of their countries' politicians (Photo: Pixabay)

New York: Young people's trust in key figures such as politicians and religious leaders has fallen sharply over the past five years but they remain largely happy, a global study said Thursday.

Viacom, the US media company behind youth-oriented channels such as MTV and Nickelodeon as well as Hollywood studio Paramount, surveyed 28,600 people online in 30 major countries about a wide range of views.

In a time of turbulent politics and religious conflict, just nine percent of respondents described themselves as trustful of religious leaders and a mere two percent said the same of their countries' politicians.

Since the last survey in 2012, trust for religious leaders has tumbled 33 percentage points and the figure for politicians fell 25 points among people age 30 and younger in the 27 countries that were polled both years.

Views, however, varied sharply among countries, with trust in religious leaders reaching a high of 32 percent in Nigeria.

Trust also slipped for doctors, teachers and even friends, with people in every country identifying their mothers as the most trusted.

But the Viacom survey, dubbed "The Next Normal: The Rise of Resilience," found that the percentage of people who said they were happy overall was virtually unchanged at 76 percent.

"The overwhelming theme that's come out of this is that the human is a very resilient animal," said Christian Kurz, Viacom's senior vice president for global consumer insights.

Asked to define happiness, most people in both 2012 and 2017 pointed to spending time with family and friends.

But next in importance in 2017 -- especially in developed countries -- was ensuring time for vacation and enjoyment, while in 2012 more people focused on money.

Kurz said he sensed a shift in attitudes in the wake of the global economic crisis, with many people feeling powerless.

"If you don't really have a choice, then you focus on the things that you do have control over -- and the people you spend time with, you have control over," Kurz said.

"What we're seeing now is that that's becoming even more important," he said.

Coming from the parent company of MTV, the survey also offered quirky insights on music culture.

The study found that three-quarters of Indians said they occasionally danced alone in their rooms to music, while the Japanese came in last with 27 percent admitting to solitary moves.
With increasing cases of workplace harassment in the start-up space, influential women are creating an awareness around the subject.

While start-ups may be the buzzword in India, the past couple of months have seen not one but multiple of these smaller companies land into trouble over how they treat women. From sexual harassment to causal sexism, the likes of The Viral Fever and Uber have come under fire for being an old boys club and not treating women in the company well.

A talk organised by SheThePeople saw the likes of Priyanka Agarwal, founder of First Moms Club; Ruchita Dar Shah, entrepreneur; and author Rashmi Bansal turn up to talk about some of the key points around sexism in start-ups. The talk was moderated by author Meghna Pant, and raised pertinent questions of not just how one must tackle problems in a start-up space, but what troubles do women leaders face in the sphere.

Ruchita explains that this problem of discrimination and bias starts not at the workplace, but at home. I started my journey after my motherhood, and nobody understood what I was doing. They wouldnt get the gist of what I was doing, she explains. It stems from home. A lot of women are not taken seriously at home. Women entrepreneurs give up midway because they do a lot more at home.

And when it comes to trying to raise money as a female entrepreneur, both Ruchita and Priyanka  who is the CEO of Wishberry.in, a crowdfunding website  agree that its a harder world out there. Crowdfunding is a new space, says Priyanka. We went to impact investors, one of the most well respected one. She loved the business and was also a big theatre buff. It wouldve been a no-brainer if I had a male co-founder. I asked her why and she said women have to get married. I told her Ive been an entrepreneur, so I have made that choice. Whats the guarantee that if I was a guy, there would not been unforeseen circumstances?

Adds Ruchita, rolling her eyes, Everyone was interested in what my husband did. You need to quickly get a co-founder, and it needs to be a man.

Quiz Shaili Chopra of SheThePeople on why it became necessary to address women in start-ups now, and she says, I think its a dialogue weve had constantly. Weve been doing detailed articles in the last three to four months, especially since the cases were emerging in India.

Shaili goes on to add that it is important to talk about the start-up space in India because its an often misunderstood space that rarely affords space to the women there to even understand theyre being discriminated against. Just because start-ups are edgy, innovating, young, no fixed time kind of spaces, that does not mean someone should cross the line because this is a place where anything flies. I dont think anything flies here, she explains. Having an informal environment can aid energies and positive workflow. But that shouldnt mean people misconstrue it as something else. I think those who have to harass women, or sexually exploit them, are doing so irrespective. Its not just because theyre in start-ups. I have a feeling if they were in corporate set-ups, theyd have done it there too.

With sexual harassment complains in the start-up set-up emerging boldly, author Rashmi believes its a murky place. Theres a perception that women make false complaints, she muses. For anyone to come forward and talk about this, its difficult. If shes saying so, it should be investigated.

Recounting her own run-in with the predicament, Rashmi asserts that she found plenty of support when she spoke up about sexual harassment. People have been supportive. A lot of women, who have experienced it, reached out but didnt want to make it public. Women want to speak but not speak up, thats the sad part.

Awareness of rights is an important aspect of this problem, all the women panellists agree. In advertising, we didnt say too much. We just wanted to be part of the system. There were times when men misbehaved. I never thought I should complain to my female boss. We didnt know; there were no awareness of rights.

Says Shaili, In this entire thing, youll see that organisations where this is happening have a large number of women. They are facing it, some keep quiet, but most of them dont even recognise this is happening. Theres problem of knowledge, redressal and what next.

I think the solution with respect to law is well-documented. Everyone knows the law that needs to be in place. That said, start-ups are places that are not large organisation. Some of these laws may not be mandatory. Theres no end to making law the only benchmark. I think the most important thing to do is condition the place, she concludes.
Recharge your senses with a quick but relaxing visit to the scenic Thekkumbhagom village in Kerala.

The place has also gained popularity after the shooting of Mammooty's Kutti Srank took place here.

The Dhalavapuram-Pallikkodi bridge near Neendakara at Thekkumbhagom in Kollam gives a nature lover umpteen reasons to make a stopover. Enveloped by the Ashtamudi lake on all sides, the Thekkumbhagom village connects with the outer world through two bridges-one at Neendakara and the other at Thevalakara. The 500m-long bridge at Neendakara, surrounded by turquoise waters, boasts of being the longest one in southern Kerala.

The bridge welcomes people to the village of Thekkumbhagom (Chavara South), which is rich in sprawling coconut palms and lush green trees. The crimson and orange rays of the setting sun and the shadowing graces of the tall trees have a spellbinding effect on all those passing by.

St. Joseph's Church located at the southernmost part of the village is an architectural marvel waiting to take your breath away. The area also boasts of plenty of aquatic wealth, including molluscs, crabs, and Karimeen. The State Water Transport Department operates boat services from Kollam to Alappuzha through the national waterway, which passes underneath this bridge.

This area is pivotal to the cultural and artistic map of Kerala. Azhakathu Padmanabha Kurup, author of the first epic poem in Malayalam - 'Ramachandra Vilasom', and the legendary Kathaprasangam artiste Prof. V. Sambasivan spent their childhood and teenage years growing up in the lap of this serene countryside.

The place has also gained popularity after the shooting of Mammooty's Kutti Srank took place here. The 1,000-year-old Pankachodil Devi Temple stands out for its stone walls with engravings in the Vattezhuth script (a script used

in the olden days).

While it's difficult to enjoy the beauty of the backwaters of the Ashtamudi Lake from the traffic-heavy and accident-prone road, standing on the Neendakara bridge gives you a marvellous view of the mixing of the waters of the lake and the sea. At the Dhalavapuram bridge, it is the quiet beauty of nature that attracts visitors.

As we travelled past the bridge in the evening, it was time for the local fishermen to venture into the lake for their business. While journeying across the bridge, as the sun was gradually setting, we were lucky to see the raising and lowering of the Chinese Nets (Cheenavala). The sight of cranes trying to pick at the fishes caught in these nets was an unforgettable one.

The aerial view of the blue waters and the darkening skies seemed to put have a special effect on the visitor's mood. In the relaxed and mystic environs of the place, even the sight of a flock of birds returning home was beautiful, and so were their cries. A trip to Thekkumbhagom has been a refreshing and energising one. The bridge awaits more travellers to witness the various shades of nature's beauty as each day passes.

To access this scenic spot, you only need to travel a short distance of five kilometers from Vettuthara Junction near Neendakara to Thekkumbhagom.

(The author is a teacher, traveller and vlogger)
The plan will act as a guiding framework of the planning and citys growth till 2041.

New Delhi: Lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal on Thursday approved the Delhi Development Authoritys (DDA) proposal to prepare a master plan for Delhi till 2041, which will streamline the development projects and policies for the city. The plan will act as a guiding framework of the planning and citys growth till 2041.

The information was shared with lieutenant-governor Baijal during a DDA meeting. The project consists of four phases and would involve building a base line quantitative understanding of Delhi at the local and regional level with quantitative understanding gathered from historical data, data from DDA and other city agencies and primary data collection.

This data would be overlaid on a GIS platform to understand linkages across various developmental themes in the city. This quantitative understanding will be complemented by a qualitative understanding of the issues through stakeholder consultations with government agencies, para statals, academia, sector experts, community groups and civil society organisations.
12 rescued from 4th, 5th floors 8 rushed to SSKM.

Kolkata: A major fire broke out on the third floor of a multi-storeyed building that houses as many as a dozen offices at Pretoria Street in south Kolkata on Thursday afternoon. No casualty was reported. Firemen rescued as many as 12 people who were trapped in the fourth and fifth floors of the building situated just beside the Abhinav Bharati School.

The fire broke out at around 12.50 pm, with a thick column of smoke billowing out of the third floor of the building. The fire alarm was raised by the security staff and the people who were in the first second and third floors managed to make their way out through the staircase. However, people in the fourth and fifth floors were trapped and could not come down due to heavy smoke.

The fire brigade was informed, who immediately reached the spot and managed to bring a dozen people who were trapped with ladders. Eight of them had problem breathing after inhaling the smoke and were rushed to SSKM hospital.

Arun Agarwal, who works at a tea company on the 5th floor, was one of the persons rescued. We were struggling for breath as there was no window system on the top floors. I broke open the glass and anxiously waited for the firemen. All of us had a lucky escape as the police and the firemen arrived in quick time, Mr Agarwal said.

The Abhinav Bharati school situated just beside the affected building declared a holiday as a precautionary measure. Sharmistha Sarkar, a commerce teacher in the school said, As soon as we smelt something burning and the sound of glass breaking, we made announcements throughout the school, telling students to assemble at the ground floor. All the students came downstairs and were taken to the opposite side of the school building that houses a residential-cum-commercial building.

Guardians were called up to take their wards home, Ms Sarkar said. Mayor and state fire minister Sovan Chatterjee who visited the spot said that the fire originated from the office of Gas Authority of India (GAIL) Ltd at the third floor. There was no window system in the building, so there was heavy smoke. We rescued all those who were trapped but some of them had inhaled the smoke and fallen sick. They were taken to SSKM hospital and all of them are stable, he said. He added that an enquiry would be held to ascertain the cause of the fire.
A lama claps while debating during the seven-day preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa in Drepung Monastery in the Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Lamas seeking the religion's most-advanced academic title are judged by 20 examiners and 400 peers in preliminary tests

Ngawang Sogdoi, a 34-year-old monk in the Tibet autonomous region, is the most anxious he has ever been. On Monday, Ngawang, along with eight other candidates, began a seven-day preliminary examination needed to earn the Geshe Lharampa, the equivalent of a doctorate in his school of Buddhism.

Geshe Lharampa, which means "intellectual" in the Tibetan language, is the highest academic title in the Gelug school of Buddhism. Since 2005, more than 100 monks have received the degree in Tibet. Most of the degree holders are older than 40, making Ngawang one of the youngest candidates.

Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, where the preliminary test of the examination takes place, is crowded as usual. At Tsogchen (the Great Chanting Hall), candidates are tested by more than 20 examiners and 400 peers who can also raise questions.

The history of Lharampa goes back 400 years.

"It is the dream of almost all monks to reach such a level," said Ngawang, who became a monk at age 8, and started learning scriptures at age 15.

"I finished the Five Classics of Buddhism at age 28," he said. Ngawang's brother is also a Lharampa degree holder.

The Lharampa examination takes the form of debate, questions and answers. Ngawang is from Rato Monastery in Lhasa. He takes two examinations a year, but none are more demanding than the Lharampa exam. "It is a test of brains, physical strength, stamina and devotion to Buddhism," he said.

From July 11 to 15, the examination starts at 9 am and goes on until the afternoon each day. "The Geshe exam brings together high monks from many monasteries. I'm the only one from my monastery to take the exam. I have many things to worry about," Ngawang said.

Emphatic clapping during the examination conveys the intensity of the debate for outsiders, and it serves as a quick reminder for Ngawang to stay focused in his interpretation of Buddhism.

"If I give an answer that does not quite address the question, the examiner will clap his hands and sometimes speak up loudly to correct me," he said.

"Through the study of Buddhism, I have learned several ways to stay calm, and I am grateful for that."

Ngawang gets up at 6 am and spends nearly 11 hours each day learning scriptures and other lessons at the Rato Monastery.

"To prepare for such a high-level examination, I have had to put in extra work, and it is usually 1 am by the time I go to sleep," he said.

Drepung Monastery is not closed to visitors during the exam season, so tourists may observe the examination.

"Standing here, I can appreciate the long history of this monastery, and I am very lucky to see such a part of the Tibetan culture," said Franz, a tourist from Germany.

When Ngawang finishes the preliminary test, he will have to wait until April next year to take the final test at Jokhang Temple.

Last year, Ngawang also attended the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing to further his study.

His studies at the college will also earn him a doctorate in the academic field.

Ngawang traveled to Chengde in Hebei province as well as Tianjin and Shanghai during his studies in Beijing and speaks fluent Mandarin.

"My aim is to continue to study every single day. After the examination, I will return to my monastery. I'm a quiet person, and it's best for me to spend the rest of my life learning in the monastery," he said.

Xinhua
Chief minister and Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee will be the main speaker at the programme.

Kolkata: The Trinamul Congress is gearing up for a huge gathering on Friday to mark the occasion of Shahid Divas (Martyrs Day) at Esplanade. Chief minister and Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee will be the main speaker at the programme.

After visiting the venue on Thursday evening to take stock of the finishing touches, the Trinamul supremo told reporters, Sahid Divas is the day when we take the oath to uphold democracy. It is a day when we vow to take Bengal forward and show the right direction for our state.

Ms Banejeres nephew and national president of TMC youth Congress Abhishek Banerjee, who visited the spot in the afternoon, said that the party was eyeing a record turnout. Going by the response and enthusiasm of people, we are expecting a record turnout for the rally. Every year, the rally breaks the record of the previous year. The record of 2014 was broken in 2015; the record turnout of 2015 was surpassed in 2016. Now, 2017 will break the record of 2016, Mr Banerjee said. .

He added, Despite the vilification campaign and propaganda, the popularity of Mamata Banerjee has not diminished by even one per cent. This proves that she enjoys the support of people. They continue to shower their love and blessings on her. People have time and again voted in favour of development...
Snatching 10 MLAs from opposition also means that BJP is getting close to a single-handed majority in Maharashtra.

Mumbai: It came as a high voltage shock to the opposition parties in Maharashtra, especially to Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when Bharatiya Janata Party won over a minimum of 8 to 10 opposition MLAs in the presidential polls. NDA presidential candidate Ramnath Kovind garnered 208 votes from Maharashtra whereas NDA had just 198 votes on record. Snatching 10 MLAs from opposition also means that BJP is getting close to a single-handed majority in Maharashtra.

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Meira Kumar was assured the support of 88 MLAs from Congress (42), Nationalist Congress Party (41), Peasants and Workers Party (3) Communist Party of India (Marxist) (1) and Samajwadi Party (1). Mr Kovind was assured of getting support from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena with 122 and 63 seats respectively. Prior to the election seven independents and one MLA from Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) had declared to support him as well, thus taking the total tally to 193 while the rest of the seven MLAs did not declare their stand.

Out of 288 Maharashtra MLAs, 287 voted and two votes were disqualified. As per the final tally, the opposition lost 11 of its votes with Ms Kumar winning only 77 out of 285 and Mr Kovind winning 208.

According to sources, Ramesh Kadam, a jailed NCP MLA, voted in favour of NDA. With PWP, CPI (M) and SP denying cross voting, questions have been raised as to whether at least 10 MLAs from both Congress and NCP have voted for the NDA candidate.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that the party will need to analyse the results to check facts. Prima facie it seems there was cross-voting. If any such thing has happened in Maharashtra, then it is a matter of grave concern and we as a party will have to seriously think over the issue, he told.

A day prior to the presidential polls, independent MLA Ravi Rana had assured chief minister Devendra Fadnavis the support from all seven independents and 22 MLAs from Congress and NCP. There are opposition MLAs who are ready to jump to the other side. It will be visible in this presidential election, he said.

Something fishy
Declaration of the hunger strike comes on the back of BEST workers not being paid on time for nearly half the year.

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) unions have declared an indefinite hunger strike starting August 1. They are demanding that they be absorbed into the Brihanmumbai Munic-ipal Corporation (BMC). The decision was taken when unions constituting the BEST joint workers committee met Friday afternoon. Declaration of the hunger strike comes on the back of BEST workers not being paid on time for nearly half the year.

A few union leaders will begin the strike from August 1 as decided, but nearly 20,000 workers will take up fasting in phases of 24 hours. Around 97 per cent workers had voted for the strike on July 19 via ballot held near Parel. However, unions said they would go for an all-out strike as last option and in the event there was absolutely no response from BMC.

Union leader Shashank Rao said, The BMC in its budget this year has earmarked Rs 230 crore for the education department. The same goes for health and so many other departments. Then where is the BEST in all of this? Are we not a part of the BMC? As per a statement issued by the union, according to the BMC Act 1888, BEST and therefore all of its employees are part of the municipal corporation.

BEST sources said that the unions were playing it smart and by demanding that they be absorbed into the BMC, their salaries would then have to be directly paid by the civic body and not the transport undertaking.

BEST has also been repaying a Rs 250 crore loan (with interest) that the BMC granted last year. This year, BEST including the management and public representatives have demanded that the loan be interest-free and no penalties be charged by BMC if BEST is unable to pay it back within the financial year. The panel that came to the decision includes eight unions, including the BWU, BEST Kamgar Sena, Samarth BEST Kamgar Sanghatana, BJP BEST Kamgar Sangh, BEST Kamgar Union and BEST Kamgar Sanghatana.
Women account for 60 per cent of deceased this year, report reveals.

In the state, 11,72,478 patients have been screened since January, out of which 3,015 tested positive and 12 people are on ventilators.

Mumbai: The H1N1 virus claimed 326 lives in Maharashtra from January 1 to July 17, with 29 people succumbing to swine flu in the last week alone. The state health departments death analysis report states that women account for 60 per cent of the deceased, and most of them were in the age bracket of 25 to 30 years. According to the report, the women had a weak immune system. The analysis report for the city, however, said that men are more susceptible to the ailment as they move about more than women.

Dr Mukund Diggikar, who holds the additional charge for epidemic diseases in the state health department, said, From January to Thursday, 326 people have succumbed to infections; 11,72,478 patients have been screened out of which 3,015 tested positive; and 12 people are on ventilators. Asked why it was mostly women who had succumbed to the virus, he replied, A large number of women succumbed to the virus due to pregnancy, low haemoglobin and low immunity. Sneezing, cold, cough and feverishness shouldnt be ignored. Get your self scanned and wear masks in public.

According to the states standard protocol for swine flu treatment, people who fall in the high-risk group must be administered with the swine flu vaccines. The group includes pregnant women, people with chronic health issues, hospital staff members and children.

City under siege

In July 250 cases of swine flu were reported in Mumbai, taking the number of affected people in the city between January and July 15 to 874. Out of the 874 cases, 672 patients are not residents of Mumbai while 202 are city residents. Twenty-two people have died in the city since January.

State beleaguered

11,72,478 patients have been screened since January, and 3,015 tested positive last week itself. Around 23,739 people are on Oseltamivir, swine flu tablets, while 12 people are on ventilators. Most of the 326 deaths recorded so far were reported from districts such as Nashik, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad.
It is true that the BJP of 2014 was not the BJP which was under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The choices of BJPs presidential and vice-presidential candidates clearly indicate that the party is strategising for an expansion both geographically and socially. By getting Ram Nath Kovind elected as the 14th President of India, the BJP wants to send out a message to dalits that the party cares for them. And by nominating M. Venkaiah Naidu, it is seriously looking to expand its support base in south. With these masterstrokes, the BJP wants to dispel two notions attached with the party till recently  the party consists mostly of North Indians, and that it consists mostly of upper castes, more so brahmins.

With the recent electoral success, the BJP in Assam and other northeastern states, and the massive victory in Uttar Pradesh, the party has been able to dispel both the tags to a great extent. But with these two masterstrokes, the BJP wants to dispel this notion forever.

It is true that the BJP of 2014 was not the BJP which was under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Even though the BJP managed to form the government in 1998 and 1999, the partys support base was limited to the urban upper and middle class, and upper castes. The success of the BJP in 2014 was possible only because the party managed to expand its support base, dalits being an important vote bank for the party in 2014.

While in all the previous Lok Sabha elections since 1996, for which data is available from studies conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), roughly 10-12 per cent of dalits had voted for the BJP nationally. But studies indicate that during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 24 per cent of dalits voted for the BJP. More important to note is the fact that nationally dalits voted for the BJP in the largest proportion, with only 19 per cent voting for the Congress.

The dalit support for the BJP has been important for the partys electoral success during Assembly elections in most of the states which went to polls after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In Assam, 56 per cent, Haryana 20 per cent, Jharkhand 27 per cent, Maharashtra 20 per cent, Goa 25 per cent and in Uttarakhand 28 per cent of dalits voted for the BJP. Even in Uttar Pradesh, 26 per cent of dalits voted for the party. In Bihar and Delhi, where the BJP lost the Assembly elections, 28 per cent and 19 per cent of dalits voted for the BJP respectively. The only state where the BJP failed to attract the dalit vote was in Punjab, understandably as the party was only a junior partner to the Akali Dal in the state.

But various incidents of atrocities against dalits, either in the name of cow protection or other issues, may have worried the BJP to some extent. There have been several incidents of dalit atrocities in various parts of the country  including in Una, Gujarat; Koppa, Karnataka; Andhra Pradesh and recent riots in Saharanpur  which may turn dalits against the BJP.

Various dalit protests and mobilisation across the country are enough to indicate the unhappiness of the community with the BJP. There is fear that if dalits turn against the BJP, who are in large numbers in different states, it may damage the electoral prospects of the party during the forthcoming elections. By getting a dalit elected as the President, more so by making big noise about getting a dalit elected to the top post, the BJP is certainly trying to turn the tide again in its favour amongst dalits.

BJPs vice-presidential candidate Mr Naidu will certainly get elected as the next vice-president of India. This will not only help the BJP to manage the affairs of the Rajya Sabha, but may help the party in its expansion in southern states. The BJP has already established a strong foothold in Karnataka, but would like to have its presence in other southern states, too. Even though the BJP managed to win 283 seats on its own in 2014, of the 129 Lok Sabha seats from five southern states, it managed to win only 21 and polled only 15 per cent votes. Of these, the largest share is from Karnataka, where the party won 17 seats and polled 43 per cent votes. After the recent political upheaval in Tamil Nadu, which accounts for 39 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP must be eyeing a greater foothold in the state. It is important to note that the BJP managed to open its account in Tamil Nadu, won the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat and polled 5.4 per cent votes in the state. In Kerala, it has managed to attract some support, but mostly

amongst the urban voters. It polled 10.3 per cent votes but the party would like to expand its support base in the state further.

Similarly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the BJP has played the role of the junior partner having an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), won two and one seat and polled 7.1 per cent and 10.3 per cent votes respectively, but the party wishes to have a much larger presence. Having a vice-president from Andhra Pradesh will certainly boost the partys prospects in its effort to expand its support base.

Clearly, the BJP has tried to use this occasion of electing the new President and vice-president to brighten its electoral prospects for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Mr Davis writes that the real power in Pakistan lies with the military.

Washington: Pakistan treats America like a limitless ATM and most of the United States aid to the country goes to the militarys kitty, a private US defence contractor who was responsible for one the worst bilateral tensions, has said.

For Pakistan, no amount of money ever seemed to be enough. The economic aid it received from the United States became a drug it alternately loathed and could not live without, Raymond Davis said in his book The Contractor.

Mr Davis, 42, was arrested in Lahore in 2011 on the charges of killing two Pakistani citizens and thus kicked off a huge diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Having a first-hand experience of how the system works in Pakistan, the CIA contractor wrote that most of the US aid ended up with the Pakistan military and not with the civilians.

As dysfunctional as the relationship between the United States and Pakistan was, it was made worse by the fact that most of the aid typically ended up in the hands of the Pakistani military, while much of its population continued to languish in poverty, he said.

Mr Davis writes that the real power in Pakistan lies with the military. While Pakistan is said to be a parliamentary federal republic with a president who serves as head of state and a Prime minister who runs the government, everyone knows that the real power lies with the military.
Supreme Court says Sharifs children may be jailed for 7 yrs for submitting fake papers.

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs children may face consequences for submitting forged documents to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the ruling familys offshore assets, the Supreme Court said on Thursday.

Supreme Court judge Ijazul Ahsan, who is part of a three-judge bench, said the Dubai government has revealed the documents of Gulf Steel Mills provided by the Sharif family are forged.

Dubai customs has no record of the transportation of the machinery of Gulf Steel Mills from Dubai to Saudi Arabia, he observed.

Responding to the query by the bench, additional attorney general Waqar Rana said seven years of imprisonment could be awarded to someone who is found involved in forgery. We cant shut our eyes as law will take its course because fake documents have been submitted in the Supreme Court, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh observed.

The bench also lamented over Qatari Prince Hammad Bin Jassams attitude with JIT, saying he neither agreed to record his statement on video link nor was willing to come to Pakistan Embassy in Doha.

Justice Ijaz Ahsan also asked the counsel for the PMs children, Salman Akram Raja, why the family did not explain how they paid Rs 21 million liability after the selling of Al Azizia Mills in Saudi Arabia and how Rs 63 million was transferred to Hussain Nawazs account.

Another judge of the top court, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh, observed it has been confirmed that the PMs daughter, Maryam, is the beneficial owner of London flats. It is not allegation but a matter of fact that Maryam is the beneficial owner of the flats, the judge said.

On this, the counsel said the JIT did not confront his clients on the material that was collected by the probing team, adding that they could not be prosecuted in this matter.

Mr Raja added there was no allegation of wrongdoing against his clients. However, the SC bench responded saying the allegation against PM Sharifs children is that they forged the documents, and therefore they should be prosecuted for the forgery.

Meanwhile, British Virgin Islands (BVI) have refused to assist and render the information regarding offshore companies, Nielson and Nescoll, allegedly owned by the PMs children.

In a letter sent by the BVI to the JIT, it was maintained that to get the required information, the probing team should tell them how the offence was committed and provide extract of the law via-a-vis to the offence committed.

The request sent by the JIT doesnt clearly indicate whether criminal investigations are ongoing or proceedings have commenced with respect to the company, or with respect to the persons closely affiliated with the said company, the letter written by BVIs attorney general office read.

It added the summary of the facts did not provide any background information that shows the nexus between the companies mentioned.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said he had not been involved in any sort of corruption. Rather, he said, he has saved Rs 168 billion in various development projects all over the country.
Under the project, two tunnels of 10.5km long have been completed.

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said the Panama leaks scandal is not a source of accountability but exploitation.

He said Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) is the making new Pakistan. The Pak PM inaugurated the Lowari Tunnel in Upper Dir, which has been completed at a cost of about Rs 27 billion. Under the project, two tunnels of 10.5km long have been completed.

Talking about corruption charges against him, PM Sharif said whatever is happening in the country is not accountability but exploitation. Nawaz Sharif has no knowledge what is he being held accountable of. Those who are demanding accountability from me should themselves come out clean first, he asserted. He added: I can guarantee no one will accept such accountability in Pakistan. I want to tell this to JIT, PTI.

The Prime Minister said those begging for resignation every morning should be ashamed. They are not asking but begging for the resignation. I will never bear such obscene allegations. I have not learnt to bow down before such corrupt forces, he added.

He called on his opponents to tell him about the projects affected by corruption. Tell me in which project did Nawaz Sharif committed corruption and confiscated commission, he asked.

He said those seeking his resignation will be defeated in the next elections.

PM Sharif said Shahra-e-Dastoor (Constitution Avenue) was under siege by the Opposition for four months as the coffins of law and constitution were taken out.

He said he had not been involved in any sort of corruption. Rather, he has saved Rs 168 billion in various development projects. He told his government has launched development projects all over the country to improve the socio-economic condition of the people.

PM Sharif said that work on a number of power projects is in progress to overcome load shedding while the Golen Gol Hydropower Project in Chitral will be completed soon.
Calling Doklam a Chinese territory, the daily suggested that India should 'abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam'.

The daily warned that China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held. (Photo: Representational/PTI)

Beijing: State-run Chinese media has allegedly accused External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj of lying in Parliament on the border standoff between India and China in Doklam.

In an editorial titled 'Military conflicts to escalate if India refuses to withdraw troops', the Global Times, citing Indian media reports, said that Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday informed her country's Parliament that "all countries are in India's support," and India is alert to the need to protect its security near "the border where the boundaries of China, India and Bhutan meet."

"She was lying to the parliament. First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose," the editorial added.

Calling Doklam a Chinese territory, the daily suggested that India should "abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam".

The daily warned that China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held and it will not compromise on its stance.

The Global Times further said that withdrawal of Indian troops is must for precondition for talks between the two sides.

It said India's stance has subtly shifted and it has started referring to Doklam as a tri-junction area of China, India and Bhutan. "These changes show New Delhi's guilty conscience," it said.

"India should have heard about the news that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed troops near the China-India border and transported materials and supplies to the area. The PLA is also reportedly conducting drills for mountain operations. These are certainly not for show. Now that the PLA has moved in on the China-India border, they will definitely not call back troops unless they recover the Chinese territory," it went on to say.

The editorial stressed China's military might and said that the country cannot afford to lose an inch of territory.

"The China-India border area may become a stage where China showcases the achievement of its long-term military development and reforms," it said.

The daily warned that China might get itself prepared for a military confrontation against India if Indian troops continue trespassing into China's territory and resolve the conflict through non-diplomatic means.

The editorial comes as Indian and Chinese troops continue to be locked in a standoff in Doklam.

Both sides have moved additional troops, ammunition and military equipment to the area. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has beefed up its defence in a region south of the Kunlun Mountains under the pretext of conducting a military exercise near Tibet.

Hardware has been moved simultaneously by road and rail by China's western theatre command, which oversees the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet,and handles, among others, border issues with India, media reports have said.

This show of strength is being projected by Beijing as a warning to India by China to back off from its objection to China constructing a road at the Doklam tri-junction.

On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that differences between India and China should not and would not be allowed to become disputes, and added that communication between the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.

"The differences between India and China should not be allowed to become dispute. Every powerful player, power in the world prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand. The diplomatic channels and diplomatic communications have never been ceased, they have never broken," MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay told media.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India with regard to the Dokhlam Plateau stand-off.

"India wants that troops are removed from the tri-junction point to discuss the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan, are with us," Sushma told members of the Rajya Sabha.

"Over the years, China has been trying to get closer and closer to where the tri-junction point ends. It has done things like repair roads, re-tar them and things like that,"Swaraj added.

"If China unilaterally changes status-quo of tri-junction point between China-India and Bhutan, then it poses a challenge to our security. We have the law and right on our side," she said about India's position.

The issue of China's presence in the South China Sea was also countered by Swaraj, who said, "There is no threat to India from Beijing in terms of sea presence."

On the 'One Belt One Road' issue, Swaraj said India is opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's (CPEC) inclusion in the OBOR since the time it was proposed, as it was passing through territory that India claims as its own.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.
The feed, accidentally broadcast to journalists in a nearby room, was cut off as soon as it was discovered.

The hawkish leader was trying to convince his counterparts to communicate to their colleagues the need to push forward the EU-Israel Association agreement that has been frozen since Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009. (Photo: File)

Jerusalem: Citing strong ties with Asian giants India and China, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering attack against the European

Union (EU) describing its treatment of the Jewish state as "crazy" and "self-defeating".

"We have a peculiar situation. The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel that produces technology in every area, on political conditions. The only one," Netanyahu told four European leaders on Wednesday during a closed meeting that was inadvertently caught by an open microphone.

The details of the meeting accidentally got broadcast to journalists in a nearby room because of the open microphone.

The feed was cut off as soon as it was discovered.

Pointing towards Israel's growing technological collaborations with India and China, without such conditions, Netanyahu emphasised that Chinese President Xi Jinping called Israel an "innovation giant".

"We have a special relationship with China and they don't care about the political issues," local media quoted him as saying.

The Israeli leader also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Israel, saying that the Indian leader said he needed to take care of India's interests.

"I need more water, clean water. Where will I get it...,"? Netanyahu quoted Modi as saying.

He made the comments during the closed meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

"I think it is crazy, I think it is actually crazy," Netanyahu said.

"I am not talking about my interests, Israel's interests; I'm talking about Europe's interests."

"Europe is endangering its own development by endangering its ties with Israel over this crazy attempt to create conditions" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he said, adding that Israel is right there and Europe is disconnecting itself from this massive center of innovation.

"If this were only about my interests, I wouldn't have brought it up. Don't undermine the only country in the region that is looking after Europe's interests. Stop attacking Israel, support Israel," the Israeli premier warned.

Orban responded to Netanyahu in a conciliatory tone, saying that EU sets similar conditions to its member states as well.

"Europe must decide if it wants to live and prosper or wither and disappear. I see you're shocked because I'm not being politically correct," Netanyahu told the EU leaders in an unprecedented tirade.

He went on to further talk about his disagreements with former president Barack Obama and even accepted hitting arms transfers to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Syria dozens of times, something the international media attributes to Israel but the Jewish state maintains ambiguity around it, neither accepting responsibility, nor denying it.

"We had a big problem with US policy. It's different now. There's a stronger stance against Iran. There's a renewed American presence in our region and more bombings, and that's positive," Netanyahu said.

"I told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, when we see (Iran) transferring weapons to Hezbollah, we'll hit them. We've done it dozens of times," he was heard as saying.

The hawkish leader was trying to convince his counterparts to communicate to their colleagues the need to push forward the EU-Israel Association agreement that has been frozen since Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009.
Turkey and Greece sit on significant fault lines and have regularly been hit by earthquakes in recent years.

Bodrum (Turkey): At least two people were killed on the Greek island of Kos today when a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the popular summer resort holiday destinations of the Dodecanese Islands in Greece and the Aegean coast of Turkey.

The epicentre of the quake was approximately 10.3 kilometres south of the major Turkish resort of Bodrum, a magnet for holidaymakers in the summer, and 16.2 kilometres east of the island of Kos in Greece, the US Geological Survey said.

It had a depth of 10 kilometres, USGS said. Two people were killed on the Greek island of Kos, the ANA news agency reported. The quake caused injury and damage, the agency cited the island's mayor as saying.

In the Turkish resort of Bodrum, television pictures showed throngs of worried residents and holidaymakers in the streets.

"The biggest problem at the moment are electricity cuts in certain areas (of the city)," Bodrum mayor Mehmet Kocadon told NTV television.

"There is light damage and no reports that anyone has been killed" in the area.

The governor of the southern Mugla province -- where Bodrum is located -- said some people had been slightly injured after falling out of windows in panic.

The quake was also felt on the Datca peninsula -- also a major resort area -- as well as Turkey's third city of Izmir on the Aegean to the north.

An AFP correspondent holidaying in Bodrum said the major earthquake had been followed by several aftershocks.

"The bed shook a lot. Some bottles fell and broke in the kitchen and the patio," said Turkish pensioner Dilber Arikan who has a summer house in the area.

"I screamed I was very scared because I was alone." The quake was also felt by holidaymakers on the Greek island of Rhodes.

"We were very surprised. We were scared and we immediately went outside," Teddy Dijoux, who was holidaying with his family at a Rhodes resort, told AFP.

"That lasted a long time. I quickly gathered up my children to leave the hotel," said holidaymaker Sylvie Jannot.

Turkey and Greece sit on significant fault lines and have regularly been hit by earthquakes in recent years.

This year alone, Turkey's western Aegean coast was hit by several significant earthquakes, which brought back memories of past deadly earthquakes.

In June, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake gutted a village on the Greek island of Lesbos, killing a woman and leaving more than 15 injured. The quake also caused panic on Turkey's Aegean coast.
UNAIDS found an "alarming" trend in the two Asian regions. Cases and deaths are up, with many people going without treatment.

Geneva/Paris (AsiaNews)  AIDS-related deaths have almost halved, falling from 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016, this according to the latest report from UNAIDS, the main United Nations agency fighting AIDS/HIV.

The trend is however far from positive in the Middle East and North Africa and in eastern Europe and central Asia, where AIDS-related deaths have risen by 48 per cent and 38 per cent respectively.

For UNAIDS alarming increases have been seen in new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia. New HIV infections increased from 120 000 in 2010 to 190 000 in 2016.

In Russia, newly reported cases of HIV jumped by 75 per cent from 2010 to 2016. Even in Kazakhstan, the epidemic is rapidly growing.

Although access to HIV treatment in eastern Europe and central Asia has more than doubled in the past six years, only 28 per cent of people living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy in places like Kyrgyzstan, despite two out of three people living with HIV knowing their HIV status.

In Central Asia, the annual number of AIDS-related deaths rose from an estimated 32,000 in 2010 to 40,000 in 2016, a 25 per cent increase. The bulk of this occurred in Russia, where the epidemic claimed a reported 30 550 lives in 2016.

In the Middle East and North Africa, just over half of HIV patients were aware of their condition, and only half of them had access to the necessary care.

AIDS-related deaths more than doubled between 2000 and 2010 in Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen, which can be explained by increasing incidence in some countries and limited access to treatment in others.

Yet, overall 53 per cent of people living with HIV now have access to treatment. We [. . .] are on track to double that number to 30 million and meet the 2020 target, said Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
The party remains concerned about the enduring issue. Party members should be firm Marxist atheists, obey Party rules and stick to the Party's faith, one official writes. They should not be allowed to seek value and belief in religion.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  "Party members should not have religious beliefs, but follow atheist Marxism; otherwise, they will be punished, said Wang Zuoan, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), in an article cited by the Global Times, an English-language communist newspaper.

The statement shows that, despite threats, the issue is still a problem. Wangs article essentially reiterates what the Party had said in 2014 on the incompatibility between party membership and religious beliefs, which have always been seen with suspicion and fear.

"Party members should not have religious beliefs, which is a red line for all members, Wang wrote in an article published in the Qiushi Journal on Saturday, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party Central Committee. Instead, they should be firm Marxist atheists, obey Party rules and stick to the Party's faith because they are not allowed to seek value and belief in religion".

Wang goes on to say that party officials who hold religious beliefs should be persuaded to give them up, and those who resist should be punished by the Party organisation. In addition, party members are forbidden from supporting or getting involved in religious affairs in the name of developing the economy or diversifying culture.

"It is important that Wang constantly reminds Party members not to have religious beliefs. Some people who claim to be scholars support religious beliefs in the Party, which has undermined the Party's values based on dialectical materialism," Zhu Weiqun, chairman of the Ethnic and Religious Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times.

Once the Party's values are damaged, Party unity as well as the Party's basic policy to regulate religions would be sabotaged, Zhu added.

In his article, Wang also stressed the need for a firm political direction in managing religious affairs. "Religions should be sinicised, he wrote. We should guide religious groups and individuals with socialist core values and excellent traditional Chinese culture and support religious groups to dig into their doctrines to find parts that are beneficial to social harmony and development.

Going further, Wang notes that "Some foreign forces have used religion to infiltrate China, and extremism and illegal religious activities are spreading in some places, which have threatened national security and social stability".

Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Committee, agrees.

In his view, foreign forces have used religions, including Christianity and Islam, two non-local religions, to deliberately spread their political views in China, he told the Global Times. Religious doctrines should instead be adjusted to match Chinese ethics and customs, he added.

Lastly, the regulation banning Party members from having religious beliefs is permanent, and may involve more work in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province as well as Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (FP)
Rabee Zarife is a 15-year-old Muslim. In November 2016, he lost his father and both legs when a shell exploded. Today, Caritas Syria is caring for him materially and psychologically. His greatest desire is to complete his studies but he still cannot go to school. Sometimes, he feels like when I was a baby of one-year old.

Damascus (AsiaNews) - Rabee Zarife (pictured) is a 15-year-old Muslim from a village on the outskirts of the capital who, shortly after fighting broke out, moved to Damascus with his family to escape the militia violence. He is one of many disabled youth, Christian and Muslim, who receive help from Caritas Syria.

His greatest dream is to be able to walk, continue his studies, and get a diploma as he promised to his parents. However, he has to deal with his disabilities every day, with the loss of his legs from a shell. In addition to forcing him in a wheelchair, the blast also took away the love of his father who died in the explosion.

He is one of the wars hidden faces. Syrias civil war is a huge burden of pain, suffering and deprivation that has cost the lives of more than 300,000 people. The Christian charity provides for the boy's medical expenses as well as the moral and psychological support he needs to overcome the trauma of last Novembers incident.

His name, Rabee, means spring in Arabic. Addressing the powerful of this world, he asks for peace in his country. I lost my father and my legs in this war, you cant give them back to me, but you can do something else . . . You can help us get peace, good days and spring back in our country.

What follows is his story as told to Caritas Syria:

How was your life before the war in Syria? What did you like to do? What did you like about your life before the war?

I was living in my village, Rihan, north Damascus. My fathers family owned a farm there. I used to run and play with my siblings and cousins all day. I used to help my father to grow the land and in his small auto repair workshop. Our life was simple and beautiful at that time.

I dont understand this war. Can you tell us something about this war that will help to understand what is going on in Syria?

Me too, I dont understand this war. I was severely hurt by something I totally dont understand. This war forced us to leave our hometown, without being able to take any of our belongings. One day, my mother was cooking, when my father suddenly arrived at home and asked her to pack our stuff as soon as possible as armed groups entered the village and we should leave immediately before the road would be cut.

My mother prepared one bag with one piece of clothes for each one of us. We were not allowed to take more. We left our village and arrived to Damascus with nothing but this bag. My father and my uncle started looking for apartments to rent. Damascus is very expensive, so we decided to share one small apartment with my uncles family; otherwise we would not be able to afford paying the rent.

What do you remember of your father?

My father was a hard worker and very brave. He had never lost hope. After a while, he managed to rent a small shop in Abbasying area in Damascus, to be able to earn some money for our living. Life started to become very difficult on all of us, but with my father supporting us all the time, everything was ok. From time to time I used to go with him to his new shop. I liked repairing cars with him, although he didnt want me to become like him. He always asked all of us, my two brothers, my sister and me, to study hard, to be able to become respectful and good people in the future.

How did it you lose your legs? What do you remember?

One day, my fathers friend arrived to the shop and asked him to help him repair his car. My father asked me to go out and park the car near the shop. I did what he asked me to do and came out of the car, my father was coming out of the shop, when a mortar shell fell. I was on the ground in big pain, not aware of what happened to me, when I heard the voice of my father saying: Rabee, dont die, hold on and stay alive. My father passed away as soon as he arrived to the hospital. Me too, my heart stopped beating for a while. They thought that I passed away, and a nurse covered my face. Suddenly she noticed that I slightly moved my hand so they removed the cover and started to do the electric shocks again and I returned to life. I obeyed my father and I stayed alive!

What are your dreams?

My dream is to walk again I want to play again with my friends. When I see them now playing under my window in the street, or when my brothers and cousins say goodbye in the morning to go to school walking, I start crying and crying. I feel myself alone now. All of them leave to school, my mother start working at home and cooking, and I just stay alone. Sometimes I start crawling after her at home, like when I was a baby of one-year old

What would like to do in the future?

I dont know. I just want to be able to continue my studies. Thats all what I want. After the accident, I lost my sight for a few days, they examined my head and did x-rays to check if I received shrapnel causing me the loss of sight, but there was nothing. The doctors said it was the shock. When I gained sight after few days, I suddenly became unable to speak. Again, it was the shock. Till now, I sometimes have problems in my sight, for that I cant study. Maybe I will get better and start to study again in the next scholar year.

Rabee, what is the meaning of your name?

It means spring in Arabic, but since the accident, my family and I are living in a cold endless winter

If you could say a message to the decision makers in the world, what would you say?

I would say: Stop the war in my country, stop the killing and blood, stop hurting the innocents. I lost my father and my legs in this war, you cant give them back to me, but you can do something else You can help us get peace, good days and spring back in our country. (DS)

(Sandra Awad, head of communications at Caritas Syria, contributed to this article)
New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Wednesday said as many as 11,400 farmers committed suicide in 2016. "According to National Crime Records Bureau data for 2016, which is yet to be published, 11,400 farmers committed suicide. In 2015, the number was 12,602," he said in his reply after a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the agrarian crisis.



He said farmers suicides could be checked only by increasing their income and the government was taking necessary steps, including increase in budgetary allocations to the agriculture sector. Earlier, Congress member Jyotiraditya Scindia criticised the government for failing to ensure remunerative prices to farmers.



The Minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural produce to be 1.5 times the input cost to farmers before the 2014 general elections. He said a premium of Rs 3,560 crore was paid under the crop insurance scheme and Rs 3,548 crore distributed as insurance claims to farmers. Similarly, the total premium in 2015-16 was Rs 3,760 crore while Rs 4,710 crore was given as insurance claims.



Responding to allegations of benefitting private companies under the garb of crop insurance, Radha Mohan Singh said: "We are using space technology to solve the problem. We have written to states that they have to decide crops to be brought under insurance scheme. They have to issue tender and set up their own companies if they do not want to give any benefits to (private) insurance companies. The Punjab and Gujarat governments are going to form such companies."



In order to save farmers from clutches of private money lenders, he said, the government had allocated Rs 10 lakh crore for farm credit this year, he said. He said the government had taken up various schemes and initiatives such as integrated farming, agro-forestry, deep fishing, Gokul mission, and organic farming to increase farmers' income.

Interestingly earlier this year the Centre informed the apex court that despite a multi-pronged approach to better income and social security of farmers, over 12,000 suicides happen every year since 2013. Keeping the varied problems in mind the government is already aiming to double farmers income by 2022. Maharashtra tops list on suicides with 4,291 suicides, followed by Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and others.
The Indian Bishops' Conference congratulates Ram Nath Kovind for his election yesterday. A former governor of Bihar, he is a member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. CIBC general secretary urges him to devote himself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of India.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has issued a press release following the election as president of Ram Nath Kovind, from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Signed by CBCI General Secretary Mgr Theodore Mascarenhas, the statement was sent to AsiaNews for wider circulation. In it, Church leaders congratulate the new president and assure him our loyalty and support in the service of our Country.

We assure him of our prayers for his good health and for wisdom and strength that he might guide our beloved Country towards Peace, Development and Justice for all peoples.

We pray that God may assist him that as per the Oath of Office, he will strive to the best of his ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law, and that he will devote himself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of India.

Kovind, 71, is Indias 14th president. He was a Supreme Court advocate and a governor of Bihar. He was the candidate for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.

He won about 66 per cent of the votes in the electoral college against his main rival, Meira Kumar, who was backed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by the Congress Party. Both Mr Kovind and Ms Kumar are Dalit.

The new president will take the Oath of Office next Tuesday. His victory is seen as another political success for Prime Minister Modi, ahead of the 2019 Union-wide elections.

As a Dalit, he can attract support among Indias 200 million untouchables who represent 16 per cent of the electorate.

May India under his leadership march towards greater heights, the CBCI statement says at the end. May God bless our New President and God bless India.
Best Camping Hammocks

Upgrade Your Outdoor Lounge Game With These Hammocks

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

In the balmy days of late summer, when its too damn hot to do just about anything, its tempting to lay about and watch the world go by. And nothing embodies a lazy, lay-about summer day quite like a hammock, right? Once settled into that womb-like comfort, its almost too much to go get yourself another drink. Almost. Of course, youre not the kind to just lay about in your comfort zone, are you? Because, while a hammock is great in the backyard, its even better out in the great big yonder.

RELATED: What to Pack for Camping

You want to get out into the wild, scale peaks and ford rivers. Or at least get out for a bit of camping. But, once your mettle has been tested in the great outdoors  whether it be through a tough hike up a series of switchbacks, or the struggle through traffic, with kids complaints that you should stop to ask for directions, only to find your way into a campsite next to hundreds of other weary travelers  you will want a measure of relaxation. And relaxation is very nearly epitomized by the hammock. Fortunately, the market is filled is with great options for camping hammocks, suitable for both the weekend warrior and the backcountry sojourner.

Day hammocks come in two basic varieties. The first is the basic, lightweight hammock meant for carrying on backpacking trips, where weight and bulk matter. Theyre a small luxury at the end of a tough trail, above the fray and out of the dirt. The second variety are bigger, sturdier  and heavier  hammocks, meant for your base camp or car camping, when you dont have to haul the thing very far, but you just might want to spend a good deal of quality time in it, maybe even with a companion.

RELATED: Best Sleeping Bags and Pads

AskMen-Approved Hammocks

Color Options

Kammok Wallaby Hammock

Best for: Lounging around

This hammock is a great lightweight option. At only 10 ounces, it can be packed down to the size of a soda can, but its made of durable, 40 denier rip-stop nylon, and can hold up to 400 pounds. And, youll be happy to know its big enough for a six-foot tall, grown-ass man. It also has six gear loops for hanging a water bottle, flask, snacks, or flashlight. So you really wont have to get up once you get down.

From $43.07 at Amazon.com

For Sky Watchers

NEMO Cloudview Lite

Best For: Hours of comfort

Nemo took their excellent Cloudview hammock and put it on a diet, shaving half the weight and making it more packable not quite as light as our selections above, but close. Unlike the aforementioned, the Cloudview Lites unique layflat design, with head and toe spreader bars, is ideal for those who dont love the enveloped, sucked-in feeling of a conventional hammock. This makes for a great setup that allows you to swing away in your hammock  maybe strumming your six-string  without being locked away from your fellow campers or, say, the campfire. With its integrated drink holder and tablet/phone pocket, you could lock it in for hours in this baby.

$78 at Amazon.com

Parachute Parts

Grand Trunk Double

Best For: Lots of space

Your base camp is the place to go big or go home. Whether youre a big fella and you like to spread out, or you want someone to cuddle with in your hammock, this one has the room for you. And since its made of parachute grade, 70 denier nylon, it can handle all of you. Unlike most hammocks, this model comes with everything you need to hang it up, making it a superb choice for the price. And, if this matters to you, the fabric comes in a mind-boggling array of colors to suit just about anyone, whether you want to disappear (camo) or stand out (fluorescent batik).

$39.97 at Amazon.com

For Overnight Comfort

Hennessy Expedition Zip

Best For: Good night's rest

This is a great all-around sleeping hammock, made of durable 70 denier nylon, with a polyurethane-coated rain fly. It comes with all the ropes and webbing necessary for hanging. At two pounds, 12 ounces, its a little heavy, but remember, youve got your hammock and your tent all together. Its worth it.

$159.95 at Amazon.com

For Beating Back Mosquitos

Grand Trunk Skeeter Beeter XT

Best For: Easing into no tent camping

If youre looking to try out camping this way, but arent ready to commit to a full replacement for your tent, this is a high-quality option at a great price. It comes with carabiners and a simple rope and suspension kit for the bug fly, which is spacious and zippered on both sides for easy access. While it doesnt come with a rain fly, you can add one later if you discover you need one. We also recommend purchasing a set of trunk straps at some point for ease of use.

$89.95 at Amazon.com

RELATED: Best Air Mattresses For Camping

Hammock Accessories

Most hammocks have additional accessories you can get to customize them to your liking: tree straps, stands, carabiners, mosquito nets, or rain flies. Once you have the model thats right for you, you can add to it to suit your needs.

When it comes to suspension systems there are a few things to keep in mind. The longer the straps and the more attachment points your sling has, the better. More options give you more flexibility to work around different types of trees. Ideally, use straps that are tree-friendly. These models are normally wider, flat and made from nylon or polyester so they wont cut into the bark  even small cuts make a tree more vulnerable to insects.

ENO Eagles Nest Atlas Straps

These straps loop back onto themselves for easy setup and takedown. The durable polymide material is tree-friendly and has a combined weight capacity of 400 pounds.

$29.94 at Amazon.com

Azarxis Wire Gate Carabiners

No need to over-engineer your hitching solution, unless youre hanging it up over a precipice, with locking steel biners. Aluminum wire gates are fine, both lighter and cheaper, for a hammock application. Comes as a set of two.

$9.99 at Amazon.com

Therm-a-Rest Snuggler Hammock Insulation

The Snuggler attaches underneath your hammock to cover your backside on chilly nights, a particular vulnerability with lightweight backpacking hammocks.

$129.95 at Amazon.com

pys Hammock Bug Net

The largest mosquito net on the market, this offering is long enough and large enough to fit even double hammocks. The lack of a central ridge also enables unfettered stargazing and the large access portal makes for easy late-night forays.

$24.90 at Amazon.com

ENO Profly Rain Tarp

Another great accessory from Eagles Nest Outfitters, the Profly tarp is lightweight, durable, and water-shedding. The DWR-treated 210 denier ripstop nylon has six attachment points to customize your hammock shed.

$79.95 at Amazon.com

Nemo Stargaze Recliner

Nemos Stargaze Recliner is a hammock for your butt, while lazing about the campsite, suspending on an engineered frame that allows the dynamic swinging motion of a hammock. As the name suggests, the chair can be set for both enjoying the nighttime sky or upright for socializing with friends. While packable and lightweight, the Stargazes aircraft-grade aluminum/composite frame is rugged enough to set up on broken ground.

$90 at Amazon.com

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Best Mattress Toppers

Quit Sleeping On A Subpar Bed - Upgrade It Instantly With One Of These

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

While sleep might come second fiddle to pulling an all-nighter to turn in a big report or a sexy date leads to sunrise, getting an adequate amount of rest is essential to your health and overall mood. Without shut-eye, your body misses out on the necessary opportunity to regenerate, regroup and cleanse itself for the day of hectic meetings, workouts and foods it needs to process before hitting the hay again. For many people - especially men who might not put as much effort into shopping as their female friends - the wrong mattress can be the culprit that is causing you to toss and turn.

In fact, a four-year study conducted by Research Triangle International and Dr. Andy Krystal and Dr. Jack Edinger from Duke University discovered that many factors contribute to the satisfaction you have with your mattress choice. After studying more than 16,000 nights of sleep on 128 subjects, the answer was clear: what you sleep on not only impacts how many hours you log, but your overall health, too.

While you might not have a stash of cash to purchase a new mattress, adding a topper that alleviates your issues can be the middleman you need to stop counting sheep and start catching Zzzs. Here's where to start your search:

SensorPEDIC Slumber Supreme 2-Inch 5-Zoned Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Best For: People who have children

As much joy as those little tykes bring to your life, once they made their grand entrance, any chance of having crisp, pressed gray sheets didn't just go out the window, but they raced. And hey, maybe on a lesser scale, but the same could be true for having dogs, especially if you never quite worked out how to get the pup to stop sleeping on your pillow. This great buy will not only transform your old mattress into one that feels fresh off the presses, but it features a circular knit fabric cover with an anti-statement treatment, ensuring that if apple juice, crayons or paw prints make their way into your bedroom, your topper won't be ruined. Available in every size you could want, the added stretch-to-fit polyester skirt will keep it in place and help your sheets to fit better, too.

$135 at Amazon.com

Novaform Serafina Collection 3-Inch Gel- Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Best For: People in a new relationship

A trusted brand in the world of mattress toppers, Novafoam is an American-made company that features a variety of heights and materials to give you all of the Zzzs you need to carry on a happy, active life. This 3-inch gel pick is among the thickest, but for those who are calmed by the texture of gel, it's the right buy. And if you are in a new relationship where you are sharing your bed for the first time in years, it's a happy compromise between the plush feeling she wants and the semi-soft vibe you are aiming to find. The temperature-activated pearls in the foam also help you cool down after all that action you might be enjoying these days, too.

$120 at Amazon.com

Zen Bamboo Ultra Soft Bamboo Mattress Topper

Best For: People with allergies

As much as you've always dreamt of having a dog (and heck, maybe even a cat), being prone to allergies is a tough lifelong diagnosis. If your nose and eyes can tell when there is anything from smog and pollen to dust mites and even peanuts, then you'll want to be extra mindful when selecting a mattress topper. Because many are made with feathers, especially the higher-end ones, stick with a hypoallergenic pad, like this one to be on the safe side. Not only is this topper overfilled with down alternative fibers to create what many reviewers call a 'cloud-like' napping bed, but the cooling, natural microfiber and natural bamboo will regulate your body temperature, too. But our favorite feature? This topper is machine-washable, so you won't have to waste any hard-earned dough on dry cleaning (that let's face it: you'll never find time to pick up).

$64 at Amazon.com

Zinus 1.5 inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Best For: Sensitive sleepers

Close your eyes and think about when you tried to fall asleep last night: did you hear the cars outside? Or maybe your neighbor in the apartment next door blaring their television? Or when your partner moved even a slightest nudge, it was enough to send you wide awake. This cool gel memory foam mattress will cater to the unique angles of your body, helping you to relax into those feel-good sleepy vibes easier. Certified for durability, performance and comfort, this brand offers size twin, queen and king, so it's ideal for size home or apartment-living complex. And hey, do you prefer to shower in the morning instead of before bed? The topper is infused with green tea extract and castor natural seed oil to eliminate odor-inducing bacteria. Gross but practical!

$30 at Amazon.com

Pinzon Hypoallergenic Overfilled Microplush Mattress Topper

Best For: People who like a plush sleeping experience

Though the majority of men will claim they prefer a tougher surface to lay their noggin on at night, if you are in the softer-is-better camp, we won't tell your dad. Everyone has a different preference for sleeping. It doesn't matter if you prefer a slab of marble or a ridiculously plush pillow - whatever works, works. This appropriately-named find features microplush fabric that is overfilled with loft-retaining, polyester filling for extra comfort. This bad boy also has deep pockets that fit mattresses up to 18-inches deep, making the mattress pad moonlight as a mattress protector, too. Plus, the end-to-end box stitched with a mitered border will ensure it stays put, no matter how many wild, crazy dreams you have during the night.

$50 at Amazon.com

PharMeDoc Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Best For: People who work out

Major props for hitting that gym circuit regularly. But fair warning dude: recovery is just as important as the weight you are benchpressing or the time it takes you to run a mile. In fact, Olympic-level athletes know better than anyone how essential it is to prioritize your health above anything else. This brand makes many mattress toppers, all of which serve different ailments you might suffer from, thanks to burning the night oil at the CrossFit box. The supportive memory foam mattress topper will align your spine as it shapes to your body, relieving pressure or stress you may be feeling post-workout. The impact-resistant material also helps soften your nighttime ebbs and flows, helping you to sleep more soundly, too. After all, you do have that 7 a.m. outdoor bootcamp to get to!

$43 at Amazon.com

Dorm Topper

Best For: People sleeping in a dorm

aNever thought you'd be back in college, eh? Life has a way of surprising you and if you find yourself shopping for dorm room essentials, yet again, bring this pad to your new, ahem, pad. Though this dense, soy-based cooling gel foam covered in sustainable fabric and moisture-wicking wool is intended for dormitory-style living, if you were able to snag a small apartment near campus, the brand offers pad all the way up to California King.

$119 at Dormtopper.com

Lux Living PurChill 2-Inch Ventilated Cooling Memory Foam Topper

Best For: People who tend to run hot

While your girlfriend might be chilly near the air conditioner on the hottest, most humid day of summer, you might suffer from a bad case of the sweats in the dead, darkest night of winter. Depending on your personal, internal thermometer, you need a ventilated cooling system to keep you from overheating while you are sleeping. What's super-cool about this memory foam topper is its 'Phase Change Material (PCM) that when paired with gel, creates a cooler and deeper sleeping experience, throughout all your rems.

$250 at Mattressfirm.com

Snuggle Home 2" Blended Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper

Best For: Outfitting the guest bed

When you are at that stage in your life where having pals, in-laws or your folks stay over is the norm, you want a nice bed for them to rest their head on after long travel days (or drunken nights). This trustworthy pick is ideal for any type of sleeper - especially the older crowd - as the memory foam relieves pressure points. The open cell foam construction also helps promote healthier circulation, too.

$109 at Sleepys.com

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By Monique Mann, Lecturer, School of Justice, Researcher at the Crime and Justice Research Centre and Intellectual Property and Inn

An Australian Tax Office (ATO) staffer recently leaked on LinkedIn a step-by-step guide to hacking a smartphone.

The documents, which have since been removed, indicate that the ATO has access to Universal Forensic Extraction software made by the Israeli company Cellebrite. This technology is part of a commercial industry that profits from bypassing the security features of devices to gain access to private data.

The ATO later stated that while it does use these methods to aid criminal investigations, it does not monitor taxpayers mobile phones or remotely access their mobile devices.

Nevertheless, the distribution of commercial spyware to government agencies appears to be common practice in Australia.

This is generally considered to be lawful surveillance. But without proper oversight, there are serious risks to the proliferation of these tools, here and around the world.

The dangers of the spyware market

The spyware market is estimated to be worth millions of dollars globally. And as Canadian privacy research group Citizen Lab has noted, spyware vendors have been willing to sell their wares to autocratic governments.

There are numerous examples of spyware being used by states with dubious human-rights records. These include the surveillance of journalists, political opponents and human rights advocates, including more recently by the Mexican government and in the United Arab Emirates. In Bahrain, the tools have reportedly been used to silence political dissent.

Commercial spyware often steps in when mainstream technology companies resist cooperating with law enforcement because of security concerns.

In 2016, for example, Apple refused to assist the FBI in circumventing the security features of an iPhone. Apple claimed that being forced to redesign their products could undermine the security and privacy of all iPhone users.

The FBI eventually dropped its case against Apple, and it was later reported the FBI paid almost US$1.3 million to a spyware company, reportedly Cellebrite, for technology to hack the device instead. This has never been officially confirmed.

For its part, Cellebrite claims on its website to provide technologies allowing investigators to quickly extract, decode, analyse and share evidence from mobile devices.

Its services are widely used by federal government customers, it adds.

Spyware merchants and the Australian Government

The Australian government has shown considerable appetite for spyware.

Tender records show Cellebrite currently holds Australian government contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the specific details of these contracts remain unclear.

Fairfax Media has reported that the ATO, Australian Securities and Investment Commission, Department of Employment , Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Department of Defence all have contracts with Cellebrite.

The Department of Human Services has had a contract with Cellebrite, and Centrelink apparently uses spyware to hack the phones of suspected welfare frauds.

In 2015 WikiLeaks released emails from Hacking Team, an Italian spyware company. These documents revealed negotiations with the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the AFP and other law enforcement agencies.

Laws and licensing

In Australia, the legality of spyware use varies according to government agency.

Digital forensics tools are used with a warrant by the ATO to conduct federal criminal investigations. A warrant is typically required before Australian police agencies can use spyware.

ASIO, on the other hand, has its own powers, and those under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, that enable spyware use when authorised by the attorney-general.

ASIO also has expanded powers to hack phones and computer networks. These powers raise concerns about the adequacy of independent oversight.

International control of these tools is also being considered.

The Wassenaar Arrangement, of which Australia is participant, is an international export control regime that aims to limit the movement of goods and technologies that can be used for both military and civilian purposes.

But there are questions about whether this agreement can be enforced. Security experts also question whether it could criminalise some forms of cybersecurity research and limit the exchange of important encryption technology.

Australia has export control laws that apply to intrusion software, but the process lacks transparency about the domestic export of spyware technologies to overseas governments. Currently, there are few import controls.

There are also moves to regulate spyware through licensing schemes. For example, Singapore is considering a license for ethical hackers. This could potentially improve transparency and control of the sale of intrusion software.

Its also concerning that off-the-shelf spyware is readily accessible to the public.

War on math and government hacking

The use of spyware in Australia should be viewed alongside the recent announcement of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls so-called war on maths.

The prime minister has announced laws will be introduced obliging technology companies to intercept encrypted communications to fight terrorism and other crimes.

This is part of a general appetite to undermine security features that are designed to provide the public at large with privacy and safety when using smartphones and other devices.

Despite the prime ministers statements to the contrary, these policies cant help but force technology companies to build backdoors into, or otherwise weaken or undermine, encrypted messaging services and the security of the hardware itself.

While the government tries to bypass encryption, spyware technologies already rely on the inherent weaknesses of our digital ecosystem. This is a secretive, lucrative and unregulated industry with serious potential for abuse.

There needs to be more transparency, oversight and strong steps toward developing a robust framework of accountability for both the government and private spyware companies.

Monique Mann is a Board Member of the Australian Privacy Foundation and is on the Advisory Council of Digital Rights Watch Australia. While at the Australian Institute of Criminology, she consulted for the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission on information systems and cybercrime. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the views of any Commonwealth agency.

Adam Molnar is a Board Member of the Australian Privacy Foundation and is on the Advisory Council of Digital Rights Watch Australia.

Dr Ian Warren is affiliated with The Australian Privacy Foundation.

Originally published in The Conversation.


(Goglik83/Bigstock.com) (Goglik83/Bigstock.com)

Visa over stayers in Australia are most likely to have simply forgotten to regularise their paperwork rather than be deliberately flouting the system, according to experts.The latest figures from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) show that the number of over stayers has stayed around the same for a number of years, at around 60,000 per year.The highest number who over stay are from Malaysia with almost 10,000 doing so in the 2016/2017 financial year. There were 6,500 over stayers from China and 5,170 from the United States, some 3,700 from the UK, 2780 from Indonesia and 2,730 from India.About 5,000 people are believed to have over stayed for three months or less, more than 11,000 have over stayed between two and five years and 6,600 between 15 and 20 years while a further 12,080 are believed to have stayed illegally for 20 years or longer.But the number has hardly changed with 53,900 in 2010, 58,400 in 2011 and 62,100 in 2014. According to migration agents the record is good given a massive increase in the number of tourists and students arriving in recent years and an increase of 500,000 since 2010 in the number of temporary visas being issued.According to Jonathan Granger, vice president of the Migration Institute, it may be that it is easier for people from Malaysia to get visas as the country is rated as low risk. Australia is also very popular with Malaysian students seeking a university education.Malaysia is covered by the Electronic Travel Authority, which means their tourist visas are essentially approved automatically and it may be that it has become too easy to get a visa. Experts believe most have forgotten to renew their paperwork rather then deliberately staying in the country illegally.A DIBP spokesman said that anyone who has over stayed their visa should get in touch with the department and in the vast majority of cases it is possible to resolve the situation. 'We have numerous channels for contact with the public, including offices around the country, where people can speak to a departmental officer. There is also a Status Resolution Service available to visa over stayers at no cost,' he said.He explained that the rate of people reporting themselves to the department had increased in recent years, including some long term over stayers. 'The vast majority of people coming to Australia comply with Australia's migration laws and overall compliance with Australia's migration programme is high,' he pointed out.However, Senator Stirling Griff has called for tighter checks, especially for temporary and student visas. 'These are the easiest to abuse, as there is little checking up of tourists. Given that more than 47,000 over stayers came here on tourist visas and well over half originated from Asian countries, there is a good argument for a greater degree of scrutiny,' he said.
dimspiraki said:

Does anyone know how can i find out if a person lived in Australia had Australian citizenship? Is there a relevant service that maintains these files? My mother lived in Australia in the 70's for 10 years, now she is sadly not living to ask her. I certainly want to know becouse I'm considering migrating to Australia.

Thank you all in advance Hello,Does anyone know how can i find out if a person lived in Australia had Australian citizenship? Is there a relevant service that maintains these files? My mother lived in Australia in the 70's for 10 years, now she is sadly not living to ask her. I certainly want to know becouse I'm considering migrating to Australia.Thank you all in advance Click to expand...

Due to laws protecting privacy, it might not be easy to get such information.As a suggestion, contact the closest Australian Consulate in your country & ask them if they can advise you if your mother was an Australian Citizen. You will most likely have to provide proof that she is your mother, before they give you any information.
Dear forum members,



I am new to the forum and wish I would have found it sooner. I moved to Australia on an eVisitor visa at the end of March and I was planning to apply to 189 skilled visa and work on a bridging visa. I had a consultation with a MARA registered agent who advised me to take a student visa if I wanted to work during the waiting period as she thought I would not be able to work on a bridging visa (later I found out Bridging visa for 189 does allow to work..).



So I am now on a student visa and I am not able to find any office work and the quality of the course I am doing is not good hence I would like to cancel my student visa and go back to my eVisitor visa which expires in March 2018.



Is there any way to cancel my student visa and go back to my eVisitor visa?



I have only spent two months on my evisitor so if it is still active I should be able to have 6 months still with the condition I leave every 3 months.



If you could give me any advise on whether I can cancel my student visa and go back to the evisitor without any negative consequences (as I would like to apply for the 189 while on the evisitor) would be much appreciated.



Thank you
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KTAB

Tommy Simons had never seen something so unnerving in his 10 years working as a real estate agent in Abilene.

About a month ago, Simons took a listing on East North 13th street to sell a home recently vacated by renters. When he walked to the backyard, he saw a shed on the property next door with a collage of more than two dozen photos of women he knew.
Here are four legislative updates for ASC leaders to note from the past month.

CMS proposes 1.9% increase in 2018 ASC pay

CMS released a proposed rule updating the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System. CMS proposes increasing payment rates by 1.9 percent to ASCs that are meeting quality reporting requirements. CMS based the increase on the consumer price index but adjusted it in accordance with the ACA. For more on the proposal, click here.

House bill to expand Oregon ASCs' hours dies in Senate

The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems' lobbying efforts contributed to officials killing House Bill 2664 in the Senate. The bill would have allowed Oregon ASCs to expand their hours, which sparked opposition from the hospital association.

Oklahoma ASCs face updated building standards to meet Medicaid, Medicare safety codes

The Oklahoma State Department of Health implemented new standards for building requirements applicable to ASCs and hospitals. The health department set the standards to meet current national Medicaid and Medicare safety code guidelines. The rules will go into effect Oct. 1.

ASC owners challenge Georgia's CON law in state Supreme Court

Cartersville-based Georgia Advanced Surgery Center for Women owners Hugo Ribot Jr., MD, and Malcolm Barfield, DO, sued the Georgia Department of Community Health, claiming the state's certificate-of-need legislation is unconstitutional. The ASC owners' lawyers testified in front of the state Supreme Court on June 26, saying the law violates anti-monopoly provisions in the Georgia Constitution.
The International Association of Top Professionals named David Bass, MD, its Top Doctor of the Year in Gastroenterology for 2017.

Here's what you should know:

1. The organization honored Dr. Bass for his leadership and commitment to gastroenterology.

2. Dr. Bass has more than two decades of experience in the field. He began his career after earning his medical degree from India-based University of Mysore. He completed a residency at Rochester, N.Y.-based St. Mary's Hospital and a fellowship at New Orleans-based Tulane University.

3. He practices out of Digestive Health Associates of Texas in Dallas.

4. Dr. Bass has received several top honors from multiple publications.

5. He is an American College of Gastroenterology fellow.
As hospitals and health systems juggle compliance issues under the ACA and implement new payment models to transition away from fee-for-service medicine, many institutions are looking to strengthen their financial management arms.

Below are 11 hospitals and health systems that posted job listings seeking revenue cycle management expertise during the past week.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Job listings were compiled from online job seeker websites. Hospitals and health systems are listed in alphabetical order.

1. Advocate Health Care (Oak Brook, Ill.): seeks a revenue cycle operations improvement project manager

2. Alameda Health System (Oakland, Calif.): seeks a senior revenue cycle analyst

3. Emory Healthcare (Atlanta): seeks a revenue cycle operations supervisor

4. Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis): seeks a revenue cycle billing auditor

5. Hopedale (Ill.) Medical Complex: seeks a revenue cycle manager

6. Maine Line Health (Philadelphia): seeks a professional revenue cycle, outpatient practices manager

7. Miami Children's Hospital: seeks an information technology revenue cycle business analyst

8. NYU Langone Health (New York City): seeks an outpatient revenue cycle analyst

9. Scripps Health (San Diego): seeks a revenue cycle manager

10. Stamford (Conn.) Hospital: seeks a revenue cycle assistant

11. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (Dallas): seeks a revenue cycle billing specialist
Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo continues to struggle with staffing more than a month after CMS said the 449-bed behavioral health hospital could potentially lose Medicare funding if the issues weren't adequately addressed, reports The Pueblo Chieftain.

The news comes after the hospital failed a June 5 inspection by state officials. At the time of the inspection, CMHIP had nearly 100 vacancies among the 723 direct care positions, a shortage that had apparently existed for months beforehand, according to the report.

This sparked patient and staff safety concerns, and federal regulators threatened to end the hospital's Medicare contract after determining the facility posed "immediate and serious threat to the health and safety" of its patients. The hospital made adjustments following the state inspection, such as launching a recruitment campaign and emergency personnel plan, and was notified by CMS late last month it would no longer lose its Medicare funding, reports The Pueblo Chieftain

But this week the Colorado Department of Human Services said CMHIP still has more than 80 direct care vacancies, the report states.

Employees told The Pueblo Chieftain CMHIP is retraining and offering overtime pay to existing staff, such as correctional guards, to serve in direct-care jobs. They also claim staff is overworked.

Colorado Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, said the hospital's acting superintendent, Kim Nordstrom, is doing her best to fix the staffing problem. Former Superintendent Ron Hale resigned days after the failed inspection.
After disclosing a record-setting gift of $10 million last week, Kentfield, Calif.-based Marin General Hospital received a bequest twice the amount, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

The gift of $21 million allocated $15 million to pay for the construction of the new west wing of the hospital, $3 million to support the existing Braden Diabetes Center and $3 million to be used on anything the hospital needs.

"A $21 million bequest for a community hospital is unheard of," Lee Domanico, CEO of Marin General Hospital, told the Marin Independent Journal. "This gift is really symbolic and can be used to catalyze major giving."

The bequest came from Bruce Braden, an individual that served on Marin General Hospital Foundation's board.
Intel reportedly cut a smartwatch and fitness-tracker group earlier this month, CNBC reports.

Here are four things to know.

1. Intel made a significant push into the wearables market in 2014, acquiring the Basis fitness watch for roughly $100 million and partnering with celebrities to promote its sensors. However, the company has not discussed the wearables division in its earnings calls in the past few years, CNBC reports.

2. Some speculated Intel was planning to move away from the wearables market in November after the company recalled its Basis Peak devices and halted the sale of the device altogether.

At the time, Intel told TechCrunch: "Intel is in no way stepping back from the wearables business. In fact, we have several products in the works that we are very excited about, as well as prior launches that highlight our wearable technology such as the TAG Heuer Connected watch and recent Oakley Radar Pace smart eyewear."

3. A person familiar with the matter told CNBC Intel laid off roughly 80 percent of the Basis group in November. The source also added Intel proceeded to cut the entire group about two weeks ago, although some employees were able to relocate to other company divisions.

4. Intel has shifted some of its focus to augmented reality, another person familiar with the company told CNBC.

Intel did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
NewYork-Presbyterian has promoted Michael Breslin, senior vice president of finance, to CFO, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Prior to joining the NewYork-Presbyterian system, Mr. Breslin served as CFO of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and as president and CEO of Richmond University Medical Center in New York City.

Mr. Breslin will succeed Phyllis Lantos, who is transitioning to the role of senior advisor to NewYork-Presbyterian President and CEO Steven J. Corwin, MD, PhD.

"Michael has many years of proven financial success in healthcare," said Dr. Corwin. "We are confident that he will continue to maintain our financial strength and stability."

More articles on executive moves:

University Medical Center New Orleans hires VP of business development

Parkridge Health System selects new CMO: 3 things to know

10 hospital, health system CIO moves so far in 2017
Cook County is laying off 1,100 people to make up for the loss of $68 million in potential revenue from a sweetened beverage tax that is held up in Illinois court, and officials can't agree on which departments to slash jobs from, according to WTTW.

Since the layoffs were announced, Cook County Sherriff Tom Dart has expressed concerns about the recommendation to lay off 925 of his employees, saying his department has already made major cuts.

At the Cook County Board meeting Wednesday, County Commissioner Stephen Toboslki said there's a simple solution to the problem  eliminate the 700 unfilled positions at Chicago-based Cook County Health and Hospitals.

"At the hospital, just those 700 positions, if they're budgeted at anywhere from 50-100, your savings could be anywhere from $50 million to $100 million," he said at Wednesday's meeting, according to the report.

However, Cook County Health and Hospitals CEO Jay Shannon, MD, said solving the budget issue is not that easy.

"If we have a surgeon who leaves tomorrow, I don't want to be in a situation where we can't hire another surgeon to give the care the patients deserve," he said. "I don't think it's a realistic solution."

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which challenges implementation of the sweetened beverage tax. Ms. Preckwinkle said the judge will rule on that motion on Friday but expects the case to play out for years in court, according to the report.

More articles on leadership and management:

Give everyone option to purchase Medicare, says UAB Health System CEO

NYU Langone Medical Center to rebrand

Michael Dowling: How to gain physician trust? Get back to the basics
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of more than 30 conservative lawmakers, is working to ensure a vote on a straight repeal of the ACA, reports The Hill.

Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Va., revealed plans Thursday to file a discharge petition on a straight repeal of the ACA. The Hill notes this would effectively "start the process of triggering a vote."

"I commend both the President and Republican leadership for working to replace the monstrosity that is Obamacare. However, we have seen discussions for replacement continue to stall and we must change our approach to reforming healthcare," Mr. Garrett said in a prepared statement.

He added, "The House should lead with an incremental approach by supporting a clean-repeal bill and then enter into replacement negotiations. As such, I just initiated a seldom-used parliamentary procedure to advance H.R. 1436 [to repeal major portions of the ACA] through a discharge petition. The overwhelming majority of my Republican colleagues cast their vote in support of this legislation in 2015, and I have faith they will do nothing short of that now."

The House approved the American Health Care Act to repeal and replace the ACA back in May, while the Senate's repeal and replace bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, collapsed Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has since proposed a full ACA repeal strategy that involves repealing major portions of the ACA and initiating a two-year delay to allow for development of a replacement plan. The repeal would come as an amendment to the AHCA, similar to a measure the Senate passed in 2015 that was vetoed by former President Barack Obama.

The discharge petition, introduced by Mr. Garrett, must sit in the House Rules Committee for at least a week, so a vote could potentially take place as early as September, according to the report.

The measure "requires legislation to have been in committee for 30 legislative days. Once that criteria is met, it must receive a simple majority of signatures to advance directly to the floor for a vote," Mr. Garrett's announcement states. The measure introduced this week "must sit in committee for seven legislative days prior to filing of the petition itself."
The American Medical Association drafted a letter to Congress regarding the repeal and replacement of the ACA.

Here are four things to know:

1. AMA CEO and Executive Vice President James L. Madara, MD, wrote the letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

2. The letter emphasized the AMA's opposition to the ACA repeal and replacement, due to the estimated loss of healthcare coverage for millions.

3. Dr. Madara writes the Better Care Reconciliation Act and Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act do not address industry concerns, including:

 Maintenance of health insurance for those currently covered

 Preservation of key insurance market reforms

 Stabilization and strengthening of individual insurance market

 Coverage affordability for low- and moderate-income patients

 Adequate funding for Medicaid, safety-net programs

4. The letter concludes, "Again, we urge you to reject efforts to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act and work instead toward improvements that will increase access to affordable, quality health care coverage for all Americans."
The explosion occured at a restaurant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on July 21, 2017.[Official Sina Weibo account of CCTV News]

At least two people were killed and 55 others injured in a gas explosion at a restaurant in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on Friday morning, according to the local government.

A witness said the explosion shook the nearby buildings, sounded like a bomb.

The injured were rushed to the hospital. The fire has been under control.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited a total of 49 countries in the last three years, the government said in response to a question in the Parliament. Modi's foreign trips as PM started with his visit to Bhutan in June 2014. Further, he has visited the USA five times in the last three years. The prime minister has visited 10 countries in the last seven months as well.
EasyJet reported a 16% rise in sales to 1.39bn in the three months to June 30, with passenger numbers increasing by 10.8% to 22.3m.

EasyJet, which flies to 28 destinations from Belfast International, has upgraded its annual profit forecast after a good Easter boosted third-quarter revenues. The budget airline reported a 16% rise in sales to 1.39bn in the three months to June 30, with passenger numbers increasing by 10.8% to 22.3m.

As a result, easyJet said full-year pre-tax profits are expected to come in between 380m and 420m, up from earlier forecasts.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall, who will leave the company to take the top job at ITV in January, said: "Our purposeful and disciplined growth continues to strengthen our market positions and we are seeing an underlying improving revenue trend.

"Although we expect capacity to continue to put pressure on yields, our progress this year has enabled us to upgrade this year's profit-before-tax forecast and demonstrates that, after a difficult 18 months of external challenges, easyJet once again has positive momentum."

However, profits will still come in below last year's 495m, when the firm was stung by the plunging pound.

Ms McCall leaves the low-cost carrier at a difficult time for the sector in the UK with Brexit storm clouds gathering over the travel industry.

The pound's collapse has meant fewer people travelling overseas and, more starkly, British airlines are at risk of being grounded unless Tory ministers strike an aviation deal with the EU before March 2019.

To mitigate the impact, easyJet last week confirmed that it has applied for a new air operator's certificate (AOC) in Austria to allow it to continue flying in the European Union after Britain's divorce from the bloc. Shares in easyJet fell over 5% to 1,343p in morning trading yesterday.

Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "The problem is that easyJet is struggling to get its new passengers to pay the same as the old ones did."
The Upsee was manufactured by James Leckey after an Israeli mum created it for her son with cerebral palsy

A Northern Ireland manufacturer of healthcare products that support posture for children and adults with disabilities has reported a pre-tax loss of 344,010 in its accounts for the year ending September 2016.

Lisburn-based James Leckey Design Limited said its turnover for the year remained stable and dropped only slightly from 16m in 2015 to 15.5m in 2016.

The company is well-known for manufacturing the Upsee, which is a children's harness created by an Israeli mother for her young son who had cerebral palsy.

It sells the Upsee and other forms of equipment for children through Fireflyfriends.com.

Leckey's latest accounts returned a pre-tax loss of 344,010, after a pre-tax profit of 164,190 the year before.

The company, established in 1983, said the turnover reflected "no sales growth and a challenging year for the business across all markets".

In a strategic report accompanying its accounts the company said: "Pressure on NHS budgets in the UK market is driving a need to extend the lifespan of equipment to get more value from spend through reissuing equipment to a greater number of users."

And it also took on new sales advisers and rebranded its sales and distribution in the US as Vida.

"Under the Vida brand the company created separate sales teams for its occupational therapy, physiotherapy and mobility product ranges," the report said.

"The new teams are settling in well and the directors are positive the changes made will help the UK market return to positive sales growth."

Leckey paid out a total of 5.9m in wages, social security and pension costs to an average of 189 employees, including directors. The seven directors were paid 700,858 in total including pension contributions.

The report also recorded that Leckey's primary distribution partner overseas, Ottobock Healthcare, made a "surprising decision" to withdraw from the German market, meaning it had to find an alternative.

"It decided to launch Vida Global Gmbh which has quickly established itself as a serious competitor," it said.

Leckey praised its online business Firefly which "grew very strongly during the year" and has now reached break-even. It is expected to "contribute significantly" to profits this year.

Leckey said: "While the overall result for the group is disappointing, the directors are satisfied with the sales channel improvements and the progress of Firefly will help to return the company to good sales growth and profitability in the next financial year".

The Upsee is now distributed in more than 30 countries.

The Upsee was manufactured by James Leckey (below) after an Israeli mum created it for her son with cerebral palsy
Vodafone sales fell 3.3% to 10.2 billion in the quarter to June 30

Revenues at telecoms giant Vodafone dipped in the first quarter as the group was again held back by its under-pressure Indian business.

Sales across the group fell 3.3% to 11.47 billion euros (10.2 billion) in the quarter to June 30, with revenue in India plummeting 13.9% amid "continued price competition".

Earlier this year, Vodafone booked a 3.7 billion euro (3.2 billion) writedown on its Indian unit after striking a deal to merge the operation with Idea Cellular to help tackle a price war in the country.

In the UK, revenue fell 4.5% to 1.75 billion euros (1.5 billion) as it was hit by falling sales and the impact of the pound's plunge since the Brexit vote.

The deconsolidation of Vodafone Netherlands and foreign exchange movements also dented the firm's performance in the period.

Better figures were seen in Spain and Italy, where the firm reported robust growth, along with Africa, the Middle East and Asia, with sales rising 1.2%, driven by a strong performance in Turkey.

Vodafone's preferred measure of sales showed group service revenue up 2.2% at 10.28 billion euros (9.23 billion).

Chief executive Vittorio Colao said: "We have made a good start to the year in Europe, where our commercial momentum remains robust, and growth accelerated across Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

"Although competition in India remains intense, service revenues stabilised compared with the prior quarter.

"We are gaining profitable market share in broadband, and a growing proportion of our customers now take our fully converged offers.

"Overall, this performance gives us confidence in reiterating our outlook for the year."
The 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan is Northern Ireland's fastest selling used car for the month of June 2017, new figures have revealed.

Data from Auto Trader shows the model took an average of 25 days to sell.

Northern Ireland was one of only a handful of regions in the UK to see a diesel used car top the list, with petrol powered motors taking the top spot for most areas.

Meanwhile, the new statistics showed that variations of the 2015 Hyundai i30 took both the first and second spot as the UKs fastest selling used car in June.

The petrol automatic version took an average of just 16 days to leave the forecourt, followed closely by the petrol manual, which took 19 days.

The Hyundai ix35 (petrol manual) reached fifth on the national top 10 list, taking a very respectable 20 days to turn.

Hyundai isnt the only brand to enjoy multiple listings for the same model. The 2012 Nissan Qashqai (petrol manual) made it into the top three, with 20 days to turn, followed by the 2015 Qashqai (petrol automatic) in fourth place, also taking 20 days to sell.

Whilst an automatic transmission may have taken the top spot on the national top 10 list, it didnt fair quite so well across the regions.

Of the 13 regions/countries that Auto Trader monitors, eight didnt feature a single automatic on their respective top 10 lists - this includes Northern Ireland, East England, North East, Scotland, South West, Wales, Yorkshire and West Midlands.

Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Retailer & Consumer Products Director, said: As we enter into the second half of the year its reassuring to see that despite ongoing uncertainty, consumer demand for quality used cars remains solid.

Our data allows us to identify what cars are the most popular across the country, which is key to identifying future sales opportunities.

Hyundai UKs President and CEO, Tony Whitethorn, added: Im delighted to see that the 2015 Hyundai i30 petrol automatic was the number one fastest selling used car in June, with the i30 petrol manual derivative coming a close second place.

"The i30 is an attractive proposition for consumers offering a combination of quality, reliability, efficiency and high levels of standard specification. Coupled with Hyundais industry leading five-year, unlimited mileage warranty thats fully transferable, its a great choice for those in the market for a used vehicle.
Owen Wilson is back in the driving seat for Cars 3, but both Lightning McQueen and him are feeling their age. The actor tells Laura Harding why getting older isn't all it's cracked up to be, but he's still a kid at heart.

Lightning McQueen was once the fastest car on the track. The fictional stock car blew away the competition and helped propel the first animated Cars movie to the title of the most profitable Disney Pixar film of all time.

Cars 3 comes 11 years after the first instalment was released and Lightning is older and fending off competition from younger, more technologically-advanced rookies.

The same might be said for 48-year-old Owen Wilson, who has lent his voice to the character for all three movies, as well as numerous toys, rides, games and spin-offs.

He has aged just as much as Lightning - and he's feeling it.

"I wonder if my voice has changed from the first one," he says. "Do people's voices change as they get older?

"For an actor you play a certain type of role in your 20s and 30s and I don't know if those roles would be appropriate for me now.

"I kind of felt that at least I didn't have to worry about that in the animated world, the ageing, and then I get this script for Cars 3 and even Lightning McQueen is getting older.

"Is nothing safe from the ravages of time? It is brutal."

Wilson is aware he's not far off 50, but says of ageing: "It's more something that I would ignore or pretend isn't happening than something where I'm thinking 'yes I can't wait to get older'. When you're a kid you like getting older, but once you're older I don't know that you like getting older."

When it's put to him that the passage of time might bring with it a greater sense of contentment, he replies: "I guess that is the sort of thing you can say to console yourself."

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The young new pretender threatening to topple Lightning from the top spot is rookie Jackson Storm, who is voiced by The Social Network star Armie Hammer. As Hammer says: "Jackson Storm epitomises the next-gen racers. They're young, brash and confident. Jackson Storm is newer and faster."

But our hero finds a new sense of purpose when he meets innovative trainer Cruz Ramirez, voiced by Cristela Alonzo, who helps him discover he has an important contribution to make, and Wilson says this idea particularly resonated with him as a father to two little boys.

He says: "As parents you try to teach your children. You want them to learn the lessons you've learned along the way and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls. I think it applies to the world of Cars, too.

"One of the most important things in life is finding those mentors. For me, when I was just starting out, it was James L Brooks. He brought Wes Anderson and me out to Los Angeles and produced our first movie [Bottle Rocket]. He worked with us for a year on the script.

"To have somebody like that take the time to help us get that movie made - it made all the difference in our lives."

Collaboration is an important part of Wilson's career - until 2012's Moonrise Kingdom he had either helped write or starred in every film Anderson, his college roommate, had made.

He has also starred in 11 films with Ben Stiller, his pal of more than 20 years, so for an actor who works so closely and so frequently with other creatives, it must be strange for him to return to the relatively solitary life of the voice-over booth to make the Cars films.

He said: "A few times they would bring in other actors for some sessions, Bonnie Hunt I worked with on Cars 2 and with Paul Newman (who voiced Doc Hudson in Cars before his death in 2008) we had a day together, and then Cruz Ramirez and Lightning McQueen, we recorded together on the same day.

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"But it is mostly by yourself but in a way it's a more pure form of acting, in the sense that it's child-like and how you are as a kid when it's total make believe, and luckily I'm very in touch with that and I'm able to do it.

"I think and I would hope that I'm not too cynical.

"When you're beginning, it's new and then you've done something for over 20 years, but it's still that feeling of when you feel like you did a good job or came up with an idea to make the story better always makes you feel good."

Now Wilson is more interested in taking control, musing: "I would love to write something, I started off as a writer, at some point I would like to maybe try writing again.

"I think because it's one thing to act, where you are sort of serving somebody else's vision and within that you may contribute ideas, but obviously if you're writing something from start to finish then it's more a reflection of your sensibility. It would be nice to do that again."

Wilson will next be seen in person in Wonder, an adaptation of the book of the same name about a little boy with facial differences who enters a mainstream school for the first time.

He stars opposite Julia Roberts (left) and Room's Jacob Tremblay in the movie, which will be released in the UK in December, and he has also wrapped production on comedy Who's Your Daddy, opposite The Hangover's Ed Helms and Glenn Close.

So where does that leave the future of Cars?

"I don't know," Wilson admits. "Right now it's a trilogy and I felt the story completed the circle in a way. It was done in a moving way so if this was the last one it would be a nice one, but if they came up with a new idea I would certainly be doing it."

Cars 3 is in cinemas now
Northern Ireland's George Lowden and Paul McMordie will come together at the Sunflower Pub on July 25 to host Whiskey and Strings, an intimate guitar-filled evening celebrating both of their stories and successes in music.

Attendees will have the opportunity to discover new guitar playing techniques, and surprise music performances from Northern Irelands most-loved musicians.

A lauded guitar instructor, Paul knew since the very first time he heard Jimi Hendrix as a kid, that he would grow up to do something different to his school friends.

Despite his mums wishes for him to go to work in the yard, as was the tradition in Belfast at the time, Paul knew his path would take him in a different direction.

Pauls carefully refined teaching methods and playing style have been ringing in the ears of the worlds best known musicians, with past pupils including Nathan Connolly from Snow Patrol and Paul Mahon of The Answer.

Amongst Pauls passion projects is the Belfast Guitar Festival, an annual event showcasing the skills of home-grown talent and providing them with a platform to exhibit their skills and teach their international peers a strum or two about how things are done here.

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Paul established the Festival to encourage a culture of doing things right within the local music scene and cementing fraternity and friendship in the Northern Ireland music scene so that the shared bond of music is always the focus.

Guitar maker George made his very first guitar aged ten with just a fishing line and some nails, but little did he know then that his instruments would today be the most coveted in the world.

George started supplying guitars to the most iconic musicians in the world in 1974 and today the likes of Ed Sheeran, Eric Clapton and Gary Lightbody consider George a musical genius, and their Lowden guitar a best mate.

To register for tickets to attend the 'Whiskey and Strings' #AnswerTheCall event, visit the events section at answerthecall.co.uk
Addressing the impact of Brexit on the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic will require "flexible and imaginative solutions", David Davis acknowledged as Brussels said more work needed to be done on the issue.

Addressing the impact of Brexit on the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic will require "flexible and imaginative solutions", David Davis acknowledged as Brussels said more work needed to be done on the issue.

The European Union's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK Government had to clarify how the common travel area would be maintained and also raised concerns about the impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement.

Brexit Secretary Mr Davis said the latest talks in Brussels had demonstrated that both sides in the negotiations on the UK's withdrawal from the EU were committed to the Agreement.

Mr Barnier said: "We agree that the important issue of the Good Friday Agreement between Ireland and the UK, in all its dimensions, requires more detailed discussions.

"In particular, more work needs to be done to protect North-South co-operation between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"Today, that co-operation is embedded in the common framework of EU law and EU policies.

"We need to better understand how the UK intends ensuring the continuation of this co-operation after Brexit.

"We also agree that the UK should clarify in the next session how it intends maintaining the common travel area after leaving the EU." At a joint Press conference in Brussels at the conclusion of four days of talks, Mr Davis said: "Both sides remain committed to the Good Friday Agreement and achieving flexible and imaginative solutions to address unique circumstances around the border and particularly on the North-South dimension of the Agreement.

"These include the mechanisms we have discussed to preserve the common travel area and the rights associated with it, rights laid down, of course, in a British Act of Parliament as well as, in part at least, in the Amsterdam Treaty."

Mr Davis also insisted that the Conservative deal with the DUP at Westminster would not impact on its role in attempts to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland.

He said: "The British Government continues to take incredibly seriously its requirement for impartiality, irrespective of any deal of any sort."

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he was "satisfied with the direction of the discussions" but said more detailed work was needed on protecting North-South co-operation.

He said: "The specific question of the border was not part of this week's round of negotiations, and was never intended to be.

"However, the focus this week on protecting the gains of the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts is of course directly relevant to the crucial objective of avoiding a hard border.

"My officials and I will continue to work closely with Michel Barnier and his team to ensure that sufficient progress is made on the Irish-specific issues in phase one of the negotiations."
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said the money secured by the DUP as part of the deal to prop up Theresa May's government will be spent, whether or not a Northern Ireland Executive is in place.

Confusion has reigned over the conditions attached to the 1bn deal which is to go toward the health service, schools and roads. Secretary of State James Brokenshire suggested the money may only be available should there be an Executive, however, the DUP have said that was not a condition of the deal they signed.

In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, the Tory party implied that the restoration of devolved institutions is not a precondition for the funding.

Speaking on Friday, the DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who signed the deal between the two parties, said the money would be spent regardless.

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"Let me be crystal clear," he said, "If there is no executive the money will be spent and it will be spent from Westminster."

He said that given his party, alongside the independent unionist Lady Sylvia Hermon, were the only representatives in the House of Commons for Northern Ireland, would "obviously have an influence".

He said the agreement provided for a consultative committee to be formed to work out how the money would be spent.

"We are heading for direct rule," he added, "but we can't hang around forever and if an Executive is not formed in the summer, the secretary of state will have to act.

"The place [the money] should be dealt with is in the Executive as it will give all the parties a say, but the DUP will ensure it is delivered."

Before his suggestion the money may be delivered on condition of the Executive's restoration, James Brokenshire did tell the Commons further steps would be taken to provide the "necessary political decision-making in the best interests of everyone in Northern Ireland".

Expand Close The deal was done in Downing Street (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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" I reaffirm that the UK Government remains prepared to take forward legislation at Westminster to give authority for the expenditure of Northern Ireland departments should an Executive not be restored," he said.
Alwyn Cahoon, 53, also took 600 from a girlfriend to replace her oil tank before disappearing, prosecutors claimed.

An alleged serial fraudster entered a dealership to sell a car that wasn't his, the High Court heard today.

Alwyn Cahoon, 53, also took 600 from a girlfriend to replace her oil tank before disappearing, prosecutors claimed.

Crown lawyer James Johnston said: "He seems to be an individual who, colloquially speaking, has a brass neck for passing himself off and committing these offences."

Cahoon, of Oak Grove in Banbridge, was granted bail on strict conditions including a curfew and electronic monitoring.

He is facing charges of fraud by false representation and forging or altering an MOT disc related to three alleged sets of offences between October 2013 and October 2015.

One incident involved the alleged 1,100 sale of a Ford Transit van discovered to have a fake vehicle registration certificate, the court was told.

Mr Johnston claimed Cahoon then carried out a bogus deal for a car that didn't belong to him in August 14.

"He brought himself onto a sales yard whilst a willing purchaser was in attendance and made the purchaser believe he had authority to sell the car," the barrister contended.

Arrangements were said to have been made to meet and exchange cash the following day.

According to the prosecution Cahoon also told a woman with whom he was in a casual relationship that her oil tank was faulty and needed replaced.

She allegedly gave him 600 after being informed he could do the job for that amount.

But police were called in amid claims he repeatedly cancelled arrangements to carry out the work.

"He said he would give the money back to her, then disappeared for six months," Mr Johnson claimed.

Charges have only been brought against Cahoon now because of difficulties in locating him, he added.

Asked where the accused has been since 2013, defence counsel Gavyn Cairns said he had spent a period living in the north west.

Granting bail for Cahoon to stay at an address in Kilrea, Mr Justice O'Hara also ordered him to report to police three times a week.

The judge stressed that investigating detectives and prosecutors must be alerted immediately if he disappears again.
Superintendent Emma Bond and the McIlwaine family at the checkpoint where leaflets were handed out

A call has been made for volunteers to help out with a new search for missing Newtownabbey man Dean Mcilwaine.

Volunteers are asked to gather at the Hightown Road entrance to the country park at noon on Saturday. The search is supported by the Northern Ireland Land Rovers club, Belfast City Council, Belfast Hills along with land owners and the PSNI.

SDLP councillor Paul McCusker is one of the coordinators. He said: "I would encourage anyone who is available to please get involved. It was heartbreaking to watch Dean's parents as they made that emotional plea to everyone to help return their son. Dean's family, friends and girlfriend are devastated and everyone is praying that this popular man returns home soon.

"On Saturday we will have a number of teams to cover this popular park and would ask any experienced hill walkers to give assistance. Please wear appropriate foot wear and clothing, volunteers will be on hand to support those taking part in the search."

For further information, contact Paul on 07467339637.

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Police held a vehicle checkpoint on Thursday on Carnmoney Road, the last place he was seen around 1pm on Thursday, July 13.

Leaflets with Mr McIlwaine's photo were handed out in the hope of jogging any memories of his movements.

Speaking at the appeal yesterday, brother Glen said that he idolised Dean.

"I just want to say, Dean, wherever you are, just let us know, I need my brother back, mum and dad need their son back," he said.

Comforting his wife, Dean's father Rod added: "We need you, we're lost without you."

Shortly after the vehicle checkpoint police officers using a sniffer dog and working with members of the Community Rescue Service continued their search in a woodland near the family home.

The 22-year-old is described as 5ft 8in, of medium height with blue/green eyes.

He has distinctive sleeve tattoos on both arms.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Family and friends of Dean McIlwaine at Belfast city hall help organise a search for Dean who has been missing from the 13th of July . Picture Colm O'Reilly Police conducting searches Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police conducting searches Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Dean's father Rodney and mother speak to the press on the Carnmoney Road. Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. PSNI officers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. PSNI officers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. PSNI officers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. Community search and refuse volunteers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. PSNI officers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. PSNI officers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 20th July 2017 The PSNI conduct an appeal and search for 22-year-old Dean McIlwaine who was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on the 13th July. PSNI officers search a wooded area close to where Dean was last seen and the family home. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Superintendent Emma Bond and the McIlwaine family Police conduct searches for missing man Dean McIlwaine close to the Mossley West Station in Newtownabbey on July 20th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph CCTV image of Dean McIlwaine SDLP councillor Paul McCusker helps organise a search for missing Dean Dean with his girlfriend Demi-Jo McMahon Family and friends of Dean McIlwaine at Belfast city hall help organise a search for Dean who has been missing from the 13th of July . Pictured is Dean's Aunt Kim Malone. Picture Colm O'Reilly / Facebook

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He was last seen wearing a short-sleeved maroon shirt, denim knee-length shorts and dark coloured canvas shoes.

Police have also released CCTV footage of him entering a Spar shop hours before his last confirmed sighting.

On Monday night a huge crowd gathered at Belfast City Hall to volunteer to help take part in the search.
The scene in South Belfast near to where the man's body was discovered. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com

The PSNI have made a renewed appeal for information about a body discovered in the Lagan River.

The man's body was recovered from the water near Shaw's Bridge in south Belfast on July 14.

Earlier this week police released images of the individual's clothes, showing the jeans, belt and trainers that the man was wearing.

Since making their appeal the PSNI have received just over 30 reports from the public.

Speaking about the investigation the PSNI's Detective Inspector Richard Thornton, the senior investigating officer in the case, said: "During our investigations, we have checked the mans fingerprints against the Northern Ireland and UK databases, checked missing persons reports, have checked with hospitals and we continue to liaise with An Garda Siochana colleagues.

"While we are not treating this death as suspicious, it is important that we can inform the man's loved ones of his passing. We believe someone out there must know who this man is."

The man was not carrying any identification when he was found, was not wearing any distinctive jewellery and does not have any piercings or tattoos.

Officers believes that he is aged in his fifties, is around 5' 8'' tall, and was wearing a black t-shirt, navy blues jeans, a distinctive dark-coloured belt with a silver rectangular buckle, and navy trainers in a men's size 10.

Anyone with any information or who believes they might know who the man's identity is asked to contact police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting the reference number 522 with the date 14/07/2017.
Northern Ireland's Chief Constable has been set a final autumn deadline to disclose all relevant police files in a major High Court action over alleged collusion with a loyalist paramilitary agent suspected of up to 15 murders.

A judge warned that failure to adhere to the October 1 order will result in him striking out the PSNI's defence to a claim brought by a north Belfast man who survived two UVF attempts on his life.

Rejecting a police application for more time to meet discovery obligations, Mr Justice Stephens said: "Years have passed without compliance and there is no clear acceptable plan for future compliance."

The final cut-off point was imposed in proceedings issued by John Flynn.

Mr Flynn, 57, is suing the PSNI over murder bids allegedly carried out by an agent who operated in the city's Mount Vernon area.

In 1992 a gunman tried to shoot him after he was lured to Whiteabbey Hospital on the outskirts of the city.

Five years later a second attempt was made to kill him in a failed car bomb attack.

Mr Flynn brought a lawsuit against the Chief Constable for alleged negligence and misfeasance in public office.

In 2014 the PSNI admitted his misfeasance claim and accepted he should be paid damages.

But the force emphatically denies negligence or having ever employed the covert human intelligence source - identified only in the case as 'Informant 1'.

The agent is suspected of involvement in 10-15 murders, punishment shootings, serious beatings, conspiracy to murder, robbery, hijackings and drug dealing.

Mr Flynn's action was triggered by the findings of Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan that some Special Branch officers colluded with loyalist killers.

Her Operation Ballast report, issued back in 2007, centred on the activities of a UVF gang allegedly led by Mount Vernon man Mark Haddock.

As part of the lawsuit Mr Flynn's lawyers are continuing to seek access to PSNI documents.

They argued the police admission of partial liability was a tactical move to avoid handing over all files on the informant and cover over the full extent of alleged collusion.

An affidavit filed by Mr Flynn claimed police either failed to arrest the agent for the murders and other crimes or else conducted "sham" interviews, despite knowing he was a leading UVF figure.

Misleading records were deliberately compiled, while other documents and forensic exhibits were either destroyed or lost, he alleged.

Mr Flynn also claimed: "I believe that the police knew I was at risk from Informant 1 and were quite content to let me be murdered by him and his associates."

Last year a High Court judge ordered the handover of 13 categories of police documents.

Counsel for the Chief Constable sought more time to provide discovery, stressing that the material being sought covers a period of more than a decade.

It was claimed that it could take years to identify all the files, with 1,500 documents said to relate to Informant 1.

A Public Interest Immunity (PII) process alone would cost in excess of 300,000, according to a Superintendent asked to assess the scale.

But despite accepting the complexity of the discovery process, Mr Justice Stephens held that resource implications would not be of the extent suggested.

He added: "Inherent in the proposition that the defendant has now to start from scratch is the unacceptable inference that the defendant has done nothing, or nothing useful, about discovery over many years."

Extending time for full compliance until the autumn, the judge stressed no further period would be permitted.

He ordered: "Unless the defendant provides discovery by noon on October 1, 2017 the defendant's defence is struck out, with judgment being entered for the plaintiff on the basis of all of the allegations contained in the statement of claim and with damages to be assessed on the same basis."
A DUP MP has hit out after a Sinn Fein councillor declined to comment about displaying pictures of a 'F*** the DUP' banner on social media. Mid and East Antrim councillor Patrice Hardy retweeted the picture of the banner from a Pride parade in London, but failed to defend the posting yesterday.

The banner was thought to be the result of the focus on the DUP's opposition to same-sex marriage during the party's negotiations with the Conservatives to maintain Prime Minister Theresa May's position of power.

Ms Hardy, who was subjected to a social media onslaught last year when a fake account on Instagram - a popular photo sharing site - showed explicit images of women that the creator claimed to be the councillor, retweeted the banner picture on July 8.

Yesterday she made no comment when contacted by the Belfast Telegraph, but acknowledged receipt of the question of where the posting of the picture fitted into her party's current emphasis on respect.

The Belfast Telegraph also contacted Sinn Fein through its Press office, but again there was no comment.

DUP East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson (left) criticised the councillor over the post.

"The fact that she and her party have remained silent about this speaks volumes," he said.

"It just confirms everything that all of us know about Sinn Fein. They talk about respect but don't even understand the meaning of the word.

"Respect for them means them tolerating everything that they want tolerated, even their commemoration of gunmen, but when it comes to genuine respect for other cultures, parties, and views they don't really have any conception of what it means

"And apart from the offensive language on the banner, it hardly says a great deal about how they want to treat their political opponents.

"Last week they were complaining about posters being burned on bonfires yet they post on social media banners about their opponents which use swear words."

At the time of her Instagram ordeal, Ms Hardy hit out at the "lowlife" who set up the account with "explicit photos which weren't of me".

"Social media can be cruel and people can be worse," she added.
IRA abuse victim Mairia Cahill has backed up the Republic of Ireland's Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty's version of a Leinster House confrontation with Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald.

The minister and Ms McDonald have clashed over whether the Dublin TD "sneered" at the former senator following a Dail debate on abuse in 2014.

Ms McDonald has categorically denied the allegation but Ms Cahill has now told the Irish Independent she was in the smoking area on the night in question when the pair met by chance.

"She smirked. I took it exactly how I felt it was intended. I exploded and said 'are you going to tell the truth today'.

"She said I always 'tell the truth'. She was sneering," Ms Cahill said.

In a Hot Press interview Ms Doherty was asked for her view on the deputy leader of Sinn Fein, replying: "The day we had statements on Mairia Cahill (in the Dail), Mairia was in that day with her cousin Eilis O'Hanlon, sitting up in the gallery.

"And afterwards I brought her to the smoking area and Mary Lou happened to be there and sneered at her and slagged her. Only I witnessed it myself, I don't think I would've thought it would've been possible for it to come out of her mouth."

Ms McDonald has categorically refuted the claims, describing the comments as "deeply malicious".

"I do not slag people off. If I have a difference with someone, I have it honestly and respectfully and openly. That event simply did not happen," she said.

Ms Cahill has been an outspoken critic of Sinn Fein since going public about her rape at the hands of an alleged IRA member in 1997, when she was aged just 16.

She was later forced to face her abuser at a Kangaroo court organised by IRA members.

The PSNI did bring a case against the alleged rapist but it subsequently collapsed. Ms McDonald stood firmly by Gerry Adams as he came under intense pressure over his handling of the controversy.

Mr Adams said the IRA has "long since left the scene" so there is "no corporate way of verifying" Ms Cahill's claims about an IRA investigation.

Asked about Ms McDonald denial of a confrontation, Ms Cahill told the Irish Independent: "This might be another case of selective memory for Sinn Fein.

"The one person who has been consistent in both her dealing with me and in her dealing on the abuse claims was Regina Doherty.

"I do think she came to me for no other reasons that she was trying to help and was appalled by what was happening."

Ms Cahill said Sinn Fein "lied through their teeth" after she went public.

She said there was a small group in the smoking area on the evening in November 2014 when Ms McDonald came around the corner carrying a stack of files.

Ms Cahill said the deputy smirked at her and she reacted by asking whether she was going to tell the truth in her Dail contribution.

Ms McDonald replied that she always tells the truth.

"She stayed then with a while with another member of Sinn Fein. I wasn't happy and made it known I wasn't happy about the way I was treated by her."

Ms Cahill added: "At the time the one comment that came back to me over and over was that the main shock for people in the South was how Mary Lou conducted herself during that episode.

"If anyone has damaged her reputation, it's herself.

"She has nobody to blame but herself."

by kevin doyle
A former estate agent once linked to a murdered UDA chief has been found dead.

The body of Philip Johnston (51) was discovered at his Bangor home in the Bryansburn Road area on Wednesday afternoon.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

In 2005, Mr Johnston, a former estate agent, had been accused of being engaged in money laundering linked to flamboyant UDA chief Jim Gray.

Gray was murdered in October 2005, outside his parents' home in Clarawood, east Belfast.

In a statement issued last night, the PSNI said: "Police attended the scene of the sudden death of a man aged in his 50s at a house in the Bryansburn Road area of Bangor on Wednesday July 19.

"The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time."

It is expected a post-mortem will be carried out to ascertain the cause of death.

Charges against Mr Johnston were dropped in 2006 by the Public Prosecution Service but his estate agency business in east Belfast had been damaged by the money laundering charges, charges which he had always denied.

In 2006, Mr Johnston told the BBC he had been afraid to end his association with prominent loyalist Gray.

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People no longer wanted to do business with him once they heard he had been charged and he became financially ruined, he told the BBC's Spotlight programme

"There isn't a winner in this whole situation.

"The majority of people dropped me like a hot stone," he said.

"My name will never be restored.

"Anybody who talks about Philip Johnston, the estate agent, in the future will be synonymous with two things, one, property and two, Jim Gray/paramilitary organisation/ money-laundering etc."

Mr Johnston eventually sold off his remaining estate agency interests in 2013.

In 2011, he was refused a gun licence, despite having held one previously.

Following a judicial review of the decision to deny Mr Johnston a firearms certificate, in 2013 a High Court judge then decided that the licence had been withheld due to Mr Johnston's alleged links with loyalist paramilitaries.

At the court hearing, it was claimed that Mr Johnston had had a 'social relationship' with UDA boss Gray.

The estate agent had also been involved with others in a 250,000 deal to buy the Avenue One Bar from Gray, the High Court in Belfast had previously been told.
Two ocean rowers have been rescued from their boat capsized 165 miles off the Irish coast.

Brian Conville, 25, from Dublin and Joseph Gagnon, 20, from Quebec, Canada were found clinging for life in the Atlantic Ocean after their boat failed to right itself.

The pair were winched to safety by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew on Friday.

Mr Gagnon's mother Claire Martin had just flown in to Dublin from Canada when a phone call came through that a rescue mission was underway for her son and his rowing mate.

She said: "It was a lot of stress but we were in touch and in contact with the Irish Coast Guard so we knew that they were trying to do their best."

The families of the two rowers came together and waited for about two hours to hear whether their sons had been rescued.

The Sikorsky Rescue 117 helicopter based in Waterford carried out the mission about 165 miles west-south-west off Mizen Head, the most southerly point in Ireland.

"Everything is okay. The boys are okay," Ms Martin said.

"We have very little information. It's hard to tell but the information we have is that they are okay. They have hypothermia but they are in the heat now."

The alarm was raised after the rowers' emergency position indicating radio beacon, known as an Epirb, was set off when the boat capsized.

The first indications of an incident came at about 10.30am, a spokeswoman for the Ocean Rowing Society said.

The rescue mission was complete at lunchtime and the rowers were airlifted to Tralee Hospital in Co Kerry for treatment.

Mr Conville and Mr Gagnon had set themselves a challenge of rowing west-east across the Atlantic and were on course to enter the record books for being the youngest pair to complete the voyage from Canada to Ireland.

The rowers left St John's, Newfoundland, at midday on June 13.

It is understood they were aiming to land in Co Cork in the coming days after injuries including bruises and blisters curtailed their original ambition of rowing to France.

The two men's families travelled from Dublin to visit them in hospital.

Ms Martin was waiting to disembark a plane after landing in Dublin Airport when the first call came through about the emergency.

She said: "It was the (Irish) Coast Guard and they had received a distress message from the boat so one helicopter and one plane left to try and find the guys.

"We waited for two hours with Brian's family and then we had news that they had found the boat and it was capsized but the two boys were in contact with it."

The Irish Coast Guard's search and rescue manager Gerard O'Flynn said: "It highlights that if you can raise the alarm and stay afloat then you stand a very good chance of being rescued."

Mr O'Flynn praised the work of the helicopter crew and officials at the incident control offices on Valentia and the Irish Air Corps which provided top cover support .

A spokeswoman for the Ocean Rowing Society said the most important thing was that the rowers had been found.

She added: "But it is such a shame really, only 160 or so miles from Ireland.

"Whoever tries to row an ocean, first of all they must be a great person. I believe both of them did their best."

A retired cardiologist, 62-year-old Nenad Belic from Chicago, disappeared and was never found after his ocean rowing boat capsized in a storm 260 miles from the Irish coast in 2001.

The families of the rescued rowers said they had indications of something going wrong when trackers stopped feeding back information.

It is thought the boat capsized at about 5am and the rescue did not take place until 3pm, with the pair clinging to the boat in the Atlantic for up to eight hours.

Mr Conville's mother Cathy, from Raheny in Dublin, spoke to her son as she travelled to the hospital.

"They are very good," she said. "They are kind of probably in shock that it happened but they are in very good form."
Gardai said the N2 was closed to allow forensic collision investigators on to the scene

Gardai at the scene of the accident near Aclint Bridge in Ardee, Co Louth

Three women, including a mother and daughter, have been killed in a road accident as they returned home from a holiday in Turkey.

Gardai said the crash happened at about 12.30am on the N2 a few minutes north of Ardee as a group travelled home to Donegal from Dublin Airport.

The women were named locally as Mairead Mundy and Rachael Cassidy Battles, both aged in their late 30s, and friends and neighbours who lived beside each other in the village of Bruckless, south Donegal.

The third victim was Ms Mundy's mother, 69-year-old Margaret McGonigle.

A six-year-old girl, one of Ms Battles' four children, was seriously injured in the crash and taken to Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin.

Thomas Pringle, Independent TD in Donegal, knew those caught up in the tragedy.

"It's impossible to know what to say," he said.

"The local community, everybody, is just devastated and in shock. It's going to be very hard to come to terms with it.

"Two families coming home from a family holiday, it's just tragic circumstances."

Fr James Sweeney, of St Joseph and Connell Church in Bruckless, celebrated a wedding after the news of the tragedy unfolded.

"There's just an absolute sense of shock and devastation," he said.

"The fact that a mother and daughter and a friend, all three in one accident, it's almost overwhelming."

Fr Sweeney added: "It was particularly a sad day for everyone concerned - the beginning of life for one couple and the ending for others."

Three cars were involved in the crash near Aclint Bridge on a relatively wide stretch of road on the Monaghan-Louth border where the speed limit is 100kph.

The cause of the accident is not known but it is understood initial investigations are examining whether the driver of one of the cars swerved to avoid another, which a third car collided with.

Two of the cars were carrying the group of family and friends as they returned to Donegal from holiday.

One of the women who was killed was driving.

It is understood that the husbands of the two younger women were also in the vehicles with a number of children.

One of the husbands remained seriously ill in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and other children were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

Superintendent Feargus Treanor was at the scene within about half an hour of the crash.

"The road was wet but the conditions were fairly okay. It did deteriorate later," he said.

"It was a tough scene."

The cars involved are believed to have been a Vauxhall, a Toyota and a Volkswagen.

Specialist Garda forensic collision investigators spent hours at the scene.

The road was closed for the day with diversions in place, and motorists driving on or off the M1 were being asked to travel to junction 17 for the exit for Castleblayney.

Gardai have appealed for witnesses.

Colm Carthy, Sinn Fein councillor on Monaghan County Council, said politicians were given a presentation in May on the potential to upgrade the N2 from Ardee to Castleblayney to a dual carriageway.

"Transport Infrastructure Ireland said it will be upgraded but not until the level of traffic increases," he said.
Tolls on the Severn crossings linking England with Wales are to be abolished for all vehicles at the end of 2018, it has been announced.

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said the move would boost the economy of South Wales by around 100 million a year and could save regular users of the bridges by car as much as 1,400 a year.

The toll has been in place since the first Severn Bridge was opened in 1966, when the charge stood at two shillings and sixpence  the equivalent of 12.5p in decimal currency.

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Charges are now levied only on westbound traffic  leading some to describe them as a tax on entering Wales  and stand at 6.70 for cars, 13.40 for large vans and minibuses and 20 for buses and lorries.

Season tickets are available at 117.92 a month for the smaller category of vehicle, 235.84 for the middle band and 396 for the larger.

Prime Minister Theresa May promised to scrap the toll in May this year, during her campaign for last months general election.

Severn Crossings PLC was given the right to collect payments for 25 years as part of deal to build a second crossing in 1992. The two bridges will be operated by Highways England when they return to public ownership next year.

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They are used by more than 25 million vehicles annually crossing the Bristol Channel on the M4 motorway.

Mr Cairns, who was announcing the decision to business leaders in Newport, said: The decision to abolish the Severn tolls next year sends a powerful message to businesses, commuters and tourists alike that the UK Government is committed to strengthening the Welsh economy.

By ending tolls for the 25 million annual journeys between two nations we will strengthen the links between communities and help to transform the joint economic prospects of South Wales and the South West of England.

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I want to ensure that visitors and investors know what Wales has to offer socially, culturally and economically. Most importantly, I want the world to know how accessible we are to business.

The decision we have taken today is right for Wales future prosperity and I am sure that it will be welcomed by industry and motorists alike.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling added: Tens of millions of motorists a year will benefit from the end of tolls on the Severn bridges, saving them money and cutting journey times. People who use the crossing every day will save a minimum of 115 a month.

Abolishing the crossing fee will also drive economic growth for businesses in Wales and the South West and further strengthen the bond between our two great countries.
Princess Charlotte falls over as she, Prince George and their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visit Airbus in Hamburg, Germany.

Princess Charlotte stumbled and fell on a visit with her brother and parents to a plane factory in Germany.

The toddler was picked up and comforted by the Duchess of Cambridge, who laughed off the trip.

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The family were on the last day of their five-day tour which took in Poland and parts of Germany.

Charlotte and her older brother Prince George had the time of their lives when they were given a guided tour of two helicopters by their pilot father.

The excited youngsters clambered into the cockpit of the aircraft flown by the Duke of Cambridge in his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot, and another model.

The treat for the children came as their parents five-day tour of Poland and Germany came to an end with a visit to aircraft manufacturer Airbuss sprawling plant in Hamburg.

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George tried on a helmet and Charlotte pushed buttons in the cockpit, but appeared to have a little tantrum outside the helicopter  jiggling her legs before falling to the floor. She was quickly picked up by the Duchess of Cambridge.

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Antoine van Gent, head of flight testing at Airbus, said: The Duke was very relaxed showing his children the professional aircraft he uses.

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George was excited  with the first helicopter he wanted to sit in the cockpit and then he wanted to sit in the next one, he already knew there was a difference between them.

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Charlotte was also excited. After her brother had sat in the cockpit, she wanted to as well.

Charlotte asked her mother if she could push a button and the Duchess glanced at us and asked if it was okay, and we said yes.
The first thing that tells you it was a ludicrous plot is that it depended on fog. How often do you get fog on the night before Christmas? It's not a wholly improbable occurrence, but neither is it so common that you could plan a jailbreak around the expectation of it.

The second thing that tells you it was a daft plan is that they went ahead with it - even though the fog let them down. Four of them - Marshall Mooney, Marty O'Rawe, Tommy Tolan and Gerry Adams - crawled out into the night with wire-cutters.

The third thing that tells you they had no chance of escaping was the wire-cutters were going to be of no use against the high metal wall that surrounded the compound of Long Kesh.

If they got as far as the barbed wire, they could cut that. Then what were they going to do? Summon the Tardis? Ask Scotty to beam them up? Sure, they could have done that from their beds and got the same likely result.

Gerry Adams has announced this week that he is appealing his convictions for the crime of trying to escape from Long Kesh while he was interned there.

There are two anomalies in his case. The first is that he has already confessed several times to trying to escape. He has written about it at least twice and though the accounts diverge in interesting emphases, the basic story is in both of them.

Adams, Mooney, Tolan and O'Rawe were trying to get out of the camp surreptitiously and they were caught. Granted, a true believer in human rights would not really consider it a crime to try to escape from internment without trial, but that's not the argument here.

The second anomaly is that those men had no chance of escaping that night, certainly not by the methods they chose. Their best defence, had they chosen to make one, would have been that they were acting the lig. That is certainly what some of the other interned IRA men there thought.

Tommy Gorman said: "I doubt very much if this was a serious attempt to escape, because the chances of success were infinitesimal.

"Maybe Adams wanted to get shifted up to the sentenced end (of the camp).

"His other attempt at escape was as ridiculous. He shaved himself and then taped the beard all back on again, swapped places with another man who was a foot smaller than him."

A former Derry IRA officer commanding (OC) said he also witnessed Adams's escape attempt: "We had a tunnel out of cage 5 and were all set to go and somebody looked out the window and said: 'Look at those boys'. And there was Adams and co cutting the wire.

"What was the point of that?

"At that stage, you were in the walkway that the Brits used to patrol. They got to the point that anyone could have got to, but what was the point, because the lookout post would have seen you?"

Adams did not defend himself against the charge of trying to escape. Provos, at that time, did not recognise the courts. He has said that he sat through the proceedings knitting.

But if Adams and the others were not trying to escape, what were they trying to do? Get caught?

Even Gerry Adams's own accounts of the escape attempt make it sound like a bit of a lark.

When soldiers passed close to them, one of the men stood up and drew attention to himself in the hope that the others wouldn't be noticed. He started cutting the wire in plain view.

When that seemed not to work, Adams stood up and started clowning, hoping to let the other two get away, though by now the soldiers had the wire-cutters.

All four were arrested. Adams writes: "Tommy had hit on the trick of shouting at Marty O'Rawe in a British accent and marching him up to the punishment cells." He was apparently pretended to be one of the arresting soldiers, hoping that the real ones wouldn't notice.

This version of the story makes the British soldiers seem stupid and incompetent.

They also are depicted as brutal, threatening the arrested men with dogs.

In the account of the escape attempt and arrest in Adams's 1996 book Before The Dawn, the arresting soldiers are British and they are gormless thugs.

One of them scratches Adams's face while pulling his glasses off. When being examined by a doctor, Adams asked for cream for the cut and the doctor affects not even to see the cut, so Adams said "Happy Christmas" and left it at that.

In the later account, written in 2006, the arresting soldiers are Ulster Protestants using sectarian language.

By this stage Adams was putting faith in the good intentions of the British and viewing unionism as the obstacle to the peace process. He used the retelling of the escape story to present the British as benign.

In the first version Adams presents himself as tough and resilient. In the later account he described himself as huddled in his cell, frightened and praying, as angry with the clowning of some of his own comrades as he is with the soldiers outside. Tolan and Mooney are taunting the soldiers and even trying to implicate Adams in their game.

The story becomes a kind of parable of the tender-hearted and sensitive soul who wants peace being undermined by his friends in the IRA and by the brutal bigots in uniform.

Only one person in the story appreciates Adams and he enters at that point, another decent-hearted man in the middle of this chaos, reaching out.

The door of Adams's cell opens. A soldier stands there. Adams prepares himself for a beating. But the soldier has brought cigarettes and wants to wish Adams a happy Christmas. If this is a parable, then the soldier stands for Tony Blair, the understanding Brit.

If this midnight visit really happened, it was left out of the first account, probably because no interest was served then in showing a humane side of a British soldier. Gerry Adams was convicted of trying to escape and was transferred then to the section of the camp for sentenced prisoners.

Once there, he was made OC of prisoners in cage 11, where he was in a position of command over Bobby Sands, Bik McFarlane and Brendan Hughes - men who would have roles in the restructuring of the IRA and in the later hunger strikes.

Is it too fanciful to suppose that Gerry Adams is pulling our legs with his yarns about his escape attempt and that the real plan, as Gorman suggests, was to get a conviction and a sentence so that he could move to the heart of the IRA in the sentenced area and start to reshape the campaign?
Citigroup offices at Canary Wharf, London, as the bank will be the latest bank to commit to opening an EU hub in Frankfurt. Photo: Tim Ireland/PA

Citigroup bankers have been officially notified of the lenders plans to bolster its Frankfurt office as part of Brexit contingency plans. The bulked-up Frankfurt office  which currently houses 350 staff  will become a broker-dealer entity, allowing the US bank to continue serving EU clients after the UK leaves the bloc.

An internal memo sent to staff said Citi is expecting to ramp up a number of divisions including private banking, corporate and investment banking and capital markets by increasing its footprint in other EU financial hubs including Amsterdam, Dublin, Luxembourg, Madrid and Paris.

It has said its Belfast operations will not be affected.

Citis Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) boss James Cowles told staff that while it is not yet possible to assess the outcome or timing of Brexit negotiations, the US lender was likely to increase its EU headcount.

In certain circumstances we may need to create approximately 150 new roles located in the EU, Mr Cowles said, according to the internal memo.

In all cases, London will remain both our EMEA headquarters and an important global hub for Citi, he added.

Citi employs around 9,000 staff in the UK, 6,000 of whom are based in the City of London.

I believe this is a prudent step to ensure that we will be able to continue to serve our clients throughout the EU from March 2019, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, Mr Cowles said.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Banks chief executive has warned UK staff that roles may be shifted to Frankfurt as it prepares for a Brexit outcome that is worse than people can imagine.

John Cryan delivered the message in a video posted on the companys intranet on July 11, adding that the German bank was likely to book the vast majority of its assets out of Frankfurt  where its headquarters are based  after Brexit
Workers with the South Dhaka City Corporation fumigate streets to control the spread of mosquitoes, July 14, 2017.

A mosquito-borne disease that broke out in Dhaka in April has spread to at least four more districts of Bangladesh with hundreds of confirmed cases, raising fears among health practitioners of a possible epidemic.

The disease, Chikungunya, is rarely fatal and has not caused any deaths in the Bangladeshi capital, but health officials have confirmed 737 cases between April and July 19, according to Dr. Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director of the Institute of Epidemiological, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) at the Ministry of Health.

New cases could be reported between now and September, the last month of the rainy season, when mosquitos breed in stagnant waters caused by heavy rains, Flora said.

So far we have confirmed 737 cases of chikungunya, Flora told BenarNews. Weve got patients from four more districts  Gazipur, Narshingdi, Gopalganj and Bogra.

Chikungunya (pronounced: chik-un-GUN-yuh) is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It causes the sudden onset of fever and severe joint pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The disease mostly occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent, but it has been identified in more than 60 countries, WHO said.

The name for the virus comes from a word in Kimakonde, the language spoken by an ethnic group in Tanzania, where Chikungunya was first detected in 1952. It means to become contorted and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain, Geneva-based WHO said.

Although there have been no reports of fatalities from chikungunya in Bangladesh, the health ministry has received about 4,700 blood samples of patients with symptoms at hospitals and clinics across the country, Flora said.

No vaccines, no cure

The disease shares some clinical signs with two other mosquito-borne viruses, dengue and zika, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common, health officials said.

There are no vaccines to prevent the chikungunya virus, and there is no cure. However, the disease runs a limited course. Signs and symptoms of chikungunya usually appear two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, usually the aedes aegypti.

A.B. Siddique, a physician and former public analyst at the Institute of Public Health, warned that chikungunya may continue to spread rapidly as more and more people visit Dhaka.

Thousands of people visit the capital every day because Dhaka is the center of economic and other activities in Bangladesh, he said. So, unless necessary preventive measures are adopted, chikungunya may cause an epidemic.

The only way to eradicate the disease is to destroy the mosquito and its habitat, officials said.

Gazipur and Narshingdi districts are adjacent to Dhaka, but the virus has reached southwestern Gopalganj and northwestern Bogra districts, potentially delivering a huge impact on health services, according to officials.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bangladeshs premier hospital, faces the biggest pressure as hundreds of patients have been coming to the hospital daily for treatment of various ailments, according to Saiful Islam, a medical officer at the DMCH.

He said he recently saw several families with more than one member stricken by the virus.

My wife and I had chikungunya at the same time. Now, many of my friends and relatives (in Dhaka) have been suffering from chikungunya, Dr. Farid Uddin Ahmed, a resident of Dhaka's Mirpur neighborhood, told BenarNews.

He said he could not walk for more than a month after his recovery.

Go to any part of Dhaka, you will get chikungunya patients of all ages. If the authorities fail to eliminate Aedes mosquitoes, chikungunya situation may become an epidemic, he said.

Dr. Shafiul Akram, a physician practicing at a private clinic in Mirpur Dhaka, told BenarNews that he, too, had been stricken by the virus.

Even three weeks after I recovered from chikungunya, I cannot stand when I sit, he said. At our clinic, we get a huge number of people coming for the chikungunya test.

Zahid Malek, the state minister for Health and Family Welfare, acknowledged that chikungunya was becoming a health problem, but said it had not reached epidemic levels.

The government has been working with WHO and other agencies to fight the spread of the virus by conducting awareness campaigns, he said.

It is not possible for the government to clean the homes of the people, Malek said. The residents will have to shoulder the responsibility to eradicate the Aedes mosquito in their neighborhoods.

The WHO office in Dhaka did not respond to a BenarNews request for comment.
Residents of Shimla, India, protest for justice after a teenage girl from the area was raped and killed, July 20, 2017.

Womens rights activists in India expressed outrage Friday over a courts decision to deny a 10-year-old rape victim permission for an abortion, saying the verdict could seriously harm the girls physical and mental health.

A court in the northern city of Chandigarh earlier this week dismissed a request by police to allow the girl to terminate her 26-week pregnancy.

The court said it based its ruling on a report from the gynecology department of the Government Medical College and Hospital saying that aborting a fetus older than 20 weeks could threaten the mothers life.

Indias Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971 allows termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks only. Fetuses beyond that period may be aborted under exceptional circumstances, if doctors believe that giving birth would cause grave harm  physically or mentally  to the mother or the child, according to the law.

While urging lawmakers to amend the MTP Act, activists said giving birth would likely leave the girl physically as well as mentally traumatized.

The Supreme Court has stated that in exceptional cases, the condition of over 20 weeks pregnancy can be waived if the woman is not well or her baby is at risk. A womans body is her own and she has a right of choice to decide whether to abort or not, Ritu Kumar of the New Delhi-based Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) told BenarNews.

It is an emotional trauma as the girl herself is a child. She cant undergo the mental and physical suffering. This [verdict] is completely unjustified. This is unfair not only to the 10-year-old girl but also to the child who will be born, Kumar said.

Raped for months, say police

The girl, a Nepalese by origin, allegedly was raped repeatedly by her maternal uncle over the last seven months, police said, adding her pregnancy came to light when the victim complained to her mother about pain in her abdomen.

The accused has been arrested, police said.

The family of the victim, who cannot be named because she is a minor, could not be reached for a comment.

Rajdeep Singh, the station house officer of Chandigarhs Sector-39 police station, told BenarNews: The case is of a very serious nature and involves a minor. We are legally bound not to share any details about the girls family or her whereabouts.

An amendment to the MTP Act is urgently needed, said Sucheta De, a rights volunteer at New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The court should have granted permission for abortion in this case on the basis of legal precedence, De told BenarNews, adding, The law should be reformulated. A woman should have complete right over her body.

Although an amendment to the MTP Act was introduced in the Indian parliament in 2006 and recommended increasing the time for termination of pregnancy from 20 to 24 weeks, it has yet to be passed by lawmakers.

On Jan. 16, the Supreme Court allowed a Mumbai resident to abort her 24-week pregnancy because of an abnormality in the fetus that could endanger her life.

Hearing a separate case over a month later, the Supreme Court turned down a womans plea to abort her 26-week fetus, who, the doctors confirmed, would likely be born with Down syndrome. The court ruled that aborting a fetus of more than 20 weeks could only be allowed in cases where there was a danger to the life of either the mother or child.

However, for a 10-year-old girl to give birth would surely pose serious risks to her health and her life, according to Dr. Nikita Trehan, a top Indian gynecologist.

A 10-year-old girl still has not developed bones and pelvic muscles. They dont have enough iron and calcium to transfer to their babies. And because of undeveloped bones, the girl may suffer a fracture during childbirth. She may bleed excessively. Her uterus may not respond. It is full of risks, she said.

The girl, a minor rape victim, has already gone through enough physical and mental trauma. Amid this, being forced to deliver a baby would be further detrimental to her, Trehan told BenarNews.
A Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia activist in Palu, Central Sulawesi holds a sign reading caliphate at a protest against Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, June 2014.

Indonesias government on Wednesday unveiled a controversial executive decree designed to make it easier for authorities to break up civil society groups seen as fomenting discord and threatening the state, officials said.

The decree comes after the government announced two months ago that it would shut down the domestic branch of Hizbut Tahrir, an organization calling for Muslims worldwide to unite under an Islamic caliphate and to establish Sharia law in Indonesia.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo signed off Monday on the decree, which temporarily replaces a 2013 law regulating non-governmental organizations. The decree will allow the government to bypass a lengthy court process earlier required to disband NGOs.

The 2013 law is outdated and does not accommodate measures required to prevent the proliferation of ideology that contradicts our state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, Wiranto, the nations minister for law, politics and security affairs, told a news conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The new decree doesnt identify any organization by name, but it prohibits organizations from committing blasphemy against any faith or using religion to incite hatred based on race, religious affiliation, or ethnicity.

It also forbids organizations from fanning divisions that threaten the nations sovereignty. Violating any of the decrees articles is punishable by prison sentences ranging from five to 20 years, according to a copy seen by BenarNews.

The measure follows recent religious tensions fanned by hardline groups that have tested Indonesias tradition of moderate Islam and unity in diversity  the motto of the multi-religious nation.

This regulation is not intended to discredit Islamic mass organizations, given that Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country, or to limit freedom of expression, assembly, and free speech, said Wiranto, a retired army general and former chief of the Indonesian armed forces.

The new measure goes into effect immediately but requires a two-thirds vote in parliament to replace the existing law permanently.

Going after HTI

In May, the Indonesian government announced its intention to begin efforts to disband Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI). Registered as an NGO under Indonesias Home Ministry since 2006, HTI has been preaching in Indonesia for decades, and is thought to have about 2 million members.

In recent months, HTI was among hardline Muslim groups that spearheaded massive street demonstrations calling for the arrest and removal from office of Jakartas governor, Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, over allegations that he had uttered blasphemous, anti-Islam words in a speech last year.

Ahok, a member of Indonesias tiny Christian and ethnic Chinese minorities, has since been convicted and imprisoned on related charges and he was defeated in a gubernatorial election in April.

HTI repeatedly has said that its activities do not contradict Pancasila or espouse violence.

This is clear evidence of injustice and tyranny by the government, and it will make people increasingly view the regime as anti-Islam, HTI spokesman Ismail Yusanto told BenarNews, referring to the new government regulation.

He said his organization might call for a judicial review of the move, because powers to override existing laws can only be invoked in emergency situations.

The government was specifically targeting HTI in trying to change a law that purposely made dissolving organizations difficult to avoid abuse of power, he said.

The government knows that banning an organization is difficult under existing law, so they are publishing this new regulation. The government should give a better example to society of how to be law abiding.

Our country could be destroyed

In a July 7 press conference, 14 Islamic organizations had urged the government to issue the new regulation as the legal basis for dissolving radical and anti-Pancasila mass organizations such as HTI and others.

If left unchecked, such organizations could grow and threaten pluralism in Indonesia, becoming accepted by society, according to Said Aqil Siradj, chairman of the board of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesias largest Muslim organization.

You can imagine, our country could be destroyed like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and others, he said.

While HTI and other organizations thought to oppose Pancasila do not commit violence, their ideology is permeating society and threatening Indonesias political system, he added.

It is unlikely that mass organizations who do not believe in the Unitary Republic of Indonesia and want to replace it with other systems will be able to carry out their obligations to participate in achieving the goals  stated in the preamble of the 1945 Constitution, Aqil said.



Selective silencing

Human rights advocates, meanwhile, expressed concern about the governments move.

It could be viewed as a selective silencing of government critics, said Rida Hesti Ratnasari, a researcher on HTI from the Community of Ideological Islamic Analysts (CIIA).

She said the government should be prepared to provide guidance for members of the organization if it is dissolved.

If there is no guidance, they may become out of control and it will be hard to track what happens to them  they may exist as an organization that is not registered but still has the same beliefs, she told BenarNews.

Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, called the plan to disband HTI politically inept and said it left Indonesia more religiously polarized than ever, according to the Jakarta Post.

If the HTI is dissolved, it would be the first Islamic organization to be banned since the three-decade rule of President Suharto era, who banned Islamic groups deemed as threatening to Pancasila, the Post noted.

The move could stifle Indonesias fragile and young democracy, said Andreas Harsono, a Jakarta-based reasearcher for Human Rights Watch.

Banning any organization strictly on ideological grounds  is a draconian action that undermines rights of freedom of association and expression that Indonesians have fought hard to establish since the Suharto dictatorship, Harsono said, according to the Associated Press.
Jakarta Gov.-elect Anies Baswedan (batik shirt, center) was among participants at a conference of clerics from Southeast Asia and beyond, in Padang, West Sumatra, July 17, 2017.

Muslim religious leaders need to embrace moderation and play a more active role in countering radicalism, participants agreed at an international gathering of clerics in Indonesia this week.

The call was one of six recommendations in the Padang Declaration issued Thursday at the end of the four-day conference attended by about 700 ulemas from Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Ulemas are Muslim scholars recognized as having special knowledge in sacred law and theology.

We see the role of ulemas as very important and strong in guiding people to avoid extreme thinking, either far right extreme like terrorism and radicalism, or far left extreme, toward liberalism, Muhammad Zaitun Rasmin, the head of Southeast Asia Ulema Association, told BenarNews.

But the most important thing is to come with the same understanding on the meaning of moderate Islam that brings blessings to all, Rasmin said.

Rasmin also leads a conservative Muslim organization that rallied earlier this year for the arrest of then-Jakarta Gov. Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian who was later convicted for comments deemed insulting to Islam.

Unity

Islamic unity is important to help Rohingya in Myanmar, Palestinians, and Muslims elsewhere who are facing oppression, Rasmin said.

Although there are differences and threats of disunity as has happened in Arab countries now, as long as all parties are willing to sit together and communicate, the unity of the Muslim community can be realized, Rasmin said.

Among those attending the conference were Shaykh Hassan Bukhari, imam of the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia; Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab, former president of Sudan; and Osama Bin Mohammad Abdullah Al Shuaibi, Saudi Arabias ambassador to Indonesia.

As the imam of the Great Mosque, I expressed joy for the happiness and blessing on this ulema meeting, Bukhari said.

Abdullah Al Shuaibi expressed appreciation to Indonesia for hosting the annual ulema conference, which it initiated, three years in a row.

I am grateful to the government of Indonesia that always calls for unity. Indonesia is the example for the world of how Muslims unite, he said.

He said his government fully supported Indonesian government efforts to teach moderate Islam according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

Moderate in terms of neither a far right extreme nor a far left extreme, he said. Saudi Arabia fully supports every effort to teach moderate Islam, which does not teach radicalism and encourages dialogue for all parties.
Southeast Asian lawmakers Wednesday called on Malaysia to treat undocumented workers fairly and respect their human rights as Kuala Lumpur carried on with an immigration crackdown that has rounded up more than 3,300 foreigners this month, according to government figures.

As of 10 p.m. Wednesday (local time), immigration agents had detained 3,323 workers without proper papers during the first 12 days of the crackdown that began on July 1, Malaysias Immigration Department said.

The detainees are mostly from other countries in Southeast and South Asia. They include 1,230 Bangladeshis, 825 Indonesians, 273 Myanmar nationals, 119 Vietnamese, 123 Thais and 95 Filipinos, and the rest are from other countries, officials with the department said.

Malaysia launched the crackdown a day after the governments deadline for workers to register with the immigration authorities expired.

The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) issued a statement expressing concern about the round-up taking place in Malaysia.

A desire to decrease the number of undocumented workers in the country can never be an excuse to further victimize the vulnerable, Mu Sochua, an APHR board member and member of the Cambodian National Assembly, said in the statement.

The group describes itself as a collective of regional lawmakers made up of current, former and retired parliamentarians from across the 10-nation ASEAN bloc.

While Malaysia has a legitimate need to address the fact that so many migrants find themselves without proper paperwork, it must ensure that basic human rights are respected for all people at all times, Mu Sochua said.

As thousands of new detainees are sent to be locked up in Malaysias overcrowded immigration detention centers, the crackdown risks worsening conditions in those facilities that are already dire, APHR said.

The Malaysian government must provide answers as to how they are addressing this sudden influx of thousands of detainees and how they will ensure that conditions do not deteriorate further, Mu Sochua said.

According to the regional parliamentarians, the government had registered only 161,000 undocumented migrants through its Foreign Worker Temporary E-Card Program. It is an initiative to give an opportunity to all employers, who have hired foreign workers without work permits, to register their employees in an effort to address labor shortages in certain economic sectors.

The deadline for registering all undocumented workers under the program expired on June 30, prompting the crackdown.

Apart from the more than 3,300 detained foreigners, 63 employers allegedly involved in hiring undocumented workers had also been arrested, Mustafar Ali, the director-general of the immigration department, told reporters on Wednesday night.

Employers should be subjected to the maximum penalty if found guilty of keeping illegal immigrants, Ali said, adding that violators could face fines, jail time and whipping.

He did not elaborate.

More than 30,000 undocumented workers have been sent back to their home countries since the beginning of this year, Ali said.

Ali debunked concerns about possible overcrowding in the immigration departments 13 jail centers, saying that most detainees had been deported before the government imposed a June 30 deadline for employers to register their workers under the E-Card program. He said the deadline would not be extended.

2 million workers without papers

There are two million legally registered migrant workers and at least two million others who are undocumented in Malaysia, which has a population of about 32 million, according to non-governmental organizations.

Most of the undocumented immigrants work in construction, palm oil plantations, factories and cleaning services, doing physically taxing menial jobs, which locals shy away from and describe as 3D  dangerous, difficult and dirty.

Malaysia, a federation of 13 states and three federal territories, experienced a surge in the number of low-income workers mainly from Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh after its economy posted robust growth in the past few years.

In April, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights also voiced concerns following local newspaper reports that more than 100 people, mostly from Myanmar, had died in the past two years in Malaysian immigration detention centers.

Although the Malaysian government pledged an investigation into the allegations, little has been done to address the alarmingly poor conditions in the centers since, APHR said.

Malaysias home ministry said it was trying to improve the conditions but its budget was constrained, according to the South China Morning Post.

It is important for embassies of countries sending large numbers of workers to Malaysia to demand full access to their detained nationals, as well as accurate figures of the number of their citizens currently being detained, Mu Sochua said.

Foreign embassies have a responsibility to represent their citizens and to demand answers from the Malaysian government. At the same time, Malaysian authorities should be transparent.

People, not commodities



APHR reiterated the need for regional solutions to address the widespread abuse of migrant workers throughout Southeast Asia.



While abuses are particularly egregious in Malaysia, migrant workers tend to be treated exceedingly poorly throughout the region, according to APHR Board Member Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives.

The lack of coordinated action among (Southeast Asian) governments to protect human rights in the context of migration is contributing to this problem and giving free reign to employers, recruitment agents and authorities to abuse migrant workers, Sundari said.

Governments must remember that migrant workers, whether documented or undocumented, are not commodities, but people who have made enormous contributions to the regions progress, she said.
As the battle to retake Marawi City from militants linked to Islamic State (IS) enters its third month this weekend, the Philippine Congress is expected to prolong military rule over the entire southern Mindanao region until December.

This likely extension of martial law in the south, sought by President Rodrigo Duterte, is a tacit and embarrassing admission from him that a large-scale military solution to end the crisis swiftly has failed so far.

Duterte admitted that leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups appear to be alive and directing the violence, which has killed 99 soldiers, 421 militants and 45 civilians, according to a letter he sent to Congress this week, in which he argued for a prolongation of martial law.

The president said that of the 600 or so militants known to be in Marawi since fighting began on May 23, about 220 were alive and posed a danger as they are entrenched in four villages in the central part of the city. This goes against the militarys estimates that only 60 fighters remain in the area.

Parts of Marawi city, comprising around four (villages) are still under the control of the rebels, Duterte wrote in the letter read by BenarNews on Friday. The citys commercial districts, where about 800 structures are located, are found within these areas.

Speaking to businessmen on Friday, Duterte said troops were prepared for the long haul because the gunmen were believed to be holding about 300 civilian hostages. He did not say where he got the information.

So no assault there. If we have to wait for one year (to end the crisis), let us wait for one year, Duterte said.

Militant leaders at large

Troop movements have been restricted because the gunmen are hiding in structures with hostages, including madrassas, making it difficult for troops to attack at will.

Abu Sayyaf commander and the self-styled leader of IS in the Philippines, Isnilon Hapilon, and brothers Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute also remain at-large, despite earlier reports by the military that they had been killed or had escaped.

A Malaysian militant, Mahmud bin Ahmad, who allegedly collected IS funds to support the fighters and purchase weapons, is believed to be in the area, according to Duterte. Previous reports stated that the militant had been killed or had fled to Indonesia or Malaysia.

Meanwhile, only a dozen of the governments wanted list of 300 Maute and Abu Sayyaf fighters have been arrested.

The government said the groups were backed by fighters from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, a fact that has complicated the military effort.

The rebels have been found to possess high-powered and military-grade weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades and a large supply of ammunition, the president said. There have been reported entries of reinforcements, weapons, ammunition and other logistical supplies from outside Marawi city through clandestine routes.

Special Congressional session

Congress, dominated by Duterte allies, is expected to convene a special session Saturday to discuss the martial law extension. The measure is likely to pass, which according to Dutertes chief critic, Sen. Leila de Lima, seems egregiously excessive.

De Lima, who has been detained on drug charges she says were orchestrated by Duterte, urged the presidents colleagues not to abdicate their duty and deliberate on martial law even as she said it appears the measure would surely pass.

The extension of martial law in the whole of Mindanao beyond another 60-day period is not only excessive, it is also unconstitutional, de Lima said. Definitely, it already smacks of authoritarian rule, when a president, even with his conscientious use of all intelligence information, cannot possibly predict if the conditions justifying military rule will continue to exist up to December.

She accused Duterte of being a tyrant who was slowly weaning the Philippines away from democracy toward perpetual martial law.

Opposition congressman Gary Alejano, a former Marine officer who once joined a failed mutiny against the government, said it was clear that Duterte was setting up things toward an authoritarian rule.

He had found justification in the Mautes attack in Marawi even if the crisis could be addressed by calling the military to address such lawless violence even without martial law, Alejano told BenarNews.

He said military rule in the south was a test case to see how the people would react if he expanded martial law to cover the whole country.

But National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, who on Thursday joined Duterte in a surprise visit to Marawi, said he expected a slower military advance as militants control the four villages. He could not give a timeline for an end to fighting, but stressed that there remains an imminent threat, especially from foreign fighters who could be arriving and joining IS.

Richel V. Umel in Marawi contributed to this report.
Philippine police commandos carry body bags of comrades who were killed in a botched anti-terrorist operation in Mamasapano town, in the southern province of Maguindanao, Jan. 25, 2015.

Updated at 2:30 a.m. E.T. on 2017-07-15

Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino will be charged over a bungled anti-terror raid that left 44 police commandos dead in a southern town two years ago, a special government prosecutor said Friday.

There was probable cause to indict Aquino and two of his former top police generals  Police Chief Alan Purisima and Special Action Force head Getulio Napenas  for criminal negligence in the botched operation that targeted a militant hideout in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said.

The Jan. 25, 2015 raid killed Malaysian terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir (alias Marwan), but it led to the biggest single-day combat loss for government forces in recent memory. It also dented Aquinos popularity and affected peace talks with Muslim rebels, political analysts said.

Aquino and Purisima allegedly launched the mission  codenamed Oplan Exodus  without the knowledge of other police and military officials, Purisima, at the time, was also under suspension for an unrelated corruption case.

Aquino, at the very least, has been found guilty of giving pseudo legal power to a suspended official, the ombudsman said in a statement. Both men also exchanged mobile phone messages at the height of the operation, a clear sign that the suspended police chief played a major role in the botched operation, Morales alleged.

Certainly a public officer who is under preventive suspension is barred from performing any public functions and from meddling into the affairs of the government, she said. In other words, Purisima would not have been placed in such a position of continuing to conduct himself, in relation to Oplan Exodus, in a manner as if he was not under preventive suspension at that time, from his position as PNP chief, were it not for the complicity and influence of President Aquino.

Aquino and the officials face six years in prison, if convicted.

But Aquinos spokeswoman, Abigail Valte, said the former president and his legal team had been informed of the ombudsmans charge and would appeal the initial findings.

An initial reading shows that there may have been a misappreciation of some facts surrounding the incident, leading to some erroneous conclusions, Valte said. He (Aquino) will seek to clarify the same through the motion for reconsideration.

Outgoing Philippine President Benigno Aquino (center) talks to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte (left) before Dutertes swearing-in ceremony at Malacanang Palace in Manila, June 30, 2016. [AFP]

Bad day at Mamasapano

The top-secret operation was launched without the knowledge of other security officials, and only Aquino and two police officials knew about the plan. About 400 highly-trained police commandos took part in the operation, which was aimed at neutralizing Marwan, who had a bounty of U.S. $5 million on his head offered by the American government.

Mamasapano, the site of the raid, was an area controlled by fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the countrys largest Muslim separatist group that had signed a peace treaty with Manila the previous year.

The gunbattle lasted several hours and resulted in the deaths of 44 commandos, after they were ensnared in a firefight with MILF guerrillas.

MILF commanders later testified at a Senate inquiry into the incident that they were not told of the government operation, and, fearing an assault by outside forces other than the police, they fought back. Had the government informed them of its operation, the MILF said, it would have helped arrest the wanted terrorist.

Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report.

This update clarifies an earlier version that said former Philippine President Benigno Aquino has been charged. Formal charges have not been filed against Aquino, even though the special government prosecutor said she would recommend filing of charges against the country's former leader.


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For Immediate Release, July 20, 2017 Contact: Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org Trump's Interior Pick May Have Violated Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act David Bernhardt's Possible Violations, Industry Ties Undermine Fitness for Deputy Secretary of Interior WASHINGTON The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint today with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colombia alleging that Trump's pick for deputy secretary of the Interior may have violated the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act. The nominee, David Bernhardt, continued to lobby for the Westlands Water District months after dropping his registration as a lobbyist in November to run Trump's transition team at Interior. The Center for Biological Diversity is joining the Campaign for Accountability in calling for a delay in Bernhardt's confirmation by the Senate until the allegations can be fully investigated. Currently, the vote on his nomination is scheduled for Monday. These disturbing revelations should slam the brakes on this confirmation, said Noah Greenwald, the Center's endangered species director. Bernhardt's close ties to the very industries he'd be charged with regulating at Interior are bad enough. But now that it appears he may have violated federal lobbying law, this appointment should be a sunk ship. Perhaps no person better exemplifies the revolving door between special interests and the Trump administration than Bernhardt. Prior to joining Trump's team, Bernhardt worked at the law firm of Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck, where he represented mining, Big Oil and agricultural interests. On behalf of the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation district, Bernhardt lobbied for legislation to weaken water quality in the California Bay Delta to the detriment of endangered species. According to documents obtained by the campaign, it now appears that this representation continued after Bernhardt surrendered his lobbying registration and joined the administration. Bernhardt's apparent continued lobbying on behalf of the water district shows that he can't be trusted to manage endangered species and public lands for the benefit of all Americans, said Greenwald. Trump promised to drain the swamp, but instead he's filling it with the worst cast of anti-environmental, corporate stooges in history. If confirmed, Bernhardt will have authority over more than 1,500 endangered species and millions of acres of public lands. Bernhardt served as the department's top lawyer during the Bush administration, authoring several policies that sharply limited protections for endangered species. One policy even precluded species like the polar bear from protections against greenhouse gases, the primary threat to the survival of the species.


The Matatu Owners Association (MOA) will offer free transport to the elderly and the disabled on Kenya's election day on 8 August 2017 to ensure they participate in the polls.

 upthebanner via 123RF

Speaking to the nation earlier this week, MOA chairman Simon Kimutai said the transport services will be provided across the country.

"We will provide free transport for the elderly of 75 years and above and the disabled, who will be given first priority to be transported to and from the polling stations without pay," said Kimutai.

The association has also launched a nationwide peace campaign. He said there is uncertainty in the country ahead of the 8 August 2017 elections and that their campaign is promoting peaceful coexistence.

"Everybody must be given space to exercise their democratic rights by choosing a leader whom they want without intimidation," said Kimutai.

He said MOA is vigilant and has strategies to ensure its vehicles are not used to cause chaos by transporting troublemakers.
Nigeria will cease to import petroleum products and totally depend on its own refined products from 2019, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed this week.

 Nattachai Sesaud via 123RF

Kachikwu, who said the council approved a new policy document on the operations of the petroleum sector, further disclosed that a gas policy had earlier been approved by FEC three weeks ago to serve as the bedrock for Nigeria's change of status as an oil producing nation to a gas producing country.

However, he said the new 100-page petroleum policy approved this week consisted of plans for the reorganisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with a view to achieving efficiency and accountability; address salient issues in the Niger Delta; guarantee stability and consistency in the oil sector, and aid cash calls.

The fundamentals

"Today, we took to council a Nigerian petroleum policy document. As you are aware, three or four weeks ago, we also considered the Nigerian Gas Policy. The essence of that gas policy was to focus increasingly on how to change the imperatives of seeing Nigeria as an oil producing country to a gas producing country because we are a lot more privileged to have gas than we have oil.

"Today's document focused on oil. What are the imperatives for changing the policies in the oil sector? It dealt with certain fundamentals and some of the policies that we had already begun to pursue now crystallised in FECpolicy memo. For example, we are working assiduously to exit the importation of fuel in 2019. It captured the cash calls change which we have done which enables the sector to fund itself through incremental volumes.

"It captured the reorganisation in the NNPC for efficiency and enabled accountability. It captured the issues in the Niger Delta and what we needed to do as a government to focus on stability and consistency in the sector. It is a very comprehensive 100-page document that deals with all the spectrum in the industry. The last time this was done was in 2007 and it has been 10 years and you are aware that the dynamics of the oil industry has changed dramatically.

"Apart from the fluidity in pricing and uncertainty in terms of the price regime in crude oil, we are pushing for a refining processing environment and moving away from exporting as it were to refining petroleum products. That's one change you will see. Secondly, how we sell our crude is going to be looked at. There are a lot of geographical markets that we need to look at, long-term contracting and sales as opposed to systemic contracting that we have been doing.

Those are the fundamentals. It is a document that, if well executed, it will fundamentally take the change process that we began in 2015 to its logical conclusion hopefully in the next couple of years," he said.

2019 timeline already set

Giving a detailed breakdown of the planned stoppage of fuel importation soon, Kachikwu said 2019 timeline had already been set for the agenda and government was working assiduously towards meeting the target.

According to him, both the steering committee which he heads and the technical committee headed by the chief operating officer of the NNPC, had had a series of meetings with individuals whom he said were prepared to invest in the project.

The minister said the plan was neither about the sale of refineries nor their concession but rather a financing scheme in which he said some groups would build the refineries while others would finance them, pointing out that at least 30 persons had already indicated interests in the financing scheme.

Drop in fuel consumption

Kachikwu also disclosed that as a result of efficiency in the management of the oil sector, the daily consumption of fuel which he said used to be 50 million litres per day when he came on board in 2015 had now drastically dropped to 28 million litres per day.

"In terms of the specifics, what a policy document does is that it gives you a general guideline in terms of where you are headed, then you go into the specifics in other separate documents for the purpose of execution. If you take the 2019 time frame for refinery, for instance, it won't tell you what I'm doing today but will tell you that I have set a timeline to exit importation and to get the refineries working by 2019.

"But if you ask me specifically off the shelf, what are we doing on that? There is a steering committee already in place which I head. There is a technical committee team already set up headed by chief operating officer in NNPC. We have had series of meetings with individuals who are willing to put money into the refineries.

Not a sale nor a concession, but a financing scheme

"I need to state this clearly. This is not a sale. This is not a concession. This is a financing scheme and there are over 30 people who have indicated interest in that financing. They are going to go through the usual due process mechanism to see who qualifies for that financing. What we have resolved, however, which we have at least had a landing on is that each of the refineries would be repaired by the individual company that built the refinery.

"Who does the work is different from who does the financing. We are still dialoguing on who is going to get the financing opportunity but who is going to get the contracting opportunity to do the work is already decided.

"Government is not putting money into this. It is going to be a sector-led effort and they will recover their money through incremental volumes that will arise from the production increase arising from the repairs. We are doing about 30% performances on most refineries now. So, if you get them to above 90% template, we are going to use some of the product lines to pay for some of the debts and free ourselves from the importation problems, concluded Kachikwu.
Afruibana, a pan-African association of fruit producers and exporters from Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana was officially launched during Cameroon Trade Minister, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana's visit to European institutions on 19 July 2017. The minister, as a representative of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP) during the various Councils of Ministers addressing the banana industry, was lauded for this initiative. The association will allow fruit producers on the continent to combine their efforts with a view to having their voices heard better in international trade.

Afruibana, an association established under Cameroonian law, gathers several representatives of producers and exporters from different sub-Saharan countries, notably Assobacam, the Cameroon banana industry association, and OBAMCI, an Ivory Coast organisation of producers and exporters of bananas, pineapples, mangoes and other fruits. Afruibana is an open platform with a mission to defend the interests of African fruit farming.

In Brussels, Afruibana has thus become the permanent representative of a community of fruit producers and exporters across Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana. The association will take steps to support competitiveness and export fruits to EU countries. It will also serve as an interface between producers in the sector and European institutions to secure financing and support for African fruit growers. Afruibana also has a key role in the representation and advocacy for asserting the quality and importance of agro-industrial value chains across the African continent in terms of economy, social affairs and environmental impact.

Reinforcing ties with the EU

"The European Union is the main outlet for African bananas, for historical and geographical reasons," says Joseph Owona Kono, Chairman of Afruibana. In the Ivory Coast and Cameroon, the agricultural sector makes up approximately 60% of the economy in these two countries.

Gratisography via Pexels

"Farming is thus one of the main sources of jobs and income for most of the rural population. For this reason, Afruibana has an essential role in reinforcing our ties with European agencies, favouring trade between Africa and Europe, promoting socioeconomic development and contributing to the fight against migration."

"A number of future European political decisions are of a strategic importance for African producers. Afruibana's role is, therefore, to raise awareness among European decision-makers about the interest of maintaining and developing African farming not only to continue exporting quality bananas but also to develop the economy in our countries by shoring up rural employment and family-run farms," explains Jean-Marie Kacou Gervais, vice-chairman of Afruibana.

Several important meetings will be on Afruibana's institutional agenda in the coming months, namely the EU-Africa Summit in Abidjan at the end of November 2017, with the adoption of a new road map for relations between the two continents, the preparation of the post-Cotonou Agreement as of January 2018, or even the provisions for meetings between the EU and Latin American producers during the first quarter in 2018.
The South African Liquor Brand Owners Association (Salba) has criticised the government's inadequate socioeconomic impact assessment of the draft Liquor Amendment Bill because of its failure to quantify the effect on jobs and the economy.

The bill was discussed on Thursday by the social partners in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) but Salba spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said on Wednesday that "the vagueness of the impact study submitted by the Department of Trade and Industry limits the ability of Nedlac social partners to engage meaningfully with the proposed amendments to the Liquor Act.

"Unfortunately, the study does not include even a single figure quantifying the impact of the amendments on the local economy, including potential revenue and job losses," Mngadi added.

"The alcohol industry calls upon Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies to allow for a sufficient time for a proper, independent study to be conducted on the Liquor Amendment Bill before proceeding with the changes."

Mngadi said the industry was willing to contribute to the production of a "credible study to inform a meaningful consultation on the proposed legislative amendments".

The liquor industry is opposed to the proposed amendments, which Mngadi says "will have far-reaching consequences for both small and big businesses in the alcohol industry. We believe it will lead to job losses when the country is facing a problem of high unemployment."

The study was submitted to Nedlac only after a long delay and this held up the body's deliberations on the proposed bill. Trade unions in particular demanded the assessment so that they could determine what the effect on jobs would be but the study does not deal with this.

The DA has similar criticisms of the socioeconomic impact assessment, which was undertaken by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. Mngadi said the study was a "disappointment" to the alcohol industry as it failed to quantify the impact of the "drastic" proposed amendments.

The bill proposes severe restrictions on the advertising of alcoholic products, including an outright ban of liquor adverts in newspapers; prohibits trading licences for alcohol outlets within a 500m radius of churches and schools; increases the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 years; and proposes to hold brand owners legally liable for damage that may be caused by consumption of alcohol.

The alcohol industry estimates that these restrictions will lead a R2.38bn loss to economy. The biggest loss will be for TV, which is estimated at R1.9bn; radio at R160m; and print at R260m.

DA spokesperson on trade and industry Dean Macpherson described the socioeconomic assessment of the bill as "woefully inadequate".

"There is not a single mention of costs nor a single mention of what it will do to jobs," Macpherson said.

The impact assessment concedes that the proposals will result in a loss of advertising revenue and a loss of tax revenue for the state but does not attempt to calculate this cost. It also does not estimate the cost to the state of the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.

In its conclusion, the study says that the "proposed legislative amendments will achieve the intended outcomes if enforcement and education and awareness are intensified".

Source: BDpro
There's been Increased focus on pharmaceutical pricing, both domestically and internationally. In the UK, two drug companies have been penalised with massive fines for excessive pricing. While locally, Pfizer and Roche are being investigated by the Competition Commission over the price of their cancer drugs.

Photo: Roche

Cancer drugs

Pfizer is the only supplier of xalkori crizotinib in the country. The commission said that it had received information that the lung cancer treatment was unaffordable in South Africa, and medical aids were refusing to pay the R152000 price tag for a dosage of 250mg. Subsequent information suggests that the price was reduced to R72,000. This conduct is suggestive of abusive behaviour, the commission said in a statement.

Its also questioning a similar scenario with Roche, and its breast cancer drug, Trastuzumab (branded as Herceptin).

At the Board of Healthcare Funders conference, Tony Norton, founder of Nortons Inc Attorneys, explained what weapons the Competition Commission had in its arsenal and the precedent set in other parts of the world. The commission looks at the abuse of dominance in the marketplace, he said.

Abuse of dominance

Section 7 of the Competition Act says that if the company has 45% of the market share, it is unrebuttably dominant and its share is 35%, its rebuttably presumed dominant. There is no penalty for being dominant, but such companies have a special duty not to abuse that dominance.

Norton looked at the Napp Pharmaceuticals judgement in the UK. In this case the company argued that it had to charge these prices to subsidise R&D and other less successful drugs, and that it was not dominant because British medicine pricing regulation prevented from any domination it might have. Both arguments rejected.

More recently, Pfizer and Flynn were fined 84m and 5m respectively and directed to lower the price of epilepsy drug that had been on the market for more than 80 years. The judgement is on appeal.

Locally, Norton referred to the Sasol case on how the commission may react.

However, the jury is still out on what excessive pricing is, but the key questions are to what extent does legislation impact on independent pricing decisions? And to what extent do different rules apply to innovation products such as pharmaceuticals? Norton asked.

He said the extent to which legislative factors impact on pricing and undermine arguments about firms allegedly using their market power to price anti-competitively also needed to be questioned. The concept of economic value is a matter of judgement, which involves a considerable margin of appreciation, based on an objective assessment of the particular case.

Impact of single exit pricing on excessive pricing

An amendment to Medicines and Related Substances Act prescribed a single exit price regime in 2003, where medicines must be sold at the single approved price throughout the supply chain.

So, is single exit pricing a defence to claims by the Competition Commission of excessive pricing?

And is the use of the formularies, prior approvals for biologics and immunotherapy treatment, sub-limits on certain drugs and maximum medical aid pricing evidence of countervailing power by the medical aid schemes?

Economic value

The concept of economic value is a matter of judgement, which involves a consideration margin of appreciation, based on an objective assessment of the particular case.

As a matter of law, parties subjective belief as to what is a fair or reasonable price are not relevant for the assessment. The economic value of a product may exceed its cost plus as a result of some non-cost related factors, including additional benefits not reflected in the cost of supply or any particular enhanced value from the customers perspective.

Economic value is not simply whatever price a product or service would fetch, or which the market can reasonably bear.
MAPUTO - Mozambique must fill in "critical information gaps" over $2bn of secret government loans, the International Monetary Fund said.

At the end of a 10-day mission to Mozambique, IMF officials expressed dissatisfaction with continuing uncertainty about debts built up by state-owned companies from loans by foreign banks including Credit Suisse.

Photo: Institute for Security Studies

A recent audit by New York-based forensic accountants Kroll concluded that $500m of the $2bn was still unaccounted for.

"Critical information gaps remain unaddressed regarding the use of loans proceeds," the IMF said.

"The team urged the government to take steps to fill the information gaps and to enhance its action plan to strengthen transparency."

The government secretly borrowed $2bn between 2012 and 2014 to fund a coastal protection project.

In December a commission of inquiry found that the government had broken the law when it failed to seek parliamentary clearance for the loans.

The government later explained the money was used to fund military vessels and defence equipment and said it did not disclose them as a matter of national security.

The debts were taken out in anticipation of a windfall from recently discovered natural gas deposits - but that has so far failed to materialise and the government has been unable to pay the money back.

Several major donors - including the IMF and World Bank - suspended aid to the Southern African nation.

The IMF said it expects Mozambique's gross domestic product (GDP) to reach 4.7% in 2017, up from 3.8% in 2016.

"Total public debt, mostly denominated in foreign currency, remains in distress and the government missed external debt payments," it added.

The IMF statement made no mention on the issue of resuming financial aid to Mozambique.

Finance ministry spokesman Domingos Chapungo said the government had no immediate comment on the IMF report.
The National Treasury has published draft tax law amendments for 2017, which contains details on tax treatment of South Africans performing their employment abroad.

The draft law published proposes a far harsher tax treatment, recommending that the exemption section 10(1)(o)(ii) be completely repealed. This means foreign employment income will become fully taxable and the only relief may be claimed is foreign taxes paid as a tax credit. For example, where the employee falls into the 45% tax bracket and pays 25% tax in the foreign country, the SARS will now collect the difference of 20%.

The current tax law determines that South African tax residents abroad must disclose their worldwide income to SARS and may then claim an exemption on their employment income physically earned outside South Africa.

Pravin Gordhan announced in his Budget Speech on 22 February 2017 that changes to this section were on the horizon. The suggestion was made that the exemption should not apply where the employee is not being taxed in the foreign country.

There are limited options for South Africans abroad, should this law take effect. One alternative would be to properly emigrate, in which case there is a deemed disposal capital gains tax event. SARS probably anticipates this likely move, as the 2016/17 tax return now has a specific disclosure hereon, which never previously existed. Other taxpayers are looking at establishing tax treaty residency in another country but this is not as simple as getting a tax residency certificate somewhere else. Anyone who has been through a SARS process hereon would know how complex this might become.

We have seen some expatriates indicating that with full tax on international employment income, which is what is effectively proposed, coupled with the high costs of international work, coming home may be their only alternative.

This law is proposed to take effect 1 March 2019 onwards, so clearly there is a bit of grace period given for expatriates to get their house in order. More urgent, however, is the comment deadline of 18 August 2017, so expatriates and their advisors should act in haste in submitting their comments on this change to National Treasury.
The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) has joined a global call to make agriculture insurance available as one of the tools to help farmers adapt to the climate change challenges, especially smallholder farmers who are often hit particularly hard by extreme climate events such as droughts and floods, according to SACAU CEO Ishmael Sunga.

Kate HoltAusAID via Wikimedia Commons

Farmers need to constantly find ways to address these challenges. Targeted insurance supports climate adaptation by providing funds when farmers are hit by extreme climate events, and by allowing farmers to adopt innovations to exploit opportunities when they are available, Sunga added.

SACAU is joining other agricultural and climate change organisations in calling for farmers to have access to insurance products tailored to their context specific needs that reduce vulnerability, unlock opportunity, spur uptake of climate-smart technologies and practices, and build resilience to a variable and changing climate.

The global call to action follows a meeting which was held in Bonn, Germany, in May this year where these organisations agreed that a collective effort to support farmers in adapting to climate change is required. The organisations noted that there are already successful examples to emulate in northern Kenya and Ethiopia.

Among the organisations involved in the call with SACAU are CGIARs Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and the Global Resilience Partnership.

Coordinated efforts

These organisations have identified key challenges that need coordinated efforts in order to support farmers. Areas requiring these efforts include designing insurance solutions that equitably address farmers context-specific needs and risks, increasing the availability of data to tailor insurance to the needs of farmers and the risks that are important to them; extending insurance across the full agricultural value chain, including non-farm actors; developing the capacity of existing local distribution channels and potential aggregators; and creating added value by integrating insurance with climate-smart technologies, credit, value chains and development strategies.

Other areas are ensuring an enabling regulatory environment and creating support for such public-private partnerships and strengthening the evidence base to justify and guide investment, to identify and address market failure.

The organisations have also highlighted that farmers organisations need to foster two-way communication by promoting understanding of insurance and responsibility to manage risk to farmers, and in turn articulating farmers needs to insurance providers, governments, and development partners; and, play a proactive role in facilitating data collection and the distribution of insurance (e.g. as aggregators as appropriate).

The call to action identified specific intervention areas for the private sector, the international development and climate adaptation community and the agricultural research community.

The call to action is published on the CCAFS website.
According to Johan van den Berg, agricultural meteorologist at Santam Agriculture, rain fell at the right time over the last few years, resulting in good wheat production over the majority of the Western Cape. There is, however, a real possibility that poorer rainfall may occur over the next few years during the active growing season, especially the southern Cape, which could lead to poorer harvest.

Couleur via pixabay

During the past few years, average to above-average rainfall fell during the growing season in the Western Cape wheat district, although in 2015 the Swartland area of the Western Cape had below-average rainfall, said Van den Berg.

Low rainfall, berg winds and drought-induced stress

The Swartlands wheat harvest fell to 368,000 tonnes in 2015, in comparison to harvests of 593,000 tonnes in 2014 and 558,893 tonnes in 2013. Although the Swartland district had average rainfall in 2016, Van den Berg explained that very good rain fell in September, which contributed to a leap to 644,000 tonnes in the areas harvest for the year.

September is a critical rainfall month for Western Cape wheat, as the plants are then in their reproduction phase and drought-induced stress can inflict great damage.

Neel Rust, chief operating officer of Laeveld Agrochem, explained that berg winds, which normally come in August, can also have a negative effect on the wheat harvest. The effects of cold fronts which move across the country, together with the start of the warmer summer temperatures, often cause the dry land/berg winds.

Wheat is predominantly cultivated in the Western Capes Swartland and Ruens growing areas, but also in the Southern Cape, as far as Mossel Bay.

According to Van den Berg, the climatic cyclical effect over the long-term has the greatest effect on the average rainfall variance and, up until now, climate change has played a lesser role.

The attached graphs show the rainfall variance of the long-term, average rainfall (expressed as a percentage of the long-term rainfall average) for the critical times of the wheat growing season, from June to September, for the Ruens and Swartland areas.

Van den Berg is of the opinion that the expected weaker rainfall situation over the next few years will be more concentrated in the Southern Cape than the Swartland production areas.

Western Cape the biggest contributor to the SA's wheat harvest

The Western Cape is the biggest contributor to the countrys wheat harvest. The National Crop Estimates Committees latest figures show that the Western Cape harvested 1,098,200 tonnes of wheat in 2016. The countrys total harvest estimate for 2016 stood at 1,910,000 tonnes.

According to Rust, South Africa is a net importer of wheat, which means that the country must import wheat to fulfill the markets demand. At the moment, the yearly demand stands at more than three million tonnes.

Background information

 The sowing of wheat in the Western Cape occurs until the end of May, and it is imperative that rain falls before mid-June, but preferably before the end of May, so that the new plants can emerge and establish.

 Rain must also fall in the vegetative part of the growth season, from June to August, but it is not as critical as in September.

 Just before and during harvesting, from October until the first part of November, rain must preferably not fall, as even a little rain, together with overcast skies, can cause much damage to the quality of the crop.
ArcelorMittal SA's share price on the JSE plummeted on Thursday, 20 July, after SA's biggest steel producer flagged a widening in its first-half headline loss.

The share price dropped as much as 6% to below R5 a share after the company said its headline loss per share in the six months to June was expected to be between R1.43 and R1.52, a widening of between 218% and 238% from the corresponding period a year ago.

The South African unit of the Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal blamed the poor performance on higher costs of raw materials, mostly coal and iron ore, as well as unspecified impairments and a stronger rand.

To help mitigate the situation, ArcelorMittal SA said it was exploring several initiatives, which included cutting costs and assessing the viability of various product lines.

The company's market cap is now at R5.8bn, from more than R35bn in 2010.

Source: BDpro
Tito Mboweni's unexpected resignation from PPC's board has prompted speculation that it might relate to an irreconcilable disagreement about the strategic direction of the cement producer, specifically about the proposed merger with Afrisam.

Tito Mboweni at the 2011 World Economic Forum on Africa  Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 2.0

PPC told shareholders on Wednesday, 19 July, that Mboweni, an independent non-executive director, had resigned with immediate effect. Mboweni, who was appointed to the board after a boardroom battle in 2014, was chairman of PPC's social, ethics and transformation committee. The announcement of his resignation came two days after PPC told shareholders that formal talks about a merger with Afrisam were continuing.

PPC would not elaborate on reasons for the resignation and Mboweni did not respond to a request for comment. There has been no indication Mboweni is resigning from any of his other directorships, which suggests the issue is specific to PPC.

Mboweni, a former Reserve Bank governor and labour minister, is chairman of Nampak, Sacoil and Accelerate Property Fund. He is a non-executive director of Discovery and Alexcor and an international adviser to Goldman Sachs International.

In 2014, Mboweni unexpectedly stepped down from the chairman's position at AngloGold Ashanti.

In February of that year, he said that because of his many professional commitments, he was stepping down, but he agreed to work closely with the new chairman, Sipho Pityana.

Mboweni was elected to the PPC board in January 2015 after the high-profile battle between the incumbent board and a group of shareholders led by Foord Asset Management, who wanted to make new board appointments. The battle was sparked by the resignation of former CEO Ketso Gordhan in September 2014.

At the height of the boardroom battle in December 2014, PPC said it received a merger proposal from unlisted rival Afrisam. Paul Stuiver, a former PPC CEO said at the time that some members of the board had wanted to merge with Afrisam and had been involved in informal talks as far back as 2010.

However, Stuiver said then that the board did not see any value in the merger for PPC's shareholders. Despite this decision, some members of the board continued to push for it.

The board's rejection was based on the belief the merger would result in doubling PPC's size in SA, which was expected to remain oversupplied for several years, and did little to advance its interests in the rest of Africa. Another concern was Afrisam's high level of debt.

Talks began in December 2014 and were abandoned in early 2015. They were resumed in February 2017. On Monday, PPC told shareholders that formal talks on a potential tie-up with Afrisam were continuing.

PPC said the merger would allow it to compete in a market dominated by multinational and regional players.

The driving force behind the merger is understood to be the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), which has poured billions of rand into Afrisam since the failed black economic empowerment buyout in 2007. The PIC holds about 65% of Afrisam and more than 15% of PPC.

Source: Business Day
Kenyan mixed-use real estate project Tatu City is rapidly taking shape, beating its own infrastructure deadlines. Located 24km from the city centre of Nairobi, Tatu City is being built from the ground up as a fully fledged city that aims to take some of the pressure off the densely populated, increasingly congested capital city, says Alex Njage, partner and head of real estate and construction at the Kenya offices of pan-African law firm Bowmans, lead attorneys for the Tatu project.

Tatu City, Kenya. Image source: Facebook

Several local and international FMCG manufacturers and logistics companies have begun construction of their plants and warehouses within the light industrial zone, and the first school has already opened its doors.

This is intended to be a proper city, complete with its own power and water supply, and designed for mixed use  residential, commercial, industrial and recreational, says Njage, whose team at Bowmans is handling all principal legal aspects of the project. This includes establishing the Tatu Power company, which will eventually generate all Tatu Citys power. Bowmans has advised on the best legal structure to adopt for power generation and distribution, and is in the process of handling the licensing arrangements.

High-value infrastructure investment

According to Njage, swift progress has been made with the development of the infrastructure for Tatu City, including water, drainage, fencing and roads.

This is certainly the only mixed-use development in East Africa that has invested so much capital in its infrastructure, he says, adding that a recent Deloitte infrastructure report ranks Tatu City as one of the top five high-value infrastructure investments in the East African region. The Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya is also among the top five projects.

Tatu City is one of only two projects that have been licensed as a special economic zone (SEZ), with certain significant benefits for manufacturers and industrialists, he says. These include zero-rated value added tax, which is a huge benefit considering that VAT in Kenya is 16% and 10% corporate tax for the first 10 years. The current corporate tax rate is 30%.
A vibrant 'hipness' is returning to Durban's city centre says Michelle Burger, Pam Golding Properties area principal in Durban. According to Burger, this is due to renovations of some of the landmark buildings in the CBD.

People from across the city are coming into the heart of the CBD to co-work at the likes of Ambassador House or at the Rivertown precinct in pods, to do yoga or to come and shop at weekly markets, while others are returning to invest and live.

The Quays, Point Waterfront, Durban

Durban is alive with startups and entrepreneurs, with many seeking accommodation in the city centre, and now is an ideal time to acquire an affordable investment property as there are still great opportunities under the R300,000 mark with rental income of these properties of around R3,500 per month.

For example, if you have ready cash, right now small one-bedroom or bachelor flats in the CBD can be had for as little as R80,000 to R150,000. Just do your homework and ensure its a well-managed block with good financials. Then on the Esplanade, which overlooks the Yacht Mole, bachelor units range from R300,000 to R360,000 for those in well-run buildings.

Go!Durban transport system

Burger says another aspect which certainly will add a lot of value to city living and investment is the Go!Durban transport system which aims to make Durban the most liveable and sustainable city in Africa. This will be the citys very own integrated rapid public transport network.

GO!Durbans transport plan has four main phases that entail the development of corridors - a term used for a main road or rail that connects two main suburbs. By 2030, the city aims to be completely transformed with stations, roads, rail and bus lines interlinked to connect various parts of the city.

Says Burger: As a positive impact, we have already seen an increase in the median price for sectional title properties in the CBD. Prices have increased as much as 34% since 2013 and this, together with the consistent good rental return and demand for rentals, makes CBD flat purchases still a very clever choice for investors.

Bear in mind that a cash deposit is needed by most banks if you are considering investing in the CBD, Esplanade and Albert Park areas.

Point Waterfront development

There is still much talk about the further development of the Point Waterfront which we are confident is going to have a positive impact on values of the surrounding properties, and in time will result in an upgrade of Mahatma Gandhi Road and many of the dilapidated buildings in and around this location.

Point Bastille, Point Waterfront, Durban

The investment in the Point development by the city as well as the Malaysian company UEM Sunrise to ensure the project is a success is exciting. We have noted a resurgence in interest for properties here with many buyers purchasing to live whereas before people were mainly buying to let.

She adds that prices of properties in the Point development have not as yet escalated as many initial buyers who had bought at inception had hoped. We find that these properties sell if priced competitively, with a big market among investors with vision for the future, for properties priced under R2m.

We have just sold a three-bedroom apartment in Point Bastille in the Point Waterfront for R1.9m, and currently are marketing a two-bedroom unit in The Quays for R2.195m.
It's hard to believe that it's been two years since Tintswalo Atlantic was almost destroyed in a Cape Town wildfire. If you visit the five-star boutique lodge today, you'll find a place that's risen from the ashes and resumed its position as one of the top spots for a luxury escape.

Tintswalo Atlantic forms part of the larger Tintswalo Lodges group and is the only property in the ocean-facing Table Mountain National Park  this means that each of its eleven suites (all uniquely decorated and themed according to different islands around the world) comes with views of the Hout Bay Harbour, Sentinel mountains peak, or the Atlantic Ocean and its hypnotic, crashing waves.

Although Tintswalo Atlantic offers easy access to the Constantia Valley, Camps Bay, and the Cape Town CBD, its seclusion makes you feel like youre in a world on your own. Indeed, given that its now too cold to lounge around on the wooden deck that surrounds the heated pool (or take a nap in one of the hammocks on the pebbled beach), your best option is to stay cosy indoors. With heated floors, a fireplace, and the softest bathrobes imaginable, theres not much reason to leave your room at all.

Guy Clark offers a unique taste experience

If all that lazing around leaves you hungry, youre in for a treat thanks to Guy Clark, the new head chef. After four years of working abroad, the self-taught finalist from the first season of MasterChef South Africa is back home and excited to make the restaurant a top choice for locals and visitors alike.

I would like to offer diners a new perspective on food and a unique taste experience, with dishes that are simple yet sophisticated, and beautifully presented. I believe in celebrating ingredients in their purest form, using methods and techniques that enhance flavour, presentation and texture. Sourcing and utilising local, sustainable and organic is key to delivering an ethical and superior menu, says Clark.

Citing local ingredients and different components

Clarks new eight-course Ocean & Ash dinner tasting menu is based on different themes that cite local ingredients and foraging as important components of the process. As part of the special winter offer, guests can expect a five-course meal that begins with sundowners and canapes in the lounge.

Photo by Tom Clark

On the evening I stayed, that meant a cauliflower and Chardonnay soup; lamb rump (with textures of mint, pickled lemon rind, and brandy jus) for the starter; a basil and mint sorbet as a palate cleanser; trout (with spinach, butter poached quinoa, avocado, burnt baby carrots, miso hollandaise, peas, and lime) for the main course; and a choice of two desserts, which Im afraid to describe because its bound to make you drool all over your clothes.

Photo by Tom Clark

Treating yourself to a little something more

There was even more to savour over what turned out to be a lavish three-course breakfast. First was the homemade muesli with fresh yoghurt, fruit, and berry compote. Then came the platter of cheeses and cold meats (prosciutto, salami, and salmon), as well as the pastries that are (almost) impossible to resist  this was all before the full English breakfast that you might have to skip if you dont save enough space  or maybe youll decide to treat yourself to a little more. Its winter after all.

Valid from 1 May until 31 August 2017, a special overnight offer includes luxury accommodation, as well as breakfast and a five-course dinner with a bottle of house wine, at R7,000 for two people sharing. During weekends, a minimum two-night stay applies. Call +27 11 300 8888, email moc.olawstnit@1ser or moc.olawstnit@2ser, or visit tintswalo.com/atlantic.
More than four million bags are carried by airlines across the globe annually, with less than 0.43 percent not arriving with their owners. The industry, however, is determined to do even better. With the goal to reduce mishandled bags and increasing efficiency in baggage operations, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airlines for America (A4A) have launched a global campaign related to baggage tracking.

Brian Jackson via 123RF

The industry has agreed to Resolution 753 (R753). By June 2018, airlines have committed to being able to track a bag when it is accepted at the airport, loaded onto the aircraft, transferred to the arrival system or put into the transfer system for carriage by another airline. Airlines should also be able to share this tracking information with interline carriers as needed.

Improving processes

"Arriving without a bag is a very frustrating experience for our customers. Over the last decade, we have reduced mishandled baggage by 54% with improved processes. The next step is to realise the full benefits of baggage tracking to further improve performance. In the rare cases when a bag does not arrive with the passenger there will be much more information available to facilitate a quicker reunion. And the benefits dont stop there. Tracking bags will, enable proactive reporting, speed up aircraft readiness for departure, facilitate the automation of baggage processes and also reduce fraud," said Andrew Price, IATAs Global Head of Baggage.

"Implementation of baggage tracking is a collaborative effort between airlines and airports to improve the passenger experience," said Managing Director of Passenger Services at A4A Patty Edwards. "Airlines and airports are working together to ensure the infrastructure is available to provide this enhanced service to our customers."

The year-long baggage tracking campaign will help airlines prepare for the R753 June 2018 implementation deadline with a series of initiatives tailored to various stakeholders. These include regional workshops for key aviation entities and an awareness campaign for travelers. An implementation guide developed by industry partners is also available. In addition, IATA is offering member airlines a readiness certificate to recognise them when they develop their implementation plan for R753.
The problem with taking a stand in July, even if you do so for a host of #MadibaDay and #CSIMonth initiatives, is that these are usually limited to just that one day of the year. Here's how you can stretch your body - and your wallet - to uplift others this August.

All images  Yo Yoga. All images  Yo Yoga. All images  Yo Yoga.

On 20 July 2017, a wet wintery day of note, an impressive gathering of Cape Towns bloggers and media influencers gathered at Yo Yoga in Cavendish Close for an introductory session of bikram yoga (at just 40 minutes as opposed to the usual 75 in a studio heated to 45  positively steamy) as part of Yo Yogas 21-day yoga challenge media day. It left us stretched, clear-minded and shall we say glowing, as all attendees were female  our way to inner peace.

You can do so too, by taking part in the challenge that kicks off on Tuesday, 1 August and lasts for three weeks. Thats the same length it takes to form a habit if youve firmly cemented the basics, some say, so who knows, you may be starting a lifelong wellness movement.

This charitable yoga style, known as seva or service yoga, serves the added benefit of cleansing your karma.

In a class where the newbies were guided through the exact movements while old hats were free to perform the advanced versions of those by flexing, Namaste-ing and bending, we made our way through eagle pose, tree pose and more, relishing the times we got to lie flat on the mat and focus on our breathing.

Charitable challenge

The challenge is as simple as attending 21 classes at Yo Yoga in 21 days, and getting your loved ones to either sponsor you an amount for each class attended or make a one-off donation in your name. Doing so will raise funds for the Red Cross War Memorial Childrens Hospital and go towards the purchase of beds, 24/7 nursing and life-saving equipment for its new paediatric intensive care unit or PICU. All funds raised will go to the hospital, and those who complete the challenge also stand the chance of winning prizes, goodie bags and Yo Yoga Champion medals. Its a win-win!

Click here to make a donation, here to sign up with Yo Yoga and here to request the donation list if youre already an active member of Yo Yoga. Youll be enriching your own life and those of little ones in need of intensive care.
There's an interesting trend where many journalists eventually gravitate towards the marketing sector. While not all news writers are making the move, there are a great many of them writing copy - even if just on a freelance basis. Why? The answer is simple: journalists make the best marketers.

Graham van der Made

And, yes, this may come as a bit of a shocker. After all, dont journalist courses just teach news reporting and feature writing, while ad institutions specialise in copywriting? Yes. But its not about the education. Its about the experience. Its about the legwork. Its about the discipline and the passion for the written word. Due to the shift in digital and adoption of social media, new-age journalists also understand the need for online content and readability.

Here Graham van der Made from digital marketing agency Rogerwilco shares a few key reasons why journalists make the best marketers.

In-depth research

Whether its a breaking news story or a profile piece, journalists are not only trained in research, they are expected to excel in every aspect of it. When a story begins to rear its head, these writers are required to dig up and sift through as much information as possible  from social media posts to old records  sometimes for hours or days at a time. The more concrete and relevant the information, the better the news piece.

Journalists apply the same work ethic to writing marketing pieces. They understand what needs to be part of a press release, what needs to be said, and what general fluff is. This doesnt just apply to press releases, but SEO copy and generally anything else that clients need written. And, of course, journalists are masters of both voice and tone.

Working with tight deadlines

News is constant with breaking stories happening every minute around the world. It doesnt matter if its a political scandal or even a sporting event, journalists are always there to tell the stories. And regardless of what the news is, there is definitely a tight deadline hanging over it, whether its getting a story published before other outlets or deadlines for the next days paper.

When it comes to the marketing sector, journalists know about tough deadlines that clients may impose. It doesnt matter if they need copy for an entire website the next week or a press release to go out the next morning, those formerly of the news sector understand how to arrange words under pressure.

Editing experience

When working on tight deadlines and delicate subject matter, journalists are taught that their writing needs to be perfect, pristine, and the most readable piece of text in existence. There is extreme pressure to not use incorrect phrases or information, which could land the news outlet in hot water or in court. This is why any journalist worth their salt can edit a 600-word piece on the fly.

Tough editing expectations also mean that their writing is always concise and to the point. If a sentence doesnt need to exist, it lands on the editing room floor so that every bit of text is trimmed and neat. After all, needless words can lose a reader.

Journalists are also fiercely proud of their work, making sure its perfect before publication in order to show off their detective and writing skills.

Taking the unbiased approach

The news is unbiased, or at least it is supposed to be. This forces journalists to write while taking every point of view and side into account. This same principle can be applied to writing copy for a client. If a piece requires hyperbole or information that isnt correct, a journalist can quickly eliminate from the piece, and explain why it is unnecessary.

If you own a marketing agency and the CV of a journalist lands on your desk, snatch them up. Theyll prove to be a significant investment and asset to your company.




Venture Capital for Africa (VC4A) has released its 2017 Venture Finance in Africa' research that indicates that a strong team of founders is the key driver of startup success in Africa. The research is based on data collected from 1,866 ventures from 41 African countries and 111 Africa-focused investors from 39 countries around the world.

This years study aims to understand the critical success factors for African startups and identify the key ingredients that determine why one venture outperforms its peers. This knowledge is useful for entrepreneurs and for the support systems they depend on to make well-informed decisions.

We are entering a new stage of startup growth on the continent. Not only has the number of startups continued to grow at an impressive rate, they are increasingly successful at scaling into sustainable enterprises well positioned for growth. With the right team in place, we are seeing a growing number of companies break rank. I am sure we will witness many new success stories hitting the headlines as a result, comments Ben White, CEO VC4A.

Key outcomes

A key outcome was the identification of their unique traits relative to the start-ups level of commercial performance. Although many factors go into building a company, analysis of the data makes clear that a strong team of founders is the key driver. Many investors consider this as the main thing they look for but now the data also shows that the right team of founders makes the difference and is the single most unique characteristic across the companies making commercial progress.

By analysing two data samples of 100 ventures in more detail, ie emerging and established ventures, the research team found correlations that help to understand the ventures ability to be successful. The success of the established ventures can be explained by the composition of the founding team based on size, education, gender and age.

Balanced gender adds to success

Gender balance can further explain venture success, as the founding teams of successful ventures are more likely to include male and female founders. It is noteworthy that 46% of these ventures include a female founder in their team. Exclusively female teams run 9% of the startups.

Among the countries with 20 or more ventures participating in the survey, Uganda and Kenya have the highest female participation. For Uganda, 57% of the ventures include a female founder, where for Kenya the number is only slightly lower at 55%. South Africa has the lowest female participation rate at 33%. Nevertheless, these percentages of female founders far outpace averages recorded in more established startup hubs such as New York or San Francisco. More details and other factors that differentiate a successful team of founders are included in the 2017 report.

Startup impact

The research showed that 62% of the ventures have secured paying customers and 22% have prepared audited annual accounts. These are part of the milestones often achieved before formal registration. Research shows this affects investor interest positively: 42% of these ventures have received outside funding; of these companies, 29% have raised more than $50,000.

Mainstreaming of technology

Mainstreaming of technology in traditional business sectors advances core industries. This year we found an increased amount of relevant technology applications across traditional sectors, including agribusiness, energy, healthcare and education. This relates to observations that there is a growing number of entrepreneurs that not only have the knowledge and skills needed to contextualise, repurpose and refactor technology, but also the business skills needed to do so successfully.

The 'VC4A Venture Finance in Africa' report captures the performance of early stage, high growth ventures from Africa and the activity of early stage investors. The insights are broken down across several indicators: job creation, performance, investments, investor interest, ecosystem players and drivers of success. This is the fourth such report.

As of September 2015, the data collection takes place continuously via the VC4A.com portal. As the community continues to grow, it is expected the report will generate insights into what is happening across the larger startup space. For more information, go to www.VC4A.com/research.
Entries for the 2017 Pendoring Advertising Awards, which promotes and rewards excellence in indigenous language advertising, will once again be judged by the cream of South Africa's creative crop.

Louis Enslin Richardt Strydom

Every year Pendoring strives to maintain the highest possible judging standards, hence we invite seasoned creatives who have all made their mark in their respective fields of expertise. This year is no exception, says Pendoring GM, Franette Klerck.

As Pendoring is celebrating and rewarding excellent marketing communication in all vernacular languages, the fully representative panel is well equipped to assess and adjudicate work across the full spectrum of South Africas indigenous languages (excluding English), Klerck adds.

Louis Enslin, specialist radio judge and owner of Produce Sound, says radio spots that offer a comprehensive package  good copy, good execution and a good soundtrack, are clear winners.

Generally speaking, in terms of copy and execution, South African radio spots are right up there. The large number of the Cannes radio awards for South African work bears testimony to this.

Creatives, however, need to bear in mind that it takes time conceptualising, crafting and producing quality radio work. There are no shortcuts: they need to spend sufficient time and effort if they wish to produce award-winning work, he advises.

With regard to student entries, a combination of a simple insight, which is executed sharp as a razor, stands the best chance of winning the judges favour, stresses Richardt Strydom, specialist judge of the student section and content director, Breinstorm Brand Architects. Work that speaks to the target market in a relevant, yet creative way and which is truly South African, will furthermore clinch it for students.

Strydom says every year entries in student categories lead to a lively debate and I certainly hope this will remain so. And every year the crop of student entries yields both good and bad work. The good entries hold their own and could easily apply in practice.

Last year entries in the radio and student categories showed a marked increase compared to the previous year. Tertiary institutions accounted for an increase of 80% in the number of student entries compared to the previous year. At the same time, radio entries also doubled compared to the previous year. On top of this, the radio category accounted for both Umpetha winners.

His message to students is plain and simple: Dare! Never play safe, but back up your courage with excellent editing and craftsmanship.

The judging will take place at Media Park in Auckland Park on 6-8 September 2017.

The 2017 Pendoring judging panel

Wynand Botha, Creative Director, Abnormal Group

Andre de Wet, Group Head: Copywriter, FCB CT

Nerine Gardiner, Senior Copy Writer, Ninety9cents Communications Jhb

Pepe Marais, Chief Creative Officer, Joe Public

Neo Mashigo, Creative Partner, M&C Saatchi Group

Vumile Mavumengwana, Creative Director, VM DSGN

Nkgabiseng Motau, Co-founder & Creative Director, Think Creative Hub

Annette Nel, Executive Creative Director, Baie-Lingual Concepts

Veli Ngubane, Chief Creative Officer, AVATAR

Mariana OKelly, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Jhb

Sibusiso Sitole, Executive Creative Director, The Odd Number

Willie Struwig, Creative Director, Publicis Machine

Melui Tshabalala, Executive Creative Director/Managing Partner, Studio 214

Marius van Rensburg, Executive Creative Director, Ninety9cents Communications CT

Carl Willoughby, Executive Creative Director, Openco

Specialist judges

Louis Enslin (Radio), Owner/Engineer, Produce Sound

Richardt Strydom (Students), Content Director, Breinstorm Brand Architects

All work commercially published, announced or broadcast for the first time between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2017 may be entered. Enter online at www.pendoring.co.za.

The extended entry deadline is Tuesday, 8 August 2017.

The finalists will be announced on Tuesday, 19 September 2017 and the winners at the prestigious gala event at Vodacom World on Friday, 27 October 2017.

The overall winners of the Prestige and Umpetha awards each wins a cash prize of R100,000 comprising an overseas study trip.

Each gold winner in every category receives R6000 cash, and silver winners R2500 each.

Gold craft winners each receives R3000.

For students, R20 000 are up for grabs: R10,000 for the overall Afrikaans winner, and R10,000 for the overall winner of the other best indigenous language entry.

The advertiser of the recipient of the Prestige Award will receive free airtime worth R550,000 from kykNET.

Join the Pendoring Facebook group or follow @Pendoring_ on Twitter and use the hashtag #Pendoring2017.




The UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) Business Acumen for Artists programme, the only short course of its kind in South Africa, offers creative professionals a practical guide to mastering essential business skills and helps them create sustainable businesses around their creative talent.

If you dont believe that the creative industries are good for business, think again says Elaine Rumboll, founder and convenor of the Business Acumen for Artists (BAA) course at the UCT GSB.

Take, for example, the blockbuster HBO drama, Game of Thrones, that returned to television screens this week. The series is one of the most watched and most lucrative ever made and is credited with helping British broadcaster Sky UK reap record-breaking profits in 2016.

There is a prevailing mindset that distinguishes between great art and commercial endeavours. But the success of shows like Game of Thrones is helping to shift that, says Rumboll, who says she was inspired to create the BAA course to challenge the myth of the struggling artist. Making money doesnt make you a bad artist, she says.

Now in its 11th year, the course - which teaches the basics of business to creative professionals enabling them to elevate their art and develop a sustainable business around their talent - continues to gain in stature.

Rumboll explains that there is a growing realisation that business itself is a creative act and quotes Andy Warhol, who believed being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.

Art and business are intrinsically linked. A 2015 study by Ernst & Young, jointly presented by UNESCO and the International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies (CISAC) estimates that as much as 3% of global GDP is derived from the creative industries  everything from architecture and music to advertising and television. Creative industries also employ about 1% of the worlds working population.

However, creatives are frequently not taught the importance of the commercial aspect of what they are doing. It is a systemic problem, not just in South Africa but worldwide, Rumboll says. It is really important to change this. Just think what success might be achieved if our creative professionals were better equipped to build sustainable businesses and industries around their art.

This deep conviction of the importance of art in the economy led Rumboll to create the course over a decade ago. The course is not theory-driven, it is practical and tailored to each delegate, allowing them to hone and develop their specific talent into a viable business offering that can be marketed and sold by the end of the programme. Creatives from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The diversity of the participants is a much valued component of the course as it fosters artistic collaboration and delegates build strong networks with other creative professionals.

BAA has many success stories, and its graduates are amongst South Africas leading creative entrepreneurs, including actor and MC Odidi Mfenyana, fine artist Lorraine Loots, designer and patternmaker Renee Roussouw, writer and director Sjaka S. Septembir and the much-loved YouTube sensation Suzelle DIY created by Ari Kruger and Julia Anastasopoulos, after they met on the course in 2014.

During the course, delegates explore all aspects of business; from defining a product, pricing a product or service, branding, finalising a business plan, negotiating, and project managing to entrepreneurial finance, making money online and tax. BAA includes a social media and marketing component, essential for artists to engage with their audiences online. Marketing is about attracting, engaging, and retaining customers, without whom you dont have a business, says Dave Duarte, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader who teaches social media and marketing on the course. He adds that marketing and advertising have never been easier for people who know how to use the web.

With this scope of business essentials, BAA is a practical investment for artists who emerge more confident about their creative offering and are much better equipped to work creatively without being vulnerable to exploitation. Applicants are encouraged to have a specific artistic goal to be achieved by the end of the programme.

The GSB is currently running a competition, which will see the winner awarded a full scholarship for the course, which is valued at R8,700. The competition runs until 28 July 2017. To enter, visit http://creativenestlings.com/learn-the-business-of-art/ and answer the following questions: How would you benefit from the BAA course; what is your artistic field; and what would a success look like for you at the end of this programme?

For more information on the course, please visit http://www.gsb.uct.ac.za/Business-for-artists.




SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook will test limiting the number of published news stories that can be read for free on its Instant Articles platform for premium publishers, US media reported on Wednesday.

A paywall is under construction in Facebook's Instant Articles section where the social network has agreements with select outlets to publish directly to the platform, according to a story initially published online at TheStreet | AFP photo / Leon Neal

The leading social network has become a major source of news for people, triggering complaints by publishers that they lose control and revenue when their stories are shared free at Facebook.

A paywall is under construction in Facebook's Instant Articles section where the social network has agreements with select outlets to publish directly to the platform, according to a story initially published online at TheStreet

The service was launched two years ago and competes with Google's AMP that also optimizes content from select media for mobile web browsing.

Facebook head of news partnerships Campbell Brown said at a digital publishing conference in New York on Tuesday that the social network is responding to publishers' concerns with the move, TheStreet reported.

Facebook in October will begin testing a feature that limits to 10 the number of stories that can be accessed in its "Instant Articles" section and guides readers to publisher home pages to consider buying subscriptions, according to media reports.

California-based Facebook did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Instant Articles aggregates published stories and quickly loads mobile pages to cater to smartphone or tablet users.

"One of the things we heard in our initial meetings from many newspapers and digital publishers is that 'we want a subscription product -- we want to be able to see a paywall in Facebook," TheStreet quoted Brown as saying at the conference.

"And that is something we're doing now."
NEW YORK - NBC News launched a news show Wednesday on Snapchat, a first-of-its- kind broadcast aimed at wooing a younger audience.

The program "Stay Tuned," produced by a 30-person team, resembles a regular news broadcast in that it is presented by a journalist seen on-screen. But it lasts just three minutes and consists of a rapid-fire series of video clips, none lasting even 10 seconds.

Like other news organizations that broadcast content on social media, mainly Facebook, NBC News uses subtitles on "Stay Tuned" so people can watch videos without sound.

NBC News will run the program live twice daily during the week and once a day on weekends. Recorded versions can be seen on Snapchat's Discover platform.

NBC will sell ad space for the program and share the revenue with Snapchat, CNBC reported. NBC News did not respond to an AFP request for confirmation of this.

NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC and a unit of cable operator Comcast, invested $500 million in Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, when it went public in March.
SHANGHAI, China: German automaker Audi apologised on Thursday over an advertisement it aired in China that was slammed as sexist for showing a bride-to-be being roughly examined like a piece of livestock.

The Chinese-language spot for Audi's used-car division, which appeared online and also reportedly in movie theatres, was criticised on social media for depicting an anxious mother-in-law crashing the wedding to pull and prod the bride, even prying her month open to check her teeth.

Separate statements by Audi AG and the used-car division apologised and said the ad had been pulled.

"The lack of consideration ... caused the public to view the advertisement as disrespectful to women. We hereby extend our most sincere apology," the used-car unit said.

Audi AG's statement said it "deeply regrets" any offence caused by the ad, which it said "does not correspond to the values of our company in any way".

Audi is a member of the Volkswagen group and its brand is operated in China -- the world's biggest car market -- by VW's joint venture with its Chinese partner FAW Group.

The Audi AG statement said the joint venture had launched an investigation to ensure nothing similar occurs in future.

The advert generated thousands of comments and nearly a million "reads" on China's Twitter-like Weibo service.

"Are you picking out livestock? ISIS exams mouths and teeth like that when they are trading sex slaves," wrote one user.

Another called the commercial "extremely obnoxious".

China has a history of occasionally insensitive product pitches.

A Chinese detergent maker last year apologised over an advertisement showing a black man stuffed into a washing machine and later emerging as a fair-skinned Asian, after initially dismissing its critics as too sensitive.

One of the best-known examples was the Chinese toothpaste brand "Darkie", whose label pictured a black man showing of his white teeth.

After it was acquired in the earlier 1990s by American consumer-goods giant Colgate-Palmolive, the logo was tweaked and the named changed to "Darlie", under which is still available.
CONAKRY - Two women and a man who slipped past security in northeastern Guinea to pan for gold in the region's mines died in a landslide, following a week of heavy rains.

Photo: News Ghana

Guinea's soils are rich in gold, diamonds and bauxite, but it remains one of the world's poorest countries, driving so-called "artisanal" miners to search for minerals alone or in small groups with little safety equipment.

Alfamadi Kamara, who oversees security of the mines in the Boure Boukaria area near the city of Siguiri, told AFP they discovered the dead after they entered the premises unnoticed.

"We were taken by surprise by these illegal gold prospectors," he said by phone. "They took advantage of the moment we were having breakfast to get inside, and here are the consequences."

The bodies of the three victims, all in their 30s and 40s, were handed over to their families, according to a doctor at a hospital in nearby Kintinian.

The toll could yet rise, the doctor said on condition of anonymity, with three more people badly injured and others still missing.

Illegal miners are regularly expelled from extraction sites owned by multinational firms in the Siguiri area, who risk their lives to unearth enough precious metal or minerals to sell on to dealers.

Accidents similar to Thursday's have killed dozens of people in the past five years in the area.
The Chinese version of The Lion King. [Photo/VCG]

According to the Shanghai Disney Resort, the musical play The Lion King will end its tour in China on October 8. By then, there will be a total of 500 performances since the play was first staged on June 14 in 2016.

Premiering in New York in 2007, the two-hour musical has attracted 90 million viewers in the past 20 years.

The Chinese version is the play's ninth non-English edition, which debuted at the Shanghai Disney Resort.

Philippe Gas, general manager of the Shanghai Disney Resort, said the humor and romance in The Lion King echo many Chinese people's inner feelings.

"We saw the musical play made many milestones during its tour in China in the past one year. The success encourages us to make more wonderful shows and performances for Chinese tourists," Gas said.

The Chinese version is translated with a fusion of Chinese dialects. The mix of Peking Opera and pop music aroused more people's interests.

Shanghai Disney Resort said a new musical play will launch in 2018, and more details will be released soon.
Lamawng La Tawng, chair of the Hpakant Kachin People Association, and Lating Sau Bawm, the groups vice chair, were charged under section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Law and were convicted by the Hpakant Township Court at their third court hearing on July 18. They were ordered to each pay a K30,000 fine.

The two organizers expressed confusion over their charges, as they had asked permission for staging the prayer service, which was held indoors at the local chapter of the Kachin Baptist Church, according to the Irrawaddy.

Dashi Naw Lawn, secretary of the Hpakant Kachin People Association, has been charged with defamation for distributing leaflets at the event. His third court hearing is scheduled for July 28.

In the leaflet, we wrote about the Tatmadaws rape and murder of Daw Sumlut Roi Ja, the destruction of houses, churches and monasteries in Nam San Yang by the Tatmadaw and the number of Kachin women killed by them. They filed the charges because they didnt like what has been written, said Dashi Naw Lawn.

Although the leaflet was also distributed in Myitkyina at the same time, no defamation charges have been filed against the distributor there.

However, Myitkyina Township Court did fine leaders of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly (KNCA), also known as WMR, including chair Duwa Hkun Seng, secretary Labang Gam Awng, and Myitkyina People Association in-charge Zaw Jat.

They were also ordered to each pay a K30,000 fine for violating Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Law during a similar commemorative prayer event in Myitkyina.

The 17-year-old ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Army and the Tatmadaw collapsed in 2011, sparking renewed clashes that have escalated over the past year. Thousands of villagers remain in temporary displacement shelters throughout Kachin State, and recent fighting in Tanai township has led to fresh waves of civilian evacuations.
Nang Khin Htar Ye, a member of the Shan state parliament from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party said 296 people arrived in Theinni on Wednesday, and a total of 731 are staying in a Buddhist monastery. The town is about 28 miles north of Shan states largest town Lashio.

Fighting between the TNLA and government army and intermittent clashes between the TNLA and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S)have forced thousands of residents in northern Shan state to flee their homes and seek shelter in Buddhist monasteries, the report said.
Members of the Thai-based migrant rights organisation Aid Alliance Committee (AAC), Labour Rights Promotion Network-LRP were alerted on Tuesday about the ring after five victims managed to escape. That same evening, the AAC teamed up with the Thai Department of Special Investigation and went to a house in Mahachai  located approximately 45 kilometres southwest of Bangkok  where the victims were reportedly being held.

There, they found 81 men and 38 women totalling 119 Myanmar workers who had had their passports confiscated by the brokers and were being forced to stay in the locked house with no access to external communication, the report said.
After more than a decade of negotiations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Chinese counterparts on Thursday finalized the language of a new protocol that will for the first time ever allow U.S. rice producers to export to China.



The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its counterparts in China on Thursday finalized the language of a new protocol that will for the first time ever allow U.S. rice producers export their goods to China.

The United States and China have been hammering out the details of the protocol for more than a decade, according to the USDA.

This is another great day for U.S. agriculture and, in particular, for our rice growers and millers, who can now look forward to gaining access to the Chinese market, said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in a statement. This market represents an exceptional opportunity today, with enormous potential for growth in the future.

China is the worlds largest producer and consumer of rice. Since 2013, the country has also been the largest importer, taking in almost 5 million tons from abroad last year. According to trade association USA Rice, China consumes the equivalent of the entire U.S. rice crop about every two weeks, making it by far the worlds largest market.

China first opened its rice market to imports when it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, but U.S. rice was prohibited from entry due to the lack of a phytosanitary protocol between the two governments.

To begin exporting rice to the Chinese market, U.S. rice facilities will need to complete an inspection by Chinas General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

We know China wants to send a team here to inspect mills and facilities certified to ship to China, and we are working with USDA to make that happen in the quickest and most efficient way, said Carl Brothers, chairman of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee.

The U.S.-China rice protocol, which is considered to be the most complex rice phytosanitary agreement ever entered into by the United States with another country, includes operational work plan that spells out the responsibilities for companies wishing to export to China.

During the past two years, USA Rice has assembled a list of interested rice exporters.

The focus of our work is now on supporting a successful visit by Chinas inspectors, said USA Rice President and CEO Betsy Ward.

USA Rice, in anticipation of the U.S.-China protocol, has already established promotional programs in China.

Well tailor our promotion activities going forward to include large trade seminars here and in China to educate Chinese consumers about the types and qualities of U.S. rice, said Chris Crutchfield, chairman of the USA Rice Asia/Turkey Promotion Subcommittee. We will also focus on quality and the capabilities of our industry in our stepped up trade servicing activities.
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.
A House panel has advanced legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik to assist spouses of military service members.

Stefanik's bill, the Military Residency Choice Act, would give spouses the option of establishing the same state of residency as the service member for tax and voting purposes.

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs unanimously passed the measure this week. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, testified before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity in support of her bill.

The legislation would address a gap in existing law. Active duty members of the military may list one state of legal residence for tax and voting purposes even if they receive orders to relocate to another location.

Spouses may do the same when they marry a military service member, but often they must establish a new residency every time they relocate.

Stefanik said this adds anxiety to military families at a time when they're already under pressure due to relocation.

"Military spouses serve too, and this piece of legislation eliminates the daunting task of documenting multiple tax jurisdictions, which at times causes some spouses to forego the complication of working all together," she said.

Stefanik introduced the bill on Jan. 4. Ten cosponsors signed on in support of the measure, including two from New York  U.S. Reps. John Faso and Claudia Tenney.

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs was the first major hurdle for the bill before it's considered by the full chamber.

In announcing the bill's passage by the committee, Stefanik noted the sacrifices made by military families when a service member is given a new assignment.

"They sacrifice a great deal during these relocations  uprooting their lives and disrupting their families  all while remaining committed to their duty as the spouse of a service member and serving as the critical support system for their loved ones," she said.

Stefanik is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. She represents the 21st Congressional District, which includes much of New York's North Country. The district is also home to Fort Drum, a large Army base.
In 1945, just months before victory was declared in Europe, Ruth M. Bahr received a letter in the mail: Her husband, 27-year-old Walter Hannig, had died.

For the 75 years since, Hannig's family believed he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive in World War II. But just recently, they learned the truth.

On May 8, 2015  the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day  Hannig's nephew, Joe Martellaro, started searching. A former resident of Auburn, Martellaro said he'd heard stories about his uncle growing up, an Auburn man who was drafted into the Army in 1944. He'd also heard no one knew exactly what happened to Hannig.

"We always had an idea that (Walter) was killed in WWII, but no one knew for sure," Martellaro said. "I wanted to see where he went and if he fought in any huge battles  how and where he was killed. That was the ultimate goal."

Now, after two years of research, Hannig's story is complete.

In a book titled "A Soldier's Chronicle," Martellaro describes Hannig's journey from his Bradford Street home in Auburn to his final resting place in Epinal, France. But, as Martellaro discovered, Hannig's life actually began where it ended  overseas.

Born in Waldenburg, Germany, in 1917, Hannig was 3 years old when his family moved to Auburn. His father, Joseph, had actually served in the first world war with the Germans, granting the family permission to migrate to America.

"They ended up living in Auburn, which had a large German population," Martellaro said. "There was a family here that sponsored them and eventually they became citizens."

In Auburn, Hannig eventually met and married his wife, Ruth. Together, the couple had identical twin boys in May 1943. Then, in April 1944, he was drafted.

After a few months of basic training in Mississippi and New York, Hannig sailed to Marseilles, France, with the 253rd Infantry Regiment  part of the 63rd Infantry Division.

"(Walter) was one of the last groups to be drafted before the Invasion of Normandy," Martellaro said. "I traced his whole unit to where he ended up in southern France. He landed there in December ... and at the end of February, there was a big push to close the gap before they did the final push across Germany to end the war."

Martellaro tracked the unit through France to Waldenburg, Germany, the small town where Hannig had been born nearly 30 years before. The town was destroyed in April 1945.

But Hannig never made it that far.

Hannig was killed March 4, 1945. He died of gunshot wounds to the chest during an offensive crossing the Siegfried Line into Germany.

"His family never talked about it because (Hannig) would most likely have been fighting against relatives and friends in Germany," Martellaro said. "It's amazing because he just had to go a couple more months and he would have survived the war."

Had Hannig survived, his sons said, their lives certainly would have been different. After their father was drafted in '44, Walter and David moved to Syracuse with their mother and maternal grandparents, who were instrumental in raising them. Other than a few dozen photographs, the twins said they never knew much about Hannig.

"We were 18 months old when he died, so we didn't know him at all," David said. "We had old pictures we looked at, but beyond that we really didn't know at all."

"As we get older it's more meaningful that we know about these things," Walter added. "He was like a stranger until now."

Now 74, the twins said they're getting to know their father for the first time. It began in December 2016, when Walter received an email from their cousin, Martellaro.

Neither Walter nor David had ever met Martellaro, but both were happy to hear from their father's family, especially when they learned about "A Soldier's Chronicle."

"Originally it was for family history, but it got more involved than I thought it was going to be," Martellaro said, noting that he had help from his cousin, Alan Fiermonte, who is also Hannig's nephew. "I passed it on to close relatives ... but now I'm trying to get it published."

"It's voluminous ... it gives you every detail of our dad's life," Walter said. "(Joe and Alan) really got down in the weeds. They were tenacious."

Martellaro said he finished the chronicle this spring after receiving confirmation of Hannig's final resting place in Epinal American Cemetery in France. Hannig was initially buried where he fell near the Siegfried Line, but his body was exhumed two years later and re-interned in Epinal with another 4,000 U.S. troops.

"This Memorial Day was the first time we really knew where our dad was," David said. "It was the first time we really knew him and his history."

"It was really very special," Walter added. "It's a difficult thing ... but it's a great thing to know."
As central New York moves past the halfway point of summer, the board of education for Cayuga County-area school districts have held re-organizational meetings to elect their organization's president and vice president for the upcoming school year. Here's who each board elected:

 The Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education's July 5 re-organizational meeting saw two incumbents take the reins again. President Michael McCole and vice president Kathleen Rhodes were both elected to their fourth terms. They were voted in 8-0, while board member Sam Giangreco arrived after the decisions were made.

 Cato-Meridian Central School District Board of Education President Michael Lees began his seventh year as board leader after he was approved unanimously 7-0 on July 10. In another 7-0 vote, veteran board member Kathleen Bratt became vice president, replacing former board member L. Lee Epprecht, who resigned.

 The Jordan-Elbridge Central School District school board meeting held July 12 resulted in David Gallaro being re-elected as president, though he abstained from voting for himself. Lisa Long was re-elected for the vice presidency with three votes. Long had nominated board member Karen Guerrette for the position, but Long received more votes.

 The leadership for Moravia Central School District's school board is unchanged for the upcoming school year, as president Michelle Lyon and vice president Shawn Becker were voted in for their second straight terms. The votes were 6-0, with Lyon and Becker abstaining from voting for themselves at the July 5 meeting.

 With a 6-0 vote on July 10, the school board for the Port Byron Central School District decided upon Joseph Verdi  now in his fourth term  as president. Verdi abstained from voting for himself. Melinda Quanbeck's third term as vice president was approved 6-0, as she also abstained from voting for herself.

 There was a leadership shakeup at the Skaneateles Central School District Board of Education's re-organizational board meeting on July 6, as member Sue Murphy replaced Tom Lambdin as president. Murphy was voted in 5-1, as member Kerry Brogan was absent. At a 6-0 decision, member Julie Abbott-Kenan became the vice president, replacing Geralyn Huba.

 The heads of the Southern Cayuga Central School District went unchanged, as president Dave Wiemann and vice president Bruce Kopp were re-elected on July 5.

 The Union Springs Central School District's meeting on July 11 resulted in board member Barry Schwarting replacing Mary Seitz as president at a 6-0 vote, as Seitz and board members David (Randy) Morehouse and Tom Weaver Sr. were absent. Vice president Anne Marie Daum was elected 6-0.

 Colleen Battalino was re-elected as president of the Weedsport Central School District school board at a 4-0 vote at a July 5 meeting, with board member Norman Chirco absent. Matt Stark replaced Chirco as vice president at a 4-0 vote.


A representational photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a pact with the Army for developing a medium-range surface to air missile (MRSAM) which will be capable of shooting down ballistic missiles and aircraft.



"The MoU heralds the commencement of development of MRSAM system in the configuration as required by the Army," a senior Army official said.



He said the missile will be produced by the DRDO in collaboration with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The missile will be capable of engaging multiple aerial targets at a range of more than 50 kms.



In April, Israel's state-run IAI had said it signed a contract with India worth over USD 1.6 billion for providing the missile to the Army.



"The MRSAM system will be capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters,drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) aircraft," the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.



He said procurement of the MRSAM will mark a paradigm shift in the the Army's strike capability.



The Army has been pressing the government for the MRSAM to enhance its strike capability.



MRSAM's current version is operational with the Indian Air Force and Navy.


AURORA  Mimi Newman, of Philadelphia, arrived at the MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale in Aurora Friday morning with an eye on the company's famous patterns.

"They've made black-and-white check stylish  I love it," Newman said.

Newman, who came with some friends, said she thinks the event's appeal is largely derived from the variety of discounts shoppers can get and the opportunity to have some fun.

The sale at the company's warehouse on a 65-acre former farm is being held through Sunday. On Friday morning, crowds of people could be seen looking through large cardboard boxes full of everything from plates to candles to zebra dolls.

Sean Bresnahan  with a custom-made MacKenzie-Childs shirt  came with his parents, fiance and friends, with the group traveling in two cars.

"My job is to take up more room in the car so they buy less," Bresnahan said.

Bresnahan, of Syracuse, said he and his fiance have been to the sale before and has made "fast and furious friends" with company personnel over the years, as they are regular customers with the business.

He said he believes part of the draw for people is that the company is fairly well-known to fit within a "niche."

"It's popular enough but not too popular," Bresnahan said.

Jerry Ryan, manager of customer service and distribution operations for the company, said part of the reason the sale brings in crowds every year  he said over 6,000 people attended Thursday alone  is that the MacKenzie-Childs brand is about "fun," though he notes that just waiting in line and speaking with people from all all over the country is a social event by itself.

"People who come year after year meet friends and make friends and then keep coming back and being with those friends and making more friends and then they become friends outside of the MacKenzie-Childs line," Ryan said.


Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. A file photo

ZHUKOVSKY, MOSCOW (TASS-DEFENSE): Russia's Defence Ministry is currently in talks with aircraft makers to discuss the development of a promising vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) plane for a future aircraft carrier, Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov has said.



The fighter jet will derive from a group of vertical take-off and landing planes manufactured by the Yakovlev Company, he added.



"The Defence Ministry is planning to launch the construction of an advanced aircraft carrier (for Russian Navy) in the distant future, at the final stage of the 2018-2025 state armament programme. Of course, the production of new-generation aircraft will begin by that time," Borisov said at the MAKS 2017 international airshow.



"Today, the Sukhoi Su-33 and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets are the basic planes for aircraft carriers, in particular, the ship Admiral Kuznetsov.



"The Defence Ministry is planning to develop a promising reduced take-off and landing or, probably, vertical take-off and landing plane and we are discussing this issue with aircraft producers," he added.



"The plane will be a derivative of vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, which are no longer produced. There are such plans and we are discussing them.



"The groundwork laid may be used to develop a new plane for aircraft carriers," the Minister said.



The Yakovlev Design Bureau started developing the Yakovlev Yak-141 multi-role supersonic VTOL fighter jet in the mid-1970s.



The plane performed its first flight in 1987. The Yak-141 aircraft were planned to make part of the air wing of the heavy aircraft carriers, the Novorossiysk, Baku (the future ship Admiral Gorshkov), Tbilisi (currently known as the Admiral Kuznetsov), Riga (the future ship Varyag) and Ulyanovsk.



The Yak-141 plane landed on an aircraft carrier for the first time in 1991. The production of the aircraft was ceased in 2003.




The Su-30MKM fighter of Malaysian Air Force. An internet photo

ZHUKOVSKY, MOSCOW (TASS-DEFENSE): Russia's United Engine Corporation (UEC) has signed agreements at the MAKS 2017 international airshow to overhaul AL-31FP turbojet engines mounted on Malaysian Air Force's Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter jets, the corporation's press office said on July 20.



The additional agreements to the framework contract concluded in 2015 were signed by UEC Head Alexander Artyukhov and CEO of Malaysia's Aerospace Technology Systems Corporation (ATSC) Mohamed Fadzar in the presence of Malaysian Air Force Chief Datuk Seri Affendi Buang.



The framework contract was extended through 2023.



"Malaysia is one of our key partners in the Asia-Pacific Region. In accordance with the cooperation development programme, our corporation is interested in creating a system of comprehensive after-sales maintenance for products delivered earlier," UEC CEO Alexander Artyukhov said after signing the documents.



"I am convinced that the agreements signed today will strengthen relations we are establishing with Malaysian operators," he added.


IDA Ireland has welcomed Bank of America confirmation that it has chosen Dublin as the preferred location for its principal EU legal entities following the UKs departure from the EU.

The bank has not revealed how many jobs in Ireland will be created by the the move.

The decision was confirmed by Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO of Bank of America today at a meeting with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD and IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan.

The decision to consolidate its legal entities in Dublin will, it is suggested, ensure that the company can continue to serve its customers, both in Ireland and across the EU, after the UK leaves the European Union.

Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, welcomed the announcement and said it was a strong endorsement of Irelands attractiveness as a location for investment, and of the Governments approach to securing Brexit-related activities.

Bank of America chooses Dublin as its main EU hub after Brexit https://t.co/Xn6zNJNKBd pic.twitter.com/lFrw9iSYdR  Bloomberg (@business) July 21, 2017

Martin Shanahan, CEO IDA Ireland said the decision reflected the importance of Ireland as a gateway to the Single Market.

"As the only English speaking, common-law jurisdiction in the Euro zone, Ireland is well positioned to provide certainty to companies servicing the European market in a post Brexit world.

This is yet another very important signal to the market that financial services companies can come to Ireland and service their European customers with minimum disruption to their business.

Ireland has the right mix of regulation, skills, experience and office space to make us a very logical place for financial services to locate, concluded Mr Shanahan.
Two ocean rowers have been rescued from their boat capsized 165 miles off the Irish coast.

Brian Conville, 25, from Dublin and Joseph Gagnon, 20, from Quebec, Canada were found clinging for life in the Atlantic Ocean after their boat failed to right itself.

The pair were winched to safety by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew on Friday.

Mr Gagnon's mother Claire Martin had just flown in to Dublin from Canada when a phone call came through that a rescue mission was underway for her son and his rowing mate.

She said: "It was a lot of stress but we were in touch and in contact with the Irish Coast Guard so we knew that they were trying to do their best."

The families of the two rowers came together and waited for about two hours to hear whether their sons had been rescued.

The Sikorsky Rescue 117 helicopter based in Waterford carried out the mission about 165 miles west-south-west off Mizen Head, the most southerly point in Ireland.

"Everything is okay. The boys are okay," Ms Martin said.

"We have very little information. It's hard to tell but the information we have is that they are okay. They have hypothermia but they are in the heat now."

The alarm was raised after the rowers' emergency position indicating radio beacon, known as an Epirb, was set off when the boat capsized.

The first indications of an incident came at about 10.30am, a spokeswoman for the Ocean Rowing Society said.

The rescue mission was complete at lunchtime and the rowers were airlifted to Tralee Hospital in Co Kerry for treatment.

Mr Conville and Mr Gagnon had set themselves a challenge of rowing west-east across the Atlantic and were on course to enter the record books for being the youngest pair to complete the voyage from Canada to Ireland.

The rowers left St John's, Newfoundland, at midday on June 13.

It is understood they were aiming to land in Co Cork in the coming days after injuries including bruises and blisters curtailed their original ambition of rowing to France.

The two men's families travelled from Dublin to visit them in hospital.

Ms Martin was waiting to disembark a plane after landing in Dublin Airport when the first call came through about the emergency.

She said: "It was the (Irish) Coast Guard and they had received a distress message from the boat so one helicopter and one plane left to try and find the guys.

"We waited for two hours with Brian's family and then we had news that they had found the boat and it was capsized but the two boys were in contact with it."

The Irish Coast Guard's search and rescue manager Gerard O'Flynn said: "It highlights that if you can raise the alarm and stay afloat then you stand a very good chance of being rescued."

Mr O'Flynn praised the work of the helicopter crew and officials at the incident control offices on Valentia and the Irish Air Corps which provided top cover support.

A spokeswoman for the Ocean Rowing Society said the most important thing was that the rowers had been found.

She added: "But it is such a shame really, only 160 or so miles from Ireland.

"Whoever tries to row an ocean, first of all they must be a great person. I believe both of them did their best."

A retired cardiologist, 62-year-old Nenad Belic from Chicago, disappeared and was never found after his ocean rowing boat capsized in a storm 260 miles from the Irish coast in 2001.

The families of the rescued rowers said they had indications of something going wrong when trackers stopped feeding back information.

It is thought the boat capsized at about 5am and the rescue did not take place until 3pm, with the pair clinging to the boat in the Atlantic for up to eight hours.

Mr Conville's mother Cathy, from Raheny in Dublin, spoke to her son as she travelled to the hospital.

"They are very good," she said. "They are kind of probably in shock that it happened but they are in very good form."
Over half of dwellings in one Westmeath village have no broadband.

The Central Statistics Office yesterday published the Small Area Population Statistics from Census 2016, which provides detailed results for 11 different geographical layers.
A great start to the weekend for three separate Lotto players as they netted a combined 200,000 in both Lotto and scratch card prizes.

The big price of 112,608 was scooped up by a lucky couple from Dublin.

They picked up a Quick Pick ticket while on a day out with family in Co Wexford.

The ticket was bought in Downes Gala Store in Gorey.

Luck is an incredible thing," said the winning wife.

"There are so many coincidences over the past week which has led us to the National Lottery winners room today.

"Buying the winning ticket was a pure fluke!

"We were enjoying a lovely drive with our family in Wexford last weekend and as we got on the road to go home, the children piped up and asked us to stop in the nearest shop to get some treats and that is where I bought the winning ticket!

Its a lovely amount of money for anybody to win," she added.

"Seeing as how the children inadvertently brought us this luck, we will be buying some treats for the whole family but the majority of the money will be put aside for their future when they can appreciate it more."

Another of today's lucky winners was a 60-year-old Co Donegal man who collected a cheque for 50,000 after a win on a 5 All Cash Platinum scratch card.

After making the long journey from Donegal by bus with his family, the lucky winner said that he would have to let his win sink in first before he decided on how to spend his winnings.

This is a marvellous surprise and its just in time for my birthday. Im going to enjoy the next few days celebrating with my family and after that well see about spending some of the prize money he said.
The Government is being told there is no quick fix to the housing crisis but what we have got, is not working.

Fianna Fail's spokesperson for Dublin has said we are relying too heavily on the private rental market to solve the homeless crisis in Dublin and the national focus would be better placed on constructing more social housing.
Gardai in Wicklow are renewing an appeal for information for Yu Xin Li, who's been missing from her home in Bray since the June, 22.

Yu, who is 16 years of age, is described as 5'3" in height, of slight build, with brown eyes and dyed blonde hair.
Irish activists are taking part in an Action Camp on the Greek island of Lesvos today.

They will join forces with refugees to demand action from EU leaders as thousands remain trapped on the island.

Janet Dillon is an Irish volunteer from Cork, who has worked with refugees on the island and who spoke with an aid-worker in the Moria refugee camp.

"She said she had been peeling potatoes from dawn until dusk and she said the conditions in there are so stark that she couldn't discuss them from fear of being deported," Janet said.

"We tried to talk to the people and they were completely traumatised.

"Obviously they think that Greece is the land of milk and honey having arrived after making that desperate crossing but once they get there, the situation is not great at all."

Amnesty International Ireland's Colm O'Gormon has said the camp will shine a spotlight on the dire situation facing refugees.

"More Irish activists are joining Amnesty activists from eight other countries together with local activists in Lesvos in Greece and also refugees to highlight the continuing plight of refugees who are trapped in a dire situation due to the EU and Turkey deal," he said.

"This is the deal that sees the EU pledging to return anybody arriving in Greece directly from Turkey."
Update 3pm: A 24-year-old man has been remanded in custody charged with the rape and false imprisonment of a Spanish student in Dublin.

The young woman, aged 18, who had just come to Ireland in recent weeks to live with a host family, had been in Dublin on Saturday when she was allegedly brought to waste-ground in the citys south-side and raped.

Dressed in a red T-shirt, green combat trousers and white runners, the accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Judge Michael Walsh at Dublin District Court on Friday afternoon. He is accused of rape, false imprisonment and threat to kill or cause serious harm to the woman at the Irish Glass Bottle site, in Ringsend in south Dublin on either July 15 or July 16.

The man, who was described as having a significant history of mental problems, made no bail application and was remanded in custody to appear again in court next Friday.

Det Garda Bryan Hunt told Judge Michael Walsh that the man was charged with at the courthouse at 12.35pm on Friday. He was cautioned after each charge and made no reply to each charge, Det Garda Hunt.

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has directed trial on indictment on all three matters, said Det Garda Hunt.

The defendant sat silently at the side of the courtroom with his head bowed during the brief hearing.

Judge Walsh read out the charges and noted the DPPs direction and said the usual reporting restrictions apply.

Defence solicitor Tony Collier told the court that in light of applications on Friday morning to revoke other bail bonds, there was no application for bail on these charges.

Judge Walsh remanded the defendant in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on July 28 next.

Mr Collier asked the judge to note there has been no application for bail and he asked the court to direct a psychiatric assessment and for psychiatric report to be obtained. Judge Walsh enquired as to the basis for the application and the defence solicitor told him he had concerns for his clients mental well-being adding that he does have a significant history. He had medical reports on him and had dealt with him in the past, the solicitor said.

Judge Walsh said he was directing medical treatment as the prison governor and medical advisers deem appropriate.

The defence solicitor said given the seriousness of the charge and the fact his client is in receipt of a disability payment he was making an application for legal aid which was granted by the judge.

The accused had been originally arrested on Monday but was released without charge the following day. However, he was re-arrested for the purpose of being charged on Friday.

Update: A man has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a young Spanish student in Dublin.

A suspect was arrested by investigating officers on Monday morning and held for questioning at Irishtown garda station on Dublins southside until Tuesday evening.

He is expected to be brought before Dublin District Court this afternoon.

An 18-year-old told Gardai she was taken to a tent on waste ground near Sandymount beach last weekend, tied up and assaulted a number of times.

Over the past few days Gardai have been examining footage from the area where the alleged attack took place and the route from the city centre to Sandymount taken by the victim.

Yesterday, questions were raised when a 24-year-old suspect in the alleged assault of the Spanish student in Dublin was on bail at the time for a different offence.
Update 3.23: A solicitor says the suspect in an alleged rape case may not have been charged for a number of reasons.

It follows revelations the 24-year-old man questioned about the alleged assault of a Spanish student in Dublin was on bail at the time for a different offence.

He was questioned, released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

Solicitor Dara Robinson explains the possible reason for his release.

"The last thing that anyone wants to happen is for somebody to be charged with a serious offence, possibly remand in custody and then the charges dropped for want of evidence.

"So people would want to be pretty sure that the case is going to stick before bringing the charge, and that may be the problem."

Update 12.36pm The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said it has to trust Gardai to investigate cases properly.

CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Noeline Blackwell has said that they can not tell the Gardai how to do their job.

"There is a report of a horrific crime," she said.

"We have to trust the Gardai in their investigation of this and we have to believe that the Gardai will protect as far as they can people from sexual violence but we can not tell the Gardai how to do their job."

Update 9.52am:The suspect in the rape of a Spanish teenager in Dublin last weekend was reportedly breaking his bail conditions at the time of the alleged attack.

He had previously been granted bail on criminal damage charges on the strict condition he stayed out of Dublin City Centre, ordered by a judge.

Questions are now being raised after the suspect was not charged.

A file is being prepared for the DPP.

Solicitor Dara Robinson has said that there may be a reason for this.

"Well you'd have to say if there was sufficient evidence to put this man on trial, I would have thought he would have been charged," he said.

"I was personally surprised that it was filed to the DPP, I know nothing whatsoever about the case, I have to assume that it is a case of insufficiently of evidence."

The 18-year-old woman told Gardai she met her attacker on the boardwalk in Dublin City centre before he took her to a tent near Sandymount strand to rape her.

Update 07:46am: It has been revealed that the suspect in the rape of a Spanish teenager in Dublin last weekend was out on bail at the time of the alleged attack.

The 18-year-old told Gardai she was taken to waste ground near Sandymont beach where she was tied up and subjected to multiple assaults in a tent overnight.

A 24-year-old man was arrested and released without charge in relation to the allegations.

Earlier: Gardai are awaiting the results of DNA and forensic tests in relation to a multiple rape of a Spanish student, which took place over two days at the weekend, writes Cormac O'Keeffe.

Detectives quickly identified the suspect  who is on bail for an unrelated offence  and questioned him, before he was released pending a file to the DPP.

The 18-year-old student from Spain said she met the suspect on the boardwalk along Dublins Eden Quays on Saturday evening. It is understood the suspect started talking to her. She told him she was interested in photography and he suggested taking her to Sandymount beach.

They walked to the nearby Luas stop at Store St and took it to the 3 Arena.

They crossed the East Link bridge and walked along Pigeon House Rd near the old Glass Bottle site.

It is thought he took her to an area near flats and brought her into a tent where he restrained her, it is thought with cables, and raped her repeatedly during Saturday and Sunday.

It is understood he may have subsequently taken her to Sandymount Beach, where he fell asleep, at which stage she sought assistance from a nearby house.

Detectives in Irishtown Garda Station launched an immediate investigation and the crime scene was cordoned off for a forensic examination.

The woman was taken to hospital and received a medical examination.

The suspect, a 24-year-old man, was arrested on Monday morning and questioned by detectives. He was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for 24 hours detention, minus sleep breaks.

Detectives consulted with the DPP and released the man without charge on Tuesday night. This was pending the completion of various forensic and DNA tests.

They have also gathered CCTV footage from the boardwalk area, the Luas and near the Pigeon House.

Gardai said they were conducting both a sexual assault and a false imprisonment investigation.

The suspect has convictions for violent offences and is currently on bail in relation to an unrelated matter, which is not a sexual crime.

It is understood the woman lives with a host family here. Gardai notified her family in Spain, who have travelled over to be with their daughter.

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner
Assyrians Protest Removal of Mayor By Kurdish Government

Fayez Abed Jawahreh, the Assyrian mayor of Alqosh, north Iraq, was illegally removed from his post by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA) Alqosh, North Iraq (AINA) -- A large demonstration was held yesterday in the Assyrian town of Alqosh, situated in Iraq's Nineveh Plains, to protest the ouster of the Assyrian mayor, Fayez Abed Jawahreh, who was voted into office in 2014. Mayor Jawahreh has faced several Kurdish-led attempts to unseat him. The decision to depose him was taken on July 16 by Bashar Al Kekee, the head of the Nineveh Province Council and a member of the Kurdish KDP party, led by president Massoud Barzani. Alqosh will now be administered by a Kurd, Adel Amin Omar, who is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Al Kekee accused Jawahreh of corruption and misusing the public office but did not present any evidence to support his claim. Furthermore, he took the decision without consulting the rest of the provincial council, according to sources on the ground. The decision has been appealed to a federal Iraqi judge on the basis of violation of council procedures.

Many see the move as part of a Kurdish plan to include areas outside of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in the independence referendum announced by Kurdish president Massoud Barzani, scheduled for September 25. The district of Alqosh borders the Kurdish region but is under the jurisdiction of the central government of Iraq. Most of its inhabitants are Assyrians, with a smaller percentage of Yazidis. The district forms the northern part of the wider Nineveh Plains region, which Kurdish leaders openly seek to annex to the Kurdish region.

Assyrians in Alqosh demonstrate against the removal of the Assyrian mayor by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA)

After the news of the removal of the Assyrian mayor spread on social media Assyrians held simultaneous protests in Alqosh and outside the KRG office in Stockholm.

Assyrians outside the Kurdish Regional Government office in Stockholm protest the removal of the Assyrian mayor of Alqosh, North Iraq. ( AINA)

Assyrians in Alqosh demonstrate against the removal of the Assyrian mayor by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA)
BUFFALO  About 75,000 people who applied for New York's first-in-the-nation tuition-free college program are finding out whether they will start the fall semester without a tuition bill to pay.

"It feels absolutely terrific," Binghamton University student Natan Nassir, of Great Neck, said after learning Thursday that the state will pick up his tab for any tuition not covered by other financial aid.

New York set aside $87 million for the Excelsior Scholarship program for the first year after projecting about 23,000 people would qualify. Although more than three times that number had applied before Friday's application deadline, state officials stood by the initial estimate, saying many who applied would not qualify for or accept an award.

"The fact that New York has received more than 75,000 applications demonstrates the critical need for the Excelsior Scholarship and the widespread enthusiasm of students across the state," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who proposed the program. "We look forward to enabling more New Yorkers to attend our public colleges this fall without the crushing burden of student debt weighing them down."

After other state and federal financial aid is applied, the initiative covers the balance of State University of New York or City University of New York tuition for full-time, in-state students from families earning $100,000 or less. The income threshold will rise to $125,000 over three years.

In return, students must live and work in New York for as many years as they receive the benefit. If not, they'll have to repay it as a no-interest loan, a provision meant to ensure New York benefits from the workforce it trains. That provision, however, has been criticized as too restrictive.

"I can see how some people are hesitant since in two to four years, they don't know where they want to be. They don't know ... what job offers they're going to get," said incoming freshman Hunter Perez of Horseheads, who will use the scholarship while studying architecture at the University at Buffalo, which is part of the SUNY system. "But I plan on staying in New York."

He and others said they weren't told a specific award amount. The state will pay the colleges at the end of the semester to ensure scholarship recipients fulfill the requirements, which include earning 30 credits a year. The maximum award is $5,500 but many will receive less because of the program's "last-dollar" structure, which first counts aid from the state's Tuition Assistance Program, federal Pell grants and other financial awards.

That setup has been criticized as doing little to help the neediest students, whose tuition already is covered by other aid but still struggle with room and board, books and other expenses not covered by the Excelsior program. Tuition makes up about $26,000 of the total $83,000 tab for four years of study at State University of New York colleges.

A similar program for private college students had received about 4,650 applications by Thursday. Only about a third of New York's nearly 100 eligible private colleges are participating in the Enhanced Tuition Award program, which requires them to provide matching funds for a portion of the costs.
A murder accused told gardai he feared his stepson would be killed by rival bikers, so he loaded a shotgun and went to the motorcycle clubhouse where he shot a man dead, reports Eoin Reynolds.

He said he did not intend to kill anyone but was panicking after he was attacked and threats were made against him and his family. He also wanted to frighten the bikers so they would leave his family alone.

Alan Cookie McNamara (51), from Mountfune, Murroe, Co Limerick has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Andrew AOD ODonoghue on Saturday June 20, 2015 at Mountfune.

Also on trial is Mr McNamaras stepson Robert Cusack (28), of Abington, Murroe who has pleaded not guilty to impeding Mr McNamaras apprehension knowing or believing him to have committed a serious offence.

Sergeant Brian OConnor and Detective Garda Niall Fitzgerald told prosecuting counsel John OSullivan BL that they interviewed Mr McNamara 17 times at Roxboro Garda Station in Limerick between June 21 and June 25, 2015.

During those interviews Mr McNamara described how he was attacked the day before the shooting outside Kellys pub in Doon, Limerick by members of the Road Tramps motorcycle club. They took his waistcoat, which had the colours of his own club, the Caballeros, sewn into the back. When Mr McNamara arrived home that evening, he said a maroon car pulled up outside and threatened to burn down his house and kill his family.

Mr McNamara was secretary of the Caballeros club, having left the Road Tramps 15 years earlier. He left because he didnt get on with some of the Road Tramps who he said bullied him when he first joined as a "prospect". He explained that prospects are not full members until the members of the club accept them. Becoming a full member depends on "how you are as a man".

Robert Cusack

His own stepson, Robert Cusack, was a prospect in the Caballeros in June 2015. The morning after the accused was attacked in Doon, Mr McNamara said he woke up "totally out of my mind". He was scared for his family, upset and in shock. When he heard Harley Davidson motorbikes about two to three miles away from his house, he said: "In my head they were setting something up."

That afternoon he received a phone call from his stepson, Robert Cusack, who told him that he had "spotted the Road Tramps" and was following them. "I thought he was being attacked or something. That is when I panicked." He later said: "After the threats, I thought they might kill my son."

He said he loaded the gun, put it in the back seat and drove up the road to the Road Tramps clubhouse.

When he arrived, he saw two men and he thought they had guns so he grabbed his own gun. As he grabbed it his hand slipped and the gun went off. He said the noise was deafening and caused him to panic. He stopped the car and got out and said he saw Mr ODonoghue pointing something at him. He said: "I thought he had a gun so I fired at him."

Afterwards he thought, "shit what am I after doing" but was worried that more Road Tramps were coming for him so he tried to reload.

CCTV showed that Mr ODonoghue was carrying an iron bar when he was shot. Gardai showed the iron bar to Mr McNamara and asked him if it looks like a gun. He said it didnt but that he is near-sighted and in the distance he thought it was a gun. Gardai also put it to him that he could have just driven away, but he said he didnt want the Road Tramps to come and kick down his door firing shots. "They brought it to me," he added. He also told gardai that he didnt intend to kill anyone but wanted to frighten them, so they would stay away from his family.

After shooting Mr ODonoghue, the accused said the car with his stepson and two other men pulled up. Mr McNamara told them: "I think Im after shooting somone," and gave the gun to Mr Cusack. Mr McNamara then got into his own car and drove away.

Sgt Louise Casey told Hugh Hartnett SC, acting for Mr McNamara, that she was the garda in charge at Roxboro Rd Garda Station at various times throughout Mr McNamaras detention. She spoke with Mr McNamara on a number of occasions and was approached by members of his family who asked her to tell Mr McNamara how much they loved him.

She said at one point the accused was emotional and crying and asked her to get him a priest. "He was in tears and saying how sorry he was," she added. On another occasion he was crying and said to her: "Its not right. That man is being waked this evening." After speaking with the priest, Mr McNamara told her he had received some "solace" and thanked her.

The trial continues next week in front of Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and four women.
The first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to die on a search mission has been awarded a posthumous degree.

Caitrionas Lucas, 41, a librarian from Co Clare, had been studying for a BSc in information and library studies when she died at sea off the coast of Co Clare last September.

The mother of two, who also volunteered with the Search and Rescue Dog Association and was an artist, drowned when the rescue boat she was in with two colleagues capsized in heavy Atlantic swell off Kilkee.

She had been studying by distance learning with Aberystwyth University in Wales since June 2015.

The college held a minutes silence as it honoured her at a graduation ceremony attended by widower Bernard and the couples son Ben on Thursday.

Professor Judy Broady-Preston, director of the Institute of Professional Development at the university, said the honour was about remembering Ms Lucass life and achievements.

"An excellent and popular student, Caitriona was due to complete her degree in 2017. Aber students and staff remember her lively personality, energy, enthusiasm and professional commitment," she said.

Ms Lucas, originally from Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, was the first member of the Irish Coast Guard to die on duty.

She volunteered about 700 hours a year with the service and had been working with them for about 10 years.

She and her husband were both members of the Doolin unit.

AP
The Government is being urged to focus on the needs of children as it prepares for Budget 2018.

One in nine children live in consistent poverty.

A pre-budget forum will take place this morning to discuss how best to help them and other vulnerable groups.

The Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty hosts her Department's Pre-Budget Forum at Dublin Castle.

Hazel OByrne from St Vincent de Paul outlines what she would like to see happen in Budget 2018.

"We're talking about supporting family income, properly investing in childcare, we're talking about fully funding the cost of primary and secondary education which is a huge cost for families.

"We will be talking about tackling our very serious homeless crisis."

Over 40 organisations have been invited to attend.

It will include a number of workshops which will give interested parties a chance to debate their priorities for Budget 2018.
A dad was fined 150 after his five-year-old daughter set up a one-table lemonade stall. He described how four council officials told him to shut it down as he held the crying five-year-old in his arms.

Andre Spicer, a business school professor, let the youngster set up a stand near their home to sell refreshments to people heading to the Lovebox music festival in Victoria Park, east London, last weekend.

"She basically suggested it herself," Professor Spicer told the Press Association.

She made a sign and starting selling home-made lemonade - 1 for a large glass, and 50p for a small one.

But after just half an hour, four officials marched over and demanded they stop and issued them with an 150 fine, telling them it could be reduced to 90 if paid quickly.

"They were following a script," said Professor Spicer, who added his daughter burst into tears at they spoke.

"I had to pick her up and hold her."

Tower Hamlets council has since cancelled the fine and hand-delivered a note to his home to apologise, after Professor Spicer wrote an article in the Daily Telegraph describing the incident.

The four enforcement officers who shut down the stall should have used "common sense", said the council.

"We are very sorry that this has happened," a spokesman said.

"We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen.

"The fine will be cancelled immediately and we have contacted Professor Spicer and his daughter to apologise."

However, just because the fine has been dropped, that does not mean the children of Tower Hamlets can set up lemonade stands at will.

The council spokesman said: "Strictly speaking it could be seen as illegal trading."

Professor Spicer suggested enforcement of such rules where children are involved is part of a wider trend.

"The broader point here is how restrictive we have become with children," he said.

"They are not allowed out of the house or anything.

"All we do is put them in front of the television or send them to adventure parks."
Update 4pm: An Irish woman caught up in a powerful earthquake that struck the Aegean sea says it wouldn't put her off going back.

Two people were killed and hundreds injured on the Greek Island of Kos, while dozens more were injured in neighbouring Turkey.

The Irish embassy is not advising against travel to the region, but people should contact their tour provider before flying out.

Kyna (PR Keena) Rushe is on holiday in Kuakas and says people are trying to go on as normal.

"I think most people are trying to go about their business and keep some form of normality.

"Earthquakes are regular here, probably not to that degree, but it wouldn't put me off returning."

Update 1pm: British and Irish holidaymakers are facing travel disruption at the busiest time of the year after a powerful earthquake off the Greek islands and Turkey killed two people.

Two men, from Sweden and Turkey, died on the Greek island of Kos, while around 200 other people were injured in the quake which also caused cracks to walls and flooding in some buildings in the Turkish resort of Bodrum.

Tourists had to flee their hotel rooms when the tremor, said to have been up to a magnitude of 6.7, struck at around 1.30am, and was followed by aftershocks throughout the night.

There have been no reports of any injuries to British or Irish holidaymakers but some tourists spoke of their shock after experiencing the earthquake.

Lauren Duffy, 20, from Liverpool, said glass and broken pieces of marble statues were among the debris strewn near her hotel, a short drive from Koss Old Town.

The University of Chester student said: "We were woken up by really aggressive shaking. We didnt know what it was. You couldnt find your balance. It was just a scary situation."

Naomi Ruddock, who is on holiday in Kos with her mother Eleanor, said a staff member told her it was the worst earthquake the area had seen.

The 22-year-old, from London, said: "We were asleep and we just felt the room shaking. The room moved. Literally everything was moving. And it kind of felt like you were on a boat and it was swaying really fast from side to side, you felt seasick."

The quake came as millions of British and Irish holidaymakers are expected to head overseas for their summer holidays and air traffic controllers are dealing with the busiest day in UK aviation history.

Abta said Kos Airport has reopened, but warned of delays, and advised visitors to the affected areas to follow the advice of their travel provider, local authorities and the Foreign Office.

A statement from the travel trade organisation said: "Customers imminently due to travel to this region will be contacted by their tour operator, should it be necessary to discuss changes to their holiday arrangements."

The British Governments latest guidance for travellers to Greece warns: "Flights and ferry services are being significantly disrupted as a result of the earthquake. Please contact your airline, ferry company or tour operator for updates to services."

Travellers to Turkey are being advised: "There may be disruption to ferry and flight services as a result of the earthquake."

Update 8:04am It is not believed any Irish people have been caught up in a powerful earthquake that killed two people and injured 120 on the Greek Island of Kos.

However, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is monitoring the situation.

The 6.7 magnitude quake struck last night while people were sleeping, causing several buildings to collapse.

Hannah Wright is there with her family, including her two young children, they had to temporarily evacuate their hotel.

"There were some quite heavy after shocks and I believe people did come back outside," she said

"Theres probably been in our area a good 100 to 120 people that slept outside on sun loungers."

Earlier:A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands early on Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port, killing at least two people and causing more than 100 injuries.

The island of Kos was nearest to the epicentre and appeared to be the worst-hit, with two deaths and structural damage to older buildings.

Minor damage - cracks in buildings, smashed windows and wrecked shops - appeared widespread, according to city officials.

"The rest of the island has no problem. Its only the main town that has a problem," Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media.

"The buildings affected were mostly old, and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced."

Rescuers were checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night.

Mr Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services. The islands port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100.

"Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery," he said.

He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Koss main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred six miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles east-northeast of Kos with a depth of six miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkish disaster officials said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic".

In Bitez, a resort town about four miles west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds.

Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone.

The authorities later said the number of people injured in the earthquake had risen to more than 120.

Several tourists were stranded outside their hotel after the quake sent them streaming onto Lambi Beach on Kos Island.

Lauren Duffy, a 20-year-old student from Merseyside, was evacuated along with her mother and sister from the Atlantis Hotel, which was strewn with shattered glass.

She said: "We were asleep in our hotel room when we were woken by really violent shaking, and we all were screaming and told to evacuate from the hotel."

She said they were able to return to the hotel just long enough to retrieve their passports before they were forced out again by tremors.

Ms Duffy said no-one was hurt but the broken glass made the area unsafe. She said most of the stranded tourists there are Dutch, Russian and German.

PA
A nationwide strike against plans to rewrite the constitution shut down much of Venezuelan's capital before erupting into violence that left at least two young men dead.

President Nicolas Maduro pledged to forge ahead with reshaping Venezuela's government despite the protests and a US threat to levy economic sanctions if he continued.

A coalition of opposition groups called what it described as a "great march" for Saturday, returning to a strategy of direct confrontation with the government after a week of alternative tactics like organising a nationwide protest vote against the constitutional rewrite.

In New York, a diplomat resigned from the Venezuelan delegation to the UN in protest against what he called the Maduro's administration's widespread human rights violations.

UN Ambassador Rafael Ramirez said Minister-Counsellor Isaias Medina had acted dishonestly and been removed from his post.

In Caracas, wealthier, pro-opposition neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city were shuttered and silent until early afternoon, when improvised blockades left them almost entirely cut them off from the rest of the city.

Groups of masked young men set fire to a handful of blockades and hurled stones at riot police, who fired back tear gas.

The chief prosecutor's office said 23-year-old Andres Uzcategui was killed in a protest in the working-class area of La Isabelica in the central state of Carabobo and 24-year-old Ronney Eloy Tejera Soler died in the Los Teques neighbourhood on Caracas' outskirts.

At least nine people were hurt in protests, the prosecutor's office said.

A public transport strike appeared to have halted nearly all bus traffic and thousands of private businesses defied government demands to stay open during the first major national strike since a 2002 stoppage that failed to topple Mr Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez.

Mr Maduro said on national television he will press ahead with plans to rewrite the nation's constitution and that hundreds of Venezuela's largest companies are functioning "at 100%" despite the strike.

In parts of western Caracas traditionally loyal to the ruling party, some stores were closed but bakeries, fruit stands and other shops were open and hundreds of people were in the streets.

The 24-hour strike was meant as an expression of national disapproval of Mr Maduro's plan to convene a constitutional assembly that would reshape the Venezuelan system to consolidate the ruling party's power over the few institutions that remain outside its control.

The opposition is boycotting the July 30 election to select members of the assembly.

"Definitively, we need a change," said teacher Katherina Alvarez. "The main objective is for people to see how dissatisfied people are."

Walking through the streets of Venezuela's capital, opposition leader Henrique Capriles called on people at roadblocks to allow ambulances and other emergency vehicles through.

PA
Light rail works will see disruption to traffic in the centre of Canberra for the next two weekends.

The intersections of Barry Drive and Cooyong Street with Northbourne Avenue will be closed for about 54 hours, from Friday to Sunday, as part of stage 1 tram works. People travelling in the city are being warned of short delays.

Planned closures at Barry Drive and Cooyong Street

The closures will take place from 10pm on Friday, July 21 until 4am on Monday July 24 and again from 10pm on Friday, July 28 until 4am on Monday July 31.

The intersection will be closed to cross street and right turning traffic on Cooyong Street and Barry Drive.
For decades Australian women have fought with universities to be heard on sexual assault. Fed up, student protesters gathered at Parliament House early on Friday to demand state and federal governments intervene.

The group, which included women, transgender and non-binary people from throughout Australia, carried mattresses and placards detailing 12 demands of their governments and universities.

Sexual assault victim Freya protests on the lawns outside Parliament House. Credit:Karleen Minney

Their requests included the establishment of a dedicated hotline for sexual assault survivors, that the federal government legislate a formal complaints and compliance mechanism for universities, and that respectful relationship and consent education be compulsory in primary and secondary schools.

Protest organiser Emma Henke described sexual assault as "almost epidemic" in university communities.
It helped restore precious memories damaged in the 2003 bushfires and at the height of business would develop up to 200 rolls of film a day.

But like many photography businesses before it, technology has taken its toll on Bica Photographics - better known as Bica Prolab. Once one of Canberra's biggest and best-known photo labs, the shop will put its last rolls through the processor at the end of the month.

BICA lab co-owner David Foxwell. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

The business will close down at the end of July due to the redevelopment of its building in Green Square, Kingston.

After moving locations three times and merging with other businesses, Bica Photographics has processed photos for all types of local businesses including government departments and The Canberra Times.
At the same time, the Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt has said he will review recommendations set out in a 2007 parliamentary committee inquiry into retirement villages, while Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has flagged a willingness to work with the government for bipartisan reform in a sector that largely falls through the regulatory gaps. And at state level, the Victorian government is yet to release its response to a 2016 inquiry into the retirement village sector which featured Aveo residents prominently, while in NSW the government has rejected a petition by almost 2000 retirement village residents to appoint an ombudsman. Since the media investigation, hundreds of emails and phone calls have poured in from residents, most voicing concerns about Aveo and the broader industry. Some relate directly to Freedom, a business Aveo bought last year for $215 million to tap into the ageing crisis and $4.6 billion of annual government funding, following deregulation of the sector. Fee trap

Judith Currie, whose mother lives in an Aveo retirement village in Victoria and has chronic kidney problems, questions the fees. They have basically been sold a lemon. Darren Pitt Besides paying $2000 a month in maintenance and assisted living fees, her mother now pays an additional $270 a week as a Freedom customer. She will also face more than $100,000 in exit fees when she leaves. One of the major issues is that the Freedom fees can change year to year, regardless of the client's needs, because they are set to cover the care of all residents in a village. "I feel like my mother has an open cheque book and has little control over what she is being charged for due to lack of transparency. She is trapped in her original contact with Aveo because the exit fees take so much of her savings. Now she has uncertainty if her needs increase and her unit multiple increases she will have no savings left ... My mother has less freedom now than she ever had."

Under the new legislation older Australians are assigned funding which they can then use to decide who provides their care. This means they can direct the estimated $4.6 billion a year in government funding to private institutions such as Aveo's Freedom. Aveo Group chief executive Geoff Grady and chairman Seng Huang Lee. Credit:Jessica Hromas Aveo says Freedom offers care at the same level as a nursing home but it is not an accredited nursing facility. Instead it has set up its own governance framework. It says Freedom allows people to age in their own home  living in a unit in the village  with more freedom than in a traditional nursing home but more care than a suburban house. "The Freedom Aged Care model is a premium product, where people wish to experience their final years in their own home, receiving care on their own terms  and for this service to be a reality, Aveo has created a product/service they are willing to purchase," the company said in a statement to Fairfax Media. But despite protestations by Aveo that Freedom is not compulsory, some retirement village residents say they are feeling pressured to shift to the new Freedom contracts.

A current Aveo retirement resident whose village is being converted to Freedom Aged Care says she has developed shingles "which is a nervous complaint because of the pressure to sign up ... it's going to cost a lot of money". Another says she was accosted by a nurse in the village's common room. 'Mind-blowing' Others are aghast at the cost. "The prices would blow your mind," Darren Pitt, who was quoted more than $900 per week, including costs and maintenance fees, to transfer his mother from an Aveo retirement arrangement into a Freedom customer.

There are also two lots of exit fees if she made the move even though she would be a customer of Aveo throughout. She would pay more than $100,000 in exit fees to leave her unit, leaving her with less than $250,000 to put towards a one-bedroom Freedom unit, priced at $550,000, in the same village. When she leaves that Freedom unit in the same village in Berwick in Melbourne, she would then have to pay a second exit fee of 40 per cent or $220,000 if she was there for two years. ACCC chairman Rod Sims had launched an investigation. Credit:Pat Scala According to the company, existing residents receive a 10 per cent discount if they transition to a Freedom apartment.

Freedom contracts obtained by Fairfax Media show residents under the Freedom program show recurring weekly costs, including maintenance fees and basic meals, as high as $950 per week. So expensive is the program, Aveo allows residents to defer up to 50 per cent of the costs until their departure  creating a massive financial sting for family members. Residents or their families also have to share 50 per cent of capital gains and take 100 per cent of any loss on the sale of a unite as well as paying 50 per cent of refurbishment and reinstatement costs. Confusing contracts Aged and Disability Advocacy chief executive Geoff Rowe described the Freedom agreement as "vague, long, complex, lacking in transparency and not in plain English"

He said it was not in the spirit of the government's reforms of home care. He said it was time for the government to step in and standardise contracts. He is one of a growing line of people calling for industry reform. According to Aveo's own material, Freedom is a program that supplements the government-funded home care packages. It uses a pooled funds model whereby residents fees are pooled and then distributed on a needs basis. "The standard fee paid by everyone in the Freedom Care Program is independent of care needs. Freedom assesses all new entrants to determine their suitability for the standard rate and may ask entrants to pay a multiple of the standard rate if care needs are significant at the time of entry," it says in a statement.

Alan Kohn, aged care auditor and advocate, has concerns about Aveo contracts. Credit:Penny Stephens It means a resident with little or no care requirements who pays into the fund, is effectively subsidising a person with higher care needs. However, if a resident doesn't sign up to the fund by the set deadline, they can't join in the future. The contracts show that individuals are required to "exhaust" all government subsidised services, including home care payment packages available to the participants. If they don't, they must pay a top-up amount to the Freedom fund equal to the government subsidy. Uncertain liability A reading of several service agreements obtained by Fairfax Media raises questions about certainty of costs. The fees are capped for a year and after that there is a clause that enables them to vary them on a fortnightly basis at the manager's discretion.

It says the resident acknowledges and agrees that "the Freedom Care Program share may increase or decrease due to an increase or decrease in the number of participants, and the Freedom Care unit multiples applied in respect of some participants." Aveo denies the contracts are complex or confusing and says participants enter and leave the fund throughout a financial year. "The fortnightly mechanism is designed to ensure that the costs of the Freedom Care Program are apportioned fairly in regard to entry and exit timing." Another clause in the contract that has raised eyebrows is warns that residents "may end up paying more" under the Freedom program than under the fee for service model  where they pay only for services they use. But the biggest criticism is the lack of certainty about how much it actually costs at the time of signing.

The contract refers to a reconciliation cost at the end of the year. Aveo says in a statement the reconciliation process arises because the final total cost of care will vary to the initial assessments conducted at time of entry. Band-aid solution Despite the high fees, residents complain that they are still expected to pay for bandaids, incontinence pads and $15 to change a light bulb. Under the contracts, "wound management" means you pay for the dressing but not for the person to apply the dressing; "palliative care" includes management of palliative care but equipment, beds and medicines are excluded and cost extra; and while wheelchairs for mobility issues are at an additional cost, the fees do cover the cost of someone pushing you. Aveo says if it didn't charge for these things, the weekly costs would be higher.

Then there is the question of care, which is heavily spruiked in the glossy brochures, TV ads and in the sales pitch of sales reps. An inquiry from an interested party sent to a sales representative comes back with an answer that suggested the Freedom program has a registered nurse on site at all times. "Our carers are there 24/7 and we are able to care for residents from low care, high care, palliative care. We are run by our registered nurses," the Aveo sales representative is recorded as saying. But Judith Currie and others disagree. Currie, who asked to use her married name to protect her mother's identity, said her 95-year-old mother couldn't even get her blood pressure monitored despite paying hundreds of dollars a week after signing up for a Freedom Aged Care package at a retirement village in Melbourne. Care factor

She told Fairfax Media that her mother was unwell a few weeks ago and asked one of the staff to take her blood pressure. "The attendant said she was not allowed to take blood pressure," she said. Currie said she rang the manager to inquire whether a nurse was in attendance. The answer was no. Currie was later told by management in correspondence that the personal care attendants on site should be able to take "non-invasive observations ... though at no time are they able to provide comment on or assess the results." Currie said she was shocked because when she signed her mother up for Freedom at a weekly cost of $270 a week, plus more than $500 per week in maintenance fees and for assisted living, she had been told there would be nurses on site 24/7.

"The word 'nurse' has a totally different understanding to me than a domestic attendant. A nurse has medical training and authority to act in a medical event," she said. The best she was told was that in future personal care attendants would be allowed to take blood pressure and other simple observations, "where they feel competent to do so". She said when she inquired about a support person accompanying her mother to a doctor's appointment she was told this service wasn't yet being implemented so she had to make other arrangements. Gwyneth Jones, a resident at Aveo's The George village in Sandringham, said she refused to sign up with Freedom because she doesn't trust what's on offer. Gwyneth Jones, one of the residents who says she has was pressured. Credit:Penny Stephens

"They promise a registered nurse 24 hours a day. This is not happening. I check up, I have been checking up every night, half past eleven, one o'clock in the morning, there is never ever a registered nurse on overnight. All we have on overnight, is personal care attendants, and all they ever do is wash linen from incontinent patients who are now, been living at The George, because it's been turned into an old aged home." Jones' advocate Alan Kohn, says he asked four secret shoppers to inquire about Freedom by visiting villages. He said all four mystery shoppers told him that the sales consultant was very vague and could not answer questions relating to how the Freedom care program works in unison with the Commonwealth Funded Home Care Packages. "All mystery shoppers were provided promotional material, but however, were not provided a copy of the Fact Sheet relating to the retirement village as required by the Retirement Villages Act 1986. A copy was only provided when a follow-up call was made a few days later requesting this," he said. Aveo says the villages are staffed 24/7 with nursing and personal care staff, including during the night, weekends and public holidays. It says registered nurses will be on site overnight if the assessed care needs of patients "warrant that level of care". It says it does not have to provide a registered nurse on overnight if the care needs of the residents don't require it.

Purchase point Aveo purchased Freedom in early 2016 for $215 million. According to analyst reports and transcripts of company briefings, Freedom Aged Care is supposed to take Aveo to the next financial level. "Aveo management believes rolling out the FCP to existing villages will boost the price incoming residents pay for units and will also result in slightly higher average occupancy," wrote Morningstar analyst Tony Sherlock in February this year. The company has also described the acquisition as "materially" earnings per share accretive to analysts.

Aveo's acquisition of Freedom came just ahead of a major reform to how the federally home care packages are administered. From February this year, Australia switched to a consumer directed care model. According to the federal government's literature on the program, consumer directed choice is designed to give more choice and flexibility to consumers. Yet at Freedom that choice disappears, according to experts. Ronda Held, chief executive of the Victorian branch of the Council of the Aged (or COTA) and an expert in home care, says she has several concerns about the Freedom program.

"There's so much control in the hands of the care manager," Held says. "They're pooling the risk to support people with higher needs and they're guaranteeing you can stay there for life and we'll deliver up to high care," she adds. "But they're doing that at the expense of other people using their services which was the old model of home care that the government has just thrown out." COTA chief executive Ian Yates says it would be concerning if residents were pressured. Credit:Penny Bradfield COTA, which has a contract with the government to run a website explaining home care, has other concerns about the Freedom program, according to its national CEO Ian Yates.

"I would be very concerned if residents were being pressured into entering the program," Yates says. Shanny Gordon, senior retirement housing worker at Housing for the Aged Action Group Inc, says the variability of costs on a fortnightly basis was particularly concerning. "It is really unreasonable. How can you have somebody not know how much their care will cost. They would not be able to budget. This could really blow somebody's budget out. It seems really odd to include this," Gordon says. "I think this should be challenged, there should be a certain cost throughout the year and then it goes up annually by CPI," she says. Gordon also questioned why there was a need to include an exit fee at all considering the ingoing contribution could be around $600,000.

"The fact that they can take a unit that is supposedly worth $250,000 and make it worth $600,000 is incredible. The reasoning that they gave behind charging a deferred fee in villages in the first place was that they were charging below market value for the unit." Fairfax has seen Aveo offer documents pricing one-bedroom apartments under the Freedom program in the outer suburb of Berwick in Melbourne at $550,000, with an exit fee of 40 per cent after two years and a share in any capital gain. At the same time Domain.com.au is advertising a four-bedroom house in the same suburb for $540,000 to $590,000. Meanwhile, at Aveo's The George in Sandringham, two-bedroom apartments are selling for $700,000, while down the road a brand new two-bedroom apartment is on the market for $650,000. Aveo says the higher ingoing contribution is not reflective of house price growth but aligned with the cost of nursing home bonds in the same area. But critics say a key difference is nursing home bonds do not incur an exit fee, which in Aveo's case can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the overall cost of the product. Loading For Darren Pitt's mother, paying two exit fees and moving into a smaller unit at a higher price to access Freedom isn't an option. "The residents originally brought into the village with the assurance that they and their families would have an affordable option if they required more assistance. They have basically been sold a lemon."
"Underasai," whisper the women in the canned-food aisles. "Underasai" as, heads bowed, they pass beneath the hooded corpses of gays and intellectuals strung from city walls. To my ear the greeting sounds African, but eventually I understand. It's English they're speaking. The setting is near-future New England but, without too great a stretch, it could be us, a decade or so hence  for what they are really mumbling, in words like worn prayer beads, is "under his eye".

His eye? Not God's. The suggestion of a benign and watchful deity is strictly spin. The real eye  as everyone in Margaret Atwood's chilling dystopia The Handmaid's Tale knows but cannot say  is far less benevolent. Eyes are everywhere, feeding back to the one eye that sees all, knows all, remembers all. For us, from next June, that omniscient eye will be Peter Dutton's, watching our every move.

Illustration: Simon Bosch

Dutton's new Home Affairs mega-ministry, announced by Malcolm Turnbull this week, will have extraordinary powers to monitor and control public and private life in this country. Combining the spy-agency Australian Security Intelligence Organisation with immigration control, the Federal Police, Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, it is already dubbed the Ministry of Fear.

The presumption, you will note, is that immigration and threat belong together, not just in the same portfolio, but the same conceptual pocket. Immigration is threat. Not gift, threat.
It might have been the Bastille Day military parade that lured US President Donald Trump back to Europe a mere six days after his ego-deflating experience at the G20 in Hamburg, but it was something else that made the visit a diplomatic triumph for his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

The media called it a charm offensive, but seasoned diplomats saw it for what it was: an exemplary use of soft power.

French President Emmanuel Macron his wife Brigitte Macron demonstrate how to exercise soft power, taking the Trumps to dinner in Paris.

Soft power, according to Harvard professor Joseph Nye, who coined the term in 1990, is the ability to influence others to achieve the outcomes you want without resorting to the traditional tools of economic or military power. Soft power is exercised through seduction, not coercion. So the tools you need are very different: communications, an attractive culture (including cuisine), and inclusive values.

Tender is the might, is how Monocle framed it a few years ago.
The following editorial appears in Friday's Arizona Daily Star:

Cover politics, immigration, health care, national security, agriculture, banking, campaign finance, the military, LGBTQ equality and pretty much anything else for long enough and the road will intersect with Sen. John McCain.

Hes often described as a fixture, and after 35 years in Washington, D.C.  two terms in the House and now his sixth in the Senate  the description fits.

McCain has been a regular visitor to the Arizona Daily Star over the years, meeting with news reporters and the Editorial Board to give updates when Congress was in recess and when he was running for re-election.

The Stars editorial department has endorsed McCain for re-election in the Senate, although not for president. Weve agreed with him, and criticized him strongly, too. Hes done the same.

These interviews have been a chance to ask McCain questions about Arizona concerns, and theyre often wide-ranging conversations that also encompass national and international matters. Weve had fiery disagreements with the Republican senator, but have always respected his passion and knowledge of global affairs.

But the times we think about now, with the news that McCain has an aggressive brain cancer, are those moments when the policy talk gave way to a glimpse of John McCain the man  how he accepted a compliment on hosting Saturday Night Live in 2002 by promising to do a song and dance number the next time he visited the Star, and his glee at being offered two kinds of cake at an Editorial Board meeting a few years back. (You have to try both, he said, and we agreed with him.)

Or the long, quiet pause he took to gather himself as he talked about the 2008 presidential election, when he spoke about a fellow veteran hed known well.

It is human nature to search for a lesson when faced with bad news or a tragedy, and McCain has become an example of why affordable, accessible medical care is so crucial for everyone.

No one, not even John McCain, who survived more than five years of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, is exempt from illness or disease.

McCains diagnosis is also a stark reminder that no matter what we believe, what political position we take, what job we have, how much wealth we possess, or how hard we work, each of us is a single person facing life the best we know how.

We join with Arizonans in sending our thoughts to McCain and his family. And, senator, the next time you visit the Star, well bring the cake.
The world's first test-tube rhinos could be born from animals at a British safari park after zoologists attempted to revive the endangered creatures through IVF.

Scientists have collected nine eggs from Longleat's three southern white rhinos, who have failed to mate with their only male, and sent them to specialists in Italy.

Critically endangered: An anti-poaching team guards a dehorned northern white rhino at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya in 2011. Credit:Brent Stirton/Supplied

It is part of a project to save the northern white rhino. Only three animals exist in the wild, one male and two females, but they are now too old to breed.

However, scientists believe that it may be possible to take the eggs and sperm from the remaining animals and create an embryo through IVF which could be implanted in a surrogate mother.
The Turnbull government has released draft management plans for the nation's marine parks that amount to an "unprecedented roll-back" of protections, a coalition of 25 environmental groups say.

The long-awaited draft plans were released on Friday and propose changes to the 3.3 million square kilometres of Australia's protected offshore regions expanded in 2012 by the Gillard government.

The area of marine parks open to fishing would jump to 80 per cent from 64 per cent now, if the changes were to pass through parliament, WWF-Australia said.

"This is a huge step backwards for marine protection," Richard Leck, WWF's head of oceans, said. "Australia used to be seen as a global leader in marine conservation. That will no longer be the case if these proposals are implemented."
Bill Shorten is preparing to unveil a major new economic policy as soon as next weekend which could raise billions of dollars for the budget and rival the party's bold negative gearing and capital gains tax crackdown in terms of political risk.

Senior Labor figures were tight-lipped on Friday about what the new tax policy will be but Fairfax Media understands it could be signed off by shadow cabinet next week and has been pencilled in for an announcement at the NSW Labor Party conference on July 29.

The move signals Mr Shorten's willingness to take on the Turnbull government over the politically fraught topic of tax, rather than play it safe and attempt to preserve Labor's commanding lead in the opinion polls.

Mr Shorten dropped hints during a speech in Melbourne on Friday, saying Australia must examine the "old and growing faults" in the tax system and pursue "reforms that in the past we might have dismissed as too politically difficult".
The company's political connections have fed the headlines. Steve Bannon was a CA board member until he became President Trump's chief advisor. In the past few months, articles in publications including the UK's Observer and Guardian have alleged links between CA and its right-wing American billionaire backer Robert Mercer, and far-right British politician Nigel Farage, the Leave.eu campaign and Brexit. Nix denies that CA worked on the Leave.eu campaign, and CA has threatened legal action against the Guardian Media Group over the stories. (In May, the UK Information Commissioner announced it would investigate the use of data analytics for political purposes, particularly those deployed during the EU referendum campaign. "Our contact with Cambridge Analytica remains ongoing," a commission spokesperson tells Good Weekend.) When I emailed Cambridge Analytica's New York-based public relations company to request an interview with Nix, I'd explained I wanted to profile him. Little has been written about Nix as a character. "A polo-playing Old Etonian" is about all Google reveals. Yet he is, for better or worse, a man of our times. CA's work on the Trump campaign has focused attention on the opaque, tentacled and ballooning world of big data, which has profound implications for our consumer behaviour, society, privacy and ethical and political systems, and has created a new sphere of criminal activity. "People are working out ways to monetise personal information and behaviours to sell to others," says Professor Dave Lacey, a cyber-security academic at Queensland's Sunshine Coast University and the managing director of IDCARE, Australia and New Zealand's National Identity and Cyber Support Service. Beyond that, says big data expert Vanessa Teague, an academic in the University of Melbourne's School of Computing and Information Systems, the industry uses "highly intimate" data to manipulate people politically. "It seems plausible that CA's efforts with individualised political advertising had a substantial effect on the outcome of [the election of] the most powerful person in the world," she says. We have somewhere close to four or five thousand data points on every adult in the United States. Alexander Nix Nix didn't read the email I sent to his flacks. About 10 minutes into our interview, as I'm coaxing him to share stories about his London childhood and education, he pauses mid-answer. He's bristling and thinking hard. His jaw shifts almost imperceptibly from side to side. "I thought this was a business interview," he says. No, I say, and show him the original email I sent to his PR company. "I think I've wasted your time; I didn't read the information," he says, shifting in his seat as though to stand. "I'm quite a private person. I don't think it's necessarily in my best interests to share my life with other people. I'm sorry about that. But I'm just feeling uncomfortable about this. I don't think that I want to be the story."

Nix has frequently talked about the number of individual data-points Cambridge holds on people: factual, attitudinal and behavioural. "We have somewhere close to four or five thousand data points on every adult in the US," he told a summit in New York last year. Think about that for a moment: 5000 data-points on about 220 million Americans. Name, gender, birth year, postal code and email are just five items we all commonly supply. Nix claims CA has around 4995 other pieces of information about most American adults. Seemingly innocent personality tests assume more sinister qualities when you realise they are designed to harvest data. I point out to Nix the irony  that his business relies on a massive amount of information about other people yet he is unwilling to share his own. "But not intrusive information," he protests. " 'Will you eat Weetabix or Cornflakes for breakfast?' is hardly raking through someone's background." I'VE BEEN TAKING other free personality tests. "Which animal's blood runs in your body?" asks one doing the rounds on Facebook. (Answer: "The warm blood of a tiger.") "Your friends have written your eulogy! Take a look now," suggests another. ("She is sunshine mixed with rain, creating a beautiful rainbow.") It's easy to think of such quizzes as just a bit of fun, a salve for our increasingly narcissistic souls, but David Watts, the Victorian Commissioner for Privacy and Data Protection, issues a warning: "If a service is free, you are the product; the service is just there to get your information. Nothing comes in life for free." To take those quizzes, I had to give Social Sweethearts, their Koln-based creator, access to my Facebook account. The Social Sweethearts' home page has sub-headings including "Make People Smile", "Data-Driven Approach", "Artificial Intelligence" and "Machine Learning". I request an interview with CEO Daniel Minini who, in an illustration on the homepage, resembles a young George Michael: smiling, affable, open. He's not open to an interview, though.

"PR-Team Social Sweethearts" tells me to send my questions via email. "If you sign up to our service with Facebook Authentication we may only access data that is understood by Facebook as public information," is the reply to my question about what information the company takes from my Facebook page. The answers reassure me, to a point, that what can be scooped from my profile is dictated by the Facebook privacy settings I myself have put in place. "We can assure you: we don't sell user data!" says PR-Team Social Sweethearts. For the purposes of this article, I take three other personality quizzes popular on Facebook, then email the companies behind them to try to learn where my data goes and what it's used for. One email bounces back. Two go unanswered. I will never know what was taken from me when I had some fun on Facebook. But kooky quizzes created by companies like Social Sweethearts, or ostensibly more serious personality tests such as the OCEAN version offered on Cambridge Analytica's website, are just one source of data. There are countless others being collected by any number of players, including government agencies and companies such as Experian, Acxiom and Nielsen. (Any company working in the sphere of big data would say they de-identify people's information). "Every time we do anything, we're contributing to this information out there," Dave Lacey says. I ask him about the scale of the industry but, down the phone line from Queensland, I sense him shaking his head. "It's like trying to nail jelly to a wall; you're trying to define a market that is indefinable," he says. Jodie Sangster, the CEO of the Association for Data-Driven Marketing & Advertising, offers nothing more concrete. "There are analytics companies, technology companies, consulting firms  it's just vast and there are a lot of people and businesses involved in the chain." ALEXANDER NIX thaws somewhat as we move from his personal story to the subject of his data company. He says that, while Cambridge Analytica doesn't have databases on Australians, there's a "huge amount of data available in Australia that can be commercially acquired". It is enough, he says, for CA to be able to undertake work for Australian commercial and political clients. "We think this is a very exciting market because there's a huge economy ... but some of the technologies and methodologies we developed in the US and are prevalent there aren't yet available here, so if we can introduce those, there could be a lot of opportunity to help companies."

Cambridge Analytica mines data but CEO Alexander Nix doesn't like giving away much about himself. Credit:Getty Images NIX SHARES JUST A LITTLE MORE OF HIMSELF. He confirms that his full name is Alexander James Ashburner Nix. He is 42. He grew up in London's Notting Hill, and went to school at the ultra-exclusive Eton, where boys wear black tailcoats and white Eton collars to class. At Manchester University, he studied the history of art. "It was something that I always have been incredibly passionate about," says Nix, who is now a collector and patron; he supports the up-and-coming London artist Hormazd Narielwalla, who uses Savile Row tailors' discarded patterns as the foundation of his collages. "When I get spare time, I will frequently try to find a museum or a gallery." But it was never his intention to pursue a career in the art world. "I just thought this was the last opportunity to study something that I cared about. I was pretty adamant I'd go into finance." After graduating, he spent some months in the Mexico City office of Baring Securities as a junior analyst. He had a year or two back in the UK in advertising, then time in Argentina with a business providing e-CRM (electronic customer relationship management) solutions. In 2000, in London again, he went into corporate finance, before joining Cambridge Analytica's affiliate British company, SCL Group, in 2003.

He remains a director of SCL (Strategic Communications Laboratories). SCL, says Nix, is mainly focused on "government and defence work". Its projects have included assisting a client's counter-narcotics program by collecting population data in 13 Mexican cities under the influence of drug cartels; data collection about extremist recruitment across the south and south-east Pacific for a counterterrorism client; and data collection, analytics and strategy development "for the Ukrainian government in pursuit of their goal to win back control of Donetsk". (In March, SCL refuted media claims it had worked on military disinformation campaigns.) CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA was formed in 2013 as a vehicle for SCL to enter the US political market. (CA also works in other countries; Nix says that, every year, it contributes to seven or eight prime ministerial or presidential election campaigns in "well-established democracies".) Its US arrival coincided with reclusive hedge-fund tycoon Robert Mercer's increasing interest in politics. According to a New Yorker story in March, the libertarian decided to fund a big data project to focus on his political interests. He sank around $US5 million into Cambridge Analytica. The Mercers initially backed Ted Cruz's Republican presidential nomination and CA worked for that campaign until Cruz dropped out of the race in May, 2016. When the Mercers switched their support to Trump, Cambridge and Alexander Nix moved with them. "We put an awful lot into that campaign," says Nix. According to US campaign finance data, the Trump campaign paid CA nearly $8 million in 2016. In Trump Tower on the night of November 8, the CA team ran complex statistical models as votes came in. "We had a pretty clear indication by Florida, which is about 8.30 in the evening, what was going to happen," says Nix. Around midnight, he left Trump Tower. First, he stopped by the Midtown Hilton Hotel where Republicans were celebrating at the official Trump election party. Then, at around 3am, he returned to CA's office and, with colleagues, downed Scotch and reflected on the campaign. After assisting Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, Cambridge Analytica's Alexander Nix was among those who eagerly watched the results on election night last November. Credit:Mark Wilson "It was a tremendous experience to work on, be part of and ultimately win an election campaign of that magnitude," he says. But in the weeks following the election, as Nix enjoyed a polo-playing holiday in Argentina with his wife and three young children, commentators started to question whether CA's work had actually had any real impact on Trump's win, especially given that Hillary Clinton's campaign also deployed formidable data analytics operations. Many have dismissed psychographic data analytics such as those which Cambridge claims to use as "snake oil".

Meanwhile, the extent to which psychographics were deployed in the campaign is unclear. At conferences in the past few months, Nix has talked about what CA had available for the Trump campaign  a "huge amount" of voter survey data, research and technological infrastructure  and "hundreds of thousands or millions of OCEAN profiles" the company had collected that enabled it to "form a model to predict the personality of every single adult in the United States of America". Yet, in a statement about the campaign, the company said: "Cambridge Analytica did not have the opportunity to dive deeply into our psychographic offering because we simply did not have the time." In May, Hillary Clinton shared her thoughts on CA's contribution: "You can believe the hype on how great they were or the hype on how they weren't, but the fact is, they added something  They married content with delivery and data. And it was a potent combination." AUSTRALIA'S PRIVACY AND DATA LAWS are stricter than those in the US, where individuals' data-points seem to bob about in an open market and so were able to be netted for Cambridge Analytica's work on the Trump campaign. Still, I want to know what data of mine is floating around in this world of "surveillance capitalism", a term coined by American author and retired academic Shoshana Zuboff. I consider my online activity: the cookies that track my clicks; my social media accounts  Instagram, Twitter and Facebook  plus the third-party apps Facebook hosts like those personality tests. I discover a free site called Stalkscan, which scrapes all the public information held on someone's Facebook account and aggregates it in one place, including everything they've ever "liked". I think about the apps on my phone  MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper and Sleep Cycle  which retain information about my health and wellbeing. And I think about Google, which knows more about us than our closest confidantes ever will and can blend a person's data from their activity on multiple Google products (from maps to search) to deliver ever more targeted advertising. "Remember, Google's customers are advertisers, not users," says academic Vanessa Teague. "So the service to Google's customers is that they can get good data about how effective their ads are." (In June, Google announced it would no longer scan emails held in free Gmail accounts for the purposes of ad personalisation.) I dig through my wallet. I have debit and credit cards. "Every Australian who's ever applied for a bank loan, a credit card or a mobile phone would have a presence on a credit-reporting agency's systems," says Dave Lacey, of IDCARE.

I have loyalty cards: Flybuys, Country Road, Sportscraft, Witchery, Jigsaw, Dan Murphy's, Hyatt and Wholefoods House. I apply to Sportscraft and Flybuys for a copy of the information they hold on me, as I'm entitled to do by law. Sportscraft has on record my name, email, address, age and transaction history. It knows when I've had to go up a size. Flybuys has my name, address, email, birthday, details of the rewards I have redeemed, details of when I've shopped, where I've shopped (including at partners such as Liquorland) and how much I've spent. Coles holds the information about my shopping trolley history. I request an interview with Adam Story, Coles' general manager (Flybuys, loyalty and customer relationship management) but my request is denied. Evidently, Story doesn't want a relationship with every customer. In April, he sat on a data conference panel in Sydney with CA's Nix. "You need to make sure your marketing team can truly harness the data with always the customer's needs and expectations in mind," Story told the audience. "At Coles, our team has been trained to leverage the right tech platforms ... to deliver a truly personalised experience." I read the fine print: the Flybuys privacy policy. It's a grey zone that seems to allow for a great deal of leveraging, and a great deal of sharing: "To make it easy for you to deal with Participants and other Wesfarmers group companies (including Coles) and provide you with a more personal and consistent experience, we may exchange and combine personal information with them for the purposes described in our respective privacy policies  We and Wesfarmers group companies may exchange your personal information with service providers engaged to assist with services including data processing, data analysis, information broking" But as IDCARE's Dave Lacey says, "everyone's in this game". Woolworths has a stake in the data analytics firm Quantium, which has claimed to have datasets on 22.6 million Australians and "data and technology partnerships" with companies including Woolworths, NAB, Facebook and Foxtel (which explains why it says that, every day, it knows where 3.6-million remote-control clicks take Australian TV viewers). All of which might explain why Alexander Nix has so much confidence in the "huge amount" of data available in Australia for commercial acquisition. During interviews with subjects for this article, Experian, a global data and analytics company with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, is repeatedly mentioned as a data broker where CA might potentially do its shopping. Its corporate logo has appeared in Nix's conference presentations. It is also a major credit reporting agency.

I request an interview with an Experian executive. But in a surprise turn of events, my request is denied. No one wants to talk about big data. Instead, a PR firm emails me a statement: "Across the world Experian collects data from a range of sources to create marketing tools which our customers use to help target their communications in the most effective way. Wherever we operate, we act in strict accordance with the law and our own code of conduct. Today, we do not offer big data solutions to political parties in Australia and we do not have a commercial relationship with Cambridge Analytica." Not today, but what about tomorrow? IT'S ONE THING FOR A PILE OF DATA to be gathered about me or you and crunched for the purposes of sending us micro-targeted advertising material designed to persuade us to buy a tube of advanced whitening toothpaste or a new car with a compact yet spacious interior. It's quite another when it can potentially shift election results. One night in April, Nix's colleague Matt Oczkowski dined at the National Press Club in Canberra with a group of Coalition representatives. It was, says an insider, "a loose group of interested people", including at least one federal minister and several senior staff. It is believed that a group of Labor identities also met with Cambridge Analytica. But CA's representatives are not the only travelling salesmen to have visited Australia in the past few months. "They've been all over us like a rash," says one Coalition figure, referring to the overseas data analysts, pollsters, strategists and researchers who have come touting for business during a sedentary phase of the American election cycle. "A lot of them are trying to wedge commercial work off perceived high-level political links," says another. (In an attempt to see what other work CA might have picked up here, I email the Australian office, registered at an address in Sydney, and request to speak with local boss Allan Lorraine, an "experienced automotive professional", according to his LinkedIn profile. No response. Later, Nix says Lorraine is just a consultant to the business and can't speak on its behalf.) Those I talk with on both sides of politics, none of whom want to be named, are cynical about both how much Cambridge's offering contributed to Trump's success and its relevancy in Australia where, unlike in the US, voting is compulsory and a preferential system is in place. "There is a fair amount of puff in all of this activity," says one. Another tells me: "Somehow in the space of six months they turned themselves into a superstar machine, which I just don't buy." All point out that Australian political parties, to one degree or another, are already in the business of big data, using a combination of the electoral roll, focus group research, telephone surveys, polling and previous electoral results to build models of voters, what matters to them, and what their most persuadable issues are. Nix would argue that CA's expertise gives the company the capacity to dive even deeper. "It's all about understanding the motivations of the target audience and trying to understand at a very granular level why people might undertake a certain behaviour, whether that's joining a terrorist organisation or smoking cigarettes or eating fast food," says Nix. With that information, companies or political parties can micro-target segmented audiences with "addressable" ad technology  in Nix's words, "nuanced in order to reflect the way you see the world". Speaking at the Hamburg conference, Nix said: "Pretty much every message that Trump put out was data-driven."

But in the business of micro-targeting, there are bigger culprits than Cambridge Analytica. "What my research shows is that you can predict whether someone is liberal basically just by looking at the music they listen to, or the movies they watch, or the books they read," says Michael Kosinski, a global pioneer in psychometrics, the science of psychological measurement. Speaking from his office at Stanford University, he continues: "You don't even need to know those things because Google knows those things. So if I'm a politician I can go to Google and say, 'Please target people who recently searched for those 10 things.' On Facebook it's similar  you go to FB and say, 'Can you please send this message to people who do A, B, C and D.' " I ask Melbourne academic Vanessa Teague about micro-targeting. "Yes, it just cuts out the noise of all the alternative viewpoints that would otherwise complicate a person's political decision-making," she says. "How sweet." Other experts have similar concerns. Suelette Dreyfus, a lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne, believes the tools of the big data industry will help politicians to lie better. "It is a manipulation of the most extraordinarily customised nature." In the Sydney hotel lobby, Nix protests the suggestion that CA's work of data gathering and information dissemination is subliminally manipulative. "All we're trying to do is to make sure that you receive the most relevant communications; if you care about the Second Amendment, why do you want to be bombarded with leaflets on pro-choice?" He doesn't resile from CA's contribution to the Trump campaign. "We're a service provider and we're just trying to provide the best possible service for our clients." At the end of his address at the Hamburg conference, Nix took questions from a panel. One man, flushed in the face, said he had just one question. "If it's really true that you helped Trump get into office, are you happy putting a misogynist buffoon [into] the most powerful job in the world who's now f...ing up our world?" Nix answered the man's question calmly. It wasn't the role of people sitting in other countries to cast their opinions on what was a free and fair election or on the self-determination of the American people, he said. As we wind up our interview, he tells me CA will be working on the US midterm elections in November next year. "It's going to be interesting to see how that's going to play out."
Professor Ken Hillman. It all happened in hospitals and soon there was a huge gap between what a family practitioner could offer compared to an acute hospital. Hospitals were no longer places where you went to rest while you got better or didn't. They became the self-proclaimed flagships of health care. This was reflected in films at the time. When someone was struck down with an illness or injury in the street, a bystander would shout, 'Quick, call a doctor!' This was soon to be replaced by, 'Quick, call an ambulance!' It may be better to look at the elderly near the end of life from the patient's perspective, says Professor Ken Hillman. My career as an intensive care specialist started a decade or two after the explosion in hospital technology began. Even so, these were early days for the specialty. I was one of the first directors of intensive care to be appointed in London.

Those were heady days. I thought the possibilities for prolonging life were infinite. I had life support machines and powerful drugs. My specialty was essential for the complex surgery that was being undertaken. These patients were too ill in the post-operative period to return to the general wards. I could also keep other patients alive while they made themselves better or until our treatment took effect. The author Ken Hillman with his grandfather. Dying in the elderly has become hijacked by doctors, despite the fact that modern medicine has little to offer. In those days, I had six intensive care beds. I now work in a unit with 40 beds at a cost of at least $4000 per patient per day. But, it's not just the number of intensive care beds that has changed; it's the nature of the patients we treat. Most of them are over the age of 60. Many are in their 80s or 90s. And many of those are in the last few days or weeks of their lives. My mother, Margaret Hillman, was admitted to a nursing home at the age of 83 years after fracturing her hip. She tried unsuccessfully for one day and night to live independently in her own home but this was not possible. Accommodation was arranged in an aged care institution. She knew this was her only option but was never comfortable living there, despite the excellent care provided by all the staff.

Margaret was cognitively alert until a few days before her death. She had little patience with the other elderly people and thought that if it wasn't for her body physically giving out, she could live a "normal" life and do "normal" things. During the last six months of her life she was admitted 22 times to different hospitals for different conditions. She had a urinary catheter inserted at the time of her hip operation and, unfortunately, she could never cope without it. Thus, many of the admissions were for infections of her bladder. Plastic is foreign to the body and when inserted into the bladder or veins, for example, it bypasses the body's first line of defence and makes people prone to infection. The older you are, the more vulnerable you become to infections. These sorts of infections are easy to treat. For a 22-year-old with a urinary tract infection it would mean antibiotics and a day off work. For an elderly person it is potentially fatal, requiring not only antibiotics but often intravenous fluids and sometimes powerful drugs to support the blood pressure and perhaps admission to an ICU. Margaret also developed many other problems, including small fractures in her vertebrae, requiring regular narcotics to control the pain. She required a pacemaker and an increasing number of tablets to control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and to limit her palpitations.

She did not have the same dignified and comfortable death as her father. She suffered despite the pain relief, her mobility declined until she couldn't make her own way to the dining room. She was lonely and sad and she did not want to be continually taken to the hospital. During this time, I played the role of the son, not a doctor. I didn't want to interfere in any way. Eventually one of the many specialists who had cared for her during her hospital admissions came to see us on her last admission to hospital and explained that she was dying and that to continue to treat her was cruel and to little avail. He said it was time to let her go. My daughter, Emily, saw her that night and I visited the next morning. Margaret was drowsy with pain relief but still cognitively intact. She died peacefully the next day. What did my mother die of? Old age. But you are no longer allowed to write that on a death certificate. You need to randomly allocate one of the many conditions my mother had as the cause of death and, similarly, allocate all the other conditions that may have contributed to her death. Because the heart stops when you die, it is common to put the primary cause of death as cardiovascular failure. Hence, it is the most common cause of death in the elderly. When you are elderly and frail you just fade away and your heart stops as part of that fading. 'What is wrong with me, Ken?' my mother would constantly ask of me in the last six months of her life.

Medicine is based on "the diagnosis", the elusive concept that we spend our undergraduate years learning about. This is relevant if you are dealing with a younger person who has one thing wrong with them. Similarly, hospitals are the perfect place if you have a single diagnosis which can be attended to by a specialist in the offending organ. Unfortunately, this rarely happens, especially in the elderly, like my mother: people who are naturally and normally approaching the end of life and which all the specialists, interventions and tablets cannot cure. This is not to say that we shouldn't care. There are many ways we can support people who are ageing. First, and most importantly, we could begin to be honest about the limitations of modern medicine. Then we could provide things that really matter, such as facilitating the network of friends and family to act as carers; providing real assistance to them; ensuring their house is clean; that they are washed and assisted to mobilise; and that food is provided. These are not medical matters. It may be better to look at the elderly near the end of life from the patient's perspective rather than dividing up the body into its various organs and giving each age-related deterioration a medical name. The word frailty is becoming useful when describing the sum of all these aged-related conditions. There are many different frailty scores but they all describe in different ways the way age impacts on the body, concentrating on obvious features such as gait speed, the ability to freely move about and look after yourself without help. Dying in the elderly has become hijacked by doctors, despite the fact that modern medicine has little to offer. Doctors are programmed to make you better, not to recognise the inevitability of ageing and dying. They rarely feel comfortable talking to you honestly about your prognosis, nor do they empower you to make choices about how you would like to spend the last few months of your life. And even if they did, the funding for community-based care, if that was the wish of the patient, is grossly inadequate. Funding for health is increasingly used to support the sophisticated technology and infrastructure in hospitals  technology that can perform miracles but is often used in a futile way to prolong life in elderly people.
A NSW woman accused of killing her toddler daughter would often be soaking wet and keen to talk about aliens when her housemate returned from work, a court has heard.

Aged-care nurse Tammy Bourke told the NSW Supreme Court in Newcastle on Friday that the woman would claim there had been flashing lights down by a nearby lake and aliens were "coming to get her".

The 44-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial after pleading not guilty to murdering her toddler between December 25, 2000, and December 25, 2001.

The prosecution argues the girl was born in 1999 and has not been seen since Christmas the following year.

The accused woman moved into Ms Bourke's home on the Central Coast in early 1997 and stayed for between six and eight months.
The NSW government has accused a children's care charity run by former Wallaby Glen Ella of misappropriating $20 million. The money was paid in subcontracts to companies linked to criminals.

Guardian Youth Care received millions of dollars in public money to provide full-time care for children from dysfunctional families in Sydney before it slid into administration.

Former Wallabies player Glen Ella is CEO of Guardian Youth Care, a children's charity accused of misusing millions of dollars in government funds. Credit:Kate Geraghty

A Fairfax Media investigation last month exposed the not-for-profit company's parlous financial position, as well as questions over its borrowing and lending.

Youth workers and former residents have since described serious neglect of children and illegal working conditions.
It is expected that, at first, about 150 people a year will access assisted dying legislation in Victoria and that this would likely increase. In the United States, a stronger flu vaccine for the elderly has been used since 2009. Credit:Nicolas Walker The proposal document will shape the laws set to come before both houses of Victoria's parliament next month and contains the most detailed information yet on what who will be eligible and the safeguards to be introduced. Politicians will have a conscience vote and are not expected to vote along party lines, with the exception of the Greens who support voluntary euthanasia. Professor Brian Owler, chair of the advisory panel and former president of the Australian Medical Association, has described the proposed laws as conservative and "distinctly Victorian".

"If anything we can be criticised for the burden it may place on someone that is dying," Professor Owler said. Professor Owler said it was conceivable that a person "could obtain a prescription, visit a chemist to get a dose of medication and self-administer on that day". But he said this was not the usual experience overseas. Seven key criteria People must be able to fulfil seven key eligibility criteria  including that they are expected to die within a year, are aged over 18, have an incurable disease that will cause death and have a medical condition that is causing suffering that "cannot be relieved in a manner that is deemed tolerable".

People with dementia will not have access to euthanasia. Patients with motor neurone disease would have access to physician-assisted euthanasia, and help to physically administer a lethal dose if physically unable to do so. The panel said while it accepted the loss of cognitive capacity may cause distress to some people "voluntary assisted dying must be 'voluntary'  that is, a person must have the decision-making capacity to make an autonomous choice  at all stages of the process". People with a mental illness or a disability would only be able to access euthanasia if they had a terminal illness and fulfil the other criteria.

The panel recommended that only the person who is terminally ill and wants to die can make a request to access lethal medication. Neither a doctor, nor a carer, can request access and neither can a doctor initiate a discussion about ending one's life. A person may withdraw their request at any time, and once having done so, must begin the process anew if she or he decides to seek access to lethal medication again. The panel also addressed the potential for "elder abuse" by a relative or carer, for example, who could conceivably benefit financially from the person's death. To guard against elder abuse, two independent assessments will be done to ensure a person's request to die is voluntary and properly informed.

Anyone who requests to die will be required to create a written declaration of his or her enduring request, which will also be witnessed by two independent witnesses. Neither witness can be in a position where they can financially benefit from the person's death. "It is important that elder abuse is addressed, and the panel is of the view that its recommended framework will identify and manage instances of elder abuse," the ministerial advisory panel's report said. The panel recommended that all requests to die be independently assessed by two medical practitioners, neither of whom is in a position to benefit from the person's death. One must be a medical practitioner, such as a GP for example, who has been qualified for at least five years.

The other must be a specialist in the terminal illness or condition the person suffers. Both assessors must have completed specified training beforehand. Two side of the debate Much unites those on either side of the euthanasia debate. Many agree that palliative care needs to be better funded and available to more Victorians sooner. But they remain fundamentally divided on what rights should be given to a small number of people for whom even the best medical treatment is not enough to relieve their suffering.

Retired nurse Jane Morris says her mother Elizabeth was one of the minority of people who suffered a "horrific" and "torturous"death. The 77-year-old, who had motor neurone disease, died in August 2014. Ms Morris said her family remains traumatised by the last day of her mother's life, as an attempt to terminally sedate Elizabeth was unsuccessful, despite "exemplary" palliative care. "She had pain, breakthrough pain, because her prescribed dose was unable to adequately palliate her pain at all times," Ms Morris said. "She managed to express to us her fear and in one of her conscious moments was able to convey to us that she wanted to be fed through her PEG tube. This was so very traumatic for all of us, many staff included.

"However, orders were relayed to us by equally distressed staff that we should inform Mum that she was not to be fed. "Why should we have been expected to inform our dying mother that we could not fulfil a dying wish?" Ms Morris said every individual should be given a choice about whether they want to access assisted-dying laws. "I don't care what way people decide. I have respect for everyone's choice. But I don't think one ideology should trump another," she said. "The memories of mum's horrific death have been seared into our memories."

Palliative Care Victoria is one of the organisations which have declared it will oppose euthanasia laws, saying it "will lead to a growing sense of a duty to die". They say those who work daily with the dying, Victoria's palliative care staff, are more likely than the general population to oppose assisted-dying laws (popular support stands at more than 75 per cent). Palliative Care Victoria chief executive Odette Waanders said some still misunderstood palliative care, which meant some were going without help. "There is a perception that palliative care means that you're giving up, and you're reaching the end of life and that nothing more can be done. "But it can be done in tandem with treatment."
Elizabeth and her husband Michael in happier times. She said when she asked for her mother's pain relief to be substantially increased, she was told by a doctor: "Are you asking me to kill her?". "No, I was not trying to have my mother murdered, I simply wanted her suffering to end, and probably ours." Chris de Fraga, at Cabrini Hospital, says it is up to God to decide. Credit:Justin McManus Mrs Morris greeted with relief the news that in future, terminally-ill patients like her mother could be helped, legally, to die.

That relief came with her confidence that the laws, set to be introduced to both houses of Victoria's parliament next month, will pass in a conscience vote. People within a year of dying from a terminal illnesses could access lethal medication within 10 days of asking, under Victoria's proposed euthanasia laws, which have been described as the most conservative in the world. Disappointing some, dementia will not be grounds for eligibility under the proposed laws. People with mental health disorders or a disability would also be excluded, unless they were also suffering from a terminal disease. And criminal offences could be introduced to prosecute those who "induce" a person to request to die  though penalties are yet to be decided upon. The details about Victoria's proposed euthanasia laws are contained in 66 recommendations outlined in the Andrews government's Ministerial Advisory Panel report on voluntary assisted dying.

One government minister told Fairfax Media the proposed model contained "more than enough" safeguards to allow legislation to pass parliament. "The key criteria have been met," the minister said. "I think it will be tight but I think it will pass." The proposed model was described as the most conservative in the world and "distinctly Victorian" by Professor Brian Owler, chair of the advisory panel and former president of the Australian Medical Association. "Some will be very critical of our recommendations," Professor Owler said. "For some, they do not go far enough. For others they should not exist at all." Health Minister Jill Hennessy said she expected it would take around 18 months to implement the laws. Ms Hennessy said she was particularly concerned by evidence from Victorian Coroner John Olle that about one Victorian took their life every week due to the absence of legalised euthanasia. "It is my very strong view there is widespread community support for reform in this state," Ms Hennessy said.

It is expected that about 150 people a year will access assisted dying legislation in Victoria, though this would likely increase over time. The panel recommended that all requests to die be independently assessed by two medical practitioners, neither of whom is in a position to benefit from the person's death. One must be a doctor who has been qualified for at least five years. People must fulfil six criteria to be eligible: that they are expected to die within a year; are aged over 18; have an incurable terminal disease; and they have a medical condition that causes suffering that "cannot be relieved in a manner that the person deems tolerable". Anyone who asks to die must go through a three-step request, the advisory panel recommended. There is a verbal request by the patient, followed by a written request, then a final verbal request. A minimum of 10 days must pass between the first and final request, unless the person is assessed as likely to die within 10 days.

Much unites those on either side of the euthanasia debate. Many agree that palliative care needs to be better funded and available to more Victorians sooner. But they remain fundamentally divided on what rights should be given to a small number of people for whom even the best medical treatment is not enough to relieve their suffering. The Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association still does not want doctors to be involved in procedures that end life. But AMA Victoria president Dr Lorraine Baker said the association respected that the decision to introduce euthanasia laws was "ultimately a matter for society and government". Associate Professor Mark Boughey, Director of Palliative Medicine at St Vincent's Melbourne, a Catholic hospital, said St Vincent's was concerned that patients given one year to live could make a request for "assisted suicide" when it was difficult to make an accurate estimate of how long people had to live. Upper house crossbench MP James Purcell said he would vote for the proposed model and expressed confidence it would gain enough support in the parliament.

Mr Purcell said he had spoken to many people in the community who supported change. "I've had so many dinner discussions with nurses and doctors that I don't have a problem supporting it at all," he said. Liberal MP Georgie Crozier said she was keeping an open mind but wanted to consider the details of the proposal before deciding how to vote. "I need to see the legislation," she said. For others, it does not matter what is in the legislation - their opposition to euthanasia is complete.

Former motoring journalist Chris de Fraga, 80, has just undergone surgery after "his right pelvis collapsed because cancer ate the bone away". From his private ward at Malvern's Cabrini Hospital, he said the medication he was on mostly kept his pain at bay. He does not believe anyone should have access to euthanasia. "I just think it's up to God to determine these things," Mr de Fraga said. On the steps of Victoria's Parliament House, Jane Morris argued every individual should be given a choice. Although she is not sure what her mother Elizabeth would have done, she said at least they would have had a discussion, while she still had a voice.
A hotel boom in Melbourne is being driven by a shortage of rooms, a thriving tourism industry, and  according to one prominent city real estate agent  a realisation by developers that the Andrews government will approve towers mixing hotel accommodation with apartments.

In the past two years alone, 14 hotels from prestigious chains like the Mandarin Oriental and the Shangri-La have been approved by Planning Minister Richard Wynne.

On Tuesday, Melbourne City Council gave its support to a new Marriott hotel planned for Docklands  where a flurry of new hotels are opening.

"We can't build hotels fast enough," said Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, whose city council estimates more than 8050 hotel rooms are in the pipeline.
The people of Kalgoorlie are "gutted" and "quite raw" about the decision to find the man who hit and killed teenager Elijah Doughty guilty of dangerous driving causing death, rather than the more serious charge of manslaughter.

That's according to Aboriginal elder Trevor Donaldson, who said the system had "failed us again".

Demonstrations are being held in Kalgoorlie after the verdict. Credit:ABC Goldfields-Esperance

On Friday the Perth Supreme Court sentenced the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to three years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in February.

Those waiting outside the Perth and Kalgoorlie courts to hear the verdict were angered and saddened by the news.
Madrid: Forensic scientists and legal experts have begun taking DNA samples from the embalmed body of Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali in a bid to resolve a paternity claim.

Maria Pilar Abel, who was born in 1956 in the northern Spanish town of Figueras - Dali's home town and the place he is buried - claims her mother had an affair with the painter and has been trying to prove she is his daughter for years.

In 2007, she obtained skin and hair from a death mask of Dali and took a DNA test to see if they matched her. However, the results were inconclusive.

She then attempted to find personal items belonging to Dali, who died in 1989 aged 85.
London: Former British prime minister John Major's response to the plight of former child migrants who were sexually abused at Australian farm schools is "extremely disappointing", a UK inquiry has heard.

Dr Margaret Humphreys of the Child Migrants Trust told a child sexual abuse inquiry in London on Friday that Mr Major missed the opportunity to really help survivors when the extent of the abuse becoming clear in the 1990s.

Former British prime minister John Major. Credit:Getty Images

The inquiry is examining the sexual, physical and emotional abuse suffered by thousands of children sent to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Rhodesia up to the 1970s.

Mr Major told the inquiry in a statement that his position when prime minister from 1990 to 1997 was that any allegations of physical and sexual abuse of child migrants in Australia "would be a matter for the Australian authorities".
Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate released a new official portrait of their son George to celebrate the young prince's upcoming fourth birthday.

George, the great grandson of Queen Elizabeth and third-in-line to the throne, was pictured with a beaming, toothy grin as he posed in a striped blue shirt in the photo, which was taken last month.

William and Kate, who are officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, returned to England with George and his sister, two-year-old Princess Charlotte, on Friday after a five-day tour of Poland and Germany ahead of his birthday on Saturday.

"The Duke and Duchess are very pleased to share this lovely picture as they celebrate Prince George's fourth birthday, and would like to thank everyone for all of the kind messages they have received," William's office said in a statement.
Washington: White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned on Friday, after denouncing chaos in the West Wing and telling US President Donald Trump he vehemently disagreed with the appointment of the New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director.

The President requested that Spicer stay on, but Spicer told Trump that he believed the appointment was a major mistake, according to a person with direct knowledge of the exchange.

A spokeswoman for the president, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was elevated to press secretary. She said Trump is grateful for Spicer's service and that the president believes Spicer will succeed going forward.

"Just look at his great television ratings," Trump said in a statement read by Sanders during a White House briefing on Friday.
Minneapolis: As a lone Aussie flag hung in the cool evening air, hundreds took to streets that were home to Justine Damond, to protest against the Australian healer's death by still unexplained police gunfire  in a rally that marked rare black-white unity on the vexed issue of police killings in the United States.

Wearing an "I am Philando" T-shirt in memory of his friend Philando Castile, who was gunned down by Minneapolis police in July 2016, Black Lives Matter activist John Thompson was warmly received when he told his predominantly white audience: "I never thought I'd have to speak on behalf of a white woman killed by a police officer.

"I wouldn't call the police, but she called the police because she thought she was safe."

After making a 911 call to report what she believed to be a sexual assault taking place in the alley behind her Washburn Avenue home, on Minneapolis' Southside, on Saturday night, Damond ventured out to investigate  and was killed by gunfire as she approached the driver's side of a police squad car.
Two leading economists have warned that the unquestionably strong capital benchmarks released by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) on Wednesday will spark rate hikes by the banks.In a statement, Treasurer Scott Morrison said the announcement should not significantly impact loan pricing or consumers ability to access finance.However both Roger Montgomery, chairman and chief investment officer of Montgomery Investment Management, and Brett Le Mesurier, banks and finance analyst of Velocity Trade, told ABCs The Business that banks could certainly raise rates in response without APRA being able to link the two.The customers will pay, Le Mesurier said. The government wont see how its being done. The recent increases that theyve had in home loan rates have been sponsored by APRA really as a result of trying to reduce the amount of interest-only loans and reduce the amount of investor loans.In fact, APRA had said that the net interest margins for the banks would need to increase by 10 basis points for the banks to retain their return on equity, he said.Whos going to pay? It could be the depositors as well. Some of the deposit rates could go down. But of course, the Treasurer will never know.Montgomery expressed his certainty that the mortgage holders would bear the costs of these added capital requirements instead of the deposit holders.Thats because deposit funding is the cheapest source of funding for the banks. As international funding costs go up for the banks, there will be more competition for deposits. As a result, well find that the cost will be passed onto consumers through higher mortgage rates.He agreed with Le Mesurier that it would be impossible for APRA to attribute a change in rates to the new requirements for higher CET1 ratios.Short of monitoring every email of every CEO  which they have said theyre going to do  it would be difficult to attribute a change in rates to that particular thing. So in the normal course of business, rates will go up. Theyre going up out of cycle anyway.With the spread between mortgage rates and the official cash rate at its widest levels, this trend will continue, he said.
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
Egyptian Streets

Magda Haroun, head of the Jewish community in Egypt, said in an interview with Al-Hurra TV that she is married to a Catholic man and her two daughters are Muslims.

Having lived under one roof for a long time, Haroun stressed that her family leads a rather quiet life and living peacefully with each other.

I was married to a Muslim man when I had my two Muslim daughters. Then, my second marriage was [to] a Catholic man. He raised my two daughters, Haroun added.

She went on to say that her family firmly believes in coexistence, and they often discuss matters related to religion so that they know more about each other.

I taught my daughters to respect human beings for who they are. We celebrate all the religious occasions. We celebrate Jewish occasions with my mother. We attend the prayers at the church on December 24, the Christmas Eve, and we celebrate Ramadan as well, Haroun continued.

Harouns close relatives are not usually surprised by their family. However, people who are not close to them are often surprised by how they are living together despite their different religions.

I taught my two daughters how to read the Quran, when we arrived in Egypt, they didnt know how to speak Arabic, Haroun said.

Haroun concluded by saying, Our creator is only one, and if he wanted us to have the same beliefs, he would have done that.
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Photographer Tim Walker has shot an all-black cast of models and celebrities for the prestigious calendars 2018 edition

It appears it's that time of the year already. The 2018 Pirelli calendar shots are here and they're incredible. Taking on a wonderful reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, photographer Tim Walker, known for his theatrical, other-worldly and commonly fairy tale-themed style of fashion photography, has lensed one of the most beautiful editions we've seen in a while.

Starring only people of colour, this year's cast not only includes Australia's Next Top Model star Duckie Thot (!!), but also sees Naomi Campbell, RuPaul, Whoopi Goldberg, Adwoa Aboah, Lupita Nyong'o, King Owusu, Alpha Dia, Sasha Lane, Dijmon Hounsou and Mr Highest Paid Celebrity In the World, Sean "Diddy" Combs. It was styled by British Vogue's new editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.

The move sees it distance itself from the hyper-sexualised images of Pirelli's past even further than it did last year with Peter Lindbergh's 2017 edition starring Uma Thurman, Julianne Moore, Robin Wright and Nicole Kidman. Watch the behind the scenes video below and click though the gallery to see all the beautiful behind-the-scenes shots.
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Held exactly a day after, Reliance Industries announced picking up of a stake in Balaji Telefilms, the oil to telecom majors annual general meeting was nothing short of a dramatic affair-packed with emotions, nostalgia, grandeur and populism.
Reliance Industries launched on Friday a keenly anticipated phone with 4G-enabled features that it said will be "zero cost", in a move aimed at further disrupting the country's highly competitive telecoms sector.

Through the new phone, India's most valuable company is attempting to woo tens of millions of low-income users to its upstart telecoms venture Jio, which has already upended the telecoms industry in the country by offering cut-rate prices on its services.

Buyers will be able to get the new device, named JioPhone, for a one-time refundable security deposit of 1,500 rupees ($23.32), Reliance chairman, billionaire Mukesh Ambani, said at the petrochemicals-to-retail conglomerate's annual general meeting (AGM).

Voice calling will be free on the JioPhone, while unlimited data packs will cost 153 rupees a month on the device, Ambani said.

The phone will be available from August 15, India's Independence Day, on a trial basis.

Reliance plans to make 5 million JioPhones available every week.

About 65 percent, or 500 million, devices in the Indian mobile phone ecosystem are so-called feature phones - that allow basic calling and texting, according to brokerage CLSA. These phones still outsell smartphones.

Jio calls its new device "India's intelligent smartphone".

The phone's launch was widely anticipated as Ambani, India's richest man, uses the company's annual meeting to make key launch announcements. Jio was launched at last year's AGM and now has more than 125 million customers.

Reliance shares traded 3.1 percent higher on Friday afternoon, while shares of rivals Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular fell 2.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively.

(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.)
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Abidali Neemuchwala, chief executive officer of information technology major Wipro, said the company expects to have clarity by November on the future of 'Obamacare', the United States (US) law on extending health insurance, or its alternative from the Trump administration.
China cannot afford to "lose an inch" of its territory, Chinese official media asserted today and ruled out withdrawal of the PLA troops from the Dokalam area in the Sikkim sector to end a military standoff.

The shrill comments were made in an editorial by The Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party media group, which generally reflects the views of the ruling party.

The tabloid has unleashed a barrage of anti-India rhetoric in recent weeks amid tensions between the two countries.

"China cannot afford to 'lose an inch' of territory. This is the sacred wish and request of the Chinese people. The Chinese government will not breach the fundamental will of the people and the PLA will not let the Chinese people down," it said.

The daily also accused External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj of "lying" to Parliament to justify what it called India's "trespass" in the Sikkim sector.

"She was lying to the parliament," it said, referring to Swaraj's assertion in Rajya Sabha that Indian troops had not encroached Chinese territory, and that all nations support India's stand.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not reacted to Swaraj's comments.

"India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact," it said, and claimed that India's military strength is "far behind" that of China's, the Global Times said.

"If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose," the editorial said.

Swaraj had also said in the Upper House that India is ready for talks with China if both sides first pull back their armies to end the tense standoff in the Sikkim sector. She stressed the need for a "peaceful resolution" of border issues.

Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face- off in Dokalam area in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

The Chinese daily article said China will by never agree to withdrawing its troops as a precondition for the talks.

"Doklam is Chinese territory. The withdrawal of Indian troops must be a precondition for talks and China will not compromise on this stance," it said.

"If New Delhi remains stubborn, India should get prepared for all possibilities from a potentially grave escalation of tension in the future," the daily warned.

(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.)
Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran on Thursday said there was no need for India to look for what he called a "tit-for-tat" kind of exchange with China over the current impasse in a tri-junction border area in the Doklam Plateau that involves Bhutan as well.

He was categorical in stating that New Delhi should not respond to China the way Beijing was doing.

"I don't think we should look for tit-for-tat kind of exchanges. This is serious business. Would welcome the fact that the Indian side has rather been restrained and mature in its reaction. Let the Chinese side raise the decibel level, and there is no need for us to respond in the same way," said Saran at an event titled 'China-centric world order inevitable?'

The former foreign secretary said the key lies in building capabilities that India has won over the past years.

Referring to the current border structure, Saran said, "I would not say that we have not made improvements. We are certainly much better off than 10 years ago in terms of setting the infrastructure on our side, but the fact is, that the other side has been developing more rapidly."



Admitting that sometimes it is difficult for a country to make choices in such situations, Saran said, "I think there is a real dilemma. The anger which I see to my mind is linked to the script not having being followed. There are number of possibilities, and of course, those who are dealing with this, are in the best place to decide what is the risk that you are prepared to take. We have to also take into account the interest of Bhutan. So, it is a much complex situation than normally one would face."

Saran's significant assessment came even as Indian and Chinese troops continue to be locked in a standoff in Doklam,

Both sides have moved additional troops, ammunition and military equipment to the area. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has beefed up its defence in a region south of the Kunlun Mountains under the pretext of conducting a military exercise near Tibet.



ALSO READ: Sikkim standoff: Chinese Army moves loads of military hardware into Tibet

Hardware has been moved simultaneously by road and rail by China's western theatre command, which oversees the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet,and handles, among others, border issues with India, media reports have said.

This show of strength is being projected by Beijing as a warning to India by China to back off from its objection to China constructing a road at the Doklam tri-junction.

On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that differences between India and China should not and would not be allowed to become disputes, and added that communication between the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.



ALSO READ: Sikkim standoff: India rejects China's demands, calls for mutual drawdown

"The differences between India and China should not be allowed to become dispute. Every powerful player, power in the world prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand. The diplomatic channels and diplomatic communications have never been ceased, they have never broken," MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay told media.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India with regard to the Dokhlam Plateau stand-off.

"India wants that troops are removed from the tri-junction point to discuss the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan, are with us," Sushma told members of the Rajya Sabha.



ALSO READ: India pitches for diplomatic route to resolve Doklam issue

"Over the years, China has been trying to get closer and closer to where the tri-junction point ends. It has done things like repair roads, re-tar them and things like that," Swaraj added.

"If China unilaterally changes status-quo of tri-junction point between China-India and Bhutan, then it poses a challenge to our security. We have the law and right on our side," she said about India's position.

The issue of China's presence in the South China Sea was also countered by Swaraj, who said, "There is no threat to India from Beijing in terms of sea presence."

On the 'One Belt One Road' issue, Swaraj said India is opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's (CPEC) inclusion in the OBOR since the time it was proposed, as it was passing through territory that India claims as its own.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.
Pro-Kannada activists on Thursday staged protests at some metro stations here and defaced signages in Hindi by blackening them, as they continued their protest against the alleged imposition of the language.

Protests have been reported at Peenya, Rajajinagara, Yeshwanthpur, Jayanagara, Mysuru Road and Chickpete metro stations and Hindi wordings on the signages were blackened on a few of them, officials said.

They said following the protest, security near most of the metro stations in the city has been tightened by deploying additional forces.

Activists belonging to Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada outfit, shouted "don't want Hindi" slogans and also against metro officials.

As the activists tried to block the entrance of metro stations by staging the protest, police removed them and at a couple of stations protestors were detained, police said.

Signages in Hindi at at least two metro stations in the city were covered earlier this month, following protests by pro-Kannada activists and on social media against "imposition" of the language.

The protest against the "imposition" of Hindi in Bangalore metro triggered by the online campaign "#NammaMetroHindiBeda" has been gaining momentum since the beginning of this month.

Kannada Development Authority (KDA) had also issued a notice to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on the issue.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his recent visit to Delhi had reportedly said he would lodge a protest with the Centre on "imposition" of Hindi.

Recently, few activists belonging to a pro-Kannada outfit had defaced the name board of a few shops at a food court here for not bearing content in Kannada.

(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.)
Senior diplomat and External Affairs Ministry spokesperson was on Friday appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.

He has been appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India's Ambassador to France.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Baglay's appointment to the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.

The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, it said.
Even as Indian troops remain locked into a month-long confrontation with Chinese border guards on the Sikkim border, violence is rising in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)  both on the border with Pakistans army and in jihadi insurgency in the Valley.
The Police on Friday registered a case against a counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles unit in connection with the killing of a youth in Budgam district.

Tanveer Ahmad Pala was hit by a bullet when a stone pelting mob attacked a patrol party of 53 Rashtriya Rifles in Beerwah town on Friday.

Pala was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed.

Another youth was injured in the incident, but doctors termed his condition as stable.

Police in central Badgam district said a FIR had been registered against the army unit in connection with Pala's death.

The police said here that the foot patrol of the counter-insurgency unit was returning to their camp when near Beerwah some miscreants pelted stones at them.

"Someone among these miscreants also hurled a fire cracker towards the army men. Because of the bang, the army men thought a grenade was hurled and they retaliated."
A doctor in Delhi was rescued last night after being held for ransom by an Ola driver for 13 days, police have informed local media.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has refuted former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah's assertion that a third party, such as the US or China, can be approached for the settlement of the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.

"I have been asserting for long that it's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies at the Centre that have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir. And the point that is being mentioned that a third party's intervention should be invited for the settlement of the issue, it's wrong. India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India," Rahul said on Friday.

"It's our internal matter and no other country should have any say in it," he added.

Earlier in the day, Abdullah said that India should approach third parties, such as the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

Abdullah said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.

"If India is ready to talk to China and does not want to get into war, then they can talk to Pakistan also," he added.

Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement - Friends can be changed, but not neighbours, the Conference (NC) leader said that arrogance and stubbornness would not let any of the nations progress and develop.

"The stubbornness, exhibited by both the nations, will not lead us anywhere. Remember what Atal Bihari said, 'Friends can be changed, but not neighbours. One can move forward while maintaining friendship or can regress by becoming enemies,'" he said.

Expressing concern over the ongoing tension in the Valley, Abdullah appealed to the Government to bring the disturbing elements light and punish them.

"If the youth of tomorrow are targetted today, how will they run the nation? I would like to urge the Government to expose the perpetrators," he said.

"We are being sandwiched. People die every day. The situation is worse in the Valley," he added.

This is not the first time when the Congress vice-president has blamed Prime Minister Modi for creating space for militancy in the state.

"Modi's policies have created space for terrorists in Kashmir. Grave strategic blow for India," Rahul had earlier tweeted.

"Short term political gain for Modi from PDP alliance has cost India massively. Modi's personal gain=India's strategic loss + sacrifice of innocent Indian blood," the tweet added.

The BJP reacted by blaming the country's first prime minister and Rahul's great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and the Gandhi family for all the problems in Kashmir.

Union minister Smriti Irani also hit out at Rahul for criticising Prime Minister Modi for the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and politicising the issue at a time when the country was "united against terrorism".

"Upon return from strategic and very well known holiday, Mr Gandhi has chosen to attack the Prime Minister, especially when nation stands united against terrorism," Irani said.

The BJP also has been dubbing Rahul Gandhi as "immature" owing to his tweets targetted at the Centre.

Jammu and Kashmir is embroiled in violent chaos since July last year when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by the security forces.
Industrialist Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd announced the launch of 'effective smartphone' JioPhone, which will be available for beta testing from August 15. Buyers can get this effectively cost zero smartphone for a one-time security deposit of Rs 1,500, which will be refunded after 3 years on the return of the phone.


Ruling PDP on Friday said that Union minister Hansraj Ahir's "putting conditions" over dialogue to address amounts to "closing the doors" for negotiations and undermines the reality of the issue.

"PDP has always upheld the significance of unconditional dialogue among the stakeholders as the means to resolve Kashmir imbroglio. The statement of the Union Minister of State for Home in Parliament amounts to closing the doors for negotiations," party vice president, Mohammad Sartaj Madni said here.

Ahir had yesterday said in the Parliament the government remains open to dialogue with those who eschew the path of violence and are willing to work within the framework of the Constitution of India.

The PDP vice president alleged the statement is also against the spirit of 'Agenda of Alliance', the common minimum programme between the coalition partners - PDP and BJP, which recognises and envisages importance of an open dialogue.

"Conditional dialogue on Kashmir also excludes Pakistan from the discourse. This position from Government of India again undermines the reality that without involving Pakistan, no solution to Kashmir problem can sustain," he said.

Madni referred to the accord between the state's former chief minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi "as a glaring instance which amply proved that such exercises did not sustain as a solution to Kashmir problem and instead compounded this further".

"It was post the accord that Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the emergence of full blown militancy and upsurge, besides perpetuated acrimony and confrontation between India and Pakistan," he said.

The PDP vice president said "while several union governments have at several occasions acknowledged the futility of selective accords and packageism, it was the government headed by (former PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee which seriously followed 'an all inclusive' approach as a changed discourse for sustainable peace in the region and as a viable way to solve the issues".

"The course of Vajpayee was fully facilitated by (former chief minister and PDP founder) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Not only it resulted in Indo-Pak bonhomie, it was endorsed by people of the state as act of hope.

"Who does not know that in the three years from 2002- 2005, borders were virtually turned irrelevant, the two armies were engaged in exchange of day-to-day pleasantries' and two people witnessed a integration.

"Trade flourished, development took place and came to acquire practicable and realistic contours for an 'out of box' solution," he said.

Madni said the 'Agenda of Alliance' with BJP is a virtual revival of Vajpayee-Sayeed vision and PDP sees it as an agreeable path sincerely endorsed by "popular leader, BJP strongman" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Any deviation from stated course in Kashmir will result in confusion and deficit in trust which will seal the chances of any further exercise through political means," he said.

He expressed hope that Ahir's statement would not impact the relevance of AoA and appealed the prime minister for its early implementation.

"Accomplishing AoA will draft a golden chapter in the relations between New Delhi and Srinagar and Prime Minister Modi will earn goodwill across the board as an Indian leader who did not betray the trust," the PDP leader said.
The 'Queen of Hills' Shimla wore a deserted look on Thursday as the opposition BJP called for a complete shutdown over the gang-rape and murder of a schoolgirl, with all business establishments, including shopping and tourism centres remaining closed.

Amid the widespread protests, Inspector General Zahur H. Zaidi, who was heading the SIT probing the case, and two other senior district police officers were transferred hours after one of the suspects was found murdered in a lock-up late on Wednesday evening.

The other two were Shimla Superintendent of Police D W Negi, who was known for his proximity to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and his deputy Bhajan Dev Negi.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, along with the general public in huge numbers, staged a protest at Victory Tunnel near Old Bus Stand and Sanjauli and stopped the movement of vehicles for hours.

The transport services were also affected and locals had to walk to reach their destinations.

All the shops in key tourist attraction areas of Mall Road, the historic Ridge Ground along with areas of the city remained closed as shopkeepers feared violence due to tempers running high amongst protesters.

A stone pelting incident was reported at the State Secretariat and employees were literally held hostage inside the building as all the entry gates were locked from inside fearing violence by protesters.

The BJP and CPI-M held protests and submitted a memorandum to Governor Acharya Dev Vrat separately, seeking justice and accountability for the shoddy probe in the case.

BJP leaders alleged that the police seemed busy in trying to protect the real killers of 'Gudia' and are destroying circumstantial evidence gathered from the spots so that the CBI cannot find hard evidence against the real perpetrators of the crime.

"It is necessary to impose President's Rule in the state because the government has failed to perform its duties diligently," they said, demanding the dismissal of police officials who mishandled investigations in the case.

Zaidi changed places with Ajay Kumar Yadav and D.W. Negi with Soumya Sambasivan, an official notification said.

Official sources told IANS that the decision to replace Zaidi and others was taken on Wednesday night after the Chief Secretary cancelled his three-day tour of Mandi district and reached Shimla following the murder of the suspect and the violence across Shimla district.

Another prisoner, Rajinder Singh killed prime accused in the case Suraj Singh, a 29-year-old Nepali, by smashing his head on the floor, a police officer here told IANS.

He said what caused Rajinder Singh to kill Suraj Singh is yet to be ascertained.

The cause for the altercation was believed to be revelations to the police by Suraj Singh, who put the entire blame for the gang-rape and killing of the girl on Rajinder Singh, another official told IANS.

The murder of Suraj Singh led to an arson attack by a mob demanding justice for the 16-year-old victim, whose body was found in the forests in Kotkhai town in Shimla district on July 6.

The mob ransacked the police station in Kotkhai, some 56 km from the state capital, and did not allow the critically injured policemen to be taken to hospital for treatment. It also burnt three police vehicles.

Police fired two rounds in the air and resorted to a baton-charge to disperse the crowd.

Massive protests have continued in Shimla district since the rape and murder of the schoolgirl.

Last week, the state government agreed to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case. But the investigating agency was yet to take over the case.

Expressing concern over the murder of the rape suspect in the lock-up, Governor Acharya Devvrat on Wednesday asked for a report on the incident from the government.

Director General of Police Somesh Goyal, who was summoned by the Governor, apprised him about the developments in the case.

In another development, the state high court, which has taken cognizance of the rape and murder, on Wednesday directed the CBI to constitute within two days a three-member SIT, headed by a Superintendent of Police-level officer, to probe the case.

The court order came on a plea of the state government, urging it to direct the CBI to take over the investigation.

It also directed the Chief Secretary to independently investigate the matter and take action against erring officials. The Chief Secretary has been directed to file a compliance report within two weeks.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Thursday rejected China's demand for withdrawal of troops from the Doklam border area, saying the pull out should be from both sides for a dialogue to be held for resolving the month long military stand-off at the tri-junction in Sikkim sector.

On its part, China kept up its belligerence saying Indian withdrawal is a pre-condition for any dialogue to take place.



In the first exhaustive Indian comments on the border row, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj accused China of "unilaterally" trying to change the status quo at the tri-junction on the frontier with Bhutan.

She told the Rajya Sabha that while China was saying India should withdraw its troops from Doklam for negotiations to begin, India is saying that both countries should withdraw their troops.



"They (China) are demanding that we should withdraw our forces... We want that if a dialogue is held, and if talks are to be held, then both the countries should withdraw their troops. From India's side, no unreasonable demand is being made.. All countries are with us, as they all feel that China is being aggressive on a small country like Bhutan. Bhutan has lodged a written protest."

"All countries feel that India's stand in the matter is not wrong. Truth is on our side," she added.

The Minister said the Chinese action "is a challenge to our security" and India was not doing anything unreasonable.



In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang reiterated that no talks would be held with India until it withdrew troops from Doklam.

"Our diplomatic channel is unimpeded and the withdrawal of the Indian border troops is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue and the communication between the two sides," Lu said.

Lu said Indian troops "illegally trespassed into Chinese territory".

The military tension over the Himalayan tri-junction between the two countries that share a 3,500-km boundary started more than a month ago when Indian troops stopped Chinese soldiers from building a road at the stretch where India and China connect with Bhutan.



The stand-off has hit India-China ties with Chinese experts threatening a war if New Delhi did not buckle.

Sushma Swaraj accused China of violating the terms of a written agreement reached between India, China and Bhutan in 2012.

"Over the years, China has been trying to get closer and closer to where the tri-junction point ends. It has done things like repair roads, re-tar them and things like that."

She described what was different about the June 16 incident that led to the stand-off.

"This time though, they came with bulldozers and construction equipment with the aim of breaching the point where the tri-junction ends. That is a threat to our security," she said.

"As long as it was between China and Bhutan about their border dispute, we had no problem. But when it comes to tri-junction, our interests came into the picture. They want to come down to Batang La."

Amid the bilateral deadlock, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay confirmed that Security Advisor Ajit Doval was visiting Beijing on July 27-28 for a security meeting of the five-nation BRICS grouping.

Baglay said "India's approach has been to find peaceful resolution of all matters concerning the border with China" but refused to share the details on what kind of diplomatic channels the two countries were using to ease the border tension.

"I would not like to go into the details of how and between whom and when such conversations have taken place, if they have taken place," he said, during his weekly briefing.

"Every responsible power, every responsible person and player in the world, of course, prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand," he said.
Government-pushed insurance schemes have achieved little and only benefited entities in the sector, the office of the Union comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has concluded, as has another report from the non-government Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found serious flaws related to financial management and implementation of the Right to Education Act, 2009. The act was enacted to provide free and compulsory education to every child in the 6-to-12-year age group.
The government is considering changing the April-March financial year to the calendar year. This follows a slew of far-reaching steps such as merging the railway budget with the Union Budget, advancing the date of presentation of the Union Budget, and introduction of the goods and services tax (GST).
Indian carriers have opposed the governments decision to give excess bilateral to Dubai carriers in peak festive season. This comes around the time when both sides are negotiating over extra seats. According to a letter sent by Federation of (FIA) to the ministry of civil aviation, the airlines have opposed the ministrys decision to extra 5,500 seats to carriers of Emirates and flydubai- the designated carriers of Dubai.
Weddings have been less lavish this year  a trend that can be linked to . Leading hotel brands have seen a dip in business from weddings in the first half of 2017 as families turned cautious about spends after the government withdrew old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from circulation on November 8, 2016.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found management of funds allocated for reproductive health under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has not been satisfactory.
Possible cutdowns in agricultural tariffs and investment may increase chances of foreign firms initiating legal actions against India, several civil society groups said while flagging off a number of serious concerns over the ongoing negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

On Wednesday, civil society groups across a wide spectrum of industries laid forth a host of concerns regarding the 19th round of RCEP negotiations, which began on Tuesday in Hyderabad.

The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and six others with which this bloc has FTAs with namely, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

The current round of negotiations is expected to see members finalising the broad contours of the agreement. However, with most chapters on goods trade yet to see full discussions, members may make their second round of offers on tariff reduction, a senior government official recently said under conditions of anonymity.

"Cutting down agricultural tariffs will basically mean giving away market access to nations like Australia, Japan and New Zealand who are major producers of dairy, meat and seafood, " Ranjana Sengupta from NGO Third World Network said.

Also, their high levels of product standards will effectively nullify the chances of Indian exports making it to there, she added.

The official mentioned above had added that India is willing to offer reduction on 80 per cent of all tariff lines with a 6 per cent deviation for nations. The country may offer a maximum 86 or 74 per cent reduction in tariffs for nations, keeping into account the gamut of trade with them.

However, other nations have pressured keeping the deviation to 1-2 per cent. Richer countries like New Zealand and Australia have continued to clamour for opening up to 92 per cent of all goods items.

Trade experts also pointed out that Japan and Australia are also among the largest provider of farm subsidies to farmers and therefore have a robust export-oriented agricultural sector.

On investment discussions, the same nations along with the tacit support of China are pushing for less strict investment rules that allow the maximum headway to foreign entities to sue the government in cases of investor state dispute settlement.

This includes allowing such firms to directly start international proceedings against a nation without taking recourse to existing domestic legal options, something which India doesn't support, investment norms expert Kavaljit Singh said. He added that these nations also want the 'most favoured nation status' to be put in place for investment norms, while India doesn't.

The country wants to negotiate the rules based on the new model bilateral investment treaty (BIT), a template for individually negotiated agreements that govern private investments from a firm in one country into another.

The BIT template is a step up from the erstwhile bilateral investment promotion agreements India had earlier signed with 83 countries and had later terminated.

Also, patient care groups have also raised concerns with the proposed intellectual property norms that may stop production of affordable Indian generics that make life-saving medicine available to millions across the globe.

"More than 17 million people across the developing world from India and beyond rely on such drugs to combat AIDS. Patients need to take pills twice or thrice in a day, each of which used to earlier cost an average $1,000. Indian drugs have managed to bring down the costs to about $20,000 for three months of treatment", Henminlun Gangte from the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition said.

RCEP in India
The government's proposal to regulate Bitcoin crypto currency has sparked a regulatory turf war between Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI). According to sources, the central bank is of the opinion that bitcoin is a security rather than currency and should be regulated by Sebi. The proposal has not gone down well with the latter which opposes the suggestion.
is planning to raise around Rs 1,200 crore to support its growth plan. The bank is also planning to sell assets worth Rs 540 crore to asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).
32 Yoga Teachers deployed to 28 countries to lead yoga demonstrations abroad for IDY 2017

For the celebration of the International Day of Yoga in other countries, Indian Missions/Posts were advised to involve internationally renowned Yoga organizations like Art of Living Global Centre, Gayatri Parivar, Isha Foundation Global, Iyengar Yoga Foundation etc. for the celebrations. The vast scale of celebration resulted in renewed interest in and awareness about yoga and its benefits amongst local population of the host countries. Indian Missions/Posts abroad organized events both prior to and on the International Day of Yoga.

The focus, was to involve organizations in the host countries engaged in promoting Yoga. 32 Yoga Teachers from India were deployed to 28 countries to lead the demonstration at the main events in foreign countries. Yoga Khadi kits procured directly from the KVIC were provided to 110 Indian/Missions Posts abroad as part of the IDY celebrations. Within the country, the main event of International Day of Yoga was held at Lucknow, in which Honble Prime Minister participated along with around 51,000 people. Through Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) International Day of Yoga programe was conducted in 624 districts of the country. Besides this, NCC, NSS, Nehru Yuva Kendras, Yoga organizations, School/Colleges, State governments and various central government Ministries/Departments and subordinate offices also participated actively. The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) conducts Education Courses i.e. Degree, Diploma and Certificate Courses in Yoga Science, intended to produce Yoga professionals to impart Yoga Education, Training & Therapy to the people including foreign nationals. The International Coordination Division of the Ministry facilitates deputation of Yoga professionals to other countries whenever such proposals are received. This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs asks DDA to be more pro-active in making Delhi a world class capital; performance to be reviewed every quarter .

Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will invite bids in the second week of next month for building integrated cities with smart features at Dwarka, Narela and Rohini and the developers will be selected by October this year. Timelines for execution of various new projects by DDA were today firmed up at a review meeting chaired by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary (Housing & Urban Affairs) today. .

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Shri Uday Pratap Singh, Vice-Chairman of DDA and senior officials of the Ministry attended the one and a half hour review of various projects of DDA. .

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Shri Mishra urged DDA to be more pro-active in making Delhi a world class capital city by focusing on development function, policy and process re-engineering. He stressed on the need for delivery of quality services and performance orientation. Progress of various projects and new initiatives will be reviewed once in every three years, he said. .

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For meeting the futuristic needs of the Government and providing facilities that the private sector tends to ignore and catalyzing a change in Delhi at par with neighbouring cities through signature development, DDA has proposed to develop integrated cities with smart features on available vacant lands at Dwarka (200 hectares), Narela (218 hec) and Rohini (259 hec). .

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The scope of work in this regard has been so defined to enable overall integration with the city enhancing Delhis image, liveability, quality of life, value of the existing and future assets of DDA and the residents of these proposed sub-cities. .

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DDA has agreed to start Yamuna bank development works over an area of 500 acres along Old Railway Bridge ITO barrage stretch by 2nd of October this year. Works proposed to be taken up include enhancement of ecological features of the floodplains, creating a 300 meter wide Green buffer from the edge of the river, 100-150 meter Greenway along the road embankment, recreational areas along the greenways, desilting of storm water drains, creation of wetland systems to enable flow of clean water in to the river etc. A detailed plan in this regard will be prepared by the fifteenth of next month. .

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It was also decided that the road between Indira Gandhi International Airport and Connaught Place will be developed to global standards by March, 2020 for which final drawings will be got approved by December this year. One of the four alignments proposed by the Consultant will be finalized early next month. .

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Works proposed to be taken up in this regard include integrated Transit Corridor Development, street network and connectivity plan for the corridor and influence zone, detailed designing of all intersections and mid sections based on traffic studies, improving riding quality, drainage, amenities, greenery, signages, pavements, access to police patrol and emergency services, toilets etc. .

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Regarding refurbishment of commercial centres viz., Nehru Place, Bhikaji Cama Place and Basant Lok Community Centre, after reviewing the plans proposed by DDA, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra asked DDA include improvements inside the buildings of these centres given the poor state of infrastructure, maintenance and poor visual presentation. DDA was asked to convene a meeting with South MCD and traders associations for enabling such interventions. It was suggested that if required, South MCD should enforce proper infrastructure and its upkeep inside the buildings for security and for better visual presentation. .

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Expressing concern over negligible adoption of ICT by DDA so far, Shri Mishra complimented DDA VC Shri Uday Pratap Singh for initiating a ERP based Comprehensive Digital Services Architecture plan to be implemented in two years from the award of work to enable comuterised management systems for quick decision making and providing all services online to the public including grievance redressal. .

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DDA was also asked to mount intensive campaign about the improvements made inside the houses and infrastructure availability at the locations at which DDA has offered about 25,000 dwelling units in various categories in its latest scheme. .

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AAR/KM
The Ministry of External Affairs is implementing a scheme to provide financial assistance to Indian women abused /abandoned by their Overseas Indian spouses, so that they can get access to counselling and legal services, with Indian Missions/Posts abroad. The Scheme is currently operational, in 13 countries namely; United States America (USA), United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Gulf countries (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE). .

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Consular Services Management System (MADAD) is an online portal developed by Ministry of External Affairs to register grievances pertaining to the Consular Services offered by the Indian Mission/Posts abroad. The portal could be utilized to enlist assistance while facing grievances related to marital dispute and other related problems. .

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This information was given by Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt Krishna Raj in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. .

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While appraising the two projects at estimated cost of 18,163 crore for Raising of speed to 160/200 kilometer per hour on existing corridors of Delhi-Mumbai (including Vadodara-Ahmedabad) and Delhi-Howrah(including Kanpur-Lucknow), in June 2017, NITI Aayog has supported the proposal. The project details are as under:- .

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(i) New Delhi-Mumbai Route (including Vadodara-Ahmedabad) covering 1483 Route km at an estimated cost of 11,189 crore. .

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(ii) New Delhi-Howrah route (including Kanpur-Lucknow) covering 1525 Route kms at an estimated cost of 6974 crore. .

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Signalling system and safety improvement measures on the entire route of Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah include inter-alia provision of clamp type point Machines in the facing direction of train movement, elimination of level crossing gates, Interlocking and track circuit changes in connection with closure of Level crossing gates, end to end fencing, Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) and Mobile Train Radio Communication system (MTRC). .

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This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 21.07.2017 (Friday). .

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Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal presided over the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for purchase of 1050 MW of wind power under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)s first Wind Auction Scheme here today. The PPAs were signed between PTC India Ltd., the trading company, and the successful wind power developers.

As per the PPAs signed, Mytrah Energy, Inox Wind and Ostro Kutch Wind Pvt. Ltd. would supply wind power of capacity 250 MW each. Further, Green Infra would supply 249.9 MW and Adani Green Energy 50 MW from their wind power projects through inter-state transmission system at a tariff of Rs. 3.46 per kWh discovered through the open and transparent competitive bidding process. PTC India has tied-up this wind power for sale to DISCOMS of a number of States. Under this, Uttar Pradesh would get 449.9 MW, Bihar 200 MW, Jharkhand 200 MW, Delhi 100 MW, Assam 50 MW and Odisha 50MW for meeting their Non-Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).

For these projects Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) conducted e-reverse auction on 23rd February 2017 and issued Letter of Award (LoA) to the successful wind power developers on 5th April 2017. The wind power projects under first wind auction are likely to be commissioned by September 2018.

Congratulating all stakeholders of the sector on their coordinated efforts to drastically bring down renewable energy prices, Shri Piyush Goyal encouraged everyone to keep the interests of the end consumers as their priority. The Minister also floated the idea of doing away with the requirement of separate Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) for different renewable energy sources and allow the States to independently decide their energy mix.

Shri Goyal desired that wind energy bids should be brought out every month, though he also advised the senior officials of the Ministry to calibrate the pace of this process keeping in mind the affordability of renewable energy for common man. Industry players which are inefficient would either evolve and face competition in the sector or finally wind up. I welcome the churning happening in the industry and look forward to healthy competition and affordable power for all through increase in scale, the Minister added.

Shri Goyal also informed that the Ministry is working to bring robust guidelines for the wind energy bidding and is in discussions with regulators for better forecasting and scheduling of renewable energy in the grid. The Minister also informed that with every unit of renewable power generated in the country, jobs are being created to the tune of 5-7 times as compared to power generated through conventional energy sources.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary MNRE, Shri Anand Kumar informed that the Ministry has done away with the Inter State Transmission levies on transfer of Renewable Energy from windy States to non-windy ones, which would aid the latter to meet their RPOs and keep the costs of power affordable.

Earlier, MNRE had sanctioned a scheme for setting up of 1000 MW inter-state transmission system (ISTS) connected Wind Power Projects on 14th June 2016 with the objective to encourage competitiveness through scaling up of project sizes and introduction of efficient and transparent e-bidding and e-auctioning processes.

Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri A.K. Bhalla, Secretary Power, Shri Deepak Amitabh, CMD PTC India, Dr. Ashvini Kumar, MD SECI and other senior officers of the Ministry and Industry partners.
Shri Bandaru Dattatreya reviews the status of implementation of the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board

Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment held a meeting with the representatives of the State Governments here today to review the status of implementation of the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board. The Central Government constituted wage boards for working journalists and non-journalists newspaper employees, as and when required, as per the provisions contained in section 9 and section 13C respectively of the Working Journalists Act, 1955. The last such Wage Boards, Viz. the Majithia Wage Boards were constituted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on 24.5.2007. The Board submitted the recommendations to the Government on 31.12.2010. Ministry of Labour and Employment notified the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Boards, under section 12 of the said Act, on 11.11.2011 subject to the outcome of the W. P. (C) No. 246 of 2011. The Honble Supreme Court, in its judgment dated 07.02.2014 upheld the Majithia Wage Boards recommendations. As the said order was not complied by some newspaper establishments, contempt petitions were filed in the Honble Supreme Court. The Honble Supreme Court, in its judgement dated 19.7.2017held that the Majithia Wage Board Award has to be implemented in full. The Honble Court also clarified on four important issues like payment of wages as per Majithia Wage Board Awards, Clause 20(j), admissibility of Variable pay, applicability to Contractual employees and financial capacity of the newspaper establishments to pay arrears.

As a sequel to the above judgment of the Honble Supreme Court, a meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Shri Bandaru Dattatreya to discuss the issues relating to implementation of the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board Awards with the representative of the State Governments. As per the said Act, the implementation of the recommendations of the Wage Boards lies with the State Governments.

During the meeting, the State Governments/UT Administrations were impressed upon to implement the Wage Board Awards in letter and spirit. Discussions were alsoheld to bring the journalists of electronic & digital media under the ambit of the Working Journalists Act, 1955. State Governments were requested to tender their considered opinion in this regard.

As the last Wage Board was constituted in 2007, the issue regarding constitution of a new Wage Board was also discussed in the meeting.

AK
China's expects its revenue to expand by 45 to 48 percent in its fiscal year from April as more small businesses join its online community in search of sales, Executive Chairman Jack Ma said on Thursday.

had revenue of $22.99 billion in its year to the end of March.

"Our revenue this year, we will still have 45-48 percent growth, the money comes from solving problems for others," Ma told hundreds of senior executives who filled a large ballroom in a five-star hotel to listen to him on his first visit to Africa.

Ma, who founded the Hangzhou-based e-commerce firm, said he would consider investing in Kenya after meeting young entrepreneurs and being impressed by the East African nation's broadband infrastructure.

"I was surprised by the speed of the Internet," he told the executives. He told a separate gathering at the University of Nairobi that the speed was faster than in some developed nations.

He said he would consider the investment opportunities he had seen in the country, and make a firm announcement at a later date, adding that the dozens of Chinese entrepreneurs who accompanied him had also been stirred by locals' drive to build businesses.

"They say it is very difficult to find another Jack Ma in China but today we found a lot of Jack Mas in Africa," 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.)
As Britain prepares to enter what have been widely described as the most complex negotiations in recent history, politicians and civil servants dealing with can look to the 19th century for inspiration when it comes to securing the best trade deal for the country. Britain went through a similar process of reshaping its relationship with the world when it repealed the controversial Corn Laws and embraced the idea of free trade in 1846.
Speculation is mounting that President Donald Trump could issue a pardon to members of his family and close associates who are suspected of colluding with Russia in the 2016 campaign.
Donald Trump apparently wanted to set the record straight on the Kremlin Kaper in the strange interview he gave this week to The New York Times. Thank goodness for that, because the story line was getting hard to follow.
After more than two decades of testing, North Korea finally has a missile that is powerful enough to deliver a nuclear warhead to US territory  that is, to Alaska and/or Hawaii, if estimates are to be believed. This is an extremely dangerous development, and if the Trump administration is to avoid spiralling into a nuclear confrontation with North Korea, it needs to understand what North Korea wants and why it behaves the way it does.
GVK Power & Infrastructure, Jaiprakash Associates, Welspun Corp and HEG hit their respective 52-week highs, trading higher by up to 20% on BSE in otherwise subdued market.



GVK Power & Infrastructure was locked in upper circuit of 20% at Rs 9.99 on back of over five-fold jump in trading volumes.


A Delhi Court on Friday will decide provision of round the clock security to arms dealer and witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, Abhishek Verma, who had expressed willingness to undergo a polygraph test but had sought round the clock security till the test takes place.

The Karkardooma Court had asked him to file a written affidavit in this regard before the issuance of any such orders by the court.

Verma had on July 6 told the Delhi court that he was ready to undergo a lie-detector test if he and his family are provided security.

Verma has asked for two Protective Service Officers (PSOs) and guards outside his home round the clock where the court had directed him to file in writing the request for security protection.

On June 2, the Delhi court pronounced its order on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea, seeking permission to conduct a lie-detector test on Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.

Earlier, the court had asked Verma to explain the conditions for undergoing the polygraph test.

On May 22, Tytler refused to undergo lie-detector test before the court.

Tytler and Verma were earlier asked by the court to appear in person or file an affidavit stating if they wanted to undergo lie-detector test or not.

Verma's counsel informed the Karkardooma Court that the former was not well and hence, sought more time to appear.

The court then fixed June 2 for his personal appearance.

On May 9, the court gave two weeks time to Tytler and Verma to file their contentions and appear before the court about their consent on conduction of lie-detector test and provision of security.

Earlier in April as well, Tytler refused to undergo a lie-detector test in connection with the case.

In February, the CBI had sought the court's permission for lie-detector tests on Tytler and Verma.

Tytler is accused of leading a mob in the 1984 Pul Bangash case in which three Sikhs were killed.

The CBI had earlier given a clean chit to Tytler in the case but re-opened the investigation following the December 4, 2015, order in the wake of Verma's allegations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Anil Kumar Raturi is all set to take charge as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttarakhand. He will take charge on July 24.

Raturi will replace DGP MA Ganapathy, who will join as additional director general of police (ADG), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

A 1986-batch IPS officer, Ganapathy will hand over charge to Raturi, an IPS officer from the 1987 batch.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], July 21 (ANI): The dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by Congress Party here over a demand for the immediate transfer of acting state chief secretary Satya Gopal had a partial affect.

Home Parliamentary Secretary Pani Taram was taking rounds with the police from Chimpu to Banderdewa to ensure no untoward incident takes place.

Capital DC Prince Dhawan, senior officers and magistrates, including police personnel were spread all over, getting a few shops opened which had downed their shutters. An officer took pictures of closed shops and warned their owners that their trade licenses would be cancelled if they did resume business.

Public transport was plying as usual, but many commuters and vehicle owners were apprehensive that they could face the wrath of those spearheading the shutdown.

State government spokesman Bamang Felix told media persons that the masses openly defied the shutdown call as the Congress lacked any valid issue, and had only picked a 'non-issue' randomly, which was unbecoming of the country's oldest party.

A senior minister told Congress representatives that they were wrong to call for a shutdown and tried to convince not to be anti-Arunachal or anti-development.

He termed the shutdown a complete failure as all security arrangements were in place and Chief Minister Pema Khandu was monitoring the situation.

"The entire governance machinery was busy in restoring normalcy from the untold miseries brought on by recent unprecedented rains that claimed many precious lives. But what the Congress shutdown did was against the public, which has rejected the politics of shutdown culture," Felix said.

He claimed that there was no impact on state government offices and added that schools had recorded 100 percent attendance, markets remained open and transport plied normally with excellent deployment of forces.

On the other hand, however, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) issued a release in which it thanked traders, transporters, wage earners, state government employees, students and the public for their moral support.

The APCC took a dig at BJP president Tapir Gao for digging its own grave by issuing a provocative circular to direct party workers to counter the shutdown.

The state government was also accused of safeguarding a tainted officer under transfer. It said that the deployment of paramilitary forces from outside had created fear psychosis among the masses.

It asked the state government to give the reason for not releasing Gopal, who was transferred by the Home Ministry in May last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested former Pune zone head, Bank of Maharashtra and a director of private company in an on-going investigation of a bank fraud case.

The CBI registered a case against the private Logistics firm based at Surat and 10 other persons, entities and unknown officials of Bank of Maharashtra on the allegations that during 2012-2014, Bank of Maharashtra had sanctioned various credit facilities to private logistics company based at Surat including working capital limit, term loans & loans to 2802 drivers of the said company under 'Chalak Se Malak' (From Driver to Owner) scheme for purchase of trucks.

In a press release, the CBI alleged that the loss caused to Bank of Maharashtra was approximately Rs.836.29 crore.

It was further alleged that the loans to the drivers were sanctioned without their knowledge and by using forged documents as genuine and the company did not utilize the loan proceeds for the purpose for which they were sanctioned," said the CBI.

These loans were allegedly processed by the arrested accused (the then Zonal Head) by ignoring various irregularities and violating existing guidelines of the Bank for sanctioning. The other arrested accused was allegedly one of the Directors in this company and authorised signatory to operate account of the company.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that if China unilaterally changes status quo of tri-junction point then it poses a challenge to India's security, the Bharatiya Janata Party has warned Beijing against making an enemy out of the whole world.

Speaking to ANI, BJP leader R.K. Singh said that changing the status quo in Dokalam will endanger India's vital interests and therefore they cannot withdraw from there.

"China is wrong and as this is a tri-junction that means our boundaries are also involved," he said.

He also said that China should stop making aggressive statements, and says that, this kind of dialogue "goes with the Chinese attitude" which they have been showcasing for the past 2-3 years.

"This they are doing not only with India, but the rest of the world. It suddenly started feeling that it has great powers and therefore it can do whatever it feels like and expand as it pleases," he said.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed Member of Parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India on the Dokhlam plateau stand-off.

Chattisgarh MP Chhaya Sharma raised the issue of presence of China in the South China Sea, to which Sushma countered by saying there is no threat to India from Beijing as she "cannot say China is encircling New Delhi in terms of sea presence."

Although the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday reiterated that differences between India and China should and would not be allowed to become disputes and added that communication the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.

India and China have been witness to the standoff for long over the tri-junction area of Doklam sector near Bhutan.

The stand-off emerged after the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) construction party attempted to build a road near the Doklam area.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) on Friday assured to extend support to the Centre to solve the issue of Indo-China border through diplomacy and dialogues.

CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury told ANI that "we stand by the Centre's decision of solving Indo-China border issue through diplomacy and dialogues".

He further said that reportedly some Centre government officials are in contact with China to solve the issue.

The US has expressed concern over Indo-China border stand-off in the Sikkim Sector and urged both countries to work together to try to come up with some sort of arrangement for peace.

Recently, Indian troops objected the construction of a road by the Chinese troops in Doka La area in Sikkim and that led to a standoff between the troops of the two countries.

Even Bhutan registered its objection to the Chinese aggression. However, China alleged India entered its territory.

Chinese foreign ministry statement said, "The Indian border guards crossed the boundary in the Sikkim section of the China-India border and entered the territory of China, and obstructed normal activities of Chinese frontier forces in the Donglang area recently, and the Chinese side has taken counter-measures."

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Tuesday said China was trying to spread its influence but India was doing everything to protect its interests.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday said that India should approach third parties, such as the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

Adbullah said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. U.S. President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.

"If India is ready to talk to China and does not want to get into war, then they can talk to Pakistan also," he added.

Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement - Friends can be changed, but not neighbours, the Conference (NC) leader said that arrogance and stubbornness would not let any of the nations progress and develop.

"The stubbornness, exhibited by both the nations, will not lead us anywhere. Remember what Atal Bihari said, 'Friends can be changed, but not neighbours. One can move forward while maintaining friendship or can regress by becoming enemies,'" he said.

Expressing concern over the ongoing tension in the Valley, Abdullah appealed to the Government to bring the disturbing elements light and punish them.

"If the youth of tomorrow are targetted today, how will they run the nation? I would like to urge the Government to expose the perpetrators," he said.

"We are being sandwiched. People die every day. The situation is worse in the Valley," he added.

Jammu and Kashmir is embroiled in violent chaos since July last year, when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by the security forces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India will host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017, the world's largest conference on cyber space here on November 23 - 24 and the conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The GCCS is taking place outside Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations for the first time.

The theme for the GCCS 2017 is 'Cyber4All: An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace'.

"India will be hosting the 5th GCCS in 2017, one of the world's largest conferences on Cyber Space and related issues" announced Union Minister of Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad in the presence of Union Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Justice P.P. Chaudhary, after chairing a high-Level organizing committee meeting today.

Prasad said, "We feel proud to host the 5th of edition of the prestigious Global Conference on Cyber Space in 2017. The theme of this conference in a way reflects the changing architecture of India in the digital space. Among the multiple transformative programmes under Digital India, the biggest thing that India brings about to the table is Digital Inclusion that makes it sustainable and developmental; which has been given utmost importance under the theme Cyber4All."

The GCCS is a prestigious international conference that aims at encouraging dialogue among stakeholders of cyberspace, which has been taking place since 2011.

Incepted in 2011 in London, the GCCS witnessed a participation of 700 global delegates. It helped in setting up rules and guidelines for the editions to follow. The second conference was held in 2012 in Budapest with focus on relationship between internet rights and internet security and was attended by 700 delegates from nearly 60 countries.

The third edition of GCCS was held in 2013 in Seoul with participation from 1600 delegates. The conference built on the themes such as economic growth and development, social and cultural benefits, a safe and secure cyberspace, cybercrime and international security.

The cyber security will be one of the major focus areas in GCCS 2017 especially as the central government is in the process of setting up separate sector specific emergency response centres to ensure cyber security and strengthen technology infrastructure.

The conference will be an ideal forum for the exchange of ideas with global think thanks and promote closer co-operation among the international community.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court on Friday will continue hearing arguments on the bail plea of the accused in the Indian Army transfer posting racket case, in which officers allegedly paid lakh of rupees to manipulate their postings.

Delhi's Patiala House Court on July 13 extended the judicial custody of Lieutenant Colonel Ranganathan Suvramani Moni and middleman Gaurav Kohli till July 22 and arguments on bail till July 21 in connection with the case

Earlier this month, the court had extended the judicial custody till July 13. Also on June 9, the court dismissed Kohli's bail plea.

The court had earlier sent the officer and Kohli to a 12-day judicial custody to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in this matter.

The officer and the middleman were arrested by the CBI and Rs. 2 lakh were also recovered from the Lt. Colonel's residence. Both the accused were produced in a special CBI Court in Delhi.

An FIR was registered under the Sections 7, 8, 12, 13 (2) r/w 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988 and Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The officers have been charged with criminal conspiracy, demand and acceptance of illegal gratification and using influence over public servants.

It is being alleged that Ranganathan entered into a criminal conspiracy with Kohli, Purshottam and others for ensuring transfer/posting of different officers posted in different field formations to their place of choice in lieu of payment of huge illegal gratification.

Purshottam allegedly contacted Army officers, who were either posted in different field formations or facing imminent transfer and desirous of getting a posting at different locations, and then contacted Gaurav Kohli, who had a close acquaintance with many officers posted in the Personnel Division of Army Headquarters, for pursuing the transfer of these officials in lieu of huge illegal gratification to senior officers posted at the Army headquarters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court on Friday recused from hearing a plea by Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) to set aside judicial tribunal decision to ban the organisation under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The hearing will now continue before a different bench of the High Court on July 27.

Acting chief justice Gita Mittal questioned whether the High Court has jurisdiction to hear the case or whether the appeal should have gone directly to the Supreme Court.

"We are an above board organisation. The work will be affected if the ban is allowed to continue. Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had gone to the Supreme Court to challenge the ban, but they continued their work because they were anyway working against the law. We are not like that," the lawyer for the IRF told the court.

The organisation said that actions done by individuals named in the FIRs -- Zakir Naik and Arshi Qureshi -- cannot reflect on the organisation and will affect the charitable and educational work being done by the IRF.

The IRF has also argued that the FIRs were based on speeches allegedly made by Zakir Naik years before the charges were raised. Naik had condemned the actions of terrorist organisations and said that the ISIS is un-Islamic.

It also said that the Economic Offences wing did not find any irregularities in the IRF accounts.

On November 17, 2016, the Union Home Ministry imposed an immediate ban on the organisation under UAPA, following which the Delhi High Court on March 20 dismissed IRF's plea on the ban.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Condemning former chief minister Farooq Abdullah's statement that a third party can be approached to resolve the Kashmir issue, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Friday questioned his two-faced approach on the issue.

"I condemn his statement. He is talking about China. I want to tell him when he was the Chief Minister, he talked of attacking Pakistan. Why this two-faced approach? When he was in the government, he said something else and now something else," Singh told ANI.

"He should apologise for such a statement. He is trying to demoralise the security forces by making such statements. Farooq Abdullah wants to demean India in front of Pakistan," he added.

Earlier in the day, Abdullah said that India should approach third parties, such as the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

Adbullah said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. U.S. President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.

However, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi refuted Abdullah's assertion and said, "I have been asserting for long that it's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies at the Centre that have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir. And the point that is being mentioned that a third party's intervention should be invited for the settlement of the issue, it's wrong. India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India."

"It's our internal matter and no other country should have any say in it," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu And Kashmir Nirmal Singh on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed various issues including cross border shelling and internal security in the state.

In the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister also apprised the Prime Minister about the steps being taken by the state government for sustainment of peace in the Valley.

Issues pertaining to refugees and conduct of annual Amarnath Yatra also came under discussion.

The Deputy Chief Minister also sought a special recruitment drive for central security forces in the hilly and border areas of the state.

Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.

However, the reason of the meeting is not known as yet, but it is believed that the Governor apprised the Home Minister about the security scenario of ongoing Amarnath Yatra, which recently came under terrorist attack.

Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is ex-officio Chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

Earlier this week, Vohra had also met state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to discuss law and order and security situation in the Kashmir Valley.

Mufti and Governor Vohra had wide ranging discussions, which particularly focused on the maintenance of law and order, internal security, pace of tourist arrivals in the valley.

They also discussed progress of the Amarnath Yatra, timely implementation of important schemes and projects, functioning of the universities, need for critical watch on the emergence of new educational institutions and the steps required to be taken to protect the interests of school, college and university students.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Due to the possible Palestinian unrest on Friday, the Israeli Army has formed additional battalions to beef up security on the Temple Mount and West Bank.

On Fridays, thousands of Israeli and Palestinian Arabs usually gather the Temple Mount to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Israeli authorities expect that many of them will refuse to go through the detectors and start clashing with police.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press service said that Israeli military expects Friday will become a culmination day for protests of local Palestinian communities against metal detectors installed at the entrances to the Temple Mount, which is the third holiest site in Islam, reports Sputnik.

"Following the assessment of the situation carried out by the General Staff today, a decision was taken to use five battalions as an emergency reserve on the eve of Friday," the press service said.

The reserve battalions have been in a state of standby, however, the decision to actually deploy them may be changed after the situation is measured again.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Indian ambassador to China Ashok K. Kantha on Friday stressed upon the dire need of initiating meaningful dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing to combat differences between the two nations.

Kantha told ANI, that apart from dialogue, de-escalation of the incumbent situation is the need of the hour while adding that heated rhetoric from Beijing should also be avoided.

"What needs to be done is fast de-escalation of the situation. China should avoid heated rhetoric which has been emanating from Beijing both in terms of official announcements and what is coming out in official media that is not helpful at all, it's also very important that any kind of escalation on the ground should be avoided, that's fast requisite," said Kantha.

"Second requirement is to enter into meaningful dialogue to resolve this issue this involves China trying to change the status quo which has implications not only for Bhutan but also for India. Clearly there are differences between India and China, and between Bhutan and China on the location of the tri-junction point involving three countries and these differences can only be resolved through dialogue," he added.

Kantha highlighted that Bhutan has expressed the hope that China will restore status quo as before 16th March 2017.

"We hope that China will pay heed to this very sensible advice coming from tempo rather than demanding that India withdraw personnel before they even start talking to India I think that's a very unreasonable position to take," he said.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesterday reiterated that differences between India and China should not be allowed to become disputes and added that communication the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed Member of Parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India on the Dokhlam plateau stand-off.

Sushma said if Beijing unilaterally tries to change the status quo at the tri-junction, then it will pose a threat to New Delhi's security.

"India wants that troops are removed from the tri-junction point to discuss the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan, are with us," Sushma said in the Rajya Sabha.

India and China have been witness to the standoff for long over the tri-junction area of Doklam sector near Bhutan.

The stand-off emerged after the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) construction party attempted to build a road near the Doklam area.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
July 18, 2017

TEHRAN, Iran  A central part of President Hassan Rouhanis campaign for re-election ahead of Irans May 19 balloting focused on addressing the demands of female voters. Emphasizing womens rights more than any other candidate, the moderate Rouhani promised Iranian women equal employment opportunities and access to better services if elected to a second term. Now, women expecting the president to fulfill his promises have launched various campaigns to demand that he appoint women as ministers in his second-term Cabinet.

Using a Persian hashtag that translates as #NoToTheModeratesMaleCabinet, womens rights activists have turned to Twitter and other social media networks to push for a more active role for women in managing the country. These efforts are nothing new; many first used the hashtag during a Cabinet reshuffle in October to push Rouhani to introduce female nominees for three ministerial posts he was seeking to change  the ministers of youth affairs and sports, of education and of culture and Islamic guidance.

In September 2009, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi health and medical education minister in his second Cabinet, making her the first woman to serve as a minister during the Islamic Republic. Ahmadinejad was much more conservative than Rouhani, who failed to introduce a single female nominee for his first Cabinet but did, however, break a few taboos in regard to women. For instance, he appointed Irans first female Foreign Ministry spokesman in 2013. She later went on to serve as the country's first female ambassador since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A group of female activists who demanded on May 21 that Rouhani give women a more prominent role said that although they have and will continue to support him, their support is not one-sided and not without demanding womens rights. Shahindokht Molaverdi, Rouhanis vice president for womens and family affairs, is one of the main figures in the administration who has pursued a more prominent role for women.

During the past four years, Molaverdi has come under repeated criticism by the hard-liners, who accuse her of being Westernized and supporting the adoption of Western culture in Iranian society. Regardless, Molaverdi has been one of the strongest female managers in the Islamic Republic's history, and despite facing more criticism than other women in similar positions, she has persevered and is viewed by womens rights activists as a successful manager.

On June 15, Molaverdi posted a picture on Twitter of a group of womens rights activists meeting with First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri and captioned it, Today, women are looking forward to the belief and trust in their qualifications and competencies. The day before, Jahangiri had tweeted, The need for womens active participation in different fields of management has been accepted today, and the 12th [incumbent] administration will use more of their potential.

Such attempts at persuasion are not limited to women serving in the executive branch. Female parliamentarians such as Parvaneh Mafi, a Reformist legislator from Tehran, have campaigned to strengthen the presence of women in managerial posts. In a June 25 interview with Khabar Online, Mafi said, It is true that for various reasons, such as the workload or womens lack of experience and the like, some do not agree with having women in ministries. However, we have many capable women who can serve in different managerial positions. What is important is that their presence not be limited to just the administration. This trend should be continuous and we will strive to consolidate and establish a female presence in middle management as well.

Have the efforts of womens rights activists been effective so far? Sina Ghanbarpoor, a veteran journalist and womens rights activist, tweeted July 3, Last year, with our efforts in #NoToTheModerateMaleCabinet, Mrs. [Zahra] Ahmadipour and Mrs. [Ashraf] Boroujerdi were appointed as the heads of Irans Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization and the National Library [respectively].

Following Rouhanis re-election, a group of activists posted a series of tweets introducing women they deemed qualified to serve in various managerial posts. These efforts were initially limited to a few names, but later grew into longer lists, which were then more broadly circulated on social media, containing the names of dozens of women who could serve in ministries, state organizations and other government institutions.

In a campaign documentary, Rouhani placed special emphasis on womens role in society. In one segment, he rhetorically asked, Is it possible to deprive half of a population from being active in society? Is it possible to manage a country with only half of the society?

Fahimeh Hassanmiri, a womens rights activist and a journalist covering social affairs, told Al-Monitor, Rouhani, more than his rivals, emphasized the importance of the role of women during the elections. This has raised expectations of him. It should be noted that instead of the focus being solely on introducing female ministers, a more comprehensive vision regarding womens role in different managerial positions needs to be pursued." She said the country needs a well-managed structure seeking greater women's participation and following up on it.

In broad terms, the view that women should have an active presence in society and management has become increasingly positive among the Iranian public. There are still some, however, who are not very much in favor of this trend. On July 8, Khabar Online invited readers to express their views on whether women should head one or several ministries, in the comments section of an online post. Although most respondents supported the proposition, it was far from overwhelming.
Most of us look forward to being a grown-up. As we mature, we realize how much we dont know.

Members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, otherwise known as OLLI, share a few important life lessons theyve learned as they have grown older. OLLI is an adult learning membership program for men and women 50 and older.

1. Learning never stops.

Learning doesn't stop, no matter how many degrees you have. It's a life-long process. Embrace learning to broaden your horizons.

Dorothy Anderson, 77, said she is a perennial student. In her early 20s and as a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she looked forward to being a real adult and hoped for an interesting life.

I was always taking graduate courses at UNL while working  just for fun, she said.

Today, Anderson is an active member and volunteer for OLLI at UNL.

She joined OLLI immediately after retiring in April of 2007. She has taken so many OLLI courses, trips, seminars and has attended so many special events that its hard for her to remember just how many courses she has taken. She is absolutely certain of one thing: My first impression was that I loved it. Such quality.

The things I would say about living a happy and successful life that I didnt know when I was 20 is that one must be willing to adapt to change, value good long-term relationships with family and friends, the importance of living a physically healthy lifestyle and one must keep learning, Anderson said.

2. Brain health is important.

Just as your body needs TLC, so does your brain. So dont ignore it.

Susan Major, 67, first participated in an OLLI class that was a team-taught course on the brain. It brought together experts from many fields. She was very impressed both with the quality of the lectures and the insightful contributions from participants.

My chosen field of study, linguistics, has made it clear to me just how important an active, inquiring brain is to the goal of aging well," Major said. "Also, I know that keeping the brain 'fit' is great fun and bestows its own reward on those who continue to learn.

3. Be open to change.

If there is one thing we can be certain of, it is that change is inevitable. We will transition from one stage of our lives to another. Each change represents a move to a different purpose.

Marvin Almy, 72, has been an OLLI member since 2008 and has also served as part of OLLIs volunteer leadership on the Advisory Council, as well as on several committees. The first OLLI class he took was titled "Great Decisions, a DVD course tackling a different global challenges facing America.

I was impressed with the topics presented and the intelligent participation by the other OLLI members in the class, Almy said. Little did I know at the time that after presenting the class for two years, the instructor would prevail on me to continue facilitating the class and I have done so now for several years.

As he passes through the various stages of his life, he recognizes how his perspective has changed.

Things that I might have considered important in previous stages of life aren't so important now," Almy said. "Things that I would never have thought I'd be involved with or enjoy now, can be very pleasant and satisfying. It's nice to learn how life has a way of shaping you to adjust to your current situation.

4. Make the most of today.

Today is an opportunity to do something more and youll never get it again. So don't waste it.

At age 72, I have been blessed with family and experiences that have led me most of my adult life to say: I got another day, how can I make the most of it? Dennis Berens said. OLLI is a great contributor to my continued education and life experiences. Best of all, the sessions that I have attended have been presented by people who care about their audiences, about our community, our state and nation. Many of my fellow attendees have become friends and also have added to my education and daily fulfillment.

5. Open yourself to new experiences.

Some of us may spend a lot of time daydreaming about things we wish we had done or were doing in life. The bottom line is simple: If we are afraid to try new things, we may never discover something we love doing.

I wouldn't say I always wanted to act, sing and dance, but an encounter with another OLLI member at least put the idea in place, Carla Fetch, 68, said.

At the time she began participating in OLLI, the OLLI/LCP Radio Active Players performance group were going to do a USO show.

As a personal tribute to my dad, I decided to audition," Fetch said. "I was scared to death. I practiced an audition piece and sang a solo on the stage of the Lincoln Community Playhouse. I was terrified. I showed up, sang and I DID it! Wonders of wonders, I was selected for the cast. Now, I am hooked. This had been a real growing experience, she said. You really don't know until you try. So just go for it.

For more information about the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, go to olli.unl.edu, or call 402-472-6265 about membership and a catalog.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have expressed hope for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's disqualification following the reservation of Panamagate verdict by the country's Supreme Court.

Speaking to media after the apex court reserved its decision in the Panama Papers case, PTI Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said that Sharif will be disqualified and sent to jail in the Panama case verdict.

"Nawaz Sharif has lied to the nation, assembly, and court," Geo News quoted Chaudhry as saying.

Expressing similar sentiments, PTI leader Asad Umar said for the first time in the history of the country an an elected individual is being held accountable.

Meanwhile, Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rashid Ahmad also hoped that Sharif be disqualified.

He said his party has requested the apex court to hear a contempt of court case against Sharif.

The Supreme Court concluded the entire hearings and reserved the judgment in the Panamagate case in which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family are accused of amassing offshore assets.

The date of the judgment is yet to be announced and if convicted, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif can face disqualification from politics.

The JIT which was investigating allegations of money laundering against the Sharif family, submitted its report to the SC on July 10 and accused them of concealing the information from tax authorities that involves four apartments in Park Lane area of London.

The court also opened Volume X of the joint investigation team's (JIT) report, marked as "confidential". Volume X of the report, titled "Mutual Legal Assistance Requests - Ongoing", is related to JIT's international correspondence and the documents obtained from foreign countries during the investigation.

The Panamagate case is being heard by a three-member bench of the SC, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

The Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had called the investigators' request to withhold Volume X "mala fide". The judges had also expressed an inclination to make Volume X public.

"The volume contains details of the JIT's correspondence and will help clear a number of things," Justice Azmat Saeed told Harris, adding that the chapter was being opened on the lawyer's request, the Dawn reported.

Lawyer of Sharif's children Salman Akram Raja sought to appease the judges' objections to the documents that he had submitted a day earlier.

The bench had questioned the authenticity of the documents submitted by the lawyer on behalf of his clients, pointing out that the trust deed - executed between Maryam Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz in February 2006 was signed on Saturday in a country where it was not possible to seek official appointments on a holiday.

"Plenty of barristers and solicitors work on Saturdays and even Sundays in London," the lawyer told the court. Justice Ijazul Ahsan replied that, on the contrary, Hussain Nawaz had said that making such appointments on Saturdays was not possible.

The counsel reiterated before the bench that Maryam Nawaz, the PM's daughter, was not the owner of the Avenfield flats in London. "The [JIT's] report shows that Maryam Nawaz is the beneficial owner of the flats," noted Justice Ejaz Afzal.

This was the fifth consecutive hearing of the bench from July 17, when it began hearing responses of the petitioners and respondents on the JIT's final probe report into the Sharif family's businesses.

During the hearing, Raja also submitted a 17-page petition listing objections on the JIT report, pleading for dismissal of the report and its 'evidence'.

Justice Ejaz observed that producing the Qatari prince before the JIT was Hussain's responsibility as the sheikh was his star witness.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) has declined to assist the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in probing alleged offences committed by the two offshore companies - Nescoll Limited and Nielson Enterprises - that control Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif family's four upscale London apartments.

The response from Sarah Potter Washington, Crown Counsel for the BVI Attorney General, came in response to a mutual legal assistance (MLA) request from JIT head Wajid Zia. The request sought assistance in the confirmation, verification and certification of certain documents, reports the Dawn.

The communication from the BVI Attorney General's Chambers is the second response to the JIT's three earlier requests.

In addition to the BVI correspondence, another letter from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani was also brought before the three-judge Supreme Court bench in sealed envelopes and was opened in the presence of both parties' counsel.

These documents were addressed to the JIT, but since the probe team has wrapped up its secretariat inside the Federal Judicial Academy, the letters were forwarded to the Supreme Court registrar.

In the first letter, the BVI law officer said that though the JIT had sought MLA assistance, it did not conform to the laws of the territory.

Explaining further, the latter said that the JIT's summary of facts did not provide any background information, which showed a nexus between these companies and any alleged offence.

The request also did not indicate clearly whether criminal investigations were ongoing or if any proceedings had commenced with respect to the companies and the beneficial owners of these companies, said the letter.

Consequently, the BVI law officer said it was unable to render any assistance in response to the JIT's request, but suggested that after these anomalies were rectified, a fresh request may be submitted for further consideration.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Toronto Film Festival is all set to honour Priyanka Chopra a day before it kicks off in September.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 35-year-old 'Desi' girl will be the guest of honour at the fundraiser event on September 6.

The funds raised from the TIFF gala will help fund talent development programs at the Canadian festival to get more women behind and in front of the camera.

For its 42nd edition, the stylish event at Bell Lightbox will feature Chopra in conversation with festival artistic director Cameron Bailey.

Toronto will also be honouring the 'Mary Kom' star for her activism of devoting time to UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador and the Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education.

The 'Quantico' star recently made her Hollywood debut with 'Baywatch,' after bringing her Bollywood flicks like 'Mary Kom' in 2014 and 'What's Your Raashee?' in 2009 to the Toronto festival.

The main event is set to run from September 7.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre while digging out issues including Rohith Vemula suicide case, Dadri lynching case and demonetisation drive.

Raising the Rohith Vemula suicide case, the Congress vice president said that he didn't commit suicide and was murdered for being a Dalit.

"I don't call it suicide; I call it murder. Rohit (Vemula) was crushed and murdered by the indignities he suffered," said Gandhi while speaking at DR. B.R. Ambedkar International Conference.

He further added that Vemula was killed only because he was a Dalit.

Rohith Vemula, a PhD student at the University of Hyderabad, had allegedly committed suicide last year sparking a nationwide outrage.

Vemula's suicide gained widespread media attention as an alleged case of discrimination against Dalits.

Rahul also alleged that most of the institutions in the country have been captured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the bureaucrats and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"What is happening today is the systematic capture of India's democratic institutions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bureaucrats and the RSS," he said.

"The emperor is completely naked but nobody around him has the courage to tell him," he added.

Further targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union Government, the Congress leader also trained his guns at cow vigilantism by raising the Dadri lynching case.

"Mohammad Akhlaq was butchered because they say he stole a calf. It was a lie. Instead of questioning his (Akhlaq) brutal killing they asked whether the meat in the fridge was mutton or beef," he added.

Last year, a mob of villagers attacked a 52-year-old man named Muslim man Mohammed Akhlaq, who they suspected of stealing and slaughtering a stolen cow calf, in Bisara village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.

Akhlaq died in the attack, and his son, Danish, was seriously injured.

Gandhi also took a dig at the Centre over its demonetisation drive which was introduced on 8 November last year.

"Publicly they called it a stroke of genius and privately they called it insanity," he said.

The Central Government announced the demonetisation of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 currency notes claiming it would help curtail the flow of black money and crackdown on the use of illicit and counterfeit cash to fund illegal activity and terrorism.

The Congress vice-president arrived in Bengaluru on Friday for the inauguration the three-day B.R. Ambedkar international conference on social justice.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the probe into Russia taking a lukewarm pace, investigators are turning their gaze on Facebook, with the belief that the social media giant holds the answers on whether President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who met with Facebook officials in California more than a month ago as part of his committee's investigation into potential collusion, is convinced the company can explain whether anyone from the Trump campaign helped Russians boost fake news articles targeting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

"If the Russians know, how are the Russians smart enough to target in areas where the Democrats weren't knowledgeable enough? I don't feel like I have run that to ground yet," Warner told CNN.

"There are two questions. One is: Was there coordination or collusion between the campaigns and these technology tools, which overwhelmed the search engine tools so that certain stories popped up at the top of your newsfeed. The second is, on a broader basis going forward: How do we prevent this from happening again?" Warner added.

Trump's digital staff strongly believes that the only way for them to have their names cleared, is for Facebook to testify.

But this might not be so easy, as Facebook has previously fended off

"We've been in touch with a number of government officials, including Sen. Warner, who are looking into the 2016 US Presidential election. We will continue to cooperate with officials as their investigations continue. As we have said, we have seen no evidence that Russian actors bought ads on Facebook in connection with the election," a Facebook spokesman told CNN.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela on Friday resigned from the grand old party while asserting that he would not join any other political party.

"I am freeing myself of the Congress and every other party. I am not going to join any political party. I will quit as Leader of Opposition today. I will quit as MLA in the next sitting," he told supporters at his 77th birthday celebrations in Gandhinagar.

Vaghela further said that he would not break the trust of Congress president Sonia Gandhi by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Few days back I met Sonia ji in person. I told her that I will not break her trust by joining BJP," he added.

He further said that he was expelled from the Congress on Thursday.

"Congress Party sacked me 24 hours ago as they did not know what I was going to say at this rally; when one's destruction time is soon to arrive, one begins to think negatively," he added.

Vaghela's resignation comes in the backdrop of cross-voting in BJP-majority Gujarat Assembly during the Presidential elections.

The former Gujarat chief minister had had in June lashed out at the Congress Party for lack of preparedness to fight the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections.

"In 2004, when I was made a minister in the UPA government, Sonia Gandhi said she trusted me despite my RSS-BJP links. In return, I promised her loyalty. However, when we met in Delhi recently, I told her my commitment was over," Vaghela had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Friday met Rohaan, the four-month-old toddler from Pakistan who underwent heart surgery at Jaypee Hospital in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Expressing her happiness over the successful heart surgery, Sushma Swaraj took to twitter saying- "Rohaan - We wish you good health and long life".

Rohaan - We wish you good health and long life pic.twitter.com/Q8P0quRICV  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 21, 2017

Meanwhile, Sushma Swaraj also posted another tweet- "Rohaan - Keep smiling".

Rohaan, was brought to India for medical treatment, backed by Sushma Swaraj. His father, Kanwal Sadiq, who was elated at the outcome of the surgery, took the opportunity to thank Swaraj for lending a helping hand to the family for obtaining their visa to fly to India.

"India was like home. I want to share my joy with entire world. She (EAM Swaraj) is fantastic. Hope others awaiting their turn are helped too," Kanwal told ANI.

The doctor, who performed the surgery, said, the child was perceived like any other patient, with no heed given to his nationality.

"He was critical and had multiple VSDs. We were worried before the operation. It was only after a month that we discharged him. He is doing well. His parents had placed their trust in us," he said.

After preliminary investigation in Pakistan, it was discovered that there is a hole in Rohaan's heart along with the problem with the heart's nerves. The treatment for such a major disease could not be done in Pakistan or other small hospital without inadequate facility or infrastructure. Therefore, the family was referred to Jaypee Hospital.

Owing to this, Rohaan's father approached Sushma Swaraj and made a plea for a medical visa. Upon receiving the request, she immediately directed the authorities to grant a medical visa to Rohaan's family, who arrived with him via the Wagah Border.

To this, the Indian minister swung into action and replied with a tweet, "No. The child will not suffer. Pls contact Indian High Commission in Pakistan. We will give the medical visa."

Rohaan and his parents arrived in India on June 13, following which he was taken to Jaypee Hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
U.S. President Donald Trump has been challenged by a top Republican senator to make "a moral decision" on the fate of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.

Speaking at the unveiling of a new iteration of legislation known as the 'Dream Act', South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham warned the president and his Republican colleagues that "the moment of reckoning is coming."

Graham was joined by Illinois senator Dick Durbin, who first introduced legislation of the same name 16 years ago. Their proposal will give legal status to citizenship to those immigrants who were longtime residents of the US.

But the White House has flatly ruled out the President supporting such a measure, reports the Guardian.

"The administration has opposed the Dream Act and we are likely to be consistent in that," said Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director, in an off-camera briefing with reporters on Wednesday.

Graham took on the President directly and call on him to take a concrete step.

"President Trump, you're going to have to make a decision. The campaign is over. The question for the Republican Party is, what do we tell people? How do we treat them?" Here's my answer: we treat them fairly. We do not pull the rug out from under them," Graham said.

The 2017 Dream Act roots for the undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.

In order to qualify for legal status the immigrants must pursue higher education, work lawfully for at least three years, or serve in the military and must also undergo a background check, show proficiency in English, and pay a fee.

Those convicted of a felony or other serious crimes would be ineligible.

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Scientists across the globe are discovering novel ways to alter DNA so as to genetically engineer new forms of life. The Craig Venter Institute based in USA developed the first fully-synthetic life form in May 2010 (called 'Synthia') where the parents are a computer, literally!!

Synthetic Biology is bringing together disparate disciplines like engineering, computer science, biotechnology and molecular biology to revolutionise the way we live. But how can India be a part of this revolution?

The TransDisciplinary University (TDU), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), has kick-started a series of science-policy-practice dialogues at its campus in Bengaluru, bringing together and international experts. The outcomes of this series will directly feed into India's priority setting in Synthetic Biology and related policies as well as inform global negotiations under the CBD.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Balakrishna Pisupati, Vice-chancellor, TDU, said, "In less than a decade, Synthetic Biology has managed to garner the attention of top technologists, researchers and policy makers worldwide. Countries like Australia and regional groups such as the European Union have developed policy details and foresight analysis of this technology, but India is yet to come to terms with this new reality. The delayed start may cost us dearly if negotiations under the United Nations turn Synthetic Biology into a rigid policy space. Our aim is to make India a part of the global decision-making process, where TDU will play an active role through its Law and Policy Programme."

The first session on 'Synthetic Biology: Policy and Implementation Issues' held today witnessed eminent speakers, such as Dr. Ileana Lopez, United Nations Environment, Nairobi, Dr. Manoela Miranda, Secretariat to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Montreal, Dr. Sangita Kasture, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi, Dr. Ramaswamy S, Instem, Bengaluru, and Dr. Ezhil Subbaian, String Bio Private Limited, Bengaluru.

Addressing the inaugural session, Dr. Ileana Lopez, United Nations Environment, Nairobi, hailed the prospects of engineered organisms that are designed and built in labs to produce drugs, fuels and food. "The need of the hour is to make multilateral decisions on how to deal with synthetic biology and the organisms developed through the technology. Nations need to come together and discuss its scope, and relevance as well as implications for the environment and ethical issues. This initiative by TDU is a significant step in making India a part of the global picture," she said.

Elaborating on CBD's role, Dr. Manoela Miranda, further added, "As an international environmental agreement, the CBD's main objectives include conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of biodiversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources of biodiversity. Discussions under the CBD need to ensure that decisions related to synthetic biology are in line with the mandate of the Convention and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety."

Dr. Sangita Kasture, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi, emphasized the need for a diverse ecosystem that provides fertile ground for innovation. "It is time for policy makers, the biotechnology industry and scientists in India to be a part of this international revolution. The outcomes of this series of seminars will help assist in framing the policy on Synthetic Biology," she maintained.

The Government of Karnataka is developing a Vision document on BioEconomy that includes focus on Synthetic Biology. However, there are still questions on the social and economic implications as well as the role of liability and safety that need to be addressed. Unlike the debate on genetically modified (GM) crops, Synthetic Biology is still in its nascent stage, calling for further exchange of ideas and deliberation to better understand its ramifications.

TDU's next seminar on 'Synthetic biology organisms are living modified organisms - Are there any exceptions?' is scheduled for 4th August 2017, followed by a session on 'Dealing with synthetic biology organisms - Tools for assessment and risk management' on 18th August 2017, and the final seminar on 'Making recommendations for CBD Scientific Body on synthetic biology and conservation, sustainable management of environment' on 8th September 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An effort to bring Nebraska's landline-era 911 system into the smartphone age is trudging forward, but it's unclear how soon emergency dispatchers will be able to harness technologies such as live-streaming video or iPhone photos of crime scenes.

If anything, a hearing Thursday at the state Capitol showed just how far there is to go.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission and a public safety consulting firm, Mission Critical Partners, have studied the transition to Next-Generation 911 since at least 2013 and were tasked by lawmakers last year with crafting a plan for its implementation.

That report is due back to the Legislature by Dec. 1, but in a 100-page draft released ahead of Thursday's hearing, the consultants and the commission still hadn't settled on a path forward.

Instead, the draft plan offers three options for the new system, ranging from a site-by-site revamp of the state's existing 911 centers to an overhaul that would combine all 70 centers  called public-safety answering points, or PSAPs  into six or 10 regional locations.

A decision there, whenever it comes, could rile up communities who fear losing their locally run 911 centers or, alternatively, frustrate Next-Generation 911 backers who view the transition as a prime chance to consolidate services and save costs.

"Deployment will be a complicated and evolving process," said Eric Caddey, a senior project manager at Mission Critical Partners, during Thursday's hearing.

Another lingering question is how much the upgrade will cost. Rough estimates in the report range from $6.3 million per year to $8.2 million, depending on which model is chosen, but several people predicted the price tag would be much higher.

County 911 officials who testified Thursday fear much of the costs might fall to local taxpayers, or worse  that consolidation could hinder emergency services.

"Sometimes we dont ask ourselves the simple question of: Are we getting better to get worse? said Columbus Police Capt. Todd Thalken, who manages 911 in Platte County.

While most local 911 officials said good things about the plan, nearly all raised concerns about whether a new way of distributing surcharges from people's phone bills to local PSAPs would be fair and properly account for the costs associated with the upgrades.

David Sleeter, 911 director in Douglas County, said Next-Generation 911 will require dispatchers to decipher things such as text messages and videos, instead of just a caller's voice.

"I think people are not realizing the need for the training thats going to be involved, and the additional staffing."

None of those specifics can be sorted out until the Public Service Commission decides how it wants the new system to look, said Loel Brooks, a wireless industry representative who chided Mission Critical and the commission for not crafting a more specific vision or timeline.

"This is not a plan. This is a consolidation of observations," Brooks said.

For example, state law requires the commission to recommend a specific number of 911 centers that should be retained, but the draft says Mission Critical continues to support "organic regionalization."

"It means that were just going to design the system and let what happens happen," Brooks said.

The report was crafted with input from law enforcement and rescue workers, the telecommunications industry, and state and local governments.

David Sankey, the commission's 911 director, said his staff is still working with Mission Critical Partners, and the final draft of their plan will reflect input from Thursday's hearing, written comments and a second public hearing the commission will host sometime in September.

In the meantime, eight 911 centers in Nebraska have added text-to-911 capability, considered an interim step that relies on different technology than Next-Generation 911. In those communities, people can request emergency help via text message or by phone call.

While Lancaster County hasn't implemented text-to-911, its PSAP is one of 23 across Nebraska that are in the process, said Public Service Commission spokeswoman Deb Collins.
The Uttar Pradesh Government on Friday transferred three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Nitin Tiwari has been removed from Mathura and made Superintendent of Police (SP) Railway in Agra.

Swapnil Mamgan is appointed as the new Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Mathura.

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed as the new Inspector General (I.G.) of Police in Aligarh and will take over charge after RP Yadav retires on July 31.

Recently, Yogi Adityanath led UP governemnt has tranferred many officials.

On July 14, Additional director general (law and order) Aditya Mishra was replaced two months after his appointment for the top job. He was replaced by Anand Kumar, in one of several transfers since the Adityanath government took over.

Also, on June 1 the UP government transferred 20 more Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers.

Prashant Trivedi become the new Secretary (Medical and Health), while Anuj Jha has been appointed as the new information director. Principal Secretary S.P Goyal has been given additional charge of resident commissioner for the state in New Delhi.

The state government appointed Nivedita Shukla Verma as the Secretary (Food and Logistics). She was previously Director General of the State Administration and Management Academy in Lucknow.

Mahendra Prasad Agarwal has been appointed Secretary (Finance), while Deepak Aggarwal has been made Commissioner of Saharanpur.

The Uttar Pradesh Government earlier this month transferred 84 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers including 37 District Magistrates.

Nine Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officers also have been transferred in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier last month, among the 12 IPS officers transferred in Uttar Pradesh, state Director General of Police (DGP) Javeed Ahmed's name also surfaced. Ahmed has been replaced by Sulkhan Singh.

Other IPS officers being transferred include Surya Kumar, Jawahar Lal Tripathi, Alok Prasad, Aditya Mishra, Bhavesh Kumar Singh, Vijay Kumar, Daljeet Singh, Alok Singh, Sanjay Singhal and Navneet Sikera. Seven IAS officers have also been transferred.

On March 23, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid a surprise visit to Lucknow's Hazratganj police station to have an inspection of the place.

Following the inspection, Adityanath opined that the police should be people-friendly, thereby ensuring that appropriate action will be taken to maintain law and order in the state.

The Chief Minister also came up with the idea of 'anti-Romeo squads' to keep a check on eve-teasing.

Certain changes in the police administration are expected since the change of the government in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dr Reddy's Laboratories gained 0.4% to Rs 2,756 at 12:00 IST on BSE after the company said that the audit of its active pharmaceutical ingredient Cuernavaca Plant at Mexico, by the USFDA, has been completed with zero observations.

The announcement was made during market hours today, 21 July 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 49.74 points or 0.16% at 31,954.14.

On the BSE, 11,944 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 33,833 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 2,777 and a low of Rs 2,727 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 3,689 on 20 July 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 2,382.05 on 29 May 2017.

The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 20 July 2017, gaining 2.84% compared with Sensex's 1.94% rise. The scrip had, however, underperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 5.13% as against Sensex's 8.44% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market in past one year, declining 25.36% as against Sensex's 14.29% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 82.91 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

The company will announce Q1 results on 27 July 2017. Dr Reddy's Laboratories' consolidated net profit rose 175.4% to Rs 337.60 crore on 5.4% decline in net sales to Rs 3554.20 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories is an integrated global pharmaceutical company.

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Indian Bank was down 0.65% to Rs 328.30 at 12:49 IST on BSE amid intraday volatility after the state-run bank reported Q1 June 2017 results.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 64.12 points or 0.2% at 31,968.52.

On the BSE, 2.53 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 1.89 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock was volatile. The stock lost as much as 1.27% at the day's low of Rs 326.25 so far during the day. The stock rose as much as 2.66% at the day's high of Rs 339.25 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 364.80 on 16 May 2017 and a 52-week low of Rs 143.85 on 25 July 2016.

The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 20 July 2017, advancing 9.53% compared with the Sensex's 1.94% rise. The stock had also outperformed the market over the past one quarter, gaining 28.36% as against the Sensex's 8.44% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market over the past one year, surging 113.88% as against the Sensex's 14.29% rise.

The large-cap state-run bank has equity capital of Rs 480.29 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Indian Bank's net profit rose 21.16% to Rs 372.40 crore on 3.79% growth in total income to Rs 4788.04 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016. The result was announced during market hours today, 21 July 2017.

The bank's gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 9653.01 crore as on 30 June 2017 as against Rs 9865.13 crore as on 31 March 2017 and Rs 8894.23 crore as on 30 June 2016.

The ratio of gross NPAs to gross advances stood at 7.21% as on 30 June 2017 as against 7.47% as on 31 March 2017 and 6.97% as on 30 June 2016. The ratio of net NPAs to net advances stood at 4.05% as on 30 June 2017 as against 4.39% as on 31 March 2017 and 4.48% as on 30 June 2016.

The bank's provisions and contingencies surged 71.59% to Rs 715.55 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016.

Government of India held 82.11% stake in Indian Bank (as on 30 June 2017).

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
From CRISIL

Inox Wind announced that CRISIL has reviewed its ratings on bank facilities of the Company as under -

Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated-Rs.3938 crore

Long -Term Rating-CRISIL AA- (Placed on Rating Watch with Negative Implications)

Short-Term Rating-CRISIL A1+ (Placed on Rating Watch with Negative Implications)

The rating action follows the initiation of insolvency proceedings against the Company in National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Chandigarh Bench in the matter of Jeena & Co. V/s Inox Wind. The Company has filed an appeal against the orders of NCLT before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) and the next hearing is scheduled for disposal on 24 July, 2017. CRISIL will take a final rating view after considering the final order of NCLAT.

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South India Paper Mills was locked at 5% upper circuit at Rs 100.80 at 9:35 IST on BSE after the company said that a long term settlement has been reached between the management and the worker's union including wage settlement.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 20 July 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 108.22 points, or 0.34%, to 32,012.62. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 55.17 points, or 0.34%, to 16,055.05.

On the BSE, 2,502 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volume of 4,301 shares in the past one quarter. The stock was locked at a high of Rs 100.80 in intraday trade. The stock had hit a low of Rs 100 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 165.60 on 28 July 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 90.25 on 28 June 2017.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 20 July 2017, falling 4% compared with Sensex's 1.94% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market in past one quarter, dropping 19.16% as against Sensex's 8.44% rise. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market in past one year, declining 32.28% as against Sensex's 14.29% rise.

The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 15 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

South India Paper Mills' worker's union have agreed to call off the strike at the company's paper mill at Chikkayanachatra, Nanjangud, before the Labour Commissioner, Govt of Karnataka, Bangalore.

On 20 March 2017, the company had informed about the commencement of indefinite strike at the paper mill from 20 March 2017.

South India Paper Mills' net profit fell 57.6% to Rs 2.36 crore on 17% drop in net sales to Rs 43.69 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

South India Paper Mills is a paper manufacturing company.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in its meeting held on 28.06.2017 has given in-principle approval for considering strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries and constitution of Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism.

To implement the decision of CCEA, appointment of Transaction Adviser, Legal Adviser and Asset Valuer shall be taken up as per terms and conditions and scope of work of Advisers/ Valuer in accordance with the model RFPs suggested by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management.

The domestic market share of Air India for the FY 2016-17 is 14.2% and in the current FY the domestic Market Share of AI for the month of May 17 is 13.0%.

The total debt of Air India Ltd as on 31st March 2017 is Rs 48,876.81 crores (Prov). The Net Loss of Air India(AI) during the last three Financial Years as per audited accounts is as follows:

Year Net Loss (Rs crore) Financial Assistance Provided (Rs crore)2015-16 3836.77 60002014-15 5859.91 57802013-14 6279.60 3300

To implement the CCEA decision, an Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism has been constituted which will decide the course of further action.

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At least 28 Syrian government soldiers were killed in an ambush near the capital on Thursday, a war monitor group reported.

The rebels set up the ambush in the eastern Ghouta countryside while Syrian forces were attempting to attack rebel positions in the Rihan town south of Douma city, Xinhua news agency quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.

The Observatory said the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam, or Islam Army, carried out the ambush, which also left many officers and soldiers wounded.

--IANS

soni/dg

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After gaining notoriety for people not paying power bills and indulging in power theft, Haryana recently ran a campaign that led to the detection of over 30,000 power theft cases, an official said here on Friday.

"As a result of an intensive campaign launched by the power utilities in Haryana to keep a check on theft of power, 30,000 cases of power theft have been detected during the last three months in which a penalty of Rs 97 crore has been imposed," a spokesman of the power utilities said here.

He said that the utilities have achieved a "huge success by reducing the line losses by five per cent during last one year".

"As a result of this, the consumers paying bills regularly are getting the benefit in terms of concession in electricity bills," he added.

The spokesman said the campaign against power theft had proved successful "due to the active support of people, employees and officers of the utilities".

He said that officers of power utilities and vigilance department were conducing regular raids throughout Haryana and citizens also cooperated in eliminating the practice by giving information about cases of power theft.

--IANS

js/py/dg

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A total of 4,472 pilgrims from northeastern states are set to go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year, it was announced on Friday.

Hajj Committee chairman Nekibur Zaman said the first batch would leave Guwahati on July 24 for Medina. The pilgrimage would continue till July 31.

"Daily 600 pilgrims will travel to Medina from Guwahati in two batches. For the first time, the state government has appointed 21 'Khadem-Ul-Hojja' (officials) to take care of the pilgrims from the state," he said.

"They will be monitoring all the process and will provide all assistance," Zaman said.

A reception committee will organise special programmes to see off the pilgrims from Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Sikkim at Haji Mushafirkhana in Guwahati.

--IANS

ah/mr/py

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At least four persons, including three policemen, were killed and another was injured on Friday evening when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a police vehicle in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, police said.

Raja Umar Khattab, a senior police official of the counter-terrorism department, said the incident took place when a group of six gunmen riding on three motorcycles sprayed bullets at a police vehicle in Korangi area of the city.

A police officer, two constables, and a 12-year-old passerby were killed on the spot, while another passerby was wounded.

Police, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to the Jinnah Hospital.

The police mobile was on its routine surveillance mission when it came under attack, the officer said.

Seemi Jamali, a spokesperson for the hospital, said that all four victims received multiple bullet wounds, especially in their head and chest.

--IANS

ahm/bg

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LARAMIE, Wyo.  A Wyoming man accused of sexually abusing a Laramie teen has been sentence to prison time.

The Laramie Boomerang reports (http://bit.ly/2uNmBYl ) 51-year-old Kenneth Lovato will serve between 36-40 years in prison for two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. He pleaded guilty in a last-minute plea agreement before he stood trial.

District Court Judge Tori Kricken says the plea agreement was declined because of Lovato's history of sexual abuse of minors.

According to court documents, Lovato has two previous convictions for sexual abuse of a minor from California and New Mexico. He was arrested in July 2016 after police found evidence linking him to the sexual abuse of a Laramie minor.

___

Information from: Laramie Boomerang, http://www.laramieboomerang.com
A team of six Afghan girls has won the limelight in an international robotic competition held there for their "courageous achievement" after a bumpy US journey that almost crushed their dreams.

They were in Washington DC this week for the First Global Challenge event, a robotic contest that encourages youth to pursue careers in science, reports Xinhua news agency.

The three-day event, which kicked off over the weekend, attracted teenagers from over 150 countries, competing at DAR Constitution Hall for medals of a variety of categories.

The Afghan girls won a silver medal on Tuesday for what judges praised the group's "can-do attitude" as they overcame war, hardship and US bureaucracy on their way to the contest.

The six girls came from Herat province. In order to get permission to attend the event to be held abroad, they twice travelled about 800 km from their hometown across dangerous territories to the US embassy in Kabul, only to have their visa rejected.

"When I heard the embassy's decision, I got very disappointed and I could not believe it," 14-year-old team leader Fatemah Qaderyan told Xinhua.

"I worked very hard to learn about robotics and how to build them," said Qaderyan, who cried after learning the team's visa was turned down.

The second time didn't work either though the girls convinced their worried parents into allowing them to travel again to Kabul in the aftermath of a truck bombing in May that killed over 150 people.

The US authorities didn't disclose reasons for rejection, but the Afghan Ambassador to the US, Hamdullah Mohib, reportedly said the decisions were based on concerns that those girls, aged between 14 to 16 years old, would not return to their country after the contest.

Eventually, a global outcry promoted the US to have their visas approved and the girls arrived in DC at midnight on Saturday, only a day prior to the robot competition's opening.

In the competition, each team, provided with kits that included wheels, gears and video controllers, manoeuvre a robot to collect and sort orange and blue based on their colours.

Though the Afghan girls, selected from 150 teenager applicants based on maths and science exams scoring, did not make to the top ranks overall, they agreed their performance was better than what they had hoped for, given the limited robot-related resources accessible to their start-from-scratch training.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An internal committee of is preparing a list of former employees who are suspected of siphoning-off artwork, an official with the airline said on Friday.

According to the official, who did not wished to be named, the airline will "not take any action if its artworks are returned", however an internal committee has started to prepare a list of missing artwork and suspected former employees who might have them in their possession.

The airline had started to lend out artwork of its vast collection to top executives in the past with the rider that the same be returned back to the company up on retirement.



ALSO READ: Air India: Paintings worth Rs 750 cr stolen, now available in black market

"No one knows when did the practice of lending out artwork began, or who started it," the official said.

The development comes after an unknown person returned a painting by eminent artist Jatin Das which was a part of Air India's collection.

The painting was returned to the airline via a courier addressed to Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani around two weeks back.

ALSO READ: 2 kg morphine mixture drugs found in Air India food trolley

"We received a courier around two weeks back. It was addressed to the CMD. The package contained the missing painting by Jatin Das," the official said.

The airline has initiated an extensive investigation on the matter and suspected former officials of the airline have been questioned.

On July 6, said that it has initiated an inquiry to verify allegation about the theft of paintings from its vast collection.

The investigation was initiated after the eminent artist had written to Lohani to inform him about the missing painting which was available on the black market.

"Jatin Das has recently written a letter (June 24) to the CMD (Air India) asking for photographs and details of the paintings in our collection that were made by him," the airline had said in a statement on July 6.

(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.)
With the entire opposition absent from the proceedings of the budget session in Uttar Pradesh assembly for the second consecutive day, the budget worth several hundred crores of 76 departments was on Friday passed in mere 15 minutes.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) are keeping away from the proceedings after a vitriolic attack from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday.

Tearing into the opposition, he warned them not to preaching as if he opened his mouth, many opposition leaders would not have a place to hide. Taking umbrage to this, the opposition had announced boycott of the assembly proceedings.

The budget was passed without any supplementaries or any debate. Fourteen questions were put from the treasury benches and they were responded in 15 minutes and the budget passed.

A motion was moved in the House to congratulate election of Ram Nath Kovind as the 14th President of India.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna also rebutted charges by the opposition, given to the media, that the Chief Minister was unparliamentary in his language and had threatened the opposition benches.

The budget session was to conclude on July 28 but chances are high now that it might be curtailed to July 24.

The House was adjourned on Friday till Monday and it is expected that on this day the budget of remaining departments, including Home, will be presented and passed.

--IANS

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Veteran actor Anil Kapoor has urged his fans and followers to provide relief to the flood-stricked people of Assam.

Anil on Thursday took to Twitter to ask fans to donate for relief efforts in the state.

"Lakhs of families in Assam urgently need your support. Donate now to support -- Plan India Assam relief efforts," he wrote along with a link for the Assam flood campaign.

Plan India is an Indian NGO working to improve the lives of disadvantaged children, their families and communities.

The NGO will be focusing its humanitarian relief in Morigaon district, which is one of the worst affected areas in Assam. Their priority will be to provide Non-Food Items (NFI) including hygiene kits to the worst affected families and create Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) that support children with basic needs of safe drinking water, supplementary nutrition, hygiene, education and child protection.

It was reported that nearly 50,000 people from 2,498 villages have left their homes and taken shelter in temporary relief camps set up in schools, government buildings and on embankments in 16 of the worst-hit districts.

--IANS

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A biker was injured after he came into contact with Chinese 'manjha', the sharp-edged sythetic kite string, here on Friday evening, a police officer said.

Lokesh, 35, was injured while he was travelling through a flyover in Geeta Colony in east Delhi on Friday evening, the officer said.

"The biker was injured was injured on his face and neck and was shifted to a hospital. His condition is said to be out of danger," the officer told IANS.

Last week the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a ban on Chinese manjha used chiefly for flying kites.

--IANS

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The police gunner and servant of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator were arrested here on Friday after a domestic help accused the two of molestation and attempted rape, police said.

The incident took place in the house (C-47) of BJP legislator from Cantonment assembly constituency of Varanasi, Saurabh Srivastava, at Butler Palace, one of the most posh addresses of Lucknow.

Many senior ministers, lawmakers, IAS and IPS officials reside here in government accommodations.

A senior official said the police have arrested the accused and are probing the matter.

The victim has also alleged that gunner Manoj Tiwari and servant Sohan Lal lured her into the MLA's house on the pretext of getting her work as a domestic help.

She was accompanied by her mother when she went inside the house, but the mother was asked to leave by the gunner.

They also told her that her brother Santosh was wanted by the police and they could save him if she shelled out Rs 10,000.

When told that she did not have that kind of money, the woman said they asked for sexual favours.

The woman, who has many nail scratches on her body, managed to escape when her mother waiting outside the house raised an alarm and people of the colony stepped out, the victim said.

She said that they were warned not to go to the police but the mother-daughter went to the nearest police outpost and lodged a complaint.

--IANS

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Ahead of the all-important Test series against India starting this Wednesday, Sri Lanka were dealt a major blow after newly-appointed Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal was ruled out of the first game in Galle after contracting pneumonia, team manager Asanka Gurusinha confirmed on Friday.

"We were actually only told late last night -- the blood Test came a bit late. He's got pneumonia. He was admitted to hospital this morning at 9 am, and he's definitely out of the first Test," Gurusinha said.

"The doctors have advised us this morning: 'Finish the first Test' and they'll advise us afterwards. If they tell us he needs another week to recover, that's it. We can't do anything.

"He had started feeling unwell on Tuesday after the Zimbabwe Test, but we never suspected it would be anything like pneumonia," he added.

Chandimal has, however, been cleared of dengue, which has been rife in Sri Lanka over the past few months.

During India's last tour of the island nation in 2015, Chandimal's unbeaten 162 helped Sri Lanka overturn a first-innings deficit of 193 and take a 1-0 lead in the first Test in Galle.

The wicketkeeper-batsman will be replaced at the helm by veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who captained the islanders in four Tests in the 2016-17 season.

"Most probably the captain is going to be Rangana, because for now it's just one Test, and he has done the job before," Gurusinha said.

"But we haven't worked everything out. We will sit down and do that this afternoon."

The hosts, however heaved a sigh of relief with the return of Asela Gunaratne, who had experienced tightness in the hamstring during the Zimbabwe Test, and is likely to be available for the first Test against India.

"He's good -- we got the green light from the physio this morning, but we'll still have to put him through his paces over the next few days," Gurusinha said. "Asela is a very resilient guy. Very tough."

Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who had also missed the Zimbabwe Test with a hamstring injury, has recovered sufficiently to be named in the squad, Gurusinha confirmed.

The full squad is expected to be announced late on Friday.

--IANS

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A Chinese naval fleet reached the Russian city of Kaliningrad on Friday for a joint drill with Moscow in the Baltic Sea.

The joint drill will begin in late July. The Chinese fleet consists of one destroyer, one frigate, one supply ship, ship-borne helicopters and marines. The Russian side included one frigate, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and marines, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two sides plan to conduct air defence, maritime search and rescue, underway replenishment and other exercises.

Chinese and Russian navies will conduct a variety of joint drills and attend the parade in St. Petersburg on the occasion of Russia's Navy Day to deepen friendly and practical cooperation between the two militaries, said Tian Zhong, Deputy Commander of the Chinese Navy and the Chinese Director of the joint drill.

The drill, code-named "Joint Sea 2017", aims to jointly carry out rescue missions and protect the safety of economic activities at the sea.

--IANS

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After months of discussions and haggling over his role in the coming Assembly elections, maverick Gujarat Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela on Friday quit the party with the same sinking sense of deja vu of the 1990s when he left the BJP that he had resurrected in the state.

In what could come as a relief for the Congress, Bapu, as Vaghela is fondly called by his massive band of supporters, declared that he was not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A veteran of Gujarat politics, Vaghela, who had snapped ties with the BJP in the late 1990s to set up his own party that later merged with the Congress, had been telling the party high command to hand over reins of the December election battle to him.

If in 1997 Vaghela publicly tore apart a BJP letter sacking him in a similar public show of strength, on Friday Bapu said, swallowing the lump in his throat: "I don't compromise, and you all should also never compromise when it comes to your self-respect.

"It is my destiny (being expelled) but I am not the one to retire. Bapus never retire. Fighting against injustice is my nature, even if it means losing everything in the process," he said.

Addressing a gathering of at least 10,000 cheering supporters here on his 77th birthday, Vaghela also said he will resign as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and quit as MLA after the Rajya Sabha election of August 8.

As the crowds cheered "dekho, dekho kaun aaya, Gujarat ka sher aaya" and "Bapu tum aage baddho, hum tumhare saath hain", he claimed he was a victim of intra-party conspiracy, due to which the party had shown him the door.

"My high command is nowhere else but it is you. You are not for us, we are for you," Bapu said, and promised his supporters and people at large that he was for them "whenever needed, for whatever".

Looking hurt but resolute, Vaghela declared: "I am 77 Not Out." The venue then echoed with deafening cheering and whistling.

The signature Congress stoll was out and replaced by a shining cobalt blue one. Sporting a blue-and-red bright turban, Bapu ambled into the venue on grounds inside the Town Hall complex with tom-tomming of Hollywood-like drums playing in the backdrop.

He said the Congress did not even wait to hear what he would say at Friday's event before taking the decision to throw him out. He termed it a case of "vinashkale vipareet budhdhi".

"I became a victim of intra-party conspiracy, be it the BJP, be it the Congress. Sacking someone may satisfy your ego but nothing beyond that," he said. "Behave like a statesman, not a politician."

Referring to speculation that he may rejoin the BJP, he taunted the Congress leadership, hinting at Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel: "You have taken BJP's 'supari', I have not. You are talking about discipline?"

"There was a conspiracy to get me expelled. I told Rahul Gandhi about this, he said this must be to accommodate someone else.

"I had told Soniaji 'mein aapka bharosa nahi todunga' (I will not break your trust). I went to meet her, told her thanks a lot Madam for everything. I may not remain with the party after some time but don't worry I am not going anywhere. I am not joining the BJP," Vaghela said.

"I am going to resign today as Leader of Opposition. I am a free bird. I am relieving the Congress of me, and I release myself from the Congress.

On Thursday evening, the Gujarat Congress issued a warning to Vaghela not to "play any politics" under the guise of his birthday celebrations with his supporters and legislators.

He was also told that his public utterances would not be tolerated any further.

--IANS

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The Congress party on Friday denied having expelled Gujarat Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela or taken any disciplinary action against him, and hoped he would continue to work for the party.

"Neither has Congress party taken any disciplinary action against him nor has he been expelled from the party. Both these facts are entirely incorrect. Vaghela wanted that the present PCC President should be replaced and he be appointed in his place.

"This is a decision of the party and its leadership and no one individual can decide it as the party is bigger than individuals," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement.

"Each one of us needs to understand that interests of the party and its ideals are bigger than ambition of one person. We sincerely hope that he'll continue to work for the party despite his decision to quit party posts," he added.

Surjewala said the Congress is not representative of individuals but ideology and principles.

He said party chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and crores of Congressmen and women are not fighting for power alone but for social justice, progress and "a just humane society against autocracy of a few".

Surjewala said the party respects the Gujarat leader.

"Congress party has always given him respect and important positions of responsibility. Vaghela was appointed as PCC president, union cabinet minister, chairman of ITDC with cabinet minister status and is presently Leader of Opposition," he added.

On Friday, Vaghela said the party high command had expelled him, but stressed he was not going to join the BJP.

Vaghela said he will resign as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and quit as MLA after the Rajya Sabha election on August 8. He claimed he was a victim of intra-party conspiracy, due to which the party had shown him the door.

--IANS

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The Congress on Friday walked out of the Lok Sabha, accusing the government of not taking adequate steps to address the concerns of farmers.

The party also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence over the issue.

"Be it Madhya Pradesh or Maharashtra, farmers across the country are on the streets. The issue was discussed in the House but we didn't get a response from the Prime Minister," Congress member Deepender Singh Hooda said during Zero Hour.

He said that during the discussion the Centre did not make it clear whether it intended to implement recommendations made by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission or not.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised in its election campaign of 2014 to implement the Commission's recommendations.

"The ruling side always blames the UPA for the plight of farmers but what we could not do in last 60 years the NDA government did in last three years in the form of burdening the farmers' with loans," he said.

"The Prime Minister should have answered these. As he did not, we are walking out," he added. Then the Congress members trooped out of the House.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananthkumar countered the accusations, saying the opposition party was "shedding crocodile tears".

Hitting out at the opposition leaders for their absence from the Lok Sabha during a debate on the agrarian crisis on Wednesday, he said: "The Congress has nothing to do with farmers plight. They are shedding crocodile tears."

On Wednesday, the discussion was held till 10 p.m. But there were only two Congress members in the House, he said.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed Hooda to speak after the Congress created a ruckus during the entire Question Hour on Friday.

After the House met, Congress members demanded Modi's response on the agrarian crisis but Mahajan did not allow them. Then the Congress members rushed towards the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering.

Mahajan then conducted the Question Hour amid the slogan shouting. The House took up matters of public importance after the Congress walkout.

--IANS

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A criminal wanted for murder in Andhra Pradesh was arrested here after a gun battle with security forces, police said on Friday.

Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar said the criminal, Deepak Sharma, and his accomplice were on a motorcycle but did not halt during checking at Kamla Nagar on Thursday night.

When policemen chased them, the criminals opened fire, resulting in a gunfight. While the accomplice escaped, Sharma was overpowered.

Sharma, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, confessed to his involvement in several cases of robbery and murder in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

He had committed a robbery in the state treasury in Andhra Pradesh in which a security guard was killed. The Andhra Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for his arrest.

"We are making efforts to arrest the accomplice too," said Tomar.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gurugram, July 21 (Thursday) A lawyer has been arrested in Gurugram for extorting and threatening a man booked under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), police said on Friday.

The lawyer Vishnu Dutt practiced in Delhi's Saket courts, police said, adding that sometime back he contacted Vineet Chawla, a resident of upscale Sector 50 in Gurugram who is a suspect in a case under the POCSO Act.

Dutt had been threatening and demanding money from Chawla, who on Thursday registered a case against the lawyer at the Sector 50 police station, police said.

Police are investigating how Dutt, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, got hold of Chawla's phone number and had details about the case Chawla was booked under.

Police PRO Ravinder Kumar said that Chawla, his wife and three others were booked under the POCSO Act last month after their domestic help lodged a complaint with the Sector 50 police station.

Kumar said the Gurugram Police were investigating the case and the Chawla couple had not been arrested yet.

Chawla was meanwhile contacted by Dutt, who assured him that their name would be removed from the FIR. When he didn't pay heed to him, the lawyer threatened him with harsh punishment under the POCSO Act, he said in his complaint.

According to police, Dutt had called Chawla to the MGF Mall here on the Mehrauli-Gurugram (MG) road for a final settlement on Thursday night.

'A police team was following the whole episode and Dutt was arrested red-handed with Rs 2.5 lakh he extorted from Chawla,' Kumar told IANS.

Dutt was on Friday produced before the court of the area magistrate which sent him to one day police remand.

--IANS

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Five security personnel have been killed and 24 others injured this year in 251 cases of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Out of the five, four were soldiers who died during ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and while one was a Border Security Force personnel killed during violations along the international border, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Three civilians were also killed during the incidents.

According to Bhamre, 228 ceasefire violations were reported along the LoC till July 11 and 23 along the international border in Jammu and till June 30.

--IANS

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The government plans to hold auctions for wind power projects every month, ensuring, however, that this process does not push up tariff rates, Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

Speaking at an event here for signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) under the first wind auction scheme of the government, Goyal said that wind energy auctions should be held every month.

He also said that the pace of this process needed to be calibrated bearing in mind the issue affordability of renewable energy for the common man.

"Our effort is to scale up all modes of energy so that pricing can be made more competitive and economies of scale come in," he said.

"But we will also have to calibrate it based on the pricing that we determine. We would not like that bids come out so frequently that pricing goes up. So it will be a calibrated move which we would be continuously monitoring," he added.

At the event, PPAs were signed for the purchase of 1050 MW of wind power between the trading company, PTC India Ltd, and the successful wind power project bidders.

According to an official statement here, projects under the first wind auction are likely to be commissioned by September 2018.

As per the PPAs, these projects would supply power through the inter-state transmission system at a tariff of Rs 3.46 per unit.

"PTC India has tied-up this wind power for sale to discoms of a number of states. Under this, Uttar Pradesh would get 449.9 MW, Bihar 200 MW, Jharkhand 200 MW, Delhi 100 MW, Assam 50 MW and Odisha 50 MW for meeting their non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs)," the statement said.

At the event, Goyal also said that it was time for the government to reconsider whether there was really a need to have separate RPOs for states.

"It is time we should have a relook at whether we really need to have separate RPOs anymore. We should let the states decide what is best in their interest, how they can serve their people," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A higher lifetime exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of developing eye freckles or dark spots on the coloured part of the eye (iris), researchers warned.

The findings showed that eye freckles could indicate the presence or risk of sunlight-triggered eye diseases like cataract or macular degeneration.

Further, the development of eye freckles also correlated with increasing age, lifetime number of sunburns and a history of severe sunburns resulting in blisters, the researchers reported.

"While we do not know the exact role of sunlight in several eye diseases, we now have a biomarker (iris freckles) indicating high amounts of chronic sunlight exposure," said Christoph Schwab, ophthalmologist at the Medical University of Graz in Austria.

In addition, people with dark coloured eyes were found less likely to have eye freckles, as well as those who maintained better sun protection habits like using sunscreen or covering up.

For the study, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, over 600 swimmers at public pools in Styria, Austria, had their eyes examined for freckles and filled out a questionnaire that asked about their lifetime sun exposure and sun-protection habits.

Researchers also found that freckles were most commonly found in the lower outer quadrant (away from the nose) of each eye.

This may be because the eyebrow and nose shield the upper and inner quadrants of the eye from the sun, lowering exposure and the risk of developing freckles, Schwab explained.

--IANS

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The government has given in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment of Bharat Earth Movers Ltd to the extent of 26 per cent of government share-holding, Parliament was informed on Friday.

The management control would be transferred to the strategic buyer, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Bhamre added that transaction advisor, legal advisor and asset valuer had been appointed by the government and the amount to be mobilised through the sale of government equities could be known only after completion of the process.

"After completion of the process, specific approval of the government will be sought again," he said.

--IANS

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Calling for a narrative based on cultural and civilisational ethos of tolerance and compassion, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the legacy of pluralism and secularism was at stake.

"What is at stake is the legacy of pluralism and secularism, as citizens are no longer equal before the law and some are more equal than others in many parts of the country," he said at an international conference here.

Noting that the idea of India as a plural society was at a crossroads, he warned that its civilisational values and culture were facing a critical test due to the onslaught of divisive and exclusivist ideas.

"Time has come to reclaim the idea of social justice through the thought and vision of B.R. Ambedkar, one of the founding fathers of our Constitution," said Siddaramaiah at the opening of the three-day International Conference on 'Quest for Equity: Reclaiming Social Justice, Re-visiting Ambedkar'.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, human rights activist Martin Luther King III, son of the legendary American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Rejecting the majoritarian view, Siddaramaiah told the gathering that adhering to the rigid norms of food, clothing, language and free speech was against the Constitution's letter and spirit.

"Majoritarianism is untenable in theory and unjustifiable in practice. We, as a nation, need to understand that tolerance of such regressive and divisive ideas is not the way out, as tolerance would postpone the harmful impact of majoritarianism. We need to fight for a truly egalitarian India," asserted Siddaramaiah, quoting Ambedkar's views on the issue.

Organised by the Karnataka government, the conference will unveil the 'Bengaluru Declaration' outlining specific constitutional, institutional and policy responses to concerns of equity, human rights, freedom and democracy.

In all, 83 international, 149 national and 80 state-level speakers, including academics, activists and policy-makers will address about 2,000 participants at the conference.

As it commemorates the 126th birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution, Ambedkar's life and works will be deliberated as they were still relevant to the social, political and economic justice across the country and the world.

Among the overseas speakers will be Cornel West, Lord Bhikhu Parekh, James Manor, Thomas Weisskopf, Upendra Baxi, Laurence Simon, Samuel Myers and Ashutosh Varshney.

--IANS

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An Indian-American doctor-cum-entrepreneur was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for defrauding his former company's shareholders of more than $49 million.

Sreedhar Potarazu, 51, an ophthalmic surgeon licensed in Maryland and Virginia, founded VitalSpring Technologies Inc in 2000 and was its CEO and President and served on its Board of Directors, the US Department of Justice said on its website.

Prosecutors said Potarazu provided materially false and misleading information to VitalSpring's shareholders to induce more than $49 million in capital investments in the company.

Potarazu was remanded in custody on Wednesday and will have to forfeit several homes, vehicles and bank accounts.

He presented the company as financially successful and on the brink of being sold, quoting major profits when in reality he failed to account for and pay over more than $7.5 million in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Potarazu went to the extent of employing someone to act as a buyer to make shareholders believe his company was doing way better than it actually was, according to investigators.

"Like a director employing actors and props on a stage, Sreedhar Potarazu arranged for an imposter to pose as a buyer, provided a link to a bogus website and supplied fraudulent balance sheets, phony bank statements and false tax returns to convince VitalSpring investors and potential buyers that the company was financially healthy and up-to-date on its taxes," said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg.

"Potarazu ran a multi-million dollar scheme that caused significant financial losses to VitalSpring shareholders for almost a decade," said Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI's Washington Field Office.

In addition to the term of prison imposed, US District Court Judge Gerald Bruce Lee ordered Potarazu to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $49,511,169 in restitution to the shareholders and $7,691,071 to the IRS.

--IANS

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who completed 1,000 days in office on Friday, said he has been able to provide development-oriented, corruption-free and transparent governance, taking inspiration from the "Gujarat model" of governance.

Emphasising that his government worked for the welfare of all without discriminating on caste or region, Khattar said that all regions of the state were witnessing development uniformly.

"We took inspiration from Gujarat where the development model did not have any discrimination or regional bias," Khattar said.

He said the previous Congress government in Haryana (2005-2014) indulged in open discrimination by carrying out development works only in some districts and areas dominated by certain castes.

"The earlier government left several potholes for us but we are committed to work for the welfare of the people," Khattar said, adding that he was hopeful that the electorate in Haryana would bring the Bharatiya JAnata Party (BJP) back to power in the state.

The next assembly polls in Haryana will be held in October 2019, about six months after the next General Election in the country.

The BJP, which came to power in Haryana for the first time on its own in October 2014, has 47 legislators in the 90-member assembly.

Citing the example of the backward and Muslim-dominated district of Mewat in south Haryana, Khattar said: "That (Mewat) area was completed ignored by the previous government which considered it only as a votebank. We are committed to accelerate development in that belt."

He said that he had made over 3,700 announcements since assuming office and work on 1,854 of these had been either completed or was nearing completion.

--IANS

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An acclaimed Iranian illustrator has been denied a visa to attend the Edinburgh International Book Festival amid growing criticism of the UKs handling of Iranian visas, the media reported on Friday.

Ehsan Abdollahi, described by the festival's director as a "highly respected, award-winning Iranian illustrator of kids' books", was due to arrive in the UK next month, but he has received a visa refusal letter, issued by the British embassy in Dubai, reports the Guardian.

The letter stated that he has "no right of appeal or right to administrative review".

Abdollahi, 37, who teaches at Tehran's top Honar (Art) University, has illustrated a number of children's books published in English, including "When I Coloured in the World", by one of Iran's best-known living poets, Ahmadreza Ahmadi.

"It would be a lie if I say I didn't get upset," he told the Guardian.

"I had planned for it for months. They have given very ridiculous reasons for rejecting the visa despite me having provided all the necessary documents."

Abdollahi had to go to Dubai to apply for the visa.

He said one reason for the refusal was that he was single. "Since when being a single person has become a crime?" he asked.

The visa refusal letter said: "You have submitted a bank balance statement from Tejarat Bank with a latest balance of 679,529,024 Iranian rial ($20950). However it is not clear where these funds originate from. As such, without evidence of the origin of this money, I am not satisfied that it is genuinely yours and available to fund the proposed visit. I note you are divorced and no one is dependent on you."

In reaction to his visa refusal, the artist drew an illustration which was posted online.

It shows an animated Abdollahi in a bottle in reference to his book, "A Bottle of Happiness", along with the words painted in colours: "I rubbed out the words 'No Entry' and wrote with all my colours: Happiness, Flying, Kindness, Hope, Love."

He told the Guardian: "I was meant to be the 'jin' in the bottle for the kids in the festival, the bottle is the symbol of happiness, but then after the visa refusal I realised it has become a bottle of despair, so I drew that. It carries a message of peace."

In 2016, Marjan Vafaian, also an illustrator, had to cancel events in Edinburgh and London after being refused a visa.

--IANS

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Israel on Friday barred access of Muslim men under 50 to Al-Aqsa mosque compound and deployed about 3,000 policemen near the site amidst expected protests over security measures.

The move came after Israel's cabinet decided not to remove the metal detectors installed at the entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following a shooting attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

The site is open for women of all ages and for men over the age of 50, Xinhua news agency quoted a police spokesperson as saying.

The spokesperson said that following assessments, "heightened security measures will take place in and around the Old City (of East Jerusalem).

"Police and border police units mobilized in all areas and neighbourhoods and will respond to any incidents or disturbances throughout the day.

"Police are coordinating to enable Friday prayers to take place and at the same time secure measures are taking place," an official statement read.

The measure was expected to trigger more anger at the volatile site.

The military and police boosted their presence with five Army brigades that were put on call and 3,000 officers deployed outside the compound area.

The contested electronic gates were installed after three Arab citizens of Israel carried out a shooting attack last week, killing two Israeli policemen. The assailants were shot dead by the police.

Worshippers have been refusing to enter due to the new metal detectors, with Palestinians charging the step was an Israeli attempt to claim further control over the site.

The measures have sparked daily clashes between worshippers and police, with dozens of Palestinian injuries.

The Palestinians, as well as some Arab countries, urged Israel to remove the gates, saying it was a violation of the long-held status quo under which the Muslim Waqf is in charge of running the site.

--IANS

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Israeli police confirmed the death of a second Palestinian youth who was killed during clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in East Jerusalem on Friday.

Muhamad Hasan Abu Ghanem, 19, was injured during clashes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-Tur, where he lived, according to Police Spokeswoman Luba Samri, Xinhua reported.

He died in hospital and the circumstances of his death are "still under probe", she added.

Some Palestinian media reports, however, said at least five persons were killed in the clashes after noon.

At least 250 Palestinians were injured in the clashes, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Earlier, 17-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Sharaf, who was injured during clashes in his neighbourhood of Silwan, died of his injuries in East Jerusalem hospital al-Maqasid.

Eyewitnesses said he was shot in his neck by an Israeli settler.

Both were buried shortly after their death for fear that Israeli authorities would take away their bodies.

The death of Sharaf sparked more protests throughout the West Bank.

According to media reports, police and military forces fired at the protesters with live ammunition and rubber-coated bullets.

--IANS

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A team of Mumbai Income Tax Department raided the houses and offices of a top Pune businessman and the Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress chief, official sources said here on Friday.

The IT sleuths raided well-known businessman Avinash Bhosale and his son-in-law Vishwajeet P. Kadam, who is the state youth Congress president and son of powerful Congress leader Patangrao Kadam.

The reason behind the raids -- which are still going on under a massive police escort -- are not known and the number of locations targeted is unclear.

The IT team arrived here this morning and proceeded to various locations. In the offices, they confiscated the mobile phones of all employees and police manned the security offices as the raids were underway.

According to the sources, the raids were carried out at multiple locations including Bhosale's company headquarters, ABIL Group at Ganeshkhind near the Pune University campus, his home in Baner and Kadam's private residence at Sinhgad, besides his office.

The Maharashtra Congress cried foul at the raid on Kadam and said "this is continuation of the vendetta politics" pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) both at the Centre and in states against the Congress and other opposition parties.

"There is no action taken against their own leaders against whom there are severe allegations, but various agencies are hounding the Congress and opposition parties ever since the BJP came to power," state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.

Around 10 years ago, the low-profile Bhosale, who is a realty developer and into hotel business, was arrested by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from Mumbai Airport and later released on bail.

Similarly, Kadam, married to Bhosale's daughter Swapnali Bhosale, was the wealthiest candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections which he lost to the BJP nominee.

His father Patangrao Kadam is a front-ranking Congress politician and a former cabinet minister in Maharashtra, besides running the famed Bharatiya Vidyapeeth, a Deemed University with several educational insitutions under its fold.

Bhosale lives in a huge well-appointed mansion, often called a "palace" by the locals with a private heliport for his helicopter, and owns a fleet of BMWs and Rolls Royces parked in the garage.

--IANS

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Florence, July 21 (IANS/AKI) A 26-year-old Italian man has been arrested near the Tuscan city of Florence for physically abusing his grandparents over a 10-year period, police said on Friday.

The man, who lived with his grandparents in the town of Montelupo, was arrested in nearby Capraia e Limite late on Thursday. He had fled the family home earlier on Thursday after hitting his grandmother because she refused to give him money, according to police.

The man had attacked both of his grandparents repeatedly over the past decade, but they had never previously reported him to police, according to investigators.

The man's grandmother did not sustain any serious injuries after the latest attack, police said.

--IANS/AKI

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Turin (Italy), July 21 (IANS/AKI) Italy's centre-left Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Friday attacked a call by Hungary and several other eastern European countries for Italy to "close its ports" to ships bringing migrants to its mainland.

"We do our duty, as we expect the whole of Europe to do shoulder to shoulder with Italy," Gentiloni said during a visit to Turin.

"We don't accept dubious lessons or threats," he added.

His comments came after his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban said he and the leaders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland had written to Gentiloni, urging him not to allow migrant rescue ships to dock at ports on the Italian mainland.

In the remarks to Hungary's Kossuth public radio, Orban said the so-called Visegrad leaders were willing offer help to Italy and the rest of the European Union in preventing the migrant boats setting sail from chaos-wracked Libya and ensuring humanitarian conditions for migrants in Libyan and offshore camps.

But Orban rejected compulsory quotas for the relocation of migrants from Italy, Spain and Greece to other EU nations and said genuine asylum-seekers should be identified before they were allowed to enter Europe.

"The great majority of people crossing the Mediterranean are economic migrants," he said.

A day earlier, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz urged Italy to halt the ferrying of migrants to its mainland from Lampedusa and other islands where they first land. On Wednesday, Kurz also warned Austria could close its borders if Rome made good its threat to invoke a little-known EU rule and issue travel documents to migrants now hosted in Italian reception centres.

"Rescue missions cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe," Kurz told his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano on the sidelines of a meeting in Vienna of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Italy is due next year to take over from Austria as chairman of OSCE and Italy's programme will include a "strong focus" on the Mediterranean region and the migration crisis, Alfano said in Vienna.

Italy's centre-left government is demanding more solidarity from EU states in handling over half million people who have arrived in the country in the past three years as the migrant influx continues.

A total of 93,369 boat migrants reached Italy this year though 19 July - 85 percent of those who entered Europe and over 10,000 more people than in the same period of 2016 - the International Organisation for Migration said on Friday.

--IANS/AKI

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Rome, 21 July (IANS/AKI) Italy wants the mediation process in talks between war-torn Libya's rival factions to be "simplified" and for the United Nations special envoy to be given "all support" as the "sole mediator" in the negotiations, Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said on Friday.

"There is a need to simplify the negotiations on Libya...to simplify the mediation system," Alfano told reporters after a meeting here with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir.

UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salameh should have "all the power to act as sole mediator," and achieve progress in the process of stabilising Libya, Alfano said.

Alfano's comments came after Saudi-owned daily al-Hayat on Thursday cited sources as saying that French President Emmanuel Macron will meet the head of the UN-backed government in Tripoli, Fayez al-Seraj, and military commander Khalifa Haftar, a powerful figurehead in the east of Libya, in Paris on July 25.

Salameh and representatives of the British but not the Italian government have been invited to attend Tuesday's meeting in Paris, which Italy learnt of from Libyan sources, Italian daily La Repubblica reported on Friday.

Rome has asked for further information from Paris on why Italy has apparently been excluded from the meeting despite being credited in recent months with coordinating diplomatic efforts on Libya by European Union countries and the US, La Repubblica said

Macron wants his country to play a bigger role in ending Libya's factional conflict and said on July 13 that there would be concrete initiatives to try and end more than six years of turmoil since the 2011 ousting of late strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

The Paris meeting comes after Haftar and Seraj held talks in Abu Dhabi in May, their first in more than a year and a half. That encounter was aimed at consolidating diplomatic efforts by the United Arab Emirates, the UN and by neighbouring Egypt, according t al-Hayat.

The Seraj national unity government has sat in Tripoli for more than a year, but has struggled to reach agreement with eastern factions, including Haftar, who has gained ground militarily with support from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Western governments including Italy's say that Haftar must be be part of any solution to the conflict in the oil-producing North African state, where Islamist militants have gained a foothold and migrant smugglers have flourished in the absence of a strong central government.

--IANS/AKI

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Palestine parliamentary committee at Jordan's Lower House on Thursday expressed its rejection of Israeli violations in al-Aqsa Mosque following a gun attack that resulted in the death of two Israeli policemen.

At a meeting with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the committee said the Jordanians reject any violation in the holy mosque, Xinhua reported.

The comittee also called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop its violations in Jerusalem.

Safadi pointed out that Jordan was exerting efforts to restore stability and end the tension to prevent any escalation.

Jordan, which oversees the holy Islamic and Christian sites in East Jerusalem including al-Aqsa Mosque, will continue its efforts to ensure the mosque is open to all Palestinians, the minister noted.

Israel needs to respect the status quo in East Jerusalem and refrain from any attempts to alter the status quo in the city, Safadi added.

Last Friday, three Israeli Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces inside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, after two Israeli officers were killed in an attack.

Israel reopened the compound on Sunday with the introduction of metal detectors and security checks installed at the entrances.

Protests have since broken out in the holy site, with dozens of Muslim worshippers refused to enter the Mosque and prayed outside, considering the security checks a "violation" of the third holiest place for Muslims.

--IANS

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Two brothers, aged 10 and eight, who were kidnapped from east Delhi on Tuesday evening, have been rescued from Uttar Pradesh and one person arrested in this connection, police said on Friday.

The boys were rescued from Loni of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night and their kidnapper was arrested early on Friday from the same area, a police officer said.

The officer said the kidnapper took them away from their school in Seelampur of east Delhi promising to take them for a joyride and buying them eatables.

The kidnapper was known to the boys' mother and asked her to marry him if she wanted her children back, Deputy Commissioner of Police A.K. Singla said.

"The accused took the children to Loni of Uttar Pradesh and we had a tough time tracing him as the 12 mobile numbers he had were secured using fake identity papers," the officer said.

--IANS

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Kuwait ordered the Iranian Ambassador on Thursday to leave the country within 48 days, amid a diplomatic row between the two countries, Iranian media reported.

Earlier in the day, Kuwait shut down Iranian cultural mission and ordered 15 Iranian diplomats to leave the country. In response, Iran summoned the Kuwaiti Charge d'Affaires to protest the Arab state's restrictions on the Iranian mission, Xinha reported.

The Kuwaiti move came after it convicted a group of men, one Iranian and the rest Kuwaiti, for "spying for Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group" last year, Islamic Students News Agency reported.

--IANS

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Hot and dry weather conditions on Thursday caused the Bridge Coulee fire north of Mosby in Eastern Montana to increase dramatically, fire officials said Thursday night.

The Bridge Coulee fire, discovered on Wednesday, 16 miles north of Mosby, was estimated at 2,500 acres on Thursday afternoon. By Thursday night the fire had grown to more than 32,000 acres, said Al Nash, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management.

In addition, three other fires burning in Garfield County are being combined with the Bridge Coulee fire into the Lodgepole Complex fire. The three other fires include the Baker fire, 20 miles north of Sand Springs, 10,000 acres; South Breaks fire, 27 miles northeast of Mosby, 5,000 acres; and the Square Butte fire, 19 miles north of Sand Springs, 800 acres.

The four fires in the Lodgepole Complex are estimated to cover nearly 48,000 acres.

A Western Montana Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered to manage the complex. Incident Commander Rick Connell and his team were recently in the same area, managing the July fire near Jordan.
The release date of actress Jennifer Lawrence's thriller film "Mother!" has been preponed by a month to September 15 from its previous October 13 release date.

Production banner Paramount Pictures announced the new release date on Thursday, reports variety.com.

After the shift in the release date of the film, there are possibilities that "Mother!" could be premiered at the Venice Film Festival, which opens on August 30, or the Telluride Film Festival, which opens two days later, or even at the Toronto Film Festival, which opens September 7.

"Mother!" is directed and produced by Darren Aronofsky through his Protozoa Pictures banner along with Scott Franklin and Ari Handel.

It also features Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kristin Wiig, Domnhall Gleeson and Ed Harris.

Lawrence and Bardem portray a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

--IANS

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The Lok Sabha on Friday gave its approval to a bill amending the law on free and compulsory education to extend the deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment.

Replying to a brief debate on the The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javedakar said that some states have adopted innovative ways to tackle with the problem of proxy teachers.

He said one of the ways was of putting up photographs of teachers in the school and another was a technology application that registers attendance when students and teachers are in 50 feet radius of the school.

Responding to points raised by members, he said learning outcomes were important and the government was planning to bring a bill to boost academic performances.

He also said students from class 5 to 8 will appear in examinations next March.

Javadekar said that the issue of untrained teachers was more acute in eight states and a special team was being formed which will work like a task force.

Earlier, he said that through the amendment, inadequately qualified teachers, working after enactment of the Right to Education Act, were being given a "last chance" to acquire minimum qualifications by March 2019.

Noting that teachers can get the prescribed qualification using the Swayam portal, Javadekar said there were about six lakh teachers with inadequate qualifications in the private sector alone.

According to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which came into force on April 1, 2010, a teacher, who did not possess minimum qualifications, was required to acquire them in five years.

The Act was enacted to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the age of six and 14 years.

The central government subsequently received requests from states for extension of the period to enable them complete the training process for in-service untrained teachers.

Javadekar said the teachers should now acquire minimum qualifications by March 2019. "This is the last chance."

Teachers should register on the Swayam portal and they will also be provided hands-on experience by the respective state governments, he said.

Swayam is a government-initiated programme designed to achieve access, equity and quality in education.

--IANS

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A ministerial group formed to look into the modalities of national passenger carrier Air India's divestment process met here on Friday.

The group -- Air India-specific Alternative Mechanism -- headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met here for the first time after its formation. Apart from Jaitley, the meet was attended by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and some other ministers.

The group has been mandated to guide strategic divestment process and to decide on key issues such as treatment of AI's debt and hiving-off of its assets.

The demerger and strategic divestment of three profit making subsidiaries, the quantum of disinvestment and the universe of bidders is also on the group's agenda.

The meeting comes after the Union Cabinet's June 28 decision, giving in-principle approval for divestment of AI, whose debt has mounted to Rs 50,000 crore besides huge losses.

The decision was based on NITI Aayog's recent report to the Civil Aviation Ministry recommending strategic disinvestment in the loss-making national career.

The airline in 2015-16 had posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore. For the last fiscal (2016-17), the company is expected to report an improved operating profit margin.

The flag carrier had got a new lease of life on April 12, 2012, when the then UPA government had approved a Rs 30,000 crore turnaround (TAP) and financial restructuring plans (FRP) package spanning up to the year 2021.

After the cabinet's in-principle approval for Air India's divestment, budget passenger airline IndiGo expressed its interest in participating in the stake sale.

On July 18, Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani, in a letter to the airline employees, said the government's decision to consider AI's divestment stemmed from the fact that the airline is unable to service its "huge accumulated debt of over Rs 50,000 crore".

"This huge debt has accumulated due to continuous losses over the years. You would however appreciate that unless a solution is found to this huge debt, survival in the long run is almost impossible and the proposal to consider disinvestment is a step in this direction.

"It is the firm conviction of the government that the process of disinvestment is only meant to make Air India a much stronger world class airline capable of competing with others successfully. This would indeed be a win-win solution for employees," he wrote.

--IANS

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Rabat, July 21 (IANS/MAP) Morocco and Britain have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on aviation security.

The agreement was initialled on Thursday by Morocco's Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft and Social Economy, Mohamed Sajid, and the Charge d'Affaires at the British Embassy in Rabat, William Hopkinson.

The cooperation will further strengthen Morocco's privileged position in the North African region for its security and economic stability and further consolidate its image as an attractive tourist destination, said the news report.

--IANS/MAP

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Celebrated designer Manish Malhotra, who gave startling makeovers to many Bollywood divas including Kareena Kapoor, Kajol and Alia Bhatt, says that his entire childhood was spent watching movies as he was a terrible student.

"My entire childhood was spent at the theatre, watching movies. I was a terrible student. I was only interested in the movies. Thursday would be a day off and every Saturday was a half day at school, so being in Bandra, Mumbai, I would visit three popular theatres - Gaiety, Galaxy and Gemini," said Manish while speaking at New York University's The Mark and Debra Leslie Entrepreneurs Lab.

The Lab is a 6,800 square feet facility in the heart of the Washington Square campus, where aspiring NYU entrepreneurs from across all of NYU's schools and colleges meet to connect, collaborate and tap into a vast array of resources to help develop their ideas and inventions into startup companies.

The designer spoke to an audience including students, faculty and researchers from NYU about his prolific career as a couturier, costume-stylist, entrepreneur and revivalist.

Malhotra, who has always been a big fan of Bollywood, says his mother encouraged him to watch movies as he loved the actors, music, songs and the clothes they wore.

"As a teenager, I was extremely work oriented. I always wanted to do something with my life. I joined a boutique for some extra pocket money. I was interested in fashion; I would make my sketches and drape mannequins." said Manish who did modelling and ads at the beginning of his career.

Malhotra has enjoyed a successful run of over 25 years in Bollywood.

--IANS

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The government said on Friday it has no plans to introduce a law to control the population in the country, which currently houses nearly a fifth of the world's population.

"The governmanet has no plans to enact any law to control population," Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said in a written reply during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha in response to a querry by Bharatiya Janata Party member Uday Pratap Singh.

"We are running several awareness schemes to control population but until there is a law, people do not bother. So I want to know whether the government is planning to bring any law in this regard," Uday Pratap Singh had asked.

She said the government has set a target to stablise the population by introducing various schemes and running awareness programmes.

"We have been successful to some extent in our efforts. The figures also prove it," she said.

Patel said that as far as National Population Policy-2000 is concerned, the long-term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045.

Another BJP member, Anurag Thakur, sought to know from the government whether it intends to introduce an incentive-based system to control the population, to which the minister said: "We are heading in right direction."

She said the government is conducting a special awareness drive in 146 districts of 7 states to bring down the total fertility rate (TFR).

She said Mission Parivar Vikas has been launched in these high fertility districts.

Responding to a query by Indian National Lok Dal member Dushyant Chautal, the minister said the government has no plans to provide any benefits in education and employment to encourage the single child norm.

India is the second most populated country in the world and is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2022, surpassing China.

In July 2016, the population stood at 1,326,801,576, according to the United Nations.

--IANS

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Pakistan has rejected parts of a recent US report, which said that "Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten US interests in Afghanistan."

The US state department's "Country Report on Terrorism 2016" released on Wednesday also claimed that "Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan."

The Pakistan foreign ministry on Thursday disputed findings of the report and said the country has taken strong measures to fight terrorism, Xinhua reported.

"We have taken indiscriminate and all out action against terrorists. They are on the run. Most of them have fled to Afghanistan, the country which is in turmoil for the last 40 years, and due to which there are large ungoverned spaces being taken up by the terrorists," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said.

"As is evident from the statistics and media reports available, a considerable number of leaders and senior commanders of the Haqqani network and other terrorists have been killed inside Afghanistan," the spokesman said during his weekly briefing.

He said Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts have been met with success, and acknowledged by a number of countries including the US.

To a question about Pakistan's role in the context of peace in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan has always whole-heartedly supported all efforts for reconciliation in the war-shattered country.

--IANS

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Star couple Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat have come together for a song, "Saamne aa", for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign.

"Saamne aa" is written and directed by social storyteller Reeta Gupta, and sung by Sona Mohapatra. Composed by Siddharth Sharma, it will release on August 2.

This is the first song the actors have shot for together as the lead.

They worked together in the 1984 film "Lorie", which starred Shabana Azmi, Farooq Shaikh and Naseeruddin Shah.

"Paresh was offered 'Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi', which he refused," Swaroop told IANS.

"Acting is a matter of life and death for Paresh. He uses films, drama and theatre as a pure creative form and survives on it whereas for me, I just enjoy and love being in front of the camera. I use drama and theatre to educate," added the actress, who has taught many teachers and children in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Her work revolves around using drama in education to enhance life skills in children.

Talking about the song, Paresh said: "The lyrics are very powerful and I was happy to be a part of this project."

Throwing light on the project, Gupta said: "In India, we lose 2000 girls every day to 'son preference' both before and after birth. This happens in the most elite of families."

"'Saamne aa' speaks up against son preference and encourages us to raise our boys and girls as equals. 'Saamne aa', literally means come forward. The anthem calls all men and women to come forward and embrace gender parity; and ensure that no one is killed in the name of gender," she added.

--IANS

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Potential sex trafficking victims arriving in Italy by sea have soared over the past three years, the UN migration agency IOM reported on Friday, with an almost 600 percent increase in that period.

"This upward trend has continued during the first six months of 2017, with most victims arriving from Nigeria," IOM senior press officer Joel Millman told journalists at a UN media briefing in Geneva, reports Xinhua news agency.

The UN agency said the new report was published by IOM.

Among other findings, the report states that sexual exploitation increasingly involves younger girls -- often minors -- who are already subject to violence and abuse on their way to Europe.

IOM estimates that 80 percent of girls arriving from Nigeria -- whose numbers have soared from 1,454 in 2014 to 11,009 in 2016 -- were potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

In certain cases, young women were duped from home into thinking they will land jobs such as hairdressers in Europe, Flavio Di Giacomo of IOM public relations in Italy said by telephone from Rome.

They were escorted to Europe often by "madams" only to find they have to repay their trafficking debt by becoming prostitutes, and on their way sometimes they were raped in Libya, he said, noting they are "trafficked not smuggled".

"Some of them are so young, they sometimes don't even know what sex or prostitution is," said Di Giacomo.

--IANS

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Outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee is set to watch here on Saturday Tigmanshu Dhulia's directorial "Raagdesh", a film that salutes the heroes of the Indian National Army.

Featuring Kunal Kapoor, Mohit Marwah and Amit Sadh, the film revolves around the Red Fort trial of three INA officers. It will be specially screened for the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Producer Gurdeep Singh Sappal was keen that -- as a mark of respect for those heroes -- the President watches the film before his term draws to a close.

He said in a statement: "It was only befitting that the first screening of the film, produced by Rajya Sabha TV, be held for the President of India. We were fortunate and grateful that the President granted our wish."

Mohit is excited too.

He told IANS: "This is a very special moment for me. I don't know when I will get this chance again to meet the President at his house. I've invited my parents too. Kunal, Tigmanshu and the producers will be there. Amit couldn't be a part of it as he is in London."

"We will do a parade from Vijay Chowk and head to the President's house," he added about the activity which is planned to recreate the 1940s era.

"Raagdesh" is slated to release on July 28.

--IANS

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The Natrona County school board passed its 2017-18 budget Wednesday night, drawing sighs of relief from members after an arduous 10-month project.

The budget reflects about $3.9 million in reductions compared to last year, officials said. Much of that was achieved through attrition  roughly 75 positions have been eliminated in recent years  and cuts to school and department budgets across the district. But there were no layoffs, and the district did not have to offer buyouts.

Barring further legislative action, the board anticipates it will have to cut $8 million more in the coming two years. Board member and budget committee chairman Dave Applegate said they'll continue using attrition and reassignment as the primary means of cutting funds, though he left the door open to school closures and use of district savings.

The school district recently closed Grant Elementary, and previously announced it would sell several other vacant or soon-to-be empty buildings.

"I think it's pretty remarkable" how the district handled the cuts, board member Toni Billings said after the board approved the budget. "Sitting where we are, it's a credit to our staff. We're sitting in a very pleasant position compared to a lot of districts."

Fellow member Dana Howie agreed.

"If the rest of the state would pay attention to our superintendent (Steve Hopkins), they'd be in a whole lot better shape too," she said.

Applegate praised the district's approach to drafting the budget. Board members and staff began examining their fiscal futures in 2015, as the energy economy began to take a turn for the worse, and they created a concrete financial blueprint for this year and a conceptual layout for the years ahead.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government's policies for the volatile situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have been saying this for a long time that Modiji and the NDA policies have set Jammu and Kashmir on fire," Gandhi told reporters here.

"It is being said that talks should be held with China and Pakistan over Kashmir. But Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It's shaped like a pizza slice and seeks to make the point that the environment can "remedy the shortcomings" of India's LGBT community. Taking gender tropes head-on, 23-year-old Abhyam Shukla's design of a sensitisation centre for the community, his undergraduate architectural thesis, makes it a dissertation with a difference.

Kolkata-based Shukla's interest in designing the sensitisation centre was triggered when a friend from the community committed suicide last year.

"The idea came to me when a friend from Lucknow committed suicide and that's when I realised how I could use architecture to benefit the community," Shukla, who identifies himself as a bisexual, told IANS.

The Lady Ga Ga fan says the hub traverses the gray areas and eschews the binary perspective in architectural realms in the sense that it brings about a balance between masculine and feminine elements.

"In the last five years that I have studied architecture, I have been involved in theatre and making short films. So when I had to submit my thesis, I wanted to do something that had not been done by universities in India before," Shukla explained.

Shukla, who has just concluded his B.Arch from Jadavpur University, says cities like Paris, Madrid and New York have hubs for the LGBT community and there is no reason why Indian cities should also not have umbrella centres.

Set in the satellite township of Rajarhat in northeastern fringes of Kolkata, the blueprint of the pizza-slice shaped, slightly dented triangular hub includes queer museum spaces, healthcare and housing plans amid a landscape replete with a "healthy mix of sharp angular edges as well as soft undulating curves".

To shape his vision and to be fair to the community's needs, Shukla conducted a survey of as many as 250 respondents from the LGBT community (15-25 year olds) spanning 24 states.

"I asked them if they would like such a centre in their city and I also asked them what functions they would like. Based on their feedback, I started my design," said Shukla, for whom Danish architect Bjarke Bundgaard Ingels and India's Charles Correa are inspirations.

A majority of respondents -- when queried on how effective queer museums can be in educating society -- backed the idea of queer libraries and museums in helping society draw inspiration from the past. Similarly, there was a thumping "yes" on the presence of judicial services and trauma cells for assisting the community in rehabilitative measures.

"What I wanted to do was to use the stereotypical notions of masculine and feminine and show the world the concept of a third gender. Nothing in the world is binary; there is a spectrum of gray. I tried to use the male form, the female form and then create a hybrid form. So my design has all the three mixed together to show that society is supposed to live like this," he elaborated.

Some of the built spaces that were analysed by Shukla as case studies are the National Centre for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, the Welfare Centre for Children and Teenagers in Paris, the Proyecto Hombre in Madrid and the BE Friendly Space in Hanoi.

Three main aspects -- awareness, housing and healthcare -- underpin the design elements of Shukla's version. "In the awareness aspect, which encompasses queer museums and libraries, people can go and learn about the community. This gives will inform people that India has had a long tryst with homosexuality and debunk myths that it is a Western concept," he said.

The housing facility provides shelter to the homeless and estranged members of the community," added Shukla.

Gender activist Pawan Dhall felt a sensitisation hub was a great idea.

"I can just say that the idea is excellent. But I would be sceptical about housing plans. I'm not much in favour of people living in exclusive domains, unless it's for people with special needs. Or because of old age and there is a need for institutionalised caregiving. Otherwise, a sensitisation hub idea is great. It would be even better if there are some elements of intersections with other social issues at the hub," Dhall told IANS.

According to Gita Balakrishnan, Chairperson of the Indian Institute of Architects, West Bengal Chapter, the design indicates "sensitive handling of spaces that respects privacy while allowing freedom".

However, activist Meenakshi Sanyal, questioned how a physical hub would function given the dichotomy in the legal perception (Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code) about the community in India.

"In 2009, the Delhi High Court had decriminalised homosexuality. That time a lot of closet LGBT members had come out. When the Supreme Court had set aside that verdict in 2013, many became invisible again. I am not saying the hub is not a good idea but there is a need to focus on the accessibility of a physical hub.

"In that sense, digital fora are more accessible. Also, with the Supreme Court recognising the rights of transgender people, there is a gap in the community... the 'T' from LGBT is removed... so we have to factor in all these aspects," Sanyal, who runs LGBT community support group Sappho for Equality, told IANS.

(Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), on Friday announced the launch of 'intelligent smartphone' which will be available for beta testing from August 15.

"The JioPhone will be available to all Indians for an effective price of Rs zero," Ambani told the company's 40th Annual General Meeting here. The phone will be available from Jio Infocomm, a fully-owned subsidiary of RIL.

"I had challenged our young engineers at Jio to find a disruptive Indian solution to this problem. What they came up with, stunned me. And it will stun you. Today, Jio is going to reinvent the conventional feature phone. With a revolutionary device, an unmatched Indian innovation, Made in India, by young Indians and for all Indians. Let me introduce India ka Intelligent SmartPhone -- Presenting Jio Phone," he added.

The much-awaited phone was launched by Ambani's son and daughter Akash and Isha Ambani. The phone will support 22 Indian languages. To protect against misuse, customers have to pay a fully refundable Rs 1,500 security deposit while taking a JioPhone. The deposit would be given back to a user after three years when the phone is returned.

The pre-booking for the phone will start from August 24 and it will be given away on a first-come-first-served basis. It will be available for all from September.

JioPhone, which is targetted at the 50 crore feature-phone users in the country, will offer free voice calls and SMS to customers. For 4G data, customers need to pay Rs 153 per month.

Ambani said that in order to fit every pocket, the company would also introduced two sachets -- a weekly plan for Rs 54 and a two-day plan for Rs 24 -- that would provide similar value.

Industry stakeholders and analysts appreciated the launch, adding that it will disrupt the market and put pressure on existing operators on data prices.

"The new offerings will help significantly in overcoming the existing challenges of driving data usage beyond the urban, high usage customers. We believe that the feature phone will be a compelling attraction for those customers for whom device prices were a hurdle for shifting from a 2G to a 4G service," said Rajan S Mathews, Director General, Cellular Operators' Association of India.

"At Rs 153 with unlimited data, the offer is attractive and it will surely put pressure on the existing operators. At the same time, this will put pressure on the handset and the cable industry too, which will be compelled to match this price point," he added.

"We do not see Jio being able to penetrate the mass market with the announced offer, as we see the monthly price of Rs 153 and Rs 1,500 initial deposit as still being steep for the low income consumers," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch in its report on Friday.

"Further, in our view maintaining of the Rs 153 per month ARPU (average revenue per unit) will be positive for incumbents (same effective monthly price to currently active plan of Rs 309 for two months). However, we see the low priced sachet plans of Rs 24/54 increasing the affordability of phone services, and could prove to be disruptive, leading to other telco operators being forced to float similar plans," the report said.

Ambani said JioPhone can be connected to any TV to watch videos.

"Our young Jio engineers have created an innovation to help them -- a special and affordable 'JioPhone TV cable' that connects JioPhone with any TV, not just a smart TV, so that all JioPhone users can enjoy viewing on the big screen of their existing television sets. Along with this accessory, users can opt for the existing Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan Rs 309 pack that would allow users to watch almost three-four hours of videos daily, of their choice, on a large screen."

The phone is pre-loaded with applications like Jio Cinema, Jio Music and others.

Talking about Jio services, Ambani said: "Jio, in next 12 months, will cover 99 per cent of our country's population."

He said the telecom sector in India took 25 years to build 2G network for customers but "Jio will do 4G in three years".

He said the physical distribution network across India was being expanded to support the enhanced coverage. "We will soon have over 10,000 Jio offices, across every city and tehsil town of India. These offices will service our sales channel partners and over 10 lakh physical retail outlets that sell Jio services. In addition, we will integrate with all major e-commerce platforms," he added.

Jio has 125 million customers across the country. Since its launch 10 months back Jio has added seven customers per second on an average.

"This was the fastest adoption of any technology service, anywhere in the world. Faster than even Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype," Ambani added.

He said India had overtaken the US and China in mobile data usage.

"Before Jio's launch, India was 155th in the world in mobile broadband penetration. Now India is number 1 in mobile data consumption and well on its way to becoming number 1 in mobile broadband penetration, in the coming months."

Ambani said the company has converted majority of its free customers to paid customers. "Today, Jio has more than 100 million paying Jio Prime customers. Most of them have recharged on Jio's Rs 309 or higher plans," he added.

--IANS

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US Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he would continue in his job despite President Donald Trump's public attacks on his recusal from the ongoing Russia probe.

"I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate," Sessions said on Thursday at a press conference.

"I'm totally confident that we can continue to run this office in an effective way."

Sessions was responding to a series of questions about Trump's broad swipe at his administration's top law officers in a New York Times interview on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

In the interview, Trump said he would not appoint Sessions to lead the Justice Department had he known that Sessions would recuse himself from the ongoing investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in March.

The President also lashed out at Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Andrew McCabe.

Later on Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted that Trump's criticism did not indicate that he had has lost confidence in Sessions.

Trump "clearly" has confidence in Sessions or "he would not be the attorney general", Sanders said.--IANS

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(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.)
Asking the BJP MPs to shun the red beacon culture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged them to work among the masses and publicise central government's pro-poor schemes.

The Prime Minister's remarks came during his meeting here over breakfast with a group of Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MPs from western Uttar Pradesh, which was also attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.

"Due to the central government's schemes for the poor, a change in the lives of beneficiaries is clear. 80 per cent of sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been paid their arrears," Modi told the MPs, according a party statement.

"The Prime Minister told the MPs to shun the mindset of red beacon culture," the statement added.

Modi said on account of Ujjwala scheme, which aims to replace unclean cooking fuels with the clean and more efficient LPG, the health of poor women's had improved a lot.

"Now you need to organise conferences of women and make them aware them about nutrition," he said.

The Prime Minister said that a Goods and Services Tax (GST) helpdesk would be set up in Parliament Library Building where MPs can get information from the officials.

During the meeting, MPs told the Prime Minister that after three years of Modi government and three months of Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Aditynath government, a new confidence could be seen in the people. They claimed that due to the pro-poor schemes, the BJP's popularity had also increased.

The meeting was part of Modi's beginning of a new tradition where he holds meetings at his official residence with party MPs in groups during Parliament sessions and discusses issues related to development in their constituencies and states.

During the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to end on August 11, Modi will meet eight other groups of MPs.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Syrian Parliament on Thursday sacked its speaker, Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, over her "lack of performance".

The Syrian parliament members assembled on Thursday evening in an emergency session to discharge the speaker of the parliament who has been in her post since June last year, Xinhua reported.

Abbas was the first woman to claim the position of the speaker of the Syrian parliament since the parliament was formed in 1919.

Her deputy, Najdat Ismail Anzour was appointed as a temporary speaker of the parliament.

He was quoted by the local Sham FM radio as saying that Abbas was discharged over her ill performance.

Anzour is also a famous Syrian television director.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US' prestigious Stanford University, in its Social Innovation Review, has expressed appreciation for the Delhi government's move to offer free primary medical healthcare through neighbourhood clinics, popularly known as Mohalla Clinics.

The city's Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government has till April, has set up over 150 Mohalla Clinics in different parts of the city and aims to take the number to 1,000.

Commending the initiative, the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), published by the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, said that healthcare in India - like the US - was far from universal and was not only privatised but also deeply unequal, heavily favouring wealthy patients who have access to urban centres.

"The government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi wants to change that. Since winning elections to govern India's capital and its environs in 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a project to offer Delhi residents free preventive health screenings through local clinics in the neighbourhoods, or mohallas, where they live," it said.

"A new patient can walk into a Mohalla Clinic-no appointment necessary-and receive a full physical examination from the doctor on staff. The clinic offers all consultations, screenings, lab tests, and medications free of charge, and asks the patient to register on a hand-held tablet for follow-up visits.

"Patients referred to a specialist or hospital can receive those services for free, too. The Mohalla Clinics themselves keep only 120 different basic medications, which the government replenishes regularly," said the article.

In past also, the Mohalla Clinics were lauded by the UN's former Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.

One of the world's oldest medical journals, The Lancet (Britain) also praised the concept in December last year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A university student is likely to become Australia's youngest senator after the resignation of a politician he calls his "mentor", the media reported on Friday.

UK-born Jordon Steele-John, 22, has agreed to replace Scott Ludlam in the Senate for the left-wing Greens party, reports the BBC.

Ludlam quit last week, becoming the first of two senators to resign for holding dual citizenship - a status which bars politicians from office.

Steele-John, who has cerebral palsy, says he will be a disability advocate.

He is tipped to replace Ludlam because he was next in line on last year's election ballot paper, and he has the backing of his party.

The and history student came to Australia as a young child.

A wheelchair user, Steele-John says he is ready to be a "strong voice" for people with disabilities.

"The future belongs to young people. We need to be represented in our parliament," the BBC quoted Steele-John as saying on Friday.

"There is a very large group of people who will now have a voice that truly understands and represents their interests."

Under Australia's constitution, a person cannot run for federal office if they hold dual or plural citizenship.

On Tuesday, fellow Greens Senator Larissa Waters, who was born in Canada, also quit for having dual citizenship.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A double battle started against the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front on both sides of the Syrian-Lebanese border on Friday, a military source said.

The battle started against the Nusra Front militants in the Qalamoun barren area in Syria, and the adjacent Juroud Arsal barrens on the Lebanese side of the border, Xinhua news agency quoted a source as saying.

The Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah started the operation in Syria from the Talet Burkan area in the barren of Flita town, said the source.

The attack was coupled with artillery shelling and missile fire on the positions of the terror-designated group.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah advanced in Juroud Arsal toward the Nusra positions in Qanzah, and Wadi al-Qariyah southeast of Juroud Arsal amid battles with the Nusra Front.

The Syrian air force is playing an important role in covering the advance of the ground troops on either side of the borders, carrying out at least 14 air raids since early Friday.

The battle was anticipated as it aims to end the presence of Al Qaeda-linked militants in the barren areas of both countries, as the militants used to smuggle weapons and explosives using these areas.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Friday said India needs to take help from the US or China to settle the Kashmir problem.

"(US President Donald) Trump himself has said he wants to settle the Kashmir problem. We didn't tell him. Even China said they want to mediate on Kashmir. You have to use someone for the talks," Abdullah said here.

He was responding to reporters who asked if he desired a third party to intervene in the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

The Indian government maintains that there can be no third party involvement in Kashmir.

"How long will you wait for talks? Will you wait for 1,000 years? You have to catch the bull by the horn. Sometimes you have to do it. You have an atom bomb and they too have atom bomb. How many people will get killed?

"This is not the way. The only way is dialogue. Take a friend's help, we say we have friends across the world. So take their help for talks and tell them we want to solve it," Abdullah said.

The National Conference leader said he was not saying that Jammu and Kashmir should be handed over to Pakistan.

"If you and I have some tensions and we are unable to sort out the differences, then we use friends to sort out the problem," he said.

Abdullah said that even after 70 years, the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan had not been resolved.

"No results have come yet... The border is still there... Four battles have been fought. How much more losses you want... The money we spend on buying planes and other war machinery, if used for the poor farmers, then the country will develop rapidly.

"You need to find a solution. You won't find anything by being rigid," he added.

Pakistan holds the northern third of Jammu and Kashmir and India the southern two-thirds. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants fighting since 1989 to secede Kashmir.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iran's foreign ministry has summoned Kuwait's charge d'affaires after the Gulf state closed the Iranian cultural, military and trade offices and ordered the number of Iranian diplomats there to be cut amid a spying row, the semi-official news agency Fars reported on Thursday.

Kuwait had also decided to freeze any activities involving joint committees between the two countries, state news agency KUNA reported, citing a foreign ministry source.

Last year Kuwait convicted 23 men -- one Iranian and the rest Kuwaiti -- of spying for Iran and Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group Hezbollah after a haul of guns and explosives was found during a raid of the so-called 'Abdali cell' in 2015.

Some of the suspects in the Abdali case who were acquitted on appeal but re-convicted by Kuwait's Supreme Court last month are on the run and have allegedly escaped to Iran.

The row comes as Kuwait is trying to mediate an end to the Gulf's worst diplomatic crisis in years, after Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar over accusations it is too close to Iran and is funding Islamic extremists.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Terming actions of Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government and the BJP-led central dispensation "similar in nature", the CPI-M on Friday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations of centre's "corruption, atrocities and harassment" were "equally applicable" to her government.

"The activities of the ruling parties at the centre and the state are similar. The only difference is that Banerjee runs a regional party while the forces at power in the centre are bigger, more dangerous and fascist in nature," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said at a press conference.

"Whatever allegations Banerjee has made against the central government and the BJP, are all applicable to her party and government as well. Her party is resorting to these malpractices at the state level for last six years, while the force at the centre is doing it all over the country for the last three years since ascending to power," he added.

Terming Banerjee's speech on the Martyrs' Day event as "hollow" and "laden with false promises", Mishra said she has not addressed the major state issues like farmers' distress, unemployment and lack of industrialisation.

"Banerjee hasn't talked about the most important issues we are facing. She said there has been 12,000 farmer suicides in the country however till date she has not accepted a single incident of farmer's suicide in this state. Does she want to tell us that all the farmers in Bengal are happy and living a good life?" he asked.

"West Bengal has become a graveyard. The factories are getting locked out everyday. The people are loosing their jobs. The Chief Minister claims that she would create jobs for the people but the reality is something else," he complained.

Taking a swipe at the Trinamool Congress supremo for claiming her party is secular, Misra claimed only talks of secularism will not help the state and urged Banerjee to also start acting in a more secular manner.

"Banerjee talks about secularism but the stand of her government is not at all secular. She has not said a single word about how a state administration or a Chief Minister should deal with the issues of religion. It's time to act in a secular manner," he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Researchers have developed an analytical tool that combines Google Search data with government-provided clinical input to quickly track dengue in less-developed countries.

The tool provides a near real-time monitoring that could enable faster response to outbreaks.

"The wide availability of internet throughout the globe provides the potential for an alternative way to reliably track infectious diseases, such as dengue, faster than traditional clinical-based systems," said senior author Mauricio Santillana in a paper published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology.

"This alternative way of tracking disease could be used to alert governments and hospitals when elevated dengue incidence is anticipated and provide safety information for travellers," added Santillana.

The new research builds on a mathematical modelling tool, known as "AutoRegression with Google Search queries" (ARGO), used to track influenza in the US a few years ago.

The research team modified ARGO to explore its potential to track dengue activity in Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan.

The researchers used Google's "Trends" tool to track the top 10 dengue-related search queries made by users in each country during the study period and gathered historical dengue data from government health agencies and input both datasets into ARGO.

Future work could investigate whether this method could be improved to track disease on finer spatial and temporal scales, and whether environmental data, such as temperature, could improve estimates.

--IANS

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The Trinamool Congress is set to launch a three-week-long movement with the slogan "BJP Quit India", West Bengal Chief Minister announced here on Friday.

The movement will start on August 9 and last till August 30.

"We will launch the movement in every Lok Sabha and assembly constituency, block, city and village. I urge all my ministers, MPs, MLAs and block leaders to take part in the programme," Banerjee said at a Trinamool Congress Martyrs Day rally.

The TMC chief said she would be present at the launch and close of the programme.

It was on August 9, 1942 that the Congress launched the Quit India Movement against the British.

The Trinamool holds the Martyrs' Day rally annually on July 21 in memory of 13 youths who were killed in police firing on this day in 1993.
The University of California-Berkeley has said it will join research funded by US Defense Department (DoD) to improve the safety and accuracy of gene editing.

The project is one of the seven announced on Thursday by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of DOD responsible for the development of new technologies for military use with $65 million in funding, Xinhua news agency reported.

The team, led by UC-Berkeley, includes the University of California-San Francisco and the Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California.

DARPA said the project is aiming to develop better ways to insert gene-editing molecules, including CRISPR-Cas9, short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats Associated Protein 9, into living cells; explore applications of CRISPR proteins other than the popular Cas9, such as RNA-snipping Cas13a; discover more anti-CRISPR proteins that can be used to keep gene editing under tight control; and employ these tools in the fight against major viral diseases such as Ebola and Zika.

In addition, the team headed by UC-Berkeley's Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers who worked on CRISPR-Cas9, will investigate whether these tools might someday be capable of disabling bio-terrorism threats such as novel infectious agents or weapons employing CRISPR itself.

Phase 1 funding to UC-Berkeley and UCSF will amount to about $1.65 million over two years, with a potential additional two years and $1.64 million of funding.

As a partner in this effort, Sandia will receive funds directly from DARPA, under its Safe Genes programme.

Renee Wegrzyn, who manages DARPA's Safe Genes programme, on Thursday said "DARPA launched Safe Genes to begin to refine those capabilities by emphasizing safety first for the full range of potential applications, enabling responsible science to proceed by providing tools to prevent and mitigate misuse".

Echoing what Wegrzyn stated, Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry at UC Berkeley, said that "from a biosecurity perspective, we hope that our technologies displace less safe technologies, and by demonstrating that gene-editing activity can be prophylactically or therapeutically shut down, discouraging its potential intentional misuse".

The other DARPA-funded projects will take place at the Broad Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and North Carolina State University.

--IANS

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The UN refugee agency UNHCR on Friday said it welcomes this week's launching of a Pakistan government programme to register undocumented Afghans living in the country, estimated between 600,000 to one million.

"This significant step will help regularise the stay for many Afghans at a time when return to their home country may not be possible," UNHCR spokesperson Duniya Aslam Khan was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Afghans registered under this new scheme will receive Afghan Citizen cards, providing them legal protection from arbitrary arrests, detention or deportation under Pakistan's Foreigner's Act, said the UNHCR.

"The citizen cards will allow Afghans to stay in Pakistan for the time being until they can be issued documents such as passports, by the government of Afghanistan," said Khan.

The initiative will bring much needed relief for many Afghan families where some were registered refugees, while others had no legal status.

The UNHCR said the registration of undocumented Afghans followed three years of consultations between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and refugeed agency. It formed part of Pakistan's Comprehensive Policy on the Repatriation and Management of Afghans, endorsed by its Cabinet in February.

The plan included: Extending the validity of the Proof of Registration cards to some 1.4 million registered Afghans refugees until the end of 2017, a commitment to adopt a national refugee law and a visa regime for different categories of Afghan refugees who have the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

The six-month registration programme began on July 20 with the launch of a pilot in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and the north-western city of Peshawar, which hosts the largest number of undocumented of Afghans.

--IANS

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The Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed uproar by the opposition and brief adjournment during the Zero Hour over a section of circulating remarks by Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal which had been withdrawn by him and expunged by the Chair.

Agrawal raised the issue soon after the Upper House of Parliament met for the Day. He said that he was being criticised by and threatened by BJP activists over the expunged remarks, which he said was a breach of privilege of the House.

Opposition members cutting across party lines supported Agrawal and demanded the Chair initiate breach of privilege proceedings against the erring news channel as well the publications that carried the remarks which had been expunged from the proceedings of the House.

Agarwal had on Wednesday linked the names of a few Hindu gods and goddesses with types of liquor in couplets that he attributed to "BJP people".

After the loud protest by the treasury benches, Agrawal later withdrew the remarks and also expressed regret over it. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien, who was presiding over the House at that time, categorically asked both electronic and print to not publish/telecast the expunged portion.

The members had also asked the Chair to bar the social media from circulating the inflammatory remarks in the presence of Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

However, the remarks were reported by a news channel and some newspapers and also made it to the social media.

On Thursday, unidentified persons, claiming to be BJYM members, blackened the nameplate of Agrawal's 6, Tughlak Lane residence here.

An FIR was also lodged against him in Meerut the same day.

On Friday, Agrawal said that he was receiving threats.

"This is contempt of this House," Agrawal said demanding breach of privilege motion against the erring TV channel and newspapers and the officials for lodging FIR against him.

A large number of opposition leaders stood up in Agrawal's support and demanded quick action in the matter.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma and Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said that under Rule 190 of the Proceedings of Rajya Sabha, the Chair should instantly issue a breach of privilege notice to the erring TV channel and newspapers.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leaders K. Rahman Khan and Pramod Tiwari, JDU leader Sharad Yadav, CPI-M leader Tapan Sen and Samajwadi Party member Javed Ali Khan too demanded action in the matter.

Anand Sharma observed that it has "become a favourite pastime" for some some news channels to "berate, defame, insult, castigate parliamentarians and institutions" during their evening programmes.

However, Kurien said that privilege motion was not "instant coffee" and asked the members to give a notice which will be examined by the Chair.

"You give notice. I will examine it and come back to the House," he said.

The opposition members loudly protested against this and asked the Chair to evoke Rule 190 and instantly initiate action in the matter.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "A lot of things appear in the media against the government, but we do not initiate breach of privilege proceedings."

He said that as far as vandalising Agrawal's house is concerned, proper action will be taken by the police if he lodges an FIR.

By this time, the opposition members trooped near the podium and started shouted slogans "Bhajpa ki gundagardi nahi chalegi".

Kurien adjourned the House for 15 minutes amidst the din.

However, as soon as the House met at 12 noon for Question Hour, the opposition members again raised the issue.

Chairman Hamid Ansari said that he has received the notice and has asked the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to take it further.

"I have received a notice from some members raising a question of privilege against a TV channel and some newspapers for making defamatory remarks against a member. The Secretariat has been asked to issue show cause notice and inquire further," Ansari said, putting the matter to rest.

--IANS

mak/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US has said it wants India and China to engage in a direct dialogue to reduce tensions amid a dragging stand-off on the border between the two armies.

"They (India and China) are talking those issues. They're going to talk to one another. We would encourage them to direct ... engage in a direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions," said US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Thursday.

The borders of India, Bhutan and China meet at Doklam, which holds strategic importance to all three. China calls Doklam its own but India and Bhutan call it Bhutanese territory.

India stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in Doklam in June, leading to the face-off between New Delhi and Beijing.

The US spokeswoman said Washington was keeping a close watch on the situation at the Bhutan-China border. "This is a situation that we are following closely and carefully."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An official probe began on Friday into an alleged medical college scam involving BJP leaders in Kerala.

"I gave the orders for a probe based on a complaint that I got. The probe begins today," Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra told the media. Behra also heads the Vigilance Department.

The case pertains to a Rs 5.60 crore bribe allegedly paid by a privately managed medical college to Kerala-based BJP leaders for influencing the Medical Council of India (MCI). Since then, there has been another such allegation in northern Kerala.

CPI-M leader Brinda Karat told reporters in Kozhikode on Friday that this was just the tip of the iceberg of corruption involving the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The leaders of the BJP speak of 'Swachh Bharat' and now they should begin that from within their party," she said.

Kerala BJP chief Kummanem Rajasekheran, while denying any links of the party with the alleged scam, on Thursday night expelled the party's Cooperative Cell Convenor R.S. Vinod after his name surfaced in an internal committee report leaked to the media.

One of the leaders whose name figure in the report is Kerala General Secretary M.T. Ramesh, who has denied any involvement in the scam and said he was being targeted by vested interests.

Meanwhile, the BJP has cancelled Friday's core committee meeting. Instead, a state committee meeting has been called for Saturday.

(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.)
WhatsApp users in China were still experiencing service disruptions on Friday after four days of problems.

Users had first reported problems in sending photos and videos on Tuesday, leading some analysts to believe that Chinese censorship authorities are attempting to control content shared on the service.

GreatFire.org, an NGO which keeps track of internet censorship in China, confirmed to Efe news on Friday that normal service had not yet been restored.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, was one of the only foreign social applications that was still operational in China.

China has its own instant messaging service, namely WeChat, which collaborates with the country's censorship authorities to erase messages and accounts with "sensitive" political material, unlike WhatsApp, whose messages are encrypted.

The service disruptions have been reported in the same week that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo passed away.

Liu was also a victim of Chinese censorship, as all references to him on social and websites were either blocked or deleted by the authorities.

Chinese censorship authorities have even blocked tributes to the writer and deleted photos of empty chairs posted by his followers as a symbol of the Chinese dissident.

China has blocked access to websites like Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for years, which has led to the rise of local equivalents and contributed to the emergence of Chinese online giants including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.

--IANS

ksk/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In another world at another time, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, three-time chief minister of Sikkim, who died in a Delhi hospital last Sunday, would have been hailed as a freedom fighter. Denied that accolade, he might still be remembered for saying famously, Sikkim has merged but will not be submerged.
In December 2015, Steve Bannon, now the presidents chief strategist, told Donald Trump, Youre a student of military history. Flattery will get you everywhere with Mr Trump, but that was a stretch. In a recent interview with this newspaper, we learn from Mr Trump the reason for the collapse of Napoleon Bonapartes Russian campaign of 1812: And his one problem is he didnt go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.

In psychoanalytic parlance, this is known as projection. Surely Napoleon could not go to Moscow without enjoying a bit on the side  especially since they didnt have cameras back then. Now, Napoleon was not averse to the extracurricular, but the calamitous six-month Russian campaign was scarcely the moment. The general had other things on his mind, like the battle of Borodino. Napoleon had other talents, President Trump explains. He quotes President Emmanuel Macron of France as saying that Napoleon designed Paris. The street grid, the way they work, you know, the spokes. This appears to be a reference to Haussmanns grid of broad avenues cut through crowded airless neighbourhoods under Napoleon III, who was Bonapartes nephew.

Close, but no cigar. Evidently on a historical roll, Mr Trump fast-forwards to Hitlers invasion of Russia 129 years later. Same thing happened to Hitler, President Trump declares. Not for that reason, though. With a 1,000-year Reich to build, theres apparently limited time for the extracurricular.

History, for Mr Trump, is principally a vast murky backdrop against which to declare his every act and utterance the greatest since time began. That is what historys for. The president made a speech in Poland this month and, he suggested, Enemies of mine are saying it was the greatest speech ever made on foreign soil by a president. (His friends are presumably saying it was the greatest in the history of the universe.)

Greatest ever? Well, there was President John F. Kennedys speech in Berlin in 1963 when he declared in the then-divided city: All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, Ich bin ein Berliner. Kennedy also said: Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. Such ideas in the mouth of a president, like Mr Trump, who delights in the company of autocrats, would be little short of grotesque. There is a difference between knowledge of history  the sense of the sweep of time and the power of the American idea that enabled Kennedy to make that prediction about a unified Berlin and a unified European continent  and mouthing about history.

Mr Trump, of course, has also addressed American history, suggesting that Andrew Jackson was alive at the time of the Civil War (hed been dead for 16 years). Turning to Asia, he declared that Korea actually used to be a part of China, a wild distortion that infuriated an ally, South Korea. Far from a student of history, Mr Trump is an ahistorical president at a time of historical geostrategic shifts. This is a problem. He cannot gauge our times because his only gauge is his own self-exaltation. As William Burns said in May: A nasty brew of mercantilism, unilateralism and unreconstructed nationalism has bubbled to the surface under Mr Trump.

Napoleon and Hitler stumbled into disastrous campaigns in Russia. Before the United States stumbles into a disastrous war with Iran, the president might read some history: About the CIA-assisted coup of 1953 that deposed Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, about the brutal Savak secret police of the American-backed shah, about Western support for Saddam Hussein and his use of chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq war, about the American shooting-down of an Iran Air civilian flight with the loss of 290 lives. History is no joke. Its on the curriculum because it is only through it that the psyches of other nations can be understood and wars averted.





2017 The New York Times News Service
On Wednesday, the media went to town reporting the agitation by Tamil Nadu farmers at Jantar Mantar. On one of the far too many 24X7 news channels on TV today, an expert said that farmers across India need to be educated so that they can farm using scientific methods. The spread of literacy, he said, would provide a safety net for them when their crops failed. This got me thinking about a mistake that development theorists commonly make, when they equate illiteracy with ignorance. When we define literacy within the narrow parameters of conventional schooling, were doing a grave injustice to the Indians who are skilled, and more importantly, capable of imparting their skills to students. Here are some of the many cases that illustrate this point.
A man of humble origin and a low-profile leader, was on Thursday elected the 14th President of India and will be the second Dalit to occupy the top constitutional post.

Born in Paraunkh village in Kanpur rural of Uttar Pradesh two years before Independence, Kovind, who turns 72 in October, hails from the Koli (weaver) community.

Always unassuming, Kovind worked through the ranks to become a national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and headed the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha for three years from 1999. He was associated with the RSS before he joined the BJP.

A lawyer by profession, Kovind had practised at the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for 16 years. He was also a central government counsel for some time.

Kovind served two terms as the Rajya Sabha member (1994-2006) and was member of a number of parliamentary committees, including on home, welfare of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and the Hindi Shiksha Samiti.



He also served as member on the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Management - Kolkata and that of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Lucknow.

He represented India at the United Nations and addressed the United Nations General Assembly in October 2002.

Kovind has worked for the rights of weaker sections, particularly the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and women. He joined the movement of SC/ST employees against the central government over 1997 orders, which adversely affected their interests. The orders were subsequently nullified by amendments adopted during the first National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.



Kovind also worked for providing free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of the society as an advocate.

During his terms as a member of Parliament, Kovind helped in construction of school buildings in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

Kovind was General Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Koli Samaj.

After his election on Thursday as the President, an emotional Kovind said he will work towards protecting the Constitution and upholding its values, and will serve the nation to ensure happiness for all.



"It is my duty to protect the Constitution and uphold its values as the President. I pay my respects to my countrymen and assure them that I'll serve the nation in the spirit of 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah' (May all be happy)," he said.

Recalling his childhood days, Kovind said: "We lived in a 'kuchha' house made of mud. The roof couldn't stop the water trickles during the rainy season. I, along with my brothers and sisters, used to stand in a corner and wait for the rain to stop."

"There could be many such Ram Nath Kovinds who are getting drenched in the rain. Many are working hard to earn their livelihood in this rain. I represent all those hardworking people. This is also a message to those who earn their livelihood with hard work and honesty," he said.



Kovind said, "I neither thought I would be elected to this post, nor was this my aim. But my everlasting spirit to serve the society and my country has brought me here."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Kovind on his election.

"Gladdened by the extensive support for Kovindji among MPs and across various states. I thank members of the electoral college," he added.

Modi also tweeted two pictures of himself with Kovind and his family, one of which was taken 20 years ago, and said: "20 years ago and the present... always been a privilege to know you, President Elect."

BJP President Amit Shah, in a tweet, hoped Kovind will distinguish himself as an exceptional President.

"The election of Ram Nath Kovindji is a victory for the poor, downtrodden and the marginalised and their aspirations," he said.

There were celebrations in Paraunkh, Kovind's ancestral village, as the news of his election broke out.
Sparks flew in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday during the discussion on and atrocities on Dalits, with the opposition trying to corner the government and a minister raking up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra incident.

As the opposition accused the government of creating an atmosphere of fear in the country, the government in its reply said there was nothing anti-Muslim or anti-Dalit about the incidents, but should not be "eulogised".

Speaking on the issue, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "doublespeak" and giving "gau rakshaks" (cow vigilantes) a free hand.

"It (mob violence) has nothing to do with cow vigilantes ... It has something to do with Narendra Modi. It is the Prime Minister who is creating the kind of environment in which this is happening," Sibal said in a bitter attack on the government.

"It is better for the Prime Minister to come clean over this rather than indulge in doublespeak," he said, adding that those killing innocent people in the name of cows were not "real Hindus".

He also quoted from old speeches of Modi where he spoke of "pink revolution" and called for stopping cow slaughter.

"We need to ask ourselves as to why this is happening now. We have not seen such violence in the last 40-50 years. The cow represents 'ahimsa' (non-violence). When you kill in the name of a cow, you kill the cow, you kill ahimsa and you kill humanity," Sibal said.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that mob violence must be condemned but it should not be done "selectively".

"When I condemn mob lynching, I do not suffer from selective amnesia like some of our opposition colleagues," Javadekar said as he mentioned the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the killing of "karsevaks" in Godhra in Gujarat in 2002.

"In 1984, Sikhs were lynched or burnt alive, at least 3,000 of them. In 2002, Ram 'bhakts' (devotees) returning from Ayodhya were lynched in Godhra. We condemn all such incidents," the HRD Minister said.

He said there were 16 mob lynchings in 2012 and 14 in 2013.

A visibly angry Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad hit back by saying that notwithstanding who was in power, the "parivaar" (a reference to the Sangh family or Hindutva groups) people were found involved in every communal riot in the country.

"Where are the culprits involved in the lynchings in 2012 and 2013? Where are the culprits involved in anti-Sikh riots of 1984?... Very few of them are in jail, rest are roaming free," Javadekar said.

Azad retorted: "Let me say that in all the communal riots that occurred in India, people from your 'parivaar' were found involved."

He said it was the Congress that fought for the country's freedom and "not you people" before the opposition members walked out of the House.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said the Modi government was neither anti-Dalit nor anti-Muslim.

In his reply to the discussion, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would show no sympathy to those lynching people in the name of cow protection.

"Nobody has the right to take law in his hands. And if somebody does, he should be condemned, arrested and prosecuted. The government's stand is very clear -- nobody is allowed to do that," Jaitley said in the Rajya Sabha.

"...there is no rationalisation, no argument about hurting of sentiments can be an explanation for the crime," he said, adding that the central government was absolutely committed on the issue and had already sent an advisory to the states.

"The law will certainly take its course in these cases. No amount of sympathy will be shown to these people. The Prime Minister has spoken thrice on the issue," Jaitley said.

On the atrocities on Dalits, Jaitley said oppression in the name of caste would not be tolerated and that stringent laws were in place to protect the Dalits.

"The way we have historically treated one section of our brethren is a black spot in our history. We owe it to ourselves, if not to them, to reverse that process of history," the minister said.

However, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said, it was also not proper to "eulogise" cow slaughter in states where there was no prohibition on cow slaughter.

BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said that his party was not satisfied with the minister's reply and staged a walkout.

(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.)
Of the 1,650 political parties registered with the Election Commission (EC), only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communists to an extent have upheld internal democracy, BJP President said on Friday.

"All the other parties are dynasties," Shah told a meeting of prominent citizens in Jaipur.

The BJP, he said, was a party with a difference. It was the only party that was based on principles and it had internal democracy in place, he added.

Shah, on a three-day trip of Rajasthan, traced the history of the party and tried to convey how the BJP was different from all others.

"Can anyone of you say who will be the BJP President after me? No one. But regarding the Congress, anyone can predict who will become the President after Soniaji," he said, referring to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP is the only party where a 'booth karyakarta' can become a President, Shah said, he added, referring to himself.

"Internal democracy in any party is important. It is because of this that in the BJP a tea seller became the Prime Minister."

Political parties without internal democracy and principals cannot govern the country and the states in the right manner, he said.

"Political parties who do not have internal democracy can never contribute towards making democracy stronger in the country."

He said the BJP was the only party where decisions were made on merit. "There are only a few parties which work on principals... The BJP is the main."

He added: "Because of BJP government policies, Rajasthan is out of BIMARU status... Soon you will see Uttar Pradesh coming out of BIMARU status as now we have a BJP government there."

Shah said that although the Congress ruled the country for 70 long years, there were villages even today without electricity.

"Now we will see to it that there is no village left without electricity."

Earlier, Shah presided over a meeting of Rajasthan ministers. It was also attended by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP state President Ashok Parnami.

"He took feedback from the ministers and listened to them patiently as each minister gave details of the work done by their ministries," a BJP functionary told IANS.

Shah told the ministers to spread awareness about the Modi government's programmes among the masses.

He also met MLAs, MPs and party leaders and inaugurated an e-library at the BJP office in Jaipur.
He wasn't the name that newspaper readers were familiar with or the face that television viewers knew. Today, Ram Nath Kovind walked away from that quiet past  and into the record books as India's president-elect.

The former Bihar governor and old BJP hand, described variously as low profile, unassuming and affable, had an easy win to the country's highest constitutional post, securing more than 65% of the votes in the electoral college.

As celebrations broke out in his ancestral home in Paraunkh village in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur Dehat, the 71-year-old Kovind became the first BJP member and only the second Dalit to be elected to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Stepping away from quietude to the spotlight of constant scrutiny that comes with being the country's first citizen, he was picked for the job by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from Raj Bhavan in Patna, where he had struck an easy working relationship with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

It was perhaps Kovind's non-confrontational approach to politics that led the JD(U) chief to back him for the president's office even though he had been critical of his appointment as the governor, but later it led to the curious situation of the party endorsing the opposition's candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi for the vice-president's post.

This easy demeanour has stood the Kanpur-born former lawyer in good stead, say political watchers. He is not just a Dalit leader, but is known for his organisational skills and is a loyal member of the BJP, attributes that not many in the larger NDA family can boast of.

Names of several presidential probables from the NDA stable had done the rounds, but Kovind, a former national spokesperson of the party, was not among them. While the choice surprised political watchers, it was seen as an astute move for a party working overtime to expand its social base and win over new constituencies. And one that has delivered dividends.

Kovind is married and has a son and a daughter. It was a measure of his public persona that though his wife Savita was by his side during the weeks of campaigning, his children were not seen much or written about.

BJP chief Amit Shah said the party's parliamentary board went through a long list of potential candidates before choosing Kovind, who was its MP in Rajya Sabha for two terms and headed its Dalit Morcha.

Kovind's links to the party's controversial Hindutva politics are tenuous. Sources say he was drawn more to the politics of social empowerment of Dalits and other weaker sections than the plank of religion.

Kovind, a commerce graduate who also studied law at Kanpur University, practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. He was also the central government's standing counsel in the apex court from 1980-93.

His official profile on the Bihar governor's website describes him as a crusader for "rights and cause of weaker sections of society specially Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/OBC/ minority..." from his student days.

The BJP has been seeking to widen its base beyond its traditional constituencies of upper castes and trading classes and has succeeded to a large extent, as seen in the UP assembly polls.

Kovind, who headed Dalit Morcha from 1998 to 2002, also led the All-India Koli Samaj.

Elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1994 from Uttar Pradesh, he served two consecutive terms until March 2006.

He joined a stir by SC/ST employees in 1997 when Dalits and others protested against orders issued by the Central government, which were rescinded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when the NDA came to power.

As an advocate, Kovind took the lead in providing free legal aid to weaker sections, especially the SC/ST women, and poor and needy girls under the aegis of the Free Legal Aid Society in Delhi.

Known for his work in the field of education, he served as a member of the board of management of the Dr B R Ambedkar University, Lucknow, and was a member of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

India's 14th president will take oath on July 25, when he will take over from veteran politician Pranab Mukherjee.

(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.)
Most of the cross-voting in presidential election favoured NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind, but significantly in Rajasthan, where the BJP is in power, opposition-backed Congress nominee Meira Kumar was the beneficiary of cross-voting.

In Rajasthan, where the Congress won 24 seats in the last assembly polls, Meira Kumar got 34 votes, which are believed to have come mostly from non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) outfits and the Independents.

Analysis of results shows that cross-voting took place in favour of Kovind by about eight legislators in Uttar Pradesh and nearly 11 in Gujarat, where state elections are due for the year-end.

Kovind got about nine votes more than expected in Maharashtra, three in Assam, two each in Punjab and Delhi, two in Goa and five extra votes in West Bengal.

The extra votes in his favour are believed to have come from Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and from Congress in Goa.

In West Bengal, opposition parties alleged that the Trinamool MLAs did the cross-voting. State Congress spokesperson Om Prakash Mishra said the Trinamool lawmakers were facing heat over CBI investigations into multiple scams, so they were in "secret understanding with the BJP".

In Delhi, the BJP has only four MLAs. Kovind has got two more votes, including apparently of Kapil Mishra, the suspended Aam Aadmw Party MLA.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the Samajwadi Party (SP) is riven by factional strife, Shivpal Singh Yadav, the brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, had openly declared that he and some other MLAs voted for Kovind.

In Tripura, six suspended lawmakers voted for the winning candidate.

In Gujarat, as many as 11 Gujarat Congress legislators are learnt to have cast their votes in favour of Kovind.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said that while there had been cross-voting in favour of Meira Kumar in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, there also has been cross-voting in her favour in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

Surjewala said Kovind had got 65.66 per cent votes against the claims of BJP leaders that their candidate would get 70 per cent.

He said opposition unity had stayed intact.

"We shall examine them, but we can say with some amount of satisfaction that opposition unity on the principles of ideology has held together, people have voted together and people have voted to defend and protect the Idea of India," he said.
Calling for an end to the politicisation of incidents of cow vigilantism, the RSS on Friday said it does not support any kind of violence linked to cow protection and demanded action against those found guilty.

"Instead of connecting it (violence in the name of cow protection) with RSS, action should be taken against them and those who are found guilty should be punished. Law should take its own course," RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya said.

Vaidya, who was replying to questions on incidents of lynching and violence linked to cow protection, said "Sangh does not support any kind of violence. We have said it earlier and made it clear earlier too".

"'Gau Raksha' is a different issue. The movement of Gau Raksha has been going on for hundreds of years. These incidents have been happening for years together. It is not that it has happened for the first time," he said.

RSS leader said that the media is trying to connect it with a kind of ideology and opposition is trying to politicise the issue.

"It is wrong. RSS has never supported the violence. Doing over it and demeaning a part of society, it is not good," he said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) three-day conclave here ended today, the first such meet in Jammu and Kashmir since independence, during which issues related to the situation in the state, country and various other topics were discussed.

The Akhil Bhartiya Pracharak conference from July 18-20, was held following the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and in the backdrop of the worsening security situation and increasing militancy in Kashmir.

As many as 195 pracharaks (preachers), heads of all allied organisations of RSS and top leaders took part in the conference, in which its chief Mohan Bhagwat, senior leaders Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Dattatreya Hosabale and Krishna Gopal also participated.

The conference debated various issues of the country, party and society and also the situation in Kashmir, besides organisational matters and programmes in the state.

Replying to another question about Congress's design at one time during its rule, to indict RSS in terrorism and tried to force NIA to interrogate Bhagwat, Vaidya said: "it was wrong to politicise the issue and involve RSS".

"Identity of this country is Hindutva, which is not against any other religion. We believe in the philosophy of well being of everyone," he added.

He said "it was wrong for that government to give it a political turn. By giving it such a turn, it would be mean disaster for the country. They later got exposed".

In reply to a question about election of NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind as the country's 14th president, he said as all lawmakers have chosen him as president so it should be respected.

"It is a welcome step. He has been a BJP activist and governor. It was a decision of the party," he said.

He said the situation in Bengal, which was debated in the conference, is serious and Hindus live in fear there.

"They are targeted with violence and violence is going on there. The government is sitting silent," he said.

"In the March conference, RSS passed a resolution condemning it. But the situation has not improved there," he added.
Escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the Holy Land's most contested shrine boiled over into violence that killed six people -- three Palestinians in street clashes in Jerusalem and three Israelis in a stabbing attack at a West Bank settlement.

After nightfall, a Palestinian sneaked into a home in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank and stabbed to death three Israelis, the head of Israel's rescue service said yesterday.

An Israeli site said those killed were two men and a woman who were having dinner at the time. The army released footage showing a blood-covered kitchen floor.

Israel TV's Channel 10 said the assailant was in his late teens and had posted on Facebook that he was upset by the events at the shrine. Eli Bin, the head of Israel's rescue service MDA, said an off-duty soldier next door heard screams, rushed to the home and shot the attacker through a window. Bin said the attacker was wounded and evacuated to hospital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, announced that he is freezing ties with Israel, dealing a blow to fledgling Trump administration efforts to try to renew long- dormant peace talks.

Abbas said contacts with Israel would be suspended on "all levels." It was not immediately clear if this means long-standing security coordination between Israeli troops and Abbas' forces will be halted.

At issue in the current round of violence are metal detectors Israel installed at the Jerusalem shrine earlier this week, in response to a deadly attack by Arab gunmen there.

The metal detectors are perceived by the Palestinians as an encroachment on Muslim rights and portrayed by Israel as a needed security measure following the attack that killed two Israeli policemen.

Earlier yesterday, several thousand Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank clashed with Israeli troops, burning tires or throwing stones and firecrackers. Troops fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen hospitalized with live or rubber bullet injuries.

White clouds of tear gas rose from Jerusalem streets and West Bank flashpoints. In one neighborhood, Palestinians threw stones from behind a mattress used as a shield.

Israel also faced growing criticism from the Muslim world, and thousands staged anti-Israel protests after Friday prayers in Jordan and Yemen. Turkey and Egypt also condemned the violence.

The confrontations in the Holy Land could escalate in coming days, as both sides dig in.

Israel said the metal detectors would remain in place. Lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel would not surrender to what he said were "violence and incitement" by those "attempting to drag us into a religious war."



Jerusalem's top Muslim cleric, Mohammed Hussein, said protests, including mass street prayers outside the shrine, would continue until the devices are removed. He told worshippers yesterday that they should prepare for a "long test of wills" with Israel.

"We will not back off," he said.

The shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, sits at the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, symbolizing the rival religious and national narratives of the two sides.

Disputes over the 37-acred (15-hectare) walled hilltop platform in Jerusalem's Old City have repeatedly triggered major confrontations in the past.

Earlier this week, Israel began installing metal detectors at the gates of the compound, saying extra measures were required to prevent further attacks.

Muslim leaders portrayed the metal detectors as part of a purported Israeli campaign to expand its control over the shrine, a claim Israel denies. Muslim clerics urged worshippers to pray in the streets near the shrine, rather than submit to the new security procedures.

The faithful complied. Thousands flocked to the Old City each day this week for street prayers, kneeling on mats spread on cobble stone and asphalt.

Yesterday, the highlight of the Muslim religious week, Israeli police severely restricted Muslim access to the Old City to prevent mass protests.

Some 3,000 officers were deployed at checkpoints in and around the city, turning away Muslim men under the age of 50, including those trying to reach the city from Israel and the West Bank.

In the end, thousands reached the Old City, a fraction of the typical Friday turnout of tens of thousands of worshippers.

After peaceful prayers, clashes erupted in several areas of Jerusalem and across the West Bank.

Palestinian health officials said three Palestinians were killed by live fire in different areas of Jerusalem.

The Red Crescent said 390 Palestinians were hurt, including close to 100 who were hospitalized for live fire or rubber bullet injuries. Israeli police said five officers were wounded.

The perceived threat to the shrine, home to the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, has galvanized Palestinians -- especially those in east Jerusalem which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and quickly annexed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Friends & Neighbors Day at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory south of Mandan will be held 2-5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27.

The annual event, sponsored by the Area 4 SCD Cooperative Research Farm, gives the public an opportunity to visit the USDA campus and learn about agricultural and environmental research ongoing in North Dakota. Throughout the afternoon, employees will give presentations on their work and tours. A free barbecue is offered all afternoon

Topics of the presentations are drought stress research, digital crop growth monitoring systems, water quality, cover crops, soil quality, the national USDA Climate Data Hubs, tips for healthier grilled beef and the equipment used in research. The public is invited to bring in water for the USDA scientists to evaluate.

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture will host presentations on raising urban chickens, Honeybees 101 and organic foods. The department will also exhibit agricultural commodities and foodstuffs, and provide a fun learning area for children.

USDA tours will focus on remote environmental monitoring systems that can be tracked in real-time over the internet.

Other USDA agencies will host exhibits on their efforts.

The research campus is located at 1701 10th Ave. S.W., south of the Heart River on Highway 6.

For more information, call 701-667-3001 or visit www.area4farm.org or www.ars.usda.gov/pa/ngprl.
Four Indians have been arrested in Nepal for allegedly defrauding a woman on the pretext of doubling her gold ornaments, police said.

Pintu Nat, Mukhilal Nat, Bhuwan Nat and Binod Nat, who hail from Uttar Pardesh's Baliya, landed in the police net at the Parsa district yesterday, DSP Chakra Raj Joshi said.

The accused asked the victim, a resident of Murli Chok in Birgunj metropolitan city-13, to handover her gold ornaments so that they could start the process to double them on the same day, The Himalayan Times reported.

As the accused tried to decamp with the ornaments, police laid a trap and arrested the accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A prestigious Jatin Das painting that was found missing from Air India's collection recently has been returned to its office here in a "torn condition", an official at the airline has said.

"Over a week back we received this 33x17 inch painting. It was without a frame and had been folded several times and was in a torn condition. It was sent to us from an address in Gurgaon which we later found to be fake," said the Air India official who did not want to be identified.

An internal inquiry team, set up after Das complained to Air India earlier this month that his painting commissioned by the airline was available on open market, found out that a former executive director at the airline had been in possession of the painting and contacted her.

After the artwork - a horizontal oil painting titled 'Flying Apsara' commissioned in 1991 by Air India - resurfaced, the airline is now examining how many more former or serving Air India officials could be in possession of such paintings.

Padma Bhushan awardee Das had earlier told PTI that "indifference, negligence and theft" were behind the painting going missing.

The airline has been preparing an inventory of thousands of artefacts collected by it since the 1950s for an Air India Museum that was earlier expected to be inaugurated on August 15.

The collection includes stone sculptures dating back to the ninth century, woodwork, decorative friezes, and a collection of exquisite clocks, but the most prized are some of the nearly 4,000 paintings that include works by stalwarts such as M F Husain, S H Raza, V S Gaitonde, K A Ara, Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpana Caur and B Prabha.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An international rights group has urged Egyptian authorities to investigate the death of a Coptic Christian man who died in police custody, apparently of torture.

Amnesty International documented in a report released on Friday the death of a 43-year-old Gamal Aweida who was arrested on July 18 and held in Cairo's Mensheyet Nasir's police station over allegations of forgery. Hours later, police officers claimed that he committed suicide.

Amnesty, after speaking to family members and lawyers, found evidence that officers were implicated in torturing the man to death.

Najia Bounaim, Amnesty's North Africa campaigns director, says that "years of impunity have emboldened perpetrators of such abuses in Egypt, giving security forces free rein to torture and ill-treat detainees without fearing any consequences."



She said Egypt "must immediately open an investigation.

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International antique dealer Subash Chandra Kapoor, one of the main accused in the alleged theft of idols from a temple in nearby Ariyalur district, has been produced before a court in Kumbakonam.

Kapoor (60) is accused of stealing idols from Suthamalli Varadaraja Perumal temple in Ariyalur district.

He was produced in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court yesterday along with 10 others accused in the case.

Kapoor, said to be having international links, was brought from Tiruchi central jail where he is lodged now.

The judge posted the case for hearing to July 24.

The prosecution case is that 20 idols were allegedly stolen from the temple at Suthddamalli on April 14, 2008.

Police arrested Kapoor and one Bhakyakumar, an international accused in drug trafficking and nine others in connection with the case.

Bhakyakumar, now lodged in Puzhal prison in Chennai, was not brought to the court.

In a related development, the Idol Wing police personnel brought back from the US two idols allegedly stolen from the temple.

A temple priest identified the idols as belonging to the temple.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In November 1755, the capital city of Portugal was hit by an earthquake. Lisbon, known for its architectural heritage, was razed to the ground minutes later by a tsunami destroying whatever little was spared.

The city was decimated.

But with time, it recreated itself rebuilding the architecture which has awed Goa-based artist Deviprasad C Rao to produce a body of work titled 'Lisbon Impact' and 'Lisbon Calling'.

Rao's works, showcasing the vivacity of the city by exploring the quintessential Pombaline architecture, are up for view at an ongoing exhibition titled "My journey to Portugal- Prelude".

The art show at India International Center here, displays works inspired from his journey to Portugal since 2013. The show is a curtain raiser to a proposed exhibition which is scheduled to be unveiled in Portugal in 2019.

In its first series, the artworks depict selected historical, central and northern Portugal cities of Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Obidos, Porto, Fatima, Coimbra, Guimaraes, Minho and Braga.

During his travel to these cities, Rao painted his own experiences and expressed the cultural and architectural heritage on the canvas with a vision of his own.

While talking about his first visit to Lisbon, Rao recalls, "When I went to Lisbon for the first time I was in awe of the beauty of the buildings there. It is a different feeling altogether to look at the way the city has developed since the devastating earthquake.

"I was looking to paint a city which was really dense as the technique of my painting and Lisbon offered me that. There is so much character to capture at every corner of the street."



His paintings display the quaint Portuguese towns and homes huddled near huge buildings that are reminiscent of the traditional 18th century Pombaline architecture.

Lisbon's trademark seven hills stretching across the city have been shown in vibrant hues of greens along with the urban landscape painted in shades of reds and blues.

Unlike other artists, Rao doesn't seek inspiration in nature. Instead he looks reaches out to man-made structures.

"Nature doesn't surprise me much. What stuns me are these mammoth buildings which have history associated with them.

"Today we have technology to build structures but back then there was nothing. These beautiful buildings which were created in those times have histories of civilisation behind them," he says.

The self-taught artist is also planning to explore the architectural heritage of around 52 Indian cities.

"I have shortlisted several cities which I am soon going to visit for my next series. Once completed I will be taking my work to different countries where India shares diplomatic relations," he says.

The exhibition is set to continue till July 26.

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A CAG report has exposed wasteful and avoidable expenditures, and irregularities in three IITs at Jodhpur, Roorkee, and Madras, that cost the exchequer around Rs 18.03 crores.

According to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report - Compliance Audit Observations for year ended March 2016 - IIT-Roorkee spent Rs 15.06 crore in vain for construction of sewer lines and sewage treatment plant projects which was not completed even after four years from the date of completion.

IIT-Roorkee had also paid service tax to the tune of around Rs 1.33 crores for outsourced services although these services were exempted from such tax, the report stated.

IIT-Jodhpur had irregularly waived recovery of excess payment amounting to Rs 59.38 lakh to its faculty.

The report said, "The MHRD has directed IIT-Jodhpur to stop overpayment and recover the excess payments".

IIT-Madras has been accused of incurring avoidable expenditure of Rs 1.05 crores towards penal charges on electricity consumption.

Besides, Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode (IIM-K) has also been accused of extending GPF-cum-pension scheme to its employees without government approval which has cost Rs 61.20 lakh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The West Bengal government today filed a report before the Calcutta High Court stating that the situation in communal strife-hit Basirhat was under control and that a strong presence of force was being maintained to ensure normalcy.

The state government filed an affidavit before a division bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty stating that a strong police force supervised by senior officers was posted at Basirhat sub-division in North 24-Parganas district.

At least 1,162 state police personnel, including RAF and four companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), were deployed in the sub-division, which was hit by communal clashes in the first week of July.

So far 86 cases were registered and 71 persons arrested in connection with the clashes, said the affidavit, signed by the deputy secretary, Home and Hill affairs of the state government.

The affidavit was filed by the West Bengal Government on a direction by the division bench detailing steps it has taken to control the situation in riot-affected Basirhat sub-division where Baduria was the most affected.

The direction to the state government came on a petition seeking that the state compensate the victims of communal clashes.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing after two weeks, the bench directed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With Puducherry Congress casting Lt Governor Kiran Bedi as Adolf Hitler in its posters, the LG has turned the table against the UT's Congress government by tweeting those posters and terming her dubious portrayal as an act denigrating the LG's office.

Bedi's counter attack put the Congress-headed government on defensive with Chief Minister V Narayanasamy rushing in to counsel restraint to his party workers.

"Persons can be disliked but sanctity of the status of the lieutenant governor office must not be compromised. Respectful means of protest can be found without disrespecting constitutional offices," Bedi tweeted after putting her posters, portraying her dubiously as Hitler and Goddess Kaali on her tweeter handle.

"These posters are not in good taste for office of a lieutenant governor. These posters are in poor taste. They are really an attempt at lowering the status of the office of lieutenant governor," she added in her tweets.

The lieutenant governor made the remarks after tweeting a few of the Congress-designed posters purportedly denigrating her.

She tweeted a picture which showed the lieutenant governor being chased away. This picture was displayed at the venue of a fast by Congress leaders to protest the "arbitrary manner" in which three BJP supporters were nominated to the assembly.

Bedi also tweeted another picture in which she was depicted as "Goddess Kaali," albeit in a dubious manner.

Bedi's tweets made the chief minister rush in to counsel restraint to his party workers.

Apparently unhappy over such posters being displayed allegedly by Congress workers, Narayanasamy asked party activists to be "restrained in making comments or criticisms" of the lieutenant governor.

Addressing reporters here, the chief minister said although every one has the right to air views to protect the elected government's privileges, "there should be ... restraint in making comments or depicting caricatures or displaying posters on lieutenant governor."



Such criticisms or depicting images of the lieutenant governor would not also be in line with public opinion and people too will not accept this type of protest, he said.

Naryanasamy said he had been constantly issuing such appeals that there should be "no unrestrained comments on lieutenant governor."



He said people would always support whatever is reasonable as was seen during the bandh observed earlier this month to protest the "arbitrary manner" in which three persons were nominated as legislators of Puducherry assembly by the Centre.

Narayanasamy came out with the appeal as he was apparently upset over the display of a poster at a demonstration held by the Congress at Thavalakuppam yesterday which purportedly portrayed Bedi as Adolf Hitler.

Congress workers were protesting the induction of three nominated members of the BJP to the Puducherry assembly by the Centre without consulting the UT government.

Narayanasamy accompanied by PCC chief and PWD Minister A Namassivayam, party MLAs and functionaries had also participated in the demonstration.

The Union home ministry had appointed BJP's Puducherry chief V Saminathan, the party's treasurer K G Shankar and another functionary S Selvaganapathy as nominated legislators of the Puducherry assembly.

The three leaders were inducted by Bedi as members of the House on the night of July 4 at the Raj Nivas triggering strong protest from the Congress, its alliance partner the DMK, the left parties and the VCK.

A bandh was also observed a few days later in Puducherry at the instance of these parties to protest the "undemocratic style of functioning of the lieutenant governor and the nomination of three BJP activists by the Centre without adhering to democratic procedures."



The parties also sought ouster of Bedi through the bandh and also through a fast on July 7.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With an aim to launch Dial-100 scheme in Bihar, a police team led by Inspector General (IG) Modernisation (Bihar) Amit Kumar Jain visited the similar facility in the state capital here today to study the project.

Dial-100 police teams reach any spot within minimum possible time after the crime or any incident takes place.

The scheme was launched in Madhya Pradesh in 2015.

Bihar's IG interacted with the team of Dial-100 led by additional director general of police (ADGP) Anvesh Mangalam and understood its successful implementation right from zero in Madhya Pradesh, an official release said.

The official also apprised himself of call trackers room, dispatcher room, server room and also about event monitoring and vehicle tracking system, it said.

The IG informed that soon it will be implemented in Bihar as well.

Assistant sub inspector Hemant Sharma also informed that once any call is received by the dial 100 team from any part of the state, it ensures that the dial 100 vehicle rushes to the spot within three minutes from the time of first information.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP national president Amit Shah today claimed the party is based on principles with its internal democracy intact and said those outfits which do not have these qualities cannot work for the country's welfare.

Addressing a gathering of prominent people from different walks of life in Rajasthan, he said the BJP government does not take decisions that gives a feel-good factor but which are good for the people and it has helped the country to progress fast.

Referring to Ujjwala scheme, shutting down of shell firms, policies to close black money's entry route into the country and the surgical strike, he said, "A party should have policies for the welfare of the people and the BJP is one of them."



"We are working to reform policies that lead to the country's transformation," the BJP national president said.

He said the BJP has given a corruption-free government at the Centre whereas everyone knows about scams of crores of rupees during the previous Congress-led UPA dispensation.

"Today, a tea-seller from a poor background is the country's prime minister and a booth level worker of the party is its national president because of its internal democracy and principles," Shah said.

"Those parties which do not have strong democratic values and principles, cannot work for the welfare of the country," he said, adding, "We should evaluate and do a comparative study before mandating any party to power."



The BJP government at the Centre took 50 big decisions in last three years, which the previous governments could not take in 50 years, Shah claimed.

"It shows the difference in governance. When we came to power 60 per cent people did not having bank accounts. Today, 28 crore people have bank accounts," he said.

Claiming that the BJP is one of the few parties that has both principles and is democratic, Shah said these two qualities have made the party the largest in the country.

He said the party constituted by a handful of people now has 11 crore members.

"Everyone knows who will be the next President of the country, but there is no clue who will be the next President of the BJP after me," Shah said.

Speaking about BIMARU states, he said some states were termed as such because of financial indiscipline and administrative disaster.

Appreciating the schemes initiated by the Rajasthan government, Shah said, "Due to the administrative acumen of the the BJP government in the state, it has become a prosperous. The party has shown how a government should work. Soon, Uttar Pradesh too will lose the BIMARU tag."



Addressing the gathering, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the BJP has shown the path of good governance.

"People in the world have trust in the BJP government today. People see India with hope," she said and exuded confidence that Rajasthan will be congress free in the next Assembly election scheduled at the end of next year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
I dont know about you but its the lies coming out of our beloved White House that bother me. Its not the constitutional laws about foreign entanglements; they are there to protect us from those who would do us harm. Its not that anyone who rises to the presidency of the United States shouldnt have ever met with foreigners before becoming president. All they have to do under present law is tell, via affidavit, we the people who they met with and why. Sunshine laws allow us an opportunity to educate ourselves about the folks were voting for. Its a good constitutional law that has served us well over the years. The problem here is most of us have lost track of how many times this administration has had to be berated into telling us the truth about their dealings with the Russians and why its so important to know who did what, and we still dont know where the truth is.

Its not the leaks that are the problem here either. Leaks have always been a difficult thing for politicians to deal with, especially if youre trying to hide something. Have you ever gotten caught trying to hide something from someone? I remember back when I was a kid and my parents didnt want me to hang around this group. Of course, being a rebellious child that only made me become more devious, so I hung with those guys despite Mom and Dads orders. The stories I made up about who I was with and what I was doing could have filled a psychological journal  and then it all fell apart when they caught me lying about who I was with. Ouch! That left a mark in my life.

I imagine that most of the leakers in these cases are prisoners of their conscience. Imagine youre one of Vladimir Putins minions and hes in the midst of unfurling a plot to set off Americas nuclear arsenal. You know that if you can get to the right people you can stop him. Would you? Or would you just hope that Putin will take you into his bunker with him? I can only surmise that all these leaks the politicians are complaining about have come from folks who see a wrong and do their best to right it.

No, its the lies. The New York Times newspaper recently published a full page of our presidents lies and other news outlets have said he has lied to us over 500 times. His staff and family have done all they can to cover up their activities and it looks like his son and son-in-law are taking the fall for the president. Some of you will just write all this off to politics as usual but, as you can tell, this should bother all of us.

The Russian interference in our electoral process is real, make no mistake; all of our intelligence agencies have affirmed this and it is not fake news. The question is, how did they do it and were either of the candidates complicit or encouraging their activities? This is serious stuff and you and I need to take it seriously because if Russia or any other country can affect the outcomes of our elections we have lost the very foundations upon which our country depends.

So enough of the lies, enough of the coverups, lets get to the bottom of what happened here and do whatever we can to assure that the freedoms and rights we cherish are preserved and protected from those who will do anything to win. Heres hoping that we the people will prevail.

By the way, thanks for the call from L.A. You guys once again made my day .
The TRS may have extended support to NDA on issues like note ban, GST and election of the president and the vice president, but the BJP says it would like to play the role of an effective opposition and emerge as an alternative to the ruling party.

The state unit of the party would hold its executive meeting in Warangal from tomorrow to chalk out its future course of action, Telangana BJP president K Laxman said.

"We welcome the decision of TRS supporting (NDA on) demonetisation, GST, presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate and it has nothing to do with politics," Laxman told PTI here.

"As a political party, we are doing our job. The people of Telangana had high hopes from the TRS government. But the government is unable to fulfil the promises made to the common man," he alleged.

"As an opposition party, we are trying to do our best to reach out to the people," he said.

The BJP is keen on emerging as an alternative to the ruling party in Telangana as "people have lost faith in Congress" (the main opposition in the state) due to its "corruption and hereditary politics," Laxman said.

"People are looking forward for 'Modi type' of performance in Telangana also," the BJP leader said.

"A transparent, accountable government in Telangana also that they witnessed not only at Delhi level. In the BJP-ruled states also people witnessed corruption-free governments and transparent governments. People want such type of governance in Telangana also," he said.

The BJP's central leadership has identified Telangana as one of the states where it can substantially increase its strength.

The party chief, Amit Shah, had toured the state in May this year. He is scheduled to visit the state again in September.

Laxman said the state unit of the party would hold its executive meeting for two days in Warangal from tomorrow to chalk out its future course of action.

The state executive meeting would be attended by Union ministers Hansraj Ahir, Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP general secretaries Ram Madhav and Muralidhar Rao, in addition to several other leaders.

Laxman has already announced an action programme for the next few months to galvanise the party leaders and workers by holding executive meetings of the party's district and mandal level units, followed by agitations against the TRS government on different issues.

"We are in Warangal for two days for the state executive meeting. We will chalk out our future programmes. We will strengthen our organisation. We will take up agitation programmes on (the issues facing) farmers, unemployed youth," he said.

Aiming to strengthen the party from the grassroot level, the BJP is deploying 'full-timers' in every Assembly constituency in Telangana.

So far, the full-timers have been deputed in 74 out of the 119 Assembly segments in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A BJP member in the Lok Sabha today demanded dismissal of the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital, accusing it of "incompetence" in dealing with civic affairs.

During the Zero Hour, Maheish Girri, who represents East Delhi constituency, said President's rule should be imposed in Delhi as the local government had failed to deal with the day-to-day problems here.

He also said that a parliamentary constituency should fall under only one local administrative area, as multiplicity of district and muncipality authorities led to long delay in execution of works and waste of public money.

Girri said 80 per cent of his parliamentary constituency fell under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation and the rest under the South Delhi civic body.

Maintaining that there were several deputy commissioners and DCPs, he said he had to be in touch with so many different authorities for development projects, Girri said, adding that these authorities often did not communicate properly.

"There should be synchronisation between parliamentary constituency and administrative region. They should be one," he said.

Shashi Tharoor (Congress) said there was an urgent need for central assistance to curb vector-borne diseases in Kerala and deal with the flood-related calamities there.

Baijayant Jay Panda (BJD) spoke on the issue of right to privacy and said there could not be right to absolute privacy in the modern world.

However, there must be the right to privacy with "narrowly defined exceptions", he said. He also heaped praise on Aadhar and Jan Dhan account initiatives, saying they had brought "tremendous" benefits to the people.

Referring to the Supreme Court's hearing on the issue of privacy involving the Aadhar law, he said the matter has gone beyond Aadhar.

Privacy concerns were real and a balance must be found, he said, seeking changes in outdated laws like the Indian Telegraph Act and the IT Act.

Pashupati Nath Singh (BJP) demanded a change in the names of roads named after Akbar, Jahangir and others who "enslaved us". They should be named after patriots, he said, drawing support from Shiv Sena members.

Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD) accused the Centre of ignoring the railway projects for Bihar announced by Lalu Prasad, a former railway minister.

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Issues related to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) today brought the ruling BJP and opposition parties face to face in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, SP MLCs alleged that despite implementation of GST, a large number of industries and industrialists faced difficulties. They demanded that an immediate discussion on these issues.

Leader of the the House Dinesh Sharma tried to speak on the nuances of GST. However, the SP MLCs were not satisfied with the answer and staged a walk-out.

"It seems that the members of the opposition have not been able to understand the GST fully. Hence, they want a discussion on it. But this attitude of the opposition members of leaving the House after putting their point of view does not augur well in a democracy," Sharma said.

He said that if the opposition wants, then the government can organise GST workshops for them.

Later, the SP members raised the issue of non- availability of second instalment for construction of houses under the Lohia Awas scheme.

Anurag Bhadauria (SP) said that despite provisions made by the Akhilesh Yadav government in the Budget for Lohia Awas, the current BJP government has stopped the second instalment.

Intervening in the discussion, state minister for Rural Development Mahendra Singh said, "The opposition MLCs must furnish some proof that funds were stopped. As many as 28,853 housing units were to be built by 2015. Why were they not built? Apart from this, none of the housing units had solar lights. This will be probed, and not a single corrupt person will be allowed to go scot free," he said.

This resulted in heated exchange between the minister and opposition members.

After this, SP and BSP members stormed into the Well.

However, after the directions from the Chair, they resumed their seats.

Leader of the Opposition Ahmed Hasan said, "The government by levelling false allegations and is running propaganda in the name of carrying out probes. They are also using unparliamentary language."



Leader of BSP in House Sunil Chittor alleged that the government was in a threatening mode.

Responding, Singh said that he had not used any unparliamentary language and assured the members that all the Lohia housing units will be completed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP today ridiculed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's call to "oust" the party from the country and claimed that her Trinamool Congress had been "reduced to a signboard" in Tripura, where it tried to expand its base.

"She (Banerjee) had earlier given a 'Modi hatao, desh bnachao' (get rid of Modi, save the country) call, but the BJP won in four more states (after that). We are ready to fight her politics of appeasement and communalism," said West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh.

Commenting on Banerjee's "oust the BJP" call at a public rally today, Ghosh said the saffron party came to power at the Centre and 18 states through a democratic process.

"The TMC tried to expand its base in Tripura, but was reduced to a signboard there. Now, she (Banerjee) is calling for an ouster of the BJP. This is funny," he added.

Six sacked TMC MLAs in Tripura had voted for NDA nominee Ramnath Kovind in the July 17 presidential election.

"In the presidential poll, there was cross-voting in West Bengal as well. She (Banerjee) should take lessons from it," Ghosh said, adding that the TMC chief should see whether she would remain in power in the state or not.

As a counter to the TMC's "oust the BJP" programme, he said the state unit of the saffron party would launch a campaign on August 9 against the "appeasement policy" of the ruling party in West Bengal.

Refuting Banerjee's claim that India's relations with foreign countries had deteriorated during the Modi rule, Ghosh said, "On the contrary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy is respected all over the world."



He alleged that the TMC was "obstructing" the development programmes of the Centre and accused Banerjee of "indulging in corrupt practices".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala BJP leaders would meet here tomorrow amid corruption allegations against a party functionary over the issue of grant of MCI clearance to a private medical college.

Though the meeting was originally scheduled to hold discussions on follow up actions to be taken after the visit of BJP national president Amit Shah last month, the recent graft charge is going to dominate the tomorrow's meet, party sources said.

The party leadership is also embarrassed over the leak of the internal commission report on the graft charge and the meet is likely to discuss and fix responsibility for the leakage, they said.

Meanwhile, the CPI-M hit out at the BJP and demanded a comprehensive and impartial probe into the alleged corruption involving its functionary.

"What has come out is only the tip of the iceberg and the saffron party has become a party of corrupt," CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters here today.

Stating that it was not an internal matter of the BJP, he alleged that the party's central leaders were also involved in it.

Balakrishnan also alleged that the BJP had accepted money from 70 private medical colleges across the country for getting the MCI clearance.

Attacking the saffron party, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala sought a probe into "all dealings of state BJP leaders" after the NDA assumed power at the Centre.

The state vigilance had ordered a probe into the corruption allegations yesterday.

The BJP state unit had come under a cloud after an internal party report purportedly said a party functionary had allegedly taken a bribe of Rs 5.60 crore to facilitate the approval from the Medical Council of India (MCI) for the college in Varkala near here.

R S Vinod, convenor of the party's co-operative cell in the state, was expelled from the primary membership, hours after the contents of the report, reportedly submitted to state party chief last month, surfaced in a section of media.

According to an official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), a probe into the corruption allegation has been ordered by the state vigilance director.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today stressed on the need for Canada to rein in radical elements from spreading hatred in India.

He raised the issue with Jalandhar-born Canadian MP Rameshwar Singh Sangha, who called on him here.

Amarinder said that while such elements, including Khalistani supporters, could not have any impact on the Canadian political environment, they could influence the people of India and vitiate the atmosphere here.

"Unfortunately, these elements were successful in spreading their divisive messages in India through social media," he said, calling upon the Canadian government to crack down on these forces and ensure they do not have a free run on social media and other public platforms.

The Chief Minister said his government was trying to revive Punjab's economy by wooing industry and investment into the state but such efforts can get derailed by the nefarious designs of radical elements operating from outside India.

"These handful of people, with their vicious propaganda, were negating the efforts of all the NRIs, including Punjabis, who were contributing immensely to the development and progress of India and Canada," he said.

The remarks come in the wake of Amarinder alleging that Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan extending support to radical Sikh elements and Khalistanis in Canada. He had even refused to meet Sajjan during his visit to India.

Some radical Sikh groups earlier prevented Amarinder from visiting Canada ahead of Punjab elections as they got a court warrant against him over atrocities committed during the days of militancy.

Amarinder and Sangha also discussed various issues of NRI concern, with the former assuring of all help by his government to secure the interests of Indians settled abroad in every possible way.

Pointing to the increasing number of cases of harassment of NRIs, especially over property related matters, over the past six-seven years, Sangha, who represents Brampton Centre riding, urged the chief minister to initiate steps to protect the interests of the Indian community settled abroad.

Sangha, who is Chairman of the Canada-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, said the contribution of NRIs to the development of Canada, and in fact all countries in which they were settled, was commended by the respective governments of those countries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China is planning to recruit more college students in its armed forces this year as part of its modernisation drive.

According to military officials, recruiters should supervise and guide college students in the process, including student registration, pre-recruitment requirements and preferential recruitment conditions, in order to raise both the quantity and quality of recruited students.

Armed forces should also enhance quantified assessment in their recruitment methods to ensure a high quality of students, state-run Xinhua agency quoted officials as saying.

Those young people with outstanding performance in disaster relief, and those who are the children or siblings of soldiers who have died while on active duty, should be the priorities for recruiters.

This year's recruitment period is set to start on August 1 and conclude on September 30, as those with a high school education or above will make up the majority of the recruitment.

China has been in the past few years have stepped up recruitment of graduates to handle the new weapon systems while it announced plans to reduce troop levels.

While President Xi Jinping in 2015 announced plans to cut three lakh troops out of the 2.3 million-strong world's largest standing military, recently the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has said it will downsize its strength of its army to under a million in a biggest troop cut in its history.

In a biggest move to restructure the military, the PLA will increase the numbers of other services including navy and missile forces, the PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military said on June 12.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress and the ruling BJP members today traded charges over the farmers issue in the Lok Sabha, after the opposition members accused the government of doing nothing to help the crisis-hit peasants.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar accused the Congress of "shedding crocodile tears", noting that it had walked out of the House on Wednesday when other members sat for hours to debate the issue.

The protests occured during the Question Hour and later during the Zero Hour when Congress members trooped into the Well and shouted slogans. During the Question Hour, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly told them their action was not proper.

Similar scenes were witnessed when the House took up Zero Hour when Kumar too attacked the protesting Congress members, who then staged a walk out.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Deepender Hooda (Cong) said the farmers had hit the streets from Andhra Pradesh to Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and his party was not satisfied with the government's reply.

BJP members kept asking what the Congress government did for the past 60 years, he said, retorting that farmers were deeper into debt in the last three years of the NDA government than they were ever earlier.

In its reply, the government has not touched upon the demand for waiving off of farm loans and implementing the Swaminathan commission report, Hooda said.

Amid protests by BJP members against Hooda's remarks, Kumar hit back at the Congress and asked why its members were not present on Wednesday when a long-drawn discussion on the issue lasted till 10.30 PM at night.

"Where were Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi? Where were you? Now you are shedding crocodile tears... You are now showing false sympathies," the Minister told the Congress members.

Citing schemes like farm insurance and easy availability of fertilizers, the parliamentary affairs minister said no government had done so much for farmers as the Modi government did in the last three years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Mumbai court today dismissed the plea of Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, to hand over his custody to the Army.

"The court dismissed Purohit's application," said Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal.

An Army officer arrested in the case, Purohit is presently lodged in Arthur Road jail here.

He had said in his application that the jail houses several gangsters and there was a threat to his life, so he should be transferred to "military jail."



The prosecution, however, opposed his plea. Advocate Rasal told the court that Purohit had not filed any such complaint with the jail authorities who were taking sufficient care of him.

If his custody was handed over to the Army, it would be difficult to bring him to the court for every hearing and it would delay the trial, Rasal argued.

Concurring with the prosecution views, Special Judge S D Tekale for NIA cases rejected Purohit's request.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in handloom town of Malegaon in Nashik district of Maharashtra on September 29, 2008.

Twelve people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Purohit, were arrested in the case.

The National Investigation Agency has, however, given a clean chit to Pragya Singh who is now out on bail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 20 people were evacuated from their homes midday Tuesday after a contractor struck a natural gas pipeline, starting a fire in Hebron.

The contractor was digging holes for fence posts at 712 North Ave. in the late morning, when he hit a residential line with a power auger, emergency personnel reported. Montana-Dakota Utilities, which owns the line, arrived and crimped the line to stop the flow of gas. Firefighters put out the 10-foot flames by midafternoon.

No one was injured, and damage was limited to some fencing and a shed.

Jason Wehri, chief of the Hebron Fire Protection District, said he decided to evacuate homes within a block of the fire, due to the danger of the fire spreading. He said about 15 volunteer firefighters responded.

"We didn't know how bad the gas leak was right away," he said.

Mark Hanson, spokesman for MDU, said five customers were without service Tuesday evening, but he expected repairs to be completed overnight.

Hanson said the contractor had called 811(for locating undergound utilities) in advance of digging, and he was not sure why the line was struck.

Tom Doering, Morton County's emergency manager, said the county used a new emergency notification tool to alert people when they could return to their homes. The notice went out to a wider audience than intended, which is why some people in Bismarck and Mandan also got the alert.
The CPI(M) office in nearby Vadakara was set ablaze by unidentified persons in the early hours today.

No casualty was reported, police said.

The fire was noticed at the CPI(M) Choddanur block committee office at about 3 am by locals, who informed the fire and rescue personnel.

Nobody was at the office at the time of the incident, police said.

The party office was partially damaged in the fire. Furniture and files inside the building were also destroyed, they said.

The fire and rescue personnel extinguished the fire with the help of local people.

CPI(M) leaders said they suspect the involvement of Indian Union Muslim League workers behind the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Department of Telecom (DoT) today held detailed discussions with the operators, industry associations and research organisations on the broad contours and direction for the new telecom policy.

Based on the inputs received today, the DoT will be constituting working groups in the coming weeks to look into different aspects of the upcoming policy, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told PTI.

"The meeting drew a huge response. There were representatives from telecom companies, infrastructure providers, research organisations and trade bodies, and discussions took place on what should be the focus of the new policy," she said.

The DoT is in process of formulating a National Telecom Policy that will focus on areas such as Internet for all, next-generation technologies (like 5G and Internet of Things), skills development, and security, among others.

The DoT plans to go for a wide consultation and outreach before finalising the new policy, and expects to have it in place by March 2018.

The new policy formulation comes at a time when the sector is confronting financial difficulties. Revenue and profitability of both large and small operators have come under severe pressure after the entry of aggressive newcomer Reliance Jio and the subsequent advent of free data and voice offerings.

A recent report by Icra has warned that industry revenue will plunge by another 6 per cent in the current financial year due to competition and pricing pressure.

An inter-ministerial group has been constituted to consider measures to mitigate the industry's financial stress, and the report of the committee is expected before the end of the month.

Asked to comment on Jio's new aggressive offering announced today, Sundararajan said "these are all new benchmarks for India. It is all making it accessible and affordable for the common man".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Egypt's new investment law and regulations are positive and can attract more Indian investments in the country, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, India's Ambassador to Egypt has said.

Egypt, the largest economy in Africa, passed a new investment law in May, which aims at lessening the bureaucratic burden on companies.

"The Indian investors normally look at the environment where they are investing, they revise the regulations and whether they are going to create a good environment for investments and also looking for transparent policies.

They also look if they are treated like the local investors or different," Sanjay Bhattacharyya told PTI.

"I think the new investment regulations which were issued recently are very positive and it will attract more investors," he said.

India-Egypt trade and investment made a significant headway in the last few years, despite the weakening of the global economy and declining trade.

The bilateral trade grew 60 per cent over the last five years touching almost USD 5 billion. India is Egypt's third largest destination of exports. Over 50 Indian companies have invested USD 3 billion in Egypt and have provided employment to 35,000 Egyptians.

"Lots of Indian investments, especially in the field of pharmaceutical industries are interested in working in the Egyptian market... If you look at India, considered one the largest recipient of world investments with USD 38 billion, similarly there a lot of Indian investment that goes overseas which reaches around USD 38 billion," Bhattacharyya added.

He also said that the economic relation between the two countries is currently going up with plans of enhancing current or launching new projects.

"In connection with the field of capacity building, we are cooperating with the concerned organisations in Egypt in order to develop capacity through sharing our experience in the field of SME's through training in different aspects of ITEC program related to SME's industries," he explained.

He also said that there were three Egyptian teams who went to India from banking sector and Federation of the Egyptian Industries in the past period.

"The first delegation went this year to India to get acquainted and benefits from the Indian experiment in the field of SME's and the Indian CII (The Chamber of Indian Industries) has organised series of meetings for the members of the Egyptian visiting delegation with Indian Experts in the field of SME's."



"The delegtaion also met with the policy makers and discussed the how the micro and Medium Enterprises are financed the Indian experience in this field."



"At the same time, the important institutions shared their plans and offered them mixed kind of modalities in various fields like how to build skills schools and hospitals," Bhattacharyya said.

The interactions of the Egyptian delegations revolved around the ways of financing these enterprises along with the right technology and availability of right market locally or internationally.

Last October, during 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit, which took place in India, the Indian government had earmarked USD 10 million credit with lenient interest and grants for a long time.

"Many African nations had benefited from this credit, but we did not received any request from any of the Egyptian organisations," he said.

At the same time, the Indian governmentis establishing a centre for excellence in technology at Al-Azhar University, most prestigious establishment in Arab and Islamic world, to train 500 persons annually.

The Indian side will provide hardware, software and experts for the project, he added.

"Following the President Sisi's visit to India, we received around half a dozen of Indian investors who are interested in investing here in Egypt. When the investors come to any country they create job opportunities and introduce modern technology," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Export-Import Bank of India today said it has extended USD 17.5 million of line of credit (LoC) to Guyana for up-gradation of three hospitals in the country.

The LoC was was signed between Guyana's finance minister and Exim Bank's resident representative (Washington DC office), Sailesh Prasad, on July 19, the bank said in a statement here today.

With this LOC agreement, Exim Bank so far has extended eight LoCs to Guyana, taking the total value of LOCs extended to USD 109.88 million.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EY India's Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services has expanded its operations in the region in the last six months and has made its foray in Bangladesh.

"Being one of the ten emerging markets of the future and the second fastest growing economy in the world, Bangladesh has seen an influx of multi-national corporations and a burgeoning domestic sector. But, the thriving environment has led to an increase in fraud risks that need to be addressed proactively," EY India said in a statement.

EY's Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services has a dedicated forensic team catering the market, based out of Kolkata and Dhaka.

"Organisations in Bangladesh are looking to capitalise on the business opportunities present, but can potentially face challenges around fraud and misconduct. There is a need in the market for forensic services to enable corporates to build ethical business, foster transparency and at the same time, deter perpetrators... We see the demand accelerating in the near future and are looking to double our team over the next one year," EY India and Bangladesh, national leader, Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services, Arpinder Singh said.

According to their study the company has found that almost half (48 per cent) of respondents have said their organisations have not conducted anti-fraud, bribery and corruption trainings for their employees.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are the top stories from the northern region at 1750 hrs:



DEL20 JK-CEASEFIRE



Srinagar: Pakistani troops violate ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there are no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.

DEL9 JK-YOUTH



Srinagar: An 18-year-old boy is killed and another person injured in alleged firing by security forces on a group of stone-pelting youth in Beerwah area of Kashmir's Budgam district, say the police.

LGD17 GREEN-FIRE



New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directs the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh governments to submit the national forest fire prevention and control guidelines.

LGD12 DL-COURT-BLACKMONEY



New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) files a chargesheet in a money laundering case against a chartered accountant allegedly linked to RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti.

LGD9 GREEN-AOL



New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal directs the DDA to submit an action plan with regard to restoring Yamuna floodplains where the Art of Living's World Cultural Festival was held last year.

DEL5 RAIL-APPLE



New Delhi: Eyeing trains speeds of 600 km per hour, the government is working with global technology firms like Apple to help take Indian railways to the next level, says Union minister Suresh Prabhu.

DES1 JK-RSS-COW



Jammu: Calling for an end to politicisation of incidents of cow vigilantism, the RSS says it does not support any kind of violence linked to cow protection and demands action against those found guilty.

DES8 HR-SUICIDE MAN



Chandigarh: A 30-year-old man allegedly gives poison to his two children and later commits suicide over marital discord in Tohana town in Haryana's Fatehabad district, says a senior police official.

DES15 POL-RSS-RESHUFFLE



New Delhi: The RSS has shifted the base of some of its key office-bearers, including the head of its intellectual cell, who has been sent to Rajasthan from Bihar, in what the organisation says was a routine exercise.

NRG1 JK-RESTRICTIONS



Srinagar: Authorities impose restrictions in parts of Srinagar to maintain law and order in view of separatists' call for a strike and march to the local office of the United Nations here.

NRG12 UP-BANK LOOT



Jalaun (UP): Two staff members of a bank and some customers are injured when miscreants hurled country-made bombs and loot Rs four lakh from a bank in Orai Kotwali area here, say the police.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are top stories at 1700



hours today:



DEL17 CONG-SONI



New Delhi: Congress general secretary Ambika Soni dismisses reports of her resignation from the party, saying she had asked the leadership to lighten her duties due to her health.

DEL6 RAHUL-KASHMIR



New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi charges that the Narendra Modi government's policies are "burning" Jammu and Kashmir and flayed any attempt for third party intervention to resolve the issue, saying "Kashmir is India".

BOM5 GJ-VAGHELA



Gandhinagar: Leader of opposition in Gujarat assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela says that he was expelled from the Congress "24 hours back".

CAL8 NL-ZELIANG TRUSTVOTE



Kohima: T R Zeliang wins the trust vote in the Nagaland Assembly, two days after he was reappointed the chief minister amid high drama.

CAL7 WB-MAMATA BJP



Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee gives 'Oust BJP from India' call and says Bengal would stand by all political parties which would fight the saffron one.

MDS2 KL-MLA-RAPE CASE



Thiruvananthapuram: A Congress MLA is booked on the charge of rape based on a statement given by a 51-year-old woman, who attempted suicide after she was allegedly harassed by him, say the police.

LGD21 DL-COURT-SUNANDA ROOM



New Delhi: A Delhi court orders de-sealing of a suite in a five-star hotel where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in 2014 under mysterious circumstances.

LGD4 SC-AYODHYA



New Delhi: The Supreme Court says it will take a decision to list for early hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

LGD13 SC-COW VIGILANTISM



New Delhi: The Supreme Court asks the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on violent incidents of cow vigilantism.

FGN10 PAK-PANAMA-LD SHARIF



Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court concludes hearing the high-profile Panama Papers case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family for alleged corruption, but reserves its verdict that could jeopardise his political future. By Sajjad Hussain



FGN8 UN-AIDS-INDIA



United Nations: India, China and Pakistan are among the 10 countries that accounted for more than 95 per cent of all new HIV infections in the Asia and the Pacific region in 2016, according to a UN report. By Yoshita Singh



FGN7 US-LD SIKKIM



Washington: The US is "closely and carefully" following the border standoff between India and China, the Trump administration says, urging the two countries to engage in direct dialogue to reduce the tension. By Lalit K Jha



FGN4 US-KOVIND



Washington: The United States congratulates president- elect Ram Nath Kovind on his electoral victory and says that it "looks forward" to working with him on regional and global issues.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are top stories at 1915



hours today:



DEL31 CBI-BOFORS-CHINESE



New Delhi: China-made parts camouflaged as 'Made in Germany' find their way to the production line of indigenised Bofors guns used by the Army, prompting the CBI to file a case against a Delhi-based company.

DEL27 GA-LDALL VAGHELA



Gandhinagar/New Delhi: In a body blow to the Congress in Gujarat, one of its tallest leaders Shankarsinh Vaghela, announces he is quitting the party which had taken "supari" (contract) from BJP to facilitate the latter's victory in the Assembly elections.

CAL12 WB DARJEELING SITUATION



Darjeeling (WB): The youth wing of the GJM begins a hunger strike on the 37th day of the indefinite agitation in the Darjeeling hills to press for the demand of a separate state of Gorkhaland out of West Bengal.

CAL11 NL-ZELIANG-LD TRUSTVOTE



Kohima: Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang wins the trust vote in the assembly with a comfortable margin, two days after he replaced Shurhozelie Liezietsu, capping a week of dramatic developments in the state.

DEL32 IRAQ-MINISTER-INDIA



New Delhi: The issue of 39 Indians, taken hostage by ISIS in Mosul in 2014, as well as ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of energy and trade are expected to be discussed during the visit of the foreign minister of Iraq here next week.

CAL9 WB-MAMATA-LD BJP



Kolkata: Stepping up her attack on the BJP, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee says it should be ousted from India for "failure on all fronts" and offers to back all parties which intend to fight the saffron party.

LGD26 SC-WHATSAPP



New Delhi: The Centre tells the Supreme Court that data of users is "integral" to the Right of Life and Personal Liberty guranteed under the Constitution and it would come out with regulations to protect it.

LGD25 DL-COURT-LD SUNANDA ROOM



New Delhi: A Delhi court orders de-sealing of a suite in a five-star hotel here where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in 2014 under mysterious circumstances.

LGD24 SC-LD COW VIGILANTISM



New Delhi: The Supreme Court asks the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and seeks their response on violent incidents in the garb of cow protection.

DEL6 RAHUL-KASHMIR



New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi charges that the Narendra Modi government's policies are "burning" Jammu and Kashmir and flayed any attempt for third party intervention to resolve the issue, saying "Kashmir is India".

FGN8 UN-AIDS-INDIA



United Nations: India, China and Pakistan are among the 10 countries that accounted for more than 95 per cent of all new HIV infections in the Asia and the Pacific region in 2016, according to a UN report. By Yoshita Singh



FGN7 US-LD SIKKIM



Washington: The US is "closely and carefully" following the border standoff between India and China, the Trump administration says, urging the two countries to engage in direct dialogue to reduce the tension.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior diplomat and external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay was today appointed as joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.

He was appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India's Ambassador to France.

Raveesh Kumar, a 1995-batch IFS officer, currently posted in Frankfurt as Consul General of India, is understood to be replacing Baglay in the external affairs ministry.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Baglay's name for the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.

The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, the order said.

Kumar started his career at the Indian Mission in Jakarta. It was followed by a stint in Thimphu and London.

During his previous tenure in Delhi, he looked after the East Asia desk.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is eyeing an investment worth $10 billion in next five years in the food processing sector, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday said.

"We have seen 40 per cent growth in FDI in multi-branded food retail after we announced 100 per cent FDI in the sector last year.

"So after all the infrastructure is ready and the seamless 'farm to fork' value chain is in place we will get huge investment," Badal said on the sidelines of a roadshow on 'World Food India: 2017' organised by CII.

She said, looking at the growing interest in the sector, the government has set a target of $10 billion investment in the food processing sector in next 5 years.

Further, the minister said exports have also increased and stood at $1 billion from April-July period.

"We are working towards transforming the food processing industry, which will not only generate employment and result in better realisations for the farmers, but it will also earn us better foreign exchange," she added.

For this purpose, the government has launched Rs 6,000 crore 'Kisan SAMPADA Yojana' scheme for food processing, which will integrate current and new schemes.

The scheme will benefit 20 lakh farmers and generate 5,30,500 direct and indirect employment in the country by the year 2019-20.

On foreign partnerships, she said, there has been a lot of enquiries from overseas for joint ventures in the food processing industry, especially from the European countries, Japan and the Middle East.

"We are getting queries for investment partnership from countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, UAE, Japan, Italy among others," she added.

The minister said the government has sanctioned 42 food parks and 100 cold chains, of which 10 mega food parks and 30 cold chains are operational.

"We are expecting all 42 food parks and 100 cold chains to be operational in two years," she added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present on the ocassion, said the state is working very proactively with the Food Processing ministry to make the sector a robust industry.

"Maharashtra will work with MoFPI towards enhancing sustainability in agriculture and food processing, will create a value chain for farmers, will provide backward and forward linkages among all stakeholders," he added.

The government is organising 'World Food India 2017' from November 3-5 in New Delhi to give a platform to stake holders to showcase the growing food processing sector, policies and connect global and domestic industry.
The 13th annual Beef Industry Military Appreciation Day is scheduled July 25 at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot.

A free beef meal for active duty military, reserve and National Guard personnel and their families will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. near the Commercial II Exhibit Building on the state fairgrounds. The event will include children's activities, face painting, roping lessons and door prize drawings.

The North Dakota Beef Commission, North Dakota Stockmen's Association, North Dakota CattleWomen, North Dakota Soybean Council and North Dakota Corn Growers are the sponsors.

More than 1,600 servicemen and -women and their family members were honored during the event last year.
The Madras High Court Bench today dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of international antique dealer Subash Chandra Kapoor in a case relating to theft of 13 idols from a temple in Pazhavoor in Tirunelveli district in 2005.

Justice Nisha Bhanu, while dismissing the application, said the petitioner had allegedly committed crimes at the international level "against India's culture and heritage".

She also cancelled the interim order issued by the court earlier in connection with this case.

The petitioner was already in judicial custody since 2012, and had filed the petition in connection with the 2005 case when 13 idols were stolen from Sri Narumpoonatha Swamy temple at Pazhavoor in 2005.

The judge agreed with the police that the presence of the accused was required to unearth the entire truth about the theft of idols at various places in the state.

There was need for great deal of investigation into the role played by the petitioner, she said, adding it was required to find the ramifications of the illegal export of stolen idols, which were more than 900 years old.

Further, the judge said investigators had made tremendous progress in the case and were making all efforts to recover all the 13 idols stolen from temples in Tirunelveli district.

The delay in investigating this case cannot be the excuse to grant bail or for the petitioner to wriggle out of the case, she said.

The judge took note of the hard work put in by police to investigate the idol theft case.

The development came a day after Kapoor, also one of the main accused in the alleged theft of idols from a temple in Ariyalur district, was produced before a court in Kumbakonam.

Kapoor (60) is accused of stealing idols from Suthamalli Varadaraja Perumal temple in Ariyalur district.

He was produced in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court yesterday along with 10 others accused in the case.

Kapoor was brought from Tiruchi central jail where he is lodged now.

The judge posted the case for hearing to July 24.

The prosecution case is that 20 idols were allegedly stolen from the temple at Suthddamalli on April 14, 2008.

Police arrested Kapoor and one Bhakyakumar, an international accused in drug trafficking, and nine others in connection with the case.

Bhakyakumar, now lodged in Puzhal prison in Chennai, was not brought to the court.

In a related development, the Idol Wing police personnel brought back from the US two idols allegedly stolen from the temple.

A temple priest identified the idols as belonging to the temple.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Director Vikramaditya Motwane, who has directed critically-acclaimed films such as "Udaan", "Lootera" and "Trapped", says looking back he always feels he could have made his movies better.

"When I look back I either feel I did this mistake while shooting or writing. Eventually you try and make sure you do not repeat the same mistake with your next film. I always feel I could have made the film better," he told PTI.

The director's recently released "Trapped" is set to make a world television premiere tomorrow on &Pictures HD.

"It is a different feeling when the film airs on TV than its official release on the big screen. It's all the more scarier as you are reaching out to a wider audience through television. It's more nerve wrecking as for this film they are the true audience," he says.

Motwane is hopeful the audience will enjoy watching it in their houses. The film features Rajkummar Rao as a man locked in an uninhabited apartment in Mumbai.

"At a cinema hall, there is a claustrophobic vibe but when watching the film in their own house, the audience will be able to tap into the familiarity of the situation."



When asked if there is any plan to turn the film into a franchise, Motwane says, "It is a great, fantastic idea. We did think about doing it for television but we did not follow it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian-American doctor, known for promoting classical Indian dances in the US, has been sentenced to nearly 10 years of imprisonment for defrauding his former company's shareholders worth USD 49 million.

Sreedhar Potarazu, an ophthalmic surgeon licensed in Maryland and Virginia, provided materially false and misleading information to VitalSpring's shareholders to induce more than USD 49 million in capital investments in the company.

Potarazu, 51, represented on numerous occasions that VitalSpring was a financially successful company and that the sale of VitalSpring was imminent, which would have resulted in profits for shareholders, the Department of Justice alleged.

The Indian-American doctor also admitted that he concealed from shareholders that VitalSpring failed to account for and pay over more than USD 7.5 million in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

For example, in 2014, Potarazu provided shareholders with a written summary of operating results that reflected VitalSpring's 2013 revenues to be approximately USD 12.9 million when, in fact, the 2013 revenue was less than USD 1 million, federal prosecutors alleged.

Potarazu was highly popular among the Indian-American community for hosting annual UTSAV festival of classical Indian music and dance at the prestigious Kennedy Center.

In 2015, it was kicked off of by Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, joined by his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan.

A major fund raiser for the Democratic party and its leaders Hillary Clinton and the former US President Barack Obama, Potarazu was also instrumental in special screening of "Jai Ho" a documentary on the work of A R Rahman at the White House in 2015.

The legendary music director was personally present at the White House event.

"Like a director employing actors and props on a stage, Sreedhar Potarazu arranged for an imposter to pose as a buyer, provided a link to a bogus website and supplied fraudulent balance sheets, phony bank statements and false tax returns to convince VitalSpring investors and potential buyers that the company was financially healthy and up-to-date on its taxes," said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg.

"As a result of his actions, shareholders are out more than USD 49.5 million and over USD 7.5 million in employment taxes due to the US Treasury were diverted and never paid.

"With Potarazu's conviction and the sentencing hearings in this case, his fraud has been revealed, and today's imposition of a 119 month sentence holds him fully accountable for his actions," Goldberg said.

At the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, Dr Potarazu has been nominated to the important credentials committee.

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In one of the biggest drug hauls in Jammu and Kashmir, police today recovered 40 kgs of heroin and brown sugar worth Rs 200 crore from a truck coming from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at Salamabad trade facilitation centre in the town of Uri on the LoC, police said.

"So far, around 40 kilograms of narcotics have been recovered from a truck coming from PoK for the cross-LoC trade at Salamabad," Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, Imtiyaz Hussain told PTI.

Hussain said the narcotics were hidden in wooden boxes in the truck and were found during checking of the vehicle.

"We are carrying out thorough searches of the vehicles to ensure that no narcotic substance is slipped through," he said.

The officer said most of the narcotic substance seized seems to be high-quality heroin while some quantity of brown sugar forms the rest of the contraband consignment.

"Given that one kilo of heroin goes for anything around Rs 5 crore, the consignment was expected to fetch Rs 200 crore if it had reached the market," he added.

Police have detained the vehicle's driver for questioning. He is a resident of Chakoti in PoK.

Investigations have been set in motion to identify the people involved in this drug trade.

In February, 2015, the cross-Line of Control trade was suspended for several days after a Pakistani driver was arrested following recovery of 300 packets of narcotics from his vehicle at Uri.

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A former Al-Qaeda affiliate was locked in fierce clashes today with a leading rebel group for control of one of the last major parts of Syria not held by the regime.

The clashes in Syria's Idlib province in the country's northwest pit the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) against the key rebel group Ahrar al-Sham, which is supported by Turkey and some Gulf countries.

The factions were once allies and fought alongside each other to capture most of Idlib province from the Syrian government in 2015.

But growing tensions between the two have been exacerbated, analysts say, by HTS's fears of a plan to expel the internationally designated "terror" group from the province.

The current fighting erupted on Tuesday and quickly spread throughout the province, including overnight to the key Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

The crossing was previously controlled by Ahrar al-Sham.

"The fighting is now inside the crossing. It has become a battlefield, with part of it under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's control, and part under Ahrar al-Sham's control," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Observatory, said.

HTS also seized two villages and dispatched "huge military reinforcements" to a third to take on Ahrar al-Sham, he added.

The monitor said the fighting has so far killed at least 83 people, including 15 civilians.

An AFP correspondent in the province also reported heavy clashes as HTS fighters attempted to break into the town of Ram Hamdan, in the east of the province, including the sound of large explosions and heavy weaponry.

HTS is dominated by the Fateh al-Sham faction, which was previously known as Al-Nusra Front before renouncing its ties to Al-Qaeda.

The clashes have been accompanied by sporadic demonstrations against HTS in several parts of the province, including in the town of Saraqeb where the jihadists on Wednesday and Thursday opened fire on protests against them.

On Wednesday, the shots killed a media activist participating in the demonstrations in the town.

Both sides have set up new checkpoints, and parts of the province have been transformed into virtual ghost towns with residents staying home for fear of being caught in the crossfire, AFP's correspondent said.

The Observatory four civilians and the media activist were among the 15 civilians who have lost their lives in the violence so far.

It also reported that 68 fighters from both sides had been killed.

Experts said the outbreak of violence comes against the backdrop of a deal agreed in the Kazakh capital Astana in May for four "de-escalation zones" in Syria.

The agreement between regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey, designates the Idlib region as one of the mooted zones where combat between the government and rebels would halt.

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Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him various issues concerning the state, including security to Amarnath pilgrims, officials said.

During the 20-minute meeting, the governor apprised Singh about the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley and the steps taken for restoring normalcy there.

Vohra also briefed Singh about the steps taken for the security of Amarnath pilgrims in the wake of the July 10 terrorists attack in which eight pilgrims were killed, the officials of the home ministry said.

As many as 2,27,342 pilgrims have paid obeisance at Amarnath cave shrine in South KashmirHimalayas till last evening.

The 40-day yatra to the cave shrine located at an altitude of 3,888-metre, began on June 28.

Four districts of the state -- Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Anantnag -- have been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8, 2016.

Seventy-six people, besides two police personnel, were killed during the five-month unrest in the valley following the killing of Wani.

The current unrest began after the April 9 by-election to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, which saw massive violence during polling.

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Judiciary is open to the idea of having more women as judges but reservation is not envisaged for this purpose in the higher judiciary, the government said today.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said while the government has a limited role in appointing members to the higher judiciary, but "we are not helpless" and the Centre will keep sensitising the judiciary in regard to appointing more women.

Prasad said there was no provision for reservation in the higher judiciary and hence it is not envisaged. However, the government keeps sensitising about the need for representation of minorities, SCs, STs and women.

The Minister said there was a need to make "more" gender representation in the higher judiciary and it was not fair to say that Supreme Court judges are against gender justice.

"I have been minister thrice ...And I have interacted with them (senior judges), they are quite open to the idea," he said, adding that he would convey the concerns to senior judges on the issue.

He, however, said "there is a collegium system, where we have limited role. But as law minister, I continue to sensitise (about gender justice) in the appointment process."



Prasad was responding to a question raised by Congress member K Rahman Khan, who also sought to know if Parliament and the government are helpless on this issue.

The Minister made it clear that the government "was not helpless" and he was aware of the supremacy and sovereignty of Parliament.

He informed the House that there were 4704 women judiciary officers out of 16,443 in the subordinate courts in the country. Of these, 1,473 were appointed in the last three years, he added.

"About High Court, your point is well taken. There are 66 women judges in the entire High Courts in the country and only one Supreme Court judge. This point is very well taken," he said.

The Minister also said there was a very good number of women lawyers in the higher judiciary.

He said the appointment of judges for higher judiciary was made under Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution. These articles do not provide reservation for any caste or class of persons.

"Therefore, no caste or class-wise data of judges is maintained. The government has, however, requested the Chief Justices of the High Courts that while sending proposals of appointment of judges, due consideration be given to suitable candidates belonging to other backward classes, SCs, STs, minorities and from amongst women," Prasad said.

The administrative control over the members of district and subordinate judiciary in the states vests with the concerned High Courts. Therefore, the central government does not maintain statistics relating to appointment of women officers in the states, he said.

While reservation for woman in the subordinate judiciary is provided in some states in consultation with the concerned High courts, there is no provision of reservation in the higher judiciary.

He said as law minister, it was his duty to express the concerns of the Parliament to the judiciary.

The Minister also said there are 4846 vacancies in the subordinate judiciary and urged that the judiciary should take it up on a priority basis.

Responding to another question about appointing women judges especially in Mahila courts, the minister said while the suggestion was important, it has to be kept in mind that some of the most sterling judgements about women's rights had come from male judges.

The fairness of the justice system should be kept intact, he said.

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A Congress MLA has been booked on the charge of rape based on a statement given by a 51-year-old woman, who attempted suicide after she was allegedly harassed by him, police said today.

A case was yesterday registered against Congress MLA M Vincent, who represents the Kovalam segment, on charges of stalking, rape and abetment of suicide based on the statement given by the woman who had last week tried to end her life at nearby Balaramapuram, police sources said.

The city magistrate also recorded her statement at a hospital in Neyyatinkara, where she is undergoing treatment.

Vincent, however, alleged that there was a "political conspiracy" behind the allegation against him and filed a complaint with police, demanding a detailed probe into the matter.

He claimed that a CPI(M) local leader was present at the woman's house when she attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills. Her brother is also a Marxist activist.

Police had on Wednesday registered an abetment of suicide case against Vincent after the woman's husband filed a complaint with police, alleging that the MLA used to repeatedly call her over the phone and harass her.

The woman's medical examination will be held today, the sources said.

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India has less than one doctor for every 1000 population which is less than the World Health Organisation standard, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were a total 10,22,859 allopathic registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India as on March 31 this year.

"Assuming 80 per cent availability, it is estimated that around 8.18 lakh may actually be available for active service. It gives a doctor-population ratio of 0.62:1000 as per current population which is estimated to be of around 1.33 billion," she said during Question Hour.

The WHO prescribes a doctor population ratio of 1:1000.

The doctor-population ratio of the some of the countries are: Australia - 3.374:1000, Brazil - 1.852:1000, China - 1.49:1000, France - 3.227:1000, Germany - 4.125:1000, Russia - 3.306:1000, the USA - 2.554:1000, Afghanistan - 0.304:1000, Bangladesh - 0.389:1000, Pakistan - 0.806:1000.

The minister said emphasis of the government was to increase the number of in the country to improve the doctor population ratio.

There are 479 medical colleges in the country with an intake capacity of 67,218 MBBS seats. 12,870 MBBS seats have been added in the last three years, she said.
A renowned Malayali author and a woman college lecturer have complained to the police of receiving threats even as Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday said his government would not ignore threats to those who expressed progressive views.

Efforts to tarnish those with progressive opinions on the social media and making death threats to them would not be accepted, Vijayan said on Facebook.

"Those who feel that independent voices can be gagged by threats are living in a fool's paradise," he wrote.

The chief minister's statement comes in the wake of Malayali author K P Ramanunni lodging a police complaint today regarding an anonymous threat letter, warning him that his right arm and left leg would be chopped off if he did not convert to Islam within six months.

The letter was sent to Ramanunni's Kozhikode residence six days ago.

The writer said though there was no indication as to who was behind the letter, it was understood that it was posted from Manjeri in Malappuram district.

"I am not aware of the motive behind the letter. I filed a complaint with the Kozhikode city police commissioner today, urging him to look into the matter," he told PTI.

Ramanunni said though he had ignored the letter initially, other senior writers advised him to file the police complaint.

The letter alleged that some of the recent articles written by the award-winning writer amounted to "misleading" the Muslim youth.

It also warned that Ramanunni would meet the same fate as that of professor T J Joseph, whose right arm was chopped off by the members of a radical Muslim outfit for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments through a question paper he had set.

"Like T J Joseph, your right arm will be cut off...Your left leg too. You are given six months to convert to Islam. If you do not embrace Islam, we will inflict Allah's punishment on you," the letter said.

The police said a probe was launched on the basis of Ramanunni's complaint.

The right arm of Joseph, who was a professor in the Thodupuzha New Man College, was chopped off while he was returning home from the Sunday mass at a church in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district on July 4, 2010.

A novelist and short story writer, Ramanunni is a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Vayalar Award among other literary acclaims.

In the other case, Deepa Nishanth, a lecturer in the Thrissur-based Kerala Varma College, lodged a police complaint regarding death threats received by her on the social media, allegedly from right-wing activists, in connection with a painting of renowned artist late M F Hussain put up on the college campus.

She alleged today that her morphed pictures with derogatory comments were widely circulated and shared on the social media.

She said the threat seemed to be on the assumption that she was in support of the exhibition of the controversial painting, 'Saraswathy', on the college campus.

A banner, with the painting, was put up by the SFI, the students' union of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, to welcome the freshers, she said.

"I was shocked to see the series of abusive comments against me on the social media over a matter, in which I was not even involved," said Deepa.

She added that the comments and morphed pictures were also sent to her family members, causing great mental agony.

The police registered a case under the Information Technology (IT) Act after the lecturer lodged a complaint with the chief minister and Director General of Police (DGP) Loknath Behera.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission met for an hour behind closed doors Friday to discuss its pending enforcement actions regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Members of the three-member regulatory board said the reason for the executive session was to consult with their attorneys. They took no action following the closed session.

Dakota Access is challenging the procedural steps that the Public Service Commission took in its complaint case regarding the companys failure to notify the commission about cultural artifacts discovered in the pipeline route.

The company did notify the State Historic Preservation Office about stone cairns and other artifacts discovered in the pipeline route in Morton County and rerouted the pipeline to avoid the artifacts. But the commission alleges Dakota Access violated conditions of the permit by failing to also notify regulators. Commissioners later learned about the discovery from a third-party inspector.

The matter was scheduled for a hearing on Aug. 16, but that is now delayed while Dakota Access challenges the procedure the Public Service Commission is using to handle the complaint. Attorneys for both sides are going to file legal briefs by the end of September to outline their arguments.

Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak said its possible the commission will schedule a public meeting to discuss Dakota Access in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, a 8:30 a.m. Aug. 17 hearing is scheduled regarding an investigation into whether Dakota Access removed too many trees and shrubs during construction of the pipeline in North Dakota. The meeting will be streamed online at psc.nd.gov.
A 38 year-old-man was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Civil Lines area here, leading to a protest by local residents who blocked the National Highway-828 for several hours, police said today.

Durgesh Singh was returning home after meeting some friends last night when some unidentified persons opened fire on him, killing him on the spot, they said.

A large number of local residents staged a sit-in on the national highway demanding immedate arrest of the culprits. The traffic movement was disrupted for about four hours due to the protest.

The police said that an FIR has been registered in connection with the incident based on a complaint filed by Singh's father.

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A West Bengal resident was stabbed to death by his own friend at Calangute beach here last night, police said.

The incident could be a fall out of a drunken brawl, police said.

Rakesh Rai from Darjeeling was stabbed by his friend Santosh Chattar from Nagpur at Calangute beach last night, police said.

"The incident happened at 10.30 pm," Calangute Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi said.

The fight broke out when a group of friends which included the victim and the accused were drinking at Calangute beach.

Dalvi said the deceased was rushed to Goa Medical College and Hospital where he was declared brought death.

The accused has been arrested.

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A Block Medical Officer (BMO) and his subordinate were caught red-handed today while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a stationery supplier, the Lokayukta Police said.

Superintendent of Police Dilip Soni said that BMO Dr Mohan Gupta and his subordinate, malaria inspector Arvind Joshi were arrested while accepting the bribe at the Community Health Centre at Dharampuri in Indore district.

Joshi was acting as Dr Gupta's agent, the SP said.

The complainant in the case had supplied stationery worth Rs 70,000 to the Health Department and the accused had demanded a bribe to clear his bills, Soni said.

A case was registered against Dr Gupta and Joshi under the Prevention of Corruption Act, he added. Further probe is on.

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The Delhi Minorities Commission has issued a notice to the national capital's police over the death threat received by social activist Shabnam Hashmi from a man posing as a police official.

The Delhi Police has already arrested a man in connection with the case after Hashmi reported the matter to the Commissioner.

The newly-appointed chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission, Zafarul Islam Khan, confirmed the notice to Delhi Police in connection with the threat received by Hashmi.

He also said a forensic test was needed to pinpoint the man who threatened Hashmi over phone.

"I have issued a notice to the Delhi Police, through the Commissioner of Police, for a fair investigation into Shabnam Hashmi's matter," he said.

Hashmi, founder of the NGO Pehchan, had complained to the Delhi police commissioner Amulya Patnaik that the man who threatened her identified himself as sub-inspector Sandeep Malik from the Lajpat Nagar police station.

Police said the man they arrested was in the habit of calling women after consuming alcohol.

Hashmi had called on a number provided by a woman who attended the sewing class run by the activist's NGO, on July 14.

The woman's auto rickshaw driver husband Mohammad Haseen had got a call from the number asking him to appear at the Lajpat Nagar police station.

Hashmi said that when she called on the given number to know the reason for summoning Haseen, but was met with abuses from the other side. She also said that she was threatened to be killed in an "encounter". The call was recorded by her.

The Minorities Commission chairman said "(It needs to be ascertained) if the arrested man is the real accused. Only a forensic test will reveal whether it was him who threatened Hashmi or it was someone else.

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phones worth Rs 90,000 crore were produced in the country last fiscal, while imports of handsets stood at $3.7 billion (about Rs 24,364 crore) during the period, Parliament was informed on Friday.

India, which is one of the largest telecom markets globally, has seen production of handsets grow at a steady pace over the past few years.

"During 2014-15, handsets worth Rs 18,900 crore were produced in India, which increased to Rs 54,000 crore in 2015-16 and further to Rs 90,000 crore in 2016-17," Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Domestic production of cellular mobile handsets witnessed a growth of 185 per cent in value terms in 2015-16 compared to 2014-15 and 67 per cent in 2016-17 as against 2015-16, he said.

Sinha noted that during the said time-frame, import of mobile handsets declined from 210 million devices (worth $7,948 million) in 2014-15 to 146 million units ($6,059 million) in 2015-16.

Imports further fell to 76 million units ($3,788 million) in 2016-17, he said.

The minister said all major brands (both foreign and Indian) have either already set up their own manufacturing facilities or are in the process of doing so.

Some have also sub-contracted manufacturing to Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) operating from India.

These factories are located in regions like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

To promote indigenous manufacturing in India, the government has introduced differential excise duty on cellular mobile handsets in the Union budget of 2015-16, Sinha said.

"The Government of India has notified the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) to promote indigenous manufacturing of cellular mobile handsets and its sub- assemblies... Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 10 per cent has been imposed on cellular mobile handsets and identified parts thereof," he added.

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Congress vice president today charged that the government's policies are "burning" Jammu and Kashmir and flayed any attempt for third party intervention to resolve the issue, saying "Kashmir is India".

Kashmir has been facing unrest ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces last year.

"I have been saying this for a long time that Modi's and the NDA's policies are burning Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters outside Parliament.

"It is being said there should be discussion on Kashmir with China and Pakistan but my opinion is that Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir and this is our internal matter... our internal business and no one should interfere in it," he said.

Reacting to China's offer of playing a "constructive role" in resolving the Kashmir issue, India had earlier said its stand of resolving all matters bilaterally with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, has not changed.

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The long-lost bag used by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong to collect the first-ever moon samples has been sold for a whopping $1,812,500 at an auction in the US.

The bag, auctioned on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of mankind's first moon landing, was expected to fetch $2-4 million. It still contains traces of the moon dust, Sotheby's said.

During the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, Armstrong collected nearly 500 grammes of material finer than one centimetre, as well as 12 rock fragments larger than a centimetre from five different locations on the lunar surface in the region known as the Sea of Tranquillity.

Given the then unknown nature of lunar material, the decontamination bag was used to minimise any potential harm the samples might pose to the Command Module and planet Earth.

Nearly all of the equipment from that historic mission is housed in the US National Collections at the Smithsonian; however a recent court ruling has allowed this to be the only such artefact in private hands.

The true history of the bag went unknown for decades until just a year ago.

It was offered three separate times in 2014 by a small auction house on behalf of the US Marshall's service, garnering not a single bid.

It was re-listed in 2015, where it was sold for $995.

Scientific tests at NASA revealed the dust in the bag to be moon dust, specifically from the Apollo 11 landing site, and the part number printed inside of the bag matched up to that of the "Contingency Lunar Sample Return Decontamination Bag" listed in the Apollo 11 Stowage list.

The historic price was the culmination of a week-long exhibition that captured the attention of thousands. Overall, auction house Sotheby's first Space Exploration sale totalled $3.8 million with 87.3 per cent of items sold.

"Reflecting the enduring and universal fascination with space, the $1.8 million achieved for the Apollo 11 lunar sample bag and strong prices for objects related to other missions were driven by over 500 participants from dozens of countries with many buyers new to Sotheby's," said Cassandra Hatton, Vice President and Senior Specialist of Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts Department in New York.

In addition to the Apollo 11 lunar bag, early space photography by noteworthy astronomers and NASA innovations obtained substantial prices while American painter Chesley Bonestell's artistic interpretations of space flew high above expectations.

In particular, "Stone Architecture on Mars, Demonstrating Mars' two-thirds less gravity than Earth's" sold for $125,000, over twelve times its high estimate.

Materials from the Soviet space missions drew bids online and on the telephone while a Snoopy Astronaut Doll, Mascot of the Apollo 10 LM Crew, was sold for $27,500.

One of the final lots of the sale also found significant interest in the auction room this afternoon.

The Flown Apollo 13 Flight Plan, with handwritten notations by all three crew members following the onboard explosion, was sold to an online bidder for $275,000.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today told the legislative assembly that the number of students enrolling in government schools has been on a rise.

"The number of students in government run schools has stabilised. In fact you can see a slight increase in their number. Even in vernacular schools, their number is increasing," Parrikar said speaking on the floor of the House.

The chief minister made a vague reference to the fear expressed by RSS leader Subhash Velingkar led Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) that 450 government primary schools would close in the years to come.

"You might be responding to some report that 450 schools are going to close down in few years. There is no need to raise such fear," Parrikar told his own party legislator Nilesh Cabral who had raised apprehensions that the primary schools would be closed due to lack of students.

Responding to another question, Parrikar said the state government will conduct survey of the school buildings which are not in use.

He said those buildings which are partially used, the remaining portion would be maintained by the state government.

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The Naga People's Front (NPF) Central Youth Wing expressing resentment over the alleged 'political coup' committed by the state Governor organised a beef feast at NPF Central office here today.

Hundreds of party men and women joined the feast, where the NPF Youth Wing had prepared different delicacies.

In a letter addressed to the Governor PB Acharya, NPF Youth Wing president Vihoshe N Swu and working president Bendang Longkumer said, "Your Excellency has been terribly busy in the last few days breaking all democratic norms playing politics and installing your party BJP-friendly government in the state."



They accused that Acharya has forgotten that the office of the Governor should be apolitical and stay away from politics, and have been acting as the leader of the dissident NPF group.

"Your attempts to cloak your political decisions with some semblance of legality are transparent and the nakedness of it all is most repulsive and loathsome," they said.

Expressing that Nagas are patient people, but there is a limit to their patience, the NPF Youth Wing said, "We are now in a jubilant mood because not only has the NPF severed ties with the BJP for good, you yourself have shown how low you can stoop to achieve your political and religious agenda in the last few days."



They said, in order to celebrate Acharya's latest political coup and to mark the severance of ties with his political party - BJP, the NPF Youth Wing organised a beef feast.

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The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) today directed the Railways to pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 to a differently-abled person who was allegedly assaulted by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel.

Suresh Rao alias Lengda alias Chhota, a resident of Chanmari village of West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, was allegedly assaulted by the RPF personnel at Balasore railway station on January 3.

OHRC acting chairperson Justice B K Mishra asked the chairman of Railway Board, general manager of South Eastern Railway and IG-cum-Chief Security Commissioner, RPF, South Eastern Railway, to comply with the order within three months.

Justice Mishra issued the order while considering a petition filed by advocate and human rights activist Prabir Das.

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Drug crime went up in 2016, while overall crime rates stayed relatively flat, according to the annual crime statistics report released Friday.

From 2015 to 2016, reported drug violations were up 7.8 percent from 5,648 to 6,086. Marijuana remained the most prevalent drug, followed by methamphetamine then by heroin, which was seized in 299 cases, as opposed to 177 cases in 2015.

"The area of great concern is whats happening with the drug arrests, both in terms of numbers and the complexity and seriousness of the kinds of cases were seeing," Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said in an interview.

Nonetheless, serious crime overall fell by .5 percent, in sharp contrast to the 9.8 percent just experienced statewide in 2015.

The rate of serious crimes, also known as Class A offenses, which include homicides, assaults, drug possession and burglaries, fell from 6.38 to 6.35 per 100 people. Property crime was down 3.5 percent, while crimes against people were up 1.5 percent.

"Were seeing some good news where last year there was none," Stenehjem said.

Among the successes, in Stenehjehm's view, was a 4.5 percent drop in aggravated assaults that "appear to be plateauing" after nearly tripling from 444 to 1,185 from 2006 to 2015.

Stenehjem said he is hopeful that recent and future reforms to the criminal justice system will in the long-run help make some headway on curbing drug abuse, along with related assaults and thefts. He said that, in the next legislative session, he'd like to see more money put toward drug treatment.

"We tweaked some statutes but didnt have the funding for the treatment," he said. "We have a long ways to go, and the two have to go together."

In 2016, there were 17 homicides around the state, which include those on the reservations. There were 21 murders in 2015.

Among those were the murders of Morris Pederson and Misty Coffelt in Bismarck and Kevin White in Mandan. Arrests have been made in the two Bismarck murders, but the Mandan case remains under investigation, after three suspects were released from prison before trial.

In Bismarck, serious crime fell from 9.6 to 9.4 offenses per 100 people. Burglaries and motor vehicle thefts were up, while drugs stayed about flat.

In Mandan, serious crimes were up from 8.9 to 9.8 offenses per 100 people. Among the biggest changes were in drug violations, which were up from 106 to 166 from 2015 to 2016. There was also an increase in burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.

"We definitely have a drug problem here," Haug said. "Usually if theres drugs, theres other crimes around it."

Haug said one major feature of 2016 was responding to Dakota Access Pipeline protests, where local officers often were working two to three days or more weekly.

"I still have cases from before DAPL started that Im still trying to work on," he said.

In Burleigh County, serious crime rose from 6.6 to 9.9 per 100 people. Most of that increase is also attributable to drugs. Drug violations were up from 364 to 598 offenses.

"In these last year to year and a half is when weve seen a great increase," said Burleigh County Sheriff's Department Capt. Kelly Leben. Everywhere we look, even unfortunately in the detention center, were seeing more and more connection with illegal drugs.

Leben said the type of drugs seen in the county is also more serious. Now there is more methamphetamine, where there was once mostly marijuana, he said.

Meanwhile, in Morton County, serious crime rose from 4.7 to 5.3 offenses per hundred people. At the same time, arrests nearly doubled from 390 to 750. Most of the increase can be attributed to trespassing and disorderly conduct arrests, which likely originated from DAPL protests.
A 55-year-old worker of the state-run Travancore Titanium Products Limited (TTPL) was killed and another injured after a tank collapsed at the factory's acid neutralisation plant near here today, police said.

The deceased was identified as Hareendran, police said.

Though he was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital here, doctors declared him brought dead.

Another employee, 28-year-old Sarosh was admitted to the intensive care unit, it said



Police said investigation was on to ascertain whether it was a case of negligence.

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Over 1.62 lakh companies that have not been carrying out business activities for long have been deregistered and a series of actions are being taken against shell firms, the government said today.

While the term 'shell company' is not defined under the Companies Act, Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha that many such entities have been found to be indulging in large scale tax violations.

"However, the Registrars of Companies (RoCs) have removed 1,62,618 companies from the register of companies as on July 12, 2017 after following the due process under Section 248 of the Companies Act, 2013," he said during Question Hour.

His response was to a query on whether a large number of shell companies and entities that are primarily used as conduits for dealing in black money and hawala transactions have come to the notice of the government.

Section 248 provides powers to the RoC to remove the name of a company from the register on various grounds including that the entity was not carrying out any business for two preceding financial years.

Out of the 1,62,618 companies that have been struck-off the register, the registration of 33,000 were cancelled by RoC (Mumbai), according to a written reply by minister of state for corporate affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Among others, RoC (Delhi) has struck-off 22,863 companies from the register and 20,588 firms were deregistered by RoC (Hyderabad).

A large number of shell companies are being identified and the department finds out way to assess tax on income that are routed through them, Jaitley said.

Responding to supplementary queries, Jaitley said the task force on shell companies has submitted its recommendations and actions are being taken.

To a query about action taken against the directors of companies that indulge in such violations, the minister said where there is infraction of law, action is taken under the relevant provisions.

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Pakistan created terror groups such as the Taliban, the Haqqani network and the Lashkar-e-Taiba to keep India "off balance" and protect Islamabad's interests in war-torn Afghanistan, according to former US diplomats and officials.

William Milam, a former US ambassador to Pakistan, and Philip Reiner, a former senior director for South Asia at the Security Council during the Obama administration, said Pakistan's notorious spy agency, the ISI, continues to protect and assist these groups, according to The Cipher Brief.

The online intelligence news and analysis portal on Thursday carried interviews and opinion pieces deciphering the "double game" of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Milan told the portal that Pakistan has "no interest in a peaceful Afghanistan that would be under the influence of its arch enemy India and feels keenly the need for a proxy to protect its interests there."



"We know that Pakistan was present at the creation of the Taliban in the mid-1990s and gave them much support in their fight to take over the country. And we know that the Haqqani network, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban, has become a good substitute proxy," he said.

Milam said the argument that the ISI supports hostile groups such as the Haqqani network, the Taliban, and the Lashkar-e-Taiba are generally believed by Western experts to be correct "but evidence for them is all highly-classified and held closely."



"As for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, it is a reminder that Pakistan still sees India as its primary existential threat and still relies on proxies to keep India off balance.

"A virulently anti-Indian extremist organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba serves as one proxy. Inside India, in the last several years, it has carried out very serious raids which appear to have had ISI help. (Could they have been rogue ISI units? We don't know)," he said.

Milam was US ambassador to Pakistan from 1998 until 2001.

According to The Cipher Brief, despite denials from senior Pakistani officials, many experts agree that the ISI continues to protect and assist the three US-designated terrorist groups, as part of its strategy to keep Afghanistan unstable and advance its ambitions in the Kashmir region.

In an Op-ed for the portal, Reiner wrote that ISI's role over time has included brutal suppression of anti-state rhetoric, fomenting insurgency, providing illicit channels for drug smuggling, acquiring nuclear weapons components, and developing proxy outfits to splinter domestic political parties.

"The primary argument made by Pakistani Generals is that due to historic and growing disparities with India in the conventional military balance, these proxy groups are essential for keeping India off-balance, as well as for ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a Western-aligned and India-dominated neighbour encircling the Pakistanis," he wrote.

According to him, since 9/11, the ISI has assisted in taking down a number of al-Qaeda leaders, but it has at the same time allowed safe passage for other terrorists, permitting India-focused terror groups to remain active, and ensuring that the Afghan Taliban could regroup and become a more effective and equipped fighting force than ever before.

"The US has found Pakistan to be a partner and an adversary at the same time," the former White House official said.

"Pakistan's double game is clearly illustrated by the ISI and its role," Reiner said.

According to Bennett Seftel, the deputy director of analysis at the online portal, the ISI exerts a strong grip on Pakistan's security apparatus. It pulls strings behind the scenes to dominate Pakistani's foreign and domestic policies.

"Many Americans are wary of the ISI, accusing it of providing safe havens to the Haqqani network and Taliban, which are responsible for many US and allied deaths in Afghanistan," Seftel said.
Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.

An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure.

"Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector today by unprovoked firing towards our posts," he said.

The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara.

This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours.

An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.

On July 12, two soldiers - Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat - were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.

Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.

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A 20-year-old Pakistani woman and a man she was having an affair with were today hacked to death allegedly by her father and brother in this city, in a latest case of honour killing in the country.

The couple were brutally killed by the woman's father and brother with meat cleavers after the family invited the 22- year-old man to their house in Nazimabad area.

"Initial investigations show that the gruesome killings were carried out by the Kulsoom Bibi's father and brother in the name of honour at their home after they invited Sajid, who was having an affair with her, to their house," Superintendent of Police Gulberg Bashir Ahmed Brohi said.

"They used meat cleavers in the killings," he said.

The accused as well as the rest of the woman's family members escaped from the house after the killings.

Honour killings are a major menace in the rural areas of Pakistan's four provinces of Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa but it is rare to see such killings carried out in a metropolitan city like Karachi.

A joint session of the Parliament last year in October unanimously approved anti-honour killing and anti-rape bills.

The legislation on honour killings introduced strict punishment for the convicts making it tougher than the ordinary murder cases with those involved in honour killings in the name of family honour having to serve a mandatory prison sentences of 25 years.

The bill also stripped families of the right to legally pardon the perpetrators of so-called "honour killings", a practice that has allowed thousands of murderers to walk free.

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A Palestinian died after being shot in the head in an east Jerusalem neighbourhood near the Old City today, the Palestinian health ministry said, as clashes broke out in the area.

The ministry however did not specify who was behind the shooting in the Ras al-Amud neighbourhood.

Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians erupted around Jerusalem's Old City today over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site.

Today's unrest came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests today, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

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A parliamentary panel today questioned top officials of the home ministry on various aspects of the national security and the privacy issues related to the Aadhar card, officials said.

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by P Chidambaram, questioned Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Home Secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba and others regarding the prevailing security situation in the country and on the implementation of Aadhar and issues related to it.

The committee also asked the officials about the concerns raised by various individuals on the privacy issues related to Aadhar, the officials said.

The home ministry officials explained various steps taken for the country's security, including that in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the privacy over the Aadhar, the officials washed their hands by saying the Aadhar database is not under its control and hence they were not in a position to say anything on the subject.

Another meeting of the committee will be held on July 27 when the home ministry officials will give a detailed presentation on the issues, they said.

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The BJP, Congress and Shiv Sena today condemned National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's suggestion of third party mediation to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Abdullah had suggested that India should take the help of "friends" to resolve the Kashmir issue, drawing sharp reactions from the parties.

"Abdullah must stop advancing Pakistan's fake nuclear blackmail. Out of power, Abdullah is speaking the language of separatists and of Pakistan. His flip-flops on Kashmir reek of hypocrisy," BJP spokesperson G V L Narsimha Rao said.

He said Abdullah must tell "his friends" in Pakistan to stop exporting terror and meddling in Kashmir.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi too flayed any attempt for third party intervention to resolve the issue, saying "Kashmir is India".

"It is being said there should be discussion on Kashmir with China and Pakistan but my opinion is that Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir and this is our internal matter... our internal business and no one should interfere in it," he said.

Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant also "deplored" Abdullah's comment, saying, "Kashmir is our issue. Kashmir is India's and we will resolve the issue within the country. Nobody else is required to intervene in our matter".

Union minister Giriraj Singh said it is the government's clear policy that it will "not tolerate any intervention" from a third party on the Kashmir issue.

"Till Pakistan keeps on funding terrorists, there would be no talks with Pakistan," he said.

Criticising Abdullah's comments, Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, Abdullah is "out of power and frustated".

"What do you mean by third party? What is the stand of the entire country? What is the resolution of Parliament?" he questioned, wondering whether Abdullah wants India to "bend its knees before Pakistan".

"I condemn this. I will ask him to apologise for such comments," he added.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said, "In my opinion Farooq Abdullah should go to some third country...He is not talking in favour of India. Even Pakistan will not accept him".

Claiming that dialogue was the only solution for Kashmir, Abdullah had said, "The way out is through dialogue. Use your friends... Use them for dialogue to resolve the issue".

"Till what time should we wait? Should we wait for a thousand years? You have to take the bull by the horns. You have to do it sometimes. They (Pakistan) have atom bomb, so have you. How many people will you kill? This is not the way," he had said.

"How many more wars will you fight? How much more will you damage India? The money you spent on buying planes, materials for forces ... If you spend it on poor farmers, India will prosper," he said.

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A senior executive has been arrested for defrauding the Philippines' second-largest bank in a scandal that sent the institution's shares tumbling today, officials said.

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co vice president Maria Victoria Lopez is suspected of stealing 1.75 billion pesos (USD 34.5 million) in loans from his employer, they added.

A trusted employee of the bank for 30 years, earning a monthly salary of 250,000 pesos, Lopez was arrested Tuesday while trying to move the stolen money to an unspecified personal account, National Bureau of Investigation spokesman Ferdinand Lavin told a press conference.

Lavin said the money was taken from the credit facility of one of its biggest corporate clients.

"The biggest loser of this is the integrity of the banking system," said Lavin, who added the suspect would be charged with theft, violation of the banking law and falsification of documents.

The bank did not confirm how much was stolen or the time-frame of the fraud, but stressed it did not affect its customers.

"In the context of the bank's 1.9 trillion-peso financial resources, rest assured that we continue to operate business as usual for the bank and our customers," it added.

Metrobank, as the bank is known, is investigating whether there were other people involved in the fraud, Lavin added.

Universal Robina Corp, a large food processing company, said today the fraudulent loans had been drawn from its credit facility with Metrobank.

"We thank Metrobank President Fabian Dee for giving us heads up advice on this unfortunate development and his assurance that URC will not be financially impacted in any way by this incident," it said in a statement.

However, the fraud wiped nearly USD 300 million off the paper value of Metrobank today as investors sold down the stock.

Metrobank shares closed 5.03 per cent lower today to 86.90 pesos.

The lender's parent firm GT Capital Holdings fell 2.85 per cent to 1,195.00 pesos.

Universal Robina shares closed 0.62 per cent down to 161.00 pesos today.

But Central Bank governor Nestor Espenilla told reporters he had no doubt Metrobank would be able to absorb the blow.

"Banks have controls so that these kinds of things can be mitigated and withstood," Espenilla said.

However, he added: "We have to look into the adequacy of those controls if in fact a significant crime happened."



Last month, a computer virus forced the Bank of the Philippine Islands to shut down online access to its services and cash machines for two consecutive days.

The bug drained some accounts and added money to others.

Last year unidentified hackers stole USD 81 million from a US account of the Bangladesh central bank, funnelling the stolen funds into a Philippine bank and Manila-based casinos.

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The Philippine Congress sits in a special session today to vote on President Rodrigo Duterte's bid for longer military rule over the southern third of the country in a bid to defeat Islamist gunmen.

Duterte is widely expected to win approval for martial law in the region until the end of the year, with troops having failed to wrest back the southern city of Marawi following two months of fighting.

The military said only about 60 Islamic State group- inspired gunmen are left in a 49-hectare (121-acre) area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed martial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

"I cannot afford to be complacent," Duterte told reporters yesterday, adding the military will be conducting further "mopping up operations" even after they recapture Marawi.

"If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap," he added.

Duterte imposed a 60-day martial rule -- the maximum period allowed by the constitution -- over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday he asked Congress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the continued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

A slide presentation accompanying Duterte's request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the IS takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Most of the militants' leaders remain at large, it said, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar wide scale attacks.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it added.

Martial law allows the military to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed firearms in their homes.

However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines decades after the late deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, political opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

"I am amenable to it," House of Representatives justice committee chairman Reynaldo Umali, a key Duterte ally, told ABS-CBN television yesterday.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has said previously he sees no roadblock to its swift approval by both chambers of Congress.

Duterte had already beaten back a Supreme Court petition to declare martial law in Mindanao illegal.

But opposition politicians have criticised Duterte's proposal for a martial law extension, with some alleging it is part of a Duterte plot to eventually bring the country under a military-backed dictatorship.

"Once he feels that there is not enough opposition to a nationwide martial law declaration, he will go for it," Senator Antonio Trillanes told AFP on Tuesday.

After this he could declare a revolutionary government to allow him to stay in office beyond his six-year electoral term in mid-2022, Trillanes says.

Duterte, 72, insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term.

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Next week's ballot offers some intrigue for North Dakotans  from late congressional entries by independent candidates to term limits and marijuana legalization. Voters will decide whether to endorse changing the state constitution to limit the terms of the governor and state legislators. Another citizen-led initiative also will put the question of marijuana legalization before voters, who rejected the idea four years ago. Ninety-eight of the Legislatures 141 seats are on the ballot. All but one Democrat is up for reelection this year. Contests for secretary of state, attorney general and other state offices Also will appear on the ballot.
A police conscript was killed and three others were injured when unknown assailants opened fire on three police vehicles on Cairo-Fayoum Ring Road, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The statement issued yesterday added that the injured were transferred to the hospital while security forces were combing the area of the incident in search of the attackers.

Egypt has witnessed many terror attacks since the January 2011 revolution that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.

Hundreds of police and army personnel were killed since then.

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Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex Mizo students' body, has put off its proposed indefinite bandh after reaching an agreement with the state government that no Chakma students would be admitted in medical colleges under Mizoram quota.

The MZP had given a call for a state-wide indefinite bandh from today until the state government cancelled the counselling for the Chakma students selected to study medicine.

According to the agreement, 11 students of the Mizo community would be sent to three medical colleges to study MBBS and BDS, and the counselling for the selected candidates, which included four Chakma students, was cancelled, a press release issued by the MZP said.

The police had yesterday dispersed agitating students by using baton and teargas in Aizawl, leaving several students injured.

The students had protested after four students belonging to the Chakma community had entered the venue of the counselling, under police escort.

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A court in Pune today granted protection from arrest till July 28 to Rohit Tilak, a Congress leader and great-grandson of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, in a case of alleged rape.

Rohit filed an application for anticipatory bail after a 40-year-old woman lodged a complaint of rape against him a few days ago.

Additional Sessions Judge L L Yenkar today directed the police not to arrest him till July 28, the next date of hearing, his lawyers said.

The complainant has alleged that she and Rohit knew each for the last two years, and he raped her on several occasions after promising to marry her.

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The Punjab government has set a target of planting two crore saplings across the state in this year.

Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot today called a high-level meeting here of official from his department and said the state government is planning to acquire land alongside roads and to plant saplings on it.

"Two crore saplings will be planted across the state this year under green mission," he said.

He said that after the plantation, the maintenance the saplings would be handed over to concerned panchayats and schools.

Dharamsot said the department is also contemplating to use open stretches of land in Abhohar and Fazilka for this purpose, an official spokesman said.

Emphasising on the need of developing "forest tourism" in the state, the minister said that a park has been set up at Nabha area in Patiala district, similarly land stretches have already been identified at Balachaur in Hoshiarpur district to set up parks.

Direction to all the nurseries in the state have been issued to ensure that the height of the planted sapling is 4-5 feet, he said.

The state government has launched a plantation campaign in over 8,000 hectares of land in the 2017-18 period.

The minister said a nature park would be set up at Mattewada in Ludhiana to sensitise the public about the advantages of forests, wildlife and environment.

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Launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today alleged it was "mutilating" the Indian Constitution through "systematic capture" of democratic institutions by the Prime Minister, bureaucracy and the RSS.

"There was a man called Hitler and he once wrote --keep a very firm grasp on reality so you can strangle it at any time. Today this is what is happening all around us. This strangulation of reality," Gandhi said, as he targeted Modi and the RSS, saying they want India to "surrender its voice."



"The aim is to mutilate the Indian Constitution which was given to us by Sri Ambedkar. That is the aim, to mutilate the Constitution given to us by Mr Ambedkar," Gandhi said at the inauguration of the three-day BR Ambedkar International Conference organised by the Karnataka government here.

Gandhi said India lost its Independence because when Britishers stepped on its soil millions and millions of people kept quiet and allowed the British to do exactly what they pleased because they were powerful.

"And that is exactly what is happening today. When the journalist doesn't write about the violence in front of her eyes, when the judge is pressurised into giving a judgment..That is exactly what is happening."



"India's freedom was not simply taken away by the British. It was handed over to them by some Indians....We lost our voice because we surrendered it."



"And this is exactly what Modi and RSS want. They want India to surrender its voice."



Observing that there were two ways to rob people of their voice -- to frighten them into submission and to shout so loudly that no one else can be heard--, he said, "Narendra Modiji and the RSS are doing exactly that."



"What is happening today is the systematic capture of India's democratic institutions by the Prime Minister, by the bureaucracy and the RSS....," he alleged.

"Do not forget that every single Indian will be robbed of their voice, every single Indian will be robbed of his future. We must firstly keep the firm grip on reality. We must never ever allow them to strangle it," he said.

Attacking Modi on demonetisation and for not listening to farmers, Gandhi said, "The emperor is completely naked, but nobody around him has the courage to tell him."



Referring to the Rohit Vemula suicide controversy, he said, "They call it suicide, I call it murder. Rohit was crushed and murdered by the indignities he suffered. He was killed only because he was a Dalit. The instrument of his murder was the letter written to his university by the Government of India. A letter that destroyed his future forever."



Also referring to the lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq at Dadri, he said he was "butchered" because they said he stole a calf which was a lie. Instead of questioning his brutal killing, they asked whether the meat in the fridge was mutton or beef, he said.

He said thousands of farmers commit suicide and the government looks the other way. But the government can forgive any amount of corporate debt, calling it corporate write-offs, but farmers were given nothing, he said.

Lashing out at Modi on demonetisation, he said thousands of businesses were wiped out and "hundreds of people simply died..."



Gandhi said, "...Privately our friends in the press called it insanity but publicly they called it the stroke of genius."



Ridiculing Modi's talk about "plastic surgery and Ganeshji," Gandhi said, "He talks about nuclear weapons and flying chariot in ancient India, about the perfect country without misery, without poverty and without the crime of caste. Well let me tell you he is lying."



"The BJP wants to paint a lie over India so that they can return to a forgotten time... Forgotten age. An age where people were humiliated by power, where people voices were crushed....Where millions and millions of Indians were untouchables."



"The truth embedded in the history of India is the betrayal of the weakest by the powerful," he said.

The conference, inaugurated by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King III and attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has been organised to commemorate the 126th birth annivesary of Ambedkar.

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: Stalin, Khrushchev, Lenin and Pushkin took time off from their hectic schedule to "come together" on a single platform here to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Indo-Russian diplomatic relations.

The unique gathering of Malayalees named after well known Russians was organised by Russian Cultural Centre here last evening as part of the evens in connection with the anniversary.

Over 30 persons from different parts of Kerala came together at the function, including the youngest - three-year-old Ila Kransny and the oldest 60-year-old Khrushchev.

Russian Cultural Centre director Ratheesh C Nair said the trend of having Russian names was unique to Kerala as it shows affinity to the country's literature and politics.

Three Stalins, six Lenins, and two Pushkins were among those who turned up yesterday.

Pravada (32), a police constable at Vizhinjam, said she always loved her unique name. She also explained that her parents had named her after a popular Russian newspaper.

Her daughter is named Volga, after the longest river in Europe.

V G Pushkin, a senior manager with Indian Overseas Bank, said his father, a teacher and staunch Communist, named him after the famed Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

"During my childhood there were many Russian publications which were read at home and my family was impressed with Pushkin," he told PTI.

Pushkin said he, however, regretted not giving his two daughters Russian names.

Akil, a communist and father of Ila Krasny, a research scholar in Mathematics, said his daugter's name was a combination of Sanskrit and Russian words.

Ila means 'earth' and Krasny means 'red', he added.

Lenin Lal, another research scholar in history at Kerala University, said he was happy to get a historical name.

"Due to this rare name, I get lot of attention," he said.

The Communist influence is considered the main reason for Russian names becoming popular in Kerala, most of which are associated with the Soviet era.

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Ryanair will slash flights between Britain and the EU if London and Brussels fail to agree on terms for post-Brexit air travel by September next year, a senior executive said today.

If there is no "clarity" on the issue by September 2018, the Irish no-frills airline will remove flights from and to the UK from its summer 2019 timetable, chief commercial officer David O'Brien told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Ryanair will also remove some 85 aircraft currently based in Britain to airports on the European mainland or in Ireland, he added.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary made similar comments to the European Parliament's transport committee earlier this month.

The outspoken airline boss has repeatedly criticised the British government for its approach to post-Brexit air travel.

He said London ministers "don't have an idea" of the possible impact on the industry, speaking at a Frankfurt press conference in February.

Last week, British competitor EasyJet said it would create a new division based in Austrian capital Vienna to avoid Brexit fallout.

Britain's airline industry has soared over the past two decades under the Single European Sky system, which lifted trade restrictions on EU airlines.

Unless British negotiators manage to secure preferential conditions, British airlines could lose this status once the country leaves the EU.

This will mean they no longer enjoy rights including being able to freely set airfares, and to launch any route in Europe without getting prior authorisation.

Passengers leaving or arriving in the United Kingdom will face new taxes and British airlines face obstacles and delays in developing new routes.

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019 after voting in a shock referendum last year in favour of departure.

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Saudi Arabia's police have shot dead three men wanted for "terrorist" attacks in the country's Shiite-majority east, the interior ministry of the Sunni-ruled kingdom said today.

The men -- two Saudis and a Bahraini -- were killed in an exchange of gunfire with police in the city of Saihat in the district of Qatif on July 14, the ministry said.

Police seized three machine guns, a pistol, ammunition and more than 10 kilos of explosives, official agency SPA reported a ministry spokesman as saying.

He said the men were wanted for their involvement in deadly attacks against the police, as well as an attack on a vehicle used to transport cash, abductions and weapons trafficking.

Al-Jazirah newspaper on July 15 reported the death of one of the Saudis, Jaafar al-Mobireek, killed in Qatif, which has seen a string of attacks on security forces in recent weeks.

Most of Saudi Arabia's Shiites live in the oil-rich east, where they have long complained of marginalisation.

The area has been rocked by unrest since 2011, when Shiite protests erupted to demand equality in the Gulf kingdom.

Authorities have blamed the violence on "terrorists" and drug traffickers.

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The Supreme Court today asked the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on violent incidents in the garb of cow protection.

The apex court did so even as the Centre said it condemns any kind of vigilantism but the law and order is a state subject and that it has no role to play in the matter.

However, a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said that Centre and state should not protect any kind of vigilantism.

"You say that law and order is a state subject and states are taking actions as per law. You don't protect any kind of vigilantism," the bench, also comprising A M Khanwilkar and M M Shantanagoudar, asserted.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that Parliament was also informed yesterday by the government that it does not support any kind of vigilantism.

"Law and order is a state subject and Central government does not have any role to play into it. However, Union of India is of the view that no vigilante group has any space in the country as per procedures of law. It does not support any kind of vigilantism by private persons," Kumar said.

He sought some time to file a reply to the petition.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde appearing for one of the petitioners said that the Centre and various states have not filed their replies to the petition.

The counsel appearing for Gujarat said that there was only one such incident of cow vigilantism in the state and necessary action has been taken against those responsible.

Jharkhand in its reply accepted that few incidents of violence have indeed taken place in the recent past but termed them as "stray incidents" and said that people engaging in violence has been booked as per law.

In its affidavit it said, compensation has been paid to the victims of violence perpetrated by Gau Rakshaks (cow vigilante groups) and added that steps have been taken to restore "confidence of the aggrieved community."



The apex court also sought the assistance of the Centre and states for removing violent content related to cow vigilantism uploaded on social media.

The bench asked Centre and other states to file their detailed reply and posted the matter for further hearing on September 6.

The apex court had on April 7 sought the response of six states on the plea, filed on October 21 last year, seeking action against cow vigilantes who were allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.

Activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, in his plea, said violence committed by these 'Gau Raksha' groups has reached such proportions that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared them as people who were "destroying the society".

The plea also alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protecting cows and other bovines and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country."



"The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading fast to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes," the petition submitted.

The plea sought to declare as "unconstitutional" section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, and Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which provide for protection of persons acting in good faith under the Act or rules.

Seeking action against the vigilantes, the petition said the atrocities committed by them were punishable under various provisions of IPC and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989.

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Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and three other private telecom firms understated revenues by more than Rs 61,000 crore over five years, resulting in short payment of nearly Rs 7,700 crore in statutory dues to the government, the CAG said today.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said another Rs 4,531.62 crore was due from the six operators as interest on the short paid revenue share.

Airtel, India's largest telecom operator, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Aircel understated revenues during 2010-11 to 2014-15 period (for Sistema Shyam the period begins from 2006-07).

This was done through accounting adjustments for commission or discount paid to their distributors, promotional schemes like free talk time and discounts to post-paid subscribers and on roaming services.

The revenue was understated also by netting of revenue from infrastructure sharing and non-inclusion of forex gains, interest income and sale of investment, the CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament.

CAG calculated that Airtel owes to the government Rs 2,602.24 crore in licence fee and spectrum usage charge (SUC) for 2010-11 to 2014-15. It owes another Rs 1,245.91 crore in interest.

Dues from Vodafone totalled Rs 3,331.79 crore including Rs 1,178.84 crore in interest. For Idea, the statutory dues stood at Rs 1,136.29 crore plus Rs 657.88 crore in interest. Anil Ambani-led RComm owed a total of Rs 1,911.17 crore (including Rs 839.09 crore interest), Aircel Rs 1,226.65 crore and SSTL Rs 116.71 crore.

As per the New Telecom Policy, telecom licensees are required to share a percentage of their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) with the government as annual License Fee (LF). In addition, mobile telephone operators were also required to pay Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) for the use of radio frequency spectrum allotted to them.

CAG said the Gross Revenue (GR) of the licensee operator, as per the licence agreement with Department of Telecom, prohibits any set-offs of related expenditure from revenue and norms for preparation of the accounts for payment of revenue share are built into the licence agreement.

"We observed non-conformities with conditions of licence agreement in the accounts prepared by all the six operators covered in the audit due to which their GR computed for sharing revenue with the government was understated," it said.

CAG said even though computation of the GR was not in compliance with the licence agreement, the statutory auditors had always certified that the accounts were prepared in accordance with the guidelines/norms.

"These statements submitted by the operators appeared to be only a perfunctory practice as they consistently departed from the stipulations in the Unified Access Service License (UASL) agreements while computing GR (gross revenue).

"DoT on its part did not take any proactive steps to ensure that the licensees disclosed their revenue as stipulated in the licence agreements," CAG added.

CAG said private service providers employ distributors, dealers, agents and franchisees to sell their prepaid products for customer acquisition and pay commission/discounts to them. These companies reduced the gross revenue by the amount of commission paid.

Also, promotional offers were not recognised as revenue by the companies while discounts/waivers given to post paid subscribers over and above tariff plans submitted to sector regulator TRAI were deducted from revenue.

Discounts offered to international operators for roaming services were also deducted and so was revenue from infrastructure sharing, CAG said.

Stating that forex gains and interest income were components of revenue, CAG said the operators excluded them from calculations. Also excluded was profit from sale of investment.

RComm evaded revenue share payment through an arrangement with its subsidiary, CAG said.

Besides, the operators did not include miscellaneous revenue and profit on sale of fixed assets and dividend income in the revenue while claiming deduction on bad debts written off.

The CAG report comes at a time when the large telecom companies are battling challenges on multiple fronts.

The revenue and profitability of established operators have comes under severe pressure, following the disruptive entry of Reliance Jio. As it is, the telecom industry owes Rs 6.10 lakh crore to various financial institutions and banks.

The government has recently constituted an inter- ministerial group to assess the financial stress of telecom companies and recommend measures to mitigate the crisis. The IMG has held wide consultation with telecom companies and banks and is expected to submit its report this month.

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After successfully relaunching the Spider-Man franchise with Tom Holland-starrer "Homecoming", Sony and Marvel are planning to retain director Jon Watts for its sequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Watts is in talks to return to the director's chair for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" follow-up.

The currently untitled sequel is already slated for July 5, 2019 release.

Holland will reprise his role as Peter Parker in the sequel. In Homecoming, Parker is a sophomore in high school trying to adjust to regular Brooklyn life after his adventures with the Avengers.

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The sugarcane farmers in Goa have decided to give up their plan for a march to the Legislative Assembly on July 24 while claiming that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured to hike the support price of the crop.

The farmers, under the banner of Akhil Gomantak Us Utpadak Sanghatna (AGUUS), had earlier planned a protest march to the Legislative Assembly during its ongoing monsoon session over their demand for an increase in support price of sugarcane crop in the state.

State Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai told PTI that the farmers decided to cancel their protest after they met the chief minister yesterday.

"We have decided to withdraw our proposed march as the chief minister has assured us to increase the support price of sugarcane by Rs 500 per tonne from retrospective effect covering the crop cultivated last year," AGUUS president Rajendra Desai claimed today.

He said their demand was to increase the support price from Rs 2,500 per ton to Rs 3,600 per ton.

Desai said as of now they are happy with the hike after which they are expecting to get a support price of Rs 3,000 per ton.

In its budget tabled in the House in March this year, the Parrikar-led government had announced various schemes to provide financial assistance for sugarcane cultivation in the state.

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The Telangana government is taking steps to make all towns in the state open defecation- free (ODF) by August 15, a minister said today.

Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, who held a video conference with municipal commissioners on the issue, said all towns would be declared to be ODF by August 15.

All municipalities must reach the target by that date, according to a state government release.

Departmental action would be taken against municipal commissioners who fail to achieve the target, he said,



There is no shortage of funds for the programme, the minister said.

The construction of toilets should not stop under any circumstances and every municipality must achieve the status of ODF on a war-footing, he said.

Several towns have already become ODF, Rao said.

The minister directed the officials to focus on sanitation during the monsoon season, among other important measures, according to the release.

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Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Warsaw and towns across Poland to protest the ruling party's drive to reorganise all levels of the judiciary, including contentious legislation that gives control of the nation's Supreme Court to the president instead of to judges.

Poland's prime minister appeared on national television to defend the changes as opponents of her government urged the president to reject the changes.

Opposition lawmakers and celebrities yesterday joined the crowd in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw as protesters held up candles, waved national and European Union flags and chanted "free courts" and "democracy."



Critics say the Supreme Court legislation and two earlier bills destroy judicial independence and threaten democracy.

In her nationwide speech, Beata Szydlo said that the legislation was prompted by public criticism of the legal system's inefficiency and blamed the outcry it has triggered on the opposition's "frustration."



Szydlo insisted the government will not bow to pressure "from Polish or from foreign defenders of the interest of the elites."



Her comments appeared to refer to warnings from the European Union of sanctions against Poland, including the possibility of stripping Warsaw of its EU voting rights.

Szydlo spoke after lawmakers voted to approve the contentious Supreme Court legislation. Critics concede that the judiciary needs reform, but that the proposed changes are going in the wrong direction.

The bill also calls for the dismissal of the court's current judges, except for those chosen by the president. It rearranges the court's structure and adds a Disciplinary Chamber that would handle breaches of rules or ethics in the justice system.

European Union president, Donald Tusk, Poland's former prime minister, has appealed to President Andrzej Duda for a meeting to seek ways out of the situation that, he said, goes against EU values and is destructive to Poland's international image.

The bill still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to be granted at a session today, and from Duda, a lawyer, who has so far followed the ruling party line.

Earlier yesterday, a small group of protesters kicked metal barriers that separated them from the parliament, chanting "Shame!" to express their anger at the lawmakers.

The new law is part of the ruling party's drive to reorganise all levels of Poland's judiciary. The party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, also a lawyer, insists the justice system needs radical reform because, he says, it still works along communist-era lines, a claim judges dispute.

Party spokeswoman, Beata Mazurek, said yesterday that people in small towns across the country have a sense the justice system is not on their side and the party wants to change that.

"We are taking Poland in the right direction," Mazurek said.

But not all agree.

Supreme Court chief Malgorzata Gersdorf says, on average, the court takes seven months to rule on a case, but she calls that a good result, even by European standards, given that the court handles the most difficult and complicated matters.

Opposition lawmaker and former justice minister Borys Budka says the bill makes the judges dependent on one party and denies citizens the right to independent courts. He also condemned the speed with which the bill was passed, saying it was done without proper public consultation.

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Three persons were arrested today for allegedly cheating people visiting ATMs by exchanging their original cards with the fake ones through sleight of hand, the police said.

Police recovered a total of 72 ATM cards of various banks from the trio, identified as Dharmveer Dalsingh Shasi, Kuldeep Shishpal Shashi and Sanjay Karmveer Shasi--all residents of Hisar in Haryana.

According to a senior official, the gang committed similar crimes in Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana besides in various parts of Gujarat in the last two months.

Explaining the modus operandi of the gang, he said they used to target either the elderly or those who are not well-versed with the procedure to withdraw money at the ATM (Automated Tellar Machines) kiosks.

"One of the gang members would pretend to offer help to the target and would note down the card PIN number while inserting the card in the machine. While doing so, they will quickly exchange the original ATM card of the target with the fake one," Karanraj Vaghela, DCP, Zone II, told reporters here.

He said the accused used to tell their target that his ATM card is not working, and once he left the kiosk they would withdraw the money using the original card.

"We have recovered around 72 ATM cards of various banks from the trio," the officer said, adding that the accused have withdrawn money to the tune of Rs 30 lakh in the last two months.

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Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay today launched a scathing attack against the BJP government for trying to stifle the voice of opposition with its "brute majority".

Bandyopadhyay, the Lok Sabha leader of the party, was addressing for the first time after he was arrested by the CBI in connection with a ponzi scam in January, this year and subsequently released on bail.

"The BJP has a huge majority in Parliament today. But don't try to destroy the opposition with this brute majority. This is what is called the evil of brute majority. In a democracy we should appreciate constructive opposition as it strengthens parliamentary democracy," he said at the party's Martyrs' Day rally here.

Bandopadhyay, who is the leader of the TMC parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha, said that the country was going through a tumultuous phase.

"The country is going through a turmoil as never before has the country faced such a situation. We all need to stand up and fight against this instability," he said.

He also decried attempts being made to divide Bengal.

"At a time when Bengal is moving forward, efforts are being made to instigate the people of Darjeeling. Under no circumstances will we allow Bengal to be divided," he asserted.

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: Top stories from the southern region at 2100 hrs today.

MDS4 KL-WRITER-THREAT



Thiruvananthapuram:Renowned Malayali author K P Ramanunni lodges a police complaint regarding an anonymous threat letter warning him that his right arm and left leg will be chopped off if he did not convert to Islam within six months.

MDS5 PD-BEDI-POSTERS



Puducherry: With Puducherry Congress casting Lt Governor Kiran Bedi as Adolf Hitler in its posters, the LG turns the table against the UT's Congress government by tweeting those posters and terming her dubious portrayal as an act denigrating the LG's office.

MDS7 KL-BJP-GRAFT



Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP leaders to meet here tomorrow amid corruption allegations against a party functionary over the issue of grant of MCI clearance to a private medical college.

BOM15 TL-TEACHERS-PROTEST



Hyderabad: Teachers wearing helmets inside classrooms may not be a common sight but those in a government school in Shakarampet mandal of Medak district are putting them on to protect themselves from the "dilapidated" building.

BES15 TL-GANG-ARREST



Hyderabad: Cyberabad Police arrest four members of a gang which had made an unsuccessful attempt to commit an armed dacoity at the office of a gold finance firm at Mailardevpally here earlier this month.

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A man today looted Rs 4.50 lakh from a trader in Kotwali area here, police said.

The incident took place at around 10 AM when Dinesh Gupta, who owns Gupta Book store on the Arya Samaj Road, was about to go to a bank to deposit the cash, they said.

"A man snatched my bag possessing Rs 4.50 lakh whenI was about to go to the bank on my motorcycle," Gupta, in his complaint, told the police.

Police said, following the incident, they tried to nab the culprit from a shopping centre but he managed to dodge them and fled the place.

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West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi today congratulated Ram Nath Kovind on being elected the next President of India.

In a message, Tripathi conveyed warm greetings to Kovind and best wishes.

The Governor expressed confidence that Kovind would uphold the Constitution of India in its true spirit and work for the welfare of the nation, the message said.

Kovind yesterday defeated Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, by winning more than 65 per cent of votes in the electoral college to become the 14th President of India.

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US President Donald Trump is "frustrated" by the continued witch-hunt of the Russia probe, the White House has said, as the controversy surrounding his campaign's alleged relationship with the Russians continues.

"It's clear that the President is frustrated by the continued witch-hunt of the Russia investigation, and he'd love for this to come to a full conclusion so that everyone can focus fully on the thing that he was elected to do," White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily conference.

"That's what he'd like to be focused on," Sanders said.

Yesterday media reports said that the FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking into finances of his family businesses. Mueller has been tasked by the Department of Justice to investigate Russian meddling into US presidential elections last year and a possible connection between the Trump campaign and Russian.

Trump has refuted those charges. "The President has been clear many times before that he has no financial dealings whatsoever with Russia.The point the President is making is that the investigation should stay within the confines of Russia meddling in the election and nothing beyond that," Sanders said in response to a question.

"I think it's pretty clear how the process will turn out from our side is that this will be proven to be the witch-hunt that it is, and that nothing further will happen," Sanders said in response to a question.

Muller, media reports said yesterday, is examining a broad range of transactions involving Trump's businesses as well as those of his associates. Trump has opposed such a line of investigation.

Meanwhile, the Department of Treasury announced a USD 2 million penalty against ExxonMobil for violations of Ukraine- related sanctions due to its business pursuits with Russia.

Exxon, then , was headed by Rex Tillerson, who is now the Secretary of State. The State Department refused to answer questions on it.

"I welcome today's decision by the Treasury Department to fine Exxon for violation of this sanction regime and I am disappointed that an American company would so clearly act in divergence from US national security interests," Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said.

"The Secretary continues to abide by his ethical commitments, including that recusal from Exxon-related activities.The action was taken by the Department of State - excuse me, the Department of the Treasury, and State was not involved in this," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters.

According to the Department of Treasury, between May 14, 2014 and May 23, 2014, ExxonMobil violated Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations when the presidents of its US subsidiaries dealt in services of an individual whose property and interests in property were blocked, namely, by signing eight legal documents related to oil and gas projects in Russia with Igor Sechin, the President of Rosneft OAO, and an individual identified on OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.

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The United States is winning its fight against the Islamic State group and enlarging an international coalition to defeat the group, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said, hours after President Donald Trump said "ISIS is falling fast, very fast."



"We're winning. They're losing. How's that?" an upbeat Mattis told reporters after a closed-door briefing at the Capitol yesterday.

Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other officials spoke with House members for more than 90 minutes. Mattis said he updated lawmakers on "where we're at in the defeat-ISIS campaign" and building an international coalition, "which is enlarging as you know."



The briefing came hours after Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met with Mattis at the Pentagon, focusing on the fight against the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.

The president didn't address an anticipated spike in troop levels in Afghanistan yesterday, telling reporters, "we'll see. And we're doing very well against ISIS. ISIS is falling fast, very fast."



The Trump administration hopes to address weaknesses in Afghan forces with a new strategy and the introduction of several thousand American forces. There are now about 8,400 there.

Asked about possible troop increases, Mattis said, "I'm sure the president will make a decision soon."



Trump avoided providing any specifics on the Pentagon meeting, which he described as "very good." He said "you'll be hearing" about future action in Afghanistan.

About two dozen men and women in dress uniform lined both sides of the "Chairman's Hallway" in the Pentagon. The meeting took place in a secure meeting room colloquially known as "the tank" -- where the Joint Chiefs of Staff typically meet. When Trump emerged, he greeted each serviceman and woman one by one, shaking hands and saying a word or two to each. Pence followed.

Mattis said after the congressional meeting that lawmakers expressed support for the administration's efforts.

"I have no doubt we have the support of Congress, and that was loud and clear," Mattis said.

The administration has been searching for an improved approach to achieving the goal it inherited from the Obama administration: getting the Afghan government to a point where it can defend itself.

Trump has largely ceded decision-making to Mattis, who is expected to send nearly 4,000 more troops to the country this summer.

US-backed Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul after that city was held for around three years by the Islamic State group.

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An assailant broke into a home in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank today and stabbed four Israelis, with two dying from their wounds, the army said.

The attack in Neve Tsuf, north of Ramallah, came towards the end of a day of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site.

Three Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded in the clashes.

The assailant in Neve Tsuf, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, was shot, the army said.

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: Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Pon Radhakrishnan today inspected the memorial for former President A P J Abdul Kalam, which is to be inaguruated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27.

The Ministers were accompanied by BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan and Ramanathapuram Collector S Natarajan.

Later, Sitharaman and Radhakrishnan, along with senior district police officials inspected the helipad at Mandapam, where Modi would be landing.

Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Director Mayilsamy Annadurai also visited the town and called on the family members of Kalam, including his elder brother A P J M Muthu Meera Maraikayar.

Later,Annadurai told reporters, "Kalam was an inspiration for many scientists, including myself. His dream was to make India into a developed nation and involve the student community in achieving his vision," he said.

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The Uttar Pradesh Assembly today adopted two resolutions on naming the civil terminals of the Kanpur and Bareilly airports after freedom fighter Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi and as Nath Nagri respectively.

The resolutions, moved by Minister for Civil Aviation Nand Gopal Gupta alias Nandi, were passed by a voice vote in the absence of the opposition members, who have been boycotting the Assembly proceedings since yesterday.

Moving the resolution on renaming the Kanpur airport, the minister said as a recognition of the contributions of social worker and freedom fighter Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, who stayed in Kanpur to fight the British through his writings, the civil terminal of the Chakeri airport be named after him.

Moving the other resolution, he said the civil terminal at the Bareilly airport should be re-christened as Nath Nagri after the cultural name of the city.

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The head of the US military's special operations has confirmed that the Central Intelligence Agency is shutting down its program to support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

General Tony Thomas yesterday denied that the four-year- old operation was brought to an end as a way to placate Russia and earn its support for a ceasefire in southwestern Syria.

It was a "tough, tough decision" but "absolutely not a sop to the Russians," Thomas said at a forum in Aspen, Colorado.

"It was, I think, based on an assessment of the nature of the program, what we're trying to accomplish, the viability of it going forward."



Asked about Thomas's comments, the CIA declined to comment.

On Wednesday the Washington Post reported the covert CIA program was being shut down.

The Post said President Donald Trump made the decision nearly a month ago after a meeting with CIA chief Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor HR McMaster.

The Post said Trump made the decision in a effort to find ways to work with Russia in Syria, where Moscow supports Assad's government.

Trump has said the main US focus in Syria should be to eliminate the Islamic State group, rather than opposing the Assad regime.

The ceasefire, which covers some of the area from which the rebels operate, was announced on July 7 at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

President Barack Obama approved the rebel aid program in 2013 as various insurgent groups sought external support in a general uprising against the Assad regime.

Thousands of Syrian anti-government fighters were trained and armed.

But the US commitment remained ambiguous amid doubts in some quarters that the rebels could actually manage to depose Assad and as attention turned to the rising power of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Support for the program further eroded last year after the rebels lost the areas they held in the Syrian city of Aleppo under a brutal Russian-backed government assault.

US officials said this week that some of the anti-Assad forces could be absorbed into US military-supported groups fighting Islamic State.

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A senior diplomat representing Venezuela at the United Nations has resigned to protest President Nicolas Maduro's repression of demonstrations against his government.

Isaias Medina, a minister counsellor at the mission, said in video circulating yesterday that he could no longer represent the government at the world body because of rights violations.

"I cannot be part of a government that is systematically attacking protesters, that is not respecting the constitutional right of manifestation," Medina said in the video filmed at the United Nations.

Venezuela's Ambassador Rafael Ramirez said on Twitter that he "condemned the conduct of Isaias Medina" and that he had been immediately dismissed.

"He doesn't represent us. He has acted dishonestly," said Ramirez.

A UN spokesman did not immediately comment.

One person was killed and three others wounded during nationwide protests in Venezuela yesterday, bringing the death toll during weeks of demonstrations to 98.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet today in New York with Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada as international pressure mounts on Maduro to scrap a plan to rewrite the constitution.

Guterres has called for an urgent national dialogue to end the violence and agree on a way forward to end the crisis.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sanctions unless Maduro backs away from his plan.

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Voting is underway here for the election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Goa.

There is a straight fight between Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar and state Congress chief Shantaram Naik for the seat.

Naik, a sitting Rajya Sabha member, is seeking a third consecutive term.

As many as 18 legislators from the ruling group cast their votes after polling began in the Legislative Assembly building in Porvorim at 10 am.

During the first two hours, 36 out of the 38 legislators, who are eligible for voting, cast their votes.

The result will be announced later in the day.

The BJP has 12 legislators in the 40-member state Assembly. Its allies comprise Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party having three legislators each, and three independents, taking its tally to 21.

The Congress has 16 MLAs in the state.

Two MLAs - Siddharth Kuncolienkar and Vishwajit Rane - had earlier resigned.

NCP MLA Churchill Alemao has kept his cards close to his chest.

Alemao yesterday said he would not like to disclose whom he was supporting.

Tendulkar had earlier expressed confidence about his victory. "The numbers are with us," he said,



Naik also said he was hopeful of winning the election.

Meanwhile, the Congress legislators were huddled in a meeting this morning after it emerged that there was cross-voting in the presidential poll held on Monday.

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Police have arrested a wanted criminal after a brief encounter in Kamla Nehru Nagar in Kavinagar police station area here.

Akash Tomar, SP, City, said on a tip-off, the police intercepted two suspects on a bike, last night.

But they did not stop and fired upon the police party and in turn the police retaliated due to which their motorcycle slipped on the muddy road.

Taking advantage of darkness one of them managed to flee from the spot while the other was nabbed.

Upon searching his belongings, police recovered one country made pistol of .32 bore and three live cartridges and Rs 35,000 in cash.

He has been identified as Deepak Sharma of District Muzaffarnagar and an active member of Neeraj gang, who was posted as constable in CISF at Andhra Pradesh and he used give shelter to criminals.

He confessed to a robbery in Andhra Pradesh in which he along with his accomplices had looted Rs 28 lakh in 2011. In this case Andhra police had declared a reward of Rs 25,000 for Deepak.

He told the police that six members of his gang were arrested by Andhra police and three are still at large, the officer said.

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A woman employee of an IT firm at Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park (RGIP) here today alleged that two persons tried to molest her when she was returning home after finishing her work on Wednesday, the police said today.

The incident occurred when the woman, riding a scooter, stopped on Chande-Nande Road near the IT hub to wear her raincoat.

"The woman left her office on Wednesday afternoon and was headed towards her home on her scooter. She stopped on Chande-Nande Road to wear raincoat when two unidentified persons came there and tried to molest her," Additional Commissioner, Pune Police, Shashikant Shinde said.

He said the duo fled soon after the woman called up her friend.

"Though the incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Pune Rural Police, the city police too will conduct a probe," the ACP said.

The safety of women working in around 400 IT and ITes firms in the city, mainly concentrated in Hinjewadi area, is the cause of concern with growing incidents of attacks on them in the recent past.

In January this year, Infosys employee Rasila Raju (23) was found killed on the campus. Police had arrested a security guard in connection with the incident.

In December last year, Antara Das, working with an IT firm here, was hacked to death by an unidentified assailant barely some metres away from her office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday morning slapped the world's largest publicly traded oil producer with the fine for "reckless disregard" of U.S. sanctions in dealings with Russia in 2014 when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was Exxon's chief executive.

The lawsuit and the Treasury's unusually detailed statement on Exxon's conduct represented an extraordinary confrontation between a major American company and the U.S. government, made all the more striking because Exxon's former CEO is now in President Donald Trump's Cabinet.

Exxon took the government to court despite the fact that the fine, the maximum allowed, would have a minor impact on the company, which made $7.84 billion in profit last year.

The fine came after a U.S. review of deals Exxon signed with Rosneft, Russia's largest oil producer, weeks after Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow for annexing Ukraine's Crimea region.

Between May 14 and May 23, 2014, top U.S.-based Exxon executives signed eight documents with Igor Sechin, the head of state-run Rosneft, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in the statement on its website.

OFAC said Exxon had "demonstrated reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements" by signing the deals with Sechin just weeks after the United States blacklisted him, OFAC said in the three-page statement. (For the statement, see: http://bit.ly/2vnvQf2)

The Treasury imposed sanctions on Sechin in April 2014 as part of measures to pressure Russia over its intervention in Ukraine, saying Sechin had shown "utter loyalty" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The sanctions prohibit U.S. citizens or people in the United States from dealing with those on the blacklist, such as Sechin. Rosneft itself is subject to narrower U.S. sanctions that still allow Americans to deal with the company on some transactions.

Exxon said in a statement that OFAC's action was "fundamentally unfair," and sued the U.S. government in Texas in an effort to overturn the decision. The company is based in Irving, Texas.

In its 21-page complaint, Exxon argued that Sechin "was subject to sanctions only in his individual capacity" and that guidance from the Obama administration at the time made clear that the sanctions "applied only to the 'personal assets' of the sanctioned individuals and emphasized that the sanctions did not restrict business with the companies those individuals managed."

(For Exxon's complaint, see: http://exxonmobil.co/2uNRWdr)

TILLERSON NOT CONSULTED

Tillerson left Exxon late last year to become secretary of state after 10 years running the company. He is now responsible for U.S. foreign policy, which includes helping make sanctions decisions.

The State Department referred questions about the fine to Exxon and the Treasury. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters on Thursday that the agency was alerted to the fine on Wednesday.

A Treasury spokesman said OFAC engaged with Exxon's lawyers only, and "did not discuss this case with Secretary Tillerson."

Tillerson said in January that he would recuse himself from matters involving Exxon for one year after his December 2016 resignation, unless he is authorized to participate.

Though the State Department plays a major part in formulating sanctions policy, former U.S. officials and sanctions experts said it was unlikely the agency had a role in deciding the fine announced on Thursday, because it falls under OFAC's regulatory role.

The back-and-forth between the Treasury and Exxon over the 2014 dealings spanned both the Obama and Trump administrations, and started with a subpoena from OFAC to Exxon in July 2014, Exxon said in its complaint.

Exxon fully complied with guidance from Democratic former President Barack Obama's administration that ongoing oil and gas business activities with Rosneft were permitted, Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers said in a statement.

The Treasury "is trying to retroactively enforce a new interpretation of an executive order" inconsistent with its prior guidance, Jeffers said. "OFAC's action is fundamentally unfair."

Exxon also cited a Treasury Department representative's comments in May 2014 that BP Plc Chief Executive Bob Dudley - an American citizen - could continue to participate in Rosneft board meetings so long as they related only to Rosneft's business.

In its statement explaining the fine, OFAC said that the Treasury Department representative's comments did not address Exxon's conduct. BP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Publicly available guidance on the Treasury's website at the time of Exxon's dealings with Sechin said Americans should ensure they do not enter into contracts signed by sanctioned individuals, OFAC said.

And by dealing with Sechin, the company "caused significant harm" to U.S. sanctions on Russia, the agency said.

Because Rosneft itself is not off-limits to Americans, another company executive could have signed the contract with no sanctions risk to Exxon, said David Mortlock, who was a State Department and White House sanctions official under Obama.

"You could have Sechin standing over the guy's shoulder," said Mortlock, now an attorney at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Washington. "But the problem here is that it was signed by Sechin himself."

Exxon said that approach would have flown in the face of standard business practice.

"You don't ask your business partner to have someone else sign instead of the CEO," said Exxon spokesman Jeffers.

OPPOSITION TO SANCTIONS

Exxon has long opposed U.S. sanctions on Russia, saying they harm American business interests and actually help European rivals.

Tillerson said in 2014 that the company did not support sanctions because they are not effective "unless they are very well implemented."

Sanctions were a contentious topic at Tillerson's confirmation hearing last January. At the time, Republican and Democratic lawmakers were concerned that Trump, whose associates are now under investigation for their ties to Russia, would try to quickly lift U.S. sanctions on the country.

"When sanctions are imposed, they by their design are going to harm American business," Tillerson said during the hearing, in response to a question about his views on them.

He also said that Exxon "never directly lobbied against sanctions," a claim that was immediately challenged by senators who cited Exxon's own lobbying disclosure forms.

The case is Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Steve Munchin, et al, U.S. District Court, North District of Texas, No. 3:17-cv-1930.

(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 Paola Arosio and Giulia Segreti

MILAN (Reuters) - Telecom Italia's board will discuss on July 24 the departure of Chief Executive Flavio Cattaneo, the company said on Friday, confirming a story that Cattaneo would leave soon following clashes with top shareholder Vivendi.

In a statement, Telecom Italia (TIM) said its remuneration and appointments committee would also meet on July 24 to discuss "a proposal to end the relationship (with Cattaneo) by mutual consent."

Earlier on Friday, sources familiar with the matter told Cattaneo would step down within days.

A top Vivendi executive, Amos Genish, is set to be appointed as TIM's managing director, effectively taking over from Cattaneo, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the decision isn't public.

Vivendi declined to comment, while Cattaneo did not reply to an emailed request for comment.

Relations between the 54-year-old Cattaneo, who took over as TIM's boss in March 2016, and the French media group which owns 24 percent of the phone company have soured in recent weeks, several sources have said.

According to them, Vivendi, which had previously praised Cattaneo for cutting costs at the indebted Italian firm, grew unhappy after he became embroiled in a row with Italy's government over the rollout of ultrafast broadband.

This upset Vivendi, which is already under scrutiny for its growing influence in Italian business through its stake in TIM and a 30 percent share in private broadcaster Mediaset.

One source said on Friday that Vivendi had explored the possibility of limiting Cattaneo's powers by appointing other managers but added that option was no longer on the table.

SPECIAL AWARD

Genish, an Israeli citizen, was appointed Chief Convergence Officer of the French media group led by Vincent Bollore in January. He is a former head of Telefonica's Brazil unit and founder of Brazilian telecoms company GVT.

Vivendi has since turned to him to integrate all the content it produces and delivers to clients. At Telecom Italia, he would work closely with chairman Arnaud de Puyfontaine, who is also Vivendi's CEO.

Two sources said Giuseppe Recchi, currently TIM's deputy chairman, could replace Cattaneo as CEO, though a third said the CEO job would not be filled for now.

Cattaneo has been negotiating his severance package and is close to an agreement, three sources said.

They said he would likely get less than the maximum 40 million euros ($47 million) he could claim under a clause in his contract. One source said he would get 32 million euros.

Cattaneo's multi-million wage and benefit package envisaged a performance-based "special award" of up to 40 million euros - or 10 million for each of the four years of his mandate.

The award could be paid in its entirety in case of early departure, according to a company remuneration report.

STRAINED

After his predecessor Marco Patuano, Cattaneo is the second CEO to quit since Vivendi tightened its grip on TIM.

One source said Cattaneo was viewed by the French group as too "independent"; another said there were divergences over Vivendi's decision to sell TIM's stake in broadcasting services group Persidera to win European Union approval for the French group's plan to gain de facto control of TIM.

Cattaneo's exit could raise more concerns in Rome about Vivendi's sway over Italian business. In April, communications authority AGCOM ordered Vivendi to cut its stake in either TIM or Mediaset, ruling it was in breach of rules designed to prevent a concentration of power.

On Wednesday, Italy's markets watchdog Consob ordered inspections at TIM's offices to assess how much influence Vivendi has on the group's management, sources said.

Telecom Italia's shares have fallen on speculation that Cattaneo may leave, and shed 0.4 percent on Friday following the report of his imminent departure.

($1 = 0.8582 euros)

(Additional reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic in Paris, Stephen Jewkes and Stefano Rebaudo in Milan; Editing by Silvia Aloisi and Mark Potter)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
JioPhone was the showstopper at the 40th Reliance Annual General, but it was not the only highlight of the event. From petrochemicals to organised retail, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani made a few announcements apart from the cheapest 4G feature phone, ranging from achievements of the oil-to-telecom behemoth, and the roadmap for growth in days to come.

Here are four major announcements that features in the Ambani's Statement on the occasion of 40th AGM of Reliance Industries:

RIL shareholders to get 1:1 bonus share

Apart from the launch of JioPhone, another announcement that received cheers at Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries Limited was that of 1:1 share bonus. Declaring that the board of directors had recommended 1:1 bonus share, Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani stated that this is the largest bonus issue in India.

Bonus issue with a ratio of 1:1 means that shareholders will receive an additional share for every share of RIL they hold in the present. Emphasising on what the profits will mean to the shareowners, Ambani said, "One thousand rupees invested in Reliance shares in 1977 is today worth Rs 16,54,503 - over 1600 times more valuable."

It was 12 years ago that the largest conglomerate of India offered bonus issues to its shareholders. Buoyed by this move, shares of Reliance Industries gained 3.07 per cent to Rs 1,575.70 on BSE. The stock had hit a 52-week high seen on a single day, with prices rising to Rs 1588.20.

ALSO READ: Reliance Industries announces bonus share issue

JioFiber

After offering 4G networks on mobile phones with Jio Infocomm, Reliance Industries is now looking to venture into broadband services through optical fibre. Creating fixed-line high-speed broadband services is the next leap forward for our country, Ambani said in his address.

Although not openly mentioning JioFiber , he clarified that Jio remains well on track to bring world-class optic-fibre connectivity to enterprises, small businesses, homes and public spaces. Most of Jio's infrastructure for providing these services is already in place and this will be the next big monetization opportunity for Jio, he added.

Expected to be another major disruptor in the telecom sector, RIL is likely to launch JioFiber in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Surat and Vadodara for free under its JioFiber Preview Offer.

According to a leaked image on Jio's website which was later taken down, JioFober is likely to offer 100Mbps speed with a cap of 100GB per month, with the first 3 months being free.

ALSO READ: Reliance Industries stock closes 3.76 per cent higher post 40th annual general meeting

Petrochemicals

At the Reliance AGM, Mukesh Ambani announced that largest Paraxylene manufacturing complex in the world has been successfully commissioned in Jamnagar, along with adding new capacity in PTA and in Downstream Polyester over the past 2 years.

These investments strengthen our position as the world's largest integrated Polyester player, Ambani said.

"The refinery Off-gas Cracker at Jamnagar is among the world's largest and fully integrated crackers ever built. This project was mechanically completed last quarter and is being commissioned. The Off-gas Cracker complex will be fully operational in a few weeks setting a new benchmark for start-up and production in less than 6 months from mechanical completion," he added.

RIL's ambitious project to import large-scale ethane from North America to India is also being commissioned. This is the first of its kind in the world and provides feedstock security, reliability and flexibility to existing crackers of the company. This project has been executed in a record time from concept to commissioning of less than 2 years which includes building of special purpose ocean going Ethane carriers and installation and commissioning of Ethylene unloading system, Ambani said.

These projects will place Reliance as among the top 10 petrochemical producers globally with a unique portfolio and the highest level of integration, Ambani said.

He further added, in refining and petrochemicals, our goal is to be fully integrated producer of refining and petrochemical products serving the Indian and global markets.

In future, Reliance Industries is looking to invest in new sources of energy, aiming for leading positions in renewables - and new materials which will have dramatic and multiple new applications.

ALSO READ: Reliance JioPhone is priced Rs 0, but how good can a free phone be? Here are all its features

Organised retail

In the next decade, RIL estimates consumption spending in India to grow four times and organized retail 6-8 times.

We will continuously expand Reliance Retail's geographic spread and fulfilment capability, positioning it as retailer of choice in both urban and rural India, said the RIL Chairman.

Keeping this in mind, Reliance is planning to build, within a decade, new businesses of the same value as our existing businesses, thereby further consolidating its position as one of the world's leading value creators.

The company is now aiming to grow as an enterprise with lakhs of partners and an enabler of a large ecosystem of entrepreneurs.

After demonstrating this model in India, Reliance will leverage it globally, Ambani added.

Also watch:




State-guided Chinese daily Global Times today issued yet another threat that if India doesn't withdraw its forces from Doklam, China may get prepared for a military confrontation and resolve the conflict through non-diplomatic means. The paper reminded India as to how it had underestimated Beijing in 1962 and cautioned not to repeat the 'same mistake'.

Global Times' strongly-worded editorial came a day after Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Parliament that there was no question of pulling Indian forces back from the Doklam territory unless China does the same. Swaraj also stated that all other countries support India's stand on the current stand-off. However, the Global Times writes that, "She (Sushma Swaraj) was lying to the parliament."

The Global Times also termed India's act on the border as incursion. It said: "First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose."

The Chinese daily also refused to agree on the withdrawal of forces from the both sides, an idea that Sushma Swaraj put forward to begin the diplomatic talk. The editorial said: "India should abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam. China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held. Doklam is Chinese territory. The withdrawal of Indian troops must be a precondition for talks and China will not compromise on this stance."

In what could be called a warning to New Delhi, it further said that "If Indian troops continue trespassing into China's territory, what Beijing may do next is to get prepared for a military confrontation and resolve the conflict through non-diplomatic means."

The Chinese mouthpiece also confirmed that what the People's Liberation Army or PLA has been doing - deployment of troops and military drills - on the border is not for show. It said: "Now that the PLA has moved in on the China-India border, they will definitely not call back troops unless they recover the Chinese territory."

Talking about grave military escalations, the paper said: "China cannot afford to lose an inch of territory. If New Delhi remains stubborn, India should get prepared for all possibilities from a potentially grave escalation of tension in the future."

Boasting about China's military capabilities, the Global Times wrote that the PLA's mobility and logistics capability could not be matched by that of its Indian counterpart. "PLA troops may appear in any area beyond the line of actual control that was previously controlled by India. The China-India border area may become a stage where China showcases the achievement of its long-term military development and reforms," it further stated.

The Global Times calls the military strength compassion between India and China 'extremely comical'. "They (India) bragged that India has more troops in the area but they fail to realize that the PLA's strong capability to deploy troops can reverse the balance of power at the border within a day. The PLA's long-range combat capability can also allow its troops in remote area to provide fire support to troops at the border," it said.

Support that India has from the United States and Japan, China thinks, "is illusory". It said: "India should by no means count on support from the US and Japan because their support is illusory. If India fancies the idea that it has a strategic card to play in the Indian Ocean, it could not be even more naive. China does hold a lot of cards and can hit India's Achilles' heel, but India has no leverage at all to have a strategic showdown with China."

Talking tough on delay in withdrawing the Indian troops, it wrote: "That the later India withdraws troops, the greater the risk that it will face from a military counteraction and the more clout it will lose politically. China's military pressure on India will increase every day and India will end up losing face and be totally disgraced."
The Trump administration will not provide USD 350 million in coalition support funds to Pakistan after the US Defence Secretary said he cannot certify that Islamabad has taken "sufficient actions" against the dreaded Haqqani terror network, an official said today.

Pakistan-based Haqqani network is blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on US and Western interests in war-torn Afghanistan.

The terror group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people.

"Secretary James Mattis has informed congressional defense committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2016 Coalition Support Funds," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

This is for the second consecutive year that the US Defence Secretary has refused to certify to Congress, as mandated under National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), that Pakistan has taken satisfactory action against the Haqqani network.

Mattis' predecessor Ashton Carter was the first US Defence Secretary to refuse that certification.

As a result of the notification by Defence Secretary Mattis to Congress, the Department of Defence has reprogrammed remaining Coalition Support Funds, which is USD 350 million, to other accounts, Stump said.

The Pentagon's decision came ahead of a review of US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As authorised by the US Congress in its NDAA, the Department of Defence reimbursed USD 550 of USD 900 million to Pakistan early this year.

"The funds (USD 350 million) could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network as per the requirement in the FY 2016 NDAA," Stump said.

"Pakistan has been reimbursed USD 550 million of the USD 900 million the country was authorised in FY16 CSF. With the Secretary's decision, there is no additional FY16 CSF available to Pakistan.

"The Secretary decided to request reprogramming of the funds to retain the ability to use those funds for other requirements," he said.

As part of the regular Defence Department budgetary process, the FY16 CSF money allotted for Pakistan needed to be released or reprogrammed prior to the expiration of the funding, Stump said.

"This decision does not prejudge the conclusions of the White House review of South Asia strategy, which is still ongoing," Stump insisted, articulating that this decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over previous years.

"We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism," he said.

However, the Taliban and the Haqqani Network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan, Stump said, two days after the State Department in a report to the Congress had listed Pakistan as one of the countries having terrorist safe havens.

"In our discussions with Pakistani officials, we continue to stress that it is in the interest of Pakistan to eliminate all safe havens and reduce the operational capacity of all militant organisations that pose a threat to the US and Pakistani interests as well as regional stability," he said.

Noting that Pakistan has been reimbursed USD 550 million in FY16 CSF, Stump said USD 300 million of FY2016 Coalition Support Funds were already rescinded as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017.

USD 50 million was the remaining amount available out of the USD 900 million authorised for Pakistan in FY16 CSF, he said.

Pakistan is authorised to receive up to USD 900 million in FY17 CSF.

"There is a similar certification requirement for Pakistan pertaining to USD 400 million of FY17 CSF. Pakistan still has time to take action against the Haqqani Network in order to influence the Secretary's certification decision in FY17," Stump said.

The Coalition Support Fund (CSF) authority is not security assistance, but rather reimbursements to key cooperating nations for logistical, military and other support provided to US combat operations.

Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received more than USD 14 billion since 2002. "CSF is just one component of the United States' broad and enduring partnership with Pakistan," Stump added.
In his famous work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber attempted to draw a clear link between the Protestant Reformation and the rise of capitalism, focusing mostly on the Puritans and their (faulty) connections between spiritual significance and economic prosperity.

But while Weber may have offered some significant observations on the developments of his day, his overall theory has long been dismissed and discredited on a number of grounds, whether historical, theological, or economic.

Weber missed the ethical dimension of vocation, and so missed the ethical dimension that informed early capitalism, writes Gene Veith in Actons Lutheran primer on faith and work. He failed to understand the people he was writing about. And, as a modern materialist agnostic, he could not enter into his subjects theological convictions and their spiritual life. (See Veiths recent Acton lecture for more.)

Weber was wrong on basic theory and theology. Yet while the origins of capitalism surely predate the Protestant Reformation (see here, here, and here), surely it wielded some influence on what was to come.

In a new empirical study, Reformation and Reallocation: Religious and Secular Economic Activity in Early Modern Germany, researchers Davide Cantoni, Jeremiah E. Dittmar, and Noam Yuchtman explore the economic consequences of the period, arguing that the Reformation either caused or accelerated the secularization of the European economy.

The Protestant Reformation, beginning in 1517, was both a shock to the market for religion and a first-order economic shock, they write. While Protestant reformers aimed to elevate the role of religion, we find that the Reformation produced rapid economic secularization.

Assessing a wide range of empirical data on the human and physical capital of the day, they observe a significant disruptive effect in four key areas: (1) religious-economic institutions, (2) overall political economy, (3) labor markets, and (3) the (re)allocation of resources.

Their conclusion is as follows:

Religious organizations have been among the most economically important institutions in human societies throughout history (Finer, 1999). These organizations historically have accumulated financial capital, possessed land, attracted human capital, and ruled regions. Shocks to the market for religion thus have the potential to affect the underlying structure of economies. We find that the Protestant Reformation marked both a challenge to the incumbent monopolist in the market for religion and a broader economic shock. Not only did the Reformation result in a decline in the economic power of Europes most powerful institution at the timethe Catholic Churchit also produced a sharp shift in the allocation of economic resources toward secular uses. Secular lords exploited the ideological shock to the Catholic Church to confiscate monastery resources. Highly skilled labor moved from church careers toward secular careers, including in expanding secular administrations, particularly in regions that adopted the Protestant religion. Consistent with economic theory, university students, anticipating lower and more uncertain returns to church-career-specific training in theology, began to accumulate more general human capital, studying the arts, law, and medicine. The shift in resources toward secular activity was made tangible in the new construction occurring in 16th century Germany, which shifted sharply toward secular purposes, particularly in Protestant regions. While the Reformations effects would reverberate across Europe for centuries, and the culmination of Europes cultural secularization was centuries away, our findings suggest that the first steps toward the rise of a secular West were taken immediately after the Reformation, with the weakening of the Catholic Church and the strengthening of the secular state.

Given their emphasis on the empirical data, the researchers can be forgiven for their strong dichotomy between sacred and secular, missing some of the same underlying spiritual and moral realities as Weber.

For while a strain of actual secularization would surely accelerate across Western society, we should stay mindful that much of the shift had to do with more basic shifts in education and economic delivery. In the subsequent economic order, spiritual gifts and good works would still retain the same reach and influence, if not more, albeit via secular institutions.

That underlying confusion has come to be popular opinion, but it doesnt survive scrutiny. Indeed, though the economy is now common, untethered from a religious monopoly, the same spiritual and moral activity continues.

As Veith explains later in his primer:

The cultural influence of the Lutheran doctrine of vocation has survived the secularism that now dominates what were once the Lutheran nations of northern Europe. Critics could say that the doctrine of vocation contributed to that secularism. Certainly some Scandinavians are crediting Lutheranism for their secularism These statements are themselves utterly confused in their theological naivete and in leaving out the key Lutheran teaching that informs this freedom from religiosity, namely, justification by faith in Christ. In this version of the Lutheran breakdown of the barrier between the secular and the spiritual, the secular swallows up the spiritual, which is contrary to the position of confessional Lutheranism, in which the spiritual is hidden in the secular.

Whatever its other implications, the study boldly affirms that religious institutions have a profound impact on the economic sphere, and back and forth and back again.

As we reflect on what it all means, lets remember what Veith graciously reminds us. The spiritual is hidden in the secular.
(Beijing)  Jaguar Land Rovers engine plant in China began operation on Friday, marking the first time the automaker has produced engines outside of Britain.

The move is in line with Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc. (JLR)s strategy to emphasize international manufacturing and construction of new facilities, in an effort to add capacity to its UK facilities that are nearly full, according to the companys annual report for 2015-16.

The automaker  the U.K.-headquartered and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors since 2008  has already opened manufacturing plants in India, Brazil and China. Its Chinese factory is located in the eastern city of Changshu. It was built under a joint venture program with Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile Co.

The engine plant is a milestone that marks an upgrade of the JLR-Chery joint venture by giving it the ability to produce auto parts, the company said in a statement to Caixin.

The plants first product will be the latest Ingenium engine series. The more environment-friendly engine will be used in all cars produced by Chery-JLR factory, including the three models that are currently under production for Chinese customers  the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Jaguar XFL.

The new engine plant has an initial annual capacity of 130,000 units, but it will eventually be expanded to 240,000 units. The joint venture won approval from Jiangsu provincial government in June. Once it hits its 240,000 target, some of the engines will be exported to Britain, Li Lizhong, Cherys executive vice president, said at the opening ceremony, news site Internet Info Agency reported.

The new facility achieved zero effluent discharge and is equipped with rooftop panels to save electricity. This is to conform to one of the strictest emission regulations in China, intended to protect the nearby Yangtze River, the company said in a statement to Caixin.

In 2015, the joint venture sent 67 technicians from the plant to a training program in Britain to ensure the China-made engines quality would be the same as those made in Britain.

China is one of Jaguar Land Rovers most important markets globally, Pan Qing, executive director of JLR Chery, said in a previous statement.

China was the companys fastest growing market in 2016, with sales increasing by nearly one-third from the previous year. In June, retail sales in China rose 65.3%, followed by a 3.8% increase in Britain and 3.7% in the U.S., according to a press release in JLRs official website.

Last year, JLR invested 3.4 billion pounds ($4.41 billion) in new models, plants and technology, including 1 billion pounds to build an auto plant in Slovakia. The company plans to increase this to 4 billion pounds in 2017, JLR said in a statement.

Contact reporter Song Shiqing (shiqingsong@caixin.com)
Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Justice Department would be reinstating the Equitable Sharing Program, a controversial policy related to civil asset forfeiture. Several states have been making it more difficult to apply such forfeitures so this allows state and local law enforcement to explicitly circumvent state forfeiture restrictions.

Heres what you should know about civil asset forfeiture.

What is civil asset forfeiture?

Civil asset forfeiture (hereafter CAF) is a controversial legal tool that allows law enforcement officials to seize property they claim has been involved in specific criminal activity.

Typically, civil law involves disputes between private citizens while criminal law involves disputes between private citizens and the state (i.e., the people represent the interest of victims). CAF is a hybrid of the two, a dispute between the state and a private citizens property. Because CAF proceedings charge the property itself with involvement in a crime, the property owner must prove the property was not involved in criminal activity. Such property can include land, vehicles, cash, personal possessions, etc.

As the Department of Justice notes, it is because civil forfeiture actions are brought against the property directly that federal civil forfeiture cases have what appear to be very peculiar names, such as United States v. Ninety Three (93) Firearms, 330 F.3d 414 (6th Cir. 2003), United States v. One 1992 Ford Mustang GT, 73 F. Supp. 2d 1131 (C.D. Cal. 1999), or United States v. $557,933.89, More or Less, in U.S. Funds, 287 F.3d 66 (2d Cir. 2002).

How can property commit a crime?

It cant, as even the Justice Department admits:

At one time, it was said that civil forfeiture was based on the legal fiction that the property itself was guilty of the offense. That is no longer true. Although the property is named as the defendant in the civil forfeiture case, it is not because the property did anything wrong. Things do not commit crimes. People commit crimes using or obtaining things that consequently become forfeitable to the state. The in rem structure of civil forfeiture is simply procedural convenience. It is a way for the government to identify the thing that is subject to forfeiture and the grounds therefor, and to give everyone with an interest in the property the opportunity to come into court at one time and contest the forfeiture action.

Is civil asset forfeiture state or federal law?

Both. Only seven states and D.C. block law enforcement access to forfeiture proceeds. But because of a recent change by the Justice Department, all local law enforcement agencies have access to CAF through participation in equitable sharing (see below) with the federal government.

What is equitable sharing?

Equitable sharing allows state and local law enforcement to team with the federal government to forfeit property under federal law instead of state law. Participating agencies allow the federal government to keep some of the proceeds from the sell of the seized property, though they may receive up to 80 percent for themselves.

In 2015, President Obama ended the Equitable Sharing Program, but it was reinstated this month by the Trump administration.

In fiscal year 2016, the states received $314,983,323 in cash and sale proceeds from the federal equitable sharing program.

How long has civil asset forfeiture been used?

Although some form of civil forfeiture has existed since the founding of the United States, the modern form dates back to the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. This federal law authorized federal officials to implement a national asset forfeiture program.

What is the purpose of the federal civil asset forfeiture program?

According to the Department of Justice, the Justice Asset Forfeiture Program is an initiative that removes the tools of crime from criminal organizations, deprives wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes, recovers property that may be used to compensate victims, and deters crime. The most important objective of the Program is law enforcement. Equitable sharing further enhances this law enforcement objective by fostering cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

How is property federally forfeited?

At the federal level, forfeiture can be administrative, judicial, criminal, and civil.

Administrative forfeiture is the process by which federal seizing agencies may declare property forfeited to the U.S. government without judicial involvement. Seizures must be based on probable cause. Among DOJ civil forfeitures from 1997 to 2013, 88 percent took place administratively.

Judicial forfeiture, both civil and criminal, is the process by which property is declared forfeited to the United States by a court.

Criminal forfeiture is an action brought as part of the criminal prosecution of a defendant that includes the forfeiture of property used or derived from the crime. If the defendant is convicted, the judge or the jury may find that the property is forfeitable.

Civil forfeiture is a proceeding brought against the property rather than against the person who committed the offense. Civil forfeiture does not require either criminal charges against the owner of the property or a criminal conviction. To obtain a federal forfeiture, the Government must prove the forfeiture and the connection between the property and the crime by a preponderance of the evidence.

What is the burden of proof for seizing property?

In federal law and 35 states, the burden of proof is placed on the owners of the property to prove they had nothing to do with the alleged crime. As the Institute for Justice explains,

In essence, most civil forfeiture laws presume that people are connected to any criminal activity involving their property and force them to prove otherwise to recover it. This is precisely the opposite of what happens in criminal trials, where the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government. It also often involves a practical impossibility, as it requires people to prove a negativethat they did not know about or consent to the illegal use of their property.

What if property is taken from an innocent person?

A person must prove they are innocent of the crime to get back their seized property. According to the Justice Department:

To protect the interests of truly innocent property owners who were unaware that their property was being used for an illegal purpose, or who took all reasonable steps under the circumstances to stop it, Congress has enacted a uniform innocent owner defense. See 18 U.S.C.  983(d). Under that statute, a person contesting the forfeiture must establish ownership interests and innocence by a preponderance of the evidence.

If a claimant is successful in proving their innocence in a civil forfeiture case, Congress has mandated they are entitled to have the government pay all attorneys fees and other litigation expenses.

How much property is seized each year?

In fiscal year 2016, a total of $1,921,273,552 was collected in the sale of seized property by the federal government.
| BY Ricki Green |

Following the overwhelming success of last years sell-out event, The Communications Council is proud to announce the return of the AWARD Creative Leadership Course in Sydney, with an additional course to run in Melbourne for the first time.

Exclusive only to The Communications Council corporate members, the course has been renamed for 2017 to reflect the significance of strong leadership qualities in CD roles.

The AWARD Creative Leadership course, which is curated and chaired by industry trailblazer and BMF creative founder, Warren Brown, prepares star creatives for leadership roles by delivering an impressive series of interactive workshops, panels, role plays and Q&As with leading ECDs, agency CEOs and CFOs.

Says Brown: If I had to pick three qualities that are essential to being a good CD, having a highly developed EQ is crucial, and that comes with being a good listener. You also need the ability to inspire those around you, which requires a great degree of trust and belief. And finally, to have the hide of a rhino, or nerves of steel, because if youre not confident in the decisions you make no one else will be either.

Adding: The best thing about being a CD is having the opportunity to create a culture youd like to work in, by being able to nurture talent and have pride in their achievements. Most rewarding though, is being in the position to convince clients that theyre actually a lot better than they think they are.

Says Mike Spirkovski, chair, AWARD: Not everyone has what it takes to be a CD, its a tough job with incredible responsibility. Yet, it is very rewarding once you get it right, which is the very premise of this intensive course. By the end of the three days, delegates will be challenged and taught the skills needed to lead and inspire those around them.

In many ways, being a creative director is the ultimate test for a creative, and learning as much as you can before diving in will make a notable difference, to both the team and clients, when those challenging moments arise.

The 2017 course agenda will be announced over the coming weeks, and will include the following modules over three intensive days:

 From creating to leading

 The business of creativity

 Exploring the CD role

 Plus Q&As and workshops with a stellar line-up of speakers and workshop facilitators, to be announced shortly.

Says Tony Hale, CEO, The Communications Council: Due to popular demand, we are pleased to be offering the course in Sydney, which sold out in record time last year, and to be extending it our Melbourne members.

This course is a crucial part of the career journey for aspiring creative leaders, and given the overwhelming response from last years students, we are expecting the course to be booked out in both cities in 2017.

Sydney

Date: Sunday September 24  Tuesday September 26

Venue: Ovolo, 6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, Sydney

Members: $4400 per person (including GST)

Melbourne

Date: Sunday October 8  Tuesday October 10

Venue: The Cullen, 164 Commercial Road, Prahran, Melbourne

Members: $4400 per person (including GST)

To ensure each delegate experiences a high level of mentoring, practical experience and direct value, the group is capped at 16-20 people in each city.
Lawyers for the club said by funnelling money for the greyhound industry into an assistance fund for people forced to leave, the government was 'just terms' for funding it used to receive from ACTTAB before the agency's 2014 sale to Tabcorp.
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.
The Delhi government has announced a new merit- cum means scholarship scheme for the students who look forward to pursue higher studies in various universities in Delhi.

This scholarship is aimed at needy students who are looking forward to study in one of the followuing universities:

Ambedkar university

Delhi Technological University

Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University

Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University for Women

Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology

The scheme will also cover the Netaji Subhash Intitute of Technology(NSIT) when the institute will transform into state university.

JAC Delhi 2017 Third Round Seat Allotment Released!

How is this Scheme useful?

The students from families who have an annual income above 2.5 lakh and not ascending 6 Lakh per year will receive a 25 per cent fee waiver.

The students of families who have and annual income up to 2.5 Lakh per year will be getting 50 per cent fee waiver.

The students whose belong to families who have been issued the cards under the National Food Security Scheme(NFSS) will be given 100 per cent fee waiver.

These schemes can be availed by the students who have scored minimum of 60 per cent. A relaxation of 5 per cent will be provided to students from the Sc/ST category.

The government has kept the requirement of documents for availing the scheme as minimum.

The scheme is expected to benefit 20-25, 000 students who belong to families that have poor and moderate means of income. The scheme has been formed under the framework of The Delhi Higher Education Aid Trust

University Of Queensland Offers India Global Leader Scholarship
UPDATED

Denver

At a conference of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos encouraged states to take the lead in creating new, more-flexible education policies and pledged that the U.S. Department of Education would focus on clearing away regulations and obstacles to state autonomy.

Along the way, DeVos criticized the American Federation of Teachers and the previous administrations Education Department, which she said had issued inappropriate regulations. She also put in a strong plug for her signature issue of school choicebut said that the federal government would not mandate a particular approach.



States are best equipped to solve the unique problems each of them faces, she said to an audience of state legislators, lobbyists, representatives from private companies, and other members of ALEC, which prepares model legislation and policies. My job is to get the federal government out of the way so you can do your jobs.

School Choice

DeVos said that school choice is gaining momentum around the country. She applauded state governors and legislators who had pushed for school choice programs such as vouchers and education savings accounts, or ESAs. She mentioned programs in Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, and Arizona and noted that some 40 state legislative chambers have passed choice-related bills so far this year.

The next reforms wont originate from Washington, D.C., she said. Theyll come from you.

She also said that her support for educational options isnt against public schools ... its about recognizing the parents right to choose whats right for their children and expanding human liberty in America.

She said that states should choose which school choice programs to adopt: Overreach in the previous administration shouldnt be countered by overreach in this administration, she said. But she encouraged states to work with governors and legislators to pursue the path of giving parents more choices. She said she suspected that states with more robust choice programs would see better results.

She told state legislators that they shouldnt fear losing their seats for promoting choice, despite [teachers] unions not-so-veiled threats and millions of dollars.

DeVos pulled up a tweet from the American Federation of Teachers in which the union said that the public should invest in a system of great schools, rather than in individual students.

I couldnt believe it when I read it, but I admire their candor, she said. They admit they care more about a system...created in the 1800s than individual students ... and they are totally wrong.

Weingarten, meanwhile, shot back at DeVos in her own speech Thursday . She called DeVos school choice proposals only slightly more polite cousins of segregation. To make her case, she cited a recent report by the Center on American Progress that highlighted vouchers Jim Crowe era roots .

ESSA and regulations

DeVos said that her department was reviewing regulations put in place by the Obama administrations Education Department and described several, particularly in the area of higher education, as examples of overreach. They issued regulations that were a far cry from what Congress intended, she said.

She said that her department encouraged state leaders to take advantage of flexibilities offered them in the Every Student Succeeds Act and break away from the compliance mentality that she said was too common in education. She said her department is looking forward to reviewing and ultimately approving every [ESSA] plan that meets the law.

DeVos said she challenged states to extend that same flexibility to their districts, principals and schools: Teachers are on the front lines and they know how to meet the needs of students. Too often their voices arent heard.

State leaders though, are still trying to make sense of just what flexibility means in the eyes of the Trump administration. DeVos has pushed local control hard rhetorically. But her departments early feedback to states on their ESSA plans has been perceived as heavy-handed and inconsistent . Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the education committee, has even said it shows that DeVos team hasnt read the law closely.

Common Ground

DeVos presence in Denver drew protests: On Wednesday, a crowd of protesters gathered in Denver outside the Hyatt Regency where the conference was being held, holding signs criticizing both ALEC and DeVos.

But at ALECs conference, DeVos was speaking to a sympathetic audience, and she emphasized their common ground. Im no stranger to protests, but I think this is the first time Ive been to an event where the protesters arent necessarily here just for me, she said.

DeVos said that ALEC should take the protests as a compliment: They only protest those capable of implementing real change.

ESSA Discussion



DeVos remarks were followed by a panel moderated by former U. S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, featuring legislators from Colorado, Kentucky, and Arizona. The legislators spoke about how they were using their ESSA plans to push ideas such as ESAs and school grades in Arizona, more flexible accountability measures in Colorado, and career and technical education in Kentucky.

Photo: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks to a packed crowd at an American Legislative Exchange Council conference on July 20 in Denver.Gabriel Scarlett/The Denver Post via AP

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Lamborghini sold a record 3,457 of its supercars last year, and is already on track to beat that number this year, having delivered 2,091 units in just the first six months of 2017. And it only stands to sell more  many, many more  once production of the Urus gets underway.



So whats it doing with the revenues from those increased sales? Its reinvesting them in expanding its facilities.

The company announced an expanded prototype and small-scale production facility last month and a new on-site paint shop the month before that. It even revamped its museum recently. Now its opened a new office building at its headquarters in SantAgata Bolognese. In fact, the structure is the first in Italy to receive Platinum certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

All told, the Raging Bull marque is doubling the size of its production facilities from 80,000 square meters to 160,000  or roughly 40 acres. While production of the Huracan and Aventador continues to climb  up 2 percent and 7 percent, respectively, over last years numbers  the real beneficiary will be the Urus. The third model line is expected to more than double the automakers output all on its own, throwing it into the growing market for super-high-end SUVs for the first time since the LM002 in the 1980s and early 90s.

Photo Gallery

Video
Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to developing absurd off-road vehicles, just look at the G63 66 and the G500 44 and thanks to one particularly ambitious company engineer, another vehicle has been added to the family.



Dubbed the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain 44 and strictly a one-off, the car was dreamt up by Jurgen Eberle when he took delivery of his E-Class All-Terrain. Despite its name, the standard model isnt all that focused on rough terrain so Eberle thought hed transform it to ensure it really can tackle all terrain.

Most significantly the wagon has been fitted with a pair of portal axles which increase the ride height to a remarkable 16-inches. A set of 31-inch tires have also been fitted and the overall track widened by 8 inches.

Power for the E-Class All-Terrain 44 comes from a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 delivering 328 hp, enough grunt to get it over some very difficult surfaces. However, unlike previous off-road creations of this sort from the automaker, the car makes do without a low range gearbox or locking differentials, hampering its off-road abilities.

Remarkably, a UK publication suggests the positive response to the car means Mercedes is now looking at an extremely limited production run.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People kicks off its annual convention on Saturday, and school choice advocates will be watching to see if the venerable civil rights group will change its hardening posture toward charter schools.

This time last year, NAACP state leaders took the extraordinary step of calling for a ban on opening any new charter schools . Soon after, the Movement for Black Lives (a coalition of groups that includes Black Lives Matter) announced its own push for a moratorium on charter schools.

The back-to-back announcements were a public relations blow to the charter movement, a visible segment of which devotes itself to serving low-income, mostly black and Latino students. The anti-charter stance of the civil rights groups also further exposed rifts in support among African Americans for charter schools.

This friction has surfaced periodically since then, as the NAACP conducted a nationwide listening tour to hear from families, teachers, and other community members in cities with large numbers of charter schools, such as New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.

A report on the findings from the listening tour will be released during the groups upcoming meeting.

Why the NAACP Called for a Moratorium on Charter Schools

The NAACP cited concerns over increased segregation, high rates of suspensions and expulsions for black students, fiscal mismanagement, and poor oversight in charter schools as some of the reasons to hit pause on charter school growth.

The civil rights organization has long held a skeptical view of charters, but this resolution amounted to its strongest opposition to date.

The growth of charter schools is occurring in a way that is weakening the whole system, then-NAACP President Cornell William Brooks told Education Week last year. We want to make sure that charter schools serve all children. (Brooks was ousted by the NAACP board in May; the organization has embarked on a search for a new president.)

Another major sticking point for NAACP members: Charter school board members are not elected, theyre appointed.

So parents, if things go sideways for them, for their children and for families, then they have no recourse except what a market mechanism requires them to do, which is vote with their feet, Julian Vasquez Heilig, the education chair of the NAACPs California chapter and a professor at California State University, Sacramento, told Education Week last year. But with democratically controlled schools, communities have direct control over what happens policy-wise and what happens to their children.

The resolution language was drafted by the NAACPs California chapter. California, in particular Los Angeles, is one of the epicenters of the battle between pro- and anti-charter Democrats .

(Vasquez-Heilig responds to criticism on the NAACPs charter moratorium in the video below.)

Charter School Advocates React

Critics see the anti-charter resolution as largely politically driven.

After the NAACP passed its moratorium, two prominent charter school groups swiftly organized pushback, helping draft a letter from 160 black educators, advocates, lawmakers and religious leaders urging the NAACPs national board to drop the moratorium . Among the signatories was Cheryl Brown Henderson, the youngest daughter of the named plaintiff in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

More than 100 demonstrators turned up at the NAACPs board meeting last October in Cincinnati to protest the moratorium.

Related stories:

Photo credit: Students at Freedom Preparatory Academy in Memphis, Tenn. Randy Tankersley for Education Week
After Tesla owners in South Korea were initially shunned by the government for its generous electric vehicle subsidies, the nations Ministry of Environment has done a backflip and will offer discounts to newly-registered Tesla vehicles.



Currently, EVs that are eligible for the incentives of up to 26 million won ($23,278) have to be fully charged in less than 10 hours using a 7 kilowatt-hour charger. As the Model S 70 and 90 models sold in South Korea take at least 13 hours to fully charge, they didnt fit the governments criteria.

However, it has been announced that from September, the 10-hour charging rule will be abolished meaning the starting price for a Model S 90D will drop from 115.7 million won ($103,071) to approximately $80,000.

Under new rules, the government states that EVs must be capable of supporting a 32 ampere low-speed charger and a 100 ampere high-speed charger in an attempt to not provide incentives to vehicles with poor quality batteries.

The generous subsidies also mean that when the Model 3 arrives in South Korea next year, prices could be as low as 20 million won ($17,760).

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Emergency Management B.C. is providing evacuees with steps on how to make the transition back home easier and more safe.

Local authorities may have planned specific safe routes along the way, and it is important to follow them.

Once home, and if it is safe to enter, you should do the following:

Take steps to secure your property.

Bring supplies like flashlights, tools, drinking water, gloves, garbage bags and a first aid kit.

Walk around the perimeter before entering, noting electrical wiring, any gas smell or debris that could fall. Enter cautiously and check the main power breaker is off.

Only use generators outdoors; do not connect to a household circuit.

Note sewage and water damage; your septic system or sump pump may not work without power, and water may not be safe to consume.

Do not use your sewage disposal system unless you know it's capable of handling waste.

If using propane, gas or heating oil, contact suppliers for inspection and service.

Go over important insurance details:

Review your policy to understand what items to list, then take an inventory for your claim.

Take photos or videos, noting serial numbers if possible and the approximate cost.

Notify your mortgage company and inform them about restoration of your property.

If you have questions about your home insurance, call your insurance representative.

Your insurance policy may cover house cleaning by a fire restoration specialist.

Food and drinking water safety:

Food can be damaged by unsafe temperatures, smoke, ash, soot, fire retardant chemicals, water and loss of power.

Discard spoiled food and food that has been stored in a refrigerator that has lost power.

If your freezer has been exposed to fire or has been without power for more than three days, discard the contents.

Photograph foods you discard; the information may be required for insurance purposes.

Do not drink tap water unless local officials have assured you that it's safe. If you are on a well or cistern that has been damaged, assume the water is not safe to drink, and contact your local authority for instructions.

For more information, visit this link.
Photo: Contributed Troye Campbell is trying to raise money for VJH.

Troye Campbell is trying to do what the provincial government isn't.

Campbell has launched a Gofundme page in the hopes of raising $50,000 for Vernon Jubilee Hospital to help those with mental health challenges.

Campbell is currently at the hospital as he deals with a major depressive disorder and was stunned at the state of the facility.

They are just so underfunded here. It is brutal, I did not know how bad it was until I was put in here, said Campbell. They can't afford to do group counselling, you have to go into town for another program there.

Campbell said even the basketball was unusable.

I went out and bought one for them. They can't even afford plastic cups, they only give you one a day.

Campbell hopes to raise money for more counsellors so people can have more one-on-one care.

They do the best they can and the staff are great, but they are so short staffed here, he said, adding he is not doing this just for himself.

Mental illness will affect everybody at some point in their life. They may not have it, but a close friend or relative may struggle with it. It impacts everyone. It needs to be addressed, If you are not mentally healthy you are not physically healthy.
Photo: Contributed Federal government rejects e-petition calling for an end to GST on carbon tax.

A local politician's effort to end a federal tax on B.C.'s carbon tax has come to naught.

Vernon city councillor Bob Spiers launched a parliamentary e-petition, garnering 1,596 signatures from across the country between January and May, in a bid to get the matter before the House of Commons.

And get there it did.

In May, North Okanagan-Shuswap MP Mel Arnold presented the e-petition to the Commons, forcing the government to respond.

Pricing carbon pollution is a central component of the pan-Canadian framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change that was announced by Canadas first ministers in December 2016, said a statement issued by Liberal MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor on behalf of the finance minister this week. The pan-Canadian approach to pricing carbon pollution will expand the application of carbon pricing, already in place in Canadas four largest provinces, to the rest of Canada by 2018.

In other words, once the other provinces impose the carbon tax on sales of gasoline and home heating fuel, that will be taxed by Ottawa, too.

In B.C. and Alberta alone, the federal government stands to raise as much as $280 million in GST revenue off provincial carbon taxes in the next two years, despite claims carbon taxes would be revenue neutral for Ottawa, according to a report.

The previous government didn't address it, and now all the provinces could be saddled with this carbon tax and the GST, said Spiers.

Spiers said his last hope is in a private member's bill, which is expected to get second reading when the Commons returns after the summer break, although he is doubtful that will pass.
Photo: BC RCMP

Thousands of people have been displaced by wildfires in British Columbia, but the flames have also forced livestock left behind to flee beyond their enclosures.

RCMP Cpl. Janelle Shoihet says officers are patrolling communities and helping to guide livestock back to where they belong whenever possible. The RCMP posted a humorous photo of an officer face to face with two roaming pigs on Thursday.

Shoihet says officers have also been in contact with the B.C. SPCA to get animals more adequate support.

In a few cases where the SPCA wasn't available immediately, Shoihet says officers have fed their lunches to animals to ensure they weren't hungry.

The SPCA, which has been deemed an essential service by the province amid raging wildfires, says animals are being located, fed, given water and reunited with their owners when possible.

The SPCA says officers have rescued dogs, cats, horses, pigs, llamas, mules, a cockatiel and even a red tail python from fire-affected areas.

The ministries of Forests, Environment and Agriculture say motorists should be on the lookout for animals wandering around roadways because wildfires have damaged fencing, allowing animals to escape from their enclosures.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has issued a new evacuation alert east of Little Fort and partially or fully rescinded two evacuation orders in the East Blackpool and McCarthy Lake areas.

A rapidly moving wildfire continues to pose an imminent threat to people and property, prompting the expansion of an evacuation alert to include 9840 Windpass Rd.

The East Blackpool evac order for some properties has been rescinded due to decreased risk in that area.

Meanwhile, the McCarthy Lake evacuation oder has also been partially lifted.

See the attached maps for areas that remain under evacuation alert or order.

Photo: TNRD

Photo: TNRD
Photo: Contributed

A Federal Court of Appeal judge has ruled the National Energy Board must reconsider whether a proposed TransCanada Corp. natural gas pipeline in B.C. falls under provincial or federal jurisdiction.

"The board did not ask itself whether an arguable case for federal jurisdiction had been made out," wrote judge Donald J. Rennie in his judgement Wednesday in response to a proceeding launched by Michael Sawyer, who received funding support from the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust.

Sawyer argued the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project, a roughly 900-kilometre proposed pipeline from Hudson's Hope, B.C., to a facility on the province's Lelu Island, required federal and not provincial approvals.

The province has already green lighted the pipeline project, but it is waiting to receive a final commitment from Pacific NorthWest LNG, which will build an operate the Lelu Island facility, before starting construction.

Pacific NorthWest, whose majority owner is Malaysia-based Petronas, says on its website that it is conducting an internal review of the project and will then table it to the project's shareholders for a final investment decision.

In September 2016, the federal government approved Pacific NorthWest's $11-billion facility, part of the total $36-billion pipeline project.
Photo: CTV

RCMP say a seven-year-old girl has died of injuries she suffered when her leg was severed by a farm tractor that struck her as she played in a hay field in rural Nova Scotia.

RCMP Sgt. Terry Miller said the child was alone in the field that was being mowed when the accident happened about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Clementsvale area.

Miller said the tractor operator was aware of the presence of the child and was planning to stop the machinery when he came around. But Miller said when the operator turned around and stopped the tractor, he couldn't see the child anywhere and thought she had returned to the house.

Instead, he said, it appears the young girl hid in the deep, metre-high grass.

"The operator had mowed over an area and as he was coming back he was travelling in the swath he had just mowed," Miller said. "The mower was off to the side and he saw a child laying directly in front of him.

"He immediately stopped the tractor and got out and ran to the child...you can imagine it was horrific."

Miller said the girl was visiting her grandparents, whose property is next to the field.
Photo: BC Wildfire Service Elephant Hill fire near Ashcroft.

Today marks two weeks since raging wildfires that have displaced thousands of British Columbians forced the province to call a state of emergency.

On Wednesday, Premier John Horgan said he would extend the order for an additional two weeks since many of the 43,000 people who had to flee their homes in the province's Interior will not yet be able to return.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, who was sworn in Tuesday as part of B.C.'s new NDP government, says a $100 million fund established by the former Liberal government is enough to cover costs for now and the province is ready to spend more if necessary.

Farnworth says members of a federal ad hoc committee co-ordinating Ottawa's response to the fires are expected to be meeting with provincial officials this weekend.

The federal government says committee members will also visit affected communities to determine what help is needed on top of current support from departments and agencies including the Canadian Armed Forces, Public Health Agency, RCMP and Canada Post.

Williams Lake, which was evacuated nearly a week ago, was among the areas of the province to see rain yesterday, but more than 100 fires are still active and air quality advisories resulting from the smoke have remained in effect.
Photo: CTV Firefighters welcome returning evacuees in Cache Creek.

As residents continue to return home in the Cache Creek area, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District downgraded several more evacuation orders Thursday night.

Evac orders along the Highway 97 corridor were revised to evacuation alerts for the Clinton corridor, in the Bonaparte Plateau, Electoral Area E and Blue Sky Country, Electoral Area I areas.

All properties west of Highway 97 that were previously on order are now on alert.

Properties immediately bordering the east side of Highway 97 previously on order are also now alert, however several evacuation orders further east of the highway remain in effect.

Highway 97 is now open for returning evacuees from the Southern boundary of Bonaparte Indian Reserve up to and including the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 24.

The affected areas include Cache Creek North, east of Clinton, Hihium Lake and Loon Lake.

The status of your property can be checked on an interactive map, here.
The team of Afghan girls whose efforts to reach the United States for an international robotics competition captivated people around the world, left the event with a silver medal for courageous achievement, with judges applauding the groups can-do attitude.

The First Global Challenge event in Washington, D.C. attracted teams of teenagers from nearly 160 nations.

But much of the focus centered on the all-girls squad from Afghanistan, whose six members had their visa applications rejected twice at the American embassy in Kabul in the weeks leading up to the event. As their plight grabbed international headlines, President Donald Trump approved their visas just a week before the competition began.

Once they arrived, the Afghan students captured the limelight and multiple medals . They also won honors for sustainable excellence, which is awarded to individuals who help contribute to strong and sustainable First Global programs.

Education Week correspondent Kavitha Cardoza spoke with the students, who discussed their journey and motivations for competing.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Liquidation sales at 54 Sears Canada Inc. locations began Friday, a process the company hopes will help it emerge from creditor protection later this year.

The process includes 20 full-line, 15 Sears Home, 10 Outlet and nine Hometown locations in every province except Prince Edward Island.

The sales are being run by a joint venture group including Hilco Global, Gordon Brothers, Tiger Capital Group and Great American Group.

The group says fixtures, furnishings and equipment in the closing stores are up for sale in addition to the merchandise.

Sears Canada, which is operating under court protection from creditors, says discounts range between 20 to 50 per cent off.

The retailer has announced plans to close 59 locations in all and cut about 2,900 jobs as part of its restructuring plan.
Photo: Gerry Faux Most of the sandbags in parks and beaches on Okanagan lake have now been removed.

Since Okanagan Lake reached historic highs back in early June, the level of the lake has fallen dramatically.

It's fallen 61 centimetres since reaching a high water mark of 343.250 metres above sea level on June 6.

As of 5:30 this morning, the level was pegged at 342.640. That's down 61 centimetres since June 6 and 6.8 centimetres since Tuesday morning at the same time.

That's 16 centimetres above what is considered normal full pool levels of 342.48 metres above sea level.

Kalamalka Lake in Vernon is also falling at a steady rate. The lake level this morning was pegged at 391.927 metres above sea level. That's a drop of 3.6 centimetres since Tuesday.

As the lake level drops, flood mitigation continues to be removed from beaches, lakefront parks and private property along the lakeshore.

In West Kelowna, most parks, beaches and boat launches are now open, except for a handful along Jennens and Whitworth roads. The Gellatly Walkway also remains closed.

Most waterfront parks and beaches in other areas around the Central Okanagan have also opened to the public.

In the North Okanagan, the Kalavista boat launch on Kalamalka Lake and Paddlewheel Park boat launch on Okanagan Lake reopen today.

Boaters are being cautioned to watch for debris in the water as a result of the recent flood and to reduce speeds near shore lines to respect those flood barriers still in place.
Photo: Steve Tobias The Princeton Wildfire is now 90 per cent contained.

Fire crews working on a wildfire northeast of Princeton have now reached 90 per cent containment.

Fire information officer Brent Zbaraschuk says the northeast portion of the fire, burning in very hilly terrain, continues to be the one problem spot.

However, he says crews have been making progress, and hopes to have that area contained by the weekend.

Rain and thunderstorms, expected to hit the area yesterday, did not materialize.

But, Zbaraschuk says winds did whip up Thursday afternoon, toppling some burned out trees which sparked some small spot fires.

"Our guys were able to get on those quickly and put them out," he says.

The BC Wildfire Service has 168 firefighters working the fire. There are eight helicopters assisting from the air with heavy machinery at the ready when needed.

All evacuation orders and alerts, and road closures remain in effect.

The cause of the fire, which started two weeks ago, is still under investigation.
Photo: CTV

Vancouver's Langara College was locked down Thursday night after a student was allegedly robbed at gunpoint.

Police swarmed the campus about 8:30 p.m.

No one was injured in the incident.

The suspect fled the campus, and a 29-year-old man was taken into custody about an hour later, near Main Street and East 17th Avenue.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Darren Handschuh

Residents living in the 6800 block of Cameo Drive put out a small fire before it had a chance to become a big fire.

Vernon Fire Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Scott Hemstad said crews were alerted to the grass fire just before 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Some of the neighbours noticed there was a small fire, said Hemstad. They put it out before we got there. We put some water on it to make sure it was out.

The fire measured 10-feet-by-10-feet, but given the dry conditions it could have been much worse.

Hemstad praised the residents for their quick actions.
Photo: Oliver Chronicle

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.

The Oliver RCMP is confirming serious injuries in a crash that left Highway 97 closed along Vaseux Lake this morning.

A car travelling north was attempting to pass a vehicle at a sharp corner when it entered into the oncoming lane and struck a truck heading south, Sgt. Blaine Gervais said, noting the crash occurred around 8:30 a.m.

Motorists at the scene were told six people were taken to hospital.

The highway reopened to single lane alternating traffic around 11 a.m.

ORIGINAL 9:50 a.m.

Highway 97 is closed at Vaseux Lake, about 12 km south of the junction with Highway 3A due to a major car accident.

At least three people have been injured.

Oliver Daily News is reporting that jaws of life were called to the crash scene for an extrication.

DriveBC is not able to offer an estimate of when the roadway will reopen.

This is the second major crash and highway closure along Vaseux Lake this week.

Castanet will update as more information becomes available.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

A new trial date has been set for an Oliver man who successfully appealed his conviction for sexual offences against a minor.

The man can no longer be named under a publication ban will have a new trial in Penticton on Nov. 27.

The B.C. Court of Appeals ordered the new trial earlier this year, on the grounds that the accused should not have been questioned about his sexual orientation.

Crown prosecutor John Swanson estimated Friday the trial would run close to seven days.

Defence lawyer Don Skogstad said he was planning on making a Jordan application to have the charges dismissed. Last years Jordan ruling caps provincial court cases to 18 months from charges to trial.

An application to vary the accused's bail was also approved, with Skogstad telling the court his client has obeyed the conditions of his bail since his release, with no breaches.

A pre-trial conference is set for Oct. 25.
Photo: Contributed

It doesnt matter what your job is  if you live in the Thompson-Okanagan, youre probably getting paid less than the majority of your peers across Canada.

Statistics Canada has just released the results of a comprehensive survey of hourly, full-time wages in Canada. It reveals that salaries in the Thompson-Okanagan consistently come in below the rest of both the province and country.

The contrast is especially stark in the tech sector, where local tech workers make almost $10 an hour less than the national average.

For a deeper dive into the numbers, including wage gaps across other major sectors, read the full story on Castanet's sister business news website, Okanagan Edge.
Photo: wikimedia commons

Canadian military aircraft involved in the fight against Islamic State militants have not flown in Syria for the past few weeks.

While the aircraft have flown dozens of missions over Syria this year, the mission's commander, Brig.-Gen. Daniel MacIsaac, says operations have lately been limited to Iraq.

That appears to coincide with when Russia first warned it would target coalition aircraft flying over Syria, in retaliation for the U.S. shooting down a Syrian government plane.

But MacIsaac says there has been enough work for the Canadian planes in Iraq, where ISIL continues to hold out in different parts of the country despite the liberation of Mosul.

The Trudeau government recently extended Canada's military mission against ISIL until 2019.

Canada has a surveillance aircraft and a refuelling plane in the Middle East as part of its contribution to the U.S.-led anti-ISIL coalition.
Photo: CTV

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took aim at the cross-border Conservative campaign lambasting him for a generous federal payout to Omar Khadr, saying "domestic squabbles" should be left at home.

Speaking at a summer camp in southwestern Nova Scotia today, Trudeau said domestic politics should stay within Canada's borders.

He says he'll continue to work with opposition parties ahead of talks to rejig the North American Free Trade Agreement next month, but that Canadians expect domestic disputes won't derail those discussions.

Senior Liberals have accused Conservatives of fanning anti-Trudeau sentiment ahead of NAFTA negotiations, but Tory Leader Andrew Scheer has argued that the Grits are to blame for any American backlash over the Khadr payment.

Trudeau says he understands if Canadians are frustrated by the settlement, but that the decision was taken to save Canadians money and to defend the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians.

He says the U.S. administration is focused on growing the economy and helping the middle class, not on political controversies in Canada.
Washington

On Wednesday, dozens of state teachers of the year were at the Capitol here, armed with talking points, compelling stories from their districts, and a fierce determination to protect education funding.

Following the National Network of State Teachers of the Years annual conference this week, the teachers had set up about 80 meetings with senators and representatives in Congress.

Thank you to Flaka from @JeffFlake s office for meeting with me today to discuss Title II funding and the education budget. #NNSTOY17 pic.twitter.com/5wfzErCsld -- Beth Maloney (@DaringToTeach) July 19, 2017

Teachers have been meeting with their representatives for years , but this year, the stakes seemed higheron the same day as the teachers visit to Capitol Hill, the House appropriations committee approved a funding bill which would cut $2.4 billion from the U.S. Department of Education . Title II, federal money that is used for teacher professional development and class-size reduction, is on the chopping block entirely .

Justin Minkel, the chairman of the NNSTOY government affairs committee and the 2007 Arkansas State Teacher of the Year (as well as a columnist for Education Week Teacher), met with a few members of Congress from his states delegation with varying degrees of success.

For example, he met with Republican Sen. John Boozmans top two education aides. (Boozman was on the Senate floor.) They were so respectful, they really listened, took a ton of notesit felt like a partnership that would continue, Minkel said.

But then he met with another representatives office, and the aides didnt ask any questions or take any notes.

It seemed like a token thing, Minkel said.

Minkel was pushing items from NNSTOYs federal policy agenda like preserving federal funding for Title II, supporting students from undocumented families, and making sure teachers are involved in the implementation of ESSA. Minkel has been involved in drafting the Teachers and Parents at the Table Act , which would establish advisory committees of teachers and parents to give input about education policy to federal lawmakers and the Secretary of Education.

Minkel said the representatives and aides were mostly receptive to his points. But one of the arguments from a legislative aide was that even if education funding is cut, it would still be considered a win if the cuts arent as big as the president asked for in his budget proposal .

Thats troubling, Minkel said. "[The president] is giving them cover, in a way, to enact budget cuts.

NNSTOY has also warned against diverting federal money from public schools in an expansion of school choicefew of the groups members support vouchers . Politics K-12 reported last week that prospects for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos major school choice initiatives seemed dim this year.

Minkel had a similar sense: I didnt hear today any real appetite for Betsy DeVos vision, even from the Republicans, and I think its because shes so out of touch with public education. Representatives, Minkel said, seemed to understand that DeVos school choice initiatives would have major implications for already cash-strapped districts.

The day before the teachers went to the Capitol, Anne Holton, the former Virginia education secretary and a member of the state board of education, spoke to them at the NNSTOY conference. Holton is married to Sen. Tim Kaine, who ran as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2016.

She gave the teachers some lobbing tips in advance of their trip to the Capitol.

Im using that word [lobbying] on purpose because I dont think its a dirty word, she said. Lobbyist doesnt mean you have to lobby on behalf of special interests. Youre the good kind: Youre lobbying on behalf of students and families across the country.



Know what you want . Do your homework, and come up with a concrete proposal, Holton said.

Do your homework, and come up with a concrete proposal, Holton said. Know what your target wants . Education can be a very, very bipartisan endeavor, she said. Its important to know the legislators priorities and background.

Education can be a very, very bipartisan endeavor, she said. Its important to know the legislators priorities and background. Be concise . In Virginia, you never give a legislator more than one page, Holton said.

In Virginia, you never give a legislator more than one page, Holton said. Build alliances . You absolutely cannot do this work alone, she said, mentioning that in Virginia, the business community became a valuable partner in education budget talks.

You absolutely cannot do this work alone, she said, mentioning that in Virginia, the business community became a valuable partner in education budget talks. Be yourself . Feel free to be authentically you, Holton said, urging teachers to share their experiences and stories from their school district with legislators.

Feel free to be authentically you, Holton said, urging teachers to share their experiences and stories from their school district with legislators. Be flexible. You cant get everything you wantbe willing to compromise.

Holton also injected a lesson from the 2016 campaign trail: Everybody in the world basically is an expert on education, she said, laughing. Everybody has an education initiative thats going to fix everythingas long as they can get funding for it.

For more pieces of advice for teachers interested in policy, here are 10 other lessons the founder of Teach Plus shared at the NNSTOY conference.
Photo: CTV

UPDATE: 2:25 p.m.

RCMP say the victim in a Chilliwack shooting has died from his injuries and that the attack appears to be targeted.

Police responded to the Progress Way scene about 9 a.m.

The male victim was taken to hospital by ambulance, but later died.

The investigation has been handed over to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

UPDATE: 12:55 p.m.

Members of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team have arrived at the scene of an apparent shooting in Chilliwack.

A worker at a nearby gas station told CTV he heard gunshots, then saw three vehicles speeding away.

An abandoned vehicle was found on fire under the nearby Vedder Bridge not long after the incident.

ORIGINAL: 12:15 p.m.

A heavy police presence is reported in Chilliwack, at the scene of an apparent shooting.

RCMP have cordoned off an area around a bullet-riddled Audi in a parking lot on Progress Way.

Evidence markers can be seen on the ground.

More details to come.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Lark Group

The developer behind a controversial seniors development in Summerland is pushing district council to get on with it, and schedule a public hearing for their project.

In a letter to council dated July 12, project manager Malek Tawashy asked the hearing be scheduled within 10 days of Mondays council meeting, where the Lark Group will be making a presentation.

The project is now pegged at 404-units, according to promotional materials the developer is distributing within the community.

A district staff report is recommending council hold off on a public hearing and wait for several studies and reviews to complete, listing nine items still under review.

The same report notes that the developers 10 day timeline is also impossible under the Local Government Act, which requires a certain level of public notification.

Additionally, a venue larger than council chambers, on a special date, would likely need to be booked.

The Lark Group is engaged in a campaign to drum up support from the public and business community. Form-letters touting the $125M capital investment and 75-100 permanent jobs are being distributed to counterbalance nearly 1,900 written signatures from Summerland residents opposed to the project.

Council will debate the request for a public hearing during Mondays meeting at 7 p.m.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The Penticton Fire Department has handed over the scene of Thursday's brush fire in West Bench to the RCMP and B.C. Wildfire Service.

Deputy Chief Chris Forster said after the fire was extinguished, it was determined that it actually started on Crown land, so provincial fire investigators and RCMP will be controlling the probe.

The Penticton fire investigator will be involved on an educational basis.

Forster was not able to comment at all on a suspected origin of the fire. The B.C. Wildfire Service also refused to speculate on the cause, only confirming they had investigators on scene Friday.

Residents of Westwood Drive, which was evacuated due to the blaze, are still feeling anxious.

Raymond Hopper, a stonemason from Osoyoos, was working on a home on the street when the fire broke out.

"It was really scary to be so close to a big fire," he said on Friday. "And I am really proud of the Penticton Fire Department and really happy they showed up so quickly. If the wind was blowing the opposite direction, more trees could have caught on fire."

Neighbours said the fire started in a large pine tree behind a home on Westwood, rapidly spreading into tinder-dry grass. At least one home received significant damage to its cedar shake roof.

By about 2:30 p.m., the one hectare fire was contained and residents were allowed to return home.

Hopper said he was working when a neighbour came running, shouting "fire, fire, get everybody out."

He ran into the backyard to take a look, knocking on the door of the home he was working on to warn the occupants.

Fortunately, he said, about two weeks ago the owner became worried and had sprinklers installed on the roof of his house.

Another nearby resident said the fire brought back memories of the 1994 Garnet Fire, where she was also evacuated.

"When it initially started I wasn't home and a neighbour called me. I tried to come home but couldn't because the neighbourhood was already evacuated," she said. "I kind of freaked out. I felt helpless along with all the other residents. I saw the smoke and thought for sure our houses were gone."

She said the neighbourhood is feeling anxious with so much wildfire fuel close to their homes.

"Everything is good today and our house is OK," said another homeowner, "But we are still on our toes."

 with files from Colin Dacre
Photo: Twitter

The City of Vancouver says it will ask council to approve an additional $600,000 in spending on the opioid crisis as officials estimate more than 400 people could die of illicit drug deaths by the end of the year.

It says in a news release that the request will be made next week and the funds would be used to address five priority areas identified by first responders and the community.

Nearly half the money would be earmarked for initiatives to help urban aboriginal communities, about $129,000 would be used to identify and deal with toxic drug supplies and $116,000 would help create programs to address the stigma of poverty and drug use.

The remainder would be spent on efforts to reduce social isolation among drug users, especially men, and to expand drug interventions beyond the Downtown Eastside.

If approved, the funding would empty Vancouver's $3.5-million contingency budget for the opioid crisis approved by Mayor Gregor Robertson and council in the 2017 operating budget.

The $600,000 would be matched by just over $1 million in contributions from the health and non-profit sectors, and Robertson says the targeted, frontline investments would be a critical support for people working to save the lives of opioid overdose victims.
Photo: CTV

An RCMP officer on Vancouver Island has been cleared of any potential wrongdoing following a fatal shooting two years ago.

The Independent Investigations Office has issued its report into the July 2015 shooting in Port Hardy.

It says officers encountered the knife-wielding man after he had made threatening comments to others in the northeastern Vancouver Island community.

Investigators say numerous witnesses describe the suspect as "lunging toward" the two officers as they got out of their cruiser.

The report says the man was shot five times when he ignored repeated commands to drop his weapon.

The office says it finds that neither RCMP member committed an offence so the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
Photo: CTV

The City of Toronto has taken down a set of stairs built in a park by a local man who took it upon himself to help area residents get down a steep embankment.

Coun. Justin Di Ciano, who represents the man's ward, says the man built the stairs for $550 after first asking the city to do so.

Di Ciano says the city quoted the man a price of between $65,000 and $150,000 for the stairs.

He says that's when the man decided to go ahead and construct the structure himself.

A spokesman for the city's parks department says the stairs had to come down because they were unsafe.

The city says it will be installing a new set of stairs in the area.

Toronto Mayor John Tory says the city's original cost estimate for the stairs in Tom Riley Park was "absolutely ridiculous."

He says new stairs that will be built by the city will be "safe, durable and reasonably priced."
Photo: CTV

The Vancouver Police Department says it will be the first in Canada to start using a new crime-prediction model that could stop crimes before they happen.

The department says the computerized model allows officers to forecast the location of property crime and take measures to prevent it. Full-time use of the new program follows a six-month pilot study last year that police say contributed to a substantial decrease in residential break-ins.

The department says in a news release that the program identifies areas where residential or commercial break-ins are anticipated, sets up 100- and 500-metre zones around the targeted sites and sends officers to the zones for a visible presence to deter thieves.

The program is built on an interactive mapping tool developed by the police department that plots the location of crimes on a map to provide a general idea of crime trends to the public.

"This new predictive technology gives our front line officers one more tool to use to supplement our traditional policing methods," Chief Const. Adam Palmer says in the release.
Photo: Alanna Kelly Bud Truswell's home at the height of flooding in early June.

Bud Truswell can breathe a little easier now.

His home on Truswell Road, near the mouth of Mission Creek, has been removed from an evacuation alert.

Truswell's home was surrounded by bladder dams and thousands of sandbags at the height of flooding in early June.

The protection was needed to hold back about 18 inches of water. About two-thirds of his two-acre property was under water.

Truswell, who has lived in the home since 1941, said at the time he had never seen flooding this bad.

Removal of the evacuation alert leaves only the area around Green Bay in West Kelowna on alert. All other orders and alerts have already been rescinded.

Okanagan Lake continues to steadily recede toward normal summer levels.

As of this morning, the lake was at 342.640 metres above sea level. That's just 16 centimetres above full pool.
Photo: Contributed The tiny community of Loon Lake was hit hard by recent wildfires.

The ground is barely cool, but residents of one tiny Cariboo community are vowing to rebuild.

On July 13, a wildfire roared through Loon Lake, destroying several buildings, including the fire hall.

So, the community has launched a Gofundme page to help rebuild the hall  and their lives.

The full extent of the damage is unknown at this time, but we have confirmed that we lost the fire hall as well as multiple homes and cabins, said a statement on the page.

We are all grateful for the help that the volunteer firefighters in the area gave us and would like to give back to them as well as the surrounding area. This donation will help rebuild the fire hall and go toward rebuilding our community together.
Photo: Contributed

The mayor of Thunder Bay, Ont., was charged with extortion and obstructing justice Friday, almost two months after the Northern Ontario city's police chief was arrested in the same case.

Ontario Provincial Police said Keith Hobbs, 65, was charged in connection with an investigation into allegations of criminal wrongdoing that include a municipal official and a local resident.

Hobbs' wife, Marisa Hobbs, 53, was also charged with extortion and obstructing justice. Police additionally charged Mary Voss, a 46-year-old Thunder Bay resident, with extortion, but officials would not say how she was connected to the other accused.

Staff Sgt. Carolle Dionne explained that the charges were linked to breach of trust and obstructing justice charges laid against Thunder Bay police chief J.P. Levesque in May.

Keith Hobbs was an officer with the Thunder Bay police for 34 years before he entered municipal politics in 2010.

His lawyers, Brian Greenspan and Naomi Lutes, said Hobbs and his wife firmly denied the allegations against them.

"These charges are unjustified and will be vigorously defended," a statement from the lawyers said. "Mayor Hobbs and his wife are hopeful that the community will not prejudge these unproven charges and are grateful for the continued support of their many colleagues, family, and friends."
No armed groups have inked the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) since the eight initial groups joined the pact in 2015 undere previous administration. The National League for Democracy-led government has anxiously courted the United Nationalities Federal Council - a bloc of non-signatories - attempting to bring more groups into the fold.

Nai Aung Ma Nge, deputy leader of the Delegation for Political Negotiation under the UNFC, informally met with Peace Commission members in Chiang Mai, Thailand this week to set the stage for the forthcoming official talks.

We were able to negotiate the date for the official meeting during [our July 20] informal meeting. We will confirm the actual date when the meeting draws nearer. It will be held inside the country, said Nai Aung Ma Nge.

Informal meetings are very helpful to both sides in searching for ways to sign an agreement. Its not easy to amend [the agreement] after it has been signed, he added.

In an interview with the Mon News Agency, U Hla Maung Shwe from the government's Peace Commission, said the nationwide ceasefire agreement will be signed if upcoming discussions run smoothly. Each of the UNFC members will need to sign the agreement individually.

We need to find a solution to sign the NCA by quickly overcoming the eight-point [proposal]. Respective leaders will then be to make their own decision after they meet, said U Hla Maung Shwe.

The government has agreed in principle to the UNFCs proposal, which lays out preconditions for signing the NCA.

The proposal, which ends with signing the NCA if all the terms are met, includes the Tatmadaw and government declaring a bilateral ceasefire, building a federal Union based on the Panglong Spirit and agreeing on the composition if a tripartite dialogue between the government - including the Hluttaw and the Tatmadaw - the ethnic armed groups, and the political parties. The UNFC has also called for establishing a new constitution and incorporating international representatives in tasks carried out by a Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee.

The UNFC has said it will follow the peace course set by the NCA, even as an alliance of other ethnic armed groups led by the powerful United Wa State Army announced the need for a new process, and initially rejected the NCA. Two members of the UNFC, I cling notably the Kachin Independence Army, resigned earlier this year. Disagreements over the NCA were believed to have contributed to the fracture.
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Lawyers for President Donald Trump are working on a conflict of interest case against special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, reports the Washington Post, and Trump has asked advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members, and himself, for any possible crimes linked to Mueller's probe.

Trump's lawyers are exploring his pardoning powers, report Carol D. Leonnig, Ashley Parker, Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger at the Post.

"This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself,' " a close adviser told the paper. Oh. Okay.

From the Washington Post's story tonight:
The U.S. government today said that Americans will be prohibited from traveling to North Korea because of an elevated risk of "long-term detention" in the country, where an American student was jailed last year while traveling there, and later died.

Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed a "Geographical Travel Restriction" that forbids Americans from entering North Korea, his spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.

"Once in effect, U.S. passports will be invalid for travel to, through and in North Korea, and individuals will be required to obtain a passport with a special validation in order to travel to or within North Korea," said Nauert.

She says the move was due to "mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement."

Reuters:
CNN reports that special counsel Robert Mueller III has asked the staff of President Donald Trump's White Supremacist House to preserve all documents that may be related to a meeting organized by Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., at which he'd been promised dirty info hacked from Hillary Clinton by the Russian government.

From CNN's special report:

Special counsel Robert Mueller has asked the White House to preserve all documents relating to the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort had with a Russian lawyer and others, according to a source who has seen the letter.

Mueller sent a notice, called a document preservation request, asking White House staff to save "any subjects discussed in the course of the June 2016 meeting" and also "any decisions made regarding the recent disclosures about the June 2016 meeting," according to the source, who read portions of the letter to CNN.

The letter from Mueller began: "As you are aware the Special Counsel's office is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Donald Trump. Information concerning the June 2016 meeting between Donald J Trump Jr and Natalia Veselnitskaya is relevant to the investigation."
A scrap dealer cleaning out a deceased engineer's basement in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania found two massive 1960s computers, magnetic tape data storage systems, and hundreds of tape reels, all of which was marked as the property of NASA. The scrap dealer called NASA to report what he found and the agency's Office of the Inspector General investigated. It turns out that the fellow was an IBM engineer who worked for NASA in the early 1970s and was given permission to save the stuff as it was being discarded. One space agency's trash is another maker's treasure From Ars Technica:



"Please tell NASA these items were not stolen," the engineer's heir told the scrap dealer, according to the (Office of Insepctor General's) report. "They belonged to IBM Allegheny Center Pittsburgh, PA 15212. During the 1968-1972 timeframe, IBM was getting rid of the items so [redacted engineer] asked if he could have them and was told he could have them."



NASA investigators picked up the 325 magnetic data tape reels on December 8, 2015. The cassettes measured 14 inches in diameter and were filled with half-inch magnetic tape. The tapes "were in poor condition and almost all were affected by moderate to severe mould."





Most of the tapes were not labelled, but "of the tapes that were labelled, the content appeared to be space science related with missions including Pioneer and Helios and the inclusive date range was 1967-1974."





NASA told the family of the deceased that it was not in the junk removal business. "No, we do not need the computers," NASA told the family of the deceased. "We have no use for [them]."
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Mopping your floors can feel daunting, but you need to walk on them eventually! So why not do both at once? You can spice up your cleaning routine as you walk READ THE REST
The Department of Agriculture's chief scientist oversees more than 1,000 scientists in 100 research facilities: Trump's pick to run the agency is Sam Clovis, a climate-denying talk-radio host who not only lacks any kind of scientific degrees  he didn't take a single science course at university.



Meanwhile, Trump has nominated Michael Dourson to head the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention; Dourson's last job was at the helm of Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, the company that DuPont picked when it needed experts who would claim that its toxic waste wasn't so bad for the people who were imbibing it.

Here's a little taste of Sam Clovis, the talk radio host Trump picked to run the department that keeps us all from starving to death: "After the interviewer highlighted the widespread acceptance of climate change within the scientific community, Clovis responded by saying, in effect, that scientists were trying to fool him. 'I have looked at the science, and I have enough of a science background to know when I'm being boofed,' he said. (Pro Publica checked and found that Clovis had never even taken an undergraduate level course in any science.)."

And here's some on Dourson, who Trump says will keep us all from being poisoned every time we draw breath or turn on our taps: "In 2002, the company helped West Virginia set a safety threshold of 150 parts per billion (ppb)  a number that stayed in place from 2002 to 2006, and determined whom DuPont was obligated to provide with clean water during this period. That number was 150 times higher than the maximum safety level DuPont's own scientists had determined in 1988  1 pbb  based on internal company research showing that PFOA was toxic to both workers and lab animals."

It was a good run when it lasted. See you in the Medicare hospital.

(Oh, shit.)

TRUMP'S EPA CHEMICAL SAFETY NOMINEE WAS IN THE "BUSINESS OF BLESSING" POLLUTION

[Sharon Lerner/The Intercept]





Trump wants a talk-radio host to be the USDA's chief scientist

[John Timmer/Ars Technica]





(Image: Alex Hanson, CC-BY)
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission heard updates on chronic wasting disease (CWD), Tennessees In Need of Management, Threatened, and Endangered Wildlife Listing, boating statistics, and budget process during its July meeting.

The two-day session concluded Friday and was held at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agencys Region II Ray Bell Building.

Chuck Yoest, assistant chief of the Wildlife and Forestry Division, provided a follow-up presentation to previous presentations on CWD.

Mr. Yoest shared that 25 states now have CWD, but, thankfully, after many years of ongoing sampling by TWRA, the disease is still not known to exist in Tennessee. While CWD is not known to be present in Tennessee, the potential threat it poses to deer and elk populations and to hunting, is momentous.

CWD is passed through the environment to deer and elk, and by direct contact with bodily fluids of positive animals. There are no known cases of humans contracting CWD.

Mr. Yoest informed the commission on risk factors for spreading CWD including: captive deer and elk, infected, hunter-killed carcasses being transported into Tennessee by out-of-state hunters, and the potential of hunters accidentally introducing CWD through the usage of deer urine-based lures commonly used for hunting. Also, regarding these risk factors, Yoest shared regulatory actions taken in other states which, if adopted by the commission, may reduce the likelihood of the disease reaching Tennessee.

Pandy English, the acting chief of TWRAs Biodiversity Division, made a presentation to the commission. The TWRA is updating its state list of In Need of Management, Threatened, and Endangered Species. She explained each of these categories to the commission.

In Need of Management species are those animals that need research conducted to determine their rareness. Threatened species are those animals in jeopardy of becoming endangered. Endangered refers to species that may become extinct or extirpated from the state. Wildlife biologists from universities, non-government organizations, zoos and TWRA have compiled the list using best available science, expert opinion and the federal list of endangered species,

The list includes 219 species (96 state endangered, 39 state threatened and 84 in need of management species). The purpose of this list is to guide the work of nongame biologists across the state. It prioritizes the species which need the most management. The ultimate goal is to remove Tennessee species from the federal Endangered Species List and to prevent further listing of Tennessees Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

Glenn Moates, assistant chief in the Boating and Law Enforcement Division, gave an update on boating statistics that included two of the major weekends for the boating season, Memorial Day and Independence Day. There were no boating-related fatalities during the holidays.

The Independence Day holiday was a five-day period that began on Friday, June 30 and continued through Tuesday, July 4. There were five accidents reported during the period, resulting in four injuries. TWRA officers made 20 boating under the influence (BUI) arrests during the period.

Thus far in 2017, there have been eight boating-related fatalities. Three of the fatalities were paddle craft incidents.

TWRA Executive Director Ed Carter explained the lengthy process involved in establishing the agencys annual budget. The commission has six new members this year. The budget committee will hold a meeting at the Nashville Office conference room on Monday, Aug. 14 beginning at 7:30 a.m. The 2018-19 budget will be presented at the regular TFWC meeting Aug. 29-30 at the TWRA Region II Building.
Nin Desai, CEO of Chicago-based Nin Ventures, is on the defensive after two men she listed as advisers to her company have denied their involvement, leading to broader questions about the firm.

Dr. Sunil Patel and Gurbaksh Chahal say they aren't involved in Nin Ventures. Both men have said they sent cease-and-desist letters to Nin Ventures and Desai.

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Nin Ventures is an LLC in good standing, according to the Illinois Secretary of State's website, but stories in Axios and Fortune have raised questions about the truthfulness of claims about its staff and advisers. Desai briefly defended herself to Blue Sky Wednesday before declining to comment further.

Desai has described her company as a hybrid between crowdfunding investment portals and a traditional venture capital fund. On its website, Nin Ventures touts the company as "a unique web-based opportunity for 'accredited investors' to invest in a venture capital fund with a minimum amount of $100,000. NIN.VC will function as a traditional venture capital fund with the only difference that it will be marketed, raised, managed, and reported online via www.nin.vc." Accredited investors are individuals who can verify they meet minimum requirements for income, net worth, assets or professional experience.

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A company profile for Nin Ventures appears on Crowdfunder.com, where the firm sought to raise funds in 2014. The site says the company raised $5 million, which it named then as half its funding goal. It shows a number of anonymous investors, including three individuals, two family offices and an institutional investor. The only named investor is Atit Desai, listed as Nin Ventures managing partner. An LLC registration for the company in Illinois identifies Atit Desai, with a New Jersey address, as the LLC manager.

Crowdfunder.com said Nin Ventures raised no money through its site.

"According to our records, NIN Ventures signed up on our Crowdfunder.com platform in April 2014, but for only one month," a company spokeswoman said in an email. "At that time, they indicated they already had pre-reservations of $5 million. They did not raise any money on our platform."

It is unclear whether Nin Ventures has raised money or made investments since it established the fund. According to the subset of Securities and Exchange Commission rules under which Nin Ventures says on its website that it operates, companies don't have to register their offering with the SEC, but they are required to file a Form D after they first sell their securities. The form is a notice that includes the names and addresses of the company's officers and directors and terms of the offering.

When asked in a phone interview if the company has made any such filings, Desai referred Blue Sky to the SEC website; searches of the SEC's online EDGAR database showed no such filings. When Blue Sky pointed this out to Desai, she ended the call.

Sam Guzik, partner and founder of law firm Guzik and Associates in Los Angeles, who has experience in crowdfunding and previously worked with Crowdfunder.com, said that if a company fails to submit the filing after it has sold securities, it won't necessarily lose its ability to sell securities as a private company.

He said such a firm could face regulatory scrutiny if it violated SEC antifraud rules by making statements about people working with the company who aren't actually working with it, Guzik said.

"If they're making statements that are material statements connected with an offering and they're false, then that's a problem," he said.

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"If people are putting out advisories that are disclaiming association with them, there's usually more there, and you have to be able to look under the hood," he added. "If it was never true, that's a serious red flag."

Through his attorney, Sunil Patel, a surgeon at the Erie County Medical Center for Regional Excellence in Renal Care in Buffalo, N.Y., provided Blue Sky with a copy of his cease-and-desist letter addressed to Desai by mail and email.

Blue Sky quoted Desai speaking about Patel's advisory role in 2015.

"My whole involvement has been zero," he said in a phone interview this week. "My being on the website is categorically false."

Patel said he was introduced to Desai socially in 2014 and did not challenge her claims of his role until now.

"I didn't want to waste time getting into a big legal battle," he said. As news outlets, most recently Axios, called him with questions about the firm, Patel said he decided to set the record straight.

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Desai told Blue Sky she had not received a cease-and-desist letter from Patel.

"I don't have it, and I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "If I did, I would be more than happy to publish it. This is an attempt to discredit myself and my firm. It's absolutely false, and you're being misled."

Chahal denied his role in Nin Ventures on Twitter in May following a news story on Fortune, which also mentioned his past guilty plea to domestic assault. His background drew attention to Nin Ventures when it announced what it said was his appointment.

A report on Axios said the company's employee roster is also either out of date or false. Blue Sky attempted to contact employees listed on the company's website and marketing materials, or who listed experience there on LinkedIn, and found many of them now working at other companies.

No one identified as Nin Ventures staff returned calls or emails requesting verification of their status with the firm. Neither did Chahal or Gary Jungels, a partner at Freeborn and Partners in Chicago who is listed as legal counsel for Nin Ventures. A former intern reached by Blue Sky said he worked there for a few months.

A bio on Nin Ventures' website says Desai sits on committees at the Illinois Venture Capital Association, and company materials include an IVCA logo. However, Desai is no longer a member of the association after not paying her dues, according to Maura O'Hara , executive director of the IVCA.

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Kate MacArthur is a freelance writer.

Twitter @KateMacArthur
Elon Musk said he has received verbal government approval for his Boring Co. to build an underground hyperloop connecting New York to Washington, D.C. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

Elon Musk said Thursday that he has received "verbal government approval"  but not a formal go-ahead  for his newest, tunnel-digging venture to build an underground, high-speed transportation system connecting New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Less than two hours after his first tweets announcing the verbal approval, the billionaire entrepreneur qualified his statements, tweeting: "Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly."

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A Boring Co. spokesman later said in a statement that the company expected to secure the formal approvals necessary to break ground later this year.

A White House spokesman said there have been "promising conversations" with "Musk/Boring Co. executives" and that it was "committed to transformative infrastructure projects."

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When asked whether those conversations or the White House's commitment to infrastructure projects amounted to a "verbal government approval," the spokesman said the White House had nothing more to add to the statement.

A Boring Co. spokesman said in the statement that the company has had a number of "promising conversations" with local, state and federal government officials and that "with a few exceptions, feedback has been very positive."

"We have received verbal support from key government decision-makers for tunneling plans, including a hyperloop route from New York to Washington, D.C.," the spokesman said.

But officials from New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington said they have had no contact with Musk about his hyperloop plans.

"Nobody in City Hall, or any of our city agencies, has heard from Mr. Musk or any representatives of his company," Ben Sarle, deputy press secretary for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, said in an emailed statement.

He said it would be "premature" to speculate on a regulatory process for this project since the mayor's office knew nothing about the proposal, saying it would take more than a "quick 'verbal approval'" to green light such a project.

This is news to City Hall. https://t.co/GmEm0b5C4i  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) July 20, 2017

"This is the first we've heard of it too," said LaToya Foster, spokeswoman for Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. "But we can't wait to hear more."

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said in a statement that she was "excited" to hear more about Musk's hyperloop plans.

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Mike Dunn, spokesman for the city of Philadelphia, said Musk has had no contact with city officials on this matter.

"We do not know what he means when he says he received 'verbal government approval,'" Dunn said in an email. "There are numerous hurdles for this unproven 'hyperloop' technology before it can become reality."

Such a project would go through complex environmental reviews from localities, states and on a national level, said Elliott Sclar, professor emeritus of urban planning at Columbia University and director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia's Earth Institute.

"Until you understand what the technology is, you don't even know what the scope of the issues you're going to look at are going to be about," he said.

The extensive tunneling project would also face challenges in different terrain, as well as complexities in acquiring all of the rights of way, Sclar said. The longest tunnel in the world is the Gotthard base tunnel in Switzerland, which extends for about 35 miles. Musk's tunnel system is likely to be more than 200 miles.

Kaan Ozbay, professor in the civil and urban engineering department at New York University, said the process of obtaining the proper permits, clearing safety regulations and other issues would take "a very long time."

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Musk, who also serves as chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla Inc., tweeted that the transportation system, known as the hyperloop, would connect each city center with "up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators in each city." He added that travelers on the hyperloop could get from New York to Washington, D.C., in 29 minutes.

Musk first publicly mused about the hyperloop  low-friction tubes through which passengers would speed in pods  in 2012, then released a blog post a year later that gave more details on the design. At the time, he said the transportation system would move passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes at speeds of up to 760 mph.

But, so far, Musk has let other entrepreneurs run with the idea. Two Los Angeles start-ups focused on hyperloop technology have emerged, and Hawthorne-based SpaceX hosted a student hyperloop pod competition last year.

In December, Musk said he would build a tunnel-boring machine because traffic was "driving me nuts." He called the project Boring Co. and has since periodically tweeted updates about a tunnel-digging machine he called "Godot" and the tunnel it has been digging near the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne.

Later Thursday afternoon, Musk called for his Twitter followers to let their local and federal elected representatives know "if you want this to happen fast."

"Makes a big difference if they hear from you," he tweeted.

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Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is seen July 28, 2015, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP)

There's a battle looming over the "Bank of Boeing," with President Donald Trump squaring off against the business community, including some Illinois-based companies.

The "Bank of Boeing" is what critics sneeringly call the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a federal agency that provides low-cost loan guarantees that help companies, including Boeing, expand and compete internationally.

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Trump wants the Senate to approve former congressman and Ex-Im Bank nemesis Scott Garrett as president of that federal lending agency.

Major manufacturers and exporting interests that back the Ex-Im Bank, including Chicago-based Boeing and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, vehemently oppose Garrett's nomination.

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They're right: Garrett is the wrong person for such a crucial post, especially at a time when the Ex-Im Bank, which is in political limbo, needs a visionary leader.

As a lawmaker from New Jersey, Garrett envisioned a world with no Ex-Im Bank and openly questioned why the agency should even exist.

The reality is the bank serves an important public-private purpose that helps the economy.

One of its main functions is providing U.S.-backed guarantees on higher-risk loans to global buyers of big-ticket items from U.S. manufacturers. The bank makes business loans, provides insurance and makes sure firms selling overseas are paid promptly.

That translates into jets from Boeing, heavy equipment from Caterpillar or parts from any number of Illinois-based companies and suppliers employing thousands of people.

Garrett views such Ex-Im Bank support as corporate cronyism or just government giveaways.

His claim comes despite the fact that the bank makes money on these loans. It's also posted annual loan losses that are historically below 1 percent, less than an average commercial lender, so taxpayers aren't at significant risk.

Unfortunately, since 2014 the Ex-Im Bank has been working at half speed, a victim of lingering political infighting and indecision.

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The bank has about $30 billion of deals waiting to be authorized by its board, which is short-handed, with only two acting members out of a total of five. A quorum of three is needed to approve bigger deals of more than a few million dollars.

Some of that money would be directed at Illinois-based small and midsized manufacturers seeking to expand overseas.

The bank has supported $5.1 billion in exports for 322 Illinois-based companies between 2009 and 2014, and about two-thirds of those companies are small businesses, the agency's data show.

"We cannot afford to have Mr. Garrett in charge of the Ex-Im Bank," wrote Greg Baise, CEO president of the 4,000-member Illinois Manufacturers' Association, in a letter to Trump.

Trump's nomination of Garrett is a bit of a surprise, even for a president who tends to often astonish people.

Trump was critical of the Ex-Im Bank during his campaign. Yet earlier this year, at the prodding of bipartisan and pro-Ex-Im Bank forces, he voiced a change of heart and vowed to revive the bank.

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Now, Garrett's nomination has many business leaders worried the president intends to dismantle or gut the bank.

"We find it difficult to support anyone who has not supported the bank," Tim Keating, senior vice president of government operations for Boeing, said in an email. "Nor can we understand why they would want to serve, other than to do harm to the bank."

Garrett was unavailable for comment (typically nominees don't talk before their confirmation hearings).

In an email to me, the White House said Garrett is "eminently qualified" and the president supports him and looks forward to his confirmation.

Garrett is expected to soon go before a Senate committee to make his case, but the hearing has yet to be scheduled. It promises to be a feisty event.

Hopefully his nomination fails, or the president withdraws it, and Illinois' economic interests win.

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roreed@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @reedtribbiz
Mexico's Grupo Bimbo announced Thursday an agreement to acquire Chicago-based East Balt Bakeries, which supplies buns to McDonald's and other fast-food chains, for $650 million.

One Equity Partners, current owner of East Balt, signed an agreement to sell the baked goods company. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year, pending regulatory approval. East Balt, a longtime McDonald's bun supplier, has 21 bakeries in 11 countries.

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In Chicago, where East Balt has operated for more than 50 years, about 100 employees work at the bakery near South Damen Avenue and the Stevenson Expressway. No layoffs are expected as a result of the acquisition, said Donna Rodriguez, senior vice president of finance for East Balt.

"At this point, there's no reason to think there will be any impact to the workforce here. ... We're going to continue to supply buns and muffins for our customers," Rodriguez said.

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As McDonald's has grown globally over the years, so too has East Balt, which now also makes baked goods for Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among other customers, Rodriguez said. The company's two other U.S. facilities are in Ohio.

East Balt generates annual sales of about $420 million and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of about $70 million, according to the Bimbo news release.

"This acquisition continues to fulfill our vision of expanding our global reach to better serve more consumers, with entry to eight new countries. Notably, East Balt enjoys long-standing strategic relationships with the largest and most established (quick-service restaurants) in the world," said Daniel Servitje, Grupo Bimbo CEO, in the news release.

The bakery's relationship with McDonald's began more than 50 years ago with a handshake between East Balt founder Louis Kuchuris and McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, according to the company website.

Today, East Balt produces about 13 million baked goods a day for more than 10,000 locations globally.

gtrotter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GregTrotterTrib
An anti-Cook County soda tax placard hangs in the soft drinks aisle at Pete's Fresh Market in Chicago on June 22, 2017. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Cook County's sweetened beverage tax will remain on hold at least another week.

Cook County Circuit Judge Daniel Kubasiak said Friday that he would rule July 28 on the county's motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the penny-per-ounce charge, which was set to take effect July 1.

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The Illinois Retail Merchants Association and several grocers filed a lawsuit last month seeking to block the tax, which they argue is unconstitutional and too vague. Kubasiak granted a temporary restraining order June 30 that has prevented the tax from being imposed.

Many retailers oppose the tax, which would apply to a wide variety of sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages. They argue that, under the Illinois Constitution, similar objects should be taxed uniformly. Under the sweetened beverage tax, drinks in bottles, or from fountain machines, are taxable. But on-demand, custom-sweetened beverages, such as those mixed by servers or baristas, aren't subject to the tax.

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Kent Ray, a lawyer for the county, told Kubasiak on Friday that the Illinois Constitution gives legislative bodies more latitude in classifying taxes than the retailers are claiming.

County officials have said the new tax is needed to pay for services and will improve public health over time. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle last week announced layoffs of 300 county employees, a move she attributed to lost revenue from the blocked tax.

A look at the numbers behind Cook County's new soda tax. How will the tax work and how much will it cost consumers? (Phil Geib / Chicago Tribune) (Phil Geib/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Retailers, meanwhile, are still preparing for the possibility that the tax will be allowed to take effect.

Mike Bousis and his father, Dimitrious Bousis, own and operate a combined 15 Cermak Fresh Market stores. After updating some of their point-of-sale systems, Mike Bousis said, the Cermak stores are now ready to apply the sweetened beverage tax should the judge lift the temporary restraining order.

"We've had everything in place," Bousis said. But if the court allows the tax, "it will be another sad day for Chicago residents, I'll tell you that."

He said he was opposed to the idea of the penny-per-ounce tax, particularly coming on the heels of the city and county raising the minimum wage.

Greg Trotter contributed.

byerak@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @beckyyerak
Zach Pereles, left, and Michael Conklin enjoy happy hour food and drinks July 19, 2017, at The Boarding House restaurant and wine bar in Chicagos River North neighborhood. Two years after happy hour specials were legalized in Illinois, state and city tax revenues havent surged. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Bringing happy hour back to Illinois was billed as a needed boost to the hospitality industry that would result in more revenue for the state and local municipalities.

But two years after the popular drink specials were legalized in Illinois after a 26-year absence, the law has been more effective at filling bar stools with midweek drinkers than state and city coffers with new money. Chicago's liquor tax revenue has been basically flat since the law was enacted and so far this year, city and state liquor tax collections aren't even on pace to match last year's figures, according to a Tribune analysis.

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The glass may still be half full: Selling cheaper drinks for a few hours each day is helping some Chicago establishments draw patrons during nonpeak business hours, helping an industry face challenges that include a surge in meal delivery options and an overall decline in on-premise consumption of alcohol, some business owners say.

Meanwhile, Chicago police say the cheaper drinks haven't led to any corresponding spike in drunken incidents in city neighborhoods densely populated with bars and restaurants, as was feared by some.

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"I was worried about bottom of the barrel pricing and drunkenness. ... I was borderline clutching my pearls. None of those concerns have been realized, at least not in my experience," said Alpana Singh, a restaurateur and master sommelier who operates three restaurants in the Chicago area.

To the contrary, Singh said the law has allowed her to grow bar sales some 35 percent during happy hour at The Boarding House, a River North wine bar. Routinely, the bar fills up with millennials with "champagne taste on a beer budget" who are drawn to the half-price select wines and discounted pizzas, she said.

"For us, we've really been fortunate to engage a younger audience," Singh said. "Millennials have been the greatest difference between the new happy hour and the old happy hour."

That's the type of benefit that the restaurant industry envisioned when, in July 2015, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law the so-called Culinary and Hospitality Modernization Act, which among other things legalized happy hour specials, food and wine pairings, infused spirits and meal packages. Happy hour drink specials had been banned under Illinois law since 1989.

The July 2015 law also required mandatory statewide training for all who served alcohol.

Supporters, including the Illinois Restaurant Association, the driving force behind the bill that was sponsored by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, also touted the legislation's ability to drive more tax revenue for municipalities and the state.

That hasn't happened yet, at least not in a way that can be tied directly to the new law.

The happy hour law has not had a significant impact on Illinois liquor tax collections based upon revenue statistics, said Terry Horstman, spokesman for the state Department of Revenue.

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In Illinois, revenue from the liquor gallonage tax  paid by manufacturers and wholesalers that sell alcohol to bars, restaurants and retailers  increased less than 1.5 percent, from about $288.3 million in 2015 to $292.5 million last year, according to data provided by the state.

Many factors could have contributed to that increase, including mild winters and the Cubs winning the World Series in November, Horstman said.

Separately, happy hour's impact on revenue from sales tax paid by consumers in bars and restaurants would be impossible to determine, he said.

Meanwhile, revenue from Chicago's liquor tax, which like the state tax is also collected at the distributor level, increased less than 1 percent, from about $33.2 million in 2015 to $33.4 million in 2016, according to city data. There's a larger increase to the city's restaurant sales tax revenue for that same period, but that also reflects increases in menu pricing due to rising labor costs.

Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said there's been an "overwhelmingly positive" response from businesses to the law, which enables more flexibility in marketing and promotions. But he also acknowledged the more general challenges of the restaurant industry.

"As restaurants and bars face rising labor costs and new regulations, it's more important than ever that we have pragmatic policies that give operators the tools and flexibility they need to succeed," Toia said in an email.

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But the arrival of happy hour has coincided with a seismic shift in consumer behavior. In recent years, American consumers have increasingly been drinking more alcohol at home and less at bars and restaurants, according to data from Euromonitor International. In 2016, people consumed more than 23 billion liters of alcohol purchased in stores, a 7.5 percent increase from 2011 and more than three times the amount consumed at bars, restaurants and other venues.

That's in part a lingering effect of the Great Recession, said Euromonitor research analyst Eric Penicka. Consumers are buying more premium beer, wine and spirits, but are still very mindful of cost, he said. On average a glass of wine or spirits can cost four times more at a bar or restaurant than when purchased at retail; a beer can cost three times more out on the town.

"(The) consumer savings potential is huge," Penicka said in an email.

Happy hour has been a useful tool in such an operating environment, said Scott Weiner, co-owner of the Fifty/50 Restaurant Group. At Steadfast, a Fifty/50 restaurant in the Loop, the happy hour menu and 20 percent off drinks often draw a packed house of patrons just getting off work, including some who stay for dinner.

"From what I'm reading, sales in liquor stores are up ... restaurant seatings are down and happy hour is helping balance some of that out," Weiner said.

Bill Jacobs, owner of Piece Brewery and Pizzeria in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, was one of the most vocal opponents of lifting the happy hour ban, citing concerns about excessive drinking and drunken driving.

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Two years later, Jacobs said he's still opposed to the idea of discounting alcohol. Piece does not offer any happy hour specials. But he also said that he hasn't seen any evidence yet of his worst fears coming to fruition.

"I feel more comfortable with it today, but I hope bar owners are acting responsibly," Jacobs said.

gtrotter@chicagotribune.com

jrichards@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GregTrotterTrib

Twitter @jsmithrichards
Nordstrom's Trunk Club has been sued by a former employee who complains that the personal styling service makes even entry-level workers sign highly restrictive noncompete agreements, making it difficult to take jobs with "nearly any" other retail, clothing or fashion business.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, seeks class-action status.

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Chicago resident Molly Dowell started working in June 2016 as a personal stylist at Trunk Club, which sells high-end men's and women's clothing.

Dowell left the company in January, concerned about its future, Dowell says in the lawsuit.

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Last November, Nordstrom wrote down Trunk Club's value by more than half the $350 million Nordstrom paid to buy it in 2014, saying Trunk Club's performance had fallen short of expectations. Trunk Club CEO Brian Spaly left the company in January.

Dowell sought a job with Mac & Mia, which sells children's clothing with help from personal stylists. Mac & Mia was interested in possibly hiring Dowell, but was concerned about her noncompete agreement and the threat of potential litigation from Trunk Club, according to the lawsuit.

Believing that Mac & Mia wasn't a Trunk Club rival, Dowell asked Trunk Club if she could pursue a job at Mac & Mia.

She said she was told "Mac & Mia is a competitor" and Trunk Club wouldn't grant an exception to the noncompete restrictions.

The employment agreement includes a covenant prohibiting workers from taking a job for one year with "any company that competes, in any way, with Trunk Club or its parent company Nordstrom," the lawsuit says.

Dowell alleges "interference with prospective economic advantage," among other things. Trunk Club provides no guarantee of continued employment for any length of time in exchange for the noncompete agreement, making it "invalid and unenforceable under Illinois law," the lawsuit states.

"Trunk Club's only motivation for requiring and enforcing its broad and unreasonable covenant not to compete is to suppress wages, prevent employees from leaving, and restrain competition in the retail labor market," the lawsuit states.

A Trunk Club spokeswoman said the company is "aware of the lawsuit and plans to vigorously defend this matter."

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The number of class members is believed to be in the hundreds, the lawsuit said.

Trunk Club isn't the first employer to be accused of imposing onerous noncompete agreements on low-level workers.

Last December, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan reached a settlement with Jimmy John's for "imposing highly restrictive noncompete agreements on its low-wage sandwich shop employees and delivery drivers whose primary job tasks are to take food orders and make and deliver sandwiches," according to a news release from Madigan's office.

byerak@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @beckyyerak
Harvard University officials announced that a graduate program in theater would suspend admissions for the next three years after receiving a so-called failing grade from the Department of Education for burdening students with high levels of debt. (Getty photo)

Under the Obama administration in 2015, the Department of Education toughened up a set of rules known as the Gainful Employment Regulations. The rules were designed to protect students from being buried in debt by for-profit trade school programs that created far more student indebtedness than verifiable value for money. No one expected a graduate arts program at Harvard University, no less, to be ensnared in the netting of these regulations.

But, remarkably, that is exactly what just happened. In recent days, it was announced that a graduate program in theater at Harvard would suspend admissions for the next three years after receiving a so-called failing grade from the Department of Education that could result in a loss of access to federal student loans.

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The finding, which I first read about in the Boston Globe, should be a shot across the bow for elitist arts programs with high tuitions, programs that long have ignored the realistic economic prospects of their graduates.

Simply put, the federal policy looks at the debts-to-earnings ratios of career-training programs (and, yes, the arts are a career) in an attempt to discern whether the programs provide students reasonable returns on their investment in tuition. The 2015 regulations hold that the average student's debt from the program should not exceed 20 percent of their discretionary income or 8 percent of their total income. If that is not the case, then the program could lose access to federal student loans. When it announced the new tougher regulations, the department estimated that 99 percent of the affected programs would be at for-profit institutions.

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There is a new development: On June 30, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced, as part of a wider move to cut regulations, the department was "pressing pause" on Gainful Employment, giving affected institutions an extra year to comply with disclosure requirements. This after the Trump administration actually defended the measure in March in federal court. And in any case, this does not take it off the books.

Which brings us back to Harvard and its graduate-level theater training program known as the A.R.T. Institute, in honor of its relationship with the storied American Repertory Theater. The Institute has been facing two big problems.

The first is that the median debt rate for students of the two-year program, which enrolls about 23 people a year, is a whopping $78,000 and the typical post-graduation income of those students is miserably low when compared with that debt: just $36,000 a year. If you're trying to make it in New York City, or even in Boston or Chicago, $36K per annum sure does not allow a lot of cushion for debt repayment.

Such are the entry-level salaries in the arts, which long have been subsidized by those who work therein, especially those in the kinds of jobs you can expect straight out of graduate school.

Now, there are some unusual circumstances here. Unlike Yale University, whose graduates tend to dominate leadership positions in New York theater, Harvard does not have a storied tradition of formal education in these areas. As at the University of Chicago, Harvard's many successful graduates in the arts typically have declared different formal majors and pursued the arts outside of the regular curriculum. The A.R.T. Institute does not offer a Harvard-based master of fine arts degree, but a more esoteric "certificate," albeit one with the formidable Harvard name. And, according to the Globe, the program does not offer much in the way of scholarships, essentially relying on student tuition to support itself.

Not that American Repertory Theater itself is hurting for money or prestige: under artistic director (and Harvard faculty member) Diane Paulus, the theater has reinvented itself as a major incubator of Broadway shows.

The bad publicity about the federal criticism of Harvard's A.R.T. Institute actually is a healthy thing.

Schools with expensive programs in the performing arts that are reliant on federal student loans should indeed be held accountable for how much, or how little, their graduates can be expected to earn.

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These are loans backed by the faith of the American people. These schools should not expect to be treated differently from trade schools based on the mostly spurious argument that students are pursuing their creative dreams, know the cruel realities of the profession and thus have some awareness of the financial risks and the inequality of its rewards  some people, obviously, make a whole lot.

In many cases, these students are going into debt to acquire credentials and, yet more importantly, a network to aid them in a profession that, to its detriment, is growing ever-more nepotistic and lazily elitist, especially when it comes to its dominance by a few well-known training programs.

The mission-based arts organizations that employ many of these graduates similarly should be held accountable for offering a living wage that does not take advantage of indebted students desperate to climb the ladder of a profession that, like the rest of America, increasingly is seeing the spoils go to those at the top, at the expense of those at the bottom, or even those striving to lead middle-class artistic lives somewhere in the middle.

The Department of Education's regulations do not, of course, protect those who do not have to go into debt, those who are come from privileged backgrounds and thus are able to pay those hefty tuition bills, or a good portion thereof, on their own. In those cases, it remains caveat emptor, even at Harvard.

But who wants the arts dominated by debt-free elites?

That's not healthy either for the practitioners of the arts or for the people whose lives these graduates will be expected to chronicle and mirror, whose souls they will be obligated to nourish, whose pain they will have a moral obligation to articulate, whose realities they have will have to know.

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Rather, the network that serves young artists and administrators and allows them to prosper in the elite hallways of American culture has to be broadened far, far beyond New Haven and Cambridge. If these programs cannot be made more affordable and accessible without the promotion of onerous indebtedness, then more attention must be paid by the culture industry to those programs that can.

Many fine public universities offer excellent arts education, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The issue that needs fixing is whether such programs can open an equivalent number of doors.

One thing is for sure, especially given all the changes in the creative professions in this age of growing deprofessionalization and all the other instabilities of this creative moment, encouraging chronic indebtedness is a solution to nothing.

I'll go further. Given the stark economic realities, it's an immoral act.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com
Awad Lsallum has been waiting for a heart for 40 days at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. One of the worst parts of a long hospital stay, he said, can be not having a clear picture of what your situation is, or even who is taking care of you as the days drag on.

But now, at least at Cedars-Sinai, there's an app for all of that. Actually, there's a whole tablet. The hospital is offering some patients the option to check out iPads during their stay for free, to provide more insight into their own health. The program offers a glimpse of how Apple is trying to further tap into the $3 trillion health-care market.

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For hospitals, using these mobile devices can present patient health data in an accessible way, making it easier for patients and doctors to speak to each other. For Apple, it's a larger effort to focus more heavily on services rather than only products - a move that guarantees steady income and engagement, even if individual consumers aren't buying as many devices.

"Apple's the only one that I've seen that has the most concentrated strategic vision within the company's DNA to do this as a calculated part of their business," said analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies.

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Many consumer tech companies have been angling to get into the health tech market over the past few years. Fitbit data - step counts, heart rate, etc. - have been used in medical trials on mobility. Google has been investing in advanced medical research, such as work to combat aging.

Within the past two years, Apple launched its Health app and Apple Watch. The Cupertino, California, company also employs 13 exercise physiologists and specialists, plus 29 nurses and medics at a testing lab it uses to develop health and fitness tech near its headquarters. Apple recently bought the sleep-tech company Beddit, and is reportedly working on a diabetes glucose-monitoring device that won't pierce the skin. And they are also taking extra steps to move beyond the realm of consumer devices to put more Apple technology into hospital rooms - including into the hands of patients.

The Cedars-Sinai pilot, which began last year, is limited but has helped improve communication between doctors and patients, hospital staff said. So far, only people who have heart conditions, like Lsallum, and women who have just given birth have been able to participate. The hospital chose these patients because they are two types of patients that tend to want a lot of real-time data, and quickly, hospital officials said.

Patients have used the iPads to address a common gripe: finding a better way to keep track of all the practitioners in the seemingly endless rotation that takes care of them. The patients have also viewed their own health data, such as their heart rates or their glucose readings, and learned what those vitals mean.And they can also watch or read educational material about their procedure from the iPad through the hospital's app, which can make it easier for nurses to know and mark what the patient has reviewed.

For the practitioners, this has led to better conversations because the patients have more informed questions and feel that they are more a part of their own care.

"I would say it quells anxiety for patients," Miller said.

And as part of the discharge procedure, patients set up an account to get access to their health records and education information once they leave the hospital. Patients who've been through the pilot program are better at following their doctors' instructions once they're home.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing. There is a concern that giving patients too much information, or information they may not understand, could lead them to worry more than necessary. After all, it's common for an abnormal lab or unexpected change in a particular vital sign to turn out to be an anomaly. Ultimately, Cedars-Sinai decided to delay sharing some results with patients for at least a day to allow doctors to review and explain the information. Part of designing these apps is also figuring out the limits of what data can do, said Shaun Miller, a physician at Cedars-Sinai who also serves as its associate chief medical information officer.

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Issuing devices to patients is just one approach for changing the way we use tech in hospitals. John Halamka, a physician and health sector chief information officer who has looked for years at ways to integrate consumer technology and hospital tech, said another approach is to let patients access similar information, but using apps on their own phones.

As technology firms and the medical industry continue building partnerships, some companies worry they may face oppressive regulations from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA's rules on which apps and devices it regulates are still a work in progress. So far, Apple and others have avoided regulation because their products don't make diagnoses or try to replace existing medical equipment.

When asked for comment about its strategy toward health tech, Apple pointed The Post to remarks that chief executive Tim Cook made earlier this year.

"The things that interest us the most are things where we can bring our ability to integrate hardware, software, services into something that's magical, and enriches people in some way," Cook said at a start-up conference in Europe this past spring. "If you look at some of the things that do not drive revenue, but have massive interest in them from our teams, health is very much one of those."






Women who have high-risk pregnancies or complications in childbirth are up to eight times more likely to suffer heart disease later in life. And many mothers and their doctors are unaware of the danger.



Emerging research shows heart disease is a long-term threat for women who develop diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy, for example, or those whose babies are born prematurely or precariously small.



Yet doctors do not typically advise women about their risk or counsel them to watch for symptoms, said Noel Bairey Merz, a cardiologist and director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles.



Bairey Merz said doctors can see heart attacks and strokes coming, often 10 or 20 years ahead of time, if they are on the lookout. "This isn't rocket science," she said. "We just have to figure out how we can find the women who are at risk."



Heightened awareness of the link between pregnancy complications and heart disease is prompting greater outreach to the public and collaborative research between cardiologists and obstetricians. That could help "make tremendous strides toward reducing and preventing heart disease in women," said Bairey Merz.



Cedars-Sinai recently started following a small group of women who've had pregnancy or labor complications to further explore the heart disease connection. In a separate study, Bairey Merz and other researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health are tracking 5,000 new moms at eight sites nationwide including Cedars to fill gaps in knowledge about heart health and develop recommendations for physicians.



The Women's Heart Alliance, an advocacy group started by Cedars-Sinai and New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, also works with obstetricians and other providers to raise awareness among women and their doctors.



"We've got a big advocacy and education piece that we should be doing together," said Barbara Levy, vice president of health policy for the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.



Levy said education is critical because it reduces the likelihood that women or their doctors will dismiss symptoms and concerns that should be taken seriously. Cardiologists and women's health care providers are in a unique position to drive the research agenda, Levy said. About 80 percent of U.S. women give birth to at least one baby, and one-fourth have complications during their pregnancies or labor. Researchers are still trying to determine why such complications are linked to later heart problems. Among hypotheses: Pregnancy might contribute to vascular problems or unleash preexisting tendencies.



"Pregnancy can really mimic the stressors of age," said Margo Minissian, a nurse scientist and researcher at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. "Pregnancy could essentially be serving 1/8as3/8 a woman's first physiological stress test."



Minissian said that women who have had pregnancy or labor complications should tell their primary care doctors and have annual screenings for high blood pressure or other potential health problems. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recommend, for example, that women who have had preeclampsia a potentially life-threatening spike in blood pressure during pregnancy be evaluated for heart disease risk within one year of giving birth. Some women will need to be medicated and may be referred to a cardiologist.



But most women who have had complicated pregnancies need not see a cardiologist right after giving birth, Levy said they should just eat healthfully, be active and get enough sleep. Immediately referring all of these women to cardiologists could result in undue anxiety and unnecessary medical tests, she said. "It will cost a lot of money and a lot of her time while she is dealing with a baby."



As part of the Cedars-Sinai project, Minissian screens certain women for cardiovascular risk within six months of delivery and follows up with them every year. She also tries to help them understand their risk and lead healthy lives to "avoid the whole heart disease trajectory altogether."



"These women are going to have their eyes wide open," Minissian said. "They are going to be looking for it and they won't allow people to pat them on the back and say, 'Oh don't worry about that high blood pressure.'"



One of Minissian's patients, Lara Hogan, gave birth to her son, Zion, in May 2016.



Sitting in her living room in Topanga, Calif., Hogan recounted how she had been monitoring her blood pressure during the pregnancy because she was treated for hypertension in the past. Then, during her 36th week, her pressure spiked a sign of preeclampsia.



Hogan and her husband, Chad, headed to Cedars-Sinai, where doctors told her they needed to deliver the baby that night. But her blood pressure did not come down after giving birth. In fact, it kept rising.



"They had someone standing at my bedside monitoring me in case anything happened," Hogan recalled. "I guess they were so nervous that I was gonna have a stroke."



Zion stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for eight days before he was released. Hogan went in and out of the hospital as doctors tried to lower her pressure.



"It was a nightmare," she said. "All I dreamt about was this moment for so many years. It was like the opposite of everything I thought it would be."



Finally, doctors succeeded in bringing her pressure down and referred her to a postpartum heart health program that Minissian leads. Over the next several weeks, Minissian and others helped Hogan take the right dose of medication and avoid the hospital.



Now, Hogan checks her pressure on most days and plans to continue seeing doctors to manage her long-term cardiac risk. Zion, who recently celebrated his 1st birthday, just started walking and likes to play with his toy xylophone and drums.



Hogan hopes to have another baby soon, so she has been seeing Minissian to ensure her pressure is well-controlled before she gets pregnant again. She knows she is at risk for heart disease later in life because of her complications in pregnancy.



"As much as I don't want to be thinking about my future heart health or worrying about what's going to happen when I am older, this is priority No. 1 for my health right now," Hogan said. "For the sake of my son and my future children."



KHN's coverage in California is funded in part by Blue Shield of California Foundation. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Reports Friday that Natalia Veselnitskaya  the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. in June 2016  previously represented the Russian spy agency FSB come as no surprise to Chicago-born businessman Bill Browder.

He's been sparring with Veselnitskaya for years. For him, it's personal.

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Browder, who made a fortune as a hedge fund manager in Russia, is the driving force behind a 2012 U.S. law that attempts to punish the Russian officials he says covered up a $230 million corruption scandal by imprisoning, torturing and murdering his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky.

But Veselnitskaya has been working to overturn the Magnitsky Act, which so angered Russian President Vladimir Putin that he retaliated by imposing a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children (Trump Jr. said he cut short his meeting with Veselnitskaya when he realized discussing the Magnitsky Act was her "true agenda").

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Browder told Chicago Inc. this week he thinks Trump Jr. was correct about Veselnitskaya's aims. But he scoffed at Veselnitskaya's statement that she has "never acted on behalf of the Russian government."

"In Russia, the KGB doesn't send KGB lawyers to work for them," he said, noting that Veselnitskaya's previous clients include a senior government official's son. He added that the offer of Russian dirt on Hillary Clinton would "make sense as an attempted quid pro quo" to get the Trump campaign on board with overturning the Magnitsky Act.

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Despite several years of battle with Veselnitskaya, who did not respond to a request for comment, Browder said he only finally met her in person at a deposition in New York earlier this year.

"She was very hostile toward me during the deposition," he said. "Very aggressive."

Browder, who grew up in Hyde Park and graduated from the University of Chicago but now lives in London, is the grandson of former U.S. Communist Party leader Earl Browder, but rebelled against his family's left-wing roots by becoming a successful capitalist.

He told Inc. that he has made it his life's work to lobby around the world for laws that will hold Magnitsky's killers accountable.

"I made a vow to his memory, to his family and to myself and to his family that I would not rest until I get justice for him," he said.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

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Kevin Irvine, Karen Tamley and their daughter Dominika Tamley, who will be co-grand marshals for Chicagos 2017 Disability Pride Parade, pose for a portrait outside Chicago City Hall on July 19, 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Dominika Tamley and her parents are accustomed to the stares.

In an airport not long ago, a passing traveler, dragging a wheeled suitcase, did what many people do, which was to gawk at them while walking by.

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The traveler stared first at Dominika, an 11-year- old who has grown up being asked what happened to her fingers and her face. The traveler then turned to inspect Dominika's mother, who was using a wheelchair.

And then the distracted traveler walked straight into a concrete post.

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"We are a conspicuous family," Kevin Irvine, Dominika's father, said the other day as he told the story, and all three laughed.

On Saturday, Dominika and her parents will be intentionally conspicuous as the grand marshals of the Chicago Disability Pride Parade.

Dominika, who was born with Apert syndrome, a genetic disability characterized by facial differences and fused fingers and toes, will ride her bicycle along the parade route in the Loop. The bike was built just for her, with a third wheel to stabilize it and angled handlebars that enable her to steer with one hand.

Her mother, Karen Tamley, who was born with a rare disability of the lower spine, will roll along in a wheelchair. Her father will walk, and though his gait is OK at the moment, he has sometimes walked with a limp or with crutches because of complications from hemophilia or treatments for the HIV he has had for 35 years.

Tamley is the commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, and she has been in every pride parade since the first one in 2004. She says the event has several goals.

One is to assure disabled people that they're not alone. Another is to let the world know that disabled people shouldn't be objects of pity or the subjects of what is sometimes called "inspiration porn."

"We're good with our lives," she said, sitting in her small City Hall office with her husband and daughter. "We don't all necessarily want to be cured or fixed."

There's something else as well that Tamley and Irvine hope the parade will help people understand. As Irvine puts it: "Everyone should have the opportunity to parent, if they want, regardless of what their disability may be."

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Dominika was 5 months old when they brought her home from the adoption agency, and they have raised her to be proud of who and how she is. Having disabled parents puts her own disability into perspective.

"I feel less self-conscious when I look at my mom," she said.

"Does that help you?" Tamley asked.

Dominika nodded.

Unlike Dominika, who attends a regular Chicago public school, Tamley was bused to a school for disabled kids.

"There were no expectations for kids with disabilities," Tamley said. "No expectations that you would work, get married. The world wasn't very accessible. You couldn't get in a public bus. There were no curb ramps."

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Dominika, on the other hand, has grown up talking with her parents about what it means to be disabled  and, yes, "disabled" is the word they prefer  though when I asked her to define it, she hesitated.

"I don't really know," she said. She shook her head. "I think it means, like ..."

She paused.

"There are no wrong answers," her father said.

"It means," she finally said, "having a part of your body that's really different and unique."

Dominika has attended the parade every year since she was an infant in a stroller. And yet, the prospect of being this year's co-grand marshal unsettles her a little. As the child of parents who have taught her to talk openly about disability, she isn't afraid to say so.

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"I have mixed feelings," she said. "I mean I like it, I like the idea of it, but ..."

She sighed.

"I feel self-conscious about it, marching and having people stare at you."

"I understand your ambivalence," her father said, and with an easy rapport, the three of them talked about it for a while. Irvine recited a line from a poem written by a disabled friend: "You get proud by practicing."

On Saturday morning, Dominika will slip a grand marshal sash over her skirt and tank top and go out to greet the public. She has prepared a speech, whose full content she didn't want to divulge.

She may or may not talk about her disability. She will say she loves her parents.

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"I just don't want it to be too long," she said.

Maybe one day, by the time Dominika is old, the disabled won't be so conspicuous. In that future world, a traveler passing Dominika and her family in an airport might feel no need to stare, knowing that in the great and varied human species, that's what people look like, that's who families are.

mschmich@chicagotribune.com
Lake County Photography Club coordinator Jim Conrad discusses the importance of framing during a recent meeting at Deep River Park. (Sue Ellen Ross / Post-Tribune)

Robert Evan first became interested in photography while serving with the U.S. Air Force in Japan.

The Chesterton resident purchased his first camera at that time and dabbled off and on during the ensuing decades. But it was only a few years ago, when he semi-retired, that a more serious interest in expanding his amateur skills began.

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"Friends mentioned a few of the local photo clubs they belonged to," he said. "So, I joined the Duneland Photo Club and the Lake County Parks Photography Club."

The latter meets once a month at Deep River Park Visitor Center, and Evan usually arrives early to take a few outside shots.

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Many others involved in the informal club  there are no dues or commitments  do the same.

Sharon Kerner of Shelby found a colorful flowering bush to snap before a recent club meeting began.

"I love photography and have been involved with it for quite a while," she said, as she checked the settings on her camera. "I sell some of my photos and do it also for myself."

Although Kerner has much experience and teaches beginning photo classes, she added that she always comes away from the monthly get-togethers with new information from other members  such as utilizing her camera's abilities in new ways.

Each month, the evening's schedule includes a Show and Tell session and guest speaker.

This month's speaker was Jim Rittker of Crown Point discussing Night and Astros Photos.

"I usually take a flashlight to use for special effects" he said, as he delivered a Power Point presentation of his night photos. "There's quite a bit you can do with it."

Jim Conrad has been involved with the Lake County Parks Photography Club, which has 40 current members, for 13 years. He facilitates the monthly meetings and works with other members to come up with interesting topics.

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"Our club is very laid back; we encourage members to join in conversations and we don't schedule anything without their okay," he said. "We don't have rigid rules, we just have fun."

Randy Walker of Dyer joined the club one year ago. "Coming to the meetings helps me understand more about what my camera can do," he said at the recent meeting. "I'm having good luck with it, but I know I'm using only a small percentage of what it can do."

In addition to monthly meetings, club members go on shoots together, as well as exhibit their work.

One upcoming photo exhibit is scheduled for display during the month of September at the Lake County Public Library.

There is no fee to join the Lake County Parks Photography Club or to attend meetings. Adults of all skill levels are welcome.

For more information, call (219) 947-1958.

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Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) lecturer appeared in court yesterday accused of forging a Master's Degree in Business Administration for a failed undergraduate.The student, Tasiyana Tichaona, used the fake MBA to enrol for a PhD programme in Botswana. The lecturer, Francis Ndlovu (56), who was stationed at ZOU's Harare-Chitungwiza regional campus, appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Josephine Sande facing charges of fraud.He was remanded to August 21 on $300 bail, while Tichaona is already on remand on similar charges.The complainant is ZOU represented by its chief security officer, Mr Ngonidzashe Rupiya. ZOU is a long distance learning institute that offers various degrees and professional qualifications that are internationally recognised.Prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa is alleging that sometime in 2008, Tichaona registered for a Bachelor of Commerce Marketing Degree with ZOU. The court heard that Tichaona completed his first semester, but failed all the subjects.It is alleged that Tichaona connived with Ndlovu to change his degree programme to Master's Degree in Business Administration. Tichaona did not register for his second option, neither did he make the necessary payments.On July 17 this year, Tichaona submitted the forged MBA to his employer in Botswana claiming that he was enrolling for a PhD. The employer contacted ZOU for verifications and discovered that the master's degree was forged.Tichaona was arrested and he implicated Ndlovu. The court heard the student number used on the forged transcript is for Tichaona's bachelor's degree.ZOU suffered injury to its good administration, the court heard.
Opinion / Columnist

A few months ago, Tendai Biti, PDP President's rural home was attacked in what he claimed was a politically motived move. On Tuesday night, it was Elias Mudzuri, one of the three MDC-T VPs whose home was attacked. A grass thatched shed cum bar, was burnt down."For me, this is nothing less than malice. It cannot be theft. It's targeted destruction," said Mudzuri."It is difficult to discount politics or anything else for that matter.""Hekanhi waro!" (Saves you right!) as one would say in Shona.It is IMPOSSIBLE to feel sorry for anyone of these politicians when they are the victims of the country's political violence because they are the ones who have not only failed to end it when they had many chances to do so but, worse still, they are the ones who are helping to perpetuate the culture. The best chance, by a long mile, to end the Zanu PF dictatorship was during the GNU when all MDC leaders had to do was to implement the democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 Global Political Agreement. They failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. Not one!President Mugabe lauded the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office; ministerial limo, very generous salary and allowances, a former white owned farm and a $4 million mansion for Welshman Ncube and Morgan Tsvangirai respectively, etc. Tsvangirai & co. responded by kicking all the reforms into the tall grass. Not even repeated reminders by SADC leaders to implement the reforms got the MDC to do anything on the matter.MDC leaders had a last-minute chance to redeem themselves and finally get the reforms implemented in June 2013, just a month before the July 2013 elections. All they had to do this time was to refuse participating in the elections until the reforms were implemented."Of course, they (the elections) can (now) be postponed," explained Dr Ibbo Mandaza. "In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed  the SADC summit. I went there."I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws."And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told 'if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done'."But once again, MDC leaders did not pay any heed to the warning, even when they witnessed the blatant vote rigging with their own eyes they still contested the flawed elections regardless as David Coltart, former MDC Senator and Minister of Education, admitted in his book."The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn't now do the obvious  withdraw from the elections," confessed Coltart."The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility."Everybody, including the MDC leaders themselves know that the nation gained absolutely nothing from contesting the July 2013 elections. Instead we have suffered the double blow of having Zanu PF rigging the vote and staying in power for another five year. And, worst of all, we have forfeited yet another chance get the all important reform implemented!If we do not contest next year's elections we will force Zanu PF to accept the implementation of the reforms. It is therefore infuriating that it should be none other than the same sell-out MDC leaders who are doggedly seeking to contest next year's elections the results and consequences are almost certain to be a repeat of the July 2013 elections!Tendai Biti has already said he would be contesting next year's election regardless of the attack at his home. Mudzuri will probably do the same. It is not that these politicians are not scarred of the violence, they are. They are the worst cowards one will ever meet; it is just, like any coward, they provoke but always with an eye on their escape route.Zimbabwe's opposition politicians are renowned for encouraging povo to confront by Zanu PF thugs head on but are rarely ever present to lead by example. Last time Tsvangirai got wind of someone was after him; he made a mad dash for the Netherlands Embassy, not even Usain Bolt would have caught him.There is no doubt that both Biti and Mudzuri would soil their pants if they learnt of a determined attack on them. It is one thing that is guaranteed to force them to finally accept that Zimbabwe's political culture of violence is a very serious and immediate problem to be dealt with here and now. If Biti, Mudzuri and the rest knew it was their own life and limp and not that of povo, whom they consider to be no more that pawns in their high stakes chess game, at stake if they contest the flawed elections they never contest and election ever until all the reforms are implemented.Mugabe needs Tsvangirai and company to contest his flawed elections to give the process credibility as David Coltart rightly pointed out in the quotation above. It would be foolish for the tyrant to eliminate the opposition's big chess pieces so easily and expose their credibility. So Mudzuri knows Mugabe would have told his henchmen to take it easy on the matches, burn the bar and not the house! Just as Mugabe has allowed Tsvangirai to keep $4 million Highlands mansion but the tyrant is even paying the MDC leader's SA hospital bills.The saving grace for Zimbabwe is that the international community especially SADC can see that Tsvangirai and his opposition camp friends have lost all political credibility and the only reason they continue to contest flawed and illegal elections is for the scraps Zanu PF offers them. SADC would particularly want to put an end to this electoral sham because Zimbabwe's worsen economic crisis is threatening the political stability of not just Zimbabwe but the whole Southern Africa region.Only the other day, Zimbabwe's Social Welfare Minister, Priscah Mupfumira, confirmed in a speech read of her behave, that 72% of the people in the country now live in poverty. There is no doubt that another rigged election will trigger a new flood of Zimbabwean economic and political refugees into neighbouring countries, especially SA.There are 3 million or so Zimbabweans in SA at present and the country is fighting a losing battle of xenophobia attacks targeting foreigners accused of taking jobs from the locals. No SA government would want to be seen to be encouraging the political chaos in Zimbabwe to continue by endorsing rigged elections. The pay back for that will be certainty of a new flood of Zimbabwean refugees!SADC leaders KNEW Mugabe rigged the July 2013 elections a month before the voting, hence their warning of MDC leaders not to contest. They allowed Mugabe to get away with it then but not so this time, there is a lot at stake. The possibility of SADC rejecting next year's flawed elections is hanging over Mugabe's head like the sword of Damocles!
Opinion / Letters

The Editor,It has been 37 plus years since Zimbabwe attained its independence yet there is no independence to talk about today. ZANU (PF) has successfully sucked up all the power apparatus; used the same play book to win the shame elections year in year out and yet the opposition always gets excited during the election season.Even after Joice Mujuru, the woman who spend almost 37 years working under the shadows of Robert Mugabe both in Mozambique as a guerrilla fighter and independent Zimbabwe as a minister and Deputy President, confirmed what we already knew that ZANU (PF) rig elections, the opposition is still moving with lightning speed to participate in next year's general elections.The people of Zimbabwe, in the country or in the Diaspora, must immediately come together and form a parallel government. Mujuru clearly told us ZANU (PF) uses rural headmen to steal the elections.Faced with this reality, how folly can it be for the opposition parties to still talk about elections knowing very well that ZANU (PF) will sweep every rural seat available; 70 percent of the vote?Instead of getting excited and playing to ZANU (PF) and opposition galleries, Zimbabweans must form a parallel government immediately. If no one wants to lead the parallel government, I will volunteer myself. As a first step, we will need to set up 25,000 village committees immediately.Once the village committees are in place, we will need to establish an independent judiciary; we will appoint 10 judges to the Supreme Court. We must not worry about ZANU (PF) reactions. Currently all judges are ZANU (PF) appointed and do not represent the cross section of the country. We cannot allow ZANU (PF) as a party to dictate what is good for the country.Then next we will establish an independent media. We cannot continue to read fake news and lies in the ZANU (PF) controlled papers. We need media to be truly independent and help bring light to our day to day dealings with people's lives. Anything that we do as leaders' touches on every aspect of people's lives therefore should be done above board. The media will help us keep in line.We will then establish an independent electoral commission. There is no need to get excited and participate in useless elections. There will be no elections in Zimbabwe until this commission is fully operational.Today we have a partisan central bank that is presiding on a country without its own currency. This is the height of absurdity. The next Zimbabwe parallel government must immediately establish an independent central bank.Our civil service is the worst ever. Almost 99 percent of the civil service are ZANU (PF) and their cronies. It is sad to see even teachers opposed to ZANU (PF) being haunted out of their profession; not that I am a big fan of teachers but nevertheless having our children being taught by ZANU (PF) thugs is painful. The parallel government must establish an efficient civil service from day one.All these efforts will come to naught without a neutral and professional armed and security forces. The next parallel government must immediately engage with foreign governments to get 5 thousand youths trained in different armed and security areas.Sincerely,Sam Wezhira
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?
When Governor Bill Haslam signed The Tennessee Reconnect Act, it eliminated barriers experienced by adults who want to attend college, but are unable to due to financial constraints. This Act establishes a last-dollar scholarship for adults to attend a community college tuition-free.

With this extension of the Drive to 55, which comes at no additional cost to taxpayers, every Tennessean will have the opportunity to enter or re-enter public higher education institutions with no tuition expenses.

Chattanooga State Community College plans to hold three TN Reconnect Information Sessions in the Omniplex building, rooms 124/126 on the Main Campus at 4501 Amnicola Hwy. No reservations are required.

The sessions will be Saturday from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Call Marsha Barker at 697-4753 or email marsha.barker@chattanoogastate.edu with questions.


Oh, the questions God asks! He really is the Master Teacher. Nowhere else can one find such amazing insights into human behavior. Proverbs 29:20 says, Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. NASU It is easy to see the obvious truth in this question and response. Who has not observed others around him speaking without thinking? Who has not done it himself? Who has not felt the painful consequences of such rash speaking? Obviously one who does that is certainly a fool, at least for the moment. James 1:19-21 gives good advice on the subject, everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. NASU Speaking in haste results not in righteousness but rather in anger, bitterness, and hurt. I must plead guilty and I am certain that you must also.

While the interpretation above is correct and lines up with clear Biblical teaching, I think there is something else in view here in this passage. Proverbs is a compilation of short, pithy, statements designed to teach morals. In many cases, any given verse seems unrelated to the one coming before or afterward. However, in this case, it seems that Proverbs 29:20 is related to the verses around it. It seems to me that all of chapter 29 is aimed at warning those in positions of authority about common mistakes made in exercising judgment and administering justice. All throughout chapter 29, verses speak to those in authority.

At least twelve verses, 1, 4, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 24, and 26 give instructions to various authorities. The verses in between those listed, amplify the ideas, explain the problems, and warn of the consequences of poorly exercising authority. Each of them is interesting in its own right but for now we will confine our examination to Gods question in verse 20, while remembering that verse 20 does indeed come in the context of this whole chapter.

The verses immediately surrounding verse 20 tell of the delight and comfort which results from correcting your son. They also point out that the masses of people need help from authority in seeing the overall big picture of life. Otherwise they wind up trying to benefit themselves no matter who gets hurt in the process. These verses also point out the necessity of including a sure promise of punishment along with the commands because the one commanded will likely ignore the command if there are no sure consequences. This passage warns against excessive pampering of servants because at some point they will decide they are really sons. I take that to mean spoiled sons. Also, warnings are given against hot-tempered anger and self-pride which will surely result in strife and being brought low.

Verse 20 is a clear warning about being hasty in our dealings with those whom we supervise. It is impossible to avoid the pitfalls listed in the verses surrounding verse 20, unless we act and speak slowly and only after giving ample time for study of the problem, prayer, and self examination. Do not miss the self-examination part of the process. Exercising authority over others requires constant self-examination.

The whole chapter of Proverbs 29 is a wonderful passage of Scripture which should greatly benefit those in authority, giving them much instruction regarding dealing with those they have been charged with overseeing. Almost everyone exercises authority over someone in some way or another. Applying Proverbs 29 to your life will be well worth the effort. You do want more hope than a fool dont you?
Our weekly round up of other news affecting foreign investors throughout Asia:

IP Protection in the Philippines Automotive Industry

In this article, South-East Asia IPR SME Helpdesk discusses the strategies foreign companies should adopt to enforce their intellectual property rights in the Philippines automotive industry.

New RBI Guidelines on Issuance of Masala Bonds

In a bid to strengthen Indias regulations governing external commercial borrowings, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently came up with new guidelines on the issuance of masala bonds. In this article, we discuss what are masala bonds and the new requirements for its issuance.

Russia Agrees to Significant Silk Road Projects with China

As predicted, a significant array of economic cooperation agreements were signed between Russia and China during President Xi Jinpings recent visit to Moscow.



China Eyes Estonia as Smartest and Nearest Port for EU Access

Chinas OBOR reach to the wealthy markets of the European Union has shown concentration on the small Baltic nation of Estonia as a key player in its infrastructure and logistics initiatives for reaching the EU.

Renewables in Vietnam: Current Opportunities and Future Outlook

With investor-friendly policies and immense potential for its renewable energy sources, investors are taking note of Vietnams focus on renewables. Read more to understand the current scenario, future potential, and what more needs to be done for quicker adoption and development of the sector.



About Us Our Briefing updates are written by and provided by the various regional offices of Dezan Shira & Associates throughout Asia. To obtain a complimentary subscription to Asia Briefing please click here. To contact Dezan Shira & Associates concerning foreign investment and assistance in Asia, please email us at asia@dezshira.com

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017

Doing Business in ASEAN introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment and taxation. We also include the latest development news in our Important Updates section for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each.

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2017

Doing Business in China 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in January 2017, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Hong Kong 2017

Doing Business in China 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in China. Compiled by the professionals at Dezan Shira & Associates in January 2017, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Chinese market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Singapore 2017 provides readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Singapore and outlines the citys role as a trading hub within ASEAN. The guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, and social insurance in the city-state.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country.
With the scope and penalties of Chinas social credit system being further clarified in 2021, legal and regulatory compliance has become more important than...
The first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) saw the world's two largest economies resolve a number of issues in their trade relationship while agreeing to work together to solve outstanding problems.

China and the United States discussed a one-year action plan for economic cooperation during the dialogue, which concluded on Wednesday, and agreed to cooperate in areas such as finance, trade, investment and global economic governance.

The two sides also agreed to address the trade imbalance between the two countries, highlighting the willingness to expand trade cooperation in services, in civilian high-tech sectors and in agriculture.

Given the difference in size between China and the United States in the services industry, it remains possible for both sides to exploit their own comparative advantages and complement each other, a Chinese delegate said Thursday in a statement, noting that "expanding bilateral trade in services can also promote balanced trading relations between the two sides."

"Despite a huge deficit in services trade with the United States, China nevertheless believed that trade in services between China and the United States is mutually beneficial," the statement said.

David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and former official with the U.S. Treasury Department, believed a high-quality U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty would help U.S. export its services to China and build a foundation for a better bilateral trading relationship.

On the CED, the two countries agreed to create a more open investment environment in their respective territories.

There are growing calls from the U.S. and Chinese business communities to sign the investment treaty as soon as possible, Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said Wednesday.

The two countries also pledged to relax export controls and protect intellectual property rights.

"If the United States were to liberalize its export barriers against China to the same level as those applicable to Brazil or France, the U.S. trade deficit with China would narrow by up to 24 percent and 34 percent respectively," Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang quoted an article published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when delivering a speech at a China-U.S. business luncheon on Tuesday in Washington.

On agriculture, the two countries have reached an agreement on inspection and quarantine protocols for U.S. rice exports to China, said the statement.

According to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. rice exports to China can begin following the completion of an audit of U.S. rice facilities by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. It will be the first time for the United States to export rice to China, said the department.

China and the United States exchanged views on issues such as the removal of the ban on Chinese and U.S. poultry products on a reciprocal basis and the export of China's dairy products and aquatic products to the United States.

The CED is one of the four major dialogues established by the two countries in April during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.
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A total of 85 suspects stood trial in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday, in a cross-border telecom fraud case.

More than 70 suspects, including 44 Taiwan residents, were arrested in Kenya and extradited to China in April 2016, according to Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court.

The suspects pleaded guilty to cheating 185 victims on the Chinese mainland out of more than 29 million yuan (4.3 million U.S. dollars), the court said.

Thirty-five suspects were accused of carrying out fraud in Indonesia from June to November 2014 and the other 50 in Kenya from June 2015 to April 2016.

The suspects claimed to work for police, procuratorates or express delivery firms and called Chinese citizens, telling them their personal information had been stolen and they should pay money to protect their assets and prove they had not committed any crimes.

The court will announce the verdicts at a later date.
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Wang Zhidong (1st R), legal advisor to Zhang Yingying's family, speaks to reporters after the arraignment toward Brendt Christensen in Urbana, Illinois, the United States, July 20, 2017. Brendt Christensen, the accused kidnapper of Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, pleaded not guilty to charges against him on Thursday during his arraignment at a federal court in Midwest U.S. state of Illinois. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

Brendt Christensen, the accused kidnapper of Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, pleaded not guilty to charges against him on Thursday during his arraignment at a federal court in Midwest U.S. state of Illinois.

The arraignment in a federal courthouse in Urbana of Illinois lasted no more than five minutes, and Christensen broke his silence, speaking some time during the proceeding.

In a statement, Christensen's attorney Anthony Bruno said: "he's demanded a jury trial and he plans to persist in his plea of not guilty."

Christensen's next pretrial hearing was set for 2:45 p.m. on August 28, and his trial date is set for Sept. 12.

Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), was last seen entering a black Saturn Astra car driven by 28-year-old Brendt Christensen on June 9.

Police arrested Christensen for kidnapping 26-year-old Zhang on June 30, but Zhang's location is still unknown.

The FBI believes Zhang is deceased, based on facts presented in court and court documents and other facts uncovered during the ongoing investigation.

Christensen was indicted on July 12 by a federal grand jury on a criminal charge related to Zhang's abduction. He has been remaining in custody since then.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Beijing Thursday, calling on all parties to address their differences within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

"All sides should continue restraint and conduct face-to-face talks as soon as possible, so as to avoid escalation of the situation, send out a positive signal in addressing the crisis through political and diplomatic means, and reassure the role of the GCC," Wang said.

Calling the GCC "a mature regional organization which has successfully solved many disputes," Wang expressed confidence that the Gulf countries have the capability to manage the current situation and address their differences within the GCC.

Opposing all forms of terrorism is the common consensus of the international community. The Gulf countries can find a way to resolve the crisis through candid talks, on the basis of jointly fighting terrorism, mutual respect, non-interference in each other's domestic affairs, and staying committed to their international obligations, he said.

"China appreciates and supports Kuwait's mediation efforts," Wang said, calling on the international community to help create conditions to resolve the crisis at a regional level.

As a sincere friend of Arab countries, China stands ready to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks if necessary, Wang said.

Al Thani said that Qatar is willing to launch constructive talks with all sides on the basis of respecting sovereignty, non-interference in domestic affairs and complying with international law, so as to gradually establish mutual trust and address differences fundamentally.

The Qatari foreign minister commends China's objective position on the crisis, saying that Qatar stands ready to maintain communication and coordination with China, and hoping that China will continue to play a positive role.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged opinions on bilateral ties and agreed to strengthen pragmatic cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and facilitate people-to-people exchanges.




The City of Chattanoogas Bike Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System invites the public to help celebrate its fifth year of operations in the Scenic City with a celebratory bike ride next Wednesday starting at 5:30 p.m. from the Wheland Foundry Riverpark Trailhead to their 6-7 p.m celebration at the Blue Goose Hollow Riverpark Trailhead."The community is invited to join Bike Chattanooga as we ride from the Bike Chattanooga Wheland Foundary station to the Blue Goose Hollow Trailhead for pizza, refreshments, top rider rewards, and membership discounts.Bike Chattanooga will have a limited number of bikes available at Wheland Foundary for those that want to join the group ride to Blue Goose Hollow. For those that want to skip the group ride, join us from 6-7 p.m. at Blue Goose Hollow to celebrate turning five and our many accomplishments since launch. The first 50 to renew or signup for an annual membership at the July 26 celebration will get $25 off," officials said.Birthday Milestones since July 23, 2012 Launch: 37 Stations 242,000 Trips Taken 1,013,220 Miles Traveled 3,387 Annual Members 103,796 Casual Members 43,568,460 Calories Burned
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The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution to impose sanction measures on two armed groups, two entities and four individuals linked to the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaida.

Two armed groups are the al-Qaida-linked Jund al Aqsa and the IS-linked Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Waleed, both fighting in Syria.

Two money exchange businesses based in Syria -- Hanifa Money Exchange Office and Selselat al Thabab -- are believed to have financial relations with the terrorist groups and were put on the sanction list.

Muhammad Bahrum Naim Anggih Tamtomo, Ornaa Rochman, Murad Irakfievich Margoshvili and Malik Ruslanovich Barkhanoev were added to the list because of their participation in terrorist attacks associated with IS and al-Qaida.

The sanction measures include asset freeze, a global travel ban and an arms embargo which prevents direct or indirect supply of arms or related materials to the individuals and entities, according to the resolution.

"Terrorism is the enemy of all mankind," said Liu Jieyi, China's ambassador to the UN and Security Council president for July. "Anti-terrorism operations must adhere to a uniform standard, give a full play to the leading role of the United Nations and the Security Council, and strengthen effective coordination among all parties."

"China supports the international community in taking comprehensive and effective measures to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation on combating the use of Internet by terrorists to spread, incite, and organize terrorist attacks as well as the challenges of terrorist financing and foreign terrorists," he added.
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A Japanese man in his 30s was arrested Friday on suspicion of abandoning the bodies of two Chinese nationals close to Tokyo, local police said.

Two bodies were found stuffed inside suitcases abandoned in a mountainous forest near Tokyo on July 13. The bodies were later confirmed to be those of a pair of Chinese sisters living in Yokohama who went missing earlier in the month.

Police has suspected the involvement of a man in his 30s based on footage obtained from surveillance cameras near the condominium where the two women lived.

The Chinese embassy here has launched an emergency mechanism and met with Japanese police, requesting a full scale search since the women were reported missing.

The embassy said it will continue to closely follow the development of the case and provide assistance for the relatives.
The Tennessee Valley Authority has released the final Environmental Impact Statement for reservoir land management plans for eight TVA reservoirs in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee: Chickamauga, Fort Loudoun, Great Falls, Kentucky, Nickajack, Normandy, Wheeler, and Wilson.



"The plans are an important part of how TVA manages its public lands, and will help ensure a long-term, balanced approach to the overall process. During this review, TVA considered alternative plans for management of over 138,000 acres of lands surrounding the eight reservoirs. The RLMPs contain detailed descriptions of the environment around each reservoir and descriptions of each parcel of land addressed in the plans, as well as the parcels land use," officials said.



The environmental review was initiated in February 2016. In December 2016, TVA published a draft EIS and gathered input from stakeholders during a public review period and at numerous public meetings. TVA considered these comments when completing the final EIS and RLMPs. Responses to the comments are included in the final EIS.



The TVA board of directors is expected to consider the approval of the RLMPs at their Aug. 23 meeting in Knoxville. For more information about the lands planning process or to view the final EIS and RLMPs, visit www.tva.gov/Environment/Environmental-Stewardship/Land-Management/Updates-to-8-Reservoir-Land-Management-Plans-and-the-Comprehensive-Valleywide-Land-Plan.


A sign on the campus of Renmin University of China forbidding the

on-campus practice of religion (Photo: ChinaAid)

ChinaAid

(HenanJuly 14, 2017) Under a set of new regulations taking effect this month, international students planning to attend universities in Chinas central Henan province will be subjected to the censorship of their religious beliefs.

According to an article in the South China Morning Post, Henan provinces departments of education, public security, and foreign affairs announced a new set of regulations aimed at monitoring the religious beliefs of international students on June 5, which go into effect this month. The Chinese government says these new rules regulate schools admission, the cultivation and management of international students and for the convenience of international students studying in schools in China, but the regulations will ban students from practicing their religious beliefs on campus and require them to take courses in political theory as well as Chinese law, culture, and customs. This will effectively prohibit them from holding religious gatherings or preaching on school property, according to the aforementioned article.

The South China Morning Post also said the new regulations stipulate that foreign students attending institutes of higher education be assigned an instructor, echoing the political instructors given to Chinese students. It is unclear whether or not their roles will be similar.

This notice from the Henan Provincial Three-

Self Patriotic Church and the Henan

Provincial China Christian Council forbids

churches from organizing youth camps over

the summer. (Photo: ChinaAid)

In addition, the Henan Provincial Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the Henan Provincial China Christian Councillocal branches of Chinas two state-run Christian organizationspublished a document yesterday, stating, The temperature is very high during the summer. To conform to the countrys related legal policies on youth health, no summer camps that involve youth and students shall be organized by any church. Please stick to this notice if it differs from previous notices.

Disallowing students practice of religious beliefs on campus and the insistence on indoctrinating them with Chinese ideology, as well as the policing of their summer religious activities, is a severe violation of Article 36 of the Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China, which states, No State organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. China should respect the individual beliefs of both citizens and foreigners and apply this guarantee equally to both.

ChinaAid exposes abuses, such as the clamping down on the religious activities of students, in order to stand in solidarity with the persecuted and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here
Electricity generated by clean energy resources in China is expected to gradually increase over the next few years, powered by innovative government policies and measures, according to industry experts.

"China has launched a series of programs for the development of clean energy, effectively alleviating the demand for thermal coal," said Feng Haicheng, an analyst at Sublime China Information Group.

The country's top economic regulator will accelerate the reform of the national electrical power system, together with related government departments, and develop a priority plan for clean energy power generation, National Development and Reform Commission spokesman Yan Pengcheng said on Tuesday.

At the end of last year, the National Energy Administration issued a number of plans on the future development of wind power, solar power and renewable energy.

The plans covered practical methods for clean energy development, Feng said.

"For example, wind power-generated electricity should be transferred to Central and East China, and South China," she said.

By the end of 2016, the installed power capacity of renewable energy resources was 570 million kilowatts, accounting for 35 percent of the total power generating capacity, statistics showed.

In recent years, China's wind power and photovoltaic power production has grown rapidly, although some problems exist, such as high costs, less developed infrastructure and local protectionism.

"To solve the high cost of wind power and hydropower generation, at the start of the year China launched green power certificates, designed to encourage all the society to be more involved in green electricity consumption," Feng said.

The certificates form a voluntary subscription system for electricity generated from renewable energy. Companies and individuals with social responsibility and the environmentally conscious can buy the certificate to promote the use of clean energy.

"After one or two years of tests, the system is expected to replace the State's subsidies policy," she said.

Yan from the NDRC also said on Tuesday that the commission would expand the scale of clean energy trans-provincial trade, helping overcome regional protectionism.

"A large amount of the electricity generated by wind and solar energy resources comes from western China, but it is the provinces in Central and East China which lack electricity," Feng said.

As a result, construction of infrastructure such as high-voltage cables and the trans-province trade had become especially important for the development of clean energy, she added.

"The total amount of electricity generated from clean energy sources like wind, solar and water energy in the first half of the year increased 5.15 percent year-on-year, the equivalent to a 22 million metric ton reduction in thermal coal consumption," Yan told a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Clean energy accounted for 27.2 percent of China's total power output in the first half, up 1.8 percentage points year-on-year, he said.

Electricity generated in the first half by wind power increased 25.7 percent year-on-year, solar power jumped 80.3 percent, and nuclear power grew 20.8 percent, while hydropower production declined, he said.

China consumed 979 million tons of coal for power generation in the first half of this year, according to data from Sublime China Information Group.

The NDRC spokesman said he expected a further rise in clean power output in the coming months, with the country's braced for its seasonal peak electricity consumption period.

Although hydropower output had seen negative growth in the first five months, Yan estimated that it would be near record high levels in July, with the onset of the summer rainy season.
Pekka Vauramo, chief executive officer of Finnair Oyj. [Photo/Agencies]

Pekka Vauramo has always tried to bring a touch of Nordic culture to his Chinese customers.

The chief executive officer of Finnair Oyj is keen to uphold a 30-year-old tradition, which dates back to 1988, when Finland's national carrier became the first airline to fly directly from Europe to China.

"We want to bring something Nordic that is acceptable to our Chinese customers," Vauramo, 60, said. "Then, of course, there are many other things that have contributed to our growth today."

Celebrated chef Steven Liu has played a major role by creating the menu for business class passengers. The famed judge on MasterChef China uses typical Finnish ingredients cooked in a Chinese style.

"People, of course, like the stories of Finland, Santa Claus and Northern lights," Vauramo said. "Naturally, Finnair is associated with Finland."

But behind the historical veneer, Vauramo is a pragmatic operator, who completed a major cost-saving and restructuring program two years ago.

Now, the airline is looking healthy with revenue in the first quarter jumping by 3.3 percent to 554 million euros ($638 million) compared to the same period in 2016.

"China and the Republic of Korea were the biggest contributors," Finnair reported in its first quarter results. "The number of passengers (also) grew by 4.1 percent with fuller planes."

The European carrier employs more than 5,000 staff and flies to over 100 global destinations. But Vauramo stressed that China is the country that offers "significant growth potential".

In an in-depth interview with China Daily, he talked about his love for the company, the rise in Chinese tourism and his green car.

Finnair was the first European airline to launch direct flights between Xi'an and Helsinki, and Chongqing and Helsinki in the past few years. How are those routes performing?

They are certainly doing very well. If you are a pioneer, it will be difficult when you first start. It takes time before the flights develop and mature.

When we went to cities such as Xi'an and Chongqing, we started from zero, but we have built reputations there. We started selling, marketing and creating a business relationship with travel agencies and visa outlets. It takes time, but we had the passion and commitment to do that.

Will the Chinese passenger market to Northern Europe continue to grow?

Even now it is growing at a higher rate. During the first quarter of this year, the number of Chinese tourists who went to Finland jumped by 75 percent year-on-year.

In 2016, the growth rate was 30 percent to 40 percent, so it is expanding nicely.

What are the reasons behind this high growth?

Chinese people have started to travel the world. At first, it was to destinations such as Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Now, they are looking for other places where they can go and Northern Europe has become a hot destination. They want to find something new.

Besides Helsinki, we have connected flights to more than 100 cities in Europe, so you can do both. If you want to go to Paris during the same trip, the flights are relatively short.

Do you plan to launch more flights between cities in China and Finland?

Yes, of course. We are looking at other cities in China, including some smaller ones, while we also want to grow our routes to Beijing and Shanghai because the demand is there.

In Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, we have daily flights, and we are going to increase the frequencies during the summer season.

Are there concerns about overcapacity?

Look at the global market, there is overcapacity. But as long as we can retain growth on routes that are relevant to us, I am not that concerned about it.

Even though we have increased traffic numbers between Europe and China, we are a very small airline globally.

Do you see more passengers flying from China to Helsinki in the summer compared to the winter?

That really depends. We do have higher numbers flying with us in the summer, but the growth figures are bigger in the winter. We also see more individuals and families traveling with Finnair instead of groups.

From June, passengers were able to use Alipay and Wi-Fi on all Chinese routes. It makes purchasing and shopping easier on aircraft. As well as that, Chinese passengers can now use Alipay at Helsinki airport through their smart phones.

Are flights with Alipay popular?

Yes, the numbers back that up. Sales are higher on those flights, increasing by 100 percent to 200 percent.

Why do you like working at an airline company?

Four years ago, I was asked whether I would join Finnair. I traveled a lot with the airline in my previous job. But Finnair represented something close to me . . . it used to take me home.

That alone made it an easy decision to join the company.

Many people get inspired and are passionate about the aviation industry. And, of course, I have found the journey exciting during the past four years.

I am pleased with the way things have developed. We have moved on, and we are growing rapidly. Finnair is doing this right now.

What are the highlights of your career at the airline?

When I started, we spent a long time restructuring, cutting costs, outsourcing and laying off people. But I knew we had to do something else.

Two years ago, we were the first European airline to use the new A350 aircraft. It was a great moment when it came into service. But we needed to do something more as well because new aircraft will not solve all the problems.

So, we decided to expand certain services. We are still doing this right now by adding extra cabin crew to our flights. They, in turn, will have more time to serve passengers.

We have also made it easier for passengers to buy goods on board with Alipay. All in all, we have improved profitability since 2015.

Has the A350 helped fuel growth for Finnair?

Of course it has. Firstly, it is slightly bigger than our previous aircraft. It is also a bit faster than other jets in our fleet and is more competitive.

It means we can take more passengers with 20 percent less fuel. It is very quiet and more comfortable for customers. They like the aircraft . . . it has also attracted a great deal of interest.

By the end of the year, Finnair will have 11 A350s in its fleet.

Does Finnair have any business plans related to the Belt and Road Initiative?

When you look at what the airline is doing, it is really building connections between Asia and Europe. We also realize that China is the biggest growth market we cover.

So, we are providing flights to exciting destinations for passengers in Europe and in China. We were the first to start flying from Xi'an to Europe, and we want to continue to contribute.

It is all about an exchange of ideas, culture and knowledge.

What are the challenges facing Finnair in China?

Like any business today, there is tremendous competition. Customers can easily compare prices as they have more options on the internet. This brings challenges to the financial side of our company.

But we have gone through a round of cost cutting, and the airline is leaner. Still, we are not the only carrier flying to China, although we do have a very good relationship with our customers.

Hopefully, we will maintain and expand our market share.

Do you have a green lifestyle?

Tough question. I do drive a hybrid car that I can charge by plugging it into the mains. I also prefer organic food.
He Hongzhi, owner of a luxury car-washing shop, washes a car in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on June 10, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Premier Li Keqiang vowed on Thursday to take measures to further open up China's market, including the service industry, while welcoming foreign investment to the country.

That will give Chinese consumers more alternatives, Li said when meeting with former New Zealand prime minister John Key in Beijing.

"You and I have been old friends since your term as the prime minister. You have made contributions to advance New Zealand's relations with China, and I hope you will continue your important role in advancing China-New Zealand relations," the premier said.

China will further efforts in building a fair business environment in which domestic and foreign companies are treated equally, continuing to make China the most attractive destination for investments, Li said.

Li said China's economic growth exceeded expectations during the first half of this year, with the economic structure having been prioritized and with greater contributions by the service industry and consumption. "Opening up to the outside world has been our fundamental policy, and China's door will be opened even wider," he said.

The premier added that China would like to work with New Zealand in developing their ties and cooperation, and contribute to the stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

Key said Li's visit to his country in March saw new progress in developing those areas. New Zealand and China are good friends and partners, and New Zealand positively regards the prospect of China's development while being committed to strengthening the partnership and cooperation, he said.

Key made a six-day visit to Beijing as prime minister in April 2016. Li, during his visit to New Zealand in March, met for talks with new Prime Minister Bill English.

The two countries opened negotiations in April on upgrading their free trade agreement. The second round of negotiations was held in Beijing this month, focusing on customs procedures, trade facilitation, e-commerce and agricultural cooperation.

In New Zealand, former officials have a strong influence, and Thursday's meeting can be seen as a step forward in bilateral ties, especially with additional negotiations, said Chen Fengying, a senior researcher on the world economy at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

In 2008, New Zealand became the first developed economy to sign a free-trade agreement with China, focusing on commodity trading and not including trade in services, Chen said.

"High-level interactions between the two countries have set an example for China's exchanges with developed economies," she said.
To ensure a prosperous future, Macao, Hong Kong and the cities of Guangdong province must coordinate their efforts in building a top-notch bay area, a former vice-minister of commerce told China Daily.

The Greater Bay Area, compared to other free-trade zones, has been opening to the world for a long time, said Wei Jianguo, vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

He suggested that to turn it into a top-grade bay area, the cluster should aim to deepen the opening-up strategy, attract more foreign investment and become a rule-maker in world trade.

He said the cities in the bay area cluster, such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou and Foshan, have the potential to be the world's innovation hub as the city clusters have the country's largest population, talent pool and technology research centers.

The former vice-minister of commerce cited successful examples in the United States, Israel and Japan to show that bay areas always play crucial roles in regional economies. He also noted that the Greater Bay Area can also have profound potential in the region's development, and in deepening China's opening-up strategy.

"The GDP of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Big Bay Area city cluster has topped $1.36 trillion, outrunning the San Francisco Bay area," Wei said.

Cai Guanshen, chairman of Hong Kong-based Sunwah Group, added that by 2025, "the total GDP of the Greater Bay Area is expected to outrank the Tokyo Bay Area", topping $2.5 trillion, and will be double that number in 20 years.

The Framework Agreement on Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area was signed earlier this month, addressing key cooperation areas including infrastructure, market integration, fueling innovation and improving the quality of life.

To achieve further prosperity in the region, he said bay area leaders should enhance the existing cooperation with the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) and make bigger use of the leading positions of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao.

"The bay area also develops faster than others, and we need to learn from the established bay areas from (around) the world," Wei said. "The PPRD can provide solid support for the big bay area strategy with its abundant labor, talent pool, market and materials. While the PPRD can transfer its industries, technology and skilled workers into the bay area, Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao can act as leaders to lift the economy in the PPRD up with its advantages."

Wei said cities with vigor and vitality such as Shenzhen and Dongguan can further drive demand while Guangzhou and Hong Kong can push the service industry forward. He suggested the area can host more international art festivals, promote its tourism and fashion industries, turning the area into a world-class city cluster of high-end design.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Big Bay Area is also a window to the Chinese culture, showcasing the country's soft power, as it combines unique folk culture of Hakka-speaking people, the Chaozhou-Shantou region, known for overseas Chinese, Hong Kong and Macao.

However, Wei pointed out, there are still hurdles to overcome in the process of building a top-notch big bay area.

During past attempts to cooperate with the PPRD, he said, the cities only minded their own business instead of aiming for a common goal, sometimes refusing to push the industrial transfer to lower-grade cities.

"We need to innovate in the economic system that can work in Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong, where two types of economic systems are applied," Wei said. "And we also need to make use of each other's advantages."

Hong Kong, as an important post of the bay area, should play a bigger role in the world's economy rather than just as a bridge between China and the rest of the world, since China has already become the world's second-largest economy.

"Hong Kong has been crucial for the mainland's economic growth and its opening-up to the world," he said. "The past 20 years has seen booming prosperity in both the mainland and Hong Kong, especially after the implementation of CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Agreement) in 2004. "Trade between the two has increased more than six-fold since 1996, leapfrogging from $40.7 billion annually to $305 billion in 2016," he said.

Contact the writers at renxiaojin@chinadaily.com.cn
Renewable energy is gradually reducing the heavy dependence on traditional power supply in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region as 30 percent of the total power grid is now being generated from solar and wind energy.

The cut in coal-fired energy is a significant progress for the region, experts say.

Elion Resources Group and Beijing Energy Company are pouring billions into the sector, making green power hit new heights in the northern Chinese region.

In 2013 the Chinese government imposed a ban on the construction of new coal plants in three industrial regions, and in 2014 it set a national objective of reducing the use of coal in 12 provinces and regions before the end of 2017.

Without hydro power supply, the autonomous region relied only on coal power until the emergence and success of its renewable energy projects. In 2016, the total output of coal power production amounted to 845.5 million metric tons.

The local government said 30 percent renewable energy now compliments the total energy grid with wind power accounting for 25.56 million kilowatts installed capacity from a total output of 46.4 million kilowatts. This is 17 percent of the total wind power capacity of the entire country.

A wind power farm located in Khuitenxil, 135 km from Hohhot, contributes 260 megawatts to the region's power grid.

The project by Beijing Energy Co was launched last November, and has 144 giant wind fans covering more than 50 square kilometers.

The technicality of its power generation system is monitor on sight, converted into 3.5 kilowatts and then to 220 kilovolts before supply to end users, an engineer working for Beijing Energy Co told a group of African journalists during a recent tour of the facility.

Meanwhile, the region's installed photovoltaic power capacity has also reached 6.36 million kilohertz from an output capacity of 8.3 billion kilohertz.

By the end of 2016, Elion Resources Group said, it had invested about $146.9 million in the project with 650,000 solar panels covering 9,000 hectares in the Khubchi Desert.

The solar energy project by the private Chinese firm, also heavily investing in ecological restoration in Khubchi Desert, has the potential to generate 1,000 megawatts of solar energy, but for now 310 megawatts is being generated with 350,000 kilowatts produced per hour.

"This is part of our poverty alleviation project here because we sub lease the land from the owners for this solar panel field and also create 1,000 new jobs for themhouseholds are contracted to clean under these solar panels," said Zhao Yong, vice-president of Elion Resources.

"We are looking to install more solar panels across more land space to supply more power to the national power grid but this will be based on the government's approval," Zhao said.

It took Inner Mongolia almost 10 years to acquire this amount of renewable energy, and experts working in the sector said a complete transition to green energy must be done meticulously.

The shift to cleaner energy in Inner Mongolia is part of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). The momentum now epitomizes the impact of cleaner energy on reducing the capacity of coal power plants at 1,100 GW by the end of 2020.

Ten major environmental targets have been set in the strategy, including energy consumption per unit of GDP and emission levels of Co2 per unit of GDP.

The country's coal energy consumption also dropped by 4.7 percent by the end of 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, while the central government pledged to further reduce it by 50 million kilowatts and shift to more renewable and clean energy.

Alpha Daffae Senkpeni is a journalist with FrontPage Africa, based in Liberia, who is visiting China Daily as part of a 10-month China-Africa Press Centre fellowship.
WASHINGTON  Both China and the United States recognized that steel overcapacity is a global issue that requires a global solution, a senior Chinese official said here Wednesday.

At a press briefing after the conclusion of the first China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Chinese Vice Minister of Finance Zhu Guangyao said the two sides discussed the issue of steel overcapacity during the one-day high-level economic dialogue.

China shared the same view with the United States that steel overcapacity is a global issue, which requires a global collective response, Zhu said, adding China also emphasized that the excess steel capacity was a result of sluggish global economic recovery.

Meanwhile, the Chinese delegation told the US side that China had actively taken measures to cut steel overcapacity, Zhu said, citing China's plans to reduce steel capacity by 100 million to 150 million metric tons from 2016 to 2020.

As the world's two largest economies and co-chairs of the global forum on steel excess capacity, China and the United States have maintained policy dialogue and communication regarding the steel glut, Zhu said, noting G20 leaders agreed to establish the forum at last year's Hangzhou summit.

At the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany earlier this month, G20 leaders called on the forum to fulfill their commitments on enhancing information sharing and cooperation by August, and to rapidly develop concrete policy solutions that reduce steel excess capacity, the official said.

The G20's new commitment to address global steel overcapacity comes as the Trump administration is about to release a report on the national security implications of steel imports in the coming weeks.

In defense of the US steel industry, the Trump administration in April invoked a decades-old, rarely used trade tool, known as a Section 232 investigation under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, to look into all foreign steel imports.

If the investigation concludes that steel imports would undermine US national security, the trade law would allow the U.S. government to impose tariffs, quotas, or other measures to restrict the imports.

Many trade experts and economists have warned that it would hurt millions of US consumers and thousands of US manufacturers if the Trump administration imposes new restrictions on steel imports.
WASHINGTON  China and the United States have reached certain consensus on agricultural cooperation during the first China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) concluded on Wednesday.

Both countries have reached an agreement on inspection and quarantine protocols for US rice exports to China, said a statement released by a Chinese delegate to the dialogue on Thursday.

According to an announcement by the US Department of Agriculture, US rice export to China can begin following the completion of an audit of US rice facilities by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

It will be the first time for the United States to export rice to China, said the US Department of Agriculture.

During the economic talks, China and the Unite States exchanged views on agriculture policies and trade, such as the removal of the ban on Chinese and the Unite States poultry products on a reciprocal basis, value-added tax on imported dried distiller grains, the approval of agricultural biotechnology products, export of China's dairy products and aquatic products to the United States.

In a breakout session during the talks, both sides had a thorough discussion about steel, aluminum and high-tech trade.

Both sides agreed to seek active and effective measures to jointly address excess steel capacity, a global issue requiring a collective response by the international community.

In terms of high-tech trade, China urged the United States to relax its export control of high-tech products, in order to balance and expand bilateral trade.

The CED is one of the four major dialogue mechanisms established by the two countries in April.
Eve Williams has just signed the lease for Mojo Burritos newest location to open in Ooltewahs Cambridge Square. This will be Mojos fourth restaurant in addition to its existing locations in Red Bank, St. Elmo and East Brainerd.

Mojo Burrito is vegetarian based, vegan friendly and farm fresh local favorite that just celebrated fifteen years in business. It continues to be a local favorite with quite a following. The funky decor and fresh food never disappoint.

With plans to open this year, the new space is approximately 2,500 square feet and is located near Heaven and Ale within the square. This will make the space a little bigger than the Red Bank location and include outdoor seating.

Mojo also plans to hire twenty to 25 new employees, and will begin taking applications soon.






BISHKEK  A delegation of China's Silk Road Fund was here Thursday for a meeting to discuss establishing a cooperation fund between Kyrgyzstan and China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Kyrgyzstan's first Vice Prime Minister Muhametkaly Abulgaziev stressed at the meeting the need to create a financial instrument of cooperation for both sides.

Kyrgyzstan's location in Central Asia is key to implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

The initiative China proposed in 2013 aims to build infrastructure and trade networks connecting Asia, Africa and Europe along ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.

"Kyrgyzstan participates in the integration of the initiative to create the Silk Road Economic Belt with the development strategy of Kyrgyzstan and the Eurasian Economic Union," Abulgaziev said.

"China is a leading investment partner, which has been making various investments for many years," he said, adding that his country and China have seen active cooperation in sectors including the service industry, mining and agriculture.

At the meeting, the Chinese side said it is ready to make efforts to develop a model of mutual benefit for establishing the Kyrgyzstan-China cooperation fund, while stressing the fund should be set up on the basis of commercial principles.
BEIJING  Chinese tobacco authorities seized 195,000 cartons of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes in the first half of this year, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration said Thursday.

Tobacco authorities at all levels worked closely with the police and customs authorities to intensify the crackdown on smuggling gangs.

A total of 2,817 counterfeit cigarette cases, each worth 50,000 yuan ($7,353) or more, were solved from January to June.

Law enforcement agencies captured 3,786 suspects for producing and selling counterfeit cigarettes and prosecuted 1,601 of them.

China is the world's largest cigarette producer and consumer market, with over 316 million adult smokers. The cigarette trade is governed by a state monopoly.

According to Chinese law, people who sell counterfeit products worth more than 50,000 yuan will face punishment, while severe offenders may be sentenced to life in prison.
MADRID  China is purchasing record amounts of olive oil and helping to stimulate global production, said a leading olive industry organization on Thursday.

Chinese purchases of olive oil rose by 17 percent during the first seven months of the 2016-2017 crop year, according to the Madrid-based World Olive Oil Exhibition (WOOE).

This increase came on the back of a successful 2015-2016 crop year which saw China import over 40,000 metric tons of olive oil.

Spain was the main beneficiary of this increase with 32,100 tons of olive oil exported to China, accounting for 80 percent of China's total imports.

The figure was also three times more than Italy, which exported 13 percent of the total.

Greek olive oil made up of 2 percent of Chinese imports, most of which were of high quality "virgin" or "extra-virgin" olive oil.

"The Chinese climate in general is not Mediterranean as it contains cold, dry winters and wet summers, the land is not especially apt to cultivate olive trees," WOOE said.

However, it said that in China's higher areas such as Sichuan, some olive varieties can be cultivated, the organization suggested.

According to WOOE, China produced around 5,000 tons of olive oil in 2016, and expects to produce about 6,000 tons this year.
BEIJING  Worries about China's local government debt risks are excessive as the country has a resolution as well as the capability to keep the debt level under control, experts said.

China still enjoys dynamic economic growth and has recently strengthened management of local government debt, which is mainly invested in productive assets, said Wang Dehua, researcher at the National Academy of Economic Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

When compared with major economies such as Germany and Japan, China's local debt balance to GDP ratio was lower in 2015, even when taking into account the contingent debts which are likely to be converted into government liabilities, Wang said, citing data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

"The data has fully demonstrated that the allegation of high risk in China's government debt is wholly groundless," Wang said.

China's local government debt soared during an investment and construction binge following the global financial crisis in 2008. Well aware of the risks, authorities have rolled out a string of measures to reduce the local debt burden.

According to data from the Ministry of Finance (MOF), by the end of 2016, the local government debt balance totaled 15.32 trillion yuan (about $2.3 trillion) while the central government debt balance reached 12.01 trillion yuan. The total government debt accounted for about 36.7 percent of the country's GDP, well below the warning level by international standards.

While the 15.32-trillion-yuan balance was lower than a 17.2-trillion-yuan cap set by central budget for 2016, it was still a 41-percent rise from the local government debt balance in 2013, as disclosed in an overall audit by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The jump in debt balance was relatively substantial, but that does not necessarily signal faster expansion in debt levels, Wang said.

Rather, it is partly a result of the debt-for-bond swap program, which has encouraged local governments to fully expose their debt risks, he said.

The program allows local governments to exchange higher-cost loans with lower-cost bonds, saving them interest costs while also giving lenders higher liquidity on their receivables.

According to data from the MOF, by the end of 2016, China had swapped 8.1 trillion yuan of debt under the program. In 2016 alone, the program saved local governments 400 billion yuan in interest by initial estimates.

While exposure of hidden debt could reduce risks, the fact that local governments do not have monetary sovereignty makes it harder for them to contain risks compared to the central government, making rigid budget constraints a necessity, said Zhao Quanhou, director of the financial research center at the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences under the MOF.

China has put a ceiling on the amount of local government debt and tied the quota that each local government can receive with their financial strength, current debt risks, and management efficiencies.

Authorities are also ramping up efforts to correct irregularities in local debt issues such as financing through fake public-private partnerships and illegal borrowing through local government financing vehicles.

New items may be gradually added into the "negative list" of local government financing, said Qiao Baoyun, director of the Chinese government debt research center under the Central University of Finance and Economics.

According to Qiao, authorities have focused on the development of revenue bond products, such as bonds on land reserves and toll roads, a practice that will increase transparency of local government bonds and protect the legitimate interests of investors.

"The 'front door' is open for local government debt, while borrowing in violation of laws and rules through the 'back door' is being prohibited and punished," Qiao said.

Latest checks by the NAO have found that debt balances that local governments have committed to repay with public funds in selected provinces, cities and counties have climbed 87 percent compared to the level in mid-2013, but the overall risk is controllable.

"There is an old Chinese saying 'caution is the parent of safety.' Although initial local debt monitoring and prevention mechanisms have been established and the relatively rapid local debt growth in some regions is fully controllable, it is necessary to continue to pay attention to these problems," said Jiang Jianghua, head of the audit research institute under the NAO.

According to Zhao, to reduce the local debt burden, authorities should also break the confines of the current "jurisdiction-based responsibility" system, in which all the duty related to investment within the jurisdiction is the responsibility of its government.

"This will cause local governments to take on too much responsibility compared to their financial resources," said Zhao.

While how the duties should be divided can be analyzed on a case-by-case basis, investment and construction responsibilities of some projects designed to provide nationwide or international public services should be moved up, lowering the burden of local governments, Zhao said.

"The challenges to local government debt management in China are like growing pains. China has clear reform goals. It is believed that China can continue to identify, understand and solve problems in practice," said Qiao.
BEIJING  At the first round of their Comprehensive Economic Dialogue in Washington, China and the United States have vowed to work hard together to tackle their trade imbalance.

The trade gap has been a long-standing thorny issue troubling the world's most important bilateral relationship. A convenient theory among some Western economists and politicians is that China is to blame for its huge trade surplus with the United States, which stood at $347 billion last year. But the issue is complicated and the blame game will not help.

For decades Washington has set numerous bans on Chinese imports of high-tech products from the United States on the grounds of "national security" concerns.

If the United States were to liberalize its export barriers against China to the same level as those applicable to Brazil or France, the US trade deficit with China would narrow by up to 24 percent and 34 percent respectively, according to the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Globalization and the international division of labor is another key reason for the trade gap.

China has now become the final assembly plant for most of the goods manufactured in other East Asian economies and shipped to the United States. That means China is taking the blame simply because it is the last stop of the production line.

In services trade with China, the United States gained a surplus of $37.4 billion in its favor last year, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

Given the importance of trade between the world's two largest economies and top traders, the two sides should work to resolve the issue via negotiations instead of the threat of penalties.

China-US trade and economic cooperation have brought tangible benefits to both countries and been a major contributor to global growth for a long time. That is the most compelling reason that earnest efforts should be made to keep the China-US economic relationship on the right track.

Since the historic meeting between the top leaders of the two countries in Florida, economy officials of the two countries have maintained close communication and thanks to painstaking efforts of both sides, the 100-Day Plan launched at the Florida meeting has delivered major outcomes, including the resumption of US beef exports to China.

It is hoped that decision-makers in Washington keep in mind the significance of China-US economic ties and the fact that solving disputes via dialogue does pay off in the long run.
Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Sunac China Holdings Ltd Sun Hongbin and Chairman of R&F Properties Li Silian attend a strategic cooperation signing ceremony in Beijing, July 19, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Chinese commercial property conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group signed a deal with Sunac China and Guangzhou R&F Properties in Beijing Wednesday.

In a joint announcement, Wanda said it would sell 77 hotels in China to Guangzhou R&F Properties for 19.9 billion yuan ($2.95 billion), and a total of 91 percent equity in 13 tourism projects to Sunac China for 43.84 billion yuan.

Under the original deal announced last week, Wanda would sell to Sunac 76 hotels for 33.6 billion yuan and the stake in the tourism projects for 29.58 billion yuan.

After the deal, the debt of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties, the property unit of Wanda Group, would drop to 200 billion yuan from 400 billion last year, and its cash would increase to 170 billion yuan from 100 billion yuan, Wanda Chairman Wang Jianlin said.

Wanda Commercial said previously it planned to issue up to 12 billion yuan ($1.93 billion) worth of A-shares to fund five plaza projects in China, and submitted the prospectus in Nov, 2015.

However, the IPO underwrited by Galaxy Securities and China International Capital Corporation is still to launch.

After Wanda sell these assets, even though it is not belong to a major asset reorganization, its old prospectus also need an update, an anonymous insider of investment banking told 21st Century Business Herald on Thursday.

"Whether it needs to line up again for IPO approval or not depends on the stock regulator."

According to the latest IPO queue information released by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Wanda Commercial ranked No 68, compared with No 65 a week ago.

In fact, the reason why Wanda Commercial's IPO has little progress is also related to the IPO policy of real estate enterprises, the newspaper said.

Regulators have strictly control financing of real estate enterprises, including IPO and bond issuing, the insider said. Since 2010, only two real estate companies - China Merchants Shekou Holdings and Future Land Holdings Group - successfully listed in the A-share market in Dec, 2015.

Media previously reported that the deal may mark a step closer for Wanda Commercial to relist on the mainland and cash in on higher valuations on domestic markets after it delisted in Hong Kong last year.

However, 21st Century Business Herald said it may be difficult for Wanda Commercial to give up its "real estate" tag.

Even after some hotels and tourism projects are sold, Wanda Commercial still owns many Wanda Plaza in China. In its prospectus, the company said it is world's second-largest commercial property owners and domestic largest shopping center and luxury hotel owner.

Also, Wanda Commercial is identified as a real estate enterprise, according to the latest IPO lineup information.
WASHINGTON  China and the United States agreed to step up trade cooperation in civilian high-tech sectors at a key economic and trade talks concluded on Wednesday.

The two countries pledged to relax export controls under the precondition of guaranteeing the civilian nature of related goods and implementing the protection of intellectual property rights so as to expand and balance two-way trade, according to the Chinese delegation attending the first China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED).

The CED is one of the four major dialogue mechanisms established by the two countries in April during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

Washington has for decades set numerous bans on the export of high-tech products to China citing "national security" concerns.

"If the United States were to liberalize its export barriers against China to the same level as those applicable to Brazil or France, the US trade deficit with China would narrow by up to 24 percent and 34 percent respectively," Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang quoted an article published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when delivering a speech at a China-US business luncheon on Tuesday in Washington.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at his opening remarks at the CED that the two countries need to work together to maximize the benefits for both sides and develop a fair and balanced economic relationship between the two countries.
Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group gives lectures to young entrepreneurs in Nailab. [Photo by Liu Hongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

Thrilled by the opportunities, internet speed and the passion of Kenyan youths, Alibaba Group boss Jack Ma says his company wants to partner with local enterprises to enhance e-commerce in Kenya.

"When I arrived in Kenya, my perception about Africa changed immediately," Ma said. "The world is full of worries, but in Africa, I have seen passion and expectation. People are ready for change. This is exactly what I saw in China 30 years ago."

Ma said Kenya has the advantage of high-speed internet beyond his expectations. Additionally, he says many young entrepreneurs that he met had great ideas, passion and belief in the future - the key ingredients for economy growth.

The 53-year-old Chinese tycoon made the comments during a one-day tour of Nairobi on July 20. He met both established and upcoming business people, as well as young people.

He expressed his company's desire to partner with local enterprises to promote e-commerce which he said was the future of entrepreneurship.

"We are interested in expanding to Africa and currently we are looking for partners from the continent. According to the Alibaba model, we do not plan to globalize the company but the e-commerce platform," he said.

Ma said Alibaba Group was not an e-commerce company like Amazon, meaning they don't buy and sell, but they enable consumers to buy by globalizing e-commerce.

"Our aim is to enable everybody to buy, sell, pay, deliver and travel globally. One of my main reasons for visiting Africa was to learn. Through my interaction with the local entrepreneurs, I realized that they are good at building platforms. We will try our best to help them grow," he said.

He said globalization as creation of jobs and value for local people, as well as making technology and finance inclusive.

Ma said people often complain about a lack of infrastructure, noting that what is needed is not necessarily infrastructure but people's passion and belief for the future especially for young people.

"When I started my business in my apartment 18 years ago, there was no infrastructure or mobile phones. But I had a passion which kept me going," he said.

Ma said real entrepreneurs don't wait for infrastructure, they built it.

"The reason why e-commerce grew so fast in China is because the country had a terrible infrastructure for e-commerce. People challenged me so much, about the many systems I lacked including the internet but I kept going," he said.

In China, he said e-commerce has become a pillar of China's economy instead of a supplement. It's created new business norms, transforming the country's economic landscape - it is the main course, rather than the dessert as it is in the United States.

In the next 30 years, Ma said the world is going to experience a big change in terms of internet revolution. All the entrepreneurs will be "tech-preneurs".

"In future, there will be no 'made in China or made in America', it will be made in the internet. Entrepreneurs will buy raw materials from a particular place, design in another and sell globally. If you are connected to the internet, think globally and win locally. Keep on doing that, if we can succeed you can as well and if you can't succeed someone can, but keep trying," he said.
NAIROBI  Chinese electronic payment platform Alipay plans to enter the Kenyan market as an indigenous company, where it would create a payment platform for companies operating in the East African region's largest economy, the company's founder Jack Ma said on Thursday.

Ma, the founder of the world's largest e-commerce trading platform, Alibaba, is visiting Kenya in a tour arranged by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to promote global entrepreneurship and to mentor young and upcoming entrepreneurs.

"We would enable you to buy and sell. We want to enable every business to trade globally. Alipay is definitely interested. We would give money to a Kenyan company to start this business, not Alipay. We are here looking for people. We are also talking to payment companies," Ma said during a public lecture at the University of Nairobi.

The lecture, attended by the Kenyan minister of information and Communication Joe Mucheru and UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi, explored e-commerce and entrepreneurship skills.

In his public lecture, the Chinese business magnet and thought-process leader, urged innovators and entrepreneurs to embrace failure and lack of success as a positive business spirit.

"Do not be afraid to fail. Get used to failure," he said, describing the historic entry of his online commerce site Alibaba's foray and the initial failures that it encountered before it grew to a massive $556 billion business empire which currently employs 56,000 people.

Ma said his business has created 33 million jobs in China and is currently capable of undertaking massive logistical operations, delivering 65 million packages all over China.

Talking about the possibility to grow the online business distribution, Ma said he believed 90 percent of businesses around the world were likely to be online.

The Chinese businessman known and respected globally for his innovative business solutions, said he saw a great future in Africa and urged both political and business leaders in the continent to embrace innovation.

Insisting the growth of technology in this era was the third phase of a global business development cycle, Ma said the new phase of technology development, driven by intelligence systems, would require the development of brains and innovations where innovation would replace human beings.

"We will make machines like people. The world faces challenges. Great jobs will disappear. This is the challenge. Change is the best opportunity and people complaining is the best opportunity for people to develop products and solutions to address the complaints using the internet," Ma told the audience.
WASHINGTON - Continued cooperation and consultation are key for both Beijing and Washington to rebalance and strengthen economic ties.

Such an approach, now and for the future, is necessary for the world's two largest economies amid a sluggish global economic recovery and a surge in anti-globalization sentiment. A timetable and a roadmap for cooperation produced from the first round of their Comprehensive Economic Dialogue illustrates how committed both sides are to coping with new changes.

The two sides have agreed to focus on macro-economic policy, trade, investment as well as global economic governance.

The consensus reached on the services trade is expected to foster new growth points. Beijing's willingness to expand market access further as required by Washington is expected to promote trade balance.

For the US side, the huge surplus for China in bilateral trade has been a big headache and was a focus of the July 19 dialogue of high-level officials.

China now accounts for around 70 percent of the US trade deficit. However, the imbalance has not come as a result of unfair policies, but as a natural product of globalization and free trade. Moreover, the US trade deficit is largely exaggerated, and homemade.

In fact, current trade balances don't adequately capture the complex nature of international trade today, as quite often goods move across multiple national borders to reach the final market. As China is at the end of the international supply chain, its exports to the United States include values imported from the latter and other countries.

A study by economists with Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that using a value-added approach to measure bilateral trade reduces the US-China trade imbalance by 33 percent in 2013.

Meanwhile, as a trade deficit is the flip side of capital surplus, it indirectly fills the gap of domestic savings and investment.

Stephen Roach, a senior fellow with Yale University, said, "lacking in savings and eager for growth, the US relied heavily on China's vast reservoir of surplus savings to make ends meet." China's huge stake in US treasuries has helped the latter fund record budget deficits.

China and the United States have built prosperous and reciprocal economic relations over the past few decades. A codependence, with China producing more and the United States consuming more, still does more good than harm, lifting millions of Chinese from poverty and allowing Americans to spend less.

The bilateral trade volume exceeded $550 billion in 2016, representing an increase of more than 200 times from over 30 years ago. By the end of last year, two-way investment totaled more than 170 billion dollars. Chinese investments across the United States have directly created 141,000 jobs.

Pragmatic cooperation of mutual benefit and deepening exchanges aided with more dialogue to ease tension will help China and the United States avoid a trade war and enable their economic relations to contribute more to their own growth and the global economy.
Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO of Lenovo, talks on artificial intelligence at an innovation conference in Shanghai on Thursday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lenovo Group Ltd announced on Thursday it had teamed up with JD.com Inc, China's second biggest e-commerce player, to build a big data platform, as the two make joint efforts to tap into opportunities brought about by artificial intelligence.

The move is part of Lenovo's broader push to leverage AI to breathe new life into its PC, smartphone, data center and other hardware businesses.

Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing said JD has accumulated huge amounts of e-commerce data from consumers who love buying electronics online, while Lenovo knows how millions of its devices are being used every day.

"When the two types of data are analyzed, they can generate big value, such as predicting exactly how many computers will be in demand next month," Yang said.

"It can help Lenovo better manage the supply and demand of our products."

Lenovo and JD said they aim to sell 80 billion yuan ($12.04 billion) worth of consumer electronics in three years, up from the 60 billion yuan target they promised last year.

Liu Jun, president of Lenovo's China unit, said personal computers sales alone would reach 60 billion yuan. Mobile phones will account for 15 billion yuan, with the rest generated from other smart devices such as speakers.

Liu also said Lenovo aims to overhaul its more than 10,000 offline retail stores, in a move to adapt to consumers' changing shopping habits.

"Currently, most of them sell only personal computers. We will turn them into cool retail stores which sell a wide range of consumer electronics," Liu said.

Lenovo is stepping up its investments into new technologies including AI, in an effort to reduce its reliance on PCs and revive its tumbling smartphone business.

The company said in April that it would pour $1.2 billion into research and development of artificial intelligence, the internet of things and big data over the next four years.

Rui Yong, chief technology officer of Lenovo, said the company's edge in big data, computing power and algorithms could help it stay competitive and relevant in the AI era.

"We have the largest number of manufacturing data groups in China. Of the top 500 high-performance computers in the world, 91 of them are made and operated by Lenovo," Rui said.

Lenovo also signed a deal with Chinese electric vehicle startup NIO on Thursday to jointly develop a computing platform to drive smart driving.

Xiang Ligang, CEO of telecom industry website cctime.com, said Lenovo could gain a lead in AI, if it could swiftly implement its strategy and utilize its advantages in information infrastructure.
HANGZHOU  After graduation, Zhang Hao, 28, found a job at a securities company in eastern China's Hangzhou city. On his mobile app Alipay, he saw an apartment he liked.

Alipay, the mobile payment service under e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba, rates its users' credit based on their consumption and investment habits on the app. Zhang had a high score and was exempted from the rental deposit of 2,600 yuan ($380) and the brokerage fee of 1,300 yuan.

The whole experience not only saved Zhang time and energy in renting an apartment, which is often complicated in China, but also gave him a fresh look at the city where he was about to build a career. It gave him a "sense of belonging."

In China, more and more cities have offered credit-based services to citizens. And more and more people, like Zhang, have begun to own their credit scores.

At a forum on credit system building in Hangzhou earlier this week, representatives from more than 300 Chinese cities jointly released a declaration, which aims to improve people's well-being by enhancing credit building in the country.

"The credit economy has kicked off in China," said Lian Weiliang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission. The central government has issued several documents encouraging and guiding the social credit system over the past three years.

Without any deposit, one can borrow a bike, power bank, library book or umbrella with the help of a smart phone.

"The building of a credit city has made urban life easier and city governance more efficient," said Zhu Dehai, deputy secretary of the city government of Huaibei in Anhui province.

"In Hangzhou, credit is cash," said Peng Lei, president of Alibaba's financial arm Ant Financial. She said citizens with good Alipay credit could enjoy privileges in various public services and urban living.

According to Ant Financial, Alipay has exempted over 38 billion yuan of deposits for its users, including 4 billion yuan in bike-sharing deposits.

Experts said that due to an unsound credit system in China, deposits were amounting to trillions of yuan, leading to heavy social management costs.

There are more than 3,000 public libraries in China. But most of them have few visitors. According to Guangzhou Library, local citizens visited the library just 1.15 times on average last year.

Thanks to the credit borrowing service, citizens in many cities can now visit digital libraries, place orders online and have their chosen books delivered to the door step.

A survey targeting over 100 city mayors and managers in China revealed that 81 percent thought almost 10 years was needed before China became a credit society in full, but more than half said their city had already started credit building.

Statistics from Ant Financial showed that nearly 300 million Chinese had enquired about their credit records or enjoyed credit services. Service before payment has become popular in fields such as medical, transport and government affairs.

In ten years, more than 90 percent of deposits will disappear in credit cities, and 80 percent of certificates will also disappear when credit is combined with bio-identification technology, said Jing Xiandong, CEO of Ant Financial.

Hu Jianbin, an official of Huizhou city government in Guangdong Province, said that in a credit city, citizens with a good credit record enjoyed all sorts of convenience, while those with bad records would find it difficult to live.

Alibaba's chairman Jack Ma shares this belief.

"The future demographic dividend lies in people's trust in one another. Credit city building brings unprecedented opportunities," Ma said.
A special scene in Madame Tussauds Beijing as the three Yang Yangs gathered together in the new fashion zone on July 19, 2017. From behind it is difficult to judge which is the real Yang Yang. [Photo/China.org.cn]
BEIJING -- China will ban imports of 24 types of solid waste by the end of 2017 in a fresh move to reduce environmental pollution, an official said Thursday.

China has notified the World Trade Organization of the ban, which covers waste plastics, unsorted scrap paper, discarded textiles, vanadium slag and other kinds of waste, Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) official Guo Jing told a press conference.

Imported solid waste, some of which had been useful as raw materials in the past, has caused damage to the country's environment and public health, said Guo, who is in charge of international cooperation at the MEP.

According to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which China has signed, exports of hazardous wastes and other wastes should not be permitted if the state of import does not specifically consent in writing, Guo said.

However, some traders both in and outside of China have illegally smuggled "foreign garbage" into the country for their own interests, giving rise to environmental woes, according to Guo.

"The problem of foreign garbage is loathed by everyone in China," he told reporters.

The Chinese government is stepping up the fight against pollution and environmental degradation as decades of fast growth have left the country saddled with smog and contaminated soil.

In April this year, a reform plan to improve management of solid waste imports was adopted, demanding a substantial reduction in the amount and types of solid waste imports.

The MEP launched a month-long campaign on July 1 to crack down on pollution in imported waste processing, with 420 inspectors selected from 27 provincial regions forming 60 teams to conduct full-scale examinations.

China's medium-sized and large cities imported 46.98 million tonnes of solid waste in 2015, down 5.3 percent year on year, according to MEP figures.

In 2014, the whole country imported 49.6 million tonnes of solid waste, with scrap paper, plastics and metal taking up large shares, according to the MEP.
A member of the Chinese scientific researcher team waves before boarding the research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong, or "Snow Dragon", in Shanghai, July 20, 2017. China's ice breaker, the Xuelong, set sail on Thursday for the country's first circumnavigation of the Arctic rim. [Photo/Xinhua]

SHANGHAI  China's ice breaker, the Xuelong, which means "Snow Dragon," set sail on Thursday for the country's first circumnavigation of the Arctic rim, scientists said.

The ice-breaker departed from an exploration base in Shanghai early on Thursday. The journey is China's eighth Arctic expedition.

Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration, said the expedition is another milestone in the country's polar exploration efforts.

"Usually, Arctic expeditions are carried out once every two years. Starting this year, we plan to increase the frequency of expeditions," said Lin.

The ship will travel 20,000 nautical miles in 83 days, with 96 members on board.

Captain of the vessel, Shen Quan, said that the Snow Dragon will travel the northwest shipping lane along the Arctic rim for the first time. The route has more ice than the northeast shipping lane.

Researchers will study navigation, marine bio-diversity, hydrology, biology, geology, chemistry and pollution around the Arctic. The Ukraine-built vessel, which was put into use in 1994, is mainly designed to transport supplies to China's research stations. It can break ice up to 1.2 meters thick. China has focused on cooperation and sharing information in polar research.

The Chinese National Arctic and Antarctic Data Center has provided data for more than 100 international projects and more than 10 countries.
BEIJING - A total of 85 suspects stood trial in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday, in a cross-border telecom fraud case.

More than 70 suspects, including 44 Taiwan residents, were arrested in Kenya and extradited to China in April 2016, according to Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court.

The suspects pleaded guilty to cheating 185 victims on the Chinese mainland out of more than 29 million yuan (4.3 million U.S. dollars), the court said.

Thirty-five suspects were accused of carrying out fraud in Indonesia from June to November 2014 and the other 50 in Kenya from June 2015 to April 2016.

The suspects claimed to work for police, procuratorates or express delivery firms and called Chinese citizens, telling them their personal information had been stolen and they should pay money to protect their assets and prove they had not committed any crimes.

The court will announce the verdicts at a later date.
More than 1,500 companies that once produced food to high standards chiefly for export are now selling products made to the same standards on the Chinese market, according to authorities that oversee quality.

More than 10 billion yuan ($1.48 billion) of such products were ordered last year in China, according to the Certification and Accreditation Administration.

A campaign launched early last year encouraged the nation's food exporters to make products for domestic consumption using the same production processes as for overseas markets, to ensure the same level of quality.

The campaign covered 5,778 products, largely agricultural and other food products, with most producers based in Shandong, Guangdong, Fujian, Hebei and Liaoning provinces, the administration said.

For example, in Guangdong, 189 food export companies now sell more than 500 foods, including frozen snacks, seasonings, biscuits, nuts, meat and egg products at 4,130 stores across China.

The administration said other goods will be covered in the future to better meet consumer demand.

With the initiative, Chinese people may not have to go overseas to buy high-quality products that are actually made in China and exportedsuch as electrical pots and toilet coversas has been the case in the past.

In the long run, the administration said, encouraging the same standards for exported and domestic goods can help improve overall food safety in China and boost consumption.

Qiao Yajun, operations manager at Longnan Changcheng Fruit Juice Co in Gansu province, which began selling its concentrated apple juice, its chief product, in China around 2015, said domestic sales now account for about 20 percent of its total sales.

Previously, the company, which is certified as a food exporter, only sold its apple juice outside China in 24 countries and regions, including North America and Europe, he said.

"The overseas market has not been performing well in recent years because of the economic downturn," Qiao said. "We hope our business can develop faster in the domestic market."

The company is promoting its products in the domestic market but faces challenges such as production costs that are higher than its Chinese competitorsbecause of its higher quality standardsand a lack of brand recognition in China, he said.

The apple juice, which has no additives under export standards, is packaged in 250-milliliter containers and sells for about 4 yuan per packageabout 50 percent higher than many other similar products sold in domestic stores, he said.

"We have been participating in big trade exhibitions to promote our products," he said. "We are also planning to open an online store on major e-commerce platforms such as Tmall."

The Certification and Accreditation Administration said it will continue to provide guidance to export companies to promote sales in the domestic market.

China has nearly 20,000 certified companies that export food and agricultural products valued at more than $50 billion to more than 180 countries and regions every year, according to the administration.

The country strictly supervises the companies to ensure that the food meets both national standards and the standards of the destination countries and regions. For many years, virtually all food produced in China for export is up to standards, the administration said.
Asman Abula, Rehman's granddaughter, holds a model dutar.[Photo by ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY]

Craftsmen in villages across West China are eager to maintain age-old skills and keep their culture alive, as Cui Jia and Mao Weihua report from Shufu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

CUI JIA/MAO WEIHUA

Rehman Abdula is a quiet man, so when he speaks people know his words are important.

"It sounds good," he said, after listening to Memet Ali play a satar, a traditional Uygur instrument that resembles an Indian sitar. When Memet visited, Rehman was in the process of making the instrument at his house in Tuowankewukusake village, Shufu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Memet, 30, is a Uygur musician who plays in a local band that specializes in muqam, a popular and famous genre in the music of the mainly Muslim ethnic group. A few weeks before his visit, he had commissioned Rehman to make him a new satar.

The 65-year-old craftsman had asked Memet to visit to see if he was happy with the half-finished satar before he started to paint and decorate the instrument. It usually takes about a month to make a satar from start to finish.

'Best of the best'

"He is the best of the best," Memet said, gently tapping the body of the 5,000 yuan ($740) instrument with a finger to check the sound. The hollow body was carved from a mulberry log by Rehman, using a small, homemade machete.

Like the other makers of traditional Uygur instruments in his village in southern Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture, Rehman makes every piece by hand. He has no need for plans or drawings because all the measurements are in his head.

People in Tuowankewukusake are renowned across Xinjiang for their skill at making traditional Uygur musical instruments, an art they have practiced for more than 150 years. At present, 290 of the 570 families in the village support themselves by making and selling more than 50 different types of instruments.

The signature melodies of Uygur music, played on instruments such as the rawap, dutar, tembur and ghijek, can often be heard floating from behind the doors of village houses as craftsmen and their clients test the products.

Unsurprisingly, Tuowankewukusake is known far and wide as "the village of music".

Of the nearly 600 craftsmen in Tuowankewukusake, Rehman is hailed as the best because the instruments he makes always produce the purest, most beautiful tones.

"We can tell immediately if an instrument has been made by him. It feels as if the melodies penetrate deeper into your brain," Memet said.

As he hollowed out a piece of mulberry wood that would be transformed into a dutar, a type of long-necked, two-stringed lute, Rehman said: "I don't think my instruments are all that magical. I just want to make sure their sound doesn't pierce people's ears."

As the seventh generation of a family of instrument makers, Rehman was age 7 when he started following his grandfather around to find the best wood for their craft.

"My grandfather told me that a craftsman can only make a good instrument if he puts his heart into making it, instead of thinking about how much money it will fetch," he added.

"You have to inject life into the wood little by little," he said, repeatedly turning the log from left to right to search for the correct spot to land his machete.

After mastering the skills he was taught by his grandfather and father, Rehman first made a rawap on his own when he was 25. He sold the long-necked traditional instrument for 250 yuan.

Last year, he made what he believes to be one of the best rawap of his career so far. The instrument, decorated with tiny pieces of black yak horn and white cow bone, has a market value of about 8,000 yuan.

The instrument's stunning appearance prompted a man to visit Rehman's house and ask to buy the instrument, even though he couldn't play it. Rehman refused to sell.
Ma Hongzhou holds the death certificate of his wife, Long Xiuling, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Tuesday. The certificate says Long died of respiratory failure and rabies.[Huang Lijian for China Daily]

The rabies vaccines administered to a 32-year-old woman in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, who died after being infected through a dog bite, were up to standard, according to local health authorities on Thursday.

Long Xiuling, who was bitten by a stray dog on her left ankle on June 20, received medical treatment the same day, including the vaccine and antibiotics, at Xi'an Central Hospital, a major hospital in the city, the Xi'an Health and Family Planning Commission said.

The doctor in the hospital's emergency department who treated Long also advised her to get four more doses of vaccine at intervals until July 18. Long received three vaccinations at the hospital, the commission said.

She suffered symptoms including numbness in her left leg, a sore back and frequent urination and went to the hospital on July 13 for treatment. She did not tell the doctors about the dog bite during that visit, and doctors did not diagnose rabies, the commission said.

Long went to Xijing Hospital, also in Xi'an, on July 17, where she was diagnosed with rabies. She was then transferred to Xi'an Eighth Hospital for treatment, where she died after attempts to save her life failed, the commission said.

The vaccines Long received at Xi'an Central were produced by a certified company and were properly stored and transported, which ensures their quality, the commission said, noting that they were purchased by the provincial disease prevention and control center.

Long went to Xi'an Central at 6:10 pm on June 20 for treatment, about an hour after she was bitten. Her left ankle had multiple bite marks, according to a statement released by the hospital. The doctor gave her treatment for rabies following procedures listed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, including immediately giving a vaccination, the hospital said.

Cao Hualing, an emergency doctor at the hospital, said there might be several reasons for the ineffectiveness of the vaccine in Long's case.

"The level of virus in the stray dog may have been very high and may have infected Long's neurological system before she received the first dose of vaccine," he said. "Patients with low immune capacity may not be able to resist rabies." In such a case, the vaccine may not work, he said.

The chance of a patient developing rabies symptoms after proper vaccination is only 1 percent, but once a patient gets sick the disease can always lead to death, he added.

Standard treatment in China for dog bites is five doses of vaccine within 28 days. Rabies is incurable and can only be prevented by the vaccine, according to health authorities.

In the first eight months of last year, two people in Beijing developed rabies and both died. About 100,000 people received rabies vaccinations after being injured by animals, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning.
Chen Rugui, former Party chief of Zhongshan, was appointed as deputy mayor and acting mayor of Shenzhen during a conference of the city's standing committee of the people's congress on Thursday.

Chen, born in Lianjiang in the western part of Guangdong province in 1962, will be the 13th mayor of Shenzhen and the 12th since the city was designated as China's first special economic zone, which officially kicked off the country's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s.

Chen, an engineer, will also be the first Shenzhen mayor in 27 years who was born in Guangdong. Previously, most of the mayors came from outside the province, including three from East China's Jiangsu province.

Shenzhen's mayoral office has been vacant for four months, following the transfer of Xu Qin, the former Party chief and mayor, to Hebei province. Xu is now deputy Party chief and governor of Hebei.

Wang Weizhong, former Party chief of Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, was appointed Shenzhen's Party chief in April.

Under Chen, Shenzhen is expected to further expand its cooperation with Hong Kong and speed up its economic integration with the special administrative region, according to insiders.

Chen is expert in economic, social and urban development and pays great attention to the construction of high-speed railways, intercity light rail, ports, highways, airports and related infrastructure projects to enhance the economic cooperation of cities in the Pearl River Delta, the insiders said.

"Chen will be able to develop his talent fully and help integrate Shenzhen with Hong Kong, Macao and other cities in the Pearl River Delta in infrastructure construction after he takes office," said Peng Peng, vice-chairman of the experts committee of South Nongovernmental Think-tank.

When Chen became the top official of Zhongshan, a prosperous city in the Pearl River Delta, in September, he urged greater cooperation between Shenzhen and Zhongshan and integration of his city into the economic development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Chen led a Zhongshan delegation to Shenzhen in February to study the experience of the city's innovation development and seek investment and cooperation with the special economic zone.

Zhongshan, hometown of Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China's democratic revolution, is also one of the major production bases and tourist destinations in Guangdong province.

Chen was executive vice-mayor and later deputy Party chief of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, before he took office as Party chief in Zhongshan.

When he worked in Guangzhou, Chen promoted economic ties between the southern metropolis and Hong Kong, along with infrastructure construction in the city.
Chicago's Best Chefs Will Host Dinner At Giant To Support The ACLU

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 21, 2017 2:31PM



A gorgeous pasta dish from Giant. Photo via Facebook.

Charity dinners are a dime a dozen, but it's rare that one brings together this kind of star power in one kitchen. OK, the event is pricy, but the chefs are incredible, the location is hard to get into and the money is going to a great cause.

Giant, Jason Vincent's super hot Logan Square restaurant, is hosting this benefit on Monday, July 24 starting at 7p.m. The chefs include Rick Bayless, Stephanie Izard and Mindy Segal. Plus, of course, Vincent and his partner Ben Lustbader. There are only 50 seats available. That's like combining a dinner at Giant (impossible to get into), a dinner with Rick Bayless (a treasure you won't forget) and a dinner at Girl and the Goat (impossible to get into), and topping it off with Chef Segal's amazing pastry skills.

Plus, the chefs won't be cooking their courses and leaving; they're sticking around for the whole evening to mingle with the guests. So if you always wanted that photo with Chef Bayless, this is your chance. There's also a silent auction and a food art exhibit curated by photographer Huge Galdones.

All that awesomeness doesn't come cheap - tickets are a whopping $750. All proceeds go to the ACLU. To order tickets, email events@ACLU-il.org.
About 210,000 people have been disciplined by anti-graft agencies across the country in the first half of this year, an increase of nearly 30 percent over the same period last year, according to China's top graft-buster.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country's top anti-corruption body, published the results of disciplinary efforts in the first half of 2017 on Thursday.

Of those punished, 38 officials were at the provincial levelslightly fewer than the 41 punished in the same period last year.

The anti-graft efforts have achieved remarkable results since late 2012, when a nationwide fight against corruption began, said Zhuang Deshui, deputy head of the Research Center for Government Integrity-Building at Peking University.

The results show that the anti-graft system has worked and that no corrupt behavior escapes the notice of the authorities, Zhuang said, adding that the relentless effort and a zero-tolerance stance on punishing corrupt behavior have been validated.

According to announcements from courts at all levels, more than 30 officials at or above provincial level were convicted in the first half of this year, exceeding the total number convicted in 2016.

Among them, Zhao Liping, a former senior political adviser in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was executed in May for homicide, firearms possession and taking bribes. He became the first government official at the provincial level to be executed since the big anti-graft push began.

Zhuang said the work of going after powerful "tigers" (senior officials) as well as lowly "flies" (grassroots government functionaries) has sped up. Putting the tigers into "cages" is a priority for law enforcement bodies, he said; therefore the sentences were comparatively intense in the first half of the year.

As "tigers" are sentenced to jail, lowly functionaries are also forced to face the music.

According to the CCDI's statement on Thursday, 129,000 people punished in the first half of this year were at the village level or worked in companies and other nongovernmental organizations.

Anti-graft agencies nationwide have also reported more than 320 cases in which lower government functionaries were held accountable for misconduct or dereliction of duty.

All of this is the result of a Communist Party of China ordinance on the accountability of Party members that took effect a year ago, said Du Zhizhou, deputy head of the Research and Education Center of Government Integrity at Beihang University in Beijing. Responsibility comes with public power, Du said.
The State will strengthen supervision of privately owned museums while also providing them with more support through favorable policies in taxation and subsidies.

The museums, opened by individuals or social organizations, are urged to adopt management councils and complete auditing systems, said Guan Qiang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. Guan spoke on Thursday at a news conference in Beijing regarding a new State directive, released on Monday, encouraging the development of privately owned museums.

An investigation covering about 600 privately owned museums nationwide showed that three-quarters of them had not properly registered their collections as corporate properties, according to Guan. He emphasized that artifacts in such museums are not the personal property of the operators, but of the museum. Half of the museums also lacked proper financial management, he said.

"The rules and criteria of State-owned museums also apply to them," Guan said.

National guidance demands more rigid supervision from management boards in daily operations and decision-making. It also forbids board members or sponsors from removing collections if a museum closes.

"In that case, the artifacts will be transferred to other museums with similar goals," he said.

All museums serve the public interest, whether State-owned or not, Guan said.

Privately owned museums soon will be recognized as charity organizations so they can benefit from supportive policies such as preferential tax measures, subsidies for cultural industry development and reductions in operating costs, he said. The State will also help such museums obtain more support from their State-owned counterparts through joint exhibitions and training.

By the end of 2016, there were 1,297 privately owned museums on the Chinese mainland registered with cultural relics administrations, comprising about 26 percent of the country's museums.

"My individual ability is limited," said Fan Jianchuan, an entrepreneur who runs a museum complex in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. "We need the country to guide our long-term development in a right way. It cannot always rely on hobbies."

Of the total of 4,873 museums, more than 700 are rated as first-, second-, and third-tier museums nationally. But only 10 of those with the higher ratings, including Fan's, are privately owned, since the quality of such institutions as a whole is considered problematic.

Guan said 70 percent of the private institutions still focus on antiques, much like their bigger, State-owned counterparts. He said it would be better if they developed a unique focus in their collections, such as items related to folklore or modern art pieces, to complement State-owned institutions.
Tibet autonomous region has decided to make culture one of the region's pillar industries by the end of 2020, according to a press release of the region's cultural department on Thursday.

Tibet is enriched with various cultures, including traditional crafts such as thangka painting, Tibetan incense, Tibetan paper production, weaving, sculpture, carving and metal forging.

As one of the region's recent actions on culture preservation and development, the regional government issued a culture development plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) two months ago.

The preparations for the plan began in 2014 with support of the Ministry of Culture.

Zhou Hongyang, the deputy head of the Tibet Culture Department, said, "In the future, we will push the work of traditional cultural crafts with more opened mind and more pragmatic measures."

Zhou said the region will work on three key measures. First of which is respecting the dominant status of the tradition and culture inheritors, and carrying out activities of traditional crafts in daily life.

"The second is to formulate an implementation plan about the traditional cultural revitalization. The measures need to be detailed so as to make all levels of units to perform the work," said Zhou Hongyang.

Norbu Tsering, the director of the Culture Industry Office of Tibet Culture Department, said the region has added culture in the region's planning outline of social development and national economy throughout the next five years.

"Boosting cultural industry and striving to turn culture industry as one the region's national economic pillar industry by 2020," Norbu Tsering said.

"The region will improve the systems of Tibetan unique culture industry, modern cultural market."
China needs to pay high attention to fend off financial risks while promoting urbanization, according to a senior official with the United Nations.

Joan Clos, undersecretary-general of the United Nations, made the remark on Friday while at a panel discussion alongside the international forum on sustainable urban development, and said "China needs to find out sustainable financing plans to support long-term development while promoting urbanization."

"Mass urban sprawl inevitably involves real estate construction and land sales," he said.

"That may accumulate financial risks at the time when China has an overheated housing market."

Clos added the good news was that the central government also elevated the importance of fending off financial risks.

He said he suggested risk management should be added when evaluating the achievement of promoting urbanization of local governments.

The percentage of the population living in urban areas was at 57 percent by the end of 2016, and had a target rate of 60 percent by 2020, according to the 13th five-year plan2016-20.
Six nurses from China received the Florence Nightingale Medal awarded by the International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday. A total of 39 nurses from 22 countries won the award this year.

(From left to right) You Jianping, Yin Yanling, Yang Huiyun, Yang Hui, Li Xiuhua and Yang Li pose for group photos after being awarded with Florence Nightingale Medal. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Chinese winners are Li Xiuhua from Beijing, Yang Hui from Shanxi, Yang Huiyun from Shaanxi, Yin Yanling from Jilin, Yang Li from the PLA General Hospital and You Jianping from the First Affiliated Hospital of Third Military Medical University.

The six have made contributions in different fields during their nursing careers including nursing education, infectious diseases and legislative progress for nurses' right.

Vice-President Li Yuanchao presented the medals to the six nurses.

President of the Red Cross Society of China Chen Zhu spoke at the ceremony, calling on healthcare workers and Red Cross staff to follow the example of the winners and continue promoting progress in healthcare.
President Xi Jinping, accompanied by Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders, visits the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing on Friday to see an exhibition featuring landmark achievements of the People's Liberation Army.

President tours new exhibition, praises military's achievements

Ahead of the upcoming 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, President Xi Jinping has called for unremitting efforts to make the PLA a world-class army.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while visiting an exhibition opened in Beijing on Friday.

The exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution features more than 1,000 photos as well as relics and multimedia presentations to show the landmark combat, events and achievements of the PLA.

Also on display are models of the major military equipment in active service as well as China's first atomic bomb and H-bomb, which were detonated in 1964 and 1967, respectively.

While touring the exhibition on Friday, Xi noted that the military has scored many victories in the past 90 years and has made outstanding contributions to national independence, people's liberation, the country's prosperity and public well-being.

The 90 years is a concentration of the PLA's strong ideals and beliefs, great tradition and bravery in combat, and it is a great spiritual treasure, Xi said.

The country should remember the history, hand down the revolutionary gene and constantly bring forward the great course explored by the older generation of revolutionaries at a new starting point, Xi said.

Officials, the public and all the servicemen and women should be encouraged to hold tight their faith in the Chinese socialist path, the theories, the system and the culture, and strive for realizing the dream of rejuvenating the great Chinese nation, he said.

Other Party and State leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang, also toured the exhibition on Friday.

They stopped from time to time and were intrigued by the delicate design and presentation of the historical moments and achievements.

Key moments of the PLA that are presented include the start of the garrisoning of Hong Kong and Macao in 1997 and 1999, respectively, as well as the sailing of the aircraft carrier Liaoning to the South China Sea for training.

Touching moments of the PLA that are shown include soldiers on the forefront of disaster relief after the deadly Wenchuan earthquake in southwestern China's Sichuan province in 2008.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said at the opening ceremony on Friday morning that the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the history of the PLA, whose 90th anniversary falls on August 1.

It also presents the PLA's glorious achievements after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, particularly in the wake of the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, Liu said.




Babu Siren runs a thriving business that includes restaurants and dune buggy rides in Hanggin Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. He also farms sheep and licorice.

Life is a far cry from more than a decade ago when he struggled to support his family as a nomadic herder in the Kubuqi Desert, which was referred to as the "sea of death" because of its harsh conditions and the poverty in which people around it lived. The sand dunes had swallowed the grasslands.

And, sandstorms from there even polluted Beijing, which is 1,200 kilometers away.
Koo speaks on BBC in 1941 about China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A digital archive of papers from Columbia University on famous diplomat V.K. Wellington Koo will be available later this year. Xing Yi reports.

A digitized archive of V.K. Wellington Koo's papers will be available online in November, offering researchers access to materials from the legendary 20th-century Chinese diplomat's collection of papers kept by Columbia University.

Columbia University has around 300 boxes of the famous diplomat's letters, notes and documents, among which 57 boxes were donated by his family after his death.

The online archive is a joint project by the university and the Institute of Modern History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and parts of the collection are being released for the first time.

Some replicas of Koo's papers are now on display at the Columbia Global Center in Beijing through Sept 15.

Wang Jianlang, director of the Institute of Modern History, said at the opening of the exhibition on July 14 that the cataloging of more than 200 boxes of the archive materials is complete, and they will be accessible on the institute's online database after a final check.

"When studying the history of China's modern diplomacy, one cannot ignore Koo," says Wang. "Koo is regarded as the No 1 diplomat of the Republic of China."

Sean Quimby, director of Columbia University's Rare Books and Manuscript Library, says: "The Koo archive consists of meticulously written notes of conversations with various figures, including at least three presidents of the United States."

The digital project now includes 60,000 items.
Illinois Congressman Calls For Disclosure Of Presidential Pardons

By aaroncynic in News on Jul 21, 2017 5:03PM





Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi poses with supporters. Image via Facebook.

Late Thursday the Washington Post reported that some of President Donald Trumps lawyers were discussing the reach of the Presidents powers to pardon individuals, along with other ways to potentially limit or derail special counsel Robert S. Muellers investigation into the administrations alleged ties to Russia.

Given that pardons from the President could disrupt Muellers investigation, Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is calling for full disclosure on all pardons from the White House.

Our founders established a presidential power to pardon to protect the American people from their government, not for a president to protect himself or his associates from justice, said Krishnamoorthi in a statement. If President Trump were to pardon himself or his associatesespecially in secret before any charges have even been broughtthat would sabotage a federal investigation.

In a letter to Donald F McGahn II, White House Counsel and Assistant to the President, Krishnamoorthi wrote that, though the Office of the Pardon Attorney makes their documents available, there would be no guarantee that all pardons from the President would be made public:

The power of the pardon extends far beyond the individual who receives it. An individual with a secret pardon has a pre-emptive grant of immunity from prosecution and is under no obligation to make that fact public until charges are brought. This person would be unlikely to cooperate with an ongoing investigation or testify against co-conspirators in exchange for leniency. I respectfully ask that you commit to making public all pardons issued by the President. Robert Muellers team - and all Americans - need to know who will be cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

The administration dismissed the allegations that Trump might be looking to pardon himself or close advisors, with one advisor saying This is not in the context of, I cant wait to pardon myself. Josh Dowd, one of Trumps attorneys, called the idea nonsense, adding the Presidents lawyers are cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller on behalf of the President.

The call for pardon disclosure comes two days after the House Oversight Committee passed an Amendment Krishnamoorthi proposed ordering a review of White House security clearance procedures. The amendment requires the director of the National Background Investigations Bureau to report to Congress within 90 days how Trump administration officials are applying for and receiving their security clearances.

According to Krishnamoorthi, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions were all given security clearances after omitting significant information about foreign contacts from their applications.

Mr. Kushner and other senior administration officials repeatedly failed to disclose their foreign contacts, including those with hostile powers, said Krishnamoorthi in a statement. It is essential that we determine whether this failure puts them or our nation at risk.


[Photo provided to China Daily]

Theatrical play The Magic Flute, a production of Mozart's opera of the same title by the Komische Oper Berlin and British theater group 1927, is being staged in Beijing from July 21 to 23 at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

The show, which has featured an animated film, live action, a silent movie and actors, premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in 2012 and has been touring the world since then.

Before being brought to Beijing, it was staged in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The Magic Flute is a two-act opera by Mozart set to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It premiered in 1791 in Vienna, just two months before the composer's death.

The story is about young prince Tamino being pursued by an evil snake, who then finds himself in the land of the Queen of the Night.

After the queen helps kill the snake, Tamino meets Papageno, the queen's birdcatcher.

Theatrical play TheMagic Flute, a production of Mozart's opera of the same title by the Komische Oper Berlin and British theater group 1927, is being staged in Beijing from July 21 to 23 at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Soon, it is revealed to Tamino that a king, Sarastro, has abducted the queen's beautiful daughter, Pamina.

After seeing her portrait, Tamino falls in love with her.

Later, with the help of a magic flute, given to him by the queen, Tamino and Papageno go on a quest to save Pamina.

Barrie Kosky, the artistic director of Komische Oper Berlin, says he always wanted to do a production of The Magic Flute, but he did not get round to doing it until he met artistic directors Paul Barritt and Suzanne Andrade in 2010.

Animator and illustrator Barritt founded the company 1927 along with writer-actress Suzanne Andrade in 2005.

The company has won acclaim with works, such as Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and The Animals and Children Took to the Streets.

The Magic Flute marks 1927's first opera.
Top comedians Fan Wei (left) and Dong Chengpeng team up in the comedy Father and Son. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Top comedians Fan Wei and Dong Chengpeng team up for the first time in the upcoming comedy Father and Son, which will open across Chinese mainland on July 21.

The movie is about a cheater who plans to use a fake funeral of his father to earn money, but is drawn into a series of troubles. But the adventures unexpectedly ease his tension with his father.

Fan, who has won several best actor awards in some international film festivals, stars the father. Dong, more popular known as Da Peng, plays the cheater.

The cast also includes actress Zhang Tian'ai and up-and-coming actor Qiao Shan.

Yuan Weidong, a former musical director who is recognized by the West, helms the feature-length comedy.

Yuan said the movie will help more audiences to mediate their relationship with parents, during a recent event in Beijing.

Echoing the views, Fan said most Chinese fathers are shy to show their love to the children, and are also shy to accept love from their children.
Solar panels help develop green energy in Ordos. Elion, the Ordos-based company, leads the efforts of local communities to tackle desertification and alleviate poverty. [Photo by Melanie Peters/For China Daily]

Babu Siren runs a thriving business that includes restaurants and dune buggy rides in Hanggin Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. He also farms sheep and licorice.

Life is a far cry from more than a decade ago when he struggled to support his family as a nomadic herder in the Kubuqi Desert, which was referred to as the "sea of death" because of its harsh conditions and the poverty in which people around it lived. The sand dunes had swallowed the grasslands.

And, sandstorms from there even polluted Beijing, which is 1,200 kilometers away.

Babu Siren, who is from the Mongolian ethnic group, and a large number of other desert dwellers are now reaping the benefits from the work of local companies and communities.

One example is Ordos-based Elion Resource Group that has invested more than 30 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) in the past 30 years in a plan to tackle desertification and alleviate poverty.

Babu Siren says during the peak season in summer, he hosts some 1,000 visitors a day, and makes 150,000 yuan a year.

"I no longer have to worry where my family's next meal is coming from."

Ahead of the 6th Kubuqi International Desert Forum, to be held from July 28 to 30, Elion says its model can be replicated in other parts of the world to fight drought and poverty.

The forum will be held in the desert and is seen as a major activity in international efforts on such front. This year's theme is "greening the Belt and Road, sharing desert eco-economy".
Due to the exclusive landscape, and geographic environment, horses have been playing an irreplaceable role in Mongols daily lives. [Photo/VCG]

Inner Mongolia, the first autonomous region established in China in 1947, is stepping into its 70th birthday this year.

These 70 years might seem harmonious; however, myriad innovations have been made.

Now, let us rewind the time and magnify the great leap manufactured in this unique region.

Inner Mongolia autonomous region is an inland plateau located in the northern part of China.

Due to the exclusive landscape, and geographic environment, horses have been playing an irreplaceable role in Mongols daily lives.

As the sayings: A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without the wings. Horses serve as the riding tools for nomads, as well as racing horses on this piece of grassland paradise.

However, after the establishment in 1947, the nomadic way of living in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region crumbles gradually.

With the abundant supply of natural resources and enormous back up from the country, Inner Mongolia autonomous region has started to reform from a retrogress rural region into a developed autonomous region.

First of all, herders can now be able to raise animals in a more sustainable way, so as to protect grasslands. As a result, many herders settled down and live a stable life.

Inner Mongolia autonomous region is then developed into an extensive production base of coal with the second highest coal reserve of China. [Photo/VCG]

Inner Mongolia autonomous region has a rich supply of resources like urban minerals, cashmere and natural gas.

With the rapid economic growth of China, the exploitation and utilization of natural resources are enhanced.

Correspondingly, Inner Mongolia autonomous region is then developed into an extensive production base of coal with the second highest coal reserve of China.

Thus, the economic gross of the region boosted up from 537 million yuan ($79.40 million) to 1.86 trillion yuan over the past few decades, and the GDP per capita has even reached $10,000. This economic expansion well leaded the region to the peak of the country.

Aside from the economic development made, the region also implies effort on cultural aspects. As a major cradle of the Chinese civilization, Inner Mongolia autonomous region consists of a variety of different ethic groups.

A scene from the musical Little Heroic Sisters of Grassland. The villagers dance to the music. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

There was often discrimination among them in the past.

Therefore, China established policies, systems and laws featuring on the equality, regional ethic autonomy, unity and prosperity, in the aim in protecting all ethic groups.

Standing at the peak of Chinas development, the 70 years of Inner Mongolias reformation can definitely prove the effectiveness under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

With the continuous respect to the culture and adherence to the law, bright and prosperous future of Inner Mongolia can already be foreseen.

Lily Lei contributed to this story.
Shanxi shines at Astana Expo ( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2017-07-21

Wang Qian (left), business manager of Jinneng Clean Energy Technology, introduces products to a visitor during Shanxi Week at Astana Expo. [Photo/sxgov.cn]

Astana Expo witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements between Shanxi and Kazakhstan during Shanxi Week at the China Pavilion from July 7 to 9.

They included a memorandum of economic cooperation between Shanxi Committee of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Kazakhstan International Chamber of Commerce, and a memorandum of strategic cooperation between Shanxi Yishengbai Technology Co and the provincial government of North Kazakhstan.

Some tourism companies also announced their intention to cooperate with Complete Service, a leading travel agency in Kazakhstan.

Shanxi is an important industrial and new comprehensive energy base in China. It has enormous potential for cooperation with Kazakhstan due to the two countries comparative advantages in the energy, coal, and equipment manufacturing industries.

"We aim to make full use of the expo platform to promote cooperation between Shanxi province and Kazakhstan and other central Asian countries," said Chen Hecai, chairman of Shanxi Committee of CCPIT, in an interview.

Hanergy Holding Group, a leading thin-film solar power producer, was a highlight of Shanxi Week.

"Many of our products at the exhibition boast the worlds leading technologies," said Zhang Bin, vice-president of the company.

"We have talked with many international companies and local businesses during Shanxi Week, and see good development prospects," he added.
South Korea's president-elect Moon Jae-in gestures to supporters at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, May 9, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

The proposal, made by Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in this week, to resume inter-Korean dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a welcome move after a long period of provocative actions and harsh rhetoric by various countries.

The meetings on military and Red Cross issues with Pyongyang, if held, will be the first such dialogue since 2014.

China has expressed support for the proposal aimed at improving relations through dialogue and promoting reconciliation, with Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang calling on the international community to give its support.

However, Washington is not happy with Moon's offer, regarding the current conditions "far away" from those needed for any resumption of dialogue with Pyongyang.

Views outside the US government are split.

Former US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte believes diplomacy is the only way to resolve the complicated issue. He told a forum in Seoul on Wednesday that "we need to approach dialogue as a means to solve problems rather than as a reward for good behavior Neither the US nor South Korea should shy away from bilateral talks with North Korea."

That was also the message in a June 28 letter to US President Donald Trump signed by six veteran former US officials such as former defense secretary William Perry, former secretary of state George Shultz, and Robert Gallucci and Bill Richardson, both of whom participated in previous talks with the DPRK.

The letter warned that "there is no guarantee diplomacy will work. But there are no good military options, and a North Korea response to a US attack could devastate South Korea and Japan."

It is not sure if such a rational argument will convince the Trump administration.

There has been much noise. John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, is right that sanctions on Chinese firms won't be effective in solving the problem. But he is totally wrong when floating a military option in his op-ed in the New York Post on July 5. "They (China) can work with us or face the inevitable consequences, which will be far more damaging than pinprick sanctions," he wrote.

Bolton is right that such an outcome will be damaging to China; that's why China has repeatedly stressed stability and peaceful negotiation to the denuclearization of the peninsula. What Bolton did not mention is that it will be more devastating to the ROK and Japan, two of the United States' closest allies.

China has not only endorsed relevant UN Security Council resolutions, it has also implemented them effectively. China, however, made it clear that it will not cut normal trade ties with the DPRK that are not banned and restricted by the Security Council. Few in the US have probably thought about the kind of humanitarian disaster that would be triggered if the normal trade related to people's livelihoods in the DPRK was suddenly cut off.

Some in the US have even accused China of not wanting to see a unified Korea. That is not true. In my view, China would love to see a unified Korea that is peaceful and stable, not one that becomes a US puppet state, with US troops marching along the Yalu River bordering China.

Some in the US have long been used to others doing exactly what they are told to do by the US, and they are unwilling to listen to China or even the ROK, whose approach to the DPRK is quite different, as evidenced during President Moon's recent trip to Washington.

The whole world knows the US' military might and there is no need to show it time and again. It is time to show wisdom on the diplomatic front through direct talks.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gestures during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 21, 2016. [Agencies]

PUBLIC SUPPORT for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has fallen below 30 percent, his lowest approval rating since he returned to power in 2012. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

The slump in Abe's approval rating came just three months after Abe poured scorn on the opposition Democratic Party for having the support of a meager 10 percent of the electorate. Smoldering scandals, from alleged favoritism linked to a friend's business and missteps by his Cabinet ministers, have dealt a heavy blow to Abe.

But the heaviest blow has actually come from himself, as many voters believe that the Japanese leader is taking them for granted. Abe disclaimed any involvement in the recent scandals even in the face of solid evidence and public calls for proper explanations. His administration has even been accused of smearing a political rival by publishing forged information about his personal life.

Such missteps are taking a toll on Abe, who was expected to win a third three-year term and continue to run the country when his term expires next year.

Since the end of the Cold War, Japanese prime ministers with a support rate of less than 30 percent have all ended up leaving office within a year, because of the ensuing loss of public trust and the rise of the opposition parties.

Meanwhile, the divisions in Abe's own camp are expanding. A week ago Natuso Yamaguchi, the leader of New Komeito, the junior partner in Abe's ruling coalition, urged the prime minister to focus on "regaining public trust".

It is too early to say the Abe administration is now doomed. His support rate is above the single-digit level that forced some of his predecessors to resign. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also promised that the government would sincerely heed its falling support rate "as the voice of the people".

In other words, the tables could be turned if Abe takes a humble stance and seeks to make amends. Nor will the ruling Liberal Democratic Party give way to the opposition Democratic Party, which has failed to benefit from Abe's travails.
CHICAGO -- Brendt Christensen, the accused kidnapper of Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying, pleaded not guilty to charges against him on Thursday during his arraignment at a federal court in Midwest US state of Illinois.

The arraignment in federal courthouse in Urbana of Illinois lasted not more than five minutes, and Christensen broke his silence, speaking some time during the proceeding.

As expected, Christensen pleaded not guilty in his third appearance in less than three weeks in US Magistrate Judge Eric Long's crowded courtroom.

In a statement, Christensen's attorney Anthony Bruno said: "he's demanded a jury trial and he plans to persist in his plea of not guilty."

Asked about the worldwide attention the case has received, Bruno said: "bad things happen everywhere. Nowhere else in the US is a person from China more welcome."

Bruno said the case could go on a year or more.

US lawyer Wang Zhidong, who has been offering legal support to the Zhang family on a voluntary basis, said outside the court, "this result is not unexpected and the case enters into another stage."

Christensen's next pretrial hearing was set for 2:45 p.m. on August 28, and his trial date is set for Sept. 12.

FBI officials also say they don't believe that Zhang is alive at this point. Law enforcement agencies are still searching for Zhang's location.

Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), was last seen entering a black Saturn Astra car driven by 28-year-old Brendt Christensen on June 9.

Police arrested Christensen for kidnapping 26-year-old Zhang on June 30, but Zhang's location is still unknown.

The FBI believes Zhang is deceased, based on facts presented in court, court documents and other facts uncovered during the ongoing investigation.

Christensen was indicted on July 12 by a federal grand jury on a criminal charge related to Zhang's abduction. He has been remaining in custody since then.
India's President-elect Ram Nath Kovind arrives to attend a ceremony after his victory, in New Delhi, India July 20, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW DELHI - India's ruling National Democratic Alliance's contender Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday won the country's presidential election.

Kovind, a former governor of the eastern state of Bihar, got almost two-thirds of the votes to win over opposition nominee Meira Kumar, a former parliament speaker.

The 71-year-old will assume office as India's 14th president on July 25, when incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee's five-year term expires.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Kovind on his victory.

The presidential election was held on July 17. While a total of 4,896 lawmakers across the country, parliamentarians and legislators, were eligible to vote in the presidential poll, some 4,800 actually exercised their franchise.

The Indian president is the ceremonial head of state, who plays decisive roles only in case of a hung parliament after general elections.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has rejected parts of a recent US report, which said that "Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten US interests in Afghanistan."

The US state department's "Country Report on Terrorism 2016" released on Wednesday also claimed that "Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan."

The Pakistan foreign ministry Thursday disputed findings of the report and said the country has taken strong measures to fight terrorism.

"We have taken indiscriminate and all out action against terrorists. They are on the run. Most of them have fled to Afghanistan, the country which is in turmoil for the last 40 years, and due to which there are large ungoverned spaces being taken up by the terrorists," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said while commenting on the US report.

"As is evident from the statistics and media reports available, a considerable number of leaders and senior commanders of the Haqqani network and other terrorists have been killed inside Afghanistan," the spokesman said during his weekly briefing.

He said Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts have been met with success, and acknowledged by a number of countries including the United States.

To a question about Pakistan's role in the context of peace in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan has always whole-heartedly supported all efforts for reconciliation in the war-shattered country.
A foreign student from Tanzania experiences tactile paving in Hefei on May 15, 2017. [Photo/People's Daily]

China was praised for protecting rights of disabled people at 2017 Europe-China Human Rights Seminar. In the seminar, some scholars shared their research on protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.

The protection of social security for disabled people has become an important dimension in the rapid development of the protection of Chinese human rights. Meanwhile, it demonstrates China's effort to build a just and civilized society.

P.J. Peverelli, from Vrije Unveristy, said that the society has switched its view of disabled people from charity and medical science to human rights. Most of the signatory counties have approved "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," which helps improve human rights for the disabled and expand obligations of signatory counties. He hoped that every signatory country could set up a legal mechanism for protecting rights of disabled people.

Zhang Wanhong, vice director of the Institute for Human Rights Studies of Wuhan University, mentioned that China is the biggest developing country in the world and always gives development the top priority. The Chinese government has put forward five ideas of development-- innovation, coordination, green, opening up and sharing, which conforms to the trend of the times. The Chinese government and people of all sectors have worked hard to empower disabled people in China.
Discovery of stone tools pushes back estimates of when man reached Austrailia. AFP

SYDNEY - Ax heads and grinding stones from a cave in Australia's far north suggest humans reached the continent about 65,000 years ago - some 18,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to research published on Thursday.

A technique called luminescence dating was used to date the ancient tools, which were found in a rock shelter at the bottom of a cliff on the edge of a sandy savanna plain east of Darwin.

Finding a new minimum age for the arrival of humans pushes back the origins of Australia's aboriginal culture, the world's oldest continuous civilization, from around 47,000 years ago.

It also changes scientific understanding of the date humans migrated from Africa, the study's lead author, Chris Clarkson, told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.

Scientists believed that humans first left Africa between 100,000 years ago and 60,000 years ago, he said.

"Because Australia sits at the end of this migration route,... people must have left Africa earlier than this," he said.

It indicates they arrived before Australia's megafauna - giant wombats, kangaroos and lizards - went extinct.

Clarkson's paper was published in the journal Nature, which last month turned the understanding of human origins on its head with a study showing fossils discovered in Morocco to be 300,000 years old, 100,000 years older than any other human remains.

The Australian study dated 28,500 individual grains of sand from the site in the Northern Territory.

Reuters - Afp
WASHINGTON - The White House and Kremlin on Wednesday played down the significance of an additional, previously undisclosed meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin during this month's G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The two powers united in their condemnation of reports questioning why the meeting was not disclosed.

"Once again, the Russia fever has caught up with the media and everybody ran out and tried to create a story that simply didn't exist," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

That message was echoed by her Kremlin counterpart Dmitry Peskov. "The use of the terms 'secret' or 'confidential' for this meeting provokes absolute surprise and incomprehension."

The meeting had been "officially accepted" by diplomatic channels, he added in comments reported by the Russia's TASS news agency.

"There was no secret and confidential meeting," he said. "To say so is absolutely absurd."

Trump said on Wednesday that his second conversation with Putin was an exchange of "pleasantries" that lasted 15 minutes.

Speaking to The New York Times, Trump said that his wife, Melania, was seated next to Putin at the other end of a table at a couples-only social dinner during the summit. When the meal was going toward dessert, he approached Melania to "say hello" and then exchanged "pleasantries" with Putin.

Trump said he and Putin talked about the issue of adoptions between Russia and US.

After a brief greeting at the start of the two-day summit and a two-hour bilateral meeting with their foreign ministers on July 7, Trump and Putin also chatted over dinner on the final night of the summit, a US official said on Tuesday.

The White House confirmed the political sensitive sit-down only after it was leaked.

That raised questions about what the pair talked about, who was present and why the meeting was not previously mentioned.

The Trump administration has been besieged by allegations that the his advisers allegedly colluded with Russia to win the election.

Trump took to Twitter to blast the suggestion that there was anything improper about his dinner chat with Putin.

At the dinner in Hamburg, Trump was seated between the wife of the prime minister of Japan and the wife of the president of Argentina. US first lady Melania Trump was seated next to Putin.

According to a US official, "during the course of the dinner, all the leaders circulated throughout the room and spoke with one another freely".

"President Trump spoke with many leaders during the course of the evening. As the dinner was concluding, President Trump went over to Mrs Trump, where he spoke briefly with President Putin."

Afp - Xinhua
SYDNEY - The painstaking search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has uncovered a previously unknown undersea world of volcanoes, deep valleys and soaring ridges, according to detailed maps released by Australia.

Although no trace of the plane was found during the search in the southern Indian Ocean - the most expensive ever of its kind - large volumes of data showing a detailed picture of the sea floor had to be collected to guide the probe.

Scientists are hopeful the new maps will give their community greater insight into oceans. "It is estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of the world's oceans have been surveyed with the kind of technology used in the search for MH370," Geoscience Australia's environmental geoscience chief Stuart Minchin said late Wednesday.

"(That makes) this remote part of the Indian Ocean among the most thoroughly mapped regions of the deep ocean on the planet.

"So this data is unique both because of the remote location of the search area, and because of the sheer scale of the area surveyed."

Minchin said the maps would also be useful for future scientific research, such as oceanographic and habitat modeling.

Australia, Malaysia and China suspended the hunt in January, almost three years after the Boeing 777 disappeared with 239 people on board.

The hunt - based on satellite analysis of the jet's likely trajectory after it diverted from its flight path - covered a 120,000 square-kilometer designated zone, an area slightly smaller than England.

Two shipwrecks were discovered during the search but no trace of the plane, deepening one the most enduring mysteries of the aviation age.

However, the data revealed ridges 6-km-wide and 15-km-long that rise 1.5 km above the sea floor, as well as fault valleys 1.2 km deep and 5 km wide.

A second set of data will be released in mid-2018.

While the search for the missing plane has been called off, Canberra has said it could be restarted if new evidence about the specific location of the aircraft emerges.

"We remain hopeful that new information will come to light and that at some point in the future the aircraft will be located," Australia's Transport Minister Darren Chester said.

Australia's national science body CSIRO released a report in April confirming that MH370 was "most likely" north of the former search zone.

Three fragments from the plane have been recovered washed up on western Indian Ocean shores, including a two-meter wing part known as a flaperon found on La Reunion Island.

Speculation on the cause of the plane's disappearance has focused primarily on possible hijacking, rogue pilot action or mechanical failure, but nothing has yet been proved.

Afp - Reuters

(China Daily 07/21/2017 page11)
TEHERAN, Iran - The country said on Wednesday that it will stand up to the United States and retaliate for any new sanctions that Washington imposes on the Islamic republic.

President Hassan Rouhani's remarks came a day after the Donald Trump administration announced new, non-nuclear sanctions while at the same time warning Teheran that it would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the nuclear deal with world powers.

Washington slapped sanctions on Tuesday on 18 entities and individuals linked to Iran's ballistic missile program and other non-nuclear activities.

Washington says Iran's ballistic missile launches are threats to US interests.

On Wednesday, Beijing called for mutual trust and responsibility from all sides to safeguard and carry out the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

"Effective international cooperation relies on necessary mutual trust by all sides," said Lu Kang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

If Washington, under any pretext, imposes new sanctions against Iran, "we will stand up to the United States", Rouhani said, adding that the "great nation of Iran will have an appropriate answer" and the Iranian Parliament will also act.

He did not elaborate. His speech, at a Cabinet meeting, was broadcast on state TV.

Rouhani, a political moderate who secured a resounding re-election in May, has been increasingly outspoken against the US, calling relations with Washington "a curvy road" even as he touts the nuclear accord.

The Trump administration on Monday confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the nuclear deal, but warned it would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the accord, a reference to Iran's continued pursuit of a ballistic missile program.

Rouhani speculated that such statements seek to dissuade Iran from continuing to comply with the nuclear deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran has lived up to its nuclear commitments.

"This plot will never succeed," he added. "We will always remain loyal to our international commitments."

'Mean and pointless'

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the latest sanctions on Tuesday, calling them "mean and pointless", and said it will retaliate. Iran in April and May imposed reciprocal sanctions on dozens of US companies and individuals, alleging they support terrorism and repression against people in the region such as the Palestinians.

Later on Wednesday, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, warned the US against imposing sanctions on the paramilitary group.

"If the US intends to pursue sanctions on the Guard, it should first disassemble its military bases within 1,000 kilometers," Jafari was quoted as saying by state TV, apparently referring to the range of Iranian missiles.

Ap - Xinhua - China Daily
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By WANG LINYAN in New York and ZHANG RUINAN in Urbana, Illinois | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-07-21 11:44

A local resident holds a sign to show support to Zhang and her family outside the US district court in Urbana, Illinois on Thursday.ZHANG RUINAN / FOR China Daily

URBANA, Illinois  A man accused of kidnapping Chinese visiting scholar Zhang Yingying will face trial on Sept 12 after he pleaded not guilty on Thursday in federal court.

Brendt Christensen, 28, of Champaign, who has a master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was indicted eight days ago after his arrest on June 30 on a charge of kidnapping Zhang, 26, who attended the same school.

Zhang has not been seen since she was captured by security camera entering the passenger seat of the car of the suspect on June 9. Police believe that she is no longer alive.

Unlike two prior hearings, Christensen spoke at the brief proceeding. He said he took the drug Klonopin, an antidepressant, when asked by US Magistrate Judge Eric Long if he took any medication in the Macon County Jail, where he is being kept without bail.

He said that the medication did not affect his ability to understand the charges against him, according to The News-Gazette.

Anthony Bruno, one of Christensen's attorneys, said after the proceeding that the defendant has demanded a jury trial and "plans to persist in his plea of not guilty".

Bruno said the defense will receive discovery information in the next few weeks from the US attorney's office.

"I think this case could go on a year or more," he said.

No new evidence was presented at the hearing on Thursday, which was attended by Zhang's family members. A pretrial hearing was set for Aug 28.

Wang Zhidong, a lawyer representing members of Zhang's family, said he is certain the trial will be delayed.

"The Speedy Trial Act (1974) requires that a trial must be set within 70 days, but either side might file motions requesting more time," Wang said.

"The investigation is still ongoing, and both prosecutors and defense attorneys may have discoveries," Wang said. "Prosecutors have some pieces of evidence that haven't gone public."

Wang said that after the arraignment Thursday, Judge Long would pass the case to US District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce.

A former US attorney in the Central District of Illinois before becoming a judge, Bruce handled more than 600 cases in federal court, including 60 jury trials and 80 appeals. He was nominated for the District Court by President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the US Senate the same year.

Wang also said Zhang's family members would not return to China without her and are hopeful they will bring her home.

Liu Jun, acting Chinese consul general in Chicago, who attended the arraignment, said the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago will follow the case closely and continue to provide assistance to Zhang's family.

"We urge the police to make this case a priority, mobilize all resources and think outside of the box to find Yingying as soon as possible," Liu said. "The case is not ordinary; it has drawn great attention from the Chinese government and people."

"We hope the Justice Department will conduct a fair trial and bring justice to Zhang's family," he said.

According to Liu, Zhang's mother will not come to the US in the short term because she has been sick and has suffered a lot from her daughter's disappearance.
A female suicide bomber on July 17 killed at least eight people when she detonated explosives at a mosque in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri. The bombing is the latest in a spate of attacks by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram this month that have killed at least 43 people in the city.

Danbatta Bello, a spokesman for the civilian defense force, said two girls were strapped with explosives, but one got stuck in barbed wire in a ditch near the area. Bello said officials from the civilian defense force chased after the second girl.

She rushed to the mosque and detonated the second bomb, Bello said. The first girl blew up where she was trapped.

The explosion, which brought down the mosque, killed at least eight people and wounded 13. Bello said security officials killed two other female suicide bombers in another part of the city around the same time as the mosque attack.

The Nigerian military late last year said it had crushed the extremist group, but its sporadic attacks persist and have heightened in the past month.

On July 12, four suicide bombers killed 19 people and injured 23 others in Maiduguri when they first attacked civilian defense forces and then civilians who came out to mourn the dead. On July 3, Boko Haram militants raided the village of Ngalewa in southern Niger, 30 miles from the Nigerian border. Witnesses said the militants killed at least eight people and kidnapped about 40 women and children.

This week, Boko Haram released an unverified video of 10 kidnapped women calling on the government not to forget about them. The women were likely abducted in a June attack when the militants ambushed a 200-vehicle convoy on a highway connecting Maiduguri to the town of Damboa. Another video released earlier this month showed the public execution of eight men in northeastern Nigeria. Agence France-Presse reported one man who donned a white turban told the gathering villagers that the people facing execution were apostates who have left the fold of Islam. He warned the villagers of a similar fate should they defy the enforced Sharia law.

Martin Ewi, an analyst with South Africabased Institute for Security Studies, confirmed terror attacks, especially in Maiduguri, have stepped up in the past month. Ewi said the killings signal that Boko Haram now has more opportunities to attack.

It has either gathered strength, or the other party has relaxed, he said, referring to a decline in security efforts in the area.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: July 21, 2017
Though many churches regularly engage in one or multiple forms of community service, not many Americans seem to be aware of those good works, according to a study released on Thursday.

The LifeWay Research study found that among 1,000 Americans, 60 percent have heard of churches feeding the hungry, and half have heard of churches clothing the poor, but not many have heard of churches engaging in the 11 other service acts that were listed in the survey.

For instance, 39 percent knew of churches that help disaster victims, and 33 percent knew of churches sheltering the homeless.

Even less knew of churches that meet with people in prison (25 percent), offer after-school programs (24 percent), support local schools (21 percent), provide aid for new mothers (19 percent), offer tutoring (16 percent), teach English to immigrants (13 percent), teach job skills (13 percent), or volunteer to provide foster care (12 percent).

The least known service that churches offer was providing tax preparation (8 percent).

Meanwhile, some havent heard of any of these services (14 percent), while some werent sure if they had heard of them before (17 percent).

Unless youve received help from a church  or been involved in serving others  these kinds of programs may fly under the radar, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

In contrast, those who attend church more regularly were much more likely to have heard of these programs.

For instance, 79 percent of those who attend church at least once a month have heard of churches that feed the hungry, and 72 percent have heard of churches clothing the poor. More than half (58 percent) have heard of churches offering disaster relief aid, and almost half (48 percent) have heard of churches that meet with people in prison.

McConnell noted that perhaps the lack of awareness of churches service projects may cause members in the community to miss out on opportunities.

People who need help may be missing out, he said. And Americans who want to lend a hand might miss the chance to help out and along the way connect with the church.
Perseverance of the Faith-based Community Pushes Investment Pioneer, Timothy Plan, Over $1B



ORLANDO, Fla., July 20, 2017 /



"I didn't allow myself to dream about reaching milestones like this when we launched in 1994. The purpose of Timothy Plan is to provide Christian and principled investors the opportunity to earn competitive returns, while aligning their investments with the Biblical principles in which they believe," said Arthur Ally, President of Timothy Partners, LTD and founder of Timothy Plan. The first of its kind, Timothy Plan was started in 1994 when Art Ally, then a financial advisor, was tasked with starting a retirement plan for non-denominational pastors. What he experienced, when undertaking that task, shocked the financial veteran.



"I couldn't find any funds or investment products that employed Biblical screens of the companies in which they invest. We had pastors preaching on Sundays about how we need to stand against the increasing number of abortions, or the infiltration of pornographic material into our society, but then were funding their retirement plans with the stocks of companies that were directly supporting these two industries. When I showed this to them, they were shocked."



Timothy Plan screens all their investments to make certain that the companies in which they invest do not have ties to anything contrary to a traditional, conservative interpretation of Biblical principles. At the time of launch, there were no other funds or investment vehicles that comprehensively screened their investments for religious principles. Now, there are other faith funds, green funds and socially responsible funds. There are even "sin" funds that stand in direct contrast to the purpose of Timothy Plan. While other funds have been quicker to reach the $1 billion watermark, Timothy Plan has weathered the storm of the recession and was built upon its own success, without the backing of a mainline church denomination.



"There may be other funds that screen, and I am glad that we started a movement to align investments with belief. But, none of that matters if a person's heart isn't right with God. What I can promise is that Timothy Plan will never compromise on its original mission, and I believe that is what God asks of us. Today is not about Timothy Plan, nor is any other day. Today is about realizing the amazing things that can happen when individuals are willing to change an aspect of their lives to further the Kingdom of God."  Arthur Ally, President & Founder, Timothy Partners, LTD, Timothy Plan



Share Tweet Contact: Stephen Ally, Timothy Plan , 407-644-1986ORLANDO, Fla., July 20, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Timothy Partners, LTD (Orlando, FL), manager and adviser of Timothy Plan, announced on Thursday, July 20th that the family of funds has eclipsed $1 billion in assets under management (AUM). This is a milestone moment for any packaged investment product, but for the family of mutual funds that started an entire movement, it is particularly special."I didn't allow myself to dream about reaching milestones like this when we launched in 1994. The purpose of Timothy Plan is to provide Christian and principled investors the opportunity to earn competitive returns, while aligning their investments with the Biblical principles in which they believe," said Arthur Ally, President of Timothy Partners, LTD and founder of Timothy Plan. The first of its kind, Timothy Plan was started in 1994 when Art Ally, then a financial advisor, was tasked with starting a retirement plan for non-denominational pastors. What he experienced, when undertaking that task, shocked the financial veteran."I couldn't find any funds or investment products that employed Biblical screens of the companies in which they invest. We had pastors preaching on Sundays about how we need to stand against the increasing number of abortions, or the infiltration of pornographic material into our society, but then were funding their retirement plans with the stocks of companies that were directly supporting these two industries. When I showed this to them, they were shocked."Timothy Plan screens all their investments to make certain that the companies in which they invest do not have ties to anything contrary to a traditional, conservative interpretation of Biblical principles. At the time of launch, there were no other funds or investment vehicles that comprehensively screened their investments for religious principles. Now, there are other faith funds, green funds and socially responsible funds. There are even "sin" funds that stand in direct contrast to the purpose of Timothy Plan. While other funds have been quicker to reach the $1 billion watermark, Timothy Plan has weathered the storm of the recession and was built upon its own success, without the backing of a mainline church denomination."There may be other funds that screen, and I am glad that we started a movement to align investments with belief. But, none of that matters if a person's heart isn't right with God. What I can promise is that Timothy Plan will never compromise on its original mission, and I believe that is what God asks of us. Today is not about Timothy Plan, nor is any other day. Today is about realizing the amazing things that can happen when individuals are willing to change an aspect of their lives to further the Kingdom of God."  Arthur Ally, President & Founder, Timothy Partners, LTD, Timothy Plan
The Baytown Police department recently arrested four individuals as part of a citywide effort to crack down on sex offenders.

Authorities made unannounced visits to 123 addresses where sex offenders live to ensure they were complying with registration requirements.
The Canadian government plans to install 34 battery-powered charging stations for electric vehicles along eastern stretches of the Trans-Canada Highway, using technology from a Dallas-based subsidiary of Swiss company Leclanche North America.

The Canadian government will spend more than $25 million funding the project, which will install the stations in early 2018 along a 1,860 mile stretch through the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. The installation will be overseen by Leclanche and eCAMION, a Toronto-based energy storage company.

The lithium ion battery stations will be able to charge three electric vehicles at a time. The batteries offer faster charging for cars -- cars will be fully charged in 20 minutes, instead of after six to eight hours.

The United States has 43,746 charging stations for electric vehicles around the country, according to a list of public stations kept by the U.S. Department of Energy. Texas has hundreds of stations scattered around the state.

This legislative session Texas lawmakers restored a rebate program for Texans who buy electric vehicles. The Texas Emissions Reduction Program, which promotes clean air, includes a $2,500 rebate for electric-car buyers, who are also eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. The rebate goes into effect on Sept. 1, when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will start developing rules for the program.

RELATED: Abbott signs electric car rebate into law

In the meantime, the commission doesn't have guidelines for what cars will qualify for the rebate, nor does it have any guidelines for when qualifying cars will have to be purchased, according to a spokeswoman from the program.

The agency's rule making for the program will be open to the public and might include a public comment period. For the time being, applications to receive a rebate are not open, and will likely not be open until next year.

More information will be posted at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/terp.
A new set of villains is poised to enter "Narcos" in season 3, and it's very likely you've never heard of them before.

The Cali Cartel, one of the Medellin's main rivals in Colombia, will be front and center come September 1.
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A Houston man is on the hook for $65,000 in child support for a child that's not his.

Gabriel Cornejo, 45, took a DNA test proving a child his ex-girlfriend had 16 years ago was not his.

The test was too late. In 2003, a child support court in Houston ruled that Cornejo owed his ex-girlfriend child support because, she claims, there was no way he wasn't the father.

HARD STOP: Rule denying car registration to parents who don't pay child support generates $1.17 million

(Story continues below...)

Now Playing: A man in Texas is on the hook for $65,000 in back child support payments for a daughter who is not his own. According to Texas family code, payments accrued before a paternity test still must be paid. Video: New York Post

At the crux of why Cornejo must pay up is Texas' family code, chapter 161, which states, even if you're not the biological father, you still owe child support that accrued before the DNA test proves you're not the father, Cornejo's lawyer Cheryl Coleman told Chron.com.

"I've researched the records and found that there is an issue with the service where they served him back in 2002," Coleman said. "There are some anomalies with how this case handled by the attorney general's office. He was never served with those documents in 2002 when the actual paternity petition was filed against him."

In further support of why Cornejo is on the line for the child support is a claim from the ex-girlfriend that the child support started coming out from Cornejo's paycheck without his objection.

'There were three garnishments of $31 each when he worked at a dealership. He's never gotten a letter from the state of Texas," Coleman said. "At issue is he's still not the father. Nobody is disputing that. The mother is not disputing that."

DON'T FORGET: New tool to penalize late child support payment

Cornejo is now married and has three children.

A request for comment has been placed with the lawyer representing the ex-girlfriend.
When driving around Houston, it often feels as if a giant Monopoly board was dropped on the floor and someone hastily placed the hotels and houses together on random properties.

This is the blessing and curse of Houston's lack of zoning laws. Often, businesses and houses coexist on the same street. Other times, disruptive buildings or even facilities like concrete plants can be built right next to homes or parks.
The first China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue is held in Washington July 19, 2017. [Xinhua]

At a higher point than seen in the recent past, U.S.-China relations have continued to move ahead positively, as seen in the first round of the China-U.S. Comprehensive Economic Dialogue.

Announced soon after the recent G20 Summit, these talks have re-affirmed the commitment by President Xi and President Trump to work together on healthy and stable economic ties, as global multi-polarity has encouraged the two major economic powers to adopt an inter-active stance.

Definitely a positive development, resumption of regular dialogue between the U.S. and China signals a more normal and secure relationship, even though China maintains a more broad-based, open approach while the U.S. still adheres to a more inward, inclusive stance.

The presidential talks in April decided to establish a mechanism consisting of four separate channels of communication. The Diplomatic and Security Dialogue was proposed as an upgraded version of the previous Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Enhancing this dialogue to focus on the main key strategic issues with more puissance, the plan was to hold this discussion first and separately from the other three dialogues to follow later this year.

On the finance and economy side, senior Trump administration officials would like to secure more American corporate access to China along with lessening barriers to sales of American products.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has said: "We must create more balance in our trade by increasing exports of made-in-America goods to China, and there are significant opportunities if we can work together to remove the significant barriers that exist."

Carrying forward this detailed dialogue in the presence of Trump son-in-law and senior presidential advisor Jared Kushner, gradual progress in resolving issues can be expected based on a realistic approach.

Vice Premier Wang Yang has urged an optimistic attitude, saying, "Dialogue cannot immediately address all differences, but confrontation will immediately damage the interests of both sides."

An encouraging step has been the re-opening of Chinas market for enhanced American trade and some access to the financial services sector by America companies, and further ground will be covered in the current dialogue.

Longer-term trade and global concerns will be worked out through this new platform to address main issues like steel trade friction. High tariffs imposed on Chinese steel products seeking to enter the American market have undoubtedly hurt China's iron and steel enterprises.

Not only that, the biggest prevailing trade irritants still have to be sorted out, such as the demand that China cut excess capacity in steel and aluminium production, address the lack of broad access for U.S. firms to China's financial services market, and U.S. national security curbs on high-tech exports to China.

Addressing the chronic trade deficit with China remains the Trump administrations top priority, but many other issues also need to be sorted out and synchronized to achieve the best results.

Commenting on the 100-day talks that have just ended, Douglas Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believed, "The results so far to improve trade and investment appear to have been more constructive than many critics expected, [and it] is possible there will be further progress at the CED."

Regarding economic friction as a vibrant, healthy sign, Philipp Rosler, head of Regional and Government Engagement and member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum, recently observed: Admittedly, there are discussions about frictions between the Chinese and American economies. However, it shouldn't be overlooked that the same discussions also exist between the E.U. and the U.S., concerning subsidies, dumping and airline access.

Yet, they still have good relations, good trade relations in particular. What I would like to say is that negotiation is part of the normal relationship in business terms. Maybe sometimes there are tough discussions, but it's still part of normal negotiations.the entire picture shows a strong trade and business relationship and that's for the good."

Opening their markets in tandem, America and China have made a positive start which reflects the resolve of President Xi evident in his speech at the World Economic Forum in favor of global trade, as well as promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Notwithstanding initial glitches, endless possibilities lie ahead if these two global economic powers wish to work together. There is always room for healthy competition even though the U.S. tends to focus more on the domestic scene.

Jacob Parker, vice president of China operations at the U.S.-China Business Council in Beijing, believes concentrated efforts are required to achieve a significant breakthrough, saying that what has appeared already "is an excellent momentum builder, but much more needs to be done for the commercial negotiations to be considered a success."

The author is a geopolitical analyst at think tank Katehon, Pakistan.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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An accomplished Texas neurosurgeon's resume may be impressive, but a closer look at her history reveals a series of troubling run-ins with the law.

Dr. Melissa Macias of Corpus Christi was recently featured by KRISTV, revealing the health professional's three prior DWI convictions.

Macias, who is currently employed by the South Texas Brain & Spine Center, was arrested for drunk driving in Wisconsin in March of last year and again in 2014 and 1991.

TEXAS DOCTOR: Stepdaughter of doctor charged in seven overdose deaths found in Texas creek

Video footage of Macias's most recent DWI arrest shows her making a phone call from jail the morning she was scheduled to perform two surgeries.

"Call the office at 8 a.m. and tell them that I've had...I don't know f***ing what to say," Macias said during the call.

Footage also shows Macias interacting with a police officer the moment she was pulled over.

"Guys look, I am a neurosurgeon here," Macias said to the lawman while wearing scrubs, struggling to successfully pass a sobriety test.

CHARGED: Houston doctor, clinic manager at alleged pill mill among hundreds indicted by strike force

Earlier that night, police said Macias visited a hair salon, acted belligerently and knocked over a display.

Macias is one of four surgeons employed with the South Texas Brain & Spine Center. One patient told KRISTV she's worried by Macias because she has "people's lives in her hands."

Click through above to see the weirdest reasons Texans have been arrested in 2017.
A 16-year-old Pasadena resident and her grandfather were reportedly attacked by a monkey in the city of South Houston one evening this week.

According to reports, Mike and Mariah Schliesing were driving near Austin and Iowa on Tuesday evening in South Houston.

The teen said she was riding in the passenger seat of her grandfathers vehicle when the two saw what they believed to be a monkey on the street.

As I got closer, I said, Hey! Thats a monkey, the grandfather said.

He pulled over and rolled down Mariahs window in order to get a photo of the primate, but the monkey unexpectedly became aggressive.

It hops onto the window of the truck and I was scared and it jumped on me, Mariah said in an ABC-13 interview. It was so fast. He just hopped up, took up the whole space and thats when he bared his teeth. It happened so fast.

Story continues below ...

Mariah suffered scratches on her head, neck and shoulder.

Her grandfather was able to scare the monkey out of the vehicle.

I mean, I hollered and I hit it right in the head, he said, right in the face, and I knocked it out the window.

Following the incident, Schliesing called the South Houston police department to alert authorities.

"We did send an officer out to the location, but (Schliesing) was already in contact with our animal control officer," said Captain Eddie Martin, public information officer for the South Houston police department. "We did look for the monkey, but were unable to find it. Our animal control department will continue to look for it."

It is not clear at this time where the primate came from, who may have owned it, what type of primate it is or how it might have gotten loose.

Cities surrounding South Houston, such as Houston, Pasadena and Deer Park, have directives in their city charter disallowing the ownership of exotic pets, some specifically naming monkeys among the list of restricted animals. South Houston's charter restricts ownership of livestock, but makes no mention of it being illegal to own monkeys within the city limits.

The South Houston humane department is currently searching for the monkey, but, as of Thursday night, had not found it. It is unclear at this time what type of monkey it is.

Officials warn residents not to approach the monkey if it is spotted, but instead call in its location to the South Houston Humane department at 713-944-1910

"Obviously if you see a loose animal, it's not a good idea to approach it  whether they think that animal is domesticated or not  it's not a good idea to approach a stray dog either," said Martin, "because there's always a risk of rabies. I wouldn't recommend people engage with the animal if they see it. The best thing to do is err on the side of caution, call our animal control department and have them come collect the animal."
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My latest Greater Houston column, which questioned the premise that bringing mass transportation service into a community causes increased crime, prompted critical emails from several readers who live or have lived in neighborhoods along FM 1960 in northwest Harris County. These readers are convinced that the extension of Metro bus service to that area led to deteriorating conditions.

Some readers also laid blame on apartment developments, drawing a connection between apartments and mass transit.

"Who rides the buses?" a man who said he had lived in the area since 1976 asked in an email to me. "Only people from the apartments."

For this and other reasons, this reader wrote, "no professional families with children move into our neighborhoods, they go to The Woodlands."

It's certainly true that The Woodlands, a master-planned community in southern Montgomery County, is flourishing while the FM 1960 area struggles. And The Woodlands does not have local bus service, although it does have a busy park and ride service, The Woodlands Express, that brings commuters into Houston every weekday. Metro started its 86 FM 1960 route in September 1990.

But correlation is not causation, as anyone who has ever taken a statistics course knows. Let's examine some other possible reasons why The Woodlands is faring better than the FM 1960 area:

-- Starting conditions: When the late George P. Mitchell opened The Woodlands in 1974, he had an advantage over most suburban developers: His company owned the entire site, which now covers some 44 square miles. This made it possible to achieve a consistent design as the development gradually built out over the next four decades.

The FM 1960 area, in contrast, includes numerous subdivisions built at different times by different developers to serve different segments of the market. It's a hodgepodge.

-- Design standards: The Woodlands and FM 1960 are both in unincorporated areas, which means there is no city government to impose zoning or other land-use controls. But The Woodlands, through restrictive covenants, has imposed strict design standards for residential and commercial property. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is restrictions on signs that prevented the visual clutter evident along FM 1960.

-- Amenities: Tree-shaded hike and bike paths wind through The Woodlands, parks and green space are plentiful, and an attractive town center provides a focal point and gathering place for activity. Few of these features exist in the neighborhoods along FM 1960.

Community leaders are working hard to improve conditions in the FM 1960 area, but they lack many of the tools that helped make The Woodlands successful. They've got a lot more to worry about than buses and apartments.
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A pastor in Montgomery County has been arrested and charged with prostitution.

Eddie Hilburn, a pastor at The Woodlands First Baptist Church, was arrested Wednesday by the Harris County Sheriff's Office and charged with prostitution, the office said.

The 52-year-old joined the church in July 2012 and was a senior pastor, according to the church's website.

BUSTED: DPS Trooper arrested on prostitution charge

(Story continues below...)

Hilburn was arrested Wednesday after he paid an undercover sheriff's deputy $80 for sexual activities, ABC 13 reported. The church is still gathering information on Hilburn's arrest.

STUNG: Harris County police arrest 16 in anti-prostitution operation near FM 1960, I-45

"We can assure you that a statement will be issued once all facts are known, and administration has had an opportunity to review them," the church said in a statement. "We appreciate your patience in the meantime, and we continue to look to God for guidance."

According to the church's website, Hilburn is married with three adult children. He attended East Texas Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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A Dutch designer has teamed up with Chinese bike-sharing company Ofo to develop a bicycle that filters pollution out of the air as it is ridden.

The "smog-free bikes" will first roll out in China, before they are made available in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.

Daan Roosegaarde, head of Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde, is in China working on a prototype with engineers and designers from Ofo, Tongji University, and Chinese design platform Tezign. The team hopes to have a functioning model completed by the end of the year.

"The final goal is to have around 2.5 million 'smog-free bicycles' in a city like Beijing, to help reduce pollution between 5 and 15 percent in the coming two years," said Roosegaarde.

He has met with local authorities and developers in London regarding other clean-air projects, and said bringing the bikes to the UK and the Netherlands is part of the project's long-term plans.

Ofo, founded by 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur Dai Wei, has rolled out its dockless bike-sharing system in Cambridge and is in talks with other British cities to make its bikes more widely available.

Roosegaarde said the aim is to have the Ofo bike fleet use air-cleaning technology similar to that used in the 7-meter "smog-free tower" that he made and toured the Netherlands and China with last year.

"Dai Wei is really keen on adding value to the bikes," Roosegaarde said. "They are looking at smart locks, communication with the user, air quality measurement devices on the bikesinnovation is moving them forward."

The bikes will be mounted with a device at the front that sucks in air, removing particulate matter through the ionization process. Impurities that are too small to be caught by conventional filters, including nanoparticles, are positively charged and attracted to a negatively charged surface. Clean air would be funneled out the back of the device toward the rider's face.

"Take a balloon and polish it with your hand to produce staticit's the same principle," Roosegaarde said. "This is the only way of cleaning large volumes in a safe, energy efficient, in-depth way. Filters don't catch the small particles and they use a lot of electricity. This kind of technology is already used indoors in places like hospitalswe are taking it outdoors."

Roosegaarde said such a device could be built for vehicles, however he hopes the project will encourage city-dwellers to switch their cars for bikes.

The team will also decide how best to dispose of or recycle the smog particles collected by the devices. Some of the particulate matter captured by the air-cleaning tower was used to make "smog jewelry", such as rings.

"The project is about the dream of clean air," Roosegaarde said. "We made the tower, and ideas grow. Our latest adventure is the bicycle and we are very happy to work with Ofo."
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The world's largest "dark market" on the Internet, AlphaBay, has been shut down, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) said Thursday.

The U.S. DOJ said in a statement that the so-called dark web marketeplace AlphaBay has been used to sell deadly illegal drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, stolen and fraudulent identification documents and access devices, counterfeit goods, malware and other computer hacking tools, firearms, and toxic chemicals since its creation in 2014.

In order to hide the locations of its servers and the identities of its administrators, moderators, and users, the website operated as a hidden service on the Tor network and utilized cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, it said.

"This is likely one of the most important criminal investigations of this entire year," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a press conference announcing the takedown.

"Make no mistake, the forces of law and justice face a new challenge from the criminals and transnational criminal organizations who think they can commit their crimes with impunity by 'going dark,'" said Sessions.

"This case, pursued by dedicated agents and prosecutors, says you are not safe. You cannot hide. We will find you, dismantle your organization and network, and we will prosecute you," he said.

According to the U.S. DOJ, AlphaBa serviced over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors and, around the time of takedown, there were over 250,000 listings for illegal drugs and toxic chemicals on the website, and over 100,000 listings for stolen and fraudulent identification documents and access devices, counterfeit goods, malware and other computer hacking tools, firearms and fraudulent services.

Comparatively, Silk Road, the largest dark web marketplace before Alpha Bay, which was seized in November 2013, had reportedly approximately 14,000 listings for illicit goods and services at the time of seizure, the department said.

On July 5, Alexandre Cazes, a 25-year-old Canadian citizen residing in Thailand, was arrested by Thai authorities for creating and running AlphaBay.

One week later, Cazes apparently took his own life while in custody in Thailand, the U.S. DOJ said.

An ongoing investigation also found an AlphaBay staffer living in the United States, but the U.S. DOJ revealed no further details.

The operation to seize the AlphaBay site was led by the United States and contributed by law enforcement authorities in Thailand, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, as well as the European law enforcement agency Europol.

The crackdown coincided with efforts by Dutch law enforcement to investigate and take down Hansa, the third largest criminal marketplace on the dark web which trades similarly high volumes in illicit drugs and other commodities.
 Flash

The participants took group photo in the ASEAN-China Day Fair at Beijing Yuetan Yali Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre on July 20, 2017. [File photo]

The ASEAN China Centre (ACC) held the 2017 ASEAN-China Day Fair on Thursday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN and enhance ASEAN-China people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

ACC Secretary-General Yang Xiuping's welcoming remarks were read to the participants including Soegeng Raharjo, ambassador of Indonesia to China; Tian Yan, Standing Vice President of Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Li Yi, the deputy head of Beijing Xicheng District and representatives from ASEAN countries to China.

Madame Yang said that the ASEAN, founded in 1967, is now actively implementing Vision 2025 to elevate and deepen the relationship among ASEAN countries. This year ASEAN has organized a series of celebratory activities and launched "Visit ASEAN@50: Golden Celebration" campaign to showcase the beautiful landscape and rich culture and tradition of ASEAN.

In recent years, people-to-people and cultural exchanges have become a new bright spot in ASEAN-China relations. 2015 was the Year of Maritime Cooperation, 2016 was the Year of Educational Exchange, and this year is the Year of Tourism Cooperation.

As of 2016, the number of exchange students between ASEAN and China surpassed 200,000 and the number of bilateral visits approached a record high of 32 million. China has set up four Chinese cultural centers, 32 Confucius Institutes and 35 Confucius Classrooms in ASEAN countries.

In May, all 10 ASEAN countries actively took part in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. The participants agreed to further strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, encourage dialogue and exchanges among different civilizations and to promote tourism development among other partnerships.

These measures will help promote people-to-people connectivity and deepen practical cooperation between not only China and ASEAN but also China and the rest of the world.
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Seventeen-year-old Messiah Breaux broke down sobbing in a Harris County courtroom Friday as prosecutors told the judge he confessed to fatally shooting his younger brother at the boy's 14th birthday party.

His mother, 33-year-old Ellen Breaux also sobbed as they stood together in court, handcuffed and in orange jail uniforms, charged with an unrelated armed robbery several weeks before the slaying.

Ellen Breaux's sister, Juliette Jackson of Humble, said she is hurt and angry that family members didn't know what really happened to 14-year-old O'Cyrus Breaux.

"I'm your sister, you could have told me the truth," Juliette Jackson said Friday.

She said she doesn't know what sparked the gunfire, but speculated: "I don't think he meant to kill him."

CONFESSION: Brother reportedly drops bombshell in case

The Humble woman said she plans to visit her nephew in jail, even though she's angry at him and his mother for the events of the past week.

"There has to be justice for O'Cyrus," she said, adding that her family is still struggling to get together money to transport the boy's body back to his native New Orleans for a funeral. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help offset the costs.

Story continues below ...

Mother and son were in court Friday after being accused in a June 23 armed robbery.

Prosecutor Casey Goodman said Messiah Breaux gave a voluntarily statement about the shooting while being questioned about the robbery.

"Messiah Breaux confessed to shooting his brother," Goodman told the judge.

Goodman did not give a motive or any explanation for what may have happened. After the brief hearing, Goodman declined to give any details, including whether the shooting may have been accidental.

After hearing that more charges may come, state District Judge Michael McSpadden raised the bail for Messiah Breaux from $50,000 to no bond.

The decision led both mother and son to sob and rock back and forth as they stood, handcuffed and wearing orange jail uniforms. McSpadden chastised Ellen Breaux during the outburst.

"There will be none of those theatrics," McSpadden cautioned.

McSpadden appointed defense attorney Chuck Hinton to represent Messiah Breaux. Mike Stone was appointed to represent his mother.

The two face up to life in prison if convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

In the robbery, the Breauxs are accused of pulling a gun on a man and taking his money and white pick-up truck. Two men allegedly pistol whipped the man after Ellen Breaux drove them to the scene in a red SUV.

After hearing that more charges may come, state District Judge Michael McSpadden raised the bail for Messiah Breaux from $50,000 to no bond.

Police were able to track the truck to the family's home using GPS, but prosecutors Friday declined to say who the third man is or whether he has been detained.

The investigation of the shooting has been complicated because witnesses initially claimed the bullet came from nowhere, prompting police to probe the possibility that the gunfire may have been connected to a nearby robbery.

A day after the shooting, Ellen Breaux tearfully recalled the shock of finding her boy shot after the birthday party, about 2 a.m. early Monday.

"We all jumped," she said at the time. "Before I could even put my shoes on, I could hear the kids hollering, 'He's shot!'"

Jackson, the aunt, said Friday she plans to visit Messiah in jail.

"At the end of the day, it's still my family," she said. "Maybe the state can teach him something his mother couldn't. Maybe, like O'Cyrus, he's just a victim of his circumstances."

brian.rogers@chron.com

twitter.com/brianjrogers
LAREDO, Texas (AP)  Prosecutors say a former high-ranking member of the Zetas cartel in Mexico must serve 30 years in a U.S. prison and forfeit $10 million for his drug-related crimes.

Ivan Velasquez-Caballero of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was sentenced Friday by a federal judge in Laredo. Officials say the 47-year-old Velasquez-Caballero is expected to face deportation following his release from prison.
AUSTIN -- Legislators will listen to constituents who want to weigh in on the hot issues in Texas.

But first, you've got to get their attention and let them know how you feel.

And that takes persistence, said Sean Theriault, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

"It's not one call that makes a difference," Theriault said. "It's the phone ringing all day and these legislators going home and seeing these people at the grocery store that really starts to make a difference."

Persistent Texans will be out in force Friday morning in and around the Capitol as the state Senate begins three days of potentially explosive hearings on everything from the bathroom bill to abortion to property taxes and school finance. Hearings are scheduled as early as 8 a.m. Friday and as late as Sunday afternoon.

Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, said interacting with his constituents is always a priority.

"They're the only bosses we have," Reynolds said. "We don't technically have to answer to the Governor or the Lieutenant Governor or the Speaker. We have to answer to our constituents because they have the ability to hire and fire ... The issues that are important to them are important to me."

There's a multitude of ways for Texans to connect with their state legislators: Rallies, protests, phone calls, meetings and even a simple letter in the mail.

The Houston Chronicle has compiled some information and tips to help you get your voice heard.

Finding who represents you

First, you need to figure out who to contact.

If you aren't sure what district you live in, this website is a great resource to figure out exactly who represents you. It also provides your legislator's contact information, as well as Capitol and district addresses. A district map is another resource for determining who represents what. Even with 181 state legislators spread across a heavily gerrymandered state, this can still help you make sense of where everyone is located.

Capitol events

If a simple phone call or meeting isn't enough for you, there are rallies and protests scheduled at the Texas Capitol throughout the special session. This calendar lists all scheduled events on the Capitol grounds. Take a look, and get involved in events that matter to you.

Social media

Websites like Twitter and Facebook have more to offer than memes and videos of kittens. Legislators will often post updates of the work they're doing on their pages which will allow you to stay up-to-date at all times. Many rallies and protests are also planned on social media, making it the perfect place for grassroots politics.

Texas Legislature Online

The ultimate resource for political junkies, Texas Legislature Online allows you to follow the legislative process as it happens. You can look up individual bills, check out the various calendars and even set alerts on legislation that matters to you. It also provides links to the separate House and Senate websites where you can watch live streams of committee hearings and even the House and Senate floors.

Contacting Houston-area legislators

Knowing how to reach your legislator is the most important resource you have. Below is the contact information for every senator and representative from the greater Houston area.

Texas state senators

District 4 --Sen. Brandon Creighton

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0104

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Addresses: 350 Pine Street, Suite 1450

Beaumont TX 77701

Phone: (409) 838-9861

2829 Technology Forest, Suite 240

The Woodlands, Texas 77381

Phone: (281) 292-4128

District 6 -- Sen. Sylvia R. Garcia

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0106

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Addresses: 5425 Polk Street, Suite 125

Houston TX 77023

Phone: (713) 923-7575

13301 East Freeway, Suite 310

Houston, TX 77015

Phone: (713) 453-5100

District 7 -- Senator Paul Bettencourt

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0107

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Address: 11451 Katy Freeway, Suite 209

Houston TX 77079

Phone: (713) 464-0282

District 11 -- Senator Larry Taylor

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0111

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Addresses: 6117 Broadway, Suite 122

Pearland TX 77581

Phone: (281) 485-9800

174 Calder Road, Suite 151

League City, TX 77573

Phone: (281) 332-0003

District 13 -- Senator Borris L. Miles

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0113

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Address: 5302 Almeda, Suite A

Houston TX 77004

Phone: (713) 665-8322

2440 Texas Parkway, Suite 110

Missouri City, TX 77489

Phone: (281) 261-2360

District 15 -- Senator John Whitmire

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0115

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Address: 803 Yale Street

Houston TX 77007

Phone: (713) 864-8701

District 17 -- Senator Joan Huffman

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0117

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Address: P.O Box 541774

Houston TX 77254

Phone: (281) 980-3500

District 18 -- Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0118

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

District Addresses: 2000 S. Market St. #101

Brenham TX 77833

Phone: (979) 251-7888

22310 Grand Corner Dr., Suite 120

Katy, TX 77494

Phone: (281) 394-5610

5606 North Navarro #300X

Victoria, TX 77904

Phone: (361) 573-7300

Texas state representatives

District 3 -- Rep. Cecil Bell, Jr.

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0650

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin TX 78768

District 15 -- Rep. Mark Keough

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0797

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 25307 I-45 North, Suite 135

The Woodlands TX 77380

District 26 -- Rep. Rick Miller

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0710

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 130 Industrial Blvd. Ste. 126

Sugarland TX 77478

Phone: (281) 980-0117

District 27 -- Rep. Ron Reynolds

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0494

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 2440 Texas Parkway, Suite 102

Missouri City TX 77489

District 28 -- Rep. John Zerwas

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0657

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 22310 Grand Corner Dr, Suite 110

Katy TX 77494

Phone: (888) 827-1560

District 126 -- Rep. Kevin Roberts

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0496

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 6810 Cypress Creek Parkway

Houston TX 77069

District 127 -- Rep. Dan Huberty

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0520

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 4501 Magnolia Cove Dr. #201

Kingwood TX 77345

Phone: (281) 360-9410

District 128 -- Rep. Briscoe Cain

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0733

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District 129 -- Rep. Dennis Paul

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0734

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 17225 El Camino Real, Suite 415

Houston TX 77058

Phone: (281) 488-8900

District 130 -- Rep. Tom Oliverson

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0661

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 12345 Jones Road, Suite 221

Houston TX 77077

District 131 -- Rep. Alma A. Allen

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0744

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 10101 Fondren Road,, Suite 500

Houston TX 77096

Phone: (713) 776-0505

District 132 -- Rep. Mike Schofield

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0528

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 1550 Foxlane Dr., Ste. 120

Houston TX 77084

Phone: (281) 578-8484

Texas State House District 133--Representative Jim Murphy

Capitol Office: EXT E1.506

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0514

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 9525 Katy Freeway, Suite 215

Houston TX 77024

Phone: (713) 465-8800

Texas State House District 134--Representative Sarah Davis

Capitol Office: CAP GW.4

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0389

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 4148 Bellaire Blvd

Houston TX 77025

Phone: (713) 664-7095

Texas State House District 135--Representative Gary Elkins

Capitol Office: CAP 4N.3

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0722

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 9601 Jones Road, Suite 215

Houston TX 77065

Phone: (832) 912-8380

Texas State House District 137--Representative Gene Wu

Capitol Office: EXT E2.718

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0492

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 6500 Rookin, Bldg. C, Office 2 & 3

Houston TX 77074

Texas State House District 138--Representative Dwayne Bohac

Capitol Office: CAP GS.6

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0727

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 2600 Gessner, Suite 212

Houston TX 77080

Phone: (713) 460-2800

Texas State House District 139--Representative Jarvis Johnson

Capitol Office: EXT E1.424

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0554

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 6112 Wheatley Street

Houston TX 77091

Texas State House District 140--Representative Armando Walle

Capitol Office: CAP GW.18

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0924

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 150 W. Parker Rd., Suite 700

Houston TX 77076

Phone: (713) 694-8620

Texas State House District 141--Representative Senfronia Paige Thompson

Capitol Office: CAP 3S.6

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0720

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 10527 Homestead Road

Houston TX 77016

Phone: (713) 633-3390

Texas State House District 142--Representative Harold V. Dutton, Jr.

Capitol Office: CAP 3N.5

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0510

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 8799 N. Loop East, Suite 305

Houston TX 77029

Phone: (713) 692-9192

Texas State House District 143--Representative Ana Hernandez

Capitol Office: CAP 4S.3

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0614

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 1233 Mercury Drive

Jacinto City TX 77029

Phone: (713) 675-8596

Texas State House District 144--Representative Mary Ann Perez

Capitol Office: EXT E1.212

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0460

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 101 S. Richey Street, Suite F

Pasadena TX 7750

Texas State House District 145--Representative Carol Alvarado

Capitol Office: CAP GW.6

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0732

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 2900 Woodridge Dr., Suite 305

Houston TX 77087

Phone: (713) 649-6563

Texas State House District 146--Representative Shawn Thierry

Capitol Office: EXT E2.320

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0518

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

Texas State House District 147--Representative Garnet F. Coleman

Capitol Office: CAP 4N.10

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0524

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 5445 Almeda, Suite 501

Houston TX 77004

Phone: (713) 520-5355

Texas State House District 148--Representative Jessica Cristina Farrar

Capitol Office: CAP 1N.8

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0620

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: P.O. Box 30099

Houston TX 77249

Phone: (713) 691-6912

Texas State House District 149--Representative Hubert Vo

Capitol Office: CAP 4N.8

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0568

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 7474 South Kirkwood, Suite 106

Houston TX 77072

Phone: (281) 988-0212

Texas State House District 150--Representative Valoree Swanson

Capitol Office: EXT E2.802

Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0572

Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

District Address: 6012 Root Road G

Spring TX 77389

Phone: (281) 257-4222
AUSTIN  State lawmakers are preparing to be swarmed by demonstrators and activists on all sides of some of the most contentious issues facing Texas during public hearings that kick off Friday.

Among them is the bathroom bill that already has drawn crowds of hundreds of activists -- pro and con -- to the Capitol for earlier hearings and votes.

Also on tap: banning health care coverage for abortions, finding a fix to school funding, and authorizing a study on the state's skyrocketing maternal mortality rates.

State legislators are about to begin a blitz of hearings to vet legislation Gov. Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to take up in a 30-day legislative session that began Tuesday. Advocates are trying to keep pace by calling on the public to show up for committee meetings to speak out for and against hot button bills.

Friday's hearings in Austin Senate committee hearings scheduled Friday: Health and Human Services, 8 a.m.: The committee is scheduled to hear 10 bills, mostly pertaining to abortion, like prohibiting government entities from providing health insurance that covers abortion services. The committee is also scheduled to hear legislation that would require reporting of complications related to abortion, a bill relating to the study of maternal mortality and procedures for do-not-resuscitate orders. State Affairs, 9 a.m.: This committee has two bills on the agenda, and both are nearly identical versions of a bathroom bill that would restrict transgender people from using the bathroom, shower or changing facility that aligns with their gender identity in school and government buildings. Education, 10 a.m.: Lawmakers have two bills on tap in this committee. One bill would create a school voucher program, which would allocate state taxpayer dollars to parents of students with disabilities that can be used toward private school tuition. The other bill would create a commission that would recommend improvements to the state's school finance system. See More Collapse

"We need you at the Capitol to make it clear that discrimination has no place in our state!" read an action alert on Facebook from Equality Texas, political action and organizing group advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

The biggest attention-grabbing bill up for debate Friday is the so-called "bathroom bill" that would ban transgender people from using the bathroom that best correlates with their gender identity in schools and government buildings.

The legislation is heralded by proponents as a way to ensure the privacy and dignity of women in the restroom, but is seen by critics as a tool to discriminate against people who are transgender. That bill is up for a committee debate Friday morning.

The other issues are largely red meat, conservative Republican proposals that failed to pass during the regular 2017 legislative session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a tea party Republican from Houston, is eager to passing all of the bills out of his chamber by the end of next week.

The breakneck speed means the Senate will host a dozen committee meetings over the next three days. Meanwhile, the House met for little more than two hours this week and adjourned for the weekend, resolving to begin taking up the hot-button legislation next week.

"This isn't a race," said House Speaker Joe Straus, a San Antonio Republican who has compared the special session agenda to a pile of manure.

Lawmakers are facing a broader agenda after Abbott significantly expanded the focus of two education-related priorities to include grappling with the state's beleaguered school funding system and retired teacher benefits.

The call to to include school finance on the special session to-do list follows a year after the Texas Supreme Court ruled the state's method for funding education was constitutional but in need of major improvements.

House lawmakers pitched a plan to improve the school funding system during the regular session, namely by doing away with outdated provisions in the law and adding more money on public education.

That bill died during the regular session after it got caught up in political gamesmanship that tied its future to a Senate plan allowing parents to send their children to private schools using public dollars, which the House was opposed to.

The expanded call, which Abbott released early Thursday, would also allow legislators to pass bills improving a state-run health care plan for retired teachers.

"I think if we, in the House, can continue to focus on the issues that really matter to most Texans, and stay away from the divisive, harmful stuff, I think we'll have a good 30 days here," Straus said.
Eric Gay/STF

AUSTIN -- Tension between lawmakers over the role of Planned Parenthood in Texas was front and center Friday morning as senators sparred over legislation that would ban governments from funding the women's health care provider.

Sen. Kirk Watson, a Democrat and former mayor of Austin, argued Senate Bills 4 and 77 would defund only Planned Parenthood, a well-known abortion provider, and its affiliates that provide cancer and STD screening but not abortions.
In a whirlwind Friday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned from his position.

President Donald Trump appointed Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as his White House communications director. Scaramucci will be working with Sarah Huckabee Sanders - who now is the White House Press Secretary.

RESIGNATION: Spicer abruptly resigns as Trump press secretary

(Story continues below...)

So, what do we know about the new White House communications director?

 Scaramucci, 52, was senior vice-president and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank - the US government's export credit agency. He previously hosted a financial television show, Wall Street Week.

 He is a long-standing Trump supporter who has known the president for years and served as an adviser on the presidential transition team.

 The New York Times says the Harvard-educated entrepreneur is close to Donald Jr and respected by Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.

 Scaramucci was linked to the role of Director for the Office of Public Liaison- but he had challenges resolving ethical conflict associated with his fund, SkyBridge Capital.

 He has contributed to the Fox News Channel, and staunchly defended the president in TV appearances.

He is expected to begin his new job in August.
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.
All-Conference WEC teams The All-Conference teams for the War Eagle Conference have been announced with multiple MMCRU and South OBrien volleyball players making...

Crane signs off, for now I miss my ol' buddy, sportscaster Keith Crane on the sidelines. I miss his friendly smile, his dedication to his...
Natural Star Nani is sure the happiest Telugu actor currently after he scored seventh hit in a row with Ninnu Kori. The romantic entertainer has been well accepted by the audience and is racing towards Rs 30 crore mark. Shiva Nirvana made his directorial debut with Ninnu Kori and it featured Nivetha Thomas, Aadi Pinisetty in the other prominent roles.

The performances by the lead actors have been widely applauded by the audience. Nani took a break from shoot and joined the movie team in Goa to chill out for few days. Nani, Aadi Pinisetty, Shiva Nirvana and Kona Venkat flew to Goa after celebrating the success meet in Vijayawada. The team will spend some great time till this weekend after which they will return back to Hyderabad. Nivetha Thomas has been missing the celebrations as she has been occupied with the shoot of Taraks Jai Lava Kusa. Nani will join the sets of MCA back on Monday which is directed by Venu Sriram.
Data and big data analytics are the lifeblood of any successful business. Getting the technology right can be challenging but building the right team with the right skills to undertake data initiatives can be even harder  a challenge reflected in the rising demand for big data and analytics skills and certifications.

If youre looking to get an edge on a data analytics career, certification is a great option. Certifications measure your knowledge and skills against industry- and vendor-specific benchmarks to prove to employers that you have the right skillset. The number of data analytics certs is expanding rapidly.

Below is our guide to the most sought-after data analytics and big data certifications to help you decide which cert is right for you.

If you would like to submit a big data certification to this directory, please email us.

The top 11 data analytics and big data certifications

Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP)

Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences

Certified Analytics Professional

Cloudera Data Platform Generalist

EMC Proven Professional Data Scientist Associate (EMCDSA)

IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate

Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate

Open Certified Data Scientist

SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9

SAS Certified Data Scientist

Associate Certified Analytics Professional

The Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP) credential is an independent, entry-level analytics certification that shows education in the analytics process though the individual may not have practical experience yet. The certification focuses on the seven domains of the analytics process: business problem framing, analytics problem framing, data, methodology selection, model building, deployment, and lifecycle management.

Organization: INFORMS

Price: $200 for INFORMS members; $300 for nonmembers

How to prepare: A list of study courses and a series of webinars are available through registration.

Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences

The Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences is a nondegree program intended to develop facility with foundational data science skills. Candidates are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits, including four required courses: Algorithms for Data Science, Probability and Statistics for Data Science, Machine Learning for Data Science, and Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization.

Organization: Columbia University

Price: Students pay Columbia Engineerings rate of tuition ($2,196 per credit). The online program includes an additional nonrefundable technology fee of $395 per course.

How to prepare: An undergraduate degree and prior quantitative and introductory to computer programming coursework are required.

Certified Analytics Professional

The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) credential is a vendor- and technology-neutral analytics certification that certifies end-to-end understanding of the analytics process, from framing business and analytic problems to acquiring data, methodology, model building, deployment, and model lifecycle management. It requires completion of the CAP exam and adherence to the CAP Code of Ethics.

Organization: INFORMS

Price: $495 for INFORMS members; $695 for nonmembers; team pricing available for organizations

How to prepare: A list of study courses and a series of webinars are available through registration.

Cloudera Data Platform Generalist Certification

Cloudera has discontinued its CCP and CCA certifications in favor of the new Cloudera Data Platform (CDP) Generalist certification, which verifies proficiency with the platform. The new exam tests general knowledge of the platform and applies to multiple roles, including administrator, developer, data analyst, data engineer, data scientist, and system architect. The exam consists of 60 questions and the candidate has 90 minutes to complete it. Specialized certifications are planned, including CDP Certified Administrator, CDP Certified Administrator  Public Cloud, CDP Certified Data Developer, and CDP Certified Data Analyst.

Organization: Cloudera

Price: $300

How to prepare: Cloudera recommends candidates take the Cloudera Data Analyst Training course, which has the same objectives as the exam.

EMC Proven Professional Data Scientist Associate (EMCDSA)

The EMCDSA certification demonstrates an individuals ability to participate and contribute as a data science team member on big data projects. It includes deploying the data analytics lifecycle, reframing a business challenge as an analytics challenge, applying analytic techniques and tools to analyze big data and create statistical models, selecting the appropriate data visualizations and more.

Organization: Dell EMC Education Services

Price: $230 for exam voucher

How to prepare: EMC offers training courses, available via instructor-led classes (physical or virtual) or on demand.

IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

The IBM Data Science Professional Certificate is a beginner-level certificate that demonstrates an individuals skills in data science topics, including open source tools and libraries, methodologies, Python databases, SQL, data visualization, data analysis, and machine learning. Earning the certificate requires completing nine courses (taking roughly three months at 12 hours per week), during which the candidate will complete several hands-on assignments and build a portfolio of data science projects. At the end, candidates earn a Professional Certificate from Coursera and a digital badge from IBM recognizing proficiency in data science.

Organization: Coursera

Price: $39 per month for access to graded materials and a certificate

How to prepare: No prior computer science or programming knowledge is necessary.

Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate

The Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate credential is a measure of a candidates ability to define and prepare Azure development environments, prepare data for modeling, perform feature engineering, and develop models. The exam requires the candidate to use applications involving natural language processing, speech, computer vision, and predictive analytics. The credential does not expire.

Organization: Microsoft

Price: $165 for the exam

How to prepare: Microsoft offers free online training and a paid, instructor-led course.

Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate

The Data Analyst Associate certification is one of several role-based certifications that replaces the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Data Management and Analytics certification that Microsoft will retire in January 2021. This certificate demonstrates subject matter expertise in enabling businesses to leverage their data assets using Microsoft Power BI. Holders of this certificate can design and build scalable data models, clean and transform data, and enable advanced analytic capabilities.

Organization: Microsoft

Price: $165 per exam

How to prepare: Microsoft offers free online training and a paid, instructor-led course.

Open Certified Data Scientist

The Open CDS is an independent global certification that qualifies the skills, knowledge, and experience of data scientists. Open CDS requires candidates demonstrate their skills and experience against a set of conformance requirements through written applications and peer interviews. It does not include training courses and there are no written exams. Attaining the certification follows three stages: First, the candidate must obtain four to five milestone badges; second, the candidate must complete the Experience Application Form; finally, the candidate must attend a board review. The certification lasts for three years, after which the holder may re-certify.

Organization: The Open Group

Price: $400 for a Level 1 certification, $500 for a Level 2 certification, and $550 for the Level 3 certification. Each certification requires the completion of certain milestone badges, which carry an additional fee. There is no specific recertification fee, but there are fees to maintain milestone badges.

How to prepare: The Open CDS certification is an evaluation of a candidates skills and experience. Candidates should use the certification self-assessment tools on the certificate authoritys website to validate their readiness to certify at the level and discipline theyve selected.

SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9

The SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9 credential validates the ability to analyze big data with a variety of statistical analysis and predictive modeling techniques. Candidates should have experience in machine learning and predictive modeling techniques and their application to big, distributed, and in-memory data sets. They should also have experience with pattern detection, experimentation in business, optimization techniques, and time series forecasting. The certification requires passing three exams:

Predictive Modeling Using SAS Enterprise Miner 7, 13, or 14

SAS Advanced Predictive Modeling

SAS Text Analytics, Time Series, Experimentation and Optimization

Organization: SAS

Price: The Predictive Modeling Using SAS Enterprise Miner exam is $250, while the others are $180 each

How to prepare: SAS recommends candidates prepare using its Applied Analytics Using SAS Enterprise Miner training and SAS Academy for Data Science: Advanced Analytics training or several eLearning courses. It also recommends answering sample questions it provides and taking a practice exam.

SAS Certified Data Scientist

The SAS Certified Data Scientist credential validates the ability to manipulate and gain insights from big data with a variety of SAS and open source tools, make business recommendations with complex machine learning models, and deploy models at scale using the SAS environment. The certification requires a combination of the SAS Data Curation Professional, SAS Advanced Analytics Professional, and SAS AI & Machine Learning Professional credentials.

Organization: SAS

Price: $180 for each exam

How to prepare: SAS recommends candidates prepare using its SAS Academy for Data Science, or several eLearning courses. It also recommends answering sample questions it provides and taking a practice exam.
Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
Kentucky attorney charged with defrauding insurance clients

A Kentucky attorney is facing charges in federal court that he defrauded clients out of their insurance settlements for $550,000.

The U.S. Attorneys office in Louisville says James Grant King allegedly committed aggravated identity theft and wire fraud from 2007 to this year.

Prosecutors say Kings clients in western Kentucky sought his help in recovering money from insurance companies. King was keeping all or most of the settlement money for himself, according to a U.S. Attorney release.

King, 43, is also charged with obtaining a $97,500 personal loan from a person in McCracken County. King used a boat for collateral, then got a duplicate title for the boat and sold it without repaying the loan, the release said.

If convicted, King could face 42 years in prison.

Pennsylvania Fire Official Charged With Insurance Fraud

A Philadelphia Fire Department captain has been arrested and charged with insurance fraud.

Court records show 43-year-old Yolanda Stallings, of Philadelphia, was arrested June 27 and charged with various offenses including forgery and false reports.

A department spokeswoman says they wont comment because its a personnel matter. But court records show Stallings reported her vehicle stolen and filed a $18,500 claim, though investigators determined the vehicle was torched in Washington D.C. and her accounts kept changing.

Stallings and her lawyer could not be reached for comment.

Stallings formerly served as an executive chief of strategic services before being moved to paramedic captain after internal restructuring earlier this year. Fire officials say Stallings was the first African American woman to serve on the executive team as a high ranking official.

Florida Officer Gets 5 Years for Driver License Theft Scheme

A former Florida police officer has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in an identity theft scheme that involved a confidential law enforcement driver license database.

Court documents show 38-year-old Raul Castellon of the Hialeah Police Department was sentenced Tuesday. He pleaded guilty in May to corruption, access device fraud and identity theft charges.

Castellon admitted in court documents to using Floridas Driver and Vehicle Information Database in 2016 to access identities of at least 25 people. Those identities were passed to 32-year-old Neilin Gonzalez Diaz, who used them to fraudulently obtain merchandise from retail stores throughout Florida.

Gonzalez Diaz also pleaded guilty in the case. He was sentenced Tuesday to six years and nine months in prison.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Every day, tens of thousands of U.S. airline passengers settle into their seats, lower the window shades and reach up to twist the air vents without the benefit of something that might do even more to keep them cool: a rule setting temperature limits inside the cabin.

Airlines have their own guidelines  some allowing the mercury to hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius)  and federal regulations cover air flow and, more generally, passenger safety and comfort.

But nowhere do authorities say how hot is too hot when a plane is sitting on the ground  a fact illustrated this summer when a mother holding her beet-red infant had to plead to be let off a broiling regional jet stuck on the tarmac at Denver International Airport.

Emily France said she and her 4-month-old son, Owen, sweltered aboard the 50-seat oven with wings for more than an hour June 22 before it returned to the gate and passengers were allowed off briefly.

When they re-boarded the United Airlines flight to El Paso, Texas, the cabin felt even warmer, France said. With the flight delayed again, she stripped off Owens clothing and applied ice bags brought by flight attendants, but his condition deteriorated.

I heard a cry from my son that I have never heard before, and his skin looked a color that I had never seen before, and I knew he was in trouble, she said. Then he just stopped crying. And he went limp in my arms.

I said, Get an ambulance and get me off the plane, she recalled.

She and the boy were taken away by ambulance. Doctors determined the baby suffered no lasting effects.

France said she hopes federal regulators take note, and she has hired a lawyer who specializes in airline safety law. He is demanding an explanation.

There is no reason why heat bad enough to cause people to pass out is happening in cabins, said the attorney, David Rapoport.

Authorities have heard complaints for years about stifling heat aboard airliners, though the Federal Aviation Administration does not keep track of how many.

To save fuel, pilots sometimes turn off the air conditioning when the plane is at the gate or taxiing, though some airports have ground AC units at the gates that pump cool air into the aircraft while it waits to push back. Sometimes the onboard air conditioning malfunctions or cant keep up.

During the summer of 2013, several passengers on a delayed Allegiant Air flight fell ill as their plane sat on the tarmac in the blazing desert heat in Las Vegas. A month later, more than 150 Allegiant passengers were forced to sweat it out for 21/2 hours in Phoenix after a maintenance problem knocked out air conditioning on the plane.

Allegiant decided in September to spend more than $1 million on six, 60-ton cooling units for use at the Las Vegas airport, said Michael Bowers, director of base operations.

The FAA declined to comment on the need for specific rules on cabin temperature when a plane is on the ground. But the agency noted in a statement that it specifies how many pounds of fresh air planes must pump through the cabin per minute and per passenger.

And it said it expects airlines to take appropriate action if a cabin temperature condition occurs on the ground that could potentially affect passenger safety.

The 50,000-member Association of Flight Attendants has been lobbying Congress for years to set a maximum cabin temperature of 80 degrees (27 Celsius).

Bottom line, the airlines and regulators do not consider temperature to be a safety issue, union spokeswoman Taylor Garland said. Therefore, its low on the list of priorities when it comes to on-time departures.

United, which was hit with bad publicity three months ago when a passenger was dragged off an overcrowded flight in Chicago, apologized to the babys mother but had no explanation of what went wrong.

This should never have happened, United spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin said. We are profoundly sorry to our customer and her child for the experience they endured. We are actively looking into what happened to prevent this from occurring again.

A spokeswoman for Trans States Airlines, which operated the flight for United, did not respond to a request for comment.

United already requires flight crews to keep the cabin comfortable during delays, but the policy does not mention a specific temperature. Schmerin said that as temperatures rise this summer, United will make sure air conditioning is running while planes are parked at gates or taxiing.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Florida sinkhole that swallowed two homes last week isnt getting any deeper, but its getting wider, officials said Wednesday  and one resident whos back home after being evacuated is vowing to stay unless the hole consumes her house.

Im apprehensive, a little nervous, said Patty Camunas, 57, whose family lives near the sinkhole.

But she added, Where are you going to go? There are sinkholes all over Florida. Unless something happens that the sinkhole takes my house, I dont plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

Camunas was at work Friday morning when the sinkhole swallowed one house about 200 feet behind hers. Her husband and daughter were home when officials told them to evacuate. They were allowed to return Saturday but decided to give it an additional 24 hours. On Sunday, they returned.

The only thing we lost is the food from the power being shut off, she said.

Now, she said, the main commotion on her cul-de-sac is from curious people driving to the neighborhood to take selfies with the sinkhole in the background.

During a news conference Wednesday, officials in Pasco County  a suburban area north of Tampa  said that because of the sinkholes growth, residents of two additional homes in the neighborhood have been warned they may need to evacuate. They were told to gather their possessions in preparation of leaving, said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco Countys assistant administrator for public safety.

Five homes near the sinkhole already had been evacuated.

This is not a time for panic. We have somebody out here monitoring this sinkhole, monitoring the expansion. We will let people know in plenty of time that they need to get their stuff together and be ready to go, Guthrie said. When we say, Now is the time to leave. Its time to leave. Its not time to pack things up.

The edges of the sinkhole are caving in because theres no support for the sandy soil as it dries out, officials said.

Its now about 235 feet (72 meters) wide, about 10 feet (3 meters) wider than it was several days ago. It remains 50 feet (15 meters) deep.

As the water in the sinkhole recedes, the sand on the right-angled banks cant support the weight of the ground and its giving away. Engineers believe the solution lies in quickly getting dirt into the area to create a sloping bank that can keep the edges of the sinkhole from falling in, Guthrie said.

Were working to that end right now, Guthrie said.

Engineers hope to start bringing in dirt and removing debris over the weekend, or early next week.

None of 20 water wells tested came back positive for E. coli, but water samples from 17 of the wells will be re-tested for any signs of contamination. Greg Crumpton, a local health official, said elements found in water from those wells may be the result of improper maintenance by homeowners, but health officials want to make sure its not from the sinkhole.

Pasco Countys risk manager has told officials that the response to the sinkhole could cost at least $1.5 million but it will be likely much more, Guthrie said.

For Camunas, a lifelong Florida resident who built her home in Pasco in 1982, sinkholes are part of life. Shed heard about a sinkhole in years past in another part of her subdivision.

Florida is highly prone to naturally occurring sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water.

Acidic rain can, over time, eat away the limestone and natural caverns that lie under much of the state, causing sinkholes. Both extremely dry weather and very wet weather can trigger sinkholes. State geologists generally consider March-September sinkhole season because thats when the state receives most of its rainfall.

In 2013 in Florida, a 37-year-old man was killed when a hole opened up underneath his bedroom. That sinkhole, which garnered international headlines, opened in Hillsborough County, about an hour south of the sinkhole that swallowed two homes this month.

Engineering experts said it was too dangerous to retrieve the mans body, so they demolished the home and filled the hole with gravel.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio - A single mom raising four kids on her own. A parent juggling a full-time job and two children. A mom looking to set an example for her daughter.

These parents of the LeBron James Family Foundation's I PROMISE students are among the first to earn their high school GED credentials through the Foundation's I PROMISE Too program, in partnership with Project Learn of Summit County.

"I'm so proud of every single one of these parents for showing their kids, and themselves, that you can do anything you commit yourself to," LeBron James said in a news release. "As a parent, all the hard work and sacrifices they made to take classes and study for tests while still working full time jobs and raising their families is inspiring. I know this incredible accomplishment will open a lot of doors for them and their families."

After attending GED and career preparatory classes three days a week, eight parents passed the four required GED tests in math, science, social studies and reasoning through language arts to earn their GED diplomas.

On Wednesday, the foundation celebrated its first class of graduates with a cap and gown ceremony, followed by a family dinner at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, where foundation partner Chase bank announced a mentorship program to help each graduate navigate a career pathway.



The I PROMISE Too program is part of James' commitment to engaging parents in their children's education.

Available to all parents with active students in the foundation's I PROMISE program, this GED program gives parents the opportunity to recommit to their educations by taking classes that integrate GED requirements, life skills, technology and family literacy.

In partnership with Project Learn, the I PROMISE Too program covers the entire cost of classes and the GED exam and provides tablets for participating parents. All program graduates will receive a foundation-sponsored shopping day for business attire and accessories.



"This is something I've wanted to do for years but didn't even know where to start. LeBron's Foundation and this program made this possible for me, along with my teacher and my fellow parents and classmates," said Bobbie Keener, a graduating parent whose son, Darzell, is in the I PROMISE program. "I know I needed to further my education to have more career opportunities and this is my ticket. This will allow me to do that, and the opportunities are already coming."



For more information on the I PROMISE Too program and other news, visit the foundation's website.
AKRON, Ohio - A Summit County sheriff's deputy pleaded not guilty Friday at his arraignment in a rape case.

Antonio Williamson, 46, is charged with rape, kidnapping, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition in a March 19 incident, court records show.

Bond was set at 10 percent of $100,000 during his arraignment in Summit County Common Pleas Court. Williamson was also ordered to remain on house arrest and wear a GPS-enabled ankle bracelet as conditions of his bond.

His defense attorney, Walter Madison, declined to comment on the case after the arraignment.

Williamson's next court appearance will be a pretrial hearing scheduled Aug. 1.

A 26-year-old woman accused Williamson of sexually assaulting her March 19 in Akron, court records show. The woman told investigators she did not know Williamson, a Summit County Prosecutor's Office spokesman said.

Williamson was off-duty and leaving a second job at the time, the spokesman said. He was dressed in his uniform and driving a sheriff's office cruiser.

Williamson turned himself in to authorities on Thursday and remained in custody overnight at the Stark County Jail.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
Using weapon while intoxicated, Eastland Road: A Cleveland man, 54, was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. July 16 after police saw him pointing a .380-caliber handgun into the air at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 164 Eastland.

Police drove to the fairgrounds in response to a noise complaint. The fairgrounds was hosting a car-stereo sound contest, but it was supposed to end at 5 p.m. An officer stepped out of his cruiser to investigate and heard someone yell, "He's got a gun."

The officer saw the Cleveland man pointing a gun straight up. The man then lowered the gun to his side. People ran from the area. The officer radioed for backup and walked toward the man, ordering him to place the gun on the ground. At first, the man backed away from the officer. Then he tossed the gun to the ground and raised his hands.

The officer smelled alcohol on the man as he arrested him. The man was holding a thermos containing alcohol. He told police that someone had threatened to shoot him, which was why he was brandishing the firearm.

A woman told police that the man had threatened to shoot her cousin, who by then had left the fairgrounds. A 29-year-old Cleveland man told police that the armed man had bumped him from behind, then started waving the weapon around.

Breaking & entering, Lombardy Drive: A Berea boy, 13, was arrested at about 7:45 p.m. July 15 after he stole a bicycle from a garage in the Sandstone Ridge neighborhood.

A resident called police after seeing six boys throw a bicycle to the ground on Laurel Drive. The resident overheard the boys say that police would look for them because they had stolen the bike.

Police found four of the boys, including the 13-year-old, on Lombardy near Laurel. The other boys identified the 13-year-old as the one who stole the bike. Police knew the 13-year-old from past incidents.

Marijuana possession-open container of alcohol in motor vehicle, Front Street: Three Cleveland woman - two 21 and one 22 - were arrested at about 11 p.m. July 14 after police caught them with marijuana and open containers of alcohol in their car.

Police stopped the car because the rear license plate was not illuminated. Officers found open containers of Mike's Hard Lemonade and Corona Extra in the vehicle. The driver had marijuana shake on her pants, and a small bag of marijuana was in the car's center console.

Operating a vehicle under the influence, West Bagley Road: An Olmsted Township man, 60, was arrested at about 10:15 p.m. July 16 after police saw his Mercury Sable drift left of center while turning from Lindberg Boulevard onto West Bagley.

The car almost hit a curb after turning. Police checked the license-plate number and determined the plate had expired four days earlier. Police stopped the car on West Bagley near Pelret Industrial Parkway. The man reeked of alcohol but admitted drinking only two beers.

Operating a vehicle under the influence, Prospect Street: A Parma woman, 27, was arrested at about 4 a.m. July 15 after police saw her Ford F-150 turn from Prospect onto Baker Street without signaling. Also, the pickup truck's rear license plate wasn't illuminated.

The woman smelled like alcohol. When police asked for her driver's license, she handed them a Florida identification card. Then she admitted her license had been suspended. Also, she was wanted in Parma.

Attempted theft, Karl Street: A worker at Watkins Lighting & Sign Maintenance Inc., 300 Karl, said a suspicious man might have attempted to steal a trailer from outside the businesses at about 8:30 p.m. July 16.

The worker saw a tan GMC Envoy park on the side of the building. A man stepped out and tried to pick up the trailer, which contained a large tool. The man eventually gave up and drove to the rear of the building.

The worker exited the backdoor. The man smiled at the worker, who took pictures of the man's vehicle. The man drove away.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit the crime and courts comment section.
ELYRIA, Ohio -- Linnea Satterfield was beaten and stabbed before she was put into the trunk of Roy Owens Jr.'s car and driven over county lines, an Elyria police detective said.

The details of what happened to Satterfield were given during Owen's first court appearance Friday. Evans appeared by video from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office.

Owens, 56, is accused of killing Satterfield who was his ex-girlfriend. He faces charges of aggravated murder, felonious assault and domestic violence.

Elyria Municipal Court Judge Lisa Locke Graves ordered Evans held without bond. The court has not set a day for his preliminary hearing which will mark his next court apperance.

Police arrested Owens Wednesday in Darke County with a body in the trunk of his car. Elyria police believed he was holding Satterfield against her will.

The Darke County Coroner's Office positively identified the body as Satterfield, Elyria police Capt. Christopher Costantino said.

The Darke County Sheriff's Department near Greenville, Ohio investigated a report of an impaired driver on Ohio 49, Costantino previously reported.

A man in just his underwear and socks stood outside of a car that hit a pole and went into a ditch, police say. Investigators determined it was Owens who was reported to have taken Satterfield.

Owens camped out in cornfields before he crashed the car, Elyria police Det. James Homoki said.

Owens held a knife against his throat and tried to slice it but the knife was too dull, police said. He also put the knife on his wrists before officers took him into custody.

Satterfield's sister called police just before 8 p.m. Monday after she wasn't able to reach her sister.

Investigators found Satterfield's purse in her locked car at her Eastern Heights Boulevard home she recently moved into. She moved out of a home she shared with Owens on Charles Court.

Satterfield's sister found her cellphone nearby after she called it.

Investigators found blood on the ground at the Charles Court home and there was evidence of a struggle inside one of the rooms in the home, police say.

Authorities could not find Satterfield at her new home and there was no response at the Charles Court home.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio - The shake, rattle and roll experience that is walking along Lorain Road's sidewalks should be ending this fall when the city will be targeting problem slabs from West 208th to West 214th.

Fairview Park was recently awarded a $150,000 Community Development Block Grant to cover the project.

"We'll be able to really attack some of the problem areas on Lorain Road to make it more pedestrian friendly," Fairview Park Mayor Eileen Ann Patton said. "We selected the program because in an aging community such as ours, you'll find with the bus route and snowplows, the curbs and sidewalks do get busted up on occasion.

"We're going to take advantage of this grant. We're very thrilled that we were awarded it, and we're going to spruce up Lorain Road and make it look gorgeous."

The Mayor said the plan is replace all of the previously examined problem slabs before winter.

"The damaged slabs have all been marked," Patton said. "Now we'll have a nice smooth ride for bike riders and strollers."

Fairview Park Director of Public Service and Development Shawn Leininger said the sidewalk project, which has been on his radar for about a year, is part of the city's ongoing effort to maintain the walkability and streetscape of the Lorain Road corridor.

"Last year we were fortunate to be awarded a similar grant by the Cuyahoga County Department of Development," Leininger said. "We used the funding to replace hazardous sidewalk slabs on multiple residential streets that serve as main walking routes to schools in our community."

Leininger noted additional work is planned for Lorain Road in the not so distant future.

"The city has been awarded approximately $1.44 million by ODOT for a Lorain Road streetscape project extending from West 223th to the western border with North Olmsted," Leininger said.

"A major component of this project will be a similar repair of the Lorain Road sidewalks. This project is in preliminary design with a tentative construction start in 2019."
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio - An armed man ordered a pizza and apologized to a restaurant employee during a Garfield Heights robbery, according to a police report.

Detectives have not yet identified the man who took an undisclosed amount of money during the Sunday robbery at Happy's Pizza on Turney Road near Summerdale Avenue, the report says.

A Happy's Pizza employee was outside smoking a cigarette when a man arrived at the restaurant just after 9 p.m. The man said he wanted to place an order, and the employee went inside with him, the report says.

The employee became suspicious when he saw the man wearing a glove and holding a gun. But the man ordered a pepperoni, sausage and mild peppers pizza and asked if the restaurant was hiring, the employee told detectives.

The man took an employment application and paid for the pizza with a $10 bill. When the employee opened the cash register, the man pointed the gun at him and demanded money, the report says.

The man said he was "going through something" and was "sorry to put [the employee] through this," before he took the money and ran away, the report says.

Detectives were unable to obtain security video from the restaurant, but they took the employment application as evidence. The robbery remains under investigation.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will be a featured speaker at the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC's) Denver conference that runs this week from Wednesday to Friday.

For those who have never heard of ALEC, it's a covert organization that writes cookie-cutter laws to facilitate privatization. Privatizing our public schools is a primary objective, and at its meetings, education companies, lobbyists and ALEC politicians come together to discuss initiatives that revolve around subsidizing private K-12 education.

The American Legislative Exchange Council is responsible for creating multiple schemes to label public schools "educationally bankrupt" to rationalize giving tax dollars to less regulated charter and private schools. ALEC promotes state-mandated high-stakes testing for children and their school districts; it advocates for charter schools and school voucher programs that subsidize for-profit schools and religious schools.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has created a variety of ways to further using public monies for school privatization in Ohio.

ALEC corporations provide funding to cover the annual conference and to subsidize the activities of the legislators who are part of ALEC. More than 65 Ohio legislators are ALEC members, and some of them request reimbursement whenever they attend an ALEC Conference to learn about privatization.

Who funds those trips to ALEC meetings, and what do they expect in return?

Jeanne H. Melvin,

Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio legislature's lofty goal of streamlining the state's sprawling constitution died this month, when the state budget ended the 10-year study panel's work four years early.

The state spent more than $1.6 million on the effort since it launched in December 2012, but critics say it accomplished little.

Legislators complained for years about the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission's slow pace to recommend updates to the constitution. House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger said in April the commission had "run its course."

Members of the commission say they were never given a fair shot to fully review the nearly 57,000 words contained in the country's 10th longest constitution. The commission was far more partisan and controlled by lawmakers than a similar effort in the 1970s, which was deemed a success.

In the end, the commission recommended changes to only 21 sections in the constitution before it disbanded July 1. The changes, which largely dealt with repealing obsolete provisions, would reduce the document's size by 20 percent.

Dennis Mulvihill, a commission member and attorney at Cleveland-firm Wright & Schulte LLP, said the structure of the commission -- 12 state legislators and 20 public members -- was problematic from the beginning. Mulvihill said distrust between Republican and Democratic lawmakers led several discussions to break down along party lines.

Case in point: The commission couldn't even agree to replace an outdated reference to "idiots" and "insane persons."

"That opened my eyes that the commission was going to struggle to get anything of substance done," Mulvihill said.

Commission co-chairman Rep. Jonathan Dever, a suburban Cincinnati Republican, agreed. Dever, who joined the panel for its last few months, said he had little hope its members could agree on weighty issues such as redistricting or citizen ballot initiatives.

"Those are debates I don't think we would complete even with five more years to study it," Dever said.

What went wrong and what's next? Here's what you need to know.

A long-overdue update

Every 20 years, Ohio voters are asked whether to convene a constitutional convention, but that hasn't happened since 1912. The constitution has been amended piecemeal over the past century, collecting amendments as varied as livestock care standards and locations where casinos can be built.

It also contains outdated and obsolete language, as well as provisions that have been struck down by the courts, such as defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

In 2011, then House Speaker William Batchelder proposed a commission, modeled after a successful 1970s effort, to study how to modernize the constitution. In a near-unanimous vote, the General Assembly established the commission with a 10-year term expiring July 1, 2021.

The commission couldn't actually change the constitution. Instead, it would suggest changes to lawmakers, who would then decide whether to put them to voters on a statewide ballot.

Differences from 1970s effort

The 1970s Ohio Constitutional Revision Commission also had 10 years to do its review, but members voted to end it several years early. It made 63 recommendations to lawmakers -- 42 of which appeared on the ballot and 28 of which were approved by voters.

Steven Steinglass, a state constitutional expert and professor emeritus at Cleveland Marshall College of Law, said that commission was well supported by legislators and staff, unlike the recent panel.

The recent commission wasn't fully staffed until 2014; Steinglass was hired to advise it. After then, Steinglass said, the group started making progress in several areas. But in 2015, Senate Republicans wanted to shut down the commission by the end of the year. As a compromise, the commission was given a 2018 deadline.

The 1970s effort also had a member of the public serve as chairman, instead of a bipartisan pair of state legislator co-chairs.

"Legislators, god bless them, are very busy and their main focus was not constitutional revision," Steinglass said.

Partisan rift

Another big change since the '70s: Greater partisanship. Mulvihill said when a politician raised an issue it was instantly met with concern from the opposite party.

"The level of mistrust between the two parties in Columbus was striking and really disappointing," Mulvihill said. "I can see why politicians in Washington and Columbus and elsewhere are largely distrustful."

Dever said partisanship was also present among the public members, which included former governors, House speakers, lawyers and academics. Dever said issues that should have been easy were hijacked by partisan horse trading.

"When that happens, you can't get anything done," Dever said. "What's happening in D.C. is happening everywhere."

Final results

Dever said he and his Democratic co-chair, Sen. Charleta Tavares of Columbus, plan to put several of those changes to voters next year.

"I don't think any of that time was a waste, and it was a valuable exercise for our state," Dever said.

Lawmakers swooped in and stole two issues the commission had been working on: Keeping monopolies out of the constitution and changing how the state draws Statehouse district lines. Much of the commission's work on those topics was used to draft 2015 ballot Issues 2 and 1, respectively. Both were approved by voters.

But the commission will largely be remembered for the topics it didn't address:

Congressional redistricting

Term limits

Home rule

Making it easier for citizens to propose laws via the ballot box

Education

Grand jury proceedings

Herb Asher, a professor emeritus of political science at the Ohio State University, said a lot of work that could easily be picked up by lawmakers, good government groups or citizens and brought to voters.

"What some might say was a slow process I would say we were being responsible," Asher said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The developers seeking to build North America's first freshwater offshore wind project in Lake Erie moved a step closer to obtaining an essential state certification this week.

The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. submitted two key environmental applications detailing its plans for monitoring and analyzing the impact of the six-turbine wind farm on birds, bats and fish.

Approval of the plans by the Ohio Power Siting Board is required before LEEDCo can proceed with construction of the $126 million Icebreaker Wind project planned for a site about eight to 10 miles northwest of Cleveland.

LEEDCo originally filed the two documents in April, but the applications were determined to be out of compliance, and were returned for an endorsement by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

"We've been working with ODNR for the past few months," said LEEDCo's Beth Nagusky. "These are the documents the siting board required. Once they are approved, the board will issue a public notice and continue the permitting process."

Each of the so-called memorandums of understanding lays out plans to evaluate the environmental conditions at the lake site prior to the start of construction, during construction, and after the wind farm is built and operational.

Nagusky said the company expects the environmental surveys will "confirm our risk assessments showing that Icebreaker Wind will have minimal adverse impact on fish and wildlife."

Thousands of walleye and other game fish already have been tagged for tracking by an acoustic telemetry system set up by ODNR, the proposals say. The system will track the daily movements of the fish between feeding and resting habitats, during spawning and seasonal migrations. Twenty-six receivers placed on buoys will record the fish movements as they pass by the project site, and transmit that information back to ODNR for interpretation.

LEEDCo and ODNR also will deploy sound detection units to record noise produced by passing boats and shipping, construction, and sonar devices in use, and their effects on the fish. Aerial surveys of boat traffic will be recorded twice a week, and nutrient and biological data is being collected at the site.

The wind farm's impact of greatest concern to birders and environmentalists involves the potential for high mortality rates due to collisions by birds and bats into the spinning fan blades.

LEEDCo acknowledges this fear in its document, but warns that monitoring and documenting casualties from collisions are difficult and pose unique hurdles not found at land-based wind farms.

"Although several promising technologies are under active development, no proven effective technologies to perform bird/bat collision monitoring at offshore wind facilities are currently available," the proposal reads. "However, several emerging technologies appear promising."

The wind proponents and the environmentalists find little to agree on.

Last year, an ornithologist hired as a consultant to LEEDCO, called Icebreaker Wind the lowest-risk project of any he has worked on during eight years of studying wind farms.

Caleb Gordon of Houston praised the offshore Cleveland site as the best location for safeguarding migrating birds and bats.

The Black Swamp Bird Observatory and the American Bird Conservancy recently helped to kill a proposed onshore wind turbine based at Camp Perry near Port Clinton, and they hope to have the same success with the Icebreaker project.

The birding groups have filed documents with the siting board in which they claim LEEDCO's data is flawed, and the wind project would pose a devastating threat to birds and bats passing through one of the nation's busiest migratory flyways. Bald eagles and endangered Kirtland's warblers and piping plovers all fly in the vicinity of the wind farm, they say.

Michael Hutchins, director of the Bird Smart Wind Energy Campaign at the American Bird Conservancy, called wind turbines, power lines and towers "the fastest growing threat to birds and bats in the U.S."

"ABC is opposed to building any wind turbines either in or within at least 5 miles of the Great Lakes shorelines," Hutchins said. "This is one of the world's largest confluences of migratory birds as they move to and from the boreal forests of Canada where they breed."

The birding groups also warn that, if Icebreaker Wind is allowed to be built, as many as 2,700 additional wind turbines could be erected on Lake Erie, according to several proposals.

If the siting board approves LEEDCO's application, the agency then will have 90 days to decide the merits of the project, Nagusky said. Public hearings would follow.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A now former MetroHealth employee and another woman have been accused of stealing nearly $300,000 from grants written by Case Western Reserve University.

A grand jury on Thursday handed up a 71-count indictment charging Carol Lott, 53, of Cleveland and Andrea Mittman-Thomas, 44, of East Cleveland with aggravated theft, a first-degree felony, money laundering and dozens of charges of telecommunications fraud.

The pair is set for an Aug. 3 arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Lott worked as a grants specialist at MetroHealth and oversaw the spending of grant money, according to Cuyahoga County prosecutors.

She previously worked for Case Western in a similar role and knew the ins-and-outs of the grant making process, Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Jim Gutierrez said.

Case Western funnels millions of dollars in grants every year from endowments and donors to organizations that conduct research, Gutierrez said. Expenses from such grants that are under $5,000 don't get as much as scrutiny as larger amounts, Gutierrez said.

Lott and Mittman-Thomas, who are friends, set up a shell corporation in 2013 using Mittman-Thomas's initials, and Lott submitted invoices to Case Western to be reimbursed for work in the name of the shell company, Gutierrez said.

None of the invoices were for more than $5,000, and the group never actually did the work, Gutierrez said.

The pair continued the scheme until they stole about $150,000, Gutierrez said.

They then started sending requests to Case Western for gift cards worth hundreds of dollars, Gutierrez said.

Lott and Mittman-Thomas continued the scheme, which yielded about $140,000 worth of gift cards, until April 2016, when a new supervisor grew suspicious of the requests and began reviewing them, Gutierrez said.

The supervisor went to MetroHealth officials, who went to Case Western Reserve University, which launched an investigation, Gutierrez said.

MetroHealth spokesman Noah Lamprecht said Lott has not worked for MetroHealth for "over a year," but refused to say whether she was fired, if she resigned, or when her employment ended.

A Case Western spokesman said the university has fully cooperated with investigators and MetroHealth during the investigation.

Update: This post has been updated with additional information from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office and MetroHealth.

To comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.
For a state rooted in adult beverages that are hops and barley born, the grape is finding its fair share of fans in a burgeoning wine industry.

Arrow signs indicating a nearby winery are popping up along several rural roads across the Chippewa Valley.

River Bend, Chippewa Falls

Both sides of the entry road to River Bend Vineyard & Winery outside Chippewa Falls are flanked by rows of grape vines. But this still might be a soybean field if a researcher from the University of Minnesota hadnt developed cold hardy grapes that develop more quickly than those in Napa Valley and other traditional wine regions.

Thats why we have wineries now in places like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, says owner, Donna Sachs. These grapes can mature during our short growing season.

Donna and her husband, Al, left the fast pace of the Twin Cities to pursue their dream of opening a winery. After clearing land and planting the vineyard in 2006, River Bend opened to the public three years later. Today it is one of the largest wineries in the region, producing 60,000 bottles of wine annually.

Its a Northwoods-meets-Tuscany decor inside, where visitors watch the bottling process from the tasting bar. One of the draws of a local winery is that it offers an experience unlike other places where folks order a glass, says Sachs. People can see the bottling and brewing room. They can walk through the vineyard with a glass, or enjoy the patio. Its nothing but nature all around outside.

A perfect harvest is never guaranteed, so the Sachs rely on other vineyards in the area. Were proud to support local farmers.

Although the winery does not have a restaurant, food is sometimes available. We have food trucks from Marigold Cafe and Firewoods Pizza out here during the summer and fall, Sachs says. We also invite local musicians to play on our patio.

For Sachs, shes exchanged a computer screen for sunscreen, and couldnt be happier. I worked in IT for Musicland, all the way from its early days to its bankruptcy, but now, Im outside almost all the time working in the vineyard. I cant imagine going back to sitting at a desk all day.

Al was a cabinet maker and crafted the winery shops woodwork. He continued his business when they moved to Chippewa Falls, but now dedicates all his time to the winery, and a distillery he started this year.

Sometimes the guy is not a wine drinker, so Al started experimenting with a distillery, and we just started bottling our own gin, vodka and a white whiskey, Sachs says. Our gin is very unique, as its made with grapes. So now the road in front of the vineyard is bordered by a field of golden rye.

River Bend produces 17 labels, including several award-winning reds and whites, and even two sparkling wines. We combine the classic French method of in-bottle fermentation and Wisconsin grapes to produce a semi-sweet and dry brut. Their wines have won Silver, Gold and Best of Show at a number of Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competitions.

Their wines are available at many grocery stores and wine shops across the Chippewa Valley and throughout greater Wisconsin.

Cottage Winery, Menomonie

The people who built Cottage Winery & Vineyard three miles north of I-94 near Menomonie also envisioned a place that offers more than just a place to drink wine.

Tom Jorgensen was a contractor who toured wineries across the state with his wife before embarking on making Cottage Winery & Vineyard a reality during his retirement. Opening in 2012, he was able to enjoy seeing its success before passing away in March.

My fathers dream was to re-create a small English village that people could stroll through, take their time  really feel like theyve gotten away from it all, says Teresa Jorgensen, who left her job planning events for the Eau Claire Convention Center to help make her fathers winery an event destination. She now runs it with her mother.

The Old English village theme  complete with hobbit house  might make visitors forget theyre just minutes from downtown Menomonie. We wanted to provide a venue where people can sit outside and enjoy the view, not a parking lot, Jorgensen says.

Cottage Winery has a vineyard, but it contracts out the wine-making process. We harvest our grapes and take them to our winemaker an hour south of us, Jorgensen says.

Similar to other local wineries, Cottage Winery keeps guests happy with food trucks featuring Captain PJs BBQ and The Hub from Menomonie, and has private event space for bridal showers, birthday parties, business meetings, etc. Unlike most other local wineries, Cottage has a full liquor license, so it has wines from around the world.

I learned the palette around here was not used to wine, Jorgensen says. Many people didnt think they liked it, because they had one glass of red, dry wine and said, Thats awful.

Jorgensens goal is to make her customers wine fans, so she often first introduces them to sweeter wines from Italy, followed by the locally produced wines. Its true they enjoy the sweet ones more, but thats OK. I just want them to understand the variety of tastes wine has to offer. Local wines made exclusively for Cottage Winery & Vineyard include two whites, three reds, a rose and Cranberry Harvest.

Given the businesss setting, some events are a natural, says Jorgensen, who wanted to make the place a destination for weddings. Weve had a lot of UW-Stout grads whove moved away, and wanted to get married here, looking for someplace special. Almost every Saturday is booked from May to October.

Bemis Bluff, Eleva

The response to the opening of both River Bend and Cottage Winery was nothing short of phenomenal, their owners report, given their marketing is primarily word-of-mouth. Smaller wineries, often located in peoples country homes, have had to expand quickly to meet demand.

Within a year of opening in July 2015, Bemis Bluff Winery, located just north of Eleva, had to double its seating space. I was very surprised, says owner Jeff Bemis. I was expecting three to four people to come in every half hour, but were usually at capacity until closing.

Bemis estimates about 70 percent of the winerys clientele is women, but adds that his wines also appeal to men. A lot of beer drinkers like the fruitier wines, Bemis says.

Bemis Bluffs selection represents a veritable farmers market, with pomegranate, cherry, blackberry, lemon, strawberry, rhubarb and apple as just some of the fruits finding their way into bottles. Growing up on a cranberry marsh where his father worked inspired Bemis Bluffs first and most popular flavor, Cranbernet.

Nestled into the Eleva ridge about 15 miles south of Eau Claire and adjacent to a blueberry farm (which supplies all the berries for its blueberry wines). Bemis Bluff provides outside seating like other local wineries. Unlike others, every table is a sampling table.

We dont have a designated sampling bar, says Bemis. Theres just not enough room, so our staff brings the selections to people at their table.

The winery hosts a variety of events, mostly targeted to its female customer base. These events include sip and paint, scrapbook and birthday parties, and book clubs. But a beer license helps bring in the menfolk, and Bemis Bluff hosted a few Packers parties last winter. Bemis also features local musicians occasionally throughout the summer and fall.

People who are busy brewing, bottling, labeling, pruning and weeding rarely have time for politics, and it appears a few lobbyists know it. A proposal said to be supported by the Tavern League and major distributors want to make it illegal for wineries and brew pubs to sell their own product for off-sale.

It would shut us down, says Bemis. We would have to buy our wine back from a distributor and that would just cost us too much.

Proponents of the bill claim wineries and brew pubs have an unfair advantage, because they do not have to purchase their product from a distributor. But that doesnt make any sense, because we have to pay state and federal excise taxes that a bar doesnt, Bemis says.

The latest effort to tag this proposal onto the state budget failed, but it is the second time it has been floated in recent years.

According to the Wisconsin Winery Association, there are more than 100 wineries in the state. The owners of those in our region report people have driven from as far as the Twin Cities, Duluth and Chicago to visit. But its the local crowd that is vital to survival.

We refer people to restaurants in town, and they refer folks back to us, Bemis says.

We are always recommending restaurants in Chippewa Falls to our customers, Sachs says. And the local business community has welcomed us with open arms by sending people out here.

Its unlikely wine will steal beers crown as king of Wisconsins happy hour, but judging by the success of local wineries, their customers seem to be enjoying a place of their own. Wineries are so great, because you can spend 10 minutes or two hours, Jorgensen says. People just like having another option when they want to go out.
The event, Scotch-Brite said, featured some of New York City's leading "pupfluencers": Toast (@toastmeetsworld), a rescued spaniel with 377,000 Instagram followers, famous for her hanging tongue; Louboutina (@louboutinanyc), the "hugging dog" with 165,000 followers, and more.

The couch set up in Central Park was oversize and lime green and crowded with Instagram celebrity dogs and cushions bearing the logo of Scotch-Brite lint rollers. It was a warm, sunny Wednesday in May. The dogs wore lime green and yellow Scotch-Brite bandannas and their owners wore expressions of strenuous amusement.

"They are very important for me, particularly when it comes to clothing," said the owner of the up-and-coming Griffon, Sprout (@brussels.sprout, 63,000 followers).

Fans and passers-by waited in line to take selfies with the dogs. People magazine was doing a Facebook Live piece. "Guys," the moderator asked, "how important are lint rollers to all of you in your day-to-day life?"

Sprout, of @brussels.sprout

To some, this scene may have seemed odd. In fact, given the rise of influencer marketing, in which people with big social-media followings are paid to promote products, and the hugeness of animal photos on Instagram, it was closer perhaps to inevitable.

There is now a talent agency based in New York that represents social-media celebrity animals. It is called the Dog Agency, though its 80-creature stable also includes a hedgehog, a pig and a pair of finger monkeys with over a million followers.

"Pet influencers outperform humans," said Loni Edwards, 32, the agency's founder. Which is to say their posts go viral more often, and they get more comments and more likes.

Also, pets stay on message. "There's stronger brand security when you partner with a pet influencer," Ms. Edwards said. "A human influencer might get drunk at a party, or do something offensive, tweet something off-color."

All the dogs at the Scotch-Brite pop-up were Dog Agency clients. Their contracts required them to post. Sprout wrote: "Had so much fun yesterday! Rollin' around on the cuddle couch with @scotchbrite_3m Lint Rollers showed NYC (and mom!) just why us pets are so #WorthTheMess! #sponsored." The post got 2,154 likes.

Ms. Edwards said that pets whose followers number in the hundreds of thousands could get $3,000 to $10,000 for each piece of content.

Some other things to know about pet influencers:

They get book deals.

They prize authenticity. "It's quite important to us to remain authentic so we only work with brands we use," said Stephanie Zheng, owner of Atticus (@atticusthehedgie, 77,000 followers), a hedgehog who posted about his love for Burger King Cheesy Tots.

They are passionate about charitable causes and awareness-raising campaigns, and careful not to gum up their feeds with too many ads.

And no matter how successful they get, they are only in this crazy business to make people happy.

Glee (@goldens_glee), a 6-month-old retriever puppy with 300,000 followers, may be the ultimate example of this. She was a brand of happiness before she was even a dog.

Her owner, Jared Kasner, a corporate lawyer, started the @goldens_glee account in 2015 as a place to repost other people's photos of golden retrievers. Last winter, he conducted a nationwide puppy search to find a permanent face for his brand.

The winning pup became Glee.

Mr. Kasner, 29, quit his law job to start a social-media consultancy and spends seven hours a day managing Glee. He and the dog are doing a street campaign called "What Makes You Gleeful?"

"Think of it as 'photo documentary series meets happy positivity,'" Mr. Kasner said.

A photo of Glee with two young women posted on June 9 has this caption: "What makes Kate and Amanda Gleeful? 'Efficiency!'"

A few weeks after the lint-roller pop-up, the Dog Agency client King Bentley (@kingbentleythebulldog, 102,000 followers) did a branded photo shoot in Bryant Park for a collar that tracks a dog's activity and temperature and sends personalized alerts. "Our product is like giving your dog a cellphone," said Herbie Calves, a vice president at Link AKC, which makes the collar.

The photographer was @TheDogist, a human named Elias Weiss Friedman who has 2.6 million followers. He has been called the Brandon Stanton of dogs. He waved and squeezed a squeaky toy and made funny sput-sput noises.

Bentley strained at his harness and worked his adorable underbite. In 10 minutes, he was done.

After the shoot, at the Dog Agency's quarters in a WeWork office-share on Park Avenue, I met Ella Bean (@ellabeanthedog, 94,000 followers), a tiny 9-year-old puppy-mill rescue who looks like a wrung-out rag with bulging grapes for eyes.

Ella is all about high fashion and the high life. She is often photographed with paws up on a white tablecloth, modeling a dog version of a chic outfit.

Her path to fame shows the power of networking. Last year, Ella's owner, Hilary Sloan, made a leather jacket for Ella for fashion week. Ms. Edwards saw the post and fell in love. She prevailed upon Ms. Sloan to make a jacket for her dog Chloe (@chloetheminifrenchie), who had over 140,000 followers. "That was when Loni started really cross-posting," Ms. Sloan said.

Ella Bean has done campaigns for Barneys, Ralph Lauren and Neiman Marcus. Despite the partnership potential baked into her name, she has never worked with L. L. Bean. "It's a little woodsy for her," Ms. Sloan said.

"Keeping that authenticity there," Ms. Edwards said. "She skews more luxury."

Not all pupfluencers are represented by the Dog Agency. Winston (@winstonthewhitecorgi, 198,000 followers) has no agent. He has teamed up with American Express and Polaroid. His owner, Tina Kim, a city employee, says she turned down offers from both Coke and Pepsi.

Samson (@samsonthedood), a goldendoodle with 162,000 followers, was signed to the Dog Agency for a few months but left. "That was a little much," said his owner, Jessica K., a Brooklyn doctor who withheld her last name because she wants to keep her dog business life and her personal life separate.

There were authenticity concerns, she said, arising from a request to do an ad for Purina dog food.

"I'm not going to have Samson promote a food he won't eat," Jessica said.

Last Christmas he did a campaign for Target in which he wore a robe and a scarf and a trapper hat. "It was kind of his style," Jessica said. "I would only do brands that we would wear."

The other day, I met up with Glee at the Madison Square Park dog run. After a "What Makes You Gleeful?" book, Mr. Kasner wants to take her around the country.

"There's so much division right now," he said, as Glee sat at his feet. "Despite our differences, red or blue, color, race, religion, whatever it is, dogs can unite us. And so can bringing out people's happiness."

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Don't miss: Owning a pet can cost you $42,000, or 7 times as much as you expect

This article originally appeared on The New York Times.
President Donald Trump greets members of the US military alongside Defense Secretary James Mattis (C) following a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, July 20, 2017.

The battle being waged against Islamic State is going "very well" and the terrorist group is "falling fast," President Donald Trump said Thursday.

The top-level national security meeting lasted about two hours and is believed to have covered everything from the ongoing war in Afghanistan to the battle against ISIS, or the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

One of the topics believed to have been discussed is whether to send thousands of new U.S. troops to fight in Afghanistan.

When asked by reporters about whether more troops would be deployed, Trump responded, "We'll see," according to NBC News. He also was upbeat on the fight against ISIS: "We're doing very well against ISIS. ISIS is falling fast. Very fast."
A secretive U.S. government panel has objected to at least nine acquisitions of U.S. companies by foreign buyers so far this year, people familiar with the matter said, a historically high number that bodes poorly for China's overseas buying spree.

The objections indicate that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews acquisitions by foreign entities for potential national security risks, is becoming more risk-averse under President Donald Trump.

Chinese companies and investors eyeing U.S. assets could face more roadblocks as a result, at a time when the Chinese government is also restricting the flow of capital out of China following a bonanza of Chinese overseas deals.

There have been 87 announced acquisitions of U.S. companies by Chinese firms so far in 2017, the highest on record and up from 77 deals in the corresponding period in 2016.

CFIUS's more conservative stance towards deals coincides with growing political and economic tensions between the United States and China. On Wednesday the two countries failed to agree

on major new steps to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China.

Since the start of the year, CFIUS has sent letters to companies involved in at least nine deals to say they would be blocked based on measures they have proposed to address potential national security risks, the people familiar said.

Many of these deals are in the technology sector, the sources said. A rise in cyber security threats and rapid advances in technology makes it more difficult to establish whether a deal poses any threat, lawyers who represent companies before CFIUS said.
Women entrepreneurs have a harder time raising money than men. The gender gap extends to bank lending, and in Silicon Valley men have the power and the purse strings.

As a result, more female founders are taking funding matters into their own hands. Women founders who use seed crowdfunding platforms aren't just reaching their funding goals, they are doing so at a rate that's better than crowdfunded ventures started by men. Across 450,000 seed crowdfunding campaigns recently studied by PwC and The Crowdfunding Centre, women-led campaigns reached their funding goal more often than male-led campaigns.

In the United States and U.K.  the largest markets for seed crowdfunding campaigns  20 percent of male-led campaigns met their goal compared with 24 percent and 26 percent of female-led campaigns, respectively. Across nine of the largest global crowdfunding platforms, female-led campaigns were 32 percent more successful at reaching their funding target than male-led campaigns.

Crowdfunding connects founders of new ventures with financial backers to launch or develop a new business, product or service. Seed crowdfunding increased from $10 million in 2009 to more than $767 million in 2016, with backers from over 200 countries.

Even in the technology sector, where there are nine male-led campaigns to every one female-led campaign, female-led campaigns are more successful  13 percent to 10 percent, respectively, the study found. The two highest-funded female campaigns were in the technology and the design sectors, while the two most popular  ranked by the largest number of individual backers  were in the technology and the food sectors.

Top 3 sectors for female-led campaign success

Entertainment & media: 30 percent Retail & consumer goods: 22 percent Hospitality & leisure: 21 percent

"It's obvious that women are discriminated against in many different areas, including funding. What I love about crowdfunding is it democratizes access to capital and, more importantly, the playing field," said Sherwood Neiss, principal at Crowdfund Capital Advisors.



Women owners represented about 40 percent of the 2,030 small businesses surveyed in the recent CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey. The survey of 2,030 business nationwide found that women are more likely to run the smallest firms. It revealed that 70 percent of women business owners have firms employing four people or less; for men it's 56 percent. Only 14 percent of women-owned businesses have 10 or more employees; for men it's 26 percent.

The success of female founders doesn't mean they are more likely to seek out crowdfunding as a source of business capital. Research shows that men tend to use crowdfunding more often than women.

More from the CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey:

Getting a college degree? A majority of business owners don't have one

How to crush your business rivals on Facebook

Almost half of small businesses still lack a website

"There's a general lack of awareness to this new form of capital raising," Neiss said. "Women don't know. Men don't know. But men know it more than women."

Women business owners surveyed by CNBC and SurveyMonkey were less likely to say technology innovations would have a positive effect on their business  36 percent vs. 45 percent of male business owners. But female business owners are slightly more likely to use social media for customer communication and advertising.

Men also raise a lot more money than women, even if their success rate is lower. Just under 90 percent of crowdfunded campaigns raising more than $1 million were male-led campaigns.

Aoife Flood, senior manager of the global diversity and inclusion program at PwC, said the dearth of women in the traditional financing world is a difficult hurdle to overcome  men lend more to other men.
Got rice? That's what China, the world's largest consumer of rice, is now asking the U.S.

For the first time ever, Asia's economic giant will allow imports of American rice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday. That comes as a welcome signal after annual trade talks between the two nations broke down this week without a concrete outcome. And although it is just a small part of an expansive trade relationship, the rice deal signals that, at least for now, the threat of a trade war is tabled as each side is still engaging the other.

China's rice market has technically been open since it joined the World Trade Organization IN 2001. But the U.S. and China have spent a decade working on setting standards for rice producers and facilities interested in exporting the grain. That effectively shut U.S. rice out of China, which imported 5 million tons of the grain last year.

The rice agreement isn't the first inroad President Donald Trump has made with China, but its timing after the lackluster trade meeting  which occurred after a 100-day period for the two nations to tackle the trade imbalance  is key.

Looking ahead, there could be more specific product agreements  like the rice deal  from the two countries because the Trump administration wants "something measurable  that they can brag about," said trade expert William Reinsch of the Stimson Center. He pointed to an early success from the White House in putting the finishing touches on lengthy negotiations to allow American beef exports to China, ending a 14-year ban.

"Wins thus far on beef and other areas are steps in the right direction and positively benefit U.S. companies operating in those industries," said Jacob Parker, vice president at the U.S.-China Business Council, who urged that momentum on trade deals could be leveraged to address other issues, such as getting China to open up its capital markets and to loosen investment restrictions for foreign firms.
New studies on the Red Cedar River watershed, including Lake Menomin, Tainter Lake and the Chetek chain of lakes, will be presented in public forums in Menomonie and Chetek.

Thirteen university students from around the U.S. will explain their summer research from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the Raw Deal, 603 S. Broadway St. in Menomonie.

Another forum will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at Gilligans, 2542 8 Ave., Highway D, Chetek. The two events are free and open to the public.

The students are part of LAKES REU, a summer research experience for undergraduates at University of Wisconsin-Stout. The eight-week program studies issues related to blue-green algae in the watershed and how the compromised water quality affects quality of life in the region.

Issues researched this summer are: public policies; citizen and community involvement; financial benefits to farmers of reducing run-off; reducing blue-green algal blooms in lakes; impact of soil erosion on water quality; how farmers can convert to conservation agriculture; and what CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) can do to improve water quality.

This is a significant expansion on the LAKES REU research from the previous three summers, said UW-Stout Associate Professor Nels Paulson, co-director with Associate Professor Chris Ferguson. The student research will facilitate data-driven discussions on a range of issues from farming to community engagement to potential economic gains to practical technical solutions to this issue.

The students, their home universities, research focus and UW-Stout faculty advisers are:

Madison Biggs, Drake University, economics; Chris Ferguson

Jimmy Chin, University of North Carolina, economics; Zach Raff

Kayleigh DeBruyne, Pacific University, anthropology; Tina Lee

Amber Georgakopoulos, UW-Stout, anthropology; Tina Lee

Stephanie Gonzalez, UCLA, geography; Innisfree McKinnon

Sadie Higgins, Hampshire College, sociology; Nels Paulson

Andrew Hutchens, University of Central Florida, economics; Zach Raff

Bailey Kramer, UW-Stout, biology; Arthur Kneeland

Sarah Mack, Kean University, biology; Arthur Kneeland

Elise Martinez, University of Colorado, sociology; Nels Paulson

Ryleigh Prochnow, UW-La Crosse, economics; Chris Ferguson

Elizabeth Sosa, Sam Houston State University, geography; Innisfree McKinnon

Katherine Zuniga, University of Arizona, anthropology; Tina Lee

LAKES was re-approved this year for another three years by the National Science Foundation, receiving a $303,000 grant. The first LAKES grant cycle ran from 2014-16.

LAKES REU stands for Linking Applied Knowledge in Environmental Stability Research Experience for Undergraduates. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/lakes.

During the first three years, LAKES 32 students produced 31 research projects on social, economic, ecological, cultural and spatial issues related to the toxic blooms, which are caused by excessive phosphorous in the waterways.

Along with the student research, LAKES is collaborating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which has $500,000 in funding for a related watershed project called the Red Cedar River Water Quality Partnership.

Were trying to make sure our results directly integrate into their own research and decision-making, Paulson said.

LAKES also collaborates with other area entities and agencies, including the Tainter/Menomin Lake Improvement Association, Dunn County, Barron County, City of Menomonie, Red Cedar Lakes Association, Chetek Lakes Protection Association and the Big Chetac and Birch Lakes Association.

The watershed includes about 40,000 acres of open water and 4,900 miles of waterways.
Fact: Americans really do love avocado toast.

They spend nearly $900,000 per month on it, according to data from payment company Square, as reported by Time. Avocado toast sales are also rising quickly: In June 2014, Americans were only buying $17,000 worth of the breakfast per month, compared to $890,500 in June 2017.

This finding is particularly interesting in light of the viral comments of 35-year-old Melbourne millionaire and property mogul Tim Gurner, who asserted on a recent episode of Australia's "60 Minutes" that spending too much on avocado toast is the reason millennials can't afford to buy homes.

Gurner scolded the younger members of his generation for their unrealistic, YOLO "expectations" and for spending too much on indulgent lifestyles early on in their careers.

"When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn't buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each," he said. "We're at a point now where the expectations of younger people are very, very high. They want to eat out every day, they want travel to Europe every year."
The multi-billionaire iconic entrepreneur Richard Branson, now 67 years old, began his career more than 50 years ago. He started his first venture, a student magazine, at 15 years old, and he just revealed his original business plan. He was "disgruntled with the archaic school practices of the day," Branson writes in a blog post. His headmaster at the time suggested that Branson take his frustrations to the school magazine. But the young entrepreneur didn't want to be bound by that publication's rigid standards. "We wanted to campaign against corporal punishment, compulsory chapel, games and Latin," Branson says.

"All these ideas were far too 'revolutionary' to be aired in the school magazine, The Stoic, a name which seemed only too apt to its long-suffering readers. We then thought about linking up with other schools that had similar rules. Gradually the idea of an inter-school publication, Student magazine, was hatched." The entrepreneur met with students from other schools, talked about ideas and recorded everything in a notebook. Branson is a huge proponent of writing down your ideas when they come to you so you don't forget.
Tech conferences and pitch competitions typically feature apps and hardware made for millennials, who make up the largest generation. But the design of these products usually fails to meet the needs of an even larger total population: Boomers and seniors.

On Thursday, venture capitalists flocked to a conference and pitch competition called the Boomer Venture Summit in Berkeley, California, to see technologies built to serve this aging population.

The pitch competition is one of the few that matter to institutional investors. And no wonder, given that people over 50 make up 35 percent of the population and represent 53 percent of all consumer spending, which amounts to more than $5 trillion in the U.S. every year, according to the AARP.

"The number of applications we received from start-ups more than doubled over the past year," according to one of the event's co-producers, Michael Skaff, a CIO with the Jewish Senior Living Group. "That's an indication that people are waking up to the needs and size of this market here in the states and in China, which has a massive Boomer population, too."

The summit has spawned some companies that have had both financial success and societal impact, such as PetPlan, a pet insurance provider that does more than $100 million a year in revenue, and PuraCath, a medical device that reduces infections that result from kidney dialysis.

This year, a startup called BaroStitch won the $10,000 cash prize for early-stage startups. The company has developed a medical device that can help heal arteries after heart surgeries that are common among seniors. BaroStitch was founded at Stanford's Biodesign department by Chirag Chauhan, Katie Blevins, Eric Kramer and Vivian de Ruijter.

Other finalists included Quikiks, makers of "hands-free" shoes, and Geneticure, a company that helps physicians find effective treatments for their patients' medical issues based on a patient's genetics.
To buy or not to buy?

Michael Katchen, the 29-year-old co-founder and CEO of millennial-focused investing company Wealthsimple, says that while many young people work hard and save to buy a home, it can be a really bad way to spend your money.

"I see a lot of peers, young people, that say, 'I have got to buy a house because I have got to get into the real estate market because it is a great investment.' And then they take all of their money and they put it in a house, and then they put all of their income and they put it towards their mortgage," Katchen tells CNBC Make It.

"And suddenly they have this house that they can barely afford."

Between the down payment and mortgage payments, Katchen says new homeowners end up having to limit the amount that they go out with friends or visit their families because they are cramped by making payments toward their house.

"For me, that is a terrible investment, because you are buying this thing but sacrificing your life to do it," he says.
In terms of costs, 16 percent of small-business owners think plan costs are too high. A quarter of small-business owners  27 percent  say they would reconsider offering a 401(k) plan if the overall costs were lower.

There is a lot of good news to share here. There are now 401(k) providers that offer pricing to fit almost any size company. Beyond a one-time setup, businesses typically will pay an ongoing administration or record-keeping cost, and other expenses are typically paid as part of participant investment expenses. For a 10-participant company, administration costs can be less than $1,000 per year, and the government offers a tax credit of up to $500 for the first three years of the plan to help offset plan costs. Self-employed business owners can expect much lower costs, although the credit won't apply.

One-third of owners said offering a 401(k) has afforded them both personal and professional tax breaks.

Many small business owners also believe five percent is a fair amount to pay for 401(k) fees, which can include investment expenses and administrative/service fees. The most important cost to manage is the investment expenses charged to participants, such as fund expense ratios and investment management services. Five percent is way too high. Every dollar paid in investment expenses is one less dollar invested in the markets. Keeping investment expenses under one percent is a good benchmark, and one you can achieve. With some online research, and asking a few questions around fund expenses and other costs paid by participants, you can quickly find some good options.
A defining feature of the financial crisis was a group of hedge funds making vast sums by wagering against supposedly AAA-rated mortgage debt well before markets imploded in 2008.

Now some believe a similar story will play out for US shopping malls  that the most risky investments will end up being those that investors now believe to be the safest. Central to their premise is the idea that too much faith may be being placed in a classification system used for shopping malls that is little known outside of the real estate sector.

So as well as number crunching at their desks, investors are also actively leaving the office and conducting field research.

In April researchers from a large US hedge fund travelled to the outer boroughs of New York to a shopping mall that is home to Apple and Armani among other retailers.

The mall was ranked by real estate consultants as an "A mall", meaning it was a low-risk premium property that generated over $600-per-square-foot of sales a year. To their surprise the researchers quickly came across a pop-up shop selling cheaply manufactured stuffed teddy bears and plastic toys. Two months later the store had disappeared.

"We were very surprised," one person at the fund says. "These sorts of crappy stores are not meant to exist in prime malls in America  there is simply no way a store selling stuffed toys can generate the level of sales needed to pay prime rents. We travelled to a dozen other supposedly 'prime' malls in other towns and we kept seeing these weird temporary tenants."

Malls are given ratings by a small group of property consultants generally ranging from A++ to C based on factors that include their sales per square foot and location. While there is no universally accepted system for ranking the malls, with each consultant having slightly different methodologies, banks and investors tend to rely on these ratings to make decisions over how secure each mall is as a creditor or investment.

"Lenders look at mall ratings from the point of view of risk," says Hemant Kotak, a managing director at Green Street Advisors, one of the largest consultants that rates malls for clients. "It is inherently less risky to lend against A-quality malls as landlords generally spend the money to keep assets in good physical condition and protect capital values. It gives lenders comfort to lend to these operators at more attractive rates."

The stock market has until recently appeared to believe that prime "A" malls are largely insulated from the pain being felt across a US retail sector being shaken by e-commerce.

Shares in Washington Prime , an operator of lower quality B and C classed malls, are down by half since the start of 2015. However, until recently shares in "prime" mall operators Simon Property Group and GGP had held up, underpinned by the belief that their A-quality malls in prime locations were safe from the challenge of online shopping.

Yet there is growing evidence to suggest that these prime malls, which have been treated by investors and lenders alike as rock solid bets in the face of the internet headwinds, are not as protected as once thought.

Shares in Simon Property, the largest Reit in America with a market value of $50bn, are down by almost 30 per cent over the past 12 months, having held up strongly to the middle of 2016. Short interest in Simon, which tracks the amount of shares hedge funds have borrowed to bet that its value will fall, rose to the highest level since the financial crisis last month, with bets worth more than $1bn.

The hedge funds wagering against the highest quality malls believe that the wider market will come to believe these A-quality malls are far more similar to lesser ranked ones. "This idea that there are these magic malls in America that are immune to secular change is a myth," the US-based hedge fund manager says.

Some argue that the market underappreciates that A class mall operators and B and C class mall operators all have very similar tenant bases, in spite of being in different locations. L Brands, the owner of lingerie chain Victoria's Secret, is the largest single tenant for prime operator GGP, according to company filings.

However, it is also the biggest tenant for the lesser ranked CBL and second largest for Washington Prime. CBL shares are down more than 22 per cent this year, while GGP is only down 5 per cent. L Brands itself has posted consecutive quarters of slowing sales, pushing its shares down by a third for the year.

Russell Clark of Horseman Capital notes the vulnerability malls have to the loss of single big brands, known as anchor tenants, with their departure often triggering a wave of rent loss with other tenants.

"Many tenants have a clause in their lease to reduce rents should an anchor close a store. Thus, even though the loss of rent due to an anchor closing is minimal, the knock-on effect of reduced rents from the remaining tenants is a serious concern," he noted.

Now some are on the hunt for opportunities to bet against quality malls outside the US. The share prices of Intu Properties and Hammerson, the UK's largest publicly listed shopping centre operators, have not yet followed the falls seen in the shares of their largest tenants.Intu shares are largely flat since the start of the year while the value of Debenhams, Dixons and Next  three of its five largest tenants making up a combined 8 per cent of its secured rent  are all down more than 20 per cent.

"US-listed mall Reits are already trading at large discounts to their net asset values, with their share prices showing clear signs of suffering in line with their tenants," says Mr Kotak of Greenstreet. "In Europe this is not yet the case."

More from the Financial Times:

European stocks extend losses as euro hits new highs

German stocks fall more than 1% on rallying euro

Will the European Central Bank turn more dovish?
The program also isn't working for doctors. The reimbursement rate is roughly half that of private insurance, according to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Participation requires reams of paperwork, approvals, and delays in reimbursements. Patients, as a result, increasingly cannot find a doctor to treat them. Over half of doctors no longer accept new Medicaid patients, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, and stories of patients trying dozens of times in vain to get an appointment are not uncommon.

Expanding charity care can relieve some of the Medicaid burden. Perhaps even more importantly, such an uncontroversial reform could achieve the bipartisan support necessary to become law.

Charity health care, where doctors volunteer a certain number of hours a week and donations cover variable costs, has a long history in the United States. There are currently over 1,200 charitable clinics nationwide, largely operating outside and parallel to the Medicaid system.

One major advantage of charity care is that doctors can have their medical insurance costs covered by the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act when working in a charity clinic that meets federal government requirements. This allows them to provide good care, but not excessive or defensive medicine, worried that their good deed may go punished.

Charity care could be expanded further if state governments, which have the most to gain from its implementation, cover the private practice liability insurance costs of any physician who volunteers a certain number of hours per week in a free clinic.

Such a trade would be a bargain for both doctors and state governments. The average primary doctors would save roughly $12,000 in annual malpractice insurance premium costs. Specialists would save even more. In return, by keeping Medicaid, uninsured, and undocumented patients out of expensive and overburdened emergency rooms, the state would save hundreds of thousands of dollars per doctor. As an added bonus, defensible and costly malpractice lawsuits would likely be reduced because of the bigger burden associated with suing the government instead of the individual physician.

Dr. Alieta Eck, who runs the Zarephath Health Center, a charity clinic in Somerset, New Jersey, shows how this model can work in practice. By relying on donated physician time and cutting out the burdensome Medicaid bureaucracy, the cost to provide care comes to $15 per patient visit (covered by donations). This is compared to the roughly $1,000 it would ultimately cost the taxpayer if the patient ended up at the ER.

She's spearheaded a New Jersey bill, S239, that calls on the state to provide liability coverage for the private practices of physicians who donate at least four hours per week in a charity clinic. Similar proposals are alive in several states across the country.

While trial lawyers may object, opposing charity care expansion is a dim prospect for even the most hardened partisan legislator. Such small yet beneficial reforms are now the best hope to improve American health care.

Commentary by Joel L. Strom a Beverly Hills dentist and a fellow at the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
n this picture taken late July 11, 2017, migrant workers sit amidst Malaysian immigration officials in an open field following a raid at a construction site in Port Dickson. Malaysia's immigration department is carrying out a nationwide crackdown on illegal foreign workers after a deadline for registration expired on June 30. Manan Vatsyayana | AFP | Getty Images

Malaysia is already cracking down on undocumented immigrants  and they may be getting ready to arrest a lot more. So far, the country has arrested more than 3,300 workers and 84 employers since July 1. Activists are crying foul over possible abuses of rights, and business owners are also speaking out against what they say are unfair rules that could cripple industries. The nationwide raid began a day after the deadline passed for migrants to register for an Enforcement Card (E-Card), which allows those lacking valid permits to work in the country until February 14, 2018. If an undocumented migrant is found without an E-Card, they are detained.

20-30% of the workforce

This month's crackdown is not Malaysia's first. Over 146,000 undocumented workers have been detained in 26,870 enforcement operations between 2014 and 2016, Malaysian news agency New Straits Times reported. The frequent and sustained crackdowns point to the lack of a long-term migration policy that responds to employers' needs for migrant labor, according to Anna Olsen, technical specialist at the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency. According to Foo Chek Lee, president of construction and building organization Master Builders Association of Malaysia, each crackdown further diminishes the already-thin labor supply and increases the cost of wages, making it more difficult for construction companies to survive. And Malaysia's construction and plantation industries came to a standstill when mass migrant crackdowns occurred previously, Joseph Paul, program officer at Malaysian human rights organization Tenaganita, told CNBC. Estimates suggest that there are three to four million migrants currently employed in Malaysia, which would constitute approximately 20 to 30 percent of the country's workforce. The brewing crackdown could conceivably mean hundreds of thousands of those workers are arrested and deported.

The registration problem

Although the E-Card system was open to many migrants, the problem for them was that all applications needed to be submitted by employers. And for a variety of reasons, that might not have happened. "It is unfair that a worker is arrested for something that he cannot on his own do," Paul said Migrant workers are also often mistreated in such raid operations, according to Olsen.

Migrant workers wait for their work permits to checked by Malaysian authorities following a raid at Port Dickson, Malaysia, on July 11, 2017. Manan Vatsyayana | AFP | Getty Images

Civil society actors have also expressed concern about the long-standing cramped, unhygienic conditions at Malaysia's detention centers. Over 100 people have died in these centers in the past two years, according to Reuters. In comparison, the U.S. recorded 10 deaths in its immigration detention system, which holds many more detainees, in the last financial year. And although migrants often face unpaid wages, an undocumented worker who has been detained cannot seek redress on that front, Paul said. That's just one of the ways the crackdown is affecting their livelihoods. "In times of crackdowns, migrant workers risk being fired by their employers, which can lead to irregular status or loss of wages," Olsen said. "Other employers  might try to 'hide' irregular migrant workers, contributing to further isolation and increased risk of exploitation."

The business perspective
WASHINGTON  Let us consider the qualifications of President Trumps nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Holy See: one Callista Gingrich of Virginia.

She is a former clerk on the House Agriculture Committee.

She is the author of childrens books about an elephant named Ellis.

She sings in the choir at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

She plays French horn in City of Fairfax Band.

And, she testified Tuesday, she has looked at some of Pope Franciss encyclical on climate change.

But really, Gingrich was receiving a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because of one qualification: She is married to Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House and a major backer of President Trump.

And now, for his support of Trump, he is getting the ultimate patronage: the chance to live in Rome on the taxpayers dime while his wife, the president of Gingrich Productions, enjoys a plum posting. Newt, who converted to Catholicism several years ago, set his wife up nicely for the job by co-hosting two videos with her about Pope John Paul II, produced with a Gingrich political ally.

But if it is good news for the Gingriches, it is an(other) insult to Francis from Trump, who has sparred with the pope over immigration and climate change. Newt carried on a six-year extramarital affair with Callista in the 1990s when she, 23 years his junior, was a House staffer and he, as speaker, led the impeachment of Bill Clinton over his extramarital affair with an intern. National Catholic Reporters Michael Sean Winters called it astonishing that a party that celebrates family values at every turn has a president who is on his third wife and who has bragged about his extramarital affairs and who is appointing an ambassador to the Vatican who had a six-year affair with her future husband while he was still married to his second wife.

The nomination of Callista is also Trumps beatification of Newt, who has done as much as anyone to coarsen American politics  and to pave the way for Trump  with his name-calling, demonizing and brinkmanship.

All presidents reward supporters with patronage. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson will be our man in London. On Gingrichs panel Tuesday was George Glass, a big Trump donor, tapped to be ambassador to Portugal though he doesnt speak Portuguese.

But the choice of Callista Gingrich is another category of cronyism for an administration populated by friends and relations rather than appointees of merit. This has fueled the Russia scandal, stalled the agenda in Congress and made the administration seem singularly incompetent  yet Republicans in Congress have been unwilling to say that this is unacceptable.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced Gingrich on Tuesday by noting that she was valedictorian of her high school class.

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., who succeeded Newt in the House before moving to the Senate, declared that one of her great, great persuasive talents is to not only convince Newt to marry her, but convert him to Catholicism.

Gingrich, an uncomfortable smile fixed on her face, provided, in lieu of actual answers to questions, strung-together snippets of cliches.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked about refugee policy, on which Francis and Trump disagree. Gingrich responded with a bromide about a deep commitment in this country to work to forward peace and stability.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., asked how she would work with the Vatican to counter extremism. Gingrich responded with a word salad about looking forward to working on those issues of our shared policy opportunities.

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., asked about the popes climate change encyclical. She responded with boilerplate about how President Trump wants to maintain that we have clean air and clean water.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., asked if she had even read the encyclical.

I have looked at some of it, the witness replied.

Are there pieces of it that particularly resonate for you?

Well, Gingrich replied generically, I think were all called to be stewards of the land.

Staffers on both sides of the committee were now grinning at the pained responses.

Johnson, attempting to rehabilitate the witness, urged her to talk about her study of John Paul II and what she learned about U.S. and Vatican leadership. Gingrich retreated again to platitude: Its so important that we reach out to places like the Holy See to forward good in this world, she said.

That was enough for Johnson, who pronounced her perfectly suited for this position.

Perfectly situated, at least.
Lyft is opening its own autonomous driving facility in Palo Alto, California, and creating its own self-driving team, the company said Friday.

Until now, the company has relied on partnerships to push into autonomous driving and catch up to chief rival Uber's efforts. It's signed deals with some of the biggest players in the space  from Alphabet's Waymo to start-up nuTonomy to carmaker GM , a major Lyft investor.

It's part of what Lyft calls its "Open Platform Initiative." Before this the company has mostly relied on its partners' teams of engineers and technology and been content to provide the ride-hailing network.

This is the biggest move Lyft itself has made into the space, and the company will be developing its own technology.

"Lyft is also uniquely positioned to build technology in collaboration with partners in a way that will make it possible to roll out self-driving cars at scale in the fastest, safest, most efficient way," said Luc Vincent, Lyft's vice president of engineering.

The company expects there to be "several hundred" working on self-driving technology at its Palo Alto facility by the end of 2018. The facility is set to open in a few weeks. It's unclear how many will be new hires.

Lyft is not, for now, developing its own LIDAR technology, but didn't say whether that would change in the future. If Lyft did, it could potentially put it in competition with partners like Waymo that are developing their own LIDARs. (Waymo is currently in a fierce courtroom battle with Uber over that exact technology.) But Lyft says its technology will coexist with others.

"We look at this as an opportunity to take what we're developing and give it to others," said Raj Kapoor, Lyft's chief strategy officer. "For self-driving to work as an industry, there has to be more sharing."

On Lyft's "open-self driving" platform, it hopes to offer customers access to vehicles from its partners, such as Waymo and nuTonomy, and will also be offering cars with its own Lyft self-driving technology.

Lyft said it doesn't see self-driving cars replacing its drivers  it hopes to create a "hybrid" network where passengers can choose either.

"When a passenger requests a ride that a self-driving car can complete, we may send one to complete the trip. If that person needs to go somewhere self-driving cars are unable to navigate, or their needs call for a different level of service, they will have a driver," Vincent said in a post published Friday.
Martin Shkreli arrives to federal court in Brooklyn on July 21st, 2017. Dan Mangan | CNBC

Jurors in the Martin Shkreli securities fraud trial could begin considering his fate late next week, as prosecutors indicated Friday that their case is winding down. If jurors do begin deliberations, it might be just in time given the fraying nerves that have become evident among prosecutors and defense attorneys during the long trial of the notorious "pharma bro" Shkreli. The trial judge twice in the past two days has reprimanded lawyers on both sides for making snarky comments about one other. "Look, this is like two little children arguing," Judge Kiyo Matsumoto snapped Friday in Brooklyn, New York, federal court, where one of Shkreli's lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alixandra Smith had exchanged verbal digs. "You can be the adult in the room," Agnifilo replied, trying to make light of the moment. "You be the adult in the room," Matsumoto shot back. "It doesn't do anything good," Matsumoto said of the lawyers' bickering. The judge added that she found "some of the language" in legal filings both sides made on Thursday was "in my mind ... really unacceptable." Prosecutors and defense lawyers have squabbled in recent days over the prosecution's bid to introduce multiple documents into evidence without having to call witnesses to explain the relevance of those documents. Shkreli's lawyers have said in legal papers that the prosecution is "deathly afraid" of calling those witnesses to testify because, "like its earlier witnesses, their credibility will not withstand cross examination." Prosecutors indicated they might rest their case on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. The defense, in turn, implied it may just call several witnesses, at the most.

watch now

That would set the stage for closing arguments to be held by the latter part of next week. Although the defense did not say Shkreli will not testify, it seems very unlikely that the 34-year-old former pharmaceuticals executive will take the witness stand in his own defense. Shkreli's trial began the last week of June, almost two years after he first came to public light and sparked widespread outrage for raising the price of an anti-parasite drug by more than 5,000 percent. The price hike, at his former drug company Turing Pharmaceuticals, is not related to the current case. Shkreli is accused of defrauding multiple investors at two hedge funds he ran in New York City by misleading them about the performance of those funds. Prosecutors claim that when Shkreli was issuing glowing financial statements to investors, the funds were actually running on fumes, at best. Shkreli also is accused of siphoning off stock and cash from the drug company he subsequently founded, Retrophin , to pay the hedge fund investors back their money, despite the fact Retrophin had no such legal obligation to do so. Shkreli's defense team, in cross-examining the hedge fund investors, has repeatedly highlighted the fact that those investors actually ended up earning a profit compared with what they initially invested. The profits largely came in the form of the value of Retrophin stock, as opposed to cash redemptions from the funds that Shkreli had promised them, and then failed to make. The judge has told defense lawyers they cannot argue to jurors that there was no fraud by Shkreli on the investors just because they happened to make a profit, in the end. Prosecutors have underscored how long it took for those investors to obtain the return of their funds. In some cases, it took investors years to get their money back. Prosecutors have shown how Shkreli had Retrophin stock and cash distributed to the investors in his hedge funds at the time they were repeatedly asking for their money. As evidence of that, prosecutors have introduced a series of settlement agreements reached with the investors and Shkreli, as well as several consulting agreements with some of those investors. Prosecutors contend that those consulting agreements, which call for the investors to provide services to Retrophin, were shams, and were created to provide the illusion that the payments were proper. Shkreli's lead lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told Matsumoto on Friday that prosecutors "have not established in the trial evidence the notion that Mr. Shkreli did anything wrong." "He may have done some things they don't like," Brafman added. Brafman argued there is evidence that shows that Shkreli's settlement and consulting agreements reached with investors were approved by Retrophin's board of directors. Prosecutors argue otherwise. In testimony earlier Friday, the manager of a stock transfer company said that on several occasions she was asked to transfer Retrophin shares to investors in Shkreli's funds, and that the request included a copy of the consulting agreement the investors had with Retrophin. "Did you receive any Retrophin board resolutions confirming this consulting agreement," prosecutor G. Karthik Srinivasan asked the manager, Amy Merrill, about one of those transfer requests.

watch now

"No," Merrill replied. She gave the same answer when asked about another transfer linked to a Retrophin consulting agreement. Merrill also detailed multiple instances involving Retrophin stock, or that of that the shell company that it used to complete a reverse merger, being transferred or issued to investors in Shkreli's hedge funds. Most of those investors have testified that they were told by Shklreli that they could get their investments in the funds redeemed in cash when he decided to close them in late 2012. They have said they only later learned from him, after being stonewalled for months, that their investments had supposedly been rolled over into Retrophin. Merrill said that her transfer company's records show that when Retrophin completed its merger with the shell company, Shkreli personally owned 2,557,755 shares as of Dec. 13, 2012. He officially owned the exact same number of shares more than a year later, on Jan. 15, 2014, Merrill said. She wasn't asked the significance of that fact by the prosecutor. But the implication for jurors was that Shkreli did not use any of his own shares to satisfy the claims of multiple investors whose money he had either lost at his hedge funds without their knowledge, or had rolled over into capitalizing Retrophin. Merrill also testified about several transfers of Retrophin stock to investors from people other than Shkreli. Prosecutors claim that despite those shares being held in the names of other people, Shkreli secretly controlled them without disclosing that fact as required, and used the shares to pay back defrauded investors.

WATCH: Co-worker says Shkreli 'mentally unstable'
can be helped by having more women study STEM subjects and become entrepreneurs and engineers

the issue is in part a men's problem that can be fixed by more conscious hiring practices

Blake Irving knows how hard it is to change first impressions. More than four years into his tenure as the CEO of web domain registrar and cloud platform GoDaddy , Irving still encounters men who associate the company with risque Super Bowl ads featuring half-naked women.

Blake Irving, chief executive officer of GoDaddy, attends the RISE Conference 2017 in Hong Kong. studioEAST | Getty Images

"I'll be talking to folks, even in Asia, who will say 'Oh, I love your commercials' with that nudge nudge, wink wink look," Irving told CNBC. "And I'll go, which ones  the ones from 10 years ago or the ones we're doing now?" Those decade-old ads effectively yet shamelessly exploited female sexuality to put GoDaddy on the map. While traffic to the site surged nearly 400 percent after the first controversial ad aired in 2005, the company faced backlash from women, accusing GoDaddy of a sexist corporate culture. Yet, as the tech industry faces new pressure to change its exploitative ways amid shakeups at Uber and venture funds Binary Capital and 500 Startups, GoDaddy has emerged as the unlikely poster child of turnarounds. While women made up roughly a quarter of GoDaddy's new technical hires before Irving took over, it has doubled since. At the recent RISE Conference in Hong Kong, the largest tech gathering in Asia, Irving was front and center at a panel to discuss diversity in the industry, arguing that men should be a driving force. "It's not a women's problem, it's men's problem," Irving told the crowd. "This is something that we can help tremendously with, just by applying conscious thought to who we hire, how we hire and what language we use." Irving began the turnaround by partnering with the Anita Borg Institute, releasing a diversity report that revealed pay discrepancies between male and female employees. He also hired the company's first female CTO, Elissa Murphy, and named the first woman to GoDaddy's board, former Apple executive Betsy Rafael.

[If someone is] going to get derailed because a guy acted like he was in a high school locker room for about three minutes, you're never going to get anywhere in a start-up. Melissa Guzy founder and managing partner at Arbor Ventures

Telle Whitney, CEO at the Anita Borg Institute, said GoDaddy's transparency helped win over many female critics outraged by the company's past behavior. The non-profit group partners with roughly 70 tech companies including Alphabet , Microsoft and Facebook to increase diversity and educate employees about unconscious biases that may cause executives to overlook subtle sexism. While Whitney said she's seen huge improvements among larger firms, smaller start-ups and venture funds remain steeped in a college fraternity-like culture. "If you think about it, start-ups are just started by a few people, let's say three young men with very little business sense," Whitney told CNBC. "Often they know directly the next 10 people, and they know directly the next 100 people. It's very easy to reach 100 and not realize that there's any bias in your hiring." Whitney pointed to an industry-wide survey conducted in the aftermath of investor Ellen Pao's gender discrimination lawsuit against VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 2015. In the "Elephant in the Valley" report, 60 percent of women said they had been sexually harassed. Of those women, 60 percent then said they were "dissatisfied" with the course of action the company took, following their report. "Quite often it's not malice. It's just cluelessness that makes these places very difficult to work in," Telle said.

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That difficulty, however, may just be a fact of start-up life, where entrepreneurs grapple with myriad issues  from developing a sustainable business to hiring the right people for the job. "Sexism is one of the things that you have to overcome in building a great company," according to Melissa Guzy, a Silicon Valley veteran who is founder and managing partner at Hong Kong-based Arbor Ventures. She told an audience at a RISE debate on the merits of quotas as a solution to tech's gender imbalance that if someone is "going to get derailed because a guy acted like he was in a high school locker room for about three minutes, you're never going to get anywhere in a start-up." Guzy acknowledged that Silicon Valley's gender-related issues have been around for nearly three decades as a result of the male-dominated cultural ecosystem. To combat the sort of bad behavior highlighted in recent media reports and have a more diverse environment, the entire ecosystem needs to change, Guzy argued. That change, she said, includes more women studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics in college, becoming entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Silicon Valley could take a lesson or two from Asia, according to Guzy: "Asia is far better for a woman, especially as a venture capitalist and also in a technology company," she said, adding that more women held high-profile roles in the public and private sectors in the region. For example, China's ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing, which is valued at $50 billion, is led by Jean Liu, who serves as president. Southeast Asian rival Grab was co-founded by female entrepreneur Hooi Ling Tan. Prominent Taiwanese tech company HTC was co-founded by Cher Wang, who is chairwoman, CEO and president and Sun Yafang is the chairwoman of the board at Chinese telecommunication services provider Huawei. To be sure, having prominent executives in big tech companies do not necessarily reflect the overall conditions for women entrepreneurs in Asia. Earlier this year, Mastercard released its Index of Women Entrepreneurs for 2017, where it said China was in a unique position. "Women's progress as business owners and entrepreneurs is nearly at par with leading high-income nations  despite having weaker supporting entrepreneurial conditions, knowledge assets and financial access." The report noted that statistics pointed to sluggish labor market dynamics and poor employment opportunities for both genders, but it added that female entrepreneurs faced more challenges due to the types of industries represented and cultural norms.

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The U.K.'s secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs has said he "deeply" regrets President Donald Trump's approach to the landmark Paris Agreement.

"It is because environmental degradation is such a threat to future prosperity and security that I deeply regret President Trump's approach towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," Michael Gove said in a major speech on Friday.

"I sincerely hope the recent indications that the president may be minded to think again do signal a change of heart," Gove added.

At the beginning of June, President Trump caused shockwaves around the world when he announced the U.S. would withdraw from the agreement and commence negotiations to either re-enter it or renegotiate a brand new accord.

"Not only does this deal subject our citizens to harsh economic restrictions, it fails to live up to our environmental ideals," he said at the time.

Under the Paris Agreement, reached at the end of 2015, world leaders have committed to making sure global warming stays "well below" 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In his speech on Friday, Gove sought to explain the importance of countries working together.



"International co-operation to deal with climate change is critical if we're to safeguard our planet's future and the world's second biggest generator of carbon emissions can't simply walk out of the room when the heat is on," he said. "It's our planet too and America needs to know we can only resolve this problem together."

It remains to be seen whether Gove's comments influence the president or not. The two met in January, when Gove, along with German journalist Kai Diekmann, interviewed Trump at Trump Tower in New York. The article was published in The Times of London, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
When he was 17, five years ago, Mujtaba al-Sweikat committed the "crime" of participating in a pro-democracy rally in Saudi Arabia. Instead of attending Western Michigan University, as he had planned to do that fall, he was put in prison. Reports are now leaking out of Saudi Arabia that al-Sweikat will soon be beheaded for his transgression. It's just the latest reminder that Saudi Arabia is America's worst best friend.

The U.S. does get something out of its relationship with Saudi Arabia; there is real intelligence sharing, and the Kingdom has used its power over OPEC to drive oil prices down when we want to humiliate Russia or accomplish some other goal. That's not nothing. Nor will I pretend that a global superpower can do the business of horse-trading only with saints and scholars. But there are real costs to our relationship with the Saudis, and I'm not sure that our policy elites are reckoning with them at all.

A day will come when we need friends with whom we share a real civilizational affinity, and our relationship with the Saudis will hurt us on that day. Saudi-funded mosques and preachers flow into the nations of our friends and allies, preaching hatred and occasionally terror. We often talk about how nationalism is a response to the globalization of commerce. But it's also a response to the globalization of Saudi Arabia's favorite forms of Islam. Syrian refugees come to Germany and find Saudi-funded mosques that are far more extreme than anything they knew at home. Saudi-funded clerics are a major engine of extremism, and of the nationalist backlash it produces, from France to India.



More from National Review:

What to Make of the Saudi Shake-Up

Trump's 'principled realism' is not very realistic about Islam

Why Middle East peace starts in Saudi Arabia

Saudi actions in this regard are so embarrassing and brazen that Western nations won't even let themselves be heard discussing them intelligibly. Last Week, U.K. home secretary Amber Rudd refused to publish her own government's delayed report on the funding of extremist groups. Even in the press releases, the government was too ashamed to admit the fact that everyone knew to be in them: Saudi Arabia funnels money to the extremist groups that threaten Europe with terrorism.



There is a major strategic cost to our alliance with the Saudis, whether anyone cares to admit it or not. The U.S.Saudi preference for regime change and demotic movements (no matter how loathsome) has been a gift to extremists everywhere. It's destabilized several Middle Eastern countries and contributed to a refugee crisis that is reordering the politics and society of Europe, while also visiting terrorism on our historic allies. By contrast, the Russian and Iranian strategy of siding with sovereign states (no matter how loathsome) so long as they represent predictable national interests seems rational.

There is also a moral and reputational cost to the alliance. U.S. and European foreign-policy thinkers often talk about putting forward our "values" in dealing with authoritarian regimes in China or Russia. We criticize Russia and China for violating human rights, and our leaders whip up popular antipathy for these regimes by highlighting their crimes. That we will do nothing as our close friends the Saudis decapitate someone who should have been matriculating at one of our schools makes us hypocrites of the worst kind. What's more, when the U.S. Air Force is refueling Saudi planes as they indiscriminately bomb hospitals and food-supply centers in Yemen, contributing to famine conditions and the worst outbreak of cholera in modern times, our complaints about Putin's similar adventures in Syria ring hollow.

Our support of Saudi Arabia doesn't just make it difficult to "win hearts and minds" to the cause of a more-liberal Middle East; it adds to the overall cynicism about how foreign affairs are conducted. Worse yet, the mismatch between our rhetoric and policy contributes to our own capacity for self-delusion.



It's simply embarrassing to be friends with the Saudis. No, we cannot conduct foreign policy with only neutral and peaceful countries. But sometimes a man looks at his pals and sees something so ugly he thinks less of himself. Our alliance with this squalid little Kingdom is demoralizing.



Commentary by Michael Brendan Dougherty, a senior writer at National Review. Follow him on Twitter @michaelbd.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.

2017 National Review. Used with permission.
Anthony Scaramucci, the back-slapping Wall Street hedge-fund magnate, is a long-time Republican donor and fundraiser who once criticized Donald J. Trump, the presidential candidate.

But he eventually became one of Trump's biggest defenders, and after months of delays he is finally getting what he has worked for behind the scenes since last year: a position in the Trump White House.

He was originally going to be a White House advisor and liaison to the business community. That didn't happen. Then he was offered the post of U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That didn't happen. In June, he was named chief strategy officer of the Export-Import Bank.

On Friday he was named White House communications director, a post that has been vacant since May after Mike Dubke resigned.

Scaramucci, 53, a Long Island native who is sometimes called by the nickname "the Mooch," graduated from Harvard Law School in 1989 after getting a bachelor's degree in economics from Tufts University in 1986. According to biographical information on Bloomberg, he was an investment professional at Fidelity Investments and later a vice president in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs. He eventually made it to Lehman Brothers as a managing director in its investment management division.

He founded his hedge fund firm SkyBridge Capital in 2005 and later launched a lavish annual hedge-fund confab in Las Vegas known as SALT.

Preparing to take a role in the Trump administration after the election last year, he put the $12 billion fund of funds company up for sale. He struck a $200 million deal in January with the Chinese conglomerate HNA Group and investment partner RON Transatlantic EG, according to The Wall Street Journal at the time.

The deal has not yet closed. "The close is proceeding as planned and is going through customary regulatory approvals," a SkyBridge spokesman told CNBC on Friday. "We are confident it will close this summer. We had originally expected it would close by the end of June but things can move more slowly than anticipated sometimes in Washington."

SALT, the conference business, is to be spun off as a separate entity.

Scaramucci doesn't come to the White House communications role with a media background per se, but he was once a regular CNBC contributor on such shows as "Fast Money," and he later became a contributor to Fox News and Fox Business. He revived an old PBS show called "Wall Street Week" in 2015 and hosted it weekly on Fox Business.
The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Thursday, July 20:

Social Security is the oldest and most popular federal income support program, and after more than 80 years, it might seem as permanent as the pyramids. But the pharaohs did better long-range engineering than the architects of the New Deal did. A 2015 Gallup Poll found that 64 percent of millennials dont think the program will be able to pay benefits when they retire. The other 36 percent may not have been paying attention. The doubts are similar among those in the 30-to-49 age range.

The fearful ones have good reason to be concerned. Right now, the program provides retirement and survivors benefits to some 50 million people. Every year since 2010, Social Security revenues, excluding interest earned, have been lower than payouts, and things promise to get worse. Last week, the systems board of trustees reported that it is still on track to insolvency.

In the past year, the programs unfunded liabilities have grown from $11.4 trillion to $12.5 trillion. Given current trends, the Social Security retirement fund is expected to run out of money in 2034, a mere 17 years from now. The very modest good news is thats the same year it was expected to run out in last years report. Were moving, but the cliff were headed for is not.

Complacency is not in order. Someone who is 50 years old would reach normal retirement age (67 for those born after 1959) the year the fund is scheduled to run dry. People in the workforce and their employers would continue to contribute to the fund via payroll taxes. But barring action between now and then to reduce costs or increase revenue, retirees would face a reduction of about $5,800 per year in todays dollars for a typical beneficiary reaching the full retirement age in 2033, according to the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The problem is simple. Our leaders have been piling up unfunded liabilities. Politicians have been far more eager to channel benefits to retirees and disabled people than to impose taxes to pay for them.

The Social Security payroll tax rate has not increased since 1990. But in the interim, the giant baby boom generation has begun its mass migration into retirement. Because of rising lifespans, these retirees will be collecting checks for many more years than their parents and grandparents did.

The trajectory of the workforce _ the taxpayers who finance the benefits _ is not matching this growth. Quite the opposite. In 1990, there were 3.4 workers per retiree. Today, there are 2.8. By 2035 _ barring, say, a flood of young immigrants _ there will be about two. Forgive them if they think of themselves as indentured servants, doomed to pay for the irresponsibility of pols who let Social Securitys finances deteriorate.

By failing to take timely steps to balance resources and obligations, members of Congress and presidents have made solutions steadily harder. When the retirement fund is depleted, the chief alternative to smaller retirement checks will be big tax increases. Each year, the choices get worse. If policymakers wait until 2034 to make any changes, they will have to increase the payroll tax by 32 percent (to 16.4 percent) or cut benefits for all new and existing beneficiaries by 23 percent, says the CRFB.

The best time to address this looming crisis was long before now. The next best time: ASAP. The year 2034 is going to arrive whether Social Security is ready or not.
Hedge fund magnate Anthony Scaramucci apparently has finally landed the White House job he has coveted even though the sale of his firm is not yet complete.

The founder of SkyBridge Capital is set to take over as communications director following months of speculation and false starts about where he would land. However, his ties to the firm remain.

A SkyBridge spokesman told CNBC that the sale was set to close June 30 but has not due to unspecified delays. The spokesman said, "Things can move more slowly than anticipated sometimes in Washington."

Scaramucci has long been on the administration's personnel radar. In the early days of the Trump presidency, Scaramucci was considered for the Office of the Public Liaison, a job that eventually went to Omarosa Manigault. He is currently chief strategy officer and vice president at the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

In early June, when Scaramucci was reported to be tapped as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the spokesman told CNBC the transaction was going through a "customary closing process" and would be finalized by June 30, the end of the second quarter.

Scaramucci sold his stake in January when it seemed he was a lock for an administration post. However, questions arose about the motivation of the buyer  a consortium of Chinese investment firms with government ties  that delayed his appointment.

SkyBridge manages $11.4 billion for clients; the company was valued at $200 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. It is not clear how much of an ownership he holds in the firm.

Scaramucci has been a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump, working on Trump's transition committee and defending him publicly in media appearances. He is well-known on Wall Street and had been the organizer of the SkyBridge Alternatives, or SALT, conference held each year in Las Vegas for thousands of financial professionals. The conference features celebrities and political notables.

Scaramucci is a former CNBC contributor.
U.S. President Donald Trump's outside legal team spokesman has resigned amid media reports the team is being reorganized as investigations continue into alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign.

Mark Corallo confirmed his departure on Friday in an emailed statement.

His resignation comes amid reports regarding the role of Marc Kasowitz, Trump's attorney handling the investigation into the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia.

NBC reported on Friday that Kasowitz was no longer leading the legal team but would remain on board to provide guidance. The New York Times reported late on Thursday that his "role ... will be significantly reduced."

A source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday that Kasowitz had not left the team.

Separately, Trump is considering appointing Wall Street financier and long-time supporter Anthony Scaramucci as his White House communications director, according to a senior White House official.

The staff changes come amid other media reports that some of Trump's lawyers are considering ways to limit U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the effort, reported late Thursday that Trump's legal team is seeking to limit or undercut the investigation by targeting Mueller's team and is exploring Trump's pardoning authority.

The New York Times also reported that Trump's lawyers are looking into the background of Mueller's investigators, citing three people familiar with the research effort.

Moscow has denied any interference with last year's U.S. presidential election. Trump has also said there was no collusion.
Banks have been reporting earnings, and one item not getting enough attention is a rapidly growing line item called "noninterest income," which is a boring term for fees that banks charge their customers, both businesses and consumers. It's a business that's growing like mad: for some large regional banks, it's already close to 40 percent of their income!

Some growth in fee revenues is happening because customer accounts are growing, but banks have been pushing up what they charge for fees for years.

These fees come in all shapes and sizes, but consumers are familiar with most of them: Withdrawal fees for ATMs. Deposit fees. Transaction fees. Insufficient funds fees. Annual fees. Inactivity fees. Checking account fees. Mortgage fees. Credit card fees. Fees for deposit slips even. It's endless!

Let's just look at two of the most typical fees:

1) Overdraft fees

Bankrate.com says the average overdraft fee for a checking account was $33.04 in 2016, down 0.1 percent from 2015, but prior to that it had increased for 17 straight years.

That adds up to big profits for the banks. According to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, JPMorgan made $1.9 billion from overdraft charges last year, Wells Fargo made $1.8 billion, and Bank of America made $1.7 billion. Together, consumer paid $17 billion in overdraft and NSF fees in 2015, according to the Center for Responsible Lending (about $53 for every American). This, despite the fact that by law bank customers must choose to opt into ATM overdrafts.

For some banks, overdraft revenues are a significant part of their income. In the first three quarters of 2016, among banks with more than $1 billion in assets, overdraft fee revenue accounted for an average of 8.1 percent of banks' net income, according to the Public Interest Research Group.

2) ATM fees

This really makes me nuts, particularly if you are taking money out of a bank that's not your own or out of your network. Bernie Sanders made an issue of it during the presidential election. He said ATM fees should be limited to a maximum of $2. That went nowhere.

Bankrate.com found that in 2016 the average withdrawal fee for a non-customer bank was $2.90, a record for the 12th straight year. Your own bank charged an average of $1.67 more, a 2-percent increase from 2015. Add it up, and the total average fee for withdrawing from a non-customer bank was $4.57, a record high for the 10th consecutive year

Of course, not everyone pays these fees. Many accounts don't charge for out-of-network withdrawals, and many banks will raise the customer bank fee if you maintain a high enough balance.

Is there any limit to how high these can go? Believe it or not, there doesn't appear to be. The Consumer Finance Protection Board (CFPB) was established in 2011 in the wake of the financial crisis to provide consumer protection in the financial sector, but there is no regulatory limit on what banks can charge for service fees on deposit accounts.

I'll repeat that: there is no regulatory limit on what banks can charge for service fees on deposit accounts. That means that if a bank wants to charge you a $20 fee to withdraw $20 from their ATM, they can do it.

Under the Credit CARD Act of 2009, there are limits on certain fees that can be charged for credit cards. For example, card companies can't charge you a fee if you go over the limit on your card unless you give them permission to authorize purchases above your limit. Penalty fees are supposed to be reasonable and in proportion to the violation. Unlike for a bank account, you can't be charged an inactivity fee.

But for bank deposit accounts, the sky is the limit on fees. What to do? Shop around, to begin with. Bankrate.com found that 38 percent of banks offer non-interest bearing checking accounts with no monthly fees or balance requirements.

Ed Mierzwinski, who has spent more than 20 years as a consumer advocate at the Public Interest Research Group, has two suggestions: First, many banks will waive certain fees if you keep open multiple accounts. He also recommends having direct deposit of your paycheck, which will often result in a waiver of a balance requirement.

His final suggestion: If you're really want to keep fees to a minimum, consider joining a credit union. "That's what I do," he said, noting that many are now full-service companies that that offer mortgages, car loans, etc.

One final point: The banking industry has been actively involved in rolling back what they view as excessive regulations imposed on them since the financial crisis. There has been a particularly strong effort to defang the consumer banking watchdog, the CFPB. A bill, HR 10, the Financial Choice Act, has passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting action in the Senate. It would take away the CFPB's independent funding, make its director fireable at will by eliminating its independent agency status, and take away most of its tools to enforce the laws, including the authority to sue companies for unfair and deceptive practices.



CNBC's Kirsten Chang contributed to this report
Brad Quick | CNBC

"Made in America" week is coming to a close, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross faces a deadline to deliver a blueprint for one of the administration's first manufacturing initiatives. Given the tone of public comments on the proposed policy, the administration shouldn't expect a warm reception if it follows through with its original plan. By Sunday, Ross is supposed to present President Donald Trump with a plan to require oil and gas pipeline makers to build and repair projects within U.S. borders with American-made pipes and raw materials. The plan is the result of a study Trump ordered in one of several presidential memos he signed during his first week in office. The Commerce Department told CNBC it expects to deliver the plan on time. But while the idea attracted some support from steel makers during a public comment period, it also drew many warnings from industry groups, pipe manufacturers, energy companies and foreign governments. "With global trade topping $20 trillion annually, the proliferation of such protectionist measures would only serve to jeopardize the ability of U.S. companies and their workers to sell goods and services to the 95 percent of the world's consumers who live outside our borders," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said.

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That tees up a potentially awkward roll out. Early in his presidency, Trump evoked the plan often and with great enthusiasm. He has repeatedly said the idea came to him in a moment of inspiration while he was reviewing planned memos authorizing two controversial pipeline projects. Even before Ross began collecting input from stakeholders, Trump was floating his vision in public. In his view, not only should pipeline builders use domestically manufactured pipes, but pipe makers should only buy raw steel from American mills. He suggested he'd enforce the mandate by refusing to exercise the government's power to appropriate private land on behalf of pipeline companies if they didn't buy American.

Warnings pile up

Some of the nation's top trading partners  the European Union, Canada, Mexico and Australia  raised concerns, including that the mandate would violate bedrock principles of free trade agreements and encourage other countries to protect their own manufacturing sectors with similar requirements. The European Union reminded the Commerce Department that the United States and EU had partnered in the past to dissuade countries like China, India and Russia from implementing similar domestic manufacturing requirements. Canada and Mexico both called the policy an "unprecedented intrusion" into companies' decision-making and noted that the North American steel industry is deeply interwoven. Canada said the executive action had created uncertainty and already delayed construction and hiring on both sides of the border.

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Many pipe makers and the trade groups that represent them warned that the requirement could increase costs, disrupt supply chains, delay projects and restrict hiring. In dozens of pages of comments, industry associations argued that the mandate is largely unworkable without a lengthy phase-in period and substantial loopholes. "Higher pipe prices from a domestic content requirement would threaten new pipeline projects and hurt creation of new U.S. jobs building pipelines. We want to ensure that any action to help Buy America does not hurt Hire America," John Stoody, vice president of government and public relations at the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, told CNBC this week. National Fuel, a Williamsville, New York-based energy and utility company, warned that the requirement could cause big companies to place large orders for pipes and raw steel in anticipation of a shortage, sending prices higher. It suggested creating incentives, rather than a requirement, to use American products. The Commerce Department told CNBC it declines "to comment on any issues or legal analysis until the report is issued."

Lukewarm support from steel makers

Among the strongest supporters were U.S.-based steel companies like Nucor . Many noted that while they do not currently make some of the products pipeline makers use, they have the capacity to start supplying them in coming years. Still, some steel makers stopped short of a full-throated endorsement of Trump's plan, instead expressing support for policies that encourage  not require  sourcing steel from North America. That is perhaps because many steel makers have operations across borders. As Canada pointed out: "Many steel facilities operating in both countries are subsidiaries of the same parent companies, including ArcelorMittal, Tenaris, Evraz, Harris Steel and others. In addition, most of our steelworkers are represented by the same union, the United Steelworkers."

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Don't be so quick to ditch a rewards program that doesn't seem so rewarding.

U.S. consumers collectively hold 3.8 billion memberships in loyalty programs, up from 3.3 billion in 2015, according to new data from research firm Colloquy. But more than half of those memberships (54 percent) are inactive, and 28 percent of consumers have abandoned a program "without ever having redeemed a point or mile."

Slow earnings was a prime reason, with 57 percent of shoppers telling Colloquy they ditched because it took too long to rack up enough points or miles to claim a reward. (The firm polled 2,258 U.S. adults in late 2016.)

Fair point. True to the name, loyalty programs tend to be the most rewarding for loyal (i.e. frequent) users.

"Rarely does a loyalty program acquire [new] customers. That's not what it's made for," said Melissa Fruend, a partner at Colloquy. "It's made for folks who are already interested in the brand."

But so long as the program is free, experts say, there can be value in signing up even as an occasional or one-time user.

"I always recommend joining," said Zach Honig, editor-in-chief The Points Guy. "Otherwise, you're just throwing opportunities away."
The shocking news that Senator John McCain is suffering from a brain tumor has rocked Washington and brought out an outpouring of love and affection unseen in recent memory. "I love John McCain," tweeted former Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry, another Vietnam Veteran. "He's Teddy Roosevelt's 'man in the arena.' Unbeatable. Unbreakable. God Bless." Kerry included a picture of McCain returning from his five-and-a-half years of captivity and torture in Hanoi.

It's not just admiration for McCain's lifetime of service and the excruciating pain he endured in North Vietnam that is driving the outpouring. There's also a sense that McCain is not only uniquely admirable but irreplaceable in Washington, the U.S. Senate and to the Republican Party, especially at this moment.

When party presidential nominees return to the Senate after defeat, their stature is enhanced for having gotten so close to the mountaintop. That includes Kerry, himself, George McGovern and also McCain's mentor, fellow Arizonan Barry Goldwater, who served another 22 years in the Senate after his 1964 defeat to Lyndon Johnson. McCain took Goldwater's seat 31 years ago after a career in the House and the Navy, where his father was an admiral. Like Goldwater, McCain is known for his crusty candor and ripe humor, both of which seem particularly needed in an age of obfuscation.

More from Newsweek:

Donald Trump is 'cornered' and could curtail the Russia investigation

What is glioblastoma? Senator John McCain is in for the fight of his life

John McCain cancer is 'godly justice' for challenging Trump, alt-right claims

McCain's vaunted status in the Senate means that everything he says counts. When he questioned the GOP leadership for not following normal procedures on health care and crafting the bill in secret, it resonated. When he repeatedly sounded the alarm about Vladimir Putin and Russia, it echoed in the chamber. He threatened to oppose Donald Trump's Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson for being too close to Putin. The warning shot across the nominee's bough appeared to strengthen the spine of the ExxonMobil executive, who had close ties to the Russian president.

There are other senators who opposed Donald Trump, such as Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, and who defied the president on the health care bill, but none has had the clout of McCain. The Arizonan's continued criticism of the administration's coziness with Russia and his clarion call to continue the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller has made him indispensable in the Senate. Even from his hospital bed on Wednesday, McCain denounced Trump's reported move to cease funding the Syrian opposition, accusing the administration of "playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin."

In 2000, when he first ran for president, McCain dubbed his campaign bus, "The Straight Talk Express." He'd sit for hours with reporters and speak, on the record, instead of avoiding the media and only delivering prepackaged sound bites. It was a style of campaigning that became much beloved. But it also was a reminder of McCain's fearlessness, something that was on display in Hanoi, where he was so badly beaten after his plane was shot down and he was so tortured by his Communist captors that he hasn't been able to raise his arms to comb his own hair to this day. It showed he really wasn't afraid to lose, because he'd already been through something worth losing.

That's why he's tweaked every president, voting against George W. Bush's tax cuts because they were too profligate. For a politician, he showed exceptional courage by not being afraid to be booed. When a voter in 2008 at a rally said she was opposed to Barack Obama because he was "a Muslim," McCain insisted the Democrat was "a decent family man, a citizen, who I happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues." That seems like a simple moment, but it is very different than the one that we are living in now. McCain was booed at the time. For the rest of the campaign he invited taunts at his rallies by similarly framing the race as a contest of ideas and not good and evil. Compare that to "Lock Her Up."

Trump avoided service in Vietnam because of a bone spur, although he couldn't recall, when asked during the 2016 campaign, which foot ailed him. In almost every way, McCain and Trump couldn't be less alike, and it's telling that one of Trump's first big controversies in 2015 was saying that McCain was not a hero and that he liked "people who aren't captured." Contrast that not only with McCain's extraordinary bravery in Vietnam but, more important, his having led the U.S. reconciliation with the country that tortured him because it was in the national interest. McCain's greatest strength is that he finds a way not to be imprisoned by his experiences. He has picked fights. He had a strained relationship with George W. Bush after a nasty primary battle. But McCain got over it and worked with him and every one of the six presidents while in Congress. That's true in the case of Trump, too. McCain will help this presidentbut he has also been a living check on Trump and Trumpism. He's a reminder of what the country needs and what, sadly, is too often in such short supply.
Gronik, a political newcomer who called himself a "progressive businessperson," is the most prominent Democrat yet to get into the race and could tap his personal wealth to help spread his message.
Silver and bronze versions of the 2017 ANA Worlds Fair of Money medal are updated editions of original 1982 (obverse) and 1967 (reverse) headquarters dedication medals.

The ANA Worlds Fair of Money will offer convention medals from Medallic Art Company in silver and bronze, with two bronze versions offered in different sizes, including as a hanging badge.

With so many events and activities on the calendar for the American Numismatic Association Worlds Fair of Money in Denver Aug. 1 to 5, anyone attending is unlikely to become bored.

The convention is being staged in Hall F of the Colorado Convention Center, located at 700 14th St.

Appearing at the coin and money show, ANA officials say, will be the nations finest coin dealers and best inventory; high-quality educational programs and seminars; world-class auctions by Heritage Auctions and Stacks Bowers Galleries; world mints; as well as exhibits showcasing priceless treasures from the ANA Money Museum and private collections.

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Public bourse hours are 1 to 6 p.m. Mountain Time Aug. 1; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 2 to 4; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 5. ANA members can enter the show 30 minutes before the public.

There was a time when the Morgan dollar was actually a half dollar: Another column in the July 31 issue of Coin World explains how collectors can create their own archival-quality holders for oversized paper money.

Admission is $8 for adults; ANA members and children 12 and under are always admitted free.

On Aug. 5, admission is free for everyone.

Great museum rarities on view

The ANA Museum Showcase will present rare and historically significant numismatic treasures from the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum and exclusive private collections.

Several rarities will make their showcase debut, including a complete set of Clark, Gruber & Co. Colorado pioneer gold pieces dated 1860 and 1861, and a 1933 Indian Head gold $10 eagle. Additional highlights include:

??The Idler/Bebee 1804 Draped Bust silver dollar and the McDermott/Bebee 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent coin.

??The High Relief and Ultra High Relief 1907 Saint-Gaudens, Roman Numerals $20 gold double eagles from the Harry W. Bass Jr. Collection.

??A nearly complete set of Lesher Referendum silver dollars from the early 1900s.

??The Rittenhouse 1792 half disme along with the George Washington-signed document appointing David Rittenhouse as first director of the United States Mint.

Pre-convention education

Pre-convention education opportunities will be held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, located adjacent to the convention center:

??Coin Conservation, Authentication and Grading: Instructor: Brian Silliman, July 29 to 31; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This intensive three-day seminar emphasizes the most essential numismatic skills for collectors of any level. Instruction includes digital presentation, open discussion and hands-on coin examination.

??Pioneer Gold Coinage: Instructor: David McCarthy; July 30 to 31; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the 19th century, the discovery of gold across the United States led to a fascinating series of coinage produced by the U.S. Mint, the U.S. Assay Office and private minters like the Bechtlers and Moffat & Co. Learn the history of the three major U.S. gold rushes through coins minted from Georgia, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and California. Participants will examine high-resolution images and actual examples of rare pioneer gold.

Talks and lectures

Convention visitors are also invited to attend the free Money Talks presentations and Sundman Luncheon lectures. The informative programs are presented by some of the hobbys most noted authorities.

Money Talks presentations are offered Thursday, Aug. 3, and Friday, Aug. 4, in Room 504 of the Colorado Convention Center. Topics to be covered include Baltimores Washington Monument and Its Numismatic Secrets; Medallic Remembrances of World War I; Lesher Referendum Dollars  The Denver Connection; and more.

Guests who attend the Sundman luncheon, priced at $15 per person, will hear the following presentations:

??Joseph Boling: WWI Generated Many New Paper Money Issues  and the Counterfeiters Followed Right Along.

??Roger W. Burdette: The Pittman Silver Purchase Act of 1918.

??Fred Schwan: Numismatic Trench Art of World War I.

??David Goya: War To End All Wars: Americans Participate in the Great War Through Its Medals.

Convention medals

The 2017 ANA convention medals are sponsored and struck by Medallic Art Co. from the original 1982 (obverse) and 1967 (reverse) headquarters dedication medals.

The 1967 medal was released upon the opening of the headquarters, while the 1982 design was issued to mark the opening of a headquarters addition.

The obverse of the medal features an allegorical figure of a woman in flowing robes holding the ANAs lamp of knowledge symbol.

The reverse of the medal depicts the headquarters building in Colorado Springs, with Pikes Peak in the background.

Revised inscriptions reflect the 2017 show, by tradition called the ANAs 126th Anniversary Convention.

Medals are available as a convention medal badge (1.5-inch bronze medal with a ribbon drape) priced at $20; a 2.75-inch bronze medal priced at $65; and a two-medal set (one in bronze and one in .900 silver) priced at $100.

To order, call 800-514-2646 or visit the ANA area (booth #1103) at the show.

Collector exhibits

Collector exhibits are among the most popular features at every ANA show.

Its a great opportunity for hobbyists to share their collections and research with fellow numismatists through high-quality displays, according to ANA officials. The individual creativity is often rivaled only by the quality and variety of the items on display. Visit booth #778 to view this years exhibits.

The host clubs for the weeklong event, the Colorado Springs Coin Club (cscc.anaclubs.org) and the Colorado Springs Numismatic Society (cans.anaclubs.org), can be found at booth #362.

For additional information concerning the Denver convention, call 800-367-9723 or visit www.worldsfairofmoney.com.

The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items.

The ANA helps its 25,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its array of instructional and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ANAs headquarters dedication, the association is opening its doors and inviting members to tour its center of operations in downtown Colorado Springs on Sunday, Aug. 6, immediately after the Denver Worlds Fair of Money.

Attendance at the celebration tour is free.
The 2017-S 225th Anniversary Enhanced Uncirculated Coin set will make its sales debut from the U.S. Mint on Aug. 1.

Collectors and dealers will have multiple ways to buy the 10-coin 2017-S 225th Anniversary Enhanced Uncirculated Coin set when it goes on sale Aug. 1. Those in Denver for the years biggest coin convention will find the set available at two locations, though sales will begin at different times.

The first venue in Denver at which customers will be able to purchase the sets and walk away with the physical product in hand wont be the American Numismatic Association World Fair of Money at the Colorado Convention Center.

The set will be priced at $29.95.

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Instead, the contracted sales center at the Denver Mint will be the first place in the city where the set will become available, since sales there will start before the ANA convention opens to the public.

There was a time when the Morgan dollar was actually a half dollar: Another column in the July 31 issue of Coin World explains how collectors can create their own archival-quality holders for oversized paper money.

The sets, limited to a maximum release of 225,000 sets, will be offered for sale beginning at noon Eastern Time, which is 10 a.m. by Denvers Mountain Time. The noon ET starting time applies as well to in-person sales at the contracted sales center at the Philadelphia Mint and the sales center at U.S. Mint headquarters in the District of Columbia, and for sales by telephone and on the U.S. Mints website.

Sales wont open at the ANA convention until 1 p.m. MT (3 p.m. ET) when the bourse floor opens to the public.

When does the line open?

U.S. Mint officials in Washington said July 19 that Mint officials at the show will not allow a line to form for the sets until 1 p.m. MT when the bourse opens to the public.

As of July 20, the U.S. Mint had not disclosed whether any ordering limit would be in place for those trying to acquire the coin sets at the four in-person locations.

The launch of sales for a limited-edition set in concert with the opening of an ANA convention and at Mint sales facilities has occurred before, and officials of both the Mint and the ANA are probably hoping not to repeat one past experience. The annual ANA Worlds Fair of Money and the Denver Mint were both sites of the release of a new and in-demand U.S. Mint product in 2014, and disruptive situations ensued. The Mints release then included various versions of the 2014 Kennedy, 50th Anniversary half dollars, including a gold version.

Lines that formed at both venues well before sales began caused problems for police at the Rosemont, Illinois, site of that years ANA convention, and at the Denver Mint. Some people waiting in line were collectors wanting coins for their collections, but others were noncollectors who had been hired by coin dealers to buy the coins. The dealers promised to pay the line holders for their coins plus a premium; in many cases, the dealers then had the coins encapsulated by major grading services, with special labels. These specially encapsulated pieces were then offered for sale at the dealers venues at many times the initial cost.

While Mint officials had planned to offer the coins over a five-day period, sales at all Mint venues and the ANA show were halted after three days. On the opening of sales at the Denver Mint in 2014, a waiting crowd rushed across the street to the sales center entrance, and some people fell to the ground in the rush. At the Rosemont location, dealers on the bourse were among those complaining that the long line of people waiting to buy the coins was disruptive.

This article was updated at 10:59 a.m. July 21 with the price of the set.
A pattern copper peso proclaiming death to Mexican President Victoriano Huerta is offered for sale during Heritage Auctions Platinum Night auction Aug. 3 in Denver.

The rise of Jose Victoriano Huerta Ortega to the presidency of Mexico during the Mexican Revolution led to the creation of a fantastic numismatic rarity.

A pattern for the MUERA HUERTA peso, even rarer than the coin it presaged, is crossing the auction block in Denver during the Heritage Auctions Platinum Night sale at the American Numismatic Association Worlds Fair of Money.

The coin (and its related pattern) is named for the Spanish inscription on the reverse, calling for the death (muera) of Huerta.

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Gen. Huerta was a Federal Army commander who initially served President Francisco I. Madero but joined with anti-Madero conspirators in ousting him.

Huerta, a counter-revolutionary, became president in February 1913 supported by conservative elements in Mexico and some foreign powers.

There was a time when the Morgan dollar was actually a half dollar: Another column in the July 31 issue of Coin World explains how collectors can create their own archival-quality holders for oversized paper money.

The Mexican Revolution was a chaotic time in Mexico, as alliances formed and disbanded, troops gained and then ceded lands, and friends became enemies and enemies became friends. Huerta as president ruled as a military dictator, killing many that spoke against him. He was so despised during this time and afterward, that those fighting to defeat him made death to Huerta, or muera Huerta their rallying cry.

Huerta came to power with the promise to restore peace to Mexico, but instead launched a period of extreme violence and terror, wrote Hugh Guthrie in Mexican Revolutionary Coinage 1913-1917. Open, armed rebellion broke out almost at once, led by such men as [Alvaro] Obregon in the Northwest, [Venustiano] Carranzo in the West, [Pancho] Villa in the North and Center, [Emiliano] Zapata in the South and [Salvador] Alvarado in the Yucatan.

Death to Huerta on a coin

One of the most famous of all coins, the MUERA HUERTA peso, was the result of Villas hatred of Huerta. ... the end of Huertas dictatorship was made certain by Villas great victory at Zacatecas in June of 1914. Three weeks after the battle, Huerta resigned and fled the country, according to Guthrie.

The pattern peso, issued in 1914 and struck in copper, was made in the state of Durango, commissioned by two of Villas generals. Legend suggests that some of Villas troops received the coins in payment for their service.

The patterns obverse features a liberty cap with rays surrounding, with the name of the United States of Mexico and the denomination in Spanish, accompanied by the year date at bottom legend with three stars surrounding on each side.

The reverse references the issuing authority, indicated by GOB. PROVISIONAL (meaning provisional government) with MUERA HUERTA at center; EJERCITO CONSTITUCIONALISTA (constitutional army) at upper legend, wreath at lower border.

The adopted design (which was struck in silver) features an eagle on cactus motif on the reverse, in place of the text.

The example in the Heritage auction features a plain edge.

Graded Very Fine 20 brown by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., the pattern displays moderate wear mixed with heavy handling (marks and scratches) as is typical of the survivors, according to Heritage, and has an estimate of $5,000 to $8,000.
NJ Bill Enforces LGBT Agenda in Public Schools

Contact: Liberty Counsel, 407-875-1776, Media@LC.org; Press Kit

TRENTON, N.J., July 21, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- A bill that directs the New Jersey Commissioner of Education to review and modify public school guidelines to accommodate and promote the rights of "transgender" students, in accordance with current State or federal laws and regulations, has passed the Senate and the Assembly and goes to the Governor for consideration. Liberty Counsel sent a letter to Governor Chris Christie encouraging him to veto the bill.

The bill, known as S3067/ A4652, mandates the commissioner to provide school districts with guidance and resources regarding LGBT-related professional development to teachers, administrators and school staff. This "transgender education bill" also requires schools to work only with "the student," and not the parents, related to gender dysphoria issues, and requires school staff and other students to address a "transgender" student by false gender pronouns. S3067/A4652 bill ignores biological and physical differences between girls and boys and permits gender-confused students to participate in opposite sex physical education activities and other formerly gender-separate activities, and further allows them to room on overnight trips with members of the opposite sex.

"The State of New Jersey has no business invading the privacy and jeopardizing the safety of students by forcing them to use restrooms, showers and hotel rooms for overnight events with someone of the opposite sex," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Nor does the state have the right to force students and school personnel to participate in a delusion by requiring them to pretend that people can change their sex. This policy is harmful to everyone. S3067/A4652 violates the religious, privacy, safety and First Amendment rights of students and staff and oversteps parental authority. It is parents, not school officials, who have the right to guide their children in making informed choices about what is best for them. Parents do not want their daughters changing and sleeping in the presence of biological boys, and vice versa. S3067/A4652 is state-sponsored child exploitation and Liberty Counsel urges Governor Christie to veto this bill," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
On June 13five and a half weeks agoMicrosoft released a series of buggy patches for Outlook. We know theyre buggy because Microsoft acknowledged seven bugs (including one primarily caused by bugs in Windows patches) in those four original June 13 security patches. As of this morning, we still dont have fixes for those seven bugs.

Here are the known buggy original security patches:

KB 3191898  Security update for Outlook 2007, released June 13, 2017

KB 3203467  Security update for Outlook 2010, released June 13

KB 3191938  Security update for Outlook 2013, June 13

KB 3191932  Security update for Outlook 2016, June 13

If you have Automatic Update turned on, you were treated not only to those patches, but to all of these three later, interim fixes for the bugs in the security patches. Don't get too excited about them. In fact, they didn't fix the bugs:

KB 4011042  Yet another update for Outlook 2010, released July 5, pulled July 15

KB 3191849 - Another update for Outlook 2013, released June 27, pulled July 15

KB 3213654 - Another update for Outlook 2016, released June 30, pulled July 15

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

Those KB numbers dont line up with the originally buggy security patch numbers because Microsoft didnt re-release the bad patches. These new interim patches arent cumulative. In other words, in order to get Outlook 2016 patched, for example, you had to install the June 13 patch, then install the June 30 patch. Except, well, the June 30 patch didnt fix the problems created by the June 13 patch.

Got that?

Lots of Outlook users and admins have been waiting for new fixes ever since Microsoft pulled the three interim patches on July 15. (Outlook 2007 never received an interim patch.) If Microsofts told anyone why they pulled those interim patches, I havent heard about it. I havent seen any instructions about removing the interim patches. Were all left sitting in limbo.

On Monday, Microsoft sent its largest customers a secret email saying they would release new patches on Tuesday.

The new security updates scheduled for release are intended to address currently unresolved functional issues affecting Outlook.

But Tuesday came and went, and there werent any new patchesre-issues, interim, cumulative or otherwise.

One of the fixes to the Outlook bugs proposed by Microsoft relies on patches to Windows itself, and those patches are going through a mind-numbing series of flip-slops. Anybody who used Automatic Update this past month has seen their systems flop around like a beached bluegill.

Balls in your court, again, Microsoft.

Discussion continues on the AskWoody Lounge.
If Damian Green looks paler by this time next year, the reason will be a lack of sunlight. He is vanishing into the committee and meeting rooms of Whitehall. The Government has published its list of Cabinet committees and sub-committees and implementation task forces. There are 15 of the former. Green sits on 14 of them (he has eschewed the National Security Councils Nuclear Deterrence and Security sub-committee) and chairs four. This latter group include two of the four Brexit-related committees: namely, the sub-committees on international trade and European affairs. Philip Hammond chairs the sub-committee on the Economy and Industrial Strategy but, when it comes to Brexit, neither Liam Fox nor David Davis have the same privilege on sub-committees that cover their patches. Green is in charge.

Furthermore, he has almost a clean sweep of the Implementation Task Forces. Seven of these were announced last October, covering Childcare, Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion, Earn or Learn, Housing, Immigration, Tackling Extremism in Communities, and Tackling Modern Slavery and People Trafficking. This structure has now been slimmed down to six: Housing, Immigration, Tackling Modern Slavery and People Trafficking, and Digital (as it is now called). Tackling Extremism in Communities has been scrapped. Earn and Learn has become Employment and Skills. Green sits on all of these bar Tackling Modern Slavery, and chairs all he sits on. So Sajid Javid no longer chairs the Housing Implementation Task Force and May no longer chairs (nor even sits) on the Immigration one. She has left it entirely in the hands of the man who served under her as Immigration Minister when she was Home Secretary.

At first glance, it looks as though Green has seized control of the countrys radio stations and is playing martial music. But the explanation is more prosaic. This is what comes of making the Minister in charge of the Cabinet Office, whose task is to support the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government, First Secretary of State. Greens predecessor was Ben Gummer, who wasnt even a full Cabinet Minister. But he now outranks every other Cabinet Minister, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer  who, in any event, doesnt seek to dominate Westminster and Whitehall in the way that his own predecessor, George Osborne, did. So Green is both Osborne and Oliver Letwin, who dominated the Cabinet committee-and-sub-committee structure under David Cameron, rolled into one  in a manner of speaking.

Green does not have the title Deputy Prime Minister. (The last was Nick Clegg.) But he is a more central First Secretary of State than William Hague, whose responsibilites were largely confined to the Foreign Office, and will have more levers to pull, at least formally, than Osborne, the last First Secretary of State. The former Chancellor had clear leadership ambitions. If Green harbours any, he isnt letting on: he is Mays closest colleague, having known her since their university days at Oxford, and one of the very few that she trusts. The former Remainer  a deeply committed one  is now a loyal Brexiteer, backing up the Prime Ministers line in the crucial Brexit sub-committee that deals with the negotiation. Before the election, the most powerful man in government wasnt an MP at all: Nick Timothy. Now it is Green  at least if power is to be measured by formal control.
Channel programs News

Annese CEO: Acquisition By ConvergeOne Brings Cisco Call Center Capability, More Support For Bigger Customers

Alec Shirkey

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ConvergeOne's acquisition of solution provider Annese & Asssociates Tuesday allows both companies to expand their foothold in key regions of the U.S.

Clifton Park, N.Y.-based Annese, No. 226 on the 2017 CRN Solution Provider 500, gives ConvergeOne an immediate presence in the Northeast. And ConvergeOne, based in Eagan, Minn., will bolster its newest acquisition's reach through well-established roots in the Midwest and West.

Neither company disclosed financial terms of the acquisition, but Annese CEO Ray Apy told CRN that ConvergeOne acquired 100 percent of Annese's stock.

[Related: ConvergeOne Fortifies Cisco, AWS Muscle With Purchase Of 155-Person Solution Provider ]

Although ConvergeOne's legacy business has made it one of the world's largest Avaya partners, the company has spent much of the past decade building out a solutions practice centered around Cisco. The practice includes cloud, data center, enterprise networking and security offerings.

Annese will be integrated into ConvergeOne's Cisco division, Apy said, and focus a large majority of its efforts on Cisco solutions given that his company  a Cisco Gold Certified partner  already offers many of those same capabilities.

"Those are all in complete alignment, and we snap in nicely to that organization," Apy said.

One notable area where the two companies do not overlap: call center capability. ConvergeOne has a practice in that area that includes a Cisco Contact Center Enterprise offering, whereas Apy said that Annese has previously been forced to rely on a partner if one of its customers had call center needs.

"We have quite a few customers who look to us for contact center expertise," Apy said. "Now we'll be able to bring that to them as one company without having a partner for that. That's a big one, having that advanced contact center capability."

Both solution providers conduct a majority of their business in the public sector, working with state and local governments as well as K-12 schools and universities. Apy noted that Annese's public sector dealings will account for around 60 percent of revenue this year, and that it tends to work with organizations of about 500 to 2,000 employees.

What ConvergeOne brings to the table on the end-user side is a federal business presence that includes contacts in the financial, health-care and professional services industries. Being a larger company with extensive financial backing from private equity firm Clearlake Capital, ConvergeOne can also improve Annese's ability to better serve some of its biggest customers.

Annese has roughly 600 customers that purchase services or products on a regular basis, in addition to "a couple thousand" more that might contract Annese for project work, according to Apy.

"There are some major national and international accounts that we weren't really able to effectively support before, but we will now because of the scale and capacity and resources we have being part of ConvergeOne," Apy said.

ConvergeOne, with its Cisco and Avaya hosted collaboration solution offerings, can also add Annese's data center migration and cloud expertise to its portfolio. Annese is an Amazon Web Services partner, and most of its data center services are built around the AWS platform.

"We're going to put those two [cloud capabilities] together, and now [the combined company] will really have the whole space covered from collaboration to data center migration to cloud," Apy said.

In addition to its longstanding Cisco and Avaya relationships, ConvergeOne maintains partnerships with more than 200 vendors worldwide, including IBM. Moving forward, Annese plans to gradually develop proficiency surrounding its new parent company's IBM data center practice.

Apy confirmed that the entire Annese team  leadership positions or otherwise  will remain in place as part of the purchase agreement. Apy will become senior vice president of "Annese, a ConvergeOne Company."

"They wanted to find a very strong management team they could leave completely intact and have the platform upon which they can build their Eastern seaboard operations," Apy said. "It's a tremendous growth opportunity for everybody on my team."
Cloud News

Partners: Go-To-Market Picture For VMware Cloud On AWS Is Hazy Ahead Of Launch

Joseph Tsidulko

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While the technical contours of VMware Cloud on AWS have been coming into focus, the channel strategy around the upcoming hybrid service remains impenetrably opaque.

Partners being courted in both the VMware and AWS ecosystems to sell the forthcoming offering told CRN they still don't know the basics of how they would be compensated for bringing the service to market, making it nearly impossible for them to assess the potential for profits.

"They're trying to recruit us as partners," one AWS integrator told CRN. "It's ripe for questions all over the place of whether there's product, price and position there [to make it worth our while]."

[VMware Cloud On AWS: Vendors And Partners Weigh The Opportunity And Risks]

VMware plans on sharing its channel compensation model when the service becomes generally available, said Mark Lohmeyer, vice president of product in VMware's Cloud Platform Business Unit.

"Partners who are interested in monetizing VMware Cloud on AWS will be required to meet program requirements demonstrating technical, operational and business competencies. The terms of this new program are currently under development," Lohmeyer told CRN.

When the companies jointly announced VMware Cloud on AWS back in October, the launch time frame was pegged at "mid-2017," but that window has come and gone, and now VMware is promising to launch during the second half of the year.

Top VMware partners told CRN they were not surprised to see the virtualization vendor miss that earlier deadline.

"They are still trying to figure out what the pricing and certification should be to sell VMware Cloud on AWS," said a sales executive for a large VMware enterprise partner. "They are not going to do anything until VMworld [Aug. 27-31]. For GA release it probably won't be until September. It is not baked to where it needs to be."

Even as VMware works to nail down partner program details, solution providers said channel recruitment already is under way.

VMware initially turned to a small group of regional resellers to participate in a pilot program. The vendor then opened discussions with some of its largest systems integrators, including Deloitte, Wipro and Accenture, one partner with knowledge of those early negotiations told CRN.

Following talks with those global giants, VMware again pitched many of the same regional partners, he said. But the uncertainty around the program model is making it difficult to entice the channel.

It's an even more difficult pitch to VMware partners not already working with AWS, according to recent CRN research. Having an existing AWS relationship will play a major factor in determining whether partners want to offer VMware Cloud on AWS, the research showed.

In a survey of 108 VMware solution providers, only 22 percent of those without existing AWS partnerships said they plan to sell the new service, while 63 percent of solution providers working with both companies said they will.

But joint partners aren't the norm.

"A typical VMware partner has been fighting AWS forever except for a handful that have invested on both sides," said an executive at another VMware partner.

Early recruiting meetings with solution providers have left some questions unanswered in the minds of the partners participating in them, said the VMware partner executive, who was familiar with the content of the meetings.

Those discussions with VMware sales leaders left doubt over whether the channel model would include a long-tail of recurring revenue for partners to earn.

That executive said he was left with the impression that "VMware will let the channel sell the licenses, but not the consumption."

But VMware told CRN its partners don't need to worry about lack of opportunity to see recurring revenue from bringing the hybrid service to market.

"We have not announced any details of the program for this conclusion to be drawn," Lohmeyer said. "That said, its not true."

One AWS partner not currently working with VMware said VMware has approached his company about bringing the service to market.

That partner said he wasn't interested, fearing the price of the VMware licenses would relegate VMware Cloud on AWS as "basically just a migration tool" used to get existing virtual machines up into the cloud.

On the flip side, the sales executive at the large VMware enterprise partner said he was extremely eager to carry the new service as a means of battling the AWS juggernaut.

"We want to be in the first round of partners to take it to market," he said. "We are not an AWS partner. We refuse to sign their contract. AWS puts all the onus on partners. We are not going to put ourselves through that."

To hear VMware and AWS executives tell it, the days of fighting are over.

As leaders in public and private cloud, respectively, AWS and VMware will no longer will force "a binary decision" on customers, AWS CEO Andy Jassy, speaking at an AWS Summit event in San Francisco last April, told the AWS community.

"We will see most enterprises operate in some form of hybrid mode for the next number of years," Jassy said.

AWS' leader once insisted hybrid cloud lacked relevanceat the first AWS re:Invent conference, back in 2012, Jassy predicted few enterprises would own servers in the future.

But his stance that all workloads should be cloud-native substantially softened since then, especially in the aftermath of the deal his Amazon division, the world's largest public cloud provider, struck with VMware in October of last year.

"Enterprise customers want to run the data center they're not ready to retire yet as seamlessly as they can alongside of AWS," he told the audience.

That accommodating posture frees AWS to experiment, as the pioneering provider likes to do, a CTO of a large AWS partner told CRN.

"We've seen this before," the CTO said. "Amazon's able to test the market and see what works and what doesn't and adapt."

But partners in both ecosystems can't afford to experimentthey need specifics on channel strategy before deciding to invest in aligning their practices with the new hybrid offering, he said.

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger, in an earnings call on June 1, told investors his company is seeing strong customer interest in the joint offering, and expects delivery to start in the second half of 2017.

"Certainly, by VMworld we'll have a lot more to say about availability," he said.

Participation in the beta program was oversubscribed, Gelsinger added, and pricing discussions have started with those beta customers. Jassy, at the Summit event, named several beta customers: Amadeus, Merck, Western Digital and the state of Louisiana.

"We feel confident we're landing well within the marketplace.  [It] allows customers to move seamlessly into the cloud experience," Gelsinger said.
Cloud News

Amazon Answers: What Will VMware Cloud On AWS Look Like?

Joseph Tsidulko

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After VMware and Amazon Web Services jointly unveiled plans last October for a hybrid cloud service, solution providers began seeking details on how exactly the two longtime rivals would work together and how much of AWS' cloud sales muscle would be put behind it.

AWS put some of those questions to rest earlier this year at its AWS Summit in San Francisco.

"This is a VMware service. It's not an AWS service. Its a VMware service that's sold by VMware and also managed and operated by VMware," said Paul Bockelman, an AWS solutions architect, at a session he presented at the event last April.

[Partners: Go-To-Market Picture For VMware Cloud On AWS Is Hazy Ahead Of Launch]

VMware Cloud on AWS is comprised of three core products: vSphere, the infrastructure virtualization platform; vSAN software-defined storage; and NSX network virtualization. Linking those components of the VMware stack to AWS was always extremely difficult because the networks are "incongruent," Bockelman said.

"If you're running a VMware network, if you're running a VMware data center, the way your network looks and operates and the way you operate and expand it and configure it is going to be much different from what you do with AWS," Bockelman explained.

For that reason, VMware Cloud on AWS has been jointly engineered essentially to operate in its own gated community within Amazon data centers.

The product is not nested virtualization, Bockelman emphasized during the session. Instead, bare-metal Amazon servers will be running VMware's ESX hypervisor.

But customers will still be able to access all the capabilities of Amazon's cloud, he said, such as S3 storage, Relational Database Service, Internet of Things platform, Direct Connect dedicated networking, and Identity and Access Management.

VMware did not provide comment as of press time.

While those services will be available to customers, accessing them will require some serious tinkering, said an executive from one solution provider that works with both VMware and AWS.

To leverage AWS assets, even one as simple as S3 object storage, enterprises will need a transit virtual private cloud that sets up "complex routing using an AWS network," said the executive, who asked not to be identified.

Demand for such AWS feature integrations could generate a profitable line of business for solution providers implementing VMware Cloud on AWS.

But partners should keep in mind enterprises opting for the hybrid service might be doing so specifically to avoid spending on consultants for larger public cloud transformation projects, he told CRN.
Networking News

Cisco, Arista Trade Barbs After US Product Import Ban Upheld

Mark Haranas

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The contentious legal battle between networking rivals Cisco and Arista Networks continues to rage on as the International Trade Commission (ITC) Thursday upheld its decision to ban the importation and sale of some of Arista's networking products into the United States.

Shares of Arista stock traded down more than 3 percent at $151.81 Friday afternoon after the ITC denied the vendor's request to lift the ban.

Cisco Senior Vice President, General Counsel Mark Chandler said the ITC send "a strong message to Arista that its corporate culture of copying" must stop.

[Related: Here's Who Made Gartner's 2017 Magic Quadrant For Data Center Networking]

"We have had one goal: for Arista to stop selling products using Ciscos intellectual property," said Chandler, in a blog post on Friday. "Arista has used every stratagem to delay the case and avoid taking that step  We hope Aristas board will now stand up and demand that the company cease use of all misappropriated technology."

Arista had sought via an emergency petition to overturn the ITC's May 4 ruling that banned the import of Arista switches found to infringe on Cisco patents. The emergency petition came after a ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) found the relevant Cisco's patents to be invalid.

In its ruling Thursday, the ITC said it denied Arista's petition because the USPTO appeal process has not yet been exhausted and is therefore not final.

"Despite Cisco's overheated rhetoric and promises to shut Arista down, we are still standing tall thanks to the wide-ranging support we have received from the larger community that sees this assault for what it is," said Arista in a statement to investors on Thursday.

The dispute dates back to December, 2014, when Cisco filed several lawsuits against Arista alleging the vendor infringed on multiple Cisco patents.

Arista is deeply disappointed" in the ITC's decision to enforce "patent claims that the USPTO has clearly found to be invalid," said Arista Senior Vice President and General Counsel Marc Taxay in an email to CRN.

Arista has already been creating new versions of products, such as its flagship EOS software, that have patent infringement workarounds.

"In the event that the ITC's decision is sustained, we will also be releasing modified products to ensure the supply of our products to our customers are in full compliance with the ITC's orders," Taxay said.

Arista partners said they don't expect much disruption as a result of the continuation of the ban, as the vendor has been planning for it.

"Arista has been planning for this for the last two years and importing more product before the ban, while also ramping up their U.S.-based manufacturing," said one top executive from a solution provider who partners with Arista, who asked not to be named. "It seems like Cisco is doing this to just trying and slow down Arista. Eventually, the ban will be lifted or there will be another workaround. I know this isnt ideal for Arista, but I think they will get through it. The fact that Cisco is going after them like this, shows that they are concerned with the competition."

Chris Becerra, president and CEO of Terrapin Systems, a San Jose, Calif.-based solution provider and Arista partner, said he doesn't see the product ban "as a big deal."

"We don't see any issues from it," said Becerra. "It's just a nagging problem  These restrictions were based on some of the older products so it doesn't really matter much because we're selling the new stuff."

Rob Steele, Practice Manager, Converged for RoundTower Technologies, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based solution provider and Arista partner, said his company conducts surveys and solicits constant feedback from its customers.

"We haven't seen much concern around the [Cisco-Arista lawsuits]," said Steele, in an email to CRN. "While this may be a small bump in the road for Arista, this wont directly affect our strategies and solutions with customers moving forward. I know Arista has taken some steps for the event of something like this including ramping up their U.S.-based manufacturing and also stockpiling product for the next couple years."

The two patent infringements involve Arista's Control Plane Access Control List (CP-ACL), Control Plane Policing (CoPP) and its Access Control Lists technology, according to Arista.

Several of Arista's leaders, including CEO Jayshree Ullal and co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, were previously top Cisco executives before joining Arista.
The Department of Justice announced on Thursday it had dropped a requirement that Harley-Davidson spend $3 million to fight air pollution as part of a settlement reached with the Obama Administration.

The Milwaukee-based company will remain responsible for $12 million in fines for selling illegal "Screaming Eagle" motorcycle tuners. But it will no longer be compelled to pay $3 million to an American Lung Association project promoting cleaner burning cook stoves, according to the notice from the justice department.

"Certain new developments led the United States and the defendant to agree to revise the consent decree in this manner," the announcement said. "The original consent decree would have required defendants to pay a non-governmental third-party organization to carry out the mitigation project. Questions exist as to whether this mitigation project is consistent with the new policy."

It was the first time that the justice department had put into place a new Trump administration policy overturning Obama-era penalties meant at offering redress - such as funding an anti-pollution initiative.

The settlement agreement with Harley-Davidson dates from August 2016 and involves the manufacture and sale of around 340,000 illegal motorcycle "tuners."

The devices generate a higher amount of air pollutants. In addition, the company had also produced and commercialized over 12,000 motorcycles without certification from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the agreement with the EPA, Harley-Davidson agreed to halt the selling of the engine "super tuners," buy them back, and destroy them, as well as cover a penalty for violating air pollution laws and "sell only models of these devices that are certified to meet Clean Air Act emissions standards," a statement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said at the time.

Obama administration officials claimed it was a landmark enforcement action.

"Given Harley-Davidson's prominence in the industry, this is a very significant step toward our goal of stopping the sale of illegal aftermarket defeat devices that cause harmful pollution on our roads and in our communities," Assistant Attorney General John Cruden, head of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement in August 2016.

"Anyone else who manufactures, sells, or installs these types of illegal products should take heed of Harley-Davidson's corrective actions and immediately stop violating the law."

Harley-Davidson also agreed to pay an additional $3 million to the American Lung Association for a project to replace conventional wood stoves with cleaner-burning stoves in northeastern communities.

Thursday's decision reverses an Obama administration practice of having banks and companies donate money to outside groups as part of settlement agreements with the federal government.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the new policy last month.

"When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people- not to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power," Sessions said in a statement.

But Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project and former director of EPA's Office of Civil Enforcement, said such third-party payments were justified.

"Once these companies are caught, you can't turn the clock back to undo the damage they've done to public health or the environment, so getting part of the settlement to support actions to reduce that damage going forward helps to make the environment whole, which isn't accomplished just by paying penalties or returning to compliance," he said in an interview.

The American Lung Association said it was not informed in advance of the decision, and would be forced to drop the program.

Both the Department of Justice and Harley-Davidson refused further comment.
If you're hitting the road for a day trip or some sightseeing around Connecticut, there's plenty of food to keep you satisfied along way.

Roadfood.com has a guide of 11 places to eat along Connecticut's Merritt Parkway. The tour lists only places within 3 minutes of the Parkway, and they offer some tasty eats.
HARTFORD  With an uncertain agenda, state lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Monday for their annual veto-override session.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed 262 bills this year, but vetoed four, including legislation that would give six towns, including Greenwich, Fairfield, Stratford and Milford as additional five years to adopt regulations aimed at increasing affordable housing requirements. The bill previously passed the House 116-33 and the Senate 30-6.

Malloy said Friday that many communities, even affluent ones with high prices, have been able to meet Connecticuts affordable housing guidelines. These laws have been on the books for decades, he said.

Brookfield found a way to meet the requirements, Malloy told reporters in the Capitol. Darien and New Canaan have found ways to make progress. Everybody who works in a community, some portion of them should be able to live in these communities.

Malloy said the nations troubled history on race is part of the issue. What prevents a community from accepting its share of responsibility to make sure that all of our fellow citizens in our state have a decent place to live? he asked. The bill, which originated in the House, will need two-thirds votes, 101 in the House, then 24 in the Senate.

Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-Fairfield, who worked on the bill in recent years before its passage this year, said she believe it looks good for a possible override. She has been in touch with House Democrats and senators who supported its passage.

Gift to developer

Another vetoed bill would allow for a fuel-cell and thermal loop project in Bridgeport first planned under former Mayor Bill Finch. It passed the Senate 36-0 and the House 100-51. Malloy warned that the bill was bad legislation that would give a single developer a multimillion-dollar project without competitive bidding.

The Bridgeport bill would also foist the expense on ratepayers, who would have to pay an additional $8.6 million a year and $173 million over 20 years, Malloy said.

Plans include the use of waste heat from multiple sources. Warm water would be piped to Bridgeports South End, downtown buildings, courthouses, Housatonic Community College and other buildings.

The way that this bill is written, I believe, violates the law, Malloy told reporters in the Capitol on Friday. I believe we can analyze this to ultimately be a gift to the developer. It would be the first time in our history that all of the credits that could be garnered for the purpose of alternative energy uses would go solely to the developer, as opposed to any of the consumers.

Malloy predicted that if the veto is overridden, the issue will get tied up for years in the courts and there will never be a thermal loop.

House and Senate members will gavel into session Monday morning, then recess for closed-door caucuses to discuss the potential overrides. Last year, lawmakers overrode three bills, for the first time since Malloys 2010 election.

Union concessions

Lawmakers on Monday will also review the recent deal with state unions aimed at saving $1.5 billion during the two-year budget period and $24 billion over the next 20 years.

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano on Friday raised concerns about the union concessions.

Connecticut needs to pursue a new direction when it comes to our state budget, Fasano said. That path must include structural changes to government, protections for core services, and not rely on new taxes to plug the massive budget shortfall. It also must include changes to state employee benefits to create a system that is fair and sustainable for employees and taxpayers alike.

Malloy discounted Fasanos criticism, telling reporters that Fasano seems to be looking for reasons to vote against the concessions.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
BRIDGEPORT - A Superior Court judge on Friday threw out most of the defamation lawsuit against Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst by Gov. Dannel Malloy's pal Alfonso Barbarotta, a Trumbull construction manager.

But in a 27-page decision, Judge Barbara Bellis agreed to let a jury hear Barbarottas allegations that Herbst falsely claimed Barbarotta using the governor's name, muscled his way into the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy to promote his own business.

There is a genuine issue of material fact as to the truth of the statement, the judge stated.

Jury selection for trial on the remaining two of six counts in the case is scheduled to begin Monday.

The decision by Judge Bellis confirms that virtually all of Mr. Barbarotta's claims were without merit, said Herbst. It is no secret that this lawsuit was filed by Governor Malloy's best friend. It has been my longstanding opinion that these lawsuits were politically motivated and designed to influence public opinion and also influence a political outcome. I don't believe the judicial system should be used as a playground for those with political agendas to exact some measure of political revenge. I welcome the opportunity to go to trial on the remaining two counts.

Barbarotta did not immediately return calls for comment.

"Mr. Barbarotta is pleased that the Court determined that the case will be proceeding to trial," said his lawyer, Edward Scofield.

Barbarotta, the owner of AFB Construction Management, claims Herbst, a Republican who is running for governor, sabotaged his $1.1 million maintenance deal in Stamford that began when Malloy was mayor of Stamford.

He contended that Herbst colluded with then-Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia to ensure that Stamford withdrew its contract offer with Barbarottas company.

However, Herbsts lawyer, Christina Canales, presented affidavits from Pavia and other Stamford officials that the decision to end Barbarottas contract with the city was strictly a financial one.

The plaintiffs make conclusory statements regarding the cause of their loss of the Stamford contracts but they have not offered evidence to support their contentions, Judge Bellis stated.

On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children as well as six adult staff members at the Newtown school.

Days later, as Newtown and Monroe were working to transfer the students and staff of Sandy Hook School to a vacant Monroe school, officials said Barbarotta and his brother John showed up with Deputy Commissioner Pasquale Salemi, of the state Department of Administrative Services at the Sandy Hook building.

Gino Faiella, director of operations for the Newtown board of education, testified when he questioned John Barbarotta, the vice president of his brother's company, on why he and his brother were there, "He told me he would have his brother call the governor and shut me down and take over the whole project," Faiella testified in a deposition.

Chris Nowacki, director of public works for the town of Monroe, in a sworn affidavit said that when he asked John Barbarotta for help providing carpenters or materials for the project Barbarotta told him, "We do not do that."

"During the relocation project I also observed Alfonso Barbarotta handing out a flyer for his energy business, Conveo Energy, at Chalk Hill. I interpreted Mr. Barbarotta's actions as an attempt to promote his energy business and did not think that that was the appropriate time or place for such conduct," Nowacki stated.

However, in his affidavit, Barbarotta denies he was in Newtown because of the governor and states that at one point one of the officials in Newtown asked Barbarotta what he did for work and he told them that his other company, Conveo Energy, worked in energy savings. He denied he was there to promote the company.

The truth of the statement, whether Barbarotta used his relationship with the governor to promote his business while in Newtown or whether Barbarotta promoted Conveo Energy at all during his time in Newtown, weighs directly on whether the defendants defense of truth will prevail, the judge ruled.
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BRIDGEPORT - A New Haven man was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison for fatally shooting a popular grocery store owner during a robbery of the store.

It was a crime that shook the community.

Jose Salgado and his wife were closing up their small grocery store that had been propping up the citys declining Hollow neighborhood when police said 23-year-old Leighton Vanderberg and 20-year-old Treizy Lopez, killed Salgado over a few dollars in the cash register.

During the sentencing hearing on Friday for Vanderberg, who had previously pleaded guilty to felony murder, Vanderbergs sister, Taquea Landy, tearfully begged Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin not to look at her brother as a monster.

My brother is a human being, she cried, begging the judge for leniency.

Youre not a monster, Devlin agreed, looking at Vanderberg. But you did a monstrous activity. The Salgados were righteous people, a resource for the community and the city and you Mr. Vanderberg shot him in the neck in front of his wife. You deserve every year of this sentence.

The large Salgado family, which had remained stoic through the dozens of court hearing since the April 11, 2015 crime, remained so during the sentencing hearing as they filled the back of the courtroom.

Joe Salgado, the victims son, told the judge they preferred to remember all the good their father did.

We choose not to think totally of that day but of all the good our father did. He served as an inspiration to all of us, he said.

Vanderberg, who spent much of the hearing either shaking his head or staring up at the courtroom ceiling, decided to speak after consulting with his lawyers, Michael Fitzpatrick and Daniel Lage.

I want to apologize to my family and my kids for letting them down, he said, shifting from one foot to another. Then glancing over at the Salgado family, he added, I would like to apologize to the Salgado family, it was a tough situation for everybody.

Shortly before 3 in the afternoon on April 11, Salgado and his wife, Maria, were in the process of closing the store for the day when police said Vanderberg and Lopez entered the store.

Supervisory Assistant States Attorney C. Robert Satti Jr. told the judge that Vanderberg, who was previously involved in a New Haven robbery, and Lopez initially came to the city looking to rob drug dealers in the citys North End but saw the small Salgado grocery store as an opportunity.

Police said Maria Salgado later told them Vanderberg walked around the counter with a gun in his hand while the lighter-skin man stood in front of the counter with a gun and demanded money.

She said her husband told her in Portuguese to get the gun which was under the counter while he pulled the cash from his pocket. Vanderberg then shot her husband in the neck, police said she told them.

Satti told the judge that the plea bargain of 40 years was not going to give the Salgado family closure but was rather a compromise.

This will spare her from having to go before a jury and recount that awful day in detail, the prosecutor said.

Lopez is awaiting trial in the case.
Youve probably heard of link building, but you might not know what it really is or how to do it effectively. Sure, you can go ahead and hire a digital marketing agency, but unless you know the ins and outs, you won't be successful.

What if they use PBNs?

What if they have a bad linking strategy?

What if they waste all your budget and don't deliver any results?

It's important to understand link building practices and how Google can change your website -- especially with Google's recent updates.

While working with clients through my agency, Taco, I come across a few common mistakes website owners make as they build links. And even though there are fantastic guides talking about link building, I see these mistakes over and over again.

Here are six link building strategies that hurt your SEO efforts and how to fix them.

1. Building links to home page links

It seems logical to send all of your SEO power to your homepage because that's where you want everyone to start. But, it's wrong. In fact, it's probably one of the biggest SEO myths. The homepage shouldn't be used for your top phrases.

I know you're asking right now, "But then how do I target the key phrases I want to rank for?"

You should build out content-rich subpages in your site to target those phrases, then build backlinks to those pages. By following this method, you will have links going to many pages on your site, not just your home page. This is a much more natural way to build links to your website.

Related: Why You Want 'Backlinks' to Your Website

2. Too much keyword anchor text

As I mentioned in the previous section, your homepage is not the place to target all of your important key phrases. Use it instead for building the brand and creating trust with the search engines.

So, when you are building links to your home page, the majority of the anchors should come from your brand or some form of your URL.

Most SEO strategies want to build links that have their important phrases as the anchor, but according to the research done by SEOJet, only 3 percent of your links should have an exact match as an anchor text.

This principle of building branded links also applies to subpages, if you want your link profile to look really natural, you need to have some anchor texts that have no key phrase at all, some links with the URL as the anchor, and some with your brand as the anchor.

This is how other website owners would link to you naturally. It is unreasonable to think that anyone who ever linked to you because they loved your site would use your main key phrase as the anchor. So, you can't do it either.

3. Not enough nofollow links

There is a misconception about nofollow links and whether or not you should get any as you build links for your site. If you look at it from a real-world perspective, the nofollow attribute was created so we as website owners could let Google know that certain links were advertisements and they shouldn't be counted in the SEO algorithm.

In other words, Google expects that real businesses will have nofollow links because real businesses advertise. So, how do you expect Google to recognize you as a real business if you aren't getting any nofollow links through advertising?

This is further supported by the fact that on average over 30 percent of links pointing to top-ranked websites are nofollow links. It is good to get nofollow links.

Related: How to Promote a Website Through Link Building in 10 Easy Ways

4. Not enough high-content pages

If you want people to link to your website naturally, then you should create amazing content ever written so people will link to it.

In fact, in order to build a lot of links to a page, you need good, in-depth content. If you're not doing that then getting a lot of links pointing to a page of yours will not look natural.

Google would never believe that a post with 500 words would naturally get 100 links pointing to it. But, the ultimate guide on a certain topic with 5000+ words could bring in hundreds of links naturally. That is where you need to focus your content marketing efforts.

5. Bad blogger outreach practices

One of the best ways to get links from high-authority websites is to write a guest blog post for them. There are a ton of blogs that will accept your guest post, but the reality is most guest posts never get approved.

This happens for two reasons.

Your pitch email is a template that could apply to any blog in the world or your writing isn't good enough. When you pitch a potential blog, don't think of it as a one-time thing but as if you are building a relationship with a colleague. Reach out to your new business colleague and talk to them about their site and their needs.

Then pitch your guest article that helps solve those needs. After that, make sure you write an amazing article. If writing isn't your greatest talent, then find someone who is a stellar writer and get them to help you.

If you are looking for a good outreach email to copy, check out this one in SEMRush.

Related: 5 Strategies for Better 'Link Building' and Improving Your SEO

6. No link building plan

This is the most common mistake almost all marketers make. They think that if they create amazing content, either people will naturally link to you (good luck with that to anyone who doesn't already have a following) or you just need to go build links to that page and it will rank.

That is a vague SEO strategy. You might as well say, "Just go do stuff and you will rank."

For some reason, people don't treat links as they should -- like money. Links are money. Links help you get on page one of Google search results. Page one equals money.

With your own personal money, you create a budget (read: plan) and then tell your money what to do. So, if you treat links like money, then you will have a plan in place and can tell your links what to do. You will plan out which anchor texts you need to get and how many so that you can keep a natural link profile. Using this SEO tactic, you will be able to get better SEO results with fewer links.

You would be surprised how much of an impact these things can have on your rankings, so give yourself a leg up on your competition by fixing these link building miscues.

Related:

6 SEO Strategies That Are Hurting Your Online Business

4 Easily Overlooked Reasons Your Online Business Is Not Thriving

4 Online Marketing Trends With Big Potential to Drive Sales



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Back in 2011, I was a female entrepreneur raising money in Silicon Valley for my toddler gaming company. I attended a tech conference, stood up on a chair, and shouted to a crowd of 500-plus attendees that I was looking for a seed investment and I was available to talk. I got one taker. Fast forward six years later, I am now an angel investor and a tech worker in the Bay Area. Looking back at this episode, I realize that having access to capital is crucial for your company to get ahead. This access to capital is all about your network, especially as a (black) woman in tech.

Related: 5 Reasons You Can't Afford to Overlook the Power of Diversity

When former First Lady Michelle Obama suggested that we make more room for women in tech in Silicon Valley, it also pertained to the powermongers of the tech megalopolis: male venture capitalists. Because men make up 94 percent of venture partners, and the closed nature of the VC industry, VCs get to operate in a siloed network, where inappropriate behaviors abound: intimidation, power abuse, sexual advances, the objectification and sexualization of female founders -- the list goes on. It goes beyond the pure sexism ingrained in startup bro culture. In actuality, it is the precursor of a pervasive rape culture.

How can we transform the VC industry and its culture? Here are seven ideas:

1. Get rid of bad apples.

VC firms should systematically terminate partners and employees found to have engaged in wrongful conduct, sexual harassment, assault and rape.

Related: VCs Ask Men About the Future and Women About Failure, New Study Finds

2. Adopt a mandatory code of conduct.

Some VCs are partnering up to develop a national code of conduct. This code of conduct could be based on busting bias in day-to-day work practices and breaking pervasive behaviors of males VCs wanting to invest in people who look like them while objectifying and harassing the opposite sex.

3. Work towards gender parity.

VC firms could welcome more women, non-binary femmes and underrepresented minorities as VC investment partners and pledge to get to 50/50 parity between men and women VCs by 2025. Committed VCs would lead the way and invite qualified women to join as partners right away.

Related: These Male VCs Have Just Said How Tough It Really Is for Women in Silicon Valley

4. Create VC women-in-residence programs.

Create a formal women-in-residence network as a formal pool of future VC partners. Just like entrepreneurs-in-residence, aspiring female VCs could learn the ropes of the VC world under the safeguards of the code of conduct. Top female talent could be enrolled in fast-track growth development programs. On top of having the EIR programs for women and non-binary femmes, renowned VCs could partner with women-focused VC firms and co-invest alongside or after them in the same companies.

5. Hire a consulting firm to help.

VC firms could hire firms like Accenture to help them get to 50/50 parity between female and male partners by 2025.

6. Implemenet mandatory VC bias busting training.

VC firms could be held accountable to complete bias busting trainings focused on sexism, sexual harassment and race. These trainings would be focused on men, women and non-binary femmes, racial stereotypes and interactions. These action-driven trainings could be transformative vs. informative. Quarterly mandatory certifications would have to be completed to keep operating their VC firms.

Related: 'A VC Massaged My Shoulders in a Meeting': The Unique Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs

7. Correct salary disparities.

VC firms can correct and adjust salaries to full parity like Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who paid $3 million to deliver equal pay to Salesforce employees. Additionally, companies could analyze and compare salaries not just at current level but at levels of experience in the field, career trajectory and potential.

As a woman or non-binary femme raising capital, if you do not have a strong VC network, how will you create one quickly to raise funding for your company? According to the statistics, It will likely take more guts, more sweat and more shouting to network for a minority woman or non-binary femme founder to get funding, if she gets any.

What can the VC industry do to enable more female VCs, female angel investors and investment in female founders? Organizations to look at partnering with include Pipeline Angels (which I am part of), Springboard, Female Founders Fund and Shatter Fund.

Diverse companies perform better. The data is loud and clear. What are we waiting for to capture this opportunity?

Related:

7 Ways Silicon Valley Could Transform Its Toxic Culture

Stitch Fix Founder Explains Why the Worst Piece of Advice She Ever Got Was to Raise A Lot of Money

3 Ways to Change the World With Your Wonder Woman Mindset



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


There's a very simple way to put $200,000 in your bank account: Don't get married.

Im not saying you shouldnt have a long-term relationship or shouldnt live with someone, but actually having a wedding? All entrepreneurs should carefully consider that particular societal custom. Its a contract designed to lose money.

The U.S. wedding industry is a $72 billion dollar industry according to an IBISWorld research report. The national average cost of a wedding, according to The Knot, is $35,329 across all demographics. Now, consider that the average entrepreneur, according to Fox Business earns about $70,000 per year and the average income level in the US is about half of that, at $35,000. As a result, we can safely assume that the average entrepreneur is likely to spend more on their wedding. While they may not spend double, lets say the average entrepreneur's wedding will cost in the $50,000 range.

Related: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Says Married Entrepreneurs Must Do This or Risk Divorce

Now, consider that the long-term average annual compounded (realized) return on U.S. large-cap stocks has been about 10%, according to the Wall Street Journal. So, instead of padding to the wedding industry coffers, if you take that $50,000, and simply invests it in the stock market, after 10 years and a conservative calculation, youll have doubled your money and have $100,000 in your investment account.

And that 10-year number is based on the fact that the average marriage lasts about that long -- about 8 years in fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. We also see from this census that the divorce rate for first marriages is almost 50 percent, 60 percent for second marriages, and a whopping 73 percent for third marriages. Not very good odds at all.

And, since most marriages are ending in divorce, that means a contribution will likely be made to the $50 billion dollar divorce industry.

According to wevorce, the average divorce costs $100,000. Just as importantly, a divorce drains an entrepreneur's energy and time, making it more difficult to operate a business (I know from personal experience). In some cases, it destroys businesses. So, in addition to the outright $100,000 cost, there is significant opportunity cost lost in divorce, too.

Our final total for the 10-year cycle of marriage and divorce comes to $200,000 using conservative calculations. So, while mom and dad might not be happy if you choose not to get married, but youll have a few extra grand to send them on a nice vacation where they can get over it.

Related:

How to Make $200,000 in a Single Step

5 Warning Signs Your Business Is Killing Your Relationship

8 Reasons Married Entrepreneurs Are More Likely to Succeed



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Its necessary that we understand how to build a company that will endure -- why not gain those skills from a young age? Starting our kids out early with excellent business skills can help shape their future. We chat with JJ Ramberg, founder of the Goodshop, about her new book The Startup Club, a business skills book for children. Plus, Ramberg fills us in on how to create a business rooted in passion and conquer common business challenges. Once you have the base skills, it is important to know how to sustain your company. Stephen Van Deventer, CEO of PreveCeutical Medical, Inc., talks to us about how he took he built a dream team united around his vision.

Related: Learn How to Help Your Team Work Together

Discover more about segments and guests below . . .

[00:00:00] Shopping Meets Social Responsibility

Success is in the eye of the beholder. For some, that means giving back. JJ Ramberg, founder of the Goodshop and host of MSNBCs Your Business, built her business on a foundation of altruism. With a goal of fulfilling their social responsibility, Ramberg and her brother created an online shopping mall that donates a percentage of each sale to the charity or cause of the buyers choice. Today, Goodshop has raised nearly $13 million for various causes.

[00:06:17] The Startup Club: Business Inspiration for Youth

Do you remember your favorite childhood book? Young entrepreneurs are popping up everywhere, and Ramberg has created a fun and simple guide to encourage kids to become savvy business owners. Hear how The Startup Club can inspire a young mogul in your life.

[00:11:30] Encouraging Business Investors That You Trust

Growing your business can be difficult, and it is important to know where to begin. From grabbing the attention of consumers, to finding investors you trust, Ramberg gives us tools for conquering some of the most common business challenges. You dont want to miss Rambergs No. 1 most important tip for creating a healthy work-life balance.

[00:18:21] Constructing Your Super Team

How do you create a solid foundation for your business? Start by learning from the best. Stephen Van Deventer, chairman and CEO of PreveCeutical Medical, Inc., tells us how he broke into the $3.6-trillion untapped industry of preventative medicine with the help of an exceptional team and an unprecedented vision. Enjoy this master class on hiring your dream team.

[00:26:51] Transforming Healthcare, Saving Lives

Take a pill and feel better. That is the way many Americans view healthcare, however, instant gratification is not necessarily the answer. Van Deventer took on big pharma in his David vs. Goliath journey into the preventative medicine business. We learn how Van Deventer has revolutionized the healthcare system and saved lives in the process.

[00:33:21] Believe in Something and Embrace Transparency

Do you think your idea can make a difference? Van Deventer has advice on how to take one little idea and turn it into a life-changing business. Van Deventer explains how to align yourself with like-minded individuals and lead with honesty integrity. Perhaps its time you changed the world.

Entrepreneur Radio, hosted by award-winning broadcast professional, Alan Taylor, equips fans with the critical information necessary to grow their business through practical advice and thought-provoking interviews. Tune in live on Saturdays 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST and Sundays 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST and listen to weekly episodes on demand on Entrepreneur.com.

Related:

Mastering Business Basics at Any Age

Learn How to Help Your Team Work Together

How a Genius Teenage Hacker Turned Tech Entrepreneur Solves Problems and Saves Lives



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


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Eastern Connecticut State University and Quinnipiac University were the only Connecticut colleges that earned spots on the Chronicle of Higher Education's list of "Great Colleges to Work For 2017."

The Chronicle surveyed more than 45,000 faculty and staff members at 232 institutions nationwide, and measured a variety of factors, including compensation and benefits, job satisfaction, diversity, teaching environment and more.

In the 10th annual report, 79 colleges were named "great to work for," and 42 landed on the honor roll.

"Honor roll status for four-year colleges was awarded to the 10 institutions in each size grouping that were cited most often across all of the recognition categories," the Chronicle's website said.

ESCU and Quinnipiac were both named to the honor roll for medium size schools, which included those with an enrollment between 3,000 and 9,999 students.

Related: Report: Connecticut's top-paid public university presidents, 2016

Eastern Connecticut State University, located in Windham, won high marks in the following categories: Collaborative Governance; Compensation & Benefits; Confidence in Senior Leadership; Facilities, Workspace & Security; Teaching Environment (faculty only); Tenure Clarity & Process (faculty only/4-year only).

"The faculty and staff have a deep commitment to teaching values to our students, valuing innovation and high standards, and creating a learning atmosphere that encourages collaboration while promoting the personal growth of our students," said Elsa Nunez, president of ECSU, in a statement to the Chronicle.

ECSU was listed with 10 faculty and staff openings as of July 21, while Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, had 42 job openings.

Quinnipiac was recognized in several categories, including Compensation & Benefits; Facilities, Workspace & Security; Professional/Career Development Programs; Respect and Appreciation; Supervisor/Department Chair Relationship; Teaching Environment (faculty only); Tenure Clarity & Process (faculty only/4-year only); Work/Life Balance.

"Quinnipiac is a thriving university where employees are empowered to innovate and make a true difference in their communities, professions, and in the lives of our students," said John Lahey, president of QU, in a statement to the Chronicle.

Click through the slideshow above to see the full list of medium size schools named to the Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For 2017" honor roll.
Most startups seeking funding will never land a meeting with a venture capitalist. However, most founders will have to sell their idea to someone, be it a partner or new customer. Whatever the situation, some basic guidelines apply when looking to get the right people on board.

Jeremy Liew has been a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners since 2006, and he's most well known for being the first investor in Snapchat. He's backed dozens of companies throughout his career, and his current investments include Stitch Fix, Honest, Blockchain, Bonobos and more.

Related: Shark Tank's Lessons in the Art of Negotiation

He also stars on Apple's new pitch competition show, Planet of the Apps, providing feedback to entrepreneurs and their celebrity mentors.

Liew has witnessed his fair share of pitching faux pas, but he also sees his meetings as learning opportunities for himself. He's not necessarily looking for products and services that match his worldview -- rather, he often finds his perceptions challenged by what entrepreneurs bring to the table.

He recently took the time to share some advice with Entrepreneur about developing and presenting business ideas, the importance of balancing perseverance with flexibility and why the process of getting to know someone doesn't change all that much whether that person is a potential friend or funding source.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

What do you look for to determine whether a company shows promise?

We believe that consumer technology has really become popular culture. That's very different today than it was when the internet was first around 20 years ago, and it was very much an early adopter kind of technology. But today, consumer technology is very much popular culture, and the early adopters of popular culture are young women. And popular culture comes from, not Silicon Valley, where we live in a bubble, but it comes from LA and New York and Atlanta and Chicago and Miami. It's this distributed thing that bubbles up.

I think one of the things that's kind of exciting, and one of the reasons that we [at Lightspeed Ventures] got excited about Planet of the Apps, is that it enables us to get exposure to a set of entrepreneurs that is very geographically diverse. And because of that, you're seeing ideas and opportunities that you wouldn't necessarily see from a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

One of the core things that we expect from an entrepreneur is to have a unique insight. We think that you get a much better look at these unique insights from entrepreneurs when they're coming from a more diverse and distributed set of people.

Related: How a Group of Ecommerce Veterans Launched Hollar, an Online Dollar Store, and Hit $1 Million in Monthly Sales After Just 5 Months

The second thing that we look for is a product that creates new habits. It's not enough for you to like an app, or an ecommerce website or a service, and use it one time. For that company to be truly successful, it does need to become a habit, which means that you don't think about using it. It's not a conscious decision about, "Should I do X?" If you need money, you don't make a conscious decision about where you're going to get money from. You go to an ATM. If you're with your friends, you don't make a conscious decision about which app you're going to use. You use Snapchat.

This idea that you can create these habits, that's incredibly powerful, because that longevity, that engagement, that intention is what drives a lot of the long-term value to companies.

And then the third thing that is important is to have a scalable, repeatable way for people to find out about you. Oftentimes that's one of the most difficult things to do in the consumer world right now, because it's so crowded. There are so many apps, there are so many ecommerce websites, there are so many ways that people can spend their time, so breaking through all of that clutter can be very difficult. Companies that are able to do that by having a specific vector really differentiate themselves.

One of my partners talks about Normandy vs. Paris. Back in World War II, the big idea was to get to Paris, but to get to Paris, you had to land on Normandy first. It's this idea that you have this specific vector so you can start to gain attention. You don't have to get to the big idea right away.

What are some of the traits of successful founders or businesses?

I think we oftentimes look for the grit. The path to success always zigs and zags. When people retell the story, it's like this continuous upward path. But the reality is that every successful company has multiple near-death experiences along the way. You either have an entrepreneur who can fight through that, or people who are more inclined to just give up. There are so many opportunities to give up. Grit and stick-to-it-ive-ness is something definitely that we are very focused on.

And then just flexibility. People who have that ability to deal with ambiguity, because there's just so much of it in the early days of a startup. If people are looking for certainty, they can get really paralyzed.

Related: VCs Share 3 Secrets for Mastering Any Niche

What guidelines or tips do you have for the pitch itself?

Oftentimes, an entrepreneur will approach a pitch trying to ensure that you completely understand their business. And that's a very understandable objective to have, but I think it's a little bit misguided. In that first meeting, success is getting a second meeting. In the second meeting, success is getting a third meeting.

Over time, over the process, people will start to really understand your business a little bit deeper. There's no way that you can communicate all of the subtleties and nuances and complexities of your business in a single first pitch meeting. So, all you can do is make sure that they get intrigued enough that they want to take a second meeting to learn more. If you are trying to construct a presentation or a pitch to educate someone about your business, you'll go about it very differently than if you were just trying to hit the highlights and cause people to lean in and say, "tell me more, tell me more, tell me more" and want to have that follow-up.

What's the biggest mistake someone has made in a pitch meeting?

The biggest mistake that anyone's ever made, in a genuine, legitimate pitch, where they were raising millions of dollars for a company that was doing reasonably well was -- and I don't want to name this person, but -- they were visibly high and smelling of marijuana. You know, people can do whatever they want on their own time, but that just showed such remarkable poor judgment for a pitch meeting. They needed to kind of, you know, comfort themselves and reduce any anxiety, but that just seemed like a really bad decision to me. And that poor judgement probably would be propagated in other aspects of the way they ran the company.

The company has raised literally tens of millions of dollars and has done very well, so I may well have been wrong about that, but that was definitely something that surprised me.

When you talk about getting a second meeting, I think that not a lot of people would understand how to establish a rapport with an investor that isn't just superficial or transactional in some way, or how to really get an investor's attention and become part of their network. Do you have any advice about successfully building a more meaningful relationship?

With the nature of the interaction, it's actually hard for it not to be transactional at the beginning. I mean, these are two people who don't know each other, and so it's just like if you met somebody in a business environment for the first time or a social environment for the first time. The rules for building a rapport are pretty much the same.

A relationship gets built over the course of many months, many meetings, many interactions. I really don't think that there's a shortcut for that. I think that's true not just for investment conversations but for many relationships.

Related: When Investor Likability Can Make or Break a Deal

I think sometimes people consider themselves expert networkers or connectors, and they try very hard to force this friendliness up front vs. letting things happen organically and keeping things professional.

A professional investor isn't going to get excited about investing in you because they think you're a great person or that you're funny or witty or anything like that. But they might get really excited by your enthusiasm for the business, which is a little bit of a different vector. And hopefully every entrepreneur shows that enthusiasm for their business. In the absence of that, it's a little bit worrisome.

Going back to what you said about how popular culture comes from all over, I know that you also travel a great deal. Is there anything you've seen in your travels that has helped you to spot a new trend on the horizon? Or something you're excited about that you wouldn't have seen or known about without being exposed to people from a variety of geographic areas?

As venture capitalists, we're editors, not writers. If we're seeing trends, that's helpful, but really, we learn about these trends and opportunities because the entrepreneurs tell us. They're the ones who have the insights, and our job is to be open-minded enough and pay enough attention so that we don't dismiss their insights and so we really give them due credit. The ones we get convinced around and believe in, we invest behind. The travel is not to gain insights on our own, it's to meet entrepreneurs who have the insights.

Is there a specific insight that you've gleaned from an entrepreneur recently that made you go, "Wow, this is an area I really should be taking a closer look at?"

I mean, every investment comes from an insight of some sort. Let's take -- we invested in Giphy. Giphy's a leader in the GIF space. And, as I think we've all seen now, GIFs are a core mechanism whereby people express themselves and show individuality and emotion through messaging. That was a very new insight when we first met the entrepreneur several years ago. At the time, people were saying, "GIFs are this silly, frivolous thing. They've been around since the internet was invented and they're almost 25 years old. I don't understand why GIFs are being used now in a different way." And he had this insight which was, as people move more toward messaging to communicate with one another, messaging is good for utilitarian communication, it's bad for emotion and context.

He pointed out that historically, people have hacked that through a variety of mechanisms, whether it was through emoticons or emojis, they were trying to find ways to convey emotion through messaging. His perspective was, emojis are great, but there's a fixed alphabet of emojis, so it's hard to be really distinctive. The advantage of GIFs is that there are basically an infinite number of them, because every piece of popular culture that's ever existed has created a whole set of these GIFs. It allows people to be much more expressive, so that if someone is trying to say "I love you" to their husband, or to their child, or to their best friend from college, they can do that in different ways that are relevant to them and relevant to each other. They can use a clip from a movie they saw together, or their child's favorite show or whatever it is. That becomes much more self-expressive and personalized and emotional, and that has been the thing that's been missing from messaging.

And I was just sitting there listening to him saying, "Wow, that totally makes sense. It was not obvious to me before. You've made it obvious to me. You've explained a phenomenon that people were dismissing," which, when you see the user behavior, but you don't understand the "why" of it, it's easy to not pay enough attention to it. When you understand the "why" of it, you can start to see the through line and say, "This is a huge opportunity. I understand what you're trying to do here, and we would love to help you make that happen."

Related: How Do You Pronounce GIF? It Depends on Where You Live.

What have you learned about recently, either in a pitch or a conversation, that's surprised even you, someone who has met so many entrepreneurs?

We recently invested in a company called Zola. Zola is an online wedding registry, which is a category that hasn't really been innovated on in the online space for a long time -- probably 20 years.

The folks from Zola had this really clever insight: Wedding registries is one of the very few categories in which people don't price shop. There's no price comparison. Even if Amazon is offering that same item for cheaper, if you go to a wedding registry and you see a silverware set, you're not going to go buy that same thing from Amazon for 5 percent cheaper, because if you don't buy it from the registry, then they might get more than one of the same thing. That was an amazing insight, because you could actually take on and beat Amazon in the registry business, whereas it's really hard to do in most other categories. Now, if they could focus on creating a better user experience, to not have to worry about being 5 percent more expensive than Amazon -- you could still win and beat Amazon. And they have been able to demonstrate that they were growing really nicely and delighting soon-to-be husbands and brides through their registry experience.

Also, the fact that the millennials who are getting married now are thinking about their registries very differently than people have historically. It's less about the Le Creuset pot and it's more about experiences. They are looking for people to help fund their honeymoon or much more experiential-driven kinds of things, which, again, is an area where you can compete with Amazon, because that's not what they do.

Related:

VC Jeremy Liew on the Biggest Pitch Mistake He's Seen, and It's a Doozy

How to Raise Your First Round of Funding

4 Ways to Predict the Result of Your Investment Pitch



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump overhauled his White House on Friday in a dramatic shake-up of his senior team at the six-month mark of his presidency, which so far has been beset by a special counsel's widening Russia investigation, a floundering legislative agenda and seemingly constant chaos and infighting within his West Wing.

Trump's decision Friday morning to install wealthy financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director set off an unexpected chain reaction, with White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigning in protest, according to people familiar with the departures. By afternoon, Spicer's deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, had been named to replace him.

As the reorganization unfolded throughout the day, Trump's communications shop - not known for finely tuned messaging - offered its best attempt at a display of unity, a Kabuki-theater performance juxtaposing polite public statements with sniping and complaints behind the scenes.

"The president wanted to bring on some folks, to add to the team," Spicer said in a brief interview on Friday. "This is something you dream of. I can't thank the president enough."

Asked if he had any regrets, Spicer replied: "None."

In a statement Sanders read during the daily briefing, Trump said he was "grateful for Sean's work" and wished him "continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities - just look at his great television ratings."

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus called a private meeting of the White House communications staff Friday morning and said that Spicer, who will remain through August to help Scaramucci transition into the role, is leaving to give the new communications director "a clean slate," according to someone briefed on the meeting who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Priebus also tried to play down any tensions between him and Scaramucci, saying the two have known each other for a long time, and Scaramucci told his new team that he is not a "top-down" manager, this person said.

Scaramucci and Spicer then attempted an awkward hug, with Spicer stiffly accepting Scaramucci's embrace, the person said.

Spicer's abrupt and angry departure -- which caught even senior West Wing staffers by surprise -- reflects the latest upheaval in a White House that has been consumed by tumult and warring factions since almost the day Trump took office. Bringing Scaramucci into the White House could further heighten tensions among Trump's senior staff.

Scaramucci has a contentious relationship with both Spicer and Priebus, each of whom vehemently objected to Trump's decision to install him in the top communications job. Scaramucci has coined a particularly crude nickname for Priebus and, in private conversations with associates in recent weeks, repeatedly savaged both the chief of staff and the entire White House press operation.

Scaramucci has argued to confidants that the media operation mobilizes aggressively whenever critical coverage of Priebus emerges, but that it is far less diligent about defending the president himself, which he characterized as disloyal.

Priebus, meanwhile, previously blocked Scaramucci from several key White House jobs, including director of the office of public liaison. In a last-ditch attempt to keep Scaramucci out of the communications director role, Priebus offered him the public liaison job, a senior White House official said.

A Priebus ally, however, rejected the notion that the chief of staff had tried to block Scaramucci, saying he was simply trying to slow down the process.

Some Trump loyalists inside the West Wing view the hiring of Scaramucci over Priebus's wishes -- and the sudden resignation of Spicer -- as a blow to Priebus' already fraught standing with the president and his leadership of the senior staff.

"This exposes Reince as neither a leader nor a manager," one senior White House official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer a candid assessment.

Stephen Bannon, Trump's senior strategist, also opposed the hiring, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Although Bannon - the former chairman of the conservative Breitbart News website - likes Scaramucci personally, he worried that the financier does not have the right set of skills for the job and symbolizes the corporate Wall Street interests that Bannon and others in the nationalist wing of the White House have railed against.

The communications post had been open since Michael Dubke vacated it in May.

The latest staff changes come amid growing legal headaches for Trump, as well as his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who during the campaign attended a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer promising incriminating information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump's legal team, which underwent its own shake-up Thursday, has begun working to undermine the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia by looking into ways to highlight alleged conflicts of interest on Mueller's team, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The president has also inquired about his pardon authority -- including his ability to pardon aides, family members and even himself, according to people familiar with the effort.

Another wave of controversy washed over the administration late Friday when The Post reported that U.S. intelligence intercepts show Attorney General Jeff Sessions discussed Trump campaign-related issues with the Russian ambassador.

Scaramucci addressed reporters Friday afternoon during a news conference, thanking Spicer for doing an "amazing job" and adding, "I love the guy. I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money."

Scaramucci insisted he has a good relationship with Priebus and said he offered to bring him on board as chief operating officer at his SkyBridge Capital company following the 2012 presidential campaign. Priebus, then the head of the Republican National Committee, declined the offer, he said.

"We're a little bit like brothers," Scaramucci said. "We rough each other up a bit, and that's totally normal for brothers. He's a dear friend."

But in the same briefing, he also made clear whom he views as his ultimate boss, saying he has "no problem working for Reince," but adding: "The president said I report to him directly."

Several times during Friday's briefing, Scaramucci said he loved the president and that his goal is to make sure Trump's message is heard by the public and better represented in the media.

"I think there's been, at times, a disconnect between the way we see the president and how much we love the president and the way some of you perhaps see the president," he said. "And I certainly see the American people probably see the president the way I do. But we want to get that message out there."

Ivanka Trump, her husband, Kushner, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had all been pushing Scaramucci for the job - and on Friday, as some West Wing officials made a final plea to the president to rethink his decision, both his daughter and son-in-law reached out to Scaramucci, to reassure him, according to a senior White House official.

The president has been particularly taken in recent weeks with Scaramucci's hard-charging defenses of his administration on cable TV news, several people familiar with his views said. The president was impressed with how Scaramucci - known as "the Mooch" - fought back against a CNN article about himself, ultimately leading to the resignation of three CNN staffers involved with the story. Trump views Scaramucci as a natty combatant with a smile.

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, complimented Spicer's service to Trump and praised Scaramucci in a brief interview. "Like the president, Anthony is a tough, self-made, successful New Yorker who can be both a street fighter and run a C-suite meeting," she said. "The president likes that."

Scaramucci was slated to join the White House in another capacity earlier this year, but he had challenges resolving ethical conflicts associated with SkyBridge Capital, which he sold to a Chinese conglomerate with ties to the government just before Trump's inauguration.

On Friday, he told reporters he has been assured by government ethics officials and the White House counsel that there should be no obstacles to him joining the administration now.

"My start date is going to be in a couple of weeks, so that it's a - 100 percent totally cleansed and clean," he said.

Spicer's allies, in explaining his departure, said he feared Scaramucci would be communications director in name only because he has little experience working in either communications or politics. Spicer also wanted the new communications director to report to him, which would not have been the case with Scaramucci. Instead, Spicer worried he would find himself serving in two roles simultaneously, even while Scaramucci fell outside his chain of command, these allies said.

"This is a joke," said one person close to the press office. "Trump wanted Scaramucci on television as a surrogate for the White House and wanted to give him a more formal title."

Spicer's resignation marks a sudden end to a short and rocky tenure. The press secretary undercut his credibility during his first full day on the job when, at Trump's urging, he publicly made false statements about the size of the president's Inauguration Day crowds.

Trump regularly nitpicked and criticized Spicer's on-camera briefings, polling his friends about how long he should retain Spicer in the high-profile role. There were other slights. During his first trip abroad, Trump pointedly kept Spicer, a devout Catholic, from a meeting with Pope Francis.

Spicer, a longtime Republican communications operative in Washington, began his time at the podium with a warm relationship with the press corps. But just six months later, many now associate him primarily with his red-faced shouting binges and his caricature on "Saturday Night Live," where he was ruthlessly parodied by actress Melissa McCarthy dressed as a man.

In private, Scaramucci seemed to have at least entertained the idea of the top communications post since June. Speaking at former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's private retreat in Deer Valley, Utah, last month, Scaramucci said that he believed the White House was faltering in part because the communications director job was empty and that communicating directly with the public was the key imperative of this White House, according to one attendee.

If he were in the role, Scaramucci continued, he would consider starting a daily administration "television" broadcast at 7 a.m., complete with a desk on the White House lawn and guests that included Democratic leaders.

"I like Anthony, but Pelosi and Schumer aren't going on his state-run morning show," the attendee said, referring to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The attendee spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private discussion.

Spicer, meanwhile, said in the brief interview that he hopes he is just "midway through the book" of his life. This most recent chapter, he said, might best be entitled, "Exciting Times."

- - -

The Washington Post's Rosalind S. Helderman, Philip Rucker and Ben Terris contributed to this report.

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Spicer's most memorable news conferences

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The bids were opened Nov. 1 and Adam Eidemiller's was the lower of two bids received. The project will take two weeks starting within the next week.
A woman left behind a six-figure salary at a top city bank to create the Go Compare of beauty websites - and she's now running one of the biggest beauty websites in the world.

Nidhima Kohli, 34, from London, was inspired to set up My Beauty Matches - the worlds first personalised beauty product recommendation and price comparison site - after struggling with bad skin when she was travelling for work.

She rented out her beautiful home in Notting Hill and even slept on an airbed to fund her brainchild, which she's since transformed into the biggest beauty site with 300,000 products under one roof.

Nidhima has also become a respected tech entrepreneur, named on Vogue and Forbes' lists of top tech gurus and gets asked to speak at huge business events.

Nidhima Kohli, 34, from London, is the founder of Mybeautymatches.com, which is the worlds first personalised beauty product recommendation and price comparison site. She was earning a six-figure salary in a bank before following her beauty dreams

Speaking to MailOnline about her brainchild, Nidhima, who was on the grad scheme at top bank Credit Suisse before landing a job at MF Global, explained: 'I was travelling internationally for work so developed bad skin because of all the air con and flights but I couldn't find a single impartial and trustworthy source for what to buy and use.

'This was my lightbulb moment.'

She quit her job, qualified as a makeup artist to learn the tricks of the trade and left the beautiful flat she bought in Notting Hill to move back in with her parents in Luxembourg.

'I spent a full year working with cosmetic scientists and developers to build a copyrighted and trademarked matching algorithm to build the world's first personalised marketplace and price comparison site for beauty,' she explained.

The 34-year-old quit her job, qualified as a beautician and makeup artist and left the beautiful flat she bought in Notting Hill to move back in with her parents in Luxembourg. She also slept on an airbed in her lounge so she could rent out her room to fund her brainchild

The entrepreneur had her lightbulb moment when she was travelling internationally for work so developed bad skin because of all the air con and flights but couldn't find a single impartial and trustworthy source for what to buy and use

Her team now includes someone who worked building Lastminute.com, Vogue mentioned her in its top 10 beauty entrepreneurs in the world and she won The Guardian Startup of the Year

As the site grew, she could afford to move back to London but rented out the bedroom and lived and and worked from the living room, sleeping on an airbed.

Because her website was the first of its kind, she quickly gained press and investment from startup competitions.

'I remember being named a Top Business Leader Women in The Guardian and the journalist and photographer came to my "office" to take pictures. I had to buy backdrops to hide the bed and sofa in my living/bedroom!'.

Nidhima started attending networking events, as well as teaching herself everything from scratch, from accounting and photography to technology and marketing.

FROM BANKER TO BEAUTY BOSS: NIDHIMA'S JOURNEY Got place on the grad scheme at top bank Credit Suisse before landing a job at MF Global Developed bad skin whilst travelling globally and had lightbulb moment Quit her job and qualified as makeup artist to learn about beauty Moved back in with parents Worked with cosmetic scientists and developers to build a copyrighted and trademarked matching algorithm Moved back to London but rented out room and slept on airbed Launched My Beauty Matches and raised 600,000 investment Speaks at events next to the people behind Dropbox, Twitter and Secret Sales Vogue mentioned her in its top 10 beauty entrepreneurs in the world and Won The Guardian Startup of the Year Advertisement

'I could afford coffees again so I started working with my team at cafes,' she said.

'I then moved into a Shoreditch office provided by my university (Cass Business School) before getting a proper office in Notting Hill.'

However, Nidhima admits that she faced more challenges on her journey to becoming a beauty boss - and nearly lost her sanity in the process.

'I faced many more challenges with the biggest one hiring people who are very good at building technology that's very hard to replicate (and people have certainly tried).'

In her quest to take her business to the next level, Nidhima reached burnout.

'I worked non-stop for three years, my personal relationships broke, I took no holidays so took a break.'

She spent time at a retreat in Bali where she realised she needed to work less but achieve more so she streamlined her business, made changes to the team, focused on fast growth and started daily meditation.

Thanks to her new strategy, she secured 600,000 in funding and was asked to speak at events next to the people behind Dropbox, Twitter and Secret Sales.

Her team now includes someone who worked building Lastminute.com, Vogue mentioned her in its top 10 beauty entrepreneurs in the world and she won The Guardian Startup of the Year.

She has also launched a national TV ad campaign with Benefit Cosmetics and Aveda and Mybeautymatches.com has accumulated over 1m members.

She concluded: 'I now have the biggest site with the number of beauty brands all under one roof with price comparisons and personalised recommendations aimed at working professionals and mothers.

'It's been a long, hard journey, but I wouldn't change it.'
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Renee Hahnel, the 27-year-old Australian photographer and blogger behind Renee Roaming, had her first big solo adventure when she went backpacking across South America at 19.

Since, she has travelled to 31 countries across five continents, worked as a speech therapist back in Melbourne and married her boyfriend of seven years, Matthew, who joins her on her travels.

Once she hit 100,000 followers, Renee and Matthew decided to travel full time, packed their things and took off.

The talented blogger, who is currently living in a van with her beau and on a mission to visit all 59 US national parks, boasts more than 220,000 followers on Instagram for her idyllic and perfectly framed wanderlust snaps.

Yosemite National Park: Renee Hahnel, the 27-year-old Australian photographer and blogger behind Renee Roaming , had her first big solo adventure when she went backpacking across South America at 19

Saguaro National Park and Lower Antelope Canyon: Since, she has travelled to 31 countries across five continents, worked as a speech therapist back in Melbourne and married her boyfriend of seven years, Matthew, who now joins her on her travels

'My husband got into photography way before me and about two and a half years ago he got me my first camera,' Renee told Daily Mail Australia.

'I learned to take and edit photos and I took my photography full time in August last year. That's when we took up a nomadic lifestyle and ditched our 9-5 jobs.

'If you told me two years ago that we'd be getting to travel to such amazing places for a living and earn a full time income while doing it I would have laughed. It's just incredible.'

The pair make an income through a variety of different methods - from their photography and social media projects to travel-related projects, modelling and deals with outdoor gear companies.

Virgin Islands National Park: 'I learned to take and edit photos and I took my photography full time in August last year. That's when we took up a nomadic lifestyle and ditched our 9-5 jobs,' she said

Cypress Tree Tunnel, Seahaven: 'If you told me two years ago that we'd be getting to travel to such amazing places for a living and earn a full time income while doing it I would have laughed. It's just incredible,' she said

How can you travel full time? Unless you are doing it for a living it is really hard as it's expensive, but a good place to start is to explore where you live first. Start with places in your city, state or country and work really hard for it. We both had part time jobs in university to save up a lot of money to travel the world before it became a job. Advertisement

Renee also revealed some of the secrets behind her enviable photographs - and they are surprisingly simple.

'My main tip is to shoot when the light is perfect - I call it the "golden hour",' Renee said.

'Sunset or just after sunrise are the perfect times- we very very rarely take photos in the middle of the day because the light is far too harsh and there are lots of shadows,' she said.

'People look better in softer light.'

Another thing Renee suggested is including people in scenic shots for scale.

'Photos look so much better with people in them - you can see how big that waterfall really is or how huge that mountain is. It's hard to tell the sheer size of landscapes without someone in the photo,' she explained.

Lake Powell: The talented blogger, who is currently living in a van with her beau and on a mission to visit all 59 US national parks, boasts more than 220,000 followers on Instagram for her idyllic and perfectly framed wanderlust snaps

Shenandoah National Park: 'My main tip is to shoot when the light is perfect - I call it the "golden hour",' Renee said

Iceland and Oregon, US: 'Sunset or just after sunrise are the perfect times- we very very rarely take photos in the middle of the day because the light is far too harsh and there are lots of shadows,' she said

Renee also uses Photoshop and Lightroom to edit her photos and has Lightroom presets that she uses each time.

Renee has also shared some of her favourite photo 'tips and hacks' on her blog - especially those to do with taking photos as a couple.

And one of the most important things? Investing in a tripod.

'Nearly every photo you see in this article has been taken with a tripod. My husband and I are often the only people around when we travel, particularly if its at sunrise or sunset,' she explained.

Virgin Islands National Park: Renee also uses Photoshop and Lightroom to edit her photos and has Lightroom presets that she uses each time

Shenandoah National Park: When it comes to capturing candid moments, Renee says it's important to be as 'realistic as possible'

How do you know what to pack? I am constantly learning - it's really hard. This seven month national park project was difficult as we are going to freezing places, really hot places, remote places and tropical places. My biggest tip is to be as minimal as possible. If I think I need four pairs of pants, I probably only need two. It gets stressful if you have too much. Advertisement

'We simply set our tripod up at the distance and height we want to capture, attach our camera and snap away. Using a tripod also means you can take the exact photo you want and dont have to rely on a stranger getting it wrong.'

Renee also keeps it simple with self-timer and a wireless remote control.

'My husband and I often take photos from quite far away and quickly realised how exhausting it is running from the camera and back with a 10 second timer! A wireless remote control shutter release is the perfect solution (make sure you buy one that works with your camera brand and model),' she said.

'These allow you to click the remote when you are in position for a photo, rather than running back and forth.'

When it comes to capturing candid moments, Renee says it's important to be as 'realistic as possible'.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: Renee and Matthew have so far visited 34 of 59 national parks and plan to finish their van adventure on the 29th of October

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park and Horseshoe Bend, Arizona: 'Usually either my husband or I will stand in the frame while the other person sets up the shot. There is often lots of "move to your left, no not that much, step back"... but its worth it to get an amazing composition!' She said

'Usually either my husband or I will stand in the frame while the other person sets up the shot. There is often lots of "move to your left, no not that much, step back"... but its worth it to get an amazing composition!' She said.

'Make sure you are the focus of the image and that you stand out against the background. We often position ourselves to be standing out against a lake or the sky so that detail isn't lost to a busy background.'

She also suggests getting a candid walking or hiking shot by walking past the tripod or pretending to walk for a 'really sharp' result and trying different angles of every photo.

Renee and Matthew have so far visited 34 of 59 national parks and plan to finish their van adventure on the 29th of October.

North East Iceland and Horseshoe Bend, Arizona: 'I have spent most of my earnings on experiences, but I still have a million more places I want to see and so many things to experience. So far it has been a challenging but amazing journey,' she said

Afterwards, they plan on visiting a number of countries in Africa as well as Argentina and Greenland.

Their favourite places so far have been Canada, the Virgin Islands, and of course, Australia - with Renee naming Tasmania as her favourite Australian location.

Since setting off on her adventures, Renee and Matthew haven't looked back.

'I have spent most of my earnings on experiences, but I still have a million more places I want to see and so many things to experience. So far it has been a challenging but amazing journey,' she said previously.

'Everyone has different passions and things that drive them throughout their life. For me it is the happiness of being at the summit of a mountain, of snowboarding in powder, of capturing that epic sunset, and experiencing the solitude of camping in the wilderness.'
1. HIGH FLYER

Ive lived in this two-bedroom flat in an 18th-century former hospital for six months now, but this photo will always remind me of Wales. Its the lake at the top of Mount Snowdon which Ive actually flown a plane over. I trained to be a pilot within a year for a Welsh TV challenge show  what a skill to have! Ive taken all my friends and family up. I had one scary moment though, when I flew the wrong way out of RAF Valley where Prince William was based  an F-14 fighter jet just missed me.

TV presenter Gethin Jones, 39, in the sitting room of his flat in a Grade II-listed building in west London

2. FIT FOR PURPOSE

When youve got a random job like mine, a fitness routine is important and I run, cycle, swim and use these weights. I set up a little circuit in here and I train my girlfriend Katja sometimes too. As Im getting older Im actually getting stronger and faster, which I find fascinating going into my 40s. Ill be doing a Spartan in September, which is a 20km run with 35 extreme obstacles including jumping over a blazing wall. I love challenging my body.

3. MY BIG PASSION

As a boy Id have done anything to play rugby union for Wales. I was a scrum half, had a trial for Sale and came close to playing rugby for a living. My friend Danny claims he knew my rugby career was coming to an end though when he heard me in training shouting, No, not the face!  I realised it was time for me to move on because cauliflower ears and a flat nose are not good looks for a TV presenter. These are some of my rugby shirts along with my Groggs  miniatures of Welsh players that can be bought in one shop only in Pontypridd. These are Sam Warburton and Rob Howley.

'As a boy Id have done anything to play rugby union for Wales,' he said

4. STRICTLY SPECIAL

My only sibling, my sister Mererid, whos 40 and a paediatric physiotherapist, has two children  Alby, aged ten, and Lenny, seven. Theyre the most special people in my life. Alby is autistic which means hes different, thats all, and my best friend Sion also has an autistic nephew, Twm. About two years ago we set up the charity Nai  the Welsh word for nephew  to help parents of autistic children. Mererids such a Strictly fan that when I was on it in 2007 she used to dress Alby in a sparkly outfit to match mine each Saturday. This is me with Mererid and Alby backstage.

5. BLUE PETER IN SPACE

After starting my career on Welsh TV I joined Blue Peter in April 2005 and I treasure my little collection of Blue Peter badges. This is my favourite, it must be the most-travelled Blue Peter badge ever. When I interviewed astronaut Nick Patrick before a space mission, I asked him to take the badge with him into space. Three months later when we filmed him after his return he handed it to me in its quarantine bag and said, This badge has travelled 898,000 miles around Earth!

6. HIGHLY STRUNG

Music is a huge part of my life. My dad Goronwy was a conductor and my mum Sylvia is a violin teacher. I got to Grade 8 on the violin and I was the leader of three county orchestras. This is a lookalike Stradivarius, but its still pricey... and priceless as its been in my family a long time. Im 39 now and my mums still reluctant to let me borrow it even though Ive travelled the world with it. I still like to pick up the violin and surprise people. I even take requests. Ive played at friends weddings, I once played with Nicola Benedetti and I recently performed at the Albert Hall for Classic FM.

As told to Peter Robertson. Gethin is the new face of Welsh jewellery brand Clogau, visit clogau.co.uk. For more information on Gethins autism charity, go to nai.wales
A beauty blogger has been forced to apologise after describing Asian people as 'ching chongs' while promoting Korean cosmetic products.

Swiss model Cocomadkilla sparked outrage after using the slur, with social media users describing her remarks as 'totally disgusting'.

Following the heavy criticism, she has since taken down the blog post and apologised for her 'joke', saying she 'never meant to offend anyone'.

Reviewing Korean brand Glowrious in the original piece on her blog, she wrote: 'Many of us dont always understand the ching chongs with the black hair and funny clothes (hihi).

Swiss model Cocomadkilla has been forced to apologise after describing Asian people as 'ching chongs' while promoting Korean cosmetic products

'But what makes us all the same, is our love for sleek and beautiful skin.

Social media users immediately slammed her 'racist' comments, with some calling on brands to drop their support.

One wrote: 'This kind of racism really takes the p*** when you consider how many pioneers of the blogging industry were S.E. Asian too. So messed up'

Another added: 'How in THE F*** is cocomadkilla calling asians "ching chong" on a post where she's promoting Korean makeup..........'

In the original piece on her blog, Cocomadkilla wrote: 'Many of us dont always understand the ching chongs with the black hair and funny clothes (hihi)'

Meanwhile, one Twitter simply wrote: 'don't support @/cocomadkilla. tell your friends.'

Following the backlash, Cocomadkilla posted a statement in which she apologised for the piece, describing her remarks as a joke.

She wrote: 'Recently things have been going crazy over a joke I made. A joke without realising it would have such an impact and offend so many people.

'I would like to state that I never meant to offend anyone. Im sorry if that was the case.

Following heavy criticism, she has since taken down the blog post and apologised for her 'joke', saying she 'never meant to offend anyone'

She wrote: 'Recently things have been going crazy over a joke I made. A joke without realising it would have such an impact and offend so many people'

The blogger added: I am of Italian descent and continuously make jokes about myself too. Those who know me know that my humour comes with an edge but I am certainly not a racist.

I have many different friends of different origin and culture and appreciate these people very much.

'Acceptance and individuality is important and I am against any kind of racism. I hope we can all move on.

Cocomadkilla has since made her Instagram page private and appears to have deleted her Facebook account.

Social media users slammed her racist comments, with one writing: 'This kind of racism really takes the p***'

Another noted that the comments were particularly outrageous considering she was promoting Korean makeup

Meanwhile, one Twitter simply wrote: 'don't support @/cocomadkilla. tell your friends'
A mother has claimed staff at a private hospital in Sydney accidentally gave her newborn baby another mother's breast milk.

The baby girl was born May 5 at Hurstville Private Hospital, and as she suffers from a liver condition called jaundice, only feeds through the use of a bottle.

'The way you get them to pass that is to get them to drink (extra fluids) and because she couldnt drink directly off me they made me use a breast pump in hospital to express,' the mother, identified as Melissa, told news.com.au.

A private hospital in Sydney has accidentally given a newborn baby another mother's breast milk

Melissa's milk was put into a bottle before being labelled and stored in a fridge in the hospital.

This then meant she would have to contact staff on hand to collect the milk when it was time to feed.

'They never told me where they were storing it, how they were storing it, they just collected it and when I needed it theyd go and get it for me and bring it back,' she explained.

It was four days later on May 9 that Melissa claimed a staff member accidentally switched her breast milk.

The baby girl was born May 5 at Hurstville Private Hospital, and as she suffers from a liver condition called jaundice, only feeds through the use of a bottle

Melissa was changing her daughters nappy in their room at the hospital when a nurse came in to hand over the breast milk which she had in a bottle ready to go.

Melissa started to feed her baby but halfway through finishing the bottle she noticed that the name on the label was not the name of her obstetrician.

Once she looked longer at the label she realised that it was a different person with a different address.

Melissa's milk was put into a bottle before being labelled and stored in a fridge in the hospital which meant she would have to contact the midwives' to collect the milk

'I tried to get someone to come back into the room and when I finally got the nurse to come back I told her, "thats not mine",' the mother said.

'She went, "oops"  and tries to take it away and leave. I said, "well no, not oops, shes actually drank some of this, what do we do now"?'

She noted that the staff around her seemed to not know what to do but did assure her that her newborn would be fine.

Although breast milk does help prevent illness, one of Melissa's main concerns was the fact that breast milk can carry diseases such as HIV or hepatitis B and C.

Breast milk has to be screened before it is shared as there is a risk that it can transmit infectious diseases

Breast milk has to be screened before it is shared as there is a risk that it can transmit infectious diseases.

Staff told her that the mother whose breast milk Melissa's baby was fed would be tested for any transmittable diseases.

Melissa had to wait one week for the first results and two weeks for secondary results.

The test results came back negative but Melissa said she did not expect something like this to happen at a private hospital.

Although Melissa was told she would only have to wait two days she had to wait one week for the first results and two weeks for secondary results

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Hurstville Private Hospital for comment.

In a statement shared with news.com.au, a spokesman said safety and privacy of patients was paramount.

'We pride ourselves on our commitment to putting our patients first, and to ensuring that all patients at Hurstville Private Hospital are treated with respect.

'The hospital does have set protocols and regulatory requirements relating to the identification and dissemination of breastmilk.'
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The Duke of Cambridge had a touching reminder of his family history today when he came face to face with a model of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned 20 years ago.

The model, which was displayed at Hamburg Maritime Museum, was only finished two days ago but in a stunning coincidence, it was commissioned before anyone realised that the Duke and Duchess were going to visit Hamburg.

'Is that Britannia?' said an astonished William. 'It's beautiful  amazing.'

He was shown the model by Christian Hinneborg, 30, grandson of the museum's founder, who said that the 1:96 scale model took three months to build.

William admitted he had only been on Britannia a few times, saying: 'I don't know it that well.'

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge admire a model boat during their visit to the Maritime Museum in Hamburg today - their final pit stop before flying back to the UK this afternoon following an action-packed royal tour

Lucky Kate! The Duchess was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers after touching down at Hamburg's Dammtor station on Friday. They have a busy last day of engagements in the city before flying back to the UK tonight

Guten tag, Hamburg! The Cambridges arrive at the Maritime Museum in the German city today where they will celebrate the joint UK-German year of science which, for 2017, is focused on oceans

Asked if there were any mistakes, he joked: 'I will have a careful look. I will get my magnifying glass out! But I'm not an expert. My father, being a naval man, would know. And my grandmother would definitely spot anything. But it is the most wonderful model.'

Asked by William why it had been built, Mr Hinneborg said he was 'passionate' about royal and state yachts.

He said afterwards: 'It was finished two days ago. We ordered it without knowing that the Duke and Duchess were coming to Hamburg. It is a coincidence that it just got finished.'

In an impromptu addition to their museum tour, the Duke and Duchess tried their hand at the cargo ship simulator, which allows visitors to experience what it is like to navigate a ship into Hamburg harbour.

'Let's see if I can hit that yacht!' joked William as he took the wheel.

He may have had the wheel, but the volunteer in charge of the simulator, Hans Trey, put Kate in charge and got her to sound the fog horn. 'He is just the helmsman,' he told her. 'You are the captain.'

The couple are given a private tour of the museum with Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz (second left) as they are shown a core sample from under the sea during their visit to the Maritime Museum today

Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz (far left) and Director of the Maritime Museum, Peter Tamm Jr (far right), give the royals a guided tour of the museum - which also houses a model of the Queen Mary II made entirely of Lego bricks

A painstakingly-constructed scale model of a ship, suspended in mid-air, hangs over Kate and William as they listen to a guide during their tour of the museum today. Their visit marks the joint UK-German year of science in 2017

Boys and their toys! William couldn't hide his delight as he tried his hand at steering a ship in a VR cargo ship simulator at the Maritime Museum today, while fellow guests including Kate collapsed into giggles

Fascinating history of the Royal Yacht Britannia The Britannia was designed to replace the Victoria and Albert III during the reign of King George VI. The Royal Yacht Britannia in Venice during the Prince and Princess of Wales' Italy visit in 1985, 12 years before it was decommissioned After the King's death in 1952, the new Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, personally approved plans prepared by architect Sir Hugh Casson and chose furniture, fabrics and paintings for the yacht. Launched in April 1953 at John Brown's Clydebank Shipyard - it travelled 1,087,623 nautical miles, calling at more than 600 ports, in 135 countries. But, in June 1994, the Government announced that the ship would be taken out of service. At the beginning of January 1997, Britannia set sail from Portsmouth to Hong Kong on its last and longest voyage. On December 11 that year it was decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base in the presence of the Queen, the Duke and 12 senior members of the Royal Family. Britannia served the Queen for 44 years, carrying her and the royal family on 968 official voyages. Advertisement

Afterwards he said: 'They did a wonderful job. He wanted to go at full speed, but we would have told him later on to stop the ship. He knew exactly how to steer  I didn't have to tell him.'

The couple were also shown a 6.9 metre long Lego model of the liner Queen Mary II, and met a group of scientists working on a variety of ocean-related projects, part of the UK-German Year of Science.

Tim Eder, a government official who told the couple about a schools project about plastic waste in the ocean, said: 'They expressed their concern about single use plastic bags.'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rounded off an action-packed two days in the German capital last night with a glittering reception at Berlin's Clarchens Ballhaus.

And on Friday morning the couple looked to be in excellent spirits as they bid auf wiedersehen to Berlin and boarded their train to Hamburg, their final pit stop.

A royal welcome: Crowds once again lined the streets in Hamburg today as Kate-mania continues to sweep the country. The couple have been received warmly at every pit stop, with one local woman planting a kiss on Kate's hand yesterday

British charm: The Duke has impressed locals by speaking in Polish and German this week; Kate, by contrast, was forced to apologise to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday after admitting she did not speak German

Kate, 35, wore an A-line lavender dress this morning, paired with a small red clutch, as she waved to crowds at Berlin Hauptbahnho station.

Prince George, who turns four tomorrow, and younger sister Princess Charlotte were nowhere to be seen.

On arrival in Hamburg this afternoon, the Duke and Duchess celebrated the joint UK-German year of science which, for 2017, is focused on oceans at the city's Maritime Museum.

Accompanied by Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, the couple were given a private tour of the museum where they were shown various displays including a core sample from under the sea.

They will later travel to the Elbphilarmonie Concert Hall to listen to a special performance given by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra for the children of Hamburg in the Elbphilarmonie.

For their final engagement before flying back to the UK, the couple will tour the Airbus training facilities and meet with apprentices, before viewing the final assembly line of an A320 aircraft.

Kate pulled out all the stops for the final day of her royal tour, with a custom Emilia Wickstead creation. Hamburg is Germany's second largest city whose links with the UK go back to the in the 13th century according to Kensington Palace

Royally good style: Kate's clutch is believed to be Anya Hindmarch red snakeskin; similar styles can cost anything from 300 upwards. The Duchess, who love to recycle accessories, has debuted a whole wardrobe of new designer pieces this week

The couple were once again perfectly colour-coordinated, with both adding purple hues to their outfits. Kate was also showing off her new 'Kob' hairstyle, with loose bouncing curls flattering her face shape

Last night, the Duchess dazzled in a sold-out gown by Markus Lupfer at a glittering reception at one of the city's oldest remaining ballrooms where she rubbed shoulders with stars including Sam Riley and Game of Thrones star Tom Wlaschiha.

Brimming with pride, the German designer wrote on Facebook last night: 'Fit for a princess: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge wows in our Wild Sparrow Dress at a reception tonight in Berlin.'

The event offered a chance for Kate and William to meet faces from the world of art, culture, style, fashion and technology on the final evening of their five-day charm offensive in Germany and Poland.

Opened in 1913, Clarchens is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin with Thursday night's star-studded reception held in its opulent mirrored hall.

The Duke of Cambridge had a touching reminder of his family history when he came face to face with a model of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned 20 years ago.

One girl is overcome with a bout of shyness as William greets crowds and spectators outside Hamburg's Dammtor station

Royal watchers were quick to spot that Kate's dress was Emilia Wickstead - with similar styles costing around 750. The Duchess' stylist Natasha Archer has pulled out all the stops with the royal's wardrobe this week

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz (left) and Peter Tamm Jr, the museum director. Temporary railings had to be put up to hold back crowds of well-wishers who came to catch a glimpse of the royals

The model, which was displayed at Hamburg Maritime Museum, was only finished two days ago.

However in a stunning coincidence, it was commissioned before anyone realised that the Duke and Duchess were going to visit Hamburg. 'Is that Britannia?' said an astonished William. 'It's beautiful  amazing.'

He was shown the model by Christian Hinneborg, 30, grandson of the museum's founder, who said that the 1:96 scale model took three months to build.

William said he had only been on Britannia a few times. 'I don't know it that well.'

Asked if there were any mistakes, he joked: 'I will have a careful look. I will get my magnifying glass out! But I'm not an expert. My father, being a naval man, would know. And my grandmother would definitely spot anything. But it is the most wonderful model.'

Asked by William why it had been built, Mr Hinneborg said he was 'passionate' about royal and state yachts.

He said afterwards: 'It was finished two days ago. We ordered it without knowing that the duke and duchess were coming to Hamburg. It is a coincidence that it just got finished.'

The Duchess wore a lavender dress from Emilia Wickstead with a flared skirt, paired with a small red clutch, as she boarded a train from Berlin to Hamburg on Friday morning - rounding off an action-packed few days in the German capital

Charming the locals: Kate has been dubbed the new 'Princess of Hearts' by the German media, as royal fever sweeps the nation. Local newspapers and TV gave blanket coverage to the the Duke and Duchess' three day visit to the country

The couple chat to their hosts as they arrive at Hauptbahnhof on Friday morning. Later, they will travel to the Elbphilarmonie Concert Hall to listen to a special performance given by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra for the children of Hamburg

In an impromptu addition to their museum tour, the Duke and Duchess tried their hand at the cargo ship simulator, which allows visitors to experience what it is like to navigate a ship into Hamburg harbour.

'Let's see if I can hit that yacht!' joked William as he took the wheel.

He may have had the wheel, but the volunteer in charge of the simulator, Hans Trey, put Kate in charge and got her to sound the fog horn. 'He is just the helmsman,' he told her. 'You are the captain.'

Afterwards he said: 'They did a wonderful job. He wanted to go at full speed, but we would have told him later on to stop the ship. He knew exactly how to steer  I didn't have to tell him.'

The couple were also shown a 6.9 metre long Lego model of the liner Queen Mary II, and met a group of scientists working on a variety of ocean-related projects, part of the UK-German Year of Science.

Tim Eder, a government official who told the couple about a schools project about plastic waste in the ocean, said: 'They expressed their concern about single use plastic bags.'

All smiles: Kate looked to be in good spirits as she boarded her train to Hamburg. Royal watchers noted that the couple were looking more in love together last night as they jointly attended the glittering Berlin bauhaus reception

Best foot forward: The Duchess appeared to be wearing her 470 Gianvito Rossi suede heels in the 'praline' colorway, an old favourite which she also wore on Monday when she touched down in Warsaw with her family in tow

Fresh-faced Kate! The Duchess displayed no signs of exhaustion this morning despite a whirlwind week of non-stop engagements in Germany and Poland - as well as spending time with two-year-old Charlotte and George, three

Security was tight at Berlin Hauptbahnho this morning, with a heavy police presence as dozens of well-wishers waved off the royals after a successful two days in the city. Prince George, who turns four tomorrow, and younger sister Princess Charlotte were nowhere to be seen

The Duchess' dress today is custom Emilia Wickstead, one of her favourite British designers, and not available to buy. She paired it with her 470 Gianvito Rossi heels and a red clutch which Kate-watchers are currently scrambling to identify

Kate and William could be seen chatting to their hosts as they prepared to wave goodbye to the German capital on Friday. On arrival in Hamburg this afternoon, the Duke and Duchess will celebrate the joint UK-German year of science

Quick change: This is Kate's fourth outfit in just 24 hours and she is likely to change again today before heading home. Following their visit to a traditional German food market yesterday, she switched from Jenny Packham to Hugo Boss

Coiffed to perfection: The Duchess has been showing off her new 'Kob' or Kate bob on the tour, after chopping a good six inches off her flowing locks. The couple are no doubt looking forward to spending some quality time with George and Charlotte as they celebrate the Prince's birthday tomorrow

Kate's flattering fit-and-flare skirt showed off her tiny waist while the nude heels - an old favourite of the Duchess - give the illusion of longer legs. Clearly visible on her left hand was her 18ct sapphire engagement ring which once belonged to Diana

Kate opted for a gown by German designer Markus Lupfer paired with a silver chain belt, pearl bracelets and the same pair of nude Prada stilettos as she rubbed shoulders with stars including Sam Riley and Game Of Thrones actor Thomas Wlaschiha.

Yesterday afternoon, Prince William punched the air in delight as he secured an against-the-odds win in a boat race against his wife in the town of Heidelberg.

Following their visit to a traditional German food market on Thursday morning, Kate made a quick change out of her custom Jenny Packham dress, slipping into a casual blue and white striped top by Hugo Boss teamed with skinny jeans and her favourite Superga trainers.

And William removed his jacket and put on a pair of blue trainers with a luminous yellow Nike swoop.

Prior to their boat, race the couple enjoyed a tour of a traditional market where they were able to make some sugary treats for their children.

The look of love: Last night the couple, who have been married for six years, could be seen gazing into each other's eyes during the Bauhaus reception in Berlin. On Friday they travelled on to Hamburg before heading back to the UK

Green with envy: Kate dazzled in a bottle green number at last night's reception at Berlin's Clarchens Ballhaus to round off a whirlwind two days in Germany where she has sipped local beer and tried out her pretzel making skills

Dressing for the occasion: Last night's event in the German capital offered a chance for Kate and William to meet fresh faces in the world of art, culture, style, fashion and technology before flying back to the UK tomorrow afternoon

The couple are welcomed by Mistress Ford and Mistress Page at Thursday night's reception with creatives at Claerchens Ballhaus. Opened in 1913, Clarchens is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin

William waves to onlookers as the pair make their way to the venue last night. The couple's five-day visit to Germany and Poland has so far being a roaring success, with throngs of royal fans lining the streets to greet them wherever they go

The pair are greeted by staff before being given a short tour of the ballroom ahead of Thursday night's reception. It is one of the last remaining ballrooms in Berlin, and played host to some of the most creative and innovative names in the world of art

Charming the locals: The Berliner Zeitung said pictures of Kate cuddling children during a visit to a children's charity in Berlin on Wednesday were 'reminiscent of the warmth of heart which before Kate only William's mother, Diana, could radiate'

New style: The Duchess has been showing off her new 'Kob' or 'Kate bob' on the tour, after chopping a good six inches off her flowing locks. Earlier today, the couple had the opportunity to taste some of the local beer in Heidelberg

The new hairstyle, around six inches off the overall length, created a real buzz when it first made an appearance at Wimbledon and was soon dubbed the 'Kob'. The chop revealed last week even seemed to be a few inches shorter than its first outing

Guests of honour: The royals have been warmly received on every stop of their five-day tour of Poland and Germany so far and, on Wedneday, thousands lined the Pariser Platz to catch a glimpse of the royals as they visited Brandenburg Gate

The couple clap as they listen to a speech during Thursday night's glittering reception. Clearly visible on Kate's left hand was her sapphire engagement ring which once belonged to the Princess of Wales, which she teamed with pearl bracelets

The couple bid goodbye to their host before leaving. German newspapers and TV have given blanket coverage to the the Duke and Duchess's three day visit to the country which began on Wednesday, and has been nicknamed 'die Charmeoffensive'

Auf Wiedersehen! The Duchess is seen smiling as she leaves the reception tonight with William. The couple's children George and Charlotte, believed to be back at their Berlin residence with their nanny tonight, have made very few appearances

Kate waves goodbye after a short appearance at tonight's reception. Opened in 1913, Clarchens is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin with Thursday's star-studded reception being held in its opulent mirrored hall

By royal appointment: A bracelet fit for a Princess Eagle-eyed Kate watchers have spotted that the Duchess' bracelet last night once belonged to William's late mother, the Princess of Wales. Diana wore the three-strand pearl bracelet almost 30 years ago, with her iconic Catherine Walker pearl-studded strapless gown during a 1989 trip to Hong Kong, according to royal jewellery expert Order of Spendor. Last night, Kate (right) wore a bracelet that royal watchers believe once belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales (left, as seen in 1989) Of course, it is not the only heirloom she inherited from Diana; her 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire engagement ring is the same one that the Prince of Wales used to propose with in 1981. During their 2010 engagement interview William said of his choice of ring: 'Obviously, [Diana is] not going be around to share in all the fun and excitement, so this is my way of keeping her close to it all.' Advertisement

No hard feelings! Kate and William pose for a photo after the Duchess' team was beaten by her husband's, despite having an Olympic rower on her side. The Duchess turned once again to her trusty 55 Superga trainers yesterday

On Thursday, the Duchess changed out of her yellow lace dress into a blue and white striped top from Hugo Boss and skinny jeans to take part in a boat race - narrowly missing out on a win despite being paired with an Olympic athlete

She may have been trounced by her husband in the race, but Kate was no sore loser. The royal couple also had a go at making sweets with Jens Meier, owner of Heidelberger Bonbon Manufaktur, in Heidelberg on Thursday

Cheers! The Duchess raises a stein after the race with the Mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Wuerzner. She was showcasing a more casual look yesterday after a week of show-stopping bespoke designer pieces from Jenny Packham and Catherine Walker

Consolation prize: The Duchess was presented with a stein of beer after the race and after all that hard work she was doubtless in need of a sip! However she seemed happy enough with her medal

The Duke and Duchess looked as loved-up as ever as they shared a giggle after today's rowing race. Kate, 35, opted for a casual look with her striped Breton top from Hugo Boss, paired with her trusty skinny jeans

The couple shared an affectionate moment after racing each other down the River Neckar in opposing teams in the competitive race between the twinned town of Cambridge and Heidelberg on Thursday

The Duchess looked animated as she recounted her racing tale after being beaten by her husband's team. Despite their sporting rivalry, the couple were all smiles when they were presented with medals after the race

Kate spent several minutes taking tips from her teammate before setting off. The Duchess admitted she was 'worried about crashing' and indicated with her hands that she feared zig zagging along the water

Asked how they had done, Melanie said: 'Not too bad. It's always hard when you get it for the first time. You have to be quick.

The royal couple walked around the market square in the centre of the university town of Heidelberg, where a special market had been set up to mark their visit and celebrate the close ties between the town and Cambridge in the UK.

William and Kate also tried their hand at making a tasty treat popular in Germany - pretzels. They were given a lesson by Heidelberg baker Andreas Gobes, who showed them how to roll out the pastry into long sausage shapes and then flick and cross them over in one movement to create the snack's classic shape.

Kate managed to get it right first time but William struggled to get the hang of the flick and crossover.

The royals chat with Baden-Wuerttemberg's State Premier Winfried Kretschmann (right) and Heidelberg's Mayor Eckart Wuerzner (left) on Thursday, on the Old Bridge in the historic center of Heidelberg

The couple were accompanied through the historic centre of Heidelberg, with Baden-Wuerttemberg's State Premier Winfried Kretschmann (second right) his wife Gerlinde (right), Heidelberg's Mayor Eckart Wuerzner (second left) and his wife Janine

Once again crowds lined the street and waved the Union Jack to greet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday. Kate tied her newly cropped locks back in a ponytail and donned a pair of Ray Bans ahead of the race

'Can you do that again?' he asked Mr Gobes,but after a further demonstration, the future King still seemed unsure.

'Just like that,' he said, sarcastically. But after two or three more tries, he managed it.

Mr Gobes, part of a guild whose members put on the pastry display, said: 'Catherine was a little bit more talented than William but they both did a great job.

'This type of pretzel is a speciality for the region so we wanted to show them that. In this region it has a special shape - thin arms and a thick body - with salt and it's a red brown colour.'

Located on the riverside and overlooked by the ruins of its famous castle, the central market square boasts a traditional market serving local food and drink.

On their gastronomical tour, the couple tasted Heidelberg herbal lemonade, tried some local fruit, and ordered a hot dog to try over lunch in the town hall.

Two grinning boys cheekily flicked the V sign at the camera in Heidelberg's traditional market square yesterday as they posed for a photo with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The Duchess has been showing off her new 'Kob' or Kate bob on the tour, after chopping a good six inches off her flowing locks. The couple also had the opportunity to taste some of the local beer during their gourmet tour

'Is that hot dogs?' William asked and when invited to try one, he said: 'Why not?'

When told it was bratwurst, he added: 'We have to have bratwurst.'

In the square, kilted locals in a Scottish pipe band, the Heidelberg and District Pipes and Drums, had entertained the crowds before the royal party's arrival.

William was reminded of the close cultural ties between the UK and this part of Germany when he met the mother of one of his work colleagues at East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Tobias Gauss, 42, a doctor with the service in Cambridge, had warned William that he might see his mother, Elona Apple, 67, in Heidelberg so he knew who she was straight away.

'Tobias has told him three or four days ago that he might meet me here so he knew who I was,' she said.

Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Kate share a laugh with Andreas Goebes (right) of the bakers guild Heidelberg, as they form pastry into prezels under the eyes of Heidelberg Mayor Eckart Wuerzner

The couple looked every inch the polished royals as they made their way to the German Cancer Research Institute for a visit (left). It was a rainy morning, but Kate added a splash of colour to proceedings in a yellow lace dress by Jenny Packham

Sweet treat! William admitted that George and Charlotte would be delighted when they brought home the goodies later. The couple were also shown a huge cake during their tour of the market with Heidelberg Mayor Eckart Wuerzner yesterday

Kate appears to gently tease her husband as he has a go at making pretzels on a visit to a raditional German market in the Central Square of Heidelberg, but she gave him encouragement with a round of applause

William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, listen to explanations by Andreas Goebes (right) of the Heidelberg Bakers' Guild. William looked proud of his efforts after a brief lesson in pretzel-making

Over the past few day's she's proved herself a real pro at so-called diplomatic dressing and earlier today, the Duchess of Cambridge pulled it off again as she channeled the gold of the German flag for a visit to the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg.

It was an overcast morning, but Kate brought a ray of sunshine to proceedings in the bespoke lace number by Jenny Packham, which she paired with her trusty nude espadrille wedges from Monsoon, and a small clutch in a matching shade.

The visit was a chance for the couple to see the world acclaimed work being carried out at the German Cancer Research Centre, where hundreds of locals had turned out to greet the royal couple on the second day of their tour.

Inside, British stem cell biologist Dr. Michael Milsom, 42, originally from Chesterfield, showed the couple around one of the laboratories.

William and Kate spent some time with Nobel Prize winner Dr Harald zur Hausen during the visit to the Cancer Centre on Thursday. Spectators positioned themselves in the window to get a good view of the visiting royals

The Duchess decided to rely on an old favourite, her trusty wedges from Monsoon for Thursday's engagements. Her dress was a custom Jenny Packham number which has drawn comparisons to a Lela Rose gown worn by Ivanka Trump this week

The Duchess had an opportunity to find out more about the work of lab researchers and look at cells through the microscope in the lab as she donned a white jacket during their tour of the cancer research centre on Thursday

He said, 'It's really helpful to have a visit from the Duke and Duchess as they publicise the importance of work we do here.

'The UK and Germany are leaders in this field of stem cell research,' said the expert who has been based in Heidelberg for seven years.

He told William and Kate about the latest developments in stem cell research.

The Leeds University graduate, told them how his team focuses on the question whether and how an accumulation of DNA damage in stem cells is the causes for ageing of an organ system.

Such damage may cause exhaustion of the stem cell pool and loss of the organ's capacity to regenerate. The work is particularly important in research into leukaemia.

The couple round off their time in Berlin with a party in honour of the Queen's birthday. Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess renewed their sporting rivalry when they took part in a rowing race in the town of Heidelberg, twinned with Cambridge

Royal fever! In Berlin on Wednesday, crowds waves and take photos as Kate makes her way to the Brandenburg Gate, accompanied by Private Secretary Rebecca Deacon - echoing the rockstar welcome they received in Gdansk yesterday

The couple wave to well-wishers as they visit the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the most recognisable symbol of Germany, both as a divided nation in the bleak days of the Cold War and as one of the powerhouses of Europe in its post-1990 reunified state

Welcome to Germany! As the royals touched down at Tegel Airport in Berlin on Wednesday afternoon, two-year-old Princess Charlotte looked happy with her mini bouquet, but her older brother seemed to be feeling a little grumpy

On their last day in Poland, the Duke and Duchess visited the former Stutthof Concentration Camp where they met with Holocaust survivors (pictured). Kate and William described their visit on Tuesday as a 'terrible reminder of the cost of war'

Cheers! The couple toast to a successful first day in Poland at a party held in the Queen's honour on Monday night. Kate showcased Polish fashion in a dress by designer Gosia Baczynska at the party in held at the Orangery in Lazienki Park

After arriving in Poland on Monday, the Duke and Duchess were treated to a welcoming ceremony at the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw alongside President Andrzej Duda (second right) and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda (far right)

The couple touched down at Warsaw Airport on Monday, kicking off their Polish royal tour. At one point Prince William could be seen leaning down to say a few words to his son, who looked a little overwhelmed by the occasion

The couple's five-day visit to Germany and Poland has so far being a roaring success, with throngs of royal fans lining the streets to greet them wherever they go.

Kate has even been dubbed the new 'Princess of Hearts' by the media, as royal fever sweeps the nation.

German newspapers and TV gave blanket coverage to the the Duke and Duchess's three day visit to the country which began yesterday, and has been nicknamed 'die Charmeoffensive'.

The Berliner Zeitung said pictures of the Duchess cuddling children during a visit to a children's charity in Berlin yesterday were 'reminiscent of the warmth of heart which before Kate only William's mother, Diana, could radiate.'

In a headline it said, 'Fur die kids ist sie the Prinzessin der Herzen' meaning 'For the kids she is the Princess of the heart.'

On a visit to the charity Straenkinder, which supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds, both William and Kate were mobbed by small children as they bestowed hugs and high fives to excitable fans.

The Duchess was the centre of attention, with several children throwing themselves into her arms for a cuddle.
A woman came under fire from This Morning viewers after she confessed she only changes her bed sheets once every three weeks, and sometimes four 'when things are hectic'.

Karen Aldridge, from Birmingham, bravely welcomed the show's consumer expert Alice Beer into her home to air her dirty laundry and inspect her mattress for dirt and bed bugs.

But when she informed Alice about her habits those watching at home were quick to brand her 'lazy' and a 'dirty cow'.

A Rentokil expert was called in to clean her mattresses and told her they would be full of dust mites, sweat and skin cells.

He revealed a bucket of murky water to Karen, which had her screaming in shock.

'Can you believe how much dirt you were sleeping on?' asked Alice.

'That is just shocking, absolutely shocking. I can't believe how much dirt was in there,' Karen responded equally horrified.

Those watching at home were equally as shocked.

Karen Aldridge bravely welcomed consumer expert Alice Beer into her home to air her dirty laundry, but she was horrified at what they found

Alice along with hygiene expert Luke Rutterwood, vacuumed Karen's bed to check how much dirt was lurking inside the mattress

The machine had an extremely high suction to trap the dirt which resulted in a very murky brown liquid

Viewers watching at home were disgusted when Karen admitted she changed her sheets once every three and sometimes four weeks

'People are just lazy not changing their bedding regularly. Once a week at least!' fumed another.

'Who doesn't change their bed for four weeks??? Urgh!! And why the hell would you admit to it on national TV???' asked one stunned viewer.

Karen explained she had lived in her home for 27 years, and while her and her husband sleep on a mattress that is roughly three years old, her son Joey had been sleeping on the same one for the past 12 years.

Asked by Alice how long she would leave putting fresh sheets on she gingerly admitted: 'I would leave it three weeks, maybe four when things are hectic...'

TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOUR BED CLEAN Vacuum your bed regularly.

Air out your mattress by opening your bedroom window regularly.

Wash your bed sheets on a hot 60 degree wash. Advertisement

Alice brought in Rentokil hygiene expert Luke Rutterford to vacuum her mattress with a special machine with an extremely high suction to really get to the bottom of what was lurking.

'Obviously in a bed you're going to find sweat, you're going to find dead skin cells, there is going to be bacteria,' he explained.

'One of the issues we have are dust mites. They are only tiny between one to 1.5mm and they can move down beneath the bedding and get into the mattress itself.'

'This is not something to be ashamed of this is just the reality of what lives inside a mattress,' Alice reassured.

It was a similar story for her son's mattress, with Karen adding 'that is pretty gross'.

Luke advised people should vacuum their beds regularly, air out your mattress by opening windows and washing sheets on a hot temperature to get rid of the dreaded bed bugs and keep on top of cleanliness.

Alice was shocked herself at what came out of the mattress but reassured Karen that it was 'not something to be ashamed of' as it the 'reality of what lives inside'

This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10.30am
Resplendent in a figure-hugging white pencil skirt and emerald green top, Queen Letizia was the main attraction as she arrived at music awards on Friday.

The Queen of Spain, 44, looked radiant as she paid a visit to the International School of Music for the Princess of Asturias Foundation in Oviedo.

The mother-of-two was in high spirits as she greeted wellwishers and students who had gathered to welcome her.

Queen Letizia, 44, looked radiant as she paid a visit to the International School of Music for the Princess of Asturias Foundation in Oviedo

Rather fittingly, the Queen was welcomed with a musical performance by students of the school - and Letizia even got involved by helping turn the pages whilst they played.

The music school was opened in 1990 and aims to change the area's music scene by laying the foundations for quality training for Spanish youths in the country and those visiting from abroad.

The centre runs training activities and boats visits from some of the most acclaimed visiting lecturers.

The mother-of-two was in high spirits as she greeted wellwishers at the event

The royal offset her look with chic nude heels and a matching green bag

Getting into the spirit, Letizia helped a young girl turn the pages as she played

The Queen was treated to a musical recital from the students of the school

Queen Letizia posed for photos at the International School of Music for the Princess of Asturias Foundationn

The music school was opened in 1990 and aims to change the area's music scene by laying the foundations for quality training for Spanish youths in the country and those visiting from abroad

Making them green with envy! Radiant Queen Letizia displays her toned body in a figure-hugging outfit at music awards in Spain

She's known for her love of high street bargains despite her royal credentials.

And Queen Letizia of Spain turned once again to an old favourite when she donned an old Hugo Boss number for an engagement in Cantabria just yesterday.

Letizia, 44, showed off her toned arms to perfection in the 220 sleeveless Lamma checked top as she joined husband King Felipe VI on a visit to the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana.

She donned the same top last year, at the September 2016 Accion Magistral Awards in Madrid.

Queen of thrift! Letizia, 44, showed off her toned arms to perfection in the 220 sleeveless Lamma checked top which she was first spotted in last year

Look familiar? Letizia donned the same top last year, at the September 2016 Accion Magistral Awards in Madrid (pictured)

The stylish mother-of-two paired it with a pair of crisp white cigarette trousers and nude pumps with eye-catching mirrored block heels.

The couple are visiting the monastery in Camaleno today to mark the northern municpilatity's Lebaniego Jubilee Year, a religious tradition dating back to 1512.

They were given a rockstar welcome as hoards of well-wishers gathered outside the monastery, where of children were dressed in traditional clothing, and many royal fans begged for selfies.

One woman even thrust a baby into Letizia's arms - and the mother-of-two was only too happy to oblige, giving the infant a cuddle for the cameras.

The Spanish royals have just returned from a three-day state visit to the UK where they dined with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, had tea with Prince Charles at Clarence House and attended two glittering state banquets.

Letizia, who is mother to Princesses Leonor and Sofia, dazzled in a succession of show-stopping outfits including bespoke designer gowns - estimated to have cost upwards of 9,000 - but capped off her trip in a sartorial nod to the UK high street with an 80 Topshop skirt.
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The Duchess of Cambridge tried her hand at conducting a prestigious symphony orchestra today when she and Prince William visited Hamburg's new concert hall.

On the last day of their royal tour of Germany, Kate, who comes from a musical family and played flute throughout her school days, took a conductor's baton and directed the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra for a few brief seconds as they played the first four notes of Beethoven's fifth symphony - 'da, da, da, daaa'.

She and William had joined 250 schoolchildren from all over the city taking part in a session designed to introduce them to musical instruments at the Elbphilharmonie, the city's new landmark venue.

They sat in an auditorium listening to a performance of the symphony especially adapted for young people and then went up on stage to learn more about how to play the instruments.

Kate, 35, leant forward and pointed the baton straight at the orchestra after watching children being coached how to do it and get the best out of the musicians. Earlier, she and William went around the stage accompanying six children trying out different instruments, including a violin, flute, timpani, and trombone.

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Kate and William had joined 250 schoolchildren from all over the city taking part in a session designed to introduce them to musical instruments at the Elbphilharmonie, the city's new landmark venue, as they prepared to leave Hamburg tonight

Sadly, William, who told reggae star and former Aswad frontman Brinsley Forde 'I'm a bit good on the bass guitar' when presenting him with an MBE two years ago, avoided having a go.

But Kate showed she was willing to try just about anything. Compere Juri Tetzslaff asked her if she played any instruments and she told him flute.

'How long did you play the flute?' he asked.

'Throughout my school years until the age of 18,' the Duchess replied. William, 35, did at least join in with his wife and the children in shaking their raised fists in unison in time to another part of the symphony.

The royal couple were greeted by several thousand people who had turned out to see them as they arrived at the iconic new building in Hamburg's dockside quarter on Friday.

Opened in January this year, the 'Elphi' was built with the aim of creating a new city landmark. It is one of the biggest concert halls in the world and renowned for its advanced acoustics.

On a balcony, they gazed out over the River Elbe and its docklands as artistic director Christoph Lieben-Seutter told them about the concert hall and the city.

They went for an impromptu walkabout to meet hundreds fans inside the venue and then, as planned, met some of the estimated 3,000 people gathered outside.

Kate takes to the stage as she shows off her conducting skills today at Hamburg's Elbphilarmonie Concert Hall on Friday. One of the largest music halls in the world, the stunning venue is located on the Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe River

The Duchess of Cambridge directed the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra for a few brief seconds as they played the first four notes of Beethoven's fifth symphony - 'da, da, da, daaa'

The Duchess bravely took the baton from the conductor as she tried her hand at directing the orchestra today. As a teen, Kate was a member of her prep school's Chamber Orchestra and the senior flute group - known as the Tootie-Flooties

The couple sat in an auditorium listening to a performance of the symphony especially adapted for young people and then went up on stage to learn more about how to play the instruments

Not to be outdone by his wife, Prince William also had a go at directing proceedings at the concert hall in Hamburg. Kate, who comes from a musical family and played flute throughout her school days, also took a conductor's baton this afternoon

Kate and William sit down to watch the orchestra play. It's not Kate's first brush with music; friends say she was also deputy head chorister in the chapel choir and was once commended in a BBC carol competition

Royal welcome: The royal couple were greeted by several thousand people who had turned out to see them as they arrived at the iconic new building in Hamburg's dockside quarter on Friday

Kate told one well-wisher, Linda Schroeder, 32: 'It's a fantastic building.'

Asked if she had enjoyed the tour of Poland and Germany, the Duchess replied: 'I've really enjoyed the trip.'

William told one group of young fans that Prince George, who will be four tomorrow, was gearing up for his birthday celebrations.

'George has got a big tummy. He'll probably end up eating all his cake by himself,' William said.

After the walkabout, the couple and their entourage took a boat ride down the Elbe in a pleasure craft called the Senator to the Airbus complex for their final engagement of the five-day tour.

Flanked by police in three ribs and a much larger police boat, the royal party were cheered by crowds on the riverside.

Lucky Kate! The Duchess was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers after touching down at Hamburg's Dammtor station on Friday. They have a busy last day of engagements in the city before flying back to the UK tonight

Throngs of people lined the streets to greet the British royals as they arrived at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall today, fnaked by Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz. The couple listened to a concert before Kate tried her hand at conducting

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge admire a model boat during their visit to the Maritime Museum in Hamburg today - their final pit stop before flying back to the UK this afternoon following an action-packed royal tour

The couple are given a private tour of the museum with Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz (second left) as they are shown a core sample from under the sea during their visit to the Maritime Museum today

Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz (far left) and Director of the Maritime Museum, Peter Tamm Jr (far right), give the royals a guided tour of the museum - which also houses a model of the Queen Mary II made entirely of Lego bricks

Earlier, the Duke of Cambridge had a touching reminder of his family history when he came face to face with a model of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned 20 years ago.

The model, which was displayed at Hamburg Maritime Museum, was only finished two days ago but in a stunning coincidence, it was commissioned before anyone realised that the Duke and Duchess were going to visit Hamburg.

'Is that Britannia?' said an astonished William. 'It's beautiful  amazing.'

He was shown the model by Christian Hinneborg, 30, grandson of the museum's founder, who said that the 1:96 scale model took three months to build.

William admitted he had only been on Britannia a few times, saying: 'I don't know it that well.'

Asked if there were any mistakes, he joked: 'I will have a careful look. I will get my magnifying glass out! But I'm not an expert. My father, being a naval man, would know. And my grandmother would definitely spot anything. But it is the most wonderful model.'

A painstakingly-constructed scale model of a ship, suspended in mid-air, hangs over Kate and William as they listen to a guide during their tour of the museum today. Their visit marks the joint UK-German year of science in 2017

Boys and their toys! William couldn't hide his delight as he tried his hand at steering a ship in a VR cargo ship simulator at the Maritime Museum today, while fellow guests including Kate collapsed into giggles

Fascinating history of the Royal Yacht Britannia The Britannia was designed to replace the Victoria and Albert III during the reign of King George VI. The Royal Yacht Britannia in Venice during the Prince and Princess of Wales' Italy visit in 1985, 12 years before it was decommissioned After the King's death in 1952, the new Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, personally approved plans prepared by architect Sir Hugh Casson and chose furniture, fabrics and paintings for the yacht. Launched in April 1953 at John Brown's Clydebank Shipyard - it travelled 1,087,623 nautical miles, calling at more than 600 ports, in 135 countries. But, in June 1994, the Government announced that the ship would be taken out of service. At the beginning of January 1997, Britannia set sail from Portsmouth to Hong Kong on its last and longest voyage. On December 11 that year it was decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base in the presence of the Queen, the Duke and 12 senior members of the Royal Family. Britannia served the Queen for 44 years, carrying her and the royal family on 968 official voyages. Advertisement

Asked by William why it had been built, Mr Hinneborg said he was 'passionate' about royal and state yachts.

He said afterwards: 'It was finished two days ago. We ordered it without knowing that the Duke and Duchess were coming to Hamburg. It is a coincidence that it just got finished.'

In an impromptu addition to their museum tour, the Duke and Duchess tried their hand at the cargo ship simulator, which allows visitors to experience what it is like to navigate a ship into Hamburg harbour.

'Let's see if I can hit that yacht!' joked William as he took the wheel.

He may have had the wheel, but the volunteer in charge of the simulator, Hans Trey, put Kate in charge and got her to sound the fog horn. 'He is just the helmsman,' he told her. 'You are the captain.'

Auf Wiedersehen! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wave to onlookers aboard their boat as they prepare to travel down the River Elbe towards the headquarters of Airbus in Hamburg

The Royal party set off down the River Elbe towards their final stop. After their final engagement in Hamburg today they will board a plane back to the UK. The family will no doubt be celebrating Prince George's fourth birthday tomorrow

Kate tries on a virtual reality headset for the second time this week as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the headquarters of Airbus in Hamburg - their final engagement before flying back to the UK tonight

The Duchess dissolved into giggles as she tried on the Airbus VR headset today. The couple and their entourage took a boat ride down the Elbe in a pleasure craft called the Senator to the Airbus complex for their final engagement of the five-day tour

The Duchess smiled as she took a closer look at four-year-old Maja's cuddly toys - perhaps taking inspiration for Prince George's birthday tomorrow. The third-in-line to the throne, who is also in Germany this week, will also be turning four

Kate meets local Bartek Kolodziej and four-year-old Maja outside Hamburg's Dammtor station this afternoon. After their concert trip, they went for an impromptu walkabout to meet hundreds fans inside the venue and then, as planned, met some of the estimated 3,000 people gathered outside

The Duchess stoops down to say hello to a little boy who joined thousands of locals gathered in the streets of Hamburg to catch a glimpse of the royals. Kate has been dubbed the new 'Princess of Hearts' by the German media

Guten tag, Hamburg! The Cambridges arrive at the Maritime Museum in the German city today where they will celebrate the joint UK-German year of science which, for 2017, is focused on oceans

Afterwards he said: 'They did a wonderful job. He wanted to go at full speed, but we would have told him later on to stop the ship. He knew exactly how to steer  I didn't have to tell him.'

The couple were also shown a 6.9 metre long Lego model of the liner Queen Mary II, and met a group of scientists working on a variety of ocean-related projects, part of the UK-German Year of Science.

Tim Eder, a government official who told the couple about a schools project about plastic waste in the ocean, said: 'They expressed their concern about single use plastic bags.'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rounded off an action-packed two days in the German capital last night with a glittering reception at Berlin's Clarchens Ballhaus.

And on Friday morning the couple looked to be in excellent spirits as they bid auf wiedersehen to Berlin and boarded their train to Hamburg, their final pit stop.

A royal welcome: Crowds once again lined the streets in Hamburg today as Kate-mania continues to sweep the country. The couple have been received warmly at every pit stop, with one local woman planting a kiss on Kate's hand yesterday

British charm: The Duke has impressed locals by speaking in Polish and German this week; Kate, by contrast, was forced to apologise to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday after admitting she did not speak German

Kate pulled out all the stops for the final day of her royal tour, with a custom Emilia Wickstead creation. Hamburg is Germany's second largest city whose links with the UK go back to the in the 13th century according to Kensington Palace

Royally good style: Kate's clutch is believed to be Anya Hindmarch red snakeskin; similar styles can cost anything from 300 upwards. The Duchess, who love to recycle accessories, has debuted a whole wardrobe of new designer pieces this week

The couple were once again perfectly colour-coordinated, with both adding purple hues to their outfits. Kate was also showing off her new 'Kob' hairstyle, with loose bouncing curls flattering her face shape

Kate, 35, wore an A-line lavender dress this morning, paired with a small red clutch, as she waved to crowds at Berlin Hauptbahnho station.

Prince George, who turns four tomorrow, and younger sister Princess Charlotte were nowhere to be seen.

On arrival in Hamburg this afternoon, the Duke and Duchess celebrated the joint UK-German year of science which, for 2017, is focused on oceans at the city's Maritime Museum.

Accompanied by Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, the couple were given a private tour of the museum where they were shown various displays including a core sample from under the sea.

They later travelled to the Elbphilarmonie Concert Hall to listen to a special performance given by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra for the children of Hamburg in the Elbphilarmonie.

One girl is overcome with a bout of shyness as William greets crowds and spectators outside Hamburg's Dammtor station

Royal watchers were quick to spot that Kate's dress was Emilia Wickstead - with similar styles costing around 750. The Duchess' stylist Natasha Archer has pulled out all the stops with the royal's wardrobe this week

For their final engagement before flying back to the UK, the couple toured the Airbus training facilities and met with apprentices, before viewing the final assembly line of an A320 aircraft.

Last night, the Duchess dazzled in a sold-out gown by Markus Lupfer at a glittering reception at one of the city's oldest remaining ballrooms where she rubbed shoulders with stars including Sam Riley and Game of Thrones star Tom Wlaschiha.

Brimming with pride, the German designer wrote on Facebook last night: 'Fit for a princess: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge wows in our Wild Sparrow Dress at a reception tonight in Berlin.'

The event offered a chance for Kate and William to meet faces from the world of art, culture, style, fashion and technology on the final evening of their five-day charm offensive in Germany and Poland.

Opened in 1913, Clarchens is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin with Thursday night's star-studded reception held in its opulent mirrored hall.

The Duke of Cambridge had a touching reminder of his family history when he came face to face with a model of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned 20 years ago.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz (left) and Peter Tamm Jr, the museum director. Temporary railings had to be put up to hold back crowds of well-wishers who came to catch a glimpse of the royals

The Duchess wore a lavender dress from Emilia Wickstead with a flared skirt, paired with a small red clutch, as she boarded a train from Berlin to Hamburg on Friday morning - rounding off an action-packed few days in the German capital

The model, which was displayed at Hamburg Maritime Museum, was only finished two days ago.

However in a stunning coincidence, it was commissioned before anyone realised that the Duke and Duchess were going to visit Hamburg. 'Is that Britannia?' said an astonished William. 'It's beautiful  amazing.'

He was shown the model by Christian Hinneborg, 30, grandson of the museum's founder, who said that the 1:96 scale model took three months to build.

William said he had only been on Britannia a few times. 'I don't know it that well.'

Asked if there were any mistakes, he joked: 'I will have a careful look. I will get my magnifying glass out! But I'm not an expert. My father, being a naval man, would know. And my grandmother would definitely spot anything. But it is the most wonderful model.'

Asked by William why it had been built, Mr Hinneborg said he was 'passionate' about royal and state yachts.

He said afterwards: 'It was finished two days ago. We ordered it without knowing that the duke and duchess were coming to Hamburg. It is a coincidence that it just got finished.'

Charming the locals: Kate has been dubbed the new 'Princess of Hearts' by the German media, as royal fever sweeps the nation. Local newspapers and TV gave blanket coverage to the the Duke and Duchess' three day visit to the country

The couple chat to their hosts as they arrive at Hauptbahnhof on Friday morning. Later, they will travel to the Elbphilarmonie Concert Hall to listen to a special performance given by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra for the children of Hamburg

In an impromptu addition to their museum tour, the Duke and Duchess tried their hand at the cargo ship simulator, which allows visitors to experience what it is like to navigate a ship into Hamburg harbour.

'Let's see if I can hit that yacht!' joked William as he took the wheel.

He may have had the wheel, but the volunteer in charge of the simulator, Hans Trey, put Kate in charge and got her to sound the fog horn. 'He is just the helmsman,' he told her. 'You are the captain.'

Afterwards he said: 'They did a wonderful job. He wanted to go at full speed, but we would have told him later on to stop the ship. He knew exactly how to steer  I didn't have to tell him.'

The couple were also shown a 6.9 metre long Lego model of the liner Queen Mary II, and met a group of scientists working on a variety of ocean-related projects, part of the UK-German Year of Science.

Tim Eder, a government official who told the couple about a schools project about plastic waste in the ocean, said: 'They expressed their concern about single use plastic bags.'

All smiles: Kate looked to be in good spirits as she boarded her train to Hamburg. Royal watchers noted that the couple were looking more in love together last night as they jointly attended the glittering Berlin bauhaus reception

Best foot forward: The Duchess appeared to be wearing her 470 Gianvito Rossi suede heels in the 'praline' colorway, an old favourite which she also wore on Monday when she touched down in Warsaw with her family in tow

Fresh-faced Kate! The Duchess displayed no signs of exhaustion this morning despite a whirlwind week of non-stop engagements in Germany and Poland - as well as spending time with two-year-old Charlotte and George, three

Security was tight at Berlin Hauptbahnho this morning, with a heavy police presence as dozens of well-wishers waved off the royals after a successful two days in the city. Prince George, who turns four tomorrow, and younger sister Princess Charlotte were nowhere to be seen

The Duchess' dress today is custom Emilia Wickstead, one of her favourite British designers, and not available to buy. She paired it with her 470 Gianvito Rossi heels and a red clutch which Kate-watchers are currently scrambling to identify

Kate and William could be seen chatting to their hosts as they prepared to wave goodbye to the German capital on Friday. On arrival in Hamburg this afternoon, the Duke and Duchess will celebrate the joint UK-German year of science

Quick change: This is Kate's fourth outfit in just 24 hours and she is likely to change again today before heading home. Following their visit to a traditional German food market yesterday, she switched from Jenny Packham to Hugo Boss

Coiffed to perfection: The Duchess has been showing off her new 'Kob' or Kate bob on the tour, after chopping a good six inches off her flowing locks. The couple are no doubt looking forward to spending some quality time with George and Charlotte as they celebrate the Prince's birthday tomorrow

Kate's flattering fit-and-flare skirt showed off her tiny waist while the nude heels - an old favourite of the Duchess - give the illusion of longer legs. Clearly visible on her left hand was her 18ct sapphire engagement ring which once belonged to Diana

Kate opted for a gown by German designer Markus Lupfer paired with a silver chain belt, pearl bracelets and the same pair of nude Prada stilettos as she rubbed shoulders with stars including Sam Riley and Game Of Thrones actor Thomas Wlaschiha.

Yesterday afternoon, Prince William punched the air in delight as he secured an against-the-odds win in a boat race against his wife in the town of Heidelberg.

Following their visit to a traditional German food market on Thursday morning, Kate made a quick change out of her custom Jenny Packham dress, slipping into a casual blue and white striped top by Hugo Boss teamed with skinny jeans and her favourite Superga trainers.

And William removed his jacket and put on a pair of blue trainers with a luminous yellow Nike swoop.

Prior to their boat, race the couple enjoyed a tour of a traditional market where they were able to make some sugary treats for their children.

The look of love: Last night the couple, who have been married for six years, could be seen gazing into each other's eyes during the Bauhaus reception in Berlin. On Friday they travelled on to Hamburg before heading back to the UK

Green with envy: Kate dazzled in a bottle green number at last night's reception at Berlin's Clarchens Ballhaus to round off a whirlwind two days in Germany where she has sipped local beer and tried out her pretzel making skills

Dressing for the occasion: Last night's event in the German capital offered a chance for Kate and William to meet fresh faces in the world of art, culture, style, fashion and technology before flying back to the UK tomorrow afternoon

The couple are welcomed by Mistress Ford and Mistress Page at Thursday night's reception with creatives at Claerchens Ballhaus. Opened in 1913, Clarchens is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin

William waves to onlookers as the pair make their way to the venue last night. The couple's five-day visit to Germany and Poland has so far being a roaring success, with throngs of royal fans lining the streets to greet them wherever they go

The pair are greeted by staff before being given a short tour of the ballroom ahead of Thursday night's reception. It is one of the last remaining ballrooms in Berlin, and played host to some of the most creative and innovative names in the world of art

Charming the locals: The Berliner Zeitung said pictures of Kate cuddling children during a visit to a children's charity in Berlin on Wednesday were 'reminiscent of the warmth of heart which before Kate only William's mother, Diana, could radiate'

New style: The Duchess has been showing off her new 'Kob' or 'Kate bob' on the tour, after chopping a good six inches off her flowing locks. Earlier today, the couple had the opportunity to taste some of the local beer in Heidelberg

The new hairstyle, around six inches off the overall length, created a real buzz when it first made an appearance at Wimbledon and was soon dubbed the 'Kob'. The chop revealed last week even seemed to be a few inches shorter than its first outing

Guests of honour: The royals have been warmly received on every stop of their five-day tour of Poland and Germany so far and, on Wedneday, thousands lined the Pariser Platz to catch a glimpse of the royals as they visited Brandenburg Gate

The couple clap as they listen to a speech during Thursday night's glittering reception. Clearly visible on Kate's left hand was her sapphire engagement ring which once belonged to the Princess of Wales, which she teamed with pearl bracelets

The couple bid goodbye to their host before leaving. German newspapers and TV have given blanket coverage to the the Duke and Duchess's three day visit to the country which began on Wednesday, and has been nicknamed 'die Charmeoffensive'

Auf Wiedersehen! The Duchess is seen smiling as she leaves the reception tonight with William. The couple's children George and Charlotte, believed to be back at their Berlin residence with their nanny tonight, have made very few appearances

Kate waves goodbye after a short appearance at tonight's reception. Opened in 1913, Clarchens is one of the last remaining old ballrooms in Berlin with Thursday's star-studded reception being held in its opulent mirrored hall

By royal appointment: A bracelet fit for a Princess Eagle-eyed Kate watchers have spotted that the Duchess' bracelet last night once belonged to William's late mother, the Princess of Wales. Diana wore the three-strand pearl bracelet almost 30 years ago, with her iconic Catherine Walker pearl-studded strapless gown during a 1989 trip to Hong Kong, according to royal jewellery expert Order of Spendor. Last night, Kate (right) wore a bracelet that royal watchers believe once belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales (left, as seen in 1989) Of course, it is not the only heirloom she inherited from Diana; her 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire engagement ring is the same one that the Prince of Wales used to propose with in 1981. During their 2010 engagement interview William said of his choice of ring: 'Obviously, [Diana is] not going be around to share in all the fun and excitement, so this is my way of keeping her close to it all.' Advertisement

No hard feelings! Kate and William pose for a photo after the Duchess' team was beaten by her husband's, despite having an Olympic rower on her side. The Duchess turned once again to her trusty 55 Superga trainers yesterday

On Thursday, the Duchess changed out of her yellow lace dress into a blue and white striped top from Hugo Boss and skinny jeans to take part in a boat race - narrowly missing out on a win despite being paired with an Olympic athlete

She may have been trounced by her husband in the race, but Kate was no sore loser. The royal couple also had a go at making sweets with Jens Meier, owner of Heidelberger Bonbon Manufaktur, in Heidelberg on Thursday

Cheers! The Duchess raises a stein after the race with the Mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Wuerzner. She was showcasing a more casual look yesterday after a week of show-stopping bespoke designer pieces from Jenny Packham and Catherine Walker

Consolation prize: The Duchess was presented with a stein of beer after the race and after all that hard work she was doubtless in need of a sip! However she seemed happy enough with her medal

The Duke and Duchess looked as loved-up as ever as they shared a giggle after today's rowing race. Kate, 35, opted for a casual look with her striped Breton top from Hugo Boss, paired with her trusty skinny jeans

The couple shared an affectionate moment after racing each other down the River Neckar in opposing teams in the competitive race between the twinned town of Cambridge and Heidelberg on Thursday

The Duchess looked animated as she recounted her racing tale after being beaten by her husband's team. Despite their sporting rivalry, the couple were all smiles when they were presented with medals after the race

Kate spent several minutes taking tips from her teammate before setting off. The Duchess admitted she was 'worried about crashing' and indicated with her hands that she feared zig zagging along the water

Asked how they had done, Melanie said: 'Not too bad. It's always hard when you get it for the first time. You have to be quick.

The royal couple walked around the market square in the centre of the university town of Heidelberg, where a special market had been set up to mark their visit and celebrate the close ties between the town and Cambridge in the UK.

William and Kate also tried their hand at making a tasty treat popular in Germany - pretzels. They were given a lesson by Heidelberg baker Andreas Gobes, who showed them how to roll out the pastry into long sausage shapes and then flick and cross them over in one movement to create the snack's classic shape.

Kate managed to get it right first time but William struggled to get the hang of the flick and crossover.

The royals chat with Baden-Wuerttemberg's State Premier Winfried Kretschmann (right) and Heidelberg's Mayor Eckart Wuerzner (left) on Thursday, on the Old Bridge in the historic center of Heidelberg

The couple were accompanied through the historic centre of Heidelberg, with Baden-Wuerttemberg's State Premier Winfried Kretschmann (second right) his wife Gerlinde (right), Heidelberg's Mayor Eckart Wuerzner (second left) and his wife Janine

Once again crowds lined the street and waved the Union Jack to greet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday. Kate tied her newly cropped locks back in a ponytail and donned a pair of Ray Bans ahead of the race

'Can you do that again?' he asked Mr Gobes,but after a further demonstration, the future King still seemed unsure.

'Just like that,' he said, sarcastically. But after two or three more tries, he managed it.

Mr Gobes, part of a guild whose members put on the pastry display, said: 'Catherine was a little bit more talented than William but they both did a great job.

'This type of pretzel is a speciality for the region so we wanted to show them that. In this region it has a special shape - thin arms and a thick body - with salt and it's a red brown colour.'

Located on the riverside and overlooked by the ruins of its famous castle, the central market square boasts a traditional market serving local food and drink.

On their gastronomical tour, the couple tasted Heidelberg herbal lemonade, tried some local fruit, and ordered a hot dog to try over lunch in the town hall.

Two grinning boys cheekily flicked the V sign at the camera in Heidelberg's traditional market square yesterday as they posed for a photo with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The Duchess has been showing off her new 'Kob' or Kate bob on the tour, after chopping a good six inches off her flowing locks. The couple also had the opportunity to taste some of the local beer during their gourmet tour

'Is that hot dogs?' William asked and when invited to try one, he said: 'Why not?'

When told it was bratwurst, he added: 'We have to have bratwurst.'

In the square, kilted locals in a Scottish pipe band, the Heidelberg and District Pipes and Drums, had entertained the crowds before the royal party's arrival.

William was reminded of the close cultural ties between the UK and this part of Germany when he met the mother of one of his work colleagues at East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Tobias Gauss, 42, a doctor with the service in Cambridge, had warned William that he might see his mother, Elona Apple, 67, in Heidelberg so he knew who she was straight away.

'Tobias has told him three or four days ago that he might meet me here so he knew who I was,' she said.

Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Kate share a laugh with Andreas Goebes (right) of the bakers guild Heidelberg, as they form pastry into prezels under the eyes of Heidelberg Mayor Eckart Wuerzner

The couple looked every inch the polished royals as they made their way to the German Cancer Research Institute for a visit (left). It was a rainy morning, but Kate added a splash of colour to proceedings in a yellow lace dress by Jenny Packham

Sweet treat! William admitted that George and Charlotte would be delighted when they brought home the goodies later. The couple were also shown a huge cake during their tour of the market with Heidelberg Mayor Eckart Wuerzner yesterday

Kate appears to gently tease her husband as he has a go at making pretzels on a visit to a raditional German market in the Central Square of Heidelberg, but she gave him encouragement with a round of applause

William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, listen to explanations by Andreas Goebes (right) of the Heidelberg Bakers' Guild. William looked proud of his efforts after a brief lesson in pretzel-making

Over the past few day's she's proved herself a real pro at so-called diplomatic dressing and earlier today, the Duchess of Cambridge pulled it off again as she channeled the gold of the German flag for a visit to the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg.

It was an overcast morning, but Kate brought a ray of sunshine to proceedings in the bespoke lace number by Jenny Packham, which she paired with her trusty nude espadrille wedges from Monsoon, and a small clutch in a matching shade.

The visit was a chance for the couple to see the world acclaimed work being carried out at the German Cancer Research Centre, where hundreds of locals had turned out to greet the royal couple on the second day of their tour.

Inside, British stem cell biologist Dr. Michael Milsom, 42, originally from Chesterfield, showed the couple around one of the laboratories.

William and Kate spent some time with Nobel Prize winner Dr Harald zur Hausen during the visit to the Cancer Centre on Thursday. Spectators positioned themselves in the window to get a good view of the visiting royals

The Duchess decided to rely on an old favourite, her trusty wedges from Monsoon for Thursday's engagements. Her dress was a custom Jenny Packham number which has drawn comparisons to a Lela Rose gown worn by Ivanka Trump this week

The Duchess had an opportunity to find out more about the work of lab researchers and look at cells through the microscope in the lab as she donned a white jacket during their tour of the cancer research centre on Thursday

He said, 'It's really helpful to have a visit from the Duke and Duchess as they publicise the importance of work we do here.

'The UK and Germany are leaders in this field of stem cell research,' said the expert who has been based in Heidelberg for seven years.

He told William and Kate about the latest developments in stem cell research.

The Leeds University graduate, told them how his team focuses on the question whether and how an accumulation of DNA damage in stem cells is the causes for ageing of an organ system.

Such damage may cause exhaustion of the stem cell pool and loss of the organ's capacity to regenerate. The work is particularly important in research into leukaemia.

The couple round off their time in Berlin with a party in honour of the Queen's birthday. Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess renewed their sporting rivalry when they took part in a rowing race in the town of Heidelberg, twinned with Cambridge

Royal fever! In Berlin on Wednesday, crowds waves and take photos as Kate makes her way to the Brandenburg Gate, accompanied by Private Secretary Rebecca Deacon - echoing the rockstar welcome they received in Gdansk yesterday

The couple wave to well-wishers as they visit the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the most recognisable symbol of Germany, both as a divided nation in the bleak days of the Cold War and as one of the powerhouses of Europe in its post-1990 reunified state

Welcome to Germany! As the royals touched down at Tegel Airport in Berlin on Wednesday afternoon, two-year-old Princess Charlotte looked happy with her mini bouquet, but her older brother seemed to be feeling a little grumpy

On their last day in Poland, the Duke and Duchess visited the former Stutthof Concentration Camp where they met with Holocaust survivors (pictured). Kate and William described their visit on Tuesday as a 'terrible reminder of the cost of war'

Cheers! The couple toast to a successful first day in Poland at a party held in the Queen's honour on Monday night. Kate showcased Polish fashion in a dress by designer Gosia Baczynska at the party in held at the Orangery in Lazienki Park

After arriving in Poland on Monday, the Duke and Duchess were treated to a welcoming ceremony at the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw alongside President Andrzej Duda (second right) and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda (far right)

The couple touched down at Warsaw Airport on Monday, kicking off their Polish royal tour. At one point Prince William could be seen leaning down to say a few words to his son, who looked a little overwhelmed by the occasion

Kate has been dubbed the new 'Princess of Hearts' by the German media, as royal fever sweeps the nation.

German newspapers and TV gave blanket coverage to the the Duke and Duchess's three day visit to the country which began yesterday, and has been nicknamed 'die Charmeoffensive'.

The Berliner Zeitung said pictures of the Duchess cuddling children during a visit to a children's charity in Berlin yesterday were 'reminiscent of the warmth of heart which before Kate only William's mother, Diana, could radiate.'

In a headline it said, 'Fur die kids ist sie the Prinzessin der Herzen' meaning 'For the kids she is the Princess of the heart.'

On a visit to the charity Straenkinder, which supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds, both William and Kate were mobbed by small children as they bestowed hugs and high fives to excitable fans.

The Duchess was the centre of attention, with several children throwing themselves into her arms for a cuddle.
It's been a busy week for Ivanka Trump, but the mother-of-three couldn't have looked more relaxed as she left her home on Friday morning, carrying her youngest son Theodore on her hip.

The 35-year-old was pictured heading off for another day of work shortly before 9am, stepping out of her house in a fun floral dress, holding onto her beloved baby boy with one arm, and carrying a sleek clutch bag in the other.

Clearly thrilled to embrace another day of searing temperatures - which are expected to reach 94F in Washington, D.C. today - beaming Ivanka was the epitome of summer chic in her short blue frock, from her own fashion line, which she paired with matching mirrored shades from Ray-Ban.

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TGIF! Ivanka Trump was smiling happily as she left her home on Friday

Caring mom: The 35-year-old was carrying her one-year-old son Theodore on her hip

She's hot! Ivanka embraced the soaring temperatures in a fun floral dress that featured a white petaled pattern on a bold blue backdrop

Shady: She paired her dress with matching blue shades from Ray-Ban, and carried a blue, white, and taupe clutch in her right hand

She finished off her look with a pair of nude heels from her eponymous fashion line, and wore a simple gold pendant around her neck.

Young Theodore, meanwhile, was dressed very smartly in a pair of grey shorts, a white button-down shirt, and a pair of brown leather shoes.

No doubt eager to ensure that her son's shirt remained as white as possible, Ivanka had also added a blue and white patterned bib to his outfit - a sensible move, as it looked as though the youngster had just finished his breakfast, and had a few food stains around his mouth.

And while his mother was happy to flash a smile at the cameras as she made her way into a waiting SUV, while under the watchful eye of her Secret Service agents, baby Theo looked slightly more bewildered by all the attention he and his mother were receiving.

It's not clear whether Ivanka was planning to take her son with her to the office; a trip to the White House would certainly explain the young man's smart attire - and would make him the second Trump-Kushner child to pay a visit to the West Wing this week.

Matchy matchy: Theo's outfit complemented his mother's perfectly, with his white and blue patterned bib coordinating with the colors of her dress, which is from her own fashion line

Smart: Baby Theodore looked incredibly dapper in his outfit, which consisted of a pair of grey shorts, a white button-down shirt, and a pair of brown leather shoes

Cautious: Clearly eager to protect her son's white shirt, Ivanka added a bib to his outfit, a sensible move given the food stains around his mouth

Long legs: Ivanka put her pins on show in the short dress, adding a pair of lengthening nude heels to complete the summery look

On the move: The duo left their D.C. home via the side gate shortly before 9am on Friday

On Wednesday, his older sister Arabella, who turned six on Monday, was given the chance to visit her mom in the West Wing - meeting both Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus.

After leaving her home on Thursday, wearing a chic black-and-white ensemble, Ivanka shared an image of her daughter's fun-filled visit on Instagram, writing alongside it: 'Arabella loved visiting me in the West Wing yesterday.'

She then added the hashtag #coolmom to the post.

She also noted that 'meeting the Vice President and Chief of Staff was the highlight of the day' for Arabella, who is seen in the image standing alongside her mother, and the Vice President, wearing a pair of denim overalls, and pink sandals, and carrying a doll.

But it wasn't simply a fun-filled trip for Arabella - whose visit to the White House took place during her grandfather Donald Trump's explosive interview with the New York Times.

There she goes: It's not clear whether Ivanka was planning to take her son into the office with her, or whether she had plans to drop him off somewhere along the way

What's going on? While Ivanka smiled happily for the cameras, Theo looked slightly more bewildered by all the attention

Protective: Ivanka held on to her son tightly with her left arm, supporting him around his waist and tucking a hand under his behind to make sure he was comfy

Working hard: Jared Kushner, 36, left the house shortly after 7am

Relaxed: Despite facing controversy about his government disclosure forms this week, the senior White House advisor still managed to raise a smile

While the president was speaking to reporters, a process which took just under an hour, the six-year-old and her mother joined him briefly, with Arabella showing off her command of the Chinese language, speaking a few phrases for the reporters.

Despite a rather hectic working schedule, Ivanka's children have been a big focus for her over the past week; on Wednesday, the working mom shared a cute clip of her two eldest children, Arabella and Joseph, having a 'post work dance party' to Justin Bieber's hit Despacito.

The sweet video - which is likely to have been taken earlier this year, judging by the children's wintry outfits, despite not being posted until Wednesday - shows the two youngsters in the playroom of their Washington, D.C. home dancing around happily, while their mother laughs and watches on.

Both Arabella and her three-year-old brother, look very smartly dressed as they show off their best moves for the camera, with Joseph wearing a pale blue button down and black trousers, while his older sibling is seen in a long-sleeved patterned shift dress and a matching headband.

Sharing the clip on her social media accounts, Ivanka added the caption: 'Nothing better than a post work dance party!'

Strutting her stuff: Ivanka was also seen leaving her home on Thursday morning, pausing to flash a smile at the photographers

Looking sharp: On this occasion, she was wearing a chic monochrome outfit, opting for a floaty white skirt and sleeveless black top

Brand ambassador! Ivanka paired her outfit with a $250 handbag and a pair of $120 strappy heels from her eponymous fashion range

What an honor: Ivanka's daughter Arabella was given the chance to visit her mom in the West Wing on Wednesday, meeting Vice President Mike Pence and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus

Always on duty: Ivanka met with the winners of the FIRST Robotics Competition, Team Hungary, and Team Afghanistan and Team USA, who came second and third

The Trump-Kushner clan also spent Monday evening celebrating Arabella's sixth birthday with a fun-filled party in their home.

In a series of videos and images shared on Ivanka's Instagram account, Arabella could be seen opening up a variety of gifts, enjoying a host of sweet treats - including hot dogs topped with marshmallows - and then chowing down on a plate of spaghetti with her mother, something which is something of a birthday tradition in the Trump-Kushner household.

She shared an adorable Instagram image of herself and Arabella in a Lady and the Tramp-style pose, with the two sharing the same long strand of spaghetti together.

'Birthday tradition - noodles for a long life!' Ivanka captioned the picture, adding a plate of spaghetti emoji for good measure.

The businesswoman's caption made reference to a Chinese belief that long noodles represent a long life; Long Life Noodles - or Yi Mein - are traditionally eaten at all Chinese celebrations, including birthdays and at the New Year.

As well as spending time with her children, Ivanka has also spent much of her week working on the inaugural FIRST Global Challenge, a robotics competition that saw high schoolers from 160 nations around the world going head to head.

Dance it out! On Wednesday evneing, Ivanka shared a fun-filled video of her eldest two children dancing around their D.C. home to Justin Bieber's hit Despacito

Showing off their moves: Arabella, who turned six on Monday, and Joseph, three, appeared to be having a whale of a time as they whirled their way around their playroom

On Thursday, Ivanka met with the winning team - from Hungary - and the second and third place teams, from Afghanistan and the USA respectively, at the White House, happily posing for several pictures with the teens.

'Great to welcome Teams USA, Afghanistan and FIRST Robotics Competition winners, Team Hungary, to the White House today!' Ivanka wrote alongside a group picture, which she posted on her Instagram account.

'Congratulations on a job well done. We are proud of you!'

She then added the hashtag #STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Proving her style skills once again in the face of sweltering heat, Ivanka looked chic as ever on Thursday, wearing a mid-length white skirt and a sleeveless black mock-neck top, which she paired with a $250 black handbag, and a pair of $120 strappy black heels - both from her eponymous fashion line.

Quick turnaround! Ivanka was seen returning to her home early on Wednesday morning having already completed a workout, before quickly transforming into chic office attire

Ready to take on the day: She returned to her home shortly after 7am

And she's off again! Less than two hours later, Ivanka emerged looking far more glamorous in her navy-and-white ensemble

Ivanka first met with the teens taking part in the competition when she helped to kick it off on Tuesday, appearing at the event, which took place in Washington, D.C., in order to welcome the participants and observe them hard at work.

Sharing a video from the conference on her Twitter page, and her Instagram, Ivanka noted that it was an 'honor' to have been invited to attend the competition, where she was asked to welcome its participants.

'It was an honor to attend the FIRST Robotics Competition, which brings together the brightest minds of our global youth to showcase technology and engineering skills,' she wrote in her Instagram caption.

All of this has likely come as a welcome distraction for Ivanka, who - in addition to her commitments as a senior advisor to the president - has had to deal with some serious controversy regarding her security clearance, after Democrats suggested that she may have engaged in 'deception' by failing to reveal her husband Jared's and her brother Don Jr's foreign contacts in her government disclosure form.

Suspicion surrounding her government disclosure form - which could pose a potential threat to her security clearance - comes as a result of her husband Jared's failing to disclose 100 foreign contacts on his own form.

Jared's undisclosed Russian contacts put Ivanka in the crosshairs of the House Democrats, who are demanding a probe into her own government disclosures.

What a difference a day makes: On Tuesday, Ivanka's disposition was as bright as the bold yellow dress she wore while heading out for a day of work

Birthday tradition! Ivanka and daughter Arabella shared a plate of spaghetti on the little girl's sixth birthday on Monday evening; in China long noodles represent a long life

A group of 22 House Democrats wrote to the acting head of the FBI to ask whether the president's daughter disclosed all of her husband's and siblings' foreign contacts, as required under a sworn government disclosure form she filled out when she joined her father's White House.

'We are concerned that Ivanka Trump may have engaged in similar deception,' the letter said,' wrote ranking panel member Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and other Democrats.

The controversy surrounding her husband's actions may well have been responsible for her less-than-upbeat appearance on Wednesday morning too, when Ivanka failed to raise so much as a small smile for the waiting photographers as she made her way in and out of her home.

The businesswoman was up bright and early, finding time to fit in a workout at her local gym and grab a coffee, before returning home to get glammed up, ready for a day at the office.

Ivanka, was seen returning from her workout in an all-black outfit, wearing a pair of capri leggings, a black tank top, and black sneakers, before changing into a chic white-and-navy ensemble for her day at the office.
When it comes to fashion, we are all inspired by what we see; whether it be a well-dressed celebrity, a blow-your-mind catwalk presentation or even a super stylish every-day passerby.

As fashion editors, we're moved by all of the above, and then some. We're exposed to under-the-radar labels; we get a first-hand look at collections months before they hit stores; we're tapped into brands with chic-yet-cheap offerings and we shop - a lot.

To share our knowledge, FEMAIL brings you Style Swoon, a weekly series of the latest, greatest and on the verge. We hope this Friday series will serve as a buying guide and point of inspiration for the clotheshorses and fashion fanatics alike.

BELLA'S ROCK STAR BELT

Whittle her middle: Bella Hadid accessorized her Frame dress with the Rivet Belt by Rockins on Monday night in New York City

One size fits all: Extra long in length, the leather belt (studded with silver maxi rivets) can be wrapped at the waist or slung loose at the hip

Bella Hadid accessorized her Frame dress with the Rivet Belt by Rockins on Monday night in New York City.

Extra long in length, the leather belt (studded with silver maxi rivets) can be wrapped at the waist or slung loose at the hip. The model completed her edgy look with Dr. Martens boots.

The same belt was also worn by her sister Gigi and pal Kourtney Kardashian.

Celeb adored accessory: The same belt was also worn by her sister Gigi and pal Kourtney Kardashian

SIENNA'S COLORFUL EAR CANDY

A pop of color: Sienna Miller wore the Kate Spade New York Pretty Poms Tassel Statement Earrings while attending day 13 of Wimbledon 2017 in London, England, this week

Sienna Miller wore the Kate Spade New York Pretty Poms Tassel Statement Earrings while attending day 13 of Wimbledon 2017 in London, England, on Sunday.

The tiered stunners  made from colorful silk thread and glass beads  added whimsy to her pale yellow Ralph Lauren two-piece set.

She completed the summertime look with Max Mara sunglasses.

The tiered stunners  made from colorful silk thread and glass beads  added whimsy to her Ralph Lauren two-piece set. Pretty Poms Tassel Statement Earrings by Kate Spade New York, now $69; katespade.com

SHOP THE LOOK:

Left: Long Silk Tiered Tassel C Earring by Oscar De La Renta, $450; modaoperandi.com. Right: Gabriela Ombre Fringe Drops by Bauble Bar, $38; baublebar.com

Left: Orquidea Rosa Clip On Earrings by Mercedes Salazar, $215; shopbop.com. Center: Tassle Bunch Earrings, $44; revolve.com. Right: Tiered Tassel Dangle & Drop Earrings by Panacea, now $24.99; saksoff5th.com

PARAVEL'S NEW SUMMER LAUNCH

M'O Exclusive Grand Tour Duffel by Paravel, $445; modaoperandi.com

Travel accessories brand Paravel launched a limited edition collection of handbags this week.

The collection consists of Paravels classic styles re-imagined, for the first time, in a floral print inspired by vintage Italian wallpaper that the designer came across in Lake Como, Italy.

All prints are treated with a zero-waste treatment that render them spill-proof, stain-proof, and travel-proof.

Left and Right: M'O Exclusive Crossbody Capsule Bag by Paravel, $315; modaoperandi.com

Left: M'O Exclusive Zip Top Pouch by Paravel, $85; modaoperandi.com. Right: M'O Exclusive Motorist 3-In-1 Small Backpack by Paravel, $345; modaoperandi.com

Each piece in the collection is numbered by hand with a gold stamp. The limited-edition collection is available exclusively on Moda Operandi and Paravels e-commerce website until the collection sells out.

The summer collection ranges from $85 - $445.

NEW LOKAI LAUNCH WITH ALEXANDRA RICHARDS

Beautiful inside and out: Lokai (know around the world for it's silicon bracelets made out of water from Mount Everest and mud from the Dead Sea) took a step further into the fashion space this week, launching Lokai 2.0, with model and DJ Alexandra Richards

Lokai (know around the world for it's silicon bracelets made out of water from Mount Everest and mud from the Dead Sea) took a step further into the fashion space yesterday, launching Lokai 2.0, a new evolution of the brand and iteration of the Lokai Classic.

Serving as a reminder for individuals to find balance through the highs and lows of life, Lokai 2.0 features pieces made out of 100% recycled materials, with 10% of profits going towards charitable endeavors.

To support the campaign, Lokai enlisted model, DJ and artist, Alexandra Richards, as well as Olympic Fencer Miles Chamley-Watson.

Doing good: Serving as a reminder for individuals to find balance through the highs and lows of life, Lokai 2.0 features pieces made out of 100% recycled materials, with 10% of profits going towards charitable endeavors.

'When Steven (founder Steven Izen) proposed this idea to me, I was so on board,' said Alexandra. 'I'm part of Project 0 and I raise awareness for our ocean, and we do the same thing where we pick different charities that we fund and all of our profits go to those charities.

'We share the same vision of taking care of the environment,' she said.

Multi Bead by Lokai, $44; lokai.com

Metal Cuff by Lokai, $54; lokai.com

To find balance in her own life, the busy model and DJ says she knows when she has to flip the off switch.

'After running around like crazy, going through airports, being surrounded by nightlife, I find that if I get that rundown feeling, I have to get some rest or get myself to the gym; I need to eat right and spend time with family and friends.'

Left: Metal Cuff by Lokai, $54; lokai.com. Right: Single Wrap by Lokai, $24; lokai.com

Not influenced by others, Alexandra says she prefers to listen to the beat of her own drum. 'I don't like to listen to the outside.'

'Pay attention to your gut, to that little voice inside you, and go with it,' she advises.

Triple Wrap by Lokai, $28; lokai.com

BROOKE'S AGE-DEFYING BEAUTY

Supermodel at every age: Brooke Shields, 52, stuns on the pages Social Life Magazine this month

Brooke Shields, 52, stuns on the pages Social Life Magazine this month.

By placing women over fifty in the pages of the magazine, editor-in-chief, Devorah Rose, hopes to encourage women of all shapes and sizes to be proud of who they are.

'For me this is so much more than a beautiful picture. It's the direction I hope fashion grows,' she told FEMAIL. 'Instead of bombarding us with young, emaciated models with little life experience, let's celebrate women who have lived, given birth, and continue to create and use their minds as well as their talent.'

Inspirational editorials: By placing women over fifty in the pages of the magazine, editor-in-chief, Devorah Rose, hopes to encourage women of all shapes and sizes to be proud of who they are

Calvin Klein gal: There is true strength and beauty in the act of embracing your age. I think Brookes body now at 52 is a healthy body all women can strive for. As women, we should all strive to be healthy and happy. I think beauty should be the byproduct of that journey and not the goal.'

Calvin Klein's 1981 ad starring Brooke is one of the most iconic of all time. Her famous 'You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins?' line, will probably never be forgotten.

'We decided to make the shoot really simple and clean. Initially, we talked about photographing her in Calvin Klein jeans. Later, on set, we decided to take the concept further.'

Brooke was shot in crisp white ensembles, body-hugging dresses, blue jeans and a Calvin Klein underwear set.

'There is true strength and beauty in the act of embracing your age. I think Brookes body now at 52 is a healthy body all women can strive for. As women, we should all strive to be healthy and happy. I think beauty should be the byproduct of that journey and not the goal,' said Devorah.
This summer ditch your teeny tiny Daisy Dukes, and replace them with modest denim Bermuda shorts.

Just yesterday Bella Hadid, 20, stepped out in a pair by Re/Done, while Khloe Kardashian, 33, has been spotted rocking the cool silhouette several times recently from her brand Good American.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up 12 stylish options to shop now.

Denim daze: Khloe Kardashian, 33, (left) sported Bermuda shorts by Good American recently, while Bella Hadid, 20, (right) sported a pair by Re/Done

Khloe Kardashian can be thanked for bringing denim Bermuda shorts back into style.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashian's star has rocked the longer silhouette several times recently after her clothing line Good American introduced the styles back in the spring.

Bella Hadid sported knee-high shorts by Re/Done yesterday as she hit the streets of New York City.

Style stars: Gigi Hadid, 20, (left) and Kourtney Kardashian, 38, (right) are also fans of the modest shorts

Gigi Hadid, 20, and Kourtney Kardashian, 38, are also fans of the modest shorts.

Gigi recently sported a long plaid duster coat, Tommy Hilfiger tank, and a pair of Bermudas by Re/Done. The model added height with nude Tony Bianco sock booties.

Kourtney donned a distressed pair from sister Khloe's denim line Good American. The mother-of-three completed the look with clear strappy Yeezy heels, a white tank and a denim jacket.

SHOP DENIM BERMUDA SHORTS NOW
An adorably clumsy kitten who falls over a whopping 30 times a day thanks to a rare neurological condition is stealing the hearts of every person he meets, thanks to his determination and grit, which means he hops right back up every time he takes a tumble.

Trooper was born with Wobbly Cat Syndrome, a unique illness that means he has absolutely no balance.

The disabled feline was rejected by his mother at birth and abandoned in a barn where he was found by a farm owner in Victoria, British Columbia.

There he goes! Black feline Trooper has Wobbly Cat Syndrome, a rare condition that causes him to constantly lose his balance and topple over

He was taken in by the Victoria Humane Society and adopted by animal lover Charla Stromkins when he was four months old.

Charla, 41, documents two-year-old Trooper's daily struggle in hilarious videos which show her determined pet trying - and failing - to run.

The condition also makes it difficult for him to enjoy in classic cat pastimes like chasing squirrels and using the litter tray - because he topples over.

Many kittens with Wobbly Cat Syndrome are euthanized shortly after birth because their owners fear they will be in pain or not be able to lead normal lives.

But Charla says loveable Trooper - who has amassed an army of nearly 10k followers on his Instagram page wobblycats - is not in pain and is 'the happiest cat I've ever had'.

The Canadian government worker said: 'When Trooper came to me I had to figure out how he functions and what he needed.

'My home was completely wood and laminate floor so I had to get rug after rug after rug to help him get around.

Whoops! According to his owner Charla Stromkins, Trooper tends to fall over at least 30 times every day - but he always leaps right back up

Family: Trooper was abandoned by his mother at birth, before being adopted by Charla

Making a difference: Charla says she is determined to prove that Trooper - and other cats like him - can still live full and happy lives despite their condition

'I also got a ramp made so he could get up onto the bed.

'But in the day to day, he doesn't know he is different to any other cat.

'He used to try and walk down the centre of the hallway but he soon learned he needed to walk against the wall instead.

'He can't go outside by himself because where we live there are eagles and if they saw him they would think he was injured prey, but he goes away with me.

'When people see him walk they feel sorry for him and say, "What is wrong with him?"

'But I just say, "He has a condition and he doesn't know he is any different."

'Most people don't know what the condition is so a lot of wobbly kittens are euthanized.

'My mission is to show that these cats live full lives.'

Wobbly Cat Syndrome, or Cerebellar Hypoplasia, is a disorder where the cerebellum of the brain is not fully formed, giving sufferers an unsteady gait.

It is not degenerative, meaning that if Trooper does a lot of exercise it strengthens his muscles and can help him get from A to B.

Warning signs: As well as falling over, Trooper also suffers from some other symptoms, such as shaking whenever he gets excited

I get knocked down... Charla describes Trooper as the 'happiest cat' she has ever had

Even so, Charla, who has two other cats, Digger and Sampson, says that he can fall over as many as six times when trying to walk a 10-meter stretch.

'Another thing that happens is when he gets excited he has involuntary triggers and he will start to shake,' she added.

'Whenever he gets excited or scared he will shake and you know he's about to pounce or run.

'He likes to fancy himself as a squirrel hunter so when he sees a squirrel he absolutely is like, "Oh my God, I'm going to get this."

'He will stand still and stare and then his head will shake.

'It's hysterical.

'He does a little hop and then when he starts to walk he falls over.

'Sometimes when he is leaving the litter box he will fall over as well, but he is 100 per cent determined.

'There is this disconnect between his mind and his body, but he always picks himself back up again.

'He is the happiest cat I've ever had.'
Britons will face extortionate travel insurance premiums if the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) fails to survive Brexit negotiations, experts warn.

Without the EHIC, which entitles Britons to free healthcare when travelling in the EU, insurance companies are expected to raise their fees, which experts worry may prompt people to go abroad without protection.

Martin Trybus, professor of european law and policy at the University of Birmingham, said: 'Now, such an insurance is often not necessary as UK citizens receive exactly the same treatment as a national of that Member State would.

'Insurance companies have factored that into their fees.

'Some UK citizens will find that too expensive and take the risk.'

Britons face extortionate travel insurance if the EHIC fails to survive Brexit negotiations

WHAT IS THE EHIC? An EHIC gives its owner access to state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the EU's 27 countries. It is also valid in Switzerland and the European Economic Area nations of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Benefits include GP visits and hospital stays, but do not extend to travelling abroad specifically for medical treatment. The EHIC also does not cover emergency airlifts and is therefore not recommended as a replacement to travel insurance. Even with the EHIC, users may have to pay a small amount towards their treatment. This payment may be redeemable once back home. Advertisement

What happens if it goes?

If Britons loose access to EHICs, they will require more extensive travel insurance when in Europe.

Tamara Hervey, professor of EU law at the University of Sheffield, said: 'Without access to the EHIC or equivalent, every time any of us goes to the EU, we will need private health insurance.'

The cost of claims may mean that travel insurance premiums rise.

Professor Trybus said: 'I think it can be expected that travel insurance would have to be higher if the EHIC would not longer be available for UK citizens.

'Now, such an insurance is often not necessary (except for being transported back to the UK) as UK citizens receive exactly the same treatment as a national of that Member State (say Spain) would.

'Insurance companies have factored that into their fees.

'Some UK citizens will find that too expensive and take the risk.'

How likely is it the EHIC will continue?

Nobody is sure whether the EHIC will continue post-Brexit for Britons, however, some argue it could carry on being valid if other EU states are given some kind of incentive.

Damian Chalmers, professor of EU law at the National University of Singapore and the London School of Economics, said: 'Healthcare when abroad in Europe is not a citizenship right unless you are working or settled there.

'You don't get something for free, the other EU states will likely want something in return for the continuation of the EHIC; likely a welfare benefit, such as free healthcare for EU citizens working in the UK.

'If calculations reveal more EU citizens benefit from the card, then it will likely continue.'

Assuming the EHIC is lost, a different expert claims the UK could negotiate healthcare deals with the EU, but she adds these will unlikely match current arrangements.

Professor Hervey said: 'The EHIC entitles UK nationals to medical treatment when they travel to another EU country, as if they were nationals of that country. Once we leave the EU, we leave that system.

'It is possible that the UK could negotiate a separate international agreement with the EU, which could include reciprocal healthcare entitlements.

'But this would not be the same as the current arrangements.

'We currently have an arrangement with Australia, for instance, but it doesn't cover the same treatment as Australians get, and it's not enforceable in the same way.'

The confusion comes after Brexit Secretary David Davis said he thought the EHIC would 'probably' disappear for UK citizens while speaking at a Brexit Select Committee session earlier this year.

Yet, Mr Davis has since said that the EHIC's benefits should continue and if agreements cannot be made with the EU, the UK would provide such healthcare 'unilaterally'.

One expert argues the EHIC may carry on throughout its European market if citizens benefit

DAVID DAVIS: BRITONS TRAVELLING IN EUROPE WILL CONTINUE TO GET FREE OR CUT-PRICED HEALTHCARE Britons travelling abroad will still be able to get free or cut-priced healthcare after Brexit, David Davis claimed last month. The Brexit Secretary said the EU-wide scheme of health insurance will continue after the UK leaves the bloc. Speaking on BBC's Andrew Marr show, Mr Davis said: 'We are looking to see if we can get a continuation of the EHIC scheme as it now exists. 'Of course, if we can't get one then we will provide one unilaterally, but that is what we are looking to.' Yet, this contradicts when Mr Davis said he thought the EHIC would 'probably' disappear for UK citizens while speaking at a Brexit Select Committee session earlier this year. Advertisement

Will it be similar to Switzerland?

Despite Switzerland not being part of the EU, the EHIC allows European citizens access to state-provided healthcare at a reduced cost there and covers treatment until they return home.

The card also allows Swiss citizens similar healthcare when travelling in the EU.

Professor Trybus said: 'I estimate the Brexit negotiations will be close to Switzerland, which is part of the EHIC.

'But the British Government doesn't want to accept the free movements of persons so the EU may not accept their wish for healthcare.'

Professor Chalmers added: 'Switzerland has hundreds of agreements with the EU that has taken 30 years. The UK Government want a quicker answer.'

When will a decision be made?

While experts are still up in the air about the likely future of the EHIC, some believe a decision is unlikely a priority in Brexit negotiations.

Professor Chalmers said: 'From the EU's perspective, the EHIC is at the end of a list of things that need sorting.

'The EHIC is not a priority in the negotiations when compared to financial services, [the] settled status of EU citizens, budget or market access for professionals, automobiles or pharmaceutical companies.

'This may make [the EHIC] very easy to agree to or it might mean it gets lost along the way.'
Deaths linked to AIDS have halved in 10 years, new figures reveal.

Global fatality numbers fell to one million last year from 1.9 million in 2005, according to a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids).

The report claims the 'scales have been tipped' as more than half of patients now have access to treatment.

Targets now aim to have 30 million patients receiving therapy by 2020.

AIDS, caused by HIV, used to be one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

Deaths linked to AIDS have halved in a decade from 1.9 million in 2005 to one million last year

SCIENTISTS MAY BE ONE STEP CLOSER TO A CURE FOR HIV Scientists may be one step closer to developing a cure for HIV, research suggested yesterday. An injection may soon be available that prevents the virus spreading and could rid sufferers of the infection, a study implies. Researchers from multiple institutions, including Texas A&M University, injected cows with HIV, all of which developed an immune response within as little as 35 days, a study found. When the immune cells of the cows were analyzed, one in particular was found to bind to a key site on HIV that the virus uses to spread infection, the research adds. The researchers believe such immune cells could be incorporated into an injection to neutralize HIV in infected humans. Currently, there is no cure for HIV, with patients usually being required to take lifelong medication that causes nausea, diarrhea and insomnia. Advertisement

'Leaving no-one behind'

Mr Sidibe said: 'We met the 2015 target of 15 million people on treatment and we are on track to double that number to 30 million and meet the 2020 target.

'We will continue to scale up to reach everyone in need and honour our commitment of leaving no-one behind,' the BBC reported.

Eastern and southern Africa are 'leading the way' and have reduced new HIV infections by nearly a third since 2010, according to the report.

Mr Sidibe added: 'Communities and families are thriving as AIDS is being pushed back.'

Life expectancy has also increased by 10 years over the past decade.

UNAids has set a target known as '90-90-90' - aiming for 90 percent of HIV patients to receive a diagnosis, of which 90 percent will be treated, of which 90 percent will have their infection suppressed, by 2020.

In 2016 these figures were 70 percent, 77 percent and 82 percent, respectively.

Yet, despite infection rates improving, UNAids warns that poor treatment in north Africa, the Middle East, Asia and eastern Europe has caused death rates to increase in these regions.

This comes after experts revealed that a dramatic drop in the number of gay men with HIV could spell the end for Britain's AIDS epidemic.

Public Health England data revealed last month that cases of HIV among gay and bisexual men have fallen for the first time since the epidemic began more than 30 years ago.
A Slovakian lawyer born with half a face has undergone life-changing corrective surgery in the US.

Ivanka Danisova, 30, from Bratislava, was born with a congenital birth defect that saw her tormented by bullies throughout her childhood.

Her condition, Goldenhar syndrome, caused underdeveloped cranial bones on the right side of her face - and doctors thought it would kill her.

She spent most of her life covering up the defect with her long hair - as well as battling cruel comments from strangers.

But she has defied medical expectations and her bullies, and has become the first European to undergo life-changing treatment for the condition in the US.

Professor Russell Reid, a world-renowned specialist based in Chicago, carried out two procedures, one that lasted for 20 hours and the other 11, to reconstruct the junior lawyer's face.

She will travel back to Chicago in September to have one final operation to help her lead a normal life, so long as she can raise the funds.

Before the treatment Ms Danisova, who studied in the UK, turned her unique looks into ammunition to spread awareness for fellow sufferers through social media.

Ivanka Danisova, 30, was born with a congenital birth defect that saw her tormented by bullies throughout her childhood (believed to be pictured before pioneering treatment in the US)

Before: Danisova would cover her face with sunglasses and accessories to hide her condition

Ivanka launched the campaign 'Rainbow for Ivanka' for other Goldenhar syndrome patients. She encourages people to take a selfie with one half of the face covered to increase awareness through social media (pictured after her procedure)

Ms Danisova said: 'When I was diagnosed, I was given no hope. I wasn't even supposed to survive.

'When I found that out, I was stunned at first and those cruel and harsh words lingered on me long after I had left the doctor's office. I didn't understand why me.

'[For] more than 27 years I had to be very careful. I could never hear on the one side and I couldn't do sport actively.

'Underdeveloped ear canal caused that I suffered harshly every time I had a flu.

'I had to put up with severe complications during my fight and consistently weak immunity. '

Goldenhar syndrome, which affects one out of 25,000 babies at birth, can affect one side of the face or on the both and abnormalities appear mostly in the areas of ears, eyes and spine in varying degrees.

The condition also affects some internal organs leading to severe heart, kidney, lungs and oncological diseases.

Ms Danisova successfully underwent the first 11-hour-long craniofacial surgery as well as the second procedure that lasted 20 hours

Professor Russell Reid (pictured), from the University of Chicago Medicine, was behind the procedure to reconstruct her face (Ms Danisova is pictured with her sister Monika)

The Slovakian, who was told she would die young, has become the first European to undergo life-changing treatment for the disorder in the US (believed to be pictured before the procedure)

In Ms Danisova's case she suffers from cardiac arrhythmia and was also diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago.

She said: 'My childhood was not a walk in the park, as there were moments when I was shown in a cruel way that I am "different".

When I was diagnosed, I was given no hope. I wasn't even supposed to survive Ivanka Danisova, 30

'Despite many obstacles I have always viewed myself as a child with vision and goal in her life and nobody and nothing could stand in my way.

'As I was growing up, I learned to strengthen my confidence, because when I was little, I wasn't the brave person that I am now.

'I was a small, timid little girl who fought for every success in school, to succeed and show everyone that one day I will grow up to be worthy.'

Ms Danisova has since launched the campaign 'Rainbow for Ivanka' for other Goldenhar syndrome patients.

She encourages people to take a selfie with one half of the face covered to increase awareness through social media.

She said: 'We do the selfie because the biggest dream of each rainbow children one time to uncover your hand on one half of face.

She spent most of her life covering up the defect with her long hair - as well as battling cruel comments from strangers

Ms Danisova has even turned her unique looks into ammunition to spread awareness for fellow sufferers through social media

Ms Danisova credits her other two triplets Janka and Monika (pictured together) for becoming the person she is today

Ms Danisova said: 'Thanks to my sisters I didn't feel different, rejected. They never let anyone hurt me in any way' (pictured: Monika, left, and Janka, right)

WHAT IS GOLDENHAR SYNDROME? Goldenhar syndrome is present at birth and mainly affects the ears, eyes and spine. Main symptoms include facial asymmetry, a partially formed or absent ear, spinal abnormalities and noncancerous growths on the eye. The condition also affects some internal organs leading to severe heart, kidney, lungs and oncological diseases. The exact cause is unknown but is linked to problems that occur while the fetus is developing. Up to two per cent of sufferers have a relative with the condition, which suggests there may be a genetic link. Treatment focuses on aiding feeding, breathing and speech, as well as preventing hearing loss. Source: Genetic and rare diseases information center Advertisement

'I refuse to accept that this condition should still be a "taboo" in Slovakia, and that these children are viewed as unacceptable for this society.

'Many people that met me have told me that I am a messenger of positive energy and that I give away smiles.'

She credits her other two triplets Janka and Monika for becoming the person she is today.

Ms Danisova said: 'I know that I had the greatest luck in my life by being born among triplets.

'My sisters were always very strict with me and didn't allow me to feel pity or give up, no matter how impossible I thought it was for me.

'I am grateful to my sisters for bringing up that brave and fearless Ivanka who is not afraid of anyone and anything.

'Thanks to my sisters I didn't feel different, rejected. They never let anyone hurt me in any way.'

Now she is fighting to finish her last treatment in the US after being contacted by one of the world's most prestigious craniofacial surgeon, Professor Russell Reid from the University of Chicago Medicine.

Ms Danisova added: 'I hope and believe that last surgery in September will improve my life.

'It will be very difficult period of my life because I am fighting both leukemia and craniofacial fight - I would like to win.'

'In the future my biggest dream is to look at the world as healthy rainbow child and continue in my work as a junior layer, study law at Harvard and finally to have a normal life without surgery.'

Those wanting to donate to help raise funds for the third surgery can do so here.
In Mexico: New mother Michaela Smith and her one-day-old son Beckham Lake pictured on Wednesday in Cancun

An American baby born three months premature during his parents' 'babymoon' in Mexico has arrived back in the states after being 'held hostage'.

Larry Ralph and Michaela Smith, who were due October 15, flew from Indiana to Cancun last weekend for a short getaway.

On Tuesday July 18, Michaela started to feel sick, and they went to the emergency room to make sure she and the baby were safe.

A quick check-up revealed she was 5cm dilated, and progressed to 8cm within minutes, before her water had broken.

The medical team induced labor and their son Beckham Lake was born weighing just 2lbs, stable but in need of urgent care.

However, when the family tried to make arrangements to bring him home a day later, they claim the hospital produced an unexpected bill for $7,000 - which kept on rising. When the hospital finished adding to the tab, it came to $37,000.

The family claimed the bill was a form of 'hostage'.

Unable to pay the bill, they called their family in Indianapolis, Indiana, who created a GoFundMe aiming to raise $60,000 for the bill, any risk of further bills, and travel.

It garnered the attention of thousands of people, including Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Ind.

By Thursday, the page had raised just shy of $40,000, and they had enough to get a medical plane to fly from Florida to pick up Michaela and Beckham, with Larry following on a commercial flight.

However, as they arrived in Pensacola, Florida, it became clear that Michaela's insurance was not eligible outside of Indiana, and arrangements were made for another flight to take them to their home state.

Last night, their friend Rebecca posted a message on the GoFundMe page to say that the family had arrived at Riley Hospital for Children, part of Indiana University Health.

The medics induced labor and Beckham was born just 2lbs, stable but in need of urgent care

This is a photo of the Floridian medical team landing in Mexico to pick up the family yesterday

'They are in INDIANA!!! We wanted to update all of our family, friends and supporters! Thank you Thank you Thank You from the bottom of our hearts! Beckham is getting the proper medical care that he deserves! He is doing well, mom & dad are doing well,' the post read.

The family has not published the bill, and the break-down of the $37,000 amount is not clear.

In the US, the hospital delivery costs $3,500, as well as an additional $5,000 of costs for pre-natal delivery and post-natal care.

That brings the average total cost to around $8,500 for an uncomplicated birth, though that figure can easily reach up to $12,000.

Most cesarean births, without complications, cost around $12,000.

These costs can vary, and some families have reported wild escalations from that figure.
Japanese Knotweed has been found in the hedge that separates the development I live on and our neighbour's property.

Does this mean I won't be able to sell my property? (BD)

Japanese knotweed is described by the Environment Agency as 'indisputably the UKs most aggressive and destructive plant'

Mail Online's property expert Myra Butterworth replies: 'Mention the words 'Japanese Knotweed' to any homeowner and it may well trigger nightmares.

'This is because the aggressive plant has the potential to spread across land and make it unsaleable - as it can make it difficult for any buyers to get a mortgage on a property.

'The good news is that the spreading of the plant can be stopped. However, it can be extremely costly - at around 2,500 for a 10 sq m area for a herbicide treatment or 5,000 for a 10 sq m area for an excavation.'

'Many lenders will lend on such properties if the plants are being treated and a guarantee can be provided. You need to speak directly to a mortgage lender or good broker about this, as they will be used to dealing with the scenario.

'Buyers may still be put off, but ensuring that you get this guarantee and are able to provide them with it should help to allay their fears.'

'We asked a specialist what you can do?'

Nic Seal, managing director of Japanese knotweed removal specialist Environet UK, says: 'First of all, despite all the scare stories, don't panic. Although Japanese knotweed is described by the Environment Agency as 'indisputably the UKs most aggressive and destructive plant', it can be dealt with.

'It grows up to 10 cm per day between May and July, pushing up through asphalt, cracks in concrete, driveways, cavity walls and drains in its quest for light and water.

'You need to be aware that if you intend to sell your property, you will need to declare the fact that the property is affected by Japanese knotweed, and this might make it more difficult for your buyer to obtain a mortgage, and hence affect the property's value.

'For this reason you need to call in professionals. They should be able to identify the original source, and advise whether you have a possible claim against the adjoining owner to claim damages and costs against them. They should also be able to advise on the best way to eradicate the knotweed.

'It's likely that a herbicide treatment programme over a number of years will be the most cost effective. However, it's necessary to tackle both the knotweed in the hedge and in the woodland, otherwise it will spread back. It's very difficult to kill the entire root system with herbicide, so don't be surprised if you get re-growth  a perennial plant posing a perennial problem.

'The other alternative is to physically remove the knotweed rhizome (or root) by excavating the affected area under controlled conditions, and installing a vertical root barrier along the affected boundary.

'This will prevent the knotweed encroaching back onto your land, and mean you don't need any co-operation from the owner of the woodland. It's a quicker method and more likely to succeed, but it is more expensive, and potentially more disruptive.

'Whichever method you choose, it's essential to choose a professional company who can provide a 10-year insurance backed guarantee, the minimum requirement to satisfy most banks and building societies if you or a future buyer wants to secure a mortgage on the property.'
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has put Metro Man E Sreedharan back on track.

The priest-turned-politician's pro-development push is set to see the train system chug into six cities of the state even before their population eligibility makes the cut.

Sreedharan delivered his home project, Kochi Metro, last month. On turning 85, he planned to 'hang his boots', and met the UP CM to convey his decision of retiring from his advisory role to the state government.

The Metro Man! E Sreedharan wanted to retire but Yogi gave him more to do

'The UP CM not only did not allow me to tender my resignation but added the responsibility of planning metros for three more cities.

He is very keen on getting the metro to his own constituency, Gorakhpur,' Sreedharan said in Kochi on Thursday.

While the first phase of metro will be commissioned for commercial operations in state capital Lucknow any time now, the home turfs of Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be gifted a metro rail much before they make it to the merit list.

'While the phase I project, a 10.5-km line for Lucknow is ready for inspection by the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety and will be thrown open to the public once it gets a nod, detailed project reports for Varanasi have already been made,' said Sreedharan.

Yogi: The priest-turned-politician's pro-development push is set to see the train system chug into six cities of the state even before their population eligibility makes the cut

'The UP CM now wants metros in Agra and Meerut too, along with Kanpur. For Meerut, there are already plans of linking it with the Rapid Rail.'

A boom in the development of mass transit metro projects in India is not only helping free up choked roads, but is also generating business opportunities as the country ploughs funds into updating its creaky public transport system.

Adityanath's metro push, however, has to circumvent a wall of heritage structures in UP's temple towns.

The plan for Varanasi proposed by Sreedharan met with the CM's disapproval as it went precariously close to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

'We are now going to redesign the plan and are working on a light metro project for the city that will cost less, reduce noise and vibrations,' Sreedharan added.

Metro projects are usually commissioned for cities with a population of over two million (20 lakh) residents whereas light metro, which is yet to be implemented in any Indian city so far, is proposed for those with population between one and two million.

Mumbai's Monorail is envied across India

Yogi wants to push the train system into another six cities of the state (pictured - modern rail services in Mumbai)

State governments, however, can plan or propose a metro system in advance, looking at a city's long-term transportation requirements, tourism indices and a comprehensive mobility plan is drafted to study the feasibility of the project.

Comparing the construction of metro rail with China, Sreedharan pointed out, 'While China builds 300 km of metro rail per year, India lags far behind with only 22 km a year.'

As the dust settles following rumours of his running for the post of President, Sreedharan insists he was never spoken to about a possible nomination.

'It was entirely kite-flying by the media. No one from the government spoke to me about it. In fact even if someone did, I would have turned it down. I am 85. Do you think I will survive another five years?' he laughed.

As the Delhi Metro grapples with unprecedented delays in line openings and commuter rush, Sreedharan, who introduced the transport system to the city, said, 'Ever since I retired from Delhi Metro, I ensured that even my shadow does not hover around the place.

'The new MD and team are very competent. The challenges today are very different but they have worked very well.'
A middle school in the Jharwa village of Khorabar Vikas Khand has earned a unique name - Kude (trash) Waala School - because, as the name suggests, it is located right in the middle of a garbage dump yard.

The municipal corporation of Gorakhpur regularly dumps the city waste here.

Brijnandan Verma, one of the teachers in the school, told Mail Today: 'About four years ago, the village head had dumped garbage in the premises, boasting that a road will be constructed there for the betterment of the locality.

'Since then, the mounds of trash kept growing and now the place has become a 60-feet tall dumping ground for the city.'

The 60.ft trash pile next to students from Kude Waala School

'We are annoyed because people refer to it as 'Kude Waala' school. We have not been able to fill even 30 per cent of total seats since the last four years,' said Sanjay Maurya, another teacher.

Not only this, there is a huge pond in front of the school that is filled with water round the year.

'In 1998, the adjoining canal leak created this huge pit. Besides rain water, the sewage of the village also flows in it. The school almost drowns during the rainy season and it takes about two to three months for it to dry completely.

'The school barely functions for five to six months,' said Chandra Prakash, who lives nearby.

According to stats, there are four male and three female teachers in the school and the student strength is 40. It runs classes from sixth to eighth standard.

The students, who have no choice but to study in unhygienic conditions, often complain of health problems.

Children are dwarfed by the wall of trash

'Even the midday meal served to us stinks. We are not able to eat or use the toilet as it is located near the pahad (dump).

'We often fall sick,' shares Vipin, a class 6 student.

'We avoid coming to school during the rains because when it rains heavy, it becomes nearly impossible to go back home,' said Laxmi, a class 8 student.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

When contacted, Prem Chand Sharma, the Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA) said: 'I just joined here and have come to know about this through you. If there is such a problem, we will initiate necessary action.'

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, who visited the constituency on July 9, had gave strict instructions to the medical, administrative and police personnel to spread awareness for preventing JE and encephalitis.
The Indian Army carried out an operation in Arwani in South Kashmir earlier this week using specific technical intelligence to track down and kill three Lashkar terrorists in Kashmir in an encounter involving a car chase and a brief gun battle.

The three terrorists killed by the Indian Army include Lashkar's main operative the Naugam area - Showkat Lohar - who had joined the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation in 2016, and Muzaffar Hajim, another local who had joined the Lashkar earlier this year.

The operation was executed by the 19 Rashtriya Rifles unit, which looks after the Anantnag area and has been highly successful in counter terrorist operations after killing top Lashkar terrorist Bashir Lashkari recently.

Relatives mourn during the funeral of Showkat Lohar, who according to local media was killed in a gun battle with Indian security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district

The Army, with the help of the Jammu and Kashmir Police's technical cell, had been tracing the mobile phone of one of Lohar's close accomplice and keeping a track on his plans and meetings.

'During one such interaction, the police came to know about Lohar's movement and plans to visit a particular locality in Arwani after which the 19 RR laid down a plan to take him out,' an Army source told Mail Today.

Based on the inputs received, the Army team deployed eight mobile vehicle-checking points in the area to intercept the SUV in which the terrorists were travelling.

The movement of the terrorists was being tracked continuously all the while they were on the move. On Sunday, the troops were waiting for the terrorists but they managed to slip away from there.

However, Monday was not so lucky for the terrorists as the 19 RR troops identified them in a moving vehicle while they were escaping from one of the check-posts.

Indian army soldiers conduct a patrol during an operation against suspected rebels in Turkwangam Lassipora in Shopian south of Srinagar

As the terrorists were trying to escape, the 19 RR troops chased them in their armoured jeeps, and after a brief chase, crashed their vehicles on the terrorists' car forcing it to stop.

The terrorists got out of their vehicle and tried to launch a final assault with their AK-47s but the Army troops opened bursts from their automatic rifles and in less than five minutes, the two local terrorists along with a Pakistani civilian were lying dead on ground, the sources confirmed.

The 19 RR is one of the units under the Victor Force of Rashtriya Rifles, which has been successful in eliminating 11 terrorists in July.

Showkat, a category-A militant, according to police sources, was active since August 16 last year while Mudasir, listed as category- B militant, had joined LeT ranks on January 17.

The local police has claimed the slain militants were associates of slain LeT commander Bashir Lashkari alias Okasha who was killed in a gunfight with forces early this month at Brenthi-Batpora in Dialgam, barely few kms from the area where Lohar was killed along with two of his accomplices.

Army sources say the count of terrorists killed in operations is over 105 this year.

In the coming months the kill count is likely to increase.
A woman who was attempting to free her lover from his 'estranged' wife discovered that the couple were actually happily married and had created an elaborate plot to dupe her out of money.

The victim, who wanted to marry the man, was asked to pay Rs 6 lakh (approx - 7,000) to the wife as a pre-condition to proceed with the marriage.

After shelling out Rs 3 lakh, when she sought more time to arrange the rest, the couple cancelled the arrangement and asked her to let them live in peace. The police have registered an FIR against the duo for rape and criminal intimidation.

Ajay and his wife Uma are accused of rape and criminal intimidation

The 29-year-old victim met accused Ajay Gupta through an online portal where she had posted her number to promote her business.

They started talking and grew close.

The woman decided to come to Delhi on business following a suggestion from the accused.

She alleged that Ajay had sex with her after putting sindoor (vermilion) on her forehead and told her that he will apply for court marriage. However, after returning home she learnt that Ajay was married and had two kids.

'Ajay told me that he was fed up with his marriage and wanted to marry me. I tried consoling him and said that he can take a decision and let me know. A while later, I received a call from his alleged estranged wife Uma Gupta who said that even she was fed up with her husband and had no problem with the two of us getting married,' the victim told Mail Today.

She was asked to pay Rs 6 lakh to the wife first, only after which the marriage could take place. 'I agreed to this condition. I thought it was my moral responsibility to compensate the woman as she had two kids to take care of. I was in touch with both of them.

'They used to send me voice notes on messaging apps where I could hear them screaming their hearts out at each other. I was convinced that the two did not want to live together,' the woman said.

The victim claims that she cashed-in all her investments and paid Uma on her visits to Delhi.

'In the meanwhile, Ajay continued to meet me and maintain physical relations on the promise of marriage,' she said.

Things got ugly after she told the couple that she had run out of money and would need more time to arrange the cash.

'I asked Ajay to come to meet my family and decide the date for marriage and in the meantime I would arrange the money,' the woman said.

'When he heard this, he started ignoring me. His wife called and pressured me to arrange the cash if I wanted to marry Ajay.'

The victim alleges that Ajay had sex with her after putting sindoor (vermilion) on her forehead and telling her that he will apply for court marriage

Speaking to Mail Today, the victim said that she had already decided to sell her store and give all the earnings to Uma because after the marriage there would have been no one to run it.

'After a few days, I received a call from his wife who asked me to forget about my marriage with Ajay.

'She also asked me to leave them alone and said they were happy with each other,' she said.

'These words shocked me. I did not know what to do. I had told my family about the man and paid so much money. When I protested, they threatened to kill me if I ever came to Delhi.'

The woman, however, decided to come to Delhi and file a case against the two. The cops have arrested Ajay.

Police sources told Mail Today that the investigation would look into the possibility of the involvement of the duo with a gang, and if they are habitual offenders.
After the recognition of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, the international community has now taken into consideration terror funding bodies of Kashmir militancy.

In the latest, Canada has revoked the 'charity' status of Islamic Services of Canada (ISNA) for 'non compliance' according to notice issued by Canada Revenue Agency.

This is the second organisation affiliated to ISNA, Canada, that has been under the scanner of federal regulators as four years ago ISNA Development Foundation lost status of charity for funding a Pakistani relief group linked to militancy in the Valley.

Syed Salahuddin (centre) leader of the Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen

A recent audit found out how Pakistan militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen had been receiving funds.

The money collected by Toronto-based Jami Mosque was sent to ISNA to be further sent to organisations that support and fund militants.

As per the audit accessed by India Today, the organisation 'issued donation receipts for a total of $3,40,516 under donation categories like: 'Relief', 'Zakat', or 'Masjid'.

The agency added that the 'money raised by Jami Mosque's 'Relief' fund were collected by the Mosque in cooperation with Canadian non-profit organisations  with the ultimate goal of sending them to a Pakistan-based NGO, entitled the Relief Organization for Kashmiri Muslims (ROKM)'.

Nodal agency CRA Charities Directorate wrote in its newly released records, 'Our research indicates that ROKM is the charitable arm of Jamaat-e-Islami, a political organization that actively contests the legitimacy of India's governance over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, including reportedly through the activities of its armed wing Hizbul Mujahideen.'

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin, shown here in 2013, has pledged to block any peaceful resolution to the conflict in disputed Kashmir, the US said

Speaking to Mail Today, journalist Sean Craig said, 'In both cases they had their status revoked because the CRA had concerns about the way they had maintained their books which had to do with how they received the charitable donations.

'The most striking of the allegations that they made was that they had through a mosque-raised funds remitted to a Kashmiri relief organisation which has ties with the Hizbul Mujahideen'.

In a letter to ISNA Islamic Services, federal officials said the funds collected and disbursed might have been used to support the political efforts of Jamaat-e-Islami and/or Hizbul Mujahideen.'
Former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith has spoken out against his party's treatment of landlords, claimed Conservative housing policy 'misses the point' and called for buy-to-let tax changes to be reviewed.

Writing in Conservative Home Duncan Smith launched a stinging attack on the government's lack of thinking behind housing policy and said they should 'reconsider the way we treat private landlords who buy houses to rent'.

As well as demanding that politicians in his own camp realise the value that private landlords have in providing quality homes to large numbers of British families, Duncan Smith also called on Prime Minister Theresa May to scrap the move to taper tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages.

Iain Duncan Smith: We are now in danger of missing the point [on housing]

He wrote: 'We are now in danger of missing the point, for what is certain is that even if we do achieve our housebuilding target, there will still be a continuing growth in demand and a significant part of this will have to be available through private landlords.

'It is time to review [George] Osbornes tax changes on buy-to-let landlords.'

In 2015 the former Chancellor George Osborne announced a series of measures that he claimed would rebalance the housing scales in favour of first-time buyers and away from landlords.

These included the introduction of a 3 per cent surcharge on stamp duty payable on the purchase of buy-to-let properties and second homes, the scrapping of landlords' wear and tear allowance and the phased reduction of tax relief on buy-to-let mortgage interest, which began in April this year.

Landlords blame George Osborne for running them out of the market

Over the next three years, this tax relief will taper down from the landlord's marginal rate of tax and be replaced with a 20 per cent tax credit by 2020, hitting profits for many landlords hard.

For more on these changes read our in depth analysis.

Duncan Smith wrote: 'A large number of them are talking about no longer buying to let, and they blame it on George Osbornes decision to impose a stamp duty levy on the purchase of homes to rent, to restrict mortgage interest relief to the basic rate of income tax, and to tax a landlords turnover rather than profits.

'This, they believe, has led to private landlords scaling back their operations or even leaving the sector altogether.

'We should all be concerned about this, because private landlords are a significant provider of the additional housing we need. We wont be able to provide all the housing in the medium term through aggressive building programmes alone. We will need other sources of accommodation, as well.'

In addition to reviewing the tax changes announced by Osborne and enforced by the latest Chancellor Philip Hammond, Duncan Smith said the government should encourage landlords to invest more with devices such as 'VAT relief on conversions or even capital allowances'.

Activity in the buy-to-let market has been severely affected by a series of tax changes

Buy-to-let transactions fell significantly in April 2016 following a spike in purchases before the 3 per cent stamp duty surcharge was applied. While remortgage activity has recovered, the number of new buy-to-lets funded by mortgages has remained slumped.

'Its no wonder buy-to-let purchases have fallen dramatically,' Duncan Smith wrote.

'Despite what has been said and written, theyre not enormous property magnates, for the most part, but often people using the market to help provide retirement income in later life or assets to pass on to their children.'

Duncan Smith's comments echo those of former Bank of England economist Professor David Miles, who warned last month that government had wrongly blamed landlords for the UK housing crisis and said politicians' scapegoating of landlords for spiralling house prices was 'profoundly wrongheaded'.

He had previously branded Osborne's tax changes as 'a terrible tax change' arguing the move would serve only to push up rents and make it even harder for young people to save for a deposit.

In February the government published a summary of impacts which claimed that based on HMRC figures it expected that one in five individual landlords will receive less relief as a result of this measure.

A spokesperson for the Treasury said: 'We want more people to be able to own their own home, which is why we have reformed stamp duty and other property taxes to help people get on the property ladder.

'The changes to income tax for landlords level the playing field between landlords and homeowners. And by using the revenue collected from the reforms to stamp duty, we are helping to double the affordable housing budget, to get more first-time buyers into their own homes.'
What an up-and-down week it has been for The Peoples Operator (TPOP).

The company, which offers mobile contracts with a charitable kicker, zipped higher on Wednesday after an executive merry-go-round saw several board members step aside to be replaced by a new bunch.

One of those making way was chairman and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, while TPOPs co-founder and chief executive Mark Epstein also vacated his post.

Call to action: The People's Operator, which offers mobile contracts with a charitable kicker, zipped higher on Wednesday after its latest executive merry-go-round

It wasnt too much of a surprise to see investors welcome their departures though, given that theyve overseen a 98 per cent fall in the share price since the company first floated a few years back.

The renewed enthusiasm quickly waned though and TPOP shares lost all of their snap, crackle and pop come today, with shares finishing the week almost 20 per cent below where they started at 2.2p.

Over at Image Scan Holdings the picture has brightened significantly after the X-ray screen specialist reported rapid growth in its order book.

The shares shot up 27 per cent to 7.1p as the company said results for the current financial year (to the end of September) should exceed expectations after recent order intakes surpassed the 2.5million mark.

To put that into perspective, the firm took orders worth 4.3m in the whole of 2016.

New orders for industrial X-ray products have been received from the car making industry and orders for cabinet, conveyor and portable products have been received from security customers.

Even after todays rise the shares are fairly flat so far in 2017; mind you, push the start date of the comparison back to a year, and the shares have almost trebled over the past 12 months.

In focus: X-ray screen specialist Image Scan Holdings shares were boosted 27% after reporting rapid growth in its order book

Horizon Discovery was another basking in the spotlight.

The group is set to more than double its revenues after it snapped up General Electric subsidiary Dharmacon in an $85m deal.

Dharmacon is widely acknowledged as the global leader in cell behaviour or RNAi products and is growing rapidly in gene editing, Horizons field of expertise.

The $85m consideration may sound like a lot of money, but analysts were impressed at just how cheap Horizon managed to buy Dharmacon for given the transformational potential they think it possesses.

Shares in Horizon have added more than 25 per cent this week to 270p, which is even more impressive when you consider that the AIM-quoted firm raised 80m at 205p to help finance the acquisition.

Striking gold: KEFI Minerals climbed higher after it agreed a finance package for the construction of the bulk of its Tulu Kapi gold mine in Ethiopia

In general its been a difficult month or so for the junior market as it struggled to maintain the rapid growth it enjoyed in the spring but its bounced back in style this week.

The AIM All Share added 1.7 per cent, or 16.3 points, to sit at 970.3 come this afternoon.

That was enough to get one over its blue chip counterpart, with the FTSE 100 only able to muster growth of 1.4 per cent, or 106 points, to 7,483.

KEFI Minerals was another dragging the AIM market higher after it agreed a finance package for the construction of the bulk of its Tulu Kapi gold mine in Ethiopia.

Infrastructure specialist Oryx is to put up $135m in new debt through a lease and payback arrangement that will also see it become the processing plant operator.

The package will see a new special purpose vehicle set-up for the mine that initially will be 75 per cent owned by KEFI.

Due diligence is still to be carried out, but assuming the deal with Oryx is concluded, KEFI will need to find a further $30m to fund the project completely.

Tough times: Nyota Minerals' NOMAD  which you need to have if youre trading on AIM  handed in its notice on Tuesday

Methods to fund this potentially include a loan from the Ethiopian Development Bank, new equity or a project level investment into the special purpose vehicle.

Work on the mine, which was prised away from Nyota Minerals in 2015, is due to get underway before the end of the year.

Speaking of Nyota Minerals, things arent too rosy there. The groups NOMAD  which you need to have if youre trading on AIM  handed in its notice on Tuesday.

Beaumont Cornish will officially leave its post on 17 August and Nyota must find a replacement before 17 September otherwise its AIM shares will be suspended.

Nyota is still a cash shell after it sold off its last mining assets earlier this year and told investors it is committed to finding a 'viable new business' as soon as possible.

One thing that might be holding that process back is the lack of money in its coffers. Nyota only has around 35,000 in cash and it failed with an attempt to raise funds earlier this month.

Investors patience is running thin and the stock lost another 40 per cent this week to 0.033p.
Citizens Advice chief Gillian Guy has slammed Britain's retail bank bosses, claiming they must stop moaning about losing public trust which she says they never had.

Guy was speaking directly to retail bankers at the British Bankers' Association conference last week and struck a chiding note.

She claimed that not only did the banks never really have the public's trust, but also that massive consumer advertising campaigns 'claiming at once to be best friend and guardian' served only to 'fuel deep scepticism' among consumers.

Citizens Advice chief Gillian Guy has slammed Britain's retail bank bosses

She said: 'The banking industry has a clear sense that it does not hold the position in society it once did. This is often expressed by asking why the public no longer trust or understand it and has led to a bit of a mission - to regain or rebuild trust.

'In my view - it is a search to recover something you never truly had. I believe we have mistaken deferential treatment (based on faith - or sometimes, fear ) for trust - which is far more of an emotional buy-in.'

She said: 'It is true that bad things happened - and indeed continue to - which seriously damaged the image and reputation of the industry, but there was a broader change going on too.

'Banks along with others - even doctors and lawyers - suffered a loss of deference attached to their positions of authority as consumer confidence and expectations of service providers, massively increased.'

Shattering trust in financial services

Northern Rock suffered mass withdrawals and customers queuing around the block to rescue their savings from the ailing bank

Banks lost face when the financial crisis hit in 2007, with Northern Rock suffering mass withdrawals and customers queuing around the block to rescue their savings from the ailing bank.

Then in 2008 Halifax Bank of Scotland had to be bailed out by Lloyds Bank, which subsequently and collectively had to be rescued by British taxpayers, who have only just returned the bank to private ownership in the past month.

Meanwhile Royal Bank of Scotland is still majority-owned by UK taxpayers, and has lost more than 58billion since its 45billion bailout in 2008. Shares are still trading at around 50 per cent less than the 502p a share paid by the government nine years ago.

The Libor scandal, PPI mis-selling scandal and multiple high profile criminal investigations into some of the banks' most senior managers have dogged the sector since.

At the same time, consumers' awareness of some of the ways in which the banks made money in the run-up to the crash has risen significantly, with sub-prime mortgages and banker bonuses suddenly splashed across the front pages, even of tabloid newspapers.

Talking the talk, but not walking the walk?

All of the major retail banks have since spent millions running advertising campaigns designed to redefine their role in society, attempting to show support for British families and small businesses.

Lloyds Bank has an ad campaign called 'for your next steps', the most recent of which features the slogan 'by your side'.

Barclays recently ran an ad campaign advertising its family springboard mortgage with a voice over from family favourite actor Jim Broadbent, which concludes: 'For all of life's little challenges, you can always count on your bank.'

HSBC meanwhile has linked its mortgages with supporting parenting in its latest advert featuring a father whose daughter is determined to become a champion swimmer.

NatWest's advertising slogan is 'we are what we do' while Santander's is 'here to help you prosper'.

But Guy has dismissed these efforts as displaying 'exaggerated sentimentality and sincerity'.

'At the heart of being trustworthy is openness and honesty,' she said. 'Put at its simplest this amounts to: say what you mean and do what you say.'

Guy said banks now need to establish that the industry really is trustworthy, but that continuing to take advantage of customers by rewarding loyalty with higher charges than are given to new customers was not the way to go about it.

Instead, she told banking chiefs this could begin to be achieved through working to produce evidence that banks were driven by a 'higher purpose' than maximising profits from their customers.

She gave the following examples as ways to help develop customer trust:

By how you choose to use your deep - sometimes intimate - understanding of consumer behaviour to help - not exploit

- not exploit By the transparency and clarity of communications and terms and conditions - so consumers can make informed choices

By what you do proactively to move people to better deals

By your offer of support and advice to avoid early warning signs developing into problems

And by targeted support and protections for your most vulnerable customers

'This is not to take away from individual personal responsibility, but gives consumers a fighting chance to exercise it,' said Guy.

Banks told: Stop penalising loyalty

There has been increasing criticism of banks that penalise customers for remaining loyal to them.

Most recently this criticism was levelled at banks that let their customers pay far more interest on their mortgage than they need to and fail to tell them how much they could save by switching.

Guy told banking chiefs: 'Customer loyalty is an issue of great concern to us and it should be to you; loyalty is laden with sentiment and value judgements. But loyalty is supposed to be rewarded.

'People who stick with a provider expect to be put first. Unfortunately at Citizens Advice we all too often see the opposite: longstanding customers paying more, and being treated worse, than new ones.

'Next month we will report on the fate of loyal customers whose fixed rate mortgages come to an end - it's not a pretty picture. For example, 85 per cent of people on standard variable tariffs would be better off on a fixed deal.'

Guy called on banking bosses to instill radical change: 'Voluntary action prompted by responsibility and integrity is far more effective - and results in a race to the top rather than bottom.

'You should care so you can turn the potentially onerous social responsibility to your advantage, to shore up the fragile reputation of the industry and lay those foundations for trustworthiness.'
The Florida sinkhole that swallowed two homes last week isn't getting any deeper, but it's getting wider, officials said Wednesday.

It's now about 235 feet wide, about 10 feet wider than it was several days ago. It remains 50 feet deep, Pasco County officials said during a news conference.

Because of the sinkhole's growth, residents of two additional homes in the neighborhood have been warned they may need to evacuate.

They were told to gather their possessions in preparation of leaving, said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County's assistant administrator for public safety.

Five homes near the sinkhole already had been evacuated.

'This is not a time for panic. We have somebody out here monitoring this sinkhole, monitoring the expansion. We will let people know in plenty of time that they need to get their stuff together and be ready to go,' Guthrie said.

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The Florida sinkhole (above on Friday) that swallowed two homes last week isn't getting any deeper, but it's getting wider, officials said Wednesday. It's now about 235 feet wide, about 10 feet wider than it was several days ago. It remains 50 feet deep, Pasco County officials said

Because of the sinkhole's growth, residents of two additional homes in the neighborhood have been warned they may need to evacuate

They were told to gather their possessions in preparation of leaving, said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County's assistant administrator for public safety. Above officials operate a ground penetrating radar at the sinkhole site Wednesday

Five homes near the sinkhole already had been evacuated. An edge of the sinkhole is pictured on Wednesday

The edges of the sinkhole (above on Wednesday) are caving in because there's no support for the sandy soil as it dries out, officials said. As the water in the sinkhole recedes, the sand on the right-angled banks can't support the weight of the ground and it's giving away

'When we say, 'Now is the time to leave.' It's time to leave. It's not time to pack things up.'

The edges of the sinkhole are caving in because there's no support for the sandy soil as it dries out, officials said.

As the water in the sinkhole recedes, the sand on the right-angled banks can't support the weight of the ground and it's giving away.

Engineers believe the solution lies in quickly getting dirt into the area to create a sloping bank that can keep the edges of the sinkhole from falling in, Guthrie said.

'We're working to that end right now,' Guthrie said.

Engineers hope to start bringing in dirt and removing debris over the weekend, or early next week.

None of 20 water wells tested came back positive for E. coli, but water samples from 17 of the wells will be re-tested for any signs of contamination.

Engineers believe the solution lies in quickly getting dirt into the area to create a sloping bank that can keep the edges of the sinkhole from falling in. Damage is pictured above Friday

None of 20 water wells tested came back positive for E. coli, but water samples from 17 of the wells will be re-tested for any signs of contamination. Damage is pictured above Friday

Pasco County's risk manager has told officials that the response to the sinkhole could cost at least $1.5 million but it will be likely much more. Debris in the sinkhole pictured above Friday

Greg Crumpton, a local health official, said elements found in water from those wells may be the result of improper maintenance by homeowners, but health officials want to make sure it's not from the sinkhole.

Pasco County's risk manager has told officials that the response to the sinkhole could cost at least $1.5 million but it will be likely much more, Guthrie said.

Despite the threat, those who live in the Land O'Lakes neighborhood where the huge hole has already swallowed two homes, a nearby resident is vowing to stay unless the hole consumes her house.

'I'm apprehensive, a little nervous,' said Patty Camunas, 57, whose family lives near the sinkhole.

But she added, 'Where are you going to go? There are sinkholes all over Florida. Unless something happens that the sinkhole takes my house, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.'

Florida is highly prone to naturally occurring sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water. Debris in the sinkhole pictured above Friday

Pictured above is one of the homes that was swallowed by the sinkhole last week

Camunas was at work Friday morning when the sinkhole swallowed one house about 200 feet behind hers.

Her husband and daughter were home when officials told them to evacuate.

They were allowed to return Saturday but decided to give it an additional 24 hours. On Sunday, they returned.

'The only thing we lost is the food from the power being shut off,' she said.

Now, she said, the main commotion on her cul-de-sac is from curious people driving to the neighborhood to take selfies with the sinkhole in the background.

For Camunas, a lifelong Florida resident who built her home in Pasco in 1982, sinkholes are part of life.

She'd heard about a sinkhole in years past in another part of her subdivision.

Florida is highly prone to naturally occurring sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water.

Acidic rain can, over time, eat away the limestone and natural caverns that lie under much of the state, causing sinkholes.

Both extremely dry weather and very wet weather can trigger sinkholes. State geologists generally consider March-September 'sinkhole season' because that's when the state receives most of its rainfall.

In 2013 in Florida, a 37-year-old man was killed when a hole opened up underneath his bedroom.

That sinkhole, which garnered international headlines, opened in Hillsborough County, about an hour south of the sinkhole that swallowed two homes this month.

Engineering experts said it was too dangerous to retrieve the man's body, so they demolished the home and filled the hole with gravel.
A mother yesterday spoke of her anger that she only learned about her partners violent past after he beat her five-year-old son to death over a lost trainer.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, had a sickening history of violence, including six convictions for domestic abuse after he attacked five partners and a child.

Yet despite his appalling record, the burly thug with a terrifying temper was allowed to look after the boy after he embarked on a new relationship.

Iheanacho had been in a relationship with Lilya Breha, the mother of Alex (pictured together)

Marvyn Iheanacho (left) flew into a rage and subjected Alex Malcolm (right) to a brutal attack

A police photograph of notes written by Iheanacho in prison, under the heading 'mistakes'

He started going out with single mother Lilya Breha, who was never told by police he had just been released from prison for assaulting his fifth girlfriend.

On a trip to the park on November 20 last year, the jobless father-of-three lost his temper when his new partners son, Alex Malcolm, lost a trainer.

Iheanacho battered the little boy with such savagery that witnesses who overheard eight booming blows initially thought two grown men were fighting. They heard the child begging for mercy, sobbing, Im sorry, Im sorry.

Instead of taking the dying boy to hospital only a five-minute walk away, Iheanacho carried him through the street before taking a cab to Miss Brehas home in Bromley, South-East London, where he attacked her, throttling her as she tried to call 999.

One trainer that was found at the park (left) and another one found inside their home (right)

Iheanacho, who was known to Alex as 'Daddy Mills', admitted beating the boy before in a note

'He wants nothing more than a daddy': Note in Iheanacho's diary '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 ain't I happy?' Advertisement

When Miss Breha managed to raise the alarm two hours later, doctors were unable to save the youngster, who had 22 bruises from head to toe. He died two days later following a bleed to the brain.

Iheanacho had denied murder, but was convicted yesterday. A jury at Woolwich Crown Court took six hours to dismiss his story that Alex accidentally fell off his shoulders as he walked back from Mountsfield Park in Catford, South-East London. Iheanacho, of Hounslow, West London, will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Miss Breha only learned of his past during his trial. He had so many convictions it took prosecutors 15 minutes to read them out.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Police Act 2014 gave police the power to request a criminal behaviour order in cases of domestic violence, forcing offenders to tell officers every time they begin a relationship so police can warn new partners about them.

But Miss Breha, who had a five-month relationship with Iheanacho, was never contacted by police or made aware of his appalling past after they met through a mutual friend as he was being released from prison.

The red jacket worn by Alex on the day he was subjected to an attack that led to his death

Marvyn Iheanacho (left) was found guilty of battering the five-year-old boy to death in a park

Iheanacho (left) has a string of previous convictions for violent offences, including attacks on ex-partners and robbery. Ms Breha (right) nodded as the verdict was announced in court today

The incident took place in Mountsfield Park (pictured) in Hither Green, South East London

The Ukrainian mother, who occasionally left her son in Iheanachos care while she worked two jobs as a baby sitter and dog minder, wept as he was convicted.

Its a joke, she said. I just wish Id known. I knew he had been in prison, but he said he was innocent. I had no idea about his past and the first time I heard about it I was disgusted. I was so shocked. I just felt sick.

'I didn't get to tell him I love him': Grief of boy's mother Lilya Breha 'Alex was so small but he was my strength and my purpose for living. 'The hardest thing I have ever had to hear was that my child died. I remember it like it was yesterday. ' Lying next to him in a hospital and praying that everything would be fine, that he will open his eyes. 'I didn't even get to tell him I love him. 'All I got was to put my hand on his chest and feel every single one of his final heartbeats.' Advertisement

I was so naive. He would come over and help Alex with homework. I trusted him. He had his own kids. I never imagined this would happen. Something should have been done with someone like that.

Iheanachos first conviction for domestic violence dated back to the age of 19, when he punched a girlfriend in the face, kicked her in the ribs and stamped on her head after she refused to lend him 5.

In 2010, he battered another partner with a saucepan with such force that he dented the pan before dragging her around the kitchen by her hair and stamping on her face just because she would not let him borrow her car.

Iheanacho then turned on her 13-year-old son as he tried to save her, punching him in the face and kicking him in the head. Two years later he knocked another girlfriend unconscious by punching and kicking her in the head because she refused to lend him her phone.

In 2013 he throttled a fourth partner when she told him he could have a duplicate of his sons birth certificate instead of the original.

In March last year he was jailed for whipping another girlfriend with a belt, grabbing her by the throat and shoving a bottle into her face just because she asked him to put something in the bin.

Miss Breha paid tribute to her son, saying: We called him little angel. He was perfect. He was my best friend. He was my strength and my purpose for living. The hardest thing I have ever had to hear, was that my child died.

Iheanacho, of Hounslow, West London, denied murder before the Woolwich Crown Court trial

Ms Breha said Alex had been her 'purpose for living' and she had been lying next to him in hospital with her hand on his chest, feeling 'every single one of his final heartbeats'
COLUMBUS  A local bridge is being used as part of a pilot project undertaken by Union Pacific Railroad and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Union Pacific is currently working with three entities, including UNL, to improve bridge-monitoring technology. Graduate students from the university's Department of Civil Engineering are using sensors to detect vibrations along a steel bridge just west of Columbus.

The bridge, built in 1908, crosses the Loup River.

One of the goals for this research is to develop an easily produced and cost-effective way to conduct bridge inspections to detect cracks and other structural defects.

More than 95 percent of Union Pacifics 18,000 bridges nationwide are inspected at least twice annually. Bridges that are fewer than 10 years old are only inspected once per year.

UNL Assistant Professor Richard Wood said research on the Columbus bridge is ongoing.

The primary focus of this research is to understand the bridges response under realistic train and environmental loads, Wood said. This research is also being conducted to develop strategies for continuous monitoring to detect damage.

The bridge near Columbus was selected for research based on its age and construction style using steel trusses and plate girders. Its importance for continued Union Pacific operations was also considered.

The university used digital technology, including wireless and light detection and ranging sensors, to further understand this particular bridge structure. Wood said these technologies will help expand the research on many types of bridges.

Data collected from the bridge will be used to diagnose defects earlier, and the experiments the graduate students are conducting will help future engineers quickly identify and fix bridge problems. This could save the railroad time and money.

Union Pacific bridge maintenance director Todd Martindale said the railroad will maintain communication with UNL regarding its goals for bridge development.

Our goals are a cost-effective, easily deployable solution to implement across our rail network, Martindale said. We hope the collaboration and research will lead to development of a broadly applicable piece of technology to meet this goal and supplement in-person inspections.
The puppeteer who has provided the voice and pulled the strings of Kermit the Frog for the past 27 years spoke about his recent firing during an appearance on Today.

Steve Whitmire appeared on the program Thursday morning to address the claims that he had been 'difficult' and 'demanding' during his time on 'The Muppets,' while also revealing that he was caught completely off guard when learned that the company was terminating his contract.

'I was stunned. It seemed like it was five minutes of silence. I'm sure it wasn't that long. I just immediately tried to get answers. I had had no advance warning on that,' explained Whitmire, who began working with 'The Muppets' in the late 1970s.

'Nothing had ever been framed to me as a career breaking problem. In fact, we had been talking prior to that for two years about me becoming sort of a creative producer with them, working alongside the two executives who I spoke to where I would have been really a part of the day to day decision making on "The Muppets."'

Whitmire, 58, then added: 'I was thrilled about that. I felt like at last, after 12 years with Disney, we would be able to integrate the great pact of "The Muppets," which is what I wanted to do.'

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It's not easy: Steve Whitmire appeared on 'Today' (above) to address recent claims that he was 'difficult' and 'demanding' during his time as Kermit the Frog

Shock: 'Nothing had ever been framed to me as a career breaking problem,' said Whitmire (above in 2016 on GMA)

On again, off again: Whitmire, 58, also said that Disney had been speaking to him about becoming a producer after four decades working with 'The Muppets'

The Muppets Studio blamed 'unacceptable business conduct' for its dismissal of Whitmire earlier this week.

'The role of Kermit the Frog is an iconic one that is beloved by fans and we take our responsibility to protect the integrity of that character very seriously,' The Muppets Studio said in a statement on Monday.

'We raised concerns about Steve's repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback. The decision to part ways was a difficult one which was made in consultation with the Henson family and has their full support.'

At the same time, Muppets creator Jim Henson's son and daughter both voiced their frustrations with Whitmire.

'He played brinkmanship very aggressively in contract negotiations,' Lisa Henson, who is the president of the Jim Henson Company, told The New York Times on Monday.

She went on to say that he 'blackballed' younger performers by refusing to let understudies play Kermit at more minor events, despite the fact that he got his start with the company when he was just a teenager.

Brian Henson, the chairman of the company, said things were generally fine with Whitemire until he got off set.

'Hed send emails and letters attacking everyone, attacking the writing and attacking the director,' explained Brian.

When asked to respond to these complaints during his appearance on 'Today,' White mire said: 'Nobody likes these sharp cornered adjectives thrown at them. As I said, we were in talks to move this ahead just prior to the conversation, within three days before we had a conference call to talk about all the work we were going to be doing going forward.'

These promises of more work and a larger role are why he was so thrown off by his firing explains Whitmite.

'You better get plenty of rest because you're going to be worked really hard. So it was a huge shock,' said Whitmire.

Blast from he past: Whitmire (left in 1979) was tapped by Henson's children to become the voice of Kermit (Henson right)

Overbearing: 'He played brinkmanship very aggressively in contract negotiations,' Muppet creator Jim Henson's daughter Lisa (above) said of Whitmire

Delete: 'Hed send emails and letters attacking everyone, attacking the writing and attacking the director,' explained Brian Henson, Jim's son

Whitmire also responded to complaints from Lisa about the fact that he played Kermit as 'depressed' at time.

'In terms of the character stuff, Kermit becoming stale or bitter, it isn't true in my mind,' said Whitmire.

'But the funny part of that is, I would expect the people saying that to have been my staunchest allies.'

He also admitted that there were times when he offered feedback.

'I offered notes. I don't think that makes someone difficult. It was totally an idea of trying to do what was best for 'The Muppets' in terms of receiving material and ideas and concepts that were well out of the bounds of the character,' said Whitmire.

He seemed to be most hurt however with Lisa's dismissal of him as just a voice that was hired to be Kermit, and not the actual Muppet.

'It's really interesting about that. In my mind, my mentoring with Jim tells me that the minute 'The Muppets' are reduced to being roles that are auditioned for and cast, it takes all the individuality out of them,' said Whitmire.

Their longevity is completely based on their consistency, and that is just super important. Otherwise it's not Kermit or any of 'The Muppets' at all.

'That's what I've tried to push for and be outspoken about.'

And he scoffed at the notion that he made threats using his position as Kermnit's puppeteer, saying: 'That's an arrogance that's not in my body. That's just not the case. I don't make those decisions and I certainly never felt that way.'

Nope: Whitmire (above with Kermit in 2015) said that Disney tried to get him to sign a NDA when he was terminated in October, but he refused

Despite this all, he said he still would like to be back at Disney and working on the show,

'I still would like that. I don't think it's going to happen now. Yeah, I was hoping that. In the meantime, they were saying, you know, we're not ever going to have you back again. We refuse to offer you a chance to remedy this, which is the worst part,' said Whitmire.

'I could do whatever they needed. They were also offering me things that I called consolation prizes. They were going to honor me, give me Disney legends awards, things like that but that required signing NDA.'

He then added: 'They wanted me to frame this as I had moved on and I had retired. It was disingenuous, I couldn't bring myself to do it.'

Whitmire closed out by saying he did not want to drag the iconic characters through the mud while publicly airing his grievances, and claimed he and Hensons' children were actually in agreement on most issues.

'As I say, the reason I'm gone is because I was outspoken for the exact things they are talking about,' said Whitmire.

'At the end of the day, I'm a guy who got hired contract to contract to portray these characters however Disney told me to.

'And the very issues they are talking about are the ones I was outspoken about and have now been pushed out for.'
Police have returned to the rural Pennsylvania farm where four men were murdered earlier this month to do one final sweep of the land before returning it to the family of a schizophrenic killer.

The remains of four men; Dean Finocchiaro, Tom Meo, Jimi Tar Patrick and Mark Sturgis, were all found on the DiNardo family property in Solebury, Pennsylvania, last week.

Cosmo DiNardo, the 20-year-old son of the couple who owns the house, has admitted murdering them after luring them there to buy drugs. He attempted to dispose of their remains in a pig roaster then buried them in shallow graves.

Police took several days to find the bodies on the sprawling, 90-acre property.

Police returned to the home of Cosmo DiNardo on Wednesday to carry out a final search before handing it back to his family. They scoured the Pennsylvania farm last week (pictured is their search on July 13) and found the bodies of four men he'd murdered

Since being taken in to custody, DiNardo has told authorities about other murders he claims to have committed in the past.

Police would not say if they were looking for anything specific when they returned to search the house on Wednesday.

Instead, they said they were doing one final sweep of it before returning it to Cosmo's parents, Antonio and Sandra DiNardo.

Cosmo DiNardo, 20, claims to have killed another two people several years ago on top of the four men who he slaughtered last week

The four men's bodies were found on the farm last week after an extensive search of the land.

They had all gone missing weeks earlier in suspicious circumstances. Patrick, 19, disappeared from his home in the town of Newtown on July 5.

He had arranged to buy drugs from DiNardo, a college drop-out with a history of mental illness.

DiNardo shot him dead after bringing him back to the farm then buried his body in a shallow grave.

Two days later on July 7, Mark Sturgis, 22, and Tom Mateo, 21, disappeared.

They were reported missing when they failed to show up for work at Sturgis' father's construction company the next morning.

Finocchiao, 18, disappeared on the same day from his home in Middletown.

He had arranged to meet up with Sturgis and Mateo to buy drugs from DiNardo.

When they got to DiNardo's farm, he shot Mateo first and Sturgis screamed. He tried to run away but was shot several times until DiNardo ran out of ammunition.

He then tossed their bodies in to the pig roaster along with the remains of Finocchiaro, who he'd already shot.

The remains of Mark Sturgis, 22, (left) and Tom Mateo, 21, (right) were also found at the house

The remains of Mark Sturgis, 22, (left) and Tom Mateo, 21, (right) were also found at the house

DiNardo did not act alone. He had the help of his cousin, 20-year-old Sean Kratz who is also facing charges.

Sean Kratz, DiNardo's 20-year-old cousin, is also facing charges

The cousins were tracked down after police traced the cell phone signal from one of the men's phones to the farm.

DiNardo has also allegedly been trying to sell one of the victim's cars online. The vehicle was found at the site.

Since being taken in to custody, he has confessed to at least two other killings, claiming he carried them out when he was 15.

Police are dubious of his confession and have not revealed any information about the the other murders.

Since his arrest, people close to the troubled gunman have told how he has spoken about killing people since he was 14.

Others said his behavior turned more violent in the past year after a four-wheeler accident on his family property during which he suffered a severe head injury.
Two well-organised bank robbers are still on the run after a series of brazen ATM robberies across Brisbane that have netted them at least $500,000 and left police baffled.

Police suspect the duo has inside knowledge of Queensland bank Suncorp's security system allowing them to target ATMs at four separate locations over the course of six months.

In each instance, the thieves scaled the building and cut through the roof before dropping into a 'bunker' behind the ATMs - which allows them to access the cash.

Officers believe the thieves then took the cash and exited through the door escaping in a get away car in what appears to be a sophisticated raid.

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Thieves took off with bags of cash from three ATMs (pictured) after entering Suncorp Bank ATM's bunker through cutting a hole into the tin roof, lowering themselves down

Queensland thieves took off with atleast $500,000 from three Suncorp Bank ATMs (pictured)

Police are investigating the break-in of four ATMs (Bray Park shopping centre pictured) across Brisbane's north over the last six months

The four raids took place at shopping centres across north Brisbane, Queensland, and Detective Inspector Lance Vercoe said the thieves were getting faster each time.

'Their level of expertise in accessing the ATMs is increasing,' Detective Inspector Vercoe said.

He added there is consistency to the type of ATMs being targeted, including Suncorp Bank machines.

While the first ATM raid in January was unsuccessful and took about an hour, the most recent ATM raid at Bray Park later June is believed to have taken about 15 minutes and thieves were able to rob thousands of dollars.

'There could be some prior knowledge to specific ATMs, they could be comfortable with brand, make or model with that particular ATM,' Detective Inspector Vercoe said.

'Access to the ATMs is difficult, the fact they've modified or improved their method to get into the ATMs is concerning for us.'

Detective Inspector Lance Vercoe said the thieves were getting faster at robbing the ATMs every time with the last Bray Park robbery (pictured) taking 15 minutes

Thieves failed the first ATM robbery in January but successfully stole bags of cash from the other three ATM's between January and June (June robbery of ATM pictured)

Within the last six months, four ATMs were targeted in early morning break-ins where the thieves successfully stole a large amount of cash estimated to be about $500,000 from three ATMs, News Corp reported.

Shopping centres at Bray Park, Boondall, Albany Creek and Everton Park have all been hit between the hours of 1am and 4.30am from January to June.

Everton Park had about $40,000 stolen on March 12 and Bray Park had about $250,000 stolen on June 22 reported 9News.

Operation Papa Dodgeball has been set up to investigate the incidents.

Methods have been put in place to make access to the ATMs more difficult.

Suncorp said they were assisting police with their investigations.
The revolving door in Whitehall in which former ministers and top-ranking civil servants take lucrative private-sector jobs has been spinning faster than ever.

Some 52 ex-ministers gained official approval for roles with big business, charities or public speaking agencies in 2016/17  up from just 33 the year before.

They include allies of David Cameron and George Osborne who fell foul of Theresa Mays reshuffle just hours after she became Prime Minister last year.

Ex-PM Mr Cameron, who quit after losing the Brexit vote last June, and ex-Chancellor George Osborne, who was sacked by Mrs May, took four jobs each

No politicians are thought to have been turned down for a position by the official regulator, despite concerns over conflicts of interest.

Top of the jobs league table is former Cabinet Office minister Lord Maude, who took nine in just 12 months.

Ex-PM Mr Cameron, who quit after losing the Brexit vote last June, and ex-Chancellor George Osborne, who was sacked by Mrs May, took four each.

Mr Osborne earns 650,000 a year for working one day a week as an adviser at the BlackRock Investment Institute, and has taken home hundreds of thousands of pounds for making speeches.

After the end of the year covered by the annual report, he also became editor of the London Evening Standard.

The figures were published in the annual report of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which critics say is toothless.

The report shows there was a sharp increase in the number of senior civil servants moving into business.

Top of the jobs league table is former Cabinet Office minister Lord Maude, who took nine in just 12 months, while Michael Gove (right) took up three roles

Nicky Morgan, also sacked by Mrs May, has notched up two positions

A total of 55 mandarins were given the go-ahead to take private-sector positions  up from 36 in 2015/16. More than 40 per cent of the applications were from the Ministry of Defence.

The news will reignite fears over the revolving door from the upper echelons of the public to the private sector, with ministers and mandarins often getting jobs in their area of expertise.

The Mail revealed last year how two-thirds of ministers and civil servants took a job in the sector they worked in while in office.

Critics say the easy path from public to private employment raises the risk of conflicts of interest and profiteering.

Acoba chairman Baroness Browning said successive governments have believed society benefits when public servants take business roles. But she added: This must be balanced against the risks of an appointment being seen as a reward for decisions made while in office or that an organisation may gain an unfair advantage by employing a former crown servant or minister.

These risks are greater when an individual seeks to move into a role within the same sector for which he or she had responsibility in office, which is why the committee will often recommend more stringent conditions, such as a waiting period or specific restrictions on the type of work an individual can engage in.

Although the report did not include any examples of Acoba telling applicants a potential job was unsuitable, it did reveal that eight applications were withdrawn, but did not say why.

It attributed the high number of ex-ministers looking for new roles to Theresa Mays reshuffle after she became Tory leader.

Former Lib Dem energy secretary Sir Edward Davey took on two jobs

The report said: The continued high volume of applications can largely be attributed to the change in Prime Minister in July 2016 and resulting ministerial reshuffle and the 2015 UK general election. While the number of civil servants seeking advice from Acoba went up from 36 to 55, applications for separate jobs rose from 110 to 140.

The number of ministers seeking advice had risen from 33 to 52, while the total number of applications fell from 123 to 104.

Other ministers to have gone through the revolving door include Ed Vaizey, who was sacked as culture minister by Mrs May and has taken six jobs.

Michael Gove, who was sacked by Mrs May last year but is now back in the Cabinet, took up three roles; while Nicky Morgan, also sacked by Mrs May, has notched up two.

Mr Gove has given up the jobs since he was appointed Environment Secretary last month.

After losing his seat in 2015, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable took two positions; while Nick Clegg took one. Former Lib Dem energy secretary Sir Edward Davey took on two jobs.

Tory former Cabinet members William Hague and Sir Oliver Letwin also took new positions.
At least ten female BBC presenters are considering taking legal action against the Corporation over its gender pay gap.

News of the planned lawsuit emerged last night as panicked BBC bosses were desperately scrambling to stop rival broadcasters poaching Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis.

On Wednesday the BBC was forced to declare that only a third of its 96 top earners were women  and the top seven were all men.

Jane Garvey (left), the presenter of Women's Hour, is leading a group of at least ten stars mulling legal options to narrow the BBC's gender pay gap, as Emily Maitlis considers leaving

The female presenters, led by Woman's Hour host Jane Garvey, were left furious by the revelations and have been contacting each other to work out the best way to force the BBC to close the pay gap.

Using 'strength in numbers', they plan to demand equal wages with men or mount a joint lawsuit against the broadcaster.

Miss Garvey told The Daily Telegraph: 'This is the sisterhood in full flow. I've never been so busy on the phone.'

She added that 'not a single male broadcaster' had been in touch to offer their support.

'Creative' boss on 220,000 pension Alan Yentob rakes in more than 20,000 for every episode of his little-watched late-night BBC art series Imagine. The shows ratings have dipped from 936,000 per episode in 2014 to just 338,000 for its most recent edition, which followed artist Chris Ofili making a tapestry. Mr Yentob however still enjoys a BBC salary of up to 249,999  20,833 for each of the 12 episodes broadcast in the last tax year. The BBC points out that the 70-year-old former creative chief is involved in researching, editing and producing each episode. He also received a 220,000 BBC pension last year. Buying the same pension today would cost 6.9million. In addition, Mr Yentob has a deal with the BBCs commercial arm, handing him a cut every time an episode of Imagine is sold overseas. Advertisement

At the moment, ten women have joined the rebellion, but others are expected to do so over the coming days.

Miss Maitlis is understood to be 'furious' at revelations that she is paid significantly less than Evan Davis, her fellow Newsnight presenter.

Channel 4, Sky and ITV executives are said to be lining up a potential move for 46-year-old Miss Maitlis  with Sky understood to be the most likely to land her should a prospective BBC deal fall through.

It comes following revelations that the highly rated presenter earns less than 150,000 a year  and therefore did not feature on the corporation's highest earners list  while Davis, 55, earns up to 299,999 a year.

Miss Maitlis's agent, Alex Armitage, yesterday labelled the situation 'madness', and told The Times that terms were still being negotiated.

He said: 'Emily has been out of contract for a while and contract negotiations have been going on for months.'

A source confirmed that all three rival networks have made enquiries about the Cambridge graduate  but said Miss Maitlis was keen to stay at the BBC.

The insider said: 'Executives at all three of the major networks have been sniffing around. Emily is incredibly talented, a household name and would slot into any organisation; she could have her pick of channels.

'Initially, ITV were doing the frontrunning, but Sky would be the most natural fit and have the most opportunities in News.

'Discussions are still ongoing, and no formal offers have been made, but if the Beeb don't sort out a new contract, Emily has been told she will be snapped up within a week.

Maitlis's agent tweeted out this message after the pay revelations yesterday

Humphrys: I've just had a pay cut John Humphrys admitted yesterday that he had taken a pay cut in the past two weeks  just before the BBCs rich list of top talent was published. The Today host, pictured left, who was one of the BBCs biggest-earners on between 600,000 and 650,000 a year, would not say how much of a cut he had taken. He also would not reveal whether the cut was reflected in the salary revealed on Wednesday. The revelation came as the BBC warned that scores of its highly paid male stars will be forced to take pay cuts as it tried to close the gap with female presenters. BBC boss James Purnell said on Newsnight that quite a lot of men had already done so. During a testy exchange, host Kirsty Wark asked: Are you going to say to Gary Lineker: Youre earning, what is it, 2.6million  can you just give 600,000 up so we can bring new female talent on in sport? Mr Purnell said: Quite a lot of men have been taking pay cuts already that is one of the levers we can pull, definitely, and we have been doing that. The Mail revealed before the BBC published its rich list that presenter Andrew Marr had his salary slashed by a quarter in 2015, when he decided to scale back his workload. He is now paid 400,425 a year. If Mr Humphrys, 73, took a hit at the same rate, he would still command nearly 500,000 a year and remain Todays biggest earning presenter by some distance. He said: Yes I have taken a pay cut[it] was a couple of weeks ago. Asked whether it would have been reflected in the rich list figure, he added: The answer is I dont know. I havent checked. I havent had a pay thingy since then. Mr Humphrys admitted that absolutely nothing justified the sort of money he was paid, but added: We operate in a market place and I think I provide a fairly useful service. Somebody has to do the job of trying to hold power to account. Advertisement

'But both Emily and her agent are desperate for her to remain at the BBC, and are doing everything to ensure new and improved terms are met. Talks are protracted but moving in the right direction.'

News of a potential move comes after Miss Maitlis made a jibe on stage about the situation.

Referring to the issue at the TechUK conference on Wednesday, she joked: 'You're an industry doing so well, soon you'll be able to afford a BBC man.'

And in an interview with ES Magazine she revealed the best piece of advice she had ever received was to 'ask for things at work'. She said: 'My colleague Kavita [Puri] said, 'You have to ask for things at work  women sit there waiting for things to come to them and not realising that actually all men are running off asking for them.

'Things don't just happen, you don't get something because you sit politely and are well behaved  that's not how it works.'

Miss Maitlis is said to be 'furious' at the situation, despite being offered a pay rise before details of the list were published.

A source claimed: 'They made her an offer and she did not accept it. As it stands, her future hangs in the balance. Emily is totally furious as she feels like she has been lied to. For her not to be on the list is unbelievable.'
A 14-year-old boy has been charged after two children were pricked by a used syringe in the delicatessen section of a Coles supermarket.

Two children, including an infant boy, were pricked by the hidden syringe needle in separate incidents at Broadmeadows Coles, in Melbourne's north about 1.30pm on Monday.

The infant boy will need to undergo six months of extensive testing to ensure he did not contract any disease.

The boy will need to undergo six months of extensive testing to ensure he did not contract any disease (the boy's finger pictured after the incident)

Authorities were alerted to the 'malicious' needle when the second child's horrified mother discovered it under a rail in the supermarket, and called the police.

Detectives arrested the 14-year-old Coburg boy in Warburton, 72km east of Melbourne, on Thursday night.

The teenager was charged with two counts of recklessly cause injury.

He was granted bail to appear at children's court on September 20.

Police could not release the ages of the children who were pricked by the hidden needle.

Authorities were alerted to the 'malicious' needle (pictured) when the second child's horrified mother discovered it under a rail in the supermarket, and called the police

'Our thoughts are with the customers affected by this event and their families,' Coles said in a statement released on Wednesday

In a statement released on Wednesday Coles said it was 'working with police to investigate' the incident.

'Our thoughts are with the customers affected by this event and their families,' it said.

'Out of respect for the privacy of the customers involved, we cannot comment further at this time.'

In a statement released on Wednesday Coles said it was 'working with police to investigate' the incident
A former Navy sailor has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the 2016 stabbing death of a transgender woman in Mississippi.

Dwanya Hickerson, 21, pleaded guilty Thursday to murder in the killing of Dee Whigham in a St. Martin hotel room on July 23.

Hickerson will also have to serve 15 years for a robbery charge.

He could have faced the death penalty if he had gone to trial on the original charge of capital murder.

Autopsy results show Whigham, 25, was stabbed 119 times.

Dwanya Hickerson (left), 21, pleaded guilty Thursday to murder in the killing of Dee Whigham (right) in a St. Martin hotel room on July 23

Surveillance photos of Dwanya Hickerson from the scene were posted on social media sites over the summer. Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Leo Allen said video showed Hickerson and Whigham walking together into a Best Western Hotel room around 8:30pm

Many of the wounds were to the victim's face, and her throat was slashed three times.

Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy Leo Allen said surveillance video showed Hickerson and Whigham walking together into a Best Western Hotel room around 8:30pm.

He said Hickerson was seen leaving the room alone about 23 minutes later, his shirt around his neck, WLOX-TV reported.

Before leaving the room, he took a shower.

Hickerson, a New Orleans native, was training at Keesler Air Force Base to be a weather forecaster, according to The Sun Herald .

Hickerson said in court Thursday that he and Whigham had been chatting online for a couple of months but had never met in person.

He said they decided to meet while she was in Biloxi with friends.

He said Whigham picked him up at the gate of Keesler and the two went straight to the hotel where Whigham was staying.

He said after they had a form of sex at the hotel, she told him she was a transgender woman.

'I lost. I lost it,' he said, saying he really didn't remember much afterward.

Whigham's mother, Vickie Blackney Whigham, criticized Hickerson's punishment.

'I think the plea is a slap in the face,' she said.

'He gets a chance to see his family and I don't have that chance with my child.'
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Russia has no plans to leave Syria and will continue to try to meddle in U.S. affairs to 'stick it to America.'

He reiterated his belief that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election and described the U.S.-Russia relationship as 'complicated.'

'We live in a world where the Russians have a massive nuclear stockpile and are firmly entrenched in Syria,' Pompeo said. 'They have retaken Crimea [from Ukraine]. They love to stick it to America. They find anyplace they can to make our lives more difficult. America has an obligation to push back against that.'

The CIA director spoke in a wide-ranging conversation at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts in Aspen, Colorado.

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CIA Director Mike Pompeo spoke at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday. At the event, Pompeo said he believed the Russians had not only interfered in the most recent presidential election, but all other recent U.S. elections (pictured above on May 11, 2017)

At the event, Pompeo was question about whether he backed the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that the Russians meddled in the election.

'Of course,' he said. 'And the one before that, and the one before that'.

When a New York Times columnist asked him if he was downplaying Russian's interference by saying it was a common occurrence, Pompeo grew agitated.

They love to stick it to America. They find anyplace they can to make our lives more difficult. America has an obligation to push back against that. Mike Pompeo on the Russians

'I am confident that the Russians meddled in this election, as is the entire intelligence community,' Pompeo said. 'I hope I didn't stop at 2008 [for when he says Russian began interfering in U.S. elections]. You can go back to the 70s. My point was simply this: This threat is real. The U.S. government, including the Central Intelligence Agency, has to figure out a way to fight back against it and defeat it. And we're intent upon doing that.'

He also said he has seen only minimal evidence that Russia has pursued a serious strategy against Islamic State militants in Syria. He said any suggestion that Russia has been a U.S. ally in Syria is not borne out by what's happening on the ground.

But Pompeo said he was hopeful there will be places in the world where the U.S. and Russia can cooperate on counterterrorism.

He said it's difficult to imagine a stable Syria with President Bashar Assad still in power. He called Assad a 'puppet of the Iranians,' who now have a 'significant foothold in Syria.'

Russia will stay in Syria, he said, because it loves its naval port in Tartus, off the Mediterranean Sea.

He said the Trump administration is working on ways to push back against Iran, which wants to be a 'kingpin' in the Middle East.

Pompeo continued his criticism of the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran. The Trump administration recently confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the deal but warned it would face consequences for breaching 'the spirit' of the accord - a reference to Iran's continued pursuit of a ballistic missile program.

When it comes to Iranian compliance with the agreement, Iran is a 'bad tenant,' Pompeo said. He likened their compliance with a renter who doesn't pay rent until the landlord demands it and then sends a bad check. He noted that President Donald Trump has been working with Gulf states and Israel to find a common way to push back against Iranian aggression in the region.

What won't work is appeasing Tehran or forcing them into compliance, he said.

'When we have our strategy in place, I'm confident you will see a fundamental shift in policy' toward Iran, Pompeo said.

Pompeo also used part of his talk to slam the New York Times for publishing the name of the undercover officer in charge of the agency's Iran operations.

The audience burst into appluase when he called the decision to name the operative 'unconscionable'.

The Times has not yet responded to the criticism. They previously said they decided to name the operative because the officer had previously been identified in other news reports and because the operative is 'leading an important new administration initiative against Iran'.

In another segment, Pompeo addressed the threat from North Korea, saying that Trump asks questions about Pyongyang nearly every time he sees him.

'It is at the front of his mind,' Pompeo said.

It's one thing for North Korea to have a missile that can harm the United States and another for it to have an arsenal of such weapons, he said, adding that things can be done to narrow its capacity to develop a stockpile.

While some people believe North Korea's leader is irrational, Pompeo said he is convinced Kim Jong Un understands his core mission - 'which is to keep himself in power.'

While he avoided saying the U.S. might favor a regime change, Pompeo said he's 'hopeful that we will find a way to separate that regime' from its nuclear capabilities.

'The North Korea people - I'm sure are lovely people - and would love to see him go as well. You know they don't live a very good life there,' Pompeo said.

On another issue, Pompeo said he believes WikiLeaks will 'take down America any way it can.' He noted that the anti-secrecy group's website urges students to become CIA interns so they can become whistleblowers.

Pompeo acknowledged that Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that he loved WikiLeaks.

'I don't love WikiLeaks,' Pompeo said.

Besides Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked documents revealing extensive U.S. government surveillance, WikiLeaks has released nearly 8,000 documents that it says reveal secrets about the CIA's cyberespionage tools for breaking into computers. WikiLeaks previously published 250,000 State Department cables and embarrassed the U.S. military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan.
A 28-year-old roofer is the spitting image of a notorious Australian who is also a distant relative - but can you guess who his iconic ancestor is?

Mal, from Raymond Terrace north of Sydney, has been described as a 'dead ringer' for the well-known Australian.

He says his great great grandfather was the famous figure's brother or uncle, but denies taking after him in other ways.

Mal (pictured), a 28-year-old roofer from Raymond Terrace, is not only related to one of Australia's most famous historical figure but also looks exactly like him

Mal has been described as a 'dead ringer' for this Australian historical figure (pictured)

Mal Kelly is the great great nephew of arguably the most infamous Australian of all time, Ned Kelly, the Newcaste Herald reported.

Matt Lowe, who works with Mal on the roofs of Newcastle, says the resemblance is uncanny.

'He's a spitting image. It's deadset like Ned's been reborn from a bushranger to a roofer,' said Mr Lowe.

A side-by-side comparison shows an uncanny resemblance between Mal Kelly (pictured, left) and the death mask of his bushranger relative Ned (pictured, right)

Mal Kelly (pictured) says that despite looking just like the notorious outlaw he has never committed a crime in his life

Bushranger Ned Kelly (pictured) is reportedly Mal Kelly's great great grandfather's uncle or brother

Mal agrees and even has a vintage black and white photo of the outlaw as his Facebook profile picture.

Unlike the notorious leader of the Kelly Gang, Mal has never been in trouble with the law and describes himself as the 'complete opposite' of his forebear.

'I've never really talked about it much. If someone hears my last name and asks if I'm related to Ned Kelly, I just say yeah,' Mal said when asked what it's like to be a Kelly.

'I've never really talked about it much. If someone hears my last name and asks if I'm related to Ned Kelly, I just say yeah,' says Mal Kelly (pictured)

Edward 'Ned' Kelly was a bushranger immortalised in song and print, and on canvas and film.

His last stand at Glenrowan is forever embedded in the public imagination thanks to the suit of armour worn by the outlaw.

Hanged for murder at Melbourne Gaol when he was just 25, Kelly's famous last words were 'such is life.'

The jury is still out on whether Kelly was a Robin Hood type folk hero or a cop-killing thug who terrorised rural Victoria.

Ned Kelly became a cultural icon in part due to the self-made suit of armour (pictured) he wore during his last stand at Glenrowan
A rising number of children are being expelled from schools, with the equivalent of 35 a day being ejected for bad behaviour.

New government statistics reveal an increase in the number of permanent exclusions  and in some cases the child involved was only four years old.

There has also been a rise in the number of primary and secondary school children expelled or suspended for physical attacks on teachers.

In total, children at state schools in England were permanently expelled on 6,685 occasions in 2015/16, up from 5,795 the year before (stock image)

In total, children at state schools in England were permanently expelled on 6,685 occasions in 2015/16, up from 5,795 the year before.

This is equivalent to around 35.2 a day in 2015/16, up from 30.5.

The statistics, released by the Department for Education, will once again raise concerns about pupil behaviour and safety in the classroom.

They come three years after teacher Ann Maguire was stabbed to death by a pupil while teaching a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds.

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran said: Teachers are under incredible pressures in their job, not least because of mounting workloads and cuts to school budgets.

But on top of that, having to worry about violence when they set foot in the classroom is absolutely unacceptable.

When the schools feel like the only option they have left is permanent exclusion, then our education system is failing both teachers and young people.

A permanent exclusion will have an irreversible impact on a young persons life chances - and when this is happening to children as young as four, that is a national scandal.

Most exclusions  81 per cent  were from secondary schools, although children aged four and under were expelled on 50 occasions last year.

Children were temporarily suspended from schools 339,360 times last year, up from 302,975 the previous year.

This is equivalent to 1,790 a day, up from around 1,590 in 2014/15.

The data also showed pupils aged 14 had the highest number of permanent exclusions  1,715  and the highest number of fixed-period exclusions  70,705.

The number of primary school pupils expelled or suspended for attacking staff was 15,410 last year, up from 12,940 the previous year.

In secondary schools, it was 5,055  up from 4,870 the previous year.

In primary schools 200 children were excluded permanently or temporarily due to sexual misconduct, 400 due to bullying and 35 due to drug and alcohol abuse.

In secondary schools, 8,350 were excluded due to drug and alcohol issues and a further 3,510 pupils were due to racist abuse.

Government statisticians calculated that the rate of permanent exclusions from all state schools, primary, secondary and special, is equivalent to eight pupils per 10,000, up from seven the year before.

The statistics, released by the Department for Education, will once again raise concerns about pupil behaviour and safety in the classroom (Stock image)

However, longer term trends show the rate of permanent exclusions has generally been dropping since 2006/07.

The rate of fixed-period exclusions has increased to the equivalent of 429 pupils per 10,000, up from 388 in 2014/15.

Of the suspended pupils, 59.6 per cent were excluded once, while 1.3 per cent were excluded for a fixed period 10 or more times.

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: NUT members tell us that as the curriculum gets narrower and childrens experience of school is ever more focused on preparation for tests and exams, more students are becoming disengaged from school which in turn leads to problems with behaviour and mental health problems.

A DfE spokeswoman said: We want every child to have access to a good school place where they can learn without disruption and feel safe at school.

The rules are clear that exclusion powers should only be used in particular circumstances and decisions to exclude should be lawful, reasonable and fair.

Permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort, in response to a serious breach, or persistent breaches, of the schools behaviour policy.
Sen. Deb Fischer said Thursday she believes Senate Republicans who want to scrap Obamacare and move forward with a GOP health care replacement plan haven't lost that battle yet.

"The best strategy is to repeal and replace at the same time," Fischer said during a telephone conference call from Washington.

"I believe we still have the opportunity to do that," she said.

Fischer said the Senate will consider a motion Tuesday to proceed by moving directly to the House-approved health care bill, then allow amendments and debate to begin on a revised proposal.

President Donald Trump has urged the Senate to remain in session through its traditional August recess to get that job accomplished, Fischer pointed out, "and I agree with him."

Fischer noted that most Republican senators "campaigned on and were elected on repealing Obamacare" and suggested that it's time to act on that promise rather than back away now in the face of divisions that appear to have deadlocked the Senate bill.

"We have to work this out," she declared.

"In my opinion, this is not a political exercise against (former) President Obama," the Nebraska Republican senator told one questioner.

"I am supporting and will vote to repeal because of the harm I see to Nebraskans and Americans," she said.

This is "a promise we made to Nebraskans and a promise made to Americans that we would fix this mess that we are in," Fischer said.

And next week is the time to begin to keep that promise, she said.

Asked to grade Trump's performance on the issue, Fischer said she would give the president an A or B.

Sixty votes will be required to move ahead with a health care replacement bill and, as of Thursday, Senate Republicans remained short of that required number in terms of commitments.
American tourists believe they were given poisonous alcohol at Cancun resorts where sexual assaults took place and where a 20-year old died.

Several travelers reveal they have experienced sickness, blackouts and injuries after drinking at Iberostar Hotel & Resorts' Paraiso del Mar and other resorts around Cancun and Playa del Carmen in recent months.

They suspect they were either drugged or the alcohol was tainted after the hotels served cheap, bootleg liquor to cut costs.

Abbey Conner, 20 (pictured), from Madison, Wisconsin, was found floating face down in the swimming pool with her brother at Iberostar Hotel & Resorts' Paraiso del Mar in Mexico in January. She was declared brain dead and taken off life support a few days later

Abbey, her stepfather, her mother and her brother (pictured, from left to right) were on a family vacation. Her brother, Austin, survived the incident and said he and Abbey only had a few shots before they both passed out

Several American tourists at Iberostar Hotel & Resorts' Paraiso del Mar (pictured) and other all-inclusive resorts in Mexico say they've been served bootleg alcohol resulting in sickness, blackouts and injuries

In interviews with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, two teenage brothers from Minnesota said they were on vacation with their parents when they woke up covered in mud, with no shirts or shoes on and their wallets and cellphones missing.

Another Wisconsin woman said she was sexually assaulted while both she and her husband were unconscious, and her husband woke up with a broken hand.

But perhaps the most shocking case involves the death of 20-year-old Abbey Conner, from Madison, Wisconsin, who was on a family vacation with her mother, her stepfather and her brother in January.

She and her older brother, Austin, were found facedown in the pool unconscious shortly after they arrived.

Their blood alcohol content was at 0.2. That's 2.5 times above the legal limit for driving in the United States.

Abbey was declared brain dead and, a few days later, was flown to Florida where she was taken off life support. Austin survived but suffered an injury to his forehead and a severe concussion with no memory of what occurred.

The last thing he says he recalls is that he and his sister had four or five shots of tequila, then another shot with a group of people, before they were set to meet their parents for dinner. When he regained consciousness, he was in an ambulance.

An attorney hired by the Conner family, Florentino Ramirez, has raised their suspicions about what happened due to a single paragraph he wrote at the end of his four-page report detailing Abbey's death.

'[The hotel serves] alcoholic drinks with alcohol of bad quality and in great amounts, mixing different types of drinks,' he wrote in his native Spanish.

An attorney hired by the Conner family, Florentino Ramirez, wrote at the end of a four-page report about Abbey's (pictured) death: '[The hotel serves] alcoholic drinks with alcohol of bad quality and in great amounts, mixing different types of drinks'

A 2015 report from Mexico's Tax Administration Service found that 43 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the country is illegal. The bootleg liquor could be infused with grain alcohol or dangerous concentrations of methanol, cheaper alternatives to producing ethanol, government reports warn (Pictured, Iberostar Hotel & Resorts' Paraiso del Mar)

A 2015 report from Mexico's Tax Administration Service found that 43 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the Central American country is illegal and produced under unregulated circumstances, which could result in dangerous brewing.

The national health authority in Mexico has seized more than 1.4 million gallons of adulterated alcohol since 2010 from both small local establishments and high-end hotels, according to a 2017 report by the country's Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks.

The bootleg liquor could be infused with grain alcohol or dangerous concentrations of methanol, cheaper alternatives to producing ethanol, government reports warn.

A spokeswoman for Spain-based Iberostar told the Journal Sentinel that the company takes the health and safety of its guests seriously and adheres to strict regulatory standards.

'We work with a host of providers not unique to IBEROSTAR who service other hotel chains and renowned brands,' spokeswoman Yazmine Esparza said in an email.

'Similarly, we only purchase sealed bottles that satisfy all standards required by the designated regulatory authorities.'
A woman has been slapped with a $93 fine for parking in her own driveway - despite using the space to store her car without problem for the past 24 years.

Raelene Zammit, from Hillside in Melbourne, was shocked to find an infringement notice left on the windscreen of her car saying she was breaking the law.

She claimed her driveway was positioned so that her car was technically obstructing part of the footpath, but not blocking access for pedestrians to pass through.

Ms Zammit told 3AW's Neil Mitchell she had no idea the parking spot was illegal and sent a letter to her local council asking for a review of the fine.

A Melbourne woman has been slapped with a $93 fine for parking in her own driveway

'I got a very prompt reply that they've reviewed it and as per the regulation Road Safety Access 2009 we're not to be parking over the footpath,' she said.

The council said that because her car partially blocked the footpath she was endangering the lives of motorists and pedestrians (fine pictured)

'I said to them that we had no idea we were breaking the law, and that if they confirmed that we are doing that that we will no longer continue to do so.

'The response basically said no further discussion will be entered in to and if we don't pay the fine it will go to the magistrate's court.'

Ms Zammit said she was frustrated with the way council chose to deal with her complaint, but would be paying the fine because ''common sense will have to prevail'.

I think communication with people within communities is the best thing a council can do.'

Melton Council defended their decision to issue the fine.

'Parking across footpaths can cause accessibility issues for individuals with ambulatory restrictions, including the elderly, people with a disability, and parents with prams or young children,' they said in a statement.

'Pedestrians are forced to walk around vehicles, and potentially out onto the road, putting both pedestrians and motorists at risk.

'Council believes that the safety of its residents is paramount, and will continue to work towards reducing risks posed to our community by enforcing this State Government legislation.'
The British electoral system is wide open to double voting because of the lack of a central register, international election observers warned.

The ease with which voters could register to vote in more than one constituency was highlighted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

In its report, it concluded that the Government should give serious consideration to introducing a centralised electoral register.

The ease with which voters could register to vote in more than one constituency was highlighted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

The call will increase pressure to change the system after the Electoral Commission warned of troubling instances of voters casting ballots in more than one constituency.

There were reports that students had boasted on social media that they had voted twice for Labour - in their university seats as well as in their hometowns.

Tory MPs Peter Bone and Christopher Chope said they would introduce a bill in Parliament in September to prevent voters registering twice.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association sent 32 independent observers to constituencies across Britain last month who warned that it was too easy to register more than once.

One register listing all voters, instead of 381 separate electoral databases, would end the practice, it added.

Although no data is available on the number of persons who registered twice, the ease with which this can be done undetected given the lack of a centralised register can place some strain on the respect of the obligation to ensure equality of the vote, it said.

It urged the government to give serious consideration to a streamlined single national recording all voters.

The Electoral Commission released a similar report earlier this week after Tory MPs warned that thousands of students had voted twice for Jeremy Corbyn.

Theresa May said that anyone who illegally voted twice should be reported to police. The row has led to calls for an outright ban on people registering to vote in more than one constituency

Election fraud: A Corbyn supporter took to Twitter to boast about voting twice

The watchdog said it was investigating the complaints together with the police and warned that a change in the law might be needed to catch offenders.

A similar suggestion was made by an Electoral Commission report released on Tuesday, which warned of troubling instances of double voting.

Voter registrations surged ahead of the June 8 election, with 500,000 more people registered than for the 2015 general election, taking the electorate to 46.8 million, the largest so far.

The warning comes as growing numbers of Conservative MPs have raised concerns that the election result could have been skewed by students voting twice.

Students are a significant group of voters who can register twice to vote in local elections, though voting twice in a general election is illegal.

Tory MPs believe thousands may have voted in two seats to increase Mr Corbyns chances of winning the election.

They were lured by his vow to scrap university tuition fees and write off current debts.

Tory MPs believe thousands may have voted in two seats to increase Mr Corbyns chances of winning the election

The commission said that it had received more than 1,000 emails from members of the public as well as 38 complaints from MPs.

Heather Wheeler, the South Derbyshire Tory MP, said that some students boasted on social media that they had voted four times.

Tory MP Peter Bone (pictured) will introduce a bill in Parliament to prevent double voting

Claire Bassett, the commissions chief executive, admitted that stronger safeguards were urgently needed.

Incorporating automatic checks into the online service [for voter registration] would be a key part of this, she told The Times Red Box.

These online check facilities are already offered to voters in various other countries . . . so should be urgently investigated here as well.

Karl McCartney, the former Tory MP who lost Lincoln to Labour last month, is investigating a phenomenal surge in voter registrations in the last 24 hours before the deadline.

Of the 3,200 people who registered to vote in Lincoln on May 22, the final day for registrations, about 500 were refused as they were already on the register, he said.

In Canterbury, another university constituency  which Labour won by 187 votes  Tory councillors have claimed that students voting twice could have swung the result.

Cat Smith, Labours shadow voter engagement minister, has urged caution against blanket action.

A review of electoral fraud conducted by Sir Eric Pickles last year suggested more stringent identity checks at polling stations.
Justin Simpson was in high spirits as he emerged from a Walmart in Florida on Thursday within hours of his father OJ's successful parole hearing.

The 28-year-old maintained a polite smile but ignored journalists' requests for comment on the news that his famous father will soon be released from prison.

Justin was just seven when his mother, OJ's ex-wife Nicole Brown, was brutally murdered outside her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, along with her friend Ron Goldman.

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Justin Simpson, 28, was seen leaving a Walmart in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday after his father's parole hearing

He was asleep inside with his sister Sydney who was nine at the time and is now 31.

OJ was famously acquitted of their killings in 1995. He was imprisoned in 2008 for armed robbery.

Neither Justin nor his older sister decided to show up for their father's parole hearing in Nevada on Thursday.

Their older half-sister Arnelle did show up and spoke in favor of him being released. Arnelle's brother Jason did not appear.

During the hearing, an upbeat OJ, now 70, revealed plans to move back to Florida upon his release. He may be freed as soon as October.

He spoke about Justin and his sister, telling the Nevada parole board when asked why he wanted to be freed: 'I have four kids. I've missed a lot of time with those kids.

'Ive done my time.'

Arnelle, OJ's daughter with his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, read aloud an emotional letter which helped secure her father's release.

'Thank you. I'm a little nervous, bear with me' said Arnelle while fighting back tears.

Simpson said nothing of the news of his father's impending release as he walked to his car accompanied by an unidentified woman

The 28-year-old made no comment as he hopped in to his car with his grocery bag in hand

OJ Simpson, 70, was granted parole at a hearing in Lovelock, Nevada, on Thursday

Justin's half-sister Arnelle spoke in favor of their father's release. She was the only one of his four children who attended the hearing

'As you know I'm here on behalf of my family. For the purpose of expressing what we believe is the true character of my father. No one really knows how much we have been through. This ordeal in the last nine years.

'My experience is that he's like my best friend and my rock. And as a family, we recognize that he is not the perfect man but he's clearly a man and a father that has done his best to behave the way that speaks to his overall nature and character.

'Which is always to be positive no matter what. He has spent the last nine years in Lovelock as we all know and has been a perfect inmate following all the rules and making the best of the situation.'

She referred to her 'sister and brother' but it's likely she was referring to her full-blood brother Jason and their deceased sister, Aaren, who died as a toddler after falling into a swimming pool.

She went in to a coma after being submerged in the water and never woke up.
An unprecedented threat from the EU to strip Polands leaders from having a say within the bloc moved a step closer yesterday after the country passed a controversial law removing judicial independence.

Polish officials have infuriated Brussels by introducing rules that could effectively bring its Supreme Court under the control of its ruling party.

Despite days of protests and strongly-worded threats from EU leaders, the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party escalated the stand-off by passing the law yesterday.

Andrzej Duda's government has repeatedly angered Brussels by passing laws that effectively bring its Supreme Court under the control of his party

While still needing approval by the countrys upper chamber, the latest rule will further raise the possibility of the EU taking sanctions dubbed a nuclear option against the country.

On Wednesday, the European Commissions number two Frans Timmermans said the bloc would trigger a previously unused law that would strip Poland of EU voting rights.

The article 7 procedure, which the EU said was very close to being triggered, can be used against member states that are repeatedly seen as breach of EU regulations.

Mr Timmermans said: If these laws are applied, justice will fall under political control.

He said the judicial reforms would effectively place the Polish judiciary under the full control of the countrys political leaders.

His warnings were echoed by European Council President Donald Tusk yesterday, who said: They [the laws] transport us - in the political sense - in time and in space: backwards and eastwards.

Bringing judges under the control of the governing party in the manner proposed by the Law and Justice Party (PiS) ruins an already tarnished public opinion of Polish democracy.

The situation, including at international level, is really serious.

Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, called the situation 'really serious' saying the laws breach 'high standards for public life'

The Brussels chief urged the countrys leaders to find a solution, as he accused Polish leaders of breaching high standards for public life.

He added: It has been a long time since Poland has been so talked about, and not for a very long time has the talk been so negative.

We may be able to stem this dangerous tendency, but it will require dialogue, a willingness to talk and swift decisions which are, for the people of Poland, positive.

Polands lower house of parliament, controlled by the PiS party, voted 235 to 192 in favour of the law giving the justice minister power to select candidates for the court yesterday.

The measure still needs to be adopted by the senate, also controlled by the PiS, and signed by President Andrzej Duda to become law.

Experts said that the move, the latest in a series of controversial political moves, was a violation of the rule of law because it subjects the judiciary to political power.

Stanislaw Mocek, of the Polish Academy of Sciences, said: The situation is very serious and could get out of hand.

The measure is only the latest in a slew of contested judicial reforms that the PiS says are necessary to make the judicial system more effective and fight against corruption.

The EU first warned Poland in early 2016 over court reforms of the constitutional court - whose main role is to check that laws comply with the constitution.

Those changes resulted in tilting the make-up of the court in the conservatives favour and installing a

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Warsaw and other cities across Poland this week to demonstrate against the Supreme Court reform, as well as two other pieces of judicial legislation.
One click  and I had bought a vintage Rolls-Royce. Another click  and I bought a second. Just like that. It might sound like something from your wildest dreams, but this was just an average evening for me. Successful, wealthy and at the pinnacle of my career, I had every luxury you could imagine.

A top executive at Google, I had personally started close to half of the company's worldwide operations. And even before I made it big at Google, you could certainly say that I was at the top of the tree. A former stock market trader, I had made a ton of money while working in Dubai.

I had a huge house. My colleagues and friends were similarly rich and successful. And to top it all, I had married my university sweetheart and had two beautiful children. My life had ticked every box.

Formula: Mo Gawdat was a former stock market trader, and made 'a ton of money' in Dubai. His 'life had ticked every box' but he was still feeling miserable (file pic)

My Rolls-Royces soon arrived. Exquisitely engineered, they were as perfect as my own existence appeared. I looked at them for 20 minutes. Then I left them in the garage without even opening a car door  and returned to my unhappy thoughts.

Yes, that's right. Despite attaining all the things the modern world tells us we need for happiness, I was profoundly miserable.

The bitter irony of my situation was deepened by the fact that one of my personal side projects was developing a scientific formula for happiness.

I wanted to find a 'code' that could be applied to deliver happiness every time. I spent thousands of hours trying to apply logic to the issue of happiness, in the hope of finding an algorithm to summarise how the brain processes joy and sadness. My son Ali, then a teenager, helped me, vetting many of my ideas.

Eventually, in 2010, young Ali and I came up with a formula: a few letters and mathematical symbols that I thought nailed the art of happiness.

Little did I imagine that the sudden death of my beloved boy when he was just 21  an earth-shattering, pointless event  would show me what fleets of cars and algorithms never could: the true meaning of happiness and how to be content, every day.

My path to finding the meaning of happiness began with a vision of unimaginable catastrophe.

Machines bleeped, tubes wove their terrible path in and out of my boy's body  and Ali lay there, unconscious in an intensive care unit. It was 2014, and my son had been rushed to hospital for the most routine of operations, an appendix removal.

Mo Gawdat (pictured) personally started many of the Google's worldwide operations

But something went wrong. A needle punctured a major artery and precious moments slipped by before the doctors realised the blunder.

Then a series of additional mistakes were made. The words 'agony' and 'despair' do not come even remotely close to how Ali's mother and I felt at the moment we realised we were going to lose our precious son.

We stood helplessly by his bedside, and I kissed his forehead. He looked so handsome, even in that state  as peaceful as I'd ever seen him.

We'd endured the worst night of our lives, as Ali was hooked up to machines, his life hanging delicately in the balance. We were tormented by the thought he might be in pain as his organs failed one by one.

Then came the moment to say goodbye. And as we left the hospital, leaving our 21-year-old son behind, our minds collapsed as grief set in, and penetrated every cell in my body.

The pain was like a spear piercing my heart. There were countless hours of tears, guilt and anger about what had happened, as well as my fear about having to exist in a world I could no longer contemplate without my beloved son.

Ali was kind, clever, loving and in the prime of his life, and losing him unexpectedly to preventable human error seemed unbearably cruel. How was I going to cope?

My feelings were all the more painful because Ali was the one person I would ordinarily seek out for comfort when times were hard. But now he was gone. Nothing made sense.

Video courtesy of unlimited.world

Without my son to anchor me, my thoughts spiralled and became toxic. 'That doctor murdered my son,' I thought. Then: 'What's the point of living even a day without him?'.

I couldn't stop wondering whether his death was somehow my fault. Could life be punishing me for something I'd inadvertently done? Was this a sort of karma for my success, for not realising how blessed my existence had been?

I spent excruciating days in this state, numb to the outside world. I was terrified of what might happen to my wife, my daughter  of what else this cruel life might take from me. How could I ever be happy again?

Someone suggested we pursue a medical negligence investigation and we were asked if an autopsy could be performed on Ali's body. I asked my wife what she wanted to do. She paused, then uttered the words that saved us: 'Will it bring Ali back?'

It was like a lighthouse cutting through the fog. Nothing we could do  nothing  would bring Ali back. Any thought beyond this simple truth was pointless.

It was the turning point I needed.

No doubt any parent reading this will wonder how I can say I am happy after I've lost a child. Of course, life today is nothing like what it was when Ali was alive. But I am happy, despite the tragedy of his death.

How? It's thanks to Ali. Deep down, I knew if I'd asked him Ali would say, with the precocious wisdom he was blessed with, 'I've already died, Papa. There is nothing you can do to change that, so make the best of it'.

In the purgatorial time after his death, I heard no other voice in my head but Ali's repeating those sentences. So when a negative thought popped into my mind I asked myself: 'What would Ali do or say in this situation?' It became a healing process.

When I angrily thought, 'That doctor murdered my son!', I would hear Ali's reply: 'Is that true? What doctor wakes up in the morning and says: "Today is the day I'm going to kill someone"?'

I am happy, despite the tragedy of his death. How? It's thanks to Ali. Deep down, I knew if I'd asked him Ali would say, with the precocious wisdom he was blessed with, 'I've already died, Papa. There is nothing you can do to change that, so make the best of it'

To my despairing howl, 'No one should die at such a young age,' Ali would answer: 'Is that true? Youngsters die by the thousands every hour of every day.'

As for the cry of all grieving parents, 'This is the worst thing that could have happened!', Ali's voice echoed in my mind, saying: 'Is that really true? I could have been diagnosed with a lingering cancer or drafted into the madness of war instead of leaving peacefully in my sleep.'

When I recriminated with myself, saying again and again, 'I drove you to the hospital myself. I should have known better', Ali would soothe me, saying: 'Is that true? You did what you thought was right. You wanted me to recover. No one could have known this was going to be how things turned out.'

And to my most common thought of all, 'I can't bear this pain, it will torture me for years and years,' Ali brought solace and clarity: 'Is that really true? You will live, and time will pass. The days will be long, and the years will be short. Instead of thinking about the years to come, focus on now. Do the best you can. Make me proud.'

And so, 17 days after that terrible night, I began to write. I felt compelled to follow Ali's advice and do something positive. Those writings eventually became a book, in which I sought to spread the true meaning of happiness  and it wasn't to be found in flashy cars or expensive gadgets.

And as I wrote, it brought my mind back to that algorithm I'd created with Ali. Except now I finally understood the meaning of my equation for happiness.

Because, as I had found, the more successful I became, the more happiness seemed to elude me.

Each time I reached the next rung of the corporate ladder, there would always be another goal just out of reach. Yet I couldn't stop myself working, striving to be better, wealthier, and ultimately, I hoped, happier.

I was driven by the misguided assumption that, sooner or later, all this effort would pay off and I'd find a pot of gold  happiness  at the end of my high-achievement rainbow. But it seemed like the more literal gold I accrued, the more miserable I became.

In the years where I worked myself into the ground in pursuit of more success, I was probably pushy and unpleasant  even at home. I spent too little time appreciating the remarkable woman I'd married and not enough time with my wonderful children or pausing to enjoy each day as it unfolded.

All the while I treated happiness as something I needed to succeed at, a puzzle that my rational brain needed to solve. I spent almost ten years investigating the mathematics behind happiness, and eventually developed an equation: a well-engineered model of happiness and how to sustain it.

Yet despite finding the 'secret' to happiness, I did nothing to implement this into my own life.

Then came Ali's death  and my own moment of reckoning when I was forced to confront my secret equation head-on.

So what is the magic formula, I hear you ask. It's H  e  E. Or in other words: happiness is greater than or equal to the events of life, minus the expectations of life.

What I discovered was that, for most, happiness is the default setting. Children are born happy. But as we move through life, we grow out of that happy state.

As we strive for more, flashes of unhappiness appear every time life misses our expectations. The key to happiness, I concluded, lay in controlling the way we compare the events of our life with our expectations. It lay in being content with what we have in the present moment, rather than striving for the intangible 'more'.

Until Ali's death, I didn't apply this discovery to my own life. But his departure forced my hand.

That's not to say the pain of losing my son isn't still very real. Indeed, it will never go away. Every time I remember Ali I weep.

But I have learned there's a difference between pain and suffering. Pain is a mechanism the body uses to keep us alive  it protects us from further suffering. We learn from our pain.

Suffering, however, is not useful. It is a cycle where a thought causes more anguish through feelings of guilt. Pain should be enough of a motivation to improve your life.

And so, the minute I feel the pain of Ali's death, which I feel every time I miss him, instead of self-flagellation and guilt, I think 'What can I do about it? How can I make the world slightly better even though Ali is not in it?'. It has taught me that we are all in charge of our lives, our destiny and, ultimately, our happiness.

Because happiness really can be controlled. Anyone can be happy  even in the face of what appeared to be an unparalleled catastrophe like mine. Happiness is about filling your mind with beautiful memories, and finding reasons to be truly thankful, despite the pain life can bring.

And so sometimes I find it easier to think of Ali as a kind guest who was just visiting, but who brought light and happiness to our home.

The 21 years with him zoomed by, and if we'd had another 21 years together, they would have zoomed by just as fast. And even that wouldn't have been enough.

So instead of thinking about losing him, I try to be grateful that we had him at all. I've changed my expectations. Rather than thinking that my son should never have died, I choose to be grateful for the times we had, rather than mourn the times we didn't.

Happiness is not about what the world gives you  whether it's a lottery win or the loss of a child  it's about what you think about what the world gives you.

It's not always easy, but it's an exercise I run through many times a day. I think of it like going to the gym  I'm getting better at it all the time.

I'm glad to say I've helped many others, too; those who have found peace through mine and Ali's discovery. One interview I did with Channel 4 has had 32 million hits and counting.

Yes, my heart aches. Yes, I want my son back by my side more than anything in the world. But I understand that I can't have him  and so I have made the commitment and choose to be happy instead.

Interview by LOUISE ATKINSON
Authorities in Florida say a group of teens ages 14 to 16 broke no laws when they were filmed on amateur cell phone video laughing while they watched a 32-year-old disabled man drown in a nearby pond.

The sickening footage was filmed just after noon on July 9 in Cocoa, Florida, when Jamel Dunn was seen pleading for help while the teens stood by and mocked him, according to Florida Today.

Dunn is heard in the video screaming for help in the final moments of his life as he struggles to keep his body afloat in the water.

Authorities in Florida say a group of teens ages 14 to 16 broke no laws when they were filmed on amateur cell phone video laughing while they watched a 32-year-old disabled man drown in a nearby pond. The man is seen above in a pond from a distance as he struggles to stay afloat

The sickening footage was filmed just after noon on July 9 in Cocoa, Florida, when Jamel Dunn was seen pleading for help while the teens stood by and mocked him. The images above show Dunn in the final moments of his life

Dunn is heard in the video screaming for help in the final moments of his life as he struggles to keep his body afloat in the water

Prosecutors in Brevard County released the video to the press, calling the incident a 'tragedy' while denouncing the teenagers for taking no action to help Dunn.

Authorities said there was 'no moral justification' for the behavior of the teens.

Police became aware of the video after it went viral on social media.

Dunn's body was extricated from the pond three days later.

Authorities said the teens warned Dunn, who walks with a cane, not to enter the water.

'The kids were at the park that day smoking marijuana and apparently saw him walk into the water. He walked in on his own. They were watching him,' said Yvonne Martinez, Cocoa Police Department spokesperson.

'(The teens) were telling him they weren't going in after him and that 'you shouldn't have gone in there,'' the spokesperson said.

Even when it became apparent that Dunn was having trouble in the water, none of the boys called 911.

Dunn's sister launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral costs

'He started to struggle and scream for help and they just laughed,' Martinez said.

'They didn't call the police. They just laughed the whole time. He was just screaming  for someone to help him.'

As Dunn fights to stay alive, the teens mercilessly taunt him.

'Get out the water, you gonna die' one teen shouted.

Another yelled at Dunn, saying, 'ain't nobody fixing to help you, you dumb (expletive).'

When Dunn loses his struggle to stay alive in the water, one of the teens is heard in the video saying: 'Oh, he just died.'

The entire group is then heard breaking out in laughter.

After the video went viral, a family friend of Dunn notified police.

When officers interviewed the teens, none of them expressed remorse.

During one interview, an officer says one of the teens just stared straight ahead and offered 'only a smirk' while the boy's mother cried.

Dunn's family was outraged.

Simone Scott, his sister, believes that the teens should be charged with a crime.

'My brother is disabled and walks with a caneplease make it make sense to me,' she said.

But prosecutors could not find any evidence of a crime.

'We are deeply saddened and shocked at both the manner in which Mr. Dunn lost his life and the actions of the witnesses to this tragedy,' the State Attorney's Office said in a statement.

'While the incident depicted on the recording does not give rise to sufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution under Florida statutes, we can find no moral justification for either the behavior of persons heard on the recording or the deliberate decision not to render aid to Mr. Dunn.'

Investigators said Dunn had gotten into an argument with his fiancee at the pond about 15 minutes before the drowning.

The fiancee left the scene and Dunn stayed, according to police.

Scott has set up a GoFundMe page asking donors to help defray the cost of the funeral.
Police chiefs have seized on figures showing officer numbers had fallen to their lowest level in 30 years - despite officials admitting the records were not directly comparable.

New figures showed there were 123,142 officers across all ranks in England and Wales at the end of March. This was a fall of 924  or 0.7 per cent - on the previous year.

The release led to grumbles from senior officers that their forces are stretched, even though police strength is still higher than when Tony Blair came to power in 1997.

New figures showed there were 123,142 officers across all ranks in England and Wales at the end of March. This was a fall of 924  or 0.7 per cent - on the previous year

In addition to regular officers, there were 10,213 community support officers  meaning there were a total of 133,355 uniformed personnel in the countries 43 forces.

It was broadly similar to the 133,685 on the streets when PCSOs were introduced in 2003. And it is thought to be a higher number than were pounding the beat before then.

Despite this, the Home Office insisted police strength was at its lowest number at the end of a financial year since like-for-like records began in 1996.

A report added: Records earlier than this are not directly compara-ble; however, they indicate this is the lowest number of officers since 1985.

Police staffing levels have come under the spotlight recently as Britain has suffered a spate of terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.

Chief constables have warned that the growing burden, including rises in violence and knife crime, sex attacks and fraud, means forces cannot cope with further budget squeezes.

Scotland Yard is also mounting a major investigation into the Grenfell Tower inferno.

Earlier this week, it emerged retired Metropolitan Police officers had been asked to consider returning to work because of the unprece-dented demand.

Senior officers and the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file bobbies, have bemoaned the axe falling.

Police staffing levels have come under the spotlight recently as Britain has suffered a spate of terrorist attacks in London and Manchester

Between 1997-98 and 2009-10, direct Government funding for the police soared in real terms from 7.4billion to 9.5billion  a staggering 28 per cent.

But after Labour led the UK into the most calamitous recession since before the Second World War, the incoming Tory-led Coalition insisted forces could no longer be showered in gold.

Ministers forced chief constables to tighten their belts. Central government funding to police forces fell by 2.3billion  or 25 per cent  between 2010-11 and 2015-16. However, the Government has pro-tected overall police funding in real terms since the spending review in 2015.

Downing Street said the figures showed that 7,500 officers joined the police last year.

A spokesman said this was the the highest figure for new joiners in eight years, adding: It shows that policing does remain an attrac-tive career for people that has many benefits.

It should also be said that police forces have become more efficient in recent years and have proven that you can continue to provide an efficient service to the public with a smaller and more agile work-force.

Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation, said: What more of a wake-up call does the government need? Officer numbers are dropping consistently every year yet our members are having to deal with not only more crimes, but the most unimaginable atrocities such as those in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge.

Particularly worrying is the drop in frontline and neighbourhood of-ficers when we all know that community policing is fundamental in tackling both traditional crimes like burglary and the terror threat.

Between 1997-98 and 2009-10, direct Government funding for the police soared in real terms from 7.4billion to 9.5billion  a staggering 28 per cent

But Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies think-tank, said: After the unnecessarily high and unsus-tainable police officer numbers in the decade leading up to the 2010 General Election, we are seeing a return to a more historically nor-mal level of policing.

Given advances in technology and the productivity gains this brings, the current generation of police officers ought to be able to achieve more than their equivalents of thirty years ago.

Over the past thirty years, the police have expanded their reach in-to a range of non-crime areas. In 2015, the College of Policing esti-mated that that non-crime incidents accounted for 84 per cent of all incoming calls to command and control centres.

What is needed is a managed and strategic withdrawal of policing from those areas of public life they should not be involved in. This would allow them to focus on the serious public protection challenges that should be their core focus.

Police Minister Nick Hurd said: Overall police funding has been pro-tected in real terms since the Spending Review in 2015 and we will always ensure forces have the resources they need to do their vitally important work.

The overall number of police officers in England and Wales has risen in the six months to March 2017, while the number of new officers joining forces has increased by almost 60 per cent since 2015-16.
Ministers were last night facing a backlash from MPs after ditching long awaited plans to modernise railways in Wales, Midlands and the North.

The government promised five years ago to make the railway network faster and greener by electrifying lines in these regions of the UK.

It boasted a new fleet of electric trains would generate jobs, boost economic growth and slash journey times.

But yesterday  on the last day before MPs break for the summer recess  the government revealed a change in course.

The government promised five years ago to make the railway network faster and greener by electrifying lines in Wales, Midlands and the North

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said the government will instead introduce bi-mode trains on the Midland Mainline and the Great Western Main Line.

These have diesel engines but are also part electric, meaning they can run on electric sections of the track.

He said the new bi-mode trains would also be faster, have more seats and will have better onboard facilities.

New Intercity Express trains which will have over 130 more seats and faster services will serve passengers in Wales.

Mr Grayling said passengers would reap the benefits sooner and experience less disruption compared with electrification, which would require overhead wires and masts to be erected along the route.

The decision affects lines between Cardiff and Swansea, Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, and between Windemere and Oxenholme.

But the U-Turn sparked an outcry from politicians whose constituents have been waiting for years for their local railway to be electrified.

MPs raised concerns that part diesel trains will be noisier and emit more carbon emissions than their electric alternatives.

There was also anger about how much time and money has been wasted on electrification.

Paul Blomfeld, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central  which is on the Midland Mainline route - told BBC Radio Sheffield: I cant begin to tell you how angry I feel about it.

Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru wrote on Twitter: Wales is in a club of just three countries in Europe with not one inch of electrified rail to date. The other two are Albania & Moldova.

The chair of the commons Public Accounts Committee, Meg Hillier, described it as a shambles and said residents in these parts of the country have been waiting in vain for years.

The decision affects lines between Cardiff and Swansea, Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, and between Windemere and Oxenholme

Even BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, who comes from Bridgen in Wales, egihed in.

He wrote on Twitter: Confession - being impartial is sometimes very difficult: Rail electrification between Cardiff and Swansea scrapped.

MPs were also angered by the decision to slip out the announcement on the day parliament rises for the summer recess, and the failure of Chris Grayling to explain the decision in the Commons.

Labours shadow transport secretary accused Mr Grayling of taking people for a ride.

Labours shadow transport secretary accused Mr Grayling (pictured) of taking people for a ride

Network Rail - which is overseen by the Department of Transport - made optimistic forecasts eight years ago about how cheaply it could electrify some of Britains busiest lines.

But its botched electrification of the Great Western line between Maidenhead and Cardiff unnerved ministers.

The budget for the much delayed project soared from 874million in 2013 to 2.8 billion two years later.

MPs on the commons Public Accounts Committee described the debacle as a stark example of how not to run a project.

Responding to yesterdays decision, chairwoman Meg Hillier said: This is a real shambles. The government has stopped and started this so many times . So much time and money has been wasted by not planning properly.

Weve now had five years of faffing around, with residents and local businesses waiting in vain for improvements. Its shocking.

Stephen Kinnock, Labour MP for Aberavon, described the announcement as a body blow for Wales.

He said: For years now the Tory government in Westminster has been promising that it will deliver full mainline rail electrification from Paddington to Swansea. Today we have seen that those promises were not worth the paper they were written on.

Electric trains accelerate more quickly and are faster on straight sections of track. But they can be slower than diesel trains on windy routes.

This is another reason why ministers say they have ditched plans to extend electrification of the railways in Wales, for example.

The row comes amid growing concern among MPs and campaign groups that the government is spending too much of its rail budget and resources on HS2, rather than on improving the existing railways.

The official budget for the high speed line is 55.7 billion, but analysis published at the weekend warned it could cost double that by the time it is completed.

Mr Grayling has dismissed these figures as wild rumours, insisting HS2 is on time and on budget.

Yesterday he said: We are making the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorian era and upgrading services across the country, including in Wales, the midlands and the north.
Harrowing photos showed the moment Illinois firefighters battled to free a young man and boy who were trapped inside a blazing car as passersby watched in horror.

Several people rushed to the aid of the vehicle's occupants, including Branden Gilliam, who was in a nearby restaurant when the accident happened.

The 25-year-old says the passenger-side door was jammed, forcing him to try to get the boy out on the driver's side.

Harrowing photos showed the moment firefighters battled to free a young man and boy who were trapped inside a blazing car as passersby watched in horror

Several people rushed to the aid of the vehicle's occupants, including Branden Gilliam, who was in a nearby restaurant when the accident happened. The 25-year-old says the passenger-side door was jammed, forcing him to try to get the boy out on the driver's side

The child somehow freed himself and was able to climb through the sunroof of the burning car.

Both victims were taken to area hospitals with severe burns before being airlifted to St Louis for treatment.

Their identities and conditions were not available late Thursday.

'It is pretty clear speed was involved,' Capt Scott Golike of the Alton Police Department told The Telegraph in Alton.

Gilliam was having lunch at a Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell restaurant when the fiery crash occurred around 1.20pm.

'Someone said there was a fire outside and I ran out. I tried to get the little boy out, but his leg was stuck on the passenger side,' he said.

'I tried to get him out of the driver's side across the man's lap. The man there was unconscious,' he told the Telegraph.

'It broke me down, trying to rescue the boy,' Gilliam said, adding that the child was seriously burned.

The child eventually was able to climb through the sunroof of the burning car. Both victims were taken to area hospitals with severe burns before being airlifted to St Louis for treatment. Passersby looked on in horror after trying to help free the victims from the blaze

Alton Fire Chief Bernie Sebold, who arrived ahead of his equipment, used a fire extinguisher to try and reach the driver of car. The Alton Police Department's Traffic Division is investigating the crash

According to witnesses, the car hit the rear end of a moving, dark blue Nissan Versa that a woman was driving. The woman was not injured.

Officer Ryan Parker, of the Alton Police Department, was the first emergency responder on the scene and used an extinguisher on the burning car until firefighters could arrive, according to the Telegraph.

Alton Fire Department firefighters, along with Alton Memorial Ambulance Service and LifeStar Ambulance Service paramedics, treated the victims on the scene.

The Alton Police Department's Traffic Division is investigating the crash.
An effort to bring Nebraska's landline-era 911 system into the smartphone age is trudging forward, but it's unclear how soon emergency dispatchers will be able to harness technologies such as live-streaming video or iPhone photos of crime scenes.

If anything, a hearing Thursday at the state Capitol showed just how far there is to go.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission and a public safety consulting firm, Mission Critical Partners, have studied the transition to Next-Generation 911 since at least 2013 and were tasked by lawmakers last year with crafting a plan for its implementation.

That report is due back to the Legislature by Dec. 1, but in a 100-page draft released ahead of Thursday's hearing, the consultants and commission still hadn't settled on a path forward.

Instead, the draft plan offers three options for the new system, ranging from a site-by-site revamp of the state's existing 911 centers to an overhaul that would combine all 70 centers  called public-safety answering points, or PSAPs  into six or 10 regional locations.

A decision there, whenever it comes, could rile up communities who fear losing their locally run 911 centers or, alternatively, frustrate Next-Generation 911 backers who view the transition as a prime chance to consolidate services and save costs.

"Deployment will be a complicated and evolving process," said Eric Caddey, a senior project manager at Mission Critical Partners, during Thursday's hearing.

Another lingering question is how much the upgrade will cost. Rough estimates in the report range from $6.3 million per year to $8.2 million, depending which model is chosen, but several people predicted the price tag would be much higher.

County 911 officials who testified Thursday fear much of the costs might fall to local taxpayers, or worse  that consolidation could hinder emergency services.

"Sometimes we dont ask ourselves the simple question of: Are we getting better to get worse? said Columbus Police Capt. Todd Thalken, who manages 911 in Platte County.

While most local 911 officials said good things about the plan, nearly all raised concerns about whether a new way of distributing surcharges from people's phone bills to local PSAPs would be fair and properly account for the costs associated with the upgrades.

David Sleeter, 911 director in Douglas County, said Next-Generation 911 will require dispatchers to decipher things like text messages and videos, instead of just a caller's voice.

"I think people are not realizing the need for the training thats going to be involved, and the additional staffing."

None of those specifics can be sorted out until the Public Service Commission decides how it wants the new system to look, said Loel Brooks, a wireless industry representative who chided Mission Critical and the commission for not crafting a more specific vision or timeline.

"This is not a plan. This is a consolidation of observations," Brooks said.

For example, state law requires the commission to recommend a specific number of 911 centers that should be retained, but the draft says Mission Critical continues to support "organic regionalization."

"It means that were just going to design the system and let what happens happen," Brooks said.

The report was crafted with input from law enforcement and rescue workers, the telecommunications industry, and state and local governments.

David Sankey, the commission's 911 director, said his staff is still working with Mission Critical Partners, and the final draft of their plan will reflect input from Thursday's hearing, written comments and a second public hearing the commission will host sometime in September.

In the meantime, eight 911 centers in Nebraska have added text-to-911 capability, considered an interim step that relies on different technology than Next-Generation 911. In those communities, people can request emergency help via text message or by phone call.
28-year-old Kia Hampton was arrested on May 28 for smuggling marijuana into the Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio which she was allegedly trying to give to Jeremy Kelly, an inmate at the prison

A former beauty pageant winner from Kentucky has been accused of smuggling marijuana into an Ohio prison for an inmate.

28-year-old Kia Hampton was arrested on May 28 for smuggling marijuana into the Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio which she was allegedly trying to give to Jeremy Kelly, an inmate at the prison.

Hampton was crowned Miss Kentucky USA in 2011 and was the first black woman chosen to represent Kentucky in the Miss USA Pageant.

Hampton was served a search warrant upon arriving at the Allen Correctional Institution on May 26 for an inmate visit.

Officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol listened to phone calls and found enough evidence to warrant a cavity search, according to the Courier Journal.

While interrogating the Louisville, Kentucky, native, she supposedly reached into her pants let and pushed a white balloon to the floor.

Officials would then determine that she was carrying 2.82 grams off weed into the jail, Assistant Allen County Prosecutor Kenneth Sturgill said.

Hampton (pictured with Stephanie Jones was crowned Miss Kentucky USA in 2011 and was the first black woman chosen to represent Kentucky in the Miss USA Pageant

The third-degree felony charge of bringing drugs onto government facility grounds carries a maximum three-year prison sentence upon conviction

The former beauty queen was indicted on July 13.

The third-degree felony charge of bringing drugs onto government facility grounds carries a maximum three-year prison sentence upon conviction.

She is scheduled to be arraigned on July 26 in Allen County.
A masterplan to build an exclusive Muslim enclave complete with a mosque and apartments has been shut down by Brisbane City Council amidst heavy opposition from the local community.

The Australian International Islamic College lodged plans to add an Islamic mosque, 120 residential apartments, childcare centre, medical centre and retail space to its existing site at Durack, in Brisbane's southern outskirts.

Residents opposed to building a sprawling Muslim-only gated community sprawling across 2.7 hectares of land lodged a petition with the council in May, arguing it was incompatible with the area's multicultural values.

A masterplan to build an exclusive Muslim enclave complete with a mosque and apartments has been shut down by Brisbane City Council. Pictured is the Australian International Islamic College, which lodged the plans to expand its existing site

Residents opposed to the Islamic College's (pictured) plans lodged a petition with the council in May, arguing it was incompatible with the area's multicultural values

On Thursday afternoon, the council rejected plans for a proposed residential building, aged care and shops on the school ground, the Brisbane Times reported.

Plans for extra classrooms, boarding facilities, a preschool childcare centre and a place of worship for students were all approved, as well as a new medical centre outside the school.

Councillor Julian Simmonds, Chairman of city planning, said most of the opposition had centred on the school expanding its non-education related activities.

'Council has heard this feedback and this approval specifically prevents the college from expanding into an exclusive gated community,' Cr Simmonds said.

'Under state planning laws, council is required to assess all development applications without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, politics or personality.

'Several new classrooms have been approved for the college and a preschool childcare centre.'

Brisbane City Council rejected plans for a residential building, aged care and shops, but approved extra classrooms, boarding facilities, a childcare centre and mosque (approval documents pictured)

Councillor Julian Simmonds, Chairman of city planning, said most of the opposition had centred on the school expanding its non-education related activities

Cr Simmonds defended the decision to build a two-storey mosque covering 1,970 square metres for the Islamic school, saying it was 'common practice'.

Speaking in May, Labor councillor Steve Griffiths said he was opposed to the development proposal for 724 Blunder Road, however he stressed this was on planning and not religious grounds.

'The impact on other local residents' amenity appears well beyond that expected of its use as community facilities - educational purposes,' he said in a submission obtained by Quest Newspapers.

The existing site is already home to the college, which caters for students from kindergarten to year 12.

It is near Inala, which is home to a large Vietnamese community, and the Wacol prison, which both fall with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's Inala electorate.
A makeshift memorial for a school teacher who died in a horrific accident has been removed just days after a man threatened to rip it down because it's 'ugly and disrespectful.'

Lana Hufnagl, 57, died on July 9 when the car she was riding in as a passenger crashed on The Panorama in Tallai on the Gold Coast. Her husband, Peter Dowker, was driving the vehicle and is in hospital in stable condition.

Following her death, Ms Hufnagl's grieving family and the community created a memorial of flowers and children's drawings on a tree near the fatal crash, according to The Gold Coast Bulletin.

On Thursday, her family was horrified to discover that the memorial had been taken down and the tree was missing - just one day after the beloved grandmother's funeral.

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Lana Hufnagl, 57, died on July 9 when her car crashed on The Panorama, in Tallai

A makeshift memorial for a school teacher was torn down one day after her funeral (pictured)

It comes just hours after a local man who claimed the memorial was on his property told The Sunshine Coast Daily a day prior he was going to remove the decorations and tree because 'it's a pile of [expletive] bullshit.'

'It's on our property, no one asked us if they could put it there and they just shoved this [expletive] memorial in our front yard and we're [expletive] off about it. It's ugly and it's disrespectful and it's not going to bring the person back,' the homeowner said.

Family friend Vicki Moakes said the removal of the memorial has upset Ms Hufnagl's already devastated family.

'I went up this morning [yesterday] to check the flowers because it was all very windy and they'd blown over a little bit. Everything was gone,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'He's saying it is his property ... it's a council verge and he owns half of that verge  he's even got little pegs along there to mark his property out.'

Her family was horrified to discover that not only had the memorial been removed but the tree was missing (pictured)

Her husband, Peter Dowker, was driving the vehicle and is in hospital in stable condition

Ms Hufnagl's daughter, who asked to not be named, described her mother as 'beautiful, down to earth, caring, fun lady' who retired from teaching at Mudgeeraba State School two years ago.

Simon Howe, who lives near the memorial on The Panorama, said he is shocked the memorial has been removed and told 9News he and his family had nothing to do with it.

'It's still a pretty terrible time for families. It came as a bit of a shock to me and my family, we certainly had nothing to do with removing that and our feelings and condolences still go out to the family and their tragic loss,' he said.

The city council is looking into installing a guard rail along the road to prevent further fatalities.
A flamboyant fugitive monk accused of raping a 14-year-old girl has been extradited back to Thailand after fleeing to the US.

Photographs show Wirapol Sukphol, 37, smiling widely clad in orange robes as he is escorted under police guard in Bangkok.

Wirapol was catapulted to infamy after footage of him aboard a private jet flaunting wads of cash and Louis Vuitton luggage.

After the video surfaced in 2013, Wirapol was accused of child molestation and fraud sparking his expulsion from monkhood.

Wirapol Sukphol, 37, smiled widely clad in orange robes as he is escorted under police guard in Bangkok to face a number of charges

The flamboyant monk was catapulted to infamy after footage of him aboard a private jet flaunting wads of cash and Louis Vuitton luggage

The disgraced cleric faces fraud and money laundering charges, and is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years.

At the height of his wealth, Wirapol amassed an estimated one billion baht ($AUD38 million) in assets including 22 Mercedes cars worth 95 million baht ($AUD3.5 million), according to police.

His lavish lifestyle is strongly at odds with Buddhist teachings and a monk's vow to shun material goods.

Born in the poverty-stricken province of Ubon Ratchathani, Wirapol was welcomed into the monkhood as a teenager.

Probes seized millions of dollars in lavish assets including this Mercedez Benz, which is contrary to Buddhist teachings and a monk's vow to shun material goods

At the height of his wealth, Wirapol had amassed estimated 1 billion baht ($AUD38 million) in assets

The disgraced cleric faces fraud, money laundering and other charges including allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl

The monk, who has denied the charges, was taken to Bangkok Remand Prison after the hearing

He soon gained wealthy followers for claims of supernatural powers and being the reincarnation of a miracle-performing monk who lived decades ago.

Wirapol, who fathered a child with the girl he raped, was arrested in California last year and this week returned to home-soil.

He denied the charges before he was taken to Bangkok Remand Prison.

His arrest is the latest in a raft of scandals to rock Thailand's Buddhist clergy, including extortion, sex, drugs, gambling and murder.
An 86-year-old man was dramatically arrested on a major freeway after shots were fired into a Melbourne brothel.

Police rushed to Romantics on Colebrook Street in Brunswick about 9.50am on Wednesday after reports of a shooting.

The alleged gunman, who was reportedly armed with a shotgun, fled the scene before officers arrived and no injuries were reported.

An 86-year-old man was dramatically arrested on a major freeway after shots were fired in a Melbourne brothel

Police rushed to the adult venue on Colebrook Street in Brunswick (pictured) about 9.50am on Wednesday after reports of a shooting but he was already gone

Armed police at 11.25am pulled over an orange sedan to the side of the Calder Freeway and arrested the elderly man in connection with the shooting.

The man shot himself in the stomach as special operations officers approached the car and was rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

The brothel, located over the road from Moreland train station, has been open for 25 years with services starting from $95.

It specialises in Asian women, boasting that its 'exquisite' workers are from China, Korea, Japan and many other countries.

The alleged gunman, who was reportedly armed with a shotgun, left the scene before officers arrived and no injuries were reported
Sylvia Jeffreys has hit out at Anthony Albanese after he likened tensions within the Liberal Party to a 'cage fight'.

Appearing on the Today show on Friday, Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese claimed Tony Abbott would try to 'roll' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at a conference this weekend.

When Mr Albanese referred to the Liberal Party as a 'cage fight' that was bringing 'Australia down with them', Jeffreys quipped 'there's something about glass houses there I think Anthony'.

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When Mr Albanese refered to the Liberal Party as a 'cage fight' that was bringing 'Australia down with them', Sylvia Jeffreys (pictured) quipped 'there's something about glass houses there I think Anthony'

Ms Jeffreys' remark referenced the Labor Party's years of in-fighting whereby former prime minister Kevin Rudd was knifed by Julia Gillard before returning to the top job after years of dispute.

The infamous tensions within the Labor Party kicked off when former prime minister Julia Gillard challenged Kevin Rudd for the leadership in 2010.

Ms Gillard was sworn in as the first female Prime Minsiter that year, before going on to win the election unopposed.

Her tenure was short lived.

Infamous tensions within the Labor Party kicked off when former prime minister Julia Gillard challenged Kevin Rudd for the leadership in 2010

Mr Rudd exacted his revenge on Ms Gillard when he defeated her in a leadership ballot 57-45 in 2013.

Ms Jeffreys' remark left Anthony Albanese appearing somewhat bemused.

Mr Albanese failed to acknowledge Ms Jeffreys' remark and the two opposing frontbenchers continued to knock heads during their appearance on the morning television show.

Mr Albanese failed to acknowledge Ms Jeffreys' remark and the two opposing frontbenchers, Mr Pyne and Mr Albanese, continued to knock heads during their appearance on the morning television show

Ms Jeffreys went on to ask Mr Pyne (pictured) how relationships were holding up within the Liberal Party following weeks of rising tensions between former prime minister Tony Abbott and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Ms Jeffreys went on to ask Mr Pyne how relationships were holding up within the Liberal Party following weeks of rising tensions between Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.

Ms Jeffreys asked specifically how Mr Pyne's relationship was with Mr Abbott after it was revealed he did not support him during his prime ministership.

'When did you last speak with Mr Abbott,' she said.

Mr Pyne said he spoke to Mr Abbott at the last parliamentary sitting last fortnight, adding 'I'm friends with everyone on our side of politics'.

Ms Jeffreys asked specifically how Mr Pyne's relationship was with Mr Abbott (pictured) after it was revealed he did not support him during his prime ministership

In tapes leaked in June, Mr Pyne was heard boasting he voted for Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) to take over from Mr Abbott as prime minister

His answer prompted co-host Karl Stefanovic to jump in and suggest everything was not all smooth sailing.

'(Tony Abbott) doesn't speak highly of you mate,' Stefanovic said.

In tapes leaked in June, Mr Pyne was heard boasting he voted for Malcolm Turnbull to take over from Mr Abbott as prime minister.

Mr Abbot blasted the frontbencher for his disloyalty and accused him of not being 'fair dinkum' with the Australian public.
Two quick-thinking police officers have saved a four-week-old unresponsive baby from choking to death after the infant's distressed parents ran to them for help.

Sergeant Christopher White and Constable Alice Campbell were driving on duty near the intersection of Cairlea Drive and Station Road, Deer Park when they were stopped by the couple at about 9.30pm on Tuesday.

The worried parents revealed to them that their baby was not breathing and needed a lift to the Western General Hospital in Footscray.

Sgt Christopher White (left) and Constable Alice Campbell (right) with the baby they saved

The officers wasted no time radioing the hospital and asking them to prepare for their arrival.

Sergeant White instructed the father to carry out CPR on the baby as they drove.

While the father performed CPR, Constable Campbell maintained the child's airway.

The boy began breathing as the police car reached the hospital premises, where he was rushed inside.

Fortunately, the boy is now back to full health thanks to the efforts of White and Campbell.

The duo were reunited with the baby on Thursday and had taken a photo with the infant along with the parents known as the Nguyen family reports the Herald Sun.

The patrolling police officers were driving on duty when they were flagged by the parents

In the photo, Sgt White can be seen holding the baby, who was clad in a dark-blue onesie, while Constable Campbell stands beside him smiling.

'This result is the highlight of my 18-year career,' Sgt White said.

'This is why I joined Victoria Police, such a beautiful family and a great outcome,' Constable Campbell added.
President Donald Trumps two eldest sons are reportedly unhappy over being left out of their fathers administration while he relies on their brother-in-law as a trusted advisor.

Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump are said to be envious of all of the attention toward Jared Kushner, PEOPLE is reporting on Thursday.

Sources close to the family are saying that the two brothers, who were given control of the Trump Organization after their father won the presidency last November, miss being at the center of the action.

All the attention to Jared is a bit of a sore point and they feel left out of the fun in DC, a source said.

President Donald Trumps two eldest sons - Eric Trump (right) and Donald Jr (left) are reportedly unhappy over being left out of their fathers administration while he relies on their brother-in-law as a trusted advisor. The two are seen in the above November 14, 2016 photo

Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump are said to be envious of all of the attention toward Jared Kushner. Kushner is seen right with his wife, Ivanka Trump, at the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, last week

Kushner, the 36-year-old son of real estate developer Charles Kushner, became a member of the Trump family in 2009, when he married the presidents eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump.

Jared Kushner served as a senior adviser to his father-in-law during his presidential campaign.

After Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the election, Kushner resigned as CEO of Kushner Companies and as publisher of the Observer newspaper.

Kushner has since taken up a position as a top aide with a wide range of responsibilities in Trumps White House, including relations with key countries like China, Canada, and Mexico, and overall responsibility for the Middle East peace process.

The magazine quotes anonymous sources close to the family as saying that the two brothers, who were given control of the Trump Organization after their father won the presidency last November, miss being at the center of the action. Melania Trump is seen far left

Ivanka Trump has also assumed a role in the White House, advising her father on womens issues.

What is particularly irksome to the two brothers, according to sources, is a Forbes magazine cover story from December 2016 in which a smiling Kushner is pictured under the title: THIS GUY GOT TRUMP ELECTED.

'Don worked on the campaign and Jared gets the big Forbes cover and they make him out to be a big genius,' says the family source, 'and Don is like, "No, I worked on the campaign too!"'

While Don Jr, 39, and Eric, 33, relished their roles as surrogates during the campaign, they are now struggling to come to terms with the fact that theyve been relegated to minding the family business in New York while their father leans on Kushner and their sister in the White House.

'During the campaign, the brothers thrived on being the spokespeople and speaking at rallies and being very visible,' a family source tells PEOPLE.

'Jared was able to build much more influence and power by doing exactly the opposite.'

Kushner has since taken up a position as a top aide with a wide range of responsibilities in Trumps White House. His wife, Ivanka Trump, has also assumed a role, advising her father on womens issues. Trump, Kushner, and Ivanka Trump are seen at the White House on March 17

What is particularly irksome to the two brothers, according to sources, is a Forbes magazine cover story from December 2016 in which a smiling Kushner is pictured under the title: THIS GUY GOT TRUMP ELECTED

The source cautions, however, that its not like [the brothers feel] outward hostility toward their brother-in-law.

Donald Jr can at least take solace in the fact that he has made front-page news this month as part of the burgeoning Russia scandal engulfing his fathers administration.

The eldest Trump son admitted to meeting a Russian lawyer last year after he was led to believe that she had incriminating information against Clinton.

The meeting also included Kushner and Paul Manafort, who was the Trump campaign chairman at the time.

The revelations have further fuelled suspicions that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government to undermine Clinton and tilt the election in their favor  something that the president and his associated have long denied.

The Kremlin has also denied interfering in the election.

Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort have been asked to appear before US Senate committees next week to answer questions about the campaign's alleged connections to Russia, officials said on Wednesday.

Donald Jr admitted earlier this month to meeting a Russian lawyer last year after he was led to believe that she had incriminating information against Hillary Clinton

The three men are the closest associates of the president to be called to speak to lawmakers involved in probing Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Trump, who came into office in January, has been dogged by allegations that his campaign officials were connected to Russia, which US intelligence agencies have accused of interfering in last year's election.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee said on Wednesday that it had called Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and Manafort to testify on July 26 at a hearing.

Kushner is scheduled to be interviewed by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Monday, July 24, behind closed doors.

'Working with and being responsive to the schedules of the committees, we have arranged Mr. Kushner's interview with the Senate for July 24,' Kushner's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement.

'He will continue to cooperate and appreciates the opportunity to assist in putting this matter to rest.'
President Trump is inquiring about how to protect himself from the Russia probe, it was claimed on Thursday

President Trump has asked advisors how he can pardon his family members, businesses and even himself to undercut the Russia investigation, it was claimed on Thursday.

The Washington Post cites sources familiar with the matter who claimed the president is looking for ways to protect himself from the probe.

The claims coincided with separate remarks published in The New York Times which reports that Trump is on a mission to find dirt on special prosecutor Robert Mueller to discredit him.

Those sources said that the president's team is hard at work trying to prove conflicts of interest among Mueller's team of investigators and hopes to thwart the entire investigation by forcing those investigators to recuse themselves.

Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the president's external legal team - which is not involved - told The Associated Press that the lawyers 'will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue'.

The president has publicly stated his belief that Mueller's team is compromised. He is now relying on his team of lawyers and representatives to find damaging proof of his suspicion, the Times reported.

The request has however pushed Mark Corallo, the spokesman for the legal team going up against Mueller, to step down, the sources said.

Corallo resigned from the team on Thursday, with insiders telling Politico there was too much 'in fighting' at the White House for him to do his job. He was also one of the few people in Trump's circle who were opposed to the notion of publicly criticizing Mueller.

It sparked a reshuffle within the legal team. CNN reports that as a result, Marc Kasowitz, Trump's long-serving personal lawyer who was spearheading it, is taking a less prominent role.

Mueller, a former FBI director, was appointed to lead the probe into Russian collusion after the Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from it and in the wake of Trump's firing of the most recent FBI director, James Comey.

Trump said earlier this week in an interview with The New York Times that he would consider it a 'violation' if Mueller began probing his family's finances as part of his investigation.

Sources said the president had asked advisors about pardoning not only himself but members of his family and their businesses too. He is pictured with children Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Eric in January

Trump has also asked his team of lawyers to dig up dirt on Robert Mueller (left), it was claimed. The request was reportedly enough to prompt the resignation of Mark Corallo (right), the spokesman for his legal team

Trump has also ordered a reshuffle of his legal team, it was claimed. As a result, Marc Kasowitz, his long-serving lawyer, will take a less prominent role

The president previously denied attempting to influence the investigation when it was in the hands of former director Comey. Comey said he felt pressure to drop the probe and claimed that the president had told him to ease off disgraced National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn.

Trump also said this week that he thought it was 'unfair' for Attorney General Sessions to have taken the role only to step away from the investigation afterwards.

The president's surge in action on the subject comes as scrutiny surrounding a meeting his son, Donald Trump Jr., had last summer with Russian lawyers.

The surge in action from the president came as his son Donald Jr.'s meeting with Russian lawyers last year faced more scrutiny

The secret meeting was arranged by a British PR executive who promised Don. Jr. dirt on Hillary Clinton. At the time, she was Trump's opponent in the race for the White House and the candidate's son jumped at the chance, saying in an email chain about the meeting: 'I love it'.

When the meeting came to light earlier this month, it was first claimed by White House aides that the topic of the meeting was Russia's ban on American citizens adopting children from the country.

Its true nature was only revealed by Donald Jr. in a bid to stop a newspaper from sharing it.

He posted a screenshot of the emails on his Twitter feed, sparking a feeding frenzy over whether it was proof of collusion between Russia and the Trumps.

Donald Jr. has defended it since, going on Hannity to say while he wouldn't have taken the same offer again, it was an innocent decision to attend at the time.

The president has supported him by saying that 'anyone in politics' would have taken the bait if presented with the same opportunity.
The Melbourne heart surgeon who tragically died after an alleged one-punch attack has been remembered as a 'brilliant' doctor and family man.

Dr Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, 41, was allegedly assaulted by Joseph Esmaili, 22, in the foyer of Box Hill Hospital in May.

It's understood the father of two little girls told off the Mill Park man for smoking outside the entrance of Box Hill Hospital at the end of his shift.

Family and friends gathered for a public memorial service in Ivanhoe on Friday afternoon and announced plans for a scholarship in his honour.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann was the victim of a one-punch attack, police alleged

Sea of flowers: Friends and members of the public left tributes outside Box Hill Hospital following Dr Pritzald-Stegmann's tragic death

The Foundation for Surgery named the Cardiothoracic Young Achievers Award in honour of Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann and will name its first recipient in November.

In a death notice, the doctor was remembered as a 'loved and loving husband' as well as a 'loved and cherished Papa' to his two little girls.

In a statement following his death, his family said: 'Our family is devastated by Patrick's passing.'

'We are grateful for the compassion and support we have received from friends, colleagues and the broader community over recent weeks.'

The German-born surgeon's death sparked an outpouring of public sympathy, including a large floral tribute outside Box Hill Hospital.

Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann was born in Germany and educated in New Zealand

There was a huge volume of online tributes.

'Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann you saved my life and fixed my heart & saved so many others,' said one.

'You are the reason my Father is still alive. I will never forget what you did for our family,' said another.

Melbourne priest Fr Kevin Dillon told Daily Mail Australia the doctor sometimes brought his little girls to his hospital to show them 'daddy is a healer'.

Police said they would review the charges against Mr Esmaili following the doctor's death.




Shocking photos have emerged of the moment a woman assaulted her husband's mistress by pushing chili peppers into her vagina.

Ly Chanel, 23, caught her husband cheating on her and allegedly sought revenge against the other woman.

Photos have emerged showing Ly and three other women allegedly stripping the mistress of her clothes, holding her down forcefully on a bed and putting the hot chili peppers in her vagina.

Horrific photos have emerged of the moment a pregnant woman sexually assaulted her husband's alleged mistress with hot chili peppers (pictured)

The woman is forced down on the bed and stripped naked before hot chili peppers are pushed into her vagina

The woman is held down by her head, arms and legs as she writhes in agony.

The remains of the peppers are smeared across her body and the bedsheets, while one of the outlookers films.

Ly, who is about three months pregnant and expecting a boy, said she became suspicious of her husband of seven months, Chien Keo, 24, as he repeatedly disappeared for hours on end.

The expectant mother and four friends followed Chien to a motel before bursting in on him with her love rival in Thai Nguyen province, northeast Vietnam, on Tuesday afternoon.

Ly Chanel, right, was suspicious of her husband Chien Keo, left, because he kept disappearing for hours upon end from their home in Thai Nguyen province, northeast Vietnam

Ly, pictured, discovered her husband with his mistress, according to local media reports

A group of women held down the alleged mistress while Ly (right) donned latex gloves

The pictures show the alleged offender donned latex gloves while her accomplices pinned down the mistress and removed her underwear.

They then opened a large bag of super-hot red bird's-eye chilies and pushed them inside the woman's vagina, causing agonising pain.

The group then posted the pictures online, boasting of the punishment - but sparked a furious backlash, with many asking why she did not target the philandering husband instead.

Shocking photographs show how Ly (pictured) allegedly assaulted her husband's mistress with hot chili peppers





Police said they have received no complaints from the alleged victim about any assault

'Women can forgive easily but they can never forget. Jealousy is painful. She will know this.

'There are people who hate me now, but life is like that, you cannot please everyone.

'Let's share something that should be shared, to see the truth, and do not talk bad about people.'

Police said no complaint had been received from the victim but prosecutors said police can lay charges in the absence of such a complaint.

Lawyer Giang Hong Thanh from the district attorney's office said: 'It is necessary to share and sympathise with the wife's psychological state of affairs in this case if it is indeed the case that a woman who has been rubbed has damaged her family's well-being.

'However, rubbing chili in another person's sensitive area and posting the clip on the internet is a sign of humiliating others.

'If chili smears cause injury to another woman's genitalia the wife may be dealt with under Article 104 of the Penal Code may be subject to administrative sanctions and a fine of $140 to $200.'
More than 100 people reported falling ill from eating at a Chipotle in Virginia that was forced to close its doors this week and one person even tested positive for the norovirus.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc reopened its store in Sterling, Virginia, just days after the company shut location down for a 'thorough sanitization'.

Earlier on Thursday, 60 people had reported they fell ill after eating at that particular Chipotle, but as of late Thursday evening, that number has increased to 100.

Eighty-nine reports were made to the website iwaspoisoned.com, indicating that 133 customers fell ill after eating at the Sterling location, according to website founder Patrick Quade.

One diner who ate at a Sterling, Virginia, Chipotle (pictured above) has tested positive for norovirus after health officials identified 60 sickened people who said they ate at the chain location

Shares in Chipotle fell 4.5 per cent to close at $356.05, their lowest point since April 2013. The shares had been above $390 on Tuesday

However, the health department says it has only identified about 60 sickened people who said they ate at the Chipotle in question.

But officials have not be able to determine the cause of the 60 reported illnesses.

The restaurant in Sterling was temporarily closed this week for cleaning after customers reported symptoms that Chipotle said were consistent with norovirus.

Norovirus is a leading cause of illnesses from contaminated food, and infected employees are a frequent source of the outbreaks.

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. Overall, one out of six Americans get sick each year by consuming contaminated food or drinks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Loudoun County Health Department in Virginia says it is still awaiting further test results that should be available early next week.

Director David Goodfriend says that having another person test positive for norovirus would be a 'very strong indication' that the virus was behind the illnesses.

Chipotle released a statement to the DailyMail.com saying that 'food safety is a top priority to us and we apologize for any distress this has caused'.

The company's CEO, Steve Ells, also released a separate statement apologizing for the incident.

'We are sorry that individuals reported sickness from one of our locations,' the statement read.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc has stressed the safety measures it has taken to prevent such occurrences. But its image is still fragile, and the chain has been dealing with bad publicity since Thursday after three mice (pictured) fell from the ceiling in a Dallas, Texas, location

Diners at a Chipotle in Dallas reported the rodents fell from the ceiling as they ate their lunch on Wednesday. Video showed one rodent climbing the wall (top left) wile another appeared motionless on the floor (left). The third (right) quickly scampered away after hitting the floor

The recent incident at the Sterling location coupled with mice falling from the ceiling in Dallas (pictured is the Chipotle in Dallas) has sent the company's shares down to their lowest since 2015 when an E coli outbreak caused nearly 120 Boston College students to fall sick

'We know that maintaining the highest level of safety in all of our restaurants is our responsibility. I made a commitment on behalf of Chipotle to make our restaurants the safest place to eat, and I am confident in the programs and procedures we have implemented.'

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc has stressed the safety measures it has taken to prevent such occurrences or respond quickly when they do happen.

But its image is still fragile, and the chain has been dealing with bad publicity since Thursday after three mice fell from the ceiling in a Dallas, Texas, location.

Chipotle says it was an 'extremely isolated incident', and that the mice got in the restaurant because of a structural gap in the building, which has since been fixed.

The recent incident at the Sterling location coupled with mice falling from the ceiling in Dallas has sent the company's shares down to their lowest since 2015 when an E coli outbreak caused nearly 120 Boston College students to fall sick.

Shares in Chipotle fell 4.5 per cent to close at $356.05, their lowest point since April 2013. The shares had been above $390 on Tuesday.
Ken Ham (above) is an evangelist leader of the Answers in Genesis ministry in Petersburg, Kentucky

LGBT Twitter users offered tongue-in-cheek praise to an evangelical minister from Kentucky on Thursday who is urging followers to take back the rainbow from the gay pride movement since he claims it was originally meant to symbolize Noahs Ark.

Ken Ham, the Australian-born evangelist who heads the Answers in Genesis ministry which is based in Petersburg, Kentucky, says that the biblical purpose of the rainbow was to symbolize a divine covenant with Noah.

'Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do @ArkEncounter,' Ham tweeted on Thursday.

'God owns it. He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood.'

The Ark Encounter, which is billed as a biblical theme park, is a life-size replica of Noah's Ark, according to Ham.

The 500-foot-long structure which first opened last July cost $100million to build.

Ham has been trying to co-opt the rainbow from the LGBT pride movement.

'After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah, his family, their descendants, and the living creatures on the Ark,' Ham wrote on the Answers in Genesis website.

'The sign of this covenant was the rainbow.'

Ham says that the biblical purpose of the rainbow, which has been used to symbolize the struggle for LGBTQ rights, was to symbolize a divine covenant with Noah. The Ark Encounter (above) is billed as a biblical theme park and life-size replica of Noah's Ark, according to Ham

'Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do @ArkEncounter,' Ham tweeted on Thursday. 'God owns it. He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood.'

'Even today the rainbow represents the "everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth".'

Now Ham is calling on his parishioners to 'take the rainbow back.'

This has ostensibly led to some amused reactions on Twitter.

'I didn't realize Noah was so progressive!' tweeted Rylan Raymond.

'Look at this gay boat,' tweeted another user while attaching a photo of Ham's attraction.

'I approve of the Ark museum flying the rainbow in solidarity with gays and lesbians,' tweeted another Twitter user.

'Who knew they were so liberal.'

The reactions are sarcastic given that Ham has long been an advocate of 'taking back the rainbow.'

'To many people it means freedom, love, pride, a new era, and, specifically, the LGBTQ movement,' Ham said last year.

'But the rainbow itself wasn't designed to be a symbol of freedom, love, pride, or the LGBTQ movement,' Ham wrote.

'God created this beautiful, colorful phenomenon and designated it as a sign of His covenant with Noah and his descendants forever.'

'Sadly, people ignore what God intended the rainbow to represent and proudly wave rainbow-colored flags in defiance of God's command and design for marriage,' he wrote.

Ham says that the purpose of the rainbow decorations was to urge Christians to 'take back the rainbow' from the gay rights movement. Above is a stock image of a gay pride parade taken in Melbourne, Australia, on January 31, 2016

'Because of this, many Christians shy away from using the rainbow colors.'

'But the rainbow was a symbol of God's promises before the LGBTQ movementand will continue to be after that movement has ended.'

'As Christians, we need to take the rainbow back and teach our young people its true meaning.'

In the first few months of operation, Ham's theme park attracted over 400,000 visitors, according to USA Today.

Gay rights advocates were not impressed with Ham's appeal.

'I think the rainbow is big enough for all of us,' said Josh Wagoner of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network of Greater Cincinnati.

Chris Hartman, the head of the Kentucky Fairness Campaign, said that the rainbow symbolized love, acceptance, and inclusion, 'none of which Mr. Ham or his operation embrace or embody.'
A blogger should be jailed for defying orders banning the naming of two women who were wrongly alleged to have had a sexual relationship with Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner, a Sydney judge has been told.

Barrister Kieran Smark, who's representing the women who have the pseudonyms Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, on Friday said even after Shane Dowling was found guilty of contempt of court he continued to blatantly breach the non-publication orders.

Mr Smark was making sentencing submissions in the NSW Supreme Court on what penalty Justice Ian Harrison should impose on Dowling.

He was not present but sent the judge his own written submissions.

A blogger should be jailed for defying orders banning the naming of two women who were wrongly alleged to have had a sexual relationship with Tim Worner (pictured)
Kellyanne Conway took a break from her White House duties to get settled into her new $8 million home in Washington, DC.

The Trump counselor was spotted leaving her home on Thursday as workers arrived to replace the carpet in her home.

Conway left her house wearing a green blouse, white pants and dark shades.

Kellyanne Conway took a break from her White House duties to get settled into her new home in Washington, DC. Conway left her house wearing a green blouse, white pants and dark shades. Conway was also carrying a travel bag as her driver opened her door

The Trump counselor was spotted leaving her home on Thursday as workers (pictured) arrived to replace the carpet in her home

Carpet layers were seen outside unloading roles of carpet from a white van and taking it into her home

She was also carrying a travel bag as her driver opened her door.

Carpet layers were seen outside unloading roles of carpet from a white van and taking it into her home.

Workers also arrived to Conway's home to fix her pool as some were seen unloading materials from a truck parked in her driveway.

Last month, Conway's real estate purchase made news, as she scooped up the enviable $7.78 million mansion, complete with eight bedrooms, 11.5 bathrooms and a pool.

At the time, she said she was snoozing on an air mattress on the floor in the basement of the home.

She slipped the tidbit to DailyMail.com at a Washington event in June.

A man is seen carrying a heavy role of carpet inside Conway's $7.78 million DC home

Workers also arrived to Conway's home to fix her pool as some were seen unloading materials from a truck parked in her driveway

Conway and her husband George, a corporate lawyer who walked away from an expected position in the Trump justice department, had until her appointment to the White House lived in Alpine, Bergen County, New Jersey, an upscale suburb across the Hudson from Manhattan.

A friend of Conway's spilled additional details saying that the counselor to the president bought two air mattresses so that when one deflates she can hop to the other.

But it seems that Conway now has everything under control, or at least she's getting new carpet.

Last month, Conway's real estate purchase made news, as she scooped up the enviable $7.78 million mansion, complete with eight bedrooms, 11.5 bathrooms and a pool. Pictured is a truck parked in the driveway of her home as workers started work on her pool
A touching moment was captured between the fiance of Justine Damond and Philando Castile's mother.

Photographers caught Valerie Castile embracing Don Damond during the Peace and Justice March for Justine held in Minneapolis on Thursday.

Hundreds gathered with the pair in a show of solidarity of family members whose loved ones were shot and killed by Minnesota police officers.

Valerie Castile, Philando Castile's mother, and Don Damond, Justine Damond's fiance, embraced (pictured) during the Peace and Justice March for Justine held in Minneapolis on Thursday in a show of solidarity of family members whose loved ones were shot and killed by Minnesota police officers

Castile, 32 (pictured), was shot and killed in June 2016 after he was pulled over by police and told officers that he had a licensed firearm on him. The officer was charged with three felonies in November, but he was acquitted of all charges last month

The shooting achieved a high profile due to a live-streamed video by girlfriend Diamond Reynolds in the immediate aftermath of the shooting as Castile lay dying (pictured)

Damond, a 40-year-old Australian woman (pictured), was shot and killed on July 15 by a Minneapolis police officer after she called 911 to report the possible assault of a female in an alley behind her house. When she went to meet police in the alley in her pajamas, she was shot

Last year, on July 6, Philando Castile was shot and killed by Jeronimo Yanez, a St Anthony, Minnesota, police officer, after being pulled over.

Castile was in the car with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and their four-year-old daughter when he was pulled over by Yanez and another officer.

The shooting achieved a high profile due to a live-streamed video by Reynolds in the immediate aftermath of the shooting as Castile lay dying.

According to Reynolds's testimony and police dashcam video and audio, Castile told the officer he had a firearm and had one hand in his pants pocket after being asked for his license and registration.

Reynolds said Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling Yanez he was armed.

Yanez was charged with three felonies in November - one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm - but he was acquitted of all charges last month.

On July 15, Justine Damond, a 40-year-old Australian woman, was shot and killed by Mohamed Noor, a Minneapolis Police Department officer. Damond had called 911 to report the possible assault of a female in an alley behind her house.

Valerie Castile (second from left) joins fellow demonstrators in Thursday's Peace and Justice March for Justine

Valerie Castile (in sunglasses) marches with demonstrators, carrying a sign reading: 'Justice fo Justine'

Nekima Levy-Pounds (center) speaks at a march to honor the life of Justine Damond on Thursday in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Betsy Custis (right) and others attend a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park on Thursday

Demonstrators march from the site of Justine Damond's shooting to Beard's Plaissance Park

Jan Skogstrom, of Minneapolis, raises her fist with fellow protesters (left) and Sharon Sebring, the mother of Don Damond, flashes a peace sign during the march

Damond reportedly met the officers in the alley, and, while speaking with the driver of the squad car, was shot a single time in the abdomen by Noor - who, reportedly fearing an ambush, fired from the passenger side through the driver-side car door.

Because the shooting occurred just weeks after the manslaughter trial acquittal for Castile's shooting, mass protests have erupted in the Twin Cities metro.

The Damond family also hired attorney Robert Bennett, who represented the Castile family last year in a settlement over his shooting death.

'It's quite clearly an improper use of deadly force on someone who it is impossible for me to conceive of as a threat to anyone,' Bennett told The Star Tribune on Thursday.

Exactly what the two officers could see will be at the heart of the investigation by the the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension into the death, and is also likely to be key to the civil suit Damond's family has filed against the city.

The two officers will have to explain whether they were following department procedure by having their guns un-holstered and cocked.
An Ohio veteran who sought to defy local law and keep his pet ducks, that he says help relieve his post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can now keep them.

Darin Welker was convicted in 2014 of a misdemeanor for violating the ban on farm animals in West Lafayette, a village about 80 miles east of Columbus.

A state appeals court later upheld his conviction and the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal.

Ohio veteran, Darin Welker, who sought to defy local law and keep six pet ducks, that he says help relieve his post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, gets to keep them

Welker argued his six ducks have been therapeutic, but ducks aren't on the village's list of approved therapy pets. He served in Iraq with the Army and was medically discharged from the Ohio National Guard.

But at one point, Welker wanted to keep six ducks and before that he had 14 ducks on his property.

Welker's doctor, Thomas Hanf, even said the ducks have helped.

He presented a letter from Hanf to the judge that praised his great strides over the past five years on his physical pains, according to The Coshocton Tribune.

The letter said Welker's PTSD from serving in Iraq in 2005 had been harder to deal with, but Welker had made significant progress with the ducks

And on Tuesday, he was granted a variance to an ordinance prohibiting farm animals in the village by a West Lafayette Village Council, according to the Tribune.

On Tuesday, Welker was granted permission to keep his ducks (pictured) by a West Lafayette Village Council

The village's legislation only allows two therapy animals per household if they weighed under 20 pounds, not including dogs.

In his argument, Welker also presented seven signed letters from neighbors stating they had no issues with the ducks and were fine with Welker keeping them, according to the Tribune.

Council members Craig Bordenkircher and Christie Maurer said it was time to bring the case, which started in 2014, to a close.

'It's time to settle this and be done,' Bordenkircher told the Tribune. 'Given the documentation, I say we grant him the variance.'

Welker declined to comment on the decision.
Slain policeman Brett Forte's three-year-old son keeps asking when dad will be home, two months after a crazed gunman shot him dead.

Senior Constable Forte was shot dead by career criminal Rick Maddison at a traffic stop near Toowoomba, Queensland, on May 29.

His killer was later gunned down by police after a 21-hour siege where he was holed up inside a shed armed with an SKS assault rifle.

Slain policeman Brett Forte's three-year-old son (pictured as a baby) keeps asking when dad will be home, two months after a crazed gunman shot him dead

Brett's brother Chris said the officer's three-year-old son (second from right with mother Susan and brother Brodie left) asks when his dad is coming home to put him to sleep

Sen Const Forte's valiant defence of his partner robbed his his loving wife Susan and their three children Emma, Brodie and Sam of their life with him.

And now Brett's brother Chris said the officer's three-year-old son asks when his dad is coming home to put him to sleep.

'He hasn't been too good at all,' Chris told Macquarie Radio in Brisbane.

'It's been really tough, how do you answer that to a three-year-old little boy, how do you tell him that his dad has tragically passed away? It's a really tough situation.'

Senior Constable Forte was shot dead by career criminal Rick Maddison at a traffic stop near Toowoomba, Queensland, on May 29

His killer (pictured) was later gunned down by police after a 21-hour siege

Chris said the family has taken comfort in the huge support from the Toowoomba community, as well as the push for a road to be renamed in Sen Const Forte's honour.

A Queensland Parliament petition was created for the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing to be renamed as the Brett Forte Way.

The online petition has reached more than 9,000 signatures and must reach 10,000 by July 31 to be discussed by state Parliament.

Chris said this week Forte's daughter Emma turned 17.

Forte's wife Susan and son Brodie farewell him at his funeral soon after his death

Sen Const Forte's valiant defence of his partner robbed his his loving wife Susan (L) and their three children Emma, Brodie and Sam of their life with him

Fellow officers desperately give Sen Const Forte CPR after he was shot

'If it's named after Brett she can drive up there thinking this is my dad's road,' he said.

Sen Const Forte's family gave emotional tributes to him at his funeral attended by up to 5,000 mourners celebrating his life.

'He was a fantastic husband to me and father of our children,' the grieving wife said as she fought back tears. 'You were my hero and my soulmate and I will love you forever.'

Sen Const Forte's family (wife Susan and stepdaughter Emma pictured) gave emotional tributes to him at his funeral attended by up to 5,000 mourners celebrating his life

Thousands of mourners attended the slain cop's funeral - and Maddison didn't have one at all

Snr Const Forte's stepdaughter Emma also paid an emotional tribute, describing him as her 'guardian angel'.

'To the world you were one person, but to our family you were the world,' she said.

She described how her stepfather taught her what it means to be a real dad: 'Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a dad,' she said, before adding: 'RIP my guardian angel. Fly high.'

Maddison was holed up inside this shed for 21-hours armed with an SKS assault rifle
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It's that time of the year again when revellers gear up for the most anticipated music festival of the year.

More than 150 police officers patrolling the hugely popular Byron Bay music event will be joined by counter-terrorism police, near Byron Bay in NSW, as the three-day festival kicked off on Friday.

Police were seen with drug detection dogs and patting down festival-goers upon entry.

And colourful fashion choices were once again in full force at this year's festival.

Festival goers in their sheer tops and bras arrive at Splendour in the Grass 2017 on Friday in Byron Bay

Festival goers take a selfie in front of an inflatable rainbow Kanye West during Splendour in the Grass

Hundreds of people lined up, while early-arriving campers posed and took selfies with an inflatable rainbow Kanye West.

Girls donned their bras, sheer bodysuits, tiny shorts and all things glittery for the music festival.

One committed reveller even showed up with 'Splendour in the Grass' shaved chest hair logo on the first day.

This year's line-up includes musical guests Vance Joy, The xx, Queens of the Stone Age, LCD Soundsystem, Peking Duk, RL Grime, Two Door Cinema Club, Tove Lo and Haim.

The festival ends on Sunday.

Fans watch Kingswood perform during Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay on Friday

A man shows his shaved Splendour in the Grass chest hair logo during the festival's first day

A man in overalls and a fedora, and a woman in an all-white outfit arrives at Splendour in the Grass

High security: Police and drug detection dogs are seen at the entry to Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay on Friday

Festival goers are checked by security on entry at Splendour in the Grass 2017

A girl with red hair, choker and tattoos shows off her festival look as attendees arrive during Splendour in the Grass 2017

Festival fashion as attendees arrive during Splendour in the Grass 2017 on Friday

Festival goers pose next to a Splendour in the Grass sign during the festival on Friday in Byron Bay

Festival goers take a selfie next to the rainbow letters during Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay

Festival goers arrive at Splendour in the Festival in Byron Bay, located in the far-northeastern corner of NSW

Festival goers arrive at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay on Friday

Festival goers queue for entry at Splendour in the Grass on Friday

Fergus Linacre of Kingswood performs on stage with a tambourine during Splendour in the Grass on Friday

Kingswood perform on stage at a packed out first day of Splendour in the Grass 2017 in Byron Bay

Vera Blue performs during Splendour in the Grass 2017 on Friday in Byron Bay

Vera Blue performs in an extravagant silver costume with drums attached during Splendour in the Grass on Friday

A Splendour in the Grass sign is seen during the festival on Friday in Byron Bay

Festival goers line up with camping gear at Splendour in the Grass on Friday, the first day of the popular Byron Bay festival

Campers arrive with an esky for Splendour in the Grass on Friday in Byron Bay
The deaths of two renowned pilots in Tom Cruise's American Made film are being investigated, RadarOnline.com revealed.

A study conducted by The Hollywood Reporter looked into the fatalities to see what really happened when two professional pilots - Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl - died while on set in Colombia.

'Was a tragedy during the production of Cruise's American Made preventable? Conflicting accounts and a pilot in a 'death pool' raise questions about safety and the filmmakers' role in it all: 'Hollywood cut corners,' said The Hollywood Reporter in the piece.

A study conducted by The Hollywood Reporter looked into the fatalities to see what really happened when two professional pilots - Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl - died while on set in Colombia

Three people were inside - 51-year-old Purwin, 58-year-old Berl and Jimmy Lee Garland - the latter of which was the only to survive the crash

Villagers local to the area said that they heard the small plane crash near the village of La Clarita.

Three people were inside - 51-year-old Purwin, 58-year-old Berl and Jimmy Lee Garland - the latter of which was the only to survive the crash.

Sources claimed that pilot Purwin was known as a reckless, danger-seeking pilot but the flight that ended his life wasn't one that was for a stunt flight but a short commute.

The movie was being filmed in northeast Colombia but the crew lived in Medillin, meaning the crew was just returning home after a day at work.

The movie was being filmed in northeast Colombia but the crew lived in Medillin, meaning the crew was just returning home after a day at work

In the movie, Cruise plays a TWA pilot who is recruited by the CIA to provide intelligence on the Colombian cartel

According to THR, many pilots and experts complied in saying that Purwin was 'of a handful of maverick Hollywood pilots known for taking unnecessary risks and being dangerous.'

He was grouped in the 'death pool; which included other risk-taking pilots that were likely to crash while flying.

The plane the two pilots died in was also commonly referred to as the 'widow maker' or 'death star.'

Cruise - a verified pilot - 'liked to participate in the stunts' and eventually did them himself, according to Garland

'You had better be darn good in that craft if you're going to fly it,' said Chris Palmer, a safety and risk assessment consultant.

It has been reported that Berl had never been aboard that type of aircraft before.

After a series of lawsuits from the victims' families, THR discovered that 'the process to ensure pilots were properly trained and licensed may have been flawed  in court records, the litigants accuse the production companies and other parties of behaving 'unlawfully and carelessly.''

According to a local pilot, the weather conditions had not been suitable for flying which suggest that the pilots weren't trained in how to fly in Colombia.

'I fly there regularly, and I would have stayed on the ground that day,' he said.

'You have to have experience to fly in Colombia. You cannot fly here like you fly in Miami, where there's not a mountain anywhere. If you fly in South America, you have to be very trained in the conditions.'

In the movie, Cruise plays a TWA pilot who is recruited by the CIA to provide intelligence on the Colombian cartel.

Cruise - a verified pilot - 'liked to participate in the stunts' and eventually did them himself, according to Garland.
The mayor of Minneapolis where an Australian woman was shot dead by a police officer on Saturday has said the killing 'should never have happened'.

Justine Damond was killed by officer Mohamed Noor outside her home after calling the police to report a suspected sexual assault.

It was dark and Noor, a rookie on the force, opened fire after seeing her move towards the car but apparently without knowing who she was. Neither his bodycam nor the bodycam that his partner was wearing was turned on at the time so there is no footage of the incident.

On Thursday, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges penned a scathing blog post calling for more to be done to ensure officers' bodycams are always turned on.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges (left) said the fatal shooting of Australian citizen Justine Damond (right) 'should never have happened'

'The fatal shooting of Justine Damond should not have happened.

'The fact that we dont have body camera footage of the shooting could be the result of one or more of the following: a gap in our body cams policy, a gap in training, a violation of our policy, or some combination of these things.

'I am confident I speak for everyone when I say its unacceptable that we dont have this tool available to us in this case,' she said.

Her comments echoed those of Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau who broke her silence on the matter at a press conference earlier in the day.

Officer Mohamed Noor did not have his bodycam turned on when he opened fire

'The actions in question go against who we are in the department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers.

'These were the actions and judgment of one individual,' she said.

Noor has offered no public comment on the killing. Friends of the officer spoke to DailyMail.com this week to say they had since learned that he was 'startled' by the woman as she approached the patrol car he was in and that was why he shot.

Noor was sitting in the passenger seat at the time and reached over his partner, Matthew Harrity, to open fire.

Damond, 40, was preparing to marry her fiance when she was killed. Her family is looking in to launching civil action against the City of Minneapolis.

The rookie cop's lawyer has called for an independent autopsy to be carried out to determine whether or not she had the sleeping aid Ambien in her system when she died.

His lawyer has also floated the narrative that Noor believed he was being ambushed and that is why he opened fire.

Damond's family in Australia rubbished the claims. Her fiance was comforted by the mother of Philando Castile, who was shot and killed in St. Paul, Minnesota, by police in July 2016.
For ten years customers with eyes bigger than their bellies have been sizing up a huge Queensland steak to thongs, beers or hands, but never a four-month-old baby.

When Sarah Atkins, 28, ordered the giant crumbed steak, she didn't think it would come out as the same size as one of her twin daughters.

'I thought holy crap it's the size of my baby,' Ms Atkins told Daily Mail Australia.

Sarah Atkins, 28, sized up her twin daughter, Jorja, to a huge crumbed steak dinner (pictured)

Ms Atkins (pictured) couldn't believe the steak was the size of one of her four-month-old twins

Identical twins Jorja and Aleira (pictured) made their parents laugh when being compared to the iconic Queensland steak

'We know that they've got big crumbed steaks, but compared to size of a baby - it's a bit gob-smacking.'

While identical twin Aleira was sleeping, Ms Atkins and her partner Terry Johnson lined Jorja up against the steak almost a perfect fit for the 45cm long bub.

'You know how sometimes photos don't do justice ... I couldn't believe it, seeing her the same length and width of the crumbed steak, oh my god,' Ms Atkins said.

While the crumbed steak stunned the Moranbah parents, measuring their twins against big objects is something they did often.

Home of the huge piece of beef, who is also famous for their huge pies, Pinnacle Family Hotel owner Karen Guthrie is currently 25 weeks pregnant and said she'll be taking inspiration from Ms Atkins and the crumbed steak.

'We'll be sizing our baby up and we'll take a photo,' she said.

Terry Johnson (pictured left) and Ms Aitken (right) couldn't finish the huge steak the size of their twins (centre) between them, needing to take some home

Ms Aitkens said she often compared her twins (pictured) to the size of other objects

The Pinnacle Family Hotel, originally famous for the huge pies (pictured), have had the huge steak on their menu for ten years with very few people being able to finish it

'It's quite a novelty, people often do that with thongs or beer, not babies.'

About 100 huge crumbed steaks are sold each week at the hotel but Ms Guthrie said about 90 of them go unfinished.

'It's quite a standing joke for people to bring friends who don't live here,' she said.

'People are just amazed ... all our meals are huge and it's just an add on from that.'

The huge crumbed steak may have been on the menu for a decade but Ms Guthrie said very few have ever finished the steak with three-year standing record at 4.38 minutes.


A teenage girl was stabbed to death and stuffed in a freezer in a suspected honour killing after she and her cousin were kidnapped and taken to a 1.5million home by a man they knew, it is alleged.

The 19-year-old's body was found 'stuffed in an American-style fridge freezer' at a detached property in Kingston-on-Thames, west London, on Wednesday evening.

A second woman, 21 - understood to be the dead victim's cousin - managed to escape the property after being slashed across the throat.

She banged on doors in the neighbourhood for help, before she arrived at a hospital with stab wounds and cuts, where staff alerted police. She remains in a serious condition.

A 33-year-old man, who was believed to have been fleeing the country, was later arrested in Dover, Kent, on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Another man, 28, has been arrested in New Malden on the same allegations.

Neighbours indicated the crime is an honour killing and the police said they were 'keeping an open mind' on the motive, but the relationship between the women and the suspects has not been confirmed.

Officers said the two women knew the man who took them to the property and that they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

Forensics have been at the scene in Kingston today, after discovering the body of a woman who had been reported missing hours earlier

The 19-year-old was found dead but 'in tact' inside the house, allegedly inside a freezer

A Renault Clio with a smashed drivers side window outside of the home where teenage girl's body was found stuffed in a fridge

A second woman managed to escape and made it to hospital arrived with a stab wound to her throat and is in a serious but stable condition

The case has now been referred to the IPCC after officers took three hours to find the teenager despite the pair being reported missing.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police also added that the dead woman was discovered 'intact' amid reports her body had been cut up.

Today, forensic officers were today seen combing the Kingston home for evidence.

A large silver fridge freezer, believed to be where the woman was found, could be seen in the hallway while a Renault Clio with smashed windows was parked in the driveway.

It is not clear who lives at the home - which is owned by a landlord who lives next door - but the six-bedroom property is currently undergoing renovation and the owners are believed to have given the keys to a building firm.

A 29-year-old woman has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. She has been released pending further investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Price, who is leading the investigation, said officers were keeping an 'open mind' but that kidnapping was one line of inquiry.

She added: 'Our investigation is at an early stage, and we are doing everything we can to fully understand the circumstances of this terrible attack on two young women.

'At this stage one line of enquiry is that the two women were taken against their will to the address in Kingston, by a man who they both knew. They were last seen safe and well at an address in Merton, prior to being police being contacted about concerns for their safety and welfare.'

She said both women had been subject to a 'violent attack'.

'Fortunately one of the women managed to get away from the address and seek help, how this happened will form part of this investigation,' she said.

'I am keeping an open mind as to the motive, but we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this case.'

The house is owned by a landlord who lives next door and it is believed to be being renovated, with the landlord having plans to convert it into two homes

Police have said it is believed the two victims were taken to the address before being attacked and the man who took them was known to them

A car parked in the driveway of the home, in Kingston, has smashed front windows this morning

Forensics team members are looking through the property to establish what happened over the course of Wednesday afternoon

Police were first alerted over concerns for the welfare of the two women at around 5pm on Wednesday.

The Met said officers searched two addresses - one in Sutton and another in Merton, both in south London - but that neither woman was at either address.

They understood the women had been seen 'safe and well' earlier at the Merton address.

Inquiries continued until they were alerted by hospital staff at 7.18pm, who treated the 21-year-old.

Officers then carried out a detailed search of the detached property where they made the grim discovery.

A neighbour, who refused to be named, said: 'Relatives told me that the man was Asian and was caught at Dover trying to leave the country.

'I heard he kidnapped them both and chopped one of them up and put her in the freezer.

'I heard he slit the other one's throat.

Three people have been arrested, two men and one woman. One of the men was arrested in Kent, allegedly trying to flee

Police forensics at the Kingston home. Police admitted they have had to refer the case to the IPCC as the women were reported missing hours before one was found dead

An officer holds her post outside the house as forensics inspectors go in and out of the Kingston home. Searches are also taking place in Sutton and Merton

Police said they know who the victim was and have informed the woman's next of kin. Police are keeping the 'honour killing' inquiry open

'When the relative told me earlier I thought "oh my God that is awful".

'There was at least six or seven cars maybe more and at least ten relatives here.

'I spoke to the neighbours earlier and they said that the person who rented the house out had only done so at the weekend.'

The home is owned by a landlord who lives next door, and applied to Kingston Council earlier this year for permission to create two homes.

On May 19, planning permission was denied, but a new application was submitted just 11 days later. It is currently at the consultation stage of the process.

A family friend of the owners told The Sun: 'The girls had got mixed up with a gang of guys. One wanted to marry one of the boys and her family couldn't take that.'

An officer receives an update from the forensics investigators in Kingston. The leafy borough has homes that sell for millions of pounds

Bernett Thrones, 39, a neighbour, said: 'I could hear running on the gravel drive and then a loud knock.

'It was very sudden and very loud. I had a facemask on, but I jumped up and went downstairs.

'By the time I opened the door the person was gone. I could hear them running away on the stones.

'It was strange but I didn't realise how serious it was until the police came later.

'It's a horrible shock.

'You can't believe something like this could happen across the road.'

A neighbour said she believed a family had been living there for a couple of years, with two small children

The home where the murder took place is owned by the same landlord as the home next door

Another neighbour said: 'The police came round and told me they were looking at a window of 1:30pm and 3pm when they went into the house.

'I wasn't at home then, but all the relatives looked south Asian I think.'
When the first rescuers struggled across Californias Sierra Nevada mountains in the ferocious winter of 1846-7, they feared they would find no survivors from the wagon train that had been marooned for months in snow 20ft deep.

But what they found was far more horrifying than merely dead bodies.

The corpses littering the snow were missing limbs and internal organs, while a trio of children sat on a log, nonchalantly devouring what appeared to be a liver and a heart.

The dismembered body of their own father lay a few yards away, providing a ghoulish clue to the terrible tragedy that had taken place.

The Donner Party (illustrated above), a wagon train expedition from Illinois to California, was the worst disaster in Americas restless 19th-century expansion west

The Donner Party, a wagon train expedition from Illinois to California, was the worst disaster in Americas restless 19th-century expansion west. It was also perhaps the most dreadful case ever of mass human cannibalism.

Of the 87 people - half of them under 18 - who set out, 41 perished. However, almost nobody would have survived if they hadnt broken the most appalling taboo of all.

For years, however, there has been lingering uncertainty over the scale of the castastophe, in large part because many of those involved either refused to discuss it or insisted the cannibalism had never happened.

Their descendants have insisted that the story has been sensationalised and that only one or two bad apples were guilty of eating the dead.

Of the 87 people - half of them under 18 - who set out, 41 perished. However, almost nobody would have survived if they hadnt broken the most appalling taboo of all. Pictured: 'Desperate Situation, across the plains with the Donner Party, 1846'

Now, an exhaustively researched new book by the historian Michael Wallis concludes there is no doubt that the vast majority of the 46 survivors resorted to eating human flesh.

In The Best Land Under Heaven, Wallis notes with heavy irony how the pioneers believed in Manifest Destiny - the philosophy that insisted that Anglo-Americans were Gods Chosen People, destined to take over and civilise the entire continent.

How bitterly ironic that their acts of survival cannibalism ensured it was the supposed civilisers themselves who became savages.

The saga began in April 1846 when a group of emigrants left Springfield, Illinois, fully expecting that they would soon be able to snap up some land in California once the U.S. had snatched it from Mexico in the war that was brewing.

They were dominated by two prosperous families - the Donners and the Reeds, the latter headed by 46-year-old James Reed, an immigrant from Northern Ireland.

Reed, the new book reveals, almost changed the course of U.S. history by persuading a young lawyer friend named Abraham Lincoln to join the trip.

The future American president had longed to see California, but was starting a family and developing ambitions in politics. He didnt go, although his wife came to wave farewell to the oxen-drawn wagon train.

She watched Reed ride off on his handsome grey mare, Glaucus, named - so fatefully - after a nobleman from Greek mythology who fed his chariot horses on human flesh to make them stronger.

It was James Reed who, months later, persuaded the group to take a supposed shortcut - named the Hastings Cutoff - that took it through the Great Salt Lake Desert in Utah.

It proved a fatal mistake, adding weeks to their journey time and ensuring they reached the Sierra Nevada foothills in eastern California behind schedule and already short of food.

Donner Lake (pictured) was named after the pioneers who resorted to cannibalism

They had almost reached a pass over the mountains when they ran into a monstrous blizzard on October 28. Some 59 of them took shelter in three abandoned cabins near Tuskee (now Donner) Lake, while the rest were snowbound in a meadow six miles away, erecting crude shelters that were eventually submerged under 20ft of snow. There was almost nothing to hunt.

Soon they had slaughtered all their livestock and were resorting to roasting field mice and boiling animal hides for the disgusting grey paste it produced.

Facing starvation, a group - nine men, five women and a boy, and including two Indian guides and five women - set out after six weeks on handmade snowshoes to cross the pass and summon aid from the Sacramento Valley beyond.

What was later dubbed the Forlorn Hope group had no compass and just one rifle. Blinded by the snow, weakened by the high altitude and quickly succumbing to frostbite, they became hopelessly lost.

They were slowly dying from hunger when one of the men suggested the only solution was for one of them to die so their flesh could be used to sustain the others.

Left: The Donner monument, showing the Donner Party, at Donner Lake, Truckee, California, 1930. Right: Statue at Donner Memorial State Park

They fell silent as they wondered how to do it. The group flinched at initial suggestions that they draw lots to decide the victim, or to decide which two men should fight a duel to the death.

Although they were to lose their inhibitions as their situation worsened, the group chose a less barbaric option - they would just keep going and see who dropped dead first.

They didnt have to wait long. The next night, a Hispanic servant named Antonio was the first to die, followed within hours by Franklin Graves, a farmer who solemnly informed his two daughters he expected them to eat human flesh - even his - to stay alive.

By the time a three-day snowstorm, during which the party had only blankets for shelter, had ended, a third man had died. The survivors cooked their first human meal on Christmas Day.

Eliza Poor Donner (pictured as an adult) was one of the children who survived the horrific expedition

Two men volunteered to do the butchering, and it was agreed nobody would have to eat their own kin. Armed only with knives, they cut strips of meat from the arms and legs of the dead - their bodies perfectly preserved in the cold - and skewered the frozen meat on sharpened sticks so it could be roasted over the fire.

When the settlers took their first mouthfuls, they avoided eye contact and wept. Livers, hearts, lungs and brains were also extracted and eaten.

Some of the meat was dried in the sun to preserve it, which made it look less recognisably human. However, 13-year-old Lemuel Murphy, couldnt bring himself to eat it, no matter how it looked.

He instead grabbed a mouse that scurried out of a hole and ate it alive. That night, he became the fourth to perish, having first become delirious, thrashing around as he tried to bite the arms of those who held him and screaming Give me my bone!.

On December 30, the party - re-energised and carrying supplies of dried meat - left what was later called the Camp of Death, none of them turning to look at the remains of those who had saved their lives.

The meat soon ran out and they were forced to roast their shoes and boots over a fire for sustenance, wrapping their bloodied, frostbitten feet in rags.

By the time the pitiful group was again sufficiently desperate to consider fresh meat, some werent even willing to wait for people to die naturally.

Native Americans were regarded as almost sub-human at the time and it was suggested they kill and eat their two loyal Miwock Indian guides.

The two men, who ironically had been the only adults who had refused to eat the first batch of human meat, were warned by a sympathetic pioneer and slipped away.

Members of the Donner Party, trapped by snow in a Sierra Nevada pass, huddle to keep warm during the winter of 1846-47

In their absence, the group found temporary respite after they managed to shoot a deer, its killers thirstily drinking the warm blood as they slit the beasts throw.

By the time it had been dragged back to their camp, another pioneer had died and - despite his young widows protests - his limbs and edible vital organs were removed so they could be roasted next to the deer meat.

By now, extreme cold, dehydration and hunger - made worse by their drinking melted snow, which further lowered their body temperature - had made many of the survivors mentally unhinged.

All of the five women were still alive and the two surviving men, named William Foster and William Eddy, discussed killing one of the ladies for food.

However, the crisis passed. On the 25th day after leaving Truckee Lake, after following fresh, bloody footprints in the snow the group found the two Indian guides, so weak after nine days without food they had collapsed.

William Foster shot them point-blank in the head and they were eaten. (Foster was never charged or even rebuked over their murder - an indication of the contempt with which Native Americans were regarded).

It was a bitter irony when two days later, the seven survivors of the Forlorn Hope - by now having somehow managed to get over the pass - were saved by members of the same tribe when they stumbled into a Miwok village.

Pictured, stumps of trees cut by the Donner Party in Summit Valley, Placer County

The Indians, who initially thought these ghastly apparitions were ghosts, nursed them back to health before they were strong enough to be taken to the nearest white settlers.

Word rapidly spread of the terrible fate of the Donner Party, most of whose members were still trapped by the snow on the other side of the mountains.

The first relief party reached Truckee Lake on February 18, and was greeted by an emaciated woman who emerged from a hole in the snow and asked in a hollow voice: Are you men from California or do you come from Heaven?

The survivors - most of them children - were so weak that it was to take two months, and four relief parties, to rescue everyone. By then, even more horrific examples of cannibalism had been revealed.

In March, a small group of rescuers came upon a collection of tents that sheltered the extended Donner family. It was a nightmarish scene.

They first met a teenage boy clutching a human severed leg, and it rapidly became clear there had been no qualms here about feasting on relatives.

The three surviving children of Jacob Donner - one of the wagon trains leaders - were sitting upon a log devouring the half-roasted liver and heart of the father, recalled a rescuer.

Pictured, James and Margaret Reed. Reed, the new book reveals, almost changed the course of U.S. history by persuading a young lawyer friend named Abraham Lincoln to join the trip

The children were unconscious of the approach of the men, of whom they took not the slightest notice even after they came up. Yards away was Donners body in a grave dug out of the snow.

His head had been cut off and his limbs severed from his body, which had been cut open to remove his internal organs. Other graves were nearby, but nothing remained in them but fragments.

Having eaten four others, the survivors were down to their last corpse, the ashen-faced rescuers were informed. Around a campfire were hair, bones, skulls and the fragments of half-consumed limbs.

In a nearby tent, Jacobs brother, George, the wagon trains leader, was seriously ill, but his three young daughters, it was noted, were suspiciously stout and hearty.

Like their cousins perched on the log, they too had stayed alive by eating the flesh of the dead, first three wagon drivers and then their Uncle Jake. Years later, one of those daughters, Georgia, who was just five at the time, recalled how it had been Jacobs widow who had suggested they unbury his body and feed the limbs to the children.

While eating, I chanced to look up, she wrote. My mother had turned away and Father was crying.

Pictured, a diary entry by Patrick Breen, recording his observations in late February 1847

But if it were possible, the relief parties were still to discover the most shocking depths to which survivors had sunk.

In mid-March, William Foster and William Eddy - the two male survivors of the Forlorn Hope - came upon a cabin where they both hoped to find their three young sons, all toddlers.

But they were all dead, two of them having perished just days earlier and been immediately eaten. Fosters mother-in-law, who was still alive but delirious, pointed her finger at a German immigrant, Lewis Keseberg, cowering in a corner.

She said Keseberg, a notoriously hot-tempered man, had grown so impatient for another of Fosters children, four-year-old George, to die that he had taken the child to bed with him to keep warm and strangled him during the night. The next morning, he had hung the tiny body up on a cabin wall like a slab of meat, she said.

Keseberg was the last survivor to be rescued, taken out on April 29 when a relief party found him huddled in a blanket on a cabin floor, surrounded by human bones.

The terrified Keseberg - who barely escaped with his life - vehemently denied murdering anyone, although he admitted eating the three children.

Next to him was a cauldron full of water and what appeared to be fresh human liver and lungs. Hed not only eaten his last companion in the camp when she died but had stolen her money and - it was suspected - killed her.

For the rest of his life, Keseberg was branded a ghoul who had been a cannibal out of choice rather than necessity. A social outcast, he died homeless and penniless.

Michael Wallis argues that the Victorians made Keseberg a scapegoat because they didnt want to admit so many Donner Party members were prepared to indulge in cannibalism.

Yet the historian argues its unfair to stigmatise what they did. To the emigrants, the bodies of the dead represented sustenance and nothing more, he writes. They were not ghouls. It was either eat the dead, or die.

Of the 45 survivors, 32 were children. Only the family of Ulster-born James Reed came through without losing a family member and without ever succumbing to cannibalism.

Thank God we have all got through and the only family that did not eat human flesh, 13-year-old Virginia Reed wrote to a cousin back in Illinois.

And she gave some advice in case her cousin felt like ever following her: Remember, never take no cutoffs and hurry along as fast as you can.
Terrified holidaymakers face losing out on thousands of pounds after travel firms refused to refund trips to Greece and Turkey following the killer earthquake.

Gary Taylor, 51, told MailOnline he could lose almost 3,000 on a trip to Kos he wants to cancel over fears buildings in the region will not be safe.

He said Thomson, whom he booked the holiday with, told him the region was safe and that he should continue to take his wife and daughter on the trip.

At least two people are dead and hundreds more were injured by the magnitude-6.7 quake, which struck off Bodrum, southwest Turkey.

The two fatalities were reported on the popular holiday island of Kos, with the victims crushed under a collapsed bar ceiling.

One victim was confirmed as Turkish national Sinan Kurdoglu by officials in his country, while the other victim is Swedish.

It is thought there are currently around 8,000 British tourists on the island, with many more due to travel there over the next few days.

Gary Taylor, left, is due to fly to Kos with wife Katy and daughter Summer, pictured, next week but said he wanted to cancel due to safety fears, only to be told by Thomson he 'could not have the 2,800 cost refunded due to terms and conditions' of the deal

Passengers face a mad scramble to get home from Kos following the earthquake off Turkey yesterday, with many made to wait outside the airport with their luggage. Some laid down on the grass after they were denied entry to the airport, with staff limiting the number of people allowed inside due to its small size

The airport is only allowing in passengers on a flight-by-flight basis, with British tourists in Kos telling of how 'scared' they feel. There are no flights to the UK today but several flights to other parts of Europe have been delayed or cancelled, leaving passengers stranded outside

Many have been pictured at Kos Airport looking worried as they try to find out information as to when and how they can get home

Gary Taylor, 51, of Newton Abbott, Devon, said he is due to go to Kos with wife Katy and daughter Summer, 13, next week, but tried to cancel it or rearrange the destination with Thomson.

But he said he was told he could not have the 2,800 he paid refunded due to the 'terms and conditions' of his deal.

Mr Taylor told MailOnline: 'I've been a customer with Thomson for years. A similar thing happened before with the uprising in Egypt. We went there a week later and it was the worst holiday we ever had.

'There were armed guards everywhere and there was about 80 people in our hotel, which would usually have 1,000.

'I said I wanted my money back but they told me no and that it was safe. But Kos is not going to be rebuilt in a week and I asked if they could guarantee me the buildings there and my hotel were structurally sound and they couldn't.

'They can't guarantee me my hotel won't fall down next week.

'It's ludicrous to send people there a week after what happened.'

MailOnline has contacted Thomson for comment on Mr Taylor's claims.

Others have been struggling in the 86F heat with some taking off their shirts and others trying to find shade. Many people have been pictured on their phones trying to contact family or find out more details on flights

Many have been spotted sleeping on patches of grass outside the airport, pictured, with hundreds of tourists unable to stay in hotels last night due to damage from the earthquake and tsunami

Many people have been forced to sleep outside after their hotels were damaged. This picture shows tourists outside the Atlantis hotel in Lambi, near Kos. They have been given blankets and chairs but many are still unsure where they will be sleeping tonight

Meanwhile thousands of British tourists face a mad scramble to get home from Greece and Turkey.

ADVICE FOR TOURISTS AFTER EARTHQUAKE Those travelling to or from Kos or Bodrum are being advised to contact their airlines or holiday operators to check the status of flights and hotels. Flights to the region are still going ahead as scheduled, although flights out of Kos are experiencing delays. Thomas Cook said any customers in the region with concerns should call on +44 161 774 2966 for advice. Any customers who are due to travel to the affected areas in the coming days should check the Thomas Cook website for updates or call 01733 224 536. Thomson is offering alternative holidays for those due to travel to Kos or Bodrum should they no longer wish to. A spokesman said teams of staff are on hand at both locations offering help and advice. The Foreign Office is warning those in Kos and Bodrum to beware aftershocks and consult local authorities and hotels over sleeping arrangements and safety if necessary. It also warned of disruptions to flights and local ferry services. Rebecca Hollingsworth, policy adviser in general insurance at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said that if needed travel policies would provide cover for medical expenses linked to injuries sustained as a result. Some policies may also cover travel disruption. She said: 'Travel insurance is there to help people in circumstances like those being experienced in Greece and Turkey. Anyone directly affected is advised to contact their tour operator or travel insurer for assistance as soon as possible.' The ABI said people booked to go to Greece or Turkey should check the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice, and talk to their tour operator, travel agent or air carrier. Policyholders should speak directly to their insurer if they have any questions, it added. Advertisement

Pictures have emerged of crowds of passengers waiting outside Kos International Airport with their luggage.

The airport is open but staff are limiting the number of people allowed inside the building due to its small size, prioritising entry on a flight by flight basis.

It comes as millions of Britons are expected to head off on holiday today on what is described as the 'busiest getaway weekend' of the year.

Amiey Westwood, 25, is in Kos on holiday with friend Danielle Blower and is due to fly home at 11.30pm on Saturday, but said she had received no information from holiday provider Thomson on whether there would be any disruption.

The student told MailOnline: 'We are very shaken up, our hotel room is destroyed so at the minute we don't have any where to stay tonight.

'We're still feeling a lot of after shocks. There are a lot of cracks in the walls and we had to sleep outside last night on some sunbeds.

'We have had no information from Thomson apart from to contact our holiday rep who is currently no where to be seen.'

She added: 'I have managed to contact my mum quickly but not been able to have much contact.

'We are planning to sleep on the floor by the swimming pool tonight, we have no where else to stay.'

Writing on Twitter, Amiey added: 'We are stuck in Kos after the earthquake and are due to fly home tomorrow. Had no information and seen no rep??'

She added: 'My heart skips a beat every time we have an after affect of the earthquake. I wish I could go home right now.'

Meanwhile Brits due to head abroad have told of how they have been 'advised not to go' to the region because it has been 'hit quite hard'.

Mr Taylor said it was 'too early' to say whether he would go on the trip or lose out on the cash he has already paid.

The Foreign Office has issued advice to travellers warning them of the dangers of aftershocks and urging Brits to get in touch with their families to let them know they are safe.

Amiey Westwood, right, and Danielle Blower, left, are currently in Kos and are worried about their scheduled flight tomorrow night, claiming they have been trying to get in touch with Thomson to no avail

Miss Westwood, left with Miss Blower, said the aftershocks were 'very scary' and added the pair have nowhere to sleep tonight because their hotel was damaged

Huge queues are forming at Gatwick this morning as holidaymakers face travel chaos following the earthquake off Turkey

The quake, which struck at 1.31am local time, was located off the coastal city of Bodrum in southwest Turkey and close to the Greek island of Kos

Writing on Twitter, Niamh Searle said: '[My] thoughts are with those in Kos after their earthquake. If it's bad enough to cancel our holiday, it can't be looking good for the locals.'

Speaking to MailOnline, she added: 'All I can say is that we have been advised not to go because it [the earthquake] hit them quite hard'.

According to the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, there are 'heavy flight delays' at Kos International Airport.

Tour operators including Thomas Cook say they are 'operating as normal' and have not cancelled any holidays.

A spokesman said: 'Our teams in the resort areas affected by the earthquake and in our customer centres are supporting customers currently on holiday in the region.

'We have no reports of any injuries and there is little impact on our hotels.

Numerous buildings appeared to have crumbled in Kos during the earthquake (pictured), which struck off the coast of Turkey overnight

At least two people are dead on the Greek holiday island of Kos and hundreds more are injured after a powerful earthquake struck off the Turkish coast. Emergency services in Kos are pictured desperately searching through the rubble to treat the injured and assess the damage

'Any customers who are on holiday with us and who have concerns should speak to our teams on the ground or call us on +44 161 774 2966.

'Any customers who are due to travel to the affected areas in the coming days should check our website for updates or call us on 01733 224 536.'

The firm has 2,682 UK customers in Kos, 441 in Bodrum, and 7,992 in Marmaris. It added any one due to travel to the region who is concerned would be offered an alternative holiday.

A spokesperson for Thomson added: 'We're aware of an earthquake which occurred off the coast of Turkey and Greece and was felt in many areas including Kos and Bodrum in Turkey.

'We are working closely with our teams in resort and the authorities to provide assistance to those affected. More information will be released as it becomes available.'

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising against travel to certain parts of Turkey and has warned of aftershocks.

A spokesman said: 'An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 occurred off the coast of Bodrum on 21 July 2017.

'If you're in the affected area and it is safe to do so, contact your friends and family to tell them you are safe.

Many people were forced to camp outside overnight with just blankets, sleeping on chairs and sofas that had been moved into the street

In Bodrum, the four-star Jasmin Beach Resort was flooded by tsunami waves that spread tens of miles from the epicentre up the Aegean coast

'You should be aware of the possibility of aftershocks, and follow the advice of the local authorities and/or your tour operator.

'There may be disruption to ferry and flight services as a result of the earthquake. Please contact your airline, ferry company or tour operator for updates to services.'

A spokesman for Luton Airport said no flights had been cancelled and it was advising any passengers worried about their holidays to check with their airlines and speak to the Foreign Office.

A Gatwick spokesman also said no flights were scheduled for Kos today and there had been no disruption to services, with a flight to Bodrum leaving earlier today at 7am.

The end of school term will see an estimated 8.7 million people on the nation's roads between Friday and Sunday, with some heading to the countryside and others to the airports.

Today will see 2.5 million cars compete for road space with commuters.
Chris Gard and Connie Yates returned to the High Court today ahead of the latest round in their long-running legal battle over their son's treatment

Charlie Gard's mother ran from court in tears today as a judge was informed of 'very sad' news about her son.

The results of a new MRI scan on the 11-month-old had just come through, a lawyer for Great Ormond Street Hospital told London's High Court.

Charlie's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard had not seen the report, which arrived moments before the hearing began at 2pm.

Katie Gollop QC, for the hospital, told Mr Justice Francis: 'The MRI report has come through. It makes for very sad reading.'

Miss Yates, who had not read the report, broke down and sobbed: 'That's not how we are supposed to read it', and ran out of court.

Mr Gard fixed the QC with an angry glare and shouted: 'Evil!'

Charlie has had two MRI scans in the past week - one on his brain on Sunday and another on his body on Thursday. His parents were present at both.

At court today, Mr Justice Francis said: 'I know it is very difficult for the parents. It is unfortunate that Miss Yates had to hear what she heard.'

The judge must now decide if Charlie should be allowed experimental therapy in the US for his rare form of mitochondrial depletion syndrome, or if, as the hospital says, he is beyond hope and should be allowed to die with dignity.

This week Charlie has also had an EEG scan  monitoring brain activity  to assist the judge.

Eleven-month-old Charlie Gard suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage

Grant Armstrong, for Charlies family, protested at the hospital telling the court of the scan results, which he said was medical information that should not have been put in the public domain.

Miss Gollop said: I dont want to make a bad situation worse, but it seems to me all the medical evidence in this case is sad. What I should possibly have said is that it is of a piece with the depletive condition that Charlie suffers.

Miss Yates, 31, by now back in the courtroom, shouted: We havent read it ourselves.

Mr Gard shouted We shouldnt have to deal with this s***.

The couple stormed out.

Miss Gollop told the court: I am very sorry. I didnt mean to cause upset and am very sorry if I used an adjective out of turn.

Earlier, Mr Armstrong had warned that the parents do not and cannot trust Great Ormond Street doctors to interpret the scan results, and would seek independent assessment of the report.

He told the court: From the parents perspective, Charlie should have been treated in January. The suggestion has been made that this is a sad picture, and we say Charlie was, then, relatively normal.

Miss Yates and Mr Gard, 32, of Bedfont, in South West London, left court looking distressed.

They are furious because when they began fighting for Charlie to have the experimental therapy, he was not brain-damaged, according to a family source.

The sad fact is the scans taken before the court hearing in April did not show irreversible brain damage. This is why the parents fought so hard. They should have been trusted, the source said.

If anyone thinks the parents were deluded, and simply could not accept the diagnosis, they are wrong. Charlie was not a hopeless case. There was no brain damage. He should have been treated.

As the court heard, he was a relatively normal little boy.

Charlie and his parents are being given legal and permanent residence in the US by Congress in order to allow him to fly to America for treatment

Charlie whose case is being followed by the Pope and US President Donald Trump, suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.

New York doctor Dr Michio Hirano, who flew to the UK to assess Charlie, argued earlier this week that his experimental drugs still had a chance of helping the boy, whose condition affects his muscles, brain and organs.

He is due to give further evidence to the High Court on Monday via video link from the US, along with a doctor from the Popes hospital in Rome, who also thinks there is still a chance for Charlie.

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Charlie is being cared for, say the therapy in the US is experimental and will not help. They say life support treatment should stop.

Mr Justice Francis has set aside Monday and Tuesday to hear any new evidence in the case before ruling on whether doctors should remove the breathing tube that is keeping the baby alive.

The court heard yesterday that the parent of another UK child with the same rare RRM2B strain of the disease as Charlie has come forward with evidence to help him. Their child has apparently been offered the experimental treatment being denied to Charlie.

Mr Armstrong told the judge there would be a witness who was offered the potential of this treatment, in this country, in relation to RRM2B  another patient with another child.

The judge examined issues at a preliminary hearing on Friday and said he would need to know whether there was 'new material' which could make a 'difference'.

Lawyers representing Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where 11-month-old Charlie is being cared for, said they had 'yet to see' any new evidence.

Also this week, US Congress granted Charlie legal and permanent residence in the US to allow him to fly to America for treatment.

However, the judge in his case has made it clear it would be illegal for Charlie to travel to America without his permission.

Charlie's parents, who come from Bedfont, west London, have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London.

They have also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene.
Nicola Sturgeon will no longer be granted access to Prime Minister Theresa May in a highly provocative move which is likely to cause a major row with the SNP.

From now on, the SNP leader will only get to deal with Scottish Secretary David Mundell because ministers believe 'he is at the same level as her'.

Since she became Prime Minister, Mrs May has held several face to face meetings with Miss Sturgeon to discuss issues including Brexit and aspects of devolution.

The First Minister was the first major leader the Prime Minister met just days after she entered Downing Street for the first time.

But the doors of Number 10 will now be firmly closed to Miss Sturgeon in a deliberate attempt to downgrade her stature.

Nicola Sturgeon (pictured at the England vs Scotland football match on Wednesday) will no longer be granted access to Prime Minister Theresa May

The highly provocative move to block Ms Sturgeon from No 10 is likely to cause a major row with the SNP

The UK Government believes that allowing Miss Sturgeon regular access to Mrs May boosts her profile and makes her look like an international leader.

A Tory minister told the Scottish Daily Mail: 'She will no longer get the same access to the Prime Minister. She should be meeting David Mundell because he is at the same level as her.'

With negotiations under way on Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, Miss Sturgeon would have been expecting regular updates from the Prime Minister on the Brexit deal and the powers which will be transferred to Holyrood from Brussels.

But the UK Government instead intends to offer weekly meetings for Miss Sturgeon and her Brexit Minister Michael Russell with Mr Mundell and new Scotland Office Minister Lord Ian Duncan.

Although the Prime Minister will still occasionally host meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee, which Miss Sturgeon and the leaders of the other devolved administrations attend, one-to-one meetings will no longer take place.

It will be a significant change of approach from Mrs May.

Within only 48 hours of becoming Prime Minister last July, she travelled to Edinburgh to meet Miss Sturgeon at Bute House, her official First Minister's residence.

After posing shaking hands on the steps, she promised that the UK Government would be 'fully engaging with the Scottish Government in the forthcoming negotiations about the UK's exit from the European Union'.

Since she became Prime Minister, Mrs May has held several face to face meetings with Miss Sturgeon (pictured outside No 10 last October) to discuss issues including Brexit and aspects of devolution

The change in policy is a dramatic shift from when Mrs May became PM a year ago, when she made her first visit one to see Ms Sturgeon in Edinburgh (pictured)

The two leaders met again in an awkward clash in Glasgow (pictured) after Ms Sturgeon outraged Westminster by demanding a new independence referendum over Brexit

Speaking before the trip, Mrs May said: 'This visit to Scotland is my first as prime minister and I'm coming here to show my commitment to preserving this special union that has endured for centuries. I believe in a union, not just between the nations of the United Kingdom, but between all of our citizens.'

However, some senior Tory figures believe the visit made Miss Sturgeon look like an international dignitary, rather than the leader of a devolved nation.

They also fear it made it look like the First Minister was representing Scotland while the Prime Minister looked like the leader of the rest of the UK. Another high-profile encounter happened in a Glasgow hotel in March, ahead of Mrs May triggering Article 50, beginning the process of Britain exiting the EU.

During the meeting, Miss Sturgeon told her she should allow a vote on a second independence referendum but the Prime Minister reasserted that 'now is not the time' to be discussing the issue.

The UK Government believes that allowing Miss Sturgeon regular access to Mrs May (pictured inside No 10 on Wednesday) boosts her profile and makes her look like an international leader

From now on, the SNP leader will only get to deal with Scottish Secretary David Mundell (pictured left with with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on Tuesday) because ministers believe 'he is at the same level as her'

The First Minister last week claimed Mrs May's Repeal Bill is a 'naked power grab' which will weaken the Scottish parliament.

The issue is likely to be seized on by Miss Sturgeon in the run-up to MSPs being asked to vote on whether to approve the legislation in a crunch vote on a 'legislative consent motion' in the autumn.

Although Mrs May has given a commitment that no powers will be taken away from Holyrood as a consequence of Brexit, and that some new powers will be devolved, Miss Sturgeon has said she will encourage MSPs to refuse consent unless major changes are made to the legislation.

She would have expected to be able to put across her demands directly to Mrs May  but will instead have to do so with Mr Mundell and Lord Duncan.

A Scottish Government source said: 'Theresa May is a badly weakened PM, but it speaks volumes if she now doesn't feel confident enough to meet the First Minister.

'And David Mundell's credibility is in tatters after his failure to stand up for Scotland over the Tories' grubby deal with the DUP.'

A UK Government spokesman said: We are absolutely committed to engaging with the Scottish Government and will continue to do so on all levels.

The level of engagement over recent months has been unprecedented, including numerous meetings and calls between ministers and officials.

Yesterdays City Deal is an example of how we will continue to work constructively together.
Police were investigating today after a British couple were found dead at their home in Spain.

The bodies of a 71-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife were found in separate rooms in their flat on the Costa del Sol and detectives believe they had been dead for between 10 and 15 days.

Detectives from the Civil Guard's Judicial Police spent three hours at the property after the bodies were discovered on Thursday afternoon and officers are still investigating the cause of death.

They have been named locally as Michael Barton, 71, and his wife Valetta, 80.

One of the two bodies is carried into a private ambulance in Spain before being taken for examination

The elderly British couple were found in the top floor apartment in Manilva, circled here

The woman was found lying on her back and fully clothed in a bedroom in the flat, in the seaside village of San Luis de Sabinillas, seven miles south west of Estepona in the province of Malaga.

The man's body was partly-dressed and was found next to the sofa in the front room of the top-floor apartment, in Avenida de la Paz, or Peace Avenue.

Both bodies were badly decomposed.

The alarm was first raised when the couple's son, back in the UK, called a neighbour in the village because he was concerned he had not been able to contact his parents for some time.

The neighbour then went into the apartment and made the gruesome discovery of their badly decomposed bodies and called the police.

A forensic pathologist spent several hours examining the scene before the couple were removed.

The bodies, which had been dead for somewhere between 10 and 15 days, are carried away

It is understood that no weapon was found in the property, a modern fourth-floor flat with a small balcony over the street and a rooftop extension.

A post-mortem examination was due to be carried out in Malaga today to establish the cause of death.

A local report said the flat had been locked from the inside and there were no obvious signs of violence, and so police doubt a third party was involved.

But a police source said: 'Until the cause of death is known nothing is being ruled out.

'It is clear they have been dead for some time and so the cause of death is not evident.

'The post-mortem examination should establish the cause of death.'

Police are investigating the cause of death and a post-mortem is expected to be carried out today

The couple's flat is a short walk from the beachfront promenade in San Luis de Sabinillas, a fishing village popular with British expats and holidaymakers on the quieter, western edge of the Costa del Sol.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard said: 'The bodies of two elderly people were found in an advanced state of decomposition and we are investigating the causes of death.

'The post-mortem examination will determine whether these were violent deaths, and if they were we will investigate who used that violence.

'The alarm was raised by a family friend who had been contacted by the victims son.

'That person made the discovery and called the Civil Guard.

'All lines of investigation are still open.'

The couple are believed to have lived in the village for at least ten years.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting the family of two British people who have died in Malaga.

'Our staff are helping them contact the Spanish police and funeral directors.'
Former Doctor Who Peter Davison has slammed the decision to make the Time Lord a woman, calling it 'sad' and a 'loss of a role model for boys'.

Speaking before an appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego on Thursday, the British actor said Jodie Whittaker was a 'terrific actress' but expressed concerns about the lead role going to a female.

The 66-year-old said: 'If I feel any doubts, it's the loss of a role model for boys who I think Doctor Who is vitally important for.'

'I feel a bit sad': Former Time Lord Peter Davison (left) said he feels upset that the role of Doctor Who has been given to a woman. Colin Baker (right), who succeeded Davison in the role in 1984, dismissed the comments as 'absolute rubbish'. Pictured, the pair with Sophie Aldred at Comic-Con in San Diego

He said: 'So I feel a bit sad about that, but I understand the argument that you need to open it up.'

Davison said he liked the idea of the Doctor 'as a boy' but added, 'maybe I'm an old-fashioned dinosaur, who knows?'.

Davison was the fifth person to take on the role in the 1981-1984 series of the popular BBC sci-fi show.

Daughter Georgina Moffett, 32, starred on show as the on-screen child of David Tennant, 46, one of the programme's most loved Time Lords.

In a twist, she went onto marry Tennant and the couple now have four children together and live in Chiswick, West London.

'Absolute rubbish!': The sixth Doctor Who Colin Baker dismissed the comments made by Davison as nonsense. Jodie Whittaker (left) was announced as the actor to take on the coveted role in the latest series

Her father's comments have been sharply criticised by sixth Doctor Who Colin Baker.

Baker, who played the role between 1984-86, said the comments were 'absolute rubbish'.

Baker, 74, has long championed a woman taking over the role for the first time and has been celebrating since Jodie Whittaker's selection.

Baker, who has four daughters, previously called the decision to select a woman after 12 men in the role 'brave and game-changing casting'.

The sixth Time Lord bluntly disagreed with Davison.

'They've had 50 years of having a role model. So sorry Peter, you're talking rubbish there - absolute rubbish,' he said.

'Well you don't have to be of a gender of someone to be a role model. Can't you be a role model as people?'

Baker also said that he hopes to see a non-white Doctor in the future and that the series should look to America where he feels casting is less dependant on colour.

'They see a future world where that is irrelevant and it's perhaps time Doctor Who and its fans did too,' he added.

The announcement on Sunday that the Broadchurch star, 35, would take the helm was also met with praise from the outgoing Doctor, Peter Capaldi.
A Michigan man who his five-year-old stepdaughter to death before setting her on fire was found guilty of first-degree murder on Friday.

Thomas McClellan, 25, of Holt, Michigan, will spend life in prison for killing Luna Michelle Younger on November 1, 2016, after she refused to leave his room until he gave her food.

During his three-day trial, the court heard that McClellan was 'tipped over the edge' when Luna woke him from a nap and asked for a snack, despite it not being 'dinner time'.

Shortly after firefighters found Luna's burned body in the apartment McClellan shared with the girl's mother, Victoria King, McClellan turned himself in to police, telling officials that he killed the girl around 5pm, after she gave him 'attitude'.

Thomas McClellan, 25, of Holt, Michigan, admitted to killing Luna Michelle Younger on November 1, 2016, after she refused to leave his room until he gave her food

McClellan's three-day trial ended on Thursday, and a verdict is expected on Friday. He faces charges of open murder, first-degree child abuse and first-degree arson

McClellan was also of first-degree child abuse and first-degree arson by Ingham County Circuit Judge Joyce Draganuchuk.

Draganuchuk deliberated along after McClellan's attorney, Patrick Crowley, requested a bench trial instead of trial by jury, according to the Lansing State Journal.

During the trial, Crowly had argued that a second-degree murder conviction would be more appropriate. First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole in Michigan.

A recording of the an interview between McClellan and Detective Charles Buckland was heard during McClellan's murder trial in Ingham County's 30th Circuit Court on Thursday.

Shortly after Luna's body was found, McClellan told the detective that he had spent the day arguing with King, who he had married three months earlier, and was watching the young girl while his wife was at work.

He was taking a nap when Luna knocked on his bedroom door at 5pm on November 1 and asked if she could have a snack.

A recording of the an interview between McClellan and Buckland was heard during McClellan's murder trial in Ingham County's 30th Circuit Court on Thursday. McClellan told the detective that he had spent the day arguing with Luna's mother, Victoria King, who he had married three months earlier

Shortly after firefighters found Luna's burned body in the apartment McClellan shared with the girl's mother, McClellan turned himself in to police, telling officials that he killed the girl around 5pm on November 1, after she gave him 'attitude'

'What was so awful about Luna today that you had to kill her,' Buckland asked. 'I don't wanna guess something, Tom. I wanna hear it from you. What'd she do, Tom?'

McClellan responded: 'I told her it wasn't dinner time.'

He said Luna stayed in the room and continued asking for food.

'It tipped me over the edge,' McClellan said. 'She gave me more attitude.'

It was then that McClellan sat on top of Luna's chest and stabbed her at least five times before covering her body with sheets, pouring vodka on it and setting it on fire, prosecutors say.

He had set her body on fire to hide the evidence, WLSN reported.

As the flames spread through the ground-floor apartment, the Delhi Township fire department were called in to extinguish the blaze.

McClellan sat on top of Luna's chest and stabbed her at least five times before covering her body with sheets, pouring vodka on it and setting it on fire, prosecutors say

Firefighter Corey Drolett said he thought Luna might be hiding from the fire at first, and search a closet and under the bed before finding her under the smoldering blankets.

The court heard that McClellan 'did not run out of his room bloody, scared or panicked' or call 911 after stabbing the girl, according to Assistant Ingham County Prosecutor Elizabeth Allen.

Instead, he took a shower, packed a bag, and set the girl's body on fire. He then threw out his cell phone, bought a new phone and checked into a local motel.

McClellan's attorney said that his client's actions were 'inefficient', 'panicked' and 'haphazard'.

It was King who convinced McClellan to turn himself in.
Boris Johnson today blasted 'reckless' North Korea as he vowed Britain would stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with Japan.

The Foreign Secretary is in Tokyo for talks on trade and international security as part of a regional tour that will see him travel onto New Zealand.

Mr Johnson also met with the Tokyo Governor to discuss how London can use its experience of 2012 to help with the city's Olympic Games in 2020.

Mr Johnson's trip has allowed him to leave behind bitter Cabinet rows at home that dominated the final days of the Parliamentary term.

He was blamed by some for triggering extraordinary rows over how to deliver Brexit.

Boris Johnson (pictured in Tokyo today Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida) had blasted 'reckless' North Korea as he vowed Britain would stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with Japan

Mr Johnson and Mr Kishida confirmed the strong economic relationship between Japan and the UK post-Brexit at today's press conference (pictured)

The Foreign Secretary is in Tokyo for talks on trade and international security (pictured) as part of a regional tour that will see him travel onto New Zealand

After meeting his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida Mr Johnson said: 'We all need to increase the pressure on Pyongyang through diplomacy and sanctions, and that must include China using its influence to bring North Korea back to the negotiation table.

The Foreign Secretary called North Korea's recent launch of its first intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwasong-14, in early July, 'a reckless provocation.'

Beyond shared security threats, the two officials confirmed the strong economic relationship between Japan and the UK post-Brexit.

'We're leaving the EU but not leaving Europe,' Johnson said, insisting that quitting the EU will allow Britain to continue to build its commercial and economic relationship with Japan.

He noted the strength of both UK exports to Japan as well as Japanese investment in the UK.

Mr Johnson also met with the Tokyo Governor (pictured) to discuss how London can use its experience of 2012 to help with the city's Olympic Games in 2020

Mr Johnson donned a Tokyo 2020 lapel pin at the meeting, at which he recalled his own experience of being London Mayor during the 2012 Games

Johnson is also meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the governor of Tokyo on day two of a three-day trip to Japan.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry says they are discussing increased diplomatic and security cooperation and the Olympics.

In the remainder of his trip, he is set to meet with Japanese business leaders for talks on enhanced trade and investment before traveling to New Zealand and Australia.

In a radio interview last night with LBC's Iain Dale Mrs May said this week's extraordinary public rows was 'sadly' not the only instance of Cabinet discussions being leaked.

And she warned: 'It should not happen. It is important we accept collective responsibility - it is not for ourselves it is because we have a job to do.

'There is no such thing as an unsackable minister but at the moment the team is together and we are getting on with the job of delivering what we believe the British people want us to do.

'Brexit is a key part of that but there is a lot else we need to deal with too.'
The United States government is banning citizens from traveling to North Korea.

Koryo Tours said the ban would be announced on July 27 and would go into effect 30 days later.

It said the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular affairs for the United States in the North, informed it of the ban, but did not say how long it would last.

US officials said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had decided to implement a 'geographical travel restriction' for North Korea, which would make the use of US passports to enter the country illegal.

Two tourist agencies that operate tours to North Korea said on Friday the U.S. government will soon ban its citizens from travelling to the North. Pictured, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement: 'We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK'

'But it does seem to be the case that in just over a month, it will be impossible for Americans to visit as tourists,' said Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockrell.

Another tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, said on its website that it had also been informed of the ban, citing the same date.

Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement: 'We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea).

'It is expected that the ban will come into force within 30 days of July 27th.

'After the 30 day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government.

'We will update further as more information becomes available.'

Koryo Tours said the ban would be announced on July 27 and would go into effect 30 days later. Pictured, US president Donald Trump

The statement said: 'After the 30 day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government'

Young Pionner was the agency that took U.S. student Otto Warmbier to North Korea. He was subsequently arrested there and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.

Otto Warmbier, however, died six days after being brought back to the United States in a coma from North Korea.

The 22-year-old was returned to his family in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 13 after spending 17 months in North Korea where he was arrested as a student for stealing a propaganda poster in January 2016.

He returned in a vegetative state, unable to communicate with his family and with devastating brain loss.

Young Pionner was the agency that took U.S. student Otto Warmbier (pictured) to North Korea. He was subsequently arrested there and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour

The 22-year-old was carried off a private plane last week after touching down in Cincinnati to be reunited with his family 17 months after he was jailed. He returned in an almost vegetative state and had suffered extensive brain loss

North Korean authorities dubiously blamed his condition on a bout of food poisoning which they said he suffered while imprisoned and released him on 'humanitarian grounds'.

His family announced his death, laying the blame for it squarely with Kim Jong Un and his regime.

'The awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today,' Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement.

President Trump shared his condolences with the family immediately, describing their son as 'North Korea's latest victim'.

'When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th, he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands.

'He looked very uncomfortable - almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance on his face changed - he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that.

'We thank everyone around the world who has kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We are at peace and at home too,' they said.

Otto was a student at the University of Virginia when he traveled in a group to Pyongyang.

As he attempted to leave the country to return home on January 2, he was arrested and detained at the airport.

Upon his release, North Korean officials blamed his condition on botulism - a severe form of food poisoning which they said he contracted while in their custody.

The man's father rejected the claim, blaming his almost vegetative state on how it treated him.

'There's no excuse for the way the North Koreans treated our son and the way they have treated so many others,' Fred Warmbier fumed.
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In the years after the United States joined World War II, high school students across the country took part in training drills in preparation for total war.

Photos reveal that the 1940s students were taught to handle rifles, participated in assault courses and learned CPR as part of the High School Victory Corps, a program that was completely voluntary.

The Victory Corps were 'designed to mobilize secondary school students for more effective preparation and participation in wartime service' during WWII, which saw approximately 60million people killed worldwide.

Photos who students in the 1940s were taught to handle rifles, participated in assault courses and learned CPR as part of the High School Victory Corps, which were created after the United States entered World War II. Pictured above, five girls practice their shooting skills in a basement of a Los Angeles school

The Victory Corps were 'designed to mobilize secondary school students for more effective preparation and participation in wartime service' during WWII, which saw approximately 60million people killed worldwide. Pictured above, a teenage girl looks through the scope of a rifle as she practises her shooting skills

The Victory Corps was first established in 1942, a few months after the United States entered the war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in December 1941. Schools across across the country took part in the corps and trained students in preparation for total war

Students across the United States took part in physical training as part of the corps, like the boys pictured above climbing over a wall. Students also had to enroll in a war-effort class, like first aid or navigation, to take part

One image shows a row of four schoolgirls at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles practising their shooting skills in the school basement.

Another shows a group of schoolchildren from Los Angeles's Washington High School taking apart and rebuilding an airplane.

The Victory Corps was first established in 1942, a few months after the United States entered the war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in December 1941.

The group had its own uniform, command structure and fitness regime, and each student had to enroll in a war-effort class, such as first aid or navigation, and take part in at least on extracurricular activity to take part.

The program was considered ground-breaking at the time not just because it was the first program to attempt to prepare high school students for all-out war, but also because it took in both white and black students a full ten years before public school desegregation was introduced in America. Pictured above, three boys take part in first-aid training

The group had its own uniform, command structure and fitness regime, and each student had to take part in at least on extracurricular activity to take part. They were taught to shoot rifles (left) and rebuild airplanes

The program was seen as widely successful for the two years it ran for during World War II. Pictured above, shoolchildren from Los Angeles's Washington High School taking apart and rebuilding an airplane

At the height of its success, the Victory Corps was thought to contain around six million students from more than 28,000 schools across the country. Pictured above, two girls practice their shooting skills in a basement of a high school

All students also had to pass a physical fitness inspection, something the military considered essential due to the alarming number of enlistees who were failing their physicals.

The program, which was hugely successful in the two years it ran for, was led by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, a World War I fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient.

It was considered ground-breaking at the time not just because it was the first program to attempt to prepare high school students for all-out war, but also because it took in both white and black students a full ten years before public school desegregation was introduced in America.

At the height of its success, the Victory Corps was thought to contain around six million students from more than 28,000 schools across the country.

It was eventually phased out as the war drew to a close, with the program being disbanded from June 1944 onward.

All students involved in the program also had to pass a physical fitness inspection, something the military considered essential due to the alarming number of enlistees who were failing their physicals. Pictured above, a teenager in the program works on a machine as part of his training

For their uniforms, students in the Victory Corps (pictured being sworn in above) were given caps embroidered with the Corps insignia and service patches that indicated the focus of their course work

The program, which was completely voluntary for the two years it ran for, was headed by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, a WWI fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient. Pictured above, a student participates in rope climb as part of the physical fitness training for the program

The High School Victory Corps was created to prepare young Americans for war. The program said it was preparing students 'in the armed forces tomorrow through learning in the classroom today'. Pictured above, students do push ups as part of the physical training for the Corps
A Muslim mother is threatening legal action against an elite school known as the socialist Eton after being told not to wear a face veil there.

Rachida Serroukh, 37, said Holland Park School had discriminated against her because of her religion.

The single mother-of-three, who attended the school in Kensington, is a devout Muslim and has worn a face veil for 14 years.

She was upset when a teacher told her at a parents evening that she would not be allowed to cover her face in school.

The Muslim mother is taking legal action against Holland Park School (above) in West London

Her solicitor, Attiq Malik, has written to the school saying its actions were a straightforward test case of discrimination on the grounds of religion.

Mr Malik, of Liberty Law Solicitors, added: The Government constantly talks about British values. To me, those values include diversity and multiculturalism.

The case is the latest in a row over whether Muslim staff, pupils and parents should be allowed to cover their faces in schools.

Supporters say it is a religious right, while critics say it is inappropriate in a school setting.

Last year, Ofsteds then chief inspector of schools Sir Michael Wilshaw said schools that let pupils or staff wear full-face veils could be rated inadequate if it clearly hinders communication and effective teaching.

Miss Serroukh, a childcare assistant whose 11-year-old daughter is to attend Holland Park, said she was challenged by staff on June 13 when she visited the school, which is known as the socialist Eton because although it is a comprehensive it is in one of the most expensive catchment areas in the country.

After listening to a talk by the head, she said a member of staff took her into a room and told her it was the schools policy not to allow face veils.

Miss Serroukh said that at first she thought the teacher had misunderstood and meant her daughter could not attend in a face veil. She told The Guardian: As the teacher was female, I lifted my veil when we were talking.

The school says face veils are banned so that everybody is identified on site (file picture)

I explained clearly that my daughter wears a headscarf and would not be coming to school in a face veil.

Then I realised she was talking about me not my daughter.

I was very shaken and was in a state of shock about what had happened. I had never experienced anything like this before.

I have experienced name calling in the street from strangers about my veil but nothing like this had ever happened before. When I got home, I just broke down.

I feel like I dont belong here, even though I live across the road and used to attend the school.

What has happened to me at Holland Park is discrimination.

The Department for Education leaves it up to individual schools to decide whether staff and pupils can wear face veils, but its guidance says nothing about parents and other visitors.

Holland Park deputy head Ross Wilson said it was a health and safety issue to be able to identify all of those on the school site.

He emailed Miss Serroukh explaining the school did not have a written policy banning visitors wearing a face veil, but said it now intended to introduce one.

However, Miss Serroukh said the ban was unnecessary because she always lifted her veil when asked to do so for security purposes.

The school, whose former pupils include Left-wing journalist Polly Toynbee and the children of Labour politician Tony Benn, did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
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Incredible footage of the earthquake in Turkey has emerged showing the moment the powerful natural disaster struck leaving at least two dead and hundreds injured.

One video shows a woman blowing out candles on a birthday cake as the rumble of the quake sends horror around her party.

As the gathered crowd cheer, the terrifying sound of the natural disaster can be heard and a bright flash is seen in the background sparking scenes of chaos before water starts to flow under their table.

The epicentre of the magnitude-6.7 quake was off Bodrum, southwest Turkey, with the country's Aegean coast and Greek holiday islands including Kos and Rhodes worst affected.

Tens of thousands of tourists who were forced to sleep outdoors have now been warned of possible aftershocks.

The quake triggered a tsunami that hit tourist resorts in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and damaging buildings across the region.

Holidaymakers fled hotels in terror and some even jumped from balconies as the quake hit before running for their lives to higher ground as tsunami waves surged through beachfront resorts moments later, flooding bars and restaurants, carrying away cars and depositing boats in town streets.

On the island of Kos, two male tourists - a 22-year-old from Sweden and a 39-year-old from Turkey - were killed after being crushed under a collapsed ceiling at the White Corner Club bar.

Another man from Sweden has apparently lost his legs, police said.

Parts of a historic mosque in Kos Town also came crashing down into the street and rescuers were this morning sifting through rubble looking for trapped survivors.

Some 8,000 Britons are believed to be staying on the island, which was also badly affected by the tsunami.

In Turkey, at least 70 people were admitted to hospitals in Bodrum.

Video taken when the quake hit showed staff and patients at Bodrum State Hospital cowering for cover, while the devastation caused a large electrical fire to break out in the city after a power pylon came crashing to the ground.

The building can be seen shaking in the clip as patients and medical staff attempt to shelter from falling debris.

A man carrying a crying child and a woman who appears to be his partner run around the hospital trying to find a safe place to ride out the quake and eventually are guided to a spare desk by a woman filming the carnage.

Dozens of people were seen desperately running away from the coastline after the earthquake struck attempting to get to higher ground.

With the tsunami on its way, locals and tourists in Turkey scrambled to get away from danger as they left bars and shops on the coast.

A handful of lucky residents were able to use their mopeds to rush to safety, overtaking screaming locals sprinting on the pavement.

The bars and shops they had left were battered by the powerful quake and the tsunami that followed.

Chairs can be seen left strewn on the ground where drinkers had been enjoying an evening out and water can be seen flooding under tables.

Locals and tourists seem in high spirits, laughing at the chaotic scenes, but a shopkeeper is less positive about the situation.

A clip from the inside of a supermarket shows the devastation to stock with goods all over the floor under inches of water.

Although the epicentre was off the coast of Turkey, the tremors were felt in the Greek Island of Kos, which sits just the other side of the Aegean Sea.

Buildings on the popular party island were badly damaged by the quake.

As people sat around in the square, a video shows the carnage that surrounds them.

Rubble from the tops of buildings can be seen lying on the top of veranda roofs having crushed them.

As is the case with earthquakes, the danger to the public comes in the aftermath of the strike due to falling buildings, shattered glass and gas leaks.

Another threat is fire, and a collapsed cable line caused a huge blaze as the aftershocks continued to hit the islands and Turkey.

It is believed the video was shot in Bodrum and it shows a raging fire near a road on what appears to be a hillside.

The quake triggered a tsunami which sent water from the Aegean Sea flooding through the streets of coastal Turkish towns.

Tourists were seen wading through the water in an attempt to get away from the coast.

Restaurants and bars on the seafront were engulfed by the seawater as the tremors continued to hit the surrounding areas.

Having struggled through the early hours of the morning, daybreak revealed the true extent of the damage caused by the powerful quake.

Buildings were cordoned off after debris had fallen onto roofs and walkways.

A video shows a building in the Greek island of Kos with a huge cylindrical concrete pillar on the ground surrounded by rubble.
This is the moment a dashcam filmed a terrifying swarm of locusts so thick that the driver was forced to stop.

The incident happened in the Tarumovsky District of south-western Russia's Republic of Dagestan, which has recently been plagued by an invasion of the insects.

The toe-curling footage initially looks like a sand storm but it some becomes clear that it is a massive locust invasion.

Reportedly, the locusts have taken over the area, with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in Dagestan reporting that at least 112,000 hectares have been affected by the insatiable insects.

An online viewer calling himself Ruslan said: "It reminds me of something. The region is either hit by a storm, or locustsMaybe someone dug out a mummy and opened its sarcophagus?"

The Ministry has stated that they have surveyed 21 thousand hectares of land , with an estimated 114 thousand hectares populated by the pests.

invasion: A swarm of locusts hover over the front of the car tries to drive through (pictured) in Dagestan, Russia

Another, viewer named Aidagolik added: "Once every few years, locust change their migration route. Just like this year. When they are on the go, they are impossible to stop with either chemicals or jets. All you can do is wait and it will pass on its own."

An average swarm of locusts can consume the same amount of food as 10 elephants or 2,500 people, as well as being able to travel distances of up to 130km in one day.

Sand storm : The locusts have damaged 112,000 hectares of land despite best efforts by local authorities
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A Palestinian has stabbed three Israelis to death after breaking into a house in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank.

The victims were a woman in her 70s, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s, according to Israeli news site Ynet.

The horrifying attack came at the end of a day of deadly clashes over new security measures at a major mosque in Jerusalem.

Today's clashes: Palestinian protesters use a slingshots to hurl stones towards Israeli security forces as the ground is set on fire

A Palestinian protester hurls stones towards Israeli security forces during clashes near the border between Israel and central Gaza Strip

A Palestinian has stabbed three Israelis to death after breaking into a house in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank. Pictured: A Palestinian protester flashes victory sign during earlier clashes

Israeli ministers decided not to remove metal detectors outside the Haram al-Sharif mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests today, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

This sparked a furious reaction from Palestinians, three of whom died as protesters clashed with Israeli forces outside Jerusalem's Old City.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said another 41 Palestinians were taken to hospitals or clinics with injures from live fire, rubber bullets and beatings while about 150 Palestinians were treated for tear gas inhalation.

The unrest in Jerusalem came after Israeli ministers decided not to remove metal detectors outside the Haram al-Sharif mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen

Palestinians hurl stones at Israeli forces after they used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse Muslim worshippers following protest prayers held outside Jerusalem's Old City

In anticipation of protests today, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for prayers, while all women were allowed in. Police and soldiers were out in force today

Two Palestinians died during the protests. The first was killed by gunfire in east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry, who did not provide any more details on how it occurred. Pictured: Crowds of Palestinian protesters in Ramallah

This evening Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian leadership will 'freeze contacts' with Israel 'on all levels.'

Abbas made the announcement during a meeting late Friday with senior Palestinian officials. It was not immediately clear if this means the Palestinians are halting their long-standing security coordination with Israel.

The first of the Palestinian's killed was shot east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry, who did not provide any more details on how it occurred.

The second was killed by Israeli fire in the A-Tur area after clashes broke out in the area.

And the third was shot dead in Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank.

Police have since said discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors at the mosque instead of forcing everyone to go through them.

But Palestinian and religious leaders were still calling on worshippers not to enter until they were removed.

Hundreds held midday prayers near the gates of the Old City in protest. According to police, dozens of people entered the compound.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalem's Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gate - the entrance most heavily used by Palestinians - blocked.

A group of several hundred people, including Muslim leaders, marched towards the Lions Gate entrance to the mosque compound, but police informed them that only men aged 50 or over would be allowed in.

Palestinian worshippers run for cover as Israeli forces fire tear gas following protest prayers held outside Jerusalem's Old City during protests

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke with US counterpart Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner about the unrest

'They turned back everyone who came here to pray but then I told them I was going to the doctor, but they did not let me in,' said Ulfat Hamad, 42, who was visiting from the United States. Pictured: A Palestinian protester with a rock in Ramallah

Police - seen here in Ramallah - said they had boosted their forces in and around the Old City, with units 'mobilised in all areas and neighbourhoods'

Police later fired stun grenades and tear gas towards protesters outside the Old City, while Palestinians threw stones and other objects at security forces in some areas.

'They turned back everyone who came here to pray but then I told them I was going to the doctor, but they did not let me in,' said Ulfat Hamad, 42, who was visiting from the United States.

'I am going to pray here with others,' he said outside the walls.

Tensions have risen since police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceive as a means for Israel to assert further control over the compound containing the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke with US counterpart Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

He urged the US administration to immediately intervene warning the situation was 'extremely dangerous and might spiral out of control,' the Palestinians' official Wafa news agency reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan too has called on Israel to remove the detectors. He spoke by telephone with both Abbas and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday.

Palestinians pray outside Jerusalem's Old City, after Israel denied entry to men under 50 in the face of protests over new security measures at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the metal detectors at the mosque were intended to ensure the safety of worshippers

Israeli police fire tear gas at Palestinian protesters at Qalandiy checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah, where there were also disturbances

Israeli forces disperse Palestinian protesters in the West Bank city of Ramallah after tensions continued to rise over new security measures in Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the metal detectors were intended to ensure the safety of worshippers and visitors and not an attempt to disturb the fragile status quo under which Jordan is custodian of the site and Jewish prayer is forbidden.

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound all week in protest at the metal detectors.

The main weekly prayers on Fridays draw the largest number of worshippers -- typically thousands -- and speculation had been mounting that Netanyahu might order the metal detectors removed.

But after consultations with security chiefs and members of his security cabinet, Netanyahu decided not to order them removed.

Police said they had boosted their forces in and around the Old City, with units 'mobilised in all areas and neighbourhoods'.

The new security measures were put in place following a gun and knife attack near the compound that killed two Israeli policemen on July 14.

Three Arab Israeli assailants fled to the compound after the attack, where they were shot dead by security forces.

Israeli police said the weapons were smuggled into the holy site which was then used as the launchpad for the attack.

Israel initially closed the al-Aqsa Mosque for two days following the attack in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday's prayers. Pictured: An Israeli soldier in Ramallah

Israel began reopening it on Sunday, but with metal detectors in place to prevent weapons being smuggled into the compound. Pictured: A Palestinian protester tries to put out a tear gas grenade in Ramallah

In the Gaza Strip, Islamist movement Hamas called for a day of 'rage' on Friday. In the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians also prayed outside in support of the Al-Aqsa protests. Pictured: Israeli soldiers in Ramallah

In their Thursday conversation, Erdogan urged Rivlin to swiftly remove the detectors 'within the framework of freedom of religion and worship'. Pictured: Palestinians evacuate an injured man in Ramallah

Israel initially closed the compound for two days following the attack in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday's prayers.

It said the closure was necessary for security checks.

Israel began reopening it on Sunday, but with metal detectors in place to prevent weapons being smuggled into the compound.

In the Gaza Strip, Islamist movement Hamas called for a day of 'rage' on Friday. In the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians also prayed outside in support of the Al-Aqsa protests.

In their Thursday conversation, Erdogan urged Rivlin to swiftly remove the detectors 'within the framework of freedom of religion and worship'.

Rivlin told Erdogan that 'the steps taken on the Temple Mount were intended to ensure that such acts of terror could not be repeated.'

The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It lies in east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

It is considered the third holiest site in Islam and the most sacred for Jews.
A teacher has been photographed sleeping at her desk by outraged pupils as she invigilated an exam in a school described as Britain's worst.

Pupils posted a picture of the snoozing schoolmistress while she was overseeing a Year 9 exam but instead of ensuring the teenagers did not talk or cheat, she went for 40 winks,

An appalled student uploaded the image to SnapChat with the telling caption: 'And the teachers say it's the students' fault the school is no good. Welcome to WIllenhall - the place of sleeping teachers.'

A teacher has been photographed sleeping at her desk by outraged pupils as she invigilated an exam in a school described as Britain's worst

The Willenhall E-ACT Academy has previously been branded the worst school in Britain after pupils threw food at Ofsted inspectors in May

Troubled Willenhall Academy in Walsall, West Midlands has gained a disastrous reputation after a damming Ofsted report earlier this year.

While the GCSE pass rate is staggeringly low at 40 per cent, inspectors found knife crime, widespread drug use and bullying was commonplace with a large percentage of children saying they were afraid to attend.

Over a third of teenagers between years seven to eleven were persistently absent, making it the poorest attended school in the country.

This picture is the latest in blunders and publicity disasters for the school, after children were caught throwing food at Ofsted inspectors in May.

In the image, which shows the teacher's laptop close with a can of fizzy drink nearby, it offers a glimpse behind the scenes at the school.

The student's take on it was pupils were not the only ones to blame for the academy's bad image.

'Wasn't one of us!' A spokesman for the troubled academy said it was a supply teacher pictured in the image rather than a member of staff

The 1430-pupil academy is currently in special measures after receiving inadequate ratings across the education board.

A spokesperson for the school said: 'The individual pictured in the photograph is not a Willenhall E-ACT Academy employee but is a member of external agency staff.

'We have expressed out disappointment in the strongest terms directly to the agency, and have informed them that we will not be using their services in the future.

'The individual in question had been drafted in by the academy for one day to help invigilate an exam alongside one other teacher.'

Staff employed by the academy have been striking this month over a dispute about not being listened to by bosses.

The Ofsted report found that 70 per cent of teachers left the school during 2015 and 2016.

Earlier this year parents and former pupils spoke out about the troubled secondary school.

Parent Dan Gosling was so appalled by events at the school that he removed his children after six weeks. Writing on social media, he claimed: 'Someone pulled a carpet knife and had a fight with another pupil causing horrific injuries. My daughter was stabbed with a diabetic syringe and it was brushed aside.'

Another parent revealed: 'My son got caught smoking a spliff and was suspended for three weeks. He said he'd been buying it from kids at the school where they were dealing weed off the back of mopeds.'

Martin Rist, 31, a security guard employed by the school, added: 'A lad once tried to stab me with an Allen key set. When I complained, the school wanted me to apologise'.
A commissioned officer in the Navy SEALs has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman, it has been revealed.

Lieutenant Joseph Benevento is alleged to have placed the unidentified victim on a bed, removed her underwear and penetrated her without consent.

The incident happened in November, however Benevento was only charged with violating military law earlier in June.

It has not yet been decided whether the officer will face the military equivalent of a grand jury permission (file picture)

No decision has yet been made on whether Benevento will face the military version of the civilian grand-jury, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

According to a recently-removed online biography Benevento had been on multiple deployments in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

He has also received two Joint Service Achievement Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals and a Joint Service Commendation medal.

The sexual assault allegedly happened in San Diego, home to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where Navy SEALs are trained.

The base, however, has been marred by several high profile sexual assault cases over the last six months.

Lieutenant Benevento allegedly served on multiple deployments in the Middle East and Afghanistan (file picture)

In April Petty Officer 1st Class Gregory Kyle Seerden was extradited from San Diego to Virginia where he faces felony child pornography and child sex assault charges.

Investigators were looking into Seerden because he was alleged to have raped a women while on assignment in Virginia.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service searched Seerden's iPhone and found dozens of images of boys and girls engaged in sex acts.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Irving, who is member of SEAL Team Five, based in San Diego, also faces charges for allegedly raping a civilian woman in 2015.
Pictured: Blair Logan, 27, has admitted murdering his brother and attempting to kill his girlfriend

A man has admitted murdering his brother and trying to kill his sibling's girlfriend by dousing them in petrol as they lay asleep hours after they celebrated the beginning of 2017.

Blair Logan, 27, confessed to setting fire to the couple on New Year's Day at the family home in Milngavie, East Dumbartonshire in Scotland.

His younger sibling Cameron Logan, 23, was burnt to death in the blaze but his girlfriend Rebecca Williams, 24 managed to escape.

A court heard how Blair stood above the pair who were asleep on an inflatable mattress in the living room, having returned from a party in 'high spirits' at around 4am.

Blair's mother Catherine Logan was woken by the family dog whining and went downstairs, where she saw a figure in dark clothing standing inside.

Miss Williams also saw a man in the room, holding something that was on fire, and she and Cameron both screamed.

The court was told how Blair didn't get on with his younger brother and their relationship was bitter, having not spoken since 2013 after their grandmother died. Blair told police he was angry with Cameron for punching him.

Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, told the judge: 'Catherine Logan then heard Cameron roar in surprise, shock and fear, before the accused made a jerking motion with his arm as if throwing something.

'The accused then ran from the living room and went out the front door.

'Catherine Logan slammed the door behind him, shouting something like 'get the hell out of my house', still not knowing who it was.

He said: 'When she turned back towards the living room she saw 'orange and crackling' and the room turning black. She also heard Cameron and Rebecca screaming.'

Blair Logan, 27, has admitted dousing his brother Cameron (above) in petrol while he slept at their family home on January 1. The blaze killed Cameron and his pet dog Gomez (pictured together above)

Before firefighters and paramedics arrived, broadcast journalist Miss Williams had been dragged from the house unconscious, but Cameron remained trapped by the fire.

She tried to open the door to the room without success and ran out of the house to ask neighbours for help, shouting to her husband to warn him.

The 24-year-old radio reporter managed to roll onto the floor and crawl out of the room into the kitchen where she was not able to open the back door, and put her head in the fridge to protect herself from the fire.

Mr Logan senior tried to get into the living room but was beaten back by the intensity of the smoke and flames.

He managed to get out of the house, before he and neighbour John Weir rescued Rebecca from the kitchen.

Pictured: Rebecca Williams (left) and David and Cathy Logan (right) were in the house which went up in flames just after 7am on New Year's Day. The blaze cost the life of Cameron Logan, 23, and their family dog Gomez

She was then passed into the care of ambulance crews and taken to hospital, as were Mr and Mrs Logan.

Cameron was pronounced dead at 8.23am from 'the effects of fire', just under an hour after the house was set alight at 7.25am.

Miss Williams was injured in the fire and the extent of her injuries meant investigators had to wait more than a week before they could question her about the fire.

His parents, David and Cathy, both 54, were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

Police Scotland launched a major investigation and immediately described the blaze as 'targeted and wilful'.

Tragic: Radio journalist Rebecca Williams, pictured above with the late Cameron Logan, managed to escape but tragically her boyfriend was killed

The Logan family were said to be in such a state of shock that it was a number of days before officers could properly talk to them.

Officers made a series of appeals for potential witnesses seen walking dogs near the house, but the exact cause of the fire was described as 'specialist information'.

Blair told police he was 'out jogging' when the fire started, but two weeks after the death, around the time Ms Williams regained consciousness in hospital, he was arrested and charged with murder.

After he was taken into police custody, Logan told police: 'I didn't want to kill him.'

Officers seized a computer from the accused's bedroom which showed he had carried out internet searches from October 2016 looking for information on burns victims, one real fire death and video clips showing the effects of severe burning on people.

The 27-year-old admitted killing his brother during a police interview on January 13.

During the interview he told police: 'It was not my intent to kill him but I did do it.'

When charged with the attempted murder of Ms Williams, he said: 'I thought she was out of the room', and added: 'I did not wish to murder my parents.'

Advocate Depute Alex Prentice said the accused admitted pouring petrol 'with the intention of maiming or crippling' his brother.

The attack was said to be in retaliation for a recent incident at the house when his brother had punched him.

Logan told detectives he took the petrol from a church garage a month and a half before the fire and stored it in his bedroom.

Blair Logan, 27, originally told police he was 'out jogging' at the time of the fire but later confessed to the charges

Pictured: Blair Logan, pictured above, was a campaigner for Scottish independence and an admirer of SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon

Defence lawyer Shelagh McCall QC said Logan showed 'wicked recklessness' but did not intend to kill his brother.

He was said to have 'felt physically sick at the whole thing'.

Blair has been subject to two psychiatric reports which concluded there was not sufficient evidence for a plea of diminished responsibility.

Ms McCall said there were 'unusual traits' in Logan's personality and that he had a lack of understanding of the impact of his actions on other people.

Lady Scott asked for a social worker report and set a sentencing date for August 11 at the High Court in Livingston.

The court heard that the two brothers had a 'hostile' relationship and Logan told police they had not spoken since the death of their grandmother in 2013.

Advocate Depute Alex Prentice said the accused admitted pouring petrol 'with the intention of maiming or crippling' his brother. Pictured above, the scene shortly after the fire on January 1

Blair, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of murder and attempted murder at the High Court in Glasgow on this morning.

Detective Superintendent Allan Burton, from Police Scotland's Major Investigation Teams, said: 'Today marks the end of an unusual and complex investigation which has left a family utterly devastated as a result of Blair Logan's actions.

'A mother and father have lost both of their sons and a young woman has lost her partner, in a truly incomprehensible and tragic set of circumstances.

'This investigation involved a team of specialist officers that worked around the clock to piece together the events that led up to the fire being started on New Year's morning, resulting in the death of Cameron Logan.

'This was undoubtedly a very distressful crime which took place right in the heart of Milngavie, and the support of the local community, as well as the information provided by members of the public who were in the surrounding area that morning, were absolutely vital in helping us trace the person responsible.'

Today as a judge continues to hear details about the case, photographs of Blair Logan have been discovered showing him inches from the Scottish National Party leader while she was campaigning.

A month after his arrest, around 200 people gathered for Cameron's funeral.

A guard of honour was formed by his friends as the cortege arrived at Clydebank Crematorium.

The ashes of the family dog, Gomez, who also died in the fire, were carried in Cameron's coffin.

Speaking before the service, radio journalist Ms Williams paid tribute to her boyfriend, calling him her 'teddy bear'.

'He had such a big personality, but with a sensitive soul,' she said.

'And he was so funny and kind. He had an amazing ability to make people smile and feel good about themselves. I am so proud to have been his girlfriend. He was the love of my life.'

Last month, Aberdeen University awarded Cameron a Behavioural Studies degree posthumously. The 23-year-old had planned to join the police after completing his studies.

Ms Williams suffered burns to her arms and face, and needed a skin graft on one of her hands.

She also suffered damage to her throat, vocal cords and lungs and has undergone surgery four times, including a tracheotomy procedure.

She may not be able to return to work as a broadcast journalist due to the damage caused.

The tracheostomy may be permanent, and the potential long-term damage to the lungs is not known.

Mr Logan's parents were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation and discharged that day.




Farhad 'Fred' Jabbari, 38, died on Wednesday in Saginaw after police had arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving

A Michigan man who was fatally shot by police after an altercation during a drunk driving arrest was not a threat, friends have said.

Farhad 'Fred' Jabbari, 38, died on Wednesday in Saginaw after police had arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving.

State police Sgt Duane Zook said in a release Thursday that Jabbari, a pharmacist, was shot by police after he attacked two officers during the arrest.

It hasn't been determined which officer shot Jabbari or how one officer was shot in the arm. The other officer suffered facial injuries from the struggle.

Zook says Jabbari was placed in the rear of a patrol car after his arrest, but the arresting officer noticed he 'was making movements... that were not typical of a person who is handcuffed'.

A second officer arrived and attempts were made to restrain Jabbari. Investigating officers arrived and saw only one of Jabbari's wrists was handcuffed.

Tim Morningstar, who was friends with Jabbari for 15 years, said that he was shocked to hear that his friend would attack police officers, adding that 'something in him must have just snapped'.

State police Sgt Duane Zook said in a release Thursday that Jabbari, a pharmacist, was shot by police after he attacked two officers during the arrest (the scene pictured above). It hasn't been determined which officer shot Jabbari or how one officer was shot in the arm. The other officer suffered facial injuries from the struggle

'There is no way in my mind that he would have done this sober,' Morningstar told MLive. 'He must have been under the influence of something.'

Friends called Jabbari 'brilliant' and 'friendly' following his death, including Gina Chaltraw, who says she was one of his closest pals.

'He's not a bad guy,' Chaltraw said. 'Who doesn't have problems?'

Jabbari completed a stint of probation earlier this month for an incident that took place last year.

He served a delayed sentence and charges of resisting and obstruction and domestic violence were dismissed on July 11.

Chaltraw said that Jabbari was prescribed medicine for undisclosed health reasons and recalled that last year's incident was caused by an adverse reaction to prescription drugs.

Morningstar said Jabbari had battled depression since last year's incident, but in recent weeks he had 'seemed fine'.

'I'm still trying to process it,' Morningstar told NBC 25. 'I can't believe he's gone and even under the circumstances with the law enforcement officers the whole situation is just tragic. My prayer goes out to both sides.'
A casting call has been made for 'miserable and downtrodden' northerners looking 'a bit hard done by' to star in a new film about the Peterloo massacre.

The blockbuster movie by Mr Turner director Mike Leigh will be a drama about the 1819 rally which saw an estimated 18 protesters killed and up to 700 injured.

And modern-day northerners are now being asked to take part as extras in the film about how government troops charged at a crowd of about 60,000 protesters.

British director Mike Leigh is working on a blockbuster about the Peterloo massacre in 1819

British soldiers charge the crowd at St Peter's Fields in Manchester during the political protest

Piece of Cake said it wants 'authentic northern faces' who look like they have 'had a hard life'

Piece of Cake Casting, based in Haslemere, Surrey, is casting 'authentic Northern faces' with Film Artistes Association pay rates in Kent, Essex, Lincoln and Lancashire.

An advert said: 'Casting for a gritty English historic feature film. Looking like you are tired, overworked, had a hard life and quite frankly a bit hard done by!'

Agency director Alexandra Pickford told i northern correspondent Dean Kirby: 'For Peterloo, we want them to look pretty hard done by. Times were hard in 1819.'

She said men and women who think they could be an extra in the film, which will star Bolton-born actress Maxine Peake, should send a 'gritty selfie' to the agency.

The director is behind the award-winning Mr Turner starring Timothy Spall (who is from London, but could have the sort of face the casting agency is looking for) and Marion Bailey

Noel and Liam Gallagher could be seen as an example of 'miserable'-looking northerners

The TV series Shameless features 'downtrodden'-looking men and women from Manchester

Ms Pickford added that men with 'longer, collar-length hair' should ruffle it and bring it forward for the photo, and 'look really miserable, pretty down-trodden'.

Potential extras should have natural-coloured hair with no highlights  and no visible tattoos or piercings  although you don't actually have to be northern.

Ms Pickford told i: 'If you know the history of Peterloo and how things were in the area at the time, men had just come back from the Battle of Waterloo.

'They were working round the clock to take care of their families and not earning an awful lot of money and not being fed particularly well.'
A man has been convicted of getting an underage girl drunk before raping her on the day he was released from prison.

Arthur Alliband, 27, was serving an 18-month prison sentence for two counts of sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 and 14.

Alliband, from Lethbridge Park in Sydney's west, was released in March 2016, but on his way home from Parklea Prison he befriended a teenager on a train.

Arthur Alliband, 27, was serving an 18-month prison sentence for two counts of sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 and 14

Alliband plied her with alcohol before assaulting her at Best Road Reserve in Seven Hills (he is pictured on CCTV buying alcohol)

Alliband plied her with alcohol before assaulting her at Best Road Reserve in Seven Hills, 9 News reported.

He was caught on CCTV buying 38 cans of bourbon and cola, before going back to purchase more drinks hours later.

In court on Friday Judge ML Williams said his actions were 'the worst breach of parole imaginable.'

The fact that Alliband was on parole and had not even made it home from prison was an aggravating factor, police argued.

Alliband now faces a maximum four years and six months behind bars.

He will receive counselling in prison.

He was caught on CCTV buying 38 cans of bourbon and cola, before going back to purchase more drinks hours later
The evacuation from Dunkirk was one of the biggest operations of the Second World War and was one of the major factors in enabling the Allies to continue fighting.

It was the largest military evacuation in history, taking place between May 27 and June 4, 1940. The evacuation, known as Operation Dynamo, saw an estimated 338,000 Allied troops rescued from northern France. But 11,000 Britons were killed during the operation - and another 40,000 were captured and imprisoned.

Described as a 'miracle of deliverance' by wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, it is seen as one of several events in 1940 that determined the eventual outcome of the war.

British soldiers fight a rearguard action during the evacuation at Dunkirk, shooting rifles at attacking aircraft in 1940

The Second World War began after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, but for a number of months there was little further action on land. But in early 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway and then launched an offensive against Belgium and France in western Europe.

Hitler's troops advanced rapidly, taking Paris - which they never achieved in the First World War - and moved towards the Channel.

They reached the coast towards the end of May 1940, pinning back the Allied forces, including several hundred thousand troops of the British Expeditionary Force. Military leaders quickly realised there was no way they would be able to stay on mainland Europe.

Operational command fell to Bertram Ramsay, a retired vice-admiral who was recalled to service in 1939. From a room deep in the cliffs at Dover, Ramsay and his staff pieced together Operation Dynamo, a daring rescue mission by the Royal Navy to get troops off the beaches around Dunkirk and back to Britain.

A British soldier helps a wounded man drink while waiting to be evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940

On May 14, 1940 the call went out. The BBC made the announcement: 'The Admiralty have made an order requesting all owners of self-propelled pleasure craft between 30ft and 100ft in length to send all particulars to the Admiralty within 14 days from today if they have not already been offered or requisitioned.'

Boats of all sorts were requisitioned - from those for hire on the Thames to pleasure yachts - and manned by naval personnel, though in some cases boats were taken over to Dunkirk by the owners themselves.

They sailed from Dover, the closest point, to allow them the shortest crossing. On May 29, Operation Dynamo was put into action.

When they got to Dunkirk they faced chaos. Soldiers were hiding in sand dunes from aerial attack, much of the town of Dunkirk had been reduced to ruins by the bombardment and the German forces were closing in.

A ship laden with troops sets off for home as Dunkirk burns in the background

Above them, RAF Spitfire and Hurricane fighters were headed inland to attack the German fighter planes to head them off and protect the men on the beaches.

As the little ships arrived they were directed to different sectors. Many did not have radios, so the only methods of communication were by shouting to those on the beaches or by semaphore.

Space was so tight, with decks crammed full, that soldiers could only carry their rifles. A huge amount of equipment, including aircraft, tanks and heavy guns, had to be left behind.

The little ships were meant to bring soldiers to the larger ships, but some ended up ferrying people all the way back to England. The evacuation lasted for several days.

Men wait in an orderly fashion for their turn to be rescued during Operation Dynamo in 1940

Prime Minister Churchill and his advisers had expected that it would be possible to rescue only 20,000 to 30,00 men, but by June 4 more than 300,000 had been saved.

The exact number was impossible to gauge - though 338,000 is an accepted estimate - but it is thought that over the week up to 400,000 British, French and Belgian troops were rescued - men who would return to fight in Europe and eventually help win the war.

But there were also heavy losses, with around 90,000 dead, wounded or taken prisoner. A number of ships were also lost, through enemy action, running aground and breaking down. Despite this, Dunkirk was regarded as a success and a great boost for morale.
Shocking new figures reveal that the youngest person quizzed this year by police on suspicion of knife crime was just four years old.

The child was confronted in Manchester, echoing an incident in the area in 2016, when another four-year-old was questioned, as well as a boy aged five.

Meanwhile, a six-year-old was quizzed in Hull and an eight-year-old in Cumbria.

The revelations come as youth knife crime sweeps across the country - with the number of children carrying blades soaring by 23 per cent between 2015 and 2016, according to an investigation by The Mirror.

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Shocking new figures reveal that the youngest person quizzed this year by police on suspicion of knife crime was just four years old. Above, knives retrieved by the Metropolitan Police during an Operation Sceptre week of action - pictured at an undisclosed location in London

It found that 12 children are arrested every day for carrying blades.

In the first three months of 2017, around 1,600 were quizzed over knife crime.

And in 2015, more than 3,425 children under 18 were arrested or questioned by police for knife offences - rising to 4,219 a year later, according to the Mirror's Freedom of Information survey.

Relatives of stabbing victims have spoken out in an effort to halt the worrying rise in blade crime, including former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella.

She has campaigned tirelessly against knife crime in the UK and was even honoured with an MBE for her work.

Former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella (left) has campaigned tirelessly against knife crime in the UK and was even honoured with an MBE for her work. She set up the Ben Kinsella Trust in memory of her brother (right), who was stabbed to death in north London in 2008, aged 16

John Flatley, head of crime statistics for the ONS, said: 'While ongoing improvements to recording practices are driving this volume rise, we believe actual increases in crime are also a factor in a number of categories'

She set up the Ben Kinsella Trust in memory of her brother, who was stabbed to death in north London in 2008, aged 16.

'It is so upsetting to see it on the increase again. What these figures dont show is the pain, suffering and heartbreak knife crime leaves behind,' she told The Mirror.

The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years old - so children younger than this cannot be arrested or charged with a crime.

The rise in violent crimes and knife possession means that police have recorded the largest annual rise in crime in a decade, with nearly 5million offences over the year to March.

Trends in Crime Survey for England and Wales and police recorded crime, from 1981 to March 2017

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday show the number of crimes in England and Wales has risen by 10 per cent compared with the same period in 2015/16.

Hate crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales were up 21 per cent in the first three months of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016.

A total of 11,606 offences were recorded by 44 forces between January and March 2017, provisional figures show.

The equivalent number for January-March 2016 was 9,568.

But the total was down on the 14,375 offences for July-September 2016, recorded in the aftermath of the EU referendum on June 23 2016.

Police recorded 34,703 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, a 20 per cent rise.

It is also the highest number in a seven-year series, from March 2011, the earliest point of comparable data.

In a different measure, there were an estimated 11 million offences covered by the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW), including new experimental figures of fraud and cyber crimes.

John Flatley, head of crime statistics for the ONS, said: 'The latest figures show the largest annual rise in crimes recorded by the police in a decade.

'While ongoing improvements to recording practices are driving this volume rise, we believe actual increases in crime are also a factor in a number of categories.'
Terror police have released a dramatic video of terrified British tourists sprinting for their lives and advised holidaymakers to 'run, hide and tell' if their resort is attacked.

The 18-second clip, uploaded online by Terrorism Police UK, shows frightened families shout 'quickly, keep running' as they try and flee the scene.

It comes just two years after 30 British tourists were among 38 killed in a gun massacre at a hotel near Sousse, Tunisia.

The video focuses on three key points and informs holidaymakers that running as fast as they can is the 'best option' if they get caught up in a terror attack.

The dramatic video shows terrified British tourists being led away by armed police while on holiday

The video advises British tourists to 'run' because it is the 'best option' and shows a man carrying his son as he sprints off

At this point a panicked man runs away holding a child in his arms while his petrified family follows him.

However, if running away is not safe, the video then instructs tourists to simply 'hide' and stay silent and shows a group huddling together.

Lastly it advises people to 'tell' the police about the terror attack and shows a man and woman on the phone just moments after the incident.

Twitter user Barry O'Donnell quipped online: 'Jees, happy sunshine break folks - don't put a dampener on it or anything.'

It then informs tourists to hide if they are unable to run from the terrorist who is attacking their resort

Lastly, tourists are encouraged to phone the police to make them aware of the situation when they are safe

The video was posted online just as air traffic controllers are expecting to handle more than 8,800 flights throughout the day.

With more than 200 people on each commercial flight this brings the total figure of passengers to almost 2million people.

The 'run, hide, tell' campaign was first issued by police in December 2015 and was implemented in the recent incidents on British soil, notably the attack at London Bridge on June 3.

The mass shooting in Tunisia happened at the once popular resort of Port El Kantaoui.

Seifeddine Rezgui, a Tunisian extremist, took out a gun and fired indiscriminately at tourists before being killed himself.
Nicola Tye, left, filmed the drama as oxygen masks dropped down on the flight from Ibiza

A mother filmed the terrifying moment a flight from Ibiza to the UK carried out an emergency descent - prompting her to send what she thought would be her final text to her husband.

Nickola Tye, from Sheffield, was on a Jet2 flight back from the party destination when oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.

She said that when the captain started shouting on the speaker system about an emergency descent 'all hell broke loose'. Believing the plane was going to crash, Mrs Tye messaged her husband saying: 'If anything happens, I love you'.

Mrs Tye also messaged her mother thinking there might be a possibility she would not make it out alive.

The 39-year-old said she was travelling without her two young children and husband on Sunday and the chaos began to unfold 35 minutes into the flight.

Oxygen masks fall down from the ceiling of the Jet2 flight bound for the UK from Ibiza

'All I could think was I'm not going to get to see them again,' she told the Lancashire Evening Post.

'Because we were getting lower I was able to write a text to my husband. I said 'the plane is dropping and the oxygen masks have dropped down, if anything happens I love you'.

'It was awful after we landed. When it's all happening your brain goes into shock but when we landed that's when it all hit us.

'That's when people started crying. There was a woman at the front who could not be consoled.'

After initially declaring it an emergency incident, the captain attempted to calm the 180 passengers on board by saying there had been a minor fault which caused the plane to dive.

The plane still did carry out an emergency landing in Barcelona, where they waited for four hours before eventually being flown to Leeds.

It was reported many were too scared to board another flight and Jet2 has since apologised to those who were on the plane.

Also on the flight was Tom Miller, 39, who had the exact same reaction as Mrs Tye and scrambled to text his wife when he thought he plane was going down.

He told the Sheffield Star: 'The emergency masks dropped down and the plane started diving down in at least a 40-50 degrees dive.

'It seemed to go on forever but looking back it was probably only a couple of minutes. It felt like we were falling out of the sky.'

Mr Miller had been in Ibiza with friends and messaged his wife saying 'I love you, babe'.

'Some of them (friends) were sat by the window and we looked at each other and the looks just said "this is how it ends".

'At that point we just didn't know. The plane was going down. There was nothing but sea beneath us and we were going down.

'So I text my wife and told her I loved her. What else do you do?'

The oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling of the flight after the captain declared an emergency descent

Physiotherapist John Hatfield, 33, was another passenger and he slammed the airline after his oxygen mask failed to drop during the plane's 30,000ft dive to an emergency landing.

He was forced to frantically rip down a metal panel to access his safety mask when all of the cabin's oxygen masks dropped down apart from the ones belonging to John, his girlfriend and a man's next to them which were lodged in the panel.

John, from Middlesbrough, said: 'The announcement just came on and the pilot said "prepare for emergency decent".

'It took a couple of seconds to register what was going on - and then everyone's masks came down apart from the one on our row.

'My girlfriend was really upset and crying.

'We were calling for the flight attendants and pressing the button for attention - but they had already sat down and put their own masks on.

'I saw the panel was a little open, so I pulled at it to try and get the masks down.

Mrs Tye's video, showing a blanket shoved down the side of a window seat

'Obviously in that situation you don't know what to do - you don't know if you should be pulling at the equipment.

'Eventually we managed to get the masks on - but it was quite terrifying.

'Luckily it was me, but I hate to think what could have happened if it was a child or an old person who could not reach or was not strong enough to pull it open.'

He said that the flight had been incredibly hot, but as they reached 10,000ft the air conditioning failed and the temperature had become unbearable.

The physiotherapist said: 'I was quite upset that Jet2 have not admitted the safety issues - it was really serious that the masks didn't come down.

'I completely understand that planes do need to make emergency landings, it is one of those things.

'But the safety breaches were just unacceptable and we were not prepared for the situation at all.

'I just want Jet2 to admit responsibility and I want them to incorporate better safety instructions.'

A spokesperson for Jet2 said the emergency landing was a result of a 'minor technical issue'.

They said: 'On Sunday July 16, flight LS264 from Ibiza to Leeds Bradford diverted to Barcelona due to a minor technical issue.

'We are aware of some sensationalist reporting regarding this divert so we would like to point out that our highly-trained crew followed procedure and made a controlled descent before landing safely.

'All customers were flown to Leeds Bradford on a replacement aircraft.

'We would like to apologise to customers who were affected, however their safety and well-being will always be our number one priority.'

Our highly-trained crew followed procedure and made a controlled descent before landing safely.
Students at a prestigious high school in Victoria have created a wall of appreciation for their teachers following a fellow student's extraordinary protest over the quality of her education.

The student at Mac.Robertson Girls High School has been defecating on bathroom floors and sinks in the school's bathrooms and revealed in an open letter on Thursday that she was doing it to highlight the 's*** teachers'.

She was protesting over one male teacher at the school in particular, who she says wouldn't teach in class and instead wear headphones and watch his device.

Students at a prominent high school in Victoria have created a wall of appreciation (pictured) for their teachers following one student's extraordinary protest over the quality of her education

A wall was dedicated to celebrate of teachers at the same sex school on Friday

A female high school student has spent the first half of the school year defecating on bathroom floors and sinks in protest of the teaching quality at her Victorian school

On Friday a wall was dedicated to celebrate the teachers, with students leaving post-it notes in appreciation of their efforts.

'You're honestly the kindest teacher ever' and 'I've never enjoyed a class more', read two of the notes, News.com.au reported.

A student at the school said the girl had 'on numerous occasions' left filth in the bathroom and the sink, since February.

The poo protester was described by at least one peer as an 'a**hole'.

Now the MacRob community has come together, an email from one student said, to show support for the teachers.

'You're honestly the kindest teacher ever' and 'I've never enjoyed a class more', read two of the notes

The students left post-it notes of appreciation of their efforts, in disagreement with the statements made by the protesting student

'The majority of girls at our school love and support the students who make our complaints into solutions and something meaningful for all members of our school community,' she said on the condition her identity is not revealed.

Although the student who wrote the letter is yet to come forward, the girls on campus suspect who the culprit is.

In the open letter, she claims one teacher would tell the class to 'read the textbook' or do a practice exam instead of teaching, leaving the young girl to learn on her own at home.

The random defecation at the Albert Park school began in February, and on Monday the girl posted an open letter around the school, explaining herself.

'The teachers are s***, so I have left symbolic droppings of what the education is like at this school. Cr**,' she wrote.

Other students echoed her concerns to News Corp, noting their academic performance was a positive reflection on the students, not the teachers.

'In general the majority of the teachers are unhelpful,' the anonymous group told the website.

'The teaching methods are really inefficient. The person in the letter is definitely not wrong.'

MAC.ROBERTSON HIGH SCHOOL Mac.Robertson High School is one of only four fully selective schools in Victoria.

It caters only for girls from Year 9 to Year 12.

In 2016, it was the second highest performing school in the state for the VCE exam.

In 2015, the school listed its parent contribution as $1520 for Year 9 students to $1720 for Year 12 students.

The school also offers a number of overseas camps and study trips, which cost up to $158,589. Advertisement

The girl says she is not the first student to complain, and claims her peers had been 'silenced'.

'You can't silence me like you have silenced all my other peers that have come before you,' she continued.

At the beginning of the letter, the student acknowledged the bizarre nature of her actions.

'I know I have resorted to the most extreme method to make a symbolic point but you NEVER listen to student voice,' she wrote.

'We all know you're not going to do anything, but at least my behaviour has punished the school for what it has done.'

Dr Toni Meath, the principal of the school told News Corp she had 'become aware of a student who was dissatisfied.'

The school had reached out to offer the girl support and address her concerns.

'We listen to our students and their input is valued by the whole school community, and we work with all of our students to help them get a great education,' she said.
The adorable moment a polar bear cub plays in icy puddles for the first time has been captured in heart-warming footage.

This curious cub doesn't pause before going for its first splash in melt ponds on the Franz Josef Archipelago near the North Pole.

It's believed the mother and cub, who is under a year old, left their den three-months-ago and now the excitable marine mammal can't wait to explore.

Lauren Farmer, 34, was on Poseidon Expeditions, when she saw the cub investigating the mysterious puddles by pouncing, paddling and even trying to eat the ice, before drying-off on a chilly rug of snow.

During her 12-day trip to the north pole, she had numerous polar bear encounters but claimed this topped the lot.

Curious: a tiny cub has a cheeky splash in a melt pond. The cub dived in the water, paddled and pounced before drying off with snow

Lauren from San Juan Islands in Washington, USA, said: 'The cub was so curious about melt ponds, which are puddles of water and is how the arctic melts during summer.

'I had seen cubs before but never that young and so curious, most tend to stay very close to the mother and don't have the confidence to veer off.

'But this one was diving into a pond, not knowing how deep it would be, it was unusual, yet endearing.

Tired: The cub, believed to be under a year old has a rest before dipping into the melt pond again

'It must have been an exciting experience with it being the cub's first time in melt ponds it was thrilled and definitely jumped into as many puddles as it could.

'After it would fall over onto the snow to dry off.

'This was by far the best encounter and the youngest cub I have seen, we were all pretty psyched after.'

The Franz Josef is the world's northernmost location and has a polar bear population estimated at 2,650 in 2004.

Exploring: The mum and cub were having a wander in Franz Josef Archipelago, the world's most northernmost location

The archipelago consists of 191 islands, hosting vast wildlife including Atlantic walruses, minke whales, humpback whales, beluga whales. orcas, narwhals and more.

Lauren added: 'The area is known for having a lot of polar bears, they roam free you never know where they are going to be.

'We have a lot of luck with great bear encounters, while observing from the ship we were lucky to see this mother and cub.

Lauren Farmer said: 'It must have been an exciting experience with it being the cub's first time in melt ponds it was thrilled and definitely jumped into as many puddles as it could'

'Generally, mothers have two cubs, sometimes three, so this leads us to believe this little one lost a brother or sister, which could have been down to any number of reasons.

'But the mother seemed really comfortable with the cub running off on its own, some are really protective and when they see a ship run in the other direction but not this pair.'

Poseidon Expeditions, who hire the second largest icebreaker in the world, take visitors to the north pole over a two-month period each year.

The best way to spot a polar bear is to look for the 'colour, size and whether there is movement'

The Russian nuclear-powered vessel named '50 Let Pobedy', which translates to '50 Years of Victory', spends the rest of the year breaking ships free from ice.

Lauren said: 'We had very good bear spotters, which is a tough job as you're looking for white on white and can easily be fooled by dirty ice or pressure ridges.

'The key to finding bears is colour, the size and whether there is movement,if it's not moved in half an hour it's not a bear.

'Since putting the video together, I have watched so many times, it always brings such a big smile to my face.

'There's so much negativity in the world so it's nice seeing a cute video of an animal playing.'
Michael Gove today endorsed a transitional exit from the EU that could leave Britain's borders open for up to five years.

The Environment Secretary insisted immigration rules would be overhauled and the referendum result honoured.

It emerged today that the Remainers in the Cabinet had won a battle to secure agreement for a transitional deal that could last until 2022 - three full years after Brexit officially takes place and five from the start of the Article 50 process.

In return, the leading Brexiteers have won the argument for a full exit from the EU single market and customs union.

But Ukip said Brexit was being betrayed by the plans, which have been given the blessing of the Cabinet despite bitter infighting over how to deliver Brexit.

Michael Gove (pictured making a speech in Woking today) has endorsed a transitional exit from the EU that could leave Britain's borders open for up to five years

Mr Gove (pictured at the WWF Living Plant Centre today) insisted Brexit must be 'pragmatic' as he backed a long transition. A deal has been struck in Cabinet for a longer exit that culminates in quitting the single market

Brexiteers Liam Fox and Boris Johnson have been persuaded of the need for a transition period which would allow free movement to continue after Britain leaves the EU, an insider has said

Speaking after his first major speech since returning to the Cabinet, Mr Gove said: 'I think when it comes to an implementation period it should be driven by a pragmatic judgement about what we need in the best interests of our economy and in the best interests of guaranteeing a smooth exit from the EU, in line with the result the British people voted for just over a year ago.

'Pragmatism is the watchword.'

Pushed on whether freedom of movement would continue to apply, he said: 'I think the judgement we need to make about future migration policy should and be shaped by what's in the interests of our economy, consistent with recognising the instruction the British people gave us last year.'

UKIP interim leader Steve Crowther said: 'Extending freedom of movement for two, three or four years produces no obvious benefit to anyone.

'It is an EU principle, so ending it in 2019 or 2023 makes no difference to them.

'Business wants certainty, and that comes from sticking to the timetable, negotiating robustly and introducing clear border control policies that enable us to access the skills we need.'

Healthcare and travel insurance bills could rise for holidays in EU Families could be hit by dramatically increased healthcare bills and travel insurance when going on holidays to Europe after Brexit. EU negotiators have insisted the UK should not be allowed to retain membership of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme. The aggressive move comes after British officials insisted they wanted to keep the scheme open for travellers. UK tourists carrying an EHIC card can access free healthcare or claim back the cost of treatment while visiting Europe. If Brussels successfully kicks Britain out of the scheme  which costs the UK about 155million a year  it could see travellers hit with huge fees if they get sick in the EU. Experts have also warned that this could lead to a rise in travel insurance costs. Brexit Secretary David Davis announced earlier this year: 'We're looking to see if we can get a continuation of the EHIC scheme as it now exists.' Mr Davis said the UK would try to set up a unilateral arrangement if continuing with EHIC became a problem. Advertisement

He added: 'UKIP will be in the background while the Government is delivering the clean Brexit the country voted for.

'But if the Cabinet members surrender to Michel Barnier's threats and agree the Chancellor's Remainer-driven plan, we will be back with a vengeance.'

In a signal Tory Brexiteers are signed up to the plan, leave-backing Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan said today that Britain would have to overcome its skills gap before cutting immigration.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Numbers will start to reduce as we fix our skills gap and we work out with businesses what it is they need.

'Nobody wants to see a system where, if you can't find agricultural workers to pick your strawberries, you allow that business to fail. That is not the solution.'

Other were less content. Some Brexit-backing Tory MPs expressed concerns about the possibility of free movement continuing beyond the date of separation from the EU.

Peter Bone told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'There's a complete difference between minor technical things that need to go on and major things like free movement.

'Free movement has to end no later than March 31 2019, and I think most Conservative MPs would say that, the country would say that and, absolutely the most important thing, I think Mrs May would say that.'

In return, Remainers such as Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd have finally accepted the idea that the UK will ultimately leave both the single market and the customs union.

The revelation about private Cabinet discussions comes days after Theresa May laid down the law about the need to maintain confidentiality following a string of damaging leaks.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has previously indicated that any transition would not last longer than two years. But this line has now been softened, opening the door to a transition that could last until 2022.

Under one option, the length of the transition period would be laid down in law to prevent future backsliding.

'The Cabinet is now united on the need for a transitional period  that wasn't the case five weeks ago,' the Government source said.

'No one is bothered about the free flow of people with the EU continuing during the transition  the Brexiteers are all focused on the end point.

'Nobody has set a time limit on the transition  it could be two years, it could be a bit longer. It needs to be driven by practicalities like getting customs arrangements in place and ensuring the needs of business are met.'

Meanwhile Remainer Philip Hammond has been convinced that the UK will leave both the single market and the customs union, a Cabinet source said

The agreement to pursue a transitional deal is a victory for Mr Hammond who has been championing the case for a phased exit from the EU for the last year.

Dr Fox, the International Trade Secretary, had argued against the idea of a transitional deal, warning it would delay the benefits of Brexit such as striking new trade deals and controlling immigration.

But Dr Fox, who argued reaching a free trade deal with the EU should be easy because we already meet EU regulations, said he would not have a problem with a transitional period.

Mr Gove, a leader of the Brexit campaign, is said to have changed his mind on the issue after being appointed as Environment Secretary, where he is now grappling with the issues involved in disentangling Britain's farming and fishing industries from 40 years of regulation by Brussels.

Brussels has already indicated it is interested in the idea of a transitional deal, which will give both sides longer to negotiate.

Business leaders met with Mrs May in Downing Street yesterday to push the Prime Minister to agree a transitional deal that will give them time to adjust their systems and staffing needs.

Last night Downing Street said Mrs May had told business leaders, who included the heads of Tesco, Unilever and BAE Systems, she wanted to avoid a 'cliff-edge' exit from the EU.

Austria has urged Italy not to allow migrants arriving by boat to its islands to travel on to the mainland. Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian foreign minister, said Central Europe risked becoming overloaded with tens of thousands of migrants flooding in from Libya if the practice continued.
Residents on New Zealand's South Island have fled their homes to escape rising floodwaters and gale-forced blizzards.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Canterbury and Otago regions, north of Dunedin, as key roads remain under water and heavy snow falls.

The New Zealand Defence Force is also sending in 20 soldiers and nine trucks to flood-ravaged area of the Waitaki District Council with more on stand-by.

Residents in New Zealand's South Island are preparing to evacuate their flooded homes

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher posted this image of rising floodwaters at Oamaru

North Otago resident Allan Dick said people in his town started leaving their homes late on Friday afternoon while there was still daylight.

'The situation around Oamaru is worsening with drains and storm water systems unable to cope, more roads and streets being closed and extensive flooding,' he told his followers on Facebook.

'Residents are advised to stay indoors and if there is a likelihood they may need to evacuate their homes, to do it now while there is still some daylight.'

Mayor Gary Kircher posted on Facebook images of Oamaru Creek swelling over the Severn Street Bridge as he declared a state of emergency.

Otago was hit with heavy rains which caused flooding in the middle of the university city

Key roads in the Waitaki District Council area remain cut off as floodwaters rapidly rise

Bridges remain cut off in New Zealand's South Island as a state of emergency is declared

Tourists from Singapore, who were due to catch a flight out of Christchurch, were among those stranded for the night as shops shut early.

'They were booked on a flight out at 6am and with no alternative route, they are here for at least the night. And they won't be alone,' Mr Dick said.

The Met Service, New Zealand's weather bureau, is expecting another 60 millimetres of rain to fall on Saturday morning, on top of Friday's deluge.

The heaviest falls are expected in Canterbury, south of Arthurs Pass, and in eastern Otago.

Heavy snow is also expected.

The city of Dunedin also copped heavy rain with floodwaters creating hazards for motorists

Rural areas in New Zealand's South Island are also flooded with more heavy rain on the way

Severe gale-forced winds are expected across New Zealand into Saturday morning, with 120 kilometre and hour gusts in the capital Wellington and at Wairapa near Christchurch.

The west coast of the South Island is expected to cop even more severe gusts of 140km/h.

The weather bureau is also predicting blizzard-like conditions to stress out sheep and cut off roads.

Large waves are also expected to cause coastal inundation along the South Canterbury and Otago coasts on Friday night and Saturday.
This is the moment an alligator and a man's lips touch as he passes the beast a hot dog 'Lady and the Tramp' style.

In the Gator Crusader's latest video he places a GoPro Camera on the top of his head and points it down to record the moment one of the reptiles takes the sausage from his lips.

He then summons one of the scaly beasts in the pool to take the snack from his lips.

The Gator Crusader about to summon one of the scaly beasts in the pool to take the snack from his lips

An alligator leaps out of the water to snap the hot dog from his mouth, Lady and the Tramp style

In a matter of moments an alligator with its mouth wide open, flashing a set of dagger like teeth, snatches the hot dog.

Florida's Gator Crusader, aka Orlando-based Michael Womer said: 'This was pretty darn close here but right here where the camera ends, that's my lips, my face. Look how little of the hot dog is hanging out of his mouth.

'That's basically what was in my mouth. Our lips touched on that one.'

Womer has worked with alligators for 25 years and has posted clips of himself brushing a gator's teeth, texting with his phone inside a gator's mouth and reading an issue of a Deadpool comic to an eager gator audience. Here he is seen pointing to one of the reptiles before the stunt

Here Womer feeds another of the reptiles with the same method he used in the video

In a slow-motion reply of the passing of food viewers can see just how close the hungry beast was to biting into Womer's face.

Womer has worked with alligators for 25 years and has posted clips of himself brushing a gator's teeth, texting with his phone inside a gator's mouth and reading an issue of a Deadpool comic to an eager gator audience.

Last month he posted a video to his YouTube channel that gave viewers an up close and personal look inside an alligator's mouth, thanks to his GoPro video camera strapped to his head.

Womer put his head dangerously close to the alligator's sharp teeth, before it bites down hard on the camera in a dramatic and death defying slice of action.
Betty Thomas was arrested on suspicion of car theft early Thursday in Philadelphia

A 65-year-old woman stole a taxi cab and then picked up paying passengers before she was caught, police say.

Betty Thomas was arrested on suspicion of car theft early Thursday morning, after police found her driving an unsuspecting 23-year-old mom and her baby in the back seat of a stolen cab.

Police say a woman, later identified as Thomas, hailed a cab around midnight Thursday and asked to be taken to the SugarHouse Casino on the Delaware River.

On the way, she asked the driver to make a stop at a gas station to get some water.

In surveillance video obtained by NBC 10, the cab driver is seen helping the woman, who walks with a limp, to the ATM and to get a bottle of water.

The cab driver is seen helping Thomas, who walks with a limp, into the gas station

The cab driver and woman spent about 90 minutes at the gas station at Broad Street and Hunting Park Avenue in the Hunting Park neighborhood

It's unclear why they were at the gas station for so long, and the pair spent some of that time just out of the view of surveillance cameras

The cab driver and woman spent about 90 minutes at the gas station at Broad Street and Hunting Park Avenue in the Hunting Park neighborhood.

It's unclear why they were at the gas station for so long, and the pair spent some of that time just out of the view of surveillance cameras.

At some point, the pair are seen arguing and the woman pounds on the hood of the car and jumps in.

About 30 minutes later, cops spotted the cab right outside the 25th District headquarters.

At some point, the pair are seen arguing and the woman jumps inside the car and drives off

Surveillance video shows the cab being driven off by the female suspect

About 30 minutes later, cops spotted the cab right outside the 25th District headquarters

When they pulled it over, they found the young mom and baby in the back seat, who had hailed the cab and gotten in a few blocks away.

'It's a pretty unusual job to steal a cab and then start picking up passengers like you're a cab driver,' Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

'I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before, it's definitely a bizarre story.'

Thomas has been charged with theft-unlawful taking, theft of services, theft-receiving stolen property, terroristic threats and unauthorized use of auto.

The cab driver whose vehicle was stolen is seen getting a ride from police
Valerie Hoff filed a lawsuit against her former news station 11Alive on Thursday

A news reporter who was forced to resign after it was revealed she used the n-word in a private Twitter exchange with a source is now suing her old station.

Valerie Hoff, 54, filed a lawsuit against NBC-affiliate 11Alive in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday.

The lawsuit claims that the station made a 'breach of contract' by forcing her to resign, when they at first said that a two-week suspension was adequate punishment.

'I was treated unfairly and Im looking forward to my side of exactly what happened coming out,' she told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The controversy dates back to April 13, when Hoff found a video online showing a white police officer punching a black motorist.

She reached out to the man who posted the video, Curtis Rivers, for permission to use the video.

At the time, Rivers has posted on his Twitter that a bunch of reporters were trying to contact him about the video.

'I just posted a video to get some justice now I got news n****s all up in my DMs [direct messages] telling me to call them smh [shaking my head],' he said.

Hoff was forced to resign from her station after this private Twitter conversation, in which she used the n-word, came to light in April

Hoff tried to make a joke about the post, saying 'please call this news n****'.

At first, Rivers thought the joke was funny, replying 'LMFAOO'.

Hoff was messaging with Curtis Rivers (pictured) about a video he obtained of a white officer punching a black man

But then he became offended when he realized that Hoff wasn't black.

'I just looked through your photos on twitter and realize u aren't black but called me a n****'

'No I called myself one,' Hoff responded.

'I'm a news lady at 11alive I thought you were referring to all of us to all of us. So sorry if you didn't understand,' she said.

Her station found out about the exchange when Rivers posted part of it on Twitter.

Hoff apologized multiple times and eventually Rivers took the screenshots down.

Hoff says she spoke with her boss, assistant news director Julie Eisenmanm, about the incident and she said Hoff did the right thing, according got the lawsuit.

The next day, Hoff says she even spoke with her human resources representative Grady Tripp, who assured her that she would not be terminated.

Hoff says her employers initially told her that a two-week suspension would suffice, but says they changed their tune when screengrabs of the exchange were shared by a broadcast news gossip site

Tripp said she would be suspended for two weeks without pay, as her contract stipulated. If she did anything again though, she would be fired.

And just two days before her suspension was to end, she got a voicemail from News Director Jennifer Rigby, saying: 'We miss you and really, really look forward to your return on Thursday'.

But on Thursday, management pushed her return back by at least a day. And on Friday she was told to wait until Monday.

A few minutes after that call, Rigby called back to say that the story had been reported by a broadcast gossip site and that it complicated her return to work.

A few hours later, Tripp and Rigby gave Hoff the choice of either resigning or being fired.

Hoff resigned, but she said it wasn't a choice.

Additionally, she says they wouldn't even let her collect her belongings at the office, and that they swiftly deleted her email so that she didn't even have the chance to make a resume tape that would help her get a new job.

She is suing for unspecified damages, but says she does not want her job back.
Two men killed their half brother by pulling his genitals after catching him sleeping with their mother.

Lloyd Mukukuzi, 20, and Hardlife Chimoko Sithole, 24, from Chipinge, Zimbabwe, were found guilty of murdering Siyahamba Mukukuzi, 34, after denying the charges.

Mukukuzi admitted to lashing out with a belt after seeing his brother getting intimate with his mother in grassland, but denying pulling his private parts.

Lloyd Mukukuzi, 20, and Hardlife Chimoko Sithole, 24, were found guilty of murdering Siyahamba Mukukuzi, 34, after finding him sleeping with their step-mother in the bush. File pic

Sithole also denied the charges, claiming he warned Mukukuzi not to yank Siyanhamba's genitals, according to The Herald.

A post-mortem concluded the dead man's genitals had been pulled, leading to catastrophic blood loss.

Both men were given 15 years behind bars each by Charles Hungwe, a high court judge.

The mother, Juliet Mukeketsi, denied sleeping with her step-son.
A 32-year-old former musician in the band Owl City was sentenced to two years' probation after he admitted to exposing himself to a girl under the age of 13.

Daniel Jorgensen pleaded guilty to fourth-degree lewdness with a child in connection to an incident in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 2013.

Jorgensen, who was originally indicted in 2015 for criminal sexual contact and attempting to lure the girl for sex, was sentenced Thursday to serve probation in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Daniel Jorgensen (left, with his arm wrapped around a fan who warned others to 'stay away from him' and right) pleaded guilty to fourth-degree lewdness with a child

Jorgensen admitted he exposed himself to the girl and a judge sentenced him on Thursday to serve two years' probation in Minneapolis.

He is also ordered to submit his fingerprints and a DNA sample.

Jorgensen, who was often featured in Instagram photos with young female fans, was the target of allegations by fans in other cities.

One fan posted in late 2013 about extended contact and flirtations with Jorgensen that culminated with an incident in Atlantic City.

In the post, the fan warned others to 'stay away from him', and told of her trauma from encounter.

Authorities did not release the name of the victim and it remains unclear if she was the one who posted the warning online.

Jorgensen played guitar, vibraphone and bass with the electronica group created by musician Adam Young. He has also released music under the name Carinthia.

When the allegations of his sexual misconduct emerged in 2013, Jorgensen was dropped from Owl City.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may have had more conversations during this month's G20 summit than the White House has acknowledged.

The president had at least two known conversations with his Russian counterpart, including one that was discovered this week, plus a brief handshake.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC News that 'they might have met even much more than just three times.'

'Maybe they went to the toilet together  that was the fourth,' he snarked.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC News that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may have had more encounters at this month's G20 summit than the three that are known

Lavrov compared a pre-summit anteroom to a kindergarten hallway where children chat as they're waiting for school to start, and joked the Trump and Putin could have visited the men's room together

Lavrov used the analogy of young children mingling at school.

'When you are bought by your parents to a kindergarten, do you mix with the people who are waiting in the same room to start going to a classroom?' he asked.

He added: 'I remember when I was in that position I did spend five or ten minutes in the kindergarten before they brought us to the classroom.'

Lavrov said that at the G20 there is 'a room where they get together before an event starts,' since 'they cannot arrive all at the same time on a bus.'

He also addressed this week's breathless reporting of G20 dinner chat between Trump and Putin.

'After the dinner was over ... I was not there ... President Trump apparently went to pick up his wife and spent some minutes with President Putin ... so what?' he said.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tells @KeirSimmons Trump and Putin may have had more meetings at G-20 summit https://t.co/m4lYVHQPTF  NBC News (@NBCNews) July 21, 2017

Trump and Putin had an official bilateral meeting during the summit in Hamburg, Germany, and that second, previously undisclosed meeting during the dinner for world leaders.

Trump has blasted the news coverage of that second meeting, tweeting Tuesday night: 'Fake News story of secret dinner with Putin is "sick." All G 20 leaders, and spouses, were invited by the Chancellor of Germany. Press knew!'

He added: 'The Fake News is becoming more and more dishonest! Even a dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany is made to look sinister!'

The White House, in a statement, claimed it was only a 'brief conversation.'

Dinner table: The G20 leaders were not seated next to their spouses for the dinner on July 7, but after dinner Trump and Putin spoke privately

The official meeting: Trump and Putin had two hours of bilateral talks at the Hamburg summit on July 7

However the New York Times and the Washington Post both said the meeting went on for an hour.

The nature of the meeting - with no U.S. officials present to take notes - means that knowing what happened depends entirely on the president's recollection of events.

The undisclosed meeting could explain discrepancies between the Russian and U.S. versions of what they spoke about at the G20.

Trump tweeted on July 9: 'Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!'

Putin said subsequently that he had pressed for the return of Russian-owned diplomatic compounds that were seized by the Obama administration in retaliation for Russian election interference.

'Pretty much everyone at the dinner thought this was really weird, that here is the president of the United States, who clearly wants to display that he has a better relationship personally with President Putin than any of us, or simply doesn't care,' Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, told The New York Times.

According to the White House Trump approached Putin and Melania at the end of the meal.

Trump blasted the coverage on Tuesday night in a tweet, saying it was 'sick'

He then attacked the broader media in the Twitter tirade

Trump had been seated between Akie Abe, wife of the Japanese prime minister, and Juliana Awada, wife of Argentinian president Mauricio Macri.

The White House said that each leader was only allowed one interpreter, and the U.S. translator spoke Japanese, not Russian, so the conversation with Putin used the Russian one.

In a statement, the White House said: 'The insinuation that the White House has tried to 'hide' a second meeting is false, malicious and absurd.'

It was unclear who had made such an insinuation but the White House had never disclosed the meeting in any form until Tuesday.

In fact it was Bremmer who revealed its existence in a newsletter to group clients of the Eurasia Group.

He also stood by his assertion that the White House had 'no intention' of disclosing the meeting using Twitter and also saying: 'Readout from Trump Admin on what was/wasn't discussed in official meeting w Putin useless when there was 1 hour convo off books that eve.'

The lack of information about the meeting at the time may partly be explained by the fact that press were stopped from watching the dinner before the food was served.

The dinner took place in a large room and a National Security Council spokesman told CNN that the hour-long talks between Trump and Putin did not take place in a private office.

First meeting: This was the scene of the very first encounter between Trump and Putin, just before the 'family photo' of G20 leaders was taken

News breaker: Russia expert Ian Bremmer revealed the second, post-dinner meeting and also said that the White House did not mean for it to become public

At the G20, the meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents had always been the most-anticipated part of the event.

Trump in fact met Putin first unexpectedly behind the scenes, just before the 'family photo' of world leaders.

Putin was speaking to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker when Trump approached him and the two exchanged handshakes.

They then met after the Friday afternoon group photo for more than two hours, with Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister present, as well as a translator from each country.

What was agreed at the meeting became the subject of much contention afterwards.

There was a deal on a ceasefire in part of Syria which appeared to have been pre-arranged.

But on Sunday July 7, Trump tweeted to say: 'Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.. ... and safe.'

The idea was roundly mocked and compared by Republican Russia hawk Marco Rubio to 'partnering with Assad on a "Chemical Weapons Unit", and appeared to be disavowed shortly afterwards.

Trump also said that 'questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI has to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER and were rejected'.

Putin himself offered an account of events shortly after the meeting.

The Russian leader said his Trump asked 'many questions' on election interference.

But he would not reveal details of his exchange with Trump, saying the conversation was confidential.

'He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers,' Putin said.
Encryption services like WhastApp 'frustrate' police investigations on a daily basis, Britain's most senior officer last night revealed.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said there are large numbers of 'volatile' people in the UK who are being radicalised through the internet.

And she revealed that six terror plots have been foiled in the past four months and that the threat has shifted in tempo this year.

In her first major speech on counter-terrorism since being appointed to the job, she said the Met's ability to hunt down terrorists is 'formidable' but warned 'the challenges are great'.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has warned that the police are being frustrated on a daily basis by encryption services which allow terrorists to plot in secret (file pic)

She said: 'Increasingly, encryption frustrates our investigations every day.

'We have had unprecedented numbers of UK citizens travelling to these conflicts in largely ungoverned spaces.

'Progress on the ground in Syria and Iraq does not necessarily translate into a reduction in threat here.

'And we have large numbers of apparently volatile individuals in the UK, some of whom become determined to die, who may have been inspired largely through the web and decided on methodology learned from there too.'

Theresa May earlier this year announced a new crackdown with French President Emmanuel Macron to stop the internet being used as 'safe spaces' for terrorists and criminals.

While Home Secretary Amber Rudd has warned that encryption sites like WhatsApp hand over messages to the security services - warning that currently they allow extremists to plot in secret.

Speaking at Mansion House in the City of London last night, Ms Dick gave a stark assessment of the terror threat facing Britain.

And she warned that the modern threat, more than ever, 'includes the encouraging of others to commit atrocious acts'.

She continued: 'That virus can infect communities and is spreading faster and more easily due to the internet. We need to get explicit content taken down as quickly as possible.'

The Commissioner predicted the number of existing and former subjects of interest for police and MI5 will rise from the current total of 23,000.

And she warned that Islamic State and al Qaida are exploiting technology and the 'relative ease of international travel' to promote their ideology and project their threat across borders.

Theresa May pictured with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last month, where the two leaders unveiled plans to work together to crack down on extremism online

And the UK also faces a threat from the extreme, racist right-wing she said.

Britain has been hit by four attacks this year, with dozens killed in atrocities in Manchester, Westminster, London bridge and Finsbury Park.

Ms Dick said 'the tempo has changed' since March.

'What we are seeing is now being described by the experts as a 'shift' in threat, not a spike,' she said.

Police have thwarted six 'attack planning plots' in the last four months, and she warned 'we can expect that figure to rise'.

Police and MI5 are running more than 500 investigations into 3,000 individuals assessed as posing the greatest threat.

There are a further 20,000 former subjects of interest whose risk remains subject to review.

'I anticipate these numbers will grow,' the commissioner said.

She described the task of working out who poses what risk at any one time as 'really hard', raising the prospect of authorities having to intervene earlier in investigations.

'The degree of risk, volatility and uncertainty means we don't have the luxury of long, careful intelligence and evidence-gathering operations to build a clear picture,' Ms Dick said.
A White House reporter has defied the Trump administrations orders by live streaming audio of a press briefing on social media.

The White House banned live audio and video coverage from press briefings last month, and the media corps have since followed the new rule. The last on-camera briefing was on June 29.

Reporter Ksenija Pavlovic, founder and editor-in-chief of Pavlovic Today, on Wednesday became the first White House correspondent to rebel by posting live audio from the press briefing.

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Reporter Ksenija Pavlovic, founder and editor-in-chief of Pavlovic Today, on Wednesday became the first White House correspondent to rebel by posting live audio from the press briefing

The sound quality is poor in the clips, though deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders can be heard introducing Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short, who also addressed reporters. Her live feed cut out after about 17 minutes, but she resumed streaming shortly thereafter and recorded for another 31 minutes

Pavlovic, a former political science teaching fellow at Yale, used the Periscope app to stream the audio and posted it on her Twitter.

The sound quality is poor in the clips, though deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders can be heard introducing Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short, who also addressed reporters.

Her live feed cut out after about 17 minutes, but she resumed streaming shortly thereafter and recorded for another 31 minutes.

Pavlovics rebellion was not noticed by many at first, with the first stream drawing 37 listeners and the second attracting 41, according to the Washington Post.

Since they were initially streamed, each video has been watched thousands of times.

Television networks have pushed for the briefings to go back on camera and be shown live since they were banned from the White House last month.

It's a sentiment most prominently expressed by CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who last month repeatedly asked Spicer, "Why don't we turn the cameras on, Sean?" without getting an answer.

The White House banned live audio and video coverage from press briefings last month, and the media corps have since followed the new rule. Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is pictured at a press briefing on Thursday

Acosta, on the air, has complained about the Trump administration "taking us into a strange new world where accountability doesn't exist."

US Rep. Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat, last week proposed legislation that would require the White House to hold at least two video news conferences a week.

Himes said the previous three administrations briefed the press on camera, on average, more than three times a week.

As a practical matter, his idea is essentially dead on arrival, since there's been no support within the House Republican majority.

"I just wanted, at a time that the White House has been restricting access to its thinking and its policies, to maybe goad them a little and get some discussion on it," Himes said.

"All of us feel like we are sometimes treated badly by the press and occasionally we are," he said. "The press, of course, is made up of people and people never get things 100 per cent right. But the overall function of holding politicians' feet to the fire and holding people accountable is one of the things that helps make the country great."

Ari Fleischer and Mike McCurry, press secretaries for George W Bush and Bill Clinton, have both publicly called for White House briefings not to be held live on camera, believing it makes for showmanship.
Police want to trace two men on a moped after construction worker Danny Pearce (above), 31, was stabbed to death as he walked home from a jazz club with friends on Saturday, July 15

Detectives hunting two armed muggers who slashed a father across the neck after demanding his Rolex watch have released images of the suspected killers.

A grainy image captured from CCTV footage shows two men riding pillion on a moped with helmets on.

Murder squad detectives want to trace the riders after construction worker Danny Pearce, 31, was stabbed to death as he walked home from a jazz club with friends on Saturday, July 15.

He was reportedly approached by two men on a moped in the attack in Greenwich, south-east London.

One was armed with a gun, and the other with a knife in the attack at 12.15am.

Shots were fired in the violent robbery, although none hit the father-of-one, who died at the scene suffering stab wounds to his neck.

The muggers reportedly pulled his valuable Rolex watch from his wrist as he lay bleeding to death on the ground.

A grainy image captured from CCTV footage (above) shows two men riding pillion on a moped with helmets on. Mr Pearce was reportedly approached by two men on a moped in the attack at 12.15am in Greenwich, south-east London. One was armed with a gun; the other with a knife

Shots were fired in the violent robbery, although none hit the father-of-one, who died at the scene suffering stab wounds to his neck. The muggers reportedly pulled his valuable Rolex watch from his wrist as he lay bleeding to death on the ground. (Above, an image released by the police of one of the people they want to trace)

Police have also released an image of the Rolex watch which was taken from Mr Pearce in the attack, and would like to hear from anyone who may have come across it since it was stolen

Nearly a week on from the stabbing, police have still not made any arrests and are appealing for help from the public to trace the attackers.

Officers will also be returning to the scene of the alleged murder to appeal directly to the public for information.

Police have also released an image of the Rolex watch which was taken from Mr Pearce in the attack, and would like to hear from anyone who may have come across it since it was stolen.

Detective Inspector Jo Sidaway, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We believe that Mr Pearce was approached on King William Walk by two suspects on a moped.

'One suspect is believed to have been in possession of what appeared to be a firearm, the other a knife.

'During an altercation, Danny was stabbed and a firearm was discharged. The suspects fled the scene on the moped. Danny sought help at a nearby address; he was pronounced dead there.

Tributes have been left for the popular Chelsea fan, who was a father to young daughter Grace. A child's felt-tip drawing of a family marked 'to Daddy, love Gracie' nestles among the bouquets of flowers left at the spot where he died

'We believe that Danny's Rolex watch was stolen in the attack, and one line of enquiry is that his death was the result of a violent robbery. If you have seen this watch under suspicious circumstances, please get in contact with us.

'We are also releasing images of two men we are eager to trace and speak to.

If you have any information that could help us, we would urge you to come forward as soon as possible.'

A Chelsea scarf tied to the railing nearby reads: 'RIP Pearcey, thanks for all the great memories'

Tributes have been left for the popular Chelsea fan, who was a father to young daughter Grace.

A child's felt-tip drawing of a family marked 'to Daddy, love Gracie' nestles among the bouquets of flowers left at the spot where he died.

Speaking from the family home in Plumstead, south east London, Mr Pearce's grandmother said: 'He was lovely, he was a good boy. He was a wonderful grandson.'

A Chelsea scarf tied to the railing nearby reads: 'RIP Pearcey, thanks for all the great memories.'
After a much publicized cross-country tour of the USA, there is speculation mounting that Mark Zuckerberg could make a presidential run.

Now, a shock new poll has found that the Facebook founder would be in a dead heat with Donald Trump.

The data, released by North Carolina polling group Public Policy Polling, shows 40 per cent of voters siding with Zuckerberg as a Democrat and 40 per cent backing Republican Donald Trump.

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In the poll 40 per cent of voters back Zuckerberg for president in the 2020 election

One in five voters said they were unsure who to vote for in the hypothetical match-up.

The Facebook CEO, who is worth $68.4 billion dollars, attracted a lot of attention when he embarked on his 50-state tour of the US earlier this year.

His visits to fracking sites in North Dakota, drug addiction clinics in Ohio and cattle ranches in North Dakota fueled speculation that he was preparing for a career in politics.

However Zuckerberg has insisted that the trip was solely to broaden his perspective.

On May he posted on Facebook: 'Some of you have asked if this challenge means I'm running for public office. I'm not.

The hypothetical 'election' becomes a dead heat between the Facebook giant and Donald Trump

'I'm doing it to get a broader perspective to make sure we're best serving our community of almost 2 billion people.'

According to Silicon Valley insiders, the phrase 'He wants to be emperor' has become a common way of describing the tech giant over the last few years.

One told Vanity Fair: 'Zuck [sic] has the kind of personality that, no matter what he decided to do, he's going to do it better than anyone else on the planet'.

Zuckerberg has earned attention for his cross-country tour of the United States

But he is not the first Silicon Valley giant to flex his political muscles - or at least flirt with the idea.

Peter Thiel, the billionaire founder of PayPal, has been an ardent supporter of Donald Trump since his campaign and helped finance him.

Roger Mercer, a reclusive tech genius and hedge-fund manager, has contributed millions to Conservative causes and politicians.

His earnest and social media-friendly posts have fueled speculation that he might run for president

Zuckerberg, however, still has some work to do. When asked in survey whether they have a favorable on unfavorable opinion of him, only 24 per cent of respondants said favorable.

Meanwhile 29 per cent said they had an unfavorable opinion, and 47 per cent wern't sure what to think of him.
A man has live-streamed the moment he drunkenly sped down a Florida beach, running over beach chairs and umbrellas while swigging whiskey.

Ryan Stiles, 27, sent beachgoers scrambling for safety on Thursday afternoon when he drove onto Clearwater Beach and led police on a nine minute high speed chase.

Stiles broadcast live on Facebook as he tore down the beach in his black SUV yelling expletives about the police cars following him.

'We're gonna goddamn die,' he screamed at one point.

Ryan Stiles, 27, sent beachgoers scrambling for safety on Thursday afternoon when he drove onto Clearwater Beach and led police on a nine minute high speed chase

'There's about 100 of them. They're about to shoot my a**. We've got so many police behind us right now!'

He held him phone out the window at one point to film one of the police cars in pursuit.

Moments later, Stiles intentionally crashed into a number of beach chairs and umbrellas as he cheered and screamed 'Crash parade, bro'.

Stiles didn't stop his car until he got to the northern end of Caladesi Island where he ran into a dead end.

Stiles held his phone out the window to film the police cars in pursuit (left) and moments later crashed into beach chairs and umbrellas as he cheered (right)

Stiles broadcast live as he tore down the beach in his black SUV yelling expletives about the police cars following him

Once he realized there was no way out, Stiles started swigging from a bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey as he told the camera the police had blown out his tires and the transmission had gone.

Clearwater Deputy Chief Donald Hall said Stiles eventually came to a dead end where he had to make a decision - drive his black SUV into the water or surrender.

He was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including DUI, reckless driving, hit and run, and threatening a public servant.

Hall said people started calling 911 when they saw Stiles on Facebook Live, while others called from the beach.

Stiles (left in his mugshot and right during the pursuit) was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including DUI, reckless driving, hit and run, and threatening a public servant

Clearwater Deputy Chief Donald Hall said Stiles eventually came to a dead end where he had to make a decision - drive his black SUV into the water or surrender
An on-off relationship ended particularly badly when a man stabbed his boyfriend multiple times.

Nathan Evans went to his partner's apartment in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday night.

He and his boyfriend, who he'd been in an on-off relationship with for four years, each then 'did a line of meth', according to police.

Evans was booked into county jail, and will be charged with domestic assault and battery

Tempers flared between the two, and Evans accused the victim of pedophilia and asked him 'if he likes little boys', TulsaWorld reported.

Evans then began stabbing the man until police arrived at the apartment around 5AM.

They found the 36-year-old hiding in a nearby stairwell and promptly arrested him.

The victim was taken to hospital with stab wounds to the back and buttocks. He is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition.

Evans was booked into jail on a count of domestic assault and battery.

He is currently waiting to appear before a court.
Anthony Scaramucci, a former New York financier, has accepted the job of White House communications director.

President Trump offered him the position late Friday morning after an Oval Office meeting, and he quickly accepted, according to a source with direct knowledge of the conversation.

It's unclear how Scaramucci will fit with press secretary Sean Spicer's new role at the helm of the White House's larger communications shop.

White House adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, put the plan in motion, pushing hard for Scaramucci's hiring.

Chief of staff Reince Priebus was blindsided by the move and found out about it after plans were already in motion.

Other White House officials denied on Friday morning that Scaramucci would get the job, but their insights proved incorrect.

Anthony Scaramucci, a former hedge fund manager who defends Donald Trump regularly on TV, was reportedly a lock for the White House communications director slot on Friday

Scaramucci, shown arriving in January for a Trump Tower meeting, will not get the job, according to an administration official with knowledge of the situation

Axios first reported the potential move, which the online news outlet said was 'expected' to be announced.

Trump's senior counselor Kellyanne Conway seemed to throw cold water on the story, saying Friday morning on 'Fox & Friends' that 'we have a great communications team already.'

She praised Scaramucci, however, as 'somebody who has been an incredible asset to President Trump all during the campaign, the transition, and now he's one of the killers on TV who goes out there, thinks the president is being treated very unfairly.'

Scaramucci, who sold his SkyBridge Capital firm in January, was recently at the center of a CNN scandal when the news network fired three journalists over a retracted story about him.

Trump's senior counselor Kellyanne Conway seemed to throw cold water on Scaramucci, saying on 'Fox & Friends' that 'we have a great communications team already'

Mike Dubke (center), was the White House communications director until he resigned in May

The story claimed that there was a federal investigation into a pre-inauguration meeting between Scaramucci and the head of a Russian investment fund.

Scaramucci, 53, quickly accepted CNN's immediate apology.

He was originally under consideration to lead the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs, but that plan was scuttled because the SkyBridge transaction hadn't been completed yet.

Scaramucci sold the firm he founded, to a division of a Chinese conglomerate, creating the possibility of ethical conflicts of interest while the sale was still pending.

After it was completed, he took on the role of chief strategy officer at the federal government's Export-Import Bank.

The White House's communications director slot has been vacant for more than two months, following the departure of Mike Dubke.

Scaramucci defended Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter this month following reports of a secret meeting with Russian influencers

Spicer has been filling in as his press deputy Sarah Sanders assumes more of the daily reporter-briefing duties.

Scaramucci is close with Donald Trump Jr., and recently defended him on Twitter against charges that he colluded with Russian influencers during a Trump Tower meeting.

'@DonaldJTrumpJr is a virtuous and honorable man,' he tweeted. 'Virtue means the courage to act with integrity. Don does that everyday. #stopwitchunt.'

Scaramucci did not respond to requests for comment from several news outlets.
Teacher Paul Meekin, 43, is accused of sexual harassing a 13-year-old American boy in India

One of Interpol's top 'most wanted' men is a British headmaster who once boasted of teaching Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, it has been revealed.

Paul Meekin, 43, is accused of sexual harassing a 13-year-old American boy when teaching at an exclusive international school in Bangalore, India.

Indian prosecutors claim Meekin, from Southport, Merseyside, sent lewd messages to the boy over social media.

But six years ago he boasted of teaching actor Daniel Radcliffe at a London primary school before he gained his starring role in the Harry Potter films.

In an interview with the Times of India in 2011, he said: 'I taught him science, but was a temporary teacher and taught only for a short while. I remember him as a very happy kid, sitting in one of those middle rows, third from the back.

'But he was not regular to classes because he was already into acting. I did not even recognise him when I watched the first movie of the series.

'Children change a lot, you need to look into their eyes to recognise them. It was much later that I recognised him by his name and said, "Oh, it's that boy"!'

Meekin once boasted of teaching actor Daniel Radcliffe (right) at a London primary school before he gained his starring role in the Harry Potter films (left, in The Prisoner of Azkaban)

Radcliffe, 27, was educated at three London independent schools for boys - the City of London School and Redcliffe School and Sussex House School, both in Chelsea.

It is unclear if he ever did teach the actor or whether he had just made up the claim.

Radcliffe, who was also tutored as a child on set while making the string of blockbuster Harry Potter films, has never discussed Meekin.

When Meekin was arrested in January 2012 he was head at the 1,400-a-term Trio World School, an international school used by US and British expats.

Just three months earlier Meekin had laid on an English high tea and a tour of the school for Ian Felton, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Bangalore.

He was later sacked after the boy's American parents complained.

It later emerged his qualifications were bogus amid claims he had 'fabricated certificates' related to his academic qualifications when he took the job in 2010.

In 2014 it was claimed Meekin had left India  as police were investigating him over child abuse allegations.

When Meekin was arrested in January 2012 he was head at the 1,400-a-term Trio World School (pictured) in Bangalore, India - an international school used by US and British expats

Meekin, who speaks English, Arabic and Korean, fled to Kuwait where he got a job at a school teaching social studies.

It was claimed at the time he took the job at the English-Arabic bilingual school after shaving off his easily-recognisable beard.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to turn up at court in India last April to face the original sexual harassment allegations.

He was charged under India's Juvenile Justice Act and Information Technology Act.

An Indian police spokesman said after he skipped bail: 'We have seized his passport and are trying to obtain his real name and address.'

This week Meekin appeared on Interpol's list of red notices with other fugitives including alleged terrorists, murderers and drug dealers.

Authorities in countries including the US, Australia and India are actively hunting or seeking the extradition of the 25 fugitives, which include Meekin

The 25 suspects range in age from 26 to 81, with the only three women listed wanted for murder, a shooting and fraud.
Catholic schoolgirls are reportedly smuggling ecstasy pills for older men into a Byron Bay music festival by lacing condoms with peanut butter to fool sniffer dogs.

The 16 and 17-year-old private schoolgirls from the Gold Coast are heading south of the Queensland border to act as drug mules at the three-day Splendour in the Grass event.

They are wrapping ecstasy pills in condoms and using peanut butter before inserting the drugs in their backsides to evade police sniffer dogs, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.

Teenage schoolgirls aged 16 and 17 are going to a lot of effort to smuggle in ecstasy pills

Gold Coast schoolgirls are reportedly smuggling drugs into Splendour in the Grass

The schoolgirls are reportedly using peanut butter to smuggle drugs past police sniffer dogs

The Catholic schoolgirls from the Gold Coast also went to great lengths to fool sniffer dogs

A source from the school told the newspaper the girls were carrying up to a dozen ecstasy pills in their bodies for older male friends.

'They're doing it for status and credibility,' the source said.

The organisers of the annual Splendour in the Grass festival have said they do not condone drug use.

Police Superintendent Stuart Wilkins, from the Tweed/Byron Local Area Command, said undercover police and sniffer dogs patrolling the North Byron Parklands.

Byron Bay area police are vowing to catch anyone smuggling drugs into the Splendour festival

Police out in force for the three-day Splendour in the Grass festival at North Byron Parklands

'Anyone planning to bring illegal drugs to the Parklands should expect to get caught,' he said.

'We will be targeting illegal drug use and supply, underage drinking, alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour.'

The schoolgirls risk being charged with drug trafficking if they are caught at the event which runs this weekend until Sunday.
Emotional footage of women burning their burqas and men shaving off the beards ISIS forced them to grow has emerged as Syrians celebrated being liberated from Raqqa.

Distraught civilians who were freed from the terrorists' reign of terror in the city in the north of the country could not wait to destroy any association with Islamic State.

Women were captured peeling off the black burqas militants forced them to wear and setting them on fire before cursing the terror group.

While the women were given strict dress codes, men were forced to grow beards which they shaved off as soon as they tasted freedom.

A woman peels off the thick, black burqa she and others were forced to wear by Islamic State

A barber chops off a man's beard which he was forced to grow by ISIS terrorists in Raqqa

The women burned the clothing, sa ying that they hoped Allah would burn the hearts of ISIS terrorists

Two women hug after being freed from the ISIS tyranny in the city of Raqqa in northern Syria

The families in the video were freed from ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the People's Protection Units (YPG).

In a video released by the YPG, a crying mother tells the camera ISIS killed her father and her husband when they were stood outside the family home.

Another says her father was burned to death by terrorists and one woman, peeling off her burqa, says: 'Burn them. May Allah burn ISIS. They burned my father.

'May these clothes they forced us to wear be damned.

'May Allah but fire on their hearts.'

A Raqqa resident, standing with her son, tells the camera her son was killed by ISIS because he refused to pray and a man says he lost his daughter.

One man in the video is then tended to by a barber, who cuts off his beard with a pair of scissors.

The man being groomed says: 'Cut it all off. Cut it all off just to spite them.'

A woman removes her headscarf, saying her father was burned to death by ISIS and therefore the clothing she was forced to wear by the terror group should be burned

A woman removes her black burqa as she is surrounded by children who were freed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the People's Protection Units (YPG)

A woman kneels down above the black burqa and sets fire to it after being given a lighter

A Syrian resident smiles as the barber chops off the beard he was forced to grow by ISIS

The operation to liberate Raqqa hit a bit of a roadblock today.

While residents continued to flood out of the city to freedom, advances against the Islamic State group in its stronghold of Raqqa slowed down amid stiff resistance from the militants, the spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting the group said.

US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon estimates there are around 2,000 IS militants in the northern city, saying they are using civilians and children as human shields.

In one of the largest camps housing those who fled the northern Syrian city, survivors of the group's terror machine explained how they cannot shake off the horrors they witnessed in the group's self-declared capital.

Now in safety at the camp in Ain Issa, a town about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Raqqa, they described public killings, hangings, people thrown off roofs and other punishments for the slightest offences.

One girl around 12 years old described how women accused of stealing had their hands immersed in boiling oil.

A 10-year old girl said fighters scolded her for wearing a red T-shirt.

'We were living under unimaginable psychological pressure, God only knows,' said 39-year-old Fatima Mohammed.

'There was a state of terror inside every home.'

Mohammed said one scene set the tone for her for the three years under ISIS rule - a 14-year old who had been accused of theft begging for his life as a militant raised a sharp knife over his head in a public square.

'He kept saying I am innocent,' she said.

The boy tried to fend off the knife with his hands, she said, then the fighter finally shot him twice in the head.

A general view of a refugee camp where Syrian displaced people who fled with their families the battle between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Islamic State militants from Raqqa and other cities gather, in Ain Issa town, northeast Syria, Wednesday, July 19, 2017

A Syrian displaced boy who fled with his family the battle between US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Islamic State militants from Raqqa city, waits to receive foods at the entrance of the main kitchen of a refugee camp, in Ain Issa town

Smoke rises from a coalition airstrike which attacked an Islamic State position, on the front line on the eastern side of Raqqa where the advances have slowed down

A Syrian displaced boy holds a pot as he bagging a man to give him food at the entrance of the main kitchen of a refugee camp, in Ain Issa town

Halima al-Hamouda, a 32-year-old mother of four from Raqqa city, said her then-12-year-old daughter was harassed by an ISIS nurse who asked her to marry a fighter of the group.

Her son, now 12, was taken to the police station for wearing jeans and he and his father reprimanded.

She herself was flogged for showing her hands, breaking strict Sharia law rules that she cover from head to toe in dark colors.

'It was a man that carried out the 20 lashes,' she recalled.

But it was the story of her neighbors that broke her heart.

She said a boy was thrown off the roof after another neighbor reported him as being gay to the ISIS' morality police.

The boy's father is now working to save money to return to Raqqa to get his vengeance against the neighbor, she said.

'He was a beautiful and wise 13 year-old boy,' she said.
A Qantas A380 flying one of the world's longest routes has been forced to turn back because of an engine oil leak.

The QF7 flight departed Sydney Airport just before 1pm on Friday bound for Dallas in the US but returned to Australia about seven hours later.

The aircraft was high above the Pacific Ocean when pilots discovered the leak and made the call to head back to Sydney.

A Qantas A380 flying from Sydney to Dallas was forced to return to Australia after an engine oil leak was discovered (stock image)

'It was about three and half hours into the flight when the pilots made the decision to return to Sydney to have the fault inspected rather than continuing for another 12 hours to Dallas,' a Qantas spokesperson said.

'Engineers will examine the aircraft overnight and we expect to have everyone on their way within the next 24 hours.'

Qantas said affected passengers were provided with accommodation and are due to continue their journey on Saturday.

'We apologise to passengers for the interruption to their journey but safety is always our first priority,' the spokesperson said.

The Qantas A380 is capable of carrying 484 passengers but it is not known how many customers were on board Friday's flight.

The Sydney to Dallas flight takes about 15 hours and covers close to 14,000km.

The Qantas flight left Sydney Airport (pictured) just before 1pm on Friday but arrived back at the same airport about seven hours later
The Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr. after his father won the Republican nomination for the 2016 U.S. presidential election counted Russia's FSB security service among her clients for years, Russian court documents seen by Reuters show.

The documents show that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, successfully represented the FSB's interests in a legal wrangle over ownership of an upscale property in northwest Moscow between 2005 and 2013.

The FSB, successor to the Soviet-era KGB service, was headed by Vladimir Putin before he became Russian president.

There is no suggestion that Veselnitskaya is an employee of the Russian government or intelligence services, and she has denied having anything to do with the Kremlin.

But the fact she represented the FSB in a court case may raise questions among some U.S. politicians.

Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was among a group of people to meet with Donald Trump Jr. last year, and now it has emerged that she counted the KGB's successor agency among her legal clients for years

Don Jr. has defended taking the meeting; he told Rob Goldstone who sent the invitation mentioning dirt on Hillary: 'I love it'

The Obama administration last year sanctioned the FSB for what it said was its role in hacking the election, something Russia flatly denies, and Charles Grassley, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has raised concerns about why Veselnitskaya was allowed into the United States at all.

Veselnitskaya did not reply to emailed Reuters questions about her work for the FSB. The FSB did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters could not find a record of when and by whom the lawsuit - which dates back to at least 2003 - was first lodged. But appeal documents show that Rosimushchestvo, Russia's federal government property agency, was involved. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Veselnitskaya and her firm Kamerton Consulting represented 'military unit 55002' in the property dispute, the documents show.

A public list of Russian legal entities shows the FSB, Russia's domestic intelligence agency, founded the military unit whose legal address is behind the FSB's own headquarters.

Reuters was unable to establish if Veselnitskaya did any other work for the FSB or confirm who now occupies the building at the centre of the case.

President Donald Trump's eldest son eagerly agreed in June 2016 to meet Veselnitskaya, a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have damaging information about Democratic White House rival Hillary Clinton, according to emails released by Trump Jr.

Veselnitskaya has said she is a private lawyer and has never obtained damaging information about Clinton. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, has said she had 'nothing whatsoever to do with us.'

Veselnitskaya has also said she is ready to testify to the U.S. Congress to dispel what she called 'mass hysteria' about the meeting with Trump Jr.

The case in which Veselnitskaya represented the FSB was complex; appeals courts at least twice ruled in favour of private companies which the FSB wanted to evict.

The FSB took over the disputed office building in mid-2008, a person who worked for Atos-Component, a firm that was evicted as a result, told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.

The building was privatised after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but the Russian government said in the lawsuit in which Veselnitskaya represented the FSB that the building had been illegally sold to private firms.

The businesses were listed in the court documents, but many of them no longer exist and those that do are little-known firms in the electric components business.

Elektronintorg, an electronic components supplier, said on its website that it now occupied the building. Elektronintorg is owned by state conglomerate Rostec, run by Sergei Chemezov, who, like Putin, worked for the KGB and served with him in East Germany.

When contacted by phone, an unnamed Elektronintorg employee said he was not obliged to speak to Reuters. Rostec did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked which organisation was located there, an unidentified man who answered a speakerphone at the main entrance laughed and said: 'Congratulations. Ask the city administration.' (Additional reporting by Polina Nikolskaya, Gleb Stolyarov and Darya Korsunskaya in Moscow; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Mike Collett-White)
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It was a match made in hell, so to speak.

Jayne Mansfield was a fame-obsessed bombshell blonde whose star was on the wane. Anton LaVey was a publicity-courting Satanist eager to attract new members to his fledgling Church of Satan. In 1966, they met for the first time in San Francisco. They found in each other a kindred spirit with a desire to be famous and a daring to be different. The pair developed a friendship  that some say was sexual in nature  and continued to meet frequently until Mansfields death in 1967.

They met at the height of the liberating 60s, when attitudes about gender, sexuality and nudity were in flux. Satanism  considered as the pursuit of a pleasurable and successful life  found a receptive audience in the thousands who flocked to California with a desire to become famous. A popular legend that might have been spread by LaVey himself asserts that he portrayed the devil who rapes Mia Farrows character in the 1968 film Rosemarys Baby.

On hand to document the budding friendship between the blonde and the Satanist was German paparazzo Walter Fischer, who arrived in the United States in 1956 with a parrot on his shoulder and a desire to photograph larger-than-life American stars.

Little is known about Fischer. Many of his photographs were lost or only appeared in blurry newspaper archives. A Swedish collector named Alf Wahlgren began gradually acquiring Fischers photographic archive and connected with fellow Swede Carl Abrahamsson, a book publisher and American trash culture aficionado.

And now, the pair is releasing a book of Fischers photographs called California Infernal: Anton LaVey and Jayne Mansfield as portrayed by Walter Fischer. The book is being released by Trapart Books and JD Holmes.

The fascinating photographs show LaVey performing Satanic rituals in the Black House, his stark, ugly base in San Franciscos Richmond District. These pictures are contrasted with Mansfield in her Pink Palace, her singular shrine to excess in Los Angeles. When the two joined together  at a restaurant in downtown LA, or at the Palace complete with a heart-shaped pool  paparazzi were always on hand to snap pictures of the outlandish spectacle on display.

Jayne Mansfield (sitting at right) and Anton LaVey (kneeling at left) embarked on an intense relationship between 1966 and 1967. The pair is pictured performing a religious ceremony in Mansfield's Pink Palace. She invited German paparazzo Walter Fischer to document their meeting. Fischer also photographed LaVey at his Black House in San Francisco and the pair dining at a restaurant, among other events

Two Swedish men - Carl Abrahamsson and Alf Wahlgren - collected more than one hundred of Fischer's photographs in a book called California Infernal: Anton LaVey and Jayne Mansfield as portrayed by Walter Fischer. Pictured are Mansfield and LaVey in the same religious ceremony at the Pink Palace

They were so hyper, I wouldnt even say super, they were so hyper-American, you know. They had something in mind and they filled that up with high-octane gasoline and went full throttle, you know, Jayne Mansfield in terms of not just wanting to be like a respected actress. She wanted to be a movie star, and a movie star in Hollywood.

And she went all the way, said Abrahamsson, 51. From the most crass point of view, I think there was a mutual admiration, almost a mutual insight: This is another weird person. We can sort of beneficially use each other for our own PR purposes.

Mansfield and LaVey met for the first time while she was visiting the San Francisco Film Festival in 1966. Legend has it that she was kicked out of the festival after she arrived in a flashy pink dress sans underwear.

Differing accounts suggest that she had either requested a meeting with LaVey previously or, intrigued by reports she heard from fellow festival-goers, simply showed up at his Black House uninvited. Whatever the circumstances, she arrived at the nondescript Victorian house with her then-boyfriend, Sam Brody, during the festival.

Brody was serving as Mansfields divorce attorney through her third marriage. He was likely jealous of LaVeys potential influence on Mansfield, who was attracted to more muscle-bound men such as Mickey Hargitay, a former Mister Universe and her second husband.

Even though he was almost exactly the opposite from what Jayne found physically appealing, she agreed to a relationship with Brody because she imagined it would ensure her custody of her four children. Almost immediately Jayne had second thoughts.

Brody showed a side of himself that was violently jealous, imposing impossible constraints on Jayne. She was in the process of trying to ease out of the situation, but Brody was becoming only more protective, using her pending custody suit to maneuver her deeper into a relationship, noted Blanche Barton, a former high priestess of the Church of Satan and the author of The Secret Life of a Satanist.

Perhaps this jealousy led Brody to mock LaVeys house of satanic obscurities at any chance he could. Barton writes that he picked up priceless objects and laughed at them and then lit a skull candle in LaVeys ritual chamber. This egregious act was the last straw for LaVey.

LaVey told him: That candle is used only for curses. I dont know whats going to happen to you now. I only hope Ive put it out in time.

LaVey and Mansfield are pictured together, with LaVey holding her pet chihuahua. Abrahamsson said of the odd couple: They were so hyper, I wouldnt even say super, they were so hyper-American, you know. They had something in mind and they filled that up with high-octane gasoline and went full throttle, you know, Jayne Mansfield in terms of not just wanting to be like a respected actress. She wanted to be a movie star, and a movie star in Hollywood. And she went all the way

Mansfield and LaVey are pictured with Mansfield's daughter, Mariska Hargitay. Mansfield had five children and was married and divorced three times. Her second husband, Mickey Hargitay, was a Hungarian-American bodybuilder. Mariska Hargitay would go on to become a successful actress in her own right and currently stars in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Meanwhile, Mansfield found within the house a fascinating, perhaps titillating new outlook on life  Satanism as the pursuit of pleasure and success  that could perhaps help her out of the rut of her declining celebrity.

In a sense, she might have been desperate or clinging for straws, said Abrahamsson. I dont think for a minute that Jayne Mansfield was interested in any occultism or any kind of, you know, rituals and stuff like that.

He added: I do think that if you look at the philosophy of the Church of Satan, not specifically like the magical rituals but the philosophy being one of, you know, pleasure and life enhancement and just leading a very successful pleasurable life, of course, she would ascribe to that.

And in LaVey she also found, both Barton and Abrahamsson assert, an enticing sexual partner.

Jayne was a self-realized masochist. She didnt need emotional turmoil, Barton writes that LaVey told her. For her own ego gratification, she knew she needed public admiration, men fawning after her. The more fawning Jayne received, the more she needed an antidote. But that takes incredible perspective to be able to remove yourself enough to recognize your own needs so clearly. Most people dont have the courage to take such a realistic look at themselves. Thats why she enjoyed being with me, I suppose. I wasnt afraid to give her what she wanted.

Mansfield herself did not comment on the rumored affair. But she became, it is alleged, further entranced with Antons seeming powers after an incident with one of her sons.

LaVey (left) and Mansfield (right) are pictured entering La Scala, a restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. At center is Sam Brody, Mansfield's divorce attorney and then-boyfriend who was supposedly jealous of LaVey. Tensions between the two men reached a boiling point when LaVey put a curse Brody. LaVey said: Sam Brody, I pronounce that you will be dead within one year. Brody died along with Mansfield in a car crash on June 29, 1967 on the road between Biloxi, Mississippi and New Orleans

Fischer traveled to Pennsylvania to photograph Mansfield's funeral. Despite LaVey's claims to the contrary, Mansfield never fully embraced Satanism and was an avowed Catholic

A month after their first meeting at the Black House, she took her six-year-old son, Zoltan, to Jungleland USA, near Los Angeles. He wanted to see lions. At the zoo, he was attacked by a lion and required three surgeries. Zoltans recovery was perhaps sped up by LaVey, who drove to the top of Mount Tamalpais, near San Francisco, and conducted a Satanic prayer to save the boy. Zoltan quickly recovered.

[Zoltan] asked me for a snake and a kangaroo rat today, and his eyes lit up when I promised to get them, Mansfield told the Associated Press a mere four days after the attack. That just shows that he can get his mind off his injuries.

Later, the duel between Brody and LaVey reached a breaking point because Brody tried in vain to control Mansfields lust for the man who might have saved her young son.

Barton writes that after Brody tried to violently stop one telephone conversation between Mansfield and LaVey by calling LaVey a charlatan, the Satanist put an irrevocable curse on Brodys life.

My power exceeds anything you can imagine, and now youre going to feel it. You will be dead in a year. Sam Brody, I pronounce that you will be dead within one year, thundered LaVey.

Mansfield and LaVey continued an intense correspondence over the next year. Once, Barton notes, Mansfield asked LaVey to send her an incubus  a male demon who visits women in their sleep.

And of course, there were their meetings. They dined at La Scala in Beverly Hills, with LaVey sporting his resplendent cape. They met for a photo shoot at her Pink Palace on Sunset Boulevard. And paparazzi were always on hand to document them as they held court. Fischer, the German photographer, quickly found himself in their good graces and secured intimate access to their publicity-courting lifestyle.

[Fischer] was smart enough to realize this is how you do it: You do it the Slim Aarons way. You strike up acquaintances, you make friendships. Because then youre welcomed back. You can always get, you know, the latest gossip, the latest juice, the latest news. And you can get to see people several times. And thats exactly what he did with both LaVey and Mansfield, Abrahamsson noted.

Fischer documented the bizarre appearance of LaVey  cape, horns and all  at Mansfields Pink Palace. The pair was photographed playing with her pets  an Ocelet and her two Chihuahuas  chatting by her heart-shaped pool and performing on a garishly taxidermy tiger skin rug. LaVey worked out in the Palaces gym, formerly the haunt of Mickey Hargitay.

The paparazzo would send along press releases to accompany his shots. One quotes both LaVey and Mansfield.

LaVey said: She thinks its the greatest thing going. She is taking instructions. I made her a priestess and told her the concept of hell and paradise. I give her the usual information: working on ritual and how to cast (spells). She likes to know about witches and love charms. She considers me a High Priest.

Somewhat conflictingly, Mansfield said in the same release: It is very interesting. I know the real basis of his church. I think he is a genius and I regard him as an interesting person. I am a Catholic and would not believe in his church. I am not a member of the black circle.

Such contradiction should not, Abrahamsson asserts, be seen as shoddy journalism.

Mansfield corresponded with LaVey between October 1966 and June 1967, when she died suddenly in a car crash. She said of LaVey and Satanism: 'It is very interesting. I know the real basis of his church. I think he is a genius and I regard him as an interesting person. I am a Catholic and would not believe in his church. I am not a member of the black circle'

Mansfield, pictured in the Pink Palace, once said: Part of being a glamour girl is being, in a way, rather naive and helpless to the public, especially the eyes of men

Fischer was not a journalist eager to find out all-encompassing truths. Drama and discrepancy just added to the power of his images, Abrahamsson noted in the books introduction.

The relationship between LaVey and Mansfield was cut short by the actresss death on June 29, 1967. She was 34 years old.

She was in a Buick car traveling from Biloxi, Mississippi to New Orleans along with Brody, driver Ronnie Harrison, and three of her children: Zoltan, Miklos and Mariska. Harrison crashed into the rear of a tractor-trailer. The children survived, but all three adults perished. A rumor spread that Mansfield was decapitated because a blonde head of hair appeared through the Buicks windshield. In fact, it was only her wig.

Later, LaVey conducted a Satanic memorial service for her at his Black House in San Francisco.

Walter Fischer arrived in the United States with his 60-year-old parrot. Sometime after photographing the stars, he returned to his native Germany, where he died in 2000

And Fischer was present to photograph her funeral, which was attended by family including her second husband, in Pennsylvania.

Perhaps in part due to their relationships sudden end, the exact nature of LaVey and Mansfields relationship remains shrouded in hearsay. But, as Abrahamsson suggests, that is somewhat beside the point.

He wrote: As the truth (if there is such a thing) about their complex and ever fascinating relationship will never be fully known, perhaps we should just be content with joyfully taking part of these larger-than-life space-time intersections and the individual legacies of these two true American icons?

Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1933. An intelligent student, she studied acting at university and entered and won quirkily named beauty contests including Gas Station Queen, Miss Lobster and Miss Fire Prevention Week. Her voluptuous hourglass figure cost her roles in the conservative climate of 1950s Hollywood but won her a nude shoot with Playboy in 1955.

Mansfield is pictured holding her newborn son, Zoltan. Behind her is her second husband, Mickey Hargitay, holding their son Miklos. At right is Jayne Marie, Mansfield's daughter by her first husband, Paul Mansfield. After a young Zoltan was attacked by a lion, Anton LaVey conducted a Satanic prayer on top of California's Mount Tamalpais so as to help him to a speedy recovery

Mansfield, ever the publicity hound, had multiple wardrobe malfunctions timed for maximum publicity. While at a dinner with Sophia Loren in 1957, Mansfield was photographed having a nipple slip. Pictured is a different photograph of Loren and Mansfield from that same evening

The following year, Mansfield signed with Twentieth Century Fox, whose executives hoped she could become the new Marilyn Monroe. She was named one of the most promising newcomers at the 1957 Golden Globe Awards for her performances in films such as The Girl Cant Help It. But by the early 1960s, her career had fizzled out. Despite gaining some edge as one of the first major Hollywood actresses to appear nude in a film  Promises! Promises! in 1963  Mansfield lost her star.

Even though she might have wanted to, I dont think she wouldve, as you say, cut the mustard. She wasnt really that talented. Her zest and her, you know, composite drive to be a star, because thats basically what it was about for her; she wanted to be seen, she wanted to be famous in the proto-American way. And then she realized that its all about PR, you know, theres no bad publicity, Abrahamsson said.

But she might have been a victim of over-exposure. From 1955, she scandalized the public with a series of playful wardrobe malfunctions. Most infamous was her photograph with Sophia Loren at a 1957 dinner party. Mansfields dress was cut so low that a photographer snapped a picture showing her cleavage and one nipple.

Loren, in the photo, is pictured gazing downward at Mansfields nipple. Her face is inscrutable.

Mansfield's boyfriend, Sam Brody (right) mocked her friendship with LaVey. While visiting LaVey's Black House in San Francisco, Brody illicitly lit a skull candle in LaVey's ritual chamber

Pictured is Mansfield's Pink Palace on Sunset Boulevard in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. The home, which has since been demolished, featured a heart-shaped swimming pool, among other quirks

And Mansfields rather messy private life  three marriages that all ended in divorce, along with allegations of numerous affairs  was very much in the public eye.

I feel that a star owes it to her public to, to bring the public into her life. They, the fans feel that they kind of own you. And if you if you kept your life a complete secret, it wouldnt be fair to them, she told English broadcaster Robert Robinson in a 1960 interview.

Despite her cultivated image as the stereotypical dumb blonde, Mansfield was by many accounts a highly intelligent woman who spoke five languages and had a lust for knowledge. And in multiple interviews, she appeared to be quite conscious that she was giving the public what it wanted.

Nobody cares about a figure like 163, she once said of her alleged IQ. Referring to her hourglass shape, she added: They're more interested in 40-21-35.

Echoing this sentiment during a 1964 interview in France, she said: Part of being a glamour girl is being, in a way, rather naive and helpless to the public, especially the eyes of men.

I feel that a star owes it to her public to, to bring the public into her life. They, the fans feel that they kind of own you. And if you if you kept your life a complete secret, it wouldnt be fair to them Jayne Mansfield

LaVey himself told Blanche Barton: [Mansfield] never had any reinforcement for her intellect. When she was around me, she would often try to be intellectual. Recite Browning and use a drawn-out ah sound. She liked to say om-u-let when she meant amulet. She thought it sounded classier. She made it sound like some obscene breakfast dish. Unfortunately, intellectualism clashed with the image she presented. People would laugh.

Mansfield was survived by her five children: Jayne (born 1950), Mickey (born 1958), Zoltan (born 1960), Mariska (born 1964) and Tony (born 1965).

LaVey is pictured paying his respects to Marilyn Monroe at her grave in Westwood Village Memorial Park cemetery in Los Angeles. Monroe died of a drug overdose in 1962

Anton LaVey was born Howard Stanton LaVey in Chicago in 1930. His parents moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was a child. He displayed a knack for musical instruments, particularly keyboards such as the organ. His skill earned him gigs at churches and lounges down in Los Angeles.

In considering why he became a Satanist, LaVey described the dichotomy between seeing the same people partying late into the night at clubs and burlesque shows on Saturday and then attending church on Sunday. This moral double standard that he perceived turned him off to Christianity.

A discredited legend that was perhaps peddled by LaVey himself asserts that he had an affair with Marilyn Monroe while working the Los Angeles nightclub scene.

He later moved back to San Francisco and began to study Satan and the occult. He began to develop a lifestyle and religion centered on the Church of Satan.

We don't worship Satan, we worship ourselves using the metaphorical representation of the qualities of Satan, he noted in Bartons book.

The extent to which his church was authentic and to what extent he was a bit of a showboat is rife for discussion.

He was known to exaggerate, if not outright lie, about his exploits.

For example, he claimed to have shaved his head in 1966 in a ritual inspired by the devil-worshipping Yezidi people of Iraq so as to become the High Priest of Satan. In reality, his then-wife, Dian Hegarty, had simply dared him to do it. No such ritual even exists among the Yezidi people.

But LaVey seemed to be in on the spectacle.

Im one helluva liar. Most of my adult life, Ive been accused of being a charlatan, a phony, an impostor. I guess that makes me about as close to what the Devils supposed to be, as anyone. Its true. I lie constantly, incessantly. Because I lie so often, Id really be full of s*** if I didnt keep my mouth shut and my bowels open, he wrote in his book, Satan Speaks!

LaVey married Carole Lansing in 1951. They had one daughter, Karla (born 1952). He divorced Lansing in 1960 and began a 25-year partnership with Diane Hegarty, with whom he had a daughter named Zeena (born 1963). Barton, with whom he had a relationship after his breakup with Hegarty, alleges that Hegarty did not mind the relationship her husband had with Jayne Mansfield. With Barton, he had a son named Satan Xerxes Carnacki (born 1993).

LaVey stuck with his brand of Satanism through various low points: The Charles Manson clan murders of Sharon Tate (who was married to Rosemarys Baby director Roman Polanski) and four other people that were linked to Satanism; a mass desertion of the church in favor of a rival in 1975; the Satanic Panic that asserted children were being abused during Satanic rituals.

In 1997, he died of pulmonary edema. He was 67.

Walter Fischer, sometime after documenting the exploits of the blonde and the Satanist, returned to his native Germany, where he died in 2000. Not much else is known about him.

He was not very much in front of the camera, just behind the camera, said Swedish collector Alf Wahlgren, 47.

And Fischers photographic archive seemed lost to old newspaper clippings until a German man named Sebastian contacted Wahlgren about his collection of 50,000 of Fischers photographs. Gradually, Wahlgren procured the photos.

Wahlgren, who lives in Uppsala, contacted Abrahamsson, who lives in Stockholm, about his findings. Despite their geographic proximity and shared interest in LaVeyana, they had never crossed paths.

The book is available to order from JD Holmes in the United States and Trapart in Europe

The thousands of photographs delighted Abrahamsson, who wrote an ode to Mansfield called Sweet Jayne while in a band as a teenager.

It blew my mind, because it took me straight back to my teens, which of course, those years are important in everyones lives, he said.

The pair analyzed the thousands of photographs, including around 900 that were specifically of LaVey and Mansfield.

I was one hundred per cent sure about which pictures that should be put in the book. And then Carl, hes phenomenal at editing and putting the pictures together in the book. So it was a really nice cooperation, Wahlgren said.

Only 400 copies of the books first edition were printed in 2016. The book rapidly sold out, which prompted the pair to consider a new and improved edition. The result is a second version that includes color photographs of Mansfield.

California Infernal: Anton LaVey and Jayne Mansfield as portrayed by Walter Fischer is available to order from JD Holmes in the US and Trapart in Europe.
An MTA worker who was part of a street fight involving a metal trashcan and a machete in New York City has claimed he acted in self defense.

Luis Roman, 40, appeared in court for his arraignment hearing Thursday with a white bandage wrapped around his head.

He was charged with attempted assault and criminal mischief in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Roman, an MTA security guard for employees who collect money from MetroCard machines, allegedly threw his machete 'so hard that the handle broke and the machete blade flew into the street,' Assistant District Attorney Timothy Duda said.

He added: 'The defendant, however, does claim self-defense in this case. The people are continuing the investigation.'

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Luis Roman, 40, was charged with attempted assault and criminal mischief in Manhattan Criminal Court during his arraignment hearing Thursday (pictured) for his involvement in a street fight on the Upper West Side Wednesday

Roman, who has been an MTA security guard for about eight months, appeared in court Thursday with a white bandage wrapped around his head (pictured)

Roman, who got in a fight with a pedestrian on the Upper West Side, also allegedly hacked the other man's phone with the machete blade, New York Daily News reported.

The street fight, between Roman and a pedestrian who fought with a metal trash can, was caught on camera Wednesday morning.

Roman has been working for the MTA for about eight months.

Police and the MTA said he is allowed to carry a service weapon for his job, but he did not have a gun at the time of his arrest.

However, Roman did threaten the pedestrian saying he had a gun.

This is the moment a driver and wielding a machete and a pedestrian holding a trash can fought in the street in New York City during the morning rush hour Wednesday

He did, however, flash an ammunition magazine out the window before the two started fighting.

According to defense lawyer Robert Harold, Roman's wife was also injured in the fight and had to get stitches to her head.

Harold added that the cellphone video of the incident 'did not capture the beginning'.

The judge ordered Roman held on $2,500 cash bond.

Roman had been arrested in 2006, but the police records from that arrest are sealed, DNA Info reported.

Roman claimed self-defense during his arraignment hearing Thursday, but Assistant District Attorney Timothy Duda said Roman threw his weapon 'so hard that the handle broke and the machete blade flew into the street'

The brawl broke out near Broadway and West 94th Street on the Upper West Side at 6.50am Wednesday.

It began when Roman, who was driving, allegedly shouted at a pedestrian for not paying attention as he crossed the road.

The pedestrian, a 35-year-old man from the Bronx - who has not been named - told them Roman threatened him by flashing a gun clip at the window.

The pedestrian, dressed in red, retaliated by throwing a trash can at Roman's car, prompting him to pull over.

The men stopped traffic on Broadway as one dragged a second trash can from across the street after throwing a first can at the car. The driver is seen trying to pick up his machete after dropping it on the sidewalk. The female passenger in the car also got out as the fight unfolded

The driver hurled his machete down towards the man and struck the trash can. The weapon fell out of his hands as he did so and bounced on to the road, shattering in to two

Both the driver and the woman in the passenger seat, who appeared to be dressed for work, hopped out of the car.

Roman then grabbed a machete out of the trunk of the vehicle. This is when witness Paul Tena, who was on his way home from the gym, started filming.

'The guy in the white shirt already had blood on him when I started filming,' Tena, an office worker who lives nearby, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday night.

He described how the man and woman were about to drive away when the pedestrian threw another trash can at the vehicle.

Without his weapon, the driver retreated to the car as the pedestrian held the trash can up

He and his female passenger attempted to get in to drive away but the pedestrian continued shouting

The pedestrian then opened the passenger door, where the woman was sitting, prompting the driver to run around again to fight

'Then the guy got out again and pulled out a machete, because everyone has one of those in the back of their car!' Tena said.

The men danced around the vehicle, lunging at one another until the machete dropped on the ground and broke into two pieces.

When the driver got back in to the car to drive away, the pedestrian opened the passenger side door where a woman was sitting, reigniting the fight.

Both the driver and the passenger got back in to the car again but the pedestrian walked round to the other side to coax the man back out

The two men then began fist fighting in the middle of the busy street as onlookers filmed

The fight played out in the middle of Broadway minutes before 7am

He later tried to get in to the driver's side. They result was a fist fight in the middle of Broadway.

Eventually, the driver hopped back in to his car and drove off around the corner but stopped as police arrived at the scene.

He was arrested for assault, criminal mischief, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. The pedestrian walked away a free man.
A novice astronomer from New South Wales couldn't contain his delight when he captured a rare space lightning phenomenon on camera.

David Finlay, 44, believes he is the first to film one of the only instances of the breathtaking red flashes, known as 'lightning sprites', could be seen from earth in Australia.

'I set my camera up, and literally within minutes - almost no time at all - I started to see the sprites flashing on the horizon,' he said.

A novice astronomer from New South Wales couldn't contain his delight when he captured a rare space lightning phenomenon on camera

David Finlay believes he is the first to film one of the only instances of the breathtaking red flashes, known as 'lightning sprites', could be seen from earth in Australia

'I couldn't believe it. I thought I would be lucky to capture one or two, which would have been fantastic, but they just kept happening.

'I lost count, but it must have been at least 30. It could be the first time they have been captured from the ground on video in Australia, and I don't think anyone else has ever captured so many at once in one go anywhere.'

Mr Finlay filmed the incredibly rare phenomenon for two hours between 9pm and 11pm on Tuesday from Little Blowhole in New South Wales near his hometown of Kiama.

The amateur astronomer said the bolts - which he spotted over the sea 300km away - were visible despite being 90km above the earth - with each sprite a staggering 15km long.

Sprites - known as transient luminous events - are caused by an electrical discharge during storms but instead of going down towards the ground, as lightning normally does, they travel up into space - earning them the nickname 'upside down lightning'.

'I set my camera up, and literally within minutes - almost no time at all - I started to see the sprites flashing on the horizon,' Mr Finlay (pictured) said

David Finlay filmed the incredibly rare phenomenon for two hours between 9pm and 11pm on Tuesday from Little Blowhole in New South Wales near his hometown of Kiama

In the footage the excitement Mr Finlay's voice is very apparent, 'It was just extraordinary, I couldn't believe it,' he said

'It just seems particularly unusual for there to have been so many - that in itself is unheard of,' Mr Finlay.

'Lighting sprites certainly are a phenomenon that is extremely rare, and to witness the sheer quantity for so many to be seen in one place at one time is very unusual.'

The height the lightning was striking at in the atmosphere is the distance from the earth at which meteors begin to burn.

The amateur astronomer said the bolts - which he spotted over the sea 300km away - were visible despite being 90km above the earth - with each sprite a staggering 15km long

In the footage the excitement Mr Finlay's voice makes a hilarious anecdote and showcases his excitement, 'It was just extraordinary, I couldn't believe it,' he said.

'I thought at any moment they were going to stop and I wouldn't see any more, but they just kept coming.

'I get excited about simple natural things, the weird and the unusual. This certainly fits that category.'
A wildlife park is celebrating the birth of a litter of Eurasian wolf cubs - the first to be born at the park in 47 years.

The curators at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire recently welcomed the surprise arrival of five mischievous cubs and have released a heart-warming video of the adorable fluffballs frolicking in the woods.

First-time parents Ash and Ember are recent arrivals at Cotswold Wildlife Park. Both were born in Sweden and arrived from different collections in October 2016 as part of a breeding programme.

The five newborn cubs play together as their mother Ember watches on

Two of the youngsters playing in Cotswold Wildlife Park

Cubs cuddling up together in an adorable shot of the newborns

The cubs' mother feeding her babies. The quintet are yet to be named

The park's mammal keepers weren't expecting a breeding success quite so soon as wolves can take a long time to bond and females only come into season once a year. The births were an unexpected but welcome addition to the collection.

For the first ten days, the cubs - who are yet to be named - were hidden from sight inside one of the underground dens the parents had excavated.

One night, after a heavy downpour of rain, Ember had taken her cubs out of the birthing den and placed them above ground for safe keeping. This was the first time anyone had seen the cubs.

Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park, Jamie Craig, said: 'Our wolves are a new pairing and we did not really expect a successful breeding so soon.

'They have settled well and at present, everything with the adults and cubs is going to plan  we are keeping our fingers crossed that it continues but we have more confidence with every day that passes.

'The cubs will form an important nucleus to the 'pack' for the coming years.'

Mother wolf nuzzling one of her Eurasian cubs in the long grass

First-time parents Ash and Ember are recent arrivals at Cotswold Wildlife Park. Both were born in Sweden

Wolves generally pair for life. After a gestation period of approximately sixty-two days, the alpha female gives birth to a litter (usually between four and six cubs).

At birth, the cubs are born blind and deaf and are reliant on their parents for survival. After eleven to fifteen days, their eyes open. Cubs develop rapidly under the watchful eye of their mother.

At five weeks, the cubs are beginning to wean off their mother's milk but cannot immediately fend for themselves and require considerable parental care and nourishment.

The park's mammal keepers weren't expecting a breeding success quite so soon as wolves can take a long time to bond and females only come into season once a year
President Donald Trump is shaking up his legal defense team as he and his White House signal a more aggressive posture of attacking special counsel Robert Mueller.

Longtime Trump attorney Mark Kasowitz is stepping back as the lead outside attorney for Trump's legal defense, and will take on a reduced role.

Kasowitz is known as a legal bulldog who represented Trump in the Trump University fraud lawsuit that eventually settled for $25 million with students who claimed they got ripped off.

His move to step back as his chief spokesman, former Justice Department aide Mark Corallo, abruptly resigned Thursday night.

Marc Kasowitz, lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump, will be taking a reduced role in the president's legal defense as he fends off a special counsel inquiry and congressional probers

Corallo's only public statement is that he left his post, but sources told Politico that Corallo wasn't on board with the new Trump team strategy of trying to attack special counsel Robert Mueller. He also complained of infighting.

Trump went after Mueller in a New York Times interview Wednesday, accusing him of having conflicts of interest because he had interviewed for the position of FBI Director after Trump fired James Comey.

On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Trump's lawyers were drawing up a list of Mueller's alleged conflicts of interest, even as the legal team weighed the president's pardon powers.

Corallo is a longtime Republican aide who cut his teeth as a House Judiciary Committee aide during the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He is reportedly close to Mueller.

RESIGNED: Mark Corallo, who served as spokesman for Trump's legal team for about two months, abruptly resigned Thursday, amid reports he was concerned about efforts to tarnish special counsel Robert Mueller

Trump made his comments about Mueller in the same interview where he said it would be a 'violation' if the special counsel were to probe his financial transactions. On Thursday, Bloomberg News reported that Mueller is probing a skein of business transactions, from Trump condo sales to large number of wealthy Russians, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant which was held in Moscow, and Trump's sale of a $95 million mansion to a Russian oligarch.

Some beltway insiders expressed surprise when Trump tapped Kasowitz to head his response to swirling congressional inquiries as well as the special counsel's Russia probe.

This month, ProPublica reported that Kasowitz fired off profanity-laced emails when a retired PR sent him an email saying 'Resign Now.'

Kasowitz replied that evening: 'Im on you now. You are f------ with me now Lets see who you are Watch your back , b---.

He also wrote: 'Call me. Dont be afraid, you piece of s---. Stand up. If you dont call, youre just afraid.

INSIDE MAN: White collar defense attorney Ty Cobb is joining the White House to help defend Trump

Trump doubled his money on the sale of this Palm Beach mansion to a Russian oligarch for $95 million in 2008

The financing and marketing of Trump Soho is one avenue reportedly under review

Trump and his lawyers have already begun efforts to tarnish special counsel Robert Mueller

The New York Times reported that experienced defense lawyer John Dowd would head up the response to the Russia inquiry from outside the White House.

Ty Cobb, an experienced white collar criminal defense attorney, is joining the White House at the end of the month to coordinate the president's legal response.

Also on the outside legal team is Jay Sekulow, who has provided an aggressive defense of Trump in TV interviews. He took shots at Mueller Thursday, complaining about the scope of his probe.

Theyre talking about real estate transactions in Palm Beach several years ago, he told the Post, in reference to a $95 million sale of a mansion to a Russian oligarch where Trump doubled his money. In our view, this is far outside the scope of a legitimate investigation.

Trump's conversations with his outside lawyers would be privileged. Cobb is expected to assume some communications duties when he enters the White House.
The family of an inmate who was found unresponsive in a prison cell released disturbing photos of his swollen corpse demanding answers for his cause of death.

Michael Jefferson, 27, of Chicago, Illinois, was in custody at the Menard Correctional Center for a gun charge when his mother Janel Charles received a phone call on July 11 saying her son died after he was found unresponsive in his segregated cell unit.

When his body was returned to Chicago, his family said he had a lump on his head, a bruised lip and back, and cuts in his mouth. His face, and even his genitals were extremely swollen, they said.

But a preliminary autopsy found no signs of trauma and the Illinois Department of Corrections said Jefferson's appearance could be the result of the decomposition, according to WGN9.

Jefferson's family and friends have posted the gruesome photos of his dead body online as his mother said: 'I want the world to know what happened to my son and maybe we can stop this from happening to another family.'

Michael Jefferson, 27, of Chicago, Illinois, was in custody at the Menard Correctional Center for a gun charge. His mother was told he was found unresponsive in his segregated jail cell

When Jefferson was returned to Chicago by the funeral home, his family members were shocked at the state his body was in

His mother Janel Charles thinks her son was murdered, saying Jefferson was returned to Chicago with a knot on the side of his head, cuts in his mouth, and a swollen face

The Illinois Department of Corrections said the wounds in the picture 'are consistent with those incurred during an autopsy and the swelling a result of the body's rapid decomposition'

Charles, who said her son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, received a call from the prison on July 11, saying the 27-year-old died at Chester Memorial Hospital after he was found unresponsive.

When Jefferson was returned to Chicago by the funeral home, his family members were shocked at the state his body was in.

Charles wrote on a GoFundMe page for her son's burial: 'When I got to the funeral home here in Chicago I couldn't believe my eyes.

'My son's face is swollen beyond recognition. He still has blood in his nose, cuts in his mouth, a knot on the side of his head. MY CHILD WAS MURDERED.'

His family also told WGN9 his lip and back were bruised. Even Jefferson's genitals were swollen, they said.

In the photos his friends and family posted on Facebook and GoFundMe, Jefferson, who is laying on blood stained sheets, can be seen with a gaping wound under his chin.

Another photo shows his bruised back with a small abrasion and streaks of blood across it.

But a preliminary autopsy conducted by the Randolph County coroner one the day after his death found no signs of trauma. Pictured above, Jefferson

A final autopsy report is pending, and Charles said it was her primary concern to get to the bottom of her son's cause of death

But a preliminary autopsy conducted by the Randolph County coroner one the day after his death found no signs of trauma, the Herald Tribune reported.

A final autopsy report is pending, and the Illinois Department of Corrections said the wounds in the picture 'are consistent with those incurred during an autopsy and the swelling a result of the body's rapid decomposition'.

Charles, who wants an independent autopsy, told WGN9: 'My son was 27 and healthy. There was nothing wrong with my son, other than his bipolar.

'Whatever went on in there, he did not deserve to die that way... He died like an animal.'

She shared the photos, writing: 'While giving a proper burial it is important to me, my primary concern right now is finding answers... I want the world to know what happened to my son and maybe we can stop this from happening to another family.'
A Texas court has ruled that a Houston man who is not the father must pay $65,000 in child support to the mother of a teenage girl he's only met once.

Gabriel Cornejo, of Cypress, Texas, a father-of-three who is also raising two of his brother's children, says he only found out his ex claimed he was the father of her 16-year-old girl, last year.

But even after a paternity test proved he wasn't the father, Cornejo is still being held liable for unpaid child support because a court says he did not contest the paternity suit when his former girlfriend first submitted it in 2003.

Cornejo, originally from Panama, insists he was never notified about his ex's claims at the time and is hoping to overturn the ruling when the case goes to court next month.

Gabriel Cornejo has been ordered to pay $65,000 in child support to the mother of a teenage girl he's only met once

Cornejo, a father-of-three who is also raising two of his brother's children, pictured with his kids and wife Esmeralda Cornejo

The saga began last year when the dad got a knock on the door from a deputy who turned up with court papers claiming he had a daughter.

Cornejo, who insists never knew about the girl, set out to meet the now 16-year-old.

The Houston dad, who described the teen as a 'wonderful girl' who was 'very smart' with a 'lot going on for herself', decided to have a DNA test at the urging of his wife Esmeralda Cornejo, and his ex.

But when the results came back, they were negative.

'I'm not the father,' he told ABC 13.

While you might expect that to be the end of things, for Cornejo, it was just the beginning.

Despite undergoing a DNA test which revealed the teen wasn't his, Cornejo (with his family) is still being ordered to pay child support

His ex is still demanding that he pays what now totals $65,000 for the child, that is not his.

She first went to a Texas court in 2003 claiming Cornejo was the only possible father.

Her lawyer, Carel Stith, claims Corneo got a subpoena which he ignored, and some child support was taken from his paycheck long ago which he never fought it.

Cornejo claims he never received a subpoena and was not aware about the claim until last year.

But the court has taken his ex's side and unless he can convince another judge to change the order, he will face a bill of tens of thousands of dollars.

Cornejo said he was alerted that he might have another child last year when a deputy showed up at his door with court papers

His lawyer Cheryl Coleman asked how 'he should have fought back then and he failed to do so?'

'They say he should have fought back then and he failed to do so,' his lawyer Cheryl Coleman said. 'But how can you fight something you don't know anything about?'

If he fails to pay, he could land in jail.

'Don't stick your head in the sand,' the girl's mother's lawyer said. 'It won't go away and there can be consequences even if you don't do anything.'

Cornejo describes himself as the owner of GP Custom Works car shop in Texas, and appears to be a family on his Facebook page, sharing lots of pictures of himself with his kids and wife.

He has also

The case is due back in court in August.
Pictured: Finance chief Robert Davies, 50, cheated money out of a charity to fund his extravagant lifestyle

A high-living charity boss who fiddled 1.3million donated for the homeless to pay for a 250,000 yacht, foreign jaunts and trips to the Savoy and Ritz has been jailed for five years.

Finance chief Robert Davies, 50, created bogus companies to forge invoices for the homeless charity to cover the cost of his string of luxurious trips abroad, hiring private jets and luxury cars.

A court heard the charity collected cash from kind-hearted people for years to help 'the homeless and those in poverty.'

But thieving Davies took 1,343,074 from their funds on top of his 45,000-a-year salary for his glamorous globe-trotting.

He jetted off to Japan, America and South Africa with the charity money - and also spent 80,000 on hotel stays including the Ritz and Savoy in London's West End.

Davies kept a 250,000 boat at Swansea Marina, spent 1,200 on a single meal at a seafood restaurant, 526 on room service at an hotel stay.

The Cyrenians charity based in Swansea was later forced to close with the loss of 20 jobs after Davies' fraud was discovered.

Prosecutor Carl Harrison said: 'He led a lavish lifestyle financed by his fraud of the charity.

'His most expensive stay at The Savoy Hotel cost him 10,276, and in total spent 83,752 there. During one stay he spent 528 on room service.

Jailed: A smiling Davies, pictured above on his way to court, would create fake companies and send dodgy invoices to cheat a homeless charity out of money

Expensive taste: A court heard how Davies had a penchant for boats, clocking up his own personal fleet

He said: 'He would often hire expensive cars - he once hired a Bentley to go the Heathrow Airport which cost 280.

'He hired private aircrafts to travel between Swansea and Paris, totalling 26,653.

'He also spent over 100,000 on boats, including a 9,000 boat for his son.'

Cardiff Crown Court heard that between 2008 and 2014 he abused his position of trust within the charity to steal 1.3m from the charity bank account.

Mr Harrison said: 'He used his position and knowledge of accounts to cover his tracks by using false documentation.

'Those thefts were a factor in the charity being placed into administration and the charity employees lost their jobs.

'Davies used the funds from the charity meant to help vulnerable people to fund an exclusive lifestyle.

'This included stays at The Ritz and The Savoy hotels in London, hiring private planes and the purchase of boats.

Married father-of-two Davies had worked for the charity for ten years.

Davies spent in total more than 100,000 on boats, including a 9,000 vessel for his son

Cardiff Crown Court heard that between 2008 and 2014 he abused his position of trust within the charity to steal 1.3m from the charity bank account

The court heard he told his wife and children that the money he was spending was his work bonuses.

But Davies' lavish spending came to light after cheques began bouncing and an independent accountant was hired to check the finances of the charity.

Mr Harrison added: 'They seemed to be running out of money due to returned cheques.'

Davies was suspended in September 2014 then resigned in March 2015.

He was arrested in December 2014 and immediately admitted his fraud in writing 271 false cheques.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Davies spent approximately 80,000 at The Savoy, 26,000 on private planes and over 100,000 on boats.

Fancy: A court heard how Davies also used money from the charity to fund his stays at some of London's most expensive hotels including The Ritz (pictured)

His most expensive stay at The Savoy Hotel cost him 10,276, and in total spent 83,752 there. During one stay he spent 528 on room service

He was jailed for five years after admitting fraud.

Speaking at the time of Davies' arrest, Cyrenians chief executive Conrad Watkins said staff at the charity were 'all distraught' by the investigation.

He said an independent financial investigation was instigated by the Board of Trustees and senior management - and they called in police.

Cyrenians Cymru was forced to declare itself insolvent and went into administration in February 2015, with 20 jobs affected.

The charity was set up in 1973 to tackle homelessness and poverty in Swansea and the wider west Wales area.

David Leathley, for the defence, said Davies was a father and a 'man of good character'.

But he added: 'I'm accepting that the charity was ruined and there couldn't be anything more devastating.'

Davies, of Swansea, admitted fraud for personal gain.

Private jets: Davies enjoying chartering private plans and once spent a 1,200 on a single meal at a seafood restaurant, 526 on room service at an hotel stay

Recorder of Cardiff Eleri Rees said: 'There is no question that this was theft from the charity and no one else.

'This was fraud that went on for six years, it was sophisticated and you used your skills and position to ensure that you were not detected.'

Davies' personal fleet of boats worth more than 100,000 were seized following his arrest are set to be sold by police.

Speaking after the sentence, Detective Sergeant Stuart Prendiville, said: 'Davies abused both his position as an employee of Cyrenians Cymru and his responsibility to safeguard the financial interests of this organisation.

'Davies stole in excess of 1.3 million from the charity over a six year period which he used to fund a lavish lifestyle including extravagant holidays and the purchase of several boats.

'This ultimately was a factor which led to the charity becoming insolvent and the tragic loss of a number of support services provided to the homeless and vulnerable people of Swansea.

'The boats were seized and the sale of which will now form part of the Proceeds of Crime confiscation proceedings.

'This investigation and subsequent sentence sends out a clear message that we will bring offenders before the courts to face justice.'
Police have called off the landfill search for Corrie McKeague (pictured), who went missing in September in Bury

The 'devastated' parents of missing RAF airman Corrie McKeague said they are 'angry' by the Suffolk Police's decision to end their painstaking landfill search.

His mother, Nicola Urquhart, claimed she was 'misled' by officers, who today announced they have called off their search.

'When they told me that they were going to be finishing the search of the landfill, it was my understanding that what they were actually going to be saying is: "we've finished the search of the landfill and we haven't found Corrie - he's not there,"' she told ITV.

'It was an absolute surprise to me on Wednesday when I was told: "we're finishing the landfill, we're not searching anymore - but we do still think he's in there."'

Officers said 'all evidence' pointed to the 23-year-old being at the site, but that their search would end after 20 weeks.

Mr McKeague's father, Martin, said in a statement: 'At no point did we think that the search of the site would end this way, and as all the evidence tells us that Corrie is somewhere in that landfill site, we are heartbroken at the thought that we may not be able to bring Corrie home together.'

In a last ditch attempt to find the airman - who was 'known to sleep in rubbish on a night out' - officers will now be searching previously incinerated waste for the airman.

Mr McKeague's father, Martin (left), said in a statement: 'At no point did we think that the search of the site would end this way. His mother Nicola Urquhart (right) said her son could have been drugged on the night he died

Suffolk Police Detective Superintendent Kate Elliott said they are remaining 'open minded' in the investigation.

She said: 'All the evidence points to Corrie going in that bin to the landfill site.

'We have been absolutely committed to finding Corrie and none of us wanted to be in this position.'

She added that the search by Suffolk Police had been 'systematic, comprehensive and thorough'.

DS Elliott said: 'The officers carrying out the search have been working extremely hard in difficult circumstances - with the nature of the waste being searched through, safety considerations, the weather and the depth of the search required presenting a number of daily challenges.'

Mr McKeague went missing after a night out in Bury St Edmunds in September.

CCTV footage from that evening shows the airman entering a bin loading bay in Bury St Edmunds.

It is thought he had been in a rubbish bin that was emptied into a lorry and taken to a landfill site in Cambridgeshire.

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The search for the missing RAF gunner (pictured) has cost 1.2million and 6,500 tonnes of waste has been moved in the landfill

Suffolk Police Detective Superintendent Kate Elliott (pictured) said they are remaining 'open minded' in the investigation

Police have spent 20 weeks searching the landfill site in a 1.2million operation that has seen 6,500 tonnes of rubbish moved. But nothing has been found.

A bin lorry was seen on CCTV in the town around the time Mr McKeague was last seen, and it took a route which appeared to coincide with the movements of his phone.

The truck was initially thought to have collected an 11kg (1st 10lb) load, but police said it was later found to be more than 100kg (15st 10lb).

Missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague was last seen on CCTV footage on Brentgovel Street in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, after 3am on September 24

April Oliver, the girlfriend of Corrie McKeague, is pictured holding their newborn daughter Ellie-Louise, who was born in June

Earlier this week Mr McKeague's mother, Nicola Urquhart, said her son's drink could have been spiked on the night he disappeared.

The 48-year-old, who is a police officer in Scotland, said CCTV footage showed her son leaving a club and passing out in a doorway before he disappeared into an alleyway.

She told the Sunday Mirror: 'Every single second. When Corrie slept in the doorway it wasn't because he was looking for somewhere to sleep.

'He slide down the wall he was leaning on. Then fell over on his side. It wasn't what looked like a conscious decision.'

In June, Mr McKeague's girlfriend, April Oliver, announced that she had given birth to his daughter.

Police announced today that searches of the landfill site have not resulted in any clues leading to his whereabouts.

DS Elliott said: 'Sadly we have not found Corrie, or any trace of his clothing or mobile phone.

'Our thoughts are with Corrie's family as we had hoped that this search would have provided them with the answers about what happened to him.'

In the CCTV footage Mr Mckeague appears to be alone and DS Elliott said officers had 'traced and spoken' everyone who had been in the same area as the bin man at the relevant time.

She added: 'The theory that Corrie was in the bin that was emptied into the bin lorry shortly after he was last seen is strengthened by credible information that we have obtained through our inquiries that Corrie had been known to go to sleep in rubbish, following a night out.

'We've explored every other reasonable hypothesis and there is nothing to support any other explanation.'
Petra Ecclestone's barrister said today that it was 'scandalous' that her estranged husband James Stunt would not agree to a compromise in their divorce battle.

Miss Ecclestone, 28, is embroiled in a bitter fight with Mr Stunt over their 5.5billion fortune for what could be the biggest divorce settlement in celebrity history.

And the barrister for Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone's daughter said the marriage had 'broken down', adding: 'What is going on is no more than a charade.'

Petra Ecclestone (left) and James Stunt (right) were at London's Central Family Court yesterday for their fight over what could be the biggest divorce settlement in celebrity history

Tim Bishop QC said Miss Ecclestone had 'struggled to find a consensual approach to the dissolution of the marriage', but this had been rejected by Mr Stunt, 35.

A judge at London's Central Family Court expressed concern that the high-profile divorce battle could now be fought out in public, with repercussions for the family.

He suggested 'the sensible way forward' was for both sides to reach a reasonable compromise without them having to publicly give evidence and be cross-examined.

Judge Martin O'Dwyer said: 'It is very unfortunate that the parents of three young children are going to engage in this particular process.'

Mr Bishop replied: 'It is more than unfortunate. It is absolutely scandalous. It is completely obvious this this marriage has irretrievably broken down. What is going on is no more than a charade.'

Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone was also at court yesterday for his daughter Petra's case

Mr Bishop accused the estranged husband, who runs an international gold bullion firm, of seeking to hijack proceedings 'for a wholly improper collateral purpose'.

The judge ordered a case management hearing to take place over half a day on August 3 'to see whether there is a way forward'.

He also ordered that a two-day hearing of the dispute between husband and wife should take place, if it could not be settled, on October 12-13.

He said a legal fight in public could have 'repercussions for their lives and their children's lives going forward.'

Miss Ecclestone, who is expected to be in Los Angeles next month, will be in touch with the court for the case management hearing via video link.

Miss Ecclestone (left) is embroiled in a battle with Mr Stunt (right) over their 5.5billion fortune

Neither husband nor wife were in court today.

Mr Bishop suggested the case should go before a High Court judge because it was raising significant matters - including whether the divorce proceedings were being used by Mr Stunt for a collateral purpose.

Mr Bishop also referred to the high level of media interest in the case.

Alex Verdan QC, appearing for Mr Stunt, agreed a High Court judge should be involved as it was 'a highly unusual case'.

But Judge O'Dwyer said he was currently not persuaded a High Court judge should be nominated.

He added: 'Contested divorces are very unusual. Most parties are able to come to a resolution without having to come before a court to give evidence and be cross-examined.'

The court has previously been told Mr Stunt signed a prenuptial agreement worth 16million

The judge said contested cases were heard in public and it was 'a very sad state of affairs' that the question of whether a relationship, which was essentially a private relationship, had broken down or not could not be determined between the parties.

Miss Ecclestone and Mr Stunt are expected to fight in the course of their break-up over their 158million mansion in Los Angeles and a Grade II-listed home in London's Chelsea, worth up to 100million.

At a hearing last month the family court was told Mr Stunt signed a prenuptial agreement worth 16million.

The couple married six years ago at a multi-million-pound ceremony at Odescalchi Castle, Rome, when they and 350 guests were entertained by an array of pop stars.
Germany's media failed in their duty to cover the migrant crisis responsibly and treated anyone critical of Angela Merkel's open door policy as racist, an influential German institute study has claimed.

Researchers at the Otto Brenner Institute said they studied thousands of articles published by daily newspapers during the mass influx of refugees in 2015 and 2016.

Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers arrived in the country before the German Chancellor closed the border in March last year when Balkan states cut off the migration route.

Germany's media failed in their duty to cover the migrant crisis responsibly and treated anyone critical of Angela Merkel's open door policy as racist, an influential German institute study has claimed

According to Die Zeit, the study said newspapers appeared to take on the role of 'public educators' during the crisis instead of objective critics of public policy.

The report, to be published next week, said some publications had treated people who criticised government policy as being potentially racist.

It suggests some of the reporting 'massively contributed' to a split in German society and loss of confidence in the media.

Former Die Zeit editor Michael Haller, who led the research, told the newspaper: 'Most journalists failed in their job as someone who is supposed to objectively explain the world to readers.'

Opinions of experts, German citizens and asylum seekers themselves were often ignored, Haller added, according to The Local.

At the height of the refugee influx, thousands were crossing into Germany everyday having made their way up through southern and central Europe. Hundreds of migrants are pictured as they made their way north at the Slovenian-Croatian border in October 2015

At the height of the refugee influx, thousands were crossing into Germany everyday having made their way up through southern and central Europe.

At the same time, there was a rise in support for far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party which opposed Merkel's open-door policy.

But its support has recently plummeted as the refugee influx to Germany has slowed, and it is polling at around seven per cent nationwide.

Merkel's CDU party meanwhile has strongly regained ground, with polls showing it mustering close to 40 per cent of support, leaving the second most popular party SPD trailing at around 24 per cent.
EasyJet has today launched an investigation after a 15-year-old boy was kicked off an overbooked flight and left on his own at the departure gate.

Casper Read had boarded the plane at Gatwick Airport which was headed for Toulouse and was ready to stay with relatives in south west France.

He sent his mother a text message to say he was on the plane but moments later a different passenger claimed his seat.

The teenager, from Worthing, West Sussex, was then told to leave the plane and was forced to wait at the busy airport by himself.

Casper Read, from Worthing, had just got on the easyJet plane (stock photo) when he was told to leave after it was overbooked

His mother, Stephanie Portal, had helped him check in before leaving after he successfully went through security.

She has now slammed the British airline which has now apologised for 'any inconvenience caused'.

To make matters worse, the youngster's grandparents had already left their home - two hours away from Toulouse - to come and pick him up from the airport.

The schoolboy - who was on his second flight alone - was eventually given a seat on a later plane which was delayed by nearly three hours on Thursday evening.

His mother told The Guardian: 'It's crazy. They left him alone in departures. Luckily, I had still not got on board my train to London and could come back and find him.

'If I had not been there I don't know what would have happened  he'd have had no money for the train back or anything.'

The schoolboy, who was on his own, was forced to wait at the departure gate at Gatwick Airport (pictured)

An EasyJet spokesman said: 'EasyJet is sorry that Casper Read's flight from London Gatwick to Toulouse was overbooked yesterday.

'We are investigating why he was able to board the aircraft as he should have been informed at the gate.

'EasyJet has a procedure to protect unaccompanied minors but unfortunately this was not followed on this occasion and so this will also be investigated.

'One of our managers escorted Casper to reunite him with his mother who was already at the airport.

'We transferred him to an alternative flight later the same day and provided a voucher for refreshments whilst he waited.

'A member of our customer team will also be in touch directly to arrange for his EU261 compensation to be paid and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.'
Hundreds of protesters have marched through the streets of Minneapolis to honour the life of an Australian woman shot dead by a cop.

Justine Damond was killed by police officer Mohamed Noor as she stood in her pyjamas outside her home in the US city on Saturday night.

The 40-year-old former Sydneysider was gunned down after calling police concerned a woman was being raped in an alley behind her house.

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Holding signs carrying a message of 'Justice for Justine', hundreds gathered in the US city of Minneapolis to honour the life of Justine Damond

Hundreds walked through the streets of Ms Damond's southern Minneapolis neighbourhood on Thursday, less than a week after she was shot and killed by a police officer

Don Damond, the fiance of Justine Damond, is comforted outside his home by Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, as demonstrators march by Damond's home during the Peace and Justice March for Justine

Zach and Don Damond outside their Minneapolis home on Thursday when a protest march was held following the death of Justine Damond

Justine Damond (pictured) was shot and killed by police officer Mohamed Noor on Saturday night after she called police concerned a woman was being raped behind her home

Hundreds of friends, family and strangers held an emotional rally on Thursday to pay tribute to the bride-to-be who was renowned for her caring nature.

'We gather before you in our heartbreak, in our longing for healing,' one woman can be heard saying on video captured at the protest.

Those who gathered held placards carrying messages of 'Justice for Justine', 'Justice of all' and 'Unite for Justice'.

Ms Damond's fiance Don Damond greeted demonstrators outside the couple's home and at one stage was comforted by Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, who was also shot and killed by a Minnesota police officer.

Protesters, both young and old, marched from the Damond's family home to Beard's Plaissance Park where speeches were heard and fists were raised in solidarity.

They had also placed handwritten tributes and flowers in the alley where Ms Damond died.

Protesters carried candles alongside placards and paused to hear speeches which included a message of 'We gather before you in our heartbreak, in our longing for healing'

Young and old turned out for Thursday's protest march which also featured a banner with the message 'Unite for Justine'

The 'Unite for Justine' banner was accompanied by '#TheWorldIsWatching'

Protesters who gathered for Thursday's march also held placards which carried a message of 'Justice for all'

Meanwhile, Minneapolis' police chief has further isolated the junior officer who shot Ms Damond by portraying him as a rogue cop whose actions go 'against who we are as a department'.

Chief Janee Harteau, criticised for remaining on holidays for four days in the aftermath of Ms Damond's shocking death, said she wanted to assure the grieving family justice would be served.

At an extraordinary press conference on Thursday, the chief repeatedly criticised Officer Noor despite the investigation into Ms Damond's shooting being in its early stages.

'The death of Justine should not have happened,' Ms Harteau told reporters in Minneapolis.

'I believe the actions in question go against who we are as a department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers.

'These were the actions and judgement of one individual.'

Ms Harteau said she has spoken to Mr Damond and told him 'Justine did not have to die.'

'I'll do everything in my power to make sure due process is followed and justice is served.'

Ms Damond had moved to the US to be with Mr Damond who she was due to marry next month.

Sharon Sebring, the mother of Don Damond, marches with protesters through the neighborhood where Justine Damond was shot and killed by police

People march down Washburn Avenue in the southern Minneapolis neighbourhood Justine Damond called home

Valerie Castile, centre, mother of Philando Castile who was killed by a police officer last year, marched in memory of Justine Damond on Thursday

Marchers watched on as Don Damond, fiance of Justine Damond, greeted demonstrators outside his home

Officer Noor's family has complained the Somali-born 32-year-old, who joined the police force two years ago, has not received support from other officers since the shooting.

The Minneapolis police union has also unusually declined to publicly defend him.

The police chief also said Officer Noor, who's been stood down, must be afforded due process as investigators continue to piece together the chain of events.

Officer Noor was in the passenger seat of his police car and his partner, one-year rookie Matthew Harrity, was driving when they pulled into an alley behind Ms Damond's home.

Officer Noor shot across Officer Harrity and out the driver's side open window at Ms Damond as she suddenly approached their vehicle.

Marchers raise their fists at Beard's Plaisance Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, days after the death of Justine Damond

A large crowd gathered in memoriam of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaisance Park on Thursday in Minneapolis, Minnesota

As well as marching to protest the death of Justine Damond, protesters also had the deaths of Philando Castile and Jamar Clark in their thoughts

Nekima Levy-Pounds spoke at the march to honour the life of Justine Damond as 'Justice for Justine' placards were featured prominently

'That's not how we train,' Ms Harteau said.

The police chief also criticised the officers for not having their body cameras on.

Officer Noor's training had shown no indication he would have any 'issues', she said.

Minnesota has one of the largest Somali communities in the US and one of the state's best known right wing politicians, Michele Bachmann, a former Republican presidential candidate, inflamed racial tensions with comments she made at a hog roast event on Wednesday.

Ms Bachmann called Officer Noor an 'affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis'.

The police chief defended her department's hiring decisions.

'It's not about race or ethnicity,' Ms Harteau said.

'We have a very robust training and hiring process.

'This officer completed that training very well... and was very suited to be on the street.'
A young mother and her bedridden son were left abandoned in a hospital by the 22-year-old father in eastern China's Shanghai.

The 20-year-old mother, He Xiaohong, said she had lost contact with her husband after knowing that left the hospital 'to buy food' last week.

Left heartbroken, He struggled to take care of her nine-month-old son after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

He Xiaohong is staying in hospital 24 hours a day to take care of her son, Sensen in Shanghai

A doctor in Guangxi found a tumour in Sensen's brain when he was only three months old

Picture shows the 20-year-old mother and her healthy son before he was diagnosed with a brain tumour

A report from iFeng.com stated that the young couple from Guangxi, southern China gave birth to a son, who was nicknamed Sensen, last September.

When Sensen was three months old, doctors found out that the baby had a bigger than average sized head.

Sensen was confirmed to have a tumour on the third ventricle of his brain and underwent his first surgery.

However, the situation worsened when doctors found Sensen's head had become 5 centimetres (1.96 inches) bigger due to fluid accumulation.

In April, He and her husband brought Sensen to Shanghai Children's Medical Centre for two operations.

Last week, doctors from the medical centre informed the couple of Sensen's condition.

He was left heartbroken after noticing her husband ran away using an excuse of buying food

She is now spending her whole day in a Children's medical centre to look after her son

'Sensen could have a chance to be healthy and normal as other children but he will have to undergo another surgery which the worse scenario is he could die on the operating table,' said the doctor.

The couple had already spent most of their savings treating their son's brain tumour and could not afford another surgery.

He's husband told her that he was going out to buy food as the couple were on their way to Sensen's ward.

But he never showed up again.

The 20-year-old mother was forced to look after her son on her own.

He mentioned her husband was born in 1995.

She could not contact her husband, her father-in-law and mother-in-law.

She told iFeng.com: 'I know he might be taking a lot of pressure, but this is our child!'

Doctors told the couple earlier that Sensen would need another operation in a bid to be fully recovered

People who read about He's story had donated over 80,344 as financial aid to help Sensen

She is now staying in the hospital and spends her whole day with her son, iFeng stated.

He and Sensen's story has caught the media's attention after it was published on July 18.

Although a week has passed since her husband ran away from the family, a reporter from DongFeng IC visited the mother on July 20 and told her that 20,080 people had donated to support Sensen.

The good samaritans had donated a total of 706,000 yuan (80,344) in just four hours.

The mother replied to the reporter and said that she was grateful and surprised to receive support from members of the public.

'What I can do is use my love to protect my child, even though his father is still missing,' she said.
Nancy Guy, 49, was arrested on Thursday by Pembroke Pines Police in Florida after she allegedly scammed an 85-year-old widower on a dating app

An 85-year-old widower ended up bankrupt after he sought companionship with a woman on a dating app after his wife died.

John Berman met 49-year-old Nancy Guy when he joined a dating app in April 2013 in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

She had introduced herself as Anna Miller and told Berman that she needed money for a dress-making business.

Guy allegedly defrauded the widower out of more than $300,000.

She promised to pay him back but she always made excuses, including that she had cancer and that her warehouse was flooded and had destroyed $400,000 worth of merchandise.

Guy mysteriously vanished after Berman's son filed a police report in 2015 when he realized his father's pending bankruptcy.

They figured out her true identity and Berman identified her in a photo line-up as the woman he knew as Anna Miller.

Police finally caught up to Guy on Thursday and she was arrested.

Pembroke Pines Police captain Christopher Sengelmann believes Guy may victimized other men between 2013 and 2015.

He urged anyone who may have been a victim to contact police.

Authorities said there was no evidence Guy owned a dress-making business.
Georgia corrections officials are reporting there were numerous security policy violations in the lead-up to the escape of two violent inmates from a prison bus last month.

A report released Friday says guards failed to inspect inmates prior to boarding the bus, to double lock handcuffs, and to continuously supervise inmates on the bus.

Inmates were left unattended during stops and the door separating the driver compartment from the inmate compartment was not locked.

Additionally, guards also kept their guns in storage boxes rather than wearing them and weren't wearing ballistic vests as required.

Because of these factors, Ricky Dubose, 24, and Donnie Rowe, 43, were able to overpower their guards during a prison transfer on June 13 and use the guards' guns to kill them before fleeing in a carjacked vehicle.

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A report has revealed that numerous security policy violations allowed Ricky Dubose (left) and Donnie Rowe (right) to escape from a prison transport bus and kill two guards on June 13. The guards were not wearing their ballistic vests and their guns were also not being worn but kept in storage boxes

The report, released Friday, says guards failed to inspect inmates prior to boarding the bus (pictured), to double lock handcuffs, and to continuously supervise inmates on the bus. Inmates were left unattended during stops and the door separating driver compartment from inmate compartment was not locked

Dubose (right), 43, and Rowe (left), 24, will face the death penalty for their cross-state crime spree

Dubose and Rowe are accused of shooting and killing Sergeant Curtis Billue, 58, and Sergeant Christopher Monica, 42, along Highway 16 after taking their guns.

After spending three days on the run, the pair surrendered in the driveway of homeowner Patrick Hale in Christiana, Tennessee.

'My vehicle looks very much like a police cruiser,' he later explained.

'I realized I had two ex-cons wanted for murder who had just shot at law enforcement who had nothing to lose and for some reason they surrendered and laid down on the concrete in my driveway.'

Police have previously said the two escapees held an elderly Tennessee couple at gunpoint before stealing their SUV. The couple was able to call police, who pursued the stolen Jeep Cherokee.

Outside of Murfreesboro, the fugitives crashed the Jeep and ended up in a neighborhood, where neighbors watches as the two surrendered, according to police.

In Putnam County Court last month, the prosecutor told the judge he hadn't yet filed the paperwork, but intended to pursue the maximum sentence for murder in the state: the death penalty.

Dubose and Rowe are accused of shooting and killing Sergeant Curtis Billue, 58 (left), and Sergeant Christopher Monica, 42 (right), along Highway 16 after taking their guns

After spending three days on the run, the pair surrendered in the driveway of homeowner Patrick Hale in Christiana, Tennessee (pictured with Rowe, above, and Dubose, below) when they mistook his car for a police cruiser

The rampage began (1) on state highway 16 in Georgia on Tuesday at 6.45am, when Dubose and Rowe killed their guards and carjacked a passerby. (2) At 10.30am, they ransacked a home in Madison and stole clothes. (3) Around 12 hours later, they ditched the car and store a white pickup from a quarry near Madison. They fell off the radar until 2.30pm, when they held an elderly couple hostage in their Shelbyville, Tennessee home for three hours before stealing their Jeep. They were quickly spotted and after a 100mph chase, they crashed on the I-24. (4) They fled on foot but were captured in Christiana, Tennessee, at 7.00pm

Prior to escaping, Rowe had been serving life without parole since 2002, and Dubose began a 20-year sentence in 2015.

Two Tennessee families were given $10,000 each as a reward for helping to catch the two fugitives after a total reward of $130,000 was offered to find them.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation offered $20,000 toward the total reward, according to spokeswoman Nelly Miles, who says the recipients' names are being withheld at their request.
Joe Scarborough is very publicly declaring his love for his fiancee and co-host Mika Brzezinski in a new music video.

The 'Morning Joe' posted the video for his song 'Let's Fall in Love' on Friday, which features him and Brzezisnki, 50, embracing one another and the MSNBC anchor holding up a photo of his lady love on his cell phone.

Scarborouigh has said it is the only love song he has written.

'We need your help with our next music video by holding up a picture of the person you love, read two title cards at the beginning of the video.

The video then starts, and shows approximately 20 people holding up a photo of the person they love most, with Scarborough, 54, choosing Brzezinski.

The crowd-sourced video shows people holding up photos of girlfriend, boyfriends, parents, children and, in one case, Anderson Cooper.

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Who do you love: Joe Scarborough has released a new music video in which he declares his love for 'Morning Joe' co-host Mika Brzezisnki (above)

Lovefool: The video 'Let's Fall In Love' shows the two embracing one another (above) and Scarborough holding up a photo of his lady love on his cell phone

Your Song: 'Let's Fall In Love' details Scarborough's loneliness while pining for the woman who 'breaks his heart with the wave of a hand'

That song details Scarborough's loneliness while pining for the woman who 'breaks his heart with the wave of a hand.'

'I'm not going to beg/ I'm not going to beg/ Oh, what the hell/ Look at me beg,' sang Scarborough.

'Baby please/ Oh baby please /Let's fall in love'

He serenaded Brzezinski with the tune last month while performing at The Cutting Room in New York City.

Scarborough also showed his love for Brzezinski by posting a Peter Max painting of the two on his Facebook page.

The couple confirmed reports that they were engaged in an interview with Vanity Fair, 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.

Hot Child in the City: Scarborough posted a photo of Brzezinski on Friday

Picture perfect: Scarborough also posted a Peter Max painting of the two on Facebook (above)

Scarborough has four children from prior relationships while Brzezinski has two.

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 couple has revealed that they will wed this spring in Nantucket, where Scarborough has a home.
A Sydney man has blasted former stone mason Naseem Raad citing he ought to 'neck up, you parrot' after escaping jail time for his despicable crimes.

Isaac Jan, whose grandfather rests at one of 68 smashed grave sites at Rookwood Cemetery, was devastated by Raad's actions after footage was released of the 23-year-old destroying the burial grounds.

'You can't just go around doing things like this,' Mr Jan told 7 News.

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Sydney man Isaac Jan has blasted former stone mason Naseem Raad citing he ought to 'neck up, you parrot' after escaping jail time for his despicable crimes

Nassem Raad was found guilty of smashing 68 graves at Rookwood necropolis on Wednesday - and spent the next day chilling out with a female friend

Calls are now being made for case to be reviewed after Raad escaped a prison sentence and was slapped with a suspended nine month sentence and a $63,450 in compensation fine by a Sydney magistrate on Tuesday.

Leader of the Opposition Luke Foley said it just 'beggars belief that this bloke escapes a prison term.'

Mr Foley questioned what it actually takes to get a prison sentence.

'It's an insult, first and foremost, to those families of the dead  68 graves at the Rookwood Cemetery defaced by this mongrel,' he said.

Attorney General Mark Speakman told Seven News he will consider speaking with the Director of Public Prosecution in the hope of an appeal against the sentence.

Leader of the Opposition Luke Foley said it's just 'beggars belief that this bloke escapes a prison term'

Raad, who escaped jail time despite showing 'no remorse' for smashing the 68 graves, spent the first day of the rest of his life dancing, snapping selfies and feasting on a burger with a female friend.

The 23-year-old, from Yagoona, was slapped with a suspended nine month sentence and a $63,450 in compensation fine by a Sydney magistrate on Tuesday.

He was found guilty of desecrating the graves one evening in November 2015.

The court was shown a Snapchat video of him and a friend making spitting noises as they strode through the necropolis.

In the video, one of the men could heard calling the Greek and Russian Orthodox dead 'mutts... these f***ers... dogs'.

Raad, 23, was dropped off to a friend's house on Thursday morning - snapping selfies together on the deck. Raad even danced

The young man chatted and smiled after heading to a mate's house in Sydney's south-west

The taste of freedom: A cigarette in his hand, Raad and a female friend headed to the nearby suburb of Greenacre for a burger and a flavoured drink at Genuine Broaster Chicken

Asked to explain his side of the story, Raad said: 'F*** off, get the f*** out of my face, you f***ing c***'

Raad and his father started the day by popping in briefly to Burwood Local Court. He was understood to be there to sign documents relating to his sentence.

He was later dropped off at a friend's house, where he danced and snapped selfies with a pair of young ladies.

Raad enjoyed a cigarette and a Gatorade

He and a friend then popped out to Broasters in the nearby suburb of Greenacre for a burger and a cigarette.

Asked to explain his side of the story, Raad told Daily Mail Australia: 'F*** off, get the f*** out of my face ... f***ing c***s'.

His day of freedom came as a Greek Orthodox woman - whose parents' graves he desecrated - revealed her family had to stump up the cost of the damage.

Sylvie Tsatsaronis told Daily Mail Australia she 'screamed' when she saw her parents' final resting place desecrated on the TV news.

Along with the grave of her late parents, Georgia and Theodore, many of the destroyed memorials belonged to dead babies.

Spitting sounds: Nassem Raad (left) and a friend are pictured in the Snapchat video on left. The men can then be heard going around the gravesite making spitting sounds at the graves

'We were very affected by it': The tombstone of Greek Orthodox parents Georgia and Theodore Tsatsaronis was toppled over by Raad

'I screamed': Sylvie Tsatsaronis (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia she learned of what happened to her parents' final resting place on TV

'It was tragic. We were very affected by it. We were very angry,' Ms Tsatsaronis said in an interview.

Raad's crime left the grave in tatters for six months - meaning it was in ruins through Christmas and Easter, key religious times for the family.

'The news came up and my parents' grave was on TV,' Ms Tsatsaronis said. 'I screamed and my family came out running and we went straight to the cemetery.'

Ms Tsatsaronis was both distressed and bewildered because the graves are made out of marble meaning it would require a lot of effort to destroy.

In a social media post recently, Ms Tsatsaronis suggested the thugs had targeted the Orthodox Christian area of the Rookwood necropolis for a reason.

'He would have had to pass the Islamic burial ground to get to the orthodox section.

'This was a calculated hate crime against Christianity as well as disrespect for the departed'.

Her family was also lumbered with the $1300 damage bill and a long wait for repairs and for the police investigation to conclude.

'Doing what they did is quite despicable and to do it to the deceased and desecrate peoples' places of rest,' she said.

Raad was all smiles outside a Sydney courtroom this week - dressed in a hoodie and white cap

Horrific images taken of the cemetery following the attack showed turned over and smashed gravestones, flowers scattered across footpaths and candles turned upside-down

Mr Raad desecrated up to 70 graves, including those of children and babies, has escaped jail time despite showing no remorse

'And the amount of damage they've done was horrendous.

'I was quite shocked when I went to the cemetery to see the amount of damage, the amount of tombstones they desecrated'.

She could not fathom why Mr Raad did such a thing.

Why did he do it? Burwood Local Court heard Nassem Raad, 21, showed 'no remorse' for his actions

But despite the fact he hasn't apologised, Ms Tsatsaronis said in time Raad would understand the gravity of what he had done.

'As a Christian we forgive. He, in time, will learn.

'Someone close to him will die and he will know what it's like to lose a loved one.

'He would have empathy then.'
Germany is now home to around 700 Islamists thought to pose a terror threat, a police chief has warned.

The federal police chief Holger Munch said the group posed the biggest threat to Germany, which has been rocked by terror attacks prompting criticism of Angela Merkel's open-door immigration policy.

He believes the number of extremists potentially willing to carry out terror attacks in Germany is now up to 690, almost a hundred more than the figure issued by the Interior Ministry in February.

Members of the German police's so-called BFE+ (Evidence and Arrestment Unit) anti terror unit present a training operation in Berlin's Ahrensfelde district

Riaz Khan Ahmadzai in a video Islamic State posted July 19, 2016 in which a man whom it identifies as the Afghan refugee who attacked passengers with an axe on a train in Germany vows to carry out a suicide mission and urges other Muslims to do the same

Talking to the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, he said there is an undercurrent of right-wing and left-wing extremists, but that Islamists pose the greatest threat.

'In the left-wing scene, the German states have currently estimated a number that can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In the right-wing scene, the number is in the low double digits,' he said.

'Unlike in the current scene of left-wing criminality, we very much see the risk that terrorist structures could form in the right-wing spectrum.

'Over the past two years, the topic of immigration has led to a noticeable radicalization of the scene.

'The huge number of offenses directed at asylum seeker shelters in 2015 and 2016 underlines that.

'We are being very vigilant, and want to start open investigations as fast as possible, without merely observing for too long.'

A man suspected of being an Islamic State militant is detained by the Iraqi Army in the Old City district on July 10, 2017 in Mosul, Iraq. The Iraqi government and armed forces have declared victory but fighting continues

A picture taken on July 9, 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

With ISIS on the brink of being flushed out of Iraq and Syria, experts suggest militants returning to the West may want to be sent to prison where they can set up what is being described as jihadi universities to spark a new movement.

It is also predicted Islamic State could then re-emerge from the ashes under a new name and with a fresh army of brainwashed jihadis once the group is effectively destroyed in the Middle East.

After 51 jihadist attacks in Europe and the US in the last three years, two separate studies have reported three quarters of the terrorists were homegrown.

Both pointed to a shift in the Islamic State movement, with less of an emphasis on the foreign fighter and more concern brewing over extremists attacking their own countries.

Germany was rocked by terror last year, heaping pressure on chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door immigration policy

In a security policy brief published by the Royal Institute for International Relations, Thomas Renard claims the modern jihadi in Europe is homegrown, leaderless and virtual.

Renard said: 'Returnees are likely to play a key role in the recruiting and training of the next jihadi wave.

'It is therefore imperative to monitor them very closely, and seek to limit their influence as much as possible.

'That work starts imperatively in prison, where a number of them are already detained or heading in that direction

'Prisons have always been an incubator for radicalisation and violence, but there are many indications that the problem is growing out of proportion.'

Germany was rocked by terror last year, heaping pressure on chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door immigration policy.

A bloody week of violence shook the country beginning on July 18 when Pakistani teenager Riaz Khan Ahmadzai, 17, posing as an Afghan refugee, hacked at passengers on a train in Wurzburg with an axe, wounding five.

He was shot dead by police.

Four days later mentally unstable German-Iranian teenager Ali Sonboly shot nine people dead during a rampage through a shopping centre in Munich before taking his own life.

Sonboly claimed he was taking revenge for being bullied at school with no political motive to the murderous rampage.

Earlier that month, a suspected ISIS airport bomb plotter hanged himself in a German prison after being arrested following a manhunt.

A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany on December 20, 2016

Tunisian nantional Anis Amri, pictured left and right, who was responsible for the Berlin attack

Rescue workers at the scenes and the truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany, 19 December 2016

Syrian Jaber al-Bakr Syrian who was found tied up in a compatriot's apartment in the eastern city of Leipzig having fled police after plotting to blow up an airport

Syrian national Jaber al-Bakr, 22, was found dead in his cell in Leipzig, eastern Germany having reportedly used his own t-shirt days after being detained.

He was arrested after three days on the run following a tip-off that he may have been looking to team up with associates in Leipzig.

Al-Bakr had built 'a virtual bomb-making lab' in a flat in Chemnitz and was thought to have planned an attack against either one of Berlin's two airports or a transport hub in his home state of Saxony, security sources said.

Chemnitz was on lockdown for hours when police raided his flat but failed to seize him before he was captured by fellow Syrian nationals who tied him up and handed him over to the authorities.

And on Monday, December 19, Tunisian ISIS fanatic Anis Amri hijacked a 35-tonne truck and ploughed it into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.
Austria's foreign minister Sebastian Kurz called on Italy Thursday to stop migrants from reaching the mainland by halting the ferry services from the islands where they first land.

The call came as a dozen far-right millennials from Europe and North America announced a plan to set sail next week to 'defend Europe' from what they call a migrant invasion from Africa, using social media as their weapons.

The supporters of the Identitarian movement, which says it wants to preserve Europe's identity, have rented a ship to take them to international waters off the Libyan coast so they can monitor humanitarian rescuers, who they say collude with people smugglers who cram migrants onto dangerous boats.

Catania's mayor, Enzo Bianco, a member of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party, said he will seek to keep the C-Star, the ship rented by the Identitarians, from entering the city's port and 'pouring fuel on the fire'.

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Austria's foreign minister Sebastian Kurz said he had told his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano that 'rescue missions in the Mediterranean cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe'. Pictured above, migrants, most of them from Eritrea, jump into the water from a crowded wooden boat as they are helped by members of an NGO during a rescue operation at the Mediterranean sea

'They are like vigilantes, people who take the law into their own hands without having any authority... the situation is too tense to be turned into the Wild West,' he said.

So far this year sea migrant arrivals are approaching 100,000, 13 percent higher than last year, and some 200,000 asylum seekers are living in state-funded shelters.

Austria's Kurz said he had told his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano that 'rescue missions in the Mediterranean cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe', on the sidelines of an OSCE meeting in Vienna.

'We hope that ferry services for illegal migrants will be halted between Italian islands like Lampedusa and the Italian mainland,' Kurz said.

'If people are quickly brought to the mainland from the islands and then continue to trek north, this will not only increasingly put pressure on central Europe but also encourage more migrants to set off' to reach the continent, he added.

Italy on Thursday presented its programme for when it takes over the chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation from Austria next year.

Alfano said there will be a strong 'focus... on the Mediterranean region', the migration crisis and terror threats, but also on promoting intercultural and inter-religious dialogue.

Nearly 90,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, up over 10 percent compared with the same period in 2016.

Nearly 90,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, up over 10 percent compared with the same period in 2016. Pictured above, refugees and migrants are seen swimming and yelling for assistance from crew members from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) 'Phoenix' vessel after a wooden boat bound for Italy carrying more than 500 people capsized on May 24, 2017 off Lampedusa, Italy

'I'm starting to have serious difficulties,' Bianco told Reuters. The city's port took in 10,000 migrants during the first half of the year. An Ixe poll on Friday said 78 percent of Italians thought they had been abandoned by their European Union allies.

Next week the nine NGOs operating rescue missions are to meet with the Italian government, which wants them to sign a 'code of conduct', capping months of controversy. The charities have repeatedly denied any ties to smugglers.

'As a humanitarian organisation, our biggest concern is the women, children and men that we rescue from unseaworthy boats,' a spokeswoman for SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Aquarius rescue ship, told Reuters. 'Any attempt of interference would endanger the lives of people in need of protection.'

Emma Bonino, a former foreign minister who is calling on Italy's government to come up with better integration policies, said the Identitarians are trying to capitalise on increasing discomfort among Italians.

Poor migrants 'sleep in the rail station or in the street or they cannot work, so people see them doing nothing. This is what makes people uneasy,' she said in an interview in her Rome home.

Italians 'would like this problem to be managed in a more human and regular way,' she said.

To raise money for the operation, the Identitarians launched a website in May and have gathered some $170,000, enough to rent the 40-metre (yard) C-Star, which has been repeatedly delayed on its trip from its home port of Djibouti.

'This massive immigration is changing the face of our streets, of our cities, and soon the people who have been living here for thousands of years will be an endangered minority,' Sellner said earlier this month when he announced the sea mission.
One of California's largest cities is practically a ghost town, never meeting the expectations of its creator.

California City is the third-largest city in the Golden state based on its land size, but almost 60 years after it was created to be a thriving suburban city, it still hasn't reached its potential.

At 203 square-miles in size, the uncompleted city in the Mojave desert is physically smaller than only Los Angeles and San Diego.

However, with a population of 14,000, California City, California, remains one of the state's smallest cities.

California City, California, is the third-largest city in the Golden state based on its land size, but has one of the smallest city populations

The city covers 203 square-miles which is physically smaller than only Los Angeles and San Diego in California, but the uncompleted city in the Mojave desert only has 14,000 residents

In 1958, Nathan Mendelsohn bought the 82,000 acres, hoping to turn the desert land into a suburban center to rival Los Angeles, about 100 miles southwest of California City.

The Columbia University professor-turned real estate developer mapped and carved out streets and neighborhoods where he hoped people would purchase lots to build homes and businesses in the population boom of California.

Streets were named after cars, such as Cadillac Boulevard, Chrysler Drive, and Dodge Street or universities, such as Stanford Avenue, Columbia Road and Georgetown Street.

The city was even meant to have a 160-acre 'Central Park' similar to the one in Manhattan.

In 1958, Nathan Mendelsohn bought the 82,000 acres. He mapped and carved out streets and neighborhoods where he hoped people would purchase lots to build homes and businesses

Streets were named after cars, such as Cadillac Boulevard, Chrysler Drive, and Dodge Street or universities, such as Stanford Avenue, Columbia Road and Georgetown Street. The city was even meant to have a 160-acre 'Central Park' similar to the one in Manhattan (pictured)

Mendelsohn hoped to turn the desert land into a suburban center to rival Los Angeles, about 100 miles southwest of California City

Though Mendelsohn sold more than 52,000 lots, few of those buyers developed their property, according to Business Insider.

By the 1970s, only 1,300 people lived in California City and even now the city has not reached the population Mendelsohn anticipated or hoped for.

Today there are still 118,000 acres of undeveloped land in the city.

Residents of the ghost town mostly live near the park. Most of the streets remain unpaved.

The town has its own school district and public bus service, but has no chain grocery store or hotels, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Most of the people who live in California City work at Edwards Air Force Base or a prison nearby.

Photographer Noritaka Minami was interested in the planned, but undeveloped city for photographs that are being exhibited with the Aperture foundation.

'The fact that these streets in the desert are mostly unoccupied to this day should raise the question whether the water-rich wonderland proposed by Mendelsohn was actually realistic or could have ever been sustainable in an environment like the Mojave Desert,' Minami told Co.Design.
Child migrants kept being trafficked from Britain to Australia despite officials knowing that some institutions they were sent to harboured pedophile rings, a U.K. inquiry was told.

Dr Margaret Humphreys of the Child Migrants Trust told the child sexual abuse inquiry in London that recruiters were sent to the U.K. to select children for church and charity-run farm schools in Australia.

'We would categorise that now as child trafficking,' she said on Friday.

British child migrants in Australia were subjected to sexual, physical and emotional abuse

Dr Margaret Humphreys of the Child Migrants Trust told the inquiry it was child trafficking

The inquiry is examining the sexual, physical and emotional abuse suffered by thousands of children in care who were sent to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Rhodesia up to the 1970s.

Among the worst offenders were the Catholic order the Christian Brothers who ran farm schools in Western Australia and the royals-backed Fairbridge Society which ran farm schools in NSW.

The inquiry has heard from former child migrants that say they were routinely sexually abused and flogged by staff, were poorly fed, clothed and educated and used as virtual slave labour on the farms.

It's also heard that authorities in the UK and Australia knew of sex abuse scandals at the institutions but no proper inspection systems were in place and the offending institutions were allowed to keep operating.

'It's much clearer now that there was knowledge that some of the institutions were quite clearly pedophile rings,' Humphreys told the inquiry.

She said the sexual abuse of even one child should have prompted an inquiry but that didn't happen and hundreds of children were abused.

The inquiry was told beatings were common (child migrants arriving in Australia in 1938)

The inquiry also heard child migrants who complained to police were not believed

Former British prime minister Gordon Brown described child migration as a 'national disgrace'

Humphreys, who in 1993 was awarded the Order of Australia for her work with former child migrants, said a regime of bullying and beatings at the institutions meant children were terrified to complain of abuse.

She said children who ran away and complained to police were invariably not believed and would be returned to the institution where they were often beaten in front of the other children as a warning.

They were left 'lonely and isolated' to deal with the abuse on their own, she said.

Humphreys slammed the defence that such abuse was in line with the 'standards of the day'.

'When was it ever the standards of the day to rape children, to abuse children in this way?' she said.

On Thursday former British prime minister Gordon Brown told the inquiry the child migration scheme was a 'national disgrace' and the UK government must compensate the more than 2000 former child migrants left before they died.

In 2010 Brown apologised to former child migrants on behalf of the British government for the distress caused to them by the scheme.
An Australian couple whose wedding was washed out by Cyclone Debbie have had their Greek Honeymoon rocked by an earthquake just four months later.

Christian and Rene Zelvis, from Sydney, slept outside after their hotel was evacuated following the 6.7 magnitude earthquake.

The couple got married in March, when Cyclone Debbie tore through parts of Queensland.

Christian and Rene Zelvis slept outside after their hotel was evacuated following the 6.7 magnitude earthquake

The couple are pictured sleeping outside with other guests

'Think my room is a good location for my next holiday,' Mr Zelvis said

The couple got married in March, when Cyclone Debbie tore through parts of Queensland

'After the initial bit of shock and the major tremors finished, we just looked at each other sort of had a bit of laugh,' Mr Zelvis told 9 News on Friday.

'Think my room is a good location for my next holiday.'

The epicentre of the magnitude-6.7 quake was off Bodrum, southwest Turkey, with the country's Aegean coast and Greek holiday islands including Kos and Rhodes worst affected.

Tens of thousands of tourists who were forced to sleep outdoors have now been warned of possible aftershocks.

The quake triggered a tsunami that hit tourist resorts in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and damaging buildings across the region.

Holidaymakers fled hotels in terror and some even jumped from balconies as the quake hit before running for their lives to higher ground as tsunami waves surged through beachfront resorts moments later, flooding bars and restaurants, carrying away cars and depositing boats in town streets.

An Australian couple whose wedding was washed out by Cyclone Debbie have had their Greek Honeymoon rocked by an earthquake just four months later (Cyclone Debbie pictured)

On the island of Kos, two male tourists - a 22-year-old from Sweden and a 39-year-old from Turkey - were killed after being crushed under a collapsed ceiling at the White Corner Club bar.

Another man from Sweden has apparently lost his legs, police said.

Parts of a historic mosque in Kos Town also came crashing down into the street and rescuers were this morning sifting through rubble looking for trapped survivors.

The 6.7 magnitude earthquake of the coast of the Greek islands and Turkey

A man stands next to debris following an earthquake on the island of Kos, Greece
Sean Spicer has resigned as White House Press Secretary, capping a tumultuous tenure in the White House where he took heat for his sometimes clumsy attempts to defend President Trump as he improvised his way through his first months in office.

He is being succeeded by his deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and gave notice on a day President Trump offered telegenic New York financier Anthony Scaramucci the job of communications director with plans to make him the face of his White House defense.

On a topsy-turvy day, Scaramucci stunned reporters by showing up at a televised press briefing, taking question after question from reporters where he flattered his boss, avoided factual misstatements, and cracked jokes about making money and 'getting the hook.'

President Trump thanked Spicer in a statement at a televised press briefing Friday.

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Anthony Scaramucci attends the daily White House press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House July 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned after it was announced that Trump hired Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime supporter, to the position of White House communications director

'I am grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people. I wish him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities. Just look at his great television ratings. Sean will continue to serve the administration through August,' Trump said  in a statement read by Sanders, who didn't smile as she took the podium on a tumultuous day.

Scaramucci stunned reporters by taking questions during a live televised briefing. Spicer was pictured walking out of his office  and did not attend  after being holed up inside the room for hours.

Scaramucci said off that bat that he spoke to Trump about 'letting him be himself.' He assured reporters - who had a contentious relationship with Spicer  that he would 'get to everybody' as he fielded questions.

'I'm going to try to get to everybody - I promise,' he said.

'I love the president and Im very very loyal to the president,' Scaramucci said.

'I want to thank personally Sean Spicer not only on behalf of myself, the president, and the administration, but Sean is a true American patriot, he's a military serviceman, he's got a great family, and he's done an amazing job,' Scaramucci said.

EXIT: White House press secretary Sean Spicer walks out of the West Wing while new communications director Anthony Scaramucci takes the White House podium

Out: Sean Spicer (above on Thursday) has resigned from his tole as White House Press Secrtary

HOW CARD CAN THIS BE? White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Anthony Scaramucci arrive for the daily White House press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House July 21, 2017 in Washington, DC

'Obviously this is a difficult situation to be in and I applaud his efforts and I love the guy and I wish him well.'

Then he made a quip certain to endear himself to the president. 'And I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money.'

Scaramucci immediately denied a rift with chief of staff Reince Priebus, comparing them to two brothers 'where we rough each other up once in a while.'

'I have no problem working for Reince. I con only speak about my management style, okay? I have been on Wall Street for 29 years. Nobody has ever worked for me, people work with me,' he said.

SEALED WITH A KISS: Incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, right, blowing a kiss after answering questions during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 21, 2017

TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME: Outgoing White House press secretary Sean Spicer walks down the steps of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building towards the White House, Friday, July 21, 2017, in Washington. Spicer abruptly resigned his position, ending a rocky six-month tenure that made his news briefings defending President Donald Trump must-see TV

ARE THESE THINGS ON? Scaramucci delivered a smooth performance where he declared his love for the president, denied a rift with the chief of staff, and announced the promotion of Sarah Huckabee Sanders

COULD BE WORSE: Outgoing White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer waves outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 July 2017

'I believe in a lot of collaboration. I think if you do that it's very, very empowering to people. I have no problem working for Reince, the president said I report to him directly. But listen, you guys are going to be very, very surprised about the relationship that I have with Reince.'

He said he would have walk-in privileges for the Oval Office, but didn't want to take up the president's time needlessly.

Scaramucci repeatedly praised the president during the briefing  picking up on a trail on online salutations that may have helped his job prospects.

'The president is the most competitive person I've ever met. I have seen this guy throw a dead spiral through a tire. I've seen him at Madison Square Garden with a topcoat on, he's standing in the key and he's hitting foul shots, swishing them. He sinks three-foot putts. I don't see this guy as a guy that is ever under siege. This is a very, very competitive person. obviously there's a lot of incoming that's coming into the white house. but the president's a winner,' he said.

HUG IT OUT: Anthony Scaramucci, incoming White House communications director, hugs White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as he takes the podium at the daily press briefing at the White House, Friday, July 21, 2017, in Washington. White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned

He declared the White House 'on track' and called Trump one of the best politicians in history.

'But I think we are doing an amazing job. The president himself is always going to be the president. I was in the Oval Office with him earlier today and we were talking about letting him being himself, letting him express his full identity. I think he's got some of the best political instincts in the world, and perhaps in history. If you think about it, he started his political stent two years and two months ago. And he's done a phenomenal job for the American people. And the people I grew up with? Yhey so identify with the president and they love him. And so we're going to get that message out,' he said.

When Scaramucci got a question from DailyMail.com about Trump's low poll numbers, he claimed Trump was doing 'phenomenally well.'

'And so what I would say about polls is that they are a barometric pressure reading for right now today. but the american people are actually playing a long game. And I think they really, really love the president. And when you look into the individual state-by-state polls, you can see the guy is doing phenomenally well,' he said.

Asked about Trump's unproven claim that between three and five million Americans voted illegally, Scaramucci fudged but said the president is sometimes 'closer to the truth' than people realize.

'So if the president says it, let me do more research on it. My guess is that there's probably some level of truth to that. I think what we have found sometimes, the president says stuff, some of you guys in the media think it's not true, or it isn't true. It turns out it's closer to the truth than people think. So let me do more homework on that and i'll get back to you,' he said.

'THERE'S PROBABLY SOME LEVEL OF TRUTH': Scaramucci delivered a smooth briefing but said he'd have to 'do more research' on President Trump's claim that three to five people voted illegally

Sanders, in her first day briefing since her promotion, denounced 'Russia fever' and dodged a question about whether Trump would consider pardoning himself or his associates amid investigations of Russian election interference.

'The president maintains pardon powers like any president would but there are no announcements or planned announcements on that front whatsoever,' she said dryly.

Just like his first day on the job, the day Spicer told the president he was leaving was filled with chaos, intrigue, and a crowd of reporters clawing for information outside his West Wing door.

Spicer is vacating his position just six months after he first stood at the podium and made his controversial remarks about the size of President Trump's inauguration crowd

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NO EXIT: Spicer barricaded himself inside his office after resigning his post Friday morning

ON-CAMERA BRIEFING: Reporters converged around the door separating the White House briefing room from the West Wing staff

Scaramucci surprised reporters by taking questions on the day it was announced he was joining the White House staff

Spicer managed to stay on the job for six months despite predictions for months that he was on the way out.

He delivered the news to President Trump Friday morning.

After his departure dominated cable news for hours, Spicer tweeted Friday afternoon: 'It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August.'

ABC news reporter Jonathan Karl tweeted Friday that he went to ask Spicer about the Scaramucci news and that Spicer 'slammed the door' in his face.

Another sign of tension: Spicer was not even present when Trump gave an interview to the New York Times Wednesday where the president lashed out at investigators. The only press aide present was long time press advisor Hope Hicks.

Spicer was furious about the slight, New York Magazine reported.

The New York Times was the first to report the news of Spicer's resignation.

Spicer tweeted that he will stay on until August

In what could be a declaration of independence, he called in to 'fake news' CNN's Dana Bash Friday afternoon as news was still sinking in and captivating the media.

'I can tell you that he did not sound upset when I talked to him. He sounded a lot like the Sean Spicer that we used to know,' Bash said on air.

'He wanted to give the president and the new team a clean slate. That thats the answer that he is giving,' she said. Describing the resignation after talking to Spicer, she said: 'The president made clear that he the president wanted Sean Spicer to stay.

'He said he didnt want to stand in the way from letting this happen from letting changes happen and that he felt in the moment that the time was right or the White House and the White House staff and also fro Sean Spicer personally,' she said.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 27: Deidre Scaramucci and Anthony Scaramucci attend "Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole" Anthony Scaramucci Book Party on October 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Just before the news unfolded Friday, Spicer was barricaded inside his West Wing office. Chief of staff Reince Priebus and Scaramucci were outside. Deputy press aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders then sent reporters away just before the bombshell emerged.

Spicer is a longtime Republican operative who has been subjected to ridicule on Saturday Night Live for some of his strenuous efforts to defend the president.

He had already taken a major step back from public view. White House briefings in recent weeks have typically been held off camera, and mostly by his deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Even Spicer's most recent briefing was conducted off camera.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer walks down the hallway during President Donald Trump's visit to the Pentagon, Thursday, July 20, 2017. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has resigned over hiring of new communications aide. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

MOCKED: Melissa McCarthy as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer during "Spicer Returns" in Studio 8H on May 13, 2017 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Spicer's tenure ended abruptly the same morning Trump brought in telegenic Anthony Scaramucci as communications director

Scaramucci enters the job having an existing relationship with President Trump. He is pictured with his wife, Diedre, as well as President Trump and first lady Melania Trump

Scaramucci gave a strong recommendation to his new boss

Scaramucci, like Trump, trumpets a strong belief in loyalty. He is pictured here with wife, Diedre

BRIGHT LIGHTS: Anthony Scaramucci and wife Deidre Scaramucci

His departure came after weeks of turmoil over the Russia investigation. Trump is also shaking up his legal team, as longtime attorney Mark Kastowitz steps back as head of the effort to defend him against Russia-related charges.

Spicer's resignation came hours after Trump legal spokesman Mark Corallo left his post after sources said he was troubled by the decision to start attacking special counsel Robert Mueller.

He released no immediate statement, but was scheduled to appear on Hannity on Fox News Friday night.

RESIGNED: Mark Corallo, who served as spokesman for Trump's legal team for about two months, abruptly resigned Thursday, amid reports he was concerned about efforts to tarnish special counsel Robert Mueller

Spicer had been filling in as acting communications director while maintaining his press secretary job following the departure of Mike Dubke, who cited personal reasons for his departure just a few months into the job.

Spicer's job was a challenge from Day One, when he sparred with reporters over the president's claims of the size of his inaugural crowd.

Spicer gained instant notoriety for making a claim that was easily contradicted by photographic evidence: 'This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration  period  both in person and around the globe.

SIDELINED: Spicer's briefing duties were increasingly picked up by Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and done in an off-camera fashion

THEY LET CAMERAS IN HERE? Live feeds shows reporters, but no sign of Spicer immediately after he quit

His abrupt resignation came as details were emerging about the process that led to the arrival of his new communications superior.

In typical Trump White House fashion, the hiring had involved multiple streams of information and influence, outside a direct chain.

White House adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, put the plan to in motion, pushing hard for Scaramucci's hiring.

Chief of staff Reince Priebus was blindsided by the move and found out about it after plans were already in motion.

Spicer ran press for the RNC when Priebus was chairman during the 2016 election cycle.

Priebus told CNN he supported Scaramucci '100 per cent'  an indication that Priebus intends to try to keep his position.

Spicer had tense relations with the press during his rocky tenure

Although the move had been forecast for weeks, it stunned official Washington, as reporters swarmed the White House briefing room. In an image typical of Spicer's tenure, they crowded outside the lower press area and footage was carried on cable networks live.

Over months of his own political death watch, it often fell to Spicer to defend the president.

'I think the President is very pleased with his team and he has a robust agenda, Spicer said in late May after one of many reports of an imminent shakeup.

'Ultimately the best messenger is the President himself,' Spicer said. He's always proven that he is the best messenger not just for what he wants to articulate but that the American people resoundingly chose him as their President  because he understands the frustrations and concerns and values of the American people and he is probably the best person to communicate that.'

The president was known to watch Spicer's briefings closely and had become heavily critical.

Lines of authority were also an issue. Under the situation that was about to take shape, Spicer would have been reporting by title to Scaramucci, who has no experience running a communications operation. Scaramucci's role would have been to be as a primary force on TV defending the president.

But with many of his briefing responsibilities also stripped away, Spicer's role would be greatly diminished.

Spicer and his deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, increasingly in recent weeks deflected questions about Russia probes to the president's lawyers. They also sometimes steered clear of vigorous defenses, instead merely restating the president's view.

Scaramucci, meanwhile, has leapt into his emotive defenses of Trump, calling him a 'virtuous and honorable man' this month on Twitter. 'Virtue means the courage to act with integrity. Don does that everyday.'

He also tweeted he was 'proud to call him a friend,' adding: 'The truth is crystal clear. Will have your back always.'

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walks down the White House Colonnade after returning on the South Lawn by Marine One, with US President Donald J. Trump (not pictured) in Washington, DC, USA, 17 May 2017 (reissued 21 July 2017)

PILLAR OF THE MESSAGING OPERATION: Melissa McCarthy as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer during "Spicer Returns" in Studio 8H on May 13, 2017

Melissa McCarthy as Press Secretary Sean Spicer during the "Sean Spicer Press Conference Cold Open" on February 11, 2017

Trump defended Spicer in an appearance on Jeanine Pirro's show on Fox  but seemed to vouch for his character more than his TV performance or way with words.

'He is a wonderful person  he is a nice man. ... He just gets beat up by these people," Trump said, referencing the press.

Trump met with Scaramucci at the White House Thursday at a meeting that included his daughter, Ivanka Trump.

Despite vigorously opposing Scaramucci being brought on, Prieubus told a White House communications staff meeting Friday that Spicer's departure would bring a 'clean slate,' the Washington Post reported.

Scaramucci and Spicer hugged, according to the paper.

Spicer's rocky tenure included numerous flubs and disputed factual claims, as he struggled to explain the president's often improvised agenda to a sometimes hostile media the president ripped as 'fake news.'

Beyond the crowd size claim, he apologized after referring to 'Holocaust centers' rather than concentration camps. Just last week he referred to the 'Majinsky Act' rather than the Magnitsky Act when describing the swirling Russia probe.

'I think he probably should have resigned on Day One' over the crowd size claim, former Hillary Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri told CNN, adding that Spicer seemed like a nice person.
Sajid Idris has appeared in court charged with four counts of disseminating terrorist materials

A Royal Mail postman has appeared in court accused of terror charges.

Sajid Idris, 34, faces four counts of disseminating terrorist publications after being arrested in a joint operation involving the Wales Extremism Counter Terrorism Unit.

He was among five men seized during terror arrests on December 4 under the Terrorism Act for 'offences in relation to the support of proscribed organisations'.

Idris, from Grangetown, Cardiff, did not enter a plea when appeared before magistrates in London this week and was bailed to appear at the Old Bailey on August 11.

Westminster magistrates ordered that he must not attend any demonstrations or protests, must not speak to members of the public about Islam and must not distribute leaflets or audio and video talks while on bail.

It is understood Idris has been suspended on full pay from his job at a sorting office while the matter is dealt with by the courts.

A 36-year-old woman arrested during the same operation on Tuesday has been released on bail.

He was bailed by magistrates in Westminster and will appear at the Old Bailey next month

Detective Superintendent Lee Porter, from Wales Extremism Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU), said: 'Cardiff is an extremely safe city. The community in Cardiff have repeatedly rejected the extreme views of individuals, calmly and with dignity.

'Their support is of great value and should not be underestimated.

'Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them.

'To effectively combat the terrorism threat the police, businesses, government and the general public need to work together.'
A council is spending 28,000 putting a family of five Syrian refugees up in a Holiday Inn hotel for TEN MONTHS after they became locked in an immigration row with the Home Office.

The family-of-five moved into the three star hotel in late September after the council stopped them from moving into a 1,025-per-month property.

Now Staffordshire County Council is paying 700-per-week for the family to be housed in the hotel in Clayton, Staffordshire, plus food costs, as the family fight their case to stay in Britain.

The family-of-five moved into a hotel in September after being locked in an immigration row with the Home Office

Staffordshire County Council is paying 700-per-week for the family to be home in the Holiday Inn in Clayton

The man and his wife are not allowed to work under Home Office rules and say it is not safe for them to return to Syria.

The father, who is not named, moved to the UK in 1998 to study international politics and married his wife, who is also not named, in Syria in 2006.

The pair then came back to the UK and had their three children, Sohaib, eight, Leith, six, and Jemma, three.

The family, who moved to north Staffordshire in 2014, are now calling on the Home Office to finally rule on their case.

The father said: 'We were told from the beginning that the hotel was a temporary measure and we are surprised by how long we have been here.

'I told the council that it is paying lots of money to keep us in the hotel and we are not happy about that.

The refugees are sleeping in two double beds and the room also has a slow cooker, fridge, table and a chest of drawers

The father, who is not named, moved to the UK in 1998 to study international politics and married his wife, who is also not named, in Syria in 2006

'The children wake up tired and their school knows it.

'The school has been very supportive and we are very grateful to them.

'This hotel room is not supposed to house a family-of-five - let alone for all these months.

'I feel guilty knowing how much money is being paid.

'Our children cannot live like this. There has to be a solution.

'It's a heart-breaking situation and we've been in the hotel for nearly 10 months.

'I have a PhD and my wife is a medical engineer and we are homeless.

'My wife has done three lots of work experience at the Royal Stoke University Hospital which has told her to stop being on work experience and come and work for them properly - but she can't.

'I don't need any more problems on top of what's happening with the war in Syria.

The pair then came back to the UK and had their three children, Sohaib, eight, Leith, six, and Jemma, three

The father said: 'We were told from the beginning that the hotel was a temporary measure and we are surprised by how long we have been here'

'Every day there is bad news. It has been really terrible. It's degrading.'

The father, who is classed as an 'overstayer' by the Home Office, has previously made eight attempts for 'settlement' in the UK which have all been rejected.

The Home Office says it has provided advice to the family regarding the application.

A spokesman said: 'All applications are considered on their individual merits and in accordance with immigration rules.'

County Councillor Mark Sutton, cabinet member for children and young people, said: 'We are in constant contact with the father and have regular meetings with him about this case.

'We have a legal duty to protect children and keep them with their parents when their families cannot access public funds.

'Previous legal advice told us we couldn't use private-rented properties so in the past we have always used hotels because we know they are clean, safe and secure.

'After seeking further legal advice on this specific case, we are told that we can now use private-rented accommodation so we will be exploring these options with the family.'
Police are still looking for the six teenagers from Burundi who disappeared from a robotics competition in Washington DC after two of them were spotted crossing the border into Canada.

Don Ingabire, 16, and Audrey Mwamikazi, 17, were seen crossing into Canada after all six members of the team disappeared after the FIRST Global Challenge competition on Tuesday.

It remains unclear where Nice Munezero, 17, Kevin Sabumukiza, 17, Richard Irakoze, 18, and Aristide Irambona, 18, might be although police do not suspect foul play.

The teens left their hotel room key cards in a chaperone's bag, but took their clothes with them when they left, according to FIRST Global, the U.S. non-profit that organized the competition.

Six members of the Burundi robotics team went missing in Washington DC after the FIRST Global Challenge competition (pictured are the six missing teens before they disappeared)

SEEN: Don Charu Ingabire (left) and and 17-year-old Audrey Mwamikazi (right) have been spotted crossing the border into Canada

'We have been in touch with the Metropolitan Police Department; they told us that they are doing what they can to find those teens,' according to Benjamin Manirakiza, of the Burundi Embassy in Washington.

'We have confidence in the capacity of the police.'

But officials from Canada's Border Services Agency, the immigration and refugee ministry, the Burundian embassy in Ottawa, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection all said they had no information on the teens' whereabouts.

A Washington police spokeswoman said the teenagers' disappearance was still under investigation on Friday, and declined to say what U.S. state they were spotted crossing from.

All six of the teenagers from Burundi, an East African nation of about 10 million people, have one year visas.

A Burundian community leader in the US suggested the teens may be intending to seek asylum since the eastern African country has faced deadly political violence in recent years, forcing 400,000 people from their homes since April 2015.

They believe they will have a better chance of asylum in Canada which has a more welcoming stance on refugees than America, he said.

Police are still searching for the other missing teens, including Nice Munezero, 17, (left) and Richard Irakoze (right)

The group, whose ages range between 16 and 18, had flown over to the US from Burundi in East Africa to compete in the First Global Challenge robotics competition; Aristide Irambona (left) and Kevin Sabumukiza (right)

The teens were last seen on Tuesday at around 5pm in the 1700 block of D Street, Washington (pictured)

Hassan Ahmad, an immigration lawyer in northern Virginia, said that if the teens make an asylum application, then Immigration and Customs Enforcement could seek to detain the teens pending removal proceedings.

However, the teens would be eligible to seek bond and could stay in the country while they await their hearing - which can take years.

And even if ICE declines to seek detention, it can take several years for applicants to have their formal interview to determine whether they are eligible for asylum.

The Afghanistan girls team (pictured) drew worldwide attention when they were denied U.S. visas. President Donald Trump eventually intervened on their behalf

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that anyone who crossed the border illegally would be returned to border services.

'Crossing the Canadian border without reporting at a port of entry is illegal,' said spokeswoman Annie Deslile, in an e-mail.

'If the individual who has illegally entered between ports of entry claims to be a refugee, he/she is then transported to a port of entry.'

High school students from more than 150 countries took part in the competition. An all-girl squad from Afghanistan drew worldwide attention when President Donald Trump intervened after they were denied U.S. visas.
The special counsel investigating possible collusion between President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia has asked White House officials to preserve any records of a meeting last year between the president's son and a Russian lawyer, according to a source with knowledge of the request.

The special counsel, Robert Mueller, sent a document preservation request to the White House, saying the June 2016 meeting that Donald Trump Jr. had in Trump Tower in New York is relevant to his investigation, the source said on Friday.

The White House counsel's office relayed the request, a routine part of the early phase of any investigation, to other members of the White House staff on Wednesday, the source said.

News earlier this month of the meeting between Trump's eldest son and a Russian lawyer he was told had damaging information about his father's presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, fueled questions about the campaign's dealings with Moscow. The Republican president has defended his son's meeting as simple politics.

Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller has put the White House on notice that officials must save every email, notes, and other scraps of information related to a 2016 meeting that included Donald Trump Jr. and a lawyer with Kremlin ties

Donald Trump Jr. met in 2016 with a group including a Russian lawyer who had promised to bring him dirt on Hillary Clinton, but that never materialized

Mueller, appointed by the Justice Department in May, is probing alleged Russian interference in the election and potential collusion by Trump's campaign, an issue that has engulfed the six-month-old administration.

Trump has long expressed frustration with a probe that he has called a political witch hunt, and has denied any collusion. Moscow has denied it interfered in the election campaign to try to tilt the November 2016 vote in Trump's favor.

Document requests of the type sent by Mueller generally cover emails, text messages, voicemails, notes or records. The counsel is looking for any indication that the president knew the meeting his son had was planned and might have suggested topics for discussion, the source said.

He would also be inquiring into whether Trump was briefed on the meeting afterward, as well as what was discussed, the source said. Mueller would be interested, the source said, in topics such as any discussion of U.S. economic sanctions on Russia, possible Russian investments in the United States or elsewhere, or a possible lifting of a Russian prohibition on U.S. adoptions of Russian children.

Russia imposed the adoption ban to retaliate for the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which imposed sanctions on Russian individuals to punish Russia for human rights violations.

Mueller's document preservation request comes amid newspaper reports that Trump's lawyers are reviewing ways to limit or undermine the special counsel.

Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was one of the meeting participants; it emerged Friday that among her clients in Russia is the FSB, the spy agency that succeeded the KGB

Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow says it would be appropriate to address possible conflicts of interest in Mueller's team

The Washington Post and The New York Times on Thursday cited unidentified people familiar with the strategy. A Trump attorney contacted by Reuters, John Dowd, denied the reports and praised Mueller. 'We think he's a straight, honest guy,' Dowd said.

Dowd said communications with Mueller were productive and 'we have confidence hes going to do the right thing.'

Another lawyer, Jay Sekulow, told the Times that addressing possible conflicts of interest in Mueller's team would be appropriate but declined to comment on specifics.

Senior White House advisor Kellyanne Conway referred on Friday to reports that members of Mueller's team have made donations to the Democratic Party. 'People should know what folks paths and motivations and political motivations are,' she said in a Fox News interview.

According to the Post, Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the Russia probe. Trump's lawyers have been discussing the presidents pardoning powers, a second person told the newspaper.

Dowd dismissed the pardon report as nonsense. 'It's just not true,' he said.

In an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, Trump suggested the special counsel's remit should be limited, warning Mueller against investigating his and his family's finances, which he said are unrelated to the Russia investigation.

The Republican president also hinted at possible conflicts of interest involving Mueller.

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence panel, said in a statement, 'Mueller has the authority to investigate anything that arises from his investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, including financial links.'

His committee is one of several congressional panels investigating the Russia matter alongside Mueller's probe.

Separately, the spokesman for Trump's legal team, Mark Corallo, confirmed his resignation on Friday. Other recent changes on the team included the addition of veteran Washington lawyer Ty Cobb to handle the Russia probe.

Lead attorney Marc Kasowitz will reportedly take on a reduced role.
Private Geoff Gray who was found dead in 2001

The parents of a 17-year-old solider found shot dead at his Army barracks have been granted permission to apply for a new inquest into his death.

Private Geoff Gray, from Hackney, east London, was found with two gunshot wounds to the head at Deepcut barracks in Surrey on September 17, 2001.

After an inquest that year a coroner recorded an open verdict which did not include a narrative conclusion.

Authorities believed Private Gray took his own life but his parents Geoff and Diane have never believed he did.

They have now won the right to apply to the High Court for a new inquest after Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC said he was satisfied fresh evidence had come to light.

He said: 'Having considered the application, I have given consent to the family of Private Geoff Gray to apply to the High Court for a new inquest into his death.

'I am satisfied that there is new material evidence available that was not put before the inquest in 2001, and I believe that it is in the interests of justice for the application for a new inquest to be heard by the High Court.'

Mrs Gray, 52, said: 'I'm over the moon because we have been waiting all these years.

'We applied in January and we have waited since then and we kept being told "You will hear soon". I think now we will get to the truth.'

A new inquest can only be ordered by the High Court on an application made by the Attorney General or with his consent.

Last year a High Court judge gave the go-ahead for a fresh inquest into the death of Private Sean Benton, from Hastings, East Sussex, which is expected to take place at Surrey Coroner's Court in Woking from January 24 next year.

Geoff and Diane Gray, parents of Private Geoff Gray who died at Deepcut Barracks

The 20-year-old was found with five bullet wounds to his chest in June 1995 while undergoing training at the Surrey base.

He was the first of four young soldiers to die of gunshot wounds at the barracks between 1995 and 2002.

Private Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen, North Wales, shot herself in November 1995, according to a second inquest into her death which concluded in June.

Following Private Gray's death in 2001, Private James Collinson, 17, from Perth, was found dead with a single gunshot wound through his chin on March 23, 2002.
It only goes to show small towns have gems that sparkle.

Cynthia Thompson always knew there was something special about the Amelia Givin Library in Mount Holly Springs. Its architecture and history make the building at 114 N. Baltimore St. a fixture of the downtown with design features that catch the eye.

Its gotten a lot of press over the years, said Thompson, library director. We are thrilled to be part of the book. Its great to be included.

The oldest public library in Cumberland County is one of 100 libraries across the U.S. featured in The Library Book published this April by the Aperture Foundation. Aperture is a nonprofit organization that connects the photo community to audiences either in person, in print or online, according to www.aperture.org.

Several years ago, online photos of the Amelia Givin Library drew the attention of Tom Schiff, an insurance agent from Cincinnati, Ohio.

An amateur photographer for over 60 years, Schiff was touring the country in search of libraries old and new, large and small, to showcase in a book.

What I saw looked intriguing, Schiff said Wednesday, recalling the internet research he conducted while on a tour through New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

The Mount Holly library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Two qualities made the building named for a multimillionaire heiress stand out among local Victorian-era buildings.

The brick and brownstone exterior is an example of Richardsonian Romanesque style, named for Henry Hobson Richardson, a pre-eminent U.S. architect of the late 19th century. The library has all the elements of the style in its rusticated or rough stone work, the Romanesque arch, the arched doors and windows, a rounded tower and an ornate, flowery carved fireplace mantle area.

But what drew Schiff to the property were the Moorish Fretwork oak screens that separate the circular library room and two reading rooms from the central foyer. Composed of interlacing spindles, the screens are in a woodworking style that survives in only a few other buildings in the U.S., all private homes.

Schiff could tell by looking online that the people of Mount Holly took pride in their unique library so he called ahead to arrange a visit during a time when the building was closed to the public.

He wanted to include us as a great example of small town architecture, Thompson said. Schiff told the library staff it could take years before the images were published.Schiff set up a motorized panoramic camera on a tripod so that the view finder could rotate and the film could advance as it captured 360-degree images of the interior architecture.

They are stunning, Thompson said of the photos in in the book. They highlight the fiction room and the great woodwork.

All of the libraries are lovely, she said. They are just really beautiful  in a wide variety of styles.

Other buildings profiled in the book include the Library of Congress, the Philadelphia Free Library, the Geisel Library at University of California San Diego, the Boston Athenaeum, the George Peabody Library in Baltimore and the Portsmouth Public Library in Virginia.
Students can now be paddled when they misbehave in a South Texas school district.

The Three Rivers Independent School board of trustees approved the corporal punishment policy Tuesday with a vote of 6-0 with only one trustee not present.

Corporal punishment in schools is legal in the state of Texas and is defined as 'deliberate infliction of physical pain by hitting, paddling, spanking, slapping or any other physical force used as a means of discipline' by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.

Only a campus behavior coordinator or the principal can paddle students, the new policy says.

The Three Rivers Independent School board of trustees (pictured) approved a corporal punishment policy Tuesday that allows principals to paddle misbehaving students

Parents will have to give written and verbal consent if their child is to be paddled or not, the Corpus Christie Caller-Times reported.

They will decide when they register their children for the new school year.

If a parent has approved, a misbehaving child will receive one paddling for his or her violation, which could mean being disobedient to teachers or not following classroom rules.

'If the parent is not comfortable with it, thats the end of the discussion,' Three Rivers ISD Superintendent Mary Springs said.

She added that they will keep track of incidents to see if the new policy makes a difference.

Only a campus behavior coordinator or the principal can paddle students, the new policy says (stock photo)

Parents will have to give written and verbal consent if their child is to be paddled or not. If a parent has approved, a misbehaving child will receive one paddling for his or her violation, which could mean being disobedient to teachers or not following classroom rules (stock photo)

'We will look at how many discipline referrals were made compared to last year and how many times (corporal punishment) was administered.

'If it reduces the number of discipline referrals, then that is a good thing.

The idea for the policy came from the Three Rivers Elementary School campus behavior coordinator Andrew Amaro, who hopes the new policy will have a more immediate effect on misbehaving students.

Before the board approved the policy, the Three Rivers ISD prohibited corporal punishment.

Texas is one of 19 states that allow corporal punishment in schools. All Texas school districts that allow corporal punishment require parents to give consent.
A 10-year-old boy was arrested for the fourth time in six weeks for car theft after cutting off his ankle monitor, police said.

Damarion Moore, 10, was arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida, Wednesday just one day after he was arrested for another car theft.

Daytona Beach police have said Moore has a 'flashy' attitude.

When Moore was caught, he was with a group of boys aged 15 and 16, police said.

Damarion Moore, 10, was arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida, Wednesday only hours after cutting off his ankle monitor, police said. Daytona Beach police have said Moore has a 'flashy' attitude

Captain Jennifer Krosschell said that even though teenagers don't usually hang out with children who are the age of fourth graders, these teens let Moore tag along.

'He even looks like a 10-year-old,' Krosschell told The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

'When we (seized) the car he had stolen, the drivers seat was pushed up to the steering wheel.'

Daytona Beach police Sgt Tim Ehrenkaufer said investigators have noticed a brashness that's not common in children that young.

'He has a look-at-me attitude. Hes flashy,' he said.

Moore was first arrested in June after police say he stole a car and parked it outside a Target in Daytona Beach.

Daytona Police Chief Craig Capri said in a press conference (pictured) that the boy's situation is 'a tragedy' and he said he hopes to work with the Moore's family to get him some help

Officers saw the car on surveillance tape while the 10-year-old was still inside the store.

He was also allegedly involved in at least two other car thefts, including one on Tuesday after which he had an ankle monitor placed on him.

Less than six hours later, he had cut the monitor off and joined a group of young car thieves before being arrested a fourth time Wednesday, police said.

He is also one of at least six young car thieves who has stolen a vehicle from a car dealership lot, according to police.

'I think this is becoming a trend,' Krosschell said.

'We saw other (juveniles) on the video that we havent been able to identify and they appear just as young.'

Daytona Police Chief Craig Capri said in a press conference that the boy's situation is 'a tragedy' and he said he hopes to work with the Moore's family to get him some help.
The crash between the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine cargo ship off the coast of Japan was likely caused by the Navy crew members' failure to respond in time.

The crew on Fitzgerald 'did nothing until the last second', according to one official familiar with the investigation into the June 17 crash off the coast of Honshu, Japan, that claimed the lives of seven American sailors, CNN reported.

Preliminary findings in the inquiry indicate crew members on the Fitzgerald failed to acknowledge the ACX Crystal was approaching and did not the necessary action to avoid a collision, according to two Defense Department officials who spoke to CNN.

The crew on Fitzgerald 'did nothing until the last second', according to one official. Pictured, the damage sustained on the US warship after it collided with a cargo ship on June 17

Preliminary findings in the inquiry indicate crew members on the Fitzgerald failed to acknowledge the ACX Crystal was approaching and did not the necessary action

'They did nothing until the last second. A slew of things went wrong,' one official said. Another said it 'will wind up being our (the US Navy's) fault'

The crash left a huge hole in the hull of the Fitzgerald's starboard side and water poured into the area where sailors slept

The US Navy faces embarrassing questions over how one of their advanced $1.5bn warships was struck in near perfect visibility

According to Navy spokesman Commander Ron Flanders, the accident occurred at 2.20am, although the Japanese assert the crash took place at 1.30am

The US Navy faces embarrassing questions over how one of their advanced $1.5bn warships was struck in near perfect visibility.

'They did nothing until the last second. A slew of things went wrong,' one official said.

The second official said the crash 'will wind up being our (the US Navy's) fault.'

The Fitzgerald's captain, Bryce Benson, was asleep at the time of the collision and it remains unclear whether the crew called the commanding officer to the bridge.

Investigators are looking into the possibility the Fitzgerald was traveling at a higher speed than usual.

Seven US Navy sailors were killed in the collision, authorities have confirmed. They are (top row, left to right) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, CA; Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, VA; Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, CT; and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, CA. Bottom row (left to right Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., from Elyria, OH; Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, MD; and Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, TX

According to Navy spokesman Commander Ron Flanders, the accident occurred at 2.20am, although the Japanese assert the crash took place at 1.30am.

Coast guard official Tetsuya Tanaka said last month that authorities were trying resolve what happened during the disputed 50 or so minutes.

The cargo ship's bow, which protrudes underneath the water, punctured the steel armor of Fitgerald.

The crash left a huge hole in the hull of the Fitzgerald's starboard side and water poured into the area where sailors slept.

The cargo ship's bow, which protrudes underneath the water, punctured the steel armor of Fitgerald

Pictured, the damaged part of the Filipino container vessel ACX Crystal after the crash

CNN reported five of the seven soldiers killed in the accident were almost instantly 'incapacitated', and died quickly as a result.

The other two likely lived much longer and attempted to escape the flooding, but an official told the network 'the ship somehow lost communication' with the duo.

Emergency hatches were closed on the compromised berthing compartments to stop the ship from sinking.

'Heroic efforts prevented the flooding from catastrophically spreading which could have caused the ship to founder or sink,' said Vice Admiral Aucoin at a press conference the day after the collision.

The seven who died are: Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19; Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23; Xavier Alex Martin, 24; Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25; Rehm Jr, 37; Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25; and Noe Hernandez, 26.

Captain Benson was airlifted to hospital after the accident, and was reportedly in stable condition on Saturday. In total three sailors were injured; all have since been released from a Navy hospital.
Delta has hit out at Jennifer Aniston for appearing in an Emirates ad as it accuses Middle Eastern airlines of 'trying to take over international commercial aviation.'

The Hollywood actress has appeared in a number of adverts for Dubai-based airline Emirates in recent years.

The most contentious, released in October 2015, took aim at the luxury airline's competitors and showed Aniston finding herself in the 'nightmare' scenario of being aboard a non-Emirates flight without luxuries like a shower or bar and lounge.

In a new, staff education video released by Delta, an in-flight service crew member identified as Meleia J called that commercial 'hurtful.'

Delta has hit out at Jennifer Aniston for appearing in an Emirates ad (pictured)

The ad shows staff aboard the imaginary American carrier laughing and mocking Aniston who is confused why the airline does not have all the luxuries of Emirates

Suddenly she wakes from the 'nightmare' in her first class bed pod on her dream Emirates A380 flight (pictured)

'I've always liked Jennifer Aniston,' she said. 'But when I saw that ad, [it was] very hurtful to see that.'

Another, unidentified crew member added: 'For her to be sending that message inside the United States, it hits me right here as a Delta employee.'

Emirates came under fire shortly after the commercial was released in 2015, after they were accused of creating the 'snobbiest ad ever'.

The ad shows staff aboard the imaginary American carrier laughing and mocking Aniston who is confused why the airline does not have all the luxuries of Emirates.

In the new video released by Delta, an in-flight service crew member identified as Meleia J called that commercial 'hurtful'

Another Delta crew member criticized the actress, saying: 'For her to be sending that message inside the United States, it hits me right here as a Delta employee'

When she asks why there is no on board shower or bar and lounge, the crew tell Aniston: 'This isn't an Emirates plane.'

Suddenly she wakes from the 'nightmare' in her first class bed pod on her dream Emirates A380 flight.

Aniston, who was reportedly paid $5 million for the ad, did not comment on the controversy at the time of its release in 2015 but has come under fire again for her appearance in the ad that supports the Middle Eastern airline.

Delta is on the offensive against Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airlines, over claims the Middle Eastern airlines are being unfairly propped up by their oil-rich governments.

'There's a battle being fought for our skies and most people don't even realize it,' said the narrator of a Delta Airlines video, released in late June.

Delta is on the offensive against Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airlines, over claims the Middle Eastern airlines are being unfairly propped up by their oil-rich governments. Others say Delta are bitter they cannot compete with the luxury of Emirates (Aniston in the aircraft)

'The Gulf Carriers have destroyed competition in countries worldwide, and now they are targeting the United States with lavish sponsorships and slick advertising,' narrates the video.

They go on to say the airlines are using the 'immense wealth of their countries' by 'illegally pouring billions of government dollars into luxurious new aircraft, selling cheap seats and unfairly crushing competition.'

The video was created to educate Delta employees about their rivals' practices and features employees, executives, and experts in trade, economics and aviation.

The airline has been widely mocked after the video was shared online with many viewers accusing Delta of simply being bitter they can't compete with the luxury of its rivals.
During his six months and one day on the job, Sean Spicer made dozens of headlines for his slip-ups as press secretary.

But his time for nationally scrutinized gaffes is coming to an end. On Friday, it was announced Spicer is resigning and will leave his post through August.

THE FIRST CONFERENCE

His iconic first press conference consisted of blasting the press, saying the media was lying about the size of President Trump's crowds.

Spicer defiantly and inaccurately stated: 'This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration - PERIOD- both in person and around the globe.'

The bizarre press conference baffled reporters and viewers nationwide, and people kept tuning in to see what Spicer would say next.

THE NO BAN, BAN

In a hilariously contradicting exchange with reporters, Spicer tried to clarify how the ban is not a ban but that Trump is calling it a ban because the media is calling it a ban.

This was one of the first times when Trump's tweets the following morning would directly refute what his press secretary said.

MELISSA MCCARTHY MOCKS HIM ON SNL

This conference gained so much attention Melissa McCarthy hilariously portrayed Spicer in a sketch. This reportedly angered President Trump to have his strongman portrayed by a woman, according to Politico.

People started wondering if Spicer would soon be ousted as press secretary since he was getting more attention for his bumbling antics and mispronunciations than what he was actually saying.

MISPRONOUNCING FOREIGN LEADERS' NAMES

For example, he famously stumbled over Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's name.

He also struggled from time to time to pronounce Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's name.

HE TWEETS HIS OWN PASSWORD

A few days later, he appeared to accidentally tweet then delete his password on Twitter, which is rookie mistake number one for any one with multiple social media accounts.

Of course, it could also be a pocket tweet.

The press secretary tweeted out a nonsensical series of numbers and letters, appearing to be a pocket tweet or password

IS THAT A DISTRESS SIGNAL?

On March 10, people started wondering if his upside down pin was a sign of distress. This symbol is famously used in House Of Cards logo, a show centered around an American political dystopia.

A reporter pointed it out and Spicer quickly rotated the pin.

Blink twice if you need help: Sean Spicer rotated the pin so it didn't appear like a distress signal

SPINACH SPICER

For a March 27 press briefing, Spicer appeared to have a piece of spinach, kale or perhaps cilantro stuck between his teeth. Suspiciously, he started having more off-air briefings in the following months.

After the spinach incident, Spicer started having fewer on-air conferences and Huckabee Sanders started taking over more

SAYING HITLER DIDN'T USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS

On April 12 Sean Spicer appeared to forget about one of the most notorious aspects of the Holocaust. During an on-air press briefing, he attempted to defend Trump's missile attack on a Syrian weapon airbase.

While trying to convey the extent of the atrocities committed by President Bashar al-Assad, Spicer said: 'We didn't use chemical weapons in World War II.'

'You had someone as despicable as Hitler didn't even sink to using chemical weapons. If you're Russia, you have to ask yourself if this is a country and regime that you want to align yourself with.'

He also called the concentration camps 'Holocaust centers.'

This was especially poor timing because it was during Passover. Plus, the White House's official statement for Holocaust Remembrance Day months before didn't specifically mention Jewish people as victims.

That day, the Anne Frank Center called for Spicer's firing because he appeared to downplay the Holocaust. He issued an apology, that was revised several times, later that day.

SARAH SANDERS STARTS TAKING OVER

Amid criticism, Sarah Huckabee Sanders started taking over for Spicer more regularly beginning in May. Also, more conferences started being held off-camera with the audio embargoed until afterwards.

In May, the White House attempted to squash rumors that Spicer was close to being fired.

EASTER BUNNY SEAN SPICER

Spicer repeatedly treated reporters like kids, telling them to not shake their head when he wouldn't let them speak and telling them to wait their turn.

But he proved to be good with children when photos resurfaced of him showing he wore the Easter bunny costume during the 2008 annual White House Egg Roll.
Republican Governor Chris Christie signed a law Friday that made New Jersey the third state to raise its smoking age to 21.

Hawaii and California are the only other states where the smoking age is 21.

On Friday, Christie cited the strain on the health care system caused by tobacco-related illnesses.

He also noted that his mother died from the effects of smoking.

Republican Governor Chris Christie signed a law Friday that made New Jersey the third state to raise its smoking age to 21

'By raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21, we are giving young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be and that it is better to not start smoking in the first place,' Christie wrote.

The restriction applies to tobacco products and electronic smoking devices. Christie vetoed a similar measure last year.

Democratic Sens. Richard Codey and Joseph Vitale, the bill's co-sponsors, said reports show smoking causes about $4 billion in health care costs to the state each year.

California and Hawaii are the other states with a smoking age of 21. This sign from California announces the new law

That amount doesn't include costs related to secondhand smoke or smokeless tobacco use, they said.

'Data surveys show that if individuals aren't smokers by 21 years of age, they will most likely not start later in their lives,' Vitale said.

'Making it harder to buy cigarettes by raising the age to legally purchase them in New Jersey will help prevent our youth from becoming lifelong smokers and suffering the long-term effects of the habit.'
A man from Canada chose prison over paying his ex wife a court ordered $10million in his bitter divorce battle. He could end up back behind bars if he doesn't pay up by his next court date.

Brian and Barbara Blatherwick were married in 1971 until she filed for divorce in 2010 after learning about an affair he was having. Brian, 66, owns a large costume company called Seasons which was, in part according to Barbara, 64, built by her.

When they started working through the divorce, Brian made a promise to Barbara; that she will get nothing from his business and he would file for bankruptcy rather than give her the share of the company she's entitled to, according to the National Post.

Barbara said after years of Brian manipulating money in offshore accounts and a web of lies told by Brian and his attorneys during the divorce, she was awarded a $10million settlement. Brian would not pay and was ordered to prison in 2016.

Brian and Barbara Blatherwick were married in 1971, after decades of marriage and starting a company, they divorced. Barbara says Brian has chosen to go to prison over paying her her divorce settlement of $10million

Brian and Barbara had a lavish life together and enjoyed frequent trips together before their divorce. Pictured in Egypt in 2008 together

They are back in court August 4, if Brian doesn't pay up by then, he could go back to jail.

Last year the judge on their case, Justice Leonard Ricchetti, said in the court in Brampton, Ontario 'This is the only remedy that's left,' before sentencing him to six months behind bars.

Barbara thought he would pay up right before being handcuffed, she was shocked that he instead went to jail.

'He's going to wait until the last minute, he's going to stand, he's going to hear the jingling of the handcuffs and he's going to pull a check out of his pocket. Nobody saw Brian going to jail. I was absolutely floored,' Barbara said.

Brian and Barbara started their company Seasons out of their home in 1997. 'I would make the hand samples for the costumes and Brian would take these hand samples when he was meeting with clients,' Barbara said.

It was a family business. Brian, Barbara and their children would model the costumes for catalogs as the new business was not yet making enough money to afford professional models, according to the National Post.

Brian modeling fake teeth as part of his costume company Seasons

Brian could well go back to jail if he doesn't pay up on the court ordered settlement by his next court date August 4

'Brian did the photography and I did the makeup on the kiddies and got them dressed,' says Barbara.

According to the National Post, Brian bragged while in a meeting with Walmart executives, who picked up his costume line that his company was a $50million global company.

'I have a 200-page court document that says I have an entitlement to a settlement, but until Brian is willing to write a check, I have nothing. I haven't won anything. I've lost more. I've lost everything.'

Brian has not paid out on Barbara's settlement, insisting he can't.

'There's no way that in a divorce case I should end up in jail,' Brian said.

His six month prison stint is over, but Brian may be back behind bars soon. His case is being heard again on August 4.

Brian says his business partners are in control of his money. 'They are worried,' Brian said of the partners. 'They are worried that Barb's going to go overseas, go overseas for the money. So they're huddling up.'
A former teacher who is currently jailed for having sex with a 16-year-old student is suing the teen for defaming her.

Culinary arts teacher Tara Yvonne Stumph, 37, was sentenced to 180 days in jail in San Luis Obispo County, California after pleading no contest to one count of sex with a minor in April.

Now the teacher has filed a civil suit against the boy she slept with, accusing him of defaming her 'to various classmates, family and other members of the community,' the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.

Teacher Tara Stumph, pictured with her firefighter husband, is suing the 16-year-old student she admitted having sex with for defamation

Stumph's teaching license has been revoked but she will not have to register as a sex offender after her release, which is set for next week

Stumph is set to be released next week after serving roughly half of her sentence, according to jail records.

Her teaching license has been revoked but she will not have to register as a sex offender after her release.

The victim's family had previously named Stumph and the Lucia Mar Unified School District in their own suit, claiming she had victimized at least one other student.

It is unknown whether that claim is the basis of Stumph's countersuit for defamation.

Stumph is a married mother of three, whose husband works as a firefighter in California

She taught at Arroyo Grande High School where she was previously awarded regional occupation Teacher of the Year

The victim's suit claimed Stumph 'molested him during and after class and sent nude pictures and sexually explicit videos of herself to him'.

Stumph is a married mother-of-three, whose husband works as a firefighter, according to social media posts.

She taught at Arroyo Grande High School where she was previously awarded regional occupation Teacher of the Year.
A 'demonic' baby goat born with human-like facial features in Argentina has shocked locals and caused quite stir after photos of the animal went viral.

The goat was born with disturbing protruding eyes and a flat face in San Luis province in central Argentina this week.

The animal only survived three hours before it died.

Its owner Gladys Oveido said she was shocked and confused seeing the kid for the first time given its 'strange face' with 'human-like' features.

The baby goat was born in San Luis province in central Argentina this week with 'demonic' facial features, including protruding eyes and a flat face

The kid - one of three born to Oveido's goat - was found in the family's field soon after birth.

'As soon as I saw it, I realized the deformation. She had her eyes raised but the rest of her body was normal,' Oveido told local news outlet El Chorrillero.

She said the kid only survived a few hours after its birth.

'When we brought her from the field, she was angry,' she said.

Oveido said she tried to feed the kid milk from a spoon but three hours later its health deteriorated.

Its owner Gladys Oveido said she was shocked and confused seeing the kid for the first time given its 'strange face' with 'human-like' features

The baby goat was born with protruding eyes and human-like features on its face. The rest of the animal's body appeared normal

'I noticed that she began to fail her breathing and after a while she died,' Oveido said.

Her daughter-in-law snapped several photos of the goat and its deformities and posted them on social media.

The shocking photos quickly went viral.

There are some reports that the photos reached local police who dispatched an officer to go and document the deformed goat.

Oveido said she has no idea why the goat may have been born with such features and it is the first time it has happened within their area.
Britain's fish and chip shops are fighting for survival by cutting their portion sizes to lure in health-conscious takeaway customers.

More chippies than ever before are offering smaller sized meals as they try harder to compete with Chinese and Indian dishes.

And salad is now firmly on many menus as an alternative to chips to slash calorie levels, according to the National Federation of Fish Fryers.

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According to the Office for National Statistics, the average price of fish and chips rose from 2.42 to 4.74 between 1996 and 2011

Spokesman Andrew Crook said chippies were feeling the pinch thanks to fears over obesity and the rising cost of fish.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the average price of fish and chips rose from 2.42 to 4.74 between 1996 and 2011. In many places it now costs more than 6.

Mr Crook said: 'We are now encouraging our members to offer a smaller portion option to their customers.

'Fish and chips is one of the healthiest takeaway meals per 100g but the quantity of food we are expected to serve skews the nutritional results and in reality many customers will share a portion of chips.

'By offering a portion designed to be an individual meal, fish and chip shops can offer customers the option.'

There are 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK. Britons eat 382 million portions of the takeaway every year, spending 1.2bn, and eight in ten of us eat in a fish and chip shop at least once a year.

But numbers have dipped - fish and chip shops now account for just 5.6 per cent of the takeaway market compared with 6.4 per cent in 2009.

Craig Maw, who runs Kingfisher Fish & Chips in Plymouth, Devon, and was recently named the Marine Stewardship Council's UK chef of the year, said owners had to offer smaller meals and lighter bites if they wanted to survive.

Fish and chip shops now account for just 5.6 per cent of the takeaway market compared with 6.4 per cent in 2009

He said they also had a responsibility to offer fish from sustainable stocks.

He said: 'It's getting harder and harder to run a fish and chip shop now. There are many costs that have been added onto small businesses and also people are choosing not to eat fish and chips or eat it elsewhere.

'Our industry has to keep evolving and investing in our shops to keep it current.

'One of the big stigmas attached to a fish and chip shop is that you pile it high and sell it as a massive meal and people don't want that so much anymore.

'People are grazing and eat lighter bites. We have changed by introducing lighter meals so people sitting in offices can have fish and chips without feeling so bloated.

'Many shops are now offering different sizes. You are cutting the calories and cutting the cost.

'The lighter bites and grazing options are becoming more useful in our industry. Change takes time but we are taking it onboard to offer multiple sizes and portions.'

UK vessels catch around 400,000 tonnes of fish every year, but the number of fishermen is down to 12,000 from around 20,000 in the mid 1990s.
An Arkansas mother, whose special-needs son died after being left in a day care van for almost nine hours in 90-degree heat, is suing the facility for $135 million.

In the civil lawsuit filed Thursday, Ashley Smith said Ascent Children's Health Services failed to provide adequate care for her five-year-old son, Christopher Gardner Jr.

Investigators determined four employees were responsible for the boy's death.

Van driver Felicia Ann Phillips, 42; safety inspector Kendra Washington, 40; transportation supervisor Wanda Taylor, 43; and Pamela Lavette Robinson, 43, face felony manslaughter charges.

Ashley Smith, the mother of five-year-old Christopher Gardner Jr (left and right), who died after being left in a day care van for nearly nine hours in 90-degree heat, is suing the Arkansas facility for $135 million

Authorities said the temperature inside the van reached 141 degrees when they found Christopher

The suit says the day care was 'indifferent in the recruitment, hiring, training, supervision, discipline of employees,' and showed a 'callous disregard'.

The $135 million suit seeks for Ascent to pay for medical and funeral expenses, attorneys' fees and punitive damages.

'Trying to take it one day at a time. It's hard for me,' Smith said. 'Every day I get up looking for him.'

Smith said she wants the day care closed.

West Memphis police said Ascent's 15-passenger van picked up Christopher at 6.40am on June 12.

He was later found dead by investigators sitting upright in the back seat of the van at 3.30pm.

Police said the boy freed himself from his car seat and had taken off his shirt and one shoe.

They said the temperature inside the van reached 141 degrees.

Investigators determined four employees were responsible for the boy's death, including van driver Felicia Ann Phillips (left), 42, and safety inspector 40-year-old Kendra Washington (right)

Transportation supervisor Wanda Taylor (left), 43; and Pamela Lavette Robinson (right), 43, also face felony manslaughter charges

The suit says the day care was 'indifferent in the recruitment, hiring, training, supervision, discipline of employees,' and showed a 'callous disregard'. The $135M suit seeks for Ascent (pictured) to pay for medical and funeral expenses, attorneys' fees and punitive damages

'That poor boy suffered,' Capt Joe Baker of the West Memphis Police Department.

Attorney Randy Fishman, of Ballin, Ballin & Fishman, PC, is representing Christopher's family. He told WREG that the family's lawsuit is personal.

'I mean this is a 5-year-old child who didn't get to the first grade, by gosh,' Fishman said.

Gardner's family members said in June that Christopher had undergone two heart surgeries and was at the day care for developmental disabilities, according to WMC News 5.

The database from the Arkansas Department of Human Services showed that Ascent Children's Health Services facility has received citations for minor issues, but none of them for transportation related issues.
A British pilot and his accomplice were today sent to prison in France for trying to fly illegal migrants to the UK at a cost of 10,000 each.

In the first prosecution of its kind, David Green, 54, and Edward Buckley, 46, were accused of being members of an extensive network of English people smugglers.

Both were caught on Monday as they tried to take off from an airfield in Marck, near Calais, in a Cessna plane with four Albanians on board.

They were fast tracked for a criminal trial at Boulogne-sur-Mer Correctional Court, and each sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Green  a professional architect  and Buckley, a carpenter, were found guilty of assisting the movement of illegal immigrants in an organised gang.

The Albanian migrants included a mother and child, who were taken to hospital for medical checks, but then disappeared. Police are still looking for them

They were also banned from France for a minimum of five years, and the plane they used was confiscated.

Green is a veteran amateur pilot who turned his hobby into a lucrative sideline, demanding ten thousands pounds per passenger, according to prosecution papers.

The pair had organised at least five return flights since April, and there were other records of them using Le Touquet airport for similar trips.

Prosecutor Raphaelle Wach had requested three-and-a-half years in prison for each defendant, and fines of 45,000 each.

They were attracted by huge profits, said Ms Wach. It is unacceptable to demand such high sums so as to make money out of other peoples misery.

In turn, Emmanuelle Osmont, for Buckley, said the men were not exploiting misery because their clients were middle class Albanians who had money.

The Albanian migrants included a mother and child, who were taken to hospital for medical checks, but then disappeared. Police are still looking for them.

Four Albanian migrants including two women and a child, were arrested as the plane prepared to take off near the northern port of Calais. Prosecutors said they had no record of a previous attempt to reach Britain in a private aircraft. Pictured above, a file photo of Migrants attempting to board trucks lining up to enter the Channel Tunnel in Calais

A man and a woman were also arrested at Marck, which is also known as Calais-Dunkirk airport, and they are in administrative detention in Coquelles, at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel.

None of the migrants have been named by the French authorities, with the investigation into their journeys ongoing.

Thousands of illegal migrants have been drawn to northern France over the past decades, where they normally smuggle themselves aboard lorries and trains in an attempt to get to Britain, where they will claim asylum, or disappear into the black economy.

There have been rumours of planes offering a smuggling service in the past, but this is the first confirmed case.

The so-called Jungle refugee camp in Calais was razed last October, with some 8000 migrants being dispersed to other parts of France.

But since then the French authorities have reported a growing build-up of foreign nationals who want to get to the UK to claim asylum.

This includes numerous Albanians, who tend to favour the more expensive service offered by highly organised gangs of people smugglers.
A shed covered in pictures of female realtors from one Texas town is 'creeping' out residents in the city of Abeline.

The shed belongs to unidentified resident of the community and displays the headshots of numerous female realtors and one attorney.

The man's fence is also covered in pictures of women.

A man in Abeline, Texas covered his shed in picture of local realtors, with local residents calling the display 'creepy'

A number of women who have their profiles plastered on the man's property said they feel uncomfortable with the display, describing it as 'weird' and 'creepy,' bigcountryhomepage.com reported.

When reached for comment by local media, the man said he did not understand why the collage would make anyone feel uncomfortable, but agreed to take down the pictures by the end of the week.

Police in Abeline said that they are aware of the situation, but can offer little recourse in the matter because officers determined no criminal act was being committed.

'APD and ACU PD are aware of this issue [and] we readily concede that the issue is very concerning, but we do not believe it is criminal,' Police Chief Stan Stanridge said in a statement.

The man has committed no crime, but he said he would remove the collage by the end of the week

When local media asked the man why he had made the display, he offered no comment.

KTAB/KRBC said that the man's identity has not been released because he has not committed a crime.

The odd display was first spotted by realtor Tommy Simons, who said that he's known many women pictured on the shed for years.

'I've known all those ladies a long time', Simons told The Houston Chronicle.

'According to the police department, hes not breaking any law. I dont like it but what can I do?' added Simons.
He was the comedy genius behind some of Britains best-loved sitcoms.

And away from the screen, late Dads Army creator Jimmy Perrys personal life was just as colourful as some of his shows.

Probate records for the screenwriter, who died aged 93 in October, reveal he left 1.3million to his wife of 63 years  and 50,000 to his long-term mistress.

Dad's Army creator Jimmy Perry was in a relationship with costume designer Mary Husband (pictured together), and left her 50,000 when he died

Although Perry had been married to wife Gilda since 1953, he was also in a relationship with costume designer Mary Husband.

The couple met while working together at the BBC, with Miss Husband working on several of Perrys shows, including it Aint Half Hot Mum and Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang MLord?

A friend of Perry said wife Gilda knew about his relationship with Miss Husband

For the last 17 years of his life, Perry split his time between the 400,000 marital home he shared with his wife in Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, and Miss Husbands 1.1million flat in Hammersmith, West London.

He was living with Miss Husband at the time of his death, which came following a long battle with dementia.

A friend of Perry said: Gilda knew all about Jimmys mistress. It was accepted that Jimmy had his women.

She was incredibly loyal to him and wouldnt dream of getting a divorce.

After Jimmy and Gilda sold their flat in London in 1999 and moved to the countryside, Jimmy would spend half his week in London with Mary Husband, where he was close to the BBC, and the other half at home with Gilda.

As he got older, he spent more time in London because he needed to be close to his private doctors. Towards the end, he was too frail to travel back to see Gilda.

Mrs Perry, 83, was the sole beneficiary of her husbands estate, which was worth a total of 1,856,046, except for 545,000 of legacies left to nine relatives and friends. Among these legacies was the 50,000 for 83-year-old Miss Husband, and a 250,000 flat in Elstree, Hertfordshire, left to his former BBC colleague Jane Greenhill.

Over a 25-year collaboration with fellow comedy writer David Croft, Perry devised enduring shows such as Dads Army, It Aint Half Hot Mum, and Hi-de-Hi!

Over a 25-year collaboration with fellow comedy writer David Croft, Perry devised enduring shows including Dads Army

Loved for their quirky characters, memorable catchphrases and clean humour, his shows formed a key part of Saturday evening television for millions of families from the late 1960s to mid-80s. Dads Army, for which Perry also penned the words of the memorable theme song, regularly attracted audiences of over 18million over its nine-year run.

Actress Mrs Perry, the sister of late Hi-de-Hi! actress Diane Holland, herself made cameo appearances in several episodes of Dads Army.

Trained dancer Miss Holland, meanwhile, was best-known for her role as former ballroom champion Yvonne Stuart-Hargreaves.

Perry and his wife also ran their own company at the Palace Theatre, Watford, for nine years between 1956 and 1965. They had one child, James, who sadly died aged just 19 in a motorcycle crash in 1977.

As well as working on some of Perrys shows, Miss Husband also worked as a costume designer for BBC hits including Doctor Who, The Harry Secombe Show and The Two Ronnies.

Among his various legacies, Perry left 50,000 to his niece Jane Mitchell, 30,000 for his late sons childhood nanny Margaret Hill, and another 30,000 for his former colleague Hilary Roberts.

His friend Gordon Low and niece Sally Harrison received 50,000 each, while niece Susan Hurst received 20,000 and his driver Michael Coad was left 15,000. Last night, Mrs Perry and Miss Husband were unavailable for comment.
'Human rights' claim: Saliman Barci

A one-legged Albanian double murderer has finally been extradited to his homeland after a taxpayer-funded two-year battle to avoid extradition.

Saliman Barci, 42, who used a false identity to claim benefits in the UK for 14 years, alleged it would be a breach of his human rights to be sent home.

But the Home Office has now confirmed that the killer was put on a plane back to Albania last week, 14 months after a Daily Mail investigation exposed his case, including claims by his estranged wife that he had confessed to her about the murders.

Barci carried out a robbery for 34,000 with two other men in 1997, but then decided he wanted to keep all the money for himself so shot his accomplices.

He arrived in Britain with his wife in 2002, falsely claiming to be a Kosovan refugee.

In 2009 he was convicted in his absence of murdering the two men in the city of Burrel in northern Albania in July 1997 and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was detained in London in 2015. He will now face a 25-year sentence for the murders. The married father-of-three had claimed he would be killed as part of a blood feud if he was returned to Albania.

It was also said by his legal team that Barci, who gained British citizenship due to his false refugee claims, would be vulnerable because of a lack of health facilities in prisons at home.

He was escorted back to the Albanian capital Tirana by a team of Interpol officers weeks after one of the countrys most senior judges thwarted his final bid to stay in the UK. At a brief hearing at Londons High Court last month Lady Justice Sharp said: Extradition must be carried out.

At massive expense to the taxpayer, Barci had relentlessly pursued his battle to avoid being sent back to Albania. Officials confirmed last May he had been granted legal aid to fight extradition.

The estimated cost of trying to extradite Barci is thought to be have been around 100,000. The figure covers his legal bills, court expenses and the cost of keeping him in custody for more than two years.

After a Daily Mail investigation exposed the case, a district judge ruled he should be extradited. But at the Court of Appeal, Barci, of West London, challenged the decision and lost

During the legal battle, the courts heard Barci had deliberately misled immigration authorities with a false alias and passport. Posing as a Kosovan asylum seeker, he is said to have slipped into the UK in 2002 while on the run and lived on benefits for over a decade before his true identity became known.

By then, he had been awarded British citizenship. In July last year a district judge ruled he should be extradited. Barci, of Northolt, West London, challenged that decision at a High Court hearing in February.

After a Daily Mail investigation exposed the case, a district judge ruled he should be extradited. But at the Court of Appeal, Barci, of West London, challenged the decision

The convicted murderer was not in court as his barrister, Ben Cooper, argued his proposed extradition to Albania would be in breach of three articles of the European Convention on Human Rights  the right to life, the ban on torture and a fair trial.

But in her judgment Lady Justice Sharp who heard the case with Mr Justice Sweeney, said: The evidence falls very far short of establishing a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment to Barci.

A Home Office spokesman said: We can confirm that Saliman Barci was extradited on July 13, and his British passport has been revoked.

In February, another notorious Albanian double killer was booted out of the UK eight months after he was exposed by a Mail investigation.

Bogus Kosovan refugee Avni Metra, 54, fled to Britain in 1998  a year after brutally murdering two brothers in his home country  and had argued that his human rights would be breached if he was extradited.

But his legal claim was rejected by the Appeal Court and officials moved swiftly to kick him out of the country.
A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old cadet, prosecutors say.

Robert Cain, 31, was charged Thursday with two counts each of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16, lewd acts upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office says Cain is expected to be arraigned Friday.

Cain was arrested in June amid a widening probe into wrongdoing in the department's cadet program for minors who are aspiring officers.

Prosecutors say Cain befriended the teenage cadet and had sex with her on three occasions at three locations.

Cain's attorney, Bill Seki, declined to comment Friday on the allegations, but he did say his client is taking the fall for larger problems in the cadet program.

'They wanted a scapegoat, and Robert has become that scapegoat,' Seki told The Los Angeles Times.

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Robert Cain, 31, (pictured) was charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old cadet, prosecutors say. They say Cain befriended the teenage cadet and had sex with her on three occasions at three locations

LAPD officials stand near a board showing a picture of Officer Robert Cain in June. Cain was arrested on June 22 for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old cadet

The cadet involved is herself under investigation after being suspected of joyriding in stolen patrol cars.

If he is convicted, Cain faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Cain is currently being held in a San Bernardino County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

In a separate case, Cain has pleaded not guilty to 10 felonies after police said they found illegally modified assault rifles and other restricted firearms while searching his San Bernardino County home during the sex investigation.

Seki also defended Cain saying the officer is a military history enthusiast and had been trying to modify them to comply with state law.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck walks past a display board showing an image of Officer Robert Cain after a news conference in June

Cain was arrested and handcuffed personally by Police Chief Charlie Beck on June 22 at the 77th Street Division.

'I think it's important to send a message,' the chief said at a news conference in June, branding Cain's actions 'despicable'.

Cain was booked on suspicion of having unlawful sex with a minor.

Cain, a 10-year veteran, was the 77th Street Division's equipment room operator and was involved in checking out police cars and other items, Beck said in June.

'It's believed that he had knowledge of and has been involved in the unlawful use of police equipment, including cars,' Beck said.

Cain had no 'significant history' of disciplinary actions or use-of-force complaints, the chief said.

The teen had been a cadet for three months before Cain's arrest. Text messages on her cellphone led investigators to Cain, Beck said.

So far, it doesn't appear that anybody else in the cadet program or other police officers knew of the alleged relationship, which is said to have taken place outside of the station, but the investigation continued, Beck said.

The cadet program is open to 14- to 21-year-olds and provides free training in police work, LAPD values and physical fitness.

About 2,300 youths are enrolled. Cadets can perform limited duties such as traffic and crowd control at public events but they are not sworn police officers and have no official authority.

The program has been under scrutiny since cadets led officers on wild pursuits around the city in stolen police cars that ended with two crashing.

Investigators said they used a vacationing sergeant's name to sign out the cars along with stun guns and radios.

Pictured: Los Angeles police officer Liliana Preciado sets up a display board showing an images of officer Robert Cain in June

Four other cadets - including the girl - were later arrested for allegedly riding along.

Beck has said some cadets made homemade police uniforms, impersonated police officers and made traffic stops but none of the drivers they pulled over were cited, handcuffed or had force used on them.

The stolen vehicles were taken from the 77th Street Division and the Central Division.

Beck suspended the cadet programs at both divisions.

No other sworn officers or other cadets have been implicated in the cadet program scandal but an investigation continues and top detectives have been assigned, including some who worked on the infamous 'Grim Sleeper' serial murder case, Beck said.

'Obviously this is not the Police Department that I want to lead,' the chief said.
Young women staggering drunkenly through city centres have become a commonplace image across Britain. Yet when Judge Lindsey Kushner QC used the final rape trial of her career to warn that women who got drunk put themselves in danger of being targeted by rapists, she triggered a storm of protest.

Judge Kushner spoke out in March as she jailed factory worker Ricardo Rodrigues-Fortes-Gomes, 19, at Manchester Crown Court for six years for the rape of an 18-year-old girl in July 2016.

Many, including the organisation Rape Crisis and police commissioner Vera Baird, took Judge Kushner to task, accusing her of victim blaming.

Yet many others applauded the judge for what they believed to be her robust good sense.

Judge Lindsey Kushner QC, pictured left, and Megan Clark, pictured right, have become friends over a 2016 rape case, where Judge Kushner jailed factory worker Ricardo Rodrigues-Fortes-Gomes for six years

And, astonishingly, among those defending the judges position was a still, small voice of support  that of Megan Clark, the rape victim herself, who waived her right to anonymity to praise Judge Kushners good advice. Since then, the two women have become unlikely friends, we can reveal.

Here, they each speak frankly about young women, drinking, the issue of consent and how they became unexpected allies.

THE VICTIM

Megan Clark, 19, lives near Oldham with her mother, Jackie, a dental receptionist, her brother Jack, 21, and sister Caitlin, 15. She says:

'You might consider this a startling admission from someone in my situation, but I completely agree with Judge Kushner: I made myself vulnerable to rape by getting helplessly drunk.

Megan Clark, 19, pictured, has been thankful for Judge Kushner's warm support, following the ordeal she suffered last July

'Of course, Im not to blame for the attack  the only person responsible was the rapist himself  but theres no doubt I potentially made myself a target.

'As a woman I agree I should be able to wear what I want on a night out, wander alone if I choose and get as drunk as I wish. After all, men can.

'But Ive learned a bitter lesson that different rules apply to women. For our own safety we simply have to be more careful.

'Getting very drunk can have life-changing consequences, as I now know to my cost.

'Its common sense. Alcohol quells your sense of caution and suppresses your instinct for danger.

'Men who are intent on sexual assault look for easy prey. Unwittingly, thats what I was.

'Im not someone who is inherently a risk-taker. I only had one serious boyfriend before I was attacked, and I am a diligent student from a loving, close-knit family. If it hadnt been for the attack I would have just finished my first year at university.

'The rape happened early one morning in July last year after a night of celebration to mark the end of A-levels.

'I remember getting ready for what should have been a carefree evening with two girlfriends from sixth form college.

'I was wearing one of my favourite outfits  an off-the-shoulder, black T-shirt and denim shorts over fishnet tights, teamed with brown leather Doc Martens boots. Its the kind of outfit lots of girls my age wear. I was looking forward to having fun in the bars and clubs in the area known as Manchesters gay village  a magnet for young people as everything stays open so late. We had no particular plan.

'As the evening merged into night I drank an awful lot, which dulled my sense of reason. I cant remember how many beers and vodkas I downed, but it was far too many  the court was told I had drunk significant quantities of alcohol.

'By 3am we were dancing in a club and my two friends wanted to go home. They urged me to leave with them, but I didnt want the night to end.

'This wasnt the first time Id stayed out all night. Id begun going out drinking with friends from college a couple of times a week just before I was 18.

'I didnt drink to be cool or compete with men  to be a ladette. I did so because I suffer from depression and anxiety. Ive been on anti-depressants since I was 15. When I drank it made me feel confident and relaxed; happy.

'Unfortunately alcohol, when mixed with anti-depressants, possibly made me much drunker, much quicker than my friends. I never felt ill, though, just euphoric. Like everything was good with the world.

'Sometimes  as I did on this night  Id stay out alone after my friends had gone home.

'My mum hated me doing it. We have a very close and loving relationship, and she wants to protect me. She warned me of the dangers, and always told me to text her and get a taxi home.

'But sometimes drink made me reckless. Id forget to text or ignore her advice about the taxi. Sometimes Id hang around chatting to strangers until the first bus ran at 7am.

'Words would be exchanged when I got home. But I was by then an adult, so she could only advise me. Besides, I always took my college work seriously.

'I learned the hard way that Mum was right: predatory opportunists stalk lone, drunk women.

'After my friends went home that night in July, I cant really remember who I was chatting to or dancing with, but I do know I was feeling invincible. At 6am I went to a burger bar to wait for the early morning bus. There I met Ricardo Rodrigues-Fortes-Gomes, a Portuguese factory worker who was with a male friend.

'They were both sober and suggested I go back to their flat to wait for my bus.

'In hindsight, of course, it was stupid, so many alarm bells should have been ringing, but the alcohol meant I was feeling untouchable. I only recall being annoyed that the men talked between themselves only in Portuguese.

'What happened next is a blur. It was only when I watched the footage caught on the phone of a witness that I pieced it together.

'The men walked me along a canal path towards a block of flats. I thought they lived there  they didnt; it was a ruse  and the attack began in the stairwell.

'Although horribly drunk, part of my brain was engaged. I howled: Stop! This is rape! Its not fair.

'Later, I learned that a man in a nearby flat heard me screaming: If I tell you I dont want to do this, you stop! He started filming the rape, and called the police. They seemed to arrive quickly, although I now know the ordeal lasted about 20 minutes. My tights and underwear were ripped in the assault, but drink has blotted out most of my memories of it.

'At the police station I gave a statement but was still so drunk it didnt make any sense. So they took me home, where my mum learned, to her horror, what had happened. I was taken to St Marys Hospital, Manchester, to be examined for forensic evidence, but I resisted invasive tests  I couldnt face it. Fortunately, the phone footage was vital evidence.

Megan Clark, pictured left, and Judge Kushner, pictured right, on 'Good Morning Britain' in April. Judge Kushner was defending her remark about drunk girls putting themselves at risk of rape

'After the attack, part of me became detached from reality. I just stayed at home watching TV, hardly venturing from the house. When my A-level results arrived I had achieved an A and two Bs. I should have been over the moon, but I felt flat.

'No one really understands the far-reaching consequences of rape until they become a victim. Sometimes the enormity of it all  the way fear reaches into hidden corners of your mind  does not hit you until much later.

'It was only two months on, when I was embarking on my first term studying film at Salford University, that anxiety hit me.

'On the first day I had the most terrible panic attack; I was crying and shaking uncontrollably.

'Mum was wonderful and told me to come home. It was as if the accumulated stress and horror of the rape had finally surfaced. I spent the next four months in limbo, waiting for the trial in February. Fortunately for me, I was spared the ordeal of attending the full court case as I only went on the day I gave evidence  thankfully from behind a screen.

'But my mum relayed the judges comments to me. I didnt feel outraged; neither did I think she was blaming me. Her words were both wise and cautionary.

'Id never actually spoken to Judge Kushner before the case. After the trial, we met at a debate and then spoke on the phone. But this week was the first time wed sat down together and discussed everything in detail.

'She has been wonderful  not how I expected a judge would be. She was warm, supportive and approachable. When I said how depression and anxiety fuelled my desire to drink, she listened and showed such compassion.

'Getting to know Lindsey has brought with it a deeper dimension to the statement she made at the end of the trial. Rather than the terse opinion of a distant legal expert, these were the words of a wise and lovely woman who just wants girls like me to be safe.

Judge Kushner, pictured, was accused of 'victim blaming' after using a rape trial to urge women to take more care of themselves on drunken nights out. On 'Good Morning Britain' in April, she said her comments were motivated by her 'maternal instinct'

'No woman will ever be responsible for her rape. But the lesson Ive learned, the hard way, is that women who get hopelessly drunk are simply more vulnerable.

'Ive started to piece my life back together and will start university again at the end of September. It fills me with excitement and apprehension to be leaving home.

'After the attack, I worried that potential boyfriends might judge me when they learned what had happened. But a few months after the rape I met my current boyfriend. Hes 25 and weve been together now for nine months.

'Slowly, I began to tell him what happened, and his support has been amazing.

'I wish I could say Ive put the rape out of my mind. But now Ill only ever go out if I have friends there, and these days I drink very little. Im much more wary, and wouldnt think of wandering alone in the early hours.

'Ive waived my anonymity because I want other young women to read my story  and listen to the judges words  because no one should suffer as I have.

'My attacker was jailed for six years but I will have to fight hard  and I intend to  so that I dont live with that attack for the rest of my life.'

THE JUDGE

Now retired, Judge Kushner was a leader family Barrister whose landmark legal work included the Rochdale ritual child abuse case

Lindsey Kushner, 65, lives in Salford with her husband David, 67, a chartered accountant and insolvency practitioner. The couple have two children, Alexander, 38, and Tamara, 36. She says:

'When my daughter was 11 years old, I said to her: 'What Im about to say is not right and certainly not fair. But I want you to know that there are two sets of rules: one for you and one for your older brother. And its no good moaning because thats how it will be.'

'I went on to explain that Alex was not only older and taller but, most importantly, he was male. He wouldnt be vulnerable like she would.

'At that tender age, Tamara looked at me in puzzlement. But when she was 14 or 15 she berated me because she wasnt allowed to go to clubs like other girls.

'I was resolute. I told her that Id seen how violent crime and attacks on women often started in clubs when people were under the influence of drink.

'Ive always felt that in terms of equality Ive been a good role model for Tamara.

'I went back to work as a barrister around six weeks after she was born, and she has only ever known me as a working mother with a demanding job. I always wanted her to believe in herself, aim high, and know that she was any mans equal when it came to pursuing her ambition.

'I must also be clear: the only person to blame for rape is the rapist. But we must confront the issues which give opportunists an added incentive  and this includes being drunk.

'I spoke out at Megans case because it was something Id felt for a long time. Its a theme of many sexual assault cases; they happen when the victim is drunk. I was also retiring, so knew my words couldnt have repercussions on future trials.

'Other judges had tried to say the same and been pilloried. I thought there must be a way of articulating what is surely just sound common sense.

'What I actually said in court was that girls are perfectly entitled to drink themselves into the ground, but they should be aware that men who are potential rape defendants gravitate towards girls who have been drinking. It should not be like that, but we judges see it time and time again.

'Those who complained I was victim-blaming totally missed the point. If you are drunk, you are more likely to say yes, when  if you were sober  youd think, not bloody likely! Or you may simply be unable to put up any resistance.

Judge Kushner, pictured left, and Megan Clark, pictured right, have become friends, following Juge Kushner's final rape case, to which Miss Clark was the victim. They both hope that young women today protect themselves

'Of course, my views are filtered through the prism of my age and background. Sex used to be private and personal, but now men crow over their conquests via social media  people even do it on reality television.

'Its all so different from when I was Megans age.

'When I was 18 I had Megans sense of invincibility. But the atmosphere was different.

'At Liverpool University, where I studied law, I walked where I wanted day or night. And though I mixed with students who were rugby players and heavy drinkers, I never got blotto, though it was  and is  my right to do so.

'Mainly it was because I had a great fear of making a fool of myself. But there were also different rules of engagement. It was understood that men didnt try it on with drunk women. Unlike now, they werent seen as fair game.

'Today, theres a culture among the young which regards inebriation as a competitive sport. I know thats not the case for Megan  she drank to boost her confidence.

'I dont see her as an irresponsible ladette. The only thing I was concerned about after I made my remarks was that she would think I was blaming her. Which, touchingly, both she and her mum have assured me they didnt.

'I have spent hours talking to this lovely young woman and she has retained a dignity and composure which belie the broad facts of the case. When she waived her anonymity I applauded her courage.

'We have to look at the ramifications when girls drink. Equally, there should be a campaign to re-educate men about girls and sex and their own behaviour.

'Still, there will always be shallow, horrible men who form the view that women are asking for it if they behave in a certain way.

'Rape is about opportunity and inclination. You cant fight the inclination, but you can perhaps diminish the opportunity.

'I cant issue guidelines on what women should do on their typical night out. All I will say is that they need to judge their own behaviour objectively, as other people will see it. They need to be aware of the danger they could be heading towards. Too many girls find themselves in a difficult situation only when it is too late.

'And so I remain implacable about the guidance I offered my daughter all those years ago.

'I just hope other young women will heed it today.'
A UKIP politician was caught labelling Labour MP Chuka Umunna a 'f***ing coconut'.

Michelle Brown, a UKIP Assembly Member in North Wales, described Mr Umunna as 'black on the outside, white on the inside' while speaking to her former senior adviser Nigel Williams.

Now there are calls for Ms Brown to resign after making the shocking slurs.

Michelle Brown (left), a UKIP Assembly Member in North Wales, described Chuka Umunna (right) as 'black on the outside, white on the inside'

Ms Brown dubbed former President Barack Obama (left) as 'exactly the same' and dubbed former Labour MP Tristram Hunt as a 't**t'

In a recording of the exchange, which took place on May 14, 2016, Ms Brown says: 'I don't say this lightly...but Chuka Umunna is a f***ing coconut.

'He's got as much understanding of an ordinary black man's experience as I have.

'He may be black but his mother or his father was British from a very, very influential family.

'He is a coconut - black on the outside, white on the inside, and Barack Obama's exactly the same.'

Ms Brown also spoke about former Labour MP Tristram Hunt, and said an unnamed woman 'likes him, she thinks he's a nice guy', adding 'I think he's a t**t.'

Labour Councillor for Llandaff North Jennifer Davies wrote on Twitter: 'UKIP have dragged the assembly to the gutter, once again. Michelle Brown should resign for this appalling racism.'

Another user, called Akshay, said: 'I don't much care for Chuka Umunna's Red Tory politics, but for the UKIP AM Michelle Brown to say what she said about him is terrible.'

Russell Elliott posted a link to the procedure of how to complain about an AM and wrote: 'Don't like what racist UKIP AM Michelle Brown said about Chuka Umunna? Here's what to do about it...'

She was speaking to former senior adviser Nigel Williams (right) when she made the shocking statements

Labour Councillor for Llandaff North Jennifer Davies wrote on Twitter: 'UKIP have dragged the assembly to the gutter, once again. Michelle Brown should resign for this appalling racism'

Math William said: 'We need to get these racists out of our senedd' [National Assembly for Wales]

Akshay said: 'I don't much care for Chuka Umunna's Red Tory politics, but for the UKIP AM Michelle Brown to say what she said about him is terrible.'

Russell Elliott posted a link to the procedure of how to complain about an AM and wrote: 'Don't like what racist UKIP AM Michelle Brown said about Chuka Umunna? Here's what to do about it'

Speaking to the Daily Post, Mr Williams said he was 'absolutely appalled' by the comments.

Ms Brown has apologised for the comments, telling the newspaper: 'The point I was making is that, because of his considerable wealth and privilege, Chukka Umunna cannot possibly understand the difficulties and issues that the average black person faces in this country any more than I can, and I stand by that assertion.

'I do however accept that the language I used in the private conversation was inappropriate and I apologise to anyone that has been offended by it.

'As far as the language I used about Mr Hunt is concerned, it was a private conversation and I was using language that friends and colleagues often do when chatting to each other.'

A spokesperson for the National Assembly for Wales Labour group said: 'This is absolutely outrageous language and lays bare the disgusting racism at the heart of UKIP.

'Anything less than immediate suspension would be a clear endorsement of Michelle Brown's racist slur.'

The MailOnline has contacted Mr Umunna, Mr Hunt and UKIP for comment.
The mother of one of two Florida teenagers who were lost at sea during a fishing trip in 2015 is suing the other teen's parents and grandfather for allowing them to go out on the ocean alone in an improperly equipped boat.

The mother of Perry Cohen filed the suit Friday against the family of Austin Stephanos. The boys were 14 when they disappeared off the Palm Beach County coast in July 2015, launching a massive search. They were never found.

Pamela Cohen says Austin's mother Carly Black, his father William Blu Stephanos and grandfather Richard Black Jr. should have stopped the boys from taking the Stephanos' 19-foot boat onto the ocean with a storm approaching.

Pamela Cohen (with her son Perry, left) is suing the family of Austin Stephanos, including his mother Carly Black (both pictured right)

Missing: Perry Cohen (left) and Austin Stephanos (right), both 14, disappeared after stormy weather set in during their fishing trip off the coast of Jupiter, Florida in July 2015

A federal judge made the lawsuit possible. US District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas lifted an injunction July 13, that kept Pamela and Philip Cohen from suing Carly Black in state court. Carly owned the 19-foot boat the teens went missing in.

The two families had fought in federal court over a maritime law that limits the amount anyone can sue for to the value of a damaged boat. The boat is worth $500. Allowing Pamela to sue in state court allows the families to avoid litigation under maritime law.

'This lawsuit is about truth, accountability and justice,' attorney Guy Rubin said in a statement on behalf of Pamela Rubin to People. Rubin says any proceeds from the lawsuit will be donated to charity.

Mother of Austin Stephanos, Carly Black (right), may have violated the state's child abuse and neglect laws when she allowed the boys to take off in Austin's 'minimally equipped' boat but the state declined to file charges

Teen Perry Cohen, 14, embraced his mother, Pamela, before going missing on a fishing trip with his pal, Austin Stephanos

The Perry J. Cohen Foundation, which works to teach water safety in honor of Perry, posted this photo of the teen with his stepfather, Nick, on Father's Day on Facebook

Pamela slammed Austin's mom, Carly, after she was found to have had an 'egregious lapse of judgment' in a damning report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement but the state declined to file charges against her.

Carly was found by Florida Department of Law Enforcement to have had an 'egregious lapse of judgment and failure to exercise due care' and may have violated the state's child abuse and neglect laws when she allowed the boys to take off the 'minimally equipped' boat that didn't have basic communications equipment.

But the state declined in the report to charge Black, saying the evidence did not rise to the 'satisfy the statutory language' of a crime.

'Pamela Cohen is a grieving mother in search of answers to her son's disappearance. Last week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) concluded its investigation into the disappearance of Perry J. Cohen and his friend Austin,' said a statement released by Pamela's lawyer in June.

'Since the active phase FDLE's investigation, Ms. Cohen continues to be forced to defend her legal rights in a federal maritime action brought by Austin's mother, Mrs. Carly Black,' says Pamela's attorney in the statement.

'That court action seeks to limit the value of all losses, including the lives of Perry and Austin, to $500.00, and would restrict Ms. Cohen's legal rights to further seek justice. Ms. Cohen is committed to pursuing the truth in a manner that affirms her rights as a parent and respects the life and memory of her son, Perry, and his friend Austin.'

The teens' boat was said to have lacked basic communication equipment which would have made their rescue more probable

Perry Cohen's stepfather Nick Korniloff, left, shakes hands with Austin Stephanos' father, Blu Stephanos, right. The families have been in various court proceedings regarding the accident for the past couple of years

The pair were caught in a storm after taking off around 11am on July 24, 2015 from Jupiter Inlet for a fishing trip.

They are presumed dead but their bodies haven't been recovered, though the boat was found months later in the Bahamas by a Norwegian cargo ship.

The boat was a 19-foot 1978 SeaCraft, belonging to Austin's family, and it did not have basic communication devices on board.

Black is also accused of waiting two hours before notifying Perry's mom or authorities after she realized the pair was missing.

The report said that Black allowed the boys to 'go offshore into the Atlantic Ocean, an inherently dangerous environment, in a minimally equipped 19-foot boat with a single outboard motor without adult or parental supervision.'

A boat on the way to Norway spotted the 19-foot Seacraft about 100miles off the coast of Bermuda, and Stephanos' iPhone was among the personal items recovered from the boat

Friends Austin Stephanos (left) and Perry Cohen (right) went missing on July 24 last year after setting out on a fishing trip from Jupiter, Florida, but never returned

The Cohens had told investigators that their son was not allowed to go offshore without adult supervision and says that Austin's parents knew this.

Additionally, Black and her husband, Bubba, owned a marine supply company and could have easily made sure the boys had the proper equipment.

While the state said it found 'probable cause' to charge Black, there was not enough proof to 'satisfy the statutory language,' according to the Palm Beach Post.

The boat the boys were in was said to lack basic safety equipment, including GPS, EPIRB and radio or communications devices. Such devices, as well as a more timely alarm raised at their disappearance could have saved their lives, said the FDLE report.

Friends of the teens say the boys may have been aware of the danger they faced as as the last message they sent over Snapchat had said 'we're f***ed.'

'Because the state attorney declined to pursue a criminal case, a civil action is now Pamela Cohen's only course,' the lawyer for Pamela says.

'A civil action carries with it the opportunity to find the truth and let the sword of justice swing without favor, sympathy or prejudice. That is the American way.'

Their fishing boat was discovered capsized 100 miles from Bermuda nine months after the accident
Like his new boss, new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has a long history of campaign contributions to Republicans as well as Democrats.

Before the smooth-talking hedge funder came to Washington in a shakeup that prompted White House press secretary Sean Spicer to quit, Scaramucci had given to a long line of politicians from Hillary Clinton to Mitt Romney.

He donated $6,300 to Hillary Clinton in 2007, when she was battling Barack Obama. But he gave $4,600 to Barack Obama, federal election records show.

He said Obama 'seemed like he was going to be a transformative candidate.'

He founded SkyBridge Capital in 2005, and recently sold the firm in order to join the White House.

New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has a long history of campaign contributions to Republicans as well as Democrats

He told the New York Times in 2011 that Obama 'seemed like he was going to be a transformative candidate.'

By 2012, he was backing Republican Mitt Romney. He donated $2,500 to Romney's campaign, $5,000 to his PAC, served as a fundraising chair for him, and maxed out to the Republican National Committee with $32,400 contributions each of the following three year.

Scaramucci served on Donald Trump's finance committee in 2016. He contributed $145,000 to the Trump Victory Committee in 2016.

He contributed $2,500 to Mitt Romney and Paul Rayan in 2011.

Anthony Scaramucci, founder and co-managing partner of SkyBridge Capital, from left, Shazi Visram, founder and chief executive officer of Happy Family Brands, and Michael Lazerow, co-founder and chief executive officer of Buddy Media Inc., attend the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition finalists dinner at the Marriott Marquis in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital II LLC, holds a copy of his book "Hopping Over The Rabbit Hole" during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016

TEAR DOWN THIS WALL: Scaramucci tweeted in the heat of the presidential campaign that 'walls don't work'

Scaramucci praised Hillary Clinton in 2012

Scaramucci praised Hillary Clinton in 2012

Scaramucci mentioned the 'Trump spectacle' in 2011

SEALED WITH A KISS: Incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, right, blowing a kiss after answering questions during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 21, 2017

NOBODY'S RIGHT ALL THE TIME: Scaramucci predicted Mitt Romney would be 'our next president' following a great breakfast event

Anthony Scaramucci has given cash to Hillary, Obama, Kerry, and Gore - but also shoveled $500,000 to Republians before getting White House job

Among those receiving donations from Scaramucci over the years is Democrat Hillary Clinton

Along the way, he's also donated to GOP Sen. John McCain, Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Democratic Sen. John Kerry, and Sen. Charles Schumer.

SkyBridge capital gave $100,000 to Trump's inauguration after Scaramucci stepped down, according to the opensecrets website.

Scaramucci has given Democrats more than money  he's also doled out praise. 'I like Hillary. Have to go with the best athlete. We need to turn this around,' he wrote in April, 2012 on Twitter.

He also called Trump an 'odd guy' when he endorsed New Gingrich in 2012. The DailyBeast reported that Scaramucci deleted the tweets Friday.
Intelligence services have been given a list of more than 170 ISIS militants who could be planning to carry out atrocities in Europe, according to reports.

The list of 173 dangerous fighters has been circulated by Interpol, The Guardian reports.

According to the newspaper, security services fear that military defeats in Iraq and Syria will prompt supporters of the jihadist group to try and get into Europe.

A list of 173 possible suicide attackers has been shared between intelligence agencies by Interpol

The Guardian reports that there is no evidence that any of the named individuals - whose details were reportedly compiled by the FBI and are in Europe.

A note alongside the list reportedly states: 'The people have been identified through materials found in the hiding places of Isil, the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant.'

And it continues that 'it emerges that those subjects may have manifested willingness to commit a suicidal attack or martyrdom to support Islam'.

However today a US intelligence chief said latest assessments suggest thousands of foreigners fighting for ISIS may remain in Iraq and Syria rather than return to their homelands.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said today he assumes ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is still alive, in spite of reports claiming he was killed in an airstrike

Nicholas Rasmussen, the director of the US National Counter Terrorism Center, told the annual Aspen Security Forum: 'Many if not most of the foreign fighters who made their way to the conflict zone will end up staying, fighting and potentially dying in order to maintain the caliphate.'

This month the Iraqi army confirmed it has regained control of the city of Mosul, which had been overrun by ISIS since 2014.

Rasmussen noted that the US intelligence community, which estimated that some 40,000 foreigners joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq after the conflict began, until recently assessed that many would return home.

'At one point, we were worried about this out-rush, outflows, massive outflows of foreign fighters once the battlefield situation changed in Iraq and Syria and that Western countries, countries in the region, would be flooded with returnees,a he said. aI think now speaking kind of broadly, thatas less likely than we first assessed.a

A US intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that fewer than 15,000 Islamic State extremists still are fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Rasmussen also said that he has seen no information confirming recent reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has been killed.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said today that he assumes that Islamic State chief is still alive.

'I've seen nothing that would lead me to believe that the leader of ISIS (Islamic State) has been removed from the battlefield,' Rasmussen said.

'We know a good bit. We just donat have information that would confirm his death and demise.'
Thousands of minks have died after local activists from central Minnesota broke into a farm and released them into the wild.

Authorities said they believe that militant animal rights advocates were responsible for the event Tuesday, trespassing into Lang Farms near Eden Valley early Monday morning to set loose about 38,000 minks worth an estimated $750,000, according to The Star Tribune.

Stearns County Deputy Chief Sheriff John Lentz said that about 5,500 of the furry critters were recovered in all.

Thousands of minks died after being exposed to the wild on Tuesday (pictured)

Nearly 40,000 minks were set free worth an estimated $750,000 (stock picture of mink)

'The vast majority are expiring shortly after being recovered,' Lentz said. 'It may be due to stress, but the owners are not certain.'

Executive director of the fur-raising industry association Fur Commission USA, Michael Whelan, told The Tribune that farmed raised minks are too domesticated to survive in the wild.

Whelan said the minks 'are not equipped to live outside the farm environment, where they are fed, watered and cared for daily.'

'Anyone who thinks they are helping animals by doing this are severely misinformed, Whelan added.

No one has yet taken responsibility for the break-in, according to local authorities.

Animal rights activists are believed to behind the break-in at Lang Farms in near Eden Valley (pictured)

No one has yet taken responsibility for the incident while police continue their investigation (stock picture of mink)

The perpetrators can be potentially charged with Federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which carries a one-year prison sentence.

Whelan's group is offering a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to the capture of the activists.

Lang Farms has been raising minks since 1936 and has a four-generation history in the trade.

In October 2013, a ranch in in Grand Meadow was targeted by animal rights activists that let several hundred minks loose in a similar operation.

Minnesota ranks among the America's top mink producers, providing 204,580 pelts last year, the fifth most in the country.

Anyone with information about the minks release is urged to call the Sheriffs Office at 1-320-251-4240 or Tri-County CrimeStoppers at 1-800-225-1301.
New York police discovered the body of Joseph Rago, 34, at his East Village apartment at 7:40pm

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with The Wall Street Journal was found dead at his Manhattan home on Thursday evening, the newspaper reported on Friday.

New York police discovered the body of Joseph Rago, 34, at his East Village apartment at 7:40pm, according to the Journal.

His colleagues at the newspaper grew concerned earlier in the day when Rago did not show up for work.

Ragos boss, Paul Gigot, the editor of the Journals editorial page, notified the newspapers security officials, who promptly called police.

First responders arrived at his home and found Rago with no obvious signs of trauma.

They declared him dead at the scene.

Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy before definitively determining the cause of death.

It is with a heavy heart that we confirm the death of Joseph Rago, a splendid journalist and beloved friend, Gigot said in a statement.

His colleagues at the newspaper grew concerned earlier in the day when Rago did not show up for work. Ragos boss, Paul Gigot, the editor of the Journals editorial page, notified the newspapers security officials, who promptly called police

Joe and his family are in our thoughts and prayers, and we will be celebrating his work in Saturdays paper.

Ragos rise to journalistic stardom was relatively quick. He won a Pulitzer Prize before the age of 30 with his well-researched criticisms of Obamacare in 2011.

The Pulitzer organization awarded Rago journalisms top honor because of his well crafted, against-the-grain editorials challenging the health care reform advocated by President Obama.

No matter where you fall in the debate of health care reform, the arguments advanced by Joseph Rago in his series of editorials in The Wall Street Journal were impossible to ignore, the judges wrote.

Not paying attention to these editorials was not an option for policymakers.

Liberals and conservatives alike took notice of Ragos commentary, according to the Journal.

First responders arrived at his home on St. Marks Place in the East Village (above) and found Rago with no obvious signs of trauma. They declared him dead at the scene

Through his editorials, he had enormous impact on events in Washington, Gigot said.

Rago, who graduated with a degree in history from Dartmouth College, first started at the Journal as a summer intern in 2005.

He immediately made an impression on his bosses thanks to his writing style and breadth of knowledge.

I immediately hired him, Gigot said.

He was just too good not to hire.

Rago was hired as an assistant editor on the op-ed page. He then became an editorial writer before joining the editorial board.

Media colleagues and commentators reacted with shock to the news. 'Such terrible news,' tweeted MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. 'He was so gifted and good guy'

Avik Roy, a journalist and policy advisor, tweeted: 'Joe Rago is irreplaceable as a writer and a human being

'Very sad day here,' tweeted the Journal's deputy editor in chief, Matt Murray. 'Joe was a talented and lovely guy'

He was the kind of person you liked to have a beer with - I know thats a cliche, but its actually true, Gigot said.

Rago would often provide commentary on issues ranging from health care to antitrust issues to energy regulation to national security.

In addition, he would mentor college journalism students by virtue of his serving on the board of directors of the Dartmouth Review, the conservative campus newspaper for which he wrote while at Dartmouth.

Journalism is a hard field to get into, and I caught a break and try to help other people, he said.

Media colleagues and commentators reacted with shock to the news.

'Such terrible news,' tweeted MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. 'He was so gifted and good guy.'

Avik Roy, a journalist and policy advisor, tweeted: 'Joe Rago is irreplaceable as a writer and a human being.

'Shocking news. Thoughts with his family and @WSJOpinion.'

'Very sad day here,' tweeted the Journal's deputy editor in chief, Matt Murray.

'Joe was a talented and lovely guy.'
Travellers prepared to act quickly could find themselves at wandering around Europe for less than $340 or in Singapore for only $99.

Scoot is celebrating its merger with Tigerair Singapore by putting tickets for more than 20 routes on sale starting at noon on Tuesday.

Discounted destinations include Athens, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Maldives, and apply to flights out of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast.

Flexible flyers could find themselves in Thailand (pictured) if they take advantage of Scoot's week-long sale

Discounted tickets on Scoot flights to Athens (pictured), Greece, are as low as $339 from Perth

Flights to the Maldives (pictured) are also on sale, starting at $229 from Perth for basic fares

The sale is to celebrate the merger of Scoot and Tigerair Singapore, and flights to Singapore (pictured) are going for $99

Scoot (pictured) is running the sale from Tuesday July 25 to Monday July 31 or until tickets sell out

The sale will run from noon on Tuesday until 1:59am Monday July 31, or until they are sold out, Escape.com.au reported.

Holidaymakers can take advantage of the low fares by acting fast and being flexible, insiders say.

'The best thing is for people to look at the website or the app and be as flexible as possible with dates, if they want to get the best deal,' a Scoot spokeswoman said.

The promo code FLYSCOOT will give flyers an extra $20 off selected FLYBAG fares which include checked luggage, or FLYBAGEAT fares which include both meals and checked luggage.

Insiders say travellers who want to snap up bargain flights to places like the Maldives (pictured) need to act fast and be flexible

Sale prices on Scoot (pictured) flights do not include meals or checked baggage, althought Scootbiz fares are also discounted

Sale prices do not include meals or checked baggage, but discounted Scootbiz fares are also available.

Scootbiz features include a wide reclining leather seat with foot-rest, in-seat power, a meal and drink, 30kg of checked luggage, and ScooTV.

Scootbiz fares apply on the Singapore, Athens, Bangkok and Hong Kong routes, and cost as little as $279.

Scoot is putting 20 routes on sale, including tickets to Bangkok (pictured) from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast

The low-cost long-haul airline Scoot is based in Singapore (pictured) and recently merged with Tigerair Singapore

Dates ranging up to March 24 2018 are available, with some blackout periods.

Scoot's parent company Singapore Airlines announced the merger with Tigerair Singapore in December 2016.

The merger brings both airlines under the name Scoot and will be officially completed on July 25, the opening day of the sale.

Tigerair Australia is a separate company owned by Virgin Airlines, and will continue to fly out of Australian cities under the name Tigerair.
Just hours after the Minneapolis police chief was forced to resign on Friday over the fatal shooting of an Australian woman, outraged protesters took over the mayor's City Hall press conference and called for her resignation.

'We do not want you as our mayor!' a protester yelled at Mayor Betsy Hodges, who asked for the resignation of Police Chief Janee Harteau following the police-involved shooting death of Justine Damond on Saturday night.

'You have been ineffective as a leader and we want you to take your staff with you because they have terrorized us enough,' the man yelled as protesters in the room called for 'Justice for Justine'.

'I have heard you, and I have listened...,' Mayor Hodges said as she attempted to calm the crowd, but she was immediately interrupted as the man continued to yell: 'You have failed us since youve been in office. Stop killing us!'

The crowd of protesters then started chanting, 'Bye, bye Betsy' as the mayor was escorted out of the press conference.

Justine Damond was killed Saturday night after calling 911 to report a possible sexual assault near her home in south Minneapolis, when responding officer, Mohamed Noor, shot her from his squad car.

'Justine didn't have to die. This should not have happened,' Harteau said in a press conference on Thursday.

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Just hours after Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau (right) was forced to resign on Friday over the fatal shooting of Australian woman, Justine Damond, outraged protesters took over Mayor Betsy Hodges' (left) press conference and called for her resignation

'I have heard you, and I have listened...,' Mayor Hodges (right) said as she attempted to calm the crowd, but she was immediately interrupted as the man continued to yell: 'You have failed us since youve been in office'

'We do not want you as our mayor!' a protester (pictured) yelled at Hodges, who asked for the resignation of Harteau following the police-involved shooting death of Justine Damond on Saturday night

The angry crowd of protesters started chanting, 'Bye, bye Betsy' as the mayor was escorted out of the press conference

'We want you to take your staff with you because they have terrorized us enough,' a man yelled as protesters in the room called for 'Justice for Justine'. Justine Damond (pictured) was shot and killed by police officer Mohamed Noor on Saturday night after calling 911

In a statement posted to the police department's website earlier on Friday Harteau said: 'I've decided I am willing to step aside to let a fresh set of leadership eyes see what more can be done for the MPD to be the very best it can be.'

'Last Saturday's tragedy, as well as some other recent incidents, have caused me to engage in deep reflection,' Harteau said in her statement.

'Despite the MPD's many accomplishments under my leadership over these years and my love for the city, I have to put the communities we serve first.'

Earlier on Friday, Mayor Hodges issued a statement immediately after Harteau resigned, saying she asked for the chief to step down.

'As far as we have come, I've lost confidence in the Chief's ability to lead us further - and from the many conversations I've had with people around our city, especially this week, it is clear that she has lost the confidence of the people of Minneapolis as well,' Hodges said.

Bride-to-be Damond (right) called 911 to report a possible sexual assault near her home in south Minneapolis, when responding officer, Mohamed Noor (left), shot her from his squad car

The outraged protesters told the mayor they had enough and it was time for new administration as they called for her to resign as well

Photos of the press conference showed Mayor Hodges (left) leaving as protesters (right) took over the room

'For us to continue to transform policing  and community trust in policing  we need new leadership at MPD,' the statement read.

'In conversation with the Chief today, she and I agreed that she would step aside to make way for new leadership. I asked Chief Harteau for her resignation, she tendered it, and I have accepted it,' Hodges said.

The mayor also announced her nomination for the new police chief.

'I will nominate current Assistant Chief Medaria "Rondo" Arradondo as Minneapolis' next Police Chief,' she said.

Damond was at home Saturday night when she called 911 to report a noise and a possible assault in an alley near her home.

While police did not have body cameras switched on during the shooting, sources with knowledge of the incident claim the officers arrived at the alley at 11.30pm that night.

Damond reportedly walked up to the car and started talking to the officer driving.

Noor was in the passenger seat of his police car and his partner, one-year rookie Matthew Harrity, was driving when they pulled into an alley behind the Damond's home.

Officer Noor shot across Harrity and out the driver's side open window at Damond as she suddenly approached their vehicle.

Damond, originally from Sydney, had been living in the US for three years and was due to marry American businessman Don Damond, 50, in August.

At the time of the shooting Don, the vice president of Little Six Casino was away on business.

Her soon-to-be stepson Zach was reportedly also not at the home at the time, but returned on Sunday to discover the crime scene.

Call for answers: Don Damond, Justine's fiance, fought back tears as he said earlier this week that the cops have failed to provide any explanation

'Thrown under the bus': Proud Somali-American Mohamed Noor said his fellow officers are not backing him. A friend told Daily Mail.com: '... in this situation he has realized he is probably alone with his legal team and Somali police colleagues'

Before her resignation, Harteau was criticized for remaining on holiday for four days during the aftermath of Damond's shocking death.

Earlier this week she said she wanted to assure the grieving family that justice would be served.

At a press conference on Thursday, the chief repeatedly criticized Noor despite the investigation into Damond's shooting being in its early stages.

'I believe the actions in question go against who we are as a department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers,' Harteau said.

'These were the actions and judgement of one individual.'

Harteau said she had spoken to Don Damond and told him 'Justine did not have to die'.

'I'll do everything in my power to make sure due process is followed and justice is served,' she said.

Noor's family has complained the Somali-born 32-year-old, who joined the police force two years ago, has not received support from other officers since the shooting.

The Minneapolis police union has also unusually declined to publicly defend him.

Hundreds walked through the streets of Damond's southern Minneapolis neighborhood on Thursday, less than a week after she was shot and killed by a police officer

Don Damond was comforted outside his home by Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, as demonstrators march by Damond's home during the Peace and Justice March for Justine

Zach and Don Damond outside their Minneapolis home on Thursday during the protest march

Damond's dad John Ruszczyk (pictured) is seen at a vigil held for his daughter on Sydney's northern beaches on Wednesday

OFFICER NOOR'S STATEMENT FROM HIS ATTORNEY 'Officer Noor extends his condolences to the family and anyone else who has been touched by this event. He takes their loss seriously and keeps them in his daily thoughts and prayers. He came to the United States at a young age and is thankful to have had so many opportunities. He takes these events very seriously because, for him, being a police officer is a calling. He joined the police force to serve the community and to protect the people he serves. Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he loves and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing. The current environment for police is difficult, but Officer Noor accepts this as part of his calling. We would like to say more, and will in the future. At this time, however, there are several investigations ongoing and Officer Noor wants to respect the privacy to the family and asks the same in return during this difficult period.' Advertisement

The police chief also said Noor must be afforded due process as investigators continue to piece together the chain of events.

Harteau also criticized the officers for not having their body cameras on.

Noor's training had shown no indication he would have any 'issues', she said.

Damond's fiance, who was happy for Justine to use his last name before they were legally married, has described her death as a 'homicide' increasing pressure on officials to come to a speedy conclusion with their investigation and either charge officer Noor or exonerate him.

The state's Bureau of Criminal Affairs (BCA), the agency investigating the shooting, said Friday that Noor is still refusing an interview with authorities.

But investigators located and interviewed a witness they had been seeking, the BCA said.

The witness had been bicycling near the scene of the shooting and had stopped to watch officers provide first aid. The BCA did not disclose what the witness told investigators.

On Thursday, Tom Plunkett, who is representing Minnesota policeman Mohamed Noor, told CBS he would like a second lab to examine the results of the autopsy on Damond because 'it would be nice to know if there were some Ambien in her system'.

Ambien is a sedative often prescribed to people who have difficulty sleeping.

Both officers involved in the shooting have been put on paid administrative leave, as is standard procedure following similar incidents.

Despite the outcome of the investigation, both men face being punished and possibly losing their jobs.

They were in breach of their department's strict bodycam rules and were compelled to switch on body cameras and record their interactions when answering the 911 call.

On Thursday, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Minneapolis to honor the life of Justine Damond.

Friends, family and strangers held an emotional rally to pay tribute to Damond who was renowned for her caring nature.

'We gather before you in our heartbreak, in our longing for healing,' one woman can be heard saying on video captured at the protest.

Those who gathered held placards carrying messages of 'Justice for Justine', 'Justice of all' and 'Unite for Justice'.
An experimental service that redirects searches for ISIS and other extremist material has been launched by YouTube.

The move is part of a larger strategy by YouTube's parent company Google to combat terrorist content across their platforms, including the video sharing site.

Users searching for select phrases will instead be directed to adverts that discredit claims made by such groups, as well as the organisations themselves.

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An experimental service that redirects searches for ISIS and other extremist material has been launched by YouTube. The move is part of a larger strategy by YouTube's parent company Google to combat terrorist content on the video sharing site (stock image)

REDIRECT PROJECT An experimental service that redirects searches for ISIS and other extremist material has been launched by YouTube. The move is part of a larger strategy by YouTube's parent company Google to combat terrorist content on the video sharing site. The Redirect Project was developed with Google's in-house think tank, Jigsaw, to develop software based on YouTube's advertising tools. It began with an eight-week experimental trial, which saw over 320,000 viewers watch more than 500,000 minutes of footage. The project was run much like any other targeted advertising campaign on the site. Certain keywords identified by Adwords trigger the redirection to anti-terror videos. What they have learned is now being rolled out across YouTube, so that any user searching for extremist propaganda will see the adverts. Advertisement

The Redirect Project was developed with Google's in-house think tank, Jigsaw, to develop software based on YouTube's advertising tools.

It began with an eight-week experimental trial, which saw over 320,000 viewers watch more than 500,000 minutes of footage.

The ISIS-focused project relied on research, including interviews with defectors and once-aspiring jihadi brides, to glean insights into how vulnerable viewers may behave online.

Experts also studied what kinds of materials proved most effective at countering the narratives used by ISIS.

They found that documentaries and material produced by citizen journalists worked better than state sponsored and other official anti-terrorist material.

What they have learned is now being rolled out across YouTube, so that any user searching for extremist propaganda will see the adverts.

In a written statement on the project's website, a spokesman said: 'The Redirect Method uses Adwords targeting tools and curated YouTube videos uploaded by people all around the world to confront online radicalization.

'It focuses on the slice of ISIS audience that is most susceptible to its messaging, and redirects them towards curated YouTube videos debunking ISIS recruiting themes.

'This open methodology was developed from interviews with ISIS defectors, respects users privacy and can be deployed to tackle other types of violent recruiting discourses online.'

The project was run much like any other targeted advertising campaign on the site.

Certain keywords identified by Adwords trigger the redirection to anti-terror videos.

The keyword generation was focused on terms suggesting positive sentiment towards ISIS. The project has been made available as an open blueprint, so other platforms and organisations can use it to help counter extremist propaganda (stock image)

YOUTUBE IN NUMBERS The first YouTube video was uploaded to the site on April 23, 2005. 80 per cent of YouTubes views are from outside of the US. More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices You can navigate YouTube in a total of 76 different language Google paid $1.65 billion (1.27 billion) for YouTube in November of 2006. YouTube overall, and even YouTube on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the US. It now has more than 1.5 billion users logging into the site every month And users are spending over an hour each day watching videos on mobile devices alone. Advertisement

For the Arabic campaigns, Quantum Communications created 60 ad campaigns comprising 150 unique ads and over 1,500 keywords.

For the English campaign, Moonshot CVE created 30 ad campaigns comprising 95 unique ads and over 1,000 keywords.

The keyword generation was focused on terms suggesting positive sentiment towards ISIS.

The project has been made available as an open blueprint, so other platforms and organisations can use it to help counter extremist propaganda.

The Redirect Project was created, in part, to counter claims that Google was lax in addressing the problem of online terrorism.

In one particularly high profile case back in March, the UK Government demanded answers on why taxpayer-funded adverts were supporting extremist videos.

Google announced a review of its advertising policies.

Havas, a French advertising group whose clients include O2 and Royal Mail, was the first major global company to announce that none of its budget would go to Google or YouTube until the matter was addressed.
A bizarre species of giant fish that spent 130 years evading detection by scientists has finally been revealed.

The previously unknown species has been named the Hoodwinker Sunfish, or Mola tecta, thanks to its ability to hide for so long.

It was discovered after a four-year search by an Australian student whose research led her to suspect the existence of a previously undiscovered sunfish species.

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A bizarre species of giant fish (pictured) that spent 130 years evading detection by scientists has finally been revealed. The previously unknown species has been named the Hoodwinker Sunfish, or Mola tecta, thanks to its ability to hide for so long

THE HIDDEN SUNFISH A Japanese research group first found genetic evidence of an unknown sunfish species in Australian waters 10 years ago. Observers from the Australian and New Zealand longline fishery were the first to provide direct evidence of its existence. In 2014, they hauled a tiny fish on board and discovered what they thought was a young fish matching what Ms Nyegaard was looking for. Over a three-year period, the school of veterinary and life sciences student collected data from 27 more specimens of the strange fish. At times she travelled thousands of miles and relied on the kindness of strangers to record samples that they had found stranded on remote beaches. Her findings have now confirmed as the first new addition to the sunfish genus in 130 years. The previously unknown species has been named the Hoodwinker Sunfish, or Mola tecta, thanks to its ability to hide for so long. Advertisement

Marianne Nyegaard, a PHD student from Murdoch University in Perth, uncovered the new species while researching the genetics of ocean sunfish in the Indo-Pacific ocean.

She began her search after noticing genetic differences in more than 150 samples of sunfish.

This process revealed four distinct species including three known, Masturus lanceolatus, Mola mola, Mola ramsayi, as well as another that didnt fit with the rest.

After searching for pictures of sunfish online, she finally found what she was looking for in 2014.

After three years of extensive searching to prove the existence of the species, her findings have now been confirmed.

Speaking to The Conversation, Ms Nyegaard said: 'Unravelling this mystery has been a huge puzzle.

'Sunfish are huge, largely solitary and fairly elusive, so you cant just go out and sample a heap of them to study.

'Sunfish arent particularly rare, but its tricky to study them as they simply live in parts of the ocean most humans dont go.

'They dive hundreds of metres to feed, and then rise to the surface to bask in the sun on their sides, hence their name.

'After four years of work, and the help of many people, its great to be able to finally share the hoodwinker sunfish with the world!'

Sunfish, or Mola Mola, are the heaviest bony fish in the world.

The largest specimens can reach four metres (14ft) vertically and three metres (10ft) horizontally, weighing nearly 5,000lb (2,270 kg).

Sunfish develop their truncated, bullet-like shape because they are born with a back fin that never grows. Instead, it folds into itself.

Marianne Nyegaard (pictured) uncovered the new species while researching the population genetics of ocean sunfish in the Indo-Pacific ocean. She began her search after noticing genetic differences in more than 150 samples of sunfish

The largest specimens (artist's impression) can reach four metres (14ft) vertically and three metres (10ft) horizontally, weighing nearly 5,000lb (2,270 kg)

SUNFISH FACTS Sunfish, or Mola Mola, are the heaviest bony fish in the world. The largest specimens can reach four metres (14ft) vertically and three metres (10ft) horizontally, weighing nearly 5,000lb (2,270 kg). Sunfish develop their truncated, bullet-like shape because they are born with a back fin that never grows. Instead, it folds into itself. Mola in Latin means 'millstone' and describes the sunfishs somewhat circular shape. They are a silvery color and have a rough skin texture. They are found in temperate and tropical oceans around the world and are often mistaken for sharks when their huge dorsal fins emerge above the water. Their teeth are fused into a beak-like structure and they are unable to fully close their relatively small mouths. Advertisement

A Japanese research group first found genetic evidence of an unknown sunfish species in Australian waters 10 years ago.

But the fish kept eluding the scientific community because they didn't know what it looked like.

Observers from the Australian and New Zealand longline fishery were the first to provide direct evidence of its existence.

In 2014, they hauled a tiny fish on board and discovered what they thought was a young fish matching what Ms Nyegaard was looking for.

Over a three-year period, the school of veterinary and life sciences student collected data from 27 more specimens of the strange fish.

At times she travelled thousands of miles and relied on the kindness of strangers to record samples that they had found stranded on remote beaches.

In a written statement, Ms Nyegaard added: 'The process we had to go through to confirm its new species status included consulting publications from as far back as the 1500s, some of which also included descriptions of mermen and fantastical sea monsters.

'We retraced the steps of early naturalists and taxonomists to understand how such a large fish could have evaded discovery all this time.

'Overall we felt science had been repeatedly tricked by this cheeky species, which is why we named it the Hoodwinker.'

Ms Nyegaards paper on the new sunfish species has been published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
A women's health campaigner organising a menopause support workshop has slammed Facebook after her advert was banned for being an 'adult product'.

Health guru Diane Danzebrink, 50, applied to post an advert in a bid to help women struggling with hormonal changes.

It was rejected but Ms Danzebrink's surprise turned to horror when she saw the message that accompanied it, which took issue with the word 'libido' - despite it not being used in the ad.

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Diane and her co-organiser Dr Louise Newson (right), a GP, were horrified when they saw the message which accompanied the ban, which took issue with the word 'libido' - despite it not being used in the ad (pictured)

WHY WAS IT BANNED? The advert was rejected because Facebook took issue with the word 'libido' - despite it not being used in the ad. Using the 'boosting' service, Diane Danzebrink selected it should be available to be seen by women aged between 40 and 60 in the neighbouring area. Although the world 'libido' did not appear in the ad, it was listed as a detail of the ad, and Ms Danzebrink was furious it was treated as obscene by the social media site. After challenging the decision by Facebook, Ms Danzebrink was told the advert still promoted 'libido-enhancing products or services' even though the word was not used. She said a response was clearly written by an employee rather than an automated reply, and it 'defied common sense' to treat it as offensive. Advertisement

The rejection message from Facebook read: 'We don't allow adverts that promote adult products such as genital surgery, non-surgical breast enhancement or libido-enhancing products.'

Ms Danzebrink and her co-organiser Dr Louise Newson, a GP, wanted to publicise the workshop they organised in an idyllic Cotswolds forest, Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

It was designed to be a chance for women to ask questions about the changes to their body, which can include a loss of sex drive.

She said: 'The menopause effects 51 per cent of the population, and their male family members.

'The word "libido" is a medical term - I don't see what's so sensitive about it.

'It's like their ban on breastfeeding pictures - you still see breasts in other contexts. It's a real double standard.

'If we don't use the proper words for things we perpetuate body shaming.'

Using the 'boosting' service, Ms Danzebrink selected it should be available to be seen by women aged between 40 and 60 in the neighbouring area.

Although the world 'libido' did not appear in the ad, it was listed as a detail of the ad, and Ms Danzebrink was furious it was treated as obscene by the social media site.

She said: 'Loss of libido is a very real and distressing symptom of menopause for many women and a legitimate subject for discussion in a workshop of this kind.

A women's health campaigner organising a menopause support workshop has slammed Facebook after her advert was banned for being an 'adult product' (bottom of image). Health guru Diane Danzebrink (left), 50, was trying to help women struggling with hormonal changes

Although the world 'libido' did not appear in the ad, it was listed as a detail of the ad, and Ms Danzebrink was furious it was treated as obscene by the social media site

'There is such a double standard going on here as if I type the word libido into Facebook, I get all sorts of pages come up and they don't appear to have a problem with those.'

After challenging the decision by Facebook, Ms Danzebrink was told the advert still promoted 'libido-enhancing products or services' even though the word was not used.

She said a response was clearly written by an employee rather than an automated reply, and it 'defied common sense' to treat it as offensive.

Ms Danzebrink pointed to the reams of pages and groups which Facebook hosts with the words 'increase libido' in the title.

She said: 'It would seem menopause really is the last taboo for Facebook, and I'm disgusted by their response to what is an important subject, educating women about the menopause and what it can mean to their lives.

'This is a subject that affects every woman at some stage in their lives and I feel this arbitrary "ban" is totally unjustified.'

Ms Danzebrink had a hysterectomy and suffered during her own menopause, but was motivated to become an ambassador for the British Menopause Society in a bid to help others.

She is also a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Women's Voices Involvement Panel.

She added: 'Hardly a day goes by that we are not subjected to images of horrifying cruelty on Facebook, but the platform apparently does nothing to police them, while at the same time making arbitrary and ridiculous decisions such as this.'

In response to a MailOnline request for comment, a Facebook spokesperson said: 'Facebook is a place for people and organisations to campaign for the things that matter to them, and Menopause Support is a great example of that.

'In this instance we made a mistake, and have contacted the group to let them know that the advert has been reinstated.

'We apologise for any inconvenience caused.'
Lyft Inc has formed a self-driving car division, company executives said, a bold investment for the second-largest U.S. ride-services firm as it jockeys for position in the highly competitive autonomous vehicle race.

The executives said on Thursday the company would soon open a facility in Palo Alto, California known as 'Level 5' that would eventually be staffed by 'several hundred' engineers.

Lyft engineers will collaborate there with autonomous vehicle experts from other companies to build self-driving systems.

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Lyft Inc has formed a self-driving car division, company executives said, a bold investment for the second-largest U.S. ride-services firm as it jockeys for position in the highly competitive autonomous vehicle race

WAYMO AND LYFT Waymo and Lyft are joining forces against ridesharing giant Uber, which is racing to develop its own self-driving vehicles. 'Waymo holds today's best self-driving technology, and collaborating with them will accelerate our shared vision of improving lives with the worlds best transportation,' the Lyft statement read. Waymo and Uber are currently engaged in a bitter legal dispute. In February Waymo filed a lawsuit claiming that a former manager took technical data when he left to launch a competing venture that was later acquired by Uber. Advertisement

'We are putting down the accelerator significantly on investment on this,' Raj Kapoor, chief strategy officer for Lyft, told reporters at its San Francisco headquarters.

The move marks a striking strategy change for Lyft, which said previously it would leave the building of self-driving systems to others while allowing partners to test their autonomous cars in Lyft's ride-hailing network.

Lyft previously announced partnerships with Alphabet's self-driving division, Waymo, technology company Nutonomy, and automakers General Motors Co and Jaguar Land Rover.

Lyft's new effort could put it in direct competition with some of those partners.

The company, which will not be manufacturing the actual cars, offered no time line for its self-driving ambitions.

Executives said Lyft would share data from its self-driving efforts with other companies joining the collaboration.

Lyft does not have a permit to test autonomous cars in California, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

The company plans to launch a pilot with Nutonomy in Boston by year-end.

Building autonomous driving systems is a complicated and expensive endeavor, and brings a new layer of complexity to Lyft.

Lyft previously announced partnerships with Alphabet's self-driving division, Waymo, technology company Nutonomy, and automakers General Motors Co and Jaguar Land Rover

US PANEL APPROVES BILL TO BOOST TESTS On July 19, a House panel backed legislation designed to allow automakers to increase the testing of self-driving cars on U.S. roads. The bill would let automakers deploy up to 100,000 self-driving vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards, a move designed to boost testing of new technology. The current cap for such exemptions is 2,500. The bill would also require manufacturers to report information about all crashes involving the exempted cars and give the Transportation secretary authority to halt the exemptions for any manufacturer if a defect is discovered. 'We want aggressive oversight of the industry, but with the flexibility needed to test and generate the safest and most affordable technologies possible,' said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The full House would not act on the bill until September at the earliest, giving lawmakers more time to work out changes designed to increase support for the measure. Associated Press Advertisement

Unlike its far larger rival, Uber Technologies Inc , which has tackled everything from food delivery to flying cars, and expanded overseas, Lyft has operated strictly as a ride service for people in the United States.

Lyft's 700,000 drivers complete more than 200 million rides and 1.2 billion miles (1.9 billion km) a year in the 350 cities where it operates, which executives said gave the company detailed knowledge of traffic patterns, bridges, construction and other roadway data critical for building autonomous systems.

'The one thing that is very, very key is the scale that we have,' said Luc Vincent, vice president of engineering.

None of those miles have been driven with autonomous technology, experts point out, meaning Lyft will be starting from scratch in a business where Waymo, Tesla and Uber have been operating for years.

'It does still take a lot to do this, even if there is lots off-the-shelf technology, to engineer them together and create systems and put them in a vehicle,' said Jeremy Carlson, an automotive analyst at IHS Markit.

Lyft's new push comes as Uber is facing a lawsuit from Waymo over alleged theft of trade secrets relating to self-driving technology designs.

Lyft in April raised $600 million in new funding .

The company has begun preparations for an initial public offering, sources close to the company told Reuters.
Science fiction is littered with nightmare visions of robots turning against their creators, but a proposed device could help us keep track of their decision making.

Intelligent machines of the future could be equipped with recorders, similar to the black box on aircraft, that would capture their ethical behaviour.

This 'ethical black box' would allow experts to analyse what went wrong in the event of an accident or malfunction.

While it may not be enough to stop a robot from harming a human, albeit accidentally, it could prove useful in help to avoid repeat incidents.

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Science fiction is littered with nightmare visions of robots turning against their creators, like the Terminator (pictured). But a proposed device, similar to the black box on aircraft, could capture their ethical behaviour to be analysed in the event of an accident (stock image)

ETHICAL BLACK BOX Science fiction is littered with nightmare visions of robots turning against their creators. But a proposed device could help us keep track of their decision making. Robots of the future could be equipped with recorders, similar to the black box on aircraft, that would capture their ethical behaviour. Alan Winfield and Marina Jirotka made the proposal in a paper presented at the 18th annual Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems conference at the University of Surrey. The device could record a robot's decisions as well as its reasons for making them. Additional information could be captured by cameras, microphones and other onboard equipment. Advertisement

Scientists have been discussing the future of robotics at the 18th annual Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems conference at the University of Surrey, which concluded today.

Robots are becoming a more common sight, beyond their limited industrial uses in the past.

The rise of self-driving cars and automated assistants, which are already being used as everything from customer service to security guards, mean people are encountering intelligent machines on a more regular basis.

This makes the need for improved safety measures more urgent than ever, a team of academics has argued.

Alan Winfield and Marina Jirotka, a professor of computing at Oxford University, proposed an ethical black box in a paper presented at the conference, according to The Guardian.

Speaking to the site Dr Winfield, professor of robot ethics at the University of the West of England in Bristol, said: 'Accidents, we hope, will be rare, but they are inevitable.

'Anywhere robots and humans mix is going to be a potential situation for accidents.

'Serious accidents will need investigating.

'But but what do you do if an accident investigator turns up and discovers there is no internal datalog, no record of what the robot was doing at the time of the accident?

'It'll be more or less impossible to tell what happened.'

It comes days after a security robot named Steve, created by the company Knightscope, appeared to take the decision to terminate itself.

The R2D2-like droid was patrolling an office complex in Washington DC when it rolled into a fountain and met its untimely demise on Monday.

A security robot created by the company Knightscope was patrolling an office complex in Washington D.C. when it rolled into a fountain and met its untimely demise

The incident went viral on Twitter after Bilal Farooqui, an employee at the Washington Harbour complex, tweeted a photo of the 300-pound android, writing: 'We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots.'

While the unfortunate incident was met with humour, it does show that accidents can and do befall robots.

The proposed black box could record a robot's decisions as well as its reasons for making them.

Additional information could be captured by cameras, microphones and other onboard equipment.
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South Korea's LG Chem is slated to exclusively provide batteries for Apple's iPhone 9 which is likely to be launched next year, a Korean newspaper reported on Friday.

LG Chem has invested hundreds of billions of won in a dedicated line for the purpose and will produce 'L-shaped' batteries for next year's iPhone, the Korea Economic Daily reported citing an unnamed chemical industry source.

A spokesman for LG Chem said it does not respond to inquiries about client companies. Apple could not be immediately reached for comment.

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LG Chem has invested hundreds of billions of won in a dedicated line for the Apple project, and will produce 'L-shaped' batteries for next year's iPhone, the Korea Economic Daily claims.

IPHONE 8 RUMOURS Several rumors have been circulating about the iPhone 8, and suggest the next device may have: - Dual-lens 3D camera - Augmented reality capabilities - Curved glass casing - Wireless charging - 5 inch (12.7 centimeter) and 5.8 inch (14.7 centimeter) model, will have a wraparound OLED screen - Aluminum back will be replaced with two reinforced glass panes and a metal frame in the middle - Facial recognition - 128GB will cost $999 - 256GB will cost $1,099 Advertisement

LG Chem shares rose 3.7 percent in morning trade to their highest level since April 2016.

Apple's eagerly anticipated new iPhone 8 will go on sale in September - but in very limited quantities, the latest forecast for the firm has claimed.

J.P. Morgan Apple analyst Rod Hall believes the new handset will be called the 'iPhone Pro', and will sell for $1100, according to 9to5Mac.

However, the report warns that supply will be extremely limited at launch and for its first few months on sale.

Multiple claims say the new OLED 5.8-inch iPhone, which is expected to have a bezel-less screen, may not be available until November.

However, Hall believes there will instead be 'a slower production start for the flagship OLED phone.'

J.P. Morgan is adjusting its forecast for the device from 9m units for September to ~2m units for September.

It notes, however, that it will also increase its Y18 unit forecasts 'by about the same amount to reflect time-shifted demand.'

The firm has also increasing its expectation for the average selling price by $100 to $1,100, noting that it believes 'production costs are slightly higher than we had originally anticipated.'

J.P. Morgan Apple analyst Rod Hall believes the new handset will be called the 'iPhone Pro', and will sell for $1100 - but will only be available in limited quantities when it is announced in September.

It also thinks the higher average selling price will be a 'critical demand control variable for a new tier of iPhone' and that 'Apple's pricing strategy is likely to be aimed at spreading this replacement cycle over two years given totally new product categories like AR are likely still a few years out.'

The most recent claims say Apple has yet to start mass production of any of the three expected models.

Economic Daily News is reporting that all three new iPhones, overhauled iPhone 8 and the '7s' iterative updates to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are yet to start mass production.

The report says that the new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch phones are expected to ramp up in August, a month behind the normal new iPhone production timelines.

It also claims the OLED 5.8-inch iPhone, which is expected to have a bezel-less screen, may not be available until November.

Economic Daily News says that Foxconn has secured the vast majority of orders for the upcoming OLED phone, which will feature almost no bezel enabling Apple to pack in a 5.8-inch screen into the same physical size as the current 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

'While there were previous reports indicating that volume production for new iPhone devices has commenced, yield rates at the two main ODMs, Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron, have not yet reached levels that warrant mass production', the report claims.

New claims suggest that Apple is working 'feverishly' to fix software problems with its wireless charging and 3D face recognition systems. Pictured is an idea of what the iPhone 8 may look like

It is believed Pegatron will assemble most of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s devices and a small number of the 'iPhone 8s, while a third manufacturer, Wistron, will mainly focus on making the 5.5-inch 7s model.

In another warning last week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch lowered its estimates for Apple's iPhone shipments by 11 million for the year, and suggest it could be delayed by a month.

'Our conversations with the Supply Chain suggest that the iPhone 8 will ship 3-4 weeks delayed given technological issues which Apple and its suppliers are working through,' analysts Wamsi Mohan and Stefano Pascale said in a report Wednesday, citing a recent trip to Asia, according to CNBC.

The analysts said problems with finger print and 3-D sensors were to blame for the delay.

The BofAML analysts cut their expectations for September quarter shipments of iPhones by 11 million and the December quarter by 6 million.

For fiscal year 2017, the analysts expect 11 million fewer shipments for 2017, down to 208.1 million.

Recent reports say Apple is working 'feverishly' to fix software problems with its wireless charging and 3D face recognition systems.

If these issues aren't resolved, the flagship iPhone could even launch with these major features disabled, according to some sources.

A report by Fast Company explains that a 'a source with knowledge of the situation' has claimed that engineers and designers at Apple are working with a 'sense of panic in the air.'

The report states: 'The company has been working feverishly to fix software problems in its hotly anticipated 10th-anniversary iPhone that could ultimately cause production and delivery delays, the source says.

The latest social media leak comes from the Chinese social media website Weibo, which shows a photo claiming to show the glass panel back of the iPhone 8 - with no evidence of a cutout for a Touch ID sensor on the back, as rumors in April suggested

'If the software problems aren't resolved quickly, the new flagship iPhone could even launch with major features disabled.'

In particular, Apple is said to be facing problems developing its wireless charging system and the report suggests that the iPhone 8 could even ship without this feature enabled.

Apple is also having issues with its front-facing 3D facial recognition system, according to the report.

The issues in both systems are said to not be hardware related, but instead lie with the software pairing with iOS.

This suggests that the features could be added after launch via a software update.

Several reports have speculated about the iPhone 8's Touch ID system, and where this will be located.

THE TOUCH ID FINGERPRINT SENSOR Rumors have circulated in recent weeks that Apple was struggling to decide where to put the sensor - under the front screen with an 'invisible' sensor, or even on the rear. There were also rumors earlier this month that Apple plans to replace its Touch ID sensor with a facial recognition system. Now it appears a third option may be on the table - abandoning an ID senor entirely. Advertisement

The Fast Company report suggests that it is 'plausible' that Apple is still deciding where to put the Touch ID, but that 'in all likelihood' will be embedded under the OLED display.

And yesterday, MacRumors claimed that Apple is hoping to place the Touch ID sensor underneath the glass screen, but that it is struggling to do so.

Apple has until August to either place orders for chips for Touch ID sensors, abandon the sensor all together, or significantly delay the release of the iPhone 8, according to the reports.

The Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the current iPhone 7 model allows users to unlock their phone by placing their finger on the home button.

But rumours have circulated in recent weeks that Apple was struggling to decide where to put this sensor on the new iPhone 8 - under the front screen with an 'invisible' sensor, or even on the rear.

The new rumor comes days after an analyst suggested that Apple could abandon its Touch ID fingerprint recognition system entirely in favour of a new facial recognition system. Pictured is an image of what the iPhone 8 could look like

There were also rumors earlier this month that Apple plans to replace its Touch ID sensor with a facial recognition system.

Now it appears a third option may be on the table - abandoning an ID sensor entirely.

According to a report published by the investment publication Barron's, Apple has 'just a couple of weeks' to solve the matter of placing a fingerprint sensor under the glass of the next iPhone - or its earnings estimates are at risk.

The report reads: 'We believe it would typically take 12 weeks from placement of fingerprint IC orders to full volume production of iPhones.

'Consequently, if Apple is able to solve its fingerprint problems and place orders for fingerprint ICs before August, it would likely be able to reach volume production in late October or early November.

Pictured is an alleged iPhone 8 leak from the Chinese social media website Weibo, which claims to show photos of the iPhone 8's front and back panel

'We believe this remains Apple's preferred path, and expect it would be acceptable to both consumers and investors.

'It is entirely unclear if Apple will be able to fix the problem in this time frame.'

According to Andy Hargreaves, a KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst who co-authored the report, it's likely that Apple may incorporate a facial recognition system instead, but this 'would not be good, as it might effectively shut out the new phone from things like Apple Pay.'

'We believe Apple's facial recognition solution should work from many angles and in low-light environments', wrote Hargreaves.

'However, it would not work without clear line of sight to the user's face.

'Even if this encompassed just five per cent of login scenarios, it would mean that several times a day the new iPhone would perform worse at an elemental feature than older iPhones, which would risk pushback from consumers.'

Pictured is an alleged iPhone 8 leak from the Chinese social media website Weibo, which claims to show photos of the iPhone 8's front and back panels

In addition, leaks of what the iPhone 8 may look like continue to be shared on social media.

The latest social media leak comes from the Chinese social media website Weibo, which shows a photo claiming to show the glass panel back of the iPhone 8 - with no evidence of a cutout for a Touch ID sensor on the back, as rumors in April suggested.

'Further, we do not believe facial recognition would be initially qualified as an acceptable verification method for Apple Pay.

'While Apple could achieve this over time, the likelihood for an initial lack of Apple Pay could adversely affect demand.'

It's expected that Apple may unveil three iPhone models in September: Two LCD phones with standard 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, with the front face resembling the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and the third being an OLED version.

However, the launch date of the OLED version may trail that of LCD models.
From sub-sea pyramids to hexagonal clouds, scientists and conspiracy theorist alike have drummed up every imaginable scenario over the years to explain the mysterious disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle.

The region, which covers a patch of sea between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, is thought to have claimed dozens of ships and planes in the last century alone, and hundreds of lives.

Now, a scientist in Australia has revealed what he says is the simple explanation behind the phenomena  human error.

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The region, which covers a patch of sea between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda (illustrated), is thought to have claimed dozens of ships and planes in the last century alone, and hundreds of lives

NOAA: THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IS A MYTH US Government agency The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said that foul weather and poor navigation are likely to blame for any mishaps in the area between Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. Dozens of ships and planes have mysteriously vanished in the area. But Noaa said the number of vehicles missing there is no different to elsewhere in the world - and the theory that some mysterious supernatural force is sinking boats and planes is a myth. 'There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean,' the agency stated on its website in February. Advertisement

Speaking to News.com.au, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki reiterated what many experts, including the US Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have insisted over the years.

Rather than being a region where supernatural or even unusual environmental forces may be at play, posing a threat to travelers, he says the Bermuda Triangle is unremarkable in the number of disappearances its seen.

According to Lloyds of London and the US coast guard, the number of planes that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis, Kruszelnicki told News.com.au.

It is close to the equator, near a wealthy part of the world, America, therefore you have a lot of traffic.

Kruszelnicki points to a historic example  the disappearance of the five US TBM Avenger Torpedo Bombers from Flight 19 in 1945, followed by the subsequent disappearance of the seaplane that was sent out to find them.

No evidence of the wreckage or crew have ever been found.

But, despite claims that mysterious circumstances may have been behind this, and other disappearances, Kruszelnicki notes that the radio transcripts from that night show that multiple junior pilots recommended flying toward the west.

The pilot, Lieutenant Charles Taylor, instead flew east.

He also notes that the search plane did not go missing, it was actually seen to blow up.

Rather than being a region where supernatural or even unusual environmental forces may be at play, posing a threat to travellers, the Bermuda Triangle is unremarkable in the number of disappearances its seen. A reward for a yacht that went missing there in 1974 is pictured

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE The Bermuda Triangle is a mythical section of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico where dozens of ships and airplanes have disappeared. Unexplained circumstances surround some of these accidents. Although a range of strange theories have been proposed regarding the Bermuda Triangle, none of them prove that mysterious disappearances occur more frequently there than in other well-traveled sections of the ocean. Many people navigate the area every day without incident. Advertisement

There was one experienced guy, the rest were inexperienced, Kruszelnicki told News.com.au, suggesting the pilot was to blame.

It wasnt fine weather, there were 15 meter waves.

Taylor arrived with a hangover, flew off without a watch, and had a history of getting lost and ditching his plane twice before, he said.

Over the years, scientists around the world have offered similar insight on the disappearances observed in the region, also known as the Devils Triangle.

The US Coast Guard even refers to it as a mythical geographic area.

The Coast Guard does not recognize the existence of the so-called Bermuda Triangle as a geographic area of specific hazard to ships or planes, according to the USCG website.

Kruszelnicki points to a historic example  the disappearance of the five US TBM Avenger Torpedo Bombers from Flight 19 in 1945 (Bomber #48 is pictured), followed by the subsequent disappearance of the seaplane that was sent out to find them

Last year, a team of scientists claimed hexagonal clouds creating air bombs with winds of 170mph could be behind the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. They said the blasts can flip ships into the sea and bring planes crashing down. But, the explanation was later ruled out

In a review of many aircraft and vessel losses in the area over the years, there has been nothing discovered that would indicate that casualties were the result of anything other than physical causes.

No extraordinary factors have ever been identified.

Similarly, the NOAA says the phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle mirrors that in other parts of the world with the same degree of air and sea traffic.

The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when foul weather or poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly place, according to the NOAA.

This is true all over the world. There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean.
Ancient human ancestors that can be traced to populations alive today may have engaged in sexual rendezvous with a ghost species of archaic humans.

In a new analysis of a protein found in saliva, researchers discovered evidence of archaic admixture in modern people living in sub-Saharan Africa, indicating that another species had contributed to the genetic material of their ancestors.

The experts say it appears that interbreeding was common among early hominin species  but, with no fossils of the mysterious species in question, its considered a ghost.

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In a new analysis of a protein found in saliva, researchers discovered evidence of archaic admixture in modern people living in sub-Saharan Africa, indicating that another species had contributed to the genetic material of their ancestors. An artist's impression is pictured

INTERBREEDING OF HUMAN ANCESTORS The team studied the MUC7 gene in more than 2,500 modern human genomes, revealing that a group from Sub-Saharan Africa had a wildly different version than others. Further analysis revealed it was even more different to modern humans than Neanderthal and Denisovan MUC7 genes are. The discovery suggests that ancient human ancestors that can be traced to these populations alive today may have engaged in sexual rendezvous with a ghost species of archaic humans. Advertisement

It seems that interbreeding between different early hominin species is not the exception  its the norm, said Omer Gokcumen, PhD, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University at Buffalos College of Arts and Sciences.

Our research traced the evolution of an important mucin protein called MUC7 that is found in saliva.

When we looked at the history of the gene that codes for the protein, we see the signature of archaic admixture in modern day Sub-Saharan African population.

The researchers were investigating the purpose and origins of the MUC7 protein.

This protein is, in part, responsible for the slimy consistency of saliva, and helps it to bind to microbes.

In turn, this helps keep the body free from disease-causing bacteria.

Previous research had shown that this protein likely served an evolutionary purpose.

While some people contain six copies of genetic instructions in the gene that code for MUC7, others hold just five.

The team studied the MUC7 gene in more than 2,500 modern human genomes, revealing that a group from Sub-Saharan Africa had a wildly different version than others.

The experts say it appears that interbreeding was common among early hominin species  but, with no fossils of the mysterious species in question, its considered a ghost. Illustrations of the human lineage is pictured

Further analysis revealed it was even more different to modern humans than Neanderthal and Denisovan MUC7 genes are.

Based on our analysis, the most plausible explanation for this extreme variation is archaic introgression  the introduction of genetic material from a "ghost" species of ancient hominins, Gokcumen says.

This unknown human relative could be a species that has been discovered, such as a subspecies of Homo erectus, or an undiscovered hominin.

We call it a ghost species because we dont have the fossils.

TIMELINE: THE COMPLEX EVOLUTION OF HUMANKIND 5 million years ago - First primates evolve 15 million years ago - Hominidae (great apes) evolve from the ancestors of the gibbon 8 million years ago - First gorillas evolve. Later, chimp and human lineages diverge 5.5 million years ago - Ardipithecus, early 'proto-human' shares traits with chimps and gorillas 4 million years ago - Australopithecines appeared. They had brains no larger than a chimpanzee's 2.8 million years ago - LD 350-1 appeared and may be the first of the Homo family 2.7 million years ago - Paranthropus, lived in woods and had massive jaws for chewing 2.3 million years ago - Homo habalis first thought to have appeared in Africa 1.85 million years ago - First 'modern' hand emerges 1.8 million years ago - Homo ergaster begins to appear in fossil record 1.6 million years ago - Hand axes become the first major technological innovation 800,000 years ago - Early humans control fire and create hearths. Brain size increases 760,000 years ago - New DNA analysis shows the first Neanderthals emerging 400,000 years ago - Neanderthals begin to spread across Europe and Asia 200,000 years ago - Homo sapiens - modern humans - appear in Africa 40,0000 years ago - Modern humans reach Europe Advertisement

In line with their investigation of the evolutionary role of MUC7, the researchers also found that the protein appears to influence the composition of the oral microbiome, based on an analysis of samples from 130 people.

Different version of the gene, they found, were tied to different oral microbiome compositions.

From what we known of MUC7, it makes sense that people with different versions of the MUC7 gene could have different oral microbiomes, said Stefan Ruhl, DDS, PhD, a professor of oral biology in UBs School of Dental Medicine.

The MUC7 protein is thought the enhance the ability of saliva to bind to microbes, an important task that many help prevent disease by clearing unwanted bacteria or other pathogens from the mouth.
Security experts have increasingly warned of the potential dangers of internet-connected devices  and now, theyve discovered even a fish tank can put you at risk of being hacked.

According to a new report from cybersecurity firm Darktrace, hackers recently tapped into a smart fish tank at a North American casino in efforts to steal data from other areas of the network.

While the breach was eventually detected and squashed, the hackers were first able to send data all the way to a device in Finland, CNN Tech reports.

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According to a new report from cybersecurity firm Darktrace , hackers recently tapped into a smart fish tank at a North American casino in efforts to steal data from other areas of the network. A stock image is pictured

THE 'INTERNET OF THINGS' Although the term Internet of Things (IoT) first appeared in 2005, there is still no widely accepted definition. IoT includes gadgets bought by consumers, as well as products and services designed for businesses to help machines communicate with each other. For example, the term IoT can include the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags businesses place on products in stores to track their inventory, or sensors that monitor electricity use in hotels. For the purposes of the report, the FTC uses the term IoT to refer to devices or sensors - other than computers, smartphones, or tablets - that connect, communicate or transmit information over the web. It is limited to the gadgets sold to, or used by, consumers. Advertisement

In the attack, described in a report published on Thursday, the hackers were able to transfer 10GB of data out of the network.

And, its one of several other bizarre threats that shed light on the vulnerabilities associated with todays devices.

This incident demonstrates the need to have complete visibility of every user and device  including internet-connected fish tanks, the Darktrace team wrote.

The high-tech fish tank was installed as a new attraction, according to the report.

The fish tank could regulate temperature and salinity, and take care of feeding.

But, despite efforts to protect it, the Darktrace technology detected an anomaly shortly after its installation.

By targeting an unconventional device that had recently been introduced into the network, the attack managed to evade the casinos traditional security tools, the report explains.

Darktraces Enterprise Immune System detected the threat because the technology does not make assumptions about where threats will arise.

It detected a subtle anomaly that indicated a much larger threat, and it aided the casino in remediating the vulnerability.

The report comes just days after the FBI warned of the potential for internet-connected toys to gather private data from children.

As such toys may contain parts or capabilities such as microphones, cameras, GPS, data storage and speech recognition, a child may unknowingly disclose personal information such as their name, school, likes and dislikes, and activities.

Parents were told earlier this year to destroy a smart doll named Cayla for these reasons.

Hackers were able to transfer 10GB of data out of the network. This incident demonstrates the need to have complete visibility of every user and device  including internet-connected fish tanks, the Darktrace team wrote in the new report. A stock image is pictured

Researchers say that hackers can use the internet-connected toy to listen and talk to the child playing with it.

The problem was first flagged in December last year, when the US Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint, saying the toys violate the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The FTC complaint said that Genesis, the maker of the doll, does not take 'reasonable security measures' to prevent an unauthorised person from using Bluetooth to connect with the toy.

Experts have also warned that other connected devices in the home, such as smart televisions, refrigerators, and even kettles can spy on owners as well.
In exactly one month, the United States will be treated to its first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in nearly a century, sweeping across the country from Oregon all the way to South Carolina.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated event, a seasoned eclipse chaser whos clocked a total of 35 minutes in the shadow of the moon has shared some expert tips on how to make the most of the rare phenomenon.

From what props you should bring along, to what to look out for in the moments leading up to totality, eclipse enthusiast Michael Aisner has revealed everything you need to know  and he warns youll regret wasting time fidgeting with your camera.

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During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, NASA explains. For this phenomenon to take place, the moon and the sun must be perfectly aligned, allowing the moon to appear as though its the exact size of the sun

WHERE TO SEE THE TOTAL ECLIPSE The path of totality will stretch from Lincoln Beach, Oregon, to Charleston South Carolina. To find out exactly when and where it will be visible, visit NASA's interactive map, and click on a city along the path. Totality will cross the US from west to east, beginning at Lincoln Beach, Oregon, where totality will occur at 10:16 a.m. (PDT). It will the US over roughly an hour and a half, passing through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. It will end near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:48 p.m. (EDT), according to NASA. Advertisement

Aisner, a self-proclaimed space groupie who runs EclipseFreaks.com, has traveled all over the world to glimpse the stunning phenomena, logging 11 total solar eclipses from the US, Mexico, Thailand, Hungary, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Egypt, Siberia, China, Australia, and Indonesia.

His travels have put him in all sorts of interesting situations, from staying in an old sex motel and a 2,000-year-old castle, to dodging fresh elephant tracks, he told Dailymail.com.

The August 21 event will be visible to millions of people as it crosses through 14 states, with the path of totality stretching from Lincoln Beach, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina.

And, many locations not in the 70-mile-wide path of totality will be able to see a partial eclipse, including the rest of North America, and even parts of South America, Africa, and Europe, according to NASA.

If you do happen to be in a region that will experience totality, Aisner told Dailymail.com viewers should plan to get to the centerline.

The difference between 95% and 100% total is a million percent in experience, he wrote in a tip list shared with Dailymail.com.

Aisner suggests looking out for the moment of first contact  when the moon dents the solar disc.Aisner suggests looking out for the moment of first contact  when the moon dents the solar disc. And, he also says you should watch how your shadow changes as the moon moves

In exactly one month, the United States will be treated to its first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in nearly a century, sweeping across the country from Oregon all the way to South Carolina

Centerline is the middle of a 60-mile-wide moon shadow path that crosses the USA at 1,700 miles per hour.

It takes only 90 minutes for it to cross from Oregon to South Carolina. Get to centerline!

Aisner suggests looking out for the moment of first contact  when the moon dents the solar disc.

And, he also says you should watch how your shadow changes as the moon moves across the face of the sun.

Youll need to bring protective glasses, and they must be authorized, he explains.

If you do happen to be in a region that will experience totality, Aisner told Dailymail.com viewers should plan to get to the centerline. Centerline is the red line seen in the shaded path of the maps

PROTECTING YOUR EYES Viewers must also be prepared with the proper gear to protect their eyes during the event. Otherwise, NASA warns, you could severely hurt your eyes The space agency says viewers should be equipped with special specs such as Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17. These are just four that meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard. And, they warn that you should never look at the sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars. According to NASA, eclipse glasses should be put on when the partial eclipse begins, meaning when the sun becomes partially covered by the moon. And, they should remain on for the entirety of the phases leading up to totality. Once the moon has completely blocked out the sun, causing it to suddenly become dark, viewers can then remove the glasses for a short amount of time. This may last just a minute, though, and the glasses will need to be put back on for the final stages of the eclipse. Advertisement

While its been suggested that you can make your own using various items, including old floppy disc media or welder glasses, Aisner says these are just not good enough.

There are four brands that meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard, according to NASA: Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17.

Glasses should be put on for the entirety of the time spent looking at the sun leading up to totality.

Only during totality can you remove them.

This will last anywhere from a few seconds to roughly two minutes, depending on your location.

Aisner, a self-proclaimed space groupie who runs EclipseFreaks.com , has traveled all over the world to glimpse the stunning phenomena, logging 11 total solar eclipses so far. Above, he can be seen during the 2016 eclipse in Indonesia

The August 21 event will be visible to millions of people as it crosses through 14 states, with the path of totality stretching from Lincoln Beach, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina

Centerline is the middle of a 60-mile-wide moon shadow path that crosses the USA at 1,700 miles per hour,' Aisner explains

WHAT 'PROPS' TO BRING Michael Aisner, a self-proclaimed space groupie who runs EclipseFreaks.com, has revealed several props you may want to bring to take the viewing experience to the next level. Along the the protective glasses, which are a necessity for observing the sun, he suggests: -A pasta colander or straw hat 'Theres a phenomenon that turns pinholes into little suns and as the moon encroaches over the sun face, it remarkably projects that image onto a white surface,' Aisner wrote in a tip list shared with Dailymail.com. 'A thatched hat or even crossed fingers will show it too. You can see hundreds of little crescents without protective glasses shown on a white sheet or cardboard.' -Binoculars ' Binoculars on a tripod project a magnified image of the sun,' Aisner wrote. 'You can see sunspots and the moon moving in as it projects onto a white surface.' But, he warns: NEVER look at the sun directly thru binoculars! Advertisement

Then, they should go back on as soon as the sun reappears, Aisner wrote.

While viewers will be tempted to take their cameras out for the moment totality strikes, Aisner stresses that youll most certainly regret doing so.

Instead, he says, prepare ahead of time, so you can leave the camera alone and enjoy the eclipse.

Aisner recommends propping up a phone or tablet and setting up a time-lapse of the changing sky, in lieu of fiddling with a camera at the point of totality.

It will be the fastest few minutes of your entire life, do not waste it messing around with cameras only to get a shot that infinite professionals will get better, Aisner told Dailymail.com.

No matter how much preparation you do ahead of time, theres also another thing to consider that you may have no control over  the weather.

On the day of the eclipse, theres always a chance that it could turn out to be cloudy.

If this happens, and youre unable to get to a clearer viewing spot, Aisner says it doesnt necessarily mean your experience will be ruined.

In my 11 eclipses, Ive only had two in dotted haze or clouds, luckily, Aisner told Dailymail.com.

But, my last eclipse in Indonesia was in checkered clouding.

It takes only 90 minutes for it to cross from Oregon to South Carolina,' according to Aisner. Get to centerline!

The difference between 95% and 100% total is a million percent in experience, he wrote in a tip list shared with Dailymail.com

'So I saw the quarter-of-a-mile-long moon shadow cone sweep overhead, marked by the cloud, and sweep away after.

I watched the cloud change colours, because its literally creating a 360 degree sunset.

If its cloudy, or if its overcast completely, youre still going to get the effect of being dumped down into complete darkness, because there was light directly overhead, Aisner continued.

So its not a total loss. Weather just provides a different kind of eclipse.

Protective glasses should be put on for the entirety of the time spent looking at the sun leading up to totality. Only during totality can you remove them.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN ECLIPSE During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, NASA explains. This reveals the pearly white halo of the suns corona  its outer atmosphere, which is invisible to the naked eye at all other times. For this phenomenon to take place, the moon and the sun must be perfectly aligned, allowing the moon to appear as though its the exact size of the sun. A total eclipse is a dance with three partners: the moon, the sun and Earth, said Richard Vondrak, a lunar scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. It can only happen when there is an exquisite alignment of the moon and the sun in our sky. According to eclipse chaser Michael Aisner, the math of this actually taking place is boggling. The moon is 400 times smaller in diameter than the sun, and the sun is 400 times further away, he explained in an eclipse-viewing tip list shared with Dailymail.com. Bingo  a perfect fit even though the sun is 100 million miles farther away than the moon. Advertisement

Aisner stresses that total solar eclipses are extraordinary events that should never happen, based on the rarity of all the required conditions lining up.

That they do occur makes them all the more remarkable, as we may be the only beings in an infinite universe of them, to actually get to enjoy the experience of a perfect total eclipse like we see it, according to Aisner.

And, theyre unlike any other natural phenomena were used to.

Of all the natural things that happen to us in the world  tornadoes, hurricanes, dust storms, monsoons  most of them are destructive, Aisner told Dailymail.com.

This is the largest, most all-encompassing experience that one can have with some natural phenomenon that is not destructive.
Aviation officials are preparing for today to be the busiest-ever in UK skies.

The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) expect to handle a record-breaking 8,800 flights in and out of the country on Friday, July 21.

And this transfixing footage shows just how hectic that looks on a screen, with planes looping around Britain - the heaviest air traffic concentrated to London's Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.

This transfixing footage shows just how hectic Britain's airspace is, with planes looping around Britain - the heaviest air traffic concentrated to London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted

The landmark spike will be felt across many of the UKs airports as schools close for summer and families embark on seasonal getaways.

It marks a high-point of the country's busiest-ever summer, with 770,000 flights scheduled between June and August - an increase of 40,000 from last year.

Manchester Airport has already reported its busiest May on record and its 38th consecutive month of passenger growth; Cardiff Airport has seen an almost 11 per cent rise in traffic and Luton is recording growth of seven per cent.

Air traffic chiefs, however, are warning that the skies are now nearing full capacity.

New heights: The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) expect to handle a record-breaking 8,800 flights in and out of the country on Friday, July 21

Despite successful handling of flights during record-breaking months, NATS claim the aging design of UK airspace means that growth cannot continue without delays rising significantly.

A UK-wide forecast from the Department for Transport shows that, without modernisation, the flying public will experience 50 times the number of delays, with 8,000 cancellations per year by 2030.

NATS is currently spending in excess of 600m on new technology to help boost capacity, but argues that investment must be complemented by improvements to the UKs network of flight paths and air routes, changes that will require government support.

A shift away from destinations such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia in favour of Spain, Italy and the US has also resulted in major changes in the flows of traffic.

A rise in delays would not only inconvenience passengers, but also damage the wider economy, experts warn.

Supply and demand: Today marks a high-point of the country's busiest-ever summer, with 770,000 flights scheduled between June and August - an increase of 40,000 from last year

A UK-wide forecast from the Department for Transport shows that by 2030 there will be 3,100 days worth of flight delays  50 times the amount seen in 2015, along with 8,000 cancellations a year.

NATS is calling on the government to show support for modernisation in order to provide the capacity needed for the levels of traffic expected over the next decade.

Earlier this year the government consulted on plans to update airspace change policy and is now reviewing the feedback.
She is one of the most well-known plus-size models in the world and a firm advocate of body confidence.

And Ashley Graham practiced what she preached when she posed for a naked photoshoot for LOVE magazine, shot by renowned celebrity photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

The American beauty, 29, looked smoking hot for the snap which saw her saucily cover her modesty as she perched herself on her chair while flashing the camera a seductive glance.

Stunning: Ashley Graham practiced what she preached when she posed for a naked photoshoot for LOVE magazine , shot by renowned celebrity photographer Patrick Demarchelier

The America's Next Top Model judge's raunchy look saw her donning a trench coat - but it was draped off her shoulders and failed to cover her up.

Ashley just about managed to cover her busty assets, while the rest of her curvaceous figure took prominence.

The photogenic star showed off her toned legs as she placed one over the other.

With her smoky eye make-up and and immaculately teased and styled brunette locks, Ashley looked every inch the sex kitten.

Body confident: Ashley - who is married to Justin Ervin - is more than happy to be found in barely nothing and recently took to her Instagram story to show off her buxom body in a slinky leopard print bikini

Sexy style: The star put her killer cleavage on display in the teeny-two piece

Baby got back! The two-piece boasted her beautiful back thanks to the suit's unique tie

Ashley - who is married to Justin Ervin - is more than happy to be found in barely nothing and recently took to her Instagram story to show off her buxom body in a slinky leopard print bikini.

The star put her killer cleavage on display in the teeny-two piece, and boasted her beautiful back thanks to the suit's unique tie.

The day before, Ashley looked red-hot in a strappy bikini that featured a criss-cross design.

The top straps sat sensually off her shoulders, while the waistband wrapped up around her mid-section.

Smokin' hot: The day before, Ashley looked red-hot in a strappy bikini that featured a criss-cross design

Peek-a-boob! The revealing swimsuit showed off Ashley's ample bosom, specifically highlighting her underboob

The revealing swimsuit showed off Ashley's ample bosom, specifically highlighting her underboob.

The star recently launched her new lingerie line and it is her 14th plus-size lingerie line with brand Addition Elle, which is based in Montreal.

The collection - tagged Purple Rain By Ashley Graham - consists of eight designs available in sizes X-3X and 36DD-42G/H and prices range from $30 to $95.

'Im excited to continue the evolution of my lingerie offering with the Addition Elle team,' she said in a statement.

'We have worked together for many seasons now to create desirable lingerie for women of all sizes.'

Business savvy: The star recently launched her new lingerie line and it is her 14th plus-size lingerie line with brand Addition Elle, which is based in Montreal

Ashley has stood out in the model crowd because she has been vocal about being proud of her body.

New issue: Nicole Kidman covers the latest edition of Love magazine

In March the siren won kudos when she talked about feeling good about her shape.

'This confidence is not something that happens overnight. I have been working on it for a long time. I look in the mirror and do affirmations: "You are bold. You are brilliant. You are beautiful."

'If my lower pooch is really popping out that day, I look at it and say, "Pooch, you are cute!"' she said at the Urban Arts Partnership 25th anniversary benefit.

'Words have power, and if you are going to use your words negatively, then that is exactly what is going to happen in your life.

'You can eat a whole bowl of pasta and then you can go and do a lingerie shoot the next day, and I say to myself, What the hell was I thinking? I am just like any other woman and I think I am the fattest woman alive - but it is really about how you handle your situation.'

The new issue of Love magazine is out now.
She made her first foray on to reality TV on vying for the heart of Blake Garvey in 2014.

And Stacey Louise has taken to Instagram to poke fun at the former Bachelor on Friday, while marking the three year anniversary of her first magazine cover.

The 36-year-old, who starred in this year's season of Seven Year Switch with ex Sarge, shared a throwback snap of herself as the cover girl of the now defunct Zoo Weekly.

'Hope that Bachie dude ended up getting his eyes tested!' Reality TV star Stacey Louise has taken to Instagram to poke fun at the former Bachelor on Friday, while marking the three year anniversary of her first magazine cover

Stacey, who joined The Bachelor in 2014, appeared bronzed on the cover, posing suggestively for lads magazine.

Wearing a barely there triangle bra covered with a sheer, off-the-shoulder top and matched with tiny bikini bottoms.

The magazine's headline read: 'The hottest babe from The Bachelor: If he doesn't choose Stacey Louise, he needs his eyes tested.'

The former Bachelor hopeful captioned her post: '3 years ago today I was premiering on The Bachelor.'

Failed romance: The 36-year-old made her first foray on reality TV starring in The Bachelor vying for the heart of Blake Garvey (pictured) against 30 other women.

Blonde bombshell: Stacey, who only made it to the fourth round of the match making reality show, shared an Instagram post show her posing suggestively for the now defunct magazine, Zoo Weekly

She continued: 'Hope that Bachie dude did end up getting his eyes tested after all!!'

Stacey Louise then declared after three years and a season on the couple therapy show: 'I'm jumping back on a plane to Sydney for the beginning of my next adventure!'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Stacey Louise for comment.

Fans of the blonde bombshell liked her cheeky post referring to the Blake Garvey's failed romances with ladies from his season of the romantic reality show.

Poking fun: The former Bachelor hopeful captioned her post: '3 years ago today I was premiering on The Bachelor. Hope that Bachie dude did end up getting his eyes tested after all! she joked referring to Blake

Next chapter: Stacey Louise then declared after three years and a season on the couple therapy show: 'I'm jumping back on a plane to Sydney for the beginning of my next adventure!'

One follower commented: 'Probably lucky he didn't, didn't he turn out to be a total douche.'

Another said: 'It's not the eyes that was the problem, it was the ego...'

She made the return to reality TV on season two of Seven Year Switch earlier this year with her then-boyfriend, Sarge.

Together they underwent switch therapy with another couple, however, it proved to be their undoing of their relationship with the pair splitting at the end of series.
She's one of Strictly's most sizzling sirens.

So it came as no surprise to see Karen Clifton oozed glamour as she supported her friend Camilla Sacre-Dallerup at the launch of her book at Lights of Soho, London, on Thursday.

Turning heads in a plunging white dress, the professional dancer, 35, was a vision of beauty as she posed for snaps at the event.

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Chic: Karen Clifton oozed glamour as she supported her friend Camilla Sacre-Dallerup at the launch of her book at Lights of Soho, London, on Thursday

Cinching in at her slender waist, the summer frock featured a plunging neckline that offered a look at her cleavage and decotellage.

Flaring out to below the knee, Karen's gown also offered a look at her enviably lean legs, whilst she slipped her feet into black barely there heels.

Opting for no accessories, the dancer finished off the look by styling her chestnut locks in a centre parting.

Bit of all white! Turning heads in a plunging white dress, the professional dancer, 35, was a vision of beauty as she posed for snaps at the event

Chest a glimpse! Cinching in at her slender waist, the summer frock featured a plunging neckline that offered a look at her cleavage and decotellage

Brunette beauty: Opting for no accessories, the dancer finished off the look by styling her chestnut locks in a centre parting

Karen wasn't the only member of the Strictly Come Dancing family in attendance, as former contestants Ali Bastian, Danny Mac and his fiancee Carly Stenson also showed their support.

Karen competed in last year's series of Strictly, but made an unexpected exit when her celebrity partner Will Young's quit the competition midway through the fourth week of the live show run.

'I was heartbroken', she revealed on Good Morning Britain. 'He started out with a bang and was the perfect partner.

Woman of the hour: Camilla Sacre-Dallerup dazzled in a stylish crimson jumpsuit as she mingled with her friends at her book launch

Chic: The star's scarlet suit featured cold shoulder detailing and cinched in at her slender waist to highlight her sensational physique

'Ive had some amazing partners in the past, but with Will, dancing came more naturally; all the ingredients were there.

She added that his exit from the show was an emotional time for her, adding: To get that phone call the day after wed danced the salsa was like a slap in the face. I have never cried so much.

Meanwhile, her husband Kevin Clifton also lost out on the trophy when he and partner Louise Redknapp came in joint second with Danny Mac and his professional, Oti Mabuse.

Looking good: Ali Bastian sizzled on the night in an olive vest and black skinny jeans

Looking good: Ali seemed in great spirits as she enjoyed a drink at the event

Despite their annual competition against each other on the nation's TV screens, both Kevin and Karen Clifton recently revealed they were a 'perfect combination'.

Speaking to OK! Magazine, Kevin, 34, said he initially thought his wife would be 'horrible' as she was so beautiful, but in fact she turned out to be the one.

Speaking of when he first met Karen, the Grimsby-born dancer said: 'I have to be honest, when I first saw her I thought she was the hottest girl I'd ever seen.

Return of the Mac: Former Strictly contestant and Hollyoaks star Danny Mac showed up

'But then I thought she would be horrible and have a massive ego.'

However, it seems that the attraction was instant and his first thoughts of Karen were completely unfounded, as Kevin said: 'Then I met her and she is a nutcase and has this stupid sense of humour. It was the perfect combination!

Speaking fondly of his wife, the Strictly favourite added: 'I love that Karen is just an absolute nutcase!
He has undergone a series of dramatic life changes over the past year.

And Karl Stefanovic, 42, is set to speak candidly about his 'dark moments' in an interview with Stellar magazine this week.

The Today Show host appears in a glamorous cover-shoot for the glossy publication, with the front page teasing a tell-all interview with the quote: 'I've had some very dark moments where I've felt ashamed and that I had failed'.

'I've had some very dark moments': Karl has posed in a glamorous cover-shoot for Stellar magazine this week, with the front page teasing a tell-all interview with the Today host

Meanwhile, Karl has recently been filming a self-improvement program, which follows everyday Australians as they undergo dramatic life changes in the space of a year.

'You can make changes. You can do a lot in your life if you commit to it and stay true to it,' he said of the show during the Today Show on Friday.

Loved-up: Karl and his new girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough were spotted looking amorous as they strolled through Sydney's Potts Point this week

'Ultimately these people are trying to make their lives better. I think that starts - that for me starts with every individual person going alright this is how I can improve myself.'

''This is how I can be a better person', That's where it starts with these people,' he added.

Karl himself has had a very turbulent year.

What will he say? It's unclear whether Karl will address his relationship with his blonde girlfriend, 33, in his interview with Stellar

Big changes: In September last year, Karl split from his wife Cassandra Thorburn, 44, after 21 years of marriage

Split: According to The Daily Telegraph , the Today host left Cassandra with $6million in cash and assets plus child support and 'ongoing payments'

In September last year, Karl split from his wife Cassandra Thorburn, 44, after 21 years of marriage.

During their marriage the pair had three children, Jackson, 17, Ava, 12 and River, 10.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the Today host left Cassandra with $6million in cash and assets plus child support and 'ongoing payments'.

The Channel Nine reporter is believed to have met his current girlfriend Jasmine during a yacht party in December, with the pair making their first appearance as a couple at Fashion Week earlier this year.

Last month, the pair enjoyed a relaxing break in Tahiti, where James Packer hosted them on his luxury yacht.
Since finding fame on the first season of Married at First Sight in 2015, Zoe Hendrix has certainly not been shy in documenting her everyday life.

And after welcoming her first child, Harper, in November, with reality show husband Alex Garner, motherhood struggles have been a regular theme on the 27-year-old's Instagram.

Zoe took to the social media site on Wednesday to share a rather intimate photo detailing one of the shortcomings of breastfeeding.

Speaking out: Zoe Hendrix, 27, reveals the not-so-glamorous side of breastfeeding in a revealing snap shared to her Instagram on Wednesday

The picture showed her breasts looking notably lop-sided, with her sarcastically coining the unfortunate circumstance 'one of the joys' of becoming a mother.

Captioning the post she wrote: 'MILK JUGS gone uneven. One of the many joys of breastfeeding.'

But the situation did answer a few questions for the mother-of-one, who admitted to receiving some strange looks while in public during the unfortunate occurrence.

Sharing the struggle: In her post on Wednesday, Zoe revealed how breastfeeding had left her breasts uneven (picture with daughter, Harper)

'I wondered why I got a few stares at the pool that day. Awkward!,' she added.

Notoriously open about her life as a new mother, she has been known to spread awareness for issues faced by parents that weren't regularly spoken about.

A strong advocate for normalising such happenings, she added the hashtag '#normalisebreastfeeding' along with ''#mymilkshake #bringsallthebabiestotheyard'.

Struggle is real! In sharing the intimate photo, the mother hoped to normalise breastfeeding and the shortcomings that come with along with it

Many followers were quick to express their gratitude for the post, empathising with the mother through shared experiences.

'I love how real your posts are. Babies always have a favourite side. I remember when I eventually stopped breast feeding. The smaller went back to an a cup whilst the popular side engorged to a DD. what the hell. Definitely not a good look lol,' one fan wrote.

Showing she was able to see the funny side, Zoe added in laughing emoji over the photo, along with an image of a baby bottle.
Dunkirk (12A) Verdict: Unmissable

Rating:

There havent been many good films about the mass evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in the early summer of 1940. Thats because there havent been many films featuring Dunkirk, period.

Strangely, two of the most notable were made in the same year, with World War II still raging. William Wylers Oscars-festooned Mrs Miniver, and David Leans In Which We Serve, both came out in 1942.

Later, the 1958 film Dunkirk, directed by Barry Normans father Leslie, despite much stiffness of upper lip from the likes of John Mills, made a pretty decent fist of showing why Churchill called the events of May 26 to June 4, 1940, a colossal military disaster.

The picture begins, dramatically, with a young soldier, Tommy (Fionn Whitehead, pictured), running from German gunfire through the streets of the small French seaside town

And that, of course, is why not too many movies have been made about it. By contrast, D-Day and its aftermath, four years later, has received oodles of cinematic attention. But that was an advance. Dunkirk was just about the definitive retreat.

So writer-director Christopher Nolan deserves great credit for tackling it again now, so unambiguously. His unconventional, but gripping, film might not collect as many Academy Awards as Wylers Mrs Miniver (six), but it is a mighty accomplishment, all the same.

Its main achievement, contrary to some over-excited reports, is not to offer proof that the One Direction boy-band star Harry Styles, making his screen debut, can really act.

Rather, it is to show, much more vividly than Normans 1958 film, why a French place-name that is synonymous with British stoicism (read enough reports of townsfolk battling against rising floodwaters, for example, and it wont be too long before you come across the evocative phrase Dunkirk spirit) more accurately reflects Churchills grave assessment.

The new Prime Ministers famous bulldog exhortation to fight on the beaches, in the fields and in the streets was delivered in response to Dunkirk. But the same speech included the declaration that wars are not won by evacuations.

Nolan uses that line as his mantra. From the films first frame to its last, there is never any doubt that we are witnessing a catastrophe. After all, some 338,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force got home, but around 68,000 were lost.

The picture begins, dramatically, with a young soldier, Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), running from German gunfire through the streets of the small French seaside town.

His arrival on the beach yields a breathtaking sight, for him and us alike. Tens of thousands of men are lined up, almost as far as the eye can see, waiting to climb into boats that have yet to arrive. And there are German bombers overhead.

My tear ducts were also pricked when Kenneth Branaghs naval commander first spots salvation in the form of all those fishing-boats and pleasure craft

Tommy hooks up with a French soldier and together they carry a wounded man on a stretcher towards the sea, not so much to save his skin as theirs. Indeed, one of the reasons this film is so moving is not so much its doughty heroism (though there is plenty of it, not least from Mark Rylance as Mr Dawson, one of many civilian skippers who took their boats to help with the evacuation), but more its powerful depiction of an intense will to live, against seemingly insuperable odds.

Of course, survival instincts sometimes look like the very opposite of bravery. Cillian Murphy plays a shellshocked soldier, saved from the sea by Mr Dawson, who cannot bear to return to Dunkirk. However, we are encouraged not to judge him, even when he does something with terrible consequences.

I was moved to tears twice, once when an elderly blind man, back in Blighty, welcomes home the bedraggled returning soldiers by telling them well done. But all they did, one of them responds, was survive. Thats enough, says the old man.

My tear ducts were also pricked when Kenneth Branaghs naval commander first spots salvation in the form of all those fishing-boats and pleasure craft. Yet the film does not feel manipulative. Nolan could have made more of his opening shot of the rescuing flotilla. It could have been breathtaking; thousands of boats bobbing all the way to the horizon. But he keeps it real, with a suitably motley, but relatively small, advance fleet.

Astutely, Nolan also offers us a series of small, personal dramas rather than any overall narrative thread, which I suppose is precisely what war is.

So there are no scenes with Churchill and his top brass back in Whitehall trying to orchestrate what was known, somewhat grandiosely for a seat-of-the-pants exercise, as Operation Dynamo. Nolan is far more intent on evoking the frantic chaos of that momentous week.

There is a strong sense, which even the best war films sometimes fail to convey, of nobody quite knowing whats going to happen next. The director communicates this, rather daringly considering his heavyweight cast, by keeping dialogue to a minimum. Hans Zimmers thrillingly thunderous score, and Hoyte van Hoytemas rousing cinematography, tell the story just as eloquently as any words. At times, there is an almost documentary realism to proceedings, which wont please everyone, but held me spellbound.

Cillian Murphy plays a shellshocked soldier (standing), saved from the sea by Mr Dawson, who cannot bear to return to Dunkirk

The film is presented from three perspectives  from land, sea and air  each within a different time frame. The fate of Tommy and a few other desperate soldiers unfolds over a week. Another is played, splendidly, by Styles, who reportedly auditioned without Nolan having the slightest idea who he was, but whose presence should tempt youngsters in to see this film. Lets hope so. Perhaps theyll even realise one direction has a much more solemn meaning when applied to Dunkirk.

Meanwhile, the sea rescue takes place over a day and a night. And the bravery of a Spitfire pilot (Tom Hardy, who gets all of about ten lines, nine of them muffled) is condensed to an hour.

The film is not without flaws; for all its period accuracy, some of the buildings in Dunkirk looked suspiciously post-war, and Im pretty sure I spotted a TV aerial jutting off one of them. I can also imagine some audiences feeling frustrated by the lack of clear narrative momentum.

But, like Nolans last feature, 2014s Interstellar, this is a dazzling spectacle that demands to be seen on the silver screen. Nolan shot it using IMAX 65mm film, which is rare these days, but gives his picture the visual scope of old-fashioned epics such as Ben-Hur.

Dunkirk, too, is indubitably epic. Dont miss it.
She's been busy promoting her new action film Atomic Blonde.

And Charlize Theron, 42, continued her tour with a stop at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday. The blonde beauty kept things classy in an all-black ensemble that showed off her slim figure.

And she was more than game when she was asked to do the Dance Battle with the host.

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Beauty: Charlize Theron, 42, continued her Atomic Blonde promotional tour with a stop at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday

Move it: Theron was asked to dance to Eighties music during a Dance Battle

Theron was asked to dance to Eighties music and first up she needed to dance to Slap The Giraffe.

Theron shimmied her legs then slapped up into the air. She got quite animated and strutted back to Fallon like she was proud.

Fallon did Where's My Phone and he acted it out by touching his chest and pants pockets. Then he went into full attack before he found his found his phone and took a call.

Next the blonde got The Tennis Pro which she acted out by bouncing a ball and doing an overbite while hitting a ball.

Odd: First up she needed to dance to Slap The Giraffe. Theron shimmied her legs then slapped up into the air

Love all: Next the blonde got The Tennis Pro which she acted out by bouncing a ball and doing an overbite while hitting a ball

Then came the Double Kayak dance with Fallon where both got on the floor.

She opted for super skinny black jeans that zipped at the ankles, which she paired with sky-high black pumps that helped accentuate her long legs.

Her foot tattoo was on display thanks to a pair of classic black stilettos.

The South African beauty paired the flattering pants with a black blouse that came up high around her neck.

It featured three quarter length sleeves and the screen siren tucked it into her jeans the further accentuate her flawless silhouette.

Slimming! She opted for super skinny black jeans that zipped at the ankles, which she paired with sky-high black pumps that helped accentuate her long legs

The blonde beauty kept things classy in th all-black ensemble that showed off her slim figure

Charlize stars in the action-packed thriller Atomic Blonde as a top-level MI6 spy who is sent to Berlin to investigate the killing of an undercover agent by a ruthless espionage ring.

She acts alongside James McAvoy, who plays the Berlin station chief she's ordered to collaborate with in the film set in 1989 just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

She shares a steamy moment with co-star Sofia Boutella, who plays a French spy, and told Extra that they found the scene easy to choreograph.

Gorgeous! The South African beauty paired the flattering pants with a black blouse that came up high around her neck

Charlize told them: 'With Sofia, it was easy just because were both dancers and you have to choreograph those scenes quite a bit. Otherwise, they just become silly. There is a technical aspect to it, so with her it was really easy because she thinks like me because we're dancers.

'We shot that scene in, like, 45 minutes and with the guys, they're not dancers, so, it takes a bit more work. I enjoy both -- yes!

'Doing a love scene with guys is different, but I enjoy both.'

The actress has been promoting the film all over the country before its July 28 release

'We always wanted to raise the bar a little, but with the action, we wanted it to still feel that a woman could do all of that stuff - that was important for me as a woman, I wanted it to feel authentic, so no one can say a woman can't do that,' she told them.

'I'm going to be 42 in August, very proud to say, ladies.,' she added.

However, Charlize admitted the scenes took their toll on her body and she managed to chip two of her teeth during fight training.

'I went through the first two surgeries before we started the film, and then I wrapped the movie and had another two surgeries and I still have one more,' she revealed.

Clowning around: The pair had a great conversation full of laughter

The mother-of-two said her two harshest critics are her two children, Jackson, six, and 23-month-old August.

She told Extra: 'They don't think I'm cool at all! I was singing in the car the other day and Jackson was like, "Mom, can you not sing, please? Stop doing that."'

Cold War era film Atomic Blonde is directed by David Leitch and is scheduled for release on July 28.
Will Poulter is on a day off from filming with Charlotte Rampling and Ruth Wilson, who play his mother and sister in The Little Stranger, a haunted house kind of thriller.

Poulter's enjoying working with director Lenny Abrahamson and leading man Domhnall Gleeson on the picture, which is based on a novel by Sarah Waters, and is currently being filmed at various locations around the country.

And if the end result is as chilling as the book, then this time next year we'll all be jumping out of our skin.

Next week Will Poulter (pictured) is heading over to Michigan for the world premiere of Kathryn Bigelow's heart-stopping film Detroit, that looks at the riots that engulfed that city almost 50 years ago to the day

Next week, though, Poulter is heading over to Michigan for the world premiere of Kathryn Bigelow's heart-stopping film Detroit, that looks at the riots that engulfed that city almost 50 years ago to the day.

Detroit explores what is really a festering sore. During the civil unrest, police and the National Guard were called to the Algiers Motel, from where they believed a sniper was shooting at them.

By the time they left, several hours later, three black youths had been shot dead, and several other men  all black  and two white women had been badly beaten.

Detroit explores what is a festering sore. During the civil unrest, police and the National Guard were called to the Algiers Motel, from where they believed a sniper was shooting at them

I'm not going to go into details of what was done to them because Detroit opens here quite soon  August 25, in fact.

(Coincidentally, it's interesting that two of the year's best films so far  I'm also thinking of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk  are opening in July and August  normally the preserve of summer blockbusters.)

Poulter, who grew up in Chiswick, West London, plays Philip Krauss, a composite of the various policemen present at the Algiers on July 25, 1967.

When we met at the Union Club in Soho, I told Poulter that, after seeing the film, I hated his character.

Poulter, who grew up in Chiswick, West London, plays Philip Krauss, a composite of the various policemen present at the Algiers on July 25, 1967. When we met at the Union Club in Soho, I told Poulter that, after seeing the film, I hated his character

So why, I wondered, am I not interviewing John Boyega, who is good as a private security guard caught up in the incident?

'There's absolutely no one who will empathise with my character, and I understand that,' Poulter agreed.

To answer my own question, I wanted to talk to Poulter because, as uncomfortable as it is to watch, his is one of the towering performances of the year .

There's a moment when Krauss is back at the police station, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and the look of utter contempt on his face  for everyone  is terrifying.

Will told me he didn't meet any men he was portraying, and he was grateful for it. The scenes in the picture were so brutal he and his fellow cast members came to a collective resolve

Will told me he didn't meet any of the men he was portraying . . . and he was grateful for that. The scenes in the picture were so brutal that he and his fellow cast members came to a collective resolve.

'We made a decision, as a group, that in order to achieve the most difficult, emotionally trying things, we needed to base that on foundations of trust and genuine friendship.

'In some senses that makes it hard, because I was inflicting these things on people that I loved, and was socialising with off set. To do it in any other way, though, would have been kind of dangerous.

Kids in Love (2016): Starring Cara Delevingne as Viola (centre), Will Poulter as Jack (left) and Alma Jodorowsky as Evelyn (right)

'Because unless you can trust the person opposite you, then you can't go to the extremes we went to.'

As difficult as he found the process, he said it was nothing compared with what his fellow actors endured . . . and in no way comparable to the horrors suffered by those in the line of police rage and fire in the Algiers Motel that fateful night.

The saddest thing in the world though, is that although great strides have been made in race relations, not a lot has really changed.
She recently released her first book detailing her 11 years with Prince.

And in The Most Beautiful: My Life With Prince, Mayte Garcia describes meeting the late star as a teenager and entering a sexual relationship with him from 19.

The 43-year-old spoke with KIIS FM's The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Friday and opened up about losing her virginity to one of the world's biggest pop music icons.

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Reflections: in The Most Beautiful: My Life With Prince, Mayte Garcia describes meeting the late star as a teenager and entering a sexual relationship with him from 19

Co-host Kyle Sandilands asked the dancer and choreographer, who had a 15-year age difference with Prince, what it was like having sex with him for the first time.

'Here's the thing: he had a really great way of making you forget who he was,' she explained.

'I was a virgin. So not to get too detailed, but I was more worried about that than who he was,' she laughed.

'Here's the thing: he had a really great way of making you forget who he was,' she explained

Kyle added he heard the late musician, whom she married in 1996 when she was 22, was 'an exceptional lover'.

'I have no negative comments about him at all,' she replied.

Co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson asked her about meeting Prince for the first time when she was 16, at a concert with her parents.

'I was a virgin. So not to get too detailed, but I was more worried about that than who he was,' she laughed

'My parents were like, if you get to dance with him, you can add that to your resume of people you've danced for,' she explained.

'I didn't think I was going to work for him, I just thought I was going to dance for him,' she continued.

She explained how during the filming of the '7' video in 1992 there was a 'switch' that happened between them that turned their working relationship into a romance.

'I didn't think I was going to work for him, I just thought I was going to dance for him,' she continued

'I realised early enough I kind of liked him, but I didn't ever want to have my heart ruin my career,' she explained.

'I was very level-headed with that. It just happened and it was beautiful and respectful and an experience I'll die smiling and knowing about,' she added.

After their divorce, Mayte had a two-year relationship with drummer Tommy Lee, but said time and time again in interviews that she would always love her ex-husband.

'To make that plunge and get married again, I haven't done that yet,' she offered.
The late Michael Jackson's only daughter Paris flashed a peace sign while out and about on the bustling Manhattan streets on Thursday.

The 19-year-old IMG Model - who relies on stylist Sonia Young - flaunted her eccentric hippie style in tie-dye drawstring baggy pants, brown sandals, and a Baja-striped backpack.

The I Dare You video vixen also rocked groovy $290 Sunday Somewhere 'Yetti' rainbow sunglasses and a T-shirt for the seventies funk band Parliament.

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Born in the wrong decade? The late Michael Jackson's only daughter Paris flashed a peace sign while out and about on the bustling Manhattan streets on Thursday

Retro: The 19-year-old IMG Model - who relies on stylist Sonia Young - flaunted her eccentric hippie style in tie-dye drawstring baggy pants, brown sandals, and a Baja-striped backpack

'Rep!' The I Dare You video vixen also rocked $290 Sunday Somewhere 'Yetti' rainbow sunglasses and a T-shirt for the seventies funk band Parliament

It's hard to believe that just a little over a year ago Paris had zero tattoos and a Hot Topic-heavy punk style she adopted (then promptly dumped) from her 26-year-old drummer ex-boyfriend Michael Snoddy.

On Wednesday, Jackson fell in 'love' with a grey NASA-patched bomber with red lining that she thought 'kinda looks like a space suit.'

The homeschooled millennial - who boasts over 3M social media followers - tweeted: 'I may be a model now but 7 yr old me that dreamed of being an astronaut is [excited].'

The sober, meditation-loving teenager didn't get a whole lot of sleep after gallivanting with her Big Apple pals all Wednesday evening.

'What pure joy looks like': It's hard to believe that a year ago Paris had zero tattoos and a Hot Topic-heavy punk style she adopted (then dumped) from her ex Michael Snoddy

Pleased with her purchase: On Wednesday, Jackson fell in 'love' with a grey NASA-patched bomber with red lining that she thought 'kinda looks like a space suit'

The homeschooled millennial - who boasts over 3M social media followers - tweeted: 'I may be a model now but 7 yr old me that dreamed of being an astronaut is [excited]'

'Well the suns starting to rise and we have to be up in a few hours anyway to get to work on time. wanna just bike 7 miles to central park?' Paris tweeted at 3am.

Aside from her godfather Macaulay Culkin, Jackson has been hanging out with her fellow nepotistically-privileged pal, Prudence Brando.

The 21-year-old Palisades Charter High School grad happens to be the granddaughter of two-time Oscar winner Marlon Brando.

Underage: The sober, meditation-loving teenager didn't get a whole lot of sleep after gallivanting with her Big Apple pals all Wednesday evening

Paris tweeted at 3am: 'Well the suns starting to rise and we have to be up in a few hours anyway to get to work on time. wanna just bike 7 miles to central park?'

PDA: Aside from her godfather Macaulay Culkin, Jackson has been hanging out with her fellow nepotistically-privileged pal, Prudence Brando (L)

'Concrete jungle': The 21-year-old Palisades Charter High School grad happens to be the granddaughter of two-time Oscar winner Marlon Brando

Paris managed to score two nominations, including Choice Female Hottie, at the fan-voted Teen Choice Awards, which air live August 13 on Fox.

The 5ft9in stunner faces heavy competition for the Choice Model trophy against her real-life pal Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Winnie Harlow, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Baldwin.

Back in May, Jackson landed her first major seven-figure fashion campaign fronting Calvin Klein.

Dolled up: Paris managed to score two nominations, including Choice Female Hottie, at the fan-voted Teen Choice Awards, which air live August 13 on Fox

Who will win? The 5ft9in stunner faces heavy competition for the Choice Model trophy against her real-life pal Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Winnie Harlow, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Baldwin

The privileged heiress hardly needs the money with the $8M she receives annually from her estimated $100M inheritance as well as additional bonuses at ages 33 and 40 - according to Page Six.

The Star actress will next have 'one scene' as an edgy 20-year-old called Nelly in Nash Edgerton's feature directorial debut Gringo, which begins streaming March 9 on Amazon.

Meanwhile, it's unclear when the bisexual socialite last visited her mother, dermatology nurse Debbie Rowe, who's been battling breast cancer.

Meteoric career rise: Back in May, Jackson landed her first major seven-figure fashion campaign fronting Calvin Klein
She was the model who claimed she had her drink spiked at a party hosted by Canadian pop star Justin Bieber in 2015.

And after also making headlines in March for posing with white powder, New Zealand model Bailey Scarlett appears to have brushed off the scandals.

The busty beauty, 20, is believed to be enjoying a holiday in Phuket, Thailand, posting numerous shots in scantily-clad swimwear on Thursday.

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That's cheeky! Model Bailey Scarlett flashes pert derriere in tiny g-string bikini in Thailand on Thursday... putting her 'white powder' scandal behind her

Posing on a beachside lounger, she showed off her pert derriere in a white g-string bikini.

The social media sensation struck a seductive pose for the photos, which were praised by her Instagram followers in the comments.

She paired the revealing bottoms with an off-the-shoulder long-sleeve crop top.

A bit of all-white! The social media sensation struck a seductive pose for the photos, which were praised by her Instagram followers in the comments

On Tuesday, she looked relaxed as she flaunted her ample assets in a skimpy orange two piece while on holiday.

Leaning to one side with a hand behind her, the brunette stunner showcased her enviable curves and taut tummy.

The model tucked one leg tucked beneath the other and angled her body so her long, lean legs were on full display.

Bright future! Model Bailey Scarlett flaunts enviable curves in orange bikini while holidaying in Thailand... Putting her 'white powder' scandal far behind her

Wearing her long brown hair straight, Bailey opted for a nude lip and lashing of dark eyeliner.

The stunner is no stranger to sharing snaps of herself in swimwear with her 43k Instagram followers.

She last enjoyed a holiday in Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, in April this year and treated fans to an array of images of her in tiny swimwear.

Seaside stunner: Bailey last enjoyed a holiday in Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, in April this year and treated fans to an array of images of her in tiny swimwear

Her favourite style of swimwear on the sun and sea-filled holiday seemed to be thong bikinis.

She showed off her pert derriere in a black and a white coloured version of the style.

Bailey first came into the spotlight in 2015, when she wrote a lengthy Facebook post alleging she had been been given drugs at a party hosted by Justin Bieber while he was touring Australia.

Monochrome magic: Her favourite style of swimwear on the sun and sea-filled holiday seemed to be thong bikinis, she showed off her pert derriere in a black and a white version

She later gave a tearful interview to A Current Affair in which she claimed to have 'never done drugs before in (her) life'.

'I am 99.9 per cent sure that there was something in my drink... I wouldn't let my name be thrown across the mud,' she previously told host Tracy Grimshaw.

Ginger Studios producer Jimi Wyatt told TMZ video footage from the night in question does not show Scarlett's drink had been tampered with during her appearance at the party.

Since the incident, the model has deleted the posts she made on Facebook - following a backlash from disbelieving fans of Bieber.

In April, Bailey shared a video to her Instagram Story early on a Saturday morning, showing a line of white substance on a coffee table.

But in a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Bailey said it was simply 'washing powder'.
She's known for flashing her pearly whites in loved-up snaps with her beau, Lee Elliot.

But there was no smile on Georgia Love's dial when she stepped out in Melbourne on Friday.

Dressed in head-to-toe black, the 28-year-old looked polished and slick in a photo shared to her Instagram.

Watch out Melbourne! Georgia Love, 28, was looking extra sleek in a photo uploaded to her Instagram on Friday

Georgia was snapped mid-stride, sporting a notably sassy expression as she held a coffee in her hand.

She revealed her outfit had been completely sourced from Country Road and joked at how 'typical Melbourne' her photo was.

'Zero points for guessing what city I'm in,' she wrote alongside the saucy snap.

No smiles here! Dressed in head-to-toe black, Georgia sported a notably sterner expression in the picture shared on Friday

Her extra long black coat was left open to expose what appeared to be a high-necked knitted sweater worn over a dress.

She paired the ensemble with a matching pair of leather heel boots and also carried a black purse slung over her shoulder.

The former Bachelorette styled her caramel locks sleek and straight and opted for dark red nail polish on her fingernails.

Woman in black! Her extra long black coat was left open to expose what appeared to be a high-necked knitted sweater worn over a dress

Georgia joked about her choice of beverage for the morning, saying 'drinking almond latte because #MALBUN'.

Staying true to her Instagram style, she also added a series of quirky hashtags to the caption and even paid tribute to her hunky boyfriend.

'#sahmelbourne #blackonblackonblack'.

'#onfridayswewearblack#ilikemycoffeelikeilikemymen #hotandstrong,' she wrote.

Signature uploader: She added a series of quirky hashtags to the caption and even paid tribute to her hunky boyfriend, '#ilikemycoffeelikeilikemymen #hotandstrong'

It seems the beauty's relationship with Lee is going strong with the couple enjoying a a date night at the cinema on Wednesday.

The two went to see Harry Styles' new flick Dunkirk and Georgia later shared an picture of the two smiling outside the movie to her Instagram.

The couple, who fell in love on The Bachelorette last year, celebrated their one-year anniversary last month.
The comedian shared an awkward, but polite, chat with his former high school teacher crush on KIIS FM's Hughsey and Kate show on Wednesday.

And now co-host Kate Langbroek has shared a class photo of Dave Hughes and his crush Miss Dalton.

Posting the black and white picture to Instagram on Friday, Dave could be seen in his white school uniform button-up with a tie with the rest of his grade.

Flashback! Pictures reveal a young Dave Hughes with his high school teacher crush... after revealing he once drunk dialed her to profess his love

Throwback: Posting the black and white picture to Instagram on Friday, Dave could be seen in his white school uniform button-up with a tie with the rest of his grade, while the teacher appeared to have curly locks

On Wednesday morning, Dave told Today Extra he had been in love with single mum teacher when he was in year 10.

The teacher, who has since married and believed to have changed her surname, appeared to have curly locks in the picture.

The post read: 'We've tracked down this picture of a young @dhughesy and his school crush, teacher Miss Dalton.'

The revelation of a high school crush came back to haunt Dave, with co-host Kate inviting the comedian's former teacher on to their show.

Earlier that day on Today Extra, Dave had recounted how he once drunk dialed Miss Dalton aged 20 to profess his love, only to discover 'she wasn't into me'.

'I'm standing here blushing!' Kate Langbroek surprises Dave Hughes with phone call from high school teacher crush

'I thought that my Saturday morning job pushing the trolleys at Woolies would be able to help out financially,' he explained.

'It never happened and I thought it was maybe because I was a student.

'So I rang her when I was about 20, drunk one night, and apparently it wasn't the fact that I was a student, it was the fact that she wasn't into me.'

Puppy love: On Wednesday morning, Dave told Today Extra he had been in love with single mum teacher Miss Dalton when he was in year 10

'I've got your teacher, Miss Dalton': After seeing Dave's interview that morning, Kate planned a surprise guest for their drive show

After watching Dave's interview that morning, Kate planned a surprise guest for their drive show.

'I've got your teacher, Miss Dalton,' she revealed, much to the shock of Dave.

After some polite but awkward hellos, Dave asked his former teacher whether she minded him bringing her up.

Blast from the past: After some polite but awkward hellos, Dave asked his former teacher whether she minded him bringing her up

'I'm standing here blushing but otherwise I am OK,' Miss Dalton said.

The teacher, who has since married, still remembered the phone call which according to Dave went for 'at least 30 minutes'.

'If I do recall correctly you had just won a grand final or been to a grand final,' Miss Dalton said.

'We discussed that it wasn't quite appropriate for teachers and ex-students to hook up, didn't we?'

Despite her rejection of the comedian, Miss Dalton told Kate she had nothing but fond memories of Dave as a student.

'He was lovely Kate - he was a lovely student and very bright,' she said.
The 2015 reboot of the Fantastic Four movie was a spectacular flop for Fox.

But the studio isn't giving up on trying to find a way to leverage the Marvel Comic for further gain.

On Thursday at Comic-Con in San Diego, writer and producer Noah Hawley who is behind FX series Legion, revealed he's developing a Doctor Doom feature.

New project: On Thursday at Comic-Con in San Diego, writer and producer Noah Hawley who is behind FX series Legion, revealed he's developing a Doctor Doom feature

The Hollywood Reporter said Hawley is working on the movie with an eye to directing it himself.

Doctor Doom is the alter ego of Victor Von Doom, a scientific genius who is badly disfigured in an industrial accident and dons a mask to hide his disfigurement.

The villain's main opponents are The Fantastic Four although he does have encounters in the Marvel Comics universe with Iron Man and The Avengers.

Since Fox have the rights to the Fantastic Four characters, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they're now working on making the Doom character a standalone centerpiece.

Fantastic Four villain: Doctor Doom is the alter ego of Victor Von Doom, a scientific genius who is badly disfigured in an industrial accident and dons a mask to hide his disfigurement

Incarnated: Doom was played on screen in 2005's Fantastic Four movie by Julian McMahon, left, and in the 2015 reboot by Tony Kebbell, right

In 2005, Julian McMahon portrayed Victor Von Doom on screen in Fox's Fantastic Four starring Ioan Gruffud as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Susan Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm.

The cast reprised their roles for Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer in 207.

In 2015, Fox attempted to reboot the franchise with another Fantastic Four film starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell. In that incarnation, Von Doom was played by Tony Kebbell.

The movie bombed.
She's the former Bachelor star whose son Elijah, six, shockingly knocked out his two front teeth on Friday.

And Alex Nation has shared an update on Elijah revealing he has been given the 'all clear' by dentists and that he will have 'massive' adult teeth 'just like his mum's.'

Alex shared a series of photos and video to her Instagram story on Friday that showed Elijah sitting patiently in the chair as a dentist worked furiously to fix poor Elijah's mouth.

Close call: After her son Elijah knocked out his two front teeth, Alex Nation has shared an update on Elijah revealing he has been given the 'all clear' by dentists and that he will have 'massive' adult teeth 'just like his mum's.'

Ever the trooper, as work was performed on his teeth, Elijah gave his mum a hearty 'thumbs up' as Alex filmed the procedure.

A photo, that showed a bird's eye view of the procedure was captioned with: 'little man got the all clear and we learnt his adult teeth are going to be massive like his mum's.

A third photo showed a proud and unbowed looking Elijah grinning widely sans his two front teeth with Alex captioning the post 'toothless' with a love heart emoji,

All clear: Alex shared a series of photos and video to her Instagram story on Friday that showed Elijah sitting patiently in the chair as a dentist worked furiously to fix poor Elijah's mouth

Soldiering on: Ever the trooper, as work was performed on his teeth, Elijah gave his mum a hearty 'thumbs up' as Alex filmed the procedure

The former Bachelor star regularly posts adorable pictures of her six-year-old son Elijah on Instagram.

After an unfortunate incident within her car, the single mother shared a bloody-faced image of Elijah after the unfortunate accident.

The gruesome upload showed the child opening his mouth to reveal both front teeth gone, while his mouth and lips were soaked in blood.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Alex Nation posts gruesome picture of son Elijah's bloody face after knocking out his front teeth during face plant on Friday

Alex, who is dating Bachelor Richie Strahan, described what had happened in her caption: 'Muck around in Mums car and face plant into the centre console.'

She added: 'That's one way to get the tooth fairy to come to you..'

Poking fun at the situation, she used the hashtags: '#wasworth20bucks #toothfairyisbroke #notsureifazombie.'

Doting mother: The reality star usually posts adorable pictures of her six-year-old son Elijah on Instagram (Pictured with beau Richie Strahan)

'That's one way to get the tooth fairy to come': Alex revealed Elijah had knocked out his front teeth after face planting into her car's centre console about mucking around

Her followers were shocked and concerned by the image.

One user wrote, 'Why would you upload that? We don't need to see that, you ruined my morning breakfast', while others were quick to inquire about the wellbeing of the child.

'Omg Alex!! Is he ok?! Bless him', 'Oh god must've been painful' and 'Holy moly! Poor boy,' read the comments.

'Why would you upload that? We don't need to see that': Alex's followers were shocked and concerned by the bloody image, asking whether her son was OK

Off to the dentist! Alex claimed Elijah 'was very brave' and would be going to the dentist on Friday afternoon to get a checkup

Responding to her concerned fans, Alex claimed Elijah 'was very brave' and would be going to the dentist on Friday afternoon to get a checkup.

'I promise it's much better now! I've cleaned him up,' she pleaded in response to one user.

'He's 100% barely a tear! He's not happy about having lost his two front teeth though and says it's tricky to eat now', and 'he was very brace, he's just stoked the tooth fairy cashed him up' were other comments made on the thread by the reality star.

Alex became a mother while still a teenager, giving birth to her son at the age of 19.
Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka exchanged coy smiles at the Manhattan premiere of his new Netflix series Ozark on Thursday.

The New York-born couple - both 48 - coordinated in not-so-basic black ensembles after recently celebrating an impressive 16 years of marriage on July 3.

Amanda happens to be the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Canadian crooner Paul Anka, and she hasn't had an acting gig since a 2014 episode of Freeform's The Fosters.

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Hot date! Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka exchanged coy smiles at the Manhattan premiere of his new Netflix series Ozark on Thursday

Match: The New York-born couple - both 48 - coordinated in not-so-basic black ensembles after recently celebrating an impressive 16 years of marriage on July 3

Retired? Amanda happens to be the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Canadian crooner Paul Anka, and she hasn't had an acting gig since a 2014 episode of Freeform's The Fosters

Anka and Bateman were enjoying a rare date night without the company of their two adorable daughters - Francesca, 10; and Maple, 5.

Not only did the Golden Globe winner executive produce and direct four of the 10 episodes of the Midwestern crime drama - which starts streaming Friday - he also starred as money launderer Marty Byrde.

Joining Jason at Metrograph were his blonde, red-lipped castmates Julia Garner and Laura Linney.

The three-time Oscar nominee easily defied her 53 years in a sophisticated black tuxedo over a sheer tank top and stilettos.

Princesses: Anka and Bateman were enjoying a rare date night without the company of their two adorable daughters - Francesca, 10; and Maple, 5 (pictured in 2015)

Starts streaming Friday! Not only did the Golden Globe winner produce and direct four of the 10 episodes of the Midwestern crime drama, he also starred as money launderer Marty Byrde

The Dinner actress - who plays Marty's cheating wife Wendy - also sported lashes, a sleek side-parted updo, and diamond earrings for the glitzy red carpet event.

The curly-haired 23-year-old - who plays Ruth Langmore - donned a green-and-blue plaid dress, a black bejewled head scarf, and matching Mary Janes.

Also at the Ozark screening were the talented trio's co-stars Sofia Hublitz and Skylar Gaertner (who plays Marty's children Charlotte and Jonah ) as well as Jason Butler Harner (who plays Roy Petty).

On Wednesday, Bateman revealed some key details about the 17-episode fifth season of Arrested Development, which begins shooting in early August.

Leading ladies: Joining Jason at Metrograph were his blonde, red-lipped castmates Julia Garner (L) and Laura Linney (R)

Fierce after 50! The three-time Oscar nominee easily defied her 53 years in a sophisticated black tuxedo over a sheer tank top and stilettos

Dimples! The Dinner actress - who plays Marty's cheating wife Wendy - also sported lashes, a sleek side-parted updo, and diamond earrings for the glitzy red carpet event

Wrapped with a bow! The curly-haired 23-year-old - who plays Ruth Langmore - donned a green- and-blue plaid dress, a black bejewled head scarf, and matching Mary Janes

Cast portrait: Also at the Ozark screening were their co-stars Sofia Hublitz and Skylar Gaertner (who plays Marty's children Charlotte and Jonah ) as well as Jason Butler Harner (who plays Roy Petty)

The riches-to-rags ensemble series - which debuted on Fox way back in 2003 - will bring back a certain 71-year-old Oscar winner's vertigo-suffering socialite Lucille Austero.

'The central spine of that story of is the death of Liza Minnelli's character, and a bit of whodunit, who may have done it, who had something to do with it,' the Office Christmas Party funnyman - who plays Michael Bluth - told EW Radio.

'That's sort of a central thread around which [creator Mitch Hurwitz] is going to braid in all the colorful plot complications that he knows how to do.'

Yes! On Wednesday, Bateman revealed some key details about the 17-episode fifth season of Arrested Development, which begins shooting in early August

Lucille 2: The riches-to-rags ensemble series - which debuted on Fox way back in 2003 - will bring back a certain 71-year-old Oscar winner's vertigo-suffering socialite Lucille Austero
She's often courted attention on the runway, thanks to her envy-inducing long legs.

And Karolina Kurkova certainly oozed confidence when she made a stylish arrival at the Tribeca hotel in New York City on Thursday.

Showing off her supermodel figure, the Czech beauty, 33, teased a glimpse of her cleavage in the scooped neckline of her plain black vest, which she paired with white jeans.

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Out and about: Karolina Kurkova teased a glimpse of her cleavage in a scooped neckline as she made a stylish arrival at the Tribeca hotel in New York City on Thursday

Keeping her look clean-cut, the former Victoria's Secret Angel slipped into a pair of skinny-fit trousers, which made a striking contrast to her black top.

Later, Karolina layered on a pinstriped jacket which pulled the monochrome look together perfectly.

Keeping her accessories simple, the runway queen pulled on dark shades and carried a cream clutch for minimalism.

Clean-cut: The former Victoria's Secret Angel slipped into a pair of white skinny jeans for a striking contrast

The model shunned heels for in favour of flat black and white brogues, since she didn't need to add to her statuesque height of 5ft 9.

Windswept, the mum-of-two wore her mid-length hair in a choppy layered style and opted for a simple, nude slick of lipstick.

Despite her incredible figure and long legs, Karolina has previously admitted that she suffered from insecurities about her appearance as a teenager.

Stepping out: The model made the bustling streets of the Big Apple her catwalk in black and white brogues, as she didn't need to add to her statuesque height of 5ft 9

Speaking on Refinery29's No Filter video series in 2015, she told the camera: 'I was a stick, super-skinny, and looked different. It wasnt just one time  it was all the time.

'It affect me, but I think that also built who I am; having these long legs and big teeth became my thing.

'But success is the best form of revenge.'

The striking blonde has gone onto walk in fashion shows for prestigious fashion powerhouses including Dior and Hugo Boss.

Simple looks: The runway queen pulled on dark sexy shades which sheltered her eyes from the blistering sunshine in the Big Apple

She became one of the world's top-earning models in 2007 as she earned an estimated $5million.

As for romance, the beauty revealed her lover Archie Drury popped the question when they were on holiday in Cape Town in South Africa.

The lovebirds went onto exchange vows in a romantic ceremony in 2009 shortly before giving birth to their first son Tobin, now seven, in the October of that year.

The couple welcomed their one-year-old son Noah Lee Drury Kurka in November 2015.
Earlier today her ex-husband Braith Anasta, 35 announced he was expecting his first child with new girlfriend, Rachael Lee.

And the news appears to have reached the NRL player's former wife Jodi Anasta, with whom he has a three-year-old daughter Aleeia.

Leaving her Darlinghurst home on Friday after the news broke, the 32-year-old looked downcast.

Somber: On Friday, Jodi Anasta was seen looking downcast after her ex-husband Braith Anasta announced he was expecting a child with new girlfriend Rachael Lee

Dressed in a full black ensemble Jodi donned a layered look for her first outing out since the announcement.

She wore a tight fitting sweater with leather skinny jeans and hopped into an waiting limousine.

Keeping warm, the actress effortlessly draped a thick overcoat over the shoulders.

Drained: Jodi donned layered for her first outing out since the announcement

Downcast: Jodi wore a tight fitting sweater with leather looking skinny jeans before hopping into an awaiting limousine

Fashionable: The Neighbours star accessorised her look with a scarf and designer bag

Adding some edge to her outfit, Jodi wore black flats that featured studs and accessorised her look with a scarf and designer bag.

Clenching her iPhone in one hand, Jodi continued to look downwards whilst she walked down the street.

Stylish: Keeping her hair fresh and off her face, she kept her brunette locks up in a ballerina bun

Keeping her hair off her face, her brunette locks up in a ballerina bun, and her makeup was minimal, sporting a bronzed complexion.

But it wasn't all somber for Jodi, as she was seen flashing her signature smile after a while.

Glowing: Jodi also kept her makeup minimal, sporting a bronzed complexion

There it is! But it wasn't all somber for Jodi, flashing her signature smile after a while.

Earlier on Friday, Braith shared a sonogram on Instagram to announce he was expecting his first child with new partner, Rachael Lee.

'Thank you for the best gift in life,' he captioned the black and white image which showed the baby in utero.

'I can't wait for the next chapter of our lives together with our amazing family! I love you so much @rachaelleex.'

Baby on the way: Earlier on Friday, Braith shared a sonogram on Instagram to announce he was expecting his first child with new partner, Rachael Lee

It is understood the new addition is due in January, and will be the second child for Braith, who already has a daughter with Jodi.

It is believed Braith and Rachael began dating in April the year after before confirming their relationship earlier this year.

The Bondi-based Rachael also has a son, Addison, with a previous partner.

Jodi and Braith who were married for three years confirmed their separation in December 2015.
She is one of the most beautiful actresses to grace Hollywood.

And Salma Hayek showed off her age-defying beauty when she headed out to dinner with a pal at the Barton G. Restaurant in West Hollywood on Thursday evening.

The American-Mexican actress, 50, oozed sex appeal when she put on a very busty display in a fog grey corset top.

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Age-defying: Salma Hayek, 50, oozed sex appeal when she met a pal for dinner at the Barton G. Restaurant in West Hollywood on Thursday evening

The movie star teamed it with wide-legged silk trousers and swept her glossy brunette locks under a fedora hat.

Stepping out in open-toe sandals, the Hollywood beauty carried a designer Gucci handbag which formed the centre piece of her glamorous attire.

For sparkle, The Growns Ups 2 star wore a heart-shaped pearl pendant and gorgeous studded earrings.

Salma accentuated her age-defying beauty with a slick of cherry blossom pink lipstick and a dusting of eye shadow.

Commands attention: The Hollywood actress put on a very busty display in a fog grey corset top as she dressed for the occasion

As for her star-studded career, she landed the leading lady role in her latest movie Beatriz at Dinner.

The film tells the story of a practitioner who attends a rich client's dinner party after her car breaks down.

As for romance, she has been happily married to her husband Francois-Henri Pinault for almost ten years.

The pair became engaged back in 2007 and went on to marry in a romantic ceremony Paris on Valentine's Day 2009.

Completing the look: The movie star carried a designer Gucci handbag which formed the centre piece of her glamorous attire

But the Frida star also caught the eyes of Donald Trump who once asked her out on a date when she was at an event with Francois.

Speaking on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, she explained: 'He's calling [me] and he's inviting me out, and I said, "What about my boyfriend? Am I crazy? Are you asking me out? You know I have a boyfriend."'

She then admitted Trump had a surprising response, recounting his words: '"He's not good enough for you. He's not important. He's not big enough for you. You have to go out with me.''
She's a rising star of the fashion world, having recently been signed to IMG models.

And Paris Jackson showed off her natural beauty and envy inducing figure as she stepped out in sunny New York City on Thursday.

The daughter of the King of Pop, 19, proved she can nail laidback glamour as she rocked a plunging scarlet playsuit which showed off her braless cleavage.

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Fashionista: Make-up free Paris Jackson, 19, showed off her natural beauty and envy inducing figure as she stepped out in sunny New York City on Thursday.

The thigh-grazing number also featured elegant draped panels which drew attention to the star's endless toned legs and showed a glimpse of her many tattoos.

For comfort she slipped on chestnut strappy sandals.

The actress fortified herself for her busy day with a can of energy drink and a cigarette.

Forgoing make-up for the relaxed outing, Paris showed off her naturally radiant complexion and striking azure peepers.

She accessorised with a clutch of bracelets and a selection of tribal inspired chains around her neck.

Her platinum tresses were worn in a tousled style which she held off her face with sunglasses.

Earlier in the day late Michael Jackson's only daughter flashed a peace sign as she put on a more covered up display in Manhattan.

The star - who relies on stylist Sonia Young - flaunted her eccentric hippie style in tie-dye drawstring baggy pants, brown sandals, and a Baja-striped backpack.

The I Dare You video vixen also rocked groovy $40 Skinny Dip 'Willow Rainbow Hex' sunglasses and a T-shirt for the seventies funk band Parliament.

Born in the wrong decade? Paris flashed a peace sign while out and about on the bustling Manhattan streets

Retro: The star- who relies on stylist Sonia Young - flaunted her eccentric hippie style in tie-dye drawstring baggy pants, brown sandals, and a Baja-striped backpack

'Rep!' The I Dare You video vixen also rocked groovy $40 Skinny Dip 'Willow Rainbow Hex' sunglasses and a T-shirt for the seventies funk band Parliament

It's hard to believe that just a little over a year ago Paris had zero tattoos and a Hot Topic-heavy punk style she adopted (then promptly dumped) from her 26-year-old drummer ex-boyfriend Michael Snoddy.

On Wednesday, Jackson fell in 'love' with a grey NASA-patched bomber with red lining that she thought 'kinda looks like a space suit.'

The homeschooled millennial - who boasts over 3M social media followers - tweeted: 'I may be a model now but 7 yr old me that dreamed of being an astronaut is [excited].'

The sober, meditation-loving teenager didn't get a whole lot of sleep after gallivanting with her Big Apple pals all Wednesday evening.

'What pure joy looks like': It's hard to believe that a year ago Paris had zero tattoos and a Hot Topic-heavy punk style she adopted (then dumped) from her ex Michael Snoddy

Pleased with her purchase: On Wednesday, Jackson fell in 'love' with a grey NASA-patched bomber with red lining that she thought 'kinda looks like a space suit'

The homeschooled millennial - who boasts over 3M social media followers - tweeted: 'I may be a model now but 7 yr old me that dreamed of being an astronaut is [excited]'

'Well the suns starting to rise and we have to be up in a few hours anyway to get to work on time. wanna just bike 7 miles to central park?' Paris tweeted at 3am.

Aside from her godfather Macaulay Culkin, Jackson has been hanging out with her fellow nepotistically-privileged pal, Prudence Brando.

The 21-year-old Palisades Charter High School grad happens to be the granddaughter of two-time Oscar winner Marlon Brando.

Underage: The sober, meditation-loving teenager didn't get a whole lot of sleep after gallivanting with her Big Apple pals all Wednesday evening

Paris tweeted at 3am: 'Well the suns starting to rise and we have to be up in a few hours anyway to get to work on time. wanna just bike 7 miles to central park?'

PDA: Aside from her godfather Macaulay Culkin, Jackson has been hanging out with her fellow nepotistically-privileged pal, Prudence Brando (L)

'Concrete jungle': The 21-year-old Palisades Charter High School grad happens to be the granddaughter of two-time Oscar winner Marlon Brando

Paris managed to score two nominations, including Choice Female Hottie, at the fan-voted Teen Choice Awards, which air live August 13 on Fox.

The 5ft9in stunner faces heavy competition for the Choice Model trophy against her real-life pal Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Winnie Harlow, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Baldwin.

Back in May, Jackson landed her first major seven-figure fashion campaign fronting Calvin Klein.

Dolled up: Paris managed to score two nominations, including Choice Female Hottie, at the fan-voted Teen Choice Awards, which air live August 13 on Fox

Who will win? The 5ft9in stunner faces heavy competition for the Choice Model trophy against her real-life pal Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Winnie Harlow, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Baldwin

The privileged heiress hardly needs the money with the $8M she receives annually from her estimated $100M inheritance as well as additional bonuses at ages 33 and 40 - according to Page Six.

The Star actress will next have 'one scene' as an edgy 20-year-old called Nelly in Nash Edgerton's feature directorial debut Gringo, which begins streaming March 9 on Amazon.

Meanwhile, it's unclear when the bisexual socialite last visited her mother, dermatology nurse Debbie Rowe, who's been battling breast cancer.

Meteoric career rise: Back in May, Jackson landed her first major seven-figure fashion campaign fronting Calvin Klein
He's doing his final rounds of promo before The Bachelor Australia debuts next week.

And on Friday, Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson took some time out to bring a smile to one of his youngest fans.

Appearing at Perth's Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, the 30-year-old brought a bunch of red roses for his loving follower.

The whole package: On Friday, Matty J took some time to bring a smile to one of his youngest fans who was sick in hospital

'We found Matty's biggest fan today,' captioned Ten Insider's Instagram post.

'Our Bachelor took time to visit Lilly at The Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth. Yes, she did accept a rose... in fact, a whole bunch of them!'

And it seems the love was requited with Lilly hand making a sweet card for the star as well as painting him an octopus.

A good guy: 'Our Bachelor took time to visit Lilly at The Princess Maragret Hospital for Children in Perth. Yes, she did accept a rose... in fact, a whole bunch of them!'

Sitting in Lilly's bed, Matty smiled with his arm around her, looking every bit as delighted as she was.

The reality show star wore a multi-coloured checkered shirt underneath a black jacket.

Matty has always been open about wanting to start a family of his own and is often seen bonding with his nephew George.

Looking good: On Wednesday, Ten Insider shared a picture of Matty with his adorable nephew George Bondi Beach.

In training: Matty has always been open about wanting to start a family of his own and is often seen bonding with his nephew

On Wednesday, Ten Insider shared a picture of the adorable tot and reality hunk at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

'Matty Update: ONE WEEK TO GO... To celebrate, here's an unrelated photo with his cute nephew,' they captioned with a rose emoji.

In March, Matty told OK! Magazine that he would propose during the Bachelor finale if he met the right girl who was ready for children.
She's illustrious for her demure sense of style, often choosing to

But Alexa Chung uncharateristically left little to the imagintation as she posed completely topless for a recent steamy shoot with LOVE magazine, which was captured by iconic French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

The 33-year-old actress put her envy-inducing assets on full display as she donned nothing but a pair of belted, skintight jeans in a stunning black-and-white shot.

Simply the bust! Alexa Chung uncharateristically left little to the imagintation as she posed completely topless for a recent steamy shoot with LOVE magazine, which was captured by iconic French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier

Upping the sex appeal, the TV presenter sported a glamorous bouffant hairstyle and accentuated her doe-eyes with a striking black kohl eyeliner.

Exuding body confidence, Alexa's stance saw the beauty slide her hands into her backpockets while directing her bare chest directly at the camera.

Sharing the snap on Instagram, photographer Patrick wrote: '@alexachung for @thelovemagazine Styled by @kegrand @babbym @_charlesjeffrey Hair by @ashleyjavierhair Makeup by @hungvanngo.'

Showing him what he's missing? Alexa's steamy shoot comes hot on the heels of her reported split from actor Alexander Skarsgard

The steamy image comes hot on the heels of claims that Alexa has split from long-time boyfriend and Big Little Lies star Alexander Skarsgard.

The couple who have been notoriously private about their romance ever since they first began dating two years ago - reportedly called time on their romance earlier this month.

Alexa and Alex are said to have split over a month after their second anniversary, after the Tarzan actor, 40, had enjoyed a date with Leonardo DiCaprio's model ex Toni Garrn.

Uncharacteristic! The shot may come as a surprise to many given that Alexa is famed for her demure sense of style

The high profile couple had chosen to keep their relationship away from the spotlight and had avoided publicly confirming their romance when they were first linked in June 2015.

The pair were last seen together in May, earlier this year, and had made a rare appearance together at the Met Gala in New York.

A source recetly told E! News of the alleged break-up: 'No one cheated on anyone.

'It was a clean breakup that was caused by busy schedules and distance.

'They really did love each other and were pretty serious. They still have respect for each other.'

Meanwhile, Alexa was spotted looking rather cosy with a man dressed as Spiderman on Wednesday while filming a new TV project.

Moving on: Alexa looked absolutely smitten with Spider-Man as the two held hands and smiled while making their way through Beverly Hills on Wednesday

Hot inside the mask: She was also spotted inside a vintage red mustang convertible where her superhero took off his mask, revealing a handsome man underneath
She owns vast portfolio property, boasting three properties in the exclusive Hidden Hills area of LA alone.

And Kylie Jenner has now sold her first home, after reportedly slashing it to $3.15 million, 2.42M.

The 19-year-old reality star first bought the plush seven bedroom, six bathroom mansion for $2.6 million back in 2015, before placing it on the market for $3.9 million last year, then relisting it at $3.3million this year.

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Tidy profit: Kylie Jenner has sold her Calabasas starter home for $3.15 million, reportedly slashing it from the originally listed $3.9M

According to TMZ, Kylie sold the idyllic home, which includes a swimming pool and sprawling grounds, to Bellami Hair founder Nick Eslami.

And pictures shown on the real estate's website show the monochrome-themed mansion's luxurious interior.

Set in stone-covered grounds with a covered bar area and fire pit, the home looks out onto a picturesque swimming pool, framed against the back drop of the exclusive neighbourhood's green surroundings.

Hollywood rich kid: The 19-year-old reality star first bought the plush seven bedroom, six bathroom mansion for $2.6 million back in 2015

A peek into the kitchen reveals statement black hardwood floors, and matching kitchen units.

With a large island taking centre stage, the space flows into a luxurious dining room, perfect for entertaining.

And the living room follows the black and white theme, with a warming fireplace trumped by a statement Gothic inspired chandelier.

Statement: A peek into the kitchen reveals statement black hardwood floors, and matching kitchen units

Catalogue ready: The living room follows the black and white theme, with a warming fireplace trumped by a statement Gothic inspired chandelier

A bedroom sees sweeping rooms of the landscape through the multiple floor to ceiling windows, giving the space a light and airy feel.

A huge mirror-paneled wall is a saviour for Hollywood's beauty conscious, while the blackout curtains act as a surely much-needed defence for the hardened party-goers.

With a rather space-age style white walk-wardrobe a haven for the shoe lover, the bathroom sees an even darker theme.

Picturesque: A bedroom sees sweeping rooms of the landscape through the multiple floor to ceiling windows, giving the space a light and airy feel

Shoe heaven: With a rather space-age style white walk-wardrobe a haven for the shoe lover, the bathroom sees an even darker theme

Mirrored his and hers sinks frame a stand-alone claw foot bath, with black patent tiles flowing into a coordinating floor

Mirrored his and hers sinks frame a stand-alone claw foot bath, with black patent tiles flowing into a coordinating floor.

Kylie purchased the Mediterranean-style house in 2015, aged just 17 years old, and proceed to put it back on the market following extensive renovations with an asking price of $3.9 million, more than $1 million more than she paid for it.

The reality star reportedly owns a jaw-dropping three other properties in the exclusive Hidden Hills area of LA- one of which she rents to brother Rob Kardashian.

Vanity first: Another bathroom sees the only splash of colour a statement gold mirror with Graham and Browns skull candy wallpaper

Perfect for entertaining: The back yard features pretty fairy lights strung across the pretty exterior

Last May she bought the first of her Hidden Hills properties, spending $6 million on a 7,000-square-foot house.

Then in August, she acquired her second mansion located right next door to the first for $4.5 million.

And in October she added the creme de la creme of properties to her monumental property portfolio, splashing out an incredible $12 million, according to Trulia, to buy her fourth home in Los Angeles County - adding a third mansion to her portfolio of real estate located in the exclusive Hidden Hills community.

Sprawling: Set in stone-covered grounds with a covered bar area and fire pit, the home looks out onto a picturesque swimming pool, framed against the back drop of the exclusive neighbourhood's green surroundings

Beauty lovers: According to TMZ , Kylie sold the idyllic home, which includes a swimming pool and sprawling grounds, to Bellami Hair founder Nick Eslami

The reality star previously opened up about being financially independent, claiming momager Kris Jenner 'cut her off' aged just 14.

Speaking to In Style aged 17, the teen star revealed: 'My mum cut me off financially three years ago so I pay for everything  my car, my gas and food as well as my clothes'.

The youngest of the wealthy Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kylie found fame at the tender age of 10 on Keeping Up With The Kardashians before expanding into clothing and make-up lines.
It's one week on from Oliver Curtis' romantic second proposal to Roxy Jacenko.

And on their first full weekend since the announcement of their second engagement, celebrations were in order.

The PR queen, 37, shared footage that saw the pair capping-off their exciting week by popping the top of a bottle of champagne.

Here's to second chances! Roxy Jacenko and her jailbird hubby Oliver Curtis celebrated their second engagement on Friday night, seen popping a bottle of champagne on Instagram

In a clip captioned 'oh s**t,' the lover's celebration appeared to go less smoothly than Oliver's well thought-out proposal.

The insider trading-convicted businessman was seen holding the bottle of bubbly along with Roxy.

But the pressure build-up caused the wine to spray out the sides of the bottle and down the couple's hands.

Their faces said it all, as Oliver looked to the sky to try and see where the cork had ended up, while his savvy wife smiled, having noticed the problem.

Pressure! In a clip captioned 'oh s**t,' the lover's celebration appeared to go less smoothly than Oliver's well thought-out proposal last Friday night

Woops! Their faces said it all, as Oliver, 32, looked to the sky to try and see where the cork had ended up, while his savvy wife, 37 smiled, having noticed the problem

Following a whirlwind second proposal on Friday, Roxy and Oliver have been spotted celebrating the happy news on several occasions.

The couple, who were reunited last month following his jail release, dined at a number of Sydney restaurants with their two children Pixie, five, and Hunter, three last weekend.

The pair looked smitten and were even seen enjoying a rare public display of affection.

Will you marry me (again)? Following a whirlwind second proposal on Friday, Roxy and Oliver have been spotted celebrating the happy news on several occasions

All smiles! The PR maven had every reason to be smiling, after it was revealed her new diamond engagement ring looks to be worth double the one she received in 2010

The PR maven had every reason to be smiling, after it was revealed her new diamond engagement ring looks to be worth double the one she received in 2010.

Her stunning new Michael Haywood sparkler was valued at up to $450,000 on Sunday.

It features a round, brilliant diamond centre stone, which is framed by a diamond halo and cut claw diamond band.
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Last week, she took to Instagram to share video in which she was eating what appeared to be magic mushrooms with a female friend in her new home, Bali.

And Megan Marx may have learnt her lesson, taking to the social media again on Friday to acknowledge she should be a little more selective in what she posts online.

Posing in a racy bikini, the 28-year-old socialite used the caption to relate her new found wisdom to her 136,000 followers.

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Learnt her lesson yet? Posing in a racy bikini, Megan Marx told her followers she shouldn't have her phone when she's out

'Okay so I shouldn't have my phone on me when I'm out at night,' she wrote under the bikini shot.

'Say no to stories combined with drinks. On another note! Uluwatu! Bikinis! Beautiful water!

Showcasing her lean physique, the reality star was seen flaunting her toned abs and ample cleavage.

She's back! Taking to her Instagram Stories last night, Megan was seen back to her partying ways at a rowdy bar in Uluwatu

Taking to her Instagram Stories last night, Megan was seen back to her partying ways at a rowdy bar in Uluwatu.

Filming some unidentified male friends, she followed them as they piggy backed each other through the sea of drinking party-goers.

Earlier in the day, Megan again took to the social media site to ensure her 136,000 followers could see she was reading a book about Bali's 'hidden drug world'.

Research? Earlier in the day, Megan again took to the social media site to ensure her 136,000 followers could see she was reading a book about Bali's 'hidden drug world'

Reality star turned bookworm? Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, she said she was 'given the book by a Chilean man she met in Uluwatu' and 'if anything it just showed the harms of doing drugs in Bali'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, she said she was 'given the book by a Chilean man she met in Uluwatu' and 'if anything it just showed the harms of doing drugs in Bali.'

Megan's statement comes after she was caught last week appearing to eat psychedelic mushrooms on Instagram.

Putting on a busty display in a plunging blue top, Megan nodded her head along to the background music as she appeared to chew the substance.

And it wasn't the first time the former girlfriend of Bachelor star Tiffany Scanlon has apparently flaunted her use of illicit substances online.

According to the Daily Telegraph, when responding to a question from her high school's alumni Facebook page, she commented: 'I've taken so many drugs I don't know where I am... Pretty sure I'm at the supermarket though if we have to be specific.'
She was booted from the Love Island villa a third of the way through after failing to forge a romantic connection.

And Chloe Crowhurst stopped off at the ITV studios on Friday to discuss the reality show's latest developments, claiming that Kem and Amber are the only real couple and admitting that she's surprised Camilla and Jamie are now the bookies' favourites to win.

Her appearance didn't go down too well with viewers, however, with dozens of fans taking to Twitter to accuse Chloe of 'trying to stir drama'.

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Gossip girl: Chloe Crowhurst stopped off at the ITV studios on Friday to discuss Love Island's latest developments ahead of the grand final

Loving it: Chloe looked thoroughly pleased with waxing lyrical about her former villa mates

Quizzed about who she thinks has the ability to go the distance, Chloe tipped Kem and Amber, the longest standing couple in the villa, for the win.

She said: 'Every time I watch them I get a tear in my eye. I feel like they're my little babies - they've come so far. They're a really good match.

'In a year's time - Kem and Amber will still be together - everyone else, I don't know!'

Weighing in on claims - by viewers and Islanders alike - that Gabby doesn't really have feelings for her partner Marcel, Chloe seemed to agree.

Catty comment? Chloe revealed she's surprised Camilla and Jamie are now the bookies' favourites to win

Uh oh: Her appearance didn't go down too well with viewers, however, with dozens of fans taking to Twitter to accuse Chloe of 'trying to stir drama'

Winning couple? Quizzed about who she thinks has the ability to go the distance, Chloe tipped Kem and Amber, the longest standing couple in the villa, for the win

No holding back: Chloe looked animated as she got into the nitty gritty of the complex Love Island relationships

In her element: Chloe couldn't help but gossip about her former Islanders as she got comfy on the sofa

She enthused: 'I love Marcel to bits, but I don't know if their relationship will actually work on the outside world.'

Of Montana and Alex, she said: 'I love Montana, she's incredible, but Alex... He doesn't do anything, he's just there.'

But it was her comments about Camilla and Jamie which really riled up viewers at home.

After host Rylan Clark revealed they were the favourites to win, Chloe replied: 'I'm shocked'.

Looking lovely: Chloe was dressed to impress for her TV appearance in a floral print frock

Jaw-dropping: Hosts Rylan Clark and Sara Greene looked shocked as Chloe criticised Camilla

Leggy lady: The chic number was set off with a pair of yellow lace-up heels

Are you serious? Chloe looked unimpressed as she discussed who would win the hit ITV show

In the hot seat: Gossip loving Chloe was in her element as she discussed all things Love Island

She added: 'I've seen a lot of stuff about Camilla about how annoying she is, that she moans all the time. I think it's more that she just doesn't have much confidence.'

With a glint in her eye, gossip-loving Chloe then added: 'Do you wanna know a little secret? Jamie dumped one of my friends two hours before he flew out to Ibiza. It's in the papers!'

Fans were quick to react on social media, accusing her of creating drama and insinuating she was a hypocrite, since her on/off ex Jon Clark famously accused her of dumping him in order to appear on Love Island.

She said: 'I've seen a lot of stuff about Camilla about how annoying she is, that she moans all the time. I think it's more that she just doesn't have much confidence'

With a glint in her eye, gossip-loving Chloe then added: 'Do you wanna know a little secret? Jamie dumped one of my friends two hours before he flew out to Ibiza. It's in the papers!'

True love? 'In a year's time - Kem and Amber will still be together - everyone else, I don't know!'

Favourite pair: Chloe seemed to throw shade at the other islanders, questioning how real their relationships are

The pair - who have since rekindled their romance following her reality TV stint - were engaged in a very public war of words, during while Chloe branded Jon a liar and claimed he had cheated on her multiple times.

One viewer posted, 'How does chloe have the cheek to say 'Jamie dumped his gf 2 hours before he flew out' when she went in with a boyf #loveisland #ThisMorning', while another wrote, 'Chloe may have left the #LoveIsland Villa but she's still s**t stirring on #ThisMorning about the couples and a special dig at Jaime too'.

Another shared: 'Chloe dropping jamie in it sayin he dumped her mate, didn't she go in without telling her so called boyfriend #LoveIsland (sic)'.

Hypocritical? Fans were quick to react on social media, accusing her of creating drama and insinuating she was a hypocrite, since her on/off ex Jon Clark famously accused her of dumping him in order to appear on Love Island

Awkward: The pair - who have since rekindled their romance following her reality TV stint - were engaged in a very public war of words, during while Chloe branded Jon a liar and claimed he had cheated on her multiple times

Loose lipped: Chloe dished all on her fellow Islanders as she gave her take on who would win

Star turn: Rylan and Sara were helming This Morning on Friday

Pouty: The reality star rocked a plump pout and fluttering false lashes for the early morning TV appearance

The comments come after it was reported that Jamie had dumped his girlfriend Georgia Hayden just two hours before going into the Love Island villa.

But his mother, nail technician Jenny, has slammed the claims, saying she dumped HIM, not the other way around - and insisted his relationship with Camilla, 27, is the real deal.

She told MailOnline: 'The facts were, Jamie and Georgia both went into a relationship agreeing neither wanted anything serious and were seeing each other for a number of weeks.

'Georgia broke up with HIM': Earlier this week, Jamie's mother Jenny slammed claims he 'dumped girlfriend hours before going on Love Island' as she insists relationship with Camilla (pictured) IS the real deal

She's not having it: Nail technician Jenny, (right) told MailOnline, 'The facts were, they both went into a relationship agreeing neither wanted anything serious and were seeing each other for a number of weeks'

'Georgia actually broke it off about two weeks before Love Island, as she wanted a commitment from Jamie, then called a week later to ask if they could carry on.

'Jamie said no and that they should leave it as it is on friendly terms. On July 1, he had to fly to Ireland for a job, but Georgia still had his passport in her bag from a week or so before.

'I took him to pick it up from her at work before dropping him off at Stansted airport, which is when he got the call asking him to go on Love Island.'

Dispute: Georgia Hayden claims Jamie dumped her two hours before going on Love Island and she was left heartbroken when he bedded Camilla Thurlow

Not happy: Jamie's father Ricky hit back at Georgia's claims with this tweet and Jenny retweeted it

She said: 'He called them back on the Monday to say he would do it. Out of courtesy, he called Georgia to let her know, so that she wouldn't just see him on the show.

'She accused him of knowing for ages and hung up on him, even though she had finished with him two weeks previously.'

Jenny continued: 'Watching Jamie on the show, I can tell he genuinely really likes Camilla. He may have gone in late not really thinking he'd find someone but I actually think he has.'

On top of this, Jamie's father, Ricky, also took to Twitter to defend his son, with Jenny retweeting his words.

He wrote: 'I know someone I would like to get on the lie detector, Georgia come on girl, utter rubbish. Just to get your face in the paper.'

The Sun previously claimed that Jamie broke up with Georgia just two hours before jetting off to Spain to appear on the show.

Talking to the publication, a friend of the 22-year-old beauty queen said: 'He's a total scumbag. He's broken her heart.

Beauty queen: Georgia is a shop worker who is currently Miss Chelmsford International 2017 and Jenny Jewitt claims SHE broke up with Jamie and NOT the other way around

'One night they were sat watching Love Island together, slagging off all the girls. Five days later he was in the villa trying to bed them. It made her feel worthless.

'To make sure he got the part she thinks Jamie let producers believe he was not in a relationship.'

It has been claimed that Jamie and Georgia had been dating for three months, with Jamie professing his love for her.

But she reportedly was upset when he made a move on Camilla, after arriving at the villa, and has since bedded her.

Georgia is a shop worker who is currently Miss Chelmsford International 2017.

Conflict: Her friend claims that Jamie and Georgia had been dating for three months, with Jamie professing his love for her
Johnny Depp once spent $7,000 on a couch from the set of Keeping Up with the Kardashians as a gift for his daughter, Lily-Rose, his former money managers have claimed.

The revelations about Depp's lavish spending were detailed in court documents filed Thursday by The Management Group, who are locked in a legal battle with the Pirates of the Caribbean star over who is responsible for his dire financial situation.

Depp filed a $25million lawsuit against the company in January, claiming that they had mismanaged his money by paying themselves more than $28million in contingency fees, failing to pay his taxes on time, and loaning nearly $10million to third parties without Depp's authorization.

TMG is fighting back with a $2 million counter-suit, and in the group's court documents on Thursday, they provided evidence which they say proves Depp only has himself to blame for his dwindling bank account.

Johnny Depp once spent $7,000 on a couch from the set of Keeping up with the Kardashians for his daughter Lily-Rose (father and daughter pictured above)

The revelations on Depp's personal spending were revealed in court documents on Thursday, as he fights with his former money managers in court over who is responsible for his financial situation. Above, Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian

'Throughout the entire 17-year period that TMG represented Depp, Depp lived an ultra-extravagant lifestyle that often knowingly cost Depp in excess of $2million per month to maintain, which he simply could not afford,' the court document reads.

The document continues: 'Depp, and Depp alone, is fully responsible for any financial turmoil he finds himself in today. He has refused to live within his means, despite the best efforts of TMG and the repeated warnings about his financial condition from TMG and his advisers.'

The group, run by attorneys Robert and Joel Mandel, provided plenty of examples of Depp's out-of-control spending - including $17,000 shopping trips and $500,000 in storage facility fees for his Hollywood collectibles.

Throughout the entire 17-year period that TMG represented Depp, Depp lived an ultra-extravagant lifestyle that often knowingly cost Depp in excess of $2million per month to maintain, which he simply could not afford.

In his lawsuit, Depp claims that TMG didn't warn him that his financial situation was serious, but to the contrary, his former money managers say they were constantly telling him to rein in his spending.

In fact, TMG claims that anytime they broached the issue of his spending, Depp responded with 'profanity laced tirades where he abused the professionals surrounding him'.

They gave multiple examples of Depp flouting their advice, like in December 2009, when Joel Mandel sent Depp and email saying they needed to have a serious talk about his financials.

'Since my email to you in September, I have done that I was told you wanted done, meaning "getting us through" financially until work could start again. The good news is that, so far, we have been able to do that.

Johnny Depp's lavish spending $17,000 on a handbags and luggage on one afternoon shopping trip at Prada $7,000 on suits and pocket squares during one afternoon shopping trip at Tom Ford $1million on his 2015 wedding to Amber Heard $500,000 in storage facility fees for his Hollywood memorabilia collection, form 2012 to March 2016 $60,000 on non-covered medical costs $9,500 on safari thatch materials for his private island $7,000 on a couch from the Keeping up with the Kardashians set Advertisement

'Notwithstanding, I need your help in a variety of ways. First, we need to "take it easy" on holiday spending. Second, we need to discuss some dollar limit in the upcoming Dillinger auction. Third, I need to be able to sit with you on your return from this trip, and before you leave for France, so that we can talk about where we are financially, what we have borrowed in order to sustain ourselves, what we have had to do to obtain these borrowings, what is now necessary to pay those borrowings back and finally, to look realistically at income and expenses and to work together on how to make sure that these are back in balance,' the email reads.

While Depp promises to reel in his spending in the email response, he also passive-aggressively attacks his employee for suggesting him to 'look realistically' at his expenses.

'What else can i do??? you want me to sell same art??? i will. you want me to sell something else??? sure... what???...

'I got bikes, cars, property, books, paintings and some semblance of a soul left, where would you like me to start???'

They said Depp even got mad at them when they pushed him to make good financial decisions, like selling his 150-foot-yacht in 2012, which now belongs to author J.K. Rowling.

'Depp angrily told Mandel that he would "never forgive him" for "making" him sell that yacht,' the court document reads.

In another instance in May 2015, Mandel says he convinced Depp to put his South of France chateau on the market to pay off some of his debts.

TMG, the group that managed Depp's finances for 17 years, said he got mad at them when they suggested he sell his 150-foot yacht (above) to pay off some of his debts. 'Depp angrily told Mandel that he would "never forgive him" for "making" him sell that yacht.'

TMG also got Depp to agree to sell his chateau in the South of France, but that he refused to list it for an appropriate price. In December, he raised the asking price up to an astounding $63million, and it appears that it still has not sold

'However, when Mandel prepared to sell the property, Depp insisted that it be listed for approximately $27million, even though it had only been valued at $13.5million by expert real estate appraisers in France.

'Moreover, when TMG in 2015 located a handful of buyers who wanted to view the property, Depp refused to even allow it to be shown,' the court documents continue.

To this day, it still appears that Depp has not been able to sell his chateau. It was last listed in December for $63million.

TMG says that when Depp wasn't working, he continued to spend. And when they warned him that he was running out of money, he would try and get a movie deal so that he could get an advance to buy the things he wanted.

Generous giver: In addition to the gift for his daughter (seen about in May,) the actor's said to have spent $500k to store his Hollywood memorabilia and $17k on Prada luggage and bags

In August 2008, TMG says that Depp was interested in buying a property in Hollywood, but that they advised him against it.

'One of things that we talked about in the beginning of the year was the need to put ourselves back on better footing from a cash flow perspective, including restricting our level of "investment" spending,' Mandel wrote in an email to Depp.

Depp wrote back and said 'I will call Tracey [Jacobs, his agent at UTA] and Jake [Bloom, his lawyer] and prepare them to make some ludicrous deals to refill the glass and make it f****** overflow!!! Whatever we have to do to acquire 1480, let's do!!!! vWE MUST BUY THIS HOUSE!!!!'

Depp's financial situation became so dire that they said they held off on collecting their fees in certain instances because there were just too many bills to pay.

For example, In 2015, Depp received several million dollars for his work on the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie, to which TMG says they were owed 5 per cent - or $436,862.62 exactly.

'Given Depps's worsening financial condition and the pressing demands of Depp's various other creditors, TMG agreed to defer temporarily its 5 per cent commission as an accommodation to its long-term client, Depp,' the document reads.

To this day, TMG says they still haven't seen their cut from the film, 'despite repeated demands for payment'.

After firing the group in 2016, TMG says that he still owed them hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and eventually stopped paying the credit card they took out in his name -forcing them to pay off the balance themselves.

TMG said it's 'customary' for money managers to apply for a credit card in their company's name, for use by high-profile clients looking for privacy.

So they opened a City National Bank credit card that Depp, his assistants, and the employees on his private island in the Bahamas could use to charge to, with the expectation that Depp would pay off the balance with his own money.

During their time working with Depp, TMG says that he racked up millions of dollars on the card - including $60,000 in non-covered medical costs and multiple 'luxury shopping sprees'.

In just one afternoon of shopping, TMG claims Depp spent $17,000 on handbags and luggage at Prada, and in another afternoon, $7,000 on suits and pocket squares at Tom Ford.

They say Depp also used the card to pay $500,000 in rental fees at several storage warehouses where he kept his Hollywood collectibles 'and other items he obsessively purchased over the years,' from 2012 to March 2016.

One of those collectibles included the Keeping up with the Kardashians couch that he bought for his daughter Lily-Rose, and then immediately put in storage.

'Indeed, when Depp was not shooting a film, and at varying times, Depp required TMG employees to search his personal eBay account twice a day to ensure that all of the various items that he demanded be purchased were purchased and paid for. Many of these items included worthless chatzki related to Depp himself, which he would ultimately (if not immediately) place in one of these many storage facilities,' the court document reads.

Employees on Depp's private island in the Bahamas also had access to the card, and used it to make about $1million in charges. Those charges included $9,500 for safari thatch hut material, and $123,000 in charges related to the actor's 2015 island wedding to Amber Heard.

TMG also points out that, in total, the wedding cost 'more than $1million' and 'only a few dozen people attended'. Depp and Heard divorced two years later, with Heard claiming that he was physically abusive. She promised to donate the $7million she received from him in the divorce to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. She is now dating billionaire Tesla-founder Elon Musk.

After firing TMG in March 2016, the company says that Depp continued to make minimum payments on the card for a while, but eventually stopped paying it altogether - forcing TMG to pay off the remaining $55,000 balance themselves.

'TMG did everything within its power over the last 17 years to protect Depp from himself and to keep Depp financially solvent. However, ultimately TMG did not have the power or ability to control Depp's spending or his numerous other vices, or to force Depp to make wiser financial decisions,' the court document reads.

Depp truly has no one but himself to blame for his current financial and personal circumstances. Depp's attempt to shift blame to TMG by seeking a return of all of the management fees that he paid TMG over a 17-year period, is truly offensive and just further demonstrates Depp's clear and epic sense of entitlement.

'Contrary to his claims in this action, TMG always made Depp aware of his precarious financial situation. Depp chose time and again to ignore TMG and all of his other advisors.

'Depp truly has no one but himself to blame for his current financial and personal circumstances. Depp's attempt to shift blame to TMG by seeking a return of all of the management fees that he paid TMG over a 17-year period, is truly offensive and just further demonstrates Depp's clear and epic sense of entitlement.'

Following the most recently filing, Depp issued a statement through his attorney Adam Waldman, to The Hollywood Reporter.

'Today, the Mandels defied Judge Beaudet's previous order to strike their 'allegations' that are nothing more than another attempted character assassination of Mr. Depp,' the statement says. 'It is their latest desperate act, but it will not save the Mandels from the consequences that are coming in this fraud case.'

The case is scheduled for a trial before a jury January 24 2018.
Rachel Bilson is squeezing in some me time.

On Thursday, the actress took a break from her tiny toddler, Briar Rose, to treat herself to a solo shopping trip in LA's Studio City neighborhood.

The OC star kept it super casual for the low-key outing as she toted a red boho bag with tassels.

Solo shopper: Rachel Bilson stepped out for an outing in Studio City, taking a break from her daughter, Briar Rose

The 35-year-old stepped out in a plain white T-shirt that kept her slender frame hidden.

The mother-of-one furthered the laid-back look with a pair of light-washed, ripped jeans over her lean legs.

Finishing off the low-key outfit were flip flops.

Cool and casual: The 35-year-old dressed down for the excursion, sporting a white T-shirt and ripped jeans

The only statement piece in the Hart Of Dixie alum's ensemble was a massive, woven, red-and-pink striped tassel bag that she slung over her shoulder.

The celeb hid her flawless features behind a pair of black Ray Ban sunglasses.

The brunette pulled her long, brunette locks off her makeup-free face and into a ponytail.

Longtime loves: The actress shares her baby girl with her partner of ten years, Hayden Christensen

The star's solo excursion meant she was taking a brief break from devoting her days to the two-year-old daughter she shares with partner of ten years, Hayden Christensen, 36.

Last month, Rachel and Briar Rose stopped by the set of his new movie, Little Italy, in Toronto.

The famous father seemed ecstatic to see his longtime love and their little girl, hoisting the baby up and planting a kiss on her forehead.

Model behavior: The brunette recently starred in the cover shoot for Lapalme Magazine

Earlier this month, Rachel kept busy by starring in the cover shoot for Lapalme Magazine.

She took to Instagram to share a shot from set, donning a beautiful blue dress emblazoned with a leafy, orange design.

'Bts @lapalmemagazine #johannaortizofficial @derekwarburton,' she captioned the photo.

Revival rumors?: The O.C. star said she's 'open' to bringing Summer Roberts back ten years later

The OC actress recently revealed that she's 'open' to reprising her role as Summer Roberts.

Rachel hasn't played the iconic part in ten years, so she isn't quite sure where her character would pick up.

'We were riding skateboards on the pier; I don't know what they do now as 30 year olds. But it would be nice to see everybody again,' she told E! News.
She's proud of her figure which she regularly flaunts on social media.

So Bethenny Frankel had no intention of covering up when she headed to a beach in Montauk, New York with her daughter Bryn, seven.

The 46-year-old Real Housewives of New York star sported a tiny black string bikini as she took a dip in the water.

Skinnygirl style: Bethenny Frankel showed off her slender figure as she took a dip with daughter Bryn in Montauk, New York on Thursday

Bethenny's brunette locks were flowing loose around her shoulders and she protected her eyes with some stylish sunglasses.

Bethenny has been filming her new real estate show with Million Dollar Listing New York's Fredrik Eklund.

The new series will be titled Keeping It Real Estate according to Bravo.

Beach time: The 46-year-old reality star wore a black patterned two-piece while her seven-year-old girl sported a fun donut-print swimsuit

Life's a beach: Bethenny has been spending much of her summer in a bikini as she enjoys jaunts in the Hamptons and the Bahamas in recent weeks

Bethenny shares custody of her daughter with ex-husband Jason Hoppy

The Skinnygirl founder declared she is 'single and ready to mingle' on social media last month since splitting from banker Dennis Shields in May, after less than a year of dating.

On June 27, her ex-husband #2 Jason Hoppy was charged with two more counts of stalking (on top of three other stalking and harassment charges) the raven-haired socialite.

According to People, the 46-year-old pharmaceutical sales exec - who was arrested on January 27 - is due back in Manhattan Criminal Court on August 8.

Momma's girl! The Real Housewives of New York star carried Bryn across the beach

Beach babe: Bethenny wore her brunette locks down around her shoulders and accessorized with stud earrings and stylish sunglasses

The longtime warring exes - who finalized their divorce last July - share custody of their daughter.

Fans can catch more of Bethenny on the ninth season of RHONY, which airs Wednesdays on Bravo.

The former talk show host will also serve guest judging duties on the ninth season of Shark Tank, which premieres in September on ABC.
It's been one week since husband Oliver Curtis, 31, proposed to Roxy Jacenko, 37, for the second time, after his release from prison.

And one week on, the celebrations seem to be continuing to soar.

On Friday, Roxy's mum Doreen Jacenko took to Instagram to share a happy snap of the recently reunited family out with some friends.

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Family affair! On Friday, Roxy's mum Doreen Jacenko took to Instagram to share a happy snap of the recently reunited family out with some friends

'Fun night - even though I look a little over cooked!!!' she captioned the image.

Partying at Sydney's London Hotel in Paddington, Roxy donned a casual gym inspired outfit as she stood between the men.

Standing between her trainer Matty Flynn and fiance Oliver, The PR maven teamed floral workout tights with a loose fitting black jumper.

Star: Partying at Sydney's London Hotel in Paddington, Roxy donned a casual gym inspired outfit as she stood between the men

Party! Earlier in the evening, the newly engaged pair started their night off with a bang as they popped a bottle of champagne

Dressing up for the occasion, Oliver wore a suit for the night out without the kids.

Earlier in the evening, the newly engaged pair started their night off with a bang as they popped a bottle of champagne.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, the Sweaty Betty founder shared footage of their celebration.

Happy days: Since last Friday's whirlwind second engagement, Roxy and Oliver have been spotted celebrating the happy news on several occasions

However, the lover's festivity appeared to go less smoothly than Oliver's well thought-out proposal, with the clip captioned 'oh s**t.'

Since last Friday's whirlwind second engagement, Roxy and Oliver have been spotted celebrating the happy news on several occasions.

The couple who share daughter Pixie, five, and Hunter, three, were reunited last month following his jail sentence for insider trading.
Lily Aldridge is always a head-turner.

On Thursday, the model strutted her stuff on the streets of New York City in a blue, floral frock.

Later that night, she would wear the same outfit while meeting up with famed photographer Mert Alas.

Floral fabulous: Lily Aldridge sported a blue, floral midi dress in New York before meeting up with photographer Mert Alas later that night

The 31-year-old looked fabulous in the navy midi dress that boasted a pink, floral pattern and a ruffled hem.

The garment featured three-quarter-length sleeves and a deep V neckline that gave a peek at the Victoria's Secret Angel's slender frame.

The California girl sported a pair of back-less, black heels on her feet as she walked through the Big Apple.

Braided beauty: The 31-year-old pulled her long locks into two French braid pigtails for the outing

The stunner's long, brunette locks were done neatly into French braid pigtails that fell past her shoulders.

The mother-of-one toted a brown purse as well as a paper shopping bag as she crossed the street.

The beauty opted out of jewelry, aside from her wedding band, and wore a full face of makeup during the outing.

'Hot nights in the city': That night, the model met up with the famed photographer and posed for a selfie

Later that night, the celeb met up with famed photographer Mert Alas, 46, wearing the exact same floral frock from earlier in the day.

She took to Instagram to share a silly selfie with the artist, who was making a duck face while donning a low-cut, green, Hawaiian shirt and a gold chain.

'Hot Nights in the City,' she captioned it.

Past poses: The Victoria's Secret Angel modeled for Mert's camera earlier this year, resulting in this black-and-white shot

'Red lights and jazz nights': The 46-year-old posted a picture with Lily from that shoot, as well

It's possible the brunette met up with the high-profile photographer to participate in a shoot.

Lily has posed for his camera as recently as this past May, when he shared a stunning black-and-white shot of her rocking a three-finger ring that read 'LEGIT.'

That same night, he had also posted a selfie with her while they were out on the street, bathed in red light.

'Red lights and jazz nights,' he wrote in the caption.

Famous friends: Mert took a picture with Kim Kardashian last month, exclaiming they were 'reunited'

Sexual snaps: The artist has been known to take sexual and even scandalous shots of celebrities

The Marcus Piggott collaborator is no stranger to working with A-list clients.

Last month, he posted a picture with Kim Kardashian, which he simply captioned: 'Reunited.'

Back in January, he uploaded a since-deleted, racy photo of Selena Gomez, who showed off her bare back and pert derriere in only a towel and a gold thong.
Pregnant Ferne McCann is reportedly in line for a reality show documenting her life as a new mum, with many stations approaching her with pitches.

The 26-year-old former TOWIE star, who announced she was expecting her first child with ex Arthur Collins earlier this year, is said to be following in best friend Sam Faiers' footsteps in scooping a show about motherhood.

Sources tell The Sun the stunner is in line for the show having made a fresh start with her imminent arrival - while her ex awaits trial for his alleged involvement in an acid attack in a London nightclub at Easter.

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On the way: Pregnant Ferne McCann is reportedly in line for a reality show documenting her life as a new mum, with many stations approaching her with pitches

Ferne, who is six months gone, is undoubtedly delighted at the prospect of the show following the huge success of both The Baby Diaries and The Mummy Diaries which documented Sam's first pregnancy and two series dedicated to life as a mum.

Sources told the publication: 'Shes in a good place and has made a fresh start for herself by moving into a new flat and getting her life back on track.

'Several TV companies have been in touch and are keen to document her journey as a new mum. Ferne will return to work once the baby is born and is definitely considering her options.'

MailOnline has contacted Ferne's representative for comment.

Making a splash: Ferne McCann proved she truly got into the holiday spirit as she danced around in a skimpy white bikini at the edge of an idyllic infinity pool

Ferne recently returned from a sun-soaked getaway to Mallorca, and last week she proved she truly got into the holiday spirit as she danced around in a skimpy white bikini at the edge of an idyllic infinity pool.

Playfully captioning the Instagram video 'clearly loving life here', the star blew kisses to the camera and pranced about in her sizzling swimwear.

Ferne looked every inch the beach babe in the two-piece. Injecting a dose of colour to her beach attire, the Celebs Go Dating star wrapped a tie-dye coral sarong around her waist and wore a matching headband.

Showcasing the striking scenery - which boasted an azure-blue sea and minimalist pool - the brunette beauty walked to the edge of the water and threw some shapes.

Looking good: Playfully captioning the Instagram video 'clearly loving life here', the former TOWIE star, 26, blew kisses to the camera and pranced about in her sizzling swimwear

Making waves: Ferne - who is expecting her first child with ex Arthur Collins - looked every inch the beach babe in the two-piece

Clearly relishing the thought of motherhood, Ferne has been showing off her blossoming baby bump in a series of holiday snaps from Mallorca.

Posing in a red printed bikini, she wrote: 'Missing Majorca. Take me back to living in my bikini for a week however I'm back & feeling revived. This holiday was the perfect time to bond with my bump & relax', she captioned the snap.

She added: 'My bump is coming along nicely...baby is fluttering away, these moments make me so haps'.

Beach babe: Injecting a dose of colour to her beach attire, the Celebs Go Dating star wrapped a tie-dye coral sarong around her waist and wore a matching headband

What a sea-ne: The brunette beauty walked to the edge of the water and threw some shapes

Wind beneath my wings: The mother-to-be lifted up the sides of her sarong in a dramatic pose

Ferne had first announced her pregnancy in April, earlier this year, and revealed she is expecting her first child with ex-boyfriend Arthur in November.

Her announcement had been bittersweet, however, as Ferne confirmed her pregnancy under stressful circumstances, as Arthur found himself wanted by police in connection with the acid attack that had occurred in London nightspot Mangle earlier the same month.

Arthur was arrested and charged with 14 counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and one count of throwing corrosive fluid on a person with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Vibrant: Ferne McCann, 26, continued showcase her blossoming bump as she slipped into a vibrant orange bikini while she soaked up the sun on Wednesday during her Mallorca getaway

Just days before, while revealing she was 'initially shocked' by her pregnancy, 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. Ill do my best for my baby.

'So happy': Ferne, 26, gushed that her growing bump is 'coming along nicely' in a bikini selfie she shared to Instagram on Monday

Admitting it had been a harrowing time for her, Ferne explained that her hormones had added to her emotional state, as she said: '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.'
He became the focus of much attention earlier this week, when his 1.79million BBC salary revealed - sparking a subsequent row over the organisation's gender pay gap.

And on Friday, Gary Lineker, 56, was spotted thousands of miles away from the furore back home, as he stepped out solo in sun-kissed West Hollywood.

The Match Of The Day presenter looked casually cool in shades, a light grey T-shirt with dark shorts as he enjoyed a solo brunch at trendy Italian eatery Jon & Vinny's.

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Fine dining: Gary Lineker was spotted stepping out for solo brunch at Jon & Vinny's in West Hollywood on Friday

The former Tottenham Hotspur ace - whose ex-wife Danielle Bux now resides in Los Angeles - took a blacked out SUV from his luxury Beverly Hlls hotel to the popular restaurant, famed for its handmade pastas.

An eyewitness told MailOnline that the TV personality spent approximately 45 minutes at the restaurant before leaving in the SUV - remaining tight-lipped as he was quizzed about his thoughts on the controversy over his pay.

Earlier in the week, BBC male stars have been branded 'grossly overpaid' as it was revealed female colleagues including Claire Balding and Emily Maitlis are among the biggest losers on the corporation's rich list.

Looking casually cool: The Match Of The Day presenter looked casually cool in shades, a light grey T-shirt with charcoal shorts

One top female broadcaster, a household name who asked not to be named, told MailOnline that learning how much less she earned than male colleagues had been 'mortifying' and left her 'wondering where I've gone wrong'.

Chris Evans was the corporation's top earner last year on 2.25million, followed by Gary Lineker on 1.79million and Graham Norton on 899,999.

Strictly's Claudia Winkleman is the highest paid woman but she took home 1.75million less a year than Evans and no women earned more than her 500,000 salary.

Luxury living: The former footballer took a blacked out SUV from his luxury Beverly Hlls hotel to the popular restaurant, famed for its handmade pastas

Woman's Hour host Jane Garvey branded Radio 2 - whose male stars dominate the rich list - 'extraordinarily male and entirely pale' as a string of high profile women slammed the gender gulf in pay.

In the days since the row was ignited, Gary's agent claimed the huge pay gap between men and women is the fault of the agents who represent the female talent.

Jon Holmes made the comments to HuffPost UK as the BBC faced a backlash over its list of top earners which revealed only a third of its top earners were women and his client earns around 300 per minute.

Big reveal: He became the focus of much attention earlier this week, when his 1.79million BBC salary revealed - sparking a subsequent row over the organisation's gender pay gap

During the interview, he said: 'I can only speak for sport but it is a gross failure for an agent if their clients are doing the same job (as men) on less money. The broadcaster is to blame too, they should pay them the same money.'

He added: 'If you go on a negotiating course they will tell you there is no one way to negotiate. I will say it's better to lay your marker down, and as high as possible.

'The danger is they can't afford it and run away. Maybe women feel happier being represented by women and women are not as tough but I have found women very tough negotiators and vowed never to buy a house off a woman.

'At the end of the day it's up to people to negotiate and for the negotiators to push for what they are worth.'
The Supreme Court's latest ruling on President Donald Trump's travel ban was both a setback and a partial victory for the White House

The Supreme Court dealt President Donald Trump's government a fresh setback Wednesday, saying its controversial travel ban cannot be applied to grandparents and other close relatives of people living in the United States -- for now.

The court accepted a Hawaii federal judge's ruling last week that the Trump administration had too narrowly defined what constitutes "close family relationships" to determine exceptions to the ban on travelers from six mainly Muslim countries -- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

That left in place Judge Derrick Watson's wider definition, which includes grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins of people living in the United States.

But in its brief order, the court backed the Trump administration by staying the part of Watson's ruling that would have expanded exemptions to its 120-day ban on all refugees.

The order said the Supreme Court's ruling is temporary, pending a federal appeals court's review of the issues.

The Supreme Court itself was partially the source of the dispute, having ruled in late June that the 90-day travel ban, aimed at better screening out potential security risks, can be broadly enforced for travelers from the six countries "who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

Days later, the government interpreted that to mean that only "close family" was exempted -- which it defined as the parents, spouses, children, sons- and daughters-in-law, siblings and step- and half-siblings of people in the United States.

Hawaii, one of several states fighting the travel ban since Trump first announced it in January, filed a court motion arguing that grandparents and grandchildren were by all measures also "close family."

After Watson accepted that argument, the Justice Department appealed the issue to the Supreme Court, asking the court to make its own definition of "bona fide relationship" and "close family."

In its order Wednesday, the high court refused.

Watson had also ordered the administration to exempt from its 120-day refugee ban any refugee who already has a relationship with a US resettlement agency.

But the court overruled that, allowing the California-based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on the issue.

The Trump administration issued a one-line response to the high court's ruling.

"The Department of Justice looks forward to presenting its arguments to the Ninth Circuit," it said.

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling on travelers.

"This confirms we were right to say that the Trump Administration over-reached in trying to unilaterally keep families apart from each other," he said in a statement.

Added Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union activist group: "Given an inch, the Trump Administration has tried to take a mile in implementing the ban. That is cruel, unnecessary, and unlawful," he said in a statement.

"We look forward to eradicating the entire Muslim ban, which is unconstitutional and repugnant to our most basic values as a country."

US Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat and longtime critic of the travel ban, encouraged the appeals court to be as expansive on the refugee ban as Watson was on the definition of close family for travelers.

"The court correctly applied common sense to interpret family members as including grandparents and other close relatives and therefore to grant them an exception to the travel ban," he said in a statement.

"Hopefully the same common sense will persuade the appellate courts to grant a similar exception to refugees having longstanding relationships with resettlement organizations funded by the US government. This interpretation would seem both good logic and sound law, as well as serving the humanitarian and national interest."
A Palestinian protester holds a copy of the Koran and shouts slogans in front of Israeli security forces during a demonstration in Jerusalem's Old City on July 20, 2017

Israel's army boosted security Thursday and braced for possible unrest on the eve of the main weekly Muslim prayers after security measures imposed at a sensitive Jerusalem site angered Palestinians.

Officials were reportedly in talks to defuse the crisis, which followed a deadly attack on police last Friday near the site that includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

As tensions mounted on Thursday evening, 22 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces, two of them seriously after being hit by rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

An Israeli police spokesman said officers had responded after Palestinians leaving prayers pelted the security forces with stones and bottles at the Old City's Lion Gate.

The controversy over the clampdown including the use of metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, has also resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to swiftly remove the detectors "within the framework of freedom of religion and worship".

"Given the importance that Haram al-Sharif carries for the whole Islamic world, the metal detectors put in place by Israel should be removed in the shortest possible time and an end put to the tension," said Erdogan.

Rivlin told Erdogan that "the steps taken on the Temple Mount were intended to ensure that such acts of terror could not be repeated," according to the Israeli presidency.

Their remarks came after Erdogan spoke on the phone to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

- Day of 'rage' -

In the Gaza Strip, Islamist movement Hamas, Abbas's rivals, called for a day of "rage" on Friday.

The United States and United Nations expressed concern, with the White House calling on Israel and Jordan, the holy site's custodian, to work toward a solution.

The new security measures were put in place following the gun and knife attack on Friday last week near the site that killed two Israeli policemen.

Three Arab Israeli assailants fled to the compound after the attack, where they were shot dead by security forces.

Israel initially closed the site for two days following the attack in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday's prayers.

It said the closure was necessary for security checks, adding the three attackers had come from the direction of the site.

Israel began reopening it on Sunday, but with metal detectors in place to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the compound.

The move angered Palestinians and Muslims who saw it as Israel asserting further control over the site.

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound since then.

Hundreds have been holding prayers outside the site, with clashes occasionally breaking out with Israeli police.

Israeli security forces stand guard as Palestinian Muslim worshippers pray outside Lions Gate, a main entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, on July 20, 2017

The weekly Friday prayers draw the largest number of participants, and speculation has intensified over whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will order the removal of the metal detectors.

- Army reinforcements -

The army said it was leaving five extra battalions on alert, including in the occupied West Bank.

It would decide whether to keep them deployed for the entire weekend.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told army radio that Netanyahu would decide on the policy for the site but he "hoped" the detectors would remain in place for the weekend.

Members of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition have been pressuring him to leave the detectors in place and "ensure security" at the site.

"Caving in to Palestinian pressure now will hurt Israel's deterrence and risk the lives of visitors, worshippers and law enforcement officials on Temple Mount," said Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the far-right Jewish Home.

Israel was taking other precautions to avoid further increasing tensions.

Members of the Israeli parliament were informed by Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein they were still not permitted to visit the site, as has been the case since October 2015.

Yehuda Glick, a lawmaker from Netanyahu's Likud party, had in March petitioned the Supreme Court against the ban, and in response the justice ministry said this month the state would allow a five-day pilot to see whether the ban could be relaxed.

The trial was set to begin on Sunday, and Edelstein's letter to the lawmakers was understood as meaning it would be delayed.

The compound is the holiest site in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam, and it is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It is located in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

Jews are allowed to visit the compound but not pray there to avoid provoking tensions. Netanyahu has stressed in recent days that he remains committed to the current rules.
US President Donald Trump (C) shakes hands with US Defense Secretary James Mattis (L) as he arrives at the Pentagon in Washington for a strategy session on defeating IS

US President Donald Trump on Thursday declared that the Islamic State group is crumbling, as he met with Pentagon officials to discuss America's military campaigns and progress in eradicating "radical Islamic terrorism."

"We're doing very well against ISIS. ISIS is falling fast, very fast," Trump said as he arrived at the Defense Department.

Trump campaigned heavily on the promise to defeat IS, and during his inaugural address he promised to "unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth."

The jihadists are far from being wiped out, but the Trump White House can boast of some big wins against the extremists, who this month lost their one-time bastion of Mosul in Iraq.

Trump signed an executive order soon after taking office instructing his generals to come up with a revised plan to wipe the jihadists out. Though the strategy has yet to be fully unveiled, parts of it are already in play.

Like the Obama administration's strategy, it relies on air power and the training of local troops to conduct the ground war in Iraq and Syria.

The biggest change Trump has made is giving Pentagon chief Jim Mattis new authorities to set troop levels and to move forces more quickly around the battlefield.

The president also decided to arm Kurdish fighters battling IS in Syria, much to the dismay of ally Turkey, which views the fighters as "terrorists."

- Civilian toll -

A common complaint under Barack Obama was that his White House micromanaged every detail of the campaign, needlessly slowing down battlefield decisions.

Trump has given Mattis and his commanders more power to call in strikes and make decisions, rather than checking everything with Washington or US Central Command in Florida.

Critics say this has led to soaring civilian casualties in Mosul and in Syria's Raqa, where tolls have jumped in recent months.

The Pentagon disputes this, saying it has not changed its rules of engagement and pointing to the reality of warfare in packed urban centers.

Mattis has also launched an "annihilation campaign" against IS in which the jihadists are encircled and killed in place rather than being allowed to flee.

Trump spoke briefly about IS as he arrived at the Pentagon, where he attended a strategy meeting to discuss the fight against the jihadists and America's other military engagements.

The president's brief comments actually came after he was asked whether he would be sending troops to Afghanistan, where the US has been since late 2001.

"We'll see," he said.

Pentagon officials have said Mattis is considering adding around 4,000 troops to augment the current "train and advise" mission for local forces.

IS also has a footprint in Afghanistan, but the Pentagon has said fewer than 1,000 IS fighters remain there, mainly in Nangarhar province.

Also attending Thursday's meeting at the Pentagon were Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mattis and Tillerson have visited Congress this week to brief members of both chambers about the progress in the anti-IS campaign.
Syrian fighter Iskandar makes a homecooked mulukhiyah stew during a day off from the frontlines as he and his comrades from the US-backed SDF battle the Islamic State group in Raqa

On a day off from the Raqa front line, Syrian fighter Iskandar was busy chopping up chicken and garlic cloves for a steaming pot of homecooked mulukhiyah stew.

He stirred the ingredients for the dish into a large pot perched atop a gas canister, set up in an abandoned home in Jazra, a western suburb of Raqa.

"I used to love going into the kitchen with my mum so I learned from her. This is the first meal I'm cooking on the front," the 28-year-old fighter with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said excitedly.

He and comrades from the US-backed SDF have been battling Islamic State group jihadists for control of Raqa, the de facto capital of IS's Syrian territory since 2014.

The SDF has spent months encircling the city and finally broke into it in early June.

After long stretches away from home, Iskandar and his comrades have grown nostalgic for a traditional meal.

"We got bored of the food that we get every day. It's not that we don't like it, but we're sick of eggplant, kebab and grilled meat," he told AFP.

Fellow fighters requested an old favourite: mulukhiyah, an aromatic stew made with bitter green leaves, lemon juice, a heavy dose of garlic and chicken, and typically served over white rice.

Iskandar got to work, finding dried mulukhiyah leaves in an abandoned Jazra home and venturing to nearby shops to buy the other ingredients.

"I hope they forgive us. We picked them so we could eat," said Iskandar of the green leaves.

- Chicken, beans, meat pies -

"If there's any other dish they want, I'm ready: stuffed vegetables, oven-roasted chicken, beans," Iskandar said proudly.

He flipped a yellow towel behind his neck to dab at the sweat gathering on his skin as his colleagues hovered nearby, impatient for the mouthwatering meal.

Some were spread out under the shade of a grapevine while others sat inside, where a sputtering air conditioning unit provided the only reprieve from the heat.

A refrigerator inside was stacked with bottles of water, ice cubes and a plate of chopped cucumbers that Iskandar would toss into some refreshing yoghurt.

Typically, meals for fighters on the western front are prepared in the village of Hawi al-Hawa, less than two kilometres (one mile) from Raqa.

The meals are usually made by a team of chefs the previous day so that they can be speedily delivered to hungry fighters on the front lines.

"Every day, we deliver 5,000 lunches and 5,000 dinners," said Hoghar, a kitchen logistics coordinator wearing fatigues and eyeglasses.

Outside, SDF members loaded plastic bags filled with bread loaves and cubed white cheese as rows of massive pots lay drying in the sun.

"We get requests from the fighters and we try to fill them as much as we can. They mostly ask for vegetables and fruit," Hoghar said.

Recently, fighters have been saying they crave meat pies, which the chefs plan to prepare in Kobane -- a three-hour drive away -- because there are no bakeries in Hawi al-Hawa, Hoghar said.

"We'll transport them in refrigerated trucks, then we'll distribute them from here."

- Ice-cold -

Nearby, the SDF has been churning out another key commodity: ice.

With temperatures rising above 45 degrees Celsius (112 Fahrenheit) across northern Syria, fighters have been struggling to stay cool and hydrated.

The militia has struck a deal with the owner of a small ice factory on the outskirts of Hawi al-Hawa, allowing them to freeze water there if they pay for the materials and diesel.

"Our forces are getting exhausted and they needed something to cool them down," said SDF fighter Mohiyddin Mohammad, 38, as the machine produced blocks of ice.

The blocks are transported to fighters closer to the front, who say they are indispensable.

"The most important thing for us is to get ice so that the water can stay cold," said 22-year-old militiaman Matay.

"In this heat, it's not enough to be in the shade, to shower, or to pour bottles of water on our heads."

Near the factory, fighters were savouring vanilla ice cream distributed from a truck.

During lulls in the fighting, Matay said he and other fighters in the Arab-Kurdish force rush to a small creek north of the village for a refreshing dip.

"We go to the river so we can swim, shower or even wash our clothes and take a break from this heat."
New Zealand's Auckland has firmed as favourite to host the next America's Cup, in 2021

Auckland has firmed as favourite to host the next America's Cup after holder Team New Zealand canvassed the prospect of holding the regatta there in 2021.

New Zealand won the Auld Mug last month with an emphatic 7-1 victory over Oracle Team USA in Bermuda and, as defender of the trophy, gets to set the terms of the next regatta.

"(We) are considering the possibility of the 36th America's Cup match and the preceding challenger selection series being conducted in Auckland in early 2021 during the New Zealand summer," it said in a statement this week.

The statement, issued jointly with the official challenger Luna Rossa of Italy, also suggested there would be tighter rules about where the yachts are built and who crews them.

"The protocol will contain a 'constructed in country' requirement for competing yachts and a nationality requirement for competing crew members," it said.

Details of the planned defence will be released in September.

It will specify what type of yachts to use -- the hi-tech foiling catamarans used in Bermuda or traditional monohulls -- as well as confirming the venue.

The Cup, international sports' oldest trophy dating back to 1851, has been plagued by criticism in recent years that it has become a billionaires' plaything.

The likes of Oracle's American owner Larry Ellison and Swiss pharmaceuticals magnate Ernesto Bertarelli have bankrolled successful campaigns by hiring the best crews, designers and builders from around the world.

Ellison had wanted to hold the Cup every two years and ensure future versions used foiling catamarans, which rise spectacularly from the water as they speed along.

But New Zealand was the only challenger at the Bermuda regatta that refused to sign up to the changes, saying Oracle had no right to try to impose its will on future Cups if it lost the trophy.

New Zealand syndicate head Grant Dalton has said he wants to bring the cost of competing in the race down, as well as introducing nationality rules and sticking with the every four years timeframe.
Actors rehearse for "Saigon" in Avignon, France

A hugely moving debut drama about exile set in a Vietnamese restaurant has become a surprise hit at the world's biggest theatre festival, with standing ovations every night and the audience in tears.

"Saigon" by Caroline Guiela Nguyen -- whose family fled what is now Ho Chi Minh City in 1956 -- has been hailed for shining a light on the suffering and sacrifice of Vietnamese emigres, whose fate has long been enveloped in silence in the United States and France.

Despite playing in a small venue at the Avignon Festival in southern France, the near four-hour family saga has had critics reaching both for superlatives and their handkerchiefs.

"Saigon" is playing to rave reviews at France's Avignon Festival

"This is a play like no other," the French daily Le Monde said, comparing its bitter-sweet melancholic nostalgia to Wong Kar-wai's classic film "In the Mood for Love".

"The play ends with the line, 'This is the way we tell stories in Vietnam; with lots of tears.' Well, we love these tears that French theatre has been so long deprived of," it added.

"Saigon" tells the story of the heartbreak and longing of Vietnamese who were torn between France and their homeland when French colonial rule collapsed in the wake of military humiliation at the hands of the nationalists and communists of the Viet Minh at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.

"The play is framed by two dates -- 1956 and 1996," Nguyen told AFP.

- 'Foreign Vietnamese' -

"1956 was when the last of the French soldiers and colonists left Vietnam. But many Vietnamese who had French nationality left with them (below decks in steerage). They were called the 'Viet kieu', literally the foreign Vietnamese," she said.

They would not be allowed back for another 40 years, having to wait until 1996 when the US lifted its embargo against Hanoi. When the teenage Nguyen went back a few years later with her mother she began to see the depth of her loss.

The remains of a destroyed French tank and parts of French aircraft kept as war relics in Vietnam's Dien Bien Phu valley, photographed in 2004

Bargaining with some fruit sellers in a Ho Chi Minh City market, the women could not stop laughing at the quaint way her mother spoke. Her Vietnamese no longer existed, a relic of an all but forgotten past.

Like every one of her 17 cousins who grew up France, Nguyen does not speak Vietnamese. "Our parents so wanted to integrate that teaching their children Vietnamese was for them going backwards. They were afraid it would hold up our French."

She remembers the divisions in her own extended family about whether to return or not.

"Some of my aunts and uncles never wanted to go back, while others longed to end their days there."

- Haunted by lost world -

Nguyen, who spent two years flying back and forth to Vietnam gathering stories, insisted that her own family history was "only a starting point" for her play.

"We gathered testimony but also sounds, images and atmosphere, and from all that our fiction was born."

"Saigon" is set in a Vietnamese restaurant in Paris in 1996

The play takes place in a Vietnamese restaurant in Paris in 1996. Some of the 11 actors speak Vietnamese and others French. All are haunted by a world that no longer exists.

Growing up, Nyugen said she was always aware of the gulf between Vietnamese parents and their children. Later while researching the play a Vietnamese-born mother told her, "My son is my Number One foreigner."

Like the double agent hero of last year's Pulitzer prize-winning novel "The Sympathizer" -- whose father was a French missionary priest -- Nguyen's characters are caught between cultures, between pity and suspicion.

Unlike that scorchingly brilliant satire by her namesake Viet Thanh Nguyen, her subtle, elliptical script eschews politics, even though her own family is almost a case study of French colonisation in Asia.

One of her mother's parents was Vietnamese, the other from Pondicherry, a former French outpost in southern India. Her father's side are "pieds noirs", French colonists in Algeria.

"Clearly the question of colonisation is always there, but to stop there would be a bit lame," Nguyen said.

"What interested me was to look at people whose fates have been decided by colonisation, to see what it left in their bodies and in their hearts."
Victims of the Herero and Nama tribes are battling for compensation for Germany's bloody colonial-era repression that saw tens of thousands killed.

On a thin strip of land at the bay of Luederitz in southern Namibia are dozens of gravestones bearing the names of each German soldier killed during a largely forgotten colonial war.

Nearby is a single marble plaque anonymously marking all their fallen adversaries.

Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of men, women and children belonging to the Herero and Nama tribes that stood up to German rule were killed in battle, or died of starvation, cold or mistreatment in their isolated corner of southern Africa.

"Shark Island" was the name given to a concentration camp in Luederitz which was used as a tool in Germany's systematic repression that is today considered by some historians as the first genocide of the 20th century.

For many years, the bloody episode was little-known, both in Africa and in Europe. Shark Island was transformed into a campsite popular with foreign tourists.

"There is real pain," said Ida Hoffmann, 69, a Nama-origin MP and activist.

Gravestones in Luederitz in southern Namibia bear the names of German soldiers killed during the largely forgotten colonial war with the Herero and Nama tribes.

"If the German government... respected the pain and the feelings that we went through and paid reparations, that thing that became now just a camp, where people go and have their honeymoon, would not be there," she said. "Shame on them."

Hoffmann is as equally damning of the German authorities as she is of the Namibian government, which have been negotiating the recognition of the killings and possible compensation.

- Uprising, then bloody repression -

The facts of the bloodshed are uncontested: in 1904, Namibia was engulfed by conflict when the Herero people, and later the Namas, rose up against German colonial rule, which had been in place since 1884.

The Germans responded with ferocious repression that included massacres, forced deportations and forced labour, with the orders for the clampdown signed on Berlin's behalf by General Lothar von Trotha.

Nama-origin MP and activist Ida Hoffmann is equally damning of the German authorities as she is of the Namibian government, which have been negotiating the recognition of the killings and possible compensation.

Some of those targeted fled to neighbouring Botswana but, according to historians, 80,000 Hereros -- out of 100,000 -- were killed, along with 10,000 Namas.

Germany long refused to take the blame for the episode, only accepting responsibility on the 100th anniversary of the massacres in 2004.

But it ruled out the possibility of reparations.

- Compensation dispute -

Germany's foreign ministry insisted that "very generous" foreign aid money given to Namibia represented an acknowledgement of responsibility for the slaughter.

The German position is woefully inadequate for Herero former MP and culture minister Kazenambo Kazenambo, who is calling for the return of all of the land confiscated during the colonial era.

According to historians, 80,000 Hereros -- out of 100,000 -- were killed, along with 10,000 Namas, under the colonial-era German repression between 1904 and 1908.

"The genocide has resulted in displacement where people find themselves in underdeveloped areas," he said.

"We have our people living in overcrowded land when others are owners of acres and acres of land that are not fully utilised -- and the owners are in either Berlin or Frankfurt."

Okakarara, 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of the Namibian capital Windhoek, was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the colonial-era conflict as well as a bastion of the Herero community.

Sarafia Komomungondo reflects on the past, sat outside her shack, feet trailing in the sand that surrounds her home.

"Before the war, we were better off... we had our sources of living, the animals especially," said the former traditional dancer with piercing blue eyes and traditional headwear, now in her 80s.

"Today we don't have anything... people are going to bed without eating anything, so those reparations will do us very good."

- Government support? -

Many Herero want a response from their own government, which is negotiating with the German authorities on recognition of the killings and possible compensation.

Perhaps as much as recognition and help from Germany, many members of the Herero community want their own government to respond to their plight.

"Herero people are not part of the tribe that is leading the government so we don't think the government will support us," said Komomungondo's neighbour, 69-year-old Veronika Mujazu.

Since independence in 1990, Namibia has been ruled by the SWAPO liberation movement, which is controlled by the majority Ovambo ethnicity.

Hereros make up just 10 percent of Namibia's 2.5 million people.

"In Africa to be strong politically you need the numbers," said Ester Muinjangue, director of the OvaHerero Genocide Foundation.

"In Namibia we are the third or fourth (largest) group. We are excluded, so we can't influence the discussion and its outcome."

- 'Not about money' -

Traditional Herero and Nama leaders have for months been demanding a seat at the negotiations between Windhoek and Berlin -- along the lines of the reparation talks between Germany, Israel and representatives of the Jewish community following the end of World War II.

But both Germany and Namibia have refused to allow the Hereros and Namas to participate.

The two tribes have formally accused Germany of genocide at a court in New York under a statute allowing non-US citizens to make claims before a US federal court for violations of international law.

A judge agreed in March to hear their case and another hearing is set for Friday.

Namibian government negotiator in talks with Germany, Zed Ngavirue, says that 'any meaningful agreement will be reached at state level'.

Namibian authorities have dismissed their efforts, insisting that they will end in an inconclusive stalemate.

"The people who initiated the case come from a side that's not our camp, in terms of politics," said Namibian government negotiator Zed Ngavirue.

"The basic thing is to understand that any meaningful agreement will be reached at state level. It must be an agreement between states."

Ngavirue said that progress was being made in the talks but declined to give details.

But Herero former minister Kazenambo remains sceptical and is prepared to continue his fight.

"For us it's not about money, it's about morality and justice," he said. "We won't ever give up on that."
Lebanese police officer Saleh al-Baradei, kidnapped in Arsal by Syria's then Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, celebrates his release on August 31, 2014

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah group said on Friday that its fighters had begun an operation against militants on both sides of the country's border with Syria.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television and its "War Media" social media channels carried announcements of "the start of a military operation to purge Jurud Arsal and Qalamun of armed terrorists."

The operation has been anticipated for several weeks, and comes after Lebanese soldiers carrying out raids on Syrian refugee camps in the area were met with suicide bombings and a grenade attack.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said "the Lebanese army will carry out a planned-out operation in Jurud Arsal and the government gives it freedom (to do so)."

There was no official indication on Friday on whether Lebanese troops were involved in the fighting in the mountainous border region.

The official National News Agency also reported that Hezbollah fighters had launched an operation in Jurud Arsal.

The Shiite militant group has been fighting in Syria for years alongside government troops against rebels.

The security situation in Arsal has long been a concern.

In 2014, jihadists kidnapped 30 soldiers and policemen after clashes in the area.

Four of the hostages were killed and a fifth died of his wounds, while 16 were eventually released in December 2015.

Another nine hostages are still being held.

The town of Arsal lies on the Lebanese side of the in-places ambiguously demarcated border.

Around 45,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations live in the town, but more are believed to be living in camps in the Jurud area, although their numbers have not been confirmed.

The Qalamun region lies on the Syrian side of the border across from Arsal. While much of it is now under government control, pockets of rebel-held territory remain, particularly along the border.

Hezbollah media outlets said the operation had been launched on two axes -- from the Syrian town of Flita and from the southern part of Jurud Arsal, already under the group's control.

The operation comes as tensions rise in Lebanon over the presence of more than one million Syrian refugees.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun warned this week against anti-refugee rhetoric in the wake of the attacks on troops in Arsal.

After the raids, the Lebanese army arrested dozens of people, four of whom were subsequently declared to have died of pre-existing conditions while in custody.

Human rights groups have demanded an independent investigation into allegations that the four men were tortured to death.
A Palestinian protester holds a copy of the Koran and shouts slogans in front of Israeli security forces during a demonstration in Jerusalem's Old City on July 20, 2017

Israeli police said they were barring men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose over new security measures at a supersensitive holy site.

"Entry to the Old City and Temple Mount will be limited to men aged 50 and over. Women of all ages will be permitted," a police statement said.

Tensions have risen after Israeli police installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby that killed two policemen.

The move angered Palestinian and other Muslims who saw it as Israel asserting further control over the site.

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound since then, and hundreds have been holding prayers outside, with clashes occasionally breaking out with Israeli police.

The main weekly prayers on Fridays draw the largest number of worshippers, and speculation had been mounting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might order the metal detectors removed before this week's prayers.

Israeli security forces stand guard as Palestinian Muslim worshippers pray outside Lions Gate, a main entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, on July 20, 2017

But after consultations with security chiefs and members of the security cabinet, Netanyahu decided not to remove them.

An Israeli official said the security cabinet "has given police the authority to make any decision to ensure free access to holy sites while maintaining security and public order."
Cecil was killed by American dentist and trophy hunter Walter Palmer. Researchers now confirm that a trophy hunter has shot dead one of his cubs

A trophy hunter in Zimbabwe has shot dead a cub of Cecil the lion whose death in 2015 caused worldwide outrage, researchers tracking the pride confirmed Friday.

Xanda, a six-year-old lion fitted with a radio collar, was killed on July 7 in northwest Zimbabwe, close to where US dentist Walter Palmer shot Cecil with a high-powered bow and arrow two years ago.

"Xanda was shot by a trophy hunter on a legally sanctioned hunt in a hunting area outside Hwange National Park," Andrew Loveridge from Oxford University's zoology department told AFP.

"As researchers we are saddened to lose a well-known study animal we have monitored since birth."

In 2015, Cecil's killing triggered fierce controversy as he was a popular attraction for visitors to the famed Hwange National Park.

Both Cecil and Xanda wore electronic GPS tracking collars in a project run by Oxford University's wildlife conservation research unit.

But they had strayed out of the park boundaries and into a legal hunting area.

The trophy hunter has not been named, but many hunters are from the United States or South Africa, paying tens of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to kill lions and other wild animals.

Pro-hunt groups say hunting provides an essential economic incentive to promote long-term conservation and that the income pays to safeguard wildlife and catch poachers.

Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper named the hunt's professional expedition leader as Zimbabwean Richard Cooke, and said that the hunt was legal as Xanda was six years old.

It added that Cooke had handed in the collar after discovering it on the dead animal, who was the head of the pride with two lionesses and several cubs.

Palmer, who shot Cecil, a 13-year-old male, was hounded on social media and went into hiding after demonstrations outside his dental practice.

He was reported to have paid $55,000 for the hunt.

No charges were brought against Palmer or the local guide as the hunt was also found to be legal.

Scientists, who say that Hwange has a healthy population of about 550 lions, are pushing for a 5-km (3-mile) hunting exclusion zone to protect lions who wander outside the park's boundaries.

Cecil had at least 12 surviving cubs last year, according to the Oxford research project.
A young Syrian rebel fighter holding a weapon waits on a road in Bab al-Hawa near the Syrian border with Turkey on December 16, 2016

Clashes in Syria's Idlib province between a powerful jihadist group and a key rebel faction intensified overnight, spreading to a border crossing with Turkey, a monitor and AFP correspondent said Friday.

The running battles between the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group have so far killed at least 65 people, including 15 civilians.

The clashes erupted earlier this week, and quickly spread through the province, which is one of the last remaining bastions of opposition-held territory.

Overnight, fierce battles raged in several parts of the province, including inside the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, which was previously fully controlled by Ahrar al-Sham.

"The fighting is now inside the crossing. It has become a battlefield, with part of it under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's control, and part under Ahrar al-Sham's control," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

An AFP correspondent in the province also reported heavy clashes on the outskirts of the town of Binnish and attempts by HTS to break into the village of Ram Hamdan.

HTS and Ahrar once formed the backbone of the Army of Conquest that captured most of Idlib province from the government in 2015.

But tensions between the two factions have been rising for some time and the latest clashes erupted in part over Ahrar's attempts to fly the flag of the Syrian revolution in the provincial capital Idlib city.

HTS is dominated by the Fateh al-Sham faction, which was previously known as Al-Nusra Front before dropping its official designation as Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.

The clashes have been accompanied by sporadic demonstrations against HTS in several parts of the province, including in the town of Sarmada where the jihadists on Wednesday and Thursday opened fire on protests against them.

On Wednesday, the fire killed a media activist participating in the demonstrations in the town.

Both sides have set up new checkpoints, and the fighting has turned parts of the province into virtual ghost towns with residents staying at home for fear of being caught in the fighting.

The Observatory said at least 15 civilians, including four children, have been killed in the fighting so far, including the media activist killed in the Wednesday demonstration in Saraqeb.

Another 50 fighters from both sides have been killed in clashes and executions, the monitor said.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
senor boogie woogie said: I am a "Facebook friend" with a young woman around 30 whose uncle has been my friend since childhood. I read one of her posts that she has been having some kind of somewhat minor but troublesome medical problem, but in her words, she doesn't have insurance and cannot afford to go see the doctor. What?



I sort of went "Huh?" Obamacare has been around, what, four or five years now. She is working somewhere, and in the past five years, has worked four of those years with a year of unemployment, but she has been mostly working and is employed now, but she doesn't have insurance, more than likely due to expense?



Isn't that what "Obamacare" is supposed to take care of? Isn't it basically the law that one must have medical insurance or pay a fine which is about equal to just having the insurance in the first place? She is not the only one. There is a guy I went to high school with who suffered a stroke at 50 last year or so and he has no insurance, and another classmate who has been good friends with him since school says he will get social security, I guess.



But in short, I thought Obamacare mandated medical insurance like car insurance for drivers. But not everyone can afford medical insurance. Pardon my ignorance, but I have been living abroad for the past 16 years and really do not know. The girl I talked about above to me is the failure of Obamacare, insurance one cannot afford, and being punished for not being able to afford the insurance, paying a fine and then being stuck with not being able to afford insurance and a vicious cycle without ending.



What am I missing here? Click to expand...

Here is my experience and it is very similar to most of my associates who do not get insurance thru an employer.Both my wife and I are self employed and our insurance has gone up and our coverage has gone down. This year our increase was in the thousands. Our deductible is something retarded like $10-15k. If we didn't have kids we would probably elect to just not have it and have a medical savings account like we did in the past. We don't to to the doctor and use mostly wholistic style "medicine". From what I understand (I have never put this to the test myself) that the only way the state can take the fine from you when you opt out is from your tax return so if you have to pay in they are SOL as it cannot just be added to your income taxAlso, I know for sure here in MN and IA that the state insurance pre obamacare was far superior to what people on public assistance are getting now. I have said time and time again I do not know anyone personally who is better off because of obamacare. This is not just because I do not like the program at all, it just is. I did not bitch about MNCare that I have paid into all the years I have lived here. It just is not good. It is to big, there are to many hands in the cookie jar and it gives far to much authority over our personal and financial lives to the federal government.
This file photo taken on February 29, 2016 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 1, 2016 shows US student Otto Warmbier (R), speaking at a press conference in Pyongyang

The United States will bar Americans from travelling to North Korea in the coming weeks, two travel agencies said Friday, a month after a US tourist, student Otto Warmbier, died following his imprisonment by Pyongyang.

China-based Young Pioneer Tours, which had taken Warmbier to North Korea, and Koryo Tours said the ban will come into force on July 27 -- the anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- with a 30-day grace period.

"We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea)," Young Pioneer Tours said on its website.

"After the 30-day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government," it said.

The company did not say who had notified it of the ban, which followed its earlier announcement that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea in the wake of Warmbier's death last month.

Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockerell told AFP that his company was notified by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which usually acts on behalf of the United States in North Korea since Washington has no diplomatic ties with the isolated regime.

The official announcement "will basically end American tourism" in North Korea, Cockerell said.

Travellers wanting to visit the North must go with a tour company. Americans are required to fly to Pyongyang from Beijing, while other nationalities are allowed to go by train. But the US State Department has strongly warned Americans against travelling there.

Warmbier, 22, died after being medically evacuated to the United States suffering from severe brain damage. He had spent 18 months in captivity in North Korea.

US President Donald Trump blamed Pyongyang's "brutal regime" for his plight.

North Korea accused the United States of waging a "smear campaign" and denied that Warmbier was tortured or abused.

The University of Virginia student was arrested at the airport as he was leaving Pyongyang in January last year and sentenced at a show trial to 15 years of hard labour for stealing a political poster from a hotel.

His case added to already high tensions in the region over North Korea's weapons ambitions, culminating in the country's successful test launch earlier this month of an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say could reach Alaska.

Young Pioneer Tours, founded in 2008 by a British expat, came under fire after Warmbier was flown home in a coma following a flurry of secret diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.
Tomas Ojea Quintana said he was "alarmed by a surge in detentions and forced repatriations of North Koreans" who are caught in China

The UN's human rights envoy to North Korea on Friday urged China to stop repatriating escaped defectors to the North, where they face harsh punishment, torture or execution.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN's Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, said he was "alarmed by a surge in detentions and forced repatriations of North Koreans" who are caught in China after making it across the border.

Over the past few months he had shared these concerns with the Chinese authorities, recalling their obligations under the 1951 Refugees convention as well as relevant parts of the UN system, he said.

"I urge them again to address this problem by giving special protection to DPRK (North Korea) citizens who transit through China's territory", he said at a press conference in Seoul.

If forcibly returned, North Korean defectors are at risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, torture or other ill-treatment, enforced disappearance and execution, according to Human Rights Watch.

"Women continue to be especially vulnerable to violent practices when they are sent back. Strip-searches, cavity inspections, verbal abuse and sexual violence are still known to happen in holding centres near the border with China," Quintana said.

Human Rights Watch said in June, citing activists and family members, that at least 51 North Koreans had been detained in China since July last year, including a baby born in detention, four children and three elderly women in frail health.

Based on their information, the rights watchdog said it believed that at least 13 of the North Koreans had already been forcibly returned, while the others remained in China for now.

Quintana made his statement at the end of a five-day trip to South Korea, taken as he prepares his annual report to the UN on North Korea's human rights situation in October.

During the visit to Seoul, Quintana also met several men and women who left the North this year.

Interviews with them confirmed that "corruption is so widespread that it has become customary" for people to pay officials for travelling and receiving medical treatment, he said.
Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of negligence over a rice subsidy policy that funneled cash to her poor, rural farming base but cost the Thai exchequer billions of dollars

A Thai court will deliver its ruling in the criminal negligence case of toppled premier Yingluck Shinawatra on August 25, a verdict that could see her jailed for up to 10 years.

She is accused of failing to stop corruption in a rice subsidy policy that funnelled cash to her poor farming base but cost the Thai treasury billions of dollars.

Her supporters say the case is driven by the junta that overthrew her government in 2014 and is determined to expunge her super-rich clan from Thailand's political scene.

Her brother Thaksin, who heads the Shinawatra family, was ousted as premier in a 2006 coup and fled the country over corruption convictions.

After the final day of witness testimony in her 18-month trial, the Supreme Court said Yingluck could give a verbal statement in her defence on August 1.

"Then, the court will deliver the verdict on August 25," the court said in a statement.

Currently it is not possible to appeal a Supreme Court ruling.

Yingluck's case is the first time a Thai premier has faced charges for the outcome of an economic policy in a country where populist handouts are commonplace and military spending passes without serious scrutiny.

As she arrived at court she wiped away tears, embracing supporters and posing for pictures with the crowd of some 500 supporters, many holding roses and balloons.

"I want to thank all of the media and people who came here to support me," she said in a brief comment to the press.

- Withering democracy -

Thailand's first female prime minister was impeached for abuse of power and banned from politics in the wake of the coup.

Yingluck Shinawatra

But she remains a galvanising force among her supporters, with the trial turning her into something of a martyr for a democracy movement that has withered under junta rule.

"People love the Shinawatra family because they helped small people get money and make a living," said Wachiraporn Laongnual, who said she travels two hours to attend every court hearing.

The farmers among the crowd outside the court defended Yingluck's rice policy, which saw the government pay nearly twice the market price for the vital commodity.

"Under Yingluck's rice scheme the rice was bought by the government and farmers could live very well. Now it's a struggle," said Nantha Phunen, adding that she was swamped by debt amid low rice prices.

The former PM was joined by dozens of Pheu Thai party politicians on the steps of the court, a rare political gathering under tight junta controls.

The junta has vowed to hold elections next year.

But a new charter it scripted strips back the power of elected politicians and creates a fully appointed upper house.

The Shinawatras and their allies have won every general election since 2001, but their political networks have been battered by the coups and endless legal cases.

The Thai junta, which represents the royalist Bangkok-centric elite, refuses to accept the legitimacy of Shinawatra electoral victories, decrying their politics as venal and corrupt.

Yingluck also faces a civil action to claw back $1 billion in compensation for the rice subsidy programme that paid farmers up to twice the price of their crop.
A demonstrator gestures in front of Moroccan security forces during a march in defiance of a government ban in the northern Moroccan city of Al-Hoceima on July 20, 2017

A protester was in a coma after being struck on the head during clashes between demonstrators and security forces in northern Morocco, local authorities said on Friday.

He was taken to hospital overnight after being wounded by "stone throwing" in the clashes on Thursday in the city of Al-Hoceima, official news agency MAP quoted the authorities as saying.

Authorities are seeking to "identify the person and clarify the circumstances of the incident", MAP said, adding that the patient would be flown to a hospital in the capital Rabat for further treatment.

On Thursday, police in Al-Hoceima fired tear gas to disperse protesters and stop them marching in defiance of a government ban to demand the release of fellow activists.

MAP earlier reported 72 police officers were wounded from stones being thrown and 11 of the protesters were injured from the tear gas. It said two officers were in a serious condition.

Al-Hoceima, the main port in the Rif region, has been hit by unrest since a fishmonger was crushed to death in a garbage truck last year as he tried to retrieve swordfish confiscated for being caught out of season.

Calls for justice evolved into a protest movement dubbed Al-Hirak Al-Shaabi demanding jobs, development, and an end to corruption in the mainly Berber region.

After months of demonstrations and frequent clashes between protesters and police, authorities cracked down, arresting more than 175 people including the movement's leader Nasser Zefzafi.
The conflict in Yemen has escalated dramatically since March 2015, when Saudi-led forces launched a military operation against Shiite rebels

The United Nations on Friday blamed a Saudi-led coalition for a deadly air strike on civilians in Yemen this week, saying there were no military targets in the area hit.

The attack on Tuesday in the Mawza district of the southwestern province of Taez killed at least 20 people, including four children, according to residents.

The UN human rights office, which put the death toll at 18, said the strikes hit three families who were staying in a makeshift straw house after being displaced from their homes three months ago by fighting.

The office said in a statement that the strike was carried out by "Arab Coalition Forces", referring to the Saudi-led alliance fighting Shiite rebels in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

"There do not appear to have been any military objectives anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the destroyed house," it added.

The Saudi-led coalition has faced repeated criticism over civilian casualties in Yemen. It accuses the Iran-backed rebels of using civilians as human shields.

The coalition has admitted responsibility for some strikes that killed non-combatants, including a raid on the rebel-held capital Sanaa in October 2016 that killed more than 140 people at a funeral ceremony.

The United Nations called for a "comprehensive and impartial investigation" into the latest incident.

The conflict in Yemen has escalated dramatically since March 2015, when the Saudi-led forces launched a military operation against the rebels.

Colville noted that persistent unrest was also hindering the UN's ability to respond to the the cholera crisis in Yemen, which is the world's largest outbreak of the bacterial infection.

The World Health Organization said Friday that the number of suspected cholera infections in Yemen had risen to nearly 370,000, as of July 19.

"Every day, 5,000 more Yemenis fall ill with symptoms of acute watery diarrhoea (or) cholera," the UN health agency said in a statement.

A full 1,828 people have died during the outbreak since it erupted in late April.

The conflict in Yemen has left less than half of the country's medical facilities in working order.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has previously announced he was distancing the country from its main defence ally the United States, after the administration of then-US president Barack Obama criticised his bloody anti-drug campaign

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday vowed that he would never visit "lousy" America despite an earlier invitation extended by US President Donald Trump.

Duterte made the declaration as he expressed anger at a US Congress human rights commission hearing where various advocate groups assailed his bloody war on drugs.

"There will never be a time during my term when I will be going to America or thereafter," he told reporters.

"I've seen America and its lousy. They have many human rights violations," he added, referring to US troops fighting in the Middle East.

Duterte, who took office last year, previously announced he was distancing the country from its main defence ally the United States after the administration of then-US president Barack Obama criticised his bloody anti-drug campaign which has left thousands dead.

But after Trump was elected president, he called up Duterte in April and praised the campaign, even inviting him to the White House.

At the time, Duterte said he could not commit to such a visit because he had other overseas trips scheduled.

At a hearing on Thursday in Washington on human rights violations under Duterte's war on drugs, US Congressman James McGovern said that Duterte should not have been invited and that he would lead protests against the Philippine leader if he appeared.

This prompted the angry rejoinder from Duterte who said "what makes that guy think I will go to America?"

The Philippine president had previously called Obama a "son of a whore" for his criticism but has been friendly towards Trump.

Duterte continues to enjoy wide popular support despite the spate of killings.
A young Syrian rebel fighter holding a weapon waits on a road in Bab al-Hawa near the Syrian border with Turkey on December 16, 2016

A former Al-Qaeda affiliate and a leading rebel group agreed Friday to end days of fighting over of one of the last major parts of Syria out of the regime's control.

The clashes in Syria's Idlib province in the country's northwest pit the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) against the key rebel group Ahrar al-Sham, which is supported by Turkey and some Gulf countries.

The factions were once allies and fought alongside each other to capture most of Idlib province from the Syrian government in 2015.

But growing tensions between the two have been exacerbated, analysts say, by HTS's fears of a plan to expel the internationally designated "terror" group from the province.

The fighting erupted on Tuesday and has now killed at least 92 people, including 15 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

It had engulfed much of the province, including the key Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, which had been controlled by Ahrar al-Sham.

By Friday evening, however, the groups issued identical statements announcing a truce agreement.

The deal included "a ceasefire, the release of detainees from both sides, and the exit of armed groups from the Bab al-Hawa border crossing and its transfer to a civilian administration," the statements said.

Within an hour of the announcement, an AFP correspondent in Idlib city reported the situation was calm with the sounds of clashes and explosions stopping and some civilians coming back outside.

- Strong player, weak player -

Nawar Oliver, a military analyst at the Istanbul-based Omran Centre think-tank, reacted with skepticism to the truce.

"There have been plenty of agreements on paper that have not been implemented. I don't think this is the end of (the fighting)," Oliver told AFP.

"This is a truce between a strong player and a weak player. International support for Ahrar has halted, and it doesn't look good for them."

HTS had seized several villages before the announced truce, according to the Observatory and media channels affiliated with the group.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Bab al-Hawa had "become a battlefield, with part of it under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's control, and part under Ahrar al-Sham's control."

An AFP correspondent had also reported heavy clashes as HTS fighters attempted to advance in the province's east, including the sound of large explosions and heavy weaponry.

HTS is dominated by the Fateh al-Sham faction, which was previously known as Al-Nusra Front before renouncing its ties to Al-Qaeda.

The clashes were accompanied by sporadic demonstrations against HTS in several parts of the province, including in the town of Saraqeb where the jihadists on Wednesday and Thursday opened fire on protests against them.

On Wednesday, the shots killed a media activist taking part in the demonstrations in the town.

Both sides had set up new checkpoints, and parts of the province were transformed into virtual ghost towns with residents staying home for fear of being caught in the crossfire, the AFP correspondent said.

- 'Vying for control' -

Experts said the outbreak of violence comes against the backdrop of a deal agreed in the Kazakh capital Astana in May for four "de-escalation zones" in Syria.

The agreement between regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey, designates the Idlib region as one of the mooted zones where combat between the government and rebels would halt.

HTS opposes the agreement, which calls for continued fighting against jihadist groups like its main component Fateh al-Sham Front.

"As soon as there was the announcement of Idlib as a de-escalation zone, that's it. HTS felt like a war is upon it," Oliver told AFP.

Sam Heller, a Syria expert at the Century Foundation, said the groups were "vying for control for Idlib province".

"Whatever kind of political or ideological differences existed between them have been exacerbated or inflamed by the Astana talks, as well as by the rumours -- if not the reality -- of some larger deal that would work against HTS," he said.

Oliver said the fighting was a chance for each side to gain valuable territory, including the border crossing where taxes and tariffs can be extracted.

Idlib is one of the last major parts of Syria beyond the control of the government, which has recaptured vast swathes of territory from opposition fighters since its ally Russia intervened on its behalf in September 2015.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Authorities have imposed curfew in parts of the main city of Srinagar where separatists had called for a march to the office of a UN military observer group to protest against recent civilian killings and arrest of dozens of political activists.

The Indian army opened fire on a group of stone-throwing protesters Friday, killing one youth and injuring another in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said.

The demonstrators had gathered in the town of Beerwah after senior separatist leaders called for a strike against Indian rule.

Soldiers opened fire after mistaking a firecracker for a grenade explosion, police said.

"Someone among these miscreants (protesters) ... hurled a firecracker towards the army men. Because of the bang the army men thought a grenade was hurled and they retaliated," the statement said.

Authorities have imposed a curfew in parts of the main city of Srinagar where separatists had called for a march to the office of a UN military observer group to protest against recent civilian killings and arrest of dozens of political activists.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947, but both claim the Himalayan territory in full.

For decades rebel groups have fought roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the territory, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting which had subsided in recent years but armed encounters between rebels and government forces have become more frequent since security forces killed a popular rebel commander in July.
Jordanians shout slogans and carry the Palestinian flag at a protest in Amman on July 21 against new Israeli security measures at a sensitive holy site in annexed east Jerusalem

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Jordanian capital on Friday to condemn Israel's latest security measures at a highly sensitive holy site in annexed east Jerusalem.

A crowd estimated to number more than 8,000 turned out for a demonstration called by Islamist movements and leftist parties in Jordan, which has a 2004 peace treaty with Israel.

In the capital, the protesters set off on a march from the Al-Husseini Grand Mosque in central Amman.

"With our soul, with our blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Al-Aqsa," the mosque in Jerusalem's Old City at the heart of the dispute, they chanted.

"We will go to Al-Aqsa in our millions as martyrs," vowed the crowd, whose country is the official custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem and where more than half of the population is of Palestinian origin, as protesters set ablaze and trampled an Israeli flag.

Jordanians shout slogans during a protest in Amman on July 21, 2017 against new Israeli security measures at a sensitive holy site in annexed east Jerusalem

In Jerusalem, Palestinian protesters on Friday clashed with Israeli forces outside the Old City.

Israeli ministers have decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosques compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of fresh protests, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for the weekly Friday prayers.
Convinced there's a way to move forward on the Republicans' promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Donald Trump hopes to change the minds of Republican senators over lunch at the White House today.Trump and Republican senators will talk health care and other issues two days after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell conceded that the effort to repeal and immediately provide replacement legislation for Obamacare "would be unsuccessful."A senior White House official told ABC News the lunch was entirely President Trump's idea."He wants one last shot" to persuade the GOP senators otherwise, according to the official.The president plans on making the case that the repeal and replacement of Obama's signature health care law is a promise the Republican Party made and they need to keep it.When asked if President Trump could or should have done more to help GOP senators' efforts, the official said, "We're not done yet."President Trump and the White House yesterday deflected responsibility for the failure of the Senate GOP's health care plan, largely blaming Democrats.Trump acknowledged yesterday in a tweet that "a few Republican" defectors were partly to blame. Trump appeared to be referring to Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Rand Paul, Jerry Moran and Mike Lee, who each announced their opposition to the Senate health care bill."For seven years, I've been hearing repeal and replace from Congress, and I've been hearing it loud and strong," President Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday. "And then when we finally get a chance to repeal and replace, they don't take advantage of it."Several lawmakers, on the other hand, have opted to privately scold President Trump for his lack of involvement and interaction with senators as they sought to bolster public support for the bill.The president revealed yesterday that he was "disappointed" with the failure of the Senate health care bill, but said he doesn't "think it's dead."Trump also proposed that his party should let the health care system "fail" so that Democrats and Republicans can "come together and fix it and come up with a new plan."McConnell plans on holding a vote in the Senate "early next week" on a measure that would repeal Obamacare while giving lawmakers a two-year period to work on a replacement.Already, three GOP senators have come out against moving forward with this vote, and Arizona Sen. John McCain is still recovering from surgery at home.The president last hosted a group of GOP senators for lunch to talk health care on June 13 at the White House.Sent from my LG-K330 using Tapatalk
Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, 74, will not contest next month's election amid rumours of ill-health

Angola's parliament passed a law on Friday that will drastically limit the powers of the country's future presidents in matters of security and defence.

The law will only apply to successors of the current head of state, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has enjoyed unfettered control of Angola's sprawling military and security institutions since taking power in 1979.

Supported by a large majority of lawmakers, the new bill sets out limited circumstances in which the powerful officials can be removed -- including instances of criminal behaviour and old age.

It will mean that the heads of the army and police and intelligence services will be protected in their posts for eight years, limiting the president's power to remove them.

The policy has sparked controversy in Angola with the opposition accusing outgoing Dos Santos of seeking to retain control of the military after he leaves office.

"It means that the president will not be able to remove them from their posts," said Andre Mendes de Carvalho, a lawmaker with the opposition CASA-CE party.

"A law like this shouldn't be passed just weeks before the end of a (presidential) term. What's more, it prevents the future president from working effectively."

Angolans will go to the polls on August 23 to choose their new leader.

Dos Santos will not contest elections next month which his apparent successor at the helm of the ruling MPLA party, defence minister Joao Lourenco, is expected to win comfortably.

After 37 years in office, Dos Santos has been dogged by rumours of ill health and has made two medical trips to Spain in recent months.
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, shown earlier this month, says Pakistan can still do more to counter the Haqqani network, to secure full military funding in FY17

The US Defense Department has withheld $50 million in Pakistan military payments after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis determined Islamabad is not doing enough to counter the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, an official said Friday.

"Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defense committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2016 Coalition Support Funds," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

The United States had allotted $900 million in military aid to Pakistan through the special fund, which is used to reimburse the costs of counter-terror operations.

The country has already received $550 million of that, but Mattis's decision means $50 million will be withheld. The remaining $300 million was rescinded by Congress as part of a broader appropriations act.

"This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over previous years," Stump said.

The United States has authorized Pakistan to receive up to $900 million again this year.

"Pakistan still has time to take action against the Haqqani network in order to influence the secretary's certification decision in FY17," Stump added.

The Pentagon decision comes as the United States is trying to figure out a strategy to break the stalemate with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Mattis has indicated he wants the plan to incorporate much of the broader region and not merely focus on Afghanistan.

"This decision does not prejudge the conclusions of the White House review of South Asia strategy, which is still ongoing," Stump said.

The Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, based in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been thought to have ties to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment.

Led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the Taliban's deputy leader, they have carried out numerous operations deep in the heart of Kabul, and have been blamed by Afghanistan for a devastating truck bombing that killed more than 150 people in the capital in May.
Palestinians run for cover from teargas during clashes with Israeli security forces over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017

Three Israelis were stabbed to death and clashes left three Palestinians killed Friday as tensions rose over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site where police restricted access for Muslim prayers.

As Israeli and Palestinian leaders faced pressure to respond, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced late Friday he was freezing contacts with Israel over the holy site dispute.

The unrest came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City in annexed east Jerusalem for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

Police said later in the day that discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors instead of forcing everyone to go through them.

But Palestinian and religious leaders still called on worshippers not to enter until the devices were removed.

Hundreds held prayers in the streets near the gates of the Old City in protest. According to police, dozens of people entered the compound.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalem's Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gate -- the entrance most heavily used by Palestinians -- blocked.

Palestinians hurl stones at Israeli forces after they used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse Muslim worshippers following protest prayers held outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017

Police later fired stun grenades and tear gas towards protesters outside the Old City, while Palestinians threw stones and other objects at security forces in some areas.

One Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli gunfire in the A-Tur neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

A second Palestinian was killed by gunfire in east Jerusalem, while a third was shot dead in Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank, the ministry said, without providing details.

Israel's army confirmed it was involved in clashes in Abu Dis.

In the evening, a Palestinian broke into a home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and stabbed four Israelis, killing three of them, the Israeli army said.

The assailant, believed to be 20, was shot in the incident and taken to hospital, but his condition was unclear.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 450 people were wounded in Jerusalem and the West Bank throughout the day, including 170 from live or rubber bullets.

Medics reported another 40 wounded in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli police reported 29 arrests in Jerusalem and the West Bank, adding that five officers were lightly injured, coming under attack with stones and fireworks.

- 'Take control' -

Tensions have risen since police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceive as a means for Israel to boost its control over the compound containing the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke with US counterpart Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, urging the White House to intervene, the Palestinians' official Wafa news agency reported.

He later announced he was freezing contacts with Israel over the security measures at the holy site.

Abbas called the measures "falsely presented as a security measure to take control over Al-Aqsa mosque".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the metal detectors were intended to ensure the safety of worshippers and visitors and not an attempt to disturb the fragile status quo under which Jordan is custodian of the site and Jewish prayer is forbidden.

Palestinians pray outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017, after Israel denied entry to men under 50 in the face of protests over new security measures at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound whose landmark golden dome is visible in the background

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound all week in protest at the metal detectors.

The main weekly prayers on Fridays draw the largest number of worshippers -- typically thousands -- and speculation had been mounting that Netanyahu might order the metal detectors removed.

But after consultations with security chiefs and members of his security cabinet, Netanyahu decided not to do so.

- Smuggled weapons -

The metal detectors were put in place following a gun and knife attack near the holy compound that killed two Israeli policemen on July 14.

Three Arab Israeli assailants fled to the compound after the attack, where they were shot dead by security forces.

Israeli police said the weapons were smuggled into the holy site which was then used as the launchpad for the attack.

Israel initially closed the compound for two days following the attack in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday's prayers.

Israel began reopening it on Sunday, but with metal detectors in place to prevent weapons being smuggled inside.

The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It lies in east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

It is considered the third holiest site in Islam and the most sacred for Jews.
Yanghee Lee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, speaks during a press conference in Yangon on July 21, 2017

Myanmar is still using the same "tactics" to silence its people as the former junta, the UN's rights envoy said Friday, urging the government to allow the UN to probe allegations of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

More than 70,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since October to ecape a bloody crackdown by security forces, many bringing stories of mass killings, gang rapes and arson by security forces.

UN investigators fear the military has used "clearance operations" launched to find militants who attacked police as a cover for possible ethnic cleansing of the oppressed minority.

The government has stanchly denied the allegations but refused to allow in a UN fact-finding mission to investigate, or allow unfettered access for international journalists or rights workers.

UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee "strongly" urged the government to allow in the mission, saying she was still receiving reports of abuses by security forces from Rakhine State.

She also warned police and military were still trying to intimidate and harass people for speaking out over rights abuses in the same way they did under military rule.

"I have to say I am disappointed to see the tactics applied by the previous government still being used," she told a press conference in Yangon at the end of her 12-day trip to the country.

"In previous times human rights defenders, journalists and civilians were followed, monitored and surveyed and questioned - thats still going on."

Hopes were high that democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi would usher in a new era of freedom when her party won landmark 2015 elections -- the first fully free vote for generations.

Her victory ended half a century of military control, which left Myanmar impoverished, scarred by ethnic conflicts and gripped by an oppressive security apparatus that killed and imprisoned thousands of dissenters.

But a jump in prosecutions of journalists, a surge in violence on the country's restive northeast and the military crackdown on the Rohingya have already tarnished her reputation a little over a year since her government took power.

Buddhist-majority Myamar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh, denied citizenship and access to basic rights.

Lee -- who Buddhist nationalists have previously branded a "whore" for speaking out over the Rohingya -- warned the UN would keep up its scrutiny of the country until more was done to protect its people.

"Just as we are told not to expect Myanmar to transition into a democracy overnight, that it needs time and space, Myanmar should also not expect to have (UN) special mechanisms dismantled overnight," she said.

"Not until a real and discernible progress in the human rights situation."
"We talked in detail about the sanctions and instances that the Americans had delayed in fulfilling their commitments, the instances where they violated the deal," Tehran's lead nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi, seen in 2013, told reporters

Iran on Friday vented frustration over fresh US sanctions which it says "violate" the terms of a 2015 landmark nuclear deal, raising its concerns at a meeting with major world powers in Vienna.

"We talked in detail about the sanctions and the instances that the Americans had delayed in fulfilling their commitments, the instances where they violated the deal," Tehran's lead nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi told reporters.

"We showed one by one the instances where the American side in the last year and a half acted without good will and even acted with ill intention."

Araqchi said the United States was "trying to sabotage the situation, to threaten or scare off foreign companies to invest in Iran".

The regular quarterly meeting to review the deal heard, as Washington already confirmed earlier this week, that Iran is sticking to its side of the pact with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

The parties said in a statement they welcomed "Iran's continued adherence to its nuclear-related commitments".

"All participants confirmed their continued adherence to (the) commitments and stressed the need to ensure its full and effective implementation in a constructive atmosphere," the statement read.

The gathering among senior diplomats was held behind closed doors -- in the same plush Vienna hotel where the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was hammered out on July 14, 2015.

Under the deal, Tehran agreed to massively scale back production of nuke-making material in return for massive sanctions relief.

But the pact has not eased tensions between Tehran and Washington, which continue to clash over conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Iran-backed militia hold clout.

US President Donald Trump has been a virulent critic of the nuclear accord signed under his predecessor Barack Obama, calling it "the worst deal ever".

Although Trump has yet to make good on his campaign promise to rip up the agreement, his administration on Tuesday announced a fresh round of non-nuclear sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile programme.

The move came hours after the White House admitted the Islamic republic was complying with the nuclear accord.

Iran responded with its own sanctions and accused the US of trying to "poison the international atmosphere".

"All members were unanimous in saying that the JCPOA must be preserved and that all sides must fulfill their undertakings," Araqchi said

He said he had expressed his concerns in bilateral talks with the US after Friday's main meeting.
Bank of America is the latest major to announce it will move its center for European operations out of London after Brexit, selecting Dublin while other banks are moving to Frankfurt

Bank of America announced Friday that it will move its hub for EU business to Dublin from London following Brexit.

The Irish capital will be "the preferred location for (the bank's) principal EU legal entities following the UK's departure from the EU," BofA said in a statement.

"Bank of America has operated in Ireland and engaged in the local community for almost 50 years," chief executive Brian Moynihan said.

BofA, the second biggest US bank by assets, did not specify the employment impact of the decision.

The bank currently employs about 700 people in Dublin and 4,500 in London, and is expected to transfer a small number of jobs from London to Dublin, a person familiar with the matter said.

BofA said it also will transfer functions out of London to other EU venues "with the focus on how we can best support our clients in these markets."

Earlier this week, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, two other big US banks, signaled they would choose Frankfurt as a new hub following Brexit, which is expected to take effect in 2019.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase has transferred hundreds of jobs to Dublin, but has not announced plans for a permanent headquarters for the EU.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer quit over President Donald Trump's choice of a new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci

White House press secretary Sean Spicer abruptly resigned Friday in protest at a major shake-up of Donald Trump's scandal-tainted administration, as pressure mounted from a broadening investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.

Spicer quit after Trump named Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and one-time critic, as the new White House communications director -- a role Spicer had hoped to play.

"It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August," Spicer tweeted.

In a written statement, Trump said he was "grateful" for Spicer's work and praised his "great television ratings" -- a reference to Spicer's keenly watched, combative and often-satirized news briefings.

"Spicer is a wonderful person who took tremendous abuse from the Fake News Media - but his future is bright!" Trump tweeted.

Spicer was replaced by deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

In an interview with Fox News, Spicer said he stepped aside to "not have too many cooks in the kitchen" to convey Trump's message.

Spicer's resignation marked an escalation of tensions within an administration that has seen its legislative agenda falter at the same time it has been buffeted by an investigation into alleged collusion with Russia.

The Washington Post reported late Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, contrary to his prior testimony, discussed campaign-related and policy matters with Russia's ambassador to Washington, citing intelligence intercepts.

The report will heap pressure on Sessions, who already was on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing by Trump over the Russia probe. The president suggested Sessions had betrayed him in stepping away from the investigation.

And in another blow, Mark Corallo -- who was coordinating the Trump legal team's public response to the Russia crisis -- told AFP that he, too, had stepped down.

After months of denials, the White House was recently rocked by emails showing Donald Trump's eldest son and two top aides met with a Russian lawyer in the belief they would get dirt on the Republican billionaire's 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton.

In response, Trump aides have floated the idea of pre-emptive presidential pardons and Trump himself has warned investigators not to look into his family finances.

Spicer's decision appears to have happened quickly, with neither he nor Sanders giving any indication of changes afoot when they had drinks with a group of journalists on Thursday evening.

Spicer had "no regrets" on his way out the door, he said on Fox late Friday.

Yet he angrily lashed out at US media, claiming they were "obsessed" with Russia after US intelligence agencies said that Moscow was involved in meddling with the US presidential election Trump won.

"I was increasingly disappointed in how so many members of the members here in the media do their job, or rather, don't do their job. The bias which they come from it at," Spicer said.

And it is no exception, he stressed.

- 'On track' -

"The majority of folks that are now in this -- in the briefing room, that are going into journalism. They're not there for the facts and the pursuit of the truth. Rather, they're trying to figure out, how do I get on TV, how do I become a YouTube star. And that's disappointing."

In addition, in terms of staffing, Spicer explained: "I thought it would be a bit confusing having additional people at the top. And so I wanted to move on to give both Anthony and Sarah that clear lane in each of their respective areas."

Anthony Scaramucci took the White House podium for the first time Friday as the new communications director

Scaramucci dismissed reports of infighting when he took questions from the press for the first time. "I think the White House is on track," he told reporters.

Spicer had been a close ally of chief of staff Reince Priebus, and his departure will likely weaken both Priebus and the bridge between the White House and the Republican Party establishment.

In an expansive interview with The New York Times earlier this week, Trump plunged his White House into fresh crisis when he attacked special counsel Robert Mueller, and warned him against looking at Trump family finances.

Mueller is examining whether Trump or his aides colluded with Russia's apparent efforts to help tilt the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favor.

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is leading the US probe into whether President Donald Trump's associates colluded with Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election

With the probe apparently extending to financial transactions, US media reported that Trump allies were looking for ways to discredit Mueller's investigation.

Trump himself has suggested that Mueller - a widely respected former FBI director - may have a conflict of interest.

The White House has pointedly refused to rule out the possibility that Trump would fire Mueller -- an act that would prompt a political firestorm and perhaps a constitutional crisis.

- 'Crossing a line' -

Republican House Homeland Security Committee chairman Michael McCaul warned Trump would face a "tremendous backlash response from both Democrats but also House Republicans" if he were to sack Mueller.

"Trump cannot define or constrain Mueller investigation. If he tries to do so this creates issues of constitutional and criminal dimension," said former attorney general Eric Holder.

Trump has already fired his FBI director James Comey over the Russia investigation.

The top Democrat on the Senate's intelligence committee, Mark Warner, warned that pardoning anybody who may have been involved in potential collusion "would be crossing a fundamental line."
Qatari takes a photo during the inaugural signing of a wall bearing a portrait of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha on July 13, 2017

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, is to address the nation Friday night in a televised speech, the first since Saudi Arabia and its allies severed ties with the emirate.

The official QNA news agency, quoting the emir's office, said Sheikh Tamim would deliver his speech at around 1900 GMT to address "the future orientation of Qatar in light of the current Gulf crisis".

On June 5, Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran. Doha denies the claim.

The crisis is the worst to hit the Gulf in decades.

Saudi Arabia and its allies also imposed sanctions on Doha, including closing its only land border, refusing Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from Qatar.

And on June 22, they went on to present the emirate with a list of 13 demands with which to comply to resolve the crisis.

Kuwait has been trying to mediate the crisis and several top Western diplomats have toured the region to try to defuse the row, including US Secretary of States Rex Tillerson.
Tear gas fumes billow during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces after Friday prayers at the main entrance of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on July 21, 2017 at a protest against new security measures at Al-Aqsa mosque complex

A third Palestinian was killed on Friday after clashes erupted between Israeli forces and protesters over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site, the Palestinian health ministry said.

"A Palestinian was killed after he was shot in the heart by live bullets," the ministry said of the incident in Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank.

It provided no further details on the circumstances, but identified him as Mohammad Lafi, 18.

The Israeli army confirmed it was involved in clashes in Abu Dis.

Another Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli gunfire in the A-Tur neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, according to the ministry. He was identified as Mohammad Abu Ghannam, 20.

In a separate incident, a Palestinian was killed by gunfire in east Jerusalem's Ras al-Amud neighbourhood, the ministry said. He was identified as Mohammad Sharaf, 17, but the circumstances were also not clear.

Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians erupted around Jerusalem's Old City and in the occupied West Bank on Friday over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site.

Friday's unrest came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of at least 287 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 44 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP toll.

Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.

Others were shot dead in protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

The violence had greatly subsided in recent months, but the attack on July 14 that killed two Israeli policemen has boosted tensions.
Sean Spicer, who resigned as White House press secretary after just six months in the job, may be most remembered for the savage lampooning of his briefings by "Saturday Night Live" guest star Melissa McCarthy

Sean Spicer, who resigned Friday after a stormy six months as White House press secretary, was tapped to be Donald Trump's spokesman even though he was not a member of the president's inner circle.

Spicer, 45, became the public face of the White House after years of working as a Republican Party insider alongside Reince Priebus, another party stalwart who became Trump's chief of staff.

Spicer's short-lived tenure as White House spokesman was marked by annoyance from the president over what he perceived as blanket unfavorable media coverage of his fledgling administration.

It also saw increasingly antagonistic relations between the White House and the press corps assigned to cover the president.

His very first White House briefing set the tone as a combative Spicer accused the media of underestimating the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration the previous day.

Spicer then stormed off and refused to take any questions.

As Trump's spokesman, Spicer faced the added difficulty of representing a president with a penchant for taking to Twitter to get his views across himself.

Spicer's time at the White House will likely be remembered for Melissa McCarthy's savage impression of him on comedy sketch show "Saturday Night Live."

Rumors of Spicer's departure have swirled around the White House for weeks since his deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, began regularly standing in for him at the daily briefings with the press.

According to a White House official, Spicer resigned after Trump appointed Anthony Scaramucci to be the new communications director -- over the objections of Spicer and his ally Priebus.

Spicer was named communications director for the Republican National Committee (RNC) in February 2011 and added the title of RNC chief strategist in 2015.

The Republican Party website credits him with engineering a "dramatic turnaround" at the RNC "at a time when it was deep in debt and had a badly tarnished brand."

Before joining the RNC, Spicer served as assistant US trade representative for media under president George W. Bush and communications director for the House Republican Conference.

A native of New York, Spicer grew up in Rhode Island. He attended Connecticut College and earned a master's degree from the Naval War College.

Spicer holds the rank of commander in the US Navy Reserve.

"It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August," Spicer tweeted.
LEBANON  City Finance Director Dean Baugh has resigned, according to information released late Thursday by the City Managers office.

Baugh worked for the city since September 2009 and came to Lebanon from Alaska. Originally from Concord, California, Baugh joined the Air Force so he could become a firefighter in Alaska.

He arrived in Alaska in February 1978 and it was 60 degrees below zero with ice-fog. He spent eight years in the Air Force and then earned a degree in accounting from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. His first job was working in remote areas, accessed by bush plane.

He then worked for the city of Bethel and then became business manager for the school district in the Aleutian Islands, before the family moved to Wasilla near Anchorage.

Baugh could not be reached for comment Thursday.

City Manager Gary Marks said Baughs last day with the city was last Friday, but he would not comment further.

The city has begun a search for someone to fill the finance directors position.
Anthony Scaramucci, a New York investor, is named as the new White House communications director amid a shakeup

Anthony Scaramucci, named Donald Trump's new White House communications director, is a millionaire former hedge fund investor who shores up the stable of bankers in the president's inner circle.

It is the first administration role for the 53-year-old Republican fundraiser with telegenic looks who has long been an articulate surrogate for the president and who was first named to his transition team last November.

The son of a middle class Italian-American family from Long Island, Scaramucci cut his teeth in high finance at Goldman Sachs, the leading investment bank for which several senior Trump allies once worked.

Nicknamed "Mooch" on Wall Street, the always slick and dapper Scaramucci spent seven years at the bank before co-founding investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold in 2001.

In 2005, he founded global investment firm SkyBridge Capital, which for years ran a prominent annual conference in Las Vegas, which united the great and good of finance, international politics and the celebrity world.

Making no secret of his desire to join the Trump administration, the Harvard and Tufts-educated Scaramucci moved to avoid any potential conflict of interest by announcing in January that he had sold his stake in SkyBridge.

He was last month named in a CNN article -- which was later retracted and led to the resignation of three journalists -- that claimed Congress was investigating links between Trump's administration and a Russian investment fund.

His tough response to the article reportedly won the admiration of his new boss.

In public he cultivates a polite and friendly persona, an agile figure on television as a former Friday night host of "Wall Street Weekly" on Fox Business, and as a former contributor at CNBC.

Reportedly respected by Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, he was the sole emissary from Trump's transition team at the World Economic Forum in Davoslast January .

Having initially raised funds for the president's early Republican rivals Scott Walker and Jeb Bush in last year's election, he later joined Trump's national finance committee and his transition team in November 2016.

In 2012, he was national finance co-chair of the Republican nominee Mitt Romney's failed presidential run in 2012.

He is the author of three books: "The Little Book of Hedge Funds," "Goodbye Gordon Gekko" -- the greed-obsessed fictional tycoon played by Michael Douglas -- and "Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole: How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure into Success."

"If you decide to be an entrepreneur, the number one thing that you have to have in your personality is grit and perseverence," he said in a video posted to his official Facebook page to promote the book last year.

Skills that might come in useful for his new job.
An image grab taken from Qatar TV shows the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, delivering a televised speech to the nation in the capital Doha on July 21, 2017

Qatar's ruler said Friday that the Gulf emirate is ready for dialogue to resolve a diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led bloc so long as his country's sovereignty is respected.

"We are open to dialogue to resolve the outstanding problems," so long as Qatar's "sovereignty is respected," Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in his first public comments since Saudi Arabia and its allies severed ties with gas-rich Qatar.

"Any settlement of the crisis must be based on two principles," he said in a televised speech.

Sheikh Tamim insisted that any deal "must not take effect in the form of diktats but rather through mutual commitments undertaken by all the parties".

"We are open to dialogue to find solutions to lingering problems within the framework of respect for the sovereignty and will of each state as mutual undertakings and joints commitments binding all," he said.

State media said ahead of the speech that the emir would address "the future orientation of Qatar in light of the current Gulf crisis".

On June 5, Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran. Doha denies the claim.

The emir said in his speech that Qatar was "fighting terrorism relentlessly and without compromises, and the international community recognises this".

The crisis between the regional allies is the worst to hit the Gulf in decades.

OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and its allies also imposed sanctions on Doha, including closing its only land border, refusing Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from Qatar.

And on June 22, they went on to present the emirate with a list of 13 demands with which to comply to resolve the crisis.

Kuwait has been trying to mediate the crisis and several top Western diplomats have toured the region to try to defuse the row, including US Secretary of States Rex Tillerson.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer resigned after just six months on the job

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer abruptly resigned on Friday after a tumultuous six months in the spotlight.

Here are five memorable moments from Spicer's tenure -- one of the shortest ever for a White House spokesman:

- 'Largest audience' ever -

Spicer's stint as White House spokesman got off to a rocky start.

Just a day into Trump's presidency, he summoned White House reporters and proceeded to accuse them of deliberately underestimating the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration.

"This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe," Spicer said.

"These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong."

Spicer ended the briefing -- which left many members of the White House press corps shocked -- without taking questions.

Aerial photos and other crowd estimates clearly determined that the audience for Barack Obama's two inaugurations was larger than Trump's.

- Hitler and Assad -

Spicer was forced to apologize in April after seeming to favorably compare Adolf Hitler's actions during the Holocaust to the atrocities carried out by Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

"You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons," Spicer said, apparently forgetting the use of poison gas in the Nazi concentration camps.

A contrite Spicer appeared on television within hours and apologized.

"I mistakenly used an inappropriate and insensitive comment about the Holocaust and there is no comparison," he told CNN.

"For that I apologize. It was a mistake to do that."

- Joe Trudeau -

Spicer had a penchant for mangling names and phrases. Two of his most notable goofs came when he referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "Joe Trudeau" and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as "Prime Minister Trumble."

- Briefing in the bushes -

After FBI director James Comey was fired by President Trump in May, reporters searched desperately for Spicer with questions about the shock dismissal. Spicer eventually briefed a small group of reporters off-camera among bushes on the White House grounds, according to an account in The Washington Post. The incident sparked myriad memes on the internet of Spicer "hiding in the bushes."

- 'Stop shaking your head' -

Spicer was involved in a testy exchange with a veteran reporter, April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks, in March accusing her of having an "agenda" and telling her to "report the facts." Spicer then went on to condescendingly tell Ryan "stop shaking your head."
An image grab taken from Qatar TV shows the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, delivering a televised speech to the nation in the capital Doha on July 21, 2017

Qatar's ruler said Friday that the Gulf emirate is ready for talks to resolve a diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led bloc so long as his country's sovereignty is respected.

"We are open to dialogue to resolve the outstanding problems," so long as Qatar's "sovereignty is respected," Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in his first public comments since Saudi Arabia and its allies severed ties with the gas-rich emirate.

"Any settlement of the crisis must be based on two principles," he said in a televised speech.

Sheikh Tamim insisted that any deal "must not take effect in the form of diktats but rather through mutual commitments undertaken by all the parties".

"We are open to dialogue to find solutions to lingering problems within the framework of respect for the sovereignty and will of each state as mutual undertakings and joint commitments binding all," he said.

On June 5, Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran. Doha denies the claim.

In his speech delivered on Friday night, the emir said Qatar was "fighting terrorism relentlessly and without compromises, and the international community recognises this".

The crisis between the regional allies is the worst to hit the Gulf in decades.

OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and its allies also imposed sanctions on Doha, including closing its only land border, refusing Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from Qatar.

And on June 22, they went on to present the emirate with a list of 13 demands with which to comply to resolve the crisis.

Kuwait has been trying to mediate the crisis and several top Western diplomats have toured the region to try to defuse the row, including US Secretary of States Rex Tillerson.

- UAE welcomes anti-terror move -

In a sign of progress, an Emirati state minister on Friday welcomed changes to Qatar's anti-terror legislation as a "positive" step.

Qatar announced a emiri decree on Thursday establishing two nominal lists of individuals and terrorist entities, and the requirements for being included in them.

It also defined terrorists, terrorist crimes, terrorist entities as well as the financing of terrorism.

The decree follows the signing on July 11 of a US-Qatar agreement to combat terror funding during a visit to Doha by Tillerson.

However, the four Arab countries at odds with Doha dismissed that deal as "insufficent".

(FILES) This file photo taken on June 24, 2017 shows UAE state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, during a press conference at his office in Dubai

On Friday, the UAE state minister for foreign affairs welcomed the latest Qatari move.

"It is a positive step to deal seriously with the list of 59 terrorists," Anwar Gargash tweeted. "The pressure linked to the crisis has begun to bear fruit."

But Gargash, repeated his demands for Qatar to reorient its policies in order to ease the crisis with its Arab neighbours.

"It would be wiser (for Qatar) to totally change its (political) orientation," he said.

The changes Qatar announced to its anti-terror legislation amend an earlier law published in 2004 but Thursday's decree did not provide details of the exact nature of the revisions.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the foreign minister of Oman, which has remained neutral in the dispute, Tillerson noted "positive movement" in talks since he visited the region ten days ago

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday he was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to resolve a diplomatic crisis that has pitted it against Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the foreign minister of Oman, which has remained neutral in the dispute, Tillerson noted "positive movement" in talks since he visited the region ten days ago.

"The Qataris have continued to move forward on the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that the US and Qatar entered into to address many of the terrorism, terror financing, counterterrorism concerns that people have," he said.

"So we're, I think we're satisfied with the effort they're putting forth," he continued.

"I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade, which is really having the most, I think, negative effects on the Qatari people," he added, referring to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.

The four powers cut ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran -- charges which Doha denies .

Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular have been critical of Tillerson's efforts, accusing him of being too sympathetic toward Qatar.

Qatar's ruler said Friday that the Gulf emirate is ready for dialogue to resolve the diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led bloc so long as his country's sovereignty is respected.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, pictured on July 17, 2017, has requested extended military rule over the southern islands in order to defeat the Islamist gunmen in the city of Marawi

The Philippine Congress sits in a special session Saturday to vote on President Rodrigo Duterte's bid for longer military rule over the southern third of the country in a bid to defeat Islamist gunmen.

Duterte is widely expected to win approval for martial law in the region until the end of the year, with troops having failed to wrest back the southern city of Marawi following two months of fighting.

The military said only about 60 Islamic State group-inspired gunmen are left in a 49-hectare (121-acre) area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed martial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

"I cannot afford to be complacent," Duterte told reporters Friday, adding the military will be conducting further "mopping up operations" even after they recapture Marawi.

"If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap," he added.

Duterte imposed a 60-day martial rule -- the maximum period allowed by the constitution -- over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday he asked Congress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the continued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

A slide presentation accompanying Duterte's request, seen by AFP, compared the Marawi crisis to the IS takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Most of the militants' leaders remain at large, it said, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past security cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar widescale attacks.

- 'Nationwide martial law' -

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it added.

Martial law allows the military to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed firearms in their homes.

Philippine troops, pictured entering Marawi in June 2017, have struggled to completely stamp out the jihadist groups on the island of Mindanao, but people are worried that Duterte's bid is an attempt to reestablish a military dictatorship

However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensitive in the Philippines decades after the late deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, political opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested during the period, according to historians.

"I am amenable to it," House of Representatives justice committee chairman Reynaldo Umali, a key Duterte ally, told ABS-CBN television Friday.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has said previously he sees no roadblock to its swift approval by both chambers of Congress.

Duterte had already beaten back a Supreme Court petition to declare martial law in Mindanao illegal.

But opposition politicians have criticised Duterte's proposal for a martial law extension, with some alleging it is part of a Duterte plot to eventually bring the country under a military-backed dictatorship.

"Once he feels that there is not enough opposition to a nationwide martial law declaration, he will go for it," Senator Antonio Trillanes told AFP on Tuesday.

After this he could declare a revolutionary government to allow him to stay in office beyond his six-year electoral term in mid-2022, Trillanes says.

Duterte, 72, insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term.
An Amp glows on the dashboard of a driver's car in San Francisco

US ride-share startup Lyft on Friday dedicated a new team focused on speeding up its effort to create a self-driving vehicle platform, which would be open to use by other companies.

The San Francisco based company earlier this year announced what it billed as the world's first open self-driving platform, inviting car manufacturers and rival autonomous navigation systems to plug into the network.

"In the years ahead, we will continue to bring the world's leading automotive and technology companies onto this single platform to serve a nationwide passenger network," Lyft vice president of engineering and former Google executive Luc Vincent said in an online post.

"We aren't thinking of our self-driving division as a side project; it's core to our business."

Lyft is devoting an in-house division to self-driving technology, according to Vincent.

The team will be based in a Silicon Valley facility called "Level 5 Engineering Center" and its ranks will grow in coming months, the company said.

Lyft operates in 350 cities in the US, and plans to run its own self-driving cars on the network, which partners will be free to use and learn from.

"Because we're doing all of this on an open platform, it wont just enhance Lyft's self-driving system," Vincent said.

"It will accelerate our partners' efforts, too."

- Driverless future -

Lyft announced last month that it would begin testing autonomous ridesharing in Boston under a partnership with the technology startup nuTonomy.

The two companies will collaborate to research "all aspects of ensuring a passenger's comfort and safety" in self-driving vehicles, a joint statement about the alliance said.

Lyft's move follows a similar effort by Uber, which has been using autonomous vehicles in a test program in some US cities.

Earlier this year, Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet, reached an agreement with Lyft to test self-driving car technology, according to the companies.

Waymo and Lyft are allies against ridesharing giant Uber, which is racing to develop its own self-driving vehicles.

"We're looking forward to working with Lyft to explore new self-driving products that will make our roads safer and transportation more accessible," a Waymo spokesman told AFP at the time.

Waymo and Uber are currently engaged in a bitter legal dispute.

In February Waymo filed a lawsuit claiming that a former manager took technical data when he left to launch a competing venture that was later acquired by Uber.

Most major automakers and several other technology firms have been investing in developing autonomous driving, contending these systems will eliminate the vast majority of road accidents. Apple is the latest to have obtained a testing permit in California.

German luxury carmaker Daimler and auto parts supplier Bosch have announced plans to work together to create completely driverless cars in the next few years.

US-based Tesla is also stepping up efforts, as are several Chinese technology firms and the major US, Asian and European manufacturers.
US attorneys in New York are dropping the cases against Julien Grout of France and Javier Martin-Artajo of Spain (seen in 2013), who were accused of being key figures in covering up $6.2 billion (5.7 billion euros) in trading losses at JPMorgan Chase

US prosecutors formally abandoned a four-year old case against two traders implicated in the "London Whale" scandal Friday, citing an inability to extradite the defendants to appear in an American court.

US attorneys in New York are dropping the cases against Julien Grout of France and Javier Martin-Artajo of Spain, who were accused of being key figures in covering up $6.2 billion (5.7 billion euros) in trading losses at JPMorgan Chase in a scandal that blew up in 2012.

US officials said a Spanish court rejected efforts to extradite Martin-Artajo, "and a prior determination had been made that attempts to extradite Grout from France would have been futile," said acting US attorney Joon Kim.

Kim also said prosecutors could "no longer rely" on testimony of Bruno Iksil, the trader who nicknamed the "London Whale," based on "a review of recent and statements made by Iksil."

A judge must approve the motion to dismiss the case.

US federal prosecutors filed criminal charges in 2013 against Martin-Artajo and Grout, alleging they kept false records on trades, committed wire fraud and submitted false US securities filings when they worked for the bank in London.

Iksil was cleared of criminal responsibility after cooperating with prosecutors.
Smoke rises from buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held town of Ayn Tarma, in Syria's eastern Ghouta area, on July 7, 2017

The head of the US military's special operations confirmed Friday that the Central Intelligence Agency is shutting down its program to support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

General Tony Thomas denied that the four-year-old operation was brought to an end as a way to placate Russia and earn its support for a ceasefire in southwestern Syria.

It was a "tough, tough decision" but "absolutely not a sop to the Russians," Thomas said at a forum in Aspen, Colorado.

"It was, I think, based on an assessment of the nature of the program, what we're trying to accomplish, the viability of it going forward."

Asked about Thomas's comments, the CIA declined to comment.

On Wednesday the Washington Post reported the covert CIA program was being shut down.

The Post said President Donald Trump made the decision nearly a month ago after a meeting with CIA chief Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor HR McMaster.

The Post said Trump made the decision in a effort to find ways to work with Russia in Syria, where Moscow supports Assad's government.

Trump has said the main US focus in Syria should be to eliminate the Islamic State group, rather than opposing the Assad regime.

The ceasefire, which covers some of the area from which the rebels operate, was announced on July 7 at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

President Barack Obama approved the rebel aid program in 2013 as various insurgent groups sought external support in a general uprising against the Assad regime.

Thousands of Syrian anti-government fighters were trained and armed.

But the US commitment remained ambiguous amid doubts in some quarters that the rebels could actually manage to depose Assad and as attention turned to the rising power of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Support for the program further eroded last year after the rebels lost the areas they held in the Syrian city of Aleppo under a brutal Russian-backed government assault.

US officials said this week that some of the anti-Assad forces could be absorbed into US military-supported groups fighting Islamic State.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri gives a press conference at the government palace in Beirut on January 24, 2017

US President Donald Trump will meet Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Washington next week for talks on issues including refugees and combatting terrorism, the White House announced Friday.

Analysts also anticipate US aid will be high on the agenda of the July 25th talks at the White House, which has made clear its intent to slash its aid budget for Lebanon, on grounds that national forces there have not adequately applied US military support towards reining in Hezbollah.

"The two leaders will discuss issues of mutual concern, including the fight against terrorism, the economy, and refugees," the White House said in a statement.

"This meeting will serve as an important opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relationship," the statement said, adding that the talks "will encourage other international and regional partners to support Lebanon as it faces a wide range of challenges."

The announcement comes days after US Ambassador Nikki Haley accused the Lebanon-based Hezbollah of amassing weapons and urged the international community to dial up pressure on the powerful paramilitary organization to disarm.

There has been speculation about the possibility of a new war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, more than a decade after their last direct confrontation.

On Thursday members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced legislation aimed at bolstering sanctions targeting Hezbollah, dubbing the group a threat to Israel's security and criticizing its role as an active ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
NEW DELHI (AP) - India said Thursday it is ready to hold talks with China if both sides pull back their forces to end a standoff along a disputed territory high in the Himalayan mountains.

Tensions flared last month in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan, after Chinese teams began building a road onto the Doklam Plateau.

Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan kingdom, sought help from New Delhi, which sent troops across the border from the northeastern state of Sikkim. China retaliated by closing a nearby mountain pass that Indian pilgrims use to reach Mount Kailash, a sacred Hindu and Buddhist site in Tibet.

File - In this Wednesday, Oct. 23,2013, file photo, an Indian national flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem during a welcome ceremony for visiting Indian officials outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. India says it is ready to hold talks with China with both sides pulling back their forces to end a standoff along a disputed territory high in the Himalayan mountains. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said a 2012 agreement bound China and India to settle the boundary issue with Bhutan. Her response came as China demanded that Indian forces leave the area to avoid an escalation.

India and China fought a bloody war in 1962.

Speaking in Parliament, Swaraj said Chinese forces recently came with bulldozers and excavators with the intent of building infrastructure that would change the status quo. In the past, the Chinese have built temporary roads in the area.

"If China unilaterally changes the status quo of the tri-junction, it becomes a matter of security concern for India," she said, referring to the area where the three countries meet.

Swaraj said China has been demanding that India withdraw its forces from the area. "If China wants to discuss the matter, both sides should withdraw their forces and talk,'" she said.

She also said that China was becoming "aggressive" with Bhutan following its protest of the Chinese move.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated his country's stand that the withdrawal of Indian border guards to Indian territory is a "prerequisite and foundation for any meaningful talks between China and India."

Lu said at a daily briefing Thursday that Indian border guards "illegally trespassed (across) the boundary into Chinese territory."

The crisis is expected to be discussed when Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visits Beijing on July 27-28 for a security forum under the BRICS group of large developing nations that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The nuclear-armed neighbors share a 3,500-kilometer (2,174-mile) border, much of it contested.

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Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Vulnerable House Republicans stood defiant about their support for an unpopular bill to repeal Obamacare as the effort languished in the Senate, leaving them to face angry voters with, perhaps, nothing to show for it.

"I have no regrets. I am doing what I can as a member of Congress to solve problems. That's why I came here. I didn't come here to be potted plant," said Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., who played a key role in negotiating the House bill that narrowly passed in early May.

Backing the measure was already politically risky for Republicans in competitive House districts, especially the 23 lawmakers from places where Hillary Clinton got more votes than President Donald Trump. The Congressional Budget Office said the House bill would eventually cause higher premiums for seniors and result in 23 million people losing coverage.

FILE- In this May 2, 2017 file photo, Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J. speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Vulnerable House Republicans stood defiant about their support for an unpopular bill to repeal Obamacare as the effort languished in the Senate, leaving them to face angry voters with, perhaps, nothing to show for it. "I have no regrets. I am doing what I can as a member of Congress to solve problems. That's why I came here. I didn't come here to be potted plant," said MacArthur who played a key role in negotiating the House bill that narrowly passed in early May. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

And only 22 percent of adults support the Republican health plan, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey.

Midterm elections typically take a toll on the party occupying the White House - Barack Obama's Democrats lost 63 House seats in 2010 and majority control, George W. Bush's Republicans lost 30 seats and their advantage in 2006.

Re-election bids by GOP incumbents would get even tougher if the Republican-led Congress fails to fulfill a seven-year promise to repeal and replace Obama's health care law.

Under pressure from Trump, GOP senators were trying to revive their health care bill, which collapsed twice. House Republicans were pressing too.

"Senators have now wasted seven months doing nothing," complained Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla. "We need senators that want to help this president and keep their promises. The American people are sick of the excuses from senators. I'm sick of the excuses."

Earlier this year, MacArthur was heavily involved in the negotiations to revive the House health care bill after Speaker Paul Ryan was forced to pull the measure. Working with conservatives, MacArthur negotiated provisions that would let states seek waivers so that insurers could charge higher premiums for older Americans so that younger, presumably healthier, people could pay less. Also, states could get waivers so that insurance companies could offer less comprehensive policies.

The two-term lawmaker already has a Democratic challenger for next year's midterm election.

"We can't just change the subject and pretend like health care is going to fix itself - it's not," MacArthur said.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Republican whose south Florida district voted for Clinton, isn't regretting his vote for the health bill, either.

"Not at all," he said. "Many of us thought we needed to be honest with the American people. And for many years we had been campaigning about how we needed to do better than the (Affordable Care Act). We know that the ACA is very vulnerable right now."

"If Senate Republicans can't agree on something, we should work on a bipartisan bill," he said.

Democrats are ready to pounce.

"You have every provision of this bill tattooed on your forehead," Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said to Republicans just before they passed the bill. "You will glow in the dark on this one."

As the vote occurred, Democrats taunted Republicans by chanting, "Na nah nah, hey hey, goodbye."

To protect vulnerable lawmakers, party leaders rarely ask rank-and-file members to take tough votes on bills that don't have a good chance of becoming law. If House Republicans lose seats next year, many could point to Ryan's decision to vote on the health bill with no guarantee the GOP-led Senate would flow suit.

The vote is reminiscent of the cap-and-trade bill passed by House Democrats in 2009. The bill aimed to limit greenhouse gasses by having companies buy or sell permits to emit these gases, but it didn't even get a vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Republicans dubbed the bill an energy tax and hammered House Democrats over the vote as they took back control of the House in the 2010 election. Many factors contributed to the outcome of the 2010 election - including the passage of Obamacare that year - but it was hard for some Democrats to highlight the benefits of an energy bill that never became law.

Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., acknowledged that Republicans are handing Democrats a campaign issue by failing to repeal and replace Obamacare.

"It's a good 30- or 60-second ad if there's not something to point to. 'Yeah, we did this.' Well no, nothing happened," Sanford said.

Other Republicans argue that Obamacare is failing, and they at least tried to enact something better.

Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., recalled Pelosi's remarks that House Republicans were "walking the plank" to vote for a bill that would never get through the Senate.

"The ship is sinking under the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare," Thompson said. "You can't walk the plank on a sinking ship."

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Richard Lardner contributed to this report.

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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stephenatap
MADRID (AP) - The lawyer defending a Russian computer programmer arrested in Spain says flaws in the extradition request by the United States signal a political motivation behind the prosecution.

Attorney Juan Manuel Arroyo said accusations that 31-year-old Stanislav Lisov was involved in a network that used a Trojan virus to steal online financial information are an excuse to have him extradited from Spain, where he was detained in January.

Lisov is wanted in the U.S. for crimes related to the 'NeverQuest' malicious software, which syphoned $855,000 (743,000 euros) from bank clients in the country.

Russian computer programmer Stanislav Lisov attends a court hearing at the Spanish National Court in Madrid, Thursday, July 20, 2017, on extradition request to the U.S. for alleged crimes related to the 'NeverQuest' malicious software, which syphoned 855,000 U.S. dollars (743,000 euros) from bank clients in the country. Attorney Juan Manuel Arroyo said accusations that 31-year old Lisov used a Trojan virus to steal online financial information are an excuse to have him extradited from Spain, where he was detained in January. (AP Photo/Luca Piergiovanni, Pool)

Spain's Civil Guard cooperated with FBI agents in January to arrest Lisov in Barcelona's airport, when the programmer and his wife were wrapping up their honeymoon.

The initial investigation linked the programmer to the rental and purchase of computer servers in France and Germany that controlled a network of computers infected with 'NeverQuest' for accessing users' data and passwords for banking and financial websites.

The public prosecutor said during a hearing Thursday at the National Court in Madrid that there's no evidence of ideological prosecution and asked for Lisov to be handed over to U.S. authorities.

The defense argued that there were procedural flaws in the arrest of Lisov and said authorities had failed to establish the programmer's responsibility in the creation, distribution and use of the virus or the extent of his direct damage in the theft of the data.

Arroyo also said Lisov is, together with other Russian computer experts and scientists sought by the U.S., a victim of the diplomatic "chess game" involving Washington and Moscow.

"The lack of specifics makes us think that the request is following spurious interests that escape us," he said, requesting that the extradition be rejected.

Hackers broke into the computer network of the U.S. Democratic National Committee starting in 2015, which federal officials and cybersecurity experts have publicly tied to Russian intelligence services.

U.S. intelligence agencies have been blunt in their assessment that the hacks of Democratic email accounts were intended to benefit Donald Trump, who became the U.S. president, and harm his contender, Hillary Clinton.

There is no mention of the electoral hacking allegations in the U.S. extradition request for Lisov, lawyers and court officials who have seen the documents told The Associated Press.

The judge is reviewing the extradition case and is expected to rule in the coming days, court officials said. The Spanish government has the final word but rarely contradicts rulings on extraditions.

Appearing before the judge Thursday, Lisov spoke through a translator to request not to be extradited and to answer questions by his own defense.

The computer programmer said at the time of the alleged crimes he worked for a private company that developed joint projects with the Russian government.

This month, Lisov asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help given the "injustice and arbitrariness showed by U.S. authorities," according to excerpts of a letter published by Russian broadcaster RT.

Diplomats have visited Lisov in detention and are taking "all the necessary measures to protect," a Russian embassy spokeswoman in Madrid told the AP. She didn't respond to whether Russia was filing a counter-extradition request but another of Lisov's lawyers, Oleg Goubarev, said there was no such plan.

The U.S. Justice Department is also seeking the extradition of another Russian citizen, Pyotr Levashov, who was arrested in Barcelona in April accused of running a computer network that sends hundreds of millions of spam emails worldwide.

Levashov was recently indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including accessing protected computers and aggravated identity theft. There is no date set for his extradition hearing in Spain.

U.S. officials in Madrid said they are not allowed to publicly comment on pending extradition requests.
BRUSSELS (AP) - Britain and a frustrated European Union hesitantly edged forward during their first full divorce negotiation session this week, though it became clear Thursday that one of the biggest stumbling blocks will be agreeing which court will have the final say in settling legal disputes after Brexit.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, urged Britain to flesh out its positions on a variety of issues that need to be dealt with before discussions on a wide-ranging trade deal to follow the country's exit from the bloc can begin.

He asked for a clear British plan on how much it should pay, the rights of citizens living in each other's nations and how to keep make sure that the handling of the land border with Ireland doesn't negatively impact on business and on the Northern Ireland peace process.

The EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, and British Secretary of State David Davis address the media after a week of negotiations at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday July 20, 2017. UK's chief Brexit negotiator says week of talks with EU has given "us a lot to be positive about"(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

"This week's experience has shown, we make better progress when our respective positions are clear," Barnier said, in a comment that highlighted the bloc's impatience with the British foot-dragging to start discussions following the June 2016 referendum that backed Brexit.

One major barrier is how much Britain will pay to meet its obligations as part of any Brexit deal. Estimates have ranged from around 40 billion euros ($34 billion) and 100 billion. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said the EU can "go whistle" for its money if it comes with excessive demands.

"Accounts have to be settled," Barnier countered.

Barnier said during a joint news conference that the "clarification of the U.K. position is indispensable for us to negotiate and for us to make sufficient progress on this financial dossier which is inseparable from other dossiers."

British negotiators - 99 of them arrived on Monday - have been pushing back against EU allegations that they were ill-prepared, insisting they needed less public paperwork since they did not have to report back to 27 nations.

Britain's Brexit minister David Davis said that four days of talks among dozens of negotiators had provided "a lot to be positive about."

Davis said he's "encouraged by progress" on key issues, even though negotiators barely moved beyond exploratory issues during talks that are expected to stretch into late 2018.

One problem stood out, though. The EU wants its top court, the European Court of Justice, still to be the final arbiter on many issues in the wake of the Brexit agreement, which Britain rejects.

The court was a key issue during the 2016 referendum campaign, with 'leave' campaigners arguing that the primary role of the European court over national courts represented a substantial loss of sovereignty.

Barnier insisted the ECJ still needs a strong role.

"Quite frankly," he said, "any reference to European rights imply their oversight by the court of justice of the European Union."

It leaves the negotiators with plenty of work for the rest of the summer and early fall. Since the talks have taken four months to fully kick off, negotiators will now be pressed to make up lost time on a host of wickedly complicated issues which could take years, if comparable international examples like trade agreements are any guide.

While the official deadline is March 2019, there's a practical deadline of late fall next year, since any agreement would still face ratification in the EU and its nations.

By October this year, they will be looking for agreement on "sufficient progress" on the rights of citizens living in each other's nations, the bill Britain will have to pay, the border issue in Ireland and the place of the European Court of Justice as an ultimate arbiter. Once enough progress has been made on all these issues, both sides can also start looking at building a new trade and political relationship.

Davis held out hope Britain and the EU would remain the best of allies and that any settlement should not seek an edge on an opponent.

"Nobody expects a punishment deal. Michel and I are both going for a good deal," Davis said.

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Pylas reported from London

The EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, and British Secretary of State David Davis address the media after a week of negotiations at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday July 20, 2017. UK's chief Brexit negotiator says week of talks with EU has given "us a lot to be positive about"(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
NEW YORK (AP) - James Clapper, a former top intelligence official who has clashed with President Donald Trump, has a book deal.

Viking told The Associated Press on Thursday that Clapper will write about his years as director of National Intelligence during President Barack Obama's administration and his long career in military and government service. The book, scheduled for next year, is currently untitled.

Clapper, who stepped down at the end of Obama's second term, said in a statement that he will offer a "warts and all" account of his experiences. According to Viking, Clapper will give "the truth" about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. Trump has disputed such stories and said that Clapper agrees with his assertion that the Trump campaign didn't collude with the Russians. Clapper has said he wasn't in a position to know.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A lawsuit alleges Ohio police shot and mortally wounded a black man without justification and then conspired to provide misleading information about the July 7 confrontation.

Columbus police say two officers spotted 30-year-old Kareem Ali Nadir Jones walking between cars and behaving erratically that evening. Police say they fired when his behavior escalated and they perceived a threat from Jones, who had a gun.

The federal civil rights lawsuit filed Thursday by his sister, Marica Phipps, alleges that Jones presented no threat and that Officers Samuel James and Marc Johnson repeatedly fired "without cause or provocation" and violated Jones' constitutional rights.

Police body camera video appears to show Jones with his hands up backing away from police who have guns drawn. Jones appears to reach for a gun in his waistband before he is shot.

Phipps has said she thinks Jones was trying to toss the gun. He died three days later.

Police say witnesses reported that Jones didn't follow officers' commands to get on the ground. They say a stolen 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene.

Jason Pappas, the president of the local police union representing the officers, has said police are trained to draw their firearms when a suspect is armed. A message seeking comment on the lawsuit was left Thursday for Pappas.

The lawsuit alleges that the city is liable for Jones' death and that Columbus police have practices and policies that allow for or encourage unreasonable force, despite a previous U.S. Justice Department lawsuit against Columbus over its use-of-force practices nearly two decades ago. The Justice Department dropped that matter in 2002 after concluding Columbus had made policy changes to help curb racial profiling and excessive force by police.

A police spokesman and the mayor's office didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the lawsuit.

Phipps' lawsuit seeks an order to block city policies and practices found to encourage use of unreasonable force. It also seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Authorities are searching for a North Carolina woman they say has been missing since a shooting involving her ex-husband.

Police told local media organizations 28-year-old Jimmy Lee Proffitt II was arrested Monday and charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Authorities say Proffitt shot at his ex-wife, 28-year-old Heather Carter, and another woman at a convenience store early on July 12. Ashley Davila was shot in the hand and was able to drive away.

Police Sgt. Pedro Orellano says Proffitt kidnapped Carter and put her in his car. He says detectives found blood in Proffitt's car, which was discovered Monday.

Police say Carter and Proffitt were married in 2008 and divorced four years later.

It wasn't immediately known if Carter has an attorney. He was jailed on $1 million bond.
MIAMI (AP) - The former general manager of a Florida-based telecommunications company has pleaded guilty for his role in a $3 million Haitian bribery scheme.

Court records show 66-year-old Amadeus Richers, who headed Cinergy and Uniplex, pleaded guilty in Miami federal court Wednesday to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 20.

Plea documents show Richers and others paid bribes from 2001 to 2004 to foreign officials employed by the state-owned Telecommunications D'Haiti and to a foreign official in the executive branch of the Haitian government in order to secure a favorable contract.

Richers is the ninth defendant convicted in the scheme. The first was in 2009, but Richers had remained a fugitive until being arrested in Panama this year and extradited back to the U.S.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - A South Texas judge who was removed from the bench because she wasn't a U.S. citizen has been reinstated.

The Corpus Christi city council voted Tuesday to restore Judge Young Min Burkett.

The council placed Burkett on unpaid leave in May when council members learned she was a U.S. permanent resident. Burkett, who grew up in South Korea, had served as a judge for two years before her status came into question.

Officials at the time said she never meant to misrepresent her background and that the qualification process to become a municipal judge never asked whether she was a citizen.

Burkett became a citizen this month.

The 41-year-old Burkett grew up in South Korea before moving to the U.S. at age 25.
LONDON (AP) - London police who are struggling to identify victims of the fire at the Grenfell Tower apartment building have sought help from experts with experience: those who worked on recovering victims following the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said Thursday the "extraordinary size" of the crime scene at the 24-story tower made it necessary to call upon experts who worked on the aftermath of the 2001 collapse of the World Trade Center in New York.

At least 80 people died in the June 14 tower blaze in West London. Some 200 UK officers have been sifting through debris on each of the building's 24 floors. The fire was sparked by a refrigerator in an apartment, but its exterior cladding has been blamed for the quick spread of the flames.

People protest ahead of a meeting of Kensington and Chelsea Council at Kensington Town Hall in west London, Wednesday July 19, 2017, the local authority in control of response to the recent Grenfell Tower fire. The fire at the Grenfell Tower residential bloc left dozens dead (Ben Stevens/PA via AP)

"This is one of the most complex recovery operations we've seen," Mackey told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee. "The people we're taking advice from - which gives you an idea of the complexity - are some of the people who worked on 9/11 and the fall of the towers."

Mackey said Thursday that Scotland Yard called on their American counterparts because of their experience in a "comparable" operation.

Authorities expect to be at the Grenfell site until the end of the year.

"The role of disaster victim identification is actually something U.K. policing has built up a level of knowledge in over a number of years," Mackey said. "The only comparable advice we can find is from the challenge that was 9/11."
LONDON (AP) - A British legislator has told Parliament that Jane Austen - who died two centuries ago - was one of Britain's greatest living authors.

Andrea Leadsom quickly corrected herself Thursday after her comment provoked unwanted laughter in the House of Commons.

Leadsom's comment in Parliament came days after the 200th anniversary of the Austen's death, when Britain unveiled a new 10-pound ($13) note, featuring the "Pride and Prejudice" author.

People in period costume display the new 10 note featuring Jane Austen, which marks the 200th anniversary of Austen's death, during the unveiling at Winchester Cathedral, England, Tuesday, July 18, 2017. At the unveiling Tuesday of the new 'tenner' at Winchester Cathedral in southern England, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the new note celebrates the "universal appeal" of Austen's work. (Chris J Ratcliffe/PA via AP)

U.K. bookseller Waterstones tweeted in jest that it was moving Austen's volumes into its "living authors" section.

Leadsom was a contender for the Conservative Party leadership in last year's contest.
BERLIN (AP) - German prosecutors filed terrorism charges Thursday against a suspected representative of the Islamic State group in Germany and four fellow suspects who are accused of running a recruitment network.

The suspected ringleader - a 33-year-old Iraqi citizen identified as Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah A., who goes by the alias Abu Walaa - was indicted on charges of membership in a terrorist organization, terror financing and public incitement to commit crimes, federal prosecutors said.

The five, who were arrested in November, are suspected of recruiting young Muslims in Germany and raising funds to send them to Syria and Iraq to join IS.

Abu Walaa was the imam at a radical mosque in the northern city of Hildesheim and also organized "Islam seminars" at mosques elsewhere in Germany.

The other four suspects were indicted on charges of supporting IS in different ways.

The 51-year-old Turkish citizen Hasan C. and 37-year-old German-Serbian citizen Boban S., were allegedly in charge of teaching Arabic and "radical Islamic content" to recruits.

A 28-year-old German citizen, Mahmoud O., and a 27-year-old from Cameroon, identified as Ahmed F.Y., were allegedly in charge of helping to organize the recruits' departure to Syria.

Prosecutors listed the names of eight men who they say left Germany with the support of Abu Walaa to join IS in Syria.

Among those listed are Mark and Kevin K. who killed dozens of government soldiers in two separate suicide bombings in 2015. Another one, identified as Martin L., was given 2,000 euros ($2,324) from Abu Walaa to pay for his travels to Syria in November 2014. He is allegedly in charge of guarding new IS fighters coming from Germany.

Much of the information for the investigation comes from an unnamed confidant. Abu Walaa has called that person a traitor and asked on social media for the source to be killed after German authorities first raided the group's premises in August. Prosecutors say their source has been promised confidentiality and has been given protection.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard racked up $311,000 in expenses searching for an Alaska man who faked his own death to avoid going to prison in a sexual assault case, according to federal prosecutors.

An indictment released Thursday charges Ryan Meganack, a commercial fisherman and boat captain from Port Graham, with conspiracy and "false distress" for planting evidence that he had been lost at sea while he hid out at a camp in the woods near the fishing village.

Meganack's girlfriend, Ivy Rose Rodriguez, 25, faces the same charges.

Port Graham is off the road system near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula about 140 miles southwest of Anchorage. Meganack was a halibut fishermen and the skipper for 14 years of the fishing boat Aires.

Meganack last year faced sexual assault charges and on Dec. 5 was scheduled to enter a guilty plea, which would have meant a prison sentence.

According to federal prosecutors, Meganack and Rodriguez hatched a plan to stage a boating accident.

Meganack built a makeshift camp where he could hide, prosecutors said. Around Nov. 29, he piloted his fishing boat to an island near Port Graham, abandoned a small fishing skiff, returned the larger boat to a lagoon off Port Graham and walked to his campsite.

Within a day, Rodriguez sent Facebook messages to Meganack's family reporting that Meganack had left after midnight in the skiff. She said Meganack had been drinking, that he had more alcohol with him, and that the outboard motor on the skiff "wasn't running right."

Family members called the Coast Guard. Helicopters from Kodiak launched despite falling snow, high wind and low visibility and found the skiff, prosecutors said. The cutter Naushon and an Alaska State Trooper patrol vessel searched by sea. Port Graham residents walked shorelines.

On Dec. 2, acting on a tip, troopers found Meganack at his campsite and arrested him for violating conditions of his release.

He was sentenced in January in the sexual assault case. He remains imprisoned at Goose Creek Correctional Facility in Wasilla. Court documents do not list an attorney in the new case.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A federal judge was weighing Thursday whether the Drug Enforcement Administration can access a Utah prescription-drug database without a warrant in a lawsuit that pits the right to privacy against the need to combat the country's opioid-drug epidemic.

"I think this is a fascinating case," said U.S. District Judge David Nuffer. He's considering whether to follow another judge's recommendation that sided with the DEA.

The agency is fighting to be exempt from a Utah law that requires investigators to get a warrant to search the database. The DEA says it's an important tool early in their investigations.

FILE - This July 6, 2017, file photo shows seized prescription drugs displayed in a glass flask in the controlled substance room of the Utah state crime lab in Taylorsville, Utah. A federal judge was weighing Thursday, July 20, 2017, whether the Drug Enforcement Administration can access a Utah prescription-drug database without a warrant in a lawsuit that pits the right to privacy against the need to combat the country's opioid-drug epidemic. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

But the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah and the state's attorney general argue that warrantless searches of the database violate people's privacy rights.

It holds records of painkiller prescriptions and orders for medication like the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the sleep aid Ambien. Almost all states maintain similar databases. Utah is among a minority where state law requires a warrant.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead has sided with the DEA, saying the information is already in government hands and withholding it would be like local police forcing the federal government to get a warrant for police reports. The ACLU says it's more like federal investigators asking for the contents of students' private emails.

Nuffer said in a draft ruling that he's also leaning toward agreeing with the DEA, though he hasn't yet made a final decision.

A separate federal appeals court also sided with the DEA in a case involving a similar database in Oregon, though the panel didn't resolve the question of whether the DEA subpoenas violate constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

Utah's law was passed after two firefighters said they were wrongly charged with prescription drug fraud after a wide-ranging search of the database in an investigation into ambulance drug thefts. The two men were not linked to the thefts, but their relatively high number of prescriptions raised suspicion and prosecutors filed fraud charges. The case was later dropped, but still put their careers and personal lives at risk, they said.

The Utah firefighters union and a state gay-rights group joined the ACLU in the lawsuit.

The firefighters' union said it is sympathetic to the need to curb a nationwide problem with prescription drug abuse, but that police shouldn't have unfettered access.

The group Equality Utah, meanwhile, argued the searches violate the privacy of transgender people whose hormone medications are recorded in the database.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican military forces killed a suspected gang leader and seven others in a bloody shootout Thursday in southern Mexico City, which has largely avoided such large-scale drug violence.

The mid-day shootout and roadblocks of burning buses set up by gang members created a scene that is common in other Mexican cities in the grasp of drug cartels, but rare in the capital.

Mexico's Navy said in a statement that its sailors were supporting federal authorities investigating a gang of street-level drug dealers when they came under fire. Sailors in full battle gear maintained a perimeter of several blocks.

Marines block off the area where the suspected leader of a drug gang and seven others were killed, according to the Navy, in southern Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Sixteen people were in custody on charges or sabotage and property damage related to the blockades, Mexico City's prosecutor's office said.

The gang operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, and carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder, the Navy said.

The Navy only identified the leader as Felipe de Jesus "N'' and did not name the gang. But local media called him "El Ojos" and said he led the "Tlahuac cartel."

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, an aspirant to the presidency and prolific user of social media, had not commented on the incident Thursday evening. He did retweet a heavy rain warning for the same neighborhoods the gang allegedly dominated.

A woman peers out from a home as Marines block off the area where the suspected leader of a drug gang and seven others were killed, according to the Navy, in southern Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Marines block a street where the suspected leader of a drug gang and seven others were killed, according to the Navy, in southern Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A commuter watches Marines block the area where a suspected drug gang leader and seven others were killed, according to the Navy, in southern Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Marines block access to the site where the suspected leader of a drug gang and seven others were killed, according to the Navy, in southern Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

ADDS LOCATION - People watch security forces gather around the Nopalera metro station in the area where a suspected drug gang leader and seven others were killed earlier in the day, according to the Navy, in the Tlahuac neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Women make their way past police surrounding the Noplera metro after the suspected leader of a drug gang and seven others were killed, according to the Navy, in the Tlahuac neighborhood of Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. In a statement Thursday, the Navy said a gang of street-level drug dealers operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the city's south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, as well as carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - She had no body to bury at the funeral, so the grieving mother kneeled in the dirt outside her small hut, recited psalms and simply traced her finger over the uneven earth.

It was December 2015, a year after Nyayan Koang's boy was abducted by government soldiers at the age of just 14 to fight in South Sudan's army. Now Koang was told that her James was dead, from a gunshot to his leg.

"We were all crying," Koang said. "I didn't believe he was gone."

In this photo taken Monday, May 29, 2017, former child soldier James walks down the road from his small hut in a protection of civilians site to his first day at his new school, after recently being reunited with his mother who had thought he was dead, in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

It would take almost two years for Koang to discover that she was right - her son was alive.

James was one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in an ethnic war in South Sudan, which has more child soldiers than any other country, according to the United Nations. Child soldiers can be seen standing stone-faced outside the buildings they guard, often with two or three Kalashnikovs slung around their small frames.

James is a shy boy with a piercing gaze and a tendency to retreat into himself, who can hardly walk except with a cane. He tells his story with one arm tightly hugging his stomach, as if to protect himself from the memories. The AP is only using his first name, for fear he could be recruited again by government soldiers.

James' father died when he was young, leaving him to care for his disabled mother and five younger siblings. Government soldiers would come to James' village to round up children, and he would hide in the bush.

One day in February 2014, as James set out for the river to fish as usual, his mother warned him to be careful of the bad men. He told her not to worry, and that he'd be home later.

That was the last time she saw him.

James and 10 other boys were fishing in a pond when they saw dozens of men with rifles. The soldiers bound the boys' small arms behind their backs with their shirts, and then stripped them to their underwear. They crammed them into the cargo bed of a pickup truck.

At army headquarters, the boys were brought before the commander. As he thrashed each boy in turn with a rubber wire, the others could hear the screams.

James was given a choice: Join the army or die.

Publicly, South Sudan's army condemns the practice of using child soldiers.

"The best place for a child is in school, not the military," said Colonel Santo Domic Chol, the army's acting spokesman.

But children in military uniforms, like James, have been spotted throughout the country, according to the U.N.

The soldiers didn't trust James. They scrutinized his every move, including trips to the bathroom, and he slept locked up among the prisoners.

For eight months, the boy who had never held a gun before fought alongside other children, many younger than him. He saw plenty of them die. He says he never killed anyone intentionally, but admits that it's hard to know "who you're hitting when you pull the trigger."

Almost six months after James was captured, on Aug. 15, he was shot on the battlefield in his lower right leg and left for dead.

While a frenzy of gunfire flew overhead, he wriggled on his stomach toward a grassy knoll, and used his arms to slither over a dying soldier. Terrified, in agony and unable to move, the child concealed himself on a dry patch of grass surrounded by swamp.

For almost two days, Koang's son subsisted on okra leaves and what little water he could sip from the shallow marsh. He thought he would die.

As dawn broke on the second day, James spotted two men from his battalion approaching. It took both soldiers to carry him to the car. He was flown by the Red Cross to South Sudan's capital of Juba - hundreds of miles away from his family.

As the fighting intensified in Koch, Koang asked every soldier passing through if they'd heard of her son. Finally, a soldier told her that he'd died due to a leg infection from the bullet. She was shattered.

After the funeral, Koang moved her family into a sprawling, filthy camp crammed with about 120,000 displaced people in Bentiu. James was never coming home, and she no longer felt safe in her village.

In the meantime, James also relocated to another camp in Juba.

Slumped in a chair, he said he couldn't stop thinking about "bad things" from his time as a child soldier. The dying man he climbed over haunts him in his sleep.

"He calls to me," said James, his hands tightly clenched between his legs. "He reaches out his arm and says, "Come here."

In March, a neighbor from back home recognized James in the camp. He rushed to Bentiu and told Koang that her son was alive. He lent Koang his phone.

The voice that crackled through was one she had not heard since her son left to go fishing more than two years earlier. James was sobbing.

"I was so happy," says Koang. "But I still couldn't believe that he was alive. I needed to see him."

A few months later, with the help of UNICEF and local community members, James boarded a plane for Bentiu. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he was headed home to his mother.

As James rounded the corner of his mother's compound, a local aid worker swept him off his feet. James burst into tears - uncontrollable, overpowering sobs.

Amid the frenzy of handshakes, singing and yelps, Koang shuffled out of her hut and lightly touched her son's leg by his wound. Crouching to meet her gaze, James buried his head in his hands. They didn't speak.

Koang broke into gleeful cries. James shifted between hysterical fits of sobs and moments of silence, when he just stopped still and stared straight ahead, lost in thought.

"I never thought I'd be here," he said. "I thought I'd die. Now I'm just grateful to be with my family and to be alive."

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, former child soldier James looks through an airplane window as he arrives to be reunited with his mother who had thought he was dead, in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, mother Nyayan Koang, who is unable to stand up due to polio, gazes at her son James, a former child soldier walking with a crutch, left, minutes after they were reunited and she saw him for the first time in 3 years, at a protection of civilians site in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, former child soldier James, accompanied by one of his sisters and friends, walks towards his mother's house to be reunited and see her for the first time in 3 years, at a protection of civilians site in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, former child soldier James, center-right, is surrounded by family and friends as he is welcomed home by his community and meets his mother for the first time in 3 years, at a protection of civilians site in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, family and friends dance through the streets singing and chanting to honor the return of former child soldier James, after he is reunited with his mother and sees her for the first time in 3 years, at a protection of civilians site in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, former child soldier James, center-left, is hugged by a community member as he is welcomed home and sees his mother for the first time in 3 years, at a protection of civilians site in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

In this photo taken Friday, May 26, 2017, former child soldier James cries uncontrollably as he is reunited with his mother for the first time in 3 years, while family and friends brush their hands over his face in a Nuer tradition that wishes him a long life, at a protection of civilians site in Bentiu, South Sudan. James, one of an estimated 18,000 children fighting in South Sudan according to the United Nations, was left for dead on a battlefield while back home his mother mourned him and held a funeral without a body, having no idea that he was still alive. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The United States said Friday that an airstrike in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province killed an unspecified number of Afghan security forces. The provincial governor confirmed the deaths, saying at least two commanders were among those killed but the final death count was not immediately known.

The Department of Defense said the U.S. was supporting Afghan troops, who were carrying out an operation against the Taliban in the province's Gereshk district, when the bombing took place.

"We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families affected by this unfortunate incident," the statement said. "During a U.S. supported ANDSF (Afghan National Defense Security Force) operation, aerial fires resulted in the deaths of the friendly Afghan forces who were gathered in a compound."

Helmand provincial Governor Hayatullah Hayat said the NATO airstrike hit on Friday and that at least two Afghan commanders died.

He added that the death toll was expected to rise further because several security force personnel were known to have been in the compound at the time. Hayat also said many of the security forces were not in uniform, which may have caused some confusion about their identities.

The incident was still under investigation, he said.

While much of Helmand province is under the control of the Taliban, the Afghan national security forces have been waging fierce battles to retake territory. NATO and U.S. troops are in Helmand to assist the Afghan troops.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan an insurgent attack in western Ghor province killed four police officers and wounded seven.

Mohammad Mustafa Moseni, Ghor's provincial police chief, said Friday that the Taliban attacked police compounds in the provincial districts of Taywara and Pasaband, considered key to the security of the provincial capital.

The attacks, which occurred overnight, resulted in a four-hour gunbattle in which 24 Taliban were killed, said Moseni.

In northern Baghlan province, fighting has raged for days on a key highway linking several northern provinces to the capital of Kabul. Hospital officials said eight local police and two civilians died earlier this week in one incident.

Deputy provincial police chief Said Amir Gul Hussainkhil said the fighting is continuing but it is sporadic.

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Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) - The Latest on the British Open (all times local):

9 p.m.

The American flag continues to fly high in the wind at the British Open, with 10 U.S. players among the 20 who were at par or better.

Jordan Spieth of the United States plays a shot on the 6th hole during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Friday July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Jordan Spieth at 6-under 134 and Matt Kuchar at 4-under 136 will be in the final group on Saturday at Royal Birkdale. U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka was three shots out of the lead, and Gary Woodland put together a 69. He was five shots behind.

Six other Americans were at even-par 210, including a pair of surprises. One is Kent Bulle from Glasgow, Kentucky, who shot a 72. He qualified by winning the Argentina Open. The other is Chan Kim, who grew up in Hawaii and went to Arizona State. Kim plays mainly in Asia and qualified by winning the Mizuno Open in Japan.

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8 p.m.

Jordan Spieth finished off a windy and wet second round of the British Open with a 1-under 69 to take the lead.

This is the fourth time the 23-year-old Texan has at least a share of the 36-hole lead in a major. He won the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015 and had control of the 2016 Masters until his infamous triple bogey on the 12th hole at Augusta National.

Spieth seized control of the lead with birdies on the 11th and 12th hole. He was on his way to a bigger lead with a 3-wood that rolled 100 yards onto the green to about 15 feet. But he missed a short par putt on the 16th.

Spieth was at 6-under 134. Matt Kuchar was two shots behind.

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7 p.m.

Competitive golf was not limited to Royal Birkdale this week at the British Open. There was a match down the road at Southport & Ainsdale between the 13-year-old sons of Ian Poulter and John Daly.

Luke Poulter registered a 1-up victory over Little John Daly in eight holes.

The boys returned to the Poulter house, and Poulter reported that one of them was very happy (Luke) and one was upset (Little John). Poulter says it probably didn't help that Luke was playfully rubbing it in.

Now where would he learn to do that?

Poulter, a longtime thorn in the Americans' side at the Ryder Cup, smiled and said the boy must have picked that up from his mother.

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6:10 p.m.

Right when Jordan Spieth was starting to slide down the leaderboard, his short game turned his fortunes around in a hurry.

Spieth made bogey on No. 9 to fall into a share of the lead, and he was headed for a bogey or worse on No. 10 when he drove into a pot bunker, blasted out sideways and hit his third shot short and left of the green as the rain picked up.

He chipped in for par. Then, he rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt across the green on No. 11. And he followed that with a tee shot into 2 feet on the par-3 12th hole for another birdie. He was at 6 under and had a two-shot lead.

Brooks Koepka was at 4 under. Ian Poulter shot a 70 and was at 3-under 137.

The rain was so heavy that play was stopped for 10 minutes because the greens were holding too much water.

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5:30 p.m.

Justin Thomas started with a double bogey by driving into the gorse. And then his second round of the British Open got worse.

Much worse.

Thomas hit his second shot on the par-4 sixth hole well to the right in deep grass. He tried to hack it out of rough so thick that his hands came off the club and the ball stayed there. He tried it again - same thing. And on the third try, he didn't see where it went and couldn't find the ball, leading to a penalty stroke and a drop. His seventh shot went onto the green - it really was a nice shot - and he two-putted for a 9.

Thomas started the second round two shots out of the lead. He shot 43 on the front nine and was outside the cut line.

Maybe he should have kept his tie on from Thursday.

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4:30 p.m.

Mark O'Meara played his 110th and final round at the British Open, and he went out swinging.

O'Meara started with a quadruple-bogey 8 in the opening round and shot 81. In severe conditions Friday, he made bogey on the final hole and still shot 70.

O'Meara played in the final group at Royal Birkdale in 1991 when Ian Baker-Finch won. He won the claret jug at Birkdale seven years later.

The loudest cheer on the 18th, however, wasn't for him.

Chris Wood was playing alongside him and holed out from the fairway for an eagle 2 that assured Wood playing the weekend.

Wood and Ryan Moore graciously waited back in the fairway so O'Meara could soak up the applause one last time. O'Meara then turned and waved up Woods with his own applause.

British Open champions are exempt as long as they are 60 or younger. O'Meara turned 60 this year.

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3:50 p.m.

Henrik Stenson had more than the wind at Royal Birkdale on his mind when he teed off Friday in the British Open. The private house where he is staying this week was burglarized.

Stenson says he learned about the burglary when he finished his opening round.

What they didn't get was the claret jug. He gave that back to the R&A on Monday. But he says the thieves took some valuable personal items and all of his clothing for the week. Stenson says he was happy that his family was not there at the time.

Stenson says he's going to try not to let the burglary spoil what has been a great week for him as the defending champion.

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3:20 p.m.

Phil Mickelson finally made some birdies at the British Open. It won't keep him at Royal Birkdale this weekend, though.

The 2013 champion shot a 7-over 77 in gusty conditions in his second round and was 10 over for the tournament. He was way off the projected cut mark, which was currently at 4 over.

Mickelson failed to make a birdie Thursday, the first time that has happened in a major in five years. He did so on the first hole in his second round and had four birdies in total, but he had eight bogeys and a triple-bogey 7 at No. 3.

The 47-year-old Mickelson hasn't won a tournament since lifting the claret jug at Muirfield.

Rory McIlroy posted a 2-under 68 and was 1 under for the tournament, three off the clubhouse lead held by Matt Kuchar on 4 under.

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1:50 p.m.

Matt Kuchar set the score everyone else has to chase in the wind at the British Open.

Kuchar made a bogey on the 18th hole and had to settle for a 1-over 71 in the second round, though that was a good score in 25 mph gusts that put a premium on making par. He was at 4-under 136.

Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, who teed off in the afternoon, were at 5 under.

Richie Ramsay of Scotland posted a 70 and was at 2-under 138.

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12:50 p.m.

Rory McIlroy got into contention in the British Open with three birdies on the front nine. He stayed there with three pars that were just as critical.

McIlroy holed par putts of about 10 feet on the 10th and 11th holes to start the back nine. His tee shot on the par-3 12th tumbled into a pot bunker, and he nearly holed that one.

He remained at 2 under for the tournament.

Matt Kuchar reached 6 under for the second time Friday, only to make bogey on the 16th hole to fall back to 5 under. Of the 24 players who have finished the second round, Jamie Lovemark (69) was the only one to break par.

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12:10 p.m.

Rory McIlroy was hanging his head on Thursday. There was a bounce in his step on Friday at the British Open.

McIlroy made three birdies and shot 31 on the front nine at Royal Birkdale. That's eight shots better than his opening round, and suddenly he's back in contention again. McIlroy was at 2-under par and only three shots out of the lead.

Matt Kuchar is even for the day and still atop the leaderboard at 5 under. The other co-leaders, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, don't tee off until the afternoon when the wind is supposed to get even stronger.

Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson is in danger of missing another cut in a major. Johnson is in the same group as McIlroy. The No. 1 player in the world has made only one birdie in 27 holes. He is 3 over for the tournament.

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11:20 a.m.

Kent Bulle might be Glasgow's best hope in this British Open.

Trouble is, he's from Glasgow, Kentucky.

Of the 52 Americans in the field at Royal Birkdale, Bulle is the least known. The 28-year-old who went to Middle Tennessee State spends most of his time between the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Web.com Tour. He had played in only one PGA Tour event - the U.S. Open last summer at Oakmont - when he was medalist at one of the smaller sectional qualifiers. He missed the cut.

The R&A, trying to expand its reach, this year offered an exemption to the winner of the Argentina Open. Bulle won it for the second straight year.

He's having a ball at Birkdale. Bulle opened with a 68, and then started his second round with a birdie. He was tied for fourth in the early stages Friday, and that's no bull.

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10:30 a.m.

Sergio Garcia appears to have a problem with his right shoulder after angrily swinging his club into shrubs on the fourth hole at the British Open.

The Masters champion sent his tee shot to the back left of the green near some bushes at Royal Birkdale. He didn't have a full back swing and his second shot came up short.

After taking his shot, Garcia looked behind him and swung his club into the shrubs. He clutched his shoulder immediately. He wound up with a bogey.

It certainly didn't affect his power. Garcia drove the green on the 346-yard fifth hole and made eagle. But as he walked to the green on the par-3 seventh, he was seen chatting with a medical official.

Garcia was 1 under after nine holes and 2-over par for the championship.

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9:50 a.m.

Matt Kuchar is trying to set the target in blustery conditions at the British Open.

Of the three players who shared the lead at Royal Birkdale going into the second round Friday, Kuchar was the only one who played in the morning. The rain has stayed away, though the wind is strong.

Kuchar dropped a shot on his second hole, only to bounce back by chipping in for birdie on No. 3 and adding another birdie on the par-3 fourth to reach 6 under. Depending on how Kuchar fares, he could set a 36-hole score that the second half of the field will try to catch.

The forecast is for worsening conditions in the afternoon.

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7:30 a.m.

Jordan Spieth rated his opening 5-under 65 at the British Open as one of the top five or six rounds he has ever played in a major. Most of that had to do with the shots he hit. And some of it had to do with timing.

The last thing he wanted to do was try to make up ground in bad weather.

The second round began Friday with a gray sky, cool air, ample wind and a gloomy outlook. The forecast was for occasional showers, slightly heavier in the afternoon, and wind, slightly stronger in the afternoon.

Spieth and Brooks Koepka (65) were to play in the afternoon. Sharing the 18-hole lead was Matt Kuchar, who teed off Friday morning at Royal Birkdale.

England's Ian Poulter plays a shot off the 9th tee during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Friday July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Jordan Spieth of the United States putts a birdie on the 11th hole during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Friday, July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Jordan Spieth of the United States shelters from the rain under an umbrella during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale,, Southport, Friday July 21, 2017. (Andrew Mattthews/PA via AP)

Justin Thomas of the US lines up a putt on the 8th green during the first round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

The flag on hole 4 on the first day of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Sweden's Henrik Stenson lifts his cap after finishing his round on the first day of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Phil Mickelson of the United States plays out of a bunker on the 7th hole during the first round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Matt Kuchar of the United States after a birdie on the 15th hole during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Friday, July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy speaks with his caddie JP Fitzgerald during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale,, Southport, Friday July 21, 2017. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)

Dustin Johnson of the United States tees off on the 5th hole during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale,, Southport, Friday July 21, 2017. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)

Spain's Sergio Garcia watches his shot on the 2nd fairway during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Friday, July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Matt Kuchar of the United States on the 18th green during the first round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy plays out of the bunker on the 7th hole during the first round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

England's Lee Westwood putts on the 10th green on the first day of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

England's Paul Casey walks on the 14th during the first round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy acknowledges the crowd after his birdie on the 18th hole on the first day of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

A panel of top judges in Spain says the country's courts have no jurisdiction to investigate the first foreign criminal case for torture and terrorism against the Syrian government.

Friday's U-turn by Spain's National Court is a setback for activists and human rights campaigners who had hailed the case as a stepping stone for accountability in Syria.

Judge Eloy Velasco was investigating the alleged role of nine Syrian intelligence and security officials in the disappearance and execution of a man in 2013.

The victim's sister, a Spanish citizen, filed the case earlier this year. A court statement says the public prosecutor has won its appeal arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction to judge the crimes.

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1:30 p.m.

Fighting between two of Syria's strongest military groups spread in the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib with al-Qaida-linked fighters trying to capture a main border crossing point with Turkey.

Friday's fighting between the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham and al-Qaida-linked Hay'at Tahrir al Sham - Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee - that is also known as HTS, focused on the Bab al-Hawa crossing.

HTS, a coalition of several insurgent groups, suffered a blow a day earlier after the powerful Nour el-Din el-Zinki faction withdrew in protest against the fighting with Ahrar al-Sham.

Ahrar al-Sham's top commander, Ali al-Omar, said in a video released Friday that attacks by HTS are "an aggression against the Syrian revolution" warning that the hand that will try to harm the anti-government revolution "will be amputated."

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12:30 p.m.

The spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State says advances against the group in their stronghold of Raqqa have slowed down amid stiff resistance from the militants.

U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon estimates there are around 2,000 IS militants in the northern city, saying they are using civilians and children as human shields.

"We know this is no going to be an easy fight," Dillon says. He spoke to The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday night.

The U.S. has partnered with the Kurdish-dominated coalition fighting force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces in its fight against IS in Syria. In the month since they launched their offensive for Raqqa, they completed their encirclement of the militants and breached the heavily-fortified Old City, gaining a foothold inside.

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8:45 a.m.

The Syrian army and members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group have launched a major ground offensive in a border area between the two countries.

Government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reports that military operations began Friday from two fronts on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and the Syrian village of Fleeta.

The offensive was widely expected after negotiations with militants to leave the area failed over the past days.

The region is a stronghold of Syria's al-Qaida's branch, known as Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State group and the Levant People's Brigades.

Video released by SCMM shows Hezbollah's artillery pounding militant positions.

It was not immediately clear if the Lebanese army is taking part in the battles from the Lebanese side of the border.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - First there was Cecil, a Zimbabwean lion whose allegedly illegal killing by an American hunter in 2015 ignited international outrage. Now Cecil's son Xanda has been legally killed in the same area, bringing fresh scrutiny on the "trophy" hunting of a species whose numbers in the African wild have plummeted.

Some conservation groups denounced 6-year-old Xanda's killing, saying commercial hunting bans and robust wildlife tourism in countries such as Kenya and Botswana are among the best ways to protect threatened species. The hunting industry, meanwhile, counters that it has a conservation role if it is well-regulated, channeling revenue back into wildlife areas that otherwise could end up neglected or turned into livestock farms.

Many researchers agree that Africa's lions face greater threats, including human encroachment on habitats and the poaching of animals for food, which deprives lions of prey. A more recent concern is the legal export of South African lion skeletons to a traditional medicine market in Asia, which some critics believe could lead to increased poaching of wild lions to meet demand.

FILE -- in this Nov. 20, 2013 file photo Cecil the Lion rests near Kennedy One Water Point in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. The son of Cecil the lion has been shot dead in Zimbabwe, two years after his father's killing ignited international outrage. Now there's fresh outcry over the "trophy" hunting of a species whose numbers in the wild have plummeted. (AP Photo/Sean Herbert, File)

"The species is in free-fall," said Will Travers, president and co-founder of Born Free, an international conservation group. He cited estimates that there are only 20,000 wild lions left in Africa.

Xanda, who was wearing a GPS collar so researchers could track him, was killed on or around July 7 just outside Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park and the shooter is a client of Zimbabwean professional hunter Richard Cooke, a group called World Heritage Species said on Facebook. Group members include Brent Stapelkamp, a researcher who monitors lions in Hwange park, where Cecil and Xanda lived.

"Although the hunt was reportedly legal (all the proper papers were in order, Xanda was over the age of 5, and he was outside the boundaries of the park), Cooke has refused to divulge the identity of his client. Cooke also led the hunt in 2015 that killed Cecil's other son," the group said.

Efforts to reach Cooke by email and phone were not immediately successful.

Zimbabwe would not name the person who shot Xanda because doing so would invite retribution and loss of business for the hunt operator, an official said.

"We don't have any laws prohibiting the hunt of collared animals. We are in the process of crafting a law to protect such animals," said Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority. He said the hunter did not know that Xanda was collared, possibly because the device is not always visible under a male lion's mane, and that the collar was returned to authorities.

Farawo said wild animals often wander outside unfenced areas of national parks in Zimbabwe, and the wildlife agency is struggling with human-animal conflict in areas surrounding parks.

Like Cecil, Xanda had been monitored by WildCRU, a group affiliated with the University of Oxford in Britain.

The World Heritage Species group said researchers "were aware that Xanda had been spending more time outside the park" and that the dead lion's GPS collar was fitted in October.

Cecil was killed in a hunt in which he was illegally lured out of the wildlife park with bait and initially wounded by an arrow, according to authorities. The death unleashed an extraordinary outpouring of anger at Walter Palmer, the American dentist who shot the lion, and other foreigners who have traveled to Africa to kill wildlife.

Xanda had a pride with cubs, said the World Heritage Species group. It said "their safety and survival is now in jeopardy if a new male comes along and attempts to take over."

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Associated Press writer Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe contributed.

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Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris
CAIRO (AP) - An international aid organization warned Friday that Yemen's cholera epidemic, the world's worst since Haiti's 2010 outbreak, is likely to worsen in the rainy season.

The United Kingdom-based OXFAM group said in a statement that cholera in Yemen is now "the largest ever recorded in any country in a single year." It comes a day after the World Health Organization reported nearly 370,000 suspected cases of cholera and over 1,800 deaths since April 27.

"Cholera has spread unchecked in a country already on its knees after two years of war and which is teetering on the brink of famine," said Nigel Timmins, Oxfam's humanitarian director who has just returned from a fact finding mission to Yemen.

WHO reported a decline in suspected cases over the past two weeks in some of the worst hit areas, including the capital Sanaa, but warned it's too early to tell if this is becoming a trend.

OXFAM warned that Yemen's rainy season from July to September will accelerate the outbreak.

The conflict in Yemen worsened in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally-recognized government waged an extensive air campaign aimed at dislodging Houthis, whom the coalition accuse of acting as an Iranian proxy, from northern Yemen.

The war has left more than 10,000 civilians dead, displaced 3 million people, and pushed the Arab world's poorest nation to the verge of famine.

International aid organizations are struggling to deliver aid amid fighting and the closure of the country's main airports and port.

In Geneva, WHO said that 5,000 Yemenis fall ill with cholera symptoms every day. While the disease is easily treatable, people's access to health services is limited because half of the country's health facilities are out of service. The world organization said children under Age 15 account for 41 percent of all suspected cases and people over age 60 account for a third of deaths.

Malnutrition is one of the main challenges in containing the disease.

"We need to break the vicious cycle of malnutrition and diarrhea," WHO said. "Seventeen million people in Yemen are currently food insecure. Malnutrition exacerbates diarrhea, and diarrhea leads to malnutrition."
LONDON (AP) - The British parents of critically ill baby Charlie Gard have been told by a hospital lawyer that the results of their son's latest brain scans make for "sad reading."

Great Ormond Street Hospital lawyer Katie Gollop broke the bad news to Charlie's parents at a pre-court hearing Friday in London.

Charlie's father, Chris Gard, yelled "Evil!" at Gollop as his mother, Connie Yates, began to cry. The parents said at the hearing it was the first time they were being told about the latest results in the crucial test of Charlie's brain function.

Charlie Gard's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard arrive at the Royal Courts of Justice in London where the hearing will resume into the case of their terminally-ill baby, Friday July 21, 2017. A British court is giving the parents of 11-month-old Charlie Gard a chance to present fresh evidence that their terminally ill son should receive experimental treatment. (Lauren Hurley/PA via AP)

The hospital believes that 11-month-old Charlie has suffered irreversible brain damage that treatment cannot repair. His parents disagree. Earlier this week, Charlie underwent brain scans in an attempt to determine whether his brain damage is irreversible.

The results of the scans were not made public.

The pre-hearing Friday was the latest step in his parents' long legal battle to give Charlie, who suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome and cannot breathe unaided, an experimental treatment. They believe the treatment, which has never been tested on a human with Charlie's exact condition, could restore his muscular and brain functions.

It's not clear how much longer Charlie can live without the treatment.

Previous courts, including the European Court of Human Rights, have sided with Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie is being treated. The hospital says the treatment would cause suffering and would not help his situation, suggesting that life-support to the baby should stop.

Charlie's parents have, however, received support from Pope Francis, U.S. President Donald Trump and some members of the U.S. Congress.

Meetings were also held this week with Charlie's mother, doctors treating Charlie at Great Ormond Street Hospital and American specialist Dr. Michio Hirano, an American neurology expert from Columbia Medical Center in New York who has designed the experimental treatment.

Judge Nicholas Francis, who has overseen the latest round of appearances at London's High Court, said in Friday's hearing that Hirano and Charlie's parents could present evidence at a hearing Monday. He said the evidence must be new and relevant to the case.
WASHINGTON (AP) - American citizens will be barred by the U.S. from traveling to North Korea beginning next month following a prohibition on using U.S. passports to enter the country, the State Department said Friday.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson decided to impose a "geographical travel restriction" on North Korea following the death last month of American university student Otto Warmbier, who fell into a coma while in North Korean custody. The ban also comes amid heightened U.S. concern about Pyongyang's recent advancements in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Figures on how many Americans visit North Korea are difficult for even the U.S. government to obtain. But Simon Cockerell of the Koryo Group, one of the leading organizers of guided tours to the country, said 800 to 1,000 Americans go annually and will be affected.

FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2016 file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks as Warmbier is presented to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. U.S. officials say the Trump administration will ban American citizens from traveling to North Korea following the death of university student Otto Warmbier, who passed away after falling into a coma into a North Korean prison. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, "Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, the secretary has authorized a Geographical Travel Restriction on all U.S. citizen nationals' use of a passport to travel in, through or to North Korea."

The restriction will take effect in late August, 30 days after it is published as a legal notice in the Federal Register.

Once it takes effect, Americans wanting to travel to North Korea may do so legally only with a "special validation passport," which will be granted by the State Department on a case-by-case basis for "certain limited humanitarian or other purposes," the statement said.

It did not elaborate on what "other purposes" the department would consider. Americans who violate the restriction could face a fine and up to 10 years in prison for a first offense.

The U.S. strongly warns Americans against traveling to North Korea but has not until now prohibited trips, despite other sanctions targeting the country. Americans who venture there typically travel from China, where several tour groups market trips to adventure-seekers.

Nearly all Americans who have gone to North Korea have left without incident. But some have been seized and given draconian sentences for seemingly minor offenses. Over the past decade, at least 16 U.S. citizens have been detained, officials say.

The travel ban comes as the Trump administration searches for more effective ways to ramp up pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang's recent successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile - the first by the North - has created even more urgency as the U.S. seeks to stop North Korea before it can master the complex process of mounting a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the United States.

President Donald Trump has expressed frustration that his initial strategy - enlisting China's influence to squeeze the North economically and diplomatically - has not yielded major results. Trump's administration is considering other economic steps including "secondary sanctions" that could target companies and banks - mostly in China - that do even legitimate business with North Korea, officials say.

Under U.S. law, the secretary of state has the authority to designate passports as restricted for travel to countries with which the United States is at war, when armed hostilities are in progress, or when there is imminent danger to the public health or physical security of U.S. travelers.

Since 1967, such bans have been imposed intermittently on countries including Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Cuba and North Vietnam. The U.S. doesn't currently prohibit its passports from being used to travel to any countries, even though financial restrictions limit U.S. travel to Cuba and elsewhere.

Warmbier, who died after being medically evacuated in a coma from North Korea last month, suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause while in custody. Relatives said they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016. He had been accused of stealing a propaganda poster while on a tour of the country.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. At least three other Americans remain in custody in the North.

Tillerson had been weighing a North Korea travel ban since late April, when American teacher Tony Kim was detained in Pyongyang, according to a senior State Department official. Those deliberations gained even more urgency after Warmbier's death. Lawmakers in Congress have also pushed their own, legislative solutions to try to ban travel to the North.

Two tour operators that organize group trips to North Korea said they had already been informed of the decision by officials from Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea because the two countries lack diplomatic relations.

Although Pyongyang does not publish exact figures, Americans are thought to account for a mere 1 percent of all foreign visitors. Westerners make up 5 percent of total visitors.

Cockerell, the tour organizer, said the ban would turn back the clock on engagement with the North.

"It's unfortunate because we criticize North Korea for being isolationist and now we're helping isolate them," Cockerell said. "That's not what soft power is about."

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Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A 27-year-old man broadcast live on Facebook as he sped down a Florida beach, running over beach chairs and umbrellas while drinking from a bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey.

Authorities said he was yelling expletives about the police cars that were chasing him.

The commotion along the beach on Florida's west coast Thursday afternoon sent beachgoers scrambling for safety, but no one was injured.

"It could have been a lot worse today," Clearwater Deputy Chief Donald Hall said.

Hall told reporters at a news conference that Ryan Stiles eventually came to a dead end where he had to make a decision - drive his black SUV into the water or surrender. He was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including DUI, reckless driving, hit and run, and threatening a public servant.

It was just before 4:30 p.m. when Clearwater police started getting 911 calls, some from as far away as California, bringing their attention to the threats Stiles was making from his Jeep Cherokee, Hall said. Dispatchers kept callers on the line as police tried to locate him. Driving isn't allowed on the beach.

The Facebook video shows Stiles repeatedly said, "We're goin' die tonight," shifting his eyes from his phone to the windshield as he sped down the beach. He streamed about five minutes of his ride.

"We had no idea what this individual's intentions were," Hall said, adding that police officials secured the front door of the main police station out of precaution.

Stephanie Ball, her 14-month-old son Parker Daly and friend Emily Keene were enjoying the afternoon at the beach when they saw the SUV barreling toward them, following by police cruisers.

"We were lucky we were awake and alert," Ball told the Tampa Bay Times . The baby's playpen was about 5 feet (1 meter) away from the SUV's path.

A friend of Stiles made the first call to police. Sarah Lynn Wright, 26, told the Times that Stiles was trying to get out of a tough spot when she met him three months ago and let him move into a home she shares with her mother. On Thursday, she said he returned from a meeting with a public defender who told him it was unlikely he was going to get probation for a previous resisting arrest charge he is facing.

Wright said Stiles packed his stuff and left. She called police when she saw the video.

"It's not out of character for him to get angry and storm off," she said. "I feel like he couldn't handle the stress and that was it for him."

Jail records don't list a lawyer for Stiles.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Dozens of officers have been searching in a new area for a North Carolina woman missing since a shooting involving her ex-husband.

Media outlets report more than 75 officers searched a wooded area behind a Hope Mills neighborhood on Thursday for Heather Carter. Authorities wouldn't say what evidence led them to search that spot.

The 28-year-old woman has not been seen since July 12, when police say her ex-husband shot at her and another woman.

Investigators say 28-year-old Jimmy Lee Proffitt II then kidnapped his ex-wife and put her in his car. Detectives found blood at the scene and in Proffitt's car, which was discovered Monday.

Jimmy Proffitt has been charged with attempted first-degree murder. He was jailed on $1 million bond.
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's parliament has outlawed the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, and other Internet proxy services, citing concerns about the spread of extremist materials.

The State Duma on Friday unanimously passed a bill that would oblige Internet providers to block websites that offer VPN services. Many Russians use VPNs to access blocked content by routing connections through servers outside the country.

The lawmakers behind the bill argued that the move could help to enforce Russia's ban on disseminating extremist content online.

The bill has to be approved at the upper chamber of parliament and signed by the president before it comes into effect.

Russian authorities have been cracking down on Internet freedoms in recent years. Among other things they want Internet companies to store privacy data on Russian servers.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia's king has stripped the Interior Ministry of many of its key mandates, including counter-terrorism, and transferred those powers to a newly created body overseen by the monarch, the state agency reported Friday.

The development comes after King Salman last month appointed his son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince, after ousting the previous second-in-line to the throne, Mohammed bin Nayef, who was also the interior minister.

The Saudi Press Agency said Salman ordered the creation of the Presidency of State Security to be under the command of the king, who also acts as prime minister.

FILE - In this May 30, 2017 file photo, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Moscow's Kremlin, Russia. Saudi Arabia's king has stripped the Interior Ministry of many of its key mandates, including counter-terrorism, and transferred those powers to a newly created body overseen by the monarch, the state agency reported Friday, July 21, 2017. The development comes after King Salman last month appointed his son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince, after ousting the previous second-in-line to the throne, Mohammed bin Nayef, who was also the interior minister.(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, pool, File)

The Interior Ministry will no longer be in charge of counter-terrorism, criminal investigation and the special forces, among other mandates - all of which have been transferred to the new body.

"Whatever concerns security of the state, including civil and military personnel, budgets, documents, and information will also be transferred to the new authority," one of a series of royal decrees read.

SPA said the decrees are aimed at "confronting the security challenges with the utmost degree of flexibility, readiness, and swiftness."

Known as the kingdom's counterterrorism czar, Mohammed bin Nayef was credited with crushing al-Qaida's cells in Saudi Arabia in mid-2000. He also worked closely with Washington after the Sept. 11 attacks, helping to share intelligence to thwart more attacks.

His removal gave Mohammed bin Salman, also the defense minister, a firmer hold on the kingdom's security and foreign policies.

The 31-year-old prince has been consolidating power since his father was crowned king two and half years ago. He managed to sweep aside any competition from princes who are older or more experienced.

The prince is also the architect of Saudi Arabia's stalemated war in Yemen against Shiite rebels and has offered aggressive comments about the kingdom confronting Shiite power Iran.

The kingdom accuses Iran of meddling in its affairs by supporting its Shiite minority, which says it is being discriminated against. In recent months, violence has spiked in the kingdom's east and rights groups decried plans by the authorities to execute 14 Shiites in protest-related violence.

On Friday, the Interior Ministry said it foiled a "major terrorist attack" in Saihat in eastern Shiite-dominant Qatif where three wanted men were shot and killed. The ministry said weapons and explosives were seized.

The men, two Saudis and a Bahraini, have been implicated in previous attacks against security forces, it said.

"Saudi Arabia will have zero tolerance for terrorist crimes of this kind," the statement said.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, are wrapping up a three-day trip to Germany in Hamburg, where they're attending a concert for children in a spectacular new concert hall.

The couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, kicked off their two-nation European tour in Poland earlier this week before visiting Berlin and Heidelberg. They're traveling with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, though the children haven't appeared at most of their public engagements.

On Friday, they took a train from Berlin to Hamburg and visited the city's International Maritime Museum, which houses a model of Britain's royal yacht Britannia.

From left : Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz, Britain's Prince William, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, walk on the terrace of the Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

The royals viewed Hamburg's harbor from the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall, and joined 350 schoolchildren to hear a concert with excerpts from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

From left : Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz, Britain's Prince William, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, stand on the terrace of the Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. In background the Hamburg harbor. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

From left : Britain's Prince William, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, walk on the terrace of the Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

From left : Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz, Britain's Prince William, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, walk on the terrace of the Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

Spectators, wait at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall for the arrival of Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

From right: Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz, Britain's Prince William, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, stand on the terrace of the Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. In background the Hamburg harbor. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge is greeted by spectators at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

From left : Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz, Britain's Prince William, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, stand on the terrace of the Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. In background the Hamburg harbor. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prince William, left, and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. Hamburg is the last stage of their three-day-visit to Germany. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Britain's Prince William, center right and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, center left, arrive at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. Hamburg is the last stage of their three-day-visit to Germany. Second right is Hamburg's mayor Olaf Scholz. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, are greeted by City Councilor Wolfgang Schmidt, right, after they arrived bt train from Berlin at Dammtor Station in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. Hamburg is the last leg of their 3-day Germany trip. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Spectators, wait at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall for the arrival of Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate the Duchess of Cambridge in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 21, 2017. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Britain's Prince William, third right, his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, third left, director of the museum Peter Tamm jr. left, and the Mayor of Hamburg Olaf Scholz, second left, listen to a guide as they visit the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg, Germany Friday, July 21, 2017. (Daniel Bockwoldt/Pool Photo via AP)
A couple of recent news items caught our eye and seemed to be related, if only in that they involved young people working toward their futures.

First, you might have noticed a story in Thursday's Democrat-Herald about the annual vocational education camp at Linn-Benton Community College. Last year's camp attracted 24 middle school students to the LBCC campus for four days. This year, the camp more than doubled in enrollment to 50 students, expanded to eight days, added high school students to the mix and added labs and workshops at Oregon State University.

Credit for the big expansion this year goes to Josefine Fleetwood, director of the Pipeline project, and Cathy Law, the director of the OSU STEM Academy.

We've written before about Pipeline, which aims to expose students to a variety of high-paying and in-demand jobs that don't necessarily require traditional four-year college degrees. And STEM, of course, stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics  also fields in which there's high demand for new workers. So this year's camp was intended to give students a sampling of the opportunities offered by both career technical education (we used to call this "shop class," as Democrat-Herald reporter Jennifer Moody noted in her story about the program) and the STEM fields.

So, at OSU, campers learned about engineering programs and STEM degrees they might pursue. At LBCC, students rotated among projects in welding, machine tool, mechatronics and computer-aided drafting and design.

Both OSU and LBCC have offered similar summer programs before, but the idea to combine them (helped along by a $100,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education) was an excellent one, allowing the students to broaden their horizons.

And as those students take a closer look at those horizons, they're likely seeing rapidly growing opportunities.

Although the mid-valley (and Linn County in particular) continue to experience job growth at a remarkable pace, economists still worry about some clouds on the employment horizon. One of those clouds is a looming shortage of workers for technical jobs  good-paying jobs that require some training, but not necessarily a four-year university degree. In fact, one of the reasons why the Pipeline program was launched was to expose students to the existence of these jobs, which are opening with increasing frequency as older workers retire.

The fact that the demand for the vocational educational camp has grown so quickly (this year, it even had a waiting list) suggests that the word is starting to catch on. That's really good news.

The other news item that caught our eye doesn't seem to be immediately related, but employers will understand the connection: This week, the Oregon Health Authority announced it was expanding to a statewide audience a campaign meant to discourage youth from using marijuana. The campaign, with the theme "Stay True to You," got pilot runs in the Portland metro area, along with Jackson and Josephine counties. State officials said the program seemed to be successful in raising awareness of the legal consequences of underage marijuana use.

While we were in favor of legalizing marijuana, we've never believed that it should be used by minors, especially as evidence grows about the disproportionate effects of pot use on developing brains.

One addition to the program might be worthwhile, however: The "Stay True to You" program should emphasize information on how marijuana use can affect job prospects. We frequently hear from employers about how hard it is to find candidates who can successfully pass drug tests that might be required before a new worker can be hired. As young people take stock of their growing opportunities in the workforce, it would be helpful to warn them about how careless drug use can potentially stop a promising career dead in its tracks. (mm)
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani police say gunmen riding on a motorcycle have opened fire on a police vehicle in the southern port city of Karachi, killing three officers and a passer-by before fleeing the scene of the attack.

Karachi police chief Nauman Sadiqui says two people were also wounded in Friday's drive-by shooting in the Korangi neighborhood.

Dr Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman at the Jinnah Hospital, says three bodies were brought to the hospital following the shootout and that a fourth person, who was wounded, died during treatment.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani militant groups have been blamed for shooting and drive-by attacks on police and paramilitary security forces in recent years.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province. Organized criminal groups also operate in the province.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A federal judge has ordered Kentucky taxpayers to pay more than $220,000 in fees to the attorneys for two same-sex couples and others who won a legal fight against a county clerk who refused to issue them marriage licenses in 2015.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning says Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was acting on behalf of the state government when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on the basis of her personal religious beliefs. He ordered the state to pay $222,695 in fees to the attorneys of four couples who sued Davis, along with $2,008.08 in costs. He said the county government and Davis herself are not liable.

"Davis represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky when she refused to issue marriage licenses to legally eligible couples. The buck stops there," Bunning wrote.

FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2015, file photo, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, right, talks with David Moore following her office's refusal to issue marriage licenses at the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky. On Friday, July 21, 2017, a federal judge has ordered Kentucky taxpayers to pay more than $220,000 in attorneys' fees for the elected county clerk who caused a national uproar by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

A U.S. Supreme Court decision effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in the summer of 2015, setting off joyous celebrations among gay rights advocates nationwide. But just hours after the decision, Davis' announcement she would stop issuing marriage licenses transformed the tiny town of Morehead into the front lines of the culture war with angry demonstrations from both sides captured on national television.

The case reached its zenith after a judge sent Davis to jail for refusing his order to issue the licenses. When she was freed five days later, two Republican presidential candidates were there to greet her along with thousands of supporters, including a church choir.

Davis' office issued modified marriage licenses that did not include her name. In the spring of 2016, Kentucky's new Republican governor signed a law removing the names of county clerks from marriage license forms. Davis said that satisfied her concerns.

William Sharp, legal director for the ACLU of Kentucky, said he was pleased with the ruling and hopes it serves as a reminder to Kentucky officials that "willful violations of individuals' civil liberties ... will not only be challenged but will also prove costly."

"It is unfortunate that Kentucky taxpayers will likely bear the financial burden of the unlawful actions and litigation strategies of an elected official, but those same voters are free to take that information into account at the ballot box," Sharp said.

The judge ruled that the couples were the "prevailing party," meaning Davis officially lost the lawsuit. Mat Staver, Davis' attorney, said he will appeal that. If he succeeds, it could mean the state would not have to pay because only "prevailing parties" are entitled to legal fees.

While Davis is a county official, she is elected by the voters. Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins said the county should not have to pay those fees.

"My job was to protect the county taxpayer money. I did that," he said.

Emails to representatives of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear were not immediately returned.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Prosecutors say a Los Angeles police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old cadet.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office says Robert Cain is expected to be arraigned Friday on charges that include unlawful sexual intercourse.

Cain was arrested in June amid a widening probe into wrongdoing in the department's cadet program for minors who are aspiring officers.

Prosecutors say Cain befriended the teenage cadet and had sex with her on three occasions at three locations.

Cain's attorney declined to comment Friday on the allegations.

In a separate case, Cain has pleaded not guilty to 10 felonies after police said they found illegally modified assault rifles and other restricted firearms while searching his San Bernardino County home during the sex investigation.
WASHINGTON (AP) - In the world of diplomacy, some things are bound to get lost in translation.

President Donald Trump, who sat next to Japan's first lady during a dinner at a recent international summit, says Akie Abe can't muster even a "hello" in English.

In fact, she can handle a basic conversation in English, according to two people who have worked on events with the first lady.

FILE - This Feb. 10, 2017, file photo shows President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, accompanied by their wives, first lady Melania Trump and Akie Abe, as they wave before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base Md. In the world of diplomacy, some things are bound to get lost in translation. President Donald Trump, who sat next to Japan's first lady during dinner at a recent international summit, says Akie Abe can't muster even a "hello" in English. In fact, she can handle a basic conversation in English, according to two people who have worked on events with the first lady. That raised questions about whether something was lost in translation or there was an intentional snub. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

So was something lost in translation, or was there an intentional snub?

In a New York Times interview this week, the president noted that he was seated next to the Argentine and Japanese first ladies at the Group of 20 summit dinner in Hamburg, Germany.

Trump described the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a "terrific woman, but doesn't speak English."

"Like, not 'hello'," the president told the newspaper. "So I'm sitting there. There was one interpreter for Japanese, 'cause otherwise it would have been even tougher. But I enjoyed the evening with her, and she's really a lovely woman, and I enjoyed - the whole thing was good."

But there's a hitch: Japan's first lady apparently knows a lot more than just hello.

The Internet instantly responded, with a YouTube video emerging of Akie Abe delivering a 15-minute keynote address in English at a 2014 Ford Foundation symposium in New York. Video from a 2016 summit in Japan also features Akie seemingly following the conversation and making short comments in English at a spouses' event.

The implication is that Ake Abe spoke more than enough English to politely chitchat with Trump, but instead chose to hide behind the language barrier.

The two people who have worked with the first lady both said it's unthinkable to suggest Abe may have been trying to avoid a conversation with Trump. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of evaluating the first lady's English proficiency. The Japanese prime minister's office told The Associated Press that Trump's comments were based on speculation.

The two people who had worked with Akie Abe said she does frequently rely on a translator who almost always accompanies her. And she would hardly be the only Japanese official with functional English to do so.

Many Japanese officials and business leaders who speak fluent English often choose to speak in Japanese and use interpreters at public events in order to avoid misunderstanding, according to Foreign Ministry officials. They could not say if the Japanese first lady has such a policy.

The same holds true for many leaders around the world, who opt to use their native language in official settings.

Putin himself is proficient in English and is often heard correcting his own translators, but he almost never speaks English in public.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also engages in small talk in English, but tends to stick to German in her official remarks.

Putin and Merkel speak to each other privately in a mixture of German and Russian, but use their native languages when the cameras are on.

There are others who make a point of speaking English in public.

Last week in Paris, France's President Emmanuel Macron answered an American journalist's question in English, which signaled a departure from French tradition of speaking in mother tongue at official events. Macron also delivered an address to the American people in English after Trump pulled out of the Paris climate change agreement.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko made official remarks in the Oval Office exclusively in English during a June visit. It was his way of reminding Trump: You have a friend in Ukraine, a friend who speaks your language, diplomatically and literally.

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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
ATLANTA (AP) - Here is a timeline of the events leading to the escape of two Georgia inmates from a prison transfer bus on June 13, based an external review report:

3:30 a.m. Correctional officers Sgt. Curtis Billue and Sgt. Christopher Monica begin to search and cuff inmates at Baldwin State Prison in Hardwick. Twelve inmates from Richmond and Jones county jails who were already on the bus were left unattended while the officers collected the Baldwin State Prison inmates.

4:42 a.m. Eleven inmates from Baldwin State Prison, including Ricky Dubose and Donnie Rowe, enter the bus.

4:44 a.m. Dubose has removed his handcuffs.

4:45 a.m. Dubose removes Rowe's handcuffs.

4:53 a.m. Bus leaves Baldwin State Prison before sunrise with 23 inmates onboard.

5:43 a.m. Bus arrives at Hancock State Prison in Sparta.

5:50 a.m. Billue and Monica take their guns and exit the bus, leaving inmates unattended.

5:53 a.m. Inmate heard on video telling the others that the lock on the gate separating the inmate compartment from the officer compartment is not locked. Rowe is able to open the door using a toothbrush in about a minute. Dubose and Rowe enter the officer compartment and rifle through the officers' lunches.

5:58 a.m. Dubose and Rowe return to the inmate compartment and shut the gate.

6:05 a.m. Ten inmates from Hancock State Prison enter the bus. Guards again fail to lock the gate.

6:13 a.m. Bus pulls out of back gate of Hancock State Prison.

6:15 a.m. Billue and Monica retrieve their guns from the front entrance of Hancock State Prison.

6:24 a.m. Dubose removes his uniform shirt and he and Rowe begin moving toward the front of the bus.

6:28 a.m. Rowe removes his belly chain.

6:36 a.m. Rowe begins trying to open the gate into the officer compartment. Most other inmates seen moving to the back of the bus.

6:40 a.m. Rowe and Dubose get through the door and attack and kill the officers.

6:41 a.m. Rowe and Dubose carjack a driver and flee in his green Honda Civic.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Hackers who breached a Kansas Department of Commerce data system in March had access to more than 5.5 million Social Security numbers in 10 states, along with another 805,000 accounts that didn't include the Social Security numbers, according to records obtained from the agency.

The department will be required to pay for credit monitoring for most of the victims of the hacking, according to records obtained through an open records request by the Kansas News Service (http://bit.ly/2gQcgoq ).

Besides Kansas, the other states affected by the hack are Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Oklahoma, Vermont, Alabama and Illinois.

The suspicious activity was discovered March 12 by America's Job Link Alliance-TS, the commerce department division that operates the system. It was isolated March 14 and the FBI was contacted the next day, according to testimony from agency officials to the Legislature this spring. The Kansas News Service filed its open records request May 24 and the commerce department fulfilled the request Wednesday.

A commerce department representative didn't immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The data is from websites that help people find jobs, such as Kansasworks.com, where people can post resumes and search job openings. At the time of the hack, Kansas was managing data for 16 states but not all the states were affected.

After the hack, AJLA-TS officials called in a third-party IT company specializing in forensic analysis to verify the coding error the hackers exploited was fixed and to identify victims.

The documents show the commerce department also contracted with private companies to help victims, provide IT support and to provide legal services. The state is paying $175,000 to the law firm and $60,000 to the IT firm. The commerce department didn't provide the cost of the third contract.

Earlier testimony to lawmakers indicated a fourth company, Texas-based Denim Group, was contracted in April to review code and provide advice for improvements, which has since been implemented. The agency didn't provide documents related to that contract.

Kansas will pay for up to a year of credit monitoring services for victims in nine of the affected states. Delaware residents are eligible for three years of services because of contractual obligations to that state.

The agency said in May this was the first known breach of AJLA-TS' databases and the contractor's response exceeded requirements in Kansas law. However, the commerce department said it had sent about 260,000 emails to victims but couldn't contact all victims because it didn't have their email addresses. Kansas law does not require notification to the victims via post or telephone, the department said.

The call center for victims, which can be reached at (844) 469-3939, will remain open through the end of July.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close political ally of President Donald Trump, is urging him and Congress not to ban internet gambling in the United States.

Christie, a fellow Republican, signed a bill Friday calling on Trump, a former Atlantic City casino owner, and Congress not to enact a nationwide ban on internet gambling.

In an interview last year with The Associated Press during the presidential campaign, Trump declined to take a position on internet gambling, saying "I have a lot of friends on both sides of this issue."

Online bets have helped revive Atlantic City's struggling casino industry, which has seen five of its 12 casinos go out of business in the last three years. Last year, backed by money won from gamblers online, Atlantic City's casinos posted their first revenue increase in a decade.

But threats to internet gambling loom in Congress, and Las Vegas Sands casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a strong financial supporter of Trump, wants it to end. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he wants to take a second look at a Justice Department ruling authorizing internet gambling, and several measures have been proposed but not enacted.

The bill passed by the New Jersey Legislature and signed by Christie says a federal prohibition against internet gambling would negatively impact New Jersey, "dismantling the investments that the state and Atlantic City casinos have already made to implement and regulate Internet gaming."

It says the move would take away "economic and employment opportunities already realized" by the state and foreclose the future potential of the industry to "generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, create high-tech software jobs, and foster valuable business ventures for Atlantic City casinos."

New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware are the only states that offer internet gambling, with New Jersey having the largest market among the three. Several other states are considering legalizing it.

New Jersey began offering internet gambling in November 2013. Since then, online bets have steadily grown and have become a crucial part of Atlantic City casinos' business models, with nearly $600 million won from gamblers playing online.

Last year, the casinos took in $196.7 million from internet gambling, up more than 32 percent from 2015. The money won from online customers often makes the difference between an up month and a down month for Atlantic City's casino revenue.

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Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
ATLANTA (AP) - Meek Mill faced scrutiny during his highly-publicized rap feud with Drake and relationship with former girlfriend Nicki Minaj.

Some may think Mill lost in both situations, especially after Drake's Grammy-nominated diss track "Back to Back." But the Philadelphia-bred rapper doesn't view it that way, saying there were other pressing issues in his life he considers as losses - from the death of close friends to a probation violation that landed him three months in house arrest last year.

While wearing a gold pendant in remembrance of the late rapper and protege Lil Snupe, who was shot dead in 2013, Mill spoke with The Associated Press about his new album "Wins & Losses," which comes out Friday. He also touches on empowering young black youth, Minaj's ex-boyfriend Safaree Samuels being jumped during the BET Awards weekend and his aspirations of doing film.

In this July 13, 2017 photo, rapper Meek Mill poses during a portrait session to promote his new album "Wins & Losses," in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

AP: What compelled you to name your album "Wins and Losses"?

Mill: Everybody saying that I'm losing and I lost. I lost my case. I lost my friends to the streets. Those things really meant something to me. I started off in the basement on a karaoke machine. Now I'm in million-dollar studios, making a lot of money being able to feed my family and take them out a crazy environment, still being able to wake up on my own time and do things how I want to do it. That's my definition of winning. I determine my definition of losing on this album.

AP: Your single "Young Black America" has a politically-charged tone. What do you want people to take away from it?

Mill: It's an eye-opener for the young people for my culture. It's to help them open their eyes and see what they are really dealing with in real reality. A lot of rap isn't based off reality most of the time. Sometimes it's ignorant. ... I just wanted to give young people in our culture an understanding of what's going on. In one video, we got young kids with guns with KKK masks on, basically saying we killing our own.

AP: What run-ins have you experienced with the law that youngsters can relate to?

Mill: I was 18 and got beat up by a cop and almost killed by cops. I was just a statistic coming up. The cops are in a dangerous neighborhood thinking everybody else in the neighborhood is dangerous or everybody in the hood is killers. They caught me and treated me like I was a killer. I don't think that's really right. The cop gave me a 100 charges with trying to kill a cop. I don't want to kill a cop. They basically put me on probation for the rest of my life from that point on when I was 18. I'm 30 now and still on probation. I've been to jail three times from that one stint of probation. Any mistake you make, you'll be put in prison. Your freedom can be took.

AP: Your relationship with Minaj and beef with Drake really put a spotlight on you. How did you take to the criticism?

Mill: I'll look at the internet and see comments like, 'Meek got Nicki money.' You can't know nothing about Meek Mill if you saying something like that. They be like 'Meek Mill can't rap.'... 'Somebody wrote Meek Mill raps'. ... I came up on YouTube rapping since I was 14 years old. That's my importance to the streets. They seen me come up. My story is not a facade.

AP: Did you have anything to do with Safaree being jumped?

Mill: I don't know nothing about him getting jumped on. I pulled up and actually seen him getting into an altercation. You can look at my face and see that I was surprised. Me and my friends had a party at that spot that night, so that's somewhere we were supposed to be going. I don't communicate with him. I don't know him. I don't even want to base those guys in this interview. That's not even on my level. Street fights take place all the time. I ain't touch nobody. Didn't put no hand on nobody. I'm on strict probation. I'm just trying to handle my business and feed my family. I don't think those dudes are worthy of being talked about.

AP: Does your short film, "Wins & Losses: The Movie" make you want to get more involved in film?

Mill: I want to do something that expresses the things we go through. The things we feel. I have a lot of older white friends who don't understand our culture. They might see ignorant or wild things and don't understand why it's going on. But I might have to break it down like, 'Yo, this guy is on drugs for 15 years.' I believe I can express things through film.

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Online: http://www.meekmill.com

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Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MrLandrum31 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/jonathan%20landrum

In this July 13, 2017 photo, rapper Meek Mill poses during a portrait session to promote his new album "Wins & Losses," in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

In this July 13, 2017 photo, rapper Meek Mill poses during a portrait session to promote his new album "Wins & Losses," in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
ROGERS CITY, Mich. (AP) - A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting another priest after a night of drinking in northern Michigan has been found not guilty.

The Rev. Sylvestre Obwaka was acquitted Thursday, the third day of trial in Presque Isle County. Obwaka admits that sexual contact occurred, but he said it was consensual.

The other priest told jurors that he was assaulted in February while visiting Obwaka and spending a night at the rectory at St. Ignatius Church in Rogers City.

This undated photo released by the Presque Isle Sheriff's Department shows Rev. Sylvestre Obwaka, a Roman Catholic priest, is accused of sexually assaulting another priest in northern Michigan. Jury selection is starts Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Obwaka's trial in Rogers City, Mich. (Presque Isle Sheriff's Department via AP)

The trial witnesses included Gaylord Bishop Steven Raica, who spoke to Obwaka after the other priest said he was assaulted. Raica says Obwaka didn't indicate that any sex was consensual.

Obwaka, a native of Kenya, has been a priest since 2010. He became pastor at St. Ignatius in July 2013.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration's new special representative for Ukraine negotiations is making his first trip to embattled eastern Ukraine.

The State Department says Kurt Volker departs Friday for eastern Ukraine, where he'll meet with people "affected by Russian aggression." Over several days, Volker will also meet with officials in Kiev, the capital.

Volker will also travel to Paris to meet with German and French officials about a cease-fire deal that has never been fully implemented. He'll also be in Brussels to meet with NATO and EU officials, and in London to meet with British officials. In Vienna, he'll meet with the international group responsible for monitoring the situation in eastern Ukraine.

The U.S. has made little progress in persuading Russia to give back Crimea and stop supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Nigeria's military says the air force mistakenly launched an airstrike on a refugee camp in January because the camp was not appropriately marked as a humanitarian base in the military's operational maps.

Defense forces said Friday in a statement that when it noticed mass movement through aerial satellite observation on Jan. 17, it was mistaken for Boko Haram activity. It called for all humanitarian activities to be marked on military ground and aerial maps, and a mandatory exchange of information to avoid future mistakes.

A Borno state government official had said more than 230 people were killed when Nigeria's air force bombed multiple times the camp in Rann that was housing Boko Haram refugees.

Air force officials at the time said it was an accident and began an investigation.
ATLANTA (AP) - U.S. building owners should review what materials their structures are built with following a deadly fire in London that showed how flames can quickly cover a high-rise, devouring it from the outside, fire experts said Friday.

An Associated Press review found that the manufacturer of the panels used in the London tower said the same panels were used in some U.S. buildings. However, many building owners were unaware of that.

British authorities are investigating whether those Reynobond PE panels and other materials helped spread flames across the doomed Grenfell Tower.

This June 29, 2017 photo shows the Marriott Hotel in Baltimore's Harbor East district. In sales brochures, a U.S. company boasted of the "stunning visual effect" its shimmering aluminum panels created in an NFL stadium, an Alaskan school and a 33-story hotel on Baltimore's waterfront. Those same panels also were used in London's Grenfell Tower. British authorities are examining whether the panels helped spread the fire that ripped across the apartment building's outer walls, killing at least 80 people. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

"I think the public has this awareness of this stuff they never had before, and the building owners have more awareness," said Robert Solomon, a fire protection engineer with the National Fire Protection Association.

That awareness is prompting a renewed look at exterior materials - often called cladding - at several U.S. buildings.

Local fire marshals are among the best resources for anyone concerned about a building's safety, said Jon Narva, a spokesman with the National Association of State Fire Marshals.

"The fire marshals are going to be aware of the circumstances surrounding the Grenfell fire, and they should be able to help any concerned building owners with finding out information," Narva said.

Officials are awaiting test results to determine if the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel, which rises more than 30 stories over the city's harbor, used Reynobond PE panels.

New York-based Arconic Inc. has stopped selling those panels for use in high-rise buildings.

In general, U.S. buildings made of concrete, steel or glass will merit few concerns, Solomon said.

"If you have something that's not in those three categories, people are starting to take a look at that," Solomon said.

Building owners with concerns can remove a two-story section about 10 feet wide and test it for fire spread - a roughly $30,000 full-scale test to see how the entire section as it is constructed on the building reacts to fire, Solomon said.

"One of the things we periodically hear is that it's too expensive to test all these combinations of materials," Solomon said. "As a fire engineer, I just scratch my head. You think $30,000 is too much to spend on a $50 million building project?"

Though Marriott officials say they are awaiting test results on the building, the company has not specified what type of testing is being done.

If dangerous materials are found in any building, options include removing the materials entirely, changing how much of the material is used or changing where it's used on a building, Solomon said.

Innovative solutions - such as an exterior sprinkler system that can send water raining onto a building's outer walls - have also been discussed in the United Arab Emirates, where some high-rise buildings have burned in recent years, Solomon said.

CORRECTS TO SAY THE REYNOBOND PE MATERIAL WAS USED UNDER THE ROOF AND ON THE WALL, NOT ON THE ROOF - In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017 photo, a bus pulls away from terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. Panels made of the cladding material Reynobond PE, under the roof and at left, were installed in parts of the interior and exterior of the terminal. Those same panels were also used in the London Grenfell Tower apartment building, which caught on file in June, killing at least 80 people. British authorities say they are investigating whether the panels helped spread the blaze that ripped across the building's outer walls. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

FILE-In this Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 file photo, fans walk into Cleveland Browns Stadium before the Minnesota Vikings play the Cleveland Browns in an NFL football game, in Cleveland. In sales brochures, a U.S. company boasted of the "stunning visual effect" its shimmering aluminum panels created in an NFL stadium, an Alaskan school and a 33-story hotel on Baltimore's waterfront.(AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

EDITORS AND LIBRARIANS: KILL FROM YOUR SYSTEMS AND ARCHIVES AP PHOTO AX903, SLUGGED LONDON FIRE US BUILDINGS AND TRANSMITTED ON JULY 20, 2017. THE PHOTO DOES NOT SHOW THE PANELS MENTIONED IN THE STORY - In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017 photo, a steel like material comprises the cover of terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. The steel style roof of the terminal was built using a cladding product that is believed to have been a major contributor to the London apartment tower fire. In sales brochures, a U.S. company boasted of the "stunning visual effect" its shimmering aluminum panels created in an NFL stadium, an Alaskan school and a 33-story hotel on Baltimore's waterfront. Those same panels also were used in London's Grenfell Tower. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

This June 27, 2017, photo shows the exterior of South Anchorage High School in Anchorage, Alaska. Arconic says 20,000 square feet of Reynobond ACM PE core was used for the metallic facade to differentiate the building entrances and science classrooms at the high school built in 2004. In sales brochures, a U.S. company boasted of the "stunning visual effect" its shimmering aluminum panels created in an NFL stadium, an Alaskan school and a 33-story hotel on Baltimore's waterfront. Those same panels _ Reynobond composite material with a polyethylene core _ also were used in the Grenfell Tower apartment building in London. Those same panels also were used in London's Grenfell Tower. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

CORRECTS TO SAY THE REYNOBOND PE MATERIAL WAS USED UNDER THE ROOF AND ON THE WALL, NOT ON THE ROOF - In this June 27, 2017, photo, a traveler walks toward Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. Panels made of the cladding material Reynobond PE, under the roof and at left, were installed in parts of the interior and exterior of the terminal. Those same panels were also used in the London Grenfell Tower apartment building, which caught on file in June, killing at least 80 people. British authorities say they are investigating whether the panels helped spread the blaze that ripped across the building's outer walls. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017 photo, a bus drives in front of Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. Reynobond PE was used in panels on the interior and exterior of the airport's Terminal D facility, which opened in 2005. Panels made from Reynobond composite material with a polyethylene core also were used in the Grenfell Tower apartment building in London. The panels are under scrutiny by British authorities investigating last month's fire at the apartment building and are investigating whether they helped spread the blaze that ripped across the building's outer walls, killing dozens of people. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017 photo, travelers walk towards Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. Reynobond PE was used in panels on the interior and exterior of the airport's Terminal D facility, which opened in 2005. Panels made from Reynobond composite material with a polyethylene core also were used in the Grenfell Tower apartment building in London. The panels are under scrutiny by British authorities investigating last month's fire at the apartment building and are investigating whether they helped spread the blaze that ripped across the building's outer walls, killing dozens of people. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
WASHINGTON (AP) - New White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was schooled in hardscrabble politics - and down-home rhetoric - from a young age by her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Her way with a zinger - and her unshakable loyalty to an often unpredictable boss - are big reasons why she became a rising star in President Donald Trump's orbit. She'll take over for Sean Spicer, who abruptly announced Friday that he's resigning, effective at the end of August.

Sanders steps into what has been deemed the most difficult job in Washington. Her responsibilities are not just to do combat with a feisty White House press corps but to try to please a mercurial president who fancies himself his own best spokesman.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders who has been named White House press secretary and incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci pass each other by the podium during the press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, July 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Trump often presents his own thoughts directly on Twitter in the early hours of the morning and is known to closely follow his surrogates on television, assessing their performances. He has been happy with Sanders' advocacy, says Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president.

"She understands America. She understands the president. And she understands how to connect the two," Conway told The Associated Press in March. "The president has a great deal of trust in Sarah."

Sanders, in her debut briefing after the announcement of her promotion, promised to "be as open, honest and transparent with you all as humanly possible." Her low-key approach, which came after a 37-minute charm offensive from new communications director Anthony Scaramucci, was in stark contrast to Spicer's debut in the role. Spicer, in his first briefing, berated reporters about underestimating the size of Trump's inaugural crowds and refused to take questions.

Sanders, who will be the third female press secretary in history, credits her larger-than-life dad with helping her learn how to deliver a message. Huckabee, a frequent political commentator, has long been famed for his pithy rhetoric. The two speak most days before 6 a.m.

"I'll call and say, 'What do you think if I say this?' He'll say, 'That's really good. You might try to say it a little bit more like X,'" she said.

But while she often opts to diffuse problems with some down-home Southern charm, she can also be combative. Last month, she got into a heated exchange with a reporter who accused the White House of trying to antagonize the press corps and snapped, "I think it is outrageous for you to accuse me of inflaming a story when I was simply trying to respond to his question."

On advocating for the unconventional Trump, Sanders admits that even in the press office, they don't always get a heads-up before Trump tweets. But she says part of Trump's appeal is that he "directly communicates with the American people on a regular basis."

And now she is thrust into the role that made Spicer a household name and the butt of "Saturday Night Live" skits. Sanders, too, has been portrayed on the long-running show, and now she is who most Americans will see when they get news from the White House - if the administration returns the briefing to an on-camera format.

Arkansas-raised, Sanders is married to a Republican consultant and moved her young family to Washington to be part of the administration. She joined the Trump campaign not long after her father's second presidential bid - which she managed - fizzled out in the 2016 Iowa caucuses. She said she was drawn to Trump's message of economic populism and his outsider attitude. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - a former first lady, senator and secretary of state - was seen by many as the ultimate insider.

"One of the big things my dad was running on was changing Washington, breaking that cycle," Sanders said last spring. "I felt like the outsider component was important and I thought he had the ability to actually win and defeat Hillary."

Sanders entered politics young, helping with her father's campaigns as a child and then working her way up the ranks. In 2007, she moved to Iowa to run her father's operation in the leadoff caucus state, where he was the surprise winner. She also served in the Education Department under President George W. Bush and worked on a number of Senate and presidential campaigns.

The Arkansas ties continue to hold strong. Sanders has consulted with friends from the state about her new role, including Mack McLarty, a former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton, who she said counseled her to appreciate the "historic opportunity" to work in the White House.

And she downplayed on Friday any reports of "chaos" enveloping the West Wing, saying that her house at 6 a.m. with three young kids was far more hectic.

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Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed reporting.

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Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Lucey at http://twitter.com/@catherine_lucey

Anthony Scaramucci, incoming White House communications director, left, follows new White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders into the briefing room at the White House, Friday, July 21, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The killing of an unarmed Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer who is a Somali-American has turned an unwelcome spotlight on the city's beleaguered Somali community, where many again find themselves on the defensive.

The city's police chief said Officer Mohamed Noor's race and ethnicity had nothing to do with the July 15 killing of Justine Damond, who was shot after she called 911 to report a possible rape. But negative comments have included former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's recent statement that Noor was an "affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis" - an apparent reference to the fact that Mayor Betsy Hodges has worn a head scarf when meeting with leaders of the city's Somali-American community. Bachmann also suggested Noor may have shot Damond for "cultural" reasons.

But Mohamud Noor, a community advocate who is not related to the officer, said the shooting "has nothing to do with the Somali community, period."

In this May 2016 image provided by the City of Minneapolis, police officer Mohamed Noor poses for a photo at a community event welcoming him to the Minneapolis police force. Noor, a Somali-American, has been identified by his attorney as the officer who fatally shot Justine Damond, of Australia, late Saturday, July 15, 2017, after she called 911 to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault. (City of Minneapolis via AP)

"It's easy to target individuals who are from a small minority community and say, 'See, I told you so,' rather than focusing on the issue we have, which is a police issue."

Damond, a white, 40-year-old spiritual teacher who was engaged to be married in August, was shot by Officer Noor as he sat in the passenger seat of a police vehicle. Noor's partner, who was in the driver's seat, told investigators he was startled by a loud noise immediately before Damond approached the squad car. Noor fired across his partner and through the driver's side window, hitting Damond once in the abdomen.

Police Chief Janee Harteau, who resigned Friday, criticized Noor's actions but said he was well-trained. On Thursday, she dismissed the notion that he was an affirmative-action hire, saying: "This is about an individual officer's actions. ... It's not about race or ethnicity."

From Sunday until noon Friday, the city had logged 55 complaints to its civil rights division, many expressing concern or anger about the shooting. Several were characterized as derogatory, discriminatory or anti-Muslim. At least one death threat was made against Noor.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States, roughly 57,000 people according to the latest census figures, most of whom live in the Minneapolis area. The immigrants have been coming to Minnesota from their war-torn homeland since the 1990s, drawn by generous social services and the sense of community among the diaspora.

Minneapolis has made an effort in recent years to hire more Somali officers to ensure the department "reflects the city," and Hodges said that effort will continue. The Somali officers on the force are seen as community role models, and are among the success stories of the immigrants in Minnesota.

The Somali community also is seeing its political influence grow. Ilhan Omar gained worldwide attention when she was elected to be the United States' first Somali-American state legislator last November. Her election followed that of Abdi Warsame to the Minneapolis City Council in 2013. He was the first Somali elected to a U.S. city council. Somalis also serve on the Minneapolis and Mankato school boards.

But there have been troubles along the way, too.

More than 22 young men from the community have left the state since 2007 to join al-Shabab in Somalia, and roughly a dozen people have left in recent years to join militants in Syria, including the Islamic State group. In November, nine men were sentenced on terror charges for plotting unsuccessfully to join the group and fight in Syria.

Separately, a 20-year-old Somali-American went on a stabbing rampage at a shopping mall in St. Cloud last September, wounding 10 people before an off-duty police officer fatally shot him.

Community, city and government leaders have worked to combat such violence, with programs including a pilot project designed to counter violent extremism by bolstering social services for Somali youth. State funding was allocated to similar programs to help keep the community engaged.

Farhio Khalif, a Somali and women's advocate, called Damond's shooting "unacceptable" and said the incident has taken a toll on local Somalis.

"We didn't do anything wrong," she said. "We are Minnesotans. We come together and light the candle as Minnesotans and treating us as different is unfair. ... Just like in the Somali terrorist cases - this community is not a terrorist community."

Abdirizak Bihi, another community advocate, said when other officers have fatally shot people, city leaders have typically reserved judgment until all facts are in and the police union has stood up for the officers. In this case, he noted, the union has been silent and the police chief spoke out against the officer's actions.

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" he said. "This was completely different because of his ethnicity, and that's what scares the hell out of us."

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Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau, center, stands with police inspector Michael Kjos, left, and assistant chief Medaria Arradondo during a news conference Thursday, July 20, 2017, Minneapolis. It was the first time she appeared publicly since the police shooting death of Justine Damond on Saturday. (Maria Alejandra Cardona/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Hundreds march from the site of Justine Damond's shooting to Beard's Plaissance Park during a march in honor of Damond Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault. (Aaron Lavinsky /Star Tribune via AP)

This undated photo provided by Stephen Govel/www.stephengovel.com shows Justine Damond, of Sydney, Australia, who was fatally shot by police in Minneapolis on Saturday, July 15, 2017. Authorities say that officers were responding to a 911 call about a possible assault when the woman was shot. (Stephen Govel/www.stephengovel.com via AP)

Don Damond, the fiance of Justine Damond, is comforted outside his home by Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, as demonstrators march by Damond's home during a march in honor of Justine Damond, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Both Philando Castile and Justine Damond were shot and killed by Minneapolis police officers. (Aaron Lavinsky /Star Tribune via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on an Australian woman fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer after calling 911 (all times local):

9:50 p.m.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges says she will not be resigning despite protesters calling for her to step down.

Betsy Custis, right, and others attend a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Hodges made the statement Friday night when she returned to address reporters after her initial news conference about the resignation of the city's police chief was interrupted by protesters. The protesters demanded her resignation and shouted Hodges down. She eventually left.

But when she returned, Hodges said she understands the public's frustrations, but "I will not be resigning."

Police Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (har-TOH') resigned Friday in the wake of last weekend's shooting of 40-year-old Justine Damond, an Australian woman killed by Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor after she had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault near her home.

Hodges says she requested Harteau's resignation.

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9:20 p.m.

The head of the union for Minneapolis police officers is applauding the resignation of Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (har-TOH').

Union president Bob Kroll says Mayor Betsy Hodges should be the next to step down.

Kroll said Friday that Harteau's departure brings much needed change for the Police Department. He says the chief handled the shooting of 40-year-old Justine Damond poorly, being gone for days and then getting back and "she basically throws the whole department under the bus."

Harteau said Thursday that Officer Mohamed Noor's actions "go against who we are in the department."

Kroll says Harteau's resignation was just a political ploy for Hodges to save her career. Hodges faces a tough re-election contest.

Kroll added that he's been talking with Noor daily, and is withholding comment on specifics of the shooting because Noor and his attorney haven't yet made a statement to authorities.

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8:30 p.m.

Protesters have shouted down Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges at her City Hall news conference to discuss the resignation of the city's police chief.

Hodges was reading a statement about the departure of Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (har-TOH') when a small group of protesters walked in and disrupted the event Friday night. They waved signs with the phrases "Messy Betsy" and "You are next" on them and chanted "Bye-bye Betsy."

One man wore a cap with "Philando" on it, referring to black motorist Philando Castile, who was shot to death last year by a suburban officer during a traffic stop.

Hodges eventually gave up and left.

Harteau resigned almost a week after a Minneapolis officer shot an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault. Hodges had asked for the resignation, saying neither she nor the city's residents had confidence in the chief.

Hodges faces several challengers for re-election this fall.

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7:20 p.m.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges says she'll nominate Assistant Chief Medaria (meh-DAIR'-ee-uh) Arradondo (air-ah-DON'-do) to replace Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (HAR'-toh), who has resigned as the city's police chief.

In a statement Friday night, Hodges said she's confident that Arradondo is the right person to lead the department as it continues to go through transformational change.

Nicknamed "Rondo," he served as the public face of the department for several days in the aftermath of last weekend's shooting of an unarmed Australian woman by an officer while Harteau was out of town. Harteau resigned earlier Friday after Hodges asked her to step down.

Arradondo, who is African-American, joined the department as a patrol officer in 1989. He had been Harteau's chief of staff before becoming assistant chief in April.

His nomination requires City Council confirmation.

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6:30 p.m.

Minneapolis police Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (HAR'-toh) says she agreed to resign following the mistaken shooting of a 911 caller so the department can have fresh leadership.

Harteau says fresh eyes are needed to make the department "the very best it can be."

Harteau's resignation comes nearly a week after Justine Damond, a 40-year-old life coach and native Australian, was shot by an officer who was responding to her 911 call about a possible sexual assault.

That officer, Mohamed Noor, and his partner didn't have their body cameras turned on, which has sparked wide criticism of the department. Mayor Betsy Hodges says she no longer had confidence in Harteau.

Harteau says she's proud of what she did as chief.

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6 p.m.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges says she asked Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (HAR'-toh) to resign because she had lost confidence in the chief.

Harteau stepped down Friday, almost a week after an Australian woman died after being shot by an officer responding to her 911 call. Harteau was away from the city until Thursday on personal matters.

Neither of the officers involved had their body cameras turned on at the time, which has drawn widespread criticism of the department.

Harteau was picked by Hodges' predecessor in 2012 to become the city's first female, first openly gay and first Native American police chief.

Hodges praised her work, but said she thought Harteau had lost the confidence of the residents of Minneapolis, too.

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5:55 p.m.

The Minneapolis police chief has resigned following the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a police officer.

Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (HAR'-toh) stepped down Friday, just a day after making her first remarks on the death of 40-year-old Justine Damond. Damond was shot Saturday night by an officer responding to her 911 call about a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her house.

A statement from the city says Harteau quit at the request of Mayor Betsy Hodges.

Harteau was out of the city in the days after the shooting. She said Thursday she had been on personal time and was in touch with her command staff.

The chief and Hodges had recently clashed over Harteau's appointment of an inspector in a critical precinct. Text messages between the two showed Hodges was angry over lack of notice about the appointment.

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5:45 p.m.

Minnesota investigators say they've interviewed a witness to the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer.

A bicyclist was being sought for possible helpful information in the events that led up to the death Saturday night of 40-year-old Justine Damond. Damond was shot by an officer responding to her 911 call about a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the witness, a white man, was seen in the area right before the shooting and stopped to watch as officers tried to revive Damond. They say the man was cooperative and gave an interview Friday.

They gave no other information, but said the officer who shot Damond - Mohamed Noor - has still not agreed to be interviewed.

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5 p.m.

Minneapolis police Chief Janee Harteau is coming under pressure from City Council members in the wake of an officer's fatal shooting of an Australian woman, with some calling for her dismissal.

Harteau was out of the city on personal time for nearly a week following the shooting Saturday night of Justine Damond. The 40-year-old life coach and bride-to-be who was killed by an officer responding to her 911 call of a possible sexual assault.

The state is investigating the shooting. In Harteau's first remarks on the case on Thursday, she was sharply critical of Officer Mohamed Noor while defending his training.

That wasn't enough for some City Council members. Linea Palmisano represents the ward where Damond died. She said Friday that Harteau still hadn't called her.

Council member Jacob Frey is a candidate for mayor. He says the city needs a new chief.

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4:20 p.m.

Former U.S. Rep Michele Bachmann has insinuated that a Minneapolis police officer who is Somali-American may have shot and killed an unarmed Australian woman for "cultural" reasons.

Bachman's comments come as many in the city's beleaguered Somali community again find themselves on the defensive.

The city's police chief said Officer Mohamed Noor's race and ethnicity had nothing to do with the July 15 killing of Justine Damond, who was shot after she called 911 to report a possible rape. But negative comments have included Bachmann's recent statement that Noor was an "affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis." That's an apparent reference to the fact that Mayor Betsy Hodges has worn a head scarf when meeting with leaders of the city's Somali-American community.

Police Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (har-TOH') has dismissed that notion. Harteau said Thursday that "this is about an individual officer's actions."

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4:15 p.m.

Some members of the Minneapolis City Council say they'd like to see police Chief Janee (juh-NAY') Harteau (har-TOH') dismissed.

Harteau has come under pressure after last weekend's shooting of an Australian woman by an officer who was responding to the woman's 911 call. Harteau was out of town until Thursday, and had to defend her absence at a key moment for the department.

The council doesn't have direct oversight of the chief, and some members said they'd like to see that changed. Council member Linea Palmisano, who represents the ward where the shooting occurred, says she's calling for Harteau's removal.

Council member Jacob Frey, who is running for mayor, also called for a new chief.

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7 a.m.

Hundreds of people joined a march in Minneapolis to honor the life of an Australian woman fatally shot by a police officer after she dialed 911 to report a possible sexual assault.

Among those gathered to mourn Justine Damond Thursday evening was Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile who was shot to death by a suburban police officer during a traffic stop in July last year.

Demonstrators paused outside Damond's home, where Castile hugged Damond's fiance, Don Damond. Mourners dropped off flowers and handwritten notes in the alley where Officer Mohamed Noor killed Damond on Saturday night.

Former officer Yanez Jeronimo, who killed Castile, was acquitted last month of first-degree reckless homicide. Castile's family reached a nearly $3 million settlement in the case.

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12 a.m.

The Minneapolis police chief says the Australian woman who was shot by an officer after calling 911 "did not have to die."

Police Chief Janee Harteau (juh-NAY' HAR'-toh) on Thursday made her first remarks about the death of 40-year-old Justine Damond last Saturday. She had been out of town on a personal trip.

Harteau says the actions of Officer Mohamed Noor, who shot Damond, "go against who we are in the department" and against how officers are trained.

Noor's partner told state investigators this week that the shooting occurred moments after a loud sound was heard near their squad car. Both officers are on paid administrative leave.

Also Thursday, attorney Bob Bennett, who represented the family of black motorist Philando Castile, said he is representing Damond's family. Castile was fatally shot by a suburban officer last year.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges closes her eyes as she is shouted at by protesters during a press conference held to discuss the resignation of Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau, at City Hall on Friday, July 21, 2017, in Minneapolis, Minn. Harteau resigned Friday at the request of the mayor, who said she lost confidence in the chief after last weekend's fatal police shooting of an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau, center, stands with police inspector Kathy Waite, left, and assistant chief Medaria Arradondo during a news conference Thursday, July 20, 2017, Minneapolis. The family of an Australian woman shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer wants changes in police protocols, including a look at how often officers are required to turn on their body cameras, a family attorney told local media. (Maria Alejandra Cardona/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Don Damond, the fiance of Justine Damond, is comforted outside his home by Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, as demonstrators march by Damond's home during a march in honor of Justine Damond, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Both Philando Castile and Justine Damond were shot and killed by Minneapolis police officers. (Aaron Lavinsky /Star Tribune via AP)

Hundreds march from the site of Justine Damond's shooting to Beard's Plaissance Park during a march in honor of Damond Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault. (Aaron Lavinsky /Star Tribune via AP)

The sun sets behind demonstrators at Beard's Plaissance Park during the "Peace and Justice March for Justine," Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond had called 911 on Saturday night to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. She was shot when she approached the police vehicle that was responding. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Sarah Kuhnen, a neighbor of Justine Damond, speaks to the crowd during a march in honor of Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

People march from the site of Justine Damond's shooting to Beard's Plaissance Park during the "Peace and Justice March for Justine," Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond had called 911 on Saturday night to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. She was shot when she approached the police vehicle that was responding. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Jan Skogstrom, of Minneapolis, raises her fist with fellow protesters during a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault. (Aaron Lavinsky /Star Tribune via AP)
HOUSTON (AP) - A Texas sheriff's deputy who was indicted along with her husband on murder charges in the death of a man they confronted outside a restaurant has been fired, authorities announced Friday.

Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Chauna Thompson's firing came after the conclusion of an internal affairs probe which followed complaints by the victim's family that the investigation into the man's death was mishandled.

The investigation reviewed the actions of Thompson - who was off-duty during the May 28 Houston-area confrontation with 24-year-old John Hernandez - as well as those of various sheriff's office personnel who had responded to the scene.

FILE - In this Tuesday, June 13, 2017 file photo, Harris County Sheriff's deputy Chauna Thompson and her husband, Terry Thompson, arrive at court in Houston. Chauna Thompson who was indicted along with her husband on murder charges in the death of a man they confronted outside a restaurant has been fired, authorities announced Friday, July 21, 2017. ( Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

"While our in-depth investigation uncovered no evidence of nefarious actions on the part of our on-duty personnel who worked the initial incident scene, we did find areas in which we must improve as a department," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement.

Gonzalez did not offer details on these deficiencies.

"However, we will learn from the tragic death of John Hernandez," Gonzalez said.

Greg Cagle, Chauna Thompson's attorney, didn't immediately return a call Friday seeking comment. Thompson had been suspended without pay since she and her husband were indicted on June 8.

The sheriff's office also announced that one sergeant was suspended for five days, one deputy was suspended for one day and put on probation for 30 days and two other sergeants received letters detailing the need for counseling or additional training.

Chauna Thompson, 45, and her husband Terry, 41, are accused of causing the death of Hernandez following a confrontation outside a Denny's restaurant in Sheldon, an unincorporated community 17 miles (27 kilometers) northeast of Houston. Hernandez died at a hospital on May 31. A medical examiner ruled that he died of lack of oxygen to the brain caused by strangulation and chest compression.

Authorities allege Terry Thompson confronted an intoxicated Hernandez after seeing him urinate in public, and placed him in a chokehold. Chauna Thompson arrived later to help her husband subdue and restrain Hernandez.

Some witnesses said they pleaded with Terry Thompson to let go of Hernandez but that he refused.

Hernandez's family has remained critical of the investigation, saying deputies at the scene didn't interview potential witnesses and initially tried to have an assault charge filed against Hernandez.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP) - An appeals court in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao has upheld the sentence of a former prime minister found guilty of corruption.

Gerrit Schotte faces three years in prison and is barred from running for office for five years. His attorney appealed Friday's sentencing to a higher court in the Netherlands.

Schotte had been found guilty on charges including forgery and money laundering in a case where prosecutors said he received money in exchange for political favors. His longtime girlfriend also has been sentenced in the case.

Schotte was appointed prime minister in 2010 and was ousted in August 2012 after his governing coalition lost its majority.
HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea.

The state's Emergency Management Agency on Friday announced a public education campaign about what to do. Hawaii lawmakers have been urging emergency management officials to update Cold War-era plans for coping with a nuclear attack as North Korea develops nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that can reach the islands.

Starting in November, Hawaii will begin monthly tests of an "attack-warning" siren the state hasn't heard since the end of the Cold War in the 1980s. The wailing siren will be tested on the first working day of each month, after a test of an "attention-alert" steady tone siren with which residents are already familiar.

Toby Clairmont, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's executive officer, shows new informational materials to a reporter in Honolulu on Friday, July 21, 2017. Hawaii announced a new public education campaign to prepare for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

Informational brochures, along with TV, radio and internet announcements will help educate the public about the new siren sound and provide preparedness guidance. "If they're not educated, they could actually be frightened by it," agency Executive Director Toby Clairmont said of needing several months to introduce the new siren.

Because it would take a missile 15 minutes - maybe 20 minutes - to arrive, the instructions to the public are simple: "Get inside, stay inside and stay tuned," said Vern Miyagi, agency administrator. "You will not have time to pick up your family and go to a shelter and all that kind of stuff. ... It has to be automatic."

He stressed that his agency is simply trying to stay ahead of a "very unlikely" scenario, but it's a possibility that Hawaii can't ignore.

Hawaii is an important strategic outpost for the U.S. military. The island of Oahu is home to the U.S. Pacific Command, the military's headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region. It also hosts dozens of Navy ships at Pearl Harbor and is a key base for the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority supports preparing for disasters, but it is concerned that misinformation about bracing for a North Korea attack could scare travelers from visiting the islands, spokeswoman Charlene Chan said in a statement. "The effect of such a downturn would ultimately be felt by residents who rely on tourism's success for their livelihood," she said.

With that in mind, Miyagi reiterated, "Hawaii is still safe."

Hawaii residents, who already face hazards including from tsunami and hurricanes, are familiar with disaster preparedness. Because it's currently hurricane season, residents should already have an emergency kit that includes 14-days of food and water.

"It also works for this type of scenario," Lt. Col. Charles Anthony, spokesman for the Hawaii State Department of Defense.

Hawaii officials surveyed 28 U.S. states and cities about what they're doing for the North Korea threat. "They think it's too soon," Clairmont said.

But counterparts in California have contacted him asking for guidance now that they are starting to look at a similar effort, Clairmont said.

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AP Writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi, left, and Toby Clairmont, the agency's executive officer, show new informational materials to a reporter in Honolulu on Friday, July 21, 2017. Hawaii announced a new public education campaign to prepare for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi, left, and Toby Clairmont, the agency's executive officer, discuss a new public education campaign about the missile threat from North Korea in Honolulu on Friday, July 21, 2017. Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

Jeffrey Wong, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's current operations officer, shows computer screens monitoring hazards at the agency's headquarters in Honolulu on Friday, July 21, 2017. Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)

FILE - In this July 4, 2017, file photo distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, inspects the preparation of the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in North Korea's northwest. Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile threat from North Korea. The state's Emergency Management Agency on Friday, July 21, 2017 announced a public education campaign. Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi says because it would take a missile about 15 minutes to arrive, there won't be much time to prepare. He says that's why instructions are simple: "Get inside, stay inside and stay tuned." (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
Who was that guy who called Donald Trump a "hack politician"? Some fake news media rat? Oh no, it was the president's new message man, back when he was off-message.

Some of Anthony Scaramucci's past words:

-In an August 2015 appearance on Fox Business Network, Scaramucci called Trump a "hack politician." Asked Friday whether Trump was aware of the comment, Scaramucci joked to reporters that the president mentions it every 15 seconds and called it one of his "biggest mistakes." He then looked into the cameras and said: "Mr. President, if you're listening, I personally apologize for the 50th time for saying that."

Anthony Scaramucci, incoming White House communications director, accompanied by newly appointed White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, right, speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House, Friday, July 21, 2017, in Washington. White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

-Gun control advocates were happy to share Scaramucci's past tweets in support of stronger gun laws. Shannon Watts, of Moms Demand Action, tweeted that some of those posts were being deleted "but the Internet is forever, Anthony Scaramucci." She revived this Scaramucci post from August 2012: "We (the USA) has 5% of the world's population but 50% of the world's guns. Enough is enough. It is just common sense it apply more controls." Trump opposes tough gun laws.

-Internet historians and Democrats also recirculated a May 2016 tweet in which Scaramucci addressed climate change and wrote that "the fact many people still believe CC is a hoax is disheartening." Trump himself has at times labeled global warming a hoax.
Brussels has warned Brexit talks will stall unless Britain sets out details of its willingness to pay a divorce bill and demanded clarification on a range of issues after four days of negotiation broke up.

The EUs chief Brexit negotiator insisted all accounts must be settled when the UK quits the bloc and said he was not ready to compromise in negotiations.

Michel Barnier said fundamental disagreements remain over citizens rights, arguing that reforms must be underpinned by European courts.

Michael Barnier, centre

Brexit Secretary David Davis said talks had been robust but constructive and urged Brussels to show flexibility.

At a press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier said: There does remain one fundamental divergence on the way in which such rights would be guaranteed and on several other points, for example, the rights of future family members or the exports of certain social benefits.

At a press conference in Brussels, EU chief negotiator @MichelBarnier urges the UK to clarify its position on the Brexit divorce bill pic.twitter.com/0itvETqAJb  PA Media (@PA) July 20, 2017

Further details about the UKs willingness to pay a fee to Brussels will be required before talks can move on to a trade deal, Mr Barnier indicated.

But the UK is understood to think the EU team is being unclear on what it believes the legal obligations are over the divorce bill as well, with frustration on both sides.

Mr Barnier said: A clarification of the UK position is indispensable for us to negotiate and for us to make sufficient progress on this financial dossier, which is inseparable from the other withdrawal dossiers.

What we want  and we are working on this  is an orderly withdrawal for the United Kingdom, thats decided. An orderly withdrawal means accounts must be settled. We know that agreement will not be achieved through incremental steps. As soon as the UK is ready to clarify the nature of its commitments, we will be prepared to discuss this with the British negotiators.

Brexit Secretary David Davis says there have been "robust" talks in Brussels over the final bill the UK will pay when it leaves the EU pic.twitter.com/8VueGs3oHZ  PA Media (@PA) July 20, 2017

Mr Davis said: Overall Im encouraged by the progress we have made on understanding each others positions. We both recognise the importance of sorting out the obligations we have to one another, both legally and in a spirit of mutual co-operation.

In a sign of the difficulties in reaching agreement he added: We have had robust but constructive talks this week. Clearly theres a lot left to talk about and further work before we can resolve this. Ultimately getting to a solution will require flexibility from both sides.

Mr Barnier said the EU was not ready to compromise in the negotiations until the UK accepts its financial obligations.

He said: I know one has to compromise in negotiations but we are not there yet. When I say, and I think I was very clear and transparent about that, that there are things that are inseparable from others. Thats the financial settlement, lets be very clear. We want clarity on that because we need to be able work more until we come to areas of compromise.

This is not a political point we are making, its a legal one. Simply, if there is to be continuity of EU law, that has to be framed by case law of the court. Only the court can interpret EU law. Its not a choice, its an obligation.
Margaret Thatcher was horrified at the prospect that Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley could ever be released, newly released government papers reveal.

Files released by the National Archives show that in 1985 home secretary Leon Brittan suggested Hindley could go free after 30 years while Brady could be released after 40.

The suggestion provoked a furious reaction from Mrs Thatcher who was adamant they should both die behind bars, describing their crime as the most hideous and cruel of modern times.

Over a period of 18 months in the 1960s, Brady and Hindley, his accomplice, kidnapped and murdered five children in north-west England.

The bodies of three of their victims were later found buried on Saddleworth Moor near Oldham.

Home Secretary Leon Brittan suggested Hindlay could be released after 30 years and Brady after 40 years (PA Archive)

In 1966 they were given life sentences with the trial judge recommending they should spend a very long time in prison.

In 1985, in line with policy at the time, their cases came up for review for the first time by the Parole Board.

In a memorandum to the prime minister, Mr Brittan said that while he did not expect the board to recommend their release on this occasion, there would come a time when they could be safely released into the public.

At present I have in mind a tariff of 30 years for Hindley and 40 years for Brady, implying that after 1992 and 2002 respectively the question of release (in 1995 and 2005 at the earliest) will be determined on risk grounds rather than on grounds of retribution or deterence, he wrote.

Mrs Thatcher, however, was having none of it.

Mrs Thatcher felt the sentences given to Hindlay and Brady weren't long enough

I think the sentences you are proposing are too short, she wrote.

I do not think that either of these prisoners should ever be released from custody. Their crime was the most hideous and cruel of modern times.

Hindley made several appeals against her life sentence but was never released. She died in 2002, aged 60.

Brady was declared criminally insane in 1985 and confined in the high-security Ashworth Hospital where he died earlier this year aged 79.
A man has admitted murdering his brother and attempting to murder his brothers girlfriend in a New Years Day house fire.

Blair Logan poured petrol on his younger brother Cameron, 23, and the bed he was sharing with Rebecca Williams as they slept at their family home in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, in the early hours of January 1 this year.

Ms Williams was rescued from the fire and treated in hospital, while Logans parents were treated for smoke inhalation.

Rebecca Williams, the girlfriend of Cameron Logan, arrives at the High Court

Logan, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of murder and attempted murder at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday. He had been arrested two weeks after the fire amid a major Police Scotland investigation.

The family dog, Gomez, was also killed in the fire.

Logan was said to have had a hostile relationship with his brother and searches of his computer found he had researched burn injuries. He was also charged with endangering the lives of his parents David and Catherine in the fire.

Both parents were in the court room in Glasgow, along with Ms Williams, as the guilty plea was made in front of judge Lady Scott.

David and Catherine Logan, the parents of Cameron and Blair, arrive at the High Court

After his arrest, Logan told police: I didnt want to kill him.

Advocate Depute Alex Prentice said the accused admitted pouring petrol with the intention of maiming or crippling his brother.

The attack was said to be in retaliation for a recent incident at the house when his brother had punched him.

Logan told detectives he took the petrol from a church garage a month and a half before the fire and stored it in his bedroom.
The Cabinet is united around a transitional Brexit deal to allow continued access to migrant labour and provide economic stability, Michael Gove has said.

The Environment Secretary, a prominent Brexiteer, said the Government would take a pragmatic approach in response to suggestions Britain could maintain free movement for EU citizens during a transition period following the official separation from Brussels.

He said decisions on an implementation period would be made in the best interests of our economy, while fellow Brexiteer Liam Fox said he was prepared to wait another couple of years for a full separation from Brussels.

"I have set out what I believe is a deliberately ambitious agenda today because I believe the times demand it" @michaelgove on #GreenBrexit pic.twitter.com/IZwXSJKRzT  Defra UK (@DefraGovUK) July 21, 2017

Their comments indicated a widening of Cabinet support for a transitional deal between the UK leaving the EU in March 2019 and a new trading arrangement being introduced.

But any such deal is likely to be viewed with suspicion by hardline Eurosceptics.

A report in The Times said Prime Minister Theresa May is ready to offer free movement for two years under a plan drawn up by Chancellor Philip Hammond, while The Guardian quoted a senior Cabinet source as saying that the period could last for three or even four years.

It is thought that Mr Hammond believes he has won backing within the Cabinet for a transition to prevent disruption to business caused by a sudden cliff-edge move to new arrangements on March 29 2019, when Brexit is due to happen.

Answering questions following his first speech as Environment Secretary, Mr Gove would not be drawn on the details of any potential transitional deal  or implementation period as ministers refer to it  but said the Government wanted the process to be as smooth as possible.

Speaking in Woking, Surrey, he said: I think when it comes to an implementation period it should be driven by a pragmatic judgment about what we need in the best interests of our economy and in the best interests of guaranteeing a smooth exit from the EU, in line with the result the British people voted for just over a year ago. Pragmatism is the watchword.

Michael Gove speaking at the WWF Living Planet Centre in Woking (PA)

Pushed on whether freedom of movement would continue to apply, he said: I think the judgment we need to make about future migration policy should and be shaped by whats in the interests of our economy, consistent with recognising the instruction the British people gave us last year.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said a trade deal with the EU should be the easiest in history because both sides currently had the same rules, but was relaxed about the prospect of a transitional period.

Having waited 43 years, another couple of years  if we can get it to work well for the country and for our European partners, and we can do it for the stability of British business and for our own prosperity  that seems to me just a common sense thing to do, he told Sky News.
The UK is poised for an all-singing, all-dancing post-Brexit free trade deal with Japan, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has predicted.

During a visit to Tokyo, Mr Johnson insisted economic investment attracted by Britain since the EU referendum showed the country had a bright future on its own.

He said: I have found a wide measure, or a growing measure, of understanding about what is involved. They see the possibilities of a great new free trade deal between the UK and the EU, and you can see the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

We have seen since June 23 record investments in the UK  2,200 separate investments. A huge takeover of ARM by SoftBank, 24 billion, the biggest international investment I think we have seen in our country  perhaps in history.

And Nissan putting two more models on the production line in the North East. So, I find there is a much greater confidence and understanding of how its going to work.

And a real enthusiasm for free trade with the UK. And what they already want to do is, post-2019, they want to take that EU-Japan free trade agreement and turn it into a fantastic, all-singing and all-dancing, UK-Japan free trade agreement.

Boris Johnson is on day two of a three-day trip to Japan (Issei Kato via AP)

Mr Johnson also used the visit to insist the UK stood shoulder to shoulder with Japan as the country tries to halt North Koreas nuclear and missile tests.

He said: We all need to increase the pressure on Pyongyang through diplomacy and sanctions, and that must include China using its influence to bring North Korea back to the negotiation table.

Mr Johnson is meeting Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the foreign minister and the governor of Tokyo on day two of a three-day trip to Japan.
A criminal investigation has been launched after holidaymakers who left their cars with a meet-and-greet parking firm at Gatwick Airport returned to find the company had gone bust.

West Sussex Trading Standards said investigators were trying to find the director of Gatwick First Parking Ltd after travellers were left stranded when they returned to the UK.

The company, which is not a Gatwick-approved meet-and-greet parking company and has no relationship with the airport, normally left cars at two secure compounds.

PARKING INFO: We strongly urge passengers to use official Gatwick Parking or approved off-airport operators only https://t.co/a1OW9zTNar pic.twitter.com/vBWorKjU5Y  Gatwick Airport LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) July 20, 2017

But it emerged customers cars were also being parked at various unsecured locations across West Sussex and Surrey, including supermarket car parks and road lay-bys.

The problems came as millions of Britons started their summer getaways as schools broke up. Trading standards and Sussex Police found all the vehicles and have been reuniting them with their owners.

Police said this week that more than 100 vehicles were found parked at various sites in Sussex and Surrey. Keys for cars left by travellers before they flew out were discovered at a Surrey office.

A spokesman for West Sussex trading standards said evidence was now being gathered as part of a criminal investigation into the activities of the firm.

Several cars were left in restricted parking bays on a road near Gatwick Airport (Gareth Fuller/PA)

West Sussex Trading Standards team manager Richard Sargeant said: This has been a difficult and stressful time for those Gatwick passengers involved.

We are still trying to locate the director of Gatwick First Parking to assist our enquiries. Fortunately, we have been able to contact some vehicle-owners still away on holiday to warn them and give them advice for when they return.

The website for Gatwick First Parking, which has been in business for 10 years and claimed to keep vehicles in CCTV-covered secure compounds, has been suspended.

Debbie Kennard, of West Sussex County Council, said: Our advice to protect consumers is to always use a Gatwick Airport approved trader when booking a meet-and-greet parking service.

Some cars were parked at supermarkets (PA)

Gatwick Airport officials said its number plate tracking system was used to help trace many missing cars. It reiterated advice for passengers to use either official on-airport parking or firms registered with Gatwicks approved operators scheme.

Chris Banford, senior commercial operations manager at Gatwick Airport, said: We sympathise with any of our passengers who put their trust in Gatwick First Parking and have been affected by its abrupt collapse and the lack of information provided in the aftermath.

This company had absolutely no affiliation to Gatwick Airport and we strongly recommend that passengers should avoid non-approved firms going forward.

By using official on-airport parking or companies in our Approved Operators Scheme instead, passengers will eliminate the risk of experiencing a distressing incident like this in the future.
Edvald Boasson Hagen won stage 19 of the Tour de France as Chris Froome crossed safely in the pack to retain the yellow jersey with two stages to go.

Norwegian Boasson Hagen has been on the wrong side of two photo finishes so far in this Tour but made certain of victory in Salon-de-Provence as he attacked out of the breakaway with three kilometres to go and soloed to the line.

Nikias Arndt did his best to keep up but the Team Sunweb man came home in second place, five seconds behind.

Froome retained the yellow jersey with two stages to go

64e victoire de pour @EBhagen et 3e victoire sur le Tour ! / 64th victory of his life and his 3rd on the Tour! #TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/9JgwGY43TJ  Tour de France (@LeTour) July 21, 2017

That all happened a good 12 and a half minutes before the peloton crossed the line, with the contenders taking it relatively easy after two hard days in the Alps.

Froome leads by 23 seconds from Frenchman Romain Bardet and 29 seconds from Colombian Rigoberto Uran going into Saturdays penultimate stage, a 22.5km time trial starting and finishing in Marseilles Velodrome stadium.

Team Dimension Datas Boasson Hagen was denied by just six millimetres  or 0.0003 seconds  when Marcel Kittel won stage seven to Nuits-Saint-Georges in the first week of the Tour.

He was then narrowly beaten again by the German on stage 16 to Pau, a victory that would have been all the sweeter for Boasson Hagens South African-based team as it would have come on Nelson Mandela Day.

Pas de changement au classement general / No change for the general classification #TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/NTH7XGmlFB  Tour de France (@LeTour) July 21, 2017

A day after the final mountain test, the organisers threw the longest stage of the entire Tour at the riders as they rode 222.5km from Embrun.

Although this stage was listed as flat, Team Sky were eager to avoid it coming to a sprint finish given the technical nature of the final three kilometres  with three sharp bends perhaps inviting a crash if the race was on.

As such, they allowed a 20-man break  also including another ex-Team Sky man in the shape of Ben Swift  to go more than 10 minutes up the road.

It began to fracture inside the final 20km, with Boasson Hagen part of a nine-man group that left Swift and the others behind.

.@EBhagen veut gagner en solitaire, il lache tout le monde ! / Boasson Hagen doesn't want to wait for the sprint #TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/01TQmeTnBs  Tour de France (@LeTour) July 21, 2017

When the 30-year-old kicked again with less than three kilometres to go, Arndt was the only one to respond but the German could not keep up.

Froome is now firmly odds on for a fourth Tour title with Saturdays battle against the clock expected to see him gain further time on his rivals.

The 32-year-old certainly looked in relaxed mood as the peloton cruised along, and he even took time to high-five famed Tour fan Didi the Devil along the way.
Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk has said he wants to leave the club, according to new manager Mauricio Pellegrino.

Pellegrino revealed the Dutch defender, a target for Liverpool earlier this summer, has been ordered to train separately from the rest of the squad.

He is not involved with the team because psychologically he is not 100 per cent, Pellegrino told BBC Radio Solent.

Van Dijk was a reported target for Liverpool

When I was talking with him, the boy said that he is not available to play because he wants to leave. I need to work with a player that works at 100 per cent to defend Southampton.

This is the decision. I had to say, Okay, if you dont want to be involved because you dont feel okay, you have to train alone until this period of time.

Liverpool ended their interest in Van Dijk last month and apologised to Southampton for their conduct in pursuit of the 26-year-old.

Saints have maintained the centre-back, who signed a new six-year contract last year, is not for sale despite further reported interest from Manchester City and Chelsea.

#Breaking Liverpool have apologised to Southampton over "any misunderstanding" surrounding their interest in defender Virgil van Dijk #LFC pic.twitter.com/yh1VTRmQee  PA Dugout (@PAdugout) June 7, 2017

Southampton begin their Premier League campaign at home to Swansea in four weeks and Pellegrino, who replaced Claude Puel at St Marys last month, has not given up hope Van Dijk will be involved.

We need the player, but 100 per cent  this is the question, added the former Alaves boss.

I hope that Virgil can review his feelings, because you know that today players are big business  not just the player but behind him there is a lot of interest.

I want to help the squad, I want to help Virgil but we need a player, I repeat, involved in every training session, involved not just with the body but with the mind on the pitch with the rest of the players.
An official picture has been released to mark the fourth birthday of Prince George  and the future king looks a happy little boy.

George beams out of the portrait taken at Kensington Palace ahead of his birthday, which the youngster will celebrate on Saturday.

The Duke and Duchess are delighted to share a new official portrait of Prince George to mark HRH's 4th birthday tomorrow  pic.twitter.com/Fct5iaoEer  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 21, 2017

The prince spent the run-up to his big day on an official tour of Poland and Germany with his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Kensington Palace said in a statement: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share a new official portrait of Prince George to mark His Royal Highnesss fourth birthday tomorrow.

(Chris Jackson/PA)

The photograph was taken at Kensington Palace at the end of June by Chris Jackson, Getty Images Royal Photographer.

The Duke and Duchess are very pleased to share this lovely picture as they celebrate Prince Georges fourth birthday, and would like to thank everyone for all of the kind messages they have received.

Prince George in Canada. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mr Jackson said: Im thrilled and honoured that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen to release this portrait to celebrate Prince Georges fourth birthday.

He is such a happy little boy and certainly injects some fun into a photoshoot!

The birthday prince. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

William and Kates eldest child has a busy year ahead of him as he starts school in September.

The Duchess has already said she is not sure George, who will be young for his year, has any idea whats going to hit him as he begins full-time education.

George with his mother. (Chris Jackson/PA)

George is joining private day school Thomass Battersea in September, where fees cost 17,604 a year.

The selective establishment states that its most important rule is to be kind. Its 540 pupils are aged from four to 13, with around 20 in a class.

The happy family. (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a childs first day in school.

The Cambridge family will be based at Kensington Palace in London, rather than at their Norfolk mansion Anmer Hall, with William leaving his air ambulance helicopter pilot job this summer to become a full-time royal.

George heading to nursery. (Duchess of Cambridge/PA)

George showed himself to be something of a shy royal diplomat when he arrived in Warsaw, needing encouragement from William to exit the plane, and fidgeting on the red carpet.

According to Kate, the prince is a noisy youngster and a really lovely little boy whom she hopes will keep feisty younger sister Princess Charlotte in check.
BUDAPEST, July 20 (Reuters) - Hungary stands by Poland and calls on the European Commission not to overstep its authority, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement on Thursday.

The EU gave its largest ex-communist member Poland a week to halt judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control, and could undermine the rule of law.

Szijjarto said the Commission wants to meddle into Poland's domestic affairs, and it should not "act like a political body".

"We stand by Poland, and we call on the European Commission not to overstep its authority," Szijjarto said.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Alison Williams)
By Greg Roumeliotis and Diane Bartz

July 20 (Reuters) - A secretive U.S. government panel has objected to at least nine acquisitions of U.S. companies by foreign buyers so far this year, people familiar with the matter said, a historically high number that bodes poorly for China's overseas buying spree.

The objections indicate that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews acquisitions by foreign entities for potential national security risks, is becoming more risk-averse under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Chinese companies and investors eyeing U.S. assets could face more roadblocks as a result, at a time when the Chinese government is also restricting the flow of capital out of China following a bonanza of Chinese overseas deals.

There have been 87 announced acquisitions of U.S. companies by Chinese firms so far in 2017, the highest on record and up from 77 deals in the corresponding period in 2016.

CFIUS's more conservative stance towards deals coincides with growing political and economic tensions between the United States and China. On Wednesday the two countries failed to agree on major new steps to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China.

Since the start of the year, CFIUS has sent letters to companies involved in at least nine deals to say they would be blocked based on measures they have proposed to address potential national security risks, the people familiar said.

Many of these deals are in the technology sector, the sources said. A rise in cyber security threats and rapid advances in technology makes it more difficult to establish whether a deal poses any threat, lawyers who represent companies before CFIUS said.

An initial objection by the watchdog does not necessarily kill the deal immediately.

Some companies this year have chosen to keep their CFIUS filings alive by proposing new mitigation measures, while others have pulled their applications and canceled their deals, the people said. They asked not be identified because interactions between CFIUS and the companies are confidential.

"CFIUS decisions are highly sensitive and we are not going to comment on rumors of their outcome," a White House spokeswoman said.

A spokesman at the Treasury Department declined to comment. Treasury leads CFIUS with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin serving as chairman.

Most of the deals that CFIUS has sought to block this year have not been announced. Among the companies that have disclosed they have withdrawn their CFIUS applications and canceled their deals are U.S. electronics maker Inseego Corp, which tried to sell its MiFi mobile hotspot business to Chinese smartphone maker TCL Industries Holdings, and Texas oil producer ExL Petroleum Management LLC, which sought to sell its assets to Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's L1 Energy.

By comparison, in the entirety of 2014, the last year for which CFIUS has released official data, nine deals were withdrawn after CFIUS began an investigation.

Several more companies face protracted CFIUS reviews amid delays after Trump took office in filling important mid-level political positions at several of the 16 government departments and agencies that comprise CFIUS.

CFIUS is on track to review a record-setting 250 to 300 transactions in 2017, according to Anne Salladin, a CFIUS expert with the law firm Stroock and Stroock and Lavan LLP - up sharply from 147 deals in 2014.

The backlog is leading many companies that fail to gain CFIUS clearance within the standard 75 days allocated for review to refile their applications. Refiling resets the clock and gives up to another 75 days to complete the national security review and try to resolve potential issues.

KEY VACANCIES

A number of companies have said in regulatory filings that their high-profile deals are before CFIUS.

They include Chinese payments company Ant Financial's $1.2 billion acquisition of U.S. money transfer company MoneyGram International Inc and China-backed buyout fund Canyon Bridge Capital Partners LLC's $1.3 billion acquisition of U.S. chip maker Lattice Semiconductor Corp.

In addition, investment firm China Oceanwide Holdings Group Co Ltd's $2.7 billion acquisition of U.S. life insurer Genworth Financial Inc and China-based semiconductor investment fund Unic Capital Management's $580 million acquisition of U.S. semiconductor testing equipment company Xcerra Corp are also with the watchdog.

Ant Financial has refiled its MoneyGram deal with CFIUS once, while Canyon Bridge and China Oceanwide have refiled their deals twice, according to company disclosures and Reuters reports. Unic is still on its first filing with CFIUS on its Xcerra deal, company disclosures and Reuters reports showed.

Of the two dozen political appointee positions in the Treasury Department just three have been confirmed by U.S. lawmakers. A key CFIUS nomination is that of former Allen & Overy LLP lawyer Heath Tarbert, who has been appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for international markets and development, and has yet to be confirmed. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York and Diane Bartz in Washington; additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe in Washington; Editing by Chris Sanders and Grant McCool)
BEIJING, July 21 (Reuters) - A former vice-chairman of China's securities regulator, Yao Gang, will be prosecuted for serious violations of discipline, the country's graft watchdog said on Thursday.

Yao, who was put under investigation in 2015, will be prosecuted for offences including taking bribes and "destroying the order of capital markets", the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement on its website.

Investigators also allege that he obstructed investigations and failed to report personal information as required, it said, adding that he has been expelled from the Communist Party.

Yao was one of the most senior figures arrested as part of a wider crackdown on suspected stock manipulation in late 2015. The probe came after the Chinese stock market collapsed in mid-2015 following a long bull run.

He has a doctorate in economics and took up the vice-chairman position job in 2008, according to his official resume. From 1999-2002, he served as the general manager of Guotai Junan Securities.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission said in a statement on its website late on Thursday that it firmly supported the central government's decision, which would serve as a warning for others. (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Additional Reporting by Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI; Editing by Richard Pullin)
SHANGHAI, July 21 (Reuters) - China's major stock indexes edged lower early on Friday, but looked set to end higher for the week, aided by strong gains in cyclicals including raw material firms.

Nearly all main sectors were poised for gains in the week, with material shares the best performers, helped by expectations China would continue to push supply-side reforms and keep its economy largely stable.

An index tracking major raw material firms has leapt nearly 5 percent this year, far outperforming the broader market, after they forecast surges for mid-year earnings growth.

Such firms also received support from China's stronger-than-expected gross domestic product data, released on Monday, which boosted expectations of increasing raw material demand.

China's economy expanded 6.9 percent in the second quarter, defying expectations for a slight loss of momentum.

The CSI300 index fell 0.1 percent to 3,745.18 points at 2:01 GMT, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1 percent to 3,241.46 points.

The Hang Seng index added 0.1 percent, to 26,767.88 points, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index lost 0.2 percent, to 10,827.80 points. (Reporting by Luoyan Liu and Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Sam Holmes)
By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry

BEIRUT, July 21 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an offensive on Friday to drive Islamist insurgents from their last foothold on the Syrian-Lebanese border, a pro-Damascus military commander said.

The operation targeted insurgents from the Nusra Front group in the mountainous outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and areas near the Syrian town of Fleita, the commander said.

Media run by Hezbollah reported significant gains by its side in the early stage of the operation. It later said Hezbollah fighters had captured the Sahl al-Rahwa area, taking over a Nusra operations centre, after driving militants out.

At least 23 of the militants had been killed in the first day of fighting, a security source said, as well as five Hezbollah combatants.

The Lebanese army, which assumed a defensive position around the town of Arsal, raised its alert level and was carrying out strict security measures including patrols and guarding the entrances to the town. The army later stopped an attempt by militants to breach its defences, military sources said.

A Lebanese security source said refugees living in the area were fleeing towards Arsal and the Lebanese army was facilitating their passage with U.N. supervision.

U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman Lisa Abou Khaled said only a small number of people had fled to Arsal so far.

"UNHCR has only received confirmation ... that two Syrian families have arrived in the town of Arsal from the outskirts."

Several thousand Syrian refugees occupy camps east of the town in an area known as Juroud Arsal, a barren mountainous zone between Syria and Lebanon that has served as a base for Islamic State militants and other jihadists and rebels fighting in Syria's six-year-old civil war.

Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said Nusra militants were under attack in Juroud Arsal and in areas near the Syrian town of Fleita. A military news outlet run by Hezbollah reported Syrian army air strikes on Nusra positions near Fleita.

Al-Manar broadcast footage showing an artillery gun being fired from the back of a truck flying the Hezbollah flag. Plumes of smoke were shown rising from the hills.

Hezbollah, a Shi'ite Muslim group backed by Iran, has played a critical part in previous campaigns against Sunni Muslim insurgents along the border, part of the much wider role it has played supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war.

The Lebanese army is not taking part in the operation, according to the commander in the pro-Damascus military alliance and the Lebanese security source. The Lebanese source said the army had assumed a defensive position, was monitoring militant movements, and would fire if it came under attack.

The Lebanese National News Agency later reported that the army had fired on a group of militants trying to flee the fighting towards Arsal.

ARMY REINFORCEMENTS

The Lebanese army, a recipient of U.S. and British military support, deployed reinforcements on the outskirts of Arsal in anticipation of the operation this week to prevent militants crossing into Lebanon.

Hezbollah's role in the Syrian war has been a major point of contention in Lebanon, drawing criticism from opponents including Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. Hariri's Future Movement said on Thursday the anticipated Arsal battle was part of "the services" offered by Hezbollah to "the Syrian regime".

Hariri said on Tuesday the Lebanese army would carry out a carefully planned operation in the Juroud Arsal area, but there was no coordination between it and the Syrian army.

The Nusra Front was al Qaeda's official affiliate in the Syrian war until last year when it formally severed ties to al Qaeda and renamed itself. The group now spearheads the Tahrir al-Sham Islamist alliance.

In 2014, Arsal was the scene of one of the most serious spillovers of the Syrian war into Lebanon when jihadists briefly overran the town.

Negotiations failed to secure the militants' withdrawal from the Juroud Arsal area to other rebel-held parts of Syria.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said time was running out for Syrian militants along the border near Arsal to reach deals with Syrian authorities. He said it was "high time to end the threat of militant groups in Arsal". (Reporting by Laila Bassam/Tom Perry additional reporting by Lisa Barrington and John Davison; writing by Tom Perry; editing by Mark Heinrich)
BUCHAREST, July 21 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Friday.

DEBT TENDER

Romania sold a planned 700 million lei ($176.53 million) worth of Feb. 2018 treasury bills on Thursday, with the average accepted yield at 0.55 percent, central bank data showed.

HIDROELECTRICA

Romanian state-owned hydro power producer Hidroelectrica said it will pay dividends worth 1.04 billion lei ($262.31 million) for 2016 to its two shareholders.

OMV PETROM

Romania's top oil and gas firm OMV Petrom, controlled by Austria's OMV said on Thursday it has sold its Dorobantu wind park to Dutch-registered Transeastern Power B.V. for 23 million euros ($26.74 million).

NUCLEARELECTRICA

The second unit at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power reactor was disconnected automatically from the grid on Thursday evening, owner Nuclearelectrica said. It said this was due to a glitch, and it estimated it would reconnect in a couple of hours.

CEE MARKETS

The forint led east European currencies higher on Thursday, hitting an 8-month high versus the euro after the European Central Bank (ECB) left its ultra easy monetary policy stance unchanged.

CEE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Central and Eastern European countries need to invest 615 billion euros to boost transport infrastructure by 2025, a PriceWaterHouseCoopers study showed. As a result, PWC expects the CEE construction sector to rise by 3.1 percent on average per year for the next five years.

CEE states used more than 80 billion euros of EU funds during 2007-2013 for infrastructure projects, but Romania tapped only 7 percent of the total.

MOTORWAY

Romania's planned motorway linking the cities of Pitesti and Sibiu is now estimated to cost 3.3 billion euros, double the initial estimate, the transport ministry said. Ziarul Financiar

DAY OFF

Romania's government decided on Thursday to give public sector workers a day off on August 14, to connect the weekend to a public and markets holiday on August 15.

DOMESTIC ABUSE

Seventy-two people died in domestic abuse cases in 2016, roughly 20 percent of all recorded murders in Romania last year, showed a study by the network to prevent and counter domestic abuse against women (the VIF network) released on Thursday.

A total of 15,313 requests for a restraining and protection order were filed in Bucharest courts during 2012 and 2016, and 43 percent of them were approved. The study also showed that a case in which a minor is raped within the family is registered once every four days.

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SOFIA, July 21 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Bulgaria's parliament rejected 5,000 levs ($2,976.90) cap on cash payments from January 1 proposed by ruling centre-right GERB party. Initially, GERB offered an immediate reduction of cash payments of up to 5,000 levs and gradually to lowering this ceiling to 1,000 levs in the beginning of 2019 (Standart, Trud, 24 Chasa, Monitor)

-- The Novo Selo Training polygon near the southern town f Sliven hosted a Distinguished Visitors Day at the biggest multinational exercise in the Black Sea region Saber Guardian 2017. Tactical units from Bulgaria, USA, Greece and Georgia demonstrated joint action of the multinational battalion combat group in defense (Trud, Standart)

-- Bulgaria seized 638,248 fake goods - articles violating intellectual property rights - at its borders in 2016, a number that is about the half the amount the country confiscated in 2015, according to a report released by the European Commission

-- A criminal group involved in people trafficking for sexual exploitation has been neutralised as part of an international operation on request from Belgium, the Interior Ministry said. The group consisted of Bulgarian citizens and was also involved in money laundering (Monitor, Telegraf, Standart) ($1 = 1.6796 leva)
By Marton Dunai and George Georgiopoulos

BUDAPEST/ATHENS, July 21 (Reuters) - Hungary's OTP Bank has agreed to buy Romania's Banca Romaneasca from the National Bank of Greece (NBG), two sources with knowledge of the deal told Reuters on Friday, continuing OTP's acquisition drive in central and eastern Europe.

"There is a deal, NBG's unit will be sold to OTP," a source in Athens said.

OTP executives have said publicly they were in the running for Romaneasca as well as other banks in the region as they look to bolster the bank's presence in central Europe.

NBG plans to sell more assets in the Balkans, including its Romanian operations, to complete a restructuring plan agreed with European authorities, its chief executive Leonidas Fragiadakis told Reuters this month.

"This M&A event was well-anticipated," Ipopema analyst Norbert Harcsa said. "OTP could have a 3.6 percent market share (in Romania) versus a management target of 5 percent. The price-to-book could be the same as it was in Croatia (in May)."

OTP bought Croatian Splitska Banka from Societe Generale for a price close to book value.

OTP, which will add Romaneasca's network of about 110 branches, is also expected to pay back a loan of 550 million euros ($625 million) that Banca Romaneasca borrowed from NBG.

Apart from Romaneasca, Fragiadakis has said NBG would sell smaller operations in Serbia, Albania and Cyprus as part of agreements with regulators.

One asset the bank still has is Serbia's Vojvodanska Banka, which is also a possible target for OTP, which has said it is looking at potential acquisitions there.

The Hungarian bank did not reply to questions seeking comment on the Romaneasca deal or any further possible ones.

OTP is one of the region's largest independent banks, and weathered the financial crisis better than many rivals.

After Hungary imposed special taxes on the financial sector, it took a cautious line, doubling liquidity reserves from 4 billion euros in 2011 to 8.3 billion euros at the end of the first quarter.

As those special taxes have been gradually lifted, OTP has begun to expand in the region - just as Greek banks are looking to sell assets.

OTP's core equity tier 1 capital ratio - a key measure of financial strength - was 16.6 percent at the end of the first quarter after hovering around 15 percent for the last five years. (Reporting by Marton Dunai and George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Jason Neely and Mark Potter)
By Ed Stoddard and Sisipho Skweyiya

JOHANNESBURG, July 21 (Reuters) - More than 60 ANC members in South Africa's parliament will back a no-confidence vote against President Jacob Zuma if the ballot is secret, the leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF), Julius Malema, said.

Toppling Zuma requires 50 of the 249 African National Congress members of parliament (MPs) to support the no-confidence motion and some have said publicly they want him removed, including former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, whose sacking in March triggered damaging debt ratings downgrades. South Africa's national assembly has 400 members.

Malema, a firebrand politician known for his colourful language, said in an interview late on Thursday, he had received personal commitments that ANC MPs would dump Zuma.

Malema, a former head of the ANC's Youth League before his expulsion from the party, could plausibly still have plenty of contacts in the organisation.

"I personally spoke to more than 60 MPs of the ANC who have committed that if we give them a secret ballot they will deliver," Malema told Reuters in his office. "They've asked that this thing must be secret. They are not happy themselves," said Malema, seated in front of an EFF sign featuring a clenched black fist holding a spear, super-imposed over an African map.

Zuma faces the no-confidence motion on Aug. 8, the ninth time the opposition will have tried to unseat him by peeling off dissidents from the ruling party, whose majority has so far protected him.

But unlike previous attempts, this time the vote may not be open. The Constitutional Court has cleared the way for the Speaker to allow a secret ballot, though it remains unclear she will.

The ANC's official line is that the party will close ranks and back Zuma. Party officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Malema's remarks.

GROWING DISSENT ANC MP Makhosi Khoza chose Nelson Mandela's birthday on Tuesday to denounce Zuma, making clear she would break party ranks. "If you see one person doing that under such a hostile environment you must know that she must have powerful backing. She has a lot of backing," Malema said.

One ANC MP has told Reuters they would vote for Zuma's removal and the South African Communist Party, whose 17 MPs back the ANC in parliament, said in April Zuma should resign.

Tens of thousands of people took part in marches in April calling for Zuma, 75, to step down over a string of graft scandals and missteps as the economy is in recession and unemployment rising.

Malema, whose party supports expropriating white-owned land and the nationalisation of mines and banks, said economic misrule under Zuma was deepening apartheid's racial disparities.

"The problem is that as the gap widens the blacks become more poor and the whites become richer. As a result then we are two nations in one country, the rich people who are white and the poor people who are black," he said.

Malema said his party was still urging the landless to occupy unutilised land despite charges he faces for inciting property grabs.

"It's an EFF resolution and that resolution has not been suspended by any court of law. We are calling upon our people to occupy the land," he said.

Malema formed the EFF, known for its trademark red berets and rowdy behaviour in parliament, four years ago, and the party plans to hold a birthday bash next week in the port city of Durban in the heart of Zuma's Zulu political power base.

Durban's streets that day will run red with cattle blood.

"We are slaughtering 10 cattle because in our African culture it is not a celebration until there is slaughter. There must be some slaughter to thank the ancestors," Malema said. (Editing by James Macharia and Robin Pomeroy)
BORYEONG, South Korea, July 21 (Reuters) - Revellers danced and wrestled on Friday in South Korea's capital of mud, kicking off a nine-day festival expected to lure millions of people to this quaint coastal city.

Boryeong, which is hosting the 20th annual Mud Festival about 190 km (120 miles) southwest of the capital, Seoul, says its mud has special powers to refresh the skin and soothe the soul.

Besides pitching skincare products made from nearby mudflats, the festival also gives visitors the chance to play in tonnes of the greyish goo at mud wrestling pits, mud slides and mud baths.

"I'm having a great time right now. I love it," said Joshua Parrish, an American soldier based in South Korea.

The festival is a major boost to the local economy. Organizers said four million people, including 439,000 foreigners, flocked to the city last year.

This year's event runs to July 30. (Reporting by Reuters Televison; Editing by Darren Schuettler)
July 21 (Reuters) - A European regulatory panel recommended granting approval to a treatment for HIV infection developed by Janssen-Cilag International, a unit of U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.

The drug, Symtuza, is a combination of four active substances darunavir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide. (http://bit.ly/2gPiBAD)

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, interferes with the body's ability to fight infections.

More than 35 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses and an estimated 78 million have become infected with HIV, since the disease surfaced 36 years ago. (Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
By Drazen Jorgic

ISLAMABAD, July 21 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday finished hearing arguments on a scathing corruption report into the family wealth of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and will begin deliberating whether to disqualify the premier.

The court is expected to make a decision in a week or two, with analysts split on whether it will dismiss Sharif outright or recommend a fresh investigation and corruption trial by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Few expect the judges to drop the case, since the Supreme Court appointed the investigatory panel that alleged the Sharif family's wealth was beyond its means.

It further accused his children, including presumed heir Maryam, of signing forged documents to hide ownership of posh London flats.

Sharif has denied wrongdoing and slammed the 254-page report by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) as biased and slanderous. He has also rejected opposition demands to stand down.

Sharif's lawyers have been arguing that the JIT overstepped its remit, and disputed its findings.

Ejaz Afzal Khan, who heads the three-judge Supreme Court panel hearing Sharif's case, on Friday announced the hearings had been concluded by saying: "Judgement reserved".

Khan did not say when the Supreme Court would announce its decision, however.

Opposition parties believe Sharif is wobbling and expect the Supreme Court to deliver a knockout blow to his premiership by employing a little-used constitutional provision to dismiss a sitting official.

"From our legal perspective it's crystal clear: he can't survive this," said Shafqat Mahmood, a lawmaker and senior official with the opposition PTI party.

Sharif's allies interpret the court's decision not to summon him as indicating that it will order a NAB investigation.

Such an outcome would be seen as something of a victory by the ruling PML-N party because it would probably allow Sharif to finish his term and even contest the next polls in 2018.

Sharif has faced numerous investigations since he served his first two terms in the 1990s and now has many pending NAB cases. Both those terms were cut short, and he spent a long time in exile after being deposed in a military coup in 1999.

Sharif, son of an industrialist, has denied all the claims against him and his supporters say he has never been convicted of anything despite facing unprecedented scrutiny during three stints in power.

Sharif has talked of a conspiracy against him, but has not named anyone. Privately, however, his allies say elements of the military and the judiciary are bent on toppling him.

Last week, the army spokesman brushed aside suggestions that the military was the hidden hand behind the investigation.

Opposition politicians say Sharif is concocting conspiracy claims to save himself, and argue that if he really wanted to protect democracy he would step down. (Reporting by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Sam Nussey and Ritsuko Shimizu

TOKYO, July 21 (Reuters) - Japan's second-largest convenience store chain hopes it has found an answer to its labour problems - housewives.

FamilyMart plans to hire 100,000 for part-time jobs over the next two years as it struggles to cope with a staffing crunch across most of its convenience stores, its president, Takashi Sawada, told Reuters on Friday.

Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores, known as "conbini", typically rely on large numbers of part-time workers to help run the show, but a shrinking population has left them in the lurch. The country's unemployment rate is near a two-decade low while the jobs-to-applicants ratio is at a 43-year high.

Boosting the role of working women is an important plank of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to address labour shortages.

The key will be offering flexible working hours in a country where long working days are common, FamilyMart's Sawada says.

"If we offer flexibility we will be able to hire many, many more," he said. "They really take to the work and stay with us for long periods of time."

The conbini operator, part of FamilyMart UNY Holdings , is also moving to make it easier for housewives to take on supervisory positions, he added.

The number of services offered at conbini has ballooned in recent years, with buyers able to pick up their internet shopping, a morning coffee and pay household bills in the store, all of which has added to the workload for store staff.

Around 80 percent of FamilyMart stores are suffering from labour shortages, a company survey of 12,000 stores found.

With the number of parcels arriving in store doubling in the past year, complaints from dissatisfied customers have also risen, Sawada said.

To address these concerns, FamilyMart has taken measures such as replacing the manual for handling deliveries, which ran to more than 100 pages, with an illustrated 10-page version.

As society ages, having staff who are on hand to deal with customers will help maintain the industry's position as indispensable to consumers' everyday lives, Sawada said.

"I think there's limits to Amazon Go," said Sawada, referring to the internet retailer Amazon's bricks-and-mortar store which does away with cash registers, using sensors instead to detect purchases and for automatic billing.

"We will succeed by offering a human touch."

FamilyMart has said it expects its net profit to more than double to 60 billion yen ($537.83 million) in four years from 24 billion yen in the current fiscal year. To drive this growth, it is converting its Circle K and Sunkus stores into FamilyMart stores, with 2,000 conversions completed since September.

FamilyMart UNY, formed last year from the merger with UNY Group to become the No.2 convenience store operator behind Seven & i Holdings Co, brought in Sawada to head the post-merger conbini business. He has previously worked at trading house Itochu Corp - FamilyMart's top shareholder - and Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing. ($1 = 111.5600 yen) (Reporting by Sam Nussey and Ritsuko Shimizu; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
July 21 (Reuters) - Insurers require passporting rights to sell insurance policies throughout the European Union.

Insurers in Britain have said they will need to set up EU subsidiaries if Britain loses access to the single market after Brexit.

The Bank of England asked insurers and banks operating in Britain to outline their Brexit plans by mid-July.

Below are insurers' plans for EU subsidiaries (in alphabetical order):

ADMIRAL

British motor insurer Admiral Group said last year that it could move its European business to Ireland or another country and said in March that it was looking at a large number of locations.

AIG

U.S. insurer AIG will set up a European subsidiary in Luxembourg, in addition to its European headquarters in London, it said in March.

AVIVA

Aviva is converting its Irish life and general insurance branches to regulated subsidiaries to meet the needs of its Irish insurance customers after Brexit.

BEAZLEY

Specialist insurer Beazley said it had received approval to convert its Dublin-based reinsurance company into an insurance company. The firm had said in February that it would hire additional staff in Ireland.

CHAUCER

Specialist insurance group Chaucer, part of Hanover Insurance Group, said the Central Bank of Ireland has approved the formation of a Dublin-based company that will trade as Chaucer Dublin to write international speciality insurance and reinsurance business. (http://bit.ly/2tXaJ2i)

CHESNARA

UK insurer Chesnara could move its headquarters to the Netherlands or Sweden if required, depending on the regulatory situation after Britain leaves the European Union, the company said.

CNA HARDY

CNA Hardy, part of CNA Financial Corp, will set up a new European subsidiary in Luxembourg to allow it to operate across the EU after Britain leaves the bloc, the specialist commercial insurer said.

COMPRE

British insurer Compre said it had received approval from the Maltese financial authority to set up an insurance company in Malta, by transferring the domicile of London & Leith Insurance from the UK. The insurer said the move was not made in response to Brexit, but added a further regulated presence within the European Union would not be a disadvantage.

EQUITABLE LIFE

British insurer Equitable Life is considering setting up a European Union subsidiary in Dublin in order to continue serving Irish and German customers after Britain leaves the bloc, its chief executive said.

FM GLOBAL

U.S. commercial property insurer FM Global is planning a European hub in Luxembourg following Britain's decision to leave the bloc, it said.

GLOBAL AEROSPACE

UK insurer Global Aerospace is setting up a European Union subsidiary in Paris to make sure it can continue to serve customers after Britain leaves the bloc, the firm's chief executive told Reuters.

HISCOX

Lloyd's of London underwriter Hiscox will establish a new subsidiary in Luxembourg to underwrite its retail business in Europe, it said in May.

IRONSHORE

Ironshore, owned by Liberty Mutual, said it would set up an office in Frankfurt for its M&A and tax insurance units to expand their European presence.

JLT

Insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group said it would continue to invest and expand on the ground in Europe so that it remains fully equipped to serve its clients.

LANCASHIRE

Lancashire said in May that it has options to write EU business out of its Bermuda headquarters or via Lloyd's of London's Brussels base. The insurer added it was in no hurry to set up an EU base and saw itself staying in Britain for the foreseeable future.

LEGAL & GENERAL

British insurer Legal & General said in May that it would move some of its investment management operations to Ireland to ensure it can continue to serve its customers after Brexit.

LIBERTY SPECIALTY MARKETS

Liberty Specialty Markets, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance , intends to headquarter its post-Brexit EU operations in Luxembourg. The firm said it would be seeking regulatory approvals to operate via an insurance company and insurance intermediary domiciled in Luxembourg.

LLOYD'S OF LONDON

Lloyd's of London, an integral part of the British business scene since the 17th century, has chosen Brussels as the site for its EU subsidiary, it said in March.

MARKEL

U.S. insurer Markel plans to apply for regulatory approval to set up a European Union subsidiary in Munich, it said in May.

MS AMLIN

Japanese-owned insurer and reinsurer MS Amlin said it would move its European business to Belgium to make sure it can continue to serve customers after Britain leaves the European Union.

NEON

Neon Underwriting could set up a Dublin business to sell insurance policies throughout the EU if Britain loses access to the single market, chief executive of the specialist Lloyd's of London insurer said in December.

QBE

QBE Insurance Group will set up a subsidiary in Brussels to preserve its ability to operate across the EU, the Australian business insurer said.

ROYAL LONDON

British life insurer Royal London Mutual Insurance Society plans to turn its Irish business into a regulated subsidiary, it said in March.

RSA

RSA is planning a subsidiary in Luxembourg to act as the headquarters of its EU operations after Britain's decision to leave the bloc. It said it chose Luxembourg because it has "multinational expertise", is "strategically located within RSAs existing EU branch network" and has an experienced regulator.

STANDARD LIFE

British insurer and asset manager Standard Life said in May that it was likely to choose Dublin for its EU hub.

ST JULIANS

UK-focused motor insurer St Julians, owned by Markerstudy, is considering moving to Gibraltar from Malta as a result of Britain's vote to leave the EU, Markerstudy said.

XL CATLIN

Bermuda-domiciled insurer XL Catlin said its UK business XL Insurance Company SE has branches across Europe and also operates under the "Societas Europaea" structure. (Compiled by Noor Zainab Hussain and Carolyn Cohn; editing by Jason Neely)
By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, July 21 (Reuters) - Yemen's cholera outbreak is far from being controlled and may be further exacerbated by the rainy season, even if the rate of new cases appears to be slowing in some hotspots, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

Oxfam projected the number could rise to more than 600,000 cases, "the largest ever recorded in any country in a single year since records began", exceeding Haiti in 2011.

Nigel Timmins, the charity's humanitarian director who has just returned from the country, said: "Cholera has spread unchecked in a country already on its knees after two years of war and which is teetering on the brink of famine. For many people, weakened by war and hunger, cholera is the knockout blow."

The WHO reported 368,207 suspected cases and 1,828 deaths in the Arabian Peninsula country since late April.

"Every day we have 5,000 more Yemenis falling sick with symptoms of acute watery diarrhoea or cholera," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a news briefing in Geneva.

"Yemen's cholera outbreak is far from being controlled, the rainy season has just started and may increase the paths of transmission. Sustained efforts are required to stop the spread of this disease," she said.

Millions are malnourished in Yemen where famine looms, the United Nations says. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015, backing government forces fighting Iran-allied Houthi rebels and fighting limits access for aid workers.

Surveillance data "confirms a slight decline in suspected cases over the past two weeks" in some of the most affected governorates - Amanat Al Asimah, Amran and Sana'a, Chaib said.

But great caution was called for as there is a backlog in reporting and data is still being analysed, she said.

Oxfam, which is based in Britain, said Yemen's rainy season from July to September would increase the risk of the disease spreading further through water contaminated with faeces.

"It is feared that the total number of people infected could eventually rise to over 600,000, making it one of the largest outbreaks since records began in 1949," Oxfam said.

The WHO did not provide its latest planning figure.

"The fighting is hugely exacerbating the ability to stop this epidemic of cholera. The kind of disintegration of the health system in Yemen as a result of the conflict at a time of cholera is an absolutely lethal combination," U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told Friday's briefing. (Reporting and writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Additional reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Alison Williams)
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - The United States will withhold $50 million remaining in military reimbursements to Pakistan for fiscal year 2016 because Defense Secretary Jim Mattis believes that Islamabad has not done enough to blunt the Islamist militant Haqqani network, a U.S. official said on Friday.

The decision was not the first time that the Pentagon has declined to make military reimbursements to Pakistan. Last year, it withheld $300 million. Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million of the $900 million it was authorized to receive in fiscal year 2016.

Of the rest, $300 million had already been reprogrammed for other purposes, but had not been previously reported. Mattis' latest decision affects the remaining $50 million.

Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with U.S. officials frustrated by what they term Pakistan's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

Adam Stump, a Pentagon spokesman, said the $50 million could not be released now because Mattis "could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network per the requirement in the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act."

President Donald Trump's administration is exploring potentially hardening its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on militants launching strikes in neighboring Afghanistan.

Possible Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding U.S. drone strikes and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally.

Mattis told reporters on Friday that the decision was not linked to the administration's broader South Asia strategy, which is still being reviewed.

"This is simply an assessment of the current state of play," Mattis said. "It is not a policy, it is a reality."

The United States in 2012 designated the Pakistan-based Haqqani network as a terrorist organization. The year before, U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, then the top U.S. military officer, caused a stir when he told Congress that the Haqqani network was a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate.

Pakistan argues that it has done a great deal to help the United States in tracking down terrorists and points out that it has suffered hundreds of deaths in Islamist militant attacks in response to its crackdowns.

Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, said that Islamabad had continued to fight militants.

"It may be noted that the funds in question are a reimbursement of the expenses incurred by Pakistan towards achieving our common objectives in the fight against terrorism, and not an assistance," Chaudhry said in a statement.

Pentagon spokesman Stump said the decision did not "reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over previous years."

He said Pakistan still had time to take action against the Haqqani network in order to receive reimbursements next year. (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; editing by Andrea Ricci and Grant McCool)
By Mark Weinraub

CHICAGO, July 21 (Reuters) - U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Friday, pressured by outlooks for some relief for crops stressed by hot and dry weather during the past few weeks, traders said.

"It is a little bit of a moderation in the weather forecast," said Bill Gentry, a broker at Risk Management Commodities. "The better rain chances definitely put the market on the defensive."

End-of-week profit taking also added pressure following rallies on Thursday that pushed both commodities to their highest in more than a week.

Wheat futures were weaker, with a sell-off in MGEX spring pulling Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat and K.C. hard red winter wheat contracts into negative territory.

Corn notched the biggest decline, sagging 2.0 percent and falling below the key $4 a bushel level.

At 11:31 a.m. CDT (1631 GMT), Chicago Board of Trade December corn futures were down 8 cents at $3.96-3/4 a bushel. CBOT November soybeans were 8-1/2 cents lower at $10.18-1/2 a bushel.

For the week, corn futures have risen 1.9 percent while soybeans were up 1.7 percent.

The latest six-to-ten day outlook boosted the chances for some much needed rain in the central Midwest. But temperatures were expected to remain high, limiting the sell-off in commodities markets.

Recent dry weather has already damaged crops, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed earlier this week.

CBOT September soft red winter wheat was down 1-3/4 cents at $5.04 a bushel, on track for a weekly loss of 1.1 percent. MGEX spring wheat for September delivery was 12-1/2 cents lower at $7.65-1/2 a bushel. It has risen 1.3 percent this week.

K.C. hard red winter wheat for September delivery was 2-1/2 cents lower at $5.01-1/4 a bushel. The contract has dropped 2.3 percent for the week.

Traders said concerns about drought in the U.S. Plains damaging the wheat crops there have already been priced in to the market. (Additional reporting by Colin Packham in Sydney and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris; Editing by Jane Merriman and Chris Reese)
By Jonathan Landay

ASPEN, Colo., July 21 (Reuters) - In a new assessment, the U.S. intelligence community judges that large numbers of foreigners fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria likely will stay to defend what is left of their self-declared caliphate rather than return to their homelands, a top U.S. counter-terrorism official said on Friday.

"Many if not most of the foreign fighters who made their way to the conflict zone will end up staying, fighting and potentially dying in order to maintain the caliphate," Nicholas Rasmussen, the director of the U.S. National Counter Terrorism Center, told the annual Aspen Security Forum.

That contrasts with the previous assessment that many foreign fighters would return home, posing major security threats.

Rasmussen also said that he has seen no information confirming recent reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has been killed. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday he assumes that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive.

"Ive seen nothing that would lead me to believe that the leader of ISIS (Islamic State) has been removed from the battlefield," Rasmussen said. "We know a good bit. We just dont have information that would confirm his death and demise."

The new foreign fighter assessment will be welcome news to the countries of origin of the tens of thousands of Islamist extremists. They flocked to fight for the caliphate that Islamic State declared in 2014 after storming out of Syria, seizing the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and charging to Baghdads outskirts.

Extremists who have returned home have staged attacks that claimed scores of lives, and governments have been bracing for new strikes as the group loses ground in Syria and Iraq.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul this month and U.S.-backed Kurdish and Syrian Arab fighters are moving to retake Raqqa, the groups main stronghold in northeastern Syria.

Rasmussen noted that the U.S. intelligence community, which estimated that some 40,000 foreigners joined Islamic State in Syria and Iraq after the conflict began, until recently assessed that many would return home.

"At one point, we were worried about this out-rush, outflows, massive outflows of foreign fighters once the battlefield situation changed in Iraq and Syria and that Western countries, countries in the region, would be flooded with returnees," he said. "I think now speaking kind of broadly, thats less likely than we first assessed."

A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that fewer than 15,000 Islamic State extremists still are fighting in Iraq and Syria.

It has become harder for foreign fighters to return home because of the ongoing combat operations and because Turkey and other countries have significantly tightened their borders, the intelligence official said.

While there may be no major outflow of foreign fighters, Rasmussen said he is concerned by the threat posed by Islamic State's affiliates from Asia to Africa.

He said he also remains worried by those who manage to escape home, bringing with them specialized skills like bomb-making, that they acquired in Syria and Iraq. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by David Alexander and Cynthia Osterman)
By Gabriella Borter

July 21 (Reuters) - A single mother of four has taken sanctuary in a Connecticut church after federal authorities ordered her deported to her native Guatemala as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on unauthorized immigrants.

Nury Chavarria, who moved to the United States in 1993 to seek asylum from political turmoil and violence at home, had been ordered by immigration officials to leave for Guatemala by Thursday, said Sidd Sinha, an attorney at Formica Williams, the New Haven, Connecticut law firm representing her, by phone on Friday.

Instead the 43-year-old housekeeper took sanctuary at Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal in New Haven.

Churches have historically offered sanctuary to refugees, making them immune from arrest. While that no longer has legal effect, the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement spokesman Khaalid Walls said in a statement on Friday that the agency avoids making arrests at "sensitive locations" such as places of worship, schools and hospitals without prior approval from a supervisor.

"We have opened the doors of our congregation to serve Ms. Chavarria as a sanctuary church," Pastor Hector Otero of the church said at a press conference on Thursday.

Chavarria is a single mother of four U.S.-born children aged 9 to 21, who have birthright citizenship. Her eldest has cerebral palsy.

Chavarria was allowed to voluntarily depart after a review of her case in 1998, but has stayed on illegally since 1999, Walls said. She has been granted stays of removal on humanitarian grounds as she has raised her children.

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, who met with Chavarria at the church on Thursday, tweeted on Friday, "#NuryChavarria is a mother and has no criminal record. She is welcome in our state."

New Haven is one of hundreds of U.S. cities, counties and states that have declared themselves sanctuaries that refuse to cooperate with Trump's efforts to deport millions of immigrants.

In the first months after his election in November, arrests have risen, but actual deportations have fallen by 12 percent compared with the same period under President Barack Obama.

The two Democratic U.S. senators representing Connecticut, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, have written letters to Immigration Customs Enforcement urging a review of Chavarria's latest application for a stay of removal.

At a press conference on Friday at the church where Chavarria was staying, Blumenthal called her situation "a symptom of Trump's cold and callous immigration policies that lack all sense of reason and rationality."

New York immigration attorney Glen Raj said by phone that U.S. immigration agencies are very rarely persuaded by communities and state governments to revoke a deportation order. (Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Richard Chang)
DUBAI, July 21 (Reuters) - The Kuwaiti oil minister said on Friday that compliance by oil producers with a global pact on reducing crude supplies was "good and offers hope", state news agency KUNA reported on Friday.

Ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other non-OPEC producers are due to meet in the Russian city of St Petersburg on Monday to discuss the pact which was reached earlier this year.

"Compliance is good and offers hope" for it has reached 106 percent by OPEC members and 80 percent by non-OPEC states," KUNA quoted Essam al-Marzouq as saying after he arrived in St Petersburg.

Major oil producing states will discuss the oil reduction pact, review market conditions and examine any proposals related to the deal at a meeting next week, Marzouq had earlier said.

Kuwait heads the joint ministerial committee of OPEC and non-OPEC states, known as JMMC, that monitors compliance with the pact to cut 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil. The cuts began in January 2017 and run to March 2018.

Alongside Kuwait, the JMMC includes Venezuela, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Oman.

Marzouq told KUNA the meeting would discuss "steps for continuing implementation of the agreement and discuss any suggestion from member states."

The committee would also submit any recommendations it approved to member states.

The JMMC can make recommendations to OPEC and other oil producers to adjust the agreement, if necessary.

(Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Edmund Blair and Diane Craft)
IGP Pujith Jayasundara today appointed Senior DIG Nandana Munasinghe to investigate the alleged attempt to abduct Medical Faculty Students Action Committee (MFSAC) convener Ryan Jayalath on Thursday, the Police Media Unit said.

The SAITM Virodi Jana Pawra along with the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) yesterday complained to the National Police Commission that some people under the guise of being police personnel in civvies had attempted to abduct Ryan Jayalath. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
The GMOA today complained to the National Police Commission saying some people under the guise of being police personnel in civvies had attempted to abduct the Medical Faculty Students Action Committee (MFSAC) convener Ryan Jayalath.

It submitted the video footage and the pictures of the incident which took place at the premises of the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) yesterday.

The letter said a Chief Inspector who visited the scene had admitted that it a group of police personnel under him had attempted to carry out the arrest.

The GMOA said they had attempted to abduct the convener using a white van having a registration plate -- NA 0410.

Meanwhile, at a news conference held in Colombo, the SAITM Virodi Jana Pawra condemned the alleged police attempt to arrest Ryan Jayalath.

GMOA Secretary Haritha Aluthge said the attempt was not to arrest the student, but to abduct him and accused the government of attempting to suppress student bodies by arresting their conveners on false charges.

IUSF Convener Lahiru Weerasekara is still behind the bars. The police failed twice to press charges against him. Why dont they release him if he is not guilty, Dr. Aluthge said. (Thilanka kanakarathne)

Video by Sanjeewa
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) held its International Convention recently in Macao at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Cotai Central.



One of the worlds most famous free ports, Macao is a fascinating blend of industries and cultures, a jewel on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. This years theme of the convention was Smart Journey - Belt and Road.



The convention focused on two of the most important developments currently making an impact on the Logistics and Transport industry; the rise of smart technology and the ambitious One Belt One Road(OBOR) initiative. CILT conducts its annual convention in a member country in rotation every year.Sri Lanka hosted the convention in June 2013 after it became a territory.



There was a very interesting mix of items in the four day program including Guest International Speakers, Workshops and Interactive Breakout Sessions. Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT) Forum and Young Professionals Forum (YPF) conventions started off in parallel sessions ahead of the CILT International Convention. This years Convention was attended by over 250 foreign delegates from 29 of its member countries. The delegates had ample opportunities to interact with international participants representing corporates, academia and government sector and the military,and get actively involved in shaping the future of CILT and its industry.



This years 11 member CILT SL delegation was the highest Sri Lanka ever attended a convention including WiLAT and YPF members and was represented by CILT SL Chairman Lasitha Cumaratunga, CILT SL International Vice President Romesh David, CILT SL Vice Chairperson Gayani de Alwis, CILT SL Immediate Past Chairman Niral Kadawatharatchi, WiLAT SL Vice Chairperson Niroza Gazzali, WiLAT SL Secretary Amra Zareer, WiLAT SL Treasurer Gayathri Karunanayake, YPF SL Chairman Biman Hettiarachchi, WiLAT ExCo Co-opted Member Manjari Nigamuni, WiLAT ExCo Co-opted Member Shakkya Perera and Member Rishantha Mendis.

CILT also awarded a travel scholarship to a young undergraduate mentee from WiLAT to attend the convention.



There were many speakers of international repute addressing at the convention. CCTA Executive Vice Chairman Prof. De-Rong Wang, Australia RMIT University Prof. Taewoo Paul Lee, Hong Kong MTR Academy President Morris Cheung, Kuhne Logistics University Prof. Kai Hoberg and CILT Singapore Chairman Karmjit Singh were some of the speakers at this years Global Convention. CILT Sri Lanka Vice Chairperson Gayani De Alwis was also an invited speaker and she spoke about Sri Lankas perspective on Belt and Road initiative. De Alwis mentioned that Sri Lanka is right at the center of the global east west maritime route with 50 percent of global containerized traffic moving pass Hambantota. Being strategically located at the tip of South Asia, Sri Lanka was in the past a natural port of call for silk route navigators. She mentioned that the belt and road initiative will enable Sri Lanka to get connected to international value chains and provide the much needed connectivity required for rapid economic growth in the country.



CILT Outgoing International Past President Paul Brooks was awarded the Pegasus medal for his services and CILT Kazakhstan was awarded territorial status at the convention. This years CILT convention also had a new segment where an opportunity was given to CILT chapters to showcase their best practices at an Idea Exchange. Sri Lanka team showcased WiLAT SLs globally renowned Ignite mentoring program and this initiative won the best entry of the poster competition. Sri Lankan team also took part in the We Got Talent organized by WiLAT Hong Kong for the participants to showcase their talents. Sri Lankan team performed a traditional dance act under the theme Pooja - a Fusion of Blue Rays which depicted a blend of cultural dance and music and won the award for the Best Originality and Creativity.



The delegates also had the opportunity to take part in a technical visit to Hong Kong which included a visit to Hong Kong Airlines, Kwai Chung Modern Terminals, MTC OCC at Tsing Yi and a Tram Ride.

The CILT International Convention was an excellent opportunity for networking, to develop new international relationships and share experiences and best practices with colleagues across the CILT global family.
Students of the Master in Manufacturing Management programme of the University of Colombo recently visited the Toyota Motor Corporation and Sodick Electrical Discharge Machines (EDMs) manufacturers in Thailand.



The objective of this study tour was to obtain a critical insight as to how world class manufacturers conduct their day to day manufacturing operations and formulate strategies for the future. The students consisted of senior and middle level managers working in Sri Lankan manufacturing organizations.



The Master in Manufacturing Management programme, conducted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, first commenced in 2004, and has become the most sought after postgraduate program in that manufacturing field. The programme inculcates in the students the skills necessary to take strategic decisions in the manufacturing sector. The group of students were accompanied by the coordinators of the program, Ranil Senaratna, Aruna Wickramarachchi, Dr. A.A. Azeez, faculty member Manone Perera and Senior Assistant Registrar L. Prasanna De Silva.
Cotton Collection Founder/Managing Director Niloufer Esufally Anverally, was honored as Business Role Model of the Year 2017 at the recent Top 50 Professional and Career Women Awards 2017.

Organised by Women In Management (WIM), partnered by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, these awards were held on 14 July at Hotel Taj Samudra. The award ceremony itself proved to be a celebration of 50 remarkable women from across Sri Lanka and the Maldives, showcasing achievements in their respective disciplines, while also empowering others at the beginning of their journey. A mother, wife, sister, daughter, dreamer, perfectionist and above all a passionate motivational force for local women, Anverally is the creator of the Sri Lankas landmark fashion retail chain, Cotton Collection.



An Economics Major fresh out of the University of Mumbai in 1990, Anverally ventured into entrepreneurship, which was the last career choice anyone expected of her. However, it was a journey that she was destined to take. Today, 26 years later, she is the proud custodian of Cotton Collection and Leather Collection, overseeing five branches and over 150 staff. The retail chain is also fortunate to be going from strength to strength, a result of a steady growth path carefully guided by Anverally.



70 percent of my staff and 50 percent of my senior management are female, which I feel is a strong indicator that Cotton Collection and Leather Collection are advocates of womens empowerment across the board, Anverally noted.



She made the 50 Most Powerful Women in Sri Lanka list by Echelon and was awarded the Outstanding Business Entrepreneur of the year Award in 2014. The same years saw her being recognized as a forerunner in Businesspeople of the Year Awards by the LMD magazine.

An ardent advocate of equal opportunity and workplace diversity, Anverally continues to empower women who are part of her staff and supply chain. I am grateful to Women In Management and IFC for the Business Role Model of the Year recognition, since it will help me promote entrepreneurship among Sri Lankas women to an even greater degree. I am also proud to say that 90 percent of my suppliers are women entrepreneurs who started their journey with me, as I started mine 26 years ago. Today, they are strong, independent women who are inspirational leaders guiding a host of women through their own journey as entrepreneurs said Anverally.
In the wake of controversy surrounding the permission given to Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter Terrorism Ben Emmerson to meet LTTE detainees, the Law and Order Ministry had acted in this regard in keeping with Terms of Reference governing such visits, it is learnt.

During the Universal Periodical Review of the UNHRC, the Member States made a recommendation to Sri Lanka to extend standing invitations to all the special procedure mandate holders of the UNHRC.

The new government, formed in 2015, extended this invitation in December of that year.

There are Terms of Reference for such fact finding Missions by Special Rapporteurs or Representatives

During fact-finding missions, special rapporteurs or representatives of the Commission on Human Rights, as well as United Nations staff accompanying them, should be given the following guarantees and facilities by the Government that invited them to visit its country.

Accordingly, freedom of movement in the whole country, including facilitation of transport, in particular to restricted areas has to be guarantees. Alongside, freedom of inquiry, in particular as regards, access to all prisons, detention centres and places of interrogation should be made available for them.

The Terms of Reference also includes confidential and unsupervised contact with witnesses and other private persons, including persons deprived of their liberty, considered necessary to fulfil the mandate of the special rapporteur

Mr. Emmerson, who visited Sri Lanka, has sought approval to visit the places concerned from the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Ministry has then referred it to the Law and Order Ministry as the relevant authority. It has granted approval and communicated it to Mr. Emmerson through the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

President Maithripala Sirisena is reported to have asked who gave permission for Mr. Emmerson to interact with LTTE suspects detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. (Kelum Bandara)
By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

Amidst lobbying from environmentally-conscious stakeholders, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved a revised coal-free power generation scenario for the next 20 years at a present value of US$ 15.52 billion, in the process saving US$ 1.13 billion over the Ceylon Electricity Boards (CEB) coal-heavy option.



The CEB had initially submitted three Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plans (LCLTGEPs) for the period 2018-2037, with the CEBs preferred base case depending mostly on coal, a restricted coal option, and a no-coal option.



Twelve further scenarios were formulated upon the insistence of PUCSL. After going through all these scenarios, with the relevant data and analysis, basically the Commission has approved one of the first 3 scenarios that the CEB submitted; that is the no-coal scenario, PUCSL Director General Damitha Kumarasinghe said yesterday.

Late last year, following lobbying and legal action by environmentalists, a 500 Megawatt (MW) coal power plant in Sampur was halted by the Supreme Court. The approved plan calls new capacities of 4,800 MW of natural gas, 1,205 MW of wind, 1,389 MW of solar, 330 MW of furnace oil, 242 MW of major hydro, 215 MW of mini-hydro and 105 MW of gas turbine generation.



As reported by Mirror Business, the public consultation process for the CEBs LCLTGEP 2018-2037 held last month saw expertseven from within the state sectorcriticizing the CEB for manipulating statistics to show scenarios where coal will be cheaper than it should be.



The CEB achieved this by basing future coal prices on an average pricing for the years 2015 and 2016 to take advantage of all-time low coal prices in 2015, compared to high coal prices from the end of 2016 till now.



Using such long-term (2015 and 2016) average, when the current prices are substantially different appears to misrepresent the actual pricing at the time of preparation of the plan. Most notably, they have used the existing market prices for oil products (which is with taxes etc, and excessively higher than the border prices), PUCSL said in a statement.



Further, experts had lambasted the CEB for not including externalities (such as damages to the environment and the society) in the LCLTGEP, which further favoured coal power generation as the countrys power generation backbone over the less harmful natural gas, which generates power cheaper than coal when accounting for externalities.



The addition of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar adds US$ 2.69 billion to each scenario, which is included in the US$ 15.52 billion cost.



However, Kumarasinghe said costs of renewable energy plants have been continuously decreasing, and will likely continue to do so in the future.



He noted that natural gas combined with renewables, revised based on PUCSL analytics, was the most suitable option for Sri Lanka at the present time.



Given Sri Lankas power demand curve, the natural gas scenario becomes cheaper than coal due to the flexibility of natural gas power generation, he said.



Coal power plants are unable to quickly adapt to changes in electricity demandespecially falls in demand.



If a coal power plant goes offline, it could take days for it to be brought back online, as was experienced by the country in recent past, which suffered through several blackouts when the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant went offline in multiple instances.



The new energy mix will break the country out of the current cycle of entering into frequent power crises, which then require the commissioning of emergency diesel power plants, which are several times costlier to operate than coal or natural gas.



The main objective is to break out of this cycle. Hopefully if everything goes according to plan, we can break out of this cycle by 2021, Kumarasinghe said.



However, he said that if the plan is not implemented by the various responsible agencies immediately by calling for tenders, the country may have to continue to commission and depend on diesel power plants for longer period of time.



The first natural gas plant, a 300MW project in Kerawalapitiya, is expected to be commissioned in 2019, and use imported natural gas until natural gas from the Mannar basin can be extracted, tentatively by 2023.



While the addition of natural gas to promote energy security will reduce renewable energy share in the power generation mix to 32-33 percent under the approved plan from the current 45 percent, Kumarasinghe said that the main focus of the 2018 LCLTGEP will be to increase the share of renewable power generation to 60 percent.



In a policy document published in 2015, the government said that we should be fully reliant on renewable energy by 2030. So, I think we are moving in the right direction, he said.
The Finance Ministry said today dismissed social media claims that the vehicle used in the alleged failed attempt to abduct Medical Faculty Students Action Committee (MFSAC) convener belonged to it.

It further said the incident which had taken place at the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) premises on Thursday (20) evening had nothing to do with the ministry.

Finance Ministry said that it denied the social media claims that the vehicle no NA-0410 belonged to it.

It said that the vehicle in question had been imported under a duty free imported permit.

However, the ministry said that it didn't mean the vehicle was belonging to the Ministry.

Therefore the Ministry said that it has no liability or a responsibility with the NA-0410 Hiace KDH vehicle that was allegedly used in the alleged attempt to abduct Ryan Jayalath. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said today the government has put in place a well coordinated system to permanently resolve the garbage crisis which has hit Colombo as well as several other cities in the country.

He said this at the opening of the Colombo National Book Fair organized by the Public Library.

Several cities including Kandy are facing a garbage crisis. The intention of the government is to implement a coordinated effort by all local government bodies, provincial councils, government ministers including the Megapolis Minister to resolve resolve this matter permanently, the Premier said.

The main problem is to find land-fill sites. The garbage crisis cannot be solved with a proper disposal method. Colombo was a small town before 1977, the population was low, there was not much of garbage and not many industries. The quantity of garbage has gradually increased. Meetotumulla was originally selected as a dump in the early 1990s. The government in 1994 decided to stop dumping dumping garbage in Meetotumulla after a protest. Accordingly it was decided to use the dump at a site on Bloemendhal Road as a temporary solution but there were legal issues. Courts issued a stay order on dumping garbage at that site. The 2002 UNP government was was working out a permanent solution but could not finalise it because Parliament was dissolved. Later it was decided to use Meetotumulla again as a garbage dump once again.

He said the government had looked at a location in Puttalam to dump garbage and at several other places as a temporary measure.

"Courts issued stay orders against dumping in some places amid protests. CMC Workers were harassed. The permanent solution depends on identifying and resolving the main issue which gave rise to the crisis. The Megapolis Ministry has selected a suitable location to dump garbage at Puttalam. It is not possible just to dump garbage as it has to be managed. It will take two years to manage the disposal. This location could be used for ten years to do so," the Premier said. (Yohan Perera)

Video by Susantha
Hyundai Lanka has appointed Millennium Motors Pvt. Ltd., as its authorized Colombo city dealer with effect from July 13th.



This is to increase its footprint in the country and make the Hyundai brand even more accessible to the public. At present, Hyundai Lanka has 10 dealers across the country.



The company is confident that by appointing Millennium Motors as a dealer in Colombo it will further improve its market share in Sri Lanka.



It will now be even easier for Colombo customers to buy a Hyundai. Millennium Motors with their first class showroom will display all the new models in future including the Grand i10 which is the most luxurious car in its class and has won several international awards. Furthermore, Hyundai has plans to introduce new and exciting models to their current range.



By the mid-1990s, Hyundai comprised over 60 subsidiary companies and was active in a diverse range of activities including automobile manufacturing, construction, chemicals, electronics, financial services, heavy industry and shipbuilding. In the same period, it had total annual revenues of around US$90 billion and over 200,000 employees.



Hyundai vehicles are manufactured by the Hyundai Motor Group, which also owns Kia and Genesis, the new Hyundai Group luxury brand. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai operates the worlds largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. The company employs about 75,000 people around the world. Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000



dealerships and showrooms worldwide. In 2012, Hyundai sold over 4.4 million vehicles worldwide. Popular models include the Sonata and Elantra mid-sized sedans as well as a range of SUVs like the Tucson and the Santa Fe. Hyundai is also one of the biggest manufacturers of small sized cars in the world like the EON and the Grand i10.



Hyundai is ranked 35th in Interbrands latest annual global brand value rankings. In fact, it moved up to 6th in global automotive rankings, above Audi, VW, Nissan and Porsche. It is also the fastest growing auto brand since 2005.



The Hyundai Motor Group has also announced a new corporate identity for its dealerships worldwide, which has been labelled the Global Dealership Space Identity (GDSI). The initiative aims to create a unified look at its stores worldwide.The key aspect is to redesign the interior and exterior of its dealerships more elegantly and enhance its brand image.



The GDSI was developed primarily for emerging markets and countries where Hyundai has lacked a facility design programme. The new concept is a collaboration between Hyundai Motor Company and Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, a renowned Austrian architecture firm known for their modern and dynamic designs.Hyundai in rolling out a new corporate identity across its dealer network, switching from blue to bronze as the companys new official colour.



The new corporate identity would be reflected through the main fascia, entrance gate and projecting sign at all main customer touch points. It communicates a strong and distinctive brand image.

The new corporate identity will be able to position a strong brand recall in customers minds. It will lead to the establishment of a consistent and enhanced global brand image of Hyundai across the world and provide a better and easily recognizable retail environment for its customers which will help to enhance its brand value.



Overall, the GDSI aims to strengthen Hyundais Modern Premium brand proposition by not only improving the look of its sales and service outlets but also its service quality that will offer customers an experience beyond expectations.
Aries (Mesha):



Influence, wealth and comforts are held out by Venus due in your 3rd House on July 26. However, mental unrest and disputes with relatives are among the ill effects likely to be caused by Sun  Mars combination in the 4th House in addition to digestive troubles and temptations. You are likely to incur the displeasure of your spouse and children due to the adverse influence of Mercury now in your 5th House. Monetary gains from speculation and gaming activity are indicated for those running the Rahu Maha Dasa.



Taurus (Vrushabha):



Venus due to move into your 2nd House continues to hold out benefits like wealth, general prosperity and even patronage from rulers. Meanwhile, Sun  Mars combination in your 3rd House assures good health, increased power and influence and happiness from brothers in addition enhanced wealth and influence. Mercury in your 4th House assures relief from mental worries, welcome family reunions and an increase in income. Separation from the family is indicated for those running the Rahu Maha Dasa.



Gemini (Mithuna):



Material and sensual pleasures, marital happiness and happiness in the family are among the benefits held out by Venus due in 1st House by July 26. However, the unfavourable Sun -Mars combination in the 2nd House can cause a drop in your income, eye trouble, and domestic problems, involvement in disputes and attempts to bring you into disrepute and intrigues by enemies. Saturn now in your 6th House is quite auspicious for you. You are assured of increased wealth and improved health as a result.



Cancer (Kataka):



Venus due in your 12th House shortly indicates heavy expenditures after an initial rise in your income. A theft in the house is a possibility. However, marital happiness is assured. Sun  Mars combination your 1st House can affect your general health by causing an excess in Pitta (bile). Meanwhile, though Mars in your 1st House makes you energetic, could cause blood-related disease. Long stay-planets Rahu in the 2nd, Jupiter in the 3rd and Saturn in the 5th House indicate an unfavourable time marked by obstacles, heavy expenditures and events that could cause immense grief.



Leo (Sinha):



Monetary gains, relief from debts, a good reputation and general happiness are assured by Venus due in the 11th House shortly. However, Sun -Mars combination in the 12th House holds out unfavourable results such as poor health, disrepute, possible involvement, heavy expenses, eye disease and mental worries. Mercury in the 1st House is a warning for you to keep wicked and malicious persons at arms length.



Virgo (Kanya):



Venus impending transit in your 10th House could cause you mental unrest, financial problems and disrepute due to manipulations by enemies. Sun  Mars combination in your 11th House heralds a very favourable time for you as it holds out satisfaction from your career, patronage from VIPs in addition to enhanced returns from business and other economic activity. Mercury in the 12th House indicates heavy expenditures and bids by enemies to humiliate you. Rahu in the 12th House is favourable for foreign travel.



Libra (Thula):



Venus impending Gochara in the 9th House assures comforts and luxuries, auspicious events at home, general prosperity and gainful distant, possibly foreign travel. Sun -Mars combination in the 10th House brings fame and bright career prospects for natives running favourable Dasas. Saturn now in the 2nd House being the Yogakaraka may produce beneficial effects such as increased wealth and happiness in the family. Jupiter in the 12th House is likely to keep you away from your spouse and children.



Scorpio (Vrushika):



Physical comforts, acquisition of lands and property and matrimonial prospects are held out by Venus about to move into your 8th House shortly. Sun -Mars combination in the 9th House though favourable for religious and spiritual activity could cause humiliation and loss of wealth and status. You have to be braced for setbacks and disappointments resulting from unforeseen impediments. You have come again under Ashtamaya Shani Erashtaka with retrograde Saturn entering your Lagna again.



Sagittarius (Dhanu):



Venus imminent entry into your 7th House is a warning for you to brace for a period of trouble from women and financial difficulties as well. Sun -Mars combination in the in the 8th House could cause blood-related disease in addition to loss of wealth, assaults on honour and even emergency surgical treatment. You are temporarily relieved of the direct impact of Jamma Shani Erashtaka as Saturn has moved into your 12th House.



Capricorn (Makara):



Poor health and troubles from females are indicated by Venus due in your 6th House shortly. Meanwhile, Sun  Mars combination in the 7th House holds out a brief unfavourable spell marked by ill health, an unhappy married life, loss of wealth and disputes with partners. Lagnadhipati Saturn in your 11th House assures you of a sound financial position and enhanced comforts. Jupiter in the 9th House is a great redeeming feature as he holds out general prosperity and gainful foreign or distant travel.



Aquarius (Kumbha):



Venus due in the 5th House shortly heralds an auspicious time for artistes in general and those engaged in modelling and acting in particular. Marital happiness is also assured. Sun  Mars combination in the 6th House holds out good health, increased wealth, power and influence, success in contests and competitions and a whip hand over enemies and rivals. Those running the Maha Dasa of Saturn could look forward to a rise in career.



Pisces (Meena):



Enhanced returns from agricultural pursuits, happiness from children and peace and harmony in the family are indicated by Venus due in your 4th House shortly. Poor health and monetary problems will begin troubling you due to the adverse influence of Sun and Mars in your 5th House. Events that could mar your marital happiness are also a possibility. Jupiter continuing transit in the 7th House assures you of a comfortable living.
From left: Director, Lalith de Silva, Director, Chaminda Gunarathne from McLarens Lubricants Limited, Joint Managing Director of McLarens Group, Dinesh Jayawardana, Managing Director, Hemantha Varnasooriya and Head of Marketing, Dilan Seneviratne from McLarens Lubricants Limited

McLarens Lubricants Limited has been presented by Exxonmobil, the prestigious Gold Tier Award for Excellence in Mobil brand marketing and a Silver Tier Award for Best Initiative.



This annual event is developed by Exxonmobil to recognize and reward the best Exxonmobil lubricants distributors throughout Asia Pacific.



The criteria for selection of winners for these awards was based on exceptional results in matters of business performance, alignment with Mobil branding and strategic business planning.



McLarens Lubricants Limited, a subsidiary of the Mclarens group of companies, is the sole distributor for Mobil products in Sri Lanka, providing lubricant products and solutions to automotive, marine, power and industrial sectors.



The company stands at the peak of the lubricant industry in Sri Lanka and, through their flagship product Mobil 1, is regarded widely for its quality, durability and exceptional performance.



We at, McLarens Lubricants Limited are delighted to receive these awards, being acknowledged by the industry for our business strategies as well as the brand value achieved with dedicated team work, our drive to affiliate closely with partners and clients to offer diverse solutions, stated Managing Director of McLarens Lubricants Limited, Hemantha Varnasooriya. This recognition from ExxonMobil is a reflection of the determination and commitment put forward by our team of oil specialists to be more than just a supplier of quality lubricants.



The company prides itself on being the distributor of a globally renowned product with a lineage of over 150 years of engineering perfection, having evolved into the brand it is today; from the quality standards consistently adhered to, the enhancement of processes to offer greater value to customers while always taking into consideration the dynamic shifts of the market place.



McLarens Lubricants Limited, through continuous efforts, have included their stakeholder base that are an instrumental part of the companys operational framework, facilitating value addition programs, educative seminars and workshops. Through these programmes, partners are given various insights into the lubrication industry, the dos and donts and basic knowledge, all of which they in turn can pass on to their customers.



Furthermore, to improve productivity, reduce costs and inefficiencies, while augmenting the controls and processes of the operation, McLarens Lubricants Limited implemented an enterprise resource planning system to further provide a better service to their stakeholders. This new system further ensures that both back and front offices at McLarens Lubricants Limited are integrated for optimal functionality.



It is the success of various marketing activities that led to the creation of a localized corporate tvc, solidifying the companys approach to utilizing mass communications encompassing Mobils brand values and integrity.



McLarens Lubricants Limited, in their persistence to push the boundaries of excellence, will continue to support their stakeholders with exemplary value-added services and product offering.
The commotion that was created when a group of police officers, some in uniform and others in civvies, attempted to arrest Medical Faculty Students' Action Committee (MFSAC) Convener Ryan Jayalath at the conclusion of a joint meeting by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) and several other organisations to protest against the SAITM, ended in failure.

It was reported that Jayalath along with several other MFSAC representatives had attended a discussion organised by the SAITM Virodi Jana Paura, a recently formed anti-SAITM force at the GMOA office located at the OPA (Organisation of Professional Associations in Sri Lanka) building on Prof. Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha, Colombo 7.

The initial attempt to arrest Jayalath by a group of persons had met with failure due to protests from the crowd that had gathered at the venue. Subsequently, the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) with the help of the police, who arrived at the scene without an arrest warrant had attempted to take away the student however the attempt failed because those present at the venue intervened to stop it.

A tense situation arose when National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) Chairman K. D. Lal Kantha and the General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers' Services Union Mahinda Jayasinghe attempted to prevent the police from taking Jayalath into custody. As a result the law enforcement officers were forced to leave the premises in a white van without taking the MFSAC Convener into custody.

After the police left a student who pretended that he was Jayalath, had got into Lal Kanthas vehicle to mislead the police personnel. However the actual Jayalath was seen escaping along with the crowd that had gathered.

When contacted, Colombo DIG Lalith Pathinayake told Daily Mirror that they believed the students had created a commotion to help Jayalath escape arrest.

He said Ryan Jayalath has four arrest warrants against him for evading the courts and he was also wanted for breaking and entering into the Health Ministry building. Therefore, DIG Pathinayake said it was not necessary to have an arrest warrant as the police already have the power to arrest him on sight.

Meanwhile, the Medical Faculty Students' Union, University of Sri Jayewardenepura also commenced an anti-SAITM rally to be held today over the governments alleged attempt to suppress student union conveners. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Disaster relief schemes in full swing promise early recovery

Following the landslides and floods that occurred in May 2017, 15 out of 25 Districts were faced with Cyclone Mora. The cyclone affected approximately 630,000 persons in Sri Lanka. As many as 213 lives were lost. Several communities residing in Kalutara, Ratnapura, Galle and Matara are yet to be resettled.



Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka (A-PAD SL) collaborated with Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) and commenced a Flood Relief Project funded by the Government of Japan and Japan Platform to support the people of Sri Lanka.



A-PAD SL and PWJ met with the GA Kalutara, Mr. UDC Jayalal and the DS of Bulathisinghala, and Dodangoda to identify the immediate relief needs required to restore the community into normalcy. The strength of the A-PAD SL platform was further demonstrated with its links to the government, private sector, civil society and the communities in channeling relief to the most vulnerable and avoiding duplication.

Relief Project funded by the Government of Japan and Japan Platform to support the people of Sri Lanka



The relief was distributed on 13 July 2017, in Thebuwana, Koholana, Remunagoda, Dodangoda and Bombuwela, providing 700 households with kitchen sets and 985 households with bedding items. The vulnerable population of Kalutara largely incorporated elderly, women and children who were yet to receive assistance.

The event was graced by the presence of Takushi Otokita, Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan, Firzan Hashim, Country Director, A-PAD SL and Mari Poorman, Head of Mission, Flood Relief Project, Peace Winds Japan.
Richmond College, Galle, a premier educational institution in Sri Lanka with an unparalleled history, completes 203 years of incessant existence on 25th July 2017. Beginning as the Galle School in 1814, it took a little more than six decades before it was renamed Richmond. During her 203-year long journey, she passed several milestones.



The native monarchy ended with the British subjugating the entire country in 1815. The first missionaries from England were the Baptists and from the Church of Ireland and with the presence of the Anglican Chaplains they all began to actively propagate their brands of Christianity. In 1813 six of the Missionaries of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, led by the Rev Dr Thomas Coke, set sail to Ceylon accompanied by William Ault, James Lynch, George Erskine, William Martin Harvard, and Thomas Hall Squance, Benjamin Clough and, John Mckenny, destined for Cape of Good Hope. Rev Dr Coke died at sea on the 2nd of May and was committed to the deep the next day. The other missionaries arrived in Bombay and five of them came to the Galle Harbour on 29th June 1814. The governor, General Sir Brownrigg of the country had prior knowledge of their arrival and sent his Brother-in-law the Rev Bisset, the senior Chaplain, to meet and confer with the Missionaries and to learn about their future plans and report to him. General Brownrigg on hearing of their plans suggested that they start schools to teach English to the natives while engaging in preaching and was promised pecuniary assistance of fifty Rix dollars (the legal currency at the time) for each school they established. The Governor made this suggestion with foresight. He foresaw the need of an educated native workforce if the country was to be developed and progressed.

A large Dutch built house in Galle was initially taken on rent, but later purchased by Erskine on behalf of the Methodist Mission, and the school was moved to Galle Fort. That building is at present the main hall of Southlands Girls School



The Missionaries held a meeting- the first Wesleyan Methodist Conference- on 4th July 1814 at the Queens House Galle, heralding the beginning of the Methodist Mission in the country. And by ballot they decided the stations for the six missionaries. William Ault was selected to labour in Batticaloa, James Lynch and Thomas Hall Squance to occupy Jaffna, George Erskine to Matara, and Benjamin Clough to remain in Galle, and William Martin Harvard, to occupy Colombo upon his arrival.



Benjamin Clough was visited by the Maha Mudaliyar of Galle, Don Abraham Dias Abeysinghe Amarasekera on 25th July 1814, on hearing that Clough was to start a school soon. He offered his deceased brother Balthazars vacant house for this purpose. The house was built in 1712 by the Dutch, in upper Dickson Road, Galle, and was known as Doornberg.

The Missionaries held a meeting- the first Wesleyan Methodist Conference- on 4th July 1814 at the Queens House Galle, heralding the beginning of the Methodist Mission in the country



Mission documents record, Mr. Clough, after acknowledging the liberal offer of the Mudaliyar, went to view the premises, which are about a mile from the Fort, and only a stones-throw from the house of the generous proprietor. They are situated in a very retired and romantic spot; and appeared in most respects to be so eligible, that Mr. Clough did not hesitate to accept of the liberal proposal. He immediately had his luggage removed; and was thus, without any expense to the Mission Fund, placed at once in a situation of comfort and respectability; and in circumstances of all others the best; calculated to promote his improvement in the language, and his usefulness among the natives. His school was soon commenced, and attended by some of the most intelligent boys on the island. The date is recorded in the Rev Cloughs journal archived in the library of the School of African-Asian Studies (SOAS), as 25th July 2014.

Colebrooke observed that the English missionary societies have formed extensive establishments in various parts of Ceylon



The school became very popular with more and more natives seeking to study under the Rev Clough. In 1815 Rev William Harvard joined his brethren in Galle. The Rev Erskine had returned to Galle by this time abandoning his school in Matara due to disinterest by the natives though it was opened with much enthusiasm. The Rev Harvard was to soon move to Colombo as planned earlier.



The Rev Erskine took over from Clough when he left for Colombo with Rev Harvard. A large Dutch built house in Galle was initially taken on rent, but later purchased by Erskine on behalf of the Methodist Mission, and the school was moved to Galle Fort. That building is at present the main hall of Southlands Girls School. Although no reason is adduced for the relocation in mission records it could be argued that it was due to societal reasons prevailing at the time. The Mission continued to use Doornberg for many more years and billeted the unmarried missionaries who started arriving in the country. It also served as a temporary abode for missionaries of several other denominations who arrived in Ceylon during the second decade of the nineteenth century.



In 1816, the Rev John Mckenny too arrived in Galle failing to secure permission from the Governor to establish a mission in South Africa and joined Erskine. In 1817, the Rev Mckenny established the first Wesleyan Methodist Vernacular.

The educational system took another decisive turn in 1865 with the discontinuance of The Central School Commission. The government changed its policy of giving the grant to schools based on their performance, deviating from the earlier policy of allowing grants on predetermined criteria like student population and the number of tutors



The school in Bone vista, Unawatuna, Galle, which was later abandoned, was taken over by the Anglican Church. It was called the Bone vista School. He then established the second English School of the Galle School in Ja Kotuwa, Magalla together with a female department (in later years it went on to become the Rippon Girls School). It was a vernacular school and a caste based one, made at the request of the natives belonging to that caste living around Magalla. He also established the first Anglo-vernacular school in Minuwangoda, Galle and several other schools in the suburbs. All these schools, although on different foundations, was the same Galle School.



The Methodist Mission opened more small (Limited capacity) schools in Galle, but the parent School was the Galle School in Fort. The Superintending missionary of Galle supervised the school with locally recruited teachers. Its said that the all scholars sat together and took instructions, irrespective of caste, creed, ethnicity, religion or social standing. Richmond can take credit for being the pioneer school to eliminate caste, creed, and ethnic rivalries in schools.



In 1829, Lieutenant-Colonel William MacBean George Colebrooke and Charles Hay Cameron, in 1830, two Royal Commissioners, came to Ceylon to study and report on administrative, financial, economic, and judicial reforms. They submitted five reports between December 1831 and May 1832, and they became the reports of the Commission of Eastern Enquiry. Colebrooke proposed drastic changes to the Civil Service and recommended that the public service should be freely open to all classes of persons according to their qualifications. He also recommended that the government implemented the proposals in 1833. He proposed that the government actively takes part in the role of education. He also proposed the establishment of a School commission to make policy decisions, on education, and supervise all schools in the country to ensure a uniform system of education.



Colebrooke observed that the English missionary societies have formed extensive establishments in various parts of Ceylon, and it would be unnecessary to retain the government schools in situations where English instructions may already be afforded. He also proposed to disallow teaching of scripture during school hours and suggested it be taught either before or after the time spent inside the classroom. The School Commission was established in 1834, but soon encountered problems due to inter-denominational rivalries on the teaching of the scripture. The School Commission was discontinued and a new Central School Commission was established in 1841. The first Methodist female School was established by the Rev William Bridgnell in 1842, which is at present known as Southlands Girls School. Colebrooke wanted the vernacular schools abolished, but the Methodist Mission didnt agree to the proposition. It was after the Central School Commission in 1841 that vernacular education was encouraged again.



The Central School Commission offered a grant to all schools willing to be supervised and conducted according to the commissions proposals. The commission formed a list of all schools who agreed to the proposition. The Galle Boys and the Girls School, giving its consent to get the grant, too was included in the list which was incorrectly interpreted by many as a government takeover. In the history of education in Sri Lanka, the government took over schools only in 1962, and not in any other year. Those schools that became eligible to the grant continued to be supervised by the respective sponsoring societies.



The Rev Joseph Rippon, who became the superintending Missionary in 1851, purchased an abandoned mountainous property in Galle known as Mount Seymour or the Sillerys Hill in 1857. He sought permission to start a High school, an industrial school, an academic institute for females with a farm. His proposal wasnt sanctioned, but he was asked to move several native schools, the Anglovernacular school operating in Minuwangoda and the female school in Magalle to the hill, to save the rent paid to private properties in conducting the schools. The School in the Hill was then called the Richmond Hill School and the female branch, the Richmond Hill Girls Boarding School.

The educational system took another decisive turn in 1865 with the discontinuance of The Central School Commission. The government changed its policy of giving the grant to schools based on their performance, deviating from the earlier policy of allowing grants on predetermined criteria like student population and the number of tutors. The schools were subject to government inspection and the grant had to be earned based on performance and the progress made. Schools had to be upgraded from their present status if they were to earn an enhanced grant. Thus, many vernacular schools were upgraded to Anglo-vernacular schools and the Anglo-vernacular schools were converted to high schools.



With his health failing, Rev Rippon returned home in 1861. Rev Nicholson came after him and pursued Rev Rippons dream of establishing a high school. In 1863 the Society sanctioned to upgrade the Anglo-vernacular school in the hill to a high school and renamed it as Wesley College. Unfortunately due to pressure from the Colombo elite, it was moved out from Richmond Hill, and the Dam Street School was elevated to a high school. This is the present Wesley College.



The Rev George Baugh, who was serving in Kandy, returned home in 1873 with his sick wife, who didnt survive the voyage and died at sea. He remained in England for some time and having remarried, returned in 1874. He too pursued Rev Rippons dream of a high School in the hill. With Rev Baughs perseverance and commitment it was sanctioned in 1875. The Anglovernacular school in the hill was converted to a collegiate School by connecting the Magalla English School. The institute was renamed as Galle High School with the Rev Samuel Langdon at the helm. Six years later, Rev Samuel Hill suggested the institute be renamed Richmond College.



Under Langdon the school became popular and made rapid progress. One year after the school was converted to a collegiate school, several Scholars gained entrance to the newly formed Ceylon Medical School in 1877, while several others were successful in sitting for the Calcutta University examination. Langdon served for three years and was transferred to Kandy.



From the beginning of Richmond as the Galle School in 1814 until it was converted to a collegiate School in 1876, the Superintending Missionary of Galle administered the school and he served as Principal.



Beginning with Rev Benjamin Clough in 1814, as many as 21 Missionaries Superintended the School until it was converted to a collegiate institution in 1876. Rev Samuel Langdon became the first Missionary Principal of the school. The school was vested in the Government in 1962 until which time the school was under the Wesleyan Methodist Mission. During this period there were seventeen Methodist Missionary and three Ceylonese Methodist Principals. The first Buddhist Principal D G Welikala was appointed in 1962. Since then the school has had ten Principals up to the present times. Of all the Principals Richmond had, seven were old boys. Claude Ivor de Silva, who took care of the school until it was taken over, is the oldest living principal now aged 94 years.



For a school to exist uninterrupted for 203 years is a great achievement. Being the oldest Wesleyan Methodist School in Sri Lanka and Asia is also a great prestige.



Several Richmond Missionary Principals left an indelible mark in the College History. Rev Samuel Langdon is credited with introducing science to schools in Sri Lanka. The Rev James Hone Darrell Memorial Hall of the college, built in 1898 by the Rev Darrell, is an engineering marvel. It has no pillars to support a high tiled roof and has withstood the test of time for more than a century. Rev W J T Small is credited with for being in the forefront with the Buddhists in the Temperance movement.

In 1876 Rev George Baughs unremitting efforts to convert the school in to a high school paid off. It became a High School. For many years, the misinterpretation of the transformation of the Anglo-vernacular school in Richmond Hill to a High school or a collegiate institute was taken as the beginning of the school. The Methodist Church of Sri Lanka recently made a proclamation rectifying the error.
Manthika Ranasinghe - Project Chair, SLIM NASCO, Nandana Wickramage - Advisor to the Jury

As entries closed for the eagerly awaited National Sales Congress (NASCO) 2017, The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) which organizes the annual event, proudly announced that this year witnessed the highest number of entries in the history of NASCO. This year has recorded over 550 entries across categories of sales frontliners, executives, supervisors and territory managers from 22 industries. A total of 110 companies have come on board of which 12 are first-timers at NASCO, which reflects a steep rise over the previous year. The SLIM NASCO Committee is currently in the process of judging the record number of entries as participating companies in the fray await with bated breath for the winners to be announced at the NASCO 2017 Gala Award Ceremony to be held in October.

Commenting on the judging process, Manthika Ranasinghe  Project Chair, SLIM NASCO, said, The eminent panel of judges consists of sales veterans who can identify a genuine performer with the potential to achieve success personally and for the company. Winning this award and the resultant national recognition lends self-esteem and motivation. The opportunity to meet and be interviewed by such an eminent panel in itself is a lifetime experience. The suggestions given by the panel of judges would come in very handy for self-improvement. Throughout the years of this competition, we have seen the progress of certain award winners who have taken up greater challenges within their companies. The judges follow a very strict but a fair and unbiased process to select the best of the best who will be crowned as the winner. I would like to wish all the contestants taking part in SLIM NASCO 2017, all the every best!

As the National Body for Marketing, SLIM has been in the forefront in fostering marketing knowledge and best practices in the country, and SLIM NASCO is the only national event which recognises and rewards sales personnel covering a spectrum of business sectors. Organized for the 17thconsecutive year, NASCO awards are being presented in 15 diverse business sectors under which categories territorial managers, sales executives/sales supervisors and front-liners are recognised. In addition to Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, best female sales personnel are also recognised under each category.

SLIM NASCO fights to instil importance and recognition in the sales profession. A national level competition with participation from different industries has continuously improved the standard of the individuals. Hence, this competition has made a positive impact on the corporate sector.

Nandana Wickramage  Advisor to the Jury, says, The judging process will take into account the individual's input to the selling strategy and how differently the candidate had approached the challenges when compared to the others in a similar industry. Also, unique sales techniques and patterns used by individuals to connect with customers and convincing them for the buying decision will be considered. The candidates positive attitude, passion, confidence and the drive would also be assessed. Thorough understanding of the current job role, the company's expectation from the individual, market dynamics and the readiness to take up the next job on the career line would attract more attention of the judges. Working on a long term plan of investing time and energy into acquiring knowledge, skill and improve abilities in terms of performing the current job efficiently and to be prepared to accept the immediate next position in line would no doubt attract more points.

The sectors for nominations are: Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Financial Services & Banking, Industrial, Media, Consumer Durables, Telecommunication, Fashion & Clothing, Healthcare, Modern Retail, Travel & Leisure, Insurance, Alcohol & Tobacco, and Corporate Selling.

Since its inception, the NASCO awards have helped enhance the sales professionalism in Sri Lanka.
REUTERS, 20th JULY, 2017- The Trump administration has decided to halt the CIAs covert program to equip and train certain rebel groups fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, two U.S. officials said, a move sought by Assad ally Russia.



The U.S. decision, said one of the officials, is part of an effort by the administration to improve relations with Russia, which along with Iranian-supported groups has largely succeeded in preserving Assads government in the six-year-civil war.
President Trump took aim at Jeff Sessions, fired FBI director James Comey and Robert Mueller in a no-holds barred interview on Wednesday.



Speaking to The New York Times, he admonished Sessions, the attorney general, for recusing himself from the Russia investigation and said he never would have given him the position had he known ahead of time.Next in the firing line was ousted FBI director James Comey.



Trump said he believed Comey, who he fired in May, was leveraging the now infamous dirty dossier of made-up material that was supposed to incriminate the president and his connections to Russia in order to keep his job.



In his interview on Tuesday, the president did not shy away from discussing the investigations new leader, Robert Mueller.



While Trump insisted to the Times that he would never instruct the Justice Department to fire Mueller, he did warn that if he turned the investigation towards his familys finances beyond Russia, he would consider it going too far.



I think thats a violation. Look, this is about Russia, he said.



He also claimed that Muellers office was rife was conflicts of interest and said confidently: I dont think were under investigation. Im not under investigation. For what? I didnt do anything wrong.

The president also touched on his meeting with Vladimir Putin after the G20 summit, claiming the pair only spoke for 15 minutes and that the conversation was about Russias ban on US citizens adopting children from the country.



US (Daily Mail),

20 July 2017
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today commended the Sri Lankan government for establishing the Office of Missing Persons (OMP).

Releasing a statement, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General said the Office was a significant milestone for all Sri Lankans still searching for the truth about their missing loved ones.

The United Nations stands ready to support this process and the Secretary-General looks forward to the OMP becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of the independent commissioners, the statement said.
If we could continue all the medical experiments in all the medical sciences, it would help to fill up all the loopholes by adding them to one, and that could be the result of creating of the Universal Medical Science which would be to cure all the diseases, Health and indigenous Minister Dr. Rajitha Senarathne said.

Addressing an appreciation ceremony at the Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation for its achievement of gaining profit of Rs.3.5 billion for this year, he said if appropriate medicine experiments would be conducted to Ayurvedic medicine it would help to make Universal Medical Science.

Several steps have been taken to develop Ayurvedic medicine. The Ministry had decided to convert the written language of the palm leaf manuscripts to understandable local languages. Therefore doctors could gain more knowledge by reading those books. Accordingly, about 600 palm leaf manuscripts had been brought to the Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation at Navinna and began translating them, Dr. Senarathne said.

There was no pharmacopoeia in the Ayurvedic medicine but there is a British pharmacopoeia in western medicine. In British pharmacopoeia, it had included all the details about the drugs in Western Medicine, but unfortunately there is no such pharmacopoeia in the Ayurvedic medicine, he said.

Therefore, the Ministry had started to build a pharmacopoeia in the Ayurvedic medicine. Making of the Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia was handed over to several professors. There is no proper Medical Council in the Ayurvedic Medicine and a proposal has been made today to form a new Medical Council. Likewise, the Ministry is to provide equal rights and standards to Ayurvedic Department similar to Health Department.

The Health Ministry has decided to call an International Medicine Conference at the end of November this year. If this conference would be held end of November this year was success, Sri Lanka would become the centre point of the Medical Science of Alternate Medical Colleges in the world.

During the discussion, the topics of Lankan and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, German Homoeopathy, Korean medical technique etc will be discussed, and about 82 countries would be participating the event in order to discuss their own medicinal techniques. (Chaturanga Pradeep)

Video by Janaka
US, (Daily Mail), 21 July 2017 - Two tourist agencies that operate tours to North Korea said on Friday the U.S. government will soon ban its citizens from travelling to the North.



Koryo Tours said the ban would be announced on July 27 and would go into effect 30 days later.

It said the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular affairs for the United States in the North, informed it of the ban, but did not say how long it would last. But it does seem to be the case that in just over a month, it will be impossible for Americans to visit as tourists, said Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockrell.



Another tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, said on its website that it had also been informed of the ban, citing the same date.



It is expected that the ban will come into force within 30 days of July 27th.
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Where are the Pink Notes? That's a Rs 2,000 Question - was the screaming headline of The Economic Times Delhi edition on July 20.

The conclusion was drawn after talking to several bankers and ATM operators. Neeraj Vyas, chief operating officer of State Bank of India, was quoted as saying: Presently, we are receiving currency notes from the Reserve Bank in denomination of Rs 500 in high-value currency. He went on to say the 2,000 denomination notes are coming over the counters by way of recirculation.

Though the RBI hasnt responded to ETs query, the report says the central bank continues to pump in Rs 500 currency notes ensuring that there is no overall cash crunch, as happened during demonetisation last year.

Bankers say this could be part of the strategy of RBI to keep a leash on the total amount of high value currency in circulation. But could this also be the beginning of the end of the pink notes? Let me give you my reasons for such suspicion:

SBI is recalibrating its ATMs

This report itself says that out of the 2.2 lakh ATMs in the country, around 58,000 ATMs are of SBI. The country's biggest bank has started to recalibrate the Rs 2,000 currency cassettes in a few of its ATMs to Rs 500 currency ones so that more cash can be stuffed inside the machines. That means, in the recalibrated ATMs Rs 2,000 notes cant fit in. So effectively, its the end of the Rs 2,000 notes on these machines.

It was a temporary measure

In March, The Statesman had carried a report saying that in order to curb fresh generation of black money, the government is preparing to gradually phase out the Rs 2,000 note. An official was quoted saying: "The idea behind introduction of the high denomination Rs 2,000 notes was to quickly remonetise the economy with the value in circulation. It was a stop-gap arrangement and now there is enough currency and hence the note should be given the marching orders.

People like Ramdev opposed it

Baba Ramdev has made it clear that he doesn't like the pink note. Photo: Reuters

There was criticism from various corners since the introduction of the Rs 2,000 note, that it will make illegal dealings smoother and increase the generation of black money. Campaigners against black money like yoga guru Baba Ramdev too said the government, in the future, should reconsider the decision to introduce the Rs 2,000 note. He also said he did not like the decision to introduce Rs 2,000 notes after demonetisation.

RSS ideologue said Rs 2,000 note will be phased out

In December 2016, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, who reportedly advised the government on demonetisation, said the new Rs 2,000 note will be phased out within the next five years. Speaking to India Today, he supported the notion of lower-denomination banknotes for the country. He too described the new 2,000 bills as a "bridge" to meet the gap in cash while it was being taken out of circulation after demonetisation. He said: They will remonetise it without demonetising and then withdraw it."

Rs 2,000 note is attracting more fake money dealers

In February, there was a news report in the Hindustan Times which said the Rs 2,000 note might just become Prime Minister Narendra Modis Achilles heel in his mission to crack down on black money. It rightly said that the larger the denomination, the impact on money laundering and fake currency is higher. Larger the notes, easier it is for drug traffickers, gun dealers, and smugglers to carry large sums of money. It means it will defeat all objectives enunciated by the government for demonetisation.

RBI may soon issue Rs 200 note

There are reports that the RBI intends to issue Rs 200 notes to make daily transactions easier for people. Though there is no official confirmation of this, an image of the Rs 200 denomination is doing the rounds on social media. On April 5, 2017, countering such rumours, Minister of State for home Kiren Rijiju said in the Rajya Sabha that there are no plans to demonetise the new Rs 2,000 currency notes.
I can recall many informal conversations in the 1950s and 60s with my fellow Americans about India. They viewed India as part of the Soviet bloc. In those days, the Soviet Union supplied India with weapons and ships. The rhetoric in India was decidedly anti-American and the rhetoric in the United States was very anti-India, despite the shared democratic and entrepreneurial traditions in both countries.

World maps posted in US classrooms in the 1950s and 1960s highlighted American allies. Pakistan was always listed as an ally and India was not.

In the run-up to the 1971 war with Pakistan over Bangladesh, it appeared to me that India faced the danger of a war on two fronts: Pakistan as well as China. At the time, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi signed a treaty for mutual security cooperation with Moscow. This proved effective in keeping China out of the 1971 war, and formed a strong foundation for growing Indo-Soviet cooperation in military and economic affairs.

However, I saw that it further alienated the United States and it made our diplomats wary of dealing with India. I was working at the State Department at that time and the distrust between India and the US was at an all-time high.

When President Richard Nixon paid an official visit to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi earlier that year, the tension between the two of them was evident  even in still photographs. They detested each other and Prime Minister Gandhi made her feelings clear to president Nixon that day. It was a stunning and stinging snub of an American president.

I noted warily Pakistans role in assisting the United States efforts to open diplomatic doors to China in 1971 and, later, as a facilitator of aid to the Afghan resistance fighters against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. As a result, the US effectively looked the other way when it came to Pakistans nuclear programme and the assistance it obtained from China for its missile and nuclear programmes. That is, until the Pressler Amendment was enacted and enforced.

All of these events, of course, have coloured the relationship between India and the US. Indias nuclear test in 1974 did not help matters. The United States saw this move as irresponsible, but what I think Americans failed to understand was that India wanted to be recognised as a mature power with a nuclear deterrent against a nuclear-armed adversary, China, which it had always considered its biggest rival and threat.

India also wanted to offset the unpredictable Pakistan next door. We still treated India as a colonial stepchild and continued to punish the country for its Russian affiliation. It seems to me that any measure India took to defend itself against other nuclear powers like China  and, later, Pakistan  was a legitimate right.

The United States acted like a two-faced ally to India. We acknowledged Indias fears of a nuclear-armed Pakistan and gave lip service to this threat, but did nothing about it. We continued to fund Pakistans military to support the goal of fighting the spectre of communism anywhere in the world at the expense of furthering our nuclear non-proliferation goals in South Asia.

Now, once again, we are funding the rogue government of Pakistan because we need their questionable help in fighting the terrorists in Afghanistan. This move risks the use of US taxpayer money for purposes contrary to our interests. To my mind, it seems befitting that India and the US should be the closest of allies  more so than they are currently. We should have a "super alliance".

Once again, the US is funding the rogue government of Pakistan because we need their questionable help in fighting the terrorists in Afghanistan.

As the largest democracy in South Asia, India is more like the United States than any other country in that region. However, other than advancements largely in information technology and intellectual property, a large proportion of the Indian people are so impoverished that they are essentially oppressed. Weapons and arms  that has been the principal focus between our two governments, and that saddens me.

I strongly believe we need to do more to promote Indias interests worldwide. We tout England and Israel as our closest allies, yet Indias democratic government, location, brain trust, and trade synergies make it a natural and potentially more important economic and geopolitical ally for the future. We should decisively choose India and stop pretending that India and Pakistan are diplomatically equal. We must downgrade Pakistan and treat it as it is: an irresponsible, dishonest, rogue state.

As we continue to root out terrorists worldwide, it is important that we stand by our friends around the world who reflect our faith in democracy, entrepreneurship, human rights and religious freedom. India is the biggest of these friends. We must make the alliance between the democracies of India and the United States a robust economic one, built on a foundation of trust, shared democratic values and mutually beneficial trade and knowledge-sharing.

India should be granted a special relationship with the United States, one that gives it a preferred status in trade, knowledge-sharing, intelligence-sharing, immigration and defence. Part of that defence should include defending India against China.

I recognise that defence officials view China as Americas biggest potential threat in the world today. At least one of the historical motivations for continuing aid to Pakistan was to prevent it from becoming a client state of Chinas. The Obama administration quietly started executing its "Pacific Pivot" strategy, which has been turning our diplomats and our navys focus to Asia, and more specifically, to China. Perhaps to amplify this threat, the Octopus provokes and pokes China.

When I was in Cambodia in 2010, for instance, the US sailed big warships into Cambodian ports, allegedly bringing in medical supplies. But my State Department contacts told me it was actually a show of force to irritate the Chinese  and to reinforce the importance of maintaining open sea lanes for international trade. Naval manoeuvres like these are strictly a way for the Octopus to taunt the Chinese and remind them that the US is in control and committed to keeping international waters free and open  especially in the South China Sea.

This strategy involves the cooperation of India as well. Over the course of my lifetime, I have witnessed India migrate from a pro-Russian country with an anti-American prime minister to a pro-American country and one of our closest allies in the region. I recall in the 1950s listening to very anti-American remarks from VK Krishna Menon, the legendary Indian ambassador to the United Nations.

Now Prime Minister Modi says just the opposite of what Menon said  a 180-degree shift. It seems to me that both India and the US see the other as important allies in containing the geopolitical influence of China.

Neighbours in Arms: An American Senator's Quest for Disarmament in a Nuclear Subcontinent; Penguin/Viking; Rs 699.

In my recent discussions with current and former senior navy officials, I have learnt that the United States is on the verge of a massive effort to help build up the Indian Navy, and outfit its navy ships with nuclear weapons. The Indian Navys ship inventory is being significantly modernised.

Most notable was the secret commissioning in August 2016 of its first nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), the INS Arihant, and the January 2017 test of a long-range nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile from an underwater pontoon.

The Chinese are posturing aggressively against the US Navy in the Philippines and the Spratly Islands, a disputed group of islands in the South China Sea near Vietnam. This archipelago is situated in the middle of important air and sea navigation routes. Free access to the South China Sea is critical for international trade and travel. In addition, there are oil and gas reserves there.

We really do not want a naval war with China. It would be costly to defend a place like the Spratly Islands. But we can send China a devastating message by strengthening the Indian Navy. An Indian Navy that has the capability of delivering nuclear weapons would cause China great concern.

In fact, if we actually outfitted the Indian Navy with nuclear weapons, China might back down from its antagonistic stance in the region.
The red dragon is firing irresponsible and provocative statements on the Sikkim standoff again and again. The newest in the series came out with the headline Hindu nationalism risks pushing India into war with China in the state-backed Global Times on July 19, 2017.

The article, which was crafted in a threatening mode, takes on PM Narendra Modi and Hindu nationalism without any legitimacy, and blames Indias rising nationalist feelings for the present tumultuous situation at the border.

Anti-China sentiments are rising in India with an upsurge of nationalism, states China. Its a statement China released to cover up its sins of expansionism and errors of political strategy in dealing with India.

The problem is with Chinas colonial mindset and their aggressive military desires, not with Indian nationalism.

The weeks-long confrontation on the shared border between China, India and Bhutan is orchestrated and executed by China. Indias stand was clear in the statement issued by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in the Upper House.

Over the years, China has been trying to get closer and closer to where the tri-junction point ends. It has done things like repair roads, re-tar them and things like that, the minister said.

Issues with China have nothing to do with Indias Hindu nationalism. Nor was it the result of Indias failed diplomacy. China is accusing Modi for acting tough on it and Pakistan as directed by the so-called religious fundamentalists here.

Pakistan has been waging a bloody failed-war on India since 1947 through multiple modes. China is mentoring it now in all possible ways by taking the country as a little brother. But India has no right to defend. Thats what China thinks!

The Chinese have selective amnesia on diplomatic developments in post-Modi India. Chinese president Xi Jinpings visit to India in September 2014 was the result of Modis openness to China. Then most of the foreign policy experts were of the opinion that Modis diplomacy with a personal touch would change Indias equations with China in an unprecedented way. Then what happened?

The Chinese have selective amnesia on diplomatic developments in post-Modi India. Photo: Reuters

India did nothing wrong. But China did. Look at this statement from a former US diplomat amid the Sikkim standoff. China needs to acknowledge that India is a force to be reckoned with and countries in the region are unsettled by Beijing's behaviour, former US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told PTI.

India has shown no hesitance to increase trade with China, but they have no interest in supporting India when it comes to crucial matters. Even after Modis call for a more constructive friendship, China decided to provide immunity to the epicentre of anti-India terrorism Pakistan, engaged in blocking Indias bid to the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) and gave a good certificate to Maulana Masood Azhar, the architect of many terror strikes in India and the leader of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

More than that, China played tricks with the One Belt One Road initiative. Despite China's goodwill in inviting India to join the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), India insists on interpreting the project as part of China's strategic containment and encirclement of it, the article in Global Times points out.

Whats this so-called goodwill of China? Its the hidden agenda of the Communist state. The most important element of BRI is the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Along with expanding its tentacles in developing countries, the dragon has plans to end Indias claim on PoK.

The last point in the Global Times piece is about their concern about Indias minorities. The Modi government can do nothing if religious nationalism becomes extreme, as shown in its failure to curb violent incidents against Muslims since he came to power in 2014, it noted. Does India need the mentoring of a nation which treats religions in a ruthless manner?

The crackdown on dissent, activism, religion and civil society by the Chinese government has only a few parallels in the world. The death of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo in Chinese custody is the latest example in this bloody crackdown.
The present standoff at the tri-junction between Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan, on the southern tip of the Chumbi, is a worrying development. While recently addressing the foreign diplomats in Delhi, foreign secretary S Jaishankar rightly stated that China has been "unusually aggressive and articulate".

Beijing seems to have only one argument, ie the 1890 convention between the British and the Manchus, conveniently forgetting several other agreements, particularly the 1893 Trade Regulations (1890 twin accord) which allowed India to open a trade mart in Yatung in the Chumbi Valley.

Treasure

There is also general amnesia on the fact that the Tibetans never recognised the 1890 Convention as Lhasa and Paro were not consulted by the "Great Imperial Powers". Tsepon WD Shakabpa, the Tibetan historian explained: "In 1890 a convention was drawn up without consulting the government of Tibet and since (Tibet) was not represented at the Convention, those articles were not allowed to be put into practice by the Tibetans. The British were aware that China exercised no real power in Tibet at that time."

To come back to the present day, Jaishankar told a panel of MPs that India has clearly outlined its position on the border though the Chinese have a differing position, "but they are misinterpreting it and so India was trying to clarify it. He said that India has been maintaining the same position since 1895 as per an Anglo-Chinese agreement."

One can only hope that reason will prevail in Beijing, but a solution is bound to take time.

In this context, an anecdote came back to mind.

A few years ago, an acquaintance who, as a young diplomat, was posted in Gangtok in the Political Officer's office told me that in 1975-76, soon after the merger of the Himalayan State with India, he spent months going through all the historical records kept in Gangtok between 1889 to 1975; Delhi's orders were to dispatch them to Delhi for safe custody.

Once his work was over; the diplomat sent six truck-loads of old files to Delhi under CRPF escort. Since then, nobody seems to know where these Sikkim Papers are and if this archival treasure still exists. It would have an immense historical value today to show that India and Tibet had a different relation than the one portrayed by China; further Beijing would be unable to bluff its way through with incorrect historical information. Gangtok has seen many remarkable personages serving as Political Officer's (POs).

The first was Claude White, a British engineer who was sent to Sikkim in 1887 to tackle the tense situation on the Sikkim-Tibet border in the north. A year later, White came back to Sikkim as an assistant political officer of a British Expeditionary Force which defeated the Tibetans a year later; this resulted in the 1890 Convention. In the meantime, a post of Political Officer in Sikkim had been created, making Claude White, the administrative head of the entire Himalayan region.

Tragedy

In his book Sikkim and Bhutan: 21 Years on the North East Frontier 1887-1908, the first PO wrote, "one of the first things to be done after his arrival in Sikkim was to build a house, the site for which was found in the midst of the jungles around Gangtok"; then called the Residency, it is today's the Raj Bhavan.

Though South Block probably has copies of some of the Sikkim Papers, the entire set is not traceable (it is at least what I was told). It is a tragedy for researchers and it would undoubtedly help strengthen India's case in the present circumstances.

History

Interesting officers occupied the Residency in Gangtok. Among them, Sir Charles Bell who had developed a deep friendship with the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, when the latter was living in exile in Kalimpong, but also Frederick Bailey who was instrumental in mapping the North-East, what became the McMahon Line in 1914; and Sir Basil Gould, who in the 1930s, travelled to Tibet to establish diplomatic relations with a then Independent Tibet or Arthur Hopkinson, the religious-minded ICS officer, who was asked by the government of India to continue for a year after Independence as the First "Indian" PO.

Harishwar Dayal took over from Hopkinson and was officiating when Tibet was invaded by the Chinese troops in October 1950. Once in a cable to the Prime Minister, Dayal dared quoting a dispatch sent from Hugh Richardson, the Scottish-born "Indian" representative in Lhasa; on June 15, 1949, he suggested that India might consider occupying Chumbi Valley up to Phari "in an extreme emergency".

This did not go well with Nehru, but in November 1950, Dayal wrote: "This suggestion was not favoured by the government of India at the time. It was however proposed as a purely defensive measure and with NO aggressive intention. An attack on Sikkim or Bhutan would call for defensive military operations by the government of India."

Though it is history now, it is what China's PLA strategists would today call "active defence". Let us hope that the Sikkim Papers could soon be traced, they contain the history of Modern Himalaya.
Scottish craft beer club, Beer52 has doubled subscriptions every year since it was founded in Edinburgh four years ago.

The company ships a collection of local craft beers from a different country in Europe once a month (Estonia this time around) to its paying subscribers throughout the UK.

Co-founder Fraser Doherty spoke to DI about the history of the company and the successes and issues facing Beer52.

My business partner James Brown came up with the idea when he was driving his motorcycle through Europe visiting different breweries, said Doherty.

When James went to Belgium he was amazed by the amount of independent breweries there were which arent known in the UK.

Doherty continued to say that the main aim of the company is to educate people on craft beers and make the lesser-known brands more accessible.

Doherty added: I think the biggest challenge we face is the logistics of sending a variety of foreign beers in a single package to a vast array of customers around the UK on time.

We see ourselves as a monthly beer festival.

Doherty made the point that no single beer will ever be used twice and that along with the package of different products, each subscriber receives a copy of Ferment magazine  which is produced in-house.

Beer52 claims to be the words largest craft beer club and Doherty believes there is room for the UK craft beer hype to continue for at least another decade, in line with the US.
Drones are becoming an almost indispensable tool in the oil industry, especially when it is necessary to inspect land, equipment and infrastructure in hazardous or hard-to-access conditions. Drones are also important for safety and security because the information is quick, accurate, and can be easily archived. But, those applications tend to be in the mid-stream (transportation and processing) and downstream (refining and distribution) segments of the industry. But what about upstream, in the exploration and development phase of the industry? Drones are used extensively there as well; they are just more subtle, and they do not create such a ubiquitous presence. This presentation reviews the main applications of drones and UAV-derived information in upstream oil and gas, which includes drilling and operations, as well as using drones for outcrop studies that are then used to create more accurate geological models, and better reservoir characterization. Be sure to watch the video which also includes a review of quadcopters with the best flight time





This presentation covers some of the most quickly growing uses of drone / unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses in oil and gas exploration and development:









Surveys

Site surveys in tricky terrain: Building locations, determining the best places to put the equipment and all the trucks during hydraulic fracturing, as well as positioning gates, fences, and cattle guards can be significantly expedited by using drone surveys. Seismic surveys require an evaluation of the land ahead of time. Archeological and endangered species surveys are required on many federal lands.





Oil and Gas Exploration: Direct Hydrocarbon Indicators

Surface geochemistry has been used since the very beginning: the methane seeps around the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan, were indicators of vast reserves in the subsurface; in Tulsa Creekology usually meant going up the creek from where you saw an oil seep.

Now, a combination of methane seep detection and airborne gravity magnetics can be used to find pinpoint play reservoirs, such as pinnacle reefs in Michigan or serpentine plugs in South Texas.





Fugitive Methane Emissions

Methane detection is also used to detect fugitive emissions, which create safety hazards in pipelines and facilities.





In addition, EPA and BLM regulations require monitoring and reduction of methane emissions in oil and gas operations. While it is possible to mount static methane detectors or sniffers in compressors, gas gathering systems, and pipelines, they need to be maintained each year, and also installation can be slow. If it is necessary to install several thousand of them, the time sink can be significant. So, having airborne surveys has become a popular option. In the past, helicopters were used, because the sensors were heavy. Today, there are a number of quadcopters that have methane sensors onboard. There are different types of methane sensors, which range from sniffers, laser detectors, thermal (FLIR) with infrared, to hyperspectral.





Environmental Applications

Upstream operations must concern themselves water management, site restoration, archaeological surveys, rare / endangered species surveys, floodplain management, offshore / coastal erosion, flooding, spills, fires, and monitoring. In addition, drone surveys are useful in determining volumetrics, such as the amount of water in a pond.





Constantly Evolving Technology

Quadcopters are increasing in capacity, with longer flight times and better payloads (high-definition cameras, thermal cameras (FLIR), methane sensors, and more). The weak link continues to be the issue of battery life: the lithium batteries average 25 minutes of flight time, and then must be recharged.





Sensors are evolving rapidly, and in the case of methane sensors, there is a rivalry among them, with spectroscopy, sniffers, optical sensors, infrared, hyperspectral, laser, and more.





Drones for Better Reservoir Characterization





While custom drones are used, many studies use off-the-shelf quadcopters, which are surprisingly affordable and have up to 30 minutes of Digital outcrop studies are useful in and of themselves, but when integrated with subsurface data of the same formations, the resulting models are truly surprising. They can be used to characterize reservoirs, and thus predict and depict heterogeneity, facies changes, lithology, fracture networks, and faults. The information can be used to calculate porosity and permeability, as well as to predict fluid flow and reservoir conditions.While custom drones are used, many studies use off-the-shelf quadcopters, which are surprisingly affordable and have up to 30 minutes of flight time (bring extra batteries into the field).





The key to developing an integrated reservoir model that includes digital outcrops and other information is developing a flexible and appropriate workflow.

Collect traditional information (outcrop data)

Digitize and georeference the conventional outcrop data

Collect satellite and drone-derived digital images of the same location (process and georeferenced)

Incorporate LIDAR (process and georeferenced)

Incorporate still photography (process and georeferenced)

Integrate all the surface data

Build a model using geocellular modeling with a program such as Schlumbergers Petrel
ELKO  Firefighters held the line this week on a group of northeastern Nevada blazes that were started by lightning on July 14. Hot and dry weather is expected to continue, however, and a chance of thunderstorms will return Sunday and into next week.

The Snowstorm Fire has burned 158,135 acres and is 83 percent contained. Two smaller fires that burned a combined 1,800 acres were also part of the Four Season Complex located north of Midas.

Crews were mopping up hot spots around the perimeter and repairing damage caused by fire suppression efforts. Building firelines with dozers was very effective in stopping the spread of the fire, but now those firelines must be repaired to prevent erosion and speed up their recovery, stated the Nortwest Incident Management Team.

Weve been honored to lead this suppression effort here in Northern Nevada, said Brian Goff, Incident Commander. The support we have received from the individuals, communities and agencies affected has been exceptional. We also need to thank the firefighters that came from all over the country to help in the effort. They have performed in a very professional manner and have accomplished our objectives safely.

The Four Seasons Complex is north of an even larger burn, the Roosters Comb Fire, which blackened more than 218,000 acres the prior week. Two smaller fires south of Winnemucca were also being brought under control, while the Oil Well Fire northeast of Elko was listed as fully contained after burning 7,500 acres.

The forecast for the Elko area calls for highs in the mid to upper 90s through Sunday, followed by a chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday night through Wednesday night.

With no large, active fires burning in Nevada, smoke was still evident across much of the state.

Skies should remain smoky for the next few days due to other fires in the region, stated the fire team. These include a 74,000 acre blaze near Yosemite National Park.
An Albemarle County businessman who admitted defrauding a longtime friend's widow of more than $3 million pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to wire and bank fraud.

Victor M. Dandridge III, 53, was charged July 5 with:

* wire fraud, from January 2006 to last April;

* bank fraud against the Blue Ridge Bank, from May 2015 to last October; and

* wire fraud that victimized the Virginia Omicron Chapter House Association, for which he was president, in April 2014.

His 10-page plea agreement calls for him to make $3,193,793 in restitution to a victim identified only as "L.K."; $303,289 to the Blue Ridge Bank; and $118,527 to the Virginia Omicron Chapter House Association.

Dandridge faces up to 70 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines when sentenced on Oct. 20 by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, though federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for a shorter term. He was allowed to remain free until sentencing.

While "L.K." was not identified in court or in court documents, Dandridge is being sued by Lynne Kinder of Richmond, who alleges 13 counts of financial misconduct over the management of the Kinder family's assets after the death of her husband, Carr Lanier "Trey" Kinder III, in 2005 at the age of 41.

After pleading guilty Wednesday, Dandridge addressed Hudson and also turned to members of the Kinder family who were in the courtroom and said, "I'm sorry for what I've done." He also accepted responsibility for what he had done.

The judge said he appreciated that, but added: "You have caused tremendous damage to this family."

Lynne Kinder's suit seeks $9 million, claiming that Dandridge diminished the family's fortune from 2007 to 2016 and accusing him of illegally managing money for other clients during that time period.

The suit says Dandridge offered to help manage the assets for Kinder after her husband  and his longtime friend  died unexpectedly. Carr Kinder practiced corporate law at Hunton & Williams and worked at Wachovia Securities, where he was a managing director.

In an eight-page statement of facts signed by Dandridge on Wednesday, he admitted that when "John Doe"  apparently Carr Kinder, a close friend he had known since childhood  died on Dec. 31, 2005, he left behind "Victim No. 1," a widow with two children. Dandridge admitted he then offered to help her handle her finances and settle the estate.

Dandridge also admitted that the victim told him that she wanted her money placed in conservative, low-risk investments and that he proposed primarily traditional mutual fund investments.

Instead, Dandridge diverted most of the victim's money into bank accounts for entities that he owned and controlled. He told the victim that he would not take any management fees or compensation for his help.

"In truth and fact, Dandridge used most of Victim No. 1's money for his personal expenditures and to prop up his other failing businesses," according to the statement of facts.

He also admitted that he had the victim authorize wire transfers to investments without explaining the risks or where the money was coming from  in many instances, causing the transfer of money from her account to accounts controlled by him.

Furthermore, he admitted lying to the Blue Ridge Bank to obtain a promissory note, among other things. And he admitted that in April 2014, he refinanced the mortgage for the Virginia Omicron Chapter House Association, associated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, on Madison Lane in Charlottesville, for $330,000 when the balance on the existing mortgage was $204,000.

He arranged for $100,000 in excess loan proceeds to be sent to a bank account he controlled to prop up failing businesses and personal expenditures. He did not tell anyone on the Omicron board of directors about the embezzlement.

Dandridge has filed for bankruptcy in federal court in Lynchburg.

"Mr. Dandridge deeply regrets his actions and the terrible consequences that they have had for his victims and others," said a statement from Dandridges lawyer, Jay Galloway and Francis Lawrence. "He accepts sole and total responsibility for his actions. He is undertaking and has undertaken efforts to assist in recovering assets for the victims, in addition to being fully transparent and cooperative with each party and the government. He pleaded guilty as charged and has committed his life after he is released from prison to paying the moneys back in full."
 Advancing Native Missions holds the Banquet for the Voiceless from 6 to 9 p.m. July 28 at the ANM headquarters, 10460 Critzers Shop Road in Afton. advancingnativemissions.com. (540) 456-7111.

 Laurel Hill Baptist Church hosts a Community All-You-Can Eat Pancake Breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday. Adults $8, children younger than $5. The church offers drive-thru prayer with coffee and doughnuts from 6 to 8 a.m. each Thursday; pickleball is played from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays; and a Bible study of 1 Thessalonians is being held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. each Wednesday through Aug. 16. 3595 Grand Forks Blvd. (434) 973-6125.

 Operation Esther Prayer Circle and Student Christian Study Center meet jointly from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. each Thursday through Aug. 17, offering prayer for incoming students. Koinonea Church, 257 Bob Finley Way. (434) 227-0811.

 Overseas Students Mission hosts breakfast for pastors and outreach staff volunteers to discuss faith-based welcomes for incoming international students on Wednesday and Fridays mornings through Aug. 11. Call (434) 227-0811 for time and location.

 Scottsville United Methodist Church hosts a free community dinner cook-out style from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday. A sing-along Gospel jam will follow. 158 Main St. (434) 286-4736.

 St. Nicholas Learning Center at Saints Peter and Paul Church (Palmyra) holds an open house from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 3. 4309 Thomas Jefferson Parkway. saintspeterpaul.org. (434) 589-5201.
Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

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
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
Political scientist: Azerbaijan has adopted a clear strategy  to provoke tensions on the border

The results of the presidential elections in Artsakh were predictable, nothing new happened on the day of elections, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan said on July 21. He says several years ago, many hoped that Artsakh's democratization might become the basis for the international community to solve the Artsakh problem, today, there is no hope at all. "The international community will not solve the problem of Armenians, specifically Artsakh instead of Artsakh people, that is to say, if you are good, no one will give you candy for it, Mr. Iskandaryan said. -Artsakh border does not demand on the outcome of elections. Azerbaijan has adopted a clear strategy  to regularly provoke tensions on the border. Azerbaijan neither starts large-scale military operations, nor wants to negotiate [over the Karabakh issue]. Azerbaijan understands that neither war nor negotiations can bring a solution to the conflict, that is why I think the situation will continue to remain the same, he said. Azerbaijan exercises psychological pressure on Armenia. This strategy is typical of that country. Azerbaijan and Artsakh cannot be compared in any way. At this stage, Azerbaijan is like Egypt during the years of Mubarak's rule or Libya during Gaddafis presidency.
Artsakh Parliament convenes extraordinary session before summer holidays

On July 21, the Parliament of Artsakh Republic convened an extraordinary session on the initiative of the Government and with the agenda proposed thereby. Before proceeding to the legislative work, the President of the National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan congratulated MP Lyudmila Barseghyan on her birthday and, on behalf of all deputies, wished health and new success. Passing to the agenda of the session, the Parliament discussed: 1. "Judicial Code of Artsakh Republic", Laws of the Republic of Artsakh: "On Amendments to the Code of Administrative Procedure of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", "On Amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", "On Amendments to the Code of Criminal Proceedings of the Nagorno- Karabakh "," On Making Amendments to the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic "On Judicial Service". 2. Laws of the Republic of Artsakh On the Audit Chamber, On Amending the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On the Budget System of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, On Amending the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On the Treasury System, On Making Amendments to the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On Public Service, On Making Addenda to the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On Auditing Activities, On Amending the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On the Prosecutor's Office, On Amending the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On the Payment of Persons Occupying State Positions, On Amending the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On the Organization and Conduct of Inspections in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, On Making Amendments to the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On the Local Self-governance, On Making Amendments to the Electoral Code of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, On Making Amendments to the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On Parties, On Making Amendments to the Law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic On Social Guarantees of Persons Holding Public Office. The Heads of the Sanding Committee on State and Legal Affairs, and Budget, Financial and Economic Management Hovik Jivanyan and Ruslan Israelyan presented the positive opinions of the commissions-in-charge. During the exchange of views on the submitted draft laws, an MP Eduard Aghabekyan delivered a speech. An authorized representative of the Government, Minister of Justice Ararat Danielyan answered the questions. The Parliament voted in favor of the mentioned legislative packages in the second reading. By adopting the laws, the legislature has satisfied the requirements of Article 167 (2) of the Constitution, according to which the Judicial Code and the Law "On the Audit Chamber" shall be brought in compliance with the Constitution prior to the assumption of the office by the President of the Republic elected by the Parliament. Expressing gratitude for the constructive work, the NA President announced that from July 24 the Parliament takes a month-long summer vacation.
Reliance Jio is expected to launch its Lyf 4G VoLTE feature phone at its AGM on Friday.

Mumbai: Amidst other telecom players alleging Reliance Jio of causing market disruptions, the telecom giant is expected "unfold a new chapter" with the launch of its dirt cheap, 4G VoLTE feature phone at its annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) which posted a robust 28 per cent rise in its Q1 earnings, will be hosting its AGM from 11 am, where Mukesh Ambani will elaborate on the companys performance. However, all eyes are on the expected launch of Relaince Jios 4G VoLTE smartphone which experts have priced anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,500.

We are all set to unfold a new chapter of the #JioDigitalLife. Join us at the Reliance AGM 2017, tomorrow at 11 AM. #RILAGM2017 pic.twitter.com/1nqd5z9nKx  Reliance Jio (@reliancejio) July 20, 2017

The Reliance Jio 4G VolTE Lyf phone is expected to feature a few top Chinese original device manufacturers including Zhejiang Techain Electronics Technology Co., Shenzhen CHINO-E Communication Co, Crave and Megaphone. Sticking to its game plan of providing premium yet affordable services, it is expected to combine the best of Jios super cheap 4G data services with that of its VoLTE technology.

Currently, Jio is the only player in the telecom market to offer VoLTE services. Others like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea are still running it on pilot basis and are yet to launch it commercially.

The launch of the phone follows Jios Dhan Dhana Dhan offer which single-handedly took over the telecom market last year. As of March, Jio had recorded over a user base of over 100 million subscribers.
New Delhi: The government today said as many as 77.5 lakh traders are registered on GSTN and help desks have been set up in every commissionerate to facilitate filing of tax return.

"Till July 18, 2017, the total number of GSTIN (Goods and Services Taxpayer Identification Number) registration is 77,55,416," Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He further said Internet is not required for doing or conducting business, but it would be required only for the purpose of filing of returns under the GST.

"The government has ensured that the return filling process is made convenient for all taxpayers by setting up help desks in every commissionerate and by appointing GST Suvidha Providers," he said.

Gangwar in another reply said it is difficult to predict whether corruption will be wiped out, but the implementation of GST will definitely bring about transparency in business operations related to taxation.

The implementation of GST in itself is expected to have a positive impact on the overall growth of the economy, he said, adding that it is also expected to have a positive impact on the ease of doing business and making India an even more attractive destination for foreign investments.

Various studies, including that from NCAER, have estimated that growth in GDP to be around 1-2 per cent due to the implementation of GST.

Replying to another question, Gangwar said, since GST has been implemented only with effect from July 1, it cannot be stated that it helps to bring out black money at this moment.

However, he said, the provision in SGST, CGST, UTGST and IGST have a self policing mechanism.
New Delhi: The GST Council at its meeting next month is likely to take up taxation issues raised by sectoral bodies along with a review of the implementation of the new tax regime, a top official said.

Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) Chairperson Vanaja Sarna also said the department is keeping track of revenue trends post the GST rollout from July 1, but actual positions will be known after returns are filed in September.

The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state counterparts, will meet on August 5 to review implementation of the new tax regime.

"Different issues will be coming to the table (at the next Council meeting). Things that have been brought to our notice may be on the rules and the implementation. Maybe, even on rates," Sarna told reporters on the sidelines of a Ficci event here.

Asked if concerns raised by the textile sector will be taken up, she said "possibly". Certain textile traders have been protesting against 5 per cent GST rate on fabric. They want the tax rate to be zero. Surat-based traders who have been protesting, however, withdrew the strike earlier this week.

"Whatever issues have been raised... will be taken up (by the Council). When you roll out something as mammoth as GST, I would say you will always find problems or issues probably coming in till six months or a year," Sarna said. Asked about revenues from Customs post July 1, she said revenue has been "good and buoyant".

The goods and services tax (GST), rolled out from July 1, is a uniform tax structure that replaces 17 different levies, including excise, service tax and VAT.
Telecom regulator Trai said the industry has reached a consensus that there is no need for a floor price for telecom services as of now.

New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai on Friday said the industry has reached a consensus that there is no need for a floor price for telecom services as of now.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R S Sharma said he met representatives of all service providers today and arrived at a consensus that fixing the floor price "is not a workable idea".

"The consensus is that as of now, we don't need to pursue the idea of a floor price. We had detailed discussions for over two hours today. There will be no further discussion or consultation on the issue," he added.

Trai met operators after a section of incumbent telecom companies demanded fixation of a minimum floor price for data and voice calls. If a minimum floor price had been set, it could have meant an end to freebies in the market.

The tariffs are currently under forbearance  operators virtually have a free hand in fixing the rates and report tariff plans to Trai in 7 days of launch -- and, hence, a floor price setting would have implied a shift from that regime.

"Consensus at the end of the meeting was that there is no need to pursue the idea and it has been collectively decided not to forego the principle of forbearance," Sharma said.

During the meeting, Idea Cellular is learnt to have batted for fixation of a minimum floor price through a one-hour presentation, while newcomer Reliance Jio termed the proposal as a regressive and anti-competitive step.
The government is not considering any proposal to waive farm loans. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: The government is not considering any proposal to waive farm loans, the Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha that no debt waiver scheme for farmers was announced by the central government during the last three years.

"There is no proposal under consideration of the Union Government to waive loans of farmers," Gangwar said.

The minister's statement comes at a time when Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka have announced farm loan waivers.

On June 12, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the Centre would not fund any of the loan waivers by states and they will have to find their own resources for doing so.

In 2008, the government waived farm loans to the tune of Rs 74,000 crore.

Replying to another query, the minister said agriculture loans disbursed by regional rural banks (RRBs) during 2016-17 were over Rs 1.23 lakh crore.

Replying to another question, Gangwar said 29.09 crore bank accounts have been opened as on July 12, 2017 under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana(PMJDY).
Deputy Speaker of Armenian Parliament meets with US Ambassador to Armenia

On July 21, the RA NA Deputy Speaker, the Head of the RA NA Armenia-USA Friendship Group Arpine Hovhannisyan met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Armenia Richard Mills. The RA NA Deputy Speaker Arpine Hovhannisyan highlighted the development of the relations with the USA, the deepening of the inter-parliamentary ties and strengthening of cooperation in different spheres. The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly highly assessed the role of the Friendship Groups in the full implementation of the parliamentary diplomacy potential and underlined the effective cooperation of the two countries parliamentarians and the activation of the mutual visits. Arpine Hovhannisyan evaluated the continuous efforts of the United States aimed at strengthening of Armenias democratic institutes, the efficiency of the fight against corruption, the development of the civil society and the implementation of the reforms. Richard Mills congratulated Arpine Hovhannisyan in being elected in the post of the RA NA Deputy Speaker and leading Armenia-USA Friendship Group. The Ambassador highly appreciated Arpine Hovhannisyans contribution and efforts in further deepening of bilateral relations and expressed conviction that the cooperation in the legislative body will be as efficient as it has been in the executive body. The friendship and partnership of our states is lasting, frim and multi-layered. We expect to continue our cooperation with the parliamentary Friendship Group under your skilful leadership. We will strengthen together the parliamentary ties between the USA and Armenia and form new opportunities of cooperation, Richard Mills noted. The interlocutors also discussed issues regarding the upcoming cooperation of the Friendship Groups of the two countries and the formation of joint agendas, the National Assembly's Press Service reports.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government is hoping that at least 90 per cent of the existing 87,000 tax paying dealers in the state may file their first GST returns

for the current month in August although the Centre gave cushion for filing the same up to September 5, a senior bureaucrat said.

Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Revenue) also said that 90 per cent of the total 2.05 lakh dealers, registered under the erstwhile VAT have now migrated to the GST regime.

"They (dealers) can delay filing of returns up to September 5. But we are getting ready for next month itself. We are confident that at least 90 per cent of them will file their returns next month (for the July). There should not be any problem. Because we are actively working with them. We have identified about 87,000 dealer who pay taxes," Kumar told PTI.

He said the tax amount being paid by the dealer will go the the Centre's account and within one day 50 per cent of that amount will be credited to the state government account. According to him, 90 per cent the dealers with below Rs 1.5 crore turnover will come under the supervision of the state government, while 50 per cent of the firms with above Rs 1.5 crore turnover will go to Centre.

"The exact impact on the state's revenue will come to know only after the dust is settled," he said. He, however, felt that there should not be any negative impact on the state's exchequer in the long run. On the reorganisation of the Commercial Taxes department, ruling out retrenchments, he said there will be a

complete reshuffle in the next three months once clarity emerges on the GST system.

"Based on the picture that emerges after some time, we may be creating new geographical units and will also strengthen enforcement and similar wings," he said. A senior official of the state government said the revenue collection for the April-June quarter has gone up to Rs 9,180 crore up by 22 per cent over the same period last fiscal.
Bengaluru: Indias third largest software services company Wipro on Thursday announced that the board of directors has approved a proposal to buyback shares worth Rs 11,000 crore at a price of Rs 320 per share. Speaking about the announcement of buyback of equity shares, Wipro CFO Jatin Dalal said that the announcement to buyback equity shares was a part of the companys philosophy to deliver efficient returns to shareholders.

The Board of Directors approved a buyback proposal, subject to the approval of shareholders through postal ballot, for purchase by the company of up to 343.75 million equity shares of Rs 2 each (representing 7.06 per cent of total equity capital) from the shareholders of the company on a proportionate basis by way of a tender offer, Wipro said. The Bengaluru-headquartered company also reported a 1.2 per cent growth in its net profit at Rs 2,083 crore during the April-June period as against Rs 2,059 in the same period last year. Wipros consolidated revenue stood at Rs 13,626 crore for the same period.

We delivered revenues above the upper end of the guidance range. Our focus on digital combined with our investments in client mining have resulted in strong growth in top accounts. The brand refresh is reflective of the transformation we are driving at Wipro and how we are helping our customers in their digital journeys, CEO Abidali Z. Neemuchwala said.

Wipro also announced that it has completed the allotment of bonus equity shares of Rs 2 each in the ratio of 1:1 as announced earlier. Wipro expects revenues from its IT services to be in the range of $1,962 million to $2,001 million for the quarter ending September. Talking about the other highlights of the first quarter of the current fiscal, Mr Dalal said that the companys net addition to headcount was 1,309 in the previous quarter, while the company trained more than 15,000 staff on digital skills.

Having deployed over 2000 Holmes bots across 175 customers, Mr Neemuchwala said that the company has been actively scaling the deployment of its automation platform, Wipro Holmes. I am happy to report that in Q1 we generated productivity of 2,100 people in the L2 and above bucket, said Mr Neemuchwala. According to him, it becomes increasingly easy to automate L1 tasks as the automation programs mature, and the value captured by automating L1 jobs is also relatively low.
Shah Rukhs had a very endearing company of late, whenever hed head to the balcony.

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan, being the unabashed superstar that he is, has often been vocal about the adulation hes bestowed with by his massive fandom across the country. The multitudes thatd scurry outside his iconic abode, Mannat, in itself is a cult sight for the city dwellers.

A beaming SRK coming to his balcony to wave to the thousands that would have assembled would be a glorious display of his stardom. However, hes had a very endearing company of late, whenever hed head to the balcony. The actors youngest song, AbRam, already a media darling, would be seen excitedly waving at awaiting fans, much to his fathers delight.

During an interview when quizzed on how the little one takes to his stardom, the actor said, "One day Aryan asked AbRam, do you know why people come to wave to papa? AbRam kept quiet to that. Further, Aryan asked him, you know what papa does? AbRam innocently replied, yes, shooting. Aryan further asked, you know what papa is?, to this AbRam said, Actor. When Aryan finally asked, you know why people come to see him? he said yes because he is handsome. So, Aryan was like, papa I think he knows what you are more or less. They keep joking with him."

SRK also revealed that the much adored kid is always eager to go out and wave to his fans.

Pappa, let's go outside people's are waiting," AbRam would say, revealed SRK.

Well, the youngest Khan isnt called the most adorable one for nothing.

Shah Rukh is currently busy promoting Imtiaz Alis Jab Harry Met Sejal in which he stars alongside Anushka Sharma.
Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film Simrans screenplay and dialogue writer Apurva Asrani accused the actress of being guilty of nepotism, despite she being the one who triggered the nepotism debate in the country.

"I hired my brother as addnl writer on my new film. #Kangana hired her sister as manager & now promotes her brother. All guilty of #nepotism?" he wrote.

I hired my brother as addnl writer on my new film. #Kangana hired her sister as manager & now promotes her brother. All guilty of #nepotism?  Apurva Asrani (@Apurvasrani) July 18, 2017

A few odd months back Kangana and Apurva had a battle over the writing credits of the film Simran, and Kangana said that this was Apurvas five-minute fame, nothing much to it. The feud was a very sour one.

However, after the accusation made on Kangana for being guilty of nepotism, her sister-cum-manager Rangoli Chandel, who is an acid-attack survivor, has come out in the open and slammed Apurva in six powerful tweets.

"@Apurvasrani acid dsn't kill you it just distorts your face in a way that wherever you go people's jaw drops in a very sad way. Kangana nt only got my treatment done but saw to it that I gained my confidence back, she held my hand and took me to the sets," she wrote, adding that, "I m topper in M.Sc microbiology I didn't loose my degree after the attack but I lost my confidence and started to wear veil."

@Apurvasrani acid dsn't kill you it just distorts your face in a way that wherever you go people's jaw drops in a very sad way.  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) July 19, 2017

@Apurvasrani Kangana nt only got my treatment done but saw to it that I gained my confidence back, she held my hand and took me to the sets.  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) July 19, 2017

@Apurvasrani I m topper in M.Sc microbiology I didn't loose my degree after the attack but I lost my confidence and started to wear veil .  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) July 19, 2017

She further said, "I am her sister and i am with her in that capacity, my brother is a pilot and don't you dare to bring him into this. You are after your 5 mins fame which you don't deserve so please calm down and Relax."

@Apurvasrani I am her sister and i am with her in that capacity, my brother is a pilot and don't you dare to bring him in to this.  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) July 19, 2017

@Apurvasrani You are after your 5 mins fame which you don't deserve so please calm down and Relax.  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) July 19, 2017

Drinking cofe n watching flms with your own little brthr is nt nepotism u emotionally illitrate persn.Thts cald Love .#sigh which u lack .  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) July 19, 2017

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Kangana suffered a major injury on her forehead on the sets of her film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. It was during a sword-shooting sequence that the sword hit the actress head, leaving a deep cut and bleeding her profusely. She was immediately rushed to the hospital and will be discharged within a week. Kangana will be left with the scar.
Mumbai: After teasing the audiences with glimpses of 'Jab Harry Met Sejal's with its mini trails, Shah Rukh Khan, director Imtiaz Ali and Anushka Sharma at long last unveiled a full-fledged trailer of the film on Friday, which is quite refreshing and appealing.

Shah Rukh, who has been on an extensive promotional spree for the film, is off to a short break to Los Angeles with family, due to which he couldn't attend the extravaganza in person.

However, he did not leave the media disappointed and joined the press conference virtually.

At the trailer launch, Anushka was entirely immersed in her Gujarati character of Sejal and conversed in the Gujarati accent. Accompanying her was the phenomenal Imtiaz Ali.

Taking the media meet ahead, Anushka was asked about her character in the film, answering which, she took the philosophical route. Post which Shah Rukh wittily said, "I thought that Anushka was a 'kaam chalau' actress, didn't know this philosophical and deep side of hers."

Further talking about the mixed response the film's title 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' has been receiving, both Anushka and Imtiaz said that blame it on Ranbir Kapoor, because he has suggested the title. Since, he isn't on social media, we're going to create a website for him, and you'll can write as many complaints on that website," they opined jokingly.

At the event, Anushka reminisced the initial stage of her career. Talking about her first film 'Rab Be Bana Di Jodi' with Shah Rukh Khan, she said, "I was very nervous when I met Shah Rukh for the first time. I met him and he congratulated me for doing the film. He was very chilled out and was not intimidating. In fact, he made things easy for me, without making it visible."

Shah Rukh will be seen playing the role of a guide in 'Jab Harry met Sejal' and Anushka Sharma as his romantic interest.

The film is slated to release on August 04.
Mumbai: Garnering accolades globally with a coveted invitation to the Google headquarters in New York, a series of stunning appearances at IIFA 2017 and a highly anticipated international debut with Viceroys House (known as Partition: 1974, in India), Huma Qureshi is in a spectacular phase while enjoying an incredible variety in her line work.

The versatile actress is currently in Chennai to shoot for the much raged about Kaala Karikalan. With a golden opportunity to work with megastar, Rajnikanth, so early in her career, Huma is extremely excited to shoot for the gangster thriller in Chennai.

After a magnificent stint at IIFA, New York, the talented actress flew to Mumbaion Wednesday and boarded a flight to Chennai, landing there on a Thursday. Having a performance-oriented role as Rajnikanths love interest, Huma will be shooting in Chennai for the rest of July and an entire month of August.

The shoot will be held in a set created on the outskirts of the city. Earlier the films team was shooting at actual locations in Mumbai from May.

A source reveals, Huma has been working around the clock and living out of a suitcase with her challenging schedule. With just bare minimum sleep she manages her entire team pretty well. She really admires the discipline of the South Indian film industry and is looking forward to shooting in Chennai.
Mumbai: India's truly global star, Irrfan Khan recently wrapped up shooting of his Hollywood film Puzzle in New York. Irrfan has been shooting non-stop for this film since last one month in New York. Interestingly, earlier this month, Irrfan also took to his social media and showed off his looks from the film.

Soon after wrapping up the last schedule, the actor tagged along with his family and took off to London directly from NYC to enjoy the much awaited vacation with his loved ones.

The family had a great time exploring places of importance in London like Hyde Park, Parliament Hill, Palace of Westminster, Tower Bridge, Boat ride over River Thames, Trafalgar Square and many other significant places in London. Irrfan's eldest son Babil played the perfect photographer who captured these beautiful moments with his camera.

Babil loves photography and his love for it is clearly seen in the pictures that he has clicked during the vacations. Irrfan has been shooting extensively for the past couple of years both in India and abroad and this vacation brought much relief to him and to the entire family.

Talking about Puzzle, it is Irrfans major Hollywood film post Inferno, which released last year.
Mumbai: When Shah Rukh Khan gets back to doing romances, it's often cause for celebration to his immense fan-following. And when the director guiding him is Imtiaz Ali, the celebration is bound to grow manifold.

'Jab Hary Met Sejal' had caused a lot of justified apprehension among fans and others once the title had been released, after a painfully and near unnecessarily long scrutiny, but the teasers and music by Pritam had kept them hooked.

The trailer gives a fair idea as to what is to be expected from the film. Sejal (Anushka Sharma) loses her engagement ring, and Harry (Shah Rukh Khan), a somewhat lost and slightly old tour guide must help her retrieve it post a Euro-trotting session full of soul-searching and fresh romances.

Been there done that for all parties involved? Probably. But there still exists a certain freshness to the trailer which is what Imtiaz Ali is attempting to achieve with his casting choice and putting the most celebrated cinematic romanticist in his den and playing around him.

Will it work? One must wait until August 04 to know.

Watch the trailer here:
'Desi' girl will be the guest of honour at the fundraiser event on September 6.

Mumbai: The Toronto Film Festival is all set to honour Priyanka Chopra a day before it kicks off in September.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 35-year-old 'Desi' girl will be the guest of honour at the fundraiser event on September 6.

The funds raised from the TIFF gala will help fund talent development programs at the Canadian festival to get more women behind and in front of the camera.

For its 42nd edition, the stylish event at Bell Lightbox will feature Chopra in conversation with festival artistic director Cameron Bailey.

Toronto will also be honouring the 'Mary Kom' star for her activism of devoting time to UNICEF as a goodwill ambassador and the Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education.

The 'Quantico' star recently made her Hollywood debut with 'Baywatch,' after bringing her Bollywood flicks like 'Mary Kom' in 2014 and 'What's Your Raashee?' in 2009 to the Toronto festival.

The main event is set to run from September 7.
Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth has informed a city court that ace film director Pa. Ranjith penned story for the upcoming flick Kaala - Karikala, in which he plays the lead role.



In the petition filed by the proprietor of GSR Vinmeen Creations, petitioner K. Rajashekaran alleged that the film title and story belonged to him and sought directions to Rajinikanth, Pa Ranjith, producer Dhanush of Wunderbar Films Private Limited, South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) to stop filming. The title, Karikalan absolutely belonged to him. He had registered the title Karikalan with the SIFCC.

When the matter came up for hearing before IV assistant judge M. Elangovan, Vinod Kumar, executive director, Wunderbar Films, filed a counter affidavit on behalf of Rajinikanth, Wunderbar Films, and Pa Ranjith and stated that the story was penned by Pa Ranjith.

Ranjith wrote the story titled  Kaala - about an underworld gang leader in Mumbai named Karikalan. Ranjith approached Wunderbar Films to produce the film based on his story with Rajinikanth in the lead role.

Elaborating the procedure for registration of film titles, he said, if a person wants to produce a film, he has to become a member of Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council (TNFPC) and register the film title with either SIFCC or TNFPC.

Once registering the title, film production has to commence within a year otherwise the registration will lapse if it was not renewed. Film title Kaala was registered by M/s Mini Studio, a sister concern of Wunderbar Films, with TNFPC on May 24, 2017.

He said, K. Rajashekaran is a complete stranger and present suit is not maintainable. The title of the movie is different from the title of Rajashekaran. He has no locus standi to seek any relief against the movie. In his own pleadings, he disclosed that title registration lapsed.

Rajasekaran never revealed his story to Rajinikanth. Kaala has no connection with the petitioners alleged story  Karikalan - except the name of Rajinikanths character in the film. Having lost his alleged title, he cannot seek any relief against the movie acted by Rajinikanth. And petition is liable to be dismissed, he added.
Ten thousand children will enact a real-life scene from the life of child prodigy Clint Edmund Joseph. Having drawn tens of thousands of paintings in the less-than-seven years he lived, Clint became a household name even before he knew what fame was. Filmmaker K. Harikumar, who is making a biopic on Clint's life, has recreated one of the last events in the little boy's life  the last painting competition he attended at the Mananchira Maidanam in Kozhikode.

He was too weak by then and the doctors had advised him not to travel (from Kochi). But Clint wanted to go. Kunjunni Master, who was really fond of Clint, insisted that he goes, Harikumar says. This was in February 1983, three months before his death. Clint had won the first prize in that competition. M.T. Vasudevan Nair had come to see him. On his way back home, Clint saw a Theyyam performance, which became his next big painting. Ten thousand children had come for the competition and we decided to recreate that scene in the film. We went to schools and got that many children with a taste for painting. Art director Boban and cinematographer Madhu Ambat did a wonderful job, he says. The film, starring child actor Alok as Clint and actors Rima Kallingal and Unni Mukundan playing his parents, will release on August 4.
Bhanumathi and Varun meet again and most of the film is about how they work out their relationship.

Rating:

Cast: Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi, Sharanya, Sai Chand, Raja Chembolu, Rajesh, Geetha Bhaskar and others

Director: Sekhar Kammula

Producer: Dil Raju

Rating: 3.5 star

Director Sekhar Kammulas Fidaa is his first film in three years. His last film, Anamika, was a thriller, a remake, and a big flop, so hes back to love stories in his latest, which has Sai Pallavi of the Malayalam film Premam making her Telugu debut opposite Varun Tej.

Varun (Varun Tej) is studying medicine in the US but comes to a rural village near Nizamabad to attend his brother Rajas (Raja) marriage with Renuka (Sharanya). Here he meets Bhanumathi (Sai Pallavi), the brides sister, and they are attracted to each other. The newly-weds want to move to the US, so after the wedding they travel to Hyderabad by train to catch their flight to the US. Bhanumathi is with them as she is seeing off her sister. She plans to tell Varun that she is in love with him but before she can do that she sees something that she misunderstands concerning Varun. She refuses to even talk to him after that incident.

Varun goes back to the US and to his work, but he cant forget Bhanumathi. He tries to call her but she refuses to talk to him. When Sharanya gets pregnant, she asks her sister to come to the US and help her out.

Bhanumathi and Varun meet again and most of the film is about how they work out their relationship.

Sekhar Kammula chooses to set his love story in a rural and then a foreign locale. Generally, his films are realistic and the actors look natural. Fidaa doesnt have a great story, but the love story of a strong and independent rural girl of Telangana and an NRI boy is well told. The realistic moments, emotional scenes, and the simple romance of the younger generation is narrated in a very beautiful manner.

Kammula has put his heart and soul into this film. The rural Telangana background is authentic and the characters and not the actors come through. As in his early films, here too the female lead is a strong character.

The film has been shot on location so its more like people talking in a village rather than actors acting. After a long time you feel you are watching true Telugu cinema.

When it comes to performances, Sai Pallavi dominates. No one will believe that this is her first Telugu film. She gets the Telangana accent right and her expressions and manner of carrying herself throughout the film are natural. You see a witty, clever and charming Telangana girl instead of the actress Sai Pallavi.

Varun Tej fits the NRI role perfectly. He has improved a lot from his last film and acts naturally. Sharanya, has given a superb performance. Raja, as Varuns brother, is decent.

Sai Chand is back in films after almost two decades. He plays Sai Pallavis father and makes his presence felt. Pelli Choopulu director Tarun Bhaskars mother Geetha plays the aunt. Satyam Rajesh elicits a few laughs.

Cinematographer Vijay Kumar has captured the greenery of Bansuvada village in Telangana beautifully. He is definitely a big asset to this film. The other highlight is music director Shaktikanth Karthik who provides some soothing music.

The second half of the film drags a bit and the finale has little appeal, but on the whole, Fidaa is worth watching and is definitely a strong come back for director Sekhar Kammula.
Rating:

Cast: Tiger Shroff, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nidhi Agarwal, Ronit Roy

Director: Sabbir Khan

Rating: 2 star

What do you do when an actors dancing skills get noticed in his debut itself and he becomes a sensation overnight? Cash in on his talent of course, and not feel the need to explore anything beyond what he believes his fans would admire him for. And therefore, in almost every film one finds Tiger Shroff showing off his moves in the flimsiest of themes.

Reprising the most cloying aspects of performance vehicles Munna Michael wears its tired cliches as we see a not-so-young man Michael (Ronit Roy) rehearsing a song sequence on the set of a film shoot. At the end of the rehearsals, he is crudely told not to come the next day as he is not required, and that other young directors are much in demand. A dejected Michael leaves and heads straight to drown his sorrows in liquor. On his way back, he hears cries of an abandoned new born baby, whom he feels compassion for, and brings him home. He then raises him as Munna, who, as expected, shows great promise of turning into a dancing star.

Sabbir Khans story is about a young man from the streets called Munna (Tiger Shroff), who from a young age is also a big fan of Michael Jackson.

When he decides to take part in the countrys best-known dance reality show, his father disapprovingly asks him to go look for a job instead and not waste his time. But a determined Munna lands in Delhi to audition for the show.

Where his encounter with gangster Mahinder Fauji (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) isnt too pleasant but Fauji is also a criminal who aspires to dance.

In any film, theres nothing like an annual dance competition woven into a narrative to ensure these seemingly disparate elements making beautiful music together. And so, a determined angel along with a stubborn rebel from a small town, Meerut, make opposing archetypes coming together to ace the climactic performance that will melt the hearts of judges (Chitrangada Singh, Farah Khan, Shaan) in the finale.

Fortunately, co-writer/director Khan dispenses with the over emotional will-they-or-wont-they dilemma early on, allowing his casts powerful artistry to take the spotlight in a story where we all know the answers, and therefore, dont get too caught up in the stakes, because choreography, not plot, is the star of this frenetic little film.

The twist in the story comes in the shape and skills of an actor like Nawazuddin, who as the leader of a gang in Haryana has a comical ace up his sleeve. He wants to learn how to dance only because he is besotted with a young girl (Agarwal) who is a superb dancer. Ensuring there isnt a single moment that is anything but programmed, director Khan adds as many cliches dutifully to stage pre-set drama thats shorn of any thematic richness.

It feels unfair, thus, to fault films based primarily on dance for being bad at other things that arent dancing. Its so single-focused, committed to one thing only, that it seems wrong to knock them for not paying as much attention to their scripts or characters as if the director is trying to tell us, Who cares about all that stuff if the people in the movie can really dance?

Assuming that every generation needs its own dance film, Shroff too rides high on his popularity and doesnt disappoint as a dancer. Dont think he ever will. Unfortunately, if, in between the dance sequences, actors like him need to talk, they are expected to emote. And thats a problem.
The refined substance is filled in big drums while the remaining is released through a pipeline into the lake causing pollution (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: Residents of RK Puram have complained that two units located near the R K Puram flyover, engaged in extraction of oil from animal waste, are polluting the lake. They said that the two units, located in the vicinity of the lake, are releasing oil extracted from pig fat into the water body.

According to the local people, the animal fat is brought from the local piggeries and processed in the two small units located near the lake. The refined substance is filled in big drums while the remaining is released through a pipeline into the lake causing pollution.

The residents shot videos and captured pictures of the pollution levels in the lake, owing to the polluting units.The locals also alleged that the animal waste are disposed into the lake every day.

The pollution control board and MRO Malkajgiri were informed about it but they have not issued any notices, they said.
A Masked Finfoot sits on a nest in Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia. The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement on Thursday, July 20, 2017 that its researchers, along with conservationists from Environment Ministry and local residents, found a nest of Masked Finfoot, along the Memay river in the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear Province. It said the site is the only confirmed breeding location in Cambodia for this very rare species. (Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society via AP)

Phnom Penh: Wildlife researchers in Cambodia have found a breeding location for the masked finfoot, one of the world's most endangered birds, raising hopes of its continuing survival.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said yesterday its scientists, along with conservationists from Cambodia's Environment Ministry and residents along the Memay river in the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, discovered the only confirmed breeding location in Cambodia for the very rare species.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has placed the bird on its red list of globally endangered species because its worldwide population of less than 1,000 is declining at an alarming rate.

It is found only in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Poaching and cutting down the trees where the bird lives are causing the population decline, said Eng Mengey, a communications officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary is one of several in Cambodia's Preah Vihear province that are home to many endangered bird species, including the critically endangered giant ibis and white-shouldered ibis, the Wildlife Conservation Society said.

"This finding provides further evidence that the Northern Plains of Cambodia is an important biodiversity hotspot and critical area for conserving breeding habitat for globally threatened water birds," Alistair Mould, a technical adviser for the society, said in a statement.
SIVAKASI: A woman worker was killed and six others sustained grievous injures in a blast at a fire crackers unit at Puliparaipatti village near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Parameswari (55) from Thiruvengadapuram village. Police have admitted six workers to Sivakasi Government hospital for treatment, half of whom in critical condition.

Police sources said that Ponnuthayi and Vasantha from Anaiyur village have sustained 100 per cent burn injuries while one Gandhi from same village sustained 90 per cent burn injuries. The condition of the three workers is critical, police said, adding, two more workers Muthu and Aandichi were also undergoing treatment in the hospital.

Revenue department officials who inspected the spot said that the blast took place due to mishandling of fireworks. Though there were ten sheds in the factory for preparing crackers, the workers were involved in making 'chorsas' in open space in the premises. "The fire might have triggered due to friction when the workers mishandled 'chorsa' and the fire spread to other areas due to strong wind," said an official.

A shed had completely collapsed and two more sheds were partially damaged. The fire and rescue services team rushed to the spot and put of the fire. "We are yet to ascertain the real cause of the incident," added the officer. The fire unit had obtained a DRO license.

The owner Vairamuthu Kumar and factor manager and foreman were absconding. Police have registered a case and are investigating.
New Delhi: A day after Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that if China unilaterally changes status quo of tri-junction point then it poses a challenge to India's security, the Bharatiya Janata Party has warned Beijing against making an enemy out of the whole world.

BJP leader RK Singh said changing the status quo in Doklam will endanger India's vital interests and therefore they cannot withdraw from New Delhi.

"China is wrong and as this is a tri-junction that means our boundaries are also involved," he said.

He also said China should stop making aggressive statements, and says that, this kind of dialogue "goes with the Chinese attitude" which they have been showcasing for the past 2-3 years.

"This they are doing not only with India, but the rest of the world. It suddenly started feeling that it has great powers and therefore it can do whatever it feels like and expand as it pleases," he said.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed Member of Parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India on the Doklam plateau standoff.

Chattisgarh MP Chhaya Sharma raised the issue of presence of China in the South China Sea, to which Sushma countered by saying there is no threat to India from Beijing as she "cannot say China is encircling New Delhi in terms of sea presence."

Although the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday reiterated that differences between India and China should and would not be allowed to become disputes and added that communication the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.

India and China have been witness to the standoff for long over the tri-junction area of Doklam sector near Bhutan.

The stand-off emerged after the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) construction party attempted to build a road near the Doklam area.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.
Actor Kamal Haasan hits out at the Tamil Nadu Government over the growing menace of Dengue in the state. (Photo: File)

Chennai: Stepping up his attack on the Tamil Nadu government, actor Kamal Haasan on Friday asked it to act on reports of dengue fever or "move aside" if it cannot.

He also took a dig at the government on the National Entrance Cum Eligibility Test (NEET) issue, over which it has come under flak for not getting the state exempted from it.

"A high school drop out may not perceive Neet problem. But Dengue i know My child almost died of it (dengue). Work on it TN Govt. If unable move aside," (sic) Haasan tweeted.

A high school drop out may not perceive Neet problem.But Dengu i know My child almost died of it. Work on it TN Govt. If unable move aside  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) July 20, 2017

He was apparently referring to reports of dengue fever affecting several people in parts of the state.

A woman and her two-day old baby had died of dengue in Coimbatore district on July 9.

The actor's latest statement comes amid his continuing war of words with the ruling AIADMK, including Chief Minister K Palanisamy, following his reported remarks of corruption in the government.

After being challenged by ministers to prove his charge or that he take the political plunge to expect a response to his allegations, the 62 year-old actor had on Thursday asked people to digitally register instances of graft in the

government.

"You should write to them if you had come across corruption in this government. Don't do that through letters or postcards as they will just tear those. Record them digitally and with dignity," he had said.

Responding to ministers demanding proof for his charges of corruption in government, Haasan said the entire state was making allegations in this regard and there were various media reports too.

The actor had said his detractors, "dear younger brother (D) Jayakumar (Finance Minister)", who wanted him to take the political plunge, or BJP's H Raja, were not aware that he has already entered politics.

"The day I expressed my voice against imposition of Hindi, I had become an amateur politician," he said in a statement uploaded on his Twitter page on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Raja on Friday said the BJP was opposed to Haasan's reported plans to enter politics as the actor is an atheist and has attacked Hindu beliefs.

He was replying to a question why the BJP which was welcoming superstar Rajinikanth's plans to enter politics was against Haasan taking the plunge.

"The actor (Haasan) is an atheist to the core and has attacked Hindu beliefs and sentiments," Raja told reporters in Pudukottai.

There was a difference between Haasan entering politics and Rajinikanth taking the plunge, Raja said and claimed that the latter had not hurt any religion sentiments.

In Chennai, the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundarajan wondered why Haasan chose to speak now against the alleged corruption in the ruling dispensation and not in the past.
Hyderabad: AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday tweeted saying influential friends of the TRS heir- apparent were involved in the Telangana drug racket. In response, IT minister K.T. Rama Rao said that it was time for Mr Singh to retire from politics as he had completely lost it.

On July 2, the enforcement wing of the Telangana Excise Department cracked down on the drug racket in the state. At the moment, members of the Special Investigation Team are quizzing a number of film personalities who are allegedly involved in the drug trade.

Mr Digvijay Singh and a few of his fellow Congressmen have accused some individuals with close ties to the government of involvement in the racket.

BJP asks Diggy to reveal proof

In May, Mr Digvijay Singh had accused the Telangana State Police of setting up a bogus ISIS site to trap young Muslim men and demanded that the Chief Minister step down from his post. On Thursday, he stirred up yet another controversy by tweeting, Huge Drug Scam in Telangana. Influential friends of TRS heir apparent involved. Lets see if they would be saved or prosecuted.

Mr Rama Rao immediately tweeted back, Youve completely lost it sir. Time to retire gracefully & do something worth your age. Glad that youve finally learnt to spell Telangana.

According to agency reports, when asked to clarify who he was referring to when he said heir apparent, Mr Singh said, Its now for them (TRS) to respond. It could be Harish Rao, it could be KTR (Rama Rao), and it could be the daughter of the CM, whoever is the heir apparent.

Congress leader Shabbir Ali said that Mr Digvijay Singh would never say something without evidence. His allegations must be true, he said.

BJP Spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao asked why Mr Digvijay Singh was resorting to blackmail politics. He said that if he had any names or evidence to prove the alleged links with TRS politicians, he should speak openly and make the evidence public.

Pedapalli MP Balka Suman, a staunch supporter of K.T. Rama Rao, said that it would be good for Digvijay Singh to be enrolled in the mental asylum of Erragadda Hospital in Hyderabad. He added that he would ensure that Mr Singh received treatment for free there. He said that it was not expected of Mr Singh to make such baseless allegations at a time when Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao was determined to permanently weed out the drug menace from Telangana.

Former Union Minister and Special Representative for the Telangana State Government in New Delhi S. Venugopala Chary said that the fact that Mr Singh did not have any morals and scruples was made evident when he married a woman who was half his age. He said that with age he seemed to be developing Alzheimers disease, which was causing him to make wild, baseless allegations.
MADURAI: Lack of parental care and bad company are main reasons behind more number of adolescents taking up to crime in Madurai.

This reality was shared by juveniles themselves to DC while they participated in a Skill Development and Placement Training for Children in Conflict with Law organised by the department of Social Defense, District Child Protection Unit at the collectorate on Thursday.

Many of these juveniles had grown up with single parents and they lack guidance in the family. In the case of Ramesh (15) from Thirumamgalaum taluk, he had developed a friendship with one Pandikumar who was 15 years elder to him. He had forced him into homosexuality. I had to spend few months in jail because he had murdered a boy while he forced me to accept homosexuality, said Ramesh, a class X student at the incident time.

Though he was remanded in jail, the JJB assisted him in his education when he was kept under observation.

I have passed 10th standard, he said with a smile on his face.

R Gayathiri Devi, Judicial Magistrate III, Principal Magistrate, JJB, Madurai, also helped him to study class 11 in a school.

Now Ramesh is happy his father treats him with love and care.

In the three-day training programme, experts would train them on various skills and find placements for them.

LS Sathya Moorthy, Chief Judicial Magistrate, R Tharani, Principal District Judge, Madurai, collector Veera Raghava Rao, R Gayathiri Devi, Judicial Magistrate III, Principal Magistrate, JJB, Viviliya Raja, district child protection officer and Legis, members of JJB participated in the event.
Rahul Gandhi said, "It is being said there should be discussion on Kashmir with China and Pakistan but my opinion is that Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir and this is our internal matter." (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday charged that the Narendra Modi government's policies are "burning" Jammu and Kashmir and flayed any attempt for third party intervention to resolve the issue, saying "Kashmir is India".

Kashmir has been facing unrest ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in 2016.

"I have been saying this for a long time that Modi's and the NDA's policies are burning Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters outside Parliament.

"It is being said there should be discussion on Kashmir with China and Pakistan but my opinion is that Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir and this is our internal matter... our internal business and no one should interfere in it," he

said.

Reacting to China's offer of playing a "constructive role" in resolving the Kashmir issue, India had earlier said its stand of resolving all matters bilaterally with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, has not changed.
Iraq's Ambassador to India Fakhri-H-Al-Issa said, "I am hoping they are alive as there is no interest for Deash to kill them. They can use them as labourers, so let's hope they are still there somewhere." (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

New Delhi: Iraq's Ambassador to India Fakhri-H-Al-Issa on Thursday said he has no information regarding the 39 Indians who were abducted by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, even as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that they were last located in a prison in Badush.

"I don't want to say anything. I have no information. Sometimes no news is good news. They might be in Badush prison," Issa said.

When asked about the possibility of the 39 Indian being alive, Issa said, "I am hoping they are alive as there is no interest for Deash to kill them. They can use them as labourers, so let's hope they are still there somewhere. We will hear good news hopefully within next couple of weeks and months."

Sushma, along with Minister of State (MoS) for Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) MJ Akbar and MoS MEA Gen. (Retd.) VK Singh, met families of 39 Indians who are missing in Iraq since 2014 on July 16.

She said Indian authorities have been informed that the missing Indians were last located in a prison in Badush, so as soon as the area is cleared, further developments would be reported.

"I have already met families of missing Indians several times, but this time the situation was different as Iraqi Prime Minister recently announced that Mosul has been liberated from the ISIS. The very same day I asked VK Singh ji to go to Erbil and personally oversee where the missing Indians are and how can they be rescued," Swaraj told reporters.

"Sources there told VK Singh ji that the missing Indians are most probably in a jail in Badush where the fighting is still going on," she added.

The minister assured, "Once fighting stops in Badush and the area is cleared, we can probably find out about the whereabouts of the missing nationals."

Swaraj added that the Iraqi Foreign Minister would be visiting India on July 24 and will provide further information.
A journalist from Visakhapatnam moved the PIL before the apex court stating that offering made to the Lord Venkateswara by devotees in form of cash was not accepted by RBI. Due to this, Rs 8.29 crores worth demonetised notes Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes were packed and kept in boxes with the TTD, he claimed.

Hyderabad: A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Reserve Bank of India and the Centre for accepting the demonetised notes offe-red by pilgrims from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

A journalist from Visakhapatnam moved the PIL before the apex court stating that offering made to the Lord Venkateswara by devotees in form of cash was not accepted by RBI. Due to this, Rs 8.29 crores worth demonetised notes Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes were packed and kept in boxes with the TTD, he claimed.

While the Centre has also allowed District Co-operative Banks, post offices to deposit demonetised notes with RBI, he contended that not treating pilgrims money lying with TTD at par with NRIs and district cooperative banks is discriminative.

He claimed it would mean offering to the God would not be utilised for stated purposes.
CHENNAI: Even as the state has intensified its anti-quackery measures, new cases of quack arrest have been reported in northern parts of the state.

The state health department has warned public against unlicensed medical practitioners.

It has warned people against getting prescription and medication from non-licensed doctors. It has given directions to the public to avoid treatment from quacks and ensure they get medication from licensed doctors, particularly, in view of increasing dengue cases.

Health administrators feel that quacks could play spoilt sport during the ensuing monsoon when infections spread.

Pointing out the need of awareness against quacks, Dr T.N. Ravishankar, state president, Indian Medical Association, says, There have been several cases when the health condition of a patient worsens due to the ill-treatment by quacks. Recurring of such instances should be avoided in case of dengue cases that could endanger the health of the patient. Quackery leads to poor health care services, but people remain unaware.

People should question doctors and physicians if they suspect the treatment given to the patient. The doctor is entitled to present the records of their qualifications when asked for it. It is the right of an individual to know about the medical qualifications of the personnel he is being treated from," he added.

Quackery Eradication Committee has been conducting raids if public reports such cases. So far, 24 cases of quacks have been reported this year as per the medical and rural health services department.

Dr P. Banu, director of Medical and Rural Health Services, said that Quackery Eradication Committee is making efforts to act on public complaints. Public should share information on medical practitioners if they are suspicious. With a control on quacks, we can control the spread of many diseases and improve healthcare services.

However, medicos say that even though the registration numbers can be checked at the Tamil Nadu Medical Council website to verify the license of the doctors, the uneducated are not able to practice.

Government hospitals should provide 24x7 medical facilities so that even at odd hours people do not need to depend on private hospitals and clinics. With round the clock out patient service and increase in the number of specialised doctors, quackery can be checked, said Dr A. Shanthi, member of Doctors Association for Social Equality.
CHENNAI: Listing out various measures taken in recent months including the abolition of ranking system and efforts to revamp the state board syllabus, school education minister K.A. Sengottaiyan said the state government will completely revamp school education in three years.

The school education department has organised a grand seminar on developing new curriculum for state board here on Thursday.

We all have doubts about how our students are going to face the entrance or competitive exams. Keeping in mind the future of 1.3 crore students, we are taking various steps including revising the syllabus to improve the standard. We have chosen best available experts to come out with new syllabus and curriculum, Sengottaiyan said while peaking at the inaugural function.

He also welcomed suggestions from educationists and experts to improve school education. To help students appearing for board exams, the government is planning to add 200 exam centres more this year, he added.

Isro Satellites Centre director Mylswamy Annadurai urged teachers to teach beyond textbooks.

Tamil Nadu textbooks have information about the Chandrayan-1 mission. But, it did not have any information on how it helped to detect the presence of water on the moon. Such information will kindle the scientific inquiry among the students, he said.

Classes of best teachers will be uploaded as video lessons, he added.

More than 1,000 teachers and educationists participated in the seminar. For the next two days, 22 sub-committees for various subjects will discuss about the important aspects to be added in new curriculum and syllabus.

New syllabus should help students face any exam

Tamil Nadu Curriculum Framework Committee Chairman and former vice-chancellor M. Anandakrishnan expressed hope that the new syllabus will enable students to face any exam at any time with confidence.

While speaking at the seminar on developing new curriculum here on Thursday he drew attention towards the learning environment at the classrooms.

We need to have at least black board, desk and chair, toilets and drinking water at schools. Without the basic infrastructure, learning will not be effective irrespective of what you have in your curriculum, he said.

He said the committee would like to meet with educationists, NGOs and public at Chennai, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli to get feedback on the new syllabus.

Universities have totally ignored the school education system. We have to find a way in which the school education becomes the collateral part of university education.

Syllabus and curriculum needs to be changed every two years, said Achim Fabig, Consul General of Germany in Chennai.

NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapaty pointed out the paradigm shift in the assessment. The upcoming National Achievement Survey will assess the students competency over the mastery of content. There will be lot of emphasis on competency, he said.

He urged teachers to focus on building character. We want good doctors and engineers, but more importantly we want good human beings, he added.

Armoogam Parasuramen, former director, Unesco (India), asked to bring in the students community and get their feedback on the new curriculum. He also stressed the importance on home grown curriculum.

The new curriculum should also focus on future and not based on current issues, said Professor R. Ramanujam from Institute of Mathematical Sciences said.

We have to change class room environment where we can increase the students participation. Non-participation of students is a major concern, he said.
Student organisations had requested all the educational institutions, professors and students to participate in the bandh (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Student organisations federation affiliated to the Left parties have called for an education bandh in Telangana state on July 21 to resolve problems. Student organisations had requested all the educational institutions, professors and students to participate in the bandh. Students organisations allege that Telangana government has failed to deliver KG to PG free education and was shutting down 4,600 schools and colleges.
A few days back, according to Mr Khan, an MBA student, Mirza Ahmed Baig of Bholakpur in Musheerabad, died due to mouth cancer (Photo: Pixabay/Representational Image)

Hyderabad: A home guard, Mohd Amer, who was reportedly suffering from cancer, died before help from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (CMRF) could reach his family, Majlis Bachao Tehreek leader Amjedullah Khan claimed on Thursday.

The home guard, according to Mr Khan, was suffering from stomach cancer and was undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the city. His family had sought financial help from the government under the CMRF but he could not get it.

A few days back, according to Mr Khan, an MBA student, Mirza Ahmed Baig of Bholakpur in Musheerabad, died due to mouth cancer. His family also had sought help from the government for his treatment but could not get it.

Ahmed could not get proper treatment as he was not able to receive assistance from the government and the MBA student died, Mr Khan said. He demanded that the government release a white paper on how many Muslims had benefitted through the Chief Ministers Relief Fund in the State.
The Centre made these submissions before the five-judge Constitution Bench that is hearing WhatsApp privacy policy case. (Representational image)

New Delhi: The Union Government is contemplating to regulate the functioning of social networking sites to ensure safety of the users' data.

The Central Government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it is contemplating to enact regulatory regime for social networking sites or services like Whatsapp, Facebook, Skype and others.

The Centre made these submissions before the five-judge Constitution Bench that is hearing WhatsApp privacy policy case.

The Centre told that personal data of users is a part of their right to life and it can't be shared freely by telecom providers or any social network sites.

Any attack on data is an attack on 'Right to Life', the Centre told the apex court.

During the hearing before a five-judge Constitution Bench, the bench asked the government whether it would regulate data.

Counsel for WhatsApp and Facebook, senior lawyers Kapil Sibal, Sidharth Luthra and Arvind Datar, said that they were willing to give an undertaking before the bench that WhatsApp has not and will not share data with anyone.

A nine-judge Supreme Court Constitution bench is also hearing various issues relating to right to privacy and data protection arising out of question whether whether Aadhaar violates right to privacy or not.

This bench is to rule whether right to privacy is a fundamental right or not, and other contours relating to data protection.

A nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar is examining the nature of privacy as a right in context of two judgments -the first in 1954, the other in 1962 - which held that privacy was not a fundamental right.
BENGALURU: Following the controversies surrounding the Parappana Agrahara central prison, including special privileges to AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala, the prison authorities denied permission to her nephew and AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran to meet her on Thursday. Dhinakaran rubbished the allegation that his aunt was getting luxurious facilities inside the jail.

This was first time that Dhinakaran had come to meet his aunt, after the allegations of special facilities being provided to her rocked the state last week. Dhinakaran, accustomed to easy access to Sasikala, was stopped on Thursday at the police check point, a few hundred metres away from the jail.
Hyderabad: In the coming assembly elections, TRS will win 110 seats out of the total 119 seats in the state, claimed Energy and Social Welfare Minister G Jagadish Reddy.

Mr Reddy who is in the close coterie of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said that in Nalgonda district, all 12 seats would be won by the TRS.

Speaking to the media on Friday, the minister said that the survey conducted by Telangana Rashtra Samiti revealed that in Nalgonda district, Huzur-nagar, Kodad and Nalgo-nda are also going to be won by TRS in the next assembly elections. He said of the remaining 9 seats in the old city, MIM will win about five to six seats.

Regarding the inclusion of TRS in the Union Cabinet, the Mr Reddy said these were speculations only. Chief Minister has a close relationship with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and when asked whether this meant an alliance in the future, the minister, Jagadish Reddy said that it was not good for any state to go for confrontation with the centre. He said for the development of the state it was necessary to maintain a cordial relationship with the centre, but at the time of elections they could fight politically.
It will be futile to have a repeat of the Wangdung incident of 1986, when the Chinese and Indian forces were in close proximity for seven years.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj made at least one thing clear that dialogue on any confusion that may arise about territorial claims at what is still called the tri-junction of China, Bhutan and India, can take place when military forces of China and India simultaneously withdraw.

This is Indias authoritative statement, spelt out in Parliament. If Beijing weighs it with care, instead of letting loose its propaganda rag Global Times to accuse the external affairs minister of lying, then it is conceivable that the two countries may have taken the first tentative step toward de-escalation.

From Ms Swarajs statement it is evident that if the Chinese Army is permitted to pursue its road-building project there would be no tri-junction left. Precisely because the three parties in question still deem it a tri-junction, the agreement of 2012 between India and China clearly spelt out that the parties  Beijing, Thimphu and New Delhi  should delineate the international boundary in that sensitive area, and until that happens status quo must be maintained.

If the status quo is disturbed, as the Chinese sought to do and in the process ran up against the Indian forces, the Chinese Army can train long-range guns on the Siliguri Corridor and physically cut off the Northeast from the rest of India. It must be understood that this is clearly a matter that involves India and China, and not Bhutan, although Thimphu would quite clearly have an equal and legitimate role in determining the boundary between itself, China and India in the Doklam plateau area. A pragmatic way out of the current impasse is that Beijing and New Delhi agree to tri-logue involving Bhutan, and work out the boundary in the Doklam area as per the 2012 agreement.

The official spokesman of the Chinese government said in Beijing on Thursday that the diplomatic channels were unimpeded. This is a sign of maturity. Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval is expected to be in Beijing in a week for a meeting of Brics countries NSAs before the Brics summit to be held in the Chinese capital in September. If Beijing is interested, the idea of expanding the diplomatic pathway can be explored with Mr Doval.

It will be futile to have a repeat of the Wangdung incident of 1986, when the Chinese and Indian forces were in close proximity for seven years. Its best to find ways to converse.
16 countries, accounting for about 27 per cent of global trade, are meeting in Hyderabad to discuss the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is aimed at liberalising trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo: File)

Beijing: The India-China border standoff should not be allowed to threaten a mega economic deal Asia-Pacific nations are trying to negotiate at a meeting in Hyderabad, an article in an official Chinese daily said today.

The comment was made by The Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party media group, which generally reflects the views of the ruling party. In recent days, the tabloid has been at the forefront of verbal allegations against India amid the tension between the two countries in the Sikkim sector.

16 countries, accounting for about 27 per cent of global trade, are meeting in Hyderabad to discuss the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is aimed at liberalising trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

The technical level talks for the RCEP began on July 18. On July 24, the negotiations will formally start. The meeting is happening under the shadow of the standoff between India and China - the two largest economies taking part in the talks. The standoff began over the construction of a road by China in Doklam area and India fears the road could be used to cut New Delhi's links with its northeastern states.

India has said it is ready for talks with China to end the tension but both sides should first withdraw their armies from Sikkim. "We are saying that the matter can be resolved through talks, but both sides have to first take back their armies," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said.

"China and India are two prominent members of the group, but they face the task of preventing an escalation of their border tensions from becoming an obstacle to reaching trade agreements at the negotiating table," the article said.

"China hopes that India can strive to control its actions, ensuring that the escalation of the border tensions does not endanger the atmosphere of cooperation for the RCEP," it said.

"If India encourages the border tensions to thwart the free trade negotiations, China will fight back and spare no effort to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, which cannot be traded in any case," it said.
The daily warned that China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides. In picture: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. (Photo: PTI)

Beijing: State-run Chinese media has accused Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj of lying in Parliament on the border standoff between India and China in Doklam.

In an editorial titled 'Military conflicts to escalate if India refuses to withdraw troops', the Global Times, citing Indian media reports, said that Sushma Swaraj on Thursday informed her country's Parliament that "all countries are in India's support," and India is alert to the need to protect its security near "the border where the boundaries of China, India and Bhutan meet."

"She was lying to the parliament. First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose," the editorial added.

Calling Doklam a Chinese territory, the daily suggested that India should "abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam".

The daily warned that China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held and it will not compromise on its stance.

The Global Times further said that withdrawal of Indian troops is must for precondition for talks between the two sides.

It said India's stance has subtly shifted and it has started referring to Doklam as a tri-junction area of China, India and Bhutan. "These changes show New Delhi's guilty conscience," it said.

"India should have heard about the news that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed troops near the China-India border and transported materials and supplies to the area. The PLA is also reportedly conducting drills for mountain operations. These are certainly not for show. Now that the PLA has moved in on the China-India border, they will definitely not call back troops unless they recover the Chinese territory," it went on to say.

The editorial stressed China's military might and said that the country cannot afford to lose an inch of territory.

"The China-India border area may become a stage where China showcases the achievement of its long-term military development and reforms," it said.

The daily warned that China might get itself prepared for a military confrontation against India if Indian troops continue trespassing into China's territory and resolve the conflict through non-diplomatic means.

The editorial comes as Indian and Chinese troops continue to be locked in a standoff in Doklam.

Both sides have moved additional troops, ammunition and military equipment to the area. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has beefed up its defence in a region south of the Kunlun Mountains under the pretext of conducting a military exercise near Tibet.

Hardware has been moved simultaneously by road and rail by China's western theatre command, which oversees the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet,and handles, among others, border issues with India, media reports have said.

This show of strength is being projected by Beijing as a warning to India by China to back off from its objection to China constructing a road at the Doklam tri-junction.

On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that differences between India and China should not and would not be allowed to become disputes, and added that communication between the two governments have never ceased, nor have been broken.

"The differences between India and China should not be allowed to become dispute. Every powerful player, power in the world prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand. The diplomatic channels and diplomatic communications have never been ceased, they have never broken," MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay told media.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed parliament that all countries, including Bhutan, are with India with regard to the Dokhlam Plateau stand-off.

"India wants that troops are removed from the tri-junction point to discuss the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan, are with us," Sushma told members of the Rajya Sabha.

"Over the years, China has been trying to get closer and closer to where the tri-junction point ends. It has done things like repair roads, re-tar them and things like that,"Swaraj added.

"If China unilaterally changes status-quo of tri-junction point between China-India and Bhutan, then it poses a challenge to our security. We have the law and right on our side," she said about India's position.

The issue of China's presence in the South China Sea was also countered by Swaraj, who said, "There is no threat to India from Beijing in terms of sea presence."

On the 'One Belt One Road' issue, Swaraj said India is opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's (CPEC) inclusion in the OBOR since the time it was proposed, as it was passing through territory that India claims as its own.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has has travelled 49 countries in the last three years during which India signed a number of agreements on a range of topics, the government today said.



In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, V K Singh, the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the prime minister visited eight countries in the first second half of 2014, starting with Bhutan.



This year, the prime minister has visited 10 countries in the last seven months.
India has less than one doctor for every 1000 population which is less than the World Health Organisation standard, the Lok Sabha was informed today.



Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were a total 10,22,859 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India as on March 31 this year.



"Assuming 80 per cent availability, it is estimated that around 8.18 lakh doctors may actually be available for active service. It gives a doctor-population ratio of 0.62:1000 as per current population which is estimated to be of around 1.33 billion," she said during Question Hour.



The WHO prescribes a doctor population ratio of 1:1000.



The doctor-population ratio of the some of the countries are: Australia - 3.374:1000, Brazil - 1.852:1000, China - 1.49:1000, France - 3.227:1000, Germany - 4.125:1000, Russia - 3.306:1000, the USA - 2.554:1000, Afghanistan - 0.304:1000, Bangladesh - 0.389:1000, Pakistan - 0.806:1000.



The minister said emphasis of the government was to increasing the number of doctors in the country to improve the doctor population ratio.



There are 479 medical colleges in the country with an intake capacity of 67,218 MBBS seats. 12,870 MBBS seats have been added in the last three years, she said.
The Congress and the ruling BJP members today traded charges over the farmers issue in the Lok Sabha, after the opposition members accused the government of doing nothing to help the crisis-hit peasants.



Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar accused the Congress of "shedding crocodile tears", noting that it had walked out of the House on Wednesday when other members sat for hours to debate the issue.



The protests occured during the Question Hour and later during the Zero Hour when Congress members trooped into the Well and shouted slogans. During the Question Hour, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly told them their action was not proper.



Similar scenes were witnessed when the House took up Zero Hour when Kumar too attacked the protesting Congress members, who then staged a walk out.



Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Deepender Hooda (Cong) said the farmers had hit the streets from Andhra Pradesh to Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and his party was not satisfied with the government's reply.



BJP members kept asking what the Congress government did for the past 60 years, he said, retorting that farmers were deeper into debt in the last three years of the NDA government than they were ever earlier.



In its reply, the government has not touched upon the demand for waiving off of farm loans and implementing the Swaminathan commission report, Hooda said.



Amid protests by BJP members against Hooda's remarks, Kumar hit back at the Congress and asked why its members were not present on Wednesday when a long-drawn discussion on the issue lasted till 10.30 PM at night.



"Where were Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi? Where were you? Now you are shedding crocodile tears... You are now showing false sympathies," the Minister told the Congress members.



Citing schemes like farm insurance and easy availability of fertilizers, the parliamentary affairs minister said no government had done so much for farmers as the Modi government did in the last three years.




Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today charged that the Narendra Modi government's policies are "burning" Jammu and Kashmir and flayed any attempt for third party intervention to resolve the issue, saying "Kashmir is India".



Kashmir has been facing unrest ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces last year.



"I have been saying this for a long time that Modi's and the NDA's policies are burning Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters outside Parliament.



"It is being said there should be discussion on Kashmir with China and Pakistan but my opinion is that Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir and this is our internal matter... our internal business and no one should interfere in it," he said.



Reacting to China's offer of playing a "constructive role" in resolving the Kashmir issue, India had earlier said its stand of resolving all matters bilaterally with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, has not changed.
Army shot dead an 18-year-old tailor while dealing with protestors in Beerwah area of central Kashmir'sBudgam district on Friday.



While the army claims it opened fire after some stone-pelters tried to snatch weapons from the soldiers, police gave a different version while the locals belied both the versions.



"An army patrol was subjected to heavy stone pelting by a mob in Kundar village of Beerwah at 1:15 pm. Some stone pelters tried to close in with the (army) patrol to snatch weapons from the soldiers. Two persons were injured when troops opened fire and one of them later succumbed to his injuries," PRO defence Col Rajesh Kalia said in a statement.



Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Muneer Khan said a miscreant hurled a firecracker at soldiers already battling a stone throwing mob. "The soldiers mistook the firecracker for a grenade and fired in the direction from where from it had been thrown," he said.



However, the locals belied both the versions saying army opened fire on youth without any provocations. "An army patrol started beating up some youth in the area without any provcation. When they tried to resist, the army opened fire on them. The slain youth was hit by a bullet on his head," Mohammad Ashraf, an eyewitness told DH over phone.



He said soon after the incident thousands of people, including women and children, marched with the body of the slain youth Tanveer Ahmad, shouting anti-India slogans. While men raised slogans for Kashmirs freedom, women sang eulogies: "Qoam ay Bahaduro, Karyo goor gooro (Bravehearts of the nation, let me sing you a lullaby)."



Police registered a case against Rashtriya Rifles unit in connection with the killing of Tanveer. The incident took place 38 km from Srinagar where authorities had imposed strict restrictions to thwart a march to local UN office. The call for protests was given by separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik to protest against the recent civilian killings in security forces action. They had also Joint called for a shutdown and a sit-in outside the local office of UN in Srinagar.



All the roads leading to the UN office in Snowar were sealed, while security forces had been deployed in strength at sensitive places across the Valley to avoid any untoward incident. The intra-Kashmir train services between Banihal and Baramulla were suspended on Friday as a precautionary measure while authorities disallowed congregational Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in old city Srinagar for the fifth consecutive week.



All gates of Jamia Masjid were locked by security forces while all roads leading to the historic masjid were blocked with concertina wires. Mirwaiz Umar, who addresses the faithful every Friday was kept under house detention.



However, the movement of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists were unaffected by the shutdown call.
The Congress in Gujarat has officially split, with senior political figure Shankarsinh Vaghela calling it quits from the party on Friday.



I am freeing myself from the Congress and relieving Congress from any commitment towards me. I am going to resign as leader of the Opposition and send my resignation to Soniaji. I shall also resign as legislator after the completion of the Rajya Sabha elections on August 8, Vaghela told a mammoth gathering of his supporters here, who had come to greet the veteran politician on his 77th birthday.



The Congress had thrown me out of the party 24 hours ago. Vinaash kale viprit Buddhi (the brain works in reverse when destruction is near), the former Gujarat chief minister told his supporters.



Vaghela even changed the profile status of his Twitter handle from leader of the Opposition to former chief minister before he began his speech.



Vaghela has been sulking and raising a dissident voice within and outside the Congress party for a long time now. The party had accordingly advised its legislators and leaders not to attend the event as the platform could be used to criticise the high command.



However, despite the party diktat, some legislators were seen at the venue. My conscience tells me that I should go and I will go, said MLA Raghavji Patel.



Vaghela lambasted both the Congress and BJP for inter-party conflict, saying he has been a victim of politics and conspiracy.



I shall go to my high command, the people, and take a decision on the future course of action. I will be independent of all party politics, he said.



Vaghelas announcement to quit the party has further hampered the Congress prospects in the state Assembly elections, slated for the year-end.



This is very unfortunate. The man whom the Congress gave so much respect to has no right to make such an announcement just four months ahead of the elections. He has committed a blunder. No one will forgive him, neither Gujarat nor any political party, said Ashok Gehlot, AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat.



Baseless argument: Cong

The Congress on Friday rejected as a baseless argument rebel leader Vaghelas claims that he was expelled from the party a day earlier, DHNS reports from New Delhi.



Neither has the Congress party taken any disciplinary action against him nor has he been expelled from the party, Randeep Surjewala, Congress chief spokesperson, told reporters soon after Vaghela claimed at a rally in Gandhinagar that he was expelled on Thursday.



Surjewala said Vaghela had been harbouring ambitions of becoming the Gujarat Congress president, a demand the leadership was unwilling to concede.



Vaghelas meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah in late March had set tongues wagging in the Congress, making the leadership watch his moves carefully, but with scepticism.



Knowing the influence the former BJP leader wields in the state, the Congress was not keen to antagonise him.
Pakistan's Supreme Court today concluded hearing the high-profile Panama Papers case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family for alleged corruption, but reserved its verdict that could jeopardise his political future.





The three-member bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan did not immediately give any date to give its judgement.



Justice Saeed observed that the court will not deviate from any law while delivering its judgement. "We are conscious of the fundamental rights of petitioners and respondents."



The apex court also opened the final part of the 10- Volume report submitted by the Joint Investigation Team it had set up to probe the allegations of money laundering by Sharif.



The JIT has recommended that the report's Volume-X should be treated as confidential as it contains the details of correspondence with other countries.



Sharif's legal team has objected to it. The court has ordered authorities to provide a copy of the volume to Sharif's lawyer Khawaja Harris.



Exercising their right to respond to the arguments by defence lawyers, the petitioners in their brief remarks urged the court to disqualify Sharif and order a trial against him for allegedly hiding assets and failing to disclose the sources of income used to set up businesses by his children.



"The prime minister has failed to give satisfactory answer to the allegation of money laundering and should be disqualified," argued the lawyer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, one of the petitioners against Sharif.



The opposition parties in Pakistan have taken on Sharif seeking his disqualification after the Panama Papers last year revealed that he and his sons - Hassan and Hussain - and his daughter Maryam - owned offshore companies which managed their family's properties. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.



Sharif and his family has rejected the allegations. But the judges hearing the case have made observations that Sharif and his children have been unable to satisfy the court about the sources of money used to buy these properties.



The Supreme Court decision in the case is keenly awaited as it would determine the course of Pakistan's polity and with it Sharif's. An adverse decision may result in Sharif's disqualification and even snap elections.



The scandal surfaced when the Panama Papers leaks last year revealed that Sharif's sons -- Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz -- and his daughter Maryam -- owned offshore companies which managed their family's properties. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.
The cyber cell of Pune Police has arrested a 30-year-old man here for allegedly creating a fake account in the name of a Maharashtra minister on a social networking site and posting objectionable content on it.





The accused, Ruturaj Nalawade (30), a resident of Junnar tehsil in Pune district, allegedly created the fake profile on the site in the name of food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat and also posted his photos on it, an official from the police's cyber cell said today.



Sunil Mane, the publicity consultant of Bapat who manages the BJP leader's social media accounts, said he registered a case with police after he came across the account in which the objectionable posts and pictures were posted.



"The person used Bapat's photos for creating the account and projected it as 'genuine'. He also sent friend requests to people who are known to the minister," said Mane.



He said some of the people even accepted the friend request presuming it was coming from Bapat, who is also the guardian minister of Pune district.



"The person then started putting some objectionable posts on the page," Mane said, adding that taking cognisance of the fake profile he approached the cyber cell and registered a case against the man.



The police official from the cyber cell said after receiving the complaint, they sought details of the account from the social networking site and arrested Nalawade last night.



Nalawade has been booked under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and section 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.



Under section 500 of IPC, a person faces imprisonment for up to two years.



"We are investigating the person's motive behind creating such fake profile," the official said.


He said as law minister, it was his duty to express the concerns of the Parliament to the judiciary.



The Minister also said there are 4846 vacancies in the subordinate judiciary and urged that the judiciary should take it up on a priority basis.



Responding to another question about appointing women judges especially in Mahila courts, the minister said while the suggestion was important, it has to be kept in mind that some of the most sterling judgements about women's rights had come from male judges. The fairness of the justice system should be kept intact, he said.

Judiciary is open to the idea of having more women as judges but reservation is not envisaged for this purpose in the higher judiciary, the government said today.Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said while the government has a limited role in appointing members to the higher judiciary, but "we are not helpless" and the Centre will keep sensitising the judiciary in regard to appointing more women.Prasad said there was no provision for reservation in the higher judiciary and hence it is not envisaged. However, the government keeps sensitising about the need for representation of minorities, SCs, STs and women.The Minister said there was a need to make "more" gender representation in the higher judiciary and it was not fair to say that Supreme Court judges are against gender justice."I have been minister thrice ...and I have interacted with them (senior judges), they are quite open to the idea," he said, adding that he would convey the concerns to senior judges on the issue.He, however, said "there is a collegium system, where we have limited role. But as law minister, I continue to sensitise (about gender justice) in the appointment process."Prasad was responding to a question raised by Congress member K Rahman Khan, who also sought to know if Parliament and the government are helpless on this issue.The Minister made it clear that the government "was not helpless" and he was aware of the supremacy and sovereignty of Parliament.He informed the House that there were 4704 women judiciary officers out of 16,443 in the subordinate courts in the country. Of these, 1,473 were appointed in the last three years, he added."About High Court, your point is well taken. There are 66 women judges in the entire High Courts in the country and only one Supreme Court judge. This point is very well taken," he said.The Minister also said there was a very good number of women lawyers in the higher judiciary.He said the appointment of judges for higher judiciary was made under Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution. These articles do not provide reservation for any caste or class of persons."Therefore, no caste or class-wise data of judges is maintained. The government has, however, requested the Chief Justices of the High Courts that while sending proposals of appointment of judges, due consideration be given to suitable candidates belonging to other backward classes, SCs, STs, minorities and from amongst women," Prasad said.The administrative control over the members of district and subordinate judiciary in the states vests with the concerned High Courts. Therefore, the central government does not maintain statistics relating to appointment of women officers in the states, he said.While reservation for woman in the subordinate judiciary is provided in some states in consultation with the concerned High courts, there is no provision of reservation in the higher judiciary.
Egypt's new investment law and regulations are positive and can attract more Indian investments in the country, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, India's Ambassador to Egypt has said.



Egypt, the largest economy in Africa, passed a new investment law in May, which aims at lessening the bureaucratic burden on companies.





"The Indian investors normally look at the environment where they are investing, they revise the regulations and whether they are going to create a good environment for investments and also looking for transparent policies.



They also look if they are treated like the local investors or different," Sanjay Bhattacharyya told PTI.



"I think the new investment regulations which were issued recently are very positive and it will attract more investors," he said.



India-Egypt trade and investment made a significant headway in the last few years, despite the weakening of the global economy and declining trade.



The bilateral trade grew 60 per cent over the last five years touching almost USD 5 billion. India is Egypt's third largest destination of exports. Over 50 Indian companies have invested USD 3 billion in Egypt and have provided employment to 35,000 Egyptians.



"Lots of Indian investments, especially in the field of pharmaceutical industries are interested in working in the Egyptian market... If you look at India, considered one the largest recipient of world investments with USD 38 billion, similarly there a lot of Indian investment that goes overseas which reaches around USD 38 billion," Bhattacharyya added.



He also said that the economic relation between the two countries is currently going up with plans of enhancing current or launching new projects.



"In connection with the field of capacity building, we are cooperating with the concerned organisations in Egypt in order to develop capacity through sharing our experience in the field of SME's through training in different aspects of ITEC program related to SME's industries," he explained.



He also said that there were three Egyptian teams who went to India from banking sector and Federation of the Egyptian Industries in the past period.



"The first delegation went this year to India to get acquainted and benefits from the Indian experiment in the field of SME's and the Indian CII (The Chamber of Indian Industries) has organised series of meetings for the members of the Egyptian visiting delegation with Indian Experts in the field of SME's."



"The delegtaion also met with the policy makers and discussed the how the micro and Medium Enterprises are financed the Indian experience in this field."



"At the same time, the important institutions shared their plans and offered them mixed kind of modalities in various fields like how to build skills schools and hospitals," Bhattacharyya said.



The interactions of the Egyptian delegations revolved around the ways of financing these enterprises along with the right technology and availability of right market locally or internationally.



Last October, during 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit, which took place in India, the Indian government had earmarked USD 10 million credit with lenient interest and grants for a long time.



"Many African nations had benefited from this credit, but we did not received any request from any of the Egyptian organisations," he said.



At the same time, the Indian government is establishing a centre for excellence in technology at Al-Azhar University, most prestigious establishment in Arab and Islamic world, to train 500 persons annually.



The Indian side will provide hardware, software and experts for the project, he added.



"Following the President Sisi's visit to India, we received around half a dozen of Indian investors who are interested in investing here in Egypt. When the investors come to any country they create job opportunities and introduce modern technology," he said.
It should have been a happy occasion for the parents of missing tenth standard girl Poornima Sai when she was finally restored to them on Friday by the Bachupally police. It took the police and the Child welfare departments of Telangana three days to convince the young girl to return to her parents as she refused to accept them as a family.



It all began forty days ago on 7 June, when Poornima Sai left her home for school and never returned home. Her parents T. Nagaraju and Vijayadevi who migrated here from coastal Andhra Pradesh made a complaint to Bachupally police. The police investigation hit a road block as there was apparently no motive behind her possible abduction and there was no demand for ransom either.



Meanwhile, the Dongre Police from Mumbai sent a pamphlet that they have printed about a Hyderabad girl Anika Shree who was found in Mumbai. Initially, the local police who made several calls to police stations in Mumbai and Chennai didnt realise Anika is Poornima. With the news of their daughter being traced in Mumbai, parents left for Balika Sudar Grih in Dongre area of Mumbai.



To their shock, their daughter refused to see them and preferred to stay at the correction facility instead. The devastated parents returned home only with an assurance by the Mumbai police that the girl will only be handed over to them after due process as she is refusing to stay with them. Finally, two lady police constables from here went to Mumbai and accompanied the girl back to Hyderabad. It took two days of counselling by the Child welfare committee to convince the girl to return home.



The police say that Poornimas parents were not aware of the fact that the social media savvy girl is obsessed with TV serials. Her friends confirmed that the girl was a smash hit in Dabmashing on social media. She even had a conversation with an unidentified person over Instagram and shared her aspirations to become a film star.



The runaway girl who had reached Shirdi from Secunderabad station borrowed a mobile phone with access to the internet from a devotee there and searched for Girl rescue homes in Mumbai. At the Mumbai station, the police found her roaming around and put her at the correction centre. The Mumbai police said that the girl wanted to make her career in the film industry and was least interested in studies.
As Himachal Pradesh elections draw nearer, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni has sent a reminder to the party leadership to relieve her of the charge citing ill-health.



Soni, 74, has informed Congress President Sonia Gandhi of her inability to discharge duties as AICC General Secretary in-charge of three hill states  Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh due to her advanced age.



I had asked the party leadership to lighten my duties in the party due to my health, Soni, a Rajya Sabha member, told reporters here.



Former Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is tipped to succeed Soni as AICC General Secretary in-charge of Himachal Pradesh that goes to polls in November.



Congress is also expected to name a new AICC in-charge for Uttarakhand, where it lost the assembly elections earlier this year.



The Congress has set in motion the process to revamp the organisation by effecting changes in poll-bound states.



As part of the exercise, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was made AICC General Secretary in-charge of Gujarat, Avinash Pande was elevated as AICC General Secretary and given the charge of Rajasthan.



Former Union Minister K C Venugopal was elevated at AICC General Secretary and handed over the charge of poll-bound Karnataka.



Similarly, senior leaders R P N Singh and P L Punia were made AICC in-charge of Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh respectively.
Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.



An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure. "Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector today by unprovoked firing towards our posts," he said.



The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara. This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours.



An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday. Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.



On July 12, two soldiers - Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat - were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.



Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.
The standoff between the government and the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly has raised the possibility of curtailment of the ongoing budget session with both the sides refusing to relent.



In the Assembly, while the government said the opposition should "rectify their mistake", outside it, the latter flayed the BJP dispensation saying democracy in the state is "under attack".





The opposition had yesterday decided to boycott the lower House for remainder of the session accusing the ruling benches of threatening them and using unparliamentary language.



Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said in the Assembly today the opposition should "rectify their mistake" and appealed it to participate in the next proceedings on July 24 when the budget allocation for the Home department will be taken up for discussion.



With opposition benches empty, the budgets of all departments, except for Home and General Administration, have been passed in two days since yesterday.



"We could have concluded the business today itself, but we want the opposition to take part in the proceedings and discharge the duties assigned to them on the basis of their election to the House," Khanna stressed.



When approached by mediapersons, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary rejected Khanna's appeal.



"The opposition will not get cowed down by the threats of the government...we are ready to give our lives in the name of democratic traditions and are also ready to fight for the dignity of the House and right to expression."



With the opposition not ready to blink, it appeared the session could be adjourned sine die before July 28-- when it is scheduled to end.



Referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's speech in the Assembly on Wednesday, the LoP said he has never heard a Leader of the House using such "harsh words".



Refuting suggestion that the opposition is upset over the Yogi government's move to order CBI probe into appointments made by the UP Public Service Commission since 2012 (the Akhilesh government tenure), he sought a probe since 1990 (when BJP's Kalyan Singh was at the helm in the state).



"They keep talking about so-called mis-governance of the past 15 years when the SP and the BSP ruled the state...but the backwards, the Dalits and the minorities will not fall prey to their pressure politics," he said.



On the recovery of "explosives" from under opposition benches in the assembly recently, he said it appeared to be aimed at "breaking" their morale and "framing" some of their members.



Earlier in the day, some opposition members took out a silent march in front of the assembly with their mouths covered to protest against what they termed as efforts to gag their voice.



Led by Chaudhary, members from SP, BSP, Congress and RLD also wore black bands in protest.

They pasted a memorandum "addressed" to late Chaudhary Charan Singh on the statue of the former prime minister outside the Vidhan Bhawan building.



The memorandum claimed that democracy is "under attack" in the state since the BJP government has come to power.



The state government is "gaging" the voice of opposition and "mikes are being switched off" to stop the voice of the people from being aired, it said.



"The right to expression is being checked and situation akin to undeclared curfew has been created...people are facing problems due to crime and their voice is not being allowed to be aired in the House...we pray you to give good sense to the BJP," reads the memorandum.
Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar today won the sole Rajya Sabha seat, defeating his Congress counterpart and sitting MP Shantaram Naik.



Tendulkar polled 22 votes, while Naik bagged 16 in the election held at the state assembly complex today in which all the 38 state legislators voted.



The 40-member House has its current strength reduced to 38 due to resignations of two MLAs earlier. It presently has 16 Congress MLAs, 12 of the BJP, 3 each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and independents and one of the NCP.



Naik was seeking the third consecutive term.



While the tally of the BJP and its allies -- the GFP, the MGP and three independents -- in the House comes at 21, Tendulkar got one more vote, apparently of the lone NCP MLA Churchill Alemao.



Alemao had also backed NDA's Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential election held on July 17.

Naik was banking on the support of the like-minded parties.



All the Congress legislators voted for Naik contrary to the cross voting in the presidential poll in which at least three MLAs believed to have voted for Kovind.



"We concede the defeat. Our candidate polled 16 votes against 22 scored by the rival candidate," said Ravi Naik, the counting agent for the Congress nominee.



"I am happy that my party legislators and alliance partners have supported me. I will work for the development of Goa," Tendulkar told reporters.



He attributed his victory to the BJP and its alliance partners.



"The circle is completed as the BJP now has representatives right from panchayat to the Rajya Sabha," he said.
Congress on Friday rejected rebel leader Shankarsinh Vaghela's claims that he was expelled from the party a day earlier as a baseless argument.



Neither has Congress Party taken any disciplinary action against him nor has he been expelled from the party, Randeep Surjewala, the chief Congress spokesperson told reporters soon after Vaghela claimed that a rally in Gandhinagar that he was expelled from the Congress on Thursday.



Surjewala also made in known clearly that Vaghela was harbouring ambitions of becoming the Gujarat Congress President, a demand the leadership was unwilling to concede. Vaghela's meeting with BJP President Amit Shah in late March had set tongues wagging in the Congress making the leadership watch his moves carefully but with scepticism.



Though Vaghela had announced at a Congress meeting that he was not in the chief ministerial race, he sent out signals to the contrary with his supporters putting up posters demanding that he be projected as the next CM.



Knowing the influence the former BJP leader wields in the state, the Congress was not keen to antagonise him. Ahmed Patel, the political secretary to the Congress President, even offered him to send him to the Rajya Sabha after his term ended in August. However, Vaghela was not to be placated and stuck to his demand of succeeding state unit President Bharatsinh Solanki.



Vaghela wanted that present PCC President should be replaced and he be appointed in his place. This is a decision of the party and its leadership and no one individual can decide it, Surjewala said and hoped that the rebel leader would continue to work for the party despite his decision to quit posts.



It was history repeating itself for Vaghela after more than two decades. In 1996, Vaghela, then a senior BJP leader had revolted against the party after Keshubhai Patel was made the chief minister. He became the chief minister for a year backed by the Congress, a party he subsequently joined in 1998.



Vaghela on Friday described himself as a free bird and told his supporters that they were free to chart their own path and not look at him for guidance. This week's presidential election had seen cross-voting by 11 legislators believed to be owing allegiance to Vaghela. The next test for the Congress would be the Rajya Sabha poll in Gujarat slated for August 8 when Ahmed Patel is seeking re-election.
Bhartiya Janta Party President Amit Shah received a royal welcome on his arrival in Jaipur. BJP under the leadership of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje left no stone unturned to make Shah's three day visit a memorble one.



Shah who reached Jaipur on Friday noon was got an arousing welcome at the airport where Raje herself greeted him with bouquet of lilies. On his way to BJP Headquarters, Shah was escorted by 150-200 Harley Davidson bikes, followed by a by 200 Bullets and other other bikes. When his cavalcade crossed the streets people were reminded of times of Kings and Royals.



Ahead of Amit Shah's meeting with party members at BJP headquarter situated at C scheme, the building itself got a makeover with 27 new ACs installed and newly cushioned chairs and wooden flooring done in the office. Apart from holding series of meetings with BJP leaders and partymen, he will be having lunch at a Dalits house and will meet other intellectuals and professionals before his return on 23 July. Shah will assess the performance of state government as well as each wing of the party organization in the state ahead of next year's Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.


The Supreme Court today deferred constitution of a committee to supervise the border fencing on the Indo-Bangladesh border till July 31 after the Centre submitted three names for its consideration.



A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R F Nariman said that since the three names suggested by Centre have come belatedly, therefore, the hearing of the matter be deferred.



It took into record the name suggested by some petitioners and Centre for the committee after former home secretary Madhukar Gupta has expressed his inability to continue supervising the border fencing on the Indo-Bangladesh border.





The apex court had on July 13 rapped Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for his "intervention" in the process of publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) which is being monitored by the top court.



The apex court had observed that when it was monitoring the process of preparation and publication of the draft NRC, which is meant to identify original residents of the state to check illegal migration, through a court-appointed committee, no agency or authority can make such a statement.



It had said that if the authorties intervened in the matter like this, it would "wash off its hands" as it does not appreciate such moves.



The counsel representing Assam government had said there was no intention on the part of the Chief Minister to interfere in the apex court proceedings.



The Chief Minister had faced the ire after the court was informed that though the deadline for publication of draft NRC was said to be March 31, 2018, the Chief Minister has stated that this would be done on or before December 2017.



The apex court had also observed that it has spent time and energy for almost two years for this and it was "not fair" on the part of the Chief Minister to make such a statement.



The court noted in its order that though Prateek Hajela, state coordinator, NRC Assam, had earlier stated before it that the date of publication of draft NRC would be around March 2018, now he has said that it would be published by December end this year.



It had said that now the date of publication of draft NRC is on or before December 31, 2017 and therefore the budgetary allocation should be made available so that the work could be done by the year end.



Centre had informed that former Home Secretary heading a committee which was already entrusted some task by the court, has expressed his inability to oversee the construction of the fencing in the western front of the India-Bangladesh border.



It was said Gupta has cited personal reasons, including health, and has declined to take up the work related to construction of fencing in the western front of the border.



The bench had then clarified that it would like to give the work to a public spirited person and allowed Centre and petitioners to suggest some names for the committee.



It had said it will constitute another committee for the work and asked for the names from the parties within seven days.



The apex court was hearing a matter relating to fencing of Indo-Bangla border.
Suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammed Saleem was today sent to a seven-day custody by a court here after he was produced before it by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad.



Saleem was brought here last night on transit remand from Mumbai, where he was arrested for his alleged involvement in a 2008 terror attack on a CRPF camp at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.



He was arrested at the Mumbai airport on July 17, shortly after his arrival from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).



"Mohammed Saleem was today produced in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate (customs), which sent him to a seven-day remand," Aseem Arun, Inspector General (IG), ATS said in a statement here.



Saleem Mukim Khan alias Abu Amaar alias Arif, a resident of Hathgaon in Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh, was brought here last night from Mumbai for further interrogation, he added.



The statement said Saleem was being quizzed as to how many times he got Indian passports made against his name, how many days he spent getting trained in terror activities in Muzaffarabad (in PoK) and who were his co-trainees.



The ATS would also question him on his involvement in terror incidents, why did he go to Saudi Arabia and what were his activities there, the IG said.



He added that Saleem would also be quizzed on his links with terrorists both in India and abroad and what was his exact role in the terror incidents.



His connections with other terror outfits would also be looked into, said the IG.



Saleem was also allegedly a financier of suspected ISI agent Aftab Ali, who was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS from Faizabad in May.



He was nabbed in a joint operation by the anti-terrorist squads of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh police.



Saleem, against whom a lookout notice was issued, was stopped at an immigration counter at the Mumbai airport in the intervening night of July 16 and 17 and taken into custody.



Eight persons, including CRPF jawans, were killed in the terror attack on the Rampur camp of the paramilitary force on January 1, 2008.



A case was registered in connection with the attack under the relevant sections of the IPC, the Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Explosives Act and the Foreigner Registration Act.



An initial inquiry by the Maharashtra ATS indicated that Saleem was associated with Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT.
The Trump Administration today announced plans to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea, attributing it to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of Americans in the reclusive nation.



The move comes following the death of university student Otto Warmbier, who was returned to the U.S. in a coma after spending time in a North Korean prison.



A federal notification is scheduled to be published next week and new travel restrictions could come into place 30 days after that.



"The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.



"Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Koreas system of law enforcement, the Secretary (of State) has authorised a Geographical Travel Restriction on all US citizen nationals' use of a passport to travel in, through, or to North Korea," Nauert said.



Once in effect, US passports will be invalid for travel to, through and in North Korea, and individuals will be required to obtain a passport with a special validation in order to travel to or within North Korea, she said.



Individuals seeking to travel to North Korea for certain limited humanitarian or other purposes may apply to the Department of State for a special validation passport, the spokesperson said.



There has been movement towards a ban for a while in the US, which increased with the Warmbier death.



Apart from the treatment of Americans in North Korea, tension has been increasing over North Korea's nuclear programme.



This month North Korea announced it had successfully tested what it said was its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the latest in a series of tests in defiance of a UN ban.
Sean Spicer today resigned as White House press secretary apparently to protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to appoint New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as the new communications director.



Spicer at a White House meeting this morning told the president that he vehemently disagreed with his choice for a new White House Communication Director.



The White House later announced that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would replace Spicer.



"The president requested that Mr Spicer stay on, but Mr Spicer told Mr Trump that he believed the appointment was a major mistake, according to a person with direct knowledge of the exchange," The New York Times reported. The news was later confirmed by the White House.



Later in a tweet, Spicer said he would continue to be in his position through August.



"It's been an honour and a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August," Spicer tweeted.



Sanders and Scaramucci appreciated Spicers role and said that he left the position to give the new team a clean slate.



"I wanted to say is I want to thank personally Sean Spicer not only on behalf of myself, the President, the administration, but Sean is a true American patriot, he's a military serviceman, he's got a great family, and he's done an amazing job," Scaramucci said.



"This is obviously a difficult situation to be in, and I applaud his efforts here. And I love the guy. And I wish him well. And I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money," he told reporters at the daily White House news conference, during which he also denied rift between him and the White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus.



The White House had been without a communications director since May, when Mike Dubke resigned from the role in the first personnel shakeup of the Trump administration.



Spicer had taken on the responsibilities associated with the job in the interim and strongly opposed Trumps decision to hire Scaramucci.



Ever since being appointed as the White House Press Secretary, Spicer had emerged as the house hold name in the US and globally, often facing tough questions from the media.


The Gujarat Congress today said it was "unfortunate" that senior leader Shankarsinh Vaghela was quitting the party, while the ruling BJP claimed that the veteran politician was facing "humiliation" in the opposition party.



The Congress said it was unfortunate that the former chief minister, who was appointed to key posts after he joined the party nearly two decades ago, was quitting four months ahead of the crucial Gujarat Assembly polls.



"The Congress, in the last 20 years, gave many opportunities to Vaghela. He was made a Union minister, the state party chief, leader of opposition (in the Assembly). (Party chief) Sonia Gandhi and (her deputy) Rahul Gandhi had faith in him and that is why he was appointed to these posts," Ashok Gehlot, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in- charge for Gujarat, told reporters in New Delhi.



"I do not know why has he done this...Whether he has done it under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. What was the pressure?," he wondered.



Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki, however, sought to play down the impact Vaghela's exit would have on the party in the Assembly polls due later this year.



"I firmly believe his resignation will have no impact and the Congress will win with a two-thirds majority as the people of Gujarat are very smart," he said.



Solanki also ruled out the possibility of cross-voting in the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat.



The polls to the Upper House of Parliament will be held for one seat currently with the Congress and two of the BJP.



"There is no question of cross-voting as all the MLAs will have to vote for the party as per the whip. If they ignore the whip, they will be disqualified from contesting elections for six years. I am sure no one would want that," said Solanki.



Congress leader Siddharth Patel said the party had given "enough" to Vaghela in the last 20 years, despite the 77- year-old leader's RSS background.



Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani claimed that the Congress was on the verge of a split in the state thanks to an "infighting" over who would be its chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming election.



"The Congress is a sinking ship...who will survive in it? It is struggling to cope with an infighting over who would be the chief ministerial candidate," he said and added that it was "very sad" that Vaghela was "removed" from the party.



Earlier in the day, Vaghani called up Vaghela and greeted him on his 77th birthday.



BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said, "Vaghela has become Congress-mukt today. He was facing humiliation in that party. Now, we would have to see who else will be Congress-mukt."



He also mentioned that Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani too had wished Vaghela on his birthday.



"The Congress appears to be directionless. It does not have any programme for the uplift (of the marginalised sections of the society) or vision for the progress of the country. They have lost states after states," said Pandya.



Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said, "The Congress will face the consequences of ignoring Vaghela."



Gujarat Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Jayant Patel said the veteran politician was welcome to join his outfit.



"The Congress will pay a price for ignoring Vaghela. We welcome him to join the NCP. We will give him a free hand in the Assembly polls," he said.
Gujarat Congress stalwart Shankarsinh Vaghela's decision to quit the party may cast a shadow on the prospects of Sonia Gandhi's confidante Ahmed Patel's re-election to the Rajya sabha.



According to sources in the party, Vaghela has the support of around a dozen MLAs, and if they follow suit, it may put into jeopardy Patel's chances of securing a fourth Rajya Sabha term from his home state. Patel is Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary.



Congress has 57 MLAs in Gujarat and its candidate would require votes of 47 of them to get elected.



The RS poll comes close on the heels of the presidential election which exposed chinks in the Congress armour as the joint opposition's nominee Meira Kumar could garner votes of only 49 MLAs.



Vaghela, while announcing his decision of quitting the party, said he would resign from the Assembly only after the August 8 RS poll, seen as a veiled warning that he would try to ensure the defeat of the Congress candidate.



Patel's current term ends on August 18. Though the party is yet to announce its candidate for the upcoming elections, it is seen as almost certain that it would be Patel.



Congress general secretary in-charge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot said it was the moral responsibility of the former chief minister to help its candidate get elected as he still represented the party in the Assembly.



"He has resigned, but he has been with the Congres for 20 years. It is his moral responsibility to help in the victory of the Congress candidate as he continues to be a party MLA," Gehlot told PTI.



He asserted Congress was in a "comfortable" position as it had the support of all 57 MLAs.



The filing of nominations for the biennial election started today.



The terms of BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat Dilip Pandya and Smriti Irani also end on August 18.



Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister termed Vaghela's decision to quit Congress a "blunder". He said it was unfortunate that he quit the party just before the assembly elections, saying Congress had rewarded him for his work by giving him important positions.



In a body blow to the Congress in Gujarat, Vaghela, one of its tallest in the state, today announced he was quitting the party. He enjoys considerable support in North Gujarat.
Human rights activist Martin Luther King III on Friday said intolerance has been on the rise in India and the United States after the election of Narendra Modi and Donald Trump respectively.



Speaking after inaugurating Quest for Equity: Reclaiming Social Justice, Revisiting Ambedkar conference organised to commemorate the 126th birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar, King III the oldest son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, said animosity against minorities in India has increased after Modi came to power.



King said that in the Modi regime, people in favour of a Hindu nation are placed in positions of power in all institutions of democracy.



Cow vigilantism is happening. Muslims and Dalits are being lynched, while police stand by... we must resist, he said. King said there were several similarities between his father and Ambedkar. Both were selfless, fought for equality and for fundamental rights. Both were highly educated and could have led a luxurious life but worked for the upliftment of the downtrodden, he said.



All India Congress Committee vice president Rahul Gandhi charged the Modi government and the RSS of strangulating reality with an aim to mutilate the Constitution. He accused Modi and the RSS of systematical capturing Indias democratic institutions to keep alive the lie that all is well in the country.



Do not forget that every single Indian will be robbed of his voice, every single Indian will be robbed of his future. We must firstly keep the firm grip on reality. We must never ever allow them to strangle it, he said.



He accused Modi of running a totalitarian regime. They said Rohit Vemula committed suicide. I say he was murdered. He was killed only because he was a Dalit. Akhlaq is butchered because they said he stole a calf, Rahul said.



Farmers suicides

The Congress leader said thousands of farmers were committing suicide but the Centre looked the other way. He appreciated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was on the dais, for waiving crop loans taken by farmers in Karnataka.



Rahul said Modi was lying when he said India had a glorious past. The Modi government wants to take the country back to a forgotten age where untouchability was rampant and people lived in abject poverty, he said.



Nobel laurate and child right activist Kailash Satyarthi said the time had come to introspect whether Ambedkars dreams had been realised.



Today millions of our children are not in school, millions of children are in the fields, millions of girls are into prostitution. These are Ambedkars children, he said implying that still a lot needs to be done to achieve social equality.
In part two of the #SteelFlyoverBeda campaign, local residents will stage a protest at Shivananda Circle on Sunday to raise their voice against the upcoming steel bridge at the busy intersection in central Bengaluru.



The steel flyover is proposed to be 326 metres long and will connect commuters from Race Course Road towards Hare Krishna Road and the railway underpass in Sheshadripuram.



Residents say the project is fraught with administrative and logistic problems which would defeat the purpose of constructing the flyover.



They say that as the width of Hare Krishna Road between Jeevan building, adjoining Kumara Park, and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce is hardly 65 feet, there will not be enough space to provide service roads on either side of the ramp.



Residents also believe the flyover will not help in decongestion and may instead lead to gridlock. Downward movement of vehicles towards the narrow road leading to the under-bridge will lead to severe congestion, the statement said.



Further, the steep rise of the ramp to the flyover will lead to gridlock and heavy vehicles will not be able to accelerate on it. The ecological balance of the area will be disturbed as the project would require felling 30 trees.



The protest will be supported by Citizens of Bengaluru (CfB), the group that successfully led the movement against the Rs 1,800-crore flyover that was to come up from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal.


Residents of Chickpet Assembly constituency will get to raise their various problems at Janaspandana  Citizens for Change programme being organised by DH and Prajavani on Saturday.



The event will be held at Huq House, 14, Lalbagh Main Road, Raja Rammohan Roy Extension, Sudhama Nagar, at 10 am. Local MLA R V Devaraj, corporators of wards under Chickpet and officials of government agencies such as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bescom and police will listen to peoples problems and address them instantly.



The programme is part of the initiative by DH and Prajavani to connect with Bengalureans and help solve their civic problems from waste disposal to streetlights, stray dog menace to roads, water supply and sewerage to electricity, health to public transport, footpaths to parks, and playgrounds to traffic and law and order. The publications have already organised such events in different parts of the city.



Participants should reach the venue by 9 am and register at the reception counter. Additionally, they can send their grievances by e-mail (janaspandana@printersmysore.co.in) or phone (94485 28998) between 9 am and 5 pm.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday directed the suspension of Bengaluru South tahsildar S M Shivakumar and ordered issue of show-cause notice to Bengaluru regional commissioner M V Jayanthi for obstructing the construction of the state governments flagship programme Indira Canteen at one of the locations in the city.



Siddaramaiah was reviewing the Indira Canteen project that offers meals and tiffin at subsidised rates to the urban poor. The government had set a deadline of August 15 to kick-start the canteens in all the 198 wards. However, the project has been facing numerous challenges, especially in obtaining land.



Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials apprised the chief minister that they had identified a location near PES College but Jayanthi and Shivakumar were obstructing it. It is learnt that the revenue department wanted to have its building on the piece of land. About two years ago, Bengaluru Urban district authorities had cleared encroachment from the land.



Sources said Siddaramaiah called the principal secretary in the revenue department Ramana Reddy and directed him to suspend Shivakumar and serve a show-cause notice on Jayanthi.



Palike officials apprised the chief minister that they have identified 182 sites to set up Indira Canteens while the search is on for the remaining 16 locations. Construction work has started at 72 places. They said by August 15, they will be able to set up only 125 canteens. The rest will be ready by October 2.



Officers informed the chief minister that 87 locations identified for the canteens belong to the 23 government departments. So far, 36 sites have been transferred to the BBMP while the remaining 51 sites will be handed over to the BBMP by Monday.



The Palike officers told the chief minister that preliminary work has started on 91 sites while construction is in full swing at 72 locations.
AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal is learnt to have asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday to handle the controversial issue of separate state flag carefully and ensure that it does not cause any damage to the Congress.



During his meeting with the chief minister, Venugopal is learnt to have told Siddaramaiah that the party top brass is anxious about the possible impact of the controversy as the BJP is likely to project the state governments move as encouraging mindset of separatists.



Opposition parties, the BJP and the JD(S), are accusing the Congress of using the issue to whip up the sentiments of people ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.



Sources in the party said Siddaramaiah clarified to Venugopal that his government has only set up a committee of officials to explore the possibility of having a separate state flag and that no decision has been taken yet.



Four AICC secretaries in charge of Karnataka were also present in the meeting held at chief ministers official residence Cauvery.



Venugopal and AICC secretaries were in Bengaluru to hold the first meeting of the newly appointed KPCC office-bearers.
The Ramamurthy Nagar police have arrested four boys, all aged between 14 and 17 years, for molesting an 11-year-old girl.



While three were arrested on Wednesday, another was nabbed in Hubballi on Friday. All four are students of a government school in Ramamurthy Nagar.



Police said that the suspects molested the victim, a Class 6 student from an another government school, after taking her to an isolated place in Vijinapura, when she was returning home at 4 pm on July 10. On returning home, the victim narrated the incident to her mother, who informed the police.



All the boys have been sent to a juvenile home and have been booked under the Pocso Act and various sections of the IPC, police added.



Ola auto driver held

An auto driver, affiliated to cab aggregator Ola, was arrested on Thursday on the charge of misbehaving with a female passenger in Indiranagar.



The 19-year-old girl, who is a student of a private college in the city, boarded the autorickshaw near Indiranagar at 10.30 am on July 17 to go to her college on Hosur Road. The suspect, identified as Manjunath, is said to have made advances at her and asked her to come with him.



After reaching the college, the victim lodged a complaint at the Indiranagar police station and even complained to Ola about the incident. Police registered an attempt to molest case.



Cab driver ends life

A cab driver committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Basaveshwaranagar on Thursday evening.



The deceased, identified as Muniswamy (30), was married and had a one-year-old son.



According to the police, Muniswamy was an alcoholic and had run into financial problems.



On Thursday at 4.30 pm, Muniswamy bought liquor after his wife went out to work. Muniswamy consumed liquor and later hanged himself, said the police. The incident came to light when his wife returned home. The Basaveshwaranagar police have registered a case and are investigating.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the state legislature on Friday directed the Home Department to immediately suspend all those responsible for providing special treatment to AIADMK leader Sasikala at Bengaluru central prison.



The PAC, which is reviewing prison reforms, also directed Principal Secretary (Home) P K Garg to submit within 15 days a detailed report on irregularities in prisons in the state, including Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara.



Senior officials of the Prisons Department also appeared before the panel which held its meeting at the Vidhana Soudha. Senior BJP leader R Ashoka is the chairman of the committee.



Sources said the PAC members sought to know under what rules the prison authorities allotted five rooms to Sasikala. ADGP (Prisons) N S Megharikh and DIG (Prisons) H S Revanna, who had appeared before the committee, are learnt to have said that they were new to the posts and assured that they will submit a report in this regard shortly.



IPS officer D Roopa recently submitted a report to the government on irregularities and corruption in Bengaluru Central Prison. She had accused the prison authorities of taking Rs 2 crore bribe from Sasikala for providing special treatment, triggering a major controversy. The government, however, transferred her from the post of DIG (Prisons).



Besides, the PAC members took the Prison Department officials to task for not taking any action on the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report, which had found large-scale irregularities in the state prisons.



The national auditor had reported that it had found about 4000 mobile phones, 3000 SIM cards, 2500 mobile battery chargers and 40.39 kg of drugs in various prisons of the state. The report was pertaining to 2004 and 2009.



The sources said based on the CAG report, the PAC had in 2009 made 22 recommendations to the Home Department in order to set right the lapses. But no action was taken in this regard.



The then government in 2013 formed a committee headed by the Home Department secretary to look into the PACs recommendations. In the past four years, the committee has met only once and no action has been taken to bring in reforms in prisons, the sources added.



PAC members were, however, not available for comments.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it would consider listing for early hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case.



We are going to list the main matter soon. We will take a decision on it, a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said, even as BJP leader Subramanian Swamy mentioned the matter for an urgent listing and hearing.



Swamy said the main appeals against the Allahabad High Court order are pending for the past seven years in the apex court and they required an urgent hearing.



Separate petition

He said he had earlier filed a separate petition seeking enforcement of his right to worship without much hassle at the site. He submitted that he has been allowed by the apex court to intervene in the matter and is seeking expeditious disposal of the cases.



The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had in 2010 ruled a three-way division of 2.77 acres at the disputed site in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. The three-judge bench, by a 2:1 majority, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties  Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.



In March, days after suggesting Swamy find an amicable resolution to the land dispute through negotiated settlement, saying it was as a matter of sentiments and religion, the bench had declined to fix a date for the hearing.



However, on Friday, Swamy put forth a previous order by the apex court, allowing him to intervene in the civil appeal.
At least 50 cows illegally transported from Odisha to the Bahadurpura slaughterhouse here were left to die of injury and hunger by cow protectors and complacent police.



Reports reaching here said activists of the Dondapudi Gau Rakshana Samithi blocked the truck carrying the animals at Devarapalli in West Godavari district and informed the police. Though the illegal traffickers surrendered to the police, the gau rakshaks left the onus of rescuing the 72 cows to the officers. The bovines were crammed one over the other in a truck.



Noticing the truck parked on the edge of the road, the police left the spot, abandoning the animals. Passersby informed the gaushala in Aavapadu in Nallajerla block, but 50 cows had died before rescuers could reach the spot. Rescuers shifted the 12 badly injured and dying cows to the shelter.
By Natasha GeilingFollow

20 July 2017

(ThinkProgress)  Sam Clovis, a former Trump campaign adviser and one-time conservative talk radio host, has no background in the hard sciences, nor any policy experience with food or agriculture. Still, that did not stop President Donald Trump from officially nominating Clovis to the position of the United States Department of Agricultures undersecretary of research, education, and economics, the agencys top science position.

In the past, the undersecretary of research, education, and economics has brought years of experience in science, public health, or food policy. Previous undersecretaries have been biochemists, plant physiologists, or food nutrition experts. The most recent undersecretary, Catherine Woteki, came to the position from Mars, Inc., where she helped manage the companys scientific research on health, nutrition, and public safety.

Clovis, on the other hand, comes to the position after serving as national co-chair for the Trump campaign, which he joined in 2015. Before that, Clovis was a professor of economics at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He has a doctorate in public administration, and unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014. []Clovis, like so many of the Trump administrations top policy officials, does not accept the scientific consensus on climate change. In 2014, he told Iowa Public Radio that climate science is junk science and not proven. He also said in an interview with E&E News in October that the Trump administration would not prioritize climate change or climate science at the USDA  a sharp break from the Obama administration, which made a point of trying to better prepare farmers and the food system for imminent climate-fueled changes like droughts or heavier storms. []Clovis would not be the only senior official at USDA to question established climate science. Secretary Perdue called climate science obviously disconnected from reality and a running joke among the public in a 2014 op-ed published in the National Review. [more]
In Pictures: Aamir Khan Takes His Family On A Vacation To Italy
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The House has approved legislation allowing a proposed road through a remote national wildlife refuge in Alaska that was rejected by the Obama administration.

A bill approved Thursday would grant a land exchange allowing Alaska to build the road between two rural communities, King Cove and Cold Bay. They sit near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, 600 miles southwest of Anchorage.





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The city of Seattle said the Washington Supreme Court has unanimously rejected the University of Washington's claim of immunity from the city's Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.

In a press release yesterday, the city said the UW sued to establish that immunity because it feared the ordinance would prevent demolition of the UW's old Nuclear Reactor Building.





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WOODINVILLE  A medical building at 17000 140th Ave. N.E. has sold for $12.4 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Woodinville Medical Center LLC, which developed the property after buying the land in 1991 for $419,000.





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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
Nine months after a fire seriously damaged their premises, the popular OHehirs Bakery and Cafe on Letterkennys Main Street reopened today.

The well-known business was badly affected by the blaze that also saw a number of residential apartments at the rear of the building evacuated. Other local business were also affected when a large fire took place in an underground car park last September.

OHehirs re-opened the bakery section of the business within a short time of the fire, but their cafe area was closed off until structural work was complete.

Today their loyal customers got a look at the new and improved seating area for the first time.



Manager Seamus Nallan, said it had been a difficult nine months. He said the fire greatly impacted on his business, but he was delighted to finally have the full business opened to the public again.

It has affected us for the last nine months since September. We had the front part of the bakery business opened initially, but we did lose a lot of business. We have a very loyal staff so we are very lucky that way. We had to wait for all the steel works to be done before we could go ahead and start work on anything. In the last few weeks the local tradesmen have been very busy once we could give them the go ahead, and they have really helped, Seamus told the Donegal Democrat/Donegal Peoples Press.

The company employs ten staff and now have a new and improved seating area where they offer there great range of cakes, sandwiches and lunches.




In budget talks Thursday, Jackson County Commissioners chose the insurance plans theyll offer employee for general health, dental and vision services. The current plan will not be available for the coming year.

With premium deductibles for employees on the rise, the board voted to contribute $1,500 to cover the cost. The premiums have gone to that amount from just $500 in the current year. The increase, in part, had to do with 11 catastrophic insurance claims in the current year, those 11 having an impact in the coming year for the roughly 744 people covered under the countys insurance. The county has an average of 344 employees, with 44 of them including their family members in their coverage.

Open enrollment begins Monday and employees will get detailed explanations of their options in those sessions. Heres a look at the general parameters.

Old insurance: county pays an $823 per-employee premium each month. It served the county seven years but is no longer available.

New insurance: county pays a $707 premium per-employee each month.

New insurance also includes a flexible spending account that employees could bank money in and use to pay their costs of medical expenses with pre-tax dollars from their salaries.

Three plans available:

Plan 1: Includes co-pay provisions, so that employees would pay a limited amount for doctor visits and medications. However, those doctor bills and medication expenses wont go toward meeting the deductible. Those taking the Plan 1 option would have to pay $183 a month in premium costs, the difference between the countys $707 premium contribution and whats left of the premium charged.

Plan 2: Does not include co-pay provisions. Employees would on paper be responsible for meeting a deductible of $1,500, after which the insurance would pay 90 percent of all costs. But the county took action this week to set up a county-funded $1,500 account for each employee that would be accessed via a card-swipe at their health care providers billing department. The county, in effect, is paying all of the deductible for the workers. Employees who dont have many doctor visits throughout the year, and therefore dont rack up $1,500 worth of physician visits, could instead use some of that money to pay for glasses and certain other medical expenses. Employees in this plan would also pay no premium because the county has agreed to pay 100 percent of it.

Plan 3: Is available to employees who wish to cover their families as well as themselves. It is essentially the same as plan 2, except that, on the premium side, the employee would be responsible for paying $268, the part it will take to cover their families. However, the county, to help defray costs for those who choose the family plan, agreed to set up $2,000 in the card-swipe account through which the county helps employees meet deductible. It doesnt cover the full family deductible of $3,000 for family plans, but does offer some relief.
Jerry Adkinson of Dothan has released his first childrens book, which is currently for sale online and in a few local retail stores.

Who Are You? was published by Next Century Publishing in Las Vegas, Nevada. The book was illustrated by Natalie Fleming, an artist from Dallas, Texas. The book reads and is illustrated as a school play with children dressed as different animals  explaining who they are in rhymes.

The book is selling for $12.95 through Amazon and can be found locally at Northcutts on Main and Dove Christian Supply.

Adkinson grew up in Dothan and graduated from Dothan High School prior to attending the University of Alabama. With an appointment to West Point, Adkinson later attended Marion Military Institute. He chose a business career and spent most of it in sales and marketing of food products throughout the U.S. Now retired and living in Dothan, Adkinson pursues his hobby of acting and has appeared in movie and television productions. He is also a Sunday school teacher and certified lay speaker.

He and his wife, Jane, have six children, 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
When it comes to finding assistance, the lack of knowledge can cause people to fall through the cracks as they either navigate the maze of options, or else they simply do not know where to begin their search. Enter Love INC (Love in the Name of Christ) of the Wiregrass.

The purpose behind this relatively new agency is to make the connection between those in need with the faith-based community that can meet those needs. Angela Smith, executive director of the agency, says its not always the big projects that bring people together. Even simple things, like building a wheelchair ramp, can turn into the type of connections she envisions for the agency.

Just such a project brought Jim Hicks, a member of HIM (Home Improvement Ministry) and the Stephen Ministry at Covenant United Methodist Church, into the life of Jonathan Davis and his family.

The initial contact between Hicks, a retired aeronautical engineer, and the Davis family came through the Southern Alabama Regional Council on Aging (SARCOA). But it didnt take Hicks long to realize the family needed more help than just having a ramp built for Davis grandmother. Unfortunately, she died three days before the work was to start. But that didnt break the connection that had started between Hicks and Davis.

Conversations had been held between Jim and Jonathan, Smith said. Hes been in Jonathans life for six to eight months now. Through his church, Jim had heard about Love INC. He felt Love INC could help Jonathans family, so he asked me to meet with the family. Weve been involved for several months. One of the things weve done is to move the family into a new home. There are also some health issues, disability issues that affect this family.

What was initially a building project made with materials has turned into a mentoring relationship for Hicks.

Im not officially his Stephen minister, Hicks said. But, after meeting Jonathan, weve developed a relationship. Im applying some of the things from the Stephen ministries. Through this ministry people are trained to walk beside others.

A family tragedy has allowed Hicks to deepen his relationship with the family.

After his grandmother died, I was asked by his mother (Charlene) to come over, Hicks said. I helped the family figure out things for her funeral. The more I visited, the more I got to know Jonathan. I was immediately struck by him and seeing he has a lot more potential than he even realizes. The second thing is that I also had empathy for him. I could feel the pain he was going through  the challenges, the issues that he has. I wanted to see if I could help.

Jonathan, 32, has an extreme form of dyslexia and also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Mayo Clinic defines dyslexia as a learning disorder characterized by difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words.

It made school hard, Davis said. I found out by accident that I could read books in the mirror. Also, if I can hear it, I keep it in my head.

Davis learned to cope with dyslexia the best he could.

I was very aggravated with it, Davis continued. I got picked on about it.

Hicks says its pretty remarkable that Davis managed to compensate for it.

He recognized it himself, when he was young, he said. At the age of seven he said he had a headache and splashed water on his face (for relief). Thats when he saw the book in the mirror. Hes been coping with this.

Working to draw Davis out of his reserved nature has given Hicks the opportunity to witness the young mans resilience.

Im encouraged by his attitude, Hicks said as he turned to look at Jonathan who was seated next to him. He has a positive attitude, especially considering all the challenges that he has. When we discuss things  and I say try this  he does it. Hes a compliant friend. I know God has a purpose for him. I dont know what that is. But Ive learned in lifes experiences not to have precise plans. God has a plan for Jonathan. And I have an expectation that God has a plan for our relationship. We will see where it goes.

God is using me, through all the experiences in life that Ive had. Im not everything Jonathan will need. But Im helpful at this point in his life. At this point, others can be helping other members of his family.

Jim is my poster child for Love INC, Smith added. Hes modeling it in the community. Jims church is one of our partner churches and is instrumental in the foundation of Love INC. Through their involvement with this family, weve met with other partner churches. At least six churches are now directly connecting with this family.

In Hicks, Davis knows he has a friend. Its a developing relationship that has been quietly and slowly built on trust.

Hes been a great big help, Davis said softly. For a while I was very depressed, ready to give up.

For Hicks, that was not an acceptable option for his young friend.

Weve arranged for counseling at Living Waters, Hicks said as he noted the facility is a pathway to healing for Davis. The first time we went there, he told me it wasnt what he thought it would look like. He said it looked more like where he grew up with his grandfather. His memory is a huge positive in Jonathans life. He was a great shining light in his life. Jonathan felt at peace at Living Waters.

My grandfather and I fished a lot together, Davis interjected, noting the pond at Living Waters. He (Jim) is like a third grandpa to me.

Im completely uplifted by Jonathan, and Im honored he considers me to be a third grandpa, Hicks said.

While thankful for the assistance they have received, Smith says the Davis family also knows what it means to help others.

I went over one day before they moved into their new house, Smith said. They were talking about where to put the furniture. One of the things they did was to put in a window air conditioner. They actually had two of them. But Charlene said they didnt need the second one, so they gave it to their neighbor. She said that when someone is good to you, you just pass it on. This family was willing to receive assistance, and they were also willing to share.

Smith says stories like this one are why Love INC was started. Through the efforts of Jim Hicks and others who have gotten involved with the Davis family, Jonathan will be able to attend a special program offered by the Alabama Rehabilitation Vocational Center that will enable him to learn how to compensate for his dyslexia. It is hoped that, through this training, Davis will be able to gain meaningful employment to assist his family.

For more information about Love INC of the Wiregrass, contact Angela Smith at 334-568-3462 or via email to awsmith@loveincwiregrass.org or visit the agencys website, www.loveincwiregrass.org.
The three women who died in the Aclint Bridge car crash early this morning have been named.

According to the Donegal Democrat, the three victims are from the village of Bruckless, in Co Donegal.

As reported in the Donegal Democrat, the victims have been named as: Margaret McGonigle of Castlereagh, Bruckless; her daughter Mairead Munday of Ballyloughan, Bruckless and their neighbour Rachel Battles.

The victims were returning home to Bruckless from Dublin Airport, having been on holiday in Turkey.

Bruckless is a small village in Donegal with a population of less than 100 people.

The two men who were seriously injured in the crash were removed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda

The N2 remains closed between Ardee and Aclint Bridge to facilitate an examination by Garda investigators and will remain closed for the day.

Gardai continue to appeal for witnesses to contact Ardee Garda Station 041 6871130, The Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
The engineers behind rapid-growth mattress startup Sleeping Duck dived into the Shark Tank this week, but surfaced without a deal, after knocking back offers, worth half a million, from both Andrew Banks and Steve Baxter. As they told Dynamic Business, the deal breaker wasnt the equity each shark demanded; rather, they werent convinced either could help take their business to the next level.

Sleeping Duck was hatched by Melbourne duo Selvam Sinnappan and Winston Wijeyeratne in January 2014 as an alternative to what they saw as a frustrating, in-store experience; namely, shopping for a new mattress. Sinnappan commented, Going through 40 to 50 mattresses, with prices ranging from as low as $200 to as high as $10,000, made for one of the most confusing, expensive and tedious processes Id ever been through. How can you know a mattress suits you by only sleeping on it for 15 minutes in store? Even if you take one home, theres still no guarantee that you will get the best nights sleep possible.

According to Wijeyeratne, Sinnappans background in civil engineering, as well as his own in aerospace, enabled the pair to ascertain very quickly what materials were going into the products on the market and where the large cost variations were. From there, they combined pocket springs, gel-infused memory foam and natural latex to produce a customisable mattress, which is shipped, compressed, in a box about a quarter the size of the actual product.

Due to its modular construction, our mattress can be adapted to suit your unique sleep needs, Wijeyeratne explained. Plus, they come with a 100-night trial, during which you can adjust the firmness and feel of the mattress depending on your sleep needs. Worst case, if we still cant get it right we will give you a full refund. We offer free delivery, free returns and free customisation.

Related: Kicked out and pregnant at 24, to 1.6m per year entrepreneur at 37: How Yemi Penn turned it all around

First mover advantage

After turning over $300,000 in its first year on the market, Sleeping Ducks revenue rose by 800% to $2.4 million year two and again by nearly 200% in year three, reaching $4.7 million. Sinnappan attributes this rapid, early growth to the first mover advantage enjoyed by his (to date) self-funded startup, explaining: Winston and I pioneered the 100-night trial and the mattress in a box, and for almost two years we were the only major players in this space.

Other key factors included Sleeping Ducks online-only model (the significant amount we saved helped us get our name out there with digital marketing) as well as its launch into overseas markets  outside of Australia, it mattresses are available in UK and parts of Europe, and it recently expanded to New Zealand and Hong Kong. Sinnappan added that Sleeping Duck has been able to reduce the overheads usually associated with mattress storage and transportation because its products are compressed into boxes with wheels and handles

This makes it very easy for us to move quickly into new countries, while still being able to use standard couriers, he said. If our mattresses were to be delivered full size, we would have to use specialised storage and shipping which would make costs rise astronomically.

A certain anxiety

Earlier this week, Sinnappan and Wijeyeratne, appeared on Channel Tens Shark Tank, with a view to securing an investor who shared their vision and would help them grow Sleeping Duck. Valuing their business at $10 million, the founders asked for $500,000 in exchange for a 5% stake in the business.

Like his fellow Sharks, Morgan & Banks co-founder Andrew Banks was impressed by the startups growth rate but questioned why the co-founders had only forecast $5.5 million in revenue for the current financial year: Why is your growth rate slowing? It should be staying the same or accelerating. Sinnappan cited the fact that their cheap, organic web traffic, had begun to shrink, requiring the co-founders to offset this with paid traffic. With investment, he told the Sharks, revenue was expected to hit $7.5 million.

We havent done much in the VC space, Wijeyeratne told Dynamic Business. But what I would say, is that pitching on Shark Tank was on a completely different level. The fact we had no control of how the show would play out when it went to air created a certain anxiety. You obviously want to come off well to the Sharks, but youre also aware that potential customers are watching as well.

We practiced our pitch word for word in excess of 100 times in front of a camera. Leading up to the filming of the episode, we got various friends and mentors to test us from different perspectives to make sure our story stood up to any scrutiny. Doing this kind of preparation gave us confidence in ourselves and our pitch, which is probably why we came off relatively relaxed (on the outside anyway!)

A like-minded partner

Suggesting the co-founders had hit a bump in their growth trajectory, Banks offered them $500,000 in exchange for a 25% stake in Sleeping Duck. When Sinnappan and Wijeyeratne declined Banks offer straight off the bat, the entrepreneur put forward a revised offer: $500,000 in exchange for 20% plus an ongoing royalty ($20 per mattress sold) until the investment was paid off. This offer was also rebuffed, leading Steve Baxter to offer the pair $500,000 in exchange for a 15% stake. Realising Baxters offer would cut the valuation of Sleeping Duck by a third, from $10 million to $3.3 million, the co-founders countered with a 10% stake for $500,000. When a compromise couldnt be reached, Sinnappan and Wijeyeratne resolved to depart the Shark Tank without an offer.

We declined Steves deal because he suggested we were better off selling the entire business to an established player rather than trying to grow the business ourselves, Wijeyeratne explained. We came on the show not only looking for funding but for an investor who would help us grow the business. The percentage amount wasnt actually the deal breaker as we potentially wouldve agreed if we thought Steve could help us take the business to the next level.

More from Shark Tank entrepreneurs: A year on from Shark Tank success: Catching up with ISR Training

We are engineers at heart, and we believe in building products that we think can improve the sleep experience. We believe the experience is broken and customers deserve significantly better in terms of both product and service. At the moment bricks and mortar stores are by far the majority of mattress market.

Whereas Steve thought we should just sell, we believe we have a huge way to go before moving on. The challenge of growing a company is what keeps us coming back. When we think we cant do anymore, or believe someone else is better positioned to achieve our vision, thats when it will be time for us hand the reigns over.

We have plans to expand into China in 2018 and further into Europe, and we want to keep growing in all the market were currently in. We want to do this in partnership with an investor who shares our vision and has the ability to bring in new customers. Wed welcome anyone who is in the space that believes in us. We have some big changes coming up for our mattress and new additional products to add to our line-up.
This is nothing short of incredible:

Those are six front page headlines from one of the countrys leading national newspapers, the Washington Post. I took the screenshots at around 10 p.m. last night.

Donald Trump had a VERY busy day yesterday:

That was just a snapshot from a moment in time from one newspaper. Trumps administration is imploding before our very eyes.

Trump himself looks exhausted, haggard, and weak. Hes careening from one position to another like a pinball, acting erratically, irresponsibly, and dangerously.

He gave an in-depth, rambling interview with the New York Times  IN THE OVAL OFFICE! 

that his aides knew nothing about and for which he had not prepared.

ExxonMobil, the company that was once headed up by his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was fined for violating sanctions against Russia while Tillerson was at the helm.

Trumps administration cleared the way for 15,000 foreign workers to come into the USA to work for lower pay than Americans, taking their jobs and driving down their wages.

The President of the United States is openly disparaging the United States Attorney General and seeking to undermine an investigation being conducted by an appointed special prosecutor. Hes doing this publicly as if the entire world isnt watching him attempt to run and hide from his potential crimes. Hes doing this while at the same time accusing Americans who dont want their personal information provided to a voter suppression commission created by Trump himself of having something to hide. This from a man who, without any justification whatsoever, wont release his tax returns.

Heres a fun fact: Donald Trump wanted to file his financial disclosure without including a certification that it was truthful:

[Former director of the U.S. Office of Ethics and Government Walter] Schaub explained that he was horrified when Trumps lawyer asked if Trump didnt have to sign it to certify if its true after filling out his disclosures. I pointed out to her that millions of financial disclosure reports have been filed in the past four decades and every one of them has been certified as true, and I think we could ask that of our president, he said. The lawyer then asked if Trump could file it without signing to certify that it was true. Schaub said that the lawyer claimed that filing was voluntary and Trump wasnt obligated to file if he didnt want to.

We are rapidly hurtling toward a constitutional crisis unlike any ever seen before. Our countrys institutions will be put to the test in ways weve never seen and, other than political thriller authors and the writers for House of Cards, no one could even predict.

Well find out if the FBI is truly independent.

Well find out if the Justice Department is truly free from political influence.

Well find out if our majority conservative Supreme Court is legitimate.

And, in the end, well find out if the Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate have enough integrity and care enough about the country they represent to stop turning a blind eye to this egregious abuse of the power of the presidency and the White House and will hold Donald Trump and his children and their spouses along with people like Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon responsible and culpable for their overt attacks on our American democracy.

I believe  I HAVE to believe  that these institutions are strong enough to weather these attacks. America IS exceptional, after all.

What Trump is doing is unsustainable. It will drive him further into madness and our nation cant and wont take this forever. We will eventually reach the break point and the fires Trump has set, the conflagration he has put into motion, will explode and take them all down.

We can only hope he doesnt burn the world down before that happens.
The European Commission on Tuesday walloped Google unit with a record 2.4 billion euros fine  about US$2.7 billion  for giving its own shopping comparison site preference above smaller competitors, and thus abusing its dominant position as a search engine.

Google must end the conduct within 90 days or face penalties of 5 percent of its average daily global revenue, the EC said.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who is in charge of regulating competition, praised Google for its overall innovation, but said that Googles actions were not limited to reasonable efforts to put out a better comparison shopping product than its rivals.

Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results and demoting those of competitors, she said. What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate.

Consumers in the region were denied a genuine choice of services, Vestager added.

Froogle Flop

Google first entered its comparison shopping product in Europe in 2004 under the name Froogle. The Froogle service performed poorly, and Google changed its strategy in 2008, according to the EC, when it was renamed Google Product Search. It became Google Shopping in 2013.

When consumers searched for products starting in 2008, Google gave preference to its own comparison shopping tool in 13 European Economic Area countries, starting in Germany and the UK, according to the EC. Google demoted rival services based on certain algorithms, with even the leading rivals not appearing until page four of a Google search.

As a result, Googles traffic surged in several countries  more than 45-fold in the UK and 35-fold in Germany.

Google expressed disagreement with the ECs findings, and said it will consider a possible challenge to the ruling.

When you shop online, you want to find the products youre looking for quickly and easily and advertisers want to promote those same products. said Google General Counsel Kent Walker.

Thats why Google shows shopping ads, connecting our users with thousands of advertisers, large and small, in ways that are useful for both, he added.

We respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today, said Walker. We will review the Commissions decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case.

Rivals Rejoice

Although the decision is welcome, the end of Googles anticompetitive search practices will be far more important than the fine levied against the company, remarked Shivaun Raff, CEO of Foundem, a UK-based vertical search company that led the complaint against Google.

For well over a decade, Googles search engine has played a decisive role in determining what most of us read, use and purchase online, he said. Left unchecked there are few limits to this gatekeeper power.

Google in 2013 settled a separate case with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, after it accused the company of biasing search results in tablet, smartphone and gaming devices.

The EC ruling is significant, because it could impact the way Google conducts business not just within the EU but in other regions of the world, noted Michael Jude, a research manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

However, this decision isnt likely to change the competitive landscape very much, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Google will continue to dominate and raise prices for all players in the region, Jude said. Think of this as a new tax.
A Department of Homeland Security official on Wednesday told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Russian government-backed hackers targeted as many as 21 states during the 2016 presidential election.

Hackers attempted to penetrate Internet-connected systems related to the elections in up to 21 states, but they were successful only in a small number of them, said Samuel Liles, acting director of the cyber division of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

The targeted states were not named, but Arizona and Pennsylvania previously had been identified as states where hackers successfully accessed election systems.

The Russians are continuing to probe state and local systems, and there are persistent vulnerabilities that could lead to some of those systems being compromised, DHS and other officials warned.

Due to the disparate methods of voting and cybersecurity enforcement in different parts of the U.S., the risk to computer-related systems varies from county-to-county. A variety of devices are used to cast votes, and there is little uniformity of processes across polling stations.

Review and Warning

The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday also conducted a hearing focusing on the impact of Russian hacking on the 2016 elections.

Members of that committee heard testimony from former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson (pictured above), who was in charge of the department when the actual hacking took place during the final months of the Obama administration.

During that hearing, Johnson reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the hacking with the intent of influencing the outcome of the U.S. elections. However, he said that no hard votes actually were manipulated at the ballot box level.

When Ranking Member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asked why the Obama administration had not put out a more forceful warning about potential Russian hacking of the election, Johnson said there were concerns about revealing sources and methods, and that the administration did not want to appear to be taking sides in the November election.

One of then-candidate Donald Trumps constant themes was that the election was rigged, he noted.

State officials have serious concerns about the federal governments lack of information-sharing about potential threats to state and local voting systems, said Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson, president-elect of the National Association of Secretaries of State, in testimony before the Senate hearing.

Those concerns were heightened by threats referenced in a leaked NSA report, she said.

Local Risks

DHS failed to share critical information with states about specific threat information that needed to be acted upon, such as the Russian hackers targeting of 21 states, said Kay Stimson, spokesperson for the NASS.

The general feedback we received from todays hearing, she told the E-Commerce Times, is that state officials are very interested in receiving documented threat intelligence information from DHS so they can use that to protect their systems.

The lesson from the 2016 election is that even though there have been past attempts to hack into election systems, the latest activities are not the work of run of the mill adversaries, said Ken Menzel, general counsel at the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Local officials will have to work with the federal government to step up their game, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Were certainly concerned with all the attention on this that [Russia] or somebody else is going to want to get in [to U.S. voting systems] in the future, Menzel said.

In terms of the mechanics of a democratic voting infrastructure, there is always a balance to be struck between using automation versus manual efforts, according to Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research at Trend Micro.

The automation is there to speed up the counts and increase accuracy, while manual efforts provide verification against mass manipulation and increase voter confidence in the system, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The biggest step that can be taken is to establish national cybersecurity standards for elections and election-related systems, Nunnikhoven argued.

That approach is partially in place through the National Institute for Standards and Technology, a physical science lab inside the U.S. Department of Commerce, he said, but theres a need for additional verification and educational efforts at the district level.
A new ransomware exploit dubbed Petya struck major companies and infrastructure sites this week, following last months WannaCry ransomware attack, whichwreaked havoc on more than 300,000 computers across the globe. Petya is believed to be linked to the same set of hacking tools as WannaCry.

Petya already has taken thousands of computers hostage, impacting companies and installations ranging from Ukraine to the U.S. to India. It has impacted a Ukrainian international airport, and multinational shipping, legal and advertising firms. It has led to the shutdown of radiation monitoring systems at the Chernobyl nuclear facility.

Europol, the international law enforcement agency, could not provide operational details on the attack, spokesperson Tine Hollevoet told the E-Commerce Times, but it was trying to get a full picture of the attack from its industry and law enforcement partners.

Petya is a demonstration of how cybercrime evolves at scale and, once again, a reminder to business of the importance of taking responsible cybersecurity measures, Europol Executive Director Rob Wainwright said in a Wednesday update.

Unlike Wannacry, the Petya attack does not include any type of kill switch, according to Europol.

Variant Characteristics

The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team on Tuesday began fielding numerous reports about the Petya ransomware infecting computers around the world, and noted that this particular variant encrypts the master boot records of Windows computers and exploits vulnerabilities in the Server Message Block.

The RANSOM_PETYA.SMA variant uses as infection vectors both the EternalBlue exploit, which was used in the WannaCry attack, and the PsExec tool, which is a Microsoft utility used to run processes using remote access, according to Trend Micro.

Users should apply the MS17-010 security patch, disable TCP port 445, and restrict accounts with administrator group access, the firm recommended.

The Petya variant uses the rundll32.exe process to run itself, and encryption is carried out using perfc.dat, a file located in the Windows folder, Trend Micro said. The ransomware adds a scheduled task and reboots the computer system after one hour. The Master Boot record is modified, allowing encryption to take place, and a ransom note is displayed with a fake CHKDSK notice.

The Petya exploit uses a hardcoded bitcoin address, making decryption more labor-intensive than it was during the WannaCry attack. However, users similarly are asked to pay US$300 to release the data. An estimated $7,500 had been paid as of Tuesday, Trend Micro estimated. However, that number could change as the attacks spread.

Many companies failed to upgrade their computer systems properly following the WannaCry attack, said Gaurav Kumar, CTO at RedLock.

WannaCry exploited legacy Windows systems that had not been patched, even though Microsoft issued an update in March, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Governments should mount coordinated efforts to fight cyberattacks, according to Access Now, an advocate for digital rights and privacy.

The Petya attacks use of the EternalBlue exploit shows that government agencies should not be stockpiling vulnerabilities, the group argued, as the exploit has been linked to the Shadow Brokers leak of an exploit created by the National Security Agency.

Governments should promote patching by developing and codifying vulnerabilities equities processes and through support of coordinated disclosure programs, said Drew Mitnick, policy counsel at Access Now.

Corporations Caught

Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. on Tuesday confirmed that its computer network was compromised by the attack, and said it was investigating the matter.

International law firm DLA Piper confirmed that its advanced warning systems detected suspicious activity that apparently was linked to a new variant of the Petya malware. The firm said it had taken down its systems to prevent the spread, and that it had enlisted forensic experts and was cooperating with FBI and UK National Crime Agency investigators.

Advertising and public relations firm WPP said it was working with its IT partners and law enforcement agencies to take precautionary measures, restore services where they have been disrupted, and keep the impact on clients, partners and people to a minimum. The company has taken steps to contain the attack and is working to return to normal operations as soon as possible, while protecting its systems.

International shipping firm A.P. Moeller-Maersk reported that a number of company IT systems were down following the attack and said that it had shut down a number of systems to contain the problem. APM terminals were down in a number of ports, and the Port Authority of New York and N.J. issued a warning to delay arrivals in light of APMs system issues.
The Educator magazines search for Australias most forward-thinking and progressive schools of the year for the third annual Innovative Schools report must end today.



School principals and educators across the country are encouraged to submit a nomination showing how their school is driving education forward in new and creative ways.



Last years report included schools that were implementing mental health programs, creating agile learning environments, improving teaching quality through innovation and one even introduced a Health Hub.



Dont miss out - entries must close this at 5pm today.


On 2 January 1991, a United States helicopter gunship was shot down by an FMLN patrol in San Francisco canton, Lolotique district, Department of San Miguel, while flying at low altitude towards its base at Soto Cano, Honduras. The pilot, Daniel F. Scott, was killed and in the crash and Lt. Colonel David H. Pickett and Corporal Earnest G. Dawson were wounded; all were United States nationals.

Members of the patrol approached the helicopter and fired at the survivors from a certain distance. The patrol left the dead United States soldier and the two wounded soldiers at the scene and departed, carrying off weapons and equipment from the helicopter. Shortly afterwards, a member of the patrol was sent back to the scene and killed the two wounded men....

Findings

The Commission considers that there is sufficient proof that United States soldiers Lt. Colonel David H. Pickett and Corporal Earnest G. Dawson, who survived the shooting down of the helicopter by an ERP unit, but were wounded and defenceless, were executed, in violation of international humanitarian law, by Fernan Fernandez Arevalo, acting on the orders of Severiano Fuentes Fuentes. The Commission has found no evidence that other members of the unit participated in the execution.

The Commission has likewise found no evidence that the executions were ordered by higher levels of command, or that they were carried out in accordance with an ERP or FMLN policy of killing prisoners. FMLN acknowledged the criminal nature of the incident and detained and tried the accused.

Headline -- Pentagon Presumes FMLN Killed Advisors

For the first time since the nullification of the 1993 amnesty law, the office of the attorney general in El Salvador has sought arrest warrants for figures involved in a crime committed during the war. But it is not one of the infamous massacres by members of the Salvadoran armed forces. Instead, the arrest is sought of three guerrilla fighters who participated in downing a US helicopter in 1991 and killing two defenseless, wounded US soldiers.The event was investigated and described in the UN Truth Commission Report following the war:You can read a Chicago Tribune story concerning the executions of the wounded soldiers here . A collection of news clippings in US papers about the incident can be found here . El Diario de Hoy has some 1991 photos of US military investigating the scene here
Airport begins work on quiet room for patients

Work is underway to set up a quiet room for patients travelling off Island for medical appointments in the UK.

The Isle of Man Airport agreed to provide the facility to make it easier for Manx residents waiting for flights to visit hospitals off Island.

The room has been funded by the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group to ensure those undergoing treatment have somewhere comfortable and quiet to wait for their flights.

A similar room is planned for Liverpool John Lennon Airport for those returning to the Island.
Minister insists patient safety is priority



Health and Social Care Minister Kate Beecroft MHK

The Island's Health Minister insists the safety of patients will always be a priority when it comes to managing her Department's finances.

Kate Beecroft had to ask Tynwald for an extra 11.1m earlier this year to ensure the Department of Health and Social Care could fund its services for the remainder of the financial year.

In an update on spending, Mrs Beecroft pledged to use resources freed from efficiency gains in a balanced way, investigating in services as well as meeting budget requirements.

The Minister wants to ensure the safety of patients, as well as giving those receiving treatment a broader choice.

She added that there is still a huge amount of work going on to ensure the Department is effective and efficient.
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The DIY chain that owns Homebase has revealed it will open a new warehouse in Basildon this year.

Australian firm Bunnings, which bought Homebase last year, plans to have 20 Bunnings pilot stores in Britain by the end of the year.

One of the next three branches to open will be in Basildon, but it is not known if this will be converted from the Homebase on London Road, Vange, or launched on a different site.

Bunnings plans to transform all the UK's 258 Homebase stores to its brand in a 500million investment, creating over 1,000 new jobs.

The company revealed the move was inspired by positive feedback from customers to two new Hertfordshire warehouses.

The closure of the Homebase in Basildon's Mayflower Retail Park last December meant 48 jobs were lost.

That store is set to be replaced by carpet shop Tapi and sofa shop Fabb Sofas.
The Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, recently urged European leaders to help his country respond to the rising number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean and reaching the Italian shores. Rome has been calling for more burden-sharing and redistribution of migrants across the bloc, which has intensified recently in the light of more illegal crossings from Libya to Italy  a situation that has led to more than 10,000 refugees arriving in the country in recent weeks. Asylum applications are currently 25% than they were at the same time this year  a number that is likely to go up when the June and July data becomes available.

If the trend continues, which it probably will given the fact that high season is only beginning, Italy will likely further intensify its voice within the EU. Another reason for the urgency of the situation is the lack of implementation of the relocation scheme that was decided in 2015, whereby 35,000 asylum seekers should have been relocated from Italy among member states before September of this year. So far, only 7,300 have left the country under the scheme.

Another option to boost efforts to decrease the number of people arriving in Italy is to return those migrants that are not eligible for asylum to their home countries. Doing this will also lessen the migrants incentive to embark on the perilous journey crossing the Mediterranean, which also subjects the migrant to numerous human rights violations on the Libyan side, including human trafficking and smuggling.

However, readmission  that is returning migrants  poses legal difficulties and therefore the European Commission is in talks with a few focus countries (Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal) from which many migrants embark on their journey to Europe. The EU therefore needs to expand the partnership with these countries and work on pathways to legal migration to provide more incentives for those countries to comply with the rules. This will in practice require a number of EU member states to propose frameworks for legal migration.

Another way forward is also to build and keep training facilities in the focus countries where a part of those trained would be offered (temporary) work permits to the EU. Such work-for-readmission deals could be done in a forward-looking manner so that only new arrivals after a given date are subject to readmission. While these proposals are certainly no all-cure, given the dire state of an EU-wide migration and asylum policy, can we afford not to try?

Mediterranean Migrants: Little Help on Offer  Analysis by Mikkel Barslund and Lars Ludolphyf  Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

(The Analysis can be downloaded here)
Avelumab is a human antibody specific for a protein called PD-L1, or programmed death ligand-1. Avelumab is designed to potentially engage both the adaptive and innate immune systems. By binding to PD-L1, avelumab is thought to prevent tumor cells from using PD-L1 for protection against white blood cells, such as T cells, exposing them to anti-tumor responses. Avelumab has been shown to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro. In November 2014, Merck and Pfizer announced a strategic alliance to co-develop and co-commercialize avelumab.

Indications

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for avelumab (BAVENCIO(R)) for the treatment of (i) mMCC in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older and (ii) patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or who have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. These indications were approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

Important Safety Information

The warnings and precautions for avelumab (BAVENCIO(R)) include immune-mediated adverse reactions (such as pneumonitis, hepatitis, colitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis and renal dysfunction and other adverse reactions), infusion-related reactions and embryo-fetal toxicity.

Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients treated with avelumab for mMCC and patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhea, nausea, infusion-related reaction, peripheral edema, decreased appetite/hypophagia, urinary tract infection and rash.

About Merck-Pfizer Alliance

Immuno-oncology is a top priority for Merck and Pfizer. The global strategic alliance between Merck and Pfizer enables the companies to benefit from each other's strengths and capabilities and further explore the therapeutic potential of avelumab, an investigational anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck. The immuno-oncology alliance will jointly develop and commercialize avelumab and advance Pfizer's PD-1 antibody. The alliance is focused on developing high-priority international clinical programs to investigate avelumab, as a monotherapy, as well as combination regimens, and is striving to find new ways to treat cancer.

All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to http://www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of EUR 15.0 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand except in the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world(R)

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines, as well as many of the world's best-known consumer healthcare products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at http://www.pfizer.com. [http://www.pfizer.com ] In addition, to learn more, follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer [enlace ] and @Pfizer_News [enlace ] , LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pfizer ] and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer [enlace ] .

Pfizer Disclosure Notice

The information contained in this release is as of July 21, 2017. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about BAVENCIO (avelumab), including a potential indication in the EU as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (the "potential indication"), the Merck-Pfizer Alliance involving anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 therapies, and clinical development plans, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, uncertainties regarding the commercial success of BAVENCIO; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical study commencement and completion dates and regulatory submission dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable study results, including unfavorable new clinical data and additional analyses of existing clinical data; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations, and, even when we view data as sufficient to support the safety and/or effectiveness of a product candidate, regulatory authorities may not share our views and may require additional data or may deny approval altogether; whether and when any other drug applications may be filed in any jurisdictions for potential indications for BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates; whether and when the European Commission may approve the pending marketing authorization application for the potential indication and whether and when regulatory authorities in any other jurisdictions where applications are pending or may be submitted for BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates may approve any such applications, which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates; and competitive developments.

(CONTINUA)
Zapad-2017 exercise could be used to start aggression against Ukraine

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has reiterated his concerns over the Zapad (West)-2017 Russian-Belarusian military exercise, due to be held in Belarus in September.

"Ukraine and the world have a common vision on the possible prospects of the Russian Armed Forces' exercises. The upcoming Zapad-2017 drills are extremely powerful. They could be used to launch an aggression against not only Ukraine but also against any other country of Europe that shares a border with Russia," Poltorak said on Facebook on Friday.

"We will react to these exercises appropriately," he said.
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San Antonio took the spotlight when the North American Free Trade Agreement was ceremonially signed here almost a quarter-century ago, and a bipartisan group of South Texas lawmakers is pushing to have NAFTA 2.0 signed here, too.

U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Will Hurd, R-Helotes, on Friday said that whatever happens during the renegotiation, they already have bids out to bring the revised free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico back to its hometown.

The existing agreement was initialed during a ceremony in downtown San Antonio during the George H.W. Bush administration in 1992. Bush, Mexican President Carlos Salinas and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney were on hand, as was an international throng of reporters.

Were going to ask them to do it here, Cuellar told about 230 local businessmen and dignitaries attending a luncheon held by Free Trade Alliance San Antonio and the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. It was done here, and San Antonio plays a very important role.

Ive already put in a plug with Ambassador (Robert) Lighthizer and (Commerce Secretary) Wilbur Ross and the foreign minister  to say, hey, since NAFTA 1.0 was signed in San Antonio, NAFTA 2.0 should be as well, Hurd said.

He added that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was pushing for San Antonio to host the occasion as well.

But between now and then, the lawmakers said, a lot needs to be done  preferably before the U.S. midterm elections and Mexicos general election, with its possibility that a far-left candidate likely to clash with President Donald Trump will take the Mexican presidency. Mexicos general election is in June.

Presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump all campaigned on withdrawing from trade agreements they said encouraged outsourcing of American jobs and led to growing trade deficits with partner countries.

Trumps initial threat to withdraw from NAFTA has softened to a pledge to renegotiate the pact, and key players in agriculture, manufacturing and cross-border logistics agree there are issues that could use updating.

The Eagle Ford Shale was not yet in the lexicon, there was no allowance for direct foreign investment in the Mexican energy sector, and the internet and subsequent revolution in digital trade were still in their infancy. Agricultural free trade, fear of which almost scuttled the agreement in the 1990s, now thrives for producers in a large swath of the U.S. The key message from the Midwestern corn and pork belt to Texas cattle country is do no harm. There are more than 30 states where Mexico is the No. 1 or No. 2 trading partner, Hurd said, and the governors of those states need to be engaged in the process.

Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, has committed to beginning the renegotiation process Aug. 16  the earliest possible date after setting off a 90-day period of consulting and soliciting public comment May 18. This week, he released an 18-page summary of negotiation priorities that ranged from labor and environment to digital trade and rules of origin dictating how much of a product comes from member nations.

Cuellar said efforts to update the pact were underway long before the election.

Its called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he said. The Trans-Pacific Partnership actually had some NAFTA 2.0. A lot of the work that I think negotiators are going to go over has been done.

The 12-nation agreement between Pacific Rim countries, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico, was meant to offset Chinas growing trade muscle. Trump pulled out of the deal his first week in office, but many close to the talks hope some of what was hammered out for the TPP can serve as a blueprint for the new NAFTA.

Thanks to trade promotion authority secured under the Obama administration, whatever is negotiated will ultimately go to Congress for an up-or-down vote, and the lawmakers said they will be rallying House members to pass something that works for their constituencies and their trading partners.

On the administration side, Hurd said, the key players are Ross and Lighthizer.

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.

Campaign rhetoric is one thing, but when you look to the actual negotiations you got to look at those principles, he said. Those principles were not just created out of thin air. That document shows what the current thinking of the White House is when it comes to the negotiation.

In the meantime, the two are hearing a lot of anxiety from border business folk.

IBC Bank, H-E-B, Zachry Group, Port San Antonio, the Port of Corpus Christi, the NAFTA-created North American Development Bank and the logistics-heavy city of Cibolo were among those represented in the audience, as were immigration lawyers with clients concerned about the evaporation of NAFTA-allowed investment visas.

Cuellar said local retail leaders, including the owner of the Taco Palenque restaurant chain, reported losing about half their customers, as Mexicans who used to cross the border regularly to shop, dine and vacation were turned off by Trumps incendiary talk about Mexico.

They dont like this strong anti-Mexican rhetoric, he said. Theyre saying, Im not wanted, so why should I want to go spend money in the United States?

This uncertainty is affecting economies, he said. What Ive seen is not only the direct business has been affected by this uncertainty, but youve got customs brokers, youve got freight haulers that are saying, Hey, we want to expand or we want to buy this equipment or we want to build warehouses but were really not quite sure.  its frozen the investment.

lbrezosky@express-news.net
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Even before students walk through the doors of San Antonios new medical school later this month, Dr. Robyn Phillips-Madson already has a clear mission as founding dean: more primary care doctors in underserved regions, with an emphasis on the person rather than the patient.

The need for more doctors is especially apparent on the Southeast Side, where she spoke Thursday to other health educators and community leaders attending the ceremonial opening of the University of the Incarnate Words School of Osteopathic Medicine. She reiterated throughout her speech that the area has severe health problems, particularly with a low life-expectancy rate and lack of access to care, compared with the North Side.

Who deserves to have a shorter life span just because they happen to be born into or live in a particular ZIP code? Phillips-Madson asked. To have this school on the South Side means not just writing prescriptions, but incorporating health policy advocacy to help change the world one ZIP code at a time.

The school occupies four renovated buildings at Brooks, formerly known as Brooks City Base. Phillips-Madson reminded the audience of the history of the buildings, where more than 50 years ago President John F. Kennedy ushered in a era of space-age research when he dedicated the Brooks Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine.

With UIWs new school, Phillips-Madson said San Antonio will again see a period of innovation  this time, with medical education.

With an inaugural class of 150 students taught by more than 45 faculty members, the institution is the states second osteopathic medical school and its first private one. Funded by private donations, the 16-acre campus underwent $50 million in renovations.

It joins the UT Health San Antonio as the second medical school in the city.

There are two educational routes to become a licensed medical doctor in Texas: allopathic training (doctor of medicine, or an M.D.) and osteopathic training (doctor of osteopathic medicine, or D.O.). Phillips-Madson said both are equals, but osteopathic physicians differ slightly in philosophy by looking at patients as people with minds and spirits rather than a conglomerate of symptoms for disease.

The school will become a crown jewel in the citys medical community, said Louis Agnese, UIWs former president.

When somebody comes to San Antonio and they ask, Where is the medical center? we will respond with Which one? he said.

Several speakers said the schools intention is to train the next generation of providers, with a focus on keeping many in the area after graduation.

In 2016, there were 20,578 practicing primary care physicians in Texas, averaging about 73 for every 100,000 residents, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The demand for primary care providers is projected to outpace supply at least through 2025, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The number is a little better in Bexar County, which has 82.1 primary care physicians for every 100,000 residents, according to 2016 DSHS data.

Dr. Ricardo Castillo, a family practitioner in San Antonio, will join the UIW school as a clinical professor this year. He said there is always a shortage of primary care providers on Southeast Side, as well as the surrounding region.

In the future, Castillo said, hopefully most of the graduates will stay in San Antonio and fulfill many of the needs for primary care, a fix that is very much welcome.

fmilburn@express-news.net
AUSTIN  Abortion providers and advocates filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday to challenge a new Texas law banning a common second-trimester medical procedure, the latest in a long-running series of legal fights over womens health in the state.

Abortion providers stressed in their lawsuit that the procedure is the safest and most common method of abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and that a ban would create an undue burden for women to terminate a pregnancy. The lawsuit had been expected in a state known for passing some of the nations toughest abortion restrictions.

Its very obvious that the intent of the law is to be an abortion ban and to restrict doctors decision-making, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder, CEO and president of Whole Womans Health, which is one of the plaintiffs. Politicians are tying the hands of doctors and not letting doctors use their expertise.

The Republican-led Legislature passed Senate Bill 8 this spring, ushering into law comprehensive abortion regulations that banned dilation and evacuation, a medical procedure used to remove a fetus using surgical tools. The method is most common in the second trimester.

According to 2015 data, the latest available, the procedure was used 4,386 times to terminate a pregnancy. In total, 55,287 abortions were performed that year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Abortion opponents say they favor the ban on what they call a dismemberment abortion, but the director of the Texas Alliance for Life said he expects the court will shoot the law down.

We are not confident that this will withstand a court challenge, said Joe Pojman, executive director of the anti-abortion organization. He said the U.S. Supreme Court needs two more votes to uphold the law and warned legislators during the regular session that the law would likely fail.

Other abortion opponents say they think the court will side with Texas.

This is the right discussion that the court needs to be having, said Emily Horne, a lobbyist with Texas Right to Life It brings the attention back to the child.

Women seek the procedure for many reasons, according to the lawsuit, including late confirmation of pregnancy, difficulty gathering funds or making arrangements to obtain an abortion, or a decision to terminate a pregnancy because of fetal abnormalities discovered during the second trimester.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas, comes just more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a pair of regulation that forced several abortion clinics around the state to close. The court ruled that the state could not require abortion facilities to adhere to the stringent standards of an ambulatory surgical center, nor could it require abortion providers to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

That lawsuit, which also was filed by Whole Womans Health and other providers, handed abortion rights supporters a major political victory. But by the time the top court struck down portions of the law, the number of abortion clinics in Texas had fallen from 41 to 19.

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed this week include several Planned Parenthood facilities  including the Planned Parenthood Center for Choice in Houston, the Alamo City Surgery Center in San Antonio, the Southwestern Womens Surgery Center in Dallas and Nova Health Systems in El Paso  and several family practice physicians and obstetricians who are suing on their own behalf and on behalf of their patients.

Abortion supporters have filed legal challenges to similar dilation and evacuation bans in Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

The legal action also comes as the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals mulls a regulation requiring burial rights for fetal tissue, which lawmakers also wrote into state law this year.

Advocates for the second-trimester law say the dilation and evacuation procedure is grotesque and that passing the law keeps with the states imperative to protect life and oppose abortion.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has asked state lawmakers to pass additional anti-abortion laws this summer in his special session call, such as banning coverage of abortion in government health care plans.

Several of those bills are up for debate at 8 a.m. Friday in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and another is up for a vote in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Gheorghe Balan discussed establishing joint customs and border control along the length of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.

The officials also agreed to strengthen the coordination of steps to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and Moldova in the context of the security situation, a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Klimkin and Balan also discussed ways to intensify the 5+2 negotiating process to settle the Transdniestrian conflict, and the current state of the Ukrainian-Moldovan relationship.

The 5+2 format involves Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as mediators, and the European Union and the United States as monitors. The 5+2 talks have not been held for almost three years now.
Philip Morris sees 11% fall in shipments in Ukraine in Q2 2017

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) in April-June 2017 cut cigarette shipments in Ukraine by 11% year-over-year, to 5.3 billion cigarettes.

Referring to a quarterly report of A.C. Nielsen, PMI said that shipments in January-June 2017 fell by 18.9% year-over-year, to 9.4 billion cigarettes.

In Q2 2017 the Ukrainian estimated total market narrowed by 9.3%, to 17.5 billion cigarettes, and in H1 2017  by 11.6%, to 32.4 billion cigarettes.

PMI's share of the Ukrainian tobacco market in H1 2017 fell by 2.7 percentage points, to 27.6%, and in Q2 2017  by 2.7 percentage points, to 28.2%.

Growth of Marlboro and Parliament brands in April-June 2017 was 0.1 and 0.5 percentage points, to 3.2% and 3.4% respectively. The Bond Street brand share fell by 1.5 percentage points, to 9%.

As reported, Philip Morris International Inc. in 2016 increased shipments of cigarettes in Ukraine by 14.7% in 2016, to 22.014 billion pieces.

Philip Morris International is one of the world's largest manufacturers of tobacco products. It produces cigarettes at more than 50 factories, sells them in 180 countries.

The company has been operating in Ukraine for more than 20 years. It manufactures products at the factory in Kharkiv region.
Since 2000 more than $2 billion had been invested in the States freight rail network and the volume of product being moved on the network had increased by 126 per cent, he said.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv), the largest airline in the country, is not interested in concession of state-owned airports, Head of the UIA supervisory board Aron Maiberg said on the online conference on Liga.net portal on Thursday.

"No, we are not interested. This is different business," he said.

He said that the task of UIA is to attract billions of funds to implement its fleet upgrade program.

As reported, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers on July 4, 2017 approved the proposal to recommend the transfer of Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) and Lviv International Airport to concession in the future.
By James Withey

The Recovery Letter

Because its not like anything else.

Its not like the blues, or like an extended bad-hair day, or like sadness, or like feeling low. Sometimes you feel everything and sometimes nothing.

Because when you have depression, you lose the ability to talk.

You wont be describing it, or expressing it, or even thinking about it in words and so it is the great silent illness. Writing about it is one thing that people have managed to do, in The Recovery Letters and in books, poems, in blogs and in articles. When I was first unwell I couldn't read a page but I could write, things have to come out somehow.

Because people with depression hide away.

Either physically or by closing themselves off behind a wall that exists between themselves and the world. Depressed people are not hanging out in a social space saying hey, this is what I feel like.

Its not like the flu, where you can exchange hot toddy remedies; its not like having an operation, where people can visit you in hospital; its not like a relationship breakup, where you can commiserate with fish in the sea narratives with your mates. It is silent, private, claustrophobic, and, when youre in it, you cannot imagine being out of it.

Because depression is still stigmatised.

Despite everything we know about depression, and everything we understand about depression  its still something that tars and scars you. When you tell people you have depression it feels like revealing a dark secret; the illness makes you feel ashamed and you think others will judge you; now that's quite a combination.

Because with depression the smallest things are huge.

You know you should get out of bed, have a shower, eat something, put clothes on but it feels like climbing a glacier with broken flip-flops and it's impossible to explain this feeling to your loved ones who do this automatically.

James Withey is a trained counsellor who worked in social care for 20 years. In 2011, James was diagnosed with clinical depression, attempted suicide and spent time in psychiatric hospital and crisis services where he developed the idea for The Recovery Letters. After blogging about his own experience, he invited readers to share their own stories of depression and their journeys towards recovery. Collated into an anthology for the first time, alongside motivational words from the editors, these personal letters will continue to provide hope and courage to the many people who are currently experiencing depression.

James writes and speaks publicly about depression and has twice featured on BBC Radio 4's 'All in the Mind' programme.

The Recovery Letters is published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers on 21st July.

http://www.jkp.com/uk/the-recovery-letters.html
After seven years of being single in LA, I finally met someone I connect with. So what if he lives in London? Dating in LA was hard, it is not a place where people move to start a family. The people in LA thought they were the funniest, most charming, or most attractive person in their home town, and decided the whole world needed to know who they were. LA is a collection of every citys biggest assholes. And I was out there dating them. When I met Nick, we FaceTimed for months before he flew to LA to visit me. He did it again two more times, and by the third time he proposed. If you were looking at my life from the time I moved to LA, up until when Nick proposed, it would have been a Rom Com happy ending. The heroine finally found love, and whimsically moved to London to live happily ever after. Cue the doves taking flight.

Maria Shehata

I knew Id figure it out! That was my and my roommates mantra in LA. Neither of us ever had any money to pay rent, but I would always say well figure it out, and she would always say we got this and somehow we did. Mostly because our landlord had a gun.

Once I moved to London, everything that I considered to be charmingly flawed about myself was being called into question. Nick and I are very different people and that became obvious when we moved in together. We handle money, planning, everything, in life differently. I had a lot of debt, but it was something that I kept in the peripheral of my life. I career-gambled myself into debt. Every time I opened a credit card and it said 0% interest for 6 months, Id think I have 6 months to make it. Nick is not a man who can live with debt hanging over his head. Nick needs us to have a structure, a plan, a gunless landlord, and I just think well figure it out.

Where my parents had it easy is they were an arranged marriage, so even though they aren't compatible, they were already bound by God, the law, and worst of all, societal pressure. So they just got on with it. We have way more options so we decided to postpone the wedding to see if we can work out our differences first.

My parents are waiting ever so impatiently for us to set a new date, Nicks waiting ever so impatiently for me to get my life together, and I have nothing but a blanket defense statement of I moved here for you. But despite our differences we do still love each other, thats all the matters right? My Ukranian therapist once said Only fools marry for love. Shes probably right, if we do get married it wont be for love, it will be because we stood by each other all those times while we figured it out.

Maria Shehata performs her debut hour Wisdomless around London throughout July and at Just the Tonic at The Caves at 8:20pm, 3rd  27th August (except 14th) as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Prince Harry presented a new colour to the RAF Honington regiment on Thursday (20.07.17).

Prince Harry

The 32-year-old royal visited the site near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, yesterday to celebrate their 75th anniversary after it was set up in 1942, and the red head delivered a message to the regiment on behalf of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the milestone.

An image of Harry - who is an honorary Commandant of RAF Honington - meeting the troop has been shared on Kensington Palace's Instagram account, which was captioned: "Prince Harry today presented the RAF Regiment with a new Colour @rafhonington and delivered a message on behalf of The Queen.(sic)."

Harry was also set to present The Firmin Sword of Peace to the RAF Police during his visit.

During Harry's trip he met with local school children before he officially opened the new Station Medical Centre.

The post continued to detail Harry's day of events. It read: "HRH was then greeted by local school children before officially opening the new Station Medical Centre. (sic)."

After he declared the site open Harry then met with people who have battled with a brain injury but have overcome the illness to support Headway UK's Brain Injury Identity Card.

The photo-sharing post explained: "HRH then continued his visit to Suffolk by helping launch Headway UK's Brain Injury Identity Card and meeting brain injury survivors who shared why this card is so important. (sic)."

But Harry didn't come away empty handed as a 10-year-old child named Sam Brown - who is the son of Flight Sergeant Jordan Brown who battled with brain cancer - gave him the RAF Regiment 75 bear, as well as a bouquet of flowers.
Prince Harry is reportedly set to propose to Meghan Markle "next month".

Prince Harry

The 32-year-old royal has been dating the 'Suits' actress for almost one year, and it is rumoured he is already thinking about taking his romance with the star to the next level by getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him in the upcoming weeks.

Speaking about the red head's relationship to the Daily Star Online, a source said: "I'm told there will be a formal proposal, and it could be as soon as next month."

It has been reported Harry has visited his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's jeweller to discuss the aesthetic for the engagement ring, and the item will reportedly be made by an expert at Collins in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

It is also rumoured that if Meghan accepts Harry's request to marry him, they will be planning to tie the know in the Spring next year, although it is believed they could "elope" to avoid having a "showy wedding".

A separate source recently said: "They could get married somewhere private and elope rather than have a showy wedding."

Meghan was previously married before to talent manager Trevor Engleston and the couple said their vows in Jamaica in 2011 before they split in 2015.

And Harry is said to be keen on starting a family once he's a married man.

The source said "He wants to get married and have kids. He's smitten."

Regardless of where the wedding takes place, Harry's friend Kirstie Ennis - who is a former US marine - is convinced the pair will definitely get married, although she is not "worried" by the marital ceremony and hopes the after party is memorable.

Asked whether she would be attending the "upcoming" wedding, Kirstie nodded and then said: "I don't think I'm worried about the wedding. I'm worried about the after party."
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has offered to ship humanitarian assistance to residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions via Ukraine without intermediaries.

"We talked a lot about cooperation in the interests of Luhansk and Donetsk regions  we will ship humanitarian assistance to these regions. We would like to work without intermediaries and using the shortest route  through Ukrainian territory. I asked [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko if we could do this together if our humanitarian convoys and routes match," Lukashenko said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

Lukashenko said the proposal was accepted warmly.

"We are able ourselves to help our own people who are in trouble," the Belarusian president said.
The handmade carpet industry has been affected badly following the implementation of 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on job works and 12 per cent on their sale or purchase. Almost 5,000 units associated with the carpet industry are on the verge of shut down or likely to become non-functional, said Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC).

Closing down of these units will lead to rise in unemployment. Around 20 lakh workers associated with the carpet industry will lose their livelihood. It will also affect the exports of carpets and floor coverings costing around Rs 1,000 crore. Majority of workers are from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

"No new orders are being executed and weaving has almost come to a complete closure for new orders. The old orders and old stock is also not moving out of fear of imposition of tax, not getting increased price from buyers due to old contracts and worry on losing money," said CEPC in a statement. It is claimed that export orders worth Rs 2,000 crore have been cancelled as importers have refused to pay incremental cost.

The handmade carpet industry has been affected badly following the implementation of 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on job works and 12 per cent on their sale or purchase. Almost 5,000 units associated with the carpet industry are on the verge of shut down or likely to become non-functional, said Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC). #

The demand for Indian handmade carpets is huge in international market. With GST, it has become difficult for them to compete in the global market, CEPC stated. Countries like China and Turkey will gain with the declining exports of Indian handmade carpets. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Standing Committee on textile industry has asked the Federal Board of Revenue for release of sales tax refund at the earliest. Pakistan textile industry is facing financial crisis due to delay in release of tax refund of around Rs 300 billion. The committee has asked the government for implementation of policies to improve exports of the industry.

The exports of the textiles and apparel sector contribute majorly in the country's revenue generation. In a meeting of the Standing Committee chaired by Khawaja Ghulam Rasool Koreja, order has been given for monthly report of the implementation of Rs 180 billion exports package announced by the prime minister, according to Pakistan media reports.

Upset over the shutdown of around 30 to 40 per cent of the textile industry in the country owing to high tariffs of power, gas rates and wages, the committee has demanded for reduction in the charges of basic infrastructure facilities. Nominal pricing will allow Pakistan to compete in the international market, the committee said. Non-availability of the basic infrastructure facilities in the textile industry has led to trade deficit between import and export. (RR)

The Standing Committee on textile industry has asked the Federal Board of Revenue for release of sales tax refund at the earliest. Pakistan textile industry is facing financial crisis due to delay in release of tax refund of around Rs 300 billion. The committee has asked the government for implementation of policies to improve exports of the industry.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
HONG KONG CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/20/17 -- In celebration of the 17th Anniversary, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong today announced the "17th Anniversary Double Offers" for Hong Kong residents, inviting visitors to become the next Fashion Icon at the brand-new Fashion Zone.

1. HKID Card alphabet letters and numbers Discount

From 24 July until 2 August 2017, holders of Hong Kong Identity Card or temporary Identity Card with any numbers or English alphabet letters within the tagline "FASHION2017" can enjoy a special price of HKD99 to purchase same-day admission tickets at Madame Tussuauds Hong Kong main admission counter. One accompanying guest can then enjoy special admission ticket price at HKD1 (original price HKD265 per adult ticket).

2. 2000 Birthday Discount

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong invites visitors to celebrate the 17th Anniversary together. From 3 August until 19 August, 2017, visitors born in 2000 can enjoy special admission ticket price at HKD17.

The brand-new Fashion Zone officially unveils and consists of three themed areas which are Backstage Studio, Billboard Superstar and Runway, turning visitors become the protagonist on this fashion journey. Visitors can grab the chance and become the ELLE cover star with Victoria Beckham! The new zone also welcomes American supermodel Kendall Jenner's first-in-Asia wax figure. Besides, Li Bingbing, Sandra Ng and Robert Pattinson have redressed and ready to introduce a lifetime fashion experience.

Moreover, the world's exclusive Animated World officially launches in April, 2017, bringing famous animated characters, includes Yo-kai Watch, McDull and Madame Mak, Marvel superheroes, Hello Kitty and Balala the Fairies. Visitors are able to immerse themselves in the world of animation and explore the one and only star-studded journey at The Peak.

Terms and Conditions Apply. For offer details, please refer to official website: www.madametussauds.com/hongkong/ or call: (852) 2849 6966.

High resolution images of Fashion Zone and Animated World can be downloaded on: https://goo.gl/bUBDVQ and https://goo.gl/UHSy3Q

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3157091

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3157094



Bernadette Chow

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2849 2763/ 6434 2756

Email: Email Contact




Solid growth at Sartorius Stedim Biotech; profits continue to rise

Regulatory News:

Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. (Paris:DIM):

 in millions unless otherwise specified 1st half 2017 1st half 2016 Growth in Growth in const. fx Sales revenue 546.7 508.8 7.5 6.7 EMEA1 233.2 231.5 0,7 2,0 Americas1 187.1 187.9 -0.4 -3.0 Asia Pacific1 126.4 89.3 41.4 38.1 Order intake 583.0 558.8 4.3 3.5 EBITDA2 147.4 136.4 8.1 EBITDA margin2 in 27.0 26.8 Net profit3 89.7 83.5 7.4 Earnings per share3 in 0.97 0.91 7.4

1 According to customers' location

2 Underlying EBITDA earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and adjusted for extraordinary items

3 Underlying net profit net profit after non-controlling interest; adjusted for extraordinary items and non-cash amortization, as well as based on a normalized financial result and tax rate

Robust top-line growth

Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB), a leading supplier for the biopharma industry, recorded a robust increase in sales revenue of 7.5% in the first half of 2017. As expected, the market environment returned to normal growth after two extraordinarily strong years. While SSB's growth rates for Europe and the Americas were relatively low as they compare against an exceptionally high prior-year base, business in Asia/Pacific excelled with a gain of nearly 40% due to some large equipment projects.

As expected, limited delivery capacities for cell culture media continued to impact business in the Americas in the second quarter; yet the company assumes that this situation will normalize during the third quarter. The acquisitions of the centrifuge specialist kSep and the software company Umetrics contributed close to 1 percentage point to sales growth in the reporting period.

Profitability further enhanced

Driven by economies of scale, SSB's underlying EBITDA increased by 8.1% from 136.4 million euros to 147.4 million euros; the respective margin rose from 26.8% to 27.0%. Underlying earnings per share correspondingly increased from 0.91 euros to 0.97 euros.

Strong financial position

With an equity ratio of 59.9% and a ratio of net debt to underlying EBITDA of 0.6, SSB's financial position remained very strong and stable. Net debt at the end of the first half stood at 166.9 million euros.

Full year 2017 guidance confirmed

Management confirmed its full-year forecast for 2017 which projects sales revenue to increase by about 8% to 12% and the underlying EBITDA margin to rise by approx. 0.5 percentage points over the prior-year figure of 27.5%, with both forecasts given in constant currencies.

SSB continues to project capital expenditures of around 10% to 13% of sales in the current year.

This press release contains statements about the future development of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group. We cannot guarantee that the content of these statements will actually apply because these statements are based upon assumptions and estimates that harbor certain risks and uncertainties.

Conference call

Joachim Kreuzburg, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group, will discuss the company's results with analysts and investors on Friday, July 21, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. Central European Time (CET), in a teleconference. You may register for the teleconference at:

http://services.choruscall.de/DiamondPassRegistration/register?confirmationNumber=8963117&linkSecurityString=256e3090d

Alternatively, you can dial into the teleconference, without registering, at:

+49 (0) 69 566 03 6000

To view the presentation, log onto: www.sartorius-stedim.com

A profile of Sartorius Stedim Biotech

Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading international supplier of products and services that enable the biopharmaceutical industry to develop and manufacture drugs safely and efficiently. As a total solutions provider, Sartorius Stedim Biotech offers a portfolio covering nearly all steps of biopharmaceutical manufacture. The company focuses on single-use technologies and value-added services to meet the rapidly changing technology requirements of the industry it serves. Headquartered in Aubagne, France, Sartorius Stedim Biotech is quoted on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe, North America and Asia and an international network of sales companies, Sartorius Stedim Biotech has a global reach. In 2016, the company employed approx. 4,700 people, and earned sales revenue of 1,052 million euros.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170720005988/en/

Contacts:

Contact

Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A.

Petra Kirchhoff, Vice President of Corporate Communications

Phone: +49(0)551.308.1686

petra.kirchhoff@sartorius.com
Conzzeta acquires Otto Bock Kunststoff

ZURICH / ACCESSWIRE / July 21, 2017 / Conzzeta announces the signing of a binding agreement for the full acquisition of Otto Bock Kunststoff. Completion of the deal is expected in the second half of 2017, subject to regulatory approval.

Otto Bock Kunststoff, domiciled in Duderstadt, Lower Saxony (Germany), generated net revenue of around EUR 130 million in 2016 with a profitability that was above-average for Conzzeta. The number of employees at the end of 2016 was around 430 worldwide. The parties have agreed not to reveal the purchase price.

The high-quality foam materials, components, and systems produced by Otto Bock are a good fit with Conzzeta's foam materials solutions in its FoamPartner business unit. The deal includes the takeover of all the shares in the joint venture between Otto Bock and FoamPartner, which the two companies have run on a 50-50 basis in China since 2005.

The business being acquired mainly comprises foams used in the automotive industry as interior linings for vehicles. The agreement will enable FoamPartner to improve its access to the market for its own specialties in the Mobility growth segment and become a global leader in polyurethane-based foam materials for modern mobility solutions. These are used for example in the car, truck and aviation industries for applications such as noise and thermal insulation, seals, damping, and padding. Wide-ranging technical know-how is available for developing customized foam materials with special properties such as fire-retardant ultralight applications for energy-efficient vehicles. In the Living & Care market segment, the portfolio of materials and products for business customers will also be extended. The restructuring of the existing joint venture in China will create the conditions to leverage the strong position there for further growth.

The production sites to be taken over in Duderstadt (Germany), Rochester Hills (MI, USA) and Changzhou (China) complement the existing FoamPartner production sites and broaden the company's footprint in the designated growth regions. The economies of scale resulting from the agreement will allow increased focus on sales and generate synergies in procurement and, selectively, in the integration of the respective organizations.

Michael Willome, Conzzeta Group CEO, comments: "For the Conzzeta Group, the deal is another significant step in the internationalization of its activities and expansion of its presence in Asia and North America, opening up further growth opportunities. The largely complementary product portfolio of Otto Bock will almost double the FoamPartner revenues, resulting in a substantial strengthening of our market position."

Prof. Hans Georg Nader,Chairman and CEO of Otto Bock Holding & Co. KG, comments: "For the strategic development of our group of companies, we considered only premium partners who know the plastics business and are committed to sustainable growth - and who would therefore further develop the Duderstadt location. We are happy to have found the ideal partner in Conzzeta, a group with a long-term perspective, and are convinced that teaming up with FoamPartner is in the best interests of our employees."

For queries and further information, please contact:

Michael Staheli, Head Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

Phone: +41 44 468 24 49; media@conzzeta.com

About Conzzeta

Conzzeta is a broadly diversified Swiss holding company. It stands for innovation, reliability and a long-term perspective. Conzzeta strives to achieve leading positions in its target markets, with above-average growth and long-term value creation. Over 4000 employees at more than 60 locations worldwide are dedicated to offering customers innovative solutions in Sheet Metal Processing, Sporting Goods, Foam Materials, Graphic Coatings and Glass Processing. Conzzeta is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX:CON).

SOURCE: Conzzeta via the EQS Newswire distribution service including Press Releases and Regulatory Announcements
MetalNRG plc

("MetalNRG" or the "Company")

21 July 2017

Positive Progress US Cobalt

MetalNRG plc (NEX:MNRG) the natural resource investing company quoted on the NEX Exchange Growth Market in London is pleased to advise that the Company's investee, US Cobalt Pty Limited ("US Cobalt"), has commenced the next stage ground exploration programme at their wholly owned cobalt project in Nevada, USA.

Concurrently, MetalNRG's Chief Executive Officer has been on the ground, with technical advisers, to review the project from an operational and technical perspective. Further information will be provided shortly with regard to the exploration programme being conducted and also with regard to the early stages of our project due diligence.

Investors should read the Company's announcement dated 12 July 2017 which outlined the terms of the Company's investment in US Cobalt. These terms provide MetalNRG with an immediate 18.18% holding in US Cobalt with an option agreement to acquire the remainder 81.82% through an entirely MetalNRG shares based transaction.

Paul Johnson, CEO of MetalNRG commented: "This is an exciting time for the Company, with our investee US Cobalt active on the ground with the next stage of their cobalt focused work programme. We have been able to meet the key members of the team, review the key project targets, consider strategic planning and further enhance our knowledge of this tremendous opportunity.

Should a cobalt supply deficit develop the impact on the pricing of the cobalt commodity will be pronounced. MetalNRG is well positioned for this with existing interests. We are continuing to build our cobalt portfolio and anticipate the addition of more opportunities in Australia, and potentially the expansion of our US interests, in due course.

We are working exceptionally hard to secure cobalt interests on fair terms, as quickly as possible. The interest shown in our work by shareholders, investors and a number of third parties suggests we are on the right track. Without question, there is a gap in the UK market for a wholly cobalt focused listed vehicle and with that in mind the Company is considering dedicating its activities, at least for the short term, to building a cobalt focused operation.

There will be more news to follow shortly. Thanks go out to our shareholders, and new investors, for their continuing support and proactive engagement in the MetalNRG developing story."

Further information in respect of this exploration programme, including

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Contact details:



MetalNRG plc

Paul Johnson (Chief Executive Officer)

+44 (0) 7766 465617

NEX Exchange Corporate Adviser

PETERHOUSE CORPORATE FINANCE LIMITED

Guy Miller

Mark Anwyl



Corporate Broker +44 (0) 1483 413500

SI CAPITAL

Nick Emerson

Andy Thacker

+44 (0) 20 7469 0930

Notes for Editors:

MetalNRG is quoted on the NEX Exchange Growth Market in London with the stock code MNRG and is a natural resource investing company.

NEX Exchange:

Investors wishing to consider trading in NEX Exchange Growth Market quoted shares can access this market from numerous brokers, a full list of which can be accessed through the following link:

http://www.nexexchange.com/for-investors/find-a-broker/

The list accessed through the link above includes certain brokers offering online trading of NEX Exchange quoted shares.

The Investing Policy of the Company is as follows:

The Company's proposed new Investing Policy is to invest in and/or acquire companies and/or projects within the natural resources and/or energy sector with potential for growth and value creation, over the medium to long term. The Company will also consider opportunities in other related sectors if the Board considers there is an opportunity to generate an attractive return for Shareholders. This will include natural resource technologies and fintech opportunities offering leverage to resource identification, processing, recording, storage and trading businesses.

Where appropriate, the Board may seek to invest in businesses where it may influence the business at a board level, add their expertise to the management of the business, and utilise their significant industry relationships.

The Company's interests in a proposed investment and/or acquisition may range from a minority position to full ownership and may comprise one investment or multiple investments. The proposed investments may be in either quoted or unquoted companies; be made by direct acquisitions or farm-ins; and may be in companies, partnerships, earn-in joint ventures, debt or other loan structures, joint ventures or direct or indirect interests in assets or projects.

The Board may focus on investments where intrinsic value can be achieved from the restructuring of investments or merger of complementary businesses. The Board expects that investments will typically be held for the medium to long term, although short term disposal of assets cannot be ruled out if there is an opportunity to generate an attractive return for Shareholders. The Board will place no minimum or maximum limit on the length of time that any investment may be held. The Company may be both an active and a passive investor depending on the nature of the individual opportunity.

Where the Company builds a portfolio of related assets it is possible that there may be cross-holdings between such assets. The Company does not currently intend to fund any investments with debt or other borrowings, but may do so if appropriate. Investments in early stage assets are expected to be mainly in the form of equity, with debt potentially being raised later to fund the development of such assets. Investments in later stage assets are more likely to include an element of debt to equity gearing. The Board may also offer new Ordinary Shares by way of consideration as well as cash, thereby helping to preserve the Company's cash for working capital and as a reserve against unforeseen contingencies including, for example, delays in collecting accounts receivable, unexpected changes in the economic environment and operational problems.

The Board will conduct initial due diligence appraisals of potential business or projects and, where they believe further investigation is warranted, intend to appoint appropriately qualified persons to assist. The Proposed Board believes its expertise will enable it to determine quickly which opportunities could be viable and so progress quickly to formal due diligence. The Company will not have a separate investment manager. The Company proposes to carry out a comprehensive and thorough project review process in which all material aspects of a potential project or business will be subject to rigorous due diligence, as appropriate.
GOTEBORG, Sweden, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- April - June 2017

Net sales MSEK 3,881 (3,573). Organic sales growth 0.5% (4.0) and total sales growth 8.6% (3.8)

EBITDA[1] MSEK 256 (276) and margin 6.6% (7.7). EBITDA decreased by 7.2%

EBITA[1] MSEK 142 (172) and margin 3.7% (4.8). EBITA decreased by 17.4%

Operating result (EBIT) MSEK 108 (157) and margin 2.8% (4.4). EBIT decreased by 31.2%

Profit for the period[2] MSEK 70 (113). Earnings per share after dilution[2] SEK 0.50 (0.80)

January - June 2017

Net sales MSEK 7,795 (7,176). Organic sales growth 1.9% (3.8) and total sales growth 8.6% (3.7)

EBITDA[1] MSEK 598 (572) and margin 7.7% (8.0). EBITDA increased by 4.5%

EBITA[1] MSEK 374 (367) and margin 4.8% (5.1). EBITA increased by 1.9%

Operating result (EBIT) MSEK 317 (333) and margin 4.1% (4.6). EBIT decreased by 4.8%

Profit for the period[2]MSEK 222 (235). Earnings per share after dilution[2] SEK 1.57 (1.67)

[1] Refer to page 33 for definitions of EBITDA and EBITA.

[2] Profit for the period refers to profit attributable to parent company shareholders. Refer to note 2 for calculation of earnings per share (before and after dilution).

CEO comments:

"Nordic develops well while market drop challenges France."

Acquisitions of more than MSEK 900 in annual sales successfully integrated and the acquisition activity is set to continue

Continued good organic sales growth and acquisitions drive sales and results in Nordic

Digital consultations "Capio Online" and digital support for physical consultations launched in May

Weaker private market in France impacts the result, ongoing work to adjust resources - French Q4 2017 margin to exceed Q4 2016

Q2 was negatively impacted by fewer working days from Easter and other calendar effects, 1 working day less during the first six months

Full year 2017 Group EBITDA growth is expected to exceed 10%

During both Q1 and Q2, the Nordic sales growth was above 13%, driven by the add-on acquisitions and a continued good organic sales growth of 3.6% (3.8) for the first six months. During the same period, the EBITDA result increased by 18% and the margin improved to 6.7% (6.5).

The new market entry into Denmark has so far exceeded expectations. The integration of the ten acquired primary care centers in the west of Sweden (Backa) has been successfully completed, as has the integration of the recently acquired eye specialist clinic in Sweden. These acquisitions will give further leverage to both sales and results going forward.

As planned, the digital concepts have been under test since May 2017 and the full roll-out to Capio's 750,000 primary care patients in Sweden starts in September 2017 and continues into 2018. The roll-out includes both digital consultations "Capio Online" and algorithm support "Better Visits" for traditional physical consultations. This is intended to improve availability and lead to more precise diagnoses and better treatments. The length of consultations is also expected to become shorter. We see these digital steps as a start of a new era in healthcare provision.

Latest available market statistics from May shows that the private healthcare market inFrance dropped to a growth of -0.4% during January - May 2017 compared to 2.6% during the same period 2016. Capio's development has been slightly better than the private market growth.

We believe that the slowdown of Capio's organic sales growth is temporary and will resume, due to the demographic development and our attractive offer in Modern Medicine. However, we now have full focus on adjusting resources to the current volume growth with further staff and cost reductions - also increasing our flexibility to manage variations in patient volumes going forward. On an annualized basis, this will give a result improvement of approximately MEUR 6. The majority of actions will be implemented by the end of Q3 and are expected to impact results and margins positively in Q4 2017, with a full year pace from Q1 2018. Due to the market drop, we no longer expect to reach an unchanged French EBITA margin for the full year, but following the actions taken the EBITA margin in Q4 is expected to exceed the corresponding margin in Q4 2016.

Introduction of new specialties and the ongoing procurement program is also expected to contribute to improvements during the second half of 2017. The development is also supported by continuous good reductions of AVLOS with a continued 4% reduction of case mix adjusted AVLOS.

In Germany fewer working days compared to 2016 combined with cancellations of planned surgeries at the end of the quarter, burden growth and margins in Q2 2017. This is seen as a temporary drop in volume growth and is expected to recover during the second half of 2017. The recent acquisition of an eye specialist clinic in Bremen will give further leverage to sales and results going forward.

Going forward, the top priority is of course to achieve the planned cost adjustments in France and turn the margin trend upwards.

We maintain the focus on add-on acquisitions in the Nordics, primarily within primary and specialist care. The digital focus will increase further.

For the full year 2017 our expectation is to reach a Group EBITDA growth exceeding 10%.

Thomas Berglund

President and CEO

Presentation of the interim report

Investors, analysts and media are invited to participate in a telephone conference on July 21, 2017 at 09.30 am (CET). President and CEO ThomasBerglund and CFO Olof Bengtsson will present the report and answer questions. The telephone conference will be audio casted live on www.capio.com. To participate in the telephone conference, please register at www.capio.com and dial in five minutes prior to the start of the conference call.

Sweden: +46-8-566-426-92

UK: +44-203-008-98-02

US: +1-855-753-22-36

Finland: +35-898-171-04-93

France: +33-170-75-07-12

Prior to the start of the telephone conference, presentation slides will be available at www.capio.com.

A recorded version of the audio cast will be available at www.capio.com during the afternoon (CET).

For further information

Thomas Berglund

President and CEO

Telephone: +46-733-88-86-00

E-mail: thomas.berglund@capio.com

Olof Bengtsson

CFO

Telephone: +46-761-18-74-69

E-mail: olof.bengtsson@capio.com

Kristina Ekeblad

Investor Relations Manager

Telephone: +46-708-31-19-40

E-mail: kristina.ekeblad@capio.com

Henrik Brehmer

SVP Group Communication and Public Affairs

Telephone: +46-761-11-34-14

E-mail: henrik.brehmer@capio.com

For further information regarding Capio's IR activities, refer to www.capio.com

This is information that Capio AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person Henrik Brehmer set out above, at 08.00 (CET) on July 21, 2017.

About Capio

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

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STOCKHOLM, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Klarna Bank AB is pleased to announce that an investment partnership advised by Permira will acquire a strategic equity stake in the company. Klarna is one of Europe's largest and fastest growing banks, providing easy to use payment solutions and currently serving 60 million consumers and 70.000 merchants. Permira is a global investment firm which advises funds and accounts with a total committed capital of circa 32 billion. Permira focuses on identifying companies for long-term investment, combining local knowledge and global expertise to help them grow sustainably and realise their full potential.

The investment partnership will acquire shares from existing shareholders General Atlantic, DST Global and Niklas Adalberth, upon receipt of approval from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen). As a consequence of this transfer, General Atlantic and DST Global will cease to be shareholders in the company, while Niklas Adalberth will retain an equity stake. The investment partnership will become a qualified owner of Klarna.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Co-founder and CEO of Klarna: "As Klarna continues its journey towards a smoother shopping experience and now as a consumer-oriented and technology intensive bank, this is another exciting step for the company. I am delighted to have a partner like Permira on board with their global footprint and strong expertise in ecommerce and fintech. I look forward to them strategically supporting the future development of Klarna."

Andrew Young, Principal at Permira: "In Klarna we see a unique scale fintech innovator that has successfully improved shopping experiences for both merchants and consumers. We see many vectors that will drive future success and with Sebastian, we look forward to supporting the company's future organic, geographic, and acquisition growth strategies."

Ola Nordquist, Partner and Head of the Nordics at Permira: "Klarna is a truly innovative, founder-led iconic Swedish business and we are pleased to back the company and its management team to advance its leadership position both locally and internationally."

This investment comes as Klarna has continued to record strong growth in the first half of this year. This is building on the 50% increase in recorded transaction volumes in 2016, in part driven by 17,000 new merchants partnering with Klarna in the last year. Klarna received a full banking licence from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority in June 2017.

About Klarna

Klarna is now one of Europe's largest banks, providing easy to use payment solutions for 60 million consumers and 70.000 merchants and working seamlessly across borders. Klarna is today active in 18 markets with more than 1500 employees. The company was founded in Sweden 2005 with the goal to make online payments safe, simple and smooth. Klarna offers direct payments, pay after delivery options and installment plans in a smooth one-click purchase experience that lets consumers pay when and how they prefer to. When the company acquired SOFORT in 2014 the Klarna Group was formed. Klarna is backed by investors such as Sequoia Capital, Bestseller Group, Atomico and now Permira.

About Permira

Permira is a global investment firm that finds and backs successful businesses with ambition.

Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds and accounts with a total committed capital of approximately 32 billion. The Permira funds make long-term investments in companies with the ambition of transforming their performance and driving sustainable growth. In the past 32 years, the Permira funds have made over 200 private equity investments in five key sectors: Consumer, Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrials and Technology. Permira employs over 200 people in 14 offices across North America, Europe and Asia and has had a local presence in the Nordics in Stockholm since 2003. The Permira funds have a long track record of investing in market leading financial services and technology businesses operating in structural growth markets including Magento, TeamViewer, Allegro, Tilney and Tricor. For more information visit: www.permira.com

Contacts:

Klarna

Aoife Houlihan

VP of Communications

+46-(0)-72855-8047

Permira

Noemie de Andia

Head of Communications

+44-(0)-207-632-1159

Fogel & Partners

Anders Fogel

+46-(0)-722-04-47-50

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/klarna/r/klarna-and-permira-announce-strategic-equity-investment,c2315121

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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 4.30 am ET Tuesday, the Office for National Statistics is slated to issue UK public sector finance data. The budget deficit is forecast to narrow to GBP 1 billion in July from GBP 6.9 billion in June. Ahead of the data, the pound dropped against its major rivals. The pound was worth 1.2851 against the greenback, 140.54 against the yen, 1.2410 against the franc and 0.9163 against the euro as of 4:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Research Desk Line-up: General Mills Post Earnings Coverage

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / July 21, 2017 / Pro-Trader Daily takes a look at the latest corporate events and news making the headlines for Sparks based US spice maker, McCormick & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MKC), following which we have published a free report that can be viewed by signing up at http://protraderdaily.com/optin/'symbol=MKC. The Company announced on July 18, 2017, that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Reckitt Benckiser's Food Division ("RB Foods") from Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC ("RB"), for $4.2 billion. RB Foods is a leader in the growing US Condiments market, with a portfolio of iconic brands. For immediate access to our complimentary reports, including today's coverage, register for free now at:

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Discover more of our free reports coverage from other companies within the Processed & Packaged Goods industry. Pro-TD has currently selected General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) for due-diligence and potential coverage as the Company reported on June 28, 2017, its financial results for Q4 FY17 and full year FY17 which ended on May 28, 2017. Tune into our site to register for a free membership, and be among the early birds that get our report on General Mills when we publish it.

At Pro-TD, we make it our mission to bring you news that matter about the stock you follow. Today, our research desk covers a blog story on MKC; also brushing on GIS. Go directly to your stock of interest and access today's free coverage at:

http://protraderdaily.com/optin/'symbol=MKC

http://protraderdaily.com/optin/'symbol=GIS

The transaction is subject to certain customary closing and approval by regulatory bodies and is expected to close in Q3 or Q4 of fiscal 2017. McCormick will integrate RB Foods into its Consumer and Industrial segments and will retain the brand names of French's, Frank's RedHot, and Cattlemen's.

Background

Following the $16.6 billion purchase of baby formula maker Mead Johnson, London-listed Reckitt was reviewing options for its French's mustard and Frank's RedHot sauce unit, in order to cut debt.

McCormick fought intense competition, including Unilever and Hormel Food, to acquire RB Foods, resulting in the addition of French's mustard and Frank's RedHot brands to its portfolio. Other possible bidders may have included Post Holdings Inc., ConagraBrands Inc., JM Smucker Co., Campbell Soup Co., Pinnacle Foods Inc., and Ajinomoto Co.

McCormick acquired Enrico Giotti SpA, a privately held company headquartered in Florence, Italy, for $127 million in 2016. The Company rejected a $770 million offer to buy British food maker Premier Foods PLC in April 2016.

Offering Customers More Diverse Flavor Product Offering

Commenting on the acquisition, Lawrence E. Kurzius, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McCormick, stated:

"RB Foods' focus on creating products with simple, high-quality ingredients makes it a perfect match for McCormick as we continue to capitalize on the growing consumer interest in healthy, flavorful eating."

The Company's management believes that the addition of Frank's RedHot Hot Sauce, French's Mustard, and other products enable McCormick to become a one-stop shop for condiment, spice and seasoning needs, providing its customers and consumers with an even more diverse and complete flavor product offering.

Other Benefits Enjoyed by McCormick

With the addition of French's mustard and Frank's RedHot brands to the portfolio, the acquisition has resulted in the strengthening of McCormick's flavor leadership, thereby making them the Company's number two and number three brands, respectively. McCormick expects the acquisition will drive significant shareholder value.

The deal has helped McCormick to proceed from its current position of #10 to a leading position in US Condiments category, and provide a leadership position in the advantaged Hot Sauce Category with Frank's RedHot, the #1 brand in the US and Canada.

McCormick plans to expand the global presence of Frank's RedHot and French's products by leveraging its international infrastructure, whose sales are currently concentrated in the US. The deal will allow Reckitt to focus more on its consumer health and home brands, including Durex condoms, and Mucinex cold medicine.

Financial Implications of the Acquisition

The deal is expected to create a combined group with annual sales of around $5 billion, the majority of which will be achieved by 2020. Significant accretion to margins and adjusted EPS is also anticipated.

The deal is expected to reduce Reckitt's net debt to EBITDA ratio to 3.3 times from 4.1 times. McCormick has obtained committed bridge financing and the transaction will be a combination of debt and equity.

Following the completion of the acquisition, McCormick's leverage ratio is expected to increase, but the Company will maintain an investment grade credit rating and return to its current credit profile over the longer term. McCormick will maintain its dividend policy, curtail its share repurchase program, and will deleverage the balance sheet with anticipated strong cash flow generation.

Analysts argue that the deal price equates to almost 20 times the division's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization, which feels like a very high price for a US-oriented ambient food business. The deal is expected to dilute RB's earnings per share by about 1%.

Following the announcement, McCormick's stock fell as much as 7.1% to $90.25, its biggest intraday decline in more than three years, recovering slightly and closing the trading session on July 19 at $92.07, down by 5.22%.

Financial and Legal Advisors

Credit Suisse served as the financial advisor to McCormick. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP provided legal advice to the Company. Morgan Stanley and Robey Warshaw served as the financial advisors to Reckitt.

About McCormick & Co. Inc.

Founded in 1889 by Willoughby M. McCormick, McCormick & Co., Inc. manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavorful products to the retail outlets, food manufacturers, and foodservice businesses. The company operates its business through two segments: Consumer and Industrial. From locations around the world, McCormick's brands reach consumers in approximately 150 countries and territories.

Last Close Stock Review

On Thursday, July 20, 2017, McCormick's stock closed the trading session at $92.48, marginally up 0.45% from its previous closing price of $92.07. A total volume of 1.85 million shares was exchanged during the session, which was above the 3-month average volume of 667.55 thousand shares. Shares of the Company have a PE ratio of 24.58 and have a dividend yield of 2.03%. The stock currently has a market cap of $11.46 billion.

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Business contracts totaling more than $40 million have been signed during the Ukrainian-Belarusian business forum held on July 21 within the framework of the official visit to Ukraine of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the press service of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.

According to the report, in general, 16 commercial contracts were signed during the forum held at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was attended by over 300 Ukrainian and 90 Belarusian companies.

Among the signatories were Gomselmash, Technotorg Don, Ukravtozapchastyna LLC, Belarus-Ukraine Trade House, Baranovichi Cotton Production Amalgamation, Biltex LLC, Vostok-BELAZ-Service LLC, Novotroitske quarry management company, BelAZ, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Mogilevliftmash, Karat-Liftkomplekt LLC, foreign investment company BNH Ukraine, and Eridon.

According to the chamber, the problems of lending and insurance of export supplies, prospects for using electronic trading platforms, increasing transport supplies, entering CIS markets, as well as the issues related to scientific and technical cooperation, the agro-industrial complex caused the greatest interest of both countries' businesses.

One of the main priorities of cooperation is the development of joint projects in machine building.
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.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Croatia' unemployment rate held steady in July after falling in the previous five months, figures from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics showed Tuesday. The registered jobless rate came in at 10.8 percent in July, the same rate as in June. In the corresponding month last year, the unemployment rate was 13.2 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBLIN, August 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global 3D Dental Scanners Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global 3D dental scanners market to grow at a CAGR of 10.24% during the period 2017-2021

Global 3D Dental Scanners 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.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Increasing affordability among people. The rapidly dropping prices of dental scanners as well as increasing availability of low-cost quality dental scanners is enabling dentists to adopt these products at a faster rate. Also, the added benefit of decreasing time consumption for one patient's diagnosis and treatment, broadens their spectrum of reach to more patients, thus increasing their profit. The companies are continuously focusing on developing affordable dental scanners. For instance, Dental Wings is using a biocompatible finish for the wand that helps to reduce the manufacturing cost.



The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is Increasing rate of dental tourism. Dental tourism is a growing industry. The advances in technology and materials are enabling providers in emerging countries to offer dental care at affordable cost when compared with that offered in developed nations. Dental treatments in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK are expensive. Therefore, it restricts many individuals from availing these treatments.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is High initial capital investment and excessive cost of dental diagnostic procedures. Innovation and technology in dentistry enable patients to have effective treatment. It includes any dental procedure that improves the appearance of an individual's teeth, gums, or any problem related to oral cavity including supporting structures. 3D dental scanning is one of them. However, the price for 3D dental scanning is relatively very high. And further the cost of treatment can become more expensive depending on the required treatment, 3D dental scanning involved and the nature of the procedure. Furthermore, dental insurance does not cover most of the diagnostic dental procedures.



Key Vendors

3M

Danaher

Dentsply Sirona

PLANMECA OY

Other Prominent Vendors

3Shape

AICON 3D Systems

AGE Solutions

ALIGN TECHNOLOGY

Amann Girrbach

ASAHIROENTGEN

Carestream Health

Carl Zeiss Optotechnik

Condor

Densy3D

Dental Wings

GT Medical

J. Morita

Kulzer

Straumann

Zimmer Biomet

ZIRKONZAHN

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary



Part 02: Scope of the report



Part 03: Research Methodology



Part 04: Introduction



Part 05: Market landscape



Part 06: Market segmentation by product



Part 07: Market segmentation by type



Part 08: Market segmentation by end-user



Part 09: Geographical segmentation



Part 10: Decision framework



Part 11: Drivers and challenges



Part 12: Market trends



Part 13: Vendor landscape



Part 14: Key vendor analysis



Part 15: Appendix





For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/bthpj7/global_3d_dental





Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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SHANGHAI, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtec China 2017 will take place 20-22 September 2017 at Shanghai World EXPO Exhibition & Convention Center. This year's show will gather more than 300 exhibitors from 23 regions and countries throughout the world, of which there are 50 companies originating from both China and abroad are participating for the first time in the show.

Further, 17 exhibitors from Germany, Singapore and Taiwan are joining through pavilions, bringing with them high-quality raw materials, large-scale manufacturing equipment, automation equipment, precision parts and processing technology, as well as 3D printing and other products and technical services. If you are also a supplier of medical materials, mechanical parts, electronics and electrical components, transmission and motion control equipment, processing and testing equipment, quality management equipment, 3D printing manufacturing technology and equipment, contract manufacturing, please Click here to join the leading medical device design and manufacturing event in China! The show is an optimal opportunity to boost your business via meeting thousands of medical equipment manufacturers and 10,000+ purchasing decision-makers within just three days.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/537940/Medtec_Logo.jpg

German exhibitor delegation debuts at Medtec China; high-quality products promote development of the Medical Device industry

This year, a German pavilion is for the first time participating in Medtec China.Visitors can experience the high quality of German manufacturing and gain product design inspiration from various exhibits. For instance,INNOMATEC's testing equipment, FOBA's laser printing label technology, IMSTec GmbH's automation equipment, INDEX-Werke's machine tools and 3D printing laser system, Anti-Germ International's industrial cleaning agents and disinfectants, Carl Haas's metal materials and WIBU-Systems' computer software technology will all be on display.

Besides, Singaporean and Taiwanese pavilions will be present at Medtec China 2017 as well to provide customized precision parts, molding services, surface treatment and contract manufacturing services and products.

Group buyer list first release; onsite MicroPort Purchasing meeting upgraded

Up to now, Medtec China's pre-registered audience increased by 70%. Pre-registration has been underway for almost two months, The number of attendees and their registration growth rate are both beyond that of the same period of last year. Many well-known medical device manufacturers will visit Medtec China in groups in order to look for high-quality suppliers, purchase new products and access product innovation ideas, such as Shanghai Microport Medical (Group); Stryker (Suzhou) Medical Technology; PINS Medical Equipment; and SHSMA Co., Ltd. For more information, please call +86 21 6157 3928.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/537948/Medtec_China_2016_onsite_picture.jpg

This year, Microport is upgrading its onsite event via the " Microport purchasing meeting " platform after last year's successful seminar. The meeting aims to establish an interactive platform for suppliers and purchasers so that they can communicate regarding product design and R & D needs, which may eventually lead to follow-up business cooperation. Meeting topics include details of procurement requirements, polymer materials procurement, metal materials procurement, and machining parts procurement, etc. Building the most professional and most efficient technology and trade services platform for the medical device industry supplier and customer are Medtec China's goal which have been maintained and implemented for more than 10 years.

Only seven booths remain available, and booth reservation ends in July. Don't miss this great opportunity for the global medical market in 2017. If you want more information about 2017 exhibitors, visitor purchasing needs, or booth reservation, please click here or call us.

Media\Exhibit\Visit\Conference Contact:

Carina Li,

UBM China,

T: +86 10 5765 2823,

E: carina.li@ubm.com

Get more information: www.medtecchina.com
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar weakened against most major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday. The Canadian dollar fell to nearly a 2-week low of 1.2596 against the U.S. dollar, from yesterday's closing value of 1.2568. Against the euro and the yen, the loonie dropped to 1.4924 and 87.81 from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.4901 and 88.09, respectively. If the loonie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.28 against the greenback, 1.51 against the euro and 85.00 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.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In line with the White House Made in America initiative, three US corporates have announced a major investment plan to manufacture pharmaceutical glass packaging materials in the country under cross-industry technology collaboration.



At a White House event Thursday, as part of the Made in America Week, President Donald Trump announced the plan in the presence of the heads of Corning Inc. (GLW), and pharmaceutical companies Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFR).



This partnership is making an initial investment of $500 million and creating 1,000 new U.S. jobs as the first part of a planned investment of $4 billion and 4,000 new high-tech jobs.



Corning had developed the pharmaceutical glass packaging technology for storage and delivery of injectable drugs called 'Valor Glass.' This revolutionary packaging solution enhances the storage and delivery of modern drug formulations and provides more reliable access to medicines essential to public health.



The initial investment by the three companies will cover the expansion of Corning facilities in New York and New Jersey, as well as the building of a new high volume manufacturing plant in the Southeast to support the new manufacturing process of pharmaceutical glass.



Trump said this initiative will bring 'a key industry to our shores that for too long has been dominated by foreign countries'. 98 percent of the $4 billion industry operations had previously been done overseas.



The return of pharmaceutical glass manufacturing to the United States was made possible by collaboration between the three American companies and support from the Trump Administration. Corning CEO Wendell Weeks credited President Trump, the White House Office of American Innovation, and the FDA's Emerging Technology Team with providing the assurance necessary to finalize the project.



Trump said his administration is committed to streamlining the regulatory process so that it's easier for companies to invest and innovate in America. 'Every day, we are fighting to bring back our jobs, to restore our industry, and to put America first.'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
LONDON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

New research from AXA reveals 98% of big businesses surveyed say a globally mobile workforce is important, with a third saying it is critical to their success

But staff working abroad want increasing flexibility with three-quarters (75%) of employers saying people want to commute internationally and continue living at home

Those working internationally reap the rewards with many workers boosting earnings and career prospects

Despite the unstable economic climate, unexpected political change and the impact of technology on societies the world's biggest companies still view a flexible and globally-mobile workforce as key when it comes to building a successful business, according to new research from AXA's global health insurance specialists.

The study reveals that 98% of employers see a globally mobile workforce as important to achieving their objectives with a third (35%) believing it to be critical.

More than half (51%) of the businesses questioned said sending staff on global assignments has improved the performance of their international operations and 44% said it improved employees' skill level.

However, the research, conducted among 250 multi-national firms headquartered in eight different countries and 372 expatriate workers across 11 markets, reveals that while employers see international working as key, their staff don't necessarily want to move permanently to another country. Three-quarters of employers surveyed said there is a trend for staff to accept jobs based abroad while they continue to live at home: They become international commuters.

More than a third (38%) of firms said staff increasingly want to work abroad on short-term contracts and commute from their home country, with 27% saying that staff don't want to relocate permanently.

The rewards for working internationally do, however, appear to make the commute or relocation worth the effort. The majority (51%) of staff working on international assignments said they took global placements to gain higher pay and benefits with 47% saying they took roles to gain accelerated career development and improve their skills.

Two-fifths (42%) of companies surveyed said they tend to promote staff at the end of their assignments and 40% said they work with staff to find a new role within the country they are working in which utilises the local knowledge they have built up.

However, companies are having to work hard to get the right talent with 46% of HR directors saying finding the right people is the key challenge they face.

Tom Wilkinson, CEO of AXA's global healthcare team stated: "Having an international workforce is critical for businesses that want to capitalise on the huge opportunities available in our global economy.

"While we read much about economic and political uncertainty in some countries, the reality is that businesses that take a global outlook are able to flex their operations to take advantage of growth markets wherever they may be.

"While the Internet and improved communications technology has made it easier for businesses to work globally, the key differentiator remains the talent of the people that organisations employ.

"Our study highlights that taking a flexible approach to pay and benefits that allows staff to remain connected to family and home while also accelerating their careers and creating commercial value for their employers is vital if international assignments are to succeed."

The need to get the right people for international assignments may partly explain why big businesses are willing to be more flexible with staff around how they structure international assignments and pay and benefits packages but the survey reveals that these postings come at a price for employers.

On average, the firms surveyed said it cost them $50,267 over and above an employee's base salary for each staff member they have working abroad, with three-fifths (61%) of employers saying pressure to manage international assignment costs has increased in the past five years.

When it comes to pay and benefits the survey reveals that staff most want to have accommodation paid for followed by international health insurance (covering more than one country) and income protection.

Three-quarters (75%) of the international workers questioned said they get health insurance paid for by their company, with more than two thirds (67%) of ex-pat workers saying they rely on health insurance to cover their health needs while they are abroad.

Notes to editors

AXA commissioned Research Plus Ltd to undertake two surveys, one among a sample of globally mobile workers and the other among multi-national companies.

For the globally mobile workers survey, Research Plus developed a sample of 372 globally mobile workers who were surveyed between 17th March to 2nd April 2017. Between 30 - 35 non-native workers were questioned in 11 territories (the USA, UK, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, Spain, China, UAE and Saudi Arabia). Those questioned were working on assignment in the relevant country, were non-native to the country they were working in and were working at senior manager or executive levels for their employer.

For the multi-national company survey, Research Plus developed a sample of 250 HR Directors working for multinational companies (defined as those with more than 250 employees operating in at least 3 countries).

The survey was conducted between 15th to 28th March 2017 with a sample of companies based in the USA, UK, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and Spain.

The surveys were conducted using an online methodology.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 21, 2017) - Fairmont Resources Inc. (TSXV: FMR) ("Fairmont" or the "Company") has entered into a binding letter agreement (the "Letter Agreement") with Prophecy Development Corp. ("Prophecy") to acquire the fully-permitted Buttercup Iron-Titanium-Vanadium (Fe-Ti-V) project in Quebec, Canada (the "Buttercup Project").

Fairmont sees this as a positive transaction in the current market conditions and plans to focus its attention on its quartzite properties in Quebec, as well as look at other opportunities with near term production potential.

Proposed Transaction Summary

Under the terms of the Letter Agreement, Prophecy will acquire the mining claims which constitute the Buttercup Project by paying to Fairmont:

At closing, the equivalent of $1,000,000, up to half of which (i.e. $500,000), may at Prophecy's sole discretion, be paid in Prophecy Common shares, calculated based on the 5-day volume-weighted average trading price of such shares as of the closing date; and On the 1-year anniversary date of the closing date, a further $500,000, up to half of which (i.e. $250,000), may at Prophecy's sole discretion, be paid in Prophecy Common shares, calculated based on the 5-day volume-weighted average price of such shares as of the 1-year anniversary date of the closing date.

The parties agreed to enter into a definitive agreement before November 1, 2017. Prior to entering into the definitive agreement, Prophecy will carry out its due diligence of the Buttercup project, which will include carrying out exploration activities on the project. Prophecy will be entitled to a break fee in an amount equal to the lesser of $200,000 or 200% of its costs and expenses related to its exploration activities on the Buttercup project if Fairmont receives superior offer that Prophecy choose not to match.

The transaction is subject to customary conditions, due diligence by Prophecy and acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Michael A. Dehn

President and CEO, Fairmont Resources Inc.

Tel:647-477-2382

michael@fairmontresources.ca

www.fairmontresources.ca

For further information please contact:

Doren Quinton,

President QIS Capital

Tel:250-377-1182

info@smallcaps.ca

www.smallcaps.ca

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Fairmont cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Fairmont's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Fairmont's ability to complete the proposed private placement financing, limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. 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, Fairmont 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.
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 07/21/17 -- Portland Investment Counsel Inc. ("Portland") is pleased to announce a new relationship with one of the world's largest global hedge fund businesses, EnTrustPermal. Portland Private Income Fund, an investment fund managed by Portland, has initiated an investment in a maritime lending fund managed by EnTrustPermal.

Chris Wain-Lowe, Chief Investment Officer of Portland stated "We are happy to initiate this relationship with EnTrustPermal. I understand the EnTrustPermal maritime lending funds had a successful first close and seek to exploit the twin dislocations in the shipping and European banking sectors by serving as an alternative source of liquidity to companies as traditional lenders reduce their activities. I believe the investment research and portfolio management led by Svein Engh, a Managing Director of EnTrustPermal, embraces the framework and approach we respect and over time should be a welcome component within the Portland Private Income Fund."

About Portland

Portland invests in private equity, private debt, publicly traded equities and fixed income securities globally on behalf of retail and institutional clients. www.portlandic.com

Contacts:

Portland Investment Counsel Inc.

Christopher Wain-Lowe

CIO, Executive VP and Portfolio Manager

1-888-710-4242

info@portlandic.com

www.portlandic.com




Belarusian authorities have allowed businessman Viktor Prokopenya to buy Belarusian Paritetbank for $50 million, through which he plans to purchase the Ukrainian subsidiary of Sberbank of Russia.

"The stake in the ownership of Belarus will be sold to Prokopenya for $50 million," VP Capital investment company, owned by the businessman, said.

The company referred to the presidential decree of July 18, 2017, according to which 99.83% of the bank's shares will be sold to Prokopenya.

The presidential decree on alienation of the shares was registered in the national register of legal acts on July 21, but the text of the document is currently unavailable.

As reported, Viktor Prokopenya, a citizen of Belarus and Cyprus, on June 30 submitted a package of documents to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) for the approval of buying 100% in Ukraine's Sberbank through Paritetbank. It was also reported that VP Capital filed documents to the regulatory authorities of Belarus necessary to purchase a 99.83% stake in Paritetbank for $50 million.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 9, 2017) - Further to its press release of September 28, 2017, Augusta Industries Inc. (TSXV: AAO) (the "Company") would like to announce that the directors and officers of the Company, holding an aggregate of 83,454,264 common shares (the "Shares") in the capital of the Company, have entered into a lock-up agreement where they have agreed to vote the Shares in support of the spin-off of FOX-TEK Canada Inc.

"The Company continues to work with its advisors to ensure the success of the proposed spin-off of FOX-TEK and to ensure that it is done it a manner that is beneficial to its shareholders," said Allen Lone, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "The Company is very appreciative of the achievements so far prior to the Annual shareholders general meeting, which will be announced in short order."

About the Corporation

Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Marcon International Inc. ("Marcon") and Fox-Tek Canada Inc. ("Fox-Tek"), the Company 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.

Fox-Tek provides world leading solutions to various sectors including the oil and gas industry. With non-intrusive technologies including fiber-optic sensors and electric field mapping systems, Fox-Tek is able to accurately measure changes that could negatively impact our client's operations.

Corporation contact:

Allen Lone, President and C.E.O.

Tel: 905.275.8111, Ext. 226

Email: atlone@fox-tek.com

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 Company's periodic reports filed with the Ontario Securities Commission and other regulatory authorities. The Company has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
PITTSBURGH, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/21/17 -- REAC Group, Inc. (OTC: REAC) is in preliminary discussions at the present time regarding a potential investment in a Panamanian Housing Development project with a Panamanian company.

The possible potential investment by REAC Group, Inc. into the project would be a 25% ownership and interest into the Panamanian Development Company that would include the intentions of developing homes in the Chiriqui Province of Panama on land which is owned by the Panamanian company and to acquire additional land in the province that is to be purchased for the development to build up to 400 homes.

No terms or conditions have been executed. If after a period of due diligence and all terms and conditions are agreed and conditions to closing are met, definitive agreements would be executed.

The Company intends to bring additional value to its shareholders with the possibilities to Acquire, Joint Venture or Partner with other real estate related businesses. We will continue to introduce our operational progress and other corporate actions that will include our business model and plan of growth.

Safe Harbor: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We under take no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements.

Robert DeAngelis

President and CEO

724-656-8886

info@reacgroupinc.com




Darmstadt, Germany and New York (ots/PRNewswire) -Not intended for US, Canadian and UK-based media- If approved, avelumab could be the first immunotherapy treatment indicated for this rare and aggressive skin cancer in the EU - Decision by the EC is expected in the third quarter of 2017Merck and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the approval of avelumab* (BAVENCIO) as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC), a rare and aggressive skin cancer. The European Commission (EC) will now review the CHMP's recommendation, with a decision expected in the third quarter of 2017."We welcome the CHMP's recommendation, as there are currently no approved treatments in Europe for this type of skin cancer, which can be devastating for patients and their families," said Luciano Rossetti, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research & Development at the biopharma business of Merck. "This is an important step towards making avelumab available to patients and we look forward to the European Commission's decision later this year.""Metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma is a devastating disease and patients in Europe currently have very few treatment options," said Chris Boshoff, M.D., PhD, Senior Vice President and Head of Immuno-Oncology, Early Development, Translational Oncology, Pfizer Global Product Development. "This milestone further demonstrates our commitment to tackle hard-to-treat cancers as we continue to explore the potential of avelumab in other tumors."The CHMP positive opinion is based on data from JAVELIN Merkel 200, an international, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, Phase II study split into two parts:- Part A included 88 patients with mMCC whose disease had progressed after at least one chemotherapy treatment, with 59% of patients reported to have had one prior anti-cancer therapy for mMCC and 41% had two or more prior therapies. Data submitted included a minimum of 18 months of follow-up. - Part B, at the time of the data cut-off, included 39 patients with histologically confirmed mMCC who were treatment-naive to systemic therapy in the metastatic setting, 29 of whom had at least 13 weeks of follow-up. Enrolment in Part B of the study is ongoing and is planned to include 112 treatment-naive patients.The human anti-PD-L1 antibody, avelumab, previously received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the EC for MCC. To qualify for ODD in the EU, a medicine must be intended for the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a disease that is life-threatening or chronically debilitating, and has a prevalence in the EU of not more than 5 in 10,000 people.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for avelumab in March 2017 for the treatment of mMCC in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older; and in May 2017 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy therapy, or who have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy.[1] These indications were granted under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response data/criteria. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.The clinical development program for avelumab, known as JAVELIN, involves at least 30 clinical programs and more than 6,000 patients evaluated across more than 15 different tumor types. In addition to mMCC, these cancers include breast, gastric/gastro-esophageal junction, head and neck, Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, mesothelioma, non-small cell lung, ovarian, renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma.* Avelumab is not approved for any indication in any market outside the US. BAVENCIO is the proprietary name submitted to EMA for the investigational medicine avelumab.About Metastatic Merkel Cell CarcinomaMetastatic MCC is a rare and aggressive disease in which cancer cells form in the top layer of the skin, close to nerve endings.[2],[3] MCC, which is also known as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin or trabecular cancer, often starts in those areas of skin that are most often exposed to the sun, including the head and neck, and arms.[2],[4] Risk factors for MCC include sun exposure and infection with Merkel cell polyomavirus. Caucasian males older than 50 are at increased risk.[2],[4] MCC is a highly immunogenic cancer, meaning that those with a weak immune system (i.e., solid organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS and people with other cancers, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia) are also at a higher risk.[2],[4] MCC is often misdiagnosed for other skin cancers and grows at an exponential rate on chronically sun-damaged skin.[4]-[6] Current treatment options for MCC in Europe include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.[3] Treatment for metastatic or Stage IV MCC is generally palliative.[3]About JAVELIN Merkel 200The efficacy and safety of avelumab was demonstrated in the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial, an international, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, Phase II study split into two parts:- Part A was conducted in 88 patients with histologically confirmed mMCC whose disease had progressed on or after chemotherapy administered for distant metastatic disease, with life expectancy of more than 3 months. Overall in Part A, 59% of patients were reported to have had one prior anti-cancer therapy for mMCC and 41% had two or more prior therapies. Data submitted included a minimum of 18 months follow-up. The major efficacy outcome measures for Part A were confirmed best overall response (BOR) and duration of response (DOR), according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1, as assessed by a blinded independent endpoint review committee (IERC); secondary efficacy outcome measures included duration of response (DOR), and progression-free survival (PFS). - Part B, at the time of the data cut-off, included 39 patients with histologically confirmed mMCC who were treatment-naive to systemic therapy in the metastatic setting, 29 of whom had at least 13 weeks of follow-up. Enrolment in Part B of the study is ongoing and is planned to include 112 treatment-naive patients. The major efficacy outcome measure is durable response, defined as objective response (complete response [CR] or partial response [PR]) with a duration of at least 6 months; secondary outcome measures include BOR, DOR, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).The trial excluded patients with active or a history of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis, active or a history of autoimmune disease, a history of other malignancies within the last 5 years, organ transplant, and conditions requiring therapeutic immune suppression or active infection with HIV, or hepatitis B or C. Patients received avelumab 10 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 60 minutes every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.About AvelumabAvelumab is a human antibody specific for a protein called PD-L1, or programmed death ligand-1. Avelumab is designed to potentially engage both the adaptive and innate immune systems. By binding to PD-L1, avelumab is thought to prevent tumor cells from using PD-L1 for protection against white blood cells, such as T cells, exposing them to anti-tumor responses. Avelumab has been shown to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro. In November 2014, Merck and Pfizer announced a strategic alliance to co-develop and co-commercialize avelumab.IndicationsThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for avelumab (BAVENCIO) for the treatment of (i) mMCC in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older and (ii) patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or who have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. These indications were approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.Important Safety InformationThe warnings and precautions for avelumab (BAVENCIO) include immune-mediated adverse reactions (such as pneumonitis, hepatitis, colitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis and renal dysfunction and other adverse reactions), infusion-related reactions and embryo-fetal toxicity.Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients treated with avelumab for mMCC and patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhea, nausea, infusion-related reaction, peripheral edema, decreased appetite/hypophagia, urinary tract infection and rash.About Merck-Pfizer AllianceImmuno-oncology is a top priority for Merck and Pfizer. The global strategic alliance between Merck and Pfizer enables the companies to benefit from each other's strengths and capabilities and further explore the therapeutic potential of avelumab, an investigational anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck. The immuno-oncology alliance will jointly develop and commercialize avelumab and advance Pfizer's PD-1 antibody. The alliance is focused on developing high-priority international clinical programs to investigate avelumab, as a monotherapy, as well as combination regimens, and is striving to find new ways to treat cancer.All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to http://www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.About MerckMerck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of EUR 15.0 billion in 66 countries.Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand except in the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier worldAt Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines, as well as many of the world's best-known consumer healthcare products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at http://www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id =smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fpfizer&esheet=51356409&new sitemid=20160606005771&lan=en-US&anchor=%40Pfizer&index=4&md5=e87fe5c 6856741051dc884b6867e3ffa) and @Pfizer_News (http://cts.businesswire. com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fpfizer_news&es heet=51356409&newsitemid=20160606005771&lan=en-US&anchor=%40Pfizer_Ne ws&index=5&md5=cf5e63756f6ab5c12fc077e5e90068e3), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/pfizer) and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&u rl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FPfizer&esheet=51356409&newsitemid =20160606005771&lan=en-US&anchor=Facebook.com%2FPfizer&index=7&md5=28 8d5bd99c7df784e0916061c5cfd713).Pfizer Disclosure NoticeThe information contained in this release is as of July 21, 2017. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.This release contains forward-looking information about BAVENCIO (avelumab), including a potential indication in the EU as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (the "potential indication"), the Merck-Pfizer Alliance involving anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 therapies, and clinical development plans, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, uncertainties regarding the commercial success of BAVENCIO; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical study commencement and completion dates and regulatory submission dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable study results, including unfavorable new clinical data and additional analyses of existing clinical data; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations, and, even when we view data as sufficient to support the safety and/or effectiveness of a product candidate, regulatory authorities may not share our views and may require additional data or may deny approval altogether; whether and when any other drug applications may be filed in any jurisdictions for potential indications for BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates; whether and when the European Commission may approve the pending marketing authorization application for the potential indication and whether and when regulatory authorities in any other jurisdictions where applications are pending or may be submitted for BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates may approve any such applications, which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates; and competitive developments.A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at http://www.sec.gov and http://www.pfizer.com.References1. BAVENCIO Prescribing Information. Rockland, MA: EMD Serono Inc.; 2017. 2. Schadendorf D et al. Merkel cell carcinoma: epidemiology, prognosis, therapy and unmet medical needs. European Journal of Cancer 2017;71;53-69 3. American Cancer Society. What is Merkel cell carcinoma? http://www .cancer.org/cancer/skincancer-merkelcell/detailedguide/skin-cancer -merkel-cell-carcinoma-what-is-merkel-cell-carcinoma. Last accessed June 2017. 4. Nghiem P. Systematic literature review of efficacy, safety and tolerability outcomes of chemotherapy regimens in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Future Oncology 2017;13(14):1263-1279. 5. Heath M, Jaimes N and Lemos B. Clinical characteristics of Merkel cell carcinoma at diagnosis in 195 patients: the AEIOU features. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2008;58:375-81. http://www.pnlab.org/clinical/documents/ClinCharacteristics.pdf. Last accessed June 2017. 6. NCCN Merkel Cell Carcinoma Guidelines version I. 2017. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/mcc.pdf. Last accessed June 2017.Your ContactsMerckMediaFriederike Segeberg+49-6151-72-6328Investor Relations+49-6151-72-3321PfizerMedia (US)Sally Beatty+1-212-733-6566Media (EU)Dervila Keane+353-86-2110834Investor RelationsRyan Crowe+1-212-733-8160(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/477506/Merck_Pfizer_Logo.jpg )ots Originaltext: Merck KGaA Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - With the investigation of alleged Russian meddling in last year's election continuing to create headaches for the White House, reports claim President Donald Trump's legal team is looking for ways to discredit the probe by special counsel Robert Mueller.



A report from the New York Times said Trump's lawyers and aides are scouring the professional and political backgrounds of investigators hired by Mueller, looking for conflicts of interest.



Three people with knowledge of the effort told the Times that Trump's team is searching for information they could use to discredit the investigation or even build a case to fire Mueller.



The search reportedly includes scrutinizing donations to Democratic candidates, investigators' past clients and Mueller's relationship with former FBI Director James Comey.



Mueller's investigation is said to include examining whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey while he was leading the Russia probe.



A separate report from the Washington Post also said Trump's lawyers are actively building a case against what they believe to be Mueller's conflicts of interest.



One person cited in the Post story also said Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe.



Trump's lawyers have disputed the claims in the reports, however, with John Dowd calling the reports 'nonsense.'



'The President's lawyers are cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller on behalf of the President,' Dowd added.



The latest claims come after Bloomberg reported that Mueller has expanded his investigation of alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to include the president's business transactions.



Citing a person familiar with the probe, Bloomberg said Mueller is examining a broad range of transactions involving Trump's businesses as well as those of his associates.



Trump suggested in an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday that Mueller would be crossing a 'red line' by looking into his and his family's finances.



'I would say yes,' Trump said when asked if Mueller's investigation would cross a 'red line' if it expanded to look at his family's finances. 'I think that's a violation. Look, this is about Russia.'



White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president was making it clear that the special counsel should not move outside the scope of the investigation.



(Photo: Michael Vadon)



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Top Republican leaders have criticized President Donald Trump's decision to pardon controversial former sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt by a federal judge last month for defying an order to refrain from racially profiling Latinos during patrols. But Trump announced Friday he has granted a full pardon to Arpaio, saying the 85-year old American 'patriot' kept Arizona safe. A White House statement claimed Arpaio spent his time as sheriff protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration. The President should not have pardoned the former Arizona sheriff who took a hard line on immigrants, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan. 'Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon,' said Ryan's spokesman, Doug Andres. Ohio governor John Kasich came out publicly against the presidential pardon. 'It absolutely should be out of bounds for somebody to use [the power to pardon] as some sort of a political wedge,' said the man who vied with Trump for a Republican ticket in presidential election. Other prominent GOP critics of the pardon include Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. McCain, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the President using his authority to make a pardon at this time 'undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions.' Democrats and human rights campaigners also condemned the move. 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.
ESPOO (dpa-AFX) - Nokia (NOK) said that the International Chamber of Commerce's International Court of Arbitration has ruled in favor of Nokia in a contract dispute with BlackBerry. The decision confirms that BlackBerry had failed to make certain payments to Nokia under a patent license agreement between the parties. A significant portion of the amount awarded has already been recognized by Nokia in its financials for previous periods. . Nokia said it continues to believe that BlackBerry's unrelated claims of patent infringement by Nokia are without merit. Separately, BlackBerry said it is disappointed that the Court of Arbitration did not agree with itsarguments in the case but we accept their decision. The ruling does not change BlackBerry's assertion that Nokia is infringing on intellectual property and BlackBerry is continuing to vigorously pursue legal remedies in both the U.S. and Germany. On April 28, 2016, Nokia filed a Request for Arbitration with the International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration. The dispute related to whether certain payments allegedly due under a patent license contract between the companies are in fact owed to Nokia under the terms of the agreement. On November 29, 2017, the arbitration panel awarded Nokia approximately $137 million. The dispute did not involve any allegations of IP infringement and BlackBerry is continuing to pursue patent infringement claims against Nokia via suits filed in both Germany and the U.S. 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.
LONDON, September 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Australian government's outbound student mobility program, an international alumni jobs network in Hong Kong and Vietnam and an aptitude test from language learning app Duolingo are among the finalists in the inaugural PIEoneer Awards, an event from media company The PIE News which publishes for the international education industry.

The international education industry is a billion-dollar business with many governments invested in growing their reputation as an international education hub and keen to ensure greater mobility of domestic students. The 12 award categories showcase efforts to expand access to study abroad and better support the thousands of international student alumni who contribute to this global and growing industry.

The Malaysia Qualifications Agency is a finalist in PIEoneer of the Year category for its initiatives designed to ensure inclusive, progressive access to higher education in Malaysia.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is shortlisted in the Championing Diversity category for its New Colombo Plan, which has supported 7,400 students and 105 scholarship recipients in 2017.

The Student Support award shortlist includes a Canadian tech company which developed an app to encourage help-seeking behaviour among international students suffering with mental health issues.

The marketing campaign category profiles the power of personal stories. The WeAreInternational campaign, spearheaded by the University of Sheffield, relied on content from international and domestic students portraying how an international student cohort enriched their own experience.

Study Queensland, Australia chose 20 international student ambassadors to win a scholarship to study there. Personal stories shared on social media led to a 13 million reach. US test prep giant, ETS, targeted Chinese parents' concerns about their child's time overseas in its TOEFLGrownupMoment campaign.

An international alumni jobs network, set up in Hong Kong and Vietnam to help promote the multicultural edge that international students have and help them find jobs, is a finalist for PIEoneer of the Year category - it has reached 100,000 students in just over 12 months.

Editorial director, Amy Baker, commented, "From a women's leadership league, to programmes aimed at refugee access to higher education or genuinely transformative teaching being delivered in Bangladesh via low-cost mobile phone, the entries made us proud of the work of our peers. We are pleased we can share these stories with a wider audience."

Established in 2011 by 3 women, The PIE News has reached 1.5 million readers in 130 countries.

Contact: Clare Gossage, +44(0)2032903389, clare@thepienews.com
SHANGHAI, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Exchange Union has attracted the attention of key exchanges in China in support of its 'Universal token' for cross-platform trading. Exchange Union represents a new focus for Huiyin Blockchain Venture Founder James Wo, who plans to bridge exchanges via a new inter-exchange trading token XUC. Exchange Union will act as an efficient clearing house for exchanges bringing them extra revenue, whilst traders can take advantage of price differences between platforms moving funds seamlessly between them.

ICO's are increasingly capturing the attention of businesses across Asia and Unocoin, the largest digital currency exchange from India, is one of them. Sathvik Vishwanath, co-founder of Unocoin was regarded as a pioneer in the industry back when Unocoin was founded. At that time Bitcoin had just entered Indian markets and the Reserve Bank of India had responded by announcing some adverse policy. Despite that the prosperity of Bitcoin in India continued to grow and Sathvik was proved a visionary.

Today Exchange Union are very pleased to have the support of Sathvik who stated, "Exchange Union is a great project in terms of business model, core members and advisors. I believe that forward-looking companies would seek the opportunity to cooperate with Exchange Union. The development of Exchange Union will definitely have profound impact on global digital currency industry and we will keep supporting them."

Meanwhile, Coinhako, one of the major digital currency wallets in Singapore, also held out the olive branch to Exchange Union. Yusho Liu, co-founder of Coinhako, said that he began seeking cooperation with global, high quality ICO projects and it was Exchange Union that attracted his attention. Liu noted the strength of Exchange Union's credible core members and reputable advisors. Yusho has shown strong confidence in this project following discussions with James Wo, founder of Exchange Union.

During the preparation period of Exchange Union, David Lee, co-founder and CEO of CHBTC, contacted James directly to show his interest in the project stating that he would do his best to support Exchange Union.

The first batch of Exchanges in the Union will sign agreements this December. Exchange Union will make important contribution to bridging the gap between exchanges globally. As a "universal" digital currency, XUC will be traded across exchanges in the Union. This project will be launched on the largest ICO platform Token Market, starting from 9:00PM 7th August 2017 Beijing time. Funds raised will be used for technique development, strategic investment (acquisitions and subscriptions of digital currency exchanges related shares and tokens) operation marketing and launching fees. See http://www.exchangeunion.net for more information

Press Contact: Andy Zhang

Enquiries: contact@exchangeunion.net


The total amount of its capital increase rises to Euro 555 million (excluding the exercise of the overallotment option)

Regulatory News:

Carmila (Paris:CARM):

Not for distribution directly or indirectly in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan.

The share placement completed on July 6, 2017 by Carmila provided for the shareholders of Carmila who had neither sold nor exercised their warrants by 11:00am on July 10, 2017 to benefit from an exercise period up to and including July, 17, 2017.

Following the end of the exercise period for these warrants on July 17, 2017, the additional capital increase resulting from the exercise of the remaining warrants (which have neither been sold to the banking syndicate nor exercised by Carrefour) amounts to approximately Euro 2 million, for a total of 82,150 additional new shares to be issued.

As a result, 23,123,818 shares will have been issued as part of Carmila's previously announced capital increase (excluding the overallotment option) corresponding to a total amount of Euro 555.0 million, of which:

20,958,334 shares were issued as part of the share placement representing Euro 503.0 million; and

2,165,484 shares will have been issued following the exercise of the remaining warrants (including the subscription of Carrefour through the partial exercise of its warrants for an amount of Euro 50 million) representing c. Euro 52.0 million.

Following the exercise of the remaining warrants, and upon issuance of the corresponding additional new shares, Carmila's outstanding share capital will be composed of 131,992,047 shares.

The settlement and delivery of the 82,150 new shares issued through the exercise of the warrants since July 10, 2017 is expected to take place on July 25, 2017.

Information available to the public

Copies of the prospectus that has been granted visa n17-298 by the AMF on June 23, 2017, consisting of the Registration Document of Cardety registered by the AMF under number D.17-0428 on April 25, 2017, the Appendix II to the Document E containing information about Carmila filed with the AMF, which received visa No. E.17-040 dated May 5, 2017 and a securities note (including a summary of the prospectus) are available on the dedicated website of Carmila www.augmentation-de-capital-2017-carmila.com and on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org), and free of charge upon request to Carmila at 58 avenue Emile Zola, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Carmila draws the public's attention to the risk factors in paragraph 5 of the management report of Cardety's board of Directors in chapter 9.2 of Cardety's Registration Document, in Chapter 4 of Appendix II of the Document E as well as to the Section 2 of the securities note.

2017 indicative financial calendar

September 4, 2017 (after market close): First-half 2017 results

About Carmila

Carmila was founded by Carrefour and large institutional investors in order to develop the value of shopping centers anchored by Carrefour stores in France, Spain and Italy. Its portfolio pro forma for the merger with Cardety effective as of June 12 consisted, as at March 31, 2017, of 205 shopping centers in France, Spain and Italy, mostly leaders in their catchment areas, and valued at Euro 5.4 bn as at March 31, 2017. Inspired by a genuine retail culture, Carmila's teams include all of the expertise dedicated to retail attractiveness: leasing, digital marketing, specialty leasing, shopping centre management and portfolio management.

This press release does not constitute a public offer to sell or purchase, or a public solicitation of an offer to sell or purchase, securities in any country or jurisdiction.

No communication nor any information relating to the transaction described in this press release or to Carmila may be distributed to the public in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution would require registration or approval of securities. No such registration or approval has been or will be obtained outside of France. The diffusion of this press release in certain countries may be prohibited under applicable law. Carmila assumes no responsibility if there is a violation of applicable law and regulations by any person.

This press release constitutes promotional material only and not a prospectus within the meaning of Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended, in particular, by Directive 2010/73/UE (together, the "Prospectus Directive")).

In France, an offer of securities to the public may not be made except pursuant to a prospectus that has received a visa from the French Financial Markets Authority (the "AMF"). For any other Member State of the European Union or the members of the European Economic Area that has transposed the Prospectus Directive (each, a "Concerned Member State"), no action has been nor will be undertaken to allow the public offering of securities requiring the publication of a prospectus in any Concerned Member State, except pursuant to Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive to the extent transposed by such Concerned Member State or under other circumstances that will not result in the requirement of the publication of a prospectus (within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive or other applicable regulations in such Concerned Member State) by Carmila.

The distribution of this press release is not made, and has not been approved, by an "authorized person" within the meaning of Article 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. As a consequence, the distribution of this press release is directed only at (i) persons outside the United Kingdom, subject to applicable laws, (ii) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 as amended (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth bodies corporate, unincorporated associations and partnerships and trustees of high value trusts as described in Article 49(2) (a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The transaction mentioned herein is only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire Carmila's shares will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on, this press release or any information contained herein. This press release does not constitute a prospectus approved by the Financial Services Authority or any other regulatory authority in the United Kingdom within the meaning of Section 85 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation to sell or purchase, or a solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities of Carmila in the United States of America. Securities may not be offered, subscribed for, pledged, sold or otherwise transferred in the United States of America absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements thereof. The securities of Carmila have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and Carmila does not intend to make a public offer of its securities in the United States of America.

This press release may not be published, transmitted or distributed, directly or indirectly, and does not constitute an offer of securities, in the United States (including in the territories and dependencies and in any State of the United States), in Canada, in Australia, or in Japan.

Stabilization

From the announcement date of the Global Offering price and during a period ending 30 calendar days later (i.e., according to the expected timetable, until August 4, 2017, included), Morgan Stanley& Co. International plc, acting as stabilizing agent may, without any obligation, in compliance with laws and regulations, in particular EU Parliament and Council Regulation 596/2014 of 16 April 2014 and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 on market abuse, effect transactions with a view to maintaining the market price of the shares on the regulated market of Euronext Paris. In compliance with Article 7 of the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016, the stabilization activities shall not in any circumstances be executed above the Global Offering price. Such stabilization activities may affect the price of the shares and may conduct to the fixing of the market price higher than the one which would otherwise be fixed. Even if stabilization activities were carried out, Morgan Stanley& Co. International plc may, at any time, decide to stop such activities. Information of the competent market authorities and the public will be made in compliance with Article 5 of the above mentioned Delegated Regulation n 2016/1052. In compliance with the provisions of Article 8 of the above mentioned Delegated Regulation n 2016/1052, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, acting on behalf of the Underwriters of the Global Offering, may, over-allot in the context of the Global Offering at the number of shares covered by the overallotment option, plus, if applicable, 5% of the Global Offering (excluding the exercise of the overallotment option).

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170721005514/en/

Contacts:

Carmila

Investors and analysts contact:

Marie-Flore Bachelier, +33 6 20 91 67 79

marie_flore_bachelier@carmila.com

or

Press contacts:

Candice Baudet Depierre, +33 6 26 60 85 01

candice.baudetdepierre@shan.fr

or

Alexandre Daudin, +33 6 34 92 46 15

alexandre.daudin@shan.fr
DUBLIN, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Portable Medical Equipment Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global portable medical equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 8.86% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Portable Medical Equipment 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.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is increasing online presence of vendors. With the growing preference for home-care settings for portable medical devices, many vendors are increasing focus on online marketing and online retail. Players such as Medtronic and Phonak (Sonova) have created their online presence by creating their official pages on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Many vendors are also engaging in online retailing as this allows them to expand their target market beyond clinics and hospitals, and be more accessible to home-healthcare patients. Online retailing also helps vendors to minimize their costs on setup, distribution, and operations. Key vendors such as Medtronic, Roche, and Abbott sell their portable medical devices are already selling their products via websites such as Amazon. Other prominent vendors such as Tandem Diabetes Care and Contec Medical Systems are also selling their devices online to increase their customer reach and overall sales potential.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is rise in demand for portable medical devices. Approximately 5.4% of the global population does not have access to essential health services. Hospitals/clinics in many remote areas do not have equipment such as patient monitoring devices and medical imaging devices. The problem becomes more acute in remote areas because of many infrastructural limitations like frequent power cuts, unreliable transportation, and lack of space.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is High cost of devices. Portable medical devices such as blood glucose monitoring systems, pulse oximeters, ultrasound devices, thermometers, and other point-of-care (POC) devices require frequent battery changes, recharging, and maintenance, which results in high cost. These devices are priced on the basis of the type of function and diagnosis.

Key vendors



Medtronic

Philips Healthcare

GE Healthcare

Abbott Laboratories

Sonova



Other prominent vendors



Animas

Briggs Healthcare

Contec Medical Systems

Carestream Health

Guangdong Biolight Meditech

Others



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by product



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



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/slg2t2/global_portable

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
Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk, Head of the EU Delegation in Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch have discussed the reform of the State Fiscal Service (SFS) of Ukraine.

Danyliuk noted the need to create an independent supervisory board for reforming the State Fiscal Service, which would monitor the implementation of the reform and determine priorities, the Finance Ministry's press service reported.

As reported, the Finance Ministry announced the launch of a comprehensive reform of the State Fiscal Service in late June 2017. The first level of the three-level project of the implementation of the reform envisages formation of a supervisory board, which will include representatives of Western government structures, international organizations and foundations.

The second level envisages a management committee, which includes the finance minister and the secretary of state, the head of the SFS and their deputy and the project manager.

The third level includes the reform implementation group comprised of representatives of the Finance Ministry, the State Fiscal Service, the IMF, the reform support team under the Finance Ministry and the SFS, international consultants. This group should work on practical implementation of the changes, in particular in the audit, the service department, in terms of compliance with legislation and the establishment and improvement of internal processes of the service.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Mark Corallo has resigned as the spokesman for President Donald Trump's legal team amid reports of a shakeup of the team of lawyers handling the White House's defense in the investigation of Russian meddling in last year's election. A person who spoke with Corallo told Politico the resignation comes as the spokesman was unhappy with the team's strategy of attacking the credibility of special counsel Robert Mueller. Reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post claimed Trump's legal team is looking for ways to discredit Mueller's investigation. Corallo's resignation comes amid reports from multiple sources that the president's legal team is being reorganized, with longtime Trump attorney Marc Kasowitz taking a reduced role. CNN said John Dowd and Jay Sekulow will now be Trump's primary personal attorneys for the Russia investigation. Ty Cobb, who was appointed White House special counsel last Saturday, will take the lead on the investigation from inside the White House, CNN said. (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.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 21, 2017 / The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP:

To: All persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired securities of Axiom Holdings, Inc. ("Axiom Holdings") (OTC PINK: AIOM) between October 14, 2016 and June 19, 2017 . You are hereby notified that a securities class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. To get more information, go to: http://www.zlk.com/pslra-sba/axiom-holdings-inc?wire=1, or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972. There is no cost or obligation to you.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Axiom lacked control over the merger process sufficient to ensure that the Agreement with CJC would be completed; (ii) accordingly, the Agreement with CJC Holdings, Ltd. ("CJC") was never completed; (iii) the Company's issuance of shares to the CJC Shareholders was thus improper; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Axiom's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On June 19, 2017, Axiom issued a press release revealing that it identified discrepancies related to prior news announcements in response to a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The following day, the Company issued another press release, advising investors that "it now appears the merger was never completed" and advising investors that it would rescind the shares that were issued to CJC Shareholders in connection with the merger.

If you suffered a loss in Axiom Holdings, you have until August 21, 2017 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, California, Connecticut, and Washington D.C. The firm's attorneys have extensive expertise and experience representing investors in securities litigation, and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

Joseph E. Levi, Esq.

30 Broad Street - 24th Floor

New York, NY 10004

Tel: (212) 363-7500

Toll Free: (877) 363-5972

Fax: (212) 363-7171

www.zlk.com

SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
The 2,709 Hectares Lithium Brine-Clay Prospect is Located within the Salar de Arizaro in Salta Province, Argentina

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 21st, 2017 / Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM Frankfurt: N7R) ("Noram" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a an option agreement to acquire up to a 100% interest in the Arizaro East lithium brine-clay project. The 2,709 hectares Arizaro East mineral claim is located in the eastern portion of the Salar de Arizaro in north-western Argentina in Los Andes Department, Salta Province (see: Photo/Map).

The Salar de Arizaro and is largely underexplored despite being situated in the "Lithium Triangle." Other miners and explorers advancing lithium projects in the region include ERAMET and Lithium X.

The geological setting of the Arizaro East Property includes saline beaches with stationary wind and fluvial deposits. The southern part of the Property is composed of fine sediments, sands, and clays of Quaternary age, with the presence of salt at surface. The northern part of the Property is composed by sandstones, volcanic sandstones, siltstone, pelites, tufa, gypsum, and halite that correspond to deposits of Tertiary age. Mineral occurrences include lithium, borates, sulfates with halite, and gypsum.

An Environmental Impact Assessment has been recently approved by the Salta Mining Authorities, which enables exploration and confirmation of the Property's potential to host lithium in the sediments.

Under the terms of the Agreement, Noram can acquire up to a 100% interest in the Property, subject to TSX and other regulatory approvals in consideration of the following share issuances and payment:

(a) Issue 28,500,000 common shares of Noram Ventures Inc. on or before July 23rd 2017, in order to earn a 90% interest in the Claim;

(b) Make a payment of US$150,000 on or before July 31, 2018 in order to earn the balance of 10% for an aggregate of 100% of the claim.

"We are very pleased to have signed this option agreement to acquire a land position in Argentina, which will diversify and compliment our existing asset mix of lithium and graphite properties," said Noram's President, Mark Ireton. "The Arizaro East property being clay based at surface fits into Noram's strategy of developing nanofiltration technology to extract lithium from both clay and brine hosts. And our research to date suggests this can be accomplished economically, environmentally effectively and efficiently. Our focus is not only on finding and developing lithium and graphite deposits, but also on sourcing and supporting new, environmentally-friendly, processing techniques to produce our lithium and graphite products."

About Noram Ventures Inc.

Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NRM Frankfurt: N7R) is a Canadian-based junior exploration company, with a goal of becoming a force in the Green Energy Revolution through the development of lithium and graphite deposits and becoming a low-cost supplier for the burgeoning lithium battery industry. The Company's primary business focus since formation has been the exploration of mineral projects that include lithium projects in the Clayton Valley in Nevada, the Hector Lode in San Bernardino county, California and the Jumbo graphite property in British Columbia. Noram's long term strategy is to build a multi-national lithium-graphite dominant industrial minerals company to produce and sell lithium and graphite into the markets of Europe, North America, and Asia.

For further information, please visit www.noramventures.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

s/ "Mark Ireton"

President & Director

Direct: (604) 761-9994

This news release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements; the uncertainty of future profitability; and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. Actual results and future events could differ materially from anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressed qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstance or management's estimates or opinions change.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Noram Ventures Inc.
DUBLIN, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Commercial Air Conditioner Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global commercial air conditioner market to grow at a CAGR of 4.93% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Commercial Air Conditioner 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.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is increasing construction of green buildings. Structures that preserve the environment around while serving the purpose of any other building are known as green buildings. Green buildings are constructed using renewable sources, and care is taken that minimal damage to the environment is made while constructing buildings. Some of the advantages of green buildings include preservation of non-renewable sources, improved air and water quality, protection of biodiversity and ecosystem, reduced operating costs, and improved public health and comfort. Green buildings make extensive use of air conditioners, thus creating the demand.



According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Growing commercial construction in emerging economies. Rapid urbanization and economic growth have led to the increase in construction of malls, hospitals, commercial buildings, hotels, and manufacturing facilities that have contributed to the air conditioning demand from emerging countries. The expansion of commercial spaces, new office floor space, corporate hubs, special economic zones (SEZs), and organized retail outlets is driving the demand for air conditioning across countries.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is Capital-intensive market. Commercial air conditioning systems are highly capital-intensive. For instance, if voltage fluctuates, it can have a severe impact on the air conditioner. This disruption requires to be covered by backup units. Installing backup units further escalates costs of installation. Moreover, control systems are generally placed between the indoor and outdoor units, which implies that individual contractors cannot service, repair, or upgrade the control system with ease of access. The lifetime service will be provided only by the manufacturer, which can prove to be expensive.



Key vendors



Carrier

Daikin

Johnson Controls

LG

Mitsubishi Electric



Other prominent vendors



Hitachi

Midea Group

Panasonic

Samsung

Ingersoll Rand

Others



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by product

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



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/th2rk5/global_commercial

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
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 07/21/17 -- Petrolia Inc. (TSX VENTURE: PEA) ("Petrolia" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has obtained an order (the "Order") from the Quebec Superior Court (the "Court") and the permission of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") allowing it to hold its annual general shareholders' meeting at any time prior to October 26, 2017.

Pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (Quebec) and the policies of the Exchange, Petrolia is required to hold its annual general shareholders' meeting no later than fifteen months after its previous annual general shareholders' meeting, which results in a deadline of August 26, 2017. Since Petrolia is required to hold a special shareholders' meeting in connection with its previously announced planned amalgamation with Pieridae Energy Limited ("Pieridae") by way of a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") under the Canada Business Corporations Act ("CBCA"), for reasons of efficiency and convenience to shareholders it wishes to hold both shareholders' meetings concurrently. As the date of the special shareholders' meeting has not yet been established, Petrolia sought the permission of the Court and the Exchange to extend the deadline to hold its annual general meeting. Petrolia's annual general and special shareholders' meeting (the "Meeting") will be held at a date to be determined concurrently with the finalization of the joint information circular to be addressed to the respective shareholders of Petrolia and Pieridae (the "Circular"), but no later than October 26, 2017.

When the Circular is final and the exact date of the Meeting is established, Petrolia will issue another press release to announce the details. Until such announcement, Petrolia and Pieridae continue to work towards completing Pieridae's previously announced private placement financing of subscription receipts and finalising the documents to be filed with the Exchange, including the Circular which will set out detailed information about the transaction and the two companies.

Second Amendment to the Arrangement Agreement

Petrolia also announces that it has entered into an agreement with Pieridae (the "Second Amendment") to amend certain provisions of the arrangement agreement executed on May 15, 2017 with Pieridae (the "Arrangement Agreement").

It is currently a condition under the Arrangement Agreement that holders of Petrolia common shares representing not more than 10% of such Petrolia shares shall have exercised their dissent rights in connection with the Arrangement. The Second Amendment provides that such percentage shall be increased to 15%. This condition constitutes a protection for the parties that limits the potential financial impact to the entity resulting from the amalgamation in connection with the repurchase of shares held by dissenting shareholders. Petrolia and Pieridae have agreed to increase this percentage as it applies to Petrolia in order to prevent significant Petrolia shareholders that decide to exercise their dissent rights in connection with the Arrangement from effectively exercising a veto over the Arrangement. The Second Amendment also extends the "outside date" by which the Arrangement must be completed from August 15, 2017 to October 26, 2017.

All terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, as previously amended, not modified by the Second Amendment remain unchanged. For further details with respect to the material terms of the Arrangement, please refer to Petrolia's press release dated May 15, 2017 and the Arrangement Agreement which, together with a First Amendment dated June 28, 2017 and the Second Amendment, are available on the Company's SEDAR profile on www.sedar.com. In addition, in order to allow for a better understanding of the transaction, a "frequently asked questions" for investors is available on-line on Petrolia's website, www.petrolia-inc.com.

Additional Information

Trading of the Petrolia Common Shares remains halted at least until the reception, to the satisfaction of the Exchange and according to its applicable policies, of the documents necessary to resume trading. Petrolia will issue a further news release when the trading of the Petrolia Common Shares is to resume.

Petrolia and Pieridae are working to complete the next steps and to satisfy the conditions of the Arrangement. When additional information becomes available, a press release will be issued.

Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the Circular to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Petrolia should be considered highly speculative.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

About Petrolia

Petrolia is a junior oil and gas exploration company which owns interests in oil and gas licences covering 16,000 km2 (4 million acres), which represents almost 23% of the Quebec territory under lease. Petrolia is a Quebec leader in oil and gas exploration and its vision is to develop oil from here, by the people here, for here. The social and environmental dimensions are a major concern of Petrolia and its exploration process. Through its Investissement PEA Inc. subsidiary, Petrolia holds 21.7% of the Hydrocarbons Anticosti L.P. limited partnership and its Petrolia Anticosti Inc. subsidiary is the operator of its Ile d'Anticosti project. Petrolia has 108,399,683 shares issued and outstanding.

Disclaimer

Certain statements made herein may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or the future economic performance of Petrolia and carry known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may appreciably affect their results, economic performance or accomplishments when considered in light of the content or implications or statements made by Petrolia. Actual events or results could be significantly different. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Petrolia disclaims any intention or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Martin Belanger, P. Eng.

Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

418 657-1966

www.petrolia-inc.com




Ada Support, a Toronto, CA-based automated chat platform, raised $2.5m in funding.

The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from Version One Ventures.

The company will use the funds to grow its business and further product development.

Led by Mike Murchison and David Hariri, Ada Support creates tools for customer support teams to offer automated service. Its chatbot creation platform is powered by a proprietary machine learning engine that reduces support volume, empowers customers to find answers on their own and automatically learns how to better serve customers in the future. The company leverages proprietary AI technology to provide automated responses to inbound customer support requests, reducing the time spent on repetitive questions by 70 percent. This allows customers to receive answers to many of their questions much quicker than with human-staffed customer support, while also receiving support 24/7.

FinSMEs

21/07/2017
Amphora Medical, Inc., a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based developer of medical devices to treat overactive bladder (OAB), closed a $35.5m Series B financing.

The round was led by Longitude Capital and Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX), with participation from HBM Healthcare Investments, as well as existing venture investors F-Prime Capital Partners and Baird Capital. In conjunction with the funding, Marc Galletti of Longitude Capital and Thomas Thaler, Ph.D. of HBM Healthcare Investments will join Amphora Medicals Board of Directors. Chris Owens, President and CEO of Gynesonics, joined as an Independent Director.

The company will use the funds to conduct the U.S. pivotal study for its Selective Bladder Denervation System in women with OAB.

Founded in 2011 and led by Tom Ressemann, President and Chief Executive Officer, Amphora Medical is a bladder denervation company developing minimally invasive products to restore the quality of life of people suffering from bladder dysfunction syndromes. The company is currently working on a novel cystoscopic device which uses targeted ablation (fulguration) to dampen the signals of the nerves responsible for the symptoms of OAB at their source in the bladder, while preserving the nerves responsible for natural bladder function.

FinSMEs

21/07/2017
Hemovent GmbH, an Aachen, Germany-based artificial lung platform developer, received an undisclosed funding as an extention of its Series A financing round.

Backers included all existing investors as well as new investor 1st Capital Partner.

Led by Christof Lenz, co-founder and CEO, Hemovent is an emerging medical device company that has developed small and self-contained fully portable artificial lungs for ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) /ExtraCorporeal Life Support (ECLS) applications designed to support or replace heart and lung function in the event of cardiac and/or respiratory failure.

The funding follows the announcement last month that the company has completed the first series of in vivo trials for the initial application of its novel and portable Artificial Lung technology platform, designed for a range of indications from ExtraCorporeal CO2 Removal (ECCO2R) to ExtraCorporeal Life Support (ECLS).

These applications, ECCO2R and ECLS, are also referred to as ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO): establishment of an artificial external blood circuit with a portable pump and gas exchanger system to support lung function only or even establish a full cardiopulmonary bypass.

ECMO as a temporary artificial lung either provides respiratory support to patients whose lungs are so damaged they cannot perform their function, or as a temporary life support system and takes over the heart function in case of acute heart failure.

The Hemovent ECMO/ ECLS System is not approved for human use.

FinSMEs

21/07/2017
Germany will provide up to EUR 100 million to the Energy Efficiency Fund, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Now using the energy consumption and energy saving fund mechanism our partners from Germany are providing up to EUR 100 million  this is UAH 3 billion. The International Finance Corporation will conduct an audit. It will be a member of the supervisory board of the fund jointly with recognized authorities to ensure the effect use of each kopeck of budget funds," Poroshenko said on Thursday in Kyiv during the events devoted to the signing of the bill on the Energy Efficiency Fund.
One of the targets of social media rumor mills in the past few days have been banks. There have been imaginary Reserve Bank of Social Media and Supreme Court of Social Media messages, which have been issuing orders to close down some of the prominent public sector banks in the country. One such message came on social media messaging platform, WhatsApp, which created panic reads thus:

Nine banks will be closed permanently by Reserve bank of India. If anybody having transactions in it please kindly withdraw it. The names of the bank's are Corporation Bank, UCO Bank, IDBI, Bank of Maharashtra, Andhra Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, Dena Bank and United Bank of India, 9 banks going to be close if u guys have any account in this banks so please immediately safe ur cash and forward this msg to all. Order by supreme Court (Sic).

Firstpost hasnt independently verified the source of this message.

To be sure, some of the banks mentioned above are undergoing Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) under the direction of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). That is a normal process when bad loans in a particular bank rise above a certain level and capital ratios weaken, the RBI puts certain restrictions on such banks asking them not to take further big loan exposures, take measures to cut down their NPAs and preserve capital.

Probably, such measures might have triggered this message. Needless to say, it is untrue. A senior banker with one of the banks mentioned in the social media message called it bogus and explained the pain his colleagues right from the branch level have to go through to explain the truth to customers running in to the branches and contacting over phone to control their mounting panic. Such messages cause concern for an average citizen, said the banker. Also, both the RBI and the Finance Ministry have clarified on this (read a Moneycontrol article here.)

To put things in perspective, lets look at the situation of the public sector banks. Since consolidation of state-run banks is the larger agenda of the government, eventually some of these lenders will be unable to recover from the bad loan situation, poor-performance and lack of technology skills to catch up with emerging competitors. But, thats an eventual possibility, not something that will happen all of a sudden. Even during such a process, the savings of common customers wouldnt be at risk since these banks are backed by the government. Hence, there is no need for panic.

So, we certainly have a problem in hand, but not a fatal one that warrants immediate closure of any bank in the country. A closure didnt happen when Indian Overseas Banks gross NPAs shot through the roof to over 20 percent of the total loans in 2016 and its capital adequacy fell below the RBIs comfort level and a few other banks faced a similar situation. Those banks were bailed out with taxpayers money. Whenever banks have fallen flat, the government has bailed them out. It is another thing that no government should be ideally doing this and instead hand over these entities to private sector. But, there has never been instant bank failure that warrants panic in public.

So, coming back to our original WhatsApp message announcing closure of nine banks, unlike offer of love and lottery, circulation of such messages can seriously cause damage to the system. We already have enough instances from the past where antisocial elements are misusing social media in riot-hit areas to spread hatred and provoke the mob.

It is not new to see fake messages that promises love, brotherhood and billions of dollars originating from unknown well-wishers. Some fall prey but most ignore, hence those are largely harmless; but, messages such as the one cited aboveclosure of bankscould be more problematic since these spread fast and put fear and confusion in the mind of uninformed citizens. They can even cause a run on these banks when people rush to withdraw their money. In that sense, such messages fill terror in the minds of the common manperhaps we can call them social media miscreants.

In this new age of social media, may be it is time to rein in social media miscreants with stricter laws that ensure severe punishment for spreading intentional lies.
New Delhi: The telecom department will meet operators and industry associations today to brainstorm on the new telecom policy, according to industry sources.

The meeting is expected to be chaired by telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan, and service providers as well as prominent industry bodies have been invited to place their ideas and inputs on the upcoming policy, said multiple sources.

Earier this month, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha had told PTI that a National Telecom Policy is currently under formulation.

The policy in the offing, will focus on areas such as Internet for all, next-generation technologies (like 5G and Internet of Things), skills development, and security, among others.

The DoT plans to go for a wide consultation and outreach before finalising the new policy, and expects to have it in place by March 2018.

The new policy formulation comes at a time when the sector is confronting financial difficulties. Revenue and profitability of both large and small operators have come under severe pressure after the entry of aggressive newcomer Reliance Jio and the subsequent advent of free data and voice offerings.

The telecom industry's debt has touched Rs 4.6 lakh crore, and a recent report by ICRA has warned that industry revenue will plunge by another 6 percent in the current financial year due to competition and pricing pressure.

An inter-ministerial group has been constituted to consider measures to mitigate the industry's financial stress.

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular as well as other telcos have been making a strong pitch before the IMG for reduction in levies (like licence fee, spectrum usage charge) and are also seeking an extension in the deferred payment liability for radio waves.

Jio, on the other hand, has ascribed the financial stress in the telecom sector to existing operators like Airtel and Idea running businesses on debt and investing heavily in unrelated sectors.

Jio has also alleged that the incumbent operators had been reluctant in infusing equity and hence the financial stress is their own creation -- a charge the incumbent operators have outrightly rejected.
New Delhi: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) will pump in US $25 million in technology incubator -- Jerusalem Innovation Incubator (JII) -- that will invest in early stage startups working in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), fintech and Internet of Things (IoT). JII, set up as a Limited Liability Partnership, will have RIL holding 20 percent interest.

"The Board of Directors has approved to set up and invest in a technology incubator by the name of JII, licensed by Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), Ministry of Economy, Israel, under competitive bidding process," RIL said in a statement.

The investment in JII shall be done in partnership with OurCrowd (Isarel-based leading start-up crowd funding platform), Motorola Solutions (global provider of mission-

critical communications and services) and Yissum (technology transfer company of Hebrew University of Jerusalem), it added.

OurCrowd will hold 60 percent stake, while Motorola will have 20 percent interest. Yissum, a non-investing partner, will collaborate with JII to provide R&D and other support.

RIL said JII shall invest in early stage startups over the licence period of eight years. "The company proposes to invest US $25 million in JII and in frontier technology startups in tranches over a period of about eight years, subject to necessary regulatory approvals," it added.

JII's primary areas of focus will include big data, analytics, AI, fintech, storage, IoT and and computer vision.

"The proposed investment in JII would help pool significamt amount of capital, which is essential and foundational to fund the cutting-edge innovation required by early-stage startups in partnership with IIA," the statement said.

This will also give early access to innovation, technologies and products from Israel, which one of the world's largest startup and technology innovation ecosystem.
Chennai: The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) said on Thursday that despite growth in Information Technology leading to creation of more jobs, reskilling of employees becomes more important to the industry.

Firstpost had highlighted earlier that skilling was the way out of the job crisis plaguing the IT sector. Read about it here.

Stating that the IT industry with turnover of US $154 billion employs about 3.9 million people, NASSCOM President R Chandrashekhar said on Thursday if India remains under US $154 billion turnover it would require less number of employees.

"But we do not remain at US $154 billion. We continue to grow. We (NASSCOM) had already shared with you that the industry is expected to grow at 7-8 percent. And that growth also leads to more jobs," he said. Chandrashekhar was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual HR Summit here.

Noting that automation in industry "destroy" jobs, he said industry growth leads to "creation of more jobs."

"So, as long as pace of growth is fast than reduction of employment due to automation, net employment continues to grow. That is the situation we are in today, where pace of growth is still outpacing rate of job loss," he said.

On the creation of new jobs, Chandrasekhar said new jobs require higher skills subsequently leading to "reskilling becoming very important to the industry."

"The jobs which are created is different from the jobs which are lost. It is not that 50 jobs are gone and 100 jobs are created. The (additional) 50 jobs created are different and that has implications," he said.

"The new jobs require higher skills and therefore reskilling has become very important," he said.

"Reskilling and upskilling has become topmost priority for employee retention so every employee knows today if they don't upskill sooner or later they are going to be redundant," he said.

"It is also critical for companies also to offer opportunities for their employees to be reskilled," he said.

Noting that 21 million jobs were lost every year in the US, either due to technology or business changes, he said, "It is not a sad thing. Because 23 million jobs are created which is again an example of the fact that technology creates more jobs than it eliminates."
The opening shot of The Prestige shows a bunch of top hats lying on the ground, in the middle of a cold, woody forest. The shot plays for 15 seconds and disappears. It isn't until much later that the significance of those hats is revealed, and the first time you're watching the film, it's unlikely you instantly connect then that what you just saw was also the very first image of the film  and for good reason.

To enjoy such mastery, a Christopher Nolan film must be watched again and again. (And again.)

Dunkirk, admittedly, is no different. Which means that it'll be a while before we collectively grasp the various primal levels at which the film works. The sensory experience of Dunkirk  with its mind-opening IMAX shots and immersive sound design  is only the packaging. War has never felt this close to you on the big screen before, and with Nolan continuing to bend cinema-time at will, Dunkirk, like every Nolan film yet, will only age with actual time. ("If there is such a thing," a Nolan fan might ponder.)

For a filmmaker known more for technical precision and narrative wizardry, it is often astounding how Chris Nolan gently injects layers such as complex emotions and literary nuance into the craft on display, and this is only apparent as every piece in the jigsaw puzzle falls into place, one viewing at a time.

Because that's the thing about Christopher Nolan's cinema  you have to engage with it. You have to debate with it, question it and seek answers within the film itself. Then again, some of those questions may have no answers; and the true experience of watching a Nolan film is to make peace with the answers you eventually get, and the answers that you never will.

This act, of questioning what you see and hear, and engaging with that which you don't fully understand or agree with, was what once described what an 'intellectual' was. Unfortunately, the world has lost that word today, as it found itself corrupted into something grotesque, a word that's often thrown around as slur.

Yet, Nolan helps us reclaim that word and put it back into good use, simply by giving us Dunkirk now.

At a time when the world seems to be hurtling towards war, Nolan puts us in the middle of it. With uncomfortable silences, all-engulfing visual imagery and a breathless pace topped with the Nolan-linear narrative (if you will), he shows us that when you're in the middle of war, an individual's actions cannot be judged one way or the other, because the war itself  a product of an egotistical collective cloaked as nationalism  is a colossal exercise in the ruin of the individual.

As we move between the three separate fronts where the battles in Dunkirk ensue  the land, signifying defeat, despair and death; the air, signifying freedom and victory; and the sea, depicting the bridge between defeat and victory  we catch a glimpse of what war truly means, and why we must avoid it at all costs.

There are delicate moral issues at play in the film, and we watch mesmerised in silence, as the war turns soldiers into deserters, pits one man against the other even though everyone's on the same side. Without showing us a single face or person from the 'enemy side', Nolan deconstructs war with his mastery, showing us that the greatest enemy is war itself.

Then again, there are questions that you would still want to ask of the film.

Why, for instance, does this film ultimately fall back on the same glorification of the Allied powers  particularly Great Britain in this film  that we've seen all these years, despite the fact that British imperialism has had a large hand to play in the civil strife that we see across the most conflicted areas on the planet?

Is this, at its core, merely white privilege manifesting itself into yet another war film, no matter how unique an experience it is? Or does Nolan have a subtle statement hidden somewhere deeper in his narrative, where he balances out this visible glorification in his own way?

Memento, which first brought Nolan's now-trademark non-linearity into cult consciousness, was a film that posed a fundamental question to the viewer in me.

Was its non-linearity a mere gimmick, and the only reason the film was such a gripping, jaw-dropping watch? Does the writing of the film actually back the suspense created by that unique, still-unparalleled cinematic narrative?

To seek these answers many years ago, the student of cinema in me put the film on an edit timeline, as I made the film linear myself. And then, I watched the linear version of Memento, and I got my answer.

Every Nolan film has the ability to spawn such engagement, such an urge for answers; and with Dunkirk, we have a film that could, with repeated viewings, help us make sense of this grotesque world we live in, where even in times of peace, the citizenry is at war with each other on the basis of ideology and imaginary divides we create among ourselves.

With Dunkirk, we finally have a magnum opus from Nolan that's set in a real, identifiable world; and it raises questions about the worst side of humankind  war.

Ironically (and hence, unfortunately) war also gives individuals the greatest opportunity to show what it truly means, to be human.
Firstpost had earlier reported on Kangana Ranaut sustaining injuries while shooting for her upcoming film Manikarnika in Hyderabad.

Ranaut was shooting with her co-star Nihar Pandya and was struck by his sword, resulting in profuse bleeding. Following the accident, she was rushed to the hospital and admitted into the ICCU. It is now being reported that the actress, who is a regular at India Couture Week, will not be able to hit the fashion runway this year, according to Times of India.

Ranaut has been the showstopper for designer Manav Gangwani at the same event for two consecutive seasons. Gangwani was keen on getting Ranaut to walk the ramp this year, too.

However, due to her injury, she will not be able to grace the event this year. In a statement given to TOI, the desginer said, "I can only say that Kangana is a dear friend and I will miss her at my show. I wish her speedy recovery."

The designer is now reportedly, making last minute changes to his show.

Ranaut will be discharged from the hospital next week. Currently, she is under the care of a plastic surgeon and may have to opt for plastic surgery in the future.

The doctor has said that the gash will leave a scar, but a source from the unit says that Ranaut plans to not hide it. She will, instead, flaunt it as a part of the persona of her character.
The Kerala High Court reserved its orders on 20 July with regards to the bail plea of Malayalam actor Dileep, who has been arrested for allegedly plotting the 17 February abduction and sexual assault of a popular South Indian actress. After hearing both sides  the government's and the accused's, Justice Sunil Thomas reserved orders on the plea.

Opposing the bail plea, Manjeri Sreedharan Nair (Director General of Prosecution) claimed that evidence gathered by the investigation agency has established that Dileep is the "kingpin" of the crime.

Nair informed the court that Dileep had given the prime accused Sunil Kumar (alias 'Pulsar' Suni) Rs 10,000, and an additional Rs 1 lakh was reportedly deposited in Suni's mother's account to commit the crime, according to a Manoramaonline report.

The Special Investigation Team that is probing the case arrested lawyer Pratheesh Chako, 'Pulsar' Suni's former counsel, according to a report by The Hindu. The police is said to have recorded his arrest after having interrogated him at the Aluva Police Club.

Pratheesh reportedly gave the police inputs on the mobile phone that had allegedly been used to shoot a video of the assault on the actress. Pratheesh had earlier submitted an anticipatory bail plea which the High Court disposed on 19 July, according to the same Hindu report.

Along with the interrogation, the police allegedly searched Pratheesh's residence and office premises and interrogated Raju Chacko, a junior lawyer working with Prateesh with regards to the case. A bag containing four SIM cards, a card reader and a memory card was retrieved among other things, as reported by the Hindu.

The prosecution said the actor's judicial custody is required as the investigation agency was still looking for the mobile phone used for taking the video of the criminal act committed by first accused Suni and his gang.

A "quotation" was given to execute a crime and such a case was reported for the first time in the state, the prosecution said. The case's investigation is still on and there is a possibility of involvement of the others accused in the case, according to a PTI report.

The prosecution said police may seek further custody of Dileep. There is clear evidence  mobile phone call records and witnesses  to prove that the prime accused Suni had met the actor at several places to plot the crime. The prosecution also submitted the case diary in a sealed cover, according to the same PTI report.

Earlier, Dileep's counsel argued that the meeting of two persons will not amount to hatching conspiracy and there was no evidence with the investigation agency to prove that the accused  Pulsar and Dileep  had met and talked. Arguing that sufficient grounds must be indicated by the investigation agency to keep a person in jail, the counsel described the statements made by the police in its remand report as "totally irrelevant".

The intention of the case against him was just to humiliate the actor and destroy his career as a film artiste, according to Dileep's lawyer. Rejecting the contention of police that the actor would influence witnesses in the case, the counsel said it was impossible for him to do so as the first accused in the crime was in custody. Pleading innocence, he argued that the actor was arrested on the basis of the statement by the first accused, who, he said, is a notorious criminal.

The actor, arrested on July 10, moved the high court for bail after an Angamaly magisterial court refused to grant him the relief and sent him to judicial custody till 25 July. Rejecting the bail plea, the magistrate court had said there is a chance of him tampering with the evidence.

Dileep, charged under various sections of the IPC, including the one for hatching criminal conspiracy for abduction and assault of the actress in a moving car on 17 February, is currently lodged in a jail in his home town Aluva. The police have claimed that the conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress and film the dastardly act was hatched by Dileep and 'Pulsar' Suni.

In their remand application, the police had claimed that Dileep had developed a grudge against the actress for letting his former wife know about his alleged affairs and had hatched a conspiracy to take revenge way back in 2013.

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.

With inputs from PTI
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today put an interim stay on criminal proceedings against superstar Shah Rukh Khan for his alleged culpability in triggering a melee at Vadodara railway station early this year while promoting his film Raees, during which a man had died of heart attack.

The superstar was granted the relief by Justice A J Desai (rpt A J Desai), who also stayed the Vadodara court summons to him, seeking his presence before it on 23 July to answer the charges of his culpability in the case.

Khans lawyer apprised the court of the case and pleaded that he was not responsible for the ruckus that was created at the Vadodara railway station on 23 January upon the arrival of the August Kranti Express on which he was travelling to promote the movie.

After granting an interim stay on proceedings against Khan, the high court fixed 25 September as the next date to hear his plea.

The ruckus at platform had left one Fahreed Khan Pathan, a Vadodara resident dead and several others injured, besides causing damages to the railway property.

A Vadodara court had issued summons to Khan last week on the plea of a local resident Jitendra Solanki seeking its direction to the police to lodge an FIR against the superstar.

Solanki had earlier approached the police for lodging of an FIR against Khan under sections 336, 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code, for allegedly committing acts endangering life or personal safety of others and causing simple and grievous hurts to them by such acts, but the police had refused to lodge FIR on his complaint.

The Vadodara court had issued summons to Khan under section 204 of the CrPC saying that there were sufficient grounds for proceeding against him in the case.

The high court had earlier stayed another summons issued to Khan by the Government Railway Police in connection with the same case.

The GRP had asked him to come its office and record his statement.

The lawyer for the actor had then argued that such summons could not be issued against a person who was not staying within the jurisdiction of the police station.
New Delhi: India contributes 33 percent of the total number of child brides in the world with nearly 103 million Indians married before they were 18, said a report released on Friday.

An estimated 85.2 million of the 103 million were girls, said the ActionAid India report, "Eliminating Child Marriage in India: Progress And Prospects", released by actor-activist Shabana Azmi.

At 103 million, the number of child marriages is more than the total population of Philippines (100 million) and Germany (80.68 million), stated the report, analysing data from Census 2011.

Of every 28 girl child marriages occurring per minute in the world, more than two takes place in India. Elimination of girl child marriages can help avoid 27,000 neonatal deaths, 55,000 infant deaths and 1,60,000 child deaths, it said.

"Patriarchy is at the root of child marriage, and patriarchy has to be tackled completely to eliminate child marriage. Spreading education and building confidence amongst girls enables them to resist child marriage and chart their own lives," Azmi said.

The numbers are huge and should be taken seriously, she added.

"No society can be called civilised if they have one-third of their population in such conditions. The report brings out certain shocking facts, something we have to take very seriously," Azmi told PTI.

Education reinforces gender divides, she said.

"Even in textbooks, where is the father? Father is in the office. Where is the mother? She is in the kitchen. Why can't mother and father both be in the office and be in the kitchen? We need to see with a magnifying glass what is being taught to our children."

According to Srinivas Goli, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University and author of the report, child marriage needs to be looked at as an economic issue.

"India needs to realise that child marriage is not just a human rights or gender issue. It is a huge demographic, health, education and economic issue. If we cannot eliminate child marriages, it will become a huge hindrance to India's economic prospects in the form of an unhealthy and unskilled workforce. The more skilled workforce alone can contribute to a GDP 1.7 percent," Goli told PTI.

The report found that rural regions account for 75 percent of all instances of child marriages. Seven states (Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) account for 70 percent of child marriages in the country.

Child marriage cannot be directly linked to socioeconomic factors as six of the 10 states that account for a significant proportion of marriage below 18 years of age are socio-economically better-off states. These states are former Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat.
Militant forces have attacked the Ukrainian army's positions in Donbas 29 times in the past 24 hours, during which five Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and another eight wounded, the press center of the headquarters of Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) said.

"In all, the adversary has opened fire on our positions 29 times over the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian armed forces returned fire 16 times. Unfortunately, five Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and another eight have been wounded," the press center said on its Facebook.

Shelling attacks in the Donetsk sector intensified after 6:00 p.m. Militants forces shelled Ukrainian army positions near Avdiyivka four times from 7:00 p.m. to around 11:00 p.m., using 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms. The Ukrainian military returned fire in order to force the militant to stop the shelling. Mortars and grenade launchers also were used against Ukrainian army positions in the vicinity of the Butovka mine, killing one Ukrainian serviceman and wounding another one, the press center said.

In addition to that, Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk sector and Vodiane in the Donetsk sector came under fire at around 10:00 p.m.
Beijing: China cannot afford to "lose an inch" of its territory, Chinese official media asserted on Friday and ruled out withdrawal of the PLA troops from the Dokalam area in the Sikkim sector to end a military standoff.

The shrill comments were made in an editorial in The Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party media group, which generally reflects the views of the ruling party.

The tabloid has unleashed a barrage of anti-India rhetoric in recent weeks amid tensions between the two countries.

"China cannot afford to 'lose an inch' of territory. This is the sacred wish and request of the Chinese people. The Chinese government will not breach the fundamental will of the people and the PLA will not let the Chinese people down," it said.

The daily also accused external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj of "lying" to Parliament to justify what it called India's "trespass" in the Sikkim sector.

"She was lying to the parliament," it said, referring to Swaraj's assertion in Rajya Sabha that Indian troops had not encroached Chinese territory, and that all nations support India's stand.

The Chinese foreign ministry has not reacted to Swarajs comments.

"India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact," it said, and claimed that India's military strength is "far behind" that of China's, The Global Times said.

"If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose," the editorial said.

Swaraj had also said in the Upper House that India is ready for talks with China if both sides first pull back their armies to end the tense standoff in the Sikkim sector. She stressed the need for a "peaceful resolution" of border issues.

Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face-off in Dokalam area in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

The Chinese daily article said China will by never agree to withdraw its troops as a precondition for the talks.

"Doklam is Chinese territory. The withdrawal of Indian troops must be a precondition for talks and China will not compromise on this stance," it said.

"If New Delhi remains stubborn, India should get prepared for all possibilities from a potentially grave escalation of tension in the future," the daily warned.
Jaipur: Of the 1,650 political parties registered with the Election Commission, only the BJP and the Communists to an extent have upheld internal democracy, BJP president Amit Shah said on Friday.

"All the other parties are dynasties," Shah told a meeting of prominent citizens in Jaipur.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, he said, was a party with a difference. It was the only party that was based on principals and it had internal democracy in place, he added.

Shah, on a three-day trip of Rajasthan, traced the history of the party and tried to convey how the BJP was different from all others.

"Can anyone of you say who will be the BJP president after me? No one. But regarding the Congress, anyone can predict who will become the president after Soniaji," he said, referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP is the only party where a 'booth karyakarta' can become a national president, Shah said, he added, referring to himself.

"Internal democracy in any party is important. It is because of this that in the BJP a tea seller became the Prime Minister."

Political parties without internal democracy and principals cannot govern the country and the states in the right manner, he said.

"Political parties who do not have internal democracy can never contribute towards making democracy stronger in the country."

He said the BJP was the only party where decisions were made on merit. "There are only a few parties which work on principals... The BJP is the main."

He added: "Because of BJP government policies, Rajasthan is out of BIMARU status... Soon you will see Uttar Pradesh coming out of BIMARU status as now we have a BJP government there."

Shah said that although the Congress ruled the country for 70 long years, there were villages even today without electricity.

"Now we will see to it that there is no village left without electricity."

Earlier, Shah presided over a meeting of Rajasthan ministers. It was also attended by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP state president Ashok Parnami.

"He took feedback from the ministers and listened to them patiently as each minister gave details of the work done by their ministries," a BJP functionary told IANS.

Shah told the ministers to spread awareness about the Modi government's programmes among the masses.

He also met MLAs, MPs and party leaders and inaugurated an e-library at the BJP office here.
New Delhi: The Centre should urgently provide Rs 12,000 crore to Assam to deal with the floods which have claimed over 70 lives and caused widespread destruction, a BJP MP from the state said in Lok Sabha on Friday.

MP Ram Kumar Sharma also demanded sending a high-level team headed by a cabinet minister to the state to assess the extent of damage the state has suffered in floods.

He said 17 lakh people in 29 districts were rendered homeless in Assam and the central government must immediately extend all possible support to help the state government deal with the situation.

"I demand a financial assistance of Rs 12,000 crore immediately by the central government for the state," he said.

Sharma, who represents Tezpur constituency in the Lok Sabha, said the floods have totally shattered the rural economy in the state and sought adequate assistance from the central government.

Floods in the state have damaged large tracts of agricultural land and civic infrastructure.
New Delhi: A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has observed that there has been a 60 percent shortfall in release of central funds to Assam for implementing flood management programme.

The report comes at a time when the state is grappling with flood situation in 13 districts in which 73 people have died. Till 19 July, five lakh people were affected in the latest wave of floods.

In its report tabled in Parliament on Friday, the CAG noted that the Centre was to share Rs 2043.19 crore with Assam for implementing 141 projects in the state between 2007-08 and 2015-16. Of this, it released Rs 812.22 crore, a shortfall of Rs 1230.97 crore or 60 percent.

"There was a shortfall in the release of central assistance by 60 percent. Further, the state government also did not release 84 percent of the allocated budget provision. Insufficient flow of funds adversely affected the implementation of schemes," the report said.

The CAG also recommended the Union Water Resources Ministry to release adequate funds in a timely manner as per flood management programme (FMP) guidelines and impress upon state governments to release funds to executing agencies in a time-bound manner.

The ministry may also maintain a strict vigilance on the utilisation of funds by the state government and executing agencies so as to avoid parking and diversion of funds.

"The ministry may release/reimburse the funds to the state governments only after ensuring receipt of statements of expenditure, utilisation certificates and other requisite documents," the report said.

According to the FMP guidelines, the proportion of central and state share of funds for flood forecasting projects approved up to July 2013 was 75 percent to 25 percent.

For the projects sanctioned after July 2013, the proportion of central and state share of funds was to be 50 percent each.

In the case of special category states (north eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir) the proportion of central and state share was to be 90 percent and 10 percent respectively.

For the projects approved after July 2013, the central and state share was 70 percent and 30 percent respectively in case of special category states.
New Delhi: The CAG has picked several holes in the crop insurance schemes including Narendra Modi government's flagship Pradhan Manti Fasal Bima Yojana (PMBFY), saying delays in release of compensation by states to affected farmers defeated "the objective of providing timely financial assistance".

In its audit report on agriculture crop insurance schemes, tabled in Parliament on Friday, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted irregularities in disbursing claims by banks and financial institutions to farmers' accounts under the crop insurance schemes and recommended introduction of a mechanism to ensure that state governments' shares are received in time.

The official auditor also said that the Agriculture Insurance Company (AIC) "failed to exercise due diligence in verification of claims by private insurance companies before releasing funds to them".

Mentioning discrepancies in the data relating to area sown and area insured, the CAG said: "The integrity of the data provided by the state governments in this respect by the AIC was not ensured."

The Central government introduced the PMBFY in Kharif season 2016, and restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme by replacing previous schemes.

Under PMFBY, farmers have to pay just 2 percent of the sum insured for Kharif crops, 1.5 percent for Rabi crops and 5 percent for horticulture and commercial crops, while the central and state government pay the remaining amount equally.

The CAG said two-thirds of the farmers it surveyed were not aware of the schemes, coverage of farmers under the schemes was very low while coverage on non-loanee farmers was negligible.

It also criticised the Central and state governments for poor monitoring of the scheme and failing to set up an independent agency to monitor implementation of schemes, preparing periodical appraisal reports and carrying out work allocated to state level and district level committees effectively.

The CAG said it noticed delays in receipt of yield data from state governments and in the processing of claims by insurance agencies.

It also said there was not scope for audit by the CAG though there was involved dispersal of a lot of funds to private insurance agencies under the schemes.

Grievances redressal systems and monitoring mechanisms for speedy settlement of farmers' complaints at the central and state level were adequate, it said.

It said the governments had to to be dependent on information provided by loan disbursing banks, financial institutions and insurance agencies as the scheme guideline did not seek to maintain a database of insured farmers "despite substantial financial contribution by way of premium subsidy (Rs 10,617 crore) and claim liability (Rs 21,989 crore)".

The CAG has asked the Central government to maintain a comprehensive database of beneficiary farmers and to take efforts to bring farmers, especially non-loanees, under the insurance schemes.

Its recommendations also include the introduction of technology for more accurate assessment of crop yields and efforts to reduce liabilities of the government without reducing the coverage.
New Delhi: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday stressed on the need for Canada to rein in radical elements from spreading hatred in India. He raised the issue with Jalandhar-born Canadian MP Rameshwar Singh Sangha, who called on him in New Delhi.

Amarinder said that while such elements, including Khalistani supporters, could not have any impact on the Canadian political environment, they could influence the people of India and vitiate the atmosphere here.

"Unfortunately, these elements were successful in spreading their divisive messages in India through social media," he said, calling upon the Canadian government to crack down on these forces and ensure they do not have a free run on social media and other public platforms.

The chief minister said his government was trying to revive Punjab's economy by wooing industry and investment into the state but such efforts can get derailed by the nefarious designs of radical elements operating from outside India.

"These handful of people, with their vicious propaganda, were negating the efforts of all the NRIs, including Punjabis, who were contributing immensely to the development and progress of India and Canada," he said. The remarks come in the wake of Amarinder alleging that Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan extending support to radical Sikh elements and Khalistanis in Canada. He had even refused to meet Sajjan during his visit to India.

Some radical Sikh groups earlier prevented Amarinder from visiting Canada ahead of Punjab elections as they got a court warrant against him over atrocities committed during the days of militancy.

Amarinder and Sangha also discussed various issues of NRI concern, with the former assuring of all help by his government to secure the interests of Indians settled abroad in every possible way.

Pointing to the increasing number of cases of harassment of NRIs, especially over property related matters, over the past six-seven years, Sangha, who represents Brampton Centre riding, urged the chief minister to initiate steps to protect the interests of the Indian community settled abroad.

Sangha, who is chairman of the Canada-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, said the contribution of NRIs to the development of Canada, and in fact all countries in which they were settled, was commended by the respective governments of those countries.
The defence ministry has asked all wings of the Indian Army to come up with suggestions by 31 July on roles women officers can be given.

According to a notice issued by the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army), women officers could be deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East where the army often has to take the help of police to deal with women agitators, reported PTI.

"Time has come wherein increased inclusivity of women in ranks is being necessitated in all spheres of activities."

"Hence, it is requested that each arm and service does an internal brainstorming and identify avenues that can be opened up for women," it said.

On 5 June, the Indian Army, one of the largest in the world, had announced that it was ready to open up combat positions for women. Army chief Bipin Rawat had said that the process to allow women in combat role, currently an exclusive domain of men, was moving fast and initially women would be recruited for positions in military police.

"I am looking at women coming as jawans. I am going to start it soon. Firstly, we will start with women as military police jawans," he had said, giving details of the move to allow women in the male-dominated positions in the army.

Currently women are allowed in a number of select areas including in medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the army but combat roles are kept off limit for them due to operational concerns and logistical issues.

With inputs from agencies
Delhi Metro's non-executive staff, including train operators and maintenance workers, on Friday launched a protest demanding a pay hike.

The protesting staff, wearing black bands, gathered at stations across Delhi-NCR and raised slogans against the management in between their work shifts, staff council secretary Anil Kumar Mahato, who is leading the protests, said.

There was no large-scale disruption in services. The protesting staffers also highlighted alleged financial irregularities in the organisation. Mahato has threatened to escalate the agitation and enforce a "total shutdown" of metro operations on 24 July if the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) does not pay heed to their "long pending" demands, including cancellation of action initiated against him and his colleague Ravi Bhardwaj.

The DMRC management had called staff council members for a meeting last evening, but they did not turn up and demanded that instead the authorities should approach them.

Non-executive staff include train operators, maintenance staff, station controllers, customer relation assistants, Mahato said, adding that around 9,000 staff are participating in the ongoing agitation.

"The demand for a pay raise, which we have been raising since 2015, is about bringing parity between the executive and non-executive staff. Moreover, we have been told that we will have to bear the cost of a tribunal's penalty on DMRC related to the Airport Express Line," he said.

The demonstrations were held at stations including Dwarka, Badarpur, Yamuna Bank, Jahangirpuri, Vishwavidyalaya, Qutub Minar, Shahdara.

In an internal communication to its employees, the metro's Human Resources division said talks on upgraded pay-scales have been held several times, including as recently as March and May.

"It was intimated that the third pay commission recommendations for PSUs are likely to be received shortly and only after that the pay scale related issues can be taken up. This position still holds good," it said.

The DMRC management maintained that the actual trigger behind agitation was action against some employees for "serious violation" of contract rules. The issues raised by the agitating staff was an attempt to "push their personal agenda to cause disruption", it said.

"The management is alive to its responsibility towards staff welfare. All concerned employees are requested to stay away from the path of agitation and not to fall for rumours and issues of alleged injustices," the communication said
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the multi-crore Gomti riverfront project, one of the dream projects of his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav.

A senior official from the state home department said that the file recommending a CBI probe into the matter had been sent the ministry of personnel and the hopefully, a probe would begin in the right earnest.

The project was initially pegged at Rs 656 crore but its cost was revised to Rs 1,513 crore subsequently.

At a review of the project, Adityanath had commented on how 90 percent funds had been spent but work was still far from being completed. He had then rapped the Samajwadi Party government for the mess and said his government would not spare anybody who had plundered the state coffers and blown up people's hard-earned money on such a wasted and ill-executed project.

He had also appointed retired Justice Alok Singh of the Allahabad High Court to probe the matter. Justice Singh submitted an exhaustive report to the government in June.

Justice Singh found large scale irregularities and financial misappropriation in the project and also questioned the way of functioning of officials involved in the project.

A committee was later formed by the chief minister, comprising Urban Development Minister Suresh Khanna, Chairman of the Revenue Board Praveer Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Anoop Chandra Pandey and then Principal Secretary (Law) Ranganath Pandey, to fix responsibility of the guilty.

If the CBI begins probe into the matter, many senior leaders in the Akhilesh government, including then irrigation minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and two chief secretaries Alok Ranjan and Deepak Singhal, could find themselves in choppy waters, sources told IANS.
A landmark civil nuclear cooperation deal between India and Japan that provides for collaboration between their industries in the field came into force on Thursday, eight months after it was sealed. According to the Times of India, the deal took over six years of negotiations to finally see the light of day.

India-Japan Agrmnt 4 Coprn in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy enters into force w xchang of Notes 2day btwn Forgn Secy & Japan Amb to India pic.twitter.com/r1pzXLGvmB  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 20, 2017

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Japanese ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic notes, marking operationalisation of the pact, the external affairs ministry said.

The civil nuclear cooperation agreement was signed in November 2016, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo.

"The memorandum we signed on civil nuclear energy cooperation is more than just an agreement for commerce and clean energy, it is a shining symbol of a new level of mutual confidence and strategic partnership in the cause of peaceful and secure world," Modi said.

"No friend will matter more in realising India's economic dreams than Japan. We have made enormous progress in economic cooperation as also in our regional partnership and security cooperation," said Modi after signing the deal. On his part, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said, "We have taken the relationship to a new level."

Masayuki Taga, Consul General of Japan in Kolkata, also made a statement emphasising the different avenues of Japan's bilateral trade with India. Addressing a session on 'Furthering Trade Ties between India and Japan', organised in Kolkata on Thursday, Taga said, "It is obvious that relations between India and Japan have substantially improved and deepened in nearly all fields. As a result of this, Japan has now turned up as the third-largest FDI facilitator into India." The diplomat expressed hope that both countries will lead to prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region as a result of the Act East policy.

Regarding the agreement getting sealed, the external affairs ministry said in a statement, "This agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between India and Japan and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy." External affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay also told reporters, "The agreement seeks to promote full cooperation between the two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis."

The deal allows Japan to export nuclear technology to India, making New Delhi the first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with Tokyo. The Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy

There was political resistance in Japan  the only country to suffer atomic bombings during World War II  against a nuclear deal with India, particularly after the disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.

Japan is a major player in the nuclear energy market and an atomic deal with it will make it easier for US-based nuclear plant makers Westinghouse Electric Corporation and GE Energy Inc to set up atomic plants in India as both these conglomerates have Japanese investments.

Economic Times reports that Japan will also assist India in nuclear waste management and will undertake joint manufacturing of nuclear power plant components under the 'Make in India' initiative.

Other nations who have signed civil nuclear deals with India include the US, Russia, South Korea, Mongolia, France, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia.

The news comes just months before Abe's visit to India. According to the Japan Times, Abe will visit India in September to attend a ceremony for a high-speed rail link using Japanese bullet train technology.

With inputs from agencies
On Thursday militants of illegal armed formations fired on an unmanned aerial vehicle of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) in the village of Trudovske, which is under the control of illegal armed formations.

"OSCE SMM UAV targeted with small arms fire in Trudovske settlement of Petrovsky district in Donetsk. Landed safely. Clear disrespect of Minsk agreements," OSCE SMM said on its official page on Twitter.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a pact with the Army for developing a medium-range surface to air missile (MRSAM) which will be capable of shooting down ballistic missiles and aircraft.

"The MoU heralds the commencement of development of MRSAM system in the configuration as required by the Army," a senior Army official said.

He said the missile will be produced by the DRDO in collaboration with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The missile will be capable of engaging multiple aerial targets at a range of more than 50 kms.

In April, Israel's state-run IAI had said it signed a contract with India worth over USD 1.6 billion for providing the missile to the Army.

"The MRSAM system will be capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters,drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) aircraft," the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

He said procurement of the MRSAM will mark a paradigm shift in the the Army's strike capability.

The Army has been pressing the government for the MRSAM to enhance its strike capability. MRSAM's current version is operational with the Indian Air Force and Navy.
Muhammad Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested in Srinagar on Friday when he tried to lead a protest march.

Police arrested Malik in Druggen area after the Friday prayers when Malik came out of a mosque to lead the march towards the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar area.

Malik was whisked away by police along with some supporters.

Separatists had called for a protest sit-in outside the UNMOGIP in Srinagar on Friday to highlight the "repression and innocent killings in Kashmir".

Normal life was disrupted in the rest of the Valley due to the strike called by separatists including chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chief Malik.

Most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut while public transport was off the roads, the officials said.

Authorities had blocked all roads leading to the UNMOGIP Headquarters, preventing both pedestrian and vehicular movement in the area.

The officials said the restrictions on the movement of people were imposed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order

With inputs from PTI
Srinagar: Police on Friday detained Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik after he tried to lead a march towards the local office of United Nations here to protest the killings in Kashmir.

Malik was detained after he tried to lead a protest march to the office of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) at Sonwar in Srinagar after congregational prayers, a police official said.

He said Malik along with his supporters assembled in Dalgate area of the city on Friday afternoon and tried to take out a protest march to the UN office.

Police swung into action and took him into custody, the official added.

JKLF spokesman said Malik had gone into hiding as police had on Thursday raided the outfit's office to arrest him.

Police had imposed a stringent curfew, barricades and razor wire were placed on every road leading towards Lal chowk and the UN office, the spokesman said.

But it failed to deter Malik and others to reach Buchwara Dalgate, he added.

The spokesman said Malik addressed people at the Jamia Masjid in Buchwara and later at the Buchwara Chowk as well.

The JKLF chairman had gone into hiding as state has "choked" every space for peaceful programmes in Kashmir, he said.

Friday's protest strike and sit-in outside the UN office are actually a mark of protest against the "spree of innocent killings in Kashmir", Malik said before being detained by the police.

He said it is obligatory on the international community, especially the UN, to take cognisance of these "gross human rights violations".

Earlier, the separatists had asked the people to march to Sonwar to participate in a sit-in outside the UN office.

However, police foiled the proposed march by sealing the roads leading to the UNMOGIP office and imposing strict restrictions in eight police station areas of the summer capital of Srinagar.
Chennai: Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, has moved the Madras High Court seeking quashing of the fresh summons issued by the CBI for questioning him in connection with a corruption case.

When the petition came up for hearing on Friday on the question of maintainability, Justice P Velmurugan, after hearing arguments by both sides, adjourned it to 28 July without passing any interim order.

The CBI had on 19 July issued the summons asking Karti to be present on Friday for questioning in the matter related to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister.

The agency has alleged that a firm "indirectly controlled" by Karti had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in 2007.

This was the second summons issued by CBI in the case. Earlier, it had asked Karti and four others to appear for questioning on 27 and 29 June. He had then informed the CBI through his lawyer that he needed more time to appear.

In the court on Friday, the CBI opposed the petition arguing it was not maintainable.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, contended that the summons had been issued well within the jurisdiction and investigating powers of the CBI.

The agency wanted the court to dismiss the plea on grounds of maintainability, he said.

Senior Counsel Goal Subramaniam, representing Karti, submitted it was a settled principle of law that issuing summons to an accused and interrogating him would amount to violation of fundamental right guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.

He said the article states that no person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

"The Article grants immunity from self incrimination. Thus the instant summons is only to make the petitioner make self-incriminating statements when it is the case of the petitioner that he has not met any official in the ministry of finance for any purpose much less for FIPB approval for the INX group," he said.

Thus the notice summoning his client was liable to be set aside, Subramaniam submitted.

An FIR has been registered against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007.

The probe agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but the then finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it.

P Chidambaram had issued a strong statement in response to the FIR, saying that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

In May this year, the agency had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case.
Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Friday dismissed the plea of Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, to hand over his custody to the Indian Army.

"The court dismissed Purohit's application," said special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal.

An Army officer arrested in the case, Purohit is presently lodged in the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.

He had said in his application that the jail houses several gangsters and there was a threat to his life, so he should be transferred to "military jail."

The prosecution, however, opposed his plea. Advocate Rasal told the court that Purohit had not filed any such complaint with the jail authorities who were taking sufficient care of him.

If his custody was handed over to the army, it would be difficult to bring him to the court for every hearing and it would delay the trial, Rasal argued.

Concurring with the prosecution views, Special Judge SD Tekale for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases rejected Purohit's request.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in the handloom town of Malegaon in Nashik district of Maharashtra on 29 September, 2008.

Twelve people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Purohit, were arrested in the case.

The NIA has, however, given a clean chit to Pragya Singh who is now out on bail.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked party MPs to shun the mindset of "lal batti culture".

He made these remarks about red beacons in a meeting with party MPs from western Uttar Pradesh at his residence, according to an official statement.

Modi routinely meets party MPs from different states during Parliament's sessions to discuss governance and political issues.

The Modi government had barred the use of beacon lights from 1 May on all vehicles, except emergency vehicles, saying they have no place in a democratic society.

It had projected the measure as an attempt to end "VVIP culture".

Modi also told the MPs to work among the masses and said the work his government has carried out among the poor and in villages has resulted in positive changes.

He said over 80 percent sugarcane farmers had received their pending payment and the 'Ujjwala' scheme, which provided free LPG connection to poor households, had benefited women.

The MPs should now meet them and spread awareness about nutrition, he said, according to the statement.

The MPs also praised the prime minister and said his government had ignited new hope among people.

Modi had on Thursday met MPs from the eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Srinagar: Pakistani troops on Friday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.

An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure.

"Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector on Friday by unprovoked firing towards our posts," he said.

The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara.

This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours.

An army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.

On 12 July, two soldiers  Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat  were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.

Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.
New Delhi: The Congress and the ruling BJP members on Friday traded charges over the farmers' issue in the Lok Sabha, after the Opposition members accused the government of doing nothing to help the crisis-hit peasants.

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar accused the Congress of "shedding crocodile tears", noting that it had walked out of the House on Wednesday when other members sat for hours to debate the issue.

The protests occurred during the Question Hour and later during the Zero Hour when Congress members trooped into the Well and shouted slogans. During the Question Hour, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly told them their action was not proper.

Similar scenes were witnessed when the House took up Zero Hour when Kumar too attacked the protesting Congress members, who then staged a walk out.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Deepender Hooda (Congress) said the farmers had hit the streets from Andhra Pradesh to Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and his party was not satisfied with the government's reply.

BJP members kept asking what the Congress government did for the past 60 years, he said, BJP members kept asking what the Congress government did for the past 60 years, he said, retorting that farmers were deeper into debt in the last three years of the NDA government than they were ever earlier.

In its reply, the government has not touched upon the demand for waiving off of farm loans and implementing the Swaminathan commission report, Hooda said.

Amid protests by BJP members against Hooda's remarks, Kumar hit back at the Congress and asked why its members were not present on Wednesday when a long-drawn discussion on the issue lasted till 10.30 pm at night.

"Where were Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi? Where were you? Now you are shedding crocodile tears... You are now showing false sympathies," the minister told the Congress members.

Citing schemes like farm insurance and easy availability of fertilisers, the parliamentary affairs minister said no government had done so much for farmers as the Modi government did in the last three years.
Hong Kong: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Friday brushed off a reported $93 million offer from Barcelona for Brazilian play-maker Philippe Coutinho, insisting: "We're not a selling club."

"We want to work together and we want to make the next step, and to do this we need to stay together," the German told reporters before his side faces Leicester City in the final of the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong on Saturday.

"The very important message is that we are not a selling club," added Klopp.

As Barcelona circle for Coutinho, Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana backed the mercurial Brazilian to help lead the Reds to success in the new season.

"He's a fantastic player so it's no surprise that there's teams interested in him," said Lallana.

"I feel like we're going to achieve big things here and I feel like Phil is going to be a big part of that.

"He's in that elite bracket and there is no reason he can't continue to be in that elite bracket and continue here at Liverpool," added Lallana.

"We're a massive club. We're in the Champions League, okay we need to qualify, but if we are going to win competitions like that, and the Premier League, we need to keep hold of players like Philippe."

Fan-favourite Coutinho signed a new five-year contract at Anfield in January that did not include a release clause.

"He can improve his consistency but there is no doubt about his quality," Klopp said of the 25-year-old.

"He's a really good player but the nice thing is he's still young and he can improve. Phil is a very, very important player."

Klopp, whose side beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in midweek in their first run-out in Hong Kong, was less keen to discuss Liverpool's pursuit of Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita.

The German club rejected an $86 million bid for the Guinea star from Liverpool earlier this week.

"I have nothing to say about this," shrugged Klopp, looking to strengthen as he attempts to end Liverpool's 27-year title drought.

"Obviously these stories are without my saying, so why should I disturb this process? Do whatever you want with this news, I'm not interested. But keeping the group together would make sense."

Leicester boss Craig Shakespeare, meanwhile, revealed his club had received an offer for Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez from Roma.

"It was politely declined on the basis that it was a low offer," said Shakespeare, who watched his team overcome West Brom on penalties earlier this week.

"What that offer is I don't know. Riyad is a Leicester player and until we hear otherwise we expect him to perform at the standard we set."
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said it will decide on a plea for an early hearing of appeals challenging the Allahabad High Court order directing the splitting of the disputed site at Ayodhya.

"We will take a decision on it," said a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud as BJP Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy sought early hearing of the matter pending before the court for seven years.

The Allahabad High Court had in 2010 directed that the Ayodhya site, where the Babri Masjid once stood, be split between Nirmohi Akhara, the Waqf Board and the Ramlala, who were all claimants.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court by its 30 September 2010, verdict ordered that the land around the disputed site would be divided into three parts  one for deity (Ramlala Virajmaan), another for Nirmohi Akhara  a Hindu sect and an original litigant in the case and third for the Muslims.

The Supreme Court had put the Allahabad High court verdict on hold on 9 May 2011, describing it as a "rare judgment whose operation has to be stayed".
A notice of suspicion has been given to ex Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine and current deputy of Sumy regional council Yuriy Chmyr. The notice was signed by the head of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) of Ukraine's office in Sumy region, according to PGO spokeswoman Larysa Sarhan.

"PGO chief in Sumy region Vitaliy Matviychuk signed the notice accusing Chmyr of hiding his passport, forgery and using forged official documents, as well as making false declarations," Sarhan said on her Facebook page on Friday.

According to Sarhan's post, after disgraced ex President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine [in February 2014] Chmyr said his passport was lost and received a new one. The old passport, meanwhile, he used in notarized dealings. In addition, he did not declare his daughter as a family member and did not declare her assets.

"Realizing that significant real estate assets in his daughter's name would create a public stir and negatively reflect on his political image, the official did not declare her as a family member and did not include her in his declaration, this despite the fact that investigators established that his daughter lived with him and was part of the family. [Chmyr's] declaration did not indicate nine apartments, three parking spaces in Kyiv, income from real estate sales and corporate rights to liability companies [under his daughter's name]. Chmyr's 20-year old unemployed daughter is the owner of real estate with an estimated value of around UAH 40 million," Sarhan said.

Chmyr is suspected of violating Part 1 of Article 357 (deliberate concealment of an official document), Part 1 of Article 358 (forgery and use of a forged document) and Article 3661 (false declaration of information) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

"The ex official failed to appear in Kyiv for questioning after being summoned by the Sumy region PGO's office.

In February 8, 2017, Ukraine's PGO said Chmyr, who from December 2013 worked as deputy head of the Presidential Administration, as well as head of Sumy region's Party of Regions, may have participated in the organization of the violent break-up of protests in Kyiv during February 2014.

The pretrial investigation established that the former deputy head of the Presidential Administration dealing with humanitarian affairs helped organize the violent break-up of the anti-presidential demonstrations in Kyiv on February 18 and February 19, 2014. Investigators noted Chmyr's use of a cell phone with a subscription to the private stock company MTS Ukraine.

Prosecutors received court permission to access information and documents belonging to MTS Ukraine, including Chmyr's telephone conversations during this period.

PGO chief Yuriy Lutsenko on July 7 said agents found more than $1 million cash in two bank safe deposit boxes belonging to Chmyr, more than $500,000 more than $572,000 he had officially declared.
National Democratic Allaince's (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, after defeating Opposition candidate Meira Kumar with an overwhelming majority, was on Thursday elected to be the 14th President of India.

Kovind, only second Dalit to hold the top constitutional position, will be sworn in by the Chief Justice of India JS Khehar in the Central Hall of Parliament on 25 July, when the term of incumbent Pranab Mukherjee ends.

Here is how the swearing in ceremony of the President of India takes place:

Ram Nath Kovind will take oath a day after President Pranab Mukherjee demits office, on 24 July. The President-elect is required to take the oath in the presence of the Chief Justice of India or in his absence, the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court.

The President-elect takes an oath or affirmation in the following form: "I, A.B., do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of President (or discharge the functions of the President) of India and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of India.".

The rehearsal of President's swearing in ceremony was held on 16 July at New Delhi's Vijay Chowk, ANI had reported. The President's Bodyguard (PBG), a ceremonial unit, will escort the newly sworn in President to the president's official residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan.

According to the Article 56 of the Constitution of India, the President shall hold office for a term of 5 years from the date on which he enters the office. He shall, however, continue to hold office notwithstanding the expiry of his term, until his successor enters upon his office.

Follow live blog on Ram Nath Kovind's swearing-in ceremony here
At a time when Congress and the Opposition are going hammer and tongs after the Narendra Modi government in Parliament on issues of cow vigilantism and mob lynching, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has made it clear that cow protection has been part of India's tradition for decades.

"Cow protection has been going on for years in India. But the Sangh does not support any kind of violence, and strict action should be taken as per law against those who commit violence," said RSS Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh, Manmohan Vaidya in Jammu on Thursday. He further insisted that the Sangh shouldn't be "defamed" for these stray incidents of violence.

Prior to the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which began on Monday, Congress had chalked out its strategy to aggressively target the NDA government on increasingly frequent cases of mob vigilantism, as revealed in a dossier prepared by the All India Congress Committees research department. Accordingly, the Congress launched a scathing attack on BJP on the floor of the Parliament on 19 and 20 July.

The statement made by the Sangh is in sync with the one made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 20 July in Rajya Sabha, when the latter dealt at length with the constitutional obligation of cow protection. Jaitley clearly said that there could be no justification of this violence. "All sides have condemned the violence and the prime minister has also severely condemned and spoken about it three times. But just as killing of a human being in the name of cow protection has to be unequivocally condemned, nobody should also say that they see nothing wrong with cow slaughter," Jaitley had said.

After the valedictory session of the Akhil Bhartiya Prant Pracharak Baithak, a three-day meeting of top office bearers and regional and state functionaries of the Sangh in Jammu from 18 to 20 July, Vaidya said that under the guidance of scientists, in more than 1,000 gaushalas (cow shelters), research has been continuing on the by-products from indigenously developed cows.

Expressing serious concern over infiltration and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the Sangh made it clear that there should be no compromise on the issue of militancy and fundamentalism, and that these should be sternly dealt with. The RSS also emphasised the need to debate the issue of extending minority status to Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to infiltration of Rohingyas in Jammu and those from Bangladesh in eastern part of India, Vaidya said that from the very beginning, RSS has considered it a matter of security for the country. "Every illegal intruder should be identified and efforts should be made to send them back after consulting with their respective countries. The identity of this country is that of Hindutva and there is a tradition of wishing everyone's happiness," he asserted.

The Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak meeting is being conducted every year and state and zonal organisers and Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Sadasya (office bearers) participate.

According to sources, besides discussions on Sangh Shiksha Varga (education) and the expansion of Sangh's work, close-door discussions were held on various issues ranging from cow protection, terrorism, Kashmir to border security and infiltration problem.

While assigning responsibilities to its karyakartas and pracharaks (functionaries) and preparing a work roadmap, the Sangh took stock of the functioning of its shakhas, both in urban and rural areas. There are 2,965 pracharaks and vistaraks across the country.
Calling for an end to the politicisation of incidents of cow vigilantism, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday said it does not support any kind of violence linked to cow protection and demanded action against those found guilty.

"Instead of connecting it (violence in the name of cow protection) with RSS, action should be taken against them and those who are found guilty should be punished. Law should take its own course," RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya told reporters in Jammu.

Vaidya, who was replying to questions on incidents of lynching and violence linked to cow protection, said "Sangh does not support any kind of violence. We have said it earlier and made it clear earlier too".

Vaidya, however, sought to make a distinction between mob lynching and gau raksha (cow protection).

"'Gau Raksha' is a different issue. The movement of Gau Raksha has been going on for hundreds of years. These incidents have been happening for years together. It is not that it has happened for the first time," he said.

RSS leader said that the media is trying to connect it with a kind of ideology and opposition is trying to politicise the issue.

"It is wrong. RSS has never supported the violence. Doing politics over it and demeaning a part of society, it is not good," he said.

Vaidya also reiterated that terrorism and separatism should be tackled strictly and there should be no compromise in it.

He also added that in Jammu and Kashmir, the question of whether the minority community is really in fewer numbers and should be given the status of minorities is a matter of discussion.

Regarding the infiltration of Rohingya Muslims in Jammu, he said that for RSS it is a matter of security of the country. He said that every illegal intruder should be identified and the matter of should be taken up with the respective countries.

He also said that India's identity belongs to Hindutva and there is a tradition of wishing everyone's happiness. "Identity of this country is Hindutva, which is not against any other religion. We believe in the philosophy of well being of everyone," he said.

The RSS leader was speaking after the concluding session of RSS' three-day conclave in Jammu, which ended on Thursday. This was the first such meet by the saffron group in the Valley, since independence.

The Akhil Bhartiya Pracharak conference from 18-20 July, was held following the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and in the backdrop of the increasing militancy in Kashmir.

As many as 195 pracharaks (RSS cadre), heads of all allied organisations of RSS and top leaders took part in the conference, in which its chief Mohan Bhagwat, senior leaders Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Dattatreya Hosabale and Krishna Gopal also participated.

The conference debated various issues of the country, party and society and also the situation in Kashmir, besides mulling upon organisational matters and RSS' bid to expand base in the state.
The standoff between India and China at the tri-junction border could be the culmination of a slow-burning, intricate geopolitical game being played by Beijing where Bhutan is not a peripheral, but a central figure. And if India fails to play its cards right, the impasse could turn out to be a festering gangrene  an embodiment of India's myopic policy and apathy.

However, amid a spate of commentaries on the Sino-India clash, Bhutan's role has remained somewhat underplayed. The tiny Himalayan kingdom's moves are considered too inconsequential in the power play between the two Asian giants. And yet, a holistic understanding of the impasse would elude us unless we recognise Bhutan's centrality to the conflict. We need to take a closer look, not only at Bhutan's behavior since Indian troops moved into its territory to stop China's road construction, but also at the sovereign nation's historical ties with India and the trajectory of its foreign policy.

A few things immediately leap at us once we turn to Bhutan's reaction since the development of the impasse. According to the Bhutanese government's lone press release on the issue, Royal Bhutan Army troops intercepted Chinese border guards and members of a road-opening party, who were busy "constructing a motorable road from Dokola in the Doklam area towards the Bhutan Army camp at Zompelri on 16 June".

Yet Thimphu, which has no diplomatic relations with Beijing, took four days to lodge a protest with the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. This points to a certain amount of lack in enthusiasm.

While China claims territorial rights over the disputed Doka La tri-boundary region and has touted its road-opening activity as a "routine affair of a sovereign nation", facts suggest that both China and Bhutan have held 24 rounds of inconclusive discussions on the small patch of grassy land and have entered into at least two bilateral written agreements (1988 and 1989) to maintain status quo on the ground "as before March 1959".

India supports Bhutan's stand, and special representatives from India and China reached a "broad understanding" in 2012 that any final settlement will also include Bhutan. This is clear.

What isn't clear is that despite the disputed nature of the tri-boundary region, why did Bhutan allow China to construct dirt tracks in the area at least a decade ago, which the Chinese were now trying to upgrade into a pucca road?

According to defence analyst Ajai Shukla in Business Standard, China was trying to extend the dirt track last month, "partly built more than a decade ago", to "connect Doka La to Highway S-204, a blacktop Chinese road in the Chumbi Valley. Since India does not claim the Doka La bowl, China's entry placed the ball squarely in Bhutan's court. But Thimphu had not objected forcefully when China had encroached into the Doklam bowl in 2003-07"

It could be explained as arising out of the power differential between the two nations, but that doesn't adequately justify Bhutan's reluctance given the fact that it falls under India's direct strategic influence. India, as former NSA Shivshankar Menon told The Hindu in a recent interview, has "a certain relationship and certain obligations to Bhutan".

Curiously, though, while India sees itself as Thimphu's treaty-bound security guarantor, the Himalayan kingdom's media statement clarifying its position on the conflict mentions India's name not even once.

Bhutan increasingly sees itself as a sovereign player in its own right, capable of taking its own foreign policy decisions and not as a mere protectorate of New Delhi. This is not a sudden change but the combination of several factors that have taken place over an extended period of time. The treaty of 1949 between the two nations was replaced by the upgraded Friendship Treaty in 2007 where a key clause (Article 2) was dropped that allowed India to guide Bhutan's foreign policy and even have a say in its arms imports.

Article 2 now states: "In keeping with the abiding ties of close friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and India, the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of the Republic of India shall cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests. Neither government shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other."

The thrust in Bhutan's actions is towards a final settlement to the vexing border problem with China, but the trouble is, the tiny Himalayan nation is of great strategic importance to India. New Delhi feels insecure over any Chinese overture into Thimphu  diplomatic, strategic, territorial or political. Some Bhutanese commentators have even pointed out a growing public opinion in Bhutan of an independent foreign policy that is not bound by any country's strategic concerns.

Former Indian ambassador Phunchuk Stobdan writes in The Wire that "people in Bhutan think that India has for too long prevented their country from normalising diplomatic ties and negotiating a border settlement with China. India, on its part, fears that any boundary deal will not only impact Indian security but also impinge on its own negotiating position with China on the boundary issue. From Bhutan's perspective, India's position is adversely impacting its ties with China. This is the main issue that is leading to complexities and confusion, including the standoff at Doka La."

Tenzing Lamsang, editor of The Bhutanese, feels that the Bhutan's position as an independent, sovereign nation is not adequately respected by either China or India. On Chinese newspaper Global Times calling Bhutan a former "vassal state of Imperial China", Lamsang writes, "Forget about a Bhutanese leader, there is no historical record of even a Bhutanese farmer going to China to 'kowtow' to a Chinese emperor."

On Indian commentariat's claims that the nation is India's "protectorate", he writes, "A 'protectorate' would not decline the BBIN agreement, or won't put on hold four joint venture hydro projects with India on the basis of Bhutan not being happy with certain Cross Border Trade in Electricity guidelines from India. Bhutan is a friend and ally of India due to our mutual interests."

An understanding of the change in dynamics of Indo-Bhutan relationship is crucial to uncork the logic behind China's current actions. Beijing has long wanted to extend its strategic influence over Bhutan and has tried all sorts of overt and covert means to prise away one of India's most valuable strategic partners. It won't be a stretch to assume that the latest Sino-Indian skirmish is a result of China's effort to meet twin objectives  a) force India to give up its role as a security guarantor in the Himalayan border and Indian Ocean regions; and b) compel smaller nations to understand that their security and interests would be better served if they align with China.

It would be foolish to think that this larger Chinese game is reliant only on use of force, though that remains a prime tool. Beijing has been working behind the scenes to install an anti-India government in Thimphu and with elections slated for early next year, the Doka La drama is perfectly timed. If it succeeds in its mission, China will be in a better position to use Bhutan as a bargaining chip.

India's problems have been compounded by its policy paralysis. As Beijing builds a complex road and railway network around the Himalayan region with Tibet as the hub of activity, India's moves remain slow and reactive, leading to an increasing power differential.

As strategic expert Ravi Rikhye writes in Daily O, China is slated to complete "Shigatse-Gyirong link by 2020; Gyirong is a land port for the Nepal-Tibet trade and tourism, freeing Nepal from its traditional transport dependence on India"

It has also "put under construction the 1,629km Lhasa-Nyingchi-Chengdu railway from both ends. When complete, it will take 15-hours from Chengdu to Lhasa. Currently, one has to use the 3,070km route Chengdu-Xining-Golmo-Lhasa, taking 42 hours. The 430-km Lhasa-Nyingchi line will run opposite Arunachal. It is slated for 2021 completion."

Bhutan respects its historic ties with India, but New Delhi must create opportunities for itself and its strategic partners to sustain the relationship. Else, we could see more such aggressive overtures from China in the near future. Make no mistake, Beijing is playing a much larger game here.
Editor's Note: The nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court will give its verdict regarding the debate on the Right to Privacy on Thursday. The ramifications of the judgment given will not be limited to the Aadhaar or the WhatsApp case, but will impact all future legislation and adjudication on the right to privacy for years to come.

There may be an amorphous concept of privacy

At this stage, predicting the outcome of the case is not possible. At present, the arguments of the petitioners, i.e., in favour of a fundamental right to privacy, have concluded. The counsels for the petitioners, who include top legal eagles like Gopal Subramanium, Soli Sorabjee and Shyam Divan, have made a strong argument in favour of privacy. So far, the apex court appears to be in agreement that there exists an 'amorphous' or undefined concept of privacy in the fundamental rights.

The Supreme Court appears to support a case by case development of the counters of this right. However, a solid counter to these arguments can be expected from the State. The final outcome could therefore be anything.

Kharak Singh and MP Sharma cases as bad law

The main reason for the reference of this case to a 9-judge bench are the conflicting cases of Kharak Singh and MP Sharma, both six and eight-judge judgments which denied the right to privacy, and numerous judgments that followed which recognised it. There are over 40 Indian judgments today which recognise the right to privacy, but unfortunately these are given by benches of a lower strength. Thus a lot banks on the Supreme Court's decision on whether the Kharak Singh and MP Sharma cases are good law.

The counsels for the petitioner have made strong arguments that they are not, particularly focusing on the fact that neither of these cases dealt specifically with the right to privacy as a facet of Article 21. The MP Sharma case referred mainly to search and seizure under Article 20(3), while the Kharak Singh case in fact supported privacy by striking down surveillance through domiciliary visits at night against history sheeters. Also, these judgments were passed in the 1950s and 1960s, long before the digital age in which we live today.

International recognition to privacy

The recognition of the right to privacy internationally, through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, to which India is a signatory, was pointed to. Landmark American cases recognising the right to privacy as a part of the 4th and 5th amendment were also referred to. The cases discussed included the recognition of the right to privacy of one's home and residence, the freedom from arbitrary searches and seizures, the privacy of personal data, freedom from surveillance and the privacy of personal choice. The counsels, in fact, pointed to the irony of having a discussion on the right to privacy in 2017.

There can be no liberty without privacy

A strong argument was made by the counsels for the link between liberty and privacy. Liberty is a guaranteed fundamental right, for instance under Article 21 which guarantees the right to life and 'liberty'.

The counsels argued that privacy was inalienable from liberty, and without privacy there can be no true liberty. For example, when a person is aware that the State can watch him or monitor his data, this will have a chilling effect on his actions and his movements. Digital surveillance definitely creates a restrictive psychological impact on the minds of the people. The Court, however, observed that privacy is only a small subset of liberty.

Is a common law right to privacy inadequate?

The bench raised an issue on whether a common law right to privacy was inadequate or narrower than a constitutional right. The counsels for the petitioners agreed, pointing to Article 13(2) which prevented the state from enacting laws which violated fundamental rights. They further pointed to the fact that a common law right to privacy was not recognised under English common law, which India follows, but only under American common law. Thus cases cannot be brought before an Indian Court on the grounds of the violation of a common law right to privacy.

One concern expressed by the Court here was whether privacy was sought to be classified as a fundamental right due to the lack of a remedy against the state for privacy violations. The petitioners, were asked to look into the parameters for challenge of a state action on the grounds of privacy.

Effect of a fundamental right to privacy on state action

The counsels further argued that it not only as a remedy, but the entire degree of protection granted is higher as a fundamental right. Recognising privacy as a fundamental right will create a change in the relationship between the State and the individual. For example, taxi aggregators in Bombay have to mandatorily hand over their data to the State. Once it is a fundamental right, the state's collection and handling of data will change. As another instance, the state's collection of biometric data for Aadhaar through exercise of executive fiat wouldn't have been possible without first enacting a law which passes the muster of Articles 14, 19 and 21.

The right to privacy sought to be grounded in the Fundamental Rights

During the arguments, the Bench questioned aspects like the definition of the right to privacy, its contours, its boundaries. Given the impact of a judgment of a 9 judge bench, the counsels argued for a grounding of the right to privacy in Part III of the Constitution, as a fundamental right, but this right should be defined and developed on a case by case basis.

While it is tempting to have the bench define once and for all what privacy is, such an approach may foreclose future development of the law. This approach, on the other hand, will leave no debate as to the existence of a fundamental right to privacy, but will allow the right to evolve as needs change with time.

The verdict of a 9 judge bench is very difficult to overrule. The government, on its part, can be expected to put up a stiff fight against privacy. There is a definite risk of the fundamental right to privacy being denied, (almost) once and for all, but there is an equal chance of it being recognised, (almost) once and for all. It is hoped that the latter will become reality.

Sources of the arguments are written submissions of the counsels at Live Law and live coverage of the case on Twitter handles of Prasanna S and SFLC).
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said the National Food Security Act 2013 has not been implemented properly, and it is a "pity" that a legislation enacted by parliament for citizens' benefit was kept on the "back-burner" by various states.

The apex court observed that almost four years have gone by since the Act was enacted, but the authorities and bodies mandated to be set up under it have not been made functional yet in some states, and this reflects the "pathetic" compliance of the provisions.

"We are in general agreement with counsel for the petitioner and the fact that even after prodding by the central government and our prodding, many of the state governments have not yet established a working state food commission. This is a clear indication that there is hardly any commitment to the implementation of the NFS (National Food Security) Act," a bench of Justices MB Lokur and NV Ramana said.

Justice Ramana, who concurred with the finding arrived at by Justice Lokur, wrote a separate judgement and said that it was not proper on the part of some states to ignore the plight of common man in enforcing such important legislations.

"Record indicates that a combined effort, both by the Centre and states, needs to be taken for effective implementation of the Act, especially in drought-affected areas so as to save people from abject poverty and poor quality of life. States should take up this matter with much more seriousness and implement the Act in its true letter and spirit," Justice Ramana said.

The apex court also noted that state food commission has not been established and appointments have not been made in some states such as Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.

"This compliance with the NFS Act is pathetic, to say the least, and it is in this background that we are required to consider this case," it said, adding that, "It is a pity that legislation enacted by Parliament for the benefit of people should be kept on the back burner by some of the state governments before us."

The court observed that non-compliance of the provisions reduces the importance of a basic right to wholesome and nutritious food, particularly for women and children which are the objective of the Act.

"In our opinion, it is more important that each state government and union territory realises and appreciates their statutory and constitutional obligations, and ensures that the will of Parliament which enacted the National Food Security Act, 2013 is given full effect to in letter and spirit," it said.

Passing a slew of directions, the bench said the secretary of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution should convene one or more meetings on or before 31 August, 2017 of the secretaries concerned of all the states and union territories to take stock of the implementation of the Act and brainstorm over finding ways and means to effectively implement its provision.

It said that law enacted by Parliament, as a part of its social justice obligation, must be given its due respect and must be implemented faithfully, sincerely and positively before the end of this year.

The court also asked the secretary to emphatically request and comment to every states and union territories to notify appropriate rules for a grievance redressal mechanism under the provisions of the Act and designate appropriate and independent officials as district grievance redressal officer within a fixed time frame within this year.

It directed the secretary to ask the states and union territories to constitute, establish and make fully functional a state food commission and vigilance committee before year end and the states have to ensure that adequate arrangements are made for the meaningful functioning of the commission.

"The Secretary in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution will ensure that the social audit machinery postulated by section 28 of the NFS Act and which is already in place in so far as the MGNREGA Act is concerned is established at the earliest with appropriate modifications...," the bench said.

In its verdict, the apex court said that it was "pained" to read the affidavit filed by Haryana which said that there was hardly any work for the state food commission.

"With such an attitude, it is very unlikely that any progress will ever be made either by the state of Haryana or the state food commission in Haryana in the matter of food security," it said, adding, "One can only feel sorry for the people in Haryana".

The apex court's verdict came on a plea filed by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan seeking various relief for farmers in drought affected states.

The petition has alleged that parts of 12 states, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh were hit by drought and the authorities were not providing adequate relief.
The sugarcane farmers in Goa have decided to give up their plan for a march to the Legislative Assembly on 24 July while claiming that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured to hike the support price of the crop.

The farmers, under the banner of Akhil Gomantak Us Utpadak Sanghatna (AGUUS), had earlier planned a protest march to the Legislative Assembly during its ongoing monsoon session over their demand for an increase in support price of sugarcane crop in the state.

State Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai told PTI that the farmers decided to cancel their protest after they met the chief minister on Thursday.

"We have decided to withdraw our proposed march as the chief minister has assured us to increase the support price of sugarcane by Rs 500 per tonne from retrospective effect covering the crop cultivated last year," AGUUS president, Rajendra Desai claims.

He said their demand was to increase the support price from Rs 2,500 per ton to Rs 3,600 per ton.

Desai said as of now they are happy with the hike after which they are expecting to get a support price of Rs 3,000 per ton.

In its budget tabled in the House in March this year, the Parrikar-led government had announced various schemes to provide financial assistance for sugarcane cultivation in the state.
Kolkata: West Bengal CPM secretary Surya Kanta Mishra Friday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of not being serious in fighting communalism in the state.

"What she said today, we have been saying this for last several years. But the difference is she is not at all serious about fighting communalism. Earlier also we have seen her compromising with communal forces. We have been fighting against BJP for last several years," Mishra said.

Mishra also refuted allegations by Banerjee that Left legislators have cross voted in favour of BJP's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"She also knows that it was her party MLAs who had voted in favour of BJP. She is trying to put the blame on others," Mishra said.

The ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition Congress and CPM Thursday engaged in a blame game over cross voting that took place in West Bengal during the presidential poll, with the opposition accusing the TMC of covertly helping the BJP.

President-elect Ram Nath Kovind, who was supposed to get votes of six MLAs of the West Bengal Assembly  three of GJM and three of BJP  got votes of 11 MLAs which has kicked off a debate among political parties here.
People living close to the Mumbai airport may soon lose their homes. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked 70 buildings in Vile Parle, Santacruz, Ghatkopar, and Kurla to be partially demolished to clear flight paths. These buildings have been ordered to be reduced in height within 60 days, or the authorities would demolish them.

Of the 70 buildings, most are over 50 years old, and have produced height clearance certificates issued to them at the time. The older buildings have been ordered to be reduced by anything between one and six metres, while the newer and taller buildings have been asked to be reduced by a lot more. The buildings, along with some other structures, are believed to be obstacles in the flight path of these planes.

The people living in these buildings are protesting, out of the fear that they could lose their homes. Their concern remains that these older structures would not survive the reduction in height. Reports also say that the permissions these buildings received at the time are now invalid, because they were issued fraudulently by certain employees of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

This was initiated after Bombay High Court asked the DGCA to look into this matter while hearing a PIL on the issue. As a signatory to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which governs these regulations, India is required to compulsorily adhere to them.
Kolkata: The BJP on Friday ridiculed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's call to "oust" the party from the country and claimed that her Trinamool Congress had been "reduced to a signboard" in Tripura, where it tried to expand its base.

"She (Banerjee) had earlier given a Modi hatao, desh bachao (get rid of Modi, save the country) call, but the BJP won in four more states (after that). We are ready to fight her politics of appeasement and communalism," said West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh.

Commenting on Banerjee's "oust the BJP" call at a public rally on Friday, Ghosh said the saffron party came to power at the Centre and 18 states through a democratic process.

"The TMC tried to expand its base in Tripura, but was reduced to a signboard there. Now, she (Banerjee) is calling for an ouster of the BJP. This is funny," he added.

Six sacked TMC MLAs in Tripura had voted for NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind in the 17 July presidential election.

"In the presidential poll, there was cross-voting in West Bengal as well. She (Banerjee) should take lessons from it," Ghosh said, adding that the TMC chief should see whether she would remain in power in the state or not.

As a counter to the TMC's "oust the BJP" programme, he said the state unit of the saffron party would launch a campaign on 9 August against the "appeasement policy" of the ruling party in West Bengal.

Refuting Banerjee's claim that India's relations with foreign countries had deteriorated during the Modi rule, Ghosh said, "On the contrary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy is respected all over the world."

He alleged that the TMC was "obstructing" the development programmes of the Centre and accused Banerjee of "indulging in corrupt practices".
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli has said that the process of verifying electronic declarations of income and assets of politicians and high-ranking officials should be much faster and the National Agency for the Corruption Prevention (NACP) should find a solution to this issue.

"The process must be brought to a much higher pace, in hundreds if not thousands each month. A swift solution must be found for the NAPC to use automated methods for the verification of e-declarations and access to state registers to cross-check information submitted by the public officials has to be granted," Mingarelli responded to a corresponding request of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He also said the NAPC is potentially a very effective tool in the fight against corruption.

"Much has been achieved in Ukraine on the fight against corruption. Now is high time for Ukraine to accelerate and intensify this effort," he said.

In addition, answering the question about the ongoing debates on establishment of anticorruption court or a chamber, he said, it is a matter of urgency that Ukraine puts in place a body responsible for the fight against corruption.

"Guarantees must be put in place that this body will be independent in both a budgetary and functional sense. It is necessary that body enjoys the necessary authority and resources to fight corruption and that the selection of specialized anti-corruption judges will happen in an open and transparent way," Mingarelli said.

The diplomat also said that Ukrainians should think about involving international partners in the process of creating and ensuring the proper functioning of such an anti-corruption body.

"The EU  and, I am sure, our international partners  stands ready to contribute to a process as transparent as possible and to ensure that the selection will be based on merit and integrity," the ambassador said.

Mingarelli also said that fair convictions and asset recovery are the only indicators which will demonstrate that Ukraine is getting serious in holding offenders accountable for corruption offenses.
Kolkata: Trinamool Member of Parliament Sudip Bandyopadhyay on Friday launched a blistering attack on the BJP for stifling the Opposition's voice with its "brute majority".

Bandyopadhyay, the Lok Sabha leader of the party, was addressing the public in his maiden speech following his arrest by the CBI in connection with a ponzi scam. He was later given bail.

"The BJP has a huge majority in Parliament. But don't try to destroy the Opposition with this brute majority. This is what is called the evil of brute majority," he said at the party's Martyrs' Day rally.

"In a democracy if there is constructive Opposition, that should be appreciated. If that can be followed properly, then the parliamentary system of a republic can be strengthened."

The MP flayed the Centre for silencing opposition voices against the backdrop of instability in the country.

"There is dangerous instability in the country... along the borders... in economy... Parliamentary system... and as the instability is increasing... the Opposition parties are being stifled... This does not bode well for the Parliamentary system," he said.

Bandyopadhyay said he would not speak on his days spent in jail at the rally. "The Lok Sabha is my field. I will take it up there," he said.

Bandyopadhyay is a four-time Lok Sabha member and was a minister of state for health and family welfare in former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government.

On 3 January, he was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged links with the Rose Valley scam. He got bail in May.

Bandyopadhyay lashed out at the Centre for targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee because of her popularity instead of appreciating her work.

"The extent of her popularity in her own state is unmatched... For that reason she is being targeted," he said.

"The Centre can adopt several of Bengal's development and welfare schemes for the country."

He also decried attempts being made to divide Bengal.

"At a time when Darjeeling's people are paving the way for development, they are being instigated... Under no circumstances we will allow Bengal to be divided," he added.
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After Gujarat Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela publicly announced his ouster from the party on Friday, claiming that he was shown the door "24 hours ago", the party has denied this accusation. A party spokesperson said Congress had no role in his departure, and he chose to quit of his own accord.

"No action was taken against Shankersingh Vaghelaji, nor was he expelled. These are baseless arguments. It's his decision," AICC communications chief Randeep S Surjewala told ANI.

Claiming that Vaghela wanted to replace the current Gujarat Congress chief, he said, "This is a decision

of the party and its leadership and no one individual can decide it."

"For the party is bigger than individuals. Each one of us needs to understand that interests of the party and its ideals are bigger then ambition of one person. We sincerely hope that he'll continue to work for the party despite his decision to quit party posts," he said.

Surjewala said that the Congress was not representative of individuals but ideology and principles. Party chief Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and crores of Congressmen and women are not fighting for power alone but for social justice, progress and a just, humane society against autocracy of the few, he said.

"We respect Shankarsinh Vaghela. The Congress has always given him respect and important positions of responsibility," he said.

No action was taken against Shankersingh Vaghela ji nor was he expelled.These are baseless arguments.Its his decision: RS Surjewala,Congress pic.twitter.com/C1PNfXWFA7  ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017

Vaghela ji wanted to replace the current Gujarat Congress chief. A party is always bigger than individuals: RS Surjewala,Congress  ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017

Addressing a rally in Gandhinagar on his 77th birthday on Friday, Vaghela announced his plan to break ranks with the Congress, which he had joined two decades back after quitting the BJP. "I'm freeing myself from Congress or any party from now," he said.

He also announced that he would immediately resign as the leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly and give up his membership of the House after the Rajya Sabha polls in the state scheduled for 8 August.

"To all my supporters and MLAs who are behind me... Do whatever you like... I'm no longer in any position," he told the gathering. He also added that he would not be joining any other political party.

Vaghela had allegedly unfollowed Rahul Gandhi's Twitter account recently.

According to a report on NDTV, Vaghela had held meeting with BJP chief Amit Shah. However, the rebel leader, during his speech, said that he assured Congress president Sonia Gandhi that he would not "break her trust by joining BJP".

With inputs from PTI
Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela on Friday announced that the party high command had expelled him on Thursday. Addressing a rally in Gandhinagar on his 77th birthday, Vaghela said the party had shown him the door "24 hours ago". "I'm freeing myself from Congress or any party from now," the leader asserted. "To all my supporters and MLAs who are behind me... Do whatever you like... I'm no longer in any position," he told the gathering. "I am not going to join any political party," he added.

Congress party ne mujhe 24 ghante pehle nikal diya yeh soch ke ki pata nahi main kya kehta; Vinaash kal vipreet buddhi: Shankersinh Vaghela pic.twitter.com/FNN5sM1RIt  ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017



"What had I entered public life for? For others. Not for myself," he lamented. He invoked Lord Shankar and said he was given the power to tolerate the "poison". The statement hinted to the comment made by the Congress warning Vaghela not to "play any politics" under the guise of his birthday celebrations infront of his supporters and legislators.

In response, Vaghela on Thursday evening said, "Whoever wants to come can come and whoever does not, should not. A party has the right to stop its workers and workers have the right to decide what they want to do. They are not bonded labourers." In his speech at the rally, Vaghela said, "Dont know what my party thought Id say."

IANS reported that he added that he was also told that his public utterances would not be tolerated by the party any further.

Times Now reported that the Congress party categorically refuted these claims of Vaghela of being expelled. Vaghela has been passively showing his displeasure for the party for a while now. NDTV Khabar reported that Vaghela had allegedly unfollowed Rahul Gandhi's Twitter account recently. The report went on to add that the rebel leader had held meetings with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah. He also revealed in the speech that he had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi a fews days before making the announcement. "A few days back I met Sonia ji in person, I told her that I will not break her trust by joining BJP," he said at the rally.

The rumours related to Shah could cause issues with the Congress during the upcoming Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections. According to NDTV, Vaghela had quit the BJP 17 years ago and merged his RJP with the Congress. However, he still shares the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) connection with Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Vaghela dismissed the BJP rumours in his speech as well.

According to News18, Vaghela allegedly wanted to be chief minsiterial candidate in 2016, but it didn't pan out and Congress went for Vijay Rupani for the position, a decision that still leaves some resentment for the Congress leader. This resentment poured out in his speech, when questioned, "What kind of organisation are you running...who will stay if it goes on like this?" He further added, "Revolt is in my blood. I don't care what loss I have to bear. I cannot see injustice happening."

This event, similar to another event held by Vaghela in the Gandhinagar Town Hall last month, was attended by scores of his supporters minus legislators. Friday's event displayed a veritable show of strength with MLAs of the Congress, two of Nationalist Congress Party and one of the Janata Dal-United attending the event.

Watch the full speech below:

With inputs from agencies.
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Congress on Thursday evening issued a warning to veteran party leader Shankersinh Vaghela not to "play any politics" under the guise of his 77th birthday celebrations with his supporters and legislators on Friday.

He was also told that his public utterances would not be tolerated by the party any further.

Similar to an event in the Gandhinagar Town Hall last month, which was attended by scores of his supporters minus legislators, the 21 July event promises to be a veritable show of strength where MLAs of the Congress, two of Nationalist Congress Party and one of the Janata Dal-United have been invited.

Vaghela, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, had asserted last month: "If the party wishes to concede defeat even before the fight has begun, I would not commit suicide with it."

The Congress high command seems to have finally decided to take a tough position on Shankersinh Vaghela.

A senior party leader as well as former state president, Siddharth Patel, told reporters in Ahmedabad that on 24 June, he had called a meeting in Gandhinagar "where Vaghela spoke about the party in public, which he should not have."

Patel said: "In view of his seniority, the party leadership kept quiet then. (Now) We wish him for his birthday, but any politics in the guise of birthday celebrations is not proper and not acceptable. The party will not tolerate this at all."

Patel, who had just emerged from a meeting of the party's coordination committee chaired by state Congress President Bharatsinh Solanki, said on 18 July, all members of the coordination committee had appealed that it was crucial to put up a united front and try to resolve differences within the party forum and not in public.

After Vaghela announced his birthday celebrations on Tuesday, Patel and national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil met Vaghela at his residence to placate him as well as to convey him not to hold public events and embarrass the party.

The maverick Vaghela, who had snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the late nineties to set up his own party that later merged with the Congress, has been asserting before the party high command to hand over reins of the December election battle to him.

Although publicly he has been denying that he wanted to be projected as the chief ministerial candidate, Vaghela said at the 24 June meeting and has often asserted before the media and his supporters publicly that there had been no planning for the elections and he had objections to the ad-hocism going on, taking a dig at Bharatsinh Solanki.
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The CPM leader said that this was unconstitutional and against the right to food.

CPM leader Mohammad Salim said that the West bengal food grain minister has threatened to stop the supply of food grains in the Hills of West Bengal, after the pro-Gorkhaland protesters declined to relent and call-off the bandh.

He said that this amounted to flouting the privileges enjoyed by a Member of Parliament.

Naresh Agrawal told the chair that his remark linking alcohol to Hindu gods was expunged from the records in Rajya Sabha and he also took back those comments. "However, despite that, BJP Yuva Morcha leaders are threatening me, they vandalised my residence, and media houses are rampantly reporting on those remarks, quoting them out of contest," Agrawal said.

"I cannot act like an instant coffee. Notice has to be examined. (Give notice) I will come back today itself," Kurien said.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien assured that he would look into the demand of the agitating members but asked them to first give notice along with material evidence. "Give notice with evidence and I will take action," he said, as some members including Sukhendu Shekhar Roy (TMC) and Anand Sharma (Congress) sought immediate initiation of privilege proceedings against those newspapers and TV channels which had disseminated these remarks made in the House and expunged by the Chair on Wednesday.

They alleged that due to the publication and broadcast of the expunged remarks of SP leader Naresh Agrawal, his house was attacked by BJP youth activists.

The Rajya Sabha today witnessed an uproar with Opposition members, including those from the Congress, seeking initiation of privilege proceedings against certain media houses for disseminating the expunged remarks of an SP leader, leading to a brief adjournment of the proceedings.

Kurien asked the government to enquire into the incident and take action. "If the MP's home has been vandalised or attacked, the government should enquire, come back (to the House) and take action".

Agrawal had also alleged that members of BJP's youth wing BJYM had attacked and vandalised his house in Delhi while a ruling party worker filed an FIR against him in Meerut in connection with these remarks. The SP leader said if a member is threatened for speaking in the House, it is a disrespect of the MPs as well as that of the House.

Terming the issue raised by the Opposition as a serious matter, Kurien said if anything has been expunged, no one can print it and nobody has the authority to file an FIR on the basis of the expunged remarks. The issue was raised by Agrawal himself saying certain remarks made by him in the House were expunged by the Chair which had also ordered against publication or telecast of those remarks.

If anything has been expunged, no one can print it or file FIR against remarks

Shiv Sena leader Arvind Ganpat Sawant seeks global education standard across the country. "Why should a tribal student be deprived of right to quality education? If you see, candidates from rural areas excel in UPSC, because they can't go for courses like engineering. Baccha padhega, toh baccha bachega (If the child studies, he will be saved)," he says.

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017 is being considered

"By recognising languages, we can satisfy the emotion of the people," he says, adding, "We can't say India is united unless we attempt to bring all people in the fold of India."

BJD Prasanna Acharya says the government is failing to recognise language, feeling, and tradition. "Why is this mentality of division growing? I think government has seriously failed in it. Union govt should very seriously consider the amendment. Unless we do it, we are leading to a disastrous situation," he says.

Rajya Sabha is considering amendment of the Eight Schedule in The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Rijiju also emphasised on the need to promote all Indian languages. "All Indian languages are equally important. It was just a procedure to have 22 languages in the Constitution. It is under the active consideration of home affairs ministry to see justice is done. The subject matter is very sensitive," he says.

The Union minister adds, "When we assume the position of this government, we are very clear that there is no question of imposition of Hindi or any other regional language. Hindi has been made official language considering the spirit of members of Parliament."

"Dialect and languages, it is very difficult to differentiate between the two. Language is a socio-cultural geographical construct which takes it shape after taking a long journey. Now I would like to appeal, it is not easy to define the criteria for objective how to make provision to make language qualify to be recognised by Constitution," Kiren Rijiju says.

"I cannot act like an instant coffee. Notice has to be examined. (Give notice) I will come back today itself," Kurien said.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien assured that he would look into the demand of the agitating members but asked them to first give notice along with material evidence. "Give notice with evidence and I will take action," he said, as some members including Sukhendu Shekhar Roy (TMC) and Anand Sharma (Congress) sought immediate initiation of privilege proceedings against those newspapers and TV channels which had disseminated these remarks made in the House and expunged by the Chair on Wednesday.

They alleged that due to the publication and broadcast of the expunged remarks of SP leader Naresh Agrawal, his house was attacked by BJP youth activists.

The Rajya Sabha today witnessed an uproar with Opposition members, including those from the Congress, seeking initiation of privilege proceedings against certain media houses for disseminating the expunged remarks of an SP leader, leading to a brief adjournment of the proceedings.

Kurien asked the government to enquire into the incident and take action. "If the MP's home has been vandalised or attacked, the government should enquire, come back (to the House) and take action".

Agrawal had also alleged that members of BJP's youth wing BJYM had attacked and vandalised his house in Delhi while a ruling party worker filed an FIR against him in Meerut in connection with these remarks. The SP leader said if a member is threatened for speaking in the House, it is a disrespect of the MPs as well as that of the House.

Terming the issue raised by the Opposition as a serious matter, Kurien said if anything has been expunged, no one can print it and nobody has the authority to file an FIR on the basis of the expunged remarks. The issue was raised by Agrawal himself saying certain remarks made by him in the House were expunged by the Chair which had also ordered against publication or telecast of those remarks.

If anything has been expunged, no one can print it or file FIR against remarks

Shiv Sena leader Arvind Ganpat Sawant seeks global education standard across the country. "Why should a tribal student be deprived of right to quality education? If you see, candidates from rural areas excel in UPSC, because they can't go for courses like engineering. Baccha padhega, toh baccha bachega (If the child studies, he will be saved)," he says.

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017 is being considered

"By recognising languages, we can satisfy the emotion of the people," he says, adding, "We can't say India is united unless we attempt to bring all people in the fold of India."

BJD Prasanna Acharya says the government is failing to recognise language, feeling, and tradition. "Why is this mentality of division growing? I think government has seriously failed in it. Union govt should very seriously consider the amendment. Unless we do it, we are leading to a disastrous situation," he says.

Rajya Sabha is considering amendment of the Eight Schedule in The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Rijiju also emphasised on the need to promote all Indian languages. "All Indian languages are equally important. It was just a procedure to have 22 languages in the Constitution. It is under the active consideration of home affairs ministry to see justice is done. The subject matter is very sensitive," he says.

The Union minister adds, "When we assume the position of this government, we are very clear that there is no question of imposition of Hindi or any other regional language. Hindi has been made official language considering the spirit of members of Parliament."

"Dialect and languages, it is very difficult to differentiate between the two. Language is a socio-cultural geographical construct which takes it shape after taking a long journey. Now I would like to appeal, it is not easy to define the criteria for objective how to make provision to make language qualify to be recognised by Constitution," Kiren Rijiju says.

With the proceedings of the Parliament getting turbulent in the Parliament, the government is hard-pressed to push its agenda. The Houses have not been transacting much legislative business amid repeated disruptions and Opposition's demand to debate key issue.

On Thursday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die after repeated disruptions by the Opposition over farm crisis and cow vigilantism. The Rajya Sabha, however, say a heated debate over cow vigilantism. Sparks flew in the Upper House on during the discussion on cow vigilantism and atrocities on Dalits, with the opposition trying to corner the government and a minister raking up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra incident.

As the opposition accused the government of creating an atmosphere of fear in the country, the government in its reply said there was nothing anti-Muslim or anti-Dalit about the incidents, but cow vigilantism should not be "eulogised".

Speaking on the issue, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "doublespeak" and giving "gau rakshaks" (cow vigilantes) a free hand.

"It (mob violence) has nothing to do with cow vigilantes ... It has something to do with Narendra Modi. It is the Prime Minister who is creating the kind of environment in which this is happening," Sibal said in a bitter attack on the government.

"It is better for the Prime Minister to come clean over this rather than indulge in doublespeak," he said, adding that those killing innocent people in the name of cows were not "real Hindus".

He also quoted from old speeches of Modi where he spoke of "pink revolution" and called for stopping cow slaughter.

"We need to ask ourselves as to why this is happening now. We have not seen such violence in the last 40-50 years. The cow represents 'ahimsa' (non-violence). When you kill in the name of cow, you kill the cow, you kill ahimsa and you kill humanity," Sibal said.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that mob violence must be condemned but it should not be done "selectively".

"When I condemn mob lynching, I do not suffer from selective amnesia like some of our opposition colleagues," Javadekar said as he mentioned the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the killing of "karsevaks" in Godhra in Gujarat in 2002.

"In 1984, Sikhs were lynched or burnt alive, at least 3,000 of them. In 2002, Ram 'bhakts' (devotees) returning from Ayodhya were lynched in Godhra. We condemn all such incidents," the HRD Minister said.

He said there were 16 mob lynchings in 2012 and 14 in 2013.

A visibly angry Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad hit back by saying that notwithstanding who was in power, the "parivaar" (a reference to the Sangh family or Hindutva groups) people were found involved in every communal riot in the country.

"Where are the culprits involved in the lynchings in 2012 and 2013? Where are the culprits involved in anti-Sikh riots of 1984?... Very few of them are in jail, rest are roaming free," Javadekar said.

Azad retorted: "Let me say that in all the communal riots that occurred in India, people from your 'parivaar' were found involved."

He said it was the Congress that fought for the country's freedom and "not you people" before the opposition members walked out of the House.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said the Modi government was neither anti-Dalit nor anti-Muslim.

In his reply to the discussion, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would show no sympathy to those lynching people in the name of cow protection.

"Nobody has the right to take law in his hands. And if somebody does, he should be condemned, arrested and prosecuted. The government's stand is very clear -- nobody is allowed to do that," Jaitley said in the Rajya Sabha.

"...there is no rationalisation, no argument about hurting of sentiments can be an explanation for the crime," he said, adding that the central government was absolutely committed on the issue and had already sent an advisory to the states.

"The law will certainly take its course in these cases. No amount of sympathy will be shown to these people. The Prime Minister has spoken thrice on the issue," Jaitley said.

On the atrocities on Dalits, Jaitley said oppression in the name of caste would not be tolerated and that stringent laws were in place to protect the Dalits.

"The way we have historically treated one section of our brethren is a black spot in our history. We owe it to ourselves, if not to them, to reverse that process of history," the minister said.

However, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said, it was also not proper to "eulogise" cow slaughter in states where there was no prohibition on cow slaughter.

BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said that his party was not satisfied with the minister's reply and staged a walkout.

With inputs from agencies
Kolkata: In a blistering attack on the BJP, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused it of indulging in massive corruption in many states, and claimed the Central agencies were completely silent on the saffron party's scams.

She also threatened to slap defamation cases worth thousands of crores if the probe into the Saradha and Narada cases by the CBI and other Central agencies did not proceed in a genuine way.

"In Rajasthan, there is a scam spanning thousands of crores of rupees, but where is the CBI? Are they sleeping? In Karnataka, what is the magnitude of the scams indulged in by the Reddy brothers, who are BJP's friends?"

"In Madhya Pradesh, there is the Vyapam scam, in which several people have already been killed. Where is the CBI? The Gujarat Petroleum scam runs into Rs 20,000 crore. Where are the government agencies, like CBI, Enforcement Directorate or the Income Tax authorities?" Banerjee said at a massive public rally organised by the Trinamool Congress in the heart of the city.

The Trinamool chief said the ruling BJP at the Centre was trying to silence her party as "it was the most vocal in its protests".

"Do we have to take character certificate from you on whether we are good, or not? We despise your character certificate. We only accept people's character certificates," she said.

Banerjee said across the country, the CBI is being "let loose" against anybody talking about the ills of demonetisation or GST.

The Trinamool chief alleged that the BJP was threatening to use the CBI and frame people in the Saradha ponzi scam and Narada sting footage cases if they did not join its fold.

Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said that "Barda" (elder brother) will have to bow out of office after the 2019 Parliamentary polls.

At the same time, she speculated that the Parliamentary polls could be pre-poned to next year.

"They could go for Parliamentary polls next year. I don't know. I was hearing something like it," she said.

"We say, go ahead with Saradha and Narada, in 2019 Barda will have to go. The bardas will have to bow out from power in the country. It's a challenge. Challenge on Martyr's' Day," she said.

Turning to the Narada sting footage issue, she claimed, "In the name of interview, though our people never asked (for money), they were given and then it was filmed in a planned way following the diktat of the BJP and the CPI-M."

Banerjee also questioned why the Saradha probe was proceeding so slowly for the past four-five years.

"The Saradha probe is continuing for four-five years. Why is the case still on? So slowly?"

She said with regard to the Narada probe, the Central agencies were announcing they would call all top Trinamool leaders one by one.

"They think if they summon them, they will be disgraced. If the case does not progress in a genuine way, we will slap defamation cases worth thousands of crore rupees against CBI and those behind Narada. We will fight it out. Because we firmly believe that none in our party is guilty," she added.

Banerjee also lashed out against cow vigilantes, saying in the name of cow protection they were burning, killing and torturing people.

"They are pronouncing their diktat on what somebody should wear. Some people are told they can't have meat. Pregnant women are being told they can't have eggs. What will people eat then?" she asked.

Banerjee alleged that a "more than Emergency" situation prevailed in the country, with citizens not sure about protection of their rights.

"Common people do not know whether their rights are protected. Dalits and minorities don't know whether they can live with dignity. Even Hindus don't know whether they can survive with dignity because of some fake Hindus," she said.

Banerjee said except in Bengal, nobody was safe even in Delhi.

Naming Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who has faced constant criticism from a section of BJP leaders, she said: "Even Amartya Sen is not safe".
Meira Kumar, the Oppostion's joint nominee, may have lost the presidential elections, but even in defeat, she has her own silver lining to cheer about. According to a report by Deccan Herald, Kumar has polled the highest votes by a losing candidate.

Kumar, who sought to fight a battle of ideologies urging legislators to heed their voice of conscience, polled in 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314. A total of 4,896 voters  4,120 MLAs and 776 elected MPs  were eligible to cast their ballot. This is despite the fact that more than 100 legislators cross-voted, apparently in favour of Kovind, a report in Hindustan Times stated.

The report states that Kovind's overall vote value was 661 points more than the assured value of 701,382, calculated after factoring in the support of NDA parties and some opposition parties who declared support for the BJP nominee. In contrast, Kumars total vote value stood at 367,314.

Kovind received 2930 votes against Kumar's 1844 votes, with a vote share of 65.65 percent for the President-elect. However, the victory margin is the lowest since the 1974 presidential poll.

According to Election Commission data, the lowest margin of victory for any presidential poll was during the 1969 election when then president VV Girri secured just 48 percent of the total votes winning over Neelam Sanjeev Reddy.

However, the only losing candidate to have come closest to Kumar's record was former Chief Justice of India Koka Subba Rao, who contested the 1967 election as a candidate of united opposition parties, like Kumar. He lost the polls to Zakir Hussain but secured a record 3.63 lakh votes, NDTV reported. However, Justice Rao, who quit the judiciary to contest the presidential elections, still holds the record for being the losing candidate with the highest percentage of vote share at 43 percent. Kumar lags by about 10 percentage points, the NDTV report added.

The low percentage in winning margins was often attributed to the so-called 'syndicate' within the Congress, which indulged in cross-voting. This year too, the talks of cross-voting have embarrassed the grand old party with BJP leaders taking dig at the Opposition in the backdrop of the Congress' call for a united Opposition.

KR Narayanan (1997), incidentally the only Dalit to hold the highest constitutional post before Kovind, holds the record for winning the polls with the highest victory percentages since 1974, with 94.97 percent victory margin. Besides Narayanan, only two presidents  Rajendra Prasad (98.99 per cent) in 1957, and Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan (98.24 per cent) in 1962  secured over 90 per cent of the votes.

Only Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, in 1977, holds the record to be elected unopposed to the top constitutional post.

With inputs from PTI
The Lok Sabha on Friday has a packed agenda following the near-washout sittings on Tuesday and Thursday, owing to the Opposition's protests. The first day of Monsoon Session, too, was adjourned without transacting any business due to the presidential elections, which were held on 17 July, the same day.

The Lower House lists 62 entries on its agenda for the day, including around 45 bills for introduction and 10 bills for further consideration and passing.

Important bills to be introduced include, The State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017, The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Besides the Opposition will raise key issues like enforcement of Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, action being taken against shell companies, implementation of GST and government's efforts to bring back money stashed abroad in the Question Hour.

In Rajya Sabha, The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017 will be taken up for passing and consideration. The Upper House, on Thursday, saw a heated debate on the on cow vigilantism and atrocities on Dalits, with the opposition trying to corner the government and a minister raking up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra incident.

As the Opposition accused the government of creating an atmosphere of fear in the country, the government in its reply said there was nothing anti-Muslim or anti-Dalit about the incidents, but cow vigilantism should not be "eulogised".

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned without transacting any business on Thursaday after Opposition repeatedly disrupted the proceedings by raising slogans on the plight of farmers and related issues.

When Lok Sabha assembled for the day and took up the Question Hour, opposition members, mostly from the Congress, trooped into the Well raising slogans saying the prime minister should respond to the concerns over farmers' plight and the agrarian crisis. Sensing the opposition mood and as it became difficult to continue the business of the House amidst the noisy scenes, the Speaker called for the listed papers to be tabled and then adjourned the House for the day.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: The government on Friday asserted in Parliament that it has no intention to impose Hindi over any other Indian language, a remark which assumes significance because of protests in some states due to apprehensions over the issue.

All languages are national languages, although Hindi is the official language, said Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is in-charge of the Department of Official Languages by the central government.

He said the government is trying to find a way soon on how to bring the pending 38 languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, which grants official status to a language.

"There is no question of imposition of Hindi over any other language. Hindi is the official language. There is no one language which is national language," he said in the Rajya Sabha.

He was replying to a debate on a private member's bill which sought inclusion of 'Tulu' and 'Kodava' languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution moved by BK Hariprasad of the Congress.

"It is not a question of trying to impose Hindi. Let us be very clear. There is no one language which is the national language, all languages are national languages. Hindi is the official language, so there is no question of discrimination. There is no special effort or attempt to promote Hindi," Rijiju said.

His comments assume significance as they come in the backdrop of allegations by certain quarters in some state like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that the central government is trying to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.

The controversy over Hindi being imposed was generated after President Pranab Mukherjee accepted the recommendation of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language that all dignitaries including the president and ministers, especially those who can read and speak Hindi, may be requested to give their speech/statement in Hindi only.

The president had accepted several other recommendations, including making announcements on board aircraft in Hindi followed by English.

Elaborating on the government's three-language formula, Rijiju said it is already in existence and there is no bar on any state to conduct its business in regional languages.

The minister observed that the issue of language is very sensitive and a slight mistake or misrepresentation can lead to many differences within the country.

"We have not given any preference to one language over another. While justice is being done, we must ensure that no complications arise in the future because it is a very sensitive subject," Rijiju said.

Clarifying the government position, he said, "We have made it clear that there is no question of imposition of Hindi over any other language. Hindi was made the official language taking into account the spirit of members of Parliament. Hindi has to be promoted but at the same time all other regional languages also have to be promoted".

Hariprasad, while piloting his private member bill, highlighted the importance of regional languages.

"We have no problem in making Hindi compulsory in southern states but please make one southern language compulsory in north India," said Hariprasad, who hails from Karnataka.

Hariprasad also demanded that criteria be developed for the inclusion of languages in the 8th Schedule to make the process transparent and devoid of politics.

To this, Rijiju said it is not easy to define the criteria which will make a particular language qualify for inclusion in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

He said the Home Ministry had set up a committee to have a look at the cases pending regarding the inclusion of more languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

The minister urged Hariprasad to withdraw his bill, saying the two languages cannot be considered in isolation for inclusion in the 8th Schedule, to which the Congress member relented.

At present, there are 22 languages under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution while 38 languages have been listed formally. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are demands for inclusion of 38 more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.

Participating in the debate, Prasanna Acharya (BJD) urged the central government to come out with a broader Constitution amendment bill.

"Let the government constitute a committee which should go deeper into the subject," he said.

"India cannot unite unless we bring the people together," he said, adding "in spite of all diversities, this nation is one and it continues to be one".

He said sometimes people are angry like in Gorkhaland, who are demanding a separate state, and urged the government to take care of the sentiments of people of the area.

He urged the Centre to also bring Sambalpuri and Kosli languages of Odisha as part of the 8th Schedule.

Shiv Pratap Shukla (BJP) said if all the languages were taken care of, then there would not have been problems as existing today.

The President of India has himself said that if a language is spoken more in a state, then the government can include it in the 8th schedule, he said.

He said the three-language formula has been diluted as Sanskrit has been abandoned and only English and Hindi are recognised more.

He lamented that while India has not bothered about promoting Sanskrit, Germany has adopted it and is promoting it. He urged the government to include Bhojpuri and Tulu in the 8th schedule as it is spoken by a large number of people across the country.

Anand Bhaskar Rapolu (Congress) stressed the need for protecting lesser-spoken languages in the country.

La Ganeshan (BJP) cautioned against the imposition of English, saying in Tamil Nadu the mother tongue is Tamil but a generation has grown which didn't know how to write it and now there is a generation which doesn't know how to read it.

Pradeep Tamta (Congress) said languages like Bhojpuri, Kumaoni, Garhwali should also be included in the 8th Schedule.

Ram Vikas Netam (BJP) lamented that though Chhattisgarh was carved out as a separate state, its language Chhattisgarhi was still to be accorded official status.
No casualties among Ukrainians during earthquake in Greece and Turkey

The Department of Consular Service of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has said there is no information about casualties of Ukrainian citizens caught in the earthquake that shook Greece and Turkey.

"Earthquake in Greece, Turkey. The consul says that as of 08:00 there is no information about victims," the department said on Twitter.

Preliminary information from both consuls speaks about the absence of casualties among Ukrainians, representative of the Department of Consular Service of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Vasyl Kyrylych told Interfax-Ukraine.

"According to preliminary data, the consuls in both countries report that there are no injured citizens of Ukraine," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

At the same time Kyrylych added that the consuls were still clarifying the information on the possible casualties among Ukrainians.

"The consuls are keeping in touch with the rescue services and local authorities of Turkey and Greece," he said.
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed an uproar with Opposition members, including those from the Congress, seeking initiation of privilege proceedings against certain media houses for disseminating the expunged remarks of an Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, leading to a brief adjournment of the proceedings.

They alleged that due to the publication and broadcast of the expunged remarks of Naresh Agrawal, his house was attacked by BJP youth activists.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien assured that he would look into the demand of the agitating members but asked them to first give notice along with material evidence.

"Give notice with evidence and I will take action", he said, as some members including Sukhendu Shekhar Roy of TMC and Anand Sharma of Congress sought immediate initiation of privilege proceedings against those newspapers and TV channels which had disseminated these remarks made in the Rajya Sabha and expunged by the chair on Wednesday.

"I cannot act like an instant coffee. Notice has to be examined. Give notice and I will come back on this day itself", Kurien said.

Terming the issue raised by the Opposition as a serious matter, Kurien said that if anything has been expunged, no one can print it and nobody has the authority to file an FIR on the basis of the expunged remarks.

The issue was raised by Agrawal himself saying certain remarks made by him in the Rajya Sabha were expunged by the Chair which had also ordered against publication or telecast of those remarks.

Agrawal also alleged that members of BJP's youth wing BJYM had attacked and vandalised his house in Delhi while a ruling party worker filed an FIR against him in Meerut in connection with these remarks.

The SP leader said if a member is threatened for speaking in Rajya Sabha, it is a disrespect of the MPs as well as that of the Parliament.

Kurien asked the government to enquire into the incident and take action. "If the MP's home has been vandalised or attacked, the government should enquire and take action".

However, the Opposition did not yield and several of them including from Congress, SP and Left parties trooped into the Well shouting slogans against the BJP.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the they can take action as per the rules, adding that the government was against any kind of violence.

As the Opposition members continued to raise slogans, Kurien adjourned the Rajya Sabha for about 15 minutes till noon.
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Day two of Monsoon Session will start at 11 am on Tuesday as a stormy session is expected ahead. The government is likely to face the Oppositions onslaught on key issues like cow vigilantism, GST implementation and the India-China border standoff amid other issues.

CNN-News 18 reported that the Opposition leaders will meet before the proceedings start on the second day of the parlieament. A united Opposition is likely to target the government on several issues as West Bengal is still battling unrest, India and China are at loggerheads at the Sikkim border and increased incidents of cow vigilantism are drawing Opposition's ire.

The BJP-led Centre will have to face a united Opposition on the issue of farmer suicides and agricultural woes as the Congress has notified an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP is protesting the t ransfer of a whistleblower police officer in Bengaluru prison after she flagged the alleged favours meted out to AIADMK leader Sasikala who is currently lodged in the jail. DIG (Prisons) D Roopa was transferred to the traffic and road safety department days after she accused Karnataka DGP (Prisons) HN Sathyanarayana Rao of accepting bribes from the Jayalalithaa aide, in exchange of undue favours.

The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Amendment) bill, 2017 will also be presented for debate.

Two bills will be placed before the Rajya Sabha for deliberation and debate, including the amendments in the Motor Vehicles act 1988. The Lok Sabha is likely to debate on 5 bills, including the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Bill.

Mayawati, who was raising the issue of 'atrocities against Dalits' in the Rajya Sabha, lost her cool as the Dy Chairman of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien asked her to cut her speech short. Kurien asked the BSP leader to form the Motion and cut short the lengthy explanation. However, Mayawati lost her cool and left the House, stating that she would rather resign from the House if she is not allowed to raise the concerns of her community.

Sitaram Yechury said that the government has not fulfilled its promises and is not willing to hear the Opposition's voice. Deputy Chairman of the House, however, requested him to not speak out of turn and requested the Opposition to maintain calm as the government is ready for a debate.

"The way in which my speech was iterrupted is shameful and unfortunate," she said.

Speaking on today's developments in Rajya Sabha, Mayawati said that she is well aware that there is a limit of 3 minutes in Zero Hour, but she was not speaking under the Zero Hour. She said that when she tried to keep her point, the Treasury benches stood up and disrupted her speech.

Mayawati said that the BJP-ruled states have failed to reign in the atrocities against minorities and Dalits. Claiming that the atrocities in Uttar Pradesh are on the rise, Mayawati said that the government is not even allowing her party to help the people.

This is not the first time that I have come to the Rajya Sabha. I have fought elections and been a member of both houses and I have reached here because I raised the issues of my community. If I can't raise the issues of my community in the House, I have no right to stay here... I am not afraid to resign and fight elections," Mayawati said.

I am not afraid to fight elections and come to Lok Sabha: Mayawati

Mayawati, who is the only Member of Parliament from the Bahujan Samaj Party has threatened to quit the Rajya Sabha. If she indeed tenders her resignation, the BSP will lose presence in the Upper House. Mayawati's term was due to end in a year.

Earlier, the House was adjourned soon after it met in morning, on the second day of the Monsoon Session.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House till Wednesday 11 am after members raised slogans and created a ruckus over various issues.

The Lok Sabha was on Tuesday adjourned soon after it met for the second time following uproar in the House over several issues, including farmers' plight and cow slaughter.

"When Mayawati tried to talk, she was told that we have got the mandate. We did not know the BJP has got the mandate for massacre of minorities and Dalits. We are not with this government," an angry Azad said, and walked out of the House.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad took objection to Naqvi's remarks, saying the BJP had got a mandate to protect the poor, farmers, minorities and Dalits.

The Congress on Tuesday walked out of the Rajya Sabha after Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the BJP had got a mandate to rule, as BSP supremo Mayawati vociferously spoke against atrocities on Dalits and minorities in Uttar Pradesh and demanded a discussion on the issue.

Wednesday will likely to see the aftershocks of of Tuesday's chaos in both Houses, with Opposition parties alleging that the government is throttling alternative voices after Mayawati resigned from the Upper House. Moreover, the state of agriculture and farmers' protests, one of the key issues in Opposition's cache of weapons with which it plans to corner the Centre, is slated for discussion under Rule 193.

According to Rajya Sabha TV, the opening question in the Rajya Sabha is likely to strike off a fiery start as the Opposition has listed a question on increased incidents of mob lynching in the name of cow vigilantism.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar said that we do hopes that whatever happens but both Houses should function. The BJP leader said that the government is ready to hold a constructive debate on any issue the Opposition may want to raise but the Houses must transact business

The BJP parliamentary panel met ahead of the Day 3 of the Monsoon Session. The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes ahead of key Cow vigilantism and farmer crisis debates listed for discussion in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively.

"GJM, which is an alliance party of NDA, has sent its General Secretary Roshan Giri, study forum member Swaraj Thapa, central committee members R. Moktan and P.T. Ola, and Kurseong sub-division member Kishore Thapa," GJM chief Bimal Gurung said in a press release.

Urging all pro-Gorkhaland parties in the Darjeeling hills to meet their allied national party MPs with the demand to raise the Gorkhaland issue in the current monsoon session of Parliament, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) said it had sent a seven-member delegation to Delhi.

The Opposition MPs want a greater drought relief package for the Northeastern states. Over 80 people have been killed in the massive floods in the Northeastern states and lakhs are stranded.

According to CNN-News18, Congress MPs from the Northeastern states staged protests in the Parliament complex, ahead of the Day 3 of Monsoon Session. The MPs were protesting against, what they termed as the government's apathy towards the massive floods in the region.

JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav raised the issue of farmers' crisis in the Upper Houe amid noise. Yadav said that the government has failed to help the farmers in getting the right prices for their produce.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned, within minutes after convening as the Opposition continued sloganeering despite Parliamentary Affairs minister's repeated appeals and Speaker's requests. The Opposition wanted an adjournment motion on the issue of farmer suicides, while a short discussion was already listed in the Lower House.

He also said that four people have died in Ghitorni, Delhi and asked the government if they have taken any option.

Drawing the House's attention towards the menace of manual scavenging, Ali Anwar Ansari said that the empathy of the House and the government has died. He claimed that despite legislations in place, the prctice contiinued unabated and has caused rampant loss of lives. He also said that the lack of proper equipment and humane working conditions has made the situation worse.

The Centre responding to this stated that no such move has been planned and added that the Centre's policy on languages is clear. "We want to further the cause of all languages without imposing any language on any one."

D Raja asked that media has reported that preservation of Tamil language was being shifted to Central university in Thiruvallur. He raised concerns that the move may compromise the autonomous nature of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil Studies.

Congress MP from Gurdaspur alleged that the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has been dilly-dallying on the status of the 40 Indian youths abducted by the terror organisation in Iraq. He said that the government has given conflicting responses on the floor of the House, requesting Swaraj to come clean on the issue and accept lapse if the youths have been killed.

This prompted the Opposition leaders to stand up and create noise. The proceedings of Zero Hour continued amid the din.

Congress leader requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to raise the issue of farmer's crisis rtight away. However, the Speaker didn't allow the debate on the grounds that the discussion was already listed for the same day.

Congress' Digvijay Singh asked that why the government was reluctant on formulating a new law when mob lynching has surfaced as a menace in the society. The government responded stating that the existing legislation is enough and the state governments have complete freedom to act on the matter.

The Rajya Sabha debated on cow vigilantism as the Opposition asked government why a new law wasn't being introduced on the isue.

The government was asked in the Upper House that why the National Crime Record Bureau was not keeping track of mob lynchings na dcow vigilntism related incidents when every other type of crime was being documented.

Rajya Sabha adjourned for ten minutes over noisy protests by SP members over incidents of lynchings and cow vigilantes.

Targetting the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government BJP's Anurag Singh Thakur questioned the delay in justice over the rape of a class 10th student in Shimla. The MP said that while Nirbhaya's (Jyoti Singh) rape created national outrage, why was it that a teenager's brutal murder and rape in Himachal failed to arouse empathy in the state government.

Farmers' leader and Member of Parliament, Raju Shetti slammed ally BJP for going back on its poll promises. Raising the issue of the death of six farmers in Madhya Pradesh in June, he said that the government apathy towards farmers' plight is shocking. He reminded the BJP of his support during the election and reiterated his demand for farm loan waivers for all farmers.

In a message to the Opposition, he said that by raising such incidents and converting them into huge issues, they will not be able to hamper the Modi government's agenda. We all have to fight together towards defeating and isolating the people behind these incident, he said.

Naqvi urged the Rajya Sabha members to not convert crime into communalism. It will only help those who want their to be seen from a religious light, he said. Naqvi further said that despite inheriting a nation paralysed with corruption, they have changed it so the entire world is saluting India now.

After examining the clip of Naresh Agarwal's statement, PJ Kurien said that per se, it was derogatory and hurt the sentiments of a community. Agarwal took his comments back after Kurien condemned it.

The SP leaders slams Uttar Pradesh government for increasing number of crimes against women in the state. Agrawal also seeks apology from the state government over the the anti-Romeo drive.

The CPM leader also spoke against anti-Romeo sqauds. "These private armys are taking law into their own hands. They will have to be banned. Because that is the only way you can stop these private armies. We immediately ask for these vigilantism groups, by central order," he says.

Yechury refers lynching cases of Mohammed Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan. "Is this what my country is coming to, sir?" he asks.

Kurien also conveyed that he would want Mayawati to take back her resignation to which other members also agreed.

"I have lot of respect for her. On Tuesday, it was a procedurial matter. I was not taking a 267 (suspension rule). It was a communication gap," he said.

"Yesterday, there was no notice from Kumari Mayawati. What happened is, when I commented, I found Kumari standing. I thought I should give her three minutes. I said three minutes. I bypassed LOP (Leader of Opposittion) and allowed Kumari," he said.

After BSP leader Satish Mishra accused PJ Kurien of discriminating against Mayawati, the deputy chairman sought to set the record straight.

A slugfest also emerged between BJP and Congress over a dossier prepared by the research department of the All-India Congress Committee. It was leaked on Wednesday morning and lists several issues to corner the government during the ongoing Monsoon Session. The 'key issues to raise in Parliament' section puts "mob violence and lynching  from Akhlaq to Junaid" top-most on the agenda. The Congress did raise the lynching issue extensively on Wednesday. However, proceedings began with the agrarian distress.

Proceedings in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were disrupted multiple times on Wednesday, after MPs protested the agrarian crisis, cow vigilantism and Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal's comments linking Hindu gods with brands of alcohol.

Kurien, responding to this, asked the MP to let the matter rest, adding that he inisits that there was no notice given by Mayawati before speaking, however, he conceded that the notice was given by Misra.

This was in contrast with the clarification issued by Kurien on Wednesday, who had said that it was a procedurial matter. "I was not taking a 267 (suspension rule)."

Seeking to correct the records of the Rajya Sabha, BSP MP Satish Misra read out the records of the House Proceedings. Misra said that Mayawati was interrupted 62 times during her brief speech. He pointed out that the Deputy Speaker PJ Kurien himself had said that the matter is being taken under Rule 269 and not Zero Hour.

BSP RS MP Satish Misra seeks to correct record, says Mayawati did not speak out of turn

Congress MP Digvijay Singh, in the Zero Hour of the Rajya Sabha said that the farmer crisis was not eliciting enough empathy from the government. he pointed out that the BJP had promised higher MSP for farm produce during elections but three years on, it has failed to fulfill its promise.

Congress MP from Assam, Sanjay Singh said that even after days of the state reeling under floods nd scores of death, the rescue efforts remain far from satisfactory. He said that the floods are a recurring issue, still the government failed to promulgate an advanced contingency plan, which has resulted in massive loss of life and property in the Northeastern states.

The MPs requested that the matter should be listed for a full-fledged discussion.

The BJP government was asked to reassess the impact of GST on the handloom and textile sector. West Bengal MPs Ritabrata Banerjee, Sukhendu Shekhar Rai and Ahmed Patel along with several other MPs pointed out that the imposition of GST has created a problem for small textile traders, who were earlier exempt from taxes will now have to file GST papers 36 times in a year. The textile traders have been striking for some time to flag the difficulties being faced by them.

He said that the government should constitute a censor board to reign in such adverts.

"There are many vulgar advertisements on TVs these days, which are also very misleading... I also tried a fairness cream hoping that I may become fairer but nothing happened," Agarwal said.

To this, the Dy Chairman said that the MPs are citizens too and in case of a crime/ violations committed by them, the law of the land should prevail. He, however, said that the airlines have no jurisdiction to punish anyone, therefor the combined action of all airlines against MPs should be looked into by the government.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said that of late there have been news reports focusing on only one side of the story about MPs allegedly misbehaving with airlines staff. Addressing the chair, he said that the action of airlines against MPs in such cases compromises their privileges.

"Sources also added that the panel has finalised its report on bad loans and challenges in the banking sector for presentation to Parliament," the news report said.

The parliamentary panel on finance is likely to finalise its report on demonetisation of high value currency notes on Thursday, Rajya Sabha TV reported.

Responding to a question on India-China relations, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, "It's wrong to say that China is encircling India in Indian Ocean Region. India is vigilant of its security interests, and no one can encircle it."

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that India's stand on South China has been very clear. She said that India maintains that free and uninterrupted passage for commercial vessels should be maintained in the region and any dispuets should be solved with Indian norms and mutual cooperation.

"The tri-junction is a shared border between India, China and Bhutan but China was unilaterally trying to build a pucca road and unilaterally alter the status-quo in the region," she said.

Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha that Sikkim standoff is only about 'just demands' from the Indian side. She said that both Bhutan and India are sovereign nations and are working to resolve their respective border disputes with China. The minister, however, added that the current standoff was a result of Chinese action that directly threatened Indian interests.

The remarks came after SP member Naresh Agrawal raised the issue of recent flying ban imposed by major domestic airlines, including state-owned Air India

Airlines have no authority to impose flying ban on anybody, including parliamentarians, and the law of the land should take its course, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said on Thursday.

As Opposition protests forced a near washout in the Lok Sabha today, Tamil Nadu farmers who have gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand farm loan waivers amid other things, paraded with human skulls and beat themselves with slippers as a sign of protest.

Shiromani Akali Dal's Naresh Gujral said that such incidents were not only condemnable but against the spirit of India. He said that apart from prime minister's strong words strict action was also necessary.

SAD's Naresh Gujral condemns mob lynching, says tough action and tolernce is the only way forward

Kapil Sibal, in a strong worded condemnation for cow vigilantism, said that the issue was much more far reaching than the government was ready to accept. He said that the prime minister has issued three statements in three years, but there has been no action on the ground to support his words.

He said that on one hand he gloriefies extremism and on the other hand he talks of Mahatma Gandhi, "this is paramount to misleading the people... Modi is indulging in double speak."

Kapil Sibal invoked Narendra Modi's old speeches claiming that the prime minister's latest statements amounted to double speak. He said that Modi had on repeated occasion glorified cow worship and violence, stirring emotions of people. "Cows are being killed for money, how can you take this lying," Sibal quoted Modi as saying.

"Whatever is happening in India has nothing to do with vigilantes, it has everything to do with the prime minister," Sibal said. He said that the prime minister was creating an environmnet where such elements felt encouraged to carry out their agenda and disturb the peace and tranquility of the nation.

After Sibal concluded his remark, BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stood up and said that the rules said that organisations/ individuals who can't defend themselves in the House shouldn't be named. He asked that such names should be expunged from records.

Kapil Sibal said that while the BJP was trying to distance itself from cow vigilantism, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are openly "encouraging and recruiting" vigilantes and "religious militants".

"Do you dare to openly condemn VHP, Bajrang Dal and term them anti-social organisation... but that's where you f=get your electoral support from," Sibal said.

Sibal said that on one hand "BJP says that don't drag us in this issue as law and order is a state subject... while VHP, Bajrang Dal, who are your own people, are openly encouraging such things."

Kapil Sibal said that cow vigilantes were just like Salwa Judum who made their own laws and then brought people to 'justice' on their own. He said that such people insult Hinduism and are fake Hindu.

"You have destroyed leather industry, snatched whatever means of livelihood the poor had, and forced the prices of cattle stock to fall... please don't rake up unnecessary issues and use your mandate to do good work," Yadav told the treasury benches.

Sharad Yadav told the House that he can give umpteen examples where individuals were living under fear of lynching and communal harmony has come under strain. He questioned that why this issue arose for the first time in over 60 years in such a big way only after BJP came to power.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar tells Rajya Sabha, "We need to condemn issues of cow vigilantes taking matters into their own hands, but we can't have selective amnesia. In 1984, Sikhs were lynched in large numbers, which can even today be considered one of the worst riots in independent India. In 2001, at Godhra, thousands burnt devotees on their way back from Ayodhya. So if we are condemning lynchings, we must condemn all lynchings through history."

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad takes exception to Prakash Javadekar's speech, says no party has had as much of an effort in nation building as the Congress. Party stages walkout from Rajya Sabha following the speech.

Muslims constitute 86 percent of people who have been killed in communal riots. We cannot have an "ostrich-like" approach. We need to accept the facts. A mob is like a raging fire. Those feeding the frenzy are equally responsible. In most of these instances, the police hasn't registered a case. Even when they do, the victims are blamed, or their families are blamed.

Left leaders speak about 'intolerance' but what about political workers and families hacked in Kerala? Since the Left government came to power, 15 people were killed. It seems to suggest that some violent crimes are OK but some others aren't.

Congress leader Kumari Selja from Haryana says, "Atrocities against Dalits have increased under NDA rule, in different states. Manual scavenging is still being practised, though it's against the law. They also have to pick up carcasses of dead cows, so they can be sent to leather and tanning units. The Dalits have been told to both pick up the dead cows, and when they do, you also have them beaten, like it happened in Una."

Dalits have to pick up dead cows' carcasses, but are lynched when they do

"People who claim to be gau rakshaks never actually take care of the cows. There are cows dying of hunger and negligence in Haryana and Rajasthan, but nobody even gives them food," said Kumari Selja, Congress MP from Haryana.

After BJP leaders raised raised allegations of political killings against Left parties, CPM leader KK Ragesh said BJP is targeting Kerala with a divisive agenda. "They are spitting venom. A madrassa worker Mohd Riyaz, was killed only because he was a Muslim. An eight-year-old child was killed. The CPM is trying to preserve the secular fabric of the state, which is why they are being targeted," Ragesh said.

Referring to accusations made by BJP leaders that CPM workers are targetting them and killing their activists, Ragesh said members of both parties have been targeted. "After the Left govt took charge in Kerala, 13 CPM workers were also killed in Kerala. But why aren't the BJP leaders talking about this?" he asked.

13 Left workers killed since last year, why isn't anybody talking about it, asks Kerala CPM

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley says, "Regarding every event, whichever state it took place in, the home minister took stock of the situation. In every instance, action was taken against the culprits who are all in jail today. They have been chargesheeted and will face trial."

Jaitley says action taken against accused in every instance of mob lynching

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley says cow slaughter ban was brought in by Jawaharlal Nehru's government. "Law prohibiting cow slaughter was passed during Jawaharlal Nehru's rule. The law had Ambedkar's assent. So how can Congress blame BJP government of Narendra Modi for this?" he asked the Rajya Sabha.

Talking about the issue of political killings in Kerala, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Congress' government under Oomen Chandy ruled the state for five years, but not a single such instance was reported. "Why are there cases coming up only after LDF government took charge?" he asked.

Rajya Sabha has adjourned for the day, following Arun Jaitley's speech on communal violence and mob lynchings.

He said that this amounted to flouting the privileges enjoyed by a Member of Parliament.

Naresh Agrawal told the chair that his remark linking alcohol to Hindu gods was expunged from the records in Rajya Sabha and he also took back those comments. "However, despite that, BJP Yuva Morcha leaders are threatening me, they vandalised my residence, and media houses are rampantly reporting on those remarks, quoting them out of contest," Agrawal said.

The CPM leader said that this was unconstitutional and against the right to food.

CPM leader Mohammad Salim said that the West bengal food grain minister has threatened to stop the supply of food grains in the Hills of West Bengal, after the pro-Gorkhaland protesters declined to relent and call-off the bandh.

He said that this amounted to flouting the privileges enjoyed by a Member of Parliament.

Naresh Agrawal told the chair that his remark linking alcohol to Hindu gods was expunged from the records in Rajya Sabha and he also took back those comments. "However, despite that, BJP Yuva Morcha leaders are threatening me, they vandalised my residence, and media houses are rampantly reporting on those remarks, quoting them out of contest," Agrawal said.

The CPM leader said that this was unconstitutional and against the right to food.

CPM leader Mohammad Salim said that the West bengal food grain minister has threatened to stop the supply of food grains in the Hills of West Bengal, after the pro-Gorkhaland protesters declined to relent and call-off the bandh.

With the proceedings of the Parliament getting turbulent in the Parliament, the government is hard-pressed to push its agenda. The Houses have not been transacting much legislative business amid repeated disruptions and Opposition's demand to debate key issue.

On Thursday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die after repeated disruptions by the Opposition over farm crisis and cow vigilantism. The Rajya Sabha, however, say a heated debate over cow vigilantism. Sparks flew in the Upper House on during the discussion on cow vigilantism and atrocities on Dalits, with the opposition trying to corner the government and a minister raking up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra incident.

As the opposition accused the government of creating an atmosphere of fear in the country, the government in its reply said there was nothing anti-Muslim or anti-Dalit about the incidents, but cow vigilantism should not be "eulogised".

Speaking on the issue, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "doublespeak" and giving "gau rakshaks" (cow vigilantes) a free hand.

"It (mob violence) has nothing to do with cow vigilantes ... It has something to do with Narendra Modi. It is the Prime Minister who is creating the kind of environment in which this is happening," Sibal said in a bitter attack on the government.

"It is better for the Prime Minister to come clean over this rather than indulge in doublespeak," he said, adding that those killing innocent people in the name of cows were not "real Hindus".

He also quoted from old speeches of Modi where he spoke of "pink revolution" and called for stopping cow slaughter.

"We need to ask ourselves as to why this is happening now. We have not seen such violence in the last 40-50 years. The cow represents 'ahimsa' (non-violence). When you kill in the name of cow, you kill the cow, you kill ahimsa and you kill humanity," Sibal said.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that mob violence must be condemned but it should not be done "selectively".

"When I condemn mob lynching, I do not suffer from selective amnesia like some of our opposition colleagues," Javadekar said as he mentioned the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the killing of "karsevaks" in Godhra in Gujarat in 2002.

"In 1984, Sikhs were lynched or burnt alive, at least 3,000 of them. In 2002, Ram 'bhakts' (devotees) returning from Ayodhya were lynched in Godhra. We condemn all such incidents," the HRD Minister said.

He said there were 16 mob lynchings in 2012 and 14 in 2013.

A visibly angry Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad hit back by saying that notwithstanding who was in power, the "parivaar" (a reference to the Sangh family or Hindutva groups) people were found involved in every communal riot in the country.

"Where are the culprits involved in the lynchings in 2012 and 2013? Where are the culprits involved in anti-Sikh riots of 1984?... Very few of them are in jail, rest are roaming free," Javadekar said.

Azad retorted: "Let me say that in all the communal riots that occurred in India, people from your 'parivaar' were found involved."

He said it was the Congress that fought for the country's freedom and "not you people" before the opposition members walked out of the House.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said the Modi government was neither anti-Dalit nor anti-Muslim.

In his reply to the discussion, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would show no sympathy to those lynching people in the name of cow protection.

"Nobody has the right to take law in his hands. And if somebody does, he should be condemned, arrested and prosecuted. The government's stand is very clear -- nobody is allowed to do that," Jaitley said in the Rajya Sabha.

"...there is no rationalisation, no argument about hurting of sentiments can be an explanation for the crime," he said, adding that the central government was absolutely committed on the issue and had already sent an advisory to the states.

"The law will certainly take its course in these cases. No amount of sympathy will be shown to these people. The Prime Minister has spoken thrice on the issue," Jaitley said.

On the atrocities on Dalits, Jaitley said oppression in the name of caste would not be tolerated and that stringent laws were in place to protect the Dalits.

"The way we have historically treated one section of our brethren is a black spot in our history. We owe it to ourselves, if not to them, to reverse that process of history," the minister said.

However, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said, it was also not proper to "eulogise" cow slaughter in states where there was no prohibition on cow slaughter.

BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said that his party was not satisfied with the minister's reply and staged a walkout.

With inputs from agencies
Mumbai: At least six MLAs of the Congress and the NCP in the Maharashtra Assembly seem to have voted for the victorious NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential poll.

Kovind got the votes of 208 MLAs  23 more than the collective tally of MLAs of the BJP and the Shiv Sena.

Opposition nominee Meira Kumar bagged votes from 77 MLAs, which is six less than the total strength of the two parties in the House.

In the 288-member House, the BJP has 122 members, followed by the Sena with 63, Congress with 42, NCP (41), Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP-I) (3), Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) (3), MIM (2), MNS, Samajwadi Party, BBM, CPM and RSP with one each and seven independents.

Of the total MLAs, Maharashtra Bahujan Vikas Aghadi's Kshitij Patil did not vote in the presidential poll on 17 July as he was abroad, while votes from two MLAs were invalid, leaving votes from 285 lawmakers valid.

Meanwhile, the Peasant's and Workers' party (PWP) leader Jayant Patil claimed that more than six MLAs of the Congress voted for Kovind.

"None of my party colleagues voted for Kovind. Same is the case with a CPI(M) member. This means that at least 10 Congress voters have crossed the party line," he claimed.

Incidentally, Ravi Rana, an independent MLA from Amravati in east Maharashtra, had ahead of the presidential election claimed that a group of 15 MLAs from independent and small parties would vote for the NDA candidate.

He had also claimed at least six MLAs from the Congress and seven from the NCP were in touch with him and they would support Kovind.

Meanwhile, the cross-voting has triggered a blame game between the Congress and the NCP.

Of the two jailed NCP MLAs  Chhagan Bhujbal and Ramesh Kadam  who were allowed to vote by court, Kadam had publicly announced that he had voted for Kovind.

NCP state unit president Sunil Tatkare on Thursday said 40 out of all 41 MLAs of the party had voted for Kumar.

"It is the Congress whose members have voted against their Kumar. Sharad Pawarji had announced the name of Meira Kumar, how can we then go against the party line?" he questioned.

Tatkare's Congress counterpart Ashok Chavan, however, said since there was no whip for the presidential poll, there is a possibility of a vote split.

"We will find out who cross-voted though the voting was confidential," he said, adding, "it is not possible to say at this stage whether action will be taken against members who had voted against Kumar."

Sena MP Sanjay Raut said it would be "deceptive" to think that the votes to the candidates represent the party position in the House as there is no whip in the election. "Sena was always of the view that the presidential election should have been unopposed. That means we would have been happier if all the 288 MLAs would have voted for Kovind," he said.

Interestingly, senior Congress leader Narayan Rane has congratulated Kovind for his victory.

"Congratulations to Ram Nath Kovind for getting elected to the country's highest post," he tweeted.

Speculation is rife that the entry of Rane  a former Shiv Sainik sulking in the Congress  in the BJP is imminent.
The political tussle between Puducherry Lieutenant-Governor Kiran Bedi and the Congress government reached a new level when Bedi on Thursday tweeted the image of a poster in which she had been portrayed as Adolf Hitler.

According to News18, Bedi alleged that the local Congress unit was behind the poster as part of its "condemnation agitation against the central government and the Lt-Governor" for the process of nominating MLAs.

The image in the poster showed Hitler's trademark toothbrush moustache superimposed on Bedi's face.

Bedi tweeted the poster with an emoticon of folded hands.

A chapter in the book? Authors included...! pic.twitter.com/6pLnzpEUYf  Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) July 21, 2017

The Puducherry L-G also tweeted some other posters clearly aimed against her, one of which showed a cartoon "which showed the Lt Gov being chased away".

This is series of posters.

Here another one which showed the Lt Gov being chased away.. pic.twitter.com/2YumRQBI6Z  Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) July 21, 2017

Yet another poster was tweeted by Bedi, in which she was portrayed as the Hindu Goddess Kali holding the decapitated head of some politicians, including that of Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.

Part of a series.. pic.twitter.com/zzsdvhuMcw  Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) July 21, 2017

Bedi on Thursday asked why Narayanasamy did not make any recommendations for nominating MLAs to the Union Territory Assembly.

"Did the chief minister for a whole one year make any recommendations? He did not," she had told reporters at Chennai airport.

Defending nomination of three legislators, which intensified the spat between her and Narayanasamy, Bedi had said she did not receive any names for nominating them as MLAs from the chief minister.

She had said the "central government exercised its power to nominate upto three MLAs".

With inputs from PTI
Jaipur: With assembly polls due next year in Rajasthan, BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday virtually began rebooting the party's election machinery, asking leaders and workers to focus on strengthening the organisation at booth-level.

Shah, who started his three-day visit to Rajasthan on Friday, met party MPs, MLAs, and other office-bearers from across the state to chalk out a strategy for BJP's 'Mission 180' to retain power in the desert state.

The BJP chief, who has a proven track record of mobilising cadre to deliver crucial victories for the party, sought suggestions from the members on various issues and assured them that they would be worked out.

"Positive discussions on various issues were held today in his (Shah's) first meeting with ministers and the second major meeting with MPs, MLAs, district presidents and others," BJP's state unit president Ashok Parnami said.

"The biggest mantra Shah gave today is for strengthening booths to ensure victory in elections," he told reporters at the party headquarters in Jaipur after the meeting.

Parnami said the party is implementing Shah's vision and agenda in Rajasthan and exuded confidence that the party would be able to achieve its 'Mission 180' in assembly elections and 'Mission 25' in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP, which wrested power from Congress in Rajasthan in 2013, has 161 MLAs in the House of 200 and aims to raise the tally to 180 in the next assembly elections, he said.

In Lok Sabha, all 25 MPs from Rajasthan are from BJP which the party aims to retain in the next general elections.

MLA (Ramgarh) from Alwar district, Gyan Dev Ahuja, said he raised the issues of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Article 370 of the Constitution which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, rising population, among others.

Ahuja said he has also suggested that the "gap between minority and majority should be bridged."

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, BJP national vice president Om Mathur, Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Goel, C R Chaudhary, besides the heads of various cells of the party were present at the meeting.

However, dissident MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari skipped the meeting.

"I had already made it clear that I will not attend any party meeting or function till the notice served on me is withdrawn," he told PTI.

Tiwari was served notice for indiscipline in May and has since been openly criticising and targeting chief minister Raje.

The BJP chief is also scheduled to meet seers tomorrow to take their feedback and seek their "blessings" for the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Parnami said.

Earlier in the day, Shah, who arrived in Rajasthan on Friday, inaugurated a library and e-library at the party headquarters here which contain more than 2000 books and close to 8400 e-books.

The Nanaji Deshmukh library has books on prime minister Narendra Modi, veteran BJP leader LK Advani, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, and other personalities like Sardar Patel, Veer Sawarkar, Swami Vivekananda, Deel Dayal Upadhyay, BR Ambedkar.

It also has books on Kashmir issues, the terror of ISIS, cultural heritage of India, RSS philosophy, Hindutva, constituent assembly debates, besides documents on the Jansangh and the BJP.
Success has many cross-voters, failure has none.

Ram Nath Kovind's election as India's next president shows how the BJP has succeeded in putting together a huge coalition that even entices members in the rival camp, making Prime Minister Narendra Modi's re-election a foregone conclusion and failure of the Opposition a fait accompli.

Numbers from Kovind's election tell their own story. The NDA candidate was backed by 65 percent of India's elected representatives. Apart from the NDA components, parties like JD(U), TRS, YSR Congress, BJD and AIADMK also voted for Kovind.

In addition, there were the hidden supporters. According to BJP estimates, Kovind got 115 votes more than the party had expected. In Parliament, the NDA candidate got 30 votes more than Kovind's poll managers had expected. In many states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, legislators from Opposition parties voted for Kovind, making the loyalty of Congress and NCP members suspect.

The immediate conclusion from Kovind's sweeping victory is that from a political pariah, the BJP has now become the partner everybody wants to do business with.

From the PDP in the north to AIADMK in the south, regional allies in the east to Congress dissidents in Gujarat and Maharashtra, everyone is now ready to embrace the BJP. This eagerness to ally with the BJP is a stark contrast to the 90s when the saffron party was considered a political untouchable.

The other takeaway, of course, is that it signals at the outcome of the 2019 elections. The coalition of parties that the BJP has put together indicates that Modi could return to power with a bigger mandate in 2019, primarily because of its new partners in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the Northeast. From the nearly 31 percent votes it got in 2014, the BJP's mandate may surge further ahead because of its territorial gains in states that were once considered beyond its reach.

In the south, for instance, the BJP has a problem of plenty. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it is being wooed by all the three non-Congress opposition parties  TRS, YRS Congress and Chandrababu Naidu's Telagu Desam. It would be interesting to see how the BJP deals with the three suitors who compete with each other in the two states. But it is clear that when 2019 nears, Amit Shah would have the luxury of choosing allies best placed to contribute to the BJP tally.

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP looks all set to benefit from the confusion in the AIADMK camp. With Jayalalithaa gone, Sasikala in jail and Panneerselvam still out, the Dravidian party is currently in an existential dilemma. It has survived so far because of the hidden hand of the BJP guiding it. By 2019, the BJP would most likely come out from behind the veil and either have a pre-poll alliance with the AIADMK or snare some of its powerful leaders to become a viable alternate in the state politics.

While all these developments augur a comfortable win for the BJP in 2019, the Opposition, as the numbers from the presidential polls indicate, is in a mess. While many non-NDA parties  JD(U), BJD and NCP  are struggling to figure out their future, arch-BJP rivals like Mulayam Singh Yadav  another possible cross-voter  are revolting and the Congress itself is crumbling.

In Gujarat, where elections are due next, cross-voting by Congress legislators (Kovind got eight more votes than expected) suggests internal dissent could derail the party's plan of making a comeback. Congress legislators loyal to Shankersinh Vaghela seem to have voted for Kovind in a bid to force the high command to name their leader as the chief ministerial candidate. Vaghela is celebrating his birthday on Friday to showcase his strength. It would be interesting to see how the Congress reacts to Vaghela's brinkmanship. Whether he becomes the next Amarinder Singh of Gujarat or turns out to be the party's Himanta Biswa Sarma will influence the Congress poll prospects.

Similarly, in Goa, where the Congress claims to have the mandate of voters, more and more of its legislators are gravitating towards the BJP. With Manohar Parrikar making inroads into the Congress camp, Rahul Gandhi can say goodbye to his dream of toppling the BJP government in Goa.

The biggest headache for the Opposition, of course, is Bihar, where Nitish Kumar can't decide whether to hunt with the NDA or run with the UPA. His confusion guarantees the BJP the luxury of taking on a divided Opposition, a prospect that would put the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats within its grasp.

Kovind's election has given us a glimpse of 2019. And it is clearly advantage BJP. On second thought, it points to a mammoth mandate for Modi.
As it turns out, it was not just members of NDA who voted for President-elect Ram Nath Kovind.

Cross-voting has been reported from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Goa, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and more importantly, from Gujarat and Rajasthan, where Assembly elections are due later. Although some of the cross-voting was in favour of Opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar, most of it helped Kovind.

At least, eight MLAs of the Congress in BJP-ruled Gujarat appeared to have voted for Kovind in the presidential poll. Congress has 57 MLAs in the 182-member state Assembly.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed 11 MLAs from the Opposition party voted in Kovind's favour in addition to the BJP's 121.

In the 182-member House, the BJP has 121 MLAs, Congress 57, NCP two, JD(U) and the Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) one each.

In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition Congress and CPM kept themselves engaged in a blame-game over cross voting, with the Opposition accusing the Mamata government of covertly helping the BJP.

Kovind, who was supposed to get votes of six MLAs of the West Bengal Assembly  three of GJM and three of BJP  got votes of 11 MLAs, which has kicked off a debate among political parties in Kolkata.

The cross-voting, however, was welcomed by the BJP, which termed it as a signal of "the TMC fast losing ground in Bengal". Apart from cross-voting, 10 votes from the Assembly were also declared invalid.

In Maharashtra, at least six MLAs of the Congress and the NCP in the state Assembly seem to have voted for Kovind.

Kovind got the votes of 208 MLAs  23 more than the collective tally of MLAs of the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Kumar bagged votes from 77 MLAs, which is six less than the total strength of the two parties in the Maharashtra state Assembly.

In the 288-member House, the BJP has 122 members, followed by the Sena with 63, Congress with 42, NCP (41), Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP-I) (3), Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) (3), MIM (2), MNS, Samajwadi Party, BBM, CPM and RSP with one each and seven independents.

As many as four elected representatives of Congress in Goa may have cross-voted in favour of NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, who eventually won the election with a handsome margin. Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar took a dig at Congress, saying, "Presidential election is about voting from the heart. This time we had given such a call. The Congress had also done the same thing, so they too must have voted from the heart."

In New Delhi, two AAP MLAs, out of the 63 who exercised their franchise in the presidential poll, indulged in cross-voting, analysis of data shared by the returning officer suggests.

The figure is much less than claims made by the Delhi unit of the BJP on the day of polling, and on expected lines, considering the number of rebel MLAs in the AAP. After casting his vote, sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra had said: "My vote went to one who is all set to become the next president."

On the other hand, in Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said that resentment among the ruling BJP MLAs led to cross-voting in Rajasthan where Kumar got 34 votes against 24 of the Congress.

Pilot claimed the cross-voting shows that the BJP MLAs are not happy and satisfied with the government. The Indian Express further reported that in Uttar Pradesh, Kumar got only 65 votes when she should have got 73 instead. In Assam, Kumar got 35 votes instead of the expected 39.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: The BJP on Friday criticised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over his allegations against the Modi government on its Kashmir policy, saying these are "absolutely incorrect and utterly irresponsible" and terrorists are on the run due to its tough measures.

Hitting out at Gandhi, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said many problems of Jammu and Kashmir are the legacy of the Congress and its role in creating complications in the state is "too well known".

The Congress leader had earlier on Friday said Kashmir is "burning" due to the government's policies.

Reacting to it, Prasad told PTI, "His allegations are absolutely incorrect and utterly irresponsible. Because of highly proactive measures taken by the Modi government with the state government's cooperation, terrorists are on the run today."

Security forces have an upper hand now, he said, claiming that the government had taken tough measures against illegal flow of funds, terrorists and separatists.

Pakistan stands isolated in the world today, Prasad said, noting that the US had called it a safe haven for terrorists.

He credited the central government's diplomatic and pro-active steps for the development, including freezing of funds meant for Pakistan.

He said the people of the state trust the Modi government and it was "evident" from the fact that many young people were joining armed forces and the state police and becoming central government officers.
Celebrating his 77th birthday on Friday, senior Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela quit the party without announcing his future plans. At a rally in Gandhinagar, Vaghela, the former chief minister and former Union minister, said he was unhappy with the way Congress has been for over a couple of months.

Addressing a cheering crowd of 5,000-odd people, Vaghela said he does not want to contest from a party which is already behaving like it has given up, even before the elections were announced. Though there have been no indications about where his political future is headed, one thing is clear  it will be a divided Congress party which will contest the forthcoming Assembly election in Gujarat.

Vaghela, a prominent RSS man, defected from the BJP two decades ago to form his own political party, which then merged with the Congress. It's still not clear what he intends to do in the future, though leaders close to him say that he is in talks with Praful Patel of NCP and leaders of JDU.

Vaghela's resignation comes as a massive jolt for the Congress, a party already battling infighting among its senior leaders. It will also need a complete strategy rethink ahead of the forthcoming Rajya Sabha election, scheduled for next month. And key to the party's Rajya Sabha plans will be the candidacy of Sonia Gandhi's confidante Ahmed Patel. At least 11 Congress legislators from Gujarat cross-voted in the presidential elections earlier this week, and Vaghela's exit could ensure an increase in infighting and anti-party activities.

Vaghela's exit from the party will definitely make things uncomfortable for Ahmed Patel as well. "This is exactly what the BJP is looking at; a weaker Ahmed Patel is advantage BJP in the Rajya Sabha, where the party is already claiming strength in numbers, while Vaghela's exit will further impact the Congress," said a senior Congress leader.

"Vaghela's exit weakens the party in north Gujarat. He alone could have been advantage Congress in at least a dozen seats in north Gujarat, where the BJP is in a sticky wicket because of the Patel agitation," said political analyst Vidyut Joshi.

He said that more than BJP, it is now Congress which has to fight another front. "Bapu, as he is popularly known among people, has ensured Congress workers are demotivated, while also spelling more hard work for the party, which now has to battle another front apart from the BJP," Joshi added.

Vaghela, who has already resigned from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, will resign as an MLA on 9 August, a day after the Rajya Sabha elections.

Following strict instructions from Congress, none of the party MLAs barring his son Mahendrasinh Vaghela and senior leader Raghavji Patel, officially joined the former chief minister at Friday's rally. However, many legislators are rumoured to have extended their support to Vaghela, though they stayed away from his birthday gathering.

Trying to send out a strong message to his rivals and political opponents who are still left guessing where his intentions lie, Vaghela addressed the crowd and said that he was 77 not-out and will continue to serve the people of Gujarat despite not coming from a ruling class.

While it still remains to be seen what plan Vaghela has charted for his future, one thing is for sure  the Gujarat Congress, which has 55 legislators excluding him, will face an uphill battle in the months to come. It will have to rethink a strategy, not only to counter BJP but also those within the party.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and French Ambassador to Ukraine Isabelle Dumont have agreed on the expansion of Ukrainian-French cooperation in the field of civil security and in the field of countering cyber crime.

"France and Ukraine are expanding cooperation in the field of civil security and countering cyber crime. And I want to thank you for your support and the significant contribution of France to the reform of the Interior Ministry system," the press service of the Interior Ministry quoted Avakov as saying on Friday.

The minister also informed about the progress of the reform of the law enforcement sector, which, he said, has increased the disclosure of crimes by 20%.

The parties also agreed to organize trainings with participation of the Ukrainian and French sides.

The ambassador expressed hope that Ukraine would expand cooperation with France in the field of joint border management with the EU.
On the occasion of his 77th birthday, former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela is scheduled to hold a major political show in the state at 2 pm. According to reports, after his last attempt to get something favourable (Vaghela wanted to be the chief ministerial candidate) from the Congress failed on Thursday, he may try and split the Congress unit, The Times of India reported.

His revolt has already sent tremors in the main Opposition party, who has cautioned its workers not to attend the rally called by Vaghela on Friday, The Indian Express reported. Vaghela responded by saying, "Whoever wants to come can come and whoever does not, should not. A party has the right to stop its workers and workers have the right to decide what they want to do. They are not bonded labourers," ANI reported.

Meanwhile, if he quits the Congress and some of the MLAs close to him follow suit, it may spell a major boon for the BJP ahead of the crucial state Assembly elections. The rift in the Congress will be a political gain for the BJP, which is hoping to retain Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state Gujarat in the elections scheduled for later this year.

Vaghela was earlier a member of the BJP and had become the chief minister of Gujarat by staging a coup against the party in 1996 with the help of the Congress. He set up his own party Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) and later merged it with the Congress.

He has been asserting with the Congress leadership to hand over the reins of the Assembly election to him and make him the chief ministerial candidate, NDTV reported. About 36 of the 57 Congress legislators had backed him in staking claim to the chief ministerial post.

For the first time, Congress on Thursday evening issued a warning to Vaghela not to play politics under the guise of his birthday celebrations. He was also told that his public utterances would not be tolerated by the party any further.

After Vaghela announced his birthday celebrations, senior Congress leader Siddharth Patel and national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil met him at his residence to placate him as well as to convey him not to hold public events and embarrass the party. Vaghela is believed to have told them to convince the Congress leadership to make him the face of the party.

Congress has always been wary of Vaghela because of his unpredictable loyalty. Livemint quoted a senior Congress leader as saying, "Given that he has a number of friends in both RSS and BJP he could either join them back or use this as a pressure tactic to demand a larger role for himself." Some of the Congress members who oppose him argue that he is not a born Congressman and they have ensured that he does not get a free hand in the elections, according to Catch News. Vaghela had reportedly asked for autonomy to run the Congress campaign for the upcoming Gujarat elections.

Meanwhile, Vaghela has been very vocal about his displeasure with the party. He said on 24 June that there had been no planning for the elections and he had objections to the ad-hocism going on, taking a dig at Congress Gujarat chief Bharatsinh Solanki. Vaghela has also said he had fought enough electoral battles and would now rather fight for the people of Gujarat, The Economic Times reported.

He has also criticised the party high command for ignoring his repeated suggestions on election preparations in the state, according to The Hindu. Vaghela has also unfollowed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and some other party leaders on Twitter.

His statement about Solanki raises speculations of BJP's involvement in the ensuing drama. He met with BJP president Amit Shah in March and shared photos of the meeting saying it had "no relevance to any political equations."

Although he has publicly denied joining the BJP, Navbharat Times reported that BJP chief Amit Shah has been trying to create a rift in the Congress party through Vaghela. The report states that the cross-voting in the Presidential election happened on the behest of Shah. At least eight MLAs of the Opposition Congress appeared to have voted for NDA's Ram Nath Kovind instead of Opposition candidate Meira Kumar in the Thursday election.

If the Navbharat Times report is to be believed, Shah has penned down an elaborate plan to take down the Congress in Gujarat. A part of the plan is to have Vaghela snap ties from Congress without joining the BJP and ask for Solanki's removal

However, Vaghela's decision is not yet known. While there are reports that he is all set to split the Congress, ABP reported that he may just announce his retirement from politics and his supporting MLAs may quit in such a scenario. Meanwhile The Telegraph reported that Vaghela met NCP leader Praful Patel and may join a third front that JD(U) and NCP are trying to form in Gujarat. MLAs of the Congress, NCP and JD(U) have also been invited for the Friday meet.
Once the leader of an opposition-less state government and now a party-less chief minister. Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang, who was recently sworn in, has made a history of distinct uniqueness for himself. When Zeliang was being sworn in as the chief minister at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima, the news of his expulsion from NPF was released in the media rendering him a chief minister without any party affiliation.

Though the country has a number of examples of independent MLAs becoming party-less chief ministers, Zeliangs case is seen as a unique one as he was a bonafide NPF MLA prior to taking the oath.

The NPF leadership hoped that Zeliangs expulsion would bring the dissident party MLAs supporting him back to its fold, but to its surprise the support for him remained unwavered. On Friday, the chief minister went on to win the floor test.

After his expulsion on Wednesday, Yitachu, an NPF MLA, had said to Firstpost, "After Zeliangs expulsion, no NPF MLA should support his chief ministership. They will risk their party membership if they do."

But on Friday an NPF leader on condition of anonymity said that these threats have hardly worked.

"Zeliang enjoys the support of at least 48 MLAs out of which 36 are NPF legislators in the Nagaland Assembly which presently has an effective strength of 59," he said.

Four out of remaining 12 MLAs supporting Zeliang belong to the BJP and eight are independents.

As per sources, out of 47 MLAs NPF has, only 11 are with the party president and outgoing chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

Liezietsus ouster from the chief ministers office and Zeliang replacing him have caused much embarrassment to the party leadership.

Zeliang was elected as the chief minister of Nagaland for the first time in 2014 when the then chief minister Neiphiu Rio resigned from his post and contested the Lok Sabha election.

Rio won the election but Zeliang faced dissidence a year later as 22 MLAs of the party demanded his resignation. Worst of all, Rio threw his weight on the side of the dissidents.

By that time Zeliang had learnt to maneuver through crisis in a state in which power is so fickle.

To pave the way out of this crisis Zeliang appealed to all the political parties to support him to form an opposition less government to ensure political stability in the state.

Zeliang received a favourable response to his appeal. As a result of his appeal, eight Congress MLAs joined NPF. On the other hand BJP, NCP, JD(U) and independents were already part of the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government.

Though 22 MLAs revolted against his leadership, Zeliang acquired support from the remaining 38 MLAs from various parties by appealing to form an opposition-less government, and his government was saved from a fall.

Rio was suspended from the party after this incident for alleged involvement in anti-party activities.

Zeliang continued to be the chief minister of Nagaland until last February when he was compelled to step down as from the office for Liezietsu to take over, due to the eruption of a violent protest against his decision to reserve 33 percent seats for women in urban local body election.

After six months long hibernation Zeliang became active again in Nagalands power politics on 4 July when he began dissidence against Liezietsu. After 15 days of dissidence, he ousted Liezietsu to become the chief minister once again. But this time around he became the chief minister without a party as he was expelled from the party during the oath-taking ceremony itself.
A faction of Naga People's Front MLAs led by ousted chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu organised a beef feast in the party's head office in Kohima on Friday to protest TR Zeliang's elevation as the new chief minister of Nagaland.

The beef feast is said to have been organised by the youth wing of the NPF also 'to mark severance of ties' with BJP soon after Zeliang proved his majority in the Nagaland Assembly on Friday with support from MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The youth wing of NPF also issued a press release in the form of a letter inviting the governor of Nagaland to the event.

The press release reiterated allegations of the Liezietsu-led faction of the party that the governor played a biased role in the recent political crisis in Nagaland by favouring the dissident Zeliang faction of the party. "Your Excellency has turned a blind eye to a monumental travesty of democracy where a member of the Assembly who is expelled from the NPF for a period of six years has been accepted as the chief whip of the same party from which he has been expelled," the press release said.

It is to be mentioned here that Zeliang was expelled from the NPF on Wednesday, the very day he took oath as the chief minister of Nagaland. Interestingly, Zeliang was appointed as the chief minister after Liezietsu failed to turn up at the Assembly to face a no-confidence vote. A floor test was held on Friday which Zeliang won comfortably, thus emerging as the chief whip of the party.

The release added, "Your Excellency has been a member of the cabal of legislators who created a parliamentary history when they elected a chief whip themselves without the consent and knowledge of the political party that they claim to belong to."

It also said, "And so, to celebrate your latest political coup, and to mark the severance of ties with your political party, the BJP, we are organising a beef feast (your excellency knows Nagas are voracious meat eaters) this evening and would like to take this opportunity to invite you to cancel some of your not-so-official engagements in political scheming and to come and join us for dinner at the NPF Central Office in Kohima."

Though the 'beef feast was organised to mark the severance of party's ties with the BJP, which the Liezietsu led faction of the NPF has been harping about, it also brought to fore the divide in opinion within the NPF.

The chief executive council of the Liezietsu-led faction of NPF decided to severe ties with the BJP in a meeting held on 18 July. Yitachu, a leader of the Liezietsu faction of NPF told Firstpost said, "BJP is not truthful to its alliance partners. It has always inflicted crisis in NPF. This time too they supported a dissident group of MLAs to form government. It did this to convert the NPF-led government into a BJP government. This is not the correct way to maintain an alliance."

But significantly, the Zeliang faction of NPF and the BJP have a different story to tell.

Imkong L Imchen, an MLA who supported Zeliang's candidature as the chief minister of Nagaland denied the allegations raised by the Liezietsu faction of NPF. "The BJP would continue to remain an alliance partner of our government," he said, adding that the Liezietsu-led faction "does not represent the best interests of the NPF".
Manila: Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on Friday vowed that he would never visit "lousy" America despite an earlier invitation extended by US president Donald Trump.

Duterte made the declaration as he expressed anger at a US Congress human rights commission hearing where various advocate groups assailed his bloody war on drugs.

"There will never be a time during my term when I will be going to America or thereafter," he told reporters.

"I've seen America and its lousy. They have many human rights violations," he added, referring to US troops fighting in the West Asia.

Duterte, who took office in 2016, previously announced he was distancing the country from its main defence ally the United States after the administration of then-US president Barack Obama criticised his bloody anti-drug campaign which has left thousands dead.

But after Trump was elected president, he called up Duterte in April and praised the campaign, even inviting him to the White House.

At the time, Duterte said he could not commit to such a visit because he had other overseas trips scheduled.

At a hearing on Thursday in Washington on human rights violations under Duterte's war on drugs, US Congressman James McGovern said that Duterte should not have been invited and that he would lead protests against the Philippine leader if he appeared.

This prompted the angry rejoinder from Duterte who said "what makes that guy think I will go to America?"

The Philippine president had previously called Obama a "son of a whore" for his criticism but has been friendly towards Trump.

Duterte continues to enjoy wide popular support despite the spate of killings.
Beijing: A powerful explosion on Friday tore through a shop in China's eastern Hangzhou city popular among tourists, killing at least two persons and injuring 55 others, officials said.

The blast ripped through three restaurants and damaged a combined burned area of 200 square meters at around 8.40 am in the Zhejiang province's West Lake district.

Billowing flames and strong heat shattered the glass of passing vehicles, including a bus, causing most of the injuries, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Bottled Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has been blamed for the blast, the report quoted local officials as saying.

The fire has been put out and all the injured have been sent to hospitals, according to the city's fire department.

Authorities said that 55 people were receiving treatment in six hospitals. Seven of the injured people were critical.

Among the injured, two were restaurant employees while the rest were passengers in passing vehicles or pedestrians.

The district public security bureau has identified the two persons who died in the blast. One was on the bus and the other riding a bicycle when the blast occurred.

Meanwhile, police have taken the shop owner into custody.

The provincial blood centre has appealed to the local residents to donate blood.

Che Jun, the provincial Communist Party chief, called for all-out efforts to treat the injured, saying a thorough investigation needed to be conducted as well as extensive checks to rule out hazards that could undermine public safety.

The shop is located in the West Lake district, a well-known scenic area. The lake was used as the backdrop of a performance directed by Zhang Yimou as part of the G20 summit last year.

Millions of tourists come to Hangzhou every year. They are drawn by the scenic beauty of its temples and lakefront location.
Beijing: China's foreign minister has called on Qatar and four Arab nations to resolve their diplomatic crisis through talks within the Gulf Cooperation Council, state media reported on Friday.

Wang Yi made the remarks after meeting with his Qatari counterpart in Beijing on Thursday, a day after he held talks with a top official from the United Arab Emirates, one of the nations at odds with Doha.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on 5 June, accusing the country of ties with Iran and of funding Islamist extremist groups. Dohadenies the claims.

"All sides should continue restraint and conduct face-to-face talks as soon as possible, so as to avoid escalation of the situation, send out a positive signal in addressing the crisis through political and diplomatic means, and reassure the role of the GCC," Wang was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Wang said China supports Kuwait's mediation in the dispute and stands ready to play a constructive role in promoting peace through talks if necessary.

Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said his country is willing to launch constructive talks on the basis of respecting sovereignty, non-interference in domestic affairs and complying with international law, according to Xinhua.

Wang met with UAE minister of state Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber on Wednesday and called for the crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means, Xinhua had reported this week.

The UAE and the three other Arab nations have imposed a slew of sanctions on Qatar, including the closure of its only land border.

The Gulf crisis is the worst to hit the region since the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981.
Washington: Battling brain cancer, John McCain on Thursday vowed to return to the Senate, leveling fresh criticism at the Trump administration and aiming a good-natured dig at Republican and Democratic colleagues shaken by news of his diagnosis.

I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support - unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by!  John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 20, 2017

Showing no signs of stepping back from political and national security battles, he issued a statement slamming the Trump administration over its Syria policy.

Reports admin ending prgm to assist Syrian opposition irresponsible, short-sighted& plays into Russia, Assad's hands https://t.co/N7KVqn1VD6  John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 20, 2017

The 80-year-old McCain, the GOP's presidential nominee in 2008 and a six-term Arizona lawmaker, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, who had removed a blood clot above his left eye last Friday. They also managed to remove all of the tumor that was visible on brain scans.

The senator and his family are considering further treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, as he recuperates at his home in Arizona. US President Donald Trump called the senator on Thursday, said a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.

In a blistering statement through his office, McCain criticized the administration over reports that it was ending a program to assist Syrian opposition forces fighting the government of Bashar Assad.

"If these reports are true, the administration is playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin," said McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and short-sighted."

More significantly, McCain's absence complicated Republican leader Mitch McConnell's plans for a Senate vote on a GOP health care bill to erase much of Barack Obama's law. A vote is possible as early as Tuesday, but Republican defections plus McCain's likely absence could sink any chance even to get started.

McCain's closest friend in the Senate, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said that they had spoken by telephone Wednesday night and that the diagnosis had been a shock to McCain. But Graham said "woe is me" is not in McCain's DNA. "One thing John has never been afraid of is death," said Graham, who said he expects McCain to be back at the Capitol.

Prior to a Thursday news conference on immigration legislation, Graham said McCain called him three times. "He is yelling at me to buck up, I'm so going to buck up," Graham said.

It was unclear how long McCain might be out. Earlier this year, US senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., missed several weeks after undergoing back surgery. Former senator Mark Kirk, R-Ill, was out for nearly a year after suffering a stroke in 2012.

Meantime, prayers and words of encouragement flowed in Thursday from presidents and Senate colleagues past and present.

"I called Senator John McCain this morning to wish him well and encourage him in his fight. Instead, he encouraged me," said former President George W. Bush, who prevailed over McCain for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000. "I was impressed by his spirit and determination."

Former US senator Bob Dole of Kansas said: "Having known John for many decades, I am certain that he is as tough as they come  if anyone can defeat this, it's him. John is a true American hero."

According to the American Brain Tumor Association, more than 12,000 people a year are diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same type of tumor that struck McCain's Democratic colleague in legislative battles, the late Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. The American Cancer Society puts the five-year survival rate for patients over 55 at about 4 percent.

McCain, a former combat pilot, has a lifetime of near-death experiences  surviving a July 1967 fire and explosion on the USS Forrestal that killed 134 sailors, flying into power lines in Spain, being shot down in October 1967 and falling into Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi, and going through 5 1/2 years in a North Vietnamese prison.

"The Hanoi Hilton couldn't break John McCain's spirit many years ago, so Barbara and I know  with confidence  he and his family will meet this latest battle in his singular life of service with courage and determination," said former President George HW Bush.

Commenting on both McCain and the response, Dick Durbin, D-Ill, said, "The outpouring of bipartisan respect and love for John McCain as he faces this cancer battle reminds us that after all the meanness there is a human side to politicians. Count this Democrat in John McCain's corner."

In the past, McCain had been treated for melanoma, but this primary tumor is unrelated. Doctors said McCain is recovering from his surgery "amazingly well" and his underlying health is excellent.
Jerusalem: Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site.

The rare ban came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

"Entry to the Old City and Temple Mount will be limited to men aged 50 and over. Women of all ages will be permitted," a police statement said.

Police said later on Friday that discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors instead of forcing everyone to go through them. But Palestinian and religious leaders were still calling on worshippers not to enter until they were removed.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalem's Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gate  the entrance most heavily used by Palestinians  blocked.

A group of several hundred people, including Muslim leaders, marched towards the Lions Gate entrance to the mosque compound, but police informed them that only men over 50 would be allowed.

Police later fired stun grenades towards the protesters around the Old City. At least one Israeli checkpoint could be seen on a major road into Jerusalem. There were reports of others and claims that Muslims being bused in for Friday prayers were being stopped.

Tensions have risen since police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceive as a means for Israel to assert further control over the site.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Israel to remove the detectors. He spoke by telephone with both Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli president Reuven Rivlin on Thursday.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the metal detectors were intended to ensure the safety of worshippers and visitors and not an attempt to disturb the fragile status quo under which Jordan is custodian of the site and Jewish prayer is forbidden.

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound in protest at the metal detectors, and hundreds have been holding prayers outside, with clashes occasionally breaking out with Israeli police.

The main weekly prayers on Fridays draw the largest number of worshippers  typically thousands  and speculation had been mounting that Netanyahu might order the metal detectors removed.
Karachi: Pakistani police say gunmen riding on a motorcycle have opened fire on a police vehicle in the southern port city of Karachi, killing three officers and a passer-by before fleeing the scene of the attack.

Karachi police chief Nauman Sadiqui says two people were also wounded in Friday's drive-by shooting in the Korangi neighborhood.

Dr Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman at the Jinnah Hospital, says three bodies were brought to the hospital following the shootout and that a fourth person, who was wounded, died during treatment.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani militant groups have been blamed for shooting and drive-by attacks on police and paramilitary security forces in recent years.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province. Organised criminal groups also operate in the province.
Istanbul: Turkey will not be intimidated by threats from Germany, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, as he stepped into an escalating row that risks a full-blown crisis in a key bilateral relationship.

Relations between the NATO partners  already brittle  have been further damaged recently by a dispute over the crackdown by the Turkish authorities that followed a failed coup last July.

Several German nationals are among those being held and Berlin has warned its citizens that their safety cannot be guaranteed in Turkey and that consular access is not assured in case of their arrest.

In an unusually hard-hitting statement that swept aside any diplomatic niceties, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday also warned German firms against investment in Turkey and spoke of an "overhaul" of the entire relationship.

But in his first reaction to the latest twist in the crisis, Erdogan spat back that Germany does "not have the power to smear Turkey".

"They (Germany) cannot scare us with these threats, they should know this," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.

'Like the GDR'

The latest crisis was precipitated by the order of a Turkish court to remand in custody six human rights activists detained on an island off Istanbul, including Amnesty International's Turkey director Idil Eser and Berlin-based activist Peter Steudtner.

But Berlin was already furious over the jailing in February of Deniz Yucel, Turkey correspondent for Die Welt newspaper, who Erdogan has personally denounced as a "terror agent".

Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble even compared Erdogan's Turkey with the former communist German Democratic Republic (GDR), accusing it of "arresting people arbitrarily".

"When you travelled there (the GDR), you knew, if something happens to you, nobody can help you," said Schaeuble.

But Erdogan declared that Turkish courts were in fact "more independent" than German ones.

"Germany should sort itself out," he added, saying Germany had to account for the wanted Kurdish militants and coup suspects who Erdogan said were hiding in Germany.

'Black propaganda'

German newspaper Die Zeit reported that Turkey had handed Germany a list of 68 companies and individuals suspected of links to terror due to alleged contacts with the group of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for the 15 July failed coup. Gulen denies the charges.

Die Zeit said the groups probed ranged from carmaker Daimler to chemicals giant BASF to a stall selling doner kebab in the west of Germany.

But Erdogan denied the claims, saying the reports were "black propaganda" aimed at pressurising German companies not to invest in Turkey.

"You have no power to darken Turkey," Erdogan said.

Turkish officials have sneered that the row is to be seen in the context of the upcoming federal elections in Germany, where Gabriel will play a key role.

Gabriel is a senior figure in the Social Democratic Party, which will be squaring up against their adversaries  albeit current coalition partners  the Christian Democrats of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Yet there has so far been no sign of any friction between Merkel and her top diplomat over Germany's position in the standoff.

'Further measures'

Raising the stakes higher, Germany said Friday it was reviewing all arms sales to Turkey as part of the overhaul in relations announced by Gabriel.

That overhaul "covers all sectors, including defence exports policy," the economy ministry told AFP.

Merkel's right-hand man, Peter Altmaier, warned in a ZDF television interview that "we will at any time consider whether further measures are necessary".

Germany is home to three million ethnic Turks, around half of whom are eligible to vote in Turkish elections.

Tensions between Ankara and Berlin spiked in the run up to a referendum in April on expanding Erdogan's powers, with the German authorities blocking requests by the Turkish ruling party to hold rallies.

Erdogan accused Merkel's government of behaving like the Nazis in comments that sparked fury across the political spectrum in Germany.
Ukraine's National Police sent 14 requests for international legal assistance in the investigation into the killing of journalist Pavel Sheremet, Serhiy Kniazev, the head of the National Police, told the Internet publication Ukrayinska Pravda.

"We used an opportunity to interact with other countries as part of international legal assistance and we sent 14 requests for international legal assistance. We have already received responses from some," Kniazev said.

The head of the National Police said he hopes the ratified agreement with Europol will help resolve the crime.

"Every link is being investigated in this case, every track and every little piece of evidence. We constantly go back to the large amount of information we have processed, including the videos, verifying and comparing information received in the next stages," he said.

"The theories of attempted murder in which the wrong object was chosen and conflict situations in personal life are not regarded as a priority," Kniazev said.

The head of the National Police said he believes the criminals knew very well what they were doing, professionally prepared for the crime, realized who they were planning to blow up and did not care if anyone else would be hurt in that.

"We are doing everything possible to resolve this crime, but more transparent proceedings, unfortunately, may harm the investigation and the people who are related to this case in one way or another," Kniazev said.

A car belonging to Olena Prytula, the head of the Ukrayinska Pravda online publication, was blown up while Sheremet was in it in central Kyiv at 7:45 a.m. on July 20, 2016. The journalist died on the spot soon after the explosion. Investigators said they believed the killing was connected to his journalistic activities in Ukraine and other countries.
The Global Times came out with a scathing editorial in response to Sushma Swaraj's comments on the fourth day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Swaraj's comments referred to the Sikkim border dispute with China in the Doka La region.

In her address to the House, the external affairs minister said that China intends to unilaterally change the status of the tri-junction with Bhutan, which poses a challenge to India's security. She also said that "all countries are in India's support" on the issue as as they realise that China is "getting aggressive with Bhutan". To Sushma's statement during Question Hour, the Chinese daily goes on to say that Swaraj is "lying to the Parliament." They also write that India's 'invasion' of Doka La "is a plain fact" that has stunned the international community. Asserting that India's military strength is far behind that of China, Global Times says that if the conflict would culminate to military means, India would 'surely lose.'

The editorial also says that China would not agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides. Conversely, Sushma said that the boundaries between India and China are yet to be finalised and the two nations will do that bilaterally through a mechanism already set up, while the same between China and Bhutan too will be done through talks.

The editorial says that the military deployments and the drills held by the People's Liberation Army in the area were "not for show" and that Beijing would definitely not call back troops unless they recover the Chinese territory. It also states that India underestimated China in 1962 and that it hopes that India won't repeat the mistake.

Another issue that the editorial touched upon was the maritime tensions between the two nations. It said,

If India fancies the idea that it has a strategic card to play in the Indian Ocean, it could not be even more naive.

In the parliamentary session, Swaraj had said that "To say that India is being surrounded, I would say that India is very alert about its security and that is why nobody can corner it."

The article ends on an ominous note, saying that India would risk "losing face and be totally disgraced" besides losing its political clout.
United Nations: After yet another year of Security Council reform negotiations, the General Assembly has decided again to roll it over to the next session amid criticism of the obduracy of a minority that stalled progress in the several decades-long effort to bring the UN's top decision-making body in line with the realities of the 21st centuries.

In what has become an annual ritual, the Assembly decided on Wednesday to put the reform process on the agenda of the next session that starts in September to continue the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on Council reform and to convene the "Open-Ended Work Group" on equitable representation on the Council and increasing its size.

"The discussions this year were much more interactive and productive," India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told IANS reviewing the work of the IGN.

"They covered all aspects and have now set the basis of moving to next phase at the forthcoming session."

But Inga Rhonda King, a representative of L.69, a group pushing reforms, deplored on Wednesday the obduracy of a minority which prevented real work on negotiations even though the Assembly had taken up the reform some 25 years ago.

India is a member of L.69, a grouping of 42 nations.

"In no other purportedly democratic space have we seen the wish of 85 percent of the membership of an organisation not lead to action," said King, who is the permanent representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, noting that more than 160 countries believed the process had all the elements necessary to advance to text-based negotiations.

Although she did not name any country or group, her comment on behalf of L.69 at the Assembly were directed against the United for Consensus (UfC) group led by Italy and includes Pakistan, which has tirelessly worked to block the reform process.

Speaking on behalf of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan at the Wednesday session, Germany's Permanent Representative Harald Braun expressed disappointment that "we have not even set our sails on the course of text-based negotiations yet".

"It is the beginning of this standard-operating-procedure of all other UN negotiations that is missing," Braun said of the failure to adopt a text that would be the basis of negotiations.

"Our ship, the ship of the IGN, seems to have its rudders in the water on only one side. And while all of us are rowing as hard as we can, we move in circles," he said.

The four countries, India, Brazil, Japan and Germany, form G4 group that mutually supports each other's candidature on a reformed Council and works together for reforms.

Braun said that the group supported decision to roll over the negotiations to the next session and the paper prepared by the co-chairs of the IGN, Ion Jinga of Romania and Khaled Khiari of Tunisia, outlining the areas where there are agreements and which need further discussions on reforms.
Washington: The Trump administration will not give $350 million in coalition support fund to Pakistan after the US defence secretary said that he cannot certify that Islamabad has taken "sufficient actions" against the dreaded Haqqani terror network, an official said on Friday.

The Pentagon's decision came ahead of a review of US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As a result of the notification by Defence Secretary James Mattis to Congress, the Department of Defence has reprogrammed remaining Coalition Support Funds, which is USD 350 million, to other accounts, Defence Department Spokesman Adam Stump said.

"Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defence committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani Network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Coalition Support Funds (CSF)," Stump said.

Pakistan-based Haqqani network is blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on US and Western interests in war-torn Afghanistan.

The terror group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people.

This is for the second consecutive year that the US Defence Secretary has refused to certify to Congress, as mandated under National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), that Pakistan has taken satisfactory action against the Haqqani network.

The group is believed to be based in the unruly tribal regions of Pakistan, near the porous border with Afghanistan. As authorised by the US Congress in its NDAA, the Department of Defence reimbursed $550 of $900 million to Pakistan early in 2017.

Mattis' predecessor Ashton Carter was the first US Defence Secretary to refuse that certification.

"The funds ($350 million) could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network as per the requirement in the FY 2016 NDAA," Stump said.

"Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million of the $900 million the country was authorised in FY16 CSF. With the Secretary's decision, there is no additional FY16 CSF available to Pakistan. The Secretary decided to request

reprogramming of the funds to retain the ability to use those funds for other requirements," he said.

As part of the regular defence department budgetary process, the FY16 CSF money allotted for Pakistan needed to be released or reprogrammed prior to the expiration of the funding, Stump said.

"This decision does not prejudge the conclusions of the White House review of South Asia strategy, which is still ongoing," Stump insisted, articulating that this decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the

Pakistani military has undertaken over previous years.

"We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism," he said.

However, the Taliban and the Haqqani Network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan, Stump said, two days after the State Department in a report to the Congress had listed Pakistan as one of the countries having terrorist safe havens.

"In our discussions with Pakistani officials, we continue to stress that it is in the interest of Pakistan to eliminate all safe havens and reduce the operational capacity of all militant organisations that pose a threat to the US and Pakistani interests as well as regional stability," he said.

Noting that Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million in FY16 CSF, Stump said $300 million of FY2016 Coalition Support Funds were already rescinded as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017.

$50 million was the remaining amount available out of the $900 million authorised for Pakistan in FY16 CSF, he said.

Pakistan is authorised to receive up to $900 million in FY17 CSF.

"There is a similar certification requirement for Pakistan pertaining to $400 million of FY17 CSF. Pakistan still has time to take action against the Haqqani Network in order to influence the Secretary's certification decision in FY17," Stump said.

The Coalition Support Fund (CSF) authority is not security assistance, but rather reimbursements to key cooperating nations for logistical, military and other support provided to US combat operations.

Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received more than $14 billion since 2002. "CSF is just one component of the United States' broad and enduring partnership with Pakistan," Stump added.
Jerusalem: Israel's army has been boosting its forces ahead of possible unrest over new security measures at a sensitive holy site that have angered Muslims and Palestinian leaders, a military spokeswoman said Thursday.

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound in annexed east Jerusalem since Sunday, when Israel began installing metal detectors at entrances to the site following an attack that killed two police officers.

Palestinian and Muslim religious leaders have called on worshippers not to enter the compound through the metal detectors, and hundreds have been holding prayers outside the site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, with clashes occasionally breaking out.

The weekly Friday prayers draw the largest number of participants, and speculation has intensified over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will order the removal of the metal detectors.

On Thursday, the army said it was leaving five extra battalions on alert, including in the occupied West Bank.

A spokeswoman said the army would decide whether to keep them deployed for the entire weekend.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told army radio that Netanyahu would decide on the policy for the site but he "hoped" the metal detectors would remain in place over the weekend.

Members of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition have been pressuring him to leave the metal detectors in place and "ensure security" at the site.

"A few days ago two policemen were murdered because of a security breach," said Naftali Bennett, head of the far-right Jewish Home.

"Caving in to Palestinian pressure now will hurt Israel's deterrence and risk the lives of visitors, worshippers and law enforcement officials on Temple Mount," Bennett said.

On July 14, three Arab Israelis opened fire on Israeli police, killing two officers, before fleeing to the compound, where security forces shot them dead.

Israel sealed off the site in the aftermath of the attack, saying the closure was necessary to carry out security checks.

The site reopened on Sunday, but with metal detectors at entrances, prompting the Palestinian boycott over alleged Israeli efforts to expand their control over the sensitive site.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has assured that the territory of his country will never be used for aggressive actions against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Today, I have once again received the assurance from you, Mr. President, that the territory of the Republic of Belarus, friendly to Ukraine, will never be used for aggressive actions against Ukraine, and the Ukrainian-Belarusian border will never become the border of war," Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with the president of Belarus in Kyiv on Friday.
It looks like Facebook is exploring modular smartphones. The social network has filed a patent at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a modular electromechanical device that would allow users to easily swap existing components. This development was first spotted by Business Insider.

The modules in the patent include a touch screen display, speaker, a microphone, GPS and for a device that could even function as a phone, added the report. The patent describes both a phone and a smart speaker as potential product categories. Filed in 2016, the patent shows a main chassis and a series of modules that would be made using 3D printing. The device would change its function by downloading new software depending on the modules it is using.

The application comes from Facebooks consumer hardware lab, Building 8 that now has several former members of Googles Project Ara team. Just for a quick reminder, Google was developing its own solution called Project Ara but killed it last year.

Source
Foodie Quine

Post in collaboration with Iceland Foods

Italian flavours come to the fore in a quick and easy recipe that works equally well as a Summer breakfast, brunch or appetiser. Caprese Bruschetta combines Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil atop crunchy Five Grain & Seed Melba Toast drizzled with Balsamic. Bellissimo!









Buongiorno! That's how they say Good Morning in Italy and as I'm just back from a fantastic fortnight's family holiday in Lake Garda it's an appropriate way to start this post. Particularly as I'm sharing an Italian inspired recipe which is perfect to kickstart your morning. When it comes to breaking my fast I'm all about the carbs. Give me bread and LOTS of it! I've been working with the guys at Iceland foods for over 18 months now helping to bust some myths about frozen foods and showcasing the range of products they stock. Like me you might have been under the misconception that they only sold frozen food. Wrong! There's also a great selection of chilled, fresh and store cupboard staples on offer including their own brand Luxury range of bread, cakes and morning goods.





There is nothing quite as comforting or appetising as freshly baked bread, with the scent being voted one of the UKs favourites. Iceland have recently relaunched their range of Luxury bakery products which are all made using traditional methods at a family run bakery and delivered instore fresh every day. Crafted using the highest quality ingredients by skilled bakers these new luxury breads have been created using a slow dough method to give rich and intense flavours. During this process, the ingredients can ferment for up to 16 hours, the greater flavours are worth the wait. I headed down to my nearest Iceland Food store at Aberdeen Beach Retail park to check out the revamped bakery offering. A poster in the window advertising the new range told me that 'Great Taste Takes Time'. Admittedly I'd left it rather late in the day to shop and the shelves were somewhat depleted - the early bird catches the loaf - but I still managed to pick up a great selection of products. Croissants, Cheese Topped Rolls, Five Grain and Seed Rolls, Plain Folded Flatbreads, Brioche Rolls, Soft White Bread Rolls and the very last Five Grain and Seed Batch Loaf. Now it was time to get creative and come up with a bread based brunch recipe.





With the sunshine and flavours of Italy still fresh in my mind I wanted to do something with an Italian twist. During our fortnight in Lake Garda we had eaten a lot of Pizza and Pasta but I discounted them in favour of something more simple yet equally Italian. Tomato and Mozzarella. The two really are a match made in heaven. Combine them with Basil and you have Caprese. Add some bread into the mixture and you have Bruschetta. Yup I'm basically sharing the recipe for the Italian flag on toast! Usually served as an appetiser, the combination of these two Italian classics works really well as a lazy brunch dish for Saturdays, Sundays and Summer Holidays. Week three of the school holidays here and my kids have yet to surface at a time which their first meal of the day could legitimately be called breakfast! I absolutely love Melba Toast but don't make it nearly often enough. Up until now I've always used the cheapest of the cheap white loaf however having now used slices of the Five Grain & Seed Batch Loaf there's no going back. It was just so good. The texture from the crispy grains and seeds - rye, spelt and wheat grains, sunflower seeds, brown and golden linseed - make awesome toast, melba or regular. Combined with the fresh delicate flavour of Mozzarella and the sweetness of vine ripened tomatoes you'll have a truly Bellissimo Italian inspired brunch.



Warning! You may wish to go easy on (or omit) the garlic at breakfast time. When I made this for myself and my son I was a wee bit heavy handed. Suffice to say we kept the vampires at bay all day!



Caprese Bruschetta on Melba Toast Serves 2

3 slices of Iceland Luxury Five Grain & Seed Batch Loaf 150g Fresh Mozzarella 4 Vine Ripened Cherry Tomatoes Fresh Basil Balsamic Vinegar Black Pepper Olive Oil Clove of Garlic

Preheat your grill and toast the bread on each side. Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and carefully slice horizontally through the toast to give two thin slices. Cut each slice diagonally in half then toast the uncooked side of the triangles until crispy They will curl up a little at the edges but this is normal. Meanwhile slice the Mozzarella cheese and the tomatoes. Drizzle each slice of melba toast with oilve oil. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut side onto the top of each. Top each toast triangle with a slice of Mozzarella, a Basil leaf and a slice of Tomato. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.



For further breakfast and brunch inspiration using Luxury Bakery products from Iceland Foods do check out the following recipes from my blogging BFF's.





 Pin me for later..









Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Iceland Foods. As always, all views expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. Im super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.




Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said an interregional Ukrainian-Belarusian forum will be held in Belarus' Gomel region during 2017.

"In the nearest time frame, this year, we agreed that we will organize it and hold the first interregional forum in Gomel," Lukashenko said during a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

The Belarusian president said a second similar forum would be held "in the homeland of Mr. [Hennadiy] Zubko [Ukrainian Minister for Regional Development, Construction and Housing] in Zhytomyr.

Lukashenko noted the importance of interregional cooperation between countries and expressed confidence that it will improve.
A female activist bared her breasts at Ukraine's Presidential Administration in Kyiv on Friday during a document signing ceremony between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The young woman, who yelled, "Free Belarus," was subdued and taken out of the room.

An Interfax-Ukraine news agency correspondent said the young woman removed her jacket and was not wearing any clothing underneath it. "Free Belarus!" was written in bold letters on her chest. She began yelling the slogan before security guards were able to subdue her and drag her out of room.

The president's press spokesman said the woman was accredited to the ceremony as a journalist.

Police from Kyiv's Pechersky District Precinct were dispatched to the scene to investigate the incident.

Ukrainian media said the woman's name is Anzhelina Diash, a known activist of the FEMEN movement.

Later, during a speech made by Lukashenko, a member of Ukraine's official delegation fell ill and had to be carried out of the room where the Ukrainian and Belarusian presidents were. The man, identified later as Border Service of Ukraine Chief Viktor Nazarenko, received medical treatment.

The incident forced Lukashenko to interrupt his monologue.
Officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Thursday approved a revised plan from Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) to build a new terminal at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport, without funding from Goldman Sachs.

Following a period of fiscal review, Delta has opted to directly fund and finance the costs of its LaGuardia redevelopment project, an arrangement that Delta and Goldman Sachs agree is in the best interest of both parties, a Delta spokesperson told FOX Business.

Goldman Sachs had no comment on the matter.

The $4 billion project will be funded mostly by Delta, which will provide $3.4 billion, as well as the Port Authority, which committed a fixed amount of no more than $600 million. The airline will also be held accountable for any cost overruns.

This agreement with Delta will create construction jobs and long-term permanent airport jobs that will help boost the region's economy," Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said in a statement.

The new terminal at LaGuardia, the smallest of New Yorks three commercial airports, will feature 37 gates on four concourses.

An entity owned by both Delta and West Street Infrastructure Partners III, a fund managed by Goldman, agreed to a 33-year lease with the Port Authority board in January. Originally, the plan called for the entity to pay $300 million in equity investments and $3.6 billion in debt financing for the terminal, according to Reuters. Work on Deltas project will begin later this summer.

"The transformation of LaGuardia Airport into a state-of-the-art transportation hub is key to the economic growth and strength of the entire state," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "With this action, we are taking the next major step in our work to build a new LaGuardia - an economic engine and world-class airport worthy of New York."
While total U.S. household debt in the first quarter of 2017 surpassed its $12.68 trillion peak reached during the recession, according to data from the New York Fed, its the astronomical increase in student loan debt that is perhaps the most shocking.

Outstanding student loan balances have increased more than 457% since 2003, according to a FOX Business analysis of statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Center for Microeconomic Data. In the first quarter of 2003, $241 billion in student loans were outstanding, compared with the first quarter of 2017, when that number jumped to $1.34 trillion. In the first quarter of 2017 alone, student loan debt jumped 2.6%.

The New York Fed notes in a recent report that student loan balances have increased each of the 18 years it has been releasing the analysis, while other household dues have been less consistent.

From the first quarter of 2003 to the first quarter of 2017, student loan debt rose the fastest out of all types of household debt. Mortgage debt, for example, increased only 74% to $8.6 trillion. Auto loan debt jumped 82% to more than $1.16 trillion. Overall household debt was up 75% over the same timeframe.

Not only that, but student loan delinquencies have also remained high. According to the New York Fed, 11% of total student loan debt was at least 90 days delinquent or in default during the first quarter of this year. The amount of balances transitioning into delinquency has averaged about 10% annually over the past five years.

Meanwhile, the price of higher education continues to skyrocket. For the 2016-2017 school year, the average cost for a private, nonprofit four-year degree, including room and board, was more than $45,300, according to data from The College Board  a 3.4% increase over the previous year. For a public, four-year in-state education over the same time period, that number increased 2.7% to $20,090.
Officials in a London borough apologized Friday after a local councils decision to fine a 5-year-old girl for selling lemonade without a license drew international backlash.

"We are very sorry that this has happened. We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen, the Tower Hamlets Council said in a statement.

Andre Spicer said his 5-year-old daughter was left in tears after local council officers fined her 150 pounds ($195) for selling lemonade without a license near their home in London.

Lemonade stands fall under the Tower Hamlets Councils guidelines for operating a market stall, which requires a street trading license. To gain a license, an entrepreneur must be at least 17 years old and pay a 75-pound ($97) application fee, the BBC reported. Stalls that sell food carry additional restrictions.

The girl was selling home-made lemonade to fans attending the Lovebox festival when she was fined.

Spicer wrote an article about the experience for the Daily Telegraph that gathered hundreds of comments and shares online.

Holding the notice of the fine in my hand, Im reminded just how restrictive we have become with our children, Spicer wrote. When I was growing up, my brother and I were able to wander miles from home without adult supervision. We were encouraged to sell things to raise money for clubs we were part of.

By selling biscuits, we learned about maths, communication and basic business skills. But more importantly, we gained a degree of confidence. I cant ever recall a council officer popping up and fining us, he added.

Local officials said Friday the fine will be cancelled immediately.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE:XOM) sued the U.S. government on Thursday, blasting as "unlawful" and "capricious" a $2 million fine levied against it for a three-year-old oil joint venture with Russia's Rosneft .

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday morning slapped the world's largest publicly traded oil producer with the fine for "reckless disregard" of U.S. sanctions in dealings with Russia in 2014 when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was Exxon's chief executive.

The lawsuit and the Treasury's unusually detailed statement on Exxon's conduct represented an extraordinary confrontation between a major American company and the U.S. government, made all the more striking because Exxon's former CEO is now in President Donald Trump's Cabinet.

Exxon took the government to court despite the fact that the fine, the maximum allowed, would have a minor impact on the company, which made $7.84 billion in profit last year.

The fine came after a U.S. review of deals Exxon signed with Rosneft, Russia's largest oil producer, weeks after Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow for annexing Ukraine's Crimea region.

Between May 14 and May 23, 2014, top U.S.-based Exxon executives signed eight documents with Igor Sechin, the head of state-run Rosneft, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in the statement on its website.

OFAC said Exxon had "demonstrated reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements" by signing the deals with Sechin just weeks after the United States blacklisted him, OFAC said in the three-page statement. (For the statement, see: http://bit.ly/2vnvQf2)

The Treasury imposed sanctions on Sechin in April 2014 as part of measures to pressure Russia over its intervention in Ukraine, saying Sechin had shown "utter loyalty" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The sanctions prohibit U.S. citizens or people in the United States from dealing with those on the blacklist, such as Sechin. Rosneft itself is subject to narrower U.S. sanctions that still allow Americans to deal with the company on some transactions.

Exxon said in a statement that OFAC's action was "fundamentally unfair," and sued the U.S. government in Texas in an effort to overturn the decision. The company is based in Irving, Texas.

In its 21-page complaint, Exxon argued that Sechin "was subject to sanctions only in his individual capacity" and that guidance from the Obama administration at the time made clear that the sanctions "applied only to the 'personal assets' of the sanctioned individuals and emphasized that the sanctions did not restrict business with the companies those individuals managed."

(For Exxon's complaint, see: http://exxonmobil.co/2uNRWdr)

TILLERSON NOT CONSULTED

Tillerson left Exxon late last year to become secretary of state after 10 years running the company. He is now responsible for U.S. foreign policy, which includes helping make sanctions decisions.

The State Department referred questions about the fine to Exxon and the Treasury. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters on Thursday that the agency was alerted to the fine on Wednesday.

A Treasury spokesman said OFAC engaged with Exxon's lawyers only, and "did not discuss this case with Secretary Tillerson."

Tillerson said in January that he would recuse himself from matters involving Exxon for one year after his December 2016 resignation, unless he is authorized to participate.

Though the State Department plays a major part in formulating sanctions policy, former U.S. officials and sanctions experts said it was unlikely the agency had a role in deciding the fine announced on Thursday, because it falls under OFAC's regulatory role.

The back-and-forth between the Treasury and Exxon over the 2014 dealings spanned both the Obama and Trump administrations, and started with a subpoena from OFAC to Exxon in July 2014, Exxon said in its complaint.

Exxon fully complied with guidance from Democratic former President Barack Obama's administration that ongoing oil and gas business activities with Rosneft were permitted, Exxonspokesman Alan Jeffers said in a statement.

The Treasury "is trying to retroactively enforce a new interpretation of an executive order" inconsistent with its prior guidance, Jeffers said. "OFAC's action is fundamentally unfair."

Exxon also cited a Treasury Department representative's comments in May 2014 that BP Plc Chief Executive Bob Dudley - an American citizen - could continue to participate in Rosneft board meetings so long as they related only to Rosneft's business.

In its statement explaining the fine, OFAC said that the Treasury Department representative's comments did not address Exxon's conduct. BP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Publicly available guidance on the Treasury's website at the time of Exxon's dealings with Sechin said Americans should ensure they do not enter into contracts signed by sanctioned individuals, OFAC said.

And by dealing with Sechin, the company "caused significant harm" to U.S. sanctions on Russia, the agency said.

Because Rosneft itself is not off-limits to Americans, another company executive could have signed the contract with no sanctions risk to Exxon, said David Mortlock, who was a State Department and White House sanctions official under Obama.

"You could have Sechin standing over the guy's shoulder," said Mortlock, now an attorney at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Washington. "But the problem here is that it was signed by Sechin himself."

Exxon said that approach would have flown in the face of standard business practice.

"You don't ask your business partner to have someone else sign instead of the CEO," said Exxonspokesman Jeffers.

OPPOSITION TO SANCTIONS

Exxon has long opposed U.S. sanctions on Russia, saying they harm American business interests and actually help European rivals.

Tillerson said in 2014 that the company did not support sanctions because they are not effective "unless they are very well implemented."

Sanctions were a contentious topic at Tillerson's confirmation hearing last January. At the time, Republican and Democratic lawmakers were concerned that Trump, whose associates are now under investigation for their ties to Russia, would try to quickly lift U.S. sanctions on the country.

"When sanctions are imposed, they by their design are going to harm American business," Tillerson said during the hearing, in response to a question about his views on them.

He also said that Exxon "never directly lobbied against sanctions," a claim that was immediately challenged by senators who cited Exxon's own lobbying disclosure forms.

The case is Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Steve Munchin, et al, U.S. District Court, North District of Texas, No. 3:17-cv-1930.

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Ernest Scheyder; editing by Simon Webb and Jonathan Oatis)
Ford Motor Co will petition to avoid a U.S. recall of about 2.5 million vehicles with Takata air-bag inflators that the Japanese auto supplier declared defective last week, U.S. regulators and the automaker said Friday.

Separately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Nissan Motor Co had agreed to recall 515,394 2007-2011 Versa cars after Takata declared 2.7 million vehicles to have potentially defective inflators.

Ford spokesman John Cangany said the automaker will file a petition requesting "to continue testing and analyzing our inflators." NHTSA said the petition will seek an exemption from the recall because Ford believes the issue is inconsequential.

Ford said the issue covers 2.5 million vehicles, including the 2007-11 Ranger, 2006-12 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan and 2007-10 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. Ford previously said it covered about 2.2 million vehicles.

Last week, NHTSA said that new testing prompted Takata to declare inflators defective in Ford Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co and Mazda Motor Corp vehicles in some driver-side air bags built from 2012 through 2015.

NHTSA said in a statement Friday that "testing data shows that the propellant in this inflator is degrading and on the path towards potential ruptures in the future. There are no reported ruptures in the real-world or in testing."

Takata air bag inflators are already linked to 17 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide, and the recalls will eventually cover about 125 million inflators.

Nissan said last week it would recall 627,000 Versa cars from 2007-2012 model years, including 515,000 in the United States "out of an abundance of caution."

Nissan said testing of 895 inflators showed no ruptures, while one "exhibited an elevated internal pressure." Takata said the inflators potentially could rupture "after several years of exposure to high absolute humidity."

Mazda said last week the issue impacts just 6,000 B-series trucks. The company also plans to file a petition to avoid a recall, NHTSA said.

The automakers have 30 days to submit the petition and then NHTSA will take public comment before making a decision.

More than 65 percent of 46.2 million previously recalled Takata airbag inflators in the United States have not been repaired. The issue is the largest-ever auto-safety recall, covering 17 automakers.

Takata filed for bankruptcy protection in June.

(By David Shepardson; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
The Latest on Germany's tougher stance on Turkey following the jailing of a human rights activist (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

Germany's Economy Ministry says it's putting all applications for the export of defense equipment to Turkey under examination.

The German news agency dpa reported that the ministry didn't give further details Friday. The Bild daily had reported earlier in the day that the government was putting all current and planned defense exports to Turkey, a NATO ally, on hold.

The German government sharpened its tone toward Ankara on Thursday following the jailing earlier this week of six human rights activists in Turkey, including a German citizen. It also told German citizens traveling to Turkey to exercise caution and threatened to withhold backing for investments.

___

3:15 p.m.

Turkey's president has accused Germany's government of trying to scare off investments to Turkey with lies, after Germany toughened its stance toward Ankara following the arrest of human rights activists, including a German national.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Friday he "strongly condemned" Germany's economy minister after she suggested that German companies operating in Turkey could show up on black lists and branded as terror supporters.

Erdogan said he had checked with intelligence and interior ministry officials who confirmed that no German company was under investigation.

"I strongly condemn statements that aim to scare companies that invest in our country," Erdogan said.

He added: "I want to remind our German friends and the world that you are not powerful enough to blacken Turkey. You are not powerful enough to scare us."

___

2:15 p.m.

Turkey's prime minister has sought to downplay worries of growing tensions between Turkey and Germany following the jailing of six human rights activists, which included one German.

Binali Yildirim said Turkey continues to regard Germany as a "strategic partner in Europe" and that now and then there may be "tensions in the relations due to considerations caused by domestic politics."

Yildirim urged "cool-headedness" and said there is "no benefit to Germany or to Turkey if relations are damaged."

Yildirim's comments came a day after Germany toughened its stance toward Ankara following the jailing of six human rights activists, which included four Turks, a Swede as well as the German.

Berlin told German citizens traveling to Turkey to exercise caution and threatened to withhold backing for investments.

___

8:50 a.m.

Germany's finance minister is comparing Turkey with communist East Germany after his government toughened its stance toward Ankara following the jailing of a German human rights activist.

The government a day earlier told German citizens traveling to Turkey to exercise caution and threatened to withhold backing for investments.

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Friday's edition of Bild newspaper that Turkey is now arresting people arbitrarily and failing to comply with minimum consular standards.

He was quoted as saying: "It reminds me of how things used to be in East Germany. It was clear to anyone who traveled there: if something happens to you, no one can help you."

Schaeuble added that if Turkey doesn't stop playing "games," Germany will have to tell people: "You travel to Turkey at your own risk."
French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting with the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator with both men looking for more clarity from Britain over its departure from the bloc.

Michel Barnier arrived Friday for talks at the Elysee Palace a day after wrapping up the first full Brexit negotiating round in Brussels.

While Britain's Brexit minister, David Davis, sounded upbeat about the discussions, Barnier urged Britain to flesh out its positions on several issues that need settling before the two sides can negotiate post-Brexit trading arrangements.

France wants Britain to clarify how much it will pay as part of the divorce settlement. Macron made strengthening the EU a key part of his successful campaign.

Cameras were barred from Barnier's arrival and Macron's other events Friday, including talks with European trade unions.
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline intended to carry natural gas across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina would have some adverse environmental effects, including impacts on water resources, forest and other habitats, but most could be reduced to insignificant levels, an assessment by federal regulators found.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees interstate natural gas pipelines, released its final environmental impact statement Friday for the proposed 600-mile (965-kilometer) pipeline, which has broad support from political and business leaders but is staunchly opposed by environmentalists and many affected landowners.

The assessment is a major milestone in the approval process for the project that will cross hundreds of bodies of water, mountainous terrain, national forest, and the Appalachian Trail. Its findings were largely favorable for developers.

The impact statement did find that construction in steep terrain could increase the potential for landslides and that the project was likely to adversely affect seven species protected under the Endangered Species Act. It found that the greatest impact on vegetation would be on forested areas, with more than 3,400 acres having long-term or permanent effects.

But overall, the assessment said that if developers use proper construction and mitigation techniques, most of environmental impacts could be reduced to "less-than-significant" levels.

The leading company behind the project said FERC's assessment "provides a clear path" for final approval later this year.

"While some impacts on the environment and landowners are unavoidable with any infrastructure project, the report demonstrates that we've taken all necessary steps to minimize those impacts and balance them with the urgent public need for the project," Leslie Hartz, Dominion Energy's vice president for engineering and construction, said in a statement.

Environmental groups, which argue that FERC's approval process is inadequate and biased in favor of pipeline developers, criticized the assessment, saying it glossed over important environmental impacts.

"Regardless of FERC's decision, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is not a done deal. Far from it," said Lew Freeman, director of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, a coalition of community groups and legal and technical experts who oppose the pipeline.

He pointed out that state level water-quality permits are still pending. Legal challenges have also been filed, and more could come.

Initially proposed in 2014, the underground pipeline, parts of which would be 42 inches in diameter, would be capable of delivering up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of fracked natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus shale deposits per day to customers in Virginia and North Carolina.

It would originate in north-central West Virginia, cross Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and run south of the Virginia capital of Richmond to a compressor station near the North Carolina border. An extension would run to the Hampton Roads area along the coast while the main pipeline would continue into North Carolina, ending near the South Carolina line.

Pipeline proponents  including union leaders, economic development officials and top lawmakers of both parties in all three states  have said it would deliver cheap and abundant energy that is cleaner than coal.

"The ACP will be built and operated in an environmentally responsible manner, and it will bring much needed American energy to Virginia consumers," Republican leaders of the Virginia General Assembly said in a statement.

Developers have also promised construction alone would create will create 17,000 new jobs and $2.7 billion in economic activity across the region, and once the pipeline is operational, they say the reliable supply of natural gas will attract heavy manufacturers that have previously passed over Virginia and North Carolina.

EnergySure, a coalition of individuals, businesses and organization in the three states, called the project "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalize our region's manufacturing economy."

Opponents, however, say the pipeline would infringe on landowners' property rights, damage pristine areas and commit the region to a fossil fuel just when global warming makes it essential to invest in renewable energy instead. They also argue the demand for gas has been overstated and the capacity of existing infrastructure has been underestimated by developers, who are guaranteed a financial return on the project.

"FERC still hasn't addressed the most basic question hanging over this project: Is it even needed?" Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Greg Buppert said in a statement. "It's FERCs responsibility to determine if this pipeline is a public necessity before it allows developers to take private property, clear forests, and carve up mountainsides."

FERC's commissioners will weigh the environmental impact statement as well as whether the project meets a public need and whether its proposed gas rates are just and reasonable in making a final decision on whether the pipeline can proceed, according to spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen.

Ordinarily, a final decision can come any time after a pipeline's final environmental impact statement is complete, but the five-member panel currently lacks a quorum, with only one commissioner currently serving.

President Donald Trump has announced four nominees, who still must be approved by the Senate.

In addition to Dominion, the pipeline is being developed by Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, and Southern Company Gas. It is estimated to cost between $5 billion and $5.5 billion to construct.
Nissan is campaigning against an effort to unionize the Japanese automakeras Mississippi factory, where the United Auto Workers union is looking to score a rare victory in the South.

As many as 4,000 workers will vote Aug. 3 and Aug. 4 at the vehicle assembly plant in Canton, just north of Jackson. The union promises it would help negotiate better working conditions, benefits and wages at the plant. However, managers warn that the UAW will ultimately hurt both the company and the workers.

The UAW has yet to successfully win over an entire foreign-owned auto factory in the South. The UAWas push to organize Nissan workers harkens back to a similar effort at Volkswagenas plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2014. VW backed the unionas campaign, but the UAW still lost the vote. A year later, a smaller number of skilled workers chose UAW representation.

Union supporters tried to pressure Nissan for years into staying neutral, or at least toning down its anti-union stance. But managers, while saying workers get to decide, are pushing against the UAW. The company is broadcasting anti-union videos inside the plant, and the UAW says supervisors are pulling workers into private meetings to gauge UAW support and persuade workers against unionizing.

The UAW has tried to bolster support among the majority-African American workforce by linking union support to civil rights, but even union supporters admit management's message is causing some pro-UAW workers to waver.

"People who were for the union are now undecided," said Shanta Butler, a union supporter.

Workers at Nissan's plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, rejected the UAW in 1989 and 2001 votes, but this is the first election in Canton. Though unions have struggled to crack southern auto plants owned by foreign companies, unions have prevailed nationwide in 65 percent of elections from October through June, National Labor Relations Board figures show.

The top Nissan executive in Canton appeared in the first video urging rejection of the UAW barely a day after the union announced that it had filed a petition with the labor board to hold the election.

"We know the union will make promises it can't keep to get you to vote for the UAW," Marsh said in a recorded video message to workers. "But when you see the UAW's empty promises for what they really are, and get the complete facts, the choice is clear."

Anti-union messages from managers aren't unusual in labor elections, but the pressure can be very uncomfortable for workers.

"It is often very tense," said Vanderbilt University sociologist Dan Cornfield, who has studied unions. "It's tense because both sides feel a lot is riding on it for them."

UAW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Casteel said the union's goal is to help wavering union supporters "have enough fortitude" to stick with the union in the face of anti-union messages. Nissan contends the UAW history of strikes and other actions have caused economic losses for workers and automakers; Nissan maintains its workers already have good pay and benefits.

"I've never seen a more aggressive campaign," Casteel said in a phone interview. "I've seen a lot as aggressive."

Casteel called management's efforts "intimidation," but Nissan spokeswoman Parul Bajaj rejected that description. Managers have said they're giving workers the facts about the UAW.

"Nissan respects and values the Canton workforce, and our history reflects that we recognize the employees' rights to decide for themselves whether or not to have third-party representation," Bajaj said.

The union hasn't alleged any new violations of federal labor law. Following earlier UAW allegations, the NLRB charged, among other things, that managers illegally questioned workers and threatened to close the plant if it unionized. That legal case is unresolved.

The 14-year-old plant is where Frontier and Titan pickups, Murano SUVs and NV vans are assembled. Its annual capacity of 450,000 vehicles is about 8 percent of all Nissan vehicles made worldwide last year.

UAW supporters have protested against Nissan's opposition to the UAW around the world, especially in France. The French government owns nearly 20 percent of the Renault Group, Nissan's business partner. Carlos Ghosn, Renault Nissan Alliance chairman, told French lawmakers in 2016 that the alliance "has no tradition of not cooperating with unions."

Casteel said the union may raise Nissan's opposition with French officials, often much more sympathetic to organized labor than their American counterparts.

It's unlikely pressure on Mississippi workers will lessen before they vote.

"They always say the same old things and they always do the same old things," Casteel said. "The reason they do them is because they work."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Friday ordered Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) to hire back the whistleblower who reported the banks opening of fake accounts.

Wells Fargo, which dismissed the unnamed individual in September 2011, must also pay the former branch manager $577,500 in back wages, damages and other fees.

No banking industry employee should fear retaliation for raising concerns about fraud and practices that violate consumer financial protections, said Barbara Goto, Occupational Safety and Health Administration regional administrator in San Francisco. The U.S. Department of Labor will fully and fairly enforce the whistleblower protection laws under its jurisdiction.

In a statement, Wells Fargo said it disagrees with the findings and will request a full hearing on the matter.

"We take seriously the concerns of current and former team members. This decision is a preliminary order and to date there has been no hearing on the merits of this case," Wells Fargo said.

Wells Fargo remains the subject of federal and state investigations over allegations that it opened up to 2.1 million accounts without customers knowledge. The company has already paid a $185 million regulatory fine and settled a class-action lawsuit for $142 million.
Poroshenko says 11,000 people killed since beginning of conflict in Donbas

Eleven thousand Ukrainians have been killed since the beginning of the Russian aggression in Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

"Eleven thousand Ukrainians have given their lives over all the days of the aggression, without making a distinction between civilians and the military," Poroshenko said in Kyiv on Friday.

Eight Ukrainian servicemen have died in Donbas in the past two days alone, Poroshenko said, accusing the adversary of disrupting the so-called 'harvest truce'.
Hundreds of people, including LGBT activists and business leaders, are expected to urge a Texas Senate panel on Friday to scrap legislation they deem discriminatory because it would limit bathroom access for transgender people.

The Republican-dominated Senate will hear public testimony as it begins consideration of the bill, the most closely watched item on the state's agenda during a 30-day special session.

So-called "bathroom bills" have become a flashpoint of U.S. culture wars, with social conservatives saying they protect public safety and civil rights activists saying the measures allow government-sanctioned bias against transgender people.

During the regular session that ended in May, the Texas Senate easily passed such a measure. But it died in the state's House of Representatives under pressure from pro-business Republicans.

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, a moderate Republican who steers that chamber's agenda, has said such measures are unnecessary and raise worries of economic boycotts and event cancellations, which would harm the economy.

Political analysts expect a similar pattern for the special session, with the Senate passing a bill and Straus trying to run out the clock to stop the legislation.

One measure under consideration is Senate Bill 3, which says restrooms, showers and changing facilities in places such as public schools "must be designated for and used only by persons of the same sex as stated on a person's birth certificate."

When a bathroom bill was introduced in the regular session in March, hundreds of people lined up for a nearly 21-hour Senate hearing, with the bulk of public testimony coming from those opposed to the bill.

Texas Values, a social conservative group that backs a bathroom bill, has called on supporters to speak up.

"The radical Left and LGBT lobby will certainly be out in full force again. We must let our state leaders hear loudly from Texans across that state that we support common sense legislation to keep men out of womens intimate facilities," it said in an email alert on Thursday.

A similar law in North Carolina, partially repealed in March, prompted the relocation of sporting events and economic boycotts that were estimated to have cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

The stakes are far higher in Texas. The state could lose about $5.6 billion through 2026 and businesses could find it difficult to recruit top talent if such a measure is enacted, said the Texas Association of Business, the state's leading employer organization.

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bernadette Baum)
Following the death of college student Otto Warmbier in June, who had been arrested and imprisoned in North Korea, the White House will ban American citizens from traveling to the country, officials said Friday.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had decided to impose "geographical travel restriction" for North Korea, the officials said, which would make it illegal to use U.S. passports to enter the country. The measure was formally announced on Friday and will take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register next week.

It wasn't clear how many Americans the move will effect, as figures about how many Americans go to North Korea are difficult for even the U.S. government to obtain. The U.S. strongly warns Americans against traveling to North Korea, but has not until now prohibited it despite other sanctions targeting the country. Americans who venture there typically travel from China, where several tour groups market trips to adventure-seekers.

Nearly all Americans who have gone to North Korea have left without incident. But some have been seized and given draconian sentences for seemingly minor offenses.

Under U.S. law, the secretary of state has the authority to designate passports as restricted for travel to countries with which the United States is at war, when armed hostilities are in progress, or when there is imminent danger to the public health or physical security of United States travelers. Geographic travel restrictions are rare but have been used by numerous administrations in the past for countries where it has been determined to be unsafe.

Since 1967, such bans have been imposed intermittently on countries such as Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Cuba and North Vietnam. But the U.S. doesn't currently prohibit its passports from being used to travel to any countries, even though financial restrictions limit U.S. travel to Cuba and elsewhere.

Americans who violate the restriction could face a fine and up to 10 years in prison for a first offense.

Warmbier, who died after being medically evacuated in a coma from North Korea last month, suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause while in custody. Relatives said they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016. He had been accused of stealing a propaganda poster while on a tour of the country.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. At least three other Americans remain in custody in the North.

Tillerson had been weighing a North Korea travel ban since late April, when American teacher Tony Kim was detained in Pyongyang, according to a senior State Department official. Those deliberations gained even more urgency after Warmbier's death. Lawmakers in Congress have also pushed their own, legislative solutions to try to ban travel to the North.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The United States and seven allies have held their first meeting to map out plans for joint operations of the new Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth jet fighter in Europe in coming years.

The two-day gathering in Germany this week included officials from Denmark, Israel, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey and Britain - all of which are buying the F-35, according to U.S. Air Force and Pentagon officials.

Several other European countries, including Belgium, Finland and Switzerland, are looking at possible orders of the aircraft at a time when tensions between NATO and Russia have increased.

Officials from Lockheed, the largest U.S. weapons maker, gave officials an update on the $379 billion program, the Pentagon's costliest arms project, as allies in Europe move toward increased use of the jets in coming years, they said.

"We've come together as a team of allies and partners to begin to set the conditions on ... operating the F-35 in the European theater," Major General Timothy Fay, deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said in a statement.

Italy, which participated in the meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was the first nation to fly the new fighter outside the United States, and already has three jets in Italy.

Norway will have jets in country by the end of the year, Israel already has five on hand, and Britain will have jets flying in Europe next year, according to a Pentagon spokesman for the F-35 program. Several Dutch jets are participating in testing in the United States, he said.

Turkey's first aircraft is still being built, and Denmark last year decided to buy 27 jets in coming years.

Air Force General Tod Wolters, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said the F-35 was a "force multiplier" and "game changer for missile defense".

Wolters urged military leaders to codify common tactics, techniques and procedures to prepare for joint use of the aircraft in Europe, which will mark the first time that U.S. allies are flying stealth aircraft.

Officials will meet again in October to address issues such as operations, maintenance, logistics and intelligence.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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Kim Kardashians teeny tiny bra top caused her to run late to the big opening of Balmains Los Angeles store on Thursday night.

Olivier Rousteing, the creative director behind the high-end and highly popular French fashion house, is a friend of Kardashians. The reality star has often been referred to as Rousteings muse.

But Kardashian was delayed for Rousteings big night because she got makeup on her white bra top, which she paired with a sparkling maxi skirt.

The reality star chronicled her fashion emergency on Snapchat.

Olivier, were on our way. Were having a fashion emergency, she said in a black-and-white Snapchat video. She added, Got makeup everywhere, s--t!

[Warning video contains graphic language]

Later, she posted videos from the party, showing off her skimpy style.

Her mom, Kris Jenner, also shared photos of 36-year-old Kim at the soiree.



Rousteing has dressed the entire Kardashian/Jenner family.

Kendall Jenner has walked the runway for Balmain, and younger sister Kylie Jenner recently modeled his Beats by Dre x Balmain headphones.

Rousteing explained to The Hollywood Reporter he chose 19-year-old Kylie for his latest project because She has that darkness, but also that glam Shes strong, and she doesn't care whether you like her or not.
A small shawarma chain in Detroit is taking some heat for its sexually suggestive uniforms, but the owner claims he never intended for the clothes to be so provocative.

The female employees of Bucharest Grill, which just opened its fourth location in Detroit, had been outfitted in yoga pants leggings with the phrase We Deliver written across their backsides. This didnt sit well local businesswoman Jerroll Sanders during a recent visit, prompting her to take her complaints to the owner.

MCDONALD'S NEW UNIFORMS ARE VERY UNREMARKABLE

I visited the restaurant and I took note that inscribed across the young ladies buttocks there was a message that said, We Deliver, and that was very sexually suggestive to me, said Sanders, who was also a one-time mayoral candidate in Detroit, to WWJ News.

Whenever you inscribe messages across the buttocks, you want people to look at the buttocks.

Sanders continued to rip into Bucharest Grill on Facebook, claiming that the uniforms were disrespectful to our girls, and insisted that several of the employees were pleased that she spoke up about it.

I doubt the owner, whom I believe is Middle Eastern, would ask his daughter to wear such garb. I WILL NOT do business with an establishment that disrespects our girls, wrote Sanders.

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Since Sanders initial post, the owner of Bucharest Grill, Bogdan Tarasov, has told WWJ that he never intended for the message to be interpreted in a sexually suggestive manner, and vowed to remove the pants from the uniform rotation.

In a statement obtained by Fox News, Bucharest Grill also accused Sanders of starting the controversy to push her upcoming book.

"These pants never had a double meaning in 8 years until Jerroll Sanders' publicly trashed our business for personal gain," reads the statement, which also points out that Tarasov is not Middle Eastern, but Romanian.

"When Jerroll M. Sanders posted her angery and wreckless [sic] post saying our female employees had 'sizeable bottoms,' SHE drew attention to them and sexualized them."

"You won't have to dig too deep to find the ulterior motive behind it all [which is that] Jerroll M. Sanders' attack is to push her new book," the restaurateurs later added.

Bucharest Grill's statement also claims that they invited Sanders to discuss the matter after they pulled the offending pants, but she declined to meet.

MALE HOOTERS EMPLOYEES SUE RESTAURANT FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sanders, meanwhile, claims she's still unhappy with Tarasovs efforts. In a subsequent Facebook post, she admitted that Tarasov removed the We Deliver leggings from rotation, but has yet to discontinue the practice of having messages on the buttocks of uniforms altogether.

She goes on to explain that Tarasov claimed he needed more time to assess the financial implications of buying completely new uniforms for his employees.

OUR GIRL'S BACKSIDES SHOULD NOT SERVE AS AN ADVERTISING BILLBOARD, wrote Sanders.

Sanders says she isnt the only one who noticed the sexually suggestive nature of the uniforms, as several other mothers took note as well. And as Yahoo points out, the restaurant has earned itself a little bit of a reputation for dressing its female employees in a certain manner.

Sanders was not immediately available for comment.
The wife of a Virginia police officer is speaking out about the McDonalds employee who refused to serve him, but she claims she never wanted the young employee to lose his job.

Last week, Officer Scott Naff of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries was denied service by a young McDonalds drive-thru worker, who took one look at Naff in his uniform and stated, I aint serving no cops.

My husband, of course, was shocked, said Cathy Naff during an interview on Friday mornings edition of Fox and Friends.

DETROIT RESTAURANT UNDER FIRE FOR 'SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE' MESSAGE ON UNIFORMS

He said, Im sorry, what did you say? And [the employee] said, I aint serving no police, and he closed the window on my husband, and stepped away from the window.

Officer Naff, who had already paid for his food, waited patiently for the issue to be resolved, though his wife Cathy believes he was humiliated by the situation.

People who were working in the restaurant were peeking around the corner, staring at my husband, making him feel very humiliated, I believe, at that point, stated Cathy, who first shared her husbands story on Facebook last week. Finally, what seemed to be a cook from the back of the restaurant came around to the window and handed him his food.

In response to last weeks incident, the manager of that McDonalds said she regret[s] the situation as it goes against our standards of providing a welcoming experience to everyone. She also wrote that the restaurant has taken the appropriate action to resolve the situation.

Despite this, Cathy said she and her husband had never requested that the young man be dismissed from his position.

Well, for my husband and for myself, the last thing in the world we want to see is someone lose their job  for him to lose his job, of course, is very disheartening.

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Instead, Cathy said that, in the future, shed rather see McDonalds expend more effort to train its employees in better customer service practices.

We would really like to see some of the appropriate action being taken from McDonalds, and working with their training programs and working with their hiring practices to ensure that anyone who comes to one of their stores is treated with the utmost respect, said Cathy.

Still, Cathy says she and her husband havent ruled out a visit to McDonalds altogether.

As we know, there are so many great franchise owners out there who are working with their employees on a daily basis to teach them the customer service skills that they need, she said.

I guess thats up for us to make that decision in the future.
A 6-year-old boy in New Hampshire is reported to be in stable condition after paramedics responding to a possible overdose call were forced to use Narcan on him. Manchester Police said they responded to a call at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday and found the unidentified boy unresponsive, CBS Boston reported.

Its gut-wrenching, Manchester Police Lt. Brian OKeefe told local media. Its tough, because our officers are responding to overdose calls on a regular basis on each of our shifts. You dont typically go to a potential overdose call with a young child.

A special agent leading the investigation said its the first time American Medical Response used Narcan on a child.

THE WEEK IN PICTURES

It sort of just gives me chills and Im thinking that nobody is really untouched by this thing, Jon DeLena, Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent, told WMUR9.

Investigators have not made any arrests, but are working to determine what the boy came in contact with, and how it was made available. The boy has reportedly been placed in the care of another relative.

When you have a child, it could be as simple as touching an area on a kitchen table, or a spoon, or a sink, or a doorknob, OKeefe said, according to CBS Boston. If theres trace amounts of some kind of opiate derivative with the fentanyl or carfentanyl, it can have dire consequences.

MOM SHARES HARROWING ADDICTION PHOTOS

The case comes almost a month after a 10-year-old boy in Miami died of a fentanyl overdose after visiting a local pool. Authorities are still not certain how Alton Banks came into contact with the powerful painkiller, but he began vomiting at his home June 23 after visiting the pool. He was found unconscious that evening and pronounced dead at a local hospital.

New Hampshire has seen a 191 percent increase in overdose deaths resulting from heroin and opioids over the past five years, according to the CDC. The state is among the hardest hit by the drug crisis in the Northeast.
A baby born three months premature while his parents were on a babymoon arrived in the U.S. on Thursday, after a two-day ordeal over payments to the Mexican hospital that he was born in. Beckham Smith-Ralph, who was born on Tuesday, arrived at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis via medical jet after his familys plea for help sparked an outpouring of support on their GoFundMe page.

Beckham is getting the proper medical care that he deserves, Rebecca Ewert, who has been updating the familys GoFundMe page, wrote on Thursday. We will be giving the family some space as they come down from this crazy traumatic past 72 hours.

DAD PARALYZED IN POOL ACCIDENT MONTH BEFORE WEDDING

Beckhams mother, Michaela Smith, received approval to travel with her partner, Larry Ralph, from her doctor, as her due date was scheduled for Oct. 15, WXIN-TV reported. But while in Cancun, she began to feel ill and went to Hospiten Cancun, where Beckham was born three months premature.

While they paid an initial $9,000 for the first day of care, they claim another $4,000 was billed in various fees, Fox 59 reported. They said within 24 hours, the bill's total then tripled.

According to the familys GoFundMe page, the hospital refused to release Beckham until the couple paid $37,000, which did not include a medical flight to the U.S.

Literally theyre being held hostage down there, Larry Ralph Sr., had told Fox 59. We just want to get him somewhere and get him stable. We need to get him in America.

6-YEAR-OLD BOY REVIVED WITH NARCAN AFTER POSSIBLE OVERDOSE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

The couple allegedly then ran into trouble regarding Smiths health insurance, as the Indiana Hoosier Healthwise plan was not accepted in Florida, which is where they had planned to land. Arrangements were made for the plane to land in Pensacola, where it would go through customs, and then it would travel to Indianapolis, Fox 59 reported.

As the family continued to update followers on Beckhams status, funds to help cover the hospitals charges as well as the additional cost of a medical flight surpassed $47,000 from supporters.

They are in INDIANA!!! Ewert posted on Thursday. We wanted to update all of our family, friends and supporters! Thank you Thank you Thank You from the bottom of our hearts!
A bride from hell cut one of her best friends from the bridal party  because she was too fat to fit into the dress, a report says.

The broken bridesmaid claimed her friend Jane, whos been in her life for 20 years, told her she was only going to have her sisters at the altar and wasnt planning to choose any friends to be bridesmaids, The Mirror reported.

But on the wedding day, two of Janes friends from college were standing next to her as bridesmaids, leaving the jilted friend devastated.

She reached out to British advice columnist Mallory Ortberg on her Dear Prudence page and explained the situation.

I didnt want to ruin her day, so I didnt say anything about it at the time, the letter read.

WOMAN'S VIRAL PHOTOS PROVE CLOTHING SIZES ARE RIDICULOUS

She didnt muster the courage to confront her until a month later.

I told her I was hurt by my exclusion from the wedding party and asked if I had done something to upset her.

It turns out her appearance was the reason she wasnt invited.

She then admitted she hadnt asked me because Im overweight and she thought I wouldnt look good in the bridesmaid dress she had selected  I had no idea what to say to this, and told her I felt hurt and didnt think I could see her again anytime soon.

Im not so sure what to do, she added. I feel pretty devastated about this, especially since my weight has always been an issue for me and I thought Jane understood.

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The advice columnist said Jane was cruel and cowardly.

What that says about her values as a person and the way she sees other people as having value  Its bad.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post
Russia is preventing the security subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Donbas from doing its work, Ukraine's representative in the subgroup, Yevhen Marchuk, said.

"Effectively we are going round in circles. The Russian side has practically thwarted any evolution even on those issues where we used to have mutual interests," Marchuk said on Channel 5 on Friday.

Among such issues is the demining of vital facilities "on the frontline or on the contact line where you have a water reservoir on one side, and consumers on that and other side," Marchuk said.

Not only the latest meeting of the subgroup, which was 61st, but "at least five previous" ones, are not adding optimism, the Ukrainian representative said.

"Russia has been dragging out five or six rounds now," Marchuk said.
This July marked the 80th anniversary of Amelia Earharts disappearance on her expedition to circumnavigate the world by plane. With recent attention in the New York Times and elsewhere, Americans seem to be talking about it just as much today as they were eighty years ago.

What is it about the American imagination that still has us fascinated with the story so many years later?

We all learned about the courageous Earhart in grade school, remembering all the barriers she eclipsed. First female to fly across the Atlantic; first solo flight from Hawaii to California; and lost without a trace in the Pacific Ocean on a quest to circumnavigate the globe. The last chapter, of course, remains unwritten. So many want to know the fate of one of our most famous Americans.

For my own part, in 2007 I helped organize a multimillion dollar search effort in the vast and remote waters of the South Pacific to find Earharts missing twin-engine Lockheed Electra, at the time the largest and most sophisticated search effort of its kind.

Despite using some of the smartest minds and the most cutting-edge technology available, scanning an area of deep ocean about the size of Delaware where Earhart is almost certain to have crashed after running out of fuel, we didnt find the plane.

Subsequent similar search efforts in that same area near Howland Island where the famed aviatrix was scheduled to refuel have failed as well.

The fascination with the mystery of Earhart has come rushing back to the American public after the History Channel recently aired a two-hour special called "Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence," with newly identified so-called evidence on her disappearance.

The entire theory and story hinges on an old photograph, grainy at best, discovered from a recently declassified file in the National Archives.

The tall tale suggests that Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan crash-landed on one of the coral atolls comprising the Marshall Islands, then controlled by the Japanese. The speculation is that Earhart and Noonan were captured and imprisoned until their eventual deaths on the island of Saipan.

The documentary, centered on this single black and white photo, was easily discredited by a Japanese history blogger who dated the photograph in question to 1935, two years before Earharts famed flight. But even before catching this gaping flaw, a basic analysis of the speculation, while likely well-intended, exposes that the old theory of the Japanese capture of Earhart holds little regard for truth.

No doubt exploration ought to be encouraged. But it has its risks and rewards. Is it appropriate for a cable network named and known for History to dedicate two hours of speculation based on one grainy photograph as evidence that Amelia Earhart was captured by the Japanese? The best the photograph can suggest is that a Caucasian woman was in the South Pacific. Should History, and history, be held to a higher standard?

What the theorists involved never answered satisfactorily is how the Japanese, eventual sworn enemies of the U.S., could hold Americas most famous woman captive for years without a single mention of it. Earhart would have been a prize of the highest order for Japanese propaganda, the kind that Tokyo Rose would later have used to demoralize American and Allied Troops. This would be like Iran or North Korea capturing Oprah or Beyonce and never recording or uttering a word. Not likely.

The theorists claimed the Japanese captured Earhart about 1,000 miles from her last known radio contact. She broadcasted to those awaiting her refueling arrival at Howland Island the now famous distress message, We must be on you but we cannot see you. Fuel is running low. Then, according to these theorists, Earhart apparently turned around and flew one-thousand miles on an empty tank to where the Japanese nabbed her. This defies the laws of physics: literally impossible.

Its interesting how such theoretical discoveries about Amelia Earhart like the History Channels latest seem to take flight around an important anniversary.

This year its the 80th anniversary of her disappearance. In 2010 we were treated to another anniversary theory when a group of Earhart enthusiasts and explorers known as TIGHAR claimed to have actual high definition video evidence via sonar and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) of Earharts missing plane, which they claimed rested on a reef off Nikumaroro, an island on which they believe Earhart perished after crashed-landing there. Their later expedition to the island with more sophisticated equipment was going to confirm it for the world, once and for all. Unfortunately, we never heard of that development again.

Despite the gaping holes in the most recent Earhart disappearance theory and others like it, there may be a silver lining.

Why has this story captured the imaginations of so many Americans over 80 years later?

Earhart embodied the courage of breaking barriers and excited a nation, something we could certainly use more of in an oft-skeptical world today. Years later, her story continues to rekindle that desire.
Imagine the outrage you would feel going to a restaurant and being told you wont be served because of your race, your ethnicity, your religion, or some other aspect of your identity. This hurtful practice was all too common in some parts of the South decades ago, targeting African-Americans. Thankfully, civil rights protests prompted governments at all levels to outlaw such blatant, unjust and frankly immoral discrimination.

Police officers enforce laws against discrimination and an untold number of other laws, keeping our communities safe and protecting the rights and lives of us all. Yet as a recent outrageous incident at a McDonalds restaurant in Henrico County in Virginia showed, law enforcement officers themselves can be targeted for hateful discrimination.

In the incident in Virginia a few days ago, a uniformed officer with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says that after he paid for his food he was denied service at a McDonalds drive-thru window by an employee who told him: I aint serving no police.

Officer Scott Naff, who has spent the past 25 years in law enforcement, was served a few minutes later by another employee. After a Facebook post by the officers wife about the incident went viral, the owner of the McDonalds franchise issued a statement saying: We regret this situation as it goes against our standards of providing a welcoming experience to everyone, and we have taken the appropriate action to resolve this situation. Naffs wife told Fox and Friends this morning that she was informed the employee has been fired.

Sadly, this wasn't an isolated incident. Over the past few years there have been many accounts of officers being denied service at restaurants and other businesses  such as in Florida, Minnesota and Texas  simply because they chose to risk their lives in service of their communities.

Earlier this month, during the funeral procession for New York City Police Officer Miosotis Familia, a young man blared an obscene anti-police song from his balcony onto the mourners below. Repeated attempts to stop the song were unsuccessful and thousands of grieving officers and the family of the fallen were subjected to ridicule on top of their grief. Officer Familia, a mother of three, was murdered while she sat in her police vehicle July 5  shot in the head for no reason other than she was a police officer.

Admittedly, getting denied service at a restaurant is not the worst thing that can happen to a police officer or anyone else. But the far too widespread hatred for police officers, illustrated by the restaurant incidents, can lead to actions that are lot worse  such as the tragic deaths of Officer Familia and other law enforcement officers.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Fund reports that last year 135 law enforcement officers around the U.S. died in the line of duty  the highest number in five years, and up from 123 officers in 2015. Sixty-four of the officers who lost their lives in 2016 were fatally shot, including 21 killed in ambush-style attacks, the highest number in over two decades.

Weve all seen news stories and demonstrations that often follow when someone is killed at the hands of police. Those incidents certainly need to be thoroughly investigated and officers need to be prosecuted when warranted. But in almost two decades of law enforcement I have found that virtually all police officers are dedicated to saving lives, not taking them, and put themselves in harms way to get criminals off the street and keep us safe.

We must never forget that members of our nations law enforcement community are essential to the maintenance of a stable and civil society. They represent the fine line between order and chaos.

Respect for the men and women who protect and serve our communities, often at tremendous personal sacrifice, is merely an extension of the respect that we must show to one another as citizens and human beings. Behind the badge and uniform that officers wear youll find extraordinarily decent people  mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters. Theyre not perfect, but they deserve to be treated like you or I would want to be treated, as human beings with the same rights we all are privileged to enjoy in our great nation.
Despite his recent criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia collusion investigation of the Trump campaign, President Trump should thank Sessions for stepping aside from the probe that is drawing breathless media coverage almost every day.

Why? Because any investigation overseen by Sessions that cleared Trump and his campaign of wrongdoing would immediately draw criticism, due to Sessions role as an important surrogate and close adviser to candidate Trump. Democrats would complain that no matter how little solid evidence was found, Sessions would be acting improperly in clearing Team Trump because he was hopelessly biased in favor of the president.

Beyond his recusal, Sessions took another wise step. He protected President Trump again by deferring to a special counsel (Robert Mueller), who has limited authority and must report to the deputy attorney general (Rod Rosenstein). This assured that when Trump is ultimately cleared  as seems likely  the decision will not be called political. Knowing there was no evidence of criminality, this decision was a smart one by Sessions.

By law, if the deputy attorney general finds any sign of misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or  other good cause, including violation of Departmental policies by the special counsel, he can instantly remove him.

By law, unless otherwise authorized, the special counsel must stay focused on the limited inquiry  the politically motivated collusion charge. Fishing expeditions are not permitted.

By precedent, this limited inquiry should be over in less than a year. Many end in months.

Historically, of 22 special investigations conducted since 1978, 16 ended in no charges, five in some (none involving a president). The only exception was the investigation against President Clinton that ended with his impeachment by the House, followed by his acquittal in the Senate.

A no indictments conclusion by the special counsel, assuming no conflicts, limited scope and a final report filed, is empirically and predictably the most likely outcome. It would also be devastating for the Democrats, whose eggs are all in the collusion basket.

Such an outcome would vindicate President Trump, leaving critics empty in 2018, because Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein had the foresight to keep the inquiry independent, limited and tightly monitored.

President Trump would be best advised to ignore the Russia investigation. Let it go, stop tweeting about it and get on with governing to accomplish what voters sent him to Washington to get done. Most Americans are tired of the probe. They will make that clear when they go to the polls in 2018.

The president should have confidence in Sessions, who is a seasoned former prosecutor, man of integrity and major asset to the administration and nation. An unbiased investigation clearing Trump will deprive Democrats of the issue on which they now stake everything  a fizzling, false narrative, ultimately based not on law or reason, but resentment and disaffection for a conservative president. The truth is painfully simple: Attorney General Sessions took the long view, and President Trump will  in time  thank him for doing so.
President Trump has been in office for six months, and has compiled a long list of accomplishments, no thanks to Congressional Republicans.

Its time the president cracks some GOP heads.

Frustrated with the Senate Republicans inability to pass a health care plan or even honor a prior vote to repeal ObamaCare, President Trump told them, "inaction is not an option." He spoke for a lot of Americans, who listened for years as Republicans vowed to rip out the disastrous signature accomplishment of Obama.

Every time they ran for re-election, in 2010, 2014 and 2016, Republicans promised to get rid of ObamaCare. It was music to the ears of Americans, who have been bearing the burden of ObamaCare and all the broken promises it brought.

Most Republicans have signaled they will vote to repeal it. But no Democrats will, and a few key Republicans, who previously voted to repeal ObamaCare, now say they wont. Are they really willing to go down with the ship, and risk their seats because of their hatred for President Trump?

President Trump's agenda, from ObamaCare to energy, immigration and law enforcement, is what the Republican Party tells us it stands for. Republicans have majorities in the House and Senate and a president who gets what the party stands for. There really shouldn't be any excuses. And at this point, there should be some sort of tangible progress.

These Republicans who aren't doing everything they can do to pass the president's agenda through Congress -- the agenda that the American people voted for and deserve -- need to take a good, hard look in the mirror. If they cant do their jobs and serve the folks who put them in office, they need to get out of the way.

President Trump could also use his partys protection against Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and the Deep State plot to bring him down. They are on a massive witch hunt, and Mueller has reportedly expanded his Russia collusion probe to look into an unlimited range of Trumps private business dealings long before he became president. That report leaked out mysteriously right after President Trump told The New York Times Mueller would be crossing the line if he did that.

Mueller should be investigating who is committing crimes by leaking this type of information to the press. But these leaks have been going on for months, and nothing has been done to stop them. In fact, one admitted Deep State leaker was Muellers own best pal, former FBI Director James Comey. No wonder Trump fired him.

Mueller has massive conflicts of interest beyond his friendship with Comey. The day before he was appointed special counsel, he was interviewed by President Trump for the FBI directors job. Mueller likely knew he was going to be appointed special counsel, yet he still interviewed to be the FBI director. It's beyond ridiculous.

Mueller has stacked his legal team with Trump-hating lawyers who have donated thousands of dollars to Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. He, the Democrats and their Deep State cronies are out to get President Trump, and they are playing for keeps.

And Republicans, who should be helping him advance their agenda and protecting him from this witch hunt, are asleep at the wheel. It is time to wake them up.

Adapted from Sean Hannity's monologue on "Hanity," July 20, 2017
Benito Mussolini once said of his country: Its not impossible to govern Italy. Its useless.

The same can be said for trying to explain what Donald Trump is thinking and what hell do next. That is an exercise in futility and frustration, as Sean Spicer found out this week.

The appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as White House Communications Director left Spicer as a man without a country in the Trump administration. And what Spicer, who resigned Friday, should be thinking is: good luck, pal!

Last year, Fox Business Network was selected to host one of the debates among Republican candidates for president. Spicer at that time was chief strategist and communications director for the Republican National Committee and so was deeply involved in preparations for the event in Charleston, S.C.

I had several interactions with him, and found him to be a man of honor and integrity. When he saw things developing in a way that might not help the Party, he said so. He had the interests of all the candidates in mind, and treated them equally  at least when he was speaking with us.

I was surprised when Sean accepted the job of White House press secretary. The Trump familys animus toward the news media had been clearly foreshadowed, and he must have known he would quickly be at odds with the journalists he was supposed to keep informed.

What I bet surprised even Sean was the all-out warfare that quickly developed with the White House press corps, which has an inflated opinion of itself and its mission. And that mission, it soon became clear, was to delegitimize Trumps presidency.

Seans temper sometimes boiled over in public, and it didnt help his image. He was in the unenviable position of walking into a journalistic lions den on a daily basis, knowing he would be pummeled mercilessly  but never into submission.

To those Americans who still support Trump, Spicers feisty exchanges with reporters were a welcome push-back on a profession for which they have little respect.

When Spicer allowed beyond-the-Beltway journalists to Skype in their questions, the usual suspects camped out in the press briefing room were outraged. How dare you give those country bumpkins direct access to the White House! You have to go through us!

Spicer also exposed the vanity of the presidential press corps. The truth is, they love being on TV. When Sean announced that the daily briefings would be transmitted by audio only, the collective stamping of little feet could be heard clear across the Potomac.

But even as he was settling scores with the press corps, Spicer was being undermined by his so-called colleagues in the administration. Trying to explain accurately what the president was thinking and what he intended to do was downright impossible. Why? Because Spicer was being left out of the meetings where decisions were made and strategy crafted.

Explaining Donald Trump is like handling public relations for Kim Jong Un. And Spicer met the same fate as someone who disappoints the little big man of Pyongyang.

Leave with your head held high, Sean.
Heres a prediction by yours truly that you can take to the bank: In just a few years Iran will have intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, that can attack targets all over the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

And it might all be thanks to the rogue state the Trump administration has labelled the biggest national security threat of our time: North Korea.

Oh, and to twist the knife in a little deeper, those missiles could be armed with nuclear weaponsonce the Iran deal expires. That is, unless America puts a stop to this threat once and for all.

Now wait a second. Youre shocked? You really shouldnt be.

Before we get to all that, maybe we should take a step back for a moment.

You see, making such predictions isnt always popular, but they spur action. Foreign policy analysts here in Washington love to hedge their bets with words like possibly, perhaps, likely and so on when trying to predict the next big threat. However, there is always certain trends that are easy to seeand even easier to run away from because they arent super solvable.

The American people didnt vote for such dithering last cycle. To be frank, they voted for the opposite of Barack Obama.

When it comes to matters abroad voters wanted an America that would seek out the challenges of the future and take them on before they were aimed at our collective heads. And that is what President Trump has done by taking on North Koreas nuclear and missile programs as well as calling out Iran for its own menacing missile plans.

While all of this is great news, the Trump administration is now facing a much bigger problem: the potential for North Korea and Iran to collaborate on long-range missile technology that can be used to strike our allies and the homeland.

In many respects, the evidence is right out in the open of past collaboration, according to some experts.

In an interview with Fox News, Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey explained that the very first missiles we saw in Iran were simply copies of North Korean missiles. He also noted that over the years, we've seen photographs of North Korean and Iranian officials in each other's countries, and we've seen all kinds of common hardware.

Many experts have been warning for years now that Tehran and Pyongyang have been trading missile technology. If the Trump administration doesnt act fast it wont be just the hermit kingdom that has nukes that can strike at targets thousands of miles awaybut it will also be the only nation on planet Earth that has turned chanting death to America into a national pastime.

Now, to be fair, there are those who downplay the linkages between Iran and North Korea. But if history tells us one thing it is that to never, ever, dismiss the power of a common threat. And both of these countries seek to offset U.S. military mightat any price. Clearly long-range missiles armed with nuclear payloads do that quite nicely.

One could easily imagine a scenario in a decade or so when the Iran nuclear deal has lapsedsomething many on the left seem to forgetand Tehran decides that it no longer needs to hide its intentions.

Iran instead takes what it feels is its rightful place as the dominant power of the Middle East and hold on to its arsenal of nuclear weapons and the missiles to carry them into battle. With the nuclear research it already has done in the past, along with careful cooperation with Pyongyang on missile technology the nuclear deal currently in place never restricted such cooperationit decides to push ahead unabated.

So what should the Trump administration do about this threat? Thankfully, Washington has considerable options to explore.

First, we should name and shame any North Korean, Iranian or outside partners that are helping these rogue regimes collaborate on missile technologies.

Pentagon and intelligence officials have told me on several occasions they have strong leads on who is helping facilitate these exchanges. Its time to shine a light on these groups or individualsnow. They need to be outed for the whole world to see and publicly shamed.

The Trump administration should declare that if you help Pyongyang or Tehran build long-range missiles you are an enemy of the international community and will be treated accordingly. Such shaming should include those providing material or technical assistance or any banks, financial institutions or front companies passing along funds for such assistance between both nations.

Second, with such entities out in the open, Team Trump should impose sanctions on such groups as soon as possible. The goal should be to drive up the costs for both sides and make them feel the financial pinch as much as possible.

Third, we should get creative in how we try to stamp out such cooperation. In a 2012 report by the National Bureau of Asian Research, author John S. Park offers the idea of using a a monetary reward program to interdict components or technicians central to ballistic missile development. He notes that:

Hiding in the open is a particularly effective tactic employed by North Korea. Contracting private Chinese companies to serve as middlemen to facilitate cargo launderinga creative process of disassembling components and moving them through different logistics routesenables North Korean state trading companies to utilize commercial shipping containers. Monetary rewards would offer a double payday for some Chinese companies, who could collect the commission fee from a North Korean client as well as the reward for anonymously providing a copy of the freight insurance to local authorities in busy Southeast Asian ports.

And finally, all of this is the clearest argument yet for Washington to lead a much more robust effort at ensuring more missile defense platforms are brought into the Middle East, Asia and also upgraded for the defense of our homeland.

Stopping an Iranian ICBM armed with a nuclear weapon by way of North Korea is one of the greatest challenges America faces today. The Trump administration must act now before its too late.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo blasted The New York Times Thursday for publishing the name of the undercover officer in charge of the agency's Iran operations.

During a question-and-answer session at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts, Pompeo said the decision to publish the operative's name was "unconscionable." The audience applauded his statement after a brief period of silence.

The operative's name, which Fox News is withholding, was published in a June 2 story. The Times said it was publishing the name because the officer had previously been identified in other news reports and because the operative is "leading an important new administration initiative against Iran."

The Times story cited "current and former intelligence officials," who the report said spoke on condition of anonymity because the officer was undercover.

Reached for comment, a Times spokesperson said in an email that despite the CIAs request not to publish the name, editors decided to publish because the individual is a senior official who runs operations from Langley, not out in the field. He is the architect of the drone program, one of the government's most significant paramilitary programs. The American public has a right to know who is making life-or-death decisions in its name."

Pompeo had criticized Iran earlier in his appearance, saying Tehran's work to gain a foothold in Syria was only one example of its aim to become the "kingpin" of the Middle East. Pompeo also likened Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal to, as he put it, "a bad tenant bouncing checks."

In a wide-ranging conversation, Pompeo also told the audience that Russia is interested in keeping forces in Syria in part because they "love to stick it to America."

Pompeo added that he had seen no strong evidence that Moscow was determined to defeat ISIS in Syria and called their engagement in that fight "minimal." However, Pompeo added that he was happy to work with Moscow on counterterrorism issues.

When asked if Russia is America's friend or adversary, Pompeo replied: "It's complicated," and added that it was clear that Russians "find anyplace they can to make our lives more difficult."

Pompeo also renewed his criticism of Wikileaks, saying that he believed the website would "take down America any way it can."

WikiLeaks is happy to work with Russia, China, Iran -- or even young American students at U.S. colleges and universities, Pompeo said, adding that on its website, the anti-privacy group urges students to become a CIA intern so they can become whistleblowers.

Despite his criticism, Pompeo acknowledged that President Trump had not shared his view during the campaign. "I don't love WikiLeaks," Pompeo said, referencing one of Trump's statements as a candidate while the website was publishing hacked emails of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Besides Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked documents revealing extensive U.S. government surveillance, WikiLeaks has released nearly 8,000 documents that it says reveal secrets about the CIA's cyberespionage tools for breaking into computers. WikiLeaks previously published 250,000 State Department cables and embarrassed the U.S. military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump intends to formally nominate John Bass as ambassador to Afghanistan, the White House announced on Thursday.

Bass, who has been a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is currently serving as the ambassador to Turkey, a job he has held since 2014.

He previously served as the ambassador to Georgia from 2009 to 2012.

HUNTSMAN TO BE NOMINATED AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA

In May, Bass was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey said, for what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" following a clash between U.S. security personnel and Turkish bodyguards in Washington during a visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Bass was given a "written and verbal protest" for the treatment of two security officers for being "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices." The move appeared to be in retaliation for calls in the United States for action against the Turkish security officers.

The officers were caught on tape hitting and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington during Erdogan's visit.

Bass nomination needs to be confirmed by the Senate.
In a bipartisan move, two senators announced Thursday their intention to grant legal status to a group of undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, commonly referred to as "DREAMers."

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced the legislation which would allow certain young immigrants the chance to earn permanent residency in the U.S. and be provided with a pathway toward citizenship.

We dont believe that young people should be held responsible for the errors or the illegal actions of their parents, Durbin told reporters Thursday.

An emotional Graham pleaded with the GOP and President Donald Trump to protect the more than 1 million immigrants who he said were brought to the U.S. as children.

President Trump, as you fix a broken immigration system, remember that you have the power to fix lives as well. Use that power, Graham said during a press conference about the bill Thursday afternoon.

The South Carolinian praised the Trump administration for focusing on getting the bad hombres out of the country and pushing to secure the border.

The question for the Republican Party is, what do we tell these people? How do we treat them, he said. Heres my answer: we treat them fairly, we do not pull the rug out from under them.

Durbin acknowledged that this isnt the first time lawmakers have tried to pass this legislation  but that it has ultimately failed. The legislation proposed Thursday is very similar to past Dream Acts.

We need the Dream Act now more than ever because of the uncertainty that these young people face in America, he said.

The bipartisan legislation applies to DREAMers who were brought to the U.S. as children and have been residents in the country for a long time, graduated from high school or obtained a GED and passed a series of background checks.

It also requires immigrants to work toward a college degree, serve in the military or be lawfully employed for at least three years. It would not be applicable to anyone who has committed a felony or poses a threat to the U.S.

And immigrants would have to pay a reasonable application fee, a person who worked on the legislation told Fox News.

Daniel Garza, president of the nonpartisan Libre Initiative, told Fox News that he is glad to see bipartisan legislation on immigration put forth because consensus is key.

At the end of the day, Democrats dont get to define what immigration reform is, and neither do Republicans, Garza said. There has to be a very pragmatic approach to immigration reform with both sides.

DACA RECIPIENT WHO CLAIMS TO BE FIRST DREAMER DEPORTED UNDER TRUMP FILES SUIT

These children did not consciously violate the law, and theyre trapped in limbo because of the actions of their parents, Garza said. He added that his organization is supportive of any reform that will give legality to law-abiding immigrants who entered through no fault of their own with their parents.

Garza stressed the need for a more permanent solution  such as a law  when it comes to immigration and the fate of DREAMers. Former President Barack Obamas executive order expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program  a memorandum that protects thousands of certain young immigrants from deportation  didnt provide that sense of relief, but instead caused a lot of turmoil and concern across the country for these children because of its uncertainty, he said.

Kamal Essaheb, policy and advocacy director at the National Immigration Law Center, also praised the bipartisanship of the legislation but warned that it shouldn't take the place of DACA.

"The legislation would provide a necessary, longer-term solution for immigrant youth who have fought for the ability to work, go to school, and live without fear of deportation," Essaheb said, adding that a bill shouldn't "diminish the critical importance of DACA, which has fundamentally enhanced the lives of nearly 800,000 people, including my own."

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles director of communications Jorge-Mario Cabrera said that his organization, from the looks of it, supports the legislation introduced Thursday.

We would be supportive of a permanent solution to save DACA, Cabrera told Fox News, adding that CHIRLA would want a clean bill with no more enforcement.

Under the Trump administration, the fate of the so-called DREAMers is uncertain. A White House official told McClatchy this week that President Donald Trump would be unlikely to sign the legislation introduced by Durbin and Graham Thursday.

White House legislative affairs director Marc Short seemingly echoed that sentiment during an off-camera briefing Wednesday as well.

The administration has opposed the DREAM Act, and we are likely to be consistent in that, he said.

But Durbin said Thursday that he and Graham have been actively engaged with the White House for several weeks about immigration issues, and there are people within the White House who want to continue this dialogue and conversation.

Were not giving up on  appealing to the administration to join us in this effort, Durbin said.

ARIZONA REGENTS TO OFFER IN-STATE TUITION TO SOME IMMIGRANTS

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week that he believed DACA is likely illegal  although he is personally supportive of the program.

A group of attorneys general have called on the Trump administration to rescind the program. They have threatened to file a lawsuit to challenge DACA unless the Trump administration takes its own action to phase it out.

I was encouraged that Secretary Kelly said he personally supports the DACA policy, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told Fox News. But, you know, also discouraged that he couldnt say the administration would defend it or not.

The legislation put forth Thursday by Graham and Durbin is similar to previous Dream Act guidelines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukraine calls for more pressure on Moscow to prevent escalation in Donbas

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has blamed Russia for the recent aggravation of the situation in Donbas, and urged international partners involved in the peace process to step up pressure on Moscow.

"We are expecting international community, including our partners involved in the peaceful settlement process, to give a definite reaction in response to Russian hybrid troops' aggressive actions in Donbas, and to step up pressure on Russia for the purpose of their immediate cessation," the ministry said in a statement.

The opposite side is "deliberately" disrupting "the bread truce" which, under a Trilateral Contact Group agreement, was to remain in place from June 24 till August 31, the statement says.

"Over three days alone, July 18-20, Ukraine lost eleven servicemen, 15 servicemen and two civilians have been injured," the ministry said.

This undermines the peaceful settlement process based on the Minsk Agreements, Kyiv said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has fired more than 500 employees since Jan. 20, when President Trump took office, according to a list of job categories of employees recently disciplined or fired.

The list, released by the VA July 3 and updated weekly, has been a way for the embattled agency to be more accountable and transparent about its employee disciplinary process, said U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin. The VA is the first federal agency to make this data on employee status public.

"Veterans and taxpayers have a right to know what were doing to hold our employees accountable and make our personnel actions transparent, said Shulkin.

VA WHISTLEBLOWER DOC FACES AX UNLESS TRUMP STEPS IN



The VA has been under fire for shuffling controversial and problematic employees and managers instead of firing them, even after the widely publicized VA wait list scandal that rocked the agency.

So the number of recent firings is surprising to many VA reform advocates.

In the past, the VA was not straightforward on who they were disciplining and who they let retire, said Dan Caldwell, director of policy for the Concerned Veterans for America, a grassroots veterans advocacy organization. Often the VA would say someone was fired, and wed find out later that employee was not fired, they were actually just suspended, demoted or had been allowed to retire before they could be fired.

Very few employees were terminated for the wait list scandal  less than a dozen that we know of  even though hundreds or even thousands of people were involved, Caldwell said.

VA WHISTLEBLOWER'S RETALIATION CLAIMS SPUR ACTION FROM CONGRESS

Even though the firings have been happening since Trump took office, not all credit or blame should go to the president, said Natalie Khawam of the Whistleblower Law Firm in Tampa, Fla.

Claims that all these terminations at the VA occurred because of the new accountability program or under the new [VA] secretary's watch is misleading, said Khawam who represents a number of VA employee whistleblowers. Any terminations prior to just a couple months ago were initiated under the Obama administration, and any other termination actions that are still being processed may have rolled over from the past administration, too.

The VA acknowledged some of these actions taken against employees did start under the Obama administration because it typically takes six months to one year to terminate VA employees.

But that too will change. The newly passed VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act signed by the president just weeks ago, along with VAs pledge for reform, will help to speed up firings for employees who have controversial histories or poor track records, Shulkin said.

VA RETALIATION AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWER: DOCTOR KEPT IN EMPTY ROOM

One of our frustrations is it took incredible amounts of time to fire people at the higher echelons of the VA, Caldwell said. It could take hundreds of days to terminate someone, even though they were a senior manager.

The old way of doing things at the VA allowed employees to exploit loopholes and put off getting fired or retire while the termination process was ongoing, Caldwell said.

The VA is sending a clear message that there is a new way of doing things and that they want to get the bad actors out more quickly, Caldwell said, adding that this didnt occur under the last administration.

The VA Accountability Act will give the agency the authority to take action more expeditiously, even in the appeal process. The VA will also have a stronger standing in the courts against troubled employees.

The difference is significant, and will allow the VA to hold employees accountable in a manner unlike that of any previous administration, a VA spokesperson said.

The VA is making another key reform, cracking down on settlement payouts to employees.

The VA shelled out $5 million to VA employees under the last administration, which some critics maintain facilitated payments to undeserving employees with a bad track record whod been terminated.

All new settlements will require approval by a senior official for any monetary settlement above $5,000.

Taxpayers need to know that we will engage in good faith settlement negotiations, where required by third parties, but will look to settle with employees only when they clearly have been wronged or when settlement is otherwise in the veterans and taxpayers best interests, and not as a matter of ordinary business, Shulkin said. Were changing to a culture of accountability at VA, and this is an important step in that direction.
Anthony Scaramucci rose through the financial ranks of New York, ardently defending Wall Street and founding a global hedge fund to eventually wind up as the White House communications director.

But his latest project only lasted a little over 10 days.

Scaramucci was tapped as the next communications director for the White House on July 21. But by the afternoon of July 31, Scaramucci already was removed from his position.

Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team, the White House said in a statement. We wish him all the best.

The ascension of the Goldman Sachs alumnus to the Trump administration created turmoil in the White House and resulted in the resignations of Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly was sworn in as President Donald Trumps new chief of staff Monday morning, just hours before Scaramucci left his position.

Read on to find out more about Scaramucci, known to friends as The Mooch.

Financier

Named Wall Streeter of the Year by Yahoo Finance in 2016, Scaramucci founded and co-managed SkyBridge Capital, a group of hedge funds with a reported $11.8 billion in assets.

Hes also hosted a variety of financial conferences and programs, including Fox Business Networks Wall Street Week and the glitzy SALT Conference, an annual gathering of prominent financiers and politicians.

RESIGNATIONS, CHANGES ON TRUMP LEGAL TEAM

Scaramucci, 53, sold his SkyBridge Capital in January in preparation for a role in the Trump administration. The price of the sale was not disclosed, but the firm was thought to be valued at more than $200 million, the Financial Times reported at the time of the sale.

Fundraiser

A Republican in New York, Scaramucci has donated to politicians in his party for a long time  but Trump, a fellow wealthy New Yorker, didnt catch his eye right away.

Scaramucci initially backed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and then former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

While he was supporting Walker, Scaramucci said he was a team Republican but had a difficult time communicating with Trump.

When I talk to Donald and he talks to me, I guess we dont understand [each other], Scaramucci told Fox Business Network in 2015. I may need to get an interpreter in the room to talk to Donald.

SCARAMUCCI ACCEPTS CNNS APOLOGY FOR RETRACTED RUSSIA STORY

Ultimately, the Long Island native kept his promise to support the Republican presidential nominee and threw his full support behind Trump, eventually serving on his transition team.

At the SALT Conference in May, Scaramucci contended that he is ready to serve in the current administration.

And so, to the extent the president needs me, I will be available to him, Scaramucci said then.

I remain loyal to the president and to the cause, he added.

On Friday, White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway sang Scaramuccis praises, saying that he has been an incredible asset to President Trump during the campaign, transition and now.

Scaramucci made headlines in 2010 when he asked Obama during a televised town hall meeting when he was going to stop whacking at the Wall Street pinata.

Scaramucci has also contributed to scores of Democratic politicians, including Obama.

Spokesman

In his first weekend as the communications director for the White House, Scaramucci gave interview after interview and promised its time for the Trump administration to hit the reset button with the press.

Scaramucci told Fox News Sunday that he wanted to bring an era of a new good feeling and hopes to create a more positive mojo in his new role. He also promised to crack down on information leaks and pledged to better focus the message coming out of the White House.

As far as Im concerned, there will be a new start for everybody on the team, he said.

On the Russia stories, Scaramucci said that a "two-pronged approach" was needed, saying that "in some ways we want to deescalate things and have there be a level of diplomacy. In other ways, we want it to be very hard-hitting and war-like."

Scaramucci also told CNN Sunday that an unnamed person told him that "if the Russians actually hacked this situation and spilled out those e-mails, you would have never seen it."

He then said he was quoting the president, adding that "he basically said to me, hey, you know, this is  maybe they did it. Maybe they didn't do it."

A person thats going to be super, super tough on Russia is President Donald J. Trump, Scaramucci said.

Scaramucci also deleted some of his old tweets that had resurfaced in the wake of his new appointment.

Those tweets showed that Scaramucci was often at odds with Trump during the campaign  and one even praised Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for her competence.

Other tweets expressed support for stronger gun laws, which he tweeted about in August 2012. In May 2016, he expressed displeasure with individuals who believe climate change is a hoax. Trump has at times referred to global warming as a hoax.

When it comes to Trumps tweets, Scaramucci told CBS Face the Nation that if he thinks its helpful to him, let him do it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In a seeming act of defiance toward the Trump administration, a federal judge in San Francisco has refused to reinstate the presidents sanctuary cities order.

The bold move to not reinstate President Donald Trump's executive order -- which sought to slash funding to cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities -- comes amid a battle between the State Department and local governments across the country over the edict from Washington.

The U.S. Department of Justice had asked U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick to reverse his own injunction in April against Trump's executive order. The injunction was issued in response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo in May saying the executive order should be applied narrowly to a small number of grants and to very specific violations of immigration law. The memo said cities that "willfully refuse to comply" with federal law could lose grants from the Justice and Homeland Security departments, but not other federal funding.

The Justice Department said the memo negated the need for Orrick's injunction.

Orrick said he found Sessions' memo unconvincing, asserting it would allow the attorney general to reverse his stand at any moment.

The judge's injunction stops enforcement of the executive order across the country, and allows the lawsuits to go forward.

And Orrick's refusal to reverse it strikes another blow to Trump's attempt to punish cities that give safe haven to those in the country illegally.

On Friday, Sessions is scheduled to visit Philadelphia, where officials have said its local law enforcement will not act as immigration agents  a stance Sessions has challenged as unconstitutional.

During a speech to law enforcement officials in Las Vegas, Sessions recently singled out Philadelphia, saying the City of Brotherly Love is "advertising" its policy and "protecting criminals."

Sessions' trip comes on the heels of a New York Times interview published this week in which Trump expressed frustration with Sessions for recusing himself from the FBI probe into Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
President Donald Trump has been in office for only six months, but that hasnt prevented political junkies from speculating about which Democrats may try to oppose him in the 2020 presidential race.

An upcoming scheduled appearance in New Hampshire by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California has already sparked talk that she might run, as Fox News reported Thursday.

But other Democrats  aside from obvious names such as former Vice President Joe Biden  are also drawing attention. Fresh faces being mentioned include Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts.

Speculation about Harris continues to mount following her recent trip to New Yorks Hamptons, where she met with Hillary Clinton supporters and major donors.

Shes running for president. Take it to the bank, one fundraiser told the Hill about 52-year-old Harris. Shes absolutely going to run.

A recent poll showed that Harris would narrowly defeat Trump if the 2020 election were held today, Breitbart News reported.

The former prosecutor and state attorney general of California gained national attention during recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearings, when her questioning of former FBI Director James Comey and others was interrupted on two occasions  once by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and once by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.

However, Harris quickly dismissed talk of a presidential bid while at a Recode technology conference in May.

Im not giving that any consideration. Ive got to stay focused, Harris said.

But, according to Page Six of the New York Post, the senator is scheduled to make another trip to the Hamptons soon, where she will meet with influential Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Attorney General Eric Holder.

Meanwhile, Kennedy was recently featured in a Town & Country article that dubbed him The next president.

The grandson of Robert F. Kennedy is also known for his stand against Trumps promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare, as well as his support for Planned Parenthood.

But just like Harris, the 36-year-old congressman quickly dismisses talk of a run for the White House.

He added that the headline caught him by surprise.

Furthest thing from my mind, he said after a rally in Quincy, Massachusetts. So, no plans on that, thanks very much.
Democrats, after lengthy deliberations, reportedly have settled on a new slogan  and its not exactly getting rave reviews.

The winner, according to Vox, is: A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages."

The slogan drew immediate taunts given its obvious similarity to the Papa Johns tagline, Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa Johns.

But considering the party has been scrambling to regroup with an effective message and strategy since its November thumping  all toward the goal of retaking at least one chamber of Congress next year  Obama-era communications pros greeted the slogan with a collective facepalm.

If your slogan uses a colon or a comma, back to the drawing board, tweeted Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for then-President Barack Obama.

Fire every consultant involved, added Jon Lovett, a former speechwriter for Obama and Hillary Clinton.

And in a more colorful tweet, he ruled, ALLOW ME TO SECOND ANYONE WITH A F---ING BRAIN: THIS SLOGAN IS GARBAGE. Hoping it's not real.

The Republican National Committee press shop gleefully circulated their put-downs overnight.

Unclear is whether the Democrats might revisit the choice before formally announcing it.

Vox congressional reporter Jeff Stein first reported on the slogan, saying he was told it would be released on Monday. He initially omitted the Better Deal part but then corrected himself.

Stein added, Another member noted that this is the result of months of polling and internal deliberations among the House Democratic caucus.

A Politico report earlier this month that previewed part of the slogan  A Better Deal  also said the slogan was being polled in battleground House districts.

After the partys White House loss, Democrats faced intense criticism for building last years message around opposition to then-candidate Donald Trump  with not enough focus on what their candidates, including presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, would do. The electoral map also exposed a failure to connect to key blue-collar voting blocs in battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The effort to craft a new slogan apparently is being led by congressional Democratic leaders and has been a rocky process all along. House Democrats recently asked people to vote on a new slogan  with the options largely focusing again on resisting or mocking Republicans.

One of them was: I mean, have you seen the other guys?

The supposed winning message, though, might be rooted in a rallying cry from former Clinton VP nominee Sen. Tim Kaine.

As noted by Ezra Levin at the liberal Indivisible Project, Kaine advertised a May op-ed with a tweet that said, Better Skills. Better Jobs. Better Wages. My thoughts on why Dems need a stronger economic message in @USATODAY.
Emergency response officials in Hawaii do not want to be caught flat-footed if North Korea launches a missile attack  and are launching a campaign meant to inform, but not frighten, residents over how to prepare in case the rogue regime does the unthinkable.

We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public, Vern T. Miyagi, Hawaiis Emergency Management Agency (HEMA) administrator, said in a statement released ahead of Fridays expected rollout.

While the threat of a ballistic missile from North Korea is assessed to be low, preparedness plans have been in development since December 2016.

U.S. intelligence officials now believe North Korea is capable of launching a missile 4,000 miles, which is within range of the Hawaiian islands and their 1.4 million residents.

Officials have likened the campaign to active shooter preparedness drills conducted in schools nationwide. They will reflect the current times and will not resemble the duck and cover drills students endured in the 1950s.

Miyagi tried to temper any panic by saying the government did not want to cause any undue stress for the public, but action was warranted since the North Korean nuclear capabilities are unclear.

Whether its hurricane or tsunami, the same thing that we need to get out to the folks is that they need to have a plan, he said.

The state could begin testing a new emergency siren as early as November. The tests will include the sounding of a normal siren followed by a second siren that would be used in the event of an attack.

The Pentagon needs to consider deploying new anti-ballistic missile systems and a defensive radar to Hawaii to protect against a growing threat from North Korea, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific told Congress earlier this year.

Kim Jong Un is clearly in a position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion, Adm. Harry Harris, chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee on April 26.

Harris added that he was not suggesting we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii at the moment. Currently, the U.S. has anti-missile interceptors at two bases in Alaska.

Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes Pyongyangs July 4 missile test shows they clearly have the range but lack the accuracy to hit the United States.

What the experts tell me is that the North Koreans have yet to demonstrate the capacity to do the guidance and control that would be required, Selva told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week.

Accurate or not, the progress of their nuclear program has some state lawmakers on edge.

In April, the Hawaii House Public Safety Committee passed a resolution formally asking the state to modernize its disaster preparedness plan, including repairing and restocking fallout shelters.

The state last issued a Community Shelter Plan in 1985.

Weve had wake-up calls before but what happened on July 3 is shaking us out of bed," state Rep. Gene Ward told Reuters after the latest missile test.

Ward, a Republican, recently suggested using old military bunkers located beneath Diamond Head Crater as fallout shelters, but HEMA officials dismissed the idea.

State emergency officials have argued against updating shelters since residents would have a limited window to find shelter once a missile had been launched.

Whats going to happen is youre going to hear the sirens. Youre going to hear what goes off on the radio and on your smart phone, and youve got just a few minutes to protect yourself. Theres no time to be looking at a map or even driving a block. You need to take shelter right now, Toby Clairmont, executive officer for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, told KHON-2 TV.

He advised most Hawaiians to shelter in place, preferably in a concrete building.
California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris has brought a number of former Hillary Clinton campaign veterans on board to work in her Washington, D.C., congressional office, according to its roster.

Harris has garnered media attention in recent weeks fueling speculation that she could be positioning herself to run in the Democratic primary during the 2020 presidential race.

Harris reportedly mingled with former top donors to Hillary Clinton in the Hamptons this past weekend and will head back this upcoming weekend for a private meeting with Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood liberal and longtime donor to Clinton, and his wife Georgina Chapman. The freshman senator is reported to have a separate dinner planned with Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) and former Attorney General Eric Holder, whose group is working with former President Barack Obama on redistricting efforts.

On Saturday, Harris will attend a reception with major liberal donor Charles E. Phillips, the CEO of Infor, a software company based in New York City.

Harris has also added a number of former Clinton campaign veterans to her D.C. congressional office this year.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.
Los Angeles radio host Larry Elder warned that Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., "may have a few problems" if she mounts a long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination in 2020.

On "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Elder said that Waters was the only member of Congress to write a letter to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro urging him not to extradite convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur.

MAXINE WATERS' NEW HAMPSHIRE CAMEO SPURS 2020 QUESTIONS

"She falsely accused the CIA of basically fomenting the crack cocaine epidemic in the 80s and the 90s in the inner city," Elder went on, "and, of course, she had a meeting with the then-Secretary of the Treasury [Hank Paulson], urging him during the [2008] financial meltdown to bail out minority-owned banks without informing him that she and her husband had a financial interest in one of said minority banks."

Waters plans to visit New Hampshire this weekend, where she is scheduled to headline the Strafford County Democratic Party's annual picnic. Her strident denunciations of President Trump, including calls for his impeachment, have made her a favorite among the far left of the Democratic Party.

But Elder said that despite Waters' self-image as a "champion of the inner city ... her policies for inner-city black and brown people are particularly corrosive.

"Black people in particular ought to reconsider their allegiance to people like Maxine Waters, who have done a great deal of damage to the inner city," he added.
The spokesman for President Trumps personal legal team resigned Thursday, as part of what may be a wave of changes for the president's inner circle.

The attorney who had been leading the charge for Trump's outside counsel team on the Russia investigation also will now take a lower-profile role. And there are reports that Anthony Scaramucci could be tapped for communications director -- he was meeting with the president Friday morning.

The resignation was tendered by Mark Corallo, who had been the lead spokesman on behalf of Trumps long-time personal attorney Marc Kasowitz and the legal team. Corallo, who was previously a spokesman for the Justice Department, reportedly objected to public criticisms of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. His resignation comes days after Trump told The New York Times that he didnt want Mueller investigating Trump family business ties outside the Russia scope.

Despite media reports to the contrary, however, Kasowitz did not resign from the presidents outside counsel team, a source close to Kasowitz told Fox News -- he will instead be taking a lower-profile role.

Kasowitz will continue to give his input and guidance to the president, as well as all members of the outside counsel.

Kasowitz was originally summoned to help assemble and launch an outside counsel team with the presidents confidence. According to a source close to Kasowitz, he instructed Jay Sekulow to handle media appearances, John Dowd to work as a D.C. criminal lawyer, and Ty Cobb to handle the White House.

Kasowitz was on defense last week after ProPublica exposed a series of profanity-laden emails seemingly threatening someone who had criticized him. Kasowitz lashed out after receiving an email from the individual that reportedly said: Resign Now.

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYER, MARC KASOWITZ, THREATENS SOMEONE OVER EMAIL, REPORT SAYS

Kasowitz later apologized. The person sending that email is entitled to his opinion and I should not have responded in that inappropriate matter. I intend to send him an email stating just that. This one of those times where one wishes he could reverse the clock but of course I cant, Kasowitz said in a statement after the emails became public.

Reports also surfaced overnight Thursday that Scaramucci is being floated for White House communications director. First reported by Axios, Scaramucci, who supported Trump during the general election, is expected to fill the White House role that has remained vacant since Mike Dubke's resignation in May.

Asked Friday about the reports, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway said, "We have a great communications team already."

But she told "Fox & Friends" that Scaramucci "has been an incredible asset to President Trump during the campaign and nowhe goes out there and thinks the president is being treated very unfairly.

Fox News' John Roberts contributed to this report.
The head of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, Viktor Nazarenko, who suddenly fell ill during the Ukrainian and Belarusian presidents' meeting with the press in Kyiv earlier on Friday, has been hospitalized for medical treatment and is in satisfactory condition.

Nazarenko briefly lost consciousness during events at the presidential administration office, a spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service said.

"He received first aid on the spot and was referred for subsequent treatment to a medical institution. Currently, the head of the State Border Guard Service is in satisfactory condition," the spokesperson said.
The future of U.S. relations with Iran hinges on Tehran coming clean about the whereabouts of a former FBI agent who vanished a decade ago in the Islamic republic, Sen. Marco Rubio told Fox News.

Robert Bob Levinson disappeared in 2007 from Irans Kish Island, where the retired FBI agent had traveled on an unauthorized mission to recruit an intelligence source for the CIA. With the exception of a proof-of-life video in late 2010, there has been no credible sighting of Levinson or confirmation of who, specifically, is holding him and why. Iranian leaders deny knowing his whereabouts  a claim U.S. officials categorically reject.

"Bob Levinson went missing because of the Iranian regime, Rubio, R-Fla., said Friday. I believe with all my heart they know where he is, they know whats happened to him and we should hold them completely and entirely responsible for his fate, his whereabouts and the outcome of this.

It should influence everything we do with Iran moving forward, Rubio said. How this case is handled up to this point and from this point forward will in many ways determine U.S. policy towards Iran.

Rubio, who among several other lawmakers has been closely involved with the case -- Levinson is from Coral Springs, Fla.  said its not known whether he is still alive but said U.S. officials should be operating as if he is. Levinsons wife, Christine, told Fox News in April the FBI believes her husband is alive  a theory that, if true, makes Levinson the longest-held hostage in American history.

I certainly believe that everything we do  whether its pressure on Iran, outreach to Iran or working through third parties  should all be predicated on the assumption that he is alive and that his return to his family is still possible, said Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Rubio said there were a lot of missed opportunities in the past at bringing Levinson home, though he did not fault the previous administration, acknowledging the complexity of a case spanning a decade. He stressed that Iran should face consequences if it continues to evade questions about Levinsons whereabouts.

What those consequences are, obviously the administration will make a determination, he said.

Levinson, a father of seven and 20-year veteran of the FBI, traveled to Kish Island on March 8, 2007, on a 24-hour rogue assignment. He was last seen leaving the Hotel Miriam on the island and getting into a taxi for the airport. Iranian state-run television reported at the time that Levinson was in the hands of Iranian security forces  but no group officially claimed responsibility for taking him.

On Thursday, Levinsons family met with State Department officials in Washington to discuss efforts to locate him, according to The Associated Press, which cited an unnamed U.S. official. The source  who spoke on condition of anonymity  told the AP many U.S. government officials believe Levinson is no longer alive.

The reported meeting follows a July 11 letter from U.S. lawmakers, spearheaded by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., to President Trump, calling on the administration to re-engage with the Islamic Republic over Levinsons whereabouts.

Bobs return is an urgent humanitarian issue, the letter reads. It is critical that the United States maintain pressure on Iran to see that he is returned as soon as possible.

Bob has suffered long enough, the lawmakers said. We must never rest until he is returned to his family. We owe them nothing less.

A senior administration official said President Trump is committed to bringing Levinson home.

"Iran has previously committed to cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Mr. Levinson," the official said. "We will continue to press Iran to cooperate in working to bring Mr. Levinson home."


The acting ICE director is vowing to use new resources to target undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities  a move likely to hit resistance from mayors and local law enforcement who previously have refused to cooperate with federal authorities.

ICE Director Thomas Homan told The Washington Examiner he thinks sanctuary cities like New York and San Francisco are ludicrous and plans to direct extra agents to those areas.

What I want to get to is a clear understanding from everybody, from the congressmen to the politicians to law enforcement to those who enter the country illegally, that ICE is open for business, Homan said.

'ICE is open for business.'  ICE Director Thomas Homan

Attorney General Jeff Sessions also traveled Friday to Philadelphia, one of the nation's biggest sanctuary cities, to call out the local government for not cooperating with federal immigration policies. He said such cities arent giving sanctuary to law-abiding people but criminals and urged Philadelphia to reconsider carefully the harm they are doing to their citizens.

When the supposed agent surge starts is still up in the air -- and contingent on funding as well as the sometimes sluggish pace of federal employee vetting and hiring.

ICE currently has more than 20,000 employees in 400 offices across the country as well as agents in 46 countries. It has an operating budget of about $6 billion. Adding another 10,000 employees, as President Trump has indicated he wants, will cost millions.

For example, in fiscal 2017, ICE requested $6.6 million to hire 100 new officers.

An ICE spokesperson told Fox News there is no specific operational plan or timetable in place yet but that the agency will focus new resources that come their way on places that dont cooperate with detainer requests.

"As Director Homan stated, uncooperative jurisdictions have a higher rate of criminal alien releases than in places that honor ICE detainers, the ICE official told Fox News. As a result, ICE is forced to focus additional resources to conduct at-large arrests in the field in these non-cooperative areas."

The requests, sometimes called immigration holds, are a vital tool the agency uses to go after illegal immigrants. The detainer asks local authorities to hold a person in jail up to 48 hours beyond when he or she is set to be released so federal officials can take them into custody.

The crackdown on sanctuary cities lines up with Trumps promised prioritization of the issue on the campaign trail. Members of his administration have repeatedly tried to link violent crime to illegal immigration  though mayors of sanctuary cities across the country have pushed back on that assertion.

Actually, cities like Austin (Texas) are safer and have better economies, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a statement. ICE should be figuring out why thats true and applying those lessons.

While not a technical term, sanctuary cities are places that have refused to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after detaining undocumented immigrants. By law, they are required to inform the feds when they have an illegal immigrant in custody, even if he or she has not been convicted of a crime.

There are an estimated 200 to 608 local and state governments with some sort of sanctuary policy in place  however, their degree of cooperation varies. Some work with federal authorities on felony convictions while others only comply in civil investigations. There are a few places that refuse to cooperate altogether.

The Trump administration has tried to strong-arm some jurisdictions into reversing their sanctuary policies by threatening to cut off millions of dollars in federal funds.

Late Thursday, a San Francisco federal judge refused to reinstate Trumps sanctuary cities order, which sought to slash funding to cities that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The ruling is the latest turn in the heated battle between the Trump administration and local governments pushing back on the policies.

CALIFORNIA JUDGE REFUSES TO BRING BACK TRUMP'S SANCTUARY CITIES BAN

Sessions has said that sanctuary cities like Philadelphia are violating the supremacy clause of the U.S .Constitution by limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Donald Trump wishes he had never hired Jeff Sessions.

This comes not from some shadowy source or questionable leak, but from the president himself.

And its the president talking to three reporters from the New York Times, which he has repeatedly attacked and branded as fake news.

But Trump also knows its a prime forum for getting his message out, especially considering that hes held one full-scale news conference during his six months in office.

So what are we to make of this extraordinary situation in which the president rips his own pick to run the Justice Department, while also taking shots at Jim Comey and Robert Mueller?

This anger at Sessions has been brewing for a long time. My sources told me months ago that the president felt blindsided when his AG recused himself from the Russia probe and believed the move was totally unnecessary.

As he told the Times: Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which frankly I think is very unfair to the president. How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, Thanks, Jeff, but Im not going to take you. Its extremely unfair  and thats a mild word  to the president.

In Trumps view, the Sessions move had an unfortunate domino effect. The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, had to take over supervision of the Russia probe, and he appointed Mueller as special counsel, putting the president in the crosshairs of a mushrooming independent investigation. (Trump also took a swipe at Rosenstein for being from the heavily Democratic city of Baltimore, and having a conflict because he wrote the famous memo urging Comeys firing.)

Trump also faulted Sessions for not recalling two past meetings with the Russian ambassador when he testified on the Hill: Jeff Sessions gave some bad answers.

Sessions was an Alabama senator who went out on a limb in endorsing Trump early and spent considerable time with him. He was, in other words, an integral part of the campaign.

So when the FBI started investigating allegations involving the campaign and possible collusion with Russia, Sessions was in an untenable position. He really had no choice but to remove himself from overseeing the probe. There are DOJ rules to be followed. Otherwise, he could have been continually hammered for a serious conflict of interest.

In the same interview, the president said Mueller would be in violation of his mandate if he started investigating Trumps family finances, unrelated to Russia, but stopped short of saying he would fire the special counsel. And he said Comey had told him of an unsubstantiated Russian dossier on him, filled with what Trump called made-up junk ... so that I would think he had it out theremeaning, as leverage against him.

Trumps lawyers cannot be happy about an interview in which he criticizes the attorney general, deputy attorney general, special counsel and former FBI director.

Sessions said yesterday that hes totally confident he can keep doing his job effectively and will stay at Justice as long as that is appropriate.

The clear thread here is about loyalty. Keep in mind that Comey has said, and Trump has denied, that he asked for the FBI directors loyalty before firing him.

But as the nations chief law-enforcement officer, Sessions has responsibilities that go beyond supporting the president who appointed him. And the attorney general has now been put in a difficult position.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned Friday over the hiring of new Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, marking a major shakeup in the president's press shop at an already tumultuous time.

In a swift set of developments, former deputy Sarah Huckabee Sanders was announced as Spicer's replacement.

And Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier, addressed reporters from the briefing podium in his new capacity as communications director.

Hinting at what may have driven the shakeup and describing his own challenge in taking the job, he lamented a "disconnect" between the way President Trump's team and the media see the president.

"We're going to work hard to close that spread," he said.

Sanders also read a statement from the president on Spicer: "I am grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people. I wish him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities -- just look at his great television ratings."

Speculation about Spicer's status with the White House has run rampant for months, but the appointment of Scaramucci was a deciding factor in his resignation.

Spicer told Fox News that when Trump made the decision to appoint Scaramucci, he felt it was appropriate for the president to have room to bring in his new team with a new slate -- so he resigned.

Spicer tweeted Friday afternoon, "It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August."

Spicer originally was supposed to lead a newly restructured communications operation. Under that structure, the communications director would report to him -- which may have caused a conflict with Scaramucci. And Spicer reportedly questioned the hiring.

POLITICIANS REACT TO SPICER RESIGNATION

His departure comes as Trump has shown growing frustration with the ongoing Russia meddling probe and the massive attention it receives in the media. Spicer has defended Trump throughout the controversy, but had taken on a lower-profile role in recent weeks.

Spicer's daily briefings were a must-see event during the opening months of the Trump presidency. But Sanders has since taken the lead on many daily press briefings -- which mostly are held off camera and no longer televised live.

FLEISCHER CALLS RESIGNATION 'UNSETTLING'

Friday's on-camera briefing with Sanders and Scaramucci was a departure from that.

While Spicer is close to White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, Priebus told The Associated Press that he supports Scaramucci "100 percent."

"We go back a long, long way and are very good friends," Priebus said of Scaramucci. "All good here."

Spicer's abrupt exit also came on a busy day for changes in Trump's inner circle.

News broke overnight on the resignation of Mark Corallo, who had been the lead spokesman on behalf of Trumps long-time personal attorney Marc Kasowitz and the legal team. Corallo, who was previously a spokesman for the Justice Department, reportedly objected to public criticisms of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. His resignation followed Trump telling The New York Times that he didnt want Mueller investigating Trump family business ties outside the Russia scope.

Kasowitz, meanwhile, is stepping back to take a lower-profile role.

A source said Kasowitz will continue to give his input and guidance to the president, as well as all members of the outside counsel.

Scaramucci, who supported Trump during the general election, will now fill the White House role that has remained vacant since Mike Dubke's resignation in May. His background is in the financial ranks of New York, having founded a global hedge fund. He later worked with Trumps team during the campaign and transition and more recently was named senior vice president and chief strategy officer of the Export-Import Bank in June.

Spicer's departure marks the end of a rocky tenure in which the president's top spokesman at times struggled to keep pace with Trump's sometimes-chaotic leadership style -- and a swirl of controversies.

During the 2016 election cycle, Spicer was the chief strategist and communications director of the Republican National Committee. He later came to the White House along with Priebus, the former RNC chairman who is now Trump's chief of staff.

Spicer hasnt had the rosiest relationship with the media since joining the White House. Hes clashed with reporters over fake news and said repeatedly the president was fed up with news reports that were patently false.

In February, he came under fire for barring reporters from several media outlets from participating in a scheduled press briefing.

His prickly relationship with the press was widely mocked on "Saturday Night Live" with Melissa McCarthy playing Spicer.

Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned from his position Friday afternoon over President Donald Trumps hiring of a new communications official, according to sources.

Spicer barely lasted six months in the White House, and his tenure was tumultuous, providing much fodder for Saturday Night Live comedy sketches.

Heres a brief look at some of Spicers more memorable moments in the White House.

Crowd Control

While talking to reporters about Trumps inauguration, Spicer erroneously proclaimed that the event drew the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration and incorrectly cited statistics from the Metro transit system.

This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration  period  both in person and around the globe, Spicer said in January.

SPICER RESIGNS FROM WHITE HOUSE

At the time, data was not yet available to back up Spicers claim, and former President Barack Obamas 2009 inauguration drew more people to the actual event.

To ban or not to ban?

While discussing Trumps embattled plan to halt immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, Spicer and Trump seemed to be at odds over what to label the plan.

Spicer insisted that the order was not a travel ban, during a White House press briefing.

But Trump had repeatedly called the order a ban on Twitter.

When asked why Trump has called it a ban in the past, Spicer blamed it on the press.

Hes using the words that the media is using, Spicer said.

Trumps bathrobe

While attempting to discredit a New York Times report about Trumps staff regrouping after a rocky start, Spicer turned the conversation to the presidents bedroom attire.

When Mr. Trump is not watching television in his bathrobe or on his phone reaching out to old campaign hands and advisers, he will sometimes set off to explore the unfamiliar surroundings of his new home, the Feb. 5 Times report states.

POLITICIANS REACT TO SEAN SPICERS RESIGNATION

Spicer said Trump was owed an apology because that story was so riddled with inaccuracies and lies  including the bathrobe part.

I dont think the president owns a bathrobe, Spicer said. He definitely doesnt wear one.

'Trumble' Trouble

Spicer had a difficult time pronouncing a foreign prime ministers name  twice.

During a press briefing in February, Spicer struggled with the pronunciation of Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbulls name.

Instead of Turnbull, Spicer appears to say Trumble.

Distress signal

On March 10, nearly five months before hed resign, Spicer stepped up to his lectern with his American flag pin upside down. With his pin upside down, Spicer was signaling, according to flag protocol, that he was in distress.

Shake it off

Spicer lost his cool during an exchange with American Urban Radio Networks reporter April Ryan during a March press briefing.

Spicer accused Ryan of having an agenda as she pressed him on Trumps issue with Russia.

If the president puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow thats a Russian connection, Spicer said.

But he soon quit the jokes and began to criticize Ryan for shaking her head.

Please stop shaking your head again, Spicer eventually snapped at her.

Holocaust history

Spicer was forced to apologize after he implied Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a worse person than Adolf Hitler  and seemed to forget a portion of history.

We didnt use chemical weapons in World War II. You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didnt even sink to using chemical weapons, Spicer said during an April press briefing.

WHO IS ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI?

Spicer was asked to clarify, to which he said, I think when you come to sarin gas, he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing.

When a reporter mentioned the gas chambers used to kill Jews  including those from Germany  Spicer said he meant Assad used chemical weapons in a different way.

He later apologized and told Fox News he made an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which there is no comparison.

Into the bushes

The day that Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Spicer seemingly went out of his way to avoid talking to reporters.

After finishing a television interview on the White House grounds, Spicer would have had to walk past reporters to get back to his office. So instead, he disappeared into the shadows and hid among the bushes, the Washington Post reported.

The Washington Post originally reported that Spicer was in the bushes, but after pushback, amended the article to more precisely describe [his] location.

Nevertheless, the idea that Spicer was hiding in or among or near bushes ignited a frenzy of viral memes.
Former national security adviser Susan Rice met privately Friday with Senate Intelligence Committee staffers, Fox News has learned  in one of several Capitol Hill sessions involving Obama administration officials.

A closed-door session with Rice had been expected earlier this week on the House side, but ended up being pushed off. It remains unclear whether Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., or any other senators were present for Fridays meeting.

Some lawmakers have made clear they want to hear more from Obama administration officials, especially Rice, over their potential role in "unmasking" the identities of Trump associates from intelligence reports last year.

Rice has come under fire for her alleged role. Congressional investigators have issued subpoenas to the NSA, CIA and FBI seeking "unmasking" information related to three individuals: Rice, former CIA Director John Brennan and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.

Rice initially told PBS' Judy Woodruff in March that she knew nothing about the unmasking of Trump associates. But weeks later on MSNBC, she admitted she sometimes sought out the identities of Trump associates who communicated with foreigners, a request known as unmasking in the intelligence community.

But I leaked nothing to nobody, Rice told MSNBC, a reference to media reports detailing, among other conversations, those between then-national security adviser Michel Flynn and Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. Reports of those conversations led to Flynn's resignation in February.

In an interview with New York Magazine published earlier this week, Rice suggested that her race and gender may be playing a role in the controversy.

Power, too, has agreed to testify before the House intelligence committee as part of its Russia probe, Fox News has learned.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper already appeared before both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Monday.

All sessions with former Obama administration officials are set to be closed, according to sources on Capitol Hill.

Fox News Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
The job pays $18 an hour but Andrea Hance can't find any Americans to do it. If she does, they don't last.

"Statistically," Hance said, "there is a 97 percent chance that a U.S. seasonal worker will ask to get off the boat with the first week."

Hance and her husband run two shrimp boats. She also heads the Texas Shrimp Association. This was supposed to be their year. Gulf shrimp are supposed to be plentiful and the price of shrimp is good.

TRUMP WINERY UNDER FIRE AFTER APPLYING FOR VISAS SEEKING FOREIGN WORKERS

But without the workers to get their catch, they're leaving money on the table.

The H-2B Visas is supposed to help. The visa is for non-agricultural seasonal help for industries like construction, landscaping and fishing. The program allows 66,000 of these workers into the U.S. but only after the business requesting them has proven it can't find American workers to find the jobs.

Just this week, the Department of Homeland Security announced the H-2B program is being expanded, for this year only, to add an additional 15,000 workers.

You would think that would be music to the ears of Jeff Stokes, who is with the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association.

But Stokes says "it's too little, too late."

DOZENS OF FOREIGN WORKERS SOUGHT FOR TRUMP'S FLORIDA CLUBS

Since the H-2B visa deals with seasonal workers, Stokes said, by the time the new visas are approved, the businesses may not even need workers anymore. The opening period to apply for workers through the expansion began Wednesday. Typically, it takes the government 30 to 60 days to process the visas.

Businesses can pay an extra $1,200 for the expedited processing.

But Jason Craven with Southern Botanical, a landscaping company in Dallas, said he already pays $1,000 for each worker who comes in on the H-2B visa. He employs 50 workers with the visas. He started on their applications last fall.

"I'm sure it'll help some people," he says of the program's expansion.

But for him, it doesn't make much sense to try to get more help now, since any workers gained through the program would still be leaving at the end of November or early December. Instead, in September Craven will start filling out the paperwork needed for next year's batch of visas.

Just how many jobs are being left empty? Critics of the H-2B program say it's hard to tell.

Daniel Costa with the Economic Policy Institute said that the visa is ripe for abuse.

"So many employers are claiming they have labor shortages," Costa said, "but nationwide  we don't see that evidence."

Costa is also concerned that H-2B workers aren't paid what they should be and are open to exploitation, given that their status in the U.S. is tied to their employer. Costa said he's not opposed to immigration but wants a level playing field.

"It has to be fair to migrant workers, Costa said, but also the U.S. workers should have a fair shot at those jobs and not be discriminated against."

Craven said each year he's required to advertise jobs with his landscaping company, in the paper and online, for about a month before he can apply for the H-2B Visas.

He said he usually only gets one or two applicants and if he does hire someone, they usually only last a day.

"It's hard work," Craven said.
Elon Musk is tamping down expectations about the maiden launch of SpaceX's huge new Falcon Heavy rocket.

There's a "real good chance" the vehicle won't make it to orbit during the liftoff, Musk said Wednesday (July 19) at the 2017 International Space Station Research and Development (ISSR&D) conference in Washington, D.C. That launch is expected to take place later this year from Florida's Space Coast.

"I hope it makes it far enough away from the pad that it does not cause pad damage. I would consider even that a win, to be honest," Musk told NASA ISS program manager Kirk Shireman, who interviewed the SpaceX CEO onstage at the meeting. "Major pucker factor, really; that's, like, the only way to describe it." [SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket in Images]

The two-stage Falcon Heavy is based on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which has been ferrying payloads to space since 2010. The Heavy's first stage consists of two Falcon 9 first stages strapped to a central "core," which is itself a modified Falcon 9 booster.

Like the Falcon 9, the Heavy is designed to be reusable.

When the 230-foot-tall (70 meters) Falcon Heavy is up and running, it will be capable of lofting up to 60 tons (54 metric tons) to low-Earth orbit and 24 tons (22 metric tons) to geostationary transfer orbit, making it the most powerful rocket since NASA's famous Apollo-era Saturn V launcher, SpaceX representatives have said.

SpaceX has been developing the Falcon Heavy for years. The work has proven to be "way, way more difficult" than SpaceX originally expected, Musk said.

"At first, it sounds really easy: Just stick two first stages on as strap-on boosters. How hard can that be?" he said. "But then everything changes. All the loads change, aerodynamics totally change, you've tripled the vibration and acoustics."

The loads imparted on the center core during Falcon Heavy launches will be "crazy," Musk said, "so we had to redesign the whole center-core airframe. It's not like the Falcon 9, because it's got to take so much load."

In addition, it's impossible to fully test many aspects of the vehicle on the ground, he said.

So, while Musk stressed that he thinks the Falcon Heavy will prove to be "a great vehicle," the initial liftoff could be rocky.

"I encourage people to come down to the cape to see the first Falcon Heavy mission," he said, referring to Florida's Cape Canaveral. "It's guaranteed to be exciting."

SpaceX has not yet announced an official date for the launch. Musk recently suggested on Twitter, however, that the liftoff may happen in September or October.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com .
An alarming picture of a baby goat born with a demonic face is generating plenty of buzz.

Metro reports that the kid, which was born in San Luis province, Argentina, had protruding eyes and a flat face. It was stillborn on July 19.

AMAZING PICTURE SHOWS THE MOMENT FISHERMAN FOUND A MOLE INSIDE THE MOUTH OF A LIVE BASS

Owner Gladys Oviedo was stunned when she saw the dead animal. "The rest of the baby is normal, it only has deformations in the head. It is unusual what happened," she said, according to Metro.

Argentine website La Voz reports that local police, after hearing rumors of a malformed animal, went to investigate, where they found Oviedo holding the kid.

UNUSUAL BLUE CRAB CAUGHT IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

Unusual animal sights always garner plenty of attention. A New Hampshire lobsterman, for example, recently caught a rare blue lobster.

Last month a woman in Virginia pulled a blue crab with two oysters growing on its shell from the waters of Chesapeake Bay.
Police holding woman who went topless at ceremony in Poroshenko's, Lukashenko's presence for 'preventative conversation'

Policemen and officials from the Ukrainian state guard directorate are holding an activist of the Femen feminist group who went topless at a ceremony of signing Ukrainian-Belarusian intergovernmental documents at the Ukrainian presidential office in the presence of the Ukrainian and Belarusian presidents on Friday.

"Officers from the Pechersky district police department and the state guard directorate are talking with her at the scene," a spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Police department in Kyiv told Interfax when asked whether the woman had been detained.

A number of Ukrainian online publications identified the woman as Anzhelina Diash, a Femen activist.

Femen confirmed that one of its activists "carried out an act of sextremism."

"Breaking through the guards, the topless activist chanted the slogans 'Long Live Belarus!' and 'Stop Dictatorship!'," it said.

Femen said it so expressed its attitude toward the Belarusian president's visit to Ukraine. The group attributed its stunt to events in 2011, when Femen activists holding a protest demonstration in Minsk were "kidnapped by KGB officials, who tortured and humiliated them and then dumped them in a forest naked, scared and without documents."
A new study reveals how criminals and terrorists are harnessing the dark net to purchase weapons.

Conducted by the Rand Corporation Europe and Manchester University, the study found that 52 different vendors are selling weapons, ammunition, explosives or weapons components on the dark web.

WOMAN FAILS TO SMUGGLE 102 IPHONES STRAPPED TO BODY IN CHINA

The illicit sales were broken down and shipped in different packages, often hidden in old stereos or printers, the study added. It was conducted during September 2016 and includes data from twelve different marketplaces.

Sales on the dark web, a part of the internet that requires special software to access, allowing people to remain anonymous, can often be lucrative, with criminals and terrorists often looking to access weapons any way they can.

The researchers found that firearms and related items were generating 136 sales each month, bringing in more than $80,000.

The study added that while the sales are not likely to power large terrorist operations, the potential for those who act alone could increase, due to the nature of the dark web.

The findings come at a time when the dark web has been in the spotlight.

REPUTED DARK WEB MASTERMIND FOUND DEAD IN JAIL CELL AT 26

Earlier this month, two dark web marketplaces, AlphaBay and Hansa were shut down by international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. Drugs, weapons, malware and stolen data were being illegally sold on the marketplaces.

Raytheon CTO, Cybersecurity & Special Missions called the AlphaBay dismantling a "major victory," citing the major damage these illegal marketplaces cause.

"Dismantling AlphaBay is a major victory," Daly said in comments emailed to Fox News. "Not only did DOJ shut down a major illegal marketplace, but it also sent a message to cyber criminals that enough is enough."
Officials in White County, Tennessee, have given inmates the option of ending their jail sentence early if they voluntarily agree to have a vasectomy or birth control implant.

General Sessions Court Judge Sam Benningfield, who signed a standing order in May, said he made the decision to ensure that inmates would not be burdened with children, according to WTVF.

OJ SIMPSON GETS PAROLE, ELIGIBLE FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 1

The program works like this: Both sexes can volunteer to participate, which is free of charge. Women are given a Nexplanon contraceptive implant, which works for up to four years, in their arm. The Tennessee Department of Health will provide vasectomies for men who volunteer for the program. Those who participate will receive 30 days of credit toward their jail time.

So far, 32 women have received the implant, while 38 men are waiting for a vasectomy, The Daily Beast reported.

Benningfield said his standing order is meant to help inmates.

I hope to encourage them to take personal responsibility and give them a chance, when they do get out, to not to be burdened with children. This gives them a chance to get on their feet and make something of themselves, Benningfield told WTVF. I understand it wont be entirely successful but if you reach two or three people, maybe thats two or three kids not being born under the influence of drugs. I see it as a win, win.

But others think the program is possibly illegal.

District Attorney Bryant Dunaway told the news station that Benningfields order was concerning to him, and that his office didn't support the decision, adding, Its comprehensible that an 18-year-old gets this done, it cant get reversed and then that impacts the rest of their life.

DERANGED WOMAN CRAWLS THROUGH DOGGY DOOR TO ATTACK TWO YOUNG GIRLS WHO WERE HOME ALONE

The ACLU reportedly released a statement calling the program unconstitutional:

"Offering a so-called 'choice' between jail time and coerced contraception or sterilization is unconstitutional. Such a choice violates the fundamental constitutional right to reproductive autonomy and bodily integrity by interfering with the intimate decision of whether and when to have a child, imposing an intrusive medical procedure on individuals who are not in a position to reject it. Judges play an important role in our community  overseeing individuals childbearing capacity should not be part of that role."

County inmates are also being given two days worth of credit toward their jail time if they complete a state-run neonatal education program, the purpose of which is to teach inmates about the dangers of having a child while on drugs.
A man in Florida said he heard a big bang on his roof Saturday morning, but it wasnt thunder.

To Travis Adairs surprise, a 15-pound bag of meat - frozen pork to be specific - had landed on the roof of the Deerfield Beach home he shares with his family.

It had to fall from the sky, Adair said, noting he thought the noise was thunder. It was too heavy to throw on the roof.

Adairs wife, Jennie, went outside and found two bundles next to the house, while his son, Austin, found three on the roof.

NYC MEN SQUARE OFF IN BLOODY BRAWL INVOLVING MACHETE, GARBAGE CANS

The home is near three airports, so Adair suggests that it fell from a plane.

The packagings label connects the pork to Jim Williams of Myakka City, Fla., which is 170 miles from Deerfield Beach.

Williams said Thursday that he bought some pigs at a county fair in January  he kept much of the meat and gave some away, but said he had no idea how any of it ended up on the Adairs roof. Hes not a pilot and doesnt own a plane.

"I would have thought 15 pounds of frozen meat falling from an airplane would have put a hole in the roof," Williams said.

The Federal Aviation Administration had no immediate comment Thursday.

While a heavy bag of pork falling on a roof may sound rare, its not the first time something like this has happened.

In 2012, pieces of raw chicken fell from the sky and landed on a teen during a horseback riding lesson in Virginia. The nearby Tyson Foods Inc. processing plant denied the poultry was theirs, according to HuffPost.

SELF-DESCRIBED DRUG DEALER CALLS 911, REPORTS STOLEN COCAINE

Williams friend, Jimmy Fussell, who owns the butcher shop that processed the pig meat for him, said the mystery beats hearing about all the politics going on."

The Adairs ended up throwing the meat away, though Williams offered to throw the family a barbeque.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Bronx High School of Science teacher was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on Thursday for purchasing nude photos from teenage boys, the New York Daily News reported.

Jon Cruz, 34, already had pleaded guilty last fall to a count of receiving child pornography. He searched for the boys on social media and the chat app KIK in order to obtain explicit photos in exchange for money, according to reports.

Federal officials said they had found 40 naked photos of underage victims on Cruzs home computer.

MARRIED SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, 30, ACCUSED OF SEX ACTS AND LEWD TEXTING WITH EIGHTH GRADE STUDENT

"Some of these communications displayed sexually explicit images of his genitals," Cruz said about one of the underage victims while making his plea.

Prosecutors said the Manhattan resident carried out the crimes from July 2014 through December 2015 on a school computer. They said he posted a picture of a former student as he enticed teenage boys to send him photographs, sometimes nude.

He reportedly worked at the high school as a substitute teacher in 2006 and became a full-time teacher in September 2011. He was arrested in March 2015 and resigned in the same month.

City Education Department officials declined to comment on the sentencing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Four men in Orange County, Florida, are accused of taking turns raping a woman at a party, local media reported Thursday.

The woman reported the alleged assault to authorities and said she was drinking at the party with a friend in Windermere last May when someone approached her, gave her a hug and led her upstairs to a bedroom, WESH reported.

Once the woman was in the bedroom, four men -- ages 18 to 21 -- allegedly took turns raping her as she told them no.

INMATES COULD GET OUT OF JAIL EARLIER IF THEY GET A VASECTOMY OR BIRTH CONTROL

A friend of the womans found her naked and helped her get home, investigators said. The woman said she felt she'd been drugged because she had trouble remembering what took place.

The men -- Miguel Baez Arriechi, Enrique Lopez Cosson, Manuel Zavarse and Gabriel Zavarse Cedeno  have been charged with sexual battery by multiple perpetrators and are being held in Orange County without bond, according to WESH.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked the United States to intervene in a dispute with Israeli officials over metal detectors in a long-contested shrine near the Lions Gate in Jerusalem.

Senior Palestinian official Nabil Abu Rdeneh said Friday that Abbas discussed the growing tensions in Jerusalem in a phone call with Trump's top adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Abu Rdeneh says Abbas told Kushner the situation is "extremely dangerous and may go out of control" unless Israel removes the metal detectors, the Associated Press reported.

It was not immediately clear if the U.S. will intervene.

Israel banned Muslim men under age 50 from a contested Jerusalem shrine Friday and deployed about 3,000 police nearby, ahead of expected Muslim protests over the installation of metal detectors at the holy site.

Police installed the metal detectors earlier this week, after Palestinian gunmen launched an attack from the shrine and killed two Israeli police officers. Muslim leaders have alleged that the metal detectors are part of a purported Israeli attempt to expand control over the site.

Israel has denied such allegations, arguing that metal detectors are routine security devices.

A Palestinian advocacy group says Israeli police have detained 10 prominent Palestinian activists in Jerusalem, including the leader of Abbas' Fatah movement.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club says the city's Fatah chief, Hatem Abdel Khader, was among those detained.

The volatile Jerusalem shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews alike, sits at the center of rival Israeli and Palestinian national narratives and has triggered major confrontations in the past.

Friday is the highlight of the Muslim religious week, and tens of thousands of worshippers typically perform prayers at the shrine.

Jews revere the site, where the two Jewish temples stood in biblical times, as the Temple Mount. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of one of the temples, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.

Muslims regard the same hilltop compound as the Noble Sanctuary. Home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, it is Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The fate of the area is an emotional issue at the heart of the conflict and forms the centerpiece of rival Israeli and Palestinian national narratives.

Muslim leaders have urged the faithful to forego prayers in smaller Jerusalem neighborhood mosques Friday and converge on the shrine, in an attempt to increase the crowd size.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the security Cabinet decided to defer to police on security arrangements at the shrine.

"The Cabinet authorized the police to make all decisions in order to ensure free access to holy sites while ensuring security and public order," the statement said. It added that Israel is committed to preserving "the status quo at the Temple Mount and free access to holy sites."

The decision to defer to police came amid reports of disagreement among Israel's security services about the need for the metal detectors. The military and the Shin Bet security services, which deal directly with Palestinians and potential unrest, were reportedly opposed to the devices.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
A bag of moon dust from NASAs Apollo 11 mission  which a woman bought for $995 in 2015 -- sold for $1.8 million at a Sothebys auction this week following an intense court battle.

The bag, filled with moon dust by astronaut Neil Armstrong during the first manned mission to the moon in July 1969, had previously been misidentified and mistakenly sold at an online government auction.

NASAs attempt to retrieve the bag failed after a federal judge in December ruled it legally belonged to a Chicago-area woman who bought it two years ago.

The buyer in Tuesdays auction declined to be identified. The pre-sale estimate was $2 million to $4 million.

Details of the 2015 purchase were made public during the court case.

Investigators seized the bag in 2003 after searching a garage of a man later convicted of stealing and selling museum artifacts, including some on loan from NASA.

The bag then went up for bid at a government auction in 2015, where Nancy Carlson, of Inverness, Illinois, paid $995 to acquire the ordinary-looking bag made of white Beta cloth and polyester, with rubberized nylon and a brass zipper.

Carlson, a collector, knew the bag had been used in a space flight, but she didn't know which one. She sent the bag to NASA for testing, but the government agency tried to keep it after identifying its contents.

The artifact belongs to the American people, NASA said then.

But U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten, in Wichita, Kansas, ruled in favor of Carlson, acknowledging that although the item shouldnt have been sold at auction in the first place, he didnt have the authority to reverse the sale. He ordered the government to return it to Carlson.

The judge said the importance and desirability of the bag stemmed solely from the efforts of NASA employees whose amazing technical achievements, skill and courage in landing astronauts on the moon and returning them safely have not been replicated in the almost half a century since the Apollo 11 landing.

When it comes to moon landings, this weeks auction was far from the final frontier.

A group called For All Moonkind Inc. mentioned the moon bag this week while campaigning for measures to preserve and protect the six Apollo lunar landing sites. It plans to take up the issue next month at the Starship Congress 2017 in California.

Also getting out-of-this-world interest at the auction was the Flown Apollo 13 Flight Plan, with handwritten notations by all three crew members. It sold to an online bidder for $275,000, well above its pre-sale estimate high of $40,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The president of a North Dakota college apologized for saying that a high school diploma provides only enough education to be a "ward of the state."

John Richman, president of North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton made the comment on a Fargo radio show more than a month ago but it recently prompted criticism of him.

"Today to be a contributing member (of) society you need almost an associate's degree," Richman said. "That is what it requires to be a contributing member of society."

Richman was heavily criticized on social media. North Dakota Republican Party district chairman John Trandem also said on a Fargo TV station program that Richman's words were "unfortunate,"

"I have a high school education, not a day of college in my life. I support my wife and children adequately," Trandem said. "We don't take any public money. I think that's the frustrating part, when you have college presidents essentially trying to shame people into going to college."

Richmond said the remarks he made on the June 15 broadcast were inappropriate.

"I have obviously offended some people and I owe them an apology," Richman told the Daily News . "I do apologize because it was never my intent to offend anyone. I made a mistake and it's totally on me."

He said that during his time as college president he's seen the lives of men and women change for the better thanks to advanced education.

"It's very rewarding," he added.

Richman said national associations have done extensive research that shows higher education helps with economic growth and a stronger America.

"What I'm advocating for and what a lot of these national associations are advocating for is the future," Richman said. "The research will tell us. In order to enter the workforce in the future, the vast majority of people are going to need beyond a high school diploma."

___

Information from: Wahpeton Daily News, http://www.wahpetondailynews.com
A former Miss USA contestant from Kentucky is facing arraignment next week after being accused of sneaking drugs to an inmate inside an Ohio prison.

Kia Hampton, 28, of Louisville, Kentucky, was arrested May 26 in Allen County, Ohio, after she was caught smuggling marijuana into the Allen Correctional Institution for inmate Jeremy Kelly, according to an affidavit detailing the arrest, the Courier-Journal reported.

A grand jury indicted Hampton earlier this month on a third-degree felony charge of bringing drugs onto government facility grounds, which carries a maximum three-year prison sentence upon conviction.

Hampton was served a search warrant upon arriving at the prison May 26 for an inmate visit.

While listening to previously recorded phone calls, officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol said they obtained enough evidence to obtain a warrant for a cavity search.

As she was questioned by officers, Hampton reached into a pant leg and pushed a white balloon onto the floor, according to the affidavit.

It was later determined that she was carrying nearly 3 grams of marijuana, Assistant Allen County Prosecutor Kenneth Sturgill told the Courier-Journal.

Hampton was indicted July 13 by an Allen County grand jury and faces one count of "illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility" and is scheduled to be arraigned July 26.

Hampton was crowned Miss Kentucky USA in November 2010 when she was just 21 and was the first black woman chosen to represent the Bluegrass State in the Miss USA pageant.
The Latest on the wildfires burning in the west (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

Miki Crawford says only a chimney and a cinder block wall are left standing in the rubble of the house she and her family called home for 22 years.

A blaze burning since Sunday in the hills near Yosemite National Park has destroyed 58 homes and burned 115 square miles (298 square kilometers.)

Crawford and her husband, Jai Crawford, packed two cars with clothes, photographs, family heirlooms and their five small dogs and fled as a massive wildfire approached their rural community in Mariposa County.

The couple evacuated Tuesday morning, after the blaze burning in the hills near Yosemite National Park doubled in size. The following day their son hiked to the area and took photographs of the remains of their home.

She says she felt "complete devastation" while seeing the photographs.

The former nurses' aid has also seen video of the wildfire moving into her community from two different directions.

She says "it just looked like a fire storm."

___

12:25 p.m.

Authorities say a boy smoking marijuana was arrested for investigation of starting a small wildfire outside Sacramento.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the fire on Thursday had threatened homes and prompted temporary evacuations in the Auburn area.

Authorities have not yet determined if the boy set the fire or purpose or if it was an accident. The boy's name and age were not released.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office says he reported the fire to authorities.

The fire burned 12 acres. No homes were damaged and no injuries were reported.

___

11:55 a.m.

Firefighters in California have lifted an evacuation order for residents of a Gold Rush-era town that was threatened by a wildfire.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Andy Isolano said the order was ended Friday for residents of Mariposa near Yosemite National Park.

The historic town, popular with tourists headed to Yosemite, was cleared after the wildfire started Sunday.

The blaze has destroyed 58 homes and burned 115 square miles (298 square kilometers).

Many of the 5,000 people told to leave several foothill communities remain under evacuation orders as firefighters battle the ongoing blaze.

Isolano also says Highway 140 between Mariposa and Yosemite has been reopened.

Officials are investigating an injury accident involving a fire engine. No further details were available.

___

7:30 a.m.

Authorities say a stubborn wildfire burning in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California has destroyed 58 homes.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday the fire grew slightly overnight to 115 square miles (298 square kilometers) and threatens at least 1,500 homes.

Firefighters are racing to control the blaze before it reaches the Gold-Rush era town of Mariposa.

The fire is 15 percent contained.

More than 3,800 firefighters are battling the blaze that has forced almost 5,000 people from homes in and around a half-dozen small communities.

___

2:15 a.m.

The town of Mariposa, with its century-old saloons and covered sidewalks, normally bustles with summer visitors on their way to Yosemite National Park but the Gold Rush-era hamlet was mostly empty as ash rained down and heavy smoke from a nearby blaze darkened the sky.

The blaze in the Sierra Nevada foothills threatened hundreds of homes and historic buildings, including a wood courthouse founded in 1854 and touted as the oldest active courthouse west of the Rocky Mountains.

The fire did not grow as significantly Thursday as it had earlier in the week, but state fire officials revealed late in the day that 99 structures have now been destroyed, 50 of them homes. Eleven homes and five other structures have been damaged. The wildfire has scorched 110 square miles (282 square kilometers), threatening at least 1,500 homes.
Boumbouras Foundation announces a competition to select young Ukrainians to attend one-week long executive leadership program at Harvard Kennedy School in November 2017. Description of the program: Emerging Leaders This program is designed for the next generation of leaders who are serving in developed, developing, newly industrialized, and transitional countries around the world. The curriculum is suited for rising political leaders, policy makers, government managers, military officers, and professionals from nonprofit organizations, public interest groups, and the corporate sector. Dates and venue: November 5-10, 2017, Cambridge, MA, United States Eligibility: Candidates should have 5-15 years of experience. Knowledge of English language is mandatory. Application link: https://hkseeportal.hks.harvard.edu/custom%20login/customlogin.aspx?pname=EL Program brochure: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/education/executive-education/emerging-leaders Application deadline: August 31, 2017. The selected candidates will receive a scholarship that pays all the expenses including the tuition, hotel, meals and airfare from Kyiv to Boston. The announcement of winners will be on September 20, 2017. For questions, please contact Dr. Sergei Konoplyov, Program Director at sergei_konoplyov@hks.harvard.edu
A 27-year-old man broadcast live on Facebook as he sped down a Florida beach, running over beach chairs and umbrellas while drinking from a bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey.

Authorities said he was yelling expletives about the police cars that were chasing him.

The commotion along the beach on Florida's west coast Thursday afternoon sent beachgoers scrambling for safety, but no one was injured.

"It could have been a lot worse today," Clearwater Deputy Chief Donald Hall said.

Hall told reporters at a news conference that Ryan Stiles eventually came to a dead end where he had to make a decision  drive his black SUV into the water or surrender. He was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including DUI, reckless driving, hit and run, and threatening a public servant.

It was just before 4:30 p.m. when Clearwater police started getting 911 calls, some from as far away as California, bringing their attention to the threats Stiles was making from his Jeep Cherokee, Hall said. Dispatchers kept callers on the line as police tried to locate him. Driving isn't allowed on the beach.

The Facebook video shows Stiles repeatedly said, "We're goin' die tonight," shifting his eyes from his phone to the windshield as he sped down the beach. He streamed about five minutes of his ride.

"We had no idea what this individual's intentions were," Hall said, adding that police officials secured the front door of the main police station out of precaution.

Stephanie Ball, her 14-month-old son Parker Daly and friend Emily Keene were enjoying the afternoon at the beach when they saw the SUV barreling toward them, following by police cruisers.

"We were lucky we were awake and alert," Ball told the Tampa Bay Times . The baby's playpen was about 5 feet (1 meter) away from the SUV's path.

A friend of Stiles made the first call to police. Sarah Lynn Wright, 26, told the Times that Stiles was trying to get out of a tough spot when she met him three months ago and let him move into a home she shares with her mother. On Thursday, she said he returned from a meeting with a public defender who told him it was unlikely he was going to get probation for a previous resisting arrest charge he is facing.

Wright said Stiles packed his stuff and left. She called police when she saw the video.

"It's not out of character for him to get angry and storm off," she said. "I feel like he couldn't handle the stress and that was it for him."

Jail records don't list a lawyer for Stiles.
A Florida man miffed that his girlfriend's dog would "always take her side in arguments" stabbed the Boxer Lab mix to death to even the score, officials said.

Mike Lado, 26, is facing an animal cruelty charge following the incident, which allegedly began over an argument spurred on by a lengthy drinking binge. During the argument, Blue, the dog, was sitting next to his owner, Lados girlfriend.

After the argument, Blue slipped out of his collar and followed Lado into the kitchen, where cops say Lado stabbed the dog with a large butcher knife.

BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWS NEW ANGLE ON MINNESOTA COP SHOOTING DOGS

Lado's girlfriend said the dog did not approach Lado aggressively, however, she said Blue was barking and growling at him.

In the arrest report, detectives wrote there was blood on the doors at the end of the hallway, as if Blue was trying to get through the doors in an attempt to get away from Lado, Fox 47 reported.

Blue later bled out and Lado was arrested on Wednesday.

Lado is being held on $5,000 bond in the Lee County Jail.
A Massachusetts state bill that would outlaw sex between teachers and students 19 years of age and younger, and which is strongly supported by the police, has yet to be endorsed by the state teachers union.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association, which has 110,000 member, told Fox News it is reviewing the measure, which was introduced six months ago.

"The Massachusetts Teachers Associations priority is always to protect students and the educational environment," the union said in a statement to Fox News. "While we are still examining the many components of this proposed legislation, we understand that its intent is to help ensure that our schools are nurturing places for students to learn and grow."

The union's stance comes amid a spate of cases of teachers having sex with students around the nation. While not a new phenomenon, lawmakers in Massachusetts say a strong signal from teachers unions that such behavior is nott condoned is appropriate.

"If you know you could be charged with a crime, it could be a deterrent."  Dudley Police Chief Steven Wojnar

DOUBLE STANDARDS: FEMALE TEACHERS HAVING SEX WITH STUDENTS

Besides criminalizing teacher-student sex, the bill outlaws sexual relations between a student and other adults employed by a school district, whether they are a salaried, a volunteer or work on a contract basis. It would also cover independent schools and youth organizations. Adults found guilty of violating the law would face a maximum jail term of five years or a $10,000 fine or both.

The measure marks the latest effort in a years-long battle to criminalize sexual relations between teachers and students in the state, which considers 16 the age at which a person can give consent to sexual activity.

The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Joan Lovely of Salem, said that getting the backing of the teachers union would significantly boost the efforts to get the law passed to protect students.

Of course, we want their support, and well continue to work for that, the Democrat told Fox News.

Lovely said the measure, entitled the Comprehensive Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Act of 2017, would add another layer to a system that already trains educators to spot child abuse and guides them about how to handle such situations.

The lawmaker said that she has been in touch with various school administrators and educator groups about the measure.

We certainly want to work with them, and hear from all interested parties, Lovely said.

The absence of any language outlawing sex between a teacher and a student 16 years or older, has made it difficult to take criminal action against adults in position of authority who abuse their power to engage in sexual relations with youth, said Dudley Police Chief Steven Wojnar told Fox News.

Wojnar, who testified before a state Joint Committee on Education on the need to pass the measure, said the bill is not an attack on teachers.

There are bad people in every profession, Wojnar said. Were not talking about the great majority of teachers who are hard-working and dedicated and care about the kids. Were talking about the few who will betray their trust. If you know you could be charged with a crime, it could be a deterrent.

Wojnar said he has been trying to get support for a law like this for more than a dozen years.

He recalled a 2004 investigation into a sexual relationship between a 30-year-old English teacher and a 16-year-old boy at the school and how authorities were unable to fully go after the adult, despite texts, videos and photos establishing the affair.

The police chief recounted the frustration he experienced at the time running into roadblocks because state laws did not provide the tools for prosecuting the teacher in the manner Wojnar believed was fit.

Victims suffer greatly at the hands of these predators, Wojnar wrote to the Senate in a recent letter. They can be deemed as some form of outcast in their school and the community. They may be accused of lying, as some people desire to protect the teachers reputation, rather than that of the victim. They have the potential to suffer emotional and personal damage which may not be realized for years, if ever.
The Trump administration is still sorting out "the big ideas" for a new Afghanistan strategy, beyond troop levels and other military details, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.

"We're close," he said in an impromptu exchange with reporters at the Pentagon one day after President Donald Trump met with him and his military chiefs for a broad discussion that aides said touched on Afghanistan and other issues.

The U.S. has been fighting in Afghanistan for nearly 16 years, and as recently as June Mattis said "we are not winning."

Mattis told Sen. John McCain at a hearing last month that he would have the Afghanistan strategy ready by mid-July. On Friday he was asked what is holding it up.

"It just takes time," he said. "It wasn't that past presidents were dumb or anything else. This is hard work, so you've got to get it right. That's all there is to it."

He also said it is vitally important to "get the big ideas right," meaning to establish a consensus within the government on what problem Afghanistan poses and what policy goal is being pursued by committing U.S. troops there. He called this "orders of magnitude" more difficult that deciding military tactics.

"It's easy only for the people who criticize it from the outside and who don't carry the responsibility for integrating it altogether," he said, referring to making diplomatic and economic elements a part of the overall strategy.

Although Mattis did not mention him Friday, McCain is among the more vocal critics of the administration's lack of an Afghan strategy.

On Thursday, McCain mentioned his frustration on Afghanistan in a statement on the separate matter of the administration reportedly deciding to end a program to assist the Syrian opposition to President Bashar Assad.

"Six months into this administration, there is still no new strategy for victory in Afghanistan, either," McCain said. "It is now mid-July, when the administration promised to deliver that strategy to Congress, and we are still waiting."

In his remarks at the Pentagon, Mattis revealed no details of the ongoing administration debate.

He cast the Afghanistan problem in the context of past American wars, including those that did not end well  such as Vietnam  and those that still have not ended, such as Iraq. He said he wants to be sure there is administration agreement on the political goals as well as the military means.

"I realize this probably looks easy, but it is not easy," he said.

Mattis said a decision disclosed by the Pentagon on Friday to withhold $50 million in "coalition support funds" for Pakistan  money it receives each year as reimbursement for logistical support for U.S. combat operations  was separate from deliberations over a new Afghanistan strategy. Officials have said the U.S. approach to Pakistan is an important part of the Afghan strategy debate, in part because a Taliban faction known as the Haqqani network enjoys sanctuary in Pakistan. U.S. officials called the Haqqani network the most lethal element of the Taliban opposition in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon said in a statement Friday that Mattis has informed congressional committees that he could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network to deserve full reimbursement this year. Of $900 million in proposed reimbursement, Pakistan earlier received $550 million and Congress a few months ago withheld $300 million.

Mattis' certification decision means the remaining $50 million also will be withheld.

The Pentagon chief said this was not a reflection of a new, tougher U.S. policy toward Pakistan.

"This is simply an assessment of the current state of play" with regard to suppressing the Haqqani threat. "It's not a policy. It is the reality."

Pakistan is authorized to receive up to another $900 million in support funds this coming year, of which $400 million is subject to Pentagon certification of sufficient Pakistani effort against the Haqqani network.

"In our discussions with Pakistani officials, we continue to stress that it is in the interest of Pakistan to eliminate all safe havens and reduce the operational capacity of all militant organizations that pose a threat to U.S. and Pakistani interests as well as regional stability," a Pentagon spokesman, Adam Stump, said.

Last year, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter determined the Pakistani effort against the Haqqani network was insufficient, and as a result $300 million in support funds was withheld.
A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting another priest after a night of drinking in northern Michigan has been found not guilty.

The Rev. Sylvestre Obwaka was acquitted Thursday, the third day of trial in Presque Isle County. Obwaka admits that sexual contact occurred, but he said it was consensual.

The other priest told jurors that he was assaulted in February while visiting Obwaka and spending a night at the rectory at St. Ignatius Church in Rogers City.

The trial witnesses included Gaylord Bishop Steven Raica, who spoke to Obwaka after the other priest said he was assaulted. Raica says Obwaka didn't indicate that any sex was consensual.

Obwaka, a native of Kenya, has been a priest since 2010. He became pastor at St. Ignatius in July 2013.
The prominent leader of a militant left-wing group was arrested earlier this week on charges stemming from a violent brawl last year between white nationalist groups and counter-protesters.

Yvette Felarca, 47, was taken into custody in Los Angeles on Tuesday on charges of inciting and participating in a riot, and assault likely to cause great bodily injury, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday. The charges come after an eight-month investigation.

Felarca, whose name in public records appears as Yvonne Capistrano Felarca, has been identified as the leader and spokesperson for the anti-fascist group By Any Means Necessary.

She is among several people arrested this week in connection to the wild skirmish that broke out at the state Capitol in June 2016 when more than 300 counter-protesters confronted about 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party, which has been called a white nationalist group.

Felarca, who is a middle school teacher in Berkeley, attended the Capitol protest and gave television interviews after the melee. She was captured on video hitting a member of the TWP and calling a man a Nazi before punching him in the stomach repeatedly while shouting for him to get the f*** off our streets.

WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

The district attorney's office said many counter-protesters were masked, making it difficult to bring charges -- including in connection with numerous stabbings and an assault on a Sacramento television station's news crew. Fourteen people had stab wounds, cuts and bruises, with two of the injured surviving critical stab wounds.

A day after the melee, someone sent an anonymous threat to Berkeleys Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School where Felarca was a teacher, Berkeleyside reported. In September 2016, Felarca was placed on administrative leave. She returned to her classroom six weeks later.

In addition to the June clash, Felarca has been prominent at several other events involving the Occupy movement, and more recently between supporters and opponents of President Trump and other conservative leaders.

She was also among the people who protested Milo Yiannopoulos appearance at UC Berkeley earlier this year. During an appearance on Fox News after the protests, she said she was obligated to shut down his racist, misogynistic and homophobic messages.

Others charged in connection to the June 2016 rally include William Planer, who prosecutors say was supporting the TWP. He was arrested in Colorado and is awaiting extradition to California.

Porfirio Paz, a counter-protester was arrested in Southern California, while another counter-protester, Michael Williams was arrested in Yolo County.

The district attorney's office also rejected dozens of lesser charges including unlawful assembly and possessing illegal signs and banners.

"Our role is to investigate the incident and make recommendations to the district attorney's office," highway patrol spokeswoman Fran Clader said Wednesday. "Ultimately it's up to the district attorney's office to determine who should be arrested and face charges."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A former teacher of the year who cheated on her firefighter husband with a 16-year-old student is now suing the teen for defamation -- from behind bars.

Former Arroyo Grande teacher sues student she had sex with https://t.co/m2Q1Nyijrj pic.twitter.com/9dVJr38QSq  CalCoastNews (@CalCoastNews) July 20, 2017

Tara Stumph, 36, who taught at Arroyo Grande High School in California is serving 180 days in San Luis Obispo County Jail for having sex with a 16-year-old student, according to The Tribune of San Luis Obispo.

CALIFORNIA JUDGE REFUSES TO BRING BACK TRUMPS SANCTUARY CITIES BAN

But Stumph is now suing the student, claiming he damaged her reputation. Stumphs counterclaim said the young man defamed the former teacher to various classmates, family and other members of the community.

In jail for having sex with a 16 y/o boy, Tara Stumph filed a counterclaim against her victim alleging defamation https://t.co/7aqyQ6SJLq  Andrew Sheeler (@andrewsheeler) July 20, 2017

Stumph lost her teaching license after being convicted, but she does not have to register as a sex offender once she is released from jail.

The student is returning fire. Lucia Mar school district, Stumphs former employer, and the former teacher have been named as defendants in a lawsuit from the students family.

CALIFORNIA CONSERVATIVE FLEES TO TEXAS, HOPES OTHERS JOIN HIM

The victim said Stumph molested him during and after class and sent nude pictures and sexually explicit videos of herself to him, the media outlet reported.

Stumph also reportedly had sexual relations with the victim for months without her firefighter husbands knowledge.

The sexual abuse and exploitation of (the victim), and the circumstances under which it occurred caused (him) to develop various psychological coping mechanisms, which reasonably made him incapable of ascertaining that Stumphs conduct was harmful to him, court documents stated.

Stumph was facing five sex charges, but four were tossed after she struck a plea deal.


A day at the swimming hole turned tragic last weekend when 14 people were swept into floodwaters near Payson, Arizona.

The Garnica family was celebrating a birthday when flash flooding blasted the Cold Springs Swimming Hole. Nine people were confirmed killed, including Garnica's wife and three children. Officials found remains likely to be that of Hector Garnica, 27, on Thursday, who would be the 10th victim.

Four relatives were rescued.

Flash flooding is especially dangerous in the Southwest as water can be swept along dry river or stream beds in a matter of minutes.





Strong storms rattled the Upper Midwest this week, causing property damage and power outages.

High winds overturned a semi truck in Iowa and damaged a barn in South Dakota on Wednesday night. Roughly 10,000 people across northern Illinois lost power amid winds up to 70 mph. The storm also produced large hail across the region.

Severe storms produced multiple tornadoes near Buffalo, New York, on Thursday afternoon.

The National Weather Service reported that windows were blown out of hundreds of cars at the Hamburg Fairgrounds as a tornado moved through the area. The EF2 tornado caused damage to several structures on its 5-mile path.

A second tornado hit Holland, New York, 20 minutes later. The EF1 tornado downed trees and wires, leading to blocked roads in the area.

Wildfires continue to plague the western United States. The Detwiler Fire burned more than 70,000 acres in a week and forced road closures and evacuations in Mariposa County, California.

The blaze, which is burning near Yosemite National Park, has already destroyed 45 structures. The entire town of Mariposa was ordered to evacuate, according to officials. The town is home to about 2,000 residents.





The intensity of the fire prompted California Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for the county.

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, rattling several Greek islands. At least two people were killed and more than 100 were injured.

Officials say the deaths occurred on the Greek island of Kos, where the island's mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said that buildings sustained structural damage.

Heavy rain and strong storms caused travel chaos in Istanbul on Tuesday morning.

The morning commute was brought to a standstill in parts of the city as torrential downpours quickly submerged roads and railways.

Rainfall equal to the month's average fell on the city within a few hours. Some areas received up to 5 inches (128 mm) of rain.

A massive snowstorm hit Chile over the weekend, coating Santiago.

The snowstorm was the largest in the capital in decades, downing power lines and blocking roads.





Flooding in Wisconsin last week ruined every dollar in a vault of a bank, bank president Keith Polleck said, according to the Associated Press.

The Federal Reserve will have to replace every bill from the vault, which was water resistant, but not waterproof.

The Fox River near Burlington, Wisconsin, rose above its flood stage last week, sending up to 21 inches of water in the bank.
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Burundi's president is urging the nearly quarter-million Burundians sheltering in Tanzania to return home, saying the country is now peaceful.

President Pierre Nkurunziza is visiting neighboring Tanzania on his first visit outside Burundi since a failed coup attempt in 2015.

The United Nations says more than 500 people have been killed in violence around Nkurunziza's ultimately successful decision in 2015 to seek a disputed third term. Rights groups and the U.N. say the violence continues.

Nkurunziza made the remarks in a meeting Thursday with Tanzanian President John Magufuli. A statement from Tanzania's presidency says Magufuli wants Burundian refugees "to voluntarily return home."

Tanzania's interior ministry says about 247,000 Burundians are in refugee camps in the Kigoma region.
The Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) and the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency announced the launch of a joint information product - an English-language digest called Ukraine. Open4Business. The project is designed to help attract foreign investors to the country, introducing them to the Ukrainian economic agenda. A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the KIEF and Interfax-Ukraine to implement the project.

Starting from July 2017, a new issue of Ukraine. Open4Business in English is published twice a month on the KIEF website (http://forumkyiv.org/documents/072017digestkief01-2.pdf ). It is also emailed to KIEF participants, leading global and European chambers of commerce and industry, investment banks, mass media, and other key players of the international economic community.

"KIEF's important mission is to promote international dialogue on burgeoning investment climate in Ukraine. The digest will be one of the tools of such promotion, so we are glad to join forces with the country's largest news agency," Yuriy Pyvovarov, CEO of the Kyiv International Economic Forum, said.

Oleksandr Martynenko, Director of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency, commented: "Interfax-Ukraine produces high-quality, up-to-date, unbiased information products that are necessary for doing business here. Ukraine. Open4Business will be providing exactly such information to foreign investors who have a deficit of information about the points of investment in Ukraine." From Interfax-Ukraine the project will be supervised by its Deputy Director Maxim Urakin.

According to Urakin, the joint product will become a platform for promoting Ukraine as a profitable market for investors from around the world. The demand for such a product will be analyzed in the course of the project, and, if necessary, other language versions may be added. Launch of the digest comes on the eve of the fourth KIEF, to be held in the capital of Ukraine on October 6-7, 2017.

The keynote of KIEF 2017 will be the challenges of the new economic reality for Ukraine as an integral member of the global community. The forum will feature renowned economists and influential representatives of public and financial sectors, including the governments of Ukraine and other countries, members of the European Commission, top managers of the EBRD and the EIB, owners of companies and CEOs of corporations.

Please, follow the news on the forum's website (http://forumkyiv.org/ru/) and on the official Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/kyiveconomicforum) page. Interfax-Ukraine News Agency has been an information provider on Ukraine's political and economic information market since 1992. Since then, the agency has earned a reputation of the most reliable and competent supplier of timely and objective information. News reports from Ukraine are available to subscribers in almost every country in the world through the distribution channels of Interfax. Currently, the agency markets more than 50 information products on political, financial and economic subjects in four languages (Ukrainian, Russian, English and German).

Interfax-Ukraine is the official representative and partner of the American international group of companies Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) that supplies commercial, financial and marketing information to enhance its customers' knowledge of their own customers and to minimize their commercial and credit risks. By uncovering truth and meaning from data, Dun & Bradstreet connects its customers with the prospects, suppliers, clients and partners that matter most. en.interfax.com.ua Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) is a permanently operating venue for the formation of Ukrainian economic development strategy. It is aimed to set up a dialogue between experts, businesses and government, borrowing the best international practices, creating a road map for the development and promotion of the conversion of ideas into real action. www.forumkyiv.org/en
The mother of critically ill baby Charlie Gard stormed out of a British court on Friday and the boy's father angrily turned towards a hospital lawyer and mouthed the word "evil" after a new set of hospital scans were read in the controversial case, Sky News reported.

Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, had apparently not seen the newest MRI scan of their 11-month-old child, who suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome, and the Great Ormond Street Hospital lawyer said the documents made for "sad reading."

"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to cause distress," Barrister Katie Gollop said.

The contentious court proceedings came as Charlie's parents continued their desperate battle to bring the baby to the United States for an experimental treatment. American doctors have agreed to treat Charlie but, so far, the Great Ormond doctors have objected to letting him go, believing his condition to be irreversible.

His parents, however, believe the experimental treatment, which has never been tested on a human with Charlies exact condition, could restore the child's muscular and brain functions.

Judge Nicholas Francis said Charlie's parents can present new evidence in a new round of hearings early next week. He said the evidence must be new and relevant to the case. American neurology expert Dr. Michio Hirano, who designed the experimental treatment in question, will also be allowed to present more evidence in court on Monday.

Friday's court proceeding came as Gard and Yates released a new photo this week that they say proves the 11-month-old is not blind, as doctors claim.

The photo showed Charlie hooked up to a life support machine in his hospital bed with his eyes open and a toy being held in front of him.

The parents said they shared the picture to dispute doctors claims that Charlie cannot see, the Mirror UK reported.

It's not clear how much longer Charlie would live without the treatment.

The parents have received support from Pope Francis and President Trump, as well as some members of the U.S. Congress.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chile, one of a handful of nations with an absolute prohibition against abortion, is moving closer to lifting its ban in cases of rape, when the mothers life is in peril and when an unborn child is not viable. Other Latin American nations are moving in a similar direction.

Currently women who get abortions in Chile are subject to up to five years in jail, as are doctors or medical personnel who assist with the procedure. A woman who arrives at a hospital with signs that she has had an abortion is supposed to be reported to the police or the hospital could face sanctions.

This week, the Chilean Senate voted to ease abortion restrictions, a move strongly supported by President Michele Bachelet. But on Thursday the bill hit a roadblock as modifications to the measure failed to pass in the lower house by one vote  the result of one members abstention.

Pro-choice advocates expressed frustration over the failure of Chiles lower house to legalize abortion and vowed to continue to push for abortion rights.

We know that we can never trust that the law will be changed, Chilean activist Claudia Dides, the director of Miles Chile, said to Fox News on Friday. This negligence is insulting to the human rights of women. This will go down in history in the same way that the opposition to allowing women to vote did.

Polls show that 70 percent of Chileans support legalized abortion in cases of danger to the mothers life, rape or when a fetus is not viable, according to DigitalJournal.com. Despite that, abortion opponents remain intensely against the procedure in Chile, a socially conservative, largely Roman Catholic nation that only legalized divorce in 2004.

Chilean conservatives have been intense in their opposition to legalizing abortion ever since Bachelet began pushing it several years ago.

It is a mockery that members of a party that calls itself Christian dare to legalize the killing of the innocent, said Carmen Croxatto of Chiles Pro-Life Pro-Family Network, according to the Christian Post.

Protests on both sides of the debate have drawn large crowds. One rally in opposition to allowing abortion, for instance, last year drew about 100,000 protesters.

Chile is one of just four countries that currently prohibit abortion in all cases, according to the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights. A handful of others have rules so restrictive that they amount to de facto bans. Latin American countries with all-out bans or tight restrictions include Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

Outside of Latin America, the only two states with an absolute ban on abortions are Vatican City and Malta.

Chiles near brush with legalized abortion reflects similar moves in other Latin American nations.

In recent weeks, a Bolivian constitutional committee of the lower house approved expanding the nations abortion law to allow termination in the first two months for a lack of resources to support a child to the mother being a student. The issue will be debated on the floor of the lower house.

Earlier this month, Dominican lawmakers paved the way for allowing abortion when the mothers life is at risk and in cases of rape or incest.
A 16-year-old German girls yearlong adventure to join the ranks of ISIS came to an end when she was captured in Mosul.

Linda Wenzel, from the town of Pulsnitz near Dresden, was among 20 jihadists rounded up last week after the erstwhile capital of their self-declared caliphate fell, the Daily Mail reported.

The fearsome fraulein was found in a tunnel along with members of the terror groups dreaded all-female police force, some of whom were wearing suicide vests.

Linda began her odyssey a year ago when she posed as her mother, Catherine, and boarded a flight from Frankfurt to Turkey, en route to Syria, after falling in love with a Muslim she had met online.

Among those captured were women from Russia, Turkey, Canada and Chechnya  all of whom were collared during recent military mopping-up operations, the paper reported.

Click for more from the New York Post.
Despite international sanctions over its focus on nuclear weapons, North Korea watched its economy grow at its fastest pace in nearly two decades in 2016, driven mainly by the mining and energy sectors, Reuters reported.

North Koreas gross domestic product rose 3.9 percent in 2016. Some outside factors played a role for poor numbers in 2015, including a drought and low commodity prices, Reuters reported, citing the Bank of Korea.

Pyongyang does not release its official GDP. The Bank of Korea crunched the numbers and said the 3.9 percent rise is Pyongyangs best year in 17 years.

North Korea may have had an improved year in 2016, but the economy is far from robust. The rogue nation's GDP was 32.0 trillion won, or $28.50 billion. To put it in perspective, South Koreas GDP was 1,508.3 trillion won in the same year, or $1.34 trillion.

North Korea has spoken out against what it called suffocating sanctions. Pyongyang has been concerned by the advent of President Trump's administration and the possibility of tougher policies than those carried out by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Following a recent series of high-profile North Korean missile tests, the U.S. earlier this month led an effort at the U.N. to pass a resolution adding more North Korean individuals and entities linked to its nuclear and missile programs to a sanctions blacklist.

The resolution expressed serious concern that North Korea continues to violate previous U.N. resolutions with launches and attempted launches of ballistic missiles, and that its nuclear and missile activities threaten international peace and security. The Security Council has repeatedly demanded that North Korea abandon all nuclear weapons programs and halt all nuclear and missile tests.

The Security Council had already imposed six rounds of sanctions on North Korea.

Although 2016 was a strong year, it is unclear if Chinas coal ban would affect the country in the future.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
A North Korean woman who fled to South Korea, gained celebrity status there and then returned to Kim Jong Un's dictatorship last month claimed her "life in the South was a hell."

Lim Ji-hyun, 26, resurfaced earlier this week in a taped interview uploaded on Uriminzokkiri, a propaganda website run by the North Korean government. She tearfully described how she was "lured" to South Korea with the "fantasy" that she would "eat well and make a lot of money there."

"It was not the place I had imagined," she said in the video. "I had wandered around everywhere there to make money, working in drinking bars, but nothing had worked out."

NORTH KOREA FIRING SQUAD CARRIES OUT PUBLIC EXECUTIONS IN SCHOOL YARDS, REPORT SAYS

However, Lim did achieve some fortune before she boomeranged back to North Korea. Lim appeared on reality TV and talk shows in South Korea to speak about her life under Kim Jong Un's brutal regime, the BBC reported.

But that celebrity status apparently wasn't enough to deter her from returning to the country she called "the bosom of the fatherland." She also claimed she was forced to bash North Korea.

"Every single day of my life in the South was a hell," Lim cried. "When I was alone in a dark, cold room, I was heartbroken and I wept every day, missing my fatherland and my parents back home."

The double defector has been living with her parents in her hometown since last month.

It's unclear how Lim crossed the border back into North Korea, but South Korean intelligence officials fear the defector was kidnapped and sent back to Pyongyang, the BBC reported. Other North Korean defectors have speculated that Lim was attempting to smuggle other family members into South Korea before she was abducted.

IN NORTH KOREA, HATRED IS AS CLOSE AS AN ENVELOPE

At least 25 defectors have come forward in North Korea claiming they returned to the rogue nation voluntarily since Kim succeeded his father in 2012, according to the BBC. North Korea has been known to call defectors "traitors" and "human scum."

On Wednesday, a detailed report released by The Transnational Justice Working Group, a human rights organization, revealed a North Korean firing squad executed so-called criminals in public areas, such as schoolyards and fish markets -- a tactic used to create an "atmosphere of fear" in the country.

The "criminals" included people who stole livestock and rice, but also included citizens convicted of harsher crimes, such as murder and manslaughter.
A Palestinian assailant snuck into a home in a West Bank settlement Friday and stabbed three Israelis to death, the head of the country's rescue services said.

An Israeli news site said those killed in the settlement of Halamish were two men and a woman who were having dinner at the time. The army released footage showing a blood-covered kitchen floor.

The bloodshed followed street clashes in Jerusalem left three Palestinians dead amid increasing tensions over the Holy Land's most contested shrine.

Israel TV's Channel 10 said the assailant was in his late teens and had posted on Facebook that he was upset by the events at the shrine. Eli Bin, the head of Israel's rescue service MDA, said an off-duty soldier next door heard screams, rushed to the home and shot the attacker through a window. Bin said the attacker was wounded and evacuated to hospital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, announced that he is freezing ties with Israel, dealing a blow to fledgling Trump administration efforts to try to renew long-dormant peace talks.



Abbas said contacts with Israel would be suspended on "all levels."

It was not immediately clear if this means long-standing security coordination between Israeli troops and Abbas' forces will be halted.



At issue in the current round of violence are metal detectors Israel installed at the Jerusalem shrine earlier this week, in response to a deadly attack by Arab gunmen there.



The metal detectors are perceived by the Palestinians as an encroachment on Muslim rights and portrayed by Israel as a needed security measure following the attack that killed two Israeli policemen.



Earlier Friday, several thousand Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank clashed with Israeli troops, burning tires or throwing stones and firecrackers. Troops fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen hospitalized with live or rubber bullet injuries.



White clouds of tear gas rose from Jerusalem streets and West Bank flashpoints. In one neighborhood, Palestinians threw stones from behind a mattress used as a shield.



Israel also faced growing criticism from the Muslim world, and thousands staged anti-Israel protests after Friday prayers in Jordan and Yemen. Turkey and Egypt also condemned the violence.



The confrontations in the Holy Land could escalate in coming days, as both sides dig in.



Israel said the metal detectors would remain in place. Lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel would not surrender to what he said were "violence and incitement" by those "attempting to drag us into a religious war."



Jerusalem's top Muslim cleric, Mohammed Hussein, said protests, including mass street prayers outside the shrine, would continue until the devices are removed. He told worshippers Friday that they should prepare for a "long test of wills" with Israel.



"We will not back off," he said.



The shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, sits at the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, symbolizing the rival religious and national narratives of the two sides.



Disputes over the 37-acred walled hilltop platform in Jerusalem's Old City have repeatedly triggered major confrontations in the past.



Earlier this week, Israel began installing metal detectors at the gates of the compound, saying extra measures were required to prevent further attacks.



Muslim leaders portrayed the metal detectors as part of a purported Israeli campaign to expand its control over the shrine -- a claim Israel denies. Muslim clerics urged worshippers to pray in the streets near the shrine, rather than submit to the new security procedures.



The faithful complied. Thousands flocked to the Old City each day this week for street prayers, kneeling on mats spread on cobble stone and asphalt.



On Friday, the highlight of the Muslim religious week, Israeli police severely restricted Muslim access to the Old City to prevent mass protests.



Some 3,000 officers were deployed at checkpoints in and around the city, turning away Muslim men under the age of 50, including those trying to reach the city from Israel and the West Bank.



In the end, thousands reached the Old City -- a fraction of the typical Friday turnout of tens of thousands of worshippers.



After peaceful prayers, clashes erupted in several areas of Jerusalem and across the West Bank.



Palestinian health officials said three Palestinians were killed by live fire in different areas of Jerusalem.



The Red Crescent said 390 Palestinians were hurt, including close to 100 who were hospitalized for live fire or rubber bullet injuries. Israeli police said five officers were wounded.



The perceived threat to the shrine, home to the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, has galvanized Palestinians -- especially those in east Jerusalem which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and quickly annexed.



Since 1967, Israel has increasingly cut off east Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland, leaving the city's Arab residents without a political leadership.



Muslim clerics stepped into the void this week, taking the lead in prayer protests.



Under the post-1967 arrangements, Muslims administer the compound. Jews can visit, but not pray there. For decades, the status quo held, in part because leading rabbis, citing religious purity laws, banned Jews from entering.



In recent years, religious opinion has shifted, and growing numbers of Jews are visiting the compound. This shift has stoked Muslim fears of a purported Israeli plan to expand Jewish control there. Israel has reiterated that it has no intention to change the status quo.



Fakhri Abu Diab, a 55-year-old worshipper, said he feels Muslims must stand their ground.



"If we let them, they (Israelis) will take over the mosque completely," he said, standing near the Old City. "If we resist them, they will stop."



The dispute over the detectors has led to rising tensions between Israel and the Muslim world.



The compound is the third holiest site of Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is also Judaism's holiest site, once home to biblical Temples.



Jordan, the custodian of the Jerusalem shrine, has repeatedly appealed to Israel to remove the devices. The two countries cooperate closely on regional security issues, but frequently disagree on Israel's policies at the shrine.



On Friday, several thousand Jordanians protested against Israel in the Jordanian capital of Amman.



Demonstrators chanted, "the people want to liberate Al Aqsa," referring to one of the mosques in the compound.



Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country is in touch with Israeli officials to try to end the crisis. Speaking in Ankara after Friday prayers, he called Israel's security measures "radical," saying limits imposed on Muslim prayers would not contribute to a solution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Move over, Thomas. Trainy McTrainface is coming to town.

At least in Sweden.

A Swedish rail company released a poll asking Swedes to vote for a name for a new, intercity train. The train will run from the capital, Stockholm, to the port city of Gothenburg.

FINLAND NAKED SWIM CHALLENGES WORLD RECORD

The rail company said it hopes the new name will bring happiness not just to Sweden, but people across the world  particularly after UK voters last year rejected Boaty McBoatface in a poll over what to call the countrys new research ship.

(This is) news that will be received with joy by many, not just in Sweden, MTR Express said.

The quirky name beat out Hakan, Miriam and Poseidon. It will join Estelle and Glenn as part of the new fleet.

Europeans see Trainy McTrainface as a huge victory.
A 1,174-acre tract straddling the border of Caroline and Spotsylvania counties has been on Virginias radar for years due to its potential for development.

Now the OrrockSimms property is another step closer to possibly becoming a commercial or industrial site.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Wednesday that the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance has received a $30,000 grant in Phase II of the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program development grants for the site. Caroline and Spotsylvania will provide $15,000 each in matching funds.

The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program is a valuable tool that helps to identify and improve marketable sites for prospective businesses, McAuliffe said in a news release. As we continue to diversify and build the new Virginia economy, these sites will offer prospective business partners potential homes where they can locate, thrive and create opportunity in communities across the commonwealth. I congratulate all of the Phase II grantees on bolstering Virginias marketability for economic development projects.

The OrrockSimms site is located at the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Route 606, and is one of the largest sites identified for development along the Interstate 95 corridor. Because of its size, it could be developed as a regional industrial park, a data-center park, a manufacturing operation or possibly a mixed-use project that included offices, said Todd Gillingham, FRAs vice president for marketing and operations.

The biggest issue in economic development now, and how projects are going, is that a lot of sites this size need to be as shovel ready as possible, he said. What these grants are doing is getting the sites as ready to develop as possible.

FRA applied for and received a $5,000 VBRSP grant late last year for the OrrockSimms property. It was used to determine the starting point for the site and to define its initial readiness ranking on the states tier system, Gillingham said.

The OrrockSimms property is currently ranked at Tier 1, which is for marketable properties of greater than 100 contiguous acres that havent been zoned and where minimal or no due diligence has been performed. But its close to qualifying for the next tier, which is for properties whose owners have agreed to a competitive sale price and with a comprehensive plan that reflects that the site is intended for industrial or commercial development.

The new grant, which will be used to delineate wetlands on the property, should help it reach that level, Gillingham said. That work is expected to be completed in the fall.

Rusty Foley, owner of M R Foley & Associates LLC, has listed the property at $45,000 per acre for the 147 acres in Spotsylvania and $17,500 for the 1,014 acres in Caroline. He said that there has been interested expressed in the tract for a long time, but no one is ready to sign a contract.

FRA, along with Orange County, was among eight recipients in the states second round of VBRSP grants. Orange received $40,300 for the King Property1,660 acres on northeastern portion of county along State Route 3. It had received $2,065.25 in the first round.

The King property is zoned for commercial and light industrial use, and is included in the countys GermannaWilderness Area Plan. Its bordered by Wilderness Run on the east, the Rapidan River on the north and State Route 3 on the south. There is no clear physical boundary on the west.

The property has reached Tier 2 in the states tier system, and the grant will help it reach Tier 3, said Orange County Administrator R. Bryan David. Tier 3 is for sites that are zoned for commercial and industrial use, and where due diligence has been completed and the estimated costs of development have been quantified.

Were currently working on a master utility plan that would get utilities to the site, David said. This is a high priority for the Economic Development Authority and the supervisors, to have the GermannaWilderness Plan be sharply focused on economic development and business recruitment.

He said that the county and the owner, Chip King, have agreed on pricing and are working on a master utility plan that would get utilities to the site.

Its not listed with a broker, but he would make it available, King said.

Other sites awarded Phase II development grants, which totaled more than $1.18 million, include: the Holland/Axelle site in the Town of Ashland, Mill Place Commerce Park in Augusta County, Summit View Business Park in Franklin County, Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre in Henry County, Natures Crossing Technology Center in the City of Waynesboro and Wood Haven Road Property in Roanoke County.
DUNKIRK (PG-13)

3.25 STARS

Director Christopher Nolan uses a compelling mix of big, sweeping vistas and small, personal moments to convey the mix of courage and hopelessness felt by the soldiers trapped on the beach at Dunkirk.

With the Germans pressing at them on three sides, hundreds of thousands of Dutch, French and English troops found themselves trapped on the beach at Dunkirk, enemy bombers and the shallows making it difficult for their Naval ships to pick them up.

So the call goes out to British civilians with boats, and a small armada of them chugs to the beach in Northern France, the boats either taking soldiers back to England or out to naval ships in deeper water.

Nolan employs wide, overarching shots to show the hordes of soldiers trapped on the beach, long lines of soldiers with no place to take refuge when German planes strafe and bomb them on the beach.

To put faces to those scared soldiers and others who came to their aid, Nolanwho also wrote the scriptchooses a handful to follow through the action.

Theres Tommy, a terrified young British soldier (a fascinating Fionn Whitehead), a shell-shocked soldier (Cillian Murphy), Farrier, a determined fighter pilot (Tom Hardy), Mr. Dawson, a fearless civilian boater (the splendid Mark Rylance) and British commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh).

The film doesnt waste time getting into the thick of it, with Tommy running for his life through edge of town at Dunkirk, his fellow soldiers shot down as they run.

Soon enough its clear that hes simply trying to find somewhere safe, having left or lost the rest of his squad, doing whatever he can to find a way off the beach.

That amplified desperation is the theme for the rest of the film, as soldiers and others push themselves to the limit to find a ship, a tug boat or a rowboat that will take them off the beach, a noose thats slowly tightening as the German units move closer.

It takes a while to understand that Nolans tale isnt linear, moving back and forth in time to give different perspectives to ships being sunk and men swimming off at times into dark waters to avoid flames and being carried down into the depths.

That gets more confusing than it should at times, because sometimes an event like a ship going down is repeated, and at other times, its simply another ship.

In scenes that are dark and full of similar looking soldiers, its hard to follow which characters are which and what situations are being repeated.

But thats a relatively small quibble about a film thats epic in scale one moment and incredibly personal the next.

Nothing surpasses the emotion that comes when the soldiers see the armada of private ships that is their salvation. The bravery and determination of those civilian captains, some of them dying when hit by German planes, is the first moment that really raises the gooseflesh.

Another is hearing the words of Winston Churchill, read by one of the soldiers from a newspaper once arriving home, saying that the English will fight anywhere and everywhere, never giving up.

Having seen that on the beaches of Dunkirk, and in the civilian armada, we see that it was that resolve that made such a difference in that war.

Its evident in so many of the moments in this film, which to be fair also shows how some of the worst can come out in that sort of crucible.

The knock that the film underplays the role of the French and Dutch has some merit, though focusing on one force in the evacuation probably makes for a stronger narrative.

While it doesnt pack quite the same you are there gut punch that Saving Private Ryan did, Dunkirk is a telling look at a unique moment in the war when civilians were the ones who saved the day.

Rated PG-13 for intense war experience and some language. 106 min. Playing locally at Marquee Southpoint 9, Paragon Village 12 and Regal Fredericksburg 14.
The distinctive look of a Williamsburg residence is evident upon arriving at the circular driveway at 12528 Woodford Road. The brick work is Flemish bond all around, with jack arches over the windows. The trim, including dentil soffit brackets, is a freshly painted medium brown. And theres a brick french drain at the base of the foundation.

It all suggests early 19th century construction. But this house is actually only 29 years old.

So its not surprising that this property has an interesting story to tell, and it begins back in the 1980s, when Bill and Bettie French, thanks to their growing family, decided they were going to need a bigger house.

First, lets point out here that 29 years later, the need for a bigger house has passed and the Frenches are planning to downsize. Theyve listed their home with Mari Kelly and Paddy Osborne of Long & Foster Realtors of Fredericksburg. The asking price is $743,000.

Bettie Frenchs father, the late John W. Burke Jr., was well known in these parts for his connection to Boones Antiques, first on Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Fredericksburg and later, starting in 1972, at the large antiques warehouse he owned in Carmel Church. The Burke family has lived in the Woodford area of Caroline County for generations.

Bill French arrived in the area in 1975 when his late father, U.S. Army Col. Harry W. French, took over as post commander at Fort A.P. Hill. Looking to earn some money, Bill took a job at Boones Antiques. He not only fell in love with the work, eventually taking over the business, he also fell for Burkes daughter Bettie as well, and they married in 1980.

In addition to being in the antiques business, John Burke also had a fondness for all things Williamsburg, including its historic architecture.

Maybe you can see where this is going.

Bill and Bettie agreed to have her dad become the general contractor for the construction of their new home, which sits in a clearing on 15 wooded acres, about a quarter-mile off Woodford Road. Burke brought in noted local craftsmen such as carpenter Ashton Skinner of Fredericksburg Building Supply, cabinetmaker Jim Colley and plumber Ralph Crisp to help build it.

The large house has 6,754 square feet of finished space on three levels. There are four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two half-baths.

Given the homes Colonial exterior, its no surprise that the theme is carried through on the interior. Classic trim reflects the period, and features such as doors, mantels, flooring and hardware are reclaimed from early to mid-19th century structures.

Wide crown molding, wainscoting to chair-rail height, and heart pine flooring begin in the large foyer and continue into the living room, dining room and throughout the main level, which has 9 1/2-foot ceilings. The salvaged front door includes transom and sidelights and is said to have come from an 18th century home.

Aside from modern appliances and fixtures, the kitchen has a Colonial-era flavor as well, thanks to Colleys cabinets, the reclaimed island and the salvaged door that leads back into the foyer.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the den, or family room, which has a fireplace mantel that was salvaged from the same house as the living rooms. The room offers a bay window view of the back yard, and its also where the back stair from the second floor lands.

Another main-level room is the library, which could become a fifth bedroom if need be. This and most other rooms in the house have ceiling fans, a nod to air-circulation efficiency that early Virginians can only wish they had.

Also on the main level is the combination mud room and laundry room. It leads to the over-sized two-car garage and includes the laundry chute, through which dirty clothes can be dropped from upstairs.

The Frenches say that the back porch may be their favorite room of the house, and for good reason. Once a screened-in porch, it was given windows that make it inviting spot almost year-round. The windows swing open to allow those screened-in porch breezes back in.

Most impressive is the porchs turret or gazebo-like construction at the far end, and the western red cedar ceiling framing. It is a work of art by Skinner, who meticulously fanned out the supports for the turrets roof.

Alongside the porch is the brick patio.

Bill French points out that Skinner overbuilt the homes entire roof structure. Though the couple replaced the roof with 30-year shingles just last year, it is strong enough to support a heavy shingle roof.

Skinners handiwork is evident again both with the black walnut railing on the main staircase and cherry railing on the basement stairs.

Upstairs are four bedrooms including the master. The master bedroom suite is awash in space. Adjacent to the sleeping area is a sitting room that could easily become a home office. Also here is what the Frenches continue to call the toy room, even though their three kids are out on their own now. It is ready to serve as an upstairs family or media room.

Three secondary bedrooms share a hall bath, which has a double vanity.

As the general contractor, John Burke saw to it that the house has an abundance of electrical outlets, more than required by code. Also, beneath each window, is a special plug for an electric window candle to enhance the Williamsburg look. The candle outlets are tied into a single circuit with a main-level switch that allows all to be turned on at one timeno running from room-to-room each evening.

The finished portion of the basement, at least 75 percent of the total space, has plenty of room for pool, ping-pong and foosball tables, not to mention a full bar. The full bathroom down here includes a urinal.

An unfinished area holds the utilities and storage space. The home has a dual-zone heat pump heating and cooling system.
A division that develops defenses against chemical, biological and radiological warfare is slated to move from the Dahlgren Navy base to the installation at Indian Head, Md.

Known as the CBR Defense Division (B20), the group consists of between 100 and 150 scientists, engineers and other workers who develop systems that protect sailors and their ships from contamination by various agents. These agents include dirty bombs meant to kill and injure thousands by spreading radioactive material, infectious diseases or poisonous gases.

The relocation means workers who live in King George County, as well as Fredericksburg and the counties of Stafford and Spotsylvania or beyond, would add considerable time to their daily commutes.

Dahlgren is about 45 minutes from the city of Fredericksburg, and Indian Head is another 45 minutes from Dahlgren. Workers would have to cross the Potomac River, go through LaPlata and take several winding roads to get to the Maryland base.

Its a long hike, said King George Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Ruby Brabo, who expressed concerns this week about Dahlgren losing the division. Obviously, we want to do everything we can to maintain our missions at Dahlgren, and we dont want to see the potential loss of jobs for our citizens or the burden of  an extensive commute.

Stafford County Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairwoman Meg Bohmke said she also was concerned about the impact on workers.

We have people from all over south Stafford and the Fredericksburg region, as well as workers who travel from Richmond daily to Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, she said.

Rep. Rob Wittman, chairman of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, is requesting additional information from the Navy about Dahlgren workers who live in Virginia. He also wants to know if the Navy has plans to make up for the workforce loss in King George, said Gregory Lemon, Wittmans spokesman.

The most important thing is for Dahlgren to remain a viable and effective naval weapons center and an integral part of the Navys overall mission, Lemon said in an email.

The Dahlgren base employs 10,832 people, according to an annual report that looks at the facilitys economic impact. It has 5,592 civilian employees and more than 4,800 contractorsand annually pumps about $1 billion into the regional economy.

THE TECHNICAL VOICE

In the past, Dahlgren has been the technical voice of the Navy for the CBR Defense, according to a briefing presented Aug. 2, 2016, by J. Steve Anthony, division head.

He was addressing the National Defense Industrial Association about the unusual challenges ships face as floating cities that must guard against corrosive elements of natureand the ever-present threat of CBR attack.

But in the future, work thats done to protect ships from these threats will take place at Naval Support Facility Indian Head instead of Dahlgren, according to a July 13 email from John Fiore, technical director with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

Thats the same day workers were told of the relocation.

Fiore said the move will align chemists with chemists as well as the materials, modeling and simulation aspects of the CBR Defense Division into what already exists at Indian Head.

And frankly, it is a very good fit, he wrote.

Fiore said it will benefit the Navy because Indian Head is better suited for long-term growth of the CBR function by matching the right skill sets with similar functions within their organization.

He acknowledged that change is difficult and said the Navy will use bonus and permanent change of station incentives to ensure a smooth transition.

While it impacts people locally, the overall goal is to do what is best [for] the Navy and minimize impact to the workforce, Fiore wrote.

ROUTINE STREAMLINING?

As Brabo, the King George supervisor, researched the Navy decision, she was told that efforts to streamline costs and functions are typical.

I was told to look at it as a mini BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure], that things like this occur all the time, she said.

Indeed, such a streamlining with the CBR Defense Division took place in August 2012, according to an article on the Navys website. But that time, it added a missionand built new facilitiesfor the very division thats slated to move to Indian Head.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind., transferred all of its CBR detection services to Dahlgren, which already provided the technical, engineering, test, evaluation, maintenance and logistics support to the fleet after installing the detection system, the article stated.

At the time, various Navy officials praised the move for its financial benefits and for combining all the services in the CBR Defense Division under one roof.

The initiative that Dahlgren is spearheading saves the Navy funds at a time of significant belt-tightening, said Jon Cofield, the Navys Chemical and Biological Defense technical warrant holder.

Before the Navy could consolidate all the CBR Defense functions at Dahlgren, it had to design and build a new laboratory at the King George facility. The cost of the new facility wasnt mentioned, but the Navy story stated the new project would streamline work and accrue savings to help fund other chemical and biological defense projects.

BIG PART OF DAHLGREN

The new CBR Fleet Support and Integration Laboratory was completed in 2011 and allowed Dahlgren to take on yet another service unique to its mission. It was able to apply for permits necessary to store, stage and track all the Navys chemical detectors that contain radioactive sources.

At the time, the base in Indiana held the only such permit in the nation, according to the Navy article.

Because of the investment in new facilities and the seemingly one-of-a-kind work being done there, King George Board of Supervisor member Jim Howard was surprised to hear the mission would move to Indian Head. He spent 47 years working at Dahlgren as a contracting officer, and his son used to work in the CBR Defense Division.

Chem/bio has been a big part of Dahlgren for a long time, theres a building dedicated to it, he said. There are only a couple buildings like that in the Navy, maybe in the country.

ONE OF THE GEMS

Even though employees and base contractors were emailed last week about the relocation, local elected and business officials have learned the final paperwork on the impending move is on an admirals desk and awaiting a signature.

That leads Susan Spears to believe something can be done to prevent it. Shes president of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, which has lobbied over the years to keep the Dahlgren base strong and viable because of its impact on the region.

She has people researching the issue and trying to figure out who to contact within the Navy. Like others in the community, shed like to have insight into why the military would relocate a division for which a new lab recently was built at a significant cost to the government and the taxpayers.

Its one of the gems, really, at Dahlgren, adding how expensive it would be to relocate the equipment, labs and the brain trust of people. It doesnt seem logical.

While it impacts people locally, the overall goal is to do what is best [for] the Navy. JOHN FIORE
Representatives Rob Wittman (R-1st District) and David Brat (R-7th District) served as Virginia co-chairs of the 2016 Trump campaign, thus endorsing a man with well-documented character defects. As evidence and concern about LAffaire Russe increase, their words and actions will determine if they are capable of putting country above party and integrity above winning at all costs.

For months, the president railed against the Russia investigation and media coverage, claiming fake news, witch hunt, there is no collusion. Now there is evidence of collusion and the president turns on a dime to say in effect, Sure we colluded. What is the big deal?

Lying is the hallmark of this presidency and his lies have eroded public trust. Few believe the presidents already shifting explanation of when he learned about the meeting between his campaign officials and what they believed to be a Russian government attorney. Many wonder if substantive agreements to conspire were made at that meeting or later, if the Russians have kompromat on presidential aide Jared Kushner or the president or if Jeff Sessions Justice Departments settlement of the Prevezon money-laundering case was quid pro quo for the release of the DNC emails.

What is certain is that Wittman and Brat, wittingly or unwittingly, promoted a campaign that invited a hostile foreign adversary to interfere with a U.S. election. This undermines the foundation of our democracy and erodes faith in our elected representatives. The congressmen must explain to Virginians what they knew about the collusion, apologize for their lack of due diligence and poor judgment and explain how they are working to protect future Virginia elections.

The congressmens failure to speak out against the moral vacuity of this president and to condemn the campaigns colluding with a hostile foreign power impugns their own integrity.

Mary Anne Pugh Montpelier
Gov. McAuliffe should be ashamed at his inaction to grant clemency to William Morva. On July 6, the commonwealth committed state-sanctioned homicide, and the governor failed to use his office to intervene.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in our Declaration of Independence that, all men ... are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, those states that still sanction capital punishment, and the federal government fail people like Mr. Morva.

For rights to be unalienable, no one can take them away, and yet that is just what occurred when Morva was sentenced to death and when Gov. McAuliffe failed to grant clemency. I do not agree with what Morva did, nor am I in a place to forgive him. The lives he took caused permanent pain and loss to the victims families.

Taking Morvas life does not undo what he has done. It has been said that Morva was mentally ill, which makes Virginias actions that much more heinous.

For the commonwealth and the rest of the United States to live up to the words of that famous Virginian and Founding Father, the death penalty must end in all forms.

I urge Gov. McAuliffe, whomever succeeds him and lawmakers to please end the barbaric practice of capital punishment.

Let William Morvas be the last life the state takes away. Join the other states and countries that have abolished the death penalty by now. Be a better commonwealth.

Matthew Richard Fredericksburg
Virginia Techs Marc Edwards will win half of a $250,000 award Friday for standing up to government authorities during the Flint, Mich., water crisis. Then, he plans to give his money away.

Edwards, a Tech engineering professor pivotal in blowing the whistle on the infamous water crisis, will win the Disobedience Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.

He will share the award with Michigan pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha, who conducted medical research that aided in exposing the water crisis.

The pair will accept the award at MIT on Friday evening in an event that will be streamed live online at media.mit.edu.

In a telephone interview from the airport in Boston, Edwards said he is currently in negotiations to give the money to my fellow disobedient ones in Flint who helped expose the crisis. That includes the residents who reached out to Edwards and helped him conduct the water testing.

Theyre deserving of the financial benefits. ... Theyll use it well, Im sure, Edwards said.

The awards prize functions like a MacArthur genius grant, an accolade given to Edwards in 2007, giving no-strings-attached money to its winners. Its designed to reward people for standing up in the face of authority to challenge norms for the potential benefit of society.

The prize is a one-time experiment, but could be repeated in the future, MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito wrote in a Medium post announcing the award.

Edwards said the award is special because it promotes standing up in difficult situations.

Society needs to do a better job of recognizing people who make a sacrifice for doing whats right, Edwards said. There are all kinds of awards for people who are obedient suck-ups.

This one is different.

Edwards fought against state and federal agencies, arguing that Flints water was inundated with lead particulate after local officials switched water sources in 2014 to save money.

Edwards and a team of Tech students, faculty and researchers worked with local residents to test the water and identify the source of their lead-tainted water. Hanna-Attisha conducted tests on children to show elevated blood lead levels around the city.

The work resulted in national attention on water infrastructure, a state of emergency, criminal charges against public officials and a switch back to an old water system.

It also came at a great personal cost to Edwards who spent more than $150,000 of his discretionary research funds and personal money working on the project.

He has since raised much of that money back through a GoFundMe campaign and an Ut Prosim grant award from Virginia Tech. He was also named a university distinguished professor, one of the highest honors bestowed on Tech faculty, earlier this year.

The personal cost and professional risks of battling federal and state agencies was worth it, simply because children were protected from lead in water, Edwards said last year.

This was priceless, he said. Well go to our graves knowing we stood up for Flint kids when no one else could or would.

Other finalists for the award included:

James Hansen, a scientist who studies climate change and is sometimes called the father of climate change awareness.

Freedom University professors, a group of University of Georgia professors who taught undocumented students who were unable to afford their out-of-state tuition in Georgia even if they lived in the state long enough to be considered Georgia residents.

Water protectors of Standing Rock, a group of Native Americans who began a camp to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.
What is glioblastoma?

The most common type of primary brain tumor is called a glioma, so named because it begins in the glial (the Greek word for glue), or supportive, tissue of the brain. A glioblastoma is the most malignant form of this tumor and is synonymous with a grade 4 glioma. Glioblastoma is also sometimes called a grade 4 astrocytoma because it arises from star-shaped cells called astrocytes, one of several types of glial cells. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, glioblastomas represent about 15 percent of all primary brain tumors. An estimated 12,390 cases are predicted for 2017.

Sen. McCain previously was treated for melanoma. Is this new tumor related?

No. McCain has had several early-stage melanomas removed, and melanoma can metastasize to the brain. However, a primary brain tumor  as McCains doctors described the tumor in the statement released by McCains office  forms because of abnormal cell growth in brain tissue rather than spreading to the brain from elsewhere in the body. Melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, starts in melanocytes, the cells that give skin its color.

How is McCains brain cancer different from former President Jimmy Carters cancer?

Carter did have melanoma that had spread to his brain and liver, which he revealed in 2015. Until recently, someone whose melanoma had spread to the brain usually survived for only about four months. However, in 2011, melanoma became one of the first cancers to be treated with immunotherapy. After surgery to remove a small mass from his liver, Carter began receiving an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab (Keytruda), one of several checkpoint inhibitors that helps free the immune system to attack the cancer. Data from clinical trials show that 50 percent of patients who received penbrolizumab for metastatic melanoma are alive three years later.

What are the treatment options for glioblastoma?

Since 2005, a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation has been the standard of care for glioblastoma, according to neurosurgeon Dr. Eric Holland, who is director of Seattle Translational Tumor Research and senior vice president and director of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutch. McCain underwent a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision last week to remove what at first was described as a blood clot and later identified as glioblastoma. According to the statement from his office, further treatment options under discussion include chemotherapy and radiation.

Sadly, this aggressive cancer poses significant challenges to standard treatment, which is why median survival remains stuck at 15 months. (Median survival means the time, from diagnosis, at which half of patients are expected to still be alive.)

As Holland explains, glioblastoma is very difficult to completely remove surgically because it is so diffuse in the brain. The blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain and its associated fluid, limits the drugs that can reach tumors, and glioblastoma is resistant even to those drugs that can get in. Brain tissue, and especially brain cancer, is also resistant to radiation.

What about immunotherapy?

In May, a team of Hutch researchers led by Holland began a two-year pilot study to test several novel immunotherapy approaches for glioma.

The standard of care for patients with these tumors  surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy  has not changed in decades, and neither has the outcome, Holland said at the time. We hope through this work to change the standard of care and prolong survival for glioma patients.

T-cell therapy, an experimental treatment in which certain immune cells are engineered to recognize and attack tumors and which is showing promise for certain blood cancer patients, is being tested in some small, early-stage clinical trials for patients with glioblastoma at some other research centers. Other types of immunotherapy for glioblastoma also are in early clinical trials.

But it is still early days for these approaches designed to harness or amplify certain components of the immune system. Holland warned that the interplay between cancer and our immune system is complex and much is still to be learned, especially in relation to a cancer as challenging as glioblastoma.

Are there other promising approaches?

Yes. For example, here are four promising avenues of research:

The advent of in-depth tumor gene sequencing has given scientists insights into mutations in a gene known as isocitrate dehydrogenase, or IDH, which usually make gliomas significantly less aggressive than gliomas with a normal IDH gene. Median survival of patients with IDH mutations can be five or even 10 years. Holland and his team have developed mouse models that will allow them to study these mutations, which until now has been impossible because the mutant cells will not grow in laboratory dishes. Holland is hopeful that research into the fundamental nature of IDH-mutant glioma cells and their interaction with the immune system will reveal an Achilles heel" for targeted treatments.

Holland also is hopeful that precision oncology  which is his area of expertise  can lay the groundwork for better treatments for glioblastoma and other cancers. He and others are collecting data and developing tools that will help researchers and doctors better understand how a patient is likely to respond to a given treatment  whether standard or immunotherapy  and to tailor their care accordingly, he said.

Fred Hutch gene therapy experts Drs. Hans-Peter Kiem and Jen Adair are taking a different tack against glioblastoma  using gene editing to protect blood stem cells from a drug that can make chemotherapy more effective against the cancer. Some patients with glioblastoma produce a certain protein in their tumors that make cancer uniquely resistant to chemotherapy. There is a drug that can unlock the tumor cell to that chemotherapy, Kiem said in a recent interview, but that drug molecule is very harmful to blood cells. Kiem, who holds the Endowed Chair for Cell and Gene Therapy at the Hutch, and his colleagues developed a workaround: engineering the blood cells in the lab with a gene that shields them from the molecule and then transplant the protected cells back into the patient before proceeding with chemotherapy cycles. Results from a small early clinical trial look very good, Kiem said, and he is putting together a larger, multicenter study with two other cancer research centers.

After his mothers death from glioblastoma almost 20 years ago. Dr. Barry Stoddard, a Fred Hutch protein engineer, got involved in a research project to modify a protein from yeast for possible use as part of targeted cancer therapy. The modified protein was the brainchild of Washington State University biologist Dr. Margaret Black, who recognized that with a few tweaks, this natural molecule could have potent anti-tumor power. After years of development and testing in animal models, the engineered enzyme was tested in a small clinical trial for patients with aggressive glioblastoma that was led by a biotech company in San Diego, Tocagen. Recently, the company researchers and their colleagues reported results from that early-stage trial: The enzyme  and the rest of the drug built around it  is safe and maybe extending patients lives.

Fred Hutch News Service writers Rachel Tompa, Sabrina Richards and Kristen Woodward contributed to this story.

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A major safety drive aims to reduce farm deaths this harvest amid mounting concern that agriculture has a fatal accident rate higher than any other UK industry.

Detailed accident statistics will lay bare farmings death toll when they are published at the Royal Welsh Show on Monday (24 July).

They follow a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warning that agricultures fatal accident rate is 18 times higher than the UK industry average.

See also: Agriculture has Britains highest fatal accident rate

Some 27 people lost their lives on British farms last year, according to HSE statistics.

Details of those accidents will be published to coincide with Farm Safety Week (24-28 July)  which will highlight the need to reduce the excessively high rate of agricultural accidents.

Major causes

Summer and autumn are among the most dangerous times for farm work.

Vehicles and heavy machinery are among the major causes of death and injury on farms, with many farmers working long hours. But so too are livestock and falls from buildings or roofs.

This years Farm Safety Week aims to remind people that farm safety is a lifestyle, not a slogan.

Co-ordinated by the Farm Safety Foundation, it is supported by the main UK farming organisations and farm safety partnerships in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Each day during the week will focus on a different aspect of farm safety.

At the same time, farmers are challenging one another to make 30 safety improvements in 30 days in a bid to reduce the accident rate in agriculture.

NFU vice-president Guy Smith, who is also chairman of Englands Farm Safety Partnership, said: Every week the HSE sends me notifications of farm fatalities. It is by far the most depressing part of being NFU vice-president  particularly as the circumstances are similar.

Deaths last year include a 30-year-old young farmer who was killed in a combine harvester accident in September on the family farm near Dungannon, County Tyrone. Less than a week later, a woman died in a tractor accident near Corwen, Denbighshire.

Shock increase

More recently, a shock increase in farm fatalities saw 10 deaths on UK farms in February alone  prompting farm leaders to call for increased vigilance in and around farmyards.

The death toll compares with a more normal rate of three fatalities per month.

Ulster Farmers Union president Barclay Bell said injuries were also serious and could have a devastating impact on farm businesses.

Many were common place, particularly when dealing with livestock, with the gap between injury and death uncomfortably narrow.

Mr Bell said: As farmers, we are all well used to bumps and cuts. But when those become more serious  for example, broken bones or life-changing injuries  they can have a serious impact on a farm business.
An artist's impression shows how a device mounted on the "smog free bike" could work. DAAN ROOSEGAARDE/CHINA DAILY

A Dutch designer has teamed up with Chinese bike-sharing company Ofo to develop a bicycle that filters pollution out of the air as it is ridden.

The "smog-free bikes" will first roll out in China, before they are made available in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.

Daan Roosegaarde, head of Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde, is in China working on a prototype with engineers and designers from Ofo, Tongji University, and Chinese design platform Tezign. The team hopes to have a functioning model completed by the end of the year.

"The final goal is to have around 2.5 million 'smog-free bicycles' in a city like Beijing, to help reduce pollution between 5 and 15 percent in the coming two years," said Roosegaarde.

He has met with local authorities and developers in London regarding other clean-air projects, and said bringing the bikes to the UK and the Netherlands is part of the project's long-term plans.

Ofo, founded by 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur Dai Wei, has rolled out its dockless bike-sharing system in Cambridge and is in talks with other British cities to make its bikes more widely available.

Roosegaarde said the aim is to have the Ofo bike fleet use air-cleaning technology similar to that used in the 7-meter "smog-free tower" that he made and toured the Netherlands and China with last year.

"Dai Wei is really keen on adding value to the bikes," Roosegaarde said. "They are looking at smart locks, communication with the user, air quality measurement devices on the bikesinnovation is moving them forward."

The bikes will be mounted with a device at the front that sucks in air, removing particulate matter through the ionization process. Impurities that are too small to be caught by conventional filters, including nanoparticles, are positively charged and attracted to a negatively charged surface. Clean air would be funneled out the back of the device toward the rider's face.

"Take a balloon and polish it with your hand to produce staticit's the same principle," Roosegaarde said. "This is the only way of cleaning large volumes in a safe, energy efficient, in-depth way. Filters don't catch the small particles and they use a lot of electricity. This kind of technology is already used indoors in places like hospitalswe are taking it outdoors."

Roosegaarde said such a device could be built for vehicles, however he hopes the project will encourage city-dwellers to switch their cars for bikes.

The team will also decide how best to dispose of or recycle the smog particles collected by the devices. Some of the particulate matter captured by the air-cleaning tower was used to make "smog jewelry", such as rings.

"The project is about the dream of clean air," Roosegaarde said. "We made the tower, and ideas grow. Our latest adventure is the bicycle and we are very happy to work with Ofo."
Witness is a virtual reality project I created as part of my masters thesis in Computer Science from Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology. It tells the story of an insurgent of Warsaw Uprising, the largest urban insurrection in Nazi occupied Europe during World War II. Currently its a five-minute-long prototype that can be experienced through Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift DK2. The project was developed together with Warsaw Rising museum, one of the most popular museums in Warsaw today. Specialists from the museum helped me in researching the story and with usability testing of the developed prototype. In this post, I want to share key aspects of the design process and what I learnt while making Witness.

Some background first. Im from India, living in Warsaw for almost five years now. As a foreigner, Im fascinated by the citys modern history, especially events of World War II that encompass Nazi occupation, the Holocaust and two major uprisings  Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 and Warsaw Uprising of 1944  during which most of the city was destroyed and majority of the citys inhabitants were either dead or displaced. Today, Warsaw is a dynamic metropolis. Knowing the extend of destruction that the city had suffered, its post-war reconstruction seems nothing short of miraculous. While walking through Warsaws lively streets lined with cafes, restaurants and designer boutiques I have often asked myself what it must have felt like to live through the citys destruction. Witness is my attempt to answer that question.

Design process

Once I started co-operating with the museum, the first challenge was coming up with a comprehensive narrative design. This was the first time I and my guides at the museum were working on a VR project, we had several ideas but not enough knowledge of what kind of narrative would work best in VR. Moreover, since I was the only person developing the VR experience, we needed be conscious about the practical limitations concerning duration of the experience and the scope of world building. After some deliberation, we decided to take five to ten minutes as the intended duration.

We started looking for a powerful story that would be able to render complex history of the uprising emotionally accessible to the audience. The story needed to be nonfictional, based solely on documentary materials. While searching, the museums audio-visual archive containing thousands of eyewitness accounts of the Uprising became our go to source. The account we finally chose concerns the experience of a twenty-four-year-old woman who worked as an editor and courier at the main underground news bureau during the Uprising. Her memoir, recorded by the museum in an hour-long interview conducted when she was over eighty, is emotionally moving and contains several interesting details of everyday life during the Uprising. Taking the stipulated five to ten-minute duration as guideline, I developed two short scenarios from her account. I wrote two scenarios since I was not sure about two basic aspects of the narrative  the time and the place, whether the narrative should take place during the uprising or after, in retrospect? Should I go for an indoor location (which would be simpler to build) or an outdoor space?

I used paper storyboarding as a tool of visualizing the scenarios. Though it helped me get a basic feel of the environmental design, visualizing a scene in 3D 360 degree from paper storyboard was more challenging than I had expected it to be.

Storyboard that eventually influenced design of prototype 1  scenario 1

At this point, I decided to dive into 3D prototyping using Unity. I chose Unity because of its ease of use, cross-platform support and a comprehensive asset store that contains tons of free as well as paid resources. At this stage, I was not sure which VR platform or platforms will be eventually used to show the experience. Owing to several factors that I don't want to get into this article, I was more inclined towards mobile VR in comparison to higher end stationary devices like HTC Vive or Oculus Rift CV1. I had a Google Cardboard headset and a compatible smartphone at home which I used for testing the prototypes. Later in the project (from prototype 2 onwards) I also used Oculus DK2 as a secondary testing device. I followed an iterative design process that included creating a prototype, showing it to museum experts, collecting their feedback and updating the prototype. In the end, the prototype passed through three iterations before taking the form of the final version.

Creating the first prototype

First version of the prototype has two scenarios. In addition to twin considerations of time and place, I added the element of interaction as a variable in designing them. One scenario narrates the story primarily in present tense (while the uprising is going on) in an indoor space through interactive elements. The other takes place in past  the user is thrust into a post-uprising ruined Warsaw, there is no possibility of interacting with the environment other than looking around in the 360-degree space. In the second scenario, I used edited audio fragment of the chosen eyewitness account as voice over track. First person VR narratives sometime use avatars or virtual hands to give the viewer a sense of embodiment in virtual environment. I didn't use avatars or virtual hands. I wanted the viewer to have a disembodied, almost ghostly experience, and in case of the second scenario the feeling of having accidentally stepped into someone else's memories.

In the first scenario, the audience is placed in a virtual room containing interactive objects like an old radio, newspaper and photo printing apparatus. The audience is informed through a voice-over that she is standing in an underground printing press active during the Uprising. Interaction cues are provided through spatial UI overlay. For example, text message hovering over the radio prompts the audience to turn it on by looking at it for a few seconds. On being turned on the radio played recording of actual broadcasts made by WWII-era underground station. Battle sounds in background created the impression of being present during the Uprising, while voice over provided first person perspective on the historical reality of working in an underground press.

Screen print of prototype 1  scenario 1

The second scenario takes place in an outdoor virtual environment which presents a low poly model of a ruined city street. The models are textured through projection mapping of archival photographs on building surface. The camera glides through the street while voice-over described how Warsaw was destroyed during the uprising.

Screen print of prototype 1  scenario 2

Once the prototype was ready I did a quick round of user testing by showing the two scenarios (through google cardboard) to museum experts and friends. Most of them found the second scenario better than the first. This might seem surprising at first, since the first scenario is interactive which should translate to a more interesting user experience. However, on closely analysing the experience of watching the two scenarios I realized that the difference boiled down to two factors - the quality of the narrative and the novelty of the virtual environment. The first scenario encouraged viewer to interact with the virtual environment, but the story that emerged through interaction was less engaging than the one told without any interaction in second scenario. In case of the virtual environments, though the first scenario had more polished graphics, the indoor environment was less attractive than even the low poly ruined city look of scenario two. I understood the importance of location in crafting a powerful experience during this round of prototyping and testing. Instead of providing simply a backdrop where the story takes place, I felt the location - ruined city of Warsaw - needs to be a character in its own right. With these realizations, I started working on level design of the next version of the prototype.

Creating the second prototype

The updated version has only one scenario. The virtual environment is based on a real location in Warsaw that was identified from the eyewitness account. For this prototype, I tried to create a realistic virtual reconstruction of the chosen place. I researched the location thorough an initial visit to the site (rebuilt after the war) and afterwards by going through old maps, hundreds of archival photographs and hours of videos captured by insurgents during the uprising. Once I had sufficient image references, I started working on level design by following an iterative process that included:

sketching on paper

mapping and blocking in Unity

modelling in Blender

texturing in Substance Painter

assembling all assets in Unity

I made use of some high quality free 3D models from the asset store to reduce development time. Materials from museum archive like war sounds, photographs, digital scan of posters were extensively used to add realism to the virtual world. I tested each version of the prototype in Google Cardboard. After several redesigns, the prototype looked like this:

Though the virtual environment looked much better than in the first prototype, I was not fully satisfied with the design. Something was missing. Museum experts concurred with my opinion. One of my favourite aspects of this version is a slide show section where old photographs from the uprising are projected on a wall. In designing this segment, I had carefully constructed the environment (giant back wall of a building acting as projection surface, the rusted water tank in foreground emphasizing scale of the wall) <insert screen shot of the slide show> and camera movement (which starts levitating just before the slide show starts) to heighten the scale and the visual impact of projected images. What if instead of images video was displayed on building models, a kind of projection mapping in virtual environment? I started experimenting with video projection on 3D models in Unity. Results of those experiments looked promising which lead me to design next and final version of the prototype.

Creating the third prototype

The virtual environment was expanded to make greater space for the story to reveal itself. I decided to use video projection and additional audio elements to add layers to the story. My goal was creating a rich audio-visual narrative that would trace the outbreak of war (dramatically conveyed through audio recording of Hitler's declaration of war on Poland) and progress of the uprising (narrated through radio broadcast) culminating in the citys destruction (narrated through the eyewitness account). In this way, the miniature narrative arc consisting of a beginning, a middle, and an end unfolds in the five-minute duration of the experience.

Museum experts loved the demo, commending on its ability of conjuring a highly authentic yet dream-like vision of ruined Warsaw. Currently the museum is seeking external funding for a creating a production version that can be exhibited at the museum.

What I learnt from this project

Before starting I had an inkling that designing for Virtual Reality would be very different from designing for screens. However, the magnitude of this difference only started to dawn upon me as I started prototyping in Unity. I think storyboarding is useful for VR design, but without prototyping in 3D, early design decisions are likey to fail. That is why it's crucial to include some form of VR prototyping right from the start. In my case, storyboarding became more useful from prototype 2 onwards, once the overall look and feel of the environment was clear to me.

Storyboard for prototype 3

The second thing I learnt is  audio is at least as important as visuals and its crucial that sound design is part of the process of world building from the start. I was working as a one-man team responsible for both the visuals and the audio. Hence working on both at the same time happened naturally. Most teams will have dedicated sound designer. Its crucial to get her involved from project inception stage. I strongly feel that instead of thinking how spatial audio can be added to the finished environment, designers need to think how sound and visual design can be developed in synchronization. This brings me the most important aspect of sound design  audio in any form of VR experience needs to be spatial (be it CGI or live action, interactive or passive, real time rendered or 360 video capture). A significant challenge I faced was in deciding where to position the narrative voice in the 360-degree sonic environment. After some trials, I decided to place it close behind the viewers head, forty-five degrees up. I scripted the position of the sound source so that the viewer hears the voice speaking occasionally from the left, at others from the right. The shifts in position of sound source are synchronized to the shifts in narrative register.

After spending considerable amount of time designing an interactive narrative, I realized that interactivity does not need to be absolutely necessary for creating a compelling VR experience. An interactive story makes sense only if the interactions add something to the narrative experience. Its an obvious fact which we can lose sight of in the heat of creating interesting mechanics, especially in a new medium like VR which presents novel forms of interaction. Truth be told, I had to think in terms of reduced or no interaction due to the inherent limitations of Google Cardboard (later when I used Oculus DK2 I did not have any external controllers). The crucial point to remember is (as noted by Breaking Fourth in an article on medium)  Even the most passive VR experience will be more interactive than a traditional film, as the viewer has agency over which direction to look in. Two of the most acclaimed VR experiences from Oculus Studio  Henry and Dear Angelica contain few interactive elements, yet they immerse viewer into the story in a way that is possible only through VR. This is not to downplay the importance of interactive narratives whose potential can be seen in experiences like Giant and 6X9. Rather, in my opinion the primary goal of VR storytelling should be striking a balance between narrative and sense of presence, through interaction and if need be without interaction.

(Witness is my first VR project. Id love to hear what you think of it!)
There currently are 93 Fisher Houses in the United States and in Europe with plans for more.
 ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.

 RASPBERRY (razbere) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.

We hereby deliver:

 RASPBERRIES to the people responsible for scrawling racist messages in chalk on downtown sidewalks near the riverfront this week. The messages included statements such as: "When will it be enough white man? Build the wall," accompanied by images of a brick wall and what appear to be emoji-type figures with frowny faces wearing sombreros.

So, yes, it's stupid  and it's also disgusting. The person who discovered the messages notified police, and city workers were dispatched to erase them off the sidewalks. The Police Department said it would not investigate the incident because it doesn't rise to the level of a crime; because the chalk is temporary, this isn't considered defacing of public property.

We also agree with the assessment of Frederick J. Edwards, president of the Corvallis-Albany branch of the NAACP, that these messages, hateful as they are, still are protected as free speech. But it says something important about the purveyors of these chalk messages that they felt the need to scrawl out their despicable messages under the cover of darkness.

 ROSES to 79-year-old Earl Boissonou, who has spent more than two years painstakingly building a miniature tugboat in his garage  and last Sunday, successfully launched the craft in the waters at Fern Ridge Reservoir.

Boissonou, who taught in the Albany school district for many years, has been sailing since 1968 and has always enjoyed working with his hands. A dedicated artist who paints, draws and sculpts, he took up boat-building some years back as a way to keep busy while recuperating from a liver transplant. The completed project is an 18-foot, 2,400-pound boat, propelled by a 9.9-horsepower outboard motor, that can carry four people and has sleeping berths for two.

If this seems like an unusually ambitious project for a 79-year-old man (he did have help from a variety of volunteers), well, you don't know Boissonou: I just do stuff, he said. I like to keep busy.

 ROSES to da Vinci Days, which took another step back from the abyss with a successful series of events last weekend. The signature Corvallis summertime festival has been on hiatus for the last two years because of budget challenges  really serious budget challenges that placed the future of the festival in jeopardy. Festival officials have since taken steps to right the ship, holding fundraising events and soliciting a variety of contributions from public and private sponsors alike.

Last weekend at the Benton County Fairgrounds, da Vinci Days offered a series of events and activities, anchored by the annual Graand Kinetic Challenge, which had continued each summer despite the financial troubles of the festival. (It's part of a three-stop Western circuit for the kinetic sculptures, gigantic human-powered contraptions that are put through a punishing series of challenges.)

The weekend also included a mind-stretching keynote address by Tim Weber of HP Inc., a nod to the original idea behind da Vinci Days, to blend art and science.

The community responded well to the weekend's events, and that had to be gratifying to the people who have worked so hard to keep da Vinci Days alive. We thank them for that effort, and here's hoping for many happy returns.

 ROSES to the Oregon Health Authority's "Stay True to You" campaign, which aims to raise awareness among young people about the legal consequences of underage marijuana use. Authority officials have tested the campaign's in the Portland metro area and Jackson and Josephine counties and said the results were promising. The next step will be to roll out the campaign throughout the state.

Although we've been in favor of legalizing marijuana for adult use, no one has ever said it's a good idea for young people to be smoking pot, especially as evidence mounts about its disproportionate effects on developing brains. Anything that hammers that message home to those very same developing brains is welcome. (mm)
China has agreed on a protocol to allow imports of US rice, according to a statement released on Thursday by a Chinese delegate to the first China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) in Washington, D.C..

The US can begin shipping rice to China for the first time, after China completes an audit of US rice facilities, the US Department of Agriculture announced.

The move would give US farmers access to the world's largest consumer market and importer of rice following over a decade trade talks between the two countries.

China has a growing appetite for rice imports, with the number dramatically up in the past decade and reaching 3.4 million metric tons in 2015. However, US farmers will have to compete with those in Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan, the biggest rice exporters to China in 2016.

The rice agreement is a sign of strengthening China-US relations on agriculture trade. It comes just a month after China resumed imports of US beef.

During the CED, China and the US reached agreements on agricultural cooperation, and both sides exchanged views on exports of China's dairy products and aquatic products to the US.

The CED was one of the four major dialogue mechanisms established by the two countries in April when Chinese President Xi Jinping met US President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Jack Ma, founder of the world's largest e-commerce trading platform Alibaba, gives a public lecture at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, July 20, 2017. Ma is visiting Kenya in a tour arranged by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to promote global entrepreneurship and to mentor young and upcoming entrepreneurs. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
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.
F-22 Raptors Join Full-Spectrum Red Flag Readiness Exercise

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Cody Miller 325th Fighter Wing

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev., July 20, 2017  F-22 Raptor fighter jets from Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, have joined combat air forces from across the nation for the joint, full-spectrum readiness exercise Red Flag 17-3.

Ten F-22s from the 95th Fighter Squadron are joining the exercise alongside Marine Corps F-35B and Air Force F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighters. This is a first in Red Flag history that both variants of F-35 will take part in the exercise, officials said. The F-35B is the short-takeoff and vertical-landing version of the jet, and the F-35A has conventional takeoff and landing capabilities.

Other aircraft such as B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers, E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and more will also be featured and will each play an important role in the exercise theater, officials said.

The F-22 is designed to project air dominance rapidly and at great distances.

"We're primarily an escort role," said Air Force Capt. Brady Amack, 95th Fighter Squadron pilot. "We integrate with other aircraft, whether they're fourth or fifth generation, and ensure they're able to execute their mission. The amount of experience we get is huge. There is no other area, really, where we can train with so many different types of aircraft in such a large area."

Higher Level of Training

By gathering these diverse units together, the exercise facilitates readiness training on a higher level, as each unit rings specific expertise and talents to the table, officials said. Red Flag teaches them to work together as they would in the field, possibly for the first time, before facing an actual threat, they added.

Red Flag 17-3 is exclusively reserved for U.S. military forces, which allows for specific training when coordinating fifth-generation assets, exercise officials noted, adding that Tyndall's Raptors will be able to learn from working with both F-35 units taking part.

Both aircrafts' stealth capabilities, advanced avionics, communication and sensory capabilities help augment the capabilities of the other aircraft, Amack said.

"Working with the F-35s brings a different skill set to the fifth-generation world," he added. "Having a more diverse group of low-observable assets has allowed us to do great things."

The mission of the Red Flag exercise overall is to maximize the combat readiness and survivability of participants by providing a realistic training environment and a preflight and post-flight training forum that encourages a free exchange of ideas. The 95th Fighter Squadron benefits by learning how to completely integrate into multi-aircraft units and gaining experience from intense sorties, officials said.

"Since Red Flag 17-3, in particular, is U.S. only, we get to take the opportunity to take things to the next level," said Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Sadler, 414th Combat Training Squadron commander. "This Red Flag alone gives us our singular largest fifth-generation footprint, which allows us to learn as we continue to build new ideas. As we look to be innovative and solve problems, we'll only increase our readiness by getting smarter as a force and as joint warfighters."

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Concerned nations should get used to Chinas naval presence in Indian Ocean: expert

China should send more submarines to the Indian Ocean to make concerned countries get used to their presence in that region, said Hu Bo, researcher with Peking University Ocean Strategy Research Center.

According to Indian English-language fortnightly news magazine, India Today, a Chinese attack submarine was deployed in the Indian Ocean for two months in late 2013. And another conventional power submarine appeared in the region in September 2014.

In response, Chinas Ministry of National Defense said the two vessels were deployed to conduct anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.

Since 2008, Chinese vessels have increased their escort missions in the Gulf of Aden, said Li Jie, a naval expert. He added that it was reasonable for nuclear and conventional power submarines to participate in such missions given that they are Chinas main battle vessels.

The Times of India reported that a total of 12 to 14 Chinese vessels appeared in high seas in the Indian Ocean in the past 2 months; meanwhile there were only 3 to 4 several years ago. In addition, 7 nuke submarines have entered the region so far, the paper said.

The ongoing 2017 Malabar naval exercise involving the U.S., Japan and India is drawing to a close, with more than 100 aircraft and 21 vessels participating in the drill.

Officials from the three countries all claimed in public that the objective of the drill was to cooperate on humanitarian aid and anti-piracy missions. However, India Today said that the drill was indeed a strategic message to China.

Taking China as the imaginary enemy is a reflection of Cold War mentality, Hu said, adding that the ocean is a global public product that does not come within the jurisdiction of any single country.

Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia Studies with Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told thepaper.cn that extension of military power was only a natural step taken by China to protect its national interests.

The geo-strategic position of the Indian Ocean has a profound influence on Chinas national security and development, Zhao said, adding that sending vessels to the region was normal for the country.
Department of the Army announces 10th Mountain Division deployment

By U.S. Army Public AffairsJuly 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Approximately 2,100 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana will deploy to Iraq in fall 2017.

This is a regular rotation of forces where soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team will replace the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Third Brigade will be the first brigade-sized unit to deploy under the Associated Units Pilot Program. As part of the Army Total Force, 3rd Brigade has served with the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard since March 2016.

"The significant impact we're making as a division crosses state lines, oceans and international borders. With the enhanced integration of active/reserve components, we're building a better and stronger team that will enable us to fight our nation's wars. We wish the 3rd Brigade well and a safe return to their families," said Maj. Gen. S. Lee Henry, commanding general of the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard.

"During the last several months, the Patriots have worked hard and completed multiple training events to include a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation in preparation for this important mission," said Maj. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, commander of the 10th Mountain Division. "I am extremely confident and proud of the entire 3rd Brigade Team."

For additional information of the Associated Units Pilot Program, please visit https://www.army.mil/standto/archive_2016-04-26.

For more information, contact the 10th Mountain Division public affairs officer, Maj. Isaac Taylor at isaac.l.taylor.mil@mail.mil or at 315-772-5924, and contact the Texas Army National Guard Public Affairs Office at ng.tx.txarng.mbx.pao@mail.mil.

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USS Sterett 'Up Guns' the BHR Expeditionary Strike Group for Talisman Saber 17

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170720-09

Release Date: 7/20/2017 9:05:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Byron C. Linder, USS Sterett Public Affairs

CORAL SEA (NNS) -- Watchstanders hover over chart tables, plotting courses as they assess possible tracks of an Australian submarine posing as an opposing force.

Sailors at consoles "hook" tracks and report inbound aircraft, signaling to the tactical action officer that queries and other pre-planned responses need to be made.

For the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104), the ship's combat information center is routinely abuzz as the ship manages a number of missions, often simultaneously.

But here at U.S.-Australian bilateral exercise Talisman Saber 17, Sterett is playing a different role than it normally would. It is taking commands and direction from an amphibious flagship, alongside Australian frigates with similar sensors and defense capabilities.

At the onset of Talisman Saber 17, Sterett joined a combined U.S.-Australia-New Zealand Expeditionary Strike Group, led by the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). The addition of Sterett moves forward the U.S. Pacific Fleet's 'Up-Gunned' Expeditionary Strike Group concept, where a traditional amphibious ready group (ARG) is escorted by multi-mission ships like Sterett.

Sterett and partnered Australian frigates are contributing a robust set of offensive and defensive capabilities to ensure the amphibious ships can move into the littorals and land forces ashore.

"Sterett has conducted numerous bilateral exercises during the course of our deployment, and Talisman Saber is another great opportunity to work with our Australian partners and allies," said Cmdr. Claudine Caluori, Sterett's commanding officer. "Talisman Saber provides our Sailors several unique opportunities to showcase the skills we've honed over the course of deployment, and we look forward to contributing to the ESG's defense."

Flight quarters, flight quarters, flights quarters.

It's 4 a.m. and Sailors aboard Sterett are manning up to launch one of its embarked helicopters, a MH-60R from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49.

Within the construct of the exercise, Sterett and "Red Stinger," are hunting a submarine and need to remain extra vigilant.

While amphibious ships have organic capability to defend against air, surface, and subsurface threats, the inherent capabilities of Sterett and its helicopter detachment expand the survivability of the amphibious force.

"The MH-60R has a number of capabilities that allow us search and potentially prosecute submarines, as well as contribute to a common maritime picture," said Lt. Cmdr. Troy Leveron, from Ferdinand, Indiana, detachment Office-in-Charge for HSM 49. "Being able to employ our capabilities, within a joint and combined environment is important to all of us honing our skills"

Augmenting the airborne abilities is Sterett's shipboard Sonar Technician (Surface) watch team, who are trained to notice subtle differences in the ocean's bathometry and sound waves to detect submarines.

"We have a really great team," said Lt. j.g. Kiefer Bohn, from Las Cruces, New Mexico and Sterett's ASW officer. "We're excited to do what we're supposed to be doing - the sonar technicians are here [aboard Sterett] to track submarines, so giving them the opportunity to do that is pretty exciting."

Talisman Saber is a biennial exercise which unites 33,000 U.S. and Australian personnel to build on partnerships, interoperability and the ability to respond to contingencies in the region.

Sterett, deployed under the U.S. 3rd Fleet Forward initiative, is on a regularly-scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. Third Fleet operating forward offers additional options to the Pacific Fleet commander by leveraging the capabilities of 3rd and 7th Fleets. This operational concept allows both numbered fleets to complement one another and provide the foundation of stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

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Trump: Didn't Need Russia's Help Finding Damaging Information On Clinton

RFE/RL July 20, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump lambasted top officials involved in investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, and said he did not need Russia's help obtaining damaging information about his rival HIllary Clinton during the campaign.

Trump's comments in an interview with The New York Times published on July 19 came as the Senate Judiciary Committee announced that Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, have agreed to testify in public next week about a meeting they had in June 2016 with Russians including a lawyer who Trump Jr. was told had promised information damaging to Clinton.

Russian lawyer Natalya Veselnitskaya, who sought the meeting held at Trump Tower in New York, provided the campaign with a portfolio that she said showed Russians had contributed illegally to the Democratic National Committee, another participant at the meeting told the AP.

Trump Jr., who released e-mails earlier this month showing he was eager to see what Veselnitskaya was offering on Clinton, said after the meeting was disclosed publicly for the first time last week that it yielded nothing of use to the campaign.

President Trump backed up his son's account in The New York Times interview, saying that he had not needed Russia's help digging up adverse information about Clinton because he already had more than enough.

"There wasn't much I could say about Hillary Clinton that was worse than what I was already saying," Trump told the Times. "Unless somebody said that she shot somebody in the back, there wasn't much I could add to my repertoire."

While the Trumps have dismissed the meeting as inconsequential, members of the Senate committee, which is investigating whether there was collusion between Russians and the Trump campaign, are demanding that the administration provide all documents related to the meeting such as the plastic folder on Clinton that some participants saw.

"There has been an enormous amount that has been said publicly but it's not under oath, which means that people are free to omit matters or lie with relative impunity," Senator Sheldon Whitehorse (Democrat-Rhode Island), who is on the committee, told CNN on July 19.

Veselnitskaya said she is ready to testify about the Trump Tower meeting, although she has not been scheduled as yet before any of several committees in Congress investigating the Russian matter.

"If the Senate wishes to hear the real story, I will be happy to speak up and share everything I wanted to tell Mr. Trump," she told Russia's state-funded RT television on July 18. "I am ready to clarify the situation behind the mass hysteria."

In the Times interview, Trump also spoke for the first time about a second conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Germany in early July, saying they discussed mostly "pleasantries" and the issue of Russian adoptions.

Putin barred Americans from adopting Russian children in 2012 after the United States enacted sanctions on Russians accused of human rights abuses, an issue that remains a sore point in relations with Moscow.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, supported Trump's account, saying on July 20 that the presidents did discuss adoptions. He declined to give details, but said that they did not talk about the possibility that the Russian ban could be lifted.

The revelation this week that Trump held a lengthy and previously undisclosed second conversation with Putin at the G20 summit on July 7 has raised eyebrows in the United States, particularly because there was no other U.S. official involved -- only a translator from the Russian side -- and there is no U.S. record of what was said.

Also during the 50-minute interview, Trump told The New York Times that he would have never appointed former Senator Jeff Sessions (Republican-Alabama) to be attorney general -- the chief U.S. prosecutor -- if he had known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation shortly after taking office.

"Frankly, I think it's very unfair to the president," Trump said. "How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, 'Thanks, Jeff, but I'm not going to take you.'"

In a news conference on cybercrime later on July 20, Sessions, one of Trump's earliest backers, told reporters that "I have the honor to serve as attorney general.... We love this job.... And I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate."

"We're serving right now. The work we're doing today [on cybercrime] is the kind of work we intend to continue," he said when asked how he could effectively serve if he did not have the confidence of the president.

Trump also criticized the special counsel conducting the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, claiming that Mueller is running an office rife with conflicts of interest, and leveled a new accusation at former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in May at a time when he was leading the Russia investigation.

Trump said Comey told him two weeks before he took office about a dossier assembled by a former British spy that was filled with salacious allegations against him, including supposed sexual escapades in Moscow.

Trump said he believes Comey told him about the dossier to make it clear he had something he could hold over the president as leverage. Comey has testified that he told Trump about the dossier because he believed Trump had a right to know about details some media outlets might soon be publishing.

With reporting by The New York Times, AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-says-didnt-need- russia-help-finding-damaging-information- hillary-clinton-/28627875.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Cost of feeding hungry world surging due to conflicts and instability - UN agency

20 July 2017  Improved aid access, strengthened resilience and advances in food system networks could provide as much as $3.5 billion in annual cost savings at a time when humanitarian needs are skyrocketing in multiple complex emergencies across the globe, a new United Nations study has found.

"More than anything else, the world needs to wake up, and end these wars and these conflicts, so we can make real progress in ending hunger," said David Beasley, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme in a news release today.

"Around 800 million people  one in nine around the world  go to bed on an empty stomach. But man-made conflicts and other strife make it difficult to help those who need it most. Reducing these roadblocks would ease the path towards long-term solutions."

In its report, World Food Assistance 2017: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead, WFP notes that its costs spiked by more than 140 per cent over a seven-year period  from $2.2 billion in 2009 to $5.3 billion in 2015.

The need for additional resources come amid significant changes to the international food assistance sector since 2009.

Within WFP, the share of assistance delivered as food declined from 54 per cent to less than 40 per cent. Conversely, the share of cash-based transfers surged from less than 1 per cent in 2009 to 20 per cent in 2016.

In this scenario, the WFP report argues that improvements such as more accessible and safe humanitarian access could reduce costs by almost $1 billion each year.

Furthermore, if the roughly 80 countries where the UN agency operates were better able to cope with climate-related, political, and economic shocks, another $2.2 billion annually could be saved.

And if food systems  the networks responsible for producing food, transforming it and ensuring that it reaches hungry people  could be improved in these countries, another $440 million could be saved annually.

"If solutions or improvements to these challenges were found, cost savings to WFP could be as high as $3.5 billion per year," noted the UN agency.

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UN envoy calls for de-escalation of tensions and violence in Jerusalem

20 July 2017  Expressing deep concern over a surge in tensions and violence around the holy esplanade of Jerusalem's Old City, the United Nations envoy on Middle East peace today called for de-escalation of the situation.

"I call on all concerned parties to de-escalate the situation and on moderate voices to speak up against those who try to fuel tensions," said Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in a statement.

He welcomed the commitment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to uphold and respect the status quo at the City's holy sites, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' firm condemnation of violence, specifically the deadlt attack on two Israeli policemen on 14 July.

"I hope these affirmations will contribute to resolving the concerns of all parties and put an end to the provocative rhetoric that has added to the escalation over the past week," Mr. Mladenov said, noting the importance of the special role of Jordan and the historical role of King Abdullah II, as custodian of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

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India FM: China, India Should Withdraw Troops From Doklam Plateau

By Anjana Pasricha July 20, 2017

India says both New Delhi and Beijing should pull back their forces to restore the status quo on a remote Himalayan plateau where a tense standoff between the Asian rivals is now in its second month.

Saying that other countries support New Delhi's position, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament on Thursday, "India has not said anything unreasonable."

It is the first time India's foreign minister has spoken about the confrontation that flared in mid-June when Indian soldiers obstructed China from building a road on a strip of territory that lies at a high mountain junction between China, India and Bhutan.

While China accuses Indian troops of intruding into its territory, India says Beijing has entered a border area that is disputed between China and Bhutan, and which is strategic for New Delhi.

Withdrawal as precondition

China has made the withdrawal of Indian troops a precondition for talks, but Swaraj says if discussions are to be held, both sides must pull back.

She told parliament that India's security would be jeopardized by the Chinese actions.

"If China unilaterally changes the status quo of the trijunction point, then it poses a challenge to our security straightaway," said Swaraj.

New Delhi is worried because Chinese control of the Doklam Plateau could give its troops easy access to a narrow strip that connects India to its northeast. India says its troops are in the region with the consent of Bhutan, its close ally.

Swaraj pointed to a 2012 agreement, according to which disputed borders on a junction between the three countries are to be settled through talks. But she said Beijing this time had brought bulldozers and excavators to build a road.

Nearly five weeks on, amid sharp rhetoric from China and no signs of either side backing down, it is being called the most serious confrontation between the two Asian giants who fought a brief war in 1962.

India says it is making diplomatic efforts to defuse the row. "India's approach has been to find peaceful solution of all matters concerning the border with China," Foreign Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay said at a weekly briefing on Thursday.

Beijing, on the other hand, repeatedly has warned New Delhi that it risks escalation by not vacating the plateau.

China's "aggression and rhetoric" on the recent standoff are "unusual," India's top diplomat, S. Jaishankar told lawmakers during a briefing this week.

With no signs of a resolution to the latest row, the standoff has raised concerns in the international community.

During a visit to New Delhi this week, Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, urged the Asian neighbors to resolve the row amicably. "We don't want to see any escalation of tensions that could lead to miscalculation and misjudgment," she said.

US State Department

The U.S. State Department also has expressed concern. "We believe that both parties, both sides should work together to try to come up with some better sort of arrangement for peace," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters.

Meanwhile, India's foreign minister expressed confidence about the support of other countries. "All the countries are understanding that India's stand is not wrong. Justice is on our side, this is being accepted by all others," Swaraj said.

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Uganda Arrests Opposition Activists

By VOA News July 20, 2017

Ugandan police say they arrested dozens of political opposition activists this week. The arrests coincide with speculation President Yoweri Museveni will act to change the constitution to allow himself to run for another term in 2021.

Uganda's constitution stipulates presidential candidates must be younger than 75 when they stand for election. Museveni, who has held power for 31 years, will be 77 by the next election.

Forum for Democratic Change official Ingrid Turinawe told AFP she believes the arrest of 56 opposition party members on Wednesday is linked to the issue.

Museveni has not publicly communicated his intent to run for another term, telling the Ugandan media on Wednesday not to "waste your time" with the rumored constitutional amendment.

On Thursday, 13 members of a smaller opposition party were arrested for illegal assembly.

Allegedly, they were attempting to circulate a petition opposing the possible change to Uganda's constitution.

Museveni rose to power in 1986 after his National Resistance Army toppled the previous regime. His government began allowing multi-party democratic elections a decade later, but critics contend he continues to stiffle dissent by regularly jailing opposition activists and politicians.

In an interview with Al Jazeera earlier this year, Museveni defended the recent jailing of dissident Stella Nyanzi.

"If you are an activist and you commit an offence, because with human rights you must also speak of the rights of others, you cannot trample on the rights of others and you say, 'It is my rights to abuse other people' to insult other people. No. Rights come with responsibilities - if you know anything about democracy."

The constitution was previously amended in 2005 to eliminate a two-term limit for presidents, allowing Museveni to successfully run for a third term in 2006.

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Turkey's Erdogan Heading to Gulf in Bid to Ease Qatar Crisis

By Dorian Jones July 21, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan starts a two-day tour of Gulf states Sunday in an effort to resolve a crisis involving Qatar, and four Arab states accusing the small peninsular nation of supporting terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have severed relations with Qatar. They are enforcing a land and sea embargo, accusing the oil-rich nation of supporting extremist groups and destabilizing the region, allegations Qatar has denied.

"Turkey is trying to contribute to efforts to facilitate toward peace and stability," said Mithat Rende, a retired Turkish ambassador to Qatar. "Erdogan will try to bring people together if possible or communicate messages from one side to another."

Erdogan starts his trip in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, where he will meet with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Turkish president will then travel to Kuwait for meetings with Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, before heading to Qatar to see Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Some observers have voiced skepticism about Erdogan's tour. Atilla Yesilada, a political consultant with Global Partners expressed doubt that Turkey can achieve anything, given its negotiating skills.

"Turkey does not pull any weight in the Arab world," he said. "[Ahmet] Davutoglu [the former Turkish prime minister] might have made a difference, or [Abdullah] Gul, [former Turkish president], but Erdogan won't."

Analysts say any effort by Erdogan to position himself as a facilitator will likely be handicapped by Ankara's strong backing of Doha in the diplomatic crisis. Turkey has been in the forefront of breaking the blockade of Qatar, airlifting large amounts of food and even sending milk cows.

In the middle of the crisis, Ankara opened a military base in Qatar as part of an agreement dating back to 2014. Turkish deployments of equipment, like tanks, to the base, have been steadily rising. The Saudi-led group had come up with a list of 13 demands on Qatar, including closing the Turkish base; but that demand was withdrawn, a move for which Ankara took credit.

"Turkey has always made constructive calls to parties. These have already yielded consequences," said Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, speaking at press conference Wednesday. "Reducing the number of demands from 13 to six and the removal of a demand to shut the Turkish base are positive developments."

Ankara argues its military base in Qatar should not be viewed as being partisan. "We are also contributing to United Arab Emirates," said Rende. "Turkey has been training F-16 [fighter jet] pilots from the UAE and also ... other military planes. All these took place in Turkey so we are interested in maintaining good relations with all."

Under Erdogan's rule, Turkish foreign policy has been re-balanced with more of a focus on the Gulf region. Ankara has been courting Arab investment and is seeking to project its influence. But, some analysts are warning Turkey could be the ultimate loser in the crisis over Qatar.

"If Qatar wins and maintains its policy course that's so widely criticized by the rest of the Arabs, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE will never trust Turkey," warned Yesilada. "Any hopes of building a military alliance over Syria or against Iran or substantial foreign investments from those countries is an illusion."

Alternatively, he added, "in the more likely scenario, if the Qataris lose, one of the conditions will be the sheikhdom should not invest in Turkey in a large magnitude. Whoever wins, Turkey has lost. Given Turkey's history of colonialism in Arab countries, it wasn't smart to get involved in these countries in the first place."

The Turkish Ottoman empire once stretched across the Arab world. Erdogan maintains there is little historical resentment over past colonial rule, arguing Turkey shares a common Muslim identity. But Rende said Erdogan's two-day trip could be as much about protecting Turkish interests as resolving the ongoing regional crisis.

"The Turkish president, while visiting the region, will probably tell the interlocutors that this [crisis] is not in the interest of anyone," said the former ambassador. "... Turkey as a country is interested in maintaining good relations not only with Qatar but with all parties."

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Can US Presidents Pardon Themselves? Nobody Seems to Know

By William Gallo July 21, 2017

The U.S. Constitution grants the president broad authority to pardon those accused or convicted of federal crimes; but, does it allow the president to pardon himself? Nobody really knows for sure.

The question has become relevant following reports Donald Trump and his legal team have been discussing the limits of the president's pardoning power, including whether Trump has the power to pardon himself.

The internal White House discussion reportedly is part of an effort to undercut the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russians who tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Vast pardon power

The section of the Constitution that deals with presidential pardons is brief: "The President  shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."

That brevity means the president's pardoning power is expansive  essentially, the president can issue a full pardon or reprieve [which reduces or eliminates a sentence] to anyone accused or convicted of federal crimes, as long as the move does not relate to impeachment.

Notably, the clause does not mention whether a president can pardon himself. And since no president has ever tried to do so, the issue has never gone to court and is therefore unresolved.

"I think the better arguments are on the side that says he can't," says Brian Kalt, a law professor who studies presidential power at Michigan State University. "But anyone who tells you that he definitely can or definitely can't is talking out of school, because we can't know until a court actually rules on it."

Constitutional restrictions?

Those who argue the president cannot pardon himself say that doing so would implicitly violate the Constitutional principle that someone cannot sit in judgment of themselves. Essentially, they argue, if a president could pardon himself, he would be above the law.

The argument in support of the president being allowed to pardon himself basically amounts to this: the Constitution doesn't explicitly say he cannot. Those who espouse this view include Judge Richard Posner of the 7th U.S. Court of Appeals, who addressed the issue in a 1999 book on the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton.

It has generally been inferred from the breadth of the constitutional language that the president can indeed pardon himself," Posner said. "And although this conclusion has been challenged, it is unlikely that the present Supreme Court would be bold enough, in the teeth of the constitutional language, to read into the pardon clause an exception for self-pardoning."

Never tried before

Trump wouldn't be the first U.S. president to consider pardoning himself. During the Watergate scandal of the 1970's, some of President Richard Nixon's lawyers argued a self-pardon would be legal; however, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel took the position that he could not.

Nixon eventually decided against pardoning himself. After resigning, Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him for all federal crimes he "committed or may have committed or taken part in" while in office.

Former President Bill Clinton was also reportedly urged by advisers to pardon himself during the Monica Lewinsky scandal of the 1990's, but he eventually decided not to do so.

Bad precedent?

Some have argued that a presidential self-pardon would set a bad precedent, effectively making the office of the president untouchable.

Even if Trump could pardon himself, plenty of political and legal damage could still result from such a decision, warns Kalt.

"First of all, he could still be impeached for pardoning himself," Kalt says. "Second, he could be prosecuted," if he were found to have used the pardon to obstruct justice.

Jeffrey Crouch, a professor at American University and author of a book on presidential pardons, also sees a presidential self-pardon as extremely risky.

"An old Supreme Court case suggests that accepting a pardon is also admitting guilt," he says. "So a president granting a self-pardon may actually be setting himself up for impeachment."

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CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford

[ CVN 21 / CVN-X / CVX ]

The Navy commissioned its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, 22 July 2017, at Naval Station Norfolk. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the lead ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carrier, the first new class in more than 40 years and will begin the phased replacement of Nimitz-class carriers when the ship is commissioned.

On 09 November 2013 the US Navy christened the first ship of a new class of aircraft carriers. A special ceremony was organized to mark the christening occasion at the Huntington-Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, where Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald Ford and also the ship's sponsor, officially christened the ship by breaking a champagne bottle against a plate welded to the hull. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered a principal address at the ceremony, stressing that the aircraft carrier is the representation of American power. "It embodies our military might and more," said Levin. The Navy expects it to be delivered by September 2015.

On 10 September 2008 Northrop Grumman Corporation received a $5.1 billion, 7-year cost plus incentive fee contract award for detail design and construction of the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Advance construction of the Gerald R. Ford began in 2005 under a separate contract valued at $2.7 billion. This advance work allowed shipbuilders to test the design-build strategy, exercise new processes, prototype new features used on this ship before the overall construction contract was awarded, and to build a sufficient backlog of ship units to support production, undocking and delivery. About one third of the ship's 1,200 structural units were under construction. The ship's keel was to be laid in the fall of 2009 and delivery to the Navy was scheduled for 2015.

The CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford will be the first ship of the CVN 78 Class of aircraft carriers designed to replace USS Enterprise and the ships of the Nimitz Class. The CVN 78 will feature a new nuclear propulsion and electrical generation/distribution system, new electromagnetic aircraft launching system, advanced arresting gear system, all electric auxiliaries, warfare system improvements, survivability enhancements, improved weapons handling, and improved aircraft servicing. These design features will result in lower manpower and total ownership costs as compared to the Nimitz Class. Additionally, the following warfighting benefits will be realized: increased sortie generation rate, improved ship self defense capability, increased launch and recovery capability/flexibility, increased operational availability, and increased flexibility to support future upgrades.

The first new aircraft carrier design in more than 40 years, CVN-78 shares a modified Nimitz-class hull form with a completely reconfigured internal space arrangement and flight deck layout. Innovations for the Ford class include an enhanced flight deck with increased sortie rates, improved weapons movement, a redesigned island, a new nuclear power plant, allowance for future technologies and reduced manning. These and many other evolutionary new designs are being developed by Newport News engineers to build the most capable aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy.

The CVN 79 will incorporate technologies to address obsolescence, technology refresh, critical survival improvements, as well as manpower reduction and weight savings to maintain threshold levels of capability. An IPPD contract with Northrop Grumman Newport News will incorporate necessary modifications into the CVN 78 class baseline design. Efforts are focused on maintaining the Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) for weight and kg/service life allowance at or above the ORD threshold values. CVN 79 contract planning efforts will provide required program management and logistics support.

Advance construction began in 2005 for the first ship of the class, CVN 78. This advance work allowed shipbuilders to test the design-build strategy before overall construction begins in 2008. Each carrier of the class is valued at approximately $8 billion. On Aug. 11, 2005, Northrop Grumman Newport News hosted a ceremonial steel cut and grand opening ceremony for one of several new facilities that will support Ford class construction. The ceremony was held in the shipyard's new Heavy Plate Bay.

Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced 16 January 2007 the selection of Gerald R. Ford as the name of the first aircraft carrier in what will be the Gerald R. Ford class of carriers. The selection honors the 38th President of the United States and pays tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy, in the U.S. government and to the nation. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation. The carrier and the carrier strike group will provide forward presence, rapid response, endurance on station, and multi-mission capability. Gerald R. Ford and subsequent Ford class carriers will provide improved war fighting capability, quality of life improvements for sailors and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs.

Until 2007 the Navy operated 12 aircraft carriers. With the decommissioning of the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67) in early 2007, the number of aircraft carriers dropped to 11. In 2008, the USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) decommissioned and was replaced with the USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN 77), keeping the force structure at 11 carriers. Maintaining the KITTY HAWK -- the oldest active carrier in the fleet -- in an operational status beyond 2008 would be cost prohibitive. Designed for a service life of 30 years, the ENTERPRISE by 2006 was 46 years old. She had been refueled three times, most recently in 1994. As the only ship of her class, she has unique maintenance and testing requirements and requires a long lead time for material and spare parts. The ENTERPRISE deployed in the summer of 2007 and, upon her return, entered her last scheduled, major depot maintenance period in March 2008. That availability will enable the ENTERPRISE to complete two more deployments (in 2010 and 2012). Any extension beyond that would require an additional major maintenance availability at considerable cost and with a significant impact on the maintenance schedule for other aircraft carriers.

Section 1011 of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill allowed for the temporary reduction in the minimum number of operational aircraft carriers from 11 to 10. Section 1011 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 (Public Law 109-364), amended 10 U.S.C. 5062(b) to reduce the minimum number of operational aircraft carriers from 12 to 11. Deactivation of the USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65), after 52 years of service, is scheduled to begin in FY 2013; the delivery of her numerical replacement, the CVN 78, is scheduled for FY 2015. The actual duration of this temporary reduction in the carrier force structure will depend on the inactivation date of the ENTERPRISE and the delivery date of the CVN 78. Analysis by the Department of Defense indicates that Combatant Commander-required postures can be maintained throughout this period by accepting marginally increased risk and by carefully managing aircraft carrier maintenance and operating priorities.

On January 11, 2008 Northrop Grumman Newport News, Newport News, Va., was awarded a $595,944,566 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-2118) for the continuation of CVN 78 class design effort; long lead time material procurement; and non-nuclear advance construction for the lead ship of the class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), including system development, engineering services, and feasibility studies for the Future Aircraft Carrier Program. Northrop Grumman Newport News will provide all services and material in preparation for construction of CVN 78 including necessary research studies; engineering; design; related development efforts, including required engineering development models and prototypes for engineered components; advanced planning; advanced procurement for detailed design and procurement/fabrication of long lead material; advanced construction; system specifications; design weight estimate; logistics data; lists of government-furnished equipment; production planning; further definition of initiatives to reduce CVN 78 class total ownership costs; and other data to support an integrated product data environment for the CVN 21 program. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va. (92 percent) and Groton, Conn. (8 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C. is the contracting activity.

The non-recurring investment in the design and development of the Gerald Ford Class is $5.6B. This is comprised of $3.2B in RDT&E funds used to develop technologies needed to meet program requirements and $2.4B of SCN funds used to develop the detail design for the class. The total cost to build the lead ship is $8.1B in FY08 dollars. The Navy expects to award the CVN 78 construction contract in FY08 with an expected delivery in FY15.

Under the 2009 shipbuilding plan, the Navy's requirement is for 11 aircraft carriers, which is unchanged from the 2007 and 2008 plans. To maintain that size force, the Navy would buy seven CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers over the 2009-2038 period. Building them every four or five years, the Navy would maintain at least 11 carriers through 2038, with the exception of 2013 and 2014, when the force would drop to 10. That decline occurs because under the shipbuilding plan, the CVN-65, the Enterprise, will be retired at the end of its service life in 2013 and the CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that will replace it will not be commissioned until 2015. In the event of construction delays in the CVN-78 program, the period during which the Navy would have 10 carriers would be longer.

Each ship in the new class will save $5.3B in total ownership costs over its 50 year service life, compared to the CVN 68-class. Half of the total ownership cost for an aircraft carrier is allocated to the direct and indirect costs of manpower for operations and maintenance of the ship. The CVN 78 is being designed to operate effectively with 800 fewer crew members than a CVN 68-class ship. Improvements in the ship design will allow the embarked air wing to operate with 400 fewer personnel. Technologies and ship design initiatives that replace maintenance intensive systems with low maintenance systems are expected to reduce watch standing and maintenance workload for the crew. For comparison, the total ownership cost for a CVN 68-Class ship is $32.1B in FY 04 constant year dollars, and the total ownership cost for CVN 78 is expected to be $26.8B.

In 2012 the Directo rof Operatonl Test and Evalutaion reported that it was unlikely that CVN-78 will achieve its Sortie Generation Rate (SGR) (number of aircraft sorties per day) requirement. The target threshold is based on unrealistic assumptions including fair weather and unlimited visibility, and that aircraft emergencies, failures of shipboard equipment, ship maneuvers (e.g., to avoid land), and manning shortfalls will not affect flight operations. DOT&E planne to assess CVN-78 performance during IOT&E by comparing to the demonstrated performance of the Nimitz class carriers. A demonstrated SGR less than the requirement but equal to or greater than the performance of the Nimitz class could potentially be acceptable.

In an effort to reduce costs and increase commonalities across platforms, the US Navy planned as of 2015 to put a new ship radar system on the second Ford-class aircraft carrier, the USS Kennedy, as well as the third big-deck America-class amphibious assault ship, dubbed LHA 8. The new radar, called the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) is slated to go on the USS Kennedy around 2023, and is expected to save the Navy $180 million in the cost of the ship, according to Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, the program executive officer for carriers.

The radar that we choose is going to be an off-the-shelf radar that we tailor to the ship. There are a number of radars out there that appear to meet the specs. Moore said to reporters. This will not be a developmental issue. LHA 8 will be the first ship to get EASR. The decision to fit an EASR radar on carriers and amphibs emerged out of a Navy study on technologies that would work across multiple platforms, but it was also largely motivated by the services desire to lower the costs of the Dual Brand Radar (DBR), currently configured in the USS Ford, the first Ford-class aircraft carrier.

The Navy conducted the first-ever, shipboard, full-speed catapult shots using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) aboard the aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Naval Sea Systems Command announced 15 May 2015.

EMALS is a carrier-based launch system designed to expand the operational capability of the Navy's future carriers to include all current and future planned carrier aircraft. The recent test shots, known as 'no-loads' because no aircraft or other loads were attached to the launching shuttle, successfully demonstrated the integrated catapult system. Using electromagnetic technology, the system delivers substantial improvements in system maintenance, increased reliability and efficiency, higher-launch energy capacity, and more accurate end-speed control, with a smooth acceleration at both high and low speeds. By allowing linear acceleration over time, electromagnetic catapults also place less stress on the aircraft.

The Navys newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), closed out 2018 on a high note with the acceptance of the ships first advanced weapons elevator (AWE). AWE Upper Stage #1 was turned over to the ship on Dec. 21, following testing and certification by engineers at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding, where the ship is currently working through its post-shakedown availability (PSA). The acceptance marks a major milestone for the ship and the Ford-class of aircraft carriers to follow.

USS Gerald R. Ford is the first Ford-class aircraft carrier and is the first new carrier design in over 40 years. Unlike Nimitz-class carrier elevators that utilize cables for movement, the Ford class elevators are commanded via electromagnetic, linear synchronous motors allowing for greater capacities and a faster movement of weapons. The new design allows the ship to be able to move up to 24,000 pounds of ordnance at 150 feet-per-minute. This is in contrast to the 10,500 pounds at up to 100 feet-per-minute on a Nimitz-class carrier.

This will allow us to load more aircraft faster, and in the long run, increase overall sortie generation rates. But aside from the advantages of the new AWE, the new ship design also offered a chance to streamline the overall movement and assembly of weapons to allow for even greater efficiencies. Ford features three upper stage elevators that move ordnance between the main deck and flight deck, and seven lower stage elevators that move ordnance between the main deck and the lower levels of the ship. Ford also features a dedicated weapons handling area between the hangar bay and the flight deck, on the 02 level, that eliminates several horizontal and vertical movements to various staging and build-up locations. This ultimately offers a 75% reduction in distance traveled from magazine to aircraft.

An additional benefit of the ships design is a separate utility elevator that can serve as a dedicated elevator to move both ordnance and supplies, and also serve as a means to medically evacuate (MEDEVAC) injured personnel from the flight deck to the hangar bay. This allows the 10 main AWEs and Fords three aircraft elevators to be dedicated to their primary missions of ordnance and aircraft movement during real-world operations.

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A video advertisement started looping on the big screen of Times Square, New York since July 3. Named The Truth of Hashima Island (also known as Battleship Island), the video reveals a rarely-known history of Japan during World War II.

Hashima Island, located 15 kilometers from Nagasaki, is reputed to be a tourism heaven on earth. However, it contains the graves of hundreds of Chinese.

A century ago, the Japanese discovered huge coal reserves in the seabed of waters around Hashima Island. The island was later acquired by Mitsubishi to exploit the resources.

Following the outbreak of World War II, a total of 41,000 Chinese labourers were forcefully shipped to Japan, 3,765 of who were sent to Hashima Island. They were forced to dig for coal on the island, undergoing humiliation and cruelty.

Fed with residues, the skinny Chinese labourers looked like living skeletons. However, they still had to work in the dark and hot undersea coal mine.

If we failed to finish our daily tasks, we would be treated as slaves, said Sun Zhongwu, one of the Chinese labourers who survived the ordeal. He was only 14 when he was sent to the island.

According to him, the island was fenced with high concrete walls like a giant prison. And indeed, it was a giant prison. Many of the labourers tried to escape, but only fell into the sea and drowned. Some of them even committed suicide because they could not stand the humiliation.

Chinese labourers

In fact, no one was able to escape the island alive.

By the end of World War II, a total of 722 Chinese and 1,442 Korean labourers had been tortured to death on the island. In 1970s, the Japanese government officially shut down the coal mine on the island after a worldwide campaign to replace coal with petroleum.

However, this was not the end of the story. In 2009, the island opened again as a tourist site, and the history about Chinese labourers was totally deleted from the introduction to the island.

Many tourists wrote in their daily journals that Hashima Island is like heaven on earth. In the eyes of Japanese people, the island is a source of pride for the country rather than shame or regret.

A Japanese tourist said most citizens see the island as a sign of Japans prosperity and legacy of modern industrial revolution.

Japan even applied to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2006, hoping to get it list Hashima Island as a world heritage site. Unbelievably, UNESCO approved the application in 2015.

The decision was widely opposed in South Korea. A variety show in the country shot a program on the island to talk about the rarely-known history.

After a fundraising for 200 million won collected from South Koreans, the video advertisement was produced and entitled, The Truth of Hashima Island.

Sun said Japans application to UNESCO once again reminded him of his ordeal, those painful moments when he and colleagues underwent torture in the hands of Japanese.

Will the Japanese ever admit their crime and acknowledge the trauma that we suffer? Sun asked.
US Supreme Court rejects Trump's travel ban on relatives

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 1:32PM

The US Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by President Donald Trump to include grandparents and other relatives of US citizens in his travel ban on people from six predominantly Muslim nations.

The high court's decision on Wednesday means that grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, and siblings-in-law are not included in the 90-day travel ban on people from Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan who want to enter the US.

But the Supreme Court judges also gave the Trump administration the right to enforce a separate travel ban on refugees, which could block entry of up to 24,000 refugees who have a connection to a US resettlement agency.

But in a partial win for Trump, the court gave the government more leeway to enforce a separate ban on refugees that was included in a March 6 executive order the president said was necessary for national security.

Last Friday, the White House asked the high court to overturn a ruling on Thursday by US District Judge Derrick Watson in the state of Hawaii, which narrowed the scope of the administration's temporary ban on travelers and the 120-day ban on refugees.

Trump issued a revised travel ban on March 6 after his initial directive signed in January was blocked by a federal judge in Seattle, Washington. However, the revised order was also blocked by federal judges in the states of Hawaii and Maryland and upheld by a federal appeals court.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the legality of Trump's executive order in the court's next term, which starts in October and deliver a final ruling.

Last month, the US Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's request to reinstate parts of the travel ban, after months of legal battle between the government and some states in federal courts.

The high court ruled that the government could not enforce the travel restrictions on people with "a credible claim of a bona fide relationship" with a person or entity in the United States.

The Trump administration then decided to make exceptions for spouses, parents, parents-in-law, children, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, fiances and siblings of those already in the country. However, they barred grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

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US DoS Report Aims to Distract From 'US Role in Supporting' Terrorism - Tehran

Sputnik News

20:46 20.07.2017(updated 20:48 20.07.2017)

The US State Department's report on counterterrorism activities in 2016 is not trustworthy and represents a futile attempt to distract public attention from the US role in supporting terrorism, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Wednesday, the US State Department released its annual terrorism report, claiming that the government of Iran has allegedly continued to be a major sponsor of terrorism in the region.

"This report lacks credibility and is a futile attempt of the United States to deflect international attention from the United States' patronage and role in creating, promoting and supporting terrorist groups in the world, especially in the Middle East," Qassemi said in a statement released by the Ministry.

One of the reasons for the report being unfounded is that some of the main US allies in the region, which are the ideological birthplaces of most major terrorist groups and still continue to support terrorist organizations, were listed as US partners in the fight against terrorism, Qassemi added.

"This comes as, by the admission of many governments and international organizations, reports on Iran's actions in fighting terrorism, including the imposition of triple international sanctions against terrorism, are not comparable with [the performance of] many of US allies in the region," the spokesman said.

The State Department's report says that Iran supports Hezbollah which helps the Syrian army fight against Daesh, as well as Hamas and other groups in the Gaza Strip alongside various groups in Syria, Iraq and throughout the Middle East.

 Sputnik

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Lithuanian President Suggests Stationing US Patriot Missile Systems in Baltics

Sputnik News

19:54 20.07.2017(updated 20:11 20.07.2017)

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Thursday that obtaining US Patriot missile systems would be beneficial for the Baltic region, especially with regard to ensuring security.

VILNIUS (Sputnik)  Patriot is a surface-to-air missile defense system equipped with radars, command-and-control technology and multiple types of interceptors. The system is able to detect, identify and defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, advanced aircraft and other threats.

"Quickness and speed of response to air threat are sometimes very important so it would be good to have such military equipment in the Baltic region, it would ensure the higher security level to all our countries," Grybauskaite told journalists while visiting NATO's Tobruq Legacy 2017 military exercises held in northern Lithuania's city of Siauliai.

Lithuania's president noted that the countries in the region needed to coordinate their defense facilities to compliment, rather than duplicate, one another.

Tobruq Legacy is NATO's largest Surface-Based Air-Defence (SBAD) exercise involving 2,200 personnel and more than 800 vehicles from 13 countries. The drills, led by the US air defense artillery, are being carried out in several locations throughout the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Romania. The exercises began on July 11 and are scheduled to conclude on Saturday.

On July 7, the US deployed Patriot missiles in Lithuania for the first time to patricipate in the Tobruq Legacy drills.

 Sputnik

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Xi calls for world-class military research, educational institutions

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:12, July 20, 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the country's major military research and educational institutions to cultivate more talent for the armed forces, and to build world-class military research and educational institutions.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks while addressing heads of major military research and educational institutions Wednesday.

After presenting the heads of the three institutions with the military flag at a ceremony that marked the reshuffling of the institutions, Xi called the reshuffling a vital decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the CMC to realize the Chinese Dream and build a stronger army.

In order to build a world-leading first-class military research institution, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Science, as the leading force of scientific research in the military, should meet the new demands of military research and further combine military theories and technologies, he continued.

Xi further stressed that the National Defense University of the PLA is a significant base to cultivate talent for joint operations as well as PLA officers, and should push forward innovation in its education, research and management to become a top comprehensive college on unified command.

As for the National University of Defense Technology, it must follow the worldwide trends of the development of military science, and work harder to make key technological breakthroughs, in order to build a world-class institution of higher education, according to Xi.

Also on Wednesday, Xi attended a symposium with the current chief officers of military education, research and training institutions.

"It takes first-class military talent, theory, and science and technology to build the PLA into a world-leading military," Xi said.

"Science and technology is the core fighting capacity in modern warfare," he noted.

China must make greater efforts to build stronger armed forces and boost fighting capability through science and technology innovations to gain a competitive initiative, Xi said, stressing military education, research and training institutions must assume this responsibility.

Xi ordered the chief officers to stick to the correct political direction by safeguarding the authority and the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, conforming to the CPC Central Committee, and upholding CPC's absolute leadership over the military.

In addition, he stressed efforts to ensure implementation of reform tasks, and improve capability and innovation in fostering military expertise and scientific research.

The president also urged the institutions to cultivate good work and fighting styles, be strict with their education and training, and promote the spirit of science and dedication.

The Chinese military authority has just reshuffled its military education institutions as part of an ongoing military reform in recent years to build a stronger military and boost real-combat capability.

As a result, there are now 43 military education institutions, including two -- the National Defense University of PLA and the National University of Defense Technology -- directly under the CMC, 35 specialized in specific armed services, and six of armed police forces.

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Worst drought in 16 years threatens food supplies in North Korea, warns UN

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:59PM

North Korea is facing severe food shortages due to the worst drought since 2001, the UN's food agency says.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday that the drought was expected to seriously impact Nampo city and the provinces of South and North Pyongan and Hwanghae. The worst-hit regions account for almost two-thirds of main season crops.

The UN body has stated that rainfall in key producing areas fell well below the long-term average between April and June. The rainfall shortages badly affected staple crops, including rice, maize, potatoes and soybean.

This disrupted planting activities and damaged the 2017 main season crops, according to a FAO report prepared with the European Commission's Joint Research Center.

FAO has recommended using drought-tolerant crops and varieties and finding ways for farmers and households to diversify their livelihoods to cope with climate change and natural disasters.

The report suggested that increased food imports would be required over the next three months to ensure adequate food supplies for the most vulnerable, including children and elderly.

"Immediate interventions are needed to support affected farmers and prevent undesirable coping strategies for the most vulnerable, such as reducing daily food intakes," Vincent Martin, FAO representative in China and North Korea, said in a statement.

"It is critical now that farmers receive appropriate and timely agricultural assistance, including irrigation equipment and machinery," he added.

North Korea, which suffered a devastating famine in the 1990s, has relied on international food aid to feed many of its 25 million people.

The support has, however, fallen sharply in recent years.

The UN's World Food Program said it has also seen a steep drop in contributions.

This was due to reluctance to allow monitoring of food distribution. It is also in part due to US-led sanctions implemented to punish North Korea over its weapons development program.

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US intelligence shows North Korea preparing for new missile test

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 6:23AM

The US intelligence community believes that North Korea is preparing to conduct a new missile test in the coming days, a new report indicates, raising the possibility of an escalation in the already heated standoff between Washington and Pyongyang.

The North might test a new missile in the next two weeks, two US government officials confirmed to CNN on Wednesday, citing satellite imagery and radar emissions.

The officials said Pyongyang was testing missile components and control facilities but they could not confirm whether the next missile would be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or one with intermediate range.

Earlier this month, the North successfully test-fired what the US insists was an ICBM with an estimated range of 5,500 kilometers and capable of hitting Alaska.

Unsettled by Pyongyang's missile tests and its development of nuclear deterrents, the administration of US President Donald Trump has adopted a war-like posture, repeatedly warning the North of military action.

General Paul Selva, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate armed services committee on Tuesday that "we have to entertain that potential option" of a preemptive strike against the country.

The US has sent a strike group and conducting joint military drills with North Korea's regional adversaries Japan and South Korea off the peninsula's coast.

Trump has also put great pressure on China, as North Korea's main trade partner, to curb the neighboring country's military programs through economic pressure.

'North working on submarine-launched missiles'

The CNN report also pointed to North Korea's development of submarine-launched missiles, noting that the US military had observed an "unusual level" of submarine activity as well as testing a critical component that could be used in such weapons.

The two officials said a North Korean Romeo-class submarine has had an "unusual deployment activity" in the Sea of Japan/East Sea over the past two days.

US reconnaissance imagery showed that the 65-meter-long diesel-electric submersible was operating in international waters some 100 kilometers away from home.

The North has successfully test-fired a number of submarine-launched missiles over the last few years, although the US insists that the country's missile program aboard submarines remains in the "very early" stages.

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Germany vows to overhaul Turkey relations amid tensions

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 2:2PM

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in Berlin on Thursday that Germany would review state guarantees for foreign investment in Turkey and would urge businesses against putting their money there. Gabriel said that Berlin would also review its support for EU financial flows to the long-time aspirant to membership of the bloc.

Experts say these stinging measures will strongly impact tourism and investment in Turkey.

Gabriel also delivered his unusually strong comments towards Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He accused Erdogan of worsening a crisis that Berlin had repeatedly sought to ease through dialogue. Gabriel also blamed Erdogan for trying to muzzle "every critical voice" with mass arrests in sweeping crackdowns since the failed coup against him just over a year ago.

The top German diplomat said that Turkey, having long seen itself as "a member of the European family," had leveled Nazi jibes at Germany.

Gabriel, however, stressed that Berlin still wanted to rebuild relations with Ankara, while urging Erdogan's administration "to return to European values."

Turkey and Germany have been locked in a number of diplomatic disputes, including Turkey's way of handling the aftermath of a failed coup in July last year, which has sparked massive criticism in Germany.

The row intensified after Turkey refused to allow German lawmakers to visit military personnel at Incirlik Air Base and another base in Konya, located some 50 kilometers south of Turkish capital Ankara.

Turkey's refusal to grant access to German lawmakers came after Berlin blocked visits and speeches by senior Turkish officials to members of Turkish diaspora in Germany ahead of an April referendum in Turkey.

In recent weeks, Turkish authorities have also arrested a member of rights group Amnesty International and several other foreign activists.

Turkey blasts German statements on detained activist

Separately on Thursday, Turkey denounced Germany for its statements demanding the release of Peter Steudtner, a German human rights activist.

In a statement, Turkey's Foreign Ministry described the request as "unacceptable" and an attempt to interfere with the Turkish judiciary.

The statement added that Turkey has kept Germany's charge d'affaires in Ankara informed of Steudtner's case, adding that "the independent Turkish judiciary must be trusted."

According to the statement, there were no impediments to consular access.

A Turkish court detained Steudtner on Tuesday for alleged links to terror groups pending trial.

Ankara has been engaged in suppressing the media, activists and opposition groups, who are believed to have played a role in the failed putsch.

Over 50,000 people have been arrested and some 150,000 others sacked or suspended from a wide range of professions, including soldiers, police, teachers, and public servants, over alleged links with terrorist groups.

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Turkey, Germany Step Up War of Words

RFE/RL July 20, 2017

Turkey on July 20 told Germany that bilateral ties could not be founded on "blackmail and threats" after the German foreign minister vowed steps that would limit investment in an escalating dispute.

"Our relations cannot be pursued based on blackmail and threats but through internationally accepted norms and principles," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, accusing German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel of a "one-sided and distorted approach."

Gabriel had said earlier on July 20 that Germany would review state guarantees for foreign investment in Turkey and urge businesses against putting their money in the country.

The German Foreign Ministry also warned it could no longer guarantee its citizens' safety in the country because of the current wave of arrests.

Relations between the two NATO allies have been deteriorating for more than a year, particularly since last July's coup attempt in Turkey. Twenty-two German citizens have been taken into custody in the ensuing crackdown. Nine are currently in jail, including human rights activist Peter Steudtner and journalists Deniz Yucel and Mesale Tolu.

The immediate trigger of Germany's anger was a Turkish court's decision July 18 to jail Steudtner and other activists, including Amnesty International's Turkey director and a Swedish IT trainer, who were detained in a July 5 security raid on a hotel on the island of Buyukada, where they were attending a digital-security workshop.

Amnesty says Steudtner was providing training on nonviolence. It's unclear which terror group the six are accused of aiding.

Germany is furious because Steudtner has no previous links to Turkey and yet he was accused of links to terror, which Berlin says are far-fetched. Gabriel said the case "shows that German citizens are no longer safe from arbitrary arrests."

However, the Turkish Foreign Ministry accused Germany of putting those "on trial and German guests, who come to our country as tourists, on the same scale."

It said that there had been a "serious confidence crisis" in Turkish-German relations in recent months due to what the ministry called Germany's "approach of double standards."

Speaking on a visit to Turkish-backed breakaway northern Cyprus, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned Berlin that Turkey could hit back at Germany, without giving details.

The countries also have clashed over Turkey blocking German lawmakers' visits to German troops serving in the campaign against the Islamic State group at two Turkish air bases and over authorities' refusal to allow rallies by Turkish government politicians in Germany.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-germany-step- up-war-of-words/28629288.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Indian MPs, legislators elect president from lowest Dalit caste

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 4:13PM

Indian lawmakers and provincial legislators have elected a new president from the country's lowest and poorest Dalit caste.

The election commission announced Thursday that Ram Nath Kovind, who belongs to the downtrodden Dalit community, won the position with more than 65 percent of the vote by members of India's Parliament and state assemblies.

Nearly 5,000 Indian lawmakers and provincial legislators from across the country voted to elect the new president for a five-year term.

The 71-year-old former lawyer and state governor was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the largely ceremonial post.

The opposition Congress Party also put forward a Dalit candidate, a former parliamentary speaker, Meira Kumar.

The ruling party, however, assembled enough electoral college votes to push through its candidate and the outcome was expected.

Kovind will be sworn in as India's 14th president on Tuesday.

Modi on Twitter extended congratulations to Kovind on his election. "Congratulations to Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji on being elected the President of India! Best wishes for a fruitful and inspiring tenure."

Kovind, former governor of the northern Indian state of Bihar, described his election as an "emotional moment."

"It has been raining in Delhi since morning, and reminds me of my childhood in our ancestral village home, where we siblings used to huddle around the walls to avoid water from the leaking roof when it rained," he said in a sobering address after being declared president-elect.

"Even today the country will have so many Ram Nath Kovinds working as daily wagers, farmers ... sweating for their next meal. I want to tell them that I am going to the 'President House' as their representative."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kovind said his election to the highest office of the land underscored the strength of India's democracy. "I never thought or aimed for this office ... I will work to protect the Indian constitution."

Reports indicate celebrations have erupted in Kovind's home state of Uttar Pradesh with drumming and cheering in cities and villages.

This is only the second time since independence that a head of state has been chosen from the marginalized group.

Political experts say the election of Kovind would help Modi tighten his grip on power. It will also accrue political capital by sending an important message to the Dalits, a long-disdained electoral group once known as "untouchables."

Dalits, who number around 200 million in the nation of 1.3 billion, are among India's poorest communities and relegated to the margins of society.

Despite legal protection, discrimination is rife against the Dalit community across the country. They are routinely denied access to education and other advancement opportunities.

India's prime minister wields executive power, but the president plays a guiding role in the process of forming governments.

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Maoist Rebels on the Run in India Over the Last Three Years

Sputnik News

16:33 20.07.2017

India has recorded a 22 percent decline in violence in Maoist insurgency-affected states since the Narendra Modi government came to power. Experts said the government has adopted a carrot and stick approach which is yielding results but challenges remain in wiping out leftist insurgents.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  India's Deputy Home Minister Hansraj Ahir informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the left wing extremism-affected areas have seen a reduction in incidents of violence.

Between July 2014 and June 2017, the number of incidents of violence committed by Maoists, or Naxals in local parlance, have come down from 3,999 to 3,109, registering a 22.5 percent decline compare to the preceding three years.

Experts said the Modi government and its predecessor governments have adopted a dual approach towards the problem.

"Security approach alone cannot eliminate the menace as the root cause of the Naxal problem lies in extreme poverty in many of the tribal-dominated areas. The governance deficit, notably lack of basic amenities and infrastructure, gave ammunition to the Naxal propaganda and filled in huge sense of alienation among them. Now, the government too has realized this and many state governments like in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra have really given impetus to development, road infrastructure, mobile towers etc. Situation on the governance front now is looking promising and well-coordinated security operations to remove Naxal leadership is giving results," Pravas Kumar Mishra, Senior Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation, and former Additional Director General, Border Security Force and an expert on left-wing extremism, told Sputnik.

That said, however, the situation may go out of control if the governments both at the Centre and states, fail to capitalize on recent successes.

"While last year's demonetization gave a body blow to Naxal funding and network, they are regrouping and setting up new channels of funds generation. Their nexus with and extortion of local contractors is reviving and also drug trade and poppy cultivation. Security forces need to be equipped with superior surveillance technology to monitor even the remotest parts," Mishra added.That said, however, the situation may go out of control if the governments both at the Centre and states, fail to capitalize on recent successes.

"While last year's demonetization gave a body blow to Naxal funding and network, they are regrouping and setting up new channels of funds generation. Their nexus with and extortion of local contractors is reviving and also drug trade and poppy cultivation. Security forces need to be equipped with superior surveillance technology to monitor even the remotest parts," Mishra added.

 Sputnik

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Continuation of US disloyalty violates spirit of JCPOA: Iran official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, July 20, IRNA -- US recent sanctions against Iran and its lack of commitment to the Islamic Republic are violation of the spirit and letter of the July 2015 landmark nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), senior Iranian official said on Thursday.

"The US officials have not openly announced that they don't implement the JCPOA or will abandon it, but they take some measures to prevent implementation of the [international] agreement," Kamal Kharrazi, Chairman of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations told IRNA.

In line with its disloyalty, Washington takes actions practically to create problems for the JCPOA, Kharrazi said speaking to IRNA during his day-long visit to London.

Although the Europeans are committed to the JCPOA and support it, they have been faced with some problems created by the US for them, he added.

"JCPOA is an international agreement approved by the United Nations (UN) Security Council," and any act leading to non-implementation of the deal, damaging it or withdrawing it will face problems legally and in terms of international laws, Kharazi stressed.

He added there "is a disagreement about JCPOA's implementation even inside the United States as some US officials strongly believe that the nuclear deal should be maintained while some close to [President Donald] Trump say it should be reconsidered."

"JCPOA is not for revision," Kharrazi stressed.

Turning to Iran-Britain ties, the official said London's stance on Tehran's role in the region is "wrong."

Referring to British Prime Minister's comments in Bahrain and during the meeting of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council were not right and consequently have disappointed Iranians' public opinion.

London sells arms to Saudi Arabia while it knows those arms are being used to oppress Yemeni people, said the Iranian official.

"Britons are against arms sell and have no positive feelings about Saudi Arabia as they know it the source of terrorism and Wahhabism but London still keeps on its relations with Riyadh just because of the former's economic interests," Kharazi said.

Commenting on his visit to London, Kharrazi said he is Britain to attended two research events and also attend a meeting at the Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, to discuss Iran's policies in the region and he is to depart London for Paris, France, later on Thursday.

1483**1394

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Iraqi forces liberate southern Mosul village from Daesh grip

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 12:56PM

Iraqi forces have managed to retake a village, situated south of the recently-liberated city of Mosul, in their latest push to rid the whole country of Daesh terrorists.

Iraqi Police Colonel Kareem Aboud announced on Thursday the full recapture of the Imam Gharbi village by the government forces.

The bodies of two Iraqi journalists, who were executed by militants, were also discovered during the liberation operation, he said, noting that the Iraqi troops were now searching Imam Gharbi for remaining Takfiri elements.

Stripped of Mosul, the Daesh terrorists are now resorting to different tactics to block the Iraqi soldiers' advances.

The Iraqi forces liberated Imam Gharbi several months ago, but earlier this month, dozens of Daesh militants armed with machine guns and mortars crossed the Tigris River and attacked the village.

An Iraqi security source estimated lately that Daesh held 60 percent of Imam Gharbi.

"The notion of a caliphate is gone. The dream is gone. They will revert back to their old tactics of hit and run attacks," said senior Kurdish official and former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari.

Daesh proclaimed Mosul as its "capital" in Iraq in 2014, when the outfit began a campaign of terror in the Arab country. The Iraqi army soldiers and allied volunteer fighters launched a large-scale, multi-front offensive to liberate Mosul in October 2016.

They took control of eastern Mosul in January and launched the battle in the west in February. The more difficult battle was the fight for western Mosul  with its narrow streets and tightly packed Old City. Daesh elements resorted to bombings, sniper fire, and mortar attacks to slow the advances of the Iraqi forces.

Nevertheless, Iraqi forces finally liberated the entire city earlier this month.

The Mosul battle displaced more than a million people, but nearly 200,000 have returned home, according to the latest UN figures.

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T-90 and 'Terminators': Russian Weapons to Supercharge Iraqi Army

Sputnik News

17:55 20.07.2017

The delivery of Russian-made T-90 tanks will significantly increase the potential of the Iraqi military, according to Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko. He suggested that the Iraqi side would receive "hundreds" of Russian tanks.

On Thursday, a Russian presidential aide on military and technical cooperation confirmed that Russia and Iraq have made a deal on the delivery of a "large batch" of modernized T-90MS main battle tanks.

"[It is] a significant contract for a large batch. I cannot name its exact worth but the amount [of tanks] is large," Vladimir Kozhin told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

Earlier, Russia's Uralvagonzavod defense contractor said that the first shipment of 73 tanks is scheduled to be delivered this year.

Russian military analyst Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, pointed out that Russia earlier supplied the Iraqi military with Su-25 ground attack jets, in accordance with already existing military and technical cooperation contracts. In particular, the aircraft were effectively used against Daesh.

"Those aircraft might have played a very important role in the fight against terrorism in Iraq. Of course, Baghdad made a note of it. So, this new contract [on the delivery of T-90 tanks] is another example of the fact that Russian weapons have an excellent reputation abroad. This deal will significantly boost the potential of the Iraqi Army," Korotchenko said in an interview with Sputnik.

The expert noted that T-90 tanks have been actively used by the Syrian military and "performed greatly, even when they were attacked with advanced American-made anti-tank weapons."

"The fact that a T-90 can survive several such shots, without injuring its crew, and still be operational was taken into consideration by the Iraqi side," Korotchenko added.

Commenting on the size of the deal, Korotchenko said, "It may be about several hundred T-90 tanks."

Furthermore, the expert also suggested that the deal may also include the delivery of tank support armored vehicles, in addition to the tanks themselves.

"Taking into the account the role and significance of tanks in modern hybrid warfare, Iraq may also have bought tank support vehicles," Korotchenko said, referring to various modifications of the "Terminator" tank support combat vehicle.

Earlier, a BMPT-72 "Terminator 2" combat machine was spotted at the Hmeymim air base in Syria.

"The 'Terminator' could be very useful in the fight against Daesh, protecting T-90 tanks from grenade launchers," he added.

Finally, Korotchenko noted that the Russia-Iraq deal would contribute to promoting the weapons manufactured by Uralvagonzavod in the arms market.

"Iraq is a country at war. I mean hybrid war against non-regular terrorist groups. In such a situation, tanks and other armored combat vehicles need to be adapted to different combat conditions," the expert said.

Korotchenko said that currently Russia is the world's leader in the development and production of tanks.

"The T-90 has parity with its fourth-generation foreign analogues. As for the Armata, a fifth-generation machine, it is second to none," the expert concluded.

 Sputnik

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Iraqi Kurdistan Leader Criticized for Using Independence Vote for Personal Gains

Sputnik News

14:29 20.07.2017(updated 16:39 20.07.2017)

A Kurdish party criticized Masoud Barzani, the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan, over an attempt to use the referendum on the region's independence from Baghdad to regain personal and party credibility that had been lost due to political and economic crises recently experienced by the Iraqi Kurds.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A representative of opposition Iraqi Kurdish party the Change Movement (Gorran) told Sputnik that he believes that the Iraqi Kurdistan leader attempts to use the referendum on the region's independence from Baghdad to regain personal and party's credibility.

"The KDP and Masoud Barzani have lost credibility due to political and economic crises that have crippled Kurdish politics and economy. The referendum is to regain a degree of credibility," Shunas Sherko Jdy, a member of the Diplomatic Relations Department of Gorran, said on the possible reasons of the referendum.

The politician noted that the referendum had been called "without consensus among political parties and legislative credibility since Kurdistan Parliament was paralyzed on October 12, 2015 by armed men of the KDP."

Among other reasons for the referendum, Sherko Jdy called the opportunities provided by the referendum to the KDP and Barzani "to establish a non-democratic family rule and state that they control."

"Masoud Barzani has moved Kurdistan towards becoming part of the sectarian conflict in the Middle East and this presents huge threats to Kurdistan because the Kurds are not part of this conflict and have no interest in them," Sherko Jdy noted.

The politician continued by saying that there was a possibility of an armed conflict between Iraq and Kurdistan in relation to the independence referendum which would be "disastrous."

"One can just look at the number of armed militias to realize that armed conflict is probably one of the greatest dangers. For some experts it could lead to the collapse of the Iraqi state and the division of Iraqi territory," Sherko Jdy suggested.

The politician reminded that the Mideast countries with significant Kurdish minorities such as Turkey, Syria and Iran, had expressed opposition to the referendum.

"Iran and Turkey are opposed to the referendum, especially Iran and they have warned of dire consequences for Kurdistan. Turkey will accept another Cyprus if they maintain economic, military, and political control in Kurdistan, especially in KDP controlled territory where [Ankara] already has a number of military bases. Syria is not in position to take any steps that could seriously harm Kurdistan even though they oppose the referendum," the politician pointed out.

In June, Barzani set September 25 as the date for an independence referendum. The referendum will be held throughout Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as territories of the Nineveh, Kirkuk, Saladin and Diyala provinces claimed by both Kurdish Iraq and Baghdad.

Responding to the move, Iraqi government spokesman Saad Hadithi said that Baghdad would not back any unilateral steps taken by Iraqi Kurdistan aimed at gaining independence, as such moves would violate the country's constitution.

The referendum is viewed by a number of regional and international officials as a threat to both Iraq's and international security. Both Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the US-led coalition against the IS terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), and US special presidential envoy Brett McGurk said that the Kurdish authorities should not hold the referendum amid the anti-Daesh campaign in Iraq as it would destabilize the Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting in the region.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also called the planned referendum a "wrong choice" that would significantly undermine security of Iraq and the region.

The Kurds, making up about 20 percent of the Iraqi population, have been seeking self-governance for decades. In 2005, Iraq's Constitution recognized Kurdistan as an autonomous region, run by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The Kurdish independence issue is also complicated by the oil issue as after the referendum Baghdad risks losing a large amount of its oil reserves. According to Kurdish media reports, the Iraqi Kurdistan region has approximately 50 billion barrels of oil making around a third of Iraq's reserves.

The Kurds, making up about 20 percent of the Iraqi population, have been seeking self-governance for decades. In 2005, Iraq's Constitution recognized Kurdistan as an autonomous region, run by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

 Sputnik

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Pakistan Report: Militants Operating With Impunity in Sindh Province Prisons

By Madeeha Anwar July 19, 2017

Convicted militants and criminals imprisoned in Pakistan's Sindh province are reportedly running day-to-day affairs of the same prisons they are held captive in, according to a recent report by the province's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

The CTD initiated its investigation into prisons following the escape of two high-profile militants of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni militant group in Pakistan with ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The two militants escaped from Karachi's heavily guarded prison in early June.

"Our investigation into the recent jailbreak revealed ... that prisons in Sindh, and particularly Karachi, are divided into zones among [a] few hard-core militants and terrorists who run the daily affairs," CTD chief Sanaullah Abbasi told VOA.

The CTD found that convicted militants roam around freely, rule over wards inside prison, force other inmates to obey their orders, have access to drugs and mobile phones, and manage their terror activities with impunity from inside the prison.

The CTD findings raised concerns that militants might be planning and coordinating terror attacks from inside prisons in Pakistan's third-largest province.

Reforms called vital

"Militants' running of jail affairs is alarming, but Sindh's jails had been plagued with the culture of convicted criminals ruling over them in the past as well," Jameel Yusuf, an activist and founder of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee, told VOA. The committee is a self-funded nongovernmental organization that gathers data on crime and extremist activities in Karachi.

"The government has no option but to come up with new prison reforms and to implement them," Yusuf added.

Officials cited corruption, incompetence and fear of militants' outside sympathizers as reasons behind militants' growing influence inside prisons in the province.

Sindh's capital, Karachi, the country's financial hub, is also home to several banned militant organizations, armed political parties and organized criminal gangs. The city's central jail holds more than 6,000 convicted terrorists and criminals.

"Lack of capacity of the jail administration, corruption, maladministration, fear and intimidation by the terrorist organizations have ruined our prison system," the CTD's Abbasi told VOA.

In 2014, security forces discovered an underground tunnel near Karachi's central jail that was to be used to break into the jail and facilitate the escape of several high-profile terrorists.

Prison search

Following last month's escape of the two militants from Karachi prison, security forces searched the prison and seized more than 300 mobile phones used by prisoners, along with drugs worth more than $20,000.

The incident led to the dismissal and arrest of several jail officials on charges of negligence, and security has since been heightened in all prisons across the province, according to officials.

"We've suggested to the government to take concrete steps to impose new jail reforms throughout Sindh and especially in Karachi," Abbasi said. "We've also suggested to move Karachi's main prison out of the city to a low-populated area."

Yusuf, of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee, agreed that provincial and central governments need prison reforms.

"It is absolutely necessary to provide training to the jail administration, to work on eliminating corruption within the staffers, and to provide jail authorities with modern, high-tech security equipment," he said.

The Sindh government said it planned to increase its security budget to combat crime and extremism within the province. It has allocated nearly $19 million to equip law enforcement agencies in the province with security equipment.

Murad Ali Shah, Sindh's chief minister, said strengthening law enforcement agencies is one of his government's top priorities.

"In these trying times, strengthening our law enforcement agencies through training and equipment is at the forefront of our fight against terrorism," Shah said during a recent speech regarding the state budget.

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Pakistan Court Concludes Sharif's Corruption Hearing

By Ayaz Gul July 21, 2017

Pakistan's Supreme Court concluded hearings Friday in a high-profile corruption case that could unseat Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and disqualify him from politics.

The three-judge panel did not say when a verdict would be announced.

In concluding remarks, one judge promised the panel would consider if Sharif should be disqualified from political activity as part of the verdict.

Sharif has denied wrongdoing, a position Sharif family lawyers repeated throughout the week-long proceeding.

"I believe legally and constitutionally we have a solid case," said Salman Akram Raja, who represented Sharif's three children.

"It is impossible to say anything but I think we should wait for at least two to three weeks," the attorney said when asked when to expect a ruling.

But lawyers representing the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, which filed the case against the Sharif family, sounded confident the prime minister would be disqualified.

"Our lawyers maintained before the judges the prime minister must be disqualified because he lied in his address to the nation, he lied to the court and he lied while addressing the National Assembly (lower house of the parliament). So, the prime minister has continuously demonstrated dishonesty," party spokesman Fawad Hussain Chaudhry told reporters outside the heavily guarded Supreme Court building.

Legal experts and political observers say the final ruling is expected to change Pakistan's political landscape, citing the conclusions of a high-powered investigation the court ordered.

If Sharif is disqualified, his ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, must elect a new leader from within parliament to replace him and complete the government's constitutionally set five-year term. The government's term is due to end in June 2018. Some Sharif aides have hinted he may dissolve parliament and call early elections.

This week's hearing focused on allegations that the prime minister and his three children had engaged in money laundering and tax evasion, and amassed overseas assets through off-shore companies, while concealing their wealth.

The case stems from leaked financial documents known as the Panama Papers that listed the prime minister's two sons and a daughter as holders of offshore bank accounts and posh overseas property. The documents also named hundreds of other Pakistani citizens.

Sharif twice served as prime minister in the 1990s and on both occasions his government was accused of massive corruption and mismanagement. The 67-year-old politician was elected a third time in 2013, after he had returned from years of exile in Saudi Arabia.

Shortly after Friday's proceedings, Sharif went into emergency consultations with senior ruling party leaders, cabinet ministers and legal aides to discuss possible outcomes of the case and their implications.

Pakistani media reported the meeting participants also considered possible candidates to replace Sharif if he's disqualified. Officials were not immediately available to discuss details of the meeting.

In a related but worrying development for Sharif, personnel with the federal investigation agency Friday arrested the head of the state-run Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan on charges he changed Sharif family business records in an attempt to cover up wrongdoing.

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Navalny Clashes With Ex-Commander Of Russia-Backed Separatists

RFE/RL July 20, 2017

Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and a prominent former commander of Russia-backed separatists sparred over patriotism and the war in Ukraine in a debate that stoked widespread discussion and criticism among political players and watchers after it was announced last week.

Navalny, who is seeking to run for the Russian presidency next year, drew censure for agreeing to the July 20 debate against Igor Girkin, a key figure in the early stages of the war between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Known widely by the nom de guerre "Strelkov," Girkin has previously said that self-declared separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine executed individuals accused of looting. Documents uncovered by U.S. journalists in eastern Ukraine indicate Girkin signed off on at least three executions.

During the debate, which was broadcast on Navalny's YouTube channel and an Internet TV channel affiliated with Strelkov, the two men clashed over the war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014.

Navalny insisted that a 2015 cease-fire and peace deal known as the Minsk agreements is the only mechanism for resolving the conflict, a position Girkin rejected as a "betrayal" of Russia's interests and what he portrays as a grassroots and patriotic separatist movement against the government in Kyiv.

Russia denies involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine despite voluminous evidence that it has sent troops, weapons, and other support to the separatists.

Navalny made good on his pledge ahead of the debate to ask Girkin who was responsible for shooting down a passenger jet over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine in July 2014, an incident in which all 298 people aboard were killed.

An international investigative team concluded in September 2016 that the Russian-made Buk missile system that was used to down the airliner had been brought into Ukraine from Russia shortly before it was shot out of the sky and then quickly smuggled back to Russia afterward. It said the missile was fired from a field in separatist-held territory.

But Girkin repeated his earlier denials that the separatists shot down the plane, claiming that they did not have weapons capable of doing so.

The Russian government has repeatedly sought to cast doubt on evidence of its involvement in the downing of the plane.

Girkin publicly challenged Navalny to a debate earlier this month, and the opposition politician accepted the offer.

In the run-up to the event, Navalny's decision to debate Girkin drew criticism from some Russian liberals and opposition activists who said the politician should not publicly engage with a "war criminal."

"Only a state prosecutor in court should hold a dialogue and discussion with him," Boris Vishnevsky, a veteran liberal politician and local St. Petersburg lawmaker, said in an interview with RFE/RL last week.

Russian photographer Yevgeny Feldman, who has traveled around Russia with Navalny to document the opposition leader's bid to run for president, also criticized Navalny's decision.

"I can understand holding a discussion with politicians who have even the craziest of views. I can't understand debating someone who executes the unarmed," Feldman wrote on Twitter.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Christopher Miller in Kyiv

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/navalny- girkin-debate/28629308.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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U.S. Treasury Accuses Exxon Mobil Of 2014 Violation Of Russia Sanctions

Mike Eckel July 20, 2017

The U.S. Treasury Department accused Exxon Mobil of violating U.S. sanctions on Russia just weeks after they were imposed in 2014, as it hit the U.S oil and gas giant with a $2 million fine.

Exxon Mobil, whose chief executive at the time is now the U.S. secretary of state, pushed back strongly, calling the action fundamentally unfair, and later filing a lawsuit in U.S. federal court to block the move.

The violation, which the Treasury Department announced July 20, allegedly occurred in May 2014, just weeks after President Barack Obama announced the sanctions against Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

Those sanctions targeted, among others, Igor Sechin, the chief executive of the Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft.

In its announcement, the Treasury Department said U.S. subsidiaries of Exxon Mobil "dealt in services of an individual whose property and interests in property were blocked, namely, by signing eight legal documents related to oil and gas projects in Russia with Igor Sechin."

Exxon showed reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements," it said.

The $2 million fine appears to be a mainly symbolic move against Exxon Mobil, which brought in $7.8 billion in revenue last year.

Exxon Mobil, at the time of the alleged violation was headed by Rex Tillerson, who is now the U.S. secretary of state.

There was no immediate comment from the State Department on the decision, or what role Tillerson had in signing off on the disputed transactions when he was the companys CEO.

In a statement e-mailed to RFE/RL, Exxon Mobil took exception to the accusations, saying at the time of the alleged violations the company had gotten guidance from the government about whether some transactions would violate the sanctions.

The company said later it had filed suit in federal court in Texas, seeking to block the action and accusing the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control of trying retroactively enforce an earlier order.

The finding is fundamentally unfair and constitutes a denial of due process under the Constitution and violates the Administrative Procedure Act because market participants, including Exxon Mobil, did not have notice of the interpretation [it] now seeks to retroactively enforce, the lawsuit charged.

In an earlier statement, William Holbrook, a company spokesman, said that the Exxon Mobil had followed clear guidance from the White House and Treasury Department when its representatives signed documents involving ongoing oil and gas activities in Russia with Rosneft -- a nonblocked entity -- that were countersigned on behalf of Rosneft by CEO Igor Sechin in his official representative capacity.

In Moscow, Rosneft spokesman Mikhail Leontiev questioned why the Treasury was moving now to punish Exxon Mobil, asserting that contractual documents in dispute have been publicly available for more than three years.

And, knowing how Exxon Mobil operates, its impossible to understand how the company, concluding some sort of deal connected with one or another U.S. sanctions, did not receive exhaustive guidance from the [Treasury] lawyers that they were operating properly with regards to the U.S. sanctions, Leontiev was quoted by the state news agency TASS as saying.

The question of sanctions imposed on Russia has become increasingly fraught under President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested they might be lifted or softened.

The Senate has moved to cement the existing sanctions in place, by requiring congressional approval if Trump seeks to lift them, though that legislation has stalled in the House of Representatives.

During his confirmation hearings in the Senate in January, Tillerson said he favored maintaining sanctions against Russia for the time being. But during a separate appearance last month before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he asked lawmakers not to cement the existing sanctions, arguing that the administration needed flexibility to negotiate with Moscow.

In April, Exxon Mobil sought from the Treasury Department a waiver from the sanctions so it could drill in the Black Sea in a venture with Rosneft. Treasury, however, denied the request.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-treasury-accuses -exxon-violating-russian- sanctions/28629213.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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High-Precision Cruise Missiles to be Core of Russian Navy's Weaponry by 2025

Sputnik News

20:40 20.07.2017

Long-range high-precision cruise missiles will become the core weaponry for Russian navy by 2025, according to the new state doctrine on naval activities until 2030 posted on the government's legal information website on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the document, the Russian navy will begin receiving hypersonic missiles and robotic systems for various purposes, including unmanned underwater vehicles, after 2025.

"Long-range high-precision cruise missiles will form the core of armaments for the navy's submarine and surface fleets, as well as for coastal troops by 2025," the text of the doctrine says.

One of the most effective and widely known Russian cruise missiles, Kalibr, was first used in combat by the Russian Caspian Flotilla against Daesh targets in Syria in November 2015.

Kalibr missiles have been repeatedly fired from Russia's Buyan-M-class ships and Varshavyanka-class submarines against Daesh targets in Syria. Since the Kalibr missile has an operational range of up to 2,500 km, the launches were carried out from the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

 Sputnik

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Russia to Boost Military Contingent in Crimea as Part of Strategic Deterrence

Sputnik News

19:10 20.07.2017(updated 19:11 20.07.2017)

Russia will boost the combat capability of the Black Sea Fleet through strengthening its inter-branch military contingent on the Crimean peninsula, according to the new state doctrine on naval activities until 2030 posted on the government's legal information website on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The new doctrine stipulates that the strengthening of the combat capability of the Black Sea Fleet is a key task aimed at preventing military conflicts and safeguarding strategic deterrence.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet is fully capable of defending the country's borders thanks to reconnaissance and modern weapons, the Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said earlier.

In December 2016, Russia's Black Sea Fleet has formed a full-strength squadron of 12 advanced Su-30SM multirole fighter jets in the country's southwestern region of Crimea.

Crimea and its city-port Sevastopol rejoined Russia in 2014 after a landslide referendum favoring reunification.

 Sputnik

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Russian Navy Reveals Goal Not to 'Allow Substantial Superiority of Other States'

Sputnik News

18:31 20.07.2017(updated 20:15 20.07.2017)

Russia has released a state doctrine on the country's naval activities' goals.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the newly-released doctrine, Russia won't allow substantial superiority of other states' navies over the Russian Navy, and will seek to consolidate its position as the second globally.

"Russia will not allow substantial superiority of other countries' navies over the Russian Navy."

The ambitions of countries, primarily of the United States, to dominate in the world ocean, including in the Arctic, is a threat to Russian national security, the doctrine reads.

"The existing threats to Russian national security in the world ocean remain, while new ones emerge . the ambition of a range of countries, primarily the United States and its allies, to dominate in the world ocean including the Arctic, as well as to achieve overwhelming superiority of their naval forces," the document reads.

According to the document, another threat is "the existence of foreign countries' territorial claims to Russia with respect to coastal territories and adjacent water areas."

 Sputnik

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First Stage of Tests of Russian 5th Generation PAK FA Fighter Jet Ends

Sputnik News

15:40 20.07.2017(updated 15:56 20.07.2017)

The first stage of state tests of Russia's Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft have concluded, Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday.

ZHUKOVSKY (Sputnik)  The T-50 is designed by the Russian Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer as part of the PAK FA, a fifth-generation fighter program of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is a single-seat, twin-engine multirole stealth fighter jet designed for air superiority and attack roles and equipped with advanced avionics system and airborne active phased array radar. The first flight of the aircraft took place in 2010.

"Today is a historic event, a preliminary agreement on joint state tests of the first stage of the T-50 plane was signed at the MAKS aviation salon. We begin the second stage of tests. We also received a recommendation on beginning of production of initial batch of planes," Bondarev said.

According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Armed Forces will get first PAK FA fighters in 2019.

The Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects (FPI) told Sputnik it had presented the first nervous system of Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighter aircraft designed to improve flight safety.

 Sputnik

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'Coup' at midnight in the Arabian Desert

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:44AM

Mohammed bin Salman, a prince who rose from obscurity when his father became Saudi Arabia's king in 2015 and who ultimately ousted an elder to become crown prince, gained that status in a secretive push that had been "planned out" in advance, a report has revealed.

Bin Salman, a brash 31-year-old son of King Salman, was on June 21 named the new crown prince of Saudi Arabia in what seemed like an abrupt decision upending the rules of succession in an ultraconservative society.

Saudi media said at the time that the so-called Allegiance Council, a body of princes who oversee succession changes, had voted 31 to 3 to approve bin Salman's replacement of prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, a nephew of Salman who would have ascended to the throne after the ailing king, had he not been suddenly removed.

But in a report on Tuesday, The New York Times cited current and former United States officials and associates of the Saudi royal family as saying that the plot to oust Nayef had been "planned out."

The report recounted how bin Nayef, then also the interior minister, had "one night in June" been "summoned to a palace in Mecca, held against his will and pressured for hours to give up his claim to the throne."

'Like a coup on Christmas Eve'

The king had earlier gathered "a group of senior princes and security officials" at the Safa Palace in Mecca.

"It was near the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, when Saudis were preoccupied with religious duties and many royals had gathered in Mecca before traveling abroad for the Eid al-Fitr holiday," the report said. "That made it advantageous for a change, analysts said, like a coup on Christmas Eve."

Bin Nayef was told before the midnight that he was going to meet the king. "Unaccustomed to being told what to do" as the crown prince, he "was led into another room, where royal court officials took away his phones and pressured him to give up his posts as crown prince and interior minister."

It was not clear if King Salman himself was in that room and was personally involved in coercing bin Nayef.

"At first, he (bin Nayef) refused. But as the night wore on, the prince, a diabetic who suffers from the effects of a 2009 assassination attempt by a suicide bomber, grew tired," the report said. He yielded "sometime before dawn."

The Saudi court royals were in the meantime calling the members of the Allegiance Council, telling some of them that bin Nayef had a "drug problem" and was "unfit to be king."

A crown prince begs to differ, and is removed

Since his father's assumption of power, bin Salman was being speculated to crave a rise to become next in line to the throne. He had been trying to raise his profile by trips overseas in the months before bin Nayef was removed.

There had also been talk of a power struggle between bin Salman and bin Nayef for some time.

But the report by The New York Times suggested that there was more than a father-and-son bond at play in bin Salman's rise. Bin Nayef had apparently opposed a June 5 decision by Saudi Arabia and several of its vassal states to cut ties with and impose a blockade on Qatar, "a stand that probably accelerated his ouster."

That diplomatic and economic war with Qatar has, along with several other key decisions, been attributed to bin Salman, whose king father reportedly suffers from partial dementia. As Saudi Arabia's defense minister, bin Salman is also believed to have been largely responsible for a disastrous invasion of Yemen, where high civilian casualties and a cholera epidemic have raised international alarm.

Both the war on Yemen and the drama involving Qatar are believed to have been rash decisions for which the Saudi kingdom has had no clear exit strategy.

'A transfer of power imminent'

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Tuesday that "one Saudi source" had quoted a "witness at the palace" as saying that King Salman this month prepared a statement announcing the transfer of the throne to his son Mohammed.

"The announcement could be broadcast at any time, perhaps as soon as September," Reuters said.

Saudi Arabia has attempted to portray the removal of bin Nayef as a smooth transition in "the best interest of the nation." At a meeting after the drama, bin Salman was seen kissing bin Nayef's hand and telling him, "We will never dispense with your instructions and advice."

"Good luck, God willing," replies bin Nayef, according to footage of the encounter.

But the Tuesday New York Times report and an earlier one indicating that bin Nayef has been confined to his palace seem to expose a court at battle with itself.

Saudi officials have denied that bin Nayef is under house arrest.

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Trump to end CIA program to arm and train anti-Assad militants

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 20, 2017 1:55AM

The Trump administration has decided to end the CIA's years-long covert program to arm and train what they call Syrian moderate opposition, militants fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Quoting two unnamed US officials, The Washington Post reported the suspension of the program on Wednesday, while the CIA declined to comment on the topic. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders also declined to comment at the White House briefing.

The CIA program began in 2013 as part of the efforts by the Obama administration to overthrow Assad but produced no tangible results. Another downside of the program is that some armed and trained rebels defected to Daesh and other radical groups.

According to the officials, the shuttering of the program shows Trump's attempts to bolster closer relations with Russia. "It's a signal to Putin that the administration wants to improve ties to Russia," one of the officials said.

The decision to scrap the CIA program was made about a month ago, after an Oval Office meeting with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and before Trump's July 7 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Germany, according to the officials. They also said that it was not part of US-Russian negotiations on a ceasefire in southwestern Syria.

This is not the end of US involvement in Syria as Trump signed off in May on a plan to arm the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces -- a Kurdish rebel group -- using Department of Defense funds; and a separate effort by the US military to support other Syrian rebel groups with air strikes and other actions will continue, the officials said.

Pentagon chief spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that "the president authorized the Department of Defense to equip Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces as necessary to ensure a clear victory over ISIL in Raqqa, Syria."

Since 2015, Russia has been conducting cruise missile strikes and aerial attacks against terrorist positions in Syria at a request from the Syrian government. The US has been leading dozens of its allies in a military mission purportedly aimed rooting out Daesh since 2014.

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Free Syrian Army Sees No Changes So Far After Reported End of US Support

Sputnik News

17:12 20.07.2017

Syrian opposition has seen no changes on the ground so far after reports of the United States ending its arms and training support, spokesman for the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army Issam Rais told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Wednesday, The Washington Post, citing US officials, said that Trump had reportedly made the decision to halt the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) support program for Syrian moderate opposition. The CIA refused to comment on the reports.

"Yes, we heard the news, but nothing changes yet. I think it needs more time until the effects take place. Either way, it will not be the end for the armed opposition," Rais said.

US congresswoman and military veteran Tulsi Gabbard said in December that the CIA was arming Syrian rebels in an effort to overthrow the Assad government.

White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that she cannot confirm the news of ending the program "at this time."

Trump reportedly decided to halt the training about a month ago after a meeting with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, which preceded his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at G20.

Private US intelligence firm Soufan Group released a report on Thursday claiming that the alleged decision by Trump to end the CIA's arm-and-train program for the moderate Syrian opposition signals that ousting Syria's President Bashar Assad is no longer a priority for Washington.

 Sputnik

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Syrian Air Force Destroys al-Nusra Front Targets in Lebanon - Reports

Sputnik News

13:36 20.07.2017(updated 14:22 20.07.2017)

The Syrian Air Force struck and destroyed the positions of Jabhat Fatah al Sham terror group (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) in Lebanon on the border with Syria, local media reported Thursday.

BEIRUT (Sputnik)  According to the Al Mayadeen broadcaster, Syrian aviation attacked the terrorists' sites near the settlements of Flita and Aarsal on the border between Lebanon and Syria.

The Syrian forces have been conducting a counterterror operation on the border with Lebanon approximately for a week.

On Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that the government supported the Lebanese army's plans to hold a massive anti-terrorist operation in the area, but noted that there was no coordination between Syrian and Lebanese armed forces.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah movement, said earlier this month that the militant groups had a chance to leave the Aarsal area, otherwise the would launch an operation to fight them.

The hard-to-reach area has been used for arms smuggling and transit of new terrorist recruits to Syria. It also houses several camps for thousands of Syrian refugees.

 Sputnik

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Syrian Rebels Say Jihadists Likely Beneficiaries of US Halt to Arms Supply

By Jamie Dettmer July 20, 2017

The Trump administration's decision to end the CIA's semi-covert arming of Syria's rebel militias came as no surprise to the insurgent commanders, who've been battling the government of President Bashar al-Assad for half a decade.

But they remain angry at what they see as being cast off by an unreliable ally, who, they say, never supplied them with sufficient weapons  especially shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles  that they argue would have enabled them to win the war against Assad.

They say the decision to end a program that U.S. president Barack Obama started in 2013 amounts to a final abandonment of non-jihadist insurgent militias. They warn it will likely prompt more fighters to join al-Qaida and other extremist groups  if for no other reason than to survive.

Some regional experts and U.S. politicians say the move will hurt the moderate rebels.

Charles Lister, an analyst at the Middle East Institute and author of several studies on the moderate rebels, tweeted: "Moscow will be delighted. Russia's biggest, most important target was U.S.-vetted FSA groups. We just killed them off."

Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, agrees the move may well mark the end of the rebellion. "The cutoff of CIA funding for Syria's rebels is the raggedy ending of America's failed regime-change policy in Syria and the region at large," he told VOA.

'Stupid wars'

Landis says there should be no surprise at the decision. "President Trump called the wars in the Middle East stupid wars, during his campaign. He called America's policy of regime change a 'failed policy.' This is his effort to concentrate narrowly on eliminating ISIS and ending Washington's effort to drive Assad from power by force of arms. He believes that working with the Russians, the United States, will destroy ISIS more quickly."

Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator and backer of the Syrian rebels from the start, views the development as a setback for the U.S. He tweeted: "a big loss for: 1) Syrians who have been relentlessly attacked by Assad, 2) Our Arab partners, 3) U.S. standing in the Middle East."

Russia, which backs Assad, has long urged the U.S. to stop supplying arms to the rebels, arguing they are terrorists.

Rebels fear that it will now be open season on them in the north of the country and in parts of the southwest, where the Lebanese Shi'ite militia Hezbollah has said it is preparing to launch an offensive along the Lebanon-Syrian border.

"The regime will increase the rate of military operations to achieve greater control over rebel territory and the intransigence will increase of an emboldened Assad so that no just or comprehensive and lasting solution to the war will be reached," predicts Salim Idris, a former top commander of the Free Syrian Army.

"The reasons for the conflict will continue to exist, violence will not stop and that is interests of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups that thrive in conditions of chaos," Idris told VOA.

Trickle of arms

For Idris and other rebels the cutting off of supplies takes away any remaining leverage they and Western powers may have had in negotiations to end the multifaceted conflict that's left up to half-a-million Syrians dead, six million internally displaced and forced five million to flee the country.

Even before Trump's decision to end the weapons program for the FSA and other militias, the rebels had been receiving only a trickle of U.S. arms and ammunition from the agency  little more than just enough to keep them going.

And that was the case even before Donald Trump entered office this year.

The U.S. scaled back the CIA program in late 2015 as a Russian-backed government offensive started north of Aleppo. Former U.S. officials say Obama feared that increasing supplies to the rebels  especially anti-aircraft missiles  would drag the U.S. deep into a quagmire and risked triggering a confrontation between the U.S. and Russia.

At the time, U.S. policymakers also were grappling with the failure of an additional American train-and-equip program aimed at mustering a rebel army to focus not on Assad but on Islamic State.

Few moderate or Islamic rebel factions were prepared to switch their attention to IS, arguing their priority enemy had to remain the government in Damascus. Volunteers were few in number and 60 recruits who had graduated were sent inside Syria as a vanguard but they were routed by an al-Qaida affiliate.

Now, in the wake of the Trump decision, FSA units will face stark choices. They will be even more at the mercy of Turkey and Gulf states for supplies.

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Defence Secretary reveals name of first Type 26 as manufacture begins

20 July 2017

The Defence Secretary has revealed HMS Glasgow will be the name of the first of eight City class Type 26 frigates as he cut her first piece of steel at Govan shipyard in Scotland today. HMS Glasgow will enter service with the Royal Navy in the mid 2020s.

In front of the assembled BAE Systems workforce, Sir Michael Fallon officially began the manufacture of HMS Glasgow the first in a new generation of cutting edge frigates, delivering on the commitment to start production this summer on a programme that will sustain 1700 jobs in Scotland for two decades. Together the three ships being built under the first contract will safeguard 4000 jobs in Scotland and across the wider UK supply chain until 2035.

The Defence Secretary met some of the 260 apprentices that will be supported by the work on the Frigate on the Clyde by the autumn.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

"Today marks a historic milestone for the Royal Navy, Scottish shipbuilding and UK Defence more widely. HMS Glasgow and the other seven frigates in this new class will protect our powerful new aircraft carriers and nuclear deterrent, helping keep Britain safe across the world."

"The Type 26 is a cutting-edge warship that will maintain our naval power with a truly global reach. Designed for a service life of at least 25 years, the Type 26 frigates will form a backbone of the future Royal Navy surface fleet well into the future."

The Type 26 is an advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare frigate that will provide essential protection to our nuclear deterrent and aircraft carriers, building on the pedigree of the Royal Navy's current Type 23 frigates.

Its flexible design will allow its weapon systems to be adapted throughout its lifespan to counter future threats. The Type 26 benefits from the latest advances in digital technologies, including 3D and virtual reality, which ensures that the ship's design is refined earlier in the process.

Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, said:

"The Clyde was the birthplace of some of the greatest fighting ships the world has ever known, and so cutting steel there today for the future HMS Glasgow is symbolic of a Royal Navy on the rise once again."

"As an island nation, we are utterly dependent on the sea for our security and prosperity, and the City-class names have been chosen for the Type 26 to provide an enduring link between the Royal Navy and our great centres of commerce and industry."

"The name Glasgow brings with it a string of battle honours, stretching from the Arctic Circle to the South Atlantic. As one of the world's most capable anti-submarine frigates, the Type 26 will carry the Royal Navy's tradition of victory far into the future."

As a world-class ship, the Type 26 has strong export opportunities. BAE Systems and the MOD are exploring these, with interest from international customers including Australia.

Tony Douglas, Chief Executive Officer for Defence Equipment and Support, the MOD's procurement organisation said:

"This is a very proud moment for all of those who have worked so hard to get the manufacture of the Type 26 underway."

"With the first steel cut today in Scotland and further work spread out across the UK supply chain the Type 26 programme is truly a national endeavour harnessing all our skills and knowledge to produce the best possible ships for the Royal Navy."

Earlier this month the Defence Secretary announced the signing of a contract worth around 3.7 billion to start building the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigates, securing the long term future of the Scottish shipbuilding industry. The contract is specifically structured to motivate both sides to deliver a successful outcome where both parties share in the pain and gain in the delivery of the programme. This will deliver better value for money for the UK taxpayer.



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VANCOUVER, July 21, 2017 - Columbus Gold Corp. (TSX:CGT) (OTCQX:CBGDF) announces that it intends to spin-out its mineral projects in the United States into a separate publicly traded company to be named Allegiant Gold Ltd. Columbus is also pleased to provide an update on its drilling activities in Nevada.Columbus intends to proceed with a restructuring transaction whereby it would spin-out its subsidiary Columbus US Property Holdings Ltd. (to be renamed Allegiant Gold Ltd. ) ("Allegiant"), with the intent of listing Allegiant on the TSX Venture Exchange. The transaction is being undertaken to focus the efforts of Columbus Gold on its activities in French Guiana, while seeking to maximize the value of the United States properties, in particular the Nevada gold projects, to shareholders by highlighting them in a separate public company.It is proposed that the spin-out would be effected by way of a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") which would see shareholders of Columbus Gold receive one share of Allegiant for every 5 shares of Columbus Gold. The intention is for a private placement to be completed concurrently with the Arrangement.Further details of the spin-out transaction and the Arrangement will be contained in the management information circular to be mailed to shareholders of Columbus and filed on SEDAR in connection with the meeting of shareholders to be held to approve the transaction, currently contemplated to be held in the fall of 2017.The Arrangement remains subject to approval by the shareholders of Columbus, receipt of a final court order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange to the listing of Allegiant Gold Ltd. Notwithstanding receipt of all requisite approvals, the directors of Columbus reserve the right to elect to not to proceed with the Arrangement.Proceeds of the private placement to be undertaken in connection with the spin-out of Allegiant, will be utilized principally to advance resource expansion drilling at the Original Target of the Eastside gold project, where the deposit remains open at depth, to the south and to the west. In addition, Columbus plans to carry-out an unprecedented exploration program to drill test up to 8 high-quality exploration properties (7 in Nevada) in a period of 12 months, beginning in the fall of 2017. The 8 projects which were identified over about the last decade by Columbus Gold's exclusive exploration team - Cordex, host high-priority drill targets. Further details on the projects will be provided in the management information circular to be mailed to shareholders of Columbus.Columbus commenced drilling at its 100% controlled Bolo gold project in Nevada on July 11, 2017. The drill program consists of up to 12 reverse circulation drill holes totaling 3,330 meters (11,000 feet). Drilling will concentrate on the newly acquired Uncle Sam patented claim which contains the southern extension of the South Zone along the Mine Fault at Bolo. Surface sampling at Uncle Sam yielded encouraging results. A map indicating the position of the Uncle Sam patented claim in relation to the position of South Zone drill holes and the overall project claim block is available at the following link:www.columbusgold.com/i/nr/2017-07-21-bolo-map-location.pdfDrilling by Columbus in 2013 in the South Zone of the Mine Fault, includes 133 meters of 1.28 g/t gold from surface (including 30.5 m of 3.24 g/t gold) in hole BL-38, 89.9 meters of 1.0 g/t gold (including 40.9 m of 2.05 g/t gold) from surface in hole BL-39, and 51.8 meters of 1.27 g/t gold from surface in hole BL-41. Significant silver is also present in a number of holes (best interval 35.0 m of 58.1 g/t silver, including 3 m of 360.5 g/t silver in BL-37). Cross sections for these holes are available at the following link:www.columbusgold.com/i/nr/2017-07-21-bolo-xsections.pdfA table of significant Bolo drill results (Columbus Gold drill holes) can be viewed at the following link:www.columbusgold.com/i/nr/2017-07-21-bolo-table.pdfBolo is a Carlin-type gold and silver project, where surface sampling has defined widespread gold mineralization, associated with jasperoids and iron-stained structures, along two parallel north-south trending faults known as the Mine Fault and the East Fault. Alteration along the Mine Fault has been traced for 2,750 meters along strike, with surface gold in outcrop sampling from anomalous to 8.6 g/t gold. The East Fault has been mapped for 2,200 meters of strike with values from anomalous to 4.7 g/t gold. Gold mineralization in the South Zone of the Mine Fault is logged as oxide and is Carlin-type, associated with weak silicification and decalcification of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Preliminary metallurgical testing indicates the gold is amenable to cyanide recovery.An initial reverse circulation drilling program consisting of 10 holes totaling 2,938 meters (9,539 feet) was completed at Columbus Gold's 100% controlled Eastside gold project-Target 5, in Nevada in April 2017. Target 5 is five miles (8 km) south of the Original Target at Eastside, where Columbus announced an initial NI 43-101 pit-constrained Inferred resource estimate consisting of 35,780,000 tonnes grading 0.63g gold equivalent per tonne, for a total of 721,000 ouncesof gold equivalent (using a cut-off grade of 0.15g gold per tonne and a gold/silver ratio of 60:1). Eastside also hosts an historical resource of 11,177,761 tons grading 0.024 ounces gold per ton (0.82g gold per tonne) for a total of 272,153 ouncesgold. Detailed mapping and sampling of the entire claim block by Columbus geologists has yielded numerous targets at Eastside:www.columbusgold.com/i/nr/2017-07-21-eastside-map.pdfMost of the initial drilling was centered around an outcrop yielding surface samples up to 1.08 g/t gold. All holes encountered thick zones of anomalous gold mineralization exceeding 35 meters. Results were generally low-grade with the best intercepts being 24.4 meters of 0.30 g/t gold from 7.6 m to 32 m in hole ES-137, 4.6 meters of 0.50 g/t gold from 102.1 m to 106.7 m, including an additional 24.4 meters of 0.26 g/t gold from 172.2 m to 196.6 m in hole ES-146, and 10.7 meters of 0.43 g/t gold from 249.9 to 260.6 m in hole ES-143. Silver mineralization was present within the gold intercepts in several holes with the best intercept in ES-142 containing 4.5 meters of 19.7 g/t silver, 10.7 meters of 9.9 g/t silver, and 7.6 meters of 15.4 g/t silver.Columbus is encouraged by these initial drilling results that can be interpreted to suggest that Target 5 is a large mineralized system, with the potential for better grade. Mineralization is open in all directions and below the initial drilling. Gold extends from surface to nearly 1,000 feet of depth. Very strong alteration (mainly quartz veins and stockwork within adularia flooding and illite replacement) is continuing in all directions and to depth. Oxidation exceeds 1,000 of depth at Target 5, which is the deepest drill penetration so far. The area of initial drilling is contained within less than 5% of the total area of the Target 5 geochemical anomaly in arsenic, antimony and gold, determined from surface sampling. Columbus is completing new mapping and interpretation and plans additional drilling at Target 5.Gold and silver assays for 2017 drilling were performed by American Assay Labs in Sparks, Nevada. American inserts blinds and standards in the drill-hole assay string; generally 7% of all assays performed are of standards or blinds. Gold analyses are by fire assay with atomic absorption finish. Silver assays are by fire assay with gravimetric finish. In addition, Columbus also inserts blank samples and also standard samples of known gold and silver assay values in the drill assay string for quality control. Additional check sampling is ongoing and, if material differences occur, will be reported. The position of all drill-holes were surveyed with a submeter GPS system and also surveyed downhole by IDS.Andy Wallace is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Mr. Wallace is a VP of Columbus Gold (US) Corporation, and the principal of Cordilleran Exploration Company (Cordex) which is conducting exploration and project generation activities for Columbus Gold on an exclusive basis.For more information, see news release: "Columbus Announces Maiden Resource Estimate at Eastside Gold-Silver Project, Nevada" dated December 5, 2016 and filed on SEDAR and the NI 43-101 technical report: "Resource Estimate and Technical Report, Eastside Gold-Silver Project, Esmeralda County, Nevada" prepared by Mine Development Associates for Columbus Gold Corp. with an Effective Date of November 17, 2016, dated December 2, 2016, and filed on SEDAR on December 7, 2016.The historical resource estimate was completed by James D. Greybeck, Senior Geologist for Cordex Exploration Co. in April, 1999, under the direction of Andy B. Wallace, then Manager of Cordex Exploration Co. and Vice President of Rayrock Mines, Inc. This report and the data used in its preparation have been recently reviewed by Andy B. Wallace for the purpose of this press release under his responsibilities as a Qualified Person for Columbus Gold. Drill data used for Greybeck's report was from Cordex Exploration Co., Kennecott Exploration, Houston Oil and Minerals, Falcon Exploration, and Mintek Resources which data is on file in the offices of Cordex Exploration Co. The data is judged relevant and reliable by Andy B. Wallace. The resource was termed a "Geologic Resource" at the time of Greybeck's report, which was in line with current practice for the time. Greybeck prepared geological cross sections and calculated the resource by hand, using a polygonal method with a lower cut-off of .005 opt Au (0.17 g/t Au). Where drilling was closely spaced gold values were interpolated between cross sections using weighted averages projected 50 feet on either side of the cross section. Columbus plans additional drilling to confirm Greybeck's interpretations and to fill in gaps in the drilling. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Columbus is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. For more information, see news release: "Columbus Acquires Claims Hosting a Historical Estimate of 272,000 Ounces of Gold Resources Contiguous with its Eastside Gold Project in Nevada" dated and filed on SEDAR on January 20, 2017.It was noted in the press release dated September 25th, 2013 that assaying for silver at Bolo using fire assay with a gravimetric finish might produce higher silver grades than were being reported from silver assaying using ICP analysis; Columbus Gold therefore re-assayed 257 samples (1.5 meter drill samples) from Bolo drilling. Samples selected were those that had originally been assayed by ICP techniques at 7 g/t silver or more. Of the 257 samples, 247 assayed higher for silver using fire assay with a gravimetric finish than previous assays reported from ICP analysis. The average upgrade for all the samples was 40%, with the maximum upgrade being 276%. The 257 samples were also assayed for gold by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. These checks of previous assaying by Columbus Gold, using fire assay with an AA finish, provide confirmation of gold assaying announced previously, with no significant variations. Gravimetric check assays were performed at American Assay Lab in Sparks, Nevada. Standards of known value were inserted in the assay string by Columbus, and American Assay routinely inserts blanks and standards (7% of analyses) as well.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDRobert F. Giustra,Chairman & CEOThis release contains forward-looking information and statements, as defined by law including without limitation Canadian securities laws and the "safe harbor" provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("forward-looking statements"), respecting Columbus' plans to spin-out its American assets into a separate publicly traded company called Allegiant Gold Ltd., to undertake a private placement in connection with a spin-out, and to undertake drilling programs at its projects in the United States in 2017 and 2018 Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: that the spin-out may not be completed as planned due to failure to obtain shareholder or regulatory approval, that the private placement may not be completed in full or at all due to market malaise, that drilling programs may not be completed as planned; factors include the ability to acquire any necessary permits and third party authorizations; environmental compliance; cost increases; availability of qualified workers and drill equipment; risks associated with exploration projects including, without limitation, the accuracy of interpretations; mineral reserve and resource estimates (including the risk of assumption and methodology errors and inability to complete the intended drilling program); dependence on third parties for services; non-performance by contractual counterparties; title risks; and general economic conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including, without limitation, assumptions about; market prices, exploitation and exploration success; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; general business and economic conditions; the timing and receipt of required approvals; continued availability of capital and financing; power prices; the ability to procure equipment and supplies including, without limitation, drill rigs; and ongoing relations with employees, partners, optionees and joint venturers. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and Columbus undertakes no obligation to update any of the foregoing except as required by law.Investor Relations(604) 634-09701-888-818-1364info@columbusgold.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jul 21, 2017) - Focus Ventures Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:FCV) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with established fertilizer trading company, Keytrade A.G., for the off-take of phosphate rock from the Company's Bayovar 12 phosphate project in northern Peru.

Highlights of the MOU are:

Bayovar 12 rock phosphate product to be purchased by well-established international fertilizer merchant.

Volume is up to 1,000,000 tons per annum of the planned annual production.

Initial 5 year term.

Product destined for the direct application agricultural plantation business and phosphate fertilizer producer markets.

This MOU marks a significant milestone for the Company since it released the findings of its Pre-Feasibility Study on the Bayovar 12 project in May 2016. Under the MOU, Keytrade will purchase, on an FOB Incoterms basis, up to 1,000,000 metric tons per annum of rock phosphate from future production from the Bayovar 12 project. Product will be delivered by Keytrade for direct application use by plantations markets and downstream phosphate fertilizer producers

Securing this MOU demonstrates that there is demand for Bayovar 12 rock phosphate product, and begins the process for the Company to develop an off-shore marketing strategy with Keytrade that can provide the platform to finalize off-take arrangements.

Focus President, Gordon Tainton, commented: "We are very pleased to have secured our first export off-take MOU for rock phosphate from the Bayovar 12 project and we are looking forward to converting this MOU into a commercial purchase contract in the future. This first MOU covers a relatively large share of our planned future production which underpins the development of our project."

About Keytrade A.G.

Keytrade was founded in 1997 as a merchant of fertilizers, intermediates and raw materials. It is one of the fertilizer industries' well known independent trading groups and has strategically invested in distribution assets to create a platform for international expansion. Keytrade sources and trades nitrogen, potash and phosphates from more than 100 countries across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe.

About Focus

Focus is developing the Bayovar 12 phosphate deposit located 40 km from the coast in the Sechura District of northern Peru. Bayovar 12 hosts a large resource of highly-reactive sedimentary phosphate rock - a key raw material input for phosphate fertilizers and vital to world food production. Reactive phosphate rock from Sechura is a natural, slow-release source of phosphorus that can be applied directly to crops. One of Focus's objectives is to supply direct application phosphate rock to the agricultural regions of Central and South America and Southeast Asia.

For further information, please visit our web site www.focusventuresltd.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Simon Ridgway, Chief Executive Officer

Symbol: TSXV-FCV

Shares Issued: 232.2-million

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the Company's Bayovar 12 project and possible future production therefrom. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

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 results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors relate to, among other things, information regarding the Company's plans for the Bayovar 12 project and possible future production therefrom; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the Company's stated goals for the Bayovar 12 project will be achieved; that the Company will obtain all necessary approvals to, and complete, the private placement on the terms stated; that the Company will spend the financing proceeds as planed; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
NEW M&I RESOURCE ESTIMATES FOR COCHRANE HILL AND FIFTEEN MILE STREAM WITHIN PIT SHELLS TOTAL APPROXIMATELY 850,000 OZ.

VANCOUVER, July 21, 2017 /CNW/ - Atlantic Gold Corp. (TSX-V: AGB) ("Atlantic" or the "Company") is pleased to announce updated Mineral Resource Estimates prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") for its wholly-owned Fifteen Mile Stream and Cochrane Hill gold deposits. The previously announced resource definition drilling programs on 25m x 20m centres were completed in June with the objective of upgrading Mineral Resources to Measured and Indicated categories at both properties. The new resource estimates result in 398,000 oz. Au of Measured and Indicated resources at Cochrane Hill and the definition of 452,000 oz. Au of Measured and Indicated resources at Fifteen Mile Stream.

Maryse Belanger, COO, "The resource estimates at Fifteen Mile Stream and Cochrane Hill now provide the basis for a Pre-Feasibility Study to be completed in Q4 2017. The Company expects that these resources will contribute to Atlantic's Nova Scotia production profile planned to commence with the Touquoy Deposit in September 2017. The next steps include finalizing metallurgical testwork, geotechnical investigations and optimizing the mining sequence and production scheduling for the Company's existing Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources in the region."

1. FIFTEEN MILE STREAM

Fifteen Mile Stream is located approximately 57km northeast of the central milling facility at Touquoy and is readily accessible by highway. The project lies along the same geological trend as the Company's other related deposits  Touquoy, Beaver Dam and Cochrane Hill  and all are hosted within the same critical stratigraphy and structure, over a strike length of 80 km. Fifteen Mile Stream's 2015 Inferred Mineral Resources were estimated at 11.72 million tonnes at 1.55 g/t Au for 584,000 contained ounces (Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Technical Report of the Fifteen Mile Stream Gold Project, Halifax County, Nova Scotia" dated February 18, 2015). All assay results from the recent definition drilling program have been incorporated in the project drill-hole database. The drill database underpinning the current resource estimate in relation to Fifteen Mile Stream comprises 335 diamond drill holes from which a dataset of 17,310 two-metre composites have been created.

The composite dataset incorporates drilling from the Egerton-MacLean, Hudson and Plenty Zones, which are located at the eastern and western ends of an anticlinal dome and approximately 300m south of the dome respectively. At Egerton-MacLean and Hudson, mineralization is localized within a north-dipping sequence of sediments around and within the hinge zone of the anticline with mudstones bearing thin layer-parallel quartz veins being the preferred host. At Plenty, mineralization is localized in similar host rocks in what is interpreted to be an up-faulted limb of the same anticline. Gold was discovered at Fifteen Mile Stream in 1867 with production of about 19,400oz documented during 1883-1911. During 1985-88 Pan East Resources drilled 134 diamond drillholes (26,612m) with a further 29 holes (3,741m) drilled in 2011 by Acadian Mining Corp., now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlantic.

These resource estimates for Fifteen Mile Stream have an effective date of July 20, 2017 and were prepared by Mr. Neil Schofield, a principal of FSSI Consultants (Australia) Pty Ltd. The tables below provide the current resource estimate prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 for a range of cut-off grades. The cut-off grades for the Mineral Resources below are based on Touquoy operating costs where the Company has been actively pre-production mining since July 2016. Other technical parameters and cost assumptions are listed in the Technical Disclosure section of this release. At a selected cut-off grade of 0.35 g/t Au the optimized pit shell for Fifteen Mile Stream contains Measured and Indicated Resources of 10.58 Mt at an average grade of 1.33 g/t Au and 6.64 Mt of material at 1.12 g/t Au in the Inferred category with a 2.2:1 strip ratio.

FIFTEEN MILE STREAM - MEASURED RESOURCE ESTIMATE

FIFTEEN MILE STREAM - INDICATED RESOURCE ESTIMATE Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t)

Au Contained

Au (oz) Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t)

Au Contained

Au (oz) 0.3 2,924,000 1.25 118,000 0.3 8,458,000 1.26 342,000 0.35 2,709,000 1.33 116,000 0.35 7,876,000 1.33 336,000 0.4 2,519,000 1.40 113,000 0.4 7,320,000 1.40 329,000 0.5 2,143,000 1.56 108,000 0.5 6,331,000 1.55 315,000

FIFTEEN MILE STREAM - MEASURED & INDICATED RESOURCE ESTIMATE Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Au Contained Au (oz) 0.3 11,382,000 1.26 460,000 0.35 10,585,000 1.33 452,000 0.4 9,839,000 1.40 442,000 0.5 8,474,000 1.55 423,000

FIFTEEN MILE STREAM - INFERRED RESOURCE ESTIMATE Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t)

Au Contained

Au (oz) 0.3 7,218,000 1.06 246,000 0.35 6,637,000 1.12 240,000 0.4 6,112,000 1.19 233,000 0.5 5,198,000 1.32 220,000

*Resources that are not reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability*

Based on review and modelling of the drill data, as shown in the plan view map (http://files.newswire.ca/1485/FMSDrillProgress.pdf), further drilling will be undertaken over the next 12 months to the north east of the Egerton Maclean zone, at the Plenty zone, in the trend between the Egerton Maclean zone and Plenty, and to the west of the Hudson zone where there is believed to be potential for additional mineralization.

2. COCHRANE HILL

The Cochrane Hill Gold deposit is located approximately 80 km from the central milling facility at Touquoy and is readily accessible by highway. Previously published Mineral Resources at Cochrane Hill currently comprise Indicated Resources of 4.5 million tonnes at 1.8g/t Au for 251,000 oz. and Inferred Resources of 5.6 million tonnes at 1.6 g/t Au for 298,000 oz. (Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment, Nova Scotia, Canada" dated October 14, 2014).

All assay results from the recent definition drilling program have been incorporated in the project drill-hole database. The drill database underpinning the current resource estimate for Cochrane Hill comprises 216 diamond drill holes from which a dataset of 11,329 two-metre composites have been created. The recent resource definition drilling evidences a halo of disseminated lower grade mineralization which has been incorporated into the estimate which is one of the drivers of the lower average grade of the resource in the measured and indicated category.

The composite dataset incorporates drilling along an 800m segment of the Cochrane Hill Anticline, a north-east trending tight to isoclinal fold which, in the vicinity of the Cochrane Hill deposit, is overturned with both limbs dipping to the north at 70. Gold mineralization occurs within the southern limb of the anticline in a sequence of interbedded biotite schists representing well-bedded, though metamorphosed, argillites and greywackes. The mineralized zone is recognizable as a fairly discrete, tabular zone of about 2% disseminated sulphides (pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite) having a true width of 15-25m. Gold was discovered at Cochrane Hill in the 1860's with production of about 1,353 oz. between 1868 and 1929. Ore was won by underground mining from three shafts. During 1974-1989 a total of 96 holes for 13,946m was drilled by Massval Mines Ltd (1973-74), Northumberland Mines Ltd (1979-81) and Scominex (1984-87) and, in addition, underground development and exploration was undertaken by Scominex (1986-87) and NovaGold Resources Inc. (1988), with 56 underground holes for 2,873m drilled.

These resource estimates for Cochrane Hill have an effective date of July 20, 2017 and were prepared by Mr. Neil Schofield, a principal of FSSI Consultants (Australia) Pty Ltd. The tables below illustrate the current resource estimate prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The Mineral Resources below are also based on Touquoy operating costs where the Company has been actively pre-production mining since July 2016. At a selected cut-off grade of 0.35 g/t Au the optimized pit shell for Cochrane Hill contains Measured and Indicated Resources of 10.66 Mt at an average grade of 1.16 g/t Au and 1.63 Mt of Inferred material at 1.32 g/t Au with a 3.1:1 strip ratio.

COCHRANE HILL - MEASURED RESOURCE ESTIMATE

COCHRANE HILL - INDICATED RESOURCE ESTIMATE Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t)

Au Contained

Au (oz) Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t)

Au Contained

Au (oz) 0.3 6,486,000 1.18 245,000 0.3 4,788,000 1.03 159,000 0.35 6,170,000 1.22 242,000 0.35 4,489,000 1.08 156,000 0.4 5,855,000 1.26 238,000 0.4 4,181,000 1.13 152,000 0.5 5,197,000 1.37 229,000 0.5 3,598,000 1.25 144,000

COCHRANE HILL - MEASURED & INDICATED RESOURCE ESTIMATE Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t) Au Contained Au

(oz) 0.3 11,274,000 1.12 404,000 0.35 10,659,000 1.16 398,000 0.4 10,036,000 1.21 390,000 0.5 8,795,000 1.32 373,000

COCHRANE HILL - INFERRED RESOURCE ESTIMATE Cut-off grade

(g/t) Tonnes Grade (g/t)

Au Contained

Au (oz) 0.3 1,746,000 1.25 70,000 0.35 1,627,000 1.32 69,000 0.4 1,521,000 1.39 68,000 0.5 1,292,000 1.55 64,000

*Resources that are not reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability*

Based on further review and modelling of the new drill data, as shown in the plan view map (http://files.newswire.ca/1485/CochraneHillDrill.pdf), further drilling will be undertaken over the next 12 months at depth to extend the pit design and also to the east where there appears to be potential for extensions to the known mineralization.

Next Steps

The above resource estimates will form the basis for a Pre-Feasibility Study to be completed in the coming months as well as additional future step out and new exploration drilling to be completed later in 2017 and in 2018.

Technical Disclosure

The tables above contain the combined Mineral Resource estimates for the Egerton-MacLean, Hudson and Plenty Zones at Fifteen Mile Stream and the Cochrane Hill Gold Deposit as of July 20, 2017. These are current resource estimates that are in accordance with the current Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Resources (CIM) Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves as required by NI 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The basis of the estimation of the Mineral Resources includes the following:

The drill hole sampling has provided a reasonably representative set of samples of the gold mineralization in each case.



The drill hole sample data have been verified by the qualified person by reviewing the core from a number of drill holes and checking assay results against observed mineralization during the qualified person's site visit. The quality control data from sampling and assaying of the drill core has also been reviewed and found to be sufficient to justify the resource classification.



The estimation method used is a standard implementation of multiple indicator kriging with block support correction for the estimation of recoverable resources based on a specified approach to standard selective mining. This methodology is appropriate given that the composite samples show some high-grade values resulting in statistical characteristics similar to other gold deposits with higher coefficients of variation.



The Measured, Indicated and Inferred classification used for these resource estimates reflects the number and spatial pattern of drill-hole composites informing the estimation of each panel in the resource model, as well as the QA/QC protocols applied in relation to the drilling conducted during 2016-17. In the Egerton-Maclean zone, grade capping was used on four very high grade composites to mitigate the risk of overestimation of resource grade.



Any known legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resource are detailed below in the section entitled "Forward-Looking Statements".



These new resource estimates assume conventional open pit mining and have been constrained by pit shells assuming detailed parameters disclosed below:



Gold Price = $1,300 US/oz.

Exchange Rate = 0.80 $US: $CDN

Mining Cost = $3.25/tonne

Process Costs (including general and administrative (G&A) cost) = $11.73/tonne

Process Recovery = 95%

Over-all pit slope angle: 45

Metallurgical testwork for Cochrane Hill is ongoing but no detailed metallurgical investigations have been completed yet for the gold mineralization at Fifteen Mile Stream. The often visible gold is expected to be free milling, as it is at the Company's Touquoy, and Beaver Dam deposits.

Technical Reports, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, on the resource estimate at Fifteen Mile Stream and Cochrane will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days from the date of this news release.

Neil Schofield MS  Applied Earth Sciences, MAusIMM, MAIG, an independent consultant to the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Steven Dean

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this press release, and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding discussions of future plans, guidance, projections, objectives, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, among other things, the activities contemplated in this news release and the timing and receipt of requisite regulatory, and shareholder approvals in respect thereof. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements related to proposed exploration and development programs, grade and tonnage of material and resource estimates. These forward looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results may vary. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary include without limitation, the timing and receipt of certain approvals, changes in commodity and power prices, changes in interest and currency exchange rates, risks inherent in exploration estimates and results, timing and success, inaccurate geological and metallurgical assumptions (including with respect to the size, grade and recoverability of mineral reserves and resources), changes in development or mining plans due to changes in logistical, technical or other factors, unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications, cost escalation, unavailability of materials, equipment and third party contractors, delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters), political risk, social unrest, and changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, the assumptions that: (1) market fundamentals will result in sustained gold demand and prices; (2) the receipt of any necessary approvals and consents in connection with the development of any properties; (3) the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of any mineral properties; and (4) sustained commodity prices such that any properties put into operation remain economically viable. Information concerning mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates also may be considered forward-looking statements, as such information constitutes a prediction of what mineralization might be found to be present if and when a project is actually developed. Certain of the risks and assumptions are described in more detail in the Company's audited financial statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2016 and the unaudited financial statements and MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2017 on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. The actual results or performance by the Company could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements relating to those matters. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what impact they will have on the results of operations or financial condition of the Company. Except as required by law, the Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, alter or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Atlantic Gold Corp.
The severe shortage of parking space in Chinese cities will make sharing service the next big investment opportunity in China, said a white paper on the development of parking industry jointly issued by Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute and the China Urban Public Transport Association recently.

In recent years, the increasing number of vehicles in China has led to severe shortage of parking space across the country. The white paper said Beijing had a total of 5.48 million vehicles in 2016, with only 1.93 million parking spaces.

According to statistics released by Chinas National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country now faces a shortage of over 50 million parking spaces. The norm in richer countries is 1.3 spaces per car. However, in Chinas biggest cities, the ratio is 0.8. Smaller cities have just 0.5 spaces per car.

Cities like Beijing and Wuhan have established automated parking systems, but the result has not been very satisfactory. A Beijing resident, Li Cunxi, told Workers Daily that automated parking spaces often charge more, and the experience is not very good since it takes much time to get the vehicles. In addition, the systems maintenance and repair costs are also high.

It was learnt that many enterprises have already invested in parking space-sharing services. According to the white paper, Chinas total expenditure on parking stood at 400 billion RMB ($59.14 billion), and investment in the industry added up to 1.7 billion RMB in 2016.

By the end of 2016, more than 2,100 parking lots in Shanghai were providing space-sharing services.

The aim is to increase the utilization of parking spaces through users geographical locations. Owners of parking spots can share their spaces on the mobile application when they are empty in order to increase their income and facilitate the task for car owners.

The service enables users to have a clear picture of empty parking spaces close to them, said He Yuefeng, general manager of a parking space sharing company in Shanghai.

In addition, smart services such as automatic sensing and smart payment also facilitate parking space-sharing.

An insider predicted that the industry enjoys huge potentials, given the current less-than-50 percent utilization of parking spaces in the country.

Li Junhui, professor with China University of Political Science and Law, said the service will to some extent relieve the shortage of parking space. But he believes that outdated parking hardware and the present limited number of shared spaces hinder development of the industry.
Ex post facto.It's a fancy legal term for a law that seeks to punish someone after the fact. It is a big no-no, banned by the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions.For years, defense lawyers have bristled that the state's latest sex offender registration law does just that. And this week, the state Supreme Court agreed, in a closely watched ruling that will have sweeping impact.At issue is the 2012 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, commonly called SORNA, which was enacted by a nearly unanimous legislature. It expanded the number of crimes that require someone to register as a sex offender or face arrest, and lengthened the amount of time most must do so.When lawmakers approved the statute, they applied the new rules not only to future cases, but looking backward, to those that had already been decided. That forced a raft of ex-convicts to register for the first time, or to register for longer than they would otherwise have.Those retroactive provisions violate the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions and cannot stand, the state's highest court declared Wednesday. The ruling was heralded by civil libertarians and criticized by prosecutors and victims' advocates.The decision, authored by Justice Kevin Dougherty, represented a departure from previous Pennsylvania and federal court rulings that have upheld retroactive registration for Megan's Law, finding it passed constitutional muster because its aim is to protect and inform the public, and not punish the offender.But the new law is different, Dougherty wrote, given its more stringent requirements. By increasing the years of registration, requiring routine in-person appearances before state police and publishing more information about an offender online, the rules became punitive in nature, he wrote."The court recognized that sex offender registration in its current form is over-broad, over-inclusive and has limited value in the way it is run," said Aaron Marcus, an attorney who represented the Defenders Association of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in the case."It says what a lot of people for a long time have known: Sex offender registration is a punishment," Marcus said.Marcus estimated that 4,000 to 4,500 offenders were retroactively forced to register for longer periods of time under the law. Given the ruling, those people are entitled to relief, he said.Before the new rules took effect four and a half years ago, about 12,000 people were listed on the state Megan's Law website, which publishes sex offenders' photos, addresses and other information. Today, 21,298 offenders are listed.Under the new law, offenders fall into three tiers of registration: 15 years, 25 years and life. Before, registration was either for 10 years or life.Ryan Tarkowski, a spokesman for the state police, which administers the website, said the state is reviewing the ruling. He called it "a complex decision" that will "undoubtedly impact" the registry, though he could not estimate the number of names that may be removed.Pennsylvania Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm called the ruling disheartening, saying survivors of sexual assault rely on the registry for peace of mind."For the victim out there whose rapist is released, I know where he's living. ... I know that he's switched jobs," Storm said. "It empowers them with this information so they know that they can avoid them."The ruling involved the Cumberland County case of Jose M. Muniz, who was convicted in 2007 of indecent assault for groping a 12-year-old girl. Muniz fled the state before sentencing and wasn't apprehended until 2014, when he was arrested in Rhode Island.At the time of the offense, Muniz's crime required him to register for 10 years. But under SORNA, he was required to register for life, a provision he challenged.Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said his office is evaluating the scope of the ruling and its impact on local cases. He was critical of the decision."It flies in the face of what the legislature intended," Martin said.Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Kulik predicted the ruling will affect "a number of people" prosecuted at the courthouse in Easton, though she said exactly how many is unknown.Among them may be 41-year-old Shawn C. Williams of Easton, who is serving 8 1/4 to 30 years in state prison after being found guilty in 2016 of failing to register as a sex offender.Williams insists he was under no such mandate when he was sentenced in 1998 for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl, for which he spent a decade in prison. His lawyer, James Brose, has challenged Williams' registration requirements as a retroactive punishment, and he welcomed the Supreme Court's decision."It's what they should have done," Brose said. "I thought the rulings in the past were skewed."Another local defense attorney, Philip Lauer, said sex offender registration carries a stigma that can make it difficult to find a job or housing."It pretty much ends your ability to function in any way in society," Lauer said. "The way this actually works is that you create such a pariah in the community that this person simply can't function."The court's decision wasn't unanimous. Chief Justice Thomas Saylor said he would have allowed the rules to apply retroactively."Accordingly, I respectfully dissent, as I believe that SORNA does not impose punishment and, thus, does not violate either the federal or state constitutions' ex post facto clauses," Saylor wrote.
Attorneys general from 20 states invoked the memory of a conservative icon, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to make a case that President Donald Trump should defend nearly a million young immigrants who could soon be back in line for deportation.The group of Democratic attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, pulled from the legal opinions of one of the most ideologically conservative justices _ and one of Trump's favorites _ to urge the administration to defend the Obama-era deferred action program, known as DACA.By invoking Scalia, the Democratic coalition appears to be attempting to reach Trump on another, more personal level. Even before Trump was elected, he repeatedly vowed to fill the Supreme Court vacancy with someone "in the mold" of Scalia. Trump once joked the best solution was for Scalia to be reincarnated.The DACA program, which protects some 800,000 young immigrants known as "Dreamers," is under imminent threat because of a court challenge from Texas and nine other states."DACA is consistent with a long pattern of presidential exercises of prosecutorial discretion that targeted resources in a constitutional manner," the Democratic attorneys general wrote. "Indeed, as Justice Antonin Scalia recognized in a 1999 opinion, the Executive has a long history of 'engaging in a regular practice ... of exercising (deferred action) for humanitarian reasons or simply for its own convenience.'"The Democratic coalition is twice the size of the 10-state group pressing the Trump administration to phase out the controversial program put in place in 2012 after a congressional effort to pass the DREAM Act failed. That group is led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.The Trump administration has until Sept. 5 to decide whether to rescind the program or face a court challenge by the states.Trump's top immigration official, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that the fate of the deferred action program will likely be determined by the courts, perhaps as soon as September, and that attorneys he's consulted with do not think the program is legally sustainable.In their letter, the Democratic attorneys general explain how DACA has benefited their states and urge the president not to "capitulate" to Paxton's demands. Becerra refutes Paxton's arguments threatening litigation, saying they are "wrong as a matter of law and policy.""Challenges have been brought against the original DACA program, including in the Fifth Circuit, but none have succeeded," Becerra wrote.
Alaska Downgraded Again and Again

What's Causing Lower Income Tax Revenue?

Congress Meddles in State Attempts to Tax Online Sales -- Again

Just weeks after it passed yet another budget that relied on rainy day savings, Alaska was downgraded by two credit ratings agencies.First came Moodys Investors Service, which downgraded Alaska to Aa3, citing the state's continued inability to address structural fiscal challenges and come up with a complete fiscal plan. Just days later, S&P Global Ratings dropped its rating to AA. Like Moodys, S&P chastised Alaska lawmakers: A reliance on reserves, S&P analyst Timothy Little said, coupled with the state's economic contraction since 2012 and the fallout of oil prices in mid-2015, have reached an [unsustainable] level."The downgrades, while not good news, should come as no surprise. Last month, S&P outright warned officials that it would downgrade the state if the governor and legislature failed to pass a sustainable budget that fully addressed its massive decline in oil revenues.Now, Alaska has punted its budget problems into the next fiscal year. But in six months, when lawmakers reconvene to draft the fiscal 2019 budget, they can't lean on rainy day fund to fix the problem. There is no longer enough money in the account to cover the next projected budget shortfall. Weve seen what happens when state leaders back themselves into a corner. Illinois , anyone? Let's hope it won't take Alaska two years to fix their budget mess.Total state income tax revenue was down 4 percent in April compared to the previous year, a new report from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government has found. Of the 41 states with broad-based income taxes, 24 experienced declines. Regionally, states in the Great Lakes and the Rocky Mountains fared the best, with modest income tax revenue increases.Meanwhile, tax declines were largest in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states.Although many states had forecasted declines in April and May, they were worse than expected. On average, the institute reports, states during those months collected 6.4 percent less in income tax revenue than anticipated.The big unknown here isthe tax returns are lagging this year. The reports authors, Donald Boyd and Lucy Dadayan, pose two possibilities.The first: "The Trump Effect" caused people to shift income out of 2016 in anticipation that President Trump would lower income tax rates in 2017. If this is the case, Boyd and Dadayan write, "state income tax revenue would grow more strongly next year.The second possibility is that the economy is getting weaker. Over the past year, the Rockefeller data show that withholding income taxes has grown slower than is typical. That could mean that wages are not as high as economic data suggest.In the coming week, a Congressional subcommittee will hold a hearing on the No Regulation Without Representation Act of 2017, a bill aimed at stopping states from taxing online purchases. The bill comes as states over the past year have launched a coordinated effort for the right to tax all online purchases made by their residents, regardless of where the seller is located. The motivation? Capturing new revenue in an economy where revenue growth has been frustratingly slow. By some estimates, states are collectively missing out on more than $23 billion annually in potential online sales tax revenue.South Dakota has led the way with legislation that is now held up in a lawsuit brought by catalogand other online retail interests. The suit is pending before the State Supreme Court and is expected to ultimately be decided by theU.S. Supreme Court. If the ruling finds in South Dakotas favor, it would overturn a 1992 decision that said only companies with a physical presence in the state are required to remit sales taxes.The announcement of the July 25 hearing on House bill H.R. 2887 drew immediate support from the catalog industry. American Catalog Mailers Association President Hamilton Davison issued a statement accusing rogue states of targeting out-of-state businesses to comply with onerous tax collection regimes that ran afoul to Supreme Court precedent."The main reason South Dakota decided to entice a legal challenge with its online sales tax law is because for the past decade, Congress has refused to decide on the policy itself.Whats even more frustrating for state and local lawmakers is this issue seems to be a partisan one at the federal level. But its a bipartisan issue for everyone else. In 2013, both red and blue states hopes were buoyed when the then-majority Democratic U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which allowed states to collect sales tax on all online purchases by their residents. But the bill died in a Republican-controlled House committee, which refused to hold a hearing on it. (The sponsor of this years No Regulation Without Representation Act is a Republican.)
(TNS) - A lot of things have changed for firefighters in the last 112 years, but the need for learning has remained the same."The day you stop learning is the day that you stagnate," said Lafourche Fire District 1 President Gary Foret.Foret was one of about 500 firefighters from all over the state who gathered at the Houma Civic Center Thursday to kick off the 112th Annual Louisiana State Firemen's Association Conference."This is a wonderful event," Foret said. "It travels from city to city year after year. Firemen from all over the state of Louisiana come to this event."Hosted by the Chackbay Volunteer Fire Department, the long-running conference features workshops, presentations, networking and training opportunities and comradery for the men and women who dedicate their lives to battling fires and serving the community, said Chris Boudreaux, president of the Louisiana State Firemen's Association and Chackbay Volunteer Fire Department chief."We're not only offering firefighting courses but classes on stress management," Boudreaux said. "There are always things changing that we deal with on a day-to-day basis like building codes being upgraded. This event presents an opportunity to stay up to date with those changes."Montegut Fire Department Chief Toby Henry said his department participates in the conference every year."There are classes that provide new techniques and vendors showing off new technology," Henry said. "It's all about education. It puts everyone in the state on the same page because we're all having the same conversations."Houma Fire Department training officer Mark Stevenson said the conference offered invaluable networking opportunities."This is an event where we get together and share ideas," he said. "From small departments to big departments, they come in with topics that fit any sized department. This also brings experts from around the country. Techniques and things change, so it's good to get outside of Shreveport or Lafayette to learn the different techniques."The conference also benefits smaller fire departments that don't have the funds necessary to travel to other states, Stevenson said."Vendors are able to show off their displays, which contain things that some departments wouldn't be able to see," Stevenson said. "Smaller departments can't make a trip to Alabama to go look at equipment, so the vendors bring that equipment down here."The money vendors pay to rent booth space helps offset the cost of the conference, Foret said.Bayou Cane Fire Protection District Chief Ken Himel, who served as the conference's keynote speaker Thursday, reminded attendees to have fun at the event but not forget why they were there."Attend the classes, visit the hospitality rooms and meet with the vendors," he said. "But remember why you're here. Use the time to network with your colleagues across the state. Being a volunteer firefighter is more than just volunteering your time. It's a passion. It's a calling. Whether you're career or volunteer, it's the same calling."According to its website, the Louisiana State Firemen's Association works to promote the best interest of all firemen across the state by championing new legislative measures concerning firefighters, advocating for better training, acquiring new memberships, exchanging ideas and keeping abreast with new training techniques.The organization consists of about 350 fire departments and more than 12,000 members across the state.--Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 857-2202 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter@DanVCopp.2017 The Houma Courier, La.Visit The Houma Courier, La. at www.houmatoday.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) - Hawaii is rolling out a preparedness plan in the unlikely event that North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Aloha State.The public education campaign will emphasize steps to be taken on short notice, according to state officials, because a North Korean ICBM would arrive in just 20 minutes, leaving just 12 to 15 minutes to warn the populace.We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards. We dont know the exact capabilities or intentions of the North Korean government, but there is clear evidence that it is trying to develop ballistic missiles that could conceivably one day reach our state. Therefore, we cannot wait to begin our public information campaign to ensure that Hawaii residents will know what to do if such an event occurs, Vern Miyagi, state Emergency Management Agency administrator, said in a release.The plan doesnt mean a return to duck and cover from the 1950s, but it will include school students drilling for evacuation, similar to active shooter scenarios now, officials said.Public service announcements that advise get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned will be aired, according to the state.The tourism industry is not at all happy with the arrival of the campaign, which it fears could spook tourists.Everyones safety in Hawaii is always our top priority. We support the efforts of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prepare for any threat to Hawaiis well-being, be it man-made or a natural disaster, Charlene Chan, director of communications for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said in a statement.However, we also know from speaking to our tourism industry partners that if reports are misinterpreted about the states need to prepare for an attack, this could lead to travelers and groups staying away from Hawaii, she said. The effect of such a downturn would ultimately be felt by residents who rely on tourisms success for their livelihood.Chan added that the threat of a North Korean missile attack on Hawaii is a very remote possibility at this time.State Rep. Matthew S. LoPresti, vice chairman of the House committee on public safety, said he supports the planning effort, which shows that the state is serious about protecting its civilians  even in such an unlikely event as a North Korean strike.LoPresti said it is the responsibility of state government to be prepared, and Hawaii Emergency Management is following through on their promises during this legislative session to update emergency plans and educate the public.This news should not alarm anyone and rather should give comfort to residents and visitors alike that the state is looking out for their well-being, LoPresti said in a release.State officials say they want to get out ahead of North Koreas goose-stepping march toward greater nuclear capability  even if it would be suicide for leader Kim Jong Un to launch missiles at the United States.Miyagi and Emergency Management Executive Officer Toby Clairmont are expected to unveil more details of the preparedness plan today.North Koreas first and only successful flight test July 3 of an ICBM has some experts asserting that Hawaii now is in range of the missile known as the Hwasong-14.Missile expert John Schilling wrote on the website 38North.org on July 10 that the dust seems to be clearing and the emerging reality is that the North has an unreliable missile that can reach Alaska or Hawaii with a single nuclear warhead, and would be lucky to hit even a city-sized target.With the collapse of the Soviet Union, ICBMs came off Hawaii Emergency Managements threat list of mostly natural hazards in the late 1990s. Terrorism was added.With North Korea emerging as a new threat, Miyagi told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in April that it was time to update previous plans.If you were to ask me what is the status of North Korea, and is (a missile attack) a high probability, no, its a low probability, Miyagi, a retired Army two-star general who served at U.S. Pacific Command as a senior adviser, said at the time. But then, so, we have to keep a lookout for that (threat). Thats why were talking about updating the plan. Its an awakening, he added.Miyagi at the time said North Korea could be developing a 10-kiloton warhead capability. For comparison, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons.Hawaii Emergency Management is an all-hazards agency, so the point is, whether its nuclear events, whether its hurricane or tsunami, the same thing that we need to get out to the folks is that they need to have a plan, he said.That includes coordinating with family members on meeting spots and communication when and if usual methods are disrupted.Know where to go, know what to do, and know when to do it, Miyagi said.The Defense Department, meanwhile, is working on increased defensive capability for Hawaii, with planning underway for a medium-range radar in the state that could cost $1 billion to better track North Korean missiles.The radar, expected to be in operation by 2023, would be linked to ground-based interceptor missiles in Alaska and California.Consideration also may be given to activating the Aegis Ashore missile defense test site on Kauai for the protection of Hawaii, or placing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile defense battery in Hawaii.Adm. Harry Harris, head of U.S. Pacific Command, said last week that while experts have assessed that North Koreas tested ICBM can reach Hawaii, thats just the missile, and so, you have to mate a nuclear warhead to that missile. I know that Kim Jong Un has stated his intent to do that, and at some point he probably will.Harris said he believes Hawaii needs to have a phased approach for its defense.We have to have a defense-of-Hawaii radar first, and thats in the plan. Thats being funded, and I think its a great thing, he said. And Ive called for a study to determine what the follow-on should be to go with that radar (and) whether it should be an Aegis Ashore or THAAD or some other defense.2017 The Honolulu Star-AdvertiserVisit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) Not so fast, Bay Area.Pittsburgh isn't ready to hand over the keys to self-driving cars yet.In a story published last weekend,boasted that the Bay Area had taken over in the race to develop self-driving cars."For close to a century, vehicles that could drive themselves belonged to a future that forever seemed a few decades away, a jet-pack dream just out of reach. Now the technology is advancing fast enough that many of those developing it predict human-driven cars will be obsolete within a generation," the article stated. "The creative engine for this world-shifting technology, its main laboratory and testing ground, is the Bay Area."Well, Pittsburgh might have a thing or two to say about that.It's important to note that the Bay Area plays an inextricable role in the development of self-driving cars, but Pittsburgh has been its base.Google, arguably, was the first major company to tackle autonomous cars, testing a self-driving Toyota Prius on California freeways in 2009 and later on city streets around its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. But Google's pioneering self-driving efforts were lead by robotics scientists from Carnegie Mellon University, located in the heart of Pittsburgh.Here are five reasons Pittsburgh is and was firmly in control of our self-driving future.1) Pittsburgh was first: Before Sebastian Thrun and Chris Urmson went to Google to work on self-driving cars, they were among the scientists at CMU building cars to drive themselves around campus and nearby parks, like NavLab, an autonomous box truck built in 1986 or ALVINN , a retrofitted Army ambulance built in 1989.And yes, Stanford won the DARPA challenge in 2005, but how hard is it to drive across the desert. CMU won the 2007 version of the challenge, proving its self-driving technology where it counts, on city streets.2) Uber: The San Francisco ride-sharing company looked to Pittsburgh to develop its self-driving cars. In the Steel City, Uber found the expertise and the expert terrain  hills, confusing streets, bad drivers, worse weather  it needed to jump-start its program . Uber's self-driving Ford Fusions and Volvo SUVs offered the public its first chance to ride in a self-driving car. Eric Meyhofer, a former CMU professor, now leads Uber's self-driving car efforts 3) Top talent: Pittsburgh's talent pool is drawing in other self-driving car companies. Argo AI, the company in which Ford will pump $1 billion , is headquartered in Pittsburgh. Aurora Innovation , a self-driving start-up founded by an all-star crew from Tesla, Google and Uber, has an office in Pittsburgh. Delphi is testing in Pittsburgh. And the city is seeing stealthy start-ups pop up.4) Support system: Carnegie Robotics continues to build sensors and cameras to help computers see better. Edge Case Research does cutting edge software testing for the programs that power the cars. Pittsburgh's booming tech scene is full of companies working to make driverless cars better.5) The future: Who knows what's happening deep in the halls and basements of CMU and University of Pittsburgh or even in the classrooms of area elementary, middle and high schools. What we know is that whatever those students are doing, it's pushing the boundaries in robotics, computer vision, deep learning and self-driving tech.Rivalry aside, when can I get my hands on a self-driving car? This commute is killing me.
(TNS) -- Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk lit up the Twitterverse Thursday with a series of tweets indicating that he received the go-ahead for an ultrafast underground hyperloop transit system that would connect New York City to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D. C. in under 30 minutes.Not so fast, said Philadelphia city officials.The city of Philadelphia has not had any contact with Musk on this issue, and a spokesman said he wasn't sure what Musk meant when he referred to "verbal government approval" for the project."There would be numerous hurdles for this unproven 'hyperloop' technology before it can become a reality," stated Mike Dunn, deputy communications director.Ditto for other cities."I'm completely unaware of any request to the District government to permit or review anything related to an Elon Musk project." Leif Dormsjo, director of the District's Department of Transportation, told the Washington Post."This is news to City Hall," a spokesman for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told the Post.Musk's tweet does not address how passengers would board and embark in dozens of stops and still make the trip in 29 minutes.The Boring Company, founded by Musk in 2016, is a tunneling firm that has only recently tested its first prototype in the Nevada desert, according to TechCrunch."To solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic, roads must go 3D, which means either flying cars or tunnels," the company states. "Unlike flying cars, tunnels are weatherproof, out of sight and won't fall on your head."Skeptics weighed in on the East Coast hyperloop idea immediately.Musk has long been pushing toward a tunnel project in Los Angeles. The traffic makes him crazy, he says.He described a system that would use an electric sled or skate to transport people or cars at high speeds through a series of multi-layered subterranean tunnels, as explained by Business Insider.A White House spokesman told Bloomberg Technology that the administration has had "promising conversations to date" with Musk and Boring Company executives. The administration stated it is "committed to transformative infrastructure projects, and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector," the story reported.
(TNS) -- San Diegos Brain Corp, the maker of self-driving technology used in supermarket floor cleaning robots, said Wednesday that it has raised $114 million in a third round of venture capital funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund.The deal is the largest single amount of venture money raised by a San Diego start-up so far this year, and highlights the potential that investors see in artificial intelligence and robotics technologies.Qualcomm Ventures, which was Brain Corps original backer, also participated in the funding round. Founded in 2009, Brian Corp was housed inside Qualcomms research lab for several years. The wireless technology giant maintains a seat on Brain Corps board of directors.Brain Corp said its plans to port its BrainOS technology  which combines low cost sensors with hardware and software to control robots -- onto Qualcomms Snapdragon mobile platform to power a new generation of consumer robots that will be able to clean, sort and do other functions around homes and offices.For now, Brain Corps main product is EMMA, which stands for Enabling Mobile Machine Automation. Tested in Jimbos groceries around San Diego and introduced last year at the Industrial Sanitary Supply Trade Show in Chicago, EMMA enables robots to clean floors in large buildings, such as big box retailers, schools and airports.EMMA robots resemble industrial-sized scooters. Brain Corp has loaded EMMA with sensors, cameras, 4G LTE connectivity and algorithms that allow it to learn its route around a store while avoiding boxes, people and other obstacles that pop up along the way."Brain is developing truly ground-breaking technology that transforms manually operated machines into autonomous robots," said Masayoshi Son, chief executive of SoftBank Group Corp. "Brain's team is at the forefront of creating the future and a more convenient way of life through technology. We are confident in their success and look forward to seeing them realize their vision."The company has previously raised about $11 million and has a staff of around 40 workers, including 15 Ph.Ds. The centerpiece of Brain Corps technology is its proprietary operating system that integrates with off-the-shelf hardware and sensors to provide a low cost brain for robots.BrainOS includes computer vision and artificial intelligence libraries to speed up robots abilities to learn their environment, even in a cluttered retail store or industrial building.The company is partnering with makers of manually operated industrial floor clearing machines to embed its BrainOS artificial intelligence technology into their cleaners. It sells the technology as a subscription service.At Brain, we believe tomorrows robots will be intelligent autonomous machines that take care of us, said Brian Corp Chief Executive Eugene Izhikevich. Such robots will be as commonplace as computers and mobile phones are today. This funding will allow us to accelerate our mission, and we look forward to collaborating with the SoftBank Vision Fund as a long-term strategic partner.Qualcomm Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs said Brain Corps EMMA technology is already improving performance and reducing costs, generating real benefits for their customers and real
Agile in Action

Leaving 8 to 5 Behind

Help Wanted

Location, Location, Location

Prepping the Pipeline

The Door Is Open

Government CIOs across the board are being forced to confront the retirement wave thats about to decimate their ranks. But does the next generation of IT pros want the jobs their parents and grandparents are leaving behind?We hit the streets of Sacramento, Calif., to ask young tech talents poised to take over the workforce whether they would go to work for government , and took that feedback to state CIOs gathered in late April for the NASCIO Midyear Conference. Here's what they said.Montana CIO Ron Baldwin has a son whos a millennial. He had a stint in government for a little over a year and then moved on, Baldwin said. He has some of the same comments, some of the same frustrations, so I understand it from a personal perspective.In Montana, at least part of the solution lies in agile development methodologies, used by Baldwins 50-strong team of application developers. Youre not just a programmer thats sitting in a cubicle in a dark area somewhere, never talking to someone all day, but rather youre in a team environment, youre exchanging ideas. Its dynamic; its inspiring, he said.Nebraska CIO Ed Toner also pointed to agile as a powerful tool in millennial recruitment. Hes got a partnership with a local community college thats bringing in interns who are learning agile in school and using it to run the states enterprise content management (ECM) system. And theyve never used agiles forefather  waterfall development. These same interns go back to their campuses to spread the word and bring in the next wave of talent for the ECM and other areas.They just sit down with their peers and they say, This is what I enjoy about working for the state, this is the freedom Im being given at the state. Heres some of the applications we use at the state, heres some of the things that were actually doing, Toner explained. The group, just down a flight of stairs from Toners fourth-floor office, has logged more than 20,000 development hours to date.CIOs embracing agile seem to have instilled a culture of flexibility in their organizations  a quality young tech workers would likely appreciate.Lets all be flexible here. Lets know that this is the 21st century, we have the ability to be a virtual team. We can Skype into a meeting, we can participate effectively that way, Baldwin said. If we bring those things together, I think we will continue to advance the workforce in government where it can attract  it will attract  a more modern workforce.In Wyoming, CIO Tony Young (formerly deputy chief of staff to Gov. Matt Mead) said hed recently lost a handful of staff members to companies with remote work policies. While the state does offer telecommuting in some cases, he acknowledges that theres room for improvement. Personnel policies need to adapt to enable government to be more competitive with what the private sector can offer, he said. Were doing the best we can to move that forward.Telework proved to be the solution to space constraints faced by CIO James Collins in Delaware. Rather than augment office space to accommodate more staff, they carefully reviewed job classifications to see which duties didnt necessarily need to be done in the office. If anybody should be moving forward with enabling employees to work from anywhere, anytime, from any device, its us, he said. Now certain employees work remotely on a part- or full-time basis. Space problems? Solved.Many other states offer telework as well  staff who work from their home base in another state, even. Georgia has an entire group within IT that works remotely. Missouris had a remote work pilot in place for several years, according to Acting CIO Rich Kliethermes. We try to use it strategically where we can, he said. Its not just about seeing the back of our employees heads.Washington CIO Michael Cockrill has to contend with the fact that all the major players in Silicon Valley also have offices in Seattle, a mere 60 miles from the state capitol in Olympia.My competition is all using the same language and my job descriptions are: Come and be an ITS4, he said. To say that traditional government job classifications cater to an insider audience is an understatement. Weve spent a lot of time rewriting all of our job descriptions and our job roles and re-baselining those so that we can actually recruit in a way that makes sense to the people that are reading the recruitment, Cockrill added. Hes on the right track. After all, a jobs website is often a prospects first exposure to a potential employer.And once a millennial is entertaining the idea of government work, nothing can kill the idea more quickly than requirements they cant meet. For example, what if they have the necessary education but dont yet have the experience?They would go get all this education or they would come through some accelerated IT training program, and then they couldnt meet our requirements so they couldnt work for us, explained Delawares Collins. His solution was to create a new level of IT position  associate level  that would get those skilled employees in the door to do hands-on work alongside more senior staff.Were growing some talent, and Ill tell you, we have had great results, he said.Something as simple as the physical environment in which work is done can have a profound impact on how employees feel about their job. Some CIOs told us it turns off candidates who visit state IT shops for interviews. The days of the quiet beige cubicle farm may be dwindling.Ed Toners ECM team was given the freedom to make their own decisions about their workspace. They found that a more open environment was more conducive to the collaborative nature of their agile development process. They knocked down all the walls, they put themselves into pods, he said.Washingtons workforce efforts include a handful of experiments with strict performance measures in place to assess impacts. Once such pilot granted freedom to employees to design a better workspace, transitioning from a traditional cubicle setup to an alternative arrangement that includes desks, a lounge area, a whiteboard table with raised chairs  a total of five different spaces in all for 12 employees within an area that used to accommodate eight cubicled employees.Aside from the startup feel evoked by the new arrangement, the state is measuring tangible results like the impact on repetitive stress injuries, collaboration and productivity.Were spending time running real experiments with the larger goal of bringing in new people, but because its a state environment, you have to prove that youre doing it better  not just Isnt this space cool?Maine CIO Jim Smith is realistic about the changing nature of the workforce. Young people dont tend to remain too long at the organization where they started their career. But the state has an internship program thats helping fill the gaps left by retiring baby boomers  70 percent of interns end up with full-time positions.The era of the lifelong IT career employee is probably over. We think interns will come in and stay for three or four years, but  theyll get such a breadth of experience that theyll get a wonderful jumping off point, Smith said. But even with the shorter tenure, theres value to be gained on both sides. Were learning from them and theyre learning from us, and its actually kind of exciting.Many state IT leaders have established relationships with local colleges and universities in which students can get in on the ground floor of new government initiatives. In Kansas, CITO Phil Wittmer is building a consolidated, cloud-based help desk and hes looking to local institutions to help staff it. Hes hopeful, too, that new transparency and mobile initiatives will help entice the younger generation to consider state government IT work.We think that will be very attractive for some of those folks to come work for government doing some leading-edge things in Kansas, he said.State CIOs bristle a bit at the accusation that theres no place for new ideas in government. In fact, most are actively working against the stereotype. Colorado Deputy CIO Brenda Berlin described rapid innovation projects in the state, where a contest encourages staff to bring forward ideas for improvements.As for innovation, Utahs Mike Hussey offers an open invitation. If they have some thoughts on how we might improve, I would always be a listening ear to hear what people have to say, he said. Come on in sometime and well show you around and show you the great things were doing.
(TNS)  Fear that the federal government may crack down on legalized marijuana has forced cannabis stores to rid themselves of any data that could be used to identify customers.Under Senate Bill 863, the state now prohibits pot stores from recording, retaining or transferring any customer information."We had to purge our entire database," said Brie Malarkey, owner of Breeze Botanicals in Gold Hill and Ashland. "It was tough. We had a lot of people upset. They wanted to know where all loyalty points went."Malarkey said customers who wanted to get back into a tracking system have to sign opt-in forms that contain only a limited amount of information.Many stores kept information about previous sales on file, which could be useful for repeat purchasers. Stores are still required to check identification to make sure customers are 21 or older.The bill was sponsored by Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, who included an emergency clause that made the bill take effect immediately, after the federal government started making noise about cracking down on states that legalized marijuana."I think the takeaway is that we needed a defensive game, a just-in-case strategy," said Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland.She said the Legislature also took steps to make it easier to suspend the licenses of stores or their personnel if they were engaged in illegal activity, including sending cannabis to the black market."We wanted to show the feds we've taken every step we possibly can to show that people that are involved in the pot business are doing so legally, and we're providing the proper oversight."Senate Bill 1057 requires medical cannabis producers, processors, wholesalers and medical dispensaries to follow the same seed-to-sale tracking of products as the recreational industry, which is overseen by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.The bill seeks to prevent any diversion of marijuana products into the black market by creating an anonymous database that tracks medical marijuana.By cleaning up cannabis rules and regulations, the state may be a more difficult target for the federal government, she said. The feds still list marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, in the same category as heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote."We don't want to inspire them to come after us," Marsh said. "We are trying to play it as conservatively as we can."U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been a frequent critic of the Obama administration's decision to take a hands-off approach to state marijuana programs.Marijuana is now legal either medically or recreationally in 29 states and the District of Columbia.Malarkey said she is concerned that the federal government could choose to make an example of legally operating marijuana enterprises in Oregon. She said it would be easy to go after law-abiding stores that pay tax money. Her stores employs 40 people, she said."Hopefully they won't go after us, but instead go after the cartels," Malarkey said. "In life, you do the best you can and put one foot in front of the other."
(TNS)  Police and prosecutors in Baltimore have launched investigations after being alerted to body camera footage that the public defenders office says shows an officer planting drugs.One officer has been suspended and two others have been placed on administrative duty, police said. Police said they have not reached any conclusions as to the conduct depicted in the video. Other cases in which the officers are involved are now under review as well, police and prosecutors said.The public defenders office, which released the footage, said it was recorded by an officer during a drug arrest in January. It shows the officer placing a soup can, which holds a plastic bag, into a trash-strewn lot.That portion of the footage was recorded automatically, before the officer activated the camera. After placing the can, the officer walks to the street, and flips his camera on.Im gonna go check here, the officer says. He returns to the lot and picks up the soup can, removing the plastic bag, which is filled with white capsules.Police cameras have a feature that saves the 30 seconds of video before activation, but without audio. When the officer is first in the alley, there is no audio for the first 30 seconds.The public defenders office flagged the video for prosecutors last week, prompting prosecutors to drop the heroin possession charge against the man arrested.The man, unable to post $50,000 bail, had been in jail since January, according to attorney Deborah Levi, who is leading a new effort to track police misconduct cases for the public defenders office.Levi said prosecutors called the officer just days later as a witness in another case  without disclosing the allegations of misconduct on the officers part to the defense attorney in that case.You cant try a case with that guy and not tell anyone about it, Levi said.The Baltimore states attorneys office defended its handling of the case in a statement late Wednesday. After being alerted to the video, the office said, it immediately implemented established protocols to not only refer this matter to the internal affairs division of the Baltimore Police Department but began identifying active cases involving these officers.It did not dispute Levis claim that prosecutors had put the officer back on the stand in another criminal case after being alerted to the video.Melba Saunders, a spokeswoman for the office, said prosecutors are looking into the video, which she called troubling. The office did not respond to questions about the case and its handling of it.The footage, which garnered national attention Wednesday, comes as prosecutors and police continue to deal with the fallout from the federal indictment of seven members of an elite police gun squad.Those officers are accused of robbing citizens, filing false court paperwork and claiming overtime they had not earned.Prosecutors have since dropped dozens of cases that depended on those officers testimony.The officer in the body camera footage was identified by the public defenders office as Officer Richard Pinheiro.Pinheiro could not be reached for comment Wednesday. City records show he was hired by the department in 2011, and in 2016 earned a salary of $62,676, with a net income of $67,570. Officers in Baltimore routinely earn overtime pay.Two other officers seen in the video observing Pinheiro are Officers Hovhannes Simonyan and Jamal Brunson, according to public defender and court records obtained by The Baltimore Sun.The public defender working the case first alerted prosecutors last week, the public defenders office said. Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said police only learned of the video over the last day or so.Davis said his department has not reached any conclusions, because thats what an investigation is for. But he noted  and released portions of  other body-worn camera videos from the incident in question that he said provided other perspectives than the one provided in the video flagged by the public defenders office.To let that initial video that was released by the public defender's office stand all by its lonesome I think doesn't paint as clear of a picture as we would like to offer to the community right now, he said.The Baltimore Police Department released multiple body-worn camera videos from a January drug arrest that allegedly shows an officer placing a bag of drugs in a trash strewn lot. (Baltimore Police Department)Davis said officers were conducting surveillance of an area known for drug dealing when they observed an exchange. The department released three additional videos: one of a traffic stop of the alleged buyer of drugs in the exchange; one of the arrest of the suspect of the case in a convenience store; and a third of multiple officers searching the backyard lot featured in the video flagged by the public defenders office. Davis said the officers found drugs in each of the other three videos: on both the buyer, on the seller, and in the backyard. The drugs found in the backyard in the third video were in a knotted bag, he said.If I'm engaged in the distribution of drugs, I'll probably have two bags: one with a knot at the top, and one that's unknotted at the top that allows me access to the drugs inside the bag so I can easily retrieve them and then sell or distribute them, Davis said. So when these experienced detectives found a bag with a knot at the top, that suggested to them that there's probably an un-knotted bag nearby, because the drug dealers won't unknot and then re-knot a bag every time they go retrieve drugs from it to distribute.Davis said police were investigating whether the video flagged by the public defenders office showed the officer re-creating his discovery of the second, un-knotted bag of drugs.It's certainly a possibility that we're looking into, to see if the officers in fact replaced drugs that they had already discovered in order to document their discovery with their body-worn cameras on, he said.Lt. Gene Ryan, president of the local police union that represents rank-and-file officers, urged people not to jump to conclusions.Everyone needs to take a deep breath, take a step back, and let the investigation run its course, he said. First impression, it doesnt look good. But thats not the complete investigation. Theres going to be a lot more done to get to the bottom of what really happened.The public defenders office said the states attorneys office needs to do more in response to the discovery of the video. It said in a statement that the officer seen handling the plastic bag in the video is a witness in 53 other active cases. The other two officers in the video also are listed as witnesses in pending cases, the office said.David Rocah, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Maryland, said that even a faked recreation of officers finding the untied bag of drugs would still be potentially criminal and should be a violation of police rules.Rocah criticized the states attorneys office for the total lack of any apparent systemic response to the incident, including putting the officer on the stand in another case after the video was flagged.Rocah said it was insane that state laws that bar the disclosure of disciplinary records for police officers would prevent the public from seeing the results of the Police Departments investigation or knowing how it punished the officers internally.Rocah also said there is zero reason to trust any video or any statement from any of these officers given what was clearly observable in the video flagged by the public defenders office.So even if it is indeed true that they simply staged a re-creation of finding the drugs, these officers have not only destroyed their own credibility, they have single-handedly destroyed the credibility of every piece of video where BPD officers find contraband without a clear lead-in that negates the possibility of it being staged, Rocah said. "Thats quite a days work.Levi said in the statement that officers should not be able to turn their cameras on and off.Officer misconduct has been a pervasive issue at the Baltimore Police Department, which is exacerbated by the lack of accountability. Levi said. We have long supported the use of police body cameras to help identify police misconduct, but such footage is meaningless if prosecutors continue to rely on these officers, especially if they do so without disclosing their bad acts.The Police Department conducted more than 250 inspections of body camera videos last year to assess compliance by officers with the rules governing the technology, according to records obtained by The Baltimore Sun under a Public Information Act request.The inspectors found many officers were using the devices appropriately, but others were violating the rules  often because they failed to record. Officers saved 3,290 recordings from arrests, car stops, field interviews and other incidents, out of 3,441 incidents in which recordings were mandatory, the inspections found.Inspectors forwarded 47 videos to internal affairs for further review of possible officer misconduct, according to the records. Those incidents were not described but included relatively minor infractions  such as an officer cursing at a person on the street, officials said.Officers are supposed to start recording at the initiation of a call for service or other activity or encounter that is investigative or enforcement-related in nature, and during any other confrontational encounters. They can also stop recording under certain circumstances, such as when civilians request to not be recorded in encounters with officers and during exchanges with confidential informants.
(TNS) Starting this month, passengers on some international flights from O'Hare airport have been getting their pictures taken before boarding as part of a new U.S. security program that utilizes facial-recognition technology.The program, run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, aims to ensure the right person is getting on an international flight. The technology measures facial features, such as the distances between the eyes, nose and ears. Federal officials say it aids security and could eventually save passengers time, but privacy advocates have expressed concerns about its expanded use.The program is part of a year-old, ongoing test of the use of facial-recognition biometric technology, started under the Obama administration, that also has been deployed at Washington Dulles International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, with future deployments planned for more airports this summer.The airport tests are a way to show airlines and other airport stakeholders how the face-scanning technology works, according to Jennifer Gabris, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection.The reason for testing the technology is to aid a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that tracks non-U.S. citizens. Since 2004, the department has collected fingerprints and photos from non-U.S. citizens before they enter the United States as part of counter-terrorism efforts.It has been more difficult to check on departures of foreign travelers, according to Customs and Border Protection. Face-scanning technology is a quick way to confirm that someone is exiting the country, Gabris saidThe Department of Homeland Security said the program is a way to better track people who overstay their visas and also to tighten security. U.S. citizens also are scanned, so airlines don't need to haveseparate boarding processes for citizens and noncitizens, Gabris said.Beforegetting on a plane, passengers stop at a small station to have their boarding passes scanned and their pictures taken, Customs and Border Protection agents demonstrated on Wednesday. Travelers over the age of 14 and under the age of 79 are required to participate.The live photos are electronically compared to the travel document photo the passenger already has on file with the airline, such as a visa or passport photo. This process takes a few seconds. Once their identities are confirmed, passengers proceed to their gate, show their boarding pass and passport to an airline employee, and get on their plane. This is currently being done once daily at O'Hare  an American Airlines flight departing from Terminal 3 for London.If the person photographed is a U.S. citizen, the photo is discarded within two weeks, Gabris said. She said the face scans confirm what is already being checked manually by airport security officials  who compare passengers' passport photos to their faces.At O'Hare on Wednesday, several passengers  all U.S. citizens  waiting to board the London flight told the Tribune they had no problem with the face scan if it boosts security."I'd rather be inconvenienced than dead," said Linda Long, 68, of South Whitley, Ind. She was traveling with a church group to England and Ireland.Another passenger, the Rev. Dominic Lenk, 57, a Benedictine priest from St. Louis, said: "I have no issue with it. If it makes us safer, it's great." He noted that you go through the same process on return trips to this country.Gabris said the face-scan technology could eventually reduce the amount of times travelers have to present travel documents throughout the airports.Delta and JetBlue airlines have announced that they will be working with Customs and Border Protection to integrate face scans as part of the boarding process. Delta is testing the technology at John F. Kennedy International and Hartsfield-Jackson International airports, while JetBlue is testing it at Boston's Logan International Airport. Using face scans, JetBlue passengers can self-board without scanning a boarding pass at the gate, the airline said in a news release.Privacy advocates have expressed skepticism about the program. Harrison Rudolph, a law fellow with the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown University Law Center, said the system could stop a traveler using a doctored passport, but it comes at the expense of travelers' privacy."By collecting travelers' faces and sharing them across different systems, Homeland Security is creating serious risk for mission creep," said Rudolph. "One future possibility might be sharing information collected by these systems with state and local law enforcement; in fact, Homeland Security has reserved the right to do it."Rudolph said the new scanning pilot is being done without congressional authorization. "That isn't how a democracy is supposed to work," he said.Face scans also have practical problems in that they are not always accurate, noted Jay Stanley, a privacy expert for the American Civil Liberties Union."If you're smiling in one photo and and not smiling in another, it might not work," said Stanley, who said that fingerprints are much more accurate. "There is evidence that it is far less reliable for people with darker skin, which raises a prospect of yet another racial injustice in our society."Chief Ralph Piccirilli, Customs and Border Protection public affairs liaison, said that the process is more than 99 percent accurate.
(TNS) - CLEVELAND, Ohio - LinkedIn will work with Northeast Ohio agencies and Cleveland State University to help recruit and retain health information technology employees.The employment social network will work with BioEnterprise, the city of Cleveland, Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga County to provide data, analysis and market research about software developers, data scientists and other computer science positionsSupported by the Cleveland Foundation, the analysis is expected to lead to strategies to find qualified local talent, according to a statement about the initiative. "One of the critical limiting factors to growth in Northeast Ohio's bioscience industry today is the availability of health IT talent," Aram Nerpouni, BioEnterprise president and CEO, said in a statement. "Thriving health IT companies are hindered by the dearth of software developers and data scientists. The LinkedIn project should provide meaningful data and analysis to inform how we address this challenge."With the support of the Cleveland Foundation, BioEnterprise launched HIT in the CLE in 2015 to address the lack of available talent in computer and data science. The project is an important tactic within the larger HIT in the CLE talent strategy, the partners said.LinkedIn will provide Cleveland with information of the skills local employers need, the skills its workers have and the disconnect between the two."The city can use those insights to create a stronger IT talent pipeline, and grow its IT industry," said LinkedIn U.S. Head of Policy Nicole Isaac in a statement.Data provided by BioEnterprise and LinkedIn will be analyzed this summer and a report is expected this fall.
Thirteen wild Asian elephants recently made their way to villagers croplands on several occasions in search of food in Ninger County, southwestern Chinas Yunnan province, China News Service reported on July 19, citing the local forest public security bureau.

A villager called the forest public security bureau when he discovered the elephants eating maize on his farm. And the local police took turns to monitor the elephants to prevent any conflict with villagers.

Fortunately, no villagers were injured during the incursions.
Oracle bone script to be identified (Photo/Beijing Youth Daily)

The National Museum of Chinese Writing announced on July 12 that they are conducting a study on oracle bones characters. People can receive up to 100,000 yuan for identifying new characters and 50,000 yuan per character for new explanations of controversial identifications.

A report by Beijing Youth Daily revealed that the reward is not easy to win. Experts have reached a bottleneck. However, with the application of new technologies, it is possible to identify more ancient characters of shell and bone writings.

According to the announcement, all domestic and international scholars, research teams, and academic institutions that have made recognized achievements in oracle bone script interpretation can participate for a chance to win. Only findings on or after October 28, 2016, are allowed.

Applicants for the reward have to write a report on their findings of oracle bone script. The report should be recommended by two senior specialists before submission. An experts committee organized by the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science in China will make recommendations for the reward based on strict evaluations and identifications. The research findings and authors will receive public opinions for seven days.

According to the National Museum of Chinese Writing, the selection encourages oracle bone script researchers to explore original study results via a combination of traditional methods and modern technologies, including cloud computing and big data. The museum has the right to use all data and information of the findings submitted by the award winners.

Zhu Yanmin, a professor engaged in studies of oracle bone script and the history of the Yin and Shang dynasties at the History College at Nankai University explained that among the 5,000 characters found so far only 1,500 have been identified.

Inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones represent the original characters of the Chinese written language. They date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC).

Identifying oracle bone characters is of great significance in historical studies. For instance, a newly recognized noun or a verb will bring vitality to a large amount of oracle bone scripts, which will help us understand more about the history, said Zhu.
The military exercise held by China and Russia in the Baltic Sea from July 21 to 28 does not target at any third party, a military expert told Global Times after groundless accusations by the West concerning the drill.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also paid more attention to the drill to be held in Europes hinterland.

According to the schedule, the joint military exercises would involve 10 warships, more than 10 fighter jets and helicopters, with the objective to improve their research-and-rescue capability and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries.

Three Chinese warships and Russias flagships will take turns to hold the maneuvers so as to improve the two naval forces during exercises, military expert, Li Jie told Global Times.

According to an anonymous source, the Baltic Sea has been a hotspot since some Baltic countries joined NATO and shrank Russias strategic space. However, the joint China-Russia drill is just a regular activity held every other year and is not aimed at any third party or current situations.

The drill aims to develop Chinas and Russias comprehensive strategic partnership, deepen friendly and pragmatic cooperation between the two armed forces and improve capability to jointly cope with threats to maritime security by ensuring joint rescue and joint protection of maritime economic activities, Chinas Ministry of National Defense said previously.

An observer noted that NATO was friendly to China when the participating fleets passed the North Sea, judging from the message released by NATOs Maritime Command. Chinas use of the North Sea area is lawful and reasonable. NATO probably feels defensive in the face of the joint maneuvers and certainly wishes China-Russia cooperation weakened, the observer said.

China is open to military exchanges with other countries, Li said. China hopes the US will maintain a more open mind during the 2018 Rim of Pacific naval drill, said Shen Jinlong, Chinas naval chief when meeting with Scott Swift, commander of the United States Pacific Fleet.

The forthcoming overseas joint military exercises will the farthest from China for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, the anonymous person told Global Times. Its not only a test of capability for the PLA Navy, but also an embodiment of confidence and power.
Audi is offering its customers in Europe and other marketsoutside of the US and Canadaa retrofit program for cars with EU5 and EU6 diesel engines. A total of up to 850,000 cars worldwide with six-cylinder and eight-cylinder diesel engines (V6/V8 TDI, EU5/EU6) will get new software. This will further improve their emissions in real driving conditions beyond the current legal requirements.

Earlier this week, Daimler announced it was extending its diesel emissions upgrade actions to more than 3 million Mercedes-Benz vehicles. (Earlier post.)

Audi will work in close consultation with Germanys Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). In this way, Audi intends to reduce overall emissions, especially in urban areas. The service also applies to the Porsche and Volkswagen models that are fitted with the same types of engines and will be carried out free of charge for all customers.

Audi aims to maintain the future viability of diesel engines for its customers and to make a contribution towards improving air quality. At the same time, Audi believes that this program will counteract possible bans on vehicles with diesel engines. With their low fuel consumption, diesel engines help to achieve the ambitious CO 2 targets in Europeanother reason why Audi has decided to offer this retrofit program.

For several months, Audi has been intensively examining all diesel concepts for any irregularities. All indications have been investigated and since 2016, all engine and transmission combinations have been systematically reviewed. In doing so, Audi has cooperated closely with the authorities and reported to them, in particular the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).

The overall package consists of voluntary measures, including some that have already been communicated to the authorities and which were considered in their decisions. Audi is aware that the investigations by the KBA have not yet been concluded. If those investigations result in further consequences, Audi will of course quickly implement the required technical solutions as part of this EU5/EU6 retrofit program.
The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has completed the first critical experiment for Ghanas uranium low-enrichment project in miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR), a significant landmark that has been hailed by international organizations.

The project, which focuses on the conversion of the reactor from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium fuel, allows important research to continue while enabling the removal and disposal of highly enriched uranium, eliminating the risk that this weapons-grade material could be stolen or used, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

In accordance with the Five Proposals raised by China President Xi Jinping and the Sino-US Joint Statement reached at the 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in 2016, the project perfectly embodies the international cooperative spirit in nuclear non-proliferation and offers an example for the world in its future along that course, said the CNNC in an official announcement released on July 20.

The successful experiment has been hailed by foreign experts and government officials. Benjamin Nyarko, director general of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, expressed his deep gratitude for Chinese scientists, adding that their efforts should be valued. John Stevens, department manager of Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S., said Chinese research teams have played an important role in the project, while Chinese scientists professionalism and dedication are quite impressive, according to CNNC.

According to NNSA, Ghanas Chinese-origin MNSR is the first reactor of this type to be converted outside of China, establishing this cooperative effort as a model for similar cooperation on future MNSR conversions.
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Dynamic International Airways LLC, a low-cost international charter airline based in High Point, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday.

According to Dynamic, the filing was prompted by recent arbitration judgments against the company.

The bare-bones filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of North Carolina comes about seven weeks after Dynamic lost a legal fight in U.S. District Court for the Middle District.

In its bankruptcy protection filing, Dynamic lists between 200 and 999 creditors; assets between $10 million and $50 million; and liabilities between $50 million and $100 million.

The company projects that money will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors.

The airline plans to continue normal operations and has arranged for a credit facility to fund its operations while it attempts to reorganize out of bankruptcy.

It is not clear how many employees Dynamic has.

Paul Kraus, the companys chief executive, said in a statement that bankruptcy protection will enable us to continue to serve our customers, keep our team employed and work with our vendors while we navigate through the challenges presented.

Among its top-20 unsecured creditors are B.K.P. Enterprises & Expim International of Greensboro, awarded a combined $3.49 million arbitration judgment in December that the company is disputing; and PMC Aviation LLC of Greensboro, awarded a $1.2 million arbitration judgment in April that also is being disputed.

While debtor has filed a notice of appeal and intends to challenge the judgment and award, Dynamic has no immediate recourse to stay the judgment and has determined the commencement of the Chapter 11 case is necessary, the company said in its statement.

Dynamic is arguing in federal court that the judgments have not been fully approved legally. It is challenging the judgments under the International Commercial Arbitration Act.

However, a federal judge dismissed that claim in a May 31 ruling.

The court agrees with plaintiffs that the very filing that Dynamic offers as one of the reasons that this court should dismiss plaintiffs petition or stay these proceeding appears itself to be in direct violation of the rules the parties agreed would govern the arbitration, according to the May 31 ruling.

Dynamics largest unsecured creditor is Air India Inc. at $10.5 million from another arbitration award that Dynamic continues to dispute.

Dynamic said the bankruptcy filing was related primarily to chartered flights it made for Air India in 2014 to Saudi Arabia for hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims.

In April, the Canadian Arbitration Association determined that Dynamic was in breach of contract by failing to pay commissions to B.K.P. Enterprises in connection with the hajj flights.

Dynamics fleet includes six Boeing 767s serving routes that include New York and Ontario, Calif., domestically. International service includes Guyana; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Saipan in Northern Mariana Islands; and Changchun and Nanchang, China.

The aircraft can carry 235 passengers using 21 lie-flat business-class seats and 214 economy-class seats.

In a separate announcement Wednesday, Dynamic said it will offer round-trip charter flights between Ontario, Calif., and Nanchang on Saturdays and Tuesdays for a seven-week period through Aug. 30.

There will be an intermediate stop in Anchorage, Alaska.
U.S. House

Along with roll-call votes over the past two weeks, the House also passed the Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act to provide federal financial assistance to states to implement, review and revise state energy security plans.

ISLAMIC IDEOLOGIES AND TERRORISM: The House rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018 to require the U.S. Defense Department to make two strategic assessments of the use of violent or unorthodox Islamic religious doctrines to support terrorist activity. The vote, on July 14, was 217-208.

Yeas: U.S. Reps. Ted Budd (R-Advance) and Mark Walker (R-Greensboro)

TESTING MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS: The House passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to direct the military to manage its operational test and evaluation process for acquisitions under the U.S. ballistic missile defense system in the same way as its other major weapons systems. The vote, on July 14, was 235-189.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

LAWSUITS BY FOREIGN SAILORS: The House passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to block seamen who are citizens of foreign countries and serve on cruise ships and other passenger vessels registered in foreign countries and operating outside U.S. waters from bringing damage lawsuits against shipowners in U.S. courts. The vote, on July 14, was 234-190.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

2018 MILITARY BUDGET: The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which would authorize $696 billion of funding for the U.S. Defense Department and military construction programs in fiscal year 2018, including overseas combat operations. The vote, on July 14, was 344-81.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

PERMITTING SMALL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS: The House passed a bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican who represents North Carolinas 8th District, that would end the current 5-megawatt cap on electricity capacity of a conduit hydropower plant that can apply for a federal operating license, and streamline permitting of such projects. The vote, on Tuesday, was 420-2.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

REGULATING OZONE EMISSIONS: The House passed the Ozone Standards Implementation Act, which would extend deadlines for states to implement federal standards for ground-level ozone emissions and provide several exemptions under which states can seek relief from having to meet the standards. The vote, on Tuesday, was 229-199.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

PERMITTING CROSS-BORDER ENERGY PROJECTS: The House passed the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act, which would remove a requirement for companies to receive a permit from the president in order to build a pipeline or electric transmission line crossing the U.S. border with Mexico or Canada. The vote, on Wednesday, was 254-175.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

REVIEWING NATURAL GAS PIPELINES: The House passed the Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act, which would establish the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead federal agency coordinating state, federal, and local government reviews of a given proposed natural gas pipeline. The vote, on Wednesday, was 248-179.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

REAUTHORIZING HOMELAND SECURITY: The House passed the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act, which would reauthorize Homeland Security for the first time since its establishment in 2002, and restructure the department by changing and eliminating a variety of its programs. The vote, on Thursday, was 386-41.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

BUILDING ROAD IN ALASKA WILDLIFE REFUGE: The House passed the King Cove Road Land Exchange Act, which would authorize the transfer of 43,000 acres of state-owned land in Alaska to the federal government in exchange for 337 acres of land inside the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to be used to build a gravel road for use by people living in the refuge. The vote, on Thursday, was 248-179.

Yeas: Budd, Walker

U.S. Senate

DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: The Senate confirmed the nomination of Patrick M. Shanahan to serve as deputy secretary of defense. The vote, on Tuesday, was 92-7.

Yeas: U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis (both R-N.C.)

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate confirmed the nomination of John Kenneth Bush to serve as a judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The vote, on Thursday, was 51-47.

Yeas: Burr, Tillis
GREENSBORO  When a summertime trip to the library isnt in the cards, Guilford County Schools wants students to know they have another ace up their sleeves.

Students can access a library of more than 10,000 e-books and 200 audio books from any device with just their birthdate, lunch number and an internet connection. The books work on any device: smartphone, tablet, e-reader or computer.

The school system has been building up its virtual bookshelf since 2014 with a $510,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Itll be using some of the last of that money to add about 400 new titles for the fall, said Tammy Gruer, the school systems media and technology specialist.

From September to May last school year, there were 131,000 checkouts of e-books  that includes both books being checked out for individual purposes or as part of classroom learning. The highest number of checkouts occurred in November, with about 21,000; the least took place in September, with about 9,000.

Summer checkout rates were significantly lower, with slightly less that 4,500 circulations for June, July and August combined in 2016.

On average, Guilford County Schools has higher circulation rates for its print library books than e-books. So even though the school system is getting fanfare for having higher rates of e-book usage than other school systems  and working hard to spread the word  its e-bookshelf remains a bit of a hidden gem, unknown or unfamiliar to a lot of families, Gruer said.

She said she never says e-books are replacement for print books  that thought is a bit horrifying for some parents.

So maybe, she suggested, people should think about it as a substitute for yet another game of Candy Crush or Fruit Ninja Warrior on the smartphone.

Reading a print book, she said, like a picture book with pages to flip and big pictures to point at, is a rich interactive experience. E-books, she said, lack some of that, but they are becoming more interactive over time in a different sense.

On our devices we can still point and touch, and many of our things even come to life in some ways, she said.

She said she is finding that elementary school students are the most enthusiastic about the e-book format and thinks theyll carry that interest with them as they move into middle school.

The e-book selection includes popular leisure reading titles as well as books targeted to the subjects students are learning, such as science and math.

To use the virtual bookshelf, students or parents need to go to www.gofollet.com, select North Carolina and their school, and then click Login in the upper righthand corner of the screen. The logon name is the students ID number, which is also their lunch number, and their password is their date of birth. For example, the birthdate Jan. 7, 2003 would be entered as 01072003.

Selecting the school keeps younger students from reading books with content for older readers. Thats a one-way street though  older students can read books aimed at younger children.

Inside the bookshelf, there are options to search for a particular book or browse based on subject or reading level. Level 1.0-1.9 goes with a first grade reading level, 2.0-2.9 is second grade and so forth.

The bookshelf works like a regular library  a single copy of a book can only be checked out by one reader at a time and books automatically return themselves on their due dates. Some books are popular enough that the school system has multiple copies. Gruer mentioned 39 Clues, Diary of A Wimpy Kid and The Hunger Games series as student favorites.
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WASHINGTON  As a fight brews once more between Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Congressional Democrats, Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for the removal of the department's top civil rights official.

Candice Jackson, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, landed in hot water earlier this month when she told the New York Times that 90 percent of campus sexual assault allegations ``fall into the category of we were both drunk, we broke up, and six months later I found myself under a Title IX investigation because she just decided that our last sleeping together was not quite right.

The remarks, for which Jackson later apologized, came in the midst of DeVos' announcement that she will reevaluate a 2011 letter from the department under then-President Obama _ coined ``Dear Colleague _ which told colleges and universities to use a ``more likely than not standard of evidence when deciding cases of sexual misconduct.

Critics of the letter  including Devos  said it may deprive accused individuals of their right to due process.

Blumenthal, in a joint letter with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., wrote that Jackson's comments were ``ignorant and dangerous.

``Despite the apology, we find it deeply disturbing that the departments chief civil rights officer would perpetuate the false notion that rape is just a drunken encounter or date gone wrong, the senators wrote.

``She seemed unsympathetic to the mission of the office she directs, Blumenthal said in an interview. ``Her comments were unconstructive and unhelpful.

While the focus of the letter hovered over the call to dismiss Jackson, it also highlighted other actions the senators said have undermined the Department's ability to enforce Title IX.

The senators underlined DeVos' refusal to commit to the ``Dear Colleague letter in her January confirmation hearing and also discussed cuts to the departments Office of Civil Rights and changes within the office to limit the scope of sexual assault investigations.

The internal changes, detailed in a leaked memo last month, were made to address a large backlog at the DOE, officials said at the time.

``We are frustrated and appalled by the fact that the department appears to be abandoning its long-standing commitment to holding educational institutions accountable for protecting students from sexual harassment, including sexual violence, the senators said.

The senators also offered to meet with the secretary to discuss issues regarding campus sexual assault prevention in the letter. Blumenthal said they have yet to receive a response.

In 2015, Blumenthals office produced a report based on field hearings held in Connecticut. The report formed part of the basis for legislation introduced by Gillibrand and McCaskill.

Blumenthal said support for the victim and respect for the rights of the accused are not mutually exclusive.

``What is required is thoughtful, sensitive, level-headed analysis that enhances due process but at the same time protects women against sexual assault, Blumenthal said. ``Its a crime that all too often goes unreported.

====

Cayla.harris@hearstdc.com
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NEW FAIRFIELD  A Guatemalan immigrant who is married to a U.S. citizen and has two American-born children faces deportation next month, despite years of effort to obtain legal status.

Joel Colindres, 33, came to the United States without documentation in 2004 and married his wife, Samantha, in 2010. They have a 6-year-old son, Preston, and 2-year-old daughter, Lila.

Colindres said a mix-up with paperwork led him to miss a court date more than a decade ago, ultimately resulting in an order for his removal, which in turn created a barrier to his getting legal status.

Colindres said he learned Thursday his request to stay in the country was denied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration authorities ordered him to buy a one-way ticket to Guatemala, departing on Aug. 17.

Im not too good, but were hanging in there, Colindres said Friday. Were hoping for the best.

In an ongoing case, a Guatemalan woman from Norwalk took refuge in a New Haven church on Thursday to avoid deportation.

Joel Colindres said his life in Guatemala was dangerous  he was held at gunpoint several times and mugged as a teenager. Seeking a better life, he crossed the border into Texas in 2004 and eventually made his way to the New York area.

He is a carpenter and has no criminal record, according to his family and his attorney.

Im scared to go back, he said. Im afraid that Ill be kidnapped or killed and that my kids wouldnt have a father.

Colindres said he would likely be targeted if he returned to Guatemala because he is married to an American woman and would be perceived as someone with money.

Samantha Colindres, 35, who grew up in Brookfield, has detailed the familys ordeal on Facebook, although she said she is usually a private person.

I feel I have nothing to lose and, at this point, everything to gain, she said. Im just going to fight for him; hes a good man.

She added that in the 13 years that theyve been together she has never seen her husband cry harder than he did on Thursday when he learned he would have to leave. His eyes were bloodshot and he was shaking.

Leaving Guatemala

Joel Colindres began his journey to the United States with about eight others. It took him about 16 days to reach the American border, traveling mostly by car.

When he got to Texas, Colindres was separated from his companions, some of whom were apprehended by ICE. He went to a nearby police station voluntarily and ICE was notified.

After several hours Colindres was allowed to enter the country provisionally and released. He took a bus to New York, where his brother was living.

But after missing a court date in Texas, an order of removal was issued against him. Colindres said he never received notice of the hearing because federal authorities used an incorrect address and an incorrect spelling of his name.

After he and Samantha married, they went to an attorney to begin the process of obtaining his citizenship. It was then they learned about the order of removal.

The attorney filed a request that the order be dropped, but it was denied, as was an appeal.

Last year, immigration attorneys Lorenzo and Anita Delgado took over his case. The attorneys filed a request for a stay, which was approved, but it expired June 1.

The attorneys asked for a renewal of the stay, but the couple was notified that the request had been denied when they met Thursday with ICE officials in Hartford.

Authorities then attached a monitoring bracelet to Joels ankle and told him he must come back next week to show he has a one-way ticket, the family said.

His attorneys were filing another motion Friday to get the order of removal dropped.

It is just inhuman whats happening, and I know its not an isolated case, said Lorenzo Delgado.




Politics - NOTICE : The National School of Financial Administration recruits a new promotion





The National School of Financial Administration (ENAF), the Center for the Training and Development of Executives of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, informs the interested parties that the filing of documents for the recruitment of a new promotion (2017 -2019) for the Long Cycle Program of full-time training of Public Finance Technicians will be done on working days from July 25 to August 4, 2017.



Conditions of access to the competition :



Being of Haitian nationality ;



Be between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of registration ;



Have completed a course of higher education in the fields below :

- Accounting Sciences

- Management

- Economy

- Administration

- Law



- Accounting Sciences - Management - Economy - Administration - Law To be able to provide all documents required when depositing documents.



Required documents :



Birth certificate or extract from archives ;



A complete curriculum vitae;



A copy of its National identification card or its valid tax identification ;



A copy of the license, diploma or certificate of completion of higher education awarded by a school recognized by the State accompanied by the complete transcript of the four (4) years ;



A copy of the Part II Baccalaureate Certificate (Bac II) and the associated transcript ;



Two letters of recommendation: one, a University Professor or a Director of Memory and the other a notable known of the place where the person resides ;



Three recent ID photos;



A recent Health Certificate ;



A certificate of good life and morals recent ;



The files must be deposited at the ENAF office located at Tabarre 41, rue Tancrede Auguste, Chateaublond, from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm



NOTE : The procedure for admission to the National School of Financial Administration is carried out by means of a competition and comprises the following steps :



Deposit of documents (copies and originals) followed on the same day of an interview with the applicant ;



Analysis of files ;



The publication on the MEF website of the list of candidates selected to take part in the competition ;



Written tests for selected candidates: Mathematics, General Accounting, Law, Economics and French ;



Oral tests for candidates who have passed the previous stages.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - RD : About 150 Haitians arrested every day in Pedernales...





According to the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) and the Dominican Migration Service in recent days, more than 1,000 Haitians (628 men, 327 women and 84 children) in irregular migratory situations were repatriated to Haiti via the Pedernales border crossing in the south-west of the Dominican Republic.



During the control operations were seized 40 false identity cards on Haitians and 30 motorcycles used to transport illegal migrants.



Military operations are carried out on order of Lieutenant-General Ruben Paulino Sem, the Minister of Defense and under the command of Major General Braulio Alcantara Lopez, General Director of the Cesfront and the General Rafael Diaz Gomez, Commander of the Fifth Brigade stationed in Barahona.



Cesfront reports that migratory control operations are continuing and that on average 150 people and illegal Haitian workers are arrested every day in the urban area of the city of Pedernales and other communities in the region.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21543-haiti-dr-the-extreme-right-dominican-surfer-on-the-haitian-migratory-crisis.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21541-haiti-dr-minister-of-defense-contradicts-the-haitian-ambassador.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21521-haiti-flash-military-reinforcement-at-the-dominican-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21519-haiti-flash-dr-multiplies-controls-nearly-4-000-haitians-repatriated-in-recent-days.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-21514-icihaiti-flash-arrests-and-deportations-of-more-than-400-haitians-in-pedernales.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21503-haiti-flash-deportations-recommendations-of-the-consulate-of-haiti-to-the-haitians-in-dr.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21499-haiti-flash-more-than-140-000-haitians-turned-back-at-the-dominican-border.html



SL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2017/07/21 | Source

Added episode 15 captures for the Korean drama "Queen for 7 Days" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Lee Jung-seob

Written by Choi Jin-yeong

Network : KBS

With Park Min-young, Yeon Woo-jin, Lee Dong-gun, Jang Hyun-sung, Kang Shin-il, Son Eun-seo,...

20 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00

Synopsis

A period drama about Queen Dangyeong who was on the throne for 7 days before she was disposed.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/05/31

More
New premium look for Jose Cuervo mixers and RTDs

By Jo Gilbert

Leading tequila brand Jose Cuervo has given its non-alcoholic Margarita Mix an upgrade.

The company, which is the worlds number one tequila brand, has unveiled a refreshed bottle design, intended for a faster, easier pour and a more premium look.

The margarita soft, which is intended to be mixed with tequila, is aimed at the on-trade and has been named the fifth bestselling cocktail in UK bars and restaurants, according to the company.

At the same time, Jose Cuervo is also launching a sparkling grapefruit cocktail.

The Paloma is a new sipping drink playing into the growth of RTDs, which can be drunk directly from the newly designed can.

The can is currently being sold for 4.80 at selected London bars including Pryzm, Bar & Beyond, ATIK, Fiction, Cameo, Kuda bar & Club, Oceana and Chicagos Unique.








As Russia plans its biggest military exercise in years, Finland is reportedly going underground. This is according to The Washington Times and various other media sources, which claim that 200 kilometres of tunnels, passageways and shelters are being built underneath Helsinki in order to protect residents and the government from potential Russian hostilities.

In the business world, the Finnish government expects the countrys sharing economy to grow 1200% by 2020, while Finlands second-biggest power distributor is reportedly considering selling to Asian investors for 3 billion.

Rounding up this weeks selection of the best international stories about Finland, tourists are deserting the far northern village of Utsjoki and Finnish scientists look to ease world hunger by producing protein from electricity.

Russian fears behind Finlands underground city

The Washington Times

 Theres a new wrinkle in the Russia-Finland relations. The Finns, feeling threatened as always by their giant neighbor, are planning one of its largest military exercises in decades. Theyre going underground, building a subterranean city beneath Helsinki to form a critical line of defense. Finnish soldiers routinely train there to be able to keep the government running and the capitals residents safe in an attack. A network of more than 124 miles of tunnels, passageways and shelters would supply utility and subway tunnels, communications, water supply and internet connections. Theres shelter space for 600,000 persons.

Russian war games will take place on Finlands northern border as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization simultaneously boosts its own presence in the three Baltic states just across the Gulf of Finland. Finland maintains a convenient fiction of neutrality between Moscow and the West, remaining outside NATO even though it is ever more dependent on the West  and especially for its arms, both from the United States and from Sweden, which is also officially neutral. 

Original article was published by on 17/07/2017 and can be found here.

Finnish sharing economy predicted to grow 1200% by 2020

Business Insider Nordic

 At the behest of Finlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, PwC published a report on Finlands sharing economy  a report which hints at the magnitude of change we can expect.

The report identified five areas as the most vital components of the sharing economy: lodging platforms like Airbnb, ride-sharing platforms as exemplified by Uber, peer-to-peer household services, platforms for professional services, and crowdfunding. It may seem like the sharing economy has already irreversibly become part of our lives, but it is only the beginning, according to PwC.

The total value of transactions on the digital platforms PwC considered was estimated at EUR 107 million in 2016. That number is expected to increase by 227% for 2017. The new number is expected to double in 2018, and then increase by 43% and 37% respectively in the two ensuing years. By 2020, the total value of transactions would then amount to EUR 1.373 billion  implying a 1,200% increase in the size of the 2016 market. 

Original article was published by on 19/07/2017 and can be found here.

Finnish scientists find a method to create food from air?

Phys.org

 A batch of single-cell protein has been produced by using electricity and carbon dioxide in a joint study by the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Protein produced in this way can be further developed for use as food and animal feed. The method releases food production from restrictions related to the environment. The protein can be produced anywhere renewable energy, such as solar energy, is available.

"In practice, all the raw materials are available from the air. In the future, the technology can be transported to, for instance, deserts and other areas facing famine. One possible alternative is a home reactor, a type of domestic appliance that the consumer can use to produce the needed protein," explains Juha-Pekka Pitkanen, principal scientist at VTT.

Along with food, the researchers are developing the protein to be used as animal feed. The protein created with electricity can be used as a fodder replacement, thus releasing land areas for other purposes, such as forestry. 

Original article was published by on 19/07/2017 and can be found here.

Finlands Elenia said to be considering 3 billion sale

Bloomberg

 Elenia Oys owners are preparing to kick off a sale that could value Finlands second-largest power distributor at as much as 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion), restarting a process that was delayed last year, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The utility has sent out teasers and senior executives are planning to meet with potential suitors in Asia in the coming weeks, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Elenia is expected to send out more detailed information and ask for initial bids in September, they said.

Hong Kongs CK Infrastructure Holdings Ltd., backed by billionaire Li Ka-shing, and State Grid Corp. of China are among companies that expressed interest in the assets last year, though its unclear if they intend to make an offer as part of the current process. 

Original article was published by on 20/07/2017 and can be found here.

Tourists disappear from northern village of Utsjoki

The Independent Barents Observer

" In the fishing tourism of the River Teno, early July should be the busiest time of the summer for business people. Usually, all the cabins have been rented and you can see boats everywhere on the river.

But now, you can hardly notice that the fishing period for tourists has been going on since 10 June. There are a few cars driving in the village and a few caravans parked in front of the store Uulan Saasto. Uula Tapiola, who runs the store, sighs: Theyre obviously trying to get rid of tourists who come here to fish. The number of clients has gone down by 3040 percent.

Uula Tapiola believes that the tourists have disappeared from the River Teno because of the new, stricter fishing regulations and gone to the River Tornio instead: As far as I know, the tourists are going to the River Tornio. Its all packed there; theyve rented all their cabins and boats for the whole summer, Tapiola says. "

Original article was published by on 21/07/2017 and can be found here.

Dan Anderson  HT

Photo: Lehtikuva / Mikko Stig
Jason OSullivan launches a full-force kick to his victim's face as he falls to the floor

This is the sickening moment an autistic young man was punched and kicked in the face by a thug as he left a Dart station.

Jason O'Sullivan (30) faces anything up to life in prison for the horrific attack.

He admitted assault just minutes before he was due to stand trial at Wicklow Circuit Court for robbing the young man.

The victim, who is in his 20s, received a broken nose and two black eyes in the attack, during which his mobile phone was snatched.

He was attacked by O'Sullivan and a number of accomplices on a laneway as he left Bray Dart station at 6pm on April 4 last year.

Begged

The brutal attack was captured on CCTV cameras. The images show O'Sullivan repeatedly striking his victim in the face.

As the young man fell to the ground and begged not to be hit any more, O'Sullivan launched a full-force kick to his face.

Speaking in the days after the attack, the victim's father said his son normally left the station with everyone else but on this occasion he stopped to help a man in a wheelchair.

As the young man left the station alone, O'Sullivan attacked him.

The family described their son as a "gentle young man" who was utterly defenceless in the face of the violence.

As a result of the attack, the young man, who has been taught to travel independently on the Dart, has been left traumatised and is afraid to travel alone.

O'Sullivan, of Connolly Square, Bray, originates from Dublin's Ballybrack.

He admitted seriously assaulting the young man but denied robbery.

The robbery trial was due to start yesterday but minutes before a jury was empanelled, his lawyer told the court they would not be required.

O'Sullivan was arraigned and he admitted stealing a mobile phone by the use of force from a young man at Bray Dart station in April 2016.

When the robbery charge was put to him, O'Sullivan, who was wearing jeans and a long sleeve grey shirt, replied "guilty".

Prosecution counsel Paul Murray told the court that O'Sullivan had admitted a charge of assault but was due to go on trial for robbery.

Defence barrister Seoirse O Dunlaing said it will become clear when the evidence is given that someone else took the young man's phone.

However, Mr O Dunlaing said O'Sullivan now accepted his guilt as it was part of a joint enterprise.

Mr Murray asked the court to order a victim impact statement.

Mr O Dunlaing said that he was not in a position to deal with sentencing because he wished to present a number of reports to the court.

Remanded

He said O'Sullivan has a prior history of dealing with various agencies, and he asked for some time so he can gather the reports.

Mr O Dunlaing was asked if a probation report was required but he said it was not needed because O'Sullivan was already working with a number of support agencies.

Mr Murray said there was no objection to the defendant being remanded on continuing bail.

Mr Justice Michael O'Shea further remanded O'Sullivan on bail until December when a sentencing date is expected to be fixed.
Apple is reportedly working on electric car batteries with Chinese vehicle battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), Shanghai-based Yicai Global reported.

The Cupertino-based tech titan is working with CATL in Fujian province on a scheme based on a confidentiality agreement. The parties are working together in the field of batteries, sources involved with the cooperation said.

Apples CEO Tim Cook disclosed at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last month that the company was focusing on autonomous systems.

Clearly one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars. We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects, Cook explained. But he made no mention of any specific plans.

Neither Apple nor CATL commented on the reported cooperation.

In recent years, CATL has ranked in the worlds top 3 vehicle battery manufacturers together with Panasonic and BYD, the latter of which is an emerging car maker in China. According to statistics released by China Industrial Association of Power Sources, CATL and BYD sales exceeded 10 billion yuan in the last year.

In the first half of 2017, the battery production of CATL reached 1,312.4 MWh, accounting for 20.98 percent of the domestic market. It has surpassed BYD to become Chinas largest vehicle battery maker.

Starting from 2015, Apple has established its own development team for automobiles and called the plan Project Titan.

However, just four months after it released its smart system CarPlay, Apple scaled back the project and turned to self-driving technology research.

The cooperation between the two companies might be a hint that Apple will continue its car plan. If true, it would mean that Apples Project Titan could be working toward building a fully electric car and not just a self-driving system.
The oldest woman to give birth in Ireland in the past decade was 54.

Official statistics have also shown that the number over 45 bearing children had more than doubled in 10 years.

An increasing number of Irish women are having babies after their 50th birthday, up from only four in 2007 to 13 last year.

The figure hit a peak of 17 in 2015, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Pop star Janet Jackson gained worldwide attention when she gave birth to her first child, a boy, at the start of this year, seven months after turning 50.

The trend for older motherhood is bolstered by people living longer and advances in fertility treatments.

Irish women can now use healthy donor eggs of women in their 20s from countries such as the Czech Republic, Spain and Ukraine for a safer pregnancy in middle age.

The latest figures show a sharp increase in Irish women giving birth to children after they hit 45, up from 118 in 2007 to 295 last year.

The IVF Cube fertility clinic in Prague revealed that three 50-year-old Irish women have had successful pregnancies in recent years with donor eggs at the Czech treatment centre.

Decline

In each case the eggs were transferred from donor to mother the day before each mum-to-be turned 50.

Czech laws changed last year, bringing forward the final eligible date by a year to the eve of the 49th birthday.

Most Irish patients treated in Prague are over 35 - the age when the quality of a woman's eggs starts to decline.

Of the 670 Irish patients over the past six years, 43pc were aged between 41 and 45.

Later-life motherhood is thought to have been driven partly by high-profile pregnancies.

Holywood star Halle Berry described the birth of her son, Maceo, after she turned 47 as a "shock" and a "miracle".

Actress Kelly Preston and husband John Travolta were thrilled when she gave birth to a boy, Benjamin, in 2010, nearly two years after their 16-year-old son Jet died.

Thelma and Louise star Geena Davis had a daughter at 46 and twins at 48, while supermodel Iman was 45 when she gave birth to her daughter with David Bowie.

Dr Hana Visnova, medical director of the IVF Cube Clinic, said donor eggs had "revolutionised" treatment.

"Many women are now choosing to delay starting a family, only to realise their chances of being able to conceive naturally have started to decline rapidly," she said.

"Some have even described it as like being given a 'golden' ticket to be able to start a family."

Safety is a priority, with donors screened for health and genetic issues under EU law.
Chinese firms create over 28,000 jobs in Ethiopia over past five years: official

Chinese companies have created more than 28,300 jobs in various sectors during the past five-year period in Ethiopia, an official at the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) told Xinhua Friday.

According to Mekonen Hailu, EIC Communications Director, a total of 28,391 jobs were created by 279 Chinese companies in the east African country during the period of January 2012 to January 2017, of which 20,072 were permanent while the remaining 8,319 were temporary jobs.

Out of these jobs, over 19,000 were created in Ethiopia's manufacturing sector as the sector is leading its African peers by attracting companies from China both in numbers and financial capital, with a total number of 276 projects both under implementation and operation phase during the stated period, Hailu said.

The data from the Ethiopian Investment Commission further indicated that the 279 Chinese companies that were set operational during the reported period are additional to 100 other Chinese companies that are now currently under implementation in the country.

The 279 Chinese companies have a registered financial capital of over 13.16 billion Ethiopian birr (over 572 million U.S. dollars), it was indicated.

Construction, service and agricultural sectors are the other sectors hosting a great number of Chinese companies in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation.

According to recent data from Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry, Chinese companies have invested around 4 billion U.S. dollars in Ethiopia during the last two decades, creating job opportunities for over 111,000 Ethiopians on permanent and temporary basis.

China is also Ethiopia's largest trading partner, in which the two countries' trade reached 6.37 billion dollars in 2015, while growing on average 22.2 percent annually for the last several years.
CIVIC GROUPS

ABINGDON CIVITAN: Abingdon, Va., Harbor House, first and third Monday, 6 p.m. New members welcome. Roger Edwards, 276-698-1349.

ABINGDON LIONS CLUB: Abingdon, Va., Shoneys, 480 Cummings Street, meets first and third Thursdays. Bob Trent, 276-628-6195.

ABINGDON TOWN COUNCIL: Abingdon, Va., first Monday, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building on Main Street. Visit www.abingdon.com.

ABINGDON KIWANIS: Abingdon, Va., 200 Clubhouse Drive, Glenrochie Country Club, First three Tuesdays on each month, noon to 1 p.m. Visitors welcome. Lee Saunders III, 276-356-8201.

ABINGDON ROTARY: Abingdon, Va., 200 Clubhouse Drive, Glenrochie Country Club, Fridays, 12:00 p.m. Janice Rice Reeves, President, 276-676-0210.

AMERICAN LEGION HACKLER-WOOD POST 145: Bristol, Tenn., 515 Marion Ave., Veterans from all branches of service, come place your membership with Post 145; youll make new friends and get reacquainted with your fellow veterans, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Questions, 423-968-9973.

BRISTOL EVENING LIONS: Bristol Va. Exit 7, Golden Corral, second and fourth Thursday, 6 p.m. Membership open to men and women, Charles Coulthard, 276-466-5357. Joe Wall, 423-764-8545.

BRISTOL GOODSON LIONS CLUB: Bristol, Va., Bordwine Road, 1st and 3rd Mondays, 6 p.m. visitors welcome. 423-534-9313.

BRISTOL HOST LIONS: Bristol, Va., Exit 5, Euclid Avenue Food City, Fridays, noon. New members welcome. David Hoelscher, president. 423-646-2923.

BRISTOL MORNING ROTARY: Bristol, Va., Euclid Ave., Food City, every Tuesday, 7:30 a.m., Club President: Glenn Myers, 423-968-5351.

BRISTOL SHRINE CLUB: Bristol, Tenn., King Lodge, 35 5th St., third Friday, 7 p.m.; Ron Schoenhardt, president; 423-968-4531.

BUFFALO RURITAN: Bluff City, Tenn., Beaver Creek Road and Buffalo Road, Ruritan building, fourth Monday, dinner at 6:30 p.m., meeting follows. Visitors welcome. 423-967-1651.

COMMUNITY CENTER OF ABINGDON: Abingdon, Va. 300 Senior Drive, every Tuesday morning Hatha Yoga 9:30 -11 a.m.: Bridge and luncheons every first and fourth Thursday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wolf Hills Club every Monday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friendship Club Wednesday 9 a.m. -1 p.m., 276-628-3911 or thecommunitycenterofabingdon.com.

CAVERS: Marion, Va., Main St., Center Square Building, The Walker Mountain Grotto of the NSS meets on the third Tuesday at 7 p.m. Cavers and all others who may be interested are invited to free meetings. 276-228-7357.

GLADE SPRING CIVIC CLUB: Glade Spring, Va., old Glade School on the hill, second Thursday, 6:45 p.m. social, 7 p.m. meeting.

JERICHO SHRINE TEMPLE: Kingsport, Tenn., 1100 Jericho Dr.; second Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.; Elbert (Smiley) Bridwell, potentate, 423-323-1982.

KING MASONIC LODGE NO. 461: Bristol, Tenn., 35 5th St., 2nd Monday, 7:30 p.m. WM Eric Bible, 423-612-6379 or www.kinglodge.org.

KIWANIS CLUB OF BRISTOL, TN/VA: Bristol Public Library (Kegley room upstairs), Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. Treasurer, Richard Ball, rpball@BVU.net. Visitors welcome. Memberships open to men and women, call Richard Ball 276-466-4009.

KIWANIS CLUB OF ELIZABETHTON: Downtown Elizabethton, Dinos, every Tuesday, noon. President: Jared Tetrick (jaredtetrick@yahoo.com)

KIWANIS CLUB OF MARION: Marion, Va., 861 Goolsby St., VFW Post Home 4667, every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Kiwanis Office, 276-783-2316.

MARION KIWANIS DOWNTOWN SATELITE OF HOST CLUB: Marion, Va., 102 W. Main Street, 3rd floor Bank of Marion, meets every 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, everyone welcome, 276-783-2316.

MEADOWVIEW CIVIC CLUB: Meadowview, Va., Exit 24, I-81, Community Center on the Square. 2nd Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Pot luck meal before meeting.

OPTIMIST CLUB OF BRISTOL: Bristol, Va., Euclid Ave., Food City, Thursdays, noon. Ron McCready, 423-968-7181.

ROTARY CLUB OF BRISTOL TN/VA: Bristol, Va., Bristol Train Station. Tuesdays, noon. Secretary/treasurer, Joyce Crockett. www.rotary7570.org/BRSTLVATN.

ROTARY CLUB OF TRI-CITIES AREA TN/VA: Bristol, Tenn., Northeast State Community College, Pierce Building, noon. Mike Parker, 423-575-5534.

ROTARY CLUB OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA: Abingdon, Va., Cummins St., Shoneys, Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m. Visitors welcome. George Whitley.

SHELBY LODGE NO. 162: Bristol, Va., 251 Old Airport Road meets first Monday, 6:30 p.m., food and fellowship; 7:30 p.m. dispatch of business. Robert A. Bruce, WM., 276-466-8591.

SOUTH HOLSTON RURITAN: Bristol, Tenn., Meadow Creek Road near South Holston Dam, Club House, fourth Thursday.

TWIN CITY CIVITAN: Bristol, Tenn., 3332 Seventh St., Weaver Family Care Center, second and fourth Tuesday, 6 p.m. Stanley Mann, 423-968-2579. Visitors welcome.

VALLEY LODGE #93: Bristol, Va., 7707 Rich Valley Road. Meets every third Thursday, 423-742-0786.

VFW POST 6975: Bristol, Tenn., 14 16th Street. Canteen is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight. Friday and Saturday hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Closed on Sundays. Veterans and guests are welcome. Food available after 6 p.m. Monthly members meeting every second Tuesday at 6 p.m. 423-764-0381

WYTHEVILLE RURITAN CLUB: Wytheville, Va., Hedgefield meeting room, first Monday 6 p.m.

YORK MASONIC LODGE NO. 12: Abingdon, Va., 14411 Black Hollow Road, every 4th Monday, 7:30 p.m.; Work and instruction each 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 7 p.m., WM Bill Bish, 276-628-9849.

MEETINGS

ABINGDON TOWN COUNCIL: Abingdon, Va., first Monday, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building on Main Street; visit www.abingdon.com.

BRISTOL TN TREE CITY USA BOARD: Bristol, Tenn., 325 McDowell St, Slater Center, third Monday, 5 p.m. Public welcome. 423-654-4023.

BRISTOL REPUBLICAN WOMENS CLUB: Bristol, Va. Food City, Euclid Avenue. Noon: Last Monday of every month. 423-361-1774.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS: Abingdon, Va. Washington County Public Library. Second Wednesday, every other month, 4 p.m., 276-608-8609.

MARION DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION ASSOCIATION BOARD: Marion, Va., Municipal Building second Thursday, 5:30 p.m. visitors welcome. To be added to agenda, 276-783-4190.

SULLIVAN COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT 911 BOARD: Blountville, Tenn., 1570 Hwy. 394, SCECD 911 building, second Monday, every other month at 10 a.m. Due to conflict in schedules meetings can change at any time, public welcome. 423-279-7606.

SULLIVAN COUNTY ANTI-DRUG COALITION: Blountville, Tenn. 154 Blountville Bypass, Regional Health Department, second Thursday, odd number month 10 a. m.  noon. Speakers on various prevention topics, snacks will be provided, for more information call 423-742-2991 or visit www.scadcoalition.org.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Abingdon, Va., One Partnership Circle, third Thursday, doors open at 7 a.m., breakfast at 7:15 a.m. Networking and business breakfast. Free to chamber members. 276-628-8141.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE: Abingdon, Va., 25236 Hillman Highway, Southwest Virginia 4-H Center: Meets every second Thursday at 6 p.m., visitors and new mew members welcome, email koreynolds@hotmail.com.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA, REPUBLICAN PARTY: Abingdon, Va., Meeting site next door to Subway Exit 14: Fourth Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. Visitors and new members welcome. Questions:

HOW TO SUBMIT INFO

Submission deadline is Monday noon for the items scheduled during the upcoming week. Email features@bristolnews.com or fax 276-669-3696. Put Monday Calendar in the email subject line. For information, call Dorothy Hurt, 276-645-2556 or email dhurt@bristolnews.com.
After Parrott's lead disappears, Trone takes 6th District race

Republican state Del. Neil Parrott conceded on Friday after close race. Trone to return as congressman for 6th District.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta held talks on Thursday with visiting Chinese billionaire entrepreneur Jack Ma to discuss ways of empowering the youth through entrepreneurship.

A statement from the presidency released after the meeting in Nairobi said the Kenyan leader and Ma, who is the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, centred on how to empower the youth through trade and innovation.

"They discussed how to cooperate in supporting small businesses and the youth to play a bigger role in the country's economy," the presidency said.

During the talks, Ma said Kenya can create more opportunities for trade through the use of e-commerce and that the country has the capacity to achieve that goal.

The business mogul is accompanied by 38 others from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce who are in the country in search of multi-billion dollar business opportunities with the government as well as local business people.

The businessman with a real time net worth of 35.5 billion U.S. dollars, according to Forbes, is scheduled to give a public lecture at the University of Nairobi later Thursday.

President Kenyatta said the Chinese businessman is an inspiration for millions of youth in Africa and especially in Kenya where the young generation has been setting global trends in innovation and technology.
Amity Foundation, an Independent Chinese social development organization, launched a four million yuan (591,000 U.S. dollars) drought relief project on Thursday that's expected to benefit 50,000 people in Ethiopia's Somali regional state.

Speaking at the launching ceremony in Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa, He Wen, Deputy General Secretary of Amity Foundation said the project, with funding from the Chinese government, is part of Amity's program to create a healthier and harmonious world.

"The 4 million Renminbi will provide safe drinking water and hygiene kits for the drought hit Somali regional state in Ethiopia benefiting 50,000 people," said Counselor Lin Zhimin of the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia.

Amity in 2016 alone received 200 million yuan, 80 percent of which came from China, to work on community governance, philanthropy, international expansion, innovative development, research and advocacy and institutional capacity.
WASHINGTON (JTA)Alan Gross contacted me a couple of months ago over Facebook Messenger. There was something he thought I should know.

I was pleasantly surprised. Id only exchanged pleasantries with Gross in the several times Id seen him since his release from a Cuban prison in December 2014, ending five years of imprisonment for his work connecting Cubas Jewish community to the Internet.

Gross, 68, wanted to tell me his news: He and his wife, Judy, had made aliyah, immigrating to Israel under the Law of Return.

It came through on May 3, which is Golda Meirs birthday, and a day after my birthday, which is also Herzls birthday, he said. It was long overdue. Id been going there for more than 40 years, and Id worked in Israel and around the region.

Gross was going to be stateside this week and proposed we meet at Loebs, a deli herehe loved Israel, but longed for pastrami.

Why break this news to JTA?

Gross recalled that he and I first met at a public event just after his release. I said hello and, sensing his reluctance to talk, beat a retreat. Perhaps thats not the best instinct for a reporter, but in this instance Gross, having been set upon by others who insisted on chatting at a time when he still felt disoriented, appreciated that I held back.

So we chowed down Wednesday at Loebs on his precious pastrami and Dr. Browns cream soda. (Tradition! Gross sings.) He was dressed for the intense Washington July heat: cargo shorts, a blue summer shirt and a straw hat.

When he was arrested in 2009, Gross, then of Potomac, Maryland, was working as a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development setting up Internet access for Cuban Jews. He wasnt charged until 14 months into his detention, then accused of being a threat to the integrity and/or independence of the state.

Gross was released in December 2014 as part of a broader exchange in which three Cubans convicted of spying were released from American prisons. The same day, President Barack Obama announced renewed ties with the communist nation.

As a contractor who worked in development, Gross was especially busy in Israel and the Palestinian areas working on joint Israeli-Palestinian development after the launch of the Oslo peace talks in 1993.

I was in Israel probably 60 times before I made aliyah, he said.

Alan and Judy Gross live in Tel Aviv. They have a daughter living in Jerusalem with her wife and their daughter, the Grosses granddaughter.

My other daughter got married this weekend [near Portland, Oregon], and she and her husband are teachers and are going to move to China, he said. Its only a 10-hour flight to Hong Kong from Tel Aviv.

We keep circling back to why he made aliyah.

I walked into IKEA first and last time in Rishon [LeZion], it was just like all of the others Ive seen, he said. And yet: This was unique because almost all of the people were Jewish. Thats an incredible, refreshing feeling.

Gross could not pinpoint a time he started thinking about making aliyah.

I cant say Cuba had anything to do with it, he said. I dont think my Jewish background had anything to do with my treatment.

The first time I went, when he was 28, my wife and I co-led a group of 45 teenagers for 45 days for BBYO. Ill never do that again, but it really turned me on. Six months later I was working for BBYO.

He spent four years with the Jewish youth organization and another four working for the Jewish federation in Washington, D.C., and then he returned to his chosen field, development.

In Israel, Gross also wanted to vote. He cannot hide his disappointment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his endless coalition compromises, most recently resulting in the freeze of an agreement with non-Orthodox Jews on worship at the Western Wall.

With all due respect to Mr. Netanyahu, hes a brilliant man and the No. 1 expert in the world in terms of holding onto his job, Gross said. But he wont delve much further into Israeli politics, except to say he plans to exercise his right to vote.

If you dont like whats going on in Israel, he said, make aliyah and vote.

Whats his favorite thing about Israel?

Walking. Every day I walk up to the Carmel Market, into Jaffa and to the Tel Aviv port, he said.

Also public transportation.

Gross shows off his Rav-Kav card, which gets him onto any mode of transportationtrain, bus, light railfor half price because hes a senior citizen. He marvels about Israels public transportation and notes it takes him 90 minutes to get from his daughters home in Jerusalem to his Tel Aviv flat. He wishes more Israelis loved it like he did, frettinglike a veteran Israeliabout the traffic accidents in the country.

He also kvells about a cigar store in Tel Aviv called Brill, where he meets every Friday afternoon with an array of aficionados and talks politics and fake news over cigars, hummus and whisky. He acquired the cigar habit in jail.

The Cuban government would give me a box of nice cigars every time a dignitary visited, Gross recalled, brandishing one he purchased in Switzerland. Each box was worth a months salary to a Cuban. They got me hooked, the motherf*****s.

Would he go back to Cuba given the chance?

Id go back in a heartbeat, he said.

Gross has written twice to the Cuban Embassy here just wanting to talk. He hasnt heard back.

He wants to see the families of his cellmates, who brought him food.

They helped sustain me for five years, Gross said. Theyre my family, too.

Gross lost five teeth to poor nutrition during his time in jail.

They had a lot more cigars than food, he said of the Cuban authorities. Fifty percent of the arable land in Cuba is not being cultivated.

What does he think of President Donald Trumps rollback of President Barack Obamas moves to lift travel and commercial restrictions with Havana?

Gross is not a fan of Trump.

Hes so much invested in reversing anything Obama did, if Obama walks forward to avoid tripping over something, Trump would intentionally walk backwards and trip on it, Gross said. Hes going to hurt the Airbnb business that has proliferated since the Obama reforms, the restaurants that support the Airbnb business and the private taxis and all the other ancillary industries that support the Airbnb business.

Gross is an avid social media presence, and Trump is a favorite target.

There is a difference between not fit and unfit, not competent and incompetent. The POTUS is the latter in both, he wrote recently on Twitter, using the acronym for the president of the United States.

Gross said he had joined Twitter and Facebook before his 2009 arrest in Cuba, but hadnt much use for either That changed when he returned.

Facebook enabled me to reconnect with a lot of friends and family, he said. People didnt know how to react to me, a lot of people wanted to get together right away, others thought I wanted to be left alone. Its a wonderful network.

Twitter is a different story; Twitter could be really brutal I try not to give rabid responses. Sometimes I fail.

Gross relishes communication.

I hadnt communicated in prison for almost five years, he said. The last nine months I was allowed access to email a couple of times a weeknot Internetbut that changed my life there. That was a tremendous improvement to my psyche.

He does not begrudge Obama the time he waited to be released.

When Judy and I met Obama, and she said, Thank you for bringing my husband home, he said with great sincerity, I wish we could have done it sooner, and I said better late than never, Gross recalled.

The decision to bring me home could have only been made in the Oval Office. Was it made late? Yeah, but there are other things going on in the world, things that are also important, maybe more important than Cuba because Cuba represents no threat to anyone.

In fact, Gross obtained an absentee ballot in the 2012 election and voted for Obama. He is also grateful to three lawmakers who led the fight for his release: Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and then-Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. (now a U.S. senator), as well as to the organized Jewish community.

The reality is it was the grassroots effort in the Jewish community who tipped the effort, he said. There were tens of thousands of emails, literally tens of thousands, thats what tipped the scales. My redemption from Cuba is a story of activism.

What does Gross want the world to know?

That he was not a spy and Cubas authorities never considered him one: He was convicted of crimes against the state.

Misreporting that characterized him as a spy means he cannot get back into the business he lovesthe development of emerging economies. Gross appears regretful, but also sanguine.

In the countries where I work, emerging markets, I can imagine people looking at me with a stink eye, is he or isnt he? Im not, I never was, I never will be [a spy], he said, but that eliminates an ability to regain client trust.

Hows his Hebrew?

Not great, and not as good as his Spanish, which improved vastly in a Cuban jail.

Joking, he says I can say why not? in six languages.
Molly Yeh has taken the food blogging world by storm with her bubbly personality and creative recipes.

(JTA)-Not much could have prepared Molly Yeh for moving from New York City to Grand Forks, North Dakota-a city of a little over 50,000 residents near the state's eastern border with Minnesota.

At the time of her move in 2013, Yeh (pronounced "yay," as her website explains with several exclamation points) was a Juilliard graduate and classically trained percussionist playing professional gigs around New York City. She often hosted concerts in her Brooklyn apartment and enjoyed biking around the city with her then-boyfriend to see how many shows and events they could cram into one day.

She was passionate about food-especially when it came to Jewish staples like the matzah ball soup and hummus she had loved since childhood in a Chicago suburb, where she grew up with an Ashkenazi mother and Chinese father. But her casually updated food blog, which she had started a few years before during a family vacation, was of secondary concern.

When she chose to follow her boyfriend-turned-husband to his family beet farm in North Dakota, food gradually became more of a priority. Newly unemployed, Yeh took a job in a local bakery working a late-night shift. She began to put more energy into her food blog, which then started to gain some traction online. Betty Crocker soon contacted her to contribute recipes.

Four years later, the 28-year-old Yeh is one of the internet's most popular food bloggers, with 245,000 followers on Instagram. Her site, my name is yeh-it uses only lowercase letters as an aesthetic choice-offers a cornucopia of impeccably photographed culinary treats (she also takes all the photos). Many of her creations incorporate foods and ingredients that are popular in Jewish and Israeli cuisine, such as challah, shakshuka, hummus, tahini and shawarma. Some of the entries on her site, such as the scallion pancake challah and hummus dumplings, point to her dual heritage.

Besides the recipes and photos, Yeh is known for her personal, funny and engaging blog voice. She often mentions her husband, Nick Hagen, whom she calls "eggboy" in blog posts, because he used to eat several eggs each day. Sometimes she gives her recipes humorous names, such as the "ex-boyfriend latkes."

Yeh's move to North Dakota kickstarted her efforts to make her work stand out in the crowded food blogosphere, but it also gave her an unexpected narrative that only added to her unique appeal-and gave her a lot to write about. Last fall, she released a book on the whole story (with plenty of recipes) titled "Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from An Unlikely Life on a Farm."

At first, she experienced some "culture shock" in her new North Dakota community, which she called "challah-less" and "babka-less."

"Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and living in New York, it didn't even strike me as a possibility that a place could really exist without tons of Jews," Yeh said. "If I wasn't going to be maintaining Jewish identity and celebrating Jewish holidays and cooking Jewish food on the farm, nobody was going to be."

She made it her mission to inject some Jewish food and culture into the farm community. Perhaps none of her recipes captured the goal as well as her Hummus With Meat All Over It, which she wrote about in the Forward, a Jewish publication that she occasionally contributes to.

"Question: How do you make a plate of hummus filling enough for a bunch of big burly farmers? Answer: Put meat all over it," she wrote.

The Hagen family quickly took to Yeh's Jewish food-making ways. During her first year on the farm, for example, Passover coincided with Easter-so the family invited her to bake loaves of challah to include in their Easter meal.

"My mother-in-law is a hummus-making machine now," Yeh said.

Molly Yeh often incorporates family farm ingredients, such as rhubarb, into her culinary creations. She calls these her Mini Rhubarb Princess Cakes.

In turn, Yeh took to the Midwestern flavors she was surrounded by. She now often includes ingredients grown on the farm, such as beets and rhubarb, in her recipes.

She admitted that it can be hard to find ingredients she needs for some of her more unusual recipes-tahini and hibiscus flour were two that she had recently ordered online while speaking with JTA recently from her North Dakota home. She often longs for the array of quirky ingredients that can be found in New York markets like Fairway or Zabar's.

The trade-off, she says, is that in summer she can walk outside and snatch fresh vegetables from the farm, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, to make an Israeli-style breakfast salad.

Reproducing some of her other New York Jewish food staples has been a little more difficult-even for an accomplished chef. Her first attempt at bagels was, in her words, a complete failure.

"I have no choice, I have to keep going!" she said.
"Whoever saves a single life is as if one saves the entire world"...

This magnificent saying comes from the Talmud.

I received the following from the Southwest Outreach, a newsletter of the Southwest Indian Relief Council:

You would be surprised by how many Americans don't realize the need or the challenging conditions that exist on American Indian reservations. Many don't know that unemployment averages 50 percent; The National Congress of American Indians says real per-capita income of Indians living on reservations is still less than half the U.S. average and 8 of the 10 poorest counties in the U.S. are on reservations; 30-43 percent of American Indian children are living in poverty; 29 percent of employed Indian individuals are earning wages below the poverty level; Many American Indians work full-time yet still fall below poverty level. Poverty ranges from 38 percent to 63percent; Roughly 90,000 American Indian families are homeless or under-housed; American Indians and Alaska natives die at higher rates than other Americans from tuberculosis, diabetes, and suicide.

(This touched my heart and made me reach out. You can too by typing Southwest Indian Relief Council into Google.)

The JCC 39er's Terrific Thursdays...

(Yes, we are all 39!) On Thursday, July 27th at 1 p.m., members of the JCC 39er's are meeting at Carabba's Italian Grill in Jamestown Plaza, Altamonte Springs, as part of their "Dine Around Town" series. (Yum!)

39er's Meet & Mingle Mondays...

There will be a "Life and Legacy" information session in the Senior Lounge of the Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando on Maitland Avenue on Monday, July 24th at 1p.m. All 39ers and JCC members are welcome.

Leading the session will be JEFF GREENWALD AKA The Candy Man.

Tasty refreshments will be available after the program. (Double yum!)

All that jazz...

On Sunday, July 30th from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., the Altamonte Chapel will hold its monthly "Jazz Jam."

This one is soooooo great (to me, especially) because some of my very favorite musicians (whom I even performed with in New York City) are featured.

The program is called "MICHAEL KRAMER and Friends. Michael is my very favorite pianist to work with. His super-talented son, BEN KRAMER, (my favorite bassist to work with), fabulous TRACEY ALEXANDER on drums, and special guest, PAUL SCAVARDA on guitar, will entertain you. WOW!

And all for a measly $10! (You folks are saving at least $90 per for such a show!)

As usual, the second set invites musicians and vocalists to "sit in." (So bring your axe.) Our own ALAN ROCK is emcee.

The Altamonte Chapel is located at 825 E.SR 436, Altamonte Springs. Phone number is 407-339-5208.

Super songwriters...

"Some Enchanted Evening," the songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, will be featured from July 29th thru Aug. 20th at the Winter Park Playhouse, 711 Orange Ave Suite C, Winter Park. Their phone number is 407-645-0145. (There will be previews on July 28-29).

This beautiful musical revue celebrates the giants of musical theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.

Don't miss it!

One for the road...

Richard Rodgers

(Too much is happening in my life these days. I'm depressed. If I ever needed a joke, it is now. This is one of my personal favorites. Forgive me for repeating it.)

A Jewish man was sitting in Starbucks reading an Arab newspaper. A friend of his, who happened to be in the same store, noticed this strange phenomenon.

Very upset, he approached him and said, "Moshe, have you lost your mind? Why are you reading an Arab newspaper?"

Moshe replied, "I used to read the Jewish newspapers, but what did I find? Jews being persecuted... Israel being attacked... Jews living in poverty. So I switched to the Arab newspaper. Now what do I find? Jews own all the banks. Jews control the media. Jews are all rich and powerful. Jews rule the world. The news is so much better!"
Relatives of a Palestinian suspected terrorism inspect the debris of their house, demolished by Israeli security forces, in the West Bank city of Hebron, June 11, 2016.

JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel has already defeated the Palestinians. All that's left is for them to surrender.

That, at least, was an argument being made in Jerusalem last week. Led by the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, pro-Israel leaders and analysts gathered here to highlight local support for their aim of reframing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict internationally.

"After more than a century, the conflict is really over," Daniel Pipes, the forum's president told JTA. "As an American, I would like my government to say to the Israeli government, 'Do what you need to do to convince the Palestinians they lost.'"

Pipes on Sunday night held an English-language event at the Begin Heritage Center to cheer Tuesday's launch of a Knesset lobby committed to forcing the Palestinians to admit defeat. He said he hoped the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus, along with a public opinion poll he released Sunday to JTA, would help them convince U.S. policymakers to "let Israel win."

In an article in the December 2016 issue of Commentary, Pipes described the things Israel might do to "encourage Palestinians to accept Israel and discourage rejectionism." They include charging the Palestinians Authority for material damage from terrorism; blocking P.A. officials from returning to the West Bank if their colleagues incite violence; quiet, anonymous burials for Palestinians killed attacking Israelis; and shutting off water and electricity supplies to punish violence by Palestinians.

"Inducing a change of heart is not a pretty or pleasant process," wrote Pipes. However, he continued, "Wars usually end when failure causes one side to despair, when that side has abandoned its war aims and accepted defeat, and when that defeat has exhausted the will to fight."

The Knesset Victory Caucus will be co-chaired by lawmakers Oded Forer, from the hawkish Yisrael Beinteinu political party, and Yaacov Peri, a former head of Israel's Security Agency from the centrist Yesh Atid. A total of six Knesset members have so far joined, all from the governing coalition.

The lobby will be the sister organization of the Republican-only Congressional Israel Victory Caucus, whose co-chairs sent supportive statements to the crowd at the Begin Center.

Israeli, American and British speakers took the stage one-by-one to advocate a zero-sum vision of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Zionist project was to build Israel. The Palestinian national purpose was to destroy Israel. Only one side could win, and it had been Israel.

Now, they argued, Israel's allies-most importantly the United States-must dispense with long-unsuccessful peace negotiations and allow Israel to finish the job, by forcing the Palestinians to concede defeat

Despite their shared view of the end of the conflict, the speakers evinced widely divergent worldviews and priorities.

In his opening remarks, Pipes said that by "losing" the conflict, the Palestinians might actually gain even more than Israel because they could "move on to something better, more constructive, built their own polity, economy, society and culture."

Like Pipes, Richard Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said that ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would require changing attitudes in foreign capitals.

"I think the key here is not Israel. Israel obviously must play a significant part in it. But the key is the international community. It's the international community that by its actions continues to encourage aggression against Israel," he said.

But Yehuda Glick, an Orthodox Jewish activist and Knesset member for the ruling Likud party, argued that Israel was responsible for its own destiny. By making itself "a light to the nations," Israel would bring "shalom upon the region and the world," he said.

"Yes, of course, they have to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Of course, they have to stop anti-Semitism. But that's not what we have to deal with. We have to deal with what's good for us, and we have to continue," he said.

Einat Wilf, a former left-wing Israeli lawmaker, said she had over time given up on making peace with the Palestinians. She suggested that the conflict would only end when Arabs were forced to reinterpret the role of Zionism in their history.

"We rewrite our lives to turn our defeats into triumphs, right? That's what humans do," she said. "So the Arabs and the Palestinians will one day rewrite their history, their theology to acknowledge the Jewish presence here as part of their view that the Jews came here because that's how it should have been by Islam."

Meanwhile, the poll commissioned last month by the Middle East Forum found that 82 percent of Israelis do not believe the Palestinian leadership will recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people under any conditions. A plurality of Israelis said this was the biggest obstacle to peace. The margin of error was 3.7 percent.

In his recent book, "The Only Language They Understand," Middle East analyst Nathan Thrall argued that both the Israelis and Palestinians have historically only made concessions when forced to, by either violence or politics. But he said Israel has benefited from the peace process and would be unlikely to push for an end to it, nor would world powers.

"It allows the perpetuation of the status quo. When there's an absence of talks, people start to get restless. The world doesn't want to support indefinite occupation," he told JTA. "It's entirely implausible that the U.S. or the international community are going to adopt a position in support of 'Israeli victory.' It sounds to be like this group is just putting on a show and asking for some kind of rhetorical shift."
Anti-Israel bias in the textbooks used by many American high schools may be to blame for the decrease in sympathy for Israel among young adults.

According to the Brand Israel Group, only 54 percent of U.S. college students lean more toward Israel than the Palestinians, down from 73 percent in 2010. The decrease was even sharper among Jewish college students, dropping from 84 percent to 57 percent.

The problem starts in high school, Dr. Sandra Alfonsi, founder of Hadassahs Curriculum Watch division, told JNS.org. Theres no doubt the lack of sympathy for Israel on college campuses today is at least partly the result of several generations of teenagers being educated with textbooks that are slanted against Israel.

Unabashed propagandizing

One of the most controversial texts used in high schools around the country is the Arab World Studies Notebook, a 540-page volume authored by Audrey Parks Shabbas. She heads Arab World and Islamic Resources and School Services, a curriculum publisher that seeks to promote a positive image of Arabs and Muslims in U.S. schools.

After parents in Anchorage, Alaska, complained to their local board of education in 2004 about the books slant against Israel, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) prepared a 30-page analysis of the Notebook. The AJC found it to be riddled with overt bias and unabashed propagandizing, such as depicting Israel as the aggressor in every Arab-Israeli war and praising Muslim conquerors throughout the ages for their gentle treatment of civilian populations.

As a result, the Anchorage Board of Education removed the book from the local high school curriculum. School authorities in Tulsa, Okla., have also withdrawn the text.

Shabbas has claimed the book has been distributed to more than 10,000 teachers, and if each notebook teaches 250 students a year over 10 years, then youve reached 25 million students.

The most important statistic is the number of workshops that Shabbas has given to instruct teachers in how to use the book, Curriculum Watchs Alfonsi said. She has conducted hundreds of such three-day teacher-training sessions. Shabbass website names 211 schools where she ran teacher workshops from 2000-2006. Other years are not listed.

Shabbas did not respond to requests for comment from JNS.org.

Dispute in Massachusetts

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America recently published a 108-page monograph, Indoctrinating Our Youth, which describes how high schools in the Boston suburb of Newton have been using biased texts such as the Arab World Studies Notebook and inviting anti-Israel speakers to address their students.

The controversy began in 2011, when a Newton South High School parent complained about a passage from the Notebook accusing Israel of torturing and murdering hundreds of Palestinian women. Other parents soon joined the protests. Matt Hills, vice chair of the Newton School Committee, dismissed the critics as McCarthyesque.

In early 2012, Newton Superintendent of Schools David Fleishman said the Notebook had been removed from the curriculum because it was outdated. But an investigation by Americans for Peace and Tolerance, a Boston-based activist group, found that the Notebook was still being used in Newton as late as the 2013-2014 school year.

The dispute has been complicated by the refusal of Newton school authorities to identify which Israel-related materials were being used by teachers. Many school districts around the country list their curriculum materials on their websites. APT President Charles Jacobs told JNS.org his group will continue to build support for a policy of transparency, so that parents and citizens can know what is being taught to Newtons students.

In response to a request for copies of the materials, Fleishman said the requester would need to pay $3,643 to cover photocopying expenses. Eventually, a Freedom of Information request filed by community activists forced the release of some of the materials.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a member of the nine-person School Committee, attended committee meetings on the textbooks issue but did not actively participate in the discussions, according to community members. The mayor, who is now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts governor, did not respond to requests for comment.

Several mainstream Jewish organizations in Boston, including the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, initially denied that biased materials were being used in the schools. They also criticized APT for organizing protests against the Newton school authorities. Later, the New England ADL changed its position, agreeing that the Arab World Studies Notebook and another anti-Israel text, A Muslim Primer, should not have been used in schools.

The CAMERA monograph reports that as a result of the controversy, there has been some change in the selection of materials by Newton officials and more careful vetting of them. Yet some of the supplemental materials that Newton teachers use continue to favor fringe perspectives, according to the study.

Steven Stotsky, the monographs author, told JNS.org the situation remains unresolved, pointing out that Newton North High School hosted another anti-Israel speaker in June. Since no curriculum materials have been shown to the parents since 2014, it is impossible to know if any of the anti-Israel books are still being used, Stotsky said.

Controversies around the U.S.

Other texts have been at the center of similar controversies elsewhere around the U.S. in recent years.

Parents in Tennessees Williamson County complained to school authorities in 2013 over a textbook called The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. In a section on the reasons for the rise of terrorism, the book asks: If a Palestinian suicide bomber kills several dozen Israeli teenagers in a Jerusalem restaurant, is that an act of terrorism or wartime retaliation against Israeli government policies and army actions?

The protests, which were led by Christian pro-Israel activist Laurie Cardoza-Moore and supported by the Jewish Federation of Nashville, prompted the Tennessee state legislature to take steps to ensure greater parental involvement in the selection of textbooks.

Further, the books publisher, Pearson Education, removed the suicide bomber passage from subsequent editions. But Cardoza-Moore told JNS.org her campaign was only a partial victory, because the book contains other biased statements about Israel that were not removed.

In Georgias Sumter County, Campbell Middle School parent Hal Medlin complained in 2011 about a class assignment featuring a fictitious letter from a Saudi woman who defended Islamic sharia law and her husbands polygamy, on the grounds that she was being cared for by her husband. Conservative activist Pamela Geller, who joined the protests against the Campbell Middle School assignment, told JNS.org the letter was an outrageous whitewash of the subjugation of women by Islam.

The curriculum unit also included a document in which a pro-Palestinian activist suggested terrorist attacks against Israeli Jews are understandable.

In neighboring Henry County, school authorities responded to complaints about the text by withdrawing it from the curriculum. Sumter County officials took no such action, but Sharon Colettipresident of the InspirEd curriculum developer, which had prepared the controversial materials for Georgia public schoolstold JNS.org that the topics of womens rights and the West Bank have largely been dropped [from statewide curricula], so we removed the texts.

Parents at a high school in Pittsburgh complained to Curriculum Watchs Alfonsi in 2007 about a teachers use of Habibi, a young adult novel by Naomi Shihab Nye. Alfonsi found that the book has a strongly pro-Palestinian slant, including extreme accusations about Israeli oppression. The fact that it was being used in an Advancement Placement English class meant that it was indoctrinating some of the brightest kids in the school, she said. As a result of Alfonsis discussions with school officials, Habibi was dropped from the classs curriculum.

The problem is that for every school that removes an anti-Israel text, there are a hundred more that are continuing to use it, Alfonsi said, adding, When I began this work 20 years ago, we were reviewing curriculum materials used for the 6th to 12th grades. Now we are seeing anti-Israel bias in texts going all the way down to the 4th grade. Im concerned that many in the Jewish community still do not recognize how serious this problem is.
David Lau, Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, speaking to children about the Kristallnacht pogroms at the Or Avner Jewish school in Berlin, Nov 8, 2013.

(JTA)-The Israeli chief rabbinate says that its list of foreign rabbis has been misconstrued, and that the list does not imply that those rabbis cannot be trusted to vouch for the Jewish identities of their followers.

On Saturday, JTA reported on a list of some 160 rabbis whose efforts to confirm the Jewish identities of immigrants were rejected by Israel's haredi Orthodox-dominated Chief Rabbinate. In order to get married in Israel, immigrants must provide the rabbinate proof of their Jewish identity, often in the form of a letter from a rabbi in their home community.

Rabbis from 24 countries, including the United States and Canada, are on the list. In addition to Reform and Conservative rabbis, the list includes several Orthodox leaders. Itim, the Israeli organization that obtained the list, called it a "blacklist."

But on Tuesday, Moshe Dagan, the director-general of the rabbinate, said that characterization is misleading. In a letter to the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America obtained by JTA, Dagan wrote that the proof-of-Judaism letters were rejected for a range of reasons, and that the list questioned the documentation, not the individual rabbis. Dagan added that these rejections were sometimes temporary.

"The list that was publicized is not a 'list of unrecognized/unauthorized rabbis,'" Dagan wrote, in Hebrew. Rather, he wrote, it is a list of rabbis whose letters regarding marriage were not recognized by the personal status and conversion division of the chief rabbinate of Israel "for whatever reason."

Even though the list contained only the names of rabbis, Dagan wrote in bold type that "it is the documents that were presented which are unrecognized, not the rabbis."

He added that "I am pained by the anguish caused to the respected rabbis who appear on the list, and will do everything I can to minimize the damage as much as possible and to take care that errors of this kind will not be repeated."

Itim director Seth Farber, who received the list in an email correspondence with the chief rabbinate, called Dagan's clarification "doublespeak" because the list was of rabbis' names, not problems with documentation.

"The letters were signed by rabbis," he said. "If the problem was the documents, why did the rabbinate send me a list of rabbis names? If the problem was the documents, why didn't they just try to clear the documents instead of writing 'no, unacceptable.'"

The list comprises rabbis whose letters the rabbinate rejected during 2016. Of 66 U.S. rabbis included on the list, at least one-fifth are Orthodox, while almost all of the rest are Reform or Conservative. Among the Orthodox are Avi Weiss, the liberal Orthodox rabbi from the Riverdale section of New York and Yehoshua Fass, the executive director of Nefesh B'Nefesh, a group that encourages and facilitates American immigration to Israel.

In a separate letter sent Monday, Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau's office apologized to Fass for his inclusion. In the letter to Fass, Lau's senior aide reiterated that Lau did not know of the list prior to its publication, and that it does not imply rejection of the rabbis themselves.

"[The list's] intention was not to invalidate rabbis, God forbid, but rather [to invalidate] letters that raised doubts and questions," wrote Rabbi Rafael Frank, the aide. The letter, also in Hebrew, said Lau "very much appreciates" Fass' work.

The publication of the list comes on the heels of a clash between American Jewish leaders and the chief rabbinate over how to determine Jewish identity. In June, Israel's Cabinet advanced a bill that would give the chief rabbinate authority over all official Jewish conversions within Israel. Following an outcry from Jewish leaders in America, the bill was shelved for six months.

The chief rabbinate's distrust of some Orthodox rabbis abroad was seen last year when the rabbinate omitted several prominent Orthodox figures from a list of rabbis it trusts to confirm the authenticity of Jewish conversions. The rabbinate has also rejected the validity of conversions performed by prominent Orthodox rabbis in New York City and Chicago.
While the availability of less expensive kosher cheese has been a boon to observant Jews, greater culinary sophistication in the Orthodox community is also having an effect on the dairy market, experts say.

It's early morning in the Sardinian countryside and a farmer is milking his sheep while an Orthodox Jewish kosher supervisor looks on.

The supervisor, known as a mashgiach, is sleeping in the farmer's barn, and he'll be there all week.

Welcome to the world of kosher cheesemaking.

The weeklong kosher cheese run in Sardinia is just one of a number of methods that artisanal kosher cheesemaker Brent Delman, owner and founder of The Cheese Guy, uses to manufacture products for kosher consumers who have developed a taste for fine Italian cheeses.

"I like to partner up with the most authentic suppliers of non-kosher cheese and see if we can replicate it. This requires flying in Jews from mainland Italy and bringing them to Sardinia to watch the milking of the sheep," said Delman, an Ohio native, explaining that many of the farmers he works with have never met Jews before the mashgiach shows up to inspect their operation.

The incongruous sourcing partnerships are a sign not only of the complexity of kosher cheese production, but also of the growing taste among kosher consumers for artisanal cheeses and greater cheese variety.

A number of mainstream cheese producers have begun large-scale kosher cheese production in recent years. In 2015, the Kraft subsidiary Polly-O generated excitement among consumers when it began producing Orthodox Union-certified kosher string cheese, undercutting the existing kosher competition significantly on price. Wisconsin's Lake Country Dairy, a subsidiary of Schuman cheese, has been making millions of pounds of kosher Italian-style Parmesan, Asiago, Romano and mascarpone for about a decade. Smaller artisanal cheesemakers, like the Seattle-based Beecher's, are also making kosher versions of their flagship cheeses.

Many hard cheeses use rennet, an animal byproduct, in production and therefore are not kosher. To be certified as kosher, hard cheeses not only must use synthetic rennet, but all the equipment and ingredients must be kosher and a mashgiach has to supervise the production.

Until recently, kosher Danish blue cheese and fine parmigiana were almost impossible to find; likewise for Brie and other fine soft cheeses. But with the market for kosher products growing-studies show that in addition to the burgeoning Jewish kosher market, many non-Jews prefer kosher because they associate it with increased cleanliness and healthfulness-increasing numbers of cheesemakers are getting into the kosher market.

"Companies that never would have considered making kosher cheese now do because they see their competitors succeeding with it," said Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, a dairy expert in the O.U.'s kosher division. "These major cheese companies have taken the kosher plunge and chosen the O.U. certification, as it is the most recognized kosher symbol today."

Typically, rather than convert entire facilities to kosher production or keep kosher supervisors on site year-round, large companies will do a special kosher run-perhaps once a month, or in some cases for a few hours each day. During the kosher campaign, non-kosher production is shut down, all relevant equipment is cleaned and rabbinical supervisors oversee production.

"Take a cheddar cheese company in Vermont, where the good cheddar comes from," said Rabbi Abraham Juravel, the supervisor of technical services for O.U.'s kosher division. "They're not going to pay a rabbi to stay there whenever they make cheddar cheese; it's too expensive. They'll make a run once or twice a year with a rabbi present, and then they can market the cheese from those days as kosher."

Lake Country Dairy produces some 26 million pounds of cheese per year, including 4 million pounds of kosher mascarpone, Parmesan, Romano, Asiago and fontina sold under the brand names Bella Rosa, Cello Riserva and Pastures of Eden.

Kosher certification "symbolizes higher quality and more attention to detail in selecting the ingredients," said Jesse Norton, Lake Country Dairy's quality assurance director, who said the company's entry into the kosher market a decade ago "dovetails well with our philosophy of meeting the needs of customers and doing what other groups find difficult to do."

For a large company capable of mass-producing cheeses, going kosher makes good business sense, giving the company a competitive advantage, Norton said. As more companies go kosher, consumers should see better prices, he noted.

While the availability of less expensive cheese has been a boon to observant families, greater culinary sophistication in the Orthodox community is also having an effect on the dairy market, according to Gordimer.

"People want more variety. Their tastes have become more sophisticated," he said.

This trend is of a piece with American consumers generally, where in recent years consumers have developed a taste for artisanal foods, locally sourced products, craft beers and other high-quality offerings. U.S. retail sales of natural and specialty cheeses reached $17.4 billion in 2015, an increase of 4.1 percent since 2011, according to a report by Packaged Facts.

Cheese consumption is rising, too: In 2016, Americans consumed 5.35 million metric tons of cheese, a 7.6 increase from 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For the major cheese producers like Kraft, economies of scale means that prices for kosher-certified products can be similar to non-kosher cheese. Not so for smaller companies, which typically charge a premium for kosher cheese to cover the costs of kosher production and certification. Products made with cholov yisroel-milk produced solely by Jews, reflective of a more stringent level of kosher preferred by some strictly Orthodox consumers-can be two or three times as pricey as non-kosher cheese.

Until about a decade ago, the kosher cheese world was like the kosher wine market 30 years ago: There were the basics, but little for the discerning connoisseur, according to Delman, The Cheese Guy. Just as fine kosher wines from Israel replaced the ubiquitous Manischewitz at kosher dinner tables, fine kosher cheeses are also now commonplace, he said.

Delman's production shows the challenges of small-scale, fine-cheese production. For example, to manufacture a beer cheddar he is producing in cooperation with a dairy farm in Vermont, Delman first must arrange for kosher supervisors to accompany him to the facility. They clean the lines and check that all the ingredients are kosher; only then does production start.

Cheeses like Swiss and feta are made in brine, which must be kept separate from non-kosher cheeses. Because most facilities don't have extra brine tanks, Delman has to bring his own brine and cheese molds, further driving up costs.

"All of my products are small-batch artisanal productions, so the challenge of the kosher fees automatically makes the product more expensive," he said.

Juravel says mass production is particularly difficult when it comes to cheese, so kosher cheese will always be something of a challenge. But it's worth it.

"Cheesemaking is an art," Juravel said. "There's science behind it, but it's an art."

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Orthodox Union, the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, dedicated to engaging and strengthening the Jewish community, and to serving as the voice of Orthodox Judaism in North America. This article was produced by JTA's native content team.
Master Sgt. Kamil Shnaan (l) and Master Sgt. Haiel Sitawe, the police officers killed in the terror attack next to the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem on July 14, 2017.

Two Israeli policemen in their 20s were critically wounded in the Old City of Jerusalem Friday morning when three Palestinian terrorists opened fire near the entrance to the Temple Mount. Two other victims were lightly injured.

Police shot and killed all three assailants.

Nidal Seder, a United Hatzalah volunteer who lives in the Old City, was the first to arrive at the scene, according to the emergency medical services organization.

"I began performing CPR on one of the victims near the [Al Aqsa] Mosque," Seder said. "I was joined by members of the Red Crescent, police officers and other EMS volunteers who rushed to the site. We were told that other volunteers had begun CPR on a second victim and that there were two other people that sustained light injuries."

Yechiel Stern, another volunteer, was a minute away from the Lion's Gate entrance to the Old City when he heard the gunshots.

"I arrived at the entrance together with a volunteer doctor from United Hatzalah and we began performing CPR on a critically wounded person," he explained. "After we finished, police officers directed us to another area of the incident which was inside the Temple Mount complex itself. There we provided first aid treatment to an additional critically injured person who was evacuated to the hospital while undergoing CPR. We also provided first aid treatment to an additional two people who had sustained shrapnel wounds and were suffering from shock."

"For us the Temple Mount is a house of prayer for all peoples. For them, it is a base for terror and hatred... The Temple Mount is in our hands should not be just a slogan, it should be the reality on the ground," Member of Knesset Moti Yegev told TPS news agency.

A Zionist Response

Knesset Member Yehuda Glick said, "We need to take a Zionist response, including construction throughout Jerusalem and opening the Temple Mount to Jews for additional hours in the day. We must not give terrorism even the slightest achievement," TPS reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement Friday morning, insisted that "the status quo will be protected," according to Times of Israel.

Magen David Adom medics arrive at the scene of the attack on the Temple Mount.

In light of the attack, Times of Israel reported, Netanyahu convened a briefing with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Eisenkot, Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman, Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich, the Defense Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai and others.

Erdan called the attack "an extremely serious event which crossed all red lines. The investigation is ongoing. We will need to reevaluate all of the security arrangements on the Temple Mount and its environs. I call on all public leaders to act to calm the situation and ensure quiet in Jerusalem," the Times said.

Police are investigating the situation, questioning how the terrorists managed to bring the weapons past security and into the Temple Mount complex.
An award-winning journalist who broke the story of the group of Jewish women ejected from an LGBTQ march in Chicago last month has been reassigned to non-journalistic duties at the paper which ran the original report, the 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."

The Windy City Times-whose masthead featured Hammond as a senior writer until a week ago-now describes her as "senior account executive."

The Algemeiner approached Hammond after a reader pointed out that her role at the Windy City Times had been abruptly switched. The reader said in an email that Hammond's reporting had been blamed by the march organizers for the ensuing controversy, and went on to express "disgust" and "outrage" that Hammond had "been bullied and attacked" by individuals associated with the march, sometimes in an "antisemitic" manner.

Tracy Baim-the publisher and executive editor of the Windy City Times-told The Algemeiner she could not discuss the specific charges around Hammond.

"I cannot comment on our people, but know that we stand by our reporting on our stories," Baim said by telephone from Chicago.

Pressed on whether she stood by Hammond's reporting of the Dyke March controversy specifically, Baim answered affirmatively. "I was the one who edited the story," she added. Asked why Hammond had not filed a byline for the paper since June 28, Baim had no comment.

Hammond joined the Windy City Times as a reporter in 2013 and won the 2016 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Award for Excellence in News Writing. This year, Hammond was a finalist for the second time for the Lisagor Award, which honors journalists in Chicago.

Hammond came to national attention in 2016 when she saved the life of one of her readers by donating a kidney. "This current and particularly ugly electoral cycle has been fueled by the politics of conceit," Hammond later reflected in a column for the paper. "So it is easy to forget that, even if you don't have the resources of a wealthy philanthropist, it is more important than ever to help someone in need and, in so doing, change their world and, as a consequence of that action, the world as a whole for the better."

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."

This article was originally published in The Algemeiner on July 10.
WASHINGTON (JTA)Carmel Shama HaCohen, Israels ambassador to UNESCO, is second to none in his admiration for the Trump administrations United Nations envoy, Nikki Haley. In fact, hed like to clone her.

Shama HaCohen appreciated Haleys efforts in trying to head off last weeks vote by UNESCOs Heritage Committee naming Hebrons Old City an endangered heritage site. And he believes the joint U.S.-Israeli bid to kill a resolution Israel saw as one-sided might have succeeded had a U.S. official of Haleys caliber been onsite in Krakow, where the vote took place. (Haley conducted her efforts from New York.)

We didnt have the spirit that was strong enough, Shama HaCohen said in an interview.

Crystal Nix-Hines, the Obama administrations UNESCO envoy, left on Jan. 20. The Trump administrations failure to replace her is part of a broader slowdown in naming top State Department positions. According to reports, fewer than 10 of the approximately 200 State Department positions that require nomination and confirmation have been filled.

Shama HaCohen, a blunt-speaking former Likud member of Knesset, said the absence of Israels most important ally at UNESCO was having far-reaching effects on defending his country.

As soon as you have an ambassador, you have an ability to create a relationship with Washington, to advance an agenda, he said. The absence of envoys harms our efforts to defend Israel, he said. The United States is far from a capacity to bring her full complement to defend Israel.

Shama Hacohen is not the only official on the front lines of defending Israel concerned about under-staffing among the U.S. diplomatic corps.

The issue of staffing at the State Department is criticalat UNESCO and in the myriad other areas where U.S. leadership is crucial, Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation Leagues CEO, told JTA. While there was a good-faith effort by Ambassador Nikki Haley and other members of the administration at UNESCO last week, the fact that there was no ambassador on the ground had an impact.

For months, a broad array of Jewish groups and lawmakers from both parties have decried the Trump administrations failure to fill another role: the State Departments anti-Semitism monitor.

We are also concerned by the Secretary of States seeming reluctance to appoint a special envoy to monitor and combat Anti-Semitism, which plays a critical role in raising awareness and action against anti-Semitism and anti-Israel actions globally, Greenblatt said. These positions should be filled as soon as possible.

The understaffing and how it affects Israel-related diplomacy has also caught the attention of Republicans in Congress.

We need more appointees in place, said Kevin Bishop, a spokesman for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the Jewish states most ardent defenders in the Senate, when asked about Israel-related diplomacy. He pointed to remarks by Graham on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday: Secretary (Rex) Tillerson needs to staff up the State Department and use it wisely, Graham said, referring to a range of areas where he said it was AWOL. Im so worried about the State Department.

A State Department official told JTA that the Trump administration remained committed to defending Israel in every international forum.

We have been clear that the United States will oppose any effort to delegitimize or isolate Israel, wherever it occurs. We continue to do that, said the official. With respect to staffing, we continue to have a deep bench of experienced career professionals serving in key positions that are highly capable and able to help the Secretary lead the Department. We will continue the process of exploring and evaluating ways to improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency, including optimizing the impact of available resources.

The White House has blamed Senate Democrats for obstructing nominations, noting in a release this week that Trumps nominees are on average taking longer to clear the Senate than those of his predecessors. But Trump has also been slow to nominate: A June 29 count by the Washington Post showed that of the 200-plus State Department positions filled by nomination, Trump had formally nominated just 20 and that the Senate had confirmed eight.

Dan Shapiro, until January the Obama administrations envoy to Israel, said career professionals were no substitute for diplomats who had the confidence of the administration.

When in the past, during the Obama administration when we were fighting an anti-Israel resolution to recognize a Palestinian state, it was all hands on deck, he said. We would have ambassadors in capitals raising it, we would have senior officials, secretaries and under secretaries weighing with counterparts.

Without the personal relationships diplomats cultivate with their counterparts in other countries, Shapiro said, you dont have the tools available, you cant get to the most senior officials in other governments to be engaged to rally other countries to stand with us.

Shapiro said the lack of appointees is hindering another issue Israel says is critical: Pressing the Palestinians to stop paying families of people jailed or killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis.

We should be engaging many other governments at senior levels to urge them to let the Palestinians know we think its unacceptable, he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government is generally pleased with the Trump administrations priorities, and appreciates that Trump himself raised the payments-to-prisoners issue in his meetings with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Indeed, Shama HaCohen said that part of his frustration was that the career diplomats in the U.S. UNESCO office were carrying out Obama-era policies seen as friendlier to UNESCOnot because they sought to undermine Trump, but because it was the only guidance they had in hand.

Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said the UNESCO vote might have been an outlier: The Obama administration stopped paying dues in 2011 because UNESCO recognized Palestine as a state, and as a result the United States lost its capacity to vote, diminishing its influence at the body in any case.

We take the UNESCO issues very seriously and welcome the strong statements by Ambassador Haley, Hoenlein told JTA.

Daniel Mariaschin, the executive vice president of Bnai Brith International, said that the lack of staffing was a problem, but that Israels overall obstacle at the U.N. and its affiliated bodies was institutional bias.

Theres no question, having ambassadors with the worldview of Nikki Haley, building relationships, is important, he said. But automatic majorities, block voting which is built in the U.N. infrastructure. Thats really where these problems lie.
Next week, July 23 to 28, a thousand or more avid Jewish genealogists will gather for the annual International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies conference at the Swan Resort in Orlando. Attendees are in for a special treat. The Thursday night banquet speaker is Harvard Professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, host of the widely popular Public Broadcasting Association television show, "Finding Your Roots." His topic is "Genealogy and Genetics in America."

Gates and I both spend our summers on Martha's Vineyard and I caught up with him a few days ago to talk about the event. A devoted genealogist since childhood, Gates married his hobby to genetics back in 2000 when a Howard University professor invited him to participate in a DNA study of black men. "I jumped on it," Gates explains, claiming that his is probably the "most studied" DNA of anyone.

A few years later, the PBS invited Gates to host a program on African America genealogy. The show was a big hit, but one day Gates received a letter from a Jewish woman who accused him of being a "racist."

"Me, a racist?" Gates laughs incredulously as he explains that the woman, of Russian-Jewish descent, wanted to know why he didn't interview any people like her. Gates thought she had a good point.

"We should do white people," he told his Coca Cola sponsor, and the show evolved into "Faces of America" with participants from all ethnic backgrounds. The title became "Finding Your Roots" when someone claimed prior ownership of the title "Faces of America."

Today, the show has a weekly viewership of more than three million people with a list of 70 celebrities scheduled to appear, and PBS has signed up for another year. Jewish genealogy has been a prominent aspect. Harvard law school professor Alan Dershowitz, actor Dustin Hoffman, songwriter Carole King and playwright Tony Kushner have appeared. Senator Bernie Sanders and Larry David will appear in the same episode this coming year. Also on the schedule are Vineyarders Carlie Simon, Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen.

"How do you know that the people you choose will have an interesting family history?" I wanted to know. "Everyone does," Gates replied. "I have seen the most successful, prominent men and women break down in tears at the sight of a grandparent's immigration arrival record, or other similar document."

Many Jews remember Gates favorably, however, for something that predates his television show-his 1992 New York Times op-ed piece denouncing black anti-Semitism. Titled "Black Demogogues and Pseudo-Scholars," Gates wrote, "During the past decade, the historic relationship between African Americans and Jewish Americans-a relationship that sponsored so many of the concrete advances of the civil rights era-showed another and less attractive face." "I knew that the article would anger some people. What I didn't expect were the death threats I received," Gates noted.

"Why did you write it?"

"Because it was important for those who love truth and justice to speak up," he replied.

Today Gates and another Harvard professor, Lawrence Bobo, teach a course titled "Introduction to African-American Studies," which, among other things, explores two streams of virulence, anti-black and anti-Semitic.

In the course of his research, Gates became acquainted with the research of Sarah Nadia Lipes who has embarked on a program to index archival records of the Jews of Kiev province. Professor Gates is donating his conference honorarium toward her efforts.

The Orlando conference and banquet are open to the public. Walk-in registration is available for the conference; advance registration is needed for the banquet. To learn more about the conference, visit http://www.iajgs2017.org. Walk-in registrants are welcome. To attend the banquet, please email info@iajgs2017.org as soon as possible as seats are limited.
Mayim Bialik, star of the new "Homoschlepiens" video campaign, with a SodaStream machine.

Mayim Bialik, a star on the CBS hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," launched a witty new video campaign this week for SodaStream, succeeding actress Scarlett Johansson as the official pitchwoman for the Israeli beverage carbonation company.

Bialik, a self-described "observant-ish" Jew and a doctorate-holding neuroscientist, is uniquely suited for the new SodaStream promotion.

In the video, the actress finds herself in the year 2136 working as a research scientist, deeply consumed in the study of primitive "Homoschlepiens," an unevolved jungle-dwelling tribe of humans who still rely on bottled water in a world that has since discovered other means of consuming beverages-such as Sodastream's sparkling water maker.

Kristian Nairn, who plays the role of Hodor in HBO's "Game of Thrones," is the prime primitive subject of Bialik's field research in the video, and also becomes her unanticipated love interest.

Regarding the unconventional career path that saw her master both acting and neuroscience, Bialik told JNS.org her professional life evolved "one step at a time...with the help of a good therapist and some solid loved ones by my side."

Bialik played the lead role in the 1990s NBC sitcom "Blossom." She has also appeared in Woody Allen's made-for-television film "Don't Drink the Water" and Larry David's HBO sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm," among other on-screen roles.

Asked which TV role she is best known for, Bialik said, "Big Bang is the most widely viewed show I have been a part of, but people flip out when they hear I did three episodes of 'MacGyver,' or that I was in a Michael Jackson video. So it really depends on who you ask!"

In the rest of her interview with JNS.org, Bialik discusses science, Hollywood, anti-Semitism, BDS and the meaning of her name.

JNS: What inspired your interest in science, and does your knowledge in the field enhance your acting roles and your new position as SodaStream's pitchwoman?

Mayim Bialik: "I fell in love with the cell in high school, and being a scientist makes my life complex and beautiful whether I am at home, with my kids, acting with other humans or talking about the environment with SodaStream. It's just who I am!"

How do you balance being a modern Orthodox Jewish mother and an acting career? Are there any conflicts that arise?

"I don't call myself modern Orthodox. I am observant-ish and I mostly resonate with left-wing modern Orthodoxy. I often cannot observe holidays the way I want to and I run on a secular Hollywood calendar, so I do my best. We work very flexible hours and don't tape on Friday nights, which is nice."

Have you encountered pressure from the BDS movement in your career, and do you anticipate pushback from anti-Israel activists in your new position for SodaStream, a well-known Israeli company?

"Not yet, but I get attacked simply for being Jewish, for visiting Israel and for saying Israel has a right to exist. I'm sure people will find reasons to be mad at me about this, too."

(SodaStream's former headquarters were located in Mishor Adumim, beyond Israel's pre-1967 lines, making the company a high-profile target of the BDS movement. Before relocating its facilities to Israel's Negev desert, SodaStream had employed 1,300 workers, including 500 Palestinians who were given the same pay and benefits as their Jewish-Israeli colleagues. The relocation forced SodaStream to lay off most of its Palestinian workers. SodaStream currently employs 74 Palestinians, who were rehired in May after the renewal of their work permits.)

"SodaStream is about diversity, coexistence and peace," Bialik said. "As so many people in Israel know, people from different religions, ethnicities and nationalities can work together in peace and harmony despite what the media wants us to believe. Individuals and corporations can show that we are stronger together: women, men, children, lovers of peace, and lovers of freedom and justice."

Your predecessor, Scarlett Johansson, resisted pressure from the BDS movement and stood by her Super Bowl commercial for SodaStream in 2014. What do you think of the stance Johansson took?

"She issued a great statement and I respect her as an actress, a public person and a Jew."

In your opinion, why is Israel held to a different standard than other countries?

"Haha. Anti-Semitism? Bigotry? Historical bias? I'm sure every professor and rabbi of mine can answer that better than I can! I'm just another liberal Zionist."

Your first name, Mayim, is the Hebrew word for water, and now you're the pitchwoman for a company whose machines make sparkling water? Is it destiny?

"Ha, we call it bashert (Yiddish for destiny) where I come from!"
Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, later to become a Knesset member, shows religious Jews a diagram of the Jewish temple that once stood where the Dome of the Rock stands today in Jerusalem, Sept. 17, 2013.

JERUSALEM (JTA)-Liberal American Jews are feeling thwarted in their years-long campaign for the right to pray as they wish at the Western Wall. Long frustrated that the plaza in front of the wall is run as an Orthodox synagogue, they were doubly incensed when Israel's political establishment scrapped an agreement that would have boosted access to their own space nearby.

Meanwhile, another group of Jewish worshippers has gained public approval and political traction by setting their sights a bit higher-on the plaza just above the Western Wall, where the ancient Jewish Temple once stood.

Often led by Orthodox American immigrants to Israel, the movement to gain greater access for Jews to the Temple Mount-site of the Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque-has moved from the margins nearly to the mainstream.

"Our movement is growing for sure," said Yehuda Glick, a Brooklyn-born Israeli lawmaker and longtime Temple Mount activist. "The number of people ascending to the mount has doubled, and you see there's a lot more activity, a lot more public support."

Yaacov Hayman, a white-bearded Orthodox native of Southern California, has worked for decades alongside other American-Israeli leaders of the Temple Mount movement. He recently took the helm of a new government body called The Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, which is charged with preserving the holy site and educating about its Jewish history.

Hayman cited the American civil rights movement as an inspiration for his activism, which ultimately aims to rebuild the temple and usher in the messianic era. He said the status quo on the Temple Mount, where Jews' access has been limited and Jewish prayer banned, reminded him of the 1960 Louisiana school desegregation crisis.

"When I first went to the mount, I was shocked. This is a Jewish and democratic state, and I can't pray here? What's going on?" Hyman said. "I thought back to being a kid, 6 years old, watching on TV when that little black girl walked into an all-white school. It made me proud of my country."

Glick, whose beard is fiery red, has avoided calls for any kind of violence and framed his advocacy for Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount in terms of liberal values, which he said overlapped with Jewish values. Although Glick acknowledged that he also would eventually like to see the temple restored, he was quick to add that it would be "a world center of peace" and a "house of prayer for all nations."

"In a society that believes in human rights and liberal rights, the fact that you're not allowing a person to pray just because he doesn't belong to your religions, that's something that's unacceptable," he said "If you support freedom of speech, how can you support prayer for just one people?"

The Temple Mount has long held religious significance for both Jews and Muslims. Although the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 C.E., Jews have continued to pray facing in the direction of the site, and mourned its destruction on fast days and even weddings with the groom's breaking of a glass. The Western Wall is a retaining wall of the mount, built by the Jewish ruler Herod at a time when Jewish pilgrims would ascend the plateau to offer sacrifices and witness rites led by the kohanim, or Jewish priests.

The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque were built on what the Muslims call Haram al-Sharif beginning in the seventh century C.E. under the Muslim Ummayad dynasty.

Since Israel captured the Temple Mount from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, the site has become a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some Jews, mostly from the Orthodox national religious community, never accepted Israel's decision to keep the mount an exclusively Muslim prayer site after the war. Although Israel insists it has no plans to change the status quo, Palestinian suspicions to the contrary helped fuel the first and second intifadas, or uprisings, and the wave of stabbings and car-ramming attacks that started in October 2015.

In 2014, a Palestinian terrorist shot and seriously wounded Glick for his Temple Mount activism.

For decades, support for Jewish claims to the Temple Mount came mostly from the fringe of Israel's national religious community. In the most famous example, the Jewish Underground terrorist group plotted to blow up the Dome of the Rock in 1984 to pave the way for the rebuilding of the temple. Orthodox American Jews like Era Rapaport, a Brooklyn-born civil rights activist turned convicted Jewish Underground terrorist, brought liberal ideas even then to Temple Mount activism.

In recent years, however, the Temple Mount movement has surged. According to Yedidia Stern, who researches religion, state and Orthodoxy at the Israel Democracy Institute, Israel's national religious community experienced a series of setbacks in the movement to settle the territories that Israel won in 1967-including the intifadas, the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo peace accords and Israel's evacuation of settlements in the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 and the Gaza Strip in 2005. As a result, many shifted their biblically inspired fervor toward the Temple Mount.

"The settlers' messianic interpretation of reality suffered a real blow to the face with these events. I think most Israeli Jews realized the day will come when we'll either willingly or by force sign a peace accord with our enemies, and we'll have to retreat from Judea and Samaria, the heart of the ancient Jewish homeland," he said, referring to the West Bank by the biblical names widely used in Israel.

"Many Jews have looked to revive the messianic dream on the Temple Mount. It's a replacement, one that's even more important in their minds."

Right-wing rabbis have also issued rulings that permit Jews to visit and pray on the Temple Mount, despite a tradition that says Jews should not walk on the mount out of fears that they might step on the site of the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of the Temple.

According to Hayman, just a few years ago, only a few thousand Jews visited the Temple Mount every year. By contrast, more than 14,000 Jews and their supporters have come since October, by the count of the activist group Yeraeh-Connecting to the Temple Mount. That was already more than Yeraeh recorded in the previous 12 months.

Israeli Jewish organizations that champion the cause have proliferated, too, from just a couple five years ago to more than half a dozen major active groups today. In addition to leading the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, Hayman started the Yishai Organization for Building Synagogues on the Holy Mountain in 2013 and Friends of the Temple Mount this year. Yeraeh, Students for the Temple Mount, Women for the Temple and Returning to the Temple Mount were all started in the past few years.

At the same time, older groups have flourished. The Temple Institute, co-founded in 1987 by Chaim Richman, an Orthodox rabbi born in Massachusetts, in 2013 moved from a small side street in Jerusalem's Old City to an expansive space just outside the Western Wall plaza, where it has hosted thousands of visits by tourists every year with government support. A man-sized gold-plated menorah the group commissioned for use in the temple was installed overlooking the Temple Mount in 2007 in a ceremony attended by the Ashkenazi chief rabbi at the time.

Temple Mount activists have not just grown in number, but also moved closer to power in Jerusalem. Glick in May 2016 entered the Knesset as a member of the ruling right-wing Likud party. He claimed credit for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision on Tuesday lifting the ban on Israeli lawmakers visiting the mount, albeit on a trial basis. Glick had petitioned the High Court of Justice against the ban, which Netanyahu implemented in 2015 amid Palestinian violence.

In November Dorshei Zion, an annual event that brings together Temple Mount activist groups, was held for the first time at the Knesset and attracted hundreds of attendees, more than ever before. Several leading right-wing politicians, including secular ones, attended.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Glick used the forum to announce a new Temple Mount Knesset lobby. Months later, in March, Culture Minister Miri Regev and Jerusalem Minister Zeev Elkin spearheaded the creation of the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation. Modeled on the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which oversees that site, the Temple Mount foundation was allocated an annual budget of more than $500,000.

The new body was explicitly inspired by a controversial UNESCO resolution last October that ignored the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount. The Israeli government called the resolution part of a "delegitimization campaign based on a distortion of facts regarding the history, tradition and culture of the Jewish people." United Nations bodies have issued similar Arab-backed resolutions before and since, including as recently as Tuesday.

Temple Mount activists said Arab and international questioning of Jewish roots in their biblical homeland has helped their movement gain traction with the Israeli public. The perceived attacks have appealed to nationalist sentiment even among the nonreligious.

Tom Nisani, a secular student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the chair of Students for the Temple Mount, and his fiancee, Sara Lu, made headlines on June 29 by covertly marrying on the mount in violation of the ban on Jewish rituals. His group of Jewish students from across the religious spectrum has promoted awareness of Jewish claims to the mount, and ultimately the rebuilding of the temple.

"We certainly do not need to receive permits from the world regarding our right to the Temple Mount," he said. "Every Israeli and Jew has a place on the Temple Mount, and accordingly, the support we receive is extensive and varied."

In contrast with the Temple Mount, Stern noted, the Western Wall has been securely in Jewish hands since 1967. While most Israelis may have opposed the government's decision to withdraw its support for the Western Wall agreement under pressure from the haredi Orthodox political parties, the issue does not resonate on a religious or nationalist level in Israel, where liberal Judaism has not taken root.

But Stern also doubted the Israeli mainstream would embrace the Temple Mount movement's radical long-term aims and the likely costs of pursuing them.

"From a symbolic point of view, everyone says the Temple Mount is ours. It should be ours. You can hear that from almost everyone here," he said. "But does it really mean we have to do anything about it? I'm not sure the majority wants to push forward this agenda."

Sebi Berens/Flash90 A group of Jewish worshippers visiting the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2016.

Hayman acknowledged that force would likely be required to establish Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, just as the U.S. National Guard had to be sent in to enforce school desegregation.

"They sent National Guardsmen to line the streets. That's what it took to end segregation," Hayman said. "The same thing needs to happen here. Let the Arabs riot over the Temple Mount, and let them get shot. If you ignore the monster, it just gets bigger."

However, he predicted, when it came time to build the temple, even the Arab world would welcome it.

"We have to realize we're not alone in this whole thing. God is our senior partner," Hayman said. "When God wants the temple to be rebuilt, he'll get involved. We'll get to a point in time when the entire world will come say to us, 'build your temple.'"
A meeting between Trumps negotiating team and Palestinian officials took place in Jerusalem instead of Ramallah because of the PAs refusal to host the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

In an unusual occurrence, United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman attended a meeting with Palestinian Authority officials alongside President Donald Trumps special representative for international negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, at Jerusalems King David Hotel on Tuesday, July 11.

Explaining the unexpected inclusion of Friedman, a senior White House official was quoted by the Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel as saying, The administration believes that in order to give everyone the best chance to reach an ultimate deal, it is critical to have negotiators that are close with the president.

While Friedman had served as Trumps personal lawyer, Greenblatt previously had the role of executive vice president and chief legal officer at the Trump Organization. Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is also a close adviser to the U.S. president on Israel and the peace process.

Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad said on official PA television, We do not want one of the members of the [American] delegation to come to us. Why? Because he is the ambassador of America in Israel and the purview of his work is in Israel.

Greenblatt and Friedman were joined by the U.S. consul general in Jerusalem, David Blome. The PA officials reportedly included chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, PA General Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj and PA President Mahmoud Abbass economic adviser, Muhammed Mustafa.

On Monday, July 10, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman urged the Trump administration to abandon a bilateral peace process with the PA and instead adopt a regional approach.
Bottled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been blamed for a shop blast that killed two and injured dozens in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China's Zhejiang Province, Friday morning, according to an initial investigation by local authorities.

The blast ripped through three restaurants at around 8:30 a.m., leaving a combined burned area of 200 square meters, upstairs and downstairs.

Flames and strong heat shattered the glass of passing vehicles, including a bus, causing most of the injuries.

The local health authority said 45 people were receiving treatment in six hospitals, seven of which with severe injuries.

Among the injured, two were restaurant employees while the rest were passengers in passing vehicles or pedestrians.

The district public security bureau has identified the two people who died in the blast and informed their relatives. One was on the bus and the other riding a bicycle when the blast occurred.

Police have taken the shop owner into custody.

Residents have been asked to donate blood by the provincial blood center.

Che Jun, the provincial Communist Party chief, demanded all-out efforts to treat the injured, saying a thorough investigation needed to be conducted as well as extensive checks to rule out hazards that could undermine public safety.

The shop is located in the West Lake District, a well-known scenic area.

The fire has been put out.
Dear Editor:

As a member of the Jewish community, I would like to bring exposure to Kids of Courage because I feel this organization is essential and so many people can benefit from their services. Kids of Courage is a Jewish innovative volunteer-based organization, dedicated to improving the lives of children and young adults with serious medical diagnoses. One of our many events that we sponsor will take place in the summer. This upcoming Aug. 3-10 we will be taking 130 sick children and young

adults with all their required medical supervision, and life support equipment they need to a medically supervised camp that children with debilitating illnesses look forward to all year long.

Imagine for eight days these children from New York, New Jersey, California, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Toronto, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas; and internationally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Israel, and London will leave their hospitals from their sick room environments and be surrounded by fun-filled activities in Tyson, Virginia, and leave the pressure of their illnesses behind.

Our mentality is the sicker the children are the more likely they are to be accepted to the camp because we feel that children with serious illnesses deserve a chance to have an unforgettable summer. This camp gives them an opportunity to relax and recuperate from the physically and emotionally exhausting lifestyles they lead and gives them the needed strength for the rest of the year. This is often the highlight of the childrens lives the entire year. By helping Kids of Courage, not only children with life-threatening illnesses are benefiting but the parents too.

When a child with a serious medical illnesses is in the picture, it takes a toll on the entire family. This is where Kids of Courage steps in by offering year-round support through assisting with medical referrals, hospital visits, toy drives, weekend retreats, monthly events and the medically supervised summer adventure trip. All services provided are free to the children and families. We firmly believe that these families have enough burdens in their lives without worrying about the finances needed to participate in our activities. There are only a few weeks left until the summer camp. If you would like to donate or for more information please contact:

Esther Cohen

Kids of Courage coordinator M.S.Ed

Estt26@gmail.com
(JTA)Last year, I wrote an opinion piece for JTA about a term and a trend few Jews over the age of 30 had ever heard of: intersectionality. Coined in the late 1980s, intersectionality posits that various forms of oppressionracism, sexism, classism, ableism and homophobiaare all interconnected.

According to the theory, a black female is doubly marginalized by racism and sexism, for example. As a result, it is necessary for activists to connect these multiple forms of oppression in their advocacy.

Rising in popularity in the wake of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, over the fatal shooting of a black man by a white officer, intersectionality, I pointed out, made it easier for Israels detractors to connect the dots between their cause and other causesto blame, somehow, the behavior of Missouri police on the example of the Israeli military, or to reduce the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a clash between whites and people of color.

I argued that to counter this growing problem, supporters of Israel must do more to join the conversation and engage other groups susceptible to outreach from anti-Israel groups.

The op-ed generated a firestorm. Numerous proponents of intersectionality spoke out against the article, arguing that I simplified an important theoretical framework for understanding prejudice and exploited it for advocacy purposes. Others were shocked by what they considered yet another manifestation of anti-Israelism.

Since that time, Ive delved deeper into the doctrine and observed its various manifestations. In its original form, intersectionality is a perfectly legitimate way to understand discrimination and power, and can bring people together. I call this inclusionary intersectionality.

In its more malevolent form, however, it is used to purge social justice causes of anyone who doesnt agree with the entire package of ideologically extreme views. I call this exclusionary intersectionality.

Its critical that we know the difference.

Many college students, including young Jews, embrace inclusionary intersectionality. Think not of a raucous rally but of a dorm room discussion. The intersectional conversation allows students to map themselves with other students onto a Venn diagram reflecting their multiple identities. In their discussions, they recognize both overlapping and divergent experiences. A college student intern in my office told me that thinking intersectionally means appreciating our association with diverse identities. It allows us to recognize the potential for empathy beneath surface-level differences and develop greater opportunities for cooperation.

These concepts should not be all that alien to us. The Jewish community relations field, which for decades has been building bridges to other minority communities in order to create a more just society, operates under what could be considered a form of inclusionary intersectionality.

Increasingly, however, a more exclusionary discourse has been used to divide people and target, in particular, Jews and supporters of Israel. The detractors use the same framework of interconnected identities to limit, not expand, the scope of human empathy.

Last month, for example, three Jewish women were ejected from the Chicago Dyke March because they were carrying a rainbow flag with a Jewish star on it. One of the women said she was told by a march organizer your flag looks too much like Israeli flags because of the star, and that it is triggering to people and it makes them feel unsafe.

Organizers of the Chicago Dyke March themselves tweeted, QUEER AND TRANS ANTI-ZIONIST JEWISH FOLKS ARE WELCOME HERE, a clear example of exclusionary intersectionality. The tweet makes it explicit that you can only be part of the cause if you agree with the organizers on every issue. Those with a different perspective need not apply.

On too many college campuses, political activists embrace exclusionary intersectionality. Jewish students have reported feeling unwelcome in certain social justice coalitions. In such instances, anti-Israel students have become gatekeepers for campus coalitions, citing intersectionality in excluding Jewish students. For example, Students for Justice in Palestine at Brown University managed to get transgender activist Janet Mock to cancel her scheduled speech at Hillel. Drawing on the intersectional vocabulary, they argued that Brown/RISD Hillel, through its association with Hillel International, has a clear policy of supporting... Israels racist and colonial policies... Indeed, queerness does not lie in isolation from other forms of identity; rather, it explicitly interacts with other identities including race, gender, class and ability.

Faced with such hostile exclusion, some in the Jewish community would just as soon condemn all intersectionality and be done with it. But not all uses of intersectionality are equal: The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ rights organization, responded to the incident at the Chicago Dyke March by tweeting, Marches should be safe spaces to celebrate our diversity and our pride. This is not right.

Indeed, the LGBTQ rights group took aim at the march organizers for excluding the Jewish marchers, thereby practicing inclusionary intersectionality.

Diaspora Jews must learn, not shun, intersectional discourse in all its forms and be part of the discussion while not being afraid to challenge instances of exclusionary intersectionality. Condemning all intersectionality wont make it go away. Weand the larger societyhave a major stake in the more inclusionary form winning out.

David Bernstein is president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the representative voice of the Jewish community relations movement. Follow him on Twitter @DavidLBernstein.
JERUSALEM (JTA)Over the weekend, JTA and others reported on a blacklist of rabbis maintained by Israels chief rabbinate. The list contains the names of more than 160 rabbis whom the rabbinate does not trust to confirm the Jewish identity of immigrants to Israel.

The list, obtained by Itim from the rabbinate after a protracted legal battle, has sparked an uproar in Israel and around the Jewish world. I have been contacted by rabbis, politicians, Israeli and American consuls general and ambassadors, asking one question: Who is responsible for this mess?

If one asks Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau what happened, his argumentarticulated in a letter his chief of staff sent to his CEOis that a clerk went AWOL. According to Lau, Rabbi Itamar Tubul, the director of certifications and personal status at the rabbinate, issued a list without consulting anyone. The chief rabbi has asked the CEO to censure Tubul, thus, from his perspective, bringing an end to the travesty of the blacklist.

But Rabbi Tubul didnt cause the blacklist to be created. In fact, he is a manifestation of a systemic failure of the rabbinate, and in fact of Israel, to address the significance of the Jewish part of the Jewish State for the Jewish world.

The state of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles, Israels Declaration of Independence reads. [I]t will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion...

But today, rather than support its historic role as a homeland for Jews around the world, Israels governmentthrough the rabbinate which it empowerschooses to delegitimize hundreds of communities and rabbis throughout the diaspora. Rather than embracing the diversity of the Jewish world and enabling Jews not born in Israel to make their home here, Israel pushes them awaypurportedly in the name of halachah, or Jewish law.

As an Orthodox rabbi I want to state categorically that rejecting peoples Jewishness is anti-halachic The halachah is clear: Jews are to be believed if they say they are Jewish. The rabbinate is undermining the very Judaism it wishes to sustain.

But of course, the present controversy isnt only about halachah Its about power and accountability. The rabbinate has been allowed for too long to operate without any oversight, without any accountability, without any sense of its responsibility. This is not Rabbi Tubuls problem, or the chief rabbis problem. It is the governments problem.

If the State of Israel is to remain a life force for the Jewish people, it must restructure the power of the rabbinate, such that Jewish communities around the world will be welcomed and validated, not dismissed and disparaged. If we are to create a new model of Jewish peoplehood, one that balanced what was once referred to as Babylon and Jerusalem, then the suspicion of the diaspora by the religious authorities in Israel must be supplanted by a spirit of tolerance and acceptance.

Ultimately, times of crisis are also times of opportunity. The fractured relationship between Israel and the Jewish world can be healed and from these dark moments, we can emerge stronger. But the government of Israel must be willing to act boldly, and rethink if its behavior today is truly serving the interests of the Zionist enterprise. Im convinced things can be better But, to paraphrase the motto of the special forces unit in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu served, One wins only if one dares.

Rabbi Seth [Shaul] Farber is the director of Itim: The Jewish Advocacy Center (www.itim.org.il), an organization that helps people navigate the religious authorities bureaucracy in Israel.
Donald Trump made an important speech on May 21at the Arab Islamic Summit in Saudi Arabia that was quickly forgotten in the cacophony of tweets, accusations and other news surrounding the president. It is worth looking at that address more closely, however, because he laid out in the starkest terms yet the truth about what amounts to a world war that few people want to acknowledge. The speech also clearly distinguishes Trumps policies from those of his predecessor by explicitly identifying Islamic extremism as a global threat, acknowledging Jewish, Christian and Muslim victims and singling out the genocidal regime in Iran for its role in destabilizing the region.

Trump was uncharacteristically diplomatic in choosing to avoid use of the term radical Islam in front of the Muslim leaders assembled before him, but he otherwise did not mince words in delineating the threat facing them as well as the West:

Here at this summit we will discuss many interests we share together. But above all we must be united in pursuing the one goal that transcends every other consideration. That goal is to meet historys great testto conquer extremism and vanquish the forces of terrorism.

While the president said he hoped the summit would be remembered for ushering in peace in the Middle East, he said that future can only be achieved through defeating terrorism and the ideology that drives it.

Trump denied the clash was between civilizations. Echoing George W. Bush, he said, This is a battle between good and evil.

His message was unequivocal: There can be no coexistence with this violence. There can be no tolerating it, no accepting it, no excusing it, and no ignoring it.

The president put the onus on the Muslim and Arab leaders in the room to solve the problem. He said America would stand with them, but they would have to decide whether they were willing to do what is necessary to assure a brighter future:

A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and extremists. Drive. Them. Out. DRIVE THEM OUT of your places of worship. DRIVE THEM OUT of your communities. DRIVE THEM OUT of your holy land, and DRIVE THEM OUT OF THIS EARTH (emphasis in original).

Though he was focused on ISIS, his words applied equally to Hezbollah when he called on the assemblage to ensure that terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil. He complimented the Gulf Cooperation Council for designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization last year and the Saudis for sanctioning a senior leader of the group.

He asked the leaders to confront Islamist extremism and the terror groups it inspires, which, he said, means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians.

In yet another striking departure from his predecessor, Trump singled out Iran for its nefarious policies:

But no discussion of stamping out this threat would be complete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists all threesafe harbor, financial backing, and the social standing needed for recruitment. ... From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms, and trains terrorists, militias, and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region. For decades, Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror. It is a government that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing the destruction of Israel, death to America, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.

Trump understands that Muslims must solve the problem of Islamic extremism; the war with radical Islam cannot be won with American arms. He is also correct in recognizing we cannot pretend there is no war and avoid the battlefield.

The United States must work with the Muslim countries to defeat radical Islam with one caveat; we also must be careful not to ignore the role that some of these nations, such as Saudi Arabia, play in promoting the ideology we are fighting.

Dr. Mitchell Bard is the author/editor of 24 books including the 2017 edition of Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, The Arab Lobby, and the novel After Anatevka: Tevye in Palestine.

This blog originally ran in The Times of Israel.
The U.S. consul general in Jerusalem recently set off on the first leg of a 200-mile hike that will simultaneously promote one pro-Palestinian myth while inadvertently exploding another. Thats quite a twofer!

Consul General Donald Blome is an avid hiker. For some reason, he has decided to ignore Israeli hiking trails in Judea and Samaria, and instead is making his way across the Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil, or the Ibrahim Path, which runs from northern Samaria to southern Judea.

The website of the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem quotes Blome as explaining that this journey is all about exploring the connection of the people with the land. But hes not talking about the Jewish people, who have a 3,000-year-old connection to the land through which he is hiking. Instead, Blome has in mind the connection of people who only started calling themselves Palestinians in the 1970s and whoin many casesare actually the descendants of Egyptian, Syrian or Lebanese Arabs who arrived in the 1920s and 1930s.

Blome began his hike in the Arab village of Rummana, north of Jenin, and will conclude in the Old City of Hebron, as he calls it. There will be no stops along the way in the sites that genuinely demonstrate the ancient connection between the people and the landsuch as Shiloh, the first resting place of the biblical tabernacle and the center of Jewish religious life before the building of the First Temple. Nor will the consul general be visiting Beit El, where the patriarch Jacob had his famous dream of the angels ascending and descending to heaven.

Blome appears to have forgotten that the Jewish presence in that Old City of Hebron is a lot older than that of the Muslims. The Jewish connection dates back to Abrahams purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs. Muslims did not show up in the area until more than 2,000 years later.

For some reason, the U.S. consulate is determined to wipe out Jewish history in the Holy Land. I suppose one could say thats consistent with the recent decision by UNESCO to brand the Cave of the Patriarchs a Palestinian historical site. But its not the kind of behavior we were expecting from a representative of President Donald Trumps administration. (Blome assumed the consul general post in July 2015, during President Barack Obamas tenure.)

While promoting one myth, however, Blome has unintentionally exposed another.

Few Americans have heard of the Ibrahim Trail. Based on what they read in the newspapersand what they hear from former U.S. envoys such as Dennis Ross and Martin Indykthe American public is led to believe that Israel occupies the Palestinians, controls their movement and prevents their access to neighboring communities.

Yet thousands of Palestinian hikers each year traverse the Ibrahim trail without interruption for 200 miles, proceeding from the Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil is a trail that runs through the West Bank from the Mediterranean olive groves of the highlands of the north to the silence of the deserts in the south, from the area west of Jenin to the area south of the Sanctuary of Abraham (known in Arabic as Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi) in the city of (Hebron), as the U.S. consulates website describes it.

Where are all the Israeli occupation troops? Where are the checkpoints that supposedly make the lives of Palestinians miserable? Wheres all the persecution, oppression and humiliation that were always reading about?

Theyre nowhere to be found. The hikers arent stopped by Israeli soldiers. They arent bossed around by an Israeli military governor. Thats because way back in 1995, then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin withdrew all of Israels troops from the areas where more than 98 percent of the Palestinian Arabs reside.

The hikers almost certainly wont see any Israeli security checkpoints, because 26 of the 27 checkpoints are set up along Israels border with the Palestinian Authority, not inside the areas the PA controls.

Giving the PA control over so much land that is steeped in Judaism and Jewish history was an extraordinary sacrifice by Israel, one that few in the international community have ever appreciated. Perhaps that is something for Blome to contemplate during the long hours of quiet reflection he will enjoy as he hikes across the land of Israel in the weeks ahead.

Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of the Religious Zionists of America, is an attorney in New Jersey. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.
Malcolm Gladwells Saigon 1965, a chapter in his podcast Revisionist History, brought me back to the University of Wisconsin 1968-75. I participated in campus discussions on Vietnam, and smelled the tear gas used against mass protests.

Gladwells message is that a mass of information about the Vietcong lent itself to widely different conclusions by intelligence personnel influenced by their own experiences, with their political superiors screening assessments through their own self-interests. Some saw the U.S. as winning, while others projected a dismal future.

Ill admit to having supported the U.S. effort in Vietnam. I also left campus several times a year to lecture in an MA program for military officers. I recall at least a bit of confusion about the contrary assessments of the war by colleagues, media commentators, and politicians.

Gladwells podcast not only brings me back to that time, but leads me to ponder whether the Vietnam quandary bears any resemblance to Israels ongoing conflict with Palestinians.

A point of similarity is the commitment of the Vietcong and Palestinians. A point of sharp difference is the interests of Americans in the 1960s and the interests of Israelis at the present time.

The U.S. was a huge country, the head of an empire, whose population was half a world away from Vietnam. Israelis live alongside and among Palestinians, and Arab citizens of their country who identify more or less with the Palestinian cause.

Israeli Jews are divided about Palestine and their commitment to the IDF, but not to the extent of Americans with respect to Vietnam and the U.S. military.

The differences reflect the Holocaust, persecution of the parents and grandparents of Middle Eastern Jews in Muslim countries, and Palestinian violence against Israelis.

There are also differences in the actions of the U.S. military and the IDF. Israels use of the stick is nothing like U.S. carpet bombing, and its use of carrots is more prominent, both with respect to Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.

The geographical proximity is important. Israel provides jobs for more than 100,000 West Bank Palestinians as well as health care, education, economic and political opportunities to its Arab citizens, residents of East Jerusalem and the Golan who have not accepted citizenship. Israeli Arabs may not be equal in all respect to Jews, but are not all that disadvantaged when compared to minorities in other western societies.

We commoners can only guess about differences in military intelligence. However, Israels capacity to target cars and homes is a measure of information superior to what seemed to guide US actions in Vietnam. Moreover, the entire profession of intelligence may have changed. Americans have demonstrated a capacity in bringing down individual targets among Islamic extremists.

International politics also differs between the Vietnam experience of the US and Israels experience with Palestinians. Things are more fluid and chaotic than in the midst of the Cold War. Communism may not have been the monolith depicted by the most enthusiastic of the Cold Warriors, but Islam has become even more difficult to comprehend. Not only are Sunnis once against at war against Shiites, but that is only part of the warfare apparent throughout the Middle East. Syria has gotten most attention. There may be more than 60 militias fighting one another, with some of them moving from side to side according to opportunity. Anyone wanting an insight into the local, family, personal, and religious motivations of those fighting in Syria can look at this.

Israels national interests and security personnel are somewhere in the Syrian mix, along with fighters from Russia, the U.S., Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hezbollah, the Syrian military so far loyal to Bashar al-Assad, and additional complications associated with the Kurds and Qatar.

Political maneuvering is more apparent and seems to offer more potential for Israel in 2017 than to the U.S. in the 1960s.

We can quarrel about the strength or weakness of the Palestinian national movement, the capacity of Israeli carrots and sticks, and the capacity of those claiming Palestinian leadership to do well for themselves and/or their people. My own perception is that Israel is getting stronger while the Palestinians are doing little better than hanging on, with many if not most of their people disappointed with their leadership.

This is far from a bang and were done scenario. Yet it much different from what Malcolm Gladwell describes from the peak of certainty projected at one time by LBJ and Robert McNamara.

The comparison can fuel at least a bit of optimism for Israels capacity to maneuver among dangers and opportunities.

Comments welcome. Irashark@gmailcom.
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Czapek & Cie, Swiss-based watchmaker with Polish roots, is coming back to its origins and re-estabilishing its presence in the Polish market. On this occasion company prepared in cooperation with Wealth Solutions a special edition of timepieces honoring the Polish founder and the history of his homeland The premiere of this exquisite timepiece was held on 31 May 2017 in Warsaw.

Today, the revived Czapek & Cie makes a new start in the Polish market and unveils a limited edition of watches named Warszawianka, an homage to the companys founder and to the history of his homeland. The Warszawianka watch was created in cooperation between Czapek & Cie and the Polish company of Wealth Solutions - experts in building collections of rare drinks, works of art, watches and originators of the idea to offer the exquisite Warszawianka collection. Although Franciszek Czapek created his greatest masterpieces abroad, he often included patriotic references in many of his timepieces, explains Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie. The Warszawianka model pays tribute to these long-lasting traditions.

The dial of the watch features, at 12 oclock, the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland from the era of the November Uprising. This is a clear reference to the heroic, military episode in the story of Czapeks life, who served in the National Guard and took part of the battle in Warsaw. The 6 number, unlike the other numerals on the dial, is red, to underline the hour at which the November Uprising started.

The Zyj swobodo, Polsko zyj (Live in freedom, live in Poland) inscription on the dial is a fragment of the lyrics of Warszawianka - a patriotic song the entire project has been named after. Furthermore, the cabochon features a piece of amber  one of the world-famous symbols of Poland. All these unique features are combined together creating a truly exquisite watch that merges Swiss precision with the Polish soul.

The history and tradition are really important values for Polish people, so as Polish company specializing in luxury and collectibles watches we decided to create the special edition of timepieces, that would pay homage to our past and would show the part of our heritage in interesting way. Said Micha Kowalski, Vice-president of Wealth Solutions. This is the reason why we invited to the cooperation the Swiss watch atelier, which has Polish roots and founder who had insurrectionary episode in the story of his life.

The limited edition includes only 15 timepieces, out of which 5 with 5N Red Gold case and 10 with XO Steel case and was made in Switzerland. The official launch of the Warszawianka model was held on 31 May with an exclusive event at the 5-star Bellotto hotel in Warsaw.

In addition to this limited edition timepieces, the regular collection  the Quai des Bergues watches for ladies and for gentlemen, as well as the Place Vendome, the brand new tourbillon line - is available in Poland as well. Czapeks regular collection watches may be purchased from the companys official distributor - Jubiler Plucinski, a family-operated business boasting over 60 years of history and offering luxurious jewelry, as well as high-end watches.
Forensics experts exhumed Salvador Dalis remains from a tomb in his Spanish hometown on July 20, nearly three decades after his death, to test a fortune tellers claims that she is the only daughter of the surrealist.

Working behind closed doors, they removed a slab weighing more than a tonne which covers the tomb of the artist at the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueras in northeastern Spain where he was born.

The biological specimens have been taken from Salvador Dalis remains, Catalonias High Court of Justice said in a statement. It said Dalis coffin had been opened so that work could begin. DNA samples were taken from his skin, nail and two long bones.

The surrealist masters trademark moustache is in perfect shape in its ten past ten position, the foundation that runs his estate said on Friday.

A casket is carried inside the Teatre-Museu Dali (Theatre-Museum Dali) as forensic examiners arrive for the exhumation of Salvador Dali's remains in Figueras on July 20, 2017. (AFP)

Narcis Bardalet, who was responsible for embalming Dalis body 28 years ago was at his grave the moment he was exhumed on Thursday night for DNA tests. It was a moving moment for him and for us, Lluis Penuelas Reixach, the secretary general of the Salvador Dali Foundation, told a press conference.

When I took off the silk handkerchief, I was very emotional. I was eager to see him and I was absolutely stunned. It was like a miracle ... his moustache appeared at 10 past 10 exactly and his hair was intact, Bardalet told Catalan radio station RAC1 on Friday morning.

A crowd of onlookers gathered outside the elaborate museum of Dalis work to watch as police escorted the experts into the building, which is topped by a huge metallic dome decorated with egg shapes. Dali designed the building himself.

The museum, a top tourist site that drew over 1.1 million visitors last year, was covered in some places with cloth to prevent drones from capturing images. A day like this arouses in me a great deal of feeling because it reminds me of the day of his death, Maria Lorca, who was the mayor of Figueras at the time of Dalis death in 1989 at age 84, told AFP.

The eccentric artist would have enjoyed the atmosphere outside the museum, Lorca added. He would feel at home, it is a day that suits his way of being, Lorca said.

A huge fortune

Pilar Abel, a 61-year-old who long worked as a psychic in Catalonia, says her mother had a relationship with the artist when she worked in Cadaques, a picturesque Spanish port where the painter lived for years.

Pilar Abel, 61, who says she is Salvador Dalis daughter. After two decades of court battles, a Madrid judge granted Abel a DNA test to find out whether her allegations are true. (AP)

A Madrid judge last month granted her a DNA test to find out whether her allegations are true.

If Abel is confirmed as Dalis only child, she could be entitled to 25% of the huge fortune and heritage of one of the most celebrated and prolific painters of the 20th century, Abels lawyer, Enrique Blanquez, said.

Dalis estate, which includes properties and hundreds of paintings, is entirely in the hands of the Spanish state. The Salvador Dali Foundation which manages the estate says it was worth nearly 400 million euros ($460 million) at the end of 2016.

Forensic examiners leave the Teatre-Museu Dali (Theatre-Museum Dali) following the exhumation of Salvador Dali's remains. (AFP)

Abel has already provided a saliva sample for comparison and the results are expected within a matter of weeks.

In an interview with AFP last month, just days after a court ordered the exhumation, Abel said her grandmother had told her she was Dalis daughter when she was seven or eight years old. Her mother admitted it much later.

Abel is from the city of Figueras, like Dali, and she said she would often see him in the streets.

We wouldnt say anything, we would just look at each other. But a glance is worth a thousand words, she said.

Known in the village

A question has always hung over his sexuality, with some claiming he was a closet homosexual who preferred to watch others having sex rather than taking part.

Visitors walk around Salvador Dali's tomb inside the Teatre-Museu Dali ahead of the exhumation of the artist's remains. (AFP)

But according to Abels lawyer Blanquez, his affair was known in the village, there are people who have testified before a notary.

Born on May 11, 1904, in Figueras to a bourgeois family, Dali developed an interest in painting from an early age. In 1922, he began studying at the Fine Arts Academy in Madrid where he developed his first avant-garde artistic ideas in association with poet Federico Garcia Lorca and the filmmaker Luis Bunuel.

Soon he left for Paris to join the surrealist movement, giving the school his own personal twist and rocketing to fame with works such as The Great Masturbator.

Visitors walk around Salvador Dali's tomb inside the Teatre-Museu Dali. (AFP)

Returning to Catalonia after 12 years, he invited French poet Paul Eluard and his Russian wife Elena Ivanovna Diakonova to Cadaques. She became his muse  he gave her the pet name Gala  and remained at his side for the rest of her life.

They never had children and she died in 1982, seven years before Dalis death.

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He came to the city of dreams with Rs 2,500 in his pocket and an ambition to make it big in films. But before giving him his due, Mumbai tested Nawazuddin Siddiquis patience so much so that the actor has now become fear-proof. I have already faced so much in my life. I have seen that time when I didnt even have a single penny in my pocket. And it stayed like that for two-three years. I used to have lunch at one friends place, dinner at others and a third friend would get cigarettes for me. I came to Mumbai with Rs 2,500. If I again face a situation where I am left with just Rs 2,500, I would not feel like a failure. I am not afraid of anything, said Nawaz.

His first Bollywood break was a small role in Aamir Khans Sarfarosh. The 43-year-old actor continued featuring in blink-and-you-miss-it roles in various films till Gangs of Wasseypur came and changed his fate.

Nawaz says he thought about leaving Mumbai a lot during his struggling days but he somehow held on to his dream as going back was not an option for him. For 12 long years, I kept waiting but it was my choice. I chose to stay and keep trying. I was prepared to go through all the pain to achieve my dream of becoming an actor. There were times when I felt like leaving Mumbai. But I did not want to return to my village as people had already told me that I could not be an actor. Returning to Delhi was also not possible as my batchmates from NSD would have said, Aagya tu bhi vapas (You are also back). These were my fears.

From doing walk-on parts to finally being the star of his own films, life has taken a 180 degree turn for Nawaz, but the actor says he is still unaffected by the success he has achieved. After Gangs... I have been continuously busy. I did not get time to sit and analyse my success or stardom. My priority is to act and not think about stardom. Of course, perception of people has changed towards me, but I am still the same. The only change in me is as a performer. I have grown in my craft, he says.

Nawaz says earning money and fame is not his aim and hence fear of losing them does not bother him. It is not about money, but the experience I have gained during my journey, which matters to me. The experience of rejection and failure is priceless. These things have made me what I am today. Whatever I have today is much more than what I ever expected. I feel very secure in my space.

The actor admits his focus is on doing good cinema and making sensible choices. I choose my projects as per my sensibility. I never pick films to prove that I am different or to show that I can do something which no one else can. Time tells you what to do in life, he says.

The actors latest release Munna Michael, which also features Tiger Shroff and newcomer Nidhhi Agerwal, hit the screens today.
Actor Shraddha Kapoor on Thursday treated her fans and well-wishers with a question and answer session on Twitter. The 30-year-old actor, who is looking forward for the release of her upcoming film Haseena: The Queen of Mumbai, sportingly fielded a number of questions.

When a user asked her: If you ever have to direct a film, which actor would you cast for it?

If I would ever direct, I think I would want to direct my dad! Shraddha replied.

Asked about the getting the perfect look for the character, Shraddha said: I gained seven to eight kilos for the movie. Now I have to lose it.

While many questions were about her films, some fans put her in awkward situations too. An over-enthusiastic fan said he wanted an autograph on his left kidney! A shocked Shraddha insisted on giving it on a paper instead.

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Haseena Parkar is a biographical crime film. The films story is based on Dawood Ibrahims sister Haseena Parkar.

Talking about the films director, she said: He is one of the most positive people I have ever met and it was delightful working with him because of that. Energy is everything.

Want your autograph on my left kidney . Such a huge fan :)  Raees badshah (@iamShashizanje) July 20, 2017

Whats the most inspirational thing about the real Haseena Parkar, asked a fan.

She replied: That despite all the losses in her life of her loved ones, she still had the will to go on.

The Baaghi actor was also asked about actor Govinda, who has worked with her father Shakti in films like Raja Babu, Saajan Chale Sasural, Coolie No. 1 and Hero No. 1 among many others.

Claiming to be a fan, Shraddha wrote: He is just one of a kind. I am a huge fan. Love his movies. He rocks.

The Half Girlfriend actor also expressed her desire to work with actor Hrithik Roshan.

(With HT inputs)

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Telecom regulator Trai on Friday ruled out any immediate imposition of minimum floor price for voice and data services, saying that industry has reached a consensus that it is not a workable idea.

The decision came after Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R S Sharma along with senior regulatory officials met representatives of all telecom companies for a detailed discussion on the issue.

Some operators, last month, had raised the issue of fixing floor price for telecom services. We had a detailed discussion today and there is a consensus that, for now, we do not need to pursue the idea of floor price, Sharma told reporters after the meeting.

Accordingly, there will no further discussion or consultation on the issue, he added.

The consensus is that fixation of floor price for telecom services is not a workable idea, he added.

During the meeting, Idea Cellular is learnt to have batted for fixation of a minimum floor price through a detailed presentation, while newcomer Reliance Jio opposed the concept terming it regressive and anti-competitive.

If a minimum floor price had been set, it could have meant an end to freebies in the market, as operators would have to keep in mind the minimum threshold while fixing tariffs for voice and data.

The tariffs are currently under forbearance -- operators virtually have a free hand in fixing the rates and report plans to TRAI in 7 days of launch -- and, hence, a floor price setting would have also implied a shift from that regime.

The conclusion was that prices which are under forbearance should continue under forbearance as of now, Sharma added.

All operators - large and small - were present at the meeting today. Sharma, however, declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting.

It may be recalled that Idea Cellular, in its presentation to the inter ministerial group last month, had said that the industry has been witnessing losses and negative returns driven by below cost tariffs that are predatory.

Only solution is to have floor prices for voice, SMS, and data services so mobile telecom businesses generate adequate profits to invest and then compete based on quality of services it had said citing nations like Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh which have such floors.

Mukesh Ambani promoted Reliance Jio, which stormed into the telecom market last year, wooed customers with promotional free voice and data services in the first six months of its commercial launch. Jio still offers aggressive data plans and has promised that voice calls will forever be free on its network.

In fact, Jios promotional freebies have been blamed by incumbent operators for the financial woes of the sector.
Unspent public health funds of over R9,500 crore, using expired and substandard medicines at government hospitals and acute shortage of doctors and specialists is plaguing Indias public healthcare delivery, showed the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (CAG) performance audit of reproductive and child health under Union health ministrys flagship National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Health secretary dismissed the report saying these were stray gaps in an otherwise robust system.

These are stray incidents and shouldnt generalize. We now have an absolutely robust quality control mechanism in place, said CK Mishra, secretary health.

The report found in 14 states medicines were issued to patients without ensuring the prescribed quality checks and without observing the expiry periods of drugs, thus exposing patients to grave risks.

The states in question are Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Non-availability of drugs as basic as paracetamol, B-complex and Albendazole was a huge problem in 24 states and union territories surveyed. Out of which eight did not even have essential medicines and consumables such as contraceptive pills, ORS packets and obstetric kit needed for reproductive and child health services.

Shortage of doctors, especially specialists in villages and districts was another issue that CAG pointed out in the report, and was observed in almost all selected facilities because of which people are forced to travel longer distances for treatment.

In the selected community health centres of 27 states, the average shortfall of five types of specialists (general surgeon, general physician, obstetrician/gynaecologist, paediatrician and anesthetist) ranged between 77 and 87 per cent.

In selected 236 CHCs in 24 states/UT, only 1303 nurses were posted against the required 2,360.

One CHC in Odisha and two in Tripura were functioning without any doctor.

More than 40% of the patients we see are from outside Delhi and most are from remote areas of the country. One of the reasons for us being overloaded is the ill-equipped public health facilities in our villages and districts, said a senior doctor at AIIMS, Delhi.

CAG also rapped the government for not being able to manage funds properly, with unspent amount having increased by almost 30% from 2011 to 16.

The unspent amounts with the 27 states rose from 7, 375 crore in 2011-12 to 9,509 crore in 2015-16, with worst performing states and UTs including Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

CAG recommended the health ministry to rationalize funds flow arrangement keeping in view the absorptive capacity of states and also to monitor and maintain details of interest earned on the unspent balances to ensure efficient utilization of funds.

These are issues that we are looking into, said Mishra.

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As Aadhaar becomes the norm in India, and gets skewered for the involuntary nature of its imposition, our northern neighbours, as is their wont, want to do a number that will make this appear benign.

Thats the proposed social credit, which the non-profit Freedom House, in its latest report, describes as a regime that would connect each citizens financial, social, political, and legal data to produce a single numerical rating of his or her behavior and trustworthiness. Fittingly, its coordinated by the Orwellian-sounding Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms.

This reality contrasts with the alternate vision seen by some in recent months of China occupying a central place in the world as Donald Trumps America withdraws into itself.

That the Chinese machinery has managed to further such propaganda is no surprise. As China unveiled a monumental $200 million new embassy building in Washington in 2010, it was a symbolic and in-your-face marker of its outsize ambitions. It employs a slew of lobbyists across the K Street corridor of the Beltway, including some dedicated to image-making for its ambassador. American companies with manufacturing bases in China are force multipliers in shilling for Beijing, while inroads into American academia and media add to its influence. China has ventured capital into Silicon Valley. Its investments into Hollywood, for instance, have made support for Tibet within the film community nearly non-existent.

Those are credible reasons why voices once raised over Chinas actions, in Tibet or Xinjiang, have been muted to whispers, of the sort that countrys netizens have to resort to in questioning the regime, since even Winnie the Pooh can be blacklisted by the Chinese checkers for bearing an alleged resemblance to President Xi Jinping. Money can talk but, even better, it can buy silence.

As a result, the death by negligence of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo attracts bromides from the White House. As China watcher Jocelyn Ford poignantly noted in an article for Asia Society, this summer as Liu was essentially condemned to death, the World Economic Forum had its annual summer meeting in China. Despite its tagline committed to improving the state of the world, she wrote, it self-censors on issues that China may take as an affront. Beijing uses its support for a globalism, for example the Paris climate agreement, as it segues into its practical and tactical agenda.

Yet another Nobelist, the Dalai Lama, meanwhile, once had to exit the Obama White House via the back, walking out amidst ranks of garbage bags. While the human rights industrial complex hums along nicely in the democratic world, it confronts a barrier in the Great Wall of China.

The world, led by the United States, has vacated the moral space in challenging China. And that has allowed Beijing to, literally, push the boundaries of its megalomania. Indias vaunted soft power projection may have its votaries, but the Chinese velvet glove has punched its way into the heavyweight category.

Anirudh Bhattacharyya is a Toronto-based commentator on American affairs

The views expressed are personal

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Debris and smell of dead fishes around Naini Lake here were posing a sorry state of affairs till last month. Thanks to incessant rains for the past few days, the fresh water bodys condition has improved.

The water-level has reached one-foot above the normal level. The lake witnessed record 7.10 feet dip in water-level last month.

In fact, the water-level starting falling from February 13 and could only achieve normal level this month. The lake has now reached 1.2-foot mark due to healthy rainfall of 2352.31 mm, said Kishan Ram, the gauge controller for the Naini lake.

Mahendra Pal, an assistant engineer with public works department said 62 drains constructed during the British raj in the catchment area around the lake were bringing a good amount of water to the lake.

The rains have also helped in rejuvenating several natural springs that help in maintaining water level around the year, said the engineer.

Learning from previous experiences when earth moving machines were used to clear debris causing further damage to the fragile eco-system, the administration this time deployed labourers to manually clear the debris.

Concerned with the condition of the lake, the people hailing from the lake town formed a group called Citizens for Nainital. It, in a bid to sensitise localities, organised a bare foot walk in May.

The founder of the group, Neeta Pawar Rana, said: The members are putting in ideas and following up with the district level officials for a long term plan to save the Naini lake from dying.

Another meeting of the group is scheduled on Saturday.

Environmentalist Ajay Rawat said the main reason behind the lakes depletion was the heavy usage of lake water to meet the demand. In peak time, 15 million litres water required every day for the town to cater locals and tourists.
A 35-year-old motorcyclists throat was slit on the Geeta Colony flyover on Friday afternoon after his neck got entangled in a manjha (kite flying string).

The man, who lives in east Delhis Gokulpuri with his family and works as a supervisor at a private university in Noida, was headed to work on when the accident occurred.

Eyewitnesses told police that the biker nearly collided with a truck passing by after the manjha slit his throat. While the trucker managed to prevent a collision, the victim fell off his motorcycle and collapsed.

He was taken to a nearby hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

The police said they will register a case against unknown persons. It was not immediately clear if the manjha was made in India or was a Chinese variant.

On July 11, the National Green Tribunal had banned the use of manjha across the city. The green body passed the order following several deaths reportedly due to getting caught in the manja. Incidents of birds getting caught in the manjha are fairly common in Delhi.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson justice Swatanter Kumar said: There shall be a total ban on the manja, which are made of nylon or any other synthetic material or are coated with synthetic non-biodegradable substances.
The Union urban development ministry has asked Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to expedite the process of building three-sub cities, which has been in the pipeline for a year.

The DDA is planning three new sub-cities on 677 hectares of land in Rohini, Dwarka and Narela. A total of 259 hectares of land has been identified in Rohini, 218 hectares in Narela and 200 hectare in Dwarka for the purpose.

In a meeting, chaired by secretary (housing & urban affairs) Durga Shanker Mishra on Friday, the ministry asked Delhi Development Authority to invite bids for building integrated cities by the second week of September this year.

Mishra also urged the land owning agency to be more pro-active in making Delhi a world-class capital city in the meeting, in which senior DDA officials including vice-chairman Udai Pratap Singh, was also present.

In 2016, then DDA vice chairman Arun Goel had told Hindustan Times that the project has got the approval of the ministry and departments concerned and DDA would invite consultants for preparing a detailed report in a couple of months. The project, however, got delayed.

A senior DDA official, however, said that the current hiatus should not be read as delay, as it takes time to start project of such big level. The DDA has proposed a fresh deadline for the project.

The agency will select developers by October, 2017, and a detailed project report will be prepared by April 2018.

The construction of houses will begin in December 2018 and be completed in 2021.

The housing agency is contemplating the building of new cities on the concept of transit-oriented development. It means that the area will have accessibility to public transport such as Metro trains and DTC buses.

Secondly, markets will be built in a way that people do not have to depend upon personal vehicles to reach there. There will also be space for office complexes, said a DDA official.

The plan also includes a proposal to provide free Wi-Fi facility and adequate green spaces for parks and plantation along the roadside, he added.

A major problem that Delhi is facing is that our roads are designed in a way that they are car-friendly and not pedestrian-friendly. We want to reduce peoples dependency of personal vehicles. Therefore, we will also explore the possibility of building a cycle track in these cities, he said.

Yamuna bank development

DDA has also agreed to start Yamuna bank development works over an area of 500 acres along Old Railway Bridge  ITO barrage stretch by October 2 this year.

The plan is to enhance ecological features of the floodplains, creating a 300 meter wide green buffer from the edge of the river, 100-150 meter Greenway along the road embankment, recreational areas along the greenways, desilting of storm water drains, creation of wetland systems to enable flow of clean water in to the river etc.

A detailed plan in this regard will be prepared by next month.

Road development between Airport and Connaught Place

It was agreed during the meeting that road between Indira Gandhi International Airport and Connaught Place will be developed up to global standards by March, 2020 for which final drawings will be approved by December this year

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Non-executive staff of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have started a sit in at several Metro stations for salary parity. The staff are also demanding that the action taken against some employees who had been spearheading the campaign should be revoked.

The agitating metro employees have threatened a complete shutdown on Monday if their demands are not heard.

The non-executive staff of DMRC have started a sit in at multiple stations such as Dwarka, Yamuna Bank, Badarpur, Shahdara, Qutub Minar, and Vishwa Vidyalaya. The staff are sitting on the platforms with black bands on their on their arms, said Anil Kumar Mahato, the secretary of the Staff Council.

However, there has been no report of disturbance in metro operations due to the protest, so far.

According to Mahato, all 9,000 of the non-executive staff, which include train operators and station crew, have extended their support to the agitation.

We were assured on May 29 2015, that our pay scales would be increased by a grade. We were in schedule C then, and we are still getting paid under schedule C now. Even after two years there has been no change, said Mahato, who has also demanded their allowances be according to the same as what officers make under schedule A.

Their other demands include formation of a union. We have a staff council, but they have no power... The DMRC constantly tries to silence and oppress anybody who speaks up. We need a union to be able to fight for our rights, added Mahato.

The staff members had raised similar demands and staged a protest earlier this year too, which they had allegedly called off after reassurances by the administration. Nothing has been done so far. In turn they have taken action against me and other people seeking justice, said Mahato.

In letter to the Managing Director (MD), Delhi Metro, he has sought cancellation of chargesheet against him and one Ravi Bhardwaj filed for leading the protest. Mahato also demanded revoking of termination order against other colleague Vinod Shah.

The staff members have now threatened to go on a strike and a total shutdown of services from Monday, if their demands are not met.

According to an agency report, the DMRC, in attempt to quell protest, has asked its employees to refrain from the path of agitation. The issues raised by the agitating staff was an attempt to push their personal agenda to cause disruption. The management is alive to its responsibility towards staff welfare. All concerned employees are requested to stay away from the path of agitation and not to fall for rumours and issues of alleged injustices, a PTI report said.

DMRC officials, and some passengers maintained that operations were not affected gravely on Friday.

The DMRC spokesperson also said that they were working to resolve the issues. These are internal HR issues and we are handling these within the framework of our organizational rules and regulations, said the spokesperson.

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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,...
With a few seats remaining in certain colleges for some courses, the Delhi University released a sixth cutoff on Friday. Classes have already started in colleges.

Admissions to most courses at most colleges have closed. But certain colleges still have a few seats left.

The registrars office released a list of the lowest cutoff. The college can either offer the course at the this lowest cutoff, or drop it further, said a DU official working with admissions.

Students would have to visit individual colleges on Saturday to find the cutoff requirement and if they have qualified. Admissions under the sixth list is expected to be approved until Tuesday.

At Daulat Ram College, all but two of their courses are closed for admissions under the general category. They still have a few seats left in BCom (hons), the lowest cutoff for which was 95%.

BCom (hons) is also available at Gargi College, where the lowest cutoff has been 94.25%.

Hans Raj College has closed admissions to all its courses under the general category, except for English and Chemistry honours, the lowest cutoffs so far for which has been 95.5% and 95.66%, respectively.

Lady Shri Ram College has a few seats left for Mathematics (hons); the cutoff has not dropped below 96.25% so far.

Miranda House has seats available for six courses, including Economics (hons) and BA programme.

Shyam Lal Evening college, which had almost half its seats vacant by the end of admissions under the fifth cutoff lost, has seats available in all its courses.

Political Science and History aspirants may want to try their luck at colleges such as Sri Venkateswara College, where the lowest cutoffs for the course have been 94% and 91%, respectively so far.
A three-year-old girl who had gone missing on July 11, was thrown into a canal by her father to become a tantrik, police have claimed. The childs body was recovered from the canal in Faridabad the next day.

The police had registered a case of kidnapping when Dheeraj Kumar of Pyali Chowk area under the Kotwali police station informed the police control room (PCR) that his daughter had been kidnapped. Kumar told the police that he had taken his daughter to a nearby market on a scooter and later dropped her near home. He claimed that she had gone missing after this.

The CCTV footage showed the man leaving with his daughter and returning alone.

We scanned CCTV footage in the area and got suspicious about him, a police official investigating the case said. In the footage the girl was not with him when he returned. When we confronted him, he confessed to his crime, the official said.

He was arrested and produced in a court on Thursday which remanded him to one-day police custody. During questioning, Dheeraj said he wanted to get rid of his daughter Sonakshi to become a tantrik, the police said.

We sought his one-day police remand to know who advised him to take this step, Ram Nath, in-charge, NIT-2 police post, said.

Police said that Dheeraj Kumar (centre, sitting) confessed his crime when they quizzed him. (HT Photo)

The girl had gone missing on July 11 and while the police were still investigating the case, a body was spotted at the canal in Sector 8. The body was brought to the BK Hospital where the family identified the child.

The police, however, continued to investigate the abduction angle and scanned the CCTV footage for clues. It was in the footage that they saw Kumar taking his daughter out but returning alone. They then questioned the father who confessed that he had taken his daughter to the canal in Sector 8 and allegedly drowned her there.
Not willing to take no for an answer to his marriage proposal, a 22-year-old fruit seller allegedly kidnapped two young sons of a woman he wanted to marry, police said on Friday.

Zakir, a native of Kolkata, reportedly believed that by kidnapping the boys, he would be able to blackmail the Delhi woman into leaving her husband and marrying him.

However, the police managed to rescue the boys and arrest Zakir from Ghaziabad. Zakir had made sure not to leave clues on his trail, but his interest in Facebook and WhatsApp gave away his location.

Police said around two years ago, Zakir accidently gave a missed call to a woman in north-east Delhis Jafrabad. The woman called back on the number, which gave rise to a friendship between Zakir and her. Zakir wanted to convert the nature of friendship and marry her, but the woman was unwilling, said AK Singla, DCP (north-east).

Police said Zakir often tried to convince the woman to leave her husband for him, but she refused. A discussion over the same issue on Tuesday turned into a heated argument, leaving Zakir angry and vengeful. In the evening, Zakir approached the womans sons, aged eight and 10, who were playing outside their home. He easily lured them away since they were acquainted with him.

He took the two boys to Loni in Ghaziabad, leaving the couple searching for them. When their efforts yielded no result, the couple sought the help of police and pointed to Zakir as the primary suspect.

The addresses mentioned by Zakir in the past turned out to be fake. Even the SIM cards he owned were taken on fake identity and address proofs. His mobile phones were switched off.

But the childrens mother informed the police that Zakir was addicted to Facebook and WhatsApp. Even after the kidnapping, Zakir had allegedly been using these platforms to pressurise the woman into marrying him and pressurising her to call off the complaint on abduction.

Police used technical surveillance to detect his location in Loni on Thursday. A trap was laid and the boys were found hidden in an autorickshaw. Zakir could not be found there, but the children provided police enough details about Zakirs residence to help nab him.

BSF mans daughter kidnapped by beggars, rescued in 24 hours

New Delhi: A Border Security Force (BSF) constables baby daughter was kidnapped from New Delhi railway station on Thursday morning, allegedly by two women who run their families by begging, police said.

The women had found the two-year-old child playing on platform number 3, while her parents were busy saving their luggage from the rain. The police, however, managed to recover the child within 24 hours and arrested the women.

Police said the two women would beg at various railway stations in the city with their children. They thought that having an extra child would add an extra pair of hands at work, said a senior investigator.

A native of Odisha, the 32-year-old father of the child is deployed in Ferozpur in Punjab. He was returning home for a holiday and was with his wife and daughter at the New Delhi railway station on Thursday morning to change trains.

Police said the child was playfully running away from her parents, keeping them busy in bringing her back. But the morning rain meant the parents got busy momentarily, allowing the girl to vanish from sight.

The two women, Vishnu and Geeta, were passing by the foot overbridge with their own children at that moment. They noticed the child alone and approached her to first play with her before whisking her away.

While investigating the case, police were able to catch the appearances of the suspects using CCTV footage. That helped, as a tip-off led to the recovery of the child from Minto Bridge Crossing on Bhavbhuti Marg on Friday. The two women have been arrested and their involvement in any other similar kidnappings are being probed.

Drug-addicted youth tries to kidnap neighbours toddler

New Delhi: A 22-year-old mans addiction to marijuana allegedly drove him to kidnap his neighbours toddler in north-east Delhis Nand Nagri. However, his plan was foiled when the baby boys mother raised an alarm in time.

Sumit lives in the MCD Flats in Sunder Nagris K-Block. The unemployed youth was addicted to marijuana and wanted money for the drug, said AK Singla.

So, he decided to kidnap the 45-day-old son of his neighbour and seek a small ransom that would take care of his needs for several weeks.

The mother and child were sleeping outside in the open because of the heat, when Sumit approached them in the wee hours on Thursday. But as he lifted the boy, the mother woke up and launched a chase. When she realised she couldnt catch up with him, she shouted to wake others in the neighbourhood.

Sumit was forced to abandon the boy and flee, police said. A call to the police control room was made and a search launched for Sumit, who had already been identified. He was arrested within hours.
The capitals largest landfill site -- Bhalswa in northwest Delhi-- is finally set to be developed into a green belt.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has taken the decision based on a report shared by the Delhi Development Authority recently.

A North MCD official said DDA conducted the study on the Lieutenant Governors direction to find out the calorific value of garbage dumped here for years.

The report said the garbage at the landfill lost its calorific value and cant be used as fuel for generating electricity or for embankment of roads. So the civic agency is considering the option of covering the place with soil and developing integrated lawns. It would be used as a picnic spot in future, said Praveen Gupta, commissioner, North MCD.

In the absence of alternative sites, the civic body has been dumping garbage at the Bhalswa landfill though it crossing its capacity years ago.

Every day, 3,000 metric tonnes of waste is dumped here  2,000 from the North and 1000 from the South Corporation.

But before initiating the process of landscaping the Bhalswa landfill, the corporation will need an alternative site to dump waste. So the North Corporation has simultaneously started working on a project to establish a waste to energy plant on 12 acres of land adjacent to the landfill to process newly generated garbage.

We will need buyers for the power generated at the waste-energy plant and a letter has already been written to the department of power, Delhi government in this regard. Also, we will need space to dump the residue generated from the plant, said senior North Corporation official

The civic agency is talking to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Azadpur, for transferring eight acres of land near the landfill.

The land belongs to the committee and can be used for composting green waste in the future.

Last year, the North DMC had shared a plan for reclaiming the landfill site. It had appointed a consultant to evaluate the cost and time needed to reclaim the 40 acres of land.

The consultant informed that the process will cost R 900 crore and years in complete reclamation. We dont have this much time and money to invest in the project, said senior North MCD official.

Commissioned in 1993, the Bhalswa landfill site became functional in 1994. But due to lack of any garbage management laws, the site turned into a mountain of garbage.

Though the landfill ran out of space in 2007, the municipality continues to dump trash here in the absence of space elsewhere.

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The anti-human trafficking unit of the Ghaziabad police has rescued a 19-year-old speech-impaired girl who was allegedly sold and raped repeatedly by several men over at least five years in different cities of Uttar Pradesh.

The girls parents, natives of West Bengal, had moved to Saharanpur in search of work and started working at a local factory, police said. However, both of them died due to health problems and the girl, then 14 years of age, had to work as a help in the house of one Furkan.

The police are trying to ascertain the exact sequence of events and the time frame in which the incidents took place.

Despite her disability, the girl who is a Class 8 dropout has shared all the details that she remembered by giving it in writing such as how she landed in Furkans house to a chain of middlemen and how she was sold and sexually assaulted repeatedly.

Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ministhy S is now personally monitoring the case and it was on her directions that the police expedited the legal proceedings and lodged an FIR under sections of illegal confinement, rape, gang-rape and provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act against the accused persons.

Furkan used to rape the girl, then a minor, when she worked at his house in Saharanpur. Later, he and his wife roped in Akshay and they sold her to Mehdi Hasan and Saad Malik of Ghaziabad. As per the victim, Akshay, Hasan and Malik also raped her before selling her to Anil Kashyap in Murad Nagar, said Priyanjali Mishra, counsellor at governments Asha Jyoti Kendra. Mishra is counselling the victim.

Kashyap also allegedly raped her and forced her to marry him. The girl, however, denied any formal marriage.

On June 1, the women helpline of Saharanpur police got a call about the girl. After initial probe into the complaint, the Saharanpur police alerted their Ghaziabad counterparts and a major operation was launched to trace the girl. Based on inputs by their informers and extensive interviews of people where the girl lived over all these years, the police on July 11 traced the girl to Kashyaps house.

When our teams rescued her from Murad Nagar, Kashyap claimed that she was married to her. However, all he had as proof was a piece of paper with the signature of the girl. In fact, the witnesses were Akshay, Malik and Hasan, who had sold her to Kashyap, said Chandramohan Srivastava, district probation officer.

The officials suspect there could be a bigger anti-human trafficking racket at play.

I am monitoring the case and recommended booking the accused under Goonda Act and Gangster Act, besides invoking the relevant sections of the law. Some sections of the Human Trafficking Act are yet to be added. I will speak to the SSP to add more sections to the case. The young woman is now rescued and we are working for her rehabilitation, the DM said.

We will also be holding meetings with RWAs and officials soon to chalk out a strategy to help girls who work as domestic helps through agencies and face harassment and exploitation. Many of them commit suicide and their cases are closed without proper investigation, she said.

Police officials also indicated the accused may also be booked under POCSO as the girl was a minor when she was raped and sold the first time.

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Four men were badly injured after an allegedly speeding Scorpio rammed a tree before overturning in Delhi Cantonment on Friday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses said the Scorpio driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a school van that was taking a U-turn.

But the Scorpio was being driven over 100 km/hr when the accident occurred, said Javed, an eyewitness. The van driver, meanwhile, sped away from the accident spot with all children safe inside.

The accident occurred near Old Nangal village on Pankha Road around 12.30pm on Friday. The Scorpio bore a Haryana registration number and is owned by Shamsher Singh, a west Delhi resident.

Singh told HT his driver Sanjay had been driving the car for quite sometime now. Sanjay claimed he was bringing some labourers from Delhi Cantonment for some domestic work when the accident occurred.

The Scorpio driver tried to avoid hitting the school van, but lost control and first hit the road divider. The car then went on to ram a tree on the other end of the road before turning turtle, said eyewitness Javed.

My aim was to save the children travelling in the van, said Sanjay with a bandaged head and leg. The three other injured labourers are admitted at DDU Hospital. One of them is serious.

Locals said the stretch of road is prone to accidents because of the absence of a functional traffic signal and residential areas nearby.

Almost justifying their allegations, a car and a Bullet motorcycle met an accident right next to the damaged Scorpio, less than an hour after the first accident.
Office goers, who use the Metro to commute to work, may have to face a tough time on Monday as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has hit rough waters with its employees resorting to protests once again.

The protesting non-executive level employees of the corporation have threatened to go on strike and a total shutdown of services from Monday if their demands for salary restructuring are not met.

The employees began the protest on Friday by wearing black bands on their arms and staging a sit-in at the platforms of different stations across the city.

They said the protests would continue over the weekend without disrupting the services. However, the DMRC said it is taking all due care to run Metro services so that the public of Delhi and NCR is not subjected to inconvenience.

The DMRC has about 9,000 non-executive staff on its payroll, who perform important duties such as that of train operators, junior engineers, station controllers, station managers, station in-charge, traffic controller, maintenance in-charge and so on.

Secretary of the staff council Anil Kumar Mahato, who is leading the protest, claimed that over 2,500 non-executive employees are participating in the sit-in while the entire staff of 9,000 is going to support Mondays strike.

Salaries

The key demand of the protesting employees is salary revision.

The DMRC is paying its executive employees on the slabs of a Schedule A PSU, but for its non-executive employees it is paying as a Schedule C company. We are demanding parity and that salary slabs of non-executive employees be raised by a grade, Mahato said.

In the DMRC, the basic pay of non-executive staff varies from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,500, while that of an executive staff member is above Rs 20,600. The protestors are demanding that the slab of Rs 8,000 be done away with and the entry salary of non-executive employees be upgraded to Rs 10,170.

The last non-supervisor grade salary slab of Rs 10,170 should be increased to Rs 13,500. Supervisor grade salary which now begins from Rs 13,500 should instead start from Rs 14,000, he added.

The DMRC, meanwhile, said that the recommendations of the third pay commission have been accepted by the government and orders will be issued soon. Hence, it is not an opportune moment to press for their demand for revision of pay scales. All pay related issues shall be dealt shortly after issue of orders by the government, the DMRC said in a statement.

Action against employees

The agitating employees are also demanding that the major chargesheet slapped on three of them and termination of one be revoked.

After their first protest against the DMRC held in May 2015 was called off, the corporation issued a chargesheet against Mahato, Ravi Bhardwaj (member of the staff council) and Vinod (maintenance staff).

Vinod was later terminated from duties. Apart from this, about 10 employees who had protested also got negative points which impact our annual increments. We want all this to be settled, said a train operator on condition of anonymity.

Responding to this, the DMRC said, The issues are purely incidental to the individuals and the attempt on their part to push for their personal agenda, and invoke others to cause disruption is uncalled for.

Metro officials further claimed that the employees have been misled by these individuals. An Appeal has been issued, for all employees to stay calm and we hope that employees are not misguided by such elements. Staff council members are also called for discussion on these issues, they said.

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In Delhi University, a graduate of an evening college is often looked down upon as someone who didnt secure good marks, high enough to get admission in a top-ranking morning college. For many students of Dyal Singh Evening College, it was a similar case, until this week, when it was declared a full-fledged college by the Executive College of Delhi University.

Amit Sharma, a student of BA, first year, says, Theres a stigma attached to evening colleges. Log yeh sochte hain ki agar aap evening college ke ho, toh aap nalayak ho (People think if you are in an evening college, then you are a dud). Thank God for this change!

Its a relief for girls, who commute for long distances to reach home. I dont have to worry about rushing home after classes, now. Though I didnt know about this move when I took admission but now that it has happened, Im happy that my parents wont worry about me reaching home late, says Taniya Khatri, a first-year student of B Com (Prog).

Reiterating the same, Pawan Kumar Sharma, principal, Dyal Singh Evening College, says, It will benefit our female students. Since some of them come from far flung areas of Delhi, they often want to leave around 6pm. Earlier, we would finish by 8pm, but now the classes will be over by 5pm. It will also diminish the stigma attached to it, since it was an evening college. The new name of the college is yet to be decided, and we will announce it soon.

Tanya Khatri, a first year student, says shes happy with the decision of the evening to morning conversion. (Prabhas Roy/HT)

On hearing this news, the happiness of students knew no bounds. This conversion will also let students follow their passions and other interests, after classes. An equal status, finally! We are the lucky batch... I even heard our seniors say this, says Nupur Singh, B Com (Hons), final year, adding, Evening colleges are always regarded as inferior to morning colleges. The cut-off percentage is also comparatively low. But that doesnt mean that we dont study hard! Humein bahut inferior samajhte they, specially jab college ko funds dene ki baat aati thi.

Mohd. Tariq, 3rd Year, Eng (Hons) says hes parents didnt like him reaching late during the evening college.

A lot of students have taken admission this year because of the switch to morning college, says Mohd Tariq, a final year student of English (Hons). He adds, Students would earlier ask ki humara 93% mein kahi aur admission ho raha hai toh hum yahan evening college mein admission kyun lein? (When we can get admission in a morning college with 93% then why should we opt for an evening college).

Reiterating the issue of safety of female students, Tariq says, Earlier some of the classes commenced at 8pm and we would only reach home by 11pm. Most of the time we ended up dropping our female friends home after classes. Then our parents would call us to check on our whereabouts.

Getting late in the evening wasnt a concern for just the youngsters but even some of the adults. My family is extremely overjoyed as Ill now reach home early, says Deepika Sharma, from accounts department of the college administration, adding, Most of my colleagues could hardly spent time with their children as they would sleep by the time they reached home. Im happy that this wont be the case now.

There are, however, some students, who feel that studying in an evening college had a different high altogether. Akshara Sabharwal, who graduated in 2016, says, Our classes would start at 2pm and I could comfortably get up by 10am. Even though I travelled from Faridabad to Lodhi Road, there was loads of time to reach college.

Evening colleges in DU were started for students who wanted to take up part-time jobs, while pursuing studies. Unfortunately, the purpose is not served, feels Poonam Gupta, associate professor, department of commerce. She says, Over the years, weve seen that apart from students who have recently passed 12th, no one else is taking admission.

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Dame Helen Ghosh is to leave her job as director general of the National Trust to become the first woman master of Balliol College, Oxford . She will join 11 other women who currently head Oxford colleges, under the leadership of the universitys first female vice-chancellor, Prof Louise Richardson.

The announcement came as a surprise to colleagues at the National Trust, where her tenure has not been without controversy. During her leadership, the trust found itself drawn into debates about fracking and windfarms . Earlier this year it also found itself at the centre of a row over the use of the word Easter in publicity for its egg hunt.

Critics have argued that the charity has become distracted from its main purpose of conservation, and in its efforts to be inclusive has been accused of dumbing down.

Ghoshs supporters describe her as a breath of fresh air  she would regularly leave her office to go back to the floor, wiping down tables in a cafe or spending time clearing scrub on heathland.

In her move to the University of Oxford, Ghosh clearly intends to pursue an inclusive agenda. In a statement, she said: The college has a remarkable tradition of outstanding scholarship, research and teaching, which I believe will be as important in helping society meet the challenges of the 21st century as it has been at any time in its 754-year history.

I look forward to welcoming students from the widest possible range of backgrounds to the college and to helping create a supportive and stimulating environment in which they can fulfil their potential.

Ghosh, who is returning to her alma mater, read modern history at St Hughs College, Oxford, and completed an MLitt in sixth-century Italian history at Hertford before joining the civil service, where she worked in a range of government departments over a 30-year career, including becoming the first female head of the Home Office.

She left in 2012 for her current job at the National Trust, which she will now leave next March. There is never a good time to leave a job that you love, so the decision was a very tough one. But the trust is in a great place and in great hands, and 2018, which will be my sixth year here, seemed the right time to hand over to someone else.

The trust will begin the process of looking for a replacement in the autumn. Chair Tim Parker said: Helen has done an outstanding job as director general. She will be leaving the organisation in great shape  one clear of its future direction with ever growing levels of investment in conservation.
Following Balenciagas nail art pop-up at Parisian concept store Colette earlier this month, where artist Mei Kawajiri was on hand to provide free manicures, fancy fingernails are firmly in the spotlight. From extravagant sculptural creations to cute creature art and even minimalist patterns, these five nail artists who use Instagram to show off their incredible designs, have built up a loyal following of celebrities and fashion designers looking for something more than the classic file and polish.

1) Mei Kawajiri (@nailsbymei): After running a successful nail salon in Harajuku, Tokyo for several years, Mei Kawajiri left her native Japan for New York City, where shes lived since 2012. Specializing in intricate hand-painted designs and incredible 3D nail sculpture, Mei has worked for designer brands, such as Balenciaga, Givenchy and Stella McCartney, as well as an array of celebrity clients who she visits in their homes.

A post shared by NAILS by MEI (@nailsbymei) on Jun 30, 2017 at 3:49pm PDT

2) Chelsea King (@chelseaqueen): Based in Los Angeles, California, Chelsea King grew up as a self-confessed tomboy who never painted her nails until her mother took her for a manicure before her high school prom. From there, she began posting her own designs to social media and her career  as well as her Instagram following  took off. Chelsea was appointed as Revlons first-ever Nail Expert in 2016, and her work has been featured in magazines such as Elle, Harpers Bazaar Japan and Vogue Italia.

A post shared by Chelsea King  (@chelseaqueen) on May 4, 2017 at 7:07pm PDT

3) Alicia Torello (@aliciatnails): Dividing her time between editorial projects, fashion shows and celebrity clients including Jennifer Lawrence and Kendall Jenner, Alicia Torellos nail designs are simple and modern but still very striking. With an emphasis on cool, negative space designs that allow the natural nail to show through, Alicia offers a pared-back alternative to the kitschy, over-the-top designs that dominate the nail art scene.

A post shared by Alicia Torello (@aliciatnails) on Dec 22, 2016 at 6:47am PST

4) Britney Tokyo (@britneytokyo): Born and raised in Tokyo and now living in Los Angeles, former actress and TV personality Britney Tokyo has over 150,000 followers on Instagram, and counts the likes of Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora and Ariana Grande among her fans. Britneys designs are bold, colorful and unique  think shiny foils, pop art motifs and 90s icons such as trolls and smiley faces.

A post shared by Britney TOKYO  (@britneytokyo) on Jul 2, 2017 at 3:58pm PDT

5) Madeline Poole (@mpnails): Named as Sally Hansens Global Color Ambassador in 2014, Madeline Poole has travelled the world working on fashion shows and photoshoots, and has worked with brands including Prabal Gurung, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Kenzo. The New York-based artists signature design is a minimalist evil eye nestled into the cuticle, leaving the rest of the nail bare for maximum impact.

A post shared by Madeline Poole (@mpnails) on Mar 30, 2017 at 9:57am PDT

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With its summer selection, Glashutte Original brings the colour blue into the spotlight: the PanoMaticLunar watch for men unites a rich midnight blue and cool stainless steel in powerful harmony, while the delicate light blue of the PanoMatic Luna lady's watch radiates a refreshing lightness. And these two blue timekeepers have even more in common. Slim white gold hands trace their paths across asymmetrically designed dials on both models. This characteristic design feature of its Pano models allows the Saxon manufactory to make room for two distinctive complications: the elaborately worked moon phase and the Glashutte Original Panorama Date. The characteristic big date celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The manufactory presented the mechanism in 1997. Today it adorns numerous models in the collection and has become a signature feature of the brand.

PanoMaticLunar

With the PanoMaticLunar Glashutte Original unites characteristic facets of its horological art in an exclusive timepiece. It's the experienced team at Glashutte Original's in-house dial manufactory in Pforzheim, Germany, who determine the perfect shade of blue of this timepiece's highly refined dial. The desired hue can only be achieved through attentive monitoring of the galvanisation and of a total of 40 precisely defined steps in the manufacturing.

The design and the characteristic off-centre displays take pride of place with the PanoMaticLunar. The arrangement of the individual displays on the dial is inspired by the golden ratio  the legendary law of aesthetic harmony. With this timepiece the focus is on the Glashutte Original Panorama Date in particular, presented here in white numerals against a blue ground. The characteristic big date has been a distinctive element of the Glashutte Original style for twenty years. It is based on two concentrically arranged discs mounted on the same plane, which allows the two numerals composing the date to be considerably larger than on comparable watches; the absence of the vertical bar dividing the numerals renders the date perfectly legible at a glance. The PanoMatic Lunar combines stainless steel and a dark blue calfskin strap.

PanoMatic Luna

The delicate blue mother-of-pearl dial is the product of expert craftsmanship in the watchmaker's in-house dial manufactory. Mother of pearl is an organic-inorganic composite harvested from the inmost layer of certain mollusc shells. Utmost care must be taken when transforming the fragile material into the razor-thin face of an elegant ladies' watch. To achieve the precise hue desired, the back of the delicate white source material is carefully coated with a layer of lacquer. The dial presents an individual aspect with the mother of pearl's natural graining, which makes each piece unique.

A total of 83 radiant white brillant-cut diamonds sparkle on the bezel, the dial indexes and winding screw crown. They frame the Glashutte Original Panorama Date as well, which appears in an oval dial window at 4 o'clock. The PanoMatic Luna is enhanced with a light blue Louisiana alligator leather strap.
Parents, you may want to not introduce your teenagers to alcohol as a recent study has found that rather than encouraging better drinking habits in adulthood, it could be doing more harm. The University of Adelaide team surveyed 2,800 students aged from 12 to 17 to provide a comprehensive snapshot of their drinking habits and influences.

Harmful alcohol use is a serious problem in Australia, and drinking patterns are often first set in adolescence, said lead author Jacqueline Bowden. With alcohol contributing to four of the top five causes of death in young people, and a leading cause of cancer in our community, its important for us to better understand drinking behaviour among young people so we can help to prevent or delay it.

One of the major messages from our study is that parents have more influence on their teenagers decisions regarding alcohol than they probably realise. And attitudes towards alcohol really do make a difference, and can help prevent children from drinking at an early age. The study found that by age 16, most students had tried alcohol, while a third of students reported that they drank alcohol at least occasionally.

Only 28% of students were aware of a link between alcohol and cancer and across all ages, students were less likely to drink if their parents showed disapproval of underage drinking, while those aged 14-17 were less likely to drink if they knew about the link between alcohol and cancer.

The study found that by age 16, most students had tried alcohol, while a third of students reported that they drank alcohol at least occasionally. (Getty Images)

Bowden noted that people need to address the issue of supply to teenagers. Many parents believe providing their children with alcohol in the safe environment of their home teach them to drink responsibly. However, the weight of evidence suggests that this increases consumption, and is not recommended.

She pointed that parents have a significant and substantial role to play, to help their kids develop a healthier relationship with alcohol early. Parents can set the boundaries and create clear expectations.

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Residents of Vijay Vihar, on Silokhra Road in Sector 30, have lodged a complaint with the Municipal Corporation of Gururgram (MCG) regarding poor sanitation and open garbage pile in front of the housing societies. They alleged that despite several complaints, no action has been taken.

They said that a taxi stand on a nearby vacant plot has also emerged as a cause of much heartburn for them, as cab drivers often relieve themselves and take bath in the open and also play loud music at night, disturbing the ambience in the neighbourhood.

Residents said they met the MCG commissioner on several occasions and urged him to take action, but their pleas went unheard.

They said waste keeps piling up on the streets and municipal workers are rarely seen clearing the garbage. Serving an ultimatum on the authorities, they said that if the situation remains as it is, they will organise protests in a bid to step up pressure on them to act. They said that such is stench from the random littering and dumping of garbage near the housing societies that they find it difficult to step outdoors. With the cab drivers allegedly taking bath in the open, women, too, are wary of stepping out.

Residents of the oldest residential colony on Silokhra Road, spread across 5 acres, said they are opposed to the unauthorised taxi stand in the area. They said the plot on which taxis are parked is situated right opposite the housing colonies and women feel unsafe stepping out at night.

Monika Pal, a resident, I have been living in this colony since 1991 and have rarely seen any sanitation work done here. Unauthorised taxi stands have come up on vacant plots and drivers are often seen bathing in the open. We feel unsafe stepping out at night.

We pay our taxes and have the right to demand basic sanitation. It is not too much to ask. All I want is an healthy environment for my children to grow up in. I hope the MCG will do whats needed to be done to ensure the same, Pal said.

Read I Public to get calls for feedback on sanitation in Gurgaon

This colony has been rendered inhabitable due to open littering and dumping of garbage. The MCG seems to have turned a blind eye to our plight. A prime location in the heart of Gurgaon is being destroyed and the authorities simply dont care, Ashish Sood, another resident, said.

SS Rohilla, MCG spokesperson, said, The issue has been brought to our notice and we will do whats needed to ensure cleanliness in the area. Our sanitation officer has been informed about the problem and told to take necessary measures.

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A decade ago, an E coli infection meant an inconvenient bout of diarrhoea. Now it may kill you.

K pneumoniae and Escherichia coli bacteria, which cause common lung and stomach infections, have 80% immunity against the third-generation antibiotics cephalosporins.

The presence of the New Delhi metallo--lactamase (NDM-1) enzyme, so-called because it was first isolated in a Swedish patient of Indian origin makes commonly found E coli and K pneumoniae bacteria resistant to 26 different antibiotics, including carbapenems

E Coli is not the only deadly superbug lurking in your food, water and environment which, when not threatening your life, is increasing risk of complications, slowing recovery, prolonging hospital stay and pushing up treatment cost. A bulk of hospital-acquired infections show 50% resistance to carbapenems, a powerful class of antibiotics used to treat multidrug-resistant infection, shows initial data from Indias Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance Network.

Any infecting bacteria that have mutated to develop resistance to the available antibiotics can spread and kill within days.

Act before its too late Antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance is the ability of microbes to evade medicines used to kill them or stop them from growing or multiplying. Antibiotics are the most commonly used antimicrobials. Other forms of antimicrobials are antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics. Antibiotics cannot treat viral infections such as colds, flu, most sore throats, most chest colds, and many sinus and ear infections. Penicillin, discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, was the first commercialised antibiotic. Fleming warned of the threat of bacteria becoming resistant in his acceptance speech after winning the Nobel Prize in 1945. India, followed by China and the US, is the worlds largest consumer of antibiotics, overuse and misuse of which in humans and livestock are major drivers of resistance. 76% of the overall increase in global antibiotic use between 2000 and 2010 came from BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have made once easily treatable bacterial infections more difficult and often impossible to cure because bacteria evolve rapidly to evade antibiotics, leading to drug resistance.

Two decades ago, scientists tackled drug resistance with new and more powerful antibiotics and drug combinations. But with the last new class of antibiotics (versus variations on existing ones) discovered in 1987  a few new ones in development are not ready for market  the world is running out of options.

Over-the-counter sale of antibiotics, poorly regulated private hospital sector, high rates of hospital infection, inexpensive antibiotics, frequent infectious disease outbreaks and rising incomes are fuelling the demand for antibiotics.

India, which faces a major threat from superbugs, is the worlds largest consumer of antibiotics followed by China and the US, reported a study in The Lancet. Global antibiotic use has risen 36% in the decade ending 2010, with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa accounting for 76% of this surge.

Boosting growth

Antibiotic misuse and overuse is widespread not just in humans but also in the poultry industry in India, where it is used to prevent disease and promote growth, found in the countrys largest study of drug resistance in chicken bred for meat and eggs. Chicken raised for both meat and eggs in 18 farms in six districts in Punjab were resistant to a range of antibiotics critical to human health, reports the study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Two in three farms used antibiotics for growth promotion that made chicken there three times more likely to have multidrug-resistant bacteria than places where antibiotics were not used. Antibiotic resistance was twice as high in meat-producing commercial farms compared to egg-producing farms, with multidrug-resistant E coli found in 94% broiler chicken and 60% in layers. Of these, 87% broilers and 42% layers had ESBL (extended spectrum B-lactamase) positive bacteria.

ESBL positivity is particularly relevant as the infections caused by these organisms are more difficult to treat and are major contributors to hospital-acquired infections, which also kill people being treated for unrelated issues, said study author Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, director, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in Washington.

Resistance to widely-prescribed antibiotics was high, ranging from 39% for ciprofloxacin used to treat respiratory infections, to 86% for nalidixic acid used against urinary tract infections. More than half of the E. coli samples had resistance conferring genes, which not only makes antibiotics ineffective but are also easily passed on with other types of bacteria, said Dr Ramanan.

And with increasing demand for animal food products, antibiotic growth promotion in farm animals will keep growing unless steps are taken to end the use of antibiotics for growth promotion.

In January this year, the US banned the use of antibiotics to help livestock gain weight and made it mandatory for meat producers to buy antibiotics only on a veterinary prescription for treating animals. India must similarly remove antibiotics from the human food chain, except to treat sick animals, or face the increasingly real prospect of a post-antibiotic world, said Dr Ramanan.

Final push

India has made a promising start by adopting the National Action Plan on AMR (2017-21) in April.

The objectives are of enhancing awareness, strengthening surveillance, improving rational use, reducing infections, promoting research and supporting neighbouring countries in our collective fight against infectious diseases, said Health Minister J P Nadda. We are ready with a blueprint. The challenge now is in its efficient implementation through a coordinated approach at all levels of use of antibiotics, he said.

The urgency at the policy level needs to translate into action on the ground, which wont happen until the healthcare, pharmaceutical and livestock sector is better regulated.

Since 2013, Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMR) AMR surveillance network has networked tertiary care public and private hospitals to collect a nationally representative data on drug resistance and monitor resistance patterns across the country, identify mechanisms of resistance in different superbugs, guide antimicrobial policies for both treatment and prevention, and boost hospital infection-control efforts.

Were running out of time. Reducing infections with the rational use of antibiotics and stopping indiscriminate use in both the public and the private sector through a nationwide dissemination campaign need to be done on a mission mode, says Dr Kamini Walia, senior scientist and programme officer AMR, ICMR.

Work on AMR is accelerating like never before. ICMR has held four AMR stewardship workshops in four metros over the past three months with 30 public and private hospitals on rational antibiotic use and infection control, says Dr Walia. Apart from a microbiologist, a clinical pharmacist, an infection-control nurse, clinicians and hospital adminsitrators were also invited to ensure the entire hospital is on board.

ICMR also issued Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines 2017 to standardise antibiotic use. India has banned over-the-counter sales by including 24 potent antibiotics in Schedule H1 of the Drugs & Cosmetic Rules from 2014 that makes it mandatory for the pharmacist to maintain a separate register with a copy of the prescription, patients name, contact details of the prescribing doctor, and the name and dispensed quantity of the drug. The register has to be retained for three years and can be audited anytime.

Since India does not have regulatory provisions for the use of antimicrobials in animals raised for domestic consumption, ICMR, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Drug Controller General of India met last month to shortlist five classes of antibiotics that must be only be used in humans. For the first time, we have got veterinarians on board, said Dr Walia.

But involving veterinarians is not enough. Contract farmers in commercial farms get pre-medicated feed dont even know they are giving animals antibiotics. India must ban commercial feed and insist only vets prescribe antibiotics for medical purposes, says Dr Ramanan.

Reducing the use of antibiotics makes a difference. While Salmonella Typhi is growing resistant to new antibiotics like fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, its sensitivity to older antibiotics like ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole is increasing because they were no longer being used. This provides evidence on how first-generation simple and cheap drugs can be reused successfully, says Dr Walia.

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Jada Pinkett Smith recently addressed her relationship with the late Tupac Shakur when she appeared on SiriusXMs Sway in The Morning to promote her upcoming movie Girls Trip.

The 46-year-old met Shakur on her first day at Baltimore School of the Arts, and they became fast friends.

One of the things thats very interesting that Ive never really said before is that when I first met Pac, when we first met, I was a drug dealer, she said as reported by CNN.

The actor told host Sway that its kind of hard because she hasnt told the whole story about her relationship with Shakur.

Pac and Is relationship was about survival, she said. Thats how it started. I know that most people want to always connect it in this romance thing and thats just because they dont have the story.

Pinkett Smiths relationship with the late rapper, who was gunned down at the age of 25, has been a subject of discussion lately due to the recent release of the Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me. At the time, Pinkett Smith called the film deeply hurtful in a critique of what she called a re-imagining of my relationship to Pac.

Pinkett Smith also suggested she would be more explicit about the details of her relationship with Tupac in a forthcoming book, though she also told Sway, Its not for me to try to protect his legacy. Whatever Pacs fate has been around his life, around his story, Gods got it.

Speaking about her marriage with Will Smith, she said, We love our family. And we love being a family, and thats what gets us through.

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Noor-ul-Haq, a tailor in E block of Rajajipuram, is on Cloud Nine. President-designate Ram Nath Kovind is a regular customer of this tailor, who has been stitching his clothes for the past 7 years. And now, Noor is busy preparing a special suit which he will present to Kovind, with the hope that he will wear it during the oath -taking ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan.

An elated Noor told HT on Thursday, The day he was nominated as presidential candidate by the Bharatiya Janata Party, my family prayed for him to become President. Today our wishes were fulfilled. I will present him a special suit which I started stitching for him the day he was announced as presidential candidate.

The outfit would have a Lucknowi touch and would reach the President-elect next week.

Noor said that Kovind was a very generous man and called him masterji.

He also disclosed that Kovind was very particular about his clothes. He liked pant-cut pyjamas with kurtas in which Noor is an expert. Seven years back when Noor met Kovind, he prepared a kurta and pant-cut pyjama which Kovind liked so much that he ordered another set. Not only that, he sent his car to bring Noor to the Governors house. He ordered two suits, 10 pyjamas and two pants for himself.

Since then, every time he came to the city, he ordered some clothes for himself as he only likes clothes stitched by me, said Noor.

Father of two sons and a daughter, Noor told HT he would like to visit Kovind once he became President.

I am getting congratulatory messages since morning as his election to the post was certain. It seems as if a family member has become a President. Many people are demanding sweets from me and I am glad to oblige them. I am happy Lucknow will always remain present in the Rashtrapati Bhawan through clothes stitched by me, said Noor.

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A day after an angry mob torched the local police station after vandalising it, complete calm prevailed in the apple heartland even as the district administration sent more reinforcements to the town, and police started an inquiry into yesterdays incident of arson.

All business establishments in the town remained closed on a bandh call given by the Kotkhai Beopar Mandal. Suresh Chauhan, president of the beopar mandal, said all shopkeepers had decided to keep their shops closed today. There were no protests though the community was abuzz about the death of a Nepalese accused in the Kotkhai murder case.

Mohit Bamta, a Kotkhai resident, summed up the sentiments of many when he said, I dont support any damage to public property but I also believe that innocents should not be targeted.

Meanwhile, cops present on duty at the police station recalled the horror of facing an angry mob. It was about 12 noon that a mob protesting against the death of Suraj attacked the police station, recounted a cop of 6th battalion guarding the police station. What could we do? Half of us were without helmets when the mob resorted to stone pelting, said an inspector-level officer who sustained head injuries during the protest.

I had nothing to guard, we had no orders from top about what to do. The only thing we did was to remain calm, said a policeman outside the police station. The angry mob led by local youths entered the police station and vandalised the rooms.

They burnt down all the records, computers and furniture. There is nothing left here, said Ramesh, a cop.

All I can remember is that a stout youth urged the crowd to set the police station on fire, he recounts. There are nearly 150 policemen guarding the otherwise sleepy hill town. I thought of firing in self defence when the mob attacked but I feared that the crowd would become even more violent, so I restrained myself, said a woman inspector.

Superintendent of Police (Crime) Ashok Sharma and SP Railway and Traffic, Pankaj Sharma, today visited the town and launched an inquiry into the burning of police station and the three police vehicles.

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TR Zeliang, who was reappointed chief minister of Nagaland under dramatic circumstances on Wednesday, is ready to face the floor test on Friday to prove his majority in the Assembly.

Zeliang will move the Vote of Confidence in the Assembly as an MLA of the Naga Peoples Front, though he has been expelled from the party for six years, a spokesperson of Zeliangs group Tokheho Yeptho said.

As per the Tenth Schedule amendment of 2006, an elected member of any party cannot (rpt) cannot be declared unattached in the Assembly even though he is expelled by the party, Yeptho, an MLA, asserted.

He also expressed confidence that with the support of 36 NPF MLAs, seven Independents, and four BJP MLAs, which takes the number to 47 in the House of 60, Zeliang is sure of commanding a majority in the House.

Zeliang took over the mantle after incumbent chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu was dismissed by Governor P B Acharya, capping a rebellion in the ruling NPF he had spearheaded.

The Governor directed Zeliang to prove his majority in the Assembly by July 22 and the chief minister agreed to do so by tomorrow.

Zeliang was appointed chief minister for the second time under the third term of the NPF-led DAN government.

Zeliang was compelled to step down as chief minister in February in the face of massive protest against his government for conducting elections to urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Meanwhile, MLA Yitachu, spokesperson for legislators backing Liezietsu, told PTI that 11 MLAs would be attending Fridays trust vote under an NPF whip.

He affirmed that it was the apex body of the party which would issue the whip and not the legislature party.

Illegal dismissal

Dethroned Nagaland chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu alleged that the Governor Acharyas decision dismissing his government and installing Zeliang as chief minister was illegal and unconstitutional.

Interacting with the media at his official residence on Thursday, Liezietsu alleged, The Governor dismissed my government without following any procedure and rules....it was illegal and unconstitutional.

Recalling the sequence of events since June 8 leading to his dethroning, Liezietsu, who is the president of the ruling NPF, said that the dissident MLAs had staked claim to form the new government from Kaziranga in Assam.

The court had stated that the Governor should exercise his mind on the matter, he pointed out, but the Governor might not have got time to do so as by 6pm the same night he wrote to him asking to prove my majority by 9:30 the next morning.

He said that he wrote back to the Governor requesting that it was not possible as his supporting legislators were not in station due to personal engagements and therefore kindly consider another date for the floor test.

Liezietsu also alleged that the Governor did not reply to his request but the next morning, without informing him about any further decision, went ahead with the Assembly proceedings.

Terming the present situation as a temporary setback, Liezietsu asserted, We do not have any bad feelings against anybody because we stand for truth and it will win at the end.

On the decision to contest the by-election to become a regular member of the House and continue the chair, Liezietsu clarified that it was because the state cabinet had on May 26 asked him to contest the poll which was also supported by the NPF Central Executive Council.

As for Fridays floor test, Liezietsu said, A whip has been issued to all NPF legislators in the Assembly to vote against the motion moved by Zeliang.

He said that anybody voting against the whip would be dealt with as per the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Shocking lapses led to two of the worst Indian naval accidents involving submarines in which 20 personnel lost their lives, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (CAG) revealed.

Russian-built submarine INS Sindhurakshak sank after an explosion killing 18 sailors in August 2013 and two officers were killed in a fire on INS Sindhuratna the following year, an accident that led to then navy chief Admiral DK Joshis resignation.

Citing the findings of a naval inquiry, the latest CAG report said the operational deployment of INS Sindhurakshak was simply not justified.

Submarine authorities concerned did not properly assess the crew fatigue, besides, the submarine was holding ammunition nearing life expiry, the report quoted the naval Board of Inquiry (BoI) findings. The submarine was disposed in June 2017 and its final resting point is 3,000 metres under the Arabian Sea.

The report said the navys BoI also brought out that complete Work Up  mandatory drills in naval parlance  of the submarine was not conducted.

The Work Up was completed within one week instead of prescribed two weeks.

The Rs 404 crore-submarine was commissioned in December 1999.

The trials and calibration of Navigational aids and sensors should be completed prior to deployment of a submarine for Work Up with any consorts. However, the Sea Acceptance Trials of two critical equipment were not completed even at the time of its preparation for operational deployment, the report noted in a chapter on naval accidents during the last 10 years.

The CAG said 38 warships were involved in mishaps during 2007-16 and the navy had no framework to deal with safety issues.

The report said a navy BoI, reconvened in February 2014, inferred leakage of oxygen from a torpedo as a primary initiator of the incident.

The laid down Ships Operating Standards (SHOPS) for the submarine had not achieved the requisite Harbour and operational evolutions, the report said.

On the INS Sindhuratna accident, the CAG said that the navy BoI found inadequate holding of ISP-60 set, necessary for safety of personnel during damage/fire control.

The report said smoke and fire detectors were not installed in all compartments of the submarine and there were two fire incidents within two hours.

Even though the indicator buoy had partial defects which were brought to the notice of Commodore Commanding Submarines (West)yet the submarine was put to sea with these defects The buoy is a communication equipment that indicates a submarine in distress at a recoverable depth.

Present Indian Navy Safety Organisation is ad hoc in nature, formed without approval from the competent authority. This needs to be institutionalised with proper sanction from the Government, the CAG recommended.
There were around Rs 12,000 crore worth of digital transactions every year and the number of fraudulent transactions among these was low, government said in Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said for prepaid payments including e-wallets, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has started maintaining provisional data of fraudulent transactions.

According to the data for March, April and May 2017, the number of fraudulent transactions is between 0.005% and 0.007% of the total number of transactions, he said during Question Hour.

Prasad also said the government was considering the suggestions made by a committee headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on digital transactions.

Earlier, a member had sought to know whether the government planned to implement the recommendation by the committee for including a provision of insurance cover for digital transaction frauds.

According to the details given by the minister, the number of cases of fraud involving credit cards, ATM/Debit cards and internet banking during 2015-16 was 16,468 and 13,653 in 2016-17.

As per incidents reported to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in), 40 phishing incidents affecting 19 financial organisations and 10 incidents affecting ATMs, Point of Sales (POS) systems and Unified Payment Interface (UPS) have been reported during November 2016 to June 2017.

He said the government is taking several steps to secure digital payments.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on violent incidents in the garb of cow protection.

The apex court did so even as the Centre said it condemns any kind of vigilantism but the law and order is a state subject and that it has no role to play in the matter.

However, a bench headed by justice Dipak Misra said that Centre and state should not protect any kind of vigilantism.

You say that law and order is a state subject and states are taking actions as per law. You dont protect any kind of vigilantism, the bench, also comprising AM Khanwilkar and MM Shantanagoudar, asserted.

Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that Parliament was also informed on Thursday by the government that it does not support any kind of vigilantism.

Law and order is a state subject and Central government does not have any role to play into it. However, Union of India is of the view that no vigilante group has any space in the country as per procedures of law. It does not support any kind of vigilantism by private persons, Kumar said.

He sought some time to file a reply to the petition.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde appearing for one of the petitioners said that the Centre and various states have not filed their replies to the petition.

The counsel appearing for Gujarat said that there was only one such incident of cow vigilantism in the state and necessary action has been taken against those responsible.

Jharkhand in its reply accepted that few incidents of violence have indeed taken place in the recent past but termed them as stray incidents and said that people engaging in violence has been booked as per law.

In its affidavit it said, compensation has been paid to the victims of violence perpetrated by Gau Rakshaks (cow vigilante groups) and added that steps have been taken to restore confidence of the aggrieved community.

The apex court also sought the assistance of the Centre and states for removing violent content related to cow vigilantism uploaded on social media.

The bench asked Centre and other states to file their detailed reply and posted the matter for further hearing on September 6.

The apex court had on April 7 sought the response of six states on the plea, filed on October 21 last year, seeking action against cow vigilantes who were allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.

Activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, in his plea, said violence committed by these Gau Raksha groups has reached such proportions that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared them as people who were destroying the society.

The plea also alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protecting cows and other bovines and they needed to be regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country.

The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading fast to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes, the petition submitted.

The plea sought to declare as unconstitutional section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, and Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which provide for protection of persons acting in good faith under the Act or rules.

Seeking action against the vigilantes, the petition said the atrocities committed by them were punishable under various provisions of IPC and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989.
The government does not support cow vigilantism and it was for the states to crack down on such self-styled groups, the countrys top law officer told the Supreme Court on Friday.

Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, said law and order was a state subject and it was up to them to curb such incidents.

The governments response was to a petition filed by social activist Tehseen Poonawala seeking direction to the Centre and some states to take action against so-called gau rakhasks, who profess to protect cows, an animal considered sacred by a section of Hindus.

It came weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned a spate of violence across India linked to the cow, saying killing in the name of cow worship was not acceptable.

You say that law and order is a state subject and states are taking actions as per law. You dont protect any kind of vigilantism, a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said.

It also sought the assistance of the Centre and states for removing violent content related to cow vigilantism uploaded on social media.

Counsels appearing for BJP-ruled Gujarat and Jharkhand informed the court that appropriate action has been taken against those involved in violent activities related to cow vigilantism.

The bench recorded their submission and asked the Centre and other states to file their report regarding to the violent incidents in four weeks time and posted the matter for further hearing on September 6.

The apex court had on April 7 sought the response of six states on the plea, filed on October 21 last year, seeking action against cow vigilantes who were allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.

In his plea, Poonawalla said violence committed by gau rakshaks have reached such proportions that even Modi had declared them as people who were destroying the society.

The plea also said they needed to be regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country.

The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading fast to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes, the petition said.

Modis outburst last month was the second time in two years against gau rakshaks, who have gained in strength in recent years and have attacked and killed several people on charges of cow smuggling or slaughter, mostly Dalits and Muslims.

However, such attacks have continued even after Modis warning. Opposition parties and critics say that the BJP-led government at the Centre has done little to rein in the vigilante groups.

Critics also accuse the Sangh Parivar of tacitly backing the vigilante groups.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had earlier defended the cow-protection groups, saying these law-abiding good people perform an important role and they shouldnt be confused with self-styled, motivated vigilantes.

Bhagwat said the government should distinguish between anti-social elements and law-abiding citizens who were upholding the law  seen as a reference to the fact that cow slaughter is banned in most states in India.

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CBI booked a Delhi-based firm and unidentified officials of the Gun Carriage Factory in Madhya Pradesh on Friday for selling fake Chinese spare parts to Jabalpurs ordnance factory, which falls under the Ministry of defences department of defence production.

CBI registered an FIR under criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery against unknown officials of GCF, accusing them of entering into a conspiracy with Delhi-based Sidh Sales Syndicate.

The firm, based out of Fawri Commercial complex in Delhis GB Road, was selected by the GCF for the supply of four wire race roller bearings required for the manufacture of the Dhanush guns, the Indian version of Bofors Howitzer guns that performed exceedingly well during the Kargil conflict in 1999.

The bearings would have cost Indian government approximately 35 lakh rupees, but GCF officials raised the total demand of the bearings from four to six and amended the value of the supply order to more than Rs 53 lakh.

Sidh Sales supplied two bearings each on three different dates in April, May and August 2014 after submitting documents to GCF that the bearings were made by CRB Antriebstechnik, a Germany based company which manufactures mechanical parts, including bearings.

According to CBI, the bearings provided to GCF had Made in Germany embossed in them, and even though tests conducted on the same proved them to be inept, the same were accepted after assurances made by Sidh Sales that they will provide free service if the bearings dont perform well.

It was later found out that that the German company mentioned by Sidh Sales does not manufacture the said bearing. Worse, the bearings were found to be bought from Sino United Industries based in Chinas Henan region.

The Delhi firm was found to be corresponding with two other Chinese firms named Xuzhou Helin Slewing Bearings Co Ltd and RTR Engineering Co Limited and it was found that the certification letters claimed by Sidh Sales to have been sent by CRB Antriebstechnik were fake.

The agency will not name any officials and will soon be examining directors of the private firm.

(With PTI inputs)

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Google Doodle celebrates 106th birthday of Marshall McLuhan, the man who predicted the World Wide Web 30 years before it was invented.

Herbert Marshall McLuhan was born in July 1911 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and died on December 31, 1980.

He was a professor, philosopher, intellectual and writer and has influenced everything from journalism to advertising to the arts.

His famous quote, the medium is the message became prophetic and stemmed from his belief that human history could be divided into four eras, namely the acoustic age, the literary age, the print age and the electric age.

Google Doodle illustrates these stages of human development.

Todays Doodle, which celebrates the visionarys 106th birthday, illustrates this theory by showing how McLuhan viewed human history. He saw it through the lens of 4 distinct eras: the acoustic age, the literary age, the print age, and the electronic age, explained Google.
The BJP-led Gujarat government is going all out to celebrate the world heritage city status accorded to Ahmedabad by UNESCO earlier this month with an eye on assembly elections later this year.

The fortnight-long celebrations will start from August 1, aiming to give a boost to the citys image through peoples participation.

As part of the gala event, the state government in association with central ministries has chalked out elaborate programmes for a two-week-long festival, which includes heritage walk, cultural events, lectures and seminars to showcase the over 600-year-old city founded by emperor Ahmed Shah.

During the fortnight, all flights bound for the state will serve a variety of Gujarati cuisines to passengers.

The idea is to involve people from all walks of life in the celebrations that will be organised across the city. It is a big boost for the city to be given the world heritage status, said a state government official.

The elaborate programmes also aimed at highlighting the heritage-tag for the Ahmedabad as a major success story of the BJP government in the state.

The celebrations will coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to his home state on August 12 to inaugurate the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada. Chief ministers of 12 states ruled by BJP and its allies are expected to attend the event.

Ahmedabad is the first Indian city to get the coveted heritage status. Earlier Delhi and Mumbai had also tried to get the tag but failed to make the cut. Gujarat had sent its proposal to UNESCO way back in 2010 when Modi was the CM of the state.

A detailed presentation on how the city plans to celebrate the world heritage city status was made by Ahmedabad municipal commissioner at then housing and urban affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidus residence on Monday.

This was the last assignment of Naidu before he demitted office after being named the NDAs vice president candidate.

Also present in the meeting were Union textiles minister Smriti Irani and civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju. Secretaries of six central ministries, including culture, housing and urban affairs, civil aviation were also in attendance.

Besides thematic cultural programmes at historical monuments such as the Bhadra fort, a festival of Gujarati classical films, heritage sadhbhavna yatra, cultural programme at the river front, laser and fire cracker show have also been lined up. The fortnight-long event will also see the launch of a hop-on-hop-off heritage bus tour and special merchandize and souvenirs, depicting various facets of the heritage city.

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Intelligence agencies have sounded an alert of a possible terror strike at the 2340 MW Kahalgaon super thermal power plant of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Bihars Bhagalpur district.

The intelligence bureau (IB) issued the security alert as part of its security audit of vital installations undertaken last month.

Deputy inspector general of police (DIG), eastern range, Vikas Vaibhav, said, on the basis of the alert, he had spoken to the NTPC authorities at Kahalgaon, 274 km east of Patna, and asked them to take measures as suggested by the intelligence agency.

The IB has been doing security audit across all vital installations. This is not a specific, but general alert which it has issued to all public sector undertakings, including the NTPC. Among some of the measures it has suggested are biometric identity card for staff, not allowing access to the vital installation without identity cards, etc, Vaibhav added.

Bhagalpur senior superintendent of police Manoj Kumar termed the alert as routine. After the security audit of the plant in June, the IB recommended some dos and donts, which were being taken care of. We have forwarded the suggestions to the CISF, which guards the vital installation, said Kumar.

CISF deputy inspector general , eastern sector, SN Singh, said: The IB has raised security concern over broken boundary walls, which we have asked the NTPC management to address.

The security audit was done on the same lines as it was being done previously. Some of the suggestions entail financial cost and the NTPC management is looking into them, he added.

Singh refused to give details of the security audit. He did not even confirm if the NTPC management had heeded the IB suggestion for biometric identity cards to staff.

Group general manager of the Kahalgaon thermal power plant, Rakesh Samuel, said the plant had, in most cases, complied with security suggestions of intelligence agencies.

Bihar gets 426 MW power from the Kahalgaon super thermal power plant, which has an installed capacity of 2340 MW. Bihar gets 351.60 MW from its 4 x 210 MW stage I unit and another 74.69 MW from 3 x 500 MW stage II.

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The Madras high court on Friday took up a petition by former Union minister P Chidambarams son Karti to quash a CBI FIR against him, but posted the matter for further hearing on July 28.

Justice P Velumurugan declined to pass any orders on either Kartis plea or the CBIs submission that the high court did not have territorial jurisdiction to entertain the writ. Instead, he posted the matter for hearing the merits of the case on July 28.

Karti will not have to appear before the CBI until then.

An FIR was registered against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007.

The probe agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was fallacious but the then finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it.

Karti claims that the FIR is aimed at damaging his fathers reputation, who is now an opposition leader and a member of the Rajya Sabha.

He further claims the FIR was not filed following due procedure as there is a 10-year delay from when the alleged crimes took place, and the FIR doesnt explain the time lapse.

The CBI opposed the petition arguing it is not maintainable.

Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI in court on Friday, contended that the summons had been issued well within the jurisdiction and investigating powers of the agency.

The CBI wanted the court to dismiss the plea on grounds of maintainability, he said.

Senior counsel Goal Subramaniam, representing Karti, submitted it was a settled principle of law that issuing summons to an accused and interrogating him would amount to violation of fundamental right guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.

He said the article states that no person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

Congress leader P Chidambaram had issued a strong statement in response to the FIR, saying that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

In May this year, the agency had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case.

(With PTI inputs)

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Unprecedented protests rocked the Himachal capital on Thursday with political parties and civil society groups joining hands to agitate against the murder and rape of a schoolgirl in Kotkhai earlier this month, followed by the custodial death of an accused on Wednesday.

Suraj Singh, one of the six suspects arrested for the gangrape and murder of the 16-year-old girl, was allegedly strangled by another suspect, Rajendra Singh, during a scuffle at the Kotkhai police station on Tuesday night.

Traffic was paralysed on most of the arterial roads between 11 am and 3 pm due to dharnas by the agitators, and blockades put up by the police to prevent them from reaching the Himachal Pradesh secretariat.

BJP workers laid siege to the secretariat for nearly two hours in the afternoon, prompting the staff to lock all gates of the building from inside. Before reaching the secretariat, they also protested at Victory tunnel, nearly 3 km away, at 11 am. The Shimla unit of BJP also submitted a memorandum to governor Acharya Devvrat.

The party supporters clashed with the police at the HP secretariat and broke the outer gates and barricades. There were also reports of protesters hurling stones.

The workers later submitted a memorandum to the governor demanding dismissal of the Virbhadra government and imposition of Presidents rule in the state. The BJP also demanded that former Shimla SP DW Negi and SIT team headed by Zahur Zaidi, former inspector general (IG) southern range, be suspended.

We have never seen the main gates of the secretariat locked like this. Many protests are held outside the secretariat but gates have never been locked, quipped Shambhu Singh, a shopkeeper at the Chotta Shimla market, where the secretariat is located. Police were later successful in pacifying the agitators.

Accusing the police and government of deliberately botching up investigations, Gaurav Attri, a student leader who led the protest at the state police headquarters in Khalini, alleged, Efforts are being made to protect the real culprits and evidence is being sanitised.

Shimla Nagrik Manch and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) started a protest near the Mall road before marching towards Raj Bhawan in Chotta Shimla. Manch members submitted a memorandum to the governor seeking dismissal of the director general of police (DGP), Somesh Goyal. They also called for a meeting of resident welfare associations of Shimla on Friday.

Besides BJP workers and CPIM supporters, civil society groups from nearby towns of Theog, Bhatta Kufar, Mashobra and villages surrounding Shimla carried out separate protests and marches on Mall road and other localities. Protests were also held in Sanjauli, Khalini and other localities of the town.

We have never seen such mobilisation, Rohit Sood, a local said at Mall Road.

Glasses of three buses of the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) were shattered in Taland area. Superintendent of police (SP) Soumya Sambasivan said the protests were largely peaceful, and though there was sloganeering, no major incident of violence was reported.

Capital deserted as BJP calls for bandh

Following a call for a Shimla bandh by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), shops remained closed through the day.

The main shopping and tourism centres of Shimla wore a deserted look, as most shops on the Mall road and Lower Bazaar downed their shutters on Thursday morning. Shopkeepers said they feared violence as tempers were running high among protesters.

Traders and hoteliers complained that supply of milk, eggs and bread was affected in several parts of the city. Tourists, too, bore the brunt of the bandh and protests. We have not got food since morning, Ehkam Vihak, a businessman from Delhi, said.

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A day after vociferous protests, the states capital on Friday morning was calm as usual. The shops at Mall Road and Lower Bazaar were open and a few tourists could also be seen at the historic Ridge Maidan. There were no reports of violent protests from the rural apple-growing areas of Shimla district as well.

Yesterday, the town saw hundreds of locals thronging the streets and holding protests and marches seeking justice for Kotkhai teenager, gangraped and murdered earlier this month. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had given a bandh call on Thursday, was also joined by civil society groups.

Traders had shut shops on Thursday to seek justice for the schoolgirl. Today, shops are open like on any other day, said a garment shop owner, Sidharth Rana at Mall Road.

The supply of essential commodities was also reported to be normal.

Meanwhile, the BJP plans to hold a protest later in the day, while Shimla Nagrik Manch, a civil society group, will hold a meeting of resident welfare associations (RWAs) of the city at the Bachat Bhawan to chalk out their future strategy.

The prevailing calm in the city brought smiles to tourists who had to remain holed up in their hotels during the protests yesterday. Hardeep Dhuvan, a kabaddi player from Gohana in Haryana, who could not visit Kufri and Fagu on Thursday, said he was now planning a trip to these places. We had to cancel all our plans due to protests. Since even the shops remained closed, there was nothing much we could do yesterday, said Dhuvan.

Another group of tourists from Bathinda said they had trouble reaching Shimla on Thursday evening and they were also apprehensive about their visit due to reports of unrest. But by evening, the situation was normal. And we were able to get a room for ourselves, said Devnajot Dhaliwal from Bathinda.

There were reports of peaceful protests from Kotgarh and Thanadhar areas of the district on Friday morning, nearly 60 km from Shimla. Kotkhai town, the epicenter of protests, where a mob had torched a thana on Tuesday, remained peaceful on Friday.

There were also no reports of blockades and violent protests in Theog, which connects Kotkhai and other rural areas of the apple growing belt with Shimla town through a national highway.
India has less than one doctor for every 1,000 population which is less than the World Health Organization standard, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

Minister of state for health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were 10,22,859 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India as on March 31 this year.

Assuming 80 per cent availability, it is estimated that around 8.18 lakh doctors may actually be available for active service. It gives a doctor-population ratio of 0.62:1000 as per current population which is estimated to be of around 1.33 billion, she said during Question Hour.

The WHO prescribes a doctor population ratio of 1:1000.

The doctor-population ratio of the some of the countries are: Australia  3.374:1000, Brazil  1.852:1000, China  1.49:1000, France  3.227:1000, Germany  4.125:1000, Russia  3.306:1000, the USA  2.554:1000, Afghanistan - 0.304:1000, Bangladesh  0.389:1000, Pakistan  0.806:1000.

The minister said emphasis of the government was to increase the number of doctors in the country to improve the doctor population ratio.

There are 479 medical colleges in the country with an intake capacity of 67,218 MBBS seats. 12,870 MBBS seats have been added in the last three years, she said.
A Mumbai court on Friday dismissed the plea of Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, to hand over his custody to the Army.

The court dismissed Purohits application, said Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal.

An Army officer arrested in the case, Purohit is presently lodged in Arthur Road jail here.

He had said in his application that the jail houses several gangsters and there was a threat to his life, so he should be transferred to military jail.

The prosecution, however, opposed his plea. Advocate Rasal told the court that Purohit had not filed any such complaint with the jail authorities who were taking sufficient care of him.

If his custody was handed over to the Army, it would be difficult to bring him to the court for every hearing and it would delay the trial, Rasal argued.

Concurring with the prosecution views, Special Judge SD Tekale for NIA cases rejected Purohits request.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in handloom town of Malegaon in Nashik district of Maharashtra on September 29, 2008.

Twelve people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Purohit, were arrested in the case.

The National Investigation Agency has, however, given a clean chit to Pragya Singh who is now out on bail.
Egypts interior ministry is searching for the assailants who attacked police vehicles near the city of Fayoum on Thursday night, killing a policeman and injuring three police conscripts, state news agency MENA reported.

Unidentified gunmen fired heavily and randomly at three police vehicles driving on the Cairo-Fayoum ring road on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.

The statement added that the injured were transferred to hospital.

Egypt is battling Islamist militant groups that are mainly concentrated in the restive northern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Militants have also struck police and army personnele elsewhere in the country, including the capital.

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West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Friday a campaign to free India of the BJP in the 2019 general elections, seen as a move to unite the opposition and stem the rival partys push into her state.

She said her state would support any party that backs the oust-BJP campaign.

The BJP has to be driven out of this country. Bengal will support any party that is opposed to the BJP, she said.

The eastern state remains one of the final frontiers for the BJP, which is in power at the Centre and rules 21 states. The Trinamool Congress accuses the BJP of trying to polarize voters on religious lines and gain popularity through a witch-hunt against the states ruling party.

Banerjee made a pitch for opposition unity, saying 18 parties supported non-BJP candidate Meira Kumar in the July 17 presidential election.

Bengal will stand with Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and all those who will oppose the BJP, she said.

The chief minister, who has opposed a range of central government policies, including the demonetisation drive and the goods and services tax, has blamed the BJP for the trouble in her state.

Dont underestimate the Trinamool. I will see you till the end, she said at the annual martyrs day rally for 13 Youth Congress workers killed in police firing in 1993. At the time, she was a Youth Congress leader.

We will start a BJP Bharat Chorro program from August 9: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/AshE3amzbL  ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017

The focus of her 43-minute speech was the BJP, although she didnt mention any of its leaders.

I will launch the first phase of the movement in Bengal on August 9. It will be carried out in every corner of Bengal till August 30, she said.

The BJP is trying to silence us by using CBI, enforcement directorate and other agencies against our leaders. But the Narada and Saradha investigations cannot stop us. None of us is guilty. We will not bow our heads, she told a rally attended by at least 600,000 people.

Banerjees party is facing corruption charges over the Saradha financial scandal and Narada sting operation. Besides, the state is saddled with communal riots 60km from Kolkata and a dormant movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland in the northern hill districts restarted this June.

She called the BJP a party of rioters and said the gorakshaks, or self-styled cow protectors, were gorakshash, meaning cow demons. The chief minister was referring to growing attacks on cattle traders by vigilante groups allegedly attached to the Hindu right wing.

She accused the BJP of spreading rumours through social media to disturb communal harmony in West Bengal. They have turned Facebook into fake book, she said.

Banerjee asked Trinamool supporters and activists to be vigilant. Use social media properly. Counter them. Identify offensive and provocative posts and fake news. Report these to police. If our workers are watchful there is no need to be scared of Delhi.

The chief minister said the BJP has failed on all fronts, including bilateral ties with neighbours.

Indias relations with foreign countries deteriorated under the BJP-led government, she alleged. Why cant it improve relations with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, which have borders with Bengal?

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Senior diplomat and external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay was on Friday appointed as joint secretary in the Prime Ministers Office.

He has been appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as Indias Ambassador to France.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Baglays appointment to the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.

The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, it said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reiterated his charge on Friday that the Modi government's policies are burning Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that no third party intervention was required to resolve Indias internal matters.

India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India, Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House Complex. It is being said there should be discussion on Kashmir with China and Pakistan, but this is our internal matter... our internal business and no one should interfere in it, he said.

Reacting to Chinas offer of playing a constructive role in resolving the Kashmir issue, India had earlier said its stand of resolving all matters bilaterally with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, has not changed

Kashmir has been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8 last year. This year, on July 10, terrorists attacked a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in south Kashmir, killing seven of them.

I have been saying this for a long time that Modi's and the NDA's policies are burning Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress vice president said.

The main opposition party has also been unsparing on the Peoples Democratic Party-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir over the deteriorating situation in the Valley.

In the last working committee meeting on June 6, party president Sonia Gandhi also took a combative stand against the government.

Where there was harmony, there is discord. Where there was tolerance, there is provocation. Where there was relative calm, as in Kashmir, there is growing confrontation, tension and fear, she said.
Members of Naga Peoples Front (NPF) loyal to former chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu organised a beef festival in Nagaland capital Kohima on Friday to vent their anger at partisan governor PB Acharya.

The youth wing of the pro-Shurhozelie NPF also invited the governor for dinner to take part in the festival of resentment at the partys central office three hours after chief minister TR Zeliang won a trust vote in the 60-member Nagaland assembly by 47 votes to 11.

The house has an effective strength of 59 after the resignation of Shurhozelies son Khriehu Liezietsu last month, while speaker Imliwapang Aier did not take part in the voting.

In a statement directed at Acharya, the youth wing of NPF said: To celebrate your latest political coup, and to mark the severance of ties with your political party the BJP, we are organising a beef feast (Your Excellency knows Nagas are voracious meat eaters) this evening and would like to take this opportunity to invite you to cancel some of your not-so-official engagements in political scheming and to come and join us for dinner at the NPF central office.

The mocking of the governor went further. Your Excellency has been terribly busy in the last few days breaking all democratic norms, playing politics and installing your party BJP-friendly government in the state. You have forgotten that the office of the governor should be apolitical and stay away from politics, but you have been acting as the leader of the dissident NPF group... Your attempts to cloak your political decisions with some semblance of legality are transparent and the nakedness of it all is most repulsive and loathsome, the statement added.

The NPF youth wing accused Acharya of turning a blind eye to a monumental travesty of democracy where a member (Zeliang) of the assembly, who is expelled from the NPF for a period of six years, has been accepted as the chief whip of the very party from which he has been expelled.

The governor had angered a section of NPF members by asking Shurhozelie to prove his majority in the House after Zeliang, armed with the written support of 34 of a total 47 NPF legislators, had staked claim to power.

The Shurhozelie-led NPF countered by saying it was the partys internal crisis and would be resolved within the party, and as such, the governor had no business to direct the floor test.

The NPF youth wing also did not take the no-confidence motion moved against Shurhozelie in good humour. But it said sardonically: We are in a jubilant mood because not only has the NPF severed ties with the BJP for good, you yourself have shown how low you can stoop to achieve your political and religious agenda in the last few days.

The NPF had severed its ties with the BJP soon after the governor dismissed Shurhozelie and appointed Zeliang as the chief minister on July 19 after the former skipped the floor test along with 10 other MLAs loyal to him.

That day, the BJP submitted a letter to the governor confirming support to the Zeliang-led NPF. The BJP has four MLAs in Nagaland.

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Public sector oil marketing company, the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), has stopped supplying fuel to the petrol pump of RJD chief Lalu Prasads son and Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, located in Anisabad locality in south-western part of the state capital..

A BPCL officer in Patna said the supply was stopped to Lara Automobiles on Thursday after a Patna court vacated the interim stay on execution of the oil marketing companys order terminating the petrol pump licence on the charge that Yadav had acquired the land for the pump illegally.

The officer, who did not wished to be quoted, said the oil firms Patna office was in the process of obtaining the required approval for the next appropriate action in the matter from its headquarters. The process was likely to take between 24 to 48 hours, he said.

We are also exploring alternative measures to continue the services of the petrol station, given its strategic location and not to cause any inconvenience to the public, he said, adding, everything would be done in accordance with the set norms.

A Patna court had, on Tuesday, vacated a stay on the BPCLs petrol pump allocation termination order which was issued on June 17. The court had granted the interim stay in response to a plea from Yadav, challenging the termination order.

The court of sub-judge 11 Sachi Mishra also referred the matter to an arbitrator under the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996.

The BPCL had, on May 3, issued a notice to Yadav, after receiving a complaint that Yadav had acquired the petrol pump on Patnas busy Anisabad bypass road by furnishing wrong information. It terminated the allocation after Yadav failed to furnish a satisfactory explanation in response to its notice .

Yadav had applied for the petrol pump licence in 2012 and the retail outlet was commissioned to Lara Automobiles, represented by him as its proprietor, on February 27 this year.

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had earlier alleged that the petrol pump licence was fraudulently obtained by Yadav during the UPA II regime at the Centre (2009-14). Modi had claimed that Yadav did not have the stipulated 43 decimal of land required for setting up the petrol pump at the time of applying for it.

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Rebel AIADMK legislator VC Arukutty, among the first to switch over to the O Panneerselvam camp, on Friday expressed displeasure at the way he was being treated and indicated he may go back to the AIADMK (Amma) faction.

Arukutty was the first MLA, representing Koundampalayam constituency in Coimbatore, to come out openly in support of Paneerselvam when most MLAs in the district were camping in the Koovathur resort.

His sudden outburst came after he was not invited for a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday to erect a pandal for a function, where rebel AIADMK leader O Paneerselvam is expected to meet his supporters in two days.

Talking to reporters, Arukutty said he had boycotted the ceremony since he was not invited for the function.

Moreover, of late he was not being taken into confidence by the party and as such there was no point in continuing in such a situation, he said.

Stating that he has not taken any decision to quit the faction,Arukutty said he would take a final call after talking to voters in his constituency, numbering over four lakh.

AIAMDK has two factions, one led by chief minister K Palaniswami and the other by Pannerselvam.
Pakistani troops on Friday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Nowgam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.

An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure.

Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Nowgam sector today (Friday) by unprovoked firing towards our posts, he said.

The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara.

This is the third ceasefire violation in Nowgam sector within 24 hours.

An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Nowgam sector on Wednesday.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.

On July 12, two soldiers  Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat  were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.

Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.
The Congress received a big jolt Friday in assembly election-bound Gujarat as results of the presidential poll were declared.

Statistics revealed that of the total 57 Congress MLAs in the state, 11 have cross-voted in NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovinds favour.

It is unfortunate that the Opposition candidate received lesser votes. The party will think over the matter and decide future actions, Gujarat Congress pradesh committee president Bharatsinh Solanki said on Wednesday.

Gujarat has 182 assembly segments of which, 181 votes were cast. The BJP has a total of 121 MLAs. Kovind received a total of 132 votes from Gujarat. Two NCP MLAs have claimed to have voted in Kumars favour. Of the 57 Congress MLAs, 46 voted for Opposition candidate Meira Kumar which indicates that 11 of them voted for Kovind.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had asked party members(before polls) to listen to their inner voice. In Gujarat, Congress MLAs have done the same, said BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya.

The Rajya Sabha election, which are due in August, loom largely over the Congress reaction in the matter.

The cross-voting can jeopardise chances for Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

The cross-voting, came amid rumours of former chief minister and incumbent Congress Legislative Party leader Shankersinh Vaghela hinting at his resignation from the party with his supporters, including several MLAs.

While Vaghela, who is slated to carry out a show of strength on Friday on the occasion of his 77th birthday, has ruled out possibility of joining the BJP, top Congress leaders have maintained that there is no rift in the unit. The poll results however, have pointed towards potential cracks in the partys state unit.

The Congress, albeit verbally, has asked the members to stay away from Vaghelas function on Friday in Gandhinagar.

The Congress has not won assembly polls in Gujarat since 1995 . The party has reportedly been at odds with Vaghela over his public outbursts on multiple occasions regarding the chief ministrial candidate.

The trouble seems to have started last month with Vaghela unfollowing top leaders, including party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Twitter.

He also called a meeting of his supporters in Gandhinagar last month , where he sent out a message that he was the most seasoned leader to lead the party in forthcoming polls and that he was unhappy.

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Over a hundred MLAs cross-voted in favour of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, exposing chinks in the opposition camp.

But the Congress and its allies could draw solace from the fact that the margin of victory in the Mondays polling was less than what was expected by the BJP. The ruling party was hoping over 70% of the electoral college would vote for Kovind, but he ended up with 65.65 % votes only, registering lowest victory margin since the 1974 presidential poll. Joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar got 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314.

But the big question is whether the 18-party combineincluding the JD (U) that has joined the opposition grouping in vice-presidential pollswill stay united against the NDA in future. Regardless of the outcome of these elections, are the Opposition parties any closer to the goal of putting up a joint fight against the BJP in the 2019 general elections?

Story So Far

Oppositions unity efforts have come under strain on two occasions in the recent past. First, Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar broke ranks with the Opposition parties in pledging support for the NDAs presidential nominee. Second, despite the boycott call of the Congress, a clutch of Opposition leaders including those of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), JD (U) and the JD(S) attended the midnight session of Parliament to mark the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The Bihar model of Opposition unity  which has been sought to be replicated at the national level  has been under considerable stress in past weeks. With state chief minister Nitish Kumars alliance partner and Rashtriya Janara Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad and his family members coming under the scanner of the investigating agencies, speculations have been afloat on the possible collapse of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress government.

There have been talks to the effect that Kumar could dump the RJD and switch sides to the BJP.

The Background

Following the electoral steamrolling at the hands of the Narendra Modi-powered BJP in the 2014 general elections, secular parties are today confronting threats of being decimated from Indias political landscape because of the aggressive ideological, social and political strategies unleashed by the ruling combine. As the Uttar Pradesh elections have shown, the top BJP leaders have been able to affect a fundamental shift in the matrix of electoral politics.

Besides, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other investigating agencies have renewed the drive against Prasad and his family members, while other Opposition leaders including SPs Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati have continued to remain under the scanner of the premier investigating agency.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is battling the Sharada chit fund scam. Unite or perish is the message that is loud and clear for satraps of regional parties, said C P Bhambri, an eminent political scientist.

Future Scenario

Despite the common threat perceptions from the BJP, Opposition parties remain torn by conflicting interests at the state-level. Traditional rivals such as the BSP and SP have displayed some signs of thawing, while the Left and the TMC in West Bengal or the AIADMK and the DMK in Tamil Nadu have remained at loggerheads.

The Congress  the lead Opposition party  has failed so far to bring regional secular groupings under a common platform.

Nitish Kumar recently said the Congress should do more to connect with the masses rather than rely merely on the unity among political parties, urging the grand-old party to take the lead in establishing a different narrative for the people.

Given the weakened position of the Congress, several claimants to the leadership role in the proposed secular formation have emerged. For its part, the BJP too is not lacking in efforts to prevent the Opposition leaders from uniting.

For the moment, the challenges for Opposition unity are many.
Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi lashed out at the Congress on Friday for putting up posters that depicted her as a rampaging goddess Kali, holding up severed heads of political opponents.

Other pictorial depictions at the event cast the lieutenant governor in Hitlers avatar, complete with the Nazi dictators iconic toothbrush mustache.

Puducherry lieutenant governor as the rampaging goddess Kali.

Congress activists had created these posters in an uncharacteristic rush of creativity, and put them up at a protest rally in Puducherry on Thursday. Their attempts to annoy Bedi were met with phenomenal success.

This is in real poor taste, she responded sharply. This is an attempt at lowering the status of the lieutenant governors office. They may dislike a person, but the sanctity of the office must not be compromised. They should find respectful means of protest

Incidentally, chief minister V Narayanasamy  whose head figured among the ones seen hanging from Bedis numerous arms in the poster  had also attended the protest.

Bedis act of nominating three people to the Puducherry assembly without consulting Narayanasamy has brought her conflict with the ruling Congress party to a head.

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Two members of the Hasm militant group were killed in a shootout with police after a raid on their hideout in Fayoum governorate, Egypts interior ministry has said.

The two men are two of most prominent cadres of the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood...and were charged with planning and training in order to launch a number of terrorist attacks, a statement released by the ministry on Friday read.

Hasm have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on Egyptian security personnel in recent months, many targeting police checkpoints.

Egyptian security forces have also arrested and killed dozens of suspected Hasm members in the past few months.

Egyptian officials have said that that the group is linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

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BJP national president Amit Shah arrived at the Jaipur International Airport to a grand welcome on Friday morning, with many dignitaries  including chief minister Vasundhara Raje and state party chief Ashok Parnami  showing up to receive him.

Shah, who arrived on a commercial flight from Delhi around 10.30 am, is on a three-day visit to Rajasthan.

Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha showered rose petals on the BJP presidents cavalcade when it stopped outside the airport. Upon alighting from his vehicle to greet his well-wishers, Shah was presented with a memento.

The party leader was greeted just as jubilantly at eight places along his route, with helmetless Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists leading the procession on motorcycles all the way from the airport to the state BJP office on Sardar Patel Marg. Aided by traffic police, who diverted traffic at many locations, the cavalcade managed to reach its destination in a little over an hour.

Supporters escort Amit Shah from Sanganer airport to the party office on the first day of his three-day visit to Rajasthan. (Prabhakar Sharma/ HT Photo)

The rain gods threatened to play spoilsport as the cavalcade neared Gandhi Circle, but the downpour stopped just in time for Shah to pay floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. He also stopped by the statue of BR Ambedkar at Ambedkar Circle, despite the occurrence of a small goof-up. Sources said Shah quickly paid his respects to the Dalit icon and left, not realising that state social justice minister Arun Chaturvedi and a few others were waiting at the other end of the circle to garland him.

Though Shah later inaugurated the e-library at the state BJP office and chaired a meeting of the partys core committee, his interaction with mediapersons was limited to smiling at photographers. He will address a press conference at the state BJP office on Sunday afternoon.

Shah, who has his sights set on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is on a whirlwind tour of the country to get direct feedback on the BJPs prospects and performance from senior party leaders and workers. He also intends to strengthen party functionaries and booth-level units in the run-up to the elections.

State BJP president Ashok Parnami had rectified a faux pas ahead of Shahs visit on Thursday evening by canceling the appointment of ministers and municipal body chairpersons as party spokespersons. Though he had made the appointments on July 19, it was later pointed out that the Constitution does not allow it.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to give an early hearing to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case on a plea by BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy.

A bench of Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said, We are going to list the main matter soon. We will take a decision on it.

Swamy had mentioned the matter seeking an urgent hearing in the case.

The Mughal-era mosque in Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya was demolished by karsevaks, supporters of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), on December 6, 1992, sparking one of Indias worst communal riots that left more than 3,000 people dead.

The case has been pending since 2010 in the SC after the Allahabad high court divided the land equally between Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Wakf Board.

In March this year, the top court said fresh attempts must be made by all parties to the case for an an out-of court settlement.

CJI Khehar had offered him self as a negotiator in the case saying, These are issues of religion and sentiments. These are issues where all the parties can sit together and arrive at a consensual decision to end the dispute. All of you may sit together and hold a cordial meeting.

However, the talks could not take off as the parties stuck to their respective stands.
The protests sparked off by the gangrape and murder of a Kotkhai schoolgirl followed by the custodial death of a Nepalese rape accused have turned out to be the biggest in the apple heartland since the 1990 violent agitation by the fruit growers against the low support price.

It was in 1990 that the apple belt of Shimla, Kullu and Mandi rallied together to seek a better support price from the then Shanta Kumar-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

The orchardists were demanding that the support price be raised from Rs 2.25 per kg to Rs 5.

Interestingly, that time too the protest started from Theog and Kotkhai. I still remember the protest, which was touted as the apple agitation, began from Kotkhai and Theogh before spreading across the entire apple belt, says Sanjay Chauhan, general secretary of Himachal Pradesh Fruit And Vegetable Growers Confederation, a conglomerate of various farmers associations.

The farmers laid siege to the town of Shimla after the agitation turned violent following the death of three farmers in Kotgarh. The apple-growing region spans Shimla, Kinnaur and Kullu districts comprising 13 assembly segments. Apples are also grown in parts of Mandi and Sirmour district, but the above three districts form the traditional apple belt.

Seeing the situation getting out of hand, the then government had called in the army that marched through the streets. The agitation also widened the regional divide between the upper Himachal comprising the apple belt and the hilly areas, and the lower Himachal consisting of plains.

Unlike the past, this time the social media galvanised the protests. Kotkhai erupted after videos of the murdered girl went viral on the social media. The pictures of the alleged accused were also circulated widely.

The protest is bound to impact the political contours of the apple growing regions. Until the late 1970s, this belt used to produce mixed electoral results in the assembly elections. But since the late 80s, the Congress presence began to grow stronger.

In 1982, of the eight seats in Shimla, the Congress secured six, while the BJP won two. Kullu remained loyal to the saffron fold, where the party won all seats.

The Congress swept all seats  eight in Shimla, three in Kullu and one in Kinnaur  in the 1985 election. The party began to slip in the following elections but the massive agitation by apple growers in 1990 against the Shanta Kumar government again bolstered its fortunes.

The Congress had bagged most of the seats in the 2012 assembly elections too.

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Chinese official media on Friday continued its aggressive posturing on the ongoing Doklam impasse, calling external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj a liar for telling Parliament that all countries were supporting New Delhi on the standoff.

Swaraj had told Parliament on Thursday that all countries are in Indias support on the face-off between troops between the two countries near the Sikkim border.

She had added that India was alert to the need of protecting its security near the border where the boundaries of China, India and Bhutan meet.

The Chinese ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) had indicated earlier this week that members of the diplomatic corps had sounded out Beijing on the standoff and had expressed shock at the development.

The nationalistic tabloid, Global Timess editorial said Swaraj had lied to Parliament.

She (Swaraj) was lying to Parliament. First, Indias invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhis impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support Indias aggression.

Second, Indias military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose, the GT editorial said.

India should abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam. China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held.

Doklam is Chinese territory. The withdrawal of Indian troops must be a precondition for talks and China will not compromise on this stance, the editorial said.

The Times said the live-fire drill in Tibet by the Chinese Army and movement of huge military supplies to the region was not for show.

It noted that India Indias stance has recently changed subtly and started to stress that Doklam is a tri-junction area of China, India and Bhutan and said it showed New Delhis guilty conscience.

The daily also mocked at the way some Indians compare Chinas military strength with that of India, and said it was extremely comical.

...they fail to realize that the PLAs strong capability to deploy troops can reverse the balance of power at the border within a day. The PLAs long-range combat capability can also allow its troops in remote areas to provide fire support to troops at the border.

Chinas military spending is four times that of India where its GDP volume is five times that of India. The great gap will shape the actual pattern of power balance between the two countries at the border, the daily said.

In a less confrontational comment piece on Friday, official news agency, Xinhua said that the West was to blame for creating this atmosphere of competition and rivalry between the two countries.

It is fair to say that the concept of China and India being nemeses to each other was cooked by the West, a smart move, pitting the two biggest future competitors of the West against each other, the Xinhua comment piece said.

So who stands to win from a possible India-China war? At least, no one in Asia. Obviously the two would pay a heavy price first of all. Even Japan, the US ally who relies heavily on the Chinese market, would suffer an economic blow, which could turn into a domestic crisis, it added.

The article had some advice for India.

India must understand that China wishes whats good for the Indian people and would love to see a strong India standing shoulder by shoulder with China. Meanwhile, just like China, India must remain sober and guard against wrong judgement and irrational perceptions.

(With agency inputs)
The BJP on Friday criticised Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his allegations against the Modi government on its Kashmir policy, saying these are absolutely incorrect and utterly irresponsible and terrorists are on the run due to its tough measures.

Hitting out at Gandhi, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said many problems of Jammu and Kashmir are the legacy of the Congress and its role in creating complications in the state is too well known.

The Congress leader had earlier in the day said Kashmir is burning due to the governments policies.

Reacting to it, Prasad told PTI, His allegations are absolutely incorrect and utterly irresponsible. Because of highly proactive measures taken by the Modi government with the state governments cooperation, terrorists are on the run today.

Security forces have an upper hand now, he said, claiming that the government had taken tough measures against illegal flow of funds, terrorists and separatists.

Pakistan stands isolated in the world today, Prasad said, noting that the US had called it a safe haven for terrorists.

He credited the central governments diplomatic and pro- active steps for the development, including freezing of funds meant for Pakistan.

He said the people of the state trusts the Modi government and it was evident from the fact that many young people were joining armed forces and the state police and becoming central government officers.
India should approach third parties, such as the US and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah said on Friday.

The National Conference (NC) leader said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue and act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached, Abdullah said.

If India is ready to talk to China and does not want to get into war, then they can talk to Pakistan also, he added.

Yuddh nahi kar sakte, unke paas bhi atom bomb hai aur aapke paas bhi hai. Ye rasta nahi hai, raasta baatcheet ka hai: Farooq Abdullah pic.twitter.com/lWPc2Z0olO  ANI (@ANI_news) 21 July 2017

Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees statement that friends can be changed, but not neighbours, the NC leader said arrogance and stubbornness would not let any of the nations progress and develop.

The stubbornness, exhibited by both the nations, will not lead us anywhere. Remember what Atal Bihari said, Friends can be changed, but not neighbours. One can move forward while maintaining friendship or can regress by becoming enemies, he said.

Expressing concern over the ongoing tension in the Valley, Abdullah appealed to the government to bring the disturbing elements light and punish them.

If the youth of tomorrow are targeted today, how will they run the nation? I would like to urge the government to expose the perpetrators, he said.

We are being sandwiched. People die every day. The situation is worse in the Valley, he added.

Jammu and Kashmir has been embroiled in violence since July last year, when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces.

Refuting Abdullahs assertion on third party intervention, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said Kashmir was Indias internal matter.
Guitarist Abhishek Prasad strummed along after neurosurgeons burned bits of his brain to fix a rare disorder that impaired his ability to play his favourite instrument.

The 37-year-old man from the Karnataka capital was diagnosed with musicians dystonia and the surgery on July 11 at Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Hospital was a first in India.

Musicians dystonia, or cramp, is a neurological disorder that affects a persons hand and finger movement because of the brain sending incorrect information to the muscles.

The ailment affected three fingers of Prasads left hand.

Prasad quit his job in the IT sector to follow his passion for music but started feeling stiffness in my fingers in 2015, just as I was seeing out the final days at my office.

Since the condition is rarely diagnosed in India, it took Prasad more than a year to find a doctor who could pinpoint the problem.

Abhishek was conscious and playing his guitar during the surgery as doctors needed instant feedback to exactly locate the part of his brain that needed operating. (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

Musicians dystonia can easily be misdiagnosed as muscle stress, pull or strain.

When the problem began to manifest, I went to orthopaedics. But my condition got worse. I was so depressed that I would follow up on anything anybody suggested. But with no success, Prasad said.

A doctor informed Prasad about a Japanese surgeon, who specialises in musicians dystonia. It was then that he met neurosurgeon Sharan Srinivasan.

Finally in June, I called Dr Srinivasan, who asked me to visit him and look at videos of the procedure, Prasad said.

Surgeons make an incision in the skull and insert a 9cm electrode to burn parts of the brain causing the disorder. As the brain has no ability to feel pain, local anaesthesia is applied to the skin and skull where the cut is made and the patients head is covered with a contraption that looks like a helmet.

The rest of the brain functions normally and the musician is asked to play his preferred instrument during the process. It lets the surgeons know if the brain burning is working or how much more they need to burn.

Such surgeries require the patient to be awake and perform the function that is triggering the brain to misbehave, Srinivasan said. The idea is to gauge the patients reaction to the surgery as this disorder is specific to a task.

Prasad got six radio frequency ablations, the medical term for the brain burning.

With the first burn I did not feel any change. But by the third burn, I could feel the stiffness going from my fingers. After the sixth, I could move my hand as freely as before, Prasad said.

Srinivasan is delighted with his patients response as the surgery generally shows 70% to 80% results on the operating table. In this case, it was 100%, he said.

The neurosurgeon said the procedure is fairly common abroad, especially in Japan.

But here we have such a dearth of neurosurgeons that we have not been able to concentrate on enhancing quality of life, he added.

Prasads family is thrilled with the success. His depression affected wife Mudita and their seven-year-old daughter. I want the happy Abhishek back again, she said.

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Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang, who was sworn in two days ago, won the trust vote in the assembly on Friday.

He won it by 47 votes to 11 in the 60-member House that has an effective strength of 59.

The MLAs who voted for Zeliang included 36 from his party Naga Peoples Front (NPF), seven independent legislators and four from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Speaker Imtiwapang Aier did not take part in the voting.

Governor PB Acharya had appointed Zeliang as chief minister on Wednesday, less than five hours after dismissing his predecessor Shurhozelie Liezietsu who skipped a special session of the assembly when summoned to prove his majority.

Shurhozelie (80) was told to go for the floor test after Zeliang, backed by the written support of 34 party MLAs, had staked claim to power on July 9. Shurhozelie and 10 other NPF legislators in his camp did not turn up as they reportedly had to attend a funeral.

Zeliang said his predecessor avoided the floor test as he did not have the numbers with him.

The floor test result is unethical as Zeliang was expelled by our party, which had issue a whip to stand by the party decision. We will challenge it in court, an MLA in Shurhozelies camp said from state capital Kohima.

Zeliang was expelled 15 minutes after he was sworn in on July 19. It virtually made him a chief minister unattached or without a party. Similar disciplinary action is likely against several other NPF MLAs who backed Zeliang, a pro-Shurhozelie member of the party said.

With around nine months left for Nagaland to go to elections, Zeliangs a problem of plenty is expected to give him a tough time while inducting the MLAs into his ministry.

Zeliang can at most induct 12 MLAs. But he has to keep in good humour some dozen MLAs from the camp of MP and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio, a friend-turned-foe-turned-friend, the independents and legislators from BJP.

The BJPs status as a constituent in the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government is unclear after the anti-Zeliang camp  calling itself the real NPF  severed ties with the saffron party.

Given the tendency in Nagaland to go with the tide, speculations are that a few MLAs from Shurhozelie camp might also cross over.

Zeliang was forced to resign in February this year after violent protests by tribal organisations, which were against 33% reservation for women in civic elections. His government revoked the quota decision but the NGOs did not relent until he resigned.

The NPF opted for the politically-retired Shurhozelie to hold fort reportedly for two-three months, by which time the anger would have subsided for Zeliang to return.

This is Zeliangs second term as chief minister. He occupied the hot seat for the first time in May 2014 after Rio resigned to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Rio made two unsuccessful bids later to dislodge Zeliang, but the two patched up to dethrone Shurhozelie instead.

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Former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela on Friday said he had quit Congress, just after claiming that he had been thrown out of the party 24 hours ago and attended a public rally marking his 77th birthday sporting a saffron scarf.

The Gujarat Congress party leader, however, stressed he was not going to join the BJP.

Addressing the gathering, Vaghela also said he will resign as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and quit as MLA after the Rajya Sabha election on August 8.

He claimed he was a victim of intra-party conspiracy, due to which the party had shown him the door.

The Congress denied Vaghela was removed. No action was taken against Shankersingh Vaghelaji nor was he expelled.These are baseless arguments.Its his decision, said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Vaghelaji wanted to replace the current Gujarat Congress chief. A party is always bigger than individuals, he said.

At his birthday celebrations in Ahmedabad, Vaghela was joined by a large number of Congress leaders and workers. This, despite the partys instructions against siding with the senior politician.

Congress party ne mujhe 24 ghante pehle nikal diya yeh soch ke ki pata nahi main kya kehta (The Congress threw me out of the party 24 hours ago as they were worried what I may say), Vaghela told his supporters.

Rebellion is in my blood. Im on 77 not out, he said.

Vaghela said the party did not even wait to hear what he would say at Fridays event before taking the decision to throw him out and termed it a case of vinashkale vipareet budhdhi.

There was a conspiracy to get me expelled. I told Rahul Gandhi about this, he said this must be to accommodate someone else.

I had told Soniaji mein aapka bharosa nahi todunga (I will not break your trust). I went to meet her, told her thanks a lot Madam for everything. I may not remain with the party after sometime but dont worry I am not going anywhere. I am not joining BJP, Vaghela said.

His claim raised speculations over the possibility of his joining the BJP. Eleven of the 57 Congress MLAs from Gujarat cross-voted in favour of NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential elections.

The senior leaders rebellion comes ahead of assembly elections in the state where it has been out of power for decades.

Vaghela did not state whether he was suspended or expelled from the Congress.

Sources said just before attending the meeting, Vaghela ditched the commonly used scarf by Congress leaders and sported a saffron one, associated with the BJP.

On Thursday evening, the Gujarat Congress issued a warning to Vaghela not to play any politics under the guise of his birthday celebrations with his supporters and legislators. He was also told that his public utterances would not be tolerated by the party any further.

The maverick Vaghela, who had snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the late nineties to set up his own party that later merged with the Congress, has been telling the party high command to hand over reins of the December election battle to him.

(With IANS inputs)

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Opposition cross-voting at the presidential election could be some solace for the BJP-led government in Madhya Pradesh, struggling to quell a farm unrest that left five farmers dead in police firing in Mandsaur this June.

NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind got at least three votes more than what was expected. BJP leaders say Congress legislators voted for him, but the opposition party is not convinced.

Amid the claims and counter-claims, a vital question remained unanswered. Who betrayed Meira Kumar, the oppositions nominee for the July 17 election? The results were declared on Thursday and Kovind won convincingly.

The BJP has 166 MLAs, including the Speaker, in the Madhya Pradesh assembly. The Congress has 56 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) four. There are three independent legislators, while one assembly seat is vacant.

BJP legislator Narottam Mishra, the parliamentary affairs minister, is not eligible to vote after the Election Commission disqualified him for three years this June over a paid news case.

The three independent MLAs had pledged their support to Kovind.

Kumar should have got at least 60 votes from the Congress and the BSP, which had declared its support to her. But she got 57 against Kovinds 171 from Madhya Pradesh.

That means either three Congress MLAs or three from the BSP voted for Kovind. Or, it could be a total of three Congress and BSP legislators who cross-voted.

During Kumars visit to Bhopal a couple of days ahead of voting, Congress and BSP legislators met her and expressed their support to her.

But the BJP had predicted faultlines in the opposition.

I had told the media ahead of polling that there would be a rift in the Congress. My words came true, junior cooperative minister Vishwas Sarang said on Friday.

The Congress and BSP deny any chink in their parties.

I will not comment on the Congress but our stand was clear. We followed the instructions from Behenji (BSP chief Mayawati). We are missionaries and dont buckle under pressure or can be enticed by anyone, BSP leader Satyaprakash Sakhwar said.

For the Congresss state unit, what matters is the number at the end of the day.

Meira Kumar got 57 votes. This means she got one vote more than the number of Congress MLAs. There is no question of betrayal by any of the Congress MLAs, a party leader said.

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Egypt has called on Israel to put an immediate stop to violence and to escalated security measures against Palestinians in Jerusalem and in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa mosque, after three Palestinians were killed in clashes with occupation forces at the mosque on Friday.

An Egyptian foreign ministry statement expressed Cairos deep concerns about the repercussions of the escalating security measures and its strong aversion to the deaths and injuries of civilians due to excessive use of force.

Three Palestinians were killed and more than 200 injured when occupation forces attacked worshippers outside Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem following Friday prayers.

"Egypt stresses that Israel should respect the sanctity of religious sites and the right of Palestinians to practice religious rituals within a free and safe atmosphere, without punitive measures or unfair restrictions that fuel feelings of resentment among the Palestinian people and the entire Muslim world.

The statement called on Israel to prevent the situation spiralling out of control, which could abort peace efforts to encourage the Palestinian and Israeli sides to resume negotiations with the aim of reaching a just and lasting settlement to the Palestinian cause.

On Thursday, Israeli occupation police said they were barring men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose over new Israeli security measures at mosque.

Last Friday, Israel closed Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers seeking to perform Friday prayers for the first time since Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 to install metal detectors at entrances.

After Israel reopened the mosque on Sunday Palestinians refused to enter Al-Aqsa through the detectors, with hundreds camping around the premises throughout the week to protest Israeli actions.

On Thursday, Egypt's Al-Azhar  the worlds highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning issued a statement expressing its extreme concern over the provocative measures by Israeli forces at Jerusalems Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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Uttar Pradesh government has decided to convert 109 state highways into national highways. Tabling the Public Works Department (PWD) budget on Thursday, deputy chief minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, with the conversion of the state highways into national highways, 9,101 km of the roads in the state will be widened and repaired for the fast movement of traffic.

The opposition boycotted the proceedings of the house when Maurya tabled the PWD budget.

The state is likely to get Rs 10,000 crore from the central government under the central road fund which was not released earlier as the SP government did not send the utility certificate to the central government. The state government has decided to blacklist the companies and contractors indulged in corruption during the previous regime, he said.

The state government signed a memorandum of understanding with Railways to expedite the construction of the bridges and roads. It had also signed an agreement with Asian Development Bank to get Rs 2,782 crore loan for the construction of highways in the 8 districts . A road network would also be constructed on the India- Nepal border. The 86% of the roads under PWD had been made pothole free under the drive launched by the state government, he said.

The roads are constructed and repaired under the district plan, naxal plan, integrated road construction plan and with Rs 100 crore loan from NABARD.

Earlier, agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi tabled the budget of the agriculture department. He said the state government has decided to link all the benefits given to the farmers with Aadhaar. The loan waiver of farmers will pave way for capital investment in the sector.

The government has decided to promote organic farming. In the first phase agriculture clusters will be set up in Bundelkhand region. The farmers will be motivated to adopt vermiculture. The state government will support the progressive farmers. The vacant posts in the agriculture universities will be filled on priority basis and agriculture science centers will be set up in 20 districts. The state government will launch self-employment projects for the agriculture graduates

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For Pyarelal, the elder brother of President-elect Ram Nath Kovind, it was business as usual.

Like any other day, he opened his cloth shop on Thursday morning.

I know he (Ram Nath) is going to win big time. He is destined for big things, he told villagers who started flocking his 6x7 feet shop asking him why he was not at home as this was the biggest day for his family.

Read more: Ram Nath Kovind is next President of India, to take oath on July 25

However, he finally gave in to the pressure of his friends who wanted him to be with his family.

Pyarelal, who is five years older to Ram Nath Kovind, was brought back to his house on a motorcycle. His son Deepak, a teacher at a government school, took him inside the house.

Someone asked Pyarelal if he was prepared for the big day  Kovinds swearing in ceremony.

Yes, I am. I made all the preparations a month back. I have got two new sets of kurta-pyjama stitched. I will wear one when I meet him on July 23 and the other on the day he takes oath, he said as the people burst into laughter.

Next to his house, relatives and family friends surrounded Vidyavati, the sister-in-law of Kovind.

She had been observing a fast for the last two days for his victory. Vidyavati broke the fast once the news broke that Kovind would be the next President of India.

Who else will welcome him at Rashtrapati Bhavan? I am dying to see Lalla (Kovind), she said, flanked by her two daughters.

Pyarelal, Vidyavati and her sons and daughters would reach New Delhi by train.

The family members say Vidyavati had a big influence on Kovind whom she raised like her son after the death of his mother. Vidyavatis husband Shiv Balak, a teacher, took the young Ram Nath under his wings and made some important decisions of his life.

Not only did he make sure that Ram Nath studies hard, he sent him to Kanpur for higher studies.

Lalla hasnt changed a bit. He still treats me like his mother and I see him as my eldest son. He last spoke to me before moving to Delhi from Bihar, she said. Vidyavati said she would wear her most expensive saari when she goes to meet him.

Read more: US looks forward to working with President-elect Ram Nath Kovind

The families of Kovinds three brothers have been living in Jhinjhak for the last 40 years. Pyarelal used to sell cloth door-to-door on foot while Vidyavati supported her children and ensured they got best education despite limited resources.

Pyarelal and Vidyavati, two persons closest to Kovind, say he is divinely blessed.

The blessings of our deity Patthari Devi and Kovinds father Mainkulal have changed our fortunes, they said.
This couple lived life king-size, stayed in a big house in the posh Gomti Nagar and travelled in luxury vehicles. Everything was fine except that they were big frauds, a la the protagonists of Bollywood pot-boiler Bunty aur Babli.

MODUS OPERANDI The couples frauds, mostly with banks, ran into crores of rupees and their fleet of seven vehicles included a 74-lakh luxury car. Recently the couple fraudulently procured nearly 5 crore from different banks and did not pay back the loans back. They presently own assets worth several crores. Four criminal cases had been lodged against them and a reward of  12,000 each announced for their arrest.

However, on Wednesday night the success run of Suraj Mishra (37) and Shalini Mishra alias Shalu (34) came to an end when they landed in the net of UP Special Task Force (STF).

Read more: Chargesheet filed against 23 in Rs 6.33-crore Bihar NRHM scam

The couples frauds, mostly with banks, ran into crores of rupees and their fleet of seven vehicles included a 74-lakh luxury car. Four criminal cases had been lodged against them and a reward of  12,000 each announced for their arrest.

The latest case was lodged against the couple by Vijaya Bank at Hazratganj police station three months ago while two cases were registered against them with Vikas Nagar police and one at Jankipuram police station.

The story of Suraj, who is just Class 2 pass and Shalu, who is Class 5 pass, is of rags to riches, said STFs additional superintendent of police (ASP) Arvind Chaturvedi.

He said the couple fraudulently procured nearly 5 crore from different banks and did not pay back the loans back. They presently own assets worth several crores, he added.

Chaturvedi said the couple invested the loan money in transportation business. From two old trucks in 2008, the couple presently owns 24 oil tankers that are attached to an oil company and provides earning of several lakh per month, he added.

Most of the loans taken to purchase tankers were procured fraudulently, he said and added that the couple mortgaged their one plot in Gudamba to take loans from three different banks.

Chaturvedi said Surajs father was small-time cloth trader in Kolkata and also worked as sales agent at different shops there. He said Suraj shifted his base to Lucknow and started a business of electronic goods in Naka market.

Suraj later met Shalu, who belongs to Muslim family of Kanpur, and married her in 2005. The couple have two kids  an 11-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, he said.

Read more: Mumbai cyber police to launch awareness campaign against matrimonial frauds

The ASP said Suraj also started looking after the business of Shalus father  building bodies of trucks and tankers -- in Kanpur.

Suraj then started the trick of taking loans on forged papers -- when he purchased two olds trucks -- to start transportation work in 2008.

Suraj revealed that he learned the trick of defrauding banks from two bank employees, who helped him in getting his first loan, the ASP said and added that Suraj named a Vijaya Bank official of AGM rank, who was earlier posted in Lucknow and now in Kolkata, for helping him in getting the loan on forged documents in return of 10 percent commission.

STF is collecting details about the couples assets and their other frauds. Also, a letter will be written to Vijaya Bank to confirm the role of the bank official.
President elect Ram Nath Kovind had to face caste based discrimination in the primary school where he studied in his childhood.

His teachers made him do petty jobslike laying mattresses and them rolling them back when the school gave over, all because he was a dalit, said Manharan Singh Gaur, a class junior to Kovind in the school.

Two teachers (both belonging to upper caste) will only ask dalit students to reach school early and lay the worn-out mattresses (tat-patti). Kovindji also did the same for sometime, he said.

Read more: Family elated, gears up for Kovinds swearing-in ceremony

The school was in the middle of the village on a raised mud platform. Classes were held under a Peepul tree and students sat on the mud floor. The school today has a Shiv temple under the tree and locals used the rest of the space to tie their buffalos.

He was good in studies and hardworking; headmaster Ayodhya Prasad made him the school monitor, said Gaur as a few other villagers sitting close by nodded.

The headmaster also asked the two teachers not to single out the boys of one community to do this work. Since Ayodhya Prasad ran that school, the orders were complied with and Kovind was spared. But he was still asked to reach school early and supervise the mattress drill.

Kovind studied in this school till class 5 and then he moved to government school in Khanpur, nearly 8 km away. He along with his friends Vijaypal Singh, Jaswant Singh remained there for next three years.

Read more: Cross-voting by 116 legislators helped Kovind in presidential election, says BJP

His brother Shiv Balak, who had become a teacher himself and his guardian, sent him to Kanpurs BSND Shiksha Niketan. He took his law degree from DC College of Law before moving to New Delhi where he practised in Supreme Court. During the Janata Party government, he became personal secretary to former Prime minister Morarji Desai.

He was our monitor in school, now he has become monitor of the entire country, said Jaswant Singh.

In 2001, when he came to village the people presented him 11 silver crowns and tried to weigh him in coins. He politely refused both asking if their love was limited to mere symbolism. He got the the silver crowns sold and used the money to marry off 20 village girls.
A beer targeted at women has generated online backlash on social media, with many calling it patronising and sexist.

Czech-based brewery Aurosa has introduced #BeerForHer, a semi-dark feminine beer that comes in pretty pink marble bottles, especially for women. Its marketed on its website as a representation of a womans strength and a girls tenderness with a unique, unmistakably strong taste that was adapted to the elegance of women.

#premiumbeer || @pavlinajagrova || @hricca A post shared by Aurosa (@aurosa_official) on Apr 4, 2017 at 10:42am PDT

When the beer, which costs 10 (Rs 748.89) for a 330ml bottle, was launched in London last week, it wasnt long before social media ridiculed the product.

An Instagram user hannahwilk91 commented, Theyve gendered beer? BEER? And are making money out of this shit? Wow.

How can my weak womanly hands possibly cope with holding the weight of a pint glass? @MelissaCole #beerforher https://t.co/M8Ta0l7JYp  Liz Chambers (@LizRMChambers) July 12, 2017

I'm actually really offended by the #beerforher campaign. I'll drink what I bloody well enjoy not what some marketing berk decides  Clare Adams (@neutraldensity) July 13, 2017

Theres already beer for her. Its called beer.  Sean Balkwill (@SeanBalkwill) July 21, 2017

Another user carolthebarrel sarcastically commented, A beer fit for my delicate little female hands! The patriarchy is over?

In response to the backlash, the company defended the beer on Facebook, stating it just wanted to offer beer in an elegant and beautiful bottle. It justified its marketing by writing on its Facebook wall:

Aurosas pink beer is not the only product to have caused a backlash in recent times for its gendered marketing tone. Last week, German carmaker Audi drew a lot of flak in China for its advertisement comparing a woman to a second-hand car.

In response to the increasing adverts promoting gender stereotypes, last week the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK banned ads that reinforced outdated or gendered stereotypical roles in society.
An opportunity to learn from one of the most celebrated Italian chefs, Massimo Bottura, is a dream come true for any aspiring chef. Akanksha Dean from Delhi has become the first Indian to train at Botturas famed restaurant Osteria Francescana. Akanksha studied at Vasant Valley school and then enrolled into Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad. Following this, the 21-year-old interned at The Oberoi, Gurgaon. Her father Bakshish Dean is a chef and her mother, Rupali Dean, is a food writer and an ex-chef.

In a conversation with HT, Akanksha reveals how she got selected and shares her unique experience.

How did it begin for you at Osteria Francescana?

I have been following chef Massimo Botturas work over the years. His dishes are simple, traditional and yet so beautiful and they always have a story to tell. I have taken a lot from this experience. Now, I know what goes behind making a world-class kitchen. It is not as easy as it looks. You must be extremely passionate if you want to pursue your career as a chef. A lot of hard work and dedication that is required. Chef Massimo Bottura has managed to popularise his traditional cuisine to a whole new level. Modena is a very small town but diners come from all across the world, just to dine at his restaurant. He is truly my inspiration and I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to work in his kitchen.

What obstacles did you overcome to get to Osteria Francescana and do the internship?

The selection procedure is very extensive and since I was the first one from India to ever get this opportunity, I had to attest my determination to show how India is creating culinary students that are on equivalence with any top most culinary university in the world. When I got selected, I was excited about the fact that I would actually get to work in chef Massimo Botturas kitchen; it was like a dream come true. The first two days were hard, as I wasnt used to such an intense working style, but soon I got used to it. My mother was my chief source of encouragement during my training period, knowing that she was with me, enthused me more towards my work.

Akanksha Dean with Sous Chef Kondo Takahiko

Did you always want to become a chef?

When I was much younger, I wanted to be a lawyer at some point, a DJ at another point. But somewhere the kitchen, fresh produce markets and of course, eating good food always fascinated me. I guess its in my genes and perhaps, this is what I do best. Wielding the ladle since a young age, I feel that only when one develops true empathy for the diner, does he/she become a chef in the complete sense of the word.

Your mother is also an accomplished food writer. What role did she play?

As a child, she always encouraged me to pen down my thoughts after every travel. We always discuss food and its flavours, cooking techniques whenever we go out for a meal. She has always been my support and guide as she understands that cooking is where my heart truly lies.

Initially, she did warn me that working in a kitchen is not quite easy (being an ex- chef herself) and one can only survive if one has the passion for it. She even put me at the Leela Gurgaon kitchen for 3 weeks to understand the reality. To be honest, the first three days were terrible, my feet hurt.standing the whole day, but I soon realisedthe kitchen is where I am the happiest.

Which cuisine is your favourite?

There are no favourites at this point of in my career as I want to learn and then decide on a particular cuisine. I do have a keen interest in Japanese cuisine and Asian cuisine.

Which Indian chefs do you look up to?

I have always looked up to my father, as my curiosity in culinary arts was ignited at a young age through the Sunday meals that I prepared with him. Hes very patient, has immense knowledge and I am blessed to have a champion like him behind my dreams. Apart from that I would says its:

Chef Manish Sharma, Executive Chef at The Oberoi Gurgaon; my first professional mentor!

Chef Jignesh Mistry and Chef Samir Mulaokar, my professors at the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad.

Chef Raheel Ahmad, Culinary Director, APEC at Marriott International.

What are your future goals?

I have just begun my culinary voyage at the JW Marriott Hotel Aerocity. Its an 18-month specialised culinary global leadership training program by Marriott International, which is an interesting mix of on the job and classroom training and learning through a mentor. I aim to evolve as a dedicated and a professional junior sous chef at the end of the program. As a chef, I would like to ensure that a customer leaves with a memory that would compel him/her to return.

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A 23-year-old woman was killed after the scooter she was driving was hit by a speeding truck in Andheri (East) on Thursday morning.

According to Andheri police, the incident took place at around 11.30 am next to Gurunanak petrol pump below Metro junction on the east-bound strip of the Western Express Highway.

Shifa Anwar Shaikh, 23, was a resident of Goregaon (East) and was on her way to work in Sakinaka when the incident occurred, said the police.

The truck hit her from behind and ran over her legs. She was rushed to Holy Spirit Hospital where she was declared dead on admission. The police have arrested the truck driver Vaijyanath Yadav, 40, and registered an FIR against him under sections 279 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code for rash and negligent driving and causing death by negligence. He was produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody.
More than 30,000 women are pushed into sex slavery through trafficking every year in the country. To fight the menace, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) plans to form an international forum and hold a two-day conference in Mumbai on July 27 and 28.

Around 100 delegates from more than 20 countries are expected to participate.

MSCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said, We will form an international forum to create more awareness.

The topics of discussion include women trafficking, its impact, victims and their rehabilitation, how to deal with the issue, best practices worldwide and need of stringent laws, among others.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, union surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Goa governor Mridula Sinha, Maharashtra DGP Satish Mathur, Goa DGP Muktesh Chander, Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar are expected to attend the event.
Only 19% or Rs339.9crore of Rs1,339crore released by the state government to provide food for malnourished children was used between April and June 2017, according to an analysis by the National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS), which is based in Pune.

Of the spent money under the Centres Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), most of it was used for the Take Home Ration (THR) scheme, which provides ready-to-cook food items to infants from 0 to 3 years, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women. The THR scheme comes under the ICDS.

Several studied have shown that the ready-to-cook food tastes bad, causes indigestion and is mostly fed to cattle and other livestock.

Around 98% of the children did not like the taste of the THR supplements. 40% of the families said that it smelled bad and was difficult to cook. Some of them complained of indigestion. Some even found worms in the sealed packets, according to a previous study conducted by NGOs, Rachna, Khoj, Aamhi Aamchya Aarogyasathi, Janaarth, Lokseva Sangam and Sathi.

Amit Narkar of the NCAS has questioned why the government is spending so much on the THR scheme, when reports suggest that the food is not palatable.

The government needs to give this issue a serious thought, he has said.

Earlier, the state government used to distribute three packets of powdered food, comprising sheera, upma and sattu.

Meanwhile, Anganwadi workers and helpers hired by the government to run the ICDS programme have complained that their salaries havent been paid. Three years ago, the central government cut their funding for ICDS, but the state government did not increase the budget. Instead, they have reduced it even further, Shubha Shamim, secretary of Anganwadi Karmchari Sangathana, has said.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the writ petition filed by medical aspirants from Maharashtra and their parents earlier this week.

The petition was filed on July 18 after the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court relaxed the domicile regulation for medical and dental aspirants in the state. The Apex Court directed the petitioners to file a review petition before the Aurangabad bench.

This is a let down for students from Maharashtra, who were hoping for some relief from the Apex Court. Now we have little time to file a review petition because the first list will be released by the state on July 25, said one of the parents.

HT had reported that relaxation of the domicile rule had led to almost one in every two students applying for state quota in medical and dental seats were from outside Maharashtra.

Many students come to Mumbai to prepare for medical entrance and appear for Class 12 exams in Maharashtra after clearing Class 10 exams in their respective states. How can they be given the same advantage that is meant for children with state domicile? asked Ruiee Kapoor, a parent.

Deadline extended

The DMER has extended the deadline for filling admissions forms by one day to give students who chose Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences, Palghar, as one of their preferred institutes. Students can now make changes to their forms and resubmit them on Saturday by 5pm.

The institute is yet get an approval from the Shikshan Shulka Samiti for its fee structure. Also, its infrastructure in incomplete, said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER.

The case

On July 7, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court relaxed domicile norms for medical and dental aspirants in the state. Originally, those who had cleared Class 10 and 12 from state or had a domicile certificate were eligible for state quota seats. But the compulsion on clearing Class 10 from Maharashtra was after the court order. A group of parents also met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking his intervention. Those who have cleared Class 12 from Maharashtra, even without class X from the state, will be eligible for state quota seats from now, said Dr Pravin Shingare, director of DMER.

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Germany has frozen all arms deliveries to Turkey, a newspaper reported Friday, amid a row between the NATO partners that has sharply worsened since Ankara arrested several human rights activists.

Berlin stepped up its travel advisory for Turkey on Thursday and warned it would review state guarantees for foreign investment there -- measures which Ankara labelled "blackmail and threats".

As part of a sweeping overhaul of bilateral ties, Germany is also "freezing all planned and ongoing arms deliveries to Turkey," the top-circulation Bild newspaper reported without citing a source.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-hand man, Peter Altmaier, did not confirm or deny the report in a ZDF television interview but warned that "we will at any time consider whether further measures are necessary".

Relations between Turkey and Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks, have been badly strained, particularly since a failed coup a year ago against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In the months after the July 2016 coup attempt, Germany already blocked 11 separate arms export shipments to Turkey, including handguns, ammunition or weapons components, according to media reports.

Relations sharply deteriorated after a Turkish court Tuesday ordered six rights activists should remain in custody for allegedly aiding a "terror" group, among them German citizen Peter Steudtner.

In the war of words, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble compared Erdogan's Turkey with the former communist German Democratic Republic (GDR).

"Turkey is arresting people arbitrarily and not respecting even minimal consular standards," said Schaeuble.

"It reminds me of the way it was in the GDR. When you travelled there, you knew, if something happens to you, nobody can help you."

Altmaier also confirmed that Berlin would urge Brussels to freeze 4.45 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in EU funds theoretically earmarked until end-2020 for Turkey, a long-term aspirant for membership to the bloc.

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Mr. Molt, one of eight Humboldt penguins brought to the Byculla zoo from South Korea, turned 2 on Friday. And the zoo ensured he stood out. Dressed in a red t-shirt, hand-painted with the words Birthday Boy, Mr. Molt strutted across the penguin enclosure, swam, ate his birthday cake and frolicked with the other six Humboldts.

Mr Molt takes a break from the group and chills in the pool. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

To celebrate, the zoo made Mr.Molt a special cake  a blast-frozen fish and ice cake for the penguin.

Mr. Molts special fish-and-ice cake. (HT PHOTO)

Eight penguins arrived at the Byculla zoo in July last year. One of them, Dory, died. But ever since the zoo opened the penguin enclosure, the seven others  Bubble, Mr Molt, Flipper, Donald, Daisy, Popeye and Olive, have stolen hearts.

Mr. Molt is the youngest of the seven penguins in the Byculla zoo. All others are aged between 2 and 3 years. (HT PHOTO)

The seven penguins have helped bring in more people, and revenue, to the zoo.

The penguins are kept in a 1,550-sqft soundproof public exhibit at the zoo. (HT PHOTO)

The Humboldt penguin is a south American species found in the cold climate of coastal Peru and Chile. They were all named after famous Disney characters, based on their behaviour. Bubble is the naughtiest and does not let the others eat before she does, and birthday boy Mr Molt, the youngest male, is the most playful of the lot, said zoo officials.

Dr. Madhumita Kale gives Mr Molt a check-up on his birthday on Friday. (HT PHOTO)

Dr Madhumita Kale, the veterinarian in charge of the penguins, said Mr. Molt got his name because he was molting (shedding his skin, which regenerates on its own every year) when he was brought to the zoo.

The oldest penguin, Flipper, is the most dominant and is very protective of her family, said caretakers. Donald and Daisy and Popeye and Olive, were obvious couples and were named so.

City-based activists, however, were irked when they got to know Mr Molt was made to wear a t-shirt. While activists have been repeatedly telling Mumbai pet owners not to put clothes on dogs as it raises their body temperature, here we have specialists from the civic body torturing penguins like this, said Anand Siva, animal welfare activist from Chembur. By putting a shirt on its body, the body temperature is being trapped and since these birds are kept in a cool climate, they can suffocate.

Zoo authorities said the penguin was made to wear the shirt for just a few seconds. It was done under proper supervision of the doctor. It was for a few seconds and removed after that. All the penguins are healthy. We know the rules and the systems to take care of them, said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Byculla Zoo director.

Humboldt quick facts What do they eat? They were first fed fish such as Bombay duck and eel. But they also eat mackerel, anchovies and sardines What do the vets wear? Full lab coats, gum boots, face masks and head caps, mostly to prevent infecting the penguins or catching infections from them Where do they come from? The Humboldt penguin is a south American species from coastal Peru and Chile. Play time? The animals play with colourful balls. Bubble and Mr Molt drag all the other penguins into the pool, the younger ones get bored and chase the whole family out. They enjoy having the pool to themselves, said Dr Kale.
The Maharashtra legislatures plan to go paperless from the monsoon session starting on Monday seems to have been stuck.

With the legislature administration having doubts about whether legislators will be comfortable adopting paperless work culture through hi-tech devices, the plan has been put on hold, at least for this session. Senior officials are hopeful about implementing the plan from the winter session, which is expected to start in December.

To promote paperless functioning, the state legislature fixed hybrid laptops at the desks of legislators of the legislative council in March and planned to include Assembly legislators in July.

Maharashtra is one of the seven states which has bicameral legislature. The legislative council has 78 members, while the strength of the state assembly is 288.

Read: Maharashtra legislators to become smart with hybrid laptops

We have decided to wait and watch. The plan to go completely paperless will be implemented if we get the desired success with the legislators of the council. The strength of the state Assembly is three times more than the council, which also means three times more investment, said a senior official.

Anand Kalse, principal secretary, said, The scheme of providing hybrid laptops [to Assembly legislators] has not been approved. We hope to get it implemented soon.

Equipped with the most advanced specifications, the hybrid laptop for council legislators cost Rs1.5 lakh each, making the total expenditure to around Rs1.25 crore. Extending the scheme to Assembly legislators would mean an additional expense of nearly Rs3.7 crore.

Senior legislature officials feel it is a one-time environment-friendly investment, which will save the money spent on paper and printing..

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said they have destroyed 85 mosquito breeding spots and found 870 potential ones in Andheri (West) and Bandra (West) alone in the past six months. This data was revealed after the civic body entered a controversy over sending a notice to RJ Malishka Mendonsas mother for mosquito breeding at their Bandra home.

The civic body destroyed 10,260 breeding spots across the city during the same period. From January 1 to July 18, BMC inspected residential areas and sent 390 and 480 notices to residents of H/West ward (Bandra) and K/West ward (Andheri) for potential breeding spots.

According to Rajan Naringrekar, insecticide officer, BMC, after notices are sent for open and stagnant water, residents are given a certain number of days before the second inspection is conducted.

Naringrekar told HT, Apart from the 870 notices under section 381 and section 381 (A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, 14 people in Bandra and 71 people in Andheri were sent notices under section 381 (B) for breeding mosquitoes in and around their homes.

Under section 381 (B) of MMC Act, a person can be prosecuted before a magistrate for not taking preventive measures against mosquito breeding. Across the city, 432 people have been prosecuted in the last seven months. The fine collected from each errant is between Rs2,000 to Rs10,000, officials said.

Most residents welcomed the BMCs measures to prevent mosquito breeding but wished that people were more aware about this issue.

Anandini Thakoor, trustee of Bandra (West) Federation, said, The BMC is not to be blamed for such measures as these diseases have to be eradicated. But, the civic body is a bit laid back. Their measures need to be more stringent.

James John of AGNI, an NGO that used to conduct training sessions on precautions against malaria and dengue in Andheri (E) till 2015, told HT, Apart from these measures, NGOs should be involved in educative training. Every person can easily contribute to decreasing spots where water is stagnant. We will most likely hold training sessions with the help of BMC officials in August.

Savita Mehra of Dr Peter Dias Rd ALM, said BMC needs to tell people which plants are mosquito repellent and which are not. She added, An easy way to kill larvae in open water containers is to put just a drop or two of oil. The screen of oil will not allow the larvae to breathe.
After Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sent around 4,000 notices to housing societies, hotels, hospitals and other institutions in Andheri (East) for failing to segregate waste, it is holding a three-day exhibition to raise awareness among residents and school students about waste management.

The ward office of the area is hosting more than 40 waste management companies from across the country to interact with residents. The exhibition, which is being held from 11am to 5pm, started on Friday and will end on Sunday.

Assistant municipal commissioner Devendrakumar Jain said, We are building a platform to bring companies and citizens together. Citizens will be shown methods of segregating organic waste, processing it and vermi-composting it.

Also, 250 students of Little Flower High School, Andheri (E) attended the workshop on Friday. Ladislaus Pereira, chairman of Gundavali Residents Association and trustee of the school, said, Officials should also take feedback from citizens who face problems with segregation and composting.

According to civic officials, the companies participating in the workshop are based in Bangalore, Nashik, Pune, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Jain also said the residents can place orders for equipments they want to buy at the workshop.

Over the past six months, the civic authority sent out more than 23,000 notices to housing societies across wards.
The police on Tuesday arrested a 28-year-old criminal for allegedly possessing a 9mm pistol and three live rounds. He is now in police custody.

According to the police, the arrested accused, Lala alias Parvej Vilayatali Shaikh, 28, has four cases against him.

On Tuesday evening, the police received a tip-off that Shaikh was carrying a pistol and was in Bandra.

A trap was laid and a team led by detection officer, sub-Inspector Bhimsen Gaikwad, caught him under the U bridge in Bandra West.

The accused, a resident of Nargis Dutt nagar in Bandra, was arrested for three thefts. He was wanted in an assault case, said a police officer from Bandra police station. We were on his lookout for the past two months. He may have got the pistol to threaten people.

Sanjeev Bhole, police inspector, crime, said, An FIR has been registered against Shaikh for possessing a firearm without having a licence.

.
The Mumbai crime branchs cyber police are planning an awareness campaign against matrimonial frauds, where cyber criminals pose as potential brides or grooms to cheat them of several lakhs of rupees.

A police officer from the Mumbai crime branch, who confirmed that an awareness campaign was being planned, said, To increase awareness against credit card and debit card frauds we took help from actor Ajay Devgn, who starred in a video cautioning victims to not give away their card details. People liked the it and gave us a good response. We are planning something along the same lines to increase awareness on matrimonial frauds as several such cases have occurred this year.

The cyber police, meanwhile, have formed a special team to crack a matrimonial fraud case, where a 40-year-old woman was duped of Rs74 lakh last week.

The accused sent her a request on a popular Indian matrimonial site posing as a UK national of Indian origin. After proposing to marry her, he said he would be coming to Mumbai to meet her.

However, on June 10, she got a call from the accused, who told her that he was stuck at the Delhi Airport.

A woman then came on phone and posed as a customs official and said that they have detained him for carrying excess US dollars. The woman demanded money for his bail. The victim did not realise that she is being conned and ended up paying Rs74 lakh. The man then cut off all communication with her, after which she realised that she had been duped.

Confirming that a case has been registered with them, Deputy Commissioner of police, Cyber, Akhbar Pathan said, A FIR has been registered in this regard. Our probe is on.
A 17-year-old gang-rape survivor was kidnapped and raped by two autorickshaw drivers in Goregaon, said the police. They were arrested on Friday. The girl, who is suffering from a psychological disorder, was allegedly kidnapped and raped by five people in October last year.

The minor, who lives with her parents at Dindoshi, went missing on Saturday evening  two days before the identification parade in the October rape case. The family searched for her in the vicinity and also at their relatives homes, but didnt find her. They registered a missing person complaint with the Dindoshi police on Sunday.

According to the police, she left home in the evening when her parents were away. She was picked up by two auto drivers, who allegedly sexually assaulted her several times.

She returned home on Wednesday after which the police recorded her statement and registered a case of kidnapping and rape against unidentified people, an officer said.

Several police teams were formed to nab the suspects. All officers of Dindoshi police station and their counterparts in neighbouring areas were alerted. Within 24 hours, we managed to detain the two drivers from Kandivli, said Vinay Rathod, deputy commissioner of police, Zone XII. The survivor was sent to JJ Hospital for medical examination.

The October 2016 gang rape came to light after the girl complained of abdominal pain and was taken to hospital where her family learnt that she was pregnant. Taking advantage of the girls mental illness, five men from neighbourhood took her near the railway tracks and raped her. According to her statement, they also raped her in an autorickshaw for more than a week.

The Dindoshi police arrested all five men who are now in judicial custody. The identification parade was fixed on July 17 at Arthur Road jail, but she went missing on Saturday, said a police officer.

The family alleged the five arrested men might have played a role in Saturdays kidnapping, said the officer.

The police clarified that the five men had no connection with the drivers.

READ

Eight arrested for gang-rape of 28-year-old in Mumbai

Minor kidnapped, gang-raped for three days near Mumbai, one held
Nearly a month after Byculla Jail inmate Manjula Shetye succumbed to injuries after allegedly being assaulted by jail officials, her brothers have said they were dissatisfied with the probe into her death.

Sharad and Anant Shetye came to Mumbai from Pune to complete formalities related to her suspicious death. They said they were worried that the police were going soft on the accused and would not give them justice.

The crime branch, which is investigating the case, recorded their statements a few days ago. However, the brothers said the police had neither given them a copy of the statement nor asked for their signatures.

The crime branch called us 15 days ago and recorded our statements on a computer. However, they did not give us a copy despite our insistence. What was even stranger was that they did not ask us to sign anything, Anant said. Sharad said without their signatures, the police could modify their statements.

They said Manjula hinted that there was rampant corruption in the jail. She told us of irregularities in the jail. However, she could not say much as a constable was present every time we spoke, they said.

The brothers said the police were hostile towards them. The first question they asked us was if we had seen the assault or if we were eye-witnesses. How can this be possible? they asked.

They added that the police had not given them a copy of the postmortem report and other documents. They have written to the chief minister and the prime minister, seeking their intervention.
A sessions court on Thursday sentenced a 42-year-old man to five years rigorous imprisonment for assaulting a 28-year-old man in 2012, leading to his death a day later.

The incident took place on July 23, 2012, when Sanjay Apandekar, 28, Vasant Kamble, 42, and complainant Ramesh Koli were at Mahatma Phule Nagar on Gorai Road in Borivli (West).

Kamble worked for Vinayak Salve,54, a money lender. Salve had lent Rs70,000 to Apandekar through Kamble, but the former was unable to return the money.

Kamble allegedly assaulted Apandekar over repaying the money. Koli helped Apandekar reach home. His wife rushed him to Bhagwati hospital, but Apandekar died during treatment next day.

The Borivali police booked Kamble and Salve for murder and criminal conspiracy.

Public prosecutor Ashok K Khamkar said,The judge sentenced Kamble to five years rigorous imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Salve was acquitted for lack of evidence.
For a second meeting in a row, the Shiv Sena-governed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rejected a metro-related proposal. On Thursday, the improvements committee rejected a proposal to hand over a 4,000 square-metre plot at Andheri to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to build a sub-station for the Metro-III project.

Last month, the Sena rejected a proposal to change the land use of 33 hectares at Aarey Milk Colony for a Metro-3 car shed. Both pr oposals had the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) backing.

Anant Nar, Sena corporator and improvements committee chairman, said, "How can a plot that has been reserved for sewage treatment be handed over?"

Sena corporators also said that metro construction was becoming a nuisance to Mumbaites. Jyoti Alvani, a BJP corporator, said, "We cannot reject proposals that are essential to Mumbai's development. If there are local problems, it can be addressed by corporators on a case-to-case basis."

Sena has been objecting to metro-related proposals more so after its fallout with former ally BJP in the 2017 BMC elections.

On Thursday, Sena also deferred its decision on handing over 15 plots to MMRCL (11 temporarily and 4 permanently) on the pretext on conducting a visit to the spots. Ranging between 150 square meters to more than 6,000 square meters, the plots have been listed for various activities like depots, space for temporary cabins, ventilation shafts and temporary accommodation.

Nar said, "We are not going to pass this proposal also. There are reservations on these plots that need to be developed. If it is given away, then it is an injustice to citizens."

Read

Shiv Sena rejects Maharashtra governments proposal for Metro 3 car shed at Aarey Colony
Israeli occupation police said they were barring men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site.

The rare measure came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

"Entry to the Old City and Temple Mount will be limited to men aged 50 and over. Women of all ages will be permitted," a police statement said.

Tensions have risen after police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceived as a means for Israel to assert further control over the site.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Israel to remove the metal detectors. He spoke by telephone with both Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the metal detectors were intended to ensure the safety of worshippers and visitors and not an attempt to disturb the fragile status quo under which Jordan is custodian of the site and Jewish prayer is forbidden.

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound in protest at the metal detectors, and hundreds have been holding prayers outside, with clashes occasionally breaking out with Israeli police.

The main weekly prayers on Fridays draw the largest number of worshippers -- typically thousands -- and speculation had been mounting that Netanyahu might order the metal detectors removed.

But after consultations with security chiefs and members of his security cabinet, Netanyahu decided not to order them removed.

An Israeli official said the security cabinet "has given police the authority to make any decision to ensure free access to holy sites while maintaining security and public order".

"Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount and the freedom of access to the holy sites," the official said in a statement.

Police said they had boosted their forces in and around the Old City, with units "mobilised in all areas and neighbourhoods".

The new security measures were put in place following a gun and knife attack near the site that killed two Israeli policemen on July 14.

Israel initially closed the compound for two days following the accident in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday's prayers.

It said the closure was necessary for security checks.

Israel began reopening it on Sunday, but with metal detectors in place to prevent weapons being smuggled into the compound.

Tensions have steadily risen since then. In the Gaza Strip, Islamist movement Hamas called for a day of "rage" on Friday.

In their Thursday conversation, Erdogan urged Rivlin to swiftly remove the detectors "within the framework of freedom of religion and worship".

"Given the importance that Haram al-Sharif carries for the whole Islamic world, the metal detectors put in place by Israel should be removed in the shortest possible time and an end put to the tension," the Turkish president said.

Rivlin told Erdogan that "the steps taken on the Temple Mount were intended to ensure that such acts could not be repeated."

The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It lies in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War in a move never recognised by the international community.

It is considered the third holiest site in Islam.

*The story was edited by Ahram Online.

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The Maharashtra government has proposed setting aside land in 16 villages across four districts  which fall in either agricultural, no-development, green or forest zones  for new towns along the alignment of the proposed showpiece Mumbai-Nagpur expressway.

The land in five of these villages, in the Kalyan tehsil of the Thane district, falls under the green zone or forest zones, while in 11 others across Amravati, Aurangabad and Ahmednagar, the land is currently designated as either agricultural land or a No Development Zone (NDZ).

The move follows the governments proposal last month to change the reservation of land in 28 villages across five districts  Nagpur, Amravati, Washim, Aurangabad and Ahmednagar  to new towns from NDZs or agriculture zones.

The state urban development department issued draft notifications dated July 14, inviting suggestions and objections on its latest proposal. The department has also proposed to designate the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) as the new town development authority for the villages. The MSRDC is the states implementing agency for the 706-km Mumbai-Nagpur expressway, one of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis pet projects.

An official from the state urban development department said, To have planned and orderly development along the highway, the state government thought it is necessary to remove these villages from the green zone, forest areas and NDZs, and designate them as new towns instead.

Green zones and NDZs are areas where the government permits restricted development only for a limited list of activities. The forest zone is a highly restricted zone comprising forests protected under the Indian Forests Act, and any activity here usually requires a special forest clearance.

A senior MSRDC official said, These are places where the highway will have interchanges. We dont want haphazard development to crop up at the interchanges once the corridor is complete. The MSRDC will plan the development at these interchanges and will be the authority to give permissions for any construction that takes place here.

Earlier, the state government planned on acquiring land at all interchanges of the Mumbai-Nagpur expressway and develop 24 nodes or agro prosperity centres. The nodes were to be equipped with basic infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, colleges, electricity, water supply, fire brigade services, space for commercial activities such as industries, shops and hotels, as well as food processing units, godowns for agricultural produce, cold storage facilities and so on. However, with the project, overall, facing stiff resistance for land acquisition in certain pockets, the MSRDC has decided to restrict its role to planning and giving development permissions, while actually developing only six nodes.

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A person died while two others were injured after four vehicles piled up on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Khopoli on Friday morning.

According to the police, the accident took place on the Pune-Mumbai lane around 6am in the area, around 35km from Panvel city.

A container which was coming towards Mumbai first hit a truck near Dheku village.

Both the vehicles came out of their respective lanes just after the accident only to get hit by a bus which was also moving in the same direction.

Read: Mumbai-Pune expressway commute to get faster, tunnels, lanes to cut travel time by 30 minutes

Within a few minutes, a tanker on its way to Mumbai rammed into the three vehicles on the highway, said a police officer from Khopoli police station.

Even as the reason behind the accident is still not clear, the police suspect the heavy rain may have led to the accidents. The driver might not have seen the roads properly, the officer said.

The container driver suffered severe injuries in the accident and died on the spot. Two other people also got injured, but we are yet to ascertain the vehicle they were driving. They have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Prima facie it appears nobody from the bus suffered injuries in the accident, he said.

Read: MSRDC removes boulders, loose soil to make Mumbai-Pune commute safer, prevent landslide

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An Andheri resident, who had gone trekking to a waterfall near Gidhad Lake in Lonavla, died after slipping into a 15-foot ditch on Thursday morning.

Vijay Parmar, 26, is the first trekker from Mumbai to have died this season. Two trekkers from Pune died on July 10 after drowning at Devkund waterfall in Raigad district.

According to the Lonavla police, Parmar and his four friends trekked to a waterfall near Tiger Point around 9am. The friends were enjoying themselves under the waterfall when Parmar lost his balance and slipped. His friends screamed for help but before anyone could hear them, the current pulled Parmar into the ditch.

The area is very slippery because it has been raining constantly for the last 72 hours. The locals informed us around 10 am about the incident and a team of four policemen was rushed to the spot immediately, said Vijay Jamble, a police constable, Lonavla police station.

He added that three people from a local rescue group, Shivdurg Mitra, also reached the spot. However, Parmar was found two hours later by stall owners. As they were bringing Parmar out of the ditch, the police and rescue teams also

reached the spot and helped carry him to the closest highway, said Jamble, adding that he was taken to the local hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

His friends then informed his family about the incident. After conducting a post-mortem, his body was handed over to his family, said Jamble.

HT reported on July 11 that two Mumbai trekkers  Harsh Pitesh Mehta, 28, and Rutika Kapasi, 21, and both residents of Kandivli  suffered serious injuries but survived a 200-foot fall as they were coming down a hill at Peb Fort or Vikatgad, near Neral, Matheran, which is 2,500 feet above sea level. The rescue operation lasted for five hours and the trekkers were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment.

According to Raigad and Navi Mumbai police, 16 people have died and more than 50 have received injuries at various waterfalls and hilly areas around Mumbai during this monsoon.

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The Presidential polls held on Thursday that saw Maharashtra poll 208 votes in favour of the NDA candidate Ramnath Govind, has given a confidence boost to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis-led government just in its time of need.

In the polls, 22 additional votes beyond the BJP and ally Senas tally went to the NDA candidate. Even if one discounts independents and some smaller parties, the arithmetic shows the NDA candidate got at least 13 votes from the Opposition, the Congress and the NCP.

More importantly, if one takes away Senas 63 legislators from the mix, it shows the BJP in these elections shored up support of additional 22 legislators to touch the magic figure of 145 it needs for a clear majority in the house.

For the past two years, the BJPs uneasy alliance with the Sena has been hanging because the former does not have a clear majority in the 288-member house and needs the support of its ally. The Presidential polls indicate that in the eventuality of Sena walking out of the government, as it has often threatened, the BJP can still stand given its inroads in the Opposition camp.

Read: Ram Nath Kovind wins Prez poll: Cross-voting raises questions over Congress, NCP unity in Maharashtra

This makes our position stronger and gives us greater bargaining powers with the Opposition as well as the Sena. It doesnt mean we are planning a coup at this stage. As far as possible, we want this government to continue, but in 2019 polls, the gloves will be off. We have been in talks with several sitting Congress-NCP legislators and this election proves many are willing to join the party, said a senior BJP minister.

There has been ongoing speculation of several political heavyweights joining the BJP, including Suresh Dhas, Jaydutt Kshirsagar, Vijaysinha Mohite Patil from NCP, besides Congress Narayan Rane, his son Nitesh and his supporters.

The immediate impact of these polls will be visible in the coming monsoon session of the state legislature given that both the Opposition and the Sena will be reeling from the impact of loss of their already weakened positions in the state Assembly. For instance in this scenario, whether the Opposition will be able to put the government on mat over loan waiver, controversial projects like Mumbai-Nagpur highway remains uncertain.

The Fadnavis-led government has another two years before the 2019 Assembly polls. A stronger bargaining position for his government will also enable the CM to road roll his key policies and projects without any hindrance from his ally, Sena or the opposition.

The timing of the polls and the confidence boost couldnt have come at a better time for the BJP-government. With the Rs36,000-crore loan waiver, the state government is in a financial tough spot and is staring at 30 per cent cuts in development funds.

It could do with less bother from ally as well as the Opposition.

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Even as citizens and political parties continue to support Malishka, the RJ might have to shell out Rs10,000 for a notice issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against her for mosquito breeding at her Bandra home. The RJ continues to garner support as Mumbai-based NGOs are also planning to hold a protest march on Saturday wearing Malishka masks in Andheri.

Under section 381 B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act (MMC), 1888, where mosquito breeding at a house has been detected by officials surveying it, the person becomes liable for prosecution with a penalty ranging between Rs2,000 to Rs 10,000, BMC officials said.

Between January and July, the BMC has collected more than Rs20 lakh in fines. It surveyed more than 62 lakh houses and served more than 8,000 notices for breeding. On Tuesday, RJ Malishkas mother Lily Mendonsa was served a notice under section 381B at their 6th floor flat in Pali Naka. Opposition parties termed it as BMCs revenge for Malishkas video Mumbai, tula BMC var bharosa nahi ka? (Mumbai, dont you trust BMC?) mocking the civic body, went viral on social media last week.

Since Tuesday, many citizens and political outfits have released videos in a similar manner supporting Malishka. The radio jockey also garnered support from BJP, opposition parties, citizen activists and organisations. Activists have also demanded that BMC must not take any punitive action against Malishka. Congress senior leader Digvijay Singh, on Friday, tweeted in support of the RJ who is currently in New York.

Singh tweeted, Condemn municipal corporation for issuing notice to her for mosquito breeding. They couldnt find a better reason to harass her. Ridiculous.

Meanwhile, NGOs are also going to hold a protest march on Saturday in Andheri to point out the poor condition of roads in Mumbai. Godfrey Pimenta from the Watchdog Foundation said that citizens will be wearing Malishka masks as a mark of protest against BMC. The protest will be held by activists from the Watchdog Foundation, Save Our Land and the Bombay Catholic Sabha.
A new video was released on Thursday, slamming the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and supporting RJ Malishka Mendonsa whose video titled Mumbai tula BMC var bharosa nahi kay was shared widely on social media.

The new video, sung like a rap, features a couple of radio jockeys in a raft on a flooded Mumbai street, throwing questions at the viewer. Tujhe RJ pe bharosa nahi kya? / Sadke ye saari teri broke broke / galiyon ki naaliyan bhi choke choke (Dont you trust the RJ? / All your roads are broken / All your sewer lines have choked). The video has garnered 851k views.

The 1 minute 40 second video by Red FM blames the flooding of roads and choking of sewer lines on the BMC, accusing the corporation of not doing their work.

After Mendonsa released Mumbai tula BMC var bharosa nahi kay on July 10, the Shiv Sena, which runs the BMC along with ally BJP, responded by urging the corporation to sue her for defaming the civic body.

Two Yuva Sena leaders  Amey Ghole, also a corporator, and Samadhan Sarvankar, who is Sena legislator Sada Sarvankars son  said the radio channel and its radio host, Mendonsa, were unfairly blaming the BMC for problems that are not under its jurisdiction.

The song did not name the Shiv Sena directly, but it hurts us that Mumbais and the BMCs image is unnecessarily taking a hit, said Sarvankar.

The BMC issued a notice under section 381B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act to Malishkas mother Lily for breeding dengue at her house in Bandra.

Mendonsa tweeted on Thursday that she is ready with six more songs.

6 songs composed and ready in my head and they are NOT about New York??I'm a rapper now. Also a breeder apparently and back soon ?? #Mumbai.  Mumbai Ki Rani (@mymalishka) July 20, 2017

She also thanked people who supported her, Just wanna thank you for all your support.You guys are awesome Mumbai you are the best. Mala tujhyavar bharosa aahe (sic).
For more than a month, there was no internet. There were disruptions in cellphone connectivity, free movement on the streets and fresh supply of food. This is not the story of a curfew in Kashmir. This is the story of the Darjeeling hills that have been in lockdown for more than a month now over the Gorkhaland movement. How does one tell the story of a place embroiled in conflict? You do it through the one language that everyone agrees on  music. Musicians for Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai that will be held at The QLA on the 23rd aims to fill the gap between information and awareness, all through an evening of stellar music.

The hills of Darjeeling have their own quiet relationship with music. It is a case of little opportunities. At least one member of every family in the Darjeeling plays an instrument. There is, maybe, a guitar in each house. But what does one do with it if there is no place to play? Pranai Gurung, whose blues band BLU will be performing at the concert, says.

BLU, a blues band, a participating band at the concert. (Photo: BLU)

Gurung, who has been living in Delhi for 14 years now, believes any format of music would find it hard to survive, let alone become a way of living, in a place tied with conflict.My parents still live in Kalimpong. I try to talk to them all day. Two to three miles from my home, a couple of weeks ago, a few people died in an altercation between the forces and the local people. Our objective, with the concert, is to not take a side in any of this, but to say, that there can be a peaceful alternative, he adds.

As far as the concert is concerned, the idea was born not as a mark of protest or a way to politically address the situation in Darjeeling but to make people aware of what is happening. It has been more than a month. The state has come up with an economic blockade, which means they are not only blocking internet and connectivity, but also food. People are now dependent on local produce or whatever is flowing in through Sikkim. The media, he feels needs to tell this story objectively. So we thought it was a good idea to raise awareness, through something as light and universally accepted as music, Yangdup Lama, a bartender in from Delhi, who is part of the core organising team, says.

We have been doing gigs for social and charity causes since 1991, says Subir of Parikrama, one of the oldest rock and roll bands in India. (Photo: Parikrama)

As part of the concert, audio-visual packages that will share information about the movement in the Darjeeling hills will be played. Lama insists the concert does not seek to politicise, in any way, the question of identity or citizenship that is at the heart of the conflict.

Language, whether it is the imposition of Bengali in this context or public ire over the Tamil songs A R Rahman recently played at a concert in the UK, has become a matter of debate of late. In the case of music, the debate is all the more baffling. But in day to day life there are valid concerns. There is a real risk of wiping out a culture or of a history when you seek to impose one on the other. Nepali folk music or its languages could become extinct if they are not preserved. But this conversation cannot take the route of violence or aggression. This has to be resolved peacefully, Bipul Chhetri, who will be performing at the concert, says.

Chhetri, like Gurung belongs to the Darjeeling hills. But unlike most of his peers, he has made his name by performing in the local language and bringing Nepalese folk music to the mainstream.

Susmit, a participating musician (Photo: Susmit)

In terms of the concert, the tableau on offer is varied. From Chhetris Nepalese folk to Chayan and Smitis acoustic duo, through Shadow and Lights Hindustani classical wrapped in contemporary music there is a real mix that only reasserts our multi-culturalism. For those concerned about language, there will be Nepalese, English and Hindi. In a way the concert is evidence that there is a greater, more urgent language out there. And nearly everything else can peacefully coexist; a sentiment that is echoed by Subir Malik of rock band Parikrama, the most popular act on offer.

We have been doing gigs for social and charity causes since 1991. For some reason, in the last three or four years, the situation has only worsened. The moment we were asked, I knew we wanted to be a part of the effort. This is the best language we know, of music and love, Subir says. As for the larger picture, the most immediate concern for everyone performing is the possibility of somehow being of help. Aggression wont help anyone solve anything. As the saying goes, when two elephants fight it is the grass that gets trampled, Lama says.

What: Musicians for Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai, an awareness concert

When: July 23, 6 pm

Where: The QLA, 4A Marg, opp Qutab Minar, Kalka Dass, Mehrauli. Passes available with a donation of Rs 500 at the venue. Entry on first come first serve basis.

Nearest metro stations:Mehrauli, Chhattrapur
Talinda Benningtons Twitter account was possibly hacked hours after her husband Linkin Park lead vocalist Chester Bennington was found dead in his Los Angeles home.

Bennington, 41, reportedly hanged himself at his Palos Verdes residence on Thursday. The series of tweets made from Talindas verified account, which claimed she had been cheating on her husband with his bandmate Mike Shinoda, were soon deleted, leading fans to question the authenticity of the messages.

I guess this is the time to say it but I have been cheating on Chester with Mike Shinoda, the tweet read. Another tweet from Talindas account stated, He didnt kill himself, he was already did before he hung himself, I have proof...(sic)

This photo taken on February 21, 2017 shows musician Chester Bennington of the band Linkin Park visiting Music Choice at Music Choice Studios in New York City. (AFP)

The last tweet said the account was not hacked.

I never really loved him and Im not hacked I just was in love with the money hurts to say (sic), the post read.

Benningtons fans, however, did not buy the claims made in the tweets and slammed the hackers insensitive behaviour.

One Twitter user wrote, Really sick/cruel that someone would think to hack Chester Benningtons wifes page and tweet that. Just doesnt make any sense. Who in their sick mind would hack a wife/mother who just lost the love of their life? another posted.

In 2006, the cell phone, email and PayPal accounts of the couple were hacked by cyber stalkers. They also faced trouble from neurotic fans in the past. There were reports of strange messages, fans playing Linkin Park songs outside their house at 3 am and nailing lyrics to their front door. In 2008, a woman was jailed for two years for stalking Bennington and Talinda.

Bennington married Talinda, a former Playboy model, on December 31, 2005. They have three children - Tyler Lee Bennington and twins Lilly and Lila. He was previously married to Samantha Marie Olit and got divorced in 2005. They have one child together, Draven Sebastian Bennington.

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The body of an 18-year-old man was found on the premises of Ansal Plaza Mall in Knowledge Park area of Greater Noida on Friday afternoon. The body was found in a bush, behind the main building, the police said.

The police said that the deceased has been identified as Hardeep Singh. The body was spotted by the security guards after which a team of police officials rushed to the spot and recovered the body. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

The circle officer of Greater Noida-1, Amit Kishore Shrivastava, said they were informed of the body through a police control room call around 12.35pm on Friday. There were injury marks on the head and hands. Singh was carrying an Aadhaar card that helped us in establishing his identity, Shrivastava said.

Singh, whose family moved to the city from Bulandshahr, lived with his parents in a rented accommodation in Surajpur. He was a student of class 9 in a government school.

The police also said that the clothes of the deceased were also torn, which hint that he was beaten up before being killed. The family of the deceased told the police that Singh had left home around 10.30am on Friday.

The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and we are awaiting its results. The family members said that Singh met with an accident a few days ago. However, they did not point to any possible enemies or rivals, said Shrivastava.

He also said that the victims family has not filed a complaint in this regard. The police are questioning the security guards of the shopping mall and other locals at the spot to ascertain the sequence of events. Footage from CCTV cameras is also being analysed for clues pertaining to the incident.

In the footage captured by one of the cameras, we saw Singh entering the mall through a small gate but his movements could not be traced after that. He was wearing trousers and a T-shirt, Shrivastava said.

The officials of the mall management were unavailable for comments despite repeated attempts.

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The Gharelu Kamgar Union (GKU), which works for the rights of domestic workers in Delhi-NCR, has approached the National Commission for Women (NCW) for its intervention in the matter of Zora Bibi, a domestic help who was allegedly beaten up by her employer Harshu Sethi, a Mahagun Moderne resident.

The union members apprised the commission of the incident that took place on July 12 at Mahagun Moderne society in Sector 78. In the incident, apart from Zora Bibis alleged mistreatment, the society came under attack by a mob of other domestic workers.

GKUs letter to the commission alleges that the Noida police has so far only been shirking its responsibility rather than making any concerted efforts to launch an investigation into the complaint filed by Zora Bibi.

The letter, sent on July 20, said that instead of taking action, police has been a party to the false allegations of theft made by Zora Bibis employers and Mahagun Moderne residents. The commission has been requested to intervene as to why police did not take action in the matter.

The letter also reads that the investigations have been compromised by playing up a communal angle by the domestic workers employers and other society residents. It has also alleged that an extremely arbitrary list created by the residents has been expanded to include workers of any religion from West Bengals Malda and Cooch Behar districts.

Mahagun residents had earlier decided to bar domestic workers who were Bangladeshis, but now their list consists of any one from Bengal, GKU said.

We have strong reason to believe that the list is hardly related to the CCTV footage (of the mob violence) of July 12 and is a product of the regional bias of Mahagun residents, as well as the machinations of certain residents who are trying to use the incident to refuse pending wages to their domestic workers, said Dr Maya John, GKU convener.

Read more: Noida: Unions call for boycott of Mahagun society by helps falls on deaf ears

The union has also approached the national minorities and human rights commissions to ensure action against the police and guilty employers in the case. According to the union, workers residing in slums of Sector 78 are now living in fear after the violence among private security guards and domestic workers on July 12.

We want that action is taken and to ensure that the perpetrators responsible for torturing the victim are brought to book, said Dr John.

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A third Palestinian was killed by Israel in the Abu Deis suburb of east Jerusalem after clashes with the occupation forces following Friday prayers, the Palestinian Ministry of health announced.

The spokesman of the Palestinian Health Ministry had said earlier that two Palestinians were killed and more than 200 injured by Israeli occupation forces after Israeli police attacked worshippers outside Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem following Friday prayers, news media reported.

According to various media reports, Israeli police used both live and rubber bullets as well as tear gas to disperse Palestinian protesters after the prayers ended.

Associated Press footage shows police throwing stun grenades to disperse protesters in Ras al-Amud, a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city.

An Israeli officer can be seen kicking a man as he knees on a mat.

The Palestinians responded by throwing stones at the Israeli side.

According to news media reports, Israeli police also arrested a number of Palestinian protesters.

On Thursday, Israeli occupation police said they were barring men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose over new Israeli security measures at mosque.

Last Friday, Israel closed Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers seeking to perform Friday prayers for the first time since Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 to install metal detectors at entrances.

After Israel reopened the mosque on Sunday Palestinians refused to enter Al-Aqsa through the detectors, with hundreds camping around the premises throughout the week to protest Israeli actions.

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The Noida authority is facing some difficulties cleaning the citys major irrigation drain to enable it to drain rainwater away from residential areas. On Friday, it had to demolish some encroachments on the drains embankment in Sector 51 to enable cleaning.

The 17km drain that ends in the Yamuna has plastic, garbage and other sorts of waste blocking the flow of water. The citys 13 other big and small drains are connected to this irrigation drain that empties rainwater into the Yamuna in Sector 150.

On Friday, the authoritys health department used two machines to clean the drain at Sector 51. It started the work at 8am and continued till evening. Smaller drains in Navada, Harola and Mamura villages were also cleaned.

The authority wants to clean the main irrigation drain as soon as possible to avoid a repeat of Thursdays severe waterlogging. After five hours of rain, water had entered many houses and traffic movement slowed down on all major roads. The water is yet to drain out in some areas such as sectors 34 and 51.

On Friday, additional chief executive officer (ACEO), Noida authority, Rakesh Kumar Mishra, chief engineer Hom Singh and health department officials visited Sector 51 when the machines could not reach the spot for cleaning due to the encroachments.

Today, we saw rainwater back flowing into Sector 34 and realised that it is because our main irrigation drain that originates in east Delhi and merges into the Yamuna was badly choked on Friday too. We demolished three shanties that were in the way of cleaning. We hope by Saturday we will be able to clean the drain till Barola village to make way for rainwater to drain out, said Mishra.

Officials said solid waste from nearby villages such as Barola, Jhundpura and Hoshiyarpur being dumped into it contributed to the irrigation drain being badly choked.

We could not clean it earlier because the UP irrigation department did not allow us. But now we have to clean it because we do not want a repeat of waterlogging the next time it rains. We are pulling out plastic and other waste material from the drain to ensure rainwater empties into the Yamuna, said Raghunandan Yadav, senior project engineer, Noida authority.

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The Paikas, a group of farmer-soldiers of Odisha, were known for their valour. They rose up in revolt against the British in the early 19th century when the erstwhile colonial rulers snatched their rent-free land given by the local king.

But that was then. Today, the Paikas are cannon fodder for politicians out to exploit their exemplary courage for vote-bank politics. Exactly 200 years after the uprising led by the legendary Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mahapatra, present-day Odisha leaders led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik have suddenly woken up to rediscover the heroic exploits of the brave Paikas.

The Paika rebellion beginning in 1817 lasted many months before being snuffed out. The political fight to appropriate its legacy will also expectedly be as bitter and prolonged, between Patnaiks ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has set its sights on the state as its next frontier.

Odisha goes to the polls in 2019 and the BJP hopes to unseat Patnaik who has been at the helm of the state uninterruptedly since 2000.

But in search of an emotive issue and a powerful icon to sweep the people of the state off their feet, it was the BJP that first zeroed in on the Paika revolt in its attempt at establishing strong emotional connect with the people. Earlier this year, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley allotted Rs 600 crores in the budget for commemorating the 200th year celebrations of the rebellion.

The BJP has the powerful image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hard sell in the state in the run up to the elections. Celebrating the Paikas will expectedly stoke local pride and establish a closer bond with the people it is seeking to woo. In more ways than one, the imagery of Paikas is to the BJP what Ram Temple was for the party in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. In Uttar Pradesh, the idea was to play on Hindu pride and create religious consolidation. In Odisha, it is to play on Odiya pride and create regional consolidation.

The BJP has elaborate plans to build on the Paika narrative. A giant statue of Buxi Jagabandhu is being planned in the state, so huge in size that it would overshadow other tall personalities who had dominated the state till date. That would include Patnaiks father and former chief minister Biju Patnaik. And as was the case with building the planned temple in Ayodhya, Odiyas from across the state will be invited to donate steel and other material that would be required for the statue.

Chief minister Patnaik has so long been satisfied with eulogising his late father. Only last year, the state government celebrated with grandeur the birth centenary of Biju Patnaik, coupled with calls to the Centre to posthumously award him the Bharat Ratna.

But alarmed at the BJPs attempt to shine in the reflected glory of the Paikas, the CM too has jumped into the fray. Besides attending the high-profile Paika revolution celebrations in Delhi, his government has urged the Centre to declare the uprising as Indias first war of independence, as it predates the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.

Every state has the right to celebrate its glorious past and the Paikas definitely deserve their due place in history. But what Odisha is witnessing today isnt genuine expression of gratitude and respect, but rank political opportunism to encash the exploits of the Paikas. Known for their bravery, the Paika heroes would have cringed had they been around.

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The current troop standoff with China at Doklam offers India important lessons that go far beyond the Chinese intrusion into this Bhutanese plateau. Unless India grasps the long-term threat posed by an increasingly muscular China and responds with an appropriate counter-strategy, it is sure to confront much bigger problems than Doklam. Unfortunately, institutional memory in India tends to be short, with a mindset of immediacy blurring the bigger picture.

For example, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis recent statement that China is meddling in her state was seen as signifying a new trend. In truth, China  occupying a fifth of the original princely state of J&K and now enlarging its strategic footprint in Pakistan-occupied J&K  has long been playing the Kashmir card against India. In 2010 it honed that card by aggressively adopting a stapled-visa policy for J&K residents.

To mount pressure, Beijing has tacitly questioned Indias sovereignty over the 45% of J&K under Indian control and officially shortened the length of the Himalayan border it shares with India by purging the 1,597-kilometre line separating Indian J&K from Chinese-held J&K. Chinas Kashmir interference will only increase as a result of its so-called economic corridor through Pakistan-held J&K, where Chinese military presence is growing, including near Pakistans ceasefire line with India. India now faces Chinese troops on both flanks of its portion of J&K.

China, which fomented the Naga and Mizo insurgencies, taught its all weather client Pakistan how to wage proxy war against India. China still fans flames in Indias northeast. For example, Paresh Barua, the long-time fugitive commander-in-chief of ULFA, has been traced to Ruili, in Chinas Yunnan province. Some other Indian insurgent leaders have been ensconced in Myanmars Yunnan-bordering region controlled by the China-backed Kachin Independence Army. This newspaper reported in 2015 that Chinese intelligence played an active role in assisting nine northeast Indian insurgent groups to form a united front. The illicit flow of Chinese arms to India, including to Maoists, was confirmed by Home Secretary G.K. Pillai in 2010. Meanwhile, the deepening China-Pakistan nexus presents India with a two-front theatre in the event of a war with either country.

Chinas strategy is to subdue India by attacking its weak points, striking where it is unprepared, and stymieing its rise to the extent possible. As part of this strategy, it is waging a multipronged unconventional war without firing a single shot. It is closing in on India from multiple flanks, extending from Nepal to the Indian Ocean.

Sixty-six years after gobbling up buffer Tibet and mounting a Himalayan threat, China  with the worlds fastest-growing submarine fleet  is opening a threat from the seas against India. Its recently opened naval base in Djibouti, at the Indian Oceans north-western edge, constitutes just a first step in its game plan to dominate the region. For India, whose energy and strategic infrastructure is concentrated along a vulnerable, 7,600-kilometre coastline, this represents a tectonic shift in its threat calculus.

Add to the picture Chinas economic warfare to undermine Indias strength in various ways, including stifling its manufacturing capability through large-scale dumping of goods. Artificially low prices of Chinese products also translate into India losing billions of dollars yearly in customs duties and tax revenue. Portentously, China, including Hong Kong, made up 22% of Indias imports in 2015, with the US just at 5% and Japan at 2%.

Yet India has yet to fully shed its policy blinkers. As India repeats the same old platitudes about conciliation and cooperation, China is making clear that there cannot be two Suns in the sky  or, as a Chinese idiom goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. With its rekindled, atavistic nationalism, China plainly wants to be Asias sole tiger.

Beijing is currently waging full-throttle psychological warfare over Doklam to tame India. Deception and mendacity are its tools. If India gives in, it will endure strategic subordination and ignominy forever. Foreign Minister Sushma Swarajs excellent rebuttal in Parliament of Chinese disinformation begs the question: Why has India been so slow in countering Beijings propaganda war?

New Delhi must play psychological hardball: Instead of appearing zealous for talks, it should insist that China first withdraw both its troops and preconditions, while leaving Beijing in no doubt that India will hold its ground, come what may. If India is to stop Chinas creeping, covert encroachments and secure Himalayan peace, it must be ready to give Beijing a real bloody nose if it escalates the standoff to a conflict. Humiliating China even in a localised military engagement, in 1967 style, is vital to help destabilise its expansionist regime.

Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and author.

The views expressed are personal
Last month, the UN celebrated its annual Public Service Day highlighting the importance of public servants for development and recognising the work of public servants across the world. It is easy to see why competent public service matters and especially in India  because whether it is a teacher neglecting their duty (one study in India revealed that 24% of teachers are absent on any given day) or corrupt field staff diverting funds into their own pockets (by one estimate, as much as 36% of in Indias public distribution system does not reach the intended recipients), inefficient workers can cripple the delivery of well-intentioned public services and even harm the poor. A productive, scrupulous government workforce is an important, first-order input for effective public service delivery and broader economic gains  however acquiring this workforce is a challenge and requires systematic, evidence-based reforms.

The natural place to start is the selection of public officials delivering public services. India faces severe staff shortages in critical public service functions like education and health. One report last year estimated a shortage of one million government school teachers while Indias doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,674 is below the WHO norm of 1:1000. A major reason for these shortages is limited budgets  creating additional roles is expensive especially since government jobs pay significantly more than their private sector counterparts. This higher pay combined with unparalleled job security also means that government jobs are heavily oversubscribed. Yet the higher salaries and larger candidate pool may not translate to better productivity in all cases. For example, evidence from an evaluation conducted by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in Andhra Pradesh revealed that contract teachers are as effective as public teachers and less likely to be absent. These research insights ask us to explore alternatives to adding on more government employees, like contractors or apprentices, to fill the shortfall, with effective workers and without burdening the exchequer. Another possibility is screening for traditional government roles can be changed. There is evidence to suggest that pro-social traits like empathy and openness could be better predictors of performance than a candidates qualifications.

After selection, the major challenge is ensuring that workers remain motivated and perform. An effective incentive (or disincentive) is one way to do this. Incentives could take two forms: output-based (like rewarding teachers for improving student learning outcomes) or input-based (rewards or punishment based on an input like attendance). Globally, evidence suggests that performance-based incentives can be a useful tool if performance is easy to observe (like in education and tax collection). For instance, in India, performance-linked pay in schools in Andhra Pradesh improved learning outcomes as teachers exerted more effort in classrooms. However experiments with incentives for absenteeism have been less conclusive. A new attendance-recording system for health centres in Rajasthan worked initially but enforcement gradually weakened. Any incentive system hinges on implementation and follow-up; otherwise behaviour can revert to the status quo, as it did in Rajasthan.

Typical government departments are characterised by rigid bureaucracies and inflexible budgets, which make implementing incentives and changing a status quo difficult. In this environment of inertia, where even the intrinsically motivated can lose enthusiasm, driving change may require more innovative solutions. For instance, the World Bank is experimenting with a values-based leadership approach with water departments in Tamil Nadu, where trained facilitators lead officials through a series of intensive, day-long group sessions to engage in open dialogue and introspection. At the end of the workshops, officials are re-energised, rediscover their motivation for public service and establish connections with fellow-entrepreneurial public officials to drive improved performance. While this is in the process of being evaluated, ideas like these could improve worker productivity without disrupting existing institutions and entrenched interests.

Finally, technology can improve service delivery by supplementing government officials work and obviating opportunities for corruption. In India, biometric authentication in program delivery significantly reduced corruption in Andhra Pradesh by ensuring the right beneficiaries received the right benefits. Similarly an electronic fund-flow reform in Bihar, which directly transferred money from state to field level officers decreased corruption and improved program efficiency. Implementation of any new technology has technical, logistical and political challenges  that can be overcome by pushing for policy reforms based on evidence from approaches that have been found effective.

In sum, the productivity of government workers is a major public management problem that can be addressed by simultaneously improving the recruitment and selection of public officials; enforcing incentives to reward performance or finding other ways to motivate staff; and leveraging technology to streamline delivery. The existing evidence have given us some ideas on how to do some of this but more research is needed. Ultimately public personnel reform requires changing a deep-rooted status quo  this needs strong political will along with the willingness to continuously test and evaluate ideas.

Vishnu Padmanabhan is policy manager at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

The views expressed are personal
A city-based hospital recently conducted a life saving procedure on a young man who came with a torn abdomen after allegedly gulping down a drink with liquid Nitrogen in it.

The doctors said that food had spilled out from the stomach flooding the abdomen and the patient was at a very high risk of contracting a severe life threatening infection. The team of doctors treating this case was led by Dr Amit Deepta Goswami, head of department general surgery and Dr Mrigank Sharma, senior consultant, bariatric surgery, at Columbia Asia Hospital.

The patient, a 30-year-old man claimed to have ordered a drink that was presented with fumes. When he downed it quickly, he experienced a pain starting in his abdomen with a burning sensation. Perceiving it to be a form of acidity he requested the bar tender for another drink, wanting to squash the burning sensation. When the second drink did not assuage the discomfort and progressed to severe burning sensation and stomach ache, he realised he was in trouble.

The condition of the patient when presented at the hospital shocking the doctors too. The stomach was torn from the inside and an incision of six inches could be seen by the doctors. The case was a life threatening one where immediate surgical intervention was required. It was later revealed that the drink had liquid Nitrogen in it.

Dr Amit Deepta Goswami said, The effect of mixing alcohol and nitrogen can lead to disastrous results. When it is mixed with any cocktail it produces a bubbly and smoky concoction. This is a popular but controversial novelty. The boiling point of this concoction is minus 196 degree Celcius and this makes the consumption potentially lethal. This patient came with the most diverse and challenging condition even for doctors to fathom where to start the treatment. Even the slightest delay could have led to fatal consequences and we were faced with a condition, probably one of the first in our careers, Goswami added.

Dr Ashwini Kumar Handa, gastroenterologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune, said, "In view of all the recent incidents that have occurred, which can be linked to the industry frequently visited by the younger generation, it is not only the responsibility of law makers but also a responsibility on part of doctors to educate on the ill effects brought about by these new concoctions and recipes of drinks which can harm people."
He is a man with many epithets in Punjab politics. Aam Aadmi Partys Sukhpal Khaira, the states new leader of opposition, is known as a one-man demolition squad, a firebrand, abrasive, and even a misguided missile, as his attacks on the enemy camp can claim a casualty or two even within his own party.

The just-concluded budget session of the assembly was a trailer for the AAP that it needs to get its house in order as the main opposition party. It has not only to contend with the Congress that enjoys a brute majority and can literally flex its muscles if the need arises  AAP legislators were physically lifted out of the assembly by marshals in the last session  but also the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that would lap up every opportunity to turn the tables on both the government and the AAP that has relegated it to the third slot in the House after it ruled the state for two back-to-back terms.

Khairas appointment is good news for the AAP that is battling a credibility and leadership crisis in the state after losing the state polls. With an absentee state chief in Bhagwant Mann, who also has the penchant for making headlines for the wrong reasons, the party needs a leader to launch no-holds-barred offensives against both Congress and the SAD-BJP.

It is Khairas courage to take on the might of the government that has won him the crown. With old scores to settle with the Congress, especially with power minister Rana Gurjit Singh whom he sees as the reason for his alienation by Captain Amarinder Singhs camp, Khaira can do what he does best  blow the lid off major scandals through access to government files and officialdom.

Against SAD president Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia, he has filed many court cases and they too had unleashed the full state force on him when in power by dragging his name in a drug scandal. But no corruption charge has come to stick on him so far. Also, adversity can make strange friends, and a thaw in their ties is already visible.

The media-savvy leader, who takes the crown for holding a large number of press conferences to make sensational disclosures or issuing statements, will now also have constitutional sanctity. He can be the crusader that the AAP needs for its cause in Punjab.

His over-activism can keep both rival parties on their toes while helping the fledgling party find its feet in the state assembly. He can finally take them on as the face of AAP and not a leader caught in a battle of one-upmanship with the high commands choice  as was the case between Khaira and his predecessor HS Phoolka.

Resurrected after being left out in the cold first in the Congress and then in the AAP, Khaira will have to fight his own demons, though. His biggest challenge will be to emerge as a team leader. Will he be able to tame his love for publicity, both on the ground and on social media? Remember, not everything is news.

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An undertrial prisoner who escaped the custody of Panchkula police in June has been booked for the murder last week of a 25-year-old gangster, Lavi Deora, in Kotkapura near here. Deepak Kumar, who belongs to Bhiwani in Haryana, was identified and booked along with Sampat Nehra of Chandigarh on Friday, while a man named Bhola Shooter was already booked for the murder.

Also, on Friday, the police booked Jaggu Bhagwanpuria of Batala for the murder conspiracy.

It is alleged that Sampat, Deepak and Bhola were the three who fired seven bullets at Deora last Saturday when he was standing in a ticket queue for a fait at the grain market grounds.

Police officials said the accused belong to Lawrence Bishnois gang, while Deora was a member of most-wanted criminal Vicky Gounders gang. They killed Deora as he had abused them on social media, said an officer who was not authorised to speak to the media. Deora, who had been released on bail 12 days before his murder, had a fight with Bhola in the Faridkot jail too, it is also learnt.

Both Deora and Bhola, being from Kotkapura, wanted to assert their supremacy in the region. Their accomplices were even trying for a compromise between them before Bhola killed Deora, said another police official involved with the investigation.

As for Deepak, he had escaped police custody at General Hospital in Sector 6 of Panchkula on June 17 with the help of Sampat and others.

We are raiding at all possible hideouts of the accused, said Nanak Singh, senior superintendent of police.
The Indian Army does not possess any manuscripts and other historical documents reportedly missing from the Golden Temple after Operation Bluestar in 1984, the defence ministry has said. It claims the manuscripts and other items were handed over to the state government and other agencies; but it mentions no dates.

In reply to a plea by Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi on July 7, the ministry said about the manuscripts, purportedly found during the operation to flush out militants from the Sikh shrine in Amritsar, that these were handed over to Mohan Singh, curator, museum, Punjab government. It further stated, Other items were handed over to functionaries of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC); government treasurer, Amritsar; and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The SGPC says 15,000 rare books, 16,000 artefacts related to Sikh religion and history, edicts issued by the 10 gurus, and handwritten birs (copies) of Guru Granth Sahib were among the items missing.

Army men take positions from a building adjoining the Golden Temple during the operation ordered by Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister, to remove Sikh separatists who were amassing weapons in the temple in 1984. (India Today Group/Getty Images)

Gandhi said he, for now, only wanted the ministry to bring the issue of missing documents on record, which he has achieved. In the latest in his series of efforts, he had written to home minister Rajnath Singh for return of the material, but his plea was shifted to the defence ministry on May 31.

Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi (HT File Photo)

I will meet SGPC officials now to approach the Centre again to trace the documents, which are not only a treasure for the Sikh community but also for Hindus and Punjab as a whole, said the MP, who was elected to the Lok Sabha on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket but remains suspended from it due to differences with its leadership.

SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar, when contacted, said the central ministries have been lying repeatedly over such sensitive issues.

Where are the rare manuscripts and documents then, if the army claims to have not taken them away? he asked.

The state government, besides the SGPC, have approached the Centre on multiple occasions over the years for return of the items held at the Sikh Reference Library in the Golden Temple complex till June 7, 1984, when the operation ended. But the defence ministry had said all material seized was handed over to intelligence agencies.

The matter had come to light prominently when a former sub-inspector associated with the CBI in 1984 had claimed that the material was shifted to an undisclosed location by the army and CBI officials.

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Adopting a strict approach, the Punjab health department has decided to fill the posts which are lying blocked for more three months by employees who have moved on ex-India leave.

The ex-India leave is sought by government employees for visiting a foreign country. The decision was taken in a high-level meeting chaired by health minister Brahm Mohindra last week in the wake of complaints that various posts are lying blocked and non-functional as the staff has moved on ex-India leave.

Many MLAs have submitted their complaints to me about the health department functioning being hit by the non-availability of staff, who are on ex-India leave. We are dealing with such cases strictly and would not allow any laxity in delivering health services, Mohindra told Hindustan Times.

According to data procured from the directorate of health services, around 1,500 vacancies of doctors and para-medical staff in different hospitals and government medical colleges are lying blocked as the staff concerned has been on ex-India leave for more than six months.

In many cases, there are dispensaries where the doctor or the other staff has moved on ex-India leave. When we go for transfers, all these posts are shown as fulfilled, an official told HT, on the condition of anonymity.

In June last year, the state government had capped the duration of ex-India leave to three months and made it mandatory for employees seeking leave for more than three months to take permission from the chief minister.

But this also failed to set things right as employees use political pressure to get leave and get it extended, by citing one or the other reason, said a senior functionary of health department.

He added, In many cases, it was found that the para-medical staff availed ex-India leave for two years and got themselves employed in foreign countries. Many have even sent their resignations after getting settled there.

The health minister hoped that recruitment for the blocked posts would act as a deterrent to those employees who are taking their duty casually and exploiting the system for their own benefit.

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Content distribution platform provider Tata Sky on Friday said it has signed popular South Indian actor Nayanthara as its brand ambassador for the Southern market.

A new commercial featuring the actor in four languages -- Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada -- was also released on the occasion.

We are delighted to have Nayanthara as an endorser for Tata Sky. Her bold personality, artistic talent and popularity spans across states is a perfect fit with Tata Sky as a brand, Malay Dikshit, Tata Skys chief communications officer said in a release here.

Nayanthara said: It is an honour and privilege to be associated with Tata Sky, which is countrys leading content distribution platform.

I have been a great admirer of Tata Skys advertisements, she said.

Tata Sky had roped in Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan to feature in same campaign targeted at other parts of the country.

The company currently has 17 million connections across the country has presence in 1.50 lakh towns, the statement added.

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Telugu filmmaker Puri Jagannadh, who was quizzed by Telanganas excise officials probing a drug racket, has lashed out at television news channels, saying they destroyed his life.

After nearly a day-long questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday, the well-known director posted a video on his Twitter account to vent his feelings.

Denying any links with the accused arrested in this case, he said the channels ran special programmes to sensationalise things knowingly or unknowingly.

In fact, they destroyed my life. My mother, wife, children and brothers are still in shock. Not only us, but many other families are suffering, said Puri, who is one of the 12 Tollywood personalities to be served notices by the SIT.

Puri, who is also a producer and script writer, said he was hurt by the manner in which the media conducted itself.

I know the journalists. I had always been friendly with them. I will meet them again. But they disturbed me a lot. If there is anything, the SIT officers will decide, he said.

The director, famous for the 2006 movie Pokiri starring Mahesh Babu, said he always liked and respected the police department and made many films on them.

He pointed out that he even made a movie called Ism on journalists.

The 50-year-old said the SIT officers asked him several questions about the allegations against him.

I told them clearly that I have no links with Calvin gang and never met Calvin, he said referring to Calvin Mascrenhas, the kingpin of the racket.

I am ready to go whenever they (SIT officers) call me again. Basically I am a very responsible person. Not only drugs, I was never into anything which is illegal, he added.

Puri has received support from actor Prakash Raj.

It is high time we the people and the media realise its not fair to sensationalise issues before the complet(e) truth comes out, tweeted Prakash Raj.

It is high time we the people and the media realise it's not fair to sensationalise issues before the complet truth comes out.  https://t.co/ITQYOzz9ft  Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) July 20, 2017

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If youre planning a big trip in 2018 you might want to start saving up now, as the findings of a new report predict that travel prices will rise sharply across air, hotel and ground transportation next year.

The reason? A stronger global economy, higher oil prices and rising demand from emerging markets, say analysts in the 2018 Global Travel Forecast, released jointly this week by global travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel, and The Global Business Travel Association Foundation.

The higher pricing is a reflection of the stronger economy and growing demand, said Carlson Wagonlit president and CEO Kurt Ekert in a statement. The global numbers from this forecast should be considered strong leading indicators of what 2018 will mean for global businesses, as we anticipate higher spending.

The sector that will see the biggest global increase is hotels, with average prices forecast to rise nearly 4%. In Western Europe that figure is expected to spike 6 percent, led notably by Norway, where hotel rates will increase 14%. When it comes to flights, travellers will likewise shell out more next year, with rising crude oil prices expected to drive up the cost of global airfares by 3.5%.

When it comes to flights, travellers will likewise shell out more next year, with rising crude oil prices. (Shutterstock )

And what travellers bound for Eastern Europe save on hotel prices, theyll likely spend on increased airfare, with prices forecast to rise 7%. Likewise, travel to Western Europe will also be about 6 percent more expensive. Airfares for North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa will see modest rises of about 2 to 3%, while prices for travel to Latin America and the Caribbean will stay stagnant.

And while global prices for ground transportation are expected to rise slightly to one percent, that figure shoots up to nearly five percent for Canada.

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A university student is likely to become Australias youngest senator after the resignation of a politician he calls his mentor, the media reported on Friday.

UK-born Jordon Steele-John, 22, has agreed to replace Scott Ludlam in the Senate for the left-wing Greens party, reports the BBC.

Ludlam quit last week, becoming the first of two senators to resign for holding dual citizenship - a status which bars politicians from office.

Steele-John, who has cerebral palsy, says he will be a disability advocate.

He is tipped to replace Ludlam because he was next in line on last years election ballot paper, and he has the backing of his party.

The politics and history student came to Australia as a young child.

A wheelchair user, Steele-John says he is ready to be a strong voice for people with disabilities.

The future belongs to young people. We need to be represented in our parliament, the BBC quoted Steele-John as saying on Friday.

There is a very large group of people who will now have a voice that truly understands and represents their interests.

Under Australias constitution, a person cannot run for federal office if they hold dual or plural citizenship.

On Tuesday, fellow Greens Senator Larissa Waters, who was born in Canada, also quit for having dual citizenship.
Vince Cable, who has family links in Goa and worked closely on Indian issues as business secretary during 2010-15, has been elected leader of the Liberal Democrats, the only mainstream United Kingdom party opposed to Brexit.

The third pole in British politics after Labour and Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats were in coalition with the Tories during the David Cameron government (2010-15). At 74, Cable insists he has the energy and experience to lead the party into the next election.

The MP from Twickenham, Cable was the only candidate on the ballot paper when nominations closed for the party leader on Thursday evening. He succeeded Tim Farron, who resigned after the June 8 general election.

The veteran politician believes Brexit will never happen and hopes the partys call for a second referendum on the issue will happen. According to him, the Conservative and Labour parties had been taken over by ideologues and British politics had lost its basic common sense.

Cable has been critical of the Theresa May governments enthusiasm to forge a free trade agreement with India after Brexit.

He told Hindustan Times: Her ministers seem not to have taken on board that the attempted EU-India agreement foundered not because of the rest of the EU but, in substantial part, because Britain rejected it, when May was the home secretary.

Attempts to open the UK to more Indian IT specialists and other professionals (the so-called Mode 4) foundered on her objections. The main irritant in UK-India relations is visas. In the absence of creative ideas on freeing up immigration and visiting rights from India, ministers will continue to get a flea in their ear in Delhi. I dont think (the free trade pact) will happen, he said.

Cable warned he feared the UK was "heading for a disastrous outcome" over Brexit, headed by an allegedly dysfunctional and disunited government. According to him, the Conservative and Labour parties are conspiring to negotiate a hard Brexit, but he is willing to work with MPs from other parties to thwart this.

Dadabhai Naoroji, the first non-white MP elected to the House of Commons in 1892, was elected under the Liberal Party, the previous incarnation of the Liberal Democrats.
A gas canister explosion tore through a restaurant in the eastern China city of Hangzhou on Friday, killing two people and injuring 55, local authorities said.

The explosion occurred Friday morning and images posted on Chinese media shortly afterward showed bloodied victims nursing their injuries in the aftermath as a fire raged through the two-storey structure housing the restaurant.

The number of injured, 12 of whom were in serious condition, was heightened because the blast shattered the windows of nearby vehicles, including a bus, the government of Hangzhous Xihu district said in a statement.

Map of China locating Hangzhou city, where an explosion killed at least two people and injured dozens Friday. (AFP)

Reports said the fire was eventually contained after 12 fire trucks converged on the scene.

Hangzhou attracts millions of tourists each year, drawn by the scenic beauty of its temples and lakefront location.

Such explosions and similar accidents are common in China, where safety standards are lax.
German carmakers Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Daimler secretly worked together from the 1990s onwards on issues including polluting emissions from diesel vehicles, news magazine Der Spiegel reported Friday.

Volkswagen, facing tens of billions of dollars in compensation and fines after admitting to cheating on diesel emissions in 2015, had reported the cartel to German competition authorities in a letter seen by the weekly, as did Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler.

The German car industry agreed in secret working groups about technology in their vehicles, costs, suppliers, markets, strategies and even about the emissions treatment of their diesel vehicles, the magazine reported.

Such cooperation between all of the countrys large car manufacturers could have included behaviour infringing antitrust law, according to the Volkswagen letter.

A spokesman for Volkswagen -- which owns Audi and Porsche -- told AFP Friday that the group would not comment on speculation and conjecture.

BMW and Daimler similarly declined to comment.

A spokesman for Germanys federal competition authority said he could not comment on the Spiegel report.

But he recalled that the authority raided six companies in June 2016 on suspicion of infringing competition law in steel purchases by car manufacturers and suppliers.

BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler all acknowledged being raided at the time when contacted by AFP.

However, presumption of innocence applies until the investigation is over, the spokesman said.

The cartel depicted in the Spiegel article extends far beyond possible secret agreements on steel prices.

More than 200 employees of the carmakers had formed 60 working groups covering all areas of car development, petrol and diesel engines, brakes, transmissions and gearboxes... as well as choice of suppliers and prices for parts, an excerpt of the report read.

Diesel cooperation

According to the magazine, carmakers also held innumerable meetings from 2006 onwards about diesel exhaust processing designed to reduce emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Carmakers agreed to install only small tanks of a treatment solution, AdBlue, used to convert the gases into harmless water and nitrogen, as larger tanks would have been more expensive.

The size of the AdBlue tanks agreed on was too small to clean exhaust gases by the necessary amount -- laying the foundations for the diesel scandal, Spiegel reported.

Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to installing software in 11 million cars worldwide that reduced NOx emissions when it detected cars were undergoing regulatory tests.

In real on-road driving, levels of the harmful gases could be many times higher.

More recently, authorities suspicion fell on Mercedes-Benz and Smart maker Daimler, with investigators raiding sites belonging to the group in late May.

The Stuttgart-based firm recalled some three million cars earlier this week for a software update designed to reduce emissions.

Meanwhile, VW subsidiary Audi on Friday recalled up to 850,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche cars fitted with its diesel engines for a similar software update.

Shares in Germanys top carmakers and suppliers, including BMW, Continental, Daimler and Volkswagen, were among the worst performers on the blue-chip DAX index in Frankfurt Friday.

Volkswagen was close to the bottom of the table, with its shares losing more than four percent to trade at 137.15 euros by 1415 GMT, while the overall market was down 1.7%.
An Indian-American doctor-cum-entrepreneur was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for defrauding his former companys shareholders of more than $49 million.

Sreedhar Potarazu, 51, an ophthalmic surgeon licensed in Maryland and Virginia, founded VitalSpring Technologies Inc in 2000 and was its CEO and President and served on its Board of Directors, the US Department of Justice said on its website.

Prosecutors said Potarazu provided materially false and misleading information to VitalSprings shareholders to induce more than $49 million in capital investments in the company.

Potarazu was remanded in custody on Wednesday and will have to forfeit several homes, vehicles and bank accounts.

He presented the company as financially successful and on the brink of being sold, quoting major profits when in reality he failed to account for and pay over more than $7.5 million in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Potarazu went to the extent of employing someone to act as a buyer to make shareholders believe his company was doing way better than it actually was, according to investigators.

Like a director employing actors and props on a stage, Sreedhar Potarazu arranged for an imposter to pose as a buyer, provided a link to a bogus website and supplied fraudulent balance sheets, phony bank statements and false tax returns to convince VitalSpring investors and potential buyers that the company was financially healthy and up-to-date on its taxes, said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg.

Potarazu ran a multi-million dollar scheme that caused significant financial losses to VitalSpring shareholders for almost a decade, said Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBIs Washington Field Office.

In addition to the term of prison imposed, US District Court Judge Gerald Bruce Lee ordered Potarazu to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $49,511,169 in restitution to the shareholders and $7,691,071 to the IRS.
A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday refused to reinstate President Donald Trumps executive order to cut funding from cities that limit cooperation with US immigration authorities.

The US Department of Justice had asked US District Court Judge William Orrick to reverse his own injunction in April against Trumps executive order. The injunction was issued in response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo in May saying the executive order should be applied narrowly to a small number of grants and to very specific violations of immigration law. The memo said cities that willfully refuse to comply with federal law could lose grants from the Justice and Homeland Security departments, but not other federal funding.

The Justice Department said the memo negated the need for Orricks injunction.

Orrick said he found this unconvincing because Sessions could reverse himself at any moment.

The judges injunction stops enforcement across the country of the executive order, and allows the lawsuits to go forward.

And Orricks refusal to reverse it strikes another blow at Trumps attempt to punish cities that give safe haven to those in the country illegally.
The Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr. after his father won the Republican nomination for the 2016 US presidential election counted Russias FSB security service among her clients for years, Russian court documents seen by Reuters show.

The documents show that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, successfully represented the FSBs interests in a legal wrangle over ownership of an upscale property in northwest Moscow between 2005 and 2013.

The FSB, successor to the Soviet-era KGB service, was headed by Vladimir Putin before he became Russian president.

There is no suggestion that Veselnitskaya is an employee of the Russian government or intelligence services, and she has denied having anything to do with the Kremlin.

But the fact she represented the FSB in a court case may raise questions among some US politicians.

The Obama administration last year sanctioned the FSB for what it said was its role in hacking the election, something Russia flatly denies, and Charles Grassley, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has raised concerns about why Veselnitskaya was allowed into the United States at all.

Veselnitskaya did not reply to emailed Reuters questions about her work for the FSB. The FSB did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters could not find a record of when and by whom the lawsuit -- which dates back to at least 2003 -- was first lodged. But appeal documents show that Rosimushchestvo, Russias federal government property agency, was involved. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Veselnitskaya and her firm Kamerton Consulting represented military unit 55002 in the property dispute, the documents show.

A public list of Russian legal entities shows the FSB, Russias domestic intelligence agency, founded the military unit whose legal address is behind the FSBs own headquarters.

Reuters was unable to establish if Veselnitskaya did any other work for the FSB or confirm who now occupies the building at the centre of the case.

Mass hysteria over meeting

President Donald Trumps eldest son eagerly agreed in June 2016 to meet Veselnitskaya, a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have damaging information about Democratic White House rival Hillary Clinton, according to emails released by Trump Jr.

Veselnitskaya has said she is a private lawyer and has never obtained damaging information about Clinton. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, has said she had nothing whatsoever to do with us.

Veselnitskaya has also said she is ready to testify to the U.S. Congress to dispel what she called mass hysteria about the meeting with Trump Jr.

The case in which Veselnitskaya represented the FSB was complex; appeals courts at least twice ruled in favour of private companies which the FSB wanted to evict.

The FSB took over the disputed office building in mid-2008, a person who worked for Atos-Component, a firm that was evicted as a result, told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.

The building was privatised after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but the Russian government said in the lawsuit in which Veselnitskaya represented the FSB that the building had been illegally sold to private firms.

The businesses were listed in the court documents, but many of them no longer exist and those that do are little-known firms in the electric components business.

Elektronintorg, an electronic components supplier, said on its website that it now occupied the building. Elektronintorg is owned by state conglomerate Rostec, run by Sergei Chemezov, who, like Putin, worked for the KGB and served with him in East Germany.

When contacted by phone, an unnamed Elektronintorg employee said he was not obliged to speak to Reuters. Rostec did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked which organisation was located there, an unidentified man who answered a speakerphone at the main entrance laughed and said: Congratulations. Ask the city administration.
An international aid organization warned Friday that Yemen's cholera epidemic, the world's worst since Haiti's 2010 outbreak, is likely to worsen in the rainy season.

The United Kingdom-based OXFAM group said in a statement that cholera in Yemen is now "the largest ever recorded in any country in a single year." It comes a day after the World Health Organization reported nearly 370,000 suspected cases of cholera and over 1,800 deaths since April 27.

"Cholera has spread unchecked in a country already on its knees after two years of war and which is teetering on the brink of famine," said Nigel Timmins, Oxfam's humanitarian director who has just returned from a fact finding mission to Yemen.

WHO reported a decline in suspected cases over the past two weeks in some of the worst hit areas, including the capital Sanaa, but warned it's too early to tell if this is becoming a trend.

OXFAM warned that Yemen's rainy season from July to September will accelerate the outbreak.

The conflict in Yemen worsened in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally-recognized government waged an extensive air campaign aimed at dislodging Houthis, whom the coalition accuse of acting as an Iranian proxy, from northern Yemen.

The war has left more than 10,000 civilians dead, displaced 3 million people, and pushed the Arab world's poorest nation to the verge of famine.

International aid organizations are struggling to deliver aid amid fighting and the closure of the country's main airports and port.

In Geneva, WHO said that 5,000 Yemenis fall ill with cholera symptoms every day. While the disease is easily treatable, people's access to health services is limited because half of the country's health facilities are out of service. The world organization said children under Age 15 account for 41 percent of all suspected cases and people over age 60 account for a third of deaths.

Malnutrition is one of the main challenges in containing the disease.

"We need to break the vicious cycle of malnutrition and diarrhea," WHO said. "Seventeen million people in Yemen are currently food insecure. Malnutrition exacerbates diarrhea, and diarrhea leads to malnutrition."

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Citing strong ties with Asian giants India and China , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering attack against the European Union (EU) describing its treatment of the Jewish state as crazy and self-defeating. The Israeli leader also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit to Israel, saying the Indian leader said he needed to take care of Indias interests.

We have a peculiar situation. The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel, that produces technology in every area, on political conditions. The only one, Netanyahu told four European leaders yesterday during a closed meeting that was inadvertently caught by an open microphone.

The details of the meeting accidentally got broadcast to journalists in a nearby room because of the open microphone. The feed was cut off as soon as it was discovered.

Pointing towards Israels growing technological collaborations with India and China, without such conditions, Netanyahu emphasised that Chinese President Xi Jinping called Israel an innovation giant.

We have a special relationship with China and they dont care about the political issues, local media quoted him as saying.

Netanyahu also referred to Prime Minister Modis recent visit to Israel.

I need more water, clean water. Where will I get it..., Netanyahu quoted Modi as saying.

He made the comments during a closed meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

I think it is crazy, I think it is actually crazy, Netanyahu said. I am not talking about my interests, Israels interests; Im talking about Europes interests.

Europe is endangering its own development by endangering its ties with Israel over this crazy attempt to create conditions for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he said, adding that Israel is right there and Europe is disconnecting itself from this massive centre of innovation.

If this were only about my interests, I wouldnt have brought it up. Dont undermine the only country in the region that is looking after Europes interests. Stop attacking Israel, support Israel, the Israeli premier warned.

Orban responded to Netanyahu in a conciliatory tone, saying that EU sets similar conditions to its member states as well.

Europe must decide if it wants to live and prosper or wither and disappear. I see youre shocked because Im not being politically correct, Netanyahu told the EU leaders in an unprecedented tirade.

He went on to talk about his disagreements with former President Barack Obama and even accepted hitting arms transfers to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Syria dozens of times, something the international media attributes to Israel but the Jewish state maintains ambiguity around it, neither accepting responsibility nor denying it.

We had a big problem with US policy. Its different now. Theres a stronger stance against Iran. Theres a renewed American presence in our region and more bombings, and thats positive, Netanyahu said.

I told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, when we see (Iran) transferring weapons to Hezbollah, well hit them. Weve done it dozens of times, he was heard as saying.

The hawkish leader was trying to convince his counterparts to communicate to their colleagues the need to push forward the EU-Israel Association agreement that has been frozen since Israels Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008- 2009.
South Koreas proposed military talks aimed at easing tensions between the two Koreas planned for Friday failed to take place after the North snubbed a call by the South, a setback for new President Moon Jae-ins hope of engaging Pyongyang in dialogue.

South Koreas Defence Ministry was expected to issue a statement after the North remained silent on Seouls proposal made on Monday for talks to be held to discuss ways to avoid hostilities near the heavily armed border.

Moon took office in May pledging to engage the North in dialogue, as well as bring pressure to impede its nuclear and missile programmes.

The talks proposal came after the North claimed to have conducted the first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier this month, and said it had mastered the technologies to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile.

It was the first formal overture by Seoul after cross-border ties broke down early last year under the government of Moons predecessor, who imposed unilateral sanctions on the North for its nuclear tests and missile launches.

The North has conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests and a quick succession of missile-related activities since the start of 2016, after its leader Kim Jong Un pledged to improve ties with the South in his New Years day address.

On Monday the South proposed the military talks to discuss ceasing activities at the border that have fuelled tension.

By those activities, South Korea usually refers to loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts by both sides, while North Korea wants a halt to routine joint US-South Korea military drills.
CIA director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Russia has no plans to leave Syria and will continue to try to meddle in US affairs to stick it to America.

He reiterated his belief that Russia interfered in the US presidential election and described the US-Russia relationship as complicated.

I think they find anyplace that they can make our lives more difficult, I think they find thats something thats useful, he said

Pompeo also said he has seen only minimal evidence that Russia has pursued a serious strategy against Islamic State militants in Syria. He said any suggestion that Russia has been a US ally in Syria is not borne out by whats happening on the ground.

But Pompeo said he was hopeful there will be places in the world where the US and Russia can cooperate on counterterrorism.

He said its difficult to imagine a stable Syria with President Bashar Assad still in power. He called Assad a puppet of the Iranians, who now have a significant foothold in Syria.

Russia will stay in Syria, he said, because it loves its naval port in Tartus, off the Mediterranean Sea.

The CIA director spoke in a wide-ranging conversation at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts in Aspen, Colorado.

He said the Trump administration is working on ways to push back against Iran, which wants to be a kingpin in the Middle East.

Pompeo continued his criticism of the Obama administrations nuclear deal with Iran. The Trump administration recently confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the deal but warned it would face consequences for breaching the spirit of the accord  a reference to Irans continued pursued of a ballistic missile program.

When it comes to Iranian compliance with the agreement, Iran is a bad tenant, Pompeo said. He likened their compliance with a renter who doesnt pay rent until the landlord demands it and then sends a bad check. He noted that President Donald Trump has been working with Gulf states and Israel to find a common way to push back against Iranian aggression in the region.

What wont work is appeasing Tehran or forcing them into compliance, he said.

When we have our strategy in place, Im confident you will see a fundamental shift in policy toward Iran, Pompeo said.

Pompeo also addressed the threat from North Korea and said Trump asks questions about Pyongyang nearly every time he sees him.

It is at the front of his mind, Pompeo said.

Its one thing for North Korea to have a missile that can harm the United States and another for it to have an arsenal of such weapons, he said, adding that things can be done to narrow its capacity to develop a stockpile.

While some people believe North Koreas leader is irrational, Pompeo said he is convinced Kim Jong Un understands his core mission  which is to keep himself in power.

While he avoided saying the US might favour a regime change, Pompeo said hes hopeful that we will find a way to separate that regime from its nuclear capabilities.

The North Korea people  Im sure are lovely people  and would love to see him go as well. You know they dont live a very good life there, Pompeo said.

On another issue, Pompeo said he believes WikiLeaks will take down America any way it can. He noted that the anti-secrecy groups website urges students to become CIA interns so they can become whistleblowers.

Pompeo acknowledged that Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that he loved WikiLeaks.

I dont love WikiLeaks, Pompeo said.

Besides Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked documents revealing extensive US government surveillance, WikiLeaks has released nearly 8,000 documents that it says reveal secrets about the CIAs cyberespionage tools for breaking into computers. WikiLeaks previously published 250,000 State Department cables and embarrassed the U.S. military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan.
When was the last time you saw a bunch of Mexicans dance to hit Punjabi blockbusters?

A video tweeted by Jashandeep Kahlon, a student of City College of San Francisco, shows his Mexican and Indian neighbours dancing to foot-tapping Punjabi hits to celebrate the American Independence Day.

The video has been retweeted more than 46,000 times.

It opens with a couple of people swaying to the pop tunes of Luis Fonsis Despacito on a California street. The beat picks up in the next shot with Daddy Yankees Reggaeton Gasolina, and a few more people joining in. Cut to the next shot, the third song, Aari Aari, sees two men attempting signature Punjabi dance moves. The pace quickens as the fourth song Rail Gaddi Aayi plays and the street is filled with Mexicans and Indians clapping, swaying, jumping and forming a human chain. Several others are seen cheering them on from their garages.

By far the best 4th of July Ive been apart of, S/O to the Mexican neighbors across the street making this lit lmaooo, tweeted Kahlon.

BY FAR the best 4th of July I've been apart of, S/O to the Mexican neighbors across the street making this lit lmaooo pic.twitter.com/MGBKMkwq0r  Jashandeep Kahlon (@JKahlon35) July 5, 2017

Twitter was filled with appreciation for the cultural bonding and a longing to be part of the dancing group.

Lmaooo Mexicans turn everything into a party  Cloud (@clvxo) July 6, 2017

Two different cultures getting along just fine on a American holiday #americandream  Dre? (@Dre559) July 7, 2017

This is what America really is.. diversity without division ????????  DeMaree' Massey (@Mmar_95) July 7, 2017

I wish I was there!!!!  Lonzo Gang?? ? (@Weber6God) July 7, 2017

This is why Indians and Mexicans would make perfect couples lol  Nikita (@Kitabee3) July 6, 2017

Nothing more American thn to celebrate the coming of different cultures coming together. Don't let no one tell U otherwise, this is America  Erik Alvares (@mr_Alvares) July 7, 2017

Tell us what you think about the video, in the comment section below.
Donald Trumps embattled press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned citing strong disagreement with the US Presidents choice of the new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, a New York financier.

The New York Times, which first reported the resignation, said Spicer put in his papers shortly after Trump offered Scaramucci the position that had fallen vacant in May after the resignation of then incumbent Mike Dubke.

Trump asked Spicer to continue but he decided to resign instead, saying Scaramuccis appointment was a big mistake, according to The New York Times.

Trump, in a statement read by Sarah Huckabee Sanders  the new press secretary  said that hes grateful for departing press secretary Spicers work on behalf of my administration and the American people.

Just look at his great television ratings! he said.

Spicer, who continued as Trumps spokesman from the election campaign, had struggled as the White House press secretary from the start, and had relinquished his place behind the podium in recent days to his deputy Sanders, who has now been promoted to his position.

There was speculation he would be moving up in the communications shop as director and leaving the daily briefings, which had come to be marked by frequent testy exchanges with reporters on his watch, to Sanders.

The president, obviously had other plans.

Spicer started in the tenure with a disastrous first briefing at which he harangued reporters for underplaying the turnout at Trumps inauguration on January 20, and offered factually challenged remarks and observations.

Very soon, his daily briefings, a White House tradition, came to be dominated by angry exchanges with reporters, and marked by insults and put-downs for some of which he was forced to apologise.

And then there were the gaffes, one after the other. In one of them, he greeted India on the 70th anniversary of its Independence Day, in June, two months ahead of the date.

I want to wish the people of India a happy 70th anniversary on their independence, he said, before going on to offer a brief preview of Prime Minister Narendra Modis then upcoming meeting with Trump, their first.

Spicer had been called out again and again for playing fast and loose with facts, starting with his first briefing when he sought to grossly exaggerate the size of the crowd at Trumps inauguration. This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period! Spicer had said. He had gone on to defend the claim by saying, famously, Sometimes we can disagree with the facts.

Trump wasnt much help either, as he kept up an alternative narrative of his presidency though social media posts, often contradicting those he had appointed to speak for him.

And he kept Spicer guessing about what he thought of him. He once said in an interview on Fox, Hes getting beat up. No, he just gets beat up by these people and again you know they dont show the 90 questions that they asked and answered properly.

Spicers standing in the White House and outside was also damaged immeasurably by Melissa McCarthys caricature of him on Saturday Night Live, the way he dressed, he looked and dealt with reporters.

New communications director a long-time supporter

The man picked by Trump for the post of communications director is Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci, a long-time supporter of the president.

Currently at the Export-Import Bank, Scaramucci is expected to start his new job in August. No other changes were immediately expected in the communications operation.

The appointment came as the White House deals with questions around a special counsel probe and several congressional investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and potential collusion with Trumps campaign.

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Scaramucci was interviewed by Trump on Friday morning and the job had been offered and accepted.

Scaramucci, a Republican fundraiser and founder of Skybridge Capital, was earlier offered the post of US ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

(With inputs from agencies)
Three Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded today as clashes erupted between protesters and Israeli forces over new security measures at an ultra- sensitive Jerusalem holy site where police restricted access for Muslim prayers.

One Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli gunfire in the A-Tur neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

A second Palestinian was killed by gunfire in east Jerusalems Ras al-Amud neighbourhood, while a third was shot dead in Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank, the ministry said, without providing details on the circumstances.

Israels army confirmed it was involved in clashes in Abu Dis.

The unrest came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalems Old City for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

Police said later in the day that discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors instead of forcing everyone to go through them.

But Palestinian and religious leaders were still calling on worshippers not to enter until they were removed.

Hundreds held midday prayers near the gates of the Old City in protest. According to police, dozens of people entered the compound.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalems Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gate -- the entrance most heavily used by Palestinians -- blocked.

A group of several hundred people, including Muslim leaders, marched towards the Lions Gate entrance to the mosque compound, but police informed them that only men aged 50 or over would be allowed in.

Police later fired stun grenades and tear gas towards protesters outside the Old City, while Palestinians threw stones and other objects at security forces in some areas.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 109 people were wounded in Jerusalem, of whom 38 were taken to hospital. No injury toll was given for the West Bank.

They turned back everyone who came here to pray but then I told them I was going to the doctor, but they did not let me in, said Ulfat Hamad, 42, who was visiting from the United States.

I am going to pray here with others, he said outside the walls.

Tensions have risen since police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceive as a means for Israel to assert further control over the compound containing the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern. (AFP) KJ
US President Donald Trump is frustrated by the continued witch-hunt of the Russia probe, the White House has said, as the controversy surrounding his campaigns alleged relationship with the Russians continues.

Its clear that the President is frustrated by the continued witch-hunt of the Russia investigation, and hed love for this to come to a full conclusion so that everyone can focus fully on the thing that he was elected to do, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.

Thats what hed like to be focused on, Sanders said.

On Thursday, media reports said that the FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking into finances of his family businesses. Mueller has been tasked by the Department of Justice to investigate Russian meddling into US presidential elections last year and a possible connection between the Trump campaign and Russian.

Trump has refuted those charges. The President has been clear many times before that he has no financial dealings whatsoever with Russia. The point the President is making is that the investigation should stay within the confines of Russia meddling in the election and nothing beyond that, Sanders said in response to a question.

I think its pretty clear how the process will turn out from our side is that this will be proven to be the witch-hunt that it is, and that nothing further will happen, Sanders said in response to a question.

Muller, media reports said, is examining a broad range of transactions involving Trumps businesses as well as those of his associates. Trump has opposed such a line of investigation.

Meanwhile, the Department of Treasury announced a USD 2 million penalty against ExxonMobil for violations of Ukraine- related sanctions due to its business pursuits with Russia.

Exxon, then , was headed by Rex Tillerson, who is now the Secretary of State. The State Department refused to answer questions on it.

I welcome todays decision by the Treasury Department to fine Exxon for violation of this sanction regime and I am disappointed that an American company would so clearly act in divergence from US national security interests, Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said.

The Secretary continues to abide by his ethical commitments, including that recusal from Exxon-related activities. The action was taken by the Department of State  excuse me, the Department of the Treasury, and State was not involved in this, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters.

According to the Department of Treasury, between May 14, 2014 and May 23, 2014, ExxonMobil violated Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations when the presidents of its US subsidiaries dealt in services of an individual whose property and interests in property were blocked, namely, by signing eight legal documents related to oil and gas projects in Russia with Igor Sechin, the President of Rosneft OAO, and an individual identified on OFACs List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons. PTI LKJ CK
For the first time in recent years, Britains latest annual Human Rights Report made passing references to India but continued to express concern over the situation in Pakistan, particularly in relation to misuse of blasphemy laws and discrimination of religious minorities.

India had figured prominently in previous reports on issues of reported attacks against women, childrens rights, criminalisation of homosexuality and corruption. The 2016 report released on Thursday makes three references to India.

It noted that in 2016, there were deliberate internet shutdowns in more than 50 countries, including Ethiopia, India and Uganda. It also mentioned Britain funding for womens rights projects in India and hosting an Indian delegation on the issue of violence against women and girls.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are among 30 countries categorised by the Foreign Office as Human Rights Priority Countries. The report commends progress by Sri Lanka against commitments in UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 30/1, pointing out that greater progress is needed.

China remains the country which carries out most executions, which are generally carried out in secret after an opaque legal process. Of the worlds recorded executions, 87% took place in just four countries: Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, the report said.

London viewed Pakistans human rights situation in 2016 as continuing to be of significant concern. The report said: Serious violations of womens and childrens rights continued throughout the year. Terrorist incidents persisted despite a continued improvement in the security situation.

It added, The countrys minority communities, including religious minorities - in particular Ahmadiyya, Christian and Shia communities - suffered widespread persecution. Pakistan maintained its use of the death penalty, albeit at a reduced rate: there were 87 executions in 2016 compared to over 325 in 2015.

Modern slavery continued to be a major problem. The operating space for international and domestic NGOs remained restrictedA decision not to extend the use of military courts to try civilian terrorist cases, a major concern given their lack of transparency, would be a welcome sign.

Noting that Islamabad had launched a comprehensive human rights action plan, the report said national and provincial assemblies enacted legislation to protect women from honour crimes and violence, improve Hindu minority rights, and outlaw forced conversions in Sindh province.

However, the government made only limited progress in harnessing these positive developments to effect real improvements to the lives of Pakistans citizens. Performance against the action plan was patchy and implementation of human rights legislation remained a major challenge, it said.

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Medal of Honor for Vietnam War Heroism

President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Specialist 4 Leslie H. Sabo Jr. in a May 16, 2012, White House ceremony. Sabos widow, Rose Mary Sabo-Brown (nee Buccelli), accepted the medal on his behalf. Veterans from Sabos Vietnam War platoon were also in attendance, including former Captain Jim Waybright, Sabos company commander with Company B, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

On May 10, 1970, Company B was in Cambodia on a secret mission to prevent North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces from staging attacks into Vietnam. As the companys Soldiers traveled down a path, with two platoons forward and one in reserve, an NVA battalion ambushed the unit.

I think the first reaction was, people were sort of freezing, Waybright recalled. And then we quickly shouted out  several of us  to return fire. [The NVA] dug in on one side and [to] the rear of us, and the enemy was quickly closing in. Waybright and his men began calling for air support almost immediately, as the Soldiers were greatly outnumbered.

As the NVA troops pressed their attack, Specialist Sabo sprung into action, charging the enemy position and killing several opponents. He then assaulted the flanking force, drawing fire away from his unit and forcing the enemy to retreat. When a grenade landed near a wounded buddy, Sabo picked it up, threw it and then shielded the Soldier with his body, thus taking the brunt of the explosion.

At times [Sabo] actually moved toward the enemy, Waybright remembered,and it saved that side of the perimeter.

Sabo, with his body full of shrapnel from the grenade explosion, then charged an enemy bunker, in the process sustaining serious wounds from automatic weapons fire. Despite his injuries, he pressed on toward the emplacement and threw a grenade into the bunker, sacrificing his life to stop the enemy fire.

Leslie Sabo was born Laszlo Halasz Szabo in 1948 in Kufstein, Austria, where his parents had fled after Communists took over their home country of Hungary following World War II. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1950. His initial Medal of Honor recommendation was submitted in 1970 but was somehow lost. The recommendation was discovered in the National Archives decades later and was finally processed through official channels and approved.

 From an article by Jacqueline M. Hames, Soldiers Magazine.

Marine Posthumously Awarded Navy Cross

On August 10, 2012, Sergeant Matthew Abbate was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nations second-highest valor decoration, during a ceremony at the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines Parade Deck at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Almost two years prior, on October 14, 2010, Abbates Quick Reaction Force team came under fire during a dismounted patrol through Sangin, Afghanistans northern green zone. The patrol was ambushed in a minefield by insurgents who were in several well-prepared positions.

After Abbates team received fire, the patrol members moved to cover when two Marines and a Corpsman struck improvised explosive devices in quick succession. With the patrol leader incapacitated and three men severely injured, Abate took charge of the situation and with total disregard for his own life sprinted through the unswept minefield to rally the dazed team members.

While still exposed, Abbate directed the fire of the remaining squad members until they effectively suppressed the enemy and could give lifesaving aid to the urgent casualties. After coordinating the medical evacuation, Abbate then swept the landing zone with a mine detector for additional explosives, clearing it for the helicopter, before the patrol was again forced to take cover from enemy fire.

Knowing the survival of the casualties depended on the speed of their evacuation, Abbate again rallied the patrols able men and led a counteroffensive to clear the insurgents from the landing zone, thus allowing the critically wounded to be evacuated.

Tragically, on December 2, 2010, Abbate was killed in action in Helmand province, Afghanistan.Sergeant Matthew Abbate wasnt just our section leader, he was our mentor, our friend and our brother, said Sergeant Royce R. Hughie.He excelled at everything he did, from being a man, a father and a warrior. As a warrior Matt was courageous, inspiring and dedicated.

 From an article by Lance Corporal Timothy Childers, 15th MEU.

New Visitor Center for Cambridge American Cemetery

To help tell the story of the nearly 9,000 members of the U.S. armed forces buried or memorialized at Cambridge American Cemetery in England, construction of a new visitor center began August 13, 2012. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) expects to open the facility in late 2013. The 4,000- square-foot center will honor the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who participated in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Strategic Air Campaign, and the buildup to the D-Day Normandy invasion. Through interpretive exhibits that incorporate personal histories, photographs, films, and interactive displays, visitors will gain a better understanding of the British-American partnership that won Allied victory in Europe during World War II.

Our commemorative sites have long been respected as beautiful memorial tributes to Americans that gave their lives during the World Wars, said ABMC secretary Max Cleland. We also have a duty to preserve for future generations the stories of the brave men and women who died defending the soil where they now rest. This new visitor center will allow us to do just that.

The $4.37 million Cambridge facility is the first of three ABMC visitor center projects set to begin construction in 2012. A small visitor center at the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument in Normandy, France, will be expanded and renovated, and a new center will be built at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.

Established by Congress in 1923, the American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates the service, achievements and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. ABMC administers 24 overseas military cemeteries and 25 memorials, monuments and markers. For more information, visit abmc.gov.

Join the Fight to Save Our History

At ACG, we can think of no better way to commemorate the American Civil Wars 150th anniversary years (2011-15) than to join the fight to save our history. Thus we urge readers to enlist in the army of concerned citizens who are members of the Civil War Trust, Americas largest non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of our nations endangered Civil War battlefields. The Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the wars history and the fundamental issues that sparked the conflict.

Under the leadership of president Jim Lighthizer (who is also a member of the ACG advisory board), the Civil War Trust is at the forefront of efforts to prevent uncontrolled development and other threats from destroying the sites related to the conflict that redefined the United States in the mid-19th century. Lighthizer said the organization remains committed to preserving the memory of the Civil War by preserving the very ground where this great struggle was played out.

To date, the Trust has worked to save and preserve more than 35,000 acres at 110 battlefields in 20 states. The list of preserved battlefields reads like an honor roll of Civil War combat and includes the sites of two key Mississippi battles in General Ulysses S. Grants 1863 Vicksburg campaign: Raymond and Champion Hill.

To become a member of the Civil War Trust, visit civil war.org/take-action/ membership/. Membership benefits include a free annual subscription to the organizations award-winning quarterly magazine, Hallowed Ground, which features articles by renowned Civil War historians as well as the latest news on preservation activities.

The Man Without a Gun

One of the most powerful pieces of combat art ever produced, Lawrence Beall Smiths 1944 painting The Man Without a Gun , is a stirring portrayal of a medic in Normandy. As an Artist War Correspondent for Abbott Laboratories, Smith was responsible for documenting the Medical Corps in the European Theater. He was initially assigned to England to gather material for paintings on medical activities at air bases. Though Smith was scheduled to finish his tour prior to the Normandy invasion, he volunteered to stay and participate.

Eventually deciding to focus on subject matter that was characteristic of the experience as well as visually striking, Smith chose a typical aid man for the subject of this painting. He was particularly impressed with medics, describing them as an extremely heroic lot.  All were haggard, and very tired. They seemed like young old men; they had a kind of haunted look.

Indeed, the young man in Smiths painting looks dead on his feet. His clothing is ragged and his face is haggard as he gazes in the viewers general direction, too tired to see what is in front of him and too haunted by what he has seen to close his eyes. The medics exhaustion is further highlighted by his placement next to the Salvage Pile of discarded shoes and gear of the Soldiers he was unable to save.

Smith described the medic as being the paradox of war, for his mission is to save life, not to destroy it. He highlighted this irony in the painting through the use of the color red, which appears only on the blood-soaked bandages and on the red cross intended to protect the medic from enemy fire.

The paintings title, The Man Without a Gun, draws the viewers attention to the noncombatant status of the subject. It labels the medic as an unsung hero who risked enemy fire to save others without regard for his own safety.

All art produced as part of the Abbott Laboratories Medical series became property of the Department of Defense. This piece, along with the rest of the art related to the Army Medical Corps, is part of the Army Art Collection, which is preserved at the Armys Museum Support Center at Fort Belvoir, Va.

 Submitted by Colonel (Ret.) Robert Dalessandro and Sarah Forgey, Art Curator, U.S. Army Center of Military History.

For information about the National Museum of the U.S. Army, slated to open in 2015, visit armyhistory.org

Originally published in the March 2013 issue of Armchair General.
George Drummond Graeme was the last man standing at La Haye Sainte farmhouse during the epic 1815 battle.

Just off the N5 highway connecting the Belgian cities of Charleroi and Brussels stands La Haye Sainte, a privately owned farm complex whose most obvious feature is a large, sturdy building surrounded by an equally sturdy wall. Outwardly the structure is no different than many others in the rolling countryside south of the Belgian capital, yet it played a pivotal role in one of the most important battles in European historythe 1815 slugfest that ended Napoleon Bonapartes reign over the First French Empire.

As significant in European history as the fight at La Haye Sainte is, however, the battle for the undistinguished farmhouse proved equally important for the family fortunes of one noteworthy combatanta swashbuckling Scotsman named George Drummond Graeme.

Born in Stirling in 1796, Drummondas his father called himwas the presumptive 10th heir to the estate of Inchbrakie and 26th descendant in line from the first Graeme of Montrose in the Middle Ages. The family was eminent but not affluent, and his father apprenticed Drummond to an office where he might learn commerce. The boy hated it. When his father learned in 1812 that the Kings German Legion accepted young gentlemen without requiring them to pay for their commissions, Drummond embarked on his new life with delight.

The legion dated from 1803, when the French invaded and dissolved the Electorate of Hanover, seat of the reigning British king. Its officers and men promptly fled to Britain, where a riled George III ordered the raising of a corps of Hanoverian soldiers. While the original unit was a relatively small mixed force of infantry, cavalry and artillery, by the time young Graeme arrived in 1813, Germans and other northern Europeans opposed to Napoleon had swelled its ranks to eight battalions of red-coated line infantry, two light battalions of green-coated riflemen, five regiments of cavalry, six batteries of artillery and a battalion of engineers. This army within an army numbered 14,000 and had established an excellent battle record. At any given time German-speaking troops accounted for upward of 40 percent of the forces in Spain under Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. Graeme was posted to the legions green-coated 2nd Light Battalion, and in February 1813 the impressionable young Scot wrote his father from Portugal that the units officers were all most cordialand I think the finest looking fellows I ever saw in my life.

The battalions soldiers were armed with the short Baker rifle, which was accurate out to 200 yards but slow to loadso much so that British riflemen and legion troops were also issued small mallets to help seat the patched ball inside the muzzle. The French were armed with muskets and had no rifles, not even for skirmishers, thus they despised and feared the Anglo-German riflemen for their accurate fire and use of open order and concealment in shooting. The French were known to summarily execute captured legionnaires rather than accept their surrender.

Graeme fought in the June 21, 1813, Battle of Vitoriathe engagement that clinched Wellingtons victory over French forces in northern Spainand at Tolosa four days later, as an Anglo-allied column under General Thomas Graham sought to cut off the retreat of French and Italian soldiers who had missed Vitoria. After a number of other small battles and skirmishes the Scot was an accepted and experienced young lieutenant, at all of 17 years old.

On Jan. 3, 1814, Graeme wrote that he had been out on picket duty and consequently saw the beginning of this year in all its glory, but [we] were not so jolly as the enemy, who had their bands playing from 12 till daybreak, and such singing and uproar I never heard. Graeme added that his own men sat around the campfire reminiscing about their last New Year spent at homea dozen years beforeand wondering whether their relatives were dead or alive.

That spring Wellington drove the French from Spain back across their border, in the process encircling the city of Bayonne. On the night of April 1415 the besieged citys petulant commander, General Pierre Thouvenot, launched a sortie that was fundamentally pointlessParis had already surrendered to the Russians, Prussians and Austrians, and Napoleon had abdicated the throne on April 4. Graeme participated in the resultant night action outside Bayonne, a brutal fight marked by bayonet thrusts and musket fire at such close quarters that combatants clothing was singed by muzzle blasts. The British eventually contained and then drove back the French, but in the course of battle Graeme was slightly wounded. With the wars against Napoleon seemingly at an end, the young Scot took an extended leave from the legion and returned home, intendingamong other thingsto find himself a bride.

Graemes Scottish sojourn didnt last long, however, for in February 1815 the exiled Napoleon escaped from permissive British custody on the Mediterranean island of Elba and made his way back to France. The former emperor gathered an army about him as he advanced on Paris. Napoleon reached the capital on March 19 and, following the hasty departure of King Louis XVIII, once again proclaimed himself emperor. Alarmed by Bonapartes return to power, Britain joined its former coalition partners in launching a campaign to once and for all rid Europe of the diminutive troublemaker. Napoleon, for his part, launched a pre-emptive strike north into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (present-day Belgium) in a bid to split his adversaries and defeat them separately.

Recalled to the Kings German Legion, Lieutenant Graeme joined his battalion on the Continent. The first action of the new campaign did not go well, however, as on June 16 French forces under Marshal Michel Ney beat Wellingtons Anglo-allied army to the key crossroads at Quatre Bras, a days march from the Belgian capital. The French beat back the coalition troops, and Graeme and his unit were part of the rear guard that sought to prevent pursuers from turning Wellingtons tactical withdrawal into a rout. Graeme recalled the chaotic aftermath:

[Both light battalions] formed the rear guard and had to amuse [the French] skirmishers two hours after our army had gone; it was then so dreadfully hot we could hardly draw one leg after the other.The enemy following us close, with their artillery peppering us from every height, they then came on with their cavalry, which beat ours at first but were checked. Nothing but horror to be seen. Everyone seemed panic-struck at the idea of retreatall running through each other, and the enemy as is usual follow up in such a manner not giving you time to breathe.

As they put some distance between themselves and their pursuers the next day, the outlook improved. This soon changed to joy on seeing our army had taken up a position, recalled Graeme. About 7 in the evening, up to the knees in mud, we came on picket in a farm in front of the [Anglo-allied] position. We had neither rations nor anything, and it was very cold. At daybreak [June 18] we heard the whole army opposite crying, Vive lEmpereur! The farm was La Haye Sainte, and Graeme and his men could do little to prepare the position for the forthcoming attack by the oncoming French.

We had no loopholes excepting three great apertures, which we made with difficulty when we were told in the morning we that were to defend the farm, the young Scot recalled. Our pioneers [combat engineers] had been sent to Hougoumont the evening before. We had no scaffolding, nor means of making any, having burnt the carts, etc. Our loopholes, if they may be thus termed, were on a level with the road on the outside.

Graeme was posted first with a section of riflemen to one side of the main gate leading into the complex, then with a dozen men on top of the piggery.

The French came down obliquely toward the farm in the first attack, over the fields as well as down the high road.When close upon us, we entered the farm and closed the gates and poured a constant fire on their columns as they passed us, and even until they were up on the crest of the British position, when they were repulsed and broken by the British line, and repassed us like a flock of sheep, followed by the Life Guards [British cavalry].A party of our men sallied out and pursued the crowd.

Emerging from their makeshift stockade, Graeme and his men noted the ground was literally covered with French killed and wounded, even to the astonishment of my oldest soldiers, who said they had never witnessed such a sight. The French wounded were calling out, Vive lEmpereur! and I saw a poor fellow lying with both his legs shattered, trying to destroy himself with his own sword, which I ordered my servant to take from him.

Despite the casualties Lieutenant Graeme and his men had inflicted on the French attackers during the initial defense of La Haye Sainte, it was not a one-sided fight. French artillery had battered the complex. Toward evening they brought a battery to bear on us, Graeme recalled, pierced a wall which was our principal defense and then sent down columns to which this wall served as a breastwork on our flanks, so that our unfortunate three companies were overpowered and forced to quit. Some of the enemy then got in, opened the gates, and the whole column rushed in.

While the bayonet-wielding Hanoverians were eventually able to repel most of the French intruders, several enemy soldiers managed to clamber atop the roof of the barn and pour down close-range harassing fire on Graeme and his men. The defenders were running perilously low on ammunition, and with the sole resupply wagon bogged down miles from the battlefield, Major George Baring, the on-site commander at La Haye Sainte, ordered his men to withdraw and rejoin the main body of the British army. The 2nd Light Battalion, joined by survivors of the 1st Light Battalion and the skirmishers of the red-coated 5th Line Battalion, dutifully pulled out, but the withdrawal came with its own perils, as Graeme recalled in graphic detail:

We all had to pass through a narrow passage. We wanted to halt the men and make one more charge, but it was impossible; the [French] were firing down the passage. [Ensign George Franck] called to me, Take care, but I was too busy stopping the men and answered, Never mind, let the blackguard fire. [The Frenchman] was about 5 yards off and leveling his piece at me, when [Franck] stabbed him in the mouth and out through his neck. He fell immediately.

Before Graeme or Franck could react further, the French swarmed in about them.

[Franck got off] two shots and ran into a room, where he lay behind a bed all the time they had possession of the house; sometimes the room was full of them, and some wounded soldiers of ours who lay there and cried out, Pardon! were shot, the monsters saying, Take that for the fine defense you have made.

An officer and four men came first in. The officer got me by the collar and said to his men, Cest ce coquin [This is the rogue]. Immediately the fellows had their bayonets down and made a dead stick at me, which I parried off with my sword, the officer always running about and then coming to me again and shaking me by the collar. But they all looked so frightened and pale as ashes, I thought, You shant keep me, and I bolted through the lobby. They fired two shots after me and cried out, Coquin! but did not follow me.

Graeme had scarcely rejoined the stragglers of his fleeing unit when the French came in force.

We were immediately charged by a regiment of cuirassiers. All the army was formed in squares. We immediately got our men in a hollow and peppered them, and I believe they found the cuirass not thick enough for our musket shot. At any rate they faced about, leaving not a few behind. We were overjoyed and leapt out and made the bugle sound forward, wanting to retake [La Haye Sainte] but having only a handful of men, half without a cartridge, and the columns of the enemy forming up behind the cavalry gave us such a galling fire.

To reach the main British line, Graeme and his men had to fight their way through an enemy formation, and a French musket ball suddenly struck the lieutenant. This was about 7 in the evening, he recalled, and I was convinced that no ball could touch me. I was in such a heat that the blood gushed very much.All the world ran round, and I began to think all was a farce, till, just as I was about to fall, a fellow of ours ran up to me and bound up my arm and brought me away. I was so thirsty, I drank a canteen of water. A stupid doctor told me I would lose my arm, but I had no idea of that.It was a glorious day; I am glad I saw the whole of it.

While the brash young lieutenant survived the fight at La Haye Sainte, the defense of the complex and fighting withdrawal had been costly. When Baring collected the regiment at night, Graeme recalled, there were 63 men and four officers. [The major] burst into tears and wished he had been killed too.

After-action reports recorded the 2nd Light Battalions losses as 11 officers and 338 enlisted men out of an initial complement of 376; those of the 1st Light Battalion, 13 officers and more than half its enlisted men. The 5th Line Battalion, whose skirmishers had fought at La Haye Sainte, had been overrun by the cavalry charge, and only six officers and 18 of its 400 enlisted men survived. The 8th Line Battalion, the least engaged at Waterloo, lost seven officers and 110 enlisted men.

Despite their losses, the troops at La Haye Sainte and at Hougoumontwhich had held, thanks to constant reinforcement and ammunition supplyhad delayed Napoleon long enough for the Prussians to arrive and attack the French rear. Despite the emperors best efforts, the coalition forces prevailed, and as darkness spread across the battlefield, the French collapsed and fled. It was the end of Napoleon as both general and emperor, for he abdicated for the second and final time on June 22. Before him lay exile and, on May 5, 1821, death on the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena.

Waterloo also proved George Drummond Graemes last battle, but his lifes denouement worked out far better than did the French emperors. For his actions at La Haye Sainte Graeme received commendations from Baring and Maj. Gen. Colin Halkett, and when the Kings German Legion disbanded in 1816, the Scotsman joined the Hanoverian Guard. He became something of a figure in the court of the resurgent Kingdom of Hanover, whose viceroy was none other than Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of George III and founding commander of the Kings German Legion. Graeme had received a double pension for the Waterloo campaign and was able to sustain himself independently in Hanover rather than overburden the financially troubled family estate in Scotland.

Circumstances changed, however, following Queen Victorias 1837 ascension to the British throne on the death of uncle William IV. Court officials in Hanover invoked Salic lawwhich prohibited royal succession to or through a womanthereby separating Hanover (seat of the British monarchy since 1714) from Britain and handing the Hanoverian throne to Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, yet another son of George III. Prince Adolphus returned to Britain, and Graeme chose not to remain in the new monarchs court.

Retiring after a quarter-century of service, the Scotsman returned home and in 1840, on the death of both his father and mother, became 10th laird of Inchbrakie. Two years later he married kinswoman Marianne Drummond, daughter of General James Drummond, 8th Viscount Strathallan. Their union was by all accounts a happy and productive one, blessing them with a son and two daughters. Graeme also managed to use his pension monies to forestall the sale of his estate for indebtedness. Unfortunately, he had never completely recovered from the wound hed suffered during the withdrawal from La Haye Sainte and died in 1854 while taking a rest cure in Tours, France. Graemes son, Patrick, born in 1849, inherited his fathers title but also his debts and was ultimately compelled to sell Inchbrakie in 1882. MH

Frequent Military History contributor John Koster is the author of Operation Snow, Custer Survivor and the forthcoming Hitlers Nemesis: Hermann Ehrhardt. For further reading he recommends The Hundred Days: Napoleons Last Campaign From Eyewitness Accounts, by Antony Brett-James, and Or and Sable: A Book of the Graemes and Grahams, by Louisa G. Graeme. Also visit the Graeme of Inchbrakie website [inchbrakie.tripod.com/inchbrakie].






Hamas supporters gather around a model of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound during a protest against metal detectors Israel erected at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, at the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza City, Friday, July 21, 2017 AP Hamas supporters gather around a model of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound during a protest against metal detectors Israel erected at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, at the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza City, Friday, July 21, 2017 AP

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Palestinian worshippers run for cover from teargas, fired by Israeli forces, outside Jerusalem's Old City in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at the highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017 AFP Palestinian worshippers run for cover from teargas, fired by Israeli forces, outside Jerusalem's Old City in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at the highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017 AFP

Palestinians react following tear gas that was shot by Israeli forces after Friday prayer on a street outside Jerusalem's Old city July 21, 2017 Reuters Palestinians react following tear gas that was shot by Israeli forces after Friday prayer on a street outside Jerusalem's Old city July 21, 2017 Reuters

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Palestinian worshippers pray outside Jerusalem's Old City in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at the highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017 AFP Palestinian worshippers pray outside Jerusalem's Old City in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at the highly sensitive holy site on July 21, 2017 AFP

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Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes following prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017 AFP Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes following prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017 AFP
A cool six-storey block of flats made from "fairytale materials" and slotted in to a conservation area in east London is one of the hot contenders to win this year's Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize.

The tall, slender development, designed by Groupwork + Amin Taha Architects, is sandwiched between two detached brick buildings in a conservation area in Stoke Newington, yet houses two family-sized flats, three two-bedroom flats and a studio apartment.

"Barretts Grove is a characterful building in a disjointed urban street. Its adjacency to a primary school is a fitting location for a house built with the fairytale materials of brick, wood and straw. Inside, the building holds a series of generously proportioned, well-lit apartments; each with a wicker basket balcony that sticks out proud and far, like a salute to passers-by," said the award's judges.

Many of the other shortlisted buildings have also been recognised as intelligent responses to challenging urban sites. The light-filled Photography Studio for Juergen Teller, created by 6a architects and landscape designer Dan Pearson, was built on a constrained, semi-industrial plot in west London.

Five vertically linked pavilions, one of which is located entirely underground, wrap around a gallery space at the British Museum's new World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre building in the heart of Bloomsbury. The judges commended Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for overcoming incredibly complex planning constraints to create a building that enhances the area and this much-loved institution.

Although the new space at the British Museum in Bloomsbury was a complex project with tight space constraints, the new gallery allows for the display of objects of a space and height which would not be possible to exhibit elsewhere in the museum / PA

Command of the Oceans, the redevelopment of the visitor centre at Chatham Historic Dockyard, has been hailed for giving the dockyard a dramatic new lease of life.

The community-led restoration of Hastings Pier is a passionate response to the fire that destroyed the area's much-loved Victorian pier in 2010. The new pier and visitor centre sits upon the repaired Victorian iron work of the original pier, and is said to be kick-starting the towns renaissance.

Hastings Pier was restored in East Sussex by dRMM Architects / PA

The City of Glasgow College's new City Campus has been applauded by the judges as a testament to Scotland's commitment to invest in high-quality further education. RIBA President Jane Duncan believes the street-front 'shops' for the college's trainee hairdressers and chefs to earn and learn have raised the bar for higher education buildings.

Last year the coveted architectural award was won by Newport Street Gallery, home to Damien Hirst's private art collection, which was converted from a row of industrial buildings.

This year's winner will be announced on October 31, 2017. Visit architecture.com for more details.
Q uestion: I have bought and refurbished a property and I now intend to rent it out to some people I know. Is it right that I have to carry out some sort of immigration checks on my prospective tenants?

Answer: Landlords who let property in England are required to carry out checks on the immigration status of their prospective tenants.

These are known as right to rent verification and involve the landlord carrying out document checks. Failure to do so could see the landlord facing civil penalties of up to 3,000.

You will need to undertake the right to rent checks for any potential tenants over the age of 18 who intend to use your property for their only or main residence. Even if you know them, you are still obliged to carry out these checks.

Once you know who your tenants are going to be, you will need to check their original identification documents in their presence. If your tenants have an indefinite right to be in the UK, request to see, for example, a British or EEA Passport or National Identity Card.

If their right is for a limited time, then request a valid passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK for a time-limited period. Keep a dated copy of the documents, and record which checks were undertaken and on what date, in a schedule attached to the tenancy agreement.

These answers can only be a very brief commentary on the issues raised and should not be relied on as legal advice. No liability is accepted for such reliance. If you have similar issues, you should obtain advice from a solicitor.

If you have a question for Fiona McNulty, please email legalsolutions@standard.co.uk or write to Legal Solutions, Homes & Property, London Evening Standard, 2 Derry Street, W8 5EE. We regret that questions cannot be answered individually, but we will try to feature them here.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
A lineup of over 30 bands have been announced to play this year's Hilden Beer & Music Festival, an event showcasing local brews and talent.

The festival is 30 years running at Hilden Brewery, Lisburn. It features the finest collection of music, complemented by a wide range of local beers, ciders and spirits available throughout the weekend in August.

Ulster blues duo The Bonnevilles and Belfast rockers The Unholy Gospel Band are on the bill for this year. So are young pop talent Callum Stewart, and experimental folk act Joshua Burnside.

The 2017 event is set to be bigger than ever with more acts, more stages and a host of family friendly activities for children of all ages to enjoy.

"This August Bank Holiday our aim is to build on last years success whilst continuing to celebrate the best of all that is local," says Frances Maguire from the brewery.

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There will also be a number of secret gigs in the Tap Room, which will be announced in advance on the festivals Facebook and Twitter pages.

The festival is on the weekend of August 25. Tickets are on sale now.
The Libertines have announced that they are working on a new album together and plan to release it in the spring of next year.

It seems that The Libertines have truly left their troubles, or at least their most turbulent troubles, in the past. The band announced recently that they are going to head back into the studio to work on a new album together that they plan to release in the spring of next year.

After a long hiatus caused by tensions between Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, the band made a surprising return in 2014. The band then went on a series of tours and headlining performances, including an emotional show at 3Arena in 2015 that Hot Press covered and dubbed  one of the gigs of the year .

Despite the pressure that touring can put on even the most stable bands, the group remained together. In 2015, the band released Anthems for Doomed Youth, their first release in over 10 years.

No other information was given about the new album, but Hot Press will be watching this story for further details and any news of when they will return to deliver their signature rock stylings to Ireland.
A few years ago, a researcher at the Texas Medical Center was ready to use a multimillion-dollar machine for imaging rat brains  except she needed it for mice, whose heads were too small for the machine's holes. Spray foam and duct tape didn't fix the problem.

Near desperation, the researcher found Roland von Kurnatowski III, who runs a nonprofit fabrication workshop in Houston's East End called TX/RX Labs. His staff used a 3D printer to forge inserts sized for mouse heads. Crisis averted.

"That's not a complex problem to solve," said von Kurnatowski, a tall, garrulous former application developer for JPMorgan who now comes to work in grease-stained pants and boots. "The problem is, they have a bunch of medical researchers, and they're trying to task them with a set of problems that are meant for mechanical, electrical and material engineers."

TX/RX  which stands for "transmit/receive"  has quietly supplied solutions such as mouse-head inserts to medical researchers and other innovators for eight years, emerging as a center for startups, small manufacturers and people who just want to make stuff. As the city forges a strategy to energize Houston's tech scene with tax incentives and an "innovation district," von Kurnatowski wants to make sure that entrepreneurs and engineers who specialize in hardware are not forgotten in the hype around software and mobile apps.

That's especially important now, when TX/RX, having outgrown its 55,000-square-foot space, is planning the next phase of its development. Underway is an expansion into a much larger building, where von Kurnatowski hopes to ramp up both educational activities and the ability to house more small companies.

To finance the project, he needs a low-cost loan from the federal government  and for that, he needs a hand from the city as well.

Making a movement

In recent years, the popularity of tech startups as an economic development tool and a cultural phenomenon - typified by the image of a teenage hacker spinning out lines of code in a college dorm room - has grown in parallel with a smaller, but no less passionate movement around building stuff that's more tangible.

Adherents of this movement call themselves "makers," building everything from wood furniture to complex electronics. In Houston, the movement got underway when a group of makers started meeting in a coffee shop in Midtown in 2009 to show off projects and swap feedback.

They soon decided they needed a dedicated home, and after a brief stint at a small temporary space, rented a warehouse on Commerce Street, filling it with secondhand equipment like lathes and CNC machines purchased at auction from manufacturing companies.

Fueled at first just by donations, they later brought on paid staff who teach classes in jewelry-making, welding, ceramics, computer-assisted design, and other subjects. Year by year, TX/RX grew into a complex of four adjacent buildings, adding separate workshops for different crafts as well as studio space for rent.

These days, it's become one of the only places in Houston with the equipment and expertise to host advanced courses for other educational institutions,such as a summer residency program through the American Institute of Architects, and foundry and design classes for the Museum of Fine Arts' Glassell School.

It's also one of the only places for small companies with novel inventions to find affordable space with access to machines and the kind of collaborative atmosphere that fuels creativity.

Alexander Wesley, for example, invented a foldable fabric display that projects a screen from your laptop or smartphone  called the Spontaneous Pop-Up Display, or SPUD  while in business school at Rice. Owlspark, Rice's business accelerator, initially paid for his TX/RX membership as he prototyped and refined the product using 3D printing machines, welding and woodworking equipment. After graduating, his company, Arovia, became a full-time tenant.

"There were no other options," Wesley said. "We make a physical product."

His company, which now employs four, has raised $700,000 on Kickstarter to start producing SPUDs.

Another type of company that lives at TX/RX focuses not on its own signature product, but rather solving problems for others. Mark Sullivan runs Cyclotronics, which takes on custom engineering projects, from a device for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that catches prairie chickens to internet-connected window blinds and oil drilling devices.

Good jobs at good wages

Cyclotronics, which has eight employees, operates out of a few windowless rooms in one of TX/RX's four warehouses, and takes orders from anyone who comes across a challenge they don't have an engineering staff to bring their products from design to delivery. "The biggest thing that happens to people is they have an idea and they don't know what to do next," Sullivan said.

TX/RX's backers say that helping inventors get from idea to product and solving other technical problems could be a source of well-paid jobs for creative people with a wide range of skills. To help local young people access those careers, TX/RX works with nearby high schools to offer classes in several kinds of fabrication, free of charge.

Angela Pitcher teaches at the Energy Institute High School, an energy-focused public school that teaches by assigning collaborative projects, rather than testing kids to make sure they know something. She said her students adored the after-school program  progressing from name tags cut with lasers to their own lamps, designed on a computer and cast out of aluminum.

"I had kids who wouldn't turn in an assignment for me, but they wouldn't miss an after school class at TX/RX," Pitcher said. "When the students make something with their hands, the whole mood changes, learning changes."

That's not just good for the kids  it's potentially the future of the historically industrial East End, which has plenty of empty and underused industrial buildings. The Greater East End Management District, a quasi-public agency responsible for improving and beautifying the neighborhood, sees TX/RX as a bridge to less polluting, higher-value manufacturing.

"What you have now is a lot of innovative, highly technical smaller manufacturing firms that are producing high end products," said Patrick Ezzell, the group's head of economic development and infrastructure. "It's a good match, because it helps to build wealth in the community."

Breaking the mold

As TX/RX's activities continue to expand, adding more classes and more members and tenants, the innovation environment in Houston may be about to change substantially.

The city and the business community have made recommendations on how to boost Houston's capacity for innovation and venture capital funding for small tech companies. So far, city and business leaders have focused largely on information technology firms with potential to file intial public offerings or get bought by a larger company.

Von Kurnatowski worries that in the rush to embrace Silicon Valley-style entrepreneurship, the opportunity to support smaller-scale hardware startups that serve Houston's biggest industries might be lost. He knows that inventing devices and bringing them to market is complex and challenging.

"It's a harder model than 'Hey let's make it a cloud-based, scalable service and sell it for $40 billion,'" von Kurnatowski said. "But not everybody's going to do that. People need physical products."

So far, TX/RX has grown organically, with only small grants from companies like Cognizant and WeWork to supplement its income. Classes cost about $50 per session, and memberships run from $50 per month for limited access to tools to $800 for a full studio lease. Revenue reached $456,000 in 2015, according to the most recently available tax returns. Kurnatowski and most of his leadership team are volunteers, with 11 paid staff.

But an expansion of the size he's contemplating might require some more assistance. The city's Office of Economic Development invited TX/RX to apply for a low-interest loan guarantee program for developments that help low-income people or eliminate blight.

Von Kurnatowski estimates that it would cost between $10 million and $35 million to retrofit the new space. Lining up the capital and the support necessary to pull it off might be tricky, he admitted. It's hard to sell grant-makers and financial institutions on a concept that hasn't been seen before in Houston, that isn't a traditional job-training program or business incubator.

"We built this place the way we did to get people to see one thing: Getting people to design build and learn without necessarily clear outcomes has value," von Kurnatowski said. "If you want to make people makers, you can't box it in with some pre-set formula."
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The move by the White House to quietly end the contracts of two companies key to assisting people enrolling for insurance under the Affordable Care Act caught Houston health advocates off guard - but not by surprise.

Given the temperature in Washington these days and efforts by Congress and President Donald Trump's administration to let the law fail, they said it was just the latest in a string of actions to sabotage the law known as Obamacare.

"It's clearly by design," said Elena Marks, president and CEO of Episcopal Health Foundation and proponent of the ACA and its impact on the uninsured and health access for Texans.

Last week, contracts for Cognosante LLC and CSRA Inc., which helped in signup efforts for the past four enrollment periods in 18 cities, including Houston, were not renewed for a final option year, the Associated Press reported.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, which oversees Obamacre enrollment through federal and state exchanges told the AP that the companies' services were no longer needed and their contracts, awarded in 2013, were never meant to be long-term.

Not everyone, especially those working to curb Texas' uninsured rate, sees it that way.

The state continues to lead the nation in the number of uninsured with about 4.6 million without coverage. But the number has dropped dramatically under the ACA, falling to about 19 percent last year from about 26 percent in 2013.

In Harris County, the number of insured is still about 950,000, highest in Texas.

"They did a lot of work in Houston. They did a tremendous amount of outreach into our community," said Porfirio Villarreal, a spokesman for Houston Health Department, about the two companies on Thursday. His department has acted as the coordinator of enrollment efforts in Harris County.

He said the companies not only had their own enrollment sites around the city, but they also would send workers to enrollment events and set up tables at community health centers to urge people to get insured and explain options.

"This will take a big dent" out of the enrollment for 2018, said Villareal, adding it will not only affect new signups but also assistance in helping those already enrolled switch plans if needed to find the best price and coverage.

About 1.2 million people signed up for coverage on the exchange in Texas for this year.

Still unknown are the final rate increases for next year for the three insurers expected to participate in the exchange in the Houston area. CMS has said rate requests are scheduled to be made public Aug. 1.

Tiffany Hogue, policy director for Texas Organizing Project, an advocacy group for low- and moderate-income Texans, said she had not heard about the contract cancellations but felt, "in the scheme of things it's not really a surprise."

"The intent is to let the law die," she said.

She said the administration from its first day has seemed determined to undercut the law. Hours after inauguration, the new president signed an executive order directing federal agencies to loosen any regulations surrounding the law that were considered "burdensome."

Days later, as the 2017 enrollment period was coming to a close, the new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services withdrew funding for the final advertising push traditionally aimed to lure a surge of last-minute enrollees.

Additionally, the 2018 enrollment period is being shortened, cut in half to run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 instead of until Jan. 31.

And the Internal Revenue Service announced it would no longer reject tax returns that did not include filing information indicating insurance. Under the current law, most people who do not buy insurance face fines levied by the IRS, usually in the form of a reduction of refunds.

While the agency said people without insurance could still face penalties, it remains unclear how that would be enforced.

The ending of the two contracts is seen by some as a way to undercut enrollment outreach.

Other Texas cities where the companies helped were Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, McAllen and El Paso, the AP reported.

"Part of the ACA funding was supposed to go to outreach," Marks said. "There was a substantial effort to make sure people had an opportunity to know about and understand enrollment. It mattered, and it worked."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mark Davis' affection for Montrose runs deep.

The real estate investor and broker works in the neighborhood, lives nearby and patronizes the area's restaurants and shops during his free time.

His real estate office is in a midcentury Lars Bang building at 616 Hawthorne that he bought and restored several years ago. Many of the retail leasing deals his company does are for unique and historic Montrose buildings.

LISTEN: Why Houston has so much parking, Part I

Yet, when Davis released some early renderings for a redevelopment project on lower Westheimer, they were criticized by some who didn't like the plans for parking on the site.

Davis explains to the Chronicle's Nancy Sarnoff and Allyn West what he actually wants to do with the property, clears up misconceptions and voices some of the challenges of developing in arguably the most urban spot in town.
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On Thursday, the news came out of Washington: China will finally start buying U.S. rice.

That could be a big deal for rice farmers here in Texas.

The United States is a tiny player in the global rice game, which is dominated by Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. The U.S. industry employs only about 5,000 people and Texas is the smallest of the nation's five rice-producing states, producing about 6 percent of total output, most of which comes from Arkansas.

Still, 195,000 acres of the state grow rice, supporting hundreds of businesses in the rice supply chain, like Pamela Wostarek's Brookshire Drying Company in Katy. She buys rice from the cluster of farms that hug the Brazos and Colorado rivers, storing it before it goes to mills and then to market.

"Honestly, I think China could purchase everything the U.S. grows," Wostarek says.

She's right. China consumes the equivalent of the United States' entire production in two weeks. "It's going to be a huge blessing,"Wostarek says.

RELATED: We're beginning a massive experiment on the farm economy

That blessing will come mostly in the form of higher prices, which have sagged here over the past decade, going from a high of $16.80 per hundredweight in 2008 to about $10 today. Although the Department of Agriculture provides financing to store rice when prices fall too low, that still means margins are tight.

Along with growers of many other types of crop, rice farms have consolidated in recent years, going from an average of 400 acres planted per farm in 2000 to more than 600 acres in 2013. Total acres farmed across the U.S. are now lower than they were in the early 1990s, despite a handful of new trade agreements with South and Central American countries

Americans only consume about 26 pounds of rice per year  compared to 35 pounds of cheese, for example  and about half the crop is already exported.

Against that backdrop, opening up the Chinese market is particularly welcome  and a long time in coming.

Dwight Roberts is president of the U.S. Rice Producers association, one of the several trade groups that represents American growers and mills. He's been working on selling U.S. rice to China since 2006, when the prospect seemed daunting.

"In China, rice is like a religion," Roberts says.

But he thought there might be a market, and made several trips to China to experiment with promotions at Chinese grocery stores. China has long had problems with food safety, and in surveys, customers voiced concerns about Chinese rice. They viewed American varieties as higher quality.

RELATED: The sugar wars are still raging, and this candy maker is just trying to hold on

"It's not rice for the masses," Roberts says. "It's for the upscale supermarkets of Shanghai and Beijing, where the upper income brackets shop."

Over the past 11 years, teams of scientists from Texas A&M have helped put together risk analyses and tests for insects in order to satisfy Chinese inspectors. A deal almost came together in early 2016, but faltered.

The rice deal comes on the heels of China's agreement to admit U.S. beef imports, which pleased the ranching side of Texas' agriculture economy  although in that instance, tough regulatory hurdles still remain, and rice could end up being shipped there faster than steaks.
In late May 1940, Vic Viner was one of the 338,000 Allied troops on the beaches around the French port of Dunkirk hoping for rescue as the German Army neared and the Luftwaffe circled above.

At age 99, Viner met with Christopher Nolan, writer and director of a new movie about the evacuation, and tried to give the filmmaker some sense of what it was like to be trapped on those beaches. But, he insisted, "You can't tell anybody what it was like. You had to have been there."

Nolan and his collaborators certainly do their best to bring experiences like Viner's to life for moviegoers. The film "Dunkirk" portrays a sequence of terrors: the horrible vulnerability of being prey to a swooping dive bomber; the helplessness of watching a ship list and hurry under the waves; the bitter necessity of pushing desperate men away from an overburdened lifeboat.

In one scene, the film follows the crew of a small civilian boat as it lifts survivors from the sea off Dunkirk. One, a Royal Navy sailor whose ship has been torpedoed by a U-boat, huddles on the boat unresponsive.

"Is he a coward?" one of the boat's crew asks its skipper, played by Mark Rylance.

"He's shell-shocked, George," the captain replies. "He's not himself. He may never be himself again." It's a foretelling of the reality for many of those who returned from Dunkirk changed.

Documenting the reality of those shell-shocked survivors is what London's Imperial War Museum had in mind when it recorded interviews of scores of veterans in the 1990s and early 2000s. Those interviews show that the horror stayed with many of them long after they were freed from a deathtrap between the German Army, the Luftwaffe and the sea.

As a World War II historian, I've found those tapes - many free to stream - substantiate the film's depictions of anguish. Even more, they add the dimension of time and the long echoes of that anguish that the film can't capture.

On his 1999 recording, Will Harvey tells how shrapnel from a German bomb tore through his legs as he waited for his chance to board a ship. In the pain and confusion, he mistakenly thought his legs were gone. "You lost a bit of your senses."

His voice cracks, but he covers it up with an out-of-place laugh. These are commonplace in the tapes, along with obvious restraint and overall evasion of grim details.

Asked about his recovery, Harvey says, "I used to get aggressive, at times, with the blokes, you know. I'd try to control it. I used to get very aggressive."

He tried to return to his unit but, suffering from a series of breakdowns from then on, he was soon discharged from the Army. After that, he tried and failed to reenlist in the Marines.

As a 21-year-old, Al Tyers found himself directing men onto awaiting ships at Dunkirk, ordered to give priority to the Army and male refugees of fighting age over the many civilians who were also trying get away from the oncoming Germans. "As many as could go on a ship, they packed you in like cattle," he says. But then, "they put that siren on, that screaming siren," just before the German dive bombers would rush over the treetops aiming for the departing ships. Moments like this are depicted with hair-raising effect in the film.

"A ship would get loaded up - I don't know, a thousand or so - and get half a mile out. And the next thing, you'd see the ship going down."

Tyers fails to hide the emotion in his voice at that; like other interviewees, he diverts from the terrible scene quickly.

Back in Britain, Tyers suffered from debilitating claustrophobia. He spent three months in a psychiatric hospital, but even afterward newsreels depicting war scenes would send him rushing outside to the open air. Back home, he couldn't sit shoulder to shoulder with people at meals.

"I don't know whether they understood or not."

Other voices from the archive speak of trouble reintegrating into civilian life. William Machin, Charles Mandeville and Harry Garrett tell of being hounded by nightmares. Ernest Leggett describes how he still saw French and Belgian refugees being shattered by German bombers and fighters in his dreams decades later.

There's plenty of evidence of Dunkirk survivors being institutionalized. Doctors documented that many evacuees inundating hospitals in Britain were "suffering," in the words of one psychiatrist, "from acute hysteria, reactive depression, functional loss of memory or the use of their limbs." But the wartime government didn't keep track of the numbers. It wasn't in its interest to report on it. They also didn't track veteran suicides, an epidemic among today's combat veterans. But there's evidence of them.

Suicides on the beaches around Dunkirk were also uncounted, but some are documented. Nolan's depiction of a soldier striding into the waves, apparently intending to "walk home," is based on more than one real incident. Many others wandered off, senseless, to unknown fates. Others shot themselves.

And there are official records of lingering and often debilitating anxiety among the Dover-based crews who braved repeated crossings of the channel with evacuees. A secret memo produced two months afterward reported a spike in anxiety problems, with more than one in seven sailors on the station affected.

For those evacuees, eventually shifting to civilian life was hard. "Started having psychological problems, you know Almost passing out every now and again Suddenly you're dropped off a cliff. You've come unhinged," Reg Dance says on his 1999 tape. "It took an awful long time for that to go. But it did in the end; otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

Fred Walton made it off the beach, but the paddle steamer he was on was bombed while he was on the upper deck. A man nearby had both legs blown off. The man next to Walton was cut by shrapnel and almost leaped into the sea, panicked. Walton had to pin him down.

"How do you forget those sorts of things?" he asked his Imperial War Museum interviewer. "Don't think you can ever be the same, can you?" He breaks off with another of those awkward laughs.

At the time Walton was interviewed in 2008, 4,000 British troops were still in Iraq.

"It's showing itself again, isn't it?" Walton says. "The lads who are coming home now?"

This article was originally published on The Conversation.
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Sunset Settings is full of high-end modern furniture, but it's Eero Saarinen's fire-red Womb chair that tugs at Houston shoppers wanting a dose of retro style.

Designed nearly 70 years ago by the Finnish-American architect, the iconic chair is as popular today as it was when he created it in post-World War II America.

Saarinen's Womb chair is a standout among many classic designs from that era, when factories regrouped to fill needs at home. GIs were back and in college, marrying and starting families, and they needed things both beautiful and functional.

At the time, it was simply called modern design, with clean lines and bold pops of color that helped the design world at large take a giant step forward. Today we call it midcentury modern, or classic modern design. And it's more mainstream than ever, as millennials and baby boomers alike embrace its minimalist style.

It seems nearly every furniture and home-decor manufacturer is churning out goods that in some way reach back to the mid-20th century. Herman Miller and Knoll produce authentic furniture from designers' original plans - types of pieces that are available at Sunset Settings. More loosely designed reproductions abound, too, from affordable pieces at Target to Restoration Hardware's new-ish modern collection.

Expression of culture

More Information Names to know Dozens of architects and designers made their mark on midcentury-modern design. A few names worth knowing: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: A pioneer of modernist architecture and designer of the still-popular Barcelona chair, his many famous works include two buildings he designed for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Cullinan Hall and the Brown Pavilion. Florence Knoll: An architect, she and her husband, Hans Knoll, grew their furniture-manufacturing company into a center for style and design. She's known for designing buildings and office interiors, but she also designed a number of tables, desks, chairs and other pieces. Charles and Ray Eames: This married couple collaborated on a significant number of design projects using molded plywood and leather, but their best-known work is their Eames lounge and ottoman, which are still popular in homes and offices today. George Nakashima: A Japanese-American, Nakashima was known as a woodworker and one of the fathers of the American craft movement. He designed furniture for Knoll and is known for his butterfly joints, bookmatched wood and free-edge pieces that are still highly collectible. Eero Saarinen: A master of 20th-century architecture, his name is synonymous with modern design. His Tulip, Womb and Pedestal chairs were his biggest successes in furniture design. Warren Platner: Platner's signature design, lengths of steel rods formed around circular frames, are still copied today. The design was used in tables of all sizes, topped with glass discs. Hans Wegner: This Danish designer helped popularize Scandinavian design and is known for his chair designs, including the Ox and Shell chairs. Vladimir Kagan: A woodworker at heart, Kagan's pieces used iron, cast aluminum and upholstery, and were known for their use of sculpted wood. His curvy sofas are still highly collectible. See More Collapse

Lynn Goode trades in original collectibles for an international clientele from her Lynn Goode Vintage store on West Alabama.

Goode's interest in midcentury design came from living it: The baby boomer grew up in Meyerland, surrounded by some of the city's premiere midcentury residential architecture.

When the former art-gallery owner noticed that midcentury pieces by Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouve, George Nakashima and others were popping up at auctions, she shifted gears and started collecting some herself. Now her home, and her store, are filled with midcentury design.

Since art and design are an expression of culture, pieces that came out of the post-war/Cold War/space-race years reflect world events, she said. Think duck-and-cover drills, light fixtures that looked like rockets, torpedoes and even satellites.

"The Jetsons" lived in an early-1960s, network-primetime slot in a futuristic society filled with space flight and robots, but their home furnishings may not have been that far off from the molded plastic chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames at nearly the same time.

The "British Invasion" of the mid-1960s brought even more creative energy with new clothing styles, music, hair, pop art - exciting new design on every front.

Adapting the classics

Today, great design has become more accessible through pop culture.

Piper Turner, whose mother, Carolyn Brewer, owns Sunset Settings, said their customers come in knowing what they want because they've seen it on TV, in magazines or even in their travels.

"I think 'Mad Men' started it, but you see these pieces everywhere," Turner said. "You see them in offices, the Eames aluminum chairs are on all of the (TV) interview shows  They always have an Eames chair and a Saarinen table."

Turner said many of her customers are baby boomers who are getting rid of their traditional furniture in favor of something more modern.

"The Womb chair has been exceptionally popular again. It's such a great reading chair," Turner said. The chair runs from $3,700 to nearly $9,000, plus another $1,100 to $2,000 for its matching ottoman.

Those original designs are adapting to contemporary demands, with the Womb chair now available in a children's size and a "medium" size for places like New York, where many people live in small apartments. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's famed Barcelona chair has been scaled down for children, too.

A year or so ago, Herman Miller began making its classic Eames chair in a version 2 inches taller and deeper, Turner said. Knoll's Platner table base - curved steel rods adhered to circular frames - now comes in a gold-plated version in addition to its original polished nickel.

Collector appeal

Though collectors of all types once shopped at local stores, auctions and estate sales, they now shop the world. Websites such as firstdibs.com are a gathering places for those looking for vintage and antique finds, which can command big bucks.

Goode once had an original 8-foot Nakashima dining table that sold for $65,000 - now, it could sell for twice that. ("If you have one of his pieces you're in high cotton, as we say in Texas," she said.) On First Dibs, a pair of Pierre Jeanneret Chandighar chairs has fetched $24,000, and a single T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Klismo chair can cost $12,000.

Greg Shannon, a Houston physician, started collecting by accident nearly a decade ago, when a chair in an art gallery - a significant piece of modern furniture, it turns out - captured his attention.

"It spoke to me and had a unique and sculptural feel that interested me," Shannon said. "Contemporary furniture is great, but it blows me away that from the mid-1930s to 1960s, individuals were designing things that were this forward thinking."

Amy Cherry began collecting in the past year or so. She and her husband, Rick, live in a Pearland home full of traditional furniture and antiques. But Cherry was looking for a cleaner, fresher look for the 4,000-square-foot beach home they're building on Bolivar Peninsula.

"I went into Lynn (Goode)'s shop, and it was like, 'This is it,' " Cherry recalls of the furniture she now calls "artful" and "thoughtful." "I fell in love with midcentury furniture."

And she wouldn't settle for midcentury-inspired furniture or reproductions - she wanted to buy authentic vintage pieces.

She finds it amusing that the furniture she grew up with is what she's returning to now.

"It didn't occur to me that anything I grew up with would be collectible," Cherry said, adding that her sister initially expressed concern that she'd end up with a living room that resembled a set from the "Brady Bunch."

But will it go out of style?

Shannon said about 80 percent of the furniture in his home is midcentury modern. His most recent score: an Eames sofa, the last design created by the architecture power couple.

Friends have wondered out loud what he'll do if or when his furniture goes out of style.

"I'm not buying it because of what's in, I genuinely dig it. I'm not an investor, I live with it, and I let my children use it," Shannon said. "It's in my home, and my home is a place where children are allowed to be children, even if they're sitting on a Vladimir Kagan sofa."

Cherry was sold on midcentury design quickly, but it took a little longer for her husband to settle into it. He got a big shock one day when a pair of Percival Lafer lounge chairs replaced his beloved brown recliner.

"He walked in, and his face said, 'What have you done?' He loves that chair now," Cherry said proudly.

She also bought one of those sexy Vladimir Kagan sofas that Shannon owns, as well as other sofas, chairs and tables.

With each new piece, Cherry feels one more step into the next chapter of her life.

"It's a way that I feel like it's all brand new. It feels refreshing and clean and a start-over for me and my husband," she said. "That's what it represents, a new beginning."
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., used his signature snark to warn colleagues that he will be returning soon to Washington - and chastised the Trump administration for ending assistance to moderate Syrian rebels battling the government of Bashar al-Assad.

The twin statements served as reminders of the outsized role the 80-year old senator plays on Capitol Hill. Republicans badly need him to return as they try to shore up a weeks-long debate on a health-care overhaul. And he has been more willing than most Republicans to buck his party and the president to demand more decisive action to bolster the nation's security, particularly in areas involving the country's cyber defenses and posture against Russia.

McCain announced late Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with a tumor called a glioblastoma after surgery to remove a blood clot above his left eye last week. The tumor is an aggressive type of brain cancer, and the prognosis is generally poor.

The news sparked bipartisan calls for his swift return and public statements of support from Trump and his predecessors. Former president George W. Bush said on Thursday that he phoned his 2000 GOP presidential campaign rival to "encourage him in his fight."

"Instead, he encouraged me," Bush said. "I was impressed by his spirit and determination. He has devoted his life to his country. Thankfully, he is committed to continuing that service."

Responding to the well wishes, McCain tweeted on Thursday, "I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support - unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by!"

In a separate statement, he blasted reports that President Trump is ending the CIA's covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling Assad's government, a move long sought by Russia.

If true, "the administration is playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin," McCain said in the statement. "Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and shortsighted. The administration has yet to articulate its vision for Syria beyond the defeat of [the Islamic State], let alone a comprehensive approach to the Middle East."

The criticism signaled that no matter where he is, McCain intends to remain engaged. When he might return to Washington, however, remains in doubt.

The Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, which diagnosed McCain, said that the senator and his family are considering treatment options, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. His office did not indicate on Thursday where he will undergo treatment and when he might return to the Senate.

"We look forward to seeing our friend again soon," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday, "and we hope he'll be back in the very near future."

McCain's absence plunged the ongoing health care debate into further chaos. McConnell has vowed to hold a vote next week to begin formal debate on legislation to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act. With 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats in the Senate, the GOP can only afford to have one more senator absent or vote against the procedural motion to begin debate - since Democrats all plan to vote against it.

On Thursday, one Republican holdout, Sen. Rand Paul, Ky., said that he is willing to move ahead with the bill if certain concessions are made. But several other Republicans, including Susan Collins, Maine, Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and Dean Heller, Nev., have not yet signaled what they will do.

That makes McCain's absence all the more difficult.

"Our focus is not on the missing vote. It's on Senator McCain's health," Collins told reporters when asked about the stakes. "And all of us are deeply saddened and shocked by the diagnosis."

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said he was troubled to think that "a terrible diagnosis" was a factor in the fate of high-stakes legislation. But, he acknowledged, "Practically speaking, you know that you have to put that in the vote count."

As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain is also scheduled in the coming weeks to steer floor debate on the annual defense policy bill that sets military policy. McConnell announced this month that he would cancel the first two weeks of the scheduled August recess in order to allow debate and passage of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the third-ranking Senate Republican, indicated that other senior members of the armed services panel probably could lead debate on the bill in McCain's absence, but "we need John here."

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., McCain's closest friend in Congress, added that the Senate is likely to wait for McCain's return to consider the defense bill. He also echoed McCain's disdain for Trump's latest reported moves on Syria.

"The decision to stop supporting opposition forces to Assad in my view is a complete capitulation to the Russians, to the Iranians, to Assad," he said. "It is a betrayal of the Syrian people who have been slaughtered by Assad - and Russia and Iran's support for them - it is a strategic mistake, it puts our allies in a bad spot, and it diminishes our standing. Other than that it's a good idea."

In an interview, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., recalled that he and McCain "bonded over cold pizza" as they led the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" senators who spent hours toiling over details of the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill. The measure ultimately died, but was heralded by members of both parties as a good-faith compromise bill.

"He was so good, he knew when to hold, he knew when to fold. He worked for the good of the eight - not just himself," Schumer said.

"He is such a needed guy around here," he added. "The number of people who have the ability to say what they think even if other people don't like it - including the president - you can count on a couple of hands. He's one of them."

---

Sean Sullivan and Kelsey Snell contributed to this report.
AUSTIN - Abortion providers and advocates filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday to challenge a new Texas law banning a common second-trimester medical procedure, the latest in a long-running series of legal fights over women's health in the state.

Abortion providers stressed in their 19-page lawsuit that the procedure is the "safest and most common" method of abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and a ban would create an undue burden for women to terminate a pregnancy. The lawsuit had been anticipated in a state known for passing some of the nation's toughest abortion restrictions.

"It's very obvious that the intent of the law is to be an abortion ban and to restrict doctors' decision making," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder, president and CEO of Whole Woman's Health, one of the plaintiffs. "Politicians are tying the hands of doctors and not letting doctors use their expertise."

The Republican-led Legislature passed Senate Bill 8 this spring, ushering into law comprehensive abortion regulations that banned dilation and evacuation, a medical procedure used to remove a fetus using surgical tools. The method is most common in the second trimester.

According to 2015 data, the latest available, the procedure was used 4,386 times to terminate a pregnancy. In total, 55,287 abortions were performed that year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Abortion opponents say they favor the ban on what they call a "dismemberment abortion," but the director of the Texas Alliance for Life said he expects the court will shoot the law down.

"We are not confident that this will withstand a court challenge," said Joe Pojman, executive director of the anti-abortion organization. He said U.S. Supreme Court needs two more votes to uphold the law and warned legislators during the regular session that the law would likely fail.

Reasons for procedure

Other abortion opponents say they think the court will side with Texas.

"This is the right discussion that the court needs to be having," said Emily Horne, a lobbyist with Texas Right to Life. "It brings the attention back to the child."

Women seek the procedure for many reasons, according to the suit, including late confirmation of the pregnancy, difficulty gathering funds or making arrangements to obtain an abortion, or choosing to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal abnormalities discovered during the second trimester.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas, comes more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a pair of regulations that forced several abortion clinics around the state to close. The court ruled the state could not require abortion facilities to adhere to the stringent standards of a ambulatory surgical center, nor could it require abortion providers to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed that suit on behalf of Whole Woman's Health and other providers. The ruling handed abortion supporters a major political victory. However, by the time the high court struck down portions of the law, the number of abortion clinics in Texas fell from 41 to 19.

Legal challenges

Many of the same plaintiffs are involved in the new lawsuit, including the Planned Parenthood Center for Choice in Houston, the Alamo City Surgery Center in San Antonio, the Southwestern Women's Surgery Center in Dallas, Nova Health Systems in El Paso, and several family practice physicians and obstetricians who are suing on their own behalf and on behalf of their patients.

Abortion supporters have filed legal challenges to similar dilation and evacuation bans in Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

The legal action also comes as the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals mulls another regulation requiring burial rights for fetal tissue, which lawmakers also wrote into state law this year.

Advocates for the law say the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure is grotesque and passing the law keeps with the state's imperative to protect life and oppose abortion.

Gov. Greg Abbott has asked state lawmakers to pass additional anti-abortion laws this summer in his special session call, such as banning coverage of abortion in government health care plans.

Several of those bills are up for debate at 8 a.m. Friday in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and another is up for a vote in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee at 9 a.m. Saturday.
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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's lawyers and aides are scouring the professional and political backgrounds of investigators hired by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, looking for conflicts of interest they could use to discredit the investigation - or even build a case to fire Mueller or get some members of his team recused, according to three people with knowledge of the research effort.

The search for potential conflicts ranges from scrutinizing donations to Democratic candidates, investigators' past clients and Mueller's relationship with former FBI director James Comey.

The effort to investigate the investigators is another sign of a looming showdown between Trump and Mueller, who has assembled a team of high-powered prosecutors and agents to examine whether any of Trump's advisers aided Russia's campaign to disrupt last year's presidential election.

Some of the investigators have vast experience prosecuting financial malfeasance, and the prospect that Mueller's inquiry could evolve into an expansive examination of Trump's financial history has stoked fears among the president's aides. Both Trump and his aides have said publicly they are watching closely to ensure Mueller's investigation remains narrowly focused on last year's election.

Potential conflicts

Trump has also asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, according to a person familiar with the effort. A second person said Trump's lawyers have been discussing the president's pardoning powers among themselves.

Trump's legal team declined to comment on the issue. But one adviser said the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority, as well as the limits of Mueller's investigation.

"This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself,' " a close adviser said.

Trump told the New York Times on Wednesday that he was aware members of Mueller's team had potential conflicts of interest and would make the information available "at some point."

Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the special counsel, declined to comment.

Republicans have publicly identified for weeks what they see as potential conflicts among Mueller's team of more than a dozen investigators. In particular, they have cited thousands of dollars of political donations to Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, made by Andrew Weissmann, a former senior Justice Department official who has expertise in fraud and other financial crimes. News reports have revealed similar donations by other members of Mueller's team, which Trump's allies have cited as evidence of political bias. Another lawyer Mueller has hired, Jeannie Rhee, represented the Clinton Foundation.

To seek a recusal, Trump's lawyers can argue their case to Mueller or his boss, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Prosecutors may not participate in investigations if they have "a personal or political relationship" with the subject of the case, but the Justice Department's explicit rules about what constitutes a conflict of interest does not include campaign donations on the list of things that would create a "political relationship."

Trump's advisers are split on how far to go in challenging the independence of Mueller, a retired FBI director and one of the most respected figures in law enforcement. Some advisers have warned that dismissing Mueller would create a legal and political mess.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's outside legal team, resigned Thursday after pushing back against public criticism of Mueller, according to multiple reports.

Financial records

Nevertheless, Trump has kept up the attacks on Mueller. In his Oval Office interview with The Times, which caught members of his legal team by surprise, he focused on the fact that Mueller had interviewed to replace Comey as the FBI director just a day before Mueller was appointed special prosecutor, saying that the interview could create a conflict.

"He was sitting in that chair," Trump said. "He was up here, and he wanted the job." Trump did not explain how the interview created a conflict of interest.

A lawyer for Trump, Jay Sekulow, declined to address the potential conflicts he and the other lawyers for Trump have uncovered about Mueller's team. He said, however, that "any good lawyer would raise, at the appropriate time and in the appropriate venue, conflict-of-interest issues."

In addition to investigating possible collusion between Russia and Trump's advisers, the special counsel is examining whether the president obstructed justice by firing Comey. Some of Trump's supporters have portrayed Mueller and Comey as close friends. While they worked closely together in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and are known to respect each other, associates of both men say the two are not particularly close.

Trump also said Wednesday that Mueller would be going outside his mandate by investigating matters unrelated to Russia - like the president's personal finances - though he declined to provide the Times with any specific consequences.

"The president's making clear that the special counsel should not move outside the scope of the investigation," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders the following day.

Yet Mueller's team has begun examining financial records, and has requested documents from the IRS related to Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, according to a senior U.S. official. The records are from a criminal tax investigation that had been opened long before Trump's campaign began. Manafort was never charged in that case.

Federal investigators have also contacted Deutsche Bank about Trump's accounts, and the bank is expecting to provide information to Mueller.

This report contains material from the Washington Post.
WASHINGTON - Former Texas U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's confirmation hearing Thursday as ambassador to NATO might have served as her first diplomatic mission for the Trump administration.

At times she was basking in bipartisan praise from her former colleagues. But Hutchison also found herself defending President Donald Trump's tough stance on the North Atlantic military alliance, while at the same time commending the efforts of United States' European allies.

She also gave qualified support for a legislative effort to impose new sanctions of Russia, which the Trump administration sees as an erosion of executive branch authority. The sanctions bill also has run afoul of some fellow Texans, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil chief, who worry that the sanctions could hurt U.S. energy companies.

"I think Congress is doing the right thing to put sanctions in place," Hutchison told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she and four other ambassador nominees answered questions for more than two hours. "I know there are disagreements on some of the language, and everyone is working to make sure it doesn't have unintended consequences."

The sanctions bill has been stuck in the House in a dispute over technical objections by some Republicans, prompting Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the panel, to tell Hutchison that "we'll use your endorsement in the House to try and get it passed."

But despite some partisan jousting over Trump's past remarks about the relevance of the NATO military alliance, Thursday's hearing cemented the widespread impression that Hutchison could be one of Trump's easiest nominations.

Republican Ted Cruz, who won Hutchison's Senate seat when she retired in 2012, introduced her as a "friend and a true Texas legend."

Senior U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also spoke on her behalf, saying Hutchison, who served in the Senate for 20 years, "needs no introduction."

Cruz contrasted Hutchison's popularity on both sides of the aisle with his own reputation as a Senate gadfly. "All of you I know respect Kay, and a great many I know were grieved when you saw her successor," he said to laughter.

NATO 'not obsolete'

Hutchison, 73, was frequently addressed familiarly by her first name. Cardin's opening remarks made clear she will face little if any Democratic opposition, despite widespread skepticism over Trump's professed admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's particularly a pleasure to have Kay Bailey Hutchison back before our committee," Cardin said. "It must be a little different experience to be on the other side of the dais, but we thank you very much, and I know you're going to do an incredible service to our country and NATO."

Despite the good feelings, Democrats on the committee came prepared to use Hutchison's hearing to question Trump's foreign policy agenda, particularly the president's commitment to NATO and its Article 5 pledge to a common defense of its 29 member nations.

New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez recalled Trump's campaign pronouncement that NATO is "obsolete," as well as his subsequent omission of Article 5 during a speech in Europe in May.

"Two quick questions," Menendez said. "Do you believe NATO is obsolete? And secondly, do we have an unequivocal commitment to Article 5?"

"Absolutely ," Hutchison said.

"Which one is 'absolutely'?" Menendez interrupted. "My first question or my second?"

"The commitment to Article 5," Hutchison continued. "Well, first of all, NATO is not obsolete, and the president has acknowledged that." She added that after meeting with Tillerson and top Pentagon officials "the president realized immediately that it is an important and successful alliance."

Said Menendez: "Your role in reasserting that will be very important."

Unprompted in her own testimony, Hutchison also endorsed Trump's call for all NATO countries to meet their commitments to allocating at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product to defense. "Our allies need to meet this commitment," she said.

But she also praised Canadian, United Kingdom and European participation in joint efforts to protect the most vulnerable nations in the Balkans, particularly through a U.S.-led program initiated in 2014 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"We are beefing up defenses for an aggressive Russia," she said. She added that "as NATO has said, there's not going to be business as usual with Russia," in regard to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Russian interference

Hutchison, who served on both the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, pointed to greater NATO cooperation in sharing information about the growing threat of cyberterrorism.

Menendez also pressed Hutchison and four other ambassador nominees for their views on whether Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential elections, in which Hutchison started out as a supporter of Jeb Bush.

"I think from what our intelligence communities have said and what has been in the newspapers and other media, that there is a good likelihood, yes," she said. "I also think it is important that we know the extent and how it was done. That's what the investigations are meant to do."

Hutchison's performance won a full-throated endorsement from Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

"Kay Bailey Hutchison, I'm so glad you're the nominee," Kaine said. "Your nomination sends a signal that the NATO relationship is an important one. I don't think the administration would have asked somebody of your qualifications if they didn't mean to send a signal, that whatever the earlier statements or thoughts about NATO, there's now a commitment.  So I'm very, very happy to see you before this committee, and I'm very anxious to get you confirmed as quickly as we can."

In an interview, Hutchison dismissed concerns that Trump's equivocations on Russian hacking in the presidential election might undermine the United States' credibility in NATO.

"I think the president has been very firm and I think in his speech in Warsaw he was very firm about Russia keeping its commitments, and I think the Congress is of that mind, the secretaries of state and defense have said that, and I think the president has as well," she said.

A call from Tillerson

Hutchison, who is widowed, said that if she's confirmed by the Senate this summer she expects to take her 15-year-old son, a French speaker, along with her to Brussels. Her 16-year-old daughter will remain at a boarding school in Virginia, where she is a high school junior.

Hutchison said it was Tillerson, a close friend from Dallas, who came to her in February with the idea of joining the State Department as his envoy to NATO. She had been involved in helping Tillerson prepare for his own confirmation hearings.

"I'm very excited about the mission," she said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to combine my love for our defense and my love for our country to do something that I think is so important for the future of America."

"I never did think of coming back," said Hutchison, who has been practicing law at Bracewell LLP. "I wouldn't have ever thought about it until the Secretary called me."
Legislators might be going a little overboard when it comes to the bill filing process for the special session.

During the 30 day special session, the Texas Legislature can only hear bills that relate to the 20 items Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda. The bills dealing with issues on Abbott's list are all going to have public hearings in the Senate over a three-day working weekend beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.

But 435 pieces of legislation have been filed by lawmakers as of Thursday afternoon. It's safe to say not all of them fit under Abbott's call.

Representative Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, filed House Bill 85 July 10, which would legalize medical marijuana in Texas.

During the regular session, Lucio filed a similar bill, HB 2107, that received bipartisan support, but it eventually died after failing to be approved on time.

"In this time of divisive politics, we have found bipartisan agreement that the well-being of our loved ones suffering from debilitating conditions should rise over the fray of Left and Right," Lucio wrote in a letter following the death of HB 2107. "We will continue to fight for the patients suffering in Texas who could benefit from medical cannabis."

One of the 85th legislative session's most controversial bill, Senate Bill 4 or the sanctuary cities bill, is facing an immediate, but likely futile, challenge.

Representative Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth, filed HB 53, which would immediately repeal SB4. Romero was a staunch opponent of SB 4 during the regular session and was involved in a scuffle on the House floor in May over the bill.

Legislators attempting to repeal bills from the regular session is a theme this special session.

Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, filed HB 237, which would undo the 85th Texas Legislature's elimination of straight-party voting through HB 25.

In May, Turner told the Texas Tribune HB 25 could lead to lower voter turnout in future elections.

"There are a lot of races on the ballot in these general elections, and voting individually takes extra time," Turner told the Tribune. "Instead of one-punch, you're asking people to individually vote in dozens of races, perhaps even 100 of them. This can be a real impediment."

One of the quirkier bills filed during the special session is Representative Pat Fallon's, R-Denton, HB 216. The bill would create a tax free weekend, not for school supplies, but for hunting supplies.

The sale would occur the last full weekend of August. Hunting season for many types of wild game in Texas kicks off in the fall, making the tax break perfectly timed for Texans preparing to hunt.

Some of the bills are less exciting, but still just as unlikely to make it to the Governor's desk.

HB 222, again by Fallon, would make it a criminal offense for former legislators to lobby to the state government.

Although these bills don't currently fit under Abbott's call, the Governor can update his agenda to include bills as he sees fit. There's always hope, but, with already limited time, it's a long-shot.
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Two U.S. senators introduced a bill Thursday aimed at reducing the use of cash bail to hold people behind bars ahead of their trials, a practice the senators said runs contrary to the U.S. justice system's "promise" to treat people equally before the law.

The bipartisan measure, introduced by Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., would create a $10 million grant for state or local governments to replace or reform systems that require money for bail.

The senators said the practice disproportionately impacts the poor and communities of color and lets high-risk criminals walk free ahead of trial if they have the financial means.

"Americans should be able to expect fair and equal treatment under the law regardless of how much money is in their pockets or how many connections they have," Paul said in a statement Thursday.

"By giving states greater freedom to undertake reforms specific to their needs, our legislation will help strengthen protections for minority and low-income defendants, reduce waste and move our bail system toward more effective methods, such as individualized, risk-based assessments," he said.

The bill's introduction follows legislative and court-mandated efforts across the country to move away from a money bail system. An Illinois judge ruled this week that Cook County should release individuals awaiting trial for felonies and misdemeanors who cannot afford bail if the defendants are not considered dangerous.

The California and Texas state senate bodies passed measures this year aimed at curbing money bail, though the bills did not make it through either states' other legislative chamber.

Harris County, meanwhile, has become a focal point in the debate after a federal judge ruled that its cash bail system unconstitutionally was holding people accused of low-level crimes behind bars because of their poverty.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal directed the county in April to release misdemeanor defendants who do not have federal detainers, other holds or pending mental health competency hearings after 24 hours if they swear they cannot come up with money for bail.

According to county estimates, more than 2,000 people have been released under Rosenthal's order.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court nixed an emergency county appeal to block the order, which has been met with outcry from local officials who say the blanket release of nearly all misdemeanor defendants could threaten public safety. They advocate a system that bases pretrial proceedings and bail on a risk assessment that, in part, takes into account an individual's criminal history and potential to re-offend.

High- or low- risk individuals who can pay money bail, however, are routinely released from jail ahead of their trial.

The county is appealing Rosenthal's order.

The bill by Harris and Paul states that research shows that detaining individuals ahead of trial increases the likelihood they will re-offend.

County officials, despite mounting a costly legal battle against the federal civil rights lawsuit in court, have attempted to reform the bail system they acknowledge to be problematic.

The county has beefed up its pretrial services department and instituted a pilot program to provide public defenders at bail hearings.

First Assistant Harris County Attorney Robert Soard said the county will implement a new "public safety assessment" July 29 that will base recommendations of bail and pretrial proceedings, in part, on risk to the community, while it will not eliminate money bail. The county originally had planned to put that into effect July 1.

Soard said the senators' bill "is generally consistent with Harris County's efforts in bail reform."

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who has been vocal in his support of ending cash bail for indigent defendants, applauded the Harris-Paul bill.

"It's time to end our two-tiered bail system that favors the privileged and punishes the poor," Ellis said. "I hope Congress approves this bill, which could provide incentives to Texas and other states to enact overdue reforms."
Mexican officials, including President Enrique Pena Nieto, may be a little nervous these days following the arrest in Miami last month of former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli.

Martinelli is fighting extradition to his homeland where he faces charges of illegally spying on political rivals with the same Israeli-produced spyware the Mexican government now is accused of using for the same purpose.

According to The New York Times and internet monitoring groups in Mexico and Canada, the government purchased $80 million worth of a software called Pegasus and has used it to hack cellphones of journalists, political opponents and other perceived threats.

The Times said the software has been used "in what many view as an unprecedented effort to thwart the fight against the corruption infecting every limb of Mexican society." All things considered, we'd say that is pretty likely.

The government has responded that it collects intelligence like other governments to protect against security threats, but, unsurprisingly, denied any wrongdoing. Pena Nieto, also unsurprisingly, has pleaded ignorance and ordered an investigation.

It turns out this spyware and spying problem has popped up in other countries - Colombia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, to name a few - and is the result of what Foreign Policy magazine calls "the burgeoning business of private companies selling military-grade spyware."

Pegasus is the creation of Israel-based NSO Group, whose founders came from Israeli military intelligence operations. It taps into cell phones, mines all the information and uses the phone as a microphone and camera into the phone user's life.

Martinelli's spying operation captured a political rival engaging in sex. The video was put on YouTube.

How successful has NSO been? It was purchased in 2014 for $120 million by U.S. private equity firm Francisco Partners, which is now reportedly trying to sell it for $1.2 billion.

The problem with all this is obvious; very sophisticated spyware is now broadly available from NSO and other firms and can easily be obtained by those in power for untoward purposes as has been charged in Mexico and Panama.

NSO says it sells only to "authorized" governments and only for use in tracking criminal groups and terrorists, but the customers appear to have broad definitions for both.

We would normally urge the U.S. to take the lead in trying to prevent the spread of spyware and its illicit use by governments, but President Donald Trump has called for loosening restraints on our own intelligence agencies so we doubt that the world would pay much attention.

There is also the problem that his former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, once served as a paid consultant to NSO.

This is one of those issues where our representatives in Congress may play a bigger role. We would encourage them to fight for the right to privacy and to keep the federal government in check, two concepts our mostly Republican delegation usually supports.

This may also be an issue where grassroots pressure will be important, so we would urge concerned Americans to push their elected representatives to take action against spyware.

And we would encourage citizens of Mexico to do the same on their side of the Rio Grande, where their government needs to be told in the bluntest possible terms to stop spying on its own people.
The results are in for the Accelerated LPN to RN graduates of Texas County Technical College in Houston. Twenty-two graduated from TCTC on May 6 and have been taking the NCLEX-RN exam since then. It tests graduates over everything they have learned during their time in nursing school.

TCTC graduates have been preparing for the NCLEX-RN for weeks because all nursing graduates must pass the exam to be licensed in their desired field.

TCTC faculty worked hard to prepare their students for the difficult exam, and it showed in the results: Of the 22 LPN to RN graduates, so far they have an 86.4 percent NCLEX-RN pass rate. Although the NCLEX is dreaded by many, 90.9 percent of TCTCs 2017 LPN to RN graduates have a nursing job waiting for them upon earning licensure, which makes the studying worth it.

We are very proud of our graduates. They have endless opportunities in the medical field ahead of them, and we are excited to see where they will go in the future, said TCTC President Charlotte Gray.

TCTCs next LPN program begins Aug 28. Applications for this program are being accepted and close Friday, Aug. 11. As of this publication there is no current waitlist and no prerequisites. Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, because space is limited. For more information about the college or its programs, call 417-967-5466.
Finding a job that's both rewarding and fulfilling isn't easy for anyone. But for those of us with disabilities or mental health issues, it can be so much more difficult.

If like me you have suffered from a prolonged spell of unemployment due to a mental or physical disability, you'll understand that the difficulties of finding work aren't solved by handing out CV's or going to job centres.

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I was born almost blind with extreme myopia. I was put into care when I was three because of my parents' inability to deal with my worsening eyesight. Life was very hard for me as there was a very real possibility that I would go completely blind by the time I reached 10 years old.

Then, when I reached 20 I had a schizophrenic episode and as a result entered the mental health system, spending years in a psychiatric institution. I was discharged in 1997, but for many reasons found life even harder once I was out, one of them being prejudice towards people with mental and physical health problems.

I also had zero qualifications, no experience, life skills or confidence. The result of this was that I remained unemployed for 15 years.

It wasn't a lack of trying that meant I was unable to find myself meaningful work, but having a history of both mental and physical disabilities meant that employers just weren't willing to offer me chance to prove I could do the job.

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According to a 2016 Labour Force Survey people with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed as those who aren't disabled.

I was only able to get back into employment through the help of Sunshine Shoeshine, a social enterprise that employed me as one of their 'Sunshiners' to polish shoes in London.

The act of cleaning shoes was initially tricky, but everyone was very patient and I quickly picked it up. The real challenge for me however, as someone who had experienced no interaction with everyday life, was to integrate into working society and deal with people. It felt like unemployment had institutionalised me.

It was only once I had my foot on the career ladder that I could build the necessary skills and qualifications needed to progress into other areas of work, and I was subsequently able to get a job as an office administrator.

I had long held the ambition to work with technology and the internet, so this role was a real game changer for me. It fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine, but without the help of social enterprises like Sunshine Shoeshine I don't see any other way that I could've acquired this job.

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Whilst this might seem like something positive, it remains a huge problem that having been trapped in a prolonged period of unemployment that this was the only available option to finally break that cycle and find work.

I consider myself extremely lucky that I could find a job that would allow me to develop and move onto better things, and I'm now happier, more qualified and have a much brighter future.

The same however cannot be said for everyone who has suffered the same disparaging treatment that both I and other sufferers of a mental or psychical illnesses have suffered when trying to find work.

Although the employment rate gap between disabled and non-disabled people is narrowing, there are still more support needed to help other who like me struggled to enter the working world after being left out of it for so long.

Alan Walton is an administrator and former 'Sunshiner' for Sunshine Shoeshine. If you'd like to hire a Sunshiner to visit your office and polish the team's shoes please visit www.sunshineshoeshine.com

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HuffPost UK Lifestyle has launched EveryBody, a new section calling for better equality and inclusivity for people living with disability and invisible illness. The aim is to empower those whose voices are not always heard and redefine attitudes to identity, lifestyle and ability in 2017. We'll be covering all manner of lifestyle topics - from health and fitness to dating, sex and relationships.

We'd love to hear your stories. To blog for the section, please email ukblogteam@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line 'EveryBody'. To flag any issues that are close to your heart, please email natasha.hinde@huffingtonpost.com, again with the subject line 'EveryBody'.
Fashion and sustainability aren't two words you often see in the same sentence. An adjective that evokes images of industry and ecology, "sustainable" is actually coming into fashion when describing, well, fashion. And as Director of Denim at WGSN, I can tell you this is very good news for our industry.

Sustainability as a concept has been buzzing for years, but its precise application to the world of fashion has been a bit murky. Still, there have been milestones:

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 This past June, H&M, Nike, and Asos were amongst the 13 fashion and textile brands who signed the Prince of Wales International Sustainability Unit, vowing to source 100% of all their cotton from sustainable sources by 2025

 In April, the industry came together at leading denim trade show, Kingpins, part of Amsterdam Denim Days, and stirred up the sustainable denim debate

 In March, global fashion retailer C&A and its corporate foundation, the C&A foundation launched the Fashion for Good initiative, promoting a circular fashion economy.

One-off sustainable collections, pledges for environmentally-sound production, and eco-friendly initiatives will only be effective, however, if they are part of a greater movement -- a movement that inspires and encourages all of us to think about our impact on our planet.

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As trend forecasters, WGSN works hand-in-hand with the fashion industry, guiding our clients through the ever-shifting landscape -- but we can't tell them to fasten their seat belts and not fasten our own. So, we decided to experience first-hand what brands go through when trying to make a shift towards a circular fashion economy and the challenges that come with producing sustainable fashion lines.

In April, we launched our first ever sustainable denim sample collection in partnership with Avery Dennison, M&J Group, Absolute Denim and Amsterdam Denim Days. When making the collection, we came to realise that most suppliers, despite having innovative products focused on sustainability, had low stock of our chosen materials. We attribute this to a general lack of demand, largely driven by the fact that the industry has no legal responsibility to be sustainable; there are no regulatory departments for the textile industry like there are in the food industry, for example. Without the parameters and proper governance, manufacturers simply aren't obligated to create fabrics and materials that one would consider 'green'. With that being said, we found that it doesn't start with a brand saying they want to make a "sustainable collection" -- it must start with the industry demanding sustainability.

Given the lack of formal regulation for sustainable textile production, the necessary parameters don't exist. For example, how do we know that reducing water usage by 1% during garment production equals sustainability? The process of creating such necessary criteria is underway, but it comes as no surprise that when politicians and consumers deny climate change, the conversation can only go so far.

Another issue is that many brands struggle to establish social responsibility as a core corporate mission. Why is that? Well, shifting values is hard work and requires persuasion and patience -- all while running the risk of appearing pretentious and contrived. So why should brands make the effort to embrace environmentally friendly practices when it means having to walk an extra mile? Not to mention that in reality, they don't necessarily have to.

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NGOs such as Greenpeace are raising awareness for circular fashion economies and urging a shift towards environmentally conscious behaviour. And their message isn't falling on deaf ears -- consumers aren't just listening, they're taking action, too. Previously driven by price point and choice, today's fashion consumers progressively expect sustainable products, processes, and behaviour. This forces the industry to rethink business models in order to stay profitable. The question remains whether consumer preferences will also ensure that brands truly adopt sustainability across the board, given the lack of formal monitoring.
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I had a major stroke on the 6th of September 2007. I was 35 and living in Japan. In a second, my life changed forever. I lost almost all function in the left side of my body along with my ability to speak. After 5 tortuous months of rehab in a Japanese hospital I learnt to walk again after a fashion and regained my speech. My arm and hand are still pretty much ornamental. So with my "strokeaversary" coming up, what have I learnt in my decade as a young(ish) stroke survivor? It seems close to impossible to sum up 10 years in 800 words but, let's take a deep breath and give it a try -

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1: I'm way stronger than I thought

I'm so much tougher and more resilient than I ever imagined. After a stroke your whole life changes totally. It's a profoundly strange, debilitating experience but I dragged myself through. You're grieving for the life you lost but at the same time you've got to find a way to live the new one you've been given. You've got to try to build something beautiful in the rubble. There's no closure. What I'm not is: "brave". "Brave" is a fire-fighter at Grenfell Tower. I just had some stupid bad luck and then didn't give up.

2: Everything takes way longer than it should

Physical improvements, decisions from the DWP, hospital appointments, waiting lists for adapted flats, emotional recovery. Everything seems to take forever. Even a decade after the stroke I'm still learning, growing and changing. Things move glacially. The trick is not to stop completely.

3: I've found new ways to judge myself

I lost a wife, a job and a life I loved in a foreign country. My body betrayed me. I had to go back and live with my folks again, which is not a great look in your late 30's. Quite enough stuff to decimate your self-esteem. And it did. But gradually I found ways to respect myself again. I studied and wrote a book. Volunteered supporting adult learners. Campaigned for things I care about. I made some new friends and got fit again. I hope I'm a better friend than I was 10 years ago. My life is very different from nearly everyone I know but I think I'm making a pretty decent fist of it.

4: People are kind

Unfortunately, that kindness often shows itself in clumsy, patronising or infantilising ways. Some people really don't know how to act around disabilities. I can't blame them. I certainly didn't until I started spending every day with one. Pro tip: Don't help me unless I ask. I worked so hard to regain my independence. Don't steal it from me again. A special shout out to the guy who bravely leapt into the traffic and held it up so I could safely cross the road. The road right outside my flat that I cross by myself several times day...

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Be like kids. Kids don't care. They'll ask you anything. I love it when random kids ask me supposedly inappropriate questions in the street."Have you got a poorly in your leg?", asked one the other day. Mum looked mortified but there's no point ignoring the big, hobbly elephant in the room. We had a nice, little chat and hopefully a barrier was broken down before it was built.

5: Don't be scared to ask for help

For all that big talk in the last paragraph, I do need a lot of help and it's sometimes hard to ask for it, however graciously you know it'll be given. People like helping and it's humbling to think about how much I've received from so many people - the NHS, my family and friends, Headway - the brain injury association, my PA, Enrych and my counsellor just for a start. People help because they care about you and because you're important. They don't care that you face-planted getting on the bus that morning or you only have 14.73 in your bank account.

I live in a world I could never have imagined before I moved here. Often in the first few years, I couldn't see any way to make it habitable but, so, so slowly the sun came up. So far, it's been wonderful, terrifying, life-affirming, exhausting and funny. And it's only just begun.

HuffPost UK Lifestyle has launched EveryBody, a new section calling for better equality and inclusivity for people living with disability and invisible illness. The aim is to empower those whose voices are not always heard and redefine attitudes to identity, lifestyle and ability in 2017. We'll be covering all manner of lifestyle topics - from health and fitness to dating, sex and relationships.

We'd love to hear your stories. To blog for the section, please email ukblogteam@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line 'EveryBody'. To flag any issues that are close to your heart, please email natasha.hinde@huffingtonpost.com, again with the subject line 'EveryBody'.

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Labour can defeat Boris Johnson and paint Uxbridge and South Ruislip red. A few weeks ago this would have sounded fantastical: now it is political reality. In 2015, Johnson had a majority of nearly 10,700; in June, that more than halved to just over 5,000 votes. What makes this even more extraordinary is this was achieved when Labour was fighting a defensive campaign. Constituencies like Uxbridge and South Ruislip were deprived of resources and activists on the ground. Not this time. We're on the offensive, and Boris Johnson's constituency is firmly in our sights.

This Sunday, myself, Emily Thornberry, Keir Starmer, Rupa Huq, Marsha de Cordova and hundreds of activists will flood Boris Johnson's constituency with Labour's positive alternative. Some of you will be asking: hang on a minute. Didn't we just have a general election, and isn't the next one years away? Well, we don't know when an election will take place: clearly Britain is now ruled by a Coalition of Chaos and lacks strong and stable government. But campaigning should not just take place in the few weeks leading up to an election: that takes voters for granted. Jeremy Corbyn has put Labour on a permanent general election footing. Labour needs to be on the ground, constantly listening to the concerns and aspirations of the electorate. If Labour campaigns now, the party will be in a much better position to take Uxbridge and South Ruislip when an election is finally called - and the dozens of other Tory-held constituencies the party needs to win to get a majority.

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The case against Boris Johnson is very clear. Here is a man who was sacked for lying twice: once by a newspaper editor, another by his party leader. He has made repeatedly bigoted statements, like calling black people "piccanninies" with "watermelon smiles", and once suggesting that equal marriage could mean "three men and a dog" getting married. He was once recorded discussing with a friend the possibility of a journalist being beaten up. He opportunistically backed Brexit only because he felt it would further his political career. He recently had perhaps the most humiliating carcrash interview of any Cabinet minister in recent history. And as Foreign Secretary, he is reducing this great country to an international laughing stock.

Tory constituencies like Uxbridge and South Ruislip are not all wealthy, booming leafy suburbs. Labour's policies will benefit Johnson's constituents: even transform their lives. For the vast majority, tax will be frozen, except for the most well-off so that the NHS, schools and housing can be properly funded. Big corporations will be asked to pay a bit more, too, to invest in the economy and public services. Young people will no longer be hammered with debt for going to university. The pay freeze will be ended. Public utilities - like rail and energy - will be brought under the ownership of the British people. A genuine living wage will be introduced.

So come and join us this Sunday: we're meeting from 10.30am at Hillingdon Civic Centre, 225-226 High Street, Uxbridge - and then we'll go and knock on doors. At 1pm, we'll gather back at the Centre for lunch and speeches from Labour Shadow Cabinet ministers and MPs. If you've never knocked on a door before: great. On all of these campaign days, about half have never door knocked. You're paired with someone who's experienced, and you'll be surprised at how easy and fun it is.

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One of the main reasons for Theresa May's current flailing in the opinion polls and political nosedive in the June general election is her misunderstanding of the public's attitude towards Brexit.

When explaining her absence from a televised election debate with Jeremy Corbyn and the other party leaders, May mentioned that unlike Corbyn, who 'should be doing a little more thinking about Brexit negotiations', she was concentrating on the the UK's retreat from the EU. Essentially, May was dismissing a general election that she herself had called.

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As her popularity in the polls waned, there followed a series of horrific terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, which sparked further questioning of what Tory cuts had done to the UK's police force and our day to day safety. Feeling the pressure, May committed to highlighting Brexit in an attempt to divert attention away from the cuts.

It's not easy, though, distracting people from the years of austerity they've suffered - turning their attention away from the jobs they've lost, their wages frozen, their hospital waiting times lengthened. The anxiety surrounding these problems was a large part of the reason many people voted to leave the European Union in the first place. Boris Johnson's campaign for strengthening the UK's autonomy over British laws didn't hit home nearly as hard as the short-lived promise to inject 350 million a week into the NHS post-leave. The small majority who wanting Brexit voted for the positive effects to public services they believed it would have, not the principle of the thing itself.

A year later, after being pummelled with borderline meaningless, 'Brexit means Brexit' slogans and a potential exit deal more chaotic than Theresa May in a fresh field of wheat, people are tired of whole idea. What's more is the condescending tone in which the importance of Brexit is used. The Tory's election campaign centred around the fact that there's currently a lot of very important, very complicated work to be done in Europe, and nobody can understand it but them.

This is remarkably evident in the disconnection between May's attitude towards the EU talks and the public's desired outcome for Brexit. The PM's authoritarian declaration of 'no deal is better than a bad deal' seems oblivious to what anybody really wants. Just after the election, as many as two thirds of people felt that leaving the EU without 'a mutually agreed deal' would be bad for the country, according to a Survation poll. Those who voted to leave the EU didn't want to do so for the chaos that it would create. It's not a mystery, therefore, that people distrust a prime minister, once a certified remainer, now stumbling whole heartedly into a Brexit so hard it's going to give the whole of the UK whiplash.

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This is not to mention that May's attempts at pulling the Brexit veil over the things that actually matter to people - hospitals, schools, jobs - is in complete disregards of the wants and needs of the 16million people who voted to remain in the EU.
Imagine for a moment, someone, a manager, sending you home because they don't like what you're wearing. Picture your face, picture the words they'd use, the official-sounding management-speak they'd employ in an attempt to lessen the awkwardness.

That's what happened to a London receptionist last year, the story became a national scandal and a video we made in response travelled round the world. And yet the very same event could be repeated, legally in any UK workplace today as the government rejected calls to change dres

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We were trying to think how to respond to the news that a receptionist at PricewaterhouseCoopers was sent home for refusing to wear heels at her desk. Nicola Thorp - educated, urban, making her living in a competitive city was one of ours: exactly the kind of woman we'd invented Stylist to entertain. She hadn't been treated appropriately and we wanted to find a way of saying, 'This will not do any more'.

Our response starred some men who work in our office, it took a couple of hours to film, a day to edit, and it was seen by 20 million people.

We sat around in the windowless basement room that serves as our creative nerve centre (this seems odd now I write it, maybe the lack of distraction works for us?) and we started, as I remember, with outrage and disbelief but slowly came round to humour. If you can make people laugh at a political absurdity, you take your point beyond the debate, beyond lines drawn by party and ideology and you enter the world of the sharable, self-evident truth.

Would us men be treated this way? We began think about discomfort and mobility. All of us were wearing clothes that would allow us to run from an attacker or scale a reasonably sized oak. Dr Martens, the odd brogue and substantial majority of white trainers, made us mobile and profoundly comfortable. Then we wondered how it would feel to have someone make us take them off and switch for footwear that pinched feet, offset postures and made stairs challenging let alone trees?

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So the idea was born, the men of Stylist would try wearing heels. Men would feel the pain women had felt for years. We laughed as we all enjoyed our own mental pictures and we continued to laugh as our hand-picked group of young men ventured out onto our nearby cobbles and staircases followed by a camera.

This was not an assault on heels - the women in the office love them; the Stylist audience loves them. Heels can be a cheering luxury, an empowering extra four inches, a playful nod to the glamour and the femininity of the past. But the choice has to be theirs. The moment it's forced upon them, the pinching and the balancing becomes intolerable. This was about choice and freedom, not Louboutins.

The men sacrificed their ankles and their dignity and the video shows them finally saluting the extraordinary trick their colleagues pull off every day as they walk and stand without crying or screaming. We turned the tables and the world (genuinely, a fair proportion of the world) watched, commented and shared.

The responses fell into two main categories: delight that the extraordinary act of coercion that sent a woman home had been marked in this way, and secondly, women who fancied the blokes from our office. We haven't counted but I suspect the sexually intrigued outnumbered the morally outraged. This was the internet remember.

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Regardless of our distracting males, we remain convinced that this timely gender reversal touched a nerve. When we launched Stylist, feminism was a relatively uncharted area in a women's press dominated by sketchy (that is, entirely fabricated) celebrity stories and the creepily detailed analysis of paparazzi pictures and the tiny flaws they exposed. Women's magazines weren't very keen on women. They laughed at them for sweating, for having normal knees, for being too fat, for being too thin... We broke the mould, but the battles still needed fighting.
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Our group Resisting Hate come under a lot of flak for the stand we take against hate speech. We regularly butt heads with defenders of free speech who feel we have a pro censorship agenda and who believe we want to silence the voices of those with differing views to us and to eliminate all criticism of minority groups.

The answer with which I usually respond when challenged is: hate speech is not free speech. But while this statement is certainly true it does not fully explain our position on criticism and the fact we actually believe it to play a valuable part in our society.

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Most of the debating on this subject is concerned with religion and the perception held by some that there are religions who believe they should be above criticism. I would challenge this. A strong faith is not weakened by questions. If anything a faith is enhanced by questions that force introspection and analysis of strong beliefs. My faith is not above criticism and your faith is not above criticism. If we have confidence in our Gods and what we believe to be true then any challenge to those beliefs will only help us define and sharpen them.

Criticism opens dialogue, it gets people thinking, it begins debates and discussions, it facilitates education and by doing this it helps overcome prejudice. The best way to challenge preconceptions about other religions is to get concerns out into the open and talk about them freely. Criticism is not a threat to religious beliefs, it is a tool that will lay the foundations for a deeper understanding of others and a more integrated society.

It is therefore entirely appropriate to hold an opinion on other religions and there is no reason why this opinion cannot be publicly expressed.

Where Resisting Hate and others find a cause for concern is not the fact that criticism exists but how the criticism is expressed. This is where the boundary of free speech ends and the grey area of hate speech begins. To be clear - It is acceptable to say you disagree with the beliefs of another, it is acceptable to say you believe the holy scripture of another religion is invalid. It is acceptable to question the morality, ideals and doctrine of another religion. It is acceptable to express truths about a religion, even if those truths are unpalatable. This is free speech. You have a right to your view and you have a right to question the views of others.

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What you do not have the right to do is abuse other people when expressing your opinion.

You do not have the right to tell lies about other faiths or spread incorrect information that will skew the views of people encountering your untruths.

You do not have the right to deny historical facts and dates.

You do not have the right to extrapolate from the acts of the minority to make sweeping assumptions about the majority.

You do not have the right to make threats against individuals or community groups.

You do not have the right to desecrate the holy books and artefacts which have sacred meaning to others. This is not expressing criticism, this is expressing hate.

Nor does the right to free speech entail you have any right to be listened to or give you any right to a platform from which to share your views. The far right were up in arms recently when Katie Hopkins parted company with LBC as they perceived it as infringement of her right to free speech. But this was not censorship. Mrs Hopkins has the right to her views but she has no right to a radio show (or a newspaper column for that matter) from which to share those views.
It's just over a month since the UK's General Election, and people are still talking about it. But it's not the policies, or the working of government which is capturing the attention; the theme of most conversations is still 'how could she get it so wrong?' Theresa May threw away a comfortable majority to bask in the glory of public humiliation. Clinging to power by her fingertips she admitted in an interview with the BBC this week that the election result had come as a shock, causing her to 'shed a little tear' before facing the music and the trial of forming an unlikely - and unpopular - coalition with the DUP. So where did it all go so wrong for the Conservatives? Could social media really be to blame?

Quite probably yes, actually.

I've written previously about the ways in which Donald Trump's campaign successes were partly driven by clever social media management, but what about election failures? Is the Tories' inability to grasp the social media nettle to blame for the tricky situation the party finds itself in today?

As one social media user put it (bagging themselves a not so insignificant 8,790 retweets and 19,635 Likes): "Tories spent 1,200,000 on negative anti-Jeremy Corbyn social media adverts ... And the internet came up with anti-Theresa May memes for free."

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You see, the thing is, that although the Conservative Party acknowledged social media by spending an absolute fortune on paid for adverts (enough to cover the wages of around 50 teachers for an entire year), the content that they were generating simply did not float the public's boat.

Admittedly, it can be difficult to predict just what is likely to go viral, but humour tends to do it faster than hate, which is why throwaway in-jokes can reach unintended millions, while calculated campaigns generate very low waves.

Take Mrs May's now infamous 'naughty' confession about running through fields of wheat. It generated literally hundreds of social media memes, including one by 21 year old Jennifer Agnew, which was instantly retweeted by thousands of Twitter users and has since been seen by more than 2.9m people. Agnew wasn't making a political statement; she had no intention of influencing the election, and no thought that her two minute creation would be seen by so many; she was merely enjoying a moment that so many of us found ridiculous. And yet she caught the public's attention in ways that the Tories' PR team could only dream of.

While the anti-May memes - inadvertent or otherwise - were doing the rounds the grass roots campaigners for the other side were making social media work for them. The Jeremy Corbyn social coverage was immense, but rather than spending millions on the traditional advertising route, the Labour party relied on its supporters to generate its content. The 'Corbynistas' were - and are - loyal, ardent and creative, but they have one other thing which made them successful: an understanding of what their peers would appreciate. Yes, they made fun of May far more successfully than the Tories did of Corbyn, but they also generated positivity. A 2015 snap of his purchasing The Big Issue reappeared and went viral, featuring in so many social posts it is near impossible to calculate its overall coverage.

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It was Barack Obama's first presidential campaign which first embraced social media as the tool it has the potential to be. For some reason it's taking UK politicians some time to switch on to the enormous power behind a clever - and most crucially - socially engaging tweet.
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After the listlessness of winter, summer is usually the antidote. Peak weather, renewed energy. Things start happening, people begin moving. For most of us this means enjoying life a little more. But for some it's what their life depends on. Which is why this summer, the numbers of people trying to cross the Mediterranean sea from Libya to Italy geared up again. And at least one media outlet expressed surprise as they filmed boats arrive at the coast of Lesvos, perhaps half expecting that problem to have gone away since the EU-Turkey deal took effect.

Boats have been arriving at the Greek islands however, every month on an almost weekly basis. The frequency and volume may have gone down but the refugees didn't disappear. But what they're heading towards is almost as tragic as what they left behind. And while renewed media attention is welcome on the issue, as soon as the cameras turn away, the reality on the islands they reach is stark and underreported.

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Firstly, their lives are in a state of constant limbo. Often unable to be housed by UNHCR, refugees are living in makeshift camps or private or state run detention facilities, like Vial in Chios. Vial is run by the Greek military and while they have loosened security so those with papers can come and go as they please, it remains a deeply detested and harsh place to live that has fostered a culture of violence. Elements of this have spilt over onto the informal camp in Chios city, Souda, that's been targeted by fascists on a number of occasions. But it's the petty and harsh conditions of the camps that have intensified tensions within them. Exacerbated by political stagnation.

It's something that NGOs like ICRC in Greece are aware of. Fragkiska Magaloudi from the organisation has said that it's the overcrowding and long waiting periods for asylum processing that's furthering stress and frustrations among migrants. And the precarious situation in some of the reception facilities on mainland Greece including security and overall protection is also a concern for them. Particularly where it concerns vulnerable groups like unaccompanied minors and single parents for instance.

Save the Children Greece has expressed similar concerns. Sacha Myers from the organisation has said that this has led to worrying expressions of violence with little recourse from authorities partly because there is confusion between who - the navy, the police or the army - is responsible for what.

Myers told me that "children have been caught up in violent protests, seen dead bodies in the camps, watched others attempt suicide, spent winter in flimsy tents and have had no access to formal education. None of this is normal or healthy for a child's mental development."

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Human Rights Watch would agree. They themselves released a report warning of a looming mental health crisis. Trauma and psychological distress of war and exile is being exacerbated by the harsh conditions of camp life. They've blamed the unknown future, the appalling conditions and discriminatory EU policies, which decides asylum applications according to nationality, rather than individual cases.

And this perceived preferential treatment is part of the toxicity that harnesses ethnic tensions and the resulting communal violence.

That's an environment no European government should be tolerating let alone harnessing.
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Britain now holds the record for having the most Pride events in Europe. At the last count we've got way over 100, possibly approaching 120, and this weekend brand new Prides take place in Bideford in Devon and in Eastbourne in East Sussex. Over the course of the year, millions of people across the UK will visit a Pride. And that's something to celebrate.

We've come a long way since 1972 when a few dozen brave activists got together in London and Birmingham for the first Prides in the UK. Pride in London now regularly attracts more than a million extra people onto the streets, and new Prides are popping up to huge success; last weekend thousands of people flocked to the first Isle of Wight Pride.

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But this weekend there's something very special happening. Hull's Pride will play host to the first 'UK Pride', coinciding with the city's status as City of Culture 2017. But what is UK Pride?

In 1992, a group of Pride organisers got together in London to form an alliance of European Prides, called the European Pride Organisers Association, and decided that one Pride each year should be designated 'EuroPride'. London was the first - and footage has recently emerged of that historic event - and in the 25 years since, EuroPride has visited a different city each year, from Riga to Rome, Amsterdam to Oslo, and Marseille to Manchester. Four cities - Bergen, Brussels, Hamburg and Thessaloniki - are currently bidding for EuroPride 2020.

And a few years after the invention of EuroPride, the international Pride community, through InterPride, created WorldPride, the first of which was held in Rome in 2000. Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated WorldPride in Madrid, following in the footsteps of previous hosts Rome, Jerusalem, London and Toronto.

So when Pride organisers in the UK set up the UK Pride Organisers Network (UKPON) last year, my fellow Co-Chair Andy Train suggested we should designate one Pride in the UK every year to be 'UK Pride'. That Pride would then become the focal point for Prides in that year, and other Prides should be encouraged to visit and support the event. By unanimous vote of members of the Network, Pride in Hull was selected as the first. The results so far have been impressive, and we'll see more as UK Pride at Pride in Hull gets underway this weekend.

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If you were at Pride in London, you'll have struggled to miss the Humberside Fire Service fire engine in the Parade, emblazoned with the Pride in Hull and UK Pride branding. Hull's status as UK Pride has been covered across the LGBTI media, and even in mainstream news too, including the BBC and ITV. At a reception at Downing Street for LGBTI activists on Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May mentioned UK Pride and wished the event well.

PM, Downing St. Pride event: Your inspirational work has created a better future for LGBT+ people in Britain & world https://t.co/uGsTbOERyopic.twitter.com/zk31vONfik  UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) July 19, 2017

In Hull this weekend you'll see what's likely to be their biggest Parade ever, with representatives of local, regional and national charities, NGOs, political groups, companies and corporate supporters. There's a pop up shop, arts events, and a stage show on Saturday that includes Marc Almond, Seann Miley Moore, and 80s and 90s legends including B*Witched and Sonia. There's then a whole week of events leading up to a major concert the following weekend.

But it's more than just a party. We're privileged in the UK to be able to celebrate LGBTI equality, although there is clearly more to do, such as on marriage equality in Northern Ireland and trans equality across the UK. But look to Europe, and there is much to do. Istanbul Pride last month was banned. In Kyiv, Pride-goers were assaulted. In Chechnya, gay and bi men are being rounded up and killed. You don't have to look much beyond Europe's borders to find countries where homosexuality is illegal, and even punishable by death.

That context is critical. As we 'celebrate' the fiftieth anniversary of the starting gun being fired for equality in the UK, across the world, there are more than 70 countries where LGBTI people are persecuted, prosecuted and worse. Human rights activists from organisations like Amnesty, ILGA Europe and Human Rights Watch are working tirelessly to highlight these abuses, and some of their campaigning will be very visible in Hull this weekend. But the importance of Pride in demonstrating that things can get better can never be underestimated.

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There will be people in Uganda, in Uzbekistan, in Moldova, in Ukraine, maybe even in Chechnya, watching news reports and YouTube films of Pride events in the western world, feeling buoyed by what they see. Thinking that one day they will be as free as we are to celebrate who they are, who they want to be, and who they love. With freedom and equality.

And so UK Pride is important because it shows that Pride isn't always concentrated on the 'big' events like London, Manchester or Brighton, as important as they are, but that there are - literally - hundreds of other Pride events, organised by grassroots activists in smaller towns and cities across the UK, and across other countries throughout the world.

We don't yet know which Prides will bid to host UK Pride in 2018. But we do know that the increased focus that UK Pride status will give them will mean that they are shining a light for LGBTI equality across the UK, Europe, and the world. Join us in Hull this weekend for the start of something very, very special!
CHESHIRE, Mass.  The Selectmen are debating whether to begin the process of crafting a medical marijuana zoning bylaws.

With the likelihood of the state adopting recreational marijuana regulations, Town Administrator Mark Webber asked the board on Tuesday if officials would be interested in creating a bylaw.

"Recreational will be passed and if there is an interest we would pass this along to the Planning Board," Webber said. "Applicants are already approaching area towns seeking letters of non-opposition for medical with the angle of sliding in for recreational ... It is coming pretty quickly and I just want you to be aware of it."

Selectwoman Carol Francesconi asked that the board have some time to think about it before starting a serious discussion.

Webber said the project would mostly lie on the Planning Board, but Planner Peter Traub said his board has yet to really discuss a bylaw.

The town administrator also told the board it would need to adopt a facility use policy for the closed elementary and a lease agreement with the regional school district for continued use of the building for its central administrative office.

"The district's attorney was waiting for the budget to pass before working on the lease agreement," Webber said. "He is working on it now."

If the building is occupied, the town can save on insurance.

"You are going to have things happening there and I recommend that the board adopt a building use policy and application," Webber said. "It is a standard document that will allow you to track who is there so you won't have conflicts."

In the past, the school district handled all facility use requests. Webber said he will bring forth a policy at a future meeting.

Highway Superintendent Blair Crane reported that he has blocked off a brush-removal collection area when there is no one to attend to it because people are dumping garbage.

"I have had issues with people coming in there at night and on the weekends and dumping not only refuse but garbage, cans, bottles and I just got tired of going down there and picking through it ... I can't really screen it out," he said.

He said the town mulches the brush pile and uses it for topsoil, but this can't be done if people throw garbage in it.

Crane said would like eventually only allow access through the transfer station only so the dumping area is always monitored.
MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack joined local MassDOT and elected officials to get an update on the $10.5 million reconstruction project.

MassDOT Secretary Praises Massive Road Reconstruction in Dalton



Pollack praised the adoption of a Complete Streets design in the project. The secretary says she wants road projects to include bicycle lanes and renovated sidewalks to accommodate all modes of transportation. DALTON, Mass.  MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack says the massive $10.5 million reconstruction of East Housatonic Street is a perfect example of what the state wants to see.

The project has been in the works for years and finally began construction in March 2016. It is on pace to be completed in October, with punch list items being completed in the spring.

It entails everything the state Department of Transportation would like to see in a road project.

"The investment we are making and Dalton is making together is going to mean that a road that was in really bad shape and needed to be fixed for a very long time is now getting fixed. When it is done, it is really done. The road is better, the sidewalk is better, the drainage was terrible and homeowners who lived on the street were getting water running off our road and into their property," Pollack said on Friday after touring the construction site.

State and federal funds were used for the road and sidewalk portion of the project, while the town put up funds to redo the drainage system underneath, install new water lines, and extend the sewer system while the road was dug up. Pollack said after a massive road reconstruction, it is difficult to go back in and dig it all up to add the underground infrastructure later, so coordinating that to be done during the project is key to making sure it is done right.

State Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, said he's been working with the town for years to tackle the needs on the 1.9-mile stretch of roadway.

"This is an important thoroughfare and there are a lot of businesses on this road, including Crane Paper. There is a lot of truck traffic, there are a lot of people who use it as a short cut  I used to use it as a short cut a lot until the construction started  but it has been a project that has been a long time in the works," Mark said.

The project also incorporates MassDOT's Complete Streets concept. The state has placed a greater emphasis on building roads that include bicycle lanes and sidewalks to accommodate all forms of transportation.

"When we build transportation infrastructure, we really need to think about everyone who is using it. The majority of people who are going to use a road like this are in fact going to be in a car. But there are families who live here, their kids are going to school down there, those kids are going to be walking," Pollack said.

Pollack says if highway engineers can't find a way to add those pieces to the design, then the project needs her personal approval.

"Our design engineers, if they have a project that they really think that they can't, I, as the secretary, actually sign off on every case we don't do pedestrian and bicycle to push us to think outside of the box, can we find a way?" Pollack said.

Dalton received a $400,000 grant from the state's Complete Streets program. Pollack said the grant program is designed to pay the extra costs of sidewalks and bicycle lanes for the towns when a municipality is looking at its own reconstruction projects.

Coming up with the funding for the East Housatonic project was difficult, and was the type of project that tends to get continually pushed back. The funding for it came from the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is in charge of programming projects with federal resources on an annual basis.

Only about $8 million is received for the entire county per year. The MPO used two years of funding to complete the Dalton project, limiting the number of other Berkshire County projects that could be done.

"It is tough out here in the Berkshires because the allocations to the MPOs are small so a project like this literally costs more than the entire annual amount the MPO has to spend. We know that is a problem, we don't know if we have a solution to it," Pollack said.

But what she is doing is looking to make a better process in setting priorities. The department is currently crafting new ways to objectively compare projects fighting for funds to spend the money in the way Pollack believes gets the best results.

"We've been building infrastructure in Massachusetts for 300, 400 years and we are not going to fix all of it in five. I think we are lucky, in one of the rare acts of bipartisanship in Congress, they did pass a new multi-year federal funding proposal. It did increase the amount of money that flows to the states and the MPOs and it is also for six years," Pollack said.

Mark said the upcoming ballot initiative on the Fair Share Amendment is going to be critical to providing enough funds to make more road repairs. That initiative would increase taxes on millionaires and the additional revenue would go to education and transportation.

"That's our opportunity to get more money for transportation and education projects. That is a great opportunity to get money available for projects here in the Berkshires," Mark said.

For years, the complaint from the Berkshires has been that more funds go to the eastern part of the state. State Sen. Adam Hinds said Pollack understands the issues in the Berkshires and he is hopeful that will be addressed.

"It is great to have the secretary here to show her that there is a disconnect between the need for investments in transportation and the amount of funding that is coming to the towns, that are already strapped with their budgets. She recognizes this issues and pointed to a number of projects to address it," Hinds said.

The senator said "roads and bridges are top priorities for municipalities when it comes to strains on their budgets and increasing needs" and he specifically cited bridges.

Pollack said it was made abundantly clear when she visited the area in 2015 that there were many bridges spanning less than 20 feet that were too costly to repair with Chapter 90 funds but were too small to qualify for federal funding. Her department developed the Small Bridge Project, which the Legislature funded at $50 million, to help complete renovations to the numerous small bridges throughout the state.

"This is actually the part of the state this program is for and we will be able to do those grants, a couple rounds of grants for five years," she said.

Pollack said another one of her goals is to find ways to lower the engineering and design costs. She will be looking at programs in others states and hopes that instead of engineering being required for every single bridge, there could be standardized designs. She believes that could reduce the money spent on engineering and design and put more toward construction each year.
Centers for Living and Rehabilitation Welcomes New Medical Director

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Dr. James Poole has accepted an appointment as the medical director for the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, a part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care.



Dr. Poole has served as a hospitalist with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center since 2008 and has been a member of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians since its inception in 2012. In addition to his roles as a hospitalist and as medical director of CLR, Dr. Poole is hospitalist director and medical director of medical affairs.



"Having a medical director on site three days a week and a nurse practitioner is what sets CLR apart from other facilities that provide similar services," said Suzanne Anair, CLR's administrator. "Dr. Poole is deeply committed to improving the lives of our residents, and we are proud to offer this exceptional level of medical service for patients."



Poole received his undergraduate education in physical therapy from the University of Hartford in Connecticut and worked for two years as an acute care physical therapist before attending medical school at Ross University in Dominica, West Indies. He completed his residency at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.



"This role blends administrative and patient-care responsibilities and fits well with my work at the hospital," Poole said.



The hospitalist team sees many of CLR's patients before they are transferred. They also cover off hours at CLR.


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FTC to Host Cybersecurity Roundtables with Small Businesses

Washington, DC - The Federal Trade Commission is hosting small business owners in a series of public roundtables across the United States to discuss the most pressing challenges small businesses face in protecting the security of their computers and networks.

The Engage, Connect, and Protect Initiative: Small Business and Data Security Roundtables are part of an ongoing initiative by Acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen aimed at helping small businesses, which included the launch of a new website in May focused on helping small business owners avoid scams and protect their computers and networks from cyberattacks. There are more than 28 million small businesses nationwide, employing nearly 57 million people, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA).

The FTC has been a leader in guiding businesses of all sizes on how to protect the data in their care, Acting Chairman Ohlhausen said. Companies with only a few employees face unique challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. Well use what we learn in the roundtables to tailor our practical resource materials for small businesses.

The first roundtable event will take place July 25 in Portland, Oregon, in partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), the SBA, and other organizations. This event will be followed by a roundtable discussion in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 6, hosted by the FTC and the Council of Smaller Enterprises and in collaboration with the SBA. Another roundtable event will take place later in September in Des Moines, Iowa, sponsored by the NCSA.

The roundtables will bring together FTC staff along with the SBA and other federal partners, industry associations, and the small business community. The comments and feedback generated by the roundtables will be used to help the FTC and its partners provide additional education and guidance for small business owners on cybersecurity issues.

Small business owners also can provide feedback on cybersecurity issues they face by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Troika and EU Joint Statement on South Sudan

Washington, DC - The members of the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and the European Union condemn the continuing violence in South Sudan, especially the Government of South Sudans current offensive against SPLM-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) forces near Pagak, as well as ongoing road ambushes and attacks by the SPLM-IO. The Pagak offensive is a clear violation of the unilateral ceasefire declared by President Salva Kiir on May 22, and calls into question the governments commitment to reach peace through the National Dialogue, notwithstanding the sincere efforts undertaken by the leaders of the Steering Committee.

The Troika and EU repeat and endorse the June 12 call by the leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for President Kiir to ensure that his forces respect the unilateral ceasefire, for the armed opposition groups to reciprocate the ceasefire, and for all groups to allow the unfettered delivery of humanitarian assistance to all those in need. We also welcome IGADs announcement of a High-Level Revitalization Forum for the South Sudan peace process. We call upon IGAD to expeditiously convene the Forum, and to include the current principal parties to the conflict. Likewise, we urge all parties to fully participate in the Forum. The Troika and EU agree with IGAD that the Forum should focus on achieving a ceasefire and resuming political dialogue that focuses on updating the agreements timelines and other provisions that are now obsolete in light of the expansion of conflict since 2015.



The proliferation of violence, displacement, and food insecurity renders any discussion of elections in the foreseeable future as an unnecessary diversion from the primary goals of achieving peace and reconciliation. South Sudans leaders, neighbors, and regional and international partners must first focus on achieving peace in order to create the conditions needed to hold credible elections. To achieve these urgent goals, we look forward to the prompt revitalization of an inclusive and credible peace process by IGAD; such progress would be required in order for the Troika and EU to commit further resources to institutions designed to implement the agreement.
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The BBC is launching a new TV music show that will feature performances from some of the biggest artists in the UK and around the world.

The show will be broadcast more than 11 years after the BBC axed its flagship pop music programme, as a six-part music series aired this autumn.

The name of the programme and its place in the schedule have yet to be confirmed but it is understood it will be broadcast at peak times during the evening.

The new 30-minute show will feature sketches and interviews as well as live performances. It will be the first regular flagship music programme on BBC1 since Top of the Pops was cancelled in 2006.

Top of the Pops was first broadcast in 1964. Like the new BBC music show it was commissioned for six episodes before being given a permanent weekly slot.

The new show is being produced by Fulwell 73, whose five partners include James Corden. The BBC says that Corden will not present the programme, although it is yet to say who will.

Bob Shennan, director of BBC Radio and Music, said: This series will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the biggest and best UK and international bands and artists and were looking forward to working with one of the worlds most innovative and creative TV production companies.
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Michael Gove has attacked Donald Trump over his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change, saying the worlds second biggest source of greenhouse gases could not simply walk out of the room when the heat is on.

In a speech in which the Environment Secretary promised a green Brexit, Mr Gove said he deeply regretted the move by the US President, who once described global warming as a hoax perpetrated by China.

However he also expressed hope that Mr Trump was reconsidering the decision,

Mr Gove said environmental factors had brought about collapse or crisis that destroyed past civilisations again and again over history.

He pointed to evidence of new threats posed by climate change, the build-up of toxins in our soil, air and oceans and the spiralling level of resource consumption, waste generation and demand for energy which all threaten human progress in the future.

It is because environmental degradation is such a threat to future prosperity and security that I deeply regret President Trumps approach towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Mr Gove said in a speech at environmental charity WWF-UK.

I sincerely hope the recent indications that the President may be minded to think again do signal a change of heart.

International co-operation to deal with climate change is critical if were to safeguard our planets future and the worlds second biggest generator of carbon emissions cant simply walk out of the room when the heat is on.

Its our planet too and America needs to know we can only resolve this problem together.

He pointed to the devastating impact climate change can have on societies described in a book about the 17th century, Global Crisis by Geoffrey Parker.

Parker charts the collapse of hemispherically dominant regimes from China to Spain and the outbreak of devastating civil wars in the UK and across Europe all driven, or exacerbated, by the resource challenges generated by climate change, Mr Gove said.

History teaches us that unless we prepare for these challenges we will be undone.

WWF-UKs chief executive, Tanya Steele, welcomed the tone of the Environment Secretarys remarks about the US withdrawal from the Paris accord.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Were pleased that Michael Gove has made clear his, and the Governments, disappointment at President Trumps withdrawal from the Paris climate deal and, in doing so, he is reflecting the view of the British people, she said.

Climate change is a global issue that affects the future of everyone on our planet; it is essential that the UK steps up to the plate and continues to show leadership.

Ben Caldecott, an associate fellow at the Conservative think thank Bright Blue, also praised Mr Gove.

The Secretary of State is absolutely right that we have a unique opportunity to dramatically enhance UK environment policy. The direction and ambition of the Governments policy is clear and we warmly endorse it, particularly the announcement to ban microbeads and address ocean pollution," he said.

"The next step is developing many more specific policies, legal protections, and budgetary support to realise this vision and we look forwarding to working with Gove and his team at Defra on these topics.
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The Government is to go ahead with a ban on rinse-off plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products following a public consultation, it has announced.

The proposal comes amid increasing evidence that tiny plastic particles are damaging marine life and could even pose a serious risk to human health.

Exfoliating scrubs, shower gels and toothpaste are among the products to be affected.

The cosmetics industry resisted calls for leave-on products like make-up and sunscreen to be included in the ban, saying they would have to reformulate up to 90 per cent of their products, which would be difficult and expensive.

The Government, which will introduce the necessary legislation later this year, said an expert committee would consider whether other products should be included in the ban, which would be enforced by warnings and fines.

Greenpeace UK hailed the move as the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date. The Marine Conservation Society also welcomed the announcement, but said microbeads should be banned from any product that was likely to end up being flushed down the drain.

The news came as Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, promised further action to reduce the amount of plastic waste getting into the sea, saying it was putting marine wildlife under serious threat.

In a summary of responses to the consultation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), officials said that based on this evidence the overall objective of our proposals remains to ban the use of rinse-off plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products where there is clear and robust evidence of harm to the marine environment.

It said the timescale for the ban in England becoming effective would remain the same  manufacture will be outlawed from 1 January next year with sales prohibited from 30 June.

We have developed precise definitions of microbead, plastic and rinse-off personal care product to clearly define the scope of the ban, the document said.

We have retained the scope of rinse-off products, but are additionally working with the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (HSAC) to assess the case for addressing further categories of products.

We have identified Trading Standards as a suitable regulator to manage compliance and enforcement in England.

Enforcement in England will be carried out through a range of sanctions including variable monetary penalties, compliance notices, stop notices and enforcement undertakings.

It added that the devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were considering appropriate enforcement mechanisms, regulators and timescales according to devolution settlements.

Banning plastic microbeads in cosmetics is seen as an easy way of reducing the amount of small pieces of plastic getting into the sea, partly because they are used as exfoliants and there are natural replacements.

In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic trashes drifting on the sea surface in Marseille's islands In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution The Bishnumati river running through Kathmandu in Nepal. The river is full of litter and raw sewage which is emptied into the river. The local people see the river as a rubbish collection service In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Garbage in the harbour of Tripoli, Libya In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic and other undissolvable wastes float over the polluted Vrishabhavathi River, which a few years back use to supply drinking water to Bangalore 48 km to the north, in Kundanahalli village, Ramnagaram district, India In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Children collect plastic to be sold and recycled at a polluted river in suburban Manila In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic bags and other rubbish are collected from the waters of Manila Bay during a campaign by environmental activists earlier this year Getty Images In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A man collects plastic bags and other rubbish from the waters of Manila Bay In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A woman throws out a doll while she selects recyclable plastic bottles, along Tiete river where floating foam blocks emit harmful gasses, in Pirapora de Bom Jesus, 60 Km north of Sao Paulo, Brazil In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Baby sea otter pup chews on a plastic cookie wrapper In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Bin overflowing with plastic rubbish, central London

However, most plastic gradually breaks down over time into tiny pieces, some of which are small enough to pass through the gut of animals and into their blood vessels and body tissues.

Microplastic has spread all over the planet, with one estimate suggesting there are 300 billion pieces in the Arctic Ocean alone.

A major study found humans have produced a staggering 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic since 1950, creating 6.3 billion tons of waste. Nearly 80 per cent of that waste has been dumped in landfill sites or simply thrown away into the environment.

The Defra document said the majority of the 431 responses it received to the consultation welcomed the proposed ban.

Many respondents recognised the need to take further action to address additional sources of marine litter. Responses included suggestions on additional sources of marine pollution from a variety of industries and applications, as well as relevant research, it said.

Responses also included possible interventions to address other sources of marine pollution, including improvements to infrastructure, developing technologies and voluntary commitments.

It said some had called for the ban to be extended to include leave-on make-up and sunscreen, since these can be eventually washed down the drain or enter the marine environment directly.

However, the Defra document added: Other respondents stated that the ban should not be extended to leave-on cosmetics because they said there was a lack of evidence of environmental impact and that reformulating these products would be difficult.

Responses from the cosmetics industry indicated that the reformulation of thousands of products would be required. They stated that some companies may require up to 90 per cent of their product portfolios to be reformulated.

They noted that reformulation is lengthy and expensive and as such would have significant cost implications for the whole industry, particularly small companies, could damage global competitiveness, restrict consumer choice and could mean that large quantities of products would have to go to landfill if insufficient time were given for reformulation.

In a speech at environmental campaign group WWF UK, Mr Gove said nine billion fewer carrier bags had been distributed since the Government introduced a 5p charge on carrier bags in October 2015.

Some 95m had been donated to environmental, educational and other good causes, he added.

But there is more we can do to protect our oceans, so we will explore new methods of reducing the amount of plastic  in particular plastic bottles  entering our seas, improve incentives for reducing waste and litter, and review the penalties available to deal with polluters, Mr Gove said.

This was, he said, all part of a renewed strategy on waste and resources that looks ahead to opportunities outside the EU.

Dr Laura Foster, head of the Marine Conservation Societys pollution programme, said it was great news that the ban on microbeads in rinse-off products was going ahead.

But, she added: It should be for all microplastics that can end up going down the drain.

We know there are companies that produce products that dont have [microplastic], so it is possible.

Ms Foster said many people did not realise that when they applied some kinds of sunscreen they were covering their bodies with bits of microplastic, which are used to reflect sunlight.

Some types of make-up also use microbeads as a filler.

One problem is that the myriad of different words to indicate microbeads in ingredient lists make it hard for consumers to know if a product contains them.

Even if you want to be conscientious and buy a product that doesnt have plastic in, you are completely confused when you go and look at the ingredients, Ms Foster said.

She urged companies making cosmetics without plastic microbeads to make this clear on their labelling to help people make an informed choice.

Louisa Casson, a Greenpeace UK oceans campaigner, said: The UK Government has just proposed the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date. This is great news for our environment and a positive sign of Britains global leadership on ocean plastics.

Its crucial that ministers have left the door open to broadening the ban in future. To achieve a fully comprehensive ban covering all products that go down the drain, we need companies to be much more transparent about when their products contain harmful microbeads.

This week, new figures reminded us of the enormous scale of the plastic problem, with the vast majority of all plastic made since 1950s polluting our land and seas or buried in landfill. Now that ministers have acknowledged the broader need to end ocean plastics, they should take swift action to tackle the mountain of single-use plastic bottles threatening our oceans by introducing a deposit return scheme.
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The UK is to introduce the strongest ban on microbeads in the world, campaigners have said after the Government announced it was going ahead with its plans.

Following a public consultation, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said a ban would be brought in on microplastics in rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products like toothpaste.

While leave-on products  like make-up and sunscreen  will not be affected, Ministers have asked an expert committee to examine whether they and other products should be.

 Microbeads ban: Government to outlaw microplastics in cosmetic products

The cosmetics industry had complained about the difficulty and cost involved in reformulating products.

Microbeads, which can be replaced with natural alternatives, are just one type of microplastic pollution of the oceans that is causing immense concern because of the harmful effects on marine wildlife.

Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, said there was a serious threat to wildlife and pledged to explore new methods of reducing the amount of plastic  in particular plastic bottles  entering our seas.

Louisa Casson, an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, expressed delight at the planned ban on microbeads, which will require new legislation.

Recommended UN warns of growing threat of plastic pollution to human health

The UK Government has just proposed the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date, she said.

This is great news for our environment and a positive sign of Britain's global leadership on ocean plastics.

She welcomed the decision to investigate an even tougher ban and further measures to reduce plastic pollution.

Its crucial that ministers have left the door open to broadening the ban in future, Ms Casson said.

To achieve a fully comprehensive ban covering all products that go down the drain, we need companies to be much more transparent about when their products contain harmful microbeads.

Now that ministers have acknowledged the broader need to end ocean plastics, they should take swift action to tackle the mountain of single-use plastic bottles threatening our oceans by introducing a deposit return scheme.

In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic trashes drifting on the sea surface in Marseille's islands In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution The Bishnumati river running through Kathmandu in Nepal. The river is full of litter and raw sewage which is emptied into the river. The local people see the river as a rubbish collection service In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Garbage in the harbour of Tripoli, Libya In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic and other undissolvable wastes float over the polluted Vrishabhavathi River, which a few years back use to supply drinking water to Bangalore 48 km to the north, in Kundanahalli village, Ramnagaram district, India In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Children collect plastic to be sold and recycled at a polluted river in suburban Manila In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic bags and other rubbish are collected from the waters of Manila Bay during a campaign by environmental activists earlier this year Getty Images In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A man collects plastic bags and other rubbish from the waters of Manila Bay In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A woman throws out a doll while she selects recyclable plastic bottles, along Tiete river where floating foam blocks emit harmful gasses, in Pirapora de Bom Jesus, 60 Km north of Sao Paulo, Brazil In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Baby sea otter pup chews on a plastic cookie wrapper In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Bin overflowing with plastic rubbish, central London

Tanya Steele, chief executive of WWF-UK, also welcomed the ban, although in less effusive terms.

Banning microbeads is an important start to addressing the millions of tonnes of plastics entering the oceans every year, she said.

Microbeads are one of the most pervasive forms of marine pollution and prevention at source is far more effective than clean-up at sea.

The ban needs to be as extensive as possible, to cover all products: there must be no loopholes or exemptions. Ocean creatures dont distinguish between different cosmetics.

Ms Steele urged everyone to get involved in efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

Plastics now litter much of our shores and our oceans. The damage to marine life is easy to see with birds, fish, turtles and marine mammals regularly found dead having ingested plastic waste, which compounds the current loss of global wildlife, she said.

Action also needs to be taken by everyone in the supply chain to reduce, reuse and recycle, including us consumers.
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They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If thats the case, what do our sleep-deprived, perpetually exhausted under-eye bags say about us?

Exhausted and burnt out are terms that instantly come to mind. But in our defence, our blinkers are put through an exponential amount of work. From staring at spreadsheets for hours on end to trying to keep them open on a Thursday night during a Netflix binge. Not to mention the plight of incoming hay fever season (joy) and the glorious allergies that come with the terrain. With this in mind, a bit of TLC is always a good idea.

Enter onto the scene under eye masks/patches. Originally created and popularised by K-beauty brands, they have become a welcome addition to the UK market, with well-loved high street brands such as Pixi and INC catching on to the trend.

Were not at all surprised by their popularity, as they are a brilliant solution to perking up before a big night (or hiding the evidence of one). The masks usually come in the form of jelly-like half moon-shaped patches but are also available in a cloth form. They often come ready-soaked in a cocktail of powerful serum formulas which can tackle everything from puffiness and dehydration to anti-ageing concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles.

Not only are they essentially a mini skincare treatment that can be done from the comfort of your bedroom, but they are also a great opportunity to zone out and take some time out for necessary self-care.

With so many different brands/price points/formulations, finding the right one for your particular under-eye area concerns can be a bit of a minefield. With this in mind, weve taken out the guesswork and trialled a wide selection  all with different claims and benefits.

How we tested

Over three weeks, we tested a wide range of under-eye patches to ensure that all requirements were covered  from intensive anti-ageing properties to overall hydrating boosts. We also selected items with varying price points to ensure that all budgets were catered for.

Our tester is in their mid/late thirties and suffers from sensitive, allergy-prone eyes with general puffiness and fine lines. It was crucial for each mask that made the cut to be suitable for sensitive, watery eyes and provide hydration. We were also keen to find products with extra benefits such as brightening and anti-ageing, but as it can usually take numerous repeated applications for any visual difference, we did not let this influence our reviews.

These are the best under-eye masks for 2022:
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Game of Thrones pirates are being targeted by HBO.

The TV network and IP Echelon, its anti-piracy partner, are monitoring popular torrents and trying to get them taken down.

Theyre also keeping tabs on people who are downloading and sharing episodes.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

HBO and IP Echelon have started sending out warning messages to internet service providers (ISPs) with the details of customers whose connections are being used for piracy, TorrentFreak reports.

The alerts, which include the users IP address, call on ISPs to notify their customers about the alleged copyright infringement and discourage them from doing it again.

We have information leading us to believe that the IP address [redacted] was used to download or share Game of Thrones without authorization (additional details are listed below), reads one such notice.

HBO owns the copyright or exclusive rights to Game of Thrones, and the unauthorized download or distribution constitutes copyright infringement."

It continues: As the owner of the IP address, HBO requests that [redacted] Communications immediately contact the subscriber who was assigned the IP address at the date and time below with the details of this notice, and take the proper steps to prevent further downloading or sharing of unauthorized content and additional infringement notices.

Under US copyright law, however, ISPs aren't obligated to pass these messages on to their customers.

Season seven of the enormously popular show kicked off last weekend.

Its being televised by Sky in the UK, and is available to stream online through NowTV and Sky Go.
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Samsung has confirmed that its next major smartphone launch will take place next month.

The South Korean firm is holding an event on 23 August, called Unpacked.

Last years Unpacked event saw the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the now infamous smartphone that had to be recalled twice after models started exploding.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

This years Unpacked poster has the tagline: Do bigger things.

It also teases a large display, similar to the one that features on the Samsung Galaxy S8, and a stylus, which is the Note lines hallmark.

The company hasn't yet revealed the phone's release date, but it will likely hit the shelves in early September, just before the next batch of iPhones come out.

Samsung has also tweeted a GIF that shows the stylus being used to create the poster.

The tagline all-but-confirms that the Note 8 will be bigger than than the 6.2-inch S8 Plus, a phone we considered to be unnecessarily large.

Recent reports have suggested it will feature a huge 6.3-inch display, which could be too much to handle for a lot of consumers.

However, the stylus should make things easier.

The Note line of smartphones tends to be more productivity-focused than the S line, though the S8 and S8 Plus have made their own work-related push with DeX.

One thing the phones are almost certain to have in common is a very attractive, all-screen design.

However, the Note 8 could also share the S8s worst feature  its small and badly positioned fingerprint sensor.


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Lloyds Banking Group has compensated just five out of 67 confirmed victims of hbos-fraud-pay-out-compensation-100-million-small-business-customers-a7671646.html">fraud perpetrated by former HBOS bankers, almost a month after its self-imposed deadline for paying all of those affected.

Lloyds said on Friday it had made offers to less than half of those who fell victim to what a judge described as un utterly corrupt scheme, which left some customers cheated, defeated and penniless. Of those, just five customers have accepted.

The bank, which owns HBOS, has offered just 6.5m out of the 100m it set aside to pay for the compensation. Lloyds said in April that it would make offers to all customers by the end of June.

Adrian White, Lloyds chief operating officer for commercial banking, leading the review, said: We are continuing to make progress in getting offers to victims of the HBOS Reading fraud. We have now made offers, or are in the detailed assessment stage, for nearly half of the victims in the review.

It is important we get the fullest possible information from victims to ensure we can factor in everything that should contribute to their compensation offer.

Lloyds said in a statement it has made offers to 16 customers and is in the final stages of assessment to make 14 more.

Victims of the fraud have accused the bank of dragging out the compensation process and underestimating the final amount it will have to pay.

A judge described the fraud as un utterly corrupt scheme which left some customers cheated, defeated and penniless.

TV star Noel Edmonds, himself one of the victims, set up a countdown clock website to pressure the bank to meet its self-imposed deadline.

The former Deal or No Deal presenter personally wrote to Lloyds chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio, demanding at least 50m compensation for the lenders role in the collapse of his business ten years ago.

Lloyds had denied any wrongdoing until two former bank managers at its Reading branch, Lyndon Scourfield and Mark Dobson, were convicted in January.

The men were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds.

They were found to have referred customers to their friends, businessmen David Mills and Michael Bancroft, who claimed to be turnaround consultants providing assistance struggling businesses.

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.

Instead, Mr Bancroft and Mr Mills bullied the customers, squeezed them for large fees and stripped them of assets. In exchange, Mr Mills provided the bankers with prostitutes, cash and lavish gifts.

Sentencing the pair in February, Judge Martin Beddoe said Mr Scourfield sold his soul to Mills in exchange for sex, bling and swag.

Judge Beddoe said the case involved an utterly corrupt senior bank manager letting rapaciously greedy people get their hands on vast amounts of bank money and their tentacles into ordinary and honest businesses.
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A proposed 14bn class action lawsuit against Mastercard will not proceed after a tribunal ruled the case cannot go to trial.

The claim by former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks, relating to the card giant's interchange fees, was lodged on behalf of around 46 million consumers.

It alleged that the fees effectively resulted in consumers paying higher prices to businesses that accept Mastercard over a 16-year period, therefore beaching EU competition law.

Recommended Mastercard app lets online shoppers pay with a selfie

The damages being sought were more than 14bn, but the Competition Appeal Tribunal said the case could not proceed through a so-called collective action.

The tribunal found that even if loss had been suffered and could be estimated across the whole class, there was no way of ensuring that an individual would receive an amount compensating for any loss suffered.

Mastercard said in a statement: We welcome the Competition Appeal Tribunal's judgment refusing certification for the proposed collective action.

As set out in Mastercard's arguments to date, we believe that the claims were completely unsuitable to be brought under the collective actions regime. The tribunal sided with this position.

We firmly believe that consumers derive real value from our network through the benefits of security, convenience and consumer protection, and we remain committed to investing in our services in order to continue to meet the rapidly evolving needs of all our customers.
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British businesses are holding off from putting concrete emergency measures in place ahead of Brexit, a new poll reveals.

Although the majority of British businesses have made contingency plans, only 11 per cent have started implementing them, according to a report released by the Institute of Directors (IoD),

The survey of nearly a 1,000 business leaders also reveals firms are seeking greater clarity on what divorce from the European Union will look like.

Despite the current climate of uncertainty, a fifth of business leaders admitted to lacking any understanding on how EU trade laws impacted their sector; 18 per cent of business leaders were said to have no or only limited understanding.

As Britain plans to leave the EU and potentially come under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, the survey conducted by the IoD reveals a stark lack of understanding from businesses on what such a move would actually mean  a combined 32 per cent did not understand WTO rules.

Commenting on the findings, Stephen Martin, director general of the IoD, said that despite uncertainty over the UKs trading status overshadowing businesses, there is still a window of opportunity for the Government to convince them to hold off triggering contingency plans.

He added: Some changes and costs are inevitable no matter how we leave the EU, but the more information the Government can provide on the process of Brexit, the more companies will be reassured they do not have to jump to relocate staff or operations.

On Monday, an EU source told Reuters of a plan to put forward a joint proposal for reform of the terms of the UK and EUs WTO membership in September or October.

Theresa May has so far refused to commit to publishing an economic assessment of the impact of leaving the EU and taking on WTO membership. Speaking earlier in the year, former Brexit minister David Jones confirmed Britain would fall back on WTO trading arrangements should no deal be reached after the two-year negotiating time frame set by Article 50.
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A High Court judge has asked people protesting about the Charlie Gard case not to upset other visitors to Great Ormond Street hospital, where the critically ill baby is on life support.

Mr Justice Francis is set to decide next week whether the 11-month-old should be allowed to travel to the US for experimental treatment.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates want their son, who suffers from a rare genetic condition, to receive nucleoside bypass therapy in a trial offered by a specialist in New York.

Doctors caring for Charlie argue it is kinder for the baby's life support to be switched off. At a preliminary hearing, the judge said he would need to know whether there was "new material" that could affect his decision.

He also issued a warning to some of the growing number of vocal campaigners the case has attracted, reminding them that there are "lots and lots" of other sick youngsters at the hospital whose relatives may not want to be confronted by campaigners or asked to sign petitions.

"Judge asks protesters not upset other visitors to Great Ormond Street Hospital," wrote legal expert Joshua Rozenberg QC, who has been closely reporting the case from the court room, in a Twitter post.

At a previous hearing, Mr Justice Francis said staff at the children's hospital had been subjected to "vile" abuse and threats, promising to punish those involved and adding: "I don't know how anybody can think they are helping the parents' case".

The judge also said Mr Gard and Ms Yates cannot take Charlie abroad without a court order, despite efforts by US Congress to grant him permanent residency in the country so he can fly there for treatment, according to Mr Rozenberg.

Eleven-month-old Charlie Gard has a form of mitochondrial disease and is ventilator-dependent

Charlie, who was born on 4 August 2016, has a faulty RRM2B gene, which affects the cells responsible for energy production and respiration, leaving him unable to move or breath without a ventilator.

Mr Justice Francis is scheduled to analyse the latest evidence on Monday and Tuesday following a meeting between Ms Yates and two international experts to discuss the baby's condition.

Michio Hirano, a professor of neurology at Columbia University in New York, who says the experimental treatment has a 10 per cent chance of "clinically meaningful success", flew to the UK at short notice to examine Charlie.

Lawyers representing Great Ormond Street have said they had "yet to see" any new evidence.

Charlie's parents, who are in their 30s and come from Bedfont, west London, have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London.

They have also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene.
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Charlie Gards parents have been told a new scan on their critically ill son makes for sad reading by a lawyer acting for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Chris Gard, the 11-month-olds father, yelled evil, and mother Connie Yates burst into tears as the barrister told a High Court judge what specialists thought of the fresh scan results.

Baby Charlie is at the centre of an ongoing court battle between the childrens hospital, where he is on life support, and his parents, who want to take him to the US for experimental treatment.

Mr Gard and Ms Yates want their son, who suffers from a rare genetic condition, to receive nucleoside bypass therapy in a trial offered by a professor of neurology in New York.

But doctors caring for Charlie say it is kinder for his life support to be switched off.

News of the scan was announced in court by Katie Gollop QC, as the judge said he would need to know whether there was new material that could affect his decision  expected to be made after full-day hearings early next week.

Ms Yates said her and Mr Gard had not yet seen the report.

Mr Justice Francis said Charlies parents cannot take him abroad without a court order, despite efforts by US Congress to grant him permanent residency in the country so he can fly there for treatment.

Charlie, who was born on 4 August 2016, has a faulty RRM2B gene, which affects the cells responsible for energy production and respiration, leaving him unable to move or breath without a ventilator.

The judge is scheduled to analyse the latest evidence on Monday and Tuesday following a meeting between Ms Yates and two international experts to discuss the babys condition.

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

Michio Hirano, a specialist at Columbia University in New York who says the experimental treatment has a 10 per cent chance of clinically meaningful success, flew to the UK at short notice to examine Charlie.

Lawyers representing Great Ormond Street have said they had yet to see any new evidence that the baby should receive the therapy.

Charlies parents, who are in their 30s and come from Bedfont, west London, have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London.

They have also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene.
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Physicists believe they have discovered a particle that is both matter and anti-matter, an idea that was first theorised 80 years ago.

When the Big Bang created the universe out of nothing, scientists believe the explosion created equal amounts of matter and anti-matter.

And, if they were ever to meet, they would annihilate each other  returning to nothing apart from a burst of energy.

However, in 1937 an Italian theoretical physicist, Ettore Majorana, predicted the existence of a strange class of particles called fermions that were their own anti-particles.

And now, in an article in the prestigious journal Science, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Stanford University reported they had found the first evidence of just such an object, which they dubbed the Angel Particle after Dan Browns thriller Angels and Demons which involves a bomb made from a combination of matter and anti-matter.

Professor Shoucheng Zhang, a Standford University physicist, said: Our team predicted exactly where to find the Majorana fermion and what to look for as its smoking gun experimental signature.

This discovery concludes one of the most intensive searches in fundamental physics, which spanned exactly 80 years.

It is thought the existence of fermions could be used to help bring about the technological revolution promised by quantum computers, which are many times more powerful than existing machines.

One problem that has limited their development has been they must be insulated from environmental noise.

It is thought a single qubit, or quantum bit, of information could be stored in two separate Majorana fermions. So even if the interference affected information in one, the other would almost certainly keep it safe.

Professor Kang Wang, of UCLA, said: Imagine that bits of data in standard computers are like cars traveling both ways on two-lane highways.

A quantum computer could have many lanes and many levels of traffic, and the cars could hop between levels and travel in both directions at the same time, in every lane and on every level.

"We need stable, armoured quantum cars to do this and the Majorana particles are those supercars.

Other scientists hailed the research as a breakthrough.

It does seem to be a really clean observation of something new, said Professor Frank Wilczek, a theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Its not fundamentally surprising, because physicists have thought for a long time that Majorana fermions could arise out of the types of materials used in this experiment.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

But they put together several elements that had never been put together before, and engineering things so this new kind of quantum particle can be observed in a clean, robust way is a real milestone.

And Professor Tom Devereaux, also of Stanford University, said: This research culminates a chase for many years to find chiral Majorana fermions. It will be a landmark in the field.
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An aspiring model who was left with horrific facial injuries after an acid attack has revealed that she by an internet troll after she failed to reply to his message while she was in hospital.

Resham Khan wrote in a blog post that a man had sent her a direct message on the social media site, Instagram, saying he hoped she would get well soon.

Long story short, my lack of response or effort to make casual conversation led to him calling me a bitch and telling me to delete him (although I don't actually follow him)," the 21-year-old, said.

So it might sound silly, but it really wound me up. Who says that just because a guy messages a woman it means she MUST reply, and if she doesnt she is a rude, mean person that deserves to be called a bitch.

She added: Dont push your toys out the pram just because a woman isnt entertaining the conversation. The reasons for her reply, or lack of, is not up for discussion.

Ms Khan was attacked along with her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37, as they waited at traffic lights in Beckton, East London on 21 June.

John Tomlin, 25, has been charged with GBH with intent and is due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 8 August.

Ms Kahn, who left hospital this week said she managed to go for a walk outside for the first time since her attack.

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 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

The student added that she had gone to a local shop with her father wearing sunglasses. She said she was proud that she did it on her own terms.

She added: More than likely Ill try again, maybe aiming to go out closer to rush hour the more my face begins the heal."

She now wants to ensure no one ever goes through the living nightmare and unbearable pain that she had suffered.

Her comments came as public concern over assaults with noxious substances has been mounting following a spate of attacks in London.

Last week a 16-year-old boy was charged over five linked acid attacks which took place in just 90 minutes on 14 July.

But despite suspects being identified in 60 per cent of cases, the vast majority never even reach court

Eighty per cent of the 455 acid attacks reported to the Metropolitan police in 2016 failed to make legal proceedings, according to the newspaper, which cited figures released through Freedom of Information requests.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has hinted at plans to introduce life sentences for people who attack their victims with acid.
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Four men carrying a corrosive substance have been arrested in London amid a crackdown following a series of acid attacks.

Police discovered the liquid, alongside gloves and a balaclava, after stopping a suspicious car in Leytonstone shortly before 9pm on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the four suspects inside, two aged 17 and two aged 18, were arrested on suspicion of possessing a noxious substance and detained.

They were stopped a short distance east of the locations of five acid attacks launched in just 90 minutes on 13 July, which was followed by another assault on a moped rider in Dagenham and attack on a female paramedic.

A pregnant woman had acid thrown on her stomach in a separate incident in Mile End on 4 July, while cousins Jameel Mukhtar and Resham Khan were severely injured in an acid attack in Beckton in June.

On Wednesday, a man was attacked with a corrosive substance in his own home in Dagenham, by a man who had arranged to buy his mobile phone.

 Delivery riders join acid attack protest in Parliament Square

Instead of handing over the money agreed, police said the visitor squirted a liquid in the mans face before grabbing the phone and fleeing the house.

Scotland Yard said the man was taken to hospital for treatment but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made.

Recommended England and Wales crime figures at highest level in a decade

The spike in incidents has prompted a new strategy by the Government, including the possibility of life sentences for culprits, as well as pledges from police to use existing powers to prevent attacks.

Detective Inspector Michelle Peters, from Waltham Forest CID, said Wednesdays arrests showed how stop and search laws could be used.

The impact of these substances on victims is terrible, she added.

Let me be clear, those found carrying corrosive substances will be arrested and they will be made to face the consequences.

Police at the scene of one of five acid attacks in London on 13 July (AP)

The Metropolitan Polices Deputy Commissioner, Craig Mackey, has warned that some gang members are moving across to using corrosive fluids as weapons over guns and knives.

He told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee there were 455 acid offences recorded in London last year, with 63 per cent being assaults, including 23 per cent robberies.

More than 80 per cent of both suspects and victims were men, with east London identified as a major hotspot.

We are seeing some links - although it has to be treated with caution because it's a small data set - a growing feature between named suspects in acid attacks who also feature in our gang matrix, Deputy Commissioner Mackey said.

"We are seeing a move across.

MPs have debated possible measures to counter the crimes, including tougher sentences, and the Government has proposed classifying corrosive substances as dangerous weapons.

Survivors and campaigners have called for measures to restrict sales and increase penalties to deter offenders.

Cousins Jameel Mukhtar and Resham Khan before they were attacked with acid on 21 June (Gofundme)

An acid attack victim from Luton, who wished to be named only as Mr Khan, told The Independent those found guilty should get 15 years in prison  minimum.

Its disgusting that someone can so easily obtain that kind of liquid and change someones life, he added.

Deputy Commissioner Mackey said his officers were intervening, stopping, searching people, seizing stuff and making arrests" but warned that some substances being used were not specifically defined within existing laws.

"The impact this sort of attack has on people is extraordinary, he added.

"Many of us have been unfortunate to see quite a bit in our services but acid attacks are really extraordinary and strike at something quite horrific in people's psyche.

Concerns have also been raised over a potential copycat effect from the recent increase in crimes, with water being thrown at Muslim women outside a Southampton mosque in a suspected hate crime on Tuesday.

Assaults have also been reported outside London, including in the West Midlands, where police are hunting a man accused of launching a new attack in Solihull.

Police said the suspect shouted I've got acid before squirting what is thought to be an ammonia-based cleaning fluid at people who asked the car he was in to down outside a pub.

Delivery riders during a demonstration in Parliament Square on 18 July (PA)

The substance hit one man in the face, but he escaped unhurt after washing it off with water.

The suspected driver of the car has been arrested but the suspected attacker, who was a passenger, remains at large.

The Governments policing minister, Nick Hurd, warned that crime is changing in the UK as annual statistics were released on Thursday.

"We recognise that crime is changing and we are determined to get ahead of new and emerging threats to the safety and security of our families and communities, he said.

"Our latest action, announced in the past week, includes urgent work to bear down on acid attacks and proposals to strengthen the law to get knives off our streets."

He praised police after statistics gathered by the Independent Crime Survey for England and Wales showed offences down by over a third since 2010 and down by almost 70 per cent since the peak in 1995.

But figures separately published by the Office for National Statistics showed the largest rise in crime for a decade, with those recorded by the police up by 10 per cent to almost five million between April 2016 and March 2017.

Violent crime was up by 18 per cent, robbery by 16 per cent and sex offences by 14 per cent, as Home Office data shows the number of police officers at the lowest since 1985.
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A woman has been appointed as the most senior judge in the UK for the first time, as statistics show women and ethnic minorities remain under represented in the judiciary.

The Queen has approved Baroness Hale of Richmond's appointment on as president of the Supreme Court and she will take up the post when her predecessor retires in September.

It is a great honour and a challenge to be appointed to succeed Lord Neuberger, Lady Hale said.

"While I of course look forward to working alongside all my colleagues, it is a particular pleasure for me to be taking up the post at the same time as we welcome only the second ever woman to sit on the UK's top appeal court.

Lady Hale was made deputy president of the Supreme Court in 2013, having previously served as the first female Lord of Appeal in Ordinary and Justice of the Supreme Court from its opening in 2009.

The 72-year-old grew up in Yorkshire, attending a state grammar school in Richmond, before attending Cambridge University and teaching law at Manchester University.

Baroness Hale of Richmond, who is to become the first female president of the Supreme Court (PA)

She qualified as a barrister and practiced at the Manchester Bar, where she specialised in family and social welfare law and founded the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, becoming the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission in 1984.

Five years later, Lady Hale became a High Court judge - the first to have made her career as an academic and public servant rather than a practising barrister  and was the second woman ever promoted to the Court of Appeal and first female Law Lord.

Lady Hale said she plans to use her new role to develop closer links with each part of the United Kingdom, for example by sitting outside London, and improving the ways in which we communicate our work to the public.

She added: Recent high-profile cases mean that more people than ever before have heard of the Supreme Court, and we hope that this will help to create a broader understanding of how the judiciary serves society.

During her time as deputy president of the Supreme Court, she has ruled on numerous headline-hitting cases, including the Brexit appeal that saw the Government forced to hold a parliamentary vote on Article 50.

Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Show all 13 1 /13 Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Supreme Court Brexit Challenge People wait to enter the public gallery outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Gina Miller, co-founder of investment fund SCM Private arrives at the Supreme court in London on the first day of a four-day hearing Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waves the EU flag in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Satirical artist Kaya Mar poses with two of his paintings in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin. The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Businesswoman Gina Miller arrives at the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Attorney General Jeremy Wright arrives at the Supreme Court in London EPA Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Protesters outside the Supreme Court in London, where the Government is appealing against a ruling that the Prime Minister must seek MPs' approval to trigger the process of taking Britain out of the European Union PA wire Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protesters wearing a judge's wigs and robes stands outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protester holds up a placard outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waiting to enter the public gallery waves a European Union flag outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters

Most recently she was on the panel of justices who ruled in favour of John Walker, the gay ex-cavalry officer who won a landmark pensions ruling to secure his husband the same rights as a wife.

She retains her links with the academic world as Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Visitor of Girton College, Cambridge, and Visiting Professor of Kings College London.

Three new justices have also been appointed to the Supreme Court - Lady Justice Black, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Lord Justice Brigg  who will take up the role when Lady Hale is sworn in officially as president on 2 October.

The appointments were confirmed the day after the judiciary published its diversity statistics, showing that women and ethnic minorities remain severely under-represented.

The Lord Chief Justice  the most senior judge in England and Wales  outlined efforts from the Judicial Appointments Commission, universities and professional bodies to attract minority groups.

Lord Thomas said he was very concerned about the slow recruitment of black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) judges and a fall in the number of non-barrister judges, adding: Despite the leadership that has been demonstrated over the last year, progress is not as fast as we would wish.

Women make up 28 per cent of court judges and 45 per cent of tribunal judges, while the proportion of BAME judges stands at just 7 per cent.
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A five-year-old girl was left in tears after she was fined 150 for setting up a lemonade stand in east London.

Andre Spicers daughter decided to sell cups of lemonade at the end of her street in Mile End, as hundreds of people were attending Lovebox festival in nearby Victoria Park.

But within 30 minutes of setting up, four council enforcement officers approached her table and read from a legal letter informing her that, because she didnt have a trading permit, she would be fined 150.

The father and daughter duo quickly packed up the stand and went home.

Writing about the incident in The Telegraph, Mr Spicer said: Im a professor in a business school, so I probably should have known some kind of permit was required. But this was a five-year-old kid selling lemonade. She wasnt exactly a public safety hazard.

Following the exchange, his daughter sobbed all the way home.

She told him: Ive done a bad thing.

Though he offered to get her a permit and open a stall on another day, his daughter said it was too scary.

Mr Spicer relayed the incident to his friends and family, including his Chicago-based cousin, who said if something like that happened in America, it would be a national scandal.

The university professor said: Now, after Lemonadegate, as I contemplate the long school holidays which lay ahead, Im even more confused about how to entertain our children. Setting up a lemonade stand is obviously far too risky.

Tower Hamlets council have withdrawn the fine and apologised.

A council spokesman said: We are very sorry that this has happened. We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense and to use their powers sensibly.

This clearly did not happen. The fine will be cancelled immediately and we have contacted Professor Spicer and his daughter to apologise.
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A cyber attack targeting the Houses of Parliament has caused a data breach after email accounts including a select committees mailbox were compromised.

Investigators found that under 0.5 per cent of 9,000 accounts were compromised during the sustained and determined attempt last month, which resulted in part of the parliamentary email system being taken offline.

A spokesperson for the Houses of Parliament said officials representing both the Commons and Lords notified the Information Commissioners Office of a data breach in the wake of the attack.

In the case of one compromised mailbox, for an unidentified House of Commons select committee, 77 people have been notified that their personal information could be at risk as investigations into the potential impact continue.

A total of 39 accounts operated by 26 people, including six MPs, a member of the House of Lords, administrative staff and a sub-contractor, were hit by the attack.

These compromises were made possible by the use of passwords that were compliant with the technical controls in place but did not conform to guidance issued by the Parliamentary Digital Service, a spokesperson said.

Three of the six MPs had accounts compromised because their mailboxes were linked to their members of staff whose passwords were compromised.

We have invested heavily in cyber security measures and will continue to do so.

 Emails hit as Parliament targeted by cyber security attack

A series of technology changes  including multi-factor authentication  have already been made to increase security.

An email sent to everyone using a parliamentary address on 23 June said unusual activity and evidence of an attempted cyber attack had been discovered.

Closer investigation by our team confirmed that hackers were carrying out a sustained and determined attack on all parliamentary user accounts in attempt to identify weak passwords, it continued.

Recommended Cyber attacks could cause economic loss on par with natural disasters

These attempts specifically were trying to gain access to users emails.

The National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) are investigating who was responsible, with initial suspicion turning to Russia and North Korea.

Analysts said the hacking attempt used brute force tactics and could have been mounted by either state-sponsored actors or criminal gangs to steal valuable information.

Oz Alashe, a former special forces Lieutenant Colonel and chief executive officer of cyber security platform CybSafe, said email accounts were a rich source of information for hackers

He told The Independent criminal hackers harvest information including passwords, addresses and credit card numbers before selling them online, where they can be picked up and used by other actors, including foreign states.

Many people use the same passwords for different accounts  its not unusual, he added.

A programmer works on decrypting source code in Taipei, Taiwan (EPA)

Thats why so many attackers are after these things  once they compromise one account they can sell the password to be used to access others.

The attempt came days after reports that Russian hackers had put passwords belonging to thousands of MPs, parliamentary staff, police employees and Foreign Office officials up for sale online.

The information was believed to have been stolen from LinkedIn, MySpace and other smaller sites, with many passwords easy to guess, incorporating memorable numbers and relatives names.

Chris Pogue, a member of the US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, said hackers used machines that can guess 10 million passwords a second.

He equated the method of attack used on Parliament to shooting fish in a barrel amid a lack of awareness over secure passwords and the failure to separate systems handling sensitive and non-sensitive information.

Mr Pogue, the head of services, security, and partner integration at Australian technology firm Nuix, told The Independent: Victims tend to overstate complexity and understate impact.

A brute force attack doesnt mean Im going to make guesses as a human being, one after the other.

What they do is build massive password databases based on every single dictionary word, cognate and misspelling.

They can blow through your dogs name from when you were four years old in about 30 seconds.

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Fears of a cyber attack on Parliament had increased following the successful hacks targeting emails related to Hillary Clinton and Emmanuel Macrons presidential campaigns.

The UK was also rocked by the WannaCry ransomware attack that hit computers running outdated versions of Microsoft Windows around the world last month.

Infecting more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries, it had a devastating effect on the NHS as computers were left displaying only a page demanding bitcoin payments to decrypt files.

It was followed by a second global ransomware attack using software known as Petya, as well as targeted assaults on American and Irish energy companies.

A report on vulnerabilities in British defence released by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) earlier this month warned of the growing threat of cyber attacks.

Enemies could take out military and civilian communication satellites and navigation systems, the report said, or target the UKs economy and crucial IT infrastructure causing chaos and panic.

In any major future conflict, an important part of the battle will be threats to the UKs critical national infrastructure from hostile cyber operations, RUSIs report concluded.

The cyber threat spectrum is not only relevant to defence but to government as a whole, especially to critical national infrastructure and the broader economy.

Vladimir Putin has denied supporting hackers to launch cyber attacks on enemy states including Ukraine, or interfere in elections in the US, France and elsewhere.

Last month he conceded that patriotically-minded hackers may have meddled in the American presidential election but added: We're not doing this on the state level.


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The threat of Isis-linked terror attacks in the UK continues to rise despite heavy military losses for the group in Iraq and Syria, the UKs most senior police officer has warned.

Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said six plots have been thwarted in the last four months alone and she expects the figure to rise.

Since March this year, the tempo has changed, she told delegates at the annual Lord Mayor's defence and security lecture, listing the ghastly attacks that left 36 people dead and 200 injured in Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park.

Progress on the ground in Syria and Iraq does not necessarily translate into a reduction in threat here.

Her caution came after triumphant statements from Government ministers following Iraqi forces victory over Isis in Mosul.

Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, welcomed the jihadis defeat in a city that was ground zero for their so-called caliphate, while Theresa May commended the bravery and sacrifice of Iraqi forces but conceded Isis ideology defeated through military intervention alone.

 Mosul after the war: 'Utter and total devastation'

Ms Dick said 13 lethal terror plots were foiled from June 2013 to March this year, amid increasing numbers of arrests seeing 340 suspects detained in the past two years.

We must not deny the scale of this challenge, she added, saying MI5 is monitoring 3,000 individuals across the UK who are assessed as posing the biggest threat.

Recommended Ringleader Khuram Butt was known to security services before rampage

There are 20,000 other former subjects whose risk remains subject to review and the number is expected to rise, as the national terror alert level remains at "severe".

Khalid Masood, who launched the Westminster attack, and London Bridge ringleader Khuram Butt are among the terrorists who were known to authorities but not judged to be an imminent risk.

Ms Dick did not discuss ongoing investigations but said part of the growing challenge was the use of low tech and relatively unsophisticated methods being promoted by Isis, such as car and lorry rammings and stabbings.

These less sophisticated attacks can mature faster making detection harder, the Commissioner warned.

A man walks past messages and tributes left near to where a van was driven into a group of Muslim worshippers in North London (Reuters)

Following the terror attacks in Finsbury Park and murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, she also highlighted the threat emanating from the far-right, saying 14 domestic extremists with lethal capability and intent were in custody.

She said most recent atrocities in the UK were mounted by homegrown extremists acting in small groups or apparently alone, adding: The bulk of this domestic threat seems to be from those who are inspired by overseas networks, though there have undoubtedly been some who have been more directly enabled by them and we should not assume that attempts by senior leaderships of overseas groups to direct UK attacks have gone away.

Europol and other international security agencies have sounded repeated warnings over the danger stemming from foreign Isis fighters seeking to return to their home countries as the group loses territory in Syria and Iraq.

According to Home Office figures, at least 850 suspected jihadis have travelled to Syria, with 15 per cent known to have been killed and just under half returning to the UK.

Many of the most dangerous individuals remain overseas, said Amber Rudd in a recent Home Office report.

London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt is among the terrorists previously known to authorities but not judged to be an imminent risk (Channel 4)

UK-linked individuals who travel to fight in Syria and Iraq pose a clear threat to our countrys security, and we continue to work at a national and international level to mitigate the risk they pose.

Authorities have hailed success at preventing Isis supporters from travelling to join the group abroad, but tightening restrictions across Europe and the Middle East have driven a change in tactics by the group as it shifts back into insurgency mode.

Recommended Isis losing ground in online war against hackers

Its propaganda, once focused on attracting men and women to build the so-called Islamic State, is now calling on followers to remain in their home countries and launch terror attacks whenever and however they can.

Ms Dick said both Isis and al-Qaeda were exploiting technology to project their threat around the world, sparking efforts to contest the narrative of jihad, prevent radicalisation and take down online propaganda.

The modern threat, more than ever, includes the encouraging of others to commit atrocious acts, she added.

That virus can infect communities and is spreading faster and more easily due to the internet.

We have large numbers of apparently volatile individuals in the UK, some of whom become determined to die, who may have been inspired largely through the web and decided on methodology learned from there too.

London Bridge Terror Attack Show all 16 1 /16 London Bridge Terror Attack London Bridge Terror Attack Armed police on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Police Officers outside the Barrowboy and Banker Public House on Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Armed Police talk to members of the public outside London Bridge Hospital as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Armed police on Borough High Street as police deal with a 'major incident' at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Emergency services near the scene of the incident Screengrab London Bridge Terror Attack People run down Borough High Street as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge Reuters London Bridge Terror Attack Emergency services arrive at the scene near Borough market at London Bridge Carl Court/Getty Images London Bridge Terror Attack Emergency personnel on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack Police sniffer dogs on London Bridge as police are dealing with a "major incident" at London Bridge PA London Bridge Terror Attack A second helicopter lands on London Bridge as police are responding to three incidents in the capital, amid reports that a vehicle collided with pedestrians on London Bridge, Scotland Yard said. Officers are dealing with reports of stabbings in Borough Market, where armed officers attended and shots were fired. They are also at an incident in the Vauxhall area PA London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London REUTERS London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters London Bridge Terror Attack A police officer escorts members of the public to safety at London Bridge Getty Images London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident on London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters London Bridge Terror Attack Police attend to an incident near London Bridge in London, Britain Reuters

Despite efforts to take down Isis and al-Qaeda material, jihadi magazines and terror manuals including bomb-making instructions and advice on lorry attacks remains available online.

There is also a far wider pool of extremist material including hate preaching and fundamental texts being propagated by Islamist groups like the network surrounding Anjem Choudary, whose members have been linked to a number of UK terror attacks.

The Home Secretary has taken aim at technology firms over the spread of propaganda, as well as arguing end-to-end encryption technology including popular mobile apps were making terrorist communications more difficult to detect and counter.

But she has fended off criticism of the Governments own programmes including Prevent, claiming 1,000 people at risk of being drawn into terrorism have been supported since 2012.

The Commissioner praised the work undertaken as part of the UKs Contest counter-terror strategy but said it is manifestly not enough, adding: Clearly in the light of this latest shift in threat, in view of the terrible attacks, there is a need to review the strategy again and as a country we will need to step change in many areas.

This is what those who work in countering terrorism have always done - the threat changes, it morphs, we must adapt with it.
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A Muslim mother has launched legal action against her daughters school after she was told she, the parent, was not allowed to wear a face veil on the premises.

Rachida Serroukh, 37, a single mother of three girls, was reportedly told by teachers during a parents evening at the prestigious Holland Park school in west London that it was the schools policy not to allow face veils.

Ms Serroukh, a devout Muslim who has worn a face veil for the past 14 years, told The Guardian she was very shaken when a teacher at the school approached her and took her to a room to inform her of the unwritten policy.

I was very shaken and was in a state of shock about what had happened. I had never experienced anything like this before," she said. I have experienced name calling in the street from strangers about my veil but nothing like this had ever happened before. When I got home, I just broke down.

Ms Serroukh, a qualified childcare assistant who used to study at the school herself, wrote to the school for clarification on the face veil ban.

She received a reply from the deputy head teacher stating that it had not been necessary to date for the school to have this requirement stated in written policy". It continued: Given the concerns you have raised, we are now considering a written amendment to our health and safety policy to include this specific requirement and will follow the normal protocol of seeking the approval of the governing body.

Guidance from the Department for Education states that it is up to individual schools to decide whether staff and pupils can wear face veils, but it says nothing about parents and other visitors.

In a second letter, the shool wrote: We would wish to reiterate that no offence was intended when Mrs  met with you to discuss the situation on the evening of the welcome interviews and it was the schools intention to provide clarity and transparency.

Ms Serroukh, who plans to return to work when her 11-year-old daughter is settled in school, said no policy had been mentioned before and she had never had a problem with security at the school gate, adding: "I always lift my veil and show my photo ID when required to do so for security purposes."

She said she thought at first that the teacher who raised the veil issue had misunderstood and thought her daughter would be attending school in a face veil. I explained clearly that my daughter wears a headscarf and would not be coming to school in a face veil. Then I realised she was talking about me not my daughter, she said.

Ms Serroukh said the incident left her feeling like she doesnt belong, even though she lives across the road and used to attend the school.

What has happened to me at Holland Park is discrimination. I hope we can resolve the matter amicably, she added. Education is very important to me and I want to ensure that all my children get a good education. My daughter, who will be starting at Holland Park after the school holidays, did really well in her Year 6 SATs and was the top girl in her class.

The Government constantly talks about British values. To me, those values include diversity and multiculturalism. If a school in London is doing this, what might be happening elsewhere?

Attiq Malik, of Liberty Law Solicitors, who is representing Ms Serroukh in court, said the case was not just about one incident but a question of human rights of every citizen in the country.

The main question being raised is this womans freedom of expression and her freedom of belief being infringed unduly, he told The Independent. Schools should be allowed to dictate to people what they can and cannot wear on the premises, but what we say is there cant be unlimited power of that, it has to be subject to the rule of law and human rights in this country.

If people are not allowed to come to premises wearing a niqab for example  does this not pave the way for a raster not to be allowed to wear dreadlocks, or a Sikh not being allowed to wear a turban? What are we opening the door to?"

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays 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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

He added: Its a much bigger issue about human rights of every citizen in this country. And its become a bigger issue in recent years unfortunately due to the Islamophobic narrative that has been going on.

Today it might be a lot of Muslims being targeted, but hate sees no boundaries of race, colour or religion, so if you allow it to take place on one group today and it isnt challenged  tomorrow it could many other groups in society.

Holland Park school has not yet responded to repeated requests to comment.
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A Muslim woman, who was detained and questioned at a UK airport for reading a book about Syrian art onboard her honeymoon flight, is taking her holiday company to court.

Faizah Shaheen was travelling back from Turkey on 3 August 2016, when she was reported to authorities by Thomson Airways cabin crew.

As a result, she was questioned in a room along with her husband for 15 minutes at Doncaster Airport,under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act.

Ms Shaheen, a mental health worker who helps to prevent radicalisation, had been reading Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline  a collection of literature, photos, songs, and cartoons from Syrian artists and authors.

Her lawyers have told Thomson Airways that she believes she was the victim of discrimination, and was singled out because of her race.

During the interrogation, Ms Shaheen said she was asked about the book, her work, and the number of languages she spoke.

I felt upset and distressed, followed by anger, she said following the incident. I struggled to accept that I was being singled out for reading a book on art and culture.

Ms Shaheen told the BBCs Victoria Derbyshire programme that she found Thomson Airways response and explanations to the incident insufficient.

One year on, Thomson Airways has failed to provide an explanation or apology  despite legal involvement. This attitude let me with no option but to seek a declaration from the court under the Equality Act, she said.

ITN solicitor Ravi Naik has acknowledged Thomson Airways initial communication, but said it had not responded to correspondences since January.

Mr Naik told The Independent: Our client is concerned at the way she was treated. She cannot understand why she was reported for reading a book. She is concerned that the only reason she was singled out was her ethnicity.

Ms Shaheen simply wants an apology for the way she was treated and in the absence of one, has no alternative but to take legal action.

Ms Shaheen does not want compensation, but simply an apology and explanation from Thomson Airways to ensure that it never happens again.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. 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Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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In a statement, Thomson Airways said that they were really sorry if Ms Shaheen remains unhappy with how she feels she was treated.

It added: We wrote to her to explain that our crew undergo general safety and security awareness training on a regular basis. As part of this they are encouraged to be vigilant and share any information or questions with the relevant authorities, who would then act as appropriate.
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Tolls on the Severn crossings are to be scrapped by the end of 2018 in a move expected to boost the Welsh economy by 100m a year, the Government has announced.

Described as a tax on Wales, for the past 50 years motorists have been forced to pay to cross from south-west England into south Wales, costing some motorists 1,400 a year.

Following Theresa Mays election pledge to abolish the charges for 25 million drivers who use the crossings each year, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns made the formal announcement.

Speaking in Newport, he said: The decision to abolish the Severn tolls next year sends a powerful message to businesses, commuters and tourists alike that the UK Government is committed to strengthening the Welsh economy.

By ending tolls for the 25 million annual journeys between two nations, we will strengthen the links between communities and help to transform the joint economic prospects of south Wales and the south-west of England.

I want to ensure that visitors and investors know what Wales has to offer socially, culturally and economically. Most importantly, I want the world to know how accessible we are to business.

While no definite date has been set, the crossings will become free to use once the last debt has been paid off.

Operator Severn Crossings PLC was given the right to collect payment for 25 years as part of a deal to build a second crossing in 1992, adding to the original bridge which was constructed in 1966.

The toll costs 6.70 for cars and 20 for lorries, but season tickets can be bought for 117.92 a month for small vehicles, which rises to 235.84 for medium sized vehicles and 396 for larger ones.

The crossings will return to public ownership next year and be operated by Highways England.

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While the move is billed as a boost to the Welsh economy, there is debate over who should own the crossings, seen as the gateway to Wales.

Plaid Cymru transport spokesman Jonathan Edwards told Wales Online: The real debate will continue about the ownership of those bridges.

Clearly, my position is that the ownership of the main supply route into the Welsh economy has to [rest with] the Welsh government.

The question does come: What is the purpose of the Wales Office within the British Government... It clearly has no influence over the British Government as a whole.

And Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, dismissed the announcement as a deflection.

He said: This is nothing but a desperate attempt by Alun Cairns to distract from yesterdays U-turn on electrification to Swansea.

The abolition of the tolls comes a day after the Government announced plans to scrap rail electrification from Cardiff to Swansea.

Proposals to modernise the track, making it faster, cleaner and greener, has been sidelined after the costs of the project in the Great Western region alone spiralled 1.9bn over budget.

Instead, the Government announced modern bi-mode trains would service the line instead, which a Welsh government spokesman dismissed as years of broken promises.
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A mother who miscarried at home says she was made to wait three hours next to her dead babys body in hospital.

Midwives at Queens Hospital in Essex initially told Tammy Anderson, 33, to wait for a midwife to come to her home when she told them about her bleeding over the phone.

The wedding and events planner told The Mirror she received a phone call several hours later asking her to come to hospital.

She says was driven to A&E by relatives at 7pm, then sat in a crowded waiting room next to the body of her baby Archie.

She was seen at 10pm, at which point she was able to hand over the body of her 15-week-old child to the hospital.

It was a horrific three hours, which I will never, ever forget, she told the newspaper.

I had Archie wrapped in a blanket inside my handbag because I couldnt face seeing him.

After such a traumatic experience all I wanted was be at home with my children, not in a public place."

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

Ms Andersons 14-year-old daughter, Jamie-Leigh, helped deliver the baby at their home in Dagenham, Essex, on 13 June.

We managed to break the cord together and wrapped him in a blanket, said Ms Anderson.

My daughter was very brave and put all her fears to one side so that she could support me through it.

She saw things no child should have to see.

Ms Anderson says doctors did not put her in touch with a bereavement midwife until almost two days after she miscarried.

The maternity services at Queens Hospital in Essex are rated by the Care Quality Commission as requiring improvement.

Kathryn Halford, chief nurse at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: We are very sorry to hear of Ms Andersons poor experience with us. We know what a difficult and painful time this is for all women and we aim to offer them as much support as we can.

Were investigating her case fully and have also invited her into our hospital so we can discuss what happened in more detail.
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The Government has run roughshod over the wishes of the victims of the contaminated blood scandal by letting the Department of Health (DoH) be involved in the inquiry, a Labour MP has claimed.

Former minister Diana Johnson compared to decision to allow the department to be involved in the probe to "asking South Yorkshire Police to lead an inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster".

Instead, she said the House of Commons should lead a fully independent inquiry.

Theresa May announced an investigation into how thousands of haemophiliacs and other patients were given blood products infected with hepatitis C and HIV during the 1970s and 1980s. It left around 2,400 people dead.

The exchange came after campaigners and family members boycotted a meeting with DoH officials amid concerns over the scope of the inquiry.

But Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price said the Government was "very much in listening mode" and insisted that no decisions had been made so far on who would lead the probe.

Ms Johnson, who has campaigned on the issue for a number of years, said many involved were "dismayed" that the DoH would lead on the establishment of the inquiry and called for another government department to take the lead.

She said the DoH was "an implicated party at the heart of so much that has gone wrong over the past 45 years", adding it "must have no role in how this inquiry is established."

She added: "It is akin, in my view, to asking South Yorkshire Police to lead an inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster and I regret that the Government has not been able to understand that by putting the Government in charge at this time immediately undermines their excellent decision to call a public inquiry last week."

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

Her concern was echoed by shadow public health minister Sharon Hodgson, who said victims had "deeply held suspicions" about the DoH.

She said: "A week ago the House united in agreement to finally facilitate justice for those tragically affected by this scandal but in recent days, as we've heard, events have shown ministers to renege on last week's promises and have run roughshod over the affected community."

Ms Hodgson said efforts to consult the community were "simply warm words" and said speed of the inquiry must not jeopardise efforts to seek justice.

Additional reporting by Press Association
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The UK is prepared to maintain free movement for EU citizens for up to four years after Brexit, reports have suggested.

Theresa May is ready to offer free movement for two years, according to The Times, while The Guardian quoted "a senior Cabinet source" as saying the period could last for three or even four years.

Philip Hammond was said to be confident he has won support within the Cabinet for a transition to prevent disruption to business caused by a sudden "cliff-edge" move to new arrangements on 29 March 2019, when Britain is set to leave the EU.

Mr Hammond has been pushing for a Brexit deal that prioritises "economic logic", but has been targeted in leaks by senior Conservative colleagues in an apparent bid to undermine him.

There was no immediate response from Downing Street to reports Ms May is ready to see free movement continue beyond the due date for withdrawal from the EU.

But she stressed her backing for an implementation period when speaking with business leaders who attended the first of a series of quarterly Downing Street forums on Brexit.

"The Prime Minister reiterated that the Government's overarching goal is for a smooth, orderly exit culminating in a comprehensive free trade deal with the EU, with a period of implementation in order to avoid any cliff-edges," a Downing Street spokesman said.

One of the attendees at the Number 10 summit, Francis Martin of the British Chambers of Commerce, made clear that a transition period is a priority for business.

"Our research shows clear support among the business community for the UK to reach a comprehensive agreement with the EU, and for a transition period which will prevent firms facing a cliff-edge," Mr Martin said.

"The prospect of multiple, costly, adjustments to trading conditions is a concern for many, so starting discussions on transition arrangements as soon as possible would go a long way to boost business confidence."

 Michel Barnier seeks clarification over key issues in Brexit talks

Labour MP Wes Streeting, a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign, said: "If it is true that the Cabinet now accept the need for a transitional period to avoid a cliff-edge Brexit, it is a welcome U-turn from ministers and a big victory for the Chancellor."

But leading Brexit-backing Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said calls for a transition period were being used as a mask for attempts to overturn the result of last year's referendum.

"If we are subject to the rules of the single market and the regulations of the single market, and subject to the fiat of the European Court of Justice, we are paying for the privilege and we can't do free trade deals with the rest of the world, then we are in the EU," Mr Rees-Mogg told BBC2's Newsnight.

"In the old and tired phrase, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck."

Ukip deputy chairman Suzanne Evans told the programme: "The people of Britain know exactly what they voted for. They voted to take back control of our money, our laws and our borders. If we have a transition period, we are not going to be able to take back any of those for goodness knows how long.

"We either leave on March 29, 2019 or we are held hostage to the EU for an indefinite period of time. We can't allow that to happen."

The row blew up after the completion of the second round of official Brexit negotiations ended in Brussels with "fundamental" disagreements remaining between Britain and the EU on citizens' rights and a stand-off over the so-called "divorce bill".

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier demanded clarification on Britain's position on the financial settlement by the next round of talks in August but UK officials, who are understood to be frustrated at Brussels' own ambiguity on the bill, indicated they would not publish a position before the autumn.

After four days of talks, the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, urged Brussels to show "flexibility" amid what is seen by the UK as "unprecedented" demands for the European Court of Justice to enforce EU nationals rights in the UK that amount to "judicial imperialism".

Additional reporting by PA
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Brussels is seeking to block the UK Government from carrying out criminal record checks on EU nationals who apply for settled status in Britain post Brexit.

EU negotiators want the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to oversee the implementation of any agreement on citizens' rights, a move which has received criticism from the UK.

Britain's current proposals would see anyone who has already lived in the UK for five years given a new settled status, securing their position in the country.

Anyone arriving after the triggering of Article 50, but before a notional cut-off date, yet to be set, would also have the chance to stay for five years and gain the status.

However, the proposals would restrict the right of EU citizens in the UK to bring over family members and would also result in a loss of protection of the ECJ.

Britain is insisting that EU nationals' criminal records should be checked when they apply for settled status and is happy for European countries to do the same for expats.

But the EU is adamant that systematic checks are not permitted under the Brussels free movement directive and they can only be done on the basis of reasonable suspicion.

The Independent had previously revealed that British citizens living in Europe could have their rights cut as the EU was likely to reciprocate any offer given by the UK.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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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

Claude Moraes, the chair of the European Parliaments civil liberties committee and a member of the parliaments Brexit steering committee, said we should expect reciprocity.

This is often reported as being just about the three million EU citizens in the UK but it is also about the 1.2 million UK citizens in Europe. I dont know exactly how the EU 27 will respond but one aspect will have to be reciprocity, Mr Moraes told The Independent.

They wont be able to put the 1.2 million people in the better position than the three million EU citizens in the UK.

Agencies contributed to this report
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Hours before MPs were set to start their summer break the Government issued a range of annual reports, statistics, policy papers and 22 written statements.

Published as Parliament entered its six-week hiatus, it provided no time for opposition MPs to study and question them.

Parliament has now entered its summer recess until September, so ministers will have no obligation to answer any questions on their contents, providing the perfect opportunity to bury any bad news.

Here are seven interesting bits of news that were released just before the recess began:

Schools mathematics shortage is concerning

An 89-page report on Britains mathematics shortage described the number of state schools students studying AS/A-level further mathematics as concerning.

It also mentioned the significant gender gap between children studying mathematics during their A-levels and raised concerns regarding funding available for schools.

Supreme Court judges want government to re-write immigration rules

The current law states a UK sponsor must have a minimum gross annual income of 18,600 before they can apply for spouses or partners from outside the EU to join them.

Judges have now said this should be altered to give a childs best interest the primary consideration, even if a spouse does not meet the requirements.

We have fewer soldiers

The number of full-time soldiers has fallen by 7,000 in the last three years.

Across the Army, Air Force and the Navy there are currently 570 fewer service personnel than in June 2016.

The figures were described as deeply concerning by Labours Shadow Defence Secretary, Nia Griffith.

A total of 5,000 families are affected by the changes.

1.1 million of taxpayer money wasted over Brexit court cases

The annual accounts for the Brexit Department indicated that 1.14 million was spent fighting the Article 50 case.

Remain campaigner Gina Miller eventually won a ruling that gave MPs the opportunity to vote before Article 50 was triggered.

Number of police officers at 30-year low

Official statistics noted there were 132,142 police officers in England and Wales - the lowest number for 30 years.

The news comes as there was the largest increase crime in ten years.

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

Rail programme scrapped

In what is a huge U-turn, the Government has dropped its electrification plans.

The proposal to electrify the Midland Main Line was already delayed by three years but has now been dropped altogether.

The pledge was made by David Cameron in 2012 but has proven to be a waste of time and money.

Number of former ministers also working in the private sector has increased

A total of 52 former ministers applied to work in the private sector, an increase of 60 per cent from the previous year.

In the same period there were 55 civil servants who did the same, according to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

There are conditions on ex-ministers and ex-civil servants who look to work in the private sector, They are, for example, not allowed to use privileged information or lobby government for two years after they leave office.
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The Government has been criticised for using shady tactics to avoid scrutiny by dumping important announcements and documents onto official websites the last day before MPs leave for their summer recesses.

Opposition parties described the strategy as a democratic abomination and said that the Conservatives had in 2017 taken it to another level after the Government tried to bury stories ranging from it wasting money on legal fees to there being a shortage of soldiers.

Written statements trawled through on Thursday revealed that the number of police officers had reached a 30-year low, that a major rail electrification programme had been scrapped, and that the number of former ministers working in the private sector had surged by 60 per cent.

Recommended The bad news the government released before MPs went on holiday

Other documents showed the Government had wasted 1.1 million in defending the Article 50 Court case  which it lost, and that there was a concerning shortage of students studying advanced mathematics.

A key foreign office human rights report that slated the record of one of Britains closest allies, Saudi Arabia, was also snuck out by the Foreign Office.

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said MPs would not get a chance to scrutinise the process.

Take out the trash day is a regular shame on our political system, but this year the Tories have taken it to another level, he said.

MPs will not have the chance to scrutinise the announcements sneaked out yesterday, including to reduce police numbers, ditch electrification of train lines and a damning human rights assessment of Saudi Arabia - a country that this Government is climbing into bed with.

These are the actions of a shady Government which holds Parliament and the people of this country in contempt. The fact that so much has been released in one go highlights the extent to which this is a Government running scared and unwilling to face scrutiny.

Jonathan Bartley criticised the practice (PA Images) (PA)

Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described the media management strategy as a national scandal.

Its is a democratic abomination that the government tries to sneak out a whole load of serious things on the last day of parliament knowing that no one will have time to scrutinise them seriously  on everything from Saudi Arabian arms sales to how many children are being expelled from our schools, he said.

Its a national scandal that the Government do this and it needs to stop."

UK Election Day 2017 Show all 38 1 /38 UK Election Day 2017 UK Election Day 2017 Door of Number 10 Downing Street is seen on the morning after Britain's election in London REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in north 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" PA UK Election Day 2017 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell arrives at Labour Headquarters on June 9, 2017 in London, England. After a snap election was called by Prime Minister Theresa May the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday. The closely fought election has failed to return a clear overall majority winner and a hung parliament has been declared Getty Images UK Election Day 2017 Caroline Lucas, co-leader of Britain's Green Party, speaks after retaining her seat in the general election, in Brighton REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 Patrons watch the results for Britain's election in London REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 Leader of the Liberal democrats Tim Farron celebrates beating Conservative party candidate James Airey (R) following the announcement of the results at the Westmoorland and Lonsdale constituency count at Kendal Leisure Centre on June 9, 2017 in Kendal, United Kingdom. After a snap election was called, the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday following a closely fought election. The results from across the country are being counted and an overall result is expected in the early hours Getty Images UK Election Day 2017 Paul Nuttal, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party reacts after failing to win the seat of Boston and Skegness at the counting centre for Britain's general election in Boston REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, as counting is under way for the General Election. PA UK Election Day 2017 Anna McMorrin hugs Jo Stevens MP after winning Cardiff North for Labour at the Sport Wales National Centre on June 9, 2017 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. After a snap election was called, the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday following a closely fought election. The results from across the country are being counted and an overall result is expected in the early hours Getty Images UK Election Day 2017 Vince Cable wins the Twickenham election for the Liberal Democrats. Richmond and Twickenham election Rex Features UK Election Day 2017 Britain's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn rubs his face after arriving for the declaration at his constituency in London AP UK Election Day 2017 Emily Thornberry speaks after holding her Islington South and Finsbury seat at the Sobell Leisure Centre in Islington, north London PA UK Election Day 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May listens as the declaration at her constituency is made for in the general election in Maidenhead, England, Friday, June 9, 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election appeared Friday to have backfired spectacularly, after an exit poll suggested her Conservative Party could lose its majority in Parliament AP UK Election Day 2017 Labour Party candidate Emily Thornberry smiles at a counting centre for BritainaAAs general election in London REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 A picture shows the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament in central London on June 8, 2017, on the night of Britain's general election. Prime Minister Theresa May is poised to win Britain's snap election but lose her parliamentary majority, a shock exit poll suggested on June 8, in what would be a major blow for her leadership as Brexit talks loom AFP/Getty Images UK Election Day 2017 DUP candidate for Lagan Valley Jeffrey Donaldson celebrates following his election at the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn as counting is under way for the General Election PA UK Election Day 2017 Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd attends the count for her seat at a counting centre for Britain's general election in Hastings REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 Ballots are counted at a counting centre for BritainaAAs general election in London Reuters UK Election Day 2017 The London Eye is illuminated in blue, representing the Conservative Party, after the first exit polls announced in Britain's general election AP UK Election Day 2017 Election officials count votes in the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland EPA UK Election Day 2017 The London Eye is illuminated in red, the color of the Labour Party, after first exit polls of Britain's national election announced in London AP UK Election Day 2017 BBC Television centre is illuminated with the exit poll results for Britains general election Eddie Keogh/Reuters UK Election Day 2017 Labours Bridget Phillipson (centre) smiles after being announced as the winner of the election for the constituency of Houghton and Sunderland South at a counting centre Reuters UK Election Day 2017 Members of the election staff prepare to count ballots, in Theresa Mays constituency in Maidenhead AP UK Election Day 2017 Ballot papers are checked ahead of the count at the Westmoorland and Lonsdale constituency count at Kendal Leisure Centre Getty UK Election Day 2017 Ballots are counted at a counting centre for Britains general election in Kendal Reuters UK Election Day 2017 Theresa May arrives to vote at a polling station in Maidenhead AP UK Election Day 2017 Jeremy Corbyn arrives to cast his ballot at a polling station in north London EPA UK Election Day 2017 Lib Dems leader Tim Farron outside a polling station at Stonecross Manor Hotel in Kendal, Cumbria PA UK Election Day 2017 The leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) Paul Nuttall arrives to vote at a polling station in Congleton Reuters UK Election Day 2017 Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon with her husband Peter Murrell (left) the CEO of the SNP after casting their votes at a polling station at Broomhouse Community Hall, Glasgow, Scotland EPA UK Election Day 2017 Caroline Lucas, co-leader of Britains Green Party, arrives with her husband Richard Savage, to vote in Brighton Reuters UK Election Day 2017 An advertising van showing caricatures of Tim Farron, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Paul Nuttall with the message who will be looking for a new job as Britain goes to the polls to elect a new government Rex UK Election Day 2017 Performers pose with puppet caricatures of Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Tim Farron and leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, in front of the Palace of Westminster Reuters UK Election Day 2017 Dogs wait for their owner outside a polling station in Penally, Wales Reuters UK Election Day 2017 Police officers speak with a Labour Party activist outside a polling station in London AP UK Election Day 2017 Benedictine nuns from Tyburn Convent leave after voting in Britain's general election at a polling station in St John's Parish Hall, London AP UK Election Day 2017 A polling station sign is seen on a telephone box outside the polling station at Rotherwick Hall, west of London Getty

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said: "The government has attempted to hide bad news as the summer break begins by slipping reports and announcements out under the radar. It is an appalling practice that stops us from holding the Government to account.

Everyone knows the Tories days are numbered, but Im astounded at the extent to which they have run scared from defending their record.

This is weak act from a weak Prime Minister, desperate to avoid scrutiny of her failure.

MPs broke for recess on Thursday and will not return until 5 September; Parliament will then sit for a week before another month-long recess in which party conferences are held.
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Michael Gove will pledge to deliver a green Brexit, vowing to set global standards on policies from animal welfare to air quality, in his first keynote speech on the environment.

Mr Gove, who replaced Andrea Leadsom as Environment Secretary following the general election, will also claim that leaving the European Union presents a historic opportunity to reform farming, fisheries and land management.

But the Environment Secretary, a leading figure in the campaign to leave the European Union last year, has been warned by environmental campaigners not to water down EU rules and regulations aimed at tackling air pollution and climate change.

Without these regulations, Greenpeace told The Independent, a dirty Brexit will be far more likely than a green one.

In a keynote speech at the WWFs Living Planet Centre, Mr Gove will say he is an environmentalist first because I care about the fate of fellow animals.

But I am also an environmentalist because of hard calculation as well as the promptings of the heart, he will add. We need to maintain and enhance the natural world around us, or find ourselves facing disaster.

Indeed, ultimately, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the energy which powers enterprise, are all threatened if we do not practise proper stewardship of the planet.

On delivering a green Brexit, Mr Gove will add the decision to exit the EU will present new opportunities, and challenges for the British Government.

And nowhere more so than in the area of environmental policy, he will say.

We now have an historic opportunity to review our policies on agriculture, land use, biodiversity, woodlands, marine conservation, fisheries, pesticide licensing, chemical regulation, animal welfare, habitat management, waste, water purity, air quality and so much more.

Repeating the pre-referendum slogan, he will say that leaving the EU and the Commons Fisheries Policy will allow Britain to take back control of environmental policy.

Commenting on the speech, Rebecca Newsom, policy adviser at Greenpeace UK, said: Since being appointed Environment Secretary, Michael Gove has made a number of promising statements about reforming farm subsidies, enhancing nature protections, and looking after our bees. The question is whether and how these words will turn into actual government policy.

But, she warned: For decades, its EU environmental law that has cleaned up our beaches, banned dangerous chemicals, and held Goves own department to account for its failure to tackle illegal air pollution. Without these regulations and an authority to enforce them, a dirty Brexit will be far more likely than a green one.

Michael Gove should use the Repeal Bill to enshrine policies, principles and real enforcement of rules to make sure Britain doesnt have weaker environmental standards than those enjoyed by our European neighbours. Thats one concrete thing Gove can do to ensure we leave our environment in a better state for the next generation.

Friends of the Earth chief executive Craig Bennett added: With all the evidence suggesting that leaving the EU will be a disaster for our environment, Michael Gove must deliver a package of strong environmental regulations if he wants to make a green Brexit a reality.

Current EU rules aimed at tackling air pollution and climate change and protecting our birds, bees and nature must not be watered down, and mechanisms must be put in place to enforce them post-Brexit.

The British public are overwhelmingly in favour of keeping or strengthening EU rules that protect our natural environment  Mr Gove must not let them down, he added.
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Training by British police may have directly helped Saudi agents arrest more than a dozen people now believed to be facing execution, it is feared.

MPs including ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband have written to Theresa May asking her to "personally urge" the Saudi royal family to halt the killings.

Human rights charity Reprieve said the 14 prisoners included a disabled man and a student, Mujtaba al-Sweikat, arrested in 2012 when he was only 17.

The Prime Minister must "take urgent steps to confirm that UK assistance played no role in these individuals' conviction", the MPs wrote, according to the BBC.

Conservative Andrew Mitchell and Liberal Democrat Tom Brake also signed the letter, which demands a "full account to Parliament of any and all UK training for Saudi police and criminal justice institutions".

Mr Brake raised the issue in an urgent question to Parliament earlier this week.

He said: "The PM is promoting the UK as a global nation. How we respond to the threat of summary executions by a partner and close ally will determine exactly what kind of global nation she intends the UK to be - a global champion of human rights or an apologist for human rights abusers."

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt replied: "The UK government opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country including Saudi Arabia."

In the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury also pleaded with Ms May to intervene.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the "depth" of the UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia in areas like trade and finance offered options "for significantly more leverage than mere condemnation".

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

Answering for the Government, Baroness Goldie said Saudi Arabia was aware of the UK's concerns, but it was a "sovereign state" and it was not possible for the UK to "interfere with either its judicial system or its constitutional approach to these matters".

She told peers: "We can make clear, as we do, our profound disapproval and opposition to abuses of human rights and the use of the death penalty."

She added ministers were urgently seeking clarification of the situation from the highest levels of Saudi leadership and reiterating "profound concerns" about the reports.

Reprieve said Mr al-Sweikat and the others convicted of similar protest-related offences now face "imminent execution based on false confessions extracted through torture in a secretive trial".

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released statements last month calling the men's trial "grossly unfair". They said a court of appeals has upheld the convictions and death sentences.

 Trump 'de-emphasises human rights' in Saudi Arabia speech: "We are not here to lecture"

According to Reprieve, the 14 were recently moved to the capital, Riyadh, from another prison, suggesting they could be executed soon.

Saudi Arabia has one of the world's highest execution rates. On 11 July the kingdom executed four Shiites for protest-related violence and attacks on police.

Reprieve warned last year that training from British police officers was equipping Saudi counterparts with skills that could be used to "identify individuals who later go on to be tortured or subjected to other human rights abuses".

Recommended How Britain taught Arab police forces all they know

At the time, the Foreign Office said UK expertise was improving the Saudi justice system, including compliance with human rights.

A spokeswoman told The Independent last summer: "It is not good enough to merely criticise other countries from the sidelines. Only by working with Saudi Arabia are we able to bring about the changes we would like to see in the country."

The Saudi embassy in the UK has been contacted for comment.

A College of Policing spokesperson said: "The College ensures that all the overseas assistance it provides complies with human rights and is guided by our code of ethics.

"Decisions about the provision of UK policing assistance overseas must reconcile the difficulties of working with countries whose standards of human rights may be at odds with our own with the opportunity to address national security concerns, help to protect UK citizens overseas and contribute to reform in those countries.

"Before undertaking any international work the College refers to advice from various government departments through the International Police Assistance Board.

"The board assesses all requests for assistance against British values and interests, including overseas security and justice assistance guidance and human rights assessments.

"For countries where human rights compliance may be of concern, the College completes a full overseas security and tustice assistance human rights assessment and, where necessary, gain ministerial approval."

Additional reporting by agencies
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The Government has approved licences for arms deals to two-thirds of the countries on its own list of human rights abusers, a campaign group has said.

Boris Johnson's Foreign Office released its annual human rights report on Friday including a list of 30 countries, like Bahrain, China, Saudi Arabia and Israel, it had given priority status in 2016.

But in the same year, the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said, the UK licensed 820m of arms to 20 countries on the list.

Mr Johnson said in his foreword to the report into the UKs efforts to advance global human rights: Promoting the values that Britain holds dear is not an optional extra, still less a vainglorious addition to our diplomacy; it is in keeping with centuries of tradition. This is part of who we are.

CAAT's Andrew Smith told The Independent: These are the countries where even the Government accepts that serious human rights abuses and conflicts are taking place, yet it is still pushing arms to these regimes.

We have no way of knowing what abuses these arms may fuel, or who they will be used against.

The Government will no doubt tell us how rigorous and robust its system supposedly is, but it is actively arming and supporting many of the most brutal dictatorships in the world.

If [Theresa] May and her colleagues want to promote human rights and democracy then they must stop selling arms to unstable and repressive regimes.

A Department for International Trade spokeswoman said: The UK Government takes its defence export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world.

We rigorously examine every application on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licencing criteria.

We draw on all available information, including reports from NGOs and our overseas network, and our export licencing system allows us to respond quickly to changing facts on the ground.

We have suspended or revoked licences when the level of risk changes and we constantly review local situations.

The Foreign Office has also been contacted for comment.

While it is not on the list of priority countries, the Foreign Office identified Thailand's repression of political expression as a concern, adding that since the 2014 military coup, sedition and lese-majeste laws have been used to restrict the media, free speech and the right to protest, and harsh sentences have been applied in some instances.

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

Government defence export statistics from 2015 described "notable success stories" of UK companies winning contracts there and in Malaysia, another state the Foreign Office report said was clamping down on free expression in 2016.

The UK has faced particular criticism over its sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Thousands have been killed including in air strikes by Saudi Arabia.

Last year the parliamentary committee charged with scrutinising arms exports said it was likely that British weapons had been used to violate international law.

The Saudis stand accused of bombing multiple international hospitals run by the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, as well as schools, wedding parties and food factories.

Elsewhere in its report, the Foreign Office said the UK "continued to have significant human rights concerns in China".

Despite "some improvements in economic and social rights" civil and political freedoms were subject to "increasing restrictions", it said.

So-called conversion therapy, also known as "gay cure" therapy, was still widely available in the country despite UN condemnation, while ethnic and religious groups, as well as prominent bloggers, also faced crackdowns.

The Foreign Office said a particular concern was the detention without trial of human rights lawyers, adding that it had raised human rights with China's leaders "robustly and at every level".
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A Canadian family found a urinary catheter in a store-bought ice cream container, forcing them to be tested for hepatitis and HIV.

Jean Francoeur of Quebec and his family were celebrating the birth of a grandson over a tub of Coaticook's caramel pecan ice cream when he spit out a bit of plastic.

It was part of a full catheter they found in the container.

Recommended The startup selling organic tampons in ice cream tubs

Neither of the other family members, his son Samuel and Samuel's mother-in-law Carol-Anne Christofferson bit into any bits of the medical device, but they did eat the ice cream and all rushed to the hospital.

Each of the family members has had to give blood samples received preventative treatment for HIV and hepatitis A, B and C.

Unfortunately, full test results will not be available for six months and in the meantime the younger Mr Francoeur and Ms Christofferson will be tested monthly and the new grandfather Jean will have to be tested weekly.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed it is investigating the incident, "and told the BBC that no threats to health were identified at the ice cream production facility after an initial inspection," the BBC reported.

"We have so many internal controls here and in food production in general that having something like that show up in a food item, it is not normal," a Coaticook spokesperson told the CBC.

The local ice cream maker Coaticook is looking at surveillance footage from its facility from the date it was made, which was stamped on the container.
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A court in India on Tuesday ordered a 10-year-old girl whose parents say she was raped and impregnated by her uncle to carry her foetus to term, ruling she is too young and her pregnancy too advanced to have an abortion.

The girl, who has not been identified, is six months pregnant and sought medical attention after her maternal uncle allegedly raped her several times, CBS News reported.

The district court in the northern city of Chandigarh based its decision on an opinion by a panel of doctors from the citys Government Medical College and Hospital, where the girl was examined, according to the hospitals medical superintendent.

If you abort then the risk to life is greater, the superintendent told The Washington Post in a brief phone interview Wednesday.

A 1970s law in India known as the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act bars abortions beyond 20 weeks, though courts have made exceptions if the fetus is not viable or if the mothers life is at risk.

According to CBS, the hospitals eight-member panel determined that the fetus was viable and could survive even if it was delivered immediately. CBS quoted an unnamed senior doctor on the panel who said abortion was not an option at this stage.

The hospital told the Times of India on Tuesday: The victim is six months pregnant, as revealed by her ultrasound reports. We have submitted our medical advice to the court regarding termination of the foetus.

The girls parents found out their daughter was pregnant after she complained of stomach pains, according to the Indian Express. She later reportedly told her mother that her uncle had raped her a half-dozen times when he visited the family home. The uncle was arrested, and the parents petitioned the court for an abortion, the Indian Express reported.

Doctors say it is biologically possible for a girl to become pregnant as soon as she begins ovulating, although rare for a 10 year old. By and large, medical experts agree that carrying and delivering a baby at age 15 or younger can come with life-threatening complications, including anaemia, high blood pressure and haemorrhaging.

On top of that, pelvic bones do not fully develop until women reach their late teens. Before that point vaginal births and full-term pregnancies are dangerous, and even Caesarean sections present significant risks, they say. Such problems, along with complications from unsafe abortions, were the top cause of death among female adolescents in 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

Umesh Jindal, a gynaecologist from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, said she has never encountered a pregnant patient as young as the girl in Chandigarh. Her youngest, she said, was 13.

If legal permission is granted treating it as an exceptional case, its better to terminate the pregnancy, Jindal told the Times of India.

Puneet Bedi, a Delhi-based gynaecologist, told the Indian news site the Quint that the psychological effects of giving birth at such a young age would outweigh the risk of abortion.

Recommended Northern Irish law made woman carry foetus with fatal defect to term

An abortion needs to be done immediately, Bedi said. Yes, there are risks and abortion at this stage is tough, but for the girl who is still developing, the scars will be many.

In a strikingly similar case earlier this year, a court in the northern Indian state of Haryana permitted a 10-year-old girl who was 21 weeks pregnant to have an abortion, as the New York Times reported. The girls mother called a womens help line and reported that her daughter became pregnant after being repeatedly raped by her stepfather, described as a day labourer in his early 20s, according to the Times.

Local authorities later petitioned the court to determine whether the girl should be granted an exception under the countrys abortion law. A doctor from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak, India, told the Times that the girl would face psychological trauma if the pregnancy were allowed to proceed.

In 2015, Indian authorities allowed a 14-year-old rape victim to end her pregnancy at 25 weeks, as the Indian Express reported.

The Chandigarh girls case comes at a time when Indias government has struggled to address growing public outcry over rape and violence against women. The number of reported rapes in the country has steadily risen in the past decade, to what some have called crisis levels.

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 problem received a surge of attention in 2012 after a 23-year-old woman was gang raped and beaten to death by a group of men on a private bus in New Delhi, in an incident that sparked international horror and outrage. The government responded by toughening its rape law and speeding up prosecutions of rape cases, as The Posts Annie Gowen has reported, but convictions are uncommon and women often face victim shaming, fear of retaliation and other obstacles in reporting rapes to authorities.

India has the worlds largest population of sexually abused children, with a child under age 10 raped every 13 hours, as the BBC reported in May. More than 10,000 children were raped in the country in 2015. In most cases, the abusers are relatives or family friends, according to the BBC.

Washington Post
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Officials in Hawaii are preparing an emergency response plan they will deploy if North Korea fires a missile at their state.

While the officials said they do not wish to create stress or unduly worry islanders, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency revealed it is to unveil a public education and information campaign informing people what they should do in the unlikely instance Pyongyang decides to target Hawaii.

We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public, however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards, said Vern Miyagi, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator, according to the Star Advertiser.

We cannot wait to begin our public information campaign to ensure that Hawaii residents will know what do if such an event occurs.

The announcement conjured up images of Cold War drills of 1950s school children being made to hide under their desks to prepare for a Soviet nuclear onslaught. Yet officials in Hawaii said they wanted to be able to let locals and tourists know what to do if they hear the sound of sirens.

Hawaii News Now reported the campaign will also feature tests of a new emergency siren on the first workday of each month. The normal siren will sound, followed by a second siren that would be used in the event of an attack, the news site said.

 North Korea celebrates rocket launch with massive concert

After months of mutual sabre-rattling by the US and North Korea, in early July the East Asian nation tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-14. Experts said it was possible that the missile, with a range of up to 4,000 miles, could reach Alaska or Hawaii, though there is no evidence North Korea is planning a move that would likely result in its nuclear annihilation.

Officials estimate that if North Korea developed a warhead to attach to its ICBM, it could reach Hawaii in 20 minutes and that there would be just 12 to 15 minutes to warn people.

We dont know the exact capabilities or intentions of the North Korean government, but there is clear evidence that it is trying to develop ballistic missiles that could conceivably one day reach our state, said Mr Miyagi.

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

Hawaii was notoriously caught napping in December 1941 when Japan destroyed the US naval fleet at Pearl Harbour, a move that led the US to enter into World War II.

Yet some on Hawaii are concerned that news of the preparations will deter tourists.

Everyones safety in Hawaii is always our top priority. We support the efforts of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prepare for any threat to Hawaiis well-being, be it man-made or a natural disaster, Charlene Chan, director of communications for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said in a statement.

However, we also know from speaking to our tourism industry partners that if reports are misinterpreted about the states need to prepare for an attack, this could lead to travellers and groups staying away from Hawaii.

This week, it was reported that the US was planning to ban Americans from travelling to to North Korea.
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

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The long-anticipated shake-up of Donald Trumps communications team has finally taken place with Sean Spicer resigning as press secretary and Anthony Scaramucci appointed director of communications.

After months of speculation that the 45-year-old was poised to leave the White House, it was announced that deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had been promoted to fill his position.

Its been an honour & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country, Mr Spicer tweeted, adding that he would remain in his position until August.

Mr Trump had asked his press secretary to stay on, according to The New York Times, but Mr Spicer told the President that the appointment of Mr Scaramucci was a big mistake.

Mr Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime supporter of Mr Trump, will replace Mike Dubke, who resigned from the job in May amid the fallout from primarily Russia-related scandals.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus  a former Republican Party chairman who had brought Mr Spicer into the White House  also reportedly disapproves of Mr Trumps pick for communications director.

During the transition, Mr Trump had intended to appoint Mr Scaramucci as director of his office of public liaison, but the offer was pulled at the request of Mr Priebus because of concerns about the financiers overseas investments.

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

It is likely that the President selected Mr Scaramucci because of his demonstrated loyalty. The financier, who founded the global investment firm SkyBridge Capital and is a Fox News contributor, has on multiple occasions spiritedly defended the President on television. Mr Trump has constantly felt that his communications team was not doing enough to defend him.

Mr Scaramucci will be joining the administration when friction between the White House and the press is high. Mr Trump has criticised several news organisations, and his communications team has received backlash for holding fewer on-camera briefings. Mr Spicer has said the change was meant to draw more attention to the Presidents remarks, but some reporters have asserted that the White House should have the backbone to answer questions during on-camera proceedings.

Mr Spicers resignation comes after the President reshuffled his personal legal team, which is building Mr Trumps defence against allegations of collusion with the Russian government around the 2016 election.

Jonathan Karl, the chief White House correspondent for ABC News, tweeted that when he asked Mr Spicer a question about the new director of communications, the press secretary slammed the door in his face.

Minutes later, it was reported that Mr Spicer had resigned.

Throughout his six-month tenure as the White House press secretary, Mr Spicer became known for his combative style with the press that inspired a caricature of him on Saturday Night Live.

A former Republican National Committee spokesman and strategist, Mr Spicer was on the frontline defending Mr Trumps directives and decisions, from the controversial travel ban to the Presidents abrupt firing of James Comey as FBI director in May.

Mr Trumps social media use and off-the-cuff communication style are also likely to remain a thorn in the side of his staff. The Presidents tweets and statements he makes during interviews often contradict messages from his own White House  issues that Mr Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders have had to deal with during press briefings.
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A bill that would criminalise boycotts against Israel has been signed by 45 US senators and 237 congressman.

The so-called Israel Anti-Boycott Act would impose fines of up to $250,000 (192,000) on any US citizen engaged in interstate or foreign commerce who supports a boycott of Israeli goods and services.

The US has long defended Israel in territorial disputes in the Middle East, even as the Israeli military has expanded into areas assigned to the Palestinians by international law.

This position runs counter to that of the United Nations, which claims Israels settlements in occupied Palestinian territory have no legal validity, and constitute flagrant violation of international law.

In their new legislation, members of Congress claim the UN is considering a resolution to withhold assistance from  and prevent trade with  settlements in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights.

The Israel Anti-Boycott act would punish any American who supported such measures.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has argued that the bill would impose civil and criminal punishment on individuals solely because of their political beliefs about Israel and its policies, in a letter sent to members of the Senate.

In short, the bill would punish businesses and individuals solely based on their point of view, it wrote. Such a penalty is in direct violation of the First Amendment.

Israel: From independence to intifada Show all 7 1 /7 Israel: From independence to intifada Israel: From independence to intifada 26973.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26974.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26975.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26976.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26977.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26985.bin Robert Capa/Magnum Israel: From independence to intifada 26986.bin Robert Capa/Magnum

Still, the bill  reportedly drafted with the help of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)  has received widespread bipartisan support.

Even liberal-leaning senators like Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Maria Cantwell of Washington, and representatives like Adam Schiff of Massachusetts, have signed on to the legislation.

Conservatives like Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida also support it.

When asked by The Intercept about this support, many legislators seemed unfamiliar with the details.

Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan responded by asking: Whats the Act?

Senator Claire McCaskill claimed she had not read the ACLU letter, but would take their position into consideration, just like I take everybodys position into consideration.

Meanwhile, Senator Benjamin Cardin  the bills primary sponsor  said that he doesnt think the bill criminalises participating in boycotts, as the ACLU has claimed.

We are very sensitive to freedom of speech; we are very sensitive to people having different views, he said. Were not trying to weigh in at all on the differences between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
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News that Donald Trump and his lawyers are musing about the possibility of the President pardoning his family  or even himself  to insulate them from any potential charges of wrongdoing related to the 2016 election has worked the internet and commentators into a frothy fury.

The fallout of the latest bit of seemingly damaging news about the Trump administration has led some to question whether it signals that the United States is headed toward a constitutional crisis. Some say this type of thinking within the administration makes the Watergate scandal that saw the resignation of Richard Nixon look like childs play.

If Donald Trump thinks that he can easily pardon himself and pardon his aides, pardon his children and limit the [Robert] Mueller investigation, perhaps fire Mueller and or [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions and [Deputy Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein, Michael Beschloss, an American historian who specialises in the presidency, said in an appearance on MSNBC, we are on our way if that happens to see a constitutional crisis that would make Watergate look like a minor event in comparison.

Recommended Russian lawyer who met Trump Jr had FSB as a client

Mr Beschloss said that, if Mr Trump is truly considering pardoning himself, his family, and his administration officials, then it illustrates a big difference between him and Nixon. The former president, at the height of the Watergate scandal, refused to consider similar pardons, he said, and said at the time that those actions would be dishonourable.

It isnt clear if the President has the ability to pardon himself, and leading constitutional scholars have argued that he definitely doesnt have that particular power. The constitution gives the President sole power to grant pardons and commutations against federal crimes

My view: a presidents self-pardon would be unconstitutional, Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University, tweeted.

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

Michael Dorf, a constitutional law professor at Cornell University and coauthor of a book on the Constitution with Mr Tribe, told The Independent that he doesn't think that the President pardoning his family and himself would actually create a constitutional crisis. That's because federal norms already keep prosecutors from attempting to prosecute a sitting president. If Mr Trump pardons himself, and Mr Mueller decided after he left office to try and take him to task, the courts would determine then whether Mr Trump had the power to pardon himself in the first place. In other words, the checks and balances laid out in the Constitution would be working.

A constitutional crisis, in Mr Dorf's view, would only occur should the nation not be ruled by the Constitution. One example of that would be if a President refuses to leave office, at which point loyalties to him would be the determining factor in the governance of the United States instead of the principles of the founding documents.

The news that Mr Trumps team may be considering a self-pardon  or are, at the very least, curious about the concept  come as the President has escalated his brawl with the Justice Department. The President said in a recent New York Times interview in the Oval Office that he wouldnt have hired Mr Sessions to run the department had he known that he would recuse himself from the Russia probe, prompting many to note that in ordinary times the attorney general would resign following those statements.

Of course, Mr Trump could fire Mr Sessions and demand that Mr Rosenstein fire Mr Mueller  which Mr Rosenstein has said he wouldnt do without a good reason. That, however, would only add to concerns that the President is attempting to obstruct justice in the investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 presidential election and whether his campaign participated in that effort in any way. Mr Trump has already been dogged by similar claims after he fired former FBI Director James Comey, and cited the Russia investigation explicitly as a reason for doing so.

Some have noted that the idea to push for Mr Muellers firing would be a ridiculous move.

Youre gonna beat the obstruction of justice rap you created by firing someone, by firing the guy investigating the obstruction, Twitter user Dave Itzkoff, implicitly questioning the logic behind essentially repeating the same action that got Mr Trump in potential hot water to take the heat away.

The Presidents team has also been reportedly considering a different tact to fight back against the threat of the Russia investigation: Compiling their own dossier on conflicts of interest within Mr Muellers investigation. But there, again, legal scholars say that it could be a dangerous move to do so.

Be VERY careful Mr. Pres., investigating the investigators can be obstruction, Norm Eisen, an attorney who previously served as the White House ethics czar for the Obama administration, tweeted.
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There may not be a lot that Donald Trump likes about the special investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election ran by Robert Mueller, but the President is especially unhappy that it now includes a look at his tax returns.

The President has been disturbed by the disclosure that Mr Mueller could access his personal tax returns without even requesting them from him, according to the Washington Post, since the Internal Revenue Service could provide those documents. Mr Trump has repeatedly refused to release his tax returns publicly, a break in tradition for presidents dating back several decades.

While more and more information has become openly available through reports from media organisations, Mr Muellers investigation has trudged silently on and has reportedly broadened considerably. The investigation has begun to take a look at Mr Trumps business transactions, reports earlier this week indicated.

Recommended White House refuses to deny reports Trump is considering pardons

The news of that expanded focus came just after Mr Trump conducted an on-the-record interview with the New York Times in which he accused the Mueller investigation of being riddled with conflicts of interest. During that interview, Mr Trump indicated that the investigation would be crossing a line if it were to expand to include a look at his familys finances.

Mr Trump is now reportedly considering his options, alongside his legal counsel. Those options reportedly include the possibility of Mr Trump using his presidential pardon powers to shield his family and close allies from potential legal fallout from whatever the investigation dredges up. He is also reportedly considering if it is possible for him to pardon himself as president  although it is unclear if the Constitution would allow such a manoeuvre.

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

Should Mr Trump decide to do so, a final decision likely wouldnt be made until after he leaves office. It appears unlikely that Mr Mueller would attempt to prosecute the President while in office, so he would have to wait until after he left. At that point, it would be up to the courts to decide if Mr Trump was legally capable of pardoning himself.
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The US will introduce a ban on Americans visiting North Korea, tourist agencies have said.

Koryo Tours said the ban would be announced on 27 July and would go into effect 30 days later. It did not say how long the ban would last.

Another tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, said in a Twitter message that it had also been informed of the ban, citing the same date.

Young Pioneer was the agency that took US student Otto Warmbier to North Korea. He was subsequently arrested there and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.

North Korea released him in June in a coma and he died days after getting back to the United States.

China-based Young Pioneer said: "After the 30 day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government."

North Korea has said through its state media that Warmbier's death was "a mystery" and dismissed accusations that he had died as a result of torture and beating in captivity.

The isolated state allows foreign tourists to visit but their travel is strictly limited.

Efforts to exert pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime have been stepped up recently, following new missile tests and a large-scale military drill by the North.

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

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said Britain stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Japan in efforts to put an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests.

He said in Tokyo on Friday that "we all need to increase the pressure on Pyongyang through diplomacy and sanctions, and that must include China using its influence to bring North Korea back to the negotiation table".

Mr Johnson is meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the foreign minister and the governor of Tokyo on day two of a three-day trip to Japan.

The Japanese foreign ministry says they are discussing increased diplomatic and security co-operation and the Olympics.

Mr Johnson called North Korea's recent launch of its first intercontinental ballistic missile "a reckless provocation".

Additional reporting by agencies
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Germany has advised heightened caution for citizens visiting Turkey, in the latest sign of escalating tensions between the two countries.

Sigmar Gabriel, Germanys foreign minister, flew home early from a North Sea holiday to announce a re-orientation of the countrys policies towards Turkey.

We want Turkey to be a part of the West, or at least remain in its current position, but it takes two to tango, he said at a press conference in Berlin.

The minister used the case of prominent German human rights activist Peter Steudtner to illustrate that German citizens in Turkey are no longer safe from arbitrary arrest and to highlight risks associated with investing in the country.

Mr Steudtner was arrested earlier this week at a conference in Istanbul, where he was teaching Turkish colleagues about IT security and non-violent conflict resolution.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Germany of double standards over the warnings, and told journalists in Cyprus that the two countries needed to focus on long-term goals

Germany is also putting all arms projects with Turkey on hold, according to government sources speaking to daily newspaper Bild.

Yearly trade between the two countries is 37bn (33.1bn).

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 hardening in Germanys stance comes after six German activists were remanded in custody on terrorism charges on Tuesday.

The incident brought the number of German nationals imprisoned in Turkey for political reasons since the attempted coup to 22.

There is also tension around Turkeys refusal to allow a delegation of MPs to visit German troops stationed at Turkeys Incirlik.

The German government points to the arrest of 50,000 soldiers, police officers, judges and academics in Turkey since the putsch as evidence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogans authoritarianism.
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A British woman has reportedly been sentenced to one year in prison in Dubai for having consensual sex, after her ex-lover threatened to expose their affair to her friends and family.

The unnamed woman and her Pakistani ex-lover have been found guilty of having sex outside marriage, which is illegal in the UAE, after she flew out to visit him for a week in 2016 following a three year relationship on Facebook.

The man claimed that when the woman came to visit in 2016 he picked her up from Dubai International Airport and drove her to a flat to the nearby emirate of Sharjah where he claims a Pakistani religious scholar married them verbally.

She denied there had been any such wedding and said she had then tried to break it off with the man because she intended to marry someone else in London, Gulf News reported.

On hearing the news, the man reportedly became angry and threatened to report her "shame" to her family and post pictures of the pair of them on Facebook.

He reportedly called her fiance in the UK and told him they were already married.

The woman said the man had even threatened to kill her if she married someone else.

Following the threats, the woman and her father flew to Dubai to file a complaint against the man who was then arrested.

During the interrogation he denied he had sent threatening messages and instead said the woman was being pressured by her family to stay away from him.

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

Eventually it emerged that the pair had had sex during her stay and both were found guilty at Dubai Misdemeanours Court and sentenced to one year in prison followed by deportation.

The man and woman both pleaded not guilty and have appealed their sentences asking for leniency.

The religiously conservative UAE bans all fornication and even married couples have to show their marriage certificate when registering the birth of a child  the authorities may even compare the presumed date of conception with the date of the wedding.

In March, a couple was arrested in Abu Dhabi after a doctor discovered the woman was pregnant after she visited him complaining of stomach cramps.
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Three Palestinians have reportedly been killed amid violent clashes across Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In Jerusalem, two Palestinians, a 17-year-old boy and 24-year-old man were killed by live fire, said Bayan Baidoun from the Mukassed Hospital.

A third Palestinian was killed in clashes in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, but did not provide further details.

Local media named the 17-year-old as Muhammad Mahmoud Sharaf, saying he was killed during protests in the Ras al-Amoud district of East Jerusalem.

Palestinians pray on the street close to Lion's Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, closely watched by Israeli security during a mass street Friday prayer on 21 July 2017. (EPA)

The Palestinian Authority-linked Wafa news agency reported that he was shot in the neck by a settler and died of his wounds shortly afterwards, being buried later in the day.

Footage showed hundreds of Palestinians at the funeral, chanting "Allah akhbar" as they carried Muhammad's body through the streets.

Both his body and that of the 24-year-old were removed quickly from hospital for burial amid fears they would be seized by Israeli authorities, preventing the swift burials customary both Islam and Judaism.

At least one Israeli police officer was injured as Palestinians hurled rocks and missiles and started fires, and Israeli security forces responded with live fire, rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had treated 193 injured people across Jerusalem on the West Bank so far on Friday, warning of foreseen tensions and potential clashes.

Thousands of Muslims had prayed in the streets surrounding the holy site known as Temple Mount by Jews and Haram al-Sharif by Muslims in the Old City.

They were protesting against the installation of metal detectors and other restrictions at the entrance to the al-Aqsa Mosque, after Palestinian gunmen killed two police officers there last week.

 Trump's full remarks in Jerusalem

Muslim leaders had urged worshippers not to enter the sacred compound until Israel removes the detectors, portraying Israel's measures as an encroachment on Muslim rights.

The mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, told worshippers that he expects a long test of wills with Israel over the third-holiest site in Islam.

Israeli authorities have insisted the devices would stay, saying they are needed to prevent further attacks and arguing they go no further than measures at other sensitive sites abroad.

But a spokesperson suggested that officers may sometimes only choose to conduct spot checks, after Israels security cabinet decided not to overrule the decision to install detectors.

The military and the Shin Bet security service were reportedly opposed to the devices.

Friday prayers are frequently a flashpoint for protests and unrest in Jerusalem and the West Bank, with police severely restricting Muslim access to the area surrounding the al-Aqsa mosque and setting up checkpoints.

Around 3,000 police were deployed near the Old City, turning away Muslim men under the age of 50, while some worshippers intercepted before reaching Jerusalem as they journeyed toward the holy city.

The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child

Anger over perceived moves by Israeli authorities to restrict Muslim access to the al-Aqsa mosque and lessen control by its Jordanian custodians has been a major source of increased tensions over the past two years, which have seen in a spike in Palestinian attacks and shootings by security forces.

Jordan has repeatedly appealed to Israel to remove the metal detectors and thousands of Jordanians protested in Amman on Friday.

The compound houses the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque, and is the third holiest site in Islam.

But it was once home to biblical Temples and so is Judaism's holiest site. The Western Wall, a Temple remnant, is the holiest site where Jews can pray.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked the US to intervene urgently and compel Israel to remove metal detectors, according to his adviser, Nabil Abu Rdeneh.

He said Mr Abbas discussed the growing tensions in Jerusalem in a phone call with Donald Trumps Middle East adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The Palestinian leader told Mr Kushner that the situation is extremely dangerous and may go out of control, Mr Abu Rdeneh added.

Additional reporting by AP
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Three Israelis have been killed in an attack in the West Bank, Israeli officials have said.

The attack comes at the end of a day of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Tensions have arisen over new security measures put in place at a holy shrine in Jerusalem.

Israeli media reported that said the three dead were all members of the same family, two men aged 60 and 40 and a woman of 40. The wounded woman, 68, was hospitalised with stab wounds to her back. A still photo carried by Israeli television showed a kitchen floor completely red with blood.

Recommended Palestinian President Abbas freezes contact with Israel

The family had sat down to a traditional Friday evening meal when the attack occurred, according to Israel Radio. The Israeli armysaid the assailant slipped into the settlement under cover of darkness to carry out his attack.

He was identified as a 19-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Khobar near Ramallah. It said he was shot, but his condition was not initially known.

Hours before the knife attack, clashes reportedly left three Palestinians dead. Two were killed by live fire in Jerusalem, while another was killed in clashes in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, but did not provide further details.

Hundreds have so far been hurt in East Jerusalem and the West Bank during confrontations between the two sides.

In Jerusalem, two Palestinians, a 17-year-old boy and 24-year-old man were killed by live fire, said Bayan Baidoun from the Mukassed Hospital.

A third Palestinian was killed in clashes in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, but did not provide further details.

Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Show all 12 1 /12 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The fire in my heart is beyond my ribs. You left me beloved - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Let me get enough of you, as Im still hungry for your smile my son - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict They besiege me in my homeland so I flew to heaven - Rodaina Al Agha, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict And I am still facing the pain all by myself - Lama Shakshak, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My brother, I watched you go while my heart was tearing - Helen Mo'amar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My new doll is lonely in the rubble - Ayah Sha'ath, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict When a soul hugs another soul they never split, even in death - Ismail Matar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Everyone is gone and I stayed alone to make the world witness the injustice done to me - Hamza Shaheen, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The hand that carries the arms carries roses too - Madeeha Al Majayda, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My eyes tell you about a dream that overcame the fence - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict A childhood caught in an unjust siege - Hadeel Quidh, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict All the details are torn after you - Hamza Shaheen, 17

Local media named the 17-year-old as Muhammad Mahmoud Sharaf, saying he was killed during protests in the Ras al-Amoud district of East Jerusalem.

Both his body and that of the 24-year-old were removed quickly from hospital for burial amid fears they would be seized by Israeli authorities, preventing the swift burials customary both Islam and Judaism.

At least one Israeli police officer was injured as Palestinians hurled rocks and missiles and started fires, and Israeli security forces responded with live fire, rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades.
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Palestianian President Mahmoud Abbas is freezing contact with Israel after at least three Palestinians were killed in a dispute over contested shrine.

The leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which controls the West Bank, made the announcement during a meeting late on Friday with senior Palestinian officials to discuss the growing escalation over the Temple Mount, also known as Haram al-Sharif.

It was not immediately clear if this means the Palestinians are halting their long-standing security coordination with Israel.

Three Palestinians were killed and dozens taken to hospital in clashes in Jerusalem and the West Bank earlier Friday.

The protests were triggered by Israel's installation of metal detectors at the shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews.

Muslim leaders allege Israel is trying to encroach on Muslim rights at the shrine, a claim Israel denies.

Israel installed the metal detectors after a deadly attack by Arab gunmen who killed two Israeli policemen.

Mr Abbas called White House adviser Jared Kushner, who has been tasked with attempting to broker peace between the two sides by his father-in-law Donald Trump, to ask the US to pressure Israel into removing the metal detectors, The Times of Israel reported.

It comes as Israel police say three people have been stabbed in the latest clashes in the West Bank.

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 Palestinian Red Crescent said it had treated 193 injured people across Jerusalem on the West Bank so far on Friday, warning of foreseen tensions and potential clashes.

Thousands of Muslims had prayed in the streets surrounding the holy site known as Temple Mount by Jews and Haram al-Sharif by Muslims in the Old City.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli police announced all Muslim men under the age of 50 would be banned from Friday prayers at the al-Asqa mosque on the site.

Muslim leaders had called for mass protests over the increased security at the site as they say Israel is trying to expand its control there by installing security devices.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Donald Trump appears to have been ignored by the Japanese first lady at the final dinner at the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Asked by The New York Times about his secret second meeting with Vladimir Putin, the US President explained that Aki Abe doesnt speak any English.

Pressed further he said: Like, not hello. He added that it was hard because the dinner was probably an hour and 45 minutes.

He said that he thought her husband, Shinzo Abe was a great guy and that there had been a Japanese interpreter because otherwise it would have been even tougher.

He added: But I enjoyed the evening with her, and shes really a lovely woman, and I enjoyed  the whole thing was good.

However, Ms Abe, the daughter of a wealthy Japanese family, attended the Sacred Heart School, a private Roman Catholic international school in Tokyo before she attended college.

It includes rigorous English-language instruction as part of its curriculum.

Social media swiftly found clips of the 55-year-old Abe making speeches in somewhat accented but perfectly serviceable English.

As a result, many have suggested that she simply did not wish to talk to the US leader.

Mr Trumps secret meeting with Mr Putin has come under scrutiny because it was not disclosed by the White House until 10 days after the event.

No other US official or interpreter was present, while Mr Putin used his own. So there is no US record of what the pair spoke about.

G20 Protesters take Hamburg Show all 8 1 /8 G20 Protesters take Hamburg G20 Protesters take Hamburg German riot police use water cannons against protesters during the demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg German riot police clash with protesters during the demonstrations during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg Riot police move in through the smoke from a smoke bomb during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg Riot police use water cannon to put of burning bins as a protester runs off after the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg Protesters throw beer bottles as they shield themselves from water cannon spray during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg A firefighter works at the scene where a number of cars burnt down during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg The interior of a burnt down car is seen as firefighters work in the background during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg German police remove a protestor who is blocking a street at a demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS

However, Mr Trump told The New York Times it was pleasantries more than anything else and the pair had discussed adoption.

We talked about Russian adoption, he said. Yeah. I always found that interesting. Because, you know, he ended that years ago.
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Heres a face you may want to commit to memory.

Gilbert Ott is a travel blogger from New York. His site, God Save the Points, specialises in showing travellers how to fly in style by using air miles and booking the best value fares. He also flies business class a lot.

Now hes willing to share his lifestyle with mere economy-class civilians by swapping his business-class seat with anyone he happens to share a flight with.

Recommended Meet the man bagpiping around the world

And hes flying from Heathrow this weekend.

The best thing about business class is the bed, Ott told The Independent. I think that business class allows people to get the closest thing to real sleep on a plane, and when you're on the go, and or need to be fresh right off the flight, it's huge. I can't lie though, I love the champagne far more than I should.

The Catch me if you can deal  which he freely admits is a method of attracting more people to his work  is simple. Spot Ott on a flight this year, tell him you know who he is, and hell swap seats with you, even if youre in a middle seat at the back of the plane.

His upcoming flights include domestic US routes like New York to Washington DC and LA, as well as longhaul flights such as the 12-hour Tokyo to Doha. Airlines include Etihad, Thai Airways, Swiss and Cathay Pacific.

Ott doesn't always travel business class, he promises (Gilbert Ott)

And now, British Airways have joined in the deal, offering 10 free upgrades (or, rather, double upgrades, since it has a premium economy cabin) to its Club World seats for anyone recognising Ott on one of their flights.

His first with BA takes place on Sunday afternoon from Heathrow T5. After that, hell be flying with them roughly every month.

Ott told The Independent that hes not entirely a business-class snob. It's been quite a while since I've spent more than eight hours in economy but some trips are all about scheduling, so I'll take what I can get, he said. I don't mind flying economy on newer planes where the air pressure is more natural, windows are bigger and you don't feel the jet lag as much. The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 are magic for that stuff.

Interested in an upgrade? Ott is leaving hints about his routes on Twitter and Instagram.
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Video of a disruptive passenger on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Jamaica has been uploaded online, including his forced removal from the plane after an emergency landing in Bermuda.

The incident occurred on 16 May, after the passenger in question was refused more alcohol by cabin crew, a fellow passenger has claimed.

Ola Lily, who uploaded the footage to YouTube, added the caption: Emergency Landing in Bermuda on a Virgin Atlantic plane from London Gatwick to Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Unexpected landing after a passenger threatens cabin crew and fights with other flight attendants and passengers. Drunk man demands more alcohol from the air hostess and when she refuses to give him more, he gets aggressive, starts threatening the staff, swears, shouts and throws things at the other passengers and causes a serious danger.

The pilot decides to have an emergency landing in Bermuda to get the man arrested and off the plane.

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed reports that a passenger was removed. A spokesperson said: Our crew are highly trained to handle these type of situations, and responded quickly to ensure the safety and security of customers on board.

We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board our aircraft, and whilst these incidents are rare, it is disappointing when a disruptive individual impacts that experience for other customers.

The footage shows the man shouting and advancing on a male flight attendant, who appears to be attempting to calm him down.

Meanwhile, a female passenger gets involved, shouting at the man from across the plan and asking repeatedly, Are you mad?

The man throws an item of clothing at her, which she flings back at him. The video then skips to when the plane made its emergency landing in Hamilton, Bermuda; at least four police officers can be seen pulling him off the plane.

An eyewitness said: When we landed and the police came, the guy refused to stand up and get off the plane, therefore more police officers had to come and drag him off the plane.

"The pilot then apologised to us and said it was best to land in Bermuda and arrest him as it wasnt safe for anyone to have him on board.

"At the end of our flight, Virgin Atlantic also gave us an apology letter."
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It is the first serious glitch in Emmanuel Macrons fabled rise to the French presidency. Just days after the new President rode alongside the head of the armed forces in the Bastille Day parade, General Pierre de Villiers resigned, saying  with quite brutal directness  that the model of the armed forces, as envisaged, would not guarantee the protection of France. The next day, he strode out of the defence ministry to applause from a guard of honour. The sequence was shown on the chief of staffs Twitter feed, with a one-word caption: Merci.

With hindsight, Macron may accept that he could have acted differently. Having taken umbrage at confidential criticisms the general had made of defence cuts, he then gave de Villiers a very public dressing down  at the top brasss summer party, no less. This, almost as much as the unexpected reductions in spending on military procurement, seems to have convinced the five-star general his time was up.

A lot could be said about the particular place and culture of the military in France. When I worked in Paris in the late 1990s, we rented a flat from the family of a senior naval officer, and gained a glimpse of that world. Last month, I was at a conference in Lille discussing the prospects for European defence. To say that sections of the military had reservations about Macron would be kind. There was both disapproval and suspicion, stemming in part  but not only  from disparaging remarks Macron had made about the French role in Algeria, which he had condemned during the election campaign as a crime against humanity.

The dispute between the young President and a chief of staff old enough to be his father, however, illustrates a much broader point, and one that is not unique to France. As the generations that fought or were called up for military service pass out of public life, the understanding that was once assumed between military and civilian is also receding into history. Clashes such as that which cost De Villiers his job have been seen also in the United States and here in the UK.

 Emmanuel Macron claims Africa held back by 'civilisational' problems and women having 'seven or eight children'

In the throes of quarrel with his general, Emmanuel Macron warned in no uncertain terms: Im the boss. If there is a disagreement, he told a Sunday paper, its the chief of defence staff who changes his position. Does that not sound familiar, in tone if not in precise substance? Remember David Camerons paraphrased remarks to military chiefs apparently unhappy with the 2011 Libya operations: You do the fighting; Ill do the talking.

Surprisingly, perhaps, for someone who gave an impression of being able to rub along with most people, David Cameron seemed to have an unusually tetchy relationship with his top brass. This may have been in part because the military chiefs had expected more generosity from a Conservative prime minister, and perhaps more respect for medals and braid.

If this is so, however, it was a misjudgement. Cameron, like most of his peers, had no history of involvement with the military, no family tradition, no military service: insofar as he had served abroad, it was on short-term voluntary aid projects. He had never experienced the discipline of military service or the exigencies of war. His path and that of the military had simply not crossed; he saw the military as there to do a job.

Similar generational and cultural dissonance has been evident in the United States, with the added complicating factor of Vietnam. Both Bill Clinton and George W Bush ran into trouble, during their campaigns and their presidencies, for alleged draft-dodging. Clinton was always viewed with suspicion by the military establishment. His campaign to allow gay people to serve openly in the US armed forces hardly helped him, as it was opposed by many in the top brass. The Monica Lewinsky affair suggested a personal laxness many abhorred.

 US says it is prepared to use military force against North Korea

Barack Obama  too young to have been drafted for Vietnam and far too young for the Second World War  also had his problems with the military. Some argue that his main fault was timidity in his use of armed force, Syria being the prime example. I disagree. Early on, as Obama himself recognised, his problem was rather too much regard for his top brass, in the figure of General David Petraeus, who persuaded him to doubt his own judgement on how and where to deploy troops. More profoundly, though, this was a fault born largely of unfamiliarity. It was only in his second term that he brought John Kerry  who had an honourable military record  into his administration as Secretary of State.

George W Bush at least had a father who had not only been President, but served in the Second World War with distinction. That, and his quasi-aristocratic confidence, gave Bush Jr an easier entree than Clinton or Obama with the officer class. But his lack of combat experience highlights something else that this younger generation of politicians share.

Tony Blair was the first UK prime minister too young to have fought or done national service. But he appears to have shared with George W Bush a belief that there was no point in having a world-class military if you did not use it. Significantly, perhaps, the European leader most fiercely opposed to the Iraq War was Jacques Chirac, who cited his experience as a young conscript in Algeria. The cheerleaders, Blair and Bush, also faced misgivings on the part of their respective military and diplomatic establishments, but ploughed ahead anyway.

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 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As David Cameron found when he was considering intervention in Libya, those who have experienced, or at least know about, war are generally warier about the prospect than those who have not, and more conservative in their assessment of what can be achieved. This time, though, France proved an enthusiastic ally, led now by Nicolas Sarkozy, who was, like Blair and Cameron, a leader too young to have experienced war.

It is early days for Macrons presidency  far too early to judge the implications for his presidency of his early spat with the top brass. What should be clear, though, is that even in the UK and France, with their proud, if different, military traditions, the military and civilian worlds have been growing apart, and fine words about restoring the military covenant will not be enough to bring them back together. Might one remedy be a compulsory new military/civilian service? Or is this widening divide merely another sign that the 20th-century order is passing, and the new century will find its own solutions?
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As the net continues to tighten around Raqqa, the capital of Isis "caliphate", thousands of people have been heading for Jordan: refugees desperate to get away from the fighting are trying to join the 1.3 million Syrians already across the border, in a familiar tale of the savage civil war.

But the Jordanian government has now come to the conclusion that the flow of the dispossessed has been sent in their direction by Isis with the aim of hiding fighters in their midst. There was one deadly attack in the area, at a popular tourist attraction at the end of the year, killing ten people, and there have been repeated recent signs of attempted infiltration by gunmen across the frontier.

If the movement of the refugees was truly spontaneous and undirected, say the Jordanians, it would be more logical for them to head towards the border with Turkey. Isis, they believe, could be trying to set up a new secret base in and around the Hashemite Kingdom. The US administration, meanwhile, has announced that it is ending a CIA programme for training and arming Syrian rebels which has been taking place in Jordan.

 Jordan's Syrian refugees scrape by a living

This has been presented as another sign of Donald Trumps attempts to please the Russians and final abandonment of any ambition to remove President Bashar al-Assad by force. But the soon to be disbanded fighters were not set up to fight the regime, but Isis. It is a role they could have fulfilled in the current situation with the jihadists gathered at the border, something the Jordanian forces cannot do with King Abdullahs government having decided a long while ago not to have boots on the ground inside Syria.

There has been plenty of criticism of the CIA programme. It was slow, the fighters it trained were few in numbers and accused of not being particularly effective on the ground. Some had even joined extremist groups with their US supplied weapons in the early days. There was also general suspicion of such clandestine missions with echoes of what took place going back to Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.

But the ending of the scheme also smacks of the confusion and contradictions which have marked American policy in Syria. During the US presidential campaign Trump declared he wanted to work with Russia in the country. After getting to the White House he stated that support for the rebels would be ended. But then the new president became the first Western leader to bomb President Assads forces, giving a surge of hope to the same rebels.

Meanwhile as one southern front is being ended a separate operation is continuing full-throated in the east against Isis with the Kurds and Arab groups deemed as moderate beneficiaries. It is precisely because Isis is getting squeezed in that direction that the displacement is taking place towards the Jordanian border.

They are heading into an area where a fragile ceasefire  brokered by America, Russia and Jordan  appears to be holding between the regime and rebel groups. The arrival of Isis is bound to have an impact on this delicately balanced scenario with rebel groups unsure about what happens next. One of the commanders, Hassan Hamadeh of Division 101, said about the decision to abandon the CIA scheme : We are surprised by the news, until now, nothing is confirmed. There have been no changes on the ground, coordination is ongoing, and everything has been happening normally.

Others are worried that the American withdrawal will lead to disillusioned fighters gravitating to the extremists. Adnan Mustapha Mero, of the Omari Brigade, pointed out: We have had this pattern before. The Western countries encourage people to rise up and fight, then they leave, people are left angry and they are recruited by Daesh (Isis) and [Jabhat] al-Nusra. The Americans dont seem to learn from this pattern.

The CIA programme may have run its day. But there is a need for another plan to be put in place, working with the Russians if necessary. Otherwise there is the possibility that the West will end up giving Isis, or rather whatever replaces it, a helping hand yet again.
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Glancing through Twitter this morning, I noticed a friend of a friend responding to Barack Obamas tweet in support of Senator John McCain who has been diagnosed with brain cancer: John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesnt know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.

As sad as this news is, and as much as I laud Obamas sentiments, I have to take issue with his use of war metaphor to frame a response to his colleagues illness. For starters, talk of cancer as a fight is nearly always used to reassure the speaker rather than addressing the emotional and physical reality of the person who is ill. Without wishing to overstate it, the tweet has a lofty, imperious tone to it, as though spoken by someone who is used to getting their own way. Even after successful treatment, if cancer teaches you anything, it is that this rarely happens. Our will to fight the disease is irrelevant to whether or how we get better.

Martial metaphors of cancer are lacking for several other reasons. After major surgery, weeks of radiotherapy, or even a single day on a chemotherapy ward, it is possible to feel that the so-called battle is being done to you, not that you are some brave warrior choosing to repel the evil forces of the disease inside your body.

The advances of medical science are a wonderful thing, but that does not change the fact that many treatments for cancer, sometimes involving all of the above treatments combined, can be brutal. If I were diagnosed with a relapse tomorrow I would ask for the same treatment again, but a decision to fight would not come into it.

 John McCain says 'attacking free press' is how dictators get started

Thirdly, and most insidiously, our unthinking characterisation of cancer as a battle hands responsibility for recovery to the patient. As we have seen, when you are at your lowest ebb, this is a laughable proposition. Further, it creates the notion that only strong or deserving patients survive cancer, the corollary of which is that those whose treatment is unsuccessful are weak or deficient in willpower. This is dangerous. We dont talk about fighting a hip replacement, or diabetes. Why should we when it comes to cancer?

Finally, the idea of cancer as a battle sentimentalises the disease, when there is absolutely nothing romantic about it. Think back to any number of disclosures of celebrities fighting or, sadly, dying from cancer. If their treatment is ongoing, they are called brave, as in Brave Xs new cancer haircut, as though losing ones hair were a fashion choice. The story is greeted with exactly the same word even when the news is less positive: Brave X loses year-long cancer battle. Again, this says more about us as onlookers than the individual concerned. It is as though we need the comfort of persuading ourselves that the deceased has given it everything, or was plucky to the end.

 Obama admits 'hardest thing about being President'

My friend of a friend on Twitter was commendably direct in her reply to the former US President: Urge us to be courageous; tell us you'll support us; acknowledge that it's shit & you don't know what to do. Just don't tell us to fight. Unfortunately this kind of clarity is sadly lacking in much of our cultures discourse around cancer. Consider Cancer Research UKs Race for Life TV ad (2013), which includes the immortally dreadful line Cancer, you prat. The seriousness of the delivery, let alone the subject matter, almost dares you not to laugh. Surely we can do better.

I have no doubt that Obama meant well with his tweet. With its overtones of taking control and a positive mindset, it is the kind of statement our culture responds well to. It may even have been a comfort to John McCain and his family. But none of this stops it being misplaced, or founded on a myth that only those who fight cancer survive it.

Whatever our relationship to cancer, whether we are a researcher, doctor, patient, or family member, refusing to use war metaphors to describe our experience of it would be a better way to honour those we support and love.

Anthony Wilson is a poet, writing tutor, blogger and Senior Lecturer at the Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter. His most recent books are Lifesaving Poems (Bloodaxe, 2015), Riddance (Worple Press, 2012) and Love for Now (Impress Books, 2012), a memoir of cancer. You can visit his website: www.anthonywilsonpoetry.com or Twitter: @awilsonpoet
Joseph Gagnon (left) and Brian Conville before they set off from Canada.

Two ocean rowers have been rescued from their boat capsized 165 miles off the Irish coast.

Brian Conville, 25, from Dublin and Joseph Gagnon, 20, from Quebec, Canada were found clinging for life in the Atlantic Ocean after their boat failed to right itself.

The pair were winched to safety by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew on Friday.

Mr Gagnon's mother Claire Martin had just flown in to Dublin from Canada when a phone call came through that a rescue mission was underway for her son and his rowing mate.

She said: "It was a lot of stress but we were in touch and in contact with the Irish Coast Guard so we knew that they were trying to do their best."

The families of the two rowers came together and waited for about two hours to hear whether their sons had been rescued.

The Sikorsky Rescue 117 helicopter based in Waterford carried out the mission about 165 miles west-south-west off Mizen Head, the most southerly point in Ireland.

"Everything is okay. The boys are okay," Ms Martin said.

"We have very little information. It's hard to tell but the information we have is that they are okay. They have hypothermia but they are in the heat now."

The alarm was raised after the rowers' emergency position indicating radio beacon, known as an Epirb, was set off when the boat capsized.

The first indications of an incident came at about 10.30am, a spokeswoman for the Ocean Rowing Society said.

The rescue mission was complete at lunchtime and the rowers were airlifted to Tralee Hospital in Co Kerry for treatment.

Mr Conville and Mr Gagnon had set themselves a challenge of rowing west-east across the Atlantic and were on course to enter the record books for being the youngest pair to complete the voyage from Canada to Ireland.

The rowers left St John's, Newfoundland, at midday on June 13.

It is understood they were aiming to land in Co Cork in the coming days after injuries including bruises and blisters curtailed their original ambition of rowing to France.

The two men's families travelled from Dublin to visit them in hospital.

Ms Martin was waiting to disembark a plane after landing in Dublin Airport when the first call came through about the emergency.

She said: "It was the (Irish) Coast Guard and they had received a distress message from the boat so one helicopter and one plane left to try and find the guys.

"We waited for two hours with Brian's family and then we had news that they had found the boat and it was capsized but the two boys were in contact with it."

The Irish Coast Guard's search and rescue manager Gerard O'Flynn said: "It highlights that if you can raise the alarm and stay afloat then you stand a very good chance of being rescued."

Mr O'Flynn praised the work of the helicopter crew and officials at the incident control offices on Valentia and the Irish Air Corps which provided top cover support .

A spokeswoman for the Ocean Rowing Society said the most important thing was that the rowers had been found.

She added: "But it is such a shame really, only 160 or so miles from Ireland.

"Whoever tries to row an ocean, first of all they must be a great person. I believe both of them did their best."

A retired cardiologist, 62-year-old Nenad Belic from Chicago, disappeared and was never found after his ocean rowing boat capsized in a storm 260 miles from the Irish coast in 2001.

The families of the rescued rowers said they had indications of something going wrong when trackers stopped feeding back information.

It is thought the boat capsized at about 5am and the rescue did not take place until 3pm, with the pair clinging to the boat in the Atlantic for up to eight hours.

Mr Conville's mother Cathy, from Raheny in Dublin, spoke to her son as she travelled to the hospital.

"They are very good," she said. "They are kind of probably in shock that it happened but they are in very good form."
US banking giant Citigroup has confirmed it has chosen Frankfurt for headquartering its EU broker-deal services post Brexit. However, it left open the possibility that it would shift jobs to other European locations, including Dublin.

Citigroup said about 150 new roles were likely to be located in the EU as a result of changes from Brexit. It said they could be located in Amsterdam, Dublin, Luxembourg, Madrid and Paris, as well as Frankfurt.

But it confirmed Frankfurt would be its European hub - even though the bank employs more than 2,000 in Dublin.

"We plan to convert an existing German subsidiary into an investment firm (broker-dealer).

"Frankfurt is our first choice for headquartering our EU broker-dealer based on the existing infrastructure, and the people and expertise we already have on the ground," Jim Cowles, Citi's head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, said in a memo to staff, as reported yesterday by Reuters.

"It is not yet possible to assess the outcome or timing of the Brexit negotiations, but in certain circumstances we may need to create approximately 150 new roles located in the EU."

Morgan Stanley has also chosen Frankfurt for its new trading headquarters in the EU, though it said it would move parts of its asset-management operations to Dublin, according to Bloomberg.

Dublin has long been tipped as a potential contender for Brexit spoils from the City of London, with recent wins including insurer Legal & General.

But it has also lost out to Luxembourg, Brussels and Frankfurt after big-name insurers AIG, Lloyd's and Standard Chartered revealed their plans.
Unilever CEO Paul Polman has warned British Prime Minister Theresa May must give businesses more time to adapt to Brexit.

"We will be talking about the possibility of a longer transition period," Mr Polman told reporters ahead of a planned visit to 10 Downing Street. He said that a lengthy transition for Britain's exit from the European Union was "becoming more realistic now".

Unilever has a dual structure, with headquarters, boards of directors and stock listings in both Britain and the Netherlands, but this is under review.

Mr Polman, a Dutch national, said talks will also cover how the private sector can influence the process so that complex issues - such as border taxes, intellectual property, regulations or data protection - "can proceed as smoothly as possible without doing further damage than what we have to deal with already".

"You can imagine from where I'm sitting, as a European but having my heart in the UK as well, that I have some concrete suggestions of what can be done there," Mr Polman said on a call with reporters following release of the consumer goods company's second-quarter results.

"There is no doubt that the quicker we can get some of the initial issues out of the way - like financial arrangements, citizens' rights, the issue of Ireland - the quicker we can focus on the trade side and the trade relations side," he said.

Unilever, whose products range from Dove soap to Ben & Jerry's ice cream, is sharpening its focus on profitability by lifting prices and cutting spending on everything from employee flights to product ingredients as activist investors take aim at consumer-goods giants wrestling with slow growth.

On Thursday the company said it's stepping up an efficiency drive as it responds to a failed takeover bid from Kraft Heinz and as rivals Nestle and Procter & Gamble come under pressure from activists Dan Loeb and Nelson Peltz.

Price increases of 3pc in the second quarter, offset stagnant volumes, the firm said. That lifted shares 1.2pc in London.

Unilever said a cost crackdown achieved savings of more than 1bn in the first half.

"The good people of Unilever took 30pc less flights in the first six months of the year," CFO Graeme Pitkethly said in an interview. (Reuters and Bloomberg)
Pictured following a meeting in Government Buildings today to discuss the announcement are Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Chairman and CEO of Bank of America Brian Moynihan

Bank of America has confirmed that it has chosen Dublin as the preferred location for its principal EU legal entities following the UKs departure from the EU.

Dublin is the home of more of Bank of America's employees than any other European city outside of the UK. The bank already has a fully licenced and operational Irish-domiciled bank.

Bank of America has operated in Ireland and engaged in the local community for almost 50 years, Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO of Bank of America, said on Friday following the announcement.

"This includes just this week our contribution of 880,000 to the Music Generation education program, following a 700,000 contribution a few years ago," he said.

"We will move roles not only to Dublin but to other EU locations, with the focus on how we can best support our clients in these markets."

Mr Moynihan said the bank is making all necessary preparations to serve their clients however those discussions "while we await further clarity around the Brexit negotiations".

Welcoming the announcement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Bank of America has a long-standing commitment to Ireland.

"This announcement follows a number of recent announcements by leading global financial institutions and is a strong endorsement of Irelands attractiveness as a location for investment, and of the Governments approach to securing Brexit-related activities," he said.

"Bank of America also has a long tradition of philanthropy in Ireland, and I was delighted to learn of its plans for further investment in the Music Generation scheme to support music education in Irish schools."

Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD said that this is another vote of confidence in Ireland and its expanding international financial services sector.

"It shows that our track record, pro-business environment, highly skilled talented workforce and an unwavering commitment to the European single market continues to appeal to investors," she said.
The Central Bank has announced a number of senior leadership appointments, following the news earlier this year that financial regulation would be restructured.

Ed Sibley has been appointed as Deputy Governor, Prudential Regulation while Derville Rowland will be taking up the role of Director General, Financial Conduct.

Mr Sibley - who joined the Central Bank in 2012 in the Banking Supervision area - will now be responsible for the supervision of credit institutions, insurance firms and the asset management industry.

Prior to this position, he was Director of Credit Institutions Supervision, responsible for overseeing the Central Bank's supervisory work for all banks and credit unions operating in Ireland.

Mr Sibley's previous experience includes roles in the UK Financial Services Authority, Bank of Ireland and PwC.

As Director General, Financial Conduct, Ms Rowland will be responsible for consumer protection, securities and markets supervision, and enforcement.

Ms Rowland joined the Central Bank in 2004. Prior to this appointment, she was Director of Enforcement, responsible for investigations and enforcement of issues across all regulated sectors.

Her previous experience includes working as in-house counsel as well as practice as a barrister.

"Both appointees bring a wealth of experience in financial regulation to these new roles and have had highly distinguished careers to date," Governor Philip R. Lane said.

"The appointments and the restructuring of financial regulation will provide the Central Bank with strong foundations to carry out its vital financial regulatory mandate in line with our mission to safeguard stability and protect consumers."
Port authorities in Cork have signed a deal aimed at developing a new terminal to land gas from ships.

Texas-based NextDecade, a liquid natural gas company (LNG), has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Cork to develop an LNG import terminal at the port.

In a statement the company said that the memorandum was "to advance a joint business development opportunity in Ireland for a new floating storage and regasification unit and associated LNG import terminal infrastructure".

The Port of Cork would receive liquid natural gas shipped from NextDecade's planned Rio Grande LNG project in South Texas.

According to NextDecade the development, if constructed, will provide competitively priced energy solutions to Ireland and its regional partners under long-term contracts.

About 60pc of Ireland's gas comes from the Shell Corrib field, but the country relies on imported natural gas from the UK.

With Brexit and the closure of Rough - a major natural gas storage site in the UK - there are concerns that Ireland's reliance on the UK for fuel could lead to price volatility in the market.

An LNG terminal in Cork would help alleviate those concerns, which have been raised as high as European Commission level.

Gas landed by ship could come from the US or Middle East and bypass the UK.

NextDecade said it is in talks to secure long-term contracts to sell LNG delivered through Cork.

In a statement NextDecade said that its CEO Kathleen Eisbrenner will meet with port officials and discuss the opportunity with local industry and political leaders.

NextDecade and the Port of Cork are planning a joint public event at the Port of Cork on August 2 to discuss their deal.

Its the second project of its kind mooted here. A 500m scheme to build the Shannon LNG terminal at Ballylongford, Co Kerry, has been on ice since US investor Hesse pulled out in 2015. Hesse objected to paying a levy on gas firms that would support rival pipelines to the UK.
Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox must wait for further progress on its bid to buy Sky, after the UK government said it needed more time to weigh its next move.

The UK will decide in coming weeks whether to send the 11.7bn (13.1bn) bid for a six-month regulatory review, UK Culture Minister Karen Bradley told British MPs yesterday.. The minister said she may announce her decision during the body's summer recess, which starts Thursday and ends in early September, breaking with tradition to expedite the process.

The possibility of an announcement during the break drew protests from opposition politicians, highlighting the pressure being brought on Bradley, a Conservative Party MP, by the Murdochs and their detractors. Bradley said she was still inclined to refer the deal to the Competition and Markets Authority for an investigation into the Murdoch family's media influence, and left open the chance of a wider probe revisiting their past corporate-governance failings.

The stakes are high for a Conservative government that was weakened in a general election in June. The party, whose stance toward Brexit negotiations initially alienated business leaders, is now trying to woo them. Fox CEO James Murdoch and co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch warned Bradley last week that any delay would signal to other companies that the UK wasn't open for business as the country leaves the EU.

Fox wants a prompt decision so it can press ahead with a deal that would unite the Murdoch family's transatlantic media empire. (Bloomberg)
The world's biggest drugs marketplace on the dark web has been shut down, the US Justice Department has said.

The marketplace AlphaBay had allowed hundreds of thousands of people to buy illegal drugs, said attorney general Jeff Sessions.

AlphaBay mysteriously went offline earlier this month. It was widely considered the biggest online black market for drugs, estimated to host daily transactions totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

When it was up, it sold drugs to more than 40,000 vendors that supplies more than 200,000 clients, law enforcement officials said. Dealers were able to buy drugs like fentanyl and heroin by using a technology called Tor, which allows people to browse anonymously and was originally created to avoid surveillance.

Read more: At last, the true cost of cyber crime turns up on the books

The site was also being used to trade in weapons and malware, law enforcement said.

The site has been referred to as a new Silk Road  the website that was a centre for drug, arms and other illegal trafficking before it was shut down. But actually it was far larger.

Before it was taken down, police and other law enforcement officials appear to have been running the site. That means they will likely have the details of many of the people who were using it.

Mr Sessions and other federal officials announced an indictment in California on Thursday of a suspected administrator of the site, and the Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint to seize assets connected to the operation.

He also said that law enforcement was working with colleagues in the Netherlands who had taken down Hansa Market, another dark web marketplace.

"This is an outstanding success by authorities in Europe and the US," said Rob Wainwright, the executive director of Europol, during a special press conference in Washington DC. "The capability of drug traffickers and other serious criminals around the world has taken a serious hit today after a highly sophisticated joint action in multiple countries.

"By acting together on a global basis the law enforcement community has sent a clear message that we have the means to identify criminality and strike back, even in areas of the Dark Web. There are more of these operations to come," he added.
At the wall outside the original Windmill Lane Studio where the band recorded

U2 fans are a dedicated bunch but none more so than Aaron Sams.

The Nova Scotia native is gearing up for his seventh U2 show in the bands hometown of Dublin, having jetting in especially for their Croke Park gig on Saturday.

He has seen the band more than 60 times, including the shows at Croker in 2005 and 2009 and a whopping 22 times on the 360 tour, and after tomorrow nights gig hell follow them to Paris for both shows there and then on to Brussels.

Aarons family emigrated from Carrickfergus to Nova Scotia nine generations ago but it was his friends older sister who introduced him to the Irish band when he was just 10 years old.

She brought home Under a Blood Red Sky, the live album, and Id never heard a live album before so listening to the band singing at the end of 40 I was hooked, he tells Independent.ie

The next big thing was The Unforgettable Fire  that was the first album I went out and bought myself. And then there was Live Aid right after that.

I remember sitting on my grandmothers couch watching Live Aid and just being amazed.

In 1995 he set up a U2 fan website, u2songs.com, for his final project on a computer science course. It's the oldest U2 fan site still going strong today having gone through various incarnations.

I probably spend 10-15 hours a week working on it and we have a staff of 5 or six with a guy in Dublin, two in the US and one in Canada all contributing at any point in time, he says.

Im contacted by U2 fans all over the world. I just spoke to a fan in Italy who wants to meet up in Dublin before the show on Saturday.

U2 fans are, he says, very generous, very friendly, very open and accepting and adds, I think part of it comes from U2 themselves and how they always pushed the idea that were one but were not the same.

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Some of my best friends U2 fans, people I just meet up to see concerts with.

Following the band all over the world on their various tours is an expensive hobby, although Aaron says he has figured out how to do it on a budget.

Many times Ive shared hotel rooms or hopped in a car with other fans to go from one city to another so although we do a lot of travel costs are shared among fans.

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The internet has been a blessing. Ive been doing this since 1997 and back then not a lot of people were on the internet so it was difficult to keep in touch between tours. Now we have Facebook and Twitter and social media  just hop on and send out a little blast and you have a dozen replies in minutes.

Having seen U2 play from Honolulu to Istanbul he says there is a bit of method to my madness when choosing which shows to see.

I try to get to the opening show for that element of surprise and I like to see a closing show as its the last time theyll play for a number of years and then I try to spread out about a month apart in between shows," he reveals.

"They mix it up every month or so, introduce new material once they get more comfortable with things, so I dont go to everything. The locations play a lot into it as well. Ive always wanted to go to Brussels so Brussels determined my route for this tour.

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However, seeing the band play their hometown is the best experience.

Even if they dont do a special show in Dublin the vibe in Dublin is crazy," he says. "Everywhere you go there are U2 fans roaming the streets, bars with U2 music coming out on the street, its really like a gathering of the tribe. Everybody tries to get to Dublin.

However, having seen U2 in Croke Park in 2005 and 2009 he was surprised by some of the signs which were posted in the local area.

The first trip was kind of eye-opening to see the response to Bono, he says. Some of the signs up around Croke Park were not too flattering to him and as an outsider it really made you realise that maybe these people dont see the same thing in him we do. Im sure its hard to have thousands of people walking through your neighbourhood though. But its odd to see that [response].

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He adds, I have some good friends who say U2 is a great band but I wish Bono would stop. He always seems to be the one who gets singled out. He is a bit of a mouthpiece for the band. And he has interests outside of the band that he talks about, meeting politicians and different things, so hes more divisive.

In terms of bagging tickets, Aaron says fans help each other out. On the website they will trade tickets. And hes full of tricks and tips on how to have the best chance of securing tickets to any U2 gig.

On the day of a show tickets often go on sale at the last minute once theyve figured out the configuration of the venue, he says.

The amount of times Ive sat in a ticket office all day long just hoping a ticket will drop on the day of a show I remember being in Zurich in 2010 and spending eight hours in the post office waiting for tickets to go on sale. Five minutes before the show started they did!

He only met Bono in person once, on his birthday, which is also Bonos birthday.

He signed his autograph on a birthday card someone else had given to me. I think he thought I wanted it signed. He said, Ive never met anyone born on May 10th that I dont like. Hi daughter was born on the same day so I think thats what he meant!
THE whingers were out in force on RTE's Liveline this week over a perceived change in how Ryanair allocates seats.

Yes, the same Ryanair famed throughout the planet for its world class customer service and innovative ways to improve passenger comfort.

Oh wait.

How, in 2017, anyone can be shocked that Ryanair has found another way to squeeze money from passengers is beyond me.

The airline has been built on the business model of decoupling almost everything one would have considered a standard part of an airline ticket 20 years ago - checked baggage, free food and free allocated seating.

And in doing so, it has revolutionised the air travel industry, enabling millions of passengers who previously couldn't afford to fly to travel around Europe.

The only thing you're guaranteed when you book a flight is a seat, and if you want a specific one you need to pay up. Seems simple to me.

Yet this concept seems to baffle some of the airline's passengers: a low cost airline generating additional revenue from an add-on product is how they stay low cost.

But when you can get a plane ticket to the Costa cheaper than a DART ticket to Bray can we really complain? Well yes, apparently we can.

The airline has said 50pc of customers now pre-book seats, way up from the 10pc who did so when they introduced the facility two years ago, so it follows that at busy times of year the availability of block seating on flights will become an issue.

This has quite naturally come as a surprise to many customers - when they flew two years ago 90pc of seats were available for random allocation, now that number is less than half.

So I get it, a large amount of people flying with the airline have never encountered this issue before, and would have pre-booked if they had known.

When people or parties pre-book seats they book them in a free row - so it can very easily happen that the other free seats are dotted randomly around the plane. One in a row here, two in a row there.

Michael O'Leary's message to passengers is simple - if you want to guarantee you'll be seated beside your kids or others in your travelling party, pre-book the seats.

Liveline listeners are always on the lookout for a stroke being pulled, and this seating issue rang alarm bells.

"It's the algorithm!", they blustered.

Even if Ryanair are deliberately separating parties to encourage them to purchase seats - which they aren't - they'd be completely entitled to do it.

If you're travelling with children under 12 you must pre-book the seats to travel, a frustration to many parents. Who wouldn't love to hand their screaming baby to a randomer in row 37 while you swig Chardonnay in peace in row 6? I jest.

Most people are decent and wouldn't want to see a clearly unconformable pre-teen separated from their parents, and will swap seats. But why put the child through the ordeal in the first place?

Where do people find the energy to complain about it? Why are they surprised? If you don't like Ryanair, the solution is simple - don't fly with them.

When you make a choice to fly with Ryanair, you know what you're getting. Especially if you're a Liveline listener. If a Ryanair flight lands in Spain and it's raining someone will no doubt call Joe to complain that it's the airline's fault.

I actively avoid flying with Ryanair. If Aer Lingus or another airline fly to a destination for even 10-15pc more in price than Ryanair I'll gladly pony up the difference.

But I'm aware travelling families don't have this luxury. An extra 20 for a solo passenger quickly adds up for larger families.

At the end of the day, you get what you pay for - or don't pay for.
Two people were rescued off the west Cork coast this afternoon.

The two casualties were rescued off the south-west coast after the vessel they were travelling in overturned.

The two people onboard activated an emergency alarm and were successfully rescued 165 miles off the Mizen Head Coast.

They were then transferred to Tralee Hospital by Waterford-based Rescue 117.

It is believed the two casualties were attempting to row across the Atlantic from Canada.

The duo had clung to the boat for up to 13 hours.

Speaking about this afternoon's rescue the Coast Guard's SAR Manager Gerard O' Flynn said: "It highlights that if you can raise the alarm and stay afloat then you stand a very good chance of being rescued.

"I also want to compliment the helicopter crew and Valentia on a very successful operation and thank the Air Corps for their support."
A 2million refurbishment of the existing Clontarf Seawater Baths and a new, fully licensed pavilion cafe bar and restaurant are due to open in about six weeks time, the Circuit Licensing Court has heard.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke granted Clontarf Baths and Assembly Rooms Company Limited a declaratory order which means that when the development is completed in accordance with planning permissions it will automatically receive a seven day drinks license.

Barrister Dorothy Collins told the court that the 2plus million enterprise was almost complete and would open by mid-September at the latest.

She said the redevelopment of the baths would provide a fully modernized open air swimming pool for members of the public.

David Cullen, co-director with his mother Mrs Mary Cullen in the company which has owned the baths for more than quarter of a century, told the court the new development would literally serve all of the city and even parts of Co Wicklow as the DART ran very close to it.

He told Judge Groarke that the seawater baths was in a unique position within Dublin City Councils linear park consisting of the grassy acres and walkways sited between the Clontarf-Howth Road and the Irish Sea.

Mr Cullen said his companys development completely reconstructed and refurbished existing sea water baths that had existed on the site since the 1890s and like the old baths would use water from Dublin Bay.

He said the very large pool contained a sluice that would allow filtered and clean Irish Sea water to enter and pump it out again in a refreshment process every few weeks.

Mr Cullen told the court that the water would be maintained at a high level of filtration and cleanliness and while swimming in the open air pool would be at natural environmental temperatures there would be a water heating facility. The company had not yet decided on what basis or when the sea water would be warmed up.

He said work on the project had started last September following only a single objection by a local resident. Full permission had been granted on an appeal to An Bord Pleanala.

Ms Collins, who appeared for the company with Wallis Solicitors, told Judge Groarke that a drinks license attached to an existing premises had to be extinguished in order for it to be transferred to the Clontarf company.

A director of Browns Bar on the Naas Road, Co Dublin told the court the establishment had ceased to operate as a licensed premises and was to be redeveloped as a bicycle sales outlet.

Judge Groarke granted the declaratory order pending completion of works in line with planning permissions.
A convicted sex offender who was given a partly suspended sentence for robbery last May has been jailed after gardai told a court that he was a danger to society.

In May 2017 Judge Melanie Greally imposed a four-year sentence on Munir Ghariani (26) and, taking into account the time he had spent in custody on this matter, backdated the sentence to May 19, 2016. She suspended the balance of the sentence.

Ghariani admitted attacking the woman and robbing her phone on a street for the thrill.

Ghariani, formerly of Granitefield, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery of the woman on Granville Road, Cabinteely on March 21, 2016.

Judge Greally warned at that time that she would have no hesitation in activating the three-year balance of the sentence if he broke any of the conditions for his release.

Last month (June) Ghariani's probation officer Michelle Richardson brought the case back before Judge Greally because of his failure to meet with The Probation Service, as ordered by the court.

Judge Greally agreed to put the matter back for two weeks. She said if Ghariani did not turn up for two weekly meetings in that time he would be jailed.

Today Ms Richardson told the court that since then Ghariani showed up for a meeting and behaved inappropriately. She said that on July 7 he urinated outside a glass building in front of female staff.

She said that it was no longer safe or appropriate for The Probation Service to have a role in managing Ghariani. The court heard he has complex needs but has been taking his anti-psychotic medication since May.

Garda Padraig Nagle told the court that since last May Ghariani had come to garda attention five times. On one occasion he stared at a 17-year-old girl after she walked past his home before following her in a car to a house.

On June 23 a motorist allegedly saw Ghariani walking along a road with his trousers down and making movements towards the front of his body. On a third occasion he allegedly stole a mobile phone from a woman.

Gda Nagle said Ghariani was a danger to society and the community. He said he was also facing conviction for breaching the Sex Offenders Act by allegedly failing to notify authorities of his address.

Judge Greally said that while Ghariani was now taking his medication and was mentally stable this had had little impact on his ability to control his behaviour.

She said she believed he may be willing but unable to do so. She said the court had given him every chance before activating the balance of the suspended sentence.

Ghariani has 34 previous convictions including one for sexual assault after he groped a woman from behind as she was taking money out of an ATM. He was registered as a sex offender for that offence

The victim in the robbery was on her way home from a lecture in UCD when she noticed Ghariani following close behind her. He repeatedly asked to use her phone as he walked behind her.

The woman refused and he asked why. Ghariani then pushed her to the ground and tried to grab the phone. During the struggle he bit her finger in an attempt to get her to release the phone.

The woman screamed for help as Ghariani attempted to flee but a passer-by tackled and held him until gardai arrived.

His other convictions include indecency, burglary and theft. The court heard he was on bail for a similar offence at the time of this robbery.

The court previously heard that Ghariani became an involuntary patient at St John of Gods hospital in south Dublin on April 3 of this year.

Ms Richardson previously told the court she and her colleagues considered him high-risk and said it was essential he continue to take his anti-psychotic medications.

Ms Richardson said Ghariani had been non-compliant with his medication in the past.

We feel we have to adopt a high-risk approach, said Ms Richardson, adding that the probation service would continue to meet with him for two years.

She said Ghariani had recently become homeless, and so she had liaised with local authorities who had agreed to provide him with accommodation.
A young man has appeared in court charged with raping, imprisoning and threatening to kill a teenage Spanish student in Dublin.

The accused (24) was arrested and charged today by gardai investigating a sex attack on an 18 year old woman on waste ground in the south of the city last weekend.

Judge Michael Walsh remanded him in custody for the preparation of a book of evidence after hearing he had a "significant history" of mental health problems.

No bail application was made on his behalf.

The accused, who cannot be named, is charged with raping, falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill the alleged victim at the Irish Glass Bottle site, Ringsend, on either July 15 or 16.

The man was originally arrested for questioning at Irishtown Garda Station on Monday before being released without charge the following day.

Earlier today, he was due in court on unrelated charges and gardai re-arrested him and applied to have his bail revoked on those charges. Judge Walsh agreed to revoke his bail and remanded him in custody.

He was charged with the rape, false imprisonment and threat to kill charges while he was in custody.

This afternoon, Detective Garda Bryan Hunt told Dublin District Court he charged the defendant at the Criminal Courts of Justice at 12.35pm today and he made no reply to any of the charges after caution.

He was handed copies of the charge sheets.

The DPP directs trial on indictment on all three matters judge, Det Gda Hunt said.

Judge Walsh then read out the charges and asked Det Gda Hunt to confirm the DPPs directions, which he did.

Defence solicitor Tony Collier made no application for bail in light of the applications this morning to revoke other bail bonds. He asked the judge to remind the press of the reporting restrictions in the case.

The judge said the usual reporting restrictions would apply.

Mr Collier then asked the judge to direct a psychiatric report on the accused. The judge asked what the basis for this application was.

Mr Collier replied it was because of concerns I would have about his mental well being at this time. He said he had dealt with the accused in the past and he has a significant history.

Judge Walsh asked Mr Collier if he was familiar with the accused and had seen medical reports.

Mr Collier said he had. Judge Walsh instead ordered that the defendant receives such medical treatment as the prison governor and his medical advisors deem appropriate.

He granted free legal aid given the seriousness of the charge and the fact that the defendant receives disability payments.

Det Gda Hunt said he had no objection to legal aid. The accused was remanded in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court on July 28.

The man wearing a red t-shirt, green combat trousers and white runners, remained silent during the proceedings.

The 18-year-old student, who arrived in Dublin in recent weeks, was living with a host family in the capital. She was in the city centre on Saturday night and told gardai she met a man on the quays.

She told officers she went to a green area where she alleged the attack took place.

She later escaped and raised the alarm. Gardai at Donnybrook were notified, the scene was forensically examined, CCTV footage was gathered and a number of people were interviewed.

Gardai made contact with the womans family in Spain and they have now arrived in Dublin and are caring for her.
Gardai are expected to bring a man before the district court today on charges connected to the alleged rape of a teenage Spanish student at the weekend.

A suspect was arrested by investigating officers on Monday morning and held for questioning at Irishtown garda station on Dublin's southside until Tuesday evening.

After discussions with gardai, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was insufficient evidence against the suspect at that stage to warrant bringing a criminal charge against him.

The suspect was then released as the period of detention under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act was due to expire.

However, it is understood that gardai have made significant progress in their inquiries since then to allow them to re-arrest the suspect.

He was arrested at an address in Finglas at around 9am this morning.

The 24-year-old man is likely to be brought before Dublin district court later today on charges linked to the sexual attack and false imprisonment of the 18-year-old student.

The suspect is currently on bail on unrelated charges.

The student was medically examined at the sexual assault unit at the Rotunda hospital following her horrific ordeal.

In the past couple of days gardai have also been receiving the results of some forensic tests and examining footage from the area where the attack took place and the route taken earlier by the victim.

The student told gardai she met her attacker at the boardwalk beside the river Liffey in the city centre on Saturday.

He suggested that he show her the beach at Sandymount and she agreed to travel on the Luas with him.

They got off the Luas at The Point and walked across the East Link bridge to a location near Pigeon House Road where she said her attacker repeatedly raped her.

The student managed to escape early on Sunday morning when her attacker fell asleep and made her way to a house where the occupants alerted the gardai.

It is alleged that the attacker forced his victim to take prescription pills and threatened to kill her unless she swallowed the tablets.
THE family of a 28-year-old man killed in an accident at a concrete plant say his loss left them with a life sentence.

Barry Gargan (28) from Drogheda, Co Louth, died of severe head injuries in a workplace accident at Kilsaran Concrete on September 6 2011.

Barry had a heart of gold. He never caused anyone any harm. We have been left with a life sentence without him. He was my child, I will never get over his loss, his mother Concepta Gargan said.

The jury at an inquest into her sons death returned a verdict of death due to an industrial accident.

We would ask anyone with concerns about safety at work, please report them. Dont take risks. No short-cut for profit is worth losing a life, Mrs Gargan said.

Barry Gargan was a loving son, partner and father, Dublin Coroners Court.

He died after he was crushed beneath a cleaning arm inside a safety cage at a Kilsaran plant in Piercetown, Dunboyne, Co Meath.

Mr Gargan arrived in work at 6am the morning of his death. He was employed as a forklift driver but assisted in operating a machine used for the production of wet cast concrete slabs. The machine usually operated automatically but in the mornings it was operated manually to produce a specific style of kerb.

Working inside the safety gate, Mr Gargan was trapped between the cleaning arm and the vibrating station as the machinery went into motion.

Previous complaints about the system had been made by staff including Mr Gargan. A near miss accident involving the machinery had gone unreported, the inquest heard.

Staff were afraid to risk their employment by raising the issue. In such cases, employees can complain anonymously to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the inquest heard.

Inspector Mark Madigan said the (HSA) receives thousands of complaints every year.

A significant complaint warrants a site visit by a HSA inspector, he said. In less hazardous circumstances the HSA will contact the company directly.

The HSA investigation into the accident found the wet cast machinery was not being used for the purpose it was designed and that Mr Gargan had no training for its use.

Kilsaran Concrete was fined 1 million at the Court of Appeal in relation to Mr Gargans death last April.
A DUBLIN man has been charged with murder following the beating-to-death of a father-of-three, who was found stripped naked and dying on the side of a street.

Anthony Walsh (29) appeared in Dublin District Court this morning accused of killing businessman Dermot Byrne (54), who died after sustaining fatal injuries in Swords last Sunday.

A passer-by discovered Mr Byrne on the steps of a school and raised the alarm, but he died despite efforts by paramedics to save him.

Judge Fiona Lydon remanded Mr Walsh in custody for a week after hearing he made no reply to the charge after caution.

Mr Walsh, of no fixed address, is charged with murdering Mr Byrne at North Street, Swords on July 16 last.

This morning, Garda Killian Leydon of Coolock Station told the court he arrested Mr Walsh at 4.45pm on July 20 on the grounds of St James's Hospital in Dublin 8.

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Mr Walsh was brought to Swords Garda Station and charged in the garda's presence at 5.43pm yesterday.

Garda Leydon said the accused made no reply after caution. He was handed a copy of the charge sheet.

The garda applied for two amendments to be made to the charge - one to state that the accused was of no fixed abode and the second to correct his date of birth.

Defence solicitor Jonathan Dunphy said he was on notice of these amendments and was not objecting.

Mr Dunphy also asked the judge to direct"medical attention" for the accused while he is in custody.

Bail was not sought on the defendants behalf as a bail application can ony be made in the High Court on a murder charge.

Judge Lydon granted free legal aid to the accused after Mr Dunphy made an application and handed a statement of his financial means in to court.

Mr Dunphy said Mr Walsh was not working and was in receipt of jobseekers' allowance.

Judge Lydon remanded Mr Walsh in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court on July 28.

The defendant, wearing a black tracksuuit with white stripes and black and white runners, remained silent during the brief hearing.

Members of Mr Byrne's family became distressed and wept as they sat in the public galery.

Mr Byrne was found naked and with serious injuries by a passer-by at the steps of Fingal Community College on North Street, Swords at around 3am on Sunday morning.

A Dublin Fire Brigade tender and HSE ambulance from Swords were dispatched to the scene, and teams of paramedics battled to save Mr Byrne's life.

He had a faint pulse when the emergency crews arrived, but died in the ambulance while being treated. Mr Byrne was director of a wholesale bicycle company and a married father-of-three. He was living in Swords and originally from Glasnevin Avenue.
Angela Neiland holds a picture of son Tristan as she leaves court with her daughters Felin and Aryana after the hearing. Photo: Courtpix

A couple whose young son died shortly after falling unconscious while in respite care have told of their heartache as they secured an apology under a settlement of their High Court action.

Tristan Neiland, who had various conditions including epilepsy, was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in his room at the Carmona Respite Services Centre in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, on January 6, 2013. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

In an emotional interview, Tristan's mother Angela described how her son "left the house chuckling away" but "entered days later in a white coffin".

"He loved respite and loved all of those who cared for him. He was a simple and easy going boy who loved being out and about doing boy things," Ms Neiland said. "It's funny, my last thoughts when Tristan left the house was how well he was doing. He was running, jumping around and laughing.

"He left the house chuckling away and never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that Tristan would have entered days later in a white coffin," Ms Neiland told RTE 'Six One News'. She said she will always 'carry Tristan with her'.

His parents alleged that six-year-old Tristan died as a result of the failure by the centre to use an oxygen saturation monitor despite a care protocol providing for that and instructions from his mother to do so.

The claims were denied and the case settled on terms including an apology from the organisation that runs the centre.

Tristan's mother Angela showed Mr Justice Kevin Cross a photograph of her son.

After investigations, the terms neglect and abuse had been used to describe the care received by Tristan and those "are words we live with", she added. She said she hoped that other families who sought respite "are aware and vigilant of the care and lack of care that are provided by institutions".

An external investigation had described this as the "worst case of lack of governance" in an institution it had ever seen.

"Tristan died unnoticed, he died alone and we have only an estimation as to his time of death. He died with equipment and medication that was part of his medical protocol only feet away," Ms Neiland added.

She said attempts by staff to "conceal the facts of what happened on the night and subsequently to deflect blame on the family was reprehensible as borne out by an investigation commissioned by Saint John of God's".

She hoped her son's death has made the Carmona centre "a safer place" but he "had paid for that with his life".

Andrew and Angela Neiland sued Saint John of God Community Services over Tristan's death at the Carmona centre.

The parents, of Cabinteely Park, Cabinteely, Dublin, sued for damages over personal injuries and mental distress.

The apology read in court on behalf of the defendants stated: "Saint John of God Community Services clg apologise for the shortcomings in the care of Tristan at the time of his death.

"The service acknowledges that this is a cause of great stress and anguish for Tristan's family. We also acknowledge that Tristan's mother did nothing to cause or contribute to his death."

Bruce Antoniotti SC, for the parents, said that, while Tristan suffered from epilepsy, he was attending school at the time of his death, was healthy, and happy.

He had had some overnight respite in 2012 and his parents placed him in respite on January 4, 2013 as they wanted to take a weekend off.

His mother had provided a detailed care plan and in particular stated that once Tristan fell asleep he had to have a monitor attached to his big toe because when he suffered a serious epileptic seizure he became cyanotic and required oxygen very quickly and the only way to check that was to have him monitored.

On the second night, Tristan went to bed at about 8.30pm and was found dead in the room at 10.56pm. "What happened was they had not attached his monitor and had not checked it," Mr Antoniotti said.

Regulations required that Tristan should be checked every 15 minutes but an internal inquiry by the defendants showed he was not checked for either 60 or 88 minutes and he died following a seizure.

Counsel said "disturbing aspects" of this matter, including falsification of notes and falsification of time of death, came out in the internal inquiry and, in fairness to the services, they had admitted certain notes were not correct.
A woman who disguised herself as a man and robbed over 10,000 in cash from a shop worker while on a bike has been given a suspended sentence.

Judge Karen O'Connor said it was a bizarre crime but that McGlynn was acting out of character.

Ciara McGlynn (43) overheard the manager of a health shop in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre discussing dropping off the store takings to a bank and planned the robbery accordingly, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard. She was caught by gardai who happened to be on the scene.

McGlynn of Elmwood, Clonsilla, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of robbing 10,700 at Blanchardstown shopping centre on February 29, 2015.

She has suffered from significant psychiatric issues, including post-natal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the court heard.

Handing down a suspended 18 month sentence Judge O'Connor noted that McGlynn and was extremely remorseful.

The judge said she believed it was unlikely McGlynn would ever come before the court again and she urged her to learn from her offending and put it behind her.

Sergeant James Nugent told Fergal Foley BL, prosecuting, that the victim was a manager in a store in Blanchardstown shopping centre at the time of the offence.

She was leaving the centre with the store's takings of 10,700 in a bag when McGlynn, wearing a hoodie and a hat, cycled up to her on a bike and grabbed the bag of cash.

She was dressed to resemble a young male, Mr Foley told the court.

Sgt Nugent was present at the scene and caught McGlynn almost immediately afterwards. She was arrested and make full admissions to gardai.

The court heard McGlynn had been in the shop on an earlier date when she heard the manager discussing when she would make the cash drop. McGlynn described her victim as a lovely, kind woman and said she was sorry for what she put her through.

The court heard the store manager now lives in the UK and did not wish to make a victim impact statement.

Ms Lawlor submitted it was a very unusual case and that McGlynn was in a vulnerable state at the time of the offence. She said her client had suffered from significant psychiatric issues.

She was also struggling with financial difficulties when she carried out the robbery and was getting up to eight calls a day from financial institutions in relation to her debts, the court heard.

She was utterly unable to cope and became fixated on the idea that taking this money would cure her problems, Ms McGowan said.

McGlynn has two previous conviction for a road traffic offences. A letter was handed up to court expressing her remorse.
Education Minister Richard Bruton, Junior Minister Mary Mitchell OConnor, Junior Minister Damien English and Trinity College Provost Patrick Prendergast with plans for the new student accommodation on Pearse Street. Photo: Maxwells

Ireland is short of 23,000 purpose-built student bed spaces to meet the demand from college-goers this autumn, according to a new report that outlines plans to tackle the deficit up to 2024.

While demand for student beds is put at 57,075 this year, only 33,441 spaces are available in dedicated student complexes, whether on campus or developed by private providers.

Students also rent in the private market, but they are being increasingly squeezed out of these properties as the general housing shortage drives rents above their reach.

Education Minister Richard Bruton acknowledged the "challenging gap" between supply and demand yesterday as he launched the first National Student Accommodation Strategy to support delivery of at least 21,000 extra purpose-built beds by 2024.

As well supporting new dedicated student residences, a key element of the strategy is to encourage more students to live in family homes. Homeowners can earn 14,000 a year tax-free by renting out a spare room as digs.

According to the report, an estimated 2,500 students took up the digs option in 2016 and the aim is to increase this number to 4,000 by 2019.

The Department of Education is providing 160,000 to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) in 2017 and 2018 for its campaign to promote digs to help alleviate short-term pressures.

The housing shortage has compounded the challenge of meeting the demand for student accommodation arising from the growth in college enrolments.

As well as the projected increase in school-leavers, the Government is actively seeking to attract more international students.

Mr Bruton launched the strategy on a site in Pearse Street - formerly Oisin House - where work is starting on a 270-bed student residence for Trinity College Dublin.

Although lagging behind demand, there is considerable activity in the provision of dedicated student accommodation, both within universities and in privately built complexes, and almost 1,500 new bed spaces will open this autumn, with a further 3,807 coming on-stream in 2018 and 2019.

There is planning permission for another 1,995 bed spaces while permission has been sought for a further 3,524.

USI president Michael Kerrigan welcomed the strategy, but said the omission of the cost of accommodation in it raised some concern.

"Already we're seeing newly built student accommodation climbing to almost 1,000 a month," he said, warning that students were being priced out.

He said a USI survey found that 36pc of students spent one to three months looking for accommodation because of the shortage.
Scene of a fatal road traffic accident near Aclint between Ardee and Carrickmacross this morning.

Scene of a fatal road traffic accident near Aclint between Ardee and Carrickmacross this morning.

Scene of a fatal road traffic accident near Aclint between Ardee and Carrickmacross this morning.

Scene of a fatal road traffic accident near Aclint between Ardee and Carrickmacross this morning.

THE three women were killed in a crash in the early hours of this morning as they were travelling home from Dublin Airport after a holiday.

The three victims were a mother, daughter and a female friend.

A group were travelling from Dublin Airport to Donegal in two cars when the accident happened on the N2 near Aclint Bridge, a few kilometres north of Ardee.

It is believed they were returning from a foreign holiday and were undertaking the long road journey home to Donegal.

The crash happened shortly around 12.30am and involved three cars.

Gardai were not releasing any details of the victims today until all relatives have been informed.

Expand Close The three-car collision occurred south of Aclint Bridge, Ardee, Co Louth at approximately 1am on Friday July 21 (Image: Google Maps) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The three-car collision occurred south of Aclint Bridge, Ardee, Co Louth at approximately 1am on Friday July 21 (Image: Google Maps)

However, Independent.ie understands the family group was travelling together in two of the three vehicles involved in the crash.

The driver of one of the cars, a 39-year-old woman, was killed. Two female passengers in her car, a 69-year-old woman and a 37-year-old woman, were also killed.

A young male passenger travelling in the car was seriously injured and was in critical condition in hospital today.

The injured male, along with another male from one of the other cars, were rushed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

It is believed five people were in the car in which the three women died.

Male relatives were travelling in the car behind the women's car.

Garda Superintendent Fergus Traynor of Ardee garda station said: "An ambulance that was travelling on the road came upon the accident and they were able to assist at the scene.

"An off-duty garda was also among the first people at the scene," he said.

He said a number of fire brigade crews and ambulance crews went to the scene.

"The road was wet but it wasn't raining at the time of the accident. Later, weather conditions deteriorated horrendously with very heavy rain at the scene," he said.

The N2 is closed between Ardee and Aclint Bridge to facilitate a forensic examination and will remain closed for the day.

Diversions are in place but Gardai are asking motorists using the M1 to divert at Junction 17 for Castleblayney.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to contact Ardee Garda Station 041 6871130, The Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

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Ardee Fine Gael Councillor Delores Minogue said; "This is a terrible tragedy to happen to a Donegal family. The hearts of the community go out today to their relatives at this sad time."

"The N2 in this region is a ruthless road.

"I have been leading a campaign to get more filter lanes on the road in these areas. There have been several very serious road accidents along the N2," she said.

County Monaghan Sinn Fein Councillor Colm Carthy described the incident as tragic.

Its very sad news to wake up to. Its devastating. Our thoughts are with the families involved, he said.

Cllr Carthy said the road was a death trap that had "claimed a number of lives over the past few years".

It is a reminder of deaths that have happened all too often now, he said.

He said he hoped the males involved in the collision recover fully.

There have been a number of fatal incidents on the N2. The road is the main Dublin to Derry road and runs through Ardee and it is one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the country.

Most recently elderly cousins Josie Duff (79) and Kathy McDonald (70) were killed when they were it by a car after alighting from a bus last January, at Hunterstown south of Ardee.

Ardee based independent councillor Jim Tenaty described this morning's horror crash as a "shocking tragedy".

Mr Tenaty said that while it was much to early for the cause of the crash to be known there had been renewed safety concerns raised about the N2 in recent weeks.

Fianna Fail councillor Tommy Byrne said he is "absolutely heartbroken" over the news.

The road is a busy road he said.

"It was a desperate night and the rain was torrential, he added.

More to follow
The master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr Rhona Mahony, has hit out at the difficulties she faces hiring more doctors and other front-line staff while the number of HSE managers escalates.

Dr Mahony warned that hospitals are struggling to respond to the rise in patient demand - despite it being reported the number of senior managers in the wider health service has jumped by 40pc.

She also said many front-line workers are "becoming scared to practice medicine" due to the pressurised environment.

"If we do not support front-line staff, we do in turn not support our patients," she said.

In an address to the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Dr Mahony criticised what she described as the "traditional late December cash injections" into the country's hospitals.

She also said it remains extremely difficult to this day to attract front-line staff, citing the lasting impact on the recently lifted health service moratorium.

"The blunt moratorium on staff recruitment was deeply damaging and to this day it remains extremely difficult to gain approval for medical consultant appointments and other front-line staff," Dr Mahony told the summer school last night.

"Curiously, the opposite appears to be the case in the series of management administrations above the hospital."

Dr Mahony said the layers of bureaucracy in the health service are slowing down the ability of hospital groups to make decisions to improve patient care.

She also defended the treatment of private patients in public hospitals, which has been the subject of controversy and debate in recent months.

"Every year, almost 700m is generated in income from private patients in public hospitals and in a highly expensive mechanism, the National Treatment Purchase Fund provides private care to public patients to relieve waiting lists," she said.

Meanwhile, HSE chief Tony O'Brien told the gathering he hopes to bring in a system which would end the cycle of people at the very top of the health service always being targets when it comes to demands for accountability.

The Health Minister himself, or a national director, can be in the firing line as the public demands accountability, he added.
Insurance companies paid out more money last year to motorists injured in accidents who made claims though the State's Injuries Board.

The number of motor awards settled in 2016 was up 8pc on the previous year.

A total of 9,564 compensation awards were made for traffic accidents, a rise from 8,815 the year before. The cost of settling these claims also increased.

Motor claims make up three out of four of the awards made by the Injuries Board.

Just over 233m in motor awards was processed by the board, up from 201m.

The rise in value of awards agreed by the Injuries Board comes after surges of up to 70pc in the cost of motor premiums.

A total of 19,633 motor claims were made to the Injuries Board last year. This was down by almost 180 from the previous year, the annual report for the body shows.

Two weeks ago insurance companies, brokers and the industry representative body were raided by EU competition regulators over claims that they are operating a cartel here.

Motor insurers have cited rising levels of claims and the cost of settling them as a key reason for imposing massive hikes in premiums.

The cost of the average payout for a motor claim rose by close to 1,000 to 22,500, a comparison between the 2016 and the 2015 annual Injuries Board reports shows.

Every injury claim has to go through the board but a case can be forced into the courts by failing to co-operate with it.

The board, which is a State body, does not pay lawyer fees and is up to seven times cheaper for settling a claim than going to court.

It was set up to counter the high legal costs of cases being heard in the courts.

The cost of using the Injuries Board for insurers is a fraction of the cost of settling the claims directly, and it costs multiples of the Injuries Board to have cases heard in court.

But only 20pc of claims are settled through the Injuries Board, with 10pc going to court and 70pc settled privately by insurers.

The 2016 report for the Injuries Board shows that 34,056 people applied to it for compensation, a 1.5pc rise on the previous year.

Last year it made close to 13,000 awards for compensation. This was 1,232 more than in 2015.

The value of all awards made by the board shot up by almost 47m to 315m. The highest award was for 740,968.

Motor claims make up three-quarters of all awards, but there has been a rise in the numbers and the cost of settling public liability and employers' liability claims. The board charges insurers a 600 fee for each case, with claimants charged 45.

Board chairman Dermot Divilly said guidelines published last year had updated the range of compensation payouts for different types of injuries.

Known as the 'Book of Quantum', the guidelines "help bring about more predictable and consistent personal injuries awards settlements in Ireland".

Changes to legislation are planned to make it more difficult for those making personal injuries claims to avoid using the Injuries Board. Minister for Enterprise Frances Fitzgerald has published a bill which aims to strengthen the low-cost claims settlement model that the Injuries Board provides.
Pope Francis recently caused amusement when he erected a sign on the door to his Vatican apartment, reading "No complaining!" and warning that violators suffered from "a syndrome of always feeling like a victim and the consequent reduction in their sense of humour and capacity to solve problems".

The sign adds: "To become the best of yourself, you must focus on your own potential and not on your limits - so stop complaining and act to change your life for the better."

Now it would be easy to characterise this as the actions of an elderly eccentric. But Francis knows the paralysing and corrosive effects of negativity.

He is also acutely aware of how pathetic a Church obsessed with naval-gazing is. That is why, when the Pope is asked in his now customary press conferences about issues like female priests and other inward-looking concerns, he is always dismissive.

The leaders of organisations like the Association of Catholic Priests - which undoubtedly has a valuable role to play in advocating for the rights of priests - speak about issues like female ordination and married priests as if these are the reasons why many Irish Catholics stay away from the practice of their faith.

They evidently fail to notice that the Church of Ireland - with both married and female priests - has weekly attendance figures of just 15pc. Most reliable surveys of Catholics put the national figure at around 40pc.

But before Catholics start getting triumphalist, the statistics are only going one way and we need to consider the piercing question of why so many people who choose to describe themselves as Catholics in the census don't feel drawn to get together with their fellow Catholics on a Sunday morning.

There is no easy answer.

Undoubtedly, the scandals have had an impact. Faith has been shaken, but reaction to the scandals also likely masked a deeper drift away from the Church.

When you ask sincere people why they don't feel inclined to go to Mass, the answer usually boils down to their conviction that there is nothing there for them. To put it another way, they left because they felt unnourished.

Spirituality hasn't gone out of fashion. If anything, bookshelves in high-street stores indicate that the thirst to live a meaningful inner life is stronger than ever.

Classes in mindfulness are booming and even in small rural towns one will find courses in eastern spirituality.

Many Irish Catholics are finding solace and sustenance in non-Christian traditions that, when you penetrate the depths of Christianity, are the same quintessential insights as those that lie at the heart of the Catholic tradition.

Church people will often complain about this trend, without asking the serious question as to why so many Catholics are so unaware of what is of the essence of their own tradition.

It becomes normal to criticise those who are seeking elsewhere, but this is precisely where the Pope's advice to "stop complaining and act" comes in.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was right when he observed recently that an obsession with clerical solutions won't revitalise the Church in Ireland.

The reform of the Church here has to be fundamentally spiritual.

Tinkering around with structures won't respond to the felt need that many Catholics are expressing in other traditions.

Too often, Irish Catholics in the past have experienced faith as an external imposition, rather than an inner journey of self-discovery.

Mass was something to 'get', rather than to celebrate.

They experienced the Church as a place of rules and regulations, rather than the 'field hospital' of which Pope Francis speaks.

But what would a spiritual reform look like?

Well, for starters, it would be a Church that was able to speak to the needs of contemporary society.

A Church, yes, that would speak up on important issues of public policy, but also a Church that could be a balm to people who feel like they have lost their sense of equilibrium.

I visited the island of Lough Derg in Co Donegal last year. I expected penance (with pilgrims asked to fast, keep vigil all night and walk around the island barefoot - a luxury spa retreat it is not), but instead, what I found was people who - like countless generations in human history - were earnestly searching.

Some people had experienced brokenness, while others were hoping for inspiration to keep going and still others were not quite sure why they were there.

However, they all had one thing in common: a felt need to spiritually connect.

True reform in the Church always comes from the margins, rather than the centre. A spiritual reform of the Church here will not come by way of a diktat from Maynooth or endless reviews of structures, but by families and communities coming together to talk and reflect about what is important to them and ask where God and spirituality fits into this search.

The Church needs leaders who can facilitate this, leaders who are unafraid to grapple with the difficult questions that people have.

Faith is a journey rather than a destination, a Church that can humbly accompany people on this journey will be one that is renewed and reformed to its very core.

So let's take the Pope's advice: let's stop complaining and get on with it.
Publishing the mid-year review, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday said it was crucial to focus on the totality of expenditure and not just "incremental changes". But incremental changes matter, especially when they are of the order of 178m, as is the case with the water charge refund.

And given that about 60bn will be spent by the Government over the next year, it is indeed vital that we keep a keen eye on the bottom line. It is not just about balancing books, but making sure that the lives of people are also taken into account.

What the Government says it will spend, and what it actually shells out, matters because it hits taxpayers in the pocket and it impacts vital services. When Taoiseach Leo Varadkar promised to give a 178m water refund, he might have been wise to first ascertain precisely where the money was going to come from. According to Mr Donohoe, "underspends" by all departments will add up to about 300m. It appears that the water refund is to come out of this. This could ultimately mean fewer schools, hospital beds, or other essential services, as the national sport of kicking things into the distance grows in popularity.

But what is the point of drawing up spending plans unless they are honoured. As Warren Buffett said: "Forecasts may tell you a great deal about the forecaster; they tell you nothing about the future."

But when in trouble mumble, as the saying goes. And this is where Mr Donohoe will have lost many in a fog of words: "We must also focus on the fiscal stance and not just the fiscal space." In the real world, the "space" is getting more constricting, especially as the national debt recently passed the 200bn mark. And yet we still have 178m for the creation of a political feel-good moment.

On the same day as these figures were being juggled, the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association revealed that some patients have been waiting up to nine years to see a consultant. The organisation's president, Dr Tom Ryan, went so far as to claim that our hospital lists are out of control with 600,000 people waiting for treatment.

There is always a cost for profligacy, but the human cost is inevitably outside of the margin.

Less haste needed when settling motor claims

Concentrating hearts and minds in the insurance industry to make sure the motorist gets the best deal has proven to be a challenge.

Earlier this month, insurance companies, brokers and the industry representative body were paid a visit by EU competition regulators amid allegations that they were operating a cartel here.

The industry strongly denies the claim. It insists that the cost of settling claims is the reason for spiralling premium rates.

There is no doubt that the State's Injuries Board has played a pivotal role in attempting to bring down the cost of claims.

Last year, the number of awards paid by the board was up 8pc on the previous year.

Its chairman, Dermot Divilly, believes its guidelines have helped to establish more consistent personal injuries awards settlements, which hopefully will feed into more affordable insurance. The board has worked hard to keep some sense of proportion in payouts.

More changes are on the way to make it more difficult for those making personal injuries claims to avoid using the board. Insurance companies could also help by not being in such haste to settle claims. The rise and rise of premiums has to be reined in, one way or another.
In the past, unmarried mothers were treated badly - first, by the men who got them pregnant; second, by their parents who threw them out of the house; third, by the State which did not support them; and, finally, by the judicial system which failed to protect their Constitutional rights.

Successive governments turned a blind eye to their incarceration. To my knowledge, no TD spoke out on this issue until the 1990s, when institutions like mother and baby homes were no longer in use.

Such concern is hard to take seriously; it is too late to shed tears for them now, when most of these individuals have passed on.

It is interesting to note that unmarried mothers were treated in a similar fashion in most mainland European countries and the UK well up to the 1950s.

Debate around this subject in today's media fails to reflect the fact that there was no unmarried mothers' allowance until the 1970s, and these women were not looked on favourably for social housing either.

The only options open for these women if their families did not support them was the mother and baby homes.

The Children's Allowance up until 1985 was directed solely to support large families and was only given for the second and third child.

Government supports lone parents today to prevent them from living in abject poverty.

Such supports are now looked on as a right. We can see the misery caused when the State fails to provide social housing for those on low incomes.

So society is burying its head in the sand by blaming the Catholic Church for all of the failures in the past, when the State and society themselves failed in their duty to provide adequate supports for these vulnerable women and their children.

Nuala Nolan

Co Galway

Save thyself, Linnane

Bill Linnane (Irish Independent, July 18) would likely have a catastrophic coronary if he visited my house. For it contains, horror of horrors, both my parents' old Sacred Heart picture and a picture of my mother's favourite pope.

The smelling salts for Mr Linnane, please!

Eric Conway

Dublin

The last generations of talkers

To those of us who were born in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s - we were the last generation who played in the street. We were the first who played video games and the last to record songs off the radio on to cassette tapes.

We learned how to programme the VCR before anyone else. We were the generation of 'Tom and Jerry'. We travelled in cars without seat belts or air-bags, and lived without mobile phones. We did not have Facebook, Twitter, computers, and the internet - but nevertheless, we had a great time. And guess what?

We actually had conversations with each other.

Anthony Woods

Ennis, Co Clare

How is alleged rapist allowed free?

"I feel like I am taking crazy pills" - the quotation from the film 'Zoolander' seems very apt for our judicial system.

The media was yesterday filled with reports of a young Spanish woman being abducted and repeatedly raped.

The alleged perpetrator was questioned and released by gardai. The individual is reportedly on bail awaiting trial for other matters.

Could the DPP not immediately apply for bail revocation on the prima facie evidence presented?

Frank Quinn

Address with editor

Water refunds can save someone

For two minutes, Taoiseach, may I offer my services as unpaid, unaligned adviser and counsellor?

I cannot agree with the Government's proposal to give us a refund of water charges. The cost in terms of money, administration and personnel time will be huge; a figure of 170m is being bandied about. I paid my charges. As an OAP, it was painful to me at the time, but I am over it.

In the current state of affairs in the country, how can I hold out my hand for a refund and see little children deprived of medical attention due to lack of facilities? How can I hold out my hand and look at people in permanent pain because we cannot buy the proper medication for them? How can I hold out my hand and look at people walking along the quay side wondering from where will next month's mortgage money come?

Surely a solution could be found in this 170m - a house could be bought tomorrow to immediately end the suffering of some distraught family.

Who will put up their hand to demand a refund of water charges instead of putting money to a greater good?

We will be making life a little more bearable for others who desperately and genuinely need our assistance.

Let me get the ball rolling by publicly stating that I will be willing to donate my refund to any such scheme set up to carry out immediate remedial action to problems not currently receiving proper attention.

Paddy Kavanagh

Address with Editor

Did US interfere with vote here?

The allegations of Russian interference in US elections rumble on. Maybe they are true, maybe not.

In any event, we don't have the same problem here, even though, in our case, there could be US interference in Irish elections. For instance, the leading gay and lesbian organisation (Glen) received 4m from Atlantic philanthropies over an 11-year period. It was claimed that none of this was used in order to ensure that a 'Yes' vote would be the result in the Marriage Equality referendum. This, too, may well be true. But if so, would it not be extremely embarrassing to Glen, if a 'No' vote was, in fact, successful?

Furthermore, a senior board member of Glen was unlikely to be the only person to imagine that the organisation was seeking enhanced acceptance of its views through political means. While the board itself was understood to be unaware of the transaction, according to media reports the member concerned had indeed accepted some 11,500 worth for political purposes. This was subsequently paid back.

Glen was to be wound up at short notice around April 2017. Should all this be of concern to the public, even if the notion of US interference was established, and accepted? Well, yes.

The Irish Government, too, gave to the same organisation. The public (and taxpayers) have yet to be informed as to who made the (original) recommendation/order to wind up the organisation, and why, exactly. Further, if one accepts the sovereignty of individual nations, it is difficult to see why Russian interference should be so newsworthy, and US interference of such little interest.

Donal O'Driscoll

Bray, Co Dublin
A report issued to county councillors has outlined the progress made by Cork County Council in tackling the thorny issue of unfinished estates across the north Cork region.

The report, compiled by senior council planner Andrew Hind, was for the most part positive with Mr Hind pointing to a dramatic reduction in the total number of unfinished estates over the past two years.

His report outlined that a 25% reduction from 39 to 28 between 2015 and 2017, with Mr Hind saying the authority hoped this figure would be down to single figures by the end of this year.

The reduction has been slower in north Cork than in other areas of Cork, the main reason for that is because the housing market has been moving at a slower pace here, Mr Hind told northern area councillors at their July monthly meeting.

The signs are that it is recovering and we envisage that the total will be reduced by a minimum of 50% again this year, with the hope that the figure will be down in single figures by the end of 2017, he added.

The report pointed out that there were new developers or active developers involved in 12 of the estates, a bond settlement was expected on a further seven and no county council action was required on another with other, undisclosed issues, pertaining to the remaining two estates.

The aim of our estates team is to get all of these estates to the point where they can be taken in charge by Cork County Council. We take a prioritised approach so that the resources available are focussed on the most significant cases from a more human and environmental perspective, said Mr Hind.

We have developed good working relationships with the various stakeholders such as developers, receivers and bond providers and there is at least a willingness to help resolve the issues, he added.

However, Mr Hind was keen to point out that difficulties remained in getting some of the bonds released. He said this may be due to their age, potential legal defects in their wordings or unreasonable terms and conditions.

He said the authority was reluctant to go to the High Court to get bonds released unless they were absolutely sure of their grounds as an unsuccessful claim could result in substantial costs being awarded against the council.

But, it is fair to say that usually the bond providers, the banks or insurance companies, are becoming increasingly keen to pay out and get rid of the liabilities on their books. For example, we have a dialogue with the AIB and they are keen to pay out in all their bonds, he said.

Basically, what we are saying is that all of the 28 estates are progressing towards some form of resolution. That may not be happening as fast as councillors or residents would like, but the optimist in me would hope we will be down to single figures by the end of the year. I would certainly expect to be reduced by at least 50 per cent.

Status report on the 28 unfinished estates

An Gleann Uil, Ballyhooly - 'New developer. Awaiting settlement proposals for bond'.

Lios Ard, Ballyhooly - 'No current issue. Developer in place and active. Sale of site in prospect. No action required'.

The Beeches, Boherbue - 'Bond claim settled. New owner in place. Awaiting proposals.'

Ard an Bhaile, Buttevant - 'No action required'.

Dromineach, Bweeng - 'Estate under new ownership. Developer is in site completing second phase of construction.'

Berry Hill, Castlelyons - 'New planning permission under appeal. No issues with estate. No action required.'

Ard na Ri, Castlelyons - No action required.

Churchfield, Castlemagner - 'Recommendation to settle bond at full value. In correspondence'.

Mullavale, Castletownroche - 'New owner proposed to accept liability for defects. Bond to be replaced. No action required.'

The Pastures, Charleville - 'New owner expected shortly. In correspondence re: bond.'

Oakfield, (Pairc na Darach),Charleville - 'No action required'.

Lios na Ri, Charleville - 'Seeking bond settlement to facilitate (Cork County Council) taking in charge.'

Earl's Court, Churchtown - 'Site Resolution Plan informally agreed. Seeking AIB to fund developer in remedial works.'

The Gables, Dromina - 'A bond settlement is under consideration.'

Crann Ard , Fermoy - 'Work commenced to allow 'Part V' houses to be occupied in phases 1 & 2. New planning application expected for remaining phases. No action required.'

Radharc na Cille, Glantane - 'Developer back on site. No bond for this estate.'

Curragh Grove, Kanturk - 'No action required'.

Garrane na Dara, Kilbrin - 'New owner will remedy site defects. To be funded by bond monies held by Cork County Council.'

Moin an Ri, Kilworth - 'No action required'.

Lios na Greine, Lismire - 'Estate works completed. Works being undertaken on Waste Water Treatment Plant. No action required.'

Ard na nGleanna, Lyre - 'Bond settlement requested from AIB. Discussions active.'

Hazelbrook,Mallow - 'Settlement in progress with IRBC receivers'.

Old Course, Mallow - 'No action required'.

Castlepark, Mallow - 'Water audit and public lighting issues outstanding. In discussion with AIB re: funding of remedy'.

Gort Na hAhhann, Milford - Investigation surveys and 'as-constructed' drawings have been completed. Awaiting a formal bond settlement from AIB. Developer inactive.'

Lui Na Greine, M/town - 'Bond settlement agreed at less than full value. Awaiting agreement from Irish Water'.

Sliabh Alainn, M/town - 'Contractor on site. No action required.'

Shanowen, R/cormac - 'Contractor on site. No action required.'
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (not pictured) depart in a limousine after attending a reception at Claerchen's Ballhaus dance hall following a day in Heidelberg on the second day of the royal visit to Germany on July 20, 2017 in Berlin, Germany

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attend a reception at Claerchen's Ballhaus dance hall following a day in Heidelberg on the second day of the royal visit to Germany on July 20, 2017 in Berlin, Germany

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a reception at Claerchen's Ballhaus dance hall following a day in Heidelberg on the second day of the royal visit to Germany on July 20, 2017 in Berlin, Germany

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a reception at Claerchen's Ballhaus dance hall following a day in Heidelberg on the second day of the royal visit to Germany on July 20, 2017 in Berlin, Germany

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, chat with Nils Juergens of Claerchen's as they arrive at a reception at Claerchen's Ballhaus dance hall following a day in Heidelberg on the second day of the royal visit to Germany on July 20, 2017 in Berlin, Germany

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, chat with Nils Juergens of Claerchen's as they arrive at a reception at Claerchen's Ballhaus dance hall following a day in Heidelberg on the second day of the royal visit to Germany on July 20, 2017 in Berlin, Germany

Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Jens Kalaene / Germany OUTJENS KALAENE/AFP/Getty Images

Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wave to wellwishers as tehy arrive for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / John MACDOUGALLJOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images

Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge arrives for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Britta PedersenBRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrive for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Britta PedersenBRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrive for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Britta Pedersen / Germany OUTBRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

Talk about the look of love.

After four days glued at the hip, Kate Middleton and Prince William ended their final night in Germany on a high. The British royals (both 35) put on a stylish display and the closest we'll get to some royal PDA as they gazed at each other and stayed tight for an evening at the Claerchens Ballhaus dance hall in Berlin.

Throughout her five day tour of Poland and Germany, she has mixing her wardrobe with British, Polish and even Irish designers, but flew the final flag for fashion diplomacy in a printed midi dress by German designer Markus Lupfer, finishing off the look the with a silver chain belt and her new signature pair of strappy wave Prada heels.

It was her third and final look for Thursday, having spent the morning in a yellow Jenny Packham sun dress and the afternoon in jeans and trainers. William opted for his new, stylist-approved laid-back look of blazers and chinos, thanks to stylist Natasha Archer.

Expand Close Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Jens Kalaene / Germany OUTJENS KALAENE/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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While they may have been there as two valuable tools in Brexit's 'charm offensive', they had one thing on their minds last night - Game of Thrones spoilers.

William and Kate chatted to German actor Tom Wlaschiha, who plays Jaqen H'ghar in the cult show and tried to find out what happens next in season seven.

"They said they really liked Game Of Thrones and have watched every series" said Wlaschiha, 44.

"They wanted spoilers but I said I couldn't tell them. I'm surprised they have time to watch such a long-running series."

Expand Close Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrive for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Britta PedersenBRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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William and Kate revealed their love of Game Of Thrones back in April, when they told Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills that they enjoyed watching box sets of the show and getting a takeaway curry.

The royal couple also chatted to British actor Sam Riley, who lives in Berlin and said they were "very charming".

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Meanwhile German actress Jana Pallaske, who starred in Inglourious Basterds, said: "Kate told me she was really liking Berlin. I think they like the vibe here. It's wonderful to see someone who carries themselves with so much grace. She is so regal. That is my goal."

The actors were among guests in the vintage mirrored hall of Berlin's historic Clarchens Ballhaus, one of Berlin's last remaining ballrooms, which hosted the British Council reception for exciting new names in the city's art, culture, style, fashion and technology scene.

Expand Close Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge arrives for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Britta PedersenBRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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The ballroom's guest relations manager Nils Juergens showed William and Kate around the venue, which opened in 1913 and still offers dancing lessons, as well as being a bar, restaurant and nightclub.

He said: "Kate was joking that William should come here for dancing lessons and they both laughed.

"I told them about the club scene here and William said he would like to try it out.

"He also said he liked my shoes," he added, pointing at his shiny silver shoes.

Expand Close Britain's Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wave to wellwishers as tehy arrive for a reception at 'Claerchens Ballhaus' dance hall in Berlin, on the second day of the British royal couple visit to Germany, on July 20, 2017 in Berlin. / AFP PHOTO / John MACDOUGALLJOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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"I had been a nervous wreck before they got here but that really broke the ice and put me at my ease. They were very nice and very natural."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's five-day tour of Poland and Germany will come to an end later.

William and Kate will visit the Maritime Museum in Hamburg on Friday afternoon to celebrate the joint UK-German year of science, before attending a special performance by a symphony orchestra at the Elbphilarmonie Concert Hall.

The royal couple will then meet apprentices at the city's Airbus training facilities, before departing for the UK.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte are likely to be seen in public again as the family fly home, a day before George's fourth birthday.

Additional reporting by Tony Jones, Press Association
Fighters have come up against stiff opposition from IS militants in Raqqa

Advances against Islamic State in their Syrian stronghold of Raqqa have slowed down amid stiff resistance from the militants, a spokesman for the US-led coalition has said.

US army spokesman Ryan Dillon estimates there are around 2,000 IS militants in the northern city, saying they are using civilians and children as human shields.

"We know this is not going to be an easy fight," Mr Dillon said.

The US has partnered with the Kurdish-dominated coalition fighting force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces in its fight against IS in Syria.

In the month since they launched their offensive for Raqqa, they completed their encirclement of the militants and breached the heavily-fortified Old City, gaining a foothold inside.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army and members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group have launched a major ground offensive in a border area between the two countries.

Government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reported that military operations began on Friday from two fronts on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and the Syrian village of Fleeta.

The offensive was widely expected after negotiations with militants to leave the area failed over recent days.

The region is a stronghold of Syria's al Qaida's branch, known as Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State group and the Levant People's Brigades.

AP
One of Cecil the lion's cubs has been shot dead by a big game trophy hunter in Zimbabwe - just two years after his father was killed in similar circumstances.

Six-year-old Xanda was killed just outside the Hwange National Park, not far from where Cecil was killed in 2015.

Xanda's death was discovered because he was wearing an electronic collar fitted by researchers from Oxford University who were monitoring his movements.

When the Zimbabwean professional hunter on the shoot, Richard Cooke, discovered the dead lion had a collar he handed it back to the researchers.

Andrew Loveridge, from the department of zoology at Oxford, said: "I fitted it last October. It was monitored almost daily and we were aware that Xanda and his pride was spending a lot of time out of the park in the last six months, but there is not much we can do about that.

"Richard Cooke is one of the good guys. He is ethical and he returned the collar and communicated what had happened. His hunt was legal and Xanda was over six years old so it is all within the stipulated regulations."

Mr Cooke has not revealed the name of his client who may have paid about 47,000 for the shoot and for Xanda's head to be cured and mounted and sent to him wherever he lives.

Cecil's death on July 1, 2015 caused global outrage when it was revealed that Walter James Palmer, a 55-year-old dentist from Minnesota, paid 55,000 to shoot and kill the much-loved lion with a bow and arrow.
Its the end of the era: Sean Spicer, someone who has been such a constant presence in the news as Donald Trumps press secretary, is resigning.

Thats right, the man who inspired Melissa McCarthys now infamous impressions will soon no longer be a part of Trumps administration.

Two people with knowledge of the decision revealed the news and, although Spicer will soon be gone, he will not be forgotten.

His six months in the White House were rocky to say the least, so here are some of his most memorable moments as press secretary.

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1. When he started his tenure as press secretary claiming Trump had the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe. This wasnt quite true.

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2. When he wore a green tie to a press briefing and this happened.

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3. When he accidentally wore his flag pin upside down and the Internet was convinced that it was a cry for help.

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4. When he referred to Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau as Joe Trudeau.

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5. And then when he called Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Trumble. Twice.

6. When he refused to say what the national unemployment rate was, saying Trump is not focused on statistics.

7. When he kept on saying period after some spurious claims, which quickly then became a meme.

8. That time he hid in the bushes to avoid unwelcome questions from the press.

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9. When he accidentally tweeted (and then swiftly deleted) something that people suspect was his password.

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10. When he said that Trump would be connected with Russia for using Russian salad dressing.

11. And sure, this isnt exactly Spicers work  but when he brought the world the joy of Melissa McCarthys impressions on SNL.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer has abruptly resigned, ending a rocky six-month tenure that made his news briefings defending President Donald Trump must-see TV.

He said Mr Trump's communications team "could benefit from a clean slate" as the White House seeks to steady operations amid the Russia investigations and before a health care showdown.

Mr Spicer quit in protest over the hiring of a new White House communications director, New York financier Anthony Scaramucci, objecting to what Mr Spicer considered his lack of qualifications as well as the direction of the press operation.

Mr Scaramucci, a polished television commentator and Harvard Law graduate, quickly took centre stage at a briefing, parrying questions from reporters and commending Mr Trump in a 37-minute charm offensive.

As his first act on the job, Mr Scaramucci announced that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would be the new press secretary. She had been Mr Spicer's deputy.

The shake-up on the communications team comes as Mr Trump is suffering from dismal approval ratings and struggling to advance his agenda.

The president has been frustrated by all the attention devoted to investigations of allegations of his election campaign's connections to Russia.

Mr Trump, who watches the press briefings closely and believes he is his own best spokesman, in a statement saluted Mr Spicer's "great ratings" on TV and said he was "grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people".

Mr Scaramucci, in an appearance after his appointment was made official, showed the television skills that Mr Trump has long valued.

He praised Mr Trump's political instincts and competitiveness, cracked a few self-deprecating jokes and argued with reporters who categorised the West Wing as dysfunctional, saying "there is a disconnect" between the media and the way the public sees the president.

"The president has really good karma and the world turns back to him," Mr Scaramucci said.

Mr Spicer said during a brief phone conversation with The Associated Press that he felt it would be best for Mr Scaramucci to build his own operation "and chart a new way forward".

He tweeted that it had been an "honour" and "privilege" to serve Mr Trump and that he would remain in his post through August.

The White House has been looking for a new communications director for several weeks, but struggled to attract an experienced Republican hand.

Mr Scaramuuci began seriously talking to the White House about the position this week, and Mr Trump formally offered him the job on Friday morning.

He made clear that he would continue the West Wing's plan to hit back against media reports it does not like - and would do a better job of selling its victories.

"The president is a winner. And we're going to do a lot of winning," said Mr Scaramucci, who blew a kiss to the press corps before departing.

Mr Spicer had long sought the strategic communications job for himself and had been managing that role along with his press secretary duties for nearly two months.

His tenure got off to a rocky start. On Mr Trump's first full day in office, he lambasted journalists over coverage of the crowd size at the inauguration and stormed out of the briefing room without answering questions.

Mr Spicer, who often displayed a fiery demeanour in tense on-camera exchanges with reporters, became widely known, particularly through an indelible impersonation by Melissa McCarthy on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

She portrayed him as a hostile figure who tore through the briefing room on a motorised podium, willing to attack the press.

The resignation comes a day after Mark Corallo, the spokesman for the president's outside legal team, left his post.

AP
An 86-year-old grandmother has graduated from university with a doctorate - after leaving school at 15 with no formal qualifications and almost dying during her studies.

Peggy Styles completed an EdD - the educational equivalent of a PhD - earlier this year and graduates on Wednesday.

She becomes the oldest ever student to graduate from the University of Bristol.

Mrs Styles, from Failan, near Bristol, started her doctorate aged 78 and it has taken her eight years to complete her studies.

The widow overcame a bad kidney infection which left her fighting for her life around three years ago and led to her suspending her studies for 18 months while she battled back to good health.

Mrs Styles said: "I was so ill that I nearly died. I was in hospital for a month and had to learn to walk again.

"The university was absolutely super and agreed to suspend my studies until I felt better. I was determined to finish my doctorate."

Then, just as she was finishing her 48,000-word dissertation, her husband John died in July 2016.

Mrs Styles will be joined by her proud daughter Julie Kane, son-in-law David and two of her three grandsons when she crosses the stage in the Wills Memorial Building to collect her doctorate and become Dr Styles.

"I shall be quite grateful to get up to the stage without falling over. I wouldn't want to fall down at the last hurdle," she said.

"Although I'm 86, I don't really feel that old. My legs and arms are not what they were but my tongue still wags and my brain still functions. I'd keep studying forever if I could."

It was her grandson Oliver who sparked her decision to return to education when he asked her for help with a school project looking at what it was like to live through the Second World War.

The question prompted Mrs Styles to reflect on how much her life - and education - had been impacted by the war.

She was born in England to Belgian parents in 1931 and was six when the family moved back to Belgium.

They returned to England as refugees in 1940, managing to escape on the last troop ship sailing out of St Malo before the harbour was blown up.

The upheaval, in addition to being schooled in different languages, impacted upon Mrs Styles's education and she left school at 15 with only a qualification in shorthand typing.

When her husband left the Army and got a job in Scotland managing a factory, she helped to set up a refuge for abused women - a voluntary role which sparked a lifelong interest in counselling.

She decided to return to education when the family relocated to Bristol, undertaking a postgraduate certificate and diploma in counselling at the University of Bristol, which was shortly followed up with a masters degree.

With the qualifications under her belt, Mrs Styles has been working as a counsellor until recently.

The title of her dissertation for her doctorate was: Old Wives Tales? Changing my Perception of the World, and it aimed to acquaint the next generation with the history of the 20th Century from a human and family perspective, and also to mark the gradual changes in attitude to the education of women which has taken place within living memory.

Mrs Styles explained: "I was young during wartime and going to university wasn't really on anyone's agenda at all. Life was quite different.

"Although the post-war period is still within living memory, culture has changed so much. This is one of the reasons I wanted to write about how society's attitude towards the education of women has gradually changed.

"I was lucky that the University of Bristol took me on for my postgraduate certificate and diploma in the 90s, especially as I had no A-levels.

"After that I think I got slightly addicted to learning and the university has become like a second home.

"What I'll miss most is my fellow students and tutors - they've all been so nice."

Laurinda Brown, a reader in the graduate school of education and who worked with Mrs Styles on her thesis, said: "What I am always struck by is her indomitable spirit forged in the nomadic historical movements of her family across Europe provoked by the world wars.

"There has never been any doubt in my mind that Peggy would finish this work of family history with reflections on differences in how women were educated, even though it took eight years. She is an inspirational woman and it's been a pleasure to work with her."
People sit at a square after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday. A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing at least two people, authorities said. Photo: Kostoday.gr via AP

Hotel residents sleep outdoors after abandoning their rooms following an earthquake in Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometers (4 miles) west of Bodrum, Turkey. Photo: AP

Hotel residents sleep outdoors after abandoning their rooms following an earthquake in Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometers (4 miles) west of Bodrum, Turkey. Photo: AP

Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road from the stones after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday. Photo: AP

People try to move the cars from a flooded coastal road after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday. A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing people, authorities said. Photo: Kostoday.gr via AP

A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands early on Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port, killing at least two people and causing more than 100 injuries.

The island of Kos was nearest to the epicentre and appeared to be the worst-hit, with two deaths and structural damage to older buildings.

Minor damage - cracks in buildings, smashed windows and wrecked shops - appeared widespread, according to city officials.

"The rest of the island has no problem. It's only the main town that has a problem," Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media.

"The buildings affected were mostly old, and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced."

Rescuers were checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night.

Expand Close Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road from the stones after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday. Photo: AP / Facebook

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Mr Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services. The island's port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100.

"Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery," he said.

He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos's main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred six miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles east-northeast of Kos with a depth of six miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkish disaster officials said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

Expand Close Hotel residents sleep outdoors after abandoning their rooms following an earthquake in Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometers (4 miles) west of Bodrum, Turkey. Photo: AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp Hotel residents sleep outdoors after abandoning their rooms following an earthquake in Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometers (4 miles) west of Bodrum, Turkey. Photo: AP

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic".

In Bitez, a resort town about four miles west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds.

Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone.
Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road from the stones after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday, July 21, 2017. A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing at least two people, authorities said. (Kostoday.gr via AP)

A group of friends from Dublin have shared what they called their "surreal" escape during the earthquake in Kos overnight.

Two tourists died in the powerful quake which struck off the coast of the Greek island.

The men, from Turkey and Sweden, died when the wall of a local bar, the White Corner Club, collapsed due to the tremours.

Four Irish friends holidaying in Kos have said they were "blessed" to have avoided the devastating quake as they had visited the bar, which was ultimately destroyed, every night of their holiday except for last night.

Expand Close James McElvaney , Paddy Leonad, Lorcan Grey and David Thomson / Facebook

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The one night we decided to not go out. Were just kind of blessed, Paddy Leonard told Independent.ie.

Paddy (27) has been holidaying with Lorcan Grey (25), David Thomson (26) and James McElvaney (26) in the region since Saturday.

"It was just so surreal. It's the last thing you expect on holiday but thankfully were all okay, were all alive, Paddy said.

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The group of friends had decided to stay in that night to prepare for an upcoming boat trip but were woken up by the earthquake and had to evacuate their hotel.

The whole building was shaking and the waves were coming out of the pool, he said.

He said there was complete panic in the aftermath of the earthquake with many buildings in the city centre collapsing.

It was mad. Were all in a bit of shook, Paddy said.

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He added that the water level had risen to the streets.

However, he compared the atmosphere in the area today to a ghost town.

Paddy and his friends are due to return to Ireland this weekend.

More than 120 people were injured when the 6.5-magnitude quake struck at about 1.30am local time on Friday.

The army was mobilised along with emergency services. The island's port was among structures that were damaged and a ferry heading there was not docking, the coastguard said.

Witnesses on Kos described the sea "swelling" after the quake caused a local tsunami.

It flooded a seafront road and parts of the main town. A boat was pushed on to the main road and several cars slammed into each other because of the rising seawater.

Kos regional government official Giorgos Halkidios said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed.

Ferry services were suspended due to damage at the main port, where a 14th-century fortress and a minaret from an old mosque were also damaged.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred six miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles east-north-east of Kos, with a depth of six miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkish disaster officials said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Turkey's Mugla province, said there were no casualties there, according to initial assessments. She said: "There were minor injuries due to fear and panic."

Additional reporting by Press Association
Israeli border police stand guard as Palestinians take part in evening prayers outside the Lion's Gate of Jerusalem's Old City July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

POLICE are banning Muslim men under the age of 50 from a contested Jerusalem shrine ahead of feared mass protests over the installation of metal detectors there.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Friday that reinforcements are being deployed in and around Jerusalem's Old City, where the walled shrine is located.

He said: "Police and border police units mobilised in all areas and neighbourhoods."

Muslim leaders have called for mass protests at Friday noon prayers. They urged worshippers to pray outside the shrine rather than submit to security procedures.

The shrine is revered by Muslims and Jews. Muslim leaders allege Israel is trying to expand its control there by installing the security devices. Police took the action after Palestinians launched a deadly attack from there.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is Donald Trump's new press secretary, the White House has announced.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned over the hiring of a new communications aide, according to AP sources.

Sanders is the daugher of former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee.

She managed her fathers presidential campaign in 2016 before joining Trumps.

The announcement was made on Friday by the new White House communications director - New York financier Anthony Scaramucci.

A White House spokesman confirmed Sean Spicer (45) resigned on Friday, ending a brief, turbulent tenure that gained global notoriety, after President Donald Trump named adviser and Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as his top communications official.

It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August  Sean Spicer (@PressSec) July 21, 2017

Spicer's departure reflected turmoil within Trump's legal and communication teams amid a widening investigation into possible ties between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, a problem undermining the White House's policy agenda.

Parodied memorably on the Saturday Night Live sketch comedy show for his combative encounters with the White House press corps, Spicer became one of the Trump administration's most recognized figures after taking the job in December.

He was sometimes targeted by critics for what they said were false or misleading statements. In recent weeks, Spicer has less frequently taken the lectern in the White House press room.

Trump offered Scaramucci, a longtime supporter who has frequently appeared on television to defend him, the White House communications post.

He picked the Wall Street financier on Friday, a White House official said.

Currently at the Export-Import Bank, Scaramucci is expected to start his new job in August, the official said.

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The appointment comes as the White House deals with questions around a special counsel probe and several congressional investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and potential collusion with Trump's campaign.

The communications position has been vacant since Michael Dubke resigned in May as communications director.

Spicer had been serving a dual role as press secretary and communications director since Dubke left.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Scaramucci was interviewed by Trump on Friday morning and the job had been offered and accepted.

Scaramucci, a Republican fundraiser and founder of Skybridge Capital, was earlier offered the post of U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Neither Donald Trump or Sean Spicer have yet to comment on the reports.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is Donald Trump's new press secretary, the White House has announced.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned over the hiring of a new communications aide, according to AP sources.

Sanders is the daugher of former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee.

She managed her fathers presidential campaign in 2016 before joining Trumps.

The announcement was made on Friday by the new White House communications director - New York financier Anthony Scaramucci.

A White House spokesman confirmed Sean Spicer (45) resigned on Friday, ending a brief, turbulent tenure that gained global notoriety, after President Donald Trump named adviser and Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as his top communications official.

Spicer's departure reflected turmoil within Trump's legal and communication teams amid a widening investigation into possible ties between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, a problem undermining the White House's policy agenda.

Parodied memorably on the Saturday Night Live sketch comedy show for his combative encounters with the White House press corps, Spicer became one of the Trump administration's most recognized figures after taking the job in December.

He was sometimes targeted by critics for what they said were false or misleading statements. In recent weeks, Spicer has less frequently taken the lectern in the White House press room.

Trump offered Scaramucci, a longtime supporter who has frequently appeared on television to defend him, the White House communications post.

He picked the Wall Street financier on Friday, a White House official said.

Currently at the Export-Import Bank, Scaramucci is expected to start his new job in August, the official said.

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The appointment comes as the White House deals with questions around a special counsel probe and several congressional investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and potential collusion with Trump's campaign.

The communications position has been vacant since Michael Dubke resigned in May as communications director.

Spicer had been serving a dual role as press secretary and communications director since Dubke left.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Scaramucci was interviewed by Trump on Friday morning and the job had been offered and accepted.

Scaramucci, a Republican fundraiser and founder of Skybridge Capital, was earlier offered the post of U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Neither Donald Trump or Sean Spicer have yet to comment on the reports.
President Donald Trump holds a Channellock tool engraved with his name and Make America Great Again during a meeting with US company representatives in the East Room of the White House. Photo: Michael Reynolds/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump went to war with his own attorney general, excoriating Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into links between the president's campaign and Russia.

Mr Sessions, America's top prosecutor, said he had no immediate plans to resign following the blistering public rebuke.

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He said: "We love this job, we love this Justice Department, and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate."

Mr Sessions was flanked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, who were both also criticised by the president in an interview with the 'New York Times'.

The Republican president noted Mr Rosenstein's roots in Democratic Baltimore and that Mr McCabe's wife took money from a leading Democrat during a political campaign.

Mr Sessions was the first US senator to support Mr Trump's then unlikely bid for the White House last year, and became one of his most ardent supporters.

He removed himself from the Justice Department's Russia inquiry four months ago after it emerged he had failed to disclose his own encounters with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. Ultimately, that led to the appointment of a special counsel, Robert Mueller, to lead the probe.

In an extended interview with the 'Times', Mr Trump said: "Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself. It's extremely unfair - and that's a mild word - to the president.

"If he would have recused himself before taking the job, I would have said 'Thanks Jeff, but I'm not going to take you'."

Mr Trump also raised the prospect that he could fire Mr Mueller, insinuating there were conflicts of interest in his position. He said: "There were many other conflicts that I haven't said, but I will at some point," and also warned Mr Mueller not to extend the inquiry to include the Trump family's finances, calling that a "violation".

He also criticised Mr Sessions's testimony during Senate confirmation hearings when the attorney general said he had not had "communications with the Russians", despite having met ambassador Mr Kislyak twice.

"Jeff Sessions gave some bad answers," Mr Trump said. "He gave some answers that were simple questions and should have been simple answers, but they weren't."

Mr Rosenstein, asked yesterday about Mr Trump's remarks that there were very few Republicans in Baltimore, declined to comment. "I was proud to be here yesterday, I'm proud to be here today, I'll be proud to work here tomorrow," he said.

Also, Mr Trump also refused to commit to a state visit to the UK. He was invited by Prime Minister Theresa May in January but no plans have materialised. There has been speculation that he wants to postpone his visit until he can be assured of a warm reception, and that he asked Mrs May to "fix" that.

Asked "Will you go to Britain?" Mr Trump said: "Ah, they've asked me", before moving on to heap praise on Emmanuel Macron, the French president, who he visited a week ago. Mr Trump said he went to France after Mr Macron told him: "They love you in France".

The president added: "He [Macron] is a great guy. Smart. Strong. Loves holding my hand. People don't realise he loves holding my hand. And that's good, as far as that goes."

Mr Trump denied reports of a "secret" meeting with Vladimir Putin at the G20 in Hamburg two weeks ago, saying the two exchanged "pleasantries" for 15 minutes over dessert at a meal for world leaders. Mr Trump said: "I actually talked about Russian adoption with him."

"Adoption" was also discussed at a meeting between Mr Trump's son Donald Trump Jr, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, then campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and a Russian lawyer in June 2016.

The three men are all due to testify next week in front of a Senate committee investigating Russian links.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has decided to halt a covert CIA programme to arm and train rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, a move Russia has long pushed for.

The programme had been established by Mr Trump's predecessor Barack Obama in 2013 to put pressure on Mr Assad to relinquish power.

Mr Trump hinted before coming to office that he would abandon support for the opposition, instead concentrating US efforts on "annihilating" Isil.

But the revelation comes days after Mr Trump's meeting with Mr Putin, who backs the Syrian regime. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumour after doctors removed a blood clot above his left eye last week, his office has announced.

The news was met with shock in Washington and triggered an outpouring of support for the much-respected Republican, whom Barack Obama defeated for the presidency in 2008.

"Senator John McCain has always been a fighter," President Donald Trump said. "Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy and their entire family. Get well soon."

McCain (80) has glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

His daughter, Meghan McCain, said the family were in "shock" at the news as she released a touching tribute to her father.

"It won't surprise you to learn that in all this, the one who is most confident and calm is my father," she said.

"He is the toughest person I know. The cruellest enemy could not break him. The aggressions of political life could not bend him.

"He is meeting this challenge as he has every other.

"He is a warrior at dusk, one of the greatest Americans of our age. But to me, he is something more. He is my strength, my example, my refuge, my confidante, my teacher, my rock, my hero - my Dad."

Respected

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said: "John McCain is a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterised his life."

Mr Obama hailed Mr McCain as an "American hero and one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John," he tweeted.

Sarah Palin, his running mate in the 2008 election, described Mr McCain as "one tough fighter".

Doctors say Mr McCain is recovering from his surgery amazingly well and that his underlying health is excellent, according to the statement from his office.

With his irascible grin and fighter-pilot character, Mr McCain was elected to the Senate from Arizona six times, but was twice thwarted in seeking the presidency, having been beaten to the Republican nomination in 2000 by George W Bush.
Firefighters and rescuers try to clear a road after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos (Kostoday.gr via AP)

A damaged building after a strong earthquake on the Greek island of Kos (Kalymnos-news.gr via AP)

A powerful earthquake has sent a building crashing down on tourists at a bar on the Greek holiday island of Kos, killing two people and injuring 200.

Rescue officials said two men from Turkey and Sweden died in the collapse at the White Corner Club when the 6.5-magnitude quake struck at about 1.30am, rattling Greek islands and the Turkish Aegean coast.

Hundreds of revellers were in or near the popular bar in the old town of Kos when the building partially collapsed.

At least five other people were seriously injured on Kos as tourists and local residents scrambled out of buildings, some even leaping from balconies.

Five of the injured were taken by helicopter to hospital on the island of Crete, officials said.

"There was banging. There was shaking. The light was swinging, banging on the ceiling, crockery falling out of the cupboards, and pans were making noise," said Christopher Hackland, a Scottish diving instructor.

"There was a lot of screaming and crying and hysterics coming from the hotel. It felt like being at a theme park with one of the illusions, an optical illusion where you feel like you're upside down."

Tens of thousands of tourists spent the night outdoors on Kos, many sleeping on sunbeds along beaches as a quake-related sea swell subsided.

The tremor damaged churches, an old mosque, and the port's 14th century castle, along with old buildings in the town.

In nearby Turkey, the quake caused cracks on walls of some buildings in the resort of Bodrum, flooded the lower floors of seafront hotels and restaurants and sent moored boats crashing towards the shore.

Turkish authorities said 70 people were treated in hospitals in Bodrum for minor injuries, but damage was light.

Several Greek government ministers, as well as rescuers with sniffer dogs and structural engineers, travelled to Kos overnight to co-ordinate the rescue effort.

Authorities said there were no reported injuries of refugees and migrants at camps on the island.

A seafront road and parts of the island's main town were flooded for several hours, and the rising seawater even pushed a boat on to the main road and caused several cars to slam into each other.

Ferry services were cancelled until further inspection, with passengers rerouted to nearby islands.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude and the numerous aftershocks were weaker but still could put at risk the buildings that were already damaged.

The epicentre was six miles south of Bodrum and 10 miles east-north-east of Kos, with a depth of 6 miles.

"The damage on the island (of Kos) is not widespread. The airport is working, and the road network and infrastructure are in good shape," Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.

"The damage was at the bar and the old part of the town and we had the very unfortunate deaths of the two people."

The collapsed building dated to the 1930s, according to Kos mayor Giorgos Kyritsis. "There are not many old buildings left on Kos. Nearly all the structures on the island have been built under the new codes to withstand earthquakes."

Rescuers checked for trapped people inside houses across Kos at dozens of villages and other sites, but said the damage was confined to the island's main town.

AP

Greek health officials said 13 people have been airlifted to hospitals in Athens and on the islands of Rhodes and Crete following the earthquake.

A spokesman for a state hospital in the Cretan city of Iraklio said they had received four patients, including two people in critical condition, one with a head injury and one who had to have a leg amputated.

Authorities have not listed the nationalities of those seriously injured, but police officials involved in the operation said that one Norwegian national, one Turk, one Albanian and one Greek were included in the list of airlifted patients.

AP
The US is to ban Americans from visiting North Korea

The Trump administration is to ban US citizens from travelling to North Korea following the death of university student Otto Warmbier who fell into a coma in a North Korean prison.

US officials said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to implement a "geographical travel restriction" for North Korea, which would make the use of US passports to enter the country illegal.

They said the restriction would be published in the Federal Register next week and will take effect 30 days after that.

Two tour operators that organise group trips to North Korea said they had already been informed of the decision.

Under US law, the secretary of state has the authority to designate passports as restricted for travel to countries with which the United States is at war, when armed hostilities are in progress, or when there is imminent danger to the public health or physical security of US travellers.

Geographic travel restrictions are rare but have been used by numerous administrations in the past for countries where it has been determined to be unsafe.

Since 1967, such bans have been imposed intermittently on countries such as Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Cuba and North Vietnam.

In this case, the administration had been considering the step since Mr Warmbier died after being medically evacuated in a coma from North Korea last month.

He suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause while in custody.

Relatives said they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016. He had been accused of stealing a propaganda poster while on a tour of the country.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. At least three other Americans remain in custody in the North.

Simon Cockerell, Beijing-based general manager of the Koryo Group, one of the leading organisers of guided tours to North Korea, said the ban would affect 800 to 1,000 Americans who visit North Korea annually.

Although Pyongyang does not publish exact figures, Americans are thought to account for 1% of all foreign visitors. Westerners make up 5% of total visitors, and Americans about 20% of the Western contingent, according to statistics.

Mr Cockerell said the ban would probably have a tangible impact on business for his and similar outfits, and said that would turn back the clock on engagement with the North.

"It's unfortunate because we criticise North Korea for being isolationist and now we're helping isolate them," Mr Cockerell said. "That's not what soft power is about."

AP

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Americans who seek to travel to North Korea will need a "special validation passport" after the ban takes effect.

She said those validations may be granted for "certain limited humanitarian or other purposes". All other travel by Americans "to, through and in" North Korea will be prohibited.

Ms Nauert said the ban is being put in place because of "mounting concerns" about "the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement".

AP
SALISBURYSabrina Harris, a client of Salisbury-Rowan Community Action Agency, Inc., has proven that community action works to change peoples lives in a positive manner.

Harris first got involved with SRCAA programs when she enrolled her two young sons in the agencys Head Start program in East Spencer, later transferring to Price Head Start in Salisbury. In the 1960s, Head Start programs were established to ensure that all children have access to quality early childhood education regardless of family income.

In addition to the quality education that Head Start children receive, SRCAAs Head Start program provides the entire family access to qualified family development specialists, who are trained to assist the entire family reach economic self-sufficiency by the time the child enters primary school.

During Harris first home visit with the SRCAA family development specialist, the specialist helped her determine that her goal in life was to become a self-sufficient small business owner. She has always had an undeniable passion for designing and crafting beautiful dresses. For years, Harris has been sewing dresses using an old sewing machine given to her by her mother.

Additionally, Harris was born with a hearing impairment. However, being hearing impaired has not deterred her from wanting more out of life for herself or her family.

I do not want a disability to define who I am, she said. I want to set a strong example for my children.

When Harris and her family started with the Head Start program, she had begun to develop a home business idea related to her talents with sewing. However, she needed more resources and time to get transition her home business into a store front business that would become a source of self-sufficiency and a local employer.

With the help of the SRCAA family development specialist, Harris was directly referred to SRCAA community partnerthe Small Business Center at Rowan Cabarrus Community Colleges. Working with Barbara Hall and the other dedicated staff at RCCC, Harris fine-tuned her business model and fully elaborated her vision for developing her business.

Having children enrolled in the Head Start program did give Harris some time to focus on her entrepreneurial dream. However, she discovered she needed more time away from providing child care to really put the pieces of her small business together. Because the goal of SRCAA is to promote self-sufficiency, the SRCAA center director approved her request for extended day servicesallowing more child care coverage by the agencyto continue building up her small business.

Additionally, the SRCAA family development specialist referred Harris to the state Vocational Rehab program, which offers assistance to disabled people to start their own businesses.

After her own hard work utilizing the resources provided by SRCAA and its community partners, Harris can now boast that she is the proud owner of Sabrina Bougie Styles, located at 1008 South Main Street in downtown Salisbury. Her enterprise is an alterations and dress making business tailored to fit any budget.

As a mark of her success, Harris business has become a member of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce. The driven business owners long-term goals for Sabrina Bougie Styles are to open another store and expand her staff to artistic minds for fashion.

Additionally, Harris gives back to the community by sharing her talent for sewing. She teaches Bougie Styles Summer Camp at the Salisbury Park and Recreation Center, where local youth learn to develop basic alteration and sewing skills with all materials provided by her. At the end of the program, they are asked to sew and present what they have learned.

Harris said she loves spending time with her husband and children during her free time. As she said, Family is everything.
Erdogan lashes out at Germany as tensions over trade spiral

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the German government for pushing the two nations' escalating tensions into the economic realm, even as he sought to reassure German companies in his country.

Simmering disputes between the two NATO allies boiled over into full view this week with the detention of a German human-rights activist in Istanbul. A day after Germany warned that the controversy could take its toll on trade relations, Erdogan accused Berlin of attempting to scare off business.

"I'd like to remind my German friends and the whole world: You aren't strong enough to slander Turkey," Erdogan told an event in Istanbul on Friday. "You aren't strong enough to scare us with these kinds of things. We will continue to have German companies operating in Turkey under assurance as we have until today."

Backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday announced a "re-orientation" of policy toward Turkey after the government called charges against the rights activist, Peter Steudtner, "absurd." Measures include warnings to German travelers, who make up a significant portion of European tourists to the country, and could extend to the withdrawal of government-backed export guarantees.

German business groups backed the threat, with the BGA exporter lobby warning of a "significant drop" in deliveries in bilateral trade worth more than $36 billion last year.

Erdogan zeroed in on a reported "black list" of German companies, saying that he asked his intelligence chief and interior minister whether any German firms were being investigated.

"The answer I got yesterday was that they're all lies," Erdogan said.

Germany's federal police office said it received a list from Turkish authorities containing "items and accusations" that weren't sufficiently concrete to warrant investigation. Security officials said the list contained 678 items. Handelsblatt reported earlier that the list accused companies including Daimler and BASF of supporting terrorism.

The rapidly escalating situation affects two NATO allies that are mutually dependent. Germany is Turkey's largest trading partner, while ethnic Turks make up Germany's largest minority. More than 6,800 German firms are currently operating in Turkey, according to the German-Turkish chamber of commerce.

Before Erdogan spoke, tensions spilled into the open elsewhere, with Merkel's veteran finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, comparing Turkey to the former communist East Germany, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country wouldn't give in to threats or "blackmail."

Schaeuble charged Turkey with an unwillingness to meet basic consular standards, a turn of events that "reminds me of how it used to be in the GDR," he told Bild newspaper on Friday, referring to the German Democratic Republic, as East Germany was known.

"It was clear to whoever traveled there: If something happens to you, no one can help you," Schaeuble said. "If Turkey doesn't stop this game, we'll need to tell people that you travel there at your own risk, we can no longer offer you guarantees."

germany-turkey

Washington Post News Service (DC)

7/21/2017 12:55:40 PM Central Daylight Time
Ski, eat pizza and dress on the cheap: perks of America's CEOs

Gone are the days when Tyco International ponied up millions of dollars to indulge its executives' lavish lifestyles, including Dennis Kozlowski's $15,000 dog umbrella stand. But U.S. public companies still give bosses some tasty tidbits with their multimillion-dollar pay packages.

Vail Resorts spent as much as $11,220 on ski lessons and lodging at company-owned facilities for Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz, and fashion retailer Nordstrom contributed $33,246 in merchandise discounts for co-President Blake Nordstrom. Domino's Pizza awarded CEO Patrick Doyle $11.1 million last year, topping it off with $224 for pizza, according to a Bloomberg Pay Index analysis of proxy filings.

"It begs the age-old question: You make X amount of money and you can't afford this on your own?" said John Trentacoste, a partner at Farient Advisors, a compensation consulting firm. "But certain perks can give the executive peace of mind and allow him or her to focus on the company rather than other things that pop up in life. That's the rationale."

Boards defend perks as a way to help bosses concentrate on their jobs, and to encourage them to stay in their jobs. Most large U.S. companies, such as health insurer Aetna Inc., require that CEOs use corporate jets for personal trips, arguing that avoiding delays and ensuring the person's security outweigh the costs. Some businesses provide CEOs with cars and drivers for similar reasons.

Of the 200 highest-paid executives at publicly traded U.S. companies, Aetna's Mark Bertolini incurred the largest air-travel expense last year with $602,781. Vornado Realty Trust spent the most on a car and driver -- $272,290 for CEO Steven Roth.

Those costs are scrutinized by shareholders, who have become more attentive to excessive spending since investor votes on compensation for top managers, known as "say on pay," were introduced in 2011. As a result, many companies have dialed back on perks for corporate executives, a group that's viewed favorably by just 31 percent of respondents in a recent Bloomberg National Poll.

Country-club memberships, an oft-derided perk, are still common in the oil-and-gas industry. They can help executives build ties in the community and, perhaps, encourage them to move to rural Texas or Oklahoma, far from urban centers. Some companies consider club memberships essential tools to help executives keep clients and woo new ones, yet still disclose them as perquisites.

The perks come with a cost for executives. All benefits that don't directly relate to the person's job and aren't offered broadly to employees are considered taxable income and must be disclosed in regulatory filings as "All Other Compensation." Of course, some companies pay for the tax bill, too. Relocation expenses, which can include private-school tuition for children, also wind up in this category.

Defining what's related to someone's job can be tricky. The Securities and Exchange Commission rebuked Facebook in 2015 for not disclosing the cost of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's personal-security program, which the company deemed to be directly related to his job. The firm spent $4.89 million last year on keeping Zuckerberg safe, the most among S&P 500 companies, and $2.61 million on security for Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.

Intel Corp. CEO Brian Krzanich was close behind with a 2016 security tab of $2.13 million, up from $39,600 a year earlier. The chipmaker bolstered the program after some senior executives received threats following an announcement that the company would focus on making its workforce more diverse.

Perks sometimes are lumped in with other items such as accrued dividends that can't be disclosed any other way because of SEC reporting rules. Among the country's 200 top-paid executives, Gamco Investors's Mario Gabelli had the highest aggregate "other compensation" at $76 million, split between incentive-management fees and other variable pay. Viacom disclosed $58.4 million for ex-CEO Philippe Dauman, mostly consisting of a separation payment following his departure.

ceo-perks

Washington Post News Service (DC)

7/21/2017 1:00:37 PM Central Daylight Time
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I remember having my first African-American teacher when I attended IPS School #42. Seeing a Black woman leading students at the front of the class, in a school named for its beloved Black principal, Elder Diggs, made quite an impression on me as a little girl and helped shape me into the person I am today.

Thats why I applaud the news that five of the eight new Innovation School Fellows announced last week by The Mind Trust, Indianapolis Pubic Schools (IPS) and Mayor Joe Hogsett are people of color. But this sort of diverse representation is business as usual. As the fourth cohort, they join the ranks of 25 other Mind Trust school fellows, 11 of whom are people of color.

These fellows will spend up to two years preparing to lead an Innovation Network School within IPS. Once theyve fully developed their school design plans, theyll enter into an agreement with IPS, under which their schools will be given autonomy in exchange for being held to the highest academic standards. The Mind Trusts fellowship provides them with an extensive array of support, including access to local and national education experts and the resources to travel to innovative schools across the country.

While there is no doubt that great, life-changing teachers and principals come from all backgrounds, the diversity of our Innovation School Fellows helps with a problem our city, and indeed our country, has struggled with for decades. Though 80 percent of students in IPS identify as people of color, only 23 percent of their teachers and 39 percent of their principals identify as the same. And, according to a report released last year by the National Center for Education Statistics, our nations public school principals are only slightly more diverse today than they were 25 years ago. In 1987, only 9 percent of public school principals were Black and only 3 percent Hispanic. In the 2012 school year  the most recent year for which national data is available  the percentage of Black and Hispanic principals stood at 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

With the majority of American public school children identifying as children of color, the representation of principals of color matters now more than ever.

We need educators who share the cultural and personal backgrounds of their students. Their backgrounds will open the lines of communication with students and create a deeper connection to the learning experience because they have an understanding of a students real-world experience. This culturally relevant teacher-student relationship will drive academic achievement.

Students look to their educators as role models, and the experience of being taught by a teacher who looks like a parent, uncle, aunt or close family friend, or attending a school led by a principal to whom the students can relate sends a powerful message. Our babies see a person who looks like them in a respected position of authority, and students grow up with the understanding that leadership comes from people of all backgrounds.

Finally, the newest cohort of fellows shows that our citys education sector knows that a commitment to diversity can fuel innovation. The City of Indianapolis stands to create one of the most innovative learning environments in our country, not only because our leaders are ensuring that our educators of color have a seat at the table, but also because investments from organizations like The Mind Trust are giving leaders within our community the power to design and deliver school models that will meet the needs of our babies.

Its easy to talk about the benefits of diversity, but our babies will only see these benefits if we continue to intentionally invest in it.

Lets get to it.

Maggie A. Lewis is president of the Indianapolis City-County Council.
The issues surrounding race and racism in America envelop the nations inhabitants like an intricately woven wool cloak. It is at times hot and heavy, often unbearably so, and people of color cant seem to ever escape its suffocating grasp. White people, as many scholars of critical race theory have stated, have the privilege of its warmth. They are protected, more often than not, from the danger that racism precipitates and, if they so choose, can ignore its existence altogether.

Robin DiAngelo, scholar and author of the book What Does it Mean to be White, says, Our society continues to reproduce racial inequity. Across every institution and every measure, Black and Brown people are at the bottom. And yet, the average white person feels exempt from participation in any of this.

About six in 10 Blacks (61 percent), according to a 2016 Pew Research Study on race and inequality in America, say race relations are generally bad; only about half of whites felt the same way. Additionally, the majority of Blacks (64 percent) were more likely to say that Blacks are treated less fairly in America than whites are.

So what does this say about what it means to be white?

To be white is to see oneself as outside of race, said DiAngelo. To be white means to be socialized to be functionally illiterate on the topic of race. To be white is to see racism as a simple matter of the difference between good people and bad people.

DiAngelo shared that she grew up in an impoverished household, and though she was ostracized from the trappings of middle-class, white American life, it did not preclude her from gaining a certain level of implicit bias against people of color.

I dont think that I have internalized less implicit racial bias because I grew up poor. I just learned my place in the racial hierarchy from a different class position, she said. When poor or working class white people use their class in a conversation of race, it functions to take race off the table and exempt them from any further engagement, said DiAngelo.

The educator said that growing up poor, she would often go hungry and without basic necessities. Unattended food, or even an unoccupied space, would be tempting to a young Robin, but her mother forbade her from touching anything for fear that it may be tainted by a Black person.

You dont know who sat there, she said, recalling her mothers statements. It might have been a colored person. That was the language that was used at that time. It was really clear that had a colored person sat in that space or touched that food, it was dirty. The irony was that we were dirty and unkempt.

DiAngelo said she realized later that her family used Black people to cleanse themselves by projecting their position, and dirt, onto people of color. In those moments I was not poor anymore. I wasnt less-than anymore. In those moments I was aligned with the mainstream middle-class white culture that my poverty had separated me from. In those moments I was just white, and to be white was inherently superior.

It is from this foundation that DiAngelo has built her work. She travels around the country leading workshops and lectures formulated specifically with white participants in mind. Personally, the journey required a lot of individual work and also seeking help from people of color.

It took a lot of study and reflection and guiding mentorship from people of color to realize how (racism) had functioned to still provide me with a sense of internalized superiority, she said.

DiAngelo, who received her Ph.D. in multicultural education from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2004, has been a consultant and trainer for more than two decades on issues of racial and social justice. She was appointed to co-design the City of Seattles Race and Social Justice Initiative Anti-Racism training and has worked with a wide range of organizations including private, nonprofit and governmental entities.

On Saturday, July 22, from 9 a.m.4 p.m., DiAngelo will present a one-day seminar on what it means to be white in our current American society at All Souls Unitarian Church, located at 5805 E. 56th St. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased on eventbrite.com.

When asked about the significance of white people instructing other white people on these topics, DiAngelo stated that one reason is the fact that most whites are illiterate on the topic of racism.

We arent given good information; we can get through graduate school in this country without ever discussing racism, and we dont have much nuance or complexity in our thoughts on the subject. Yes, we all have opinions about it, but we can have an opinion without being informed, she said. When people of color try to talk to us about racism, we end up doing more harm. When we talk to each other, we kind of move that layer of harming people of color. The cost of talking about racism for people of color is very, very great, and while it isnt easy for me and I, too, get resistance when trying to talk to my fellow white people about racism, it does not compare to the cost for folks of color.

Victoria Haley, a member of the local chapter of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), shared that she saw the act of educating herself and then sharing that knowledge with others as an obligation.

It is our responsibility to educate ourselves, she said. Sometimes, white people when they are unsure or guilty of their whiteness  will refuse to be educated by people of color. People of color will perform that emotional labor over and over again for white people to not listen. I think there is value in someone like Robin DiAngelo saying, OK, I will do this part. I will talk about whiteness and what it means and do studies on it.

Haley said she first got involved with SURJ because, after seeing multiple instances of police-action shootings against unarmed Black people, she wanted to do something of significance to help.

Everyone has a breaking point and a threshold where you think, Oh my gosh, I need to do something more than sit on Twitter and have a good Twitter game and be angry about Black Lives Matter, she said. She got online and saw three separate protests going on that week in response to the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, one of which was hosted by SURJ.

The idea of SURJ focusing a lot on education as well as providing resources when needed to organizations led by people of color felt like an appropriate place to be, she said.

Haley added that in working and serving as an ally, she has learned that as a white woman, she still carries a certain amount of privilege.

I had these ideas that I was a good white person because I cared. I have since then decided  that maybe the best white person is one that recognizes that there are no good white people, she said, adding that she credits the work of Black female writers in helping her to formulate this stance.

I could walk away from any of this this afternoon, and for the most part I wouldnt see any consequences for my life.

Haley also noted the work of writer and Black Lives Matter member DiDi Delgado in helping her and other SURJ members to understand that, without taking proactive measures to make sure their efforts were aligned with the needs of people of color and that their spaces were completely inclusive, their work could potentially be harmful to the people of color they seek to be allies to.

In Whites Only: SURJ and the Caucasian Invasion of Racial Justice Spaces, Delgado pens the following:

White-led anti-racism groups have existed for hundreds of years, and theyve often been problematic, counterproductive, and just f@#%^&* weird since their inception.

There are no perfect individuals or organizations, and I think SURJ and similar outlets need to acknowledge that from the onset. If they believe theres a right way to perform whiteness within a white supremacy theyre sadly mistaken. You cannot be a member of an oppressive group without inflicting harm on those you oppress. The objective for allies should be to inflict as little harm as possible. And the way to do this is through accountability. But who are white-led anti-racism groups accountable to? And what does that accountability look like?

Before that article, said Haley, We had an understanding that people are welcome even if they are people of color. After that article, we thought we should be very explicit that everyone is welcome all the time. If at any point people of color feel excluded from a racial justice space, even it is not geared toward people of color, we are doing something wrong.

She added that core members of the group have experienced changes in attitudes and thoughts of friends, family members and acquaintances that they have invited to events.

I think what were doing is productive, she said. As a white person, I dont have any say in what Black liberation looks like or what liberation for indigenous people looks like, but maybe I have a say in convincing other white people around me not to cause harm in the meantime.

DiAngelo said her whiteness does make it more possible for some other white people to really hear what shes saying.

This brings up the great dilemma of this work for me as a white person talking about racism, said DiAngelo. Even though I believe that I am challenging racism, I am also centering the white voice. At the same time, the power of implicit bias is that I will be seen by other white people as more neutral and I will be heard more openly. If I can be heard more openly, then I am going to use this position to challenge racism. For me to be white and not use that position, is to really be white. That is classic whiteness.

Robin DiAngelo
Shah Rukh Khan is courting a controversy yet again. The actor has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case pertaining to allegedly undervaluing the shares of Knight Riders Pvt. Ltd and causing a loss of Rs 7.36 crores foreign exchange.

For the alleged violations of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), a legal notice has been sent to him and wife Gauri Khan, who is one of the shareholders.

Twitter

Shah Rukh Khan had earlier as well appeared before the law enforcement agency in 2011 and 2015. In March earlier, ED had sent a show-cause notice to Khan, his wife, and Juhi Chwala.

Post the success of IPL, two crore shares were issued by KRSPL; out of which 50 lakh were issued to Juhi Chawlas husbands company The Sea Island Investment Ltd (TSIIL) and 40 lakh to the actress. It is alleged that the shares of Khans company were sold to Jays Mauritius-based firm at a cost lower than the original value.

rediff.com

Strangely these shares were allotted at a par value of Rs 10, whereas the actual value of these shares was much higher. So, TSIIL got 90 lakh shares at par value of Rs 10 while the actual cost of share at the time of sale was between Rs 86 Rs 99 per share. It resulted in the loss of foreign exchange to the extent of Rs 73.6 crore, the ED officer had told PTI.

We hope that the issue gets resolved soon!
Newlyweds from Iowa, Nicole and Shane Sifrit welcomed their baby daughter Mariana on July 1st only to lose her 3-weeks later to viral meningitis, which they believe could have been caused by a simple kiss.

Nicole and Shane Sifrits baby Mariana has died of herpes infection after a kiss https://t.co/5BQCiRe4AU pic.twitter.com/eJDRxMVxUf  Otto (@ottoclinton) July 21, 2017

A couple stated that their daughter stopped eating and refused to wake up when they tried to get her to do so. She had stopped breathing and her organs had started to fail in a couple of hours, according to a report in CNN.

A week after Nicole Sifrit gave birth, parents noticed baby stopped eating & didn't respond to efforts to wake her. https://t.co/FVAAiVNWWm  Ventura County Star (@vcstar) July 18, 2017

Doctors at Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines, told Marianas parents that she had contracted virus from someone who had visited the child since they both tested negative for the virus when tested.

"They touched her, and then she touched her mouth with her hand," Nicole Sifrit explained. Although its hard to pinpoint how exactly Mariana transmitted the virus, Sifrit wanted people to know why it is important for people to be cautious when they are handling newborn babies.

Nicole Sifrit and her baby Mariana pictures,dies after succumbed to a herpes infection contracted through a kiss https://t.co/jwabCPqZf8 pic.twitter.com/qKZ4f6NH9g  infowe (@infowe) July 18, 2017

The HSV-1 herpes virus that causes cold sores sometimes leads to viral meningitis. This causes inflammation in the tissues of covering the brain and spinal cord.

"Viral meningitis is transmitted through close casual contact. However, she caught the virus and then developed meningitis. ... It is very common to catch the virus, but very rarely does it develop into meningitis, says Dr Tanya Altmann, a pediatrician at Calabasas Pediatrics in California, in the CNN report.

mit.applysci.com

"The first two months after a child is born are very critical, as a virus can rapidly spread and cause serious illness in newborns," she said. Thats all the more reason why parents need to take extra precaution during the first few months of the birth of their baby.
Fakhri-H-Al-Issa, the Iraqi ambassador to India, said he has no information regarding the 39 Indians who were abducted by the Isalmic State (IS) terrorist organisation, even as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that they were last located in a prison in Badush.

"I don't want to say anything. I have no information. Sometimes no news is good news. They might be in Badush prison," Issa told ANI.

the hans india

Issa was asked about the possibility of the 39 Indians being alive. He said, "I am hoping they are alive as there is no interest for Deash to kill them. They can use them as labourers, so let's hope they are still there somewhere. We will hear good news hopefully within next couple of weeks and months."

On July 16, Foreign Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj with other ministers met the families of missing Indians who are missing in Iraq since 2014.

She said Indian authorities have been informed that the missing Indians were last located in a prison in Badush, so as soon as the area is cleared, further developments would be reported.
Thousands of people from all walks of life protesting in Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla demanding proper investigation in the rape and murder of a teenager earlier this month are continuing their demonstration in the city and across the state.

BCCL

Many online are using #JusticeForGudiya to demand justice to the teenager.

The government order on Thursday, transferring the top cops who were investigating the case and handing over the probe to the CBI have failed to pacify the protesters who allege that the police is trying to cover up the case and protect the real culprits.

IG Zahur H Zaidi, who was heading the special investigation team (SIT), additional SP Bhajan Dev Negi, member of the SIT, along with Shimla SP D W Negi have been transferred by the government.

BCCL

While the police claimed to have cracked the case after they arrested six people including Rajinder Singh, the owner of an apple orchard near where the body was recovered, one of the accused, a Nepalese worker who was in the same jail cell was found dead on Tuesday.

A minor school girl was gang raped and later murdered by prime accused Rajinder Singh and five others.

PTI

The victim was reported missing on July 4 from Mahasu, Kotkhai in Shimla district. Two days later her body was recovered from a local forest. The accused Rajinder had given lift to the victim in his vehicle.

The girl was gang raped and then brutally killed by the accused and his accomplices, who worked in an apple orchard. Her body was later dumped in the forest. There are allegations that the accused continued to rape the minor even when she was dead.

On the order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court the CBI has formed a three-member special investigation team to probe the case.
In a shocking case, Tamil Nadu Police has arrested a woman from Gudiyattam in Vellore for allegedly chopping of the genital of her husband after an argument over extra-marital affair.

Police said, the woman identified as Sarasu, a 30-year-old mother of four took the extreme step on Thursday night.

Representational Image

The couple had been married for 14 years, but they were living separated for nearly a year. Earlier this month they had come together on the request of their eldest son who had just turned 13 years old.

Even though they were living together, the couple used to fight accusing the other person of having extramarital affair.

On Thursday night, the police said they were fighting well into the night.

"The quarrel continued till 2am on Thursday and he went to sleep. Around 3am, Sarasu brought a sharp knife from the kitchen and cut off her husband's penis and left the house with the chopped off part," said special sub-inspector of police A Krishnamoorthy.

The husband, identified as Jagadeesan was taken to a local hospital by his neighbours after they heard him crying with pain.

Police arrested Sarasu while she was on her way to her parents house and recovered the chopped-off part from her purse.

Jagadeesan who was later referred to the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital has undergone a surgery and according to the doctors is 'out of danger'.
What goes on in the Dark Web isn't for the faint of heart. It's a cesspool of shady elements and bad guys, with very little policing. So whenever the good guys catch a break, it's cause for celebration.

According to an announcement from the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (also known as Europol), the international law enforcement unit has successfully cracked down on AlphaBay and Hansa Market, two of the largest marketplaces on the dark web. These sort of sites usually offer everything from drugs and illegal paraphernalia, to fake IDs, shady services, and more.

Europol says AlphaBay alone hosted approximately $1 billion in transactions since it was founded in 2014, most of which was from drugs and fraudulent IDs. At the time it was taken down, it had reached over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors, with nearly $4 million in bitcoin stored in the sites escrow accounts.

This is one of the most important criminal investigations of this entire year, the Attorney General Sessions told press. I believe that because of this operation, people around the world are safer from the threat of identity fraud and malware, and safer from deadly drugs.

If you think of the Internet as the sea, the website you normally visit on a day to day basis is just the shallow region near the shore. Safe, transparent, and mostly harmless. If you swim out into deep waters however, and dive down into the depths, thats the Dark Web. Sites on the dark web like AlphaBay and Hansa Market are inaccessible by people without the right know how. Without a simple URL to locate them, users can only connect to them through the Tor network, a major reason why its difficult to police these kinds of activities.

Courtesy: Fortune.com

Its still not clear how Europol managed to track down either the servers or administrators, and whether they circumvented the innate privacy aspects of Tor in doing so.

AlphaBay originally went offline earlier this month, sparking rumours of its shutdown. Later, a Canadian named Alexander Cazes was arrested in connection to the case in Thailand, on behalf of US authorities. He was later found dead in his cell the next week, following which it was confirmed that he was arrested for allegedly founding and maintaining AlphaBay.

In the meantime, Cazes assets have been seized, showing that he got pretty rich off everyone elses illegal activities. A seizure document details over $5 million in Bitcoin, $1.8 million in Ethereum (a new cryptocurrency similar to Bitcoin), and $760,000 in Zcash, as well as more unannounced funds in traditional bank accounts. Cazes also owned a 2013 Lamborghini Aventador, Porsche Panamera S, BMW motorcycle, and a Mini Cooper, as well as real estate in Bangkok, Phuket, and Cyprus.
The year's first heat warning was issued for Seoul on Wednesday as the whole country sweltered in muggy temperatures.

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued the warning for Seoul, Gwangju, Yongin in Gyeonggi Province, and Boseong in South Jeolla Province.


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.

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A local Nigerian automobile manufacturing company has secured a moneyed deal to produce vehicles for an African country.

The Charged Affair of Nigera in Mali, Yara Abdulsalam, says an indigenous motor manufacturing company, Innoson Motors, has signed MoU with a Malian firm to export 400 locally made vehicles to Mali.

Abdulsalam made the announcement on Friday in Abuja when he led a delegation of businessmen from Mali to visit the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama.

He said that during the week, Innoson Motors signed Memorandum of Understanding with Taxi Plus VIP, a Mali based transport company for the expansion of transport business in that country.

He said the development was the outcome of Made-in-Nigeria products exhibition held in Bamako in 2016. He said that the exhibition was facilitated by Ginco Group, a Nigerian firm based in Mali to show case Nigerias potentials.

Abdulsalam said, From the exhibition, Taxi Plus VIP approached the embassy that they wanted to import vehicles from China but, we told them that we have indigenous company in Nigeria that manufactures vehicles.

They started talking with Innoson through Nigerian Export Promotion Commission and the deal was later finalised.

Mali is the centre of Francophone countries and has boundary with eight countries.

If the MoU materialises, it will positively affect all other countries and will increase Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria.
Seoul residents will be treated to free outdoor movie screenings under bridges across the Han River for the next five weeks.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday said the city would provide screenings at 8 p.m. every Saturday from this weekend through Aug. 19 under the Cheonho Bridge in Gwangnaru, the Cheongdam Bridge in Ttukseom, the Wonhyo Bridge in Yeouido and the Seongsan Bridge in Mangwon.
A yet another shocking investigative and explosive report has revealed that the fruit you are gnawing on to do your body the desired good, may send you six feet below in a black body bag.

Fruit lovers can no longer munch away at their desired fruits with reckless abandon as it used to be. Now, as you munch, suck, lick or drink, you have to keep your eyes and other senses wide open  including your sixth sense.

That fruit you are gnawing on may do your body the desired good you hope for, or send you six feet below in a black body bag. That is the effect the demand for fruits have caused in Nigeria, and Lagos especially.

Why the message of doom you may ask. It is because of the penchant of some daredevil fruit sellers who hasten the ripening process of the fruits with harmful chemicals such as carbide.

Gone were the days when food poisoning was something done deliberately for prepared food for certain people. These days, a bite of a seemingly harmless, nutritious, delicious and rotund apple or banana can result in unexpected food poisoning  all through carbide.

Calcium carbide is a chemical used for artificially ripening fruit. According to experts, when calcium carbide comes in contact with moisture, it produces acetylene gas, which is quite similar in its effects to the natural ripening agent, ethylene. Acetylene acts like ethylene and accelerates the ripening process.

Industrial-grade calcium carbide may also contain traces of arsenic and phosphorus, which makes it a human health concern. Other ripening agents include ethephon (an insecticide), ethanol, ethylene glycol and methanol

While the use of this chemical for this purpose is illegal in most countries, Nigeria appears not to have gotten the memo. If it has, the peoples consciousness has not been awakened enough to the effects in the fruits being sold and distributed here in Nigeria.

Just over a year ago, a reporter was poisoned through these process and ended up dying due to complications thereafter.

At Agboju market in Amuwo Odofin in Lagos, a source at the market pointed at a spot where fruits were being forced to ripen with chemicals. She explained that the fruits that were unripe were forced to ripen within a day, as the sellers use carbide to achieve that purpose.

In an attempt to speak with some of the fruit sellers, they all claimed to be getting their friuts almost ripe before they sell them. Yet our reporter saw heaps of banana being carried into the spot he was told the ripening normally take place.

A seller who pleaded anonymity said that it is a trick they have been using for a long time and it helps their business. According to her, they buy unripe plantain and banana in bulk. Since they cannot predict when they will sell everything, they ripen them batch after batch for daily sales.

The seller, however when confronted with the fact that the chemicals they use are harmful, said that she had heard of such before, but she and her colleagues are careful as the make sure that the chemicals do not directly come in contact with the products.

A reporter also went into the popular Sunday Market at Ogba, to speak with some fruit sellers and got their opinions and methods of ripening fruits. Many of them claimed to know nothing of fast-ripening of fruits.

A woman who refused to give her name however shared that it is mostly bananas and plantains, which she sells that she puts through many processes. She, however, explained that she does not make use of any form of chemicals, but she wets the fruits with normal water and then wraps them in several layers of a sack for a couple of days.

She explained that her banana and plantain stocks, which are ripened in this manner usually come out fresh and can stay for days without going bad. She also added that she was aware of the fact that people use carbide to ripen seasonal fruits like mango, banana, cucumber, plantain, pineapple, watermelon, guava, pawpaw and even others like apple, tomatoes, and grapes. But she said those who do that know themselves, but she and her colleagues in the market do not.

These act were found to be common in urban cities, especially in Lagos. Since the fruits are mostly brought in from other parts of the country, it is difficult to control supply. So, retailers tend to use these unnatural methods to ripen fruits to meet demand.

A food nutritionist explained the process of carbide ripening. Most fruits are picked long before they are ripe for easy transportation. The moment the fruits are sizeable, for example plantain, it is immediately cut down and shipped. Some fruits are able to continue ripening after being picked, however, others can ripen only on the plant and thus have a short shelf life if harvested when they are ripe. This makes it tricky to harvest, ship and sell.

She further revealed that sometimes, plantain on its own would take another one to two months to ripen, but they harvest it all the same. Once harvested, because they need to sell it for good profit especially when it is not in season, they rub the fruits copiously with carbide and then wrap them in black plastic bags to attract light. Then, they hide it in warm dark corners and leave it overnight. By the time they open it up in the morning, the previously unripe bananas are ripe.

When asked where they procure such harmful chemicals like carbide from, the expert explained that there are a number of sources, the easiest being through panel beaters who come across the substance easily.

The story of a staff of Independent Newspapers who died from kidney failure after eating bananas he bought from Ojota bus-stop, Lagos on December 24, 2016 immediately comes to mind. This tells us that quickened ripening of fruits is not as alien or difficult to come by as was once thought, a confirmation of Mrs. Onis words.

A young man recently shared his experience that nearly took his life. He explained that he bought roasted plantain, (boli) a favourite Nigerian delicacy usually eaten with groundnuts, from a roadside vendor and planned to eat it for dinner.

Upon tasting the plantain, he realised something was different and was unable to finish it, so he abandoned it. He woke up with a mild stomach ache in the middle of the night, but after an hour of consuming salt and water mixture with the hope of relief, he realised he was in trouble and was taken to the hospital by his family. He was confirmed to have been poisoned and when the remnant of his boli was tested, it was discovered that the poisoning agent was carbide.

After he was treated and discharged, he shared that he went to confront the seller who chased him off with a broom saying dont you want me to sell market? Evidently, the hundred naira for the boli was worth more to her than the life of the young man.

Another man explained his experience after eating bananas bought in Ikeja, Lagos axis. He explained that while the banana looked fresh and ripe on the outside, the fruit inside was a different case as it tasted unripe and hard. While he smartly stopped eating the said fruits immediately he noticed this, the little he had consumed took its toll and he felt uncomfortable. He stated that his discomfort and several visits to the toilet did not abate the pain and he immediately went to the hospital. It was while at the hospital that he was confirmed to be suffering the effects of food poisoning.

These cases are not isolated as there are hundreds more of such reported and unreported cases of fruit related food poisoning.

Fruits are supposed to be the most natural and nutritious edibles consumed by man, but here in Nigeria, they have become death traps.

Speaking with Mrs. Rufai, a pharmacist, she explained that carbide is simply poison. Therefore introducing that into the system of a living thing would cause a fatal reaction.

Dr. Damian Avar, a General Practitioner and the founder and CEO of DoctorsHub Nigeria explained in an interview that while there are a few ripening agents out there, calcium carbide (used in welding) is the most used agent because it is very cheap to buy and it is also easily available. When the calcium carbide mixes with water, it releases a garlic-smelling gas, acetylene, which performs a similar ripening action as ethylene- the natural ripening agent that ripens fruits. Calcium carbide is replete with toxic metals like arsenic and lead, and some traces of phosphorus hydride. For this singular reason, calcium carbide has been banned for use as a ripening agent in most developed countries of the world.

Apart from making the fruits less juicy, less tasty, have shorter lives and making them lose their natural flavours and aromas, calcium carbide has been found to cause the following health hazards like diarrhoea with or without blood, severe gastrointestinal upset, permanent eye damage, stomach ulcer, severe irritation of the skin, mouth, and throat, liver injury amongst other.

By every conceivable metric, fruits ripened with carbide have far more severe outcomes than the consumption of unripe fruits. For unripe fruits, it is just the high acid content of the fruits that make them unhealthy for consumption. One thing is for sure, consumption of artificially ripened fruits can manifest health complications, severe enough to cause death.

Another expert confirmed all the gathered information. He explained that for example, banana fruits are picked when green before their maturity date and artificially ripened after shipment by being gassed with ethylene. Calcium Carbide (CaC2) hastens the ripening process when CaC2 comes in contact with water; it produces acetylene gas that hastens the ripening of several fruits such as mangoes, bananas, and apples.

However, the problem lies in whether these traders have the necessary knowledge or incentive to carry out this process in the correct manner. The fruits are stacked in a room, all ventilation to the room is then blocked off, and the fruits will ripen in three to five days in the gas (ethylene) that is released.

This substance ensures that there is uniform ripening of the fruits. In addition, the fruits retain their flavour. Research, however, shows that either using ethel (another ripening agent) or CaC2; the chemical must not touch the fruits.

Research further conducted shows the properties of CaC2 and warned against its use to ripen fruits. In a related report, it states that CaC2 is a chemical, which is commonly used by traders to ripen fruits in the local markets. This compound is known to contain impurities such as arsenic & phosphorous and is extremely hazardous to human health.

Consumers who are unaware of these inappropriate ripening procedures adopted may inadvertently take in these toxic compounds, which are found on the surface of the commodities or when these compounds penetrate the dermal layers of the product to lodge in the flesh of the fruits.

Emphatically, traders have been seen applying carbide directly onto the fruits, as most of the traders feel alternative and safer ripening process methods suggested were impracticable and not cost effective.

The question now is who secures the health of Nigerians from the greedy disposition of the fruit of death sellers? Yes, we have the Ministry of Health and the National Agency for Food And Drug Administration and Control, but do they actually regulate the so-called naturally produced foods we eat?
A Taxi driver, identified as Sikiru Lamidi, who allegedly murdered a former Nigerian ambassador to South Africa, Ngam Nwachukwu, on 24th of November, 2016 have been tracked down and arrested by Detectives from Apo Divisional Police Station, Abuja.

The Suspect, who is from Oyo town in Oyo State, was apprehended last week by the investigators at his home town where he was hiding after selling the Deceaseds Lexus SUV with Abuja registration number, YAB 938 MC.

The police, subsequently, recovered the vehicle which was sold with forged documents to one Femi Adeyemi.

Northern City News learnt that the deceased, 75, had chartered the suspects cab on November 23, 2016 and in the course of taking him around informed him about his car which had a mechanical fault.

The suspect was said to have offered to take the ex-envoy to his brother, a mechanic, who could work on the car and it was decided that Lamidi would come to the ex-ambassadors house the following day.

The driver reportedly showed up at the ex-envoys residence at Villa Nova Estate, Apo the following day as agreed.

It was gathered that the deceased lived alone, and his security guard, who doubled as an electrician, was also not in the house during Lamidis visit.

Investigators stated that Nwachukwu offered the driver some food but he declined while sitting across from him at the dining table.

An investigator said:

As the man was eating, the suspect pounced on him and wrestled him to the floor and then stabbed him in the neck with a pair of scissors. He stole the plasma television and home theatre in the apartment and went away with the deceaseds Lexus SUV which he sold for N1.480m to one Femi Adeyemi with forged documents,

Lamidi told our correspondent on Thursday at the Apo Divisional Police Station that he did not know what came over him, adding that he just found himself stabbing the septuagenarian until he died.

He said:

After stabbing the man, I felt terrible and guilty but there was nothing I could do to reverse the situation, .

After killing Nwachukwu, the suspect explained that he sold the TV and home theatre audio system to a seller of fairly-used products at Area 10, Abuja for N38,000.

He said that he kept the SUV in Sauka Village along Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road for two weeks before driving it to Oyo town.

The taxi driver said he gave the vehicle to one Okuta who assisted him in forging the vehicle documents, adding that he compensated Okuta with N380,000 after selling the vehicle.

The Suspect added:

Out of the remaining N1.1m, I bought a motorcycle for N180,000 and invested N500,000 in a cooperative society; I gave a car dealer N500,000 to assist me in getting a car, but he defrauded me and didnt provide any vehicle,

When asked if he had committed similar crimes before, the suspect denied, saying it was his first time.

He said:
Israel, the 12-year-old son of John Owobi, who allegedly killed his wife and is being investigated by the homicide detectives at the Lagos State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, has revealed how his father told him to tell anyone who asked how his mother, Theresa Owobi died that she drank Sniper (a deadly insecticide).

According to a report by New Telegraph, Theresa, a mother of three, who had been married for 13 years, was 5-month-pregnant before her death as Police are working on the theory that John, a commercial bank driver, strangled his wife.

While speaking with correspondents, witnesses at Musili Street, Agege, Lagos, revealed that the deceased was allegedly subjected to domestic violence, and that the couple had maintained a cat and mouse relationship.

It was alleged that the major issue between the couple was Theresas often accusation that John was engaging in extra-marital affairs. The accusation often leads to fights.

Theresas family members are also of the opinion that John killed his wife because he had planned to marry his pregnant mistress.

Johns brother, Daniel Akor, who said that he had lived with the couple for three months, disclosed that Theresa died on July 13, about 9p.m. The couple engaged in a heated argument after John received a phone call.

Akor said: Theresa accused her husband of speaking with his lover. John told her that he wasnt in the mood for trouble. She started cursing him and walked out of the house in anger. She returned with a bottle of sniper. She poured the content of the sniper into her mouth before we could stop her. We gave her oil to drink, but it was too late. She died.

But Israel said he was asleep when the incident transpired. He woke up when he heard his mother screaming for help.

He said: It was right from my sleep I heard my mother screaming help! help! help! She also shouted, he wants to remove my baby from my stomach. My mother was under the bed; I saw my father and Uncle Daniel trying to pull her out from under the bed.

I later went back to sleep. I woke up again to urinate. I saw my father trying to pour oil into my mums mouth. Uncle Daniel held a torch. He asked me to go back to sleep. He said that my mom would be alright by Gods grace. I went back to sleep; I woke up about 5a.m. My uncle told me mum was dead.

My father went to inform the police. When father returned from the station, he told me that my mum drank sniper. He showed me the empty bottle. Father said that if people asked me what happened to my mum, I should tell them she drank sniper and nothing more. He told me if I did otherwise, police would arrest me.

Theresas sister, Blessing, said there was no way her sister could have committed suicide.

She said: Theresa confided in me and our mother that her husband had been giving her several drugs to abort the five months old pregnancy. I saw my sister a day before she died. She was perfectly okay. I was surprised when her husband called me the next day, saying Theresa was dead. He said she committed suicide.

I sincerely believe that her husband had a hand in her death. When we all travelled in April Theresa told us that her husband had been flirting around and had refused to play his role as a father. She told us he hadnt been giving her money for upkeep and that he had been buying her different herbal mixtures to flush the pregnancy. She said she was not going back to him because he was capable of killing her. She, however, went back to him after being convinced by our grandmother.

All we want is for the police to investigate the matter and give our late sister justice. Im convinced she didnt kill herself. I believe she was strangled by her husband, with the help of his brother.

John, who is currently in police custody, said he had nothing to say about the allegation. He insisted that his hands were clean. He added: I had nothing to do with Theresas death. She killed herself.
Ghanaian actor and farmer, John Dumelo, has advised men not ever marry a woman who is financially more buoyant than them.

According to the actor, fortunately or unfortunately, when women have a lot of money, they tend to be somehow disrespectful.

Dumelo revealed this on GTV program dubbed What Men Like, and the conversation was centered on whether men like dating ladies who are financially well off.

The actor also went ahead to explain the kind of woman he would love to settle for.

I just want a woman who is OK but the potential is there to be rich, for us to be rich together. Shes ambitious, shes a go getter, shes entrepreneurial. We can get the money together.

He added that if he had to date a woman like that, he would just have to make sure not to depend on her financially.

I dont mind going out with a woman who has more money than I do but I would make sure I have my own money as well. I wouldnt want a case where I depend on the woman financially.
A man identified as Thabani Mpofu, is currently on the run, after he allegedly sjamboked his wife to death when he discovered text messages in her phone and suspected she was having an affair.

According to a report by The Chronicle, the suspect from Bulawayos Cowdray Park suburb of Zimbabwe, had a fight with his late wife Thembelani Ndlovu on Wednesday night after he questioned her about a text message that he suspected was from her lover.

He allegedly left his wifes body covered with a blanket, as if she was sleeping.

While speaking to a correspondent, a family spokesperson, Ms Sithembinkosi Ncube said Mpofu went berserk after reading the message that came into his wifes phone as he was using it.

Yindaba ungaphenduli iphone? (Why are you not answering your phone?) read the message.

Mpofu demanded an explanation and accused his wife of having an affair. She denied the allegations, said Ms Ncube.

He went to his sister with the phone and texted the person who had sent the message pretending to be Ms Ndlovu and arranged to meet the person at his house.

She said the man who sent the text showed up around 9PM. He saw Mpofu and fled.

Mpofu pursued him but failed to catch him. He returned carrying the mans shoe. Mpofu was livid. He mercilessly whipped his wife. I woke up and tried to call the neighbours, said Ms Ncube

The neighbours, Ms Ncube said, were afraid to intervene as Mpofu continued to beat his wife.

I rushed to my uncle who lives in the same suburb but we could not locate Mpofu and MaNdlovu. Mpofu, we later found out, had dragged his wife into a nearby bush where he continued beating her. I went to sleep over at our uncles house, narrated Ms Ncube.

She said she returned with her uncle to the house yesterday morning, and found Ms Ndlovu lying dead on a mat on the floor, adding that they tried to wake her up and realised she was dead.

There was a dish filled with water, a bucket and a fire was lit by her bedside, showing that Mpofu may have tried to render first aid or perform a ritual before he fled from the scene, she added.

Her body was badly bruised and swollen. She is light in complexion. She had black, green and purple welts where he had lashed her with the sjambok. She must have endured a lot of pain.

Ms Ncube said the family hoped police would arrest Mpofu soon as she feared he could come after her.

Bulawayo Police spokesperson, Inspector Precious Simango said police were investigating the murder.

I can confirm that a female was found dead in Cowdray Park suburb, after a fight with her husband and investigations are underway, said Insp Simango.

She advised members of the public to desist from resorting to violence to solve arguments.

People should seek mediation from trusted third parties like family or church elders. They can also approach the police victim friendly unit for help to reach an amicable solution rather than resorting to violence, she said.
According to the latest reports , 42 anti-malaria drugs that have been banned in Europe but are being administered and sold to Nigerians in some hospitals and pharmacies. During plenary yesterday, the senate ordered its committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), led by Senator Olarewaju Tejuoso, to urgently carry out an indepth investigation into the allegation and report back for further action.

The Senate resolution came after a motion by Senator Theodore Orji, was read on the floor of the house.

Orji in his motion said The Senate notes that recently the European Union banned the sale and consumption of 42 Anti-Malaria Drugs in all countries within the European Union. It notes that the 42 Anti-Malaria Drugs are:

Alaxin 60mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine)B/8;

Alaxin oral suspension (dihydroartemisinine) FL/80ml;

Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B/1000;

Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B/1000;

Arinate 100mg tablet (artesunate) B/6;

Arinate 50mg tablet (artesunate) B/6;

Arsumax 50mg tablet (artesunate) B/12;

Artemax 60mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B/8;

Artemedine 40mg capsule (artemether) B/12;

Artemedine 50mg tablet (artemether) B/12;

Artenam 50mg tablet (artemether) B/14

Artenam 60mg tablet (artemether) B/8;

Artesiane 300mg child powder oral suspension (artemether) FL/38g;

Artesunate 100mg compressed B/120;

Artesunate 50mg tablet B/120;

Artexin 60mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B/8;

Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/9;

Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/25 blisters;

Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/55 blisters;

Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiquine) B/24;

Camoquin 600 mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/3;

Camoquin oral suspension 50mg/ 5ml (amodiaquine) FL/60ml;

Cotecxin oral suspension (dihydroartemisinine) FL/80ml;

Cotecxin 60mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B/8;

Daraprim tablet (pyrimethamine) B/30;

and Falcinil 50mg tablet (artesunate) B/12.

Source: ( Linda Ikeji )
Chief Chekwas Okorie has revealed the Biafra agitation championed by the late Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was not to secede from Nigeria but to get equal opportunity in the country.

Okorie who is the national chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the partys presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections in an interview with Vanguard, said Ojukwus Biafra declaration was not to leave Nigeria.

He insisted that Ojukwu was more concerned about the fate of the Igbos and championed equal opportunities for them.

He said: If you are looking at the Biafra that Ikemba talked about before he died, or Biafra as an ideology, count me in because the Biafran ideology ought to be the Nigerian ideology, a true Nigerian ideology.

We have had a situation here where a book was written entitled, We are all Biafrans and that book was presented by Atiku Abubakar.

Not long ago, in May actually, the Yar adua foundation convened a seminar to mark 50years of Biafra. The Acting President was there as a special guest and he spoke.

Former President Obasanjo was there and so many top Nigerian leaders including my humble self. So the issue of Biafra is something that would remain topical and it depends from the angle you see it If you see it from the angle that what led to that war should be avoided, then that is positive.

But if you are looking at it from the point of view of breaking away from the country that is the negative side for which no political party that is national in nature would be part of.

I have always talked about restructuring, self determination and giving Nigerians the opportunity to decide their fate through referendum.

Okorie noted that Nigeria would have been better if the people questioned the lopsided appointment made by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: The national assembly is not bothered that there is a law that says that if the PENCOM DG is removed, another one would come from the same zone, they are not bothered about what the law say. They are only concerned about the office of SGF, the office of EFCC and all that. I am not impressed.

Meanwhile, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, revealed the kind of relationship it shares with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In a statement issued in Abakaliki on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, the national publicity secretary, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga, described the relationship between the national leadership of Ohaneze and IPOB as that of father and son.

The group declared that no amount of foul comments will pitch it against members of IPOB, noting that their relationship was cordial.
North Korea has simply ignored South Korea's offer to hold military talks on Friday. The government here said on Thursday that it has not yet received any answer from the North but will keep waiting for it.

Asked how long, a Unification Ministry official said, "There is no deadline in our intention to resolve problems through dialogue. Once we agree to hold talks, we can always adjust the timing."

Seoul is preparing for a belated response from Pyongyang, which has often been surprisingly coy for such a militant nation and likes to keep its suitors on tenterhooks.

A government official said, "The offer to hold talks on Friday was made because July 27 marks the 64th anniversary of the armistice" that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, "so there would be no problem if the talks can be held before July 27."
Self-storage properties are constantly changing hands, and Inside Self-Storage is regularly notified of these market transactions. Many are covered in detail on the ISS website and available for viewing on the Real Estate topics page. Following are additional acquisitions and sales that werent covered.

I-30 Self Storage in Mesquite, Texas, was sold to a Dallas-based buyer. Built in 1984, the property at 4018 Interstate 30 is nine miles east of Downtown Dallas. The buyer and the Provo, Utah-based seller were represented in the transaction by John Arnold, Bill Bellomy and Michael Johnson of Bellomy & Co.

A&C Storage in Lakeside, Ariz., was sold for $760,000 to an out-of-state buyer. The property at 5028 Highway 260 contains more than 100 storage units as well as 50 vehicle-parking spaces. The seller was represented in the transaction by Jeff Gorden, vice president, and Seth Hodges, associate, of Eagle Commercial Realty Services, who are both Arizona broker affiliates for the Argus Self Storage Sales Network.

Baton Rouge Mini Storage in Baton Rouge, La., was sold to a Salt Lake City-based buyer. The portfolio includes two sites that are just over a mile apart. Together, they comprise 58,340 net rentable square feet of storage space. The buyer and the Los Angeles-based seller were represented in the transaction by Arnold, Bellomy and Johnson.

Discount Self Storage in Shreveport, La., was sold to a Salt Lake City-based investor. The property at 900 E. 70th St. comprises 70,057 square feet of storage space in 578 units. The buyer and the seller, a firm based in Marshall, Texas, were represented in the transaction by Arnold, Bellomy and Johnson.

Dungan Storage Warehouses in Austin, Texas, was sold to a limited-liability company (LLC). The property at 1605 Dungan Lane comprises 19,453 square feet of storage space. The buyer and the seller, also an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Jon Danklefs and Mark V. Diebold, senior associates in the Marcus & Millichap San Antonio office.

Real estate developer Gorman & Co. purchased a commercial building in a Philadelphia suburb for $3.7 million for self-storage development. The property at 212 Church Road in Upper Gwynedd Township comprises 94,000 square feet of space. The seller, Patriarch VIII, was represented in the transaction by Justin Bell, managing director, and Neil Shupak, senior managing director, for Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF).

Hull Street Storage LLC purchased a former Stranges floral shop in Richmond, Va., for $675,000. The buyer, Don Smith, plans to develop a self-storage facility on the 3-acre parcel at 6710 Hull Street Road. The seller was represented in the transaction by David Smith, senior vice president of Cushman & Wakefield.

Mariposa Self Storage in Nogales, Ariz., was sold for $3.3 million to an out-of-state buyer. The property at 1200 Mariposa Road contains more than 500 drive-up units as well as 400 rentable mailboxes. The seller was represented in the transaction by Gorden and Hodges.

Phoenix Self Storage in Phoenix was sold to a limited-partnership investment firm based on the East Coast. The 8.6-acre property at 3650 W. Broadway Road comprises 128,240 square feet of storage space in 1,031 units. The buyer and the seller, a private investor, were represented in the transaction by Devin Beasley, Luke Elliott and Michael Mele, investment specialists with The Mele Group of Marcus & Millichap. They were assisted by Ryan Sarbinoff, regional manager in the firms Phoenix office.

Powell Self Storage in Powell, Ohio, was sold to an LLC. The property at 72 Industrial Park Place comprises 45,920 net rentable square feet of storage space. The buyer and the seller, also an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Brett R. Hatcher, first vice president of investments and director of the National Self Storage Group in the Marcus & Millichap Columbus, Ohio, office.

Carpenter Storage purchased Rock Solid Self Storage Inc. in Dallas, Ga., for $2.5 million. The property at 137 Amberhill Drive comprises 22,000 rentable square feet of storage space and 140 vehicle-parking spaces. The buyer plans to expand the facility. The seller was represented in the transaction by Mike Patterson, a realtor with Commercial Realty Services of West Georgia and an Argus broker affiliate for the state.

Upton Self Storage in Upton, Mass., was sold to a Delaware-based LLC for $4.6 million. The property at 226 Milford St. comprises 43,250 square feet of rentable storage space in 287 units. The buyer and the seller, Upton Self Storage LLC, were represented in the transaction by Joseph Mendola, senior advisor for NAI Norwood Group and the Argus broker affiliate for New England.

U-Store It in East Bridgewater, Mass., was sold for $900,000 in all all-cash transaction between a local buyer and seller. The property at 15 Whitman St. opened in 1985 as an adaptive reuse project within an old, multi-story mill building. The 8.17-acre site features an 80,000-square-foot building containing 19,085 net rentable square feet of storage space in 246 units. The buyer and the seller were represented in the transaction by Nick Malagisi, national director of self-storage, and Connie Neville, managing director, of SVN National Self Storage Product Council.

West Seneca Self-Storage in West Seneca, N.Y., was sold for $1.4 million to West Seneca Self Storage LLC, which is owned by Charles W. Haring. The property at 1711 Union Road features nine buildings comprising 21,600 square feet of space in 167 units and 84 vehicle-parking spaces. The site also has an additional acre of land for development. The property was owned by Tzetzo Cos., a real estate investment firm that specializes in apartment buildings and nursing homes. The company is owned by attorneys Dimitri and Nicholas Tzetzo.

Winston-Salem Self-Storage in Winston-Salem, N.C., was sold to a first-time self-storage owner. The property at 401 Jonestown Road comprises 70,962 rentable square feet of storage space in 558 units across two floors. The 1.22-acre property opened in 2015. The buyer and the seller were represented in the transaction by Elliott and Mele. They were assisted by Raj Ravi, a broker in the firms North Carolina office.

A global-investment group purchased 3 acres of vacant land in the Travis neighborhood of Staten Island, N.Y., for $4 million on which it plans to build a self-storage facility. The property at 260 and 266 Wild Ave. will comprise 200,000 square feet of storage space. Once complete, it will be the largest storage facility in the area, according to Michael Schneider, owner of Schneider Realty Services and the broker in the transaction.

Argus is a Denver-based network of real estate brokers who specialize in storage properties. Formed in 1994, the company has 36 broker affiliates covering nearly 40 markets.

With offices in Atlanta, Houston, and Austin, Texas, Bellomy & Co. focuses on the sale of self-storage, industrial, office and retail properties nationwide.

Founded in 1917, Cushman & Wakefield offers a complete range of services for all property types including consulting and appraisal, corporate services, debt and equity financing, investment banking, leasing, and sales and acquisitions.

Founded in 1971, Marcus & Millichap is a commercial-property investment firm with more than 1,500 investment professionals in offices throughout Canada and the United States.

NGKF offers investment sales, transaction management, debt placement, proprietary lending, and appraisal and valuation advisory services.

SVN has broker representation in more than 100 markets across the United States. Its team specializes in the marketing, sale and disposition of self-storage properties nationwide.
As trust in the insurance industry, and brokers in particular, continues to fall, brand and reputation remains a key issue for the insurance industry.The recent Roy Morgan Image of Professions survey found that when asked whether consumers would rank brokers as very high or high in terms of ethics and honesty, just 10% of the surveyed respondents agreed  down 1% from last year.Added to this, the BrandZ Top Global Brands report, published by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown, found only three insurance brands in the top 100.With this in mind, and as the industry faces threats from outside disruption, a good brand strategy could be the difference between success and failure. Dan Ratner, managing director of branding agency Uberbrand, said that a brand is more than just a logo as it links to every perception a consumer has of a business or industry.Having a very clear picture of what it is that you want to be thought of in someones head and working towards that end game is a fundamental step towards building out your brand strategy, Ratner told Insurance Business.Once you have that image and you are working towards it, you can start managing your brand and that means looking at all the individual touch points and experiences throughout the customer journey that reinforces who you are, what you do and what makes you different.Ratner stressed that for brokers to build a strong brand, they need to remain in contact with clients throughout the year and have a thorough understanding of their business.It is not a case of just turning up once a year when it is renewal time, or getting an email once a year when it is renewal time at worst, Ratner continued. It is actually about coming in and understanding people, their businesses, how they are growing, what is happening to them and how insurance is a necessity in the context of that growth.Martin Guerrieria, global BrandZ research director with Kantar Millward Brown, said that brand makes a clear contribution to overall value and plays a definite role in customer decisions within the insurance industry.Those businesses equipped with strong brands are primed to succeed and have an advantage over their competitors, Guerrieria told Insurance Business. Insurers can change perceptions of their business and the industry as a whole by investing in innovation and communications to build brands focusing on some of the positive aspects of how we live our lives and how we can change them for the better.
A NSW regulator has released a final report detailing changes to key recommendations for the fledgling multi-peril crop insurance industry.The multi-peril crop insurance review report was conducted by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), an independent NSW regulator that reviews essential services, and conducts specials reviews upon government request.Among the key changes made in the final IPART report is a statement about an upfront MPCI premium subsidy being more effective in achieving the uptake of multi-peril policies, than a stamp duty waiver, The Weekly Times reported. A recommendation has also been included in the report that government expenditure should rise if it provides a subsidy to MPCI because the subsidy would more than offset any savings in drought assistance.However, the NSW Government has announced its decision to scrap stamp duties on crop and livestock insurance from January 01 next year, a move worth $12 million over four years, the publication reported.Stamp duties had been ranked fourth of the five options designed to lift multi-peril insurance uptake, the report showed.According to the final report: the reduction in costs from waiving the stamp duty would be too small to materially change uptake rates of multi-peril crop insurance and we are not therefore recommending that the stamp duty be waived.The final IPART report also seems to reduce the emphasis on the recommendation about the NSW Government providing an upfront premium subsidy for MPCI, which it estimated would cost about $7-$8 million, but would increase uptake, The Weekly Times said. The final report still proposed that the Government go ahead with the premium subsidy, albeit temporarily.IPART also argued in the report that it is unlikely that these subsidies will provide the Government savings from reduced drought assistance payments because, since 2002, only 15% of the Government-provided farm assistance went to cropping farmers.The Weekly Times said its understood that the NSW Government has backed out of its plan to provide an upfront premium subsidy.Dan Cooper of the NSW Farmers grains committee said the group was disappointed with the Government decision on the upfront subsidy, and that they would debate the topic at this weeks NSW Farmers conference.We need to have more discussions with the Government about where they think we can best invest the money to (increase its) uptake and get a viable multi-peril industry going, he told The Weekly Times.However, he was still keen to pursue the idea of providing MPCI underwriters with financial assistance, via forgone stamp duties on insurance, to help reduce administration costs associated with loss assessment and provide them with a stop loss guarantee, the report said.
A Connecticut man who continued to present himself as an insurance agent after the state pulled his license is headed to prison for nearly four years.



Anthony Sciarra pleaded guilty to wire fraud, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Prosecutors say he scammed people out of more than $874,000.

Celebrate excellence in insurance. Nominate a worthy colleague for the Insurance Business Awards.



According to the US Attorneys Office, Sciarra operated a company called AGS Financial between 2001 and 2012. The firm offered insurance, securities and other financial products, the Chronicle reported. However, the state revoked Sciarras insurance license during that time.



Sciarra fraudulently presented himself as an insurance agent for years, according to the publication. He also, through AGS and another entity, solicited investments from at least a dozen investors, then used the money for himself.





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A Connecticut man will spend almost four years in prison for operating an investment scheme that defrauded people of more than $874,000.

The U.S. Attorneys office says 54-year-old Anthony Sciarra, of Wethersfield, Conn., was sentenced Wednesday in Hartford federal court. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in February.

Court documents say Sciarra operated AGS Financial, through which he offered insurance, securities and other financial products. He operated the firm from 2001 until May 2012. Around that time, the state revoked his insurance license.

Between 2007 and 2015, Sciarra presented himself as an insurance agent and financial advisor when he was not. Through AGS Financial and later another entity, he solicited investments from at least 12 investors with promises of high returns.

Authorities say Sciarra used the funds for personal use.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Connecticut
A western New York city wont be getting state aid to cover the costs linked to a massive fire at a former steel plant last fall.

The blaze started Nov. 9 in a large building on the Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. The fire burned for several days and destroyed a structure that housed a business where boats and vehicles were stored.

People living nearby had to evacuate their homes.

Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski tells WIVB-TV in Buffalo that state officials told him the city would receive financial assistance to help pay for response, demolition and clean-up costs, which topped $650,000.

He now says theyve been told by state officials say that the city will have to cover the costs.

The state says it provided staff and equipment during the fire.

Information from: WIVB-TV

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New York
A court has finally approved the divorce of Samsung heiress Lee Boo-jin and her husband Im Woo-jae and ordered Lee to pay him W8.6 billion in alimony (US$1=W1,127).

The court granted sole custody of their child to Lee and visitation rights once a month to Im. Her attorney Yoon Jae-yoon said, "We thank the court for its prudent decision."

The two married in 1999 amid a great deal of publicity since Im was a humble bodyguard, who later became an adviser at Samsung Electro-Mechanics. Lee is president of Samsung affiliate Hotel Shilla and the eldest daughter of nominal chairman Lee Kun-hee.

Their acrimonious and drawn-out split has also been widely covered in the media. The pair have been separated for years, but Im refused to divorce his wife while accusing her of trying to estrange him from their son.

The court was widely expected to grant the divorce. In the opening session in January last year, Lee accused Im of refusing to patch up their relationship. Im maintained that while he was away for work a great deal, he faithfully discharged his duties to the family by attending important functions.
British Columbia is extending a state of emergency for two more weeks as wildfires sweeping across the provinces interior show no sign of slowing.

Premier John Horgan said Wednesday that his governments first priority is to support the more than 45,000 people displaced by the fires, which have so far torched more than 1,235 square miles (3,200 square kilometers) of land.

The state of emergency was set to expire Friday, and Horgan said he regrets having to extend it.

This is unprecedented, he said. Traditionally, when an emergency is declared, people are usually back in their homes within the two-week period. That may not be the case for many individuals.

Some people are still out of their homes because of flooding earlier this year, he said.

Calmer winds have allowed firefighters to build guards around scores of wildfires currently threatening communities in central and southern British Columbia, said chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek. He said the number of active fires is decreasing.

The wildfire service said Wednesday that 155 fires are currently burning and 15 of those are threatening communities.

Fire information officer Navi Saini said a person was injured while driving in an evacuated area west of Williams Lake.

She said the person inside the vehicle had been in the area in an attempt to fight the fire.

Officials said Wednesday that a fire that destroyed eight homes north of Kelowna is 100 percent contained and residents of 58 properties in Lake Country can immediately return home, although an evacuation alert remains in place.

A cause of that fire is still under investigation.

Residents of Cache Creek, which has a population of about 1,000, returned home Tuesday following a lengthy evacuation and Al Richmond, chairman of the Cariboo Regional District, said officials are co-ordinating re-entry plans for 100 Mile House and Williams Lake.

Were in the middle of summer, so hot spots are going to exist and its likely that those people when they come home could still be, particularly in the rural areas, on a state of alert for some time, Richmond said.

An air quality advisory that had been in effect for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District was ended on Wednesday, after stronger winds improved the situation.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
Dr. Lidiia Podkopaieva was about to click send on an order of new surgical instruments when her computer monitor suddenly went dark.

She speed-dialed the clinics technician but didnt even have time to tell him what was wrong.

Were under cyber attack, he told her. Switch off the computer immediately.

The call would kick off a crazy week as Podkopaieva and her staff struggled with the sudden loss of half the computers at the Left Bank Pediatric Clinic in Kiev, where she serves as medical director. The central phone system collapsed, digital appointments vanished and diagnostic machines dropped offline, interrupting at least one patients exam. Podkopaieva said no one suffered in the attack, but academics argue that even glancing blows to medical facilities like this one represent a damaging break with international norms.

You cannot attack hospitals, said Duncan Hollis, a Temple University professor and a former treaty lawyer for the U.S. State Department. Although what happened at Podkopaievas clinic fell short of the death and destruction that would constitute an unambiguous attack, Hollis said the disruption was still a step in a dangerous direction.

Its getting close to, if not across the line of, actual harm that international law might be prohibiting, he said.

Podkopaievas pediatric clinic, part of Ukraines Dobrobut health group, was one of thousands of victims of the data-scrambling software dubbed Nyetya that erupted June 27. Unlike WannaCry, a similarly quick-spreading digital worm that also disrupted hospital work earlier this year, Nyetyas masters appear to have had the ability to draw data from their targets  meaning they either knew or could have discovered who would be at the receiving end of their attack.

Podkopaieva said the disruption to Dobrobut was considerable.

For a moment, we were blind and deaf, she told The Associated Press in an interview at her clinic a week after the attack. Across Dobrobut, a CT scanner, a mammography machine and four X-ray machines were disabled after the worm crippled the Windows computers they were connected to. One patient had just finished being X-rayed when the cyber attack destroyed their scan, she said. Overall, about 100 examinations had to be canceled.

Dobrobut wasnt alone. Ukraines Ministry of Health says public hospitals werent touched, but at least two other private medical institutions in Kiev were also affected, according to the Ukrainian website Censor.NET, which published a running tally of affected firms. The media group said several pharmaceutical companies also were affected by Nyetya and anecdotal evidence suggests pharmacies across Ukraine experienced shortages when the cyber attack derailed deliveries of medication.

Volodymyr Varenytsia, who runs a drug store in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, said he ran out of iodine and Citramon, a headache medicine, in the days after June 27. The shortage lasted until deliveries resumed a full week later. Meanwhile, he had to turn some clients away empty-handed.

People suffered because of this virus, he said in a telephone interview.

Podkopaievas clinic recovered faster.

She said staff moved swiftly and calmly to restore her facilitys systems and work around faults. Even when diagnostic work was canceled, every patient was still seen by a professional. Doctors wrote information down on paper, just as they had in the years before the hospital went digital. Within a day, the appointment system had been restored and by June 30, Podkopaieva finally ordered the instruments she was sending for when her computer went dead. They arrived that evening.

We had good backups, which helped in part, she explained. Training helped too, she said, even if we never expected that medical organizations would be affected by a cyber attack.

That anyone might be held accountable for the disruption seems unlikely.

Ukrainian officials have laid the blame for Nyetya at Moscows door, but Russian officials have denied any responsibility, and in any case hackers who operate at the scale of the June attack are notoriously difficult to bring to justice.

Even verbal condemnation has been hard to come by. U.S. officials have said nothing about the attack on Ukrainian medical facilities and little about the outbreak in Ukraine in general, despite the fact that spillover from the digital outbreak snarled traffic at American ports  formally considered critical national infrastructure  and disrupted several U.S. multinationals. A small U.S. care network, the Heritage Valley Health System, was also affected, with several operations rescheduled.

Academics said President Donald Trumps administration was inviting trouble by not reacting publicly to cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure, whether at home or abroad.

Scott Shackelford, the chair of the Cybersecurity Program at Indiana University in Bloomington, said that the past progress toward setting international norms for behavior in cyber space is in danger of eroding.

Whats needed is leadership, and right now thats in dangerously short supply, especially coming from Washington, he said.

Hollis, the Temple professor, said American leaders at the very least needed to speak up.

Were in this era right now thats almost a constitutional moment for cyber security and cyber space, he said. When youre silent in the face of bad behavior, that does sort of imply that its permissible.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics USA Cyber Medical Professional Liability
Castel Specialty, a division of Castel Underwriting Agencies Ltd., has expanded its portfolio with the launch of Castel Construction.

London-based Castel Underwriting Agencies, part of Barbican Insurance Group, is a club-style MGA formation platform, which supports individual underwriters with smaller books of niche business.

Led by Peter Wallace, Castel Construction writes construction all risks (CAR) and inherent defects insurance (IDI) business on a worldwide basis. Capacity is provided through Lloyds and the London company market.

Castel Construction said it is working with regional distribution partners who have the local market knowledge, specialism and experience to identify and develop new opportunities in CAR and IDI classes, which are not entering the Lloyds and London markets.

The company explained that IDI fills the gap in standard property policies where inherent defects are excluded.

Prior to joining Castel Speciality, Wallace was CAR and erection all risks (EAR) underwriter with Munich Re, writing across all sizes of risks on a global basis.

Previously, he was underwriting and claims manager for the Middle East and North Africa with Infrassure, a prime infrastructure insurer specialist. Wallace is a chartered civil engineer with extensive global construction and major infrastructure project experience.

Commenting on the expansion of Castel Specialty, Mark Birrell, Castels CEO, said: Peter joining Castel clearly demonstrates our appetite to support high quality and expert niche underwriters. Providing the infrastructure and wider support to enable individual underwriters to focus on developing and building profitable books of business is proving an attractive proposition.

Castel Specialty provides a strong base from which to respond effectively to the gaps and product opportunities that the construction classes offer, Wallace said.

Castel Specialty, which is one of eight underwriting cells on the Castel Underwriting Agencies platform, explained in a statement that it provides entrepreneurial individual underwriters with the infrastructure, capacity and business support needed to begin quickly writing their own books of business. Underwriters are rewarded according to the profitability of their individual books of business.

Wallace joins Castel Specialtys Gordon Steward, who writes forestry physical damage business worldwide.

Source: Castel Underwriting Agencies

Topics Excess Surplus Underwriting London New Markets Construction
Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman has fined two insurance companies for violating state consumer protection laws by refusing to pay auto accident claims for damage caused by drivers they insured.

In recent consent orders with the Commerce Department, American Family Mutual Insurance Co. was fined $25,000 and Bristol West Casualty Insurance Co. (owned by Farmers Insurance Group) was fined $20,000 for their refusal to pay third-party insurance claims.

The companies are also required to take corrective actions to ensure that claims are handled in compliance with Minnesota consumer protection laws.

The Commerce Department investigation found significant compliance concerns with 41 of American Familys third-party claims in 2014-2016 and seven of Bristol Wests third-party claims in 2015-2016. After the Commerce Department intervened, the companies re-opened and re-adjusted the claims.

Under Minnesota law, an insurer or adjuster is not allowed to deny a liability claim because its insured driver has not cooperated, unless an independent evaluation of available evidence indicates there is no liability.

Source: Minnesota Commerce Department

Topics Carriers Auto Claims Minnesota
Several hundred people evacuated their homes early on July 20 in the small western Wisconsin community of Arcadia where heavy rain sent a creek over its banks.

The waterlogged city is part of more widespread flooding in Wisconsin and Minnesota that has closed roads and triggered mudslides. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Winona and Houston counties in Minnesota and parts of Crawford, Vernon, Richland and Juneau counties in Wisconsin. Forecasters say up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell overnight.

In the Trempealeau County city of Arcadia, several hundred voluntarily evacuated flooded neighborhoods and the downtown area beginning about 2:30 a.m., Mayor Robert Reichwein told The Associated Press. The evacuation included the overnight shift at Ashley Furniture, a major manufacturer in Arcadia, a city of 2,900 about 45 miles (73 kilometers) north of La Crosse.

Reichwein said Turton Creek overflowed its banks, also flooding the main thoroughfare, Highway 95, in Arcadia. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at Holy Family Catholic Church in Arcadia for evacuees.

Elsewhere in Wisconsin, a mudslide has closed part of Highway 95 near Fountain City. Numerous roads in Vernon and Buffalo counties were also affected by flooding.

In Minnesota, officials say mudslides or flooding have made parts of some highways impassable, including Interstate 90 and Highways 16, 26 and 61 in Winona and Houston counties.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Wisconsin Minnesota
Insurance is a very simple business.

You take in some money, you spend some money and you lose some money, and God willing, you have some left at the end of the day, according to Anthony (Tony) Markel, vice chairman of the board at Markel Corp., and a keynote speaker at the inaugural Super Regional Property/Casualty Insurer Conference 2017, sponsored by Demotech Inc. and Insurance Journal, in Lake Geneva, Wis., July 16-18.

Markel told the story of the Markel Corp., a company that he helped grow from a small long-haul trucking wholesale specialty agency with a net worth of about $6 million, into a global holding company for insurance, reinsurance and investment operations with total revenue of more than $14 billion today.

His main advice for super regional carriers: specialize but diversify, much like Markel has done over the years. He also urged them to take full advantage of all new technology and analytics but not to forget the people and relationships.

"Anyone who doesn't listen to producers when developing new products is dooming themselves to mediocrity.

When Markel and his cousins took over the wholesale insurance agency in the mid-1970s from his father and grandfather, the business was entirely dependent on long-haul trucking, which even today remains a difficult class of business.

Although we had a nice platform we decided we needed to make changes, he said. That change meant taking the firm into a risk-bearing role. In 1980, Markel started the firms first entry into the insurance company side by founding the Essex Insurance Co. Then in 1986 the company went public opening the door to future expansion and global opportunities in the London market. In 2016, Markel was listed on the Fortune 500.

The road to $14 billion in revenue wasnt always easy, Markel said, but the firm grew by staying true to certain principles. Markel told Super Regional P/C Insurer Conference attendees that the firms success can be told through an old marketing concept known as the 5 Ps  product, price, place, promotion and, the most important, people.

Smart People

Markels success has everything to do with its people, according to Markel.

Clearly people are the most important thing in any business. Everything boils down to people, he said.

Hire smart people, much smarter than you are, he said.

Also, critical to companies in a growth mode is hiring the right people that align well with the companys culture.

You cant hire good people unless you know what drives your company, Markel said. Companies in a growth mode have to determine what makes them tick; its critical. People drive the entire process of any organization and its critical to stick to your culture.

Competitive salaries and good employee benefits are important but one of the most overlooked compensation benefits, according to Markel, is incentives. You want eye-catching incentives that focus on what performance you really want. Give employees a piece of the action and most importantly base a majority of their incentive comp on their individual performance.

From a public company standpoint, the shareholder mentally goes along well with incentive compensation, he added. Results are quantifiable. I hate incentive programs that are judgement (based) and subjective. That doesnt focus on what to deliver. Tell them upfront, heres what I expect and heres what you are going to get.

People want to feel like they are part of the team, they want to feel important and be engaged, Markel said.

Product

Insurance products are not rocket science but success comes with specialization. For Markel, that success has come with one specialized product after another, he said.

We started off with a few fundamental products  one deal and product at a time  but they were all reasonably specialized. The last thing you want to do is get into a generalist mode. Specialize but do diversify. If you are wed exclusively to one product and that product comes under attack you are in trouble. Specialize but diversify.

Products have a life span in insurance just like in every other business. Whats hot today will be less necessary tomorrow so continually add to your product mix, Markel advised the audience.

Pay attention to what producers say, too. Anyone who doesnt pay attention and listen to their producers when developing new products is dooming themselves to mediocrity, Markel said.

Dont overlook how to enhance products either. Things change rapidly today. Competition comes in at the drop of a hat, he said. What is an outstanding product today might be outdated in six months. Always be aware of whats going on in the marketplace and respond accordingly to producers. Listen, he said. You better know whats going on in the marketplace and make conscious decisions on what you can do and what you cant do.

Place (Distribution)

While Markel Corp. began its roots as a wholesale insurance organization and continues to focus primarily on the wholesale market, Markel said in todays world diversifying is a must.

We started and continue to be very wholesale driven but we also have retail channels and direct business, he said. Sticking to one channel of distribution is no longer an efficient and effective way to deliver every product.

Retailers themselves will admit they are not the proper way to distribute some products and wholesalers are not the end all either, Markel said. You cant be naively committed to one distribution system because clearly all products cannot be distributed by one distribution system.

The proper way: take a look at each product and be open about how it should be distributed, he said.

When Markel broke the news that it would diversify its distribution channels  that news had to be delivered to its traditional wholesale channel very gently, he said.

But realistically, wholesalers understand their role. They might not see it the way we do and where they add value and where we add value but frankly these products didnt fit into their mold. He said its important to have a realistic conversation. Sit down and talk. We found with very few exceptions that if you are upfront to your normal channel  they will respect you for that and in most cases, they will acquiesce.

Price

A property/casualty insurer cannot be successful without producing an underwriting profit, Markel said. Its job number one and everyone in the organization from the president to switchboard operator has to know that underwriting profit is number one. You cant invest funds with any degree of confidence if you are always facing the specter of underwriting losses.

Insurers have to be committed to making an underwriting profit and it takes everyone in the organization to do it, Markel said. He advised tying underwriting profits to incentive programs when possible.

Just as important to profitability for insurers is conservative reserving, he said. If you dont reserve adequately you are doomed to bring on potential failure. For an underwriter  to bring on good risk when you have under-reserved puts you in trouble.

For Markel, if you see us taking any underwriting profit from long tail business I can assure you it will be from years three, four or five.  We will not take underwriting profit from reasonably current years because of the potential of losses.

Insurers must invest in the proper technology tools as well, Markel said. Make sure your underwriters have the tools necessary to do the job instead of being naive, he said.

Markels success didnt come from holding back on expenses.

We have never been a low expense writer. We have always spent more time pricing on loss ratio than expense ratio. We look to reduce expense as every organization should but its a heck of a lot easier to reduce an expense ratio than to reduce a loss ratio. We concentrate much more on loss ratio than expense.

Promotion

According to Markel, communication and promotion are key and service goes without saying.

Its a competitive market and theres always someone ready to eat your lunch, Markel said. But at the end of the day it still boils down to people and relationships and understanding what people want. You cannot over communicate  you cant. You cant provide your people, your clients and your distribution channel partners with too much information on what you are doing and what you want to accomplish, he said.

Topics Carriers Profit Loss Underwriting Property Casualty
The Senate Republican health bill promises lower premiums for consumers. To get there, it would require patients in standard plans to spend as much as about $13,000 upfront on their own care.

The deductibles would be so high, in fact, that theyd violate maximums set in U.S. law, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Thursday. Under Obamacare, by comparison, an individual in a standard plan would have a deductible of roughly $5,000.

The analysis shines new light on a cost issue thats gone less noticed amid the debate over health insurance premiums, and could unnerve some moderate GOP senators, Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said.

Many of the moderates have talked about wanting to be assured that the bill really does provide adequate coverage to people, and deductibles are a part of that, he said. There have been so many promises from the president and others that this bill would lead to lower deductibles and, in fact, it would do just the opposite.

Its the latest misfire for the Republican health insurance proposal, which was written largely behind closed doors and without much consultation from patients, doctors or insurers. Broadly, the latest Senate plan is similar to the previous one. It would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million in a decade, a number that still presents a political obstacle to Majority Leader Mitch McConnells efforts to shore up support.

Republican leaders have said they want to start floor debate on a health bill next week, though they have struggled to find the votes within their party. It will take at least 50 senators voting yes to start debate, and several conservative and moderate Republicans have expressed doubts over everything from the content of the various proposals to the manner in which GOP leaders have drafted them.

The Senate bill, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act, would raise costs for many people with private coverage and slash Medicaid spending, CBO said Thursday. The measure evaluated by CBO didnt include a key proposal backed by Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz designed to give individuals more coverage options, but it could be added later, according to a Republican aide. Insurers have said the amendment would undermine insurance markets and end protections for sick people.

Cuts to Medicaid account for much of reductions in coverage, and may pose McConnells biggest challenge among moderate members of his party. The bill reduces federal spending on the health-insurance program for the poor by $756 billion over a decade, which would result in 15 million fewer people enrolled in the program in 2026, compared with current law. Much of the rest of the coverage losses come from the individual insurance market, where the Senate bill would reduce subsidies that help people buy plans.

The high deductibles are another key reason for the coverage declines foreseen by CBO. Under Obamacare, a person who makes $26,500 a year could buy a health plan with a deductible of about $800, thanks to special subsidies for low-income people. Those subsidies, known as cost-sharing reductions, are eliminated in the Senate bill. Under the BCRA, that person would face a $13,000 deductible, roughly half their income. CBO figures, therefore, that they probably wouldnt buy an insurance plan.

Money to Spend

The Senate bill reduces the deficit by $420 billion, the CBO said. The increase from a $321 billion in deficit reduction projected in an earlier version may give Republican leaders additional money they can use to court holdout votes. Much of the increased funding comes from the elimination of tax cuts for the wealthy.

One use of the funds may be to provide extra money to states to help move poor people from Medicaid coverage and on to private insurance plans. Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, proposed that idea to some GOP senators on Wednesday night, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan said. Sullivan said Verma called it a wraparound plan to provide extra help on the individual market for lower-income people.

Such a plan would be similar to the cost-sharing reductions that are currently in Obamacare, and that lower out-of-pocket costs for people making between 100 percent and 250 percent of the poverty level. The GOP plan would end that help. Legislative text or policy details of Vermas plan havent been made public, and it isnt clear that thered be enough funding in the bill to help all the low-income people whod be moved off Medicaid maintain similar coverage to what Obamacare provides.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Politics
A stuntman fatally injured during production of The Walking Dead fell head-first onto concrete about 22 feet (7 meters) below after appearing to try to grab a railing to stop his fall, an assistant director told authorities.

Coweta County coroner Richard Hawk has said John Bernecker, 33, was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m. July 12. Bernecker died from injuries suffered in a fall some five hours earlier on the hit shows set in Senoia, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Atlanta, Hawk said.

Assistant director Matthew Goodwin told a responding officer that Bernecker was supposed to fall from a balcony over a railing onto a pad made of a layer of 22-inch boxes, port-a-pit pads, and a large pad, according to a report from the Coweta County Sheriffs Office.

Austin Amelio, the only actor on the balcony with Bernecker at the time of the fall, told the officer he asked Bernecker if hed ever done a fall like that before. The stuntman said hed done a few but never from that high up, and he seemed a little nervous, Amelio told the officer.

Filming began after Bernecker gave a thumbs-up to signal he was ready, Goodwin said. Bernecker got most of the way over the railing and then appeared to try to stop the fall by grabbing the railing with both hands, but he hit the balcony, causing him to release his grip and spin upside down as he fell, the report says.

Bernecker landed a few inches from the pad, Goodwin told the officer. An on-set medic immediately responded and requested that 911 be called. Bernecker was flown by helicopter to an Atlanta hospital.

AMC, the network that airs The Walking Dead, said in a statement Friday that Berneckers family had decided to donate his organs.

We are deeply saddened by this loss and our hearts and prayers are with Johns family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time, the network statement said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Georgia
A National Transportation Safety Board investigative hearing in Alaska next month on a fatal commercial airplane crash will be the first held outside of Washington, D.C., in nearly 20 years.

The board is conducting an investigative hearing Aug. 17 on an Oct. 2 crash that killed two pilots and a passenger near the village of Togiak in southwest Alaska. The flight was operated by Hageland Aviation Services, Inc., doing business as Ravn Connect.

The investigative hearing will be the first in Alaska since 1989 wreck of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound.

Ravn Alaska spokesman William Walsh said the company constantly reviews and builds on its safety programs. Ravn Alaska is being fully cooperative with the NTSB and its upcoming hearing, he said in a statement.

The board will gather sworn testimony from subpoenaed witnesses, but it will not analyze or discuss the crash. The majority of witnesses are in Alaska, board member Earl Weener said in the announcement Tuesday.

We also believe that holding the hearing in Alaska will help increase awareness within the Alaskan aviation community of the issues surrounding controlled flight into terrain accidents and flight into instrument meteorological conditions, he said.

Controlled flight into terrain refers to accidents in which an airworthy aircraft is flown by a pilot unintentionally into the ground, water or obstacles, usually with no prior awareness by the crew.

From 2008 to 2016, there have been 36 Alaska accidents involving controlled flight into terrain with 40 lives lost, Weener said. Thats in contrast to accidents that occur where the aircraft is out of control because of mechanical failure or pilot error.

The aircraft in the crash last year, a turbine-powered Cessna 208 B, took off from Bethel, landed in Quinhagak and took off again at 11:33 a.m. for Togiak. The plane crashed about 20 minutes later 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Togiak on a steep, rocky mountainside.

The crash killed 43-year-old Timothy Cline, 43, and Drew Welty, 29, the pilots, and Louie John, 49, a passenger.

The hearing will investigate operations and training at Hageland Aviation Services and its oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Hageland Aviation aircraft were involved in six accidents since 2013, according to an NTSB review. Four involved controlled flight into terrain.

The NTSB in 2014 issued two safety recommendations asking the FAA to conduct audits of operators owned by the holding company HoTH Inc., which included Hageland Aviation.

The investigative hearing will begin at 8 a.m. Aug. 17 at the Captain Cook Hotel and is open to the public.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Aviation
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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.

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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.

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Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

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Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

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The team is probing the origins of a letter reportedly sent by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran seeking recommendations from Nagappan to appoint CPM supporters to temporary posts in the civic body.
Two people are due to appear in court shortly in connection with a gun seizure in Dublin.

The firearm was found by officers who stopped a man boarding a train at Connolly Station on Wednesday at around 3.15pm.
A UK lotto millionaire accused of defilement of an under-age Irish teenage girl he met through an internet chat-room has been further remanded in custody.

The British man was arrested in Dublin by gardai last weekend after he travelled to Ireland by ferry to speak to the teens mother about his relationship with her daughter.

The wealthy businessman appeared Dublin District Court earlier this week charged with four counts of engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of 17 years on dates in 2016 and this year.

Bail with a range of strict conditions was set at 200,000 and he was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Friday.

The defendant has not yet taken up bail. Defence solicitor Michelle Finan told the court today that there was consent to the case being adjourned.

The defendant was further remanded in custody by Judge Victor Blake to appear again on a date in August.

The alleged offences are under Section Three of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006, which can carry jail terms of up to five years.

At his first hearing, Garda Stephen Faulkner objected to bail alleging the man frequently travelled over from the UK by ferry to meet the girl for sex and gardai have recovered videos of sexual activity from the defendants phone.

He had said a complaint was made by the teens mother in January that her daughter, who is in her mid-teens, and the man were in a sexual relationship.

The alleged injured party outlined that she met him through a named online chat-room in 2015, the bail hearing was told. Garda Faulkner said the girl was subscribed to the under-17s category of the website. It was alleged she engaged in conversation with the accused.

It was alleged they exchanged details and communicated through Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Garda Faulkner had said it was alleged the man first came to Ireland to meet her last year.

It was alleged they stayed in a hotel in Dublin and had sexual intercourse. She was aged 15 at the time and had told the accused, the court heard.

Garda Faulkner alleged that the man came back by ferry every four to six weeks.

It was alleged the girls mother alerted gardai and an investigation began. CCTV evidence allegedly shows the girl in his company at a number of locations including Dublin Zoo and coming and going from a named Dublin city-centre hotel, the court was told.

Gardai identified phone messenger WhatsApp as the main point of contact.

The court was also told that gardai allegedly recovered images and videos of sexual activity taking place and some recording during the course of sexual activity.

Last year he bought her a designer ring worth 2,500 telling the shop assistant it was an engagement ring, the court heard.

His bank accounts showed he won a substantial amount in the UK lotto, the garda said.

Analysis of his phone was conducted allegedly showing 69 images and five videos of the accused and the girl, the court was told. One image of the girl in her school uniform was taken when she was aged 15, it was alleged.

The Garda believed he would evade trial if granted bail and he had a considerable amount of resources through his windfall, the court was told.

It was also feared he would interfere with witnesses, Garda Faulkner said. Since their last alleged meeting the man has been in contact with the schoolgirl and her family.

It was alleged that he travelled to Ireland to confront her mother to discuss his feelings for her daughter.

Judge Fiona Lydon had set bail in the mans own bond of 100,000 which has to be lodged. She also said he needed to have two independent sureties, each in the sums of 50,000, approved by the court.

In the event that bail is taken up he cannot have any contact directly or indirectly with the girl or her family, the judge ordered. The other conditions of bail state he has to reside at an address in Ireland agreed by gardai, sign on twice daily at his local garda station from 9am until 12pm and 5pm until 8pm; maintain a 11pm to 8am curfew at his address and be available to gardai calling to his residence during those hours; surrender his passport and not apply for other travel documents; have a mobile phone which must be switched on 24 hours a day and he has to stay out of certain areas.

Directions from the DPP need to be obtained and it was expected the case will eventually go forward to the circuit court but a trial date may not be reached until 2019.
It may take more than 18 months to process the asylum applications of 8 people found at Rosslare Port.

The three adults and five children are believed to be Kurdish refugees and were found in a shipping container yesterday evening.
The airline is seeking a replacement for chief executive Carolyn McCall, who is joining broadcaster ITV.

While Ms McCall said she was leaving Easyjet in a strong position, the comments on pricing highlight one of the challenges her successor will face.

Easyjet said revenues per seat were up 2.2% in its third quarter but expected yields to remain under pressure into its next financial year.

It said it expected full-year profit before tax to be in the range of 380m to 420m (425m to 470m), above analyst consensus for 380m.

Easyjet said the wide range for its profit outlook reflected uncertainty over prices, echoing comments from other carriers.

The third-quarter performed better than we anticipated, but as weve said in our guidance, for the fourth quarter we still see pressure on our yields coming through for the full year, and hence the range is quite broad, Easyjets chief financial officer Andrew Findlay said.

The companys shares briefly rose at the open, hitting its highest level since the UK voted to leave the EU last year, before reversing and dropping 5.6%. However, Easyjets stock remains up over 30% so far this year.

Shares in other European airlines also fell by between 2.7% and 6.2%. Ryanair, Air France-KLM and Aer Lingus/British Airways parent IAG report results next week.

Despite bumper summer bookings and profit upgrades, some European carriers have cautioned that pricing would remain tough as low fuel prices lead them to add seats, though at a slower rate of expansion than last year.

Lufthansa said on Monday after upgrading its 2017 profit target that it expected unit revenues to be down in the second half of 2017, after rising slightly in the first half.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air, which also said its annual profit would be at the higher end of guidance, said on Wednesday it remained cautious on yields.

Easyjet also said it had received approval for an Air Operators Certificate in Austria, protecting its flying rights in the EU once the UK leaves the bloc.

The airline also said it would look at internal and external candidates for chief executive and there was no timing for announcing an appointment.
Trade was off the menu at the talks in Brussels, and negotiators did not go into detail on possible solutions for the border in order to keep the discussion political.

Business group Ibec has repeatedly warned that Paschal Donohoe, in his first budget in October, must prepare to insulate businesses from the worst effects of Brexit. It says a large swathe of the country is exposed to the Brexit winds. A hard border on the island would further undermine employment in counties such as Cavan where up to a fifth of jobs are exposed to Brexit, it says.

The 13% drop in the value of sterling against the euro since the UK voted last June to quit the EU has weighed on small Irish exporters selling goods and services across the Irish Sea, according to economists.

In the UK, the boss of Unilever, the Dutch-British foods and household products giant, said he will ask British prime minister Theresa May to give businesses more time to adapt to Brexit.

Chief executive Paul Polman said: We will be talking about the possibility of a longer transition period. A lengthy transition for Britains exit from the EU was becoming more realistic now, he said.

Mr Polman, a Dutch national, said talks will also cover how the private sector can influence the process so that complex issues  such as border taxes, intellectual property, regulations or data protection  can proceed as smoothly as possible without doing further damage than what we have to deal with already.

He told reporters:

You can imagine from where Im sitting, as a European but having my heart in the UK as well, that I have some concrete suggestions of what can be done there.

There is no doubt that the quicker we can get some of the initial issues out of the way  like financial arrangements, citizens rights, the issue of Ireland  the quicker we can focus on the trade side and the trade relations side, he said.

Unilever, whose products range from Dove soap to Ben & Jerrys ice cream, currently has a dual structure, with headquarters, boards of directors and stock listings in both Britain and the Netherlands.

But complications have arisen over how to maintain the common travel area and Good Friday Agreement post-Brexit, with negotiators emerging from talks with more questions than answers.

British officials have been told by their EU counterparts that more work needs to be done to protect north-south cooperation in areas such as food safety, energy, transport or agriculture set up under the Good Friday Agreement.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the issue was directly relevant to the crucial objective of avoiding a hard border.

The UK has also been asked to do more homework on how the common travel area will function in practice, given potentially differing rules on immigration, criminality, data protection or social security.

UK Brexit Minister David Davis said he remained committed to achieving flexible and imaginative solutions to address the unique circumstances around the border, and particularly on the north/south dimension of the agreement.
Detective Garda Michael OBrien arrested Paul ODriscoll, aged 32, of no fixed address, and charged him with carrying out a robbery from the person at Bridge St, Cork, on July 8.

Inspector Finbarr OSullivan said the prosecution was objecting to bail being granted to the accused.
Cork City coroner Philip Comyn backed a jurys recommendation yesterday that the case be brought to the attention of the authorities after they returned a verdict of death due to occupational disease.

An inquest was told James OBrien, 64, from Limerick, a non-smoker, died at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on June 6, 2016, just months after he was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma  a rare form of cancer of the lining of the abdomen.

Mesothelioma normally affects the lungs as a result of inhalation of asbestos dust or fibres. But the inquest into Mr OBriens death was told he was exposed to asbestos and other hazardous materials during his time as a roustabout, or general labourer, on oil rigs off Ireland in the 1980s.

Thomas Neville, who worked with Mr OBrien on some of the first rigs to drill on the Porcupine Bank off the west coast during the 1980s, said rig workers were supplied with standard safety equipment, including basic breathing masks.

He said roustabouts faced many hazards, including spray-painting in confined spaces and stripping old lining or cladding from pipes which crumble to the touch.

Their work in the rigs sack room, where they cut open bags of powdered chemicals which were mixed with water to make drill-mud, an insulation material used to cool the rigs drill bit, was particularly hazardous, he said.

During intense drilling operations, he said, roustabouts could spend up to 12 hours in the sack room. They would be covered in dust and often had to eat there during long shifts. It was not a healthy situation, he said.

Id deliver the food to them sometimes, and would get out fairly lively. Id go in, and try to get out again as fast I as could. The further in you went, the more toxic it got. The fumes were nauseating. What they were breathing, they were eating as well.

Mr OBrien worked on the rigs until 1997 and later in construction.

Dr Margot Bolster, the assistant State pathologist, said it can take up to 25 years for asbestos-related cancer to manifest. She said the cause of death was occupational disease as a result of past exposure and ingestion of asbestos in the workplace.

The familys solicitor, Raymond Bradley, asked the jury to consider a recommendation that would urge the Department of Jobs to conduct a review of Irish people who worked in the oil rig industry and assess their exposure to asbestos.

He said there are many people alive today who may be at risk and it would be better for them to avail of early medical intervention.
Dr Orla Franklin, a consultant paediatric cardiologist at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital in Dublin, is concerned some children are suffering needlessly.

Most of the children have a heart valve or obstruction problem and respond well to treatment.

Dr Franklin is also vice-president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) which is highlighting how patients were being failed by an under-resourced health service.

I dont know if anybody is going to die as a consequence of reduced access to out-patients but I do know there is a risk, she said at the launch of the IHCAs pre-budget submission.

Funding for paediatric cardiology was on the back foot, responding to disasters such as the case of Roisin Ruddle. That is not the way to deliver healthcare, she said. She was referring to two-year-old Limerick girl, Roisin Ruddle, who died within hours of her heart surgery being cancelled at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital in July 2003.

She pointed out there was an 18-month waiting list for an out-patient appointment with her at Temple Street Childrens University Hospital in Dublin.

Children are prioritised on the basis of need, said Dr Franklin. She would listen to representations made on behalf of some children by their GP or neonatal consultant.

Dr Franklin said there was exceptional intensive care unit in Crumlin for those children who could get it, but it was a bottleneck regarding access.

Extra resources would be welcome, she said, but even if five ICU beds were opened this week, the necessary expertise would not be available.

There have been jobs advertised for intensive care consultants in Crumlin for which there have not been applicants  that is unprecedented in health care in Ireland.

Dr Franklin said Great Ormond Street in London was offering nurses accommodation and a travel allowance, as well as a supportive and highly structured early years training programme.

Our Ladys Childrens Hospital was trying very hard to catch up with Great Ormond Street to attract nurses, but that would take some time.

Ten years ago every job advertised by the hospital had multiple applicants  they were hotly contested. The best person got the job. That was good for patients.

Dr Franklin believes children with cardiac issues in Ireland are suffering needlessly because the healthcare system was under-resourced and underfunded.

The needs of these children are predictable  one in 150 children who are born this year and next year will have heart disease, she said.

So we know that 500 new children come into our system every year. We know that we are better able to deliver care to even the sickest of those children.

The IHCAs document shows that last year, 40,924 elective surgeries were cancelled, adding further to inpatient and day case waiting lists

Theatre closures are a major problem in Cork University Maternity Hospital with over 100 surgeries cancelled this year as a result of low staffing levels.

Waterford University Hospital only has two consultant urologists and there is a nine year waiting list for an out-patient appointment.
The St Marys Early Years Education and Care service on City Quay is to close on August 18 to facilitate remedial works in the building where it is housed. The works are expected to be extensive and it is not yet known when St Marys might reopen there.

The facility is run by the educational group, An Cosan, which is attempting to find an alternative site for the facility.

Space is at a premium in the south inner city, which is a hi-tech hub since the arrival of Google and other major US companies in the economically disadvantaged area some years ago.

The chief executive of An Cosan, Maura McMahon, says the group is hopeful of finding alternative accommodation as soon as possible.

Were looking for alternative space while the building works are being done, she says. We recognise that there is a premium on space in the docks area but we are hopeful of getting somewhere.

The building is owned by the Catholic Church parish and leased through St Vincent de Paul to An Cosan.

A statement from the Dublin archdiocese confirmed the building needs repairs.

The building belongs to City Quay parish and due to its age is in poor condition with a number of serious building defects including dampness and leaking in many rooms. Regrettably, the parish was not in a position to extend the lease. With advice from the diocese, a thorough building inspection report will now be undertaken to establish the extent of the works required.

St Marys has 27 children attending for the summer months and 34 parents have already registered children for the academic year to come.

At full capacity, at which the facility was expecting to operate, it has 56 places.

The creche is staffed by 10 childcare workers who have all been informed they are to be laid off temporarily, with an indefinite restart date, if any.

Everybody has just four weeks to find somewhere else for their children, one of the staff told the Irish Examiner

.

They have nowhere else to go and a lot of our parents would be on community or employment schemes so its going to be very tough for them.

The only other community early learning centre in the area is in St Andrews Resource Centre on Pearse St.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed that 178m will be spent on water refunds, potentially by the end of the year, a one-off spend which will come from savings across departments.

However, questions have arisen over whether services and supports in health, education and social protection among other areas will be neglected to pay back over a million households.

Fianna Fails Barry Cowen has written to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy with concerns and warned that the refunds plan was a surprise, a situation contrary to the Fine Gael-Fianna Fail confidence and supply agreement.

In the letter, obtained by the Irish Examiner, Mr Cowen said: It was therefore quite surprising to read that this funding is going to be found from unspent monies this year or indeed excess income from tax receipts.

It is also surprising to learn that unspent monies to that extent will be found in 2017, given the extensive pressure on services and given that the fiscal space was so very tight.

Mr Donohoe told the Oireachtas budgetary committee yesterday the refunds would amount to 171m, while the process would cost 5m, and the equalisation of group water schemes would be another 2m, bringing the total to 178m.

Opposition TDs noted the total underspend in departments so far this year was 322m, including 57m unused for capital projects. The Government has confirmed the water refunds will come from this.

A mid-year expenditure report released yesterday confirmed there has been a 21m underspend in health, a 56m underspend in social protection, and education is 29m below profile.

Another 159m has not been spent across another 13 areas, the review notes.

Opposition TDs at the committee, including Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty, questioned whether projects would start later in the year and taking their cash away would therefore cut services.

He also raised concerns that crucial monies could be taken out of capital projects, such as housing, and be instead plunged into water charge refunds.

Mr Donohoe confirmed he had received correspondence from health about funding for homecare packages but he expected spending in that department to come in on target, unlike other years.

But an increase in overtime for gardai would have to be addressed, committee members were told.

No departments had sought extra money, he said, and no services would be cut to refund water charges, insisted the minister.

He defended criticism from opposition TDs: Many political parties said water should be paid by general taxation. Thats what were doing now. Were making it happen in a way that public services continue not to be affected.

However, there are other questions. It remains unknown how households  some who paid over 300  will apply or be given their refunds. Other commitments by the Fine Gael government on the back of an Oireachtas report around fresh metering for newly built properties and a referendum to keep water in public ownership have also still to be explained. This was stressed by Green leader Eamon Ryan.

Mr Cowen has also questioned why money given to homeowners for the so-called conservation grant  but who did not pay their charges  cannot be recouped. His letter added: It beggars believe that there seems to be no mechanism available to prevent people from keeping the conservation grant even though they may never have paid any water charges.
On top of this, it emerged that Peter Stapleton, aged 77, picked up a superbug at UHL.

Mr Stapleton languished in an isolation ward for three months, according to family correspondence with the hospital.

He was treated as an inpatient for severe vascular issues in his right leg at UHL last October. He presented as an inpatient once again in November, and was discharged the following month with stents inserted to assist blood flow.

His daughter Lynda, who urged UL Hospitals Group to investigate her fathers treatment, wrote on April 18 that after his discharge he suffered immense pain at home.

In January 2017, Mr Stapleton was rushed to the emergency department after he fell and injured himself. All the while gangrene had set in, she wrote.

Following re-admission on January 31, a below-the-knee amputation on his right leg was carried out in late February. His daughter said that an above-the-knee amputation was later required on April 12.

However, during this surgery, Mr Stapleton was not given headphones and was forced to listen to his upper leg being cut off with a saw.

His daughter said in an e-mail on April 18: This was inhumane and has traumatised him.

UHL wrote to his daughter on May 29 that this was performed under a local anaesthetic block, and not a general anaesthetic, to ensure patient safety is not compromised.

The operating theatres do provide headsets for patients for this type of procedure, I do apologise your father was not offered or supplied with headphones as this is normal practice.

I am sorry he had to endure this unnecessary trauma and I have advised the theatre nurse manager for this to be addressed immediately, UHL wrote.

After it emerged that Mr Stapleton had contracted the CPE superbug at UHL, he was then transferred into the 2D isolation ward.

CPE has a 50% mortality rate for those who are infected, while carriers of the bug show no signs or symptoms.

Ms Stapleton said her fathers isolated treatment had a major personal impact on the family, and she said that communication was brutal.

She claimed that he was put on a waiting list for rehabilitation at St Camillus Hospital for weeks.

She said her mother had to be taken to UHL in recent weeks with chest pains as a result of the stress surrounding Peters care over the past three months.

I will never forgive them for that, for the three months they wasted. I dont know where my Dad would be if there was no one there to speak for him. 

Mr Stapleton was discharged on Tuesday. His daughter commended the nursing staff who treated him during his six-month treatment.

After UHL looked into Ms Stapletons complaints, it wrote on May 29: I wish to apologise for your father acquiring this infection and assure you we make every effort to avoid outbreaks, but on certain occasions it does occur and for this I am sorry.

A spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group said that it is aware of the familys concerns and it continues to address them through the ongoing complaints process.
The US State Department said Ireland and the US had worked reasonably well in counterterrorism, law enforcement and information sharing efforts.

In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, the State Department said the Irish Governments efforts to counter violent extremism focused on integrating minority groups and new arrivals.

The report also said that major garda successes against dissident republicans appeared to have diminished the threat from domestic terrorism.

On international terrorism, it said: Ireland is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis.

It said law enforcement units had effectively demonstrated their capacity to detect, deter, and respond to terrorist incidents.

The State Department said that Ireland worked closely with the UK on border security, including sharing biographic and biometric information.

It said the Government was active in highlighting the need to share passenger name records on EU flights and actively participated at EU and UN levels on addressing counterterrorism.

It said the countrys efforts to counter violent extremism focused on integrating minority groups and new arrivals into Irish society.

It said: These measures included providing social benefits, language training, healthcare and the proactive advocacy work of an Ombudsmans Office in the affairs of immigrants.

The report said the Garda Racial Intercultural and Diversity Office co-ordinates, monitors and advises on all aspects of policing in the area with a view of building long-term trust with communities.

On money laundering and the financing of terrorism, it said Ireland had made significant improvements in the area.
GET INFORMED ...

IRELAND: There was another issue aired at the Charleton Tribunal yesterday, and once again it did not fall in favour of Sgt Maurice McCabe.

IRELAND: Hospital equipment 'out of date' says Irish Hospital Consultants Association

IRELAND: Pairc Ui Chaoimh: At 80m cost and 2 years in the making, Corks new stadium is finally here

ANALYSIS: Victoria White: Home parents need constitutional protection now more than ever

WORLD: OJ Simpson to face Nevada parole board with freedom in sight

WORLD: Senator John McCain has a brain tumour, his doctors say

BUSINESS: Key agencies department leading Brexit preparations fill just 17 of 70 positions

SPORT: Three Wimbledon matches to be reviewed for possible match-fixing.

... SOME DISTRACTION

SHOWBIZ: Ed Sheeran insists Twitter quit had nothing to do with GOT pictures

ARTS: Censorship in Ireland, which was largely overturned 50 years ago, meant the public couldnt easily get their eyes on work by our best writers, making it a badge of honour, says Donal O Drisceoil.

VIRAL: Fishermen in Dingle have landed a rare giant squid for the second time
Penal reformers also strongly criticised Irelands slow progress in ratifying an international convention against torture  one that it signed 10 years ago.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust made a submission to the United Nations Committee against Torture which is examining Irelands record in implementing the UN Convention against Torture in Geneva next week.

The UN committees examination follows its last investigation in 2011.

The trust expressed its concern at the frequency of publication of inspection reports on individual prisons by the Inspector of Prisons.

The most recent published inspection report on an individual prison was published in 2014, it said.

Since 2008, full inspection reports have been published on only seven out of the 14 prison establishments in Ireland. Similarly, the most recent annual report published was in 2014.

It did say reports on investigations into deaths in custody have been published regularly and the inspector had also published important thematic reports.

The trust said that it had continuing concerns regarding the resources available to the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and its ability to regularly inspect.

The reform group asked the UN committee to recommend an independent review of the effectiveness of prison inspections.

The trust said the Inspector of Prisons and prison visiting committees had expressed concern about healthcare provision and said the Health Information and Quality Authority had no remit in prisons.

It said an internal Prison Service review in 2015 found that the psychology service was disjointed from other services and had very stringent referral criteria and had waiting lists of 12 months or more.

The submission said that there were on average 20-30 prisoners awaiting transfer to the Central Mental Hospital. It claimed there was a lack of services dealing with co-morbidity of addiction and mental health issues, noting 70% of the prison population (85% among female prisoners) had addiction issues.

The trust said the system for investigating complaints of ill-treatment was not effective and it had long called for a completely independent mechanism.

The submission noted that in 2011 the committee had called on the Government to expedite its ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture).

It said progress continued to be slow and noted Ireland signed it in 2007.
It has been one year since the failed coup in Turkey, and questions about the countrys future abound.

The attempted coup was nothing if not dramatic. Mutinous F-16 fighters bombed the Turkish parliament, and 249 people died.

But the putschists failed to detain the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who then mobilised his own supporters and sealed the coups fate.

If the coup had not been stymied within the first 48 hours, Turkey probably would have fallen into a devastating and violent civil war, the consequences of which would have extended well beyond its borders.

Today, it is difficult to find anyone in Turkey who doubts that the coup was instigated by forces loyal to the enigmatic, Pennsylvania-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen.

All of the available evidence seems to support this conclusion. When Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power democratically, in 2002, they joined forces with the Gulenists to roll back Turkeys old authoritarian establishment, and to shore up Turkish democracy with a bid to join the European Union.

But the Gulenists had deeper ambitions, and a tradition of secrecy born in an era of military dictatorship, when many religious activities in Turkey were forced underground.

After 2002, the Gulenists infiltration of the police and the judiciary was well-known, and they used their position to stage show trials and imprison their adversaries. Less-well-known was the extent to which they had also infiltrated the air force and the gendarmerie.

In 2013, the AKP and the Gulenists parted ways, and then began waging a silent civil war. Given that ongoing standoff, it is not unreasonable to conclude that last years failed coup was a dramatic effort by Gulenists to take power, before they could be purged from the military.

The Turkish state, which should never have been so thoroughly infiltrated by subversive elements in the first place, undoubtedly needs to cleanse itself. But if Turkeys democracy is to have a future, the removal of internal threats must adhere to the rule of law and human rights, and have broad support within Turkish society.

Unfortunately, some elements of Erdogans response to the coup attempt raise serious concerns. Of the 100,000 people who have been detained, more than 50,000 have been formally arrested. These include at least 169 generals and admirals, 7,000 colonels and lower-ranking officers, 8,800 police officers, 24 provincial governors, 2,400 members of the judiciary, and 31,000 other suspects.

Countless people have been dismissed from their jobs, with no prospects for the future. Numerous independent media outlets have been shuttered, and, in just the past few weeks, prominent human-rights advocates  including the director of Amnesty International in Turkey  have been arrested for supporting terrorism, a charge that defies belief.

In the aftermath of the failed coup, Turkish society united behind Erdogan.

But the governments actions since then have increasingly polarised the country. In its effort to purge Turkeys state of security threats, the government has cast its net ever wider. And, in April, it pushed through constitutional changes in a referendum that was strongly opposed by almost half the country, including most young, urban voters.

When the changes take effect, Turkeys political system will be transformed, and the president will wield highly concentrated power.

This is a departure from the first decade of AKP rule, when Turkey modernised its economy, developed its democratic institutions, and moved toward granting its Kurdish citizens full civil rights.

Turkeys impressive progress strengthened its prospects for EU admission.

But, now, the future is more uncertain. If the Turkish government does not start respecting human rights and the rule of law by early next year, what remains of its EU accession bid could become unsalvageable.

Turkeys membership chances had already taken a hit from the failed peace-and-reunification talks with Cyprus  a failure for which Turkey alone cannot be blamed. And so much rhetorical abuse has been heaped on the EU that Turkey has made itself politically toxic in many key member states there, not least in Germany.

Without the political anchor provided by the EU accession process, Turkeys modernisation could go into reverse.

And if that happens, the country could be dragged steadily down into the Middle East quagmire. Turkey is already admirably struggling to accommodate millions of refugees from the conflict in Syria, in which Turkish forces are now participants; and it is a constant target of terrorist attacks by the Islamic State.

Moreover, Erdogan has decided to insert Turkey into the ongoing diplomatic contretemps between Qatar and other Gulf states.

The future of Turkey is of profound importance. Turkey straddles Europe and the Middle East. It will soon have a population of 100m, and has impressive economic potential.

The history of Europe cant be written without Turkey any more than Turkeys future can be extricated from Europes. If Turkey is put on a credible path toward EU participation, it can help to bridge divides in culture and tradition that could otherwise threaten all of Europe.

But Turkeys internal political wars are now jeopardising this future. The aftermath of the coup attempt could have been healing. Instead, it has so far been divisive. It is still not too late to take another path, but time is running out.

Carl Bildt is a former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017. project-syndicate.org
This Week in Review

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POWER tools have been stolen in a spate of burglaries from Newport sheds and outbuildings.

Police have received seven reports, with six relating to premises at Blackwater Road and one at Medina Avenue.

Tools including chainsaws, strimmers and a circular saw were stolen in the burglaries, between June 26 and July 19.

In two of the cases, locks were cut but no items taken.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who has been offered second hand Stihl power tools for sale in the area.

In addition, two outbuildings at The Pitts and Church Road, Ventnor, and Station Avenue, Sandown, were broken into between June 15 and July 19.

Power tools abd a cement mixer were stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously 0800 555 111.

Police are investigating whether the thefts are linked, and have issued the following crime prevention advice.

General home and outbuilding security

 Keep the boundaries of your property well-maintained and secure to try to keep out unwanted visitors.

 Ensure all doors and windows are shut and locked when not in use.

 Ensure windows and door frames are in good repair.

 Fit adequate locks to sheds, garages and outbuildings and consider fitting shutters or grilles to windows, or blocking them completely.

 Fit good quality window locks.

 Consider fitting a monitored home intruder alarm.

 Check security equipment regularly to ensure it works properly.





Security lighting

 Install automatic security lights that come on at dusk and go off at dawn.

 Help make your property look occupied by fitting timer switches to lamps in different rooms and set them to come on at staggered times.

 Make sure the manufacturer's instructions are adhered to at all times when using electrical security devices.





CCTV and intruder alarms
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Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low around 35F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Mostly sunny. High near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] accused [AI report] Cameroon of torturing suspected supporters of Boko Haram in a report released Thursday. According to the human rights organization, hundreds of suspects were subjected to severe beatings, agonizing stress positions and drownings, with some tortured to death at the hands of government authorities. AI documented 101 cases of secret detention and torture within the last four years. Alioune Tine, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said [t]hese horrific violations amount to war crimes. AI also observed American and French military personnel at one of the bases while the detention and torture was taking place. The organization is calling for the US and France to investigate the extent of knowledge that their military personnel may have of the war crimes.

Cameroon faces many problems resulting from their military conflict with the terrorist group Boko Haram. Last July Amnesty International reported [JURIST report] on numerous human rights violations by Cameroon authorities as the country fights the insurgency of the Islamic extremist group. Cameroons harsh practices have come in response to atrocities committed by Boko Haram which, according to a report[JURIST report] last September by AI, is accountable for the death of at least 400 civilians in Northern Cameroon. The militant Islamic group Boko Haram, whose name means Western education is a sin, has been fighting to overthrow the Nigerian government in the interest of creating an Islamist state.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Japanese ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu operationalized the civil nuclear cooperation agreement that was signed last November during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo after over six years of negotiations.

Diplomatic notes were exchanged with the Japanese envoy to India to formalize the completion of the process on Thursday.

The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy entered into force on July 20, 2017, with the exchange of diplomatic notes between Dr. S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India, said a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

This Agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between India and Japan and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy. It seeks to promote full cooperation between the two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis, said the statement.

Japan is a major player in the nuclear energy market and an atomic deal with it will make it easier for US-based nuclear plant makers Westinghouse Electric Corporation and GE Energy Inc to set up atomic plants in India as both these conglomerates have Japanese investments.

US, Russia, South Korea, Mongolia, France, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia are amongst other countries that have signed the civil nuclear deal with India.



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KEARNEY  Several Kearney-area churches will be working with the Compass foster care and family services agency through a new program to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families.

CarePortal will allow case workers with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to submit requests for children and families to participating churches. If church members can meet the need, DHHS workers connect the family with the church that can help them.

Kearney-area churches that will participate in CarePortal are: Cornerstone Berean, Kearney eFree, New Life, Spirit of Life, Open Bible, The Table, Grace Fellowship and Trinity Presbyterian. Compass plans to expand the program in other Nebraska counties by the end of the year.

CarePortal will be launched at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the south campus of Grace on 11th Church at 522 W. 11th St. Nebraskas first lady Susanne Shore will be the keynote speaker.

Meeting the increasing needs of kids and families while budget dollars decrease is one factor that brought this creative solution to Nebraska, according to a Compass press release. CarePortal, already implemented in 12 states, creates a solution for both the church and state to work together in their joint mission of meeting the needs of vulnerable children.

To learn more about CarePortal, contact Compass Chief Executive Officer Ryan Stanton at Ryan@COMPASSnebraska.org or 237-4085.
COZAD  A Cozad man who was allegedly stabbed by his wife Sunday also is charged with felonies in Dawson County Court.

According to court records, Justin Morrison, 29, was charged Tuesday with strangulation and second-offense third-degree domestic assault, both Class IIIA felonies.

The charges stem from an alleged fight between Justin Morrison and his wife, Dimon Morrison , 32, early Sunday morning. Court records say when police responded at about 1:45 a.m., Justin Morrison was allegedly found lying on the ground with a steak knife protruding from his left shoulder. He claimed that his wife had stabbed him during a fight.

Dimon Morrison was charged with first-degree domestic assault, a Class IIA felony, and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, a Class II felony. Her bail was set at 10 percent of $100,000. She had not posted bail as of Thursday afternoon.

On Oct. 23, 2012, court records say, Justin Morrison was convicted of third-degree domestic assault, a Class I misdemeanor, in Dawson County Court. He was sentenced to probation and released on March 18, 2015.

A Cozad Police Department news release says that after Sundays incident the Morrisons were transported to Cozad Community Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Justin Morrison was later transferred to CHI Health Good Samaritan where he was treated and released earlier this week, according to a CHI Health representative.

Because Justin Morrison was recovering from a stab wound, Dawson County Attorney Elizabeth Waterman said he was not jailed after being charged. However, he was jailed Wednesday for a probation violation, according to the Dawson County Jail roster.

Dimon Morrison was taken into custody at the Dawson County jail after being released later Sunday morning from Cozad Community Hospital, according to the news release.

"The issue is whether or not the jail deems that person fit for confinement," Waterman said. "We have a lot of people that go to jail with minor injuries, and if they are not (in the) medical state that requires them to be, you know, treated right away or hospitalized, they may be fit to go to jail."

Justin Morrison is scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 18, and Dimon Morrisons preliminary hearing is slated for Thursday.

If convicted and not placed on probation, Justin Morrison faces up to three years in prison for each Class IIIA felony. If Dimon Morrison is convicted and not placed on probation, she faces up to 50 years in prison for a Class II felony and up to 20 years in prison for a Class IIA felony.

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FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2016 file photo, American student Otto Warmbier speaks as Warmbier is presented to reporters in Pyongyang, North Korea. U.S. officials say the Trump administration will ban American citizens from traveling to North Korea following the death of university student Otto Warmbier, who passed away after falling into a coma into a North Korean prison. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)
There remains plenty of room on cruise ships to Cuba for your next trip. If youre willing to confine your Cuban experience to the city of Havana, youll find well-priced cruises that stay overnight in this legendary place, allowing you to experience nearly two days there.

But what will be the nature of the visit? Will you be permitted to wander on your own once you have left the ship, or will you be required to see Havana as part of a 40-person group led by an umbrella-carrying tour leader, shepherding you about like children and enforcing a minute-by-minute itinerary?

No one knows. The Treasury and Commerce departments have been assigned to the task of furnishing detailed procedures for a lawful trip to Cuba, and their report on the subject is expected within the next 60 days.

From the tenor of President Donald Trumps recent speech announcing the new policy of strictly limited contact with the Cuban people, it is likely that a group approach to touring will be mandatory. And such a decision certainly wont appeal to most Americans.

That being understood, Carnival Cruises has nevertheless announced a fairly frequent schedule of cruises to Cuba. Starting this fall, apparently by mid-September, Carnival will have increased the number of its 2,000-passenger ships dedicated to Havana visits to two, which will perform weekly four-day cruises to the Cuban capital. Departures will be from Tampa or Port Canaveral, Fla., on a route directly to Havana. The ships will remain in port overnight, permitting passengers to spend up to two days there. Then, they will immediately go to either the Bahamas, Cozumel or Key West for another stay before returning to their Floridian departure ports.

The other major cruise lines  Royal Caribbean and Norwegian  will be performing almost identical four-day cruises to Havana, staying overnight in that city before proceeding to such other ports as the Bahamas, Key West or Cozumel. Royal Caribbean has announced that it also will offer longer, five-day or six-day, cruises, which will feature an overnight stay in Havana before proceeding to other ports. But again, the Cuban experience will be confined to that one overnight stay, going to no other location in Cuba.

Four-day cruises will cost as little as $500 or $600, including all taxes and fees, plus a strongly recommended purchase of a guided tour of Havana for $75.

All in all, the American cruise-ship industry obviously is offering a fairly modest Cuban experience, limiting the entire contact to a single overnight stay in Havana followed by an onward sailing to another Caribbean port or Key West. One gets the impression that they are as confused as the rest of us as to what they can provide, and have therefore settled on this carefully regulated and very short experience of glimpsing life in Cuba. Given the determination of the Trump administration to return America to a policy thats been an abject failure for 50 years, we probably will enjoy nothing better.

Arthur Frommer is the pioneering founder of the Frommers Travel Guide book series. He co-hosts the radio program, The Travel Show, with his travel correspondent daughter Pauline Frommer. Find more destinations online and read Arthur Frommers blog at frommers.com.
One of the largest icebergs ever recorded, estimated to be about the size of Delaware, has broken off from an ice shelf in Antarctica. The event, including dramatic pictures, provides a magnet for media.

Project MIDAS, based in Britain, monitors such developments. Scientists there testify that the iceberg is not a direct result of human action, though the wider context includes rising temperatures.

The good news is that the United States now is an effective leader in addressing polar and other climate challenges, a direct legacy of Secretary of State John Kerry during the Obama administration. More surprising, current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also is notably active, despite the formal U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accords.

In May, Tillerson participated with other leaders representing Arctic nations in a conference in Fairbanks Alaska. The Arctic Council, created in 1996, is comprised of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.

Following President Donald Trumps announcement withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris agreement, Tillerson continues to support climate management cooperation, possibly including a new agreement. More than climate is involved. Melting polar ice is revealing enormous mineral deposits previously unavailable. This is changing political dynamics both within and between nations. China is now a major investor.

Russia, spearheaded by President Vladimir Putin, is providing international leadership. In September 2013, the Third International Arctic Forum was held in the far northern town of Salekhard. The meeting coincided with release of a report by the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Putin emphasized Arctic environment protection combined with orderly investment. A fourth such meeting was held in March this year.

In 2010, the Russian Geographical Society hosted two Arctic conferences, followed by others. Investors along with scholars and government representatives are involved.

Historically Britain has been an Arctic leader, but now Russia is increasingly assertive there, with a vital stake. Others along with China and Russia seek the enormous natural resources involved.

Conflicts over territorial jurisdiction multiply as more northern territory is freed from the ice and snow. Disputes have aligned Russia against Canada and Denmark regarding control of the Lomonosov Ridge, most of which is in international waters.

Other nations involved in such disagreements include Finland, Iceland, Sweden and the United States. Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a nation can claim resources beyond a 200 mile limit if a direct continuous continental shelf can be established.

Regarding leadership, the U.S. government was disengaged. When John Kerry became secretary of state, this changed dramatically. Tillerson may be pursuing a similar path.

Longer-term history is also encouraging regarding Antarctic and Arctic cooperation. International Polar Years were held in 1882-1883, 1932-1933 and 2007-2009.

The first two inspired the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-1958, during the Cold War. American leadership was instrumental in launching and completing this global, intergovernmental research and policy enterprise. Discovery of the Van Allen Radiation Belts was one of numerous IGY scientific achievements.

Demilitarization of Antarctica, proposed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, was another beneficial byproduct. This facilitated international cooperation among scientists which went on despite the intensity of the Cold War, and continues. Undeniably, Eisenhowers initiative laid the foundation for much more publicized Soviet-U.S. strategic arms agreements, including the partial test-ban treaty of 1963 and the SALT treaties of 1972.

International organizations play a sustained role in technical engagement as well as leadership. Environmental challenges today are global, and so is U.S. influence.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of After the Cold War. Contact acyr@carthage.edu
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court concluded its hearing into the Panama Papers case involving the offshore assets of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children on Friday.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan observed that if the matter of Maryam being a beneficial owner [of offshore companies] is considered, then the matter of her being a dependent [of the prime minister] will come to the fore as well. The date of announcement of the verdict has not been given.

If convicted, Mr. Sharif can face disqualification from politics. The case has dominated headlines in Pakistan for over a year and most government ministers, including the Prime Minister himself and opposition leaders, are only focussing on speaking on this case. Sharif has denied any wrongdoing after the report alleged his familys vast wealth was beyond their means, and accused his children, including presumed heir Maryam Nawaz, of signing forged documents to obscure ownership of posh London flats.

Prior to the start of Friday's proceedings, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid, one of the three petitioners in the Panama Papers case, addressed the media. He said he expects the case to finish today, adding that Millions want to be rid of Nawaz Sharif.





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Amid ongoing border standoff between India and China in the Dokalam area in the Sikkim Sector, Pakistans high commissioner to India Abdul Basit met the Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Wednesday.

While the meeting is evidently seen as Pakistans attempted to intervene, there is no clarity on what transpired between the two.

The significance of the meeting increments as China is actively drumming the international community on the ongoing stand-off. On 18 July, it briefed foreign diplomats in Beijing and conveyed that its troops will not wait for an indefinite period and that their patience may run out soon.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said many foreign diplomatic missions expressed 'shock' on 'Indian troops' illegal trespass'. Besides that, Chinese embassy was actively engaged the Indian public in expounding Beijing's position.

Meanwhile National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval will visit China next week to take part in the BRICS meet. He is expected to open up the diplomatic channels to find a solution to the five-week old standoff at Doklam.

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Physicians must treat patients with the utmost respect with regards to their spiritual beliefs

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Scientific evidence pointed to an extremely poor prognosis. Numbers and statistics emphatically declared her imminent demise. My 33-year-old patient was not going to survive.

The physicians presented the data to the mother and recommended withdrawal of care, but she remained indecisive.

She struggled for two days with the possibility of her young daughter dying.

Her child was in the critical care unit in a vegetative state. It was a parents worst nightmare.

I took over the patients care on the third day. I reviewed the case and decided to discuss the poor prognosis with the mother once again. I walked into the room and found a distraught mother. She was sitting by her daughters side and exuded a pensive demeanor. Her strife was discernible.

I introduced myself as the doctor taking care of her daughter.

I walked into the room and found a distraught mother. She was sitting by her daughters side and exuded a pensive demeanor. Her strife was discernible.

She looked up, regained her composure and said, I like your dress. I found her comment rather odd but thanked her for the compliment and moved on to my discussion.

Once again, I presented the unfortunate facts and advised her about withdrawal of care. To everyones surprise, she readily agreed.

For some reason, her conflict suddenly turned into comfort. I knew that I had presented the same evidence as the other physicians and not much had changed. I asked her why she changed her mind. She said, Its because of your dress.

I reacted with a perplexed look. She then explained that her daughter had recently bought the same dress and was going to wear it to church for Easter. When I walked into the room wearing the same exact green dress with a distinct floral print, the mother took it as a sign from above.

She found solace in my dress, and it gave her the strength she needed to make her decision. When science failed to convince a torn mother, faith prevailed.

When science failed to convince a torn mother, faith prevailed.

My patient took her last breath on Easter.

Before I delve any deeper, I must admit that I am not religious, although I do not consider myself atheist or agnostic either. If I had to put a label on my belief system, spiritual comes the closest.

I often contemplate the place of faith, religion, and superstition in the scientific world of medicine.

I am usually tempted to discount these concepts as incompatible with medicine. But when a prayer soothes a patients anxiety, faith heals a grieving parent, or when a lucky pendant succors a nervous patient before a procedure, I am compelled to re-evaluate my stand.

Physicians must treat patients with the utmost respect with regards to their spiritual beliefs. We should acknowledge our patients beliefs irrespective of our own convictions and opinions.

Evidence and statistics may be the driving core of medicine, but spirituality is also an integral element of holistic health and wellness.

My patients have taught me to engage in a relativistic approach when maneuvering around the concept of religion and faith in medicine. As sometimes, when evidence fails to prove, faith and belief may abound and help to overcome.

Neha Sharma is a hospitalist. This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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The recent celebration of Employee Well-being Month got me thinking a lot about how physicians are treated as employees with regard to well-being. There is a general consensus that the issue of physician well-being needs to be addressed at both the level of the individual physician and the level of the system in which physicians work.

Unfortunately, this insight has thus far failed to lead to significant improvement in the overall state of physician well-being or its evil twin, physician burnout.

A large part of the problem is that the whole health care system has a somewhat dysfunctional mindset around well-being. Well-being is calibrated on surviving rather than thriving. If something does not kill us, we are well enough to go to work.

Physicians are conditioned to work hard for no other reason than that is what we are supposed to do. That being the case, there is no real incentive for a health care organization to improve a terrible work situation when it has little to no impact on whether the doctors will keep showing up. It generally takes an act of God for a physician to take a sick day, much less quit a job.

This same way of thinking causes many physicians to balk at taking our well-being into our own hands when the system ignores it. We invest years of time, tens of thousands of dollars and immeasurable effort into becoming clinicians and somehow find it selfish to devote a fraction of that to addressing how to be well.

When we wont take care of ourselves, it sends the message that taking care of us isnt that important for the system to keep going.

With that in mind, I have a couple of words for my fellow physicians:

Start valuing your well-being as early as possible in your career.

The medical education process tends to disconnect physicians from the intuition that keeps us well. Ironically, while we are learning how to trust our guts in caring for patients, we become conditioned to ignore the signs that tell us what is necessary to maintain our own physical and emotional well-being.

I encourage all students, residents and early career physicians to keep in mind who and what supports your sense of well-being.

Prioritize those people and activities. You may not be able to spend as much time with them as much as youd like while you are in training. I invite you to keep them a part of your life as much as possible.

All the transitions that occur on the path from first-year medical student to attending physician go much more smoothly when you acknowledge and prioritize the people and activities that ground you in a space of well-being.

Stop waiting for permission to care about your own well-being.

We, physicians, have this odd contradiction in our thinking. We like autonomy, so we dont want anyone telling us what to do. At the same time, we like to know that what we are doing is sanctioned by the powers that be.

Heres the hard truth: Sometimes, the decisions you have to make to prioritize your well-being will go against the grain of traditional medical culture. If you are completely burnt out/exhausted/running on fumes, you need to decide for yourself what has to happen to improve that situation.

You are likely to get a pressure ulcer sitting around waiting for your supervisor to schedule a heart-to-heart meeting to check on your well-being. In reality, as long as you show up when you are expected and get no patient complaints, no one is probably going to be concerned. You have to be your own advocate.

Summer brings the end of residency and fellowship training programs for many young physicians.

I particularly want to encourage those of you who are becoming attendings to reflect on how well-being and work co-exist in your lives. If they have been at odds, now is the time to get them integrated. I invite you to use this transition as an opportunity to design a life that supports your personal and professional well-being. Trust me. In the long run, starting this way will serve you and the entire health care system.

Jattu Senesie is an obstetrician-gynecologist who blogs at Essence of Strength.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce welcomed UK Ambassador Robin Barnett to the city this week at a special meeting held with the high ranking diplomat.

Ambassador Barnett was in the city attending the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting which was being held in the Newpark Hotel.

He broke away from his busy schedule to meet with Chamber and was welcomed by President Deirdre Shine and members of the chamber exeuctive.

The majority of the discussion that took place centred around Brexit and the opportunity of local firms to benefit.

A number of areas were discussed including agri-business and financial services - both sectors where Kilkenny is strong.

CEO of the Chamber John Hurley referred to a recent Fintech exhibition. Also the impact of Brexit on Kilkenny's popularity as a tourist destination was also discussed.

Both the Ambassador and Chamber agreed that Kilkenny has incredible potential to build partnerships with business in the United Kingdom which can only be of benefit to both parties - both prior to and after Brexit.

Vice President of the Chamber Marion Acreman also gave a presentation to the Ambassador on the Famine exhibition at MacDonagh junction and the history of the workhouses.
People in Kilkenny who are single and in their 60s are being presented an opportunity to do something a little different and take part in the hit RTE 2 television show 'First Dates'.

In First Dates, single people from across Ireland come to the First Dates restaurant where they have a real blind date. There's been a positive response from the public for this series already, but now RTE is on the lookout for people over 60 to apply.

The shows producers are looking for all kinds of people from all walks of life, who are open to meeting someone new and having a fun experience. Filming will take place in the First Dates restaurant at the end of August, so people need to apply now.

"We take great care in matching people with other like-minded individuals who they can have a nice evening with and perhaps even a second date!"

This might sound like you or someone you know - perhaps a friend, parent, grandparent, or neighbour?

Apply for First Dates Ireland and find out more information about the show. Here you can fill in the online application form and watch video content related to First Dates Ireland.
We scoured the nation to identify the best stock in every state. Lithia Motors (symbol LAD (opens in new tab)) is the publicly traded company we picked in Oregon. The company headquarters is located in Medford.

A word of caution: Since we selected a single stock from each state (plus one from D.C), and choices in some states are sparse, a few of our picks are best suited to investors comfortable with a higher degree of risk. This is not necessarily one of our 51 favorite stocks in the entire U.S., in other words.

Lithia Motors by the Numbers

Headquarters: Medford

Medford Share price: $88.65

$88.65 Market value: $2.2 billion

$2.2 billion Price-earnings ratio: 10

(Prices and data are as of June 22, 2017)

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Lithia sells new and used cars and related services at 154 dealerships on the East Coast and in the western U.S. Analysts believe U.S. light vehicle sales may have peaked in 2016, but not Lithias, says CFRA analyst Efraim Levy. He projects growth of 10% this year, driven by strong employment, easy credit and an aging vehicle fleet indicating pent-up demand. Lithias sales are also growing by acquisition, with 15 new dealerships last year and thousands of potential targets on the radar for the years ahead. The strength of Lithias business model, says Morningstar analyst David Whiston, lies in its acquisition of rural dealerships, through which the company can position itself as the only seller of a particular brand within a huge geographic radius. Lithias large market shares in small cities give the company pricing power, he says. And Lithia can continue to grow through acquisition in urban areas as well, says Levy. He rates the stock a buy with a 12-month price target of $103.
Motorways and alternative transport options such as railways, waterways, and air routes are modeled with HIGH-TOOL to support political decision-making. (Illustration: KIT)

The HIGH-TOOL project is one of the winners of the German Mobility Prize 2017. In the award ceremony held at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, the prize was conferred on the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and its partners from five countries for their HIGH-TOOL project by Parliamentary State Secretary Dorothee Bar and Ute Weiland, Director of the Germany  Land of Ideas initiative. Coordinated by KIT, a planning tool to forecast the quantitative impacts of transport policy measures on economy, society, and environment was developed for the EU.

Alongside strong national and international partners, KIT conducts research on the challenges the society is facing with respect to energy, mobility, and information, said Professor Holger Hanselka, President of KIT. The fact that the German Mobility Prize has been awarded to the HIGH-TOOL project underlines that we are on the right track when it comes to making excellent contributions.

Germany is the number one mobility country! With the German Mobility Award, we are promoting moving innovations made in Germany, because with the best ideas, we will become a trailblazer for Mobility 4.0, said Alexander Dobrindt, the German Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, on the occasion of the award presentation ceremony to HIGH-TOOL and the other prize winners.

The model (strategic high-level transport model) developed within the HIGH-TOOL project of the EU allows computerized modeling of transport policy measures and their impacts. With this tool, the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) of the European Commission is provided a quantitative instrument to assess the impact of transport policy measures on economy, society, and the environment for decades. HIGH-TOOL can be applied to strategically assess and preselect options for analysis using more detailed models.

The HIGH-TOOL model enables computerized modeling of transport policy measures and their impacts. (Picture: KIT/HIGH-TOOL)

Being awarded the German Mobility Prize is, of course, a stimulus for the entire project team to continue applying and further developing this instrument, the project coordinator, Dr. Eckhard Szimba, who heads the respective working group at the Chair for Network Economics of KIT's Institute for Economic Policy Research (ECON), says with delight. In addition, the award of the German Mobility Prize to an EU project highlights the synergies existing between European transport research and national transport research and policy.

HIGH-TOOL is a particularly user-friendly OpenSource software. Any strategy simulation is accompanied by an assessment report that lists major results in the form of Excel tables and diagrams.

Under the 7th Research Framework Program, the European Union funded the HIGH-TOOL project with about EUR 2.5 million. A total of eight partners from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Hungary were involved. KIT coordinated the project, additionally participated in all development areas, and was responsible for the passenger demand model.

More information is available at:

www.deutscher-mobilitatspreis.de/hightool

http://www.kit.edu/kit/english/pi_2017_023_high-tool-supports-transport-planning-in-europe.php

http://www.high-tool.eu/

About The German Mobility Prize

Created by the "Germany  Land of Ideas" initiative and the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), the German Mobility Prize is intended to showcase digital innovation for intelligent mobility solutions  and generate new momentum for Germany as a digital location. This competition focuses on demonstrating the opportunities that arise from innovative digital solutions for tomorrows mobility.

The jury selected the 10 winners of the 2017 award from about 170 submissions. They all show how the digital transformation of mobility can be advanced to enable even more intelligent and safe ways for transporting people and goods in the future. HIGH-TOOL and the other honored projects thus are shining examples for Germany as a center of business and research excellence.

www.deutscher-mobilitaetspreis.de

More about the KIT Mobility Systems Center: http://www.mobilitaetssysteme.kit.edu

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
MEXICO CITY, July 20 (Reuters) - Mexican retail and banking company Grupo Elektra on Thursday reported a net profit of 7.1 billion pesos ($393.4 million) in the second quarter, boosted by higher sales and an improved loan portfolio.

In the same quarter a year ago, Elektra had recorded a net loss of 79 million pesos.

Elektra also said revenue rose 17 percent in the April-June period, to 22.8 billion pesos.

Elektra, owned by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas, said its loan portfolio grew by 24 percent to 85.1 billion pesos.

Elektra, which runs appliance stores that have banking and money transfer businesses, said its EBITDA rose 25 percent.

Earlier this year, members of Mexico's association of brokerages asked the stock exchange to look into Elektra's share price gains. The company has said it was not aware of what was driving them.

Elektra shares were up 0.57 percent at 819.82 pesos per share before it reported. ($1 = 18.143 pesos on June 30)

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, editing by G Crosse)
MENDOZA, Argentina, July 21 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Henrique Meirelles said on Friday that the government's pension reform bill will only be put to the vote in Congress "when conditions are mature" and the timing is not certain.

Speaking to journalists during a meeting of the South American trade bloc Mercosur, Meirelles said there was no plan to break up the unpopular legislation to ease its passage through Congress.

Corruption charges pending against President Michel Temer have delayed efforts to win approval of the pension bill in the lower house of Congress next month and in the Senate before the end of the year. The pension system is the biggest drain on government finances and reducing its cost is key to bringing a bulging budget deficit under control.

"We will go ahead with the original proposal, with the modifications that have already been approved in committee. The only question is when it will be put to the vote," Meirelles said.

"The Speaker of the House is fully in agreement with the government on that, and on the need to hold the vote until the conditions are mature," he added. "Our expectations are that it will eventually go ahead."

Meirelles said Brazil lives under "some uncertainty" that will be resolved at some point. "And then life will go on."

(Reporting by Juan Bustamante Rojas; Writing by Anthony Boadle; editing by Diane Craft)
ACCRA, July 21 (Reuters) - The Bank of Ghana said the yield on its 91-day bill rose to 12.57 percent at a weekly auction on Friday, from 12.55 percent at the last sale on July 14. The bank said it had accepted 687.69 million cedis ($155.37 million) worth of bids out of the 805.12 million cedis tendered for the paper, which will be issued on July 24. For full details, click here: ($1 = 4.4260 Ghanaian cedis)

(Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; editing by John Stonestreet)

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.
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.

Alacer Gold Corp. (TSX: ASR, ASX: AQG) has completed currency hedging to limit exposure to volatility in the Turkish lira, thereby providing a degree of financial stability, the company says. The program involved selling the U.S. dollar to purchase 500 million lira at an average conversion rate of 3.8, with settlement dates between June 2017 and September 2018. The hedge can be utilized in either the current continuing Copler oxide operations or a sulfide project. While it is too early to accurately quantify the potential positive financial impacts to either the continuing Copler oxide operations or the sulfide project, the fact that we have been successful in negotiating lira-denominated contracts for approximately 40% of the remaining sulfide project capital expenditures puts us in a position to potentially reduce the overall capital cost of the project, says Rod Antal, president and chief executive officer. He reports that the sulfide project is 48% completed and on schedule, with the company targeting the first sulfide gold production in the third quarter of 2018.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Premier Gets TSX Go-Ahead For Share Purchases

Premier Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: PG) has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange to purchase up to 19,599,646 of its outstanding common shares under a normal course issuer bid. The company says purchases may begin Tuesday and terminate on July 24, 2018, or earlier if the bid is complete. The number of shares under the purchase program represents 10% of the public float, Premier says. The board of directors has determined that the bid is an effective use of the company's financial resources when its common shares trade at a significant discount to their underlying value, Premier adds.
JAKARTA, July 21 (Reuters) - Indonesia exported 403,201 tonnes of nickel ore in the first six months of 2017, when a complete ban on exports was lifted, a mining ministry spokesman said on Friday.

"The government is optimistic the volume of nickel ore exports is being controlled," said ministry spokesman Sujatmiko, referring to efforts to ensure that more raw minerals are processed in Indonesia.

Since April, the government has issued nickel export permits for three companies, with a total volume 6.08 million tonnes.

(Reporting by Wilda Asmarini; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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.

Image Courtesy of Flickr user 'California National Guard'

(Kitco News) - A tough California winter has triggered a surprising summer gold rush for residents living near the Oroville Spillway crisis, as weeks of heavy rains during the winter months stirred up gold flakes and nuggets along the rivers that the spillway impacted.

The main spots gold panners are flocking to are the riverbanks of the Feather and Yuba rivers. Both are fed by the Oroville Dam, media reports said.

But, wannabe gold explorers must keep in mind that the pieces being discovered this summer are averaging around $40-$300. Yet, these are some of the biggest gold finds in the area in recent years.

Its great business for us, because we buy gold all day long, numismatist from Yuba City Coin and Bullion, Angela Dimmick, told CBS 5.

Some reports point to gold appearing after runoff rainwater moved parts of the soil at the mountain base, which was flooded during the heavy rainfall.

Both, the Feather and Yuba rivers, were impacted by the Oroville Dam crisis in February, when the dams main and emergency spillways were seriously damaged by non-stop rainfalls. The crisis lead to an evacuation of more than 180,000 people residing downstream of the Feather River.

California state authorities are currently working to repair the damage, hoping to have everything finished by November in order to prevent another disaster next year.

The area nearby the Yuba River has a long history of gold panning and has been referred to as Gold Country since the 1840s. There was even a time when miners could simply reach down to the bottom of the river and pick up gold nuggets out near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. But, resources quickly ran out and miners had to adopt more complex methods of extracting gold, including blasting rock.
MANILA, July 21 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday the government will draft a new law for the country's mining industry, which he said pays too little in tax and not enough in compensation for any environmental damage.

The fate of more than half of 41 mines in the Philippines, the world's top nickel ore supplier, has been uncertain since February when then Environment Secretary Regina Lopez ordered their closure for causing environmental damage and violating laws. Lopez led a 10-month industry crackdown until her dismissal in May by the Commission on Appointments following her mining orders, which included a ban on open-pit mining. She was replaced by Duterte's friend, former military general Roy Cimatu. "I'd like to tell you frankly, we will come up with new legislation ... we have to rearrange everything," Duterte said in a speech at a business conference in his hometown Davao City.

Duterte also said he would invite all industry stakeholders to the presidential palace for a dialogue together with his former environment minister Lopez and other anti-mining advocates.

Duterte said he has always been supportive of Lopez's pro-environment stance but could not stop mining because there is a law that allows the miners to continue to operate.

He also complained that the taxes miners pay are "too low" and lamented the lack of compensation to mining communities that suffer from environmental damage.

Duterte did not say when the meeting would take place but he said he planned to show industry stakeholders footage shown to him by anti-mining advocates, including Lopez, about the environmental destruction as well examples of good practices in mining.

"I will tell (them), look at the slides about good practices of mining, and I will ask everybody to focus on that," he said. "Then let's also look at the slides on mining gone awry."

He also urged mining companies to "come up with an arrangement that is fair to everybody."

(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz. Editing by Jane Merriman)
HANOI, July 21 (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 0403 GMT.

July 21 USD/VND mid-point 22,432 USD/VND interbank 22,730/22,740 USD/VND unofficial 22,770/22,790 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.20/36.42

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.5-1.0

1 week 0.8-1.2

1 month 1.9-2.6

3 months 3.3-4.0

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)
MADRID, July 21 (Reuters) - Spain's trade deficit rose 50.7 percent in the first five months of the year from the same period a year earlier as imports, lifted by rising domestic demand and imported energy products, outstripped exports. Imports rose 13.3 percent to 126.7 billion euros ($147.5 billion), while exports rose 10.9 percent from a year earlier to 116.9 billion euros, leaving a shortfall of 9.8 billion euros. In May, the deficit was up 52.1 percent from a year earlier as imports rose 16.7 percent to 26.8 billion euros and exports rose 15.2 percent to 25.4 billion euros, the ministry said. ($1 = 0.8587 euros)

(Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Jesus Aguado)

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.
The following Spanish stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Friday. Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy:

ABERTIS Spanish builder ACS could launch a counter-bid for Abertis to compete with Italy's Atlantia , Expansion newspaper reported on Friday, citing financial sources. IBERDROLA / ENDESA Iberdrola and Endesa, both on Nuclenor's board, end their agreement over the Garona nuclear power plant (Cinco Dias)

DURO FELGUERA Duro Felguera won a contract of $130 million to build two carbon storage facilities in Mexico. Spain's tax agency is also demanding 122 million euros ($142.04 million) from Duro Felguera, which is in the process of refinancing. (Vozpopuli)

For today's European market outlook double click on .

For real-time moves on the Spanish blue-chip index IBEX please double click on For IBEX constituent stocks highlight .IBEX in the command box and press the F3 button on your keyboard

For latest news on Spanish stock moves double click For Spanish language market report double click on For latest Eurostocks report please double click on ($1 = 0.8589 euros)
BANGKOK, July 21 (Reuters) - Thailand's trade competitiveness has not been much affected by a strong baht and exports can still increase as forecast this year, a central bank official said on Friday, as the baht hit a 26-month high against the U.S dollar.

"We are still confident that exports will grow 5 percent this year although our currency is stronger than others, but not much," Don Nakornthab, a senior director at the Bank of Thailand, told a seminar.

He said the central bank had acted on the baht to some extent to try to keep the currency in line with regional currencies.

The baht has risen by 7 percent against the greenback so far this year, the most in Southeast Asia.

(Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
ZURICH, July 21 (Reuters) - The Swiss blue-chip SMI was seen opening flat at 9,029 points on Friday, according to premarket indications by bank Julius Baer .

The following are some of the main factors expected to affect Swiss stocks:

SWATCH Swatch Group said it expected "very positive growth in local currency" in the second half of 2017, after net profit improved by 7.2 percent in the first six months of the year, helped by a timid improvement in global demand for Swiss watches. For more news, click LANDIS+GYR The Swiss smart meter maker said it had priced its initial public offering (IPO) at 78 Swiss francs per share, giving it a market capitalization of 2.3 billion Swiss francs ($2.4 billion). COMPANY STATEMENTS * Amgen said the FDA has accepted its biologics license application for Aimovig, will be jointly commercialized in the United States by Amgen and Novartis . * Forbo said in on-going antitrust proceedings brought against Forbo Flooring Systems and other competitors in France in 2013, Forbo Flooring Systems France needs to anticipate one-off costs of around 85 million Swiss francs. Adjusted for this extraordinary effect, the company confirmed its positive guidance of spring 2017. * BB Biotech said second-quarter net income amounted to 103 million Swiss francs, compared to 36 million for same period in 2016. * SFS said first-half net income improved by 20.8 percent compared with the previous-year period, amounting to 56.9 million Swiss francs. It expects positive trends in sales and profits to continue in the second half of 2017 but growth momentum will subside somewhat in comparison with the first half of the year. * SHL Telemedicine disclosed write-offs and extraordinary items for full-year 2016. These extraordinary items along with other items will negatively impact its equity by approximately $9.3 million, the company said. * Cassiopea posted first-half loss after taxes of 9.3 million euros compared to a 8.5 million loss a year earlier. * Ypsomed said its distribution agreement with Insulet Corp. will end as per June 30, 2018 because the parties could not agree on extending the contract. * Vifor Pharma said the European Commission has approved patiromer to be marketed as Veltassa in the 28 EU countries for the treatment of elevated serum potassium levels (hyperkalaemia) in adult patients. * Conzzeta announced the signing of a binding agreement for the full acquisition of Otto Bock Kunststoff, which is domiciled in Duderstadt, Germany and generated net revenue of around 130 million euros in 2016. The parties have agreed not to reveal the purchase price, Conzzeta said. * CPH Chemie und Papier Holding posted a net result for first half of 2017 of-2.2 million francs. The company said it is confident of reporting a positive net result for the year. ECONOMY (Reporting by Zurich newsroom)

Daily Swiss stock market report in German................ All SMI constituent stocks............................ News on major Swiss stock price moves.................. FTSE Eurotop 300 index................................ DJ STOXX index........................................ Top 10 STOXX sectors............................. Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors........................ Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors....................... Top 25 European pct gainers... , losers... Swiss mid-cap index SMI futures Swiss all-share index Market statistics Swiss market digest Sector overview All Swiss news Swiss research news All equity news INTERNET ADDRESSES: Swiss Exchange / Eurex STOXX Ltd SPEED GUIDES: ))

Keywords: MARKETS SWISS STOCKS/
JOHANNESBURG, July 21 (Reuters) - South Africa sold 2.555 billion rand ($197 million) worth of three-month Treasury bills on Friday, at an average yield of 7.21 percent compared with 7.56 percent last week, central bank data showed. The bid-to-cover ratio rose to 2.6 from 1.8 last week. Auction date: 21/07/2017 Settlement date: 26/07/2017 Days 91 182 273 364 Amount received (R'bln) 6.664 5.778 5.21 4.89 Amount on offer (R'bln) 2.555 2.26 2.1 2.0 Amount allotted (R'bln) 2.555 2.26 2.1 2.0 Bid-to-cover ratio 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.4 Avg discount rate (pct) 7.09 7.02 6.93 6.83 Average yield (pct) 7.21 7.27 7.31 7.33 ($1 = 12.9550 rand)

(Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by James Macharia)

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.
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.

(Kitco News) - Wall Street and Main Street alike look for golds resurgence to continue next week, based on voting in the weekly Kitco News gold survey.

Wall Street Bullish Bearish Neutral VS Main Street Bullish Bearish Neutral

Traders and analysts cited the continuing turmoil surrounding the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, weakness in the U.S. dollar and technical-chart momentum.

Eighteen professionals took part in a Kitco News Wall Street survey. Thirteen voters, or 72%, see gold prices rising by the end of next week. Four voters, or 22%, look for a sideways market, while just one, or 6%, said lower.

The Kitco online Main Street poll resulted in 974 votes, with 567 participants, or 58%, calling for gold to climb over the next week. Another 269 voters, or 28%, said that gold will fall, while 138, or 14%, were neutral.

In last Friday's survey for the current week, 68% of Wall Street voters and 49% of Main Street (the largest voting bloc) called for gold to rise this week. As of 11:05 a.m. EDT, they were right, with Comex August gold up 1.9% the week to $1,250.90 an ounce.

So far in 2017, but not counting the current week, Wall Street forecasters collectively were right 17 of 27 times for a winning percentage of 63%. Main Street was right 16 of 26 times for 62%.

Technicals are turning more bullish, including a fledgling price uptrend in place on the daily bar chart, said Jim Wyckoff, senior technical analyst with Kitco.

Kevin Grady, president of Phoenix Futures and Options LLC, described himself as friendly toward gold, pointing out that the metal has now moved above several moving averages, including the 200- and 50-day averages. Much of the recent strength is likely short covering, he said. This is when traders with short, or bearish, positions buy in order to exit or cover their positions. There may well be more of this to come, Grady explained.

With prices up here, some of these shorts are going to cover rather than roll forward into future contract months ahead of first-notice day for the August gold contract, Grady said.

Adam Button, currency analyst with Forexlive.com, also looks for gold to continue its recovery from multi-month lows reached earlier in the month. The U.S. dollar is struggling and there is nothing in the calendar in the week ahead that threatens to turn the tide, he said.

Richard Baker, editor of the Eureka Miner Report, also looks for more gold gains, pointing to strength in the precious metal priced in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Signs of dovishness from central bankers, including Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, combined with White House controversies should maintain a rise in gold prices to at least the $1,260 level, Baker said.

Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at trading house MKS (Switzerland) SA, said he sees gold still largely in a trading range but with more upside than downside potential, particularly amid the troubles facing Trump. I would say buy on dips, he added.

Bob Haberkorn, senior commodities broker with RJO Futures, looks for gold to turn sideways, with the market pausing ahead of the Tuesday-Wednesday meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee. While nobody expects a rate hike, market participants will be closely scrutinizing the language in the post-meeting statement for clues on the future of monetary policy, he said. Then golds next move depends on what we hear from them, Haberkorn said.

Darin Newsom, senior analyst at Telvent DTN, cast the lone Wall Street bearish vote for next week. I think we are at the point where gold has run its course in the short term, he said.
Stuff reports:

Former Prime Minister John Key will be receiving Australias highest honour at a ceremony in Canberra on Tuesday.

Sir John  who was knighted in the 2017 Queens Birthday honours  has been appointed an Honorary Companion in the Order of Australia, and will be invested with the insignia by Australias Governor General.

I was shocked and stunned when I got the phone call from PM Turnbull, Sir John said on Monday evening.

In my mind its a recognition of the closeness of our bi-lateral relationship. This honour should be viewed far more as a recognition of the bond between our two countries more than a personal award.

I had always viewed Australia as our most important relationship and worked to ensure my actions reflected that.
Three people were arrested when they were caught by police with stolen items in their car.

Officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department were staking out an area near the Red Rock Canyon Open Space Thursday morning following a string of car break-ins. Police noticed a vehicle drive into the parking lot area and park. When police made contact with the people in the car, they developed information that there may be stolen items inside the vehicle.

Officers found out two of the three people in the vehicle were wanted on separate warrants. As police searched the vehicle, they found items in the car that were reported as stolen goods from car break-ins throughout Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and Green Mountain Falls.

Officers were also able to link a recent residential burglary to one of the suspects. On top of the stolen items, police found 18.8 grams of methamphetamine, 2.1 grams of cocaine and 7.7 grams of prescription pills in the vehicle. All together, there was about $15,000 worth of stolen property in the car.

Rhiannon Mooney, 23, was arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance, burglary of a motor vehicle, second-degree burglary and false information to a pawn broker.

Kevin Crumb, 24, was arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance and burglary of a motor vehicle.

Carl Powell, 26, was arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Police believe more people will be arrested tied to the car break-ins.
Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul / Courtesy of Lotte Corp.



By Park Jae-hyuk

Lotte World Tower, Shinsegae Starfield and other mega-size shopping malls will be ordered to close twice a month from next year, in line with the Moon Jae-in administration's five-year policy roadmap announced this week.

According to the roadmap, the multipurpose shopping malls will face the same regulations as large discount chains such as E-mart, Home plus and Lotte Mart.

The chains have been forced to close twice a month since 2012. Most local governments demanded the discount chains close their stores biweekly on Sundays. They also cannot open from midnight to 10:00 a.m.

The all-in-one shopping malls have avoided the restrictions so far, because the malls are in suburban areas, far from small shops in traditional markets.

However, President Moon has pledged to regulate the shopping malls for the sake of small retailers, claiming the malls reduce their sales.

The upcoming regulations are feared to deal severe blows not only to the retail giants, but also to their tenants and customers who regard the malls as family-friendly amenities.

Most mega-size shopping malls just lease space to their tenants, while discount chains sell their products to customers directly.

It is uncertain whether the shopping malls will close their other amenities, such as theaters, aquariums and observation decks.

Critics point out that the government policy is expected to hurt the self-employed tenants and thousands of low-income workers in the malls, rather than the conglomerates.





Starfield Hanam in Gyeonggi Province, southeast of Seoul / Courtesy of Shinsegae Group



The government has also been criticized for being ignorant about the specific concept of a multipurpose shopping complex.

"We find it difficult to come up with any countermeasures because the roadmap is too ambiguous," a retail industry official said.

Those who will suffer most, however, seem to be the customers who visit the malls with their families on weekends.

Lotte World Tower attracts an average of 100,000 visitors a day on weekdays and 170,000 on weekends. The landmark in southeastern Seoul has become a popular tourist attraction.

Shinsegae Starfield Hanam also attracts 50,000 people on weekdays and 100,000 on weekends. The mega-size shopping mall in Gyeonggi Province aims to be a shopping theme park to please everyone, regardless of age or gender.

Most customers complain that the government is trying to deprive them of their right to choose.

"Small retailers may temporarily benefit from the regulations," a civic group Consumer Watch said in a statement. "However, unless the small retailers introduce some innovations, the regulations will depress the retail industry, aggravating the country's economic problems."
By Yoon Ja-young



The debate on tax hikes for the rich has heated up. Following suggestions by the governing Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and some ministers that a tax raise was inevitable to implement President Moon Jae-in's economic policies, Cheong Wa Dae also acknowledged the need to discuss the issue.



"The tax hike will be discussed at an economy related ministers meeting and a Cabinet meeting next week, in line with talks over a tax code revision. The stance of Cheong Wa Dae on the issue will be determined after the process," presidential spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said after a national fiscal strategy meeting presided over by President Moon, Thursday and Friday.



At the meeting, DPK Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae suggested raising taxes on high income earners and conglomerates.



Rep. Woo Won-sik, the floor leader of the ruling party, also indicated Friday that the DPK would push for raising the taxes paid by big companies and high-income earners.



"What Choo has said about tax hikes is what we have been discussing within the party," he said.



Currently, businesses earning more than 20 billion won are subject to the highest corporate tax rate of 22 percent. The rate was cut to 22 percent from 25 percent by the former Lee Myung-bak administration. Choo suggested levying a 25 percent tax rate on corporate income exceeding 200 billion won. Analysts expect that less than 100 businesses will be subject to this highest tax rate.



"Without a corporate tax hike, it may be difficult to meet revenue targets, no matter how much we decrease exemptions or pull up the effective rate," Choo said.



She added that the corporate tax revision will increase government revenue by 2.93 trillion won.



Choo also suggested raising tax rate on people earning more than 500 million won annually to 42 percent from 40 percent. Around 20,000 are in this highest income bracket.



Some ministers are also openly supporting a tax hike.



Minister of the Interior Kim Boo-kyum said that the government should be more honest about the need for an income tax hike, instead of just mentioning fiscal reform or tackling the problem of the underground economy.



Such comments come from the determination that a hike is inevitable.



Kim Jin-pyo, head of the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, the de facto transition team of President Moon, said in a radio interview that the tax burden ratio, which hovered around 21 percent during former Roh Moo-hyun administration, currently stands at 18 percent.



"It is essential to raise taxes step by step to make up for economic and social loopholes and allow the government to function properly."



The administration recently presented a 100-task roadmap, which would cost 178 trillion won over the next five years. While it said that most of the plan can be financed through fiscal reform, it avoided mentioning the need for a tax hike.



It thus drew criticism that it was little different from the former Park Geun-hye administration which promised "welfare without a tax hike."



The finance ministry plans to announce a revision plan for next year in August, including possible tax hikes.



"We have been gathering expert opinions regarding taxes, to make a comprehensive analysis. It hasn't been decided yet whether they will be raised, or how much this will be if implemented," a ministry official said.



President Moon had pledged to raise taxes during the election campaign, but he toned this down as the election day drew near, apparently so as not to lose votes.



The administration has concerns over any tax increase raise as it faces local elections next year.



During the former Roh administration, President Moon, who was his closest aide then, witnessed his party fall following the introduction of a comprehensive real estate tax.



The tax hike plan suggested by Rep. Choo aims at minimizing resistance from taxpayers as it only affects a small number of conglomerates and ultra-high income earners.



Cheong Wa Dae said the issue will be discussed at a meeting between the governing party and the government. If agreed upon, a tax hike plan is expected to be included in tax revisions for next year.



The conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party, however, is negative on the issue. It pointed out that other countries are inducing corporate investment by cutting corporate taxes and says that a tax increase may lead to an exodus of conglomerates.






By Nam Hyun-woo



Banking has existed since ancient times and has changed its shape significantly from grain loans between merchants to today's banking without cash.



Throughout paradigm shifts, banks' operations have changed dramatically. Many global lenders are now setting up branchless and digital operations as the way to go  a move that is in stark contrast to the strategy they took over the past century.



Economists and experts say the branch banking strategy by Bank of America founder Amadeo Peter Giannini is the model case showing how banks bulked themselves up and penetrated into peoples' daily lives in the 20th century.



Giannini was born in California on May 6, 1870, a son of Italian immigrants. Instead of schooling, he jumped into business in his early years and founded the Bank of Italy in 1904 with five partners.



After its survival from a series of natural and economic disasters, such as the San Francisco earthquake in 1907, the Bank of Italy's business quickly hit its stride and Giannini began buying other banks in California.



He then turned the banks into branches of the Bank of Italy and continued such a tactic to extend his empire across the United States. In 1928, Giannini merged the Bank of Italy with the Bank of America, Los Angeles and two years later renamed the bank the Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association.



According to a 1932 Federal Reserve report, the Bank of Italy had 25 offices by the end of 1919 and it rapidly increased to 292, 10 years later. Except for 40 branches in San Francisco, home to its headquarters, 252 were out-of-town branches, scattered literally all over California.



"The spread of branch banking in California has to a large extent resulted from the activities of one man and the bank with which he has been identified  A. P. Giannini and the Bank of Italy," the report said.



Giannini's branch banking tactic was soon adopted by rival banks, because it seemed branches were well functioning as an extension of the home location without playing the full role of the home office.



Through Giannini's principle, the Bank of America grew its services networks. It continued to expand and in 2013 was operating 5,328 branches in the U.S. and was active in 40 countries, giving Giannini the reputation of "one of the greatest bankers in history."



About five years ago, however, the situation began to change.



With the rapid advance of the internet and mobile banking, people relied more on clicks and taps than a walk to a bank branch. As the emergence of ATMs had done, the advance of internet and mobile banking quickly convinced banks they don't need to maintain as many branches anymore.



Global banks were keen to scrap their old strategy of branch banking and channeled the resources saved to digital banking.



JPMorgan Chase is scaling down its branch networks, Citigroup is accelerating its move to transform into a digital bank globally and Wells Fargo is downsizing its branches so it can hire fewer employees and sit in a smaller space.



Even the Bank of America has been cutting down its branch network. A CNN Money report said the number of the bank's branches in the U.S. dropped by 10 percent to 4,789 as of the end of the second quarter of 2015.





Citibank Korea leads efforts to reduce branches



Korea is no exception. Citibank Korea has created a stir in the domestic banking industry, by announcing a shutdown of most of its branches across the country.



This is in line with Citigroup's belief that reshaping its branch network is essential because it reduces expenses.



Citigroup CFO John Gerspach said during a third-quarter earnings call last year the bank has "spent the last several years reshaping its branch network, enabling it to grow revenue while reducing expenses."



But there is resistance.



Though the bank said it is part of its "next-generation consumer banking strategy to preemptively respond to the rapidly changing digital and financial service environment," its union here opposed the plan, saying it will end up bringing massive layoffs as well as deteriorating service quality.



Citibank Korea's management and union agreed on curtailing the initial plan of shutting down 101 branches, keeping 36 branches _ serving multiple functions such as wealth management  operational.



"A large branch network used to represent a bank's presence in the past. But now it is more of a burden incurring fixed costs," a domestic bank official said, asking not to be named.



Korea's homegrown banks are also joining global giants' moves.



According to six banks  KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Woori, KEB Hana, NH NongHyup and Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK)  the total number of their branches across the country declined to 5,493 at the end of May this year, down 442 from 5,953 at the end of the first quarter of 2013.



KEB Hana has closed the most at 159, as part of branch network reshaping efforts after the merger of the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) and Hana Bank in 2015. KB Kookmin, which is the largest in Korea by number of branches, shut down 123, while Woori followed with 102.



"Along with the advent of internet and mobile banking, there are so many ways of banking," the bank official said. "For example, peer-to-peer lending is already occupying a significant share in financial services and there are so many new businesses which don't require a massive network. For a bank, relying less on branch banking is becoming a matter of survival."



"The banking world experienced similar issues when ATMs first emerged," said Prof. Sung Tae-yoon of Yonsei University. "It is true that simple and standardized branches are quickly becoming unnecessary."



"As we have seen in Citibank Korea's case, branches will be merged and evolve into a massive financial center playing multiple roles and offering face-to-face counseling."
Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun pays tribute to the late missionary Charles Huntley at the missionary's residence in Yangrim-dong, Gwangju, July 6. /Courtesy of Gwangju city office



By Park Jin-hai





Hong In-hwa

The life of missionary Charles Betts Huntley, also known by his Korean name Heo Cheol-seon, and his wife Martha cannot be separated from the painful moments of the 1980 Gwangju democratic movement of Korea.

Huntley, former pastor of Kwangju Christian Hospital, braved to take pictures of innocent civilians shot by Korean soldiers under the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan, and spread the news to let the world know the truth, along with his journalist-turned missionary wife, Martha. He died at his U.S. home on June 26.

Hong In-hwa, former Gwangju city councilor and president of "The 1904," an organization that pays tribute to foreign missionaries in Gwangju, prepared a memorial service after she belatedly learned the sad news.

"They were at the center of the May 18 democratization movement in Gwangju," said Hong, who then as a high school freshman attended the Monday English Bible study Martha conducted for local students. "After seeing high school girls who volunteered to go to the street and ask others for blood donations just a while earlier, then were carried back to the hospital shot dead, Huntley, slipping on the blood in the hospital, took pictures of the dead to let the world know about what happened at Gwangju. When he saw a corpse with half its face blown off due to a gunshot, he cried like wolf."

He took pictures of what the brutal military government did to citizens and secretly printed the pictures in the darkroom at his residence.

Martha wrote many columns and articles for The Korea Times, the Korea Herald, and the PCUS monthly magazine in the U.S, leaving detailed descriptions of the situation in Korea.

Her articles and pictures about the Gwangju Democratization Movement on May 18 in 1980 became so well known that the missionaries had to leave Korea in 1984, according to Hong.

Huntley provided his residence as a sanctuary for frightened citizens, evading the heavy inspections of the military. At one point, 22 people stayed there hiding.

"On Wednesday morning there were thousands of people gathered to protest what had been happening. The soldiers, nervous, or acting under orders, began to fire into the crowd. Not over their heads. Not at the ground in front of them. No, right into the crowds!

"The people of the city, some nervous, some scared, some angry, raided the arsenals for the use of the Reserve Army in town and in the surrounding villages. When the shooting started, it was in both directions. That was when the hospital started receiving civilians with gunshot wounds and corpses. Perhaps this day was the worst day for us. We could not believe that the Army of the Republic of Korea was actually shooting our neighbors!" wrote Martha Huntley, recording the horror of the day.

Until their 1984 return to the U.S., the couple helped the victims and their families who needed medical or scholarship help. They also adopted a Korean boy.

"Like so many missionaries who worked namelessly for Gwangju citizens, the Huntleys devoted their lives to the people. Their devotion, expecting no return, should never be forgotten," Hong said.

By the recommendation of Hong and her organization, Charles Huntley was given the "May Mothers Award" this May, which honors those who devoted their efforts to the May 18 Democratization movement and those who fought for human rights and justice in a broader meaning, just a month before his death.

His residence in Yangrim-dong, Gwangju, is now used as a guest house called "The 1904" where Huntley's darkroom and equipment are preserved.
Tomas Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, speaks during a press conference at the Seoul Global Center, Friday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Kim Bo-eun

A United Nations human rights envoy called for the two Koreas to focus on the needs of 12 North Korean restaurant workers who defected to the South from China last year, instead of politicizing the human rights issue.

North Korea, which accused the South of abducting the workers, has demanded their return as a condition for the resumption of separated family reunions.

"I urge the two Koreas to avoid politicizing the situation of these women, and strictly focus on their interests, protection needs and the needs of their families," Tomas Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea said at the Seoul Global Center, Friday.

He made the remarks at a press conference held on the final day of a five-day visit to Seoul, marking the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration in May.

Quintana welcomed Seoul's decision to seek dialogue with Pyongyang. The government proposed Monday holding talks for Friday; but the North remained silent.

"This is a reassuring step forward to lower tensions that have built up between the two Koreas over the past months, which echoes the appeal I made to both countries in April to halt conflict rhetoric," he said. "I very much hope that the DPRK will respond positively to the Moon initiative in the interest of long-term peace, security and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries."

The envoy added: "The protection of human rights should be central to this policy of rapprochement."

Last month, a group supporting a North Korean defector wishing to return to his home country, Kwon Cheol-nam, submitted a statement to the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul.

Quintana, who met the defector during his visit, said "We need to remember that many who come from the North to the South are leaving behind relatives and families, so I believe there are human rights implications with regards to this situation that I as a human rights envoy need to look into."

Quintana also touched upon the death of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. tourist who died last month after being released in coma from a jail in Pyongyang, where he was detained for taking down a propaganda poster.

"The tragic death of Warmbier shortly after his release in a comatose state from a Pyongyang prison was also a reminder to all of us of the dire consequences of the lack of access to consular and legal counsel for those in detention in North Korea," he said.

"It is the basic responsibility of any state in the world to respect the conditions of detention, to protect the right to health. Pyeongyang needs offer an explanation to Warmbier's parents and to the international community."
Otto Warmbier, center, a University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea since early January, is taken to North Korea's top court in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo March 16, 2016. / Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

In less than two months the U.S. government will ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea, according to Reuters Friday citing tourist agencies.

Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, which operate tours to North Korea, reportedly said the ban would be announced on July 27 and go into effect 30 days later.

The agencies did not say how long the ban would last.

U.S. student Otto Warmbier, who visited the military state in January 2016 and was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, used Young Pioneer Tours. North Korea released him in June in a coma and he died days after getting back to the U.S.
By Oh Young-jin

The new U.S. Pyeongtaek Garrison is vulnerable to North Korea's rocket and missile attacks possibly topped with chemical and biological warheads, a noted American defense analyst told The Korea Times Friday.

"The new North Korean 300mm rocket launchers would be able to reach Pyeongtaek," said Bruce Bennett, a senior defense researcher at the Rand Corp.

It was a contingency that the U.S. failed to anticipate in the early 2000s when the integrated U.S. base was planned, the Korea expert added. Pyeongtaek is located 100 kilometers from the southernmost area of the North Korean side on the inter-Korean border and is outside the range of the North's 7,000 artillery pieces located there.

But the latest 300mm rocket launchers can cover the distance and hit the U.S. base and what is also worrisome is they are reloadable, he said.












Two police look up the skirt of "Posunyi," the South Korean police female mascot. / Screen capture from Instagram

By Lee Han-soo

A photo of a soon-to-be discharged group of police on mandatory conscription duty leering at the police force's female mascot is sexual harassment, angry citizens claim.

The photo shows two police trying to look up the skirt of "Posunyi," the South Korean police mascot.

Netizens blasted the police, saying that even the police believe it is funny to portray what can be only described as sexual harassment.

They added that the picture lowered the credibility of the police for female citizens and that there had been past cases of pictures sexually portraying the female police mascot.

Netizens have uploaded the picture to the official police Instagram and Sinmungo portal website _ where people submit complaints against the central government _ demanding the officers involved be strictly punished.
Senior judge resigns demanding Yang initiate judicial reform



By Lee Kyung-min



Criticism is mounting against Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae as he continued to ignore calls for judicial reform Friday despite the resignation of a senior judge who demanded that he immediately initiate the long-stalled task.



Yang has been dismissing calls from judges nationwide to clarify allegations that the top court under his direction created a "blacklist of judges."



The alleged systematic effort was to suppress "anti-conformist" voices within the judiciary by denying promotions to those critical of the judicial administration and Chief Justice Yang. He has about two months before his term ends.



The outrage of judges grew fiercer after an internal investigation concluded there was no such list without searching computers in which password-locked files containing the list were allegedly stored.



A senior judge at the Incheon District Court Choi Han-don said Thursday that he tendered his resignation to Yang a day earlier, hoping the action would prompt him to respond.



Choi is the second judge to have offered to resign in protest, after former senior judge Park Si-hwan did so in 2003 criticizing the seniority-based appointment practice of Supreme Court justices.



"Chief Justice Yang yet again refused to reopen the investigation into the blacklist allegation, citing the same reason. That fundamentally demoralizes judges whose desperate last-ditch efforts to self-reform the judiciary remain gravely challenged," said Choi in an online community forum of judges.



"I hope my offer to resign, a decision I made out of loyalty, could help Yang change his stance and come up with measures to prevent a recurrence of this unfortunate incident," he added.



Choi's resignation came a week after he met with the Vice Chairman at the Office of Court Administration (OCA) under the Supreme Court to convince him of the need to thoroughly investigate the allegation, a measure he called crucial to restore lost public faith. The vice chairman has yet to respond.



Choi was elected leader of a five-member fact-finding committee June 19 when more than 100 judges nationwide convened a meeting to discuss measures about the allegation. The second meeting will be attended by 99 judges next Monday.



The committee's continued requests to the top court on follow-up measures have since been repeatedly denied. It ended up being derailed June 28 when Yang refused to use his authority to reopen the investigation citing customary practice and security protocols.



Choi's resignation also came amid intensified criticism of Yang following the appointment of the new OCA head Kim So-young, Tuesday, to fill the vacancy after Ko Young-han resigned over his alleged deep involvement in creating the list.



"Choi must have felt an enormous degree of frustration given Yang continues to ignore the judges' calls and pushed ahead with the appointment of Kim, which is considered a slap-in-the-face show of force," a judge said on condition of anonymity.



Meanwhile, the resignation is the latest in a series of similar moves by other judges who attended the June 19 meeting.



A judge at Jeonju District Court Cha Sung-ahn posted a message online July 6 calling for public support in collecting signatures to reopen investigation into the blacklist.



On July 4, Nam In-soo, a judge at the Seoul Central District Court called for a National Assembly inspection to search the computers at the OCA.



Meanwhile, Choi stressed that this was the last chance for the top court to eliminate "the illness" in the judiciary.



"Judges all know that former Chief Justice Shin Young-chul finished his term unscathed by the damning allegation in 2009 that he intervened in a district court ruling to suit former President Lee Myung-bak," he said.



"If we do not deal with the blacklist allegation now, two similar allegations will provide an excuse for judges to stay silent with our ethical, moral standards compromised to the point of no return."



The trust in the court administration, Choi added, is a condition without which judicial independence is not possible, a value that must be upheld at all costs.



"Allowing an allegation to remain unclear would most definitely entail similar occurrences in the future. Judges will be tempted, pressured and inclined to rule based on economic or political interests rather than conscience. This will result in deep-rooted distrust in the judiciary, a taint hard to recover from."








Im Ji-hyun, a former defector who re-entered the North, testifies against South Korea in a video released by Pyongyang's propaganda website Uriminzokkiri on July 9. The video introduced her as Jeon Hye-sung, who returned to North Korea after suffering in the South. / Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



The latest return of a North Korean defector, Im Ji-hyun, to the North is stirring up concerns here over loopholes in the government's programs to ensure defectors' safety and smooth settlement.



Im is among 25 defectors who returned to North Korea and appeared on the country's propaganda media outlets to testify against the South since its leader Kim Jong-un seized power in December 2011.



Some of the 25 are believed to have voluntarily re-entered the repressive state, but others are believed to have been kidnapped by North Korean agents while visiting China-North Korea border regions, according to sources.



It is not known whether Im is among the former or the latter.



Using the name Jeon Hye-sung, Im appeared in a video released by propaganda website Uriminzokkiri on July 9. She claimed she was back with her family after suffering in the materialistic South.



Some defectors have called on the government to overhaul its programs to protect them, under which around 700 police are responsible for looking after more than 30,000 defectors.



The police classify the defectors into three categories according to their profiles, careers and social backgrounds in the North.



Most belong to the third and lowest category and rarely receive police attention once they complete six months of training to adapt to South Korean society, the sources said.



Im belonged to the third category.



"The police no longer guarantee the safety of those in the third category after the six-month training," a source said. "The police only call them occasionally to check if they are well."



Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the Bareun Party said the government paid less attention to former defectors who returned to the North than non-defector South Koreans who are found to be in the repressive state, although the former are also South Korean citizens.



According to Ha, the Ministry of Unification has never demanded that Pyongyang verify whether the 25 people went back voluntarily or forcibly. "The ministry only asked the North to ensure the safety of those detained there only when they were born and raised in the South," Ha said.



"It's evident that the ministry has not treated so-called pure South Korean citizens' and the defectors equally," Ha said. "The defectors are also South Korean citizens, so the government should have checked how the 25 defectors landed in the North again."



An Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies in Seoul, said defectors in the South should be self-reliant in ensuring their own safety.



"There are too many of us and the police can't take care of each one," he said. "Moreover, some defectors see it as infringement of human rights if police officers contact them, as they want to be left alone.



"Given the circumstances, it is the best solution for defectors to keep in touch with others more often and make sure they are fine."
By Kim Hyo-jin



The ruling and opposition parties made a last-ditch effort to narrow their gaps over the government-proposed supplementary budget bill, Friday.



The chance for the passage of the bill has grown as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and two minor opposition parties are in favor of it despite protests by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).



In the 11.2 trillion ($ 9.74 billion) won extra budget plan, the allocation of 8 billion won to create 12,000 public service jobs has been the bone of contention.



The budget bill, submitted to the National Assembly June 7, is mainly aimed at creating jobs, especially civil service jobs such as firefighters, social workers and teachers.



The LKP and the minor opposition People's Party and Bareun Party claimed the government's financial sustainability is questionable because of the increase.



"We are unsure if the government measured the demand for public service jobs accurately and how it will manage the increased personnel and their salaries," LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik said.



"The government has not explained why we need them, but has repeated that it was President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledge," Kim Do-eup, an LKP representative on the National Assembly Budget Committee, said.



Following continuous disapproval of the opposition parties, representatives of the ruling and opposition parties held negotiations and agreed to lower the number of such jobs at the request of the opposition parties.



Of the 12,000, 7,500 will belong to local governments, so the parties initially agreed to reduce the budget for the 4,500 central government jobs only.



The government again proposed it would further cut the number to 2,800, so the parties have been discussing the final draft.



The DPK and the People's Party also discussed using a 50 billion won reserve fund, instead of allocating 8 billion won in the extra budget, for public job creation.



People's Party leader Park Joo-sun said it was an acceptable alternative on the condition that the government submits a detailed five-year management plan for new civil servants.



The LKP, however, kept showing a negative response to the bill, saying that increasing the number of public servants would be a financial burden for future generations.



Persuading the opposition parties, the DPK said they also made similar pledges during the presidential campaign but changed their position, saying their opposition only intended to hold back the new administration.



"LKP candidate Hong Joon-pyo then vowed to introduce 3,400 firefighters annually and 17,000 over five years. Where has this noble pledge gone now?" Rep. Woo Won-shik, the DPK floor leader, asked during a party meeting. "The opposition merely dragged us into a tug of war, using its majority power."



He claimed the supplementary budget would help the government increase quality jobs which can improve public service for citizens.




By Jun Ji-hye



President Moon Jae-in's initiative to bring North Korea to the negotiating table got off to a rough start with the North failing to respond to an offer to hold military talks Friday.



But the Ministry of National Defense renewed the offer.



"We again call on the North to respond at the earliest possible date and come forward for dialogue," said ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun.



He said Seoul's offer for military talks would remain valid until July 27, the 64th anniversary of the armistice treaty that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.



The spokesman added that easing military tension and restoring a dialogue channel between the militaries of the two sides were urgent for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.



The ministry made its official offer of military talks to the North, Monday, as a follow-up to the peace overture President Moon proposed in a recent speech in Berlin.



It suggested that the two Koreas hold talks at Tongilgak, a North Korean building in the truce village of Panmunjom, on how to reduce tension along the border.



Seoul asked the Kim Jong-un regime to send its response through the western military communication line, which was blocked by the North amid aggravated relations following its repeated military provocations, including nuclear tests.



But Pyongyang has neither sent messages nor published its stance in the regime's state media.



"President Moon proposed the two Koreas halt all acts of hostility near the Military Demarcation Line starting July 27," spokesman Moon said. "So we see the offer for talks as valid until that day."



Asked what the ministry would do next, the spokesman said any decisions would be made after considering all the possibilities.



This was because another offer for Red Cross talks to resume reunions of separated families is still in place.



The Korean Red Cross made the offer, also on Monday, suggesting talks take place Aug. 1.



Following the North's non-response, authorities in the South are paying keen attention to possible additional provocations by Pyongyang ahead of the Seoul-Washington annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian joint exercise, which will reportedly begin Aug. 21.



A military official said on condition of anonymity, "By keeping silent, the North indicates it will keep going its own way in accordance with its schedule for missile development."



The reclusive state has continued to test-fire various types of missiles apparently to show off its capability to the U.S. as well as South Korea.



In its latest test, July 4, the North launched the Hwasong-14, which it claims is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). This came after Pyongyang fired anti-ship cruise missiles June 8.



CNN quoted two unidentified U.S. government officials, Wednesday, as saying signs had been detected that the North was preparing to test another ICBM or an intermediate-range ballistic missile within two weeks.



Some analysts suggest the North might make a counter offer to raise the level of the inter-Korean talks so that dialogue, if accomplished, could include broader issues such as political matters.



They said that by making a counter offer, the North would aim to take the lead in the talks, and to avoid responsibility if they failed.



University of North Korean Studies professor Yang Moo-jin said, "South Korea should take into consideration the possibility that the North will suggest holding political and military talks."



Ministry of Unification vice spokeswoman Lee Eu-gene said the government would not fluctuate between hopes and fears over the North's responses.



"The North has not taken any official stance, and so the government has no plans to make additional offers, either," she said.



"We expect the North to respond to our offer soon."






Lee Won-young, fourth from left, poses for a photo in Nagasaki, Japan, in June. Courtesy of Lee Won-young

By Lee Kyung-min

Lee Won-young, an urban engineering professor at Suwon University, is on a "pilgrimage," planning to walk 11,000 kilometers in 26 countries within two years.

Since Lee launched the project he calls, "New Silk Road for Life and No Nuclear Power," on May 3, he has walked up to 25 kilometers each day in his destination country.

"I am walking to bring attention to the danger of the energy policies embracing nuclear power. The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster happened in Japan in 2011, killing many people and exposing many more to radiation," he said.

"The air, land and sea were all contaminated by radioactive materials. The environmental impact of the accident was detrimental to the whole ecosystem and the Earth. I hope what I am doing draws the immediate attention of people all over the world," he added.

Lee plans to meet with the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala in India in February next year and give him a World Life Charter, which he wrote with other religious figures. On April 21, 2019, he will meet with Catholic leaders in Vatican City in Italy.

"I wanted to meet with religious leaders in various countries and talk about plans to realize a no-nuclear power policy and the dignity of life. I want to leave the future generation a safe Earth without nuclear power plants."

Lee criticized the United Nations (UN) for failing to come up with measures toward a nuclear-free world.

"The UN has done nothing to safeguard the Earth and prevent similar nuclear disasters. I thought I had to take action myself instead of waiting for something to happen," he said.

"Religious leaders all around the world who respect life should unite. They must come together and establish a new organization which will deal with the 450 nuclear power plants in the world."
By Ted Gover





Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 4 and Beijing's intransience on reigning in its troublesome ally reiterates the urgent need for the Washington-Seoul security partnership to address the menace of North Korea's nuclear program. Despite differences between Washington and Seoul on resolving this dilemma, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's recent visit with President Donald Trump in Washington was a good start towards developing the relationship needed to work with one another.

The two leaders have their differences and are a study in contrasts. The right-leaning, impassioned Mr. Trump sees the North's progressing ability to weaponize ballistic missiles as the most pressing national security issue on his desk. He has advocated a ramping up of military pressure against Pyongyang and for China's stepped up involvement with curtailing the regime.

Thus far, neither the show of U.S. military might nor Mr. Trump's overtures to China have borne fruit toward changing Pyongyang's behavior. China put in place a temporary coal embargo against Pyongyang to no effect and has also called for the U.S. and South Korea to freeze military exercises in return for the North declaring a moratorium on its nuclear and missile programs.

Left-leaning President Moon, the son of North Korean refugees, is a former special forces soldier and human rights lawyer who is known as a person of quiet principle. He supports a policy of both applying pressure on Pyongyang and bringing back the "Sunshine Policy," an approach that seeks to engage the North.

In this spirit, Mr. Moon made good on a campaign promise by suspending the deployment in South Korea of the U.S. Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile intercept system. Mr. Trump views THAAD as necessary to protect against the threat of North Korean missile attacks.

China vociferously objects to THAAD, fearing that it can be used to target Chinese military activity despite U.S. assertions to the contrary. China's status as South Korea's largest trading partner and its growing geopolitical standing are two factors Mr. Moon has been unable to ignore regarding this issue.

Despite their differences, Mr. Moon and Mr. Trump last week presented a united front. President Moon stated, "The North Korean nuclear issue must be resolved without fail. North Korea should by no means underestimate the firm commitment of Korea and the U.S. in this regard."

President Trump echoed, "Together we are facing the threat of the reckless and brutal regime in North Korea. The nuclear and ballistic missile programs of that regime require a determined response.  (The U.S.) will always defend our allies "

The initial meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Moon demonstrated a shared commitment to ridding Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons and ending its missile program. While it is unknown what, if any, rapport was developed between the two, their joint statements appear to indicate a willingness to work together and with resolve towards addressing the unfolding crisis.





Ted Gover, Ph.D. is Instructor of Political Science at Central Texas College, Camp Pendleton, California. Write to amberjack_shoal@yahoo.com.
By Jacco Zwetsloot





A few weeks ago, the Korea Times carried a story about the experience of Kislay Kumar,an Indian student in Korea who tried to enter a Seoul nightclub, but was rejected on the basis of his race. In the article, the nightclub owner was quoted as apologizing and "promising nobody would be denied admission because of their nationality." Kumar argued that discrimination on the grounds of race should not be allowed to continue in Korea, and stated that he had not yet decided whether or not to take the matter further, legally speaking.

What is not made clear in the article is whether Kumar is aware that, unfortunately, there is no law forbidding racial discrimination in Korea. In fact, it is not even clear if the journalist who wrote the article knows this, because although it seems a salient fact, it is not mentioned at all. In this column I will explain what kinds of discrimination are banned here, and whether racial discrimination is likely to be added to that list.

At present there are only laws against these three types of discrimination: gender, disability and age. Discrimination against a person on the basis of their gender in Korea is forbidden under the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-family Balance Assistance Act passed in 1987. It prevents employers from unreasonably refusing to hire a candidate because she is a woman, ensures (at least in theory) that men and women in the same industry receive equal pay for equal work, and establishes protection from sexual harassment.

Secondly, in 2008 the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination of Persons with Disabilities, Remedy against Infringement of their Rights, etc. came into force. It specifically bans a number of discriminatory actions that curb the rights of disabled people, and sets out fines and compensation in case they occur. Thirdly, the Act on Prohibition of Age Discrimination in Employmentand Elderly Employment Promotion (2011) seeks to "[prevent] discrimination in hiring practices on the grounds of age without justifiable grounds and [support] and [promote] the employment of the aged to ensure they have occupations suitable for their abilities." Despite its laudable aims, this law is much vaguer in stipulating what constitutes discriminatory acts, does not outline any compensation, and focuses more on assisting elderly Koreans in finding jobs.

Consequently, there is as yet no law against discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, or sexual preference, religious or political views. However, this is not for lack of trying.

During the 19th National Assembly (2012-2016) Representatives Kim Han-gil and Choi Won-shik of the now disbanded Democratic United Party sponsored bills for comprehensive anti-discrimination laws. The official "Reason for Proposal"submitted with one of those proposed pieces of legislation, the Act on Prohibition of Discriminations, reads as follows: "This Act is proposed to make a comprehensive law to prohibit all kinds of discrimination on sex, age, disability, medical history, color, body condition including appearance, race, language, nationality, ethnic group, region, marriage, status of marriage, family type and birth type, religion, political stance, criminal record, sex orientation, gender identity, academic ability, employment status, etc." Its breadth of scope was probably what led to its ultimate failure, even before a vote was held.

Two major groups opposed the bill. One was protectionist labor unions, who saw foreign laborers as a threat to Korean jobs, and therefore disagreed with banning discrimination on the basis of nationality. However, the larger and much more vocal group was comprised of conservative churches and umbrella Christian organizations such as the Christian Council of Korea. They vowed to block any equality or anti-discrimination laws that also included homosexuality. They rallied members to demonstrate and agitate, and also directed personal attacks and harassment at Assemblymen Kim and Choi, who in April 2013 withdrew their sponsorship of the bills. In a statement they said, "Overstrained interpretation and rampant distortion of our legislative intents have made any rational discussion impossible any longer." Similar bills proposed in the same National Assembly period by Rep. Ahn Hyo-dae of the Saenuri Party and Rep. Kim Jae-yeon of the now-dissolved Unified Progressive Party also went nowhere. Since 2007, five comprehensive anti-discrimination bills have therefore been proposed to the National Assembly, but have never been put to a vote.

Equal rights for homosexuals emerged in the 2017 snap presidential election campaign, when conservative candidate Hong Jun-pyo asked now-President Moon during a televised debate whether he supported homosexual activity. Moon answered that he opposed it, but he also said during the same debate that he was opposed to discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. When Moon previously ran for president, against Park Geun-hye in 2012, he pledged a law banning all forms of discrimination. He has not made any similar promises since, arguing instead that national consensus be reached first.

In 1978, the Republic of Korea both signed and ratified the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and became a member of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Part of its remit is to receive reports every few years from governments and non-governmental actors on relevant problems and countermeasures in each country. In its reporting, the Korean government has not traditionally been very forthcoming about issues of racial discrimination, pointing to its largely homogeneous population. Reacting to strong criticism and contrary testimony given by NGOs and other civic groups, it will be interest to see if this changes in the next reporting cycle. Interestingly, just last month Professor Chung Chin-sung of the Sociology Department at Seoul National University was elected as the first Korean member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Perhaps it will stir the Moon administration to take the matter more seriously domestically.

Ultimately, it is to be hoped that President Moon and the current National Assembly together resurrect the comprehensive bill against all forms of discrimination soon, and passes it, before Korea's standing and participation in CERD become targets for further and harsher criticism.



The writer is director of Business Innovation at HMP Law (jacco@hmplaw.com) with legal advice from attorney Nam Wonchul (namwc@hmplaw.com).
Doug Bandow stands in front of a missile mock-up that dominates the interior of Pyongyang's Mangyeongdae Children's Palace. / Courtesy of Doug Bandow



By Doug Bandow





Traveling to NK: brave or crazy?

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA  In the popular mind, there may be no more forbidding destination on earth. I've never had as many people ask if I was serious when I mentioned I was heading to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea last month.

In fact, I had no worries. I was going as a guest of the Institute for American Studies of the Foreign Ministry. I also understood what not to do.

Failing at the latter has proved to be the undoing of a number of Americans, most spectacularly collegian Otto Warmbier, who died after being released by North Korea in a coma. Three other Americans remain in custody, along with several South Koreans and other foreign nationals. But their plight, though tragic, is not a good reason to ban travel to the DPRK.

Some attributed Warmbier's release to the Trump administration's efforts, though it had no more leverage than its predecessor. While in the North I asked if the government sent Warmbier home as a conciliatory gesture to Washington. The unequivocal response was that it was strictly a humanitarian matter.

Otto Warmbier's family blamed the Obama administration for failing to win his release, but the decision always was Pyongyang's. Why the DPRK released him was impossible to know for sure: perhaps Kim Jong-un decided that holding a comatose prisoner was a political liability.

The cases of Warmbier and other Americans, some going back years, are uniformly awful: people punished for actions that should not be considered criminal. But the DPRK is not alone in penalizing foreigners for dubious offenses. The main difference may be that Pyongyang, more than most other "hostile" states, sees potential political value in jailed Americans.

Still, a thousand Americans visit annually and don't get arrested. Young Pioneer Tours, which organized the trip on which Warmbier traveled, pointed out that it had brought in more than 8000 other travelers without incident.

On my plane entering North Korea I sat next to a British citizen who was making his third tourist visit. The worst trouble he had was being told to delete photos deemed inappropriate.

A number of humanitarian groups, some explicitly religious, work in the officially atheist nation. I met several NGO staffers and volunteers in the midst of a lengthy sojourn providing medical care. None had ever ended up in jail.

In fact, arrests aren't random but, in North Korea's view, for cause. DPRK officials say they punish intentional, not accidental, rules violations.

I chatted with the head of a Western NGO active in the North who said her group had looked into the cases of those jailed: all had committed some illegal act. Obviously that doesn't mean their conduct warranted punishment. But they put themselves under the DPRK's authority, to ill effect.

Warmbier's case looks extreme even by North Korean standards. Some knowledgeable Westerners suggested that there was more to his case, perhaps involving an insult to the North Korean system and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. The poster incident merely became the cover story.

Some in Congress want to ban travel to the North. But a free society should protect the liberty to travel and explore. This right shouldn't be limited without compelling justification.

Visiting the DPRK has educational value. Those who spend time in North Korea are more likely to understand it. Since the U.S. government lacks a diplomatic presence; American visitors are the best alternative.

Going to the North also causes those living in free societies to better appreciate their systems. I left thankful that I lived in a society which, however imperfectly, protected individual liberty.

Watching, meeting, and especially working with people who don't fit the official stereotype provide North Koreans with an education as well. Knowledge is transmitted, curiosity is aroused. Engagement is no panacea, but is more likely than isolation to encourage Pyongyang's positive evolution.

Banning Americans from visiting the North would be especially perverse when the rest of the world remained free to go. Congress should think how best to transform the North's people as well as government over the long-term.

We may never know what happened to Otto Warmbier. His tragic case reminds us that visiting North Korea requires special caution. But that's no reason to block outsiders from going.

They have much both to learn and teach. Until the DPRK changes, individual travelers may end up being most important and perhaps only ambassadors to North Korea from democratic countries around the world.

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of "Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World" and co-author of "The Korean Conundrum: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea.
By Vince Courtenay





In two weeks' time, the new Korean Government will hold a massive ceremony in Seoul marking the 64th anniversary of the July 27, 1953 signing of the Military Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War.

Only a fool would suppose that most Koreans believe that it truly ended the war. But those who fought in it certainly do.

Today, multitudes of young Koreans then unborn grouse and criticize the United States for not attaining victory against the North Korean regime, and instead spending two years negotiating a ceasefire while thousands of soldiers died on the stationery front lines.

Many of them actually believe that ending the war in an armistice caused the two nations to become permanently separated.

Moreover, those who study the matter know that the South Korean government was opposed to a negotiated armistice. The government headed by Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee had demanded a drive into North Korea and all out victory in a war that had killed a million South Korean citizens.

Indeed, the Republic of Korea did not sign the armistice agreement. It was signed by military officers of the United Nations Forces, the Peoples Democratic Republic of North Korea and the Peoples Republic of China. It is not a diplomatic document between nations; it is a military armistice between the belligerent armed forces.

But those who decry the agreement never saw the horrors of that war. Nor did they see South Korea as it was then; a terribly poor nation given up to mostly feudal-type farming such as had been done for five millennia.

All soldiers fought and suffered in it wanted the war to end. Few who fought in that war liked to see it end in what today is too routinely called "a stalemate." The job of the soldier is to win at war, or perish trying to win, and that was the belief of most of them.

But even if the allied armies had occupied and subjugated all of North Korea and turned the peninsula back into one nation with one government, the war would not have ended for those who fought in it.

Thousands of the veterans from the nations that came to South Korea's aid still are living in that terrible war. Many still suffer their wounds.

Many more suffer wounds of the mind. They cannot sleep at night when battle scenes, or those from a prison camp, or of images of the dead bodies all around, or of blood on their own hands come to mind.

And such thoughts do come, relentlessly, even though three generations have grown up since they fired their last shots, or were shot at by an enemy that seemed rapacious for their blood.

The same is true of their South Korean comrades. Many South Korean veterans are in hospital beds this day, still hurting from their wounds.

MPVA planning, managing armistice events

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA), which provides hospital and financial support for those veterans is also the ministry that is planning and will manage the July 27 Armistice commemoration extravaganza.

The MPVA has invited 150 veterans from 21 nations, plus dignitaries from abroad to fly to Korea and participate as the nation's guests of honor.

This follows the more traditional 6-25 Incident commemoration, with which South Korea has always commemorated anniversaries of the Korean War.

It focuses on the tragic historic date of June 25, 1950, on which armored columns of North Korea soldiers suddenly invaded South Korea, bent on destroying its government and placing the people under control of a communist regime. For that commemorative program, just completed, 120 veterans were invited: 90 from the United States, and 30 South Korean veterans who now live in overseas nations.

The veterans are generously treated and the government subsidizes their travel expenses by partially paying for their air fare. Those who come here for the July 27 ceremony will stay mostly at the Grand Ambassador Hotel, which has been hosting returning United Nations veterans for the past 42 years since the veterans revisit program was established by an act of the National Assembly in 1975.

They will join with, and hopefully mingle among, the venerable veterans of the Republic of Korea Army. The ROK soldiers not only fought beside them, but in the later years of the war, young ROK soldiers actually served as augmentation troops within the military units of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States and some other nations.

Throughout the war unarmed porters from the Korean Service Corps slugged the heavy loads of ammunition, the coils of barbed wire and other heavy supplies for every allied army unit in the front lines. And hundreds upon hundreds of those unarmed warriors were killed in action.

Armistice Commemorations Began in 2003

It is only in recent years that the Korean government, through the MPVA has been holding a major celebration commemorating the armistice. That began in earnest in 2003. In that year, marking the 50th anniversary of the armistice, the event was colossal in size.

However, it was not until 2013 that the event took on a diplomatic tone and was in fact an outreach to the governments of all 21 U.N. allied nations that had supported South Korea during the war. It was a colossal event, staggering in grandeur for all participants.

Dignitaries from all of the U.N. participating nations were flown to Korea. VIP groups, including high ranking ministerial level representatives from every nation were met at the airport by official MPVA delegations and diplomatic and security teams.

They were escorted in limousines under tight security to the five-star Grand Hyatt hotel atop Mount Nam. There were several hundred of them. There was one veteran among them in that same VIP status who represented all of the world's veterans from the UN allied nations.

Security was tight. Plain clothes federal agents patrolled the halls near the VIP rooms. Trained dogs were brought into the dining venues to sniff for possible explosives.

There were also more than 150 veterans from the 21 nations in veteran groups, who were lodged at the Grand Ambassador Hotel. They participated in separate programs, but often both major groups joined together as one.

This year's commemoration of the armistice will not be as lavish, but it will not be small, by any means.

Some nations cannot find veterans to participate

Most of those who fought in the Korean War are 85 years old, or older. Even those who were young teenagers in the last year of the war are now a few years past 80.

Some of the nations have been unable to locate veterans in good enough health to travel to Korea. It is reported that Britain, which had the second highest number of troops deployed in the UN ground force, next to the United States, has not been able to find a single veteran to make the arduous flight to Korea in July.

Canada, reportedly, will send only one veteran, but he is a veteran who will be accorded special high honor and receive a much deserved decoration from the South Korean government.

One hopes the veterans who do participate will not be seen as quaint old men by their hosts or by others who participate in the splendid ceremony, or watch them as they arrive or walk about the streets of Seoul.

They are all soldiers, and they should be respected as soldiers, and perhaps even a little more than that.

In most of the nations they personally volunteered to enlist to fight to free and defend the Republic of Korea. What an absolutely noble gesture to place one's very life on the line for a people he never knew, in order to eject the invading armies of a totalitarian regime, and protect the fledgling Republic of Korea that was then just two years old.

While the more than 36,000 soldiers from the United States who fell in the war were repatriated for burial in America, and some other nations repatriated their fallen soldiers to home soil, 2,200 of the soldiers from the UN allied nations are still buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan. They include 36 Republic of Korea soldiers who fell in battle while serving as soldiers of one of those UN allied nations.

Many very young soldiers came to Korea

Some of the soldiers still buried at Busan were so very young; 16, 17, 18. Yet their grave markers do not say that. They all bear the falsified ages the soldiers gave in order to enlist and serve here.

The bronze marker over one of the Canadian graves, that of Private Elliott MacKay of Canada, tells the story of these brave, young soldiers. It is embossed with his true age of 18. However, it bears two names; his and that of his older brother, whom he pretended to be, so that he could enlist in the Canadian Army Special Forces. He was killed in action on February 23, 1951.

No, the veterans who come to Korea this month are not doddering old men. None of them is pleased that their bodies will no longer let them dash over the hills, leap with gusto, or carry the heavy loads they once carried with them. For those whose minds are slowed, that is not a pleasing thing, either.

When they served here, to a man, they would have gone all the way to hell if their superiors ordered it.

And they would have gone to the Yalu River, or died trying to, if the United Nations had permitted it.

That they were held fast along what is now called the DMZ did not make things easier for them.

Nobody should ever imagine that standing still on a wretched hill without the possibility of advancing was a lesser feat of arms. They stood, unable to move forward and attack the enemy. They were under orders to just stand and hold, while mortar bombs and shells exploded on their position and snipers fired bullets at them, and comrades died.

In the bunkers dug into those hills, in the soil where bodies and body parts were buried, they lived among rats that tried to feed on their rations, and every hour they were in mortal danger.

The enemy could attack them in great force, and often did. Yet their units were not permitted to go forward and fight the enemy. The place where they did this today is called the DMZ, the demilitarized zone. It was formed in accord with the cease fire regulations of the military armistice agreement.

Armistice agreement did indeed bring peace to South Korea

The verdant grasses growing there in such abundance were nurtured by their spilled blood and the earth was made richer by the bones still buried there, including those of thousands of the fallen enemy.

And armed soldiers from both South and North still stand the length of it, waiting for a better day, too. But today the bombs and shells do not fall, nor is any soldier close enough to shoot another with his personal weapon.

It should not be overlooked that the military emplacements along the DMZ have not been breached, or even attacked since July 27, 1953. That is because the armistice agreement signed on that day did indeed end the Korean War.

There have been bizarre efforts to tunnel beneath the DMZ, but that was a precautionary measure by North Korea to enable it to rush troops across the border if war ever returned. Of course they were detected and halted.

Also there have been infractions of the agreement with some commando-type raids made into South Korea some decades ago now.

But every day since the armistice was signed has been a better day for the Republic of Korea. Because of the armistice the nation has been able to courageously and with great strength and patriotism become one of the world's leading economic and industrial powers.

It leads or is among the leaders in many things that are not economic, too. It surely leads in the humanities, with song, music, and stage, visual and television arts.

It leads in medicine and health care, too, although prior to the Korean War adequate medical care was greatly lacking for most of the people and they suffered because of it.

The invading armies had been driven out of South Korea in the autumn of 1951, but wrangling at Panmunjom over the terms of a military armistice saw thousands more soldiers killed while the war continued for two more years.

But the signatures of the North Korean and Chinese representatives inked on the agreement document in 1953 were a pledge to never come south again. And they never have.

And for all of the flap and saber rattling between the two nations and the belittling of the attainment of that armistice agreement, it has enabled South Korea to flourish and rise to unimaginable heights in virtually every sphere of human activity.

So those 150 aging veteran warriors, when you see them, try to understand and appreciate that return to Korea in their final twilight, as representatives of all of their comrades who served here three generations ago, and by their presence and their outright gallantry, ensured the freedom of this magnificent nation.





Vince Courtenay is a Canadian Korean War veteran.
Representative democracy is about people hiring others, delegating power to them and having them run affairs on their behalf. Therefore, the people are owners and those hired are their servants.



However, it is not uncommon for those servants to ignore their masters and act as if they know the best in government affairs and in the National Assembly. Besides, it is a betrayal of trust to see these servants compare their masters to beasts and mock them. The violators get away with apologies or some public drubbing. In some extreme cases, they are removed from their jobs.



But surely they deserve much tougher penalties. More broadly, do we need to adopt a system to select people more suitable for public service or weed out the bad prospects or poor performers?



For that, we the owners should first get angry with these perpetrators who are like rats, pigs or dogs and amount to less than menial workers. Here are three cases.



"People are like lemmings," a provincial councilor said recently after taking a public drubbing for pressing ahead with a taxpayer-funded overseas trip despite a flood buffeting his province. Now, Kim Hak-cheol, a member of the North Chungcheong Provincial Council, has refused to apologize.



Na Hyang-wook, a senior official of the education ministry, last year compared people to "dogs and pigs" for which the government's only job is feeding them. During his dinner with reporters, he also said these animals accounted for 99 percent of the population.



Lately, Rep. Lee Un-ju of the People's Party came under fire for cursing school cafeteria workers who were on strike demanding they be put on regular payrolls.



It may well be time to consider whether it is appropriate to increase their numbers as the government plans to do, or reduce them. Slashing the number of lawmakers or abolishing local councils should not be ruled out. They should know who the boss is.




Moon's dialogue initiative deserves Washington backing



President Moon Jae-in is trying to open dialogue with North Korea. The South does not need any act of sabotage from its ally, the United States. If the two allies want to resolve the North's missile and nuclear challenge peacefully, Washington should give Moon's effort a hearty push forward.



After Seoul proposed Red Cross and military meetings with the North, the U.S. government systematically distanced itself from them. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said, "I think President Trump has made clear in the past with respect that any type of conditions that would have to be met are clearly far away from where we are now." This is nothing short of disapproval.



U.S. State Department East Asia-Pacific spokeswoman Katina Adams reportedly said, "Ask the South Korean government," when asked about the South's dialogue pitch. The response could be on the borderline of hostile.



The negative U.S. reactions are self-defeating for the ROK-U.S. joint effort on the North because they have exposed the lack of coordination between them, which Pyongyang is apparently exploiting.



The North kept silent on the South's military talks to ease tension along the inter-Korean border. Next time, it may be the U.S. proposal that is torpedoed by lack of enthusiasm on Seoul's part. The only party to benefit is Pyongyang by playing the two off against each other.



In a joint statement issued after Moon's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, the two leaders agreed to Seoul's leading role in promoting peaceful unification on the Korean Peninsula. On that "mandate" President Moon declared his inter-Korean overture in Germany ahead of the G20 meeting and followed it up by proposing the twin talks to the North. Washington reneged on its promise of support and left Moon hung out to dry.



Part of the problem comes down to a reference in the document for the opening of dialogue with the North "under the right conditions."



As for their negative responses, Spicer and Adams counted on that phrase that is so loosely defined as to leave much room for contention. Still, Seoul quite rightly thought the right conditions had been met for dialogue to ease the rising tension and to build trust with the North. It no doubt was linked with the promotion of peaceful unification.



In contrast, the U.S. believes conditions will be met when a blanket ban on dialogue forces the North to buckle under international sanctions and declare an immediate moratorium on missile and nuclear testing. That is unrealistic and will only cause tension to rise and raise the chance of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.



There is no need to remind ourselves that a second Korean War would surely kill hundreds of thousands of Koreans in the initial stages and may result in North Korean launching long-range missiles at U.S. cites.



To prevent such a tragedy, South Korea and the U.S. should give all possibilities a try and, most of all, stop undermining the other's efforts.




$1 billion to be invested over next five years



By Yoon Sung-won



The government pledged Tuesday to invest 1.2 trillion won ($1.06 billion) in the drone industry over the next five years to make Korea one of the world's top five players.



The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it is aiming to make the domestic drone market reach 4.1 trillion won in value by 2027, up from 70.4 billion won now. It also wants industry leaders to focus more on industrial drones for observation, construction, agriculture, energy and telecommunications, to introduce 60,000 of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a decade.



The ministry will announce its 10-year plan to nurture the industry at a public hearing at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry office in Seoul, today.



"The government has established a long-term plan to support the drone industry," a ministry official said. "We will fix our basic plan through public hearings and discussions with related authorities and the aviation policy committee."



As an essential part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the global UAV industry is growing by 50 percent per year and is expected to reach $62 billion by 2025, according to the ministry.



The United States, China, Japan and the European Union are already expediting drives to preempt the global drone market.



Besides the financial investment, the government will also build what it calls a "drone highway" where UAVs can fly at high speeds along preset routes at heights under 300 meters.



The government is planning drone flight hubs that will ensure that they don't fly above roads or railways. They will also be programmed to stay away from highly-populated areas and military zones.



To this end, the ministry will research a UAV traffic management system through 2021. To realize its goal, the government would have to tap into highly sophisticated technologies such as artificial intelligence for auto piloting, big data for drone registration management and the internet of things for inter-drone communication.



To better manage drones, the ministry will introduce rules for UAV registration, licensing and insurance programs. It plans to require the registration of drones that are heavier than 250 grams. Users of recreational drones will still be able to fly them with minimal regulations.



For advanced UAV development and pilot skill training, the government will establish a test field in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, by 2020.



To boost demand, the ministry will encourage public organizations to spend 300 billion won to buy about 3,000 drones for diverse purposes such as construction and river maintenance over the next five years.



The ministry added that it expects such plans to help underpin the economy by creating about 164,000 jobs leading to 20.7 trillion won in new production.




Seen above are an LG Electronics intelligent guide robot, left, and cleaning robots. The company said it will test 10 robots at Incheon International Airport starting Friday. / Courtesy of LG Electronics



By Yoon Sung-won



LG Electronics is expediting its robot business by launching a test of commercial robots at Incheon International Airport, the company said Friday.



On top of robots made for passenger guidance and airport cleaning, the electronics maker said it will continue to release robots for more diverse purposes.



"With the test operation of our robots at Incheon International Airport, we will continue to expand the range of our robot business," LG Electronics' home appliance and air systems business President Song Dae-hyun said. "We will continue our effort to research and develop robotics technology, aiming to take a leading role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution."



The company said it has deployed five cleaning robots and five passenger guidance robots for tests. The company said Incheon International Airport has decided to introduce the robots as a part of its smart airport service project.



"By operating our robots at the airport, which is the biggest gateway connecting Korea and the world, we will have opportunities to promote our robot business to passengers and visitors to the airport, which total 57 million a year," an LG official said.



LG Electronics signed an agreement with the Incheon International Airport Corp. in July last year and has tested its prototype robots at the airport since this February.



The passenger guidance robot taps into LG Electronics' voice-recognition technology and is designed to understand four languages  Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. Connected to the central server of Incheon International Airport Corp., the robots will provide flight information and tell the locations of gates, stores and amenities. It can also escort passengers in need to their destinations.



The cleaning robot is based on LG Electronics' robot vacuum cleaners and has been optimized for operation at the airport with autonomous driving and obstacle avoidance technologies.



LG Electronics unveiled the robots for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017 in Las Vegas in January. The company said it plans to expand its commercial robot business as one of its future growth engines.



To this end, it will release more diverse home robots such as advanced robot cleaners and robots for public places including airports and banks.



In 2003, LG Electronics became the first Korean electronics enterprise to launch robot cleaners and has since pushed to develop robot autonomous driving and control technologies. It recently added natural language processing and artificial intelligence technologies to its home appliances.
By Park Jae-hyuk



Shinsegae Group has recently decided to reconsider its plan to build a Starfield shopping complex in Cheongna International City in Incheon, industry officials said Wednesday.



The move seems to cast further gloom over the future of the free economic zone, which has suffered from declining foreign investment for years.



Last month, the retail giant requested the Incheon Metropolitan Government to delay the deadline for the group notifying its decision on construction until the end of this month.



The postponement will allow Shinsegae to nullify its initial scheme and come up with a new idea. The Seoul-based group will likely delay the beginning of construction as well.



"We have yet to decide anything about Starfield Cheongna," a Shinsegae Group spokesman said. "Thus, the recent move does not mean a delay of the shopping mall's opening."



Earlier this year, Shinsegae asked the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZA) for approval to build the 43,618 square-meter mega shopping mall on 165,000 square meters of land  1.4 times bigger than Starfield Hanam in Gyeonggi Province.



The group aimed to foster the new mall as a suburban shopping complex with a theme park.



However, the plan provoked a backlash from small retailers in Incheon, who claim that the mega shopping mall will greatly reduce the sales of their nearby stores. The small retailers have urged the IFEZA and the government to regulate the new mall.



Starfield Cheongna could avoid this, because free economic zones establish their urban planning regulations in advance.



Considering the Moon Jae-in administration's stance of being friendly to small retailers, however, Shinsegae may have felt pressure.



Cheongna International City's gloomy future is also imposing a burden on Shinsegae.



The development of Cheongna's transport infrastructure has been sluggish, as the business district and research institutes are unlikely to open in the near future.



Easy transportation is one of the most important factors for a shopping mall's success.



However, the construction of a bridge between Cheongna and Yeongjong; an extension of subway line No. 7 and an adoption of a bi-modality tram called the Guided Rapid Transit have been slowed down.



Some observers have raised doubts about the fate of Starfield itself, citing Starfield Goyang, which will open next month. The second mega-sized shopping mall of Shinsegae was initially planned to open last month, but Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin changed the plan.



"We found many problems, after we opened Starfield Hanam and while we were preparing for the opening of Starfield Goyang," Chung said in a press conference last month, "we will reconsider everything."



A Shinsegae spokesman, however, denied the rumor of risks, saying that Starfield Hanam has had no problem in operation at all, except for a temporary traffic jam that happened at the opening of the mall.




The IQOS system and HEETS sticks / Courtesy of Philip Morris International Korea



By Park Jae-hyuk

The price of Phillip Morris's IQOS HEETS may rise here, following the government's decision to impose a higher tax on heat-not-burn (HNB) cigarettes.

This move will also weigh on British American Tobacco (BAT), given the firm also plans to launch its HNB glo cigarettes Aug. 10.

According to industry officials, Friday, the government and the National Assembly have agreed to raise the tax rate levied on HNB cigarettes to the level imposed on ordinary ones.

"We will wait until the government comes up with a specific measure," a Philip Morris International Korea official said. "But a price hike is unavoidable, if the government really levies a higher tax."

Categorizing HNB tobaccos as e-cigarettes, the government has imposed 1,588 won ($1.42) tax on each pack of heated tobacco sticks so far, half the tax on each pack of combustible cigarettes.

The tax is divided into excise, health promotion fund and individual consumption taxes.

Amid growing concern on a loophole in the tax system, Rep. Kim Gwang-lim of the major opposition Liberty Korea Party proposed a revised bill last month to levy the new products with the same tax rate as ordinary cigarettes.

"HNB cigarettes should be categorized as conventional cigarettes as they use the same tobacco and emit smoke, which is similar to the harmful smoke released by traditional cigarettes," the lawmaker said.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which has carried out aggressive anti-smoking campaigns, also supports the tax hike. The ministry has concerned that IQOS may increase the nation's smoking rate.

Smokers and Philip Morris, on the other hand, oppose the measure.

"The government is seemingly trying to collect more taxes, taking advantage of HNB cigarettes' popularity," a smokers' community I Love Smoking said. "Low-income people will fall victims to the tax hike."

Philip Morris has claimed that the smoke generated by IQOS contains 90 percent less than the harmful substances in smoke generated by conventional burning cigarettes.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will begin to measure nicotine and tar levels in the product next month to verify the company's claims. The two chemicals are the most dangerous substances in cigarettes.
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang pose for a photo before an opening session at a US and China comprehensive Economic Dialogue at the US Department of the Treasury on Wednesday.



Differences on steel and market access stand in way of agreement in Washington but both sides likely to work to avoid trade war, analystssay



By Wendy Wu, Jane Cai, Zhenhua Lu, US correspondent





China and the United States have failed to reach a deal on ways to reduce their trade imbalance despite high-level talks in Washington.

Observers said relations between the two countries had worsened but China and the US would both take steps to avoid an all-out confrontation between their closely tied economies.

The talks on Wednesday followed a 100-day trade deficit reduction plan that came out of a meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida in April.

Officials built momentum for this week's talks by rolling out a series of initiatives, such as resuming US beef exports to China.

But the two sides failed to reach a consensus on how to cut the US trade deficit and China's excess steel capacity. They also could not agree on expansion of US access to China's market.

In a sign of the discord, the parties cancelled their post-talks press conference and did not produce a joint statement.

Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said it was unlikely that they could "solve all the problems through merely one meeting".

Zhu also said trade imbalances could not be resolved by suspending or reducing imports from China. Instead, the US should increase exports to China.

However, when asked if he would slap tariffs on steel imports, Trump said "it could happen".

Pang Zhongying, a senior fellow at the Ocean University of China, said the US had continued to "wave the stick of a trade war to put pressure on China".

"But it did not work. China has realised the concerns of the US and will study future steps to talks," Pang said. "Both sides need to talk and make effort. Maybe we need a second or third 100-day action plan."

In separate statements after the talks, the US said China acknowledged the need to reduce the trade deficit, while the Chinese delegation said both sides would promote cooperation.

Fears of a trade war have risen since Trump lashed out at China last month over what he said was its failure to rein in North Korea's nuclear weapon ambitions.

Arthur Kroeber, managing director of Hong Kong-based financial services firm Gavekal Dragonomics, said earlier that trade action against China would lead to more harm for the United States.

"We may well see a rise in forceful rhetoric and symbolic action, but moves that would really crimp the economic relationship remain far off," Kroeber said.

He Weiwen, former economic and commercial counsellor at China's consulate general in New York and San Francisco, said Trump's threats on steel seemed to be a response to domestic political pressure. He said Chinese steel accounted for just 3 per cent of US total steel imports, affecting less than 0.2 per cent of jobs in the United States.

Mei Xinyu, a researcher at a Ministry of Commerce think tank, said a deal would take a "long time and several rounds of negotiation" because China was still getting used to Trump's tactics of demanding more at the start.

Mei said there was a big difference in position between the two countries. "The US wants to reduce trade deficits, but China thinks the gap should mainly be narrowed by economic restructuring in the world's largest economy," he said.

Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute, said US-China relations were at "an unusual stage" because Trump was still short of staff to deal with China and had yet to figure out a clear China policy.

"The US side is therefore unable to get the Chinese side to deliver much and unable to decide how to respond. The Chinese side knows this and is making the most of it," Tsang said.

"The key question is what Trump will do. We don't know as he [Trump] does not seem to work within the normal policy making framework and process. Xi and the Chinese government will seek to maximise advantage from this American disarray for as long as possible. When Trump finally thinks that he has been taken for a ride, his reactions may well prove rather disagreeable from Beijing's perspective."
Guthrie McLean



Family of Guthrie McLean say he came to the aid of his mother who was assaulted by the driver in Zhengzhou and they are now concerned for his welfare



By Sarah Zheng





The family of an American university student detained in China for five days without charge or contact beyond the police station have enlisted the help of US politicians to try to secure his release.

Guthrie McLean, a student at the University of Montana, was detained on Sunday evening in Zhengzhou in Henan province and formally arrested the following day.

His detainment follows an incident on June 10 when a taxi fare dispute between his mother and a driver turned violent, Montana's Missoulian newspaper reported.

Tom Mitchell, a long-time family friend and the Beijing bureau chief of the Financial Times, told the Montana paper that the altercation occurred when Jennifer McLean, who is deaf and teaches in China, took a cab to her home in Zhengzhou.

The driver "started to rough up Jennifer" after a dispute over the taxi fare and her son came to pull him off and push him to the ground, Mitchell was quoted as saying.

About a week later the police took Guthrie McLean to a station and requested about 100,000 yuan (US$14,800) in compensation for the driver's injuries. They later lowered this to 60,000 yuan, then 50,000 yuan.

Mitchell told the South China Morning Post that the Zhengzhou police may not have a "complete picture of what happened" due to communication barriers with the McLeans and not have realised that Guthrie was trying to protect his mother. He added that it seemed "odd" for police to take action weeks after the original incident.

"I do hope this will be resolved quickly so that Guthrie and Jennifer can be reunited," he said. "I've known Guthrie for a long time and he's a good kid."

Two senators from Montana, Steve Daines and Jonathan Tester, have been involved in efforts to secure her son's release, along with staff at the University of Montana, family and friends, according to his mother.

"He is not allowed any contact with anyone so we have no idea what is going on," McLean said in an email. "We do not know his condition. His friends, professors and family are extremely worried."

Daines' office has told McLean they were in touch with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and it has communicated to local police that the case was "important to resolve". The ministry also offered assurances that Guthrie McLean was safe.

US consulate staff were able to visit Guthrie on Thursday, according to a State Department official.

"The Department of State takes seriously its obligation to assist US citizens abroad. We are providing appropriate consular services and will continue to monitor his case," the official said.

Guthrie McLean, who has largely grown up in China since 2001, had intended to volunteer at a panda rescue site in Sichuan province this summer. He was due to fly back to the United States on August 29.

His mother described him as a very sweet, caring person who loves animals and wildlife.

Ms McLean previously taught in Beijing and was profiled in 2006 by the state-run China Daily for founding a deaf community development centre in the capital.
Historic ties of north Meck span throughout region Though the north Mecklenburg area didnt see significant population growth until a few decades ago, its rich history dates back to the Revolutionary War. That was the basis of...

An easier-than-expected first mammogram experience HUNTERSVILLE  Scheduling a cancer screening probably ranks somewhere on your to-do list between "clean out the garage" and "donate those clothes that don't fit." Sure, you'll get to it at...
When we meet Rowan Petty, the protagonist of Richard Langes new novel, The Smack, hes alone in a second-rate Reno hotel room on Thanksgiving Day, making phone calls to a list of hopeful investors in a fictitious mother lode of Peruvian ore. Petty is an experienced con man  hes been on his own since he was 15, jumping from scheme to scheme  but hes had a rough run of it. Hes been flopping at a series of cheap hotels since the bank foreclosed on his condo in Phoenix, and is now doing the grunt work of a phone scam for his former protege, a ruthless con who feels no particular loyalty for the man who once took him under his wing.

All this weighs pretty heavily on Petty, who worries that his bad luck is not just a slump, but an irreversible trend toward desperation. Hed recently turned forty, and this fact caromed inside his head when he stared at the cigarette burn on his rooms garish polyester bedspread, ate a dollar hot dog for dinner, washed his underwear in the sink, and got hung up on by widows from Des Moines.

When an old family friend invites him in on a scheme to rip off a huge stash of stolen Army money siphoned out of Afghanistan, he cant get away from it despite some serious misgivings  among them that his friend is washed up, the intel is sketchy, and Petty doesnt stick people up for a living. Two million dollars. The kind of score Petty had always dreamed about. Abracadabra, and all his problems solved in an instant and forever.

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As it turns out, $2 million dont steal easy, and Petty ends up in a world of trouble when things deviate from his optimistic, half-baked plan.

In his last days in Reno, Petty meets a prostitute who goes by TinafeyLike that white lady on TV, but all one word, she said  whos also looking to get out of town. The two hit it off and head to Los Angeles, where Petty goes looking for the rumored cash jackpot. His estranged 21-year-old daughter, Sam, also lives in L.A., and he takes the opportunity to reach out to her for the first time in seven years.

As it turns out, $2 million dont steal easy, and Petty ends up in a world of trouble when things deviate from his optimistic, half-baked plan. While he tangles with a young wounded veteran holding the cash in L.A., the mastermind behind the original theft is on his way to claim his booty, and hes ready to kill all challengers.

Richard Lange reads from The Smack at Book Soup July 27 at 7:00 p.m. 

Crime fiction is a staple of L.A. literature, which is full of crooks and hustlers, fast-talking wise guys who are tough to seduce and even tougher to deceive. Petty is persistent and reasonably smart, but hes an entirely different kind of creature, fumbling and ordinary, and this makes him refreshingly realistic even as the plot zooms forward with big twists and the customary thriller propulsion.

When he and Tinafey get to L.A., they hunker down in a Hollywood hotel and buy dinner and T-shirts at the Hard Rock Cafe, just a couple of unselfconscious tourists. Still, were so used to smooth operators that it comes as a surprise when Petty gets hustled into paying a minor celebritys bar tab at Musso & Frank. Petty gets played a few times, and for more than a few martinis. He makes the kinds of mistakes that get secondary characters killed in other crime novels.

Thankfully, falling for the prostitute is not one of his mistakes. Tinafey is a kind, engaging character, a decisive departure from the trope of the sexual and therefore evil femme fatale, and their romance gives this hard-boiled novel a measure of earnest sweetness. Something happens when he opens up to Tinafey: A key turned, a door opened, and he found himself standing somewhere hed never been before  him, a man who thought hed been everywhere.

He also reconnects with Sam, with Tinafeys urging and support, and his precarious relationship with his daughter drives both the plot and the emotional journey of the novel.

None of this hokey because Lange is an expert writer, his prose exact, his narrative tightly controlled. Even his occasional excesses  theres some heavy coincidence with Sams story line  are well-managed and easily justified.

Petty may be a world-weary 40-year-old con man, but his character brings a fresh point of view to the world of noir L.A. Whatever hes selling, its worth buying.

Cha is the author, most recently, of the novel Dead Soon Enough.

The Smack

Richard Lange

Mulholland Books: 368 pp., $26

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One of the ostensibly brilliant ideas in Senate Republicans plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is to move low-income families from Medicaid to the private insurance marketplace, allowing them to use the premium subsidies provided by the ACA.

But theres a catch, according to a new analysis of the proposal. For many low-income families, the marketplace premiums and deductibles combined would amount to more than their total income, even after subsidies. Moreover, despite shifting more of these costs to enrollees, the change would cost the federal government more than Medicaid.

To put it simply, the Senate plan would present many low-income families with no option but to buy useless insurance, and wouldnt save the federal government a dime.

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I dont even know what were proceeding to next week. Obamacare vote nears with key details still missing

The analysis comes from health policy experts Deborah Bachrach and Patricia Boozang at the Los Angeles-based law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. It reaches the same conclusion as other analyses of the Senate GOPs Better Care Reconciliation Act, the repeal plan that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is attempting the shove through his chamber with voting beginning as early as next week.

Why replace an existing system that works reasonably well with a ... patchwork of pools, grants and waivers that costs more and falls short?  Deborah Bachrach and Patricia Boozang, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Loren Adler and Paul B. Ginsburg of the Brookings Institution, for example, found that the bill would lead to a large increase in average annual healthcare costs for those with lower incomes, whatever their age and family type. But they point out that the increase would be especially sharp for older people. Thats because the bill eliminates subsidies that help pay down deductibles and co-pays, which tend to kick in at a higher rate for older enrollees, and because the bill would allow premiums for older people to be pegged higher than the ACA allows, in relation to those for younger insurance buyers.

The Manatt study asks, Can people losing Medicaid under BCRA afford marketplace coverage? Its answer is no.

Neither analysis thinks much of a late-breaking tweak to the Senate bill that would create a $200-billion fund for the 31 states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA, known as Obamacare. Seema Verma, the Trump-appointed head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has been trying to assure reluctant GOP senators from expansion states that the money could be used to defray low-income families out-of-pocket costs. But that 10-year infusion would not be nearly enough to make up for the more than $750 billion the Senate bill would take out of Medicaid funding over the same period.

Moreover, the last-minute backing-and-filling has raised new questions about the Republicans goal in healthcare policy: Is it to find a way to genuinely improve the lot of Americans who buy health insurance on the individual market, or merely to find enough votes to push some sort of repeal narrowly across the finish line in the next few legislative days?

The incoherence of the emerging repeal bill suggests the latter. As my colleague Noam Levey reports, the confusion is feeding a growing sense of chaos on Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans, who hold a razor-thin 52-48 majority, are openly fretting about the lack of information about legislation that could leave anywhere from 22 million to 32 million more Americans without health insurance.

The Manatt analysis raised the same point. Why replace an existing system that works reasonably well, Bachrach and Boozang ask, with a new, temporary patchwork of pools, grants and waivers that costs more and falls short of what the Medicaid program already does?

Under the ACA, households with incomse up to 138% of the federal poverty limit  or about $34,000 for a family of four  are eligible for Medicaid coverage in the 31 states that chose to accept the expanded program. In those states, premium subsidies are available to households over that threshold and up to 400% of the poverty limit. In non-expansion states, the subsidies are available to households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the poverty limit. The federal government covers more than 90% of the cost of the expansion, with the states paying the rest. The ACA also provides subsidies to help cover deductibles and co-pays to households earning less than 250% of the poverty line (or $61,500 for a family of four).

The Senate bill would eliminate the expansion and the deductible subsidies, while making households with incomes below 100% of the poverty line eligible for premium subsidies. Another provision, meanwhile, would raise the level of deductibles and co-pays and lower the value of premium subsidies for low-income families. That provision would benchmark the subsidies not to silver-level plans, which cover an average 70% of enrollees costs, but to a plan covering only 58% of costs. Because all plans under the ACA must provide certain minimum benefits, the lower-value plans would have higher deductibles. Manatt calculated that the average family deductible would be about $12,393.

When Manatt crunched the numbers, it found that for households with income below 75% of the poverty level, or $18,450 for a family of four, the average of premiums, deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses would reach 104% of their total income  even after premium subsidies. For families or individuals with slightly higher incomes, the costs would still be crippling. Those at 100% of the poverty line, or $24,600 for a family of four, would be paying about four-fifths of their income in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, and those at 133%, or $32,718, would be paying nearly two-thirds of their income.

The figures underscore the stark reality of the Senate GOPs desperate push to repeal the ACA: For millions of Americans, it presents a dire threat to their health and their pocketbooks.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.
Wheres your boarding pass? Forget it. Delta Air Lines is letting some passengers board planes with just their fingerprints.

Delta announced this week that travelers who are members of its SkyMiles loyalty program and enrolled in Clear, a third-party biometric screening program, can choose to use their fingerprints as proof of identity at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Later this summer, Delta plans to let members also use their fingerprints to check bags at that airport.

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The fingerprint pilot program at the Washington airport will test how Deltas and Clears systems work together, Delta said. The program is optional for Delta customers.

Gil West, Deltas chief operating officer, said customer and employee feedback on the program has been positive.

Biometric verification has a higher level of accuracy than paper boarding passes and gives agents more time to assist customers with seat changes and other skilled tasks instead of having to scan individual tickets, West said in a statement, and customers have less to keep track of as they travel through the airport.

He said that once testing is complete, fingerprint scanning could roll out to Delta terminals nationwide in a matter of months.

Delta is only the latest airline to announce a biometrics project.

Last month, JetBlue Airways announced that it would begin using facial recognition technology on flights from Logan International Airport in Boston to Beatrix International Airport in Aruba.

In 2014, Alaska Airlines began using fingerprint scans to verify customers at six of its airport lounges, including one at Los Angeles International Airport. In 2015, the airline launched a pilot program in Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport to use fingerprints instead of boarding passes and government-issued identification to identify passengers as they drop off their bags, pass through the security checkpoint and board planes.

Paul Viollis, chief executive of security firm Viollis Group International, said one reason that airlines are adopting biometric technology is that its almost impossible to duplicate, say, a retina scan.

Biometric  is not going to lie, Viollis said. But you may have false reads that could back people up in line, and not all biometric manufacturers are equal. If you spend the money and do it right, you will have improved security and reduced wait times.

Still, the introduction of fingerprint scans isnt without risk. Computers that store personal information about Deltas customers, including fingerprints, could be hacked. And unlike a stolen password that can be changed, a fingerprint is indelible.

With a password, you can just change it and move on with your life. You cant do that with fingerprints, said Nasir Memon, a professor of computer science at New York Universitys Tandon School of Engineering.

Memon said fingerprints can be easily obtained and copied simply by lifting them off objects that people have touched, which is why its crucial that Delta staff man the scanners at airport gates to ensure that a passenger isnt posing as someone else.

Memon said its too soon to know how much damage a mass hack of fingerprints would cause; the technology hasnt been adopted widely enough. There is precedent, however. In 2014, a hacker cloned the thumbprint of German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen using a close-up photo.

Clear, the technology firm partnering with Delta to administer the fingerprinting system, said it has strict security measures to thwart hacks but declined to describe them in detail.

The integrity of our customers data is the integrity of our company, David Cohen, the firms chief administrative officer, said in an emailed statement. Protecting our members privacy is our most important priority. For that reason, we do not discuss the security measures we have put in place. Clear also never rents or sells member data.

rachel.spacek@latimes.com

david.pierson@latimes.com
United Airlines image took a beating in April because of an ugly incident caught on video involving a passenger who was dragged from his seat.

Since an initial defensive response, the carrier has been working overtime to rebound from the scandal.

The Chicago-based carrier this week reported that the number of passengers involuntarily denied seats has fallen sharply following the fracas involving Dr. David Dao, who was yanked from his seat by airport police and dragged down the aisle of the plane preparing to head from Chicago to Lexington, Ky.

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United said 260 travelers were involuntarily denied seats in May and June, down 85% from 1,700 in the same two months in 2016.

The carriers chief executive, Oscar Munoz, said the airline has adopted most of the 10 changes it promised in response to the Dao incident.

The promised changes include increasing the incentive payment offered passenger to voluntarily give up a seat on an overbooked flight to $10,000 and assembling a team to find creative ways to get travelers to their destinations when flights are overbooked.

The airline also cut back on the paperwork required to reimburse passengers for lost luggage.

These changes amount to a lot more than just a policy shift, Munoz told analysts. Clearly its more of a ... paradigm shift [for] our culture and mind-set of our employees and our management.

The companys finances havent suffered from the public relations nightmare caused by the Dao incident. United this week reported a profit of $818 million for the three-month period that ended in June, up 39% from the same period last year.

In a previous report, United said it served 71.3 million passengers in the first six months of the year, a 4.2% increase from the same period in 2016.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.

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The U.S. Labor Department has ordered Wells Fargo & Co. to reinstate another former employee who alleged she was fired after reporting part of the widespread fraud that engulfed the bank in a major scandal.

The whistle-blower, a former branch manager in Pomona, will be reinstated and paid $577,500 in back wages, damages and other compensation, , the agency said, based on an investigation by the departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The Labor Department does not release the names of whistle-blowers.

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San Francisco-based Wells Fargo issued a statement saying that, while we take seriously the concerns of current and former team members, the ruling announced Friday is a preliminary order and to date there has been no hearing on the merits of this case. We disagree with the findings and will be requesting a full hearing of the matter.

The governments ruling came three months after OSHA ordered Wells Fargo to reinstate another former manager, this one in Los Angeles, and pay him $5.4 million in back earnings, damages and attorneys fees.

No banking industry employee should fear retaliation for raising concerns about fraud and practices that violate consumer financial protections, Barbara Goto, OSHAs regional administrator in San Francisco, said in a statement Friday.

The U.S. Department of Labor will fully and fairly enforce the whistle-blower protection laws under its jurisdiction, she said.

The scandal erupted after a Los Angeles Times investigation found that bank employees, driven by onerous sales goals, opened millions of unauthorized checking, savings and other accounts in customers names, often without their knowledge. Regulators following up on The Times reporting levied a $185-million fine against Wells Fargo last year.

The Pomona manager was fired in September 2011 because she reported that at least three bankers working under her supervision were opening customer accounts and enrolling customers in bank products without their knowledge, consent or appropriate disclosures, the Labor Department said.

Earlier this month, a federal judge granted preliminary approval for Wells Fargos proposed $142-million class-action settlement to compensate possibly millions of customers who had unauthorized accounts opened in their names.

The decision meant the plaintiffs in class-action suits would soon receive information about how to submit claims for benefits. A hearing to decide final approval of the deal is scheduled Jan. 4, 2018.

james.peltz@latimes.com

Twitter: @PeltzLATimes
When it comes to corporate greed, there are some fees charged by big companies that are so indefensible, so blatantly money-grubbing, they almost have to be savored like a fine wine. Otherwise, its just too painful to think these guys are routinely taking us to the cleaners.

For instance, theres the $1.75 that AT&T charges every month to not include your name and number in its automated phone directories. Frontier Communications, which purchased Verizons wirelines in California, charges a whopping $2.50 monthly for the same non-service.

Then theres the $25 fee most major airlines charge just to check a bag. Or the fee of up to $3.50 many banks charge if customers have the nerve to use another banks ATM  on top of whatever fee that other bank imposes.

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And so we come to the fee du jour: the squeeze that banks put on non-customers to cash a check drawn on one of the banks own accounts.

Bank of America is notifying its checking-account customers that, beginning Aug. 15, if non-customers try to cash a personal check at the bank written by a BofA account holder, the check casher will have to pay an $8 fee.

The fee applies to personal checks for $50 or more and matches an $8 fee that already applies to non-customers cashing BofA business checks.

Why, you might ask?

Betty Riess, a bank spokeswoman, explained to me that our priority is to serve our customers with accounts, and this will reduce their wait time in the financial centers.

What shes saying is that there are so many darn non-customers cluttering up branches that Bank of America had no choice but to act in the interests of honest-to-goodness customers.

This, however, is completely untrue.

BofA and other major banks currently are trying to figure out what to do with increasingly empty branches as their customers switch in droves to ATMs and online transactions.

A senior BofA official was quoted in American Banker in March as saying that 65% of customer deposits were made at teller windows five years ago. But now, only 30% of deposits are made with tellers.

Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for the advocacy group Consumer Action, said BofA and other banks are simply gouging people who may not have their own bank account.

Why should they prey on people who just want to cash a check drawn on a customers account? she asked. And how much can it actually cost to cash a check?

OK, I know what youre thinking: Youre wondering why people dont just get their own bank accounts and cash checks at their own bank.

Maybe they live paycheck to paycheck and have no need of a bank account, especially if they face monthly fees for not maintaining a minimum balance. Maybe theyre undocumented immigrants.

The point is theyre being discriminated against for no other reason than because the bank knows it can get away with it. Whats the non-customers alternative, after all  a predatory check-cashing service that charges a percentage of the checks total amount?

And lets stress this point: Its not as if banks have any reason to question if a checks good. Its the banks own account, written and signed by the banks own customer.

Bank of America is keeping pace with Chase, which bumped up its own check-cashing fee for non-customers to $8 a couple of years ago. Wells Fargo is close behind with a $7.50 fee, which a spokesman told me is intended to cover the costs of offering our convenient network of branches and bankers to non-customers.

When I first looked into these bogus fees about a dozen years ago, I noticed that in some cases they violated the California Labor Code, which requires that paychecks be negotiable and payable in cash, on demand, without discount.

If a non-customer has to pay a fee for cashing his or her paycheck at the bank where it was issued, that represents a discount, state officials acknowledged when I brought it to their attention.

Subsequent lawsuits against BofA and Wells Fargo were settled out of court, with the banks pledging to no longer charge fees for cashing paychecks or to make it easier for workers to open accounts.

Needless to say, the banks admitted no wrongdoing. And they still havent gotten rid of the fees for non-payroll checks.

The only big bank I was able to find that doesnt nail people with the fee is Citi. We dont charge fees for non-customers to cash checks, a spokesman said.

So does Citi know something about branch management that BofA, Chase and Wells do not?

No, of course not. Moreover, theres no evidence that charging non-customers a check-cashing fee makes things demonstrably better for customers.

All banks are now seeing declines in customer foot traffic as their business increasingly moves online.

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the number of bank branches nationwide peaked in 2009. The fewer-than 92,000 total branches open last year was the lowest number in over a decade  even as total deposits climbed nearly 6% to $11.2 trillion.

Bank of America has closed about 1,400 branches since 2010. Meanwhile, it added nearly 2 million digital accounts over the last three months to reach 34 million, mostly customers using mobile devices.

Wells Fargo, which operates the countrys largest branch network, closed 93 branches in the first half of this year and plans to shutter about 450 by the end of 2018. The bank now has more than 20 million mobile users. Chase has over 28 million.

And here we have BofA rolling out an $8 check-cashing fee for non-customers. To reduce wait times at branches.

Which is about as believable as the phone company saying it costs them roughly $2 a month to not list you in their directory database.

Just savor that bouquet.

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.

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Like many cities in Southern California, Santa Monica is split between two entrenched camps when it comes to the politics of growth, housing and development. Heres how Rick Cole, Santa Monicas city manager  and before that a deputy mayor of Los Angeles, city manager of Ventura and Azusa and mayor of Pasadena  describes the gulf.

On one side, Cole told me over lunch recently, is the slow-growth or even no-growth faction, a group of people who think until we have more water, until the air is clean, until traffic is solved, we dont need even one more brick on top of brick. For them, any new housing is too much.

On the other side are the vocal and increasingly organized pro-growth and pro-housing advocates who say that if Santa Monica is going to be a leader, we should be building much more. Because weve got a train, with three stops in Santa Monica, if were going to do anything about the housing crisis, this is the time, this is the place, full speed ahead, pedal to the metal.

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The philosophical differences between the two camps have been thrown into sharp relief over the last year or so. A few months after celebrating the extension of the Metro Expo Line to Santa Monica  the train Cole refers to  residents debated and ultimately rejected (by 55% to 45%) a controversial slow-growth ballot initiative, Measure LV. In recent weeks deliberations over a new development blueprint for Santa Monicas downtown  known as the DCP, for Downtown Community Plan  have been heating up.

But according to Cole, something surprising happened as the DCP wound its way through the approval process, first at the planning commission and then in front of the full city council. Santa Monica, he argues, managed to build a bridge across the yawning growth gap.

The city has fashioned a plan for its downtown  an area bounded by Wilshire Boulevard to the north, the 10 Freeway to the south, Ocean Avenue to the west and Lincoln Boulevard to the east  that promises to speed the approvals process for housing developments smaller than 75,000 square feet, eliminates parking requirements for new construction and boosts the required number of affordable units on the biggest residential projects to 30%, an unusually high number.

Cole believes that its a breakthrough that could provide a road map for the rest of California. In his words, what the council achieved in reaching full consensus on the details of the DCP last week is nothing less than a grand bargain on the key issues. A formal vote is expected Tuesday evening.

Though the bargain will not make either side happy, Cole adds, it really represents a synthesis.

The council made a decision to be all in. All in on a new model of mobility: Were eliminating parking minimums. All in on the production of housing: Were going to make it staff approval [without review by the planning commission or other body]. And all in on affordable housing, because we may not be able to get much new middle-class housing, because of factors beyond our control, but by God were going to get the maximum amount for the lower end. So three pretty bold moves on the part of the council  and not just 4-3 votes but the fact that they were able to get everybody on board.

If a real compromise is one that causes at least a little pain on both sides, Cole says this one qualifies. The council members were not playing to this group or that group. In fact, each of them have something that theyre really pissed off about.

The plan also allows three large projects already in the planning pipeline  including one designed by Frank Gehry and another by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, the firm co-founded by Rem Koolhaas  to exceed current height limits downtown if theyre later approved, though not by as much as their developers originally hoped.

Regular readers of this column will recall that Ive been critical of earlier versions of the DCP, in part because it includes a provision to lower height limits along the northern edge of downtown. I still think its a mistake to downzone any part of a city where theres high demand for housing  especially a city as well-served by transit and as committed in its rhetoric to inclusion and social justice as Santa Monica.

There are other details of the DCP I could find fault with. Some housing advocates worry that pushing up the affordable housing requirement to 30% will give developers an incentive to steer clear of housing altogether in downtown Santa Monica. As Jason Islas, a writer and activist in Santa Monica who described an earlier version of the DCP as an aggressively slow-growth document, put it in an email, 30% of zero is zero.

Im also skeptical about how accurately the grand bargain reflects constituent feeling in Santa Monica, which is to say how truly balanced it is. You could make a pretty good case  given the results of the LV vote and the public comments in hearings about the DCP, among other admittedly imperfect measuring sticks  that the pro-housing faction has not just a solid but a growing majority. Time and demographics are certainly on its side.

In a larger sense, even a compromise on growth that perfectly calibrates contemporary political feeling in Santa Monica would be lacking because it wouldnt allow the city to make up for the many decades it spent systematically under-building housing, shutting the door on new arrivals and driving up prices and inequality.

The population of Santa Monica  one of the most desirable places to live on the planet  increased a mere 6,500 people, or less than 8%, between 1960 and 2010. Over the same period Los Angeles Countys population grew by more than 60%. Santa Monica has done a very good job insulating itself from growth while reaping the benefits of economic development across the region as a whole. Particularly in terms of housing it has an obligation to do more, to put the drawbridge back down.

But Ive given much of this column over to Coles analysis of the grand bargain because over the years Ive found him a thoughtful, measured observer of the region. And because in this hyper-polarized moment in both local and national politics, its refreshing to hear some reports of cooperation and compromise, even within the narrow range of Democratic politics that defines the Santa Monica City Council.

His argument for moving cautiously in building new housing downtown makes some sense. It would be a mistake, he says, to tear down a pretty successful downtown overnight and replace it with a slew of brand-new, identical-looking buildings built for a particular time by one or two developers. In the spirit of Jane Jacobs, lets see if we can allow a little more organic evolution.

Yet planning of that sort succeeds only if a citys appetite for new housing is consistent over time. What if later councils slam the door shut again? Then the evolution is not organic but frustratingly piecemeal.

Ultimately the success of the DCP will depend, paradoxically enough, on what happens outside Santa Monicas downtown core. In 2015 the city council, in a controversial 4-3 vote, essentially downzoned the major boulevards beyond downtown. Such corridors are precisely where cities should be ramping up the production of new housing.

Cole says council members may soon be ready to revisit that decision and its implications. I hope hes right. If protecting the citys low- and mid-rise downtown can be accompanied by a good-faith, sustained and successful effort to boost the production of market-rate and affordable housing elsewhere in the city  and thats a big if  the grand bargain may turn out to be worth it. And may prove to be a model for other cities in the region, not least Los Angeles itself.

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christopher.hawthorne@latimes.com

Twitter: @HawthorneLAT
Everything you want to know about Black Lightning, Supergirl, Arrow, Flash and the rest of the CW lineup

Cress Williams, Christine Adams, Nafessa Williams and China Anne McClain from the television series Black Lightning. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The traditional CW block of Comic-Con panels added a new show this year. Black Lightning joined Supergirl, DCs Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash and Arrow for a three-plus-hour extravaganza touting the networks super-heroic TV slate.

The new kid on the block, Black Lightning brought a level of social awareness to the proceedings that most of the fantastical other shows didnt particularly touch on (this year, at least). The show is grounded in family and community, specifically black families and black communities, and according to the showrunners it will not shy away from addressing the concerns that are current.

Yes theres a problem with police brutality and we will get into that. Theres also a problem with us killing each other, said Salim Akil, one of the executive producers of the series alongside Mara Brock Akil. They were joined on the panel by lead actor Cress Williams, who plays the titular character, and his TV daughters China Anne McClain (playing Jennifer Pierce) and Nafessa Williams (Anissa Pierce), and his TV ex-wife Christine Adams (Lynn Pierce).

Black Lightning follows Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightnings real-life persona), who is a man wrestling with a secret. He has the superhuman power to control electricity but gave it up for his family and others. But when his family is threatened hell have to don the suit and use his powers again. Fun side note, his daughter (McClain) exhibits special powers as well.

Whats going to make this so fun for the writers and others is that this is going to come from an authentic black male voice, Salim said. I think this character will give back to the culture. Black culture specifically, but American culture.

The biggest challenge was accepting that this black man was running around town in this suit. Thats the easiest way to get shot, Salim said as the audience laughed. "[The show] is about balancing out when he uses his powers [and] how he uses his powers and why.

Another Black Lightning surprise was the announcement that James Remar and Damon Gupton would be joining the cast.

Salims closing remarks circled back to representation, and the desire to give little kids the opportunity to choose between being Batman or Black Lightning for Halloween -- highlighting the fact there should be a choice.

Heres a breakdown for the rest of the CW panel:

Supergirl

(Jevon Phillips / Los Angeles Times)

- Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor) is now a series regular, and her character immediately makes an enemy of a powerful person.

- We will get to see Martian Manhunters father.

- Supergirls sister Alex popped the question to her girlfriend at the end of last season. Exec Jessica Queller is happy that they get to portray a relationship that is emotional, modern and honors the love between these two women.

- Melissa Benoist wants a puppy on the show. David Harewood wants the Martian to get drunk and sing karaoke.

DCs Legends of Tomorrow

- Last season the Legends were the only game in time, so to speak, but now Rip Hunter will head a group that can help fix time alongside the heroes..

- Neal McDonoughs Damien Darkh will return.

- A new character, Zari, joins the cast. Shes a hacker from the future played by Tala Ashe who will butt heads with the positivity of Ray (Brandon Routh).

- There will be a character called Fireshine. Its a Freaky Friday situation for the Firestorm duo where Victor Gabler will most likely be the physical manifestation of the hero instead of Franz Drameh.

- There have been conversations with Matt Ryan about Constantine coming on the show.

- They are having an 80s episode in which they investigate Ray Palmers childhood.

The Flash

Tom Cavanagh, Grant Gustin and Candice Patton on the Flash panel. (Jevon Phillips / Los Angeles times)

There was a sneak peek of exclusive footage from Season 4. The whole cast was once again present for the panel. Exec Todd Helbing, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jessie L. Martin, Candice Patton, Grant Gustin, Tom Cavanaugh, Danielle Panabaker and the always-popular Carlos Valdes.

- Jesse L. Martin was happy he got to work with Victor Garber on the musical episode. As a New York kid, that means a lot.

- The Thinker is the new big bad for this season, and will be played by Neil Sanderlands from The 100.

- Gypsys (Jessica Camacho) father will be showing up, and hell be played by Danny Trejo.

Arrow

- Responding to the inquiry of why the island was blown up, producer Wendy Mericle said: Were good at blowing things up. Thats what we do.

- Exec producer Marc Guggenheim: We are going to see a different Oliver Queen. The last five years have really changed him.

- Stephen Amell on his characters changes: To start on episode 116 and be able to do fun, new stuff has been great.

- Katie Cassidy, who played Black Canary, on returning: So excited to be back. It feels like I never left. Its been pretty easy getting back in the swing of things.

- There will be a super group of villains, including one played by Michael Emerson, though we dont know who he is or who theyll be.

- Amell has apparently mentioned that hed like to see a Supernatural"-"Arrow crossover, so a member of the audience asked him how that could possibly happen.

- The character Richard Dragon will be among the villains this year as well.

- One of the first questions from the audience centered on the identity of the mysterious vigilante from last season. The only reveal from Guggenheim was that the character is someone we already know.
Out in the real world, Donald Trump was navigating meetings in France and Donald Trump Jr. was fielding questions about Russia.

Inside a theater on Manhattans Upper West Side, though, characters from the Trump universe were singing, preening and impersonating.

Working Moms of America, Im honored to be here with you, said Ivanka Trump, an actress named Mia Weinberger doing a comical impression of the first daughter. Moms like us value qualities such as empathy, kindness and sensitivity  all part of the Trump brand.

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The actress was conducting a last sound check for the evenings performance of Me the People, a new off-Broadway production that has been filling its house since opening last month. The four-person musical parody skewers events involving the 45th president with a boost from classic hits, from Hotel California (Welcome to the Hotel Mar-A-Lago) to a new take on a Sound of Music staple (How do you solve a problem like Korea?).

With Julius Caesar a recent flashpoint and Hamilton a bone of White House contention, theater has been an unexpected cultural battleground between Trump and the liberal establishment. But the cast of Me the People is showing another way the fight can be waged: via campy and absurdly redone musical standards.

I think a lot of Americans would agree these are dark times and we need to laugh, said Nancy Holson, who wrote the book and lyrics for the show, as she waited with her cast before a performance one recent night. The question is how to take those times and make it funny.

Or as Me the People producer Jim Russek puts it, Yes, they go low and we go high. But OK, we can go low for a little while.

Like many Americans in the arts, Holson and Russek woke up after Election Day looking for a way to respond, or at least get out their frustrations. As the creator of a long-running stage satire called The News in Revue, Holson thought parody lyrics might be a way to go.

With the help of music director James Higgins (he also appears in the show as the piano player at a lounge where historical figures drop by) and director Jay Falzone, she set out to create a comedic musical response. Within four months, they had a full show. Me the People then became the first known stage production (but certainly not the last) to be created entirely in response to the Trump administration.

The show, in an open-ended run at a 130-seat theater called the Triad 2, has been generating warm word-of-mouth since it opened. Reviews have been generally favorable, if also taking less favorable note of the broad comic moments.

A pre-show voice-over assures audience members not to worry; the director will stop the proceedings if the president is impeached during the production. Then the four principal actors  four millennials with impressive versatility  launch into their series of musical numbers and deadpan dialogue.

The parody begins with a humorous rewriting of the Constitution (Glory the Constitution/With a little substitution/And its quiet dissolution). The W in We the People is reversed to become Me the People.

Theres also an imagined day in the life of Jared and Ivanka (he meets with Russian and French officials; she holds auctions for million-dollar dogs), and a visit from Freud in which the psychoanalyst tries to diagnose the president to the tune of Patsy Clines Crazy.

A particular highlight comes with a fast-rhyming number about the Russia-hacking scandal pulled off with breathless and accented dexterity by actor Richard Spitaletta. Don Jr. says that Moscow business is out of proportion/So who the hecks Rybolovlev/who no one had the knowledge of/and Michael Flynns in Moscow and hes eating Noodles Romanoff/His wife says hes not home enough/His bank accounts withdrawn enough/And money is the subject which the two of them dwelt on enough.

(Trump, incidentally, does not appear in the show. Holson said she felt that could conjure sympathy, as the Alec Baldwin impression had, and she wanted to avoid that.)

Another standout is Repeal and Replace, in which Spitaletta, doing an uncanny Paul Ryan, engages with the audience as a politician who pretends to care about their medical maladies. It then segues into a riff on The Lion Sleeps Tonight. (What a bungle, a mighty bungle/But Ryan speaks tonight/What a bungle, a mighty bungle, well try n get it right. And: Lets conceal it till we repeal it/The time is right/Why wait?/Lets repeal it/Then Ill reveal it.)

I really enjoy playing Paul Ryan, Spitaletta said of the House speaker. Which is something I never thought Id say out loud.

Aiesha Alia Dukes, who plays a host of original characters such as the maid Conchita at Mar-a-Lago, said the show walks a line between comedy and tragedy. Our characters are funny, she said. But the things were highlighting are not funny.

Most of the actors are not doing straight impressions, though that didnt stop them from doing a lot of research. Mitchel Kawash, who plays many of the figures in the administration, spent hours poring over old Mike Pence speeches to play the vice president.

Hes not someone who gives you a whole lot, the actor said wryly.

Nor, for that matter, do some of the other personalities in the show. That might seem to pose an acting challenge, but the performers say theres a hidden benefit.

When you have people like Paul Ryan or Jared Kushner to play, it actually opens things up. You can imagine more possibilities, said Spitaletta.

The tone of Me the People is consistently cheeky and unabashedly political. It also is not meant for subtlety, and the criticism could be (and has been) made that the humor is essentially fish-in-a-barrel, easy fare served up for an audience that wants to hear their perceptions of the president confirmed.

The principals dont deny these ambitions. A refrain, repeated in person and on the shows website, leans in on the issue of the partisanship: Are we preaching to the choir? it asks. No. We are the choir.

Cast members also say theyre trying to offer a kind of community for people who need catharsis; complicity with the actors helps in that process.

When this woman yelled at me [as I played] Ivanka, Weinberger said, I think she enjoyed it and needed it, even if she didnt realize how much she needed it.

Still, even the most liberal ZIP Codes in the country can allow in outsiders: A protester turned up inside Me the People recently and held up a pro-Trump sign at various points. The moments were tense for the actors, who in the theaters cabaret-style setup can easily see audience members, but the protester didnt speak and tensions eased.

How to keep the show current has also been a challenge. Unlike late-night shows, Me the People doesnt contain entirely new material each night  even if the news cycle moves fast enough to demand it. So the show is in a constant state of minor adjustment.

On the day of rehearsal, Holson offered notes that the cast should Keep the Joe and Mika Tweet from last week but in the wake of saber-rattling by Kim Jong Un, change Bye Bye Seattle to Bye Bye Alaska. The news had changed so quickly that nearly every number the cast had tried during auditions has either been cut or dramatically changed, from a piece on coal miners to an opus on Kellyanne Conway.

This weeks fast-moving news, capped off by the resignation Friday of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, provided the latest illustration of how tough it can be to remain timely with a script mocking the Trump administration.

Its very unusual to bring a show together this quickly, said Holson of the process that got it to the stage, adding shed like to take the show to Los Angeles if it proves a demonstrable hit in New York. But we all felt we had to do it.

Then she paused. Were bragging about what weve done [in the short amount of time]. Look at what hes done.

We just quote him, said music director Higgins.

The shows finale is a parody of Cee Lo Greens " You  using his original four-letter command  in which Hillary Clinton (and no doubt the subconscious of the audience) gets to offer a retort to all the electoral forces that brought the country here.

Weinberger appears as Clinton and gleefully flips off Vladimir Putin, Sean Hannity, members of the Trump family and even Bernie Sanders with the help of some colorful language.

So thanks to Julian Assange/We got the [bozo] Lorange, sings the character. And a lot of musical parody lyrics.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

steve.zeitchik@latimes.com

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT
Remember back to a time, if you can, before widespread cellphones, before texting and email were preferred modes of communication. The new film Landline is set specifically in 1995 and brings back a world of pay phones, pockets full of change to pay for pay phones and the fact it once seemed much more likely to just not connect with someone.

The story centers on Dana (Jenny Slate), who seems to have her life on track with a nice fiance (Jay Duplass), a nice apartment, a good, quiet job working in production at a hip magazine. Until it suddenly doesnt feel right anymore and she flirts with rekindling an old flame (Finn Wittrock), gets an eyebrow pierced and crashes back at her familys apartment. Which lands her squarely back in the drama of her squabbling parents (Edie Falco, John Turturro) and high-school age sister Ali (Abby Quinn). Soon the sisters are snooping after their father, whom they suspect of having an affair.

Yet the movie is more than just a knockabout period piece. It is also an exploration of family, emotional support and self-discovery  what might now be called self-care  and how something as potentially devastating as divorce can still present possibilities of renewal.

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Its a romantic comedy sort of sans romance, but with love and intimacy and passion, said director and co-screenwriter Gillian Robespierre.

I feel like we can tell a story that has romance while still questioning these pillars of what so often define a romantic comedy  a woman meets a man or a woman has to choose between two men, said producer and co-screenwriter Elisabeth Holm.

The movie marks the continued collaboration among Slate, Robespierre and Holm, who made the 2014 feature Obvious Child. That film was notable for dealing directly with abortion within the dynamics of an ostensible rom-com. As with Obvious Child, their new movie is wry and observational, sparked by Slates expressive, affecting performance.

When Robespierre, Holm and Slate sat along with new addition Quinn for a recent interview in Los Angeles, the warm affection and admiration among them was palpable. Nevertheless, in furthering their work together, Robespierre said they were also wary to not do Obvious Child 2.

We wanted to expand, on how wed weave different story lines together, different characters, how theyd react with each other within a scene, said Robespierre. I feel like Landline is a little more dramatic even though its about a divorce, not an abortion. In many ways I feel like this one is darker than the first movie. And I like that, I like the darkness.

Both films function more or less in the mode of the romantic comedy, though shot through with real life issues that complicate the story and the characters behaviors. For Slate, those complications aid in avoiding the pitfalls of what she often finds to be unrealistic depictions of women in Hollywood movies created to appease audience expectations.

What I feel wary of is this character trope that I find is repeating itself around our industry thats like, Theres a woman and she doesnt have it all together and shes messy but its OK. Her mess isnt going to freak you out, shes not actually messy, Slate said. Shes whimsical, and out-of-control in a way thats attractive, to you, men.

Donna in Obvious Child, she thought she had it all together, Slate added. Dana in Landline is making mistakes and making them on purpose in a pretty intense way.

The seeds of Landline came from conversations Robespierre, Holm and Slate had while traveling to promote Obvious Child  late nights spent talking in hotel rooms. After the world premiere of Landline this year at the Sundance Film Festival, Holm described their writing process as pajamas and wine.

We both live in Brooklyn, we usually meet at Gillians house because its a lot cleaner than mine, said Holm.

I have better snacks, interjected Robespierre.

Its true, picked up Holm. We meet up, we talk character, we talk about story, we talk about what we would like to see happen, where we would like to see people go. We talk about our lives, our pasts, our parents, our boyfriends, now husbands, and kind of whip all that up in the cauldron.

Said Robespierre: In many ways, Landline started off as a movie about a whole family, focusing on the three generations of the women in the family, but then when Liz and I started writing these two sisters, we were possibly writing a little bit about our dynamic together. And a little bit of that sister story in Landline is us, but a lot of it is Jenny and Abby.

[We] really try hard to make our characters feel relatable and lived in and realistic and honest. But likable isnt the first thing on our list.  Gillian Robespierre, director and co-writer of Landline

Just as Obvious Child announced Slate as an actress to watch, Landline does the same thing for Quinn. Originally from Michigan, the young actress was striving to make a go of it in Los Angeles when the Landline script came to her by chance not long after she had caught up with seeing Obvious Child.

Quinn, born the year after when the movie is set, thought the moment when she flew from Los Angeles to New York to audition would be the end of her part in the project. I just thought I was going to go there and audition and then like a year later hear about it as some other chick, Quinn said. Because I loved the script so much and it felt so right I just figured theres no way its going to happen.

The on-screen chemistry between Quinn and Slate, at times affectionate, at times annoyed, but always deeply felt, was noticeable to Robespierre and Holm right away. Quinn recalled that on the first day of shooting, Slate came by to check on her in her trailer, as Quinn was struggling to hide how nervous she was. Secretly, Slate was nervous too and Quinn put her at ease.

Ive never played a part like this, Slate said. A woman whos rather square and sort of uptight but who is sort of itching from the inside out and who has based her life on certainty and now the one feeling she has is uncertainty. The wildness, the brambles that come out of her, that is so interesting to me. And Abby just really met me there.

As Robespierre and Holm worked on exploring the relationship portrayed by Slate and Quinn, balancing the sisters dynamic within the larger whole of the family, they often found themselves bumping up against notions of the frequently used term likable.

In Landline characters act impulsively and at times recklessly, and those were the exact things the filmmaking team did not want to lose, the challenging complexities and idiosyncratic contours that make the characters seem like people.

Liz and I really try hard to make our characters feel relatable and lived in and realistic and honest, Robespierre said. But likable isnt the first thing on our list.

And they will be likable if you connect with them. I think if they do feel real and grounded and true, you like them because you understand them, said Holm. To me that is what makes me excited about another human being, the sense that theres some there there, and that the there is complicated. I think it is extremely important to us to show and share women who feel rooted and full.

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Mark.Olsen@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter: @IndieFocus
Movie recommendations from critics Kenneth Turan, Justin Chang and other reviewers.

Baby Driver Edgar Wrights exuberant, one-of-a-kind vehicular-action-thriller-musical-romance stars Ansel Elgort as a tinnitus-afflicted, music-loving getaway driver alongside a superb supporting cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and Eiza Gonzalez. (Justin Chang) R.

Beatriz at Dinner Salma Hayek gives perhaps the best performance of her career as an empathetic holistic healer who comes face to face with a rotten billionaire real-estate mogul (a marvelous John Lithgow) in this queasily funny and suspenseful dark comedy from director Miguel Arteta and screenwriter Mike White. (Justin Chang) R.

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The Beguiled Superbly acted by an ensemble that includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell, Sofia Coppolas Southern gothic chamber piece brings artful precision and a deft, distinctive feminist reading to a Civil War-era story previously adapted in 1971 by Don Siegel. (Justin Chang) R.

The Big Sick Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan are terrific as a young couple navigating the challenges of interracial romance and Muslim immigrant identity in director Michael Showalters delightful, serious-minded comedy, which also features powerhouse supporting turns from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano. (Justin Chang) R.

Dawson City: Frozen Time An aesthetic knockout thats crammed with amazing facts, a documentary thats also a detective story, a history of a particular place that turns into an examination of an entire art form, this Bill Morrison documentary inspired by the Klondike gold rush and a legendary cache of silent films will make you swoon. (Kenneth Turan) NR.

Dunkirk Both intimate and epic, as emotional as it is tension-filled, Christopher Nolans immersive World War II drama is being ballyhooed as a departure for the bravura filmmaker, but in truth the reason it succeeds so masterfully is that it is anything but. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.

Endless Poetry The second chapter of Alejandro Jodorowskys autobiographical fantasia is a visually ravishing, thrillingly strange tale of personal, artistic and social liberation set against the backdrop of the 1940s and 50s Santiago, Chile. (Justin Chang) NR.

A Ghost Story Casey Affleck dons a bedsheet and stars opposite Rooney Mara in writer-director David Lowerys quietly compelling low-budget experiment, a simple story of love and loss that gradually pries open a window onto eternity. (Justin Chang) R.

Girls Trip Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and a revelatory Tiffany Haddish play four women renewing the bonds of friendship on a New Orleans weekend getaway in this hilariously raunchy and sensationally assured new comedy from director Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man). (Justin Chang) R.

Il Boom This crisp new restoration reveals that Vittorio De Sicas 1963 absurdist comedy, starring Alberto Sordi, is a film out of time, more suited to today, where acid views of human nature and surreal plots are thick on the land, though not usually combined with the panache theyre joined with here.(Kenneth Turan) NR.

War for the Planet of the Apes An eerie quiet descends over this grim and masterful third Planet of the Apes prequel, directed with bleak beauty by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and crowned by another superb performance-capture turn from Andy Serkis as the soulful chimpanzee Caesar. (Justin Chang) PG-13.

Wonder Woman With forthright emotion, spirited humor and a surprisingly purposeful sense of spectacle, director Patty Jenkins and her superb star, Gal Gadot, have made a thrilling new superhero saga that might just save the typically nonthrilling DC Extended Universe. (Justin Chang) PG-13.

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Memories of Dunkirk and World War II

I read Josh Rottenbergs article [Audacious Maneuver: Christopher Nolan Takes on Tentpole Rivals With WWII Thriller Dunkirk, July 16)] with great interest. It is an apt title for a heroic episode in British history. I was 17 at the time, living in Wimbledon, and vividly remember the calm but urgent voice of the BBC announcer as he appealed for small-boat owners to go to the rescue of the British army stranded on the shores of northern France. He was asking a lot  anyone with a small boat was asked to report to one of about four harbors on the south coast for instructions. No protection was promised. The Royal Air Force was deployed elsewhere, but the German air force was overhead strafing the soldiers on the beaches.

Nena Kelty

Glendale

Regarding In Dunkirks Defeat, a Very British Triumph [July 16]: It is nice to see Hollywood is looking back 72 years to bring to light the many stories of courage of WWII to our wholly ignorant public more obsessed with the Kardashians than learning the lessons of the worlds recent history.

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Craig Carr

West Hills

Real meaning of Apes film

Justin Chang cant rave enough about War for the Planet of the Apes [War for the Planet of the Apes Has Stunning Artistry, July 14] but interprets it as an allegory about people treating other people badly. Ironically, that interpretation requires more abstraction than seeing the movie as a gripping fable about human treatment of nonhumans. Our blinkered obsession with ourselves often shoves aside concern for the victimization of other species.

Deborah W. Elliott

Pacific Palisades

The man behind the golden voice

Thanks for Randy Lewis terrific article [Vin Scullys Doubleheader With L.A. Phil, July 18]. I was more than a little touched by the humility and joy Scully expressed. Thanks for capturing a slice of one of the best of our fellow humans. Cant wait to watch the performance on the 30th.

Bob Nielsen

Pasadena

::

Vin and Chick [Hearn] helped make L.A. seem like a single place versus an ungainly, haphazard sprawl. Los Angeles will never fully know what we lost when we lost these guys. Their kind may never happen again.

John Kilroy

Orange

Taken for a ride at Disneyland

Why does The Times accord so much space prominently to an article [Todd Martens My Disney Mind, July 9] by one of your writers who is so obsessed with Disneyland that he goes solo several times a month and tries somewhat pathetically to contact those he considers authorities to explain this obsession and maybe comfort him? In a world with millions of people who are more tragically addicted, were asked to somehow sympathize with Martens or at least humor him. Sorry, I cant do that.

TR Jahns

Hemet

Mentoring Gwen Stefani

Regarding Lorraine Alis HBOs Defiant Ones Is a Fascinating Look at Pop and Hip-Hop Musics Odd Couple [July 8]: Jimmy Iovine helped Gwen Stefani become a solo star, but it was my neighbor Tom Atencio who discovered and nurtured the careers of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt. I still remember Christmas 1996 when Tom and I exchanged gifts  he gave me No Doubts first CD and I gave him my first childrens book about pioneer pilot Bessie Coleman. In any event, both Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have helped shape our musical culture over the past quarter century.

Philip S. Hart

Los Feliz

Casting in a diverse society

The gist of Jessica Gelts article [Casting Call: Should Roles Be Gender or Race Specific? July 16] could be summed with one line from it: Weve heard that story. Upon reading the many sharp lines of the article, my first impulse was to comment on the articles reflection of the industry-scant recognition of Chicanos/Latinos. Hollywood is imaginary, there is no there, there for some.

Juan Gomez-Quinones

Los Angeles

::

Jessica Gelts piece deserved the prominent front-page placement it was given. Hiring performers whose real-life situations match that of a character is essential. For a moment in time, we, the audience experience an emotional connection with artists who may or may not look or be like us. This can open us to an in-depth realization that the essence of the human being is within not without. To our benefit, life can imitate art.

Mary Leah Plante

Los Angeles

::

Congratulations on your section dedicated to the questions of casting screen and stage art in a multicultural society. Its a powerful starter and focus for conversations  it should hang on the wall of every performing arts company.

Mark Hein

Los Angeles
A federal judge has denied ex-Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Bacas request to remain free while he appeals his conviction on charges that he obstructed an investigation into abuses in the county jail system.

In a nine-page ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson found that Baca failed to raise any issues that would likely result in a new trial.

Baca  who was sentenced to three years in prison after he was convicted of making false statements to federal investigators, conspiracy and obstruction of justice  is scheduled to surrender to federal authorities and begin his prison sentence next week.

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But his attorney, Nathan Hochman, said the date would be put on hold while the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals considers another request from Baca to remain free during his appeal.

We respectfully and completely disagree with Judge Andersons denial of the bail pending appeal motion, Hochman said in a statement. The court found that Sheriff Baca neither poses a danger to the community nor a flight risk but improperly ruled that we had not raised substantially debatable, non-frivolous issues for appeal.

Bacas conviction in March ended a scandal that has roiled the Sheriffs Department for years.

Baca was one of 10 people convicted in what prosecutors argued was a conspiracy to interfere with FBI agents as they worked to gather evidence for a grand jury investigation into allegations of abuse by deputies working in county jails run by the Sheriffs Department. Several other deputies have been found guilty of civil rights violations for beating inmates and a visitor in the jails.

The case against Baca focused on six weeks in August and September of 2011 after the discovery by sheriffs officials that FBI agents had bribed a deputy to smuggle a cellphone to their inmate informant, a convicted violent felon.

Hochman argued that Baca, 74, should be sentenced only to house arrest because he is suffering from mild dementia.

Times staff writer Joel Rubin contributed to this report.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

UPDATES:

8:45 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Bacas attorney, Nathan Hochman.

This article was originally published at 6 p.m.
Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington died by hanging at his Palos Verdes Estates home, the Los Angeles County coroner confirmed Friday.

An employee discovered the 41-year-olds body Thursday morning hanging from a belt on a bedroom door inside his home in the 2800 block of Via Victoria, said Ed Winter, spokesman for the L.A. County medical examiner-coroner. A half-empty bottle of alcohol was found in the room, he said.

A suicide note was not found, Winter said.

An autopsy had not been performed on Bennington on Friday.

Firefighters received a call about 9 a.m. regarding a cardiac arrest at the Palos Verdes Estates home, said Joey Napoli, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The report indicated the male victim had hanged himself, he said.

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On Thursday, Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda reacted to Benningtons death, saying he was shocked and heartbroken.

1 / 14 Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington photographed in North Hollywood, where they were rehearsing for an upcomng tour. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) 2 / 14 Chester Bennington performs with Linkin Park at the Pond in Anaheim on Nov. 10, 2001. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 14 Chester Bennington, right, and the rest of Linkin Park -- Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Dave Phoenix Farrell and Rob Bourdon -- arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sept. 6, 2001. (Suzanne Plunkett / Associated Press) 4 / 14 Linkin Park pauses for a photo at its rehearsal space in North Hollywood on May 27, 2004. From left: Mr. Hahn, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, Mike Shinoda, Phoenix and Chester Bennington. (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 14 Linkin Park, from left, Chester Bennington, Ron Bourdon, Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Brad Delson and Dave Phoenix Farrell, in New York on May 11, 2007. (Jim Cooper / Associated Press) 6 / 14 Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performs at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, on June 11, 2007. (Walter Bieri / Associated Press) 7 / 14 Chester Bennington, left, with his side project band Dead by Sunrise at KROQs Almost Acoustic Christmas on Dec. 12, 2009. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 14 Bennington fronts Linkin Park at Rock in Rio in Las Vegas on May 9, 2015. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 14 Chester Bennington, left, with Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots at KROQs annual Weenie Roast at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine on May 18, 2013. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 14 Linkin Park band members Chester Bennington, from left, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, in background, Brad Delson, in hat, Dave Phoenix Farrell and Joe Hahn in North Hollywood on May 15, 2014. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 14 Chester Bennington of Linkin Park onstage at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank on May 22, 2017. (Rich Fury / Getty Images for iHeartMedia) 12 / 14 Chester Bennington, right, performs Hallelujah at the funeral for Chris Cornell at the Hollywood Forever cemetery on May 26, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press) 13 / 14 Chester Bennington performs with Linkin Park at the VOLT Festival in Sopron, Hungary, on June 27, 2017. (Balazs Mohai / EPA) 14 / 14 Chester Bennington performs at the first edition of the Download Festival in Madrid on June 22, 2017. (Kiko Huesca / EPA)

Warner Bros. Records CEO and Chairman Cameron Strang said in a statement, Chester Bennington was an artist of extraordinary talent and charisma, and a human being with a huge heart and a caring soul. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beautiful family, his band-mates and his many friends. All of us at WBR join with millions of grieving fans around the world in saying: we love you Chester and you will be forever missed.

In an 2007 interview with Noisecreep, Bennington opened up about his struggles with drugs and alcohol addiction.

Im not one of those guys who thinks being anonymous is all that great, he said. I dont have a problem with people knowing that I had a drinking problem. Thats who I am, and Im kind of lucky in a lot of ways cause I get to do something about it. I get to grow as a person through it. Its kind of a cool thing. Its not cool to be an alcoholic, meaning its not cool to go drink and be a  . Its cool to be a part of recovery. This is just who I am, this is what I write about, what I do, and most of my work has been a reflection of what Ive been going through in one way or another.

In interviews with Kerrang! magazine and Team Rock, Bennington said he was sexually abused as a child.

It destroyed my self-confidence. Like most people, I was too afraid to say anything. I didnt want people to think I was gay or that I was lying. It was a horrible experience, he told Team Rock.

Linkin Parks debut, Hybrid Theory, sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. The hard rock act went on to win two Grammy Awards for Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with Jay-Z.

Benningtons vocals on songs such as Crawling and In the End helped drive Linkin Park into stardom.

Bennington, a native of Phoenix, had a career in music that spanned more than two decades. In addition to his work with Linkin Park, he also performed with Stone Temple Pilots.

When he wasnt performing onstage, Bennington used his celebrity to promote causes about which he was passionate, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Ink, Not Mink campaign.

PETA will always remember Chester Bennington as a musical powerhouse and a powerful force for animal rights, PETA Vice President Colleen OBrien said in a statement Thursday. The world lost a kind heart today.

Bennington is survived by his wife, Talinda Bennington, and six children.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA

ALSO

Chester Bennington of Linkin Park dies at 41

Appreciation: Linkin Parks Chester Bennington was a voice of reassurance from the dark

Dodgers organist pays tribute to Chester Bennington with pregame performance of Linkin Parks Numb
A helicopter made an emergency landing in a Sherman Oaks neighborhood Friday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.

The helicopter landed just after noon in the 15000 block of West Valley Heart Drive, near the 101 and 405 freeway interchange, and the aircrafts four passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

The pilot made a mayday call to the Van Nuys airport before the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

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No one on the ground was injured, authorities said, and no buildings were damaged.

After the incident, Valley Heart Drive was shut down between Noble Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard, officials said.

The passengers were two men, one woman and a teenage girl. All were outside the helicopter when firefighters arrived.

The helicopter, a Robinson Clipper, is registered to National Helicopter Service & Engineering in Encino, FAA records show. The aircraft appeared mostly intact after the incident, although its rotor blades were bent and its windshield was shattered.

The helicopters damage was substantial the FAA said. The agency along with the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

Staff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

UPDATES:

12:55 p.m.: This post was updated with details about the crash.

This article was originally posted at 12:45 p.m.
Evacuated residents returned to Mariposa on Friday as cash registers were once again ringing up summer tourism purchases in this gateway town to Yosemite National Park.

Local merchants had waited anxiously for this moment since Tuesday, when a fast-moving wildfire caused residents to flee this rustic Sierra Nevada enclave of gift shops, restaurants and historic sites.

But even as residents returned, smoke continued to hang in the air from the devastating Detwiler fire, which has so far scorched about 74,000 acres.

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The rustic Gold Rush town of 2,000 straddles a two-mile stretch of Highway 140, about 40 west of Yosemite Valley. It is the economic and cultural heart of Mariposa County, with a hospital, museum, fairgrounds and the regions only high school.

Reopening Mariposa businesses is a priority, Kristie Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the Mariposa County Sheriffs Department, said. And we would not be doing this if we didnt believe it was safe to do so.

The fire, which began on Sunday and has destroyed 50 homes, was only 15% contained on Friday, authorities said. Temperatures in the area were forecast to remain above normal, with highs topping 90 degrees.

1 / 35 Plumes of smoke rises as the northern front of the Detwiler wildfire burns outside of Coulterville, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 35 Firefighters from Apple Valley Fire Protection District help mop up residual fire after the Detwiler wildfire burned through an area outside of Mariposa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 35 The ruins of a residential neighborhood along Highway 140 lie smoldering after the Detwiler wildfire burned through the area outside of Mariposa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 35 Workers at Happy Burger Place clean up the restaurant in preparation to open the next morning at 6 oclock after evacuation orders were lifted in Mariposa. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 35 Fire climbs up a hill as the northern front of the Detwiler wildfire burns outside of Coulterville, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 35 A home destroyed in the Detwiler Fire along Hunters Valley Road near Mariposa, Calif. The blaze has now burned more than 70,000 acres and is 10% contained. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 35 Fire retardant is dropped on a side of a hill near Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 35 Plumes of smoke rise around Lake McClure, near Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 35 An ominous cloud of smoke could be seen east of Bear Valley, near Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 35 Marc Silva, left, Greg Bodnar and Mike Foster, firefighters from strike team 2800a from Monterey County, mop up hot spots in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 35 A home destroyed by the Detwiler fire along Hunters Valley Road near Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 35 A statue sits untouched at the doorstop to a home burned in the Detwiler wildfire in Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 35 A home burned down by the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 35 Helicopters attack the flames in the hills behind the Idle Wheels Senior Mobile Home in Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 35 The Detwiler fire burns near a residential neighborhood in Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 35 Flames rise behind a vacant house as firefighters work to halt the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 17 / 35 The Detwiler wildfire burns near the outskirts of Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 35 Smoke engulfs Old Highway Road, in Mariposa, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 35 Firefighters monitor flames on the side of a road July 18 near Mariposa, Calif. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 20 / 35 Firefighters monitor flames on the side of a road July 18 near Mariposa, Calif. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 21 / 35 Firefighter Sam Goodspeed of the Nevada City Fire Department stares down the approaching flames of the Detwiler fire July 18 near Mariposa. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 22 / 35 A firefighter sprays down flames July 18 near Mariposa. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 23 / 35 Mike Wright sits in a lawn chair at his home July 18 as flames from the Detwiler fire approach the town of Mariposa. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 24 / 35 A roadside memorial stands next to an area burned by the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 25 / 35 A burned-out car sits next to a home that was destroyed by the Detwiler Fire in Mariposa, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 26 / 35 A gas line continues to burn at a home destroyed by the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 27 / 35 A chimney stands amid the burned-out remains of a house on July 18 near Mariposa. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 28 / 35 Evacuees from the Detwiler fire at a Red Cross evacuation center in Oakhurst, Calif. (JOSH EDELSON / AFP/Getty Images) 29 / 35 A real estate sign is surrounded by flames as the Detwiler fire rages on near the town of Mariposa. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 30 / 35 The Detwiller Fire burns above Lake McClure near Bear Valley. (Noah Berger / EPA) 31 / 35 Animal control officers struggle on July 17 with a sheep while trying to evacuate the animal as the Detwiller fire burns nearby in Bear Valley. (Noah Berger / EPA) 32 / 35 An air tanker drops fire retardant while battling the Detwiller fire near Bear Valley. (Noah Berger / EPA) 33 / 35 Flames from the Detwiller fire rise over Highway 49 in Bear Valley on July 17. (Noah Berger / EPA) 34 / 35 A firefighter works to keep the Detwiller fire from spreading up a hillside near Mariposa on July 17. (Noah Berger / EPA) 35 / 35 A car burned by the Detwiller fire sits outside a leveled structure on July 17 near Mariposa. (Noah Berger / EPA)

Among the first to open her doors for business was Heidi Dulcich, manager of Coast Hardware in the center of town.

As an employee hurriedly set up the stores sidewalk display of lawn mowers, air conditioners and chainsaw lubricant, Dulcich expressed mixed feelings about the decision by Cal Fire and the Sheriffs Department to lift the evacuation.

Im happy, of course, but the evacuation went on way, way too long, she said. After all, the towns electrical power is on, and theres no fire coming over the mountain.

A block down the street, Gail White-Stickles, 64, was preparing to hang an open sign on the door of her yoga studio.

Its a center of love, laughter and comfort in a community that could use some right now, she said.

On Sunday, she made one of the first 911 calls to report the Detwiler fire after it erupted near her home on a ranch about 19 miles outside of town.

We watched it grow into a horrible monster  then spin around and burn a side of our house, she said, shaking her head.

A few doors down, Jim Platto, 71, was taking stock of the potential financial losses at his family-owned restaurant, which he said has been enjoying a truly wonderful year for business.

Weve been grossing upwards of $3,000 a night, he said. Now, were wondering what our business and staff can expect from insurance and the emergency declaration [issued by Gov. Jerry Brown].

Elsewhere, townfolk and ranchers, some of whom cut down their property fences to help livestock escape when the fire came within a mile of Mariposas historic district, were gathering at street corners and gas stations to share survival stories.

The lifting of the evacuation order was a relief for many of the roughly 600 Mariposa County residents who took refuge at a half-dozen Red Cross shelters in the community of Oakhurst, about 30 miles to the south.

By Friday, many of them were losing patience with conflicting messages from authorities about when they could return home.

Matthew Lundberg, 54, and his wife, Sharon, who is bedridden with Parkinsons disease, epilepsy and memory loss, arrived at a shelter with their own pillows and a sack full of prescription medications.

The Red Cross has been wonderful to us, Lundberg said. But they dont know the little things that make life bearable for Sharon, who wants so badly to go home.

On Wednesday, Richard Kramer, 67, was camping out with his partner Cole Johnson, 55, in a tent outside the Oakhurst Mountain Christian Center as they struggled to find more stable housing.

The air was thick and hazy with smoke from the fire that was devouring surrounding stands of dense, dry forest. Kramer, who has emphysema, said his home on Agua Fria Road had burned down.

Im having a hell of a time breathing, said Kramer, who wore a bright green Hawaiian shirt  the only shirt he owns now.

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Evacuation orders lifted for Mariposa as crews slow progress of massive wildfire

The fight to save the gold-mining town of Mariposa from a monster fire
Evacuation orders were lifted for the historic mining town of Mariposa on Friday morning, as firefighters slowed the progress of a massive wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park.

Authorities lifted the evacuation order at 12:15 p.m., but warned residents: There will still be smoke in the respective areas as firefighters continue firefighting operations. If at anytime you feel unsafe, please call 911.

The blaze, which has scorched more than 70,000 acres, is now 15% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has gutted 58 homes, damaged 11 others and triggered the evacuation of approximately 4,000 people in Mariposa County communities.

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Dozens of other structures have been destroyed or damaged, Cal Fire said.

Thousands of firefighters plodded through steep hillsides and canyons overnight to reach flames smoldering in chaparral, and at least one firefighter was injured Friday when a fire engine rolled down a hill, officials said. The condition of the firefighter has not yet been made public.

Temperatures should warm up this weekend, but isolated thunderstorms could sweep over the southern Sierra Nevada range on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

On Thursday night, residents displaced by the Detwiler fire attended a community meeting at the Merced Theatre, where they expressed concerns about security and inquired when they could return home.

Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies said he hoped downtown Mariposa would reopen Friday, but he warned that some roads would remain closed because firefighters were still trying to mop up.

Binnewies said deputies were patrolling neighborhoods that were abandoned by homeowners who were forced to flee. He said anyone attempting to commit a crime would be arrested.

If youre coming here to do something nefarious, we dont want you here, the sheriff said. Get out.

This made my heart drop to my stomach. Prayers for our town needed tonight #DetwilerFire pic.twitter.com/TWe3o3yLaw  Noah Fluharty (@noahflu3) July 19, 2017

With officials opening some areas Friday, Allison Byerley, a pastor in Mariposa, said she planned to prepare a special sermon for Sunday to give thanks and raise spirits.

Byerley said she will quote from Isaiah 43, which reads in part: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. ... When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

If prayers could put out fires, this one would have been dead awhile ago, Byerley said.

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UPDATES:

11:35 a.m.: This article was updated with details on evacuation orders being lifted for Mariposa.

8:35 a.m.: This article was updated with information about the possible return of evacuated Mariposa residents.

7:15 a.m.: This article was updated with new figures on the size of the fire and number of homes destroyed.

This article was originally published at 4 a.m.
The Los Angeles police officer at the center of a scandal roiling the departments cadet program has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who was a cadet, prosecutors announced Friday.

Robert Cain, 31, was charged Thursday with two counts each of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16, lewd acts upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Cains arraignment in a downtown courtroom Friday morning was delayed while he remains in custody in San Bernardino County in connection with felony weapons charges. A cache of weapons was discovered in Cains Rancho Cucamonga home after his arrest last month in connection with the sexual assault charges.

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He is accused of sexually assaulting the cadet in three separate incidents at three different locations on June 14. That same day, three cadets were caught riding in stolen police cruisers, after leading officers on two separate chases through South L.A., sparking the investigation that revealed the cadet scandal.

Cain faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if he is convicted on the assault charges. He may also be required to register as a sex offender, though that would ultimately be at a judges discretion, said Greg Risling, a spokesman for the district attorneys office.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck personally arrested Cain on June 22 after an investigation into the alleged theft of police cruisers and other equipment by cadets also uncovered sexually explicit text messages between Cain and the 15-year-old girl.

Seven teens, including the girl, have been arrested in connection with the alleged thefts. They range in age from 14 to 18. All of those arrested were dropped from the cadet program.

The cadets stopped at least one motorist while driving the stolen vehicles, giving the driver a warning, police said.

A review of text messages between Cain and the 15-year-old girl detailed an inappropriate relationship and also suggested Cain was aware of the thefts of cruisers and other equipment, which included radios, Tasers and a bulletproof vest, according to the LAPD. He may have also helped facilitate them, Beck said last month. Beck has said the incidents relating to the sex charges did not occur on LAPD property.

A search of Cains home led to the recovery of more than 100 firearms, including modified assault rifles, police have said. Last week, he was charged with 10 felony weapons counts in San Bernardino County, including the possession of assault weapons, according to a criminal complaint.

Cain pleaded not guilty to those charges. He is being held in a San Bernardino County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, records show.

Cains attorney, Bill Seki, said his client is being made to take the fall for larger problems within the cadet program.

They wanted a scapegoat, and Robert has become that scapegoat, Seki said.

Seki claimed his client was a well-liked officer who had received several commendations from citizens in the areas he had patrolled. Asked why his client would exchange text messages with a teenage member of the cadet program, Seki said it was not uncommon for cadets to reach out to officers as mentors to help them.

Of the weapons cache, Seki said Cain is a military history enthusiast and had been trying to modify the weapons to comply with California law. Of the more than 100 weapons seized, only five are the subject of prosecution, according to Chris Lee, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County district attorneys office.

It is unlikely Los Angeles prosecutors will be able to move forward with the sexual assault case until the weapons charges are resolved, Seki said. Cain is scheduled to appear in court in San Bernardino County on the weapons charges next month.

No court date has been scheduled in connection with the sexual assault charges, Risling said.

Cain remains on paid leave and assigned to home, according to an LAPD spokesman.

The scandal has sparked internal reviews of the cadet program and the ways the LAPD tracks its equipment. City Councilman Mitchell Englander has also called for an audit of all the departments youth programs.

Beck suspended cadet programs at the 77th Street and Pacific divisions, where the cadets accused in the thefts had been assigned.

It remains unclear whether any of those arrested in the alleged thefts had been charged or whether the LAPD had presented its case to prosecutors.

Cain has been with the LAPD for 10 years and previously worked in the Van Nuys station. He was not assigned to work with cadets and worked in the equipment room at the 77th Street Division at the time of his arrest.

Hes shaken to the core, Seki said of his client. LAPD was his life.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

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UPDATES:

3:55 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about the weapons charges against Cain.

1:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Cains attorney, an LAPD spokesman and a district attorneys office spokesman.

9:55 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from Robert Cains attorney.

This article was originally published at 9:25 a.m.
The union that represents the Pasadena police officer who was disciplined for not filing a prompt report on a drug overdose witnessed by the then-dean of USCs medical school is conducting a legal review of the incident, the labor organization said Thursday.

A tip about the March 2016 overdose of a young woman at the Hotel Constance in Pasadena led to a Times investigation that found that Dr. Carmen Puliafito associated with criminals and drug abusers who said they used methamphetamine and other drugs with him while he headed the Keck School of Medicine.

Puliafito, 66, resigned as dean three weeks after the overdose. USC kept the renowned ophthalmologist on faculty and he continued to accept patients at university medical offices, according to a USC website. The overdose suffered by Sarah Warren, who survived after being rushed to a hospital, was not publicly reported until The Times published its findings Monday.

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Alleged conduct by former USC dean horrible and despicable, med school head tells angry students 

Officer Alfonso Garcia did not write a required report on the overdose until three months after the incident  in response to repeated requests by The Times for information about the episode.

Garcia did not respond to an interview request made through the Pasadena city managers office Thursday. He otherwise could not be reached.

The president of the Pasadena Police Officers Assn., Sgt. Roger Roldan, said in emails that attorneys for the union are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the overdose. Roldan declined to provide any details about the review, including whether it was aimed at challenging the discipline of Garcia.

The type of discipline has not been disclosed.

Last year, a Pasadena police spokeswoman said Garcias failure to file the report was a training issue, but offered no details. This week, city spokesman William Boyer said Garcia was disciplined.

City Manager Steve Mermell said in an email Thursday that the Times findings have raised many questions. As it relates to the city, I have made a public commitment to review the facts and circumstances involving city personnel. I expect to have more information in the near future.

Mermell did not elaborate.

Puliafito has not responded to numerous interview requests. In an email shortly after resigning the $1.1-million-a-year deanship, Puliafito told The Times he made the move voluntarily to pursue a biotech job.

In the wake of The Times investigation, USC has said that Puliafito is on leave from the university and is no longer seeing patients. Puliafitos successor as dean, Dr. Rohit Varma, on Wednesday told a gathering of students, many of them angry about the affair, that Puliafitos conduct is the subject of several internal investigations.

Steve Lopez: USC bosses flunk the leadership test amid shocking allegations about former medical school dean 

The Medical Board of California has said it is also investigating Puliafito on the basis of The Times reporting.

In the months after the overdose, authorities did not release Warrens name. The Times identified her through interviews, social media and property records.

Now 22, Warren has been in an Orange County drug treatment program since November, and said she no longer has contact with Puliafito. She told The Times in interviews that she and Puliafito had been partying at the hotel for two days. Then she took too much GHB  gamma-hydroxybutyrate, the so-called date-rape drug that some users take in lower doses for its euphoric effect. Warren said the drug left her completely incapacitated.

After she awoke in the hospital six hours later, Puliafito picked her up, and we went back to the hotel and got another room and continued the party, she said.

Puliafito and his much younger acquaintance captured many of their exploits together in videos and photos. Sources allowed The Times to review dozens of the images on condition the videos not be published. They were consistent with Warrens account of drug use at the Hotel Constance.

An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of USC med school dean 

The police confiscated a little more than a gram of meth in the hotel room. No arrests were made, and Warren said the police never interviewed her.

A week after the March 4, 2016, overdose, a witness filed an anonymous complaint through a city website urging Pasadena authorities to investigate Puliafito and the police handling of the incident, according to a copy of the complaint obtained through the California Public Records Act.

Three days later, the same witness phoned the office of USC President C.L. Max Nikias and told two employees about Puliafitos role in the hotel incident. The witness spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity.

Phone records confirm that the witness made a six-minute call to Nikias office on March 14, 2016, 10 days after the overdose.

Do you have information about USCs former med school dean? We want to hear from you 

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The State Department said Friday it will prohibit U.S. citizens from traveling to North Korea starting late next month, citing the risk of arrest and imprisonment by the authoritarian regime in Pyongyang.

The decision by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson bars use of U.S. passports to travel in, through, or to North Korea, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The move follows the still-unexplained death of Otto F. Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was arrested in Pyongyang in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel.

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After nearly 18 months in prison, Warmbier was released on medical grounds last month. He was flown in a coma to his home in Cincinnati, where he died six days later.

The State Department long has warned Americans not to visit North Korea, as it does for conflict zones and other countries with governments seen as hostile  but did not forbid it outright. It thus will become the only country off-limits to U.S. passport holders.

Hundreds of Americans visit North Korea each year on tour groups that specialize in travel to the reclusive country, many citing the allure of a mysterious, little-known part of northeast Asia. Some aid workers, journalists and academics also travel there.

More than a dozen Americans have been arrested and detained in North Korea since 2009. At least three Korean Americans are still held there, including an accounting teacher who was arrested at the Pyongyang airport in April and charged with unspecified criminal acts.

Tillerson decided to ban U.S. travel to North Korea due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention there, Nauert said.

The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities, she added.

The restriction will be published next week in the Federal Register and take effect 30 days later. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis for some humanitarian travel, Nauert said.

The action comes as President Trump grapples to find a strategy to pressure North Korea to rein in its robust nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests in a period of rising tensions.

In April, Trump personally sought the help of Chinese President Xi Jinping to influence North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but that strategy has largely failed to produce results.

Since then, the administration has added new sanctions on people or companies, including some in China, that do business in or with North Korea.

Earlier this month, North Korea tested a missile that flew a trajectory that U.S. experts said indicated an ability for the first time to cross the Pacific and potentially threaten the United States.

U.S. officials say the country has yet to build a nuclear weapon small enough to fit atop a missile and survive re-entry into the atmosphere, but that is probably a matter of time.

Warmbiers family say they have not received a satisfactory explanation of what led to his death.

North Korean authorities said Warmbier contracted botulism shortly after he was imprisoned, was given a sleeping pill and never woke up. U.S. doctors did not find that version plausible.

Warmbiers travel agency was Young Pioneer Tours, which advertised with the slogan, Budget tours to destinations your mother wants you to stay away from.

Pioneer Tours said it on its website Friday that the ban is likely to take effect around Aug. 27. After that, any U.S. national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
In 1967, a young photographer working for a suburban Michigan newspaper lived just blocks from the flash point of what would become one of the most destructive riots in U.S. history. James Hubbard was one of the first journalists on the scene, and for five days he chronicled violence that left 43 people dead and more than 1,400 buildings burned.

The trouble started July 23 after a police raid on a blind pig  an after-hours club at 12th and Clairmount streets. Detroit was one of several U.S. cities hit by riots that summer as African American communities, frustrated by inequality and harsh treatment by police, erupted in violence.

With the 50th anniversary of the riots approaching, Hubbard, now 74 and living in Venice, wrote his recollections of that day. It was a Sunday, about 10:30 a.m., when he drove up 12th Street and saw billowing smoke shrouding the street a few blocks ahead:

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Slowing my car, I noticed a commotion inside a liquor store. I hit the brake. I watched when about 100 people inside the store began running out the storefront, over shattered glass on the sidewalk from the stores broken plate glass window, and running toward me, carrying liquor bottles. ...

The only other humans I saw were looting or setting fires. Fearing for my life, I pressed the accelerator to the floor and sped along 12th Street through thick, black smoke, looting and fires.

At 12th and Clairmount, Hubbard saw more than 100 police officers standing in a park watching people loot stores across the street. He later learned they had been commanded to stand back until Michigans National Guard arrived. Hubbard rushed home to tell his pregnant wife, Brijinder, what was happening:

I explained to Brijinder what I had witnessed and pulled the .22 caliber loaded pistol my brother had given me from my dresser drawer and handed it to her. I took pause realizing this is my wife, carrying our child, having recently immigrated to the U.S. from her home in India. But I had to photograph this shocking event.

I explained that I had to go back to photograph the rioting and that if anyone came through the door to pull the trigger. When she asked when I would be back I said, No idea.

Hubbard recalls that the battle-hardened members of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions, having recently returned from Vietnam, were deployed in Detroit to quell the unrest:

With the paratroopers arrival, heavy equipment also came, including armored personnel carriers and tanks. They later rolled along Detroits streets and created a noise never heard in Detroit  metal, not rubber, half tracks meeting concrete, carrying tons of the monster war machines, preparing to fire on buildings from where snipers fired at their enemy. The tanks were probably assembled in Detroit factories for World War II.

Hubbard joined soldiers on patrol in an open Jeep:

Our mission was to draw sniper fire, which had been dramatically increasing by the second day of rioting. We took fire early, jumped from the Jeep and laid down on the hard road behind and under the Jeeps.

A soldier said take this and handed me an extra rifle from the Jeep repeating, Take this. You may need it. I said, Wheres the lock? to unlock the trigger for firing and he showed me. More shots rang out and the soldiers fired a barrage toward a building. Within about three minutes, reinforcements arrived, followed by a tank. They opened fired on the building, but the snipers were never found.

When Hubbard finally got some rest, he reflected on what he had seen:

It was my first nights sleep in three days. It was a long time before I drifted off, and I remember being conflicted over the events I had witnessed. Was this the cries of the poor, dispossessed? Or, conversely, violent opportunists sensing a moment when they could steal, set fires and attack the white power establishment? Racial polarities were real in the Motor City. Would justice come for all Gods children in Detroit from death and destruction?

But along with the horror, one moment stands out, when he photographed 82nd Airborne soldiers guarding a store  and allowing neighborhood kids to hold one of their rifles:

I would not soon forget the tender moment between these children and occupying forces.  The kids loved holding the rifle, a soldiers tool of war. The children beamed with wide smiles on their faces.

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It's not rare for presidents to dole out pardons. Theyve pardoned friends and felons, political donors and even a former president.

But can a president pardon himself? Well, weve now reached that question, six months into President Trump s administration.

As a special counsels investigation into possible collusion between Trump s presidential campaign and Russia continues, reports have surfaced in recent days that the president has inquired about pardoning family members and even whether he can give himself a pardon. Trump, in a report first published by the Washington Post, has questioned aides about the scope of his pardoning powers.

But could this happen? Here are some answers:

First, what is a presidential pardon?

The U.S. Constitution grants a president the power to pardon anyone of a federal crime. An individual, courts have ruled, does not have to be charged or convicted to receive a presidential pardon.

The presidents pardon power, however, does not extend to state-level crimes. Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, is far from detailed, but also notes another exception to the presidents power, noting the chief executive can grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

So can Trump pardon himself?

No president has attempted to give himself a pardon, and the views among constitutional law experts are mixed.

The language of the Constitution embraces the idea that there is one person who grants a pardon and a different person who accepts that pardon, said Jessica A. Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. There is also a principle of so-called natural law, which provides that no person should stand as her or his own judge.

Even so, Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School, said a textual reading of Article II would support a president asserting the right to pardon himself.

Turley added: There is nothing in the text and little in the historical record to contradict that assertion of power. There are good-faith arguments on the other side, however, that the natural reading of the power excludes such self-dealing.

Turley said, however, that a president pardoning himself would raise serious questions of an abuse of power.

It is also important to keep in mind that such a pardon would not protect against either an impeachment or state charges, he said. It would also not stop the investigation.

The language of the Constitution embraces the idea that there is one person who grants a pardon and a different person who accepts that pardon.  Jessica A. Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles

What have the courts and federal government said about the issue?

There is no court precedent, because no president has sought to pardon himself. In theory, a president could test the matter.

In the Ex Parte Garland case of 1866, the Supreme Court ruled that the president has full power to pardon anyone, either before, during or after prosecution.

During the height of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, the Department of Justice provided legal guidance to President Nixon. In a memo, the agencys Office of Legal Counsel said that under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case, the president cannot pardon himself.

But this assessment was not binding and, of course, law experts say, could be challenged in the courts.

Have pardons been controversial?

Yes. And thats putting it mildly.

In 1973, the House Judiciary Committee launched the impeachment process against Nixon for his involvement in Watergate. He resigned in August 1974 before a vote by Congress on his impeachment.

A month later, President Ford, who replaced Nixon, granted the former president a full unconditional pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during his tenure in office. Democrats and Republicans alike castigated the move as a corrupt bargain of sorts.

Nearly two decades later, President George H.W. Bush, in 1992, pardoned six members of former President Reagans administration for their roles in the Iran-Contra affair, in which officials secretly made illegal arms sales to Iran to support the Contras fighting the Sandinista government of Nicaragua.

And in January 2001, on his last day in office, President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, a prolific Democratic donor. Rich, a former hedge fund manager, had been indicted on several counts of tax evasion. That same day, Clinton pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton Jr., for federal drug crimes in the 1980s.

Who could Trump look to pardon other than himself?

There are several figures  family, friends, political advisors  close to Trump who are believed to be targets of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III s investigation.

Among them: Donald Trump Jr., the presidents oldest son, and Jared Kushner , the presidents son-in-law.

This month it was revealed that both Trump Jr. and Kushner, along with then-campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, visited with a Russian lawyer in June 2016. The lawyer, who has close ties to the Russian government, offered to provide compromising information on Hillary Clinton, Trumps Democratic opponent, on behalf of the Kremlin, according to emails released by Trump Jr.

In February, Trumps national security advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned after administration officials said he had misled them about his contacts with Russians officials.

None of these individuals has been indicted. Even so, all, including Trump, are under investigation by Muellers team.

There is no timeline for when Muellers investigation will be complete or any indication whether charges will be filed against anyone.

Is accepting a pardon an admission of guilt?

Some say yes.

In my view, I think the president can pardon [him-] or herself, but should expect to get impeached and removed from office for doing so, said Susan Low Bloch, professor of constitutional law at Georgetown University Law Center. Accepting a pardon is an admission of guilt. And even if the president can pardon [him-] or herself, it can only be for federal offenses. The president, she noted, would still be subject to prosecution by states for any state offenses.

She added: It's likely that the only way we will get a definitive answer is if a president pardons [him-] or herself and then, after leaving office, gets indicted by federal officials. Then the former president would challenge the indictment in court, and the court would rule on the validity of the pardon. Until then, we will all just keep debating the question.

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The nations first political voucher system  a coupon of sorts that lets voters direct public money into the campaigns of candidates  is a rousing success in Jon Grants view.

Vying for a seat on the Seattle City Council, Grant has raised $186,000 through the vouchers, which are funded by a city property tax and intended to offset the financial advantage of big-money candidates.

The last time I ran, says Grant, a community activist who unsuccessfully sought a council seat in 2015, our campaign was outspent 8 to 1.

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This time hes the one outspending his opponents.

Seattles program works like this: Each voter receives four vouchers, each worth $25 in public funds. A voter can give all four vouchers to one candidate, or divvy them among contenders. Candidates redeem the vouchers for cash from a city account funded through a property tax.

While some U.S. cities have public campaign financing, Seattles program is considered one-of-a-kind, having been approved by voters and imposing no matching funds requirement.

With the Democracy Voucher program, weve been able to lead campaigns in fundraising, with 90% of our donations coming from publicly financed vouchers, said Grant, who asks for vouchers as he campaigns door to door.

His campaign website also offers to send a volunteer to pick up vouchers from donors who dont want to mail them in. Vouchers also can be dropped off at several locations, or be scanned and sent to City Hall via email or fax.

Theyre putting political speech in my mouth. Theyre using my money for political campaigns I may nor may not agree with.  Mark Elster, Seattle resident challenging citys campaign finance system

In the first five months of the program, 4,150 voters returned at least one voucher, according to Wayne Barnett, executive director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, which regulates the program.

To qualify, candidates must collect 150 donor contributions of $10 or more on their own and pledge to follow various rules, including limits on spending, and participate in at least three public debates leading up to the Aug. 1 primary and the November general election.

As with most political donations, the names of voucher donors are public information and published on the commissions website. The effort is being closely watched by other cities after it was approved in 2015 as part of a citizen-led initiative dubbed Honest Elections Seattle.

But also being watched is a legal challenge contending the programs taxing system is unconstitutional.

Seattles famously liberal voters easily authorized a 10-year, $30-million property tax levy to support the campaign contribution fund. Amounts vary, depending on the size of a property, but the average homeowner pays $11.50 a year.

At least one of those homeowners, architect Mark Elster, thinks thats a 1st Amendment violation.

Our free-speech rights come with a right not to speak, Elster said at a news conference last week after joining Seattle landlord Sarah Pynchon in a lawsuit backed by the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation.

Theyre putting political speech in my mouth, said Elster, who lives in Seattles upscale Magnolia neighborhood. Theyre using my money for political campaigns I may or may not agree with.

The lawsuit contends that the politician enrichment tax compels property owners to pay for political viewpoints they object to and enrich the campaign coffers of politicians they dont support.

Pynchon, though she owns Seattle rental properties, isnt a Seattle resident or registered to vote here, and thus isnt qualified to receive vouchers  but still must pay for them.

Ms. Pynchon objects to being compelled to subsidize other peoples political speech, especially when she herself is not entitled to vouchers, the lawsuit states.

The suit in part targets Grant, a tenants advocate whose promises including giving renters new bargaining rights. He has vowed to freeze all permits, licenses and rental registrations where the landlord has any ownership stake until they meet and negotiate in good faith with the tenants, the suit says.

The voucher system forces landlords and other property owners to sponsor these messages, the suit adds.

Community activist Alan Durning, who helped write the voucher initiative, said the right-wing lawsuit is baseless.

More than a dozen cities and states use small amounts of public funds to give candidates the option of running for office without dialing for dollars from the donor class, said Durning, executive director of the nonprofit environmental group Sightline Institute.

The law was vetted by a team of constitutional law experts to make sure it was within the lines drawn by federal courts for such public campaign programs. Seattles program is actually the most democratic of them all, giving voters  regardless of income  a real voice in supporting campaigns that opt to run without big money, he said.

In any event, the lawsuit wont affect the current election season. The Pacific Legal Foundation did not seek an immediate injunction to halt the effort, saying it prefers an in-depth review by a court.

Grant was happy to hear that. So far, he is one of three candidates whove qualified to receive vouchers. (Only council and city attorney candidates can qualify this year; in 2021 the program will include the mayors race). Ten others are still seeking qualification and four refused the offer, saying they didnt need the money or that the tax was unfair.

Grant has raised $201,000 in total contributions, said his aide Erin Fenner, with about 92% of that coming from vouchers.

Teresa Mosqueda, one of Grants opponents, has raised about $69,000 in voucher contributions, and incumbent City Atty. Pete Holmes has collected just over $43,000, according to city figures.

Grant says he and his fellow candidates are blazing a new political trail that he hopes other cities follow.

Were showing that grass-roots campaigns can stand up to big money and represent real people struggling to afford to stay in Seattle, he said.

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President Trumps legal staff is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Muellers investigative team, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The revelation comes as Muellers probe into Russias meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election appears likely to include some of the Trump familys business ties.

Attorney Jay Sekulow, a member of the presidents external legal team, told the Associated Press on Thursday that the lawyers will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue.

Two of the people with knowledge of that process say those efforts include probing the political affiliations of Muellers investigators and their past work history. Trump himself has publicly challenged Mueller, declaring this week that the former FBI director would be crossing a line if he investigated the presidents personal business ties.

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The focus on potential conflicts with Muellers team may well be an effort to distract from snowballing federal and congressional investigations into possible election-year coordination between Trumps campaign and Russia. While Trump has assailed the probes as a partisan witch hunt, the investigations have increasingly ensnared his family and close advisors, including son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner.

As the investigations intensify, Trumps legal team is also undergoing a shakeup. New York-based attorney Marc Kasowitz, whose unconventional style has irked some White House aides, is seen as a diminishing presence in the operation, according to the two people with knowledge of the matter.

John Dowd, an experienced Washington attorney, is expected to step up his role on the presidents outside legal team, which also includes Sekulow. Theyre just a few of the fast-growing cadre of attorneys stepping up to represent the president, his family and close advisors as the investigations continue to expand.

In another sign of a shakeup, Mark Corallo, who has been working as a spokesman for the legal team, is no longer part of the operation, according to those familiar with the situation. They insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the investigations, which threaten to shadow his administration for months or even years. In an interview Wednesday with the New York Times, Trump warned that it would be a violation if Mueller investigated the Trump familys financial entanglements.

Muellers mandate in overseeing the federal probe is broad. Hes authorized to investigate Russias election interference, any potential Trump campaign ties and any matters that stem from those inquiries.

Sekulow told the AP that Trump has not received any indication from the special counsel that the president personally is under investigation.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump has no intention of firing Mueller at this time, but she did not rule out doing so in the future. She also reiterated Trumps concern about the scope of Muellers investigation, saying it should stay in the confines of meddling, Russia meddling, and the election and nothing beyond that.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Mueller has the authority to investigate any ties the Trump family has to Russia, including financial, and anything that arises. That is his duty.

The White House push against the special counsels probe comes as the outlines of the investigation are beginning to become clearer.

Bloomberg News reported that Muellers investigators are looking into Trump business transactions with Russians, including apartment purchases in his buildings, a controversial New York development project, the multimillion-dollar sale of a Florida home and the 2013 Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow.

The Times also reported that federal investigators have been in talks with Deutsche Bank about obtaining records related to Trumps finances, and that the bank expects it will have to provide information to Mueller.

Deutsche Bank has been one of the few major institutions willing to regularly lend to Trump, who alienated large banks in New York with his past financial troubles and confrontational behavior as a borrower. Over the years, the banks cumulative loans to Trump add up to billions of dollars, and loans originally worth $300 million remain outstanding.

But lending to Trump hasnt always been easy for Deutsche Bank. In 2008, he sued the bank for $3 billion after he defaulted on a loan for Trump Tower Chicago, using a novel legal theory that he shouldnt be held to the terms of his contract due to Deutsche Banks involvement in the broader financial crisis.

That eventually led the bank to grant Trump some concessions on the loan, but the suit scarred his relationship with its commercial lending division. Afterward, Deutsches Trump relationship was transferred to Rosemary Vrablic, a banker in Deutsches private wealth division.

In yet another development, New York financier Anthony Scaramucci is under consideration to join the administration as communications director, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Scaramucci is a frequent defender of the president on television and was a fixture at Trump Tower during Trumps transition.

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UPDATES:

July 21, 5 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details and background

This article was originally published on July 20 at 9:15 p.m.
Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions recently took a giant step backward in history and in basic principles of justice, and now he wants to drag the rest of the nation with him. The object of his strange nostalgia is the practice known as civil asset forfeiture, under which police confiscate private property from people they suspect of being drug dealers or other criminals.

The key word is suspect. Police agencies have long exploited loopholes in criminal law and procedure to seize cash, cars and other property without ever winning a criminal conviction or even, in some cases, filing a charge. In the past, police have simply taken property from travelers at airports or on highways after searches. In an outrageous reversal of American criminal justice standards, the owners bore the burden of proving their innocence in order to recover their assets.

A March report from the U.S. Department of Justices inspector general noted that the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized $3.2 billion in cash in the last decade from people never charged with a crime.

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Constitutional principles such as due process should not be treated as luxuries that can be suspended in the name of fighting drug trafficking or other crime.

During the 1980s and 1990s, when budgets were tight and the War on Drugs was in full swing, many state and local police agencies made asset seizures a virtually indispensable part of their funding portfolios. Abuses were so rampant that some states, including California, passed laws to limit the practice or to at least require a measure of due process before pocketing the cash. Police departments that bristled at the new rules then partnered with the feds on various joint task forces so their actions would be governed by laxer federal law.

Eric Holder, then attorney general under President Obama, finally began curbing federal abuses in 2015. Conservative and liberal proponents of property rights and civil liberties hailed the move. Some law enforcement agencies fumed. A year later, California imposed its own limits on seizures by joint task forces.

Sessions comes from the storm-trooper wing of the Republican Party, and on Monday, he warned of a new program to step up seizures. He followed up with a directive Wednesday, making guilty-until-proven-innocent seizures possible even in states that barred them.

Thankfully, there remains a liberty wing of the party, and it does not share the Trump administrations enthusiasm for undermining due process. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) introduced a bill earlier this year to correct some of the worst abuses.

This is an area in which Democrats and many Republicans in Congress ought to find common ground. Constitutional principles such as due process should not be treated as luxuries that can be suspended in the name of fighting drug trafficking or other crime, and Sessions should not be allowed to flip back the calendar to an era of anti-drug frenzy that gave police license to virtually steal from private citizens.

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President Trump made it clear from the get-go that he regards the Russia investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III as a witch hunt, an absurd allegation that even his own nominee to head the FBI has rejected.

But this week, the president escalated his efforts to preemptively discredit the special counsel. There also have been disturbing reports of discussions in the White House about how Muellers investigation might be attacked or even aborted.

In a jaw-dropping interview with the New York Times, Trump criticized Mueller for accepting the special counsels post after being interviewed for the position of FBI director in the Trump administration and accused him of other unspecified conflicts.

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The president has to realize that continuing to interfere with Muellers investigation is outrageous and not within his authority.

More ominously, he warned that Mueller would be committing a violation if he investigated the financial affairs of the president or his family in matters unrelated to Russia. Asked whether he would fire Mueller if he pursued such matters anyway, Trump replied: I cant answer that question because I dont think its going to happen.

That sounds to us like a thinly veiled threat, considering that Trump fired former FBI director James Comey at least in part because of his work on the Russia investigation. It also betrays Trumps misunderstanding of  or wishful thinking about  Muellers authority. Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein charged Mueller with investigating not only any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump but also any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation. Thats a broad charter, and an appropriate one.

But Trumps comments are just part of a campaign the White House apparently is developing to discredit Mueller and his investigation. Several news organizations reported this week that White House lawyers have been researching the personal and political backgrounds of Muellers investigators in an attempt to prove they are biased. The presidents defenders already have complained that some members of Muellers team contributed to Democratic political candidates in the past. This is a distraction. The Justice Department has detailed rules governing conflicts of interest, and they dont define political contributions as constituting a conflict.

Finally, the Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump has asked his advisors about his authority to grant pardons to aides, family members and even himself in connection with Muellers investigation. Any use of the pardon power to end or obstruct Muellers investigation would be an abuse of power and would provide legitimate grounds for impeachment.

As difficult as it may be for Trump, the president has to realize that continuing to interfere with Muellers investigation is outrageous and not within his authority. Impeachment already has become a real possibility that cant be shrugged off and ignored. Each of Trumps irresponsible bits of behavior and seeming threats to obstruct justice are adding to the bill of particulars that lawmakers eventually could draw up.

John Dowd, one of the presidents attorneys, said the Posts pardon story was nonsense and not true and insisted that the presidents lawyers were cooperating with the special counsel. Thats reassuring, although it sounds disturbingly like the standard administration cry of fake news in response to unflattering stories. If the White House wants to be more credible on this issue, the president and his staff must stop casting aspersions on Mueller and his team, allow the investigation to run its course and retire the term witch hunt once and for all.

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Whenever I see homeless people somewhere in Orange County where Ive never noticed them before  say, inside a tent at the Tustin Civic Center, begging for money off the 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo or washing themselves in a bathroom sink at the Westminster Mall  I applaud.

Dont get me wrong: Their plight is a tragedy. Southern Californias housing shortage, the ravages of the opioid epidemic and personal demons have left too many people battered, beat, reviled and without a permanent, safe place to stay the night.

In truth, Orange Countys homeless population is relatively modest: 4,792, per this years census by Point-in-Time, an organization that conducts such surveys biannually. (Los Angeles Countys number, by comparison, is 57,794, per the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.) Yet youd think by reading comments on local Facebook pages or local newspapers that an army of bums has descended upon Orange County to intentionally sully our fair land. OCers complain about declining property values, whine that nonprofits that feed and bathe homeless people just enable them, rant that politicians and police should forcefully drive them away from us.

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To that angst, I say: good. We deserve to be bothered. (Hence my applause.)

I welcome the homeless to set up in places where theyve never been before  at the gates of Coto de Caza, next to the faux Roman arches of Newport Coast.

Orange County has long needed a reckoning with the real world, and this issue is making it happen. Every homeless person who inconveniences a real housewife or NIMBYer is a living, breathing reminder that our superiority complex has nowhere to pitch its tent anymore. For far too long, weve self-mythologized ourselves as a place where good people could live out their three-bedroom, two-bath, swimming-pool suburban American Dream if only they tried hard enough, while bad people and their problems went to Los Angeles or the Inland Empire.

That juvenile narrative created a bubble in which we felt urban blight would never afflict us  because were Orange County, damn it! Elected officials resisted affordable and high-density housing for decades (and still do), while actively ignoring activists who, Cassandra-like, warned that homelessness was not only not going away, it was getting worse.

Fact is, its part of Orange Countys DNA. Its one of our original sins: In 1906, when Santa Ana officials ordered the citys Chinatown burned to the ground after rumors of leprosy, the enclaves immigrant residents were pushed to the Santa Ana River, where they had no choice but to set up makeshift camps. (In a twist of cosmic justice, police agencies across the county frequently pick up homeless people in their jurisdictions and dump them within the Santa Ana city limits.)

But because the homeless arent a convenient part of the Orange County narrative, they were ignored and dismissed as a non-issue. Perceptions only started to change after two major incidents that drew nationwide attention to our homeless community: The 2011 beating death of Kelly Thomas by Fullerton police, and the 2012 slayings of four homeless men by a serial killer around tony Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills.

Still, any plans to address the growing population were vigorously opposed. Angry residents shooed proposed homeless shelters out of their town. In 2013, the Orange County Board of Supervisors offered Santa Ana $4 million for a former bus depot near the Santa Ana Civic Center  long the epicenter of OCs homeless population  so they could turn it into shelter. Council members refused because it didnt fit with their plans for a gentrified downtown. Two years later, the city finally sold it for $3.3 million  two years wasted.

And now, a giant homeless encampment has taken over the Plaza of the Flags just outside Santa Ana City Hall. Now, homeless people are a regular presence in once-unimaginable areas: beaches in Dana Point, around San Clemente, even in Irvine. Now, belatedly, Orange County officials are doing something to address the situation. The supervisors have opened a permanent, year-round shelter in Anaheim and are looking to start others.

The board, however, hasnt even addressed a proposed $55-million plan by the ACLUs Orange County chapter to permanently eradicate homelessness in OC, because it is still sore that the ACLU sued it earlier this year for driving the homeless away from the Santa Ana River. And Huntington Beach recently asked Beach Cities Interfaith Services  which has helped homeless people in the city for 30 years  to vacate its city-owned premises near Central Park because it was attracting too many clients. Its the second time in four years that the city has forced out the nonprofit.

Kicking the homeless over to another city or another part of town isnt going to work anymore. Nor is plugging our ears and nose and covering our eyes. Orange County needs to accept that were part of Southern California and not a paradise inoculated against reality. We need to realize that our unsustainable, single-family home lifestyle exacerbates homelessness, and work to rectify this.

Until then, I welcome the homeless to set up in places where theyve never been before  at the gates of Coto de Caza, next to the faux Roman arches of Newport Coast, on the trails of our canyons. Make our lives uncomfortable with your mere presence. Force us to grow up. Shame us into action.

Gustavo Arellano is editor of OC Weekly and does the Orange County Line commentary on KCRW every Monday evening.

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The Google Transparency Project, an arm of an organization called the Campaign for Accountability, released a study last week claiming that Google funneled money to hundreds of academic research projects related to antitrust, intellectual property and other legal policy issues important to the companys bottom line. Worse, the Google Transparency Project alleged that most of the resulting publications failed to disclose Googles financial stake in the research. Pitched as an expose of corporate corruption of the ivory tower, the story got immediate traction in national and international media outlets.

The study comes at a time of justified public anxiety about the outsized power and influence of tech titans such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. Google overwhelmingly dominates the global market for online searches. Along with Facebook, it controls almost half of the worlds digital advertising market. Its Android operating system powers about 80% of the worlds smartphones. And its YouTube video-sharing platform boasts 1.5 billion monthly users.

Given Googles size and power, it may be tempting to reflexively credit the Google Transparency Projects allegation that the company has paid off a small army of academic researchers. The project has identified some troubling examples of undisclosed Google funding; however, its broader claim of a vast network of bought-and-sold academic researchers deserves careful scrutiny. In an environment in which academics already are seen by many as biased, the Google Transparency Projects claims further undercut public confidence in academic expertise. If academic research is secretly funded and directed by large corporate interests  and Google is among the largest  why should the public and policy makers trust it?

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Judged on these two criteria  disclosure and merit  the Google Transparency Projects study fails miserably.

Corporate funding alone does not mean that research is unreliable. As federal and state dollars available for research continue to dwindle, more research is likely to be funded directly or indirectly by corporations, foundations and other private sources. When specific research projects rely on such funding, that relationship should, of course, be disclosed. But ultimately, regardless of whether research is privately funded, its results should be evaluated on the merits.

Judged on these two criteria  disclosure and merit  the Google Transparency Projects study fails miserably.

For a project committed to transparency, this one is evasive about the sources of its funding. The organization has yet to tell the Internal Revenue Service where its money comes from, and its executive director has refused to answer repeated inquiries from journalists about who pays the Campaign for Accountabilitys bills. To date, only one project funder has come forward. That benefactor, Oracle, is currently locked in a billion-dollar copyright fight over its Java programming language. Oracles opponent in that years-long legal battle? Google.

As for the study itself: Its deeply flawed.

The Google Transparency Projects methodology for identifying Google-funded academics was sloppy; it defined that category so loosely that it swept up researchers who have never actually received funding from Google.

The projects dragnet captured scholars who were affiliated with but not actually paid by academic centers that have disclosed receipt of funds from Google. (Annemarie Bridy was named for that reason.) The project also deemed scholars Google-funded on the basis of nominal stipends they received as graduate students for summer work at public interest organizations. And once a scholar was Google-funded, all of his or her subsequent academic work, even work undertaken at a new institution, was tainted in the Google Transparency Projects reckoning.

Another example: Over the years, courts have directed settlement funds from class-action suits against Google to law school clinics around the country. Any scholar who worked in one of these clinics was Google-funded, according to the project, as well as co-authors of such scholars. (Aaron Perzanowski fell into the funding-by-association category.)

In short, the financial connections to Google for many academics included in the Google Transparency Projects database are tenuous at best and sometimes verifiably nonexistent. Dozens of scholars already have objected to the inaccurate inclusion of their work.

The report raises valid questions about the corporate funding of academic research. It should make all researchers consider their disclosure practices and their financial relationships. Ultimately, however, the Google Transparency Projects efforts have generated more confusion than clarity. The body of data underlying the study is awash in misrepresentations and mistakes that the authors should have sorted out before publication. The studys legitimacy is further undermined by the projects adamant refusal to abide by any funding disclosure standard.

Most harmful, the Google Transparency Projects targeting of academics contributes to a treacherous trend in public discourse that seeks to delegitimize the role of expertise in the policymaking process. The attacks on academics that we have grown to expect in the domain of climate science are now creeping into the contentious field of technology policy. Journalists who report on studies like the Google Transparency Project should think twice before simply repeating the authors conclusions. And the public should demand transparency from any organization that purports to be in the business of exposing the hidden agendas of others.

Annemarie Bridy is a professor of law at the University of Idaho. Aaron Perzanowski is a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University. Neither has received funding, directly or indirectly, from Google.

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President Trump is besieged. He is reportedly looking for ways to close down the Russia investigation by the Justice Department. He already tried at least once, when he fired FBI Director James Comey. He still has the power to fire Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller.

President Nixon fired a special prosecutor, Archibald Cox. It did not go well for him, but he did it anyway. To fire Mueller, Trump probably first would have to fire Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. And to do that, he would have to finish what hes already loudly hinting at: ridding himself of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Nixon, too, had to eliminate his attorney general and his deputy attorney general before he could get rid of Cox. No doubt, Trump will push them out with all the glee that he used to show on The Apprentice.

Next, the president will want to avoid the pressure that Nixon experienced to hire yet another special prosecutor. Trump reportedly is investigating pardons for all of those involved in his campaigns interactions with the Russians. A presidential pardon need not wait for indictment, let alone conviction. Trump will announce that, with the pardons, he is putting all these endless, groundless attacks behind him, clearing the way so he can address the problems the voters elected him to solve. The agenda was to make America great again, not to waste time and energy defending against baseless charges brought by Democrats who cannot accept the results of the election.

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With these two moves, the president will have substantially undermined the federal governments power of criminal accountability. What Trump cannot do, however, is shut down the congressional investigations. He controls the Justice Department, not the House or the Senate. In our system, when law ends, politics begins. The president is ultimately accountable to our elected representatives in Congress.

To avoid impeachment, Trump will have to invoke yet more powers of the presidency. Here, the nations future looks most dark.

To avoid impeachment, Trump will have to invoke yet more powers of the presidency. Here, the nations future looks most dark. Trump can divert attention from impeachment to a national security crisis. As president, he has extraordinary power to deploy the military. He already has attacked Syria with no authorization from Congress. In this respect, too, we have a pretty good idea of what he might do: attack North Korea. It would have to involve more than the limited, precise strikes against weapons facilities we saw in Syria, which didnt divert much attention for very long.

Is it really possible that Trump would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Koreans in jeopardy for the sake of his own position? Would he risk a nuclear confrontation with China for personal reasons? To ask the question is to answer it. A man with no sympathetic imagination, a man whose narcissism knows no bounds, will be guided by only one thing: what is good for the Trump family. Of course, Hillary Clinton was right that such a person should never have control of the nuclear codes. Only willful blindness could keep even his supporters from acknowledging this now. We have no evidence whatsoever of Trump exercising self-control. No evidence that he can separate the personal from the political. No evidence that he cares about innocent people abroad.

Is this endgame unavoidable? Surely no one should believe that one or another of his advisors could convince Trump to behave himself. He will always fire the messenger. And it only gets more unlikely that he will simply let the investigation play itself out; far too many secrets may be revealed. Every day, we hear more about Russians, loans, meetings and attempted cover-ups. By all accounts, Trump is raging within the White House. He will act.

Congressional leadership should be considering all of this long and hard right now. If Trump is to be stopped, legislators need to tell him in no uncertain terms that any move in the direction of this endgame will trigger impeachment. They need to proceed rapidly with their own investigations to make clear that firing Mueller and pardoning members of his family will not stop the truth from coming out. If he cannot face the truth, then Nixons end should be his as well. He needs to go before the missiles start flying.

Paul W. Kahn is a professor of law and humanities at Yale Law School.

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Just a year ago, proposing a concept like universal basic income could practically get me laughed off the stage at a tech industry conference. The idea that everyone should be guaranteed a minimum subsidy from the government seemed to go against every fundamental tenet of creative destruction: Dont reward the obsolete! Force people to evolve! If workers lose their jobs to automation, retrain them for new ones!

From the perspective of Silicon Valleys executives, only a hippie or communist would suggest that people be given a livable wage simply for being alive. But to me, having just published a book about the lopsided returns of the digital economy, universal basic income seemed an obvious solution to a problem first posed in the 1950s by the inventor of cybernetics, Norbert Wiener: What would happen when robots could till the fields, rendering human labor obsolete? Would humans seize the opportunity to lie down in beach chairs and sip lemonade? Or would our economy be thrown into chaos, with humans perpetually competing for work against their tireless mechanical peers?

In a highly automated environment, a guaranteed minimum income for basics like food, housing and healthcare would provide for those incapable of finding jobs. Whats more, study after study has shown that a universal basic income doesnt lead to laziness. Rather, the financial safety it affords leads people to take greater creative and entrepreneurial risks.

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Where is UBI supposed to come from, after all, if not the profits that Silicon Valley companies have made by cutting out human labor in the first place?

So I should have been glad last spring when the developers at Uber began to ask me about universal basic income, or UBI. I had just delivered a talk in which I blamed the company for extracting all the value out of the taxicab market, and without any real intent of making it sustainable. In my view, they are using the cab market as a beachhead in a much larger bid to monopolize the transportation industry, just as Amazon used books as a foothold into retail with little regard to the effect on authors and publishers. To my surprise, these developers acknowledged the deleterious effects of their company  then raised UBI as a possible solution. Wouldnt that let us keep going? one employee asked.

Ive since learned from similar audiences at Facebook and Google that many of the workers and leaders at Silicon Valleys biggest firms have jumped aboard the UBI bandwagon, and with equally self-serving ambitions. By which I mean, they understand the basic math undermining their long-term business plans: If they automate all the jobs, who will be left to buy their services? Even the data that companies such as Google mine from our otherwise free online activities would be worthless if we had no money to spend. The penniless have no consumer behavior to exploit.

While its gratifying to hear a multi-billionaire like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg echo the words in my books as he calls on Harvards graduating class to explore UBI strategies, in light of the rest of Facebooks priorities and behavior, his request comes off as utterly clueless, and more than a little late. Much like his vow to donate 99% of his shares to charity, Zuckerbergs interest in UBI seems less the result of a comprehensive economic vision than a guilt-inspired effort to compensate for the social impact of his business. (If you have to donate 99% of your winnings, perhaps you took too much to begin with?)

Id have an easier time accepting Zuckerbergs proposal at face value if his company werent trying so hard to avoid paying taxes on its massive profits. Where is UBI supposed to come from, after all, if not the profits that Silicon Valley companies have made by cutting out human labor in the first place?

Likewise, the Uber employees I recently spoke with sounded concerned about the many drivers they hoped to replace with robots. They were aware of the irony of Uber drivers being used to train the algorithms that would soon drive cars without human participation, at least, and hoped that UBI could somehow solve the joblessness problem they were creating.

But underlying these second thoughts and compensatory strategies remains a short-sighted faith in the inevitability of technologys conquest over mankind. By focusing on the efficiency of code and algorithms, the technophiles have engendered a business culture that values speed over all else. Its only in this kind of environment that robots win out over humans.

Instead of exploring ways that digital technology might allow for a more thoughtful application of labor and resources, we are doubling down on the industrial values of growth and efficiency. These values have always depended on externalizing the true costs of productivity. Computers may be less expensive and more efficient than humans, but thats only because the materials for their components are mined in Africa, assembled in China, and later disposed of in toxic waste dumps in impoverished countries.

Industrial efficiency has never been good for working people, nor is it the best North Star for a human society and economy that is transitioning from an industrial age to a digital one. We need not accept massive inequality as an inevitable outcome and compensate for it after the fact. We should optimize our digital technologies toward human ends, rather the end of humans.

Douglas Rushkoff is the author of 15 books, most recently Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
The challenge for commentators and political cartoonists in the Age of Trump is to keep pace with the relentless barrage of news generated by the president and his circle of collaborators, cronies and con men. In past administrations, it was possible to go for days  even weeks  without drawing a caricature of the man in the White House. Now, it is difficult to resist drawing him three times a day.

Just this week, I had to trash a completed cartoon because news events made it irrelevant in a matter of hours. On Wednesday alone, stories about Donald Trumps unannounced, unmediated hour-long huddle with Russian President Vladimir Putin were superseded by his belligerent comments indicating his willingness to let the countrys healthcare system crash and burn. Then, by early evening, the big news became Trumps New York Times interview in which he disparaged his own attorney general. In that interview, he also intimated he would fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III if he dares to look into the secrets of the Trump family business.

Thats at least four topics screaming for comment, but there is not time enough in 24 hours to do them all. So, for now, I want to focus on the Putin meeting before we all get distracted by the next tweet or fabrication from the Trump camp because, while there are some checks on the presidents shenanigans in domestic politics, he has far more latitude to freelance in foreign affairs. And this second, formerly undisclosed session with Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, earlier this month was, indeed, a renegade act on Trumps part.

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1 / 51 la-1491523602-y7ephyarj1-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 51 la-1491368625-0bgh58ihw8-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los angeles Times) 6 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 51 Trump inspires millions to take to the streets -- to oppose him. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 51 Cartoon caption contest winner at the DENT conference in Sun Valley, Idaho: Jon Duval, executive director of the Ketchum Community Development Corporation. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 51 Old radicals and big media descend on Selma (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 51 Horsey imagined the creation of the Ann Coulter phenomenon in this cartoon from 2007. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 51 This David Horsey drawing is a reconfiguration of a cartoon he first published in 2006. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 51 Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers, should give Cliven Bundy a call. After Sterling loses his NBA franchise and the deadbeat Nevada rancher loses his cattle, the two old racists will both need a buddy. Maybe they can team up together and open an all-white rodeo. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 51 Besides sending a chill up the spine of the international community, Vladimir Putin has accomplished one other thing by seizing Crimea and threatening the rest of Ukraine: Putin has brought back the bear. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 51 The right-wing insurrection at the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., has taken another weird turn with new revelations about the family history of Cliven Bundy. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 51 David Horsey / Los Angeles Times (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times)

It happened at a banquet hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. All the international leaders and their spouses were gathered at a long table. Trump was seated by the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and had a translator available if he desired a chat with Japans leader, one of the closest allies of the United States. Apparently, Trump wasnt interested.

Instead, he wanted more face time with Putin who was further down the table sitting next to First Lady Melania Trump. The president left his assigned seat and went over to talk with the Russian kleptocrat, relying on Putins interpreter to translate the conversation.

Whats so wrong with that? Well, if this had been just a cocktail hour in Manhattan and Trump were just a real estate mogul swapping boy talk with a Russian-emigre money launderer from Queens, no one except the gossip columnist at the New York Post would care. But, much to the worlds disbelief, Trump is president of the United States, and it is highly irregular for the nominal leader of the Free World to spend an hour engaged with a prime adversary of democratic nations while the leaders of those nations are in the room watching.

No one knows what these unusual pals had to say, what deals may have been struck, what intelligence shared, what misperceptions created. Putin must have been delighted to be accorded such stature by Trump. Merkel, Abe, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and all the other allied leaders certainly had to wonder if being snubbed in favor of Putin was an indicator of where Trumps sympathies will lie in any future confrontation between NATO and Russia.

Trump is now whining that the media have made a big deal about his ignorant breach of diplomatic etiquette. Of course he is whining. He is a man-child who knows nothing about the intricacies of international relations. In total thrall to the self-manufactured image of himself as a great dealmaker, he seems eager to be a willing dupe for the Machiavelli of Moscow.

There is a reason this country employs ranks of seasoned diplomats and intelligence experts. Almost every president comes into office with limited experience on the world stage and must rely on those who know more than he does. Trump is especially untutored and needs more help than most, but he is so ignorant of what he does not know that he thinks he can just wing it.

The world is a dangerous place. Unfortunately, Americas president thinks its a dinner party.

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter
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.
President Trumps well-known but increasingly sidelined press secretary, Sean Spicer, resigned abruptly on Friday, as the beleaguered president shuffled his legal and communications teams amid mounting investigations and legislative troubles.

Spicer told the president of his decision on Friday morning, after learning that Trump had hired Anthony Scaramucci, a New York financier and frequent Trump defender on Fox News, as communications director.

Scaramucci then announced, in his debut appearance in the White House briefing room, that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would take over as press secretary, making official the job she has been doing for weeks as Spicer has been relegated to the background.

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Spicer will leave the White House in August, he wrote on Twitter, adding that it had been an honor & a privilege to serve Trump.

The changes were part of Trumps broader staff shake-up at the six-month mark of his presidency, reflecting the presidents growing frustration with media coverage of the FBIs investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign.

For months the president has complained, openly at times, at what he sees as the inability of his communications team to counter the steady drip of damaging headlines  though often Trump provokes such coverage by his own actions or remarks.

The president also reorganized his legal team in recent days. His longtime personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, will have a reduced role; he publicly defended Trumps firing of FBI Director James B. Comey in early May, but is reportedly not eligible for a security clearance that will likely be needed to handle material related to the Russia inquiry.

Trump has hired longtime Washington defense attorneys John Dowd and Ty Cobb to join conservative lawyer Jay Sekulow, who frequently appears on television to defend the president. Dowd will lead the legal team for the Russia investigation.

The recently hired spokesman for the legal team, Mark Corallo, also resigned Friday. A Justice Department spokesman during the George W. Bush administration, Corallo was said to be uncomfortable with criticism from Trump and his associates of officials Corallo knew at the Justice Department who are now involved in the Russia investigation.

Trumps legal team is collecting information on Justice Department special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the investigators he has hired, including their party affiliations and political donations, in an effort to paint Muellers team as political hacks with conflicts of interest.

Its relevant that people know what their motivations are. That is not an attack on the team, White House advisor Kellyanne Conway said Friday on Fox News.

Lawyers for Trump are reportedly also examining what specific power the president has to pardon people who might be charged by the special counsel, including himself.

The president retains pardon power just like any other president would, Sanders told reporters.

Spicers departure had been the subject of speculation for months in a White House rife with backbiting among factions, even as his daily news briefings were must-see television.

His combative jousts with reporters and misstatement of facts  like his insistence on Trumps first day in office that the inauguration had set attendance records  became fodder for a popular spoof on Saturday Night Live starring Melissa McCarthy as Spicer, but also eroded his credibility.

The president boasted of Spicers great television ratings. Yet as Trump grew impatient with his own low job approval ratings and the scandal enveloping his presidency, Spicer came in for blame and his public appearances declined.

Trump has told close advisors that Spicer had been beaten into submission by the media, according to a person close to Trump, and no longer was able to punch back forcefully enough.

Spicer hasnt held a news briefing for a month, since June 23; Sanders, mostly off camera, has largely taken over the task.

Meanwhile, Scaramucci  a frequent pro-Trump presence on cable television  was floated as someone who could jab and parry more effectively with the media.

Scaramucci, who worked on Trumps transition, sold his stake in SkyBridge Capital, which manages hedge funds, to a Chinese conglomerate in January in hopes of landing a White House job.

While Trump has admired Scaramuccis defense of him on television, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and strategist Stephen K. Bannon were both said to oppose Scaramuccis appointment. Spicer was an ally of Priebus, having worked for him when Priebus headed the Republican National Committee.

To explain away the tension with Priebus, Scaramucci said they were like brothers and sometimes rough each other up.

But Scaramucci also made clear that he would have his own power center in the White House, telling reporters that he would report directly to the president, not Priebus  at Trumps instruction.

The president said I work for him directly, he said.

Trump tends to respect people with wealth and business experience, so Scaramucci,who assembled business titans and political leaders at large conferences in Las Vegas and Asia for more than a decade, may garner more respect from Trump than Spicer or Priebus have.

Scaramucci told reporters that Spicers departure was obviously a difficult situation.

I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money, Scaramucci said.

When asked what he would do to right the ship at the White House, Scaramucci said that the administration was going in the right direction and that he would focus on improving the communications strategy.

To that end, he also signaled that he would be Trumps full-throated cheerleader. Asked about the presidents false claim that 3 million people voted illegally for Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in November, Scaramucci said, My guess is that theres probably some level of truth to that.

He called the president a winner, with perhaps the greatest political instincts in history, and a man of great karma.

Ive seen this guy throw a dead spiral through a tire, Scaramucci said of Trump. Ive seen him at Madison Square Garden with a topcoat on, standing in the key and hitting foul shots and swishing them. He sinks three-foot putts. I dont see this as a guy whos ever under siege.

But amid his adulatory comments, Scaramucci also was prodded by reporters to answer for his past, biting criticisms of Trump, which were quickly being disseminated again on Twitter.

He apologized for them, looking into cameras for the televised briefing as if talking to the president himself.

In 2015, Scaramucci called Trump another hack politician during a Fox Business appearance. On Friday, he said that Trump continued to remind him about it.

In the 2016 campaign, Scaramucci worked for two of Trumps Republican rivals. He served as national finance chairman for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush after Walker withdrew from the race.

Scaramuccis views also havent always been in lockstep with the presidents. In March 2016, Scaramucci wrote on Twitter in favor of policies to combat climate change, calling it disheartening that some people still believe climate change is a hoax.

And in 2012, Scaramucci tweeted in favor of gun control: We (the USA) has 5% of the worlds population but 50% of the worlds guns. Enough is enough.

Scaramucci largely avoided questions about Trumps legal strategy on Friday, telling reporters he knew most of Trumps attorneys but had not yet met with them to discuss what he could say.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

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This article was originally published at 12 p.m.
It would be hard to find someone more loyal to President Trump than Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions.

He was the first senator to grab a cherry-red Make America Great Again cap and endorse Trump for president, when few in Washington took Trump seriously. Now Sessions is perhaps the most zealous member of the presidents Cabinet, pressing his nationalistic agenda of tougher policies on crime and immigration.

Yet this week Trump all but declared war with Sessions for having recused himself from the Russia election-meddling investigation, as well as with nearly every top official at the Justice Department. In an interview Wednesday with the New York Times, the president said he regretted having chosen Sessions and once again raised the possibility of firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III  a move that he could more easily accomplish if Sessions were out as attorney general.

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Trump has shown repeatedly that he thrives on such fights with allies and enemies alike  to bend them to his will, to enforce loyalty or, failing that, to strike back.

As much as any development to date, however, Trumps remarks  by their harshness and their targets  reinforced the sense that no person close to the president is safe, even if the attack might appear to undermine the president as much as the object of his anger.

Sessions and White House aides sought to smooth over the controversy Thursday, with the attorney general insisting that he planned to remain on the job and a White House spokesperson saying he retains the presidents confidence.

Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was less definitive about Mueller, saying only that the president was not trying to fire the special counsel who is investigating him and his associates  at this time.

In a telephone interview, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed a widespread view that Trump disregards the law enforcement agencies essential independence.

It certainly appears the president doesnt understand the system of checks and balances that retains a strong measure of independence [for] the Justice Department, Schiff said.

The Justice Department officials join a long list of Trump targets. As an anti-establishment candidate and now as president for just six months as of Thursday, he has taken on an array of major institutions and alliances here and internationally  his own Republican Party and its leaders, the national media, the entire American intelligence community, numerous trading partners, the 70-year-old North Atlantic Treaty Organization and now the nations top law enforcement agency.

Trump has repeatedly called the intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia meddled in the U.S. election a hoax and the federal investigation a witch hunt. Even senior administration officials have been unnerved by Trumps willingness to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including an undisclosed solo conversation at the recent Group of 20 summit in Germany, at a time when Russia continues to undermine U.S. interests in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

At the same time, he has alienated allies by abruptly withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and a trade pact of Pacific Rim nations, and by criticizing NATO and other longstanding multinational organizations. This week he subtly threatened a vulnerable Republican senator, Dean Heller of Nevada, with defeat if Heller didnt support the Senate healthcare bill. And news that Sen. John McCain has brain cancer had many in Washington recalling that Trump still hasnt apologized to the Arizona Republican for denying during the campaign that McCain is a war hero.

There are no one-offs with our current president, said Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer. Its all completely consistent. Its always all about him. Its always all about how is he going to win and do that whatever it is, do whatever it takes.

Trumps attack on Sessions, however, could prove particularly counterproductive. At a time when the president needs a united Republican Party as he struggles to pass a healthcare bill, with the rest of his stalled agenda in the wings, he has assailed a Republican loyalist who until recently was a reasonably popular member of the Senate.

Republicans in Congress were relatively muted but Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah told CNN that Trumps comments about Sessions may come back to haunt him. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine warned that firing Mueller would be catastrophic.

Democrats leader, Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, taunted Republicans on Twitter: Two words to @SenateGOP when @realDonald Trump says Ill have your back when you vote to repeal health care: Jeff Sessions.

Trump told the New York Times he would have picked somebody else if he had known Sessions would decide to recuse himself from the FBIs investigation into what role the Trump campaign played in Russias attempt to influence the election.

How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, Thanks, Jeff, but Im not going to take you, Trump said. Its extremely unfair  and thats a mild word  to the president.

Sessions insisted he will remain in the job.

We love this job, we love this department, and we plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate, Sessions said, standing next to Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein and acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe  both of whom were also the subjects of Trumps jibes  during a news conference about a cybercrime case.

Trumps public disparagement of Sessions will make it hard for the attorney general to effectively lead the department, said William Yeomans, who served at Justice for 26 years.

He is among the walking wounded. Hes been cut off at the knees in public, Yeomans said.

As for Rosenstein, the acting attorney general for the Russia investigations, Trump questioned his Republican credentials since he had been the top federal prosecutor in Baltimore, which the president dismissed as a Democratic stronghold.

Rosenstein told reporters on Thursday, I was proud to be here yesterday. Im proud to be here today. Ill be proud to work here tomorrow.

It was Trumps handling of his firing of former FBI Director James B. Comey that is widely believed to have made him a subject of Muellers investigation, for potential obstruction of justice. Yet despite his own possible legal problems, Trump had no lawyers in the Oval Office for the interview in which he attacked the prosecutors, only one longtime aide.

Trump said that Mueller would cross a red line if he investigated Trumps businesses and finances. Rosenstein currently oversees Mueller because Sessions recused himself in March after it was reported that he had failed to reveal two meetings last year with Russias ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

If Sessions were replaced at the top of the Justice Department, a new attorney general would take over from Rosenstein and manage the special counsel. Although Trump would pick Sessions replacement, that person would require Senate confirmation, and independence from the president would be a main line of questioning.

Sanders, Trumps spokeswoman, told reporters, He was disappointed in Atty. Gen. Sessions decision to recuse himself but clearly he has confidence in him or he would not be the attorney general.

To a question about whether Trump believes Sessions serves the Constitution or the president, Sanders said, Obviously the attorney generals job is to follow and uphold the Constitution, but also every member of the Cabinet and the administration serves at the pleasure of the president.

John A. Farrell, author of Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full, sees a parallel with Nixon in Trumps concern that the Russia investigation could expand into other aspects of his and his familys business dealings. Nixons anger with Archibald Cox  the special prosecutor who expanded Watergate to include financial issues related to Nixon and his inner circle  led to his firing Cox. That was a threshold moment in Nixons undoing.

For Trump to fire Sessions and Mueller would be a bridge too far for many in Congress, Farrell said. But, he added, hes blown the doors off so many conventions that its quite possible he could even get away with it.

Times staff writer Joseph Tanfani in Washington contributed to this report.

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

brian.bennett@latimes.com

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Donald Trumps career before his election was shaped by a few massive, risky gambles  at least one of which, his plunge into buying casinos in Atlantic City, N.J., nearly ruined him. Now, as president, he seems headed for another.

In his interview Wednesday with the New York Times and in other comments relayed by people close to him, the president appears to be laying groundwork for firing Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel leading the investigation into Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election and possible cooperation by Trump aides.

The president may yet be dissuaded, but anyone who argues that Trump would not risk so much on a single move hasnt learned from his history.

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Good afternoon, Im David Lauter, Washington bureau chief. Welcome to the Friday edition of our Essential Politics newsletter, in which we look at the events of the week in Washington and elsewhere in national politics and highlight some particularly insightful stories.

THE EIGHTH PERSON AND DONALD TRUMP JR.

The background for the presidents escalated attacks on the special counsel involves the disclosures over the past two weeks of the meeting last summer among Donald Trump Jr., a cast of Russian and Russian American businessmen and lobbyists and two other top Trump campaign officials, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, who at the time was the campaign manager.

At first, when the younger Trump released a chain of emails that led up to the meeting, he disclosed only the presence of one Russian, Natalia Veselnitskaya, a lawyer who has worked for wealthy allies of the countrys President Vladimir Putin.

Trump Jr.s willingness to meet with her at Trump Tower was enough to raise many questions, since his friend who set up the meeting, Rob Goldstone, had identified her as a Russian government attorney who had some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Then, we learned that in addition to Goldstone and Veselnitskaya and a translator, another Russian had attended, Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian American lobbyist who once served in a Soviet army counter-intelligence unit.

This week, we learned about the presence of an eighth person, Irakly Ike Kaveladze, a Russian American businessman, based in Orange County who works for Aras Agalarov, a billionaire Russian developer who has close Kremlin connections as well as long-standing ties with Trump.

Kaveladzes lawyer told David Cloud and Joe Tanfani that Muellers investigators already had asked to talk with his client.

In a situation of that sort, an investigator naturally would want to know as much as possible about financial ties among the people attending the meeting. In the case of the Trump family and the Agalarovs, there are many.

TRUMP DRAWS A LINE. WILL THE GOP?

In the interview, Trump seemed keenly aware of potential inquiries into his finances.

At one point, he appeared to be trying to lay down a defense in advance. Its possible theres a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows? he said. Its worth noting that condo units in Trumps buildings can sell for tens of millions of dollars.

Shortly after, he appeared to draw a boundary around the inquiry.

Asked about an examination of his finances beyond Russian investments, he said, I think thats a violation. Look, this is about Russia.

Asked if he would fire Mueller if the inquiry went beyond that, Trump replied that I cant answer that question because I dont think its going to happen.

Trumps concern about the scope of Muellers inquiry helps explain the interviews other highlight, his angry denunciation of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions decision to step aside from overseeing the Russia probe.

As Noah Bierman and Brian Bennett wrote, Trumps lashing out at Sessions was the latest evidence that no person in the presidents circle is immune to his public attacks.

It was also a clear indication that he wanted Sessions to keep control of the investigation and was angry  and concerned  when he learned that would not happen. Its very unfair to the president, he said.

Trumps upset could grow more intense next week if Manafort and Trump Jr. agree to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to face questions.

The panels chair, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and its top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, have said they will issue subpoenas to the pair if they dont agree to appear voluntarily. A subpoena fight could delay the hearing, but only for a while.

In theory, Trump could try to end the inquiries by firing Sessions, replacing him with a new attorney general who would not be recused from the Russia case and ordering that new appointee to fire Mueller.

In practice, winning Senate confirmation for a new head of the Justice Department might be difficult. And the congressional investigations of the case would still exist.

Trumps words might come back to haunt him, Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said on CNN. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine warned that firing Mueller would be catastrophic.

Most Republican lawmakers, however, have avoided taking a public stand on the prospect that Trump might try to short-circuit the Russia inquiry.

Trump repeatedly has shown his willingness to take risks. The Republicans have shown little desire to take their own risks to check his impulses. The next few weeks may show which of those impulses is more powerful.

SPICER OUT AS TRUMP SHAKES UP STAFF

Replacing the White House press secretary doesnt have quite the same heft as removing the attorney general, but Sean Spicer was unquestionably one of the best-known faces of the Trump administration. Now hes gone.

Spicers departure was part of a larger shake-up in which Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime Trump supporter, became communications director and Trumps New York-based lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, stepped away from representing Trump in the Russia case. John Dowd, a prominent Washington-based criminal defense lawyer will become Trumps chief attorney in the case.

And heres a look back at his greatest hits.

TRUMPS UNTRUTHS

The president said many eye-catching things in Wednesdays interview  the not-so-veiled warnings to Mueller and Sessions being the most newsworthy.

Other statements, though, were notable for what they said about the limits of his knowledge or his willingness to say things that are easily proved untrue.

Discussing his trip to Paris, he seemed to mix up Napoleon Bonaparte with Louis Napoleon, his nephew who ruled France 30 years later, or perhaps not to recognize that they were two different people. (He designed Paris, Trump said, talking about Louis Napoleons claim to fame. His one problem is he didnt go to Russia, he added, referring to Napoleon Bonapartes ill-fated invasion.)

He repeated a comment about health insurance that he made in a previous interview that suggested that he confuses it with low-cost life insurance. (Youre 21 years old, you start working, and youre paying $12 a year for insurance, and by the time youre 70, you get a nice plan, he said, describing his understanding of how people currently get health insurance.)

And then there was his claim that Akie Abe, the wife of Japans prime minister, doesnt speak English  like, not Hello.

Trump sat next to Akie Abe at a recent dinner of world leaders, and he used her lack of English as an explanation for why he left his seat to have a conversation with Putin.

As Laura King wrote, Abe speaks English quite well, as many videos of her public remarks prove.

HEALTHCARE: CAN A ZOMBIE BILL DIE?

Senators left Washington on Thursday night with their leaders saying that they would vote on a healthcare bill next week. But no one seemed to know which bill, as Noam Levey reported.

I dont know whether were proceeding to the House bill, a new version of the Senate bill, the old version of the Senate bill, the 2015 repeal-and-hope-that-we-come-up-with something-in-two-years bill, said Collins. I truly dont.

So far, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has repeatedly come up short in his efforts to put together a bill that 50 Republican senators would back.

The push has been hurt by repeated analyses from the Congressional Budget Office showing that the GOP bills would take health coverage away from at least 22 million people.

Polls show that a large majority of Americans would prefer that Republicans and Democrats work out a bipartisan agreement, Levey and Lisa Mascaro reported. But this week, Trump summoned the Senate Republicans to the White House for a lunch in which he pushed them to try again to pass a bill without Democratic support.

Sen. John McCains absence for at least the next few weeks makes McConnells job that much harder, and not just on healthcare, Mascaro wrote.

But McConnell has not given up. The strategy has been to get senators to agree to begin debate and vote on amendments, in the hope that when all is done, the key, wavering lawmakers wont be willing to cast a vote that would, in effect, keep the Affordable Care Act in place.

McConnell seems set to put that plan to a test with a Senate roll call next week.

A SENATE WITHOUT MCCAIN

McCain has many rare distinctions. As his fellow senators absorbed the news that hes afflicted with a brain cancer  the same type that killed Sen. Edward M. Kennedy eight years ago  the most immediately relevant might be this: In a highly polarized era of politics, hes one of the only political figures that both Democrats and Republicans view favorably.

As Mark Barabak wrote, McCain has fought with fellow senators and others on a host of issues, but his extraordinary life story  and charismatic personality  have won admirers even among his antagonists.

A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL VICTORY FOR BROWN

Even as Trump continues to struggle to win passage of his legislative agenda, California Gov. Jerry Brown achieved a major victory on cap and trade, the states precedent-setting effort to drive reductions in emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

For the definitive explanation of what cap and trade does, read this by Chris Megerian and Joe Fox. And for the political divisions and consequences surrounding the vote, see this by Melanie Mason.

The contrast between the action in Sacramento and the gridlock in Washington shows not just the power of having a big legislative majority, from which Brown certainly benefits, but also the advantage a chief executive gains from knowing how government works, Cathy Decker wrote.

Brown has cemented his reputation as Sacramentos most effective political leader in years, wrote George Skelton.

Trump, by contrast, has focused much of his attention in the first six months of his tenure on trying to uproot what his predecessor, President Obama, put in place. So far, as I wrote, he has little to show for that effort.

Not only has Trump so far proved unable to get a bill passed to repeal Obamacare, this week, as Tracy Wilkinson and Bennett wrote, he had to recertify that Iran remains in compliance with the Obama administrations nuclear deal.

SOME OTHER STORIES OF NOTE

As Trump continues to struggle, Democratic hopes of winning back the House in 2018 are on the rise. A lot rests on the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Ben Ray Lujan. Mascaro has this profile of the New Mexico congressman (and part-time llama farmer), whose genial manner contrasts with a job that requires a lot of cold-blooded decisions.

Among the Democrats top targets are several Orange County Republicans. Sarah Wire had this look at the most endangered of them, Rep. Darrell Issa.

Another of the Orange County Republicans, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, has been drawing increased attention for his ties to Putin, a topic he brushes aside as well known but unimportant. But Rohrabachers Kremlin connections are creating tensions with his colleague and Foreign Affairs committee chairman, Rep. Ed Royce, Wire wrote.

Atty. Gen. Sessions has been one of the capitals most committed crusaders against marijuana legalization. Now, as Evan Halper and Lauren Rosenblatt wrote, hes got a new antagonist: Veterans groups are increasingly joining the fight to ease restrictions on medical marijuana. That puts groups like the American Legion at odds with the administration.

Another of Sessions priorities has been expanding police power to seize assets from people who have been arrested for certain crimes, even if they havent been convicted. Tanfani wrote about Sessions latest push on that issue, which has drawn protests from some conservative Republicans, as well as from Democrats.

One of the first test sites for Trumps proposed border wall could be the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Texas  one of the nations top birding sites and a vital habitat for several endangered species. Wildlife advocates are already organizing to oppose the idea, Bennett and Jennie Jarvie report.

ALL THE PRESIDENTS TWEETS

Twitter has long been Trumps favored means of pushing his message. Were compiling all of Trumps tweets. Its a great resource. Take a look.

LOGISTICS

That wraps up this week. My colleague Christina Bellantoni will be back Monday with the weekday edition of Essential Politics. Until then, keep track of all the developments in national politics and the Trump administration with our Essential Washington blog, at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

If you like this newsletter, tell your friends to sign up.

David.lauter@latimes.com

@davidlauter
Trump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro  who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents  Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook

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Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place  including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta  protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown  tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats  joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies  were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook

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Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one  a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast  the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history  the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many  if any  of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values  not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook

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Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook

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Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook

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Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis  but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook

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Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook

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Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday.  Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance  you know, some of them called it a performance  I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook

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Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay

President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018  This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18



On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who  the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook

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Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook

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Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election  and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook

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In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017  the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook

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Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook

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Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook

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Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000 By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook

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Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children  a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook

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Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook

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After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook

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Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook

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Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook

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Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series  attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with  was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage  sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters  just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control  a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side  to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook

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Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday  and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size  were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost
Trump called him my African-American. But he has few kind words for the president. By Mark Z. Barabak (Mark Z. Barabak/Los Angeles Times) On the day that changed his life, Gregory Cheadle almost stayed in bed. He was tired  he traveled a lot in his long-shot bid for Congress  but asked himself: How often does a candidate for president come to the far reaches of Northern California? And why pass up a crowd and the chance to hand out more fliers? So Cheadle roused himself that June 2016 morning and secured a spot up close when Donald Trump swooped in for a rally at Reddings municipal airport. It was hot, the atmosphere was loose and Trumps patter seeming more stand-up comedy than campaign spiel. He went into one of those sidelong digressions, about protesters and an African American  great fan, great guy  and, by the way, whatever happened to him? It was then, Cheadle said, he raised his hand and jokingly shouted, Im here. Trump looked and pointed, his voice a throaty rumble. Look at my African-American over here! he exclaimed. Are you the greatest? In the days and weeks that followed Cheadle was attacked on social media and harassed by people who dug up his phone number and email address. For a time he stayed home, too nervous to venture outside. All, he said, because the media portrayed him as something he was not and never has been: a Trump sycophant. Read More Facebook

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Trump quietly signs Russia sanctions bill By Noah Bierman President Trump quietly signed legislation Wednesday that imposes new sanctions on Russia and limits his ability to remove them, according to two White House aides. Trump signed the bill without cameras or an immediate press release. He had opposed imposing new sanctions on Moscow but had little choice after a nearly unanimous Congress approved the bill, guaranteeing they would override a veto. The bill, which also imposes new sanctions on Iran and North Korea, prevents American companies from investing in many energy projects that are funded by Russian government interests. It also prevents Trump from unilaterally lifting the sanctions. It thus marked an unusual move by Congress to tie the presidents hands on foreign policy. Trump did not want to give up that leverage. But the vote in Congress was a strong sign that lawmakers do not trust Trump to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump has repeatedly praised, and the widening federal investigation into possible coordination last year between his presidential campaign and Moscow. Passage of the sanctions bill already has sparked a harsh reaction in Moscow. Putin announced last week that the United States would need to shed 755 personnel, including U.S. diplomats, from its embassy and consulates in Russia. President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats, said to be spies, from the United States last December. A White House aide said a statement would be issued later Wednesday. Facebook

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Senior GOP senators serve notice: No action on healthcare at this point By David Lauter Trump administration officials continue to push the Senate to take another run at healthcare legislation, but on Monday senior Republican senators pushed back, making clear that theyre done with the topic for now. Theres just too much animosity and were too divided on healthcare, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), the head of the Senate Finance Committee, said in an interview with Reuters. I think we ought to acknowledge that we can come back to healthcare afterward, but we need to move ahead on tax reform, Hatch said. His remarks were quickly followed by others in GOP leadership positions. I think its time to move on to something else, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri told CNN. If the question is do I think we should stay on healthcare until we get it done, I think its time to move on to something else. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota also chimed in. Until someone shows us how to get that elusive 50th vote, I think its over, he told reporters. The remarks seemed a coordinated effort to respond to administration officials, including budget director Mick Mulvaney and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who said over the weekend that they wanted the Senate to keep working on healthcare. Last week, the Senate defeated several different Republican plans to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act. The votes made it clear that with unified Democratic opposition to repeal, and divisions among Republicans, the campaign to overturn the law has stalled out, at least for now. Congress faces several other pressing issues that will be demanding lawmakers attention, including deadlines at the end of September to raise the federal debt ceiling and fund government agencies for the coming fiscal year. And the administration is eager to move on tax proposals, with officials rather optimistically saying they hope to see votes by November on a tax package that is not yet written. Facebook

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Good news for Atty. Gen. Sessions: Trump has 100% confidence in Cabinet By Noah Bierman To Q re Sessions, spox Sanders says Trump has 100% confidence in Cabinet. Last wk she wouldn't say if he had it in Sessions. Kelly effect?  Jackie Calmes (@jackiekcalmes) July 31, 2017 President Trump has called Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions beleaguered and even VERY weak, but Sessions seemed to get good news from the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on Monday. Trump has 100% confidence in all of his Cabinet secretaries, Sanders said in response to a question about Sessions job status during the daily White House briefing. Last week, when speculation about Sessions was rife, Sanders repeatedly declined opportunities to provide assurances that the attorney general enjoyed the presidents full confidence. Trump himself said time will tell when he was asked last week about Sessions. The willingness to tamp down speculation about Sessions may reflect the arrival Monday of retired Gen. John F. Kelly as the new White House chief of staff. He is tasked with restoring order to the administration. Sanders also batted down reports that the White House was discussing moving Sessions to another post, as secretary of Homeland Security. That job became vacant Monday after Kelly was sworn in as Trumps new chief of staff. Sanders said the White House has had no conversations about any Cabinet members switching jobs. Republican senators have publicly opposed firing Sessions, and a couple have objected to shifting him to another post as well, given that it could appear that Trump is trying to affect the investigations of himself and his campaign in the context of Russias election interference. Trump has said publicly that his frustration with Sessions, once among his closest allies, stems from Sessions decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, an act that led to the appointment of a special counsel. Facebook

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Can Trump really cut health insurance payments for members of Congress and their staff? It would be easy By Lisa Mascaro Reeling from the failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Trump now threatens to block federal funding that lawmakers and their staff rely on to help buy health insurance. Trumps threats are not empty. The administration could simply stop the payments -- which are provided to Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff much the way many employers help pay employees monthly insurance premiums -- by dashing off new federal regulation. But the easy attack on lawmakers skims over what many say was a complicated, but fair-minded, compromise made during the Obamacare debates several years ago. Under Obamacare, if lawmakers want insurance through their employer - the federal government - they are required to buy policies through the ACA exchanges. There had been great criticism at the time, largely from opponents of the healthcare bill, that lawmakers and congressional staff should not be exempt from the law. The argument was they should have to live under it. So they did. Usually those buying individual insurance on the exchanges can apply to see if their income and geographic area allow them to qualify for a federal subsidy. For lawmakers, though, that was prohibited. Instead, they get the regular employer contribution they did before, much in the same way other workers do when their companies buy insurance. For federal workers, the government covers about 70% of the costs, about the same paid by employers in the private sector, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. The administration affirmed that federal support for lawmakers and their staffs in an Office of Personnel Management regulation issued in 2013. To cut those funds off, Trump administration could simply reverse course, and issue another regulation changing the rules. Trump appeared ready to do so in a series of weekend tweets. Why should Congress not be paying what public pays, Trump tweeted over the weekend. If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon. But such a move would likely cause an uproar in Congress. Its not just members of Congress, but also their staffs, who would have to pay full price for their insurance. Stopping Trumps action, though, seems tough. It would require Congress to pass legislation ensuring the federal payments would continue to be made. Few lawmakers would likely take up that cause. And even if Congress were able to pass a bill protecting the payments, it seems doubtful Trump at this point would sign it into law. Facebook

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U.S. hits Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with sanctions By Associated Press Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrates the results of Sundays election in Caracas. (Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP/Getty Images) The Trump administration has hit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with financial sanctions. The move comes after Venezuela held a weekend election that will give Maduros ruling party virtually unlimited power in the South American country. The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the sanctions against Maduro in a brief statement on Monday, a day after the Venezuelan vote to elect a constituent assembly that will rewrite the constitution. A longer explanation from the White House was also expected. The administration imposed sanctions on more than a dozen senior current and former Venezuelan officials last week, warning the socialist government that new penalties would come if Maduro went ahead with Sundays election for the assembly. Facebook

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Anthony Scaramucci is out as White House communications director By Brian Bennett Anthony Scaramucci, the brash New Yorker who was announced little more than a week ago as President Trumps White House communications director, was ousted Monday before he had even officially taken the job. John F. Kelly, the newly sworn-in White House chief of staff, told Scaramucci around 9:30 a.m. EDT that he was going to be replaced, according to a person close to White House. In a statement officially announcing the move, the White House said Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. While Scaramuccis time at the center of the presidents circle was short, it was consequential, prompting the resignations of first Sean Spicer as White House press secretary and then Reince Priebus as chief of staff. The most notable firings and resignations in the Trump administration >> A former hedge fund executive on Wall Street, Scaramucci, who enjoyed media attention, also had come on strong stylistically, highlighted by a profane tirade against colleagues Priebus and Trump strategist Steve Bannon in an exchange last week with a New Yorker reporter. The abrupt shift in Scaramuccis status seemed to reflect Kellys mission to bring order to the chain of command within the chaotic administration. In getting Scaramucci to leave, Kelly was undoing Trumps own hiring decision. Scaramucci had told reporters when he was hired that he would be reporting directly to the president at Trumps request, bypassing the normal chain that would have the communications director -- like all staff -- report to the chief of staff. Scaramuccis unusually short tenure reflects a moment of extreme turbulence in the White House, which has been embroiled in infighting as it confronts low poll numbers for the president, a floundering legislative agenda and the investigations involving Russian meddling in last years presidential election. After word spread of Scaramuccis ouster, Spicer, who resigned when Scaramucci took over but was still working in the White House, walked out of his office to a throng of reporters. Is this a surprise party? he asked. UPDATE 12:15 p.m.: This story has been updated throughout with additional details and background. This article was originally published at 11:49 a.m. Facebook

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Trump swears in John Kelly, says ex-secretary of Homeland Security will do an even better job as chief of staff By Noah Bierman President Trump swore in his new chief of staff, John F. Kelly, on Monday morning, formalizing a shake-up in his top ranks that was announced Friday evening with word of the resignation of Reince Priebus. We look forward to - if its possible - an even better job as chief of staff, Trump said to Kelly, formerly the secretary of homeland security. Ill try, sir, Kelly replied. JOHN KELLY is now chief of staff. Sworn in during ceremony in Oval Office minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/dMEQ4rhpFA  Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 31, 2017 Trump is hoping that Kelly, a retired general, will retool and bring order to a White House that has struggled with low poll numbers, staff infighting, a faltering legislative agenda and an investigation into Russian election meddling and potential collusion and obstruction of justice. Yet Trump said the administration has done very well after a reporter asked what would be different under Kelly. He cited the unemployment rate, the thriving stock market and unnamed polls that, he said, show high business confidence. Were doing very well. We have a tremendous base, he said.The country is optimistic. And I think the general will just add to it. Trump praised Kellys performance at the Department of Homeland Security, where Kelly focused on immigration issues at the southern border, as record-shattering, with very little controversy. There was no word on whom the president might name to replace Kelly at the department. Trump reportedly has considered moving Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions there from the Justice Department, reflecting his unhappiness with the attorney general, but Republican senators preemptively have signaled their opposition to such a move. Facebook

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Risky investigation, stalled agenda  Trumps in trouble, so heres his strategy By Noah Bierman (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Hosts of Southern Californias Morning Answer radio show were wrapping up a two-hour live broadcast from a white tent just outside the West Wing last week and marveling at their access to Cabinet secretaries and prominent administration figures. If youre a Trumpkin, host Brian Whitman told his listeners on AM 870, this is like fantasy camp. The White Houses daylong hospitality for Salem Radio Network, a nationwide chain of Christian and conservative stations, underscored President Trumps continued courtship of  and increased dependence on  core supporters as he confronts a stalled agenda and increasingly perilous investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia and he subsequently sought to obstruct the inquiries. Read More Facebook

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Obamacare vote isnt the only sign of GOP resistance to Trump By Noah Bierman In the year since Donald Trump won the Republican presidential nomination, party leaders have been reluctant to challenge a man who has formed a tight bond with conservative voters, even when he upset party orthodoxies and norms of presidential behavior. But that reticence is breaking down. A convergence of contentious issues, as well as embarrassing infighting and shake-ups at the White House, have a number of Republicans suddenly in open resistance to Trump on a number of fronts. Read More Facebook

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Trump ousts Reince Priebus as chief of staff in latest White House shake-up By Noah Bierman John Kelly (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump ousted his beleaguered chief of staff, Reince Priebus, naming Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to replace him Friday in the latest White House shake-up as the administration struggles to emerge from bitter staff infighting and a stalled legislative agenda. Trump announced the abrupt reshuffle in three posts on Twitter hours after the Senate killed his latest plans to rewrite President Obamas signature healthcare law, dealing another harsh blow to the White House. The tweets, sent as Trump was returning on Air Force One with Priebus after a speech on gang violence in New York, caught Capitol Hill and others off guard even though Priebus stature in Trumps inner circle has been in sharp decline for some time. Read More Facebook

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Putins spokesman accuses U.S. of political schizophrenia By Associated Press Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting in Moscow on June 21. (Sergei Karpukhin / EPA) Russia urged the United States on Monday to show political will to mend ties even as it ordered sweeping cuts of U.S. embassy personnel unseen since Cold War times. President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said it will take time for the U.S. to recover from what he called political schizophrenia, but added that Russia remains interested in constructive cooperation with the U.S. We are interested in a steady development of our ties and are sorry to note that we are still far from that, he said. Peskovs statement followed Sundays televised comments by Putin, who said the U.S. would have to cut 755 of its embassy and consulate staff in Russia, a massive reduction he described as a response to new U.S. sanctions. The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously said that the U.S. should cut its embassy and consular employees to 455, the number that Russia has in the United States. Along with the caps on embassy personnel announced Friday, it also declared the closure of a U.S. recreational retreat on the outskirts of Moscow and warehouse facilities. Moscows action is the long-expected tit-for-tat response to former President Obamas move to expel 35 Russian diplomats and shut down two Russian recreational retreats in the U.S. over reports of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Facebook

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White House urged to refrain from Obamacare sabotage as Trump mulls subsidy cutoff By Laura King A pair of prominent lawmakers urged President Trump on Sunday not to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in the wake of failed Republican efforts to scrap his predecessors signature legislative achievement. But Trump urged GOP senators to try again to push through some version of repealing and replacing the law, even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said last week it was time to move on to other matters. Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway said the president would decide in coming days whether to block subsidies that are a crucial component of the existing healthcare law. Hes going to make that decision this week, and thats a decision that only he can make, Conway said on Fox News Sunday. Two of the lawmakers who blocked the Senate GOP repeal plan last week, however, criticized the administrations continued efforts to overturn the law. Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican who steadfastly rejected a series of GOP healthcare measures last week, blamed the Trump administration for encouraging instability in the insurance markets by continuing the uncertainty over whether the subsidies  cost-sharing payments that reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs for poorer Americans  would continue. Im troubled by the uncertainty that has been created by the administration, Collins said on NBCs Meet the Press. She contested Trumps characterization of the payments as an insurance company bailout. Thats not what it is, she said, calling the reduction payments vital assistance to low-income Americans. And Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said further action on healthcare should be done in a bipartisan manner and not rushed. You cannot do major entitlement reform singlehandedly, and you wouldnt do major legislative initiatives singlehandedly, she told reporters in Alaska. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) echoed Collins criticism of Trumps threat to stop making the cost-sharing payments. You know, I really think its incomprehensible that we have a president of the United States who wants to sabotage healthcare in America, make life more difficult for millions of people who are struggling now to get the health insurance they need and to pay for that health insurance, he said on CNNs State of the Union. Prior to heading out for a day at his Virginia golf property, Trump tweeted that Republican senators should press ahead with efforts to scrap Obamacare -- a day after he tauntingly exhorted them not to be quitters in the quest for a legislative victory for him. Don't give up Republican Senators, the World is watching: Repeal & Replace...and go to 51 votes (nuke option), get Cross State Lines & more.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2017 The White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, on CNNs State of the Union, said it was official Trump administration policy that the Senate should keep working to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, eschewing an August recess if necessary. Senators, he said, need to stay, they need to work -- they need to pass something. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, while acknowledging a responsibility to follow the law -- Obamacare -- also signaled that Trump was not accepting defeat in efforts to get rid of the measure. Our goalas well as the presidents goal, is to put in place a law, a system, that actually works for patients, he said on Meet the Press, adding, You cant do that under the current structure. Facebook

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Frustrated in defeat, Trump threatens healthcare of voters  and lawmakers By Joseph Tanfani Frustrated by the failure of the Obamacare repeal in the Senate, President Trump on Saturday threatened to end federal subsidies for healthcare insurance  for Congress as well as the rest of the country. After seven years of "talking" Repeal & Replace, the people of our great country are still being forced to live with imploding ObamaCare!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon! Trump tweeted, fuming about Congress failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which he said was imploding. Such a move could cause havoc and much higher premiums in insurance markets, since many low- and moderate-income people depend on those subsidies to help cover the cost of their policies. Through a series of administrative maneuvers by Congress and the Obama administration, members and their staffs also benefit from those subsidies. Targeting congressional healthcare might score Trump some populist points with his base, but it would likely come at a cost of poisoning his relationship with Congress. Just making the threat on Saturday highlights how far things have eroded between Trump and top GOP lawmakers. And it comes a day after Trump pushed out former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, an establishment Republican who was the GOP congressional leaderships trusted liaison in the White House. Trump actually has a jarring amount of leverage over thousands of congressional staff who depend on employer health care contribution. https://t.co/lRPmrmDIJs  Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 29, 2017 Trumps longstanding threat to let the health insurance plans fail would come with its own political price. The federal government sends about $600 million a month to insurance companies to help cover the cost, and Trump is threatening to cut that off to allow Obamacare markets to collapse. His goal is to pressure Congress to send him a repeal bill, but so far the strategy has failed. The confidence Trump has expressed that if he followed through with the threat the fallout would land not on him but on Democrats, because they created Obamacare, is not widely shared in Washington. If health care collapses, voters will blame Trump and the GOP.



That's what happens when you control the White House and Congress. pic.twitter.com/iEjEGyapAL  Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 29, 2017 Facebook

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Iran condemns new U.S. sanctions, vows to pursue missile program By Ramin Mostaghim Iran defied Washington and condemned new U.S. sanctions over its development of missiles capable of being armed with nuclear warheads. We will continue with full power our missile program, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state television IRIB on Saturday, dismissing new sanctions passed by Congress last week as, hostile, reprehensible and unacceptable. Its ultimately an effort to weaken the nuclear deal, Ghasemi said, adding, The military and missile fields  are our domestic policies and others have no right to intervene or comment on them. Iran had agreed to limit its nuclear activities under the 2015 agreement with the U.S. and other world powers in exchange for sanctions relief. Ghasemi argued Saturday that the U.S. had violated that agreement by linking the missile program to the nuclear deal and restricting Iranian banking activities in the U.S. He argued that Irans latest missile tests dont break the agreement because the weapons are defensive. The new wave of pressure on missile projects in Iran will push the Islamic theocracy into a corner, predicted Iran analyst Hojjat Kalashi in Tehran, noting that the government of President Hassan Rouhani, who was reelected in May, is coping with an economic downturn and may step back from the compromise nuclear deal. The new Iran sanctions bill, which also targets Russia and North Korea, was passed by the House and Senate this week. It would penalize those involved in Irans ballistic missile program as well as those who do business with them, impose an arms embargo on Iran and label its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist group. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said President Trump will sign the bill. On Friday, the U.S. was joined by Britain, France and Germany in condemning Irans recent launch of a satellite-carrying rocket and warned that it violated a United Nations resolution implementing the 2015 nuclear deal. In a joint statement, they urged Iran to stop developing missiles and rockets capable of carrying nuclear warheads that have a destabilizing impact on the region. In response to a rocket launch Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on subsidiaries of an Iranian company involved in Tehrans ballistic missile program. But Nader Karimi Juni, an analyst close to Rouhanis government, said Iranian leaders dont believe the U.N. and European powers will ultimately back the U.S., and so Iran will not compromise on missile projects and will remain defiant. Facebook

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Trump jabs U.S. mayors, who push back, calling president out of touch with cities By Kurtis Lee (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) President Trump wants police to know that he  not mayors  has their back. Ive met police that are great police that arent allowed to do their job because they have a pathetic mayor or a mayor that doesnt know whats going on, Trump said Friday in a speech before police officers in Brentwood, N.Y. The comments from Trump, who in his address highlighted crime in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, drew applause from some in attendance. In a statement following Trumps remarks, the United States Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group, released a statement pushing back against the president. The presidents comments today prove how out of touch he is with the realities of life in American cities. Mayors number one priority is  and always will be  the safety and protection of their residents, said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the groups president. There is no daylight between the mayors of our cities and the uniformed officers who work tirelessly to keep us safe every single day. During the speech Trump called on police and immigration officials to be rough with suspected gang members in cities nationwide. In a recent interview with The Times, former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who recently launched a $200-million initiative to empower city governments and mayors, stressed the key to good governing is experience as a manager  something, he said, Trump was not. Bloomberg added that the mayors are much more in tune with the needs of residents than the federal government. You got to remember a mayor and the local city council are much closer to the public than the governor and the state legislature, or the president and the federal legislature. So if the public is in favor of something, the local officials know it and they get held responsible, he said. Facebook

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The growing parade of exits under Trump administration By Len de Groot A lot of people have left President Trumps early administration  Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was replaced Friday. The White House communications department has been the scene of many of the recent turnovers as it wrestles to craft a message sometimes at odds with Trumps frequent tweeting. At the National Security Council, there has been a leadership struggle since Michael Flynn resigned in the face of pressure over undisclosed contacts with Russia. One appointee was fired over comments he made at a private function. Others have been removed as Flynns successor, H.R. McMaster, has moved to add loyalists to the council. Here are the most noteworthy departures: Read More Facebook

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Trump urges officers and immigration officials to be rough on animals terrorizing U.S. neighborhoods By Barbara Demick ( (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)) President Trump on Friday called for police and immigration officials to be rough with suspected gang members in order to rid the country of animals he said are terrorizing communities. Please dont be too nice, Trump told police recruits at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, a heavily Latino suburb of New York City. Like when you guys put somebody in the car and youre protecting their head, you know the way you put the hand  like, dont hit their head, and theyve just killed somebody?  You can take the hand away. He implied that he was satisfied with rough handling of suspects by the police. When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon  you just see them thrown in, rough, he said. Scoffing at calls for what he describes as political correctness, Trump also renewed his pledges to build a wall along the Mexican border. He accused the Obama administration of admitting criminals into the United States. Read More Facebook

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Analysis: In a Washington run by men, two overshadowed Republican women make their point on healthcare By Cathleen Decker In a Washington that has grown demonstrably more testosterone-fueled since President Trumps inauguration, it took two Republican women to secure the end of a long effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. They were the same two women  Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski  who had been excluded from the 13-member working group drafting the Republican bills. Nobodys being excluded based upon gender. Everybodys at the table, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had said of his all-white-males group. In the early hours of Friday, the duo was overshadowed by the more dramatic and unexpected no vote from Sen. John McCain of Arizona. There was reason for the attention lavished on McCain  a war hero and veteran senator returns to the Capitol days after a dire cancer diagnosis. But without both Collins and Murkowskis steadfast opposition, his vote would have been meaningless. Also largely overlooked: Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat who like McCain made an arduous trip to Washington despite her recent diagnosis of late-stage kidney cancer. Social media buzzed Friday with praise for the women senators from many fronts, including from men. But from many women, there was also a sense of familiarity at being ignored or taken for granted. Read More Facebook

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Clinton Foundation donor who was denied a visa settles leak case against the U.S. By Joseph Tanfani A billionaire Nigerian businessman and major Clinton Foundation donor banned from entering the U.S. two years ago on terrorism grounds has settled a lawsuit against the U.S. government. Gilbert Chagoury last year sued the FBI and other government agencies in U.S. District Court in Washington, saying he had been damaged by what he described as improper government leaks to the Los Angeles Times. The Times reported last year that Chagoury had been denied a visa to travel to the U.S. in 2015 on suspicion that he had provided aid to terrorist groups. One document, citing unverified information from an unnamed source, said that Chagoury  who is of Lebanese heritage  had funneled funds to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and political group designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Chagoury, an ardent Lakers fan who for decades lived part of the year in Los Angeles, angrily denied that he ever provided funds for terrorism. He said the publicity forced him to sell his Beverly Hills mansion at a loss and caused a bank to close his account. A philanthropist, Vatican ambassador and longtime friend of Bill Clinton, Chagoury once was invited to the White House after contributing to a Democratic get-out-the-vote campaign. He donated at least $1 million to the Clinton Foundation. Emails released last year showed that a Bill Clinton aide pushed Hillary Clintons aides at the State Department to get Chagoury access to top U.S. diplomats. In the settlement filed in court on Friday, the Justice Department said Chagoury has never appeared on the list of Specially Designated Nationals, figures such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers who are generally barred from doing business in the U.S. The government did not grant Chagourys request for a court hearing to dispute the reports that led to his exclusion from the U.S. As I have often said, I have loved America my whole life because it was the land of freedom and justice, he said in a statement, adding that he hopes the agreement will help repair his reputation. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chagoury, who lives most of the time in Paris, has not applied for another visa, said his spokesman, Mark Corallo. Facebook

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Trump ousts Priebus, announces John Kelly as new chief of staff President Trump announced via Twitter on Friday that he had named retired Gen. John Kelly, head of the Department of Homeland Security, as White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus. I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 ...and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 Read More Facebook

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Rep. John Delaney of Maryland to run for president By Associated Press Rep. John Delaney of Maryland says hes running for president, instead of governor or reelection, in 2018. Delaney, a Democrat, announced his plans in a statement Friday. The politically moderate banking entrepreneur is in his third term in Marylands 6th Congressional District, which includes western Maryland and a large section of Montgomery County, the states largest county. The 54-year-old is worth roughly $90 million and is one of the Houses wealthiest members. He spent about $2 million to help finance his first House race in 2012. His consideration of a possible Maryland gubernatorial bid months ago quickly drew interest in his House seat. Several candidates already have expressed interest in running for the seat. Facebook

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McCain set to head back to Arizona to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments By Kurtis Lee (Shawn Thew / EPA) Sen. John McCain is headed home. Hours after McCain spurned his party and voted in opposition to a GOP measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the senators office announced Friday he will return to Arizona to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his recent diagnosis of brain cancer. McCain, 80, was found this month to have a brain tumor known as a glioblastoma. He is scheduled to return to Washington in September after his initial treatments. The glioblastoma  an aggressive type of cancer  was discovered when McCain had a blood clot removed from above his left eye. According to the Mayo Clinic, which is overseeing McCains treatment, glioblastoma is difficult to treat. After returning to Washington this week and voting in favor of opening Senate debate on repeal, McCain was among three Republicans early Friday morning to vote in opposition to a so-called skinny bill that would repeal the ACA, known as Obamacare. The move by McCain, who has served in the Senate since 1987, has drawn the ire of members in his own party and some in the right-wing media. Facebook

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McCains surprise vote doomed GOP healthcare bill, but did it open the door for Senate bipartisanship? By Lisa Mascaro Sen. John McCain is usually happy to spar with reporters, but he ducked into an elevator ahead of the Senate healthcare vote late Thursday without saying a word about how he would vote. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, though, already knew the answer. The Democratic leader had been talking with the Arizona Republican all week  four, five times a day  ever since McCain returned to work after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Earlier in the week, McCain had dramatically salvaged the stalled GOP bill by voting to begin debate, only to go on to deliver a blistering speech against his own party leaders partisan, closed-door process in crafting it. Weve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle, he told them. Were getting nothing done. Schumer and McCain have been longtime colleagues, a kind of frenemies who seem like throwbacks to an earlier era of Congress. They worked together on big legislation, including the 2013 immigration overhaul  grand ideas that seem all but impossible in todays Congress. They had plenty to discuss. About the Senate, about it working again, about working together, and about how this bill was so poor for the American people, Schumer said. And he knew that, so did half his colleagues, but he had the courage to vote no. The moment stunned the Senate when McCain stepped up to cast his vote  a single down-turned finger  dooming the healthcare bill. Audible gasps filled the galleries, which were packed with onlookers. But his vote  along with no votes from Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska  did more than shelve the long campaign to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It cracked open a new divide in the Senate, which seems to be split not so much between Republicans and Democrats, but by those senators who want to work together versus those stuck in hardened partisan tribes. Read More Facebook

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U.S. hits Iran with more sanctions in response to satellite launch By Associated Press The United States is slapping Iran with new sanctions in response to its launch of a satellite-carrying rocket into space this week. The sanctions target six Iranian subsidiaries of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group. The Treasury Department says that group is central to Irans ballistic missile program. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the sanctions illustrate deep U.S. concerns about Irans missile testing and other actions. He says the U.S. will continue countering Irans ballistic missile program, including Thursdays provocative space launch. The U.S. has said that launch flouted a U.N. Security Council resolution because the technology is inherently designed to be able to carry a nuclear payload. The sanctions come as the Trump administration continues debating its Iran policy and whether to scrap the 2015 multilateral deal that limits the development of Irans nuclear capabilities. Facebook

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Political betrayal. McCain vote against Obamacare repeal draws ire from conservative writers By Kurtis Lee (Cliff Owen / AP) Though John McCain was one of three Republicans who helped Democrats squash the legislation to repeal Obamacare, conservative media is homing in on the Arizona senator for spurning his party in the healthcare vote. Here are some of todays headlines: John McCain: Traitor to the conservative cause (Washington Times) McCain, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, has been a staunch opponent of Obamacare, but in the end he could not support the so-called skinny repeal measure put forward by his colleagues in the Senate. In this piece, Cheryl K. Chumley, jabs McCain for his vote. For American voters expecting their Republican-dominated House, Senate and White House to honor their years of repeal promises and actually, well, repeal Obamacare, McCains thumbs-down was a face-slap moment that will be remembered in history as a textbook classic case of political betrayal, she writes. McCains odd definition of leading the fight to stop Obamacare (National Review) This article is simple  its a quick compare-and-contrast of McCains recent comments versus his vote on Friday. Last year, during a tough reelection, McCains campaign ran a television ad that boasted the senator is leading the fight to stop Obamacare. But last night his office put out a statement noting the GOP Senate bill did not offer a replacement to actually reform our health care system and deliver affordable, quality health care to our citizens. The author of this piece, Jim Geraghty, concludes: Its very difficult to characterize McCains decision as leading the fight to stop Obamacare. Thats more like leading the fight to keep Obamacare in place while you continue to look for a replacement that you like better. John McCain burns Mitch McConnell sides with Democrats (American Spectator) When McConnell, the majority leader, stood on the Senate floor Friday after the bills failure, he was clearly annoyed. McCains no vote had led to applause moments earlier from Democrats. In a move thats no surprise to anyone, John McCain voted against the embarrassingly named Skinny Repeal, voted against his party (or is it his party?) and voted to keep Obamacare going as is, writes Melissa Mackenzie. Facebook

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Meet the two female GOP senators who opposed the healthcare bill from the start By Kelcey Caulder Sen. John McCain shocked Republicans and Democrats alike with his vote early Friday morning to kill the latest Republican effort to repeal Obamacare. But McCain was not the only Republican to play a role in blocking the final version of the overhaul bill. Two female Republican lawmakers, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, also voted against the bill. Collins has opposed repeal and replace efforts from the beginning, and Murkowski has also been critical of much of what the Senate Republican leadership has proposed. Collins said it would be a big mistake for Republicans to pass legislation without trying seriously to work with Democrats to reach bipartisan solutions. Instead, she called for both parties to work together to improve the healthcare system. Murkowski and Collins were the first from their party to come out against repealing the ACA without having new, replacement legislation on the table. In statements posted on Twitter, Collins, who voted against the same proposal in 2015, said she did not think it was constructive to repeal the law without a replacement, while Murkowski encouraged senators from both sides of the aisle to work together to address healthcare issues. I will vote no on the motion to proceed to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. I voted against this same proposal in 2015. pic.twitter.com/Szuke5zYNL  Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) July 18, 2017 My recent statement on the Senate Healthcare Process: pic.twitter.com/j19Ok1KwWw  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) July 18, 2017 The two senators were also the only Republicans to vote against opening debate on repeal of Obamacare earlier this week. Their opposition to Republican healthcare efforts has drawn a lot of criticism within the party, some of it expressed in vulgar, even violent terms. Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter said in an interview Wednesday with MSNBC: Somebody needs to go over there to that Senate and snatch a knot in their ass. A Texas congressman said the female senators narrowly avoided an Aaron Burr-style showdown with him. President Trump publicly rebuked Murkowski on Twitter for her vote. Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017 Trump has not criticized Collins by name for her vote, but warned Tuesday at a rally in Ohio that any senator who votes against repeal and replace is telling America that they are fine with the Obamacare nightmare, and I predict theyll have a lot of problems. Facebook

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The current Senate GOP effort to repeal Obamacare is dead. Now what? By Noam N. Levey (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) The sudden collapse of the GOPs Senate campaign to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act does not mean the issue disappears. Significant problems and challenges remain, particularly for Obamacare insurance marketplaces. The defeat increases the odds that Congress will begin to look at a more limited approach to shore up the current law and stabilize markets. The GOPs repeal effort may return, but in the meantime heres a look at what a temporary fix might look like: Read More Facebook

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Paul Ryan responds to the failure of the GOP healthcare bill By Associated Press House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday that hes disappointed and frustrated by the failure of Republican healthcare legislation in the Senate. But Ryan said in a statement that we should not give up after promising for years to repeal and replace Obamacare. We were sent to Washington to fulfill the pledges we made to our constituents, the statement said. While the House delivered a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, unfortunately the Senate was unable to reach a consensus. At the same time, the speaker said that overhauling the tax code is at the top of the Houses list of priorities. He pledged to pursue historic tax reform in the fall. He issued his statement as the House prepared to leave Washington for its annual August recess. The House passed legislation repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act in May. But after a failed vote early Friday in the Senate, its not clear if GOP leaders will be able to resuscitate the efforts. Facebook

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Economic growth rebounded to 2.6% annual rate in second quarter By Jim Puzzanghera The Port of Los Angeles (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. economy rebounded this spring after a weak winter, expanding at a solid 2.6% annual rate as consumers picked up their spending pace, the Commerce Department said Friday. Total economic output, also known as gross domestic product, for the April-through-June period was in line with analyst expectations for a bounce-back based in part on pent-up demand. The economic growth rate was more than double the 1.2% pace in the first quarter. That figure was revised down Friday from an earlier estimate of 1.4%. After the winter blues, the economy has rebounded, said Sung Won Sohn, an economist at Cal State Channel Islands. Read More Facebook

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Never mind healthcare. President Trump has made slogans great again By Mark Z. Barabak ( (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)) His promise to repeal and replace Obamacare has crashed and burned. Tax reform hasnt gotten far. The White House is in disarray, and big plans to rebuild the nations infrastructure have hit a brick wall. But there is one unimpeachable triumph President Trump can point to: Hes made great again great again. The Make America Great Again 2016 campaign slogan  limned in block letters and emblazoned on countless cherry-red ball caps  has been reimagined, repurposed and cheekily appropriated for countless pitches and commercial products. Apart from the now-familiar caps, mercantile options include aprons, beanies, beer cozys, coffee mugs, hoodies, leggings, swimsuits, T-shirts, water bottles and, for the special someone, Donald Trump Make America Great Again Womens Booty Shorts. But MAGA, as the president short-hands the phrase in Twitter posts, is also popping up in places having little or nothing to do with politics: on a catwalk at New Yorks Fashion Week, high in the sky promoting classical music in Phoenix, on the menu at an Italian restaurant in Atlanta. Read More Facebook

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If Adam Schiff is Californias next U.S. senator, he might want to thank President Trump By Mark Z. Barabak (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) The road to elected office can be long and winding and is not always paved with the best of intentions. Some politicians  think of the Kennedys or the Bush family  are born to the trade. Others are borne by tragedy. Former Santa Barbara Rep. Lois Capps succeeded her husband when he died of a heart attack. Former New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy was spurred to run when her husband was killed and her son gravely wounded in a mass shooting on the Long Island Rail Road. Typically, though, the ascension is more methodical, one rung after the next, often with a pinch of right-place, right-time fortune thrown in for good measure. Lately that bit of luck has visited itself on Adam B. Schiff, in the form of Russian meddling and a president who hurls tweets like poison thunderbolts. Read More Facebook

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Kris Kobach says Trumps voter fraud panel will keep voter data secure. Some states arent buying it By Kurtis Lee (Jessica McGowan / Getty Images) After weeks of legal battles and bipartisan pushback from top election officials nationwide, President Trumps voter fraud commission has renewed a message for the states: Its safe to pass along your data about voters. Individuals voter registration records will be kept confidential and secure throughout the duration of the commissions existence, Kris Kobach, vice chairman of the commission, wrote in a letter sent late Wednesday to all 50 secretaries of state. Even so, by Thursday, much of the criticism that greeted an earlier request from the commission was repeated by election officials and activists, who have expressed concerns about privacy and have called the panel both a sham created by an insecure president and a tool to suppress votes. Trump  without evidence  has repeatedly alleged that 3 million to 5 million illegal votes were cast in last years presidential election. (Trump prevailed in the electoral college, while Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 3 million votes.) Read More Facebook

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President Trump said our guys are rougher than the violent gang MS-13. What did he mean? By Brian Bennett (SAUL LOEB / AFP ) When President Trump said this week his administration is going after bloodthirsty criminal gangs like the notoriously violent MS-13, he added a menacing flourish: Our guys are rougher than their guys. The comment raised concerns that Trump was instructing immigration agents to use excessive force when going after suspected gang members. Not so, Trumps top spokeswoman said on Thursday. I think the president means that our guys are going to do whatever it takes to protect Americans, protect American lives, protect our borders, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in response to a question about what Trump meant by rougher. Trump wants people to do their jobs, not go beyond the scope of what they should do, Sanders said. Trumps comment came during a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday night. We are throwing MS-13 the hell out of here so fast, he said, boasting that his administration is liberating towns and cities from gangs. And, well, I will just tell you this, were not doing it in a politically correct fashion, Trump added. Were doing it rough. Our guys are rougher than their guys. Trumps comment was meant to boost morale among immigration officers looking to arrest and deport gang members, said one senior administration official, who would speak only without being identified to discuss the presidents thinking. As part of Trumps crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally, he has instructed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to target a suspected gang member for deportation before that person has been convicted of a crime, said ICE director Thomas Homan. Homan joined Sanders at her daily briefing at the White House. The two spoke to preview the presidents Friday trip to Long Island, N.Y., where he will tout his administrations efforts against MS-13 and other gangs. For Trump, who grew up in Queens, recent headlines about MS-13 violence in central Long Island have hit close to home. In April, four young men were found hacked to death in a park in Central Islip, N.Y., a senior administration official told reporters Thursday night. He is a New Yorker and he knows New York, the administration official said. It is absolutely a personal issue. And he knows whats happening in New York -- and its not just Long Island -- is a tragedy and there are communities like that all across America. Facebook

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Boy Scouts chief apologizes for presidents political rhetoric at national Jamboree. Trump wont By Brian Bennett President Trump wont apologize for a surprisingly political speech this week to Boy Scouts that provoked a backlash for his attacks on his predecessor, his election rival, dissident Republicans and the news media. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered that word on Thursday, just after a top executive of the Boy Scouts of America issued an apology on behalf of the organization for allowing the political rhetoric to occur during Trumps address Monday evening at the National Scout Jamboree held in West Virginia. Michael Surbaugh, the organizations chief executive, in a statement extended his sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. He noted that the groups invitation to the president to speak was in keeping with a long-standing tradition since 1937; eight of 11 incumbent presidents have attended. But, Surbaugh wrote, we have steadfastly remained non-partisan and refused to comment on political matters. We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program. At the White House, however, Sanders indicated that neither she nor Trump saw any reason to apologize, or considered his remarks in any way out of line. I was at that event and I saw nothing but roughly 40,000 to 45,000 Boy Scouts cheering the president on throughout his remarks, Sanders said. I think they were pretty excited that he was there and happy to hear him speak to them, she added. Sanders said she had not seen the statement from the Boy Scouts chief. During his rambling 38-minute speech to the Scouts in Glen Jean, W.Va., Trump criticized Hillary Clinton and President Obama and singled out congressional Republicans who were not in lockstep with him on healthcare. He got much applause and supportive chants from his audience, and even credited the Scouts -- who are too young to vote -- for being among the millions who elected him. But almost immediately, the Boy Scouts organization was inundated with protests from former Scouts, parents and others angered by the presidents partisan words. Facebook

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Trumps words kind of hurtful, Sessions says, but he has no plans to resign By Joseph Tanfani President Trumps scathing criticisms have been kind of hurtful, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Thursday, even as he again signaled that he wants to stay on the job. He wants all of us to do our job, and thats what I intend to do, Sessions said in an interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News. Separately, Sessions told the Associated Press that it hasnt been my best week  for my relationship with the president. He made the comment in El Salvador, during a visit to highlight joint efforts to take on the MS-13 gang. The attorney general said he hadnt met with Trump but looked forward to talking to him about it. If he wants to make a change, he has every right, Sessions said. I serve at the pleasure of the president. Ive understood that from the day I took the job. But, he said, I believe with great confidence that I understand what is needed in the Department of Justice and what President Trump wants. I share his agenda. The comments were the first this week on the subject from Sessions, who has been subjected to harshly critical tweets from Trump for three days. The president has called him weak and said he wasnt aggressive enough in going after leakers. Last week, after Trump criticized Sessions in a New York Times interview, Sessions told reporters he planned to stay on as long as it was appropriate. Sessions has seemed to redouble his attempts this week to win back the presidents favor. He announced another crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities that dont cooperate with immigration enforcement and on Friday traveled to El Salvador to highlight arrests of MS-13 gang members, both favorite topics of the president. The Justice Department also plans to address leaks next week. Sessions said his department was stepping up leak investigations. Some people need to go to jail, he said. The president has every right to ask the DOJ to be more aggressive on that, and we intend to. On Wednesday evening, after Anthony Scaramucci , Trumps incoming communications director, falsely claimed in a tweet that hed been the victim of a leak, Sessions chief spokeswoman released a statement agreeing that leaks are undermining the government and promising to aggressively pursue leak cases wherever they may lead. Trump has made it clear that he is most angry with Sessions for recusing himself from supervising the ongoing investigation into his administrations ties with Russia. But Sessions defended that decision. I understand his feeling about it because this has been a big distraction for him, he said on Fox. Im confident I made the right decision, the decision thats consistent with the rule of law, and an attorney general who doesnt follow the law is not very effective at leading the Department of Justice, he said. In the interview, Sessions reached back to Trumps campaign slogan to praise the president as a strong leader. He is determined to move this country in the direction that he believes it needs to go to make it great again, he said. Sessions has received considerable support in recent days from conservative Republicans, including many of his former Senate colleagues. On Thursday, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) went to the Senate floor to discourage Trump from moving against Sessions, saying that the Senate would not allow the president to make a recess appointment that would bypass the normal confirmation process. A recess appointment would allow Trump to appoint a person who could serve without confirmation until the start of 2019. Such appointments can only be made if the Senate formally takes a break, which senators of both parties have said they will avoid in order to prevent Trump from avoiding confirmations. If youre thinking of making a recess appointment to push out the attorney general, forget about it, Sasse said. The presidency isnt a bull, and this country isnt a china shop. 1:55 p.m.: This post was updated with additional remarks by Sessions and remarks by Sen. Ben Sasse. 5:50: This post was updated with additional quotes from Sessions interview. Facebook

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For Trump White House, cable television becomes the venue for intramural sniping By Noah Bierman President Trump and his aides love to complain about leaks from within the White House. But on Thursday, the infighting was out in the open. The incoming communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, in a morning phone call broadcast on CNN, compared the West Wing to a fish that stinks from the head down, implying that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is responsible for at least some of the leaks. Later, Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to come to Priebuss defense and say whether Trump has full confidence in his chief of staff. Another Trump advisor, Kellyanne Conway, used a prison analogy for the broader backstabbing among aides, telling Fox News that her West Wing colleagues were using the press to shiv each other. While the knifings might suggest a new level of chaos in a White House known for it, the style is all Trump. As a businessman, he has a history of fostering rivalries among his employees. He always did sort of like competition, backstabbing, infighting kind of stuff, said Barbara Res, who spent nearly two decades as a top executive in Trumps real estate business. He set people up to do that. Trump led the charge this week, using his Twitter account and an interview with the Wall Street Journal to ridicule his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, one of Trumps first and most prominent campaign supporters. By Thursday, both Priebus and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were seeing their fates publicly debated, less than a week after Sean Spicer was forced out as press secretary after months of speculation and presidential slights. The Priebus intrigue was amplified by Scaramucci on Twitter and in the CNN interview. He blamed Priebus for leaking Scaramuccis personal financial disclosure forms -- which are publicly available -- and suggested that Trump encouraged Scaramuccis offensive in a phone conversation the two men had just before the aide dialed into CNN. When Sanders was asked about the Scaramucci-Priebus dustup, she said that the president likes healthy competition on his staff. The president likes that kind of competition and encourages it, Sanders said. The result is a White House that increasingly suggests the presidents former way of life. As the star of a reality TV show, he fomented internal competition and firings among apprentices; their cable television appearances, meanwhile, recall the confessionals familiar to reality show fans, in which characters confide directly to the camera their anger or enmity toward others on the show. The primary attribute for a successful tenure in the Trump White House is masochism, tweeted Rick Wilson, a longtime Republican operative and Trump critic. The repeated evidence of dysfunction and the high level of insecurity among Trumps core aides help explain the White Houses inability to focus on its agenda. Trumps critics voiced suspicions on Twitter that the public staff blow-up was a deliberate distraction from the struggle in Congress to pass a healthcare bill, as well as from the ongoing investigations into potential collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia and the backlash to Trumps surprise Twitter announcement on Wednesday that transgender people will be barred from military service. But those issues also were being heavily covered on cable news. The stories that were overshadowed were those Trump was trying to promote: a deal his administration helped strike with Foxconn to build a production facility in Wisconsin, possibly creating thousands of new jobs, and nascent efforts to craft a tax overhaul plan. Facebook

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Democrats criticize financial industry backgrounds of two Trump bank regulator nominees By Jim Puzzanghera Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Senate Democrats on Thursday criticized the financial industry backgrounds of President Trumps nominees for two key banking regulatory positions, arguing they would not protect the interests of average Americans. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and others sharply questioned Joseph Otting, the former chief executive of Pasadenas OneWest Bank, and investment fund manager Randal Quarles during a confirmation hearing by the Senate Banking Committee. Trump nominated Otting to be the comptroller of the currency, a powerful regulator of national banks. Quarles has been tapped to be the Federal Reserves vice chairman for supervision, who is in charge of the Feds oversight of the nations largest bank holding companies and other regulatory efforts. The two are expected to be friendlier to the banking industry than recent Democratic appointees. Read More Facebook

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Senator warns Trump there will be holy hell to pay if he fires Sessions By Joseph Tanfani A prominent Republican Senator issued a blunt warning to President Trump not to interfere with the Russia investigation, saying any effort to get rid of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Thursday that there will be holy hell to pay if Trump fires Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, a favorite of conservatives who represented Alabama in the Senate for 20 years. Grahams warning was the sternest yet from Senate Republicans to Trump about the potential consequences of firing either Sessions or Mueller. The chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-Iowa), issued his own warning in a tweet Wednesday night, saying his committee would not take up a nomination of a replacement attorney general this year, which is required before the Senate can vote to confirm. Everybody in D.C. Shld b warned that the agenda for the judiciary Comm is set for rest of 2017. Judges first subcabinet 2nd / AG no way  ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 27, 2017 Starting with an interview in the New York Times last week and continuing with a three-day barrage of critical tweets, Trump has raged at Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from supervising the investigation into the Russian attempts to influence the election, and into whether anybody involved in Trumps campaign participated in the scheme. Trump also has bitterly complained about Mueller, whom he has accused of leading a witch hunt, and Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod J. Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and who is now supervising the probe. Justice Department regulations say that only the attorney general, or in this case Rosenstein acting in his place, can fire the special counsel. If Sessions were gone, Trump could try to appoint a replacement willing to carry out the firing. Graham said he will introduce a bill next week that would require court review if anyone tried to fire a special counsel who was investigating the president. I think Ill get all the Democrats and I hope to get a good number of Republicans, he said, adding that the enacting such a law is not just for Trump but for any future president. We need a check and balance here. Graham said Trumps campaign to marginalize and humiliate the attorney general is not going over well in the Senate or among conservatives. He also said Trump, who has called on Sessions to investigate his former rival Hillary Clinton, has gone way beyond what is acceptable in a rule of law nation. This is not draining the swamp, he said. What hes interjecting is turning democracy upside down..taking 200-year-old concepts that were a nation of laws and not men and trying to turn it upside down. Sen. Graham: "Any effort to go after Mueller could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency." https://t.co/6Pd60LrGRU pic.twitter.com/EXBOwBC35C  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 27, 2017 Facebook

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Watch live: White House news briefing with Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Facebook

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Trump administration threatens to retaliate against Alaska for GOP senators Obamacare repeal vote, news site reports By Noam N. Levey The Trump administration threatened to block federal aid to Alaska in an effort to bully one of the Republican senators opposed to the current Senate GOP push to roll back the Affordable Care Act, according to a report by the Alaska Dispatch News. The news site reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Wednesday called Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan with a warning that Murkowskis vote had put Alaskas future with the administration in jeopardy. According to the report: Sullivan said the call from Zinke heralded a troubling message. Im not going to go into the details, but I fear that the strong economic growth, pro-energy, pro-mining, pro-jobs and personnel from Alaska who are part of those policies are going to stop, Sullivan said. I tried to push back on behalf of all Alaskans.  Were facing some difficult times and theres a lot of enthusiasm for the policies that Secretary Zinke and the president have been talking about with regard to our economy. But the message was pretty clear, Sullivan said. The threat followed disparaging comments made by the president about Murkowski, including a Twitter attack Wednesday morning Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad! Trump wrote. Murkowski dismissed the presidents attacks in an interview with MSNBC. Were here to govern. Were here to legislate, she said. Were here to represent the people who sent us here. And so every day shouldnt be about campaigning. Every day shouldnt be about winning elections. How about just doing a little bit of governing around here? Thats what Im here for. Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins were the only Republicans who voted against a procedural motion Tuesday to begin debating legislation rolling back the 2010 healthcare law, often called Obamacare. Sullivan, also a Republican, voted in favor of advancing the bill. Murkowski has urged a more open process to develop the legislation, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) has put together behind closed doors without committee hearings or input from Democrats. A spokeswoman for Zinke did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Facebook

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Iran angered by report that Trump wants additional nuclear inspections By Shashank Bengali Iran responded angrily Thursday to reports that the Trump administration would push for inspections of military facilities to ensure Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran will not succumb to further pressure, Hamid Reza Taraghi, a hard-line analyst who is close to Irans leadership, told The Times. Taraghi did not say whether Iran would refuse inspectors access to military facilities but insisted the Islamic Republic was complying with the agreement, which required Iran to shelve its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. President Trump has said he wants to tear up the deal and doesnt believe Iran is complying, although his administration certified it was in a report to Congress this month. The Associated Press reported Thursday that Trump was pushing for inspections of suspicious Iranian military sites, either to prove that Iran was violating the deal or force it to refuse, which could cause the agreement to collapse. Iranian officials have argued in the past that inspections of military sites would be off-limits. But under the agreement it signed with the United States and five other world powers, Iran agreed to the so-called Additional Protocol, which allows U.N. inspectors limited access to any site where illicit nuclear activity is suspected. Taraghi, a former lawmaker, said the Additional Protocol allowed for snap inspections and that international inspectors had installed closed-circuit cameras in all nuclear-related facilities. They have access to everything going on here on the ground, Taraghi said. What else do they want to know? It was not immediately clear what military sites the Trump administration was seeking to have inspected, or whether it had evidence that Iran was breaching the terms of the deal. U.N. inspectors monitoring Irans compliance had not requested access to military facilities as of July 25, according to a paper published Thursday by Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington. If US has good evidence of #Iran violations, then an inspection request is warranted, Fitzpatrick tweeted. A request designed to trap Iran into saying no isnt. Facebook

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Top U.S. general says Pentagon will not change policy on transgender troops until White House acts By W.J. Hennigan The nations senior military officer said Thursday that there will be no modifications to Pentagon policies for now despite President Trump social media posts declaring a ban on transgender troops in uniform. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a memo to commanders and senior enlisted leaders of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines that the military will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect. Dunford said Pentagon policy on transgender troops would not change until the White House has issued Trumps directive to Secretary of Defense James Mattis through formal channels  not on Twitter  and the secretarys office issues guidance on implementation to the service chiefs. Its unclear when that might happen. The unusual memo appeared intended to calm widespread confusion and concern at the Pentagon, which was blindsided when Trump wrote Wednesday that Pentagon would not accept or allow transgender troops to serve in any capacity. The presidents posts appeared to reverse a year-old Pentagon policy that allowed transgender soldiers to openly serve for the first time, and to seek sex reassignment surgery, hormone therapy and other treatments at military hospitals. Trumps surprise announcement not only marked a retreat for the Pentagon push to bar gender-based discrimination. It also was an about-face for Trump, who had repeatedly vowed his support for the LGBT community during the campaign last year. The posts raised questions about the fate of thousands of transgender service members, including some deployed overseas, and whether they would be kicked out of the military under Trumps directive. Dunfords memo appeared to address those fears, at least for the short term. There will be no modifications to the current policy until the Presidents direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance, he wrote. In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect, he added. As importantly, given the current fight and the challenges we face, we will all remain focused on accomplishing our assigned missions. In his tweets, Trump said he had decided to bar transgender troops because the military cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Experts said neither justification was accurate or fair since the expected medical costs were negligible and transgender troops have been openly serving for the past year without disruption. The sweeping declaration drew rebuke from war veterans and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups, who vowed to challenge Trump in federal court if self-identified transgender service members are forced out of the military. VoteVets, a liberal military veterans advocacy group, said Thursday it had collected more than 20,000 signatures from veterans, military families and other supporters to oppose the ban. Facebook

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Analysis: Trumps war against elites and expertise By Cathleen Decker (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) When President Trump campaigned this spring at the Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson, one part of his predecessors approach got a special endorsement. It was during the Revolution that Jackson first confronted and defied an arrogant elite. Does that sound familiar? Trump asked to laughs from his audience. When Trump ally and National Rifle Assn. President Wayne LaPierre teed off six weeks later on Americas greatest domestic threats, he cited not homegrown terrorists but what he termed the three most dangerous voices in America: academic elites, political elites, and media elites. The rhetoric against elites came from two men who would seem to be card-carrying members of the club: LaPierre made more than $5 million in 2015, the most recent year for which his compensation was publicly released. Trump lived before his inauguration in a gold-plated home in the sky above New Yorks Fifth Avenue, a billionaires luxurious domain. Yet for Trump and his allies, a war on elites has been central to the campaign which put him in the presidency and has maintained the loyalty of his core voters. Trump has taken particular aim at entities that could counter his power, which has helped stoke the ardor of his political backers. Read More Facebook

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Top Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway says colleagues using the press to shiv each other By Noah Bierman White House staffers continued their angry campaign against leaks -- and each other -- as top advisor Kellyanne Conway used vivid language in a Fox interview Thursday to denounce colleagues who are using the press to shiv each other in the ribs. The comments came shortly after Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, delivered his own attack on leakers -- all but blaming Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff -- in an interview on CNN. If the Trump White House at times resembles a reality show, cable television has become the confessional booth where the players vent their anger at each other. That dynamic was on vivid display Thursday morning. Kellyanne Conway: "Now, there are leaks, and then there are people using the press to shiv each other in the ribs. Thats different." (Fox)  David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) July 27, 2017 Conway largely backed Scaramucci without explicitly taking sides in his public war against Priebus, whom he publicly suggested leaked Scaramuccis financial disclosure forms to the press. The forms are public and available through a request. We just have to cut down on people thinking its cute and its popular and it somehow enhances their resume and their portfolio for later on to curry favor with folks who are more interested in covering the style and not the substance here, Conway said of those who leak to he press. Asked specifically whether she agrees with Scaramucci that Priebus leaked the financial forms, Conway passed on the opportunity to defend Priebus. Leakers are easier to figure out than many think, she said, perhaps ominously given Scaramuccis threats to fire suspects. This West Wing is a very small place. Facebook

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Warfare in the West Wing breaks into the open as Scaramucci takes aim at Priebus By Brian Bennett A knife fight for control of the West Wing broke into the open Thursday morning as President Trumps new communications director Anthony Scaramucci lashed out at White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus in a televised interview, accusing Priebus of leaking and standing in the way of Trumps agenda. The fish stinks from the head down, I can tell you two fish that dont stink, OK, and thats me and the president, Scaramucci said, calling in to CNNs morning show New Day. I dont like the activity thats going in the White House, he said. Scaramucci, who had said the day he was named to the White House job that he and Priebus were like brothers, drastically amended that in the interview, comparing the two of them to the brothers who, in the Bible, were the characters in the first murder. Some brothers are like Cain and Abel, other brothers can fight with each other and get along. I dont know if this is reparable or not  that will be up to the president, he said. Scaramucci on his relationship with Reince: "Some brothers are like Cain and Abel." Uh, Cain killed Abel. https://t.co/UQ8F9HiXLx  Dan Merica (@merica) July 27, 2017 President Trump has a track record of encouraging rivalries among people who work for him. Scaramucci said he had spoken with Trump for 15 minutes to go over what he was going to say before he called CNN, implying his warning to Priebus carried Trumps backing. Trump, Scaramucci said, has given me his full support and his full blessing. When Scaramucci was hired, Trump told him he would report directly to the president, bypassing the chief of staff, and setting up the clash that played out Thursday on national television. If you want to talk about the chief of staff, we have had odds, we have had differences. When I said we were brothers from the podium, thats because were rough on each other, Scaramucci said. The tension between Scaramucci and Priebus flared after Politico published a story Wednesday about Scaramuccis publicly available financial disclosure form showing he still stands to profit from his stake in an investment firm he founded. The disclosure form was available to the public because Scaramucci had been nominated earlier this year for a job at the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., and the forms become public 30 days after they are filed. But Scaramucci, in a tweet Wednesday night, seemed to imply Priebus had leaked the form to make him look bad, or knew who did, and called for an FBI investigation. He later deleted the tweet, apparently after being informed that the form was not leaked. Over the last five days, Scaramucci said to CNN, he has done a major amount of work interviewing assistants to the president and communications staff. He also had dinner with Trump on Wednesday night in addition to his phone conversation with the president Thursday morning. The two of them want everyone to know we have a very, very good idea of who the leakers are, who the senior leakers are, in the White House, he said. Scaramucci took aim specifically at Priebus for leaking details about internal White House discussions and maneuvers. If Reince wants to explain that hes not a leaker, let him do that, Scaramucci said. Scaramucci appears to be giving voice to Trumps frustration with people in the White House the president believes are slowing down policy efforts, even though Trump has shown a pattern of repeatedly stepping on his own efforts on healthcare, job creation and other initiatives with unplanned tweets on topics such as Russia, transgender troops and unfounded allegations of voter fraud. There are people inside this administration who think its their job to save America from this president, Scaramucci said. Its not their jobs ... to rein him in or do things to him that slow down his agenda. People in the Washington are back-stabbers, Scaramucci said. Im more of a front-stabbing person. Facebook

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Scaramucci tweets, then deletes, confusing statement that referred to information in Politico report as a leak By Colleen Shalby In a now deleted tweet, incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci sent out a confusing statement Wednesday night, addressing information reported earlier by Politico as a leak. The article reported on Scaramuccis financial disclosures. According to Politico, those details had been filed with the Office of Government Ethics, so its unclear what  if anything  was leaked information. Scaramuccis tweet further confused as it ended with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus Twitter handle. Just before those characters, he noted that he intended to contact the FBI and the Justice Department. Some speculated that Scaramucci was implying that Priebus was behind the leak. But in a new tweet roughly two hours after the original, he tweeted what appeared to be a clarification, correcting a headline of news site Axios. Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks, he tweeted, ending it  once again  with Priebus handle. Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks. @Reince45 pic.twitter.com/AB0reseuX1  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) July 27, 2017 Five days ago, Scaramucci, responding to a question about reported tensions between him and the chief of staff, said he and Priebus are a little bit like brothers, where we rough each other up a little, which is totally normal for brothers. 10:15 p.m. PT: This post was originally published at 8:52 p.m. It was updated with information from Scaramuccis new tweet. Facebook

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Senate Judiciary chair fires off warning to Trump about Sessions By David Lauter Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, fired off an unmistakable warning to President Trump on Wednesday evening: Dont even think about trying to get a new attorney general confirmed this year. Trump has been publicly tormenting Jeff Sessions, appearing to want to push the attorney general into stepping down from his job. But in a tweet, Grassley made it clear that if Trump pushed Sessions out, he would have to live with an acting attorney general for a long time. Everybody in D.C. Shld b warned that the agenda for the judiciary Comm is set for rest of 2017. Judges first subcabinet 2nd / AG no way  ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 27, 2017 Any nominee for attorney general would have to pass through the Judiciary Committee before getting a confirmation vote, so Grassleys no way would be a formidable barrier. Grassley has been an administration loyalist on nearly all issues so far, but as a veteran senator, he has a strong independent streak and, as previous administrations have found, he can be implacable if angered. His message comes as conservative allies rally support for Sessions. Several other Republican senators have spoken out in favor of the attorney general, a former colleague who was well liked during his years as senator from Alabama. Senate Democrats already have said they would use procedural motions to prevent the Senate from formally going on a recess this summer, blocking Trump from making a recess appointment that would bypass the Senate. Republicans used similar maneuvers to block recess appointments by President Obama. If Sessions were to step down and not be replaced, Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein would become acting attorney general. Trump has been critical of Rosenstein as well as Sessions, so that option presumably would not appeal to him. Facebook

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Under fire from Trump, Sessions should stay focused on his job, White House says By Joseph Tanfani (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) In spite of a daily barrage of Twitter attacks from President Trump, the White House press secretary said Wednesday that Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions should stay focused on performing his duties as the nations top law enforcement officer. You can be disappointed in someone and still want someone to continue to do their job, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday, hours after Trump criticized Sessions for the third straight day  this time for not replacing acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Sessions was one of Trumps earliest and most loyal supporters, but the relationship has turned icy as Trump continues to seethe about Sessions decision to step aside from supervising the investigation into alleged Russian interference with last years election. Sessions was at the White House for meetings Wednesday, the second time this week hes visited the West Wing, but once again did not see Trump, Sanders said. Sanders did not clear up the main question surrounding Trumps strategy of publicly battering the attorney general: If the president is so unhappy, why doesnt he simply fire Sessions? Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that Trumps apparent attempt to humiliate Sessions into quitting was a sign of weakness. To me, weakness is when you play around the edges, and you dont use the power you have, Graham said in an interview on CNN. Sanders said that Trump wants Sessions to continue to lead the Department of Justice. He wants him to focus on things like immigration, leaks and a number of other issues, she said. One of Trumps public complaints has been that Sessions hasnt been aggressive enough in pursuing leakers of classified information. In fact, the Justice Department is expected to announce next week some leak prosecutions. On Tuesday, Sessions also announced new measures to cut off some federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities that dont cooperate with immigration enforcement, another favorite issue for the president. But Sanders added that, at this point, a leak investigation would not salvage Sessions standing with Trump. I dont think thats the nature of the relationship, she said. In two tweets Wednesday morning, Trump criticized Sessions for not replacing McCabe, whose wife ran for office as a Democrat in Virginia in 2015. He suggested that McCabe had a conflict of interest in his duties as deputy director of the FBI during the investigation of Hillary Clintons handling of classified emails as secretary of State, although McCabe did not move into that job until months after his wifes campaign was over. McCabe took over the bureau as acting director when Trump fired James B. Comey in May. Sanders also declined to answer a question on why Trump did not fire McCabe himself, saying only that Trump looked forward to seeing his nominee as FBI director, Christopher Wray, be confirmed by the Senate soon. Facebook

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Trump, on Twitter, announced a ban on transgender service members. Now the military has to figure out what he means By Brian Bennett (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump surprised even the Pentagon on Wednesday morning by his unexpected announcement, via Twitter, of a ban on transgender service members. The military has not had a chance to decide how to put such a ban into effect, acknowledged Trumps top spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as she fielded numerous questions on the topic later from White House reporters. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who was on vacation, wasnt informed until Tuesday that Trump had decided to bar transgender service members from serving in any way. Sometimes you have to make a decision and once he made a decision, he didnt feel it was necessary to hold that decision, Sanders said. The president concluded, based on consultations with his national security team, that allowing transgender individuals to serve erodes military readiness and unit cohesion, she said. White House and Pentagon officials had been discussing details of medical coverage for transgender service members on active duty. But Trump went far beyond that with his series of tweets that the military will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the military. It will be up to the Defense Department to determine the specifics of the policy, including whether active-duty transgender service members will be kicked out of the military, Sanders said. Estimates of the number of current service members who are transgender range from 1,300 to about 16,000. The implementation policy is going to be something that the White House and Department of Defense will have to work together to lawfully determine, Sanders said. I would imagine the Department of Defense will be the lead on that, she added. Trumps tweets overshadowed other announcements he had planned to make Wednesday about adding manufacturing jobs to the economy and donating $100,000 of his second-quarter paycheck to the Department of Education to support science and math education. The president has expressed concerns since this Obama policy came into effect, Sanders said. She added that the president considered allowing transgender people in the ranks is a very expensive and disruptive policy. At one point, an exasp
Its a haunting tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness that has mesmerized audiences since its first performance nearly two centuries ago.

Giselle, a two-act romantic ballet first performed in 1841 in Paris, will make an exclusive West Coast engagement with the Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company from July 28 to 30 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

The opening-night cast will feature dancers Misty Copeland and Roberto Bolle as the leads. Bolle will perform with the Royal Ballets Marianela Nunez for the July 29 evening performance and the July 30 matinee.

La Scala principals Nicoletta Manni and Claudio Coviello  recently starring in Giselle for La Scalas tour in China  will dance the lead roles for the July 29 matinee.

The score, by Adolphe Adam, will be performed by the Mikhailovsky Orchestra.

The story follows Giselle, a loving and naive peasant who is betrayed by Albrecht, her aristocrat lover who is betrothed to another.

Giselle dies of grief and is enlisted by the vengeful Wilis, a ghostly army of unmarried maidens who haunt the forests, dancing to death any male mortal who crosses their path. After Albrecht wanders into their grasp, Giselle carries out the ultimate act of love to free him.

Bolle, who is principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and has been resident guest artist at La Scala Theatre since 1998, has danced before as characters expressing emotions such as love, passion and desperation. His repertoire includes Armand Duval in Lady of the Camellias, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Onegin in Onegin.

The Italian star has performed the role of Albrecht several times.

Its one of the characters that I like the most in 19th century ballet, Bolle said by phone from Italy.

Bolle, 42, discovered his penchant for dance early in his childhood.

His parents were advocates of his dancing and supported him when he left home at age 12 to study at La Scala ballet school.

At 15, he was chosen by Rudolf Nureyev to perform Tadzio in Death in Venice.

After his parents recent deaths, Bolle explored Albrecht in a different light, identifying with the feelings of loss and grief.

I relied on how I changed and how as a person and artist I had to bring this emotion from real life into this performance  to make it something more real and deep, Bolle said. Its been very different for me. You discover a lot about yourself playing these range of emotions. I learned a lot about life and had this opportunity to feel emotions in a deeper way.

Teatro alla Scala Ballets upcoming visit to the United States is its first since 2001, when it performed at the Segerstrom Center and the New York State Theater.

Bolle, who first performed for members of the British royal family at age 22, when he danced in Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall for Princess Diana, has since performed at Buckingham Palace as part of the celebration of Queen Elizabeth IIs Golden Jubilee.

IF YOU GO

What: Giselle, performed by the Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company

When: 7:30 p.m. July 28, 2 and 7:30 p.m. July 29 and 1 p.m. July 30

Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: Tickets start at $29.

Information: (714) 556-2787 or scfta.org

kathleen.luppi@latimes.com

Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
While To Kill a Mockingbird has become a modern classic, thanks to the 1962 movie based on Harper Lees 1960 novel, the stage version didnt surface until 1990 when Christopher Sergel adapted it for the theater.

This incarnation currently is being revived in an ambitious and occasionally riveting production by the Huntington Beach Playhouse, now quartered in Westminsters Westmont School. Several individual performances glisten in the huge ensemble cast under Jack Messengers direction.

Racial tolerance was virtually unknown in rural Alabama back in 1935 where Lees story, based on events from her childhood, is set. A black man is accused of sexually assaulting a young white woman, and her bigoted father presses charges that lead to a compelling courtroom drama.

The spotlight falls to Atticus Finch, a widower with two young children and the towns only lawyer, who takes the defendants case. Gregory Peck won an Oscar for playing this character in the movie and Tom Killam similarly excels in this quietly demanding role, eloquently appealing for justice while fully aware that the cards are stacked against him.

His children  who without explanation call him by his first name  are well played by Bella Aparicio and Jakob McFadden, the latter showing particular fervor. Theyre joined by a young boy named Dill, enacted by a young girl, Chloe Buettner, who adds a goofily comic touch to the trio.

The standout supporting performance comes from Anastasia Lincoln as the victim of the assault and the textbook definition of white trash. Lincoln is brilliant in her lone scene, testifying uneasily in court and bristling against the supposed badgering of Atticus.

Her cruelly racist father, possessed of a murderous temper, is a role which invites redneck stereotypes. David Cowan touches them all, yet manages to breathe life into his pathetic character. Robert Purcell maintains order as the towns sheriff and Jim Perham is an even-handed judge.

Another poignant moment arrives with the testimony of the defendant, obviously innocent but doomed by public opinion. Louis Ski Carr delivers a plaintive, heart-wrenching performance when called to the witness stand in his own defense.

Shira Dillon Smith plays the Fitch households maid, Calpurnia, with charm and authority. Mary-Pat Gonzalez firmly enacts a crotchety old neighbor woman, joined in atmospheric assignments by gossipy ladies Emily Gardner and Mary-Ann San Felippo.

The story is narrated by the grown-up Scout, now known by her birth name of Jean Louise. Carly Taylor assumes this gentle conduit to the audience with a commendable aura of style and grace.

For this production  far more demanding than the first two in the playhouses new venue  set designer Michael Corcoran has created a large forestage to house the courtroom scenes. The necessary props are moved on and off by the actors.

To Kill a Mockingbird continues to stir the conscience in its depiction of Americas often-shameful past. It offers a powerful depiction of that period in this splendid production by the Huntington Beach Playhouse.

If You Go

What: To Kill a Mockingbird

When: Till July 30; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays

Where: Huntington Beach Playhouse, Westmont School, 8251 Heil Ave., Westminster

Cost: $12

Information: (714) 847-4357

TOM TITUS reviews local theater.
Coast Community College District trustees approved a resolution Wednesday that begins the process of establishing elections in which trustees would be elected by area rather than by voters districtwide. Critics say the current at-large system is unfavorable to minorities, and the district has been threatened with lawsuits recently.

Wednesdays move came on a 4-0 vote with trustee Jerry Patterson absent.

Coasts board has five trustees who live in and represent specific areas, or districts, but they are elected at-large.

Critics contend that setup violates state voting law by enabling white voters districtwide to overwhelm the preferences of minorities. They have argued that trustees should be elected only by voters in their areas or districts.

Coast officials approved a plan to conduct five public hearings to discuss the transition. The first two are scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 2 and Aug. 16 during regular board meetings at the districts office at 1370 Adams Ave. in Costa Mesa. The remaining three are to be scheduled.

The district, which runs Orange Coast College, Golden West College and Coastline Community College, intends to complete the transition by Oct. 18, according to the resolution. The move will require approval from the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.

If Coast makes the change, it would be the third public agency in Costa Mesa to do so in time for the November 2018 election. The city and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District are scheduled to hold their first district-based elections then.

All three have faced legal challenges tied to Malibu-based attorney Kevin Shenkman.

Shenkman sent a letter challenging Coast in March. William Hoang, a Newport Beach lawyer, sent the district a similar letter in May.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint
A decision on whether to revitalize Mariners Mile was put on hold after a letter from a lawyer representing Newport Beach residents opposing the change was sent to city leaders.

The letter preceded the citys decision to postpone a commission vote that could have sent the plan to the City Council for adoption.

City management said the community needs more time to discuss the wide-ranging plan, potentially putting it off for about two to three years.

The Newport Beach Planning Commission was set to possibly recommend a framework Thursday to the City Council for refreshing the stretch of Coast Highway between Newport Boulevard and Dover Drive. Some ideas included rerouting traffic flow and making the area a more pedestrian-friendly village.

In a 10-page letter sent Monday to the Planning Commission, City Council and several key staffers, attorney Aaron Ehrlich cited numerous reasons why the Mariners Mile revitalization draft plan should have included a detailed environmental impact review  contrary to statements in city reports that the plan doesnt require one.

Ehrlich, who represents the citizens group Coalition to Protect Mariners Mile, made the following arguments:

The plan is a project that will cause a physical change, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect change, in the environment in the short term, including a workers parking shuttle, standardization of valet parking agreements, a worker parking permit program, and opening private parking lots for public use, all elements authorized in the draft plan.

Feasibility or exploratory studies would not legally need an environmental impact review, but the Mariners Mile plan is more than that. The draft plan outlines specific aesthetic and physical building changes and this is not merely prospective.

The city had previously presented the widening of the 1.3-mile stretch of Coast Highway to six lanes as part of the revitalization project, but split if off in order to avoid a full environmental review and to make the Draft Plan appear more innocuous than the true full project. Ehrlich argued that after public opposition to the road widening, the city started saying there is no relationship between the road project and the revitalization plan.

Mariners Mile changes should be part of the upcoming general plan revision, which is set to start at the end of this year, especially since the general plan update could revise Mariners Mile boundaries.

Even if the plan does not legally require a full environmental impact review, it does require some kind of environmental consideration, which it lacks.

City Manager Dave Kiff said Community Development Director Kim Brandt and Deputy Director Brenda Wisneski made the call after discussing it with him.

It was a policy decision to delay it, not a legal one, he said in an email. We all felt like the community needed a lot more engagement time on several issues relating to Mariners Mile, and believe that the General Plan process will assist in that.

The city announced Tuesday that the plans vote was bumped off this weeks planning commission agenda because of significant concerns expressed by the community, and that the item may return after the city completes its revision of the general plan, the overall policy document that guides planning and zoning decisions.

Mariners Mile changes could be rolled into the lengthy overall general plan update, Kiff said. And that update will include an environmental impact report. He said any vote on changes to Mariners Mile would likely be two to three years away.

Brandt said the road widening component will become a part of the general plan discussion and the results of that will inform what planners do next.

We understand what the communitys saying and the general plan update is a very important project that were going to be undertaking soon, she said.

Many area residents have expressed concerns about the revitalization plan, particularly the proposal to widen the busy road.

At a study session in April, commissioners were hesitant to move on the plan. They were split on whether the revitalization and road widening were separate issues or if they go hand in hand. But they did say they wanted to gather more feedback.

Peggy Palmer, who lives in the nearby Newport Heights neighborhood and is active with the Coalition to Protect Mariners Mile, said widening Coast Highway to six lanes  three in each direction  is incompatible with the area and would defeat the purpose of any other redevelopment.

Palmer said she is excited that government listened to the locals, and she looks forward to working with the city on a smart Mariners Mile refresh. She pointed to the recent facelift of Lido Village as an example of good improvements.

Were not the old lady brigade that doesnt want development, she said.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD
This fall, Latin American and Latino art will sweep Southern California, as part of the Getty Foundation-funded exhibition series Pacific Standard Time: Los Angeles/Latin America.

Showcasing more than 1,100 artists from 45 countries in Latin America, North America and Europe at more than 70 museums and cultural centers from Santa Barbara to San Diego, PST: LA/LA will engage visitors in themes such as immigration, activism, gender, identity and globalism through a variety of media, including photography, paintings, performance art, sculpture and murals.

Heres a look at the exhibitions happening in Orange County:

Chapman University: Emigdio Vasquez and El Proletariado de Aztlan

Chapman University will host Emigdio Vasquez and El Proletariado de Aztlan, which will feature the work of the late Orange County muralist Emigdio Vasquez.

The exhibition, which opens Sept. 13, centers around the mural El Proletariado de Aztlan, which Vasquez painted in 1979 as a graduate student at Cal State Fullerton on a building on North Cypress Street in Orange that is now owned by Chapman University.

The mural  which features various images of working-class people  had deteriorated in the nearly 40 years since he painted it, so Chapman worked with Vasquezs son, Higgy Vasquez, to restore it, said Natalie Lawler, curator of art collections at the university.

Vasquezs other works feature community members and prominent Mexican and American figures such as American labor leader Cesar Chavez.

Hes very much about the history of Chicanos and how Chicanos have contributed to the United States, Lawler said. He was really interested in history and community.

In conjunction with the mural, Chapman will also host an exhibition of Vasquezs oil paintings, an exhibition about the history of Chicanos in Orange County, and a free mobile app that maps Vasquezs more than 30 murals across the county  all of which were created with student input.

Were trying to help people get to know him because we feel like he should be a much bigger name here than he is, Lawler said.

Chapman University is at One University Drive, Orange. For more information, call (714) 997-6815 or visit chapman.edu/arts/pacific-standard-time.aspx.

Laguna Art Museum: California Mexicana: Missions to Murals, 1820-1930

Laguna Art Museum will host California Mexicana: Missions to Murals, 1820-1930, an exhibition that uses paintings, posters and prints to trace the history of California as it transitioned from being part of Mexico to being the 31st state in the U.S.

Visitors will get a real sense of what happened to California during that time of intense, radical transformation that took place in the 1840s and 1850s, said Malcolm Warner, executive director of Laguna Art Museum. Were bringing together all the works of art  images, prints and paintings  to tell that story.

One painting that will be of particular interest to visitors, Warner said, is Charles Christian Nahls Grizzly Bear of California, a watercolor from 1854 that later became the image of the bear on the California state flag.

The show, which opens Oct. 15, also includes depictions of battles from the Mexican-American War of 1848, Catholic missions, vaqueros  or Spanish cowboys  and also the works of muralists, including Laguna Beach painter Edgar Payne.

California is full of reminders of the fact that this place had such an intimate connection to Mexico, said Warner. That face should be very interesting, not just for people of Latino heritage, but for all of us who live in California.

Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 494-8971 or visit lagunartmuseum.org.

UC Irvine: Aztlan to Magulandia: The Journey of Chicano Artist Gilbert Magu Lujan

UC Irvines University Art Galleries will put on Aztlan to Magulandia: The Journey of Chicano Artist Gilbert Magu Lujan, an exhibition dedicated to the late icon of the Chicano art movement.

Gilbert Magu Lujan, who earned a master of fine arts from UC Irvine in 1973, was the founder of Los Four, a Chicano artists collective that was the first to exhibit in a mainstream museum.

Lujan was known for using bright colors and images of lowriders, anthropomorphic dogs, pyramids, cactuses and people. His most famous work is a collection of public art featured in the Hollywood and Vine Metro station in Los Angeles.

He makes this incredibly expressive, democratic and accessible art, said Rhea Anastas, associate professor of art at UC Irvine and co-curator of the exhibition. You dont have to study art or know anything about art to respond to and view this art.

The exhibition at UC Irvine, which opens Oct. 7, features 150 pieces, including drawings, paintings and sculpture.

Theres a lot of humor and pleasure, in addition to all of the political effect that his work had, Anastas said of Lujan, who died in 2011. Its a total joy to look at.

UC Irvines University Art Galleries is located at 712 Arts Plaza, Irvine. For more information, call (949) 824-9854 or visit uag.arts.uci.edu.

Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center: Deconstructing Liberty: A Destiny Manifested

Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim will host Deconstructing Liberty: A Destiny Manifested, an exhibition opening Aug. 5 and showcasing 14 contemporary artists from eight countries through performance, installation, video and photography.

The main idea is to try to create a dialogue between the community and the artists that are coming from all these countries about collective identity and the common issues that we have, like freedom and the environment, said curator Marisa Caichiolo. Its an experimental and dynamic laboratory.

One of the projects, by Eugenia Vargas Pereira of Chile, is the creation of a radio station inside the museum. Its about freedom of speech, Caichiolo said. The whole performance will be the artist having these radio talks, these free talks with the public  and they will be able to talk about anything that they want.

Another project, by Andrea Juan of Argentina, is a simulated consulate that will create passports for visitors as a way to engage issues of immigration, borders and freedom.

Its an exhibition that traces the diversity we have here in America, said Caichiolo. Somehow people come here from many different lands, races and different perspectives and cultures, and you put all these aspirations and dreams together to create a nation.

Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center is located at 241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim. For more information, call (714) 956-8936 or visit muzeo.org.

CAITLIN YOSHIKO KANDIL is a contributor to Times Community News.
A U.S. Navy sailor who moved to Glendale at a young age is helping elementary school students in Japan hone their English as part of a community-service project.

Personnel Specialist 1st Class Boonyarit Panavaravatn is serving at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, where he is in charge of about 25 sailors as the leading petty officer and deputy disbursing officer of his personnel support command.

Panavaravatn is part of an ongoing program between Terao Elementary School and the nearby Navy base, where sailors volunteer to help Japanese students practice their English. He said he jumped at the opportunity to help young students because it reminded him of his own time as a non-native English speaker in Glendale.

At 14, Panavaravatn moved to Glendale from Bangkok, Thailand. He said he did not know much English, but the many friends he made at Glendale High School helped improve his fluency through frequent conversations.

[The program] reminded me of when I first moved to America  learning English and having [a] conversation in [a] language that I barely knew, Panavaravatn said in an email.

Panavaravatn said he noticed how shy the Japanese students all seemed, which was probably because the program was the first time they were able to speak English with someone outside of a classroom.

I could relate to why [the students] were so shy. I tried as much as possible to make them feel comfortable when they were speaking English, he said.

Once the students were more secure with their interactions, Panavaravatn said he was impressed by how fearless they became.

The students definitely had courage to converse, even though they knew so little, Panavaravatn said. They feared of not being able to understand, but they tried rather than not trying.

Currently in his ninth year as a sailor, Panavaravatn joined his duty station in Japan in late 2015 and said he loves the Japanese people, the countrys cleanliness and its public transportation system.

He said he wants to serve as long as he can and a full-time return to Glendale is unlikely. However, he does plan to retire in Southern California.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
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Drink in the mist from Northern Californias Burney Falls, 129 feet tall and handsome as they come

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travel@latimes.com

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A powerful overnight earthquake shook holiday resorts in Greece and Turkey, injuring nearly 500 people and leaving two tourists dead on the Greek island of Kos, where revelers at a bar were crushed in a building collapse.

Some of the injuries were caused as tourists and local residents scrambled out of buildings and even leapt from balconies after the magnitude 6.5 quake struck Friday at about 1:30 a.m. local time.

Several hundred thousand vacationers and locals in the two countries were kept awake by dozens of aftershocks that followed the main quake, with many sleeping outdoors on sunbeds or slumped on cafe tables.

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Seismologists said the shallow depth of the quake was to blame for the damage and a 2-foot sea swell that scattered cars, boats and trash bins across shorelines in the eastern Aegean Sea.

Authorities on Kos said the two dead tourists were from Sweden and Turkey. Hundreds of revelers were in or near the popular White Corner Club  housed in a renovated building dating to the 1930s  in the old town of Kos when the building partially collapsed.

Thirteen others injured were airlifted to Greek hospitals, including a foreign national who had to have a leg amputated and another with life-threatening head injuries, officials said.

In neighboring Turkey, authorities said about 350 people were hurt, most with light injuries sustained as they fled buildings.

Christopher Hackland, a Scottish diving instructor, described the chaotic scene at his hotel in Kos when the quake struck.

There was banging. There was shaking. The light was swinging, banging on the ceiling, crockery falling out of the cupboards, and pans were making noise, he told the Associated Press.

There was a lot of screaming and crying and hysterics coming from the hotel. It felt like being at a theme park with one of the illusions, an optical illusion where you feel like youre upside down.

Turkey sent a vessel to Kos to bring some 200 Turkish tourists home, and named the dead tourist as Sinan Kurdoglu. The foreign ministry said a second national in serious condition was being evacuated to Athens for treatment.

The quake on Kos damaged churches, an old mosque, and the ports 14th century castle, along with old buildings in the town  but the damage was relatively limited.

Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said strict building codes have been in force for decades following a deadly earthquake in 1933 that flattened the islands main town.

There are not many old buildings left on Kos. Nearly all the structures on the island have been built under the new codes to withstand earthquakes, the mayor said.

Before dawn rescue teams with sniffer dogs searched the rubble in the town while dozens of villages were also checked  but found no more injured people.

The quake caused cracks on walls of some buildings in the Turkish resort of Bodrum, flooded the lower floors of sea-front hotels and restaurants and sent moored boats crashing toward the shore.

The Istanbul-based Kandilli earthquake research center said the small tsunami pushed sea water up 100 meters (yards) inland.

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The Palestinian Health Ministry said Friday that at least three Palestinians were killed in confrontations with Israeli forces over security measures at a major Jerusalem shrine.

The clashes are still underway, and Israeli police said they were investigating..

Conflicts erupted in Jerusalem and the West Bank after Israel set up metal detectors at entrances to a sensitive shrine, holy to Jews and Muslims, after a deadly attack there killed two police officers.

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Palestinians view the measure as Israel expanding control over the site. Israel strongly denies the allegation, insisting that the move was taken to prevent further attacks.

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UPDATES:

8 a.m.: This article was updated with reports of a third Palestinian killed in clashes in Jerusalem..

This article was originally published at 7:35 a.m.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday froze ties with Israel hours after clashes with Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem and the West Bank left three Palestinians dead and hundreds injured, in one of the worst days of unrest in years.

Three Israelis were stabbed to death by a Palestinian in the settlement of Halamish, northwest of Ramallah, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The attacker was later shot by an off-duty soldier who was in the area and taken to the hospital in critical condition, the IDF said.

A fourth Israeli was injured in the stabbing, which occurred around 9:30, according to the army.

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The violence broke out after thousands of Muslim worshippers held prayers and demonstrations around Jerusalems Old City in a standoff with Israeli police to protest new Israeli metal detectors at the entrance to a plaza holy to Jews and Muslims outside the Al Aqsa Mosque. The security move has escalated tensions in the Palestinian territories and spurred a crisis between Israel and its neighbors because it is viewed as an effort by Israel to tighten control over the religious site.

After an emergency meeting Friday evening with top aides in Ramallah, Abbas conditioned a resumption of contacts with Israel on the removal of the metal detectors.

They are a political move hiding under the cover of an imaginary security pretext that aims to control Al Aqsa Mosque and evade the peace process as well as turn the conflict from a political one to a religious conflict, Abbas said, according to a statement on the Palestinian official news agency.

In a rare sight during noon prayers, worshippers filled Salah el Din street, an East Jerusalem commercial thoroughfare just outside Herods Gate, as demonstrators chanted, Oh armies, destroy their thrones and Rattle the knife.

Despite fiery sermons and chants opposite hundreds of Israeli riot police around the Old City, the noontime prayers ended with only isolated incidents of violence. But in the hour or so after the crowds dispersed in the vicinity of the Old City, the clashes began to spread throughout East Jerusalem and to the West Bank.

Rioters hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and firecrackers, and security forces responded with tear gas and stun grenades. An Israeli police spokesman said five officers were slightly injured, and about a dozen rioters were arrested. Palestinian medics said they treated people who had been injured with rubber and live bullets.

The dead included Mohammed Sharaf, 18, and Hassan Abu Ghannam, 20, who were killed amid clashes in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ras el Amud and A Tur, respectively. Mohammed Lafi was killed in the West Bank town of Abu Dis, just outside the Jerusalem border. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, nearly 400 demonstrators were injured during the Friday clashes.

Mourners carried bodies of the dead through the streets and chanted, We will continue the fight. Meanwhile, scuffles broke out at Al Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem when Israeli police arrived to search for suspects in the rioting.

In the West Bank, clashes and casualties were reported in the Qalandiya refugee camp, in Bethlehem and Hebron. In Gaza, Palestinians held demonstrations near Israeli military positions along the border.

The casualty count and the widening chaos seemed to confirm warnings through the week about the risk of a dangerous escalation from the standoff over the metal detectors and the esplanade. The site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is a tinderbox of religious tensions, and has touched off waves of Palestinian-Israeli violence in the past.

In neighboring Jordan, thousands streamed into Ammans downtown district to pray at the Husseini mosque and to take part in a protest that brought both Jordans Islamist and leftist parties together. Egypts foreign ministry called on Israel to immediately stop the violence and intensified security against the Palestinians.

The Muslim Waqf authority responsible for the Al Aqsa Mosque has encouraged believers to demonstrate opposite the metal detectors, but not to go through them. Amid pressure to defuse the tension, Israel in recent days had been holding quiet talks with Jordan, which is the official custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

Israeli media reported that security leaders were divided over what to do about the metal detectors, with the Israeli army and the Shin Bet supporting removing the equipment and the police recommending that it remain in place.

But after an emergency session hours before the prayers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Cabinet decided to keep the metal detectors.

The metal detectors are a critical tool for ensuring the security of all visitors to the mount, said Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan before the Cabinet meeting, according to the Israeli news outlet Maariv-NRG.

The police also imposed an age restriction for the first time in years, banning male worshippers under the age of 50 from participating  further inflaming accusations.

Abbas, who had cut short a visit to China ahead of Friday prayers, huddled with advisors and officials. At the end of the meeting, Abbas announced that he had decided to suspend contacts on all levels  implying that he had decided to suspend coordination between Palestinian security forces and the Israeli army in the West Bank as well. The cooperation is credited with keeping stability in the West Bank in recent years, but that could be upended by a freeze in security ties at a time of a wave in rioting.

Israeli officials said the attack in Halamish was carried out by a man named Omar Al Abed. The Israeli army published a picture of the blood-soaked kitchen floor in the home where the attack took place. Israeli news outlets reported that Al Abed carried out the attack during a dinner at the start of the Jewish sabbath.

Israels ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, called on the Security Council to condemn the attack.

The international community must demand that Mahmoud Abbas and the PA put an end to these heinous attacks and stop their ongoing encouragement of violence, Danon said.

The escalating crisis was touched off a week ago, after three Palestinian citizens of Israel ambushed two Israeli policemen with machine guns outside the Temple Mount and then were killed by police on the plaza. Israel closed the esplanade for two days and canceled Friday prayers for the first time in decades. When the holy site was reopened, police installed metal detectors outside two entrances to the plaza.

The violence Friday didnt result in the worst-case scenarios that Israeli security officials feared. Israels army on Friday afternoon released two of five battalions put on alert a day before.

But the deaths, the high number of casualties and the breadth of the unrest increased the likelihood that violence will continue.

Jerusalem has not witnessed such sights in more than a decade, said Ofer Zalzberg, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, and much more may come.

Staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske, and Special Correspondent Nabih Bulos contributed reporting

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UPDATES:

5:45 p.m: This article was updated with new information on the victims of the stabbings and the attacker.

3:05 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who announced a freeze in contacts with Israel.

12:15 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting.

This article was originally published at 8:00 a.m.
#football Injured star Son Heung-min named to S. Korean World Cup squad The injured South Korean football star Son Heung-min was named to the country's World Cup squad Saturday, as the football-crazed nation waits with bated breath to see if the belove...
Jul 21, 2017, 1:36pm ET

Five German automakers swept up in EU cartel investigation

The probe is investigating whether VW, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes worked together to cheat on diesel emissions.

Officials from the European Union have opened a cartel investigation into Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz over allegations that the German automakers colluded on a scheme to cheat their way past stringent diesel emission laws.

According to Autocar, the EU opened the probe after a former VW employee presented evidence that the five automakers had been working together to develop cheating devices to make diesel engines emissions compliant. The report claims the car companies worked together to create standards and also to share tips on how to manipulate software to skirt diesel testing procedures.

According to the whistle-blower, the talks between the companies have been ongoing since the 1990s. The source also claims there was a closed door meting held with about 200 employees from the German companies on the sidelines of the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

If the allegations are true, it would be one of the biggest scandals the auto industry has ever seen. So far VW, Audi and Porsche have admitted to using diesel cheat devices, but BMW and Mercedes-Benz have not. However, Mercedes recently issued a voluntary recall to address a software issue with 3 million diesel-powered vehicles.

Expect to hear more on this topic in the coming days and weeks.
Jul 2, 2017, 2:01pm ET

Paralyzed Afghanistan veteran gets help from a Toyota robot

It is Toyota\'s first in-home trial of a Human Support Robot in North America.

We have been covering the exploits of Toyota's robotics research for a while now, but now they're paying off in the real world. The company recently conducted the first North American in-home trial of its HSR, or Human Support Robot.

The HSR was installed in the home of Afghanistan veteran Romulo Carmrago, who is paralyzed from the neck down due to injuries sustained during deployment as an Army ranger. The robot helps Carmargo open doors, and fetch water and food. It's controlled from a either a tablet-like touchscreen, which Carmargo interfaces with via a mouth-held stylus, or by voice command.

"When they opened the box, and I saw the robot, I figured we would unfold the next chapter in human support robots helping people with disabilities - like this research is going to change the world, said Carmargo when Toyota brought the HSR to his house.

The HSR stands at child height, with cameras and an iPad-like control interface mounted at head level and a single articulating arm extending from is body. It uses QR code-like labels to identify objects, and can navigate around the furniture and objects in a typical household room.

Carmargo's wife Gaby said that the robot helped her take care of him, and allowed him to gain some of his independence as well. Most excited of all, however, as Carmargo's son Andreas, who was excited to share his house with a robot. Watch a video of the robot here.
Volvo announces first-ever XC40

Jul 21, 2017, 4:39am ET

Volvo boasts the XC40 will be its most colorful model.

Volvo has confirmed what we already knew: it's working on a small, entry-level SUV named XC40. The model will take the Swedish brand into the small SUV segment for the first time.

The company's teaser images reveal absolutely nothing about Sweden's smallest soft-roader. However, it's not too far-fetched to imagine it will look a lot like the 40.1 Concept (pictured) that was introduced at its headquarters in Sweden last year. If that's the case, it will borrow styling cues from bigger XCs like the XC60 and the XC90 without being a carbon copy of them.
For the second straight day, Bethlehem Township police have put out the call for witnesses to a seafood theft from a grocery store.

Police are looking for tips to catch a man and woman accused of taking $143 worth of seafood from the Giant supermarket at 3926 Nazareth Pike.

The two allegedly took the food at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 9, and left in a gold Dodge minivan.

On Wednesday, police put out the call for tips leading to the arrest of three women accused of taking seafood from the ShopRite supermarket at 4701 Freemansburg Ave. That crime was at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 16, police said.

To report information about the theft from Giant supermarket, call Patrolman Andrew Kanaskie at 610-419-9252 or email akanaskie@bethlehemtwp.com.

For information on the ShopRite case, contact Patrolman Nicholas Durham at 610-419-9703 or email ndurham@bethlehemtwp.com.

You can also report an anonymous tip by texting "TIP BETHLEHEMTWP" followed by your message, to 888777. Or, you can visit the police department's nixle page.

RETAIL THEFT: On July 9, 2017 at approximately 3pm, the depicted male and female stole $143 worth of seafood from Giant,... Posted by Bethlehem Township Police Dept on Thursday, July 20, 2017

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
The smell of marijuana led Dorney Park security Tuesday night to a Toyota Highlander in the amusement park's parking lot.

A trio's alleged attempts to get rid of the evidence, however, ended with all three under arrest.

A park patrol employee smelled the odor from the SUV with Philadelphia residents Evelyn Aponte, Ruben Mora and Pedro Roman, according to South Whitehall Township police.

The guard found one bag of pot and began searching the SUV when Mora, 30, grabbed the bag of pot and began to eat it, police said.

As the guard and other officers went to stop Mora, the 34-year-old Aponte allegedly removed pot from the SUV and put it in her underwear.

Roman, 21, also put marijuana down his pants, police said.

Aponte, Mora and Roman were each charged with hindering prosecution by destroying evidence, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Aponte has an additional count of possession of drug paraphernalia, and Roman has an additional count of possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Aponte was released after posting $2,500 bail, while Mora and Roman were freed on $2,500 unsecured bail. Attorneys have not yet entered appearances for the trio.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook./lehighvalleynews">lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A former DeSales University student who slashed one of his roommates pleaded for probation, but instead headed to state prison on Friday.

Brendan McMichael, who turns 20 on Sunday, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault. In exchange, prosecutors dropped two counts of attempted homicide and two additional counts of aggravated assault.

McMichael, who was free on 10 percent of $150,000 bail, was before Judge Maria Dantos Friday morning to be sentenced.

There was no sentencing agreement as part of the plea deal, and McMichael's attorney lobbied for the man to avoid jail entirely.

McMichael apologized in court, and supporters sent a stack of letters to the judge, Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Burd said.

Dantos sentenced him to 16 months to three years in state prison, and he was handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom by sheriff's deputies.

McMichael previously told the judge he was so drunk the night of the attack last November that he didn't remember what led to the confrontation. Prosecutors said McMicheal was "extremely intoxicated" that night.

McMichael, of Philadelphia, and the two victims lived in DeSales' Welsh Hall, 2755 Station Ave., where two, two-person dorm rooms were connected by a bathroom.

A party that night was being held in one room, and McMichael was talking to John McLaughlin when Ryan Musselman walked in, according to prosecutors.

In the reflection of a mirror, Musselman saw that McMichael had a knife behind his back, partially hidden up his sleeve. Asked why he had the knife, McMichael said, "That's because I'm prepared to f------ kill you both tonight," according to Burd.

McMichael held the knife to McLaughlin's throat and, when Musselman tried to disarm him, McMichael slashed Musselman on the abdomen.

Party-goers came into the other room and helped restrain McMichael until police arrived. Upper Saucon Township police officers recovered the folding knife at the dorm. Blood stains were found by officers on the microwave and bathroom door, police said.

Since the incident, McMichael voluntarily left the university, Burd said.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
ELIZABETH -- A man arrested late Wednesday in Wilson Borough, Pa. is accused of shooting a man in Elizabeth, threatening a woman and then stealing her vehicle -- all in a single day last month, officials said Thursday.

Derek Edwards, 45, of Elizabeth, was apprehended shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday in a house at 1554 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, and charged as a fugitive from justice because of the charges filed in Elizabeth.

Edwards allegedly shot the man in the groin area, forced the woman into helping him flee and making her drive him in her car, according to criminal complaints filed in Superior Court in Elizabeth.

All of the alleged crimes occurred on June 16, the complaints say.

He has been charge with second-degree aggravated assault for the shooting and charged with weapons offenses. He also faces kidnapping, theft and terroristic threats charges, the court papers say.

Authorities said officers on Wednesday began searching for Edwards in the Easton area about 1 p.m. and continued until his apprehension that night.

According to New Jersey court records, Edwards has a criminal record dating back to 1991 when he was 19 years old. That year, he received a three-year prison sentence for a drug possession charge filed in Essex County.

Edwards also faced drug charges in Monmouth and Union counties.

In 2003, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for illegal possession of a weapon, and required to serve at least five years before being eligible for parole. In 2009, he was arrested for possession of heroin and sentenced to six years in prison and required to serve at least three years before he was eligible for parole, according to the court records.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Pennsylvania could double-down on its casinos, at least under a proposal to help balance the state's $32 billion budget.

Under a plan proposed by Senate Republicans, each of the state's 10 bigger casinos would bid on a license for a "satellite" casino. That would allow up to 700 slot machines and 100 table games at a new facility, provided it is more than 25 miles away from another casino.

Sen. Lisa Boscola -- a Democrat whose Lehigh Valley district includes the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, one of the best-performing casinos in the state -- said she is not willing to back the Republicans' play.

Boscola said the proposal will put satellite casino revenue in the state's general fund rather than toward property tax relief like the larger gambling houses. She said the additional locations will draw patrons -- and that tax-relieving revenue -- from casinos like Sands.

"Every time we expand gaming, it gets farther and farther and farther away from property tax relief," said Boscola, D-Northampton/Lehigh.

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is one of the state's best-performing casinos. (File photo | lehighvalleylive.com)

Pennsylvania's casino industry currently generates $1.4 billion annually for the state, host communities and school property taxpayers, according to PennLive.com.

Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Northampton/Monroe, said the bill is not ideal, but is better than some alternatives he opposes, such as expanding the use of video gambling machines.

"Will it answer our budget shortfall? No way," he said. "But it will get us in that direction."

The bill is not without its faults: Scavello said he wanted to see a 40-mile radius rather than the proposed 25 as a way to protect existing casinos, specifically citing Sands.

"I don't want to see that casino hurt," he said, "I want to see it grow."

For total table-game revenue, Sands led all Pennsylvania casinos with $235 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year, the state gaming board reported. It was second in slots revenue with $304 million -- Parx Casino in Bensalem hauled in $386.6 million. A Sands spokesperson did not return a request for comment on the satellite proposal.

The measure is drawing support, even as legislators hold their noses. Republican Rep. Stephen Bloom, of Carlisle, told The Associated Press, "I hate it. I just hate it less than taxes."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Marco Caruso has completed multiple rehabilitation programs to get a handle on his heroin addiction.

And while his counselor and some family members acknowledge the progress made by the 32-year-old Bath man, Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano had a hard time getting past the lapse of judgment that put him in court.

Rather than wait an hour to drop off his 5-year-old boys with their mother, he injected heroin in his arm. He lay passed out due to a drug overdose for 20 minutes with his young sons before a bystander found him, police said.

He was unconscious inside a restroom stall at Wayne Grube Memorial Park in Allen Township, where one of the boys found him with a needle in his arm. The son kept pricking himself in the finger with a hypodermic needle as he tried to put the cap on.

"Daddy is sleeping," one of the boys told the bystander, according to the boys' mother, Heather Liskanich.

Caruso pleaded guilty May 22 to one count of endangering the welfare of a child for the July 13, 2016, incident. In exchange for the plea a second count was dropped.

"This conduct is outrageous," Giordano told Caruso in court Friday.

The judge was persuaded to make Caruso eligible for work release during his 60- to 120-day Northampton County Prison sentence. He felt the crime warranted some prison time despite the efforts Caruso has made to overcome his addiction.

"You couldn't wait until you dropped them off? Do you know how bad this looks?" Giordano asked. Giordano ordered that the 60 to 120 days of work release will be followed by three years of probation.

Defense attorney Alex Karam said the drug abuse ramped up because Caruso was depressed over his breakup with his girlfriend, the boys' mother. He was injured while working at the Pepsi bottling plant in Allentown. When his prescription painkillers ran out, he turned to heroin, Karam said.

Caruso now lives with Liskanich's parents, but Liskanich wants nothing to do with him.

"The scare that has been created for my children due to this incident will haunt them for the rest of their lives," she wrote in a letter to the judge.

She told the judge Friday her children are still struggling with the horror of what they saw. The sometimes burst into tears for no apparent reason.

"The last thing they remember is him lying there with a needle unconscious," she said. "They have very vivid memories."

Caruso said it's important for him to remain drug free so he can restore his relationship with his sons.

"It seems deep down you're a good person," Giordano said. "I just think you've made some very bad decisions in life."

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
There was a time when local race car driver Carl "Fuzzy" VanHorn was more famous than Mario Andretti.

"He was among the top drivers in the area when I was still just dreaming of becoming one," Andretti said Wednesday, two days after the Harmony Township legend, known as the Belvidere Bandit, died at 84.

"He was still racing when I was racing as well," Andretti, 77, added.

VanHorn won more than 100 feature races during his career, which stretched from 1952 to 1994, piloting modified stock cars often numbered 71E on short tracks from Nazareth to Syracuse to Middletown, New York, and back.

He even got a start in the 1975 Puralotor 500 at Pocono Raceway. He was entered via a contest that involved fans voting, according to the Pocono Record at the time. He started 17th and finished 23rd in the NASCAR race after an engine problem knocked him out on the 110th lap.

"You always remember the winners and that's who he was," said Andretti, a Bushkill Township resident who grew up in Nazareth. "He was always at the top fighting for the win. ... I think he was hell of a race driver. He was at the top of his game. He certainly made his mark. He was very well know around our area."

RIP to Carl "Fuzzy" Van Horn, one of my childhood favorites at Nazareth Speedway. pic.twitter.com/ChjMumHBsC  My Name Is Todd (@OpenWheelTodd) July 17, 2017

Frank Varju, 51, of Bethlehem, became a fan when he was just a kid living in Easton, as his dad, also named Frank, and young Frank's boss at the 13th Street Sunoco exposed the boy to the wild racing on the region's dirt tracks.

One day he got to visit Van Horn's garage in Harmony, an experience Varju still recalls with "shock and awe."

He saw VanHorn race in Middletown and Nazareth. There was the night in 1979 in Syracuse when Varju watched VanHorn spin out twice in a last-chance race but still roar back to almost qualify for the feature before the engine blew.

Rest in Peace Carl "Fuzzy " Van Horn. Northeast short track legend.  Speedway Report (@SpeedwayReport) July 17, 2017

"They would go nuts for him," Varju, getting emotional at times, said by phone from his own Lopatcong Township garage. "He put on a show. It was just unbelievable."

VanHorn inspired Varju to work on cars and become passionate about the sport.

"He was a great cornerstone of racing," Varju said. "He's an absolute hero in our area."

But Varju wouldn't really get to know the man well until years later when a friend brought "the master of going faster" into Varju's gas station at 1110 Belvedere Ave.

Varju compiled a mini-VanHorn museum at his business. And the star attraction took to coming around on Fridays after dropping off his wife, Sharon, at the chiropractor.

VanHorn would sit in a chair by the window and spend some time talking racing, Varju said. People would drive up, and seeing VanHorn, would come in and join the conversation.

But there always was a time limit. About 40 minutes, Varju said.

"Well boys, i gotta gotta go, before I lose the only job I have," he'd say as he headed out to pick up his wife.

After news of VanHorn's death hit Facebook, the phone rang nonstop for an hour and a half at Frank's Service Center, Varju said. And people have been walking in off the street just to talk about VanHorn.

"It's nothing but racing stories," Varju said.

VanHorn earned a number of honors over the years. He was inducted into four halls of fame, including in 2008 into the Northeast Modified Hall of Fame and in 2009 into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. Not long ago, VanHorn received the key to Harmony, Varju added.

VanHorn was also a "driving force" in the building of the now defunct Harmony Speedway, former Express-Times racing writer Chuck Givler wrote.

VanHorn built his own cars -- including his first one after seeing one race in the early 1950s at Flemington Speedway.

He had no plan to drive it himself.

"But when his own brother, JC VanHorn, and several others passed on the offer, Van Horn figured he had to learn to drive," Givler wrote.

Andretti remarked on VanHorn's aggressiveness and determination, both keys to become a winner, the racing icon explained.

In a 2009 interview with Givler, VanHorn put it into his own words.

The week already started out bad...CARL VAN HORN HAS PASSED AWAY. talk about a racing legend he is,he did it all ..sorry for the whole van horn family ,many stories and pictures to last a life time.. Posted by Alby Salter on Monday, July 17, 2017

"I always raced tough," he said. "The car always had to pay for itself. I never gave anything back on the track. They had to take it from me."

MEMORIAL VISITATION: VanHorn, the son of the late Frank and Cora Kinney VanHorn, was born July 7, 1933, in Hope, according to his obituary. He is survived by Sharon, daughter Jane, sons David and Eric, nine grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and a great-great grandson. Memorial visitation is scheduled 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Rupell Funeral Home, 465 Memorial Parkway in Phillipsburg.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
There were minor injuries Friday morning when a tractor-trailer overturned on the ramp from Route 173 to Interstate 78 West near the Pohatcong Township-Greenwich Township line, authorities said.

The highway wasn't affected, but westbound traffic was slowed by rubberneckers.

The ramp was shut.

The crash happened about 9:50 a.m.

Two heavy-duty wreckers were attempting the right the truck.

New Jersey State Police from the Perryville barracks were investigating.

The Phillipsburg Rescue Squad, the Clinton Rescue Squad (for heavy rescue), the Alpha Fire Department, Huntington Fire Company, Warren County HazMat (for a fuel spill), and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission Highway Department assisted at the scene.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
An inmate of Portlaoise Prison has been convicted of attacking a prison officer with a piece of timber and a weighted sock.

Inspector Eamonn Curley gave evidence that on January 15 this year, Leon Wright, originally from Dublin but now with an address at Portlaoise Prison, armed himself with a piece of timber and a weighted sock and went to assault a prison officer.

Wright, who has previously be dubbed as Ireland's most dangerous criminal, struck the officer on the helmet with the weighted sock, but no injury was caused.

The accused had 112 previous convictions and is currently serving a four-year sentence for attempted robbery. Since going into custody he has amassed further convictions for assault while in prison, the most recently being in the district court on March 27 this year when he was convicted of five assaults.

Defence, Ms Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client had been living isolated in a wing in the prison, but he was allowed out without handcuffs for some free time.

The accused has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and he decided he wasnt going back in his cell, said defence, making difficulties for the prison officers.

Ms Fitzpatrick said that the accused was then administered 600ml of medication which knocked him out, and he was administered it for three days. All his privileges were withdrawn, she said.

Judge Catherine Staines imposed a four-month sentence, concurrent to the sentence the accused is already serving.

She warned the accused that any future sentence imposed will be consecutive.
A Laois man arrested for causing a disturbance in an Indian restaurant abused the gardai and damaged his jail cell by urinating on the floor and throwing food around.

Before last weeks sitting of Portlaoise District Court was Carl Fox.

Inspector Eamonn Curley gave evidence that on July 17 last year, at Main Street, Portlaoise, the gardai were called to attend the Mayur Restaurant in Portlaoise as there was a male refusing to leave the premises.

The male, Carl Fox knocked over flowerpots and refused to leave, so he was arrested, but as he was being escorted to the garda van he repeatedly spat on a gardas shirt.

He kept kicking the door of the van when put inside and when he brought to the garda station he urinated on the cell floor and threw his meal around the cell.

He had 16 previous convictions.

Defence, Ms Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client, who is in his mid-20s, needed treatment, as he had an issue with drink and tablets.

She said the accused had come to gardai attention again the previous Thursday.

He overreacts when arrested, she said. When not drinking hes not a bad man.

Defence said the accused had a very fractious upbringing and suffers from depression and addiction issues, and until such time as he deals with these the court will likely encounter him again.

Ms Fitzpatrick said the accused had three children, all in care, and is going to be a father again.

Defence also said the accused had written a letter of apology to the gardai for his actions.

Judge Catherine Staines told the accused he had a lot to live for and advised him to take some time to dry out from his alcohol problem.

Saying that assaulting a garda and causing criminal damage was just not acceptable, Judge Staines imposed six months in prison, with recognisance fixed in the event of an appeal.
New evidence backs up claims that 10,000 people are leaving Laois everyday for work mostly by car.

The latest results from the Census 2016 reveal over 22,500 people in Laois travel to work by car making up two thirds of the total 33,200 traveling to work everyday.

There are an awful lot of early risers among the commuters. Most of the people who leave their homes in the mornings between 6:30an - 8am are adults going to work rather than children going school.

In total, 18,700 adults leave home by 8am each morning. A further 3,935 people are out the door before 6.30am according to the figures compiled by the Central Statistics Office.

Many face long journey times. Of the 51,926 who make daily commutes, 8,800 face  hour - 1 hours in cars or other forms of transport to get to school or work. More than 32,000 people of journey times of less than half an hour.

Cars are by some distance the most common way to travel. Of the 53,908 people daily trips to work or school, more than 35,000 people travel by car.

A staggeringly low number - 1,324 people from a total of 33,287 - use public transport to commute to work. Only 1,908 workers traveling on foot. Just over 3,100 children walk to school.

Nearly 2,000 work from home.

Minister Simon Coveney claimed during his campaign for the Fine Gael leadership that some 10,000 people commute from Portlaoise to work in Dublin each day. To read more on the story Click Here

This week Laois TD and Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, welcomed the progress on the widening of the Naas to Newbridge stretch of the M7 motorway. A third lane will be added to 13.5km of the road which is used by many Laois residents to get to work. To read more on the story Click Here
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A former Presentaton Convent grounds in Portlaoise should be acquired as the site for a new secondary school in Portlaoise, according to the chair of the body that will patron the new school.

The Chair of Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board, Cllr Caroline Dwane-Stanley, has called on the Department of Education and Skills to acquire the old convent grounds as the permanent site for the new Dunamase College.

The former Vocational School on Railway Street is undergoing refurbishment works as a temporary home for the school but Cllr. Dwane-Stanley sees the old convent site, currently on the market, as the ideal location for the permanent school building.

"This is a great opportunity to bring education back to the heart of the town. When the CBS and Chriost Ri moved to the Borris road the town centre was hit hard and soon the Holy Family primary schools will move to Aughnaharna which will reduce activity even further.

"As someone running a business in the town centre I have experienced the knock-on effect first-hand. The ETB has always been to the forefront in supporting local communities and this is a fantastic chance to bring 1,000 students back to the town centre which can only be positive for the town and local businesses," Cllr Dwane-Stanley said.

Joe Cunningham, Chief Executive of the ETB, confirmed that the town centre site is a real possibility as a permanent home for the new school.

"The Building Unit of the Department of Education and Skills is carrying out technical feasibility analysis on a number of sites for the new school and the town centre is one of the sites being examined. A school in the town centre would be a school for all the community which is a key value of what we want to achieve with Dunamase College," he said.

Cllr. Dwane-Stanley is calling on her colleagues on Portlaoise Municipal District and Laois County Council to support her call for the school development.

Plans are in place for the new Library on Main Street and the prospect of a new 1,000-place school in the heart of the town should not be missed. As a Council we must support projects that will bring new life to the town and contribute to the community and business development of Portlaoise," she added.

Cllr Dwane-Stanley also referenced the existing commitment of the ETB to the town centre.

The ETB, through its Chief Executive Joe Cunningham, was instrumental in re-opening and refurbishing the former CBS at Tower Hill which has over 200 students attending courses every week. The old Vocational School on Railway Street was also re-opened for further education courses during the day and the School of Music and Music Generation also operate from there at evening time and weekends. These decisions have brought life and business to the town, she said.

Meanwhile, Laois/Offaly TD and Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan has confirmed that the provision of temporary accommodation has been approved for Dunamase College, the new secondary school located in Portlaoise.

Minister Flanagan was speaking in Portlaoise this morning.

I am happy to report that temporary accommodation has been approved by the Department of Education for the new secondary school in Portlaoise. A substantial amount of work has been carried out by the school principal Ms Aoife Elster and Mr Joe Cunningham, Chief Executive of LOETB over the past few months to get the school to this stage, he said.

When it opens its doors in September, Dunamase College will be the first of its kind in the country offering classes through both Irish and English.

I wish the teaching staff well as they prepare to take up their new positions in September, he added.

Forty students are enrolled to start their first year of secondary school in Dunamase College in September.

Extensive refurbishment is still needed on the premises ahead of its opening in September.

READ ABOUT DUNAMASE COLLEGE PRINCIPAL AOIFE ELSTER HERE.
'No Dumping' signs are currently needed in Lacken, Rosenallis to combat illegal dumping happening in the area.

Councillor Seamus McDonald asked that Laois County Council erect the sign at the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District meeting on Thursday.

The Environment Section of Laois County Council said that it is currently looking for appropriate signage and that the request will be considered when the new sign is produced.

Cllr McDonald is concerned about the illegal dumping taking place in one of Laois's tourist areas.

"It is a tourist area and there is a lot of illegal dumping. Can we look for an old sign? Any sign is better than no sign," he said.

Cllr Paddy Bracken agreed that sourcing a new sign was a slow procedure for tackling an urgent problem.

Cllr Brendan Phelan agreed that dumping is a huge problem and something that comes up regularly for councillors.

"The illegal dumping is a major problem. It is a disgrace in scenic areas in the county, it is an embarrassment. Volunteers go out then picking it up, it seems to come up in every council meeting," he said.

READ: LAOIS COUNCIL GETS CASH FOR APP TO TACKLE ILLEGAL DUMPING.

READ: ILLEGAL DUMPING 'SHAMEFUL' AT ABBEYLEIX BOG WEEKS AFTER MICHAEL D HIGGINS VISIT.
The Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival under the guidance of its artistic director and internationally renowned poet Desmond Egan is celebrating its 30th anniversary and being launched tonight, Friday, July 21.

This year's festival is being launched by the new British Ambassador Robin Barnett.

The festival is based in Newbridge and attracts visitors and participants from all over the world including Iraq, the USA and as far afield as Japan.

Starting out as a two day event, it has now evolved into a seven day festival of culture, celebrating the life and work of Gerard Manley Hopkins, and his interests in all of the arts.

This is our 30th year in operation and we run a very extensive programme thanks to generous funding from the Kildare Newbridge Municipal District Council, said committee member, Cllr Morgan McCabe.

Key highlights include the classical piano concert with Swedish pianist Hans Palsson on Saturday July 22 at 8pm in Newbridge College Theatre. Tickets available in Farrells of Newbridge or at the door.

Another popular event will be the Traditional Irish Music Concert with Brid Harper (Fiddle) and Diarmuid Johnson (Flute) at Newbridge College Theatre on Wednesday 26 at 8pm. There will also be an art exhibition in Newbridge College Theatre.

The festival will also host an International Poetry Evening (featuring nine countries) at St Patricks Church Moorefield on Tuesday 25.

A lecture on Japanese Haiku poetry will be given by Banya Natsuishi of Mejji University Japan,Director of the World Haiku Association, Tuesday 25 at 3.15pm in Newbridge College.
A Kildare man who stole three pub benches which may have been used by his local District judge has appeared in the District Court.

Martin Lawrence, with an address at 58 The Paddocks, Kilcock, appeared before Kilcock District Court sitting at Naas on July 18, charged with taking three wooden bench from outside OKeeffes pub in Kilcock on February 4 this year.

David Powderly, solicitor representing Mr Lawrence, said he was pleading guilty to the offences.

Garda Inspector David OSullivan said Mr Lawrence had been seen on CCTV on putting the pubs benches into a van on two separate occasions. He did not cover his face, the Court was told.

On hearing of the benches theft, Judge Desmond Zaidan said: I probably sat on them.

The Court was told they could cost 200 each.

Mr Lawrence told the judge: I sold them to my friend.

Looking at the defendant, Judge Zaidan asked Mr Lawrence if he was alright. You are going hot and cold. You are sweating.

Mr Powderly said: He is under pressure from being here.

The Court heard Mr Lawrence has 15 previous convictions, most of them for road traffic offences. It was also told that he had not turned up for a meeting with the Probation and Welfare Services and had missed Court dates.

Mr Powderly said his client has a chequered history of not attending Court due to transport difficulties.

Judge Zaidan said the question of transport is a very, very minor inconvenience. The judge said Mr Lawrence as very fortunate the Gardai were not objecting to bail.

He adjourned the case until November 7 next for sentencing and a report from the Probation and Welfare Service.

He told the defendant: The next time you drive past OKeeffes you might see your solicitor sitting on the wall.
Kildare town house fire victim John Paul (Johnny) Flood, of St. Corban's Place, Naas, was remembered as a kind and gentle man before he was laid to rest today.

Mr. Floods funeral took place to Baltinglass Cemetery. His brother Edward recalled a gentle and innocent sibling who loved a laugh.

He died when a semi detached house went ablaze at Tully East early on July 11 - days before John Pauls 38th birthday.

Edward paid tribute to the emergency services personnel who attended the fire scene as well as those who offered prayers and support for John John Pauls family in the wake of the tragedy, which also claimed the life of Charlie Vaughan (76), whose funeral arrangements have not yet been finalised.

I know Johnny would appreciate it, he said.

Baltinglass parish priest Fr. Tommy Dillon, assisted by retired Prosperous PP Fr. Jackie OConnell, told the congregation that they had gathered around John Paul at St. Josephs Church in the West Wicklow town to thank God for his time among us and to commend him to God.

Fr. Dillon spoke about John Pauls love of nature adding this was a very tragic happening but, especially in a situation like that, God is very present.

He noted John Pauls name referred to the Papal visit of 1979. Many boys born in Ireland around that time were named after Pope John Paul II.

People have been saying how kind he was. We pray his family will know peace and we pray for him in the knowledge that he is with God, added Fr. Dillon.

The strains of the ballad Roads of Kildare echoed around the imposing church, which is about 150 years old, as the coffin bearing his remains was taken for his final journey to the nearby graveyard.

He is survived by his mother Catherine; children Senita and TJ; brothers Edward and Patrick and sisters Brigid, Cora, Katie, Niamh and Elizabeth.
Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has set out some thoughts on our strategy as we respond to the total mess that the Tories are making of the Brexit negotiations.

In an article for the Times Red Box (), she sets the scene:

The internal squabbling of our chancellor, foreign secretary, and Brexit secretary  to name just a few of the clowns at play  is making the chances of a poor deal for the UK, or a catastrophic failure to get a deal at all, all the more likely. Instead of knuckling down and approaching negotiations with a seriousness befitting the task, Davis has so far shown up to a photo-op without even pretending to have the necessary papers and briefings, then taking the first Eurostar home. No doubt heading straight back to the journalists to criticise his leader. It rather undermines the negotiation of critical issues like EU citizens rights, a solution for Northern Ireland and the UKs debt to the EU when your so-called chief negotiator would rather be at home leaking cabinet papers.

But this is all part of a hard hearted strategy. She thinks that they are trying to create such a bad atmosphere that in a years time, they walk way blaming the EU for the failure.

Opposition parties, she says, must do two things. Firstly, call for the negotiators to do their jobs and, secondly, to give the people a say:

The alternative for opposition is to emphasise, again and again, that Davis and his negotiators must get on and do their jobs. That compromises are desirable to get the best deal for people, the economy and society. That no deal would be a catastrophic failure of this government. Finally, at the end of it all, opposing voices must insist that it should not be in the gift of Davis and May to decide whether the deal is good enough. To deploy the Brexiteers own argument, the British people must take back control, and take the final decision away from an unsteady, minority government.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
I just visited an amazing exhibition in Montreal at La Musee de Beaux Arts, entitled Revolution, all about the sixties, when I was a teenager. The revolution in question was the change in art, ideas, politics, power, dress, music etc etc that occurred in the late 1960s, which culminated in the 1968 student riots, Expo 67 in Montreal and Woodstock.

Many people today, especially young people it seems, criticise the sixties as a time of fantasy, forgetting what life had been like before the so-called swinging sixties. Before the sixties, (male) homosexuality was illegal, women were second class citizens, treated as appendages of their husbands especially in regard to finance, people were hanged for murder, computers and the internet were non-existent, books, plays and films were rigorously censored and non-white people were subject to overt harassment and discrimination. Who can forget the prosecution of the publishers of Lady Chatterlys Lover  the book the prosecutor said you would not want your wives or servants to read! Or the shocking Tory campaign in Smethick in 1964, when the Labour MP Patrick Gordon-Walker lost his seat to a campaign of If you want a ******* for a neighbour, vote Labour.

During the sixties, homosexual acts between consenting adults in private were made legal, the Race Relations Act outlawed much discrimination based on colour or race, hanging was abolished, abortion was legalised up to 28 weeks and the voting age was reduced to 18.

The sixties saw an unprecedented revolution in fashion in which the UK through designers like Mary Quant and the Carnaby Street shops changed clothing forever from the somewhat staid post war styles to the modern ever changing fashions of today. The Womens Liberation Movement started demanding equal rights for women and the end of patriarchy, which, in Britain, eventually led to the Sexual Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act in 1975.

In politics there were worldwide protests against the Vietnam War (a forerunner of the movement against war in the Middle East), student protests in 1968 were brutally attacked by the French and other police and John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent a week in bed for world peace.

The hippies movement flourished with rural communes in the USA practising free love and possession sharing and Hari Krishna acolytes chanting and banging drums in the streets. And of course at the end of the sixties Britain applied to join the then Common Market being admitted in 1972.

Bill Gates and others started the computer revolution and this has advanced in leaps and bounds to the world wide web, twitter, Facebook and so much else in the following years.

Of course the sixties were not perfect and for Liberals much remains to be done, but the sixties were a time of hope, of a positively changing world and society.

Now following he rise of the hard right, Brexit and Trump many of these gains are being put at risk as reactionary forces try to roll back the world the the 50s or earlier, denying women abortions, feeding racial and sexual assaults and trying to roll back environmental and other protections and human rights in favour of the unregulated free market.

Brexit risks not only the immediate economic consequences of tariff barriers and loss of markets, but a fundamental shift back to earlier times that most people had thought were gone for ever.

* Dr Michael Taylor has been a party member since 1964. He is currently active in the Calderdale Party.
A COUNTY Limerick funeral was delayed by over four hours as the coffin of the deceased was not put on a flight from Heathrow due to operational reasons.

Family members of the late Mary OBrien, aged 88, of Edgeware, London and formerly of Knocknacorriga, Cappamore, gathered in Shannon Airport to receive her remains at noon on Saturday, July 8.

However, they learned she was not on board. Mourners also attended Cappamore church at 1pm as stated by the death notice. It had to be changed to removal at approximately 5.30pm after the remains were put on the next flight.

One of her brothers, Tom OBrien, said the incident caused upset.

I have one daughter in Drogheda and she left at 8.30am to be in Shannon for noon when the plane was due to arrive. My brother came from Galway, more came from Wexford and Cappamore to Shannon to be told the remains were not put on the flight. There were a lot of people in Cappamore church waiting. It is not good enough, it is not acceptable, said Mr OBrien.

They admitted the plane was overcrowded and there was no room. A parcel could have waited, this was a human, said Mr OBrien, who stressed the undertakers were completely professional and had nothing whatsoever to do with the delay.

Following a media query, a spokesperson for Aer Lingus said: Aer Lingus was unfortunately not able to carry Mary O'Briens remains as booked on EI381 from London to Shannon on July 8 due to operational reasons. Ms OBriens remains were repatriated on the following flight that day, EI385.

"The funeral directors firm which was managing the repatriation of Ms OBriens remains was informed of the delay on July 8. Aer Lingus regrets any distress caused to Ms OBriens family, said the spokesperson.

The late Ms OBrien, born in 1929, was educated by the Sisters of Mercy in Cappamore and Doon and then joined the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy. She was ordained a nun and lived in convents in the UK but never forgot her native place. Two weeks were religiously spent in Cappamore every year.

Ms OBrien spent 26 years a nun before starting life as a housekeeper and cook for the clergy. She worked for the Bishop of Clifton in Bristol before moving to a large priests residence in the parish of St Agnes in Cricklewood, London. Fr Tony Ryan, formerly of Doon and Cricklewood, recalled her as a kind and generous lady.

She was an excellent cook and housekeeper and was very generous to the homeless  she made them soup, sandwiches and cups of tea, he said.

Mr OBrien said his sister devoted her life to the Church. She was awarded the Benemerenti Medal and Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. Ms OBrien was laid to rest in the family plot at Old Pallas cemetery.
A look at a few of the hundreds of stamp blogs that can be found on the internet

Jul 21, 2017, 1 PM

The blog site bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com includes monthly calendars with postmarked stamps for each day, such as the United States overprinted revenue stamp for July 2.

Don Schillings Stamp Collecting Roundup blog is more than 12 years old. Here is the top section of the home page of this stamp blog from March 25, 2005.

The home page of the Smithsonians National Postal Museum blog, Pushing the Envelope. The blog post relates to an anonymous letter left in a museum display.

Computers and Stamps  By William F. Sharpe

A blog, short for web log, doesnt usually provide as much information as a standard website, but can be a source of fascinating details about the stamp world.

There are hundreds of stamp blogs on the internet. I wrote about one of them, Don Schillings Stamp Collecting Roundup, in a previous column in the Sept. 15, 2008, issue of Linns. Schillings site is still active.

The left side of Schillings home page includes recent posts. The right side of the page provides some information about Schilling, a couple of ads, and an alphabetical list of stamp-related links followed by the archives of all articles dating back to 2005. Pictured is part of Schillings home page from March 2005.

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The National Postal Museums blog, Pushing the Envelope, is dedicated to sharing behind-the-scenes stories, thoughts, and interesting discussion about the museum and its renowned collection.

My recent visit to the site provided several well-illustrated articles.

The article This letter was left here for you. Yes, you!!, by Ren Cooper, discussed a letter that had slipped into a crack within a mud wagon displayed at the museum as part of the Moving West exhibition.

The exhibition details how the development of overland mail routes helped drive settlement of the newer territories between the Mississippi River and the West Coast in the mid-1800s, but the letter is much more recent.

While anonymous, the letter mentioned the hashtag #moreloveletters, which can be traced to Hannah Brencher, the creator of The World Needs More Love Letters movement. Included at the end of the article were links to other articles about letters from either the National Postal Museums blog or its main site.

You can scroll down the home page to find previous articles. For example, I found Benjamin Franklin: Philadelphias Postmaster, by Nancy Pope, historian and curator.

You can also search for blog posts, choose from recent posts, select a category listing, or choose a monthly list of posts going back to September 2016 from entries on the right side of the main page.

The American Philatelic Society blog, uses a similar format, with recent articles on the left side of the page, and a search box, list of categories, recent posts, and archived posts on the right.

You can browse through the 40 pages of articles or use the search tools provided.

Theres also a calendar of the current month with the dates when posts were made highlighted.

The entries on Lloyd de Vries blog, date back to October 2013. When I visited the site, one of his recent posts covered the stamps issued for Canadas 150th anniversary in detail.

Philately Todays site is well laid out, but the most recent entry is more than a year old.

Filling Spaces offers opinions from a retired Florida collector, identified only as Bob. His interest is mainly worldwide stamp collecting.

One blog post from November 2016 includes a list of what he calls certifiably large worldwide collections. He explains that these are collections that encompass 1840 to at least the 1950s.

The largest one, offered for sale by Harmer-Schau in 2012, lacks only about 1,200 stamps with major Scott numbers and is mounted in more than 200 Minkus albums.

The most comprehensive single site I found was Buds Big Blue 1840-1940. (The big blue refers to the 1969 edition of the Scott International Album, Part I, 1840-1940.)

For more information, scroll down on the left side of the main page and click on Buds Big Blue  An Introduction and index.

The site contains scans of a completed edition of Scotts International Postage Stamp Album, Part 1, 1840-1940. Remarks about most stamps are included, and visitors can post their own comments.

The site also includes monthly calendars with postmarks for all the days of the year. A large stamp image is provided for each date. The postmark for July 2 is shown. The site describes this stamp as U.S. 1898 Scott R155A 2c pink, Type IV Blue Overprint, Washington Revenue Stamp.

In case you are interested in pursuing the subject of blogs further, Philatelynews contains links to other blogs from 19 countries, not including the United States, on its philately links page.
Apr 30, 2021, 3 AM

As shown on this new-issue pamphlet, North Koreas latest anti-American stamps picture missiles aimed at the U.S. Capitol and a fist smashing the flag. The stamps commemorate the Korean War.

By Linns Staff

North Koreas latest anti-American stamps received wide media attention, with news outlets from CNN to Fox News reporting on them.

In a pamphlet announcing the new stamps, the Korea Stamp Corporation said that they were issued on the occasion of the period of anti-US joint struggle (June 25-July 27).

This refers to the Korean War, which began June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea, and ended with the July 27, 1953, armistice.

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The pamphlet also described the stamp designs as reflecting the White House, a den of evil, which is in the range of sophisticated striking means of the powerful revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu and the Stars and Stripes which has been smashed and torn off by the mighty force of Songun Korea.

The denominations of these commemoratives are 30 won and 50w.

Some of the news reports mentioned that North Korea has a long history of anti-American sentiment on its stamps, specifically citing the 1969 10-chon stamp showing President Richard Nixon being attacked by pens (Scott 909). That stamp commemorated the anti-U.S. Imperialism Journalists Conference in Pyongyang.

Kristine Kottas report for Fox News quotes Scott English, the American Philatelic Societys executive director, and Martin Frankevicz, the new-issues editor for the Scott catalogs.

Frankevicz said: Stamps from North Korea are not easily accessible because they are embargoed, much like Cuba and Iran. And quite frankly, these are not particularly different than the other anti-American ones they issue.
Jul 21, 2017, 11 AM

In our Aug. 7 issue, Barry Gartell continues his delightful exploration of China stamps displaying the architectural beauty of bridges. Geometry and physical geography help explain these impressive structures.

By Charles Snee

The dog days of summer have arrived in Sidney, Ohio, world capital of stamp publishing, and the Linns editorial crew is hard at work, bringing you the best philatelic reporting and scholarly insights. The Aug. 7 issue of Linns Stamp News, on press right now, goes in the mail to subscribers Monday, July 24. If youre a digital subscriber, you get early access Saturday, July 22. Check out this trio of teasers to tide you over until your copy arrives.

Chinas philatelic views of bridge architecture

Barry Gartell taps into geometry and physical geography in the second part of his alluring exploration of China stamps depicting bridges. What I found fascinated me, he explains, and I hope I am successful in sharing with you some of what I have learned.

No, were not talking about a canary in a coal mine

Global stamp traveler Janet Klug, in Stamp Collecting Basics, takes us on a tour of airmail stamps from the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago tucked just off the northwest coast of Africa.

Do you have a pane (or two) of the $1 Waves of Color?

In Stamp Market Tips, Henry Gitner and Rick Miller suggest adding a mint pane of 10 of the 2012 $1 Waves of Color stamp (Scott 4714) to your collection. According to Gitner and Miller, the stamp is less common than most have been led to think.

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The dyers of Kotpad The women who embody the essence of the rich-hued Kotpad weave get the least credit for their role in the century-old tradition /news/talking-point/the-dyers-of-kotpad-111646987868842.html 111646987868842 story

I wonder if the wearers of Kotpad textiles know how hard we work to create these colours, says Jema Panika, who won a National Award in 2009. She says youngsters have lost interest in learning this painstaking craft, and cheaper chemical dyes have taken over the market. When we go to cities for exhibitions, buyers tell us, teach your children your skills. But the world is changing and our work is impacted. Photographs by Chitrangada Choudhury

On a clear January morning, the Koraput district bus dropped me off on a southern Odisha state highway at Kotpad. Its a town that felt a bit like a busy village, with its gaggle of shops, street hawkers and bustling traffic.

There was little that looked unusualuntil I wandered deeper into the by-lanes. Here, the towns unique contribution to Indian textile heritage, now endangered despite a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, sprang into view.

Gobardhana Panika works on his pit loom. If others do not learn, we will end up as the last generation of Kotpad weavers, he says.

Batches of bark of the aal (madder) tree, which Kotpads talented dyersall womenuse to derive exquisite hueshad been laid out to dry outside mud-tiled homes in the mirigan sai (weavers section) of the town. In informal clearings, women tended to vats of aal powder solution bubbling over firewood. Bundles of yarn, which they had treated with dung and castor oil, were being lowered into the steaming dark concoction.

Kotpad dyeing is a manually intensive process, spread over stages, including women kneading the dye into the yarn with their feet.

Here and there, rows of cream and maroon yarn in various stages of the treatment and dyeing process hung from bamboo frames, with women checking on their readiness for the next stage of work.

At the village pond, women were washing the treated and dyed yarn, slapping it on rocks, kneading it over and over with their hands and feet.

Aal bark is harvested by Adivasis in the forests of the neighbouring district of Nabarangpur. Traders sell these to weavers for up to Rs2,000 for a 10kg sack. The bark is dried and ground to a fine powder to create a dye.

Close to a month of labour results in the threads metamorphosis from the original cream shade to dramatic reds, maroons, rusty pinks, coffee browns and deep blacks. The dyed threads are then handed over to Kotpads famed male weavers. Working on pit looms, they turn these into elegant saris, which were originally sold in the Adivasi haats of Koraput and Jagdalpur districts and now get snapped up in urban markets and exhibitions and on e-commerce sites. Sari prices start from Rs3,500, depending on the quality of the yarn used and the intricacy of the woven design.

Iron sulphate pieces (top, left) are ground and added to aal dye baths to impart darker hues to the yarn.

Kotpad dyeing is an entirely organic, manual, labour-intensive and long-drawn-out process, which may explain why the work rests solely on the shoulders of women. Yet the women dyers who give the Kotpad weaves their distinctive look stand on the lowest rung of the creation chain and rarely get any recognition. Their work is not even seen as craft because the focus is limited to the finished product, not the dyeing of the yarn.

Hasita Panika drying a batch of aal bark. The drier the root, the finer the powder we can grind, resulting in a stronger colour, she says.

The womens labour and skills are highly under-valued," says Prahollada Mahanto, president of the Kotpad Weavers Cooperative Society, which was set up in 1956 to represent the dyers and weavers. He says most women dyers make around Rs4,000-5,000 a month. During the monsoon, when the dyeing work comes to a stop in the absence of continued sunshine, several women work as casual labour to supplement income.

Yarn dyed by the women gets woven into striking saris by male weavers.

Today, Kotpad has a mere 30-40 women dyers, and 15-20 households involved in weaving, compared to over 100 households around two-three decades ago, according to Mahanto. Unless the government urgently intervenes to support them and help train young women, this art will vanish," he says.

An aal tree in the compound of the Weavers Service Centre. The bark of the tree gives the Kotpad textiles their distinctive colour.

Pankaja Sethi, a Bhubaneswar-based textile designer and researcher, describes the Kotpad brick reds as among the most beautiful organically dyed reds in Indian handlooms, and the larger dyeing process practised by the women as among the best in the country. But there is very little recognition for the women who have retained the integrity of this traditional skill for over a century, and who continue to create these exquisite colours," she says.

Duttika Seera heats up vats of aal dye. She immerses the threads in the dye bath to create shades of red or brownthe process lasts for days.

Sethi says the dyers should be recognized through state and national awards, and officially sponsored to hold demonstration workshops in Odisha and other states.

Anuradha and Bidyadhar Mahanto are one of the dyer-weaver couples in Kotpad. Bidyadhar has been named for multiple awards, typifying how weavers get sole credit for Kotpad pieces.

Few from the younger generation are learning this sophisticated skill, and the weavers and their century-old pit looms too are down to few households. We might well be witnessing the last generation of Kotpads famed women dyers.
The vintage champagne lexicon Dom Prignon, the monk, described champagne as 'drinking the stars'. Over three centuries later, Richard Geoffroy of the Dom Prignon brand deconstructs the bubbly /news/talking-point/the-vintage-champagne-lexicon-111646987505301.html 111646987505301 story

Dom Perignon was a 17th century Benedictine monk, a procurer and cellar master of the Abbey dHautvillers in north-eastern France. He is believed to have accidentally discovered the first champagne. Legend has it that Dom Perignon, crafting a regular batch of wine, found it fizzy and full of bubbles. On drinking it, he is believed to have said, Come quickly! I am drinking the stars!"Whatever be the truth of this, this monk is credited for his contribution to wine-growing, and for spotting the potential of natural fizz in wine. Today, Dom Perignon is a brand associated with vintage champagnes alone. Vintage, because they are made from the grapes of a single harvest rather than multiple-year harvests. Vintages are not declared every year.

The brands chef de cave, Richard Geoffroy, who was in Mumbai recently, interpreted vintage champagne in a language that was far removed from academic wine jargon. He described his champagnes in poetic abstractions, referencing art, science and philosophy. He addressed the cyclical nature of time. Each bottle from the Dom Perignon oenotheque (cellars where the champagnes are aged) reflects the wines history and maturity. The beauty of great wines is the ability to connect people with nature. Great wines are much more than pleasing the taste buds. It is about appealing to the intellect and connecting to history," says Geoffroy.

Richard Geoffroy. Photo: Devendra Parab/Mint

Here is a ready reckoner, in his own words, for Dom Perignon champagnes.

C for consistency

There is a clear distinction between consistency and continuity. Continuity is about sameness, it is about making the wine non-vintage. Dom Perignon is known for all the vintage variations (the different years when the vintage is declared and the different plenitudes between the same vintage) that can exist within the consistency.

E for energy

The wine is fermented in the bottle through secondary fermentation, all thanks to yeast. Once the yeast starts dying in the bottle, the energy of life is transferred from the yeast to the wine; the longer the wine remains on the yeast, the more energized it is.

P for plenitudes

Plenitude is about life and those periods in time when a wine reaches that state of radiance, a lightness of being, and maturity. In the case of Dom Perignon, it is successive periods in the life of vintage champagne. The first plenitude is about 8-10 years. The second plenitude is no less than 15 years, and the third, no less than 25 years. The idea is that a wine is allowed to sit on its lees (dead yeast cells and sediments) in the bottle itself, ageing and acquiring new flavours through the years. Plenitudes are windows of opportunity when the wine stands up and speaks out. Different expressions of the same vintage, they are the periods when the chef de cave decides that the wine has reached its potential and is fit to be released into the world.

R for risk

It is about stepping outside the comfort zone to surpass and reinvent oneself. The fact that we can never anticipate what the harvest is going to be keeps us on our toes. And that is the beauty of being right at the edge of things and grape-growing in this cold and difficult climate. We respond to the conditions and seasons, which are always different. Here, the variations could be tremendous.

V for vintage

The terroir of Champagne is cold and this can be a constraint when it comes to vintage champagne. So, it is about rising to a challenge and turning this constraint into an opportunity. Ninety-three per cent of the champagne production in this region is non-vintage. Vintage champagne is the exception. It is all about discovery, anticipation and surprise. There were two successive years when there could be no declaration of a vintage and that is why the art of the vintage is the result of individual creativity, gumption and the art of blending to a perfect harmony.
The Shiva in Sottsass Late Italian designer, Ettore Sottsass had a special place for India in his heart. Radha Chadha rediscovers this connect on occasion of Sottsass' centennial exhibit at the Venice Art Biennale /news/talking-point/the-shiva-in-sottsass-111646987574562.html 111646987574562 story

If you have never heard of Ettore Sottsass, that makes two of us. That is until last week, when I saw two exhibitions during the Venice Biennaleone showcasing his glass sculptures (Ettore Sottsass: Il Vetro at Le Stanze del Vetro) and the other, his ceramic artworks (Dialogo at the Olivetti Showroom)and now I cant get him out of my mind. He turned out to be a highly prolific multitasking artista Renaissance man of sortswho made his mark in architecture, industrial design, furniture, lighting, photography, painting, besides, of course, glass and ceramics.

But beyond the artistic dexterity, it is the almost magical quality of his works on display that has me. You enter another abstract worldwhimsical glass structures, bursting with colour and energy, a certain fearlessness, a devil-may-care attitude, absolutely exquisite in their statuesque elegance. And yet, there is a stillness and balance (even in the ones that seem so precarious), a strange spiritual quality that speaks to me. This mystical element is even more pronounced in his ceramic works, where quirkiness and meditativeness sit happily together.

He was a rare genius, that is obvious in the first 10 seconds, but I wonder what shaped him and his work, this strange mix of colour, eccentricity and spirituality? Obviously, there are multiple influenceshe was born in Austria and raised in Italy (Austrian mother, Italian father), travelled widely in Europe, the US, Asia, did path-breaking work as an industrial designer for Olivetti (best known for designing the Valentine, a perky red typewriter in a plastic case), became the leading light behind the design group Memphisbut beyond all this, I believe a huge influence in his life was India.

Yes, India. Not a great deal has been written about iteven at the two exhibitions, the India connection is dealt with scantilybut as I look at his artworks, and the fact that from 1961 onwards he visited India over and over again, an almost annual pilgrimage, I am convinced our country got under his skin, seeped into his design DNA, and poured out in his work. Colour, eccentricity, spiritualityhey, we got plenty of that here.

I have no idea why he kept coming back because his first brush with India almost killed him. He contracted an incurable disease here, and survived only because the Olivetti family generously sent him off to Stanford Universitys Medical Center, US, where experimental research on it was being done. This is where things get a little bizarre and very Indianhe returned from Stanford, fully recovered, and made an offering to Shiva. An artistic offering, that is, a series of ceramic constructions named after the god of destruction and rebirthCeramiche di Shivaas an expression of gratitude, a symbolic second shot at life. Three of them are on display at the Biennalelarge round plates with a dip in the middle, relatively muted colours (earthy beige, black, gold), incorporating Hindu geometric symbols of life, rebirth, or womens fertility". It feels surreal, to stand in Venice and find India staring back at you, and contemplate life, death, and another mans journey into the depths of our culture.

Lingam vases. Photo: Radha Chadha.

Shiva seems to be a god after Sottsass heart, for decades later, in 1999, he did a series of Lingam vases. These are vibrant, colourful, tall, elegant, mad-as-a-hatter pieces. For example, one of them is a clear glass outer tubular structure encasing another opaque yellow piece studded with orange blobs and blue danglers, and the whole set-up is crowned with smaller orange finger-like pieces, which remind me of the lady-finger biscuits used in tiramisu.

How did Sottsass make these highly complex and intricate glass sculptures? His secret was collaborating with some of the finest glassmaking factories in Murano, the likes of Vistosi, Cenedese, Venini, as also in France at the glass research centre CIRVA. He provided the drawingssometimes quick sketches in his notebooks, sometimes elaborate watercolour renderings that qualify as artworks in their own rightand then worked with master glassmakers to interpret them. It is tricky. Glassmaking is an inexact scienceyou put blobs of molten glass into the furnace, you blow, you twirl, you coax, and what comes out depends entirely on the skill and vision of the glassmaker.

Clesitera. Photo: Radha Chadha

Sottsass was clearly working with absolute masters, and even stretching them beyond their comfort zone of vases, lamps and chandeliers. Take the Asparagi Sacri (Sacred Asparagus), for example, five whimsical red asparaguses standing on a glass base. Or Kachina 4, which is based on native Indian sacred dolls, which looks like a Michelin man with his hands raised. Or Clesitera, which reminds me of a dancing girl with a pot on her head. Or the stunning pieces made for the sheikh of Qatars new home Millennium House, in Doha, large asymmetrical sculptures that seem to be in erratic motionthink Calder mobilesstanding tipsily on sturdy marble bases.

Sottsass would have been 100 this yearthe two exhibitions celebrate his centennial yearand he worked almost till he died at the age of 90 in 2007. The Indian influence stayed throughout his life, sometimes unstatedas in the colourful homes he designed as part of his architectural practiceand often explicitly, as in the two ceramic series Tantra (1968) and Yantra (1969), which play with Tantric diagrams, or the Gopuram vase in 2001, which channels the typical Indian conical tower.

Why India, I wondered. Perhaps his second wife Barbara Radice sums it well, as quoted in Sottsass by Philippe Thome: Ettore found India because he needed India He looked for it and found it instinctively, as animals sniff the air and go to water."



Radha Chadha is one of Asias leading marketing and consumer insight experts. She is the author of the best-selling book The Cult Of The Luxury Brand: Inside Asias Love Affair With Luxury.
Diksha Basu: The jokes on everyone Diksha Basu speaks of the art of creating gentle laughter and entering the mind of a 52-year-old man for her new novel 'The Windfall' /news/talking-point/diksha-basu-the-joke-s-on-everyone-111646987291382.html 111646987291382 story

Diksha Basu spent the first 10 years of her life in Delhi and even after she moved to the US, she never severed ties with the city. She returns every few months; Delhi is in her blood, she says. So it is only fitting that her new novel, The Windfall, is set in the Capital. The book gently pokes fun at the citys foibles, its petty neighbourhood politics and laughs at its absurdities. It follows the dramatic upswing in the fortunes of the Jhas, a middle-class family living in an east Delhi housing society, and charts their journey to the glamorous gated enclaves of Gurugram and into the echelons of the rich and restless, notably the Chopra family. Ensconced in his Punjabi baroque mansion complete with a faux Sistine chapel ceiling, Mr Chopra is a prototype of a familiar Delhi Punjabi whose wealth is often inversely proportional to his IQ. And he is the perfect model for Mr Jha to emulate. Keeping up with Joneses was never this fun as the two newly minted neighbours wend their way through ludicrous situations.

Through the novel, Basu is both an insider as well as the impartial outsider who offers a range of humorous perspectives on the city through its motley characters. This is Basus second novel (her first was Opening Night published in 2012). It has been published by Crown in the US and simultaneously released in India, UK, Australia and New Zealand. It is also being optioned as a US TV series by Paramount Television with Shonali Bose (of Margarita With A Straw fame) as the director. In a curious turn of events, Basus book coincided with the birth of her first child, and she says , it has been crazy as well as fantastic as she cant get anxious about one as her mind is always distracted by the other. Edited excerpts from an interview:

You grew up in Delhi in the 1990s, just after liberalization opened up the economy. Did you see the city and its inhabitants graduate from Maruti 800 to Mercedes and the birth of the Mr Chopra prototype?

The transformation was particularly visible for me as I moved to America in the mid-1990s and thereafter started coming back to Delhi every few months. So, I think I saw the change more distinctly than if I was experiencing things on a daily basis. I think most of us who lived in Delhi then (and it continues even now) saw that money does come in windfalls in India. Its such a complex country and economy where certain sectors are booming so fast that money comes in, in a flood as opposed to a steady trickle. As far as my characters are concerned, it is true that I started becoming more aware of people and things around me in the city as I was growing up. However the basic prototype for a character like Mr Chopra and his general sense of male bravado and male one-upmanship is timeless.

The Windfall By Diksha Basu, Bloomsbury, 294 pages, Rs499.

You have said that this book began as a collection of short stories that you were writing during your master of fine arts (MFA) at Columbia University. How did that culminate in the crazy universe of the Jhas, the Guptas and the Chopras?

So when I was doing the MFA, everyone worked within the short story format simply because it was a simpler structure for workshops. It was a very character-driven collection of interconnected stories right from the beginning. And although they were episodic events, they seemed like they were on their way to becoming a novel. Then when I graduated and started working with my agent, we realized there was already an underlying narrative arc within the stories and we wanted to turn that into something more fulfilling. I much prefer full-length novels to the short story and so I was very keen to make the transition. And after we worked on them for two years, we managed to turn it into a full-fledged novel. One of the advantages of working up from the short story is that I already had my characters and they were very alive in my mind and I could place them into any situation. And that made writing the novel very satisfying.

Your central protagonist is the 52-year-old newly-rich Mr Jha with a penchant for sequined sofas. How hard was it to get into his head?

I found it worryingly easy to get into the head of a middle-aged man and I dont know what that says about me. I was so sick of reading 20-something women writing about 20-something women. I did just one short story that was from Mr Jhas perspective and I had so much fun with it because it is completely the opposite of what I know and it has allowed me to let my imagination go wherever it wanted to. I gave it to my professor Gary Shteyngart who was so supportive and he claims he laughed loudly all through the story. I think I just needed someone to tell me its fiction and you are allowed to do whatever you want and I was somehow doing it successfully, so I kept with it. One of the reasons I write in the first place is because it allows you to live multiple lives within our one life through our characters. And it was really fun to live Mr Jhas life while I was writing this book. And its interesting that while Mr Jhas particularities are very deeply rooted in Delhi, they also capture something universal. His insecurities, male bravado, sense of competition and pettiness go beyond city and country lines.

Its interesting that you have perspectives across the social spectrum and even otherwise invisible figuresthe drivers, domestic help and watchmenhave strong personalities in your book.

As I mentioned, the idea of having jokes about everyone also translates into the fact that I give everyone a voice. I use the shifting third person perspective and dip in and out of peoples minds and one of the things that interests me the most as a writer is all that is not said in human interactions. Or the misunderstandings that take place with what is said. I am intrigued by the subject of dialogue, how two people can interpret the same situation completely differently. So it became obvious that in order to tap into that, I had to create a rich mental world in which a lot of different perspectives were present.

And while I love the idea of emotional jet lag, for me this is the only reality I know.... I cant imagine the thought of not being at multiple places at once.-

Your first book, Opening Night, was published in 2012. Why are so many journalists calling The Windfall your first book? How much have you evolved as a writer since then?

This is because the US is my primary publisher and this is my American debut. Also I have completely transformed as a writer since then. That was a horribly bad book and this one I think is quite strong. I did an MFA in between and spent time honing my skills.

In one of your interviews you mentioned that you were a cultural chameleon due to your travels and upbringing across continents. How has this permeated your writing? Do you ever feel an emotional jet lag as you move between places?

So I think a lot of what I do in this book and the only bits that are autobiographical are the physical geographic locations because I have lived in Delhi, I have lived in New York City and I have lived in Ithaca. The fact that I can move away from these cities and write about them from a distance helps me write about them better. Because I dont have the proximity to these cities while I am writing about them, I dont get frustrated by them. Delhi is deeply ingrained in me and is literally in my blood. I can see all its bureaucracy, its frustrations, the heat and the cold and the humour when I am a little farther away. My travels give me the physical distance I need in order to write about it. New York is the same. In fact, I often find myself writing about the city Im not in. I find myself writing about New York when Im in Mumbai and Delhi when Im in New York. I never write about the city Im actually in at that particular time. And while I love the idea of emotional jet lag", for me this is the only reality I know. I do it so often that I am usually back in a place before I begin to miss it. I cant imagine the thought of not being at multiple places at once.

It is becoming increasingly hard to be humorous in India where we take everything very seriously. And while characters like Mr Chopra and Mr Jha, different versions of South Delhis nouveau riche, are valid targets for satire, did you worry about offending anyone?

I try not to think about that and I think that as long as you are making fun of everyone, its fair game. And also what I think is crucial and I hope it comes across that I have such a deep love for all my characters, that I am not at any point mocking them. I feel that to laugh at someone with affection is very different from cruel mockery. And it should be equal opportunity for everyone to gently laugh at people and situations. And we should be able to do this irrespective of class, gender or race. The fact that everyone is losing that ability a little bit is increasingly leading to horrific situations around the world.

This also brings me to my next question, which is about censorship and its increasing influence in India. As a writer who is using the tropes of humour and satire, both of which have been targeted in the past, what do you feel about it?

I think its shocking and its sad that a country like India, which was not built on those ideals, is now falling back on censorship. And I have to be careful even as I am saying this and I think that it is extremely frightening. The level at which this is happening, the most recent one being Amartya Sens documentary (The Argumentative Indian) where certain words are considered unacceptable, is very sad and shocking. I definitely hope we see a reversal of that trend in India. As a writer I try not to think about this idea of censorship or offending sentiments. I think the problem is that the whole world is very easily offended and I hope people are reading my book and others in order to enjoy fiction rather than look for things that could offend them.

Tell us about your upcoming work.

My next book is a loose spinoff of The Windfall because I felt so much love for so many of the characters that I wasnt ready to leave them. I am so lucky to have contemporary India as inspiration for fiction that I wasnt ready to say goodbye to the setting either.
Kenny Basumatary: Fight for freedom Kenny Basumatary on playing Netaji in 'Raag Desh', making the 'Local Kung Fu' movies, and being unassumingly political /news/talking-point/kenny-basumatary-fight-for-freedom-111646987759257.html 111646987759257 story

Even by indie standards, Kenny Basumatarys debut feature, Local Kung Fu (2013), was a low-budget film. It was made for Rs95,000, given to Basumatary by his mother. Most of the actors in the Assamese film, which was directed, shot and edited by Basumatary, were family members and friends. His uncle, who runs a martial arts academy in Guwahati, where the film is set, supplied trained fighters. The result was like a fun, original cross between a low-budget action film like El Mariachi and a family-friendly Jackie Chan-starrer.

The sequel, Local Kung Fu 2, set in Tezpur, released in April in Assam. It was made on a budget of Rs28 lakh, with money for post-production raised through crowdsourcing (it is available for paid viewing at Moviesaints.com). Basumatary, who has acted in Shanghai and Mary Kom, plays one of the protagonists in both the Local Kung Fu movies.

It is somewhat funny that a film-maker with such DIY credentials initially fell in love with the big-budget, special effects-heavy blockbusters of Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. As a kid I wanted to make huge sci-fi films like them. All those effects were really big back in the day," says Basumatary, who is playing Subhas Chandra Bose in Tigmanshu Dhulias Raag Desh, a film about the Indian National Army (INA) trials that releases in theatres on 27 July.

Ive interviewed Basumatary twice over the phonethe first time was for Local Kung Fu. The only time Ive met him was at a protest gathering in Mumbai opposing the governments appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India, in 2015. At the time, I did not notice what Dhulia, director of Paan Singh Tomar, didthe uncanny resemblance to Bose.

In a film that revolves around three INA soldiers who were tried for treason against the British Indian army, Basumatarys character doesnt have a lot of screen time. But the role is of great significance, both in terms of Boses historical stature and his relevance today. Basumatarys earliest memory of Bose is not from history books, but from the panels of Amar Chitra Katha comics. A year ago, when the chance came to play Bose, he devoted himself to reading books on him, listening to radio broadcasts and watching video recordings.

Has his perspective on the radical nationalist changed? Basumatary, 36, says he is non-confrontational by nature, but understands the need to consider the context of Boses actions. Bose decided that independence couldnt have been achieved in diplomatic ways but had to be taken by force. His belief was that there were 70,000 Englishmen who were controlling 380 million people. His game plan was to get 50,000 soldiers to drive the British out," says Basumatary.

Kenny Basumatary in Raag Desh.

Raag Desh, produced by Rajya Sabha TV, is a condensed version of a forthcoming miniseries on the trials. Basumatary says he was initially wary as the film was being produced by the government, given that its supporters sometimes portray Bose as a macho idol". But he had faith in Dhulias world view, which matches his.

At one point in the film, for instance, Netaji is shown visiting a Chettiar temple in Burma (now Myanmar). In the scene, the priest tells two of his Muslim officers to leave the temple. Bose says, I want to pray for the country and that includes everyone. When Netaji and his officers come out with tilaks on their foreheads, Bose says, Our religion shouldnt show on our faces, otherwise the country will be divided even before it is united," says Basumatary.

Dhulia decided to cast Basumatary as Bose while they were working on his next film, Yaara, which releases in Octoberhe plays one of the leads in the period gangster epic. Besides Basumatarys physical resemblance to Bose, says Dhulia, it also helped that he is a thinking artist".

Basumatary can be political in unassuming ways. In Local Kung Fu 2an adaptation of Shakespeares The Comedy Of Errors, involving the mix-up of two sets of twins, where one pair knows kung fu and the other doesntone of the lead characters turns out to be gay. This revelation isnt designed as a big coming outit is instead employed as just another piece of information. Later in the film, Basumatary conveys a non-preachy message about homophobia. Thats my way of putting things across. Like Raju Hiranis films, which run to full houses and yet make a point in a wonderful, non-preachy way," he says. Local Kung Fu 2, which was shot simultaneously in Hindi, might be released as a web-series later this year.

Basumatary had lashed out at cinema hall owners in Assam when Baahubali 2 muscled Local Kung Fu 2 out of theatres before the latter could enter its second week. It sparked a debate on whether a policy similar to that of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (where a certain number of shows are reserved for local language films) should be introduced by the state government. It was debated in the local media and won support from the Assamese film industry.

Basumatary doesnt blame the hall owners alone; there arent enough quality Assamese films that people would go to theatres to watch, he says. But many a time, he says, the ones that do manage to get peoples attention dont get a long-enough run to break even (Local Kung Fu 2 earned Rs22 lakh in its first weeka decent sum, according to Basumatary). Part of the problem stems from the shortage of screens. In 2003, the separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Asom organized a series of bomb blasts in cinema halls across the state to drive home its demand for a ban on Hindi films. A large number of halls shut down. There used to be about 150 screens 15 years ago. Now there is half of that," says Basumatary.

Basumatary left Assam to study computer engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1999. He quit four years later and went back home. He worked as a newsreader in Guwahati for three years while working as an actor in local TV serials. One day, speaking to one of his uncles, he realized he needed to move to Mumbai to make it big in movies. I told him, Im comfortable. He said, If I was your age, I wouldnt be comfortable, Id be fighting for my dreams."

And Basumatary did.
A taste of ginjinha Lisbon's favourite liqueur, warms the soul and puts a spring in the step /news/talking-point/a-taste-of-ginjinha-111646987598910.html 111646987598910 story

Do you want to try it in a chocolate cup?" asks Bruno Nobre, the owner of Reis Nobre Bar, an atmospheric old tavern on the cobbled main street of the medieval hilltop town of Obidos, just 85km from Lisbon. It" is ginjinha, a traditional Portuguese liqueur made from sour morello cherries. Since I have arrived in Obidos on the eve of the annual International Chocolate Festival, and considering my sweet tooth, I enthusiastically say yes". Nobre pours a shot of the ruby-red liqueur from a glass decanter into a tiny chocolate mug. Its sweet, perhaps cloyingly so, with a hint of the tartness of the sour cherries, and its potentI can feel the warmth descending my throat. Centuries ago, the monks in the nearby Alcobaca Monastery taught the people in Obidos to farm; the monastery was paid with fruit, which probably led the monks to start making this liqueur," Nobre says.

In Lisbon, which loves its ginjinha, I hear a different story about the origins of the drink. Here it is credited to Francisco Espinheira, a 19th century Galician friar who probably hit upon the idea due to the surplus of fruits from the orchards surrounding Lisbon. Irrespective of who made ginjinha first, the recipe is constantthe fruit is usually picked in June and soaked in the Portuguese brandy aguardente for four-five months, along with a hefty dose of sugar.

Courtesy: Prachi Joshi

There are two variants of ginjinha (often shortened to ginja)com ginja and sem ginja, i.e. with or without cherries. The ginja are at the bottom of the bottle and it requires a fair bit of skill to pour the drink with just one or two cherries popping into the shot glass. Lisboetas down ginjinha at all times of the day; its traditional to order com ginja, drink the liqueur in one shot and then suck on the cherry before spitting out the pit, often on to the street.

The most popular ginjinha spot in Lisbon is A Ginjinha, a hole-in-the-wall store-front just off the monumental Rossio Square. A moving crowd lines up here through the day, and I join the queue one spring evening. Ordering a glass of ginjinha with cherries, I take it outside. Its filled to the brim and the drink threatens to slop over my dress, so I down it in a gulp. Its less syrupy and not as sweet as the Obidos version. Its also a tad strongerit warms the soul and puts a spring in my step as I head towards Alfama for an evening of fado.

Photo: iStockphoto

Lisbons favourite ginjinha bars

A Ginjinha: Lisbons original ginjinha bar, A Ginjinha was the first to start selling the liqueur commercially. Opened in 1840, the bar, still family owned, is run by the fifth generation. Theres often a queue outside, comprising both locals and tourists. A shot of ginjinha costs 1.4 (around Rs100), and the shop also sells bottles of ginjinha for 11 (Largo Sao Domingos 8, 1100-201 Lisbon; open 9am-10pm daily).

Ginjinha Sem Rival: Located opposite A Ginjinha is Ginjinha Sem Rival, a family-run bar that opened its doors in 1890. It is one of the few places that still make the liqueur in-house. The bar is also known for another liqueur, called Eduardino, made from fruits, herbs and aniseed (Rua Portas De Santo Antao 7, 1150-268 Lisbon; open 8am-12midnight weekdays, 9am-12midnight weekends).

Ginginha do Carmo: Opened in the mid-1930s, this is a tiny storefront ginjinha bar located outside Rossio station at the foot of the stairs leading up to Chiado (Calcada do Carmo, 37, 1200-090 Lisbon; open 1.30pm-12midnight).
The Ring Of Truth: Jewellery and the history of feminism Wendy Doniger looks at the mythologies around sex and gender to show how jewellery has enslaved women, rather than liberating them /news/talking-point/the-ring-of-truth-jewellery-and-the-history-of-feminism-111646987440561.html 111646987440561 story

Wendy Doniger is a sparkling interpreter of religious thought and mythology. Her narratives are rigorous and multi-referential, often subversive and playful. Over 16 books, Doniger, essentially a Sanskrit scholar, has written about Hindu gods (for instance, why, or rather how, Shiva is an amalgam of asceticism and eroticism), about androgyny in Hindu mythology, and about sexual masquerades and gender politics in Greek and Sanskrit textual traditions. She writes about religious myths like a storyteller, not a daunting savant or religious leader.

She became famous in India after Dinanath Batra, a Hindu ideologue and educationist, sent a legal notice to her and Penguin, her publisher, when her book, The Hindus: An Alternative History, was published here in 2010. Batra objected to her depiction of Hinduism in the book. So while Doniger, in her mid-70s, is the most prolific and accessible Sanskrit scholar in the world today, she is also reviled by some sections in India.

Her new book, The Ring Of Truth: Myths Of Sex And Jewelry, deals only partly with ancient India and Hindu figures. It is a culmination of her studies across mythologies and civilizations. She returns to the turf she masters: mythologies around sex and gender. She strips the luxurious, romantic veneer off jewellery, the most common of human acquisitions, to tell us why the foundation of the interactions between the human sexes is lop-sided across cultures and continents.

The Ring Of TruthMyths Of Sex And Jewelry: By Wendy Doniger, Speaking Tiger, 397 pages, Rs899.

After Peter Jacksons re-imagining of J.R.R. Tolkiens stupendous Middle Earth saga, the ring has become part of pop culture canon. The ring Doniger is interested in is about power in a much more primitive, human sense. It is power that emanates from thwarted emotions and inherited privilege. She takes us back and forth through ancient India (Kalidas Shakuntala and Valmikis Sita), medieval European romances, Cinderella, Shakespeare, Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth Taylor, the DeBeers cartel and the faceless consumers of the spiel that diamonds are forever, and Candace Bushnells Sex And The City, in which the dazzling Samantha buys her own precious rocks, to wear on any finger she likes.

Like her last book, Doniger builds up the narrative in detailed fragments, zeroing in on episodes, gestures, even imagined dialogues, each illuminating a womans relationship with a piece of jewellery and how literary and mythical figures have used it for social recognition, wealth as well as revenge. Across 11 chapters we get intricate vignettes of desire, sex, gender roles and reversals, and by the end, the fragments build up to a mammoth treeby then the book is a compendious history of feminism itself. The Ring Of Truth is not a book to be read at one go. You read a few chapters, easily remember them because of the gripping details, and return to what follows.

Doniger begins with a character from her own childhoodan uncle, who called himself a gemologist". He claimed to know much more about diamonds than the DeBeers cartel. She takes us through the stories behind some pieces that she herself owns, and why, the dicey side of jewellery" is in her blood. One of the earliest chapters deal with the myth of the ring swallowed by fishpart of folklore, literature and mythology of many cultures since the 17th century. Shakuntalas ring of memory is also a ring inside a fish. Sitas jewels of recognition when she is captive in Lanka is also a ring of memory. So characters associated with them overlap and interject in one chapter.

While building up the multi-stranded narrative, Doniger stays faithful to the details of a story and its cast of characters. Her observations and conclusions are often weaved into the descriptive parts, livelier because of her wit and gentle sarcasm: In general, the married woman who wears jewelry in her husbands absence is a bad wife. But since Sita is a princess, jewelry is an essential part of her being; therefore, she remains a good wife even when she wears her jewelry in exile from her husband." Following a chapter about the slut assumption in the 19th and 20th centuries", and Mae Wests play Night After Night, Doniger reminds us, Years later, Elizabeth Taylor remarked, How many young women get a set of rubies just for doing something wholesome like swimming laps? (Taylor, however, did get a Cartier necklace, bracelet, and earrings from her then husband Mike Todd for swimming laps in their pool in 1957). You dont get 137 million dollars in gems by marching in feminist parades, Larry McMurty said of Taylor."

Jewellery has enslaved women, rarely liberated them. The American idea of happy ever after" that a solitaire or an eternity ring promisesa diamond is forever; it is a girls best friendis the logical end to centuries of women who have fallen for this promise. Both man and mother validate the need for a ring on a womans finger. Doniger is optimistic about the woman who buys herself jewellery in the age of the metrosexual man, although she does not spell it out. She is concerned with the permeability of myths.

The idea of the loyal and passionate woman with a ring has dramatic fodder in fiction even today. In director Sanjay Leela Bhansalis version of Romeo And Juliet, Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), the adorned ring finger is Juliets punishment. After Leela returns with a ring on her finger, given by her lover, the Rajadi heir Ram, the matriarch of the Saneras, played by Supriya Pathak, brutally whacks Leelas ring finger with the hefty tool she uses for cutting betel nuts. Deepika Padukones Leela is a heroine of melting loveliness as well as bristling wit and sensuality. The finger, snapped into two, bleeds into raindrops and she falls from her imperious passion.

Doniger tells us in this book that the ring, and by extension, myths, can be as reliable an arbiter between the past and the present, or as accurate a portrait of our culture, as facts and scientific proofs. The myth is bound to spill over.
Dayanita Singh: A pocketful of museums Is it a book? Is it a museum? Here is the latest in Dayanita Singh's relentless pursuit of 'book objects' /news/talking-point/dayanita-singh-a-pocketful-of-museums-111646987527656.html 111646987527656 story

Choosing from the array of handmade boxes that Dayanita Singhs Pocket Museum comes encased in is not an easy task. Each box is dressed in a one-of-a-kind fabric weave and brings forth a particular memory and association: The one in pink, for instance, with its bootis, evokes images of my grandmother dressed in a starched Chikan sari. The navy-blue box brings to the surface those mixed feelings of loneliness and liberation that I felt in the ink-hued house which I stayed in when I first moved away from home for work.

Childhood wins in this battle of memories and I go home with the pink box. Created in an edition of 3,000 by the German publisher Steidl, and consisting of nine individual museums in book form, Pocket Museum is a miniature version of Singhs travelling exhibition, Museum Bhavan, which she launched in 2015. Museum Bhavan was a collection of nine museums", or photo-architecture, as Singh called it, which displayed images from the time she began photographing in 1981.

This is the 56-year-old artists attempt at creating a form that is both unique and mass-produced. Several artists in the past have experimented with the genre of book objects". However, not many apart from Singh have relentlessly pursued the book as their primary form. As Jordan G. Teicher writes in The New York Times: In the last decade, form has been at the centre of Ms Singhs creative pursuits. Her most recent endeavors, which she calls book objects, simultaneously comprise a book, an object for display, an exhibition and a catalog of that exhibition. Small, portable and endlessly customizable, they are, she proposes, the museums of the future." In an interview, Singh talks about the making of the Pocket Museum. Edited excerpts:

Singhs book objects and photo bookseach edition of Museum Bhavan comes wrapped in a one-of-a-kind cloth covering. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

The art writer Aveek Sen has described the endless proliferation of your museums as fascinatingly Borgesian. Could you describe the trajectory of this idea of book-as-exhibition, which started with Sent A Letter (2007)?

With Sent A Letter, it became clear to me that a book could also be an exhibition. I wanted to get my books at par with the prints. So, for Sent A Letter, Steidl published 2,000 copies of the seven letters which I had made for friends whom I had travelled with. Then I made the File Room and Museum Of Chance book objects. For the Pocket Museum, the images from the Museum Bhavan acted as the raw material. For instance, I delved into the larger collection of the File Museum, not wanting to repeat what was in the File Room book, and made a fresh edit. That became the Godrej Museum, which has images just of the stainless steel Godrej cupboards. It was interesting , this exploration, of finding a museum within a museum.

Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

How different was the process of archiving, editing and sequencing Pocket Museum compared to Museum Bhavan?

Completely different. One edits very differently for both, the sequencing is done in a linear way. The book is bound to its sequence, while the museums disrupt the sequence. I have also added a book of conversations. So, people who have Sent A Letter and now the Pocket Museum would have 16 exhibitions of my work.

Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

What was your idea of engagement when you set out to make the Pocket Museum?

Firstly, I find it deeply moving that this box will be in peoples homes. That is a privilege. You might show it to someone as a book, open just two pages from two museums together like a photo frame, or open all of them up, accordion-like, on nine shelves, have a Sunday exhibition at home for your friends and even make a Dayanita wall by showing both Sent A Letter and Pocket Museum. And then you tell me: Is it a book? Is it an exhibition, is it mass-produced or is it unique?

Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

The box itself is like a work of art. Could you tell us about its creation?

We were earlier going with plain fabric of different colours, but then I thought maybe one could try different kinds of Khadi. I told my friend Anuradha Patni of Xylem Papercraft, who had earlier made the box for Sent A Letter, that I wanted to do it differently this time around. She had shown me a fabric some time ago which was actually the under-cloth of block printing. It contained residue of all the colours that went into the fabric. I felt that it was a lot like my work, and hence a perfect fit. And most of all, each box would thus be unique. The box is not smooth; rather, it has a scaly feel to it. It has a life of its own. Some of the boxes even have bootis. Say, you put it on the wall in a way that you cant see the name Museum Bhavan printed on it but just the plain surface of the box. Now imagine if you have 50 of these in a different palette. Because you choose this box from the hundreds available, based on your memories and associations, you engage with it differently. When I decided on the box, I informed Gerhard Steidl that I had found a way to make the Pocket Museum unique. Once he approved, a container the size of my room, containing 3,000 unique empty boxes, went to him, to be filled with books. When you look at the different layers of the journey that the Pocket Museum has undertaken, you will realize its a book, an exhibition and also a conceptual work. There is a sense of continuity from my past works as welleven technically. The inside cloth is the same as Sent A Letter. The size is the same as well.

In some ways the Museum Bhavan stays on with the Pocket Museum. It lives on in your homes, it has a life outside the very institutions that acquired it. And now it is done and time to move on. -

What is the next step in the journey that Pocket Museum has set out on?

Pocket Museum is a new concept, and therefore needs to be presented in new ways. I see that process of placement" as part of making of the work". So, I wrote to author Orhan Pamuk. His Museum Of Innocence has been a huge inspiration. I asked if the Pocket Museum could be presented within the Museum Of Innocence. So, on 7 September, Orhan Pamuk will present my Pocket Museum in his museum. And if that were not enough, I had the cheek to write to Tate Modern and ask if they would like to host my Pocket Museum in their museum. And now Tate Modern will be hosting a talk and signing in September. TateShots (a series of short videos focusing on modern and contemporary art) will be making a 5-minute film on the Pocket Museum. I like the idea of my Pocket Museum engaging with the big institutional museums. I see no reason why Tate shouldnt create their own pocket museum with miniature exhibitions of (Jackson) Pollock, (Robert) Rauschenberg, (Wolfgang) Tillmans and more.

Your projects are like living thingspulsating, germinating, giving life to new ideas. Is it now the Museum Bhavans turn to give rise to another book/museum?

I feel that the whole story, which started with Sent A Letter, has completed its cycle a decade later. When I made the Museum Bhavan, I thought that all the mobile museums would be living with me in my home. But almost all have been acquired by other museums. In some ways the Museum Bhavan stays on with the Pocket Museum. It lives on in your homes, it has a life outside the very institutions that acquired it. And now it is done and time to move on. I have not had time to look at all the images that I have made in the past three years. I think it is in the editing process that the works and their forms will reveal themselves. But since you ask, one of the strains is to revisit all the little ladies I photographed during the Privacy yearsthey are all young women now. It may take the form of a book or an ephemeral projection. I will make each of the girls a small archive of their own. They will be its custodians.

It has been a privilege to be allowed into their domestic space. These girls have a picture, which I took, hanging in their room. Its an image of themselves through my eyes. I have been living inside their homes for many years. What book or museum could compare with that domestic archive that gets created?

The Pocket Museum, published by Steidl, is priced at Rs5,500 and is being distributed in India by Roli Books. It releases later this month.
Texas added 36,100 seasonally adjusted jobs in June as the unemployment rate dropped to 4.6 percent, according to data released Friday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The expansion marked the 12th consecutive month of job growth and was broadly distributed, with professional and business services the only private sector industry to shed jobs.

The San Antonio area added jobs as well, growing by roughly 1,200 positions to bring the unemployment rate down to 4 percent from 4.1 percent. The area has seen its unemployment rate hover between 3.9 percent and 4.2 percent all year.

If its not at full employment, its really close to it, said Steve Nivin, an associate professor of economics at St. Marys University.

With the June numbers, the Fed now forecasts Texas to grow by 2.8 percent this year, far surpassing the 1.2 percent growth in 2016.

Strong job growth in June and a rebound in the leading index pushed the job forecast to its highest level this year. Growth in the second quarter was 2.8 percent, the fastest we have seen since the end of 2014, Keith R. Phillips, Dallas Fed assistant vice president and senior economist, said in a statement. Due to a new policy at the Federal Reserve, Phillips wasnt available for an interview.

For San Antonio, Nivin said he expects growth in 2017 to be slightly lower than last year. Employment grew by 2.7 percent in the area for all of 2016.

Its not like the growth rates bad, Nivin said. Its just slowing.

Nivin said that in addition to a lack of potential workers, another reason for slower growth could be decreased economic activity by Latinos uncomfortable with the national political climate.

Two of the biggest hiring sectors for San Antonio were financial activities, and education and health services, which grew by 1,100 jobs and 1,200 jobs, respectively. The construction, mining and natural resources sector added 1,100 jobs.

Ruben Ortega, a division director at the staffing company Robert Half, which is focused on finance and accounting, said he has seen a lot of companies increasing wages and offering more flexible benefits packages to attract and retain workers.

Theres a lot of movement within the professional sector, Ortega said.

One local worker looking to take advantage of that is Linda Perez, a teacher who left the San Antonio Independent School District at the end of the spring semester. Perez, who also has experience working in a medical lab, plans on moving to a new school district. But she attended the League of United Latin American Citizens job fair earlier this month because she was open to jumping to the private sector if she could find a salary comparable to teaching.

Im just kind of exploring different opportunities that are out there, Perez said.

Despite shrinking statewide, business and professional services stayed flat in San Antonio. Several call centers, which are included in this sector, were recruiting workers at the LULAC job fair in San Antonio.

One of those call centers is for Spectrum, a telecommunications brand owned by Charter Communications that has been consistently adding jobs over the past year. Rae-Lynn Wells, a recruiter at Charter Communications, said the Spectrum call center has 500 agents, up from roughly 170 last year, and is still expanding.

Our biggest need is bilingual, Spanish-speaking inbound sales, Wells said.

Southwest Airlines was also present at the job fair, looking to recruit workers for its call center. According to representative Dawn Foster, Southwests call center employees start at $11.84 per hour and bilingual call center workers make $12.84 per hour.

jpound@express-news.net

Twitter: @jesserpound
China's international cooperation is reflected in global treaty efforts, bilateral and multilateral programs and concrete actions

The seriousness of transnational human trafficking, especially the trafficking of women and children, makes close international cooperation absolutely necessary to address this heinous crime.

As a signatory to international treaties on human trafficking, China has always attached importance to international cooperation in the fight against such transnational crimes. China signed the supplementary protocol of the UN Convention Against Organized Transnational Crime aimed at preventing and prohibiting human trafficking, and punishing the perpetrators, in December 2009 and ratified it in February 2010.

As a UN convention, the protocol provides the legal basis for global cooperation in combating and preventing human trafficking. Until May 5 last year, China had signed 121 criminal, civil judicial assistance and extradition treaties with 67 countries. By September 2014, the Ministry of Public Security had established bilateral police cooperation mechanisms with 83 countries and regions to investigate and collect evidence in human trafficking cases, as well as extradite criminal suspects.

China has also formulated action plans for international cooperation to combat human trafficking. Its 2013-20 action plan, released in March 2013, sets concrete targets and measures for the global fight against transnational human trafficking and assigns different responsibilities to different departments.

On the multilateral level, the Public Security Ministry and the All-China Women's Federation started cooperating with international agencies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund and the International Labour Organization, to combat trafficking. Since 1999, the ministry and federation have also been closely cooperating with UNICEF to especially combat trafficking of, and violence against, women and children.

In June 2000, China joined the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Mekong River Subregion, which also includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. With funding from Save the Children UK, the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, the ILO and other agencies organized a symposium in Kunming, Yunnan province, in July 2004, to discuss how to intensify the crackdown on and prevent the trafficking of women and children in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Anhui provinces.

In October 2004, a Chinese delegation comprising officials from multiple departments attended a ministerial-level meeting in Myanmar to combat human trafficking in the Mekong River Subregion, during which China signed memorandums of understanding with the other five countries on fighting human trafficking in the region.

Additionally, China has joined the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking, which began in 2004, and approved a subregional action plan covering policy proposals for 11 projects. In December 2007, the Chinese government sponsored the second ministerial-level meeting on cooperation to combat human trafficking in the Mekong River Subregion and signed a joint declaration with the other five countries.

Aside from multilateral cooperation, China has also effectively cooperated with neighboring countries on the bilateral level. For example, it has signed police cooperation agreements with Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia to combat trafficking of women and children.

Since April 2004, the Public Security Ministry has held high-level consultations with police authorities from Vietnam, Myanmar and other neighboring countries on how to intensify the crackdown on transnational human trafficking and strengthen bilateral cooperation. And regular meeting mechanisms have been established and liaison offices set up in the border regions with other countries to facilitate cooperation in this area.

Moreover, China has signed an intergovernmental accord on human trafficking with Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and maintained police cooperation with Angola, Congo, Indonesia, Spain, Austria and other countries. This has helped smash several transnational gangs involved in trafficking women and running prostitution rackets.

China's cooperation with the international community in the fight against human trafficking is reflected not only in its efforts to undertake global treaty obligations, but also in a series of bilateral and multilateral cooperation programs and concrete actions it has carried out.

The author is a professor at the School of International Studies, Peking University, and a council member of the China Society for Human Rights Studies. The article was first published in the overseas edition of People's Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/21/2017 page13)
NEW YORK - Rachel Bay Jones has a theory about the roots of the terrible act upon which everything else hinges in the Tony Award-winning "Dear Evan Hansen" - the lie that Evan perpetuates and that ultimately causes such enormous heartache. Her hypothesis concerns not so much the grieving family he hurts, but rather the rift in his own family, the drifting apart of Evan and the character Jones plays, Evan's mom, Heidi.

As she sees it, the key to the show's devastating turn of events is the fraying of the bond between Evan, a teenager of profound anxieties, and Heidi, an overstressed single mother. At a time when parent and child normally separate, these two don't, not healthily and not in equal measure. They're so accustomed to being there for each other, she says, that when the distractions multiply, with Heidi overwhelmed by other responsibilities and Evan growing ever more socially isolated, the son looks elsewhere to restore his sense of stability.

"When that relationship is torn apart for whatever reason, and the closeness is lost, as naturally happens to teenagers, he goes to another family for that," she says. "It explains so much about why Evan could lie so easily to this other family, because he was used to taking care of his single mom."

Jones has had lots of time to ponder the psychological framework of "Dear Evan Hansen." She's been with the show for more than three years now, having played Heidi since the first reading in Manhattan in 2014. She was in the versions of the show that premiered at Arena Stage in Washington in 2015 and then off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre, before it moved to Broadway last fall. She and Ben Platt, who plays Evan, have spent these years forging one of the more nuanced mother-son connections the musical theater has known, a sophisticated collaboration the theater world enshrined last month by voting them both Tony Awards for their performances.

Platt has been widely celebrated for his wrenchingly intense, all but superhuman exertions in the musical by songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book writer Steven Levenson. But the 47-year-old Jones - who grew up in South Florida and has been working in the theater since arriving in New York in 1989 and almost instantaneously being cast in a Broadway version of "Meet Me in St. Louis" - creates in Heidi something just as remarkable. That fact is affirmed in powerhouse moments such as the evening's penultimate number, the ravishing "So Big/So Small," about the breakup of her marriage and its impact on Evan.

In some ways, her challenge is even more formidable, given the time constraints of bringing supporting characters fully into being in a musical. Jones has to meet the demands of animating Heidi's vulnerabilities and strengths in highly economical fashion. In an interview recently in the green room backstage at the Music Box Theatre, she talked wistfully about the scenes that had to be trimmed and lines that were cut that more luxuriously explored the boundaries of Heidi and Evan's lives together. Fortunately, three years in the skin of another person provide an actor with a useful cushion, especially as that process pertains to a self-described "slow, deep learner" such as Jones.

"I know this woman," she says of Heidi. "She's real. And she's not me. She's not. There's a lot of me in her because what else can we bring out, but our own experience and our own observations?

"I have a 14-year-old daughter, so a lot of this comes from personal experience," she adds. "A lot of this comes from the relationship I have with my own mother, the relationship she has with her mother. And with Heidi in particular, something I can definitely relate to is that she's just trying to survive, you know? There's an instinct that parents have for survival that teenagers don't sometimes have. We know this about life. We know that when something comes up, it's like, 'Buck up! Get your s--- together! It's a long road!' "

The road for Jones began in Boca Raton, Florida, in a household filled to the rafters with drama: Her parents, Dennis Jones and Mona Feit, classical actors who worked extensively at Shakespeare festivals, were, as she describes it, "very grand." Her father was "this kind of reserved, composed guy, and my mother is the most explosive, the biggest, the most everything - and as a parent she's like that, too. Shakespeare was freely quoted in the house and that was just the way they spoke."

They left the business after Rachel and her brother came along, opening up health food stores (and eventually retiring to Hawaii). Their introverted daughter didn't grow up wanting to emulate them. But at some point in adolescence, she succumbed, and dropped out of Spanish River High School in Boca to appear in a production of William Inge's "Picnic" at Florida Atlantic University, where a cast mate was Marc Kudisch, an actor who would become a lifelong friend.

Along with a group of students from the university, she moved to New York, lacking any formal training in acting or voice - to this day, she says, she's never taken a class. "I've never been a performer performer, like, 'Look at me! Look what I can do!' I can't function on that level. As soon as I start to try doing that, I crumble.

"So," she adds, "I don't really want to be looked at. But I desperately want to be seen."

Jones' stage career is one of those that has accelerated as she has matured. After appearances in the Broadway revival of "Hair!" in 2009 and a musical adaptation of the movie "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" in 2010, a bona fide breakthrough occurred for her in the 2013 revival of "Pippin," a Tony-winning revival in which she played Catherine, who sings the buoyant Stephen Schwartz song, "Ordinary Woman."

And then came "Evan." Levenson, among others, has observed that right from that initial reading, Jones' portrayal became a part of the project that the creative team wanted to preserve. That's great for an actor's confidence, but it hasn't meant that living inside a musical that deals with such sensitive topics as suicide and mental illness has become any easier. "It's hard to want to go to work some days, because it's so deep and it requires so much of every cell," she says. "You just wake up some mornings, and your chest hurts."

You don't tend to think of being in a musical as something to recover from. That's why for Jones, the hopeful final scene is a particular blessing.

"There's a gentle uplift, a beautiful sort of flowering that comes out at the end of the show, and that allows all of us to walk away without wanting to end it all," she says, laughing. "Heidi needs that, and Evan needs that. And Rachel needs that."

- - -

Dear Evan Hansen, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Steven Levenson. Directed by Michael Greif. Tickets: $119-$499. At the Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., New York. Visit telecharge.com or call 212-239-6200.
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The festivities of highly-influential comic convention Comic-Con International San Diego officially began Wednesday and the action won't stop until Sunday, July 23.

FLASHBACK: Hottest cosplay costumes from San Diego Comic-Con 2016

Expect plenty of costumes, celebrities and industry surprises. The convention's website is packed with information that will make many fans want to hop a plane to California at this very moment.

Story continues below...

Fans in the know are expecting to get more detailed intel on heavily-anticipated film properties like a "Tomb Raider" reboot, Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One," "Blade Runner 2049," "Ocean's Eight," and maybe even more footage from "Deadpool 2."

BATTLE STATIONS: Legal battle brewing between Comic-Con, comic-con

Big TV franchises like "Game of Thrones," "The Walking Dead" and "Westworld" are also expected to make some major announcements.

Of course being a comic convention, it brings out the best and brightest stars of cosplay, the folks who spend all year perfecting screen-worthy costumes
Denim, boots and cowboy hats stunned the dance floor at the weekly ladies' night-turned Daisy Dukes contest at San Antonio's Wild West.

The country nightclub on the far Northeast Side hosted the weekly series that boasts a $400 prize for those who rock the tiny cut-offs best.
Federal officers arrested 123 criminal immigrants and immigration violators in south and central Texas, including Laredo, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations said Friday.

ICE said the enforcement operation began July 10 and ended Wednesday. In Laredo, officers arrested 27 people, including a man from Mexico convicted of heroin possession.
Two Laredo police officers walked out a suspected stash house with bags of evidence on Thursday after a human smuggling attempt was thwarted with a raid of the mobile home near Springfield Avenue and Bustamante Street.

Police said there appeared to be immigrants being held against their will at the suspected stash house.
It was a very fine Tuesday morning when a group of African journalists and Chinese officials gathered at 4 am in front of the Seven Star Lake Desert Hotel in the Kubuqi Desert.

We were going on a trip to the desert to see the sun rise.

Curiosity and a love of nature is what made most of us decide to join the early-morning trip, even though we were weary from the previous day's long hours of touring.

Sunsets are popular in Africa and produce picturesque views - but sunrise? It was worth exploring, we reasoned.

Twenty-seven journalists from as many African countries, in China on a 10-month exchange program, were accompanied in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region by three officials from the China Africa Press Centre, the organizers.

For those of us who had opted for the desert trip, the drive was not too long and soon we were at the location where we would wait patiently until the sun was ready to rise from its slumber.

The trek to the best vantage point on the dunes in the Kubuqi Desert was not an easy one, and only the most willing and determined made the ascent.

Every step we took, our feet would sink deep into the fine desert sand and it took some skill and strength to put one foot in front of the other.

Eventually, the party of 13 people was able to get to the apex of the dunes and see, sprawled beneath them, a vast expanse of desert, shrubs and - what a surprise - in the distance, a crater filled with water . .. an oasis!

Some balancing skills were needed to avoid sliding down the dunes, and one organizer gave us a scare when he cautioned us not to stray too far or risk sliding down and being swallowed by quicksand.

I hope that wasn't true. Thankfully it wasn't put to the test.

The trip was worth it, however, because not long afterward we saw the rays of the sun appearing gradually from the clouds.

What a majestic sight it was when the sun eventually appeared in all its splendor. A beautiful golden hue engulfed us.

The cameras started clicking and the pictures were breathtaking.

"Wow" became the word of the moment - and what an emotional moment it was for all of us.

The glory of the sun as it rose over the Kubuqi Desert could easily provoke tears.

"Nature is beautiful. Nature is wonderful and we are glad that we cut short our sleep to witness this splendor."

That was the silently spoken sentiment of those who had braved the dunes.

Soon the heat of the sun grew in intensity and we had no choice but to return to our base - the hotel - and get ready for the day's activities.

The experience on the dunes had invigorated us for the day's activities, which included traveling to another city in Inner Mongolia autonomous region - Ordos, in the Kangbashi New District.

We were ready to take on any activity lined up for the day after that awe-inspiring and emotional encounter with nature. The memory will stay with us for a very long time.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/21/2017 page22)
A second arrest has been made in connection with a home invasion that occurred Sunday in central Laredo.

David Guardiola, 31, was charged Tuesday with burglary of a habitation with intent to commit aggravated assault with a firearm and theft of a motor vehicle.
A school district in Texas approved a measure that would allow paddling as a form of punishment starting in the upcoming academic year.

Three Rivers Independent School District in South Texas passed the new system Tuesday. It allows "campus behavior coordinators and/or the principal" to administer corporal punishment with a witness present, according to the text of the policy. The witness must be of the opposite sex of the student.
Jeb Bush once famously argued against Donald Trump's presidential candidacy by calling Trump a "chaos candidate," who, if elected, would be a "chaos president."

That's a subjective descriptor. But the resignation of Sean Spicer as press secretary on Friday is a reminder that there has been an awful lot of tumult both within the White House and within Trump's inner circle.

A brief overview of the firings, resignations and disruptions under President Trump:

Jan. 20. Trump is inaugurated. Non-career diplomats who were given ambassador positions by Barack Obama were told to end their service immediately on that day, an unusual move.

Jan. 30. Trump fires Sally Yates, the acting attorney general, when Yates makes clear that she won't ask the Department of Justice to defend Trump's immigration ban. Yates was also pivotal in drawing the White House's attention to national security adviser Michael Flynn's apparent misrepresentations of his conversations with the Russian ambassador.

Feb. 13. Michael Flynn resigns after 23 days on the job. Flynn's resignation came after Vice President Pence told CBS News in an interview that Flynn hadn't discussed sanctions with the ambassador, which he apparently had.

March 2. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuses himself from any decisions involving Russian meddling in the 2016 election because of his role on Trump's campaign.

March 10. Sessions abruptly asks 46 U.S. attorneys to tender their resignations, not in itself an unusual move. Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for New York's Southern District, refuses to comply and is fired. He'd been told by Trump that he could retain his position when the two met in November at Trump Tower.

May 9. FBI director James Comey is fired by Trump. His successor has not yet been confirmed.

May 30. White House communications director Mike Dubke resigns after three months on the job.

July 20. Mark Corallo, spokesman for the legal team defending Trump on the Russia investigation, resigns. Lead attorney Marc Kasowitz steps back from that position.

July 21. Press secretary Sean Spicer resigns after Anthony Scaramucci is hired to replace Dubke.

Overlaid on top of this is the unusually slow pace of appointments from the Trump administration. Trump has formally nominated 146 people to positions, with only 50 confirmed, as of this week. There are still 357 Senate-confirmable positions for which no nominations have been announced. That's well behind the pace for other recent presidents.

This list doesn't include a number of people originally identified as possibly serving in the Trump White House who subsequently withdrew their nominations.

Among those:

Possible Comey replacements Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, former FBI official Richard McFeely and former Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman, all of whom withdrew from consideration for the FBI job.

Andrew Puzder, who was nominated to run the Department of Labor.

Vincent Viola and Mark Green, who withdrew from consideration to serve as secretary of the Army.

Philip Bilden, who withdrew from consideration to serve as secretary of the Navy.

Todd Ricketts, who withdrew from consideration for deputy secretary of commerce.

James Donovan, who withdrew from consideration for deputy secretary of the Treasury.

James Clinger, who withdrew from consideration for chairman of the FDIC.

David Petraeus and Robert Harward, who withdrew from consideration to replace Michael Flynn.

Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., who was nominated to run the Office of Drug Control Policy.

Monica Crowley, who was nominated as spokesperson for the National Security Council.

George Conway, husband of adviser Kellyanne Conway, who withdrew from consideration for a position at the Department of Justice.

The extent to which any of these resignations, firings or withdrawals affects the day-to-day operation of the White House is unclear. But it's safe to say that there have been a lot, and that the White House is not the well-oiled machine Trump once argued.

Some might even call it chaotic.
JERUSALEM - After a long, hot day of violent protests that saw three Arab Muslims fatally shot during clashes, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced Friday night that his government would "freeze contact on all levels" with Israel until newly installed metal detectors are removed from the entrances to al-Aqsa Mosque.

As news of Abbas's ultimatum broke, the Israeli military spokesman's office reported that three Israelis were fatally stabbed late Friday by an assailant who entered their home in Halamish, a Jewish settlement in the northern West Bank. The attacker was shot. Israel's Channel 2 news station said the assailant was Palestinian.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry, a hospital and the Red Crescent ambulance service reported that three Palestinians were killed in the clashes and dozens more wounded. Many more suffered from inhaling tear gas, the medics said.

In his statement, Abbas did not say whether his ultimatum would mean a halt to the security coordination between Palestinian police and intelligence units and their Israeli counterparts - an uneven but working relationship that senior Israeli military commanders have long credited with tamping down potentially explosive violence in the West Bank.

The fast-moving events came as Israel and the Palestinians are locked in a dangerous showdown over Israel's decision to install the metal detectors at the entrances to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound after a shooting rampage at the site last week.

On Friday, thousands of Muslim worshipers knelt in prayer on hot pavement and cobbled alleys around the Old City in an escalating protest.

After peaceful midday prayers ended, a wave of tire burning and stone throwing by Palestinians began in Arab communities around East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The protests were met by harsh Israeli countermeasures, including the use of water cannons, rubber bullets, stun grenades and live ammunition.

Palestinian authorities and media reports identified the three dead Palestinians as Muhammad Abu Ghanam, Muhammad Sharaf and Muhammad Mahmoud Khalaf.

Israeli officials said the "circumstances were being investigated" in the deaths of the three Palestinians. Five Israeli police officers also were lightly wounded in the earlier clashes.

Israeli authorities said thousands of Palestinians, from Israel, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, participated in the demonstrations and the rushed funerals that followed.

Israeli police units in riot gear shut down entrances to the Old City with barricades, conducted searches and checked identification cards, and refused entry to Arab men under age 50.

The day's protests were sparked by a decision by Israel to erect metal detectors at the entrance to the mosque compound in the Old City.

Israeli authorities said the detectors were necessary to protect Muslim worshipers and Israeli forces after three young Arab Israelis smuggled a pistol and two homemade machine guns into the compound and emerged to shoot and kill two Israeli Border Police officers a week ago. The three gunmen were killed in a shootout with police.

Many Palestinians, who say it is their sacred duty to defend the mosque, saw the introduction of metal detectors as an additional instrument of control by Israel and refused to believe that the added security was for their own protection.

Muslim spiritual leaders called on their followers to come to Jerusalem to pray at the barricades Friday, the Muslim holy day, as a form of protest.

One of those who joined the gathering Friday, Jamal Hassan, 58, a religious leader from Qalqilyah in the West Bank, said the worshipers would not back down.

"We will not pass through their metal detectors," he said. "Al-Aqsa is our place of worship, not theirs."

Jowad Dibis, 50, from the Shuafat Palestinian refugee camp in East Jerusalem, voiced suspicion of Israel's motives. "This is all part of the Israeli plan," he said. "Little by little, they want to take al-Aqsa away from us and put up their own temple."

Israeli officials have pointed out that the Jewish center of prayer, the Western Wall, is accessible only to those who first pass through security checkpoints, including metal detectors. Israeli leaders also said that metal detectors are used at Muslim holy sites around the world, including in Medina and Mecca.

"Mecca is completely different," said Dibis when asked why he opposed the new security measure in Jerusalem. "That is Saudis for Saudis - Saudi Arabia protecting Muslims. This is an occupation, a big difference. You think they want to protect us? Everything is about controlling us."

The raised esplanade in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City is revered by both Muslims and Jews. Muslims call it Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, and it is the spot where the faithful believe the prophet Muhammad went on his night journey to heaven. Al-Aqsa is Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina.

Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount. It is Judaism's holiest site, believed to mark the foundation stone of the world's creation and the place where Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. It was also once the site of two Jewish temples.

Israel and Jordan share responsibility for running the site under a complicated "status quo" agreement that has been in place for decades. Any change to that agreement - by either side - is seen as a provocation. Under the arrangement, Muslims are allowed to enter and pray freely, while Jews and other visitors can go inside but are forbidden to pray there.

Jordan and other Sunni Muslim states pressured Israel this week to remove the metal detectors and ease the new security measures, fearing a flare-up of violence.

The White House released a statement Thursday expressing concern over the rising tensions in the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met late Thursday with senior ministers and representatives from the Israeli police, the army and the internal security service to decide whether to leave the metal detectors in place or find alternative security measures.

The Israeli army and the internal security service were reported to be advocates for removing the metal detectors, while the Israeli police and Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan wanted them left in place.

"Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo and freedom of access at the holy sites. Israel is also committed to protecting the safety of all worshipers and visitors," according to a statement released by the government after the meeting.

Israeli Arab member of parliament Jamal Zahalka said the decision to transfer the matter to the Israeli police was a sham.

Erdan, the minister, told The Washington Post on Thursday that the measures were implemented purely for security reasons and to prevent copycat attacks.

"Many, many mosques around the world have exactly the same security checks, and many use metal detectors," he said. "Any protest over this is really an issue over who has sovereignty at the Temple Mount."

- - -

The Washington Post's Sufian Taha contributed to this report.
British 2nd Lt. P.D. Elliman had escaped from the German onslaught in a driving rain. He and his men from the Royal Artillery had fled in a truck they were forced to abandon. Now, on the evening of May 29, 1940, they found themselves jammed with thousands of others on the beach at the northern French coastal town of Dunkirk.

Smoke from burning oil tanks drifted over the city. And German "Stuka" dive bombers, equipped with terrifying sirens, swooped overhead "like a flock of huge, infernal seagulls," he wrote later.

Suddenly, one made for the spot where he and his men huddled.

"I heard (it) coming down in a vertical dive right on top of me," he wrote, according to historian Hugh Sebag-Montefiore. "I was now dulled by hours . . . of explosions . . . so that the imminence of death aroused no great feeling of fear . . . The next moment: Crash! Darkness! And then a vision of falling sand . . . I realized I had been missed . . . I could hear the plane climbing away over Dunkirk."

The World War II drama that unfolded at Dunkirk - scarcely remembered by most Americans - is the subject of a new movie of the same name that opens this week. The product of British director Christopher Nolan, it seeks to compress the eight days of tragedy, desperation and heroism into 107 frantic minutes.

The United States, which would not enter World War II for a year and a half, watched the Dunkirk calamity from the sidelines. For Americans, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima and D-Day would become the war's memorable events.

But in Britain it still resonates powerfully.

"It showed the nation at its best," Sebag-Montefiore wrote. "So many people from all walks of life (came) together to demonstrate that famous all-conquering spirit. Nearly every British family either has or had a relative or acquaintance who was there."

Dunkirk was the evacuation site for 338,000 British and French troops who had fled the German army as it blitzed through Belgium and France in the opening months of World War II. The battered allied soldiers were pushed into a narrow seaside pocket where they were bombed and shelled, and awaited annihilation.

Britain expected only about 30,000 to be saved.

Instead, from May 26 to June 3, many more were rescued by 800 British warships, excursion boats, barges, lifeboats, tugboats, fishing trawlers, paddle steamers, a fire boat, and a Thames River "sludge hopper" that got them across the English Channel to safety.

In one case, echoed somewhat in the movie, a father and son sailed their yacht from Southampton to Dunkirk to help out, according to British maritime historian E. Keble Chatterton.

But the ships, too, braved air attacks, as well as artillery fire from shore, torpedoes, mines, and treacherous tides and weather.

Many of them, including a hospital ship whose demise is shown in the movie, never returned. Twenty five Royal Navy destroyers, along with roughly 150 other vessels were lost or damaged, according to Sebag-Montefiore's book, "Dunkirk, Fight to the Last Man."

"It was in conditions such as these that our men carried on," British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, four weeks after he had taken office. "With little or no rest, for days and nights on end . . . across the dangerous waters bringing with them always men whom they had rescued."

The pity was that "so many of the small vessels, which disappeared into the Dunkirk haze, left no record behind them, and will never receive the thanks due to them," Chatterton wrote in his 1940 book, "The Epic of Dunkirk."

As Britain realized the magnitude of the German army's victories in May, 1940, it summoned and requisitioned boats of all kinds to help in the evacuation. Since many soldiers were congregated on the beach, shallow water boats were needed, along with bigger steamers that could carry more men.

Often, the bigger vessels would wait in deeper water while barges and rowboats went in to fetch men from the beach.

Vessels like the Constant Nymph, a motor yacht owned by a London doctor, made the journey. So did the Royal Daffodil, a new two-stack pleasure boat, and the elegant paddle steamer, Crested Eagle, whose bones still litter the Dunkirk beach.

The tug, St. Abbs, went, and did not come back. The doomed hospital ship, Paris, made six trips, and was bombed and machine gunned to the bottom on her last one. The excursion steamer, St. Seiriol, made seven trips, braved numerous air attacks, and rescued 900 men. But the strain was tremendous, and at one point a military doctor sent the master and crew home to rest, Chatterton wrote. Another crew took over.

Maj. Rupert Colvin, of the 2d Grenadier Guards, and his men were picked up by a motor launch towing some life boats. They headed for a nearby British destroyer, probably HMS Keith. But as they approached, the destroyer was attacked by enemy planes and fled as its men abandoned ship, according to Sebag-Montefiore.

Colvin, along with survivors from the Keith and a sunken British minesweeper, were taken aboard the St. Abbs. "Most of them were practically dead with cold" and covered in oil, Colvin recalled. One man wore a life jacket but had lost both arms below the elbow.

Then the St. Abbs was attacked by the German planes. The tug split in half and sank in 45 seconds. Colvin was thrown free.

"Men were now dying every moment from cramps, and their cries for help were pathetic," he wrote. "It was the second time that day that many of these sailors had faced by drowning. We were all very near the end of our tether."

He was eventually picked up by yet another ship and was attacked again, but survived.

The doomed Crested Eagle was "one of the most beautifully designed hulls that ever used the Thames," Chatterton wrote. The excursion steamer burst into flames when it was hit.

"Many men were seen to jump overboard, and as she grounded on the beach it was one white-hot mass that no power could put out," he wrote. "Londoners will not easily forgive the Nazis for having destroyed the Crested Eagle."

Dunkirk, the evacuation, closed, as does "Dunkirk," the movie, with Churchill's words.

"We shall go on to the end," he said. "We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches . . . We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."

---

Part of a continuing series about facets of the past that remain relevant.
When the Iraqi government launched an online recruitment drive for its elite counterterrorism forces in May, a startling 300,000 men applied. Of those, 3,000 passed a preliminary screening. Only about 1,000 are expected to be accepted into the rigorous joint American-Iraqi training academy, an American military trainer said.

The staggering response points to the popularity of the "Golden Division" following its high-profile role in wresting back territory from the Islamic State. But the rigorous selection process highlights the challenge of rebuilding a force that the United States says lost 40 percent of its human and military resources in the nine-month battle for the city of Mosul.

The counterterrorism forces, numbering only about 10,000, are the undisputed cream of Iraq's armed forces, but powerful Iran-backed majority Shiite militias are also among the most trusted fighters in the nation. Both are remembered as the forces that stemmed the Islamic State's march on Iraq in 2014 - as traditional army and police divisions collapsed - and later led the expulsion of the extremist group from its major territorial holdings.

With several important towns in Iraq still under Islamic State control, quickly regrouping the counterterrorism forces remains a priority in the short term. But the force's strength also has long-term implications for Iraq's ability to prevent another insurgency from growing.

Replenishing the Golden Division will also likely determine whether Iraq will rely on a regular force firmly under government command to finish the job against the Islamic State and prevent a successor group from forming, or if that task will fall to the militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Units, which have become legal entities of Iraq's security forces but mostly operate outside the control of the central government in Baghdad.

For the United States, the latter is not an option, given the militias' intimate ties to Iran and the training and equipping of new Iraqi commandos is quickly becoming central to U.S. policy in Iraq.

"Without this funding, there could be greater opportunities for other states, including the Russian Federation and Iran, to expand their influence in Iraq," the Department of Defense wrote in a May budget proposal outlining the nearly $1.3 billion request for the training and equipping mission in Iraq for the 2018 fiscal year.

The counterterrorism forces were established by U.S. Special Forces in 2004 to tackle the violent insurgency unleashed by the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The relationship between the two commando forces remains until today. Some 100 U.S. Special Forces work with their Iraqi counterparts to mold recruits into elite soldiers that "look like us, are mentally agile and conduct operations like we do," said Brig. Gen. Patrick Roberson, a U.S. Special Forces commander involved in the training of new counterterrorism troops.

Roberson said that Iraqi officers have taken over about 95 percent of the 30 to 40 month training of new troops, but that the United States maintains a close quality control role - a testament, he said, to the rapid maturation of the officer ranks.

"There's nothing we can teach them that they can't teach themselves," he said.

Their importance to the fight against the Islamic State, coupled with the high rates of casualties they suffered, makes getting troops trained and quickly assigned to units in the field a critical priority. But the lengthy training program may not be able keep up with battlefield losses. Since July, only 500 recruits joined units in the field.

Roberson said that about 2,000 troops graduate from the academy each year, well below the rate that would meet the U.S. Department of Defense goal of growing the force to 20,000 troops over the next three years.

The U.S. military said there haven't been and will not be any changes to the counterterrorism service training program to accelerate getting new troops into the field.

Roberson said the challenge is maintaining the high standards of the counterterrorism service through periods of dramatic attrition like Mosul and the fierce battles that preceded it in Fallujah and Ramadi, in which the group also acted as the leading force.

One idea was to open recruitment to the general public, transitioning from a model that hand-picked promising troops from the ranks of the Iraqi security forces to one that looks for "high quality people" on the street, he said.

While the first attempt at that strategy drew massive interest in May, only 0.3 percent of those who signed up will likely be sworn in, underscoring the immense job ahead.
Maryland regulators are threatening to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failure to address the state's 2016 request for federal officials to crack down on upwind air pollution from the Midwest and nearby areas.

State environmental secretary Ben Grumbles notified EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt of the potential legal action in a letter on Thursday, saying Maryland's air quality suffers because of nitrogen oxide emissions from five other states.

He said the EPA had failed to fulfill its duty under the federal Clean Air Act to respond within 60 days to a November, 2016, petition asking the agency to weigh in on the matter and potentially intervene.

The EPA gave itself a six-month extension to act on the request, Grumbles said, but that deadline expired July 15.

The secretary warned that the state will sue the EPA in federal court if the agency does not meet its obligations within 60 days of Thursday's letter.

In an interview, Grumbles called the notice "evidence that Maryland will use all available tools and strategies, including suing the EPA, to attain clean-air progress upwind and throughout the Chesapeake region."

The 2016 petition claims that power plants in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are emitting nitrous oxide at levels that violate a "good-neighbor provision" in U.S. clean-air law and prevent Maryland from meeting federal air-quality standards.

EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said the agency is "continuing to review the petition and related information." She declined to discuss the state's threatened lawsuit, citing a policy of not commenting on potential litigation.

Maryland environmental officials estimate that 70 percent of the state's ground-level ozone pollution, which experts believe contribute to health problems including respiratory illness and heart disease, comes from upwind regions.

Federal regulations require coal plants to install technology to remove sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which react with other compounds to form ozone in the atmosphere, from their exhausts. But they do not mandate continuous use of the systems as long as average output stays below federal standards.

Maryland requires power plants within the state to use the controls daily during summer months, when heat and sunshine enhance ozone creation.

"We really need action upwind," Grumbles said. "The extensive data we have, which is based on EPA data and data from the power plants themselves, tells us we'll get real and lasting results if those plants run their controls during ozone season."

Maryland is part of an EPA commission in which member jurisdictions are legally required to reduce ozone transport throughout the East Coast. The group includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia and the northern counties of Virginia.

New York and five other commission members sued the EPA in federal court last year to compel the agency to act on a request to expand the group to include Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Poles took to the streets for another protest with parliament set to defy international allies and mass opposition protests by pressing ahead with legislation giving the government more sway over the judiciary.

The demonstration began at 7 p.m. Friday outside the Supreme Court in Warsaw after more than 100,000 people gathered in major cities the previous evening urging President Andrzej Duda to veto the legislation. The upper chamber aims to vote on the bill as early as Friday, defeating opposition attempts to delay it. The European Union has warned of possible sanctions and the U.S. has expressed concern. The zloty plunged the most in nine months.

The battle over the court reform is becoming one of the biggest political standoffs in Poland since communism fell in 1989. Shut out of the legislative process, the opposition has turned to mobilizing its supporters on the streets. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of the ruling Law & Justice party that's been criticized by the EU for rolling back democratic norms, says he won't back down. His party controls both houses of parliament.

"We are concerned about the Polish government's continued pursuit of legislation that appears to limit the judiciary and potentially weaken the rule of law," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in Washington. "We continue to have conversations at the highest level with the government of Poland and express our concerns."

Nauert wouldn't say whether the administration had urged a veto from Duda, who hosted President Donald Trump in the Polish capital this month. Duda has refused to meet with EU President Donald Tusk to discuss the crisis. Tusk said Thursday that they should talk to prevent a "black scenario in which Poland is marginalized in the EU."

"Authorities are tweaking laws to gain control over citizens and curb freedoms," Tusk said in an interview with broadcaster TVN24 on Friday. Poland faces serious international consequences for politicizing courts, though nobody in Brussels wants to "assault" the country, he said when asked if the EU is likely to impose sanctions.

The zloty weakened 1.2 percent to 4.2636 against the euro as of 8:28 p.m. in Warsaw, the lowest level in three months.

"An increase in market volatility due to growing political uncertainty is very likely in the coming days," Jaroslaw Janecki, chief economist at Societe Generale SA in Warsaw, said in a note. Fitch Ratings said political "noise" could hurt the investment climate.

Law & Justice has been rushing through its reform, which would force into immediate retirement all Supreme Court judges with little or no debate and without consulting the judiciary. Parliament has already passed bills this month giving politicians control over lower courts and the National Judicial Council. While Duda hasn't signed any into law yet, Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said Thursday that he's sure the president won't veto them.

Duda will meet Supreme Court President Malgorzata Gersdorf Monday, suggesting he won't make a decision before then.

"Constitutional matters are being pushed through under the cover of night without debate -- the crisis is set to escalate," Tomasz Siemoniak, a lawmaker from the opposition Civic Platform party, said by phone. "We won't be giving an inch without a fight."

Since regaining power in October 2015, Law & Justice has challenged democratic principles enshrined in the EU treaty and sparked warnings about a drift toward authoritarian rule. But it's found support from Hungary, which has also been criticized by the bloc for democratic infractions. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Thursday that the EU should stay out of Poland's domestic affairs, accusing it of a "witch hunt."

---

Bloomberg's Piotr Bujnicki and Dorota Bartyzel contributed.
Lu Wei (left), deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Liu Xiaoming (center), China's ambassador to the UK, attend the opening ceremony of Cultural Exploration of West China in London on Thursday. Wang Bo / China Daily

A weeklong event showcasing the culture of Western China opened in the UK on Thursday, offering British people the chance to become acquainted with the region.

The Cultural Exploration of West China tour, part of the Experience China series, kicked off in London and events will roll out to Manchester, Edinburgh, and Dublin, Ireland.

The tour was organized by the State Council Information Office and is the first time such an activity has been taken to the United Kingdom.

The program features an exhibition, a folk singing and dancing performance, and two films, focusing on Tibet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Lu Wei, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said: "Both China and the UK are important representatives of Oriental and Occidental civilizations. The cultural exchanges between the two countries have been going on for hundreds of years and played an irreplaceable role in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples."

Lu said he hopes more people in the UK will become familiar with China's multiethnic culture.

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said at the opening ceremony that Western China was a late-mover in terms of economic development, compared to the East Coast, but he noted that the region had turned that into an advantage and is now achieving fast growth.

"China is a vast country. There is a huge difference between the Eastern and Western parts of China. British friends who have been to the more advanced coastal regions in the East might not know a lot about China's West," he said.

Lu Guangjin, director-general of the State Council Information Office, said the nation's culture is broad and diverse, but most people outside China only know about Han culture.

Noting that President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in 2015 opened up a new era for Sino-UK relations, Lu said culture will play a more essential role in promoting understanding and mutual trust.

The exhibition, themed Color of West China, is on display at the Mermaid Theater in London from Thursday to Saturday. It comprises 100 photographs and 18 cultural artifacts. The photographs portray the colorful customs and vibrant economic development of Western China.

The films, Born in China and Roof of the World will be shown at the Mermaid Theater on Friday.

Born in China is a 2016 nature documentary directed by Lu Chuan. It is a co-production between China, the United States and the UK. It tells the stories of a snow leopard family, a golden snub-nosed monkey, a giant panda, and a herd of Tibetan antelope.

Roof of the World is the first Chinese documentary to have been made about life on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the highest plane on Earth.

Visitors to the opening event were treated to a gala called Dancing in the Clouds, which includes folk singing and dancing from Western China's ethnic groups.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that the United States was "satisfied" with Qatar's counterterrorism efforts under a new bilateral agreement, and called on a four-country bloc led by Saudi Arabia to lift its "land blockade" of Qatar as "a sign of good faith."

"I think it would be a good sign if the four countries would do that," Tillerson said before a meeting here with Oman's foreign minister. "I hope they will begin to take some positive action."

Tillerson's remarks came after he spent last week in the Persian Gulf region, shuttling among capitals to press for a negotiated settlement of the ongoing conflict among key U.S. counterterrorism partners. During that visit, he signed a new agreement with Qatar outlining cooperation to stem what the Saudis and others have said is Qatari funding of terrorist groups.

Four nations - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt - severed relations and imposed a land, air and sea blockade of Qatar in early June, accusing its government of supporting terrorists and providing safe harbor to dissidents intent on destabilizing their governments.

The crisis was sparked when comments appeared on Qatari news sites in late May quoting that country's leader, sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, as calling for improved regional relations with Iran and defending groups that others in the region consider terrorists.

Qatar, which said the statements were false and charged its sites had been hacked, said Thursday that the cyber interference had begun more than a month earlier, when hackers first infiltrated its network.

Lt. Col. Ali Mohammed al-Mohannadi, the head of an internal Qatari investigation of the events, stopped short of claiming proof of who was responsible for the hacking campaign. "The only thing we are sure of is that . . . the anticipation and the benefit from this hacking was in the UAE," Mohannadi said of the investigation's results at a news conference in Doha, the Qatari capital.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt had broadcasted the false story, which first appeared just after midnight on May 24 on the Qatari government's news agency site and was then repeated on its social-media sites, within hours, ignoring official Qatari denials.

This week, The Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had confirmed that senior UAE officials were involved in planning and orchestrating the cyberattack, although the hacking itself may have been carried out by a contracted third party.

Mohannadi said that other "friendly" states had helped investigate the hacking, but he did not name them. Earlier, the government said it had requested FBI assistance. The FBI has declined to comment.

In a timeline of events, Mohannadi and other officials said that the first infiltration of the Qatar News Agency network took place on April 19 and that malware was installed in the system on April 22. Later that month, they said, addresses, passwords and emails of all employees on the system were collected, copied and "shared with another person via Skype."

The officials showed graphs indicating that immediately after the false articles were posted, traffic on the site from browsers in "one of the countries imposing siege on Qatar" - sharply increased in an apparent attempt to verify that the hacking was successful.

Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis expressed early concern about the crisis. Qatar hosts a major U.S. air base that is the regional headquarters for U.S. operations in Iraq and Syria, and other countries in the region play significant roles in the fight against the Islamic State and overall U.S. counterterrorism operations.

Although President Donald Trump has said the Saudi-led diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar was necessary to stem financial support for terrorist groups, Tillerson has repeatedly called the measures too harsh and has urged the group to temper its demands on Qatar.

Other than the new U.S.-Qatar counterterrorism agreement, Tillerson's shuttle diplomacy showed no early success. Oman and Kuwait, who share the Arabian Peninsula with Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have also tried to mediate the dispute.

This week, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Nations said the four countries' list of 13 demands basically came down to six "principles." Among them, while they were calling for Al Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite television network to temper what they say is its Arabic-language destabilization of neighboring countries, they were no longer insisting that the network be shut down.

Qatar said it had received no official information concerning the new proposals.
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WISE, Va. - The sick and the disabled pour out of these mountains every summer for their one shot at free health care, but this year was supposed to hold hope for a better solution.

President Donald Trump won the White House in part on a promise to fix the nation's costly and inefficient health-care system. Instead, Republicans in Congress are paralyzed and threatening to dismantle the imperfect framework of Obamacare.

No relief is in sight for someone like Larry McKnight, who sat in a horse stall at the Wise County Fairgrounds having his shoulder examined. He was among more than a thousand ailing people attending the area's 18th annual Remote Area Medical clinic, where physicians and dentists dispense free care to those who otherwise have none.

"I really think that they don't have any clue what's going on," McKnight said, referring to political leaders in Washington. "You watch the news and it's two sides pitted against each other, which in turn just makes them pitted against us, the normal person."

About 1,100 such people descended on the fairgrounds Friday, with more expected Saturday and Sunday. Medical personnel from across the state were there with makeshift examination rooms in tents and sheds. Sheets hung from clothespins for privacy; giant fans pulled hot air through buildings intended for livestock shows.

These events are staged nationwide, but the Wise clinic is among the biggest, drawing people from all over Appalachia and casting Washington's sterile political debates into the starkest human terms.

A third of the patients who registered Friday were unemployed. Those who couldn't afford a room slept in their cars or camped in the fields around the fairgrounds. They lined up in the dead of night to get a spot inside the event.

It is the place of last resort for people who can't afford insurance even under Obamacare, or who don't qualify for Medicaid in a state where the legislature has resisted expansion.

At 37, with a long graying ponytail, McKnight had never been sick until about eight months ago. So he hadn't worried too much about not being able to afford insurance on his roughly $18,000 a year in pay as an auto mechanic. But now he was getting a referral to the University of Virginia hospital to check for the source of his pain, which he had vowed to withstand without resorting to opioid medication.

"The normal person doesn't care about a lot of the things that they care about [in Washington]. Most people want to work, they want insurance and they want to be able to take care of their family without assistance," he said.

The only way to do that, he said, is to have everybody - healthy and sick - paying into a centralized health insurance plan. "I really think the only thing that would truly help this country is if it were single-payer," McKnight said.

Around here, that's not politics, it's just life. Many of these people voted for Trump - not only for his vow to fix health care, but also for his promise to bring back the coal industry. They're still waiting for results, with varying degrees of patience.

Patricia McConnell was having trouble speaking around the bloody gauze in her mouth. She had just had four teeth pulled. The unemployed former McDonald's manager had driven eight hours from her home in Glen Burnie, Maryland, to attend the clinic.

"My teeth were hurting," she said. McConnell, 63 and disabled, said she had health insurance through Medicaid, but no dental coverage.

So this was her dental plan: save for six months to afford a motel room and gas, and wait in line in the morning heat to see a volunteer dentist.

McConnell has been watching the health care debate in Washington and wondering if it will ever amount to anything that actually helps people like her. "I don't know what they're trying to do," she said, struggling to get the words out around the gauze.

She voted for Trump, she said, and still feels that he's working hard to help. But his anger and his tweets seem to aggravate Congress, and no one is working together, she said.

They need to set all that aside and work to pass health care for everyone, she said. "Let's get this done."

Others had a hard time mustering the faith that anyone cared.

"They're trying to kill us poor people, is what they're trying to do," said Robert Horne, 55, a disabled former construction worker seeking dental care. Horne said he voted for Hillary Clinton last fall because of her pledge to maintain the Affordable Care Act.

That didn't work out, either.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who flew out to the clinic Friday morning, had invited Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to join him - but said that the Republican leader "politely" declined. McAuliffe, who visits the clinic every year, spent nearly two hours touring it - twice as long as scheduled - and took every opportunity to proclaim that he's been trying for three years to get the state legislature to agree to expand Medicaid under Obamacare.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly has resisted, unlike the legislatures in nearby states, which McAuliffe kept reminding the patients and doctors who crowded around him on the hot fairgrounds.

"All of our neighbors in Kentucky and West Virginia and Maryland - they did it!" he said to a Christian counseling group that had set up shop under an awning. But in Virginia, he said, legislators turned down millions in federal dollars that would be available under Medicaid expansion.

"We need it," called out Tonya Hall, operations director for a hospice care facility. "Let 'em come and visit some in southwest Virginia. Let 'em see the poverty. Let 'em see how we live. Let 'em come."

"This isn't about politics," McAuliffe said.

"Right!" Hall agreed. "It's about people."

"It's about people's lives," McAuliffe said, to a round of "amens" from the group.

Hall, 42, said she had voted for Trump, but that she was disappointed that he hadn't been able to do anything to improve the health care system. If Obamacare can't be fixed, she said, "then I say we scrap it and start over. You can see the need," she added, gesturing at the masses of people waiting for their turn with a medical professional.

Beyond her, a long line stretched into the triage tent, where people were sorted, their vital signs measured. Allen Sexton, 37, was there to have all his teeth removed, years after a car accident had left them a scrambled mess.

In a metal shed nearby, vision specialists sat in darkness, performing eye exams in pools of light. One man said his glasses had broken a year ago and he couldn't see at a distance or up close, but he'd been driving anyway.

There was another tent for orthopedic care. Another for basic checkups. Each one was full, with more people waiting outside on metal folding chairs or standing in lines.

Politicians prowled the fairgrounds. Several area legislators attended while Attorney General Mark Herring (D), running for re-election, walked with McAuliffe and Sen. Tim Kaine (D) helped register patients.

Stan Brock, the English philanthropist who founded the RAM clinic program more than 30 years ago, said there was one more visitor he'd like to see at the clinic.

"It's absolutely imperative that the president of the United States come and visit one of these events," he said. "I believe if he did he would take some immediate action."
The Trump administration plans to prohibit Americans from traveling to North Korea, the State Department announced Friday, citing serious risks of arrest and imprisonment in the isolated totalitarian state.

The ban, first disclosed by tour groups that specialize in travel to North Korea, comes in apparent retaliation for the detention of U.S. citizens there and the death of a young tourist who was held for nearly 18 months before being flown home in a coma.

Two tour companies, Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, said they were told the ban would be formally declared July 27 and would take effect a month later.

"The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said late Friday morning in announcing the forthcoming ban. "Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, [Secretary of State Rex Tillerson] has authorized a Geographical Travel Restriction on all U.S. citizen nationals' use of a passport to travel in, through, or to North Korea."

The ban would make U.S. passports invalid for travel to North Korea, although exemptions would allow Americans to obtain passports with a special validation for visits to the country. The restrictions will take effect 30 days after a notice is published in the Federal Register next week, Nauert said.

Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student from Ohio, used China-based Young Pioneer Tours to travel to North Korea in January 2016, only to be arrested on charges of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor. He died June 19 at age 22, six days after being released in a coma and flown home to Cincinnati. Three other U.S. citizens remain imprisoned in North Korea.

Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement, "It is expected that the ban will come into force within 30 days of July 27th." After that, it said, Americans who travel to North Korea "will have their passport invalidated by their government."

North Korea marks "Victory Day" annually on July 27, when it celebrates the 1953 Korean War armistice as a military triumph in elaborate ceremonies.

Koryo issued a similar statement, saying the ban would make it illegal to visit North Korea "as a tourist."

Young Pioneer Tours announced last month after Warmbier's death that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea anyway. "Now, the assessment of risk for Americans visiting North Korea has become too high," the company said.

The U.S. government had discouraged Americans from traveling to North Korea but had not previously issued an outright ban.

Bill Richardson, a former New Mexico governor and Clinton administration Cabinet official who has negotiated with North Korea for the release of several U.S. prisoners, said the travel ban would reduce Pyongyang's ability to hold Americans as bargaining chips, but would not stop it from using the tactic again.

"There are still some Americans in North Korea, mostly Korean Americans teaching at Pyongyang University," he said. "Dual citizens are particularly vulnerable. If I were one of them, I'd get out right away."

Evan Medeiros, an Asia specialist for the Eurasia Group, said a travel ban would be far more effective than the increasingly dire travel warnings issued by the State Department in the last year. The warnings have been aimed in part at deterring Americans from traveling to North Korea to slake their curiosity about the strange Stalinist state sometimes called "the hermit kingdom."

"American citizens need to hear very strong signals about how dangerous it is to travel to North Korea," he said. "It closes an important loophole to eliminate things like Otto Warmbier going to North Korea for adventure travel."

Anthony Ruggiero of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the travel prohibition would be stronger if it came from the Treasury Department with steep financial fines. But he said a travel limitation is necessary to keep more Americans from being arrested by the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un and used to extract concessions from the U.S. government.

Unlike Warmbier, none of the three Korean Americans known to remain imprisoned in North Korea entered the country as tourists. One is a businessman who formerly lived in Northern Virginia, and two had taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, a school attended by the children of North Korea's elite.

The longest-held American is Kim Dong-chul, a businessman in his early 60s who was working in a special economic zone in North Korea when he was arrested in October 2015 and accused of being a South Korean spy.

Kim Sang-duk, a 58-year-old U.S. citizen also known as Tony Kim, was teaching accounting at the university. The first American to be detained since President Trump took office, he was arrested at the Pyongyang airport in April while trying to fly to China with his wife. He was accused of unspecified hostile criminal acts.

Similar vague charges were lodged against Kim Hak-song, another teacher at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, who was arrested in May as he was about to leave North Korea.

As of May, the university employed about 40 Americans, most of them ethnic Koreans.

An estimated 1,000 to 1,300 Americans visit North Korea every year, and the loss of their tourism dollars is not expected to have much impact.

But Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies at Tufts University's Fletcher School, said prohibiting U.S. passport holders from traveling there suggests the United States is prepared to get tougher with Pyongyang.

"It sends the right message to North Korea, and to friends and adversaries alike, that the United States now is much more serious about enforcing sanctions and putting pressure on North Korea," he said. "The United States is now trying to galvanize the international community to do their best to enforce sanctions."
A team of entrepreneurs from Imperial College London has won the top prize at the 10th China-UK Entrepreneurship Competition with a revolutionary memory device.

LoMaRe founders Andrei Mihai, Jan Zemen, Bin Zou and Evgeniy Donchev created a new type of digital storage and memory technology, known as Piezo Magnetic Random Access Memory. The team described it as high-endurance, high-density and non-volatile.

A total of four teams presented their ideas and business plans to a panel of five judges during the final of the competition, ahead of a question-and-answer session.

Donchev said the idea needed capital and manpower for it to succeed.

"We're a technology that requires a lot of capital to progress and also it requires a lot of manpower," he said."China is the logical place to go if you want to produce something fast, so this was the initial motivation of why we targeted the competition. But, along with our research of the markets, we realize that China is actually a big market, so we don't only want to produce there and sell elsewhere, we want to establish ourselves as innovators in China."

LoMaRe won 6,000 pounds($7,800) in prize money, and the chance to take part in an investment workshop in Chongqing, China and court investors in Ningbo and Shenzhen.

The annual competition aims to encourage new business ventures between China and the United Kingdom and simulate the process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from early-stage investors and venture capital firms.

Competition co-founder David Brown, a professor at Lancaster University, said the team deserved to be winners."

LoMaRe is genuinely innovative," he said. "It has got intellectual property to support its idea. It's high-risk, but its links to China are huge. This has so much potential importance to China."

And he said he was pleased with the way the competition has grown over the years.

"The competition has strength because it is so clear about what it's trying to do. It's a competition that speaks to a university audience, so these ideas are from within the university ecosystem They are all early-stage ideas, students at the very frontier of their thinking. It's developmental and also China-UK focused."

The competition is part of the Prime Minister Initiative II Connect project and is supported by the British Council and Confucius Institute.
After a 12-minute confrontation with domestic violence suspect Gilbert Flores in 2015, two Bexar County sheriffs deputies decided they would not let the incident drag on and that they would follow a supervisors commands to do whatever you have to do, according to court documents.

Just as Flores had seemed to stop his erratic behavior  who earlier had tried to stab the deputies, took away a police Taser and came close to getting a deputys AR-15 rifle  and raised his hands above his head in what appeared to be surrender, the deputies agreed on ending this and opened fire, one after the other, according to new details recently obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
LAREDO  A federal judge here sentenced a member of the notorious Zetas drug cartel who played a key role during the gangs rise in the early 2000s to 30 years in prison on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez told Ivan Velazquez Caballero that even though hes not accused of ordering any killings, he was an important figure in the Zetas during a time of violence on both sides of the border.

Before deciding the sentence, Alvarez heard from the stepfather of a Laredo teen who went missing when Velazquez was in charge of the cartels operations in Nuevo Laredo, the Mexican city just across the Rio Grande. William Slemaker said in court that he believes the drug capo has information about her disappearance.

Velazquez, 47, came up through the ranks of the Zetas with Miguel Trevino Morales, a ruthless criminal from Nuevo Laredo whos accused of ordering homicides in the U.S. and mass killings in Mexico. While Trevino went on to lead the Zetas before he was arrested in 2013, Velazquez became an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration, eventually testifying against a Mexican businessman who helped the Zetas launder money in the U.S.

Velazquez and Trevino are charged in a wide-ranging drug conspiracy case that targeted the Zetas leadership in Nuevo Laredo between 2001 and 2008. The indictment alleges that hit men working for Trevino carried out a number of killings on both sides of the border, but Velazquez is not accused in any of the violent crimes.

He had faced up to life in prison after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges in 2014. Alvarez ordered him to serve 30 years in prison on the drug charge and 20 years in prison on the money-laundering charge. In 2015, a federal judge in North Texas sentenced him to nearly 23 years in prison on another drug conspiracy charge. All the sentences will run concurrently.

Before giving the sentence, Alvarez listed the victims killed by Velazquezs co-defendants in the case. In 2005 and 2006, sicarios, or hit men working for Trevino carried out five killings in Laredo, according to the indictment hes charged in. In one case, the sicarios shot and killed the half brother of their target. In another incident, they killed a rival trafficker along with his teenage nephew. In yet another case, the pregnant wife of the man they murdered was injured during the shooting.

The judge noted that shed heard the pleas of more than a dozen of Velazquezs co-defendants and sat through two trials in the case. She acknowledged that Velazquez wasnt accused of ordering any of the homicides described by witnesses, and that the testimony showed he once saved an underling from execution, but Alvarez also said he bears responsibility for the atrocities carried out by the Zetas.

Some of the first sparks of the violence that has spread throughout Mexico began in Nuevo Laredo, when Velazquez was the plaza boss, or regional leader, Alvarez said.

The evidence in those other court proceedings shows, she said, that the Zetas are responsible for creating this wave of violence.

Slemaker, whose stepdaughter Yvette Martinez and a friend went missing in Nuevo Laredo in 2004, told Alvarez he believed Velazquez has information about his daughters disappearance.

He was told by the government and Velazquezs attorney that Velazquez saw his stepdaughter in Mexico and that she was killed in Mexico, but denied involvement with her death, Slemaker said.

He also says he had nothing to do with their murder, but that they were murdered, Slemaker said. I feel that at this time, for this court to sentence him with any kind of leniency  would be a miscarriage of justice.

After Slemaker spoke, Alvarez recalled the mother of a teenage victim whod testified when she sentenced one of Velazquezs co-defendants. Zetas sicarios had kidnapped the teenager and a friend from a bar in Mexico, tortured and killed them, then burned their bodies. The mother was asking only for information about where to find her sons remains, the judge said.

I can recall clearly the pain and anguish in her voice over not knowing where he sons remains could be found, Alvarez said. There are many who feel the same anguish, because they dont know where their loved ones can be found.

Douglas Mulder, Velazquezs attorney, responded that his client also lost loved ones in the drug war.

Theyre also terrorizing him and his family, Mulder said. They killed his stepson and they killed his brother.

Its hard to express much sympathy for you in that regard, because when it was others, you didnt concern yourself with the actions of the organization you were involved in, Alvarez responded.

After the hearing, Jim Reed, the assistant special agent in charge of the DEA office in Laredo, said he was pleased with the sentence.

Its a significant sentence and it basically reflects the amount of drugs involved and the violence, the destruction and the despair caused by this organization, Reed said. Although thats little comfort for the families whove been affected by the violence and the drugs trafficked by this organization.

Slemaker said afterward that Mulder, who couldnt be reached for comment, agreed to arrange a meeting with Velazquez. He called the sentence very appropriate.

Testifying during a 2015 trial in Austin, Velazquez, whose moniker Taliban is a reference to his name, Ivan, said he grew up in the same Nuevo Laredo neighborhood as Trevino, but they didnt get to know each other until the early 2000s. As the Zetas, at the time enforcers for the Gulf Cartel, expanded along Mexicos border with Texas, local traffickers were forced to join them or take sides with their rival, the west coast Sinaloa Cartel.

Trevino, whos now known as Cuarenta and Z-40, was initially known as L-40, a radio call sign indicating he was the 40th member of the Zetas Laredo cell. Velazquez was giving the call sign L-50.

The testimony came in the trial of Francisco Colorado Cessa, a Mexican businessman convicted of helping Trevino and his brother Jose launder drug money through a U.S. quarter horse ranch.

Velazquez testified that for a time he served as a sort of personal aide to Heriberto Lazcano, a former soldier in the Mexican armys special forces who helped found the Zetas and eventually took over as the gangs leader after they split from the Gulf Cartel in 2010. In 2003, Velazquez became the plaza boss, or regional leader, in Nuevo Laredo, a lucrative piece of real estate because its home to four international bridges and a large amount of commercial traffic.

During that time, Velazquez outranked Trevino, as a DEA informant testified in the 2012 trial of an accused Zetas hit man. The informant, who testified under a pseudonym, was a bag man for the Zetas, delivering bribes, and had not yet started cooperating with the DEA. In 2003, the informant said, he fell under Trevinos suspicion and was questioned and tortured until Velazquez showed up and freed him.

Velazquezs time as plaza boss was short-lived. By 2005, Velazquez testified, hed lost a load of cocaine that belonged to Lazcano and was transferred out of Nuevo Laredo to undergo training. Meanwhile, Trevinos star rose.

Among those present at the 2005 training sessions was a Zetas sicario, or hit man, charged in the same Laredo case as Velazquez and Trevino. Wenceslao Tovar testified in the 2012 trial that he, Velazquez and about 100 other Zetas spent a month and a half near Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the border state of Tamaulipas, and later that year joined a training cohort of 300 near the town of San Fernando, where authorities have discovered a network of mass graves. They learned how to break down and assemble weapons, storm houses and, for those who were new to the Zetas, how to kill.

They give them a machete or if not they give them a sledge hammer, Tovar testified. And they would tell them to kill the people that they had tied up there.

The investigation that finally brought down Velazquez, Tovar and more than a dozen other Zetas operatives involved more than 30 agents from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, an informant embedded in the Zetas U.S. operations, wire taps, hidden cameras and round-the-clock surveillance on Zetas operatives to ensure they didnt kill again, DEA Agent J.J. Gomez testified in 2012.

Laredo police have tied Velazquez to a 2006 homicide in Texas. Authorities accused members of the Texas Syndicate, a U.S. prison gang, of accidentally shooting and killing 19-year-old Julio A. Serrano while trying to kidnap him for the Zetas. Both Trevino and Velazquez were hunting for Serrano, who worked for the Sinaloa Cartel, according to an arrest affidavit for a dozen people accused in that case, but neither of the Zetas has been charged in connection to the killing.

During his 2015 testimony, Velazquez insisted that hed never taken part in any homicides.

Now, earlier, you were associated with a number of murders, Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Gardner asked. Have you actually killed anybody yourself?

In 2007 Velazquez was back in the Zetas good graces and ascended to the regional leadership of the central Mexican state of Zacatecas. Near the end of 2011, however, he testified that he reached out to the DEA and offered his services as an informant. Velazquez worked for the U.S. government for about eight months before he was arrested by the Mexican military. In 2013, Mexico extradited him to the U.S.

Before he was arrested, he ran his own little group, but he fought Cuarenta and Lazcano, former FBI agent Arturo Fontes said of Velazquez. He was moving a lot of dope. He was a significant figure. He was responsible for permitting the Zetas into Nuevo Laredo. He played a major role in that.

Miguel Trevino took over as the Zetas leader after Lazcanos death in 2012. Hes in Mexico awaiting extradition to the U.S. The Zetas have broken into warring factions, but Velazquezs followers still invoke the name Taliban in their squabbles with those loyal to Trevino.

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter:@jlbuch
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A 4-year-old boy was killed and his mother injured in a drive-by shooting Wednesday night that police said could be retaliation for a shooting that injured two men on earlier in the day.

The slain boy, De-earlvion Whitley, and his mother, Cyntwanisha Whitley, who was shot in the leg, well as a 7-year-old boy and Whitley's husband, were inside the home in the 200 block of Hub Avenue around midnight, when the shooter or shooters drove by and opened fire, police said.

Four men were arrested following the shooting but it wasn't immediately clear what the charges were. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the shooting is likely gang-related.

READ ALSO: SAPD: Two injured in East Side shootout near food shop

"The gang activity, or at least what we believe to be gang activity, is starting up again on the East Side in a small area," McManus at a Thursday morning press conference regarding the shooting.

De-earlvion Whitley was pronounced dead at the scene. Cyntwanisha Whitley was transported to University Hospital for treatment for two gunshot wounds in her left leg, police said.

The men who were arrested were in two separate cars, both "loaded with guns and ammunition," McManus said. Police said they are still unsure if the men were coming from the shooting or headed to the location of yet another planned drive-by in retaliation for De-earlvion's death.

Neighbors who called 911 to report the shooting heard a woman screaming, "My baby, my baby!" according to police.

RELATED: SAPD: Man accused of running over Windcrest policeman found in stolen truck

"Why you didn't take me?" Whitley screamed before she was carted away to an emergency vehicle for transport to the hospital.

Police found shell casings from a rifle-style weapon and handgun at the scene. Police have yet to release a description of the suspect or suspect vehicle in the shooting. No witnesses came forward with information immediately after the shooting.

"The message to those who did this shooting last night is this: We will arrest you at some point," McManus said. "It may not be today or tomorrow, but we will not stop until we arrest you."

McManus said police had a heavy presence in the area of the shooting because just hours earlier around 4:30 p.m. another drive-by shooting had taken place near Spriggsdale Boulevard and Hub Avenue at a meat market.

Officers at the scene of the drive-by at the meat market said a black sedan pulled up near a red pickup truck and opened fire, injuring at least two men, who later transported themselves to Metropolitan Hospital for treatment.

McManus said someone living at the Whitley home may have been involved in the shooting at the meat market, prompting the deadly response a few hours later.

"We don't know whether this is inter-gang, gang versus gang or an individual issue with gang ties," he said.

The two drive-by's are the result of increased gang activity in the area, McManus said. He said the department plans to beef up police presence in the area in an effort to tamp down the violence, which has plagued the East Side of the city for years.

"We will be out there in force," he said. "We will be visible. We will be saturating the area with police officers. You may see them, or you may not."

Authorities plan to investigate the killing as a capital murder case.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
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Family members are grieving and neighbors are outraged after an East Side drive-by shooting killed a 4-year-old boy and left the boy's mother with two gunshot wounds in her leg.

Police said the gunmen involved in the shooting pulled up in front of a simple, one-story home in the 200 block of Hub Avenue around midnight Wednesday and opened fire.

De-Earlvion Whitley lay sleeping in the front room of the home.

Bullets ripped through the window panes and fatally struck the 4-year-old. He was pronounced dead at 12:03 a.m. on Thursday at the home.

RELATED: 4-year-old boy killed in possibly gang-related drive-by shooting, police say

His mother, 29-year-old Cyntwanisha Whitley, was struck twice in her left leg by the bullets. Police said the "intended victim" of the shooting was unharmed.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the shooting was likely gang-related and could be retaliation for a shooting earlier in the day that left two injured.

Before noon on Thursday, De-Earlvion's grandfather, Brett William O'Connor, and other relatives gathered at a home near the scene of the shooting to grieve the loss of "Little Earl."

"It saddens me that the streets have come to the point where innocent children are being killed in their sleep," he said. "The family is saddened by the loss of Little Earl. At this moment, we're just trying to piece our lives back together, which is going to take a long time."

Cyntwanisha Whitley is currently recovering in the hospital but is struggling with the loss of her little boy, family said.

RELATED: SAPD: Two injured in East Side shootout near food shop

Police said 911 callers reported hearing a woman screaming "My baby, my baby!" shortly after the shots rang out Wednesday night, and video captured at the scene of the shooting showed Cyntwanisha sitting on a curb outside her home, mourning the loss of her youngest.

"Why you didn't take me?" she asked. "Why you didn't take me?"

Neither O'Connor nor the other relatives wanted to say any more. The loss was "still too fresh."

Other East Side neighbors expressed sympathy.

Britney Coleman, a 29-year-old mother of a 2-year-old girl with another child on the way, lives a few houses down from the scene of Wednesday night's shooting. She said she heard about 50 shots ring out and later saw De-Earlvion's body covered by a yellow tarp in the back of an emergency vehicle.

The whole time she was thinking of her own children.

READ ALSO: SAPD: Man accused of running over Windcrest policeman found in stolen truck

"It could've been my baby," she said. "It could've been anyone's kid when you just drive by shooting like that. They need to calm down on the East Side with the gangs."

Coleman said she moved to her home on Hub Avenue about two months ago, but it wasn't until the beginning of July that the shootings became a regular aspect of life in the area.

"There's been so many," she said. "It's just random. During the daytime, during the nighttime, all times of the day you just hear them shooting."

Jennifer Castillo, a 34-year-old mother of five, said that like Coleman, the shootings make her worried for her kids.

"It just makes me think about if my kids were out there," she said. "Luckily they don't really go out, but my son, he heard it last night."

Her teenage son, Joshua Cano, said he heard dozens of gunshots just blocks from his house.

"It was bustin' last night," he said.

Cano said he feels bad for the Whitley family's loss, but, "There ain't nothing to worry about. That's just the East Side for you."

At a press conference Thursday morning, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said four suspects in the shooting were arrested after two different cars "loaded with guns and ammunition" were stopped by officers in the area. Police are unsure whether the men were leaving the scene of the shooting or headed to carry out a retaliatory attack.

McManus said the drive-by is believed to be gang-related and that it was possibly in retaliation to another drive-by shooting hours earlier injured multiple people at a meat market at Spriggsdale and Hub.

"The message to those who did this shooting last night is this: We will arrest you at some point," McManus said. "It may not be today or tomorrow, but we will not stop until we arrest you."

Gang-activity has recently increased in the area of the two drive-by's, McManus said. In response, police plan on "saturating" the area with officers in an effort to tamp down the violence.

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urged lawmakers to reject two "bathroom bills" a state Senate committee is hearing this morning, saying the proposals would harm Texas' economy and residents in an attempt to solve a problem that does not exist.

Turner, who served in the Texas House for 26 years before becoming mayor last year, said Texas is "poorly served" by a Legislature that seeks to follow the example of North Carolina, where passage of such a measured ignited a political firestorm that undercut convention business and eventually contributed to the governor's electoral defeat.
LONDON - British Queen Elizabeth approved Friday the appointment of the first ever female head of Britain's highest court.

Eminent law lord, Baroness Hale, will become President of Britain's Supreme Court following the retirement in September of the current president, Lord Neuberger.

Baroness Hale was first appointed as a top appeal judge in 2004 and a Justice of the Supreme Court when the court was established in 2009. She has served as deputy president since 2013.

The baroness, who is 72 and a legal expert in family law, described her new role as a great honor and a challenge.

She said in a statement: "I look forward to building upon his pioneering achievements, including developing closer links with each part of the United Kingdom, for example by sitting outside London, and improving the ways in which we communicate our work to the public.

"Recent high-profile cases mean that more people than ever before have heard of the Supreme Court, and we hope that this will help to create a broader understanding of how the judiciary serves society."

It was the Supreme Court, the only court in Britain to be televised, that heard the landmark Article 50 case on whether Prime Minister Theresa May could trigger Britain's process for leaving the European Union with approval of the British parliament. The court ruled the decision had to go before the Houses of Parliament.

The Supreme Court, based in London, is the final court of appeal for civil cases in Britain, and criminal cases for all areas apart from Scotland.

Baroness Hale will be officially sworn in as president on Oct 2, along with three new justices, including a second female judge, Lady Justice Black.

Baroness Hale began her legal career teaching law at the University of Manchester, becoming Professor of Law in 1986.
Given what is going on in Austin as we speak, I take great pleasure in calling to your attention House Bill 34, titled Relating to measures to prevent wrongful convictions. It takes on two of the most common factors in wrongful convictions: erroneous identifications and jailhouse snitches.

Texas has been a national leader in convicting the wrong person, producing an average of nearly one wrongful conviction a month for the past 30 years. The bill addresses two problems highlighted by two of the most notorious examples.

One involved a young Lubbock man named Timothy Cole. He was a military veteran and student at Texas Tech in Lubbock. He was convicted of raping a fellow student after she identified him in a photo lineup.

Police put a color photograph of him in an array that included five black-and-white photos of other African-American men. They took it to the victim in her dormitory. When she said it might be him, they basically coaxed her into expressing certainty.

This violated a number of science-based rules for photo lineups. They should be presented by an investigator who doesnt know who the suspect is. The suspects photo should not stand out as different from the others. And investigators should document the victims exact response.

Later, a confession by a convicted rapist and a DNA test proved Cole innocent. It was too late. Cole had died in prison of a severe asthma attack.

His tragic incarceration and death led to the establishment of the Tim Cole Exoneration Review Commission, a high-powered group that includes the chief judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, two state senators and the head of the Texas Forensic Science Commission.

The commission addressed the lineup problem, mandating that all the states police be trained in the best lineup procedures. It also requires that those procedures be followed. When they cant be for some reason, this must be disclosed to defense attorneys. HB 34 embodied the recommendations.

But the bill does more.

Charles Eskridge is a prominent Houston commercial litigation lawyer. He became a volunteer member of a legal team that won the disbarment of Burleson County District Attorney Charles Sebesta, who prosecuted Anthony Graves. This is a very rare achievement.

Graves was convicted in the 1992 brutal murder of six victims, including four children. He spent 18 years in prison, 12 on death row, before being exonerated. Sebesta did a number of outrageous things that led Eskridge to want to be on the Cole Commission. Among the grievances was using an unreliable jailhouse snitch.

His involvement in the case lit a fire under Eskridge, especially because he learned how the harm goes beyond the one person falsely convicted. He came to know Anthonys mother.

That was her oldest child, he said. She had issues with younger children  health and employment. Anthony was very devoted to helping her with his siblings. His 18-year absence led to serious hardships in her life.

So Eskridge applied to be Gov. Greg Abbotts appointee to the Cole Commission. That he was a substantial and longtime contributor to Abbott didnt hurt.

With Eskridges input, the Cole Commission recommended and the new law provides rules for the use of jailhouse snitches. It requires that the defense be told of any inducements provided to the witness, and a full account of the witnesss criminal history and of any other occasions where he has served as jailhouse snitch and considerations he received.

The bill passed the House 140-3 and the Senate 30-1. Its passage received strikingly little attention in Texas, but last week it was lauded in a New York Times editorial. It called the new Texas law the most comprehensive effort yet to rein in the dangers of transactional snitching.

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.
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Ministers at Wednesday's special Cabinet meeting have discussed the idea of creating a city in the midlands.

Longford could soon be a lot closer to a city than it is now, if Cabinet Ministers have anything to do with it.

At Wednesday's special Cabinet Meeting in county Kildare, Ministers discussed the possibility of relieving the growth of population in Dublin City by creating another city in the Midlands or north west of the country.

Longford isn't likely to become a city anytime in the near future but, for a long time now, conversations have been had about giving Athlone city status.

In January of this year, Minister of State at the OPW Kevin 'Boxer' Moran said that Athlone is the ideal town for expansion to city status.

I have always maintained that Athlone is a key regional centre and that once identified for greater population growth, it will give a significant economic boost to neighbouring counties such as Roscommon, Longford and Offaly," he said at the time.

A couple of months later, Athlone based Senator, Gabrielle McFadden, urged the then Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney TD to consider City status for Athlone and asked him to encourage the Minister for Education to consider Athlone Institute of Technology for University status.

"Our (Athlone's) population is increasing year on year and our key strategic location right in the middle of the country and straddling two provinces would make us the ideal location for development of a counterpoint to the current migration to the greater Dublin area," she said at a consultative meeting in AIT on the National Planning Framework Ireland 2040  Our Plan. The meeting was one of a series of consultations on the framework being held around the country by Minister Coveney at the time.

For more on this story, see: Athlone should have city status and a university
Apart from hosting and possible maintenance costs, there are not exactly downsides to having your own website. Even if its just a personal blog it can always become more useful down the line, if you utilize it in the right manner. In other words, more
On Monday, we asked the people of Longford to tell us where we can get Longford's best Sunday lunch. The Richmond Inn in Clondra and the Rustic Inn in Abbeyshrule were the main contenders.

During the nominations stage (our Facebook post in which people made their suggestions), there were a sprinkling of other names in the mix, but with the Rustic and the Richmond dominating the thread, it was a no-brainer to pit the two against each other.

And it was an incredible battle as voters rushed in to support their favourite Sunday lunch spot. And, just in time for the weekend, we have a winner.

The Rustic Inn in Abbeyshrule received 56% of the votes, with the Richmond Inn coming in close behind, with 44% of votes.

But really, the results are so close that there's no doubt in our minds that you'll get a delicious Sunday lunch whichever one you choose.

Thanks for voting, and be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page to see what poll we come up with next!


Rising overhead costs, dwindling attendances and a fall off in greyhound breeding levels are all being blamed on the facilitys worsening economic plight.

The track does receive an operational grant of around 40,000 a year from The Irish Greyhound Board, but as it is in private ownership that figure pales in comparison to the subsidies afforded to those under the IGB umbrella.

The Leader made efforts to try and contact its owner, Scottish based businessman Howard Wallace on Monday but was unsuccessful in doing so.

In a bid to ensure its survival in the short to medium term, volunteers have initiated a major fundraising drive with a view to raising 25,000.

Kevin Dempsey, who is aligned to the tracks committee and supporters club, said the long term future for one of Longfords most historic sporting amenities remains very much uncertain.

With the recession and the fact betting shops are staying open that bit later, people have stopped coming, he said.

Mr Dempsey said the Park Road facility depends on four main funding streams-gate and bar receipts, bookmaker pitch fees and trial dog sessions.

We used to have seven or eight bookmakers, but now we have just one regular and one occasional.

Then there is the fact that people have stopped breeding greyhounds which means there are not as many dogs having trials, he added.

Mr Dempsey, who has been an almost permanent fixture at Longford Greyhound Track for the past 50 years outlined the changes that led to this point.

When I started coming in the 1960s, bookmakers in town opened for six hours a day and after that if you wanted to have a bet you would go up to the dog track, he said.

But the way its gone now people dont have to come to the Greyhound Track to bet.

They dont have to go up and stand out on a wet Monday night because they can see all they want on phones, laptops and the like.

At present there are less than 20 greyhound tracks nationwide, and Mr Dempsey believes that this figure will halve over the next five years.

And while the campaign has managed to take in around 12,500, Mr Dempsey said the odds on the tracks sustainability going forward are shortening by the week.

To me, the industry is on its knees.

We will fight tooth and nail to try and keep it open as long as we can but I just dont think it will be good enough.

The thing is its (track) leaking money like a barrel with a hole in it.

Joe ORourke, chairperson of Longford Track Supporters Club said spiralling utility costs had played a key part in the facilitys current malaise.

There are two full time staff and seven or eight part time staff but in fairness its being run more or less voluntarily at the minute.

Its about getting people in the door, he said.

The insurance bill came in last week and it was 2,500 more than last year, he said.

Then there is an electricity bill of 10,000 a year that has to be paid.

The 25,000 we are looking to raise is not an outright fix, its a fix that will take a bit of time.

We are just hoping anyone with an interest (in the track) will contribute.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by making a payment to the Keep Longford Racing fund- Bank account number 39046196; Sort code 90-17-73; IBAN code: IE30 BOFI 9017-7339-0461-96; BIC code: BOFIIE2D
Local News, Crime, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 21 2017

Jury Finds Wills Guilty Of Stealing Campaign Funds And Grant Money For Personal Benefit.

New York, NY - July 21, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the jury conviction of New York City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Queens) following an eleven-day trial that resulted in a guilty verdict on five of six counts related to Wills theft of approximately $30,000 in public campaign funds and state grant money. The jury found Wills guilty of one count of a scheme to defraud in the 1st degree, two counts of grand larceny in the 3rd degree, and two counts of filing a false instrument in the 1st degree. The jury acquitted Wills on a single charge of filing false business records. In accordance with state law, upon sentencing, Wills will be automatically expelled from the New York City Council. Wills faces a maximum of seven years behind bars.

Ruben Wills crimes were a shameful violation of the public trust. Now, after a conviction by a jury of his peers, Ruben Wills will face the consequences, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Ruben Wills stole taxpayer dollars to buy fancy purses and clothes for himself and his friends. New Yorkers deserved better. Today's conviction is another important step in our efforts to clean up New York politics and give voters the representation they deserve. I thank Comptroller DiNapoli and his staff for their continued and valuable partnership on Operation Integrity. My office will continue to hold accountable any public official who breaches the public trust and breaks the law."

Councilman Ruben Wills stole public money and abused his position of trust, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said. Thanks to the work of my staff and our partnership with Attorney General Schneiderman, we are targeting public corruption and holding public officials accountable for misuse of public resources.

As state prosecutors argued at trial, Wills used public matching funds from his 2009 campaign for City Council to pay $11,500 to Micro Targeting, a shell company purportedly created to translate and distribute campaign literature. Prosecutors proved at trial that Micro Targeting never provided any campaign services, and that the money was instead redirected to a non-profit corporation called NY 4 Life, which Wills controlled. Wills withdrew the money and made a series of personal purchases, including at Macys, where he used a portion of the funds to purchase a $750 Louis Vuitton handbag.

Prosecutors also detailed how Wills used $21,000 in State grant funds for personal and political expenses.

The $21,000 was part of a $33,000 grant provided to NY 4 Life from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), earmarked by former State Senator Shirley Huntley while Wills was serving as Huntleys chief of staff. The grant stipulated that the money had to be used to conduct four public service projects. Yet witnesses at trial testified that NY 4 Life only held one event, while Wills used approximately $21,000 of the funds for personal and political expenses, including at Nordstrom and Home Depot. Wills also used a portion of the money to pay individuals who had carried out campaign work for his City Council race.

Judge Ira Margulis presided over the trial, and scheduled sentencing for August 10th.

Since 2011, Attorney General Schneiderman, through his Operation Integrity partnership with Comptroller DiNapoli, has brought charges against dozens of individuals implicated in public corruption schemes around the state. The office has been able to return over $11 million in restitution to taxpayers through these convictions.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 21 2017

20 Attorneys General: Mr. President, Its Time To Affirm Your Commitment To The Incredible Kids To Handle This Issue With Heart.

Albany, NY - July 21, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today joined California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and 18 attorneys general in Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today joined California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and 18 attorneys general in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to maintain and defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the letter, the attorneys general explain how DACA has benefited their states and the nation as a whole and call on Trump to fulfill his public commitment to Dreamers.

In New York, there are 41,000 dreamers enrolled in the DACA program. Together, they contribute $140 million in state and local taxes annually, and earn $6,000 more annually than those who are not enrolled or eligible for the program.

These hardworking Dreamers have played by the rules, paid their taxes and have earned the right to continue living and working in our great country. We need comprehensive immigration reform in this country, but in the meantime, we need to maintain commonsense programs like DACA that empower our young people to pursue the American Dream, said Attorney General Schneiderman. My fellow attorneys general and I urge President Trump to stick by his pledge and stand behind New Yorks Dreamers.

Donald Trump says we should treat DACA grantees with heart  and I agree. The President should defend this vital initiative that benefits families, communities and economies in California and across the country, said Attorney General Becerra. Instead of frightening kids, we should empower them to fulfill their potential. After all, our young people are this nations most precious natural resource. Anything that harms them harms all of us. Thats why I will do everything in my power as Attorney General to defend DACA.

Since DACAs inception five years ago, nearly 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to this country as children have been granted DACA status after paying application fees, submitting to and passing background checks and applying for work permits:

Mr. President, now is the time to affirm the commitment you made, both to the incredible kids who benefit from DACA and to their families and communities, to handle this issue with heart. You said Dreamers should rest easy. We urge you to affirm Americas values and tradition as a nation of immigrants and make clear that you will not only continue DACA, but that you will defend it, wrote the attorneys general. The cost of not doing so would be too high for America, the economy, and for these young people. For these reasons, we urge you to maintain and defend DACA, and we stand in support of the effort to defend DACA by all appropriate means.

The letter refutes arguments set forth by those opposing DACA and threatening litigation, saying they are wrong as a matter of law and policy, and urges the President not to capitulate to their demands.

DACA is consistent with a long pattern of presidential exercises of prosecutorial discretion, wrote the attorneys general. DACA sensibly guides immigration officials exercise of their enforcement discretion and reserves limited resources to address individuals who threaten our communities, not those who contribute greatly to them. Challenges have been brought against the original DACA program, including in the Fifth Circuit, but none have succeeded.
Nature & Weather, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 21 2017

New York Team to Support West Coast Firefighting Efforts for Two Weeks.

Albany, NY - July 21, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that a crew of 20 employees and volunteers from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is heading to western states to assist in the containment of wildfires burning across the West Coast. Firefighters are currently battling wildfires in California, Montana and British Columbia. The volunteers and DEC staff, many from the ranks of the State's Forest Rangers, will join crews from other states and will be assigned where they are most needed. Last year, DEC sent 33 firefighters, including one 20-person crew, to several western states and Canada to help contain wildfires.

"New Yorkers are proud to help our neighbors in their time of need and by sending this crew out to the west coast, we can help protect and preserve lives and land as wildfires burn," Governor Cuomo said. "To lend a hand in crisis is the New York way and I am proud to send 20 dedicated individuals to assist in getting these devastating fires under control."

The New York team is expected to support firefighting efforts in western states for two weeks. All travel and administrative costs for the crew will be paid directly by the U.S. Forest Service or reimbursed to the State. New York first sent a firefighting crew to assist western states in fighting large wildfires in 1979, and, on average, one or two crews are sent to assist each year. In addition to helping contain the western wildfires and minimize damage, these crews also gain valuable experience that can be utilized fighting wildfires in New York.
Ridge Man in SCPD Custody After Running Motorist Off Parkway in Alleged Road Rage Incident

Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 21 2017

Robert Ferrara Jr. , 19, is charged with Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment, and Assault, cops say.

SCPD have arrested Robert Ferrara Jr. of Ridge, 19, for a road rage incident which caused another motorist to crash and suffer injuries.

Ridge, NY - July 21, 2017 - Suffolk County Police have arrested a man for a road rage incident which caused another motorist to crash and suffer injuries last week in Suffolk County Police have arrested a man for a road rage incident which caused another motorist to crash and suffer injuries last week in Ridge , New York.

A man was recklessly operating a 2015 Dodge Challenger northbound on William Floyd Parkway near Upton Road on July 13, at approximately 5:15 p.m. when he caused a motorist driving a 2006 Nissan Altima northbound to leave the road and crash into a wooded area. The suspect left the scene.

The 23-year-old driver of the Nissan suffered a broken femur, which required surgery, and a hand injury. He was released from Stony Brook University Hospital July 20.

After an investigation, police arrested Robert Ferrara Jr. on July 20 at the Seventh Precinct at approximately 10:50 p.m. Ferrara Jr., 19, of Ridge, was charged with Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree, and Assault 3rd Degree. All three charges are misdemeanors. Ferrara Jr. was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on September 22.
Reported Syrian airstrikes near Arsal on July 19. (Source: Arsal News)

As military operations ramp up on Sunni jihadists near the Lebanese border town of Arsal, Prime Minister Saad Hariri claims that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are not receiving assistance from the Syrian regime. However, on-the-ground reporting indicates otherwise. The LAF, which is funded by the US, is coordinating militarily with both Hezbollah and Bashar al Assads government in Arsal, despite PM Hariris claims to the contrary.

There is no coordination between the armies of Lebanon and Syria, Hariri said earlier this week, according to Naharnet. While Hariri did not explicitly mention Hezbollah, his comments implied that the LAF would be the only force in the operation. The Lebanese military will carry out a well-calculated plan in the outskirts of Arsal, he continued, adding that the army has the responsibility to fight in the border area and inside Lebanons territory.

Hariri previously denounced Hezbollahs participation in any operation in Arsal, while also deploying more Lebanese armed forces to the area. The LAF reinforcements were reportedly sent to Arsals outskirts.

However, Hezbollah says that its men are in fact participating in the effort. Earlier today, Hezbollah announced on its Al-Manar website that the operation to clear Arsal had begun in earnest. Hezbollah says its forces targeted Sunni jihadist positions with rockets and heavy artillery in several points around the town.

According to The Daily Star, elite Hezbollah units with [h]undreds of members were moved close to Arsal on the Syrian side of the border.

The Shiite jihadist group has repeatedly launched mortars and rockets into the vicinity of Arsal from Syrian territory over the past few days, according to press reports. Local media has also reported that Hezbollah is using heavy artillery in the area.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced an upcoming military operation in the town last week. Its time to end the threat posed by armed groups on Arsals outskirts. There is very little time [for militant groups] to reach specific settlements or reconciliation, Nasrallah said, according to The Daily Star.

Hezbollahs moves in the area come just two months after the group announced that it was supposedly redeploying its forces away from the Syria-Lebanon border region. At the time, a Lebanese Army official claimed that Hezbollah no longer had a presence near Arsal. The Shiite jihadists, however, appear to have retained its positions near the town on the Syrian side of the border. It is unlikely that Hezbollah would abandon an area it has deemed critical to its operations since the 1990s.

The Syrian regime has also reportedly carried out airstrikes in support of the LAFs operation.

Prior to today, sources close to both the Assad regime and Free Syrian Army-branded units reported that the Syrian air force has launched several airstrikes on militants near the border. Social media accounts linked to Hezbollah have also reported Syrian airstrikes in recent days.

Recent tensions in Arsal first flared up late last month when the LAF raided two Syrian refugee camps near the town to arrest suspected terrorists. However, according to BBC News, the LAF was met with resistance by jihadists in the camps, including five suicide bombers.

The area surrounding Arsal is a flashpoint in the spillover from the war raging in Syria.

Several skirmishes between jihadists and the LAF have occurred in the region since 2012. In 2014, militants loyal to both the Islamic State and the Al Nusrah Front (al Qaedas branch in Syria, now operating as part of Hayat Tahrir al Sham) briefly took control of the town. Sporadic clashes in the region have continued since.

Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
GREENFIELD -- A bargaining session Friday between Baystate Health management and members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association ended without a deal for nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Joe Markman, associate director of communication for the union, said the nurses are assessing the situation looking at next steps. There is not another bargaining session scheduled.

Markman said nurses made a revised offer to management negotiators Friday that included changes to its proposal for required staffing at Baystate Franklin, a part of Springfield-based Baystate Health.

He said management came back with its "best and final offer," and that offer was unacceptable to the nurses.

Baystate Health has said that writing minimum staffing language into its contract as the nurses want would rob hospital management of the flexibility it needs.

Nurses are also calling for cheaper health care insurance, saying management proposed a 26 percent increase.

Baystate wants to put all its nurses on the same health care plans.

More than 200 nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center have been negotiating with Baystate Health since November. They have been without a contract since Jan. 1.

When the nurses announced a one-day strike in late June, the hospital imposed a two-day lockout in response, resulting in nurses spending three days on the picket line.

Baystate is also negotiating with MNA members who work at Baystate Noble in Westfield. Baystate Health reached an agreement earlier this year with Baystate Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice.
NORTHAMPTON -- Nearly 300 service workers at Cooley Dickinson Hospital have voted to join 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, according to news releases from both the hospital and the union.

The vote was among administrative, transport and food service staff as well as medical interpreters and phlebotomists.

A similar vote among technical employees was closer, and the results are pending the outcome of a few ballot challenges, SEIU said.

Both elections were done by secret ballot by the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB also will decide the disputed ballots, according to both the hospital and the union.

The technical unit has about 100 workers and includes medical lab technicians, cardiovascular techs and respiratory therapists.

"It has been CDH's position from the beginning that we respect the right of employees to make free and fully informed decisions on the question of unionization through the process of a secret ballot election," said Cooley Dickinson President and CEO Joanne Marqusee. "This is fully consistent with the respect we have always had for our employees, and with our core values."

The hospital said it will begin bargaining with SEIU over their pay, benefits and other working conditions.

SEIU communications director Nikko B. Mendoza said those negotiations may take months.

The 325 nurses at Cooley Dickinson are already represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Back in February, Cooley Dickinson and the MNA settled a new three-year contract that improved nurses' wages by eliminating the bottom tier of the pay scale.

That deal with the Massachusetts Nurses Association also addressed workplace safety concerns and working conditions.

Cooley Dickinson is an 86-bed hospital affiliated with Partners Healthcare and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Elsewhere around the region, Baystate Health and the Massachusetts Nurses Association are negotiating new deals for the nurses bargaining units at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield and Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield.
Boston's world-class hospitals have never seen a female chief of surgery, until Thursday.

Boston Medical Center appointed Dr. Jennifer F. Tseng to serve as Chief of Surgery at the hospital, as well as Chair of the department of surgery at Boston University School of Medicine.

The move makes Tseng the first woman in Boston to serve the role of chief surgeon at any Boston hospital. According to a BMC, only a small percentage of women make up chief surgeons at medical facilities across the United States.

BMC, a teaching hospital for BU Medical, is known for taking initiative in Massachusetts medical scene. In May 2016, the hospital became the first in the state to offer gender reassignment surgery.

Tseng arrived at BU School of Medicine less than a month ago, after serving several other Boston and Massachusetts medical institutions. She worked as the chief of surgical oncology at Beth Deaconess Medical Center, a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, and a lead researcher of a surgery-focused study at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

"Dr. Tseng is an accomplished leader and outstanding surgeon who has demonstrated a commitment to diversity and care for our community," BMC President and CEO Kate Walsh said in a statement released on Thursday.

Tseng's work in more than 100 peer-reviewed journals has focused on a variety of topics, including reducing surgical risk, as well as how racial and socioeconomic disparities impact insurance and cancer treatments.
Billionaire innovator Elon Musk said Thursday he has "verbal" government approval to build an ultra-high-speed underground rail system in the Northeast, offering hope to travelers overwhelmed by mass-transit failures despite skepticism about such an ambitious project.

In a series of tweets that might not be taken seriously if they came from any other corporate executive, Musk flummoxed the transportation industry with claims that he is pursuing a network that would whisk passengers from New York City to Washington, D.C. in 29 minutes.

Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY

Full Story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/07/20/elon-musk-hyperloop/495735001/
Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges, the national spokesperson for No Kid Hungry https://www.nokidhungry.org/ , has been a leading anti-hunger activist for more than 30 years.

At the 2017 Annual Meeting in Montana, Bridges participated in a roundtable session with the Governors to discuss childhood hunger in America and raise awareness of this often-overlooked issue.

In addition to the governors, the First Lady of Montana, Lisa Bullock, joined the conversation and spoke about her personal involvement with No Kid Hungry.

Audio: http://westgov.org/news/listen-jeff-bridges-discusses-anti-hunger-work-collaboration-with-governors
Cascade County Commissioners will vote Tuesday whether or not to place a three-mill levy on the November ballot for economic development in Cascade County.

The levy is spearheaded by the Great Falls Development Authority http://www.gfdevelopment.org/ , which has been working on economic development as a public/private partnership for 15 years

"The private sector has been putting in about $450,000 a year," said Brett Doney, President and CEO of GFDA, "and weve always felt like we have been doing economic development with one arm tied behind our back."

Doney seeks to turn the process into a true partnership through this mill levy that is to be used with three goals in mind that "address problems weve had in Great Falls for decades."

Traci Rosenbaum, [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2017/07/20/cascade-county-commission/497960001/
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a soft growing robot that could be used to support rescue operations or in medical devices.

Inspired by the natural growth of things like vines or fungi, that stretch over a distance by growing, the team developed prototypes and put them through different tests.

"Essentially, were trying to understand the fundamentals of this new approach to getting mobility or movement out of a mechanism," said Allison Okamura, professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the paper  published in a Science Robotics.

Full Story: https://www.innovatorsmag.com/this-soft-robot-could-extend-your-life/?mc_cid=193cee8772&mc_eid=c78671dfe4
Portlands tech scene grew modestly more diverse last year, according to a city-funded study out Thursday, but there are signs the industry is looking beyond its historically narrow pool of job candidates to fill open positions.

Oregons tech sector, like the industry nationwide, is overwhelmingly white and male. That effectively excludes a growing share of an increasingly diverse population from some of the most lucrative jobs available.

By Mike Rogoway, [email protected], The Oregonian/OregonLive

Full Story: http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2017/07/portlands_tech_community_grows.html#incart_river_index
Western Governors brought the 2017 Annual Meeting to a stirring conclusion with an emotional conversation about ending childhood hunger featuring actor Jeff Bridges, a frank discussion about the infrastructure investment required in the West, and Gov. Dennis Daugaards announcement of his Chairmans Initiative on workforce development.

Ten Western Governors took part in the three-day meeting hosted by WGA Chair and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, including WGA Vice Chair Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota), John Hickenlooper (Colorado), David Ige (Hawaii), Butch Otter (Idaho), Brian Sandoval (Nevada), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Ralph Torres (Northern Mariana Islands), Gary Herbert (Utah), and Matt Mead (Wyoming).

Full Report: http://westgov.org/news/annual-meeting-day-3-governors-childhood-hunger-jeff-bridges-daugaard-workforce-initiative
"For small to medium to national organizations, for events and fundraisers of any size, in any format  live, virtual or hybrid  the platform is built for scale."
Les membres du gouvernement ont pris note des differentess actions sur le plan national.

1. Cabinet has agreed to the implementation of the project for the construction of a National Health Laboratory Services Centre on a Design, Finance, Build and Maintain model at Cote dOr. The new services would be as follows:

(a) the Central Health Laboratory would incorporate new services/departments such as immunology and genetic department, Central Laboratory Reagents/ Consumables warehouse, dedicated premises for clinical teaching and research activities for both undergraduate and post-graduate levels and medical devices evaluation department; and

(b) the Government Analyst Division would be equipped to offer Analytical Chemistry courses for technical officers/scientists and specialised courses such as heavy metals analysis in food/feed/water/effluent. The courses, currently not available in Mauritius, would be both theoretical and hands-on with instrumentation and would consist of training new recruits for the Government Analyst Division, officers from other public entities and private individuals.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicle, Road Service and Carriers Licence) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. In Budget Speech 2020/2021, provision was made to amend the Road Traffic Act to enable Holders of a B Carrier Licence to lease their vehicles including for the carriage of goods. Section 84 of the Road Traffic Act was amended by the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, to provide for the leasing of a vehicle holding a Private Carriers Licence (B Carriers Licence) to another person for any purpose, including for the carriage of goods, other than sugar canes, and subject to such conditions as the National Land Transport Authority may impose. These amendments have entailed consequential amendments to the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicle, Road Service and Carriers Licence) Regulations.

3. Cabinet has agreed to the erection of an additional Light Rail Transit (LRT) Station at the Phoenix Mall, over and above, the 19 LRT Stations along the LRT alignment from Curepipe to Port Louis, with all associated costs being met by Ascencia Ltd and for the Metro Express Ltd and Ascencia Ltd to sign an Agreement to this effect.

4. Cabinet has taken note of the situational analysis on the resumption of activities by tourist accommodations. The licensed tourist accommodations have been authorised to resume their operations as from 23 July 2021, subject to compliance with the relevant sanitary protocol for domestic tourism. As at 27 July 2021, a total of 138 tourist accommodations comprising 91 tourist residences, 32 guesthouses and 15 hotels have informed the Tourism Authority of the date they would start operating. Some 61 tourist residences, 28 guesthouses and 11 hotels started operating as from 23 July 2021.

During the weekend of 24 and 25 July 2021, officers of the Tourism Authority carried out inspections at tourist residences, guesthouses and hotels. The Tourism Authority would continue to carry out monitoring at the tourist accommodations to ensure that the sanitary protocol communicated to all its licensees was being duly complied with.

5. Cabinet has taken note of the status of implementation regarding the introduction of a measure of price control for seven essential commodities and to provide a subsidy as compensation to importers for their loss of revenue. The Consumer Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection has effected 1,004 checks in different trade premises from 12 to 26 July 2021 and 94 contraventions pertaining mostly to higher price and non-affixing of price label have been established throughout Mauritius.

As regards the price control mechanism in Rodrigues, the Rodrigues Consumer Protection (Maximum Price of Essential Goods) Regulations 2021 were promulgated to align the prices of these essential commodities in Rodrigues with the new prices applicable in Mauritius with effect from 19 July 2021.

6. Cabinet has taken note of the rolling out of the electronic queue management system, Mo Rendez Vous, by the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation in four additional sites, namely the Mauritius National Identity Centres in Port Louis, Rose Hill and Flacq and the National Land Transport Authority Sub Office in Emmanuel Building, Port Louis with a view to enhancing public service delivery. The system which enables citizens to book appointments online, through the Mo Rendez Vous portal or mobile app, is expected to be operational at those sites during the first week of August 2021. The ultimate objective is to address the issue of long queues, therefore providing a more effective public service.

7. Cabinet has taken note that Mauritius Telecom has embarked on the deployment of the 5th generation of the wireless network (5G) technology and officially launched the project on 29 July 2021.

8. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the first Inter-Ministerial Meeting of the Indentured Labour Route Project( ILRP) held virtually on 16 July 2021, in the context of the 15th Anniversary of the inscription of the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The ILRP is steered by the International Scientific Committee which comprises 20 members from 14 countries and also includes a representative from UNESCO. The Inter-Ministerial Meeting was organised to give a new impetus and ensure governmental support to the ILRP. The aim was to foster research on indenture and disseminate information on indentured labour as an international phenomenon while creating a synergy with the Slave Route Project.

The International Scientific Committee has developed an Action Plan for the period 2021 to 2023 so as to promote and raise awareness about the history of indenture. One of the main priorities of the Action Plan of the ILRP is the establishment of the International Database on Indentured Labour Migration which would require the setting up of a dedicated international committee with representatives from the National Archives of the participating countries, scholars and database experts.

9. Cabinet has taken note that the composition of the Mauritius National Committee for the Slave Route Project would be reviewed to include persons with varied expertise including scholars of art, music, ethnography, history, media, archives, museums as well as representatives of Ministries/Departments, NGOs and individuals with an interest in slavery. The main objectives of the Slave Route Project are to:

(a) break the silence and make universally known, the subject of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in the Indian Ocean, Caribbean and the Mediterranean regions, with its causes and modalities;

(b) highlight the global transformations and cultural interactions that have resulted from this history; and

(c) contribute to a culture of peace by promoting reflection on cultural pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the construction of new identities and citizenships.

The Mauritius National Committee for the Slave Route Project would be chaired by the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage.

10. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised by the Human Rights Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade in collaboration with stakeholders to mark World Humanitarian Day 2021 on 19 August 2021. The theme for this year is Climate emergency and its impact on the most vulnerable people.

The following activities would be organised:

(a) a poster would be issued in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change on the theme covering the types of climate emergencies in Mauritius, impacts of most vulnerable groups and the key measures that are in place;

(b) a radio talk on the theme would be held in collaboration with the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation;

(c) the Ministry of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management would organise a half-day workshop to sensitise the Officer-in-Charge of Residential Care Homes located in the flood prone regions on the emergency preparedness and response in the event of a disaster event; and

(d) a message on World Humanitarian Day would be forwarded to all stakeholders for wider dissemination.

11. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 197 million cases have been reported globally, of which 178.3 million persons have been successfully treated. With regard to Mauritius, as from March 2020 to 30 July 2021, 4,214 cases (including imported cases) of COVID-19 had been registered. There were 1,870 active cases of COVID-19 in Mauritius, out of which 1,861 were local cases and nine imported cases. Contact tracing exercises and random testing are being carried out in accordance with the established protocol.

Cabinet has also taken note that following the detection of positive COVID-19 cases among foreign workers in dormitories, some dormitories have been designated as quarantine facility. The situation was being closely monitored by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Cabinet has further taken note of progress in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. As at 29 July 2021, 676,702 persons had received a first dose of vaccine (representing 54 percent of the population). 549,812 persons had received a second dose of vaccine (representing 44 percent of the population).

12. Cabinet has taken note that following the extension of the quarantine period, the Prime Minister would make an Order under the Quarantine Act to extend the prohibition of entry of aircraft and ships into Mauritius until 31 August 2021, except for those aircraft and ships as he may approve. The Notice to Airman (NOTAM) for Rodrigues would be extended until 31 August 2021.

13. Cabinet has taken note that a 22-member delegation comprising athletes, coaches and officials proceeded to Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Seven Mauritian athletes competed at the Games in five sports disciplines, namely badminton, boxing, judo, swimming and weightlifting. With regard to the sixth discipline, namely athletics, where Mauritius would be represented, the competition would take place on 03 August 2021.

14. Cabinet has taken note of the activities that would be organised by the Ministry of Health and Wellness during the first week of August 2021 to mark World Breastfeeding Week 2021. The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2021 is Protect breastfeeding: a shared responsibility.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness would organise a one-day workshop on the theme Exclusive Breastfeeding  A Public Health Priority for medical and paramedical staff of the Ministry and representatives from NGOs, on 4 August 2021 with a view to strengthening sensitisation on breastfeeding. Radio and TV programmes would be held to sensitise the population at large on the benefits of breastfeeding.

15. Cabinet has taken note of proposals to be made by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation at the Experts meeting scheduled for 9 and 10 August 2021 to be followed by the Ministerial meeting of the Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de lOcean Indien (CJSOI) on 12 August 2021.

16. Cabinet has taken note of outcome of the participation of the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection in the 109th Session of the International Labour Conference held virtually in June 2021 in Geneva. Discussions during the first part of the Conference focused mainly on:

(a) the Report of the Director-General;

(b) Reports on the application of Conventions and Recommendations by Member States;

(c) the strategic objective of social protection (social security), as a follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization; and

(d) abrogation and withdrawal of International Labour Conventions and Recommendations.

In his report, the Director General of ILO emphasised that due to the unprecedented social and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become imperative for ILO to focus attention on the task of promoting a human-centred recovery, in light of the lessons learnt. His report also pointed out that the global working hours has fallen by around 9 per cent as compared to the last quarter of 2019. During his intervention, the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection thanked the ILO and the World Health Organization for their continuous support and guidance in addressing labour market and health issues. He seized the opportunity to raise a special concern on the access to vaccines and made a vibrant appeal for vaccines to be made available to all countries so as to ensure a more level playing field in the current global vaccine race.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Redundancy Board with Mr Abdool Rashid Hossen as President.

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Over the past ten years, the African Property Investment (API) Summit has helped formalise Africas emerging real estate markets. During this period the investment case on the continent has evolved, and today Africas divergent markets require dynamic and inspired business strategies that prioritize affordability, future demand, sustainability and inclusive economic growth.

As we move into the next cycle of development, this years conference theme  Africa RE-Inspired Reveal how Africas real estate markets have formalized over the last decade.

How global real estate trends will impact its future ?

How the African real estate investment case compares to other emerging markets?

Omnicane representatives attending the API SUMMIT 2019 were Joel Bruneau, Jean Paul Tostee, Kevin Gnany and Sharon Le Merle. Joel Bruneau did a presentation on CO-INVESTING AND CO-DEVELOPING IN LARGE SCALE MIXED USE AND SMART CITY DEVELOPMENTS: Omnicane Case Study Mon Tresor was among the finalist of the API Awards under the BEST ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & BEST GREEN BUILDING categories.

The API Awards Ceremony took place during the Networking Dinner Function held at Alice and Fifth on 02nd October 2019.Jones Lang LaSalle, JLL showcased Mon Tresor Smart City during their presentation. Simon Ardonceau, Head of Strategic Consulting from JLL did a presentation on: MASTER PLANNING AFRICAS MOMENTUM: A definition of private sector led Smart Cities, their goals and key success factors in the African context. Speaking of MON TRESOR, He stated : Mon Tresor is a residential led mix-use Smart City being developed in conjunction with a Special Economic Zone in Mauritius.

The Smart City Certificate was obtained in 2016 with the first phase of office and hospitality assets already developed. Mon Tresor Masterplan is the first BREEAM Communities Interim Certificate to be awarded in the Southern hemisphere for a Smart City development site, demonstrating strong sustainability leadership credentials. The development employs a holistic planning approach offering work, live and service assets within close proximity. Mon Tresor will offer word-class offices, retail facilities, logistics and coupled with state of art infrastructure. The development is private sector led.

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Are you always the first one to say yes to an adventure? Have you always wanted to immerse yourself in a new culture? Then working abroad may be for you. Share on Pinterest By working abroad, doctors can experience a new culture and a different medical system. If you were to ask a doctor who has worked abroad whether or not they would recommend it, you are likely to hear something along the lines of, Absolutely! It was a great experience, but it definitely isnt for everyone. While this statement is certainly true, it is often hard to explain exactly why it isnt for everyone. The number of reasons that doctors will give for working in another country are likely to be just as varied as the reasons that they will say not to go. One reason that doctors go overseas to work is to experience a new way of practicing medicine. This is especially true for doctors from the United States, who are often seeking a break from the challenges of working within the U.S. healthcare system. U.S. doctors will probably experience fewer hoops that they have to go through to provide patients with the medical care that they need. This can be a refreshing part of working in a new system. Working abroad can also be an opportunity to get paid while experiencing a new culture first hand. For instance, many doctors with children find the opportunity of immersing their kids in a foreign culture to be an invaluable experience for the whole family. Learn about the challenges that working abroad as a doctor is likely to bring, and what the best options for getting a job in another country are.

Things to consider before you sign up Working in another country is not necessarily going to be a vacation. Many of the positions open to foreign doctors are in rural areas that have high need, so you are likely to be very busy in your new facility. There is also a steep learning curve that comes with working in a foreign country. You will need to learn a whole new healthcare system that may have different drug formularies, unfamiliar names for surgical instruments, and new processes for getting patients through the medical system. Living abroad also presents you with many cultural challenges. Depending on the country in which you work, you may have to brush up on your foreign language skills. And even if you are working in a country that speaks your native language, you will probably need to get acquainted with a new accent, which can take some time getting used to. Staying connected with family and friends can also be challenging. Technology has certainly made long distance communication easy and affordable, but working across different time zones can still present problems. Furthermore, if you are coming from the U.S., you may be liable to find that salaries are significantly lower than what you might be used to at home. In order to make it work financially, you may have to do some financial planning prior to your move, so that you can meet your financial obligations while you are away. Another challenge you may experience is the lack of control that you are given over your schedule. Many doctors find that they are given a fixed schedule when they arrive for work that they have to adjust to. The number of patients you need to see and the procedures you must perform are also likely to be pre-set, with little room for change. This may be especially difficult if you are coming from a private practice, where you have total control over your schedule. But if you are undeterred and ready to face your adventure, we have practical tips that will help to get you on your way.

What to know before you go Before you decide to work abroad, it can be helpful to talk with other doctors that are already practicing medicine in the location you are considering; they can give you practical advice about both the work facility and the country. You can also get great advice about the things you should or should not bring with you once you decide to move. If you are an American citizen, it is also important to know that you are required to pay U.S. taxes on the income you earn for the entire time you spend living overseas. You will also probably have to pay taxes in the country you are working in. It is therefore important to research this before you move, so that you know what your tax obligations are likely to be. Additionally, returning to your home country and either going back to your practice or finding a new job can be hard. Talking with other doctors that have done work abroad to find out how they were able to transition back into medicine at home can help to prepare you for as smooth a transition as possible. Many doctors seek employment overseas while they are between jobs in their home country. Staying in touch with colleagues while you are overseas can be a good way to find employment when you return to your home country. If you intend to return to the same practice, it may be helpful to talk with your employer to see if you can arrange a sabbatical before you leave.

What will you need to practice abroad? Every country will require different documentation from you before you can begin work. Some general things that you will possibly need are: an active medical license in your home country a current resume a valid passport two or more passport-sized photos for your visa application professional references a complete physical exam, which may include blood work, a chest X-ray, or a bacteria culture, depending on country a background check The entire process can take between 3 and 6 months to complete, so be sure to start researching jobs well in advance of when you want to go.

How do you find a job abroad? There are a number of different ways that you can go about finding a job in a new country. All are good options, so you will just need to decide which one best meets your needs. If you are planning to go for only a short time, then using an agency may be the easiest solution. This is how Dr. Butler  an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) who went to New Zealand for 6 months with his wife to practice medicine  found his position. For him, the agency just made everything so easy. They took care of all of the credentialing, visas, and passports. All [he] had to do was show up at the airport. Even [his] rental car was waiting for [him] at the airport when [he] got to New Zealand. There are two types of agency that can help you to find an overseas job: locum tenens agencies and placement agencies. Both will help you to find a position and assist you with completing all the necessary paperwork for credentialing and visas. But each functions differently once you start working. If you are placed in your new position through a locum tenens agency, you will actually be employed by the agency and not by the facility at which you are working. This means that your pay checks will come from the agency. They usually offer you additional benefits such as a car, housing, and even all of your utilities. But being an employee of the agency also means that you will probably get paid less than your colleagues employed by the facility you work at. If you use a placement agency to find your job, you will be directly employed by the facility that hires you. Placement agencies may provide you with benefits such a car and housing for the first few weeks that you are at your new job, but you will eventually be responsible for all of your own living expenses. The benefit to this option is that your pay will be higher than if you are placed at a job by a locum tenens agency. If you are going to be practicing medicine abroad for a longer period of time, then you may want to find a job on your own. This can be done with the help of the consulate or embassy of the country in which you intend to work. You may be able to find more job opportunities with this method, but you will need to be prepared to do a lot more legwork than if you choose to use an agency. Visas and medical licensing can require a lot of paperwork, and it must be done correctly or you may be denied the opportunity to work in your country of choice.
Whether it is straight, curly, or wavy, your hair is unique to you. But what biology is at play? Curvy or straight hair follicles set the look of each hair throughout your life. Share on Pinterest Scientists know that the shape of the hair follicle and the behavior of follicle cells during hair growth contribute to hair shape. Hair has several biological and cultural functions. It protects the scalp from sunlight and keeps it warm in cold weather. It is also important in social communication. The hair follicle is a complex, multi-cellular compartment, buried deep inside your skin. Straight hair follicles produce straight hair fibers, while curly hair grows from curved follicles. But why are some hair follicles curvy, and how does a hair get its curl?

Many types of hair Curly hair includes a wide range of hair fiber shapes, ranging from twists and crimps, to waves and kinks. Scientists from the Center for Skin Sciences at the University of Bradford and Unilever R&D in Bedfordshire, both in the United Kingdom, explain what is known about curly hair in a recent article published in the journal Experimental Dermatology. The shape of each hair follicle is thought to be determined during embryonic development, but scientists do not know exactly how this happens. Curvy hair follicles are S-shaped, meaning that they have two bends. This shape is set for life, although the hair follicle naturally undergoes structural changes every few years. Each hair grows for around 3 to 5 years before undergoing a resting phase of several months, and then, eventually, it falls out. During this resting phase, the hair follicle changes in structure, essentially shriveling up in the skin. To start a new cycle of hair growth, the follicle grows back to its original shape. Curvy follicles always grow back curvy. But what regulates this remarkable re-establishment of curvature in the follicle remains a mystery.

What makes a hair curl? In addition to the shape of the hair follicle, scientists believe that differences in cell behavior during hair fiber production contribute to hair shape. In straight hair, all the cells in the follicle act in a coordinated fashion, leading to even hair growth from the straight follicle. These hairs are round. However, in curly hair, the way that the cells divide and produce certain proteins is asymmetrical and correlates with the bends in the curved follicle. This results in a hair fiber that has an elliptical shape, which allows it to curl. How exactly the different types of twists, kinks, and waves are created from this elliptical shape has eluded scientists so far. But what controls these processes?
You can lead a doctor to disinfection, but how do you get them to clean...or wipe ....or swab a stethoscope?

That's the question raised by a new quality improvement project published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the official journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

It is the latest report to find that healthcare providers rarely perform stethoscope hygiene between patient encounters, despite its importance for infection prevention. Infection control guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that re-usable medical equipment, such as stethoscopes, must undergo disinfection between patients.

"Stethoscopes are used repeatedly throughout the day and become contaminated after each patient exposure, so they must be treated as potential vectors of transmission," said Linda Greene, RN, MPS, CIC, FAPIC, 2017 president of APIC. "Failing to disinfect stethoscopes could constitute a serious patient safety issue similar to ignoring hand hygiene."

The report describes a quality improvement pilot project in which the authors observed stethoscope hygiene (alcohol swabs, alcohol gel, or disinfectant wipes) at the start of a four-week rotation for medical students, resident physicians, and attending physicians at a tertiary care academic teaching hospital. The baseline observation of stethoscope hygiene among staff found zero occurrences. The project also looked at hand hygiene, which can include alcohol gel or soap and water.

The team then sought to educate clinicians about the importance of stethoscope hygiene, and emphasized the expectation for clinicians to conduct stethoscope hygiene between each patient encounter. They also hinted that they might monitor during the follow-up phase. Despite this, the result was the same: zero occurrences of stethoscope sanitation.

The authors commented: "While the project had several limitations, it does highlight how rarely stethoscope hygiene is performed. Standard education may not be the answer to this problem. Behavioral and cultural modification to improve hand hygiene still remains a challenge, despite being studied in large randomized trials. Stethoscope hygiene implementation will need more consistent efforts to change culture and habits. We believe that stethoscope hygiene should be included in all hospital hand hygiene initiatives along with increased accountability."

Hand hygiene has traditionally received much more attention than stethoscope hygiene, but microbiology data show that stethoscope contamination after a single exam is comparable to that of the physician's dominant hand. Potential pathogens cultured from stethoscopes include Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium difficile, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. In fact, a recent Swiss study found that stethoscopes were capable of transmitting potentially resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

The team anticipated a poor result, based on the low rates of stethoscope hygiene that has been reported in studies elsewhere. "We anticipated low stethoscope hygiene rates, but were surprised that no one performed stethoscope hygiene, despite the fact that it is on the checklist for second-year medical students' final evaluation demonstrating competency in performing a complete history and physical at our institution."

Article: Can education influence stethoscope hygiene? Jurgen L. Holleck, MD'Correspondence information about the author MD Jurgen L. Holleck, Naseema Merchant, MD, Shin Lin, MD, Shaili Gupta, MD, American Journal of Infection Control, doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.02.004, published 1 July 2017.
Urbanisation and the electrification of homes do not decrease the amount that we sleep, a new study in the journal Scientific Reports finds.

In this study, researchers from the University of Surrey, in collaboration with groups in South Africa, Brazil, Colombia and the USA, examined the sleeping patterns of people from two neighbouring communities in Mozambique - the small electrified urban town Milange and the non-electrified rural community Tengua.

It has previously been suggested that the post-industrial world is experiencing a sleep deprivation epidemic. Scientists have proposed that people who have electricity stay up later, but do not necessarily get up later to compensate. The Surrey-led research team found that although the people in the town retired to bed on average one hour later, they did not sleep less than the people in the village without electricity, because they also rose one hour later in the morning.

The study was performed by Dr Andrew Beale, who spent more than two years living in Milange before he returned to the UK to work as a research fellow at the University of Surrey.

He said: "I noticed that the sleep-wake patterns of people around me were much earlier than I was used to from the UK. There is an intense debate going on right now on how our ancestors might have slept, and how this was changed by industrialisation. Looking at the effects of urbanisation on these communities is one way of helping us understand what happens."

Professor Malcolm von Schantz from the University of Surrey, corresponding author, said: "What these findings indicate is that the delay in sleep timing that comes with access to electricity does not directly cause people to sleep less.

"In other words, if indeed people do sleep less in industrialised countries, we can't just blame electrification. The step from delayed to shortened sleep seems to require more changes in behaviours."

Associate Professor Laura Roden from the University of Cape Town, senior author on the study, added: "We will probably never know how our ancestors slept. But as urbanisation spreads across the globe, it is important to study how people's sleeping habits change. After they've changed, it will be too late!"
UNAIDS has released a new report showing that for the first time the scales have tipped: more than half of all people living with HIV (53%) now have access to HIV treatment and AIDS-related deaths have almost halved since 2005. In 2016, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV had access to treatment, and AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016. Provided that scale-up continues, this progress puts the world on track to reach the global target of 30 million people on treatment by 2020.

"We met the 2015 target of 15 million people on treatment and we are on track to double that number to 30 million and meet the 2020 target," said Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "We will continue to scale up to reach everyone in need and honour our commitment of leaving no one behind."

The region showing the most progress is eastern and southern Africa, which has been most affected by HIV and which accounts for more than half of all people living with HIV. Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths have declined by 42%. New HIV infections have declined by 29%, including a 56% drop in new HIV infections among children over the same period, a remarkable achievement resulting from HIV treatment and prevention efforts that is putting eastern and southern Africa on track towards ending its AIDS epidemic.

What's On Track

90-90-90 progress

The report, Ending AIDS: progress towards the 90-90-90 targets, gives a detailed analysis of progress and challenges towards achieving the 90-90-90 targets. The targets were launched in 2014 to accelerate progress so that, by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV are accessing sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people accessing antiretroviral therapy are virally suppressed.

The report shows that in 2016 more than two thirds (70%) of people living with HIV now know their HIV status. Of the people who know their status, 77% were accessing treatment, and of the people accessing treatment, 82% were virally supressed, protecting their health and helping to prevent transmission of the virus.

Eastern and southern Africa, western and central Europe and North America and Latin America are on track to reach the 90-90-90 targets by 2020. In eastern and southern Africa, 76% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 79% of people who know their HIV-positive status have access to antiretroviral therapy and 83% of people who are on treatment have undetectable levels of HIV - this equates to 50% of all people living with HIV in eastern and southern Africa with viral suppression. The Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific can also reach the 90-90-90 targets if programmes are further accelerated.

Seven countries have already achieved the 90-90-90 targets - Botswana, Cambodia, Denmark, Iceland, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - and many more are close to achieving it.

"Ending AIDS is possible - it is a shared engagement and aspiration. One that cities can lead while promoting inclusive societies for all," said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris.

The most significant impact of 90-90-90 scale-up has been in reducing AIDS-related deaths, which have been reduced by almost half in the past 10 years. As a result, life expectancy has increased significantly in the most affected countries. In eastern and southern Africa, life expectancy increased by nearly 10 years from 2006 to 2016.

"Communities and families are thriving as AIDS is being pushed back," said Mr Sidibe. "As we bring the epidemic under control, health outcomes are improving and nations are becoming stronger."

90-90-90: more work to do

Progress against the 90-90-90 targets has, however, been poor in the Middle East and North Africa and in eastern Europe and central Asia, where AIDS-related deaths have risen by 48% and 38%, respectively. There are exceptions within these regions showing that when concerted efforts are made, results happen. For example, Algeria has increased HIV treatment access from 24% in 2010 to 76% in 2016, Morocco from 16% in 2010 to 48% in 2016 and Belarus from 29% in 2010 to 45% in 2016.

Globally, progress has been significant, but there is still more work to do. Around 30% of people living with HIV still do not know their HIV status, 17.1 million people living with HIV do not have access to antiretroviral therapy and more than half of all people living with HIV are not virally suppressed.

Eliminating new HIV infections among children

Global solidarity to stop new HIV infections among children has produced results. Around 76% of pregnant women living with HIV had access to antiretroviral medicines in 2016, up from 47% in 2010. New HIV infections among children globally have halved, from 300 000 [230 000-370 000] in 2010 to 160 000 [100 000-220 000] in 2016. Five-high burden countries - Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Uganda - have already met the milestone of diagnosing and providing lifelong antiretroviral therapy to 95% of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV.

New HIV infections are declining, but not fast enough

The report also shows that, globally, new HIV infections are declining, but not at the pace needed to meet global targets. Globally, new HIV infections declined by 16% from 2010 to 2016, to 1.8 million [1.6 million-2.1 million]. Declines were estimated in 69 countries, in the majority of which treatment scale-up has been implemented alongside an increase in the availability of combination HIV prevention services and in some countries condom use. However, alarming increases have been seen in new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia.

Tuberculosis

Major gains in the global response to tuberculosis and HIV led to a 33% decline in tuberculosis deaths among people living with HIV. As of 2015, only 11% of the 10.4 million cases of tuberculosis globally were among people living with HIV. However, nearly 60% of tuberculosis cases among people living with HIV were not diagnosed or treated.

Community health workers needed

Ending AIDS shows that providing services closer to where people live and work will be a key factor in ending the AIDS epidemic. UNAIDS is championing an initiative recently backed by the African Union to recruit and train 2 million community health workers in Africa to further bolster the capacity of health systems to deliver health-care services across the region.

"When health services reach the doorsteps, the health of families and communities is transformed," said Mr Sidibe. "Community health workers will become the backbone of strong and resilient health systems across Africa."

"I am not alone living with HIV, there are millions of us and we are determined to put an end to AIDS," said Christine Kafando, community health worker and founder of Association Espoir pour Demain. "We have the will to do it and must continue our concerted efforts."

What's Off Track?

Treatment for children living with HIV

Only 43% of children living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy, compared to 54% of adults. Ending AIDS also reveals that as many as two thirds of children under two years old are diagnosed late and start treatment with advanced immunodeficiency, resulting in a high mortality rate for children of this age group. More action is needed to diagnose and treat children living with HIV.

Young people are lagging behind

Young people (15-24 years) are lagging behind on multiple fronts - knowledge of HIV, HIV testing, treatment and prevention. Young people continue to be at great risk of HIV infection, especially young women in sub-Saharan Africa. New HIV infections among young women in sub-Saharan Africa are 44% higher than among young men of their age in the region. Around 610 000 new HIV infections occurred among young people aged 15-24 years; 59% of those new infections occurred among young women age 15-24 years.

In Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, half of young people do not know their status and more than half do not have access to HIV treatment. Only 36% of young men and 30% of young women in sub-Saharan Africa had a basic knowledge of how to protect themselves from HIV. Population-based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs) conducted in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and supported by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, found that less than 50% of young people living with HIV were aware of their HIV status, compared to 78% of adults aged 35-59 years.

Men not being reached

The report reveals that less than 50% of young men know how to protect themselves from HIV infection, that men are much less likely to know their HIV status or start treatment than women and that less than 50% of men living with HIV are accessing antiretroviral therapy. Many men who are diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed late and start treatment only when they fall ill, making them much more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses than women. Deaths from AIDS-related illnesses were 27% lower among women than among men.

Key populations

Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, key populations and their sexual partners accounted for 80% of new HIV infections in 2015 and even in sub-Saharan Africa key populations account for 25% of new HIV infections. The report outlines that efforts to reach key populations with integrated HIV services are essential and that a combination approach is needed that includes harm reduction services.

Regions off track

Eastern Europe and central Asia is the only region in the world where new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are both rising. New HIV infections increased from 120 000 [100 000-130 000] in 2010 to 190 000 [160 000-220 000] in 2016. People who inject drugs accounted for 42% of new HIV infections in the region. In the Russian Federation, newly reported cases of HIV increased by 75% from 2010 to 2016. Several other countries in the region - including Albania, Armenia and Kazakhstan - also have rapidly growing epidemics.

Even though access to HIV treatment in eastern Europe and central Asia has more than doubled in the past six years, still only 28% of people living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy, despite two out of three people living with HIV knowing their HIV status. AIDS-related deaths have increased by 38%.

In the Middle East and North Africa, just over half of people living with HIV knew their HIV status, with less than half of those on HIV treatment. Only one out of five people living with HIV was virally suppressed.

UNAIDS has been working with Doctors Without Borders and the African Union on a catch-up plan for western and central Africa, which is lagging far behind the rest of the continent. Only 42% of the 6.1 million people living with HIV in the region knew their HIV status, just 35% were accessing HIV treatment and only one in four people living with HIV were virally suppressed in 2016.

"I would like to reiterate our support for the catch-up plan for western and central Africa, launched by UNAIDS and now joined by partners. The adoption of this plan by the heads of state of the African Union is an essential step for mobilization and the efficient implementation of this plan by the countries in the region." said Michele Boccoz, French AIDS Ambassador.

Resources for the AIDS response continue to flatline

Resources for the AIDS response remain flat. At the end of 2016, around US$ 19 billion was available in low- and middle-income countries, with domestic resources accounting for 57% of the global total. An estimated US$ 26 billion will be needed for the global response to HIV by 2020.

"We are maximizing the use of every dollar available, but we are still US$ 7 billion short," said Mr Sidibe. "With more international assistance, increased domestic funding, innovative financing and effective programming can end the AIDS epidemic by 2030."
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Toronto Recombinant Antibody Centre (TRAC) from the University of Toronto, Canada agreed to license MedGenomes patented cancer immunotherapy solution OncoPept to develop biomarkers for their drug candidates against immune modulators to treat cancer. The licensing will form the basis of a larger partnership between the two organizations that can be leveraged to bring novel antibody drugs to the Indian market. The announcement was made at the one day Symposium held today at the Hilton Mumbai and was attended by Scientists from over 25 Pharmaceutical companies including Sun Pharma, Biocon and Glenmark. The Symposium was inaugurated by Mr.Jordan Reeves, the Canadian Consul General in India.India adds over one million new cancer cases every year with greater than 60% mortality due to lack of effective therapies. Highly effective antibody drugs take years before they become available in India, and when available, have limited market uptake because of the price barrier. For example, the cost of treatment for the new cancer immunotherapy drugs can be as high as Rs One crore for a year of therapy. This provides a great opportunity for the Indian pharma companies to take advantage from the partnership between MedGenome and TRAC to bring new cancer immunotherapy drugs to the Indian market at affordable prices and further enhance the effectiveness of therapy by using the OncoPept platform to identify patients who will benefit maximally from the treatment.Toronto Recombinant Antibody Centre based in Donnolley Centre at the University of Toronto has developed a state-of-the-art phage display platform with validated screening technologies, and created a portfolio of over 200 antibodies focusing on cancer and cancer immunotherapy.Sam Santhosh, Founder of MedGenome, said TRAC has the best platform in the world for producing novel biologics. We are proud to partner with them by providing our OncoPept solution which can also help Pharmaceutical companies select the right patients for their clinical trials.MedGenome is a leader in genomics-based research and diagnostics capturing over 80% of NGS-based diagnostics market in India. It has developed patented algorithms and pipelines to identify cancer vaccines to select tumors that will respond to cancer immunotherapy drugs, such as checkpoint inhibitors. The partnership will strengthen TRACs drug discovery and development pipeline by incorporating genomics data to advance understanding of diseases at a molecular level, thereby creating better drugs and biomarkers for personalized therapies.MedGenomes pipeline to dissect the tumor microenvironment at a molecular level will help in identifying new targets for which novel antibodies can be made, said Dr. Sachdev Sidhu, Professor at University of Toronto. He also added that MedGenomes unique knowledge in analyzing diseases at a population level through its research arm in India provides an unprecedented opportunity to create drugs that can be more effective in certain population groups.
Probably the biggest perk of working for an auto manufacturer is the employee discount. But, unfortunately, people working for Ferrari don't get to take advantage of this opportunity.

This is all due to the fact that Ferrari only produces 8,000 cars a year, and this number is just for their mass-produced cars. This makes it hard for the buyer and they have to, sometimes, wait for years to actually get one.

 Autoblog

Moreover, their limited edition hyper cars are extremely exclusive, and are sold to only a few people who Ferrari thinks are worthy of it. Apparently, you can shell out huge amounts of money and still won't be able to get a car if you're not a Ferrari client'.

Recently, in an interview with Drive, Ferrari's Chief Marketing And Commercial Officer Enrico Galliera revealed that each and every employee is banned from buying a Ferrari, except for the company's Formula 1 drivers. As of now, there are only two  Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, but even they can't take advantage of any discounts.

 Ferrari

"The philosophy is that with such limited production and clients waiting so long to get their car, it's not nice if the car is delivered to employees. It is the clients first," he said.

When the company launched their latest hypercar, LaFerrari Aperta, Galliera mailed their top 200 clients a box that had car keys along with a note asking if they were interested in buying the car, without even seeing it. And even though the car costs upwards of 1.2 million euros, plus taxes, each and every one of those 200 people said yes.

 Youtube

He further described how selective the process is. He said, "The most difficult part of my job is to say no... At the very beginning you receive applications from people who do not deserve, they simply have the money. 'I am the king of something, so I deserve the car. I say 'Yes, but you are not a Ferrari client.'

Well, they do always put their customers before anyone else, but becoming a customer is also way too hard.
Oppo Mobile in Punjab has been facing a few difficulties as an entire service team decided to quit after one of the Chinese employees disrespected India and hurled a derogatory comment. The comment that was passed after a salary hike was demanded by the team. The Chinese Oppo Employee was heard saying Indians are beggars.

The Oppo Service Team Punjab decided to resign and was forwarded to all major dealers and distributors. Speaking to Indian Express, Arun Sharma said We are looking who has done this and will initiate suitable action. We are not authorised to speak on such matters, he said.

 YouTube

OPPO mobiles issued a formal statement to the same publication stating We at OPPO India are aware of the recent report related to our Punjab Service team on July 15 and it had been resolved on July 16. The whole issue was due to the miscommunication between the two parties. The service team was upset over the manager being asked to tender his resignation because of inadequate work performance after several formal warnings for the same. But later, a consensus was reached and the concerned service team is continuing to work with us. OPPO has deep respect for India, its culture and our employees. We will try our best to avoid misunderstandings due to any form of miscommunication in the future.

The resignation letter dated July 15, 2017, read:

We are OPPO Service Team Punjab & here we are resigning whole service team because our HODs is making pressure to our Service Manager Mr Arun Sharma to resign, & by wrong pressure.

He (name of HOD yet to be identified) always disrespect our India Country & our culture. As per him we Indian only work for Money, & we are not having any dignity & self-respect.

He always makes us unnecessary penalty & wrong commitment. He makes us work till late night & if we miss any report he creates penalty. When some employee asks for salary increment, he says Indian are beggars always asking for money. There are a lot of other reasons too, but this kind of hitlership is not accepted any stage of private sector. So kindly accept our resignation."

The resignation letter was shared on Twitter too:

@ZeeNews oppo ki badsaluki ke khilaf Punjab oppo service team ka resign pic.twitter.com/Fetj7qgaWP  Mohit Bhandial (@mbhandial) July 16, 2017

 Reuters

Similar instances have occurred at OPPO facilities in the recent past. In March 2017, OPPO's Noida Sector 63 assembly unit was shut down as it was reported that the Indian flag was disrespected by the company after sacking an employee. The Chinese employee had allegedly discarded the Indian flag in the trash can after tearing the flag.

Source: Indian Express
Remember the Note 7 debacle from last year when Samsung's flagship phones started to explode randomly and caused a huge problem all around the world? Well, it seems like the danger of Lithium Ion batteries is now affecting another smartphone brand. This time around a Lenovo K6 Note exploded and it's not a joke anymore.

The Lenovo K6 Note burst in this student's pocket as he was waiting at the bus stop. He felt a warm sensation in his pockets as if something was burning. He soon noticed smoke started to come out his phone and immediately threw it on the ground. He suffered first-degree burns and was rushed to the hospital soon after. The pictures were posted by the user on Facebook and since then he has even made a video to show the damage.

 Facebook

To be fair, the cause of the overheating and also the cause of the fire is not yet known, however, it is probably related to a faulty ion battery. The Lenovo K6 note has a 4,000 mAh battery which has been a common source of overheating even while using the device moderately.

 Facebook

Lenovo is currently looking into the matter, however, there is no word as to whether the company will replace the phone or not. The Lenovo K6 Note launched last year in September and was purchased by the victim on 28th December 2016.

We've reached out to Lenovo representatives for a comment and are awaiting a response to give a further update on this situation. You can have a look at the damage in the video posted by the user below:

Source: Killer Features
SEBEWAING  During a meeting about mosquito abatement this week at the Sebewaing Township Hall, meeting organizer Justin Tietz announced petitions signed by township voters cannot be used to place mosquito abatement on an election ballot.

The township board would need to approve a motion to take this action, according to Michigan law.

Tietz said he received the information from Kurt Bach, township supervisor. Bach had received notification Monday from the townships attorney.

Townships do have some limited authority to control mosquitoes by special assessment, but such controls must be authorized by the township board, the letter from attorney William K. Fahey states. Townships would have similar authority to levy taxes for the control or abatement of mosquitoes as a public purpose, but such a question would have to be placed on the ballot as a result of a township board resolution, not based on a citizen petition.

The letter also stated a current Michigan House of Representatives bill, HB 4573, would allow voter-signed petitions to be used to place mosquito abatement on an election ballot. The petitions would need to have signatures from at least 25 percent of the landowners in the area affected by the abatement. The bill states the township board would need to approve an ordinance that would authorize use of petitions.

HB 4573 was introduced in May and is now being considered in the Committee on Local Government, according to the Michigan Legislature's website.

Over the past few weeks, Tietz gathered 300 signatures on a petition that circulated around Sebewaing. He said it wasnt difficult at all to gather the signatures, as people searched him out to sign the petition.

Hopefully, this has some weight for the township board to look (at this issue), Tietz said.

He noted the village council would not need to pass a mosquito abatement resolution, as the village is within the township. He said the village council, however, has shown vocal support for mosquito abatement.

The next township board meeting is at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at the township hall, which is located at 14 Sharpsteen St.

Those at the mosquito abatement meeting hope many residents attend the Aug. 1 meeting to let the township board know how important it is to move forward with mosquito abatement. Residents agreed the mosquito problem is horrible and is forcing many to stay inside during summer nights.

This is embarrassing for our town, said one of the residents at Tuesday's mosquito abatement meeting, which about 40 people attended.

A resident said that during the Michigan Sugar Festival, her grandchildren wanted to leave the carnival early because there were so many mosquitoes.

Bach and fellow Sebewaing Township Board official Amy Haag, who is the treasurer, attended the mosquito abatement meeting. Some residents asked them why the township hasnt already taken action on the mosquito problem. Haag noted that no one has come to a township board meeting to express their concerns.

She said with the petition signatures and the attendance at the mosquito abatement meeting, the board is now aware. She said if a lot of people attend the Aug. 1 meeting, that will be another indicator that this is a major concern for residents.

Several people at the mosquito abatement meeting said they believe the county government should step up and take action on mosquito abatement. Sebewaing Village President Pro-Tem Larry Heider said some of the county commissioners have not shown support for this issue. He agreed that the commissioners should listen to their constituents about their mosquito concerns and do something about it.
The families of three Green Berets slain in Jordan are pleased with the conviction of their sons' killer, but have more demands for the Jordanian government.

In a July 17 letter to the Jordanian ambassador, the families of Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew C. Lewellen, Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty -- three Special Forces soldiers who were shot and killed Nov. 4 by security forces while entering Al-Jafr Air Base in Jordan -- lay out demands that include the prosecution of other security involved in the attack and restitution to be paid to the grieving family members.

"You have met the first demand, the successful prosecution of M'aarek Abu Tayeh. This is a good first step, but it is only the first step," wrote James Moriarty, speaking on behalf of the three families.

Moriarty's letter requests the extradition of Ahlam Aref Ahmad Al-Tamimi to the United States for criminal prosecution and that "military or criminal charges against all the Jordanian military gate guards and the barrel truck operators for dereliction of duty for failing to protect the lives of our soldiers or cowardly conduct under fire."

The letter was sent just after a Jordanian military court convicted 1st Sgt. Abu Tayeh in the shooting deaths of the three Special Forces soldiers at the Jordanian air base. The court sentenced the Jordanian soldier to life in prison with hard labor.

The defendant had pleaded "not guilty," saying he opened fire because he feared the base was coming under attack.

"We also request that Jordan allow the FBI to re-interview M'aarek Abu Tayeh to see if he is ready to acknowledge why he chose to kill our sons," Moriarty wrote. "Finally, and only to be discussed following all the above preconditions, restitution to each of the three families."

It's been a little over four months since Moriarty, Brian McEnroe and Chuck Lewellen held a March 7 press conference at the National Press Club to share new details of the events that unfolded in the Nov. 4 attack.

Initial reports of the incident accused the Americans of failing to stop at the gate and also of having a negligent discharge, which allegedly caused security guards to panic and open fire.

All three fathers maintain that they were briefed by the Army and the FBI on Feb. 28 and shown a detailed video of the shooting that refuted those accounts.

They described the video that showed the vehicles carrying the Americans enter the gate without incident and drive up to a guard shack that concealed Abu Tayeh, who first shot and killed McEnroe and Lewellen at close range with an M16 rifle.

The video then showed Abu Tayeh leave the guard shack and shoot Moriarty's son, who was attempting to fight back.

The attack ended, the fathers said, when another Green Beret circled around a Jersey barrier and fired his pistol into the side of the attacker, wounding him.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
Preliminary results of an investigation into a deadly mishap in which the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship near Japan in June indicate the Navy crew's failure to act caused the disaster, according to an exclusive CNN report published Friday morning.

The report, which cited two unnamed Navy officials, said investigators have found the Fitzgerald's crew committed "multiple errors," including failure to acknowledge and act on the approach of the ACX Crystal, the Philippine cargo ship that would hit the Fitzgerald's starboard side in the early hours of June 17.

Ultimately, seven sailors would die as a result of the crash and about 300 others, including Fitzgerald Commanding Officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson, would sustain injuries.

In a Friday afternoon statement, Navy Chief of Information Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler said the investigation was still in its early stages and the Navy did not have any definitive information to release yet.

"It is premature to speculate on causation or any other issues," she said. "Once we have a detailed understanding of the facts and circumstances, we will share those findings with the Fitzgerald families, our Congressional oversight committees and the general public."

Related content:

The collision stove a hole in the destroyer, which was sent to dry dock earlier this month for repairs and evaluation of the full extent of the damage. Benson was temporarily relieved of command July 11 to allow him to recover from injuries sustained in the mishap.

Rear Adm. Brian Fort, who previously commanded the destroyer Gonzalez, was tapped to lead the Navy's investigation into the collision, which represented the greatest shipboard disaster for the service in decades.

The investigation is ongoing and likely will continue for weeks or months. But the officials who spoke to CNN indicated it is clear what the outcome will be.

"They did nothing until the last second," one official told the outlet. "A slew of things went wrong."

The completed investigation will likely find evidence of extraordinary heroism as well as error: Multiple outlets report that one of the sailors who perished in the collision, Fire Controlman First Class Gary Rehm Jr., was trapped below decks when bulkheads were closed to save the ship after having dived to save fellow sailors. Rehm may have saved up to 20 of his fellow crew by his actions, according to reports unconfirmed by the Navy.

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the 7th Fleet, has also praised the "heroic efforts" of the Navy crew who worked tirelessly to help others and save the ship during the nightmare events.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
As former President Barack Obama said of Sen. John McCain, "Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John."

A day after his brain cancer diagnosis was made public, McCain was back in form, giving hell to the White House on Thursday on Syria policy.

McCain, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, fired off a statement ripping President Donald Trump for shutting down the CIA's program to arm "moderate" Syrian rebels against the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"If these reports are true, the administration is playing right into the hands of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and short-sighted," the senator said.

McCain also took the administration to task on Afghanistan. "Six months into this administration, there is still no new strategy for victory in Afghanistan either. It is now mid-July, when the administration promised to deliver that strategy to Congress, and we are still waiting."

The 80-year-old McCain, the GOP's presidential nominee in 2008, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, who removed a blood clot above his left eye last Friday.

"Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot," McCain's office said in a statement late Wednesday.

McCain, a Silver Star recipient for his courage as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, is expected to begin a program of radiation and chemotherapy to fight the cancer. He also gave notice, or perhaps warning, to his colleagues that he'll be back.

"I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support" he's received in messages from Trump, Obama, and his Senate colleagues, McCain said in a tweet, "but unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand by."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
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...
The Department of Veterans Affairs has fired more than 500 employees since Jan. 20, when President Trump took office, according to a list of job categories of employees recently disciplined or fired.

The list, released by the VA on July 3 and updated weekly, has been a way for the embattled agency to be more accountable and transparent about its employee disciplinary process, said VA Secretary David J. Shulkin. The VA is the first federal agency to make this data on employee status public.

"Veterans and taxpayers have a right to know what we're doing to hold our employees accountable and make our personnel actions transparent," Shulkin said.

The VA has been under fire for shuffling controversial and problematic employees and managers instead of firing them, even after the widely publicized VA "wait list" scandal that rocked the agency.

So the number of recent firings is surprising to many VA reform advocates.

"In the past, the VA was not straightforward on who they were disciplining and who they let retire," said Dan Caldwell, director of policy for the Concerned Veterans for America, a grassroots veterans' advocacy organization. "Often, the VA would say someone was fired, and we'd find out later that employee was not fired, they were actually just suspended, demoted or had been allowed to retire before they could be fired."

"Very few employees were terminated for the 'wait list' scandal -- less than a dozen that we know of -- even though hundreds or even thousands of people were involved," Caldwell said.

Even though the firings have been happening since Trump took office, not all credit or blame should go to the president, said Natalie Khawam of the Whistleblower Law Firm in Pennsylvania.

"Claims that all these terminations at the VA occurred because of the new accountability program or under the new [VA] secretary's watch [are] misleading," said Khawam, who represents a number of VA employee whistleblowers. "Any terminations prior to just a couple months ago were initiated under the Obama administration, and any other termination actions that are still being processed may have rolled over from the past administration too."

The VA acknowledged some of these actions taken against employees did start under the Obama administration because it typically takes six months to one year to terminate VA employees.

But that too will change. The newly passed VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act signed by the president just weeks ago, along with VA's pledge for reform, will help speed up firings for employees who have controversial histories or poor track records, Shulkin said.

"One of our frustrations is it took incredible amounts of time to fire people at the higher echelons of the VA," Caldwell said. "It could take hundreds of days to terminate someone, even though they were a senior manager."

The old way of doing things at the VA allowed employees to exploit loopholes and put off getting fired or retire while the termination process was ongoing, Caldwell said.

"The VA is sending a clear message that there is a new way of doing things and that they want to get the bad actors out more quickly," Caldwell said, adding that this didn't occur under the last administration.

The VA Accountability Act will give the agency the authority to take action more expeditiously, even in the appeal process. The VA will also have a stronger standing in the courts against troubled employees.

"The difference is significant, and will allow the VA to hold employees accountable in a manner unlike that of any previous administration," a VA spokesperson said.

The VA is making another key reform, cracking down on settlement payouts to employees.

The VA shelled out $5 million to VA employees under the last administration, which some critics maintain facilitated payments to undeserving employees with a bad track record who'd been terminated.

All new settlements will require approval by a senior official for any monetary settlement above $5,000.

"Taxpayers need to know that we will engage in good faith settlement negotiations, where required by third parties, but will look to settle with employees only when they clearly have been wronged or when settlement is otherwise in the veterans' and taxpayers' best interests, and not as a matter of ordinary business," Shulkin said. "We're changing to a culture of accountability at VA, and this is an important step in that direction."

-- Malia Zimmerman is an award-winning investigative reporter focusing on crime, homeland security, illegal immigration crime, terrorism and political corruption.
In a written statement, the provincial government said it's still too early to say when provincial legislation will be in place. The government has created a working group that will eventually help draft legislation.



The government statement also said officials are working to "identify areas of concern" with the timelines the federal government has set forward.



Wall said his government will need to be careful when deciding how to tax pot. He said the cost of legal pot needs to be competitive with the black market.



"This better not be about money. It really shouldn't be. The premiers and the federal government have said if the point of this is to remove organized crime from the scenario, we better be careful what governments do on the tax side to price," Wall said.



A report by the C.D. Howe Institute released this spring found that marijuana should not be be taxed beyond the current tax rates in Saskatchewan if the black market is to be kept in check.
Spill Response and Absorbent Products for Oil, Gas and Hazardous Waste on Land and in Water
Press secretary to exit as Trump offers financier the job of communications directorTotally different press conference. The new guy is one slick operator. And Trump die hard devote.The plus is that except for his proclamations of affection for Trump......... it was one of the better press briefings in the last six months. He is just smoother when not answering questions '-)He makes Sarah look clumsy . So as far as optics go........ an improvement.Let's see ow this shake up affects the overall performance of the administration.
USDA Weekly Nebraska Hay Summary

For the week ending July 21, 2017Compared to last week round bales of alfalfa sold steady to 10.00 higher, square bales 10.00-15.00 higher. Ground and delivered hay steady, ground and delivered cornstalks 5.00 higher. Dehy alfalfa pellets fully steady. Buyer inquiry picked up a lot this week as some areas of the state drier than normal for this time of year and some pastures are short and brown. Some reports of rain and along with hail on this weeks calls. Most of the central part of the state is classified as abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions per the U.S. drought monitor. Early selling prices havent skyrocketed as much as some thought they would. Most reports on dryland hay that tonnage is less than normal. Even though the new crop hay tonnage is less, there is still quite a lot of 2016 hay at the field, wrapped in out-side storage or in hay barns. Few, reports of feedlots cutting drought stricken dryland corn-silage in the North Eastern part of the state. Some farmers have planted, millet or cane on hailed out pivots of corn. Some have also planted cover crops for grazing later this summer. All sales are dollars per ton FOB the field or hay barn, unless otherwise noted.
[July 20, 2017] Australia Telecommunications Strategic Analysis and Outlook to 2025- Analysis of Australia Mobile, Fixed Telephone and Broadband Markets





NEW YORK, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Australia Telecom outlook report is a comprehensive analytical research on the Australia's cellular, fixed telephone and fixed broadband segments.



Through detailed analysis of the current market conditions and industry trends, the report analyzes the Australia telecommunications sector. Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04890406/Australia-Telecommunications-Strategic-Analysis-and-Outlook-to-Analysis-of-Australia-Mobile-Fixed-Telephone-and-Broadband-Markets.html



In addition to emerging industry trends, consumption patterns, geographic coverage, demographic analysis and tariffs of key players are provided to understand the key strategies and analysis of revenues, investments and infrastructure. Further, industry dynamics, SWOT Analysis of the market and changing business scenario of Australia telecommunications industry is included. Forecasts of users in mobile segment, landlinesegment and broadband segment are provided from 2005 to 2025. Further, demographic and economic factors including GDP, population (by age, by gender and by location) and disposable income are forecasted to 2025.



Australia mobile, landline and broadband industry is benchmarked with peer countries to evaluate its position in regional front. Further, recent Australia telecom industry trends along with drivers and challenges confronting Australia telecom markets are analyzed. On the competitive landscape, key players in each of the segment are detailed. Further, company profiles of three leading players along with their SWOT analyses are included. In addition, foreign and domestic participation in the industry is also included. Further, latest developments and their impact on players in the Australia telecommunications industry are also provided.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04890406/Australia-Telecommunications-Strategic-Analysis-and-Outlook-to-Analysis-of-Australia-Mobile-Fixed-Telephone-and-Broadband-Markets.html



About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com _________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/australia-telecommunications-strategic-analysis-and-outlook-to-2025--analysis-of-australia-mobile-fixed-telephone-and-broadband-markets-300492058.html SOURCE Reportlinker

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This is to inform you that in terms of Regulation 29 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on Tuesday, the 1st August 2017 at Bangalore inter-alia to consider and approve the Un-audited Financial Results of the Company for the quarter ended 30th June 2017.Further, as per the Company's Code of Conduct for prevention of Insider Trading, the trading window for the purpose of trading in the shares of the Company will remain closed for the Company's Directors/Officers/Designated employees for the 21st July 2017 to 3rd August 2017 (both days inclusive).This is for your information and record.Source : BSE

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1. Audited Statement of accounts for the year ended 31.03.2017 alongwith Auditor's report & Draft Directors' Report, corporate governance report for the said period.2. Approved the notice of 33rd Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on Friday, 18th August, 2017 at 11.00 a.m. at the Registered Office of the Company at Office No. 805, 8th Floor, 'A' Wing Corporate Avenue, Sonawala Road, Goregaon (East) Mumbai - 400063.3. Fixed the Dates of Book closure for the purpose of Annual General Meeting from 10th August, 2017 to 18th August, 2017 (both days inclusive).4. Appointed Pankaj & Associates, Company Secretary in Practice, as Scrutinizer for the E- voting at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.5. *Ratification of the allotment of Equity shares on preferential basis, subject to the approval of members at the ensuing AGM.Note:-Source : BSE

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Reliance Industries Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on July 21, 2017, has, subject to approval of members of the Company through postal ballot, recommended issue of Bonus Shares to the members of the Company by capitalisation of its reserves in the ratio of 1 (one) bonus equity share of Rs. 10/- each fully paid-up for every 1 (one) existing equity share of Rs. 10/- each fully paid-up (that is in the ratio of 1:1) held by the members as on a record date to be fixed hereafter for the purpose.The Company will also seek the approval of members of the Company through postal ballot inter alia for increase in authorised share capital of the Company.Details as required under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 are as per Annexure to this letter.The Board meeting commenced at 12:05 p.m and concluded at 12:15 p.m.Source : BSE

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186th Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on Friday, 28th July, 2017 at the registered office of the Company at 11:00 a.m. to consider the Un  Audited Financial Result for the First Quarter Ended on 30th June, 2017 as per Regulation 33 of the SEBI (Listing Obligation and Disclosure Requirement) Regulation, 2015 and any Other matter with the permission of the chair.Further the trading window for dealing in the securities of the Company will be close for the Company's Directors/ Officers and Designated employees from July 21, 2017 till July 30, 2017.Source : BSE
The bidding for the second phase of Bharat Net project - which entails broadband connectivity for the remaining 1.5 lakh gram panchayats - is likely to be completed by October 2017, according to an official source.

The tenders for the network infrastructure of Bharat Net are likely to be floated by September and contracts are expected to be awarded by October, the official said.

The official, who is familiar with the modalities of the Bharat Net project, said that six states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh have already submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the second phase roll out.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet had approved the 'modified implementation strategy' of BharatNet project for providing broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats by March 2019.

The objective of the project is to provide minimum 100 mbps broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats in the country by using an mix of underground fibre, aerial fibre, radio and satellite media.

The Cabinet approval entailed a total estimated expenditure of Rs 42,068 crore for the implementation of BharatNet, which will be funded from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

Of this, Rs 11,148 crore is the cost of providing connectivity to one lakh gram panchayats (GP) in the first phase and Rs 18,792 crore is for providing connectivity to remaining 1.5 lakh gram panchayats in second phase. The balance amount is for activities not covered in the initial Bharatnet framework, which include, last mile connectivity architecture, operation and maintenance and replacement of BSNL's poor quality fibre being used in the project between Block to GP.

The modified strategy includes implementation of project by states and state agencies, private sector and CPSUs, and providing connectivity by "mix of media" rather than only by underground optical fibre, which was the initial strategy.

It also entails last mile connectivity in every gram panchayat for service delivery on wi-fi or any other technology. Infrastructure created under BharatNet will be shared with all categories of service providers on non- discriminatory basis.

The implementation agency would also be responsible for management, operation maintenance, preferably for the life time of the project.

The project will facilitate electronic delivery of services to citizens of various e-governance, e-commerce, e- education, and e-health services.

In all, the project seeks to create network infrastructure for broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country in a phased manner. The first phase entailing roll out to 1,00,000 gram panchayats was completed recently, after several delays.
By Satish Gupta of astrostocktips.in

Todays planetary position: Moon will be transiting in Gemini. Jupiter in Virgo, Lord Rahu & Mercury in Leo. Lord Saturn in Sagittarius. Sun & Mars in Cancer. Venus in Taurus. Ketu in Aquarius. Pluto in Sagittarius. Neptune in Aquarius & Uranus in Pisces.

Rahu kal time: - 10.30  12.00

Following sectors will be receiving astrological support:

Banks: Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Union Bank of India, etc.

Timing is most crucial element in investing or trading. This timing can be known through financial astrology. Astrology is only science which can predict future correctly & guide us about sectors which have to outperform.

Every year with commencement of new Samvat (Hindu New Year), astrologically, based on planetary position, certain new sectors start getting strong astrological support & start outperforming, while some others sectors which were performing earlier start underperforming. Some sectors/stocks remain laggards. Stocks of astrological supported sectors outperform resulting in exorbitant gains irrespective of market behaviour, either bull market or bear market.

Predicting bullish sectors of next Samvat 2074

Every year we release sectors of new Samvat in the month of March/April when new Samvat starts. But this year, we shall prepone release of next Samvat sectors, which are going to get strong astrological support & stocks from those sector outperform markets. Purpose of releasing sectors of next Samvat earlier is that investors & traders should get maximum advantage of down trend of markets by good timing.

We firmly believe that these special astrological positions present very unique opportunities to investors and traders both. This opportunity, if utilised properly, can safeguard your existing portfolio and simultaneously optimise your future investments and trading also. Successful investing and trading is all about good timing only.

Needless to mention our innumerable past predictions, where most stocks from the SECTORS of SAMVAT gave exorbitant returns & certain stocks appreciated by over 500 percent.

During current Samavat 2073 among other sectors  dyes/chemical/sugar sector received strong astrological support & outperformed and gave exorbitant return. Many stocks from dyes/ chemical sector appreciated by over 500 percent

Sectors which get very strong astrological support are not normally affected by downfall in the market.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Chandan Taparia of Motilal Oswal Securities told CNBC-TV18, "I have a buy call on Federal Bank. On last trading session the stock added open interest near 4-5 percent with Put writing activity. It managed to give highest daily recent close and a held above Rs 120 may start a fresh upmove. So recommending to buy with a stop loss of Rs 116.5 for an upside target of Rs 124 and then Rs 130."

"There is heavyweight in banking space and that is HDFC Bank. The stock has given highest daily close with an open interest addition and upmove in the stock might lead Bank Nifty index to higher zone. HDFC Bank has surpassed immediate supply trendline and added open interest. So I am expecting the stock towards Rs 1,750 in next couple of trading sessions. One can buy with a stop loss of Rs 1,690."

"I have a buy call on Tata Motors . Recently, the stock has bottomed out near Rs 431-430 zone and now it is forming a positive price pattern and according to this pattern the stock has potential to move by 5 percent. It is also holding above its 50-day exponential moving average with short covering activity and now the Put writing at Rs 450 strike also indicates positive view. So a halt above Rs 465-467 may start fresh short cover activity. So recommending buying with a stop loss of Rs 453 for an upside targets of Rs 478-480 zone," he added.
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, " IFCI is a buy with a stop of Rs 26 and target of Rs 32. Motherson Sumi is a buy with a stop of Rs 320 and target of Rs 345. Punjab National Bank (PNB) is a buy with a stop of Rs 154 and target of Rs 166." Sterlite Technologies has crossed all-time high and I think for the week it was at Rs 160 at the beginning, Rs 235 now. Definitely it is in some sort of an uptrend, but no place to enter. You need to wait for a bit of a consolidation, correction and then get into it. Sometimes these kind of stocks can create problems later on. So, try to have risk management in place because often it tends to fall back towards Rs 160-170.""If you have to enter IT, I think Mastek should be one of the last stocks to look at. We all know the way it has dealt with its guidance, etc. but if you still want to do it, I think Rs 300 is a stop and maybe if the current rally continues, you could get Rs 425-430. However, I think the larger stocks are also doing well, TCS particularly. So, TCS and Infosys can be looked at," he added.
business Buy Reliance Industries, GAIL India; Bharat Financial should move higher: Gujral Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com recommends buying Reliance Industries and GAIL India and feels that Bharat Financial should move higher.
business Currently focussing on nuances of bank; not looking at merger: Bank of India Public sector undertaking (PSU) banks are in focus due to stressed assets in the balance sheets and Bank of India (BoI) has seen healthy core provision coverage ratio among peers.
Mukesh_Ambani_Reliance_RIL

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani addressed the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the conglomerate in Mumbai on Friday, where one of the key announcements was the launch of the "effectively free" JioPhone.

Termed it the world's most affordable feature phone, it is a basic feature phone but will be 100 percent 4G compatible and support 22 major languages.

The phone will effectively cost Rs 0 as consumers will have to pay a fully refundable deposit of Rs 1,500. The money will be returned after three years.

Read more about Jio's new disruptive tariffs here.

The announcement was trending on social media and had occupied three trending slots on Twitter, with thousands of people talking about it.

Here's how Twitter reacted to the news:



The introduction of #JioPhone is now a big blow to telecom and phone makers#Jio #RILAGM2017 #MukeshAmbani

 Prakash Gupta (@BeingPkashGupta) July 21, 2017

One of them called the launch of the JioPhone a "big blow" to the telecom operators and phone manufacturers.

Another one compared the launch of the JioPhone with that of the Apple iPhone.



While Americans go gaga over launch of new iphone, Indians go gaga over launch of almost free Jiophone :D

 Jayant UnKill (@jayantgajria) July 21, 2017

Twitter users also took note of the number of subscribers Jio has amassed.



Reliance Jio Now Has Over 125 Million Subscribers, 7 Customers Added Every Second #MukeshAmbani #RILAGM2017  Himani Rautela (@himanirautela) July 21, 2017





This is an opportunity for all Indian to throw Chinese Mobile phone now and shift to our own Indian phone...Bravo #MukeshAmbani

 T C Meena (@jhanjhat) July 21, 2017

And, there were shades of 'Make in India', with people talking about replacing Chinese phones with their "own Indian phone".

It's raining #JioPhone at #RILagm2017. Standing ovation from valued shareholders

Some also posted images and videos of how they viewed the event.Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
JioPhone. The amount will be refunded after three years

> Reliance JioPhone to be available to everyone for free of cost> Over 125 million mobile users on the companys network> Reliance will collect a fully refundable, one-time, security deposit of Rs 1,500 with every

> JioPhone users will be able

15:56

to mirror their mobile screen on any kind of TVJioPhone has many quality features that further blur the line between smartphones and powerful feature phones

How Reliance's 4G VoLTE JioPhone compares with features phones in its price band

The effectively free JioPhone was the highlight of the announcements made on Friday.

15:42 If you thought that Jio Infocomm Ltd would be a drag on Reliance Industries', then chances are that you have lost the opportunity to make quite a lot of money in a matter of just 10 months.

RIL adds nearly 2 lakh crore to investors wealth since Jio launch

15:36 Reliance Industries' Bonus History

15:26 Here are the key points Goldman Sachs had expected from the AGM would be segment wise capex expenditure in Q1FY18 and guidance for FY18.

Reliance Industries shares surge 4%; what analysts expect from 40th AGM

15:14 The RIL AGM was broadcasted live in 360 degree Virtual Reality and those owning a VR headsets and compatible smartphone could watch it in Virtual Reality.

RIL's 40th AGM also live on Virtual Reality: Important Reliance Jio announcements expected

15:06 Major telcos and cable networks fell between 2 and 9 percent intraday after the company unveiled the JioPhone at its AGM.

RIL unveils JioPhone at Rs 0: Telecom, DTH stocks crack 2-9% post feature phone launch at AGM

14:58 If somebody would have invested Rs 10,000 in the year 1977, the amount would now cross Rs1 crore mark in the year 2017.

RIL 40th AGM: Rs 10,000 invested in 1977 in RIL would have made you a crorepati today

14:50 The biggest surprise of all was the JioPhone's price, or rather, the lack of it.

Reliance Industries' 40th AGM: Here are the key takeaways

14:41 The tariff is priced Rs 153 per month, which Mukesh Ambani stated to be 1/30 th of the price of the annual rate.

Jios disruptive tariffs to unleash the power of digital in 1.2 billion Indians: Mukesh Ambani

14:35 Mukesh Ambani has launched its latest feature phone the Jio Phone, touted to be the most affordable phone in the world.

RIL AGM: Reliance launches JioPhone, for Rs 0

14:28 Reliance Industries recommended a bonus issue of 1:1 during the AGM today. The issue is said to be the largest one in the country. Shareholders to get one share for every one scrip held.

Reliance Industries gained around 4 percent intraday on Friday after the announcement.

RIL announces bonus issue of 1:1 at AGM; stock rallies 4%

One of the key announcements was the launch of the "effectively free" JioPhone. The announcement was trending on social media and had occupied three trending slots on Twitter, with thousands of people talking about it.

Jio at Rs 0: How social media reacted to the launch of the JioPhone

Reliance Industries has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on July 21, 2017, has, subject to approval of members of the Company through postal ballot, recommended issue of Bonus Shares to the members of the Company in the ratio of 1 bonus equity share for every 1 existing equity share.

Reliance Industries in its Annual General Meeting today, recommended bonus issue.

As expected, Reliance Industries Limited's 40th Annual General Meeting was dominated by major announcements made about Reliance JioPhone. However, the biggest surprise of all was the JioPhone's price, or rather, the lack of it.

Reliance Industries' 40th AGM: Here are the key takeaways.

13.06 Shares of Reliance Industries gained around 4 percent intraday on Friday after the Mukesh Ambani-led firm announced a bonus issue on its share.

12.47 Telecom and DTH stocks were under pressure on Friday after Reliance Industries unveiled the Jio Phone, which will be given free of cost to its Jio users, along with aggressive data tariffs. Major telcos, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications, fell between 2 and 5 percent intraday as investors turned way of other telcos prospects after the announcements at the AGM.

12.41 Nitin Soni, Director, Asia Pacific TMT, Fitch Ratings, says Indian market has never given benfit to a telco which bundled a handset. It is going to be an experiment. I think it is targetted at tier-II and tier-III cities.

12.33 Ambani announces 1:1 bonus issue. It has to be approved by all shareholders through postal ballot.

12.26 The immediate impact is a 6 percent fall in Idea Cellular and 3 percent in Bharti Airtel.

12.22 Also read: RIL unveils Jio phone at Rs 0: Telecom, DTH stocks crack 2-9% post feature phone launch at AGM

12.21 Well, if you are dreaming of becoming a crorepati then investment in one share was enough if invested in Reliance Industries Ltd (IPO) back in 1977. The stock has since then more than doubled investors wealth in every 2.5 years.

12.13 Also Read: Reliance launches JioPhone, for Rs 0

12.02 The Jio phone will be available for user-testing this August 15 and pre-booking from August 24. It will be physically available to those how had pre-booked them from September this year. We are targetting to have 5 million Jio phones every week, says Ambani.

11.58 A Jio phone can use the phone for 36 months and can get a full refund of the security desposit by returning the used phone, says Ambani.

11.55 There is always one more thing, says Ambani. You may want to know how much Jio phone will cost. Even an entry-level 4G smart phone will cost Rs 3500-4500. I am delighted to announce the Jio phones iwll be available for an effective price of Rs O, says Ambani.

11.50 With all unlimited Dhan Dhana Dhan plan, it will be available on Jio phones only at Rs 153. There will be a jio phone TV cable that connects with any TV, not just a smart TV, even the old TVs

11.47 The tariffs and prices of Jio phones. On the Jio phone, voice will always be free, says Ambani. Second, the 50 crore feature phone users don't have access to basic internet and applications. And I believe that today every young Indian should have information access at his fingertips.

11.44 Jio phone fulfills his digital India and Make in India vision, says Akash.

11.42 It has a speaker system, which is powerful. No need for headphones, explains Asha. We believe the Jio phone is a life-safer in times of distress, she adds. Long-press number 5 and it will send a distress signal to near and dear ones, explains Asha.

11.39 We have already put Jio's top brand apps on this phone. Apps like Jio music, cinema are preloaded.

11.34 Today, Jio is going to reinvent conventional feature phones with a revolutionary device made by Indians for all Indians. Let me introduce India's intelligent smartphone presenting the Jio phone, says Ambani.

11.30 We are expanding our physical distribution network. By September we have over 10,000 Jio offices over every city. It will service 10 lakh physical retail outlets. We will integrate with all major e-commerce platform.

11.28 Our network continues to expand across the country. In the next 12 months, Jio will cover 99 percent of our population.

11.26 Starting March of this year, Jio successfully undertook the largest migration from free to paid services in India and we have converted a majority of our customers. Today, we have more than 100 million paying Jio customers. Most of them have recharged the Rs 309 or higher plans. Jio prime members will continue to get benefits. Additionally, they will get many attractive surprises. Jio prime members have a special place in our heart.

11.23 Now, Jio customers are consuming over 125 crore GB of data every month. This includes 165 crore hours of high-speed video every month making Jio the largest mobile video network. India has overtaken China in mobile data usage. Before Jio's launch, India was 155th in mobile broadband penetration, now it is no.1 in mobile data consumption. I believe that India is well on its way to becoming no.1 in mobile broadband penetration in the coming months.

11.19 We enabled Jio users to make unlimited voice calls from anywhere to everywhere absolutely free. Jio users consistently make more than 250 crore minutes of voice and video calls every single day.

11.17 It has been only 10 months since the launch of Jio and what an incredible journey it has been. It has broken one world record after another. Nobody believed that we could acquire customers fast enough to justify our investment in 4G network. They over-delivered the 100 million I had set for them, says Ambani.

11.15 All through this forty years, I am grateful to my mother, says Ambani.

11.14 All our these achievements have very few parallels anywhere in the world. For all of this, we have our beloved country India to thank for the opportunities we got and shareholders, says Ambani.

11.10 Mukesh Ambani begins speech.

11:05 Another potential announcement is regarding the launch of a Rs 500 smartphone.

11:00 A key expectation today is whether there will be an announcement on when Reliance Jio will start billing customers.

10:58 It's a rainy day in Mumbai but that hasn't stopped investors from queuing up in large numbers for this event.

10:55 RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani has arrived at the venue.

10:50 The AGM is also being broadcast live on VR:

10:40 More on that Balaji deal: Reliance Industries will pick up 24.9 percent stake in Balaji Telefilms for Rs 413.28 crore, through preferential issue of 2.52 crore shares at a price of Rs 164 per share. It will get two board seats on Balaji.

10:20 Ahead of today's AGM, Reliance Industries shares hit a fresh nine-year high of Rs 1,564, up as much as 2.3 percent in early trade pm Friday after better-than-expected earnings in the June quarter and a stake purchase in Balaji Telefilms.

Consolidated profit grew by 12.7 percent sequentially (up 28.3 percent YoY) to Rs 9,079 crore in Q1 FY18, driven by one-time gain and robust growth in petchem & refining businesses.

10:15 Reliance Jio put out a tweet on Thursday saying: "We are all set to unfold a new chapter of the #JioDigitalLife".

10:05 Last years AGM was all about the announcements related to launch of telecom services by RIL subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm. With the services launched on September 5 last year, this times AGM could all be about the extension of those services  from mobile to connecting life inside homes.

Every detail, every number on Jio would be lapped up. Be it the number of Prime subscribers, the announcement on launch of Fiber-to-the-home super fast broadband services, details on affordable 4G feature phones and new tariff plans.

10:00 Good morning and welcome to live coverage of Reliance Industries' 40th Annual General Meeting. The event will take place in Birla Matushri Sabhagar at Mumbais Sir Vithaldas Thackersey Marg.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
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Zensar Technologies today posted over 36 per cent fall in net profit at Rs 47.2 crore for the quarter ended on June 30, 2017, mainly on account of currency volatility.

This is against a net profit of Rs 74.1 crore in the year-ago period, Zensar said in a statement.

Its revenue declined 2.5 per cent to Rs 736.7 crore in the reported quarter from Rs 755.4 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.

"Currency volatility had a major impact on profitability this quarter," Zensar Technologies CEO and MD Sandeep Kishore said.

On sequential basis, Zensar's net profit jumped 356.6 per cent (from Rs 10.3 crore in March 2017 quarter) while revenues fell about 1 per cent.

"Despite the currency headwinds, we have maintained our profitability... Forex impact on gross margin is 1.2 per cent adverse. We continue to retain sharp focus on operational efficiencies and drive towards cost optimisation," Zensar Technologies CFO Manoj Jaiswal said.

In dollar terms, the company saw its net profit declining close to 40 per cent to USD 7.3 million, while revenues grew 1.2 per cent to USD 114.3 million.

Digital services contributed 36.3 per cent to the revenue contribution in the quarter under review from 34.4 per cent in the March 2017 quarter.

"Zensar's digital business has kept up its growth momentum in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017-2018... The new services and solutions built on the key premise of Return on Digital have contributed to over half of our new wins," Kishore said.

The US accounted for 74.4 per cent of the company's revenues in the said quarter, while Europe and Africa contributed 13.8 per cent and 9.5 per cent, respectively.

Its total headcount stood at 8,567 people at the end of June, 2017.

Kishore said the company has hired 300 people in this quarter in key geographies like the US, the UK and South Africa. "This year, our hiring will be more focused towards onsite hiring," he added.

The company will roll out wage hikes with effect from July 1. Employees in India would get an average raise of seven per cent, while onsite employees will receive 2-3 per cent increase in wages.
Former Cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian on Friday said that he regrets having allowed Genetically Modified (GM) cotton in the country over two decades ago.

"In 1990s, I introduced GM cotton in India. Twenty years later, I regret...I am responsible for suicide of thousands of cotton farmers," Subramanian said at an panel discussion at a book launch function.

Subramanian, a 1961 batch IAS officer, further said that most European countries and Japan don't allow GM crops.

Talking about the performance of the Narendra Modi government, Subramanian said, "This government has done wonderful work in three years. I believe that the present dispensation should get 10 years."

"Failures of India can largely attributed to IAS class...Blame also should go to economists of India who studied in Harvard, Oxford University and now working for the Government of India but don't know anything about India," he said.
Axita Cotton | Company received order of $3,30,693 from Maksons Spinning Mills and $2,67,199.94 from CRC Textile Mills, Bangladesh. (Image: Reuters)

India's cotton textiles export fell 10 per cent over the last three fiscals, Parliament was informed today.

"The overall export of cotton textiles has declined by 10 per cent over the past three years," Minister of State for Textiles Ajay Tamta said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

According to data shared by the minister, the shipments of cotton textiles from India stood at Rs 70,936 crore during 2016-17, as against Rs 72,994 crore in the previous financial year and Rs 71,913 crore in 2014-15.

The cotton textiles export comprises cotton yarn, other textile yarn, fabric, madeups articles, cotton raw waste and cotton fabrics and madeups, which include products like bedsheets, blankets and curtains.

The export of cotton at present is under Open General Licence. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is the facilitator for the import and export of cotton.
narendra_Modi_PM

India is set to top the Rs 2,00,000 crore mark in loans offered to millions of small and tiny enterprises in 2017-18 under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), a flagship refinance scheme that Modi-government launched in 2015.

Nearly four million small entrepreneurs, involved in diverse businesses ranging from neighbourhood grocery stores to micro dairy units and carpentry services, availed loans up to Rs 10 lakhs in 2016-17 through the scheme.

A majority of these loans were given in opposition-ruled states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, a sign that one of NDA governments signature financial inclusion plans have cut across political lines to aid cash-starved micro entrepreneurs.

During the first two years of its operations, the targets set by the government have been achieved, Jiji Mammen, managing director-chief executive officer, MUDRA, told Moneycontrol.

Mudra loan disbursals in 2015-16 stood at Rs 1.37 lakh crore, 12 percent higher than the budgeted target of Rs 1.22 lakh crore. In 2016-17, Rs 1.81 lakh crore loans were given out against a target of Rs 1.8 lakh crore.

Encouraged by the success of the scheme, the government has set a higher target of Rs 2.44 lakh crore for the current FY18. Banks including Regional Rural Banks and Urban Cooperative Banks, MFIs, NBFCs, etc. are geared up to achieve the set targets, Mammen said.

Mudra was launched in 2015 through which government extends loans through banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and micro-finance institutions (MFIs) to small and tiny enterprises. The scheme is part of the governments broad plan to make reasonably priced small-ticket loans to micro enterprises that otherwise conventional banks overlook.

Loans are clubbed into three categoriesShishu (up to Rs 50,000), Kishor (Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh) and the Tarun (Rs 5-10 lakh).

A Moneycontrol analysis showed that more than 7 out of 10 loans (71 percent) of all Mudra loans since April 2015 were concentrated in 10 statesTamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Gujarat and Assam.

These states (on the basis of number of accounts financed) received loans to the tune of Rs 96,589.81 crores in 2015-16, accounting for more than 72 percent of the total, and 71 percent of the total in 2016-17.

Six of top 10 (including Uttar Pradesh ruled by Samajwadi Party until March 2017) were opposition-ruled states.

With a total loan disbursal of Rs 17,756 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 15,497 crore in the previous year, AIADMK-ruled Tamil Nadu has been the schemes topmost beneficiary so far.

Small entrepreneurs from Trinamool Congresss Mamta Banerjee-led West Bengal received Mudra loans worth Rs 15,480.03 crore in 2016-17, a growth of 100 percent over the previous years Rs 7,740.41 crore. The number of beneficiaries in the eastern state also nearly doubled to 4.6 million in 2016-17 from 2.6 million in 2015-16.

JDU-RJD-Cong-ruled Bihar received Mudra loans worth Rs 11,585.63 crore in 2016-17, jumping 59.45 percent from Rs 7,265.91 crore in 2015-16. The number of Mudra loan beneficiaries also jumped 50 percent to 3.7 million in 2016-17 from 2.5 million in the previous year.

Among all state, government data shows, the largest number of small firms were in West Bengal, accounting for 11.08 percent all micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) registered in the country, followed by UP, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with 11.55 percent, 10.05 percent and 7.24 percent, respectively.

Mammen said that the government has not yet carried out an industry-wise classification of MUDRA loans.

Santosh Gangwar, minister of state for finance, told Parliament that as on July 7 this year 81.9 million individuals, including 62 million women have availed Mudra loans. Of this, 2.46 crore (24.6 million) are new entrepreneurs, Gangwar said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

While Government has not undertaken any impact assessment study of the scheme, an independent assessment of PMMY was undertaken by MicroSave, a financial inclusion consulting firm and the findings, inter-alia, indicate that borrowers value three attributes of PMMY, namely no requirement of a guarantor or collateral, simple documentation and quick processing, proactive approach of banks in identifying and disbursing loans to first timers, Mudra loans helping to enhance scope and profit of business etc, Gangwar said.

According to the MicroSave survey carried out in July last year, banks Mudra portfolio comprises largely (93 percent) of small shop-owners, eateries, vendors, carpenters, furniture sellers, and mechanics. In contrast, NBFC-MFIs end-use of MUDRA loans is hard to track and monitor.

The study indicates that 3 percent of Mudra loans disbursed by NBFC-MFIs have been used for non-business, personal needs, such as house repairs or construction and weddings. Similarly, 10 percent of MUDRA loans disbursed by NBFC-MFIs have found to be used for agriculture.

Services sector is growing more, said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general, Federation of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME). Service providers dont feel global competition and therefore they are better positioned.
Essar Oils mega-deal with Russian company Rosneft is likely to be closed this month after being delayed for 9 months, highly placed sources told CNBC-TV18.

The deal entails Essar Oil selling over 90 percent of its stakes to Russian energy major Rosneft, a Russian bank UCP, and a Swiss commodity trading and logistics firm Trafigura for Rs 86,000 crore. Along with its over 3,500 retail outlets across India, Essar Oil will also sell off Vadinar oil refinery which is Indias second largest among the private ones.

Essar Groups lenders such as State Bank of India, ICICI Bank have given go-ahead three weeks back for the deal to take place, sources said. The 23 members of the Joint Lenders Forum will be paid back by Essar Group with the money acquired from the oil deal.

The deal was signed last year and the government-related approvals were given to the deal within 30 days of it being signed. After a lot of hurdles through 9 months, finally the crucial lenders have given nod to the deal.

The end of this month itself the company is hoping for all paperwork to be completed, sources said.

Essar Group is expecting to pay off 55-57% of Essar Global Holdings Rs 23,500 crore of debt. It is also going to pay Essar Oils USD 5 billlion debt with the deals money.
10. Kotak Mahindra Bank | Market Cap for the week ended October 30: Rs 3,06,331.09 crore | Loss during the week: Rs 32,570.94 crore.

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Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank today said its shareholders have approved raising up to Rs 65,000 crore to fund business expansion.

The decision to this effect was taken in the Annual General Meeting held today in Mumbai, the bank said in a filing to BSE.

Shareholders of the bank gave approval to borrow in excess of the paid up capital and free reserves but not exceeding Rs 60,000 crore, Kotak Mahindra Bank said.

Besides, they also approved the proposal to issue unsecured, redeemable non-convertible debentures or bonds for an amount up to Rs 5,000 crore.
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The launch of JioPhone by Reliance Infocomm was aimed to disrupt the telecom sector which is already reeling under financial stress of over Rs4 lakh crore.

The telecom sector could remain subdued due to predatory pricing by Reliance Industries and would leave little room for other telecom stocks such as Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, and Reliance Communications to move higher.

Reliance Jio launched its 4G feature phone which has a total market size of 50 crores in India with the brand name of JIO Phone at one-time security deposit of Rs1,500 refundable after 3 years. Thus, the effective price of JIO phone is zero.

The competitors must have felt that things have stabilised but when you see this kind of features which were demonstrated on the Jio Phone, I dont know why people will not migrate to Jio, SP Tulsian of sptulsian.com told CNBC-TV18.

This must be giving shivers to competitors whether we talk of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone or Idea. This is very big and calculated move from Jio. The security deposit is aimed to retain the customers, he said.

JIOPhone would be available for testing from 15-August-2017 and pre-booking of JioPhone will start from 24-August-2017. RJIO targets to launch 5 million JIO Phones every week, Mukesh Ambani said in the statement.

Jio introduced a disruptive tariff plan of Rs153/month for JIO Phone users with free voice, SMS, and unlimited data. The phone would also have a feature to connect to television through the affordable cable to watch content on television.

The predatory strategy to capture telecom space is quite aggressive and highly disruptive. Considering the size and scale of Reliance it will capture a lions share of the market pie and therefore will disrupt many other ancillary businesses also, Jimeet Modi, CEO, SAMCO Securities told Moneycontrol.

One mans gain is others loss is the reality in the telecom space. The pricing and launch of smart phone at effective zero cost will certainly impact and erode long term profitability of companies in telecom and cable segment, he said.

Modi further added that the stock prices of these companies which are impacted due to Jio are likely to underperform in the near to medium term, better to avoid them and not to do bargain hunting until the time predatory strategies are alive.

Telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel closed 2.05 percent lower at Rs411 while Idea Cellular recouped some losses and ended 3.1 percent down at Rs91.90.

Jio also announced Jio Phone TV-Cable. It will enable Jio Phone customers to watch a bouquet of Jio Prime services such as movies, music, live TV, and more on their TV which led to fall in DTH and cable operator players.

BofAML does not see Jio being able to penetrate mass market with the announced offer. It sees the offer too steep for low income consumers. "It will lead to faster consolidation of the market and we do not see Jio announcement as being negative for Dish TV," it said.

The fall was fierce in DTH players as well. Dish TV closed 5.8 percent lower while Hathway Cable and Shilpi Cable slipped 3.4 percent and 4.9 percent respectively.

The announcements towards the JIO Phone  TV would also hurt the cable TV industry. The industry had seen topline and bottom line come under pressure due to on-the-ground issues related to the rollout of digitization, Nitasha Shankar, Sr. Vice President and Head of Research, YES Securities (I) Ltd told Moneycontrol.

While digitization is a long term positive for the industry, it would take the next couple of quarters for the benefits to start reflecting in the earnings. During such times, if Reliance were to launch the Phone-TV, it could lead to disruption on the pricing side, she said.

Shankar further added that she expects the incumbents to remain under pressure as realizations for data, the pressure to increase the pace of network rollout and highly leveraged balance sheets would continue to hurt profitability. Investments in the sector should be made only from a long term perspective as near term pressures are expected to continue, she said.
Markets regulator Sebi has asked MCX Biz Solutions and its proprietor Syed Sadaq to return the money collected from investors after finding them guilty of duping investors through false documents.

Besides, they have been barred from the securities markets for 10 years.

Sebi said the company allegedly solicited money from investors promising huge returns while using fake and forged broker registration documents and a name similar to that of an exchange group.

The entity has no relation to the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).

The entities had also made representations and statements on their website about their activities in securities market in an "entirely untruthful manner". They have allegedly raised more than Rs 35 lakh from investors through various schemes.

"...noticees (MCX Biz and Sadaq) by their the act and omissions including false statements and representations in deceitful manner, have fraudulently solicited, enticed and induced investors to deal in securities," Sebi Whole Time Member S Raman said in an order dated July 20.

By indulging in such activities, they have violated the provisions of PFUTP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practice) Regulations, he added.

Accordingly, Sebi has asked MCX Biz and Sadaq to refund the money "collected from the investors in various schemes along with income, profits or returns promised to the investors under such schemes or interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum, whichever is higher...within a period of 30 days".

They have also been asked to submit a report, as certified by two independent Chartered Accountants, to Sebi in this regard. Besides, they were prohibited from mobilising funds from the public.

They have been directed "not to access the securities market directly or indirectly, and are further restrained and prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in the securities market, directly or indirectly for a period of 10 years".

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in November 2013 had passed an interim order barring MCX Biz and Sadaq from dealing in the capital markets as well "to cease and desist" from undertaking any activity in the market, till further orders. Later, in February 2015, the regulator had confirmed the directions.

In that interim order, Sebi had prima facie observed that MCX Biz had displayed a fake and forged certificate of sub broker registered with Sebi and claimed it was affiliated to Bonanza Promotional Ltd.
business First batch of 10 startup's graduate from US Embassy's hub Nexus PM Modi and President Trump spoke about entrepreneurship as the bedrock of bilateral relations going forward. And small steps are being taken in that direction. The first cohort of 10 start-ups graduated today from Nexus - a US embassy startup hub in Delhi.
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, Sameet Chavan, Rakesh Bansal and Sumeet Jain battle it out for top honours.

Below their top stock picks and analysis:

Sameet Chavan of Angel Broking

Buy ITI with a stoploss at Rs 100 and target of Rs 115

Buy Just Dial with a stoploss at Rs 368 and target of Rs 410

Sell IndusInd Bank with a stoploss at Rs 1580 and target of Rs 1512

Sell Jet Airways with a stoploss at Rs 605 and target of Rs 575

Rakesh Bansal of RK Global

Buy Adani Enterprises with a stoploss at Rs 137 and target of Rs 147

Buy Axis Bank with a stoploss at Rs 525 and target of Rs 560

Buy Engineers India with a stoploss at Rs 150 and target of Rs 175

Buy NOCIL with a stoploss at Rs 119.5 and target of Rs 132

Sumeet Jain of Destimoney Securities

Buy Axis Bank with a stoploss at Rs 526 and target of Rs 574

Buy Deepak Fertilizer with a stoploss at Rs 291 and target of Rs 321

Buy Indiabulls Real Estates with a stoploss at Rs 207 and target of Rs 226

Buy NBCC with a stoploss at Rs 209 and target of Rs 229
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Sushil Finance's commodity report on crude oil

Oil settled lower on Thursday in choppy trading, as nagging worries about abundant global crude supplies sank prices after an early rally boosted Brent above $50 per barrel for the first time since June 7. Traders predicted prices would hold near current levels ahead of Monday's meeting between key OPEC and non - OPEC producers in St. Petersburg, Russia. The market has been watching reports that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude producer, is considering an additional supply cut to reduce the global glut. The Financial Times reported Wednesday that the Saudis were considering additional output cuts, citing a consultant's report. On Tuesday, Reuters reported the country was committed to working with other countries to draw down stocks, taking into account the surprising increase in production from OPEC members Nigeria and Libya. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non - OPEC allies, including Russia, agreed last year to cut production 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd); that deal has been extended to March 2018. In early trade, both benchmarks rose to their highest since June 7, after rallying in the previous session on data showing U.S. crude and fuel inventories fell sharply last week.

Outlook

We expect crude oil prices to trade negative on the back of profit booking after up move.

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.

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Sushil Finance's commodity report on Gold

Gold prices rose to a three - week high on Thursday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said ECB policymakers would discuss potential changes to the bank's bond - buying scheme in the autumn, lifting the euro to a 14 - month high. Draghi said the policymakers were unanimous in choosing not to change their guidance for monetary policy, and not to set a date for discussing changes to its stimulus program. However, he flagged further discussions later in the year. Technically, the market has strength ened after holding above the 200 - day moving average for the fourth straight session, though the 50 - day and 100 - day moving averages were seen posing resistance right around the day's high. The maintenance of loose monetary policy in the euro zone could be seen as either positive or negative for gold, depending on whether demand responds positively to a persistently low opportunity cost of holding the non - yielding metal or more negatively to a weaker euro.

We expect gold prices to trade sideways on the back of profit booking after sharp up move.

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.

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Well, if you are dreaming of becoming a crorepati then investment in one share was enough if invested in Reliance Industries Ltd (IPO) back in 1977. The stock has since then more than doubled investors wealth in every 2.5 years.

In just 4 decades, Reliance Industries has grown from a small startup to one of the largest, most admired companies in the world, Mukesh Ambani, said in its 40th annual general meeting on Friday.

Also check - Reliance AGM LIVE

One thousand rupees invested in Reliance shares in 1977 is today worth Rs 16,54,503  over 1,600 times more valuable, he said.

If somebody would have invested Rs 10,000 in the year 1977, the amount would now cross Rs1 crore mark in the year 2017.

The market capitalization has multiplied from ten crore to over five lakh crore or 50,000 times from Rs 10 crore in the year 1977.

The total assets have increased from Rs33 crore to over Rs700,000 crores and a multiple of over 20,000 times, Mukesh Ambani said.

He further added that the turnover has grown from 70 crore in 1977 to over 330,000 crore today  an increase of nearly 4,700 times.

Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
Ram Nath Kovind, nominated presidential candidate of Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), delivers a speech during a welcoming ceremony as part of his nation-wide tour, in Ahmedabad, India, July 15, 2017. REUTERS/Amit Dave - RTX3BL0Y

India chose its new President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday. The former Bihar governor's win was widely reported in news outlets across the world. Almost all the news platforms had projected Kovinds win in the election.

Foreign media outlets underlined his Dalit identity prominently in their reports. Highlighting that Kovind is the second Dalit President of the country, Washington Post reported that his selection was an effort on the part of the party to woo lower-caste voters. The paper also mentioned how PM Narendra Modi carefully avoided mention of Kovinds Dalit status in his tweets.

The New York Times highlighted the connection between Kovind and the Uttar Pradesh state. Indias most populous state will figure prominently in the 2019 general election despite being the governing party in Uttar Pradesh the BJP has not historically captured much of the Dalit vote share and recent flare-ups over issues affecting Dalits across the country could hurt the party politically, said the report.

Germany's DW.com also said Kovinds selection would secure "Dalit support ahead of the critical 2019 general elections".

Kovinds RSS connection was also underlined by various news platforms. The Irish Times wrote that it would be the first time Indias President would be a leader "who is close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh".

UK-based The Independent underlined how Kovinds win caps the series of top appointments by Modi which strengthens "the grip of the Hindu right on public offices, such as governors, state chief ministers and the heads of universities".

On similar lines, Pakistani newspaper The Dawn wrote that the election of Ram Nath Kovind would help Narendra Modi tighten his grip on power and accrue political capital by sending an important message to the Dalits".

The Straits Times, a news portal from Singapore, tried to draw a similarity between Modi and Kovind saying both come from "humble beginnings". The report highlights Kovind's journey which started as a son of a farmer.

Various reports mentioned the ceremonial role of a president in India but also underlined how it becomes important in the case of political crises. Al Jazeera wrote that presidents in India play an important role when elections produce hung parliaments, state governments are dissolved and during other political crises.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a joint press conference

Eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a deal with Tokyo for developing nuclear energy, the India-Japan civil nuclear deal officially came into force yesterday. Apart from Japan, India is already in a civil nuclear agreement with the US, France and 8 other countries.

What the Deal is about

The deal will allow Japan to export nuclear equipment and technology to India. Sources told the Economic Times that Japan will also finance the nuclear power plants in India. They will manage India's nuclear waste and there is also a possibility of Japan and India jointly undertaking manufacture of nuclear power plant components under the Make in India initiative.

How the Deal will help India

With the onset of this deal, India seeks to combat climate change aiming to build a cleaner and greener India. The deal is also sought to build a stronger energy security system - giving Indians another energy resource, apart from coal and oil.

The deal will, in turn, strengthen India's nuclear energy, providing the beginning of a worldwide nuclear network.

France and the US, along with India, are also in a strategic alliance with Japan. This will allow India to conduct nuclear commerce with the US and French nuclear firms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech in Tokyo last year, that the deal seeks to tackle "emerging opportunities and challenges in the Asia-Pacific" region.

A civil nuclear deal is essentially signed between countries who urge to use this energy for peaceful purposes. Civil nuclear deal seeks to bring in stability in the power resources of an economy, making the citizens rely on nuclear energy.

Facts about the India-Japan Civil Nuclear Deal

#The deal was signed after years of negotiation. Japan was initially opposed to going ahead with the agreement earlier because India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), making it a first for Japan to enter a deal with a non-signatory of the NPT.

#NPT is an agreement between countries which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and its technology. The treaty instead encourages cooperation for peaceful uses of nuclear energy, further achieving nuclear disarmament.

#The deal was broadly mentioned in talks when Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited India in December 2015.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to visit India on September where he is likely to begin the Shinkansen bullet train. The train is likely to connect Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Watch Narendra Modi's speech here, giving a glimpse of the other agreements between India and Japan -

(Source: India Today)
India is likely at least six years away from meeting an emissions-cut target that it originally set out to achieve in December this year.

A recent Bloomberg report quoted the chief of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA)  the nations power industry regulator  saying that lowering sulphur dioxide emissions from factories will not be possible before 2023.

He added that companies were yet to roll out the necessary equipment that would be required for bringing down emission levels.

As per a CMIE report, the country has pledged to effectively lower its particulate. sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury emissions between 25 percent and 75 percent.

Chairman of the CEA Ravindra Kumar Verma said that power plants emitting Sulphur dioxide would have to be shut down to install the necessary pollution control equipment. It must be properly coordinated to ensure undisrupted power supply.

As to the other pollutants, Verma said that the technology capping nitrogen oxides emission is still to be tested on high-ash Indian coal and will first be used on a few plants owned by state-run NTPC Limited and a plan for mercury emissions is yet to be finalized.

Bloomberg reported that the emission upgrades were estimated to cost as much as Rs 2.5 trillion rupees (USD 38.8 billion), have been delayed as power companies battle stressed finances and are under pressure to reduce costs amid an increasingly competitive electricity market.

Ashok Khurana, director general at New Delhi-based Association of Power Producers, an industry group for private power generation companies, states that companies in the industry need regulatory assurance that costs can be recovered through tariffs, else they would not receive the required funding from the banks.

Meanwhile, the delay is attracting the ire of environmental acitivists who called for an urgency in the matter to stop deaths caused by coal-plant emissions.

Sunil Dahiya, a campaigner for climate and energy at Greenpeace India told Bloomberg that the deadline was set after consultation with all the stakeholders. "It was a reasonable time for implementation... It is just a lack of will that is causing delays," he said.

Ten of the 20 global cities with the highest level of particulate matter (PM) of 2.5 are in India, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization published last year. Particulate matter is an indicator of small particles that are the greatest health risk.
Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has has travelled 49 countries in the last three years during which India signed a number of agreements on a range of topics, the government said.

In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, V K Singh, the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the prime minister visited eight countries in the first second half of 2014, starting with Bhutan.

This year, the prime minister has visited 10 countries in the last seven months.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, 77, reacts during his visit at the site of a DMRC flyover that collapsed in New Delhi July 13, 2009. Gammon India Ltd shares tumbled by nearly a fifth on Monday after a part of the bridge it was constructing for the DMRC fell, unnerving investors. The accident killed six people on Sunday morning and prompted Sreedharan to offer his resignation. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi (INDIA DISASTER BUSINESS TRANSPORT) - RTR25MFT

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has put 'Metro Man E Sreedharan, who recently inaugurated the Kochi Metro, back on track in his home state to built metro projects linked to his constituency Gorakhpur, according to multiple media reports.

The UP chief minister's government is all set to construct the light metro, designed for cities with a population between one and two million, across UPs temple towns.

The octogenarian metro expert, who delivered his home project - Kochi Metro last month  had gone to CM Yogi Adityanath to resign from the advisory role in the UP government. Yogi Adityanath, not only prevented him from doing so but also assigned him three additional projects.

"The UP CM not only didn't allow me to tender my resignation but added the responsibility of planning metros for three more cities. He is very keen on getting the metro to his own constituency, Gorakhpur," Sreedharan said in Kochi on Thursday.

The UP CM now wants metros in Agra and Meerut as well along with Kanpur. In the case of Meerut, he plans of linking it up with the Rapid Rail.

According to reports, Sreedharan said in a statement: While the phase I project, a 10.5-km line for Lucknow is ready for inspection by the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety and will be thrown open to the public once it gets a nod, detailed project reports for Varanasi have already been made.

What do the upcoming metros mean for India

As per media reports, a boom in the development of mass transit metro projects implies two things  freeing choked up roads and generating business opportunities.

The plan for UP's Metro is going to be tricky as it will cross by a number of its temple towns.

Sreedharan's plan of a metro line for Varanasi that was in proximity to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was met with disapproval by CM Yogi Adityanath.

The metro plan for Varanasi is currently being redesigned by Sreedharan.

China is constructing 300 km every year, we are only doing 22 km. If cities have to survive, it is essential to have the Metro. We should do at least 200 km per year, Sreedharan said in a statement in Kochi.
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After India faced the worst swine flu outbreak in 2015, death tolls and reported cases plummeted in 2016, much to one's relief. However, the H1N1 virus which causes the deadly flu is back in India, claiming the lives of many.

The Indian Express reported that at least 600 people have died due to swine flu as of July 9, 2017. In reply to an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha, Health Minister J P Nadda disclosed the data.

A total of 12,460 people have been infected with the virus in India this year, starkly contrasting with 1,786 cases in 2016.

Maharashtra has the highest number of swine flu deaths, with numbers going up to 284 so far. The state had reported 26 swine flu deaths in 2016 but the death toll in 2017 is already soaring above the 265 total deaths all over India last year. Pune has been the worst hit, with 60 deaths and Nashik followed with 31 deaths till June 2017.

Earlier in March, Maharashtra Health Minister had called a review meeting in Pune to discuss the ways to control the epidemic.

The first death of 2017 was reported in Mumbai. An 18-month-old baby died due to swine flu in Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital on April 25, bringing the terror of the deadly H1N1 virus back.

The Chandigarh Health Department issued a set of advisory to control the disease on July 17 after the state faced four swine flu deaths. The advisory asked people with fever to stay away from public gatherings and also alerted the local hospitals to be prompt in their diagnosis.

India has seen the highly contagious disease spreading across the past four months, as cases have been reported from all over the country. According to experts in National Institute of Virology (NIV), the reason for this sudden outbreak is a mild alteration in the H1N1 virus. NIV called it an "antigenic drift" which is making the virus deadlier than before. However, NIV ruled out the possibility of any major mutational changes.

The H1N1 virus is a variant of the flu virus which entails usual symptoms of influenza. They include sneezing, cold, fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite etc. The World Health Organization called it a pandemic in 2009 after it started rapidly spreading globally. India was worst affected in by it in 2015 with 42,592 cases of which 3,000 were fatal.

The medicinal cure for the virus is Tamiflu has been made available in all stores. On June 22, the Indian government which previously gave only authorised pharmacies to stock the drugs have now allowed licenced chemists to stock it, making it widely available across all medical shops.

Some of the proposed preventive measures for the disease include covering the mouth while sneezing and avoiding direct or indirect contact with people showing symptoms of seasonal influenza. A blood test for the H1N1 virus needs to be immediately done if one suffers from flu for more than three days.
Rebuffing a Republican president, a GOP-led Senate panel has rejected President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to foreign aid and deep reductions in spending on domestic programs such as education, housing and energy.

The powerful Appropriations Committee that oversees spending for the federal government yesterday approved the plan on a party-line vote.

In May, Trump proposed a cut of some 32 per cent in spending in diplomacy programs such as economic aid and contributions to international organisations. The committee agreed on spending about USD 11 billion more than the president sought for USD 51.2 billion next year for the State Department and related agencies.

While overall spending would remain frozen, bills funding education, housing and transportation, homeland security, and energy would all receive increases. An additional USD 3 billion would come from a trust fund that's supposed to be dedicated to crime victims, and emergency war funding is sprinkled generously to limit cuts to foreign aid.

The Senate panel tries to work on a bipartisan basis. Both parties want a budget deal to increase spending but negotiations by top Capitol Hill leaders and the administration have yet to start in earnest. The fiscal year starts October 1 and a stopgap funding measure will be required to avert a government shutdown.

"Negotiations within Congress and with the president may eventually produce a new budget agreement," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, the Mississippi Representative, who said that in the meantime it's time to move ahead.

Democrats pressed for higher spending but are working cooperatively in crafting bills under Cochran's plan.

The move by the Senate panel is in sharp contrast to action in the House, where Republicans are pushing budget and spending plans that would increase the Pentagon's budget by about USD 70 billion above current levels and cut most domestic agencies, though not as sharply as Trump would like.

Trump had proposed adding USD 54 billion above an existing limit on Pentagon spending and would finance the increase through dramatic cuts to foreign aid and domestic accounts such as grants to states, environmental programs, and infrastructure.

Complicating matters are a pair of spending "caps" set in law under a failed 2011 budget and debt deal. If Congress tries to spend above the limits, automatic across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration would cut their efforts back. Increasing the caps requires votes from Democrats, however.

Those caps mean the Senate is sticking to a USD 595 billion budget for the annual Pentagon funding bill; the companion House version weighs in at USD 650 billion.

The work on spending bills is running on a parallel track to the annual budget debate, which is designed to clear a path for a GOP effort to overhaul the tax code this fall.
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...
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
July 21, 2017

Murder, Spies And Weapons - Three Fascinating 'Deep State' Stories

350 "diplomatic" flights transporting weapons for terrorists - Trud

Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines transported hundreds of tons of weapons under diplomatic cover to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan Congo

the weapons and ammunition are usual from east Europe (Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine ...)

the contracts are with U.S. companies themselves hired by the CIA and/or Pentagon as well as with Saudi and Israeli companies

offloading during unusual "fueling stops" allowed to disguise the real addressee of the loads

With lots of details from obtained emails.

Ten thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition to al-Qaeda and other Takfiris in Syria also came first from Libya by ship, then on at least 160 big cargo flights via Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Turkey and during the last years by various ships under U.S. contracts from mostly east-European countries.

---

With all the Trump-Russia nonsense flowing around one person's involvement in the creation of the issue deserves more scrutiny:

McCain and the Trump-Russia Dossier: What Did He Know, and When? - Reason

A British spy. An Arizona senator. And one inflammatory dossier on Donald Trump. The connection between them is starting to unravel...

there are indications that McCain was the one who hired the company which created the infamous Steele dossier.

there is evidences that he distributed it to the CIA, FBI and to the media.

the issue is now in front of a British court.

---

Another Scorpene Submarine Scandal - Asia Sentinel (a bit older but it was new to me)

Document hack could imperil subs in Oz, India, other countries

a commercial cyber-crime case but likely with state involvement

French submarine sales usually include the payment of various "commissions" with kickbacks to French politicians

sometimes people involved in the business end up dead

Posted by b on July 21, 2017 at 16:22 UTC | Permalink

Comments
With recreational marijuana now legal in California, the Morgan Hill City Council updated the city ordinance regulating the drugs medical use at their latest meeting.

At the July 19 meeting, the council and city staff also agreed to host an upcoming workshop on recreational marijuana and whether the city should consider allowing marijuana manufacturing, cultivation, retail sales or delivery services in Morgan Hill.

Since voters approved Proposition 64 legalizing recreational marijuana in November 2016, several individuals have inquired with city staff about marijuana-related business opportunities in Morgan Hill, according to a staff report presented to the council by Police Chief David Swing. The upcoming workshop discussion will aim to weigh the potential harmful impacts of an increased presence of marijuanasuch as youth access and impaired drivingwith the potential tax revenues available to the city if it allows retail sales, cultivation and manufacturing.

Swing said staff has reached out to HdL Companies to facilitate the workshop. HdL Companies is a consulting firm that has worked with about 70 cities in California in providing advice on best practices for marijuana regulation and expectations for potential revenue and impacts, reads the city staff report.

Council members commented July 19 that they are interested in hearing more about what other cities and states are doing to regulate recreational marijuana in order to inform them on how to impose further regulations in Morgan Hill. The state is expected to develop more regulations and guidelines on the sale and production of recreational marijuana by early 2018.

The city has previously taken a more restrictive approach to regulation than many cities in the area when it comes to medical marijuana.

I think we should regulate it right along cigarettes and alcohol in Morgan Hill, Mayor Pro Tem Larry Carr said. I dont want to increase smoking in Morgan Hill. I dont want to breathe your smoke and we should be regulating that (and) decrease smoking in Morgan Hill, no matter what theyre smoking.

Carr also suggested inviting some marijuana advocates to the upcoming workshop, which is tentatively set for Sept. 6.

Morgan Hill resident Joy Joyner spoke as a supporter of medical marijuana at the July 19 meeting. She said she currently has to drive to San Jose to obtain her marijuana-derived medicine, which she needs to alleviate chronic pain and other symptoms associated with a number of autoimmune and nerve disorders.

Every few weeks I go to San Jose, and my tax dollars go to San Jose, Joyner said. I would much rather my tax dollars go to Morgan Hill. Our city can use those dollars.

Ordinance changes reflect state law

In the meantime, the council voted 4-1 July 19 to update the citys current marijuana ordinance. The update removes references to medical marijuana, and clarifies that existing local restrictions apply to both medical and recreational marijuana sales, cultivation and distribution.

The ordinance update also reflects Prop 64s change in state law to allow the indoor cultivation of up to six marijuana plants for personal use.

The intent, really, is to avoid confusion, City Attorney Don Larkin said.

City Councilman Rene Spring voted against the ordinance changes because the citys existing ordinance, first approved in 2011, is outdated. He would prefer to keep it in place as written for now, and do a more comprehensive overhaul of the ordinance to allow some level of legitimate marijuana business in Morgan Hill.

Plus, he said he thinks the updates are too restrictive because they are now prohibiting both medical and recreational marijuana uses and production.

Id rather have those businesses regulated within our town and bring in more needed tax money, Spring said after the meeting.

Local resident Doug Muirhead told the council that Morgan Hill voters approved Prop 64 with 57 percent of local voters casting Yes ballots on marijuana legalization. Thus, adding further restrictions on marijuana is ignoring the will of the people.
New ideas can be dangerous.

This principle has been repeated countless times in history. Even electricity was scary to people at first . Theologically, few ideas have ever been as explosive as the thinking that came out of the Protestant Reformation. Though many churches and Christians will mark this October as the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, we are so far downstream that we may not see the level of upheaval that it caused.

The Reformation brought the explosive idea that Christianity could exist outside of the Roman Catholic church, and then , eventually , that the church could exist outside of the state. The Reformation told people they could encounter and experience the very words of God for themselves as they interacted with scripture without a priest as mediator. However, in the mind of the enemies of the Reformation, Protestantism's most dangerous idea was the concept of assurance  that an individual Christian could personally and immediately know that their sins were forgiven and they were reconciled to God.

Pope Clement VIII's personal theologian Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) wrote, "The greatest of all protestant heresies is assurance." Steeped in hundreds of years of Catholic thought and tradition, Bellarmine rightly understood that if a person could know immediately that their sins were indeed forgiven then it would destroy the Roman understanding of everything from the mass to ecclesiastical authority.

Yet, this dangerous idea was the constant refrain of the Reformers. Their message was simple and straightforward, "Our salvation does not rest on our expressions of penance, our religious observances, or our relationship to the institutional church but our having been declared righteous in Jesus through faith in His work for us on the cross."

They believed this, they said, because it's what the Bible taught. It's how Jesus preached about justification in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the gospel of Luke. It's how Paul wrote about justification in Romans 3-5 and throughout the whole book of Galatians. This then, was the tipping point, are we to trust what tradition says or what scripture says? In many ways, our understanding of assurance gets to the heart of all of the various controversies contained in the Reformation.

So what about us? Can we really be sure our sins are forgiven and , if so, what does this assurance rest on? This is no small question because our part of the world is about as "Christianized" as continental Europe was prior to the Reformation. People attend church, identify themselves as Christians and, to varying degrees, orient their lives on the teachings of Jesus. Yet in that Christian world, even an accomplished monk like Martin Luther struggled intensely with the question of his soul's security. It wasn't until he looked away from all of his "monkery" (his word) to Jesus that he found full forgiveness.

As a pastor, I encounter many people who want to know their sins are forgiven and who sincerely hope they are. Often though, these people build that assurance horizontally on the fact that they are not like other people, leading them to be the stereotypical self-righteous church member who is needlessly hard on other people. Conversely, I know many people who think they carry too many of the scars of sin to truly enjoy forgiveness. I meet countless people who simply don't know if they really are right with God. Into that confusion we must listen to the same scriptures that guided the Reformation.

It's only when Christ , who satisfied the law of God for us , becomes our assurance that our souls will have any solid ground to stand on. Anything that threatens to take our focus on him needs to be ruthlessly exterminated from our souls lest we build our hope on a false confidence or dash our hopes on the rocks of our own sinfulness. Just as our churches must always be reforming back to scripture, so , too, must our individual souls. Semper Reformanda .

"Bishop" Jesse Carr is a Burke County native and is blessed to pastor Walker Road Baptist Church in Morganton. You can contact him at pastor@walkerroadbc.org.
The following charges were served on Sunday, July 9:

 Larry Arden Riffle, 34, of 3257 Idlewild Acres, in Morganton, was charged with one count each of felony possession of a stolen vehicle, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond.

 Charles Wesley Hipps, 30, of 3334 Sunrise Lane, in Morganton, was charged with one count each of felony possession of a stolen vehicle, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $15,000 secured bond.

 Jonathan Lee Bryant, 30, of 114 Bethel St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 9.

 Thomas Dean Winebarger, 39, of 5873 Jenkins Road, 2, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $4,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 16.

 Adrian Lamar Wiggins, 29, of 104 Starmount Circle, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Nov. 22.

 Sheila Segle Eddins, 36, of 1357 Airport Rhodhiss Road, Lot 2, in Hickory, was charged with felony possession of a stolen vehicle. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $5,000 secured bond.

 Daniel Scott Franklin, 33, of 126 Bryan Drive, in Forest City, was charged with one count each of felony possession of a weapon by felon, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no operators license. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under an $11,000 secured bond.

 Kayla Nicole Carver, 25, of 759 Arbra Mountain Road, in Bostic, was charged with felony probation violation and two counts of misdemeanor resist, delay or obstruct a public offer. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $13,500 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Nov. 22.

The following charges were served on Monday, July 10:

 Joey Dean Trivette, 25, of 2170 Connelly Church St., in Connelly Springs, was charged with misdemeanor unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was issued a $1,000 unsecured bond and released. His trial date was set for July 24.

 Thomas Lloyd Ollis Jr., 46, of 103 N Amity St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor communicating threats. He was released on a written promise to appear for a trial date set for Aug. 1.

 Gilbert Purnell Hice, 35, of 212 Carbondale Lane, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to pay monies. He was served by a criminal summons to appear.

 Gary Allen Hutchinson II, 32, of 4715 Tallent Road, in Morganton, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor probation violation. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond.

 Christina Nichole Brown, 31, of 3232 NC 181, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor driving while impaired. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Aug. 16.

 Andrew Thomas Watts, 39, of 2981 Clarks Loop, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor cyber stalking and violating a domestic violence protection order. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Aug. 22.

 Anthony Bryan Self, 41, of 2689 Timerill Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor larceny by trick and damage or injury to real property. He was served by a criminal summons to appear for a trial date set for Aug. 10.

 Michelle Lane Curtis, 34, of 2227 Antioch Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor probation violation. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $20,000 secured bond.

 Shane Donovan McGalliard, 39, of 2239 Antioch Road, in Morganton, was charged with five counts of misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a total of $8,000 in secured bonds. His trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 John Allen Merrell Jr., 32, of 3992 Hawkins Drive, in Morganton, was charged with one felony count each of breaking or entering buildings generally and larceny after breaking and entering. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond.

 Jorge Antonio Garcia, 21, of 5498 Rhoney Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $5,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 17.

 Nicole Renee Howard, 35, of Hickory, was charged with felony motor vehicle theft and misdemeanor probation violation. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a total of $20,000 in secured bonds. Her trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 David Ray Carswell, 37, of 350 Settlemyre Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor damage or injury to real property. She was served by a criminal summons to appear for a trial date set for July 27.

 Briana Nicole Moore, 23, of 1141 Pine Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and speeding. She was cited and released. Her trial date was set for Nov. 22.

 Alyshia Denise Woodard, 46, of Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $2,000 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Aug. 21.

 Irma Yolanda Lopez, 40, of 616 Bouchelle St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor child abuse. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $2,500 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Aug. 25.

The following charges were served on Tuesday, July 11:

 Seneca Ashley Caldwell, 34, of 3935 Snowhill Church Road, in Morganton, was charged with one count each of felony possession of methamphetamines with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver, misdemeanor failure to appear or comply and driving during revocation. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $26,800 secured bond.

 Mary Elizabeth Branch, 37, of 5650 Trailwinds St., in Newton, was charged with felony possession of stolen goods. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $7,500 secured bond.

 Matias Francisco Pablo, 19, of 205 North St., in Morganton, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of assault on a female, first-degree trespassing and resist, delay or obstruct a public officer. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Aug. 11.

 Lana Marie Clark, 29, of 3189 Barus Pond Loop, in Valdese, was charged with misdemeanor unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. She was served by a criminal summons to appear.

 Everett Lee Avery Jr., 58, of 3316 Norman Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor communicating threats and simple assault. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $500 secured bond. His trial date was set for July 31.

 Travis Stuart Propst, 41, of 613 Old NC 18, in Morganton, was charged with felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury by strangulation and felony assault by strangulation. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Tanni Marie England, 40, of 5572 Mount Olive Church Road, Lot 1, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $100 cash bond. Her trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Soua Lor, 55, of 3575 Sundown Road, in Morganton, was charged with one felony count each of possession of stolen goods, possession of a schedule IV controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver and maintaining a dwelling, vehicle or place for drugs or controlled substances. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $25,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Charles Lewis Kincaid, 18, of 1424 Oak Hill Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Sep. 27.

 Cody Truett Randolph, 27, of 4838 Cedar Pine Ave., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor defrauding a drug and alcohol screening. He was issued a $2,500 secured bond and released. His trial date was set for Aug. 15.

 Summer Michelle Coleman, 32, of 41-B W Highland Ave., in Granite Falls, was charged with felony armed robbery and misdemeanor possession of stolen goods. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $55,000 secured bond.

 Jason Ray Penley, 40, of 2066 Antioch Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor simple assault. He was released on a written promise to appear for a trial date set for Aug. 7.

 Brandon Jeffery Hyler, 26, of 5012 Miller Bridge Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with misdemeanor probation violation and failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $70,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Roger Kenneth Whitlock, 35, of 2704 Fieldview Acres Drive, in Connelly Springs, was charged with misdemeanor cyber stalking. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Aug. 15.

 Bradley Thomas Hoover, 28, of 6338 Fallston Road, in Lawndale, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of expired registration plate, expired vehicle inspection sticker, driving during revocation and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,500 secured bond. His trial date was set for Dec. 6.

 Timothy Yates Baker, 50, of 1355 Elsie Mae Drive, in Morganton, was charged with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond.

 Dylan Barry Snedden, 24, of 720 W Union St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 21.

The following charges were served on Wednesday, July 12:

 Timothy Yates Baker, 50, of 1355 Elsie Mae Drive, in Morganton, was charged with felony altering a vehicle identification number and felony possession of stolen goods. He was served at the Burke-Catawba jail where he was being held on previous charges. He was issued an additional $25,000 secured bond for these charges.

 Timothy Yates Baker, 50, of 1355 Elsie Mae Drive, in Morganton, was charged with felony altering a vehicle identification number and felony receiving, transferring or possessing a stolen vehicle. He was served at the Burke-Catawba jail where he was being held on previous charges. He was issued an additional $25,000 secured bond for these charges.

 Xzavian Jerrod Dula, 21, of 309 Stonewall St. NW, in Lenoir, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of first or second degree burglary, assault on a female and damage or injury to real property. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $2,500 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 7.

 Roger Dale Morgan, 56, of 3735 Charles Dale Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail.

 Cody Allan Vaughn, 32, of 1705 Bethel Road, Lot 12, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Sep. 27.

 David Glen Roberts Jr., 28, of 2301 MacArthur Lane, in Hudson, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 Riley Paul Moses, 29, of 216 Fernwood Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor larceny by trick. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond.

 Joshua Allen Jubin, 29, of 4199 Garland Johnson Road, in Morganton, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 Samuel Rollie Kidd, 30, of 210 Fox St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was issued a $1,000 secured bond and released. His trial date was set for Sep. 11.

 James Allen Norville, 46, of 1425 TS Mull Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was issued a $1,000 cash bond and released. His trial date was set for July 20.

 Kiwanus Tereii Bonner, 28, of 228 Branch St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 9.

 Jessica Lynn West, 35, of 105 Litton St. SE, Lot 3, in Valdese, was charged with felony possession of methamphetamines and felony possession of a controlled substance in prison or jail. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond.

 Summer Michelle Coleman, 32, of 41-B W Highland Ave., in Granite Falls, was charged with felony identity theft. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $25,000 secured bond.

 Monica Barus Miller, 51, of 3870 Hide Away Hills, in Valdese, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $260 cash bond. Her trial date was set for Aug. 2.

 John William Tallent, 54, of 4610 Tallent Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Sep. 11.

 Kristin Lee Renee Stahl, 30, of 66 Mobile Drive, in Thomasville, PA, was charged with misdemeanor simple assault. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. Her trial date was set for Aug. 9.

 Lynn Marie Mitchell, 24, of 110 JR Tallent Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor larceny of property and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was cited and released. Her trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Rebecca Noreen Stahl, 53, of 66 Mobile Drive, in Thomasville, PA, was charged with misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury or with a deadly weapon. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,500 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Aug. 9.

The following charges were served on Thursday, July 13:

 Timothy Ray Prestwood, 38, of 904 Fairview Drive, in Lenoir, was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resist, delay or obstruct a public officer. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,500 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Sherri Sanders Riddle, 51, of 2015 Throneburg Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. She was issued a $1,000 secured bond and released. Her trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 Brooke Sierra Davis, 20, of 4363 Homer Burns Ave., in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor simple assault. She was released on a written promise to appear for a trial date set for Aug. 1.

 Edward Todd Arnold, 46, of 96 Hennessee St., in Glen Alpine, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female and larceny of property. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Aug. 9.

 Hunter Reid Riles, 22, of 4675 JP Hawkins Circle, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor violating a domestic violence protection order. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 21.

 Archie Matthew Davis, 38, of 615 Old Hickory Road, in Marion, was charged with felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $30,000 secured bond.

 Dustin Ray Grogan, 29, of 208 Vineyard Road, in Old Fort, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Sep. 25.

 Heather Marie Moran, 33, of 99 Georgia Ave., in Marion, was charged with felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $30,000 secured bond.

 Alex Kennedy Surratt, 21, of 407 North St., in Morganton, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $20,000 secured bond.

The following charges were served on Friday, July 14:

 Alfonso Paniagua Rivas, 30, of 318 Francis St., in El Paso, TX, was charged with felony possession of a schedule IV controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver. He was granted a custody release and a trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Bryan Keith Brown, 47, of Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor breaking or entering buildings generally. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $500 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 8.

 Tamantha Ponder Ramsey, 34, of 1023 Burkemont Ave., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $3,000 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Sep. 11.

 Michael Edward Longo, 23, of 5021 Patton Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor larceny by trick. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $500 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 14.

 Alexander Andrew Amos, 24, of 3950 Berry Road, in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor resist, delay or obstruct a public officer. His trial date was set for Aug. 8.

 Johnathan Stephen Price, 35, of 7121 US 64, in Morganton, was charged with two counts of felony sell or deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, one count each of felony possession of a schedule IV controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver, felony maintaining a dwelling, vehicle or place for drugs or controlled substances and misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a total of $70,000 in secured bonds.

 Robert Christopher Brooks, 30, of 1525 Airport Rhodhiss Road, in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female and damage to personal property. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 Icey Chennell Gooden, 27, of 4217 Sundown Road, in Morganton, was charged with two counts of felony common law robbery and two counts of felony kidnapping while in the Burke-Catawba jail. She was placed under a $250,000 secured bond, and her trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 William Ryan Harton, 29, of 2204 NC 181, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for July 25.

 Dylan James Rogers, 24, of 1901 Rader Circle, in Morganton, was charged with felony speeding to elude arrest and one misdemeanor count each of aggressive driving, stop sign or red light violation, speeding, expired registration, operating a vehicle without insurance, improper passing, driving while license revoked and resist, delay or obstruct a public officer. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $20,000 secured bond.

 Summer Michelle Coleman, 32, of 41-B W Highland Ave., in Granite Falls, was charged with felony identity theft. She was served at the Burke-Catawba jail where she was being held on previous charges. She was issued an additional $10,000 secured bond for this charge.

 Corey Ray Abernathy, 23, of 1914 Fowler Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 Stevarian Martin K Bowen, 19, of 109 Douglas Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor first-degree trespassing. He was released on a written promise to appear for a trial date set for Aug. 1.

 Richard Henry Bilyou, 49, of 5618 Jenkins Road, in Morganton, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of driving while impaired, unsafe tires, driving during revocation, hit and run causing property damage and exceeding a safe speed. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $10,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 2.

 Ronald Ray Billings, 42, of 999 Oaks Park, in Nebo, was charged with misdemeanor communicating threats and simple assault. He was issued a $1,000 secured bond and released. His trial date was set for Aug. 8.

The following charges were served on Saturday, July 15:

 Jordy Allen Code, 28, of 1527 S Sterling St. Apt. D, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Dec. 6.

 Aaron Terrill ONeil, 27, of 112 Brackett St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of Tramadol and failure to wear a seat belt. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Dec. 6.

 Erica Nicole Dalton, 24, of 5093 Reese Store Ave., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and expired registration. She was cited and released. Her trial date was set for Dec. 6.

 Corey David J Goode Jr., 22, of 6316 Benfield Landing Road, in Nebo, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $5,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 2.

 Zachary Keith Thomas, 28, of 884 Chase Road, in Evans, GA, was charged with misdemeanor driving while impaired. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail. His trial date was set for Dec. 6.

 Christopher Stephen Rhyne, 29, of 9011 McCray Farms Drive, in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor driving while impaired. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Oct. 16.

 Justin Dean Chapman, 32, of 5248 Mineral Springs Mountain Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with misdemeanor failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $2,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 9.

 Callie Morrison Carswell, 22, of 616 Second St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor stalking. She was served by a criminal summons to appear for a trial date set for Sep. 9.

 Margaret Shaffer Ray, 37, of 113 Water Filter Plant Road, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor driving with an open container after consuming. She was cited and released. Her trial date was set for Aug. 8.

 Lisa Conner Buff, 43, of 220 Elizabeth St. NE, in Lenoir, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of assault on a child under 12 years old, simple assault or assault and battery, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, possession of a schedule IV controlled substance and resist, delay or obstruct a public officer. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $5,000 secured bond. Her trial date was set for Sep. 15.

 Paul Shannon Hildebran, 37, of 8132 Grover Evans SR Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with felony possession of a schedule I controlled substance. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $3,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 28.

 Whitney Setzer, 25, of 3452 Kirby Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor affray. She was released on a written promise to appear for a trial date set for Sep. 15.

 Phifer Douglas Largent, 47, of 414 W Concord St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was released on a written promise to appear for a trial date set for Sep. 15.

 Christopher Eugene Webb, 37, of 2023 Coffey Road, in Morganton, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of assault on a female, violating a domestic violence protection order and failure to appear or comply. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and issued an additional $1,500 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 1.

 Sharod Ja'ouis Weaver, 26, of 331 2nd Street Place SE, in Hickory, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of driving while impaired, possession of a schedule III controlled substance and possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $2,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for Aug. 2.

 William Lee Carpenter, 65, of 721 E Union St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor possess or consume an alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a vehicle and two counts of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Sep. 20.

 Richard Lee Short, 32, of Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor concealment of merchandise. He was cited and released. His trial date was set for Dec. 6.

 Juan Antonio Ortega-Ibarra, 30, of 7024 Nugget Drive, in Morganton, was charged with two felony counts of malicious conduct by a prisoner, felony assault by strangulation, two counts of misdemeanor assault on a governmental officer and two counts of misdemeanor resist, delay or obstruct. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $50,000 secured bond.
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Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
CHARLES CITY | The new owner of a Charles City apartment complex said he inherited bad tenants and was in the process of removing the one who allegedly shot and killed another man near the complex June 30.

Casa Apartments, formerly Highland Terrace, bought the property in April, which includes six buildings on Clark Street, Clarkview Drive and Terrace Road.

Owner Mikhail "Mike Casa" Geister says he's been trying to make the complex safe  and better  ever since. Security of the area is being taken very seriously, Geister said.

Antoine Williams, 36, who has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Nathaniel Fleming, had been a tenant since Feb. 1, Geister said, before he took over the property.

The previous owner rented to him without running background check, Geister said. He was one of the bad guys we identified upon taking over and were moving him out of the complex."

Geister said they started to monitor tenants when they acquired the complex. Williams was found to be one of the tenants who would occasionally disturb the peace and quiet of others, Geister said.

The situation was discussed with him and he agreed to vacate the property on his own instead of being evicted. Geister said. He was cooperating and moving out. He was moving on the day of the shooting.

Geister clarified the shooting happened off the property, and that Fleming was not a resident.

It was an isolated incident when two bad guys could not resolve a disagreement, Geister said. Now both of them are gone, and the vacancy will be filled with good tenants.

Police say Williams fatally shot Fleming multiple times during an argument around 10 p.m. June 30 near the complex, in the 2100 block of Clarkview Drive.

We cooperated with police and tightened our screening process, Geister said. We had a meeting with police to discuss how we can work together to clean up the property, and police will be helping with our efforts in the future.

Geister mentioned that he has seen community support since the incident.

Actually, residents in the community want to help us as well, Geister said. Everybody wants to improve the situation in this complex and make it great again.

The complex features 96 units in six buildings, with open space between buildings for walking dogs and play areas for children.

Since taking over, Geister installed lighting systems around the parking lot and buildings and wants to install a video surveillance system within the next few months.

No one can get away with things in the dark now, Geister said, noting well-lit areas tend to discourage illegal activities.

Casa Apartments hired an on-site property manager when they took over.

Hes here 24/7 to assist residents and knows whats going on at night, Geister said. He can monitor whats going on. If there are police calls, he can mark tenants.

Casa Apartments implemented a zero-tolerance policy for crime and drug use. Any criminal activity is cause for eviction. As part of the screening process, those previously convicted of misdemeanors or felonies will not be considered.

Casa Apartments posted a press release on their website a week after the incident, detailing the mismanagement of the property by the previous owners, Adventure Properties.

Unfortunately, the previous owner has mismanaged the operations of the complex (formerly known as Highland Terrace) over the past few years by not doing proper due-diligence and allowing all kind of bad tenants to move into the complex and letting these tenants do whatever they wanted, the release said. As result, the apartment complex gained a very poor reputation in Charles City.

Since taking over, six to nine tenants who did not comply with their standards have been removed, Geister said.

Vacant apartments have since been remodeled.

When we took over, there were 30 percent vacant in the complex; now we're 95 percent full," he said.

Casa has moved in 20 families since April and has a discount program with Simply Essentials to get its employees and their families moved in.

Casa Apartments began to utilize social media and other marketing initiatives to advertise the vacancies, not just in Iowa, but around the country for those looking to relocate.

The majority of Casa Apartments' properties are in Illinois. Geister said they have had success in turning around other properties that were mismanaged, like a complex in Rockford, Illinois.

Charles City is a nice little town, Geister said. We were looking for our next investment, and this is a nice place to start. There are worse places than Charles City.

Geister believes the improvements and future planned improvements can give tenants some peace of mind.

It usually takes about 12 months to turn a place around, but you can really start to see improvements within three to six months, Geister said.
Veteran finds his place at Moorpark College Moorpark College student Jarrett Tillis-Herron spent five years at Camp Humphreys duty station in South Korea. The experience changed his life. Originally from Houston, Tillis Herron decided to enlist in...

Posse saddles up to help children Russell Libby describes his golden palomino horse, Sonny, as the calmest, sweetest guy and his best friend for nearly two decades. Sonny is the reason Libby and his wife, Laura,...

Kris Kringle to support library programs The Moorpark Friends of the Library is offering the second annual Letter from Santa fundraiser. For a $25 donation to the Moorpark Friends of the Library, children will receive a...
The director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will run for governor of Ohio next year, according to his friends.



Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill ONeill told Politico that a mutual friend asked CFPB Director Richard Cordray last week if he was considering a run. Rumors have long swirled that Cordray would try for the office, but he has not commented publicly on his intentions.

Read more: Cordray should commit to full term or quit CFPB now  Hensarling

ONeill said that it was clear from the conversation that Cordray would campaign for the governorship, Politico reported.



Hes getting ready to run, ONeill told the publication.



In order to campaign for the Ohio governorship, Cordray would have to resign from the CFPB before his term expires in July 2018; Ohio law would prohibit him from running while engaged in political activity.
A $2.2 million judgement likely will cause some collateral damage.

Some think that should include Bill Dixs job as the Republican leader in the Iowa Senate.

A Polk County jury this past week awarded $2.2 million to Kirsten Anderson, a former staff worker for Senate Republicans in the Iowa Legislature. The award was the result of Andersons lawsuit in which she alleged her 2013 dismissal was retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment.

The state  more specifically, Senate Republican staff  claimed Anderson was fired for poor work performance.

The jury ruled in favor of Anderson, and the $2.2 million award will be forked out by Iowa taxpayers at a time when the state budget is already seriously pinched.

When a lawsuit results in seven-figure monetary damages, often the impact is felt beyond the checkbook.

Already two public calls have been made for Dix to resign, including one from a Republican senator.

Sen. Rick Bertrand, a Republican from Sioux City, issued a statement Wednesday in which he called for Dix to resign.

Sen. Dix has a pattern of retaliation, we all know that, and unfortunately power has that effect on some people," Bertrand wrote. "This jury did not believe that Ms. Anderson was justly fired, and ultimately her dismissal was Bill Dixs decision, and that lack of judgement has consequences."

Dix recently removed Bertrand as a chairman of the Senates transportation budget committee.

Des Moines Register columnist Kathie Obradovich reached the same conclusion: Dix should resign.

By failing to provide a professional work environment and even minimally competent management, Senate Republicans failed in their duty to protect taxpayers. Now every Iowan has to pay the penalty with their tax dollars, Obradovich wrote this week. Every one of the people with responsibility in this case, from Dix on down, should resign.

Dix did not respond to Bertrands call for his resignation, according to a Senate Republican spokesman.

But Dix did defend himself and his staff in response to the jurys decision. He maintained the defense that Anderson was fired only for her poor work product and absolutely no other reason.

During my leadership of the Senate Republican Caucus, harassment and inappropriate behavior was addressed immediately and effectively and it will continue to be addressed in that manner in the future, Dix said in a statement. The Senate Republican Caucus is now a safe environment and there is no tolerance for any and all types of harassment.

Anderson testified that she first began complaining of sexual harassment in 2010, according to the Des Moines Register, and she was fired in 2013.

Dix was voted Senate Republicans leader in 2012.

The jury's ruling and calls for his resignation come at an otherwise heady time for Dix. In the 2016 elections he helped Senate Republicans gain the majority  and, as a result, control of the legislative agenda  in the Iowa Senate. Then, in 2017, he led Senate Republicans as they joined with House Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad to pass myriad pieces of conservative legislation long sought by GOP lawmakers and voters.

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker this week endorsed Kim Reynolds in Iowas 2018 gubernatorial election.

Reynolds will be the successor incumbent in the race  she ascended from lieutenant governor after former Gov. Terry Branstad resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China. But Reynolds faces a Republican primary challenge from Cedar Rapids mayor Ron Corbett.

GOP leaders have been lining up behind Reynolds  earlier this month Iowas Republican U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, announced their support for Reynolds.

Gov. Reynolds is a strong leader whose bold vision promises a bright future for the people of Iowa, Walker said in a statement issued by the Reynolds campaign. She works tirelessly for Iowas hard-working families, and Im proud to endorse her and the commonsense reforms shes advancing in her state.

Walkers support means more than just a press release: it likely means the Wisconsin governor and conservative hero to many nationally will be willing to do what he can  i.e. raise money  for Reynolds campaign.

Of course, Walker has his own re-election campaign to run in 2018. He does not, at this point, have a serious primary challenger.
With a state as big as Texas there are bound to be strange city names to fill out the map. Developments come and go, with towns flourishing into regional powers or devolving into ghost towns that exist only as historical markers, street names or an obscure entry in a history book.

The most Texas name on the list of Texas towns seems to be Oil City, located in the Panhandle. It's now a ghost town. Gun Barrell City, between Corsicana and Terrell, gives it a run for its money. Just south of Gun Barrell City is Tool, Texas.
In an interview with Mexican publication El Blog del Narco, a reporter said a now-deceased Zetas cartel leader used to eat the flesh of victims.

The journalist told the publication he had seen former Zetas leader Heriberto Lazcano, or "El Lazca," eat human flesh, according to El Blog del Narco. He said after the cartel leader would have someone killed, the victim would be cleaned and shaved, according to the publication.
John Wheelers untimely death provides impetus to educate youth, spread word of professions in forestry and natural resource management.

A program to educate high schoolers about professions in forestry and natural resource management. A playground in the woods. A white oak to provide a shady spot for students to sit. All of these were done in honor of John Wheeler.

Wheeler was a fourth-year student at Michigan Technological University when he was killed in a car accident in November 2016. He had aspired to become a forester and was cherished by family, friends and faculty alike.

Terry Sharik, dean of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, reached out to the faculty who had John in their fall 2016 courses and asked that they turn in Johns final grades, enabling Michigan Tech to posthumously award him his bachelor of science degree.

He was extremely proactive and intelligent as a student. He was a real leader in our group, says Matthew Kelly, an assistant professor of natural resource management, who had John in several courses, including senior capstone. His peers talked at our memorial about his fieldwork; he was always trying to do it faster, more efficiently and more effectively.

Kids in the Woods

Just as John pushed himself, the SFRES and wider communities wanted to do more to honor Johns memory and commitment to his future profession.

Sharing his love of the woods was a passion, and John made time to reach out to students at Houghton High School to encourage them to pursue a degree from SFRES and to work in an after-school program at Houghton Elementary.

To continue Johns mission to share the possibility of a career in forestry or environmental sciences, shortly after his death the John H.F. Wheeler Memorial Fund project was established on Superior Ideas, a crowdfunding website operated by Michigan Tech, including a $5,000 match from SFRES.

To date, the fund is 35 percent funded and has raised $12,080. The project has a $35,000 goal, which will create an endowed fund that will provide financial awards to upper-division undergraduate students in SFRES. Award recipients will serve as ambassadors to local and regional high schools to talk about natural resource careers and share their experiences in SFRES.

Its for the college kids to go to the high school and talk about [careers in forestry]. That was Johns idea, says Bob Wheeler, Johns father. He said that there should be more connection for natural resource education in the high school.

John Wheeler loved being in the woods, and enjoyed sharing that passion with others. Image Credit: Dan Haskell

Bob Wheeler has had a hand in establishing a playground and classroom in a wooded area on the Houghton Elementary School grounds, a project he started with John to get kids off their mobile devices and into nature. Initial funding came from a Go-Fund-Me campaign started by Alex Busov, which was very well supported by family, friends and the community at large, for medical and other expenses. In addition to the outdoor learning center, money from the fund also goes toward the purchase of grade level-appropriate books about natural resources for children, both individually and in the classroom.

"I want to have kids feel comfortable to go run around in the woods. Learn about critters and plants, put their phone away for a little bit and see this can be fun. Now outdoor time is structured. The way it should be: Go play, kid, go explore, go figure it out yourself." Bob Wheeler

Kelly says that this is just another way Johns legacy impacts the community. Having goals to work toward helped Johns peers to process their grief at his loss.

Everyone understood John a bit better when we met his family Kelly says. When Bob had ideas about these different projects, it did give a lot of us some purpose and things to work on. Involvement of the parents was a factor, a positive one.

Numerous community members turned out to help clear brush from the area at Houghton Elementary School. Another day of service to continue improving the play area and classroom is planned and will be announced in the future. The area includes an amphitheater-type classroom with seating and trails that wind through the trees. It will soon include informational signage about local tree and bird species.

The John Wheeler Outdoor Learning Center is already having an impact. During a recent visit, three young girls ran up to the fence that rings the Houghton Elementary School playground to shout Thank you, Mr. Wheeler! through the chainlink, after Bob took their class through the wooded area.

Contribute to the John H.F. Wheeler Memorial Fund Eleven days remain on the John H.F. Wheeler Memorial Fund Superior Ideas project. This project will fund outreach to high school students to inspire the next generation of natural resource scholars and professionals. To date, the fund is 35 percent funded and has raised $12,080. Terry Sharik, Dean of SFRES, has committed to match the first $5,000 in donations. The project has a $35,000 goal, which will create an endowed fund that will provide financial awards to deserving SFRES students, support outreach to high schools, raise awareness of natural resource careers and cover the cost of traveling to local/regional high schools. You can donate to the John H.F. Wheeler Memorial Fund here. For more information, contact Matt Kelly, assistant professor of natural resource management, at 906-487-3403 or by email mackelly@mtu.edu.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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

CALGARY, Alberta, July 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (TSX:HWO) (High Arctic or the Company) announces that Mr. Thomas Alford has tendered his resignation, effective today, as High Arctics Interim President and CEO. In conjunction with his resignation Mr. Alford has also stepped down from High Arctics Board of Directors (Board). Mr. Michael Binnion, Chairman of the Board, will temporarily assume his duties. A special committee of the Board is leading the search for a permanent President and CEO and reviewing the Companys growth opportunities.



The Board would like to thank Mr. Alford for his interim leadership during the integration of Tervitas Production Services division into High Arctics Canadian operations and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

High Arctic is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jim Hodgson to the Board and the Audit Committee. Mr. Hodgson is the Managing Director of Link NRG. Prior to his current role, Mr. Hodgson was the Chief Financial Officer of Sino Gas & Energy Holdings Ltd. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer and director of Stream Oil & Gas Ltd and Chief Executive Officer of United Oil Projects Company, Kuwait. He received a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) and an MBA (Finance/Marketing) from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science (Finance) from Leicester University in the UK.

Mr. Binnion, Chairman, stated, We are very pleased with the addition of Mr. Hodgson to the Board. He is an experienced financial executive, business leader and corporate director, with experience in the oil and gas industry both in Canada and Internationally.

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 big truck is still on ...
ANNOUNCEMENT UNDER RULE 2.10 OF THE IRISH TAKEOVER PANEL ACT, 1997, TAKEOVER RULES, 2013 (THE "TAKEOVER RULES")

Rule 2.10 disclosure

Dalradian Resources Inc. (the "Company"/"Dalradian") announces, in accordance with Rule 2.10 of the Takeover Rules, that at the close of business on 20 July 2017 Dalradian had the following relevant securities (within the meaning of the Takeover Rules) in issue: (i) 254,331,097 common shares in the Company (ISIN reference number: CA2354991002), (ii) 37,264,345 warrants in total issued by the Company of which (a) warrants listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (ISIN reference number: CA2354991341) and which, if exercised, would result in the issue of approximately 14.67 million new common shares in the Company, and (b) warrants not listed on any stock exchange which, if exercised, would result in the issue of approximately 22.59 million new common shares in the Company, (iii) options issued by the Company which if exercised would result in the issue of 10,116,666 new common shares in the Company, (iv) restricted share units redeemable for 1,885,000 new common shares in the Company, and (v) deferred share units redeemable for 504,000 new common shares in the Company.

The Directors of Dalradian accept responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. To the best of their knowledge and belief (having taken all reasonable care to ensure such is the case), the information contained in this announcement is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information.

21 July 2017

For immediate release

About Dalradian Resources Inc.

Dalradian Resources Inc. is a gold exploration and development company that is focused on advancing its high-grade Curraghinalt Gold Project located in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

For more information:

Marla Gale

Vice President Communications

+1 416 583 5600

investor@dalradian.com

Canaccord Genuity Limited (Broker)

Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / Martin Davison

+44 (0)20 7523 800

Grant Thornton UK LLP (Nominated Adviser) Philip Secrett / Richard Tonthat/Harrison Clarke

+44 (0)20 7383 5100
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tango Mining Limited (Tango or the Company) (TSXV:TGV) announces that, in partnership with the GZA Group, it has formed a South African subsidiary, TML Equipment Solutions (Pty) Ltd (TML), that will own and lease processing equipment to be used for alluvial diamond recovery. The Company also confirms that it has acquired the outstanding 10% diamond royalty offtake on the Oena Diamond Mine (Oena), South Africa.

TML Equipment Solutions (Pty) Ltd (TML)

The total capital investment into TML will be USD $1,175,000 and is fully committed. TML has secured a new Bourevestnik X-Ray (BVX) recovery unit, a Flow Sort X-Ray Separator and a Single Particle Sorter (the Equipment). Tango will have a 25% equity stake in TML and will maintain operational control.

TML's Equipment will be used at Oena and will be operated under contract by Consulmet (Pty) Limited (Consulmet). Consulmet, with its headquarters in Johannesburg, is a specialist engineering group focussed on fast-tracked design and construction of minerals processing plants on a fixed price basis and excel in delivering projects in remote locations and developing countries. Consulmet have built several diamond processing plants for diamond producers and are experts in the application of DMS, diamond processing and final recovery using optical and X-Ray sorters.

Termination of Oena Mining Contractor

Tango has terminated the contracting agreement, as announced on 18 November 2016, with African Mineral Recovery Solutions CC (AMRS) due to breach of contract and underperformance by AMRS.

Closing of Debt Settlement

Tango has issued 6,857,900 common shares in the capital stock, at a price of $0.05 per share to ATC Enterprises DMCC (ATC) to settle accrued interest, balance due on last tender and the outstanding amount owing for the Oena offtake right for debt totaling C$342,895. The Company also confirms that it has issued 1,300,000 common shares in the capital stock of the Company to ATC upon conversion of US$50,000 (C$65,000) of an unsecured convertible note, the balance of US$200,000 remains convertible at $0.05 (see news release dated 17 June 2015).

Mr. Samer Khalaf

CEO

Tango Mining Limited

info@tangomining.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.
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Finnish English

Rapala VMC Corporation

Half year financial report

July 21, 2017 at 12:00 noon

RAPALA VMC CORPORATION'S HALF YEAR REPORT H1/2017: SALES AND PROFITABILITY DOWN FROM LAST YEAR, OUTLOOK REVISED FOLLOWING CONTINUED TURMOIL IN THE MARKETS

This release is a summary of Rapala VMC Corporation's Half year financial report January-June 2017. The complete report is attached to this release as a pdf-file (Rapala VMC Corp. Half year financial report H1 2017). It is also available at the corporate website www.rapalavmc.com.





January-June (H1) in brief:

Net sales were 140.9 MEUR, down 2% from previous year (143.1). With comparable exchange rates sales were 4% lower than last year.

Operating profit was 11.0 MEUR (14.2), down 23%.

Comparable operating profit* was 11.4 MEUR (15.6), down 27%.

Cash flow from operations was 8.1 MEUR (6.2), up 31%.

Gearing was 46.8% (82.9).

Earnings per share was 0.15 EUR (0.19).

Full year (FY) guidance updated: Full year net sales expected to be around last year's level and comparable operating profit to be clearly below last year's level.

President and CEO Jussi Ristimaki: "Trading conditions remained tough in key markets for the first half of the year, which resulted in a 2% decline in sales from last year. The sales of Group Products remained at last year's level, while Third Party Products decreased somewhat. The positive highlights for the first half were good sales development in carp business, ice fishing as well as Marttiini knives.

The ongoing structural changes in the US retail market had still a negative impact on our sales as consumers are increasingly going online. We are responding to this by making more investments into our digital presence. Big European markets were affected by cold and late start of the summer as well as tighter price competition and consequently sales were lagging especially in France.

Our profitability was down from last year following lower sales and tightening competition. Comparable operating profit decreased only marginally in Group Products, whereas profitability in Third Party Products was disappointing. Focus on working capital management is yielding results and cash flow from operations was strong and above last year's levels as inventories decreased to 99.1 MEUR. As a result of strong cash flow, lower inventories and the successful issuance of a hybrid bond, our net debt was record low at 71.3 MEUR. Outlook for the whole year is cautious and our sales and profitability is expected to decrease from last year. We are executing our strategy of improving profitability, lightening balance sheet and improving operational performance in all our business units. The transfer of some production phases from the lure factory in Finland to Estonia and Russia is proceeding well and ahead of schedule."



Key figures

H1 H1 change FY MEUR 2017 2016 % 2016 Net sales 140.9 143.1 -2% 260.6 Operating profit 11.0 14.2 -23% 7.2 % of net sales 7.8% 9.9% 2.8% Comparable operating profit* 11.4 15.6 -27% 18.8 % of net sales 8.1% 10.9% 7.2% Cash flow from operations 8.1 6.2 +31% 26.7 Gearing % 46.8% 82.9% 70.6% EPS, EUR 0.15 0.19 -21% -0.08





* Excluding mark-to-market valuations of operative currency derivatives and other items affecting comparability. Other items affecting comparability include material restructuring costs, impairments, gains and losses on business combinations and disposals, insurance compensations and other non-operational items.



Rapala Group presents alternative performance measures to reflect the underlying business performance and to enhance comparability between financial periods. Alternative performance measures should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance in accordance with IFRS. Definitions and reconciliation of key figures are presented in the financial section of the release.







Market Environment

Trading conditions remain challenging. Especially in the US consumers are increasingly shifting into digital channels, which affects the retail business structures and some of the Group's biggest customers are in financial distress. The changes have a negative effect on sales in the marketplace, but the Group has largely been able to recover the lost sales from other channels in the US. In Europe, cold and late start of the summer coupled with increased price competition in certain product categories has impacted sales.

Business Review January-June 2017

The Group's net sales for the first half of the year were slightly below last year. Changes in translation exchange rates increased sales by approximately 3.2 MEUR. With comparable translation exchange rates, net sales were down 4% from last year for the half year.

North America

With comparable exchange rates, sales in North America were at last year's level. The sales in Canada were above last year's level due to successful sales campaigns. The retail landscape in the US is going through a structural change as traditional retail business is giving way to e-commerce. This has caused turmoil early in the year, but the market is slowly stabilizing. The first half of the year's sales in the US were affected by financial difficulties of a few bigger customers. However, sales to other retail channels increased in the second quarter, and lost sales have largely been recovered. Despite these changes in the trade, the Group is expected to have kept its market share as the whole fishing tackle business is hit by the same challenges. Strengthening of the US dollar had a positive impact on the region's sales.

Nordic

In the Nordic countries, the sales were below last year's level, affected by lower hunting sales in Denmark and a challenging second quarter in Finland caused by cold spring and late start of the summer season. The Group's knife factory Marttiini showed strong growth supported by the Finland 100 Anniversary Knife sales. Sales in Norway and Sweden grew from last year, but were hindered by some third party supply problems and late deliveries.

Rest of Europe

The first half year sales were below last year's level, hurt by the continuing challenges in the region's biggest markets, Russia and France. While the Russian ruble has strengthened, having a positive impact on the regions EUR-nominated sales, it has not materialized into higher consumer demand. The demand is shifting into more low-end products which has a direct effect on the sales. In France, the sales were below last year's level, impacted by tightening competition and general consumer uncertainties. Following product portfolio changes, the sales in Poland were below last year. Business grew in the UK following the change in business model and Portugal also showed positive growth trends. After a slow start of the year in the Baltic countries, the sales grew in the second quarter supported by special campaigns.

Rest of the World

With comparable exchange rates, the sales for the region were below last year's level, mainly affected by a decrease in sales in Thailand, where the market is suffering. The sales in South Africa were above last year's level, supported by new hunting and outdoor business and sales to Middle East and North Africa. In Australia, after a good start of the year, outsourcing of the warehouse operations temporarily affected the sales negatively. In South Korea the sales grew in the second quarter after a slow start of the year, and brought the first half of the year's sales above last year. Currency exchange rate changes, especially South African Rand, had a positive impact on the regions sales.

External net sales by area

H1 H1 change Comparable FY MEUR 2017 2016 % change % 2016 North America 47.6 46.4 +3% +0% 91.3 Nordic 31.8 33.3 -5% -4% 55.3 Rest of Europe 45.8 48.0 -5% -8% 81.3 Rest of the World 15.7 15.3 +3% -2% 32.7 Total 140.9 143.1 -2% -4% 260.6

Q2 Q2 change Comparable FY MEUR 2017 2016 % change % 2016 North America 24.0 22.9 +5% +4% 91.3 Nordic 15.9 18.4 -14% -13% 55.3 Rest of Europe 23.3 24.0 -3% -5% 81.3 Rest of the World 8.1 8.1 0% -4% 32.7 Total 71.4 73.4 -3% -4% 260.6

Financial Results and Profitability

Comparable (excluding mark-to-market valuations of operative currency derivatives and other items affecting comparability) and reported operating profit decreased from last year for the first half of the year. Changes in translation exchange rates increased operating profit by approximately 0.6 MEUR. With comparable translation exchange rates comparable operating profit was 4.8 MEUR behind last year's level.

Comparable operating profit margin was 8.1% (10.9) for the six months. The decline in the half year profitability was primarily driven by lower sales in key markets and reduced gross margin. Group's lure manufacturing units' profitability was hurt by lower volumes, some production disturbances and the transfer of certain production phases out from Finland. Profitability was further negatively impacted by allowances on receivables. Group's fixed costs were stable compared to last year despite some new fixed costs in strategic development areas.

Respectively reported operating profit margin was 7.8% (9.9). Reported operating profit included loss of mark-to-market valuation of operative currency derivatives of 0.1 MEUR (0.9). Net expenses of other items affecting comparability included in the reported operating profit were 0.3 MEUR (0.5), related to restructurings in Finland and France as well as an insurance compensation in the first half of 2017. In 2016 items affecting comparability included restructuring costs in Southeast Asia distribution and France.

Total financial (net) expenses were 1.8 MEUR (2.8) for the first half. Net interest and other financing expenses were 1.2 MEUR (1.7). Compared to last year financial items were impacted less by (net) foreign exchange expenses of 0.7 MEUR (1.1).

Net profit for the six months was below last year's level and earnings per share were 0.15 EUR (0.19). The share of non-controlling interest in net profit decreased from last year and totaled 0.1 MEUR (0.8) mainly due to challenges in Russia.

Key figures

H1 H1 change FY MEUR 2017 2016 % 2016 Net sales 140.9 143.1 -2% 260.6 Operating profit 11.0 14.2 -23% 7.2 Comparable operating profit * 11.4 15.6 -27% 18.8 Net profit 6.0 8.2 -27% -2.0 * Excluding mark-to-market valuations of operative currency derivatives and other items affecting comparability. Other items affecting comparability include material restructuring costs, impairments, gains and losses on business combinations and disposals, insurance compensations and other non-operational items.

Bridge calculation of comparable operating profit

H1 H1 change FY MEUR 2017 2016 % 2016 Operating profit 11.0 14.2 -23% 7.2 Mark-to-market valuations of operative currency derivatives 0.1 0.9 -89% 1.6 Other items affecting comparability 0.3 0.5 -40% 10.0 Comparable operating profit 11.4 15.6 -27% 18.8 More detailed bridge of comparable operating profit and definitions and reconciliation of key figures are presented in the financial section of the release.





Segment Review

Group Products

With comparable exchange rates, sales of Group Products were below last year's level.

Group fishing product sales were below last year's level in North America for the first half of the year, but Q2 sales exceeded last year's level. Winter fishing products benefited from good winter conditions and the sales were higher than last year, especially in the US.

Sales of other group products were up from last year. The sales of hunting products were supported by increased Marttiini knife sales. Winter sport products' sales were also up from last year.

Operating profit for Group Products declined compared to last year. Operating profit was burdened by lower sales, which reduced profits at distribution and profitability at manufacturing level.

Third Party Products

The sales of Third Party Products on the first half of the year were below last year's level.

Third party fishing product sales were behind last year, reduced by the loss of a product category in Poland as well as the challenging market situation affecting sales especially in Russia and France. Tightened price competition and poor spring and early summer weathers in Russia and northern Europe further decreased the sales of third party fishing products.

Operating profit for Third Party Products was below last year's level burdened by lower sales and increased price competition which had a negative impact on margins.





Net sales by segment

H1 H1 change Comparable FY MEUR 2017 2016 % change % 2016 Group Products 94.9 95.0 0 % -2 % 172.1 Third Party Products 45.9 48.1 -5 % -8 % 88.5 Eliminations Total 140.9 143.1 -2% -4% 260.6

Q2 Q2 change Comparable FY MEUR 2017 2016 % change % 2016 Group Products 47.4 47.8 -1% -1% 172.1 Third Party Products 24.0 25.7 -7% -9% 88.5 Eliminations Total 71.4 73.4 -3% -4% 260.6

Comparable operating profit by segment

H1 H1 change FY MEUR 2017 2016 % 2016 Group Products 11.5 12.0 -4% 17.4 Third Party Products -0.1 3.6 -103% 1.4 Comparable operating profit 11.4 15.6 -27% 18.8 Items affecting comparability -0.4 -1.4 -71% -11.6 Operating profit 11.0 14.2 -23% 7.2

Financial Position

Cash flow from operations increased from last year being 8.1 MEUR (6.2) for the six months supported by decrease in inventories and timing of trade payables. Net change in working capital amounted to -2.6 MEUR (-7.3).

Despite lower sales than anticipated, inventories decreased by 18.9 MEUR from last June amounting to 99.1 MEUR (118.1), of which 0.7 MEUR is related to change in translation exchange rates. Excluding the impact of allowance on inventories and translation exchange rates, the organic decrease of inventories was 10.3 MEUR. The inventory reduction is driven by the ongoing focus on working capital management and various supply chain initiatives.

Net cash used in investing activities decreased significantly from last year's level and totaled 2.6 MEUR (4.8) for the first half of the year consisting mainly of normal operative capital expenditure. Last year's higher capital expenditure were driven by investments in the Indonesian manufacturing operations as well as extension of the hook factory in France.

Liquidity position of the Group was good. Undrawn committed long-term credit facilities amounted to 59.9 MEUR at the end of the period. Following the successful issuance of 25.0 MEUR hybrid bond, gearing and net interest-bearing debt decreased significantly from last year and equity-to-assets ratio increased notably. Leverage level (ratio between net interest bearing debt and reported EBITDA) decreased significantly and the Group is compliant with all financial covenants.

Key figures

H1 H1 change FY MEUR 2017 2016 % 2016 Cash flow from operations 8.1 6.2 +31% 26.7 Net interest-bearing debt at end of period 71.3 115.8 -38% 96.1 Gearing % 46.8% 82.9% 70.6% Equity-to-assets ratio at end of period, % 50.1% 43.6% 43.1% Definitions and reconciliation of key figures are presented in the financial section of the release.

Strategy Implementation

The Group updated its strategy in February 2017. Following the conclusions of the strategy update, in order to build solid financial and operational platform for long term growth, the Group's primary focus in the coming three years will be on capturing organic growth opportunities in the fishing tackle business. The Group will also take determined actions to improve its profitability, lighten balance sheet and improve operational performance. In longer term the target is to return to more aggressive growth track and actively seek synergistic growth opportunities also outside fishing tackle business.

The Group's existing assets and capabilities form the foundation for future strategies, both in short and long term. Future strategies are built upon utilizing and capitalizing the brand portfolio, own manufacturing platform, research and development knowledge, as well as the broad distribution network and strong local presence all around the world supporting the sales of Group's own and selected synergistic third party products.

The execution of the updated strategy has started on all levels in the Group. Several organic growth projects are ongoing in all businesses utilizing deep market and customer understanding. Special focus has been set to leverage our global innovation power to serve growing product categories and niches within fishing.

Significant focus and resources have been allocated to streamline internal supply chains and to develop better sales and operations planning to achieve lower group-wide inventories. Additionally, lean projects are ongoing in several factories. Transfer of certain production phases from Finland to Estonia and Russia is developing ahead of schedule. Following the codetermination negotiations, a total of 50 persons were laid off from the lure factory and head office. The annual cost savings will be around 1.5 MEUR, which will materialize from 2018 onwards.

The Group is investing in group-wide common IT systems to increase efficiencies and enable better end-to-end supply chain and product management. The Group is also making increased investments towards digital channels in order to exploit these opportunities stronger in the future.

The Group will organize a capital markets day during Q4 of 2017 to elaborate the updated strategy and its execution.





Product Development

Continuous product development and consistent innovation are core competences for the Group and major contributors to the value and commercial success of the brands. The Group has reorganized and boosted its lure product development procedure by centralizing the product development know-how and key resources to one location in Finland that serves both the European and Asian lure manufacturing units.

Product development cycles are getting shorter which allows faster reaction to market needs and developing trends. Product launch schedules are more flexible and can be better adjusted to target specific markets' seasons.

The most important product launches in the first half of year were a globally coordinated launch of Storm 360 GT Searchbait in January and the June introduction of Sufix Advance fishing line at the European Fishing Tackle Trade Exhibition, where the line received the Best New Monofilament award. Further introductions of hero lure categories were prepared for the US trade show ICAST in July.





Organization and Personnel

Average number of personnel was 2 786 (2 921) for the first half of the year. At the end of June, the number of personnel was 2 754 (2 760).

Jan-Elof Cavander was appointed as Chief Financial Officer and member of the executive committee as of June 30, 2017.





Short-term Outlook and Risks

Following the continued market turmoil and structural changes especially in the US, the outlook for the full year is cautious. The market situation in the US is however expected to slowly stabilize and the Group sees continued consumer demand for its products via old and new channels. For example preorders for ice fishing products are significantly up from last year in the US. In Europe, the price competition in certain product categories has increased and this will continue to affect the second half of the year. The Russian market is still expected to be under pressure impacted by general low consumer demand. Increased political risks arising from North Korea affect consumer markets in South Korea and Japan.

The Group has launched various strategic initiatives to boost organic growth and improve cost and capital efficiency as well as operational performance in the future. These initiatives will trigger some additional expenses and investments in 2017.

Following the decreased sales in key markets and tightened price competition the Group specifies its outlook. The profitability of the second half of the year is expected to be lower than last year. The Group expects full year net sales to be around last year's level and comparable operating profit (excluding mark-to-market valuations of operative currency derivatives and other items affecting comparability) to be clearly below last year's level. Previous outlook expected net sales to be above last year's level and comparable operating profit below last year's level.

Short term risks and uncertainties and seasonality of the business are described in more detail in the end of this half year report. Third quarter Trading Report 2017 will be published on October 27, 2017.

Helsinki, July 21, 2017

Board of Directors of Rapala VMC Corporation

For further information, please contact:

Jussi Ristimaki, President and Chief Executive Officer, +358 9 7562 540

Jan-Elof Cavander, Chief Financial Officer, +358 9 7562 540

Olli Aho, Investor Relations, +358 9 7562 540

A conference call on the first half year result will be arranged today at 2:00 p.m. Finnish time (1:00 p.m. CET). Please dial +44 (0)330 336 9104 or +1 719 325 2340 or +358 (0)9 7479 0360 (pin code: 454332) five minutes before the beginning of the event. A replay facility will be available for 14 days following the teleconference. The number to dial is +44 (0)207 984 7568 or +1 719 457 0820 or +358 (0)9 8171 0562 (pin code: 1922703). Financial information and teleconference replay facility are available at www.rapalavmc.com.

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3cc18bb2-a9c7-41ac-b64c-3020d7964e6d
A woman is embarking on a new adventure and when she does it, she will be the first female from Orlando to do it.

Orlando's 1st female Army infantry recruit preparing for basic training

Briana Conde, 18, graduated from University High School

Conde leaves for Fort Benning, Georgia, at end of July

"I wanted to be able to do something that would change me mentally and physically," Briana Conde said Thursday. "Make me better and stronger."

Conde, 18, enlisted in the infantry of the U.S. Army. She will leave for 14 weeks of basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, at the end of the month.

For Conde, the decision to enlist took some time. For her parents, it took even longer.

Training to train

During her junior year at University High School, Conde remembers seeing recruiters from the military in the hallways. She was noncommittal then as one recruiter stopped her.

He was like, 'Hey, what are you doing after high school? You should think of the Army,'" Conde recalled. "I brushed him off. I was like, 'No thanks, it's not for me.'"

Months later with graduating fast approaching, she reconsidered. Her parents, though, weren't sold on the idea. Conde is the youngest of six children and explained her parents were innately concerned.

"My parents said no to me enlisting at 17," she said. "They were hesitant, very hesitant. They said no (and) that I should give it time."

In November, Conde turned 18 years old and enlisted on her own. She eventually got her parents to come around after reminding them of her dedication to high school wrestling and weightlifting.

"They know I love a challenge, and they know really want to push myself," she said.

Over the next few months, Conde was a frequent visitor in the Orlando recruiting office, stopping by to ask questions.

"She came in all the time. And she worked and she worked and she worked," said Sgt. 1st Class Eric Ammerman, a recruiter at the Orlando center on East Colonial Drive. "It came time for job selection, and she came here and had made her list of jobs."

"I looked, and I realized I only picked combat jobs," Conde said.



"Were we surprised? I'll say, a little bit, yeah," Ammerman said. "This is the first female to join the infantry."

Combating pervasive stigmas is not always easy, though. Conde understands it may be an uphill battle.

"I see myself out there, that's kind of who I am," she said.

Changing minds

In 2016, the United States Armed Forces officially lifted the ban on women serving in combat roles. They could previously serve in support roles like transportation, supplies and logistics.

"The important thing is they're being held to the same standard and accomplishing those standards," said Gary Grimes, with the Museum of Military History in Kissimmee. "If they can meet the standards, they should be allowed to be in any type of military occupational specialty that the military has."

Grimes said despite the change in policy, there's still some who don't believe women can do the job. But, quelling naysayers can be done.

"If we don't have individuals that are willing to that step forward and show that they can do it, how do we ever break that thought?" he said.

Conde, too, knows people may doubt her. She remains undeterred.

"Maybe if I can't lift a 200-something thing like a guy can, then I'll make sure I'm two times faster doing this," she said. "Or I know this, I've got the knowledge for it. It's our turn to kind of prove that we can. It's going to be a culture shock for the Army."
In his quarterly report to the Plainview City Council, Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Mike Fox said eight industrial prospects are now in his pipeline.

The report came Thursday at the councils work session. PHCEDC President V.O. Ortega was on hand for the second quarter report, which drew unanimously support of all councilmembers present. Two were absent, Mayor Pro tem Dr. Charles Starnes and Councilman John Gatica.

Among his eight pipeline prospects, Fox noted that three are existing local firms seeking to expand or relocate, and either looking at local existing commercial buildings or sites for new construction.

The eight prospects range from food processing, ag industry, manufacturing, warehousing/distribution to health care related, Fox said. Estimated number of full time employees range from 12 to 1,000.

There continues to be interest in the vacant Cargill plant, Fox said, with him showing it to several prospective buyers.

The EDC works with Site Location Partnership, which represents it at various trade shows. During the quarter, SLP attended the ProFood Tech Show in Chicago and Xponential 2017 show in Dallas. They identified 28 industrial prospects with potential expansion/relocation plans in the next 12 to 24 months, and supplied each with PHCEDC marketing materials. Fox has followed up on those initial contacts.

Fox also is working with a local individual representing a start-up company that needs a 5,000 square-foot building.

Another key component of his job duties involve business retention and expansion. Fox reports assisting a local firm that has outgrown its current facilities by helping it locate a suitable building to accommodate its growth. That company was considering relocating outside the county. It is now awaiting the finalization of a long-term agreement.

He has been in contact with a new company looking for I-27 frontage for commercial construcition, with BNSF Logistics on improvements to a grade crossing on CR Y adjacent to its rail distribution center, viewed Walmart Distribution Centers prototype hydrogen generation plant which produces fuel for its forklifts, and provided information to Texas Workforce Commission in support of Azteca Millings nomination for the Texas Large Employer of the Year Award.

In workforce development, Fox reported that Plainview ISDs $10,000 CTE Matching Grant has been finalized. Equipment was ordered and has arrived for its culinary arts and welding programs.

He facilitated a workforce meeting between Plainview ISD, South Plains College and Wayland Baptist University. Discussion centered on how each could work together to address current and future workforce needs.

Fox met separately with South Plains College on workforce needs related to wind energy. A request was made to Texas Workforce Commission to reinstate wind energy technician to its targeted occupations list. We anticipate 6,000 megawatts of wind energy production coming online within a 100-mile radius of Plainview. That represents about 3,000 turbines, and will require at least 300 wind energy technicians to service them. We hope TWC recognizes that need and the importance of reinstating this job title.

He attending the High Ground of Texas Spring Meeting in Odessa, and completed the third session of REDI training. Fox is president of the South Plains Economic Development District. That group is developing a comprehensive economic development strategy by identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for economic growth for the region.

Upcoming activities include the PAC Expo in Las Vegas Sept. 25-27, Fabtech in Chicago Nov. 6-9, Texas Economic Development Councils annual meeting in Houston Oct. 18-20, and a Sept. 7 webinar on Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Talent in rural areas.

We couldnt function without you, Fox told the council. We are proud for this partnership. We recognize the challenges ahead, and are seeing real progress being made.

Looking ahead to the councils regular session Tuesday, action items include:

--Approve on second reading adoption of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

--Approve a contract to purchase the Nova web-based time and attendance system to replace the current time clock system.

--Accept bids on four trust properties offered for sale through an online auction. Those tax foreclosed properties are at 1115 N. Columbia, 612 E. Ninth, 608 W. 19th and 201 Beech.

--Approve three measures related to the future acquisition of privately owned hangers and offices at the Plainview/Hale County Airport.

--Possible reappointment of Tyke Dipprey to the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority board.
A national pro-choice organization has identified 30 crisis pregnancy centers as fake clinics as part of its campaign to bring attention to what it calls deceptive practices at such facilities around the country. Many of the centers, including four locations in Cheshire, Meriden, Middletown and North Haven, say the organization has unfairly targeted them and is wrongfully accusing them of using deceptive tactics.



NARAL, a national pro-choice organization, released the list Wednesday, alleging the pregnancy crisis centers withhold information about contraception and abortions.



Reproductive health care, and particularly abortion health care, are really intense personal decisions for people to make, Erica Crowley, an organizer with NARAL Connecticut, said during a rally outside ABC Womens Center in Middletown Wednesday.



Molly Hurtado, executive director of ABC Womens Center, organized a counter protest with staff and clients when she learned of the NARAL rally.



Its honestly insulting to have a planned, schemed, organized group like NARAL come in front of our center without any fact checks of the allegations theyre making against us, she said.



Kate Suzio, executive director of Birthright of Greater Meriden, Mary Cornwall, a volunteer with Mary and Josephs Place in North Haven and Therese Ritchie, executive director of Hope Pregnancy Center in Cheshire, all said their facilities seek to provide support to women during and after their pregnancies. Some provide pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, while all say they provide information, counseling, and even donations to help women.



The information includes what women can expect while pregnant, information about adoption, and referrals for prenatal care.



The organizations all acknowledged they dont conduct abortions, nor do they make referrals, but said they are upfront with women who come into their facilities.



We really stress the woman, and not our agenda, said Ritchie. She also said she welcomes women for counseling or services, even if they have opted for an abortion.



NARAL and its supporters allege crisis pregnancy centers rely on deceptive advertisements to lure in women, but then shame them away from having an abortion.



Cybele Moon, of Middletown, said a friend of hers went to a center in California for a screening, and was shown graphic videos on abortion despite intending all along to keep the child.



She also said such facilities shouldnt claim to be womens health centers if they arent willing to inform women about all options, including abortions.



They cant say theyre a crisis pregnancy center if theyre not even talking about any of the contraceptive options, she said.



Legislation proposed this year sought to prevent such tactics, but the bill never had a public hearing and no formal language was drafted.



Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the bill was in response to the Hartford Womens Center, a crisis pregnancy center that opened next to Hartford GYN, which provides abortions. She was quick to defend Hope Pregnancy Center in Cheshire, though, which she visited as research for the bill.



I think its absolutely important that (Hope Pregnancy Center) exists, said Linehan, who is pro-choice.



She said the center has provided support to women, adding that she has donated items to the facility.



Jennifer Gambo, of Middletown, said ABC has provided food, clothes, and other needed support to help her raise her children. She also said the staff, largely Christian, didnt treat her differently for being Muslim.



Its a blessing to have them in my life, she said.



While Connecticut hasnt adopted regulations for crisis pregnancy center advertising, California passed a bill pushed by NARAL in 2015 that requires any facility providing pregnancy-focused care to notify clients that abortion is an option.



An appellate court upheld the law, but the Supreme Court is slated to take up an appeal from a group of centers in September.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino






English Latvian

Rietumu bank and the Financial and Capital Market Commission have signed an agreement on termination of the administrative case that was initiated based on results of complete inspection and also on the information submitted to the Financial and Capital Market Commission by its international partners.

The results obtained through the inspection showed that Rietumu bank as well as several other Latvian banks had been used in transactions that might bear the indications of the circumvention of the international sanctions against the North Korea.

The mentioned transactions do not constitute a direct non-observance of the sanctions regime, due to the fact that such transactions were not carried by involving persons that are included into sanctions lists. Thereby, without the access to the additional information, which was inaccessible to the bank, the bank did not have a possibility to reveal illegal nature of such transactions.

The inspection indicated that in the process of carrying out these transactions the bank has neither committed intentional activities related to the circumvention of the sanctions, the bank acknowledges that had no relation to the organization of these transactions and was not interested in their provision. Moreover, the bank had terminated its relations with these clients.

Despite the indirectness of such detected deficiencies, Rietumu bank as one of the systemically important banks, comprehends the high priority of the observance of the sanctions and by taking responsibility for a reputation of the whole financial sector, and taking into account the long-standing, fruitful cooperation with the Financial and Capital Market Commission, considered appropriate to use the possibility provided by the law to enter into an administrative agreement. In accordance with the agreement the bank will pay fine in amount of EUR 1 566 604 to the state budget of Latvia, and commits to make additional investments into the development of the internal control system.

Over the course of the constructive dialogue with the Financial and Capital Market Commission the bank has developed and coordinated the long-lasting plan of additional actions, aiming for further improvements of the internal control system  in order to improve effectiveness of this system and ensuring the compliance with the highest international standards, applicable to the bank as the OECD member state bank.
State water resources officials and federal regulators caused the failure of the Oroville Dam spillway in February by ignoring long-established guidelines and neglecting their duty to manage risks and detect flaws, a scathing report by a Berkeley engineering expert concluded Thursday.

Robert Bea, a professor emeritus of engineering at UC Berkeley, said in his analysis of the causes of the spillway failure at the nations tallest dam that the progressive deterioration of the chute could have been prevented if proper procedures had been followed.

The gated spillway was managed to failure by the California Department of Water Resources and the Division of Safety of Dams and regulated to failure by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said Beas report, issued by the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management.

Bea and Berkeley colleague Tony Johnson blamed long-term continued use of these inappropriate standards, guidelines, procedures and processes over several decades.

Beas report comes as contractors work around the clock fixing the main spillway, a large portion of which disintegrated Feb. 7 after heavy rains filled the reservoir to the brim. That failure forced operators to deploy the dams emergency spillway, sending water over a bare hillside, which caused near-catastrophic erosion and forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 people from downstream communities.

Subsequent reports concluded that the main chute didnt have water stops to seal joints and prevent leaks from weakening it. Also, there was too little steel reinforcement in the structure, and the pipes that drain water beneath it were made of clay instead of superior PVC.

Bea revealed potentially catastrophic problems in both the primary and emergency spillways caused by flaws that were flagged to state and federal officials going back more than a decade. He said the cratering of the main spillway occurred in a spot where cracks and other defects had been found repeatedly since 2009.

His latest report outlines design flaws in the base slabs of the spillway, poor foundation work, a faulty drainage system and ineffective maintenance of the 770-foot earthen dam that was completed in 1968. Bea said many of the defects were uncovered in inspections dating back to 2008, but were not adequately repaired or resolved by the state Department of Water Resources, which runs the dam.

He said the faulty work resulted in the fissure that opened on the 1,730-foot-long spillway.

State officials have said they did everything they could to keep the dam safe. A team of engineering experts, not including Bea, is investigating the design, maintenance and management of the dams two spillways.

In a statement, the Department of Water Resources said it welcomes additional analyses and studies and will ensure this report is shared with the forensic team.

The states main contractor, Kiewit Corp. of Omaha, Neb., hopes to have the compromised main spillway rebuilt by November.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
Bill Hutchinson

A homeless encampment in an industrial area south of Potrero Hill in San Francisco was set ablaze on Thursday night and the fire quickly spread to an adjacent Muni warehouse, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage, officials said.

The Muni warehouse and equipment inside sustained about $68,000 to $70,000 worth of damage, investigators estimated, according to Officer Robert Rueca, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.
MARIPOSA  The battle to save one of Californias popular Gold Rush towns from wildfire appeared to turn in the favor of fire crews Thursday as slightly cooler weather and favorable winds helped firefighters hold the advancing flames to nearby hills.

Still, parts of the 2,000-person city of Mariposa, a much-visited gateway to Yosemite National Park, remained threatened by the Detwiler Fire as was the smaller community of Coulterville 30 miles to the north.

In between the two towns, along normally scenic Highway 49, the fire had left a blackened moonscape of charred oaks and pine across some 70,000 acres as it continued to grow. Just 10 percent of the fire was reported contained Thursday afternoon. At least 99 structures were confirmed burned, 50 of them residences.

The fire, now Californias second largest this year, has fed off a bounty of grass and shrubs that sprouted from a near-record wet winter. The peak fire season, which started late because of the rains, has recently emerged as one of the most active in years. More than 200,000 acres have burned statewide since Jan. 1, twice the five-year average, according to state and federal figures.

Whats important here is we have been having over 50 fires a day statewide, and thats a significant workload, said Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. So its not just about fighting the fire here (in Mariposa).

With about a dozen large wildfires burning in California on Thursday, the Detwiler Fire remained the most menacing. Its northern head, near Lake McClure outside Coulterville, was causing the greatest stir. More than 3,700 firefighters were battling the blaze, using 462 engines, 82 bulldozers and 13 helicopters.

Charles Trout, 42, a Turlock (Stanislaus County) resident who was visiting the area to try his luck at panning for gold, was scared off when the skies turned dark around the lake.

They told us the fire was cresting the mountain in 20 minutes, he said, pointing to a nearby ridge. We know fire moves fast, so we got out of there.

Residents of Coulterville, population 200, remained under evacuation, as did thousands to the south.

John Cox, 42, who relocated to Mariposa from Merced two years ago to shake the bustle of city life, said fleeing from fire was not what he signed up for. A handful of blazes this summer have already rattled the foothill community, but none like this one.

I moved here because it was very relaxing for me, but its not now, Cox said.

With firefighters holding the line on the fire just north of Mariposa, authorities said they may begin letting some residents return to their homes as soon as Thursday night.

The fire behavior is not nearly as intense as it was in the past few days, said Pimlott, with Cal Fire. That gives firefighters a chance to engage in their plan and put containment lines in. We can truly say we are starting to turn the corner on this fire.

Mariposa resident Murryah Martinez, 34, who has been staying at a shelter in Oakhurst, said she was glad to hear that officials were planning to lift some evacuation orders by the weekend, but shes also nervous.

Going back home, its going to be scary because I dont know what I'll find, she said. Im just overwhelmed and anxious.

Rick Loomis, 49, already knows what hell find. He learned that his mobile home west of Mariposa, where he lived with his girlfriend and 15-year-old son, David, was destroyed.

I just dont know what to do or where were going to go, Loomis said. Theres just a lot of important things in my life I dont have anymore. It just changes everything. I got to start over.

Mariposa, which sits about an hours drive west of Yosemite, was settled in 1849 and still retains much of its Wild West charm. Its old saloons, restaurants and inns are a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer as visitors make their way to the national park.

Several roads in the region remained closed because of the fire, including sections of Highway 140, a popular route into the park.

While smoky skies were reported in Yosemite, all sights and services were open.

Chronicle staff writer Peter Fimrite contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky and Kurtis Alexander are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky, @kurtisalexander
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The latest venture for ex-FourWinds Logistics CEO Stan Bates, who was indicted with state Sen. Carlos Uresti in a criminal fraud case in May, apparently has run into some troubles.

His San Antonio-based Bates Energy Oil & Gas this week sued a Utah company for refusing to accept delivery of more than 40,000 tons of frac sand, which is used in fracking to extract oil and gas from shale rock.

Like Bates Energy, FourWinds traded frac sand. But FourWinds imploded in 2015, with some investors saying they were defrauded. A federal grand jury indicted Bates, Uresti and company consultant Gary Cain on a combined 22 charges in May. Uresti recruited a couple of the investors and served as FourWinds outside general counsel for a short time.

Bates, 45, hasnt let the FourWinds fiasco sidetrack his efforts to reap profits in the oil patch. He started a similar company, Bates Energy, where he is CEO and president.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Bexar County district court, Bates Energy accuses Complete Oil Field Services of Sandy, Utah, of breaching an agreement regarding orders for a total of 80,000 tons of frac sand.

Under the terms of the agreement, Complete Oil placed $4 million in escrow accounts with Austin-based Equity Liaison Co. and Amegy Bank, the suit said. Any withdrawals were subject to Bates Energys approval, the suit added.

But Complete Oil regularly sought withdrawals from the escrow accounts without Bates Energys authorization, the lawsuit said. Complete Oil also refused to give its approval for the disbursement of funds for costs incurred by Bates Energy, the suit continued.

Bates Energy also alleged it racked up about $550,000 in lost profits as a result of Complete Oils breach.

In addition, the suit said Complete Oil officer Sam Taylor approached Bates Energys suppliers and offered to enter into independent agreements with them in order to cut Bates Energy out of the transaction. At least one of the suppliers terminated its relationship with Bates Energy as a result of Mr. Taylors interference, the suit added.

A call to Taylor was not returned.

Bates couldnt be located for comment. Bates is represented by a public defender in his criminal case. A financial affidavit to support Bates request for a court-appointed lawyer was filed under seal the day of his arrest on May 17.

Bates Energy is represented in the lawsuit against Complete Oil by Tiffanie Clausewitz, a partner in The Rosenblatt Law Firm in San Antonio. Clausewitz didnt respond to a request for comment.

Separately, Clausewitz also represents Dewayne Naumann, the owner of Equity Liaison, the Austin escrow company. Earlier this week, she filed a court document to quash a subpoena served on Naumann by Uresti relating to the FourWinds criminal case.

FourWinds was a former Equity Liaison client, and Uresti wants Naumann to turn over a host of documents and other information relating to the defunct frac sand company. They include contracts, join venture agreements, communications involving Bates, Uresti and Cain, and bank records.

San Antonio lawyer Mikal Watts, who represents Uresti, said an original memorandum of understanding between FourWinds and one of its investors, Denise Cantu of Harlingen, listed Equity Liaison as third party escrow agent. But the final document signed by Bates and Cantu no longer called for an escrow agent, Watts said.

So I want to know how it went from a memorandum of understanding that called for an escrow agent to protect all sides to a final document that omitted the escrow agent and allowed Cantus money to go to directly to FourWinds, Watts said.

Cantu invested about $900,000 with FourWinds, losing all but $100,000. Uresti received a $27,000 commission on the investment. Cantu has sued Uresti and Bates, though the case against Bates was put on hold because he was forced into personal bankruptcy.

Naumann objected to the subpoena, saying in an affidavit the documents and information are of a highly confidential nature. Even if he didnt object to turning over the information, he said, to do so would be unduly burdensome, unreasonable and oppressive.

Naumann did not respond to a request for comment.

pdanner@express-news.net
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A proposed law restricting transgender bathroom use in Texas could be a detriment to the pro-business environment in San Antonio and Texas, more than a dozen Alamo City executives told House Speaker Joe Straus in a letter Thursday.

RELATED: CEOs of AT&T, others in Dallas rail against Texas bathroom bill

Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Kevin Wolff and more than a dozen San Antonio executives, including David Zachry of Zachry Corp., Sam Dawson of Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc. and Bill Greehey of NuStar Energy, threw their weight behind Straus. The San Antonio Republican has taken on party leaders to oppose legislative efforts to pass the so-called bathroom bill, which bars transgender Texans from using restrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

We believe key public policy issues, such as sunset legislation, public education financing and sensible tax reform are examples of policies that should take top priority, the executives wrote. Controversial issues, such as regulation of bathrooms, divert much needed attention from what really matters.

Furthermore, this policy issue could serve as a detriment to the pro-business environment San Antonio  and the state of Texas  have worked hard to preserve, executives said.

Now Playing: Ashley Smith is a transgender woman who took this photo with the governor of Texas with the hashtag #bathroombuddy. Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more. Video: Brandpoint

RELATED: San Antonio school leaders unite to oppose 'bathroom bill'

The executives who signed the letter to Straus also include Mary Rose Brown of NuStar Energy, Mike Novak of Noval Group LLC, William Raba of Raba Kistner Inc., Clifton Douglass of Linebarger, David McGee of Amegy Bank, Fernando Reyes of Reyes Properties LLC, Charles Martin Wender of Wender REI, Gordon Hartman of The Gordon Hartman Foundation and Gary Joeris of Joeris General Contractors.

Also on the letter is Hope Andrade, a former Texas secretary of state who runs the consulting firm Andrade Van de Putte with former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte.

RELATED: Texas business groups await showdown with Republicans on bathroom bills

The San Antonio executives join a growing chorus of business leaders who oppose transgender bathroom legislation. CEOs of 14 major Dallas-based companies  including Doug Parker of American Airlines, Randall Stephenson of AT&T and Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines  came out against the bathroom bill on Monday.

IBM published full-page ads Sunday in the Express-News, Austin-American Statesman and Dallas Morning News, has mounted a digital ad campaign against transgender bathroom legislation and vowed to its employees in a letter sent Monday to fight the legislation.

The state Senate State Affairs Committee is set to hold a hearing on one bathroom proposal Friday.

jfechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports
TORONTO, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alacer Gold Corp. (Alacer or the Corporation) (TSX:ASR) (ASX:AQG) has completed a program of foreign currency forward sales contracts to limit exposure to Turkish Lira (TRY) volatility. The program forward sold USD to purchase 500 million TRY at an average conversion rate of 3.8 with settlement dates between June 2017 and September 2018. The hedge can be utilized in either the current continuing Copler oxide operations or the Sulfide Project. With approximately 40%1 of the remaining capital expenditures for the Sulfide Project denominated in Turkish Lira, the Corporation believes there are potential reductions to the total Sulfide Project spend2.



Rod Antal, Alacers President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, As construction of the Sulfide Project advances to plan, we continue to take prudent measures to minimize financial risk as demonstrated by the recently completed Turkish Lira hedge program. While it is too early to accurately quantify the potential positive financial impacts to either the continuing Copler oxide operations or the Sulfide Project, the fact that we have been successful in negotiating Lira denominated contracts for approximately 40% of the remaining Sulfide Project capital expenditures puts us in a position to potentially reduce the overall capital cost of the Project. As the Sulfide Project continues to advance and the final commercial outcomes are known, we will be able to start quantifying the foreign currency impacts in our regular quarterly financial reporting.

The Sulfide Project is now 48% complete and is on schedule. We look forward to continuing to provide regular updates as we continue to advance towards first sulfide gold production in the third quarter of next year."

A summary of the foreign currency forward sales hedge program is presented below:

Forward Sales Hedge Position TRY Average FX Rate Quarter Ending Q3 2017 73,437,500 Q4 2017 143,750,000 Q1 2018 128,500,000 Q2 2018 97,562,500 Q3 2018 49,250,000 Subtotal (Unsettled Foreign Currency Forward Sales) 492,500,000 3.8 Settled Foreign Currency Forward Sales (Q2 2017) 7,500,000 3.7 Total 500,000,000 3.8

About Alacer



Alacer is a leading intermediate gold mining company, with an 80% interest in the world-class Copler Gold Mine in Turkey operated by Anagold Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Anagold), and the remaining 20% owned by Lidya Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Lidya Mining). The Corporations primary focus is to leverage its cornerstone Copler Mine and strong balance sheet to maximize portfolio value, maximize free cash flow, minimize project risk, and therefore, create maximum value for shareholders.

The Copler Mine is located in east-central Turkey in the Erzincan Province, approximately 1,100 kilometers southeast from Istanbul and 550 kilometers east from Ankara, Turkeys capital city.

Alacer is actively pursuing initiatives to enhance value beyond the current mine plan:

Copler Oxide Production Optimization  Expansion of the existing heap leach pad to 58 million tonnes continues to advance. The Corporation continues to evaluate opportunities to extend oxide production beyond the current reserves, including a new heap leach pad site to the west of the Copler Mine.





Copler Sulfide Expansion Project (the Sulfide Project)  The Sulfide Project is under construction with first gold production projected in the third quarter 2018. The Sulfide Project is expected to deliver long-term growth with robust financial returns and adds 20 years of production at Copler. The Sulfide Project will bring Coplers remaining life-of-mine (LoM) gold production to 4 million ounces at All-in Sustaining Costs averaging $645 per ounce 3 , 4 .



. The Corporation continues to pursue opportunities to further expand its current operating base and to become a sustainable multi-mine producer with a focus on Turkey. The systematic and focused exploration efforts in the Copler District, as well as in other regions of Turkey, are progressing. A maiden Mineral Resource estimate was released for Cakmaktepe and Bayramdere5, and the Copler District remains the focus with the potential to add oxide production in 2018 from the existing Copler infrastructure. In the region, work has commenced on a Definitive Feasibility Study for the Gediktepe Project6 and is expected to be complete in June 2018.

Alacer is a Canadian company incorporated in the Yukon Territory with its primary listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Company also has a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange where CDIs trade.

________________________



1 Based on Q1/17 remaining capex of $511 million.

2 The Copler Technical Report utilized a Turkish Lira to US dollar exchange rate of 2.75. Detailed information regarding the Sulfide Project, including the material assumptions on which the forward-looking financial information is based, can be found in the Technical Report dated June 9, 2016 entitled Technical Report on the Copler Mine and Copler Sulfide Exploration Project (The Copler Technical Report), available on www.sedar.com and on www.asx.com.au.

3 All-in Sustaining Costs per ounce is a non-IFRS performance measure with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information and a detailed reconciliation to IFRS, please see the Non-IFRS Measures section of the current MD&A.

4 Detailed information regarding the Sulfide Project, including the material assumptions on which the forward-looking financial information is based, can be found in the Copler Technical Report.

5 Detailed information regarding the Copler District Mineral Resource can be found in the press release entitled Alacer Gold Announces Additional Exploration Results for Cakmaktepe and an Initial Mineral Resource in the Copler District, dated December 19, 2016, available on www.sedar.com and on www.asx.com.au.

6 Additional information on the Gediktepe Project can be found in the press release entitled Alacer Gold Announces a New Reserve for its Gediktepe Project Providing Future Growth, dated September 13, 2016, available on www.sedar.com and on www.asx.com.au.
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A bill recently introduced by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn could be the first step toward making a national museum honoring Latinos a reality.

Were here to help grow support for that bill, Cornyn said at a news conference Friday morning at the Centro de Artes, but a few stumbling blocks came up during the event, including funding for the project and a political climate viewed as hostile by many of the Latinos whose stories the museum is intended to tell.

The Texas Republican co-sponsored the bill in June with Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. It authorizes the Smithsonian Institution to move forward in creating the National Museum of the American Latino. A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives.

Cornyn was joined by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and representatives from Latino organizations, including the League of United Latino American Citizens and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, an organization based in San Antonio.

Efforts to establish a Latino museum have been ongoing since 2008, when a bipartisan commission was formed to study the issue. San Antonio businessman Henry R. Munoz III served as chairman of the commission. Munoz also was founder of the Museo Alameda, the now-defunct Latino museum that occupied the site of the Centro de Artes before it shut down in 2012.

Legislation similar to Cornyns was introduced in 2011 and 2013 but was never voted on.

While the new bill authorizes the construction and operation of the National Museum of the American Latino, it does not appropriate any federal funding for the project. Federal appropriations covered 50 percent of the cost of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016, and 70 percent of the cost of the National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in 2004.

At the news conference, Maria Lopez De Leon, president and CEO of NALAC, thanked Cornyn for co-sponsoring the bill but emphasized the need for federal dollars to support the project.

We look forward to the next steps that will attach appropriations, federal funds, that will help build this museum in the way that these appropriations helped to establish the National Museum of the American Indian and the national African American museum, she said.

Asked later about whether any plans for funding the museum were in place, Cornyn joked, Its funny, that came up already.

This is the first step, but certainly not the last step, he said. In order to get this started, we needed to leave that part out, but rest assured I will be committed to that effort along with Sen. Menendez. Im confident well get there.

While officials attended the news conference in support of the museum, some also shared concerns about legislative actions that are negatively impacting the Latino community. Wolff, who recently testified against Senate Bill 4 in a federal hearing, talked about the state law barring so-called sanctuary cities.

Im protesting the business of trying to determine whether people (have) documents or not, and what I think is racial profiling, he said. So those battles never stop, and I hope all of us understand that, and I hope thats what this museum shows  that those struggles continue.

At the end of her comments, De Leon also raised the subject of immigration.

I just want to say that I know that many in our Latino communities are living in fear, she said, and I would advocate again to the senator and others to consider this as they do their work in Washington.

Before the news conference, Cornyn was given a tour of Icons and Symbols of the Borderland, the latest exhibit at the Centro de Artes, by artist Cesar Martinez. The show, organized by the El Paso-based JUNTOS Art Association, features several politically charged works that deal with immigration, among them a painting by Antonio Castro of a Christ-like figure who has been detained by Border Patrol agents.

It was very interesting, a lot of ironies in it, but I cannot help but be supportive of this bipartisan effort, Martinez said They cut off the tour  but I told the senator in parting, This area here  and he looked in and saw what I meant this is a very political area here and I just wish youd go in there sometime.

lsilva@express-news.net
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The Travel Channels king of all thats slimy, disgusting and surprisingly delicious, Andrew Zimmern, once again devotes his signature Bizarre Foods to the incredible edibles of San Antonio, the Hill Country and surrounding ranches and fishing holes.

Of tripas, cooked S.A.-style, the TV host declares: Better than bacon! Sorry, America!

The way these cow intestines are cooked merits his praise  fried to a golden crisp, topped with fresh salsa and wrapped in a corn tortilla.

Whether sitting atop a horse and alongside crackling campfires, a Stetson-wearing Zimmern pays tribute to the modern American cowboy in new Bizarre episode Cowboy Life in Texas, which airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday on the Travel Channel.

RELATED: San Antonio's designing woman dresses TV's hippest stars

In it, he points to the Alamo City as a great place to start. Among his travels is a tour of San Antonios Stock Show and Rodeo, showcasing the riding, roping, clowning and, of course, the fried and funky food  some tasty, some not  he found in the food courts.

Its just one of a trio of new shows that, in some way, propel the Lone Star State onto center stage over the next television week.

Midnight, Texas  premiering at 9 p.m. Monday on NBC  is the second. The TV adaptation of another series of creepy novels by Charlaine Harris (True Blood) takes viewers to a sleepy Texas town called Midnight, which also serves as a haven for supernatural misfits, vampires, werewolves, even a hovering angel with majestic wings portrayed by Sex and the Citys Jason Lewis.

RELATED: S.A. 'Jeopardy' player's start was strong, but his finish?

Finally, a Texas talent shines in one of the best F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptations Ive seen, The Last Tycoon.

Its appeal is largely due to the mesmerizing portrayal by drop-dead handsome Matt Bomer of Spring, just outside Houston. Hes nothing short of perfect as aloof, yet magnetic, Hollywood producer Monroe Stahr, who not only struggles to keep his dreams of making quality movies alive and makes women swoon while doing it, but also bumps up against the prejudice, hate and money woes that infuse the years between the Depression and World War II.

The lush drama rolls out all nine episodes Aug. 28 on Amazon Prime.

More on all three:

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: In his homage to the many varieties of the cowboy, Zimmern shares a supper of menudo, barbacoa and tripas with Indians, charros and vaqueros at a living land museum just south of San Antonio.

He also cant get enough of the hearty fare in colorful Bandera and other Texas locales, eating everything from hog shanks to rattlesnake to one of his favorite delicacies, calf testicles.

RELATED: 'Broadchurch' star makes history as first female 'Doctor Who'

There are too many entertaining moments to list, but here are a few standouts:

Exploring the S.A. Stock Shows food choices, Zimmern gives a thumbs-down to some of the crazier ones, such as the glazed doughnut bacon cheeseburger, which he describes as a crime against humanity. However, he cant rave enough about the churros, particularly the ones dipped in goats milk caramel.

One of the great sweet treats of Mexico, he says, and they did own Texas for a very long time.

Zimmern also chats and shares deer jerky with legendary rodeo bullfighter and clown Leon Coffey. The two chew on the smoky, peppery homemade treat while Coffey speaks dramatically about both the danger and heartfelt moments involved in his crowd-pleasing craft.

After stopping in Bandera, Zimmern ventures north, where he cooks Texas bass on a campfire  sauteed in butter and seasoned with thyme and jalapenos  and slays a rattlesnake, dining lovingly on a stew made from the venomous creatures.

How can something so deadly taste so good? he wonders.

RELATED: Reality TV star shooting wild new series in San Antonio

There also are moments that the squeamish will want to avoid: The skinning of a freshly slaughtered calf as well as some bull castrating.

Calf balls are usually battered and deep fried, Zimmern says. But I dont want to mask their mild earthy flavor.

Midnight, Texas: If youre looking for the startling surrealism of David Lynchs new Twin Peaks or hoping for the gruesomely compelling visuals of HBOs former Harris adaptation True Blood, youre bound to be disappointed by this way-too-varnished view of the supernatural.

Its on NBC, after all. Set in a remote town in Texas, the new hour stars Francois Arnaud (The Borgias) as Manfred, a charming, powerful psychic who seeks safety in Midnight, where the different and demonic can be themselves.

Fiji (Parisa Fitz-Henley, Luke Cage) is a witch; Olivia (Arielle Kebbel, Ballers) a mysterious assassin with a weapon for every occasion; Joe an angel who knows all of Midnights secrets; and Sarah Ramos of Parenthood portrays an aspiring writer who harbors some major family secrets.

On the creepier side are Lemuel (Peter Mensah, True Blood), a wise vampire with flashing eyes, and the Rev. Emilio Sheehan (Yul Vazquez, Captain Phillips), a man who cant resist the dangerous pull of a full moon. They have their moments  a standout being ones morph into a deadly tiger  as they fight off outside pressures from suspicious cops, deadly biker gangs and their own pasts.

RELATED: National TV show focuses on murder of San Antonio journalist's sister

A plus is the atmospheric setting, which really does shout Texas  spectacular skies, dusty roads and trucks galore  despite actually being filmed in New Mexico.

The Last Tycoon: Old Hollywood, a la Fitzgerald, is breathlessly captivating in this tale of a golden-boy producer who battles his ruthless boss (Kelsey Grammer)  also a father figure to him and super lech to the ladies  for the soul of a motion picture studio.

Bomer as Monroe is cool, yet smoldering, delivering interesting chemistry with everyone he meets. This includes ambitious ingenue Celia Brady (luminous Lily Collins), whos hell-bent on being a producer and winning Monroes heart, despite objections from her studio head dad.

Another standout is Dominique McElligott as Kathleen Moore, a beautiful waitress with an Irish lilt, whos the first woman to stir romantic feelings in Monroe since the tragic death of his actress wife.

Adding heft to this glorious depiction of early movie-making are stories involving anti-Jewish treachery, labor issues of the time and the monstrous gulf between the glamour of the studios and the homeless families who live outside their gates.

Jeanne Jakles column appears Wednesdays and Sundays in mySA.

jjakle@express-news.net
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Small Bites is your weekly dose of restaurant and food news. Have a tip? Send it to jrlopez@mrt.com.

Appetizers

We reported earlier this week that the Planning and Zoning commission had approved an alcohol permit for Rockstar Karaoke. The amended permit will allow the bar to sell alcohol 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Cabin Creek Coffee and Tea has changed their summer hours so staff can work on community projects.

Rumors about a new H-E-B Plus began on our Facebook page this week. We clarified that here. In other H-E-B news, Midland locations is expected to have online ordering and curbside pickup before the end of the year.

Blue Bell's ice cream flavors have been ranked good to great albeit unscientifically.

Now Open

Taco di Vino opened its doors at 111 W. Oak Ave. off Big Spring St. on July 11. The menu boasts a sophisticated take on tacos with seafood, vegetarian beef and chicken options. The restaurant smartly pairs items with an appropriate wine. Mix and match tacos to your liking at this eatery that also offers a nice patio for outdoor dining. Taco di Vino is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

La Original y Real Michoacana has opened in the former Lori's Cafe spot at 210 W. Longview Ave. The dessert spot sells a variety of cool treats to battle the summer heat. Their menu includes agua frescas ice cream, yogurt and more. The shop opened June 4 and is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Closed Doors

On its Facebook page, Dino's Pizza unceremoniously announced its closure. The July 14 post simply stated "Dino's is closed for good. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Disappointed fans of the restaurant lamented the closing in more than 100 comments on the post.

Large Helping

Curb Side Bistro in Odessa recently donated a portion of its proceeds from Firecracker Fandango to the West Texas Food Bank. The $200 donation from the restaurant was doubled thanks to the Wayne and Jo Ann Moore Foundation Summer Match.

That amount translates to 1,600 meals provided to hungry West Texans.

Where's the Beef?

The Texas Beef Council has teamed up with Independence Brewing Company for International Beer Day. The two offer suggestions for pairing beer with beef items but also offer recipes to prepare using IBC items.

To help with your plans for the big day, here are TBC's and IBC's recommendations.

Recipes to prepare with Independence Brewing Company:

Texas Burger with Beer Cheese Sauce. Prepare with Austin Amber.

Basic Beer Mop. Prepare with Stash IPA.

Beer Braised Pot Roast. Prepare with Convict Hill.

Recipes to pair with Independence Brewing Company:

Molasses and Pepper Crusted Steak (not shown). Pair with Power & Light.

Southwestern Beef Sweet Potato Pie. Pair with Austin Amber.

Oven Texas BBQ Beef Brisket. Pair with Liberty Lunch.

Drink Special

International Beer Day may not be until August, but National Tequila Day is Monday and On the Border will be celebrating.

"National Tequila Day is just plain fun here at OTB," said Ashley Zickefoose, Chief Marketing Officer for On The Border. "Whether you're enjoying your favorite margarita or you're trying something new with one of our shot specials, there are so many great ways to celebrate all things tequila when you're here with us."

The restaurant will offer tequila drink specials with more than 20 tequila brands available. OTB is also introducing the new, all-natural fresh lime skinny margarita.

Drink specials for the day will include $2 house margaritas, $3 shots of Hornitos, $4 shots of Altos, and $5 shots of Patron and Milagro.

Upcoming food, drink and restaurant events

Saturday | Midland Downtown Farmers Market. The market is open Saturdays through Oct. 28. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. July 8. Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave.

Monday | Give Back Mondays benefiting Midland Need to Read. All proceeds from drink sales will be donated to the organization's adult literacy program. 4 p.m., Through July 24 at The Blue Door, 4610 N. Garfield Road. 21 and older.

Wednesday | Trivia Game Night, 7 p.m. Wednesdays at True Texas BBQ, 5407 Andrews Hwy. Free.

Saturday | Ice Cream Festival 2017 will feature 25 flavors to sample, inflatable water rides and more. In downtown Midland. Doyourcity.us.

Aug. 5 | Midland Downtown Farmers Market: Dog Days of Summer. Dog day at the market will feature a best dressed pup contest. Sara Rachel performs. The market is open Saturdays through Oct. 28. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave.

Aug. 5 | Sing a Song for your Supper with singing servers by West Texas Talent. At Dee's Bistro and Grill, 620 N. Lee Ave., Odessa. Reservations can be made by calling 432-978-7405 or visiting westtexastalent.com.

Aug. 12 | Food is Medicine with Drs. Scott Stoll and Michael Greger. The all-day seminar includes speaker sessions, plant-based lunch, boko signings and more. 7:45 a.m. at Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center, 1310 N. Farm-to-Market Road 1788. $25. wagnernoel.com.

Aug. 17 | Natural Grocers 62nd Anniversary Celebration. The 50s-themed bash will feature giveaways, samples and ice cream social. 8 a.m.-9 p.m. at Natural Grocers, 3116 N. Loop 250 W. naturalgrocers.com.

Aug. 19 | Lone Star Warriors Outdoor BBQ Cook Off is an IBCA sanctioned event. Categories include brisket, pork spare ribs and chicken. Midland Meat Company is sponsoring the cook off. Registration is $150 and can be made by calling 432-553-6057 or 432-288-0732. 6 a.m.-11 p.m. at American Legion, 501 Veterans Airpark Lane.

Aug. 19 | Basin Burnout cook-off competition benefiting Reel Thanx and Hunt for Heroes.The event includes food sampling, live music and fireworks. Noon-6 p.m. at Security Bank Ballpark, 5514 Champions Drive. $25 advance, $40 door. Basinburnout.com.

Sept. 12 | Second Tuesday Salon is a free lunchtime concert series. Brown bag lunches or purchase from the local food truck onsite beginning at 11:30 a.m. Open to the public. Noon at The Rose Building, 415 N. Grant Ave., Odessa. Free. odessaarts.org.

Sept. 30 | Second Annual Tap into Downtown Odessa wine and craft beer tasting. 6 p.m. in downtown Odessa, 119 W. 4th St
When Dave di Prima decided he wanted to get into the food-truck business, he thought it was best to stay away from any menu that featured Mexican food or barbecue.

Too competitive.

Why compete against the many when a good, old-fashioned classic like chili was left mostly unclaimed?

Im from Los Angeles, and we had a chili house that was very popular, with like 35 locations, di Prima said. I loved it. I missed it and was constantly cooking chili at home. So it only made sense to go in this direction with the food truck. We didnt have anything like it here.

Di Prima purchased an old truck in Florida in 2015 and carted it across the country to San Antonio. After the laborious process of transforming the shell into a mobile kitchen, Daves Chilitown made its debut in March 2016 and hasnt looked back.

Daves doesnt serve the traditional bowl of Texas Red chili, with the massive chunks of beef and crimson red coloring that can have enough spice to burn off a layer of tongue. His version is made to act more as a topping for burgers, fries and hot dogs (menu offerings typically range from $4 to $9), but if a customer wants a straight up bowl, di Prima will be more than happy to hand over one with a handful of cheddar cheese piled on top.

Taste di Primas chili and youll pick up traditional ingredients such as cumin, garlic, black pepper and a blast of pepper flavor. The meat is an 80/20 ground chuck, but thats about all he is willing to disclose. About five gallons of chili moves out the window during any of the five days per week Daves Chilitown sets up shop throughout the area.

After a Wednesday lunch service near SeaWorld on National Hot Dog Day, di Prima took the time to chat about his idea to hitch his mobile enterprise, which he runs with his wife, Alicia, to the chili wagon:

Q. How did you get into the food-truck business?

A. Ive done a lot of jobs. My last job was an auto adjuster, and I did that for 12 years. My mom got sick, and I took care of her for the last two years of her life. After she died, I decided to live life a little more and be more open to new things. I wanted a restaurant. We looked for commercial properties and couldnt get into one realistically, so we looked at food trucks. It was doable.

Q. What is your approach to chili, and were there any inspirations?

A. I set out to make my chili. I dont like beans, Texans dont like beans, so that was perfect for me. The stuff with beans is Yankee chili. I wanted something that would go on anything. This is a chili gravy, not a chili stew. I patterned it after what I ate when I was younger. Its strong enough to hold up on a burger or dog, but light enough to soak into the fries.

Q. Any secrets to the process?

A. Everything is made on the truck from scratch. I even kick (my employees) off the truck when Im making it. Nobody knows the recipe. Even my wife presses me for ingredients and techniques, and Im like, Nah. ... The best part of a chili recipe? The secret. It really is. Thats where the mystique is. My written recipe has pitfalls and roadblocks, so even if somebody does get hold of it, that person isnt going to make it like I make it.

Q. What are the top selling items, and how has your food been received?

A. The Coyote Dog (a  pound fried beef hot dog with fries, chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream and Fritos wrapped into a burrito) is the thing that draws the most passion, and somebody told me today that it was he best theyve ever had. And people love the chili cheese fries. I dont listen to the words when people try my food, I look at the reaction on their faces. I feel blessed that when people like the food, I was able to produce it.

Q. Its about 100 degrees outside. Does the demand for this type of food slow down during the summer months?

A. I would think its a harder sale, but we sold a lot of chili today. It has slowed down, but thats in general for everybody in the food-truck business. July and August are rough months. People dont want to stay outside in the sun, and you cant always find those premium shaded spots to set up.

Q. The food-truck business is brutal. How do you thrive when so many others fail?

A. A lot of people can be casual, and you have to be professional. You cant run out of food. You have to engage your customers. You have be conscious of the food coming out of your window and manage perceptions. You have to do all those things, and its an immense amount of work. You have to cook, clean, shop, maintain, search for territory and do the paperwork. And in the end, have a smile on your face.

Q. I saw a mention that a brick-and-mortar location could be on the horizon. What is the status of that?

A. Im still exploring that. Running a truck, you can make a lot of money. But if youre ever going to make a million bucks, you have to have a brick-and-mortar. A lot of people tell me not to do it. Its more expensive and more hassle, but I want to experience and try everything. I want to do it to make that million and for the sake of doing it.

The best way to find the location of Daves Chilitown, 210-393-4084, on any given day is through social media. Facebook: Daveschilitown .

cblount@express-news.net

Twitter: @chuck_blount
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Bobbing alongside rowdy crowds of floaters on the Guadalupe River was one special, lonely tube, set off into the water by a grieving mom in honor of her teen son.

Tracey Corum recounted a spontaneous mother-son tubing trip she and her oldest son, Justin Hernandez, took last year on the Guadalupe during a phone conversation with mySA.com. That memory of spending the days bonding with her 17-year-old sticks with the mother, who lost her son a year later on May 17, 2017.

"That trip was very special to the both of us," she said, fighting back tears.

Last Sunday, she made the same trip from Bellville to New Braunfels, this time with a few friends.

That's when she got the "perfect" idea to memorialize her eldest child by releasing his tube into the same water where they had shared one of her favorite memories.

Corum said she scribbled messages all over Justin's tube that she hoped strangers would read. "I wrote 'If you find me, float me,'" the mom said.

She found a "peaceful" spot of the waterway, off River Road, and released her son's tube to be found by other visitors.

Her intent was for strangers to take photos of themselves floating in Justin's tube and then send them to her, so she added her phone number and Facebook name.

Within 15 minutes, Corum said she received her first message from a group of women. She found comfort knowing people were enjoying their time at the river in honor of the teen. But then, things went silent.

RELATED: For the love of her late mother and baseball, this Texas woman visited every MLB ballpark

Corum figured the tube had gotten caught along the banks until she received a message from a San Antonio woman who said she had taken the tube because her son wanted one of his own.

Disheartened that her floating memorial was gone, Corum reached out to the woman, mom-to-mom, asking her to return it.

Glorea Valdez Cabrera, the woman who has Justin's tube, told mySA.com that she and her family are taking a trip to the Comal River on Saturday and she will put the tube back in the water at 9 a.m.

Now that a Facebook post explaining the mother-son story has gone viral, Corum says a "few hundred" people are looking for the tube. She said it doesn't matter to her that the tube won't be at its original spot  she just wants to see others enjoying it.

"It could travel the world for all I care," she added. "I just wanted people to know that it mattered."

She said strangers as far as Hawaii and friends of Justin have reached out to her  a testament to his character.

"He was just viral that way in life  he made friends everywhere," she said. "He never met a stranger."

The mom said she's still in awe of how many friends he made during his short life, before he was killed "recklessly."

According to CBS Austin, Justin was shot and killed in Fayette County. His uncle, Eduardo Hernandez, 22, was charged with manslaughter.

Corum spoke of the life he lead before his death  of school days at Bellville High School, how he helped his dad on the ranch and how he loved children.

His heart for kids leads Corum to believe it was no accident that Justin's tube temporarily granted a little boy's wish.

"The little boy wanted his own tube and Justin came and gave him one to ride on," she said. It's not the only story Corum has heard since her act of love has gone viral. She said others have told her how Justin's tube saved their trips, like Shane Leger.

Leger told the mom he was in Wimberley last weekend for a family reunion when he saw Justin's memorial.

"When I went over the first set of rapids, my tube finally gave out and that is when I found the lone tube," Leger wrote in a message to Corum. "So I went up and saw all the beautiful messages left by you and others who rode. I just wanted to let you know that your son's tube helped me continue tubing with my family."

Leger said he was able to have a "blast."

Corum said her inbox has been inundated with "hundreds" of similar stories.

"That's my sweet boy, always helping others," Corum said.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
1 Sentences reduced: The American Civil Liberties Union is criticizing a program in a Tennessee county that reduces inmates jail time if they voluntarily undergo birth control procedures. General Sessions Judge Sam Benninfield signed a standing order in May that provides 30 days credit toward jail time for men who agree to free vasectomies in White County and women who agree to receive free Nexplanon implants, which prevent pregnancies for up to four years. Benningfield said he hopes to prevent children being born under the influence of drugs. District Attorney Bryant Dunaway said his office doesnt support the order, citing ethical concerns. The ACLU called it unconstitutional.

2 Drowning death: Authorities in Florida say a group of teens watched and laughed as a man drowned in a retention pond. Jamel Dunn drowned in the city of Cocoa on July 9. Police said they later discovered a group of teens recorded the 31-year-olds drowning. The teens can be heard laughing at Dunn, telling him hes going to die and they werent going to help him. Police interviewed the five teens involved. Police Chief Mike Cataloupe calls their actions utterly inhumane and cruel, Initially, Cataloupe said no criminal charges would be filed because state law doesnt require people to give or call for help. Later, officials said they would consider misdemeanor charges of failure to report a death against the teens.
A former Klein ISD student will be entering her freshman year of college with a $1,500 Simon Youth Foundation Scholarship.

Ifrah Raja, a recent graduate of Klein High School, received a Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarship on July 5 thanks to the Houston Premium Outlets and Simon Youth Foundation.

"It feels really good to have won the scholarship because it is just another burden my parents don't have to pay to go towards my college education," Raja said. "Obviously, college can be really expensive these days, so anything helps. The funds are going to go towards paying my tuition."

An email from a school counselor first alerted Raja of the scholarship opportunity.

The scholarship is awarded in partnership between Houston Premium Outlets and Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational and career development opportunities for youth.

"Simon Youth Foundation exists to help students who are at-risk of dropping out of high school complete their education. Through our scholarship programs, we are able to take the next step and help students on their journey to higher education," said J. Michael Durnil, president and CEO of Simon Youth Foundation. "At SYF, we feel passionately that financial constraints should never keep a promising student from pursuing higher education and achieving their dreams."

Simon Youth Foundation partners with public school districts to open dropout recovery academies inside Simon-owned shopping malls. The organization has 30 Simon Youth Academies in 12 states.

Raja was awarded the scholarship because of her academic excellence, leadership skills, and participation in both school and community activities. She was a member of Health Occupations Students of America and a member of the Klein theater department.

According to the foundation, the 2017 Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarship recipients were selected by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc., a third-party administrator. Students were selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities.

Raja plans to study nursing at The University of Texas at Austin this fall. She volunteered at local non-profit health clinic during high school, which inspired her to major in nursing.

"Once I start college, I would like to get involved in the Austin community. UT has really cool service projects that they do, so I would like to get involved in those," Raja said. "I'm really involved in getting back to the community here in Houston, so when I move to Austin I would like to do that too. I would also like to apply to the nursing honors programs at UT in the spring, and I was thinking about eventually studying abroad."

In the organization's 18-year history, more than 14,000 students have earned their diploma and more than $16 million in scholarships have been awarded.

"Simon Youth Foundation awarded a total of $1.6 million to 335 students this year. Simon Youth Foundation Community scholarships, like the one received by Ifrah Raja, are awarded to one promising student in each community that is home to a Simon Mall, Mills, or Premium Outlet," Durnil said. "Additionally, we also award scholarships to deserving students in our thirty Simon Youth Academies nationwide."

In Texas, the foundation awarded 22 community scholarships totaling $30,000, and seven academy scholarships totaling $80,000.

"The importance of pursuing education - high school and beyond - cannot be overstated. We are so proud of each and every one of our scholarship recipients and wish them the best as they take their next steps in life," Durnil said. "We have great faith that they will represent their families and communities well."

Students interested in applying for Simon Youth Foundation's 2018 scholarships can visit www.syf.org for more details. The opening of the application process is Aug. 15.

Simon Youth Foundation: www.syf.org

Facebook, Twitter: @simon_youth

Instagram: @simonyouthfoundation

Houston Premium Outlets

29300 Hempstead Road

Cypress, TX 77433
North Hollow residents were invited to a noise mitigation briefing Thursday, July 20, to hear plans from the Houston Airport System to alleviate the noise caused by close proximities to the airport.

A detailed timeline for the project as well as any development plans to occur were presented to the community members prior to opening the floor for questions.

"People are finding out what they can do. They have been waiting around for years for this to happen," Congressman Ted Poe said.

The Sound Insulation Program introduced was divided into two phases presented by Mario Diaz, director of aviation, and Devon Tiner, assistant director for asset engineering for the Houston Airport. The first phase completed full treatment for 27 homes, while the second phase is planned to serve residents of 146 homes. Tiner said homeowners can choose between sound insulation, sales assurance, transaction assistance, purchase development rights or avigation easement.

A homeowner that chooses the sound insulation option will receive treatment to windows, doors, ceiling insulation, vents and HVAC (heating and air-conditioning). Anywhere that air can get into the home, that air can bring in sound waves, and modifications to seal off the noise will drop the level of sound entering a home.

"There is a standard pallet of products that are federally approved that will be available for review and the contracts will come in and get them done," Tiner said.

Transaction assistance is a federally funded program, which is why homeowners who decided on this option will deal directly with the airport. Homeowners who choose to sell will receive the 6 percent reimbursement of the sale value.

Sales assurance guarantees the homeowner that the appraised fair market value is received on a timely sale.

"A certified appraisal makes the determination of appraised value. There is a list of certified appraisals or (homeowners) can bring their own to us, and we can certify it from there as well," Tiner said.

If a homeowner sells the house for less than the valued cost, the program will pay the difference.

Purchase of development rights, Tiner said, really applies only to individuals within the subdivision who own the vacant lots in the area. This allows for any future development to have the avigation easement subject to development standards of the mitigation program.

Avigation easement provides a one-time payment to the homeowner in exchange for having an aircraft move over the house.

Homeowners have the option of opting out of the program entirely. Then, the Houston Airport System will purchase the avigation easement from the homeowners directly for $5,000, which is a payment that will be made within two to 12 months.

Andrew and Linda Richardson have lived in the North Hollow subdivision for more than 27 years and said they have no intention of selling their home and leaving anytime soon.

"Why not take the improvement? I've been there forever. When I bought the house, I only paid over $70,000. Now, it's worth a whole lot more, and once we do the improvement the value will go up," Andrew Richardson said.

Diaz addressed the crowd, reassuring them that this phase will get done in a timely manner and while he admitted he lost sight of this project, he plans to push forward and beat the set deadlines they presented.

"I'm here today, and I have changed and appointed the individual that's going to make this happen and you'll have to wait and see the delivery," Diaz said.

A form was presented to residents to fill out to apply for the method they choose to alleviate their long-time frustrations.

Houston Airport System plans to complete the second phase of the Sound Insulation Project for all 146 homes by August 2019.
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A long, vibrant yellow dress skirt twirled fluidly as its wearer danced to the lively music on the dance floor of the Stonebridge at Newport event room in Crosby.

Ladies donning sombreros enjoyed food from Luna's Mexican Restaurant while watching dancers from the Mixteco Ballet Folklorico School of Dance performed this spirited traditional Mexican dance during the annual Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce Diva Night on Thursday, July 20.

Diva Night is an annual fundraiser for the Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce and helps with the chamber's operational expenses.

Each year, the Diva Night has a different theme, and this year's theme was Fiesta La Diva.

"This is a night where ladies can come out and have a good time," said Kim Harris, president of the Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce. "We have vendors come out so they can shop and get pampered. It's just an opportunity for ladies to have fun and support the Crosby community."

Vendor and pamper stations were set up around the room. Guests received samples and had the chance to take advantage of pamper stations that offered massages and other pampering services.

This the first time Rita McKay with ReMax Premier attended the Crosby-Huffman Chamber Diva Night.

"I think it's important to recognize women in business," McKay said. "I'm in a real estate office. It's mostly women in our business. So, I love having a night where we can come out and pamper ourselves."

Terri George with Coldwell Banker United Realtors said Diva Night is not only be a great recreational event, but also an opportunity for community engagement.

"For me, as a realtor in the community, it's really important to be involved," George said. "Being a part of this event, it's not only good being here, but also being able to give back to the chamber. This event is about being part of the community and giving back to the community. Getting to have fun and check out everything the community has to offer is really great."

From a vendor perspective, Margarette Chasteen with Rodan and Fields explained that the event is an ideal opportunity for vendors.

"You have 150 women that are coming here tonight," Chasteen said. "They're all local. How else are you going to get ahold of 150 women that will chat with you? Not everyone will want my skin care products, but the people who do are serious buyers."

Sherisa Hoy of The Broken Plank Photo Boards and More traveled from Dayton to participate as a vendor in the event.

"It's all ladies who come out to have a good time and it just sounded like a lot of fun," Hoy said. "We just wanted to get out with all the ladies and have fun at Diva Night."

Crosby-Huffman Chamber board member Crystal Ivey helps with many chamber events. She said she just loves the annual Diva Night.

"It's all about the community, networking and getting to know people," Ivey said. "It's a wonderful event."

For more information about the Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce, visit www.crosbyhuffmancc.org.
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Kames Capital Plc (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Paysafe Group plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 20/07/2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" No

If YES, specify which:

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



Ordinary Share



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 13,228,935 2.7281 0 0.00 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



592,260 0.1221 0 0.00 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: 0 0.00 0 0.00



TOTAL: 13,821,195 2.8502 0 0.00

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



None





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?





Date of disclosure: 21/07/2017 Contact name: Stephen Adams Telephone number: 0131 549 6714 For any issues relating to this disclosure please contact 0131 549 3288 or kamestradeoperationsmb@kamescapital.com

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
Exactly one month from today, a total solar eclipse will sweep across America, casting millions of people into temporary darkness. It will be the biggest astronomical event America has seen in years, watched by millions of people from within the path of totality and tens of millions more who are outside it. One astronomer has said it will be the "most photographed, most shared, most tweeted event in human history."

Some eclipse enthusiasts have spent years preparing for this solar spectacle, the first eclipse to cross the entire continental United States in almost a century. But even if you are just finding out about the eclipse, it's not too late to plan for the big event. Here's what you need to know:

(Story continues below.)

Now Playing: Millions of people across the U.S. gear up for the one-time solar event known as the Great American Eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017. Video: San Antonio Express-News

Q: What is happening?

A: A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, blocking our view of the sun. If you are standing in the moon's shadow on Earth, you will see the sky darken and feel the temperature drop. The place where the sun should be will look like a black circle in the sky. You will be able to view the sun's atmosphere, called the corona - a halo of exceedingly hot gas that's invisible under normal circumstances. Mike Kentrianakis, the solar eclipse project manager for the American Astronomical Society, calls it "the most gorgeous natural wonder you will ever see."

"If it strikes you hard enough," he promises, "you will never be the same."

Q: When and where is it happening?

A: The eclipse will occur across the continental United States on Aug. 21. The moon's shadow first hits land north of Newport, Ore., at 10:15 a.m. Pacific time. It will then make its way southeast through Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The shadow will leave the continental United States close to Charleston, S.C., at about 2:49 p.m. Eastern time.

MISSOURI GETS READY: Hundreds of thousands of visitors expected

Q: What is "the path of totality"?

A: The 70-mile-wide, 3,000-mile-long swath that lies directly in the shadow of the moon is called "the path of totality." For this eclipse, it will start off the coast of Oregon and sweep across the country to South Carolina. Because the moon orbits around Earth so quickly (at a pace of 2,100 miles per hour), each spot on the path will experience only about two minutes of totality. There is no way to chase the shadow around the country - the moon will cross the entire United States in about 90 minutes, faster than the speediest jetliner.

Q: What will I see if I am not inside the path of totality?

A: The shadow of the moon, known as the "umbra," will cross a relatively small swath of land. But the moon also casts a lighter shadow, called the "penumbra." People in this region, which will cover all of North America, will experience a partial eclipse. They will see the sun partly covered by the moon - like a cookie with a bite taken out of it. The degree to which the sun is covered depends on your proximity to the path of totality - the closer you are, the less of the sun you will see. People in the Washington area can expect to see about 80 percent coverage of the sun. If you are watching a partial eclipse, you must wear protective glasses for the entire event, or you will risk severe eye damage. (More on that below.)

Veteran eclipse chasers say that a partial eclipse isn't nearly as beautiful as totality. "It's a completely different phenomenon," said Kentrianakis, of AAS. "It shouldn't even be called an eclipse. It should be called something else." He recommends that everyone who is interested in the eclipse make their way to the path of totality for the big event.

Q: What about clouds?

A: Clouds would be a bummer. If the sky is overcast during totality, it will still get dark, but you will not be able to see the moon cover the sun or the glow of the corona. Eclipse experts recommend checking the weather forecast for your area in the days before Aug. 21 to ensure that you watch the event from a spot where skies will be clear.

Q: Why is this a big deal?

A: This is the first total solar eclipse to occur solely in the United States since the country was founded. For most Americans, this is the best chance to see a solar eclipse we will have in our lifetimes. An estimated 12 million people live in the path of totality, and as many as 7 million more will migrate to the path for the big event. It's likely to be a tremendous astronomical experience, and you don't want to miss it.

This eclipse is also a huge opportunity for scientists. The corona, which becomes visible when the moon covers up the sun, is the object of intense scientific interest - it emits sprays of hot, ionized particles that can damage electrical grids and satellites and harm astronauts in space. Because this eclipse will move across thousands of miles of mostly inhabited landscapes, rather than hard-to-reach wilderness or open seas, it will be within sight of scientists for almost the duration of totality. That means that researchers positioned at various locations along the path of totality can film the event and piece their clips together to create an unprecedented 90-minute video of the corona in action.

Q: Where should I go to watch the eclipse?

A: Anyone within the path of totality will be able to see the moon cover up the sun. But several cities along the path are putting on a special show for the occasion. Here's a look at some of the festivals taking place across the country on the big day. It's also worth considering where you are least likely to experience clouds.

Q: Do I need any special equipment?

A: Yes! Except during the brief phase of totality, you must wear eclipse-watching glasses the entire time you are looking at the sun. This is also true if you are watching the eclipse from outside the path of totality. If you attempt to look at the eclipse without protective lenses, you risk severe damage to your eyes. Ultraviolet rays from the sun can literally give your eyeballs a sunburn.

Only specially designed solar filters will do the trick. Regular sunglasses are not good enough! NASA has identified several manufacturers of eclipse glasses and solar filters that meet international safety standards. Eclipse glasses are also available at many libraries.

To recap: If you are outside the path of totality, you must wear glasses the entire duration of the eclipse. If you are within the path of totality, wear your glasses until the moon completely blocks the sun. Then you can take your glasses off to see the spectacle and the sun's corona. But before totality ends (after about 2 minutes, depending on your location), put your glasses back on to watch the rest of the event.

We are not trying to scaremonger, but c'mon, guys. Be smart, wear your glasses. Your optometrist will thank you.

Q: When is the next one?

A: The next total solar eclipse visible from planet Earth will occur in July 2019 over Argentina and Chile. And the United States is set to see another total eclipse on April 8, 2024, when the moon will cast a shadow across Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Canada and Maine.

Q: Why don't eclipses happen every month?

A: We experience total solar eclipses because of the cosmic coincidence that the moon is 400 times closer than the sun and 1/400th of its size. This means that when Earth, the moon and the sun line up perfectly, the moon neatly blocks out the light of our star. But the orbit of the moon is slightly tilted relative to the plane in which Earth orbits the sun, so most of the time it passes below or above the sun from our line of sight. The moon's orbit takes it directly in between Earth and the sun every 18 months or so, resulting in a total solar eclipse.

In addition to being tilted, the moon's orbit is not perfectly circular. Sometimes, the moon is farther away when it passes between us and the sun. In these cases, it appears slightly smaller than the sun, so a ring of the sun's light is still visible during the eclipse. This phenomenon is known as an annular eclipse, and it also occurs roughly every year and a half.

But Earth won't experience eclipses forever. The moon is drifting away from our planet at a rate of about an inch and a half per year. In approximately 650 million years, the moon will be so distant that it can no longer completely block out the sun. Humans will have seen their last eclipse - if we manage to make it that long.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Two little words are on Ed Gillespie's lips of late: "President Trump."

Since launching his bid for Virginia governor, the establishment Republican has treated the man in the White House like a Voldemortian unmentionable.

That was widely considered a smart strategy in a swing state that went for Hillary Clinton in November and where the president's approval rating sat at 36 percent in a Washington Post-Schar School poll in May.

Then Gillespie nearly lost the June 13 GOP primary to a Trump-style populist, Corey Stewart. And ever since, senior Republicans have been pushing him to embrace the president and hire some of Trump's strategists to shore up the Republican base ahead of November's election. Some aired their concerns in a Washington Post article last week.

As of this week, Gillespie and campaign surrogates began conspicuously dropping Trump's name.

"Having a governor who can work with a Republican House, a Republican Senate, President Trump, Vice President Pence, the Trump administration - I think is an asset for us in Virginia," Gillespie told reporters Monday.

This week, his campaign sought to reframe his November contest with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, D, who called Trump "narcissistic maniac" in one widely seen television ad, as a battle between a Trump loyalist and an obstructionist foe.

"Virginia needs a governor who is eager to work with President Trump, not be at odds with him," said a statement the Gillespie campaign issued from two Republican state senators.

And on the John Fredericks radio program Thursday, Gillespie said: "I want to lead Virginia. Ralph Northam wants to lead the resistance. . . . I seek to serve my fellow Virginians, and I will work with the administration - you're darn right I will."

Fredericks, who helped lead Trump's Virginia campaign, cheered the pro-Trump rhetoric as "a significant shift," although he remained disappointed that the campaign has not acted on his advice to hire Corey Lewandowski, Trump's bombastic early campaign manager, or other Trump campaign veterans.

"The political reality is such that you can't thread the needle and you can't run away from your party's standard-bearer," Fredericks said hours after his interview with Gillespie.

"It's essential that he not only embrace those policies of the president that he agrees with, but do so in a way that motivates the Trump voter base to come out for him in November. . . . I think Ed realized on June 13 that he didn't connect with Trump voters and he didn't inspire them."

Gillespie's campaign declined to directly respond to a request for comment, but it issued a statement dismissing that any perceived strategy shift was an invention of "political punditry."

"Ed is running a positive campaign of policy ideas to get Virginia growing again after the stagnation of the McAuliffe-Northam administration," Gillespie spokesman David Abrams said, referring to outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D. "Out-of-state liberal media outlets like The Washington Post are free to engage in all the political punditry you want."

Democrats, who had sought to tie Gillespie to Trump all along, celebrated the shift.

The state party launched a "Trump Gillespie 2017 Tour" - complete with campaign-style signs - to "highlight Ed Gillespie's enthusiastic support for Donald Trump's most extreme policies and the threat the Trump-Gillespie agenda poses to Virginia's economy, health care and working families."

The two-day tour included appearances by Northam supporters at stops in Richmond, Norfolk, Charlottesville and Arlington.

"He's embraced, as of a couple of days ago, bringing Donald Trump onto the campaign trail with him," said Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, at a conference Thursday in a Northam field office in Arlington.

"What does that say? Is this now a Trump-Gillespie ticket? It doesn't say anything good about the future of Virginia."

The Republican Party of Virginia countered with theatrics of its own, dispatching an intern to the Arlington event with a gift basket for Northam that included one of Trump's red "Make America Great Again" hats.

To be sure, Gillespie has not begun embracing Trump with complete abandon.

He first talked up his ability to work with the administration in Norfolk, in the context of military spending that would be popular in the defense-heavy state. And he noted that he would still push for state priorities that Trump might oppose, such as Chesapeake Bay cleanup.

"If I'm elected governor of the commonwealth of Virginia, it's not going to be my job to always be for President Trump or to always be against President Trump, which is how Ralph Northam sees his job," Gillespie said. "It's to always be for Virginia, and to fight for my fellow Virginians every single day."

When Fredericks sought a yes-or-no response to whether he would want the president to campaign with him, Gillespie felt the need to offer a long justification before ultimately saying yes.

"I'd like to take the president, the vice president, Cabinet secretaries, other governors to our ports and, you know, see what we need to do to deepen and widen our channel and be the biggest port on the East Coast," he said. "Would like to take the president - he's been to coal country . . . and tell him about what we're doing there.

"Take him into the Shenandoah Valley and talk about our agriculture sector. . . . When you're a commonwealth where . . . 20 percent of your GDP is directly affected by federal spending, direct federal spending, to have a president who understands the needs of Virginia and a vice president, as well, and Cabinet secretaries, that's in the service of the people of Virginia. So, absolutely!"

---

The Washington Post's Fenit Nirappil contributed to this report.
Conroe city leaders rolled out the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which features an increase in the total operating budget as the city pulls in more property and sales tax dollars, but also includes a hike in water and sewer rates.

During the City Council's "retreat agenda" Thursday, city leaders, department heads and staffers went over the details of the 2017-18 budget.

The proposed budget includes a 10.1 percent increase in total gross expenditures from the previous year, pushing it up to $181,071,670. When "interfund transfers" are not included, Conroe's actual proposed operating budget comes in at $141,777,893 -- an increase of 3.6 percent over the previous year.

A significant increase in general fund expenditures is the in the self-funded insurance fund, adding $2,269,442. Also, the funding of 12 positions at a new fire station is adding $756,000 to the budget.

Thursday's workshop is one step in Conroe's budget process, which started with a budget kickoff meeting in February. A series of additional steps and hurdles, including department heads submitting budgets, meetings with City Administrator Paul Virgadamo and a final review of the numbers were made before the proposed budget was presented to the City Council.

"Typically the needs, wants, desires of the City Council, staff and citizens outweigh the amount of revenue that will be available under existing rates for taxes and fees," Mayor Toby Powell told the gathering in his opening remarks. "The council must then prioritize spending decisions and determine the appropriate fees for taxes and fees."

The current budget planning process comes as Conroe experiences a population boom as more people move to the city and additional businesses open up. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in May that Conroe's population jumped to 82,286 in 2016 -- a 7.8 percent increase from 2015 -- making it the fastest-growing city in the U.S. among cities with a population of 50,000 more.

As the city's expected expenditures rise, gross revenues -- coming from property taxes, sales taxes and other fees -- are also mostly on the rise as more homes are built, property values climb, the city expands through annexation and people buy more items in Conroe's stores and retail establishments.

"A major revenue source is the property tax. It's about 29 percent of the total revenues for the general fund," said Steve Williams, Conroe's assistant city administrator and chief financial officer.

According to city numbers, single-family home starts were up nearly 33.9 percent through May, while the value of construction increased by 29.1 percent over the same period.

There were concerns expressed during the meeting about state lawmakers saying they're going to push for what's being termed property tax reform during the Legislature's special session. Although such legislation is considered beneficial to homeowners, it can limit how much cities can collect in property taxes.

"We're the backbone of the state of Texas," Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon said in referring to taxes collected by cities. Coon and Virgadamo discussed efforts to try to lobby some of Conroe's representatives in the state Legislature in the hopes of blunting such legislation.

As far as sales tax dollars collected, they're also expected to climb during the upcoming fiscal year, although at a more modest rate of 2 percent.

With the increase in construction, city figures show the sales tax collected on building materials leads all business segments. Taxes from food services and general merchandise were also high on the list.

Despite the mostly sunny view of Conroe's finances as it benefits from a growth spurt, the city also appears to be experiencing some growing pain.

Residential and commercial sewer rates are expected to climb by 20 percent, while water rates are forecasted to rise by 9 percent.

The higher sewer rates come as Conroe works to upgrade its sewage system to accommodate the city's expanding population.

"These revenues fund the operating cost of our water and sewer utility system as well as the debt service on water and sewer bonds," Powell said.

The city is also at odds with the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District and the San Jacinto River Authority over water rate increases.

Also on Thursday, City Attorney Marcus Winberry proposed a meeting for the City Council members and others with the attorney representing the city to discuss its ongoing legal battles with LSGCD and SJRA.

Conroe filed suit against LSGCD in 2015, claiming that the district was acting beyond its legislative authority by setting what Conroe claims are unlawful limits on groundwater production.

The meeting was set for Monday. City officials would not immediately reveal specifics of what they expect to discuss during the meeting.

As for the budget, after Thursday's meeting, more meetings are planned before the new budget is adopted and approved. Public hearings will be next month, with the City Council expected to adopt the finalized budget in late August.
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WASHINGTON - Russia's ambassador to Washington told his superiors in Moscow that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to public assertions by the embattled attorney general, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Ambassador Sergey Kislyak's accounts of two conversations with Sessions - then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump - were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials both in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.

One U.S. official said that Sessions - who testified that he has no recollection of the April encounter - has provided "misleading" statements that are "contradicted by other evidence." A former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had "substantive" discussions on matters including Trump's positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.

Sessions has said repeatedly that he never discussed campaign-related issues with Russian officials and that it was only in his capacity as a U.S. Senator that he met with Kislyak.

"I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign," Sessions said in March when he announced that he would recuse himself from matters relating to the FBI probe of Russian interference in the election and any connections to the Trump campaign.

RELATED: Russian lawyer who met Trump Jr. worked for intelligence agency

Current and former U.S. officials said that assertion is at odds with Kislyak's accounts of conversations during two encounters over the course of the campaign, one in April ahead of Trump's first major foreign policy speech and another in July on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention.

The apparent discrepancy could pose new problems for Sessions at a time when his position in the administration appears increasingly tenuous.

Trump, in an interview this week, expressed frustration with Sessions's recusing himself from the Russia probe and indicated that he regretted his decision to make the lawmaker from Alabama the nation's top law enforcement officer. Trump also faulted Sessions as giving "bad answers" during his confirmation hearing about his Russian contacts during the campaign.

Officials emphasized that the information contradicting Sessions comes from U.S. intelligence on Kislyak's communications with the Kremlin, and acknowledged that the Russian ambassador could have mischaracterized or exaggerated the nature of his interactions.

"Obviously I cannot comment on the reliability of what anonymous sources describe in a wholly uncorroborated intelligence intercept that the Washington Post has not seen and that has not been provided to me," said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman in a statement. She reiterated that Sessions did not discuss interference in the election.

RELATED: Trump's axis of adults is breaking apart

Russian and other foreign diplomats in Washington and elsewhere have been known, at times, to report false or misleading information to bolster their standing with their superiors or to confuse U.S. intelligence agencies.

But U.S. officials with regular access to Russian intelligence reports say Kislyak - whose tenure as ambassador to the United States ended recently - has a reputation for accurately relaying details about his interactions with officials in Washington.

Sessions removed himself from direct involvement in the Russia investigation after it was revealed in The Washington Post that he had met with Kislyak at least twice in 2016, contacts he failed to disclose during his confirmation hearing in January.

"I did not have communications with the Russians," Sessions said when asked whether anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign had communicated with representatives of the Russian government.

He has since maintained that he misunderstood the scope of the question and that his meetings with Kislyak were strictly in his capacity as a U.S. senator. In a March appearance on Fox television, Sessions said, "I don't recall any discussion of the campaign in any significant way."

Sessions appeared to narrow that assertion further in extensive testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, saying that he "never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States."

But when pressed for details, Sessions qualified many of his answers during that hearing by saying that he could "not recall" or did not have "any recollection."

A former U.S. official who read the Kislyak reports said that the Russian ambassador reported speaking with Sessions about issues that were central to the campaign, including Trump's positions on key policy matters of significance to Moscow.

Sessions had a third meeting with Kislyak in his Senate office in September. Officials declined to say whether U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted any Russian communications describing the third encounter.

As a result, the discrepancies center on two earlier Sessions-Kislyak conversations, including one that Sessions has acknowledged took place in July 2016 on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention.

By that point, Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to embark on a secret campaign to help Trump win the White House by leaking damaging emails about his rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.

Although it remains unclear how involved Kislyak was in the covert Russian campaign to aid Trump, his superiors in Moscow were eager for updates about the candidate's positions, particularly regarding U.S. sanctions on Russia and long-standing disputes with the Obama administration over conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

RELATED: Sessions has some serious explaining to do

Kislyak also reported having a conversation with Sessions in April at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, where then-candidate Trump delivered his first major foreign policy address, according to the officials familiar with intelligence on Kislyak.

Sessions has said he does not remember any encounter with Kislyak at that event. In his June testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sessions said, "I do not recall any conversations with any Russian official at the Mayflower Hotel."

Later in that hearing, Sessions said that "it's conceivable that that occurred. I just don't remember it."

Kislyak was also a key figure in the departure of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to leave that job after The Post revealed that he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with Kislyak even while telling others in the Trump administration that he had not done so.

In that case, however, Flynn's phone conversations with Kislyak were intercepted by U.S. intelligence, providing irrefutable evidence. The intelligence on Sessions, by contrast, is based on Kislyak's accounts and not corroborated by other sources.

Former FBI director James B. Comey fueled speculation about the possibility of a Sessions-Kislyak meeting at the Mayflower when he told the same Senate committee on June 8 that the bureau had information about Sessions that would have made it "problematic" for him to be involved in the Russia probe.

Comey would not provide details of what information the FBI had, except to say that he could only discuss it privately with the senators. Current and former officials said he appeared to be alluding to intelligence on Kislyak's account of an encounter with Sessions at the Mayflower.

Senate Democrats later called on the FBI to investigate the event in April at the Mayflower hotel.

Sessions's role in removing Comey as FBI director angered many at the bureau and set in motion events that led to the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as a special counsel overseeing the Russia probe.

Trump's harsh words toward the attorney general fueled speculation this week that Sessions would be fired or would resign. So far, he has resisted resigning, saying that he intends to stay in the job "as long as that is appropriate."

- - -

The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
Recommendation based on largest trial in FLT3-mutated AML to date, showing 23% reduction in the risk of death with Rydapt treatment regimen[1]



If approved, Rydapt would represent the first targeted treatment for newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated AML in the EU



Rydapt would be the first and only EMA-approved therapy for advanced SM, a group of rare, life-threatening conditions

Basel, July 21, 2017 - Novartis today announced that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Rydapt (midostaurin) for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are FLT3 mutation-positive. If approved by the European Commission (EC), Rydapt will be indicated in combination with standard daunorubicin and cytarabine induction and high-dose cytarabine consolidation chemotherapy, and for patients in complete response, followed by Rydapt single agent maintenance therapy, for adult patients with newly diagnosed AML who are FLT3 mutation-positive. Rydapt was also recommended for approval as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM), systemic mastocytosis with associated hematological neoplasm (SM-AHN) or mast cell leukemia.

If approved, Rydapt will be the first targeted treatment available in the European Union (EU) for newly diagnosed FLT3 mutation-positive AML patients and advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) patients. The opinion follows the recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 2017 approval of Rydapt for FLT3-mutated AML and advanced SM on April 28 and the Swissmedic approval on May 4.

"Novartis is dedicated to bringing new treatment options to patients with rare diseases, including AML and advanced SM, which have seen limited treatment developments in the past 25 years," said Bruno Strigini, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "We are pleased with the positive recommendation from the CHMP and excited to move a step closer to bringing this much-needed treatment to these patients across Europe."

AML is a rare and aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow[2]. In the EU, there are over 18,000 estimated new cases of AML each year[3]. Approximately one-third of AML patients will have a FLT3 gene mutation[4].

FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is a type of cell-surface receptor which plays a role in increasing the number of certain blood cells[5] and the FLT3 gene mutation can result in faster disease progression, higher relapse rates and lower rates of survival than other forms of AML[4],[5],[6]. Prior to the approval of Rydapt in the US, the AML therapeutic strategy had remained relatively unchanged for more than 25 years[7],[8].

Advanced SM is a rare blood disorder characterized by uncontrolled growth and accumulation of mast cells - mediators of allergic responses - in one or more organs[9]. In advanced SM, mast cells accumulate in such high quantities that they begin to cause organ damage[9]. Median overall survival is currently less than six months for mast cell leukemia[10], two years for SM-AHN and 3.5 years for ASM[11].

The EC typically adheres to the recommendation of the CHMP and delivers its final decision within approximately two to three months. The decision will be applicable to all 28 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The positive opinion is based on the Phase III RATIFY (CALGB 10603 [Alliance]) clinical trial, which was conducted in collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and 13 international cooperative groups. In the trial, newly diagnosed FLT3 mutation-positive patients who received Rydapt plus standard chemotherapy experienced significant improvement in overall survival with a 23% reduction in the risk of death compared with placebo plus standard chemotherapy, with median overall survival of 74.7 months and 25.6 months, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.77, 95% CI, 0.63, 0.95; one-sided p=0.0078)1. The full data from the RATIFY trial were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)[12].

Event-free survival (EFS; event defined as no complete remission within 60 days of the start of induction therapy, relapse or death) was significantly longer for Rydapt plus chemotherapy versus placebo plus standard chemotherapy (median of 8.2 months compared to 3.0 months, HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.66, 0.93 and one-sided p=0.0024). RATIFY is the largest worldwide clinical trial in newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated AML to date, as 3,277 AML patients were screened for the FLT3 mutation and 717 patients were enrolled[1].

In the Phase III AML RATIFY trial, the most frequent adverse reactions (incidence greater than or equal to 30%) in the Rydapt plus standard chemotherapy arm were febrile neutropenia, nausea, exfoliative dermatitis, vomiting, headache, petechiae (small red skin spots) and pyrexia. The most frequent non-hematologic Grade 3/4 adverse reaction was febrile neutropenia[1].

The recommendation in advanced SM is based on two single-arm open-label multicenter trials, including the Phase II study (CPKC412D2201), which was the largest prospective trial ever conducted in this rare disorder. The efficacy of Rydapt was established using modified Valent criteria, with patients demonstrating an overall response rate, defined as a major or partial response, of 59.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.6, 69.8%). Efficacy was also assessed in a post-hoc analysis using the 2013 International Working Group-Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research and Treatment-European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (IWG-MRT-ECNM) consensus criteria (n=113). This assessment estimated an overall response rate of 28.3% (95% CI, 20.2, 37.6)[1].

In advanced SM, the most frequent adverse reactions were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, peripheral edema and fatigue. The most frequent Grade 3/4 adverse reactions were fatigue, sepsis, pneumonia, febrile neutropenia and diarrhea[1].

Rydapt Ongoing Clinical Development

In order to further investigate the potential of Rydapt in AML, Novartis is planning a Phase III study in newly diagnosed AML patients without a FLT3 mutation (wildtype).

About AML

AML is the most common acute leukemia in adults; it accounts for approximately 25% of all adult leukemias worldwide, with the highest incidence rates occurring in the US, Europe and Australia[13]. It also has the lowest survival rate of all adult leukemias[13].

AML prevents white blood cells from maturing, causing an accumulation of "blasts," which do not allow room for the normal blood cells[2]. Mutations in specific genes are found in many cases of AML[4], and genetic testing for mutations in newly diagnosed AML patients can help to determine prognosis and potential treatment strategies[14].

About Advanced SM

In advanced SM, the uncontrolled growth of neoplastic mast cells causes organ damage (e.g., liver dysfunction), low blood counts and weight loss[9]. Patients also suffer from debilitating systemic symptoms, such as pruritus (severe itching of the skin) caused by mast cells releasing inflammatory mediators, such as histamine, into the blood[9].

The uncontrolled proliferation of mast cells is caused in many people by a KIT gene mutation - the most common mutation, encoding the D817V substitution, occurs in approximately 90% of patients[15]. The KIT gene mutation results in activation of the KIT enzyme, which triggers the abnormal proliferation and survival of mast cells[16].

About Rydapt (midostaurin)

Rydapt (midostaurin) is an oral, multi-targeted inhibitor of multiple kinases, including FLT3 and KIT, which help regulate many essential cell processes, interrupting cancer cells' ability to grow and multiply[17].

In the US, Rydapt is FDA-approved for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed AML who are FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 mutation-positive (FLT3+) as detected by an FDA-approved test, in combination with standard cytarabine and daunorubicin induction and cytarabine consolidation chemotherapy[17]. Rydapt is not indicated in the US as a single-agent induction therapy for the treatment of patients with AML. For a description of the experience with single-agent treatment beyond induction and consolidation, healthcare professionals in the US should refer to the Clinical Studies section of the US Prescribing Information (14.1)[17]. Rydapt is also approved to treat adult patients with aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM), systemic mastocytosis with associated hematological neoplasm (SM-AHN) or mast cell leukemia, collectively referred to as advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM)[17].

The full US Prescribing Information for Rydapt can be found at: https://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/sites/www.pharma.us.novartis.com/files/rydapt.pdf

Rydapt is also approved in Switzerland, for use in combination with standard induction and consolidation chemotherapy, followed by maintenance monotherapy for treatment of newly diagnosed adult AML patients who have an FLT3 mutation. Rydapt is indicated in Switzerland for the treatment of adult patients with advanced SM.

Indications vary by country and not all indications are available in every country. The safety and efficacy profile of Rydapt has not yet been established outside the approved indications. Because of the uncertainty of clinical trials, there is no guarantee that Rydapt will become commercially available for additional indications anywhere else in the world.

Rydapt Important Safety Information FROM THE US PRESCRIBING INFORMATION

Patients who are allergic to midostaurin or any of the ingredients in Rydapt should not take Rydapt. If a patient taking Rydapt develops signs of an allergic reaction, they should seek medical help immediately. Signs of an allergic reaction include trouble breathing, flushing, chest pain, throat tightness, and swelling of lips, mouth or throat.

Rydapt should be not be used during pregnancy since Rydapt may harm an unborn baby. Pregnancy testing should be conducted for women who might become pregnant. Effective birth control should be used during treatment and for at least four months after stopping Rydapt. If a patient becomes pregnant or thinks she may be, the patient should tell their doctor right away. Women should not breastfeed during treatment with Rydapt and for at least four months after the final dose. Men taking Rydapt who have female partners that are able to become pregnant should use effective birth control during his treatment with Rydapt and for at least four months after the last Rydapt dose. Rydapt may cause fertility problems in women and men, which may affect their ability to have children.

Rydapt may cause lung problems that may lead to death. Patients on Rydapt who develop a new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, or chest discomfort should get medical help right away. These may be signs of serious lung problems.

Common sides effects reported during Rydapt treatment for AML included low level of white blood cells with fever (febrile neutropenia); nausea; redness, pain or ulcers inside the mouth (mucositis); vomiting; headache; bruising; muscle or bone pain; nose bleeds; device-related infection; high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) and upper respiratory infections.

Common side effects reported during treatment for ASM, SM-AHM or mast cell leukemia included nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; swelling of the hands, feet or ankles; muscle or bone pain; stomach-area pain; tiredness; upper respiratory infection; constipation; fever; headache and trouble breathing.

If side effects including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea occur, get worse or do not go away during treatment with Rydapt, patients should contact their doctor. Depending on the side effect and/or severity of the side effect that occur, their doctor may decrease their dose, temporarily stop, or completely stop treatment with Rydapt.

Patients should tell their doctor about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Rydapt may affect how these medicines work or these other medicines may affect how Rydapt works.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 119,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis and @Novartis Cancer at http://twitter.com/novartiscancer.

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References

1. Novartis data on file.

2. National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI). Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment (PDQ) http://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-aml-treatment-pdq. Accessed June 19, 2017.

3. Visser O, Trama A, Maynadie M, et al. (RARECARE Working Group). Incidence, survival and prevalence of myeloid malignancies in Europe. Eur J Cancer. 2012;48(17):3257-3266.

4. Patel JP, Gonen M, Figueroa ME, et al. Prognostic relevance of integrated genetic profiling in acute myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med. 2012; 22;366(12):1079-1089.

5. Gilliland DG, Griffin JD. The roles of FLT3 in hematopoiesis and leukemia. Blood. 2002;100(5):1532-1542.

6. Yanada M, Matsuo K, Suzuki T, et al. Prognostic significance of FLT3 internal tandem duplication and tyrosine kinase domain mutations for acute myeloid leukemia: a meta-analysis. Leukemia. 2005;19(8):1345-1349.

7. Schiller GJ. High-risk acute myelogenous leukemia: treatment today ... and tomorrow. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2013; 2013:201-208.

8. Lin TL, Levy MY. Acute myeloid leukemia: focus on novel therapeutic strategies. Clin Med Insights Oncol. 2012;6:205-217.

9. Arock M, Akin C, Hermine O, et al. Current treatment options in patients with mastocytosis: status in 2015 and future perspectives. Eur J Haematology. 2015;94(6):474-494.

10. Georgin-Lavialle S, Lhermitte L, Dubreuil P, et al. Mast cell leukemia. Blood. 2013;121:1285-1295.

11. Lim KH, Tefferi A, Lasho T, et al. Systemic mastocytosis in 342 consecutive adults: survival studies and prognostic factors. Blood. 2009;113:5727-5736.

12. Stone RM, Mandrekar SJ, Sanford BL, et al. Midostaurin plus Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia with a FLT3 Mutation. N Engl J Med. 2017 June 23. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1614359. [Epub ahead of print].

13. Deschler B, Lubbert M. Acute myeloid leukemia: epidemiology and etiology. Cancer. 2006;107(9):2009-2107.

14. Dohner H, Estey E, Grimwade D, et al. Diagnosis and management of AML in adults: 2017 ELN recommendations from an international expert panel. Blood. 2017;129(4):424-447.

15.Garcia-Montero AC, Jara-Acevedo M, Teodosi C, et al. KIT mutation in mast cells and other bone marrow hematopoietic cell lineages in systemic mast cell disorders: a prospective study of the Spanish Network on Mastocytosis (REMA) in a series of 113 patients. Blood. 2006;108(7):2366-2372.

16.Verstovsek S. Advanced systemic mastocytosis: the impact of KIT mutations in diagnosis, treatment, and progression. Eur J Haematology. 2013;90(2):89-98.

17.Rydapt [prescribing information]. East Hanover, NJ: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp, 2017.

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E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

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A retail trade group almost tripled its federal lobbying spending during the second quarter of 2017 as it tried to kill a centerpiece of House Speaker Paul Ryan's tax plan -- the border-adjusted levy on imports.

The National Retail Federation, whose members include retailers that rely on imported goods, spent almost $5 million during the three months ending June 30 compared with $1.68 million during the same time period a year earlier, according to disclosures filed Thursday with the government.

The House GOP tax blueprint backed by Ryan includes the levy, which would replace the 35 percent corporate rate with a 20 percent tax on U.S. companies' domestic sales and imports, while exempting their exports. The measure is estimated to raise about $1 trillion over a decade and would help pay for individual and corporate tax cuts that have been promised by Republicans as part of a once-in-a-generation tax overhaul.

Spending on tax lobbying is expected to increase as the issue becomes the top legislative priority for the administration and Congress after efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act have faltered. Lobbying spending by many health-care companies already showed signs of slowing down in the second quarter.

Senate Republicans and the White House have been cool to the border-adjustment concept. While Ryan and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady have said the so-called BAT faces stiff political opposition, they haven't completely abandoned the measure.

"If a border adjustment isn't politically ready or needs more study, we have to find the solution," Brady told Fox Business Network Thursday. "We're looking at a number of proposals from the past as well as new ideas on how to tackle that problem."

The NRF has spent more than $7.3 million on lobbying in 2017, while another trade group, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, has spent more than $1.5 million.

During the second quarter, RILA increased its spending to $870,000 compared with $750,000 the prior year. Individual companies opposed to the BAT, such as apparel-maker Nike and retailer Best Buy, also increased their spending during the second quarter.

Three of the top U.S. retailers ramped up their lobbying spending in the first quarter of 2017. Target, Best Buy and Gap almost quadrupled their combined spending compared with the first quarter of 2016, according to disclosures.

Companies disclose spending on lobbying broadly, rather than on individual proposals, so it's hard to know exactly how much was dedicated to the border-adjusted tax specifically. Still, it's clear from companies' statements and business models that the tax is among the top issues for industries that import goods and their associations.

The NRF and RILA disclosed that they had lobbied on the BAT, as did Best Buy. Nike said it lobbied on "Issues related to tax reform."

In addition to lobbying efforts, some companies and associations opposed to the tax brought residents of legislators' districts to speak in Washington, and advertisements by the NRF emphasized the group's claim that the tax would raise prices on everyday goods.

Supporters of the tax, including export-heavy companies such as Dow Chemical and General Electric, have said it would foster U.S. business and that a strengthening dollar would offset the higher price of goods.

GE raised its lobbying spending to $1.62 million in the second quarter from $1.21 million a year earlier, disclosures show. Dow decreased its spending.

Lobbying spending also focused on opposing another potential tax change that would raise revenue -- limiting tax advantages for retirement savings accounts. The Save Our Savings coalition, which formed in April, disclosed that it spent $100,000 on lobbying during the second quarter. The group says it aims to "protect Americans' retirement savings as Congress plans a comprehensive tax overhaul," and has defended the tax-advantaged status of many retirement vehicles.

Disclosures by the coalition's outside lobbyists say they were working on a tax overhaul's effect on "retirement plan tax incentives" or "retirement plan savings incentives."

The White House has said that 401(k)s, which are funded through pre-tax dollars, won't be impacted by the administration's tax code rewrite.

Health-care companies largely scaled back lobbying spending in the second quarter after spending increased in the first three months of the year amid Congress's first attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Drug maker Novartis spent $1.8 million in the second quarter on lobbying, a $2.2 million drop from the previous three months. Novartis didn't list the American Health Care Act, the measure that was passed in the House, in its lobbying report.

Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries cut its lobbying expenditures to $840,000 from $2.7 million. Seven other pharmaceutical firms reported a drop of $130,000 or more in their lobbying spending from the first quarter.

The American Hospital Association, which opposed both the House and Senate health overhaul plans, cut its second-quarter spending to $3.8 million from $4.6 million. Among insurers, Aetna Inc. scaled back its spending the most, reporting $570,000 in spending, down from $1.4 million. Not every company scaled back, though: Cigna Corp. reported a $690,000 increase, up to $1.7 million.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waterstone Defeasance recently closed a defeasance transaction for a $12 million CMBS loan, secured by a multifamily property in Pensacola, Florida. Waterstone guided the owners through the defeasance process coinciding with the owners sale of their property.



As the defeasance consultant, Waterstone managed the activities of the numerous parties involved with the transaction in order to meet the borrowers closing schedule. Parties associated with a defeasance transaction typically include the servicer, servicers counsel, borrower, borrowers counsel, securities broker, custodian, accountant, rating agencies, and the successor borrower.

"Waterstone did an excellent job with this defeasance transaction. Their team worked diligently throughout the whole process to meet our closing deadline." - Cliff Barshay with Schreeder, Wheeler & Flint, LLP.

About Waterstone Defeasance

Waterstone Defeasance, LLC is an independent consulting firm specializing in assisting commercial real estate borrowers through the defeasance process. Since 2005, Waterstone has assisted owners and their advisors achieve the lowest possible defeasance costs. Waterstone has developed an industry-leading online defeasance calculator so clients can get a quick defeasance estimate on their website (defeasanceservices.com). Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company also has offices in New York, Dallas, and Irvine.
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A Black Lives Matter activist accused of punching a police horse is free on $20,000 bail after spending two weeks in jail because she was arrested on her way to court.

Shere Dore, 41, appeared Thursday in state District Judge Jim Wallace's court after making bail late Tuesday.

Dore was a passenger in a car pulled over for an expired inspection sticker in her Fort Bend County neighborhood on July 6. She was on her way to a routine court hearing in downtown Houston.

She was arrested for a warrant because of an old speeding ticket and was able to pay the fine and fees within days.

However, because she missed court, she was held in the Harris County jail without bail until a judge could rule on whether she could have another bail.

Defendants in Harris County who are arrested while free on bail are generally denied a second chance at bail.

Her attorney, Brian Harrison, said a judge set her bail and she was released Tuesday evening. Dore did not speak in court or after her appearance Thursday.

brian.rogers@chron.com

twitter.com/brianjrogers
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Along with conspiracy theories regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, government involvement in the 9/11 attacks, and reptilian humanoids at the controls of humanity, one of the most popular claims of trickery continues to be the theory that mankind never went to the moon.

According to theorists, back in 1969 we didn't have technology or funds to get to the moon so we faked the whole thing.

TMI, NASA: Early NASA diapers forced astronauts to disclose the size of their manhood

Other proffered explanations for why it was faked include wanting to win the Space Race with the Soviet Union at any cost, giving NASA a shot in the arm to justify excessive money already spent, or even distracting the American public from the unwinnable Vietnam War ensnaring the military.

Some claim that lunar landings ceased because NASA had already "achieved" what it set out to do, when in fact it was done as a cost-cutting measure. Our work in space from 1972 on would be mostly for scientific research, with the goal of possibly one day heading to Mars and points beyond.

HoustonChronicle.com: To moon landing skeptics, NASA says, 'Yes, we did'

Why do people want to not believe we went to the moon? It's probably too much fun talking about it, and coupled with the endless capacity of the internet, skeptics can find nearly any conspiracy theory to fit their mindset.

One theory we enjoy is NASA and Stanley Kubrick teaming up on an Area 51 soundstage to fake the landing. Proponents must have liked Kubrick's 1968 work on "2001: A Space Odyssey" which is still easily one of the most inventive space films.

An entertaining hoax video a few years back even had an actor posing as the late director confessing to the whole thing.

Kubrick's daughter Vivian even reiterated that her pop hadn't faked one of the landmark events in human history.

HoustonChronicle.com: Last man on the moon spent years seeking an encore

Granted, the story of the U.S. government faking the moon landing -- and subsequent landings -- makes for great fiction, the kind of thing that Kubrick would likely lampoon in a film of his own.

We think that if anyone would have helped the government fake the moon landing it would have been Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock working in tandem.

For now let's agree that Neil Armstrong and the boys actually went to the moon and came back with souvenirs. They even had to fill out passport documents to come back home.

Buzz Aldrin punched conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel in the face years back after he accused the American hero of not making the journey.

Mission Moon: How 50 years of space exploration defined Houston

CHRON CATCH-UP | NEWSLETTER Get a quick, weekday news update for free See More Collapse

In all, NASA visited the moon six times for exploration, last visiting in December 1972 during Apollo 17.

Things like the "waving" American flag, the supposed lack of a landing crater, a lack of stars in the background, all have led to some pledging allegiance to the moon-landing-hoax theory.

People will likely go back to the moon sooner or later but they will be on missions funded by private firms, meaning that maybe some of the youngest people reading this will be able to one day send home selfies from the Sea of Tranquility.
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Every day, a battle ensues between custom licence plate applicants and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

Hundreds of Texas drivers across the state try to sneak outrageous, obscene or sometimes simply clever messages into six or seven letters.

QUICK TIMING: Houston driver sped to get "covfefe" themed license plate

Between January 1 and March 31, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles rejected 580 custom plates. Here are some of the worst (or best, depending on your perspective).

Click through above to see the best licence plates rejected in January, February and March.
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WASHINGTON  Former Texas U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchisons confirmation hearing Thursday as ambassador to NATO might have served as her first diplomatic mission for the Trump administration.

At times she was basking in bipartisan praise from her former colleagues. But Hutchison also found herself defending President Donald Trumps tough stance on the North Atlantic military alliance, while at the same time commending the efforts of United States European allies.

She also gave qualified support for a legislative effort to impose new sanctions on Russia, which the Trump administration sees as an erosion of executive branch authority. The sanctions bill also has run afoul of some fellow Texans, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil chief, who worry that the sanctions could hurt U.S. energy companies.

I think Congress is doing the right thing to put sanctions in place, Hutchison told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she and four other ambassador nominees answered questions for more than two hours. I know there are disagreements on some of the language, and everyone is working to make sure it doesnt have unintended consequences.

The sanctions bill has been stuck in the House in a dispute over technical objections by some Republicans, prompting Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the panel, to tell Hutchison that well use your endorsement in the House to try and get it passed.

But despite some partisan jousting over Trumps past remarks about the relevance of the NATO military alliance, Thursdays hearing cemented the widespread impression that Hutchison could be one of Trumps easiest nominations.

Texas Republican Ted Cruz, who won Hutchisons Senate seat when she retired in 2012, introduced her as a friend and a true Texas legend.

Senior Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also spoke on her behalf, saying Hutchison, who served in the Senate for 20 years, needs no introduction.

Cruz contrasted Hutchisons popularity on both sides of the aisle with his own reputation as a Senate gadfly. All of you I know respect Kay, and a great many I know were grieved when you saw her successor, he said to laughter.

Hutchison, 73, was frequently addressed familiarly by her first name. Cardins opening remarks made clear she will face little if any Democratic opposition, despite widespread skepticism over Trumps professed admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Its particularly a pleasure to have Kay Bailey Hutchison back before our committee, Cardin said. It must be a little different experience to be on the other side of the dais, but we thank you very much, and I know youre going to do an incredible service to our country and NATO.

Despite the good feelings, Democrats on the committee came prepared to use Hutchisons hearing to question Trumps foreign policy agenda, particularly the presidents commitment to NATO and its Article 5 pledge to a common defense of its 29 member nations.

New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez recalled Trumps campaign pronouncement that NATO is obsolete, as well as his subsequent omission of Article 5 during a speech in Europe in May.

Two quick questions, Menendez said. Do you believe NATO is obsolete? And secondly, do we have an unequivocal commitment to Article 5?

Absolutely ..., Hutchison said.

Which one is absolutely? Menendez interrupted. My first question or my second?

The commitment to Article 5, Hutchison continued. Well, first of all, NATO is not obsolete, and the president has acknowledged that. She added that after meeting with Tillerson and top Pentagon officials, the president realized immediately that it is an important and successful alliance.

Said Menendez: Your role in reasserting that will be very important.

Unprompted in her own testimony, Hutchison also endorsed Trumps call for all NATO countries to meet their commitments to allocating at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product to defense. Our allies need to meet this commitment, she said.

But she also praised Canadian, United Kingdom and European participation in joint efforts to protect the most vulnerable nations in the Balkans, particularly through a U.S.-led program initiated in 2014 in response to Russias annexation of Crimea.

We are beefing up defenses for an aggressive Russia, she said. She added that as NATO has said, theres not going to be business as usual with Russia, in regard to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Hutchison, who served on both the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, pointed to greater NATO cooperation in sharing information about the growing threat of cyberterrorism.

Menendez also pressed Hutchison and four other ambassador nominees for their views on whether Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential elections, in which Hutchison started out as a supporter of Jeb Bush.

I think from what our intelligence communities have said and what has been in the newspapers and other media, that there is a good likelihood, yes, she said. I also think it is important that we know the extent and how it was done. Thats what the investigations are meant to do.

Hutchisons performance won a full-throated endorsement from Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Im so glad youre the nominee, Kaine said. Your nomination sends a signal that the NATO relationship is an important one. I dont think the administration would have asked somebody of your qualifications if they didnt mean to send a signal, that whatever the earlier statements or thoughts about NATO, theres now a commitment  So Im very, very happy to see you before this committee, and Im very anxious to get you confirmed as quickly as we can.

In an interview, Hutchison dismissed concerns that Trumps equivocations on Russian hacking in the presidential election might undermine the United States credibility in NATO.

I think the president has been very firm and I think in his speech in Warsaw he was very firm about Russia keeping its commitments; and I think the Congress is of that mind, the secretaries of state and defense have said that, and I think the president has as well, she said.

Hutchison, who is widowed, said that if shes confirmed by the Senate this summer, she expects to take her 15-year-old son, a French speaker, along with her to Brussels. Her 16-year-old daughter will remain at a boarding school in Virginia, where she is a high school junior.

Hutchison said it was Tillerson, a close friend from Dallas, who came to her in February with the idea of joining the State Department as his envoy to NATO. She had been involved in helping Tillerson prepare for his own confirmation hearings.

Im very excited about the mission, she said. Im excited about the opportunity to combine my love for our defense and my love for our country to do something that I think is so important for the future of America.

I never did think of coming back, said Hutchison, who has been practicing law at Bracewell LLP. I wouldnt have ever thought about it until the secretary (Tillerson) called me.
AUSTIN  The League of Women Voters of Texas and the Texas NAACP said Thursday they have sued Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos over plans to release voter information to President Donald Trumps election commission.

Texas law requires that safeguards be met to ensure such data isnt used improperly, the groups said, and they must be followed before any data is sent to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Voter Integrity.
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A South Side man accused of sexually assaulting a child has been arrested, police said.

Ramiro Martinez Trevino, 29, faces a count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He was arrested Wednesday, and his bail was set at $75,000.

San Antonio police officers on Wednesday went to Santa Rosa Childrens Hospital on a report of a sexual assault, Martinez Trevinos arrest warrant affidavit states. They met with a woman and her daughter, a child under the age of 15.

The mother told officers her daughter had told her earlier that she had been sexually assaulted by Martinez Trevino, the affidavit states. Martinez Trevino is a relative.
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A 43-year-old man was fatally shot in the head Thursday night at a Northeast Side home.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 10:15 p.m. in the 100 block of Northgate Drive, where they found Jose Garcia Martinez with a bullet hole in the back of his neck.

RELATED: 4-year-old boy killed in possibly gang-related drive-by shooting, police say

Martinez was transported to San Antonio Military Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police say the shooter may have walked to the front door and fired one round at Martinez, killing him. Witnesses say the suspect and Martinez might have been in an argument prior to the shooting.

Authorities are currently investigating the shooting.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
TORONTO, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ecclesiastical Insurance is mindful that wildfires are an on-going and ever-increasing threat to many communities across Canada as evidenced by the current fires in the Central Interior of BC and last years wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta.



The government of Canadas Natural Resources website http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/report provides statistics and historical data on the number of wildfires across Canada each year. So far, in 2017, there have been 2,275 wildfires with a 10-year national average of 3,541. Natural Resources Canada http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects-disturbances/fire/13155, cites climate change as the main cause for the increase in fires in Canadas boreal forests, and predicts a potential doubling of the amount of area burned by the end of this century, compared with amounts burned in recent decades.

Although these are discouraging statistics, Colin Robertson, Ecclesiasticals Vice President, Operations and Risk Control, advises that there are pre-emptive measures that can be taken to protect property. The first step is often the most effective  clearing combustible debris away from buildings  including obvious things like dry grass, leaves, brush, stacks of firewood, etc., and some less obvious things like a wood fence and even a wooden deck. Other measures include:

Thinning out or pruning trees that are near buildings and clearing away vegetation from power lines, propane tanks and other fuel supplies.



Embers can fly into eaves and vent openings and set a building on fire from the interior. Ensure they are free of debris and properly screened.



Remove leaves and twigs from roofs, fit the chimney with a spark arrestor screen, and keep well maintained.



Intense heat can go right through windows igniting drapes and furniture. Replace fabric window coverings with heat-resistant products; and ideally, install outside non-combustible shutters which can be quickly closed in an emergency.



Good access for emergency vehicles is vital. Defensible spaces or fire breaks should stretch out at least 30 feet from a building, and large concentric rings of fuel reduction set further out improve the odds. The clearer the area, the better the chance a fire crew will be able to protect your property.

Always follow the instructions of your local authorities and take immediate action as instructed to protect persons and property.

If evacuating the area and time permits property owners should:

Shut off the natural gas supply and electricity to the building.

Close exterior windows and shut down the building ventilation system to reduce airflow and prevent smoke from circulating throughout the building.

Close all interior doors and fire separation doorways in the hall.

Lock entry doors to prevent unauthorized entry and possible looting.

Move vehicles away from the building.

Have an emergency preparedness plan in place so employees and visitors to the property know what to do. The plan should include possible exit routes and a safe place to meet if the need to evacuate arises.

Prepare a 72-hour emergency supply kit with: water, non-perishable foods, battery-powered radio, flashlight, extra batteries, first aid kit, any prescription medications, sturdy shoes, identification, cash and any special needs items.

About Ecclesiastical Insurance

Founded in 1887 and with offices in Canada since 1972, Ecclesiastical Insurance is a specialist insurance provider. Working closely with the national independent broker network, Ecclesiastical provides customized insurance solutions and services to faith organizations, retirement communities, education facilities, arts & culture institutions, funeral services providers and registered charities and non-profit groups. For more information visit www.ecclesiastical.ca
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Police say a gunman jumped out of a moving Cadillac on a residential Northeast Side street and shot a man in the head and chest before fleeing.

Officers responded to the shooting in the 6900 block of Glendora Avenue, a street known to have some "problems," around 11:15 a.m., according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, who spoke to reporters at the scene.

"We don't have a motive right now," McManus said, "but apparently someone was after him."

Police said the victim, who has not been identified, was walking down Glendora in front of the Oaks of Terrell Hills apartments, when a black Cadillac loaded with multiple people rolled up on him. One person jumped out of the car, gunned the victim down and then got back into the vehicle.

Related: Mother of 4-year-old boy killed in East Side drive-by asks for justice, not retaliation

Paramedics took the victim to San Antonio Military Medical Center around 11:30 a.m. in critical but stable condition, according to McManus.

Police have few details on who was involved, though McManus said the Cadillac was possibly occupied by four men and the vehicle might have had damage to it's rear bumper.

McManus said police "don't necessarily" believe the shooting is connected to this week's two drive-by shootings on Hub Avenue, which have left a 4-year-old boy dead and at least three other people injured. However, they are investigating whether there is any connection between the three events.

"We don't know if this is strictly gang related or just two individuals who had a problem," he said.

Glendora Avenue has been the scene of past violence, with at least two shootings occurring on the street since the beginning of 2017. McManus said one of the victims of those shootings was "hanging out" at the scene on Friday.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
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The mother of De-Earlvion Whitley, the 4-year-old boy killed on the East Side Wednesday night in what police believe was a gang-related drive-by shooting, made it clear that her family doesn't want retaliation against those responsible.

"Let's be clear," said 29-year-old Cyntwanisha Whitley in a Facebook post, "we (meaning his mother and father and brothers) do not want retaliation. We want justice because we can't get this smile, we can't get our baby back."

A candlelight vigil will be held for De-Earlvion at 7:30 p.m. in Copernicus Park at 5015 Lord Road. A GoFundMe page for his memorial fund had raised almost $4,000 by Friday morning.

Related: After 'senseless' shooting of 4-year-old, leaders vow to stop bloodshed

On Friday morning the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office released the cause of death of De-Earlvion. He was killed by a gunshot wound to the head during a drive-by shooting at his home in the 200 block of Hub Avenue just before midnight Wednesday. De-Earlvion was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:03 p.m. Thursday.

Cyntwanisha Whitley suffered two gunshot wounds to her left leg in the shooting. She was released from the hospital on Thursday. De-Earlvion's 7-year old brother, Corey Lewis, was also in the home at the time of the shooting but was left unharmed.

"My baby didn't deserve this at all and as his mother, I will stand with the men in blue," Cyntwanisha Whitley said in the post. "These men fought to keep my baby. My baby fought his last 15 minutes of his life and for that, I know my baby is home and he's okay."

Police have yet to charge anyone in connection with De-Earlvion's murder, but officers arrested four suspects in two separate vehicles, both "loaded with guns and ammunition," shortly after the shooting. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said it is unclear if the suspects were leaving the scene of the shooting or headed to another location to carry out a retaliatory attack.

RELATED: Family, neighbors speak out after gunmen slay sleeping 4-year-old in East Side drive-by shooting

McManus said the drive-by that killed Whitley might have been a retaliatory attack for another drive-by a few blocks away earlier on Wednesday at Spriggsdale and Hub that injured at least two people.

The boy's death sparked outrage among San Antonio community leaders and neighbors in the East Side neighborhood where the shooting occurred.

"Senseless violence is always tragic. It is even more heartbreaking when an innocent child is the victim," said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. "The apparent gang-related shooting on Hub Avenue is an act that will not be tolerated in San Antonio."

At a Thursday morning press conference following the shooting, McManus vowed to arrested the suspects responsible for De-Earlvion's death and said the department will be "saturating" the area of the drive-by's with police officers to try to prevent further violence.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
Eric Gay/STF

AUSTIN -- Hundreds of people lined up outside a Texas Senate committee room Friday morning to weigh in on the Legislature's latest attempt to regulate who can use bathrooms and changing rooms at schools and charter schools.

State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, said her newly filed SB 3 is about parents being able to protect their children from people pretending to be transgender to spy on kids in restrooms. But critics say it's a civil rights issue that will bat transgender students from being able to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender they identify with.
Todays European Commission approval is the second worldwide; in the U.S., more than 33,000 patients have been treated with Veltassa since it was approved by the FDA in 2015



Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and/or heart failure are especially susceptible to hyperkalemia, which, if untreated, can lead to abnormal heart rhythms and even sudden death

The first launches of Veltassa in Europe are anticipated by year-end 2017 or early 2018

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Relypsa, Inc., a Vifor Pharma Group company, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Veltassa (patiromer) for the treatment of hyperkalemia, or elevated blood potassium levels. Veltassa, which is the brand name for patiromer in both the U.S. and Europe, is approved for marketing in all 28 EU countries and in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Vifor Pharma Group plans to launch Veltassa in Europe by the end of 2017 or in early 2018.

The European approval of Veltassa marks the first regulatory approval for this important medicine outside the U.S., further validating our innovative polymer science, said Scott Garland, president of Relypsa. In the U.S., we are encouraged by the growing acceptance and uptake of Veltassa by clinicians and patients. In the 18 months since we launched Veltassa, more than 33,000 patients with hyperkalemia, a serious and often chronic health concern, have been treated with it. We look forward to working with our colleagues at Vifor Pharma Group to help bring Veltassa to patients in Europe, where a new daily treatment for hyperkalemia is needed.

In the EU, Veltassa is indicated for the treatment of adults with hyperkalemia, and the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) notes that this includes those who develop hyperkalemia while being treated with renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor therapy. Nearly all patients treated with Veltassa in the clinical development program were on RAAS inhibitors at baseline. In the United States, Veltassa was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hyperkalemia in October 2015, becoming the first new medicine for this condition in more than 50 years. Marketing authorization applications for Veltassa have been submitted and are under review in Switzerland and Australia. Vifor Pharma plans to submit applications in other markets worldwide.

Patients with advanced CKD and/or heart failure are especially susceptible to hyperkalemia, including the 3 million people in the United States who have stage 3 or 4 CKD and/or heart failure. Hyperkalemia can cause abnormal heart rhythms and even sudden death. There are often no warning signs, meaning a person can unknowingly experience spikes in potassium levels recurrently and be at risk for these cardiac events. Some medicines that are often prescribed to people with CKD and heart failure to help delay progression of their underlying disease can cause hyperkalemia as a side effect. These include RAAS inhibitors such as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), aldosterone antagonists (AAs), angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists (MRA).

About Veltassa

Veltassa is a sodium-free potassium binder approved for the treatment of hyperkalemia. Veltassa should not be used as an emergency treatment for life-threatening hyperkalemia because of its delayed onset of action.

Made in powder form consisting of smooth, spherical beads, Veltassa is mixed with water (one-third of a cup) and taken once-a-day with food. Veltassa is not absorbed and acts within the gastrointestinal tract. It binds to potassium in exchange for calcium, primarily in the colon. The potassium is then excreted from the body through the normal excretion process.

Important Safety Information

Contraindications

Veltassa is contraindicated in patients with a history of a hypersensitivity reaction to Veltassa or any of its components.

Worsening of Gastrointestinal Motility

Use of Veltassa should be avoided in patients with severe constipation, bowel obstruction or impaction, including abnormal post-operative bowel motility disorders, because Veltassa may be ineffective and may worsen gastrointestinal conditions. Patients with a history of bowel obstruction or major gastrointestinal surgery, severe gastrointestinal disorders, or swallowing disorders were not included in clinical studies.

Hypomagnesemia

Veltassa binds to magnesium in the colon, which can lead to hypomagnesemia. In clinical studies, hypomagnesemia was reported as an adverse reaction in 5.3 percent of patients treated with Veltassa. Approximately 9 percent of patients in clinical trials developed hypomagnesemia with a serum magnesium value <1.4 mg/dL. Doctors should monitor serum magnesium and consider magnesium supplementation in patients who develop low serum magnesium levels.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (incidence 2 percent) are constipation, hypomagnesemia, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort and flatulence. Mild to moderate hypersensitivity reactions were reported in 0.3 percent of patients treated with Veltassa and included edema of the lips.

For Veltassas full U.S. Prescribing Information, please visit https://www.veltassa.com/pi.pdf.

About Relypsa, Inc.

Relypsa, Inc., a Vifor Pharma Group company, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of polymeric medicines for patients with conditions that are often overlooked and undertreated and can be addressed in the gastrointestinal tract. The

Company's first medicine, Veltassa (patiromer) for oral suspension, was developed based on Relypsa's rich legacy in polymer science. More information is available at www.relypsa.com.

About Vifor Pharma Group

Vifor Pharma Group, formerly Galenica Group, is a global specialty pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency, nephrology and cardio-renal therapies. The company is the partner of choice for specialty pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe and chronic diseases lead better, healthier lives. The company develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and consists of the following companies: Vifor Pharma; Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma, a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care; Relypsa; and OM Pharma. Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland, and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348). For more information, please visit www.viforpharma.com.
Life is cheap in Guatemala, a country inured to violence by 30 years of civil war that ended with a blanket amnesty leaving no one accountable for the deaths of 200,000 mostly unarmed civilians.

This was the Guatemala 19-year-old Nury Chavarria fled in 1993, along with her father and brother. While they were granted asylum, however, Nury was not, for reasons that arent clear. She stayed here regardless, for reasons that are.

Peacetime in Guatemala has proven a contradiction in terms. Fueled by a surfeit of weapons and a society accustomed to using them, the postwar violence has continued apace. Last year saw on average 101 murders a week. Virtually all have gone unpunished.

When the war ended in 1996, the death squads, police, and former military officers transitioned to the drug trade, Guatemala being midway between South American supply and U.S. demand. Arms smuggling, human trafficking, extortion, and kidnapping for ransom filled in the gaps.

Youth gangs proliferated. Child sex tourism, kiddie porn, and sale of children became common. So did teen pregnancy. One in three girls gives birth before the age of 18, most often as a byproduct of rape. Women are being murdered at rates on a par with those of the wars bloodiest years.

This is the Guatemala Nury Chavarria was to be sent to after 24 years in America, her appeals to remain in Norwalk with her four children, U.S. citizens all, rejected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Our tax dollars  and President Donald Trumps immigration policies  at work.

As the sole supporter of four kids between 21 and 9, with a stable job as a housekeeper and no criminal record, Nury was a low priority for deportation under the Obama administration, which granted her multiple stays for humanitarian reasons.

She was expecting another stay last month when she checked in with ICE in Hartford. Instead, she was fitted with an ankle GPS bracelet and told she needed a one-way ticket back. Her departure date was July 20, but she instead sought temporary sanctuary in a New Haven church.

Because she had neither the means to buy plane tickets to Guatemala for her children nor a means to support them once there, Nury would have been forced to leave them behind even though she had no one to leave them with.

Her eldest, 21-year-old Elvin, who has cerebral palsy and learning problems, wouldnt be able to care for himself; as minors, 9-year-old Hayley and 15-year-old Kevin would become wards of the state of Connecticut.

The burden of keeping her here is far less than sending her back, says her lawyer, Glenn Formica, who points out that her dilemma is common for many immigrant mothers. If this country cant show mercy to immigrant mothers, we have lost all sense of our own humanity.

Nury would have to wait a federally mandated 10 years before she could return to the U.S. By that time, her youngest child would be 19, the same age as her mother when she fled her war-torn country in the hope of a better life.

Like the families it destroys, U.S. immigration policy is broken, its effect on children like Nurys both heartless and heartbreaking. A nation that shatters innocent lives and leaves no room for mercy is not the America we know.
Texans will soon be able to take their guns onto hot air balloons.

Thats right. A new law, unanimously passed in both chambers, allows the hunting of wild pigs and coyotes from hot air balloons. This strikes us as a bad idea.

Hot air balloons are much less safe than other forms of aircraft. Last summer, 16 people died after a hot air balloon near Lockhart crashed into power lines.

The pilot, Alfred Skip Nichols, had numerous drunken driving convictions in Missouri and wasnt allowed to drive a vehicle. But he could fly a hot air balloon. Why? Because balloon pilots are not held to the same medical and background standards as other commercial pilots.

Instead of focusing on balloon safety, and preventing future tragedies, state lawmakers opted to allow guns on balloons to kill pigs. That says it all.

Belatedly, state Rep. John Cyrier, a Republican from Lockhart, asked Gov. Greg Abbott to veto the bill, arguing it creates a false sense of security for these balloons. But Abbott signed the bill, and the new law will take effect Sept. 1.

Perhaps federal lawmakers will address the issue. Following a petition from the families of two San Antonio victims in the crash, Sen. Ted Cruz has introduced legislation that would place balloon pilots on par with other commercial pilots and require medical exams.

It doesnt make much sense to treat balloon pilots differently than other commercial pilots. As Express-News reporter John Tedesco found earlier this year, roughly half of the 140 commercial balloon crashes since 2005 were due to pilot error.

Allowing guns on balloons to kill pigs is but another example of state lawmakers missing the mark.
Vancouver, BC, Canada and Staten Island, NY, USA, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- David Emerson, P.C., O.B.C., Chair of the Board for GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. (GCT) today announced the appointment of Doron Grosman as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Doron replaces Stephen Edwards, who served in the position since 2012. On behalf of the entire organization, Mr. Emerson extends GCTs sincere thanks to Stephen for his service leading the company, and wishes him well.

Doron is widely known for his ability to drive company performance through the acceleration of revenue growth, optimization of costs and capital, as well as the delivery of superior customer value.

"We are confident that Dorons operational focus and broad range of industry experience will lead GCT through the next transformational stage of growth, improving service delivery to our customers and value to our stakeholders," said Emerson. "He will be responsible for all operations in both Canada and the United States."

Doron is a seasoned, multi-industry executive with experience in a variety of C-suite roles at global Fortune 1000 companies as well as middle market private equity owned companies. Most recently from 2010 to 2017, he was an Operating Partner at New York-based Court Square Capital Partners, where he was a member of the Investment Team working with portfolio companies in a variety of service and technology industry sectors, on key strategic and operational initiatives.

Prior to this, Doron was President for Hexcel Corp., a public company that is a global leader in advanced composites technology and was previously also the President of Quebecor Magazine Printing Solutions. His leadership drove enhanced results throughout both of these organizations.

Doron started his career at Bain & Company, the management consulting firm, and then spent eleven years in various senior executive roles in General Electric (GE) both in the corporate office and at GE Plastics. Following his career at GE, Doron was the de facto Chief Operating Officer for American Standards global Trane Air-Conditioning business.

In addition to more than 30 years of leadership experience, Doron holds a MBA from the Harvard Business School as well as a Masters of Science in Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

About GCT Global Container Terminals Inc.

Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. operates four Green Marine certified terminals in two principal North American ports. Through GCT USA on the East Coast, the company operates two award-winning facilities: GCT New York on Staten Island, NY and GCT Bayonne in Bayonne, NJ. On the West Coast, GCT Canada operates two gateway terminals: GCT Vanterm and GCT Deltaport in Vancouver and Delta, BC. Visit globalterminals.com and follow us on Twitter at @BigShipReady to read more about GCT.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e643d04-6650-4542-ad67-5f0d2fcd6614

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9988a4f6-9c21-4a97-bc22-34671a685f44
Not for distribution in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan or the Republic of Ireland.

Foresight 4 VCT plc

21 July 2017

Tender Offer

The Company has today posted to shareholders of the Company a tender offer document (Tender Offer Document) in respect of a tender offer to purchase ordinary shares of 1p each in the capital of the Company (Shares) having an aggregate value of up to 5 million (Tender Offer). Terms used in this announcement shall have the same meaning as in the Tender Offer Document.

Introduction

Shareholders of both the Company and Foresight 3 VCT plc (Foresight 3) voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging the two companies, with the merger being completed on 22 June 2017 (Merger). As a result, the special dividend of 4.0p per Share, which was conditional on the Merger becoming effective, was paid on 17 July 2017 to all Shareholders of the enlarged entity on the register on 30 June 2017. Having completed the Merger and paid the special dividend, the Company now has net assets of over 72 million.

The Board is now positioning the Company to take advantage of its increased size, cost efficiencies and other strategic benefits. The Company is currently seeking to raise funds under the Offer to further increase its net assets and be able to take up the investment opportunities being seen by Foresight. Shareholders will also recall that the Board set out in the Merger circular its intention to make available a tender offer post Merger for up to 5 million. The Board is delighted to be writing today to Shareholders to make this opportunity available.

The Tender Offer

The Tender Offer is being made to all Shareholders (other than certain Overseas Shareholders). Full details of the Tender Offer, including the terms and conditions on which it is being made, are set out in the Tender Offer Document and on the Tender Form which has been sent to Shareholders who hold their Shares in certificated form.

The Tender Offer involves the following:

The Tender Offer is being made to Shareholders (other than certain Overseas Shareholders) for up to a number of Shares (rounded down to the nearest whole number of Shares) equal in value, in aggregate, to 5 million at the Tender Price.

The Tender Price will be an amount equal to 92.5% of the latest published NAV per Share as at the date of the purchase (ie a 7.5% discount to NAV). The Board considers this to be an appropriate discount to take into account the costs of the Tender Offer and balance the interests of selling Shareholders and remaining Shareholders.

The number of Shares to which the Tender Offer will apply will be determined by dividing 5 million (being the total amount being made available to purchase Shares under the Tender Offer) by the Tender Price, and rounding the result down to the nearest whole number of Shares, subject to a maximum of 8.5 million Shares (representing 8.04% of the Company's issued share capital of 105, 712,831 Shares on 20 July 2017).

Each Shareholder will be entitled to have purchased from their holding at the Tender Price under the Tender Offer such percentage (Basic Entitlement Percentage) of their holding of Shares on the Record Date as is equal to the percentage which the total number of Shares to which the Tender Offer will apply bears to the total number of Shares in issue on the Record Date, rounded down to the nearest whole number of Shares (such entitlement being a Shareholder's Basic Entitlement). Shareholders may tender a higher or lower percentage of their holdings but tenders in excess of the Basic Entitlement will only be satisfied to the extent that other Shareholders tender less than their Basic Entitlement.

Shareholders (other than certain Overseas Shareholders) will be able to decide whether to continue their existing investment in the Company without tendering any Shares or to tender some or all of their Shares within the overall limit of the Tender Offer.

All Shares validly tendered by any Shareholder up to their Basic Entitlement (which represents such Shareholder's pro rata share of the total number of Shares to be acquired under the Tender Offer) will be accepted in full.

The Tender Form to be completed by Shareholders who hold their Shares in certificated form contains a box to enable those Shareholders who wish to tender their Basic Entitlement to do so. If you hold your Shares in certificated form and you tick this box, the Company's receiving agent, Computershare Investor Services Limited (Computershare) will calculate your Basic Entitlement on the Record Date. If you wish to tender a different number of Shares to your Basic Entitlement, insert such number of Shares in the alternate box provided on the Tender Form.

Shareholders who hold their Shares in uncertificated form (ie in CREST) and who wish to tender their Basic Entitlement should send a TTE instruction through CREST to the basic entitlement member account as set out in the Tender Offer Document. Computershare will calculate your Basic Entitlement on the Record Date and return any excess Shares. If you wish to tender a different number of Shares to your Basic Entitlement, you should send a TTE Instruction through CREST to the alternate member account specifying such number of Shares as set out in the Tender Offer Document.

If the aggregate value, at the Tender Price, of the number of Shares validly tendered equates to a value of 5 million or less, all such Shares will be accepted and purchased.

If the aggregate value, at the Tender Price, of the number of Shares validly tendered equates to more than 5 million, tenders will be accepted in the order set out below:

- all Shares validly tendered by any Shareholder up to their Basic Entitlement will be accepted in full; and

- all Shares validly tendered by Shareholders in excess of their Basic Entitlements will be satisfied in proportion to the number of Shares tendered by each Shareholder in excess of their Basic Entitlement so as to ensure that the aggregate price paid in respect of all Shares purchased under the Tender Offer does not exceed 5 million.

All successfully tendered Shares purchased and will be cancelled and will not rank for any future dividends.

Any rights of Shareholders who choose not to tender their Shares will be unaffected.

The Board is making no recommendation to Shareholders in relation to participating in the Tender Offer and Shareholders are recommended to take their own investment, financial andr tax advice.

The Tender Price (based on an unaudited NAV per Share of 68.9p, this being the latest published NAV per Share of 72.9p as at the Merger, but reduced by the recent special dividend of 4.0p) would be 63.7325p.

The Tender Price is at a discount to the NAV per Share. The Tender Offer is not, therefore, expected to have a dilutive effect on remaining Shareholders (assuming a successful take up). The Tender Offer will, however, have a dilutive effect on Shareholders to the extent that the costs are more than the 7.5% discount to NAV at which the actual number of Shares are purchased.

Shareholders who remain invested should be aware that the Tender Offer may (though unlikely) have the effect of increasing their percentage of the total share capital in the Company remaining in issue to a level above 3%, in which case they will be required to notify the Company under the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the UK Listing Authority.

Taxation

The information below and contained in this document is a general guide only and is based on UK tax law as well as the practice of HMRC at the date of this document in relation to Shareholders who are individuals. Shareholders who are in any doubt as to their tax position, or who may be subject to tax in a jurisdiction other than the UK, should consult an appropriate professional adviser. These comments are not exhaustive and do not constitute legal or tax advice.

The purchase of Shares under the Tender Offer will be regarded as a disposal of such Shares.

The purchase of any Shares that have not been held for five years from the date of issue will be subject to clawback of any up-front income tax relief obtained on such Shares. In addition, any deferred capital gains on the original subscription of the Shares will become chargeable to capital gains tax.

There could be an income tax charge for Shareholders on any excess of the Tender Price above the original issue price paid for the Shares. Shareholders who do not qualify for VCT tax reliefs may also be subject to a capital gains tax charge by the amount that the original issue price exceeds the price paid.

The disposal of shares in a VCT within six months before or after a subscription for new shares in the same VCT will result in the amount of the investment in the new shares to which VCT tax reliefs are available being reduced by an amount equal to the proceeds received on disposal.

The timing of the purchase of Shares under the Tender Offer has been set after the expiry of the five year holding period required to maintain up-front income tax relief in respect of Shares issued pursuant to the 2012 Enhanced Buyback Scheme and Shares issued pursuant to the Merger which are originally derived from the Foresight 3 2012 Enhanced Buyback Scheme. Shareholders who participated in the 2012 Enhanced Buyback Scheme or the Foresight 3 2012 Enhanced Buyback Scheme should, therefore be able to participate without prejudicing the up-front income tax relief obtained. The Board will consider making further tender offers available in which Shares who participated in the 2013 Enhanced Buyback Scheme can participate.

Shareholders who may have participated in the Foresight 3 Top-Up Offer or the 2013 Enhanced Buyback Scheme, or who have applied, or intend to apply, under the Offer or have acquired Shares in the Company and/or Foresight 3 at different times, will need to carefully consider the implications of participating in the Tender Offer.

Further details relating to the taxation implications of participating in the Tender Offer are set out in the Tender Offer Document

Overseas Shareholders

Shareholders with registered or mailing addresses outside the UK, or who are citizens or nationals of, or resident in, a jurisdiction other than the UK, should read the Tender Offer Document and the relevant provisions of the Tender Form. It is the responsibility of all Overseas Shareholders to satisfy themselves as to the observance of any legal requirements in their jurisdiction, including, without limitation, any relevant requirements in relation to the ability of such holders to complete and return a Tender Form.

Expected Timetable

Tender Offer opens 21 July 2017 Tender Offer closes - latest time and date for receipt of Tender Forms and TTE Instructions 1.00 p.m. on 20 September 2017 Record Date for Tender Offer close of business on 20 September 2017 Announcement of the results and take up level under the Tender Offer 8.00 a.m. on 22 September 2017 Completion of purchase of Shares under the Tender Offer 22 September 2017 Settlement date for the Tender Offer: cheques dispatched, assured payments made through CREST by 29 September 2017 CREST accounts credited for revised holdings of Shares by 29 September 2017 Dispatch of balance Share certificates for unsold Ordinary Shares by 29 September 2017

If any of the above times and/or dates change, the revised times and/or dates will be notified to Shareholders by an announcement through the Regulatory Information Service of the London Stock Exchange.

Further Information

A copy of the Tender Offer Document has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM.

Additional copies of these documents are available on the following website (www.foresightgroup.eu) and may be also obtained on request from the Company's registered office at:

c/o Foresight Group LLP

The Shard

32 London Bridge Street

London

SE1 9SG

Enquiries:

Gary Fraser

Foresight Group LLP

Tel: 020 667 8100
GREENSBORO, N.C.  Just when you thought the tide might be shifting toward the good guys in the skimming game, the bad guys unleash a new weaponthe shimmer, WFMY-TV reports. The paper-thin device about the size of a credit card can be wedged into the card slot of a gas pump or ATM. A microchip embedded in the shimmer, along with flash storage, can grab credit and debit card data that thieves use to create a counterfeit magnetic strip card.

The good news is that shimmers only work on mag-stripe card readers, not on chip readers. The bad news is that its even harder to see if a shimmer has been secreted inside the card reader.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is alerting the public to be on the lookout for shimmers by monitoring credit and debit card statements. So, its account information, its pin numbers, its the encrypted information that's already taken place. Theyll take that information, and then create dummy cards from that data that was harvested from that machine, said Sandra Guile, a BBB spokeswoman.

The BBB also noted that when inserting a card into a reader with a shimmer, the card sometimes become stuck, FOX19 in Cincinnati reports. Other suggestions for consumers to protect themselves from shimmers include opting for the chip reader, withdrawing funds inside the bank instead of at the ATM and covering the keypad with your hand when entering a PIN.
LONDON  Starting in January, U.K. businesses, governments and retailers will no longer be able to add a surcharge to credit card transactions, Ars Technica UK reports. Such surcharges typically arent levied on debit cards, although the news article pointed out that some small convenience stores will add a surcharge on any card payment.

In 2015, a European Union directive capped the swipe fees merchants would have to pay at 0.3% for credit cards and 0.2% for debit cards. In the directive, the EU said that such interchange fees cost retailers as much as 13 billion annually across Europe. The United Kingdom estimates the cost to U.K. businesses to be 473 million in 2010.

The U.K. ban will apply to Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Apple Pay and PayPal, going beyond the usual focus on only credit cards. The United Kingdom, like the United States, is moving from paying as much with cash, with cash payments only accounting for 48% of transactions in 2015.

Visa is pushing for that transition to continue with its announcement last week to give incentives to businesses that refuse to accept cash. The credit card company is running a pilot program with 50 U.S. restaurants, with plans to expand to the United Kingdom. In exchange for $10,000, the restaurants agreed to only accept mobile or card payments. Were focused on putting cash out of business, said Al Kelly, Visas CEO, in the Wall Street Journal.
Earths Tectonic Activity May Be Crucial for Lifeand Rare in Our Galaxy Scientific American

Quantum teleportation is even weirder than you think Nature

Alphabay and Hansa Takedowns Ensnare Thousands of Dark Web Users Wired

Balanced budget like shooting the economy in the head  experts Medium. The expert being Bill Black.

Should Americas Tech Giants Be Broken Up? Bloomberg

Google and Facebook lay foundations for modern-day company towns FT

Google Maps adds the International Space Station BBC

Syraqistan

Saudi Arabia  Bin Salmans Coup Is A Model For His Own Ouster Moon of Alabama. We dont hear much about the Qatar crisis these days

Brexit

Why German Turks are Numerous, Divided and Bitter Handelsblatt

Countering hybrid security threats a priority, says EU EU Business (MT).

China

Health Care

GOP leaders plan Tuesday health vote, its an uphill climb AP

Key Trumpcare Holdout Says Hes A Yes If Guaranteed A Vote On His Amendment TPM

Senate Republicans complain of chaos in healthcare effort Reuters. It really is starting to feel like a bazaar, $50 billion here, $100 billion there, and I feel like its losing coherency, Senator Bob Corker said.

Mitch McConnell master tactician label damaged after Senate health care fight CNN

Collins vows public will play major role in creation of new Senate health care plan Bangor Daily News. Thats not going to happen by next week.

Ron Johnson Accuses McConnell of Significant Breach of Trust Weekly Standard (Furzy Mouse). A bit stale, but evidence that group dynamics in the Republican caucus have gone a little pear-shaped.

The Case Against the Public Option Jacobin

Trumpcare Is Dead. Single Payer Is the Only Real Answer, Says Medicare Architect The Intercept

Is Medicaid The New Third Rail? History Suggests It Has Been For Some Time Health Affairs
By Outis Philalithopoulos, a ghost haunted by the mystery of the origins of modern political ideas.

[as if speaking on the telephone]

 Huh? No, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I mean I dont think Ive done anything particularly serious. []

 Oh, you mean back then! Oh back then back then I acted like everybody else. []

 What? Was I communist? Well. I do like blunt questions. You want to know if I was communist?

 You know what, lets go there. Because nowadays no one talks about it, everyone pretends like it never happened and instead these things ought to be clarified, once and for all! Giorgio Gaber, Qualcuno era comunista (1991)

Saying anything on the subject of historical communism without knowing ones audience means venturing out onto treacherous soil. Hence the title.

But when one knows ones audience, communism also provides extremely succinct ways to signal belonging to an in-group.

Sure roads to favor among anticommunists include complaining about how Stalins crimes are minimized compared to Nazi ones, marveling over the Lefts refusal to ask tough questions about the meaning of the fall of communism, and adducing similarities between communism and fascism.

Readers experiences may differ, but I have found that when talking to people who self-identify as Left, it rarely hurts to cite Marx sparingly but favorably, to discuss the history of the Soviet Union without affecting a particularly moralistic tone, and to get angry about sloppy comparisons of communism with fascism.

Some of this makes sense as defensive tactics in the context of the long US history of McCarthyism and quasi-McCarthyism. I want to be able to mention things that Marx said that were perceptive without having to pair them with ritualized reminders that capitalism didnt collapse on its own. I want to be able to be curious about the history of the Soviet Union without coming off as a subversive.

But maybe too much time is spent playing defense. Perhaps there are important and potentially troubling questions that are thereby neglected. When Raymond Aron said in 1955:

[The Left in Western countries] is compromised by the rigors of Stalinist totalitarianism, which claims the name of the Left, and which the Left doesnt dare to disavow entirely []

was he exaggerating? Maybe, but maybe not, and wouldnt it matter if the critique was valid at the time?

Thinking about these things, I found myself seized by a sort of despondency. To get a halfway idea about anything that happened in the history of the various communist regimes, you would have to read very widely. The topic is so ideologically overcharged that you would have to weigh carefully anything you read from any source. To do a really competent job, you would have to learn Russian and Chinese.

But then it occurred to me that often the point of talking about this sort of history is to answer broad questions about human nature and social possibilities. With some surprise, I realized that I suspect I have answers to many of these questions. Beyond these, what remains is still important, but more approachable.

What follows now are a list of these big questions, and how I would answer them. At the end, I will discuss some thorny problems.

Q: Was Stalinism good?

A: No.

Q: How about other systems of national communism?

A: To answer this properly, youd need to study each of them carefully, making sure to take each ones historical specificity into account. It would take a lot of work to do it right. But it wouldnt surprise me if the conclusion ended up being that even the best ones (Ive heard Kadars Hungary and Cuba cited most often in this context; readers?) were pretty bad.

Q: Are the problems of historical communism explainable in terms of the opposition that communism experienced from reactionaries?

A: Sometimes this dynamic played a role  one thinks of Latin American countries that tried to institute various left-leaning social programs, and then, between economic pressure and the threat of military subversion, ended up being pushed into the arms of the USSR.

But in general, this sounds like a weak excuse that could be  and is  used by all regimes and systems.



Q: Was Marx a figure who managed to stand above history and accurately grasp its long-term dynamics?

A: No. The existence of Hari Seldon-like figures is not very compatible with a Marxist worldview, so either Marx was Seldon and Marxism is inconsistent, or Marx wasnt Seldon.

Maybe that is too glib. Here are a couple more historical developments that are hard to square with Marxism (taking due account of the usual motte-and-bailey slipperiness).:

Did Marx change the course of history? If so, how is one mans genius as a historical force theorizable in Marxist terms? If the communist governments of the 20th century were not the next stage in the development of productive forces, how were they produced by history?

I know of, or can imagine, Marxist or quasi-Marxist attempts to answer these questions. But the answers Im familiar with have to be grafted on to the theory  they dont come out of internal resources of the theory itself.

Q: So is it possible to create a world where no one ever disagrees with one another and where no one is ever unhappy or dissatisfied?

A: Presumably not. Would you want to? And was the experience of historical communism really necessary in order to answer this question?

Q: So is there no alternative?

A: Why would this follow? Are the only three options (1) heaven on earth, or if not, (2) wretched Leninist dictatorships, or (3) the status quo?

Q: I mean, is there no chance of ending up with a society considerably better than what we have today?

A: No, there is a chance. There have been a huge variety of societies in human history. Some of them were clearly worse than others. Its hard to imagine the future. The idea that Roman society was the pinnacle of human civilization was probably pretty prevalent during the heyday of the Roman Empire.

Q: Well, is it at least true that attempts to change a society consciously lead to catastrophe?

A: What does it mean for a society to change unconsciously? Arent most social changes due to human decisions? Often proclamations of this sort can function as code for certain groups of people being allowed to change society in natural ways, free from conscious and unnatural interference from others.

There are in any case obvious counterexamples. For example, public sewer systems.

Q: Is it at least true that a planned economy always fails?

A: Probably not. The US economy was pretty dynamic during World War II. General acceptance of the legitimacy of comprehensive price controls and high upper-income tax rates was facilitated by the wartime ideological consensus, but it seems entirely possible that historical developments might lead to a system like this being deemed acceptable by the population for other reasons.

Or maybe not. Maybe Im wrong to be skeptical of would-be theorems that prove that certain sorts of systems always work in certain ways. If Im wrong, Im wrong with Chesterton, who once remarked:

It is not self-evident (for instance) that even the habit of standing upright was the only path of human progress. There might have been a quadrupedal civilization, in which a city gentleman put on four boots to go to the city every morning. Or there might have been a reptilian civilization, in which he rolled up to the office on his stomach; it is impossible to say that intelligence might not have developed in such creatures.

To me, the more important question is not Is it impossible for us to change into a reptilian society? but Should we want to? Similarly for a planned economy (in whatever sense one takes the phrase).

Q: So if historical communism doesnt imply that we arent allowed to imagine radical transformations in the economy or more broadly, can we just sweep the whole episode under the rug and press forward towards a brighter future of true human liberation?

A: This seems far, far too facile to me. I think the experience poses some very serious problems, three of which I will now mention. I will not try to resolve them, partly because each one would require a post, if not a book, and partly because I dont have satisfactory answers.

1: Is the experience of historical communism evidence of serious problems in Marxs thought? Is it evidence of problems within the broad revolutionary (Left) tradition?

Of course not. Lenin misunderstood/oversimplified/corrupted Marxism, and the fact that Stalin was psychotic cannot possibly be laid at Marxs door, let alone that of the Left.

Thats the kind of response you give if youre talking to left-leaning people and you want to take no risks. It isnt that everyone left-leaning loves Marx  its that its such a common cultural signifier that its safer to assume that the person youre talking to might feel protective toward Marx.

The argument isnt entirely invalid. In general, the relationship between intellectuals and those who claim to be putting their ideas into practice is more complicated than simple stimulus and response.

But by itself, it reeks of tribalism. What would one think of someone who tried to absolve the theorists of colonialism of any responsibility for, say, British misrule in India, on the grounds that these theorists said very clearly that they wanted to help the natives to become more civilized? Obviously the colonial administrators misunderstood and corrupted the benevolent ideas of the theorists.

2: Large numbers of intellectuals in France and Italy, and also elsewhere, as well as much of the leadership of the 60s student movements, believed that various Leninist regimes were genuine incarnations of Left values. What does this imply about their powers of discernment? What does it imply about the historical Left?

Nothing good. Ill touch on this question further in my next post.



3: After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the European communist parties imploded and discussion of possible alternative economies lost conviction and largely ceased. If youre right that the failure of historical communism doesnt mean TINA, why did this happen?

I find this baffling. It seems to suggest that left-leaning people continued to emotionally identify with the USSR well into the 80s, and to be imprisoned within the idea that it constituted a superior economic system.

One idea in Furet that might be relevant here is that the intellectual strata sympathetic to Marxism tended to set up History as a revelator of what constituted true progress. The coming to power of self-described communists in Russia, military triumph of the Soviet Union in World War II  these brought prestige and confidence to communism. At the same time, they tied the revolutionary project to the USSR and to the verdict of history on it, and consecrated a sort of submission to power as such, provided it was power with liberatory intentions.

Reading recommendations requested

I would like to look more into this; the problem is not a dearth of material but the overwhelming quantity of dogmatic and uninteresting work.

On the anticommunist side, one finds a notable tendency to try to work not within the contingencies of actual history, but to slide in and out of them so as to produce general assertions about human nature. For example, discussing how the Terror got under way in Russia easily metamorphosizes into emphatic statements about how ideology and the goal of a virtuous society inevitably lead to massacre, usually without much awareness that the authors own rhetoric is thereby easing into ritual and so becoming heavily ideological.

On the pro-revolutionary side, one frequently finds a panoply of subtle and unsubtle apologetics.

Im familiar enough with both of these that I can just ignore them when reading a book that is in any case significant. Rossana Rossandas autobiography (La ragazza del secolo scorso) has some relevant material. I read Francois Furets Passe dune illusion and found it quite interesting, although he occasionally falls into cliches from the liberal consensus. Im currently reading Arons Lopium des intellectuels  same comment. I know something about Cornelius Castoriadis views from his discussion/debate with Furet on the subject. Camus Lhomme revoltee looks worthwhile. Maybe Simone Weil? Souvarine?
By Vladimiro Giacche, Chairman, Centro Europa Ricerche S.r.l., Board of Directors, Banca Profilo S.p.A. and Head, Internal Audit Unit, Arepo BP S.p.A. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website

Has the European banking union worsened rather than solved the credit and financial market conditions in the area? In a recent speech at the European Parliament re-edited for this blog, Vladimiro Giacche, President of Centro Europa Ricerche, clarifies many obscure and misunderstood aspects of the story: the economic and political interests involved and the peculiar case of the Italian banks.

The European banking union was born with the declared objective to reduce the financial balkanization of the Eurozone. Balkanizationthe breakdown of cross-border banking when anxious lenders retreat to domestic safe havenswas rightly perceived as one of the main threats to the stability and the very existence of the common currency.

In fact, in the aftermath of the financial crisis, most available analyses showed how a systemthat until 2008/2009 was so deeply interconnected it seemingly could never be disentangledhas since then been redefining itself along national lines. Eurozone cross-border lending has fallen to almost half of its pre-crisis levels, and many investors and banks have returned to core countries (Germany and France). Lending in so-called peripheral countries (Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy), meanwhile, has reverted to being essentially domestic. This was politically embarrassing but also dangerous, since it made an end to the common currency technically feasible.

Whats worse, this new situation created an additional problem just as dangerous: a vicious and potentially catastrophic feedback loop between bank credit risk and sovereign credit riski.e., the risk that a nation could be pushed into default.

One Goal, Three Pillars

The original idea was that a banking union would re-establish an integrated banking and financial market through three main pillars: 1) a common banking oversight system 2) procedures that limit the risk of contagion in the event of a crisis, and 3) an European-wide insurance on deposits that could break the link between country risk and bank risk.

This was the theory. In practice, the banking union generated huge asymmetries and unfair competitive conditions across the Eurozone. Such asymmetries affected the Italian banking system in particular in a way that contributes to explaining todays events.

As far as the first pillar is concerned, the common banking supervision system covers various national banking systems very unevenly. It ignores high systemic risk from some of the larger countries in the area and therefore, at least in the short term, favors them.

As to the second pillar, the procedures for rescue or resolution of the banks in crisiswith a basic prohibition of public bailoutshave themselves heavily asymmetric effects that damage some national systems, starting with Italy. Notably, these rules were established only after many European countries had extended unprecedented financial support to their national banks. Those huge financial transfers had de facto suspended the European regulation of state aidthat is, of public nation-based interventionsin the wake of an emergency. Doing so significantly distorted the competitive playing field for banks across different countries in Europe.

Abolishing the possibility of a timely public bailout today penalizes those countries, like Italy, that had not massively supported their national banking system in the earlier phase. For them, the bailout option is now subordinate to very stringent criteria and postponed for so-called bail-ins,that is, schemes that hold stock, bond and deposit holders liable for bank lossesall while leaving open the option of a bank default.

As to public transfers to banks, an article published by M. Fruhauf on Frankfurter Allgemeine of August 16th 2013a few months before the approval of single supervisory mechanism for banking by the Council of the European Unionprovides rather impressive data. Just one example of the many bailouts in Germany in the aftermath of the financial crisis was the guarantee the government gave the insurance company Hypo-Re, which amounted to up to 145 billion euro. The cost thus far to German taxpayers of this rescue is 20 billion euro. Other sources provide slightly different overall numbers on public bailouts, but what clearly emerges is the peculiarity of the Italian banking situation, which until now involved far less public help than those of the other European countries.

The negative effect of the first two pillars of the banking union then became destructive because of the absence of the third pillar: European-wide insurance on deposits. This mechanism was essential to the declared objective of the banking union: arresting the process of financial balkanization. In fact, the absence of European-wide insurance kept the burden of (partially) protecting savers on the shoulders of the nation-state. It also, once again, contradicted the European solidarity that should be the basis of the institutional architecture of the EU and in particular of the Eurozone.

The effect of the banking unions set of normsthe two existing pillars and the non-existent onehas been catastrophic, especially for the Italian banking system. For which the new rules have changed substantially and without any transitory phasing in from the pre-existing system. The banking union rules also contradict two articles of the Italian Constitution (art. 43 and 47).

In spite of the intentions, the new normative context heavily penalized the savers, especially those who held so-called subordinated bonds, which suddenly became more risky with the new regime.

And, as it was easy to predict, the absence of a public backstop for crisis situations as well as the absence of a system of European insurance triggered a bank run against banks perceived as the most fragile, or that were facing some company crisis that would have been easily manageable in the previous normative system. In this way, as a self-fulfilling prophecy, the liquidity problems of some institutes triggered a bank run which put their solvency at further risk.

Another major asymmetry, and danger, derives from the treatment in the new regime of market risk. Already in the stress tests and Asset Quality Review managed by the European Central Bank, the weight of this riskwhich is linked to financial activity, and includes derivatives transactionswas significantly underestimated. The new system put a much greater emphasis on credit risk  thus penalizing systems like the Italian one that are relatively less financialized but in which credit risk is a relatively more important factor.

Theres more: market risk, as opposed to credit risk, does not even appear in the five priorities of the European banking vigilance activity of the European Central Bank, as evidenced by its 2015, 2016, and 2017 annual reports (see the last one).

The upshot is that under the current system, the type of risk that caused the 2008 crisis and the ensuing Great Recession is insufficiently monitored. Whats especially insufficiently monitored is the market risk run by some big German and French banks and in particular that of a colossus such as Deutsche Bank. Knowing the effective value of Deutsche Banks Level 3 assets (derivatives) is more an exercise of divination than a scientific estimation: indeed, the team of the ECB that recently conducted an inspection by the Frankfurt Bank was not even asked to price the value of the derivatives in the portfolio. The European Supervisory Authority had given up on it with a peculiar justification: It is unrealistic to evaluate the adequacy of derivative pricing in the portfolio of Deutsche Bank and other big banks, due to the discretion given to banks and reviewers (see L. Davi, BCE, 68 banche sotto ispezione. Fuori i Level 3 dalle verifiche, Il Sole 24 Ore, 25 January 2017).

And the Winner is

The clear winner of the banking union has been the German banking system: All German banks, but especially the small and medium ones, who benefitted from the establishment of a 30 billion euro balance sheet floor for banks to be subjected to ECB supervision. To obtain such condition as part of the first pillar, German minister of Finance Wolfgang Schauble threatened to veto the banking union project as a whole, and it is no mystery that he was thinking precisely about banks such as the relative small Sparkassen (savings banks).

Of the 417 Sparkassen, only one is under the supervision of the ECB today; we are talking about banks that count for the 22.3% of the loans in that country for a total of 1000 billion euro.

But this is not the only way these public banks, traditionally tied to the German ruling party CDU, were protected. At least two other ways deserve mention.

The first is how the so-called Institutional Protection Schemes (IPS) were kept outside the European regulation. IPS are systems of mutual protection and guarantees of the associate banks, regulated via a contract. They exist in Germany (Sparkassen and Volksbanken), Austria (Raiffeisen banks) and Spain (saving banks). IPS arent banking groups, nor banks networks. Hence, they are not directly under the European disciplinethe European Directive on capital requirements [CRD IV] does not even mention themnor the Basel Accords. This is how Thomas Stern, expert for banking regulation at the Austrian Financial Markets Authorities, characterized the situation: The decision of the European legislator to not extend the regulation about capital and liquidity to the IPS is remarkable and hard to understand from a prudential point of view. Stern wrote these lines in 2014, but the situation is hardly improved since then.

Being member of an IPS confers significant privileges. Needless to say, the Italian banks that resemble the Sparkassen and Volksbankenthe Banche di Credito Cooperativo (cooperative banks) are fully subject to the European regulation, including the standard capital and liquidity requirements.

The second way in which the German government helped the Sparkassen is very interesting but not well known: It postponed the system of mutual guarantee and deposit insurance between European banks indefinitely.

The link here may not appear straightforward. In 2013, the banking union started with two out of the three pillars only. It was a huge mistake for Italy to accept this asymmetry, which made the banking union inconsistent with respect to its own declared goals.

In 2015, however, the negotiations for the mutual guarantee proceeded. Sparkassen and Volkbanken did not want to participate for two reasons: first, because they mistakenly believed that they could protect themselves thanks to their special IPS status; and second, because they feared that doing so would mean a step toward the need to fully comply to the general regulations, without benefitting any longer from regulatory exceptions.

The first opposing statements by the Sparkassen go back to the summer of 2015. Subsequently, Schauble threatened to block the norm in the Council, with the official excuse that Germany refused to pay for other countries banking problems. Various attempts to compromise were unsuccessful, because all implied some sort of European supervision on the German banks  disclosing thus the real nature of the problem: the German governments desire to hinder any form of European supervision over German Sparkassen and other minor banks.

In early December 2015, even Schauble appeared forced to concede to pressure from the European Commission and the main States of the Eurozone. The economics-focused newspaper, Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten, underscored how such a decision could pave the way to a hard conflict between German banking sector and the government.

Then, on December 8th, the bombshell. Schaubles counter-attack plan consisted of first delegitimizing the ECB for its alleged conflict of interest in being the monetary authority and the supervisory authority at oncea condition that European leaders, Schauble included, had recently decided. He then announced his opposition to the mutual guarantee proposal unless all states transposed the bail-in regulation in their own law and, crucially, unless the risks of the banking systems were previously reduced. He later clarified that European banks must reduce the amount of their own nations sovereign bonds in their portfolio. This tactical move not only postponed the discussion indefinitely, but also shifted attention from bank risk to individual nations (sovereign) risk, a field in which Germany has nothing to be afraid of. It was in fact Italy, under Prime Minister Renzi, that was forced to veto the discussion on sovereign bonds in banks balance sheets, thus blocking discussion on the third pillar.

In the meantime the other two pillars were activated, skipping over entirely the transitory period for smoothing out the regulatory shift that had originally been proposed. The result can readily be seen: The German Sparkassen can continue to benefit from softer capital requirements and from an almost exclusively domestic vigilance. Its an explosive mix that could eventually lead to a banking crisis.

A crisis of the banking sector in Germany today would have nothing to envy, in its effects, by comparison with the US Saving & Loans Banks crisis in the 1980s. A positive German economic cycle and the fact that the major risk areas are currently different combine to temporarily the threat it poses. In the meantime, the Sparkassen defend to death their autonomy and the right not to be supervised by any European authority (see Deutsche Banken sehen EU-Aufsicht kritisch, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 1 June 2017).

The Fallout

Understanding this context, the roots of the troubled Italian banking system become clearer. The burden of non-performing loans (NPLs) grew out of the worst economic crisis in peacetime since 1861. The problem also emerged because no bank bailout was undertaken after 2008. If we look at the stock prices of the banking sector in the last years, it is easy to spot a very negative trend. However, on a closer look, the price drops were not due to generically bad news, but rather to news related to European regulations or interventions of the European regulator aimed at one specific bank or situation. These latter include letters sent by the European supervisory agency sent to one or another bank or banks, for instance asking to sell immediatelyand therefore at a very low priceproblematic loans.

From the end of 2015when the European Commission stopped the intervention of the Italian interbank guarantee fund to save four local banks in troublesto February 2016, after the bail-in regulation entered into force without a transition period and without any European-wide deposit insurance, 46 billion Euro out of 134.6 of Italian banking sector capitalization were burned. Thats a drop of 35%.

In all the cases of banking troubles or crises occurring in Italy from the end of 2015 onward, a dominant element was the flight from deposits, which would have not occurred with the national regulation in place before the banking union. In all those cases, the absence of a public backstop in the form of a bailout was crucial. Its no exaggeration to say that for the Italian banking sector the new regulation has brought only additional risk and not stabilization, the stated intention.

What to do? At the beginning of 2016 in Italy there was a debate about whether to suspend the bail-in regulation. At that time, many member states of the European Union were in favor of suspending the Schengen Treatythe EU free movement deal that took effect in 1995. Suspending Schengen is in place de facto, but the bail-in never was. This is astonishingespecially given the bail-in regulations contradiction with the Italian Constitution, and given the asymmetries inherent in the strange wobbly table with two legs that we kindly call banking union. But its never too late to reverse wrong policies and negotiation mistakes, provided you understand them.
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exabeam and ThreatConnect, Inc., leaders in Security Intelligence solutions, today announced a new product integration, designed to improve overall cybersecurity and incident response (IR).



As recently reported in Verizons 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, 75% of data breaches in 2016 were perpetrated by external actors and 51% involved organized criminal groups. Breach detection can be improved by combining activity information within an organization with external threat intelligence data. In addition, the 2017 SANS Annual Incident Response Survey reports that 73% of survey respondents use threat intelligence to improve incident response. The integration of this valuable threat intelligence data with IR automation technology gives security teams improved situational awareness, leading to more effective responses.

ThreatConnect provides a platform to aggregate, analyze and act on third party, open source, and its own threat intelligence data. Exabeam Incident Responder enables automation and orchestration of activities within an incident response team. Together, these solutions enable customers to reduce risk and improve the productivity of their security teams. The joint solution is already in use today at leading Fortune 500 organizations.

To manage ever-growing threats, our customers require better information that leads to better incident management, said Ted Plumis, VP Alliances at Exabeam. Our partnership with ThreatConnect provides that information and intelligence. Its already helping global companies improve their security posture.

Dan Cole, ThreatConnects Director of Product Management said, This integration gives Exabeam customers additional insight into indicators of compromise, which expedites the identification of phishing and other attacks, as well as increases their overall threat defense surface area.

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Years from now, when Maen Mahfoud is asked exactly where his success as an entrepreneur began, he will likely point to his used silver Volkswagen Passat: his well-worn wagon with the distinctive odor.

"You don't even need to get in. You can smell it from here," Mahfoud said standing feet away from the open tailgate.

"It smells so bad because every gourmet cuisine you want has spilled in that car," Mahfoud said.

To understand how that happened, one must first know a bit about Mahfoud's background.

Born in Syria and raised in Kuwait, Mahfoud came to the United States to study medicine at UC Berkeley. Expecting to find a rich country where all were doing well, Mahfoud was surprised by what he encountered on the streets.

"There are people in need. There are people in the streets very much similar to where I was in Syria and Kuwait," Mahfoud said.

Seeing hungry people, sometimes mere feet from where good food was being thrown away, it seemed silly to Mahfoud not to do something. "It was like, this is fixable," Mahfoud said. "We need to start something."

What he started was Re-Plate.

A technology company at its core, Re-Plate has developed an app through which companies (mostly tech ones so far) can alert Re-Plate when they have food leftover from meetings or company provided meals. A driver is dispatched to safely collect the often gourmet meals and deliver them to willing shelters or pantries, or sometimes even provides them directly to those living on the streets.

At first, it was just Mahfoud in that Volkswagen but in less than two years Re-Pate has distributed close to one million pounds of food and is continuing to grow.

"We now have about 30 drivers in the SF Bay Area. We have about five drivers in New York and we have two in LA," Mahfoud said.

Mahfoud says one of the secrets of Re-Plate's success is that they are communicating with technology companies using technology. "We speak their language," Mahfoud says. Companies can not only communicate with Re-Plate through their app, they can monitor a "dashboard" to know exactly how much food waste they have recovered.

The other secret, Mahfoud says, is something more ephemeral. While food is what his drivers are carrying, Mafoud believes empathy is what they are delivering.

And no one ever wants to see that go to waste.
Veteran activist and Berkeley school teacher Yvette Felarca has been charged with assault, participating in a riot and inciting a riot for her actions in a faceoff between white nationalist groups and counter-protesters in Sacramento last year, prosecutors said Thursday.

Felarca, 47, who teaches at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley and is also known as Yvonne Felarca, was arrested in Southern California on Tuesday night, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said.

Authorities said that Felarca, a longtime organizer for the activist group By Any Means Necessary, was captured on video hitting a member of the Traditionalist Worker's Party, a white nationalist group that had taken out permits for a rally on the west steps of the state Capitol on June 26, 2016.

Felarca and other counter-protesters blocked the rally by chasing and hitting and even stabbing members of the Traditional Worker's Party.

The Sacramento County DA's Office said the California Highway Patrol conducted an extensive investigation of the rally and counter-protest and requested arrest warrants for 101 people on 85 counts of unlawful assembly, 55 counts of conspiracy to unlawfully assemble and 32 counts related to the possession of illegal signs and banners.

Prosecutors said in a statement, "In several other cases, there was clear evidence of felonious conduct but the identity of the perpetrators could not be established. Unfortunately, included in this category were all of the stabbings and the attack on a local television reporter."

The Sacramento County DA said that at this point only Felarca and three other people have been arrested for their actions in the rally and counter-protest, and there are no other outstanding warrants in connection with the incident.

The Berkeley Unified School District placed Felarca on paid administrative leave after the rally but reinstated her last fall.

School district spokesman Charles Burress said Thursday that the district is still gathering information about Felarca's case and has no comment on it at this time. He said, at this point, Felarca is still employed by the district.

BAMN officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment on the charges that have been filed against Felarca.
California officials on Friday broke ground on Caltrain's nearly $2 billion electrification project.

Californias High Speed Rail Authority got clearance to proceed with a plan to electrify Caltrain tracks between San Francisco's 4th and King Station to San Jose's Tamien Station. The first electric train is expected to start running in late 2020 or 2021.

Friday's ceremony was attended by Gov. Jerry Brown, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and other leaders.

The state Department of Finance approved the expenditure of $600 million in voter-approved bond money. The approval follows the Trump administrations decision to fully fund a $650 million grant for the project.

The peninsula section is the northernmost piece of the $64 billion bullet train that will link San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Caltrain runs diesel locomotives that are more than 30 years old and need to be replaced, officials say.

An estimated 65,000 people ride Caltrain every day, which is more than double the number of commuters in 2005. With its new electric trains, Caltrain can increase capacity by adding up to six new trains in each direction during peak hours. The new cars will still top out at 79 mph, but will be quieter and less polluting.

High-speed rail opponents have filed a lawsuit challenging the electrification project. They argue that state legislation unconstitutionally allows high-speed rail bonds to be spent on Caltrain, violating promises made to voters in 2008.

A number of people with property along the tracks might be forced to give up some or all of their land to make way for the project. Some of them have also raised safety and health concerns about the electromagnetic field that this project will create.
The search for Tomales Bay Oyster Co. owner Charles "Tod" Friend, who disappeared from his boat in Tomales Bay, was suspended Wednesday, a Marin County sheriff's spokesman said.

Friend, 70, of Oakland, was last seen around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday. An employee of Marshall-based Hog Island Oyster Co. saw Friend's boat going in a circle with no sign of Friend aboard it, according to the sheriff's office.

"After conducting thorough searches by literally land, sea and air, no clues or information was developed to aid us in our search efforts," sheriff's Lt. Doug Pittman said. "Should any new clues or information come forward, we will reevaluate the need for whatever appropriate action will then be taken."

Investigators believe Friend was not wearing a life vest and fell off his boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, the Marin County Search and Rescue team and the sheriff's dive team searched for Friend Tuesday and Wednesday.
Berkeley College Republicans planned speaking engagement at UC Berkeley featuring conservative author Ben Shapiro is back on, after a number of scheduling issues that have played out in the public.

University officials wrote in an email to the Berkeley College Republicans that after "extensive efforts," they had been unable to lock down a campus venue where Shapiro could appear for the Sept. 14 talk  a move the student group had interpreted as "anti-free speech" and "unconstitutional" in a press release.

But, on Thursday, campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof told KQED that other venues were, in fact, available on the requested date, and that UC Berkeley would underwrite the additional fee for those venues.

"We decided not to wait for (Berkeley College Republicans') response (to the email), so we went ahead and checked on those venues regardless, Mogulof said in the interview. And weve determined that there are other venues available."

The difficulty, according to the original email from campus officials to the student group, was finding a room that is large enough to fit 500 people at 7 p.m on the requested date on campus.

In an email to NBC Bay Area, Mogulof called rumors that the Shapiro talk had been canceled by the campus "categorically false."

But Berkeley College Republicans and Young America's Foundation  a right-wing organization that arranges college speaking tours  claimed that the scheduling issue is a long-running pretext for blocking conservative viewpoints, saying it amounted to censorship.

"An endless stream of liberal speakers continue to be granted opportunities to speak, unobstructed by time, place or manner restrictions while conservatives are continually treated unequally and repeatedly relegated to the margins of campus activity," the groups said in a joint statement.

Special attention has been paid to UC Berkeley speaking engagements since Milo Yiannopoulos' appearance sparked protests in February. Following the fracas, President Donald Trump floated the idea of yanking federal funding from the university.

Berkeley College Republicans and Young America's Foundation also filed suit against the school earlier this year for failing to accommodate Ann Coulter back in April.

Upon finding out that the speaking engagement was back on, Shapiro tweeted that he hopes "Berkeley keeps their word."

Shapiro uses his web-based The Ben Shapiro Show and online columns to support President Donald Trumps policies and criticize the self-righteous media.

UC Berkeleys pattern of suppressing conservative events and speakers through viewpoint-discriminatory restrictions is the basis for the lawsuit, Berkeley College Republicans vice president Naweed Tahmas said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge has refused to reinstate President Donald Trump's executive order to cut funding from cities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities.

U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick in San Francisco made the ruling Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Justice had asked Orrick to reverse his own injunction in April against Trump's executive order. The injunction was issued in response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo in May saying the executive order should be applied narrowly to a small number of grants and to very specific violations of immigration law.

The Justice Department said the memo negated the need for Orrick's injunction.

Orrick said he found this unconvincing because Sessions could reverse himself at any moment.
A team of meteorologists from San Jose State is helping fight the massive Detwiler Fire near Yosemite, using their knowledge and technology.

Two men from the team just returned from the front lines in Mariposa County after spending the past 36 hours there. What they found not only helped firefighters battling the flames now, but could also be used to fight fires better in the future.

The massive Detwiler Fire spread to more than 70,000 acres Thursday and has destroyed 50 homes -- not exactly an ideal setting for study and research. But that's what the San Jose State Fire Weather Research Lab team just finished doing. Specifically, the researchers collected data using a Doppler lidar and fed it to firefighters to protect them and homes in real time.

"It can see through smoke plumes fantastically," graduate research assistant Chris Camacho said.

The reason it's important is wildfires can create their own weather, the team said. On Wednesday night, for instance, flames and smoke from the wildfire started swirling like a tornado.

"When columns rotate, they become a dangerous situation for firefighters," said Craig Clements of the SJSU meteorology team. "One thing with the Doppler lidar that we have is we can scan across the fire, and we can detect that circulation before it's visible."

Those dangerous plumes can be hard to detect in situations like the Detwiler Fire, where it's tough to see anything from the ground. Or when large banks of flames break out.

"So you can't really see the overall height that the smoke is being ejected to," Camacho said. "Although we are able to see that with lidar. We're able to see through the smoke."

The researchers say their tool is one of a kind in the United States and can help fight future fires by analyzing all the data they collect, showing how fires behave and how they can be controlled.

"I'm very fortunate to be able to take something I'm very passionate about and apply it in a real world manner that can actually help," Camacho said.

The scientists also say they're the only fire weather research team on the West Coast to have fire credentials, enabling them to get right up close with firefighters.
A blaze burning in foothills west of Yosemite National Park destroyed dozens of structures and forced thousands to flee Gold Rush-era towns in California before fire crews were able to stop it from reaching a historic community near the Sierra Nevada.

As of Thursday, the Detwiler fire has scorched 70,596 acres  or 109 square miles  and destroyed 99 structures, including 50 homes, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The blaze continues to threaten about 1,500 more homes and other buildings.

The flames are near Highway 49, a historical route winding through Sierra Nevada foothills dotted with little towns that drew gold miners to California in the 1800s.

More than 3,100 firefighters are battling the 5-day-old blaze, Cal Fire said.

The fire is 10 percent contained, and has forced almost 5,000 people from homes in and around half a dozen small communities, officials said.

Statewide, about 6,000 firefighters are battling 17 wildfires. Of them, 2,200 firefighters, some of whom are from San Francisco, San Mateo and Palo Alto, are working to extinguish the Detwiler Fire. Christie Smith reports.

Heavy smoke hung in the air over Mariposa, a town of 2,000 people with century-old wooden buildings, including what's touted as the oldest active courthouse west of the Rocky Mountains.

The fire got within a half-mile of Mariposa but crews have been able to keep it out of the town, fire spokesman Jason Motta

"Most of the town of Mariposa has not been affected by anything other than the smoke," Motta said.

At its closest, the blaze was still about 35 miles from the boundary of Yosemite, where campgrounds remain open, park spokesman Scott Gediman said.

The fire closed one of several roads into the park during its busy summer season, and rangers warned visitors with respiratory problems to be mindful of the smoky haze over the park's landmark Half Dome rock face, Gediman said.

Yosemite does not appear at risk from the fire, which was moving south, away from the park, fire spokesman Jordan Motta said.

Tony Munoz, 63, and his wife, Edna Munoz, 59, were ordered out of their home outside Mariposa on Tuesday. They grabbed clothes, medicine and their three dogs and a cat before fleeing.

Driving out on narrow, congested roads, "you couldn't even see the sun" in the ash-filled sky, said Tony Munoz, a school custodian.

Downtown Mariposa was empty except for firefighters and other emergency workers. Fierce flames were visible on slopes about a mile away.

Record rain and snowfall in the mountains this winter abruptly ended California's five-year drought. But that has increased the challenge for crews battling flames feeding on dense vegetation.

"There's ample fuel and steep terrain," Cal Fire spokeswoman DeeDee Garcia said. "It makes firefighting difficult."

Statewide, about 6,000 firefighters were battling 17 wildfires, including about 2,200 at the fire near Yosemite. Of them, some are from San Francisco, San Mateo and Palo Alto.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared an emergency Tuesday, bolstering the state's resources to battle the fire.

Associated Press writer Kristin J. Bender contributed to this report.
A video that purports to show the drowning death of 31-year-old man at a Florida retention pond while a group of teenagers mock and curse at him is making the rounds on social media.

Cocoa police called the disturbing footage of Jamel Dunn's death beyond heartless. A group of five teenagers can be heard laughing and taunting the victim as Dunn cries out in distress.

Police say Dunn drowned in the retention pond in Cocoa on July 9. His body was found three days later, on July 12. It is believed the incident happened after Dunn got into an argument with his fiancee.

A spokeswoman for Cocoa Police told WESH that the teenagers had phones, but didnt even call the police for help. The State Attorney's Office said they are deeply saddened and shocked at the tragedy and the actions of the witnesses.

While the incident depicted on the recording does not give rise to sufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution under Florida statutes, we can find no moral justification for either the behavior of persons heard on the recording or the deliberate decision not to render aid to Mr. Dunn, the office said in a statement.
CALGARY, Alberta, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blackline Safety (TSX VENTURE:BLN) ("Blackline"), has achieved all required certifications for its new G7x wireless gas detection and lone worker monitoring system for remote employees. Blacklines complete G7 product line is fully-certified and shipping globally.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f40ca63e-6e98-49f1-ac23-0ece01d8a94f

All electronic equipment used in hazardous locations must be certified intrinsically safe to prevent a potential for atmospheric explosion due to the presence of combustible gases or vapors. Additionally, the North American marketplace requires a performance certification for gas detection equipment fitted with a combustible gas sensor. The full G7 family now carries these certifications and can be used by workers in all hazardous environments.

Our new G7x employee-worn, satellite-connected safety device is now the latest G7 safety product to meet these high standards, said Cody Slater, CEO and Chairman at Blackline Safety. Our full G7 product family is now bringing state-of-the-art emergency response management to industries and work scenarios where every second counts. Wireless safety monitoring empowers every business to put their teams first and act in real-time, to make the difference between rescue and recovery.

G7x is a highly customizable gas detection instrument that empowers the fastest possible emergency response  directly to an employees location, however remote they are. Featuring internal location technology and automatic incident detection capabilities, G7x alerts live monitoring personnel when an employee requires help. G7x is the only quad gas instrument with satellite communications and two-way messaging to the employee, connecting a live monitoring team with a worker in need of assistance. Two-way messaging allows monitoring personnel to assess the situation and deploy an emergency response as required. In remote locations, co-workers are often the first responders and can be dispatched to the employees exact location and are notified to prepare for any atmospheric hazards such as a gas leak.

G7x is the only wireless gas detector to feature a series of field-replaceable cartridges, tailoring operation for environmental gas detection, lone worker monitoring and evacuation management scenarios. Single-gas and Quad-gas cartridges support a lower explosive limit (LEL) sensor to detect combustible gases. Industries where personnel enter confined spaces often leverage a quad-gas instrument with combustible gas, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O2) sensors.

As a two-part solution, G7x works in conjunction with Blacklines G7 Bridge portable satellite base station to deliver true last-mile safety monitoring of remote personnel. The G7 Bridge base station manages a satellite uplink to the Blackline Safety Network, facilitating safety monitoring of field personnel through a cloud-hosted portal. An industrial-quality radio link connects up to five G7x devices to one G7 Bridge and delivers a real-world open range of two kilometers. This 900 MHz radio link enables monitored employees to confidently move from driving a vehicle to working throughout complex facilities without interruption.

G7x has achieved certification for its LEL sensor construction, performance and test according to CSA C22.2 NO. 152-M1984 (R2016) Combustible Gas Detection Instruments and ANSI/ISA-S12.13: 2000 Performance Requirements for Combustible Gas Detectors. G7x is also certified intrinsically safe in North America with a Class I, Division 1, Groups A, B, C and D rating and according to IEXEx Ex ia IIC T4 Ga.

To learn more about Blackline's employee safety monitoring solutions, visit www.BlacklineSafety.com and follow Blackline on Twitter @blacklinesafety.

About Blackline Safety: Blackline Safety is a global connected safety technology leader. Providing comprehensive live-monitoring and wireless gas detection, we help teams working in hazardous environments respond to emergencies in real-time and manage efficient evacuations, accounting for everyones safety along the way. With millions invested in technology research and development, Blackline Safety is recognized for quality and innovation. Our talented team of designers and engineers create and manufacture everything in-house  from wearable technology and personal gas detectors to cloud-hosted infrastructure and web-based interfaces for global industry. We deliver the worlds first turn-key, work-anywhere connected safety monitoring solution with gas detection, 3G wireless, satellite communications, two-way speakerphone, employee messaging and live monitoring to meet the demanding safety challenges of organizations in over 200 countries. For more information, visit www.BlacklineSafety.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.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made a speaking appearance in one of the country's biggest sanctuary cities Friday.

He spoke about that controversial topic in the heart of Philadelphia, which under Mayor Jim Kenney has vowed to continue policies that the Department of Justice says doesn't comply fully with federal immigration law.

At the Center City offices of the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania, Sessions also talked about gangs like MS-13 and the need for quality local policing.

He emphasized of the violent nature of gangs like MS-13 and said they recruit young new members from schools, "even elementary schools."

The more they recruit, the more damage they do, Sessions said. He called for everyone "to work together to take MS-13 off the streets."

Sessions even said the violent MS-13 gang is operating in Philadelphia.

Protesters of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration demonstrated outside the federal building at 6th and Chestnut streets.

Sessions initially planned the visit for early July, but canceled.

The attorney general and Philadelphia officials have been at odds over immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump took office in January. Philadelphia has been a so-called sanctuary city since Kenney began his term, though last year the city began calling itself a "Fourth Amendment city" in an effort to highlight constitutional rights protecting due process and probable cause.

Sessions said that by giving sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, the city is "providing sanctuaries for criminals."

I urge the city of Philadelphia and every sanctuary city to consider carefully the harm theyre doing to residents by refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement, he said.



Under the Trump administration, federal law enforcement agencies, notably Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have asked for increased help from local agencies in detaining undocumented immigrants who have been arrested.

Philadelphia and many other municipal and county law enforcement agencies have refused to follow ICE's request to hold undocumented immigrants until federal agents can meet with the arrested individuals, which have become known as "ICE detainers."

And twice since January, the Department of Justice has publicly demanded local agencies follow federal guidance that involves police officers inquiring about the immigration status when making arrests. In March, the attorney general said Philadelphia and others risked losing Department of Justice grant money if they remained out of compliance.

He did not give a deadline for compliance at that time.

The DOJ gave $26 million in grants to Philadelphia in the 2015 fiscal year, which a city spokeswoman said was the most recent year in which a comprehensive total is available.

In April, the DOJ sent a letter to Philadelphia and at least nine other local and state governments warning again about failure to comply with one federal guideline in particular.

The letter stated that Philadelphia is required to cooperate under Section 1373 of the federal code as per its grant agreement with the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs, which is one of the federal government's largest funding sources for local law enforcement. That section, the DOJ contends, is related to the federal government's request that local law enforcement provide information about the legal status of arrestees.
The U.S. is seeking a political resolution to the crisis in Syria and won't insist on Syrian President Bashar Assad's immediate ouster, President Donald Trump's homeland and counterterrorism adviser said Thursday.

"I don't think it's important for us to say Assad must go first," Tom Bossert said at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts. "The U.S. would still like to see Assad go at some point. That would be our desired outcome."

Bossert said there needs to be a political outcome in Syria, not a military-imposed one that has no political strategy to fill a void in leadership. Still, he said Assad staying in control does not offer the best hope for a peaceful Syria. Whether Assad's leaving "comes first or second or soon thereafter, it would be a nice outcome."

Bossert spoke following news reports that Trump had decided to halt the CIA's years-long covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling the Assad government. Russia had long pushed the United States to end the program.

The phasing out of the secret program was reported by The Washington Post on Wednesday. Officials told the newspaper that ending the operation reflects Trump's interest in finding ways to work with Russia. The program was a key component begun by the Obama administration to put pressure on Assad to relinquish power.

The CIA began the covert operation in 2013 to arm, fund and train a moderate opposition to Assad. By some estimates, the CIA trained some 10,000 fighters.

In October 2015, the CIA-backed rebels were being bombarded during Russian air campaigns in Syria. U.S. officials said then that the Russian air campaign was aimed at weakening U.S.-funded groups and other moderate fighters battling Assad's forces.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who at the time was a Republican congressman representing Kansas, said then that the Russians were fully aware of whom they were targeting and that the bombing locations not connected to Islamic State fighters.

For years, the CIA effort had foundered and some lawmakers had proposed cutting its budget. Some CIA-supported rebels had been captured; others had defected to extremist groups. But in late 2015, CIA-backed groups, fighting alongside more extremist factions, had begun to make progress in south and northwest Syria.

Some Syrian rebel officials said they are not officially aware yet that the U.S. has stopped its program to back the moderate opposition. One warned that such a move if true it will make extremist groups stronger.

Col. Ahmad al-Hamada, an army defector who is now with the rebel group known as the Northern Division, said by telephone from Turkey: "There is a big question mark regarding the American decision. The moderate Syrian opposition should receive that backing."

He said, "The opposition that is backed by the U.S. and other countries is fighting the regime of Bashar Assad that used chemical weapons to kill the Syrian people, and they are also fighting Daesh and other groups that are considered terrorist organizations."

"By ceasing the support this means you are making the moderate Syrian opposition weak in front of groups that are stronger on the ground," al-Hamada warned.

He added that if the countries that support the Syrian opposition had been more serious in arming moderate groups, hardliners wouldn't have become that powerful.

"Moderate groups are the strong opposition that could help prevent the rise of extremist groups in the region," he said, adding that the U.S. should arm, train and help moderate rebel groups in their battle against Assad's government and extremist groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida.

"By not arming the moderate opposition they are indirectly making extremist groups become more powerful at a quick pace."

Al-Hamada said the U.S. continues to back the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces "that the Syrian people consider a secessionist group and not national." The SDF has been a main force fighting IS in Syria.

Maj. Issam el Rayyes, spokesman for the Southern Front, a coalition of several dozen moderate rebel groups that is fighting Syrian government forces south of the country, said they have not been informed about ending the CIA program, adding that he will only comment once there is an official statement out.

Bossert defended Trump's policy in Syria.

"What clearly this president has done has obtained some ceasefire that's durable through some cooperation with the Russians despite all the domestic political brouhaha. ... I think he has demonstrated a desire at least to have safe havens so that we don't have a refugee and a migration problem that plagues Europe and eventually the United States in a way that we can't maintain security control of."

Andrew Tabler, with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said at the security summit that the covert program was run out of two operation centers  one in Jordan and one in Turkey.

"What it's done over time, and with very limited covert support, is it's propped up a number of groups ... fighting against the Assad regime," Tabler said. "That has not been a successful strategy in a number of ways. One of them is that the nature of a covert program lacks political coherence. It's very difficult to get those involved in a revolution focused politically in a different direction."
Conservationists in Zimbabwe say the son of a lion named Cecil, whose 2015 killing prompted an international outcry, has also been fatally shot during a hunt.

A group named Friends of Hwange Trust said Thursday on Facebook that 6-year-old Xanda, Cecil's son, was shot on a "legal trophy hunt" several days ago. The group says Xanda, who was wearing a GPS collar installed by researchers, was killed outside the boundary of Hwange National Park.

Another group named Lions of Hwange National Park says Xanda was killed by a Zimbabwean professional hunter.

Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer killed Cecil after the lion was allegedly lured outside Hwange park with an animal carcass used as bait. Zimbabwe described the killing as illegal and said it would charge Palmer, but later dropped that plan.
Several of President Donald Trump's nominees for key ambassador posts declined Thursday to say unequivocally whether Russia sought to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Their unwillingness to say definitively that Moscow meddled troubled a few members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who said America's envoys need to firmly and plainly back U.S. objectives in their overseas posts. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded Russia pried, they said, and Congress is on the verge of passing a Russia sanctions bill aimed at punishing Moscow's meddling and its military aggression.

"We need to have our ambassadors abroad making clear, unequivocal advocacy in the countries in which they are assigned to, to join us in our multilateral sanctions effort," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. The bill also would impose new sanctions on Iran.

Lewis Eisenberg, the financier Trump picked to be the U.S. envoy to Italy, told the committee he'd prefer to "reserve judgment" on whether Moscow interfered until ongoing investigations are completed. The House and Senate intelligence panels are examining the extent of Russia's meddling, and former FBI Director Robert Mueller is leading a separate inquiry into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow.

So despite U.S. intelligence agencies concluding Russia interfered, "you still don't have a view?" asked Menendez, who had pressed the nominees to answer yes or no if they believed Russia interfered in the campaign.

"I think it's likely," Eisenberg said. "But I do believe there are investigations that are going on to corroborate that."

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, selected by Trump to be the ambassador to the United Kingdom, said he hasn't "studied the evidence on the inside," so he can only go by what he reads.

"It looks like it could have happened," Johnson said. "Maybe it did happen. If I did a complete analysis with all the information, I'd be able to give you a much better answer."

Kelly Knight Craft, nominated by Trump to be the ambassador to Canada, said based on the publicly available material she's read, "it looks as if, yes."

Kay Bailey Hutchison, the former Texas senator Trump chose to be his ambassador to NATO, said there is a "good likelihood, yes" that Russia interfered. She said it is important to know the extent of Russia's interference and how it was carried out.

Only K.T. McFarland, Trump's former deputy national security adviser, gave a one word response to Menendez's question: "Yes," she said. The president nominated McFarland to be ambassador to Singapore.

Menendez said after the hearing he was disappointed all the answers weren't as unambiguous as McFarland's.

"It should have been a slam dunk for each one of them," he said.
Three people were wounded in a shooting on the Dan Ryan Expressway early Friday morning, authorities said, including a man who claimed he was walking near the scene where the shooting took place when he was hit by the gunfire.



The shooting happened at about 1 a.m. in the southbound express lanes of the roadway at 43rd Street on Chicago's South Side.

Police said they found two shooting victims at 55th Street and Wells, one with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and another shot in the buttocks. Their ages were not immediately known.

Witnesses told police they saw a white SUV traveling southbound on the expressway before it became involved in a traffic altercation with another vehicle. Witnesses said the people in the white SUV then began shooting at the other vehicle.

The victims were taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment, but their conditions were not known.

Police later said a third person walked into Mercy Hospital and told officials he had been hurt in the expressway shooting Friday morning. The man said he was walking in the area when he was shot, but police said they were still investigating if his shooting was related.

The shooting shut down the southbound express lanes from 29th Street to 55th Street as police investigated.

A description of the suspects and their vehicle wasn't available.

The shooting comes on the heels of numerous expressway shootings over the last year.

State police have been ramping up partols, particularly on the Dan Ryan Expressway, where a number of shootings have taken place.

Police say a number of shooting cases have resulted in arrests so far.

"Our message is simple - offenders who commit gun violence on Illinois expressways will be identified and held accountable," ISP Director Leo Schmitz said.

No one was in custody for the Friday shooting as of 6 a.m.

Anyone with information on what happened is being asked to call (847) 294-4400.
The South Florida family of former FBI agent Robert Levinson has met with State Department officials about efforts to locate him more than a decade after he disappeared in Iran.

That's according to a U.S. official who says the meeting took place in Washington on Thursday. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the information publicly and requested anonymity.

It's unclear exactly what the relatives discussed with the State Department. The official says many U.S. government officials believe Levinson is no longer alive.

The State Department isn't confirming the meeting but says the U.S. is "unwavering" in its commitment to find Levinson and bring him home. The State Department says it seeks Iran's cooperation.

Levinson disappeared from Iran's Kish Island in 2007. For years, U.S. officials didn't acknowledge his FBI affiliation.
Connecticuts third casino has been authorized by General Assembly, and after signing the bill into law Thursday, progress could start immediately.

Weve been waiting for this day for a fairly long time, said Kevin Brown, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Nation, the tribe that runs Mohegan Sun.

The bill signing ceremony comes after more than two years of discussion and debate over the prospect of a third casino. The catalyst for the conversation was the announcement that MGM would open a casino just over the states border with Massachusetts in Springfield.

Gov. Dannel Malloy had stayed out of the public debate until late in the 2017 Legislative Session, when he threw his support behind the tribes, and not a proposal backed by MGM to provide an open commercial bid process.

Let there be no doubt that Massachusetts made a decision to do whatever they could to get as much gaming out of Connecticut and into their state and this was an appropriate response to what Massachusetts has done and quite frankly what other states have done, Malloy said.

Tribal leaders, construction groups, and labor unions have all sold the project as a jobs-saving endeavor, for fear of Massachusetts casinos taking away hundreds of millions in revenue from the Connecticut facilities.

MGM has already lost one court battle over the states process but has vowed to challenge Connecticuts newest casino authorization in court.

Malloy said what won him over was the relationship the state enjoys with the two tribal nations.

This is worth fighting for, Malloy said. This is worth protecting and quite frankly its worth keeping Connecticut dollars spent in Connecticut as opposed to going up 91 and being spent someplace else.

Malloy also said the state still must approve the amendment to its agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the BIA must then sign off on it.

The tribes were confident the bureaucratic process will be a successful one.

Tribal leaders said they plan to put an entirely new building and parking layout on the site of the former Showcase Cinema in East Windsor, and that progress on that front could start very soon with a demolition of the old structure.

Kevin Brown said, Yes, BIA is going to say OK, yes were going to demolish the movie theater and yes we have a schedule for all of that.
A Norwalk mother who has lived in the United States for 24 years is refusing deportation and would not board a plane back to Guatemala on Thursday.

Nury Chavarria left her native Guatemala in 1993, when she was 19, and applied for asylum. Her application was denied, but she remained in the U.S., with nothing to go back to at home.

Chavarria, a mother of four, is currently seeking asylum at the Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal Church on East Pearl Street in New Haven, because immigration officials cannot arrest her on church property.

"We have been informed that Nury Chavarria has opted to seek refuge in a local church through sanctuary," a statement from the law firm representing Chavarria with her ICE case said.

Since 2011, she has had yearly check-ins with immigration officials. Each year she was given the approval to remain in the U.S.

Chavarria said she has no criminal record, works as a housekeeper, and pays taxes. She believed those factors would allow her to remain in the U.S., despite President Donald Trump's administrations focus on deportations. All that changed at her June check-in, when ICE officials told her in five weeks she would have to pack up her life and leave.

I told him, 'Im not a criminal. Im a mother with four children. They are citizens. USA. I want to stay here to help them and keep my family together,' she said.

ICE issued Chavarria an ankle-monitor to track her movements ahead of her removal. Meanwhile, her 9-year-old daughter has a plea for President Trump.

Please let my mom stay because she has four children, and Im one of them and I really want her to stay, Hayley Chavarria said.

New Haven attorney Glenn Formica and the volunteer activist group Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible have taken on Chavarria's case.

"The current policy doesnt allow common sense adjudication  doesnt allow them any discretion to say 'Yeah, it doesnt make sense to force Nury to leave her four children here and become burdens on the state,'" Formica said.

This is just inhumane. Things have to change. This is not who we are as a people. We have compassion, we care about people, added Charla Nich of Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible.

When NBC Connecticut reached out to ICE on the case, they released the following statement Monday:

"Nury Chavarria was allowed to voluntarily depart by a federal immigration judge in 1998, and failed to comply, rendering her subject to final order of removal in 1999. In 2010, the agency deferred her removal for one year on humanitarian grounds.

As a current exercise of discretion, the agency has allowed her to remain free from custody while finalizing her timely departure plans. The agency will continue to closely monitor her case to ensure compliance."

Chavarria's request to stay was denied Tuesday.

Gov. Dannel Malloy visited the church Thursday and said her situation in Connecticut speaks to the breakdown of immigration policy in Washington, focusing on removing the wrong people from this country.

He said there is nothing more the state can do for her except to give her support.
The lawyer representing a family facing eviction after the controversial arrests of two teenage boys says she's advised her client to stay in her apartment until she's forcibly removed.



Kim Cole, the attorney representing Latasha Nelson, said Thursday afternoon that she advised her client not to make herself and her children homeless. She recommended that Nelson and her family stay at their Arlington apartment until the building's management goes through the legal process of eviction.



Nelson recorded video of her sons being arrested July 3. Her 14-year-old son, Trayvon, was accused of burglary of a motor vehicle, and 16-year-old son, Broderick, was accused of interfering with police duties. Nelson has three other children, ages 19, 10 and 8.



According to Nelson, managers at the Park at Addison Park apartments terminated her lease after the boys were arrested, meaning she'd not be able to renew her lease when it expired in October. After she and her attorney met with Arlington Chief of Police Will Johnson, on Friday, July 14, Nelson said she came home to a notice that said she had to be out by July 20.



Cole said she is working with attorneys representing the apartment complex to find a resolution to the early eviction.

"It's hard to explain to your kids about the situation. You want them to believe that the system and the society, that everyone is working together," Nelson said. "It's difficult to explain to them, 'Hey, we got to get up and leave,' when they haven't seen or heard the whole story."

Nelson has alleged the officer mistreated her sons and has accused him of misconduct. She, along with her attorney and a civil right activist, have asked the that the officer be fired and face charges of misconduct.



Arlington police are investigating Nelson's allegation and are moving forward with charges against the two teenagers.

"They've already been criminalized before anything is even finished yet," Nelson said.

Nelson said she has lived at the apartment complex for four years and has had no issues in the past.

NBC 5's Frank Heinz contributed to this report.


Dublin, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "North America Infrared Spectroscopy Market - Trends and Forecast to 2024" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.



The North America infrared spectroscopy market have been segmented On the basis of product type into IR spectroscopy instruments and IR spectroscopy accessories. The IR Spectroscopy Instruments market is further segmented into benchtop, infrared microscopy, portable, hyphenated and terahertz IR spectroscopy. The IR Spectroscopy Accessories market is segmented ATR accessories, liquid cells, diffuse & specular reflectance accessories, gas cells and others.



Based on spectrum the market is segmented into Near IR, Far IR, and Mid IR.



On the basis of application the market is segmented into pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food & beverages, environmental testing, academics, security, industrial and petrochemical.



The North America Infrared Spectroscopy market covers data points for 3 countries such as U.S., Canada and Mexico.



Major Players Operating in this Market:

Teraview Ltd, Teledyne Technologies Inc, Horiba Ltd, Spectra Analysis Instruments Inc, Avantes, Carl Zeiss Spectroscopy GMBH, Galaxy Scientific, Gasera, IBSEN Photonics, EMD Millipore Corporation, Foss, Jasco Inc, Princeton Instruments (PI) among others.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1. Overview of the North America IR Spectroscopy Market

1.2. Market Segmentation & Coverage

1.2.1. Currency and Pricing

1.2.2. Limitation

1.2.3. Stakeholders



2 Research Methodology

2.1. Key Takeaways

2.2. Arriving at the North America IR Spectroscopy Market Size

2.2.1. Market Crackdown Approach

2.2.2. Company Revenue and Market Share Analysis

2.2.3. Data Triangulation

2.2.4. Key Data Points from Primary Sources

2.2.5. Product Pipeline Analysis

2.2.6. Porter's Five Forces Matrix

2.4. North America IR Spectroscopy Market: Research Snapshot

2.5. Assumptions



3 Market Overview

3.1. Drivers

3.1.1. Increasing Food Safety Concern

3.1.2. Technological Advancement

3.1.3. Increasing Life Science R&D Spending

3.2. Restraints

3.2.1. Shortage of Trained Staff

3.3. Opportunities

3.3.1. Growing Proteomics Market

3.3.2. Increased Demand for Applied Markets



4 Executive Summary



5 Premium Insights



6 North America IR Spectroscopy Market, by Type

6.1. Overview

6.2. IR Spectroscopy Instruments, by Product Type

A. Benchtop IR Spectroscopy

B. IR Microscopy

C. Portable IR Spectroscopy

D. Hyphenated

E. Terahertz

6.3. IR Spectroscopy Accessories, by Product Type

A. ATR Accessories

B. Liquid Cells

C. Diffuse & Specular Reflectance Accessories

D. Gas Cells



7 North America IR Spectroscopy Market, by Application

7.1. Overview

7.2. Pharmaceuticals

7.3. Food & Beverages

7.4. Biotechnological

7.5. Industrial

7.6. Academics

7.7. Petrochemicals

7.8. Environmental Testing

7.9. Security



8 North America IR Spectroscopy Market, by Spectrum

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Near Infrared

8.3. Far Infrared

8.4. Mid Infrared



9 North America IR Spectroscopy Market, by Geography

9.1. Overview

9.2. U.S. IR Spectroscopy Market

9.3. Canada IR Spectroscopy Market

9.4. Mexico IR Spectroscopy Market



10 North America IR Spectroscopy Market: Competitive Landscape

10.1. North America IR Spectroscopy Instruments Market: Company Share Analysis

10.2. North America IR Spectroscopy Accessories Market: Company Share Analysis



11 North America IR Spectroscopy Market, Company Profiles



- Agilent Technologies

- Bruker Corporation

- California Analytical Instruments

- Carl Zeiss Spectroscopy GmbH

- EMD Millipore

- Foss

- Harrick Scientific Products

- Jasco Inc.

- Perkinelmer Inc.

- Pike Technologies

- Schimadzu Corporation

- Specac Ltd.

- Teledyne Technologies Inc.

- The ABB Group

- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2hhzjr/north_america




An al-Qaida suspect linked to a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist has been brought to Philadelphia from Spain to face terrorism charges in federal court, despite President Donald Trump's promises to send terror suspects to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Ali Charaf Damache, 52, of Algeria, appeared in court Friday and will be arraigned next month on charges that he conspired with two American women and a high school honors student from Maryland, court officials said.

A 2011 indictment accused him of aiding terrorism, including the plan to kill Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who depicted the prophet Muhammad as a dog. The plot never materialized.

The Trump administration's decision to bring him to the United States marks a break from Attorney General Jeff Sessions' oft-stated belief that Guantanamo Bay is the best place for "these kinds of dangerous criminals."

During the presidential campaign, Trump said he not only wanted to keep the detention center in Cuba open after the Obama administration had long fought to close it, but promised to "load it up with some bad dudes."

Obama's Justice Department maintained the U.S. civilian court system was the most legally sound forum in which to prosecute terror suspects captured in the U.S. and overseas and cited hundreds of convictions in New York and other cities as proof.

Yet Sessions and other Republicans have often expressed concern that civilian courts afford legal protections to which suspected terrorists are not entitled. He has warned valuable intelligence can be lost if a detainee is advised of his or her right to remain silent and to have a lawyer.

The Justice Department did not say what led officials to send Damache to federal court or whether it signals a shift in Sessions' views. The attorney general made no mention of the case during a Friday speech in Philadelphia on sanctuary cities and fighting violent crime.

"The individual involved in this case was indicted in 2011 in federal district court," the department said in a statement. "The United States has consistently used the extradition process to obtain indicted fugitives who are overseas, so that they can stand trial in our federal courts."

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who long defended the prosecution of terrorism suspects in civilian court, said Friday that the Trump administration's tough rhetoric on Guantanamo was "political and counterproductive."

"It's good to see that the president and the Attorney General now seem to share my belief in the effectiveness of the world's greatest judicial system and its ability to keep the American people safe," he said.

Damache married a Colorado woman the day she traveled to Ireland to meet him in 2009. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez eventually helped the FBI investigate the terror cell, which included a Pennsylvania woman who called herself "Jihad Jane" online.

Damache, known as "Black Flag" had been fighting extradition after his 2015 arrest in Spain. Lawyer Joseph Mancano, appointed Friday to represent him, said he did not have any immediate comment.

Officials said that Damache joined co-defendants Mohammad Hassan Khalid, Colleen "Jihad Jane" LaRose and Paulin-Ramirez in forming a cell that recruited men online to wage jihad in South Asia and Europe, and to recruit women with western passports to travel through Europe in support of the cause.

LaRose is serving a 10-year prison term and Paulin-Ramirez eight years after pleading guilty to providing material aid to terrorism while Khalid, whose family had immigrated from Pakistan, was sentenced to five years.

Paulin-Ramirez took her 6-year-old son with her to Waterford, where he was taught to be a warrior and hate non-Muslims. The boy also endured physical abuse during the four-month stay, according to prosecutors who showed a video at her 2014 sentencing of him reciting inflammatory verses and thrusting a toy weapon as his mother laughed. She told the judge she hoped the boy would forget what she put him through.

A defense expert testified that she had a twisted view of the religion, culled from extremist postings.

Damache's arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 28.

It's unclear what the case could mean for future terror cases or for the future of Guantanamo Bay. Sessions, his deputy Rod Rosenstein and other administration officials visited the prison earlier this month to get a look at current operations. Support for it now would represent a reversal of eight years of efforts to close the detention center, which opened on the base in January 2002 to hold and interrogate suspected enemy combatants.

The Obama administration sent no new detainees there, and though it didn't fulfill a promise to shut it down, whittled the population from 242 to 41. That includes seven currently facing charges by military commissions. All are in the pretrial stage, including the five men charged with planning and aiding in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
American citizens will be barred by the U.S. from traveling to North Korea beginning next month following a prohibition on using U.S. passports to enter the country, the State Department said Friday.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson decided to impose a "geographical travel restriction" on North Korea following the death last month of American university student Otto Warmbier, who fell into a coma while in North Korean custody. The ban also comes amid heightened U.S. concern about Pyongyang's recent advancements in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Figures on how many Americans visit North Korea are difficult for even the U.S. government to obtain. But Simon Cockerell of the Koryo Group, one of the leading organizers of guided tours to the country, said 800 to 1,000 Americans go annually and will be affected.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, "Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, the secretary has authorized a Geographical Travel Restriction on all U.S. citizen nationals' use of a passport to travel in, through or to North Korea."

The restriction will take effect in late August, 30 days after it is published as a legal notice in the Federal Register.

Once it takes effect, Americans wanting to travel to North Korea may do so legally only with a "special validation passport," which will be granted by the State Department on a case-by-case basis for "certain limited humanitarian or other purposes," the statement said.

It did not elaborate on what "other purposes" the department would consider. Americans who violate the restriction could face a fine and up to 10 years in prison for a first offense.

The U.S. strongly warns Americans against traveling to North Korea but has not until now prohibited trips, despite other sanctions targeting the country. Americans who venture there typically travel from China, where several tour groups market trips to adventure-seekers.

Nearly all Americans who have gone to North Korea have left without incident. But some have been seized and given draconian sentences for seemingly minor offenses. Over the past decade, at least 16 U.S. citizens have been detained, officials say.

The travel ban comes as the Trump administration searches for more effective ways to ramp up pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang's recent successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile  the first by the North  has created even more urgency as the U.S. seeks to stop North Korea before it can master the complex process of mounting a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the United States.

President Donald Trump has expressed frustration that his initial strategy  enlisting China's influence to squeeze the North economically and diplomatically  has not yielded major results. Trump's administration is considering other economic steps including "secondary sanctions" that could target companies and banks  mostly in China  that do even legitimate business with North Korea, officials say.

Under U.S. law, the secretary of state has the authority to designate passports as restricted for travel to countries with which the United States is at war, when armed hostilities are in progress, or when there is imminent danger to the public health or physical security of U.S. travelers.

Since 1967, such bans have been imposed intermittently on countries including Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Cuba and North Vietnam. The U.S. doesn't currently prohibit its passports from being used to travel to any countries, even though financial restrictions limit U.S. travel to Cuba and elsewhere.

Warmbier, who died after being medically evacuated in a coma from North Korea last month, suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause while in custody. Relatives said they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016. He had been accused of stealing a propaganda poster while on a tour of the country.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. At least three other Americans remain in custody in the North.

Tillerson had been weighing a North Korea travel ban since late April, when American teacher Tony Kim was detained in Pyongyang, according to a senior State Department official. Those deliberations gained even more urgency after Warmbier's death. Lawmakers in Congress have also pushed their own, legislative solutions to try to ban travel to the North.

Two tour operators that organize group trips to North Korea said they had already been informed of the decision by officials from Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea because the two countries lack diplomatic relations.

Although Pyongyang does not publish exact figures, Americans are thought to account for a mere 1 percent of all foreign visitors. Westerners make up 5 percent of total visitors.

Cockerell, the tour organizer, said the ban would turn back the clock on engagement with the North.

"It's unfortunate because we criticize North Korea for being isolationist and now we're helping isolate them," Cockerell said. "That's not what soft power is about."
In the midst of a Heat Advisory, the Salvation Army will open several cooling stations beginning Friday morning.

Thirteen cooling stations have been set up around North Texas in Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, Collin and Ellis counties.

According to its website, the Salvation Army said the stations are a cool place to stay during the hot hours of the day.

Ice-cold water will be on hand to help people keep cool and there will also be tips on how to stay cool now that the Texas heat has kicked in for the summer.

The organization said its two emergency homeless shelters in Dallas and Fort Worth see the highest among of people in need. These shelters will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. They're located at:

The Salvation Army Homeless Shelter

5302 Harry Hines Boulevard

Dallas, Texas

The Salvation Army Homeless Shelter

1855 E. Lancaster Avenue

Fort Worth, Texas



Cooling stations will also be available at 11 other Salvation Army community centers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays only.

Cedar Crest (East Oak Cliff)

1007 Hutchins Road

Dallas, TX 75203



Denton

1508 East McKinney Street

Denton, TX 76201



Irving

250 East Grauwyler Road

Irving, TX 75061



McKinney

600 Wilson Creek Pkwy

McKinney, TX 75069



Arlington

712 W. Abram Street

Arlington, TX 76013



Oak Cliff

1617 W. Jefferson Blvd

Dallas, TX 75208



Garland

451 W. Ave D

Garland, TX 75040



Lewisville

207 Elm Street

Lewisville, TX 75067



Plano

3528 E. 14th Street

Plano, TX 75074



Northside Corps (N. Fort Worth)

3023 NW 24th St

Fort Worth, TX 7610



The Salvation Army, Ellis County

620 Farley St.

Waxahachie, TX 75165



To help fund The Salvation Army and their cooling stations, click here.


THURSDAY, THAT GATEWAY TO THE WEEKEND: Would you call the fourth weekday, the one that sits comfortably between Wednesday and Friday, the entrance to our weekend fun? If that's a bit of a stretch, might you at least bestow an honorary weekend-adjacent status upon Thursday, at least while it is summertime? It's an age-old question, one that's sure to get longtime pals quibbling: Is Thursday kind of a tad weekend-ish, at least in spirit if not in actual practice, when the days grow balmier? You really don't need to search far to see festive people already honoring Thursday for its weekend-close ways. Look to Bahia Resort Hotel, in San Diego, which is hosting a water-neighboring party each Thursday night through Thursday, Aug. 31. It's called...

CALIFORNIA DREAMING, and it soaks in some of the splendor of Mission Bay all while providing revelers with opportunities to soak in the retro sounds of The Mar Dels. The groovy, feel-awesome tuneage is paired with a cookout element, one that includes a Steam Pot with mussels, clams, linguica, steamed potatoes, and corn on the cob, as well as complementary noshables like baked beans and macaroni salad. And if seafood isn't your jam, a grill station is on the grounds, too. Dining, dance-worthy songs, a sunset, and a cash bar? That's part of the Thursday evening flow at the resort. And no worries if you're not a guest: You, too, can buy a ticket, for $49, though people staying at the Bahia Resort Hotel can enter for $44, as can active military members. For that quintessential Mission Bay mood, click. And whether or not Thursday is an official weekend doorway, at least in the summer, at least in theory? Wherever you stand on the matter, be sure to enjoy a Thursday night to-do or two this summer, wherever you happen to be, before the air again turns chilly and brisk.
A helicopter made an emergency landing in a Sherman Oaks neighborhood Friday, injuring four people on board, authorities said.

The helicopter landed hard just before noon in the area of Noble Avenue and Camarillo Street near the 101 Freeway, the California Highway Patrol said.

Emergency responders treated four patients for non-life-threatening injuries, according to an initial report from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Aerial images showed the helicopter in the middle of the road lined with single-family homes. No flames were visible. Its rotor blades appeared to be bent and yellow water-landing pontoons had been deployed.

The helicopter, a Robinson R44, is registered to National Helicopter Service, based in nearby Van Nuys, California. The company's website indicates that it offers helicopters for tours, chartered flights, aerial cinematography and engineering services.

A woman who answered the phone at the company declined to immediately comment.

Valleyheart Drive was closed to traffic between Noble Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


If a major museum created an elaborate and detailed exhibit solely focused on you, and your life, and your adventures, and you happened to be in town on the day that all-about-you exhibit opened, chances are pretty high that you'd be there, in the middle of the excitement, with a glass of Chablis in hand, chatting with museum visitors and probably signing a few autographs, too.

But the latest star of the latest installation at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles won't be in attendance when the comprehensive, photo- and fact-filled display debuts on Friday, July 21. No need craning your neck or bringing an autograph book; the icon of the hour is certain to be a no-show.

That's because the exhibit's main focus is too busy roaming, and hunting, and resting, and making a full life in the scrubby hills above our city, and an exhibit opening simply doesn't fit into his schedule.

It's P-22 we speak of, of course, and NHMLA is celebrating the beloved mountain lion in a new installation called "The Story of P-22: LA's Most Famous Feline."

If you know your P-22-iana, as in the tidbits and facts of the mountain lion's amazing adventures, then you know where he was born  the Western Santa Monica Mountains  what freeways he's crossed  the 405 and 101, both  and how his sightings around Griffith Park have captured the fancies of countless big cat mavens, here in Southern California and beyond.

The installation goes into depth on his freeway-spanning, hill-wandering journeys, with "graphics, projections, photography, and video" all telling the tail  er, tale  of one of the greatest of superstars in a city brimming with stars.

You'll also discover what P-22 dines upon, how he was collared, and how the feline moves about by night. Territory marking? You can bet that'll be explored, too, in the new show.

Other nifty additions, like an audio element, which gives visitors a chance to hear what P-22 might be hearing in the park, are also woven through the experience.

Conservation efforts to help our regional big cats will also be explored at the NHMLA display.

P-22 has been known to Angelenos since 2012, when Miguel Ordenana, the current NHMLA Citizen Science Coordinator, first saw the handsome animal during the Griffith Park Connectivity Study.

It's difficult to remember a time when we didn't look to the hills, and try to imagine what P-22 might be up to, since he's now been part of our urban wilderness story for a half decade.

It's not difficult, though, to add to our understanding of this marvelous mountain lion, our park-based neighbor, through the Natural History Museum's roar-worthy new exhibit.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Parks giraffe herd has grown by two in the last three weeks.

Two-week-old Tamaza was born in the South Africa habitat to giraffe mom Gasira, and an unnamed calf was born a week prior in the East Africa habitat to giraffe mom Acacia, according to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

In just a few short weeks theyre already showing a lot of personality, said Animal Care Supervisor Lance Aubrey.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park hosts three giraffe subspecies: Masai, Uganda and reticulated giraffes, according to the San Diego Zoo website.

Researchers said the giraffe population in Africa has seen a 40 percent decrease in the last 20 years, according to a statement from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Last year the species was reclassified as vulnerable to extinction.



A fact sheet from the San Diego Zoo Global Library states the decrease is mostly due to poaching for skin and meat, and lower reproduction rates in adult females.

Other threats to the giraffe species are trophy hunting, less available food in the dry season, diseases introduced by human livestock, habitat degradation and loss of land resources due to human population growth.

San Diego Zoo Global said its goal is to bring species back from the brink of extinction.

Community conservancies are where were seeing strong signs of hope with increasing giraffe population numbers, said a San Diego Zoo Safari Park representative.

San Diego Zoo Global researchers are looking for volunteers to help track giraffe populations in Africa, and those interested can visit wildwatchkenya.org for more information.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prism Resources Inc. (TSX.V:PRS) (the Company) announces that its agreement (the Royalty Purchase Agreement) with AuRico Metals Inc. and AuRico Metals Canadian Royalty Partnership (together AuRico) for the sale by the Company to AuRico of its 7.5% net profit interest (the Royalty) on the "Aurora Property" and Sunday Lake Property (together the Properties) in the Porcupine Mining District, Northeastern Ontario has been terminated. The Aurora Property and Sunday Lake Property are owned by Detour Gold Corp. (Detour).



The Royalty Purchase Agreement, announced by the Company on July 10, 2017, was entered into in good faith by the Company and AuRico. Following the announcement, the Company and AuRico received a written communication from Detour claiming the Royalty is invalid and unenforceable against Detour, notwithstanding Detours long and consistent disclosure record to the contrary.

The Company first acquired the right to earn an undivided 100% interest in the Properties through an option agreement (the Boliden Option) with former owner Boliden Westmin (Canada) Limited (Boliden) in 1999. In 2002 the Company granted an option (the Conquest Option) to Conquest Resources Inc. (Conquest) to acquire a portion of the Companys interest under the Boliden Option. Prism and Conquest formed a joint venture (the Conquest Joint Venture) to further explore, acquire and, if warranted, develop the Properties.

In 2004 the Company converted its then remaining participating interest in the Conquest Joint Venture to a 7.5% net profit interest in the Properties.

In 2010 Conquest sold 100% of its interest in the Aurora Property and 50% of its interest in the Sunday Lake Property to Detour, which completed the required exploration expenditures under the Boliden Option to acquire the Aurora Property and Sunday Lake Property. The transaction is described in news releases dated April 12, 2010 and September 27, 2010 of Conquest, and news releases dated August 10, 2010 and September 27, 2010 of Detour. Each of the news releases confirms that the Aurora Property and Sunday Lake Property are subject to a 7.5% net profit interest held by the Company. Detour subsequently acquired Conquests remaining 50% interest in the Sunday Lake Property.

In the seven years since it acquired the Properties, Detour has consistently confirmed that the Properties remain subject to the Royalty in numerous disclosure documents including news releases, financial statements, management discussion and analysis, annual information forms, corporate presentations and NI 43-101 property reports.

In 2014 Detour confirmed in writing to the Companys auditors:

The Aurora Property and the Sunday Lake Property are located immediately south and east of Detour Golds Detour Lake Mine and they each remain subject to an interest held by Prism equal to 7.5% of the net profits from the properties.

As a result of Detours newly stated position repudiating any obligations under the Royalty, the Company was not able to satisfy all the conditions of the Royalty Purchase Agreement and the agreement was terminated.

It is the Companys position that the Royalty was and remains fully enforceable against Detour. The Company considers Detour to be fully responsible for the loss of the contract with AuRico and liable for all resulting damages. The Company has retained litigation counsel and intends to take whatever actions it considers to be necessary or advisable to assert its claims.

About Prism Resources Inc.

Prism acquired the Huampar project from Trevali Mining Corporation (TSX:TV) and Nueva Condor, a private Peruvian mining company, in July of 2016. Our priority has been to establish good community relations and agreements which are in process. More recently our focus has been for the reconstruction of the mine models and organization of the databases in anticipation of a program designed to examine the reactivation of mining production. The mining rate will be determined based on the economics provided by the current study. To that end, JDS of Mining & Energy have been contracted to carry out a PEA on the Huampar reactivation project.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRISM RESOURCES INC.

Robert W Baxter

President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider

(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)

accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
A pair of Japanese warships cruised into Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale Friday as part of a five-city tour of the United States.

The two ships from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will be in Fort Lauderdale through the weekend. The ships are on a 164-day training voyage that began in May.

During the voyage, the ships will travel approximately 35,000 miles with stops at ports in Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea.
Police are searching for the knife-wielding man who forced a teen into a forested part of a Queens park and sexually attacked her.

Police responded to a call made from a local hospital about a 17-year-old girl who said she was approached by a stranger while walking inside Kissena Corridor Park at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The man had a knife and dragged her into a heavily wooded section of the park, away from potential witnesses and surveillance cameras, according to police. He then made her perform a sexual act.

The attacker fled on foot, while the victim walked to New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital.

The NYPD Queens Special Victims Squad is investigating the incident. Police are putting a huge amount of resources into the investigation  more than 50 police officers were searching for through the park for evidence on Thursday.

Police believe the attacker is in his mid-20s.

The attack has left park-goers and staff at the nearby hospital on edge. Some said they wouldn't feel safe until the attacker was apprehended.

"I wouldn't come at night, because you can't see anything," said Monica Wat. "There's so many trees around here."

"Very scary," said Sirgin John. "I go in there 6 o'clock in the morning when I'm heading off to work."

Regular walkers say that many homeless people live in the woods of the park, but no evidence has been found connecting that to the assault.


A photo capturing a special moment between a young boy and an NYPD officer on the subway has New Yorkers' hearts melting.

The sweet image posted to Facebook last weekend shows a little boy looking up in awe at a smiling police officer in uniform. The boy's guardian was nearby in the subway car, though not in the shot, according to photographer Adam Richlin.

The boy, whom Richlin described as "wonderfully precocious and outgoing," began peppering the officer, identified to News 4 as Furkhan Tekin of the Transit Anti-Terrorism unit, with questions. He asked Tekin why he was "wearing that stuff," according to Richlin.

"Well, it's my job!" said Tekin.

"Is that your favorite shirt?" asked the boy.

"Yeah. Because it's the one with the shiny badge on it. I like it. You like it?" answered Tekin.

"Yeah," said the boy.

Tekin asked the boy what grade he was in. The boy replied in his tiny voice, "Pre-K... and -- and I got ROBOTS on MY shirt."

The boy continued to quiz the officer and asked where he was from. Tekin told the boy he was from Brooklyn, which has many different parts, and he was from one part called Bensonhurst.

"Oh," the boy said. "OK. That's OK."

These 15 Tri-State Area Restaurants Have Some of the Best Hot Dogs in America, New Ranking Says

Richlin said the conversation between boy and cop went on for at least three train stops on the L line, and likely continued after Richlin got off at Lorimer.

The boy's guardian was standing behind Richlin as he took the photo. She told Richlin: "He likes cops 'cause his mom's best friend is a cop. So he thinks they're all nice."

Since it was posted to Facebook on July 15, the photo has gotten over 1,400 likes and been shared nearly 300 times. One man commented, "Most people would say, 'This is so unusual.' I was a cop for 25 years. This is an everyday accuracy."

"Those 10 minutes could be something that kid never forgets," wrote another person. "You never know."

[NATL] Top Entertainment Photos: Best of the American Music Awards, and More
What to Know A seaplane made an emergency landing in the East River on Friday evening; no injuries were reported

An NYPD boat rescued 10 people from the plane, including television producer Bill Lawrence of "Scrubs" and "Spin City" fame

The plane was departing for the Hamptons when it had trouble taking off and landed in the water, officials said

Ten people, including television producer Bill Lawrence of "Scrubs" and "Spin City" fame, were rescued from a seaplane after it made an emergency landing in the East River on Friday evening, officials said.

An NYPD Harbor Unit boat picked up the ten people, who were wearing life vests and sitting in the plane after it went down in the water, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Gala said. Among them were a pilot and nine passengers, including Lawrence, who described the plane as "our plane" in an Instagram post.

Lawrence posted a video of himself aboard the plane as it landed in the river, along with photos of the other passengers, some of whom were sitting on the aircraft's pontoons as they waited to be rescued.

"I don't like this," Lawrence can be heard saying in the video right before the plane hits the water. In the caption for the video, he wrote, "Just landing in the east river. No big deal." The video has since been deleted.

Some of Lawrence's family members were with him on the plane. He wrote, "Daughter is much more casual" in a photo showing a group of passengers waiting to be rescued. In another photo after the rescue, he said, "Going to go drink tequila continuously. #Lucky"

Lawrence is known for creating, producing or writing a number of well-known shows, including "Scrubs," "Spin City," "Cougar Town," "Friends," and "Boy Meets World."

The plane was leaving SkyPort Marina at East 23rd Street, en route to East Hampton Airport, when it had trouble taking off, according to officials. During the third attempt at takeoff, the plane hit the water, fracturing three struts on its left side. (A strut attaches a pontoon to the plane.)

With three struts broken, the aircraft began to list and the pilot aborted takeoff and made a hard landing in the water, according to officials.

Television producer Bill Lawrence was among 10 people aboard a plane that made a hard landing in the East River on Friday evening. Michael George reports.

"It just happened really quick, they tried to take off," Lawrence told News 4 New York. "They went up in the air a little bit, came down, pulled up, tried to go up in the air. When it came down, the flotation came off."

"It felt like taking off, calm for a second, get nervous, come down  boom," he said.

Lawrence's daughter, Charlotte, said it was a dramatic few minutes.

"It was scary," she said. "Once we knew we were safe, it was fine, like I made a new friend. We were smiling eventually. It was scary initially."

A woman named Kendall was also on the boat, she said she started crying.

"I was just like shaking and really nervous, and once I got out I felt okay," she said.

Seven people were rescued after a seaplane landed in the East River on Friday evening. Marc Santia reports.

Bystanders recorded video and watched in shock as the plane came down.

Carter Craft was on a boat after finishing up an environmental project when the seaplane made the hard landing and one of its pontoons broke.

He said he saw the plane approach from the south, come in to land in choppy water and then come to a "dead stop."

"I knew something was wrong when it was stalled there in the water," Craft said. "I could see it was completely stopped and there were a lot of people out on the wing and one of the pontoons that didn't break off."

Leroy Farmer watched in horror as the plane splashed into the water.

"When it hit the water, the left part made a front dive, like if a wave hit it," Farmer said. "It must have been about 15 people picking up the phone, dialing 911."

FDNY Marine units and NYPD Harbor units responded about 300 yards from the East 23rd Street pier at 5:30 p.m., three minutes after the plane went down, officials said. FDNY units secured the vessel as NYPD units removed the 10 passengers, who were wearing life jackets and sitting in the plane.

A plane made a hard landing in the East River on Friday evening. Officials from the NYPD and FDNY gave updates.

Officials said all 10 passengers refused medical treatment after they were taken to SkyPort Marina. The rescue went so smoothly that NYPD Lt. Joe Grasso said the passengers weren't even wet.

There was heavy traffic and delays on the FDR Drive as gawkers looked on at the plane during the height of the evening rush.

As for Lawrence, he said he was taking it easy Friday night.

"I'm going to go have a glass of tequila somewhere and sit around in the dark," he said.

The NTSB is investigating what caused the plane to have trouble taking off, officials said.



The Cessna Caravan C208 is registered to Tailwind Air, LLC, which provides shuttle service across the northeast and out to the Hamptons on Long Island, records show.

Tailwind Air confirmed with News 4 New York that the plane was theirs. In a statement, the company's president, Shane Reynolds, said the passengers and crew were safe and that normal operations have resumed.

This is the third unusual aircraft landing in the region in the past 36 hours.

On Thursday, a small plane landed on Sunrise Highway on Long Island.

And on Wednesday morning, a small helicopter carrying the only son of WWE owner and chairman Vince McMahon made a controlled emergency landing in the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island's Gilgo Beach, prompting a major emergency response.
A Connecticut mother of four who has lived in the United States for 24 years and faces deportation is holed up in a church, refusing to leave without a fight.



Nury Chavarria wouldnt board a plane back to her native Guatemala, which she left in 1993, when she was 19. Shes currently at the Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal church in New Haven seeking sanctuary.

My kids need me," she said. "I left my country when I was 19 years old. I have nothing in my country."

Chavarrias young daughter, Gabriella, made a plea to the leaders of the U.S. on Thursday.

She is not a criminal and has a positive attitude about everything," Gabriella said. "I want her to stay because I love her so much."

Chavarria applied for asylum in the U.S., but her application was denied. Shes remained here ever since.

All of Chavarrias children are American, including a son with special needs. She has worked as a housekeeper to provide for her family.

During her last yearly check-in, federal immigration agents told her she had five weeks to go back to Guatemala. An ankle monitor was placed on her.

Chavarria said she has no criminal record, works as a housekeeper, and pays taxes. She believed those factors would allow her to remain in the U.S., despite President Donald Trump's administrations focus on deportations. All that changed at her June check-in, when ICE officials told her in five weeks she would have to pack up her life and leave.

I told him Im not a criminal. Im a mother with four children," she said. "They are citizens. USA. I want to stay here to help them and keep my family together."

ICE issued Chavarria an ankle-monitor to track her movements ahead of her removal.

New Haven attorney Glenn Formica and volunteer activist group Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible have taken on Chavarria's case.

Formica says there is nothing for her in Guatemala.

Nury's dilemma is whether she leaves her four children, her four U.S. citizen children and goes back to Guatemala alone, leaving the children to be wards of the state. Or whether she takes them to abject poverty in a place that they know nothing about, have no cultural reference to," Formica said.

At the church in New Haven, Chavarria was met with support from the community and the states governor, Dannel Malloy, who feels Americans are being misled about President Trumps new immigration policy.

"I understand that she was identified as someone here improperly, but when told to response on a yearly basis, I have not been able to find anything criminal in her background," Malloy said. "I want to help her and I want to help all four children and her mother to be able to live a good life here in the United States."

In a statement to NBC 4 New York, ICE said, Chavarria was allowed to voluntarily depart by a federal immigration judge in 1998, and failed to comply, rendering her subject to final order of removal in 1999. In 2010, the agency deferred her removal for one year on humanitarian grounds.

As a current exercise of discretion, the agency has allowed her to remain free from custody while finalizing her timely departure plans."

Chavarria's request to stay was denied Tuesday.
A 41-year-old parolee who was on the run for hours in New York City has been caught in the Bronx, police say.

Hector Calo was on the run -- in his underwear -- for hours after he escaped from parole officers on Staten Island on Thursday, authorities said. He was caught around 1:15 a.m. Friday. He is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a loaded weapon, escape from custody, and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17.



Police say state parole officers were conducting a visit with Calo on Van Duzer Street in Tompkinsville around 7 a.m. Thursday, noticed a violation and put him in handcuffs. NYPD was at the scene to assist.



Calo, still cuffed and wearing only a T-shirt and underwear, managed to flee the scene. He ran towards the woods.



The nature of the parole violation wasn't immediately clear.

Cops swarmed the Staten Island neighborhood as they searched for Calo. Residents were alerted by police, who went door to door.

Calo served nearly two and a half years in Fishkill for second-degree burglary. He was released on parole in August 2015.


Australia was disappointed that hundreds of its rejected refugees would not begin resettling in the United States this month under a deal that predates President Donald Trump's administration, an official said on Friday.

President Barack Obama's administration agreed to accept up to 1,250 refugees among hundreds of asylum seekers  mostly from Iran, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka  who have been languishing for up to four years in immigration camps on the impoverished Pacific island nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said Australia wanted the refugees to start moving in July, but the United States had already filled its 50,000 refugee quota for the current fiscal year.

"We're disappointed that they haven't been able to move this month, which was my hope, but their new program year starts on Oct. 1, and we're working with both the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that we can get people off as quickly as possible," Dutton told reporters.

Trump berated Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during their first telephone conversation as national leaders in January over the deal which Trump described in a tweet as "dumb."

Trump said the refugees would be subjected to "extreme vetting" before they were accepted. There are few details on what that would entail.

Australia will not settle any refugees who try to arrive by boat  a policy that the government says dissuades asylum seekers from attempting the dangerous and occasionally deadly ocean crossing from Indonesia. Australia instead pays Papua New Guinea and Nauru to house asylum seekers in camps that have been plagued by reports of abuse and draconian conditions.

Dutton said he was determined to close the men-only camp on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea by the end of October. Asylum seekers on Manus who were rejected by the United States would be transferred to Nauru, who will remain open indefinitely.

Australia last month reached a settlement of 68 million dollars with more than 1,900 asylum seekers who sued over their treatment on Manus.
Anthony Scaramucci, a former Trump transition team official, is expected to be named as the new White House communications director, four sources in and close to the White House told NBC News Thursday.

Scaramucci did not respond to a request for comment, but the decision, first reported by Axios, is expected to be announced Friday. Sean Spicer is expected to stay on the communications team.

Scaramucci met with President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka in the Oval Office Thursday so the president could offer him the job, a source said.



Scaramucci was a supporter of Trump's during the campaign, dealing with fundraising and appearing on cable TV as a frequent defender of the president.


A caretaker ran for his life after two gunmen shot and killed a man using a wheelchair in a home invasion/homicide in the Tioga section of Philadelphia overnight.

The armed men forced their way into a home on the 3300 block of North Gratz Street late Thursday night as the caretaker helped the unidentified man inside, Philadelphia Police said.

"They just returned home," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "The caretaker was helping the 36-year-old who was in the wheelchair up the steps and into the front door of his home."

The 36-year-old victim struggled to keep the door closed, but the suspects shot him in the head causing the victim to fall onto the ground in his living room, police said.

The 51-year-old caretaker ran from the scene.

"They chased him south on Gratz Street," Small said.

the gunmen shot the caretaker in the leg and back leaving him hospitalized in stable condition, police said.

A woman and four children  including 7-year-old twins and a 4-year-old  were upstairs in the home at the time of the shooting and heard the shooting, Small said.

Police found bullet casings from two separate weapons. Investigators said both suspects wore black during the attack and one had a beard.
Dallas, TX, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Principal Management Group of North Texas (PMG), announced today the recent hiring of Maria Rust as the new business development manager for greater Tarrant County.



Ms. Rust has more than eight years of community management experience, which includes positions such as regional manager and general manager for multiple high rise buildings in the DFW area. Ms. Rust joins the PMG team from Somerset Associations Management, an Associa company, also located in Dallas, Texas.



Ms. Rust will focus on identifying and developing business referrals for PMG as well as creating sales strategies and effective business plans to generate more revenue, increase brand loyalty, and improve customer satisfaction in target markets.



We are happy to welcome Maria to the Associa PMG team, stated Stephanie Benham, Associa Principal Management Group vice president. Marias association operations experience will be an asset to our team as well as our clients and residents. Her focus on growing our services and providing the best customer care will help PMG expand into new markets and reach new communities.



Ms. Rust holds a BS in Business Management from Nebraskas Bellevue University.



With more than 180 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.



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Residents of a Mira Mesa neighborhood are disturbed after a 69-year-old woman was struck by a copper pipe more than 30 times in the head.

The incident happened around 7 p.m. Thursday.

According to San Diego police, the victim returned to her home on Capcano Road and found her 36-year-old son in the front yard. He used a hose to squirt water on her and she told him to take his medication.

That's when the son began beating her with two copper pipes, police said.

The woman ran inside to call 911 but her son took her mobile phone away, police said. He then struck his mother 25 more times in the head and left the home, according to police.

The woman was able to call for help using a house phone and was taken to a local hospital with life threatening injuries.

According to many neighbors, she had lived in the home for more than 30 years.

"She is a very sweet lady, is quiet. She had a cat," said Ada Dunn, a close friend, and neighbor of the victim.

Neighbor William Watson told NBC 7 that he saw the woman's son in the afternoon before the attack.

"He seemed strange. He was pacing around. First I saw him with a guitar, then he came back out doing some nunchuck, ninja thing with sticks," Watson said.

"She wouldn't have been able to control him at all if he really went off," neighbor David Copeland said.

Police arrested Theodore Guenther at a nearby park and booked him on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to cause great bodily injury.



He was on probation for an unrelated crime.

"I hate to see something like that happen. I'm totally surprised to hear that in this quiet neighborhood," Watson said.

Guenther was held without bail and due in court Friday.

Ed. Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the woman's age as 81-years-old. We have since learned she is 69-years-old. The article has been corrected.


What to Know Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk says he has the go-ahead to build a Hyperloop system connecting NY to DC

The Hyperloop, an electromagnetic tube system, would transport people from city to city in 29 minutes

Musk first proposed the idea of an intercity Hyperloop in 2013

UPDATE: Elon Musk's NY-DC Hyperloop One Step Closer to Reality



New York to Washington in 29 minutes? Elon Musk says it's possible and he has the government's approval to do it (though it's anyone's guess how long it would take to build).

"Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins," the billionaire inventor and entrepreneur tweeted Thursday afternoon.

"City center to city center in each case, with up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators in each city," he said in another tweet. The Boring Company is Musk's tunneling venture.

"Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly," Musk said about an hour later. He waited until Friday morning to acknowledge, again via Twitter, that the verbal approval was at the federal level only.

"Still a lot of work before formal, written approval, but this opens door for state & city discussions," he added.



In a statement to News 4 New York on Thursday, a Boring Company spokesperson said the company has had a number of promising conversations with local, state and federal government officials.

"With few exceptions, feedback has been very positive and we have received verbal support from key government decision-makers for tunneling plans, including a Hyperloop route from New York to Washington," the person said, adding the company hopes to "break ground later this year."

LEVITATING PODS

Passengers traveling via Hyperloop would board magnetically levitating pods moved by electric propulsion.



The U.S. Department of Transportation referred inquiries about the project to the White House. The Trump administration acknowledged Musk's tweet while not getting into any specifics about a possible project.

"We have had promising conversations to date, are committed to transformative infrastructure projects, and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector," a White House spokesman said.

[NATL] The Many Handshakes of President Donald Trump

Representatives for both the New York City and Washington, D.C. mayors said they were unaware of approvals for the project.

"This is news to City Hall," tweeted Eric Phillips, a spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"This is the first weve heard of it, but we can't wait to hear more," said LaToya Foster, spokeswoman for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The D.C. Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to an inquiry. The Federal Transit Administration deferred to the Transportation Department.

In February, Musk tweeted photos from a tunnel in D.C., sparking a flurry of speculation. NBC Washington learned he toured the 2 1/2-mile-long Anacostia River Tunnel and saw the tunnel-boring machine that created it. A spokesman for Musk declined to speak at the time about the purpose of the tour.

Baltimore officials, in statements to local media, said they supported the project and would not stand in its way.

SKEPTICS CHALLENGE

Skeptics wasted no time in challenging Musk on the details of his announcement Thursday, including the BBC's Silicon Valley reporter, who asked whether the CEO was announcing prematurely in a bid to drum up support.

"Support would be much appreciated!" he replied.

In a later response to an inquisitive follower, Musk did say the work on the New York-to-Washington tunnel would run in parallel to an existing project to build tunnels in Los Angeles.

"Then prob LA-SF and a TX loop," he tweeted. He gave no estimate for how long any of these projects would take or what they might cost.

He also indicated that adding Boston and Providence to the NY-DC route would be a "natural extension," and said his company had been approached by Chicago officials about an O'Hare-to-downtown tunnel as well.

Musk is best known for his electric car company Tesla and his space venture SpaceX, as well as co-founding PayPal.

The inventor first proposed the Hyperloop electromagnetic tube system in 2013. Earlier this year the California tech company Hyperloop One unveiled a plan for a NY-to-DC system.

Musk's system appeared to be different from theirs, though.

Technology company Hyperloop One has unveiled a plan for a high-speed tube that could take people from New York City to Washington, D.C. in just 23 minutes.

In April, former D.C. Department of Transportation head Gabe Klein said he thinks Hyperloop will happen.

"I think it's going to become a reality," he said. "I think it may take longer than people think to get through all the right-of-way clearances and the sort of government regulations. But I think we are in for a sea change in terms of long-haul transportation."
When a police officer in Fredericksburg, Virginia, caught a young man drinking a beer in public last week, he didn't hand the man a ticket. He handed him a trash bag.

Police body camera footage showed Officer Joe Young's encounter with a man in swim trunks drinking out of a glass bottle on a hot day on Ficklen Island.

Do you want $250 worth of fines and court costs, or do you want to help me out?" the Fredericksburg Police Department officer says. "Its going to take about five minutes of your time.

Then, he pulls his preferred crime-fighting weapon out of his police vest: A garbage bag.

The man accepts the bag, and together, they start picking up the cans and bottles that litter the land on the Rappahanock River.

"Great young man. He actually filled up three of my garbage bags. Then, in addition to that, wanted to know how to pay the fines. And I told him, 'There are no fines. You made the right decision,'" Young said.

If people caught committing minor crimes on Ficklen Island are polite and have no criminal record, Young gives them the option to clean up the riverbank instead of being fined for drinking in public, among other charges.

Young works on Ficklen Island at least eight hours a day, six days a week, and doubles as the watershed manager for the city.

My goal is zero litter, zero graffiti," he said.

Many surfaces on the island are tagged with graffiti, some of it gang-related.

Young said he loves the river and wants to protect it for others.

It needs to be protected. It is beautiful. It is this regions life source. We have to keep it clean," he said.
A woman has died after she was attacked outside a convenience store in Alexandria, Virginia, and a man has been charged, police say.

Fedelia Montiel Benitiez, of Alexandria, died Thursday after she was assaulted 10 days earlier, on July 10, the Alexandria Police Department said Friday. She was 39.

Officers received a report about 11:45 p.m. July 10 that a woman was unconscious outside a convenience store on the 4900 block of Seminary Road, near I-395. A 7-Eleven is located on that block.

An investigation revealed that a man assaulted Benitiez as she left the store, police said.

Robert Coleman, 26, of Alexandria, was arrested the day after the assault and charged with malicious wounding. In the wake of Benitiez's death, he may face additional charges.

No information was released immediately on the motive for the crime, or whether Benitiez and Coleman are believed to have known each other.

Information on Coleman's lawyer was not available immediately. He's due in court Aug. 23, online court records say.



This is the third homicide in Alexandria this year.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call police at 703-746-6751.

Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Russia has no plans to leave Syria and will continue to try to meddle in U.S. affairs to "stick it to America."

He reiterated his belief that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election and described the U.S.-Russia relationship as "complicated."

"I think they find anyplace that they can make our lives more difficult, I think they find that's something that's useful," he said.

Pompeo also said he has seen only minimal evidence that Russia has pursued a serious strategy against Islamic State militants in Syria. He said any suggestion that Russia has been a U.S. ally in Syria is not borne out by what's happening on the ground.

But Pompeo said he was hopeful there will be places in the world where the U.S. and Russia can cooperate on counterterrorism.

He said it's difficult to imagine a stable Syria with President Bashar Assad still in power. He called Assad a "puppet of the Iranians," who now have a "significant foothold in Syria."

Russia will stay in Syria, he said, because it loves its naval port in Tartus, off the Mediterranean Sea.

The CIA director spoke in a wide-ranging conversation at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts in Aspen, Colorado.

He said the Trump administration is working on ways to push back against Iran, which wants to be a "kingpin" in the Middle East.

Pompeo continued his criticism of the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran. The Trump administration recently confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the deal but warned it would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the accord  a reference to Iran's continued pursued of a ballistic missile program.

When it comes to Iranian compliance with the agreement, Iran is a "bad tenant," Pompeo said. He likened their compliance with a renter who doesn't pay rent until the landlord demands it and then sends a bad check. He noted that President Donald Trump has been working with Gulf states and Israel to find a common way to push back against Iranian aggression in the region.

What won't work is appeasing Tehran or forcing them into compliance, he said.

"When we have our strategy in place, I'm confident you will see a fundamental shift in policy" toward Iran, Pompeo said.

Pompeo also addressed the threat from North Korea and said Trump asks questions about Pyongyang nearly every time he sees him.

"It is at the front of his mind," Pompeo said.

It's one thing for North Korea to have a missile that can harm the United States and another for it to have an arsenal of such weapons, he said, adding that things can be done to narrow its capacity to develop a stockpile.

While some people believe North Korea's leader is irrational, Pompeo said he is convinced Kim Jong Un understands his core mission  "which is to keep himself in power."

While he avoided saying the U.S. might favor a regime change, Pompeo said he's "hopeful that we will find a way to separate that regime" from its nuclear capabilities.

"The North Korea people  I'm sure are lovely people  and would love to see him go as well. You know they don't live a very good life there," Pompeo said.

On another issue, Pompeo said he believes WikiLeaks will "take down America any way it can." He noted that the anti-secrecy group's website urges students to become CIA interns so they can become whistleblowers.

Pompeo acknowledged that Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that he loved WikiLeaks.

"I don't love WikiLeaks," Pompeo said.

Besides Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked documents revealing extensive U.S. government surveillance, WikiLeaks has released nearly 8,000 documents that it says reveal secrets about the CIA's cyberespionage tools for breaking into computers. WikiLeaks previously published 250,000 State Department cables and embarrassed the U.S. military with hundreds of thousands of logs from Iraq and Afghanistan.
A missing New Jersey hiker has been found dead in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The body of 63-year-old Gregory Auriemma, of Brick, New Jersey, was found Thursday night by Appalachian Mountain Club work crews in the Dry River Wilderness, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Concord.

Auriemma was reported missing earlier this month.

He was last seen in North Conway. Searchers determined he stayed at a hut in Bean's Grant on or about June 28. On Saturday Auriemma was linked to an abandoned campsite in Cutts Grant.

The New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club said Auriemma was an environmental activist and head of the organization's Ocean County chapter.

New Jersey Sierra Club head Jeff Tittel says Auriemma was a good friend and a champion for the environment.
Workers at Longhorn Stakehouse in Haverhill, Massachusetts, created a memorable day for a beloved cook and brought dozens of people to tears.

The man got an unexpected gift from his coworkers who say this hard-working, New Hampshire dad deserves a break.

When Justin Pickering's coworkers heard that his old car didnt pass inspection - and he didnt have the money for a new one  they started fundraising.

Everyone just started giving money, like a lot of money, Fabiano said smiling.

Two weeks later, the Longhorn team handed Pickering the keys to his new car.

Tiny, Tiny, Tiny, Tiny, the crowd chanted.

The man everyone calls Tiny has a larger than life personality and a heart thats even bigger.

Just a hard working guy, does a lot for everyone, said his coworker Amber Hallisey.

His kids are the world to him, said his former coworker Jennifer Reardon.

When theres a good person like that, you always want to help them out, said another fellow employee Tiffany Fabiano.

Ive never had anything like that happen to me before, Tiny said through tears. I dont know what to say.

His coworkers even had enough money to fill the backseat with backpacks and goodies for his two little boys.

He always comes in, works hard, and has a lot of fun, said Longhorn Managing Partner Chuck Boullianne. He a great father, hed do anything for his kids, but the poor guy never gets a break.

As a single dad, caring for two children, and working full time as cook, Tiny admits, life isnt always easy  but youd never know it.

I think of my boys, as long as everything is going good for them, thats all that matters, Tiny said.

Its proof that when you spread positivity, its bound to come back in the most unexpected ways.

I love every single one of you, Tiny said. Today I am definitely living the dream.

Tiny was waiting on his tax returns to put toward a new car, but he says now, he will take that money and do something special with his kids.
A man with 18 drunken driving offenses on his record crashed into a utility pole in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and alcohol appeared to be a factor, according to police.

Francis Vierkant, 58, of Mashpee, crashed his vehicle Thursday night on North Falmouth Highway near the intersection of McMenamy Drive.

Falmouth police say the car crashed through a utility pole, causing live wires to fall in the road. Vierkant was also trapped inside the vehicle after the crash.

Responding crews extricated Vierkant from the vehicle and he was flown to a Boston-area hospital with serious injuries.

Vierkant has 18 prior drunken driving offenses in Massachusetts and Florida.

It is not clear if he will be facing charges.

The road was closed for an extended period of time, but the utility pole has been replaced and the road has since reopened.
Manchester, NH, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On August 8, Coffee House Press will release Little Boxes: Twelve Writers on Television, a collection of essays for people who grew up with television as the primary background noise, and what it means to have that blue glow as part of your cultural DNA. Twelve writers talk about their influences, and theyre more Magnum, P.I. than Marcel Proust. This is cultural criticism from an enthusiasts point of viewtaking sitcoms and dramedies and very special episodes seriously, not because theyre art, but because they matter to us. Included in the anthology is the essay Creek Theses: New Notes on Dawsons Creek by Southern New Hampshire University MFA faculty member Justin Taylor. The essay is also being serialized in The Paris Review.

Justin Taylor is the author of several books of fiction, including the novel The Gospel of Anarchy (Harper Perennial) and most recently the story collection Flings. His interview with Percival Everett also appears in the Summer issue of The Paris Review.

Attachments:

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The man who police arrested after he allegedly shot at police on the roof of a Framingham, Massachusetts, pizza shop was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Friday.

Justin Breakspear, 31, of Framingham, was taken into police custody Thursday evening after barricading himself on the roof of the Slice of New York pizza shop on Edgell Road.

Framingham police say he fired a long gun at officers. No officers were injured.

"We were in here working, me and my bother, and we heard a shot, we thought it was firecrackers," said Sunny Johar, who works next door to the pizza place, said Friday.



Police were joined by a SWAT team to negotiate with Breakspear during the standoff. At one point, troopers used a long-rage accoustical device on a Bearcat vehicle to command the suspect to come down. He eventually surrendered

The standoff occurred after Breakspear fled from police after they responded to a domestic call on Whiting Road.

Breakspear is facing charges including six counts of armed assault with intent to murder and six counts of attempt to commit murder, among others.

A judge ordered Breakspear to undergo a mental health evaluation.

In court on Friday afternoon, prosecutors alleged Justin Breakspear told his girlfriend, "he was going to kill all of the Framingham police officers and they would pay for what they had done to him in the past."

Prosecutors went on to say in court that Breakspear told his girlfriend, "he was not going back to prison so he was going to the police station with a gun to blow all the cops away."

A dangerousness hearing has been scheduled for July 26.
Vermonts largest city appears to be experiencing a building boom, with significant improvements or additions now underway on both public and private property.

It is very exciting, Nina Safavi, the interim director of the Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Department said of a major trail upgrade coming to a piece of land off North Avenue.

Vermonts congressional delegation announced this week that Burlington received a $500,000 competitive grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership through the National Park Service.

The grant money, which comes from corporate use fees on the nations federal lands, not from taxpayers pockets, will help Burlington add a new 12-acre park to connect North Avenue to the Lake Champlain waterfront via the citys popular bike pathwhich is also growing through ongoing expansion and improvement work.

Construction will begin next summer, Safavi said of the trail work and other upgrades to the new park land off North Avenue, behind the former Burlington College property.

She noted that a prime aim of the work is to make trails more accessible to people with mobility challenges.

The park is just the latest project in what many consider one of the busiest stretches in memory for both public and private development in the states largest city.

A dizzying list of jobs now underway includes new dorms and academic buildings at the University of Vermont, an expansion for patient comfort at the UVM Medical Center, more student housing for Champlain College, improved sidewalks and water lines around the city, hundreds of apartments planned for the defunct Burlington College property, and a transformation of a tired downtown mall into new levels of rental units, office space, and refreshed ground-floor retail.

We have a lot of interest in the retail space, the malls redeveloper, Don Sinex, told NBC 5 News last week. I would suspect we would have binding agreements for more than half of the space in a few months time.

All told, that list alone represents several hundred million dollars in projects underway now and over the next few years.

We are thriving right now, Mayor Miro Weinberger told necn. This is a place that you can have an outstanding quality of life, and increasingly, where you can earn a livingwhich wasnt always the case in the past. But its an important part of what Burlington is today.

Economist Tom Kavet said Burlingtons boom mirrors development in a lot of other urban areas in the country.

In large part, thats where the growth is, Kavet said of the Burlington area. The lowest unemployment rate is there; a lot of the new investment is happening there.

While Weinberger said the long list of public and private projects is a testament to the vitality of his small city, he noted that a challenge moving forward will be ensuring the city can be an affordable place to live for people of all backgrounds.
Republican state Sen. Eric Brakey is on notice: He'd better show some spirit in his U.S. Senate bid or else Republican Gov. Paul LePage may throw his hat into the ring.

LePage told WGAN-AM on Thursday that he'll reconsider his decision to stay out of the race if Brakey doesn't mount a more aggressive campaign.

LePage said he's feeling pressure to try to unseat Sen. Angus King. King, a former governor, is an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

LePage, who will leave office next year, announced in May that he would not run for Senate. An aide said he "will remain focused on the job at hand."
Republican Senator Susan Collins went to the Maine Medical Center Research Institute to get a tour of the lab. She ended up receiving a standing ovation for her stance on health care.

"It certainly is a difficult time in Washington, but I have never shied away from a challenge, and Im not exactly a shrinking violet," she said.

The moderate Republican has opposed efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. She has also stood in the way of a Senate Republican plan to reform health care, that she worries will bring devastating cuts to Medicaid.

Senator Collins said she expects to have a health care vote next week  but she isnt sure if it will be a revised Republican health care bill, or a measure to repeal Obamacare without a replacement.

"I dont think either approach is a viable option," Sen. Collins said.

She is urging Senate leaders to have hearings and work with Democrats on a compromise.

Collins has become a Senator to watch  not only for her votes on health care, but also for her role on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

As her committee works to investigate Russian interference in the election, she is concerned about reports that President Trumps attorneys are trying to undercut special counsel Robert Mueller.

"[Mueller] cannot be interfered with," said Collins. "I think it would be catastrophic if the President were to fire him. What the President really ought to do is just not say another word about the investigation, and just let it go forward."
RESTON, Va., July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carahsoft Technology Corp., the trusted government IT solutions provider, today announced that it has received the Americas VMware Partner Innovation Award in the Regional Distributor category. Carahsoft was recognized at VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2017, held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.



We congratulate Carahsoft on winning the Regional Distributor award and look forward to our continued collaboration, said Andy Banks, Vice President Global Distribution, VMware. VMware and our partners will continue to empower organizations of all sizes with technologies that can accelerate their digital transformation.

Carahsoft was recognized as the Americas Distributor Partner of the Year for VMware based on its performance and support of VMwares public sector channel in 2016. In addition, Carahsoft hosted 246 marketing events and more than 200 partner-enablement activities to increase demand, train customers and partners, and drive awareness for VMware solutions within the public sector market.

These activities ranged in scope from a broad series of technical and presales certification courses and boot camps, to proactive remote and on-site-based solution sales trainings, to innovative end user-focused joint marketing efforts. Carahsoft also launched a Software-Defined Datacenter VMware Product Assessment focused on delivering access to new VMware products and solutions directly to end users on behalf of, and at no cost to, VMware Solution Provider partners.

Recipients of the Americas VMware Partner Innovation Award were recognized in 16 categories for their outstanding performances and distinctive achievements during 2016. These categories included Education, Emerging Markets Distributor, Marketing and Regional Distributor.

It is an honor to be recognized for our partnership with VMware for our outstanding sales, marketing and partner-enablement activities, said Will Jones, Vice President of Sales, Carahsoft. Carahsoft has served as VMwares master government aggregator and distributor since 2006. We value the long-term and strategic relationship we have built with VMware and look forward to growing our businesses together as we continue to expand our partnership and pursue new industries, such as healthcare and education.

About Carahsoft

Carahsoft Technology Corp. is the trusted government IT solutions provider. As a top-ranked GSA Schedule Contract holder, Carahsoft serves as the master government aggregator for many of its best-of-breed vendors, supporting an extensive ecosystem of manufacturers, resellers, and consulting partners committed to helping government agencies select and implement the best solution at the best possible value.

The company's dedicated Solutions Divisions proactively market, sell and deliver a comprehensive suite of open source solutions as well as VMware, Symantec, EMC, Adobe, F5 Networks, HP, SAP, and Innovative and Intelligence products and services, among others. Carahsoft is consistently recognized by its partners as a top revenue producer, and is listed annually among the industry's fastest growing firms by CRN, Inc., Washington Technology, The Washington Post, Washington Business Journal and SmartCEO. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com.

About VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2017

VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2017 offered VMware partners the opportunity to engage with VMware executives and industry peers to explore business opportunities, customer use cases, solution practices and partnering best practices. An invitation-only event, VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2017 provided partners with resources to develop and execute comprehensive go-to-market plans. Partner Leadership Summit concluded with award ceremonies recognizing outstanding achievements in the VMware partner eco-system.

VMware is a registered trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
Villagers vow to save herd John Savage doted on

VILLAGERS are trying to honour a tragic farmers last wish  by saving his beloved herd of cows.

Last week the Newbury Weekly News reported how John Savage, of Green Farm, Froxfield, was killed while tending to his cattle.

Initial reports suggested he was trampled while caring for a sick animal before he was due to turn the herd out on to Hungerford Common to graze.

But one of his neighbours, Pat Adams, said: He loved those animals and its so sad.

I hear he was comforting a sick cow in a pen when it reared its head and struck him.

Mr Savage, who was aged 82, was airlifted to hospital by Wiltshire Air Ambulance where he succumbed to his injuries.

Ms Adams said: In his will was a clause which asked for his cows to be looked after properly for the rest of their lives.

He was old school and a bit sentimental about them, especially when it came to sending them to market.

Villagers are now trying to enable the 43-strong herd to be cared for at a special animal sanctuary in Norfolk.

Ms Adams said: You need animal passports and tests for tuberculosis and were trying to sort that out.

We very much hope that there will be a happy ending for the animals, just as John wished.

Mr Savages funeral is due to take place at All Saints Church in Froxfield on Friday, July 28, at 3pm.

There will be a collection afterwards in aid of Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
Business sale adviser BCMS analyses wider economic impact to West Berks

MERGERS and acquisitions have transformed the local business landscape in recent years, but apart from helping a handful of local entrepreneurs join the Millionaires Club, whats in it for the rest of us?

According to analysis by Kingsclere business sale advisor BCMS, between 30 and 50 West Berkshire businesses are involved in joint ventures, fundraising, mergers, acquisitions or management buyouts every year.

While high-profile corporate mergers are often associated with cost-cutting and redundancies, at a local level the opposite is true, and the vast majority of acquisitions actually create jobs and investment.

For example, Marshall Motor Group took over the Ridgeway car dealership last year, and is well under way with the construction of its new Jaguar Land Rover showroom at Greenham Business Park, which is expected to employ 100 staff.

Private equity firm HIG Capital bought Newburys Kennet Shopping centre in January 2016, promising hands-on asset management, and is focused on increasing the towns leisure offer  creating new jobs along the way  with new restaurants, and possibly a gym or trampoline park.

Significantly, Swiss chemicals giant Sulzer acquired Newbury industrial glue-gun maker PC Cox for 16m. The deal has been positive for the company and the local area.

After moving PC Cox from Turnpike to larger premises in Hungerford, Sulzer recently announced it is closing a factory in Denmark and moving production to West Berkshire.

Elsewhere, major local names, including Microfocus, Kerridge and Stryker, have also made multiple UK and US acquisitions to grow faster and offer new services to customers, ensuring they remain key employers in our local economy.

While some people may have concerns about the accompanying loss of independence for local businesses, in reality an acquisition by a larger group often presents staff with better training, new incentives, and promotion opportunities that a standalone business cannot offer.

Even if a change of hands means back-office functions are centralised elsewhere, this too frees up local talent to join other local companies.

Our geography also plays a key role in many of the local transactions. After spotting a gap in its national coverage, logistics group Palletforce acquired Greenham haulier QTR Transport last year.

Meanwhile, several local legal and accountancy firms have recently joined forces with larger groups who are looking to increase their local market share.

Although the Thames Valley remains a hotbed for these kind of deals, BCMS is also seeing similar trends across the country.

Taken together, mergers and acquisitions should be seen as a win-win for everyone.

Owner-managers get to move on to new ventures, local business growth accelerates, and local jobs are safeguarded or created.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The government moved an inch closer to privatisation of Air India by holding the first high-level meeting over the issue on Friday. A Group of Ministers (GoM) appointed by the Union Cabinet to look into disinvestment of the debt-ridden carrier held the meeting in which Air Indias Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani was also present.

Sources privy to the developments told Express that the modalities of disinvestment of the airline were discussed at length in the meeting, which lasted for three hours. The GoM discussed the fate of Air Indias nearly 24,000 employees and examined the possibility of hiving off non-core assets of the airline, including real estate, land parcels and art treasures, into a separate company before the government calls a formal bid for the airline.

Industry experts said such a process was likely to expedite the process of disinvestment, as locating and registering Air Indias vast land pool and real estate would have taken much longer. In the meeting, the GoM also examined the option of giving voluntary buyouts to a segment of its employees, sources said.

Pertinently, ever since the government has given the in-principle approval for considering strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries, the employees have been protesting against the governments decision.

The privatisation of Air India is set to bring about a major change in the work life of its employees and there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of airlines employees.

NEW DELHI: The government moved an inch closer to privatisation of Air India by holding the first high-level meeting over the issue on Friday. A Group of Ministers (GoM) appointed by the Union Cabinet to look into disinvestment of the debt-ridden carrier held the meeting in which Air Indias Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani was also present. Sources privy to the developments told Express that the modalities of disinvestment of the airline were discussed at length in the meeting, which lasted for three hours. The GoM discussed the fate of Air Indias nearly 24,000 employees and examined the possibility of hiving off non-core assets of the airline, including real estate, land parcels and art treasures, into a separate company before the government calls a formal bid for the airline. Industry experts said such a process was likely to expedite the process of disinvestment, as locating and registering Air Indias vast land pool and real estate would have taken much longer. In the meeting, the GoM also examined the option of giving voluntary buyouts to a segment of its employees, sources said. Pertinently, ever since the government has given the in-principle approval for considering strategic disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries, the employees have been protesting against the governments decision. The privatisation of Air India is set to bring about a major change in the work life of its employees and there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of airlines employees.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Former Cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian today said that he regrets having allowed Genetically Modified (GM) cotton in the country over two decades ago.

"In 1990s, I introduced GM cotton in India. Twenty years later, I regret...I am responsible for suicide of thousands of cotton farmers," Subramanian said at an panel discussion at a book launch function.

Subramanian, a 1961 batch IAS officer, further said that most European countries and Japan don't allow GM crops.

Talking about the performance of the Narendra Modi government, Subramanian said, "This government has done wonderful work in three years. I believe that the present dispensation should get 10 years."

"Failures of India can largely attributed to IAS class...Blame also should go to economists of India who studied in Harvard, Oxford University and now working for the Government of India but don't know anything about India," he said.

NEW DELHI: Former Cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian today said that he regrets having allowed Genetically Modified (GM) cotton in the country over two decades ago. "In 1990s, I introduced GM cotton in India. Twenty years later, I regret...I am responsible for suicide of thousands of cotton farmers," Subramanian said at an panel discussion at a book launch function. Subramanian, a 1961 batch IAS officer, further said that most European countries and Japan don't allow GM crops. Talking about the performance of the Narendra Modi government, Subramanian said, "This government has done wonderful work in three years. I believe that the present dispensation should get 10 years." "Failures of India can largely attributed to IAS class...Blame also should go to economists of India who studied in Harvard, Oxford University and now working for the Government of India but don't know anything about India," he said.
By IANS

NEW DELHI: The Income Tax (I-T) Department has unearthed undisclosed income of more than Rs 5,400 crore in over a thousand search operations carried out since the November 8 demonetisation of high-value currency, Parliament was informed on Friday.



"During the period from November 9, 2016 to January 10, 2017, more than 1,100 searches and surveys were conducted by the I-T Department apart from issuing more than 5,100 verification notices in the cases of suspicious high value cash deposits or related activities," Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

"These actions led to seizure of valuables of more than Rs 610 crore, which includes cash of Rs 513 crore. Seizure of cash in new currency notes was about Rs 110 crore. The undisclosed income detected in these actions was more than Rs 5,400 crore," he said.



"The data available from the National Crime Records Bureau indicates that 1,57,818 numbers of fake Indian currency notes having a face-value of Rs 11,24,04,980 have been reported by states/UTs police for the period 9.11.2016 to 14.7.2017," he added.



Last week, the Income Tax Department came out with the second list of 5.56 lakh account holders under its 'Operation Clean Money', who will be asked to explain the high cash deposits, found inconsistent with their tax profiles, made during the note ban.



This is the second list from the Income Tax department. The earlier list had identified 17.92 lakh people, who were asked to explain the sources of large cash deposited by them.



These lists are a part of the department's 'Operation Clean Money', in which data analytics has been made use of to analyse the data received between November 9 and December 30, 2016.



From the earlier list, the department has identified a total of 1.04 lakh persons, who did not disclose all bank accounts during e-verification.



Out of the 17.92 lakh people identified earlier for e-verification of large cash deposits, 9.72 lakh had submitted the online response.



NEW DELHI: The Income Tax (I-T) Department has unearthed undisclosed income of more than Rs 5,400 crore in over a thousand search operations carried out since the November 8 demonetisation of high-value currency, Parliament was informed on Friday. "During the period from November 9, 2016 to January 10, 2017, more than 1,100 searches and surveys were conducted by the I-T Department apart from issuing more than 5,100 verification notices in the cases of suspicious high value cash deposits or related activities," Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. "These actions led to seizure of valuables of more than Rs 610 crore, which includes cash of Rs 513 crore. Seizure of cash in new currency notes was about Rs 110 crore. The undisclosed income detected in these actions was more than Rs 5,400 crore," he said. "The data available from the National Crime Records Bureau indicates that 1,57,818 numbers of fake Indian currency notes having a face-value of Rs 11,24,04,980 have been reported by states/UTs police for the period 9.11.2016 to 14.7.2017," he added. Last week, the Income Tax Department came out with the second list of 5.56 lakh account holders under its 'Operation Clean Money', who will be asked to explain the high cash deposits, found inconsistent with their tax profiles, made during the note ban. This is the second list from the Income Tax department. The earlier list had identified 17.92 lakh people, who were asked to explain the sources of large cash deposited by them. These lists are a part of the department's 'Operation Clean Money', in which data analytics has been made use of to analyse the data received between November 9 and December 30, 2016. From the earlier list, the department has identified a total of 1.04 lakh persons, who did not disclose all bank accounts during e-verification. Out of the 17.92 lakh people identified earlier for e-verification of large cash deposits, 9.72 lakh had submitted the online response.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: THE Infosys Foundation is looking at funding between Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore for the proposed Metro station at Electronics City under the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limiteds Phase-II project.The Foundation will be adopting the station under the Innovative Financing Model proposed for Metro stations in this phase by BMRCL.

Speaking to Express on Thursday, Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty said, I always wanted to be involved with the Metro for a very long. If all goes well, we may be funding the Metro station in Electronics City as that is where the main office of Infosys is located. I use the word may only here as legal and other formalities must be completed thoroughly before everything is finalised.

Asked about the investment that Infosys Foundation was prepared to make, she said, We are looking at a sum below Rs 100 crore, may be something between Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore.

Metro has given us a period of three to four years up to the year 2020 to fund it and this gave the Foundation enough time to arrange the resources, Murty said.The billionaire added modestly, We plan to cut down on other expenses in the next four years so that we can manage the funding. The philanthropist hastened to add that the Foundation was not looking at making any profit through its Metro venture.

Promotion of artisans

The Chairperson was looking at utilising the space available in Metro station to promote many who do not have the resources to market their products. I plan to give many unknown artists an opportunity to display their work. I also hope to give space to handicrafts done by underprivileged artisans and other sections of society who do not have the resources. It could be done as a weekly fair with many getting an opportunity, she said.

The popular author said she wanted to christen the station as Infosys Konappanna Agrahara as it was the original Kannada name of the place where the Metro station in Electronics City would come up.

The Chairperson is diligently doing her homework to ensure the station in unique. I visited the Metro stations in Uzbekistan two months ago. I also saw a Metro station in Russia which was almost like outerspace with sculptures of Yuri Gagarin and others. I frequently visit London and Im keenly observing the Metro stations of New York and Singapore as well, she added.

BENGALURU: THE Infosys Foundation is looking at funding between Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore for the proposed Metro station at Electronics City under the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limiteds Phase-II project.The Foundation will be adopting the station under the Innovative Financing Model proposed for Metro stations in this phase by BMRCL. Speaking to Express on Thursday, Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty said, I always wanted to be involved with the Metro for a very long. If all goes well, we may be funding the Metro station in Electronics City as that is where the main office of Infosys is located. I use the word may only here as legal and other formalities must be completed thoroughly before everything is finalised. Asked about the investment that Infosys Foundation was prepared to make, she said, We are looking at a sum below Rs 100 crore, may be something between Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore. Metro has given us a period of three to four years up to the year 2020 to fund it and this gave the Foundation enough time to arrange the resources, Murty said.The billionaire added modestly, We plan to cut down on other expenses in the next four years so that we can manage the funding. The philanthropist hastened to add that the Foundation was not looking at making any profit through its Metro venture. Promotion of artisans The Chairperson was looking at utilising the space available in Metro station to promote many who do not have the resources to market their products. I plan to give many unknown artists an opportunity to display their work. I also hope to give space to handicrafts done by underprivileged artisans and other sections of society who do not have the resources. It could be done as a weekly fair with many getting an opportunity, she said. The popular author said she wanted to christen the station as Infosys Konappanna Agrahara as it was the original Kannada name of the place where the Metro station in Electronics City would come up. The Chairperson is diligently doing her homework to ensure the station in unique. I visited the Metro stations in Uzbekistan two months ago. I also saw a Metro station in Russia which was almost like outerspace with sculptures of Yuri Gagarin and others. I frequently visit London and Im keenly observing the Metro stations of New York and Singapore as well, she added.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A man lost his life Wednesday midnight as two government hospitals in Bengaluru shunted him to and fro in his last critical hours.

According to a letter written by the casualty medical officer of the Yelahanka General Hospital, Dr Kumar GH, the man was found around 2 pm Wednesday in Old Town of Yelahanka and brought to the hospital by local social workers.

He was diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy (occurrence of confusion, altered level of consciousness, and coma as a result of liver failure). He was resuscitated and restored to consciousness.

But since the hospital did not have the wherewithal to treat him, he was referred to Victoria Hospital, a tertiary care hospital. In his letter to the casualty medical officer of Victoria Hospital, Dr Kumar says the deputy commissioner of police (North) was advised to take the patient in an ambulance to Victoria but the later hospital refused the unidentified man admission.

The patient reportedly died after midnight after battling for his life in his last crucial hours.

Health commissioner Subodh Yadav told New Indian Express, "This is an interdepartmental failure. Three departments were involved -- the health department of the General Hospital, the medical education department of the Victoria Hospital and the police. Our medical officer has submitted a report to me saying that the patient was a beggar. The reason why he was shifted to Victoria is that our hospital did not have the equipment to treat him. I haven't been able to talk to Victoria on why they refused admission as claimed by our hospital."

Subodh Yadav later added that the Victoria Hospital told him there was no record of the patient being brought there, neither as an out-patient or in. The Yelahanka hospital on the other hand says they received in writing from the ambulance driver that he indeed went there. There was no other hospital staff accompanying the patient.

Prima facie it looks like the fault lies with our GH as firstly they didn't have to wait for the police to shift the patient to another hospital. I have instructed my nodal officer to give me a full report in 24 hours," Yadav said.

As per the Supreme Courts March 2016 guidelines, a hospital cannot keep a patient waiting for treatment, citing formalities. Karnataka is the only state in India that has passed the Good Samaritan Bill, which is awaiting Presidential assent.

Even in medico legal cases, when a patient is brought to hospital for treatment, police presence is not required for shifting the patient to another hospital. In this case, no hospital staff accompanied the patient apart from the ambulance driver and police personnel.

In cases of unidentified victims, it is not required for the hospital to wait for relatives or family members to arrive.

As per the Supreme Court guidelines, saving the patient is the top priority. Police formalities, etc have nothing to do with following treatment protocols.

BENGALURU: A man lost his life Wednesday midnight as two government hospitals in Bengaluru shunted him to and fro in his last critical hours. According to a letter written by the casualty medical officer of the Yelahanka General Hospital, Dr Kumar GH, the man was found around 2 pm Wednesday in Old Town of Yelahanka and brought to the hospital by local social workers. He was diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy (occurrence of confusion, altered level of consciousness, and coma as a result of liver failure). He was resuscitated and restored to consciousness. But since the hospital did not have the wherewithal to treat him, he was referred to Victoria Hospital, a tertiary care hospital. In his letter to the casualty medical officer of Victoria Hospital, Dr Kumar says the deputy commissioner of police (North) was advised to take the patient in an ambulance to Victoria but the later hospital refused the unidentified man admission. The patient reportedly died after midnight after battling for his life in his last crucial hours. Health commissioner Subodh Yadav told New Indian Express, "This is an interdepartmental failure. Three departments were involved -- the health department of the General Hospital, the medical education department of the Victoria Hospital and the police. Our medical officer has submitted a report to me saying that the patient was a beggar. The reason why he was shifted to Victoria is that our hospital did not have the equipment to treat him. I haven't been able to talk to Victoria on why they refused admission as claimed by our hospital." Subodh Yadav later added that the Victoria Hospital told him there was no record of the patient being brought there, neither as an out-patient or in. The Yelahanka hospital on the other hand says they received in writing from the ambulance driver that he indeed went there. There was no other hospital staff accompanying the patient. Prima facie it looks like the fault lies with our GH as firstly they didn't have to wait for the police to shift the patient to another hospital. I have instructed my nodal officer to give me a full report in 24 hours," Yadav said. As per the Supreme Courts March 2016 guidelines, a hospital cannot keep a patient waiting for treatment, citing formalities. Karnataka is the only state in India that has passed the Good Samaritan Bill, which is awaiting Presidential assent. Even in medico legal cases, when a patient is brought to hospital for treatment, police presence is not required for shifting the patient to another hospital. In this case, no hospital staff accompanied the patient apart from the ambulance driver and police personnel. In cases of unidentified victims, it is not required for the hospital to wait for relatives or family members to arrive. As per the Supreme Court guidelines, saving the patient is the top priority. Police formalities, etc have nothing to do with following treatment protocols.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tension along the Sikkim border with China, national security adviser Ajit Doval will be travelling to Beijing to take part in the BRICS meet scheduled on July 27 and 28.

Though the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not confirmed Dovals bilateral meet with any Chinese leaders to resolve the issue, New Delhi Thursday made a renewed pitch for a peaceful resolution of the Dokalam standoff through diplomatic channels, stressing that differences should not become disputes.

MEA claimed that the government is on close touch with the Bhutan government on the developments. Gopal Baglay, MEA spokesperson, made it clear that Indias approach is to have a peaceful resolution of issues on the border with China.

Dovals visit comes amid deterioration in bilateral ties between the two neighbours due to the Dokalam standoff with Beijing ratcheting up its rhetoric on the dispute.

During the June meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakh capital Astana, both leaders have agreed to an understanding that differences between India and China should not be allowed to become disputes.

So, it is obvious that every responsible power, person and player in the world prefers peaceful resolution of matters, Baglay said.

Both the Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a face-off in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. India apprehended that it may allow Chinese troops to cut Indias access to its northeastern states.

Chinese state-run media has taken an aggressive stand on the issue and demanded immediate pull-out of Indian troops from the Dokalam plateau.

NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tension along the Sikkim border with China, national security adviser Ajit Doval will be travelling to Beijing to take part in the BRICS meet scheduled on July 27 and 28. Though the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not confirmed Dovals bilateral meet with any Chinese leaders to resolve the issue, New Delhi Thursday made a renewed pitch for a peaceful resolution of the Dokalam standoff through diplomatic channels, stressing that differences should not become disputes. MEA claimed that the government is on close touch with the Bhutan government on the developments. Gopal Baglay, MEA spokesperson, made it clear that Indias approach is to have a peaceful resolution of issues on the border with China. Dovals visit comes amid deterioration in bilateral ties between the two neighbours due to the Dokalam standoff with Beijing ratcheting up its rhetoric on the dispute. During the June meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakh capital Astana, both leaders have agreed to an understanding that differences between India and China should not be allowed to become disputes. So, it is obvious that every responsible power, person and player in the world prefers peaceful resolution of matters, Baglay said. Both the Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a face-off in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. India apprehended that it may allow Chinese troops to cut Indias access to its northeastern states. Chinese state-run media has taken an aggressive stand on the issue and demanded immediate pull-out of Indian troops from the Dokalam plateau.
TORONTO, Ontario, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) is pleased to support the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario in welcoming the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for its five-day meeting on trade and economic co-operation and connectivity in the APEC region.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/998e94b7-bf66-4f88-8559-a3f472b2c59b

This is the third ABAC meeting in 2017 (ABAC III 2017), and the last before its members present their annual recommendations to APEC leaders in Vietnam in November. The meeting will be held at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto from July 24-28, the first ABAC meeting in Canada since 2006.

The Council is a private-sector body comprising 21 member economies that advises APEC on business sector priorities and concerns in the Asia Pacific. Members include CEOs, presidents, and senior executives of leading corporations from the Asia Pacific. Canadas ABAC Member representative is Ms. Suzanne M. Benoit, President of Aero Montreal.

The work of ABAC in 2017 is focused on four key priorities:

Deepening regional economic integration

Achieving sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth

Enhancing MSMEs competitiveness and encouraging innovation in the digital era

Ensuring food security and promoting sustainable and climate smart agriculture

In addition to promulgating this work, ABAC III 2017 includes the APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership Symposium (ABACx) on July 25, a one-day parallel program hosted by the ABAC Canada Secretariat, APF Canada. ABACx will provide the opportunity to share Canadas expertise in supporting innovation, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs with the broader APEC community in order to contribute to poverty reduction and development objectives. The afternoon will bring ABAC members to OneEleven, Toronto's latest innovation hub.

The meeting is hosted and sponsored by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, and supported by APF Canada with sponsorship from Kensington Capital Partners, Bombardier, Sun Life Financial, OMERS Ventures, EventMobi, Export Development Canada, and The Economist.

Click here for the full ABAC III 2017 Press Kit and accreditation information.

Quotes:

Stewart Beck, President and CEO of APF Canada

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is pleased to support ABAC as it sets its sights on developing inclusive trade policies that ensure that members of the APEC region share the benefits of globalization and technological progress. The ABAC meeting in Toronto will also provide Canada with a tremendous opportunity to not only promote Canadian values and business practices in the APEC region, but to showcase Canada as a global centre of innovation and as an attractive destination for international investment.

Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, Government of Canada

Canadas progressive approach to international trade aims to make sure that growth and prosperity generated by the global trading system is sustainable, inclusive and widely accessible. Working together through APEC is vital to ensuring that future economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region benefits the citizens of all our nations.

Michael Chan, Minister of International Trade, Government of Ontario

Globalization continues to reshape how the world does business, and Asia continues to be an important and high-growth economic region. Our government is proud to work with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada to actively engage and deepen our business relationship in this key international market, as well as to promote Ontario as a premier trade and investment destination that will create jobs to benefit both jurisdictions economically.

Learn More:

ABAC International: ABAConline.org/

Government of Canada: www.international.gc.ca/international

Government of Ontario

English: Ontario.ca/MIT French: Ontario.ca/COMMERCE

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: www.asiapacific.ca
By Online Desk

A suspicious packet containing drugs was found on an Air India food trolley at Delhi Airport on Thursday. Airport authorities were left baffled as it was clearly a breach of security and is suspected to be an insider's job who had easy access to the food trays.

According to an India Today report, the Customs officials while acting on a a tip-off checked the trolleys to find a brown packet with narcotic substances. An official with the airlines said that a supervisor with Sky Gourmet, the catering service, noticed the mysterious packet in the lower shelf beneath the cutlery while moving the trolley from Air India flight 440 that arrived from Chennai and reported it to the authorities concerned.

Interestingly, the trolley which was loaded at Chennai, can be easily accessed only by airlines staff including cabin crew, according to officials. The Narcotics Control Bureau confirmed that the substance is morphine and weighs 1,895 grams.

A suspicious packet containing drugs was found on an Air India food trolley at Delhi Airport on Thursday. Airport authorities were left baffled as it was clearly a breach of security and is suspected to be an insider's job who had easy access to the food trays. According to an India Today report, the Customs officials while acting on a a tip-off checked the trolleys to find a brown packet with narcotic substances. An official with the airlines said that a supervisor with Sky Gourmet, the catering service, noticed the mysterious packet in the lower shelf beneath the cutlery while moving the trolley from Air India flight 440 that arrived from Chennai and reported it to the authorities concerned. Interestingly, the trolley which was loaded at Chennai, can be easily accessed only by airlines staff including cabin crew, according to officials. The Narcotics Control Bureau confirmed that the substance is morphine and weighs 1,895 grams.
By PTI

CHENNAI: Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, has moved the Madras High Court seeking quashing of the fresh summons issued by the CBI for questioning him in connection with a corruption case.

When the petition came up for hearing today on the question of maintainability, Justice P Velmurugan, after hearing arguments by both sides, adjourned it to July 28 without passing any interim order.

The CBI had on July 19 issued the summons asking Karti to be present today for questioning in the matter related to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister.

The agency has alleged that a firm "indirectly controlled" by Karti had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in 2007.

This was the second summons issued by CBI in the case.

Earlier, it had asked Karti and four others to appear for questioning on June 27 and 29. He had then informed the CBI through his lawyer that he needed more time to appear.

In the court today, the CBI opposed the petition arguing it was not maintainable.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, contended that the summons had been issued well within the jurisdiction and investigating powers of the CBI.

The agency wanted the court to dismiss the plea on grounds of maintainability, he said.

Senior Counsel Goal Subramaniam, representing Karti, submitted it was a settled principle of law that issuing summons to an accused and interrogating him would amount to violation of fundamental right guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.

He said the article states that no person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

"The Article grants immunity from self incrimination. Thus the instant summons is only to make the petitioner make self-incriminating statements when it is the case of the petitioner that he has not met any official in the ministry of finance for any purpose much less for FIPB approval for the INX group," he said.

Thus the notice summoning his client was liable to be set aside, Subramaniam submitted.

An FIR has been registered against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007.

The probe agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but the then finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it.

P Chidambaram had issued a strong statement in response to the FIR, saying that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

In May this year, the agency had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case.

CHENNAI: Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, has moved the Madras High Court seeking quashing of the fresh summons issued by the CBI for questioning him in connection with a corruption case. When the petition came up for hearing today on the question of maintainability, Justice P Velmurugan, after hearing arguments by both sides, adjourned it to July 28 without passing any interim order. The CBI had on July 19 issued the summons asking Karti to be present today for questioning in the matter related to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister. The agency has alleged that a firm "indirectly controlled" by Karti had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in 2007. This was the second summons issued by CBI in the case. Earlier, it had asked Karti and four others to appear for questioning on June 27 and 29. He had then informed the CBI through his lawyer that he needed more time to appear. In the court today, the CBI opposed the petition arguing it was not maintainable. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, contended that the summons had been issued well within the jurisdiction and investigating powers of the CBI. The agency wanted the court to dismiss the plea on grounds of maintainability, he said. Senior Counsel Goal Subramaniam, representing Karti, submitted it was a settled principle of law that issuing summons to an accused and interrogating him would amount to violation of fundamental right guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution. He said the article states that no person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. "The Article grants immunity from self incrimination. Thus the instant summons is only to make the petitioner make self-incriminating statements when it is the case of the petitioner that he has not met any official in the ministry of finance for any purpose much less for FIPB approval for the INX group," he said. Thus the notice summoning his client was liable to be set aside, Subramaniam submitted. An FIR has been registered against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007. The probe agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but the then finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it. P Chidambaram had issued a strong statement in response to the FIR, saying that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son. In May this year, the agency had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio unleashed another watershed moment in the Indian telecom sectors history, much to chagrin of stalwart rivals like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular. Marking Reliance Industries Ltds 40th anniversary, its chairman Mukesh D Ambani on Friday announced the launch of an effectively free 4G phone, hoping to scoop up a sizeable 500 million bottom-of-the-pyramid (read feature phones) market. The handset is priced zero; subscribers, however, have to plonk down a refundable deposit of Rs 1,500.

With free voice calls being the new normal, Jio sweetened the deal offering unlimited data for Rs 153 per month  or one-thirtieth of the existing tariffs. For the budget-minded, weekly or two-day packs start as low as 24 bucks.

Experts say this could be the turning point the telecom sector has been waiting for. Though incumbent players like Airtel and Idea-Vodafone amassed size with each having subscribers in excess of 300 million, telcos average revenue per user has been lacklustre and the promised shift from voice to data revenues never happened. But this changed with Jios entry last September, when it gave away free voice and data services for flat six months, significantly boosting the countrys data usage, making it the worlds largest data consumer now.

Of the 750 million mobile users, over 500 million currently use feature phones that are run on the congested 2G networks, making internet browsing harrowing despite availability of affordable data packs. Jios LTE feature phones, which ride on the cutting-edge 4G technology are seen as a game-changer and could finally help the sector break the voice-data revenue jinx.

But Jios new launch spells bad news for existing players, who already are mauled with its disruptive entry wiping off profits, and with smaller operators like Tata Teleservices, Reliance Communications and Aircel losing significant market share. To fight the onslaught, telcos huddled together merging operations and the aggressive consolidation meant the number of players reduced from 13 to roughly 5 now.

NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio unleashed another watershed moment in the Indian telecom sectors history, much to chagrin of stalwart rivals like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular. Marking Reliance Industries Ltds 40th anniversary, its chairman Mukesh D Ambani on Friday announced the launch of an effectively free 4G phone, hoping to scoop up a sizeable 500 million bottom-of-the-pyramid (read feature phones) market. The handset is priced zero; subscribers, however, have to plonk down a refundable deposit of Rs 1,500. With free voice calls being the new normal, Jio sweetened the deal offering unlimited data for Rs 153 per month  or one-thirtieth of the existing tariffs. For the budget-minded, weekly or two-day packs start as low as 24 bucks. Experts say this could be the turning point the telecom sector has been waiting for. Though incumbent players like Airtel and Idea-Vodafone amassed size with each having subscribers in excess of 300 million, telcos average revenue per user has been lacklustre and the promised shift from voice to data revenues never happened. But this changed with Jios entry last September, when it gave away free voice and data services for flat six months, significantly boosting the countrys data usage, making it the worlds largest data consumer now. Of the 750 million mobile users, over 500 million currently use feature phones that are run on the congested 2G networks, making internet browsing harrowing despite availability of affordable data packs. Jios LTE feature phones, which ride on the cutting-edge 4G technology are seen as a game-changer and could finally help the sector break the voice-data revenue jinx. But Jios new launch spells bad news for existing players, who already are mauled with its disruptive entry wiping off profits, and with smaller operators like Tata Teleservices, Reliance Communications and Aircel losing significant market share. To fight the onslaught, telcos huddled together merging operations and the aggressive consolidation meant the number of players reduced from 13 to roughly 5 now.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang today proved majority on the floor of the state's Assembly, He won 47 of the 58 votes. In the 60-member House, that has an effective strength of 59, following the resignation of an MLA, the speaker did not take part in the voting.

Governor PB Acharya appointed Zeliang as the chief minister within hours after dismissing his predecessor Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Wednesday. Liezietsu was dismissed for skipping the vote of confidence ordered by the governor.

The octogenarian Liezietsu was asked to prove his majority after Zeliang, backed by the written support of 34 MLAs, staked claim to power. Zeliang said Liezietsu avoided the floor test as he did not have enough numbers to win it. The MLAs belonging to Liezietsus camp also did not turn up for the trust vote.

However, a few minutes after being sworn in as Nagalands 19th CM on Wednesday, Zeliang was expelled by his Naga Peoples Front (NPF). He was banned for six years by the party. The expulsion virtually made him a CM unattached or without a party. A similar action is likely against other NPF MLAs, who backed Zeliang.

With around nine months left for Nagaland to go to elections, Zeliangs maiden challenge will be over the induction of MLAs into his ministry. He can at best induct 12 MLAs but he has a problem of plenty  there are the independents, MLAs from the camp of former CM Neiphiu Rio, legislators from the BJP, the NPF and the list goes on.

Also, it is hard to foresee how the tribal organizations in the state would respond to his chief-ministership. Zeliang was forced to resign in February this year in the following violent protests by some tribal organizations against the 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections brought by his government. Faced with unrest, Zeliang revoked the decision on quota. However, by then it was too late and they had started demanding his ouster. He eventually had to quit.

Zeliang first donned the mantle of chief minister in 2014 when the then CM Neiphiu Rio resigned to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

GUWAHATI: Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang today proved majority on the floor of the state's Assembly, He won 47 of the 58 votes. In the 60-member House, that has an effective strength of 59, following the resignation of an MLA, the speaker did not take part in the voting. Governor PB Acharya appointed Zeliang as the chief minister within hours after dismissing his predecessor Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Wednesday. Liezietsu was dismissed for skipping the vote of confidence ordered by the governor. The octogenarian Liezietsu was asked to prove his majority after Zeliang, backed by the written support of 34 MLAs, staked claim to power. Zeliang said Liezietsu avoided the floor test as he did not have enough numbers to win it. The MLAs belonging to Liezietsus camp also did not turn up for the trust vote. However, a few minutes after being sworn in as Nagalands 19th CM on Wednesday, Zeliang was expelled by his Naga Peoples Front (NPF). He was banned for six years by the party. The expulsion virtually made him a CM unattached or without a party. A similar action is likely against other NPF MLAs, who backed Zeliang. With around nine months left for Nagaland to go to elections, Zeliangs maiden challenge will be over the induction of MLAs into his ministry. He can at best induct 12 MLAs but he has a problem of plenty  there are the independents, MLAs from the camp of former CM Neiphiu Rio, legislators from the BJP, the NPF and the list goes on. Also, it is hard to foresee how the tribal organizations in the state would respond to his chief-ministership. Zeliang was forced to resign in February this year in the following violent protests by some tribal organizations against the 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections brought by his government. Faced with unrest, Zeliang revoked the decision on quota. However, by then it was too late and they had started demanding his ouster. He eventually had to quit. Zeliang first donned the mantle of chief minister in 2014 when the then CM Neiphiu Rio resigned to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.

An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure.

"Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector today by unprovoked firing towards our posts," he said.

The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara.

This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours.

An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.

On July 12, two soldiers - Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat - were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.

Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.

SRINAGAR: Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC. An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure. "Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector today by unprovoked firing towards our posts," he said. The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara. This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours. An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday. Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days. On July 12, two soldiers - Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat - were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district. Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.
By Online Desk

The Prime Minister's Office has asked the Human Resources Development Ministry to incorporate some aspects of Sainik Schools in regular schools, a media report said on Friday.

Sainik Schools are known for their rigorous physical training regime and ingraining discipline and patriotism in their students. The schools also help students find career opportunities in the defence sector.

The Indian Express reported that the ministry is looking at including these military school training programs in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. HRD officials were in a meeting with the PMO on Tuesday to talk about the proposal and have discussed it with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as well, the report further said.

The ministry, headed by Prakash Javadekar, thinks it would be easier to introduce these features in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, which are residential schools, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.

The PMO has proposed this policy for the "holistic development" of students. The government had already proposed the idea in October last year, and said at that time that more Sainik schools should be established as "nationalism and patriotism is the need of the hour", the newspaper said, quoting from the minutes of a Central Advisory Board of Education meeting.

The Prime Minister's Office has asked the Human Resources Development Ministry to incorporate some aspects of Sainik Schools in regular schools, a media report said on Friday. Sainik Schools are known for their rigorous physical training regime and ingraining discipline and patriotism in their students. The schools also help students find career opportunities in the defence sector. The Indian Express reported that the ministry is looking at including these military school training programs in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. HRD officials were in a meeting with the PMO on Tuesday to talk about the proposal and have discussed it with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as well, the report further said. The ministry, headed by Prakash Javadekar, thinks it would be easier to introduce these features in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, which are residential schools, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources. The PMO has proposed this policy for the "holistic development" of students. The government had already proposed the idea in October last year, and said at that time that more Sainik schools should be established as "nationalism and patriotism is the need of the hour", the newspaper said, quoting from the minutes of a Central Advisory Board of Education meeting.
By IANS

SRINAGAR: Muhammad Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested here on Friday when he tried to lead a protest march.

Police arrested Malik in Druggen area after the Friday prayers when Malik came out of a mosque to lead the march towards the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar area.

Malik was whisked away by police along with some supporters.

Separatists had called for a protest sit-in outside the UNMOGIP in Srinagar on Friday to highlight the "repression and innocent killings in Kashmir".

Authorities had blocked all roads leading to the UNMOGIP Headquarters, preventing both pedestrian and vehicular movement in the area.

SRINAGAR: Muhammad Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested here on Friday when he tried to lead a protest march. Police arrested Malik in Druggen area after the Friday prayers when Malik came out of a mosque to lead the march towards the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar area. Malik was whisked away by police along with some supporters. Separatists had called for a protest sit-in outside the UNMOGIP in Srinagar on Friday to highlight the "repression and innocent killings in Kashmir". Authorities had blocked all roads leading to the UNMOGIP Headquarters, preventing both pedestrian and vehicular movement in the area.
By Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Having decided to boycott the remaining sittings of the budget session of UP Assembly in protest against the unparliamentary language allegedly used by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in his speech, the entire Opposition, including SP, BSP and Congress, sought the CMs apology saying that their protest was aimed at saving the dignity of the House.

The Opposition has given a boycott call protesting against the alleged misbehaviour of the CM while concluding his budget speech on July 19.

On Friday, the Opposition MLAs reached the House with masks on their mouths in order to convey that the government was trying to muzzle the Oppositions voice not only in state Assembly, but in the Parliament also with an obvious reference to the resignation of BSP chief Mayawati from Rajya Sabha for the same reason. It is a kind of undeclared emergency in India. Opposition is not being allowed to raise issues of public interest, said Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary.

Chaudhary was joined by the leaders of BSP and Congress in lodging a vociferous protest by claiming that the audio and video CDs of CMs speech in House would be dispatched to the President, Prime minister and Lok Sabha Speaker seeking action against him. He should tender an apology for threatening to send Opposition leaders to jail, otherwise the boycott will continue, said Chaudhary. However, exhorting the Opposition to join the proceedings and participate in budget discussion, state parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna said that if Opposition did not join the proceedings , the session would conclude on Monday instead of July 28.

They are trying to suppress Opposition. Has it ever happened in the parliamentary history of India, that when the Leader of Opposition was speaking, his mike was switched off, asked Congress Ajay Kumar Lallu. The standoff between the ruling BJP and the SP-led Opposition has affected the functioning of the UP Assembly where budget session has been continuing since July 11.

LUCKNOW: Having decided to boycott the remaining sittings of the budget session of UP Assembly in protest against the unparliamentary language allegedly used by chief minister Yogi Adityanath in his speech, the entire Opposition, including SP, BSP and Congress, sought the CMs apology saying that their protest was aimed at saving the dignity of the House. The Opposition has given a boycott call protesting against the alleged misbehaviour of the CM while concluding his budget speech on July 19. On Friday, the Opposition MLAs reached the House with masks on their mouths in order to convey that the government was trying to muzzle the Oppositions voice not only in state Assembly, but in the Parliament also with an obvious reference to the resignation of BSP chief Mayawati from Rajya Sabha for the same reason. It is a kind of undeclared emergency in India. Opposition is not being allowed to raise issues of public interest, said Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary. Chaudhary was joined by the leaders of BSP and Congress in lodging a vociferous protest by claiming that the audio and video CDs of CMs speech in House would be dispatched to the President, Prime minister and Lok Sabha Speaker seeking action against him. He should tender an apology for threatening to send Opposition leaders to jail, otherwise the boycott will continue, said Chaudhary. However, exhorting the Opposition to join the proceedings and participate in budget discussion, state parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna said that if Opposition did not join the proceedings , the session would conclude on Monday instead of July 28. They are trying to suppress Opposition. Has it ever happened in the parliamentary history of India, that when the Leader of Opposition was speaking, his mike was switched off, asked Congress Ajay Kumar Lallu. The standoff between the ruling BJP and the SP-led Opposition has affected the functioning of the UP Assembly where budget session has been continuing since July 11.
Prof B M Hegde By

Recently I had a stroke due to a small speck of bleeding in the right thalamus of the brain. God has been very kind to me in that the onset did not hit me with a bang. It started with a small whimper and gradually crept on me. I shall remain ever grateful to God for all his kindness.

I was in Ujire (70 km from Mangalore) where I had gone to inaugurate a national conference. After the function, I had gone for a darshan at the nearby Dharmasthala temple. After having lunch at the temple, when I was washing my hands, I felt that my left leg and left hand were becoming slightly weaker. I could not independently manage my movements accurately.

The driver of the taxi that took me to the temple was an able bodied young man who helped me into the car. He brought me back home, from where my family took me to the hospital and rightly so. There, the doctors concerned were all my old students and the best ones in the field. The leader of the team, Dr Muralidhar Pai, was not only an excellent neurosurgeon but also one of the leading placebo doctors. His positive feedback put me back on my feet without any delay.

When I was feeling doubtful if I would ever be able to walk again, he gave me so much courage and assured me in no uncertain terms that I would definitely walk within a week; after all it is our own mind and immune system that heal the body.

I am also grateful to God that the lesion was a speck of haemorrhage and not an infarcta small area of dead tissue resulting from failure of blood supplythus resulting in faster recovery and sparing my higher cognitive functions such as thinking and comprehending.

So much so that I did not have to be in the ICU on a ventilator. Although the facial nerve was involved partially, it resolved relatively quickly, thanks to the speech therapist Dr Jayashree Bhat, who implemented novel methods of speech therapy using tongue twisting words from ancient Sanskrit texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Vishnu Sahasranama.

This facilitated faster facial nerve recovery and helped ease my swallowing as well. The backbone of managing a stroke like this is physiotherapy. I was lucky to have one of the best teams of physiotherapists, all our students, who worked on me diligently, conscientiously and altruistically. The team was led by Dr Akshatha Nayak of genial temperament, who was too good to be true. Here I am, thank God, back on my feet doing most of what I want to do independently.

Many of my unreasonable critics say I should not have resorted to western medicine but should have opted for alternative treatment. That is unfair criticism. I have always advocated for an integrated medical system for the future wherein emergency care and diagnosis shall be done using modern medicine taking all other systems into the picture for management. There are others who criticise me for getting this disease as they say since I was following a healthy lifestyle I shouldnt have been affected in the first place. The fact is that they have not been following my teachings.

While a healthy lifestyle brings down the frequency of diseases, there is no guarantee that diseases will never affect anybody. Diseases are accidents, they can strike at any time, but if one is following a healthy lifestyle, the recovery is faster. I am also grateful to God for taking the heat out of my strokeit could have been worse.

I have had friends and relatives who have had much worse clinical presentations with complications. It is very comforting to know that, but the best part of the whole story is the collective team of healers who look after meall humane, full of compassion. This makes life much easier. I am beholden to all of them: starting from the ward attender to the head nurse; and the medical and paramedical staff. May God bless all of them. Physician, heal thyself, goes an ancient phrase.

The phrase alludes to the readiness and ability of physicians to heal sickness in others while sometimes not being able or willing to heal themselves. This suggests something similar to the cobbler always wears the worst shoes, that is, cobblers are too busy to attend to their own footwear. It also suggests that physicians, while often being able to help the sick, cannot always do so and, when sick themselves, are no better placed than anyone else.

But I was lucky. The one essential lesson I have learned from this experience is to have abundant patience for smooth recovery from illness. This has also given me a ringside view of the patients perspective in a hospital environment and I am sure this will make me a more compassionate doctor.

I have also learned that we should befriend our illnesses and not hate them. Physiotherapy is hard work for both the patient and therapist; and the patients cooperation is an essential part of that. An understanding therapist could be a boon and a cooperative patient an asset.

Unless the patient cooperates one hundred percent, recovery will not be fast. I hope that by sharing my experience, anxious stroke patients can would acquire confidence to recover faster. A perfect example is not one of the many ways of influencing people. The only way of influencing peopletrue education. Now, eight weeks on, by the grace of God, I am almost fully functionalstatus quo ante.

Prof B M Hegde

Cardiologist and former vice chancellor of Manipal University

Email: hegdebm@gmail.com

Recently I had a stroke due to a small speck of bleeding in the right thalamus of the brain. God has been very kind to me in that the onset did not hit me with a bang. It started with a small whimper and gradually crept on me. I shall remain ever grateful to God for all his kindness. I was in Ujire (70 km from Mangalore) where I had gone to inaugurate a national conference. After the function, I had gone for a darshan at the nearby Dharmasthala temple. After having lunch at the temple, when I was washing my hands, I felt that my left leg and left hand were becoming slightly weaker. I could not independently manage my movements accurately. The driver of the taxi that took me to the temple was an able bodied young man who helped me into the car. He brought me back home, from where my family took me to the hospital and rightly so. There, the doctors concerned were all my old students and the best ones in the field. The leader of the team, Dr Muralidhar Pai, was not only an excellent neurosurgeon but also one of the leading placebo doctors. His positive feedback put me back on my feet without any delay. When I was feeling doubtful if I would ever be able to walk again, he gave me so much courage and assured me in no uncertain terms that I would definitely walk within a week; after all it is our own mind and immune system that heal the body. I am also grateful to God that the lesion was a speck of haemorrhage and not an infarcta small area of dead tissue resulting from failure of blood supplythus resulting in faster recovery and sparing my higher cognitive functions such as thinking and comprehending. So much so that I did not have to be in the ICU on a ventilator. Although the facial nerve was involved partially, it resolved relatively quickly, thanks to the speech therapist Dr Jayashree Bhat, who implemented novel methods of speech therapy using tongue twisting words from ancient Sanskrit texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Vishnu Sahasranama. This facilitated faster facial nerve recovery and helped ease my swallowing as well. The backbone of managing a stroke like this is physiotherapy. I was lucky to have one of the best teams of physiotherapists, all our students, who worked on me diligently, conscientiously and altruistically. The team was led by Dr Akshatha Nayak of genial temperament, who was too good to be true. Here I am, thank God, back on my feet doing most of what I want to do independently. Many of my unreasonable critics say I should not have resorted to western medicine but should have opted for alternative treatment. That is unfair criticism. I have always advocated for an integrated medical system for the future wherein emergency care and diagnosis shall be done using modern medicine taking all other systems into the picture for management. There are others who criticise me for getting this disease as they say since I was following a healthy lifestyle I shouldnt have been affected in the first place. The fact is that they have not been following my teachings. While a healthy lifestyle brings down the frequency of diseases, there is no guarantee that diseases will never affect anybody. Diseases are accidents, they can strike at any time, but if one is following a healthy lifestyle, the recovery is faster. I am also grateful to God for taking the heat out of my strokeit could have been worse. I have had friends and relatives who have had much worse clinical presentations with complications. It is very comforting to know that, but the best part of the whole story is the collective team of healers who look after meall humane, full of compassion. This makes life much easier. I am beholden to all of them: starting from the ward attender to the head nurse; and the medical and paramedical staff. May God bless all of them. Physician, heal thyself, goes an ancient phrase. The phrase alludes to the readiness and ability of physicians to heal sickness in others while sometimes not being able or willing to heal themselves. This suggests something similar to the cobbler always wears the worst shoes, that is, cobblers are too busy to attend to their own footwear. It also suggests that physicians, while often being able to help the sick, cannot always do so and, when sick themselves, are no better placed than anyone else. But I was lucky. The one essential lesson I have learned from this experience is to have abundant patience for smooth recovery from illness. This has also given me a ringside view of the patients perspective in a hospital environment and I am sure this will make me a more compassionate doctor. I have also learned that we should befriend our illnesses and not hate them. Physiotherapy is hard work for both the patient and therapist; and the patients cooperation is an essential part of that. An understanding therapist could be a boon and a cooperative patient an asset. Unless the patient cooperates one hundred percent, recovery will not be fast. I hope that by sharing my experience, anxious stroke patients can would acquire confidence to recover faster. A perfect example is not one of the many ways of influencing people. The only way of influencing peopletrue education. Now, eight weeks on, by the grace of God, I am almost fully functionalstatus quo ante. Prof B M Hegde Cardiologist and former vice chancellor of Manipal University Email: hegdebm@gmail.com
By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: A woman from Pedagantyada in Vizag who went to Saudi Arabia last year for a domestic help job has allegedly been tortured for more than three months in the captivity of her employer. With no help from the Indian Embassy, victim Garigina Pravina narrated the ordeals to her husband Garigina Ashok over phone.

The issue came to light after the womans husband approached the local police. The incident is also trending on the social media. Garigina Pravina approached a job agency in Hyderabad headed by one SV Reddy through a local agent. She went to Saudi Arabia in November last year for a domestic help job in a private house.

After she reached Saudi, the agents there took away her passport and visa, saying that the documents would be returned when she planned to visit India.

My wife was locked up in a room and kept starved for days together. She called up the Indian Embassy. But the officials asked her to send copies of her passport and visa without which they said it was not possible to rescue herG Ashok, husband of victim.

VISAKHAPATNAM: A woman from Pedagantyada in Vizag who went to Saudi Arabia last year for a domestic help job has allegedly been tortured for more than three months in the captivity of her employer. With no help from the Indian Embassy, victim Garigina Pravina narrated the ordeals to her husband Garigina Ashok over phone. The issue came to light after the womans husband approached the local police. The incident is also trending on the social media. Garigina Pravina approached a job agency in Hyderabad headed by one SV Reddy through a local agent. She went to Saudi Arabia in November last year for a domestic help job in a private house. After she reached Saudi, the agents there took away her passport and visa, saying that the documents would be returned when she planned to visit India. My wife was locked up in a room and kept starved for days together. She called up the Indian Embassy. But the officials asked her to send copies of her passport and visa without which they said it was not possible to rescue herG Ashok, husband of victim.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, July 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bermuda Business Development Agency has welcomed new Progressive Labour Party Premier David Burt and his Cabinet following yesterdays official swearing-in ceremony at Government House.



BDA CEO Ross Webber commended the PLPs prioritisation of fiscal responsibility, and said the Premiers pledge to work closely with the whole Bermuda community was a unifying message, underscoring for global audiences the islands long-time reputation as a collaborative jurisdiction.

Eleven Ministers and five Senators were sworn into office by Governor John Rankin following the PLPs 2412 election victory Tuesday. Among them were the Premier, who also took on the portfolio of Finance after having served as Shadow Finance Minister since 2012, and Jamahl Simmons, who was named Minister of Economic Development and Tourism.

I must start by thanking the former Premier, the Honourable Michael Dunkley, and his Cabinet, Premier Burt told the Government House gathering. We know that running a country is not easy, and on behalf of the people of Bermuda, I would like to thank them for their work over the past four and half years.

We are here today to start the work, Burt said. I recognise that fiscal responsibility must start from the top. It is not enough for us to just talk about financial discipline; we must demonstrate it in all that we do. Our pledge to the people of Bermuda is simple: we will be an open and transparent government. We will listen, to all segments of society and we will communicate with you regularly. Bermuda works best when we work together.

Webber said he and his BDA team look forward to working closely with Premier Burt, Minister Simmons, and other stakeholders, on jurisdictional and international business issues critical to the islands economic wellbeing.

The BDA sends congratulations to Premier Burt and his new Cabinet, and we applaud the Premier on his clear message of collaboration, said Webber. The Premiers message on fiscal responsibility, transparency and partnership was reflective of all the attributes which give Bermuda its top-tier status as a leading global financial centre.

Bermuda is different to every other international financial jurisdiction in the world, added Webber, and our whole community recognises economic success has been built on that same strong spirit of collaboration and transparency. Long may it continue.

Earlier this week, the BDA released a post-election statement congratulating the party on its win and celebrating Bermudas robust democratic history. The BDA said the smooth transition of government reassured investors the domicile represents a safe, well-regulated harbour amid geopolitical uncertainty around the globe due to disruptive issues like Brexit and promised US tax and immigration reform.

CONNECTING BUSINESS

The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business in Bermuda smooth and beneficial.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Tension prevailed at the entrance of the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara on

Thursday when T T V Dhinakaran, nephew of AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, came to meet her.

He spoke to the media and rubbished the allegations that his aunt has been provided special facilities in her cell.

Dhinakaran, along with his supporters came to the jail around afternoon and demanded

to meet Sasikala. However, he was stopped at the police check point near the jail and was told to get permission from senior officials.

When policemen refused to heed his demand, Dhinakaran's supporters shouted slogans against the staff and tried to call some senior politicians. Finally, Dinakaran left without meeting Sasikala.

Speaking to Express, the prison staff said that Dhinakaran had not taken prior appointment to meet Sasikala. Thus he was denied entry. They later left as it was past visiting hours, the officials added.

More officials transferred

Two days after N S Megharikh took charge as ADGP-Prisons, he visited the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara on Thursday and inspected the facility. Megharikh had told the media on Tuesday that his priority would be to bring some improvements in the department.

Megharikh reportedly visited all the barracks and held a brief meeting with the jail staff. Later, he said, "I found no violation of prison norms. I will visit the facility whenever required. I will do my best to make this central jail a model prison for others."

On Thursday, the state government transferred some more Prisons Department officials. Anitha R, who was Superintendent of the Bengaluru Central Prison, was moved to Dharwad Central Jail in place of

Superintendent P S Ramesh, who was transferred to Bengaluru. Chief Superintendent K Krishnakumar, who was transferred on Monday, has been posted to Kalaburagi Central Prison in place of Somashekar, who was transferred to Bengaluru.

Anitha faced allegations of corruption and helping AIADMK leader Sasikala get special privileges.

The government has effected the transfers after former DIG (Prisons) D Roopa's report about corruption and irregularities in the Bengaluru Central Prison kicked up a storm. A few days later, she was shunted out to the Transport Department while DGP H N Sathyanarayana Rao was asked to go on leave.

Retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, who is probing Roopa's allegations, visited the jail on Wednesday to gather information.He is yet to send a report to the government.

BENGALURU: Tension prevailed at the entrance of the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara on Thursday when T T V Dhinakaran, nephew of AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, came to meet her. He spoke to the media and rubbished the allegations that his aunt has been provided special facilities in her cell. Dhinakaran, along with his supporters came to the jail around afternoon and demanded to meet Sasikala. However, he was stopped at the police check point near the jail and was told to get permission from senior officials. When policemen refused to heed his demand, Dhinakaran's supporters shouted slogans against the staff and tried to call some senior politicians. Finally, Dinakaran left without meeting Sasikala. Speaking to Express, the prison staff said that Dhinakaran had not taken prior appointment to meet Sasikala. Thus he was denied entry. They later left as it was past visiting hours, the officials added. More officials transferred Two days after N S Megharikh took charge as ADGP-Prisons, he visited the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara on Thursday and inspected the facility. Megharikh had told the media on Tuesday that his priority would be to bring some improvements in the department. Megharikh reportedly visited all the barracks and held a brief meeting with the jail staff. Later, he said, "I found no violation of prison norms. I will visit the facility whenever required. I will do my best to make this central jail a model prison for others." On Thursday, the state government transferred some more Prisons Department officials. Anitha R, who was Superintendent of the Bengaluru Central Prison, was moved to Dharwad Central Jail in place of Superintendent P S Ramesh, who was transferred to Bengaluru. Chief Superintendent K Krishnakumar, who was transferred on Monday, has been posted to Kalaburagi Central Prison in place of Somashekar, who was transferred to Bengaluru. Anitha faced allegations of corruption and helping AIADMK leader Sasikala get special privileges. The government has effected the transfers after former DIG (Prisons) D Roopa's report about corruption and irregularities in the Bengaluru Central Prison kicked up a storm. A few days later, she was shunted out to the Transport Department while DGP H N Sathyanarayana Rao was asked to go on leave. Retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, who is probing Roopa's allegations, visited the jail on Wednesday to gather information.He is yet to send a report to the government.
By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: The ruling faction of the AIADMK is all set to welcome one of the rebel MLAs back to its fold.

Kavundmpalayam MLA VC Arukutty, who was among the first to extend support to O Panneerselvam after he revolted against VK Sasikala's leadership, is reportedly mulling a return.

Sources said he would join the ruling faction in the presence of its leader, chief minister 'Edappadi' K Palaniswami, during the birth centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder and former chief minister MG Ramachandran at Palladam on Saturday.

Speaking to Express, Arukutty said he would make his stand clear in a day or two.

Arukutty is upset over the treatment meted out to him Panneerselvam's faction. He has not been invited to the OPS camp for the MGR centenary function scheduled to be held in Coimbatore on July 29.

"I was the first person to extend support to Panneerselvam when he revolted against general secretary VK Sasikala. But I was not given respect in OPS camp, prompting me to reconsider my stand," he said.

Sources said the rebels were upset about Arukutty's recent activities. Him thanking the chief minister and other ministers has not gone down unnoticed.

"As an MLA, I am here to serve the people in the constituency. So when the ministers announce various welfare schemes for my constituency, I thanked them. It is just a formal gesture, it cannot be considered as politics," he argued.

In an effort to woo Arukuty, the Palaniswami's government had announced a slew of welfare schemes and projects targeting his constituency -- Kavundampalayam

Electricity Minister P Thangamani announced power for Kavundampalayam's Thumanoor and Saembukarai villages. Those villages did not have electricity for several decades.

Also, Kavundampalayam constituency was given two bridges, a new revenue divisional office, and a new government hospital.

According to sources in AIADMK, Arukutty would join the EPS camp on Saturday at the MGR Centenary function that is held at Palladam in Tirupur district. However, when asked about it, Arukutty said he had conveyed his opinion to the party chief who is likely to respond soon.

Two MLAs in the OPS camp, P R G Arunkumar and O K Chinnaraj, denied Arukuttys allegations about not being invited to the MGR centenary function. The function was planned by the whole team. Everything was known to Arukutty, said Arunkumar. In fact, when we invited him to the ground preparation works, Arukutty said he would not be coming. These allegations are shocking to us, he added. When asked about rumours about Arunkumar and Chinnaraj joining the ruling faction, they denied that they would join the group.

He also expressed his concern over the delay in the merger of the two factions. "We thought the party would merge soon. But as it did not materialize, there is a need to reconsider the stand these days," Arukutty said.

COIMBATORE: The ruling faction of the AIADMK is all set to welcome one of the rebel MLAs back to its fold. Kavundmpalayam MLA VC Arukutty, who was among the first to extend support to O Panneerselvam after he revolted against VK Sasikala's leadership, is reportedly mulling a return. Sources said he would join the ruling faction in the presence of its leader, chief minister 'Edappadi' K Palaniswami, during the birth centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder and former chief minister MG Ramachandran at Palladam on Saturday. Speaking to Express, Arukutty said he would make his stand clear in a day or two. Arukutty is upset over the treatment meted out to him Panneerselvam's faction. He has not been invited to the OPS camp for the MGR centenary function scheduled to be held in Coimbatore on July 29. "I was the first person to extend support to Panneerselvam when he revolted against general secretary VK Sasikala. But I was not given respect in OPS camp, prompting me to reconsider my stand," he said. Sources said the rebels were upset about Arukutty's recent activities. Him thanking the chief minister and other ministers has not gone down unnoticed. "As an MLA, I am here to serve the people in the constituency. So when the ministers announce various welfare schemes for my constituency, I thanked them. It is just a formal gesture, it cannot be considered as politics," he argued. In an effort to woo Arukuty, the Palaniswami's government had announced a slew of welfare schemes and projects targeting his constituency -- Kavundampalayam Electricity Minister P Thangamani announced power for Kavundampalayam's Thumanoor and Saembukarai villages. Those villages did not have electricity for several decades. Also, Kavundampalayam constituency was given two bridges, a new revenue divisional office, and a new government hospital. According to sources in AIADMK, Arukutty would join the EPS camp on Saturday at the MGR Centenary function that is held at Palladam in Tirupur district. However, when asked about it, Arukutty said he had conveyed his opinion to the party chief who is likely to respond soon. Two MLAs in the OPS camp, P R G Arunkumar and O K Chinnaraj, denied Arukuttys allegations about not being invited to the MGR centenary function. The function was planned by the whole team. Everything was known to Arukutty, said Arunkumar. In fact, when we invited him to the ground preparation works, Arukutty said he would not be coming. These allegations are shocking to us, he added. When asked about rumours about Arunkumar and Chinnaraj joining the ruling faction, they denied that they would join the group. He also expressed his concern over the delay in the merger of the two factions. "We thought the party would merge soon. But as it did not materialize, there is a need to reconsider the stand these days," Arukutty said.
By AFP

KOS: A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands early morning today, damaging buildings and a port, killing at least two people and causing more than 100 injuries, authorities said.

The island of Kos was nearest to the epicentre and appeared to be the worst-hit, with two deaths and structural damage to older buildings. Minor damage -- cracks in buildings, smashed windows and trashed shops -- appeared widespread, according to city officials.

"The rest of the island has no problem. It's only the main town that has a problem," Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media. "The buildings affected were mostly old, and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced."

Rescuers were checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night. Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services. The island's port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100. "Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery," he said.

He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos's main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred 10 kilometres south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 16 kilometres east-northeast of Kos with a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.

According to Turkish disaster officials, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic."

In Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometres west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds, according to an AP reporter on the scene.

Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone.

KOS: A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands early morning today, damaging buildings and a port, killing at least two people and causing more than 100 injuries, authorities said. The island of Kos was nearest to the epicentre and appeared to be the worst-hit, with two deaths and structural damage to older buildings. Minor damage -- cracks in buildings, smashed windows and trashed shops -- appeared widespread, according to city officials. "The rest of the island has no problem. It's only the main town that has a problem," Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media. "The buildings affected were mostly old, and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced." Rescuers were checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night. Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services. The island's port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said. Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100. "Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery," he said. He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos's main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged. Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred 10 kilometres south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 16 kilometres east-northeast of Kos with a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. According to Turkish disaster officials, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded. Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic." In Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometres west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets. Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds, according to an AP reporter on the scene. Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone.
By ANI

BEIRUT: The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched a joint operation on Friday in which terrorists of the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda known as al-Nusra Front, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) were flushed out from the height of Tal Burkan on the Syrian-Lebanese border.



The operation is to target terrorists in the Arsal area on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal, and in areas of the western Qalamoun mountains in Syria and during the operation the terrorists bear heavy losses and retreat into the depths of the gorges, the Sputnik reported.



The fighters of Hezbollah and the Syrian army pushed terrorists out from the height of Tal Burkan in the mountainous region of Flita.

The fighters of the Lebanese resistance continue their offensive in the direction of the Qanzah area and the Qariah valley.



The Lebanese Shiite militant Hezbollah movement announced that it was launching a military operation against the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham terrorist group on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the mountainous region of Jaroud Arsal from two sides i.e. from the city of Flita on the Syrian territory, and from the Lebanese territory along the eastern mountain ridge.

Jaroud Arsal mountainous border area on the Lebanese-Syrian border is used by terrorists to enter into Syria and also for arms smuggling. It also houses several camps for thousands of Syrian refugees.



Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that the government supported the Lebanese army's plans to hold a massive counterterrorist operation in the area, but noted that there was no coordination between Syrian and Lebanese forces.

Syrian aviation also attacked the terrorists' sites near the settlements of Flita and Arsal on the border between Lebanon and Syria.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah movement had issued a warning that the terror groups had a chance to leave the Aarsal area, otherwise, they would launch an operation to fight them.

BEIRUT: The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched a joint operation on Friday in which terrorists of the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda known as al-Nusra Front, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) were flushed out from the height of Tal Burkan on the Syrian-Lebanese border. The operation is to target terrorists in the Arsal area on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal, and in areas of the western Qalamoun mountains in Syria and during the operation the terrorists bear heavy losses and retreat into the depths of the gorges, the Sputnik reported. The fighters of Hezbollah and the Syrian army pushed terrorists out from the height of Tal Burkan in the mountainous region of Flita. The fighters of the Lebanese resistance continue their offensive in the direction of the Qanzah area and the Qariah valley. The Lebanese Shiite militant Hezbollah movement announced that it was launching a military operation against the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham terrorist group on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the mountainous region of Jaroud Arsal from two sides i.e. from the city of Flita on the Syrian territory, and from the Lebanese territory along the eastern mountain ridge. Jaroud Arsal mountainous border area on the Lebanese-Syrian border is used by terrorists to enter into Syria and also for arms smuggling. It also houses several camps for thousands of Syrian refugees. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that the government supported the Lebanese army's plans to hold a massive counterterrorist operation in the area, but noted that there was no coordination between Syrian and Lebanese forces. Syrian aviation also attacked the terrorists' sites near the settlements of Flita and Arsal on the border between Lebanon and Syria. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah movement had issued a warning that the terror groups had a chance to leave the Aarsal area, otherwise, they would launch an operation to fight them.
By ANI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is chairing a high level meeting of Pakistan Muslim League  Nawaz (PML-N) leaders at PM House following the reservation of Panamagate verdict by the countrys Supreme Court.



The high level meeting is being attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers, legal advisers and law experts, reports the Geo News.



According to the report, the meeting is held to review the situation following developments in the Supreme Court.



Geo News quoted sources as saying that the legal team is briefing the Prime Minister on the Panama Papers case.



The apex court concluded the entire hearings and reserved the judgment in the Panamagate case in which Prime Minister Sharif and his family are accused of amassing offshore assets.



The date of the judgment is yet to be announced and if convicted, Sharif can face disqualification from politics.



The JIT, which was investigating allegations of money laundering against the Sharif family, submitted its report to the Supreme Court on July 10 and accused them of concealing the information from tax authorities that involve four apartments in Park Lane area of London.



The court also opened Volume X of the JIT report, marked as "confidential". Volume X of the report, titled "Mutual Legal Assistance Requests - Ongoing", is related to JIT's international correspondence and the documents obtained from foreign countries during the investigation.



The Panamagate case is being heard by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.



The Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had called the investigators' request to withhold Volume X "mala fide". The judges had also expressed an inclination to make Volume X public.



"The volume contains details of the JIT's correspondence and will help clear a number of things," Justice Azmat Saeed told Harris, adding that the chapter was being opened on the lawyers request, the Dawn reported.



Lawyer of Sharif's children Salman Akram Raja sought to appease the judges' objections to the documents that he had submitted a day earlier.



The bench had questioned the authenticity of the documents submitted by the lawyer on behalf of his clients, pointing out that the trust deed - executed between Maryam Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz in February 2006 was signed on Saturday in a country where it was not possible to seek official appointments on a holiday.



"Plenty of barristers and solicitors work on Saturdays and even Sundays in London," the lawyer told the court.



Justice Ijazul Ahsan replied that, on the contrary, Hussain Nawaz had said that making such appointments on Saturdays was not possible.



The council reiterated before the bench that Maryam Nawaz, the Prime Minister's daughter, was not the owner of the Avenfield flats in London.



"The [JIT's] report shows that Maryam Nawaz is the beneficial owner of the flats," noted Justice Ejaz Afzal.



This was the fifth consecutive hearing of the bench from July 17, when it began hearing responses of the petitioners and respondents on the JIT's final probe report into the Sharif familys businesses.



During the hearing, Raja also submitted a 17-page petition listing objections on the JIT report, pleading for dismissal of the report and its 'evidence'.



Justice Ejaz observed that producing the Qatari prince before the JIT was Hussains responsibility as the sheikh was his star witness.



ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is chairing a high level meeting of Pakistan Muslim League  Nawaz (PML-N) leaders at PM House following the reservation of Panamagate verdict by the countrys Supreme Court. The high level meeting is being attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers, legal advisers and law experts, reports the Geo News. According to the report, the meeting is held to review the situation following developments in the Supreme Court. Geo News quoted sources as saying that the legal team is briefing the Prime Minister on the Panama Papers case. The apex court concluded the entire hearings and reserved the judgment in the Panamagate case in which Prime Minister Sharif and his family are accused of amassing offshore assets. The date of the judgment is yet to be announced and if convicted, Sharif can face disqualification from politics. The JIT, which was investigating allegations of money laundering against the Sharif family, submitted its report to the Supreme Court on July 10 and accused them of concealing the information from tax authorities that involve four apartments in Park Lane area of London. The court also opened Volume X of the JIT report, marked as "confidential". Volume X of the report, titled "Mutual Legal Assistance Requests - Ongoing", is related to JIT's international correspondence and the documents obtained from foreign countries during the investigation. The Panamagate case is being heard by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. The Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had called the investigators' request to withhold Volume X "mala fide". The judges had also expressed an inclination to make Volume X public. "The volume contains details of the JIT's correspondence and will help clear a number of things," Justice Azmat Saeed told Harris, adding that the chapter was being opened on the lawyers request, the Dawn reported. Lawyer of Sharif's children Salman Akram Raja sought to appease the judges' objections to the documents that he had submitted a day earlier. The bench had questioned the authenticity of the documents submitted by the lawyer on behalf of his clients, pointing out that the trust deed - executed between Maryam Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz in February 2006 was signed on Saturday in a country where it was not possible to seek official appointments on a holiday. "Plenty of barristers and solicitors work on Saturdays and even Sundays in London," the lawyer told the court. Justice Ijazul Ahsan replied that, on the contrary, Hussain Nawaz had said that making such appointments on Saturdays was not possible. The council reiterated before the bench that Maryam Nawaz, the Prime Minister's daughter, was not the owner of the Avenfield flats in London. "The [JIT's] report shows that Maryam Nawaz is the beneficial owner of the flats," noted Justice Ejaz Afzal. This was the fifth consecutive hearing of the bench from July 17, when it began hearing responses of the petitioners and respondents on the JIT's final probe report into the Sharif familys businesses. During the hearing, Raja also submitted a 17-page petition listing objections on the JIT report, pleading for dismissal of the report and its 'evidence'. Justice Ejaz observed that producing the Qatari prince before the JIT was Hussains responsibility as the sheikh was his star witness.
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Merck, Pfizer and Corning Incorporated today announced collaborations that have enabled the modernization of pharmaceutical packaging with the introduction of Corning Valor Glass. This revolutionary pharmaceutical glass packaging solution enhances the storage and delivery of todays drug formulations and provides more reliable access to medicines essential to public health.

Deep pharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing process insights from Merck and Pfizer, in combination with Cornings glass science and precision forming capabilities helped deliver an exceptional glass packaging solution for injectable drugs in vials and cartridges. The companies continued collaborations will focus on additional evaluations and the deployment of this new innovation.

Corning Valor Glass packaging offers superior chemical durability, strength and damage resistance. These qualities enable increased throughput and more reliable access to state-of-the-art medicines for patients, while maintaining a high level of quality assurance for pharmaceutical companies.

The White House Office of American Innovation has encouraged this initiative as a model of cross-industry technology collaboration and economic investment. President Donald J. Trump said, My administration is committed to streamlining the regulatory process so that its easier for companies to invest and innovate here in America. Today, Im pleased to recognize Merck, Pfizer, and Corning for collaborating to modernize pharmaceutical glass packaging with Valor Glass and bring important manufacturing jobs to the United States.

As a result of Merck and Pfizers commitment to improving glass quality and promising results from their initial testing, Corning is making an initial investment of $500 million and creating 1,000 new U.S. jobs as the first part of a planned investment of $4 billion and 4,000 new high-tech jobs.

Drug Discovery eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Kenneth C. Frazier, Mercks chairman and chief executive officer, said, Merck is proud to have participated from its inception in the development of Valor Glass with Corning. Biologics today are on the leading edge of scientific innovation, and Valor Glass represents a similar advancement in materials science: glass that is purpose-built for medicines and vaccines. Merck plans to convert several injectable products to this exceptional new glass packaging solution, pending appropriate regulatory approvals.

We joined forces with Corning to advance this revolutionary new glass for medicines that are critical to patients. Our initial trial results with Valor Glass show promise, and we are working with Corning to assess the full potential of this glass solution on products at several of our manufacturing sites, Ian C. Read, Pfizers chairman and chief executive officer, said.

Wendell P. Weeks, Corning Incorporateds chairman, chief executive officer, and president said, Making this next-generation product requires a new, advanced manufacturing platform, and we plan to build that platform right here in the United States. All of this is made possible by our great customers like Merck and Pfizer and the strong support of the Administration, the Office of American Innovation, and the FDAs Emerging Technology Team. We believe this is great news for patients, for the industry, and for the economy.

Source: http://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/merck_and_pfizer_collaborate_with_corning
In 2014, a team of researchers led by a paleobiologist from the University of Missouri found that clams from the Holocene Epoch (that began 11,700 years ago) contained clues about how sea level rise due to climate change could foreshadow a rise in parasitic trematodes, or flatworms. The team cautioned that the rise could lead to outbreaks in human infections if left unchecked. Now, an international team from Mizzou and the Universities of Bologna and Florida has found that rising seas could be detrimental to human health on a much shorter time scale. Findings from their study in northern Italy suggest that parasitic infections could increase in the next century if history repeats itself.

Trematodes are internal parasites that affect mollusks and other invertebrates inhabiting estuarine environments, which are the coastal bodies of brackish water connecting rivers to the open sea. John Huntley, assistant professor of geological sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science, studied the prehistoric clams as a senior visiting fellow for the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Bologna, Italy. With core samples taken from the Po River plain in Italy, the team found traces made by trematodes on the shells of the clams disclosing the connections between the ancient clams and climate change.

"The forecasts of increasing global temperatures and sea level rise have led to major concerns about the response of parasites to climate change," Huntley said. "Italy has a robust environmental monitoring program, so there was a wealth of information to examine."

Ancient trematodes had soft bodies; therefore, they didn't leave body fossils. However, infected clams developed oval-shaped pits around the parasite in the attempt to keep it out, and it's the prevalence of those pits and their makeup that provide clues as to what happened during different eras in time.

Using 61 samples collected from a drill core obtained by the Italian government for geological research, the scientists examined trematode traces and matched the information to existing records measuring sea level and salinity rises through the ages.

"We found that pulses in sea-level rise occurred on the scale of hundreds of years, and that correlated to rises in parasitic trematodes in the core samples," Huntley said. "What concerns me is that these rises are going to continue to happen and perhaps at accelerated rates. This poses grave concerns for public health and ecosystem services. These processes could increase parasitism in not only estuarine systems but also in freshwater settings. Such habitats are home to the snail hosts of blood flukes, which infect and kill a million or more people globally each year. What's scary is it could potentially affect the generations of our kids or grandkids."

Huntley and his team think that the discoveries they continue to make about impending climate change could provide a good road map for conservationists and those making decisions about marine environments worldwide.
A team of Wayne State University researchers recently received a $1.9 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to better understand leukodystrophies (LD) and genetic Leukoencephalopathies (gLE), rare genetic disorders affecting the white matter -- myelin -- in the central nervous system. Patients diagnosed with a leukodystrophy experience a gradual decline in development, including a progressive loss in gait, body tone, vision, hearing, swallowing and/or ability to eat.

LD and gLE disrupt the growth or maintenance of the myelin sheath, which insulates nerve cells. LD and gLE affect motor and sensory systems, including visual systems, causing vision to slowly worsen until vision is lost. Most leukodystrophies are genetic, but many of the genes that cause the disease are currently unknown.

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The Wayne State team, led by Ryan Thummel, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology and ophthalmology in Wayne State's School of Medicine, recently discovered that a mutation in Vacuolar Protein Sorting 11 (VPS11) is a cause of a type of leukoenephalopathy. The team, which includes Thummel; Robert Skoff, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and cell biology at Wayne State; James Granneman, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Wayne State; and Brian Perkins, Ph.D., associate professor at the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, will use a previously characterized zebrafish mutant line of VPS11 to better understand the progression and model for this disease, with a special focus on progressive vision loss.

"Zebrafish are a highly suited model for this disease and can be used to test behavioral and biological aspects of the disease," said Thummel. "In addition, given their small size and large number of offspring, they are highly amenable to use in a screen for compounds that rescue the disease. Finally, with the expertise of Dr. Skoff, we will develop a mammalian brain cell culture technique to analyze how defects in VPS11 effect myelin formation and support of adjacent neurons."

According to Thummel, one in 8,000 individuals suffers from vision loss associated with LD and gLE. The results from their research study are expected to provide insight into how disrupted protein trafficking can lead to white matter diseases and provide potential therapeutic targets.

In addition to his work with LD and gLE, Thummel is working with a collaborative team on a project known as the "Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative," funded by Kids Without Cancer through a gift to Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. This initiative is investigating the impact of potential toxins such as pesticides on the development of leukemia, which will lay the foundation for large-scale screening for other causative agents. The first pesticide being tested is propoxur, a commonly used insecticide used to control lawn and turf insects, household pests, and fleas.
Reliance Industries held its 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Birla Matushri Sabhagar at Mumbais Sir Vithaldas Thackersey Marg. RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, during the meeting, introduced India Ka Smartphone  the JioPhone, a 4G-enabled effectively zero priced feature phone that can work on voice commands.

(Disclosure: News18.com is part of Network18 Media & Investment Limited which is owned by Reliance Industries Limited)

Heres a recap of the AGM:

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
New Delhi: Congratulating her rival Ram Nath Kovind over his presidential victory, a smiling Meira Kumar also reminded him of these challenging times and asked the 14th President of India to uphold the Constitution.



The residence of Meira Kumar, the Congress-led opposition's presidential candidate, at the posh New Friends Colony wore a deserted look with only a few mediapersons camping outside.



"I congratulate Kovindji on his election as the President of India. I extend my good wishes to him as it has fallen upon to him uphold the Constitution in these most challenging times," she said.



Kumar affirmed her intent to continue the struggle for values and ideals like secularism, inclusiveness, total elimination of casteism, freedom of press and expression, despite her defeat.



"The ideology for which, I joined this election does not end today, it will continue because a large number of countrymen believe in it and derive sustenance from it," she said.



The former Lok Sabha speaker polled 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314 as against Kovind's 2,930 votes with a value of 7,02,044 (more than 65 percent).



As the results trickled in showing a clear victory for Kovind, there no visits to her residence by anyone from the parties supporting her.



Kumar thanked the leaders of 17 opposition parties, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for fielding her as their consensus candidate and also members of the collegium  comprising MPs and MLAs  who voted for her.



(With PTI inputs)


[name]New Delhi:[/name] A prestigious Jatin Das painting that was found missing from Air India's collection recently has been returned to its office here in a "torn condition", an official at the airline has said.



"Over a week back we received this 33x17 inch painting. It was without a frame and had been folded several times and was in a torn condition. It was sent to us from an address in Gurgaon which we later found to be fake," said the Air India official who did not want to be identified.



An internal inquiry team, set up after Das complained to Air India earlier this month that his painting commissioned by the airline was available on open market, found out that a former executive director at the airline had been in possession of the painting and contacted her.



After the artwork - a horizontal oil painting titled 'Flying Apsara' commissioned in 1991 by Air India - resurfaced, the airline is now examining how many more former or serving Air India officials could be in possession of such paintings.



Padma Bhushan awardee Das had earlier told PTI that "indifference, negligence and theft" were behind the painting going missing.



The airline has been preparing an inventory of thousands of artefacts collected by it since the 1950s for an Air India Museum that was earlier expected to be inaugurated on August 15.



The collection includes stone sculptures dating back to the ninth century, woodwork, decorative friezes, and a collection of exquisite clocks, but the most prized are some of the nearly 4,000 paintings that include works by stalwarts such as M F Husain, S H Raza, V S Gaitonde, K A Ara, Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpana Caur and B Prabha.
Patna: The Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) on Thursday night cancelled the licence of a petrol pump allotted to Bihar's health minister and RJD leader Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap Yadav for furnishing fake details at the time of applying for allotment.



This action has further added to the woes of Lalu and his family who are facing a string of corruption charges related to amassing properties through Benami transactions.



The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to demand the resignation of Tej Pratap along with his brother and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav - who has been accused by the CBI of getting a prized piece of land in Patna in lieu of awarding licences to a private company to run two IRCTC hotels, while his father Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union railway minister.



Tej Pratap had challenged BPCLs decision in a Patna court, which had vacated the earlier issued stay order on July 19 due to non-submission of favourable evidence.



"Tej Pratap grossly misused his position as a minister in Nitish Kumar's cabinet. The cancellation of a petrol pump licence after the court's order should be enough for Nitish to sack him, if he does not resign," said senior BJP leader Sushil Modi.



Nitish's party JD (U) is already at loggerheads with alliance partner RJD over corruption charges against Lalu and family, especially deputy CM Tejashwi. The JD (U) has repeatedly told Tejashwi to come clean on the charges or face being sacked from the government.



Tej Pratap Yadav had applied for the petrol pump license in 2012 and the retail outlet was commissioned to M/S Lara Automobiles, represented by him as its proprietor, on February 27 this year.



According to the complainant, Yadav had falsely declared that he had land for retail allotment, whereas, the real owner of the said land is M/S AK Infosystems "who had never given land on lease to you (Tej Pratap)".



"On the date of submission of the application for the retail outlet (12.1.2012) you were neither the shareholder nor the director of the said M/s AK Infosystem which never entered into any lease with you (Tej Pratap)," the complaint said.



After that a notice was issued to him which read, "We have observed that you are at present discharging the duty of minister for health, minor water resources, environment and forest of Bihar government, which may suggest that you are not in a position to carry out obligations contained in the agreement personally."




New Delhi: The Central government has agreed to amend the law wherein NRIs had to travel to India to vote during elections. Attorney General KK Venugopal told the Supreme Court that the government has accepted in principle that the facility of voting from the foreign land could be extended to NRIs.



He said that a group of ministers met on Thursday and it was decided that the Representation of People Act will have to be amended to enable NRIs to vote without coming to India.



Under the current legal regime, overseas voters can cast their votes only "in their constituencies", which require them to fly down.



Venugopal said that there are more than a million NRI voters but only 10,000 come to participate in the electoral process. "It has been decided that an amendment will be drafted and brought before the Parliament," he added.



In reply to a question by a bench led by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, the AG said it was not possible to bring in a Bill in this regard in the ongoing session of the Parliament.



When the bench asked Venugopal to specify a timeline for the preparation of the amendment, the AG sought two weeks to respond.



Venugopal added that the Election Commission suggested a move wherein e-ballot papers could be sent to the NRIs, who could then send it back.



Last week, the bench had sought to know whether an amendment to the act was required to enable NRIs voting from their place of residence.



Earlier, an EC panel had recommended allowing voting for the NRIs through proxy and e-postal ballot. The poll panel had ruled out the possibility of allowing NRIs to vote through the Internet or at diplomatic missions abroad for the time being.



In a report submitted to the Supreme Court, the EC had said that the option of voting through proxy appointed by overseas electors... as well as e-postal ballot, where blank postal ballot paper is transferred electronically to the NRI and returned by post can be considered.



The EC report was submitted by a committee formed to look into the issue following a Supreme Court order on a PIL filed by NRI Nagender Chindam. The petition, argued by Counsel Haris Beeran, said it is discriminatory and violates fundamental rights.
New Delhi: The Centre is planning to gradually phase out printing of the Rs 2,000 notes which replaced the 1,000-rupee notes after demonetisation last year, sources told CNN-News18.



Informed sources said that though the pink-coloured notes will not be demonetised, their usage will gradually be brought down with printing of more Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes.



The government also recently turned down a proposal by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to print 100 crore Rs 2,000 notes, sources said.



According to a report in the Economic Times, there has been a sharp drop in the number of Rs 2,000 notes in circulation.






New Delhi: State-controlled Chinese media on Friday accused External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj of lying to Parliament over the month-long Doklam standoff.



Sushma had told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that China had attempted to unilaterally change the status quo at the Bhutan trijunction, following which the Indian troops intervened. India, she said, has the support of all countries. They understand that the stand taken by India on the issue is not wrong, PTI quoted her as saying.



A day later, an editorial in China's state-controlled Global Times called the statements a lie.



Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told her country's parliament on Thursday that all countries are in India's support, and said India is alert to the need to protect its security. She was lying to the parliament, the editorial said. First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China.



Rejecting New Delhis demand for removal of troops in the region, the Global Times said, China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held. Doklam is Chinese territory. China cannot afford to lose an inch" of territory.



The Chinese media, which parrots Beijings line since the country has no independent media, has been ratcheting up rhetoric against India in the recent weeks following the face-off between the armies of the two nation in the Bhutan tri-junction. The face-off was triggered when Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area.



China claimed that they were constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Dokalam plateau. New Delhi has expressed concern over the road building, apprehending that it may allow Chinese troops to cut India's access to its northeastern states.



India has conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it.



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.
New Delhi: The Donald Trump administration has said it is "closely and carefully" watching the Doklam standoff between India and China, urging the two Asian giants to engage in direct dialogue.



"This is a situation that we are following closely and carefully. I'd have to refer you to the governments of India and China for more information on that," State Department spokesman Heather Nauert told reporters.



She said Indian and China were talking on the issue. "(And) they're going to talk to one another," she said, referring to the visit of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to Beijing for a meeting of the NSAs from BRICS countries  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  on July 27-28.



"We would encourage them to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions," Nauert said.



India has said it is ready for talks with China but it must first pull back its troops to end the tense standoff in the Sikkim sector, and called for a "peaceful resolution" of the border issues between the countries.



China responded that the diplomatic channels with India remained "unimpeded" but reiterated that the withdrawal of the Indian troops from Doklam area is a "precondition" for any meaningful dialogue.



The stand was repeated by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang on Friday. Asked to confirm if India and China are holding talks to prevent an escalation of tensions, Lu said, We have said multiple times that the facts and nature of the incident on the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary is very clear, which is that the Indian border troops illegally trespassed into China's territory.



We keep saying that the diplomatic channels between China and India are unimpeded, but we also reiterate that the withdrawal of Indian border troops who illegally crossed into China's territory is the prerequisite and basis for any meaningful dialogue between the two sides.



Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face-off in Doklam area in the southernmost part of Tibet for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road, fearing it may allow China to cut India's access to its northeastern states.



India has conveyed to China that the construction of the road would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for New Delhi.



(With PTI inputs)






New Delhi: It was a daring rescue operation at high sea and it started with a distress call off the Andaman Islands. MV ITT PANTHER, a general cargo vessel was making its way from Kolkata to Port Blair with an 11 member crew.

In the early hours of July 20 the weather condition turned rough, with strong monsoon winds and waves as high as four to five meters. The situation became critical when the vessel started tilting dangerously because of the shifting of cargo. The ship was abandoned.

As the crew members got on to their rafts, a distress call was made to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Port Blair. Reacting almost immediately the Indian Coast Guard launched its aircraft to locate the 11 people adrift at sea. On receiving coordinates ships ICGS Rajkamal and ICGS Bhikaji Cama moved in swiftly despite the inclement weather. ICGS Rajkamal reached the adrift crew members by late afternoon, just as the PANTHER sank in the Bay Of Bengal, some 400 kms away from Port Blair.

The 11 crew members rescued by the Coast Guard are now safe and dry in Port Blair. The number of search and rescue operations go up considerably for the Coast Guard during monsoon months. So far 18 missions have been conducted in high sea where 33 lives have been saved.

Pictures and videos of the rescue show how the Indian Coast Guard is living up to its motto of  Vayam Rakshama  We Protect

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
New Delhi: The DDA has signed an MoU with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) for preparation of Master Plan for Delhi 2041, the urban body on Thursday said.



The DDA informed this to Lt Governor Anil Baijal in an Authority meeting at the Raj Niaws. The L-G is also the chairman of the Delhi Development Authority.



"The DDA has signed an MoU with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) for preparation of Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) 2041, as an enabling strategic plan and other related policies or plans which would be the guiding framework of the planning and growth of Delhi till 2041," the DDA said.



In a statement, it said, NIUA's approach for the project comprises four phases which though distinct from one and the other would "neither be exclusive nor sequential".



"It would involve building a base line quantitative understanding of Delhi at local and regional levels with quantitative understanding gathered from historical data, primary data collection and data from the DDA and other city agencies.



"This data would be overlaid on a GIS platform to understand linkages across various developmental themes in the city," the urban body said.



This quantitative understanding will be complemented by a qualitative understanding of issues through stakeholder consultations with government agencies, academia, sector experts, community groups and civil society organisations.



"The enabling phase of the project will look at the roll-out strategy for neighbourhood redevelopment through development control regulations, land use, land pooling, land titling, local area planning and governance and coordination required to enable implementation of the plan," the DDA said.



The NIUA would engage national and international experts for developing MPD 2041, it said.



During the Authority meeting, it was also decided that for optimum utilisation of vacant DDA lands allotted to various government agencies in public and semi-public (PSP) use zones for establishment of 'State Guest Houses' suitable provisioning has been done in chapter 17 of the development code.



"This amendment will also allow 15 per cent of the permissible FAR (floor area ratio) under State Guest Houses to be utilised for staff quarters. Community Halls/barat ghars would also be permitted in Industrial (M) use zones as of part of redevelopment of industrial areas," the DDA said.



Among other decisions approved by the Authority on Thursday, to facilitate 'ease of doing business' for single-brand retail sector, the maximum ground coverage for commercial centres as per the development controls of Master Plan of Delhi 2021, has been uniformly increased to 50 per cent.



In the meeting, it was also decided to change land use for the area under relocated tyre market at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar.



These three proposals now await the issue of final notifications by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the DDA said.
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday stirred up a hornet's nest, suggesting that India should explore the option of third party intervention to bring a peaceful solution to the Kashmir problem.



"India has so many friends across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Donald Trump had indicated that he wanted to settle the Kashmir problem," Abdullah said, adding, "China also said that it wanted to mediate the Kashmir issue."



Abdullah said that if India can talk to China to avoid a war, it can also talk to Pakistan. "For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to take the bull by its horns."



However, later, Farooq Abdullah clarified his statement, saying he was being misunderstood. "The talk between India and Pakistan is essential, and for that, conditions must be created so that there can be peace in the region," he said.



Abdullah, then, suggested that if India and Pakistan cannot talk, "China and France can facilitate talks; the third party can create an atmosphere for a dialogue."



Reacting to Abdullah's suggestion, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said that it's India's internal matter. "I just want to say that Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir," Rahul said.



He also hit out at the BJP-PDP-led government for the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, saying, "For a long time, I have been saying that Modi and his govt's policies have burnt Kashmir."



Farooq Abdullah's son Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to defend his father's comment. "Talk about spinning a statement. Dr Abdullah has said friends can be used to facilitate a dialogue with Pakistan, to facilitate a solution."



Omar added that his father didn't call for a mediation but just said that "Trump offered to help", and so did China. "How is that the same as him asking for it?"
New Delhi: Senior diplomat and external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay was on Friday appointed as joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.



He was appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India's Ambassador to France.



Raveesh Kumar, a 1995-batch IFS officer, currently posted in Frankfurt as Consul General of India, is understood to be replacing Baglay in the external affairs ministry.



The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Baglay's name for the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.



Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would

work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, the order said.



Kumar started his career at the Indian Mission in Jakarta. It was followed by a stint in Thimphu and London. During his previous tenure in Delhi, he looked after the East Asia desk.
New Delhi: After three incidents of murder due to alleged cow vigilantism in the state, the Jharkhand government dismissed the reports by claiming them to be "stray incidents".



Replying to a notice issued by the Supreme Court last year, the BJP-ruled state has submitted that "a few incidents of violence have indeed taken place in the recent past".



The affidavit filed by the government did not mention anything about the incidents or the follow up actions in these cases.



In its four-page affidavit, Jharkhand government did not give details of any of these cases to satisfy the top court about the actions being taken against cow vigilantes.



Instead, the state government said that "confidence of the aggrieved community has been fully restored." The affidavit added that steps were being taken to ensure safety of their life, liberty and properties too.



It told the court that in cases of these "stray incidents", compensation has been paid to the "victims of violence perpetrated by gau rakshaks" and efforts of rehabiliation were also being made.



A tight vigil on social media is also being kept, added the state.



On June 29, a man was lynched on suspicion of carrying beef in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district. The victim, Alimuddin Ansari was brutally beaten up by a mob and his car was on set on fire, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat had condemned cow vigilantism.



In this case, more than dozen people, including a local BJP leader were later arrested.



The incident happened two days after another man was thrashed and his house was set on fire in Giridih for allegedly killing a cow.



In March 2016, two Muslim cattle traders were found hanged to death in Jharkhand's Latehar district. The victims, Mazlum Ansari and teenager Imteyaz Khan were heading to an animal fair in a nearby district when they were allegedly lynched and hanged by a mob. Later, five people were arrested under the charge of murder.
Srinagar: Police on Friday detained JKLF chairman Yasin Malik after he tried to lead a march towards the local office of United Nations in Srinagar to protest the "killings in Kashmir".



Malik was detained after he tried to lead a protest march to the office of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) at Sonwar in Srinagar after congregational prayers, a police official said.



He said Malik along with his supporters assembled in Dalgate area of the city of Friday afternoon and tried to take out a protest march to the UN office.



Police swung into action and took him into custody, the official added.



Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front spokesman said Malik had gone into hiding as police had on Thursday raided the outfit's office to arrest him.



Police had imposed a stringent curfew, barricades and razor wire were placed on every road leading towards Lal chowk and the UN office, the spokesman said.



But it failed to deter Malik and others to reach Buchwara Dalgate, he added.



The spokesman said Malik addressed people at the Jamia Masjid in Buchwara and later at the Buchwara Chowk as well. The JKLF chairman had gone into hiding as state has "choked" every space for peaceful programmes in Kashmir, he said.



Friday's protest strike and sit-in outside the UN office are actually a mark of protest against the "spree of innocent killings in Kashmir", Malik said before being detained by the police.



He said it is obligatory on the international community, especially the UN, to take cognisance of these "gross human rights violations".



Earlier, the separatists had asked the people to march to Sonwar to participate in a sit-in outside the UN office. However, police foiled the proposed march by sealing the roads leading to the UNMOGIP office and imposing strict restrictions in eight police station areas of the summer capital in Srinagar.
: Prominent Malayalam author KP Ramanunni who is known for his progressive writings has received a death threat purportedly from fringe Muslim outfits, prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to warn of severe action.The Kerala chief minister's ire was also directed at fringe right-wing groups who issued death threats and abused online a woman college lecturer in Thrissur after students put MF Husain's controversial Saraswati painting in one of their banners.In his complaint to the police, author KP Ramanunni said he received an anonymous threat letter which warned him that his right arm and left leg would be chopped off if he did not convert to Islam within six months.The letter was received at his home in Kozhikode six days ago and was posted from Manjeri in Malappuram district. Though it seemed it was written by radical Muslims, he couldn't say for sure who was behind it, Ramanunni told CNN-News18.KP RamanunniRamanunni said fundamentalist elements on both sides were angry with him following his recent book which has the Prophet and Lord Krishna as characters disapproving of intolerance and terror."There is no provocation against any religion in my book. I have only said Hindus and Muslims neednt fight against each other. That these people cant tolerate, the author said.The letter alleged that some of the recent articles written by the award-winning writer amounted to "misleading" the Muslim youth.It also warned that Ramanunni would meet the same fate as that of professor TJ Joseph, whose right arm was chopped off by the members of a radical Muslim outfit for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments through a question paper he had set."Like TJ Joseph, your right arm will be cut off... your left leg, too. You are given six months to convert to Islam. If you do not embrace Islam, we will inflict Allah's punishment on you," the letter said.The police said a probe was launched on the basis of Ramanunni's complaint.The right arm of Joseph, who was a professor in the Thodupuzha New Man College, was chopped off while he was returning home from the Sunday mass at a church in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district on July 4, 2010.A novelist and short story writer, Ramanunni is a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Vayalar Award among other literary acclaims.In the other case, Deepa Nishanth, a lecturer in the Thrissur-based Kerala Varma College, lodged a police complaint regarding death threats she received on social media, allegedly from right-wing activists, in connection with a painting of renowned artist late MF Hussain put up on the college campus.Deepa Nishanth is a lecturer in the Thrissur-based Kerala Varma College.She alleged that her morphed pictures with derogatory comments were widely circulated and shared on the social media.She said the threat seemed to be on the assumption that she was in support of the exhibition of the controversial painting 'Saraswathy' on the college campus.A banner, with the painting, was put up by the SFI, the students' union of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, to welcome the freshers, she said."I was shocked to see the series of abusive comments against me on the social media over a matter, in which I was not even involved," said Deepa.She added that the comments and morphed pictures were also sent to her family members, causing great mental agony. The police registered a case under the Information Technology (IT) Act after the lecturer lodged a complaint with the chief minister and Director General of Police (DGP) Loknath Behera.Assuring action, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post: Those who feel that independent voices can be gagged by threats are living in a fool's paradise."Reacting to the news, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said, "Criminals who wrote the letter should (be) arrested."
New Delhi: It was a wet winter night, more than three years ago, when Sunanda Pushkar died under mysterious circumstances at a 5-star hotel in New Delhi. Since January 17, 2014, the day Shashi Tharoor's wife died, there hasn't been a definitive word on how Sunanda died.



An autopsy was conducted under the AIIMS medical board. The viscera was sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) labs, and a wider medical board was also constituted. But the cloud over her death continues until today.



But now its time that the world would finally get to know the truth. In about a fortnight's time, the wider medical board will hold a crucial meeting to ascertain the cause of her death.



When the AIIMS report was inconclusive on the cause of the death, Sunanda's son Shiv Menon wrote to the then Delhi Police chief BS Bassi, saying if AIIMS couldn't confirm the cause of his mother's death, why can't other doctors be consulted? That's when the wider medical board was constituted.



While the AIIMS doctors so far have hinted that Sunanda died of Alprazolam overdose, the wider medical board refrained from giving their opinion for the want of more data. In its last meeting, the board had said that it needed more clarity and some data from the FBI labs to conclusively comment on the cause of death.



After that, a DCP-led team of Delhi Police went to FBI labs once again and returned with more analytical data. In the impending meeting with the wider medical board, the Special Investigation Team constituted to unravel this death mystery, will put forth this data in front of the board.



Once the cause of death is ascertained, the probe will hedge on whether it was a murder or suicide or accidental death. And that is when the SIT would look into Shashi Tharoor's role in it. So far Tharoor and his aides have been questioned a number of times; some of his associates were made to undergo a lie detector test as well.



A PIL by Subramanian Swami is pending in the Delhi High Court, where he has sought a CBI probe into the death of Sunanda Pushkar. Earlier, he had asked the Home Ministry to hand over the case to CBI, but MHA had then replied to him saying that the Delhi police SIT is at an advanced stage of investigation and if the case is transferred to CBI at this stage, it would only lead to further delay.


Srinagar: Pakistani troops on Friday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.



An army official said the Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistani aggression in equal measure.



"Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector on Friday by unprovoked firing towards our posts," he said. The official said the Pakistani troops also violated ceasefire in Keran sector of Kupwara.



This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours.



An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday. Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.



On July 12, two soldiers - Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat - were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.



Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.



Meanwhile, another ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been reported in the state's Poonch sector. According to sources, Indian Army jawans responded to unprovoked Pakistan firing with equal calibre weapons as forward posts and villages near the border came under enemy firing.
New Delhi: The government on Friday assured parliamentarians that Aadhaar data is safe and there is no chance of it falling in wrong hands, officials said.



The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by P Chidambaram was informed that the Aadhaar data was in safe custody but the government was still not complacent and kept upgrading its security systems, officials privy to the development said.



The queries by members of the panel were answered by the representatives of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal authority for Aadhaar in the country.



Apart from Aadhaar, the panel also discussed various national security issues, they said.



The committee interacted with Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Home Secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba and others

regarding the prevailing security situation.



The home ministry officials explained various steps taken for internal security, including in Jammu and Kashmir.



Another meeting of the committee will be held on July 27 when home ministry officials will give a detailed presentation on various issues, they said.
Gandhinagar: Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela resigned from the Congress party shortly after claiming at a birthday rally on Friday that he had been removed.



Vaghela, who was said to be unhappy with the partys planning for assembly elections later this year, said he would quit as MLA too.



I am freeing myself of the Congress and every other party. I will not join any political party. I will quit as Leader of Opposition today. I will quit as MLA in the next sitting. To all my supporters and MLAs who are backing me, please do what you deem fit. I am no longer in any position, he told supporters at his 77th birthday celebrations.



At the beginning of his address, he had said the Congress had removed him on Thursday. My party has shown me the door.... I share my name with Lord Shankar. I, too, can digest poison. I am 77 not out. I am not quitting.... Revolt is in my blood. I don't care what loss I have to bear. I cannot see injustice happening."



After working for sevadal in the 60s, I came in contact with RSS people. They were very good. They taught me how public life should be, Vaghela said at the function in Gandhinagar.



Former chief minister Vaghela, fondly known as 'Bapu, was said to be unhappy with his party over not having been given a free hand for the party's campaign for the state assembly election due later this year.



He had earlier slammed the state Congress over "lack of homework" for the assembly polls.



Vaghelas move comes in the wake of cross-voting in BJP-majority Gujarat Assembly during the presidential elections. At least eight MLAs of the opposition Congress appeared to have voted for NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind over UPA candidate Meira Kumar.



On June 24, while addressing a meeting of his supporters in Gandhinagar, Vaghela had said he would not follow the Congress leadership if it continued on its present suicidal path in Gujarat.



"My problem with the party is they have done no planning to win Gujarat elections, when we know that it (elections) won't be delayed for even a month. Owners lack the foresight. They do not know what is going to happen tomorrow," he had said.
Jammu: An Indian Army soldier was killed on Friday in firing by the Pakistani Army across the Line of Control in Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.



A statement issued by a defence spokesperson said the Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts in Sunderbani sector around 6:05 pm. Officials said the Indian army retaliated strongly and effectively.



In the fire exchange, rifleman Jayadrath Singh was grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries, said officials, adding that the 28-year-old was from Bhagwanpur village in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He is survived by his wife Mamta Devi.



Earlier in the day, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Naugam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector, but there were no casualties.



Pakistani troops violated ceasefire again in Naugam sector on Friday by unprovoked firing towards our posts, said an officer. This is the third ceasefire violation in Naugam sector within 24 hours.



An Army jawan was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Naugam sector on Wednesday. Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.



On July 12, two soldiers - Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satish Bhagat - were killed when they were targeted by Pakistani troops while manning forward posts in Keran sector of Kupwara district.



Another jawan was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district.



Meanwhile, another ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been reported in the state's Poonch sector. According to sources, Indian Army jawans responded to unprovoked Pakistan firing with equal calibre weapons as forward posts and villages near the border came under enemy firing.
New York: Criticising the Modi government, an editorial in a New York daily said there has been an "alarming rise" in mob attacks in India since he took office and "virulent intolerance" has been unleashed under his leadership, threatening the foundation of the secular nation.



Narendra Modi's landslide victory as Prime Minister of India in 2014 was borne on his promises to unleash his country's economic potential and build a bright future while he played down the Hindu nationalist roots of his Bharatiya Janata Party, an editorial in New York Times titled India's Turn Toward Intolerance said.



The Prime Minister's Office did not offer any comment when its attention was drawn to the editorial by PTI for a response.



The editorial noted that under Modi's leadership "growth has slowed, jobs have not materialised, and what has actually been unleashed is virulent intolerance that threatens the foundation of the secular nation envisioned by its founders."



It added that since Modi took office, there has been an "alarming rise" in mob attacks against people accused of eating beef or abusing cows and most of those killed have been Muslims.



The editorial also referred to India's film censor board's decision regarding a documentary on Nobel Prize- winning economist Amartya Sen. The board ruled that the documentary cannot be screened unless the director cuts the words "cow", "Hindu India", "Hindutva view of India" and "Gujarat", where Modi was the chief minister at the time of anti-Muslim riots in 2002.



"This might seem like merely a farcical move by Hindu fanatics, if it were not so in line with much else that is happening in Modi's India, and if the implications for India's democracy weren't so chilling. But this is where Modi has brought the nation as it prepares to celebrate 70 years of independence on August 15," it said.
For years, Iranians have had to put up with the likes of "Mash Donalds" and "Pizza Hat". Now real Western food franchises have finally arrived, but doing business in Iran is not for the faint-hearted. Despite strict international sanctions being eased under a nuclear deal with world powers last year, the Iranian economy remains bogged down by red tape and struggles to attract foreign investors.



But a couple of European food franchises have decided the risks are worth taking for a taste of the estimated $7 billion (six billion euros) Iranians spend in restaurants each year, and which local consultancy ILIA says will double in the next decade. Spain's Telepizza opened its first outlet this month through an Iranian consortium that plans to pump 100 million euros into expanding nationwide.



But one of the first Europeans to really get his hands dirty on the ground is 41-year-old French entrepreneur Amaury de la Serre, who bought the rights to launch Sushi Shop in Iran after falling in love with the country during a visit in 2013. The first branch of the high-end French chain opened last week in a chic north Tehran neighborhood, marking the culmination of a brutal 18 months of work. "There's a strong government will to bring foreign capital and know-how here, but at the day-to-day administrative level, it's hell," de la Serre told AFP. Everything takes time, everything is complicated. It is very, very difficult to deal with customs. But no pain, no gain. And things are changing at full-speed here. I love this country and I'm very excited to be a spectator to its evolution," he added.



Getting the supply chains running was certainly complex -- the restaurant uses 150 mostly local suppliers and must ship fresh fish from Norway three times a week. It took a year just to get the license to import Japanese sauces, and navigating Tehran's notorious real estate rackets was a saga in itself.



The government says it is trying to streamline its bureaucracy, but Iran actually fell three places in this year's ease of doing business rankings from the World Bank, down to 120 out of 190 countries.

Still, some of the biggest headaches are back in Europe, where banks are so afraid of US penalties that they freeze accounts at the merest whiff of a link to Iran. "It's crazy. We went to the French Ministry of Economy and they gave us a list of all the banks that would agree to work with Iran. But when we called them, every single one said no," said de la Serre. Eventually he found a small private bank willing to handle his transactions because they have no links to the US.



But while he remains bullish on Iran's economic prospects, there are enough storm clouds on the horizon to keep him cautious. "We wanted to launch several brands at once, but then Mr Trump arrived so we're taking the foot off the pedal a little," said de la Serre. The US president has worried would-be investors in Iran with his aggressive stance against the country. Just this week, he announced new sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile program and what it called Tehran's support for terrorist groups in the Middle East.



Conservatives in Iran still rail against Western "cultural infiltration", even if the time in 1994 when the first post-revolution McDonald's was burned to the ground -- two days after opening -- seems a distant memory. Today, Iran's affluent middle class has largely rejected ideology and is hungry for foreign brands, while fast-food has spread like wildfire even in remote villages.



And even conservatives recognize the urgent need for jobs with unemployment at 12.5 percent, and far higher for young people. "Expansion in the fast-food sector is a job creator precisely where Iran needs it most," wrote Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Europe-Iran Forum, in a recent briefing note, adding, "After all, many of the world's greatest entrepreneurs got their start delivering pizzas."


Italy's fashion capital has introduced new regulations banning selfie sticks, food trucks and glass bottles from public areas. Milan is the latest Italian city to take measures in a bid to crack down on the antisocial and disrespectful behavior of tourists. As from July 14, residents of Milan, as well as visitors to the city, are no longer allowed to stroll the streets carrying glass bottles, no matter what they contain. The law also clamps down on cans.



The ban covers a specific sector of the Northern Italian city, between Piazza XXIV Maggio, Gorizia Avenue, Via Codara, Cantore Square and Gabriele D'Annunzio. The new measures also ban the use of selfie sticks, dealing a severe blow to the many street sellers keen to target tourists with their wares. What's more, street hawkers no longer have the right to sell their various items in this zone. Food trucks are also banned. Milan's new regulations are effective on a temporary basis for the summer season, until August 13, although they could be extended further.



Milan follows other Italian cities in taking measures to preserve public spaces and clamp down on antisocial behavior. Like Turin, Rome has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol after nightfall. The Eternal City has also passed a law preventing tourists from eating or drinking near its ancient fountains. However, visitors can still toss a coin into the famous Trevi Fountain.



Florence has banned tourists from sitting on the steps of its churches for a lunchtime picnic. Plus, at the beginning of May, Venice passed a law banning any new fast-food restaurants from opening in the city, in an effort to preserve its charm and heritage. Verona took the same measure in 2016.


Children exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy are more likely to suffer autism, but the added risk is very small and may not, in fact, stem from the drugs, researchers said Wednesday.

The connection between medications used to treat depression and autism in children has shown up in earlier research, but investigators have been unsure whether the link is down to pre-existing illness, the antidepressants, or some other mix of factors.

Seeking a clearer picture, scientists led by Dheeraj Rai at the University of Bristol in western England examined medical records for a quarter of a million individuals aged four to 17 living in Sweden from 2001 to 2011.

Nearly 5,400 of them were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

For the purposes of the study, published in the medical journal BMJ, mothers were divided into three groups.

They comprised those who did not take any antidepressants and showed no signs of mental illness; those who took antidepressants during pregnancy; and mothers with psychiatric disorders who did not take such drugs while pregnant.

Just over four percent of the children exposed to mood-enhancing medications were diagnosed with autism, while just under three percent of children not exposed to antidepressants -- and whose mothers had a history of psychiatric troubles -- were found to be on the spectrum.

The new investigation was not designed to investigate the cause for any link between antidepressants and the disorder.

But even if a cause one day emerges, "the absolute risk of autism was small, so these results should not be considered alarming," the authors said in a statement.

In April, two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) also suggested the risk may be lower than previously believed.

Other scientists not involved in the study praised the methodology.

"The risk for ASD is very small," said Michael Craig, a senior lecturer in reproductive and developmental psychiatry at King's College London.

"However, these results cannot be ignored" and should be followed up, he said.

Autism is a complex disorder of brain development characterised, to varying degrees, by troubled social interactions, difficulty in communicating and repetitive actions or speech. It affects about one in 100 people.

For Ian Jones, the director of the National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University, "it is possible that the higher risk of autism is due to the medication, but it may also be due to the effect of the mood disorder for which the medication has been prescribed."

Genetic factors linking mood disorders and autism may also be at play, he added.

Ultimately, it is a matter of measuring pros and cons of treatment, said Michael Bloomfield, a clinical lecturer in psychiatry at University College London.

"As is the case with every medicine, mothers and doctors will need to continue to weigh up the potential risks and benefits of taking antidepressants during pregnancy."

Depression in pregnancy and following childbirth is common, and should be taken seriously, doctors say.
A young Kashmiri woman who was unable to conceive for the last seven years has got pregnant after receiving medical advices from doctors of Sir Ganga Ram hospital on a smartphone app.



The patient, who suffered from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, despite undergoing treatment at the IVF Centre and Human Reproduction at SRGH, was unable to visit Delhi as per doctor's requirement, the hospital authorities said on Thursday.



Treatment for infertility, notably, requires frequent follow up visits for ovarian follicular scans and review of these scans for treatment interventions.



According to the doctors, that is where the "My Follow Up app" was utilised to give her the medical advices and share the important reports from both the ends of patients and the medical team.



"This particular patient required gonadotrophin injections that were to be given with concurrent follicular monitoring. The app provided the perfect platform for the sharing of these images and the tweaking of medical interventions to get the desired results," the doctors said.



The doctors added that the happy denouement to this story was that this patient got pregnant within days of starting treatment, entirely as a consequence of treatment advised on "My Follow Up" app, without having to make a subsequent trips to Delhi.



"This is after seven years of infertility and prolonged and unfruitful treatment in J&K," the hospital authorities said.



The app is downloadable free of cost, and available both on Android and IOS.


New statistics released this week show that international travel to the US dropped in 2016, with nearly two million fewer visitors traveling to the country compared to the year before.



According to the National Travel and Tourism Office, the US received 75.6 million international visitors last year, marking a 2.4 percent drop compared to 2015.



Take neighboring Canada and Mexico out of the equation -- among two of America's biggest markets -- and that figure drops two percent to 49.7 million.



The biggest decline in international visits came from Brazil, which saw a 24 percent drop throughout 2016 compared to 2015.



Bucking the downward trend were China and South Korea, which posted a 15 percent and 12 percent spike in travel to the US respectively.



The figures point to a steady decline in international travel to the US.



Data from travel analysis firm ForwardKeys also showed that bookings to the US fell nearly 7 percent in late January compared to the same period last year.



The report traced the decline back to President Donald Trump's travel ban and the after-effects dubbed "The Trump Slump."



But along with the Muslim-majority countries affected by the initial travel ban, the US also lost travelers from Western Europe and the Asia Pacific region earlier this year, with bookings down 14 percent.



Meanwhile, statistics from the national tourism office report also showed that international travel to the US was down slightly in December 2016, compared to the same period in 2015, owing to drops in visits from Mexico (down 10 percent), the UK (6 percent) and Japan (4 percent).



Helping to offset the decrease, however, were China and Korea, which posted a 14 and 10 percent increase in travel to the US in December last year.



The report also shows the divide between business and pleasure: The majority of visitors from Latin America -- notably Argentina, Venezuela and Ecuador -- for example, visited the US for pleasure, while around 21 percent of visits from Germany, India and the Netherlands represented business travel to the US.



Overall, about 82 percent of overseas visits to the US represented pleasure, while 14 percent of visits were attributed to business travel.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
North Korea's tourism agency has launched a website offering holiday options ranging from surfing to rice planting, despite strong US warnings to avoid travel to a nation where several trips have ended in jail.



Sixteen Americans have been detained in the past decade in North Korea, including 22-year-old student Otto Warmbier who was given a long prison term for stealing a hotel propaganda banner. He was sent home in a coma in June but died several days later.



The "DPR Korea Tour" website, run by the North's National Tourism Administration, depicts the country -- which is subject to stiff sanctions over its weapons programmes -- as just another tourist destination.



It introduces package trips to various parts of the country including the capital Pyongyang, and offers various "theme tours" for travellers seeking something more unusual.



Visitors are invited to check out beaches on the east coast, including the Majon Bathing Beach, where "surfing has come into vogue among tourists" for its favourable conditions and clean water.



The website also provides basic travel information like air and train routes and ways to get around Pyongyang using public transport such as cabs and buses.



However, it does not allow users to book tours directly and does not list the handful of foreign agencies that arrange trips to the isolated state.



The site is available in Korean, English, Chinese, Russian and Japanese and can be found at tourismdprk.gov.kp. The country's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



The US State Department strongly warns Americans against travelling to North Korea, citing "serious risk of arrest and long-term detention".



Canada, Australia and New Zealand are among other nations giving similar warnings.
Christopher NolanTom Hardy, Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth BranaghWatching Christopher Nolans Dunkirk is an experience that Id imagine feels a lot like watching a ticking bomb from close quarters. This is a suspenseful film about a chapter in World War II history whose outcome is no secret. Yet Nolan, aided by Hans Zimmers thunderous score, conjures a relentless sense of dread and jeopardy that creeps into your bones.This is the story of the evacuation of Allied troops  more than 300,000 soldiers, mostly British  who were stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France, desperate to make it across the English Channel, while being bombarded by the Nazis.Its a story that unfolds on land, on the sea, and in the air, and Nolan, who wrote the script himself, weaves the three narrative threads together seamlessly. On the ground, amidst the falling bombs and chaos, we follow a young, scared British soldier named Tommy (newcomer Fionn Whitehead) as he struggles to stay alive until he can be rescued. Up above, a handful of Royal Air Force Spitfire pilots, including Farrier (Tom Hardy), engage in dogfights against German bomber and fighter planes to keep the men on the ground safe. Theres also the track involving a civilian English sailor, Dawson (Mark Rylance), and his teenage son who head out in his small leisure yacht across the Channel to bring home as many of the stranded soldiers as they can.One of the films big, bold moves is Nolans decision to intercut between these three related but distinct narratives, each of which has its own timeline and duration. The evacuation on the beach lasted over a week, the air battle a little over an hour, while Dawsons crossing of the Channel takes all of one day. Merging the three tracks to appear as if all the action is taking place simultaneously helps escalate the sense of immediacy and urgency that the film relies on.Unlike Steven Spielbergs Saving Private Ryan (widely considered the best war film in recent times) which traded in stomach-turning images of disembodied corpses to convey the horrors of war, there is virtually no sight of blood in Dunkirk. Instead, this is a film that throws you front and centre into the action to experience the terror first-hand. The aerial scenes are especially hair-raising, and add to the overall effect of a race against time. The terrific camerawork, sound design, and propulsive score work together to deliver an intense immersive experience that is best enjoyed on an IMAX screen. There was a pin-drop silence throughout the screening I attended; you couldnt even hear the sound of popcorn being munched. Fitting, perhaps, for a film with barely any dialogue.This is that rare war film without the rousing speeches. There is no big victory in the end; this is a film about a desperate struggle for survival. The cast of mostly unknown actors does a good job of portraying the terror of the situation, while familiar faces  like One Directions Harry Styles in the role of a soldier trying to make his way back home, Cillian Murphy as a shell-shocked soldier rescued from a sinking ship, and Kenneth Branagh as an honourable naval commander  lend heft to the proceedings.Dunkirk is robust filmmaking, and sits nicely with Nolans impressive body of work. Its a riveting, overwhelming piece of cinema, and another reminder of how skilfully he marries affecting character drama with sheer spectacle. Im going with four-and-a-half out of five. Its one of the years best films.Rating: 4.5 / 5What's your reaction to Dunkirk?Write your review of Dunkirk
Alankrita SrivastavaRatna Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur, Sushant Singh, Vikrant MasseyJust moments before intermission, one of the principal characters in Lipstick Under My Burkha, a young woman in Bhopal desperate to flee the arranged marriage and banal life awaiting her, crisply sums up the root cause of their ongoing disappointments to a friend whos equally miserable in her life: Our problem is that we dare to dream.Nursing dreams is a crime that all four women at the centre of this film are guilty of. Dreams of leading the life they want to, of taking ownership of their bodies, of breaking free from the shackles of their controlling families and from a sexist, prejudiced society that insists they must toe the line. How ironic that even the Censors refused to certify the film, objecting that the story is lady-oriented, their fantasy about life.Co-written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Lipstick Under My Burkha casts an honest, unsparing look at what it means to be a woman in small-town India. This is a city on the cusp of modernisation, where shiny new malls jostle for space with centuries-old apartment blocks, but where mindsets have remained as narrow as the bylanes.Shirin, a Muslim woman (Konkona Sen Sharma), has been discreetly working as a door-to-door saleswoman, but hides this fact from her conservative, Saudi-returned husband. As far as hes concerned, her only job is to raise their three children, and to satisfy his frequent and frankly selfish sexual needs.Leela, a feisty young Hindu woman (Aahana Kumra), works at a local beauty parlour although she has a business plan with her Muslim lover whom she frequently enjoys sex with, and with whom shes plotting her escape from the arranged marriage her widowed mother is forcing her into.For Rehana (Plabita Borthakur), who goes to great lengths to hide her Miley Cyrus hangover and pop star ambitions from her strict Muslim parents, the burkha is many-layered. Its the armor that protects her when she shoplifts at malls. And at college, she stuffs it into her backpack so she can fit in with the other students, agitating in their distressed denims for the right to wear jeans on campus.Then theres 55-year-old widow Usha Parmar (Ratna Pathak Shah), the respected Buaji who runs the family business, but who covertly reads Hindi erotic fiction at night. When she falls for a strapping swimming instructor, her repressed desires find an outlet in steamy phone sex. As Buaji reads out the fantasies of Rosy, the protagonist of her pulpy romance novels, the character becomes a symbol for everything that the four women long for.This is an engaging story, and the makers narrate it with gentleness, pathos, sexual frankness, and a king sized helping of humour. The four women are loosely connected; theyre neighbours in a dilapidated housing complex, and they also share an unspoken sisterhood of sorts. These are women fighting to express themselves, yet they're virtually invisible to those around them.Shrivastava navigates sensitive areas like female desire, the sexuality of older women, and religious conservatism, but she does so without titillation or cheap sensationalism. It helps that shes got a first-rate cast. Newer actors like Plabita Borthakur and particularly Aahana Kumra earn their place alongside seasoned performers like Ratna Pathak Shah and Konkona Sen Sharma, who are in excellent form both in the films dramatic and laugh-out-loud scenes.On the flip side, the male characters are almost all dominating and unsympathetic, thereby perpetuating the popular feminist stereotype of men. The films ending too comes off as contrived and clunky, one of the only bits that doesnt ring true. But these are minor hiccups in a bold, honest film that hits the right notes. Im going with three-and-a-half out of five for Lipstick Under My Burkha. Its accessible and entertaining; that rare film about empowerment that delivers plenty laughs. Make sure not to miss it.Rating: 3.5 / 5What's your reaction to Lipstick Under My Burkha?Write your review of Lipstick Under My Burkha
Kolkata: Amid reports of cross-voting in many states where Opposition favoured BJPs Ram Nath Kovind, Trinamool Congress on Thursday clarified that all 211 party MLAs voted for opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar.



Speaking to the reporters at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, TMC general secretary Partha Chatterjee said, I dont know about other political parties but none of our MLAs voted for NDAs nominee. Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked all of us to vote for Meira Kumar ji and we followed her instruction.



His comment came hours after Banerjee congratulated Kovind for winning the presidential election.



Kovind, the presidential candidate of BJP-led NDA, won the presidential election with 65.65% votes, defeating Congress-led opposition nominee Meira Kumar who got 33% votes.



When asked there are rumours that cross-voting happened in Bengal, Chatterjee said, I dont want to comment on such baseless rumours but as far as TMC is concerned we all voted for Meira Kumar ji.



There are reports coming from state Congress and Left that some of them might have voted for Kovind.



There are high chances that some Congress leaders voted for Kovind. The state leadership is not having a healthy relationship with Congress high command in Delhi after Sonia Gandhi had series of meeting with Mamata Banerjee over presidential elections. The meeting was opposed by state Congress President Adhir Chowdhury and he even wrote a letter to her, a source told News18.



Chowdhury, also a Lok Sabha MP, had written to party president Sonia Gandhi on May 13, expressing discontent over her meeting West Bengal Mamata Banerjee to discuss the Presidential Elections.



Chowdhury wrote, I understand that the Chief Minister (Mamata) shall be meeting you soon for discussion on a strategy regard to election to the office of the President of India. It is important to rope in support of all political parties to oppose a RSS-BJP nominee at the national level. At the same time, it is necessary to emphasize our abiding commitment to democracy and transparency.



He alleged that everyday their party workers are under attack from Banerjees supporters in Bengal and Sonia Gandhi is entertaining TMC supremo in Delhi. 
Hyderabad: The TRS may have extended support to NDA on issues like note ban, GST and election of the president and the vice president, but the BJP says it would like to play the role of an effective opposition and emerge as an alternative to the ruling party.



The state unit of the party would hold its executive meeting in Warangal from Saturday to chalk out its future course of action, Telangana BJP president K Laxman said.



"We welcome the decision of TRS supporting (NDA on) demonetisation, GST, presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate and it has nothing to do with politics," Laxman told PTI here.

"As a political party, we are doing our job. The people of Telangana had high hopes from the TRS government.



But the government is unable to fulfil the promises made to the common man," he alleged.



"As an opposition party, we are trying to do our best to reach out to the people," he said.



The BJP is keen on emerging as an alternative to the ruling party in Telangana as "people have lost faith in Congress" (the main opposition in the state) due to its "corruption and hereditary politics," Laxman said.



"People are looking forward for 'Modi type' of performance in Telangana also," the BJP leader said.



"A transparent, accountable government in Telangana also that they witnessed not only at Delhi level. In the BJP-ruled states also people witnessed corruption-free governments and transparent governments. People want such type of governance in Telangana also," he said.



The BJP's central leadership has identified Telangana as one of the states where it can substantially increase its strength.



The party chief, Amit Shah, had toured the state in May this year. He is scheduled to visit the state again in September.



Laxman said the state unit of the party would hold its executive meeting for two days in Warangal from Saturday to chalk out its future course of action.



The state executive meeting would be attended by Union ministers Hansraj Ahir, Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP general secretaries Ram Madhav and Muralidhar Rao, in addition to several other leaders.



Laxman has already announced an action programme for the next few months to galvanise the party leaders and workers by holding executive meetings of the party's district and mandal level units, followed by agitations against the TRS government on different issues.



"We are in Warangal for two days for the state executive meeting. We will chalk out our future programmes. We will strengthen our organisation. We will take up agitation programmes on (the issues facing) farmers, unemployed youth," he said.



Aiming to strengthen the party from the grassroot level, the BJP is deploying 'full-timers' in every Assembly constituency in Telangana.



So far, the full-timers have been deputed in 74 out of the 119 Assembly segments in the state.
Thiruvananthapuram: BJP's National Joint Organising Secretary B L Santosh and National Secretary in Charge of Kerala, H Raja, will attend Saturday's core-committee meeting in Trivandrum amid reports of infighting and allegations of corruption against a member.



According to a report by the BJP Internal Committee, R S Vinod, Co-operative cell convener of BJP, took Rs 5.6 crore to get Medical Council of India's (MCI) approval for a private college. The party on Thursday expelled R S Vinod.



Sources in the party say that Santosh and Raja will be carrying the national leadership's message, and the possible solution to calm the waters as the party leadership is miffed over the allegations of corruption levelled against Vinod in Kerala. Another source indicated that there will be an investigation into these allegations either by the party leadership or by the Central government machinery.



The two leaders are expected to ask why State president Kummanam Rajashekaran didn't act on the report, despite it being filed a month ago. A senior BJP leader criticised the state president over the way he handled the entire situation, saying he should have "reacted immediately" after these allegations surfaced. "It was almost after a day that the president issued a statement. And only on Thursday night, there was action against the accused, said the senior state leader on the condition of anonymity.



Sources also said that action could also be taken against those who leaked the internal report. "Following corruption allegations state co-operative cell conveyor R S Vinod has been expelled from the party. The allegations against Vinod are grave and it has affected the anti corrupt image if the party. His actions are anti party activity. The central leadership should enquire into this," BJP state president Kummanam Rajashekaran said.



Sources have told CNN-News18 that the Central leadership will take stern action against those accused of corruption, and some leaders might even be called to Delhi if need be. The division within the party, after the allegations surfaced, is what the leadership is trying to address first. Kerala Vigilance director on Thursday ordered a probe into the alleged involvement of a BJP man.



BJP State General Secretary, MT Ramesh, who was also accused of corruption, will write to the BJP President, Amit Shah, after a meeting on Saturday. Sources close to MT Ramesh said that he will ask the national leadership to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against him, and that "a section from within the party is trying to tarnish his image".



The Opposition, raised the issue in the Parliament, saying the issue was not limited to just a particular state and could have wider ramifications. The Opposition also asked for an inquiry into the MCI's approval to medical colleges in other states.



CPM State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged that the BJP leadership is involved in a major scam and they are utilising the central government rule to make benefit. He alleged, "The central leaders are involved in this. Otherwise, it is not possible for them to do something of this magnitude. This is not BJP's internal issue. Central government should conduct an enquiry into this. BJP has turned out to be a completely corrupt party."
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that the BJP was planning early Parliamentary elections next year and called for a grand alliance to defeat them.



I am hearing news that the Parliamentary polls could be held next year, before it is scheduled in 2019. They are (BJP) trying to do so. I have been hearing such news, Banerjee said, while addressing a huge rally at Esplanade here.



We should be prepared. If all opposition parties come together, BJP will be driven out of power, she added.



We are ready to support any party who are against the BJP. We are with Nitish ji, we are with Arvind ji (Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal), Lalu ji, Navin ji (Odisha CM Navin Patnaik). There will be a grand alliance before the Lok Sabha polls (in 2019). We will oust BJP from power, she added.



She also said that Bengal is with Sonia ji and announced a BJP Bharat Chhodo Abhiyan from August 9 to August 30.



Once we will be united, PM Modi will get only 30% of the votes. This I am taking as a challenge. Already 18 opposition parties have come together for the presidential polls. This unity will continue and we ready to render support to any party which opposes BJP, the Chief Minister said.



On the context of BJP Bharat Chhodo Abhiyan in Bengal, she said, TMC workers will take out rallies and hold public meetings to highlighting the failure of BJP government. We will directly target BJP for spreading of communal violence.



CBI is harassing our leaders in the name of Narada and Saradha. The truth is they are harassing us because we raised our voice against GST and demonetisation. But we are not scared of them, Banerjee said.



Why CBI or ED (Enforcement Directorate) is not taking any action against corrupt leaders in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Why CBI is selective about taking action? she added.



Banerjees Trinamool Congress has been at loggerheads with the BJP which has been moving aggressively to claim political territory in West Bengal. The party has been steadily gaining ground in the state.



However, sources told News18 that a grand alliance is far from reality at the present moment. It will be tough to bring Nitish Kumar and Naveen Patnaik on board. Kumar has been far more flexible when it comes to the BJP, as seen in JD (U)s support to NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential poll. On the other side, Patnaik has been making smart political moves ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre. Also, her support to Sonia Gandhi could cost the party heavily in West Bengal as many of her party leaders may switch over to the BJP.
New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Friday took up the cudgels against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the PM and the RSS want India to surrender its voice.



Observing that there were "two ways to rob people of their voice" - either by frightening them into submission or by shouting so loudly that no one else can be heard, Rahul said, "Narendra Modiji and the RSS are doing exactly that."



He said what is happening today is the "systematic capture of India's democratic institutions. By the PM, bureaucrats and the RSS".



The Gandhi scion targeted the demonetisation drive - which rendered more than 85% of total currency illegal - saying the move was publicly proclaimed as a stroke of genius, but privately they called it insanity.



Attacking Modi on demonetisation and for not listening to the farmers, Gandhi said, "The emperor is completely naked, but nobody around him has the courage to tell it to him."



Congress leader was speaking at Karnataka government's "Quest for Equity" event, marking the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. He said that the Modi government wants to "mutilate" the Constitution given by Ambedkar.



He went on to say that Hitler once wrote: "Keep a very firm grasp on reality so you can strangulate it anytime." Today this is what is happening around us, Rahul said.



In the shadow of a series of lynchings, occurring over the past couple of years, Rahul said that Mohammad Akhlaq was butchered because they said he stole a calf. "It was a lie."



Instead of questioning his brutal killing, Rahul said, they are asking if the meat in the fridge was mutton or beef.



Earlier in the day, while reacting to former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's suggestion that India should explore the option of a third party to bring a solution to the Kashmir problem, Rahul had said that "for a long time, I have been saying that Modi and his govt's policies have burnt Kashmir."



Ridiculing Modi's talk about "plastic surgery and Ganeshji," Gandhi said, "He talks about nuclear weapons and flying chariot in ancient India, about the perfect country without misery, without poverty and without the crime of caste. Well let me tell you he is lying."



"The BJP wants to paint a lie over India so that they can return to a forgotten time... forgotten age. An age where people were humiliated by power, where people voices were crushed... where millions and millions of Indians were untouchables."



"The truth embedded in the history of India is the betrayal of the weakest by the powerful," he said. The conference, inaugurated by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King III and attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has been organised to commemorate the 126th birth annivesary of Ambedkar.



(with inputs from PTI)




New Delhi: In Gujarat politics, Shankersinh Vaghelas poha popularity has acquired legendary proportions. If one were to meet Bapu  as he is called by his supporters  he couldnt leave without having his favorite snack. There are no questions asked nor any choices offered by him or his well-trained staff.



In his politics as well, Bapu is generally not known for offering too many choices. So, it is tough for Vaghela, his aides say, to accept inhospitality of the Congress leaders, especially Rahul Gandhi which has grown over the last one year.



Once, the former chief minister did not blink before breaking the BJP and lodging his supporters in a resort even as he sought a larger pie in the power politics. Since then many chief ministers have emulated his model to survive the floor test.



It was not the battle that Vaghela fought against the then CM Keshubhai Patel. It was a direct fight with the then BJP in-charge of Gujarat on deputation from the RSS  Narendra Modi.



It was in many ways a watershed moment for BJP politics. It was a moment which shattered BJPs assiduously cultivated narrative of being a party with a difference. It was a moment which brought tears to the eyes of LK Advani. Vaghela, the swayamsewak in politics, had decided to chart his own course.



He broke away from the BJP and became the CM with outside support from the Congress in 1996, a party he later joined with all his followers and supporters. Two decades later, theres speculation again whether Vaghela will do a ghar waapsi. Not happy in the Congress, hes met BJP president Amit Shah twice.



A section in the Congress feels that Vaghelas demand  that he be made CM candidate - are unjustified. Congress has all these years recognized Bapus importance as the only tall leader who could match up to the might of Modi. Vaghela was made cabinet minister for textiles when the UPA was in power. Even in state politics, he had his chances, when ahead of the 2012 Gujarat polls, he was made chief of campaign committee and then leader of opposition when Congress lost the elections.



But things began to fall apart with the rise of Rahul Gandhi in the party and his insistence on a complete overhaul. When Bharatsinh Solanki was made Gujarat chief in 2015, it was just a matter of time before Bapu would rebel.



And it all started as a poster war earlier this year when Vaghelas supporters began to put up posters demanding he be made the CM face of the Congress. All this fell on deaf ears as Rahul was determined not to name anyone. A senior aide did caution Rahul you cannot even hope of doing well in Gujarat if you sideline Vaghela, but the Congress VP was adamant.



In his typical understated style, Vaghela sent messages across to Rahul and Congress high command. He unfollowed Rahul Gandhi and some other congress leaders on Twitter.



Vaghela is believed to have been telling his close aides in the last one month that his silence shouldnt be seen as his weakness.



The old guards did try to reach out to him. Rahul, sources say, was coaxed by Sonia to reconcile. Rapprochement was in sight when Bapu and his supporters sent in a reminder once again in the President elections.



At 77, Bapu is not as fit and active he was in 1997 when he divided the BJP right down the middle. But hes not retiring yet from active politics for sure. When asked recently whether he would quit Congress to join BJP or retire, he retorted with his inimitable one liner ba retires, not bapu.
Sony India has unveiled Xperia XA1 Ultra as the latest addition to its X series. The Xperia XA1 Ultra features a borderless design with an edge-to-edge Full HD (1080p) 6-inch display with aluminium sides. It runs on a MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core processor and carries a 4GB RAM along with a 64GB internal memory, which is further expandable up to 256GB using a memory card.The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra is backed by a 2,700 mAh battery that comes with features like Qnovo Adaptive Charging, Stamina Mode and Quick Charge 3.0 support. As its USP, the Xperia XA1 Ultra carries a 23-megapixel (f/2.0) primary camera with an Exmor RS sensor that comes with Hybrid Autofocus. The selfie camera features a 16-megapixel sensor with Optical Image Stabilizer. The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra is equipped with Type C USB connectivity and runs the latest Android Nougat out of the box. It includes Sonys own Xperia Actions to learn the usage pattern of its users and further suggest actions based upon it.Sony India is offering 3 months of free Sony LIV subscription along with the Xperia XA1 Ultra and Rs 1000 off on the purchase of a Style Cover Stand along with the smartphone. The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra is priced at Rs 29,990 and will be available in Black, White and Gold colours.
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I was pleased to present the Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch to Her Majesty The Queen to mark 65 years of her reign. pic.twitter.com/Mbd6JJ9AYy  David Johnston (@GGDavidJohnston) July 19, 2017

Canada's Governor General helped Britain's Queen Elizabeth down some stairs and ended up raising eyebrows, after touching the monarch's elbow, in defiance of royal protocol.David Johnston  the Queen's representative in Canada  said he was concerned about the monarch "stumbling" during a visit to Canada House in London on Wednesday.In a clip filmed outside the building, which houses the Canadian High Commission, Johnston can be seen touching the Queen's arm as she walks down a set of steps."I'm certainly conscious of the protocol," David Johnston told CNN partner CBC News following the visit to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. "I was just anxious to be sure there was no stumbling on the steps.""It's a little bit awkward, that descent from Canada House to Trafalgar Square, and there was carpet that was a little slippy, and so I thought perhaps it was appropriate to breach protocol just to be sure that there was no stumble," he explained.Although the Royal Family's official website says that "there are no obligatory codes of behaviour" during a meeting with the Queen, touching the monarch beyond shaking hands is unusual and guaranteed to generate headlines.In 2009, when then US First Lady Michelle Obama embraced Queen Elizabeth, the gesture caused astonishment in the British media, although Buckingham Palace later clarified that there had been no breach of protocol, calling the hug a "mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation".In a gesture of his own, Johnston also presented the Queen with a Sapphire Jubilee brooch to mark 65 years of her reign.Johnston's time as Governor General is due to end in the fall, and his visit to the British capital this week was in part to "bid farewell" to the monarch.
Washington: US President Donald Trump is "frustrated" by the continued witch-hunt of the Russia probe, the White House has said, as the controversy surrounding his campaign's alleged relationship with the Russians continues.



"It's clear that the President is frustrated by the continued witch-hunt of the Russia investigation, and he'd love for this to come to a full conclusion so that everyone can focus fully on the thing that he was elected to do," White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.



"That's what he'd like to be focused on," Sanders said. On Thursday, media reports said that the FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking into finances of his family businesses. Mueller has been tasked by the Department of Justice to investigate Russian meddling into US Presidential Elections last year and a possible connection between the Trump campaign and Russian.



Trump has refuted those charges. "The President has been clear many times before that he has no financial dealings

whatsoever with Russia. The point the President is making is that the investigation should stay within the confines of Russia meddling in the election and nothing beyond that," Sanders said in response to a question.



"I think it's pretty clear how the process will turn out from our side is that this will be proven to be the witch-hunt that it is, and that nothing further will happen," Sanders said in response to a question.



Muller, media reports said on Thursday, is examining a broad range of transactions involving Trump's businesses as well as those of his associates. Trump has opposed such a line of investigation.



Meanwhile, the Department of Treasury announced a USD 2 million penalty against ExxonMobil for violations of Ukraine-related sanctions due to its business pursuits with Russia.



Exxon, then, was headed by Rex Tillerson, who is now the Secretary of State. The State Department refused to answer questions on it.



"I welcome Thursday's decision by the Treasury Department to fine Exxon for violation of this sanction regime and I am disappointed that an American company would so clearly act in divergence from US national security interests," Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said.



"The Secretary continues to abide by his ethical commitments, including that recusal from Exxon-related activities. The action was taken by the Department of State excuse me, the Department of the Treasury, and State was not involved in this," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters.



According to the Department of Treasury, between May 14, 2014 and May 23, 2014, ExxonMobil violated Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations when the presidents of its US subsidiaries dealt in services of an individual whose property and interests in property were blocked, namely, by signing eight legal documents related to oil and gas projects in Russia with Igor Sechin, the President of Rosneft OAO, and an individual identified on OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.
Washington: Ahead of his administration's policy announcement on Afghanistan, President Donald Trump has nominated John R Bass, currently serving as the US ambassador to Turkey, to be his envoy to Afghanistan.



Bass, a career foreign service official since 1988, needs to be confirmed by the United States Senate before he can take up the new assignment.



Born and raised in upstate New York, Bass previously served as the US envoy to Georgia.



This is Trump's first nomination for a South Asian country. He has yet to nominate his envoys for India and Pakistan, the two crucial South Asian countries.



The announcement came hours after Trump, along with Vice President Mike Pence, drove down to Pentagon to hold policy discussion with his national security and military advisers on a host of global issues including Afghanistan, North Korea and ISIS.



At the Pentagon, Trump did not respond to shouted questions on Afghanistan about the troop level. "We'll see. And we're doing very well against ISIS. ISIS is falling fast, very fast," Trump said.



At her daily news conference, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders reiterated that a decision on troop level would be taken by the Defence Secretary James Mattis.



"He (Trump) has empowered Secretary Mattis in terms -- I've been asked specifically about troop levels and decisions on specific instances, and in that regard, I would refer you to the Department of Defence," Sanders told reporters after Trump returned from Pentagon.



Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Wednesday expressed concern over the administration not having an Afghan policy even six months after coming into office.



"Six months into this administration, there is still no new strategy for victory in Afghanistan either. It is now mid-July, when the administration promised to deliver that strategy to Congress, and we are still waiting," McCain said in a statement issued from the hospital in Arizona where he is being treated after being diagnosed with brain cancer.



A day earlier, the House Appropriations Committee passed by voice vote the annual Appropriations budget for the State Department. Among recommendation includes conditions on assistance for transparency, accountability, and other requirements, including prohibiting funds for new major infrastructure projects.



In total, the bill provides USD 47.4 billion in both regular discretionary and Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. This total is USD 10 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level, when counting additional funds provided in the Security Assistance Appropriations Act of 2017.



Within this amount, OCO funding totals USD 12 billion, which supports operations and assistance in areas of conflict, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Washington: US President Donald Trump's legal defence team is exploring ways to grant presidential pardons to his family members and aides amid reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was looking into their finances as part of his Russia probe, according to a media report.



Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardonaides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, The Washington Post quoted one of the people familiar with the effort.



Trump is fighting allegations his presidential campaign colluded with Russians to get him elected last year. Last month reports emerged that Trump was considering firing Mueller, drawing criticism from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers.



According to the Post, a second person said Trump's lawyers have been discussing the president's pardoning powers among themselves.



"Some of President Trump's lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S Mueller III's Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the president's authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort," the report said.



Reacting strongly to the report, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in a late night statement called for full disclosure of the presidential pardons.



"Tomorrow, in response to a report that President Trumpis considering pardoning his aides, or his relatives, or even himself to avoid potential criminal charges, I will be formally calling upon the White House Counsel to publicly disclose all presidential pardons," Krishnamoorthi said.



"Our founders established a presidential power to pardon to protect the American people from their government, not for a president to protect himself or his associates from justice," he said.



"If President Trump were to pardon himself or his associates - especially in secret before any charges have even been brought - that would sabotage a federal investigation. We need full transparency of the president's exercise of pardon power now," Krishnamoorthi said.



Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said such a move by Trump would be considered as crossing a fundamental line. "The possibility that the president is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing."



"Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line," he said in a statement. One of Trump's adviser told The Post that the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority, as well as the limits of Mueller's investigation. "This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself'?" a close adviser was quoted as saying.



Such a reported consideration by the president comes following other news reports that Mueller was considering expanding his investigation into the finances of the business of Trump's family members. Trump has opposed that. "They're talking about real estate transactions in Palm Beach several years ago. In our view, this is far outside the scope of a legitimate investigation," Jay Sekulow, one of the president's private lawyers, told the daily.
Beirut: Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an offensive to drive insurgents from their last foothold on the Syrian-Lebanese border on Friday, a pro-Damascus military commander said.



The operation targeted insurgents from the Nusra Front group in the mountainous outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and areas near the Syrian town of Fleita, the commander said.



Media run by Hezbollah reported significant gains by its side in the early stage of the operation.



A Lebanese security source said refugees living in the area were fleeing towards Arsal and the Lebanese army was facilitating their passage with U.N. supervision.



U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman Lisa Abou Khaled said only a small number of people had fled to Arsal town so far.



"UNHCR has only received confirmation ... that two Syrian families have arrived in the town of Arsal from the outskirts," she said.



Several thousand Syrian refugees occupy camps east of the town in an area known as Juroud Arsal, a barren mountainous zone between Syria and Lebanon that has served as a base for Islamic State militants, jihadists and other rebels fighting in Syria's six year civil war.



Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said Nusra militants were under attack in Juroud Arsal and in areas near the Syrian town of Fleita. A military news outlet run by Hezbollah reported Syrian army air strikes on Nusra positions near Fleita.



Al-Manar broadcast footage showing an artillery gun being fired from the back of a truck flying the Hezbollah flag. Plumes of smoke were shown rising from the hills.



Hezbollah, a Shi'ite group backed by Iran, has played a critical part in previous campaigns against insurgents along the border, part of the much wider role it has played supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war.



The Lebanese army is not taking part in the operation, the commander in the pro-Damascus military alliance and the Lebanese security source said. The Lebanese source said the army had assumed a defensive position, was monitoring militant movements, and would fire if it came under attack.



The Lebanese National News Agency later reported that the army had fired on a group of militants trying to flee the fighting towards Arsal town.



ARMY REINFORCEMENTS



The Lebanese army, a recipient of U.S. and British military support, deployed reinforcements on the outskirts of Arsal in anticipation of the operation this week to prevent militants from crossing into Lebanon.



Hezbollah's role in the Syrian war has been a major point of contention in Lebanon, facing criticism from opponents including Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. Hariri's Future Movement on Thursday said the anticipated Arsal battle was part of "the services" offered by Hezbollah to "the Syrian regime".



Hariri said on Tuesday the Lebanese army would carry out a carefully planned operation in the Juroud Arsal area, but there was no coordination between it and the Syrian army.



The Nusra Front was al Qaeda's official affiliate in the Syrian civil war until last year when it formally severed ties to al Qaeda and renamed itself. The group now spearheads the Tahrir al-Sham Islamist alliance.



In 2014, Arsal was the scene of one of the most serious spillovers of the Syrian war into Lebanon, when jihadists briefly overran the town.



Negotiations failed to secure the militants' withdrawal from the Juroud Arsal area to other rebel-held parts of Syria.



Earlier this month, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said time was running out for Syrian militants along the border near Arsal to reach deals with Syrian authorities, saying it was "high time to end the threat of militant groups in Arsal".
New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus blistering attack against the European Union, his talk of a special relationship with China and a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit was caught inadvertently by an open microphone recently.



The details of Netanyahus closed meeting with four European leaders on Wednesday accidentally got broadcast to journalists in a nearby room. The feed was cut off as soon as it was discovered.



Referring to Modis recent visit to Israel, Netanyahu was heard saying that his Indian counterpart said he needed to take care of India's interests. "I need more water, clean water. Where will I get it...," Netanyahu quoted Modi as saying.



Netanyahu also launched a blistering attack against the European Union (EU) describing its treatment of the Jewish state as "crazy" and "self-defeating".







"We have a peculiar situation. The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel, that produces technology in every area, on political conditions. The only one," Netanyahu was heard saying.



Pointing towards Israel's growing technological collaborations with India and China, without such conditions, Netanyahu emphasised that Chinese President Xi Jinping called Israel an "innovation giant".



"We have a special relationship with China and they don't care about the political issues," local media quoted him as saying.



He made the comments during the closed meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.



"I think it is crazy, I think it is actually crazy," Netanyahu said. "I am not talking about my interests, Israel's interests; I'm talking about Europe's interests."



"Europe is endangering its own development by endangering its ties with Israel over this crazy attempt to create conditions" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he said, adding that Israel is right there and Europe is disconnecting itself from this massive center of innovation.



"If this were only about my interests, I wouldn't have brought it up. Don't undermine the only country in the region that is looking after Europe's interests. Stop attacking Israel, support Israel," the Israeli premier warned.



Orban responded to Netanyahu in a conciliatory tone, saying that EU sets similar conditions to its member states as well.



"Europe must decide if it wants to live and prosper or wither and disappear. I see you're shocked because I'm not being politically correct," Netanyahu told the EU leaders in an unprecedented tirade.



He went on to further talk about his disagreements with former president Barack Obama and even accepted hitting arms transfers to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Syria dozens of times, something the international media attributes to Israel but the Jewish state maintains ambiguity around it, neither accepting responsibilitynor denying it.



"We had a big problem with US policy. It's different now. There's a stronger stance against Iran. There's a renewed American presence in our region and more bombings, and that's positive," Netanyahu said.



"I told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, when we see (Iran) transferring weapons to Hezbollah, we'll hit them. We've done it dozens of times," he was heard as saying.



The hawkish leader was trying to convince his counterparts to communicate to their colleagues the need to push forward the EU-Israel Association agreement that has been frozen since Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009.



(With PTI inputs)
Washington: Pakistan created terror groups such as the Taliban, the Haqqani network and the Lashkar-e-Taiba to keep India "off balance" and protect Islamabad's interests in war-torn Afghanistan, according to former US diplomats and officials.



William Milam, a former US ambassador to Pakistan, and Philip Reiner, a former senior director for South Asia at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said Pakistan's notorious spy agency, the ISI, continues to protect and assist these groups, according to The Cipher Brief.



The online intelligence news and analysis portal on Thursday carried interviews and opinion pieces deciphering the "double game" of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).



Milan told the portal that Pakistan has "no interest in a peaceful Afghanistan that would be under the influence of its arch enemy India and feels keenly the need for a proxy to protect its interests there."



"We know that Pakistan was present at the creation of the Taliban in the mid-1990s and gave them much support in their fight to take over the country. And we know that the Haqqani network, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban, has become a good substitute proxy," he said.



Milam said the argument that the ISI supports hostile groups such as the Haqqani network, the Taliban, and the Lashkar-e-Taiba are generally believed by Western experts to be correct "but evidence for them is all highly-classified and held closely."



"As for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, it is a reminder that Pakistan still sees India as its primary existential threat and still relies on proxies to keep India off balance.



"A virulently anti-Indian extremist organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba serves as one proxy. Inside India, in the last several years, it has carried out very serious raids which appear to have had ISI help. (Could they have been rogue ISI units? We don't know)," he said.



Milam was US ambassador to Pakistan from 1998 until 2001.



According to The Cipher Brief, despite denials from senior Pakistani officials, many experts agree that the ISI continues to protect and assist the three US-designated terrorist groups, as part of its strategy to keep Afghanistan unstable and advance its ambitions in the Kashmir region.



In an Op-ed for the portal, Reiner wrote that ISI's role over time has included brutal suppression of anti-state rhetoric, fomenting insurgency, providing illicit channels for drug smuggling, acquiring nuclear weapons components, and developing proxy outfits to splinter domestic political parties.



"The primary argument made by Pakistani Generals is that due to historic and growing disparities with India in the conventional military balance, these proxy groups are essential for keeping India off-balance, as well as for ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a Western-aligned and India-dominated neighbour encircling the Pakistanis," he wrote.



According to him, since 9/11, the ISI has assisted in taking down a number of al-Qaeda leaders, but it has at the same time allowed safe passage for other terrorists, permitting India-focused terror groups to remain active, and ensuring that the Afghan Taliban could regroup and become a more effective and equipped fighting force than ever before.



"The US has found Pakistan to be a partner and an adversary at the same time," the former White House official said.



"Pakistan's double game is clearly illustrated by the ISI and its role," Reiner said.



According to Bennett Seftel, the deputy director of analysis at the online portal, the ISI exerts a strong grip on Pakistan's national security apparatus. It pulls strings behind the scenes to dominate Pakistani's foreign and domestic policies.



"Many Americans are wary of the ISI, accusing it of providing safe havens to the Haqqani network and Taliban, which are responsible for many US and allied deaths in Afghanistan," Seftel said.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday finished hearing arguments on a scathing corruption report into the family wealth of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and will begin deliberating whether to disqualify the premier.



The court is expected to make a decision in a week or two, with analysts split on whether it will dismiss Sharif outright or recommend a fresh investigation and corruption trial by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).



Few expect the judges to drop the case, since the Supreme Court appointed the investigatory panel that alleged the Sharif family's wealth was beyond its means.



It further accused his children, including presumed heir Maryam, of signing forged documents to hide ownership of posh London flats.



Sharif has denied wrongdoing and slammed the 254-page report by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) as biased and slanderous. He has also rejected opposition demands to stand down. Sharif's lawyers have been arguing that the JIT overstepped its remit, and disputed its findings.



Ejaz Afzal Khan, who heads the three-judge Supreme Court panel hearing Sharif's case, on Friday announced the hearings had been concluded by saying: "Judgement reserved".



Khan did not say when the Supreme Court would announce its decision, however.



Opposition parties believe Sharif is wobbling and expect the Supreme Court to deliver a knockout blow to his premiership by employing a little-used constitutional provision to dismiss a sitting official.



"From our legal perspective it's crystal clear: he can't survive this," said Shafqat Mahmood, a lawmaker and senior official with the opposition PTI party.



Sharif's allies interpret the court's decision not to summon him as indicating that it will order a NAB investigation.



Such an outcome would be seen as something of a victory by the ruling PML-N party because it would probably allow Sharif to finish his term and even contest the next polls in 2018.



Sharif has faced numerous investigations since he served his first two terms in the 1990s and now has many pending NAB cases. Both those terms were cut short, and he spent a long time in exile after being deposed in a military coup in 1999.



Sharif, son of an industrialist, has denied all the claims against him and his supporters say he has never been convicted of anything despite facing unprecedented scrutiny during three stints in power.



Sharif has talked of a conspiracy against him, but has not named anyone. Privately, however, his allies say elements of the military and the judiciary are bent on toppling him.



Last week, the army spokesman brushed aside suggestions that the military was the hidden hand behind the investigation.



Opposition politicians say Sharif is concocting conspiracy claims to save himself, and argue that if he really wanted to protect democracy he would step down.
Moscow: A Russian court handed down a two-and-a-half year jail term to a supporter of opposition leader Alexei Navalny for "violence against a police officer", his lawyer said on Friday.



Stanislav Zimovets, 32, was convicted of having thrown a fragment of brick at a policeman during an anti-government

demonstration in March.



"The fact that he acknowledged his guilt is perhaps what motivated the severity" of the sentence, his lawyer, Svetlana Sidorkina, told AFP. It might also have been meant as a warning to others, she added.



Yesterday, the Moscow courts jailed two other demonstrators convicted of assaulting police for a year and a half and eight months respectively, said Sidorkina.



Several hundred demonstrators had already been convicted following the March 26 protests, but to much lighter sentences, running from simple fines to jail terms of up to 10 days.



A fresh call for protests by Navalny brought thousands of people out on to the streets in several Russian cities on June

12. But most of the 1,720 people detained across the country received only light fines.



Earlier this month, Navalny himself walked free from jail after serving 25 days for having organised unauthorised protests against President Vladimir Putin's rule.



Navalny wants to run for president in 2018, but the electoral authorities said in June that his five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement meant he was ineligible.



Navalny insists that his conviction was politically motivated.



Both the United States and the European Union have condemned the arrests of the protestors as a violation of basic human rights.
Washington: The Trump Administration on Friday announced plans to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea, attributing it to the serious risk of arrest and long- term detention of Americans in the reclusive nation.



The move comes following the death of university student Otto Warmbier, who was returned to the US in a coma after spending time in a North Korean prison.



A federal notification is scheduled to be published next week and new travel restrictions could come into place 30 days after that. The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one

of our highest priorities, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.



Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Koreas system of law enforcement, the Secretary (of State) has authorised a Geographical Travel Restriction on all US citizen nationals' use of a passport to travel in, through, or to North Korea, Nauert said.



Once in effect, US passports will be invalid for travel to, through and in North Korea, and individuals will be required to obtain a passport with a special validation in order to travel to or within North Korea, she said.



Individuals seeking to travel to North Korea for certain limited humanitarian or other purposes may apply to the Department of State for a special validation passport, the spokesperson said.



There has been movement towards a ban for a while in the US, which increased with the Warmbier death. Apart from the treatment of Americans in North Korea, tension has been increasing over North Korea's nuclear programme.



This month North Korea announced it had successfully tested what it said was its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the latest in a series of tests in defiance of a UN ban.
Aspen: The US is seeking a political resolution to the crisis in Syria and won't insist on Syrian President Bashar Assad's immediate ouster, President Donald Trump's homeland and counter-terrorism adviser has said.



"I don't think it's important for us to say Assad must go first," Tom Bossert said on Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts. "The US would still like to see Assad go at some point. That would be our desired outcome."



Bossert said there needs to be a political outcome in Syria, not a military-imposed one that has no political strategy to fill a void in leadership. Still, he said Assad staying in control does not offer the best hope for a peaceful Syria. Whether Assad's leaving "comes first or second or soon thereafter, it would be a nice outcome."



Bossert spoke following news reports that Trump had decided to halt the CIA's years-long covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling the Assad government.



Russia had long pushed the United States to end the program.



The phasing out of the secret program was reported by The Washington Post on Wednesday. Officials told the newspaper that ending the operation reflects Trump's interest in finding ways to work with Russia. The program was a key component begun by the Obama administration to put pressure on Assad to relinquish power.



The CIA began the covert operation in 2013 to arm, fund and train a moderate opposition to Assad. By some estimates, the CIA trained some 10,000 fighters.



In October 2015, the CIA-backed rebels were being bombarded during Russian air campaigns in Syria. US officials said then that the Russian air campaign was aimed at weakening US-funded groups and other moderate fighters battling Assad's forces.



CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who at the time was a Republican congressman representing Kansas, said then that the Russians were fully aware of whom they were targeting and that the bombing locations not connected to Islamic State fighters.



For years, the CIA effort had foundered and some lawmakers had proposed cutting its budget. Some CIA-supported rebels had been captured; others had defected to extremist groups. But in late 2015, CIA-backed groups, fighting alongside more extremist factions, had begun to make progress in south and northwest Syria.
Held for more than a decade, the event is sponsored by two area dealers, Augusta Equipment in Staunton and Rockingham New Holland in Harrisonburg.

The farmers saw tractors of different sizes and equipment like balers and the new hay unrollers. The device is a recent innovation and allows a farmer to quickly unroll 800 to 900 pounds of hay to feed cattle. Such equipment comes in especially handy during the cold winter months.

Levi Knott, Jr. of Mount Solon, a poultry and beef cattle farmer, said he was anxious to see the new hay unroller. Knott said there is a big difference between visiting a show like Thursdays and visiting an equipment store.

The equipment [at Field Day] is demonstrated and you get to see it before you buy, he said.

Gerald Garber, one of the owners of Cave View Farms and the president of the two equipment dealers, said farmers are a conservative bunch when it comes to spending money on new machines. They might look at all the equipment they saw Thursday and buy at a later date, according to Garber.

Garber said most of the farmers present for Thursdays Field Day came from beef cattle and crop farms. There are not many dairy farms left in Augusta County, he said.

A farmer interested in buying equipment Thursday could spend in the $20,000 range for a small tractor or go as high as more than $200,000, Garber said.

Augusta County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tracy Pyles was present for Thursday's Field Day. He said it was encouraging to see area farmers "keeping up with the latest in labor-saving devices."

Pyles said the abundant corn fields near the equipment showed how vibrant an industry farming remains in Augusta County, Virginia's second-most abundant agricultural county, behind only Rockingham County, its neighbor to the north.
Following the footsteps of Minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, Senior leader of TDP Thota Nagesh filed a complaint with Special Investigating Team against Pratyusha associates which was once lead by Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao.

Nagesh who was a former Chairman District Central Library, alleged that the firm is still in possession of the land belonging to the district library at Prahladapuram area in Visakhapatnam. Pratyusha associates signed an MoU with the state government to develop a multi complex and a library in 2009.

The land worth 100 crores was given on lease for 33years. The company which took over the land in 2009 neither started work on the library in 30000sqft nor on the multi complex in the remaining 1.2lakh sqft. Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao was director of the firm until February 2014.

The MoU was cancelled in 2014 yet the company is the possession of the lands. The number of complaints againt Minister Ganta has been snowballing ever since the SIT inquiry commenced. It may be recalled that Minister Ayyanna submitted evidences showcasing that the TDP leaders pawned government lands and raised Rs190 crore from banks.

Of the 2560 complaints received by SIT, 2000 complaints belonged to the scams in Vizag city. Despite not having faith in the SIT, opposition parties did submit some key documents against TDP leaders who grabbed the lands unlawfully.
No One Will

Ever Smash

Stuff Quite

Like He Did
A 10-year-old rape survivor in India has been denied an abortion, despite the fact that giving birth is risky at such a young age, the Times of India reports. Medical termination of pregnancy is allowed up to 20 weeks gestation, though exceptions are allowed if the mother's health is at risk, per CBS; an ultrasound found that the girlwho was allegedly raped multiple times by her uncleis 26 weeks along. Medical experts say full-term pregnancy could be dangerous as the pelvic bones are not fully developed in someone so young; she will likely deliver via Caesarean section, which carries its own risks.

The medical superintendent at the hospital where a panel of doctors examined the girl says that abortion would carry more of a risk, the Washington Post reports. And one doctor who was on that panel tells CBS (which says the girl is 30 weeks along) that the fetus is viable even if delivered now: "Abortion is not an option at this stage. The only way to terminate the pregnancy is to deliver the baby." In a similar case, a court allowed a 10-year-old in the country an abortion at between 18 and 22 weeks pregnant. While the girl in the current case can appeal, experts say the process would likely not be completed before she is due to give birth. (Read more abortion stories.)
A retired Florida firefighter who allegedly shot out the tires of two AT&T trucks parked in front of his house told police he "went bananas," Local 10 reports. The trucks were parked in front of the Hialeah home of 64-year-old Jorge Jove on Wednesday while workers hung lines on nearby utility poles. The trucks were parked in the street, but Jove was reportedly worried about them damaging his drivewaya neighbor tells WSVN that AT&T trucks had done so in the pastand he confronted the workers. The workers told Jove they would move as soon as they were finished. Jove went back into his house, but police say he returned about an hour later with a Ruger .357 revolver.

Cellphone video from the scene shows a man firing multiple shots at the trucks. Police say Jove shot out their tires and fired multiple shots into the bodies of the trucks. One of the workers was up in the bucket truck when Jove allegedly opened fire and couldn't come down, the Miami Herald reports. A responding police sergeant says Jove took a shot at the worker in the bucket, but Jove reportedly denies it. Police say Jove fired at least 18 shots in all, stopping to reload multiple times. "He seemed to be a quiet man, and something made him snap today, Sgt. Carl Zogby says. Jove was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on a $30,000 bond. (Read more Florida stories.)
Exxon Mobil Corp. must pay a $2 million fine for showing "reckless disregard" for US sanctions on Russia while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the oil giant's CEO, the Treasury Department said Thursday. Exxon sued the US government to stop the fine. The Treasury said that Exxon violated sanctions when it signed contracts in May 2014 with Russian oil magnate Igor Sechin, chairman of government-owned energy giant Rosneft, the AP reports. The US blacklisted Sechin, Tillerson's longtime business associate, as part of its response to Moscow's actions in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.

The same month that Exxon signed the deals, Tillerson said the company generally opposes sanctions and finds them "ineffective." Exxon maintained it had done nothing wrong. Hours after the fine was announced, the Texas-based company sued Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the government, saying the US had clearly told companies that doing business with Rosneft was allowedjust not with Sechin himself. Tillerson, who has recused himself from matters dealing with his former company, has insisted the sanctions will stay in place until Russia reverses course in Ukraine and gives back Crimea. (Read more Exxon Mobil stories.)
For much of this week, Toronto residents have been on a scavenger hunt of sorts, with an odd target: a 2015 Nissan Versa, "misplaced" by a US teen who'd forgotten where he'd left it after a Metallica concert. The CBC reports on 19-year-old Gavin Strickland's parking plight, which started Sunday after the Metallica performance at the Rogers Centre. Strickland searched multiple parking garages after the show, even hitching a ride with local cops as he scoured the city for his vehicle. By Monday, he had to call his father back in Syracuse, NY, and admit he'd lost his car, at which point he took a bus back home. That's when his dad decided to post a Craigslist ad asking Toronto locals to assist his "doofy son" in the search, offering a $100 reward along with the details Strickland could remember ("nearby is allegedly a strange spiral outdoor sculpture").

Enter Madison Riddolls, who dragged her boyfriend out late Wednesday to hunt for the car. "I've been watching a lot of Criminal Minds lately," Riddolls says of her quest, which finally proved successful at a parking garage under the city's TD Centre. After confirming some identifying features provided by Strickland, Riddolls contacted him, and he showed up, to much media hullabaloo, to pick up the car. "How did I walk past this?" he mused to reporters in front of the Nissan Thursday night, per the Toronto Star. The parking garage wiped out the four days' worth of parking fees (he'll only be charged for Sunday) and gave him a Bluetooth device to help him locate his car in the future. Riddolls, meanwhile, will pocket a $100 reward, and the elder Strickland says he'll also donate money to her favorite charity. (A UK man's car went missing after a concert for six months.)
The antics of North Korea's Kim Jong Un are officially no longer funny in Hawaii. State officials are rolling out a civil-preparedness campaign in case of a nuclear attack by North Korea, reports Hawaii News Now. Part of that means public-service announcements about what people should do if Pyongyang launches a missile. As the Honolulu Star-Advertiser explains, the warnings wouldn't be those of the "duck and cover" variety from the Cold War era, but would be similar to those of an active-shooter situation. They would advise people to get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned." More details are to be unveiled on Friday about the campaign, which comes in the wake of North Korea's test this month of an intercontinental ballistic missile. If the North launched one, Hawaii residents would have, at most, about 15 minutes of warning.

A second part of the campaign will be once-monthly tests of a new emergency siren; the tests are slated to begin as soon as November and will take place on the first workday of each month. "We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards," says the director of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, which says the current threat assessment is low. A post earlier this month at the respected 38North.org said North Korea "has an unreliable missile that can reach Alaska or Hawaii with a single nuclear warhead," but is probably a year or two away from posing a threat to the West Coast. One group not thrilled with the state's new initiative: tourism officials. A spokeswoman for the Hawaii Tourism Agency says the chances of an attack are "very remote" and thus the new campaign sounds alarmist. (Read more Hawaii stories.)
Men are allowed to go topless at the pool, so why are women (usually) not allowed to? That's the question leading one Ontario woman, whose name has not been released, to file a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. The woman's lawyer tells the CBC her client called around to a few hotels when looking for somewhere to stay for her husband's birthday, asked if she could swim topless there, and was told she could not. She filed the complaint after that on the basis that Ontario's Human Rights Code says everyone has a right to be treated equally when it comes to services, goods, and facilities, regardless of their sex or gender. Women are allowed to go topless in public in Ontario ever since a 1996 court ruling.

"It's very simple. At all of those facilities a man could show up without a top, and he would be allowed to swim that way," says the woman's lawyer. "But they discriminate against women because of some type of different conception of the woman's breast versus man's breast." At least three of the hotels named in the woman's complaint have since changed their policies and will allow women to swim topless, but the Calypso Theme Waterpark, also named in the complaint, is sticking to its guns. "We are an amusement park for kids and family, and so we want to stay with that mission," the CEO told Radio-Canada this week. Per the Toronto Sun, he said the park is simply respecting the wishes of its clientele. The woman's lawyer, however, says that if the theme park allows men to be topless, women should be subject to the same rules. (Read more topless stories.)
The British parents of critically ill baby Charlie Gard have been told by a hospital lawyer that the results of their son's latest brain scans make for "sad reading." Great Ormond Street Hospital lawyer Katie Gollop broke the bad news to Charlie's parents at a pre-court hearing Friday in London, the AP reports. Charlie's father, Chris Gard, yelled "Evil!" at Gollop as Charlie's mother, Connie Yates, began to cry. The parents said at the hearing it was the first time they were being told about the latest results in the crucial test of Charlie's brain function. The hospital believes that 11-month-old Charlie has suffered irreversible brain damage that treatment can't repair; his parents disagree. Earlier this week, Charlie underwent brain scans in an attempt to determine whether his brain damage is irreversible. The results of the scans weren't made public.

The pre-hearing was the latest step in his parents' long legal battle to give Charlie, who suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome and can't breathe unaided, an experimental treatment. They believe the treatment, which has never been tested on a human with Charlie's condition, could restore his muscular and brain functions. Previous courts have sided with Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie is being treated and which says the treatment would cause suffering and wouldn't help, suggesting that his life support be halted. Charlie's parents have, however, received support from Pope Francis and President Trump. Judge Nicholas Francis said in Friday's hearing that American specialist Dr. Michio Hirano and Charlie's parents could present evidence at a hearing Monday, as long as it's new and relevant to the case. (Read more Charlie Gard stories.)
Sikkim standoff: India rejects China's demand, says withdrawal of troops should be on both sides

New Delhi : India on Thursday rejected China's demand for withdrawal of troops from the Doklam border area, saying the pull out should be from both sides for a dialogue to be held for resolving the month long military stand-off at the tri-junction in Sikkim sector.

On its part, China kept up its belligerence saying Indian withdrawal is a pre-condition for any dialogue to take place. In the first exhaustive Indian comments on the border row, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj accused China of "unilaterally" trying to change the status quo at the tri-junction on the frontier with Bhutan.

She told the Rajya Sabha that while China was saying India should withdraw its troops from Doklam for negotiations to begin, India is saying that both countries should withdraw their troops.

"They (China) are demanding that we should withdraw our forces... We want that if a dialogue is held, and if talks are to be held, then both the countries should withdraw their troops. From India's side, no unreasonable demand is being made.. All countries are with us, as they all feel that China is being aggressive on a small country like Bhutan. Bhutan has lodged a written protest."

"All countries feel that India's stand in the matter is not wrong. Truth is on our side," she added.

The Minister said the Chinese action "is a challenge to our security" and India was not doing anything unreasonable. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang reiterated that no talks would be held with India until it withdrew troops from Doklam.

"Our diplomatic channel is unimpeded and the withdrawal of the Indian border troops is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue and the communication between the two sides," Lu said.

Lu said Indian troops "illegally trespassed into Chinese territory".

The military tension over the Himalayan tri-junction between the two countries that share a 3,500-km boundary started more than a month ago when Indian troops stopped Chinese soldiers from building a road at the stretch where India and China connect with Bhutan.

The stand-off has hit India-China ties with Chinese experts threatening a war if New Delhi did not buckle.

Sushma Swaraj accused China of violating the terms of a written agreement reached between India, China and Bhutan in 2012.

"Over the years, China has been trying to get closer and closer to where the tri-junction point ends. It has done things like repair roads, re-tar them and things like that." She described what was different about the June 16 incident that led to the stand-off.

"This time though, they came with bulldozers and construction equipment with the aim of breaching the point where the tri-junction ends. That is a threat to our security," she said.

"As long as it was between China and Bhutan about their border dispute, we had no problem. But when it comes to tri-junction, our interests came into the picture. They want to come down to Batang La."

Amid the bilateral deadlock, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay confirmed that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was visiting Beijing on July 27-28 for a security meeting of the five-nation BRICS grouping.

Baglay said "India's approach has been to find peaceful resolution of all matters concerning the border with China" but refused to share the details on what kind of diplomatic channels the two countries were using to ease the border tension.

"I would not like to go into the details of how and between whom and when such conversations have taken place, if they have taken place," he said, during his weekly briefing.

"Every responsible power, every responsible person and player in the world, of course, prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand," he said.
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New Delhi:

Tata Motors flagged off the first batch of much-awaited Nexon SUV from Maharashtras Ranjangaon plant on Thursday. Powered by 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol engine and 1.5 litre diesel engine, the new car is paired to a six-speed gearbox.



The new SUV is expected to make its debut in the festive season. India's largest automotive manufacturer Tata Motors showcased Nexon at the Auto Expo 2016. Petrol and diesel engines have been indigenously developed with inputs from renowned global technology suppliers like AVL, Bosch, Mahale and Honeywell, the company issued a statement at the time of its debut.

ALSO READ: Fiat Jeep Grand Cherokee launched in India; check out everything about new variant here



The petrol variant is having three-cylinder turbocharged Revotron motor, while the diesel one is having four-cylinder oil burner. The Nexon, which is short for Next-On signifies next level of things. It is expected that the new SUV will compete against Fords Ecosport and Maruti Suzukis Vitara Brezza.



The four-cylinder diesel engine will offer a maximum power of 110 ps at 3,750 rpm, and a maximum torque of 260 Nm at 1,500-27,50 rpm, while the three-cylinder petrol engine offers a maximum power of 110 ps at 5,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 170 Nm at 2,000-4,000 rpm. Talking about its price, it may vary between Rs 7-10 lakh.

ALSO READ: Volvo V90 Cross Country launched in India: Know price, features
New Delhi:

Amit Tandon has confirmed his separation from wife Ruby after ten years of wedding and said that their seven year old daughter is his priority at the moment. Reportedly, the couple's wedding had hit a rough patch lately after which Amit and Ruby started living separately. It was reported that it was Amit's alleged extra-marital that made the couple part ways.



However, Amit has straight away rubbished the reports of infidelity and said that the reason behind their separation is compatibility issues.



Whatever is being reported about infidelity issues, is absolutely wrong. We have been together for a while and its been 10 years of marriage. Issues started to arise some time back, and there were more of compatibility differences, Amit Tandon told Hindustan Times.

Also Read | Mandana Karimi BLAMES mother-in-law for her troubled marriage, says 'she used to abuse, insult me'



The television actor, who was rose to fame from 'Dill Mill Gaye' has asserted that he doesn't want his daughter to be affected with their troubled marriage and is assuring that she is taken care of.



We are both slowly and steadily trying to get to a place where we can be there for each other and for our child, in the best way possible. I think that is what two mature adults need to do. A lot of stuff is going around that Ruby has done this or that. I will not say that there is no truth in this, but I dont want to divulge too much because at the end of the day, our seven-year-old child will be affected by this most and she is my biggest priority, Amit added.



On the work front, Amit is seen in Colors TV's popular show 'Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki' in a pivotal role.
New Delhi:

Indian Army on Thursday accused "unprofessional" Pakistan army of deliberately targeting civilians and school children in ceasefire violation along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian director general of military operations Lt-General AK Bhatt during a DGMO level talk told his Pakistani counterpart Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza to refrain from any nefarious activities.

aIndian Army as a professional force takes due care to avoid targeting civilians and Pakistan army is was expected to do the same,a said a letter tweeted by ADG PI aIndian Army.

aDGMO Pakistan army was exhorted to exercise strict control on his troops and instruct them to refrain from any nefarious activities,a the letter said.

The unprovoked ceasefire violation from Pakistan army is taking place on a daily basis and Pakistan army is targeting schools located along the border in J&K.A

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New Delhi:

Protests were seen at some parts of Bengaluru following Hindi signboards at some of the metro stations in the state on Thursday. In protest, pro-Kannada activists blackened the boards. Metro stations including Yeshwanthpur, Rajajinagara, Jayanagara and Peenya saw a massive uproar by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists, police said.



The activists said that this is central governments intentional attempt to impose Hindi language in the state of Karnataka. The campaign Hindi Beda (We dont want Hindi) was launched by the agitators all over the social media.

ALSO READ: Bengaluru metro services resume after negotiations between workers, police



Centres three-language rule is being followed, the metro authorities said. It is to be noted that in a joint venture, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRC) shares the cost of running with the Centre. BMRC received a notice from the Kannada Development Authority regarding the matter.



Bengaluru Development and Town Planning Minister KJ George said, "We have taken a stand in favour of Kannada. I request them not to indulge in these kinds of things. When our chief minister himself is for Kannada, why are they doing all these things?" The protests wont stop and will continue, the activists clarified.

ALSO READ: Bengaluru metro services stopped temporarily over arrest of employee

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New Delhi:

#mce_temp_url#Amid escalating dispute in Dokalam sector of Bhutan, Chinese media on Friday termed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj a liar for saying that all countries are in India's support".



Referring to Swarajs speech in Parliament on the Sikkim standoff, the article in Chinese online news site Global Times said, She was lying to the Parliament. First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression.



It added, India's military strength is far behind that of China. If the conflict between China and India escalates to the intensity where their row has to be resolved through military means, India will surely lose.



The accusation were made in an editorial titled Military conflicts to escalate if India refuses to withdraw troops published on Friday afternoon.

Suggested read: Pak High Commissioner Basit meets Chinese, Bhutanese counterparts in New Delhi to discuss Dokalam



The editorial went on to suggest that India should abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam. China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held.



Doklam is Chinese territory. The withdrawal of Indian troops must be a precondition for talks and China will not compromise on this stance, it said.



The editorial warned India of non-diplomatic means that China may adopt to settle the ongoing standoff, If Indian troops continue trespassing into China's territory, what Beijing may do next is to get prepared for a military confrontation against New Delhi and resolve the conflict through non-diplomatic means.



If New Delhi remains stubborn, India should get prepared for all possibilities from a potentially grave escalation of tension in the future, the editorial read.

Suggested read | India rejects claims of rise in deployment of Chinese troops along Sino-India border

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New Delhi:

Presidential-elect Ram Nath Kovinds entry to Rashtrapati Bhavan was catalysed by the MLAs of the opposition camp who defied the diktat from their high command and casted their vote in favour of the BJP-led NDA nominee.

A state-wise breakup of the results show that more than 100 MLAs favoured Kovind and cross-voted for him.

President-elect Ram Nath Kovind had received 2,930 votes with a value of 7,02,044 to win the election with about 66 percent vote share. While, Meira Kumar received 1,844 votes with the value of 3,67,314.

Also Read: NDA's Ram Nath Kovind is India's 14th President; second Dalit to occupy the country's highest Constitutional post



According to the BJP managers Kovind received around 116 additional MLA votes.

Cross-voting were majorly reported from states including Maharashtra, Goa, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and also from Gujrat and Rajasthan which are bound for Assembly Election later this year.

BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav told the media, In Himachal Pradesh, we got 30 when we were expecting 26. In Madhya Pradesh we got 171, we were expecting 165. Jammu and Kashmir, we got 58 instead of 56.

Also Read: PM Modi, Amit Shah congratulate President-elect Ram Nath Kovind; here's who said what on Twitter



He added, In Maharasthra we got 208 against 185, Tripura seven against zero, Karnataka 56 against 46, Puducherry 10 against zero, Uttar Pradesh 335 against 324, Chhattisgarh 52 against 47, Jharkhand 51 against 47, West Bengal 11 against 5, Assam 91 against 87.
New Delhi:

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on FridayA suggested the Indian government should take help of friendly countries to start talks with Pakistan to resolve cross-border firing , a day after India warned the neighbouring hostile country to face strong retaliation if firing and shelling is not stopped in the border areas.

aHelp of friendly countries should be taken to start talks to solve the issue to the earliest,a said Farooq.

aWe cannot go on war. They too have atom bombs. Only talks can resolve the issue,a added the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister.

He added, aYou have to catch the bull by the horns, sometimes you have to do it.a

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also mentioned that the US President Donald Trump and China had shown interest in solving Kashmir issue.

"Trump himself had said, 'I want to settle Kashmir problem.' China too had said that they want to mediate in Kashmir. We didn't ask them," said Abdullah.

Doston ko isteemaal kijiye baatcheet karne ke liye, hal karne ke liye: Farooq Abdullah,Former J&K CM on India-Pakistan pic.twitter.com/3JAs5iujD1 a ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017

Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh condemned Abdullah's statement.A

Singh told the media, "I want to remind him when he was the CM he talked of attacking Pakistan. Why this two-faced approach?"

He added that the Prime Minister is personnaly monitoring the situation in Kashmir and he wants the people to prospeer and tread on the the path of development.

Condemn his statement; want to tell him when he was CM he talked of attacking Pakistan. Why this 2-faced approach?: J&K Dy CM on F. Abdullah pic.twitter.com/Jo1EB7FV4f a ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017

In the last one month seven people including four jawans were killed and as many as 15 people were injured due to firing and shelling from across the border.

In the last one week the Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) has called Pakistan counterparts four times. He informed his counterpart on how Pakistan Army is targeting civillian areas.

According to media reports more than 4000 people have been displaced in Nowshera area alone. The Jammu and Kashmir government has accommodated 3812 people in six relief camps alone.

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New Delhi:

A day after results of the 2017 Presidential elections was announced and the numbers of cross-voting by MLAs state-wise came out, Senior Congress person and Leader of Opposition in the 13th Gujarat Legislative Shankarsinh Vaghela, on Friday, revealed, Congress sacked me 24 hours ago.



Though Congress has 57 MLAs in Gujrat the opposition candidate Meira Kumar received only 49 votes in the 2017 Presidential elections.



Mocking the party he said, Congress is walking on the path of destruction.



The former chief minister of Gujrat also talked about his former attachment with the RSS.



He further added, I do not crave for power.

Suggested read: Unhappy Shankarsinh Vaghela to share his feelings with supporters



According to political pundits, the differences came between Congress and Vaghela after he learnt that he is not the chief minister choice for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly Elections. Vaghelas visit to New Delhi this week was being speculated as a move to promote himself as the chief ministerial candidate.



According to sources, the Gujarat Congress unit is divided in two groups. One led by Vaghela and the other by Bharat Singh Solanki.



Prior going to New Delhi, Vaghela had said that he would not join the BJP, but had expressed his resentment over the functioning of the party in Gujrat.



Vaghela then had said, I have spoken to Congress leaders in Delhi about the need to prepare for the Gujarat assembly elections. But, a group of leaders in the state here are working to get me out of the party.

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New Delhi:

China and Pakistan officials reportedly bypassed India and met with Bhutan counterparts on two occasions to discuss Dokalam dispute recently. According to reports the discussion were held between Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit, Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui and Bhutan's Ambassador to India Vetsop Namgyel on two different occasions in New Delhi.



The focus of the meetings was the current border stand-off at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction, reports said.



The meeting signifies an accelerated efforts from the Beijing the set tone of the international discourse in its favour on the contentious issue of Sikkim standoff with India. Pakistan, experts say, is leveraging the crisis to extend relations with China and Bhutan.

Suggested read: Indo-Pak dialogue only way forward: Pak High Commissioner Basit

Reports suggest that even some diplomats tried to play down the meetings, Indian administration was keenly monitoring trilateral talks happening in New Delhi.

Border stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops continues at Dokalam pass with China setting preconditions of 'withdrawal' of Indian troops and with India also taking a firm stand that both sides should pull back.



External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, responding to queries in Parliament, had said, "India wants that all troops be removed from the tri-junction point before discussing the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan, are with us."

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New Delhi:

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NDAs policies have burnt Kashmir. He stressed that instead of talks with Pakistan and China, there should be discussions on Kashmir.

"I have been telling for a long time now that Narendra Modi and NDAs policies have burnt Kashmir. Whatever being said to Pakistan and China is not needed, instead there should be discussions on Kashmir. Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir," said Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul said that Kashmir issue is our internal matter and no one has to do anything about it.

Earlier in the day, former J&K Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah suggested the Indian government to take help of friendly countries in talks with Pakistan to resolve cross-border firing. The statement came a day after India warned the neighbouring country to face strong retaliation if firing and shelling does not stop in the border areas.

Also read: Govt looking for a Math tutor, please apply to PMO ASAP, says Rahul Gandhi on RBIs counting of demonetised notes

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New Delhi:

Congress veteran Shankarsinh Vaghela, said to be unhappy with the Congress party, said that he will speak in detail about all the issues that he is facing at 2 PM on Friday. Vaghela has expressed his unhappiness about the proceedings in the party.

On the reports of Congress core committee warning him of action regarding his comments, Vaghela said that let them do it and he will take his own action.

Vaghela said that the Congress has right to stop party workers from joining his gathering on the eve of his birthday. He said it is up to them, they can join and if they dont come then there is no issues.

Vaghela will make an important announcement and share his feelings with his supporters during a mega gathering on his birthday on Friday in Gandhinagar.

Congress veteran had earlier slammed the state Congress over lack of homework for the assembly polls.

On Tuesday, Vaghela had announced that he would hold a mega gathering of his supporters on his 77th birthday (July 21) to share his feelings and give a message.

The gathering, which is scheduled to be held near Gandhinagar Town Hall, is being seen as his attempt to display his political might ahead of the assembly polls.

However, Vaghela has maintained that it was not a show of strength against the Congress leadership.

As the sudden move by him shook the state Congress, several leaders, including former state party president Siddharth Patel and AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil, met him and urged him not to announce his retirement at the event on Friday.

Speculations are also rife that Vaghela has made his mind to part with Congress, if not retirement.

When asked about Vaghelas next possible move, be it retirement or opening a new front by quitting Congress, his son and Congress MLA Mahendrasinh Vaghela said, Wait and watch.

Mahendrasinh, however, asserted that his father, fondly known as Bapu, will not announce retirement.

I know him not just as his son, but also as a Congress worker. Therefore, I can say that Bapu will never announce retirement. He will never leave active politics, Mahendrasinh told.

When asked if his father has made up his mind to quit Congress, Mahendrasinh said, You need to wait till tomorrow.

Vaghela had earlier said that all the 57 Congress MLAs along with two of NCP and one from JD(U) have been invited for the event in Gandhinagar on Friday.

This is not a show of strength. I just wanted to respect the feelings of my supporters, especially those from my constituency Kapadvanj, he had said.

With PTI inputs

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New Delhi:

Gujarat Congress strongman Shankersinh Vaghela met Rahul Gandhi on Friday, a day after he courted controversy by meeting BJP president Amit Shah. Vaghela, a former Gujarat Chief Minister and currently the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, said he was not going anywhere and was a loyal Congressman.

His meeting with Gandhi lasted around half an hour and he was accompanied by Gujarat PCC chief Bharatsinh Solanki. Sources said the two leaders discussed the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state slated later in 2017.

Sources also said that Vaghela also sought to clarify his position to the party vice president on his meeting with Shah. Vaghela later told reporters that he was a loyal Congressman and would not quit the party and go anywhere.

He said he was committed to the party and would work towards helping it win the upcoming polls. His meeting with Shah on Thursday triggered speculation over his future plan.

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Ahmedabad:

Congress veteran Shankarsinh Vaghela, said to be unhappy with his party, will make an important announcement and share his feelings with his supporters during a mega gathering on his birthday on Friday in Gandhinagar.

Sulking for not having been given a free hand for the partys campaign for the state assembly election due later this year, the former chief minister on Thursday visited Delhi for some personal work.

He is expected to make an important announcement about his future course of action at Fridays event in the state capital.

Vaghela had earlier slammed the state Congress over lack of homework for the assembly polls.

The Leader of Opposition visited the national capital earlier in the day and on his return in the evening, he claimed that it was purely a personal visit and refused to divulge details about whom he met.

When asked about the cross voting by Congress MLAs in favour of NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Vaghela claimed ignorance.

I voted for UPA nominee Meira Kumar. I dont know about cross voting. My Delhi visit was purely personal. It was not political, he told reporters at the airport.

At least eight MLAs of the opposition Congress in BJP-ruled Gujarat appeared to have voted Kovind.

On Tuesday, Vaghela had announced that he would hold a mega gathering of his supporters on his 77th birthday (July 21) to share his feelings and give a message.

The gathering, which is scheduled to be held near Gandhinagar Town Hall, is being seen as his attempt to display his political might ahead of the assembly polls.

However, Vaghela has maintained that it was not a show of strength against the Congress leadership.

As the sudden move by him shook the state Congress, several leaders, including former state party president Siddharth Patel and AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil, met him and urged him not to announce his retirement at the event tomorrow.

Speculations are also rife that Vaghela has made his mind to part with Congress, if not retirement.

When asked about Vaghelas next possible move, be it retirement or opening a new front by quitting Congress, his son and Congress MLA Mahendrasinh Vaghela said, Wait and watch.

Mahendrasinh, however, asserted that his father, fondly known as Bapu, will not announce retirement.

I know him not just as his son, but also as a Congress worker. Therefore, I can say that Bapu will never announce retirement. He will never leave active politics, Mahendrasinh told PTI.

When asked if his father has made up his mind to quit Congress, Mahendrasinh said, You need to wait till tomorrow.

Vaghela had earlier said that all the 57 Congress MLAs along with two of NCP and one from JD(U) have been invited for the event in Gandhinagar tomorrow.

This is not a show of strength. I just wanted to respect the feelings of my supporters, especially those from my constituency Kapadvanj, he had said.

However, the Congress has asked its party members and MLAs not to attend tomorrows meeting. We hope that no Congress MLAs or workers will attend the meeting, Siddarth Patel said.

On June 24, while addressing a meeting of his supporters in Gandhinagar, Vaghela had said he would not follow the Congress leadership if it continued on its present suicidal path in Gujarat, where elections are due this year.

My problem with the party is they have done no planning to win Gujarat elections, when we know that it (elections) wont be delayed for even a month. Owners lack the foresight. They do not know what is going to happen tomorrow, he had said.

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New Delhi:

Neil Amstrong's bag, which he used by to collect the first ever traces of moon dust, was sold at auction for $1.8 million on Friday. the day also marks the 48th anniversary of the first moon landing. Neil Armstrong  the first man to set foot on the moon  held rocks and dust from the lunar region known as the Sea of Tranquility.

The bag was sold to an anonymous bidder for $1.8 million in New York. It was in 1969, US space agency NASA launched the first manned lunar mission  Apollo 11. Auctioneers had expected the bag to fetch between $2 million and $4 million.

Cassandra Hatton, who handled the sale for Sotheby's, said it is "absolutely" a one-of-kind item.

"I just say Neil Armstrong moon dust -- you get it," Hatton says. "You don't have to be American to understand why this is so important and this is also what's exciting about this. I could talk to a 5-year-old in China, and they would get excited about this."

Other items on the block were Armstrong's snapshot of fellow Apollo 11 astronaut "Buzz" Aldrin on the moon. Sotheby's tweeted Thursday that the image soared past $35,000 at auction -- which was seven times above the original estimate.

So theby's tweeted a photo of another item -- a flight plan autographed by crew members of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. Sotheby's said Thursday that it went for $275,000, six times a high estimate.

Another item that sold at auction was a picture of astronaut Charlie Duke on the lunar surface during the Apollo 16 mission. It went for $37,500, Sotheby's tweeted.

#AuctionUpdate: An iconic image of Buzz Aldrin at the #Apollo11 tranquility base taken by Neil Armstrong soars to $35k - 7x above estimate pic.twitter.com/2zETYMmVSP  Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 20, 2017

Also up for bid Thursday was a picture of man's first look at Earth from the moon. Sotheby's said on Twitter that it fetched $17,500 -- nearly three times its high estimate.

#AuctionUpdate: Houston, there's no problem here! 9 bidders fight to bring The Apollo 13 Flight Plan to $275k - over 6x its high estimate pic.twitter.com/b7YkhoJhBc  Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 20, 2017

#AuctionUpdate To infinity & beyond! Photograph of Charlie Duke on Lunar Surface soars above estimate, sells for $37,500 #SothebysinSpace pic.twitter.com/FAp3K4YohT  Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 20, 2017

#AuctionUpdate: #Snoopy goes to space! Snoopy Astronaut Doll signed by Apollo 10 LM pilot soars to $27.5k - nearly 10x above est. pic.twitter.com/m41yanrIqZ

Capping the sale was a Snoopy astronaut doll that was the mascot of the Apollo 10 crew, at an estimated pre-sale price of $2,000 to $3,000. Late Thursday, the auction price soared to $27,500, according to Sotheby's.

In all, Thursday's auction of various items garnered a total of $3.8 million, according to a Sotheby's tweet.

Also Read: Google street view's latest destination ISS, user can see 360-degree

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New Delhi:

A team of scientists from Stanford and California University has found the first strong evidence for a unique particle, which they have named the "angel particle". The discovery could have huge implications in the world of technology, especially within quantum computers which have the potential to be hundred and millions of times more powerful than a normal computer.

Every fundamental particle in the universe has an antiparticle, which has the same mass but the opposite charge. If a particle should ever meet its antiparticle, the two would destroy each other in a flash of energy. But it's long been theorised that there's an exception to the rule, with certain particles that are actually their own antiparticles.



The theory dates back to 1937 when physicist Ettore Majorana highlighted a gap in the fermion family of particles. Protons, electrons, neutrons, neutrinos, and quarks are all fermions, and all have corresponding antiparticles, but according to Majorana's calculations, there should be particles that are their own antiparticles.

Since they have no charge, neutrons and neutrinos were the best candidates to be these Majorana fermions, but antineutrons have since been discovered. There's still a big question mark hanging over neutrinos though, and experiments are currently underway to determine if they are in fact their own antiparticle.

Suggested read | Particle physics: CERN's LHCb experiment raises eyebrows, here's all you need to know

However, the difficulty of the experiments means an answer is still more than a decade away.In the meantime, the most likely way to find Majorana fermions is by looking for "quasiparticles." As the name suggests, these aren't quite natural particles, but they arise out of the collective behavior of electrons and have certain properties of particles.

If that's hard to visualise, the Encyclopaedia Britannica explains the concept like bubbles in a drink: bubbles also arise out of the "collective behavior" of the chemicals in the drink, and although they aren't really independent objects, bubbles do have measurable properties like objects, including size, shape, etc.

In the same way, quasiparticles might not occur outside of very specific conditions, but they can be considered to be Majorana fermions if they exhibit all the right properties. Now Stanford and UC researchers say they've found a "smoking gun" signature that points to the presence of these hypothetical fermions.

"Our team predicted exactly where to find the Majorana fermion and what to look for as it's 'smoking gun' experimental signature," says Shoucheng Zhang, one of the senior authors of the research paper. "This discovery concludes one of the most intensive searches in fundamental physics, which spanned exactly 80 years."

To make these quirky quasiparticles show themselves, the team carefully constructed their very specific "drink," made up of thin films of two quantum materials stacked on top of one another. The end result is a superconducting topological insulator, which allows electrons to move quickly along the edges of the material's surface but not through the middle.

Suggested read | Dark matter: Highest-resolution 3D maps provide detailed evidence for presence of elusive particles

Adding a pinch of magnetic material to the mix made the electrons flow in one direction along one edge, and the opposite direction along the other. The researchers then swept a magnet over the material, which caused all the electrons to slow down, stop and switch direction. The reversal happened in a jerky, staggered motion that the team likens to stairs in a staircase.

Quasiparticles began to emerge from the material in pairs, traveling along the same path as the electrons, but there was a key difference: when they stopped and turned around, they did so in "steps" exactly half as high as the electrons.

That's because each is essentially only half of a particle since one out of each quasiparticle pair is lost along the way. And that phenomenon was exactly the evidence the team had been looking for.

Zhang proposes that the team's discovery be named the "angel particle" after the Dan Brown novel Angels and Demons, which features a bomb powered by the meeting of matter and antimatter. In the long run, Majoranas could find practical application in making quantum computers more secure.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
US President Donald Trump says the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe doesn't speak English.

Trump made the remarks about Akie Abe in an interview with the New York Times.

He was seated next to her at a dinner of the G20 summit in Germany earlier this month.

Trump said she is a "terrific woman," but that she doesn't speak English.

A reporter asked him, "Like, nothing?" The president responded, "Like, not 'hello'." He added that there was an interpreter for Japanese, and communication would have been even tougher otherwise.

Jul 21 () - aaaaacacYaaaaaaaaaeZaaaaaaaaaacaaSaaaaaa
California moves to grant immunity to rapists, child traffickers and weapons smugglers as part of new Sanctuary State insanity

There are now more than 3 million illegal aliens living in the state of California (mostly from Mexico and Central America) , and Leftist legislators there want to keep it that way. In direct defiance of the directives issued by the Trump administration to address the illegal immigration problem, a cohort of legislators in Sacramento has introduced a new bill that would effectively bar U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from doing their jobs in arresting and deporting illegal immigrants, many of whom are a direct threat to American citizens.

Known as Senate Bill 54, the legislation would make it so that local and state police would be prohibited from working with ICE to enforce federal immigration law. ICE agents would no longer be allowed to enter jails and prisons to deport convicted criminals who are illegal aliens, for instance. ICE would also have very restricted access to state databases on illegal aliens under the bills provisions.

Its all part of a coordinated effort by Leftist legislators in California to keep the Golden State a so-called sanctuary state, meaning it will continue to welcome illegal immigrants with open arms and offer them protection and benefits  really anything that legal citizens living in California are afforded. Its a policy thats been in place for years, though unofficially. But now that President Trump is starting to crack down on sanctuary cities all across the country, some in California want to solidify the states position on the matter. [RELATED: To keep up with President Trumps actions against sanctuary cities, visit SanctuaryCities.Fetch.News]

During the Trump administration, the first 100 days, arrests of undocumented immigrants with no criminal record has jumped to 150% during the same period as last year, stated Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, a Democrat from Los Angeles, as quoted by CBS Sacramento. De Leon is spearheading the passage of SB 54, which has already received glowing approval from the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

We will protect those who contribute to making California the sixth largest economy in the world, he added.

SB 54 will protect criminal illegals from deportation, warns California senator

While De Leon contends that his bill will still allow authorities to respond to ICE inquiries as they pertain to convicted violent offenders, some of his colleagues disagree. Senator Jeff Stone, a Republican from Temecula (near San Diego), recently stated on Fox & Friends that SB 54 will actually protect illegal aliens who have been convicted of human trafficking, child abuse, or assault with a deadly weapon from deportation. If solidified into law, this policy will put millions of legal Californians at risk. [RELATED: Sanctuary cities have already put more than 17,000 murderers, rapists and drug dealers back on U.S. streets.]

Basically we are going to be putting these dangerous criminals back into our streets and neighborhoods, Sen. Stone stated.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, a Vietnam veteran, agrees. Hes already calling on his countys Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution that would declare Kern a law and order county, signifying its stance to work with, rather than against, the president on enforcing federal immigration laws.

Sheriffs deputies dont enforce immigration laws and we dont go on federal immigration sweeps, he told The LA Times. But we do have to allow our federal partners to do their job.

Back in April, Sen. Stone wasted no time cutting to the chase in condemning California legislators who support SB 54. He told them that by passing the bill, they would effectively be kicking the president right in the groin. He added that, knowing how the President typically responds to such assaults, I can imagine hes going to strike back.

Sources for this article include:

NewsTarget.com

ZeroHedge.com

LegInfo.Legislature.ca.gov

Sacramento.CBSlocal.com

DailyCaller.com

Insider.FoxNews.com

Submit a correction >>
Aquarion Water Company purchased the Litchfield Hills water system Thursday.

The system was formerly owned by the Litchfield Hills Condo Association. It will serve approximately 50 new customers at Fordyce Court Road in downtown New Milford, according to a press release from Aquarion.

We welcome our new customers in New Milford and look forward to providing them with safe, quality, dependable water service for years to come, said Charles V. Firlotte, Aquarion President and CEO.

The Litchfield Hills system has been served by one well. This well will be abandoned and the Litchfield Hills customers will be connected to Aquarions existing New Milford system within a year.

Aquarion Water Company is the public water supply company for more than 625,000 people in Connecticut, as well as serves customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
This week, government union leaders announced that state workers have voted to approve a deal they negotiated behind closed doors with Gov. Malloy.

Let me be clear: This is a bad deal for the people of Connecticut.

Although its supporters claim the agreement will save Connecticut $1.5 billion over the next two years, it comes with guaranteed salary increases; layoff protections; and an extension of the state employee benefits contract for a full decade to come  until 2027.

This agreement will tie the hands of lawmakers  and the next governor (or two!)  when future budget deficits arise. And trust me, without structural changes to Connecticuts pensions and health care benefits, there will be future deficits.

The concessions agreement means taxpayers guarantee salary increases for every single union employee no matter what Connecticuts fiscal situation is in the future. Whats more, the agreement specifically requires legislators to give up the power to amend, adjust or alter the agreement in any way for 10 whole years. No matter what.

Without the ability to reduce the state workforce through layoffs, the only options to close revenue shortfalls will be either tax increases or service cuts.

It is time for all of us to say, ENOUGH! This deal is wrong for Connecticut. It was negotiated in secret. Even lawmakers were not allowed to see the proposed changes to existing state employee contracts.

That is no way to run a state. The people of Connecticut  the taxpayers who pay for state government!  have a right to know what exactly is in these contracts. We cannot rely on government union leaders and the governor to tell us this is a good deal without judging for ourselves first.

Remember, past concession agreements have come up short of their promised savings. Meanwhile, Connecticut residents have endured the two biggest tax increases in the states history.

And in fact, government union leaders and some lawmakers are already demanding an increase to the state sales tax and higher taxes on businesses and Connecticuts most successful individuals.

This is old thinking for new problems. We dont need more taxes  we need to change the way Connecticut does business and sets employee benefits.

Connecticut must make the necessary and common-sense structural changes to state employee wages and benefits in order to end this cycle of taxing and spending our way into deficits.

We should follow the rest of the country  including our neighbors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island  in setting employee benefits through state statute, voted upon by the peoples representatives in the state legislature.

If the unions get a vote, then the people of Connecticut should get a vote, too. And we need to make sure our representatives put a stop to this destructive practice of putting a powerful special interest  the government unions  before the best interests of our beloved state.

Carol Platt Liebau, a New Canaan resident, is president of the Yankee Institute for Public Policy, a Connecticut-based think tank that advocates for a free market and limited government public policy solutions for the state.
MONTREAL, July 21, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE) (NYSE: BCE) will hold its second-quarter 2017 results conference call with the financial community on Thursday, August 3, 2017 at 8:00 am eastern.

Participants will include George Cope, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Glen LeBlanc, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis.

To participate, please dial toll-free 1-866-223-7781 or 416-340-2216. A replay will be available for one week by dialing 1-800-408-3053 or 905-694-9451 and entering pass code 3318870#.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on BCE's website at: BCE Q2-2017 conference call.

About BCE

Canada's largest communications company, BCE provides the broadest range of broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communication services to consumer and business customers throughout the country. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media. To learn more, please visit BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries:

Jean Charles Robillard

514-870-4739

[email protected]

Investor inquiries:

Thane Fotopoulos

514-870-4619

[email protected]

SOURCE Bell Canada

Related Links

www.bell.ca


BURLINGTON, ON, July 20, 2017 /CNW/ - EcoSynthetix Inc. (TSX: ECO) ("EcoSynthetix" or the "Company"), today announced that it will release its 2017 second quarter results on Wednesday, August 2, after 5:00 pm ET. The Company will subsequently hold a conference call on Thursday, August 3, 2017, at 8:30 AM Eastern Time hosted by Mr. Jeff MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Rob Haire, Chief Financial Officer. A question and answer session will follow the corporate update.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS

DATE: Thursday, August 3, 2017 TIME: 8:30 AM Eastern Time DIAL IN NUMBER: (647) 427-7450 or (888) 231-8191 TAPED REPLAY: (416) 849-0833 or (855) 859-2056 REFERENCE NUMBER: 58609478

A link to the live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations Events page on the Company's website at www.ecosynthetix.com as well as at www.newswire.ca. The presentation will be accompanied by slides, which will be available on the webcast and via the Company's website. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to hear the webcast.

About EcoSynthetix Inc. (www.ecosynthetix.com)

EcoSynthetix offers a range of sustainable engineered biopolymers that allow customers to reduce their use of harmful materials, such as formaldehyde and styrene-based chemicals. The Company's flagship products, DuraBind and EcoSphere, are used to manufacture wood composites, paper and packaging, and enable performance improvements, economic benefits and sustainability. The Company is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (T:ECO).

SOURCE EcoSynthetix Inc.

For further information: EcoSynthetix Inc.: Steve Snyder, Phone: (289) 245-4017, E-mail: [email protected]; Investor Relations: Ross Marshall, Phone: (416) 526-1563, E-mail: [email protected]
OTTAWA, July 20, 2017 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada recognizes the hardship Canadians have encountered due to the recent wildfires in British Columbia (BC) and is committed to supporting them through these difficult times.

To help the many affected communities, the Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on Federal Recovery Efforts for 2017 BC Wildfires met today to discuss Canada's role in supporting these efforts. As a first step, Minister Carla Qualtrough, Chair of the Committee, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale, and Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan will visit Prince George and Kamloops to witness how government agencies, non-government organizations, first responders and the community are working together to support those in need and determine how the federal government can provide greater assistance.

This visit and the forward planning being led by the Committee are in addition to the ongoing support the federal government is providing to help affected communities impacted by the wildfires. These emergency measures include on the ground support from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), as well as support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Canada Post and other departments and agencies.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) figure prominently in the federal assistance being provided and announced today that they were sending approximately 225 additional members to British Columbia to assist in the ongoing emergency response to the wildfires. This follows an additional Request for Federal Assistance from the RCMP. These personnel are joining approximately 150 CAF members who are already in British Columbia assisting the province in its emergency response to the wildfires. This will bring the total CAF contribution to approximately 375 personnel.

Canadians wishing to assist those affected by the disaster can donate to registered charities. Consult the CRA Charities Listings to find eligible organizations.



Quotes

"Today, the Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on Federal Recovery Efforts for 2017 BC Wildfires met to discuss how the Government of Canada can help those affected by the wildfires in British Columbia. We will be visiting several evacuation sites to see what assistance families are receiving on the ground. We continue to work closely with our provincial and municipal partners to make sure we are providing a coordinated response and to determine what more action the federal government can take."

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Committee Chair

"The Government Operations Centre is working diligently to ensure that support from across the Government of Canada is delivered to our provincial counterparts as quickly and efficiently as possible. From deployments of Canadian Armed Forces to providing cots and blankets from National Emergency Stockpile, we are committed to providing a coordinated federal response to the people of British Columbia. We continue to monitor and assess the wildfire situation, and our federal response will evolve as the situation unfolds."

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety

"The Canadian Armed Forces are always ready to support Canadians wherever and whenever disaster strikes. I am extremely proud of the women and men in uniform who are working hand-in-hand with first responders and local partners to provide assistance to British Columbians in their time of need."

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence

Associated Links

Wildfires in British Columbia

Prime Minister announces action on British Columbia wildfires

Canadian Armed Forces deploying Edomonton-based soldiers for Operation LENTUS

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

For further information: Scott Bardsley, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-998-5681; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, (613) 991-0657

Related Links

https://www.canada.ca


Litter, food and crates given to animal rescue organizations on front lines

MARKHAM, ON, July 20, 2017 /CNW/ - With experts predicting families who have been evacuated from British Columbia's wildfires could be unable to return home for weeks, Canadian pet retailer Pet Valu has donated $100,000 worth of products to help animals affected by the fires. The donation, which includes litter, litter pans, dog and cat food and crates, was given to Four Paws Food Bank in Kamloops and the Prince George Humane Society which are on the front lines of desperate pet owners seeking help.

"Our volunteers have been working non-stop since July 9 helping every type of pet - dogs, cats and small animals," says Bonnie McBride, Four Paws Food Bank in Kamloops. "The donation from Pet Valu has made an enormous difference. We can now help all the pet owners and their pets who come to us."

Pet Valu has experienced firsthand the stress and disruption caused by the fires; its two stores in 100 Mile House and two stores in Williams Lake have been evacuated. The leading pet retailer anticipates additional stores in other communities will be evacuated in coming days. Pets from the evacuated stores are being fostered with staff members and arrangements are being made to ensure staff and pets in nearby communities will get out safely if the call for evacuation is made.

"When you have to pack up your family and pets and flee a wildfire, the stress can be overwhelming," says Tom McNeely, CEO, Pet Valu. "We hope our donation will give pet owners some peace of mind knowing they can keep their pets safe and comfortable while they're away from their homes."

In addition to its $100,000 product donation, Pet Valu is also accepting monetary donations at all of its stores across Canada so people can quickly and easily make a donation to the Red Cross.

About Pet Valu

Pet Valu, Inc. is a Canadian specialty retailer of pet food and pet-related supplies with more than 750 stores across Canada and the U.S. The Pet Valu family of stores consists of Pet Valu Canada, Pet Valu US, Paulmac's Pet Foods, Bosley's by Pet Valu, Total Pet, and Tisol Pet Nutrition & Supply stores. To learn more about Pet Valu visit petvalu.com.

About Pet Retail Brands

Pet Valu and Pet Supermarket merged in 2016 to create the third largest pet specialty retailer and the largest small format, neighborhood pet specialty retailer in North America - Pet Retail Brands - with more than 1,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about Pet Supermarket, please visit www.petsupermarket.com.

SOURCE Pet Valu Canada Inc.

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: To schedule an interview or receive high resolution images, contact: Katherine Clark, [email protected], (416) 453-3288

Related Links

http://www.petvalu.com


VANCOUVER, July 20, 2017 /CNW/ - West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. reports second quarter 2017 results:

Second Quarter Highlights

Record sales and operating earnings for the quarter.

Earnings up 19% from previous quarter and 49% from the second quarter of 2016.

Strong product pricing across operating segments.

Quarter ending net debt to capital ratio of 6%.

Results Compared to Previous Periods













($ millions except earnings per share ("EPS")) Q2-17 Q1-17 YTD-17 Q2-16 YTD-16 Sales 1,322 1,189 2,511 1,111 2,188 Adjusted EBITDA1 305 245 550 138 268 Operating earnings 217 183 400 120 199 Earnings 146 123 269 98 140 Basic EPS ($) 1.86 1.58 3.44 1.22 1.72 Adjusted Earnings1 174 134 308 64 113 Adjusted basic EPS ($)1 2.23 1.71 3.94 0.80 1.40

1. In this News Release, reference is made to Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted earnings and Adjusted basic EPS (collectively "these measures"). We believe that, in addition to earnings, these measures are useful performance indicators. None of these measures is a generally accepted earnings measure under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and none has a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. Investors are cautioned that these measures should not be considered as an alternative to earnings, EPS or cash flow, as determined in accordance with IFRS. As there is no standardized method of calculating any of these measures, our method of calculating each of them may differ from the methods used by other entities and, accordingly, our use of any of these measures may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures used by other entities. Refer to the tables in the section titled "Non-IFRS Measures" in our second quarter 2017 Management's Discussion & Analysis for details of these adjustments.

Forest fires in British Columbia

The province of British Columbia has declared a provincial state of emergency due to a number of wildfires throughout the interior region of British Columbia. We have temporarily suspended operations in 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Chasm and these facilities will remain suspended until it is safe to resume operations. Ted Seraphim, our President and CEO said, "Our foremost concern is for people's safety and the safeguarding of our communities. I would like to personally thank our employees who are making extraordinary contributions including fighting fires, helping displaced employees and safeguarding our assets."

Operational results

Our lumber segment generated operating earnings of $171 million (Q1-17 - $152 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of $240 million (Q1-17 - $191 million). Improved product pricing was the primary driver of improved results. Countervailing and antidumping duties commenced this quarter resulting in an expense of $34 million.

Our panels segment generated operating earnings in the quarter of $23 million (Q1-17 - $12 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of $26 million (Q1-17 - $15 million). Improved plywood pricing was offset by costs associated with our WestPine MDF plant restart.

Our pulp & paper segment generated operating earnings of $32 million (Q1-17 - $31 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of $42 million (Q1-17 - $40 million). Higher pulp prices were offset by higher maintenance costs as our Cariboo pulp mill had a planned maintenance shutdown followed by non-related operational issues. Our Hinton pulp mill struggled in the first part of the quarter, however performance improved to targeted levels over the balance of the quarter.

Softwood lumber dispute

The U.S. Department of Commerce's preliminary review resulted in a West Fraser specific countervailing duty rate of 24.12% effective April 28, 2017 and an antidumping duty rate of 6.76% effective June 30, 2017, resulting in an expense of $34 million for the quarter.

We continue to believe that the allegations of subsidy and dumping are groundless. Ted Seraphim, our President and CEO, said: "I want to thank all of our employees for their tremendous effort and dedication to operational excellence. We are going into the softwood lumber dispute with a strong balance sheet which will enable us to sustain another round of this long-standing disagreement."

Management's Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A")

The Company's MD&A is available on the Company's website: www.westfraser.com and on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile.

The Company

West Fraser is a diversified wood products company producing lumber, LVL, MDF, plywood, pulp, newsprint, wood chips and energy with facilities in western Canada and the southern United States.

ForwardLooking Statements

This Report contains historical information, descriptions of current circumstances and statements about potential future developments. The latter, which are forwardlooking statements, are presented to provide reasonable guidance to the reader but their accuracy depends on a number of assumptions and is subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual outcomes and results will depend on a number of factors that could affect the ability of the Company to execute its business plans, including those matters described in the 2016 annual Management's Discussion & Analysis under "Risks and Uncertainties", and may differ materially from those anticipated or projected. Accordingly, readers should exercise caution in relying upon forwardlooking statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise them to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Conference Call

Investors are invited to listen to the quarterly conference call on Friday, July 21, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time (11:30 a.m. Eastern Time) by dialing 1-888-390-0546 (toll free North America). The call may also be accessed through West Fraser's website at www.westfraser.com.

West Fraser shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol: "WFT".

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in millions of Canadian dollars, except where indicated - unaudited)

















June 30 December 31





2017

2016 Assets









Current assets









Cash and short-term investments

$ 231 $ 50 Receivables



380

297 Inventories (note 3)



582

581 Prepaid expenses



28

10





1,221

938 Property, plant and equipment



1,704

1,685 Timber licences



543

551 Goodwill and other intangibles



374

371 Other assets



18

20 Deferred income tax assets



1

35



$ 3,861 $ 3,600











Liabilities









Current liabilities









Cheques issued in excess of funds on deposit

$ - $ 15 Payables and accrued liabilities



380

379 Income taxes payable



39

21 Reforestation and decommissioning obligations



44

44





463

459 Long-term debt (note 4)



399

413 Other liabilities (note 5)



339

272 Deferred income tax liabilities



215

215





1,416

1,359











Shareholders' Equity









Share capital



549

549 Accumulated other comprehensive earnings



129

150 Retained earnings



1,767

1,542





2,445

2,241



$ 3,861 $ 3,600 Number of Common shares and Class B Common shares outstanding at July 20, 2017 was 78,167,502.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity (in millions of Canadian dollars, except where indicated - unaudited)



















April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30



2017

2016

2017

2016

















Share capital















Balance - beginning of period $ 549 $ 571 $ 549 $ 579 Common share repurchases

-

(11)

-

(19) Balance - end of period $ 549 $ 560 $ 549 $ 560

















Accumulated other comprehensive earnings















Balance - beginning of period $ 145 $ 132 $ 150 $ 164 Translation loss on foreign operations

(16)

(3)

(21)

(35) Balance - end of period $ 129 $ 129 $ 129 $ 129

















Retained earnings















Balance - beginning of period $ 1,671 $ 1,338 $ 1,542 $ 1,404 Actuarial loss on post-retirement benefits

(44)

(45)

(33)

(105) Common share repurchases

-

(53)

-

(95) Earnings for the period

146

98

269

140 Dividends

(6)

(6)

(11)

(12) Balance - end of period $ 1,767 $ 1,332 $ 1,767 $ 1,332

















Shareholders' Equity $ 2,445 $ 2,021 $ 2,445 $ 2,021

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Comprehensive Earnings (in millions of Canadian dollars, except where indicated - unaudited)



















April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30



2017

2016

2017

2016

















Sales $ 1,322 $ 1,111 $ 2,511 $ 2,188

















Costs and expenses















Cost of products sold

798

775

1,538

1,524 Freight and other distribution costs

171

156

331

315 Export duties

34

-

34

- Amortization

49

48

100

97 Selling, general and administration

48

42

92

81 Equity-based compensation

5

(30)

16

(28)



1,105

991

2,111

1,989 Operating earnings

217

120

400

199 Finance expense

(8)

(7)

(15)

(15) Other (note 7)

(1)

7

(1)

(9) Earnings before tax

208

120

384

175 Tax provision (note 8)

(62)

(22)

(115)

(35) Earnings $ 146 $ 98 $ 269 $ 140

















Earnings per share (dollars) (note 9)















Basic $ 1.86 $ 1.22 $ 3.44 $ 1.72 Diluted $ 1.86 $ 0.86 $ 3.44 $ 1.36

















Comprehensive earnings















Earnings $ 146 $ 98 $ 269 $ 140 Other comprehensive earnings















Translation loss on foreign operations

(16)

(3)

(21)

(35) Actuarial loss on post-retirement benefits

(44)

(45)

(33)

(105) Comprehensive earnings $ 86 $ 50 $ 215 $ -

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions of Canadian dollars, except where indicated - unaudited)



















April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30



2017

2016

2017

2016 Cash provided by operations















Earnings $ 146 $ 98 $ 269 $ 140 Adjustments

















Amortization

49

48

100

97

Finance expense

8

7

15

15

Foreign exchange gain on long-term financing

(4)

(1)

(5)

(10)

Loss on power agreements, net of settlement costs

-

-

-

11

Post-retirement expense

19

18

38

35

Contributions to post-retirement benefit plans

(17)

(16)

(31)

(28)

Tax provision

62

22

115

35

Income taxes received (paid)

(16)

4

(52)

(5)

Other

(33)

(28)

(30)

(29) Changes in non-cash working capital

















Receivables

11

6

(80)

(30)

Inventories

156

180

(5)

84

Prepaid expenses

(11)

(10)

(18)

(15)

Payables and accrued liabilities

(4)

(47)

3

(42)



366

281

319

258

















Cash used for financing















Repayment of operating loans

(110)

(150)

-

(34) Finance expense paid

(10)

(10)

(11)

(11) Dividends

(6)

(6)

(11)

(12) Common share repurchases

-

(62)

-

(112)



(126)

(228)

(22)

(169)

















Cash used for investing















Additions to capital assets

(78)

(57)

(134)

(106) Government assistance

1

3

1

7 Other

2

-

3

-



(75)

(54)

(130)

(99)

















Change in cash

165

(1)

167

(10) Foreign exchange effect on cash

16

13

29

17 Cash - beginning of period

50

(21)

35

(16) Cash - end of period $ 231 $ (9) $ 231 $ (9)

















Cash consists of















Cash and short-term investments







$ 231 $ 27 Cheques issued in excess of funds on deposit









-

(36)









$ 231 $ (9)

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements

(figures are in millions of dollars, except where indicated - unaudited)

1. Nature of operations

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. ("West Fraser", "we", "us" or "our") is a diversified wood products company producing lumber, LVL, MDF, plywood, pulp, newsprint, wood chips and energy with facilities in western Canada and the southern United States. Our executive office is located at 858 Beatty Street, Suite 501, Vancouver, British Columbia. West Fraser was formed by articles of amalgamation under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and is registered in British Columbia, Canada. Our Common shares are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WFT.

2. Basis of presentation and statement of compliance

These condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34, Interim Financial Reporting as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and use the same accounting policies and methods of their application as the December 31, 2016 annual financial statements. These condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with our 2016 annual consolidated financial statements.

3. Inventories

Inventories at June 30, 2017 were written down by $6 million (March 31, 2017 - $5 million; December 31, 2016 - $5 million; June 30, 2016 - $11 million) to reflect net realizable value being lower than cost.

4. Long-term debt and operating loans

Long-term debt













June 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 US$300 million senior notes due October 2024; interest at 4.35%

$ 389 $ 403 US$8 million note payable due October 2020; interest at 2%



10

10 Notes payable



4

4





403

417 Deferred financing costs



(4)

(4)



$ 399 $ 413

The fair value of the long-term debt is $389 million (December 31, 2016 - $391 million) based on rates available to us at the balance sheet date for long-term debt with similar terms and remaining maturities.

Operating loans

Our operating loans consist of a $500 million committed revolving credit facility which matures September 30, 2020, a $32 million (US$25 million) demand line of credit dedicated to our U.S. operations and an $8 million demand line of credit dedicated to our jointly-owned newsprint operation. In addition, we have demand lines of credit totalling $59 million dedicated to letters of credit, of which US$7 million is committed to our U.S. operations.

At June 30, 2017 there were no amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facility. As a result, the associated deferred financing costs of $2 million were reported in other assets. Letters of credit in the amount of $46 million were also supported by our facilities, leaving $553 million of credit available for further use. At December 31, 2016, our revolving credit facility was undrawn, deferred financing costs were $2 million and our outstanding letters of credit were $48 million.

Interest on these facilities is payable at floating rates based on Prime, U.S. base, Bankers' Acceptances or LIBOR at our option.

All debt is unsecured except the $8 million joint operation demand line of credit, which is secured by that joint operation's current assets.

5. Other liabilities

























June 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Post-retirement (note 6)





$ 217 $ 162 Reforestation







76

69 Decommissioning







27

25 Other







19

16







$ 339 $ 272

6. Post-retirement benefits

We maintain defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans covering a majority of our employees. The defined benefit plans generally do not require employee contributions and provide a guaranteed level of pension payable for life based either on length of service or on earnings and length of service, and in most cases do not increase after commencement of retirement. We also provide group life insurance, medical and extended health benefits to certain employee groups.

The status of the defined benefit pension plans and other retirement benefit plans, in aggregate, is as follows:

















June 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Projected benefit obligations

$ (1,732) $ (1,648) Fair value of plan assets



1,533

1,507 Impact of minimum funding requirement



(11)

(13)



$ (210) $ (154) Represented by









Post-retirement assets

$ 7 $ 8 Post-retirement liabilities (note 5)



(217)

(162)



$ (210) $ (154)

The significant actuarial assumptions used to determine our balance sheet date post-retirement assets and liabilities are as follows:











June 30, 2017 March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 Discount rate 3.50% 3.75% 3.75% Future compensation rate increase 3.50% 3.50% 3.50%

The actuarial loss on post-retirement benefits, included in other comprehensive earnings, is as follows:





















April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30









2017

2016

2017

2016 Actuarial loss





$ (60) $ (62) $ (45) $ (143) Tax recovery







16

17

12

38







$ (44) $ (45) $ (33) $ (105)

7. Other













April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30





2017

2016

2017

2016 Foreign exchange loss on working capital

$ (4) $ - $ (5) $ (10) Foreign exchange loss on intercompany financing1



(6)

(1)

(9)

(18) Foreign exchange gain on long-term debt



10

2

14

28 Gain on disposal of WestPine equipment



-

5

-

5 Loss on power agreements



-

-

-

(19) Other



(1)

1

(1)

5



$ (1) $ 7 $ (1) $ (9)

1. Relates to US$200 million of financing provided to our U.S. operations. IAS 21 requires that the exchange gain or loss be recognized through earnings as the financing is not considered part of our permanent investment in our U.S. subsidiaries. The balance sheet amounts and related financing expense are eliminated in these consolidated financial statements.

8. Tax provision

The tax provision differs from the amount that would have resulted from applying the British Columbia statutory income tax rate to earnings before tax as follows:













April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30





2017

2016

2017

2016 Income tax expense at statutory rate of 26%

$ (54) $ (31) $ (100) $ (45) Non-taxable amounts



(2)

8

(5)

10 Rate differentials between jurisdictions



















and on specified activities



(6)

(2)

(11)

(4) Unrecognized capital losses



1

-

1

1 Other



(1)

3

-

3 Tax provision

$ (62) $ (22) $ (115) $ (35)

9. Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is calculated based on earnings available to Common shareholders, as set out below, using the weighted average number of Common shares and Class B Common shares outstanding.

Diluted earnings per share is calculated based on earnings available to Common shareholders adjusted to remove the actual share option expense (recovery) charged to earnings and after deducting a notional charge for share option expense assuming the use of the equity-settled method, as set out below. The diluted weighted average number of shares is calculated using the treasury stock method. When earnings available to Common shareholders for diluted earnings per share are greater than earnings available to Common shareholders for basic earnings per share, the calculation is anti-dilutive and diluted earnings per share are deemed to be the same as basic earnings per share.









April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30



2017

2016

2017

2016 Earnings















Basic $ 146 $ 98 $ 269 $ 140 Share option expense (recovery)

9

(28)

26

(25) Equity-settled share option adjustment

-

-

(3)

(3) Diluted $ 155 $ 70 $ 292 $ 112

















Weighted average number of shares (thousands)















Basic

78,166

80,867

78,165

81,574 Share options

819

812

848

888 Diluted

78,985

81,679

79,013

82,462

















Earnings per share (dollars)















Basic $ 1.86 $ 1.22 $ 3.44 $ 1.72 Diluted $ 1.86 $ 0.86 $ 3.44 $ 1.36

10. Segmented information













Pulp & Corporate







Lumber Panels paper & other Total April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017













































Sales























To external customers

$ 914 $ 147 $ 261 $ - $ 1,322

To other segments



32

2

-

-







$ 946 $ 149 $ 261 $ -



























Operating earnings before amortization

$ 206 $ 26 $ 42 $ (8) $ 266 Amortization



(35)

(3)

(10)

(1)

(49) Operating earnings



171

23

32

(9)

217 Finance expense



(5)

(1)

(2)

-

(8) Other



-

-

(3)

2

(1) Earnings before tax

$ 166 $ 22 $ 27 $ (7) $ 208























April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016













































Sales























To external customers

$ 771 $ 126 $ 214 $ - $ 1,111

To other segments



24

2

-

-







$ 795 $ 128 $ 214 $ -



























Operating earnings before amortization

$ 113 $ 21 $ 4 $ 30 $ 168 Amortization



(35)

(3)

(9)

(1)

(48) Operating earnings



78

18

(5)

29

120 Finance expense



(4)

(1)

(2)

-

(7) Other



2

5

1

(1)

7 Earnings before tax

$ 76 $ 22 $ (6) $ 28 $ 120



























































Pulp & Corporate







Lumber Panels paper & other Total January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017













































Sales























To external customers

$ 1,724 $ 273 $ 514 $ - $ 2,511

To other segments



58

4

-

-







$ 1,782 $ 277 $ 514 $ -



























Operating earnings before amortization

$ 397 $ 41 $ 82 $ (20) $ 500 Amortization



(74)

(6)

(19)

(1)

(100) Operating earnings



323

35

63

(21)

400 Finance expense



(9)

(2)

(4)

-

(15) Other



-

-

(2)

1

(1) Earnings before tax

$ 314 $ 33 $ 57 $ (20) $ 384























January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016













































Sales























To external customers

$ 1,500 $ 262 $ 426 $ - $ 2,188

To other segments



53

4

-

-







$ 1,553 $ 266 $ 426 $ -



























Operating earnings before amortization

$ 213 $ 36 $ 18 $ 29 $ 296 Amortization



(72)

(6)

(18)

(1)

(97) Operating earnings



141

30

-

28

199 Finance expense



(9)

(2)

(4)

-

(15) Other



(3)

3

(22)

13

(9) Earnings before tax

$ 129 $ 31 $ (26) $ 41 $ 175

The geographic distribution of external sales is as follows1:





















April 1 to June 30 January 1 to June 30









2017

2016

2017

2016 Canada





$ 294 $ 251 $ 548 $ 498 United States







750

656

1,425

1,276 China







168

117

316

233 Other Asia







96

71

197

148 Other







14

16

25

33







$ 1,322 $ 1,111 $ 2,511 $ 2,188

1. Sales distribution is based on the location of product delivery.

11. Softwood lumber dispute

On November 25, 2016 a coalition of U.S. lumber producers petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce ("USDOC") and the U.S. International Trade Commission ("USITC") to investigate alleged subsidies to Canadian producers and levy countervailing and antidumping duties against Canadian imports. We have been chosen by the USDOC as a "mandatory respondent" to both the countervailing and antidumping investigations and as a result have received unique company specific rates.

On April 24, 2017, the USDOC issued its preliminary determination in the countervailing duty investigation and imposed a company specific preliminary rate of 24.12% to be posted by cash deposits on the exports from Canada of softwood lumber to the U.S. on or after April 28, 2017. On June 26, 2017, the USDOC issued its preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation and imposed a company specific preliminary rate of 6.76% to be posted by cash deposits on the exports from Canada of softwood lumber to the U.S. on or after June 30, 2017. We have expensed $34 million for the period April 28, 2017 to June 30, 2017 representing duties at the preliminary rates determined by the USDOC.

Any adjustments resulting from a change in the final countervailing and antidumping duty rates will be made prospectively.

Together with other Canadian forest product companies, the federal government and Canadian provincial governments ("Canadian Interests") we categorically deny the U.S. allegations and disagree with the preliminary countervailing and antidumping determinations. Canadian Interests continue to defend the Canadian industry in this U.S. trade dispute. Depending on the outcome of the final phase of the investigation, Canadian Interests may appeal the decision of the USDOC and USITC to the appropriate courts, North America Free Trade Agreement panels and/or the World Trade Organization. Notwithstanding the preliminary rates established in the investigations, the final liability for the assessment of countervailing and antidumping duties will not be determined until each annual administrative review process is complete.

SOURCE West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.

For further information: Chris Virostek, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer; Rodger Hutchinson, Vice President, Corporate Controller and Investor Relations, (604) 895-2700, www.westfraser.com

Related Links

www.westfraser.com


Evans the kidnapper

Nigeria's smartest and richest kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a. Evans, had his fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the IG of Police adjourned on Thursday in Lagos. Hearing has been further adjourned till July 27, 2017 in the N300m fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the Inspector-General of Police by suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a. Evans, Punch newspaper reports.

Justice Chuka Obiozor declined entertaining the case on Thursday on the basis that Evans lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, had yet to pay the punitive cost of N20,000 awarded against him at the last adjourned date.

Justice Abdulaziz Anka, who awarded the punitive cost against Ogungbeje on July 13, had said the lawyer would not be given audience in court until he paid the N20,000 to the police.

On Thursday, counsel for the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Effiong Asuquo, noted that Ogungbeje gave him a post-dated cheque for N20,000 but he rejected it, saying that was not the order of court.

Justice Obiozor agreed with the police lawyer and directed Ogungbeje to comply with the cost order on the cost awarded against him.

The judge also directed Ogungbeje to ensure service of the application on the Inspector-General of Police in Abuja.

He, subsequently, adjourned the case till July 27.




Adoke

A former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the federation, has filed a human rights complaint against the Buhari-led federal government at the United Nations.

Former attorney-general of the federation, Mohammed Adoke, has filed a human rights complaint against the federal government at the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

He also named the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the complaint, accusing the agency of unmitigated acts of persecution, intimidation, harassment, threat of deprivation right to life, unlawful interference with right to family life and livelihood.

Femi Oboro, his solicitor, said the complaint became necessary in view of the constant harassment, intimidation and persecution that Adoke has endured in the hands of the federal government.

Oboro said since his client left office as attorney-general of federation, he has been the subject of sustained and malicious media attack from the EFCC.

He reiterated that the EFCC is bent on persecuting and humiliating him in order to satisfy the whims and caprices of some powerful families and political associates of the present administration.

I have today 20th July 2017 filed a complaint on behalf of my client Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, federal republic of Nigeria, against the federal government of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it read.





However, since leaving office, he has been the subject of sustained and malicious media attack from the EFCC and its cohorts with the aim of bringing him to public odium.





These efforts have culminated in the filing of phantom criminal charges against him, destruction and unwarranted searches on his residences as well as that of his siblings, persecution, threat to his life, unlawful harassment and intimidation.





The complaint will afford the UNHRC the opportunity to appraise Nigerias criminal justice system, the operational modalities of law enforcement agencies such as the EFCC, the constitutional mandate of the office of the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, on whether such agencies and persons are conducting their operations in accordance with human right standards and norms applicable to civilised democratic societies and/or they can be allowed to ride rough shod over the rights and liberties of citizens under the guise of fighting corruption.





We expect the UNHRC to expeditiously consider the complaint and make its ruling and recommendations public in order to end my clients persecution and once more provide an enabling environment for Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN to enjoy his family, return to the practice of his profession and assume his roles as the bread winner for his immediate and extended family.

Adoke is accused of money laundering and misleading the federal government in the OPL 245 deal involving Malabu Oil, Shell and ENI, but he has denied the allegations.
A Nigerian lady based in Netherlands, Monica Ambrose has declared her intentions to be Nigerias next President. And according to her, shes not joking.The married mother of three, who has been living in the Netherlands for 17 years, has promised to provide good roads, running water electricity etc.Watch the video
At least 33 people were killed in clashes between cattle herders and farmers in Nigerias northern Kaduna state, a police chief told AFP ...

At least 33 people were killed in clashes between cattle herders and farmers in Nigerias northern Kaduna state, a police chief told AFP Thursday. Two days of violence between herders and farmers erupted on Sunday in Kajuru village, 50 kilometres (30 miles) outside the city of Kaduna, said state police commissioner Agyole Abeh. A total of 33 people were killed in the violence between Fulani herdsmen and farmers, said Abeh.The violence started when some villagers attacked a young Fulani man and his father, which led to the death of the young man after he was admitted in hospital. The victims kinsmen gathered from nearby settlements and launched a reprisal attack on the village, killing six men, said Abeh.In response, the youths from the farming communities mobilised and went into the bush attacking and burning Fulani settlements they could find, he added. Our men were contacted but before they could deploy, the attackers had killed 26 people, mostly women and children and injured several others. Security personnel have since been deployed to the area to maintain peace.Nigerias Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has ordered reinforcements in Kaduna state following the clashes. He condemned what he said were the needless deaths and expressed frustration with the security challenges in southern Kaduna. Osinbajo promised to ensure that the perpetrators of these dastardly acts were identified and brought to justice, he said in a statement issued on Wednesday evening. Southern Kaduna has seen a spate of deadly clashes between the predominantly Christian farmers and Muslim Fulani herders, a historically nomadic people who graze their cattle on the land.Originally, the clashes were over land and water rights disputes. But ethnicity and religion have been playing a larger role in the conflict after post-election violence in 2011 that saw hundreds killed and forced to flee the area. Without a national strategy in place to address the conflict, tensions between herdsmen and farmers have not subsided, and tit-for-tat killings have become common.Experts blame a heavy-handed, militarised response by the government, and incendiary comments from political and religious leaders for fanning the flames of animosity.
More than three weeks after a Supreme Court ruling ordering the inauguration of a federal lawmaker, Dorathy Mato, the Speaker of the House ...

More than three weeks after a Supreme Court ruling ordering the inauguration of a federal lawmaker, Dorathy Mato, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has refused to obey the order.

The Supreme Court in June sacked Herman Hembe as the lawmaker representing Konshisha/Vandekiya federal constituency of the House of Representatives. The court declared Mrs. Mato as the authentic candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which won the election.

The apex court ordered that Mrs. Mato be sworn-in immediately and that Mr. Hembe be made to return all the salaries and allowances he has received since 2015 while occupying the seat illegally.

On the day the Supreme Court gave that ruling, it also sacked a senator from Taraba State, Abubakar Danladi, and declared Shuaibu Lau as the person validly elected to represent Taraba North in the Nigerian Senate.

While Senate President Bukola Saraki obeyed the court ruling and swore in Mr. Lau, Mr. Dogara has failed to obey the apex court and has refused to administer an oath on Mrs. Mato.

Checks show that Mrs. Mato has been to the National Assembly several times with the expectation that she would be sworn in, but the speaker simply refused to do so.

Speaking on behalf of Mrs. Mato on Thursday, Maureen Acka, a lawmaker from the Benue State House of Assembly, who accompanied her to the House of Representatives, said Mrs. Mato has met all requirements had no reason not to be sworn in as ordered by the Supreme Court.

They asked to wait that they were coming and we all waited patiently, only for them to come out and nothing happened. Papers have been filled, and she has done all the things required of her, she said.

This is really strange I just pray and hope that this is not some kind of a game because it will not be right. We know the law.

Im a member of the APC. I was in ACN before she (Mato) is a honourable person.

Ms. Acka said it would be bad if the case turned out being a case of gender discrimination.

Sources at the House said that Mr. Dogara has refused to obey the court because of his closeness to Mr. Hembe.

Hembe is one of the closest lawmakers to Dogara. He was one of those who mobilised against Gbajabiamila (Femi, the House Leader) and even Jibrin (Abdulmumuni).

The speaker is in a tight situation on the matter, the source close to Mr. Dogara said.

Mr. Gbajabiamila lost the speakership to Mr. Dogara while Mr. Jibrin is currently suspended from the House after he accused the speaker and others of budget padding.

Another legislative aide to a principal officer of the House said all that was required was for Mrs. Mato to beg Mr. Hembe.

The Speaker will only swear her in when Hembe tells him to, the aide said, seeking anonymity as he was not permitted by his principal to speak to reporters.

In his reaction, Abdulrazak Namdas, spokesperson of the House, told journalists at the National Assembly that Mrs. Mato had not yet met the requirements to be sworn in.

He also ruled out the possiblilty of gender discrimination.

Its not true that the speaker has refused to swear her in because she is a woman, he said.

A colleague of mine from Adamawa state lost his seat after a court of appeal ruling. He was replaced by a woman named Talatu, she was sworn in immediately.

So, you can see it is not an issue of gender bias. I know, as a matter of fact, that if there is any pronouncement by the court, there are also some processes you have to undergo in the house before you are sworn in.

Im not aware that that has been done. I have to look at it well. If all the necessary things have been done, I dont think there is any reason that she will not be sworn in.

Mr. Namdas did not list those processes he claimed may not have been met.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the growing cases of hate speech, disinformation and fake news in...

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the growing cases of hate speech, disinformation and fake news in the country are being orchestrated by naysayers and their sponsors to discredit the government, destabilize the polity and make the country ungovernable.The Minister made the statement at the Extra-ordinary Meeting of the National Council on Information (NCI), which has the theme Hate Speeches, Disinformation, Fake News and National Unity, in Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday. The campaign (to discredit the government) is a multi-million naira project and the people behind this string of hate speech, disinformation and fake news are not about to stop. In fact, they will become more vicious in the days, weeks and months ahead, he said. Alhaji Mohammed blamed the resurgent push for separatism as well as the rising cases of ethnic and religious disharmony on the growing phenomenon of hate speech, as well as the disinformation and fake news campaign, and warned that hate speeches and incitement to violence set the stage for the genocide that left at least 800,000 people dead in Rwanda in 1994.He traced the worsening cases of hate speech in the country to the period leading to the last general elections, when the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, was the target of a vicious campaign. Never in the history of electioneering campaign in Nigeria has such a quantum of hate speech been directed at any candidate. This did not stop even when he won the election and became President. For instance, the President had hardly left Nigeria for his vacation in London on 19 January 2017, during which he said he would have routine medical check-up, when these hate and fake news campaigners circulated the news that he has died. Between then and now, they have repeated similar fakes news times without number, the Minister said.He cited three instances of disinformation and fake news targeted at him, including when he was quoted as saying the government does not know who will sign the 2017 budget, when what he said was that when the budget is transmitted to the presidency, a decision will be taken. Citing other instances, Alhaji Mohammed said: On Wednesday, 26 April 2017, after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, I briefed State House Correspondents on what transpired at the meeting. I said, among others, that President Muhammadu Buhari did not preside over the days meeting because he decided to work from home that day.In reporting my briefing, one of the correspondents quoted me as saying the President would work from home henceforth, rather than on that day only. Also in May 2017, I travelled to China on official assignment. I had just arrived in that country, after a long flight, when I started receiving calls from Nigeria, seeking my reaction to a story making the rounds in the Social Media, quoting me as saying that though President Muhammadu Buhari is in a London hospital, he is using Made-in-Nigeria drugs. I purportedly made the comment in an interview with Channels Television, after the Federal Governments launch of the Made-in-Nigeria campaign in Abuja a few days earlier.At first, I chose to ignore the story, saying Nigerians would easily see the folly of it. But the phone calls from Nigeria became more frequent and more intense, to such an extent that they could no longer be ignored. I had to put a call through to Mr. John Momoh, and Channels Television promptly issued a rebuttal, saying it neither interviewed me nor carried any such story. On the way forward, he said Nigerians must say NO to hate speech and boycott any medium that is used to spew hate or that engages in disinformation and fake news, adding that if left unchecked, the canker-worm of hate speech, disinformation and fake news is capable of undermining national unity and pushing the nation to the precipice.The Minister also told the delegates to the meeting, which included government information managers from all the states of the federation, that every state must emulate what the Federal Government has done, through Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who held a series of engagements with key stakeholders to calm frayed nerves in the aftermath of the quit notice recently issued to section of the country by northern youths We must be resolute in tackling the canker-worm of hate speech, disinformation and fake news.We as government information managers must embark on a relentless campaign against these evil tendencies at our various levels, whether federal or state, he said, adding that the regulators must also be alive to their responsibility by sanctioning erring media outlets Yes, our constitution allows freedom of speech and this government believes in it, but freedom of speech must not be allowed to become freedom of irresponsibility, Alhaji Mohammed While appealing to the media, especially the traditional media, to repudiate the purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news, he announced that the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture will soon launch a series of engagements with the media to sensitize them to the dangers posed by the phenomenon.
Liverpool has rejected a 72million bid from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho.The Premier League side has also told the Spanish giants not to waste their time with another bid, as the Reds have no interest in negotiating the potential sale of their star man.Coutinho is wanted by Barca, as the long-term replacement for Andres Iniesta.But Liverpool, who are back in the Champions League and will be hoping to fight for the Premier League title in 2017/2018, are not interested in any deal.Coutinho signed a five-year deal at Anfield earlier this year, making him the clubs top earner on 150,000-a-week.
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, says Nigeria does not yet have the political maturity for state police.

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, says Nigeria does not yet have the political maturity for state police.Instead, the country should improve funding for the agency under the current arrangement, Mr. Idris stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum.The I-G said he was not unaware of the agitations by some groups for the creation of state police, but argued that the federal police arrangement still remains the best.I sincerely believe that the Federal Police is still the best for the country and with improved funding the challenges of crime will be addressed.Those agitating for state police should consider the level of our political maturity, he said, according to a statement by police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood.He held the meeting to seek the support of the Forum for the passage of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund bill now before the National Assembly.He said if the bill was passed, the police would have enough fund to effectively police the nation.Let me use this opportunity to appeal to your Excellencies to prevail on your representatives at the National Assembly to ensure the passage of the bill.It is my sincere believe that once the Police Trust Fund Bill is passed into law, the necessary finances required to effectively police the nation will be available, he said.He said this would also reduce the pressure on the state governments in the funding of the Police.Mr. Idris noted that the Nigeria Police were one of the least paid security organisations in the world in spite of operating under the UN ratio of 1:400.He added that with the current ratio of 1: 602 the Nigeria Police was operating far below the United Nations ratio.About 10,000 police officers have been recruited recently to fill the gap but this is still a far cry.To meet up with the UN ratio of 1:400, the Nigeria police requires additional 155,000 Police Officers for the next five years,he said.He said a request to recruit 31,000 policemen had been sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for approval.Mr. Idris said the current Police Management was making efforts to establish structures that would bridge the communication gap between the Police and members of the public.Mr. Idris said one of such structures included the establishment of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service (NPBS).When commissioned, it will broadcast Nationwide on TV, Radio, online and the National Emergency Communication Command Control Centre (NEC4).The Chairman of the Forum, Governor AbdulAziz Yari of Zamfara, who assured the police boss the support of the forum, said security was everybodys business.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a public hearing on the Nigeria Police Trust Fund was organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs on July 1.The bill seeks to provide alternative funding for the police.
Thirty-nine-year-old Nigerian man, Marvyn Iheanacho, has been declared guilty of beating his five-year-old stepson to death.He was reported as having kicked and punched his five-year-old stepson as the child cried sorry for losing a shoe.He faces life behind bars.Iheanacho was found guilty of murdering little Alex Malcolm in a fit of rage after a two-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court in the United Kingdom.Heartbroken mum, Lilya Breha, desperately tried to save her boy on the night of the attack, but Alexs injuries were too severe.Lilya revealed the tots final moments to the jury, who also saw chilling CCTV of Iheanacho sprinting home with the lifeless child in his arms.Jurors heard that Iheanacho had taken Alex with him to pick up DVDs and visit a friend on November 20, 2016.On the way, the pair stopped at Mountsfield Park in Hither Green where a witness overheard the child saying sorry for losing his shoe before he was attacked.Jurors were shown footage of Iheanacho carrying Alex in a firemans lift away from the park and towards a taxi rank where he asked for a cab to Lilyas home.When he arrived at the address, Iheanacho attacked his partner to stop her calling an ambulance, and shouted: Keep your f***ing mouth shut.Iheanacho suggested putting the schoolboy in a bath before wrapping him in a towel and assaulted Ms Breha when she would not stop screaming.Ms Breha told the court: Whatever he did to Alex, I feel he knew exactly what he was doing.Three months before the boys murder, Iheanacho wrote in a diary that he hit him.He wrote in the entry entitled Mistakes that he had to beat him for being sick in a taxi, SUN reported.Iheanacho and Breha started seeing each other in June last year when she was introduced to him by a friend while he was in prison.When he was released, Iheanacho would regularly stay over and Ms Breha said he would be very nice to Alex and do some homework with him.She added: I felt that may be a good thing for my son to have a male person in his life.Ms Breha said on the day of the alleged attack, she felt anxious after the pair hadnt returned by 6.30pm; but when she called, he sounded very calm and said that nothing was wrong.She said he told her that Alex had lost his shoe and she panicked because it was cold outside.Ms Breha told the court: I said to him, bring my son home right now and make sure you pick him up and hold him.'Iheanacho refused to put Alex on the phone before he hung up.The killer later asked Ms Breha to meet him at the front door as he brought Alex home.Describing the scene, she told the court: I saw him holding Alex like a baby.He had no shoe and I just started screaming the moment I saw Alex.
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has begun moves to whittle down the power of its chairman.Investigations showed that the proposal to strip the national chairman of some of his enormous powers was contained in a memo to the National Executive Committee of the party by the Chairman of its National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.The memo was given to all members of NEC on Tuesday at its 74th meeting, which was held at the partys national headquarters.The members were asked to give the documents to officers and influential members of the party in their states in order to have their inputs before passing them into law.Makarfi, in the memo, titled Draft proposals for constitutional amendments, said the memo was as a result of the adoption of the report of the PDP Strategy Review and Inter-Party Affairs Committee.He said because of this, it has become imperative that the PDP Constitution (2012 as amended) be amended to reflect some of the recommendations.The proposed amendments are expected to be passed at the partys non-elective national convention slated for August 12 in Abuja.In one of the proposals, titled Removal of the power of the national chairman to summon (convene) the national convention, the party wants the NEC to be the sole determinant of national convention without it being summoned by the national chairman.The proposed amendments read in part, Modifying Section (1)(a) and inserting a new Section(1)(b) to take away the power of the national chairman to summon  the National Convention, which appears in conflict with the power of NEC to convene the National Convention in Section (31(2)(a).It said this was in line with August 2016 Port Harcourt proposed amendment.The former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, had invoked the power conferred on him in Section 35(1) of the party constitution to call off the then May, 2016 convention of the party in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.The section reads, There shall be a national chairman who shall be the chief executive of the party, and his functions shall be to (a) summon and preside over the meetings of the national convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the National Working Committee of the party.If the proposed amendments scale through, the next chairman will also not be a signatory to the partys bank accounts anymore.Up until now, the national chairman is a mandatory signatory to the partys bank accounts.Under the topic Revising signatories to the partys accounts, the party proved that consistent with contemporary best practices, it is proposed that the present situation, where the chairman is a mandatory signatory to the partys bank account with either the secretary or the treasurer, be replaced with the treasurer being mandatory signatory, with either the secretary or financial secretary.This will replace Section (55)(3) of the partys constitution.The party also proposed the reintroduction of Section (47)(6), which was revised in the December 2014 national convention, in which the appropriate executive committees appointment of a person from the area or zone of the former occupant of an office to serve out the tenure of the officer instead of pending the conduct of election to fill the vacant post.The proposed amendment also seems to be preparing a soft landing for those who had left the party and those who might want to join it from another party ahead of the 2019 general elections.Under the procedure for rejoining the party, the proposed amendment states that the return of those who had left it before should be made automatic.This is contrary to the old order whereby those returning are placed on probation for a period of not less than a year.The proposal therefore called for the deleting of Section 8(8)(b), Section (8)(9) and modification of Section (8)(8) to make rejoining and readmission into the party by a member, who had left, automatic upon his submission of a written application to that effect to his ward secretary.But it said, Whereas, readmission is automatic, waiver requirements for contesting elections and enjoying political appointments remain, and, if thought necessary, would be strengthened.Also, the party is proposing that Section (50)(4)(7) be amended by reducing the period of membership for seeking the partys ticket and political appointment from two years and one year respectively to a uniform of six months unless the appropriate executive committee, at its discretion, gives a waiver to the contrary.The party is also proposing the election of two national chairmen for the party, one from the North and another from the South.However, in the event that the National chairman ceases to hold office or when absent for any reason, the proposal stated that the vice-chairman from the region of the national chairman would act pending when a substantial chairman would be elected.Meanwhile, the North-Central zone of the party met at the Command Guest House in Abuja on Wednesday night and resolved to set up reconciliation committee to wade into the crisis rocking the party in the zone.At the meeting were a former President of the Senate, David Mark; a former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali; former governors of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada; their Benue and Plateau states counterparts, Gabriel Suswam and Senator Jonah Jang; and a former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu.
The funeral of the mother of Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, Madame Christiana Obiano, took place at Father Joseph Memorial Secondar...

The funeral of the mother of Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, Madame Christiana Obiano, took place at Father Joseph Memorial Secondary School, Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area, yesterday July 20th.

No fewer than 55 Bishops from Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal denominations, as well as over 200 priests, participated in the burial ceremony.

Apart from the Archbishop of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke, who presided over the ceremony, the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Jude Okolo, and Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev Nicholas Okoh also officiated. Altogether, 26 Catholic Bishops and 19 Anglican Bishops as well as heads of other Christian denominations attended the ceremony.
The Senate on Thursday urged the Federal Government to give N200 to dollar concession to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAH...

The Senate on Thursday urged the Federal Government to give N200 to dollar concession to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) once in every year.It said that it was for pilgrimages to the respective holy lands for Muslims and Christians.This was part of the recommendations by the Committee on Foreign Affairs on The Extortion of Pilgrims by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria presented by the Chairman, Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu, at plenary.The committee recommended the concession to bring down the cost of the pilgrimages to bearable level.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Senate had in a motion on June 7, urged the Federal Government to review downwards, the 2017 Hajj fare.Part of the 10-point recommendation by the committee was that the Federal Government should hold discussions with Saudi Arabia authorities.Sunmonu said that the consultation with the Saudi government was to review the 50-50 carriage of pilgrims between Nigeria and Saudi Arabian airlines.This is with a view to providing opportunities for more indigenous Nigerian airlines to participate in the Hajj operations. This will give Nigeria varieties in choosing the air carrier.The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria should expedite action on the establishment of Hajj Savings Schemes in compliance with Section 7(1 and 2) of the NAHCON Act.The Nigeria Government and its economic team must do everything possible to improve on the Nigerian monetary policy which would guarantee a long-time stable relationship of the Naira with other currencies, she said.Sunmonu noted that 98 per cent of the entire Hajj operations were dollars-denominated with only two per cent as naira content.In his contribution, Sen. Ali Wakil (APC-Bauchi) said that there was need for an ad hoc committee to look into the matter of feeding and transportation of the pilgrims.He called for the restoration of Amirul Hajj to serve as checks and balance between Nigeria and Saudi.In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said we passed the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and based on it, we have passed what should be the exchange rate which is N305 to a dollar.We should make laws that are truly going to guide our people because we have MTEF which says the exchange is N305.If with passing MTEF nobody should be given N200, but businessmen are getting N200, then, definitely pilgrims deserve N200 as well, he said.Saraki said that the Senate must put an end to the money-making venture, because pilgrimage was a religious activity and should not be for money-making.We will put an end to these leakages, he stated.Saraki said.The Senate accepted the recommendations but rejected the one requesting NAHCON to ensure improved feeding for Nigerian contingents to all designated points, insisting that feeding should be left to the pilgrims.
MARGATE -- The former Margate firefighter and lifeguard forced to forfeit his jobs for shoplifting $7.98 in snacks from a Wawa was among the nearly 20 people charged in an oxycodone dealing operation this week.

The former firefighter, Ashton Funk, 35, of Northfield, lost an appeal to regain his jobs with Margate last year.

Also charged in the drug ring, announced Wednesday by the state Attorney General's Office, was Theodore Gogol, 37, of Margate. He is a current Margate firefighter, Philly.com reported, quoting Margate Mayor Mike Becker.

Funk and Gogol are charged with distributing oxycodone, an opioid. Authorities described the operation as led by a North Jersey doctor, who wrote prescriptions for people who drove to Essex County and then returned to Atlantic County.

The Attorney General dubbed the investigation Operation Oxy Highway.

Also swirling in Atlantic County is a federal investigation of public worker health benefits.

Becker told Philly.com that he did not believe the oxycodone bust was related to the FBI probe, which has brought subpoenas to Margate, Ventnor, and Atlantic City.

Funk was making about $78,000 a year as a career firefighter when he was charged with shoplifting from Wawa in August 2015. He was also a member of the city's beach patrol.

In December 2015, Egg Harbor Township municipal court judge H. Robert Switzer found Funk guilty of the charge. The case was moved to avoid a conflict of interest. The next month, the same judge ordered Funk to forfeit his job.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON TWP. - Firefighters are continuing to battle a large fire in a remote part of Wharton State Forest in Burlington County and plan to take an aerial survey Friday morning to assess the blaze.

The 1,000-acre fire, which is about two miles north of the historic Batsto Village, was deemed about 30 percent contained as of 10 p.m. Thursday. No one has been hurt and no property has been damaged.

Trails around Batsto Village will be closed Friday along with the back roads in the general area. Hikers are asked to avoid the area.

Smoke from the fire can be smelled as far away as Long Beach Island, according to the Ocean County Sheriff's Office. People in Atlantic County have also reported they smelled smoke.

SATELLITE PICTURE TRACKING THE MAIN SMOKE PLUME FROM THE FOREST FIRE NORTH OF BATSTO I highlighted that plume with... Posted by Dan Skeldon on Friday, July 21, 2017

A helicopter flight from Coyle Field in Barnegat to assess the blaze is scheduled for Friday morning, according to New Jersey State Forest Fire spokesman Robert Geist said.

About 50 firefighters from the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service as well as local departments are battling the fire, which was spotted from a tower around 1 p.m. Thursday and grew to 1,000 acres through the afternoon and evening.

Firefighters will face challenging conditions as temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-90s this afternoon.

"It's hot, which makes fire fighting difficult," Geist said. "On the plus side, the humidity is hampering the ability of the fire to spread and we don't have a whole lot of wind."

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON TWP -- The wildfire raging in southern Burlington County more than doubled in size Friday afternoon, reaching 2,800 acres of forest around 24 hours after it first sparked, authorities said.

As of 12:30 p.m., the fire was 60 percent contained, but had increased from an area of 1,000 acres earlier Friday morning to engulf some 2,800 acres, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The fire burned near Batsto Village and Fire Tower in the Wharton State Forest, and began Thursday afternoon around 1 p.m.

Despite the acreage increase, the incident commander remained optimistic about crews' progress, and said the fire's span was expected to grow within the contained area, Robert Geist, spokesman for the Department of Environmental protection said.

Crews were working to use backfires to contain the spread of flames, preventing the fire from jumping beyond the contained line, authorities said.

The weather service issued excessive heat warnings for areas surrounding Philadelphia and Trenton Friday, as well as air quality alerts throughout most of the state, as the smoke could pose complications for "sensitive groups."

The temperature in the Batsto area had risen to 92 degrees as of 1:30 p.m., and was forecast to reach a high of 96 degrees, according to the weather service.

Officials said the blaze did not pose any threats to property or residents in the area, but have asked hikers to stay off trails. Campgrounds and trails throughout the area have been closed to the public.

Communities around South Jersey and along the Jersey Shore reported smoke in the air as it drifted from the forest fire, and the National Weather Service noted that the blaze had grown large enough to be visible on satellites from space.\

Police have asked residents to only call 911 if they witness flames.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amahoover. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
GLOUCESTER TWP. -- The drowning death of a 72-year-old woman in a retention pond near her home here was accidental, township police said in a statement Thursday.

The name of the victim was being withheld pending notification of family, police said.

The incident was reported at 2:37 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of Knoll Run Drive in the Lakes at Knoll Run development. First-responders recovered her body from the pond behind her home.

The scene outside the home Wednesday after news of the incident spread was somber.

Carolyn Gargano sat in her late-model Nissan Altima outside the home. She kept her engine running and windows up in the 94-degree heat of late afternoon.

Gargano said a niece of the woman had asked her to come here after she heard there might be trouble. Police wouldn't tell the niece what happened over the phone. Gargano said she finally confirmed the woman she was looking for had died when her young son in the rear seat of the car checked the internet on his phone and found a news report shortly after 5 p.m.

Gargano said the woman had recently fallen and hit her head. She said the falling incidents had become more frequent.

Just before 6 p.m., a man jumped out of a car near the front of a residence cordoned off with police tape. He briefly spoke with police before collapsing on his knees in tears.

A neighbor said the man was a relative of the woman. Police took him into a mobile command truck in front of the property. An officer came out a short time later to ask gathered neighbors if anyone had a cigarette for the man inside.

Brandy Small, a neighbor who lives on the other side of the retention pond, said she first saw police activity in the area shortly after 2:30 p.m.

"When I came home the police were out there roping off the lake," said Small, 38, a dental hygienist who lives here with her husband and 8-year-old son. "I don't know how deep it is in there. She could have easily walked down there and fell. I think they should put a fence around it."

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 21-year-old Missoula man is suspected of an attempted stabbing on Wednesday in Helena.

At 9:25 p.m. Wednesday, Helena police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Last Chance Gulch for a reported physical altercation involving a male attempting to stab people with a knife. Once on scene, witnesses identified Dakota Gaije Catudio Garrett as the potential suspect walking away, according to court documents.

Witnesses told police that they saw Garrett walk up to the first victim and say Im going to stab you, then came after the victim with the knife, court documents state.

Garrett then went after a second victim, according to the allegations, and that victim had to kick Garrett to keep him away.

Garrett faces two felony charges of assault with a weapon.
NEWARK -- A general foreman for a Port Elizabeth terminal operator fraudulently collected almost $500,000 annually for work he did not perform and was sometimes out of the country when he was supposed to be on the job, a federal indictment says.

Paul Moe Sr., of Atlantic Highlands, was sometimes in Florida, in Aruba or on his yacht when he was supposed to be at work, acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said Thursday.

Moe, 66, was indicted Wednesday on one count of wire fraud conspiracy and 13 counts of wire fraud.

He collected his annual salary from September of 2015 through March of 2017 while being at his job site for as little as eight hours per week, officials said. Each count of wire fraud represents a week in which Moe failed to appear at work but was paid as if he had been there for at least 40 hours per week, they said.

Other people submitted false time sheets every day on Moe's behalf and sometimes credited him with up to 16 hours of overtime per day so he could get his $9,300 weekly paycheck, authorities said. They did not identify the people accused of helping him.

Moe was responsible for maintenance and repair of the terminal's container handling equipment, according to the indictment. He is a member of the International Longshoremen's Association.

Officials said Moe was arrested Thursday morning, and a U.S. magistrate judge released him on a $250,000 unsecured bond.

Each criminal count carries the potential for five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the acting U.S. attorney.

Reached by phone, an attorney for Moe said the foreman's agreement with the terminal does not require him to work 40 hours a week, but says he is always on call, except for a few weeks of vacation each year.

"He has not engaged in any fraud whatsoever," Gerald McMahon, the attorney, said. "It's typical management getting the prosecutor's office to do their bidding and to try to intimidate the union (the International Longshoremen's Association)."

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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NEWARK -- A Rockland County, N.Y. man previously convicted of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old was sentenced Thursday to more than a year in prison for groping a woman on a Newark-bound flight.

Yoel Oberlander, 36, of Monsey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in March to a charge of assault with intent to commit stalking. Salas on Thursday sentenced Oberlander to 13 months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Oberlander was charged by the FBI in June 2016 after investigators said he repeatedly touched the breast and thigh of a fellow passenger on his May 29 El Al flight from Tel Aviv. The woman later switched seats and reported the incident to the flight crew, according to court filings.

In 2002, Oberlander pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree sexual assault in connection with the 11-year-old victim, who court filings state was a stranger he picked up in his car. He was subsequently registered as a sex offender with the state of New York.

Salas in January granted a motion by prosecutors to admit evidence of the prior conviction, but Oberlander pleaded guilty before the case went to trial, records show.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK-- A woman who was found with an 8-year-old who had been missing throughout the day Sunday has been charged in connection with the incident, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

Rochelle Baskins (Newark police)

The girl, Nevaeh Blaine, disappeared from the Bradley Court Housing Community shortly before 10 a.m., touching off a frantic search by ground and air.

She was found at Penn Station that night in the company of a woman Mayor Ras Baraka identified as a "family friend".

The woman, Rochelle Baskins, a 51-year-old city resident, has now been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, police said.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- New Jersey became the third state in the nation to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21, Gov. Chris Christie announced Friday, saying, "no one should lose their life due to any addictive substance."

New Jersey already had banned tobacco sales to anyone under 19. But the bill's advocates pushed for a higher age pointing to studies that show youth who don't take up smoking into their early 20s will never make it a habit.

Echoing his often-used theme of breaking the cycle of addiction, the governor issued a statement saying the time had come to protect young New Jerseyans by "giving young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be and that it is better to not start smoking in the first place."

"My mother died from the effects of smoking, and no one should lose their life due to any addictive substance," Christie added. "Additionally, the less people who develop costly tobacco habits that can cause health problems, such as lung cancer, heart disease and developmental issues, the less strain there will be on our healthcare system."

The law also applies to electronic smoking devices, according to the legislation, (S359). Vendors who violate the law would face a maximum fine of $1,000.

The Christie administration has taken considerable criticism for cutting state funding for smoking cessation programs and vetoing the same bill in January 2016. In the budget approved early this month, the Christie administration is spending $686,000 in state funds for smoking cessation and research efforts.

Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), one of the bill's prime sponsors, said he was pleasantly surprised Christie had signed the bill, which he had first sponsored in 2013.

"Finally after all these years we found something we agree on. I'm feeling the love from the Gov," he said. "I'm excited for it, for the lives we save moving forward."

New Jersey joins California and Hawaii in raising the age of tobacco and e-cigarette sales to 21.

Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), also a sponsor, noted the federal government estimates that 700 children under the age of 18 become regular smokers each day, and almost one-third will die. "Making it harder to buy cigarettes by raising the age to legally purchase them in New Jersey will help prevent our youth from becoming lifelong smokers and suffering the long-term effects of the habit," he said.

Convenience stores and other retailers have fought the legislation's passage, arguing they would lose millions of dollars in sales.

An analysis by the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services showed as much as $16.2 million in sales tax would be lost by prohibiting 19-year-olds and 20-year-olds from buying tobacco and electronic cigarette products.

Retailers also said they would also lose additional sales of sandwiches, beverages and other items young smokers would buy while picking up a pack of cigarettes.

The law takes effect in November according to the legislation.

Karen Blumenfeld, executive director of Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy, the leading advocate for the change, predicted the smoking rate will decline among people of all ages.

"Smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death. By reducing access of tobacco products, fewer young people will start smoking and their quality of life will increase," she said. "Plus, state health-care costs related to smoking should decline."

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
KALISPELL  A year after they watched a ruthless and meth-fueled murder in the woods, two men were sentenced to the Montana State Prison.

The Flathead Beacon reports David Vincent Toman and Christopher Michael Hansen, who were convicted of accountability to deliberate homicide earlier this year, were sentenced simultaneously Thursday during a hearing in Flathead County District Court.

Toman was sentenced to 30 years in prison with 15 years suspended and credit for 401 days served in jail. Hansen was sentenced to 50 years in prison with credit for 402 days served.

The sentencing came a year after Robert Wittal stabbed Wade Allen Rautio more than two dozen times over an alleged drug debt. Wittal was convicted of deliberate homicide at trial and was sentenced to 100 years in prison.

Associated Press
DECATUR  Archer Daniels Midland Co. is laying off an unspecified number of workers, the company confirmed Thursday.

The Chicago-based global agribusiness giant, which has its North American headquarters and more than 4,000 employees in Decatur, said affected workers were being notified of reductions of certain positions.

The company in a statement to the Herald & Review on Thursday evening did not say what category of workers would be affected or where they were located.

This is part of an effort to ensure we have the right resources in the right places and continue to be an agile and streamlined organization focused on growth, said ADM spokesman Colin McBean. Our priority during this process is the respect and care of our employees and, therefore, we are not sharing any additional details at this time.

ADM, which moved its global headquarters from Decatur to Chicago in 2014, has approximately 32,000 employees in 160 countries. It is by far the largest employer in Decatur, according to the city of Decatur's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which noted 4,199 jobs at the end of 2016.

The company, one of the largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers in the world, reported net sales $62.3 billion last year.

News of the layoffs comes on the heels of ADM's first-quarter results, announced in May, which reported revenue of $14.99 billion, which missed Wall Street expectations of $15.15 billion. Earnings per share of 60 cents also missed Street estimates by a penny.

Industry analysts had said at the time that ADM was being battered by huge harvests from around the world that were making it harder for its grain trading business to score profits. Savvy farmers were also upping their own grain storage capacity, making them less reliant on elevators operated by ADM.

ADM Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano struck an upbeat note as he addressed shareholders, however. He talked of taking decisive action to pull the levers under our control to shore-up the company's prospects. Those levers included cutting $300 million in costs, pulling $540 million in revenues from investments and selling assets valued at $700 million.

Luciano also said he foresaw a strong recovery in 2017 despite the lingering tough conditions in the grain industry.

ADM shares closed Thursday at $41.42, up 14 cents or 0.34 percent.

In January, ADM announced the sale of its Crop Risk Services business. The $127.5 million sale to Bermuda-based Validus Holdings was not expected to result in layoffs in Decatur as Crop Risk Services changed ownership, ADM spokeswoman Jackie Anderson said at the time.
DECATUR  The Children's Museum of Illinois will expand next summer with a two-story exhibit focused on law enforcement, funded by a $3 million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, museum officials announced Thursday.

The 7,000-square-foot expansion will be called "Heroes Hall," Executive Director Amber Kaylor said.

We came up with the idea, put together a proposal specifically to the Buffett Foundation and Mr. Buffett was generous in donating the $3 million to make it happen, Kaylor said.

Kaylor said the idea came from a conversation with her husband Bryan Kaylor, a 19-year veteran of the Decatur Police Department.

It was just a random conversation we had when I first came director, and that planted the seed, said Amber Kaylor, who became museum director Aug. 1, 2016. It just grew from there, and our dedicated staff put it together.

Kaylor said she and the staff decided to aim big, and was thankful Buffett agreed to the proposal.

We didnt want to do it halfway, Kaylor said. Were an educational facility first and foremost, and this is an opportunity to educate on an even greater scale. Were not only educating on the mechanics of law enforcement, but on the dedication to community and what it means to have that dedication.

The addition will contain permanent interactive exhibits focused on highlighting the importance of law enforcement.

Theyll show what law enforcement does for the community and why its a profession to be looked up to and why the police are people you go to when you need help, Kaylor said. Therell also be programming opportunities where law enforcement comes in and interacts with children.

The Buffett Foundation has made a number of large donations in recent years aimed at supporting law enforcement and increasing quality of life in the Decatur area.

Buffett has served as an auxiliary deputy for the Macon County Sheriffs Office since 2012. His foundation has provided several grants to fund equipment and positions for the office. Most recently, Buffett donated $350,000 in May for training firearms, radios and five police vehicles.

Last fall, the foundation began construction on a $15 million law enforcement training facility on Decatur's south side. Slated to open later this year, the center will host new recruits from throughout the state and provide advanced training for police chiefs and command officers. It will be owned by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Several of Buffett's recent gifts have also benefited the Decatur Park District. In October, he said the foundation would cover the $3.9 million cost of building a new amphitheater in Nelson Park, a key part of the long-term plan to develop more recreation opportunities near Lake Decatur.

At the same time, Buffett said he would contribute $2 million to extend the train at Scovill Zoo to wrap around the Childrens Museum. That announcement came on the heels of the July opening of a sculpture park between the zoo and museum, which was also funded by a $250,000 grant from the Buffett Foundation.

The foundation's recent gifts have extended to other areas of the community, too. It funded a new downtown headquarters for the United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois, which opened in February. Starting in January, it also paid to bring a 2-1-1- telephone information and referral service to Macon, DeWitt and Moultrie counties for the next decade.

In a statement Thursday, Buffett described the Children's Museum as a community asset and great place for families.

Less visible is the role local law enforcement agencies play every day to keep our communities safe, he said. Our hope is this new exhibit enhances this valuable community asset while bringing much needed recognition to the individuals and organizations that make the quality of life here in Macon County so high.

In addition, the Childrens Museum of Illinois is expanding partnerships with the Macon County Sheriffs Office, Decatur Police Department and Decatur Park Police to create programming which will build relationships between children, parents, and local law enforcement officers.

Its going to really enhance that park and add attendance in that park, said Bill Clevenger, park district Executive Director. I cant say thanks enough to Howard Buffett.

Decatur Police Deputy Chief Jason Walker, Sheriffs Lt. Tony Brown and Park Police Chief Ed Culp all spoke during the announcement at the museum Thursday, among other city and park district leaders.

Ive had the distinct honor of serving the community I was born and raised in for the last 27 years, Culp said. Through that time, law enforcement has been perceived by the public nationally in a positive and negative tone. However, here in Decatur/Macon County I have been proud to serve with some of the finest men and women in law enforcement to ever wear the badge.

Their positive impact on our community is reflected in the addition being brought to our children, by the Childrens Museum of Illinois and The Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
BLOOMINGTON  With the first day of classes approaching, Gov. Bruce Rauner has set a deadline for lawmakers to send him a bill that would fund schools.

The Republican governor said he must have the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act, the public school funding bill also known as SB1, at his desk by noon Monday or else he would bring lawmakers back to Springfield for a special session.

If I dont see that bill by Monday, Ill call for special session and demand they come to Springfield and do their jobs every day until we have school funding done, Rauner told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph on Friday.

SB1 includes a new evidence-based school funding formula that will divvy up the extra $350 million slotted for K-12 public schools in the recently passed $36.5 billion state budget.

But districts will not receive any money until the bill is passed.

The governor previously has said he approves of 90 percent of the bill. But during a stop at Mount Zion Junior High School on July 10, he said he plans an amendatory veto to the part that uses state money to pay part of pensions for Chicago school employees, calling it a bailout for the Chicago Public School system.

Supporters say the measure is simply putting Chicago in line with the rest of Illinois schools, as Chicago Public Schools district is the only one in the state that pays its own pensions.

If a special session is called Monday, Rauner said he hopes to see the amendatory veto upheld by lawmakers.

As part of the reform, Ill have Chicagos pensions treated like the rest of the state. But they shouldn't hold up a pension bailout on the backs of school children and teachers, Rauner said.

Under Senate Bill 1, area school districts would receive more funding. Rauner is touting the amount he says various school districts would gain under his plan.

For example, during his Mount Zion stop, he said the Mount Zion School District would receive an additional $230,000 on top of the $192,699 gain it would receive under the bill as written. Decatur would receive an additional $1.6 million per year on top of the $2.7 million it would already gain under the legislation, according to a website created by the governor's office.

When pressed on how he came up with the additional funding figures with the amendatory veto, Rauner said Friday that they came from his administration, in conjunction with legislators and school officials.

The governor marked July 31 as the deadline to finalize the bill. The Illinois State Board of Education said the funding plan must be approved by Aug. 3 for schools to receive payments on time.

Im going to call for special session every day if needed. Theres no reason this cant be done by July 31. That gives us enough time to process checks and do whats right, Rauner said.

SB1 was approved 60-52 in the House and 35-22 in the Senate, both below the three-fifths majorities necessary to override any veto. Despite final approval on May 31, Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, used a procedural move to hold the bill without sending it to the governor.

Rauner criticized the delay as an attempt by Democrats to hold school funding hostage to secure money for the Chicago teacher pension fund, while Democrats say it is in order to create a cool down period and prevent a hasty veto.

In a statement Friday afternoon, Senate President John Cullerton said Rauner should call a leaders meeting instead of a special session to save money and go over the details of the governors plan.

Education advocates and school leaders across our state support Senate Bill 1, Cullerton said. They know what it does. What no one knows is what Gov. Rauners plan would do.

In a statement released shortly after Rauner's news conference, state Sen. Andy Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat who has spearheaded SB1 and the need to change how Illinois funds its schools, criticized the fact that Rauner has not laid out the language of his amendatory veto, nor attempted to meet with lawmakers to express his concerns with the bill.

Bruce Rauner wants to be known as the education governor, Manar said. He promised to overhaul the states worst-in-the-nation funding system. Senate Bill 1 gives the governor the chance to honor his promise and be the governor he wants to be. When that reality finally sinks in on Gov. Rauner, we will send him Senate Bill 1 and look forward to the signing ceremony.

The political games have school officials like Kathy Horath desperate for SB1 to be signed into law.

They need to do their duty and get together to find out where their differences are, instead of pointing fingers and holding press conferences against each other, said Horath, executive director of the Macon-Piatt Special Education District.

While the governor has aimed his dislike of the bill toward money that goes to Chicago, Horath said the city where nearly 20 percent of K-12 student in Illinois live are not getting more than downstate students.

You have to look at the bigger picture, and honestly Senate Bill 1 is the fairer package, she said.
Welcome to nonleaguedaily.coms news provision, your go-to source for all non league updates, rumours, interviews, and much more besides.

Founded by a team with a genuine passion for the world of non league football, nonleaguedaily.com understands exactly what supporters of the so-called lower leagues are looking for. You want the high-quality reporting, in-depth analysis, and match reporting that matches that is more commonly found in the journalism for the top flights, but with the focus firmly fixed on the national leagues.

We understand that your passion, interest, and dedication is constant, and we believe you need a news service that matches that commitment with its own dedication and thoroughness  so thats what you can expect from our site.

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Conventionally, non league news has always travelled fairly slowly, especially when compared to the instantaneous, constant breaking news cycles found in the upper leagues. Tales are told on terraces, rumours passed between pub patrons and circled between supporters at the latest game, often forced to remain somewhat local initially before word eventually spreads to other locales.

For us, this slow spread may be fairly organic in nature, but it simply isnt compatible with the modern football environment. Its also not conducive to the current fast-paced, always-available media landscape, nor the way that people tend to consume news nowadays. Thats why we have put together a non league news source that fans can turn to for the latest updates, as and when they happen, and as and when you want to read them. Non-league news now is the only acceptable speed at Betting.co.uk.

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When compiling non league news, we think with the mind of a fan first and foremost. We cover the angles and stories that we find compelling and that we know our fellow non league enthusiasts also care about. News doesnt have to be dry and formulaic, in our opinion. When its written by people who are genuinely as fascinated by the stories they are reporting on as their readership will be, we believe news can be interesting, compelling, and even have a sense of personality and humour.

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She emptied her revolver into the elk and laid him low at her horses feet, a Massachusetts newspaper described how an Iowa woman named Maggie Foreman brought down the king of the mountains.

It was the summer of 1879 and Maggie, a Chariton, resident was visiting her sister and brother-in-law, Jim Adams, in Hot Springs, Wyoming, where Adams made his living as a hunter and scout.

Another scout had come from Fort Steele carrying dispatches for a survey party in the Medicine Bow Mountains.

When Jim was invited to join the scout for a few miles just to chat, he couldnt turn down the offer.

He decided to ride his bronco for the short jaunt, leaving his favorite horse, Billy, back at the camp with his wife, sister-in-law and the rest of their group of visitors.

Maggie had her eye on the handsome horse Jim had left behind and expressed her desire to go for a ride. Her sister said she had often taken a gallop on Billy and that he was perfectly safe.

The horse was saddled up and Maggie mounted. All was fine as Maggie rode around the camp site. Suddenly, everything changed.

In the distance, Jim Adams appeared, in pursuit of a black elk. Having hit the animal with one bullet, Jim tried to overtake his prey. But his bronco was no match for the elk that showed no signs of injuries. However, Billy eagerly joined the chase  with Maggie clinging to his back. As the chase headed to the mouth of a canyon, everyone in the camp feared for Maggie.

Several men hitched a wagon and prepared to go after her. Until they saw Maggie aim a Colt revolver at the elk and shoot.

It soon became apparent she was after the meat, as The New York Times reported. With four shots, Maggie accomplished her goal. The mighty elk lay on the ground.

When the group arrived at the scene, they found Adams sitting on the body of the fallen monarch of the mountain. Maggie, flushed and triumphant, stood nearby as the group showered her with praise.

These Iowa girls are business every time, Jim said. Im from Iowa myself, and I know a few of em. But he couldnt let Maggie take all the credit.

She cant pack off all the praise, for there aint another horse in the mountains could have hugged up to that elk like Billy did.

It was estimated the elk weighed between 900 and 1,000 pounds.
DECATUR  As Julia Taraszewski shot her rocket into the sky, it was the culmination of 11 years of 4-H projects and experiences. The rocket is advanced: It spins, it has two parts that detach and does all kinds of things, she said.

The rocket performed well, and the judges were pleased. Taraszewski pointed out a small spot from where it came down too hard on the concrete. But she wasnt worried about it; some tape would fix it right up.

Taraszewski, 19, is the last of her family to participate in the Macon County 4-H program, which hosted its annual showcase this week at Richland Community College. Thursday was the culmination of many hours of work, standing before judges and awaiting the evening awards ceremony.

She started as soon as she was able at 8 years old. As of this year, she completed a project in every category offered in 4-H, more than 300 projects over her career.

Its quite an accomplishment, said Samantha Rusk, program coordinator, 4-H and youth development.

The Taraszewski family has been involved in Macon County 4-H for more than 20 years, and the mom Stephanie Taraszewski said the program has been wonderful for her children.

There are so many opportunities in 4-H; its not just about horses or just about beef, or just about crops, she said.

About 100 kids are participating in this years 4-H showcase, Rusk said. They are presenting more than 400 projects. She said 20 to 30 more kids participate in livestock showing throughout the summer.

Macon County 4-H reaches almost 4,000 children every year through various events, Rusk said. There are 20 4-H clubs in the county that meet regularly.

Rusks favorite part is watching kids improve and become examples for younger children as they grow up. Each project earns a ribbon, and some projects go on to the Illinois State Fair in August.

But most importantly, Rusk said, the kids learn something new, and then they share their knowledge.

Everything we do is from a positive standpoint. Its all about encouragement and constructive criticism, Rusk said.

Megan Kershner, an 11-year member, highlighted some family history as a project. She took her grandmothers sewing machine stand, fixed it and painted it so it looks new.

I was told that I am just like her, and I look like her, she said. I thought this could be something I could have that was hers.

From the beginning of the showcase, to the end, Kershner, helps makes sure it runs smoothly. Rusk called her a rock star and a huge help. A recent graduate of St. Teresa High School, Kershner will attend Illinois State University in the fall.

My friends ask, what is 4-H, and Im like You guys, 4-H is awesome, I love 4-H so much, she said. I love all the people, and Ive made so many friends.

There is competition, but it isnt cutthroat, Kershner said.

I see Julia (Taraszewski) every year at the poultry show, and our ducks always compete against each other, but if she wins its no big deal, Kershner said. We are all very respectful and supportive. Were not mad if somebody else wins.

Ive made 4-H a sport, Taraszewski said. And when she attends Millikin University in the fall to study to be a veterinarian, she will still wear her 4-H jacket, with a green middle and white leather sleeves, in honor of her time in the club.

Im really sad, she said. I will probably cry later, or next week, when I sit around, looking at all the ribbons Ive got over the years.

Kershner and Taraszewski both said they have learned so much and feel much more comfortable talking to people and presenting their ideas.

I learned so much when I was little, she said. Theres just really something for everyone.

The two may not experience competing in 4-H anymore, of staying up late, finishing projects and getting judged along with their peers, but they will stay involved with the program.

Rusk said she will miss Taraszewski and Kershner. She is proud of the pair and knows they will volunteer in the future.

They are good examples, she said, of what the program hopes to accomplish: "Growing tomorrow's leaders.
DALTON CITY  One man was killed in a crash involving a train and a tractor that was pulling a crop sprayer about a mile south of Dalton City, the Sangamon County Coroner's Office confirmed.

Robert D. Day, 41, of Hammond was pronounced dead at 8:28 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield after being transported from the scene of an accident, Coroner Cinda Edward said in a news release.

Multiple crews, including the Moultrie County Sheriff's Office, Bethany Fire Department and Dora Township Fire Department, responded to the crash about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, according to news release from the sheriff's office. The tractor was traveling east on 2000 North Moultrie County Road, the sheriff's office said, and was struck by the train as it traveled north.

The sheriff's office said the crash caused a large fire, and the driver of the tractor was trapped under his vehicle. Firefighters put out the fire before it reached the driver, and freed him from the wreckage.

Crews also had to put out a fire on the engine, which came to a stop about a quarter mile north of the collision.

No crew members on the train were injured, and several firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, the sheriff's office said.

First responders from Mount Zion Fire Fire Protection District, Sullivan Fire Department, Bethany Police Department and Illinois State Police assisted at the scene.

The crash remained under investigation by the sheriff's office.
HOLDREGE  Rural Nebraska artists who want to show and sell their paintings, sculptures, drawings or photographs are encouraged to submit work samples by Aug. 1 to the Nebraska Rural Living Online Art Gallery.

Art submissions are juried by a professional sculptor, painter and photographer who also live in rural Nebraska, and chosen artists will gain a storefront on the Nebraska Rural Living online art gallery where they can promote, display and sell their art.

The online gallery launched one year ago, and now 21 artists are promoting their art to thousands of Nebraska Rural Living readers around the world at nebraskaruralliving.com/art-gallery. Artists have also benefited from more opportunities to share their work at public events through their selection into the gallery.

The Nebraska Rural Living online artist submission form is also available in Spanish (online) to encourage a culturally diverse group of artists to submit their work.

The goal of the gallery is to give artists a platform to share and sell their art while increasing knowledge and appreciation of life in rural Nebraska.

Art will be accepted throughout the year for future consideration in the gallery. Submissions will be juried each quarter with the following deadlines: Aug. 1, Nov. 1, Feb. 1 and May 1. New artists will be added each quarter if selected.

To submit art for review, artists must have a Nebraska address in a rural town with a population of 10,000 or less. Artists must also have a website so that patrons can purchase their work if they are chosen for the gallery. Four types of art can be submitted: paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs.

Nebraska Rural Living, founded in 2006, educates its more than 30,000 readers that rural Nebraska is vibrant and business-friendly with amenities that appeal to families, retirees, entrepreneurs and tourists.

The Nebraska Rural Living Fine Art in Towns Under 10,000 Gallery is funded with the support of the Phelps County Community Foundation, the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Great Western Bank and private donors.

For more information, contact gallery coordinator Kristine Jacobson at krjacobson@nebraskaruralliving.com or 308-995-5561.
Sunday, July 16

A sizzling week starts with storms

A funnel cloud was spotted along the Macon County-DeWitt County border south of Clinton as a strong storm system moved through the region. Downed trees and flooding also were reported.

The storm started a week that include high temperatures, with heat index values surging past 100 degrees. The National Weather Service put an Excessive Heat Warning in place through Saturday.

More mild temperatures are expected this week, with highs in the mid-80s.

Monday, July 17

Hometown honors military member

Flags lined streets and hundreds turned out in Assumption to honor Capt. Joe Smith, who was shot down and killed in April 1971 over Cambodia. He was 25. His remains were found in 2016.

A funeral mass was at St. Marys Catholic Church in Assumption, with burial at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery.

The price that our freedom demanded didn't allow you to come back, said Smiths former wife, Elaine Mills, who has since remarried. We pray for peace ... welcome home, Joe, welcome home.

Tuesday, July 18

Racist graffiti found

Authorities are investigating racial slurs painted on the Rock Springs Conservation Area trail in Decatur.

The Decatur Park District painted over the graffiti, which appeared on support columns for a large pipe.

Its unclear when the vandalism took place. The site is near Fairview Park.

"We strive daily to provide a great quality of life, and we don't want ignorance being visual to the park. It's not who we are," said Park District Police Chief Ed Culp.

Wednesday, July 19

Mattoon cold case seeking leads

The Coles County Sheriff's Office is seeking information about a cold case dating to 1974.

Linda Shriver, 23, of Mattoon, was abducted and strangled.

The investigation was reopened as cold cases are being reviewed by the department.

Lt. Christina Stephen said investigators will re-interview everyone who was questioned at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to call (217) 348-7332.

Thursday, July 20

Childrens Museum to expand

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation is donating $3 million to the Children's Museum of Illinois for a new exhibit on public safety officers.

Heroes Hall is planned as a 7,000-square-foot expansion to the South Country Club Road building, which opened in 1995.

Buffett, the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, is a former executive for Archer Daniels Midland Co. who has provided funding for numerous projects in the Decatur area. He also has been an auxiliary deputy for the Macon County Sheriffs Office.

Friday, July 21

Rauner: Give me school funding bill
Walgreens is closing another Northwest Indiana pharmacy, shuttering the store at 1605 E 37th Ave. at the southeast corner of Highway 51 and Highway 6 in Hobart.

"This Walgreens will be permanently closing on July 27, 2017," a voicemail recording said. "You prescription will be available at any other Walgreens."

A company spokesman did not return messages.

Hobart has another Walgreens at 742 Old Ridge Road, and is also served by Fagan Pharmacy and CVS.

It's the latest in a slew of Walgreens closures in the Calumet Region. The Deerfield, Illinois-based pharmacy chain, which is the second largest in the country after CVS, shuttered its State Line Road store in Calumet City and three of its four Gary locations in recent years. Community activists rallied against the June closure of the Walgreens on Lake Street, which had been a go-to shopping destination for Gary's Miller and Aetna neighborhoods.

Walgreens had operated a pharmacy there for 10 years.

Last month, Phil Caruso, Walgreens media relations manager, said the company, which recently gave up on a proposed merger with Rite Aid, was shuttering 75 stores nationally this summer.
CROWN POINT  The Lake County Police Merit Board has suspended one county police officer accused of rape and must decide next month whether to terminate another county officer accused of a hit-and-run traffic accident.

The five-member board, which oversees disciplinary matters for the Lake County Sheriff's Department voted Thursday to suspend Nicholas "Nick" Medrano without pay, John Bushemi, an attorney for the Sheriff's Department, said.

A Lake County grand jury indicted Medrano, 34, of Crown Point, last month on charges of rape, attempted rape, sexual battery and confinement.

The indictment alleges Medrano knowingly or intentionally had sexual intercourse with a co-worker between Jan. 10, 2013, and June 30, 2014. He is pleading not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Bushemi said Sheriff John Buncich suspended Medrano's police powers immediately after the indictment was returned.

The sheriff is seeking Medrano's termination, but no action was taken because Medrano wasn't represented by an attorney. That matter is continued to the board's Aug. 17 hearing.

The merit board also voted Thursday that the sheriff has successfully proven misconduct charges against Lt. Guy Mikulich, who now faces termination as early as the board's Aug. 17 hearing.

Mikulich, 37, of Merrillville, has been suspended without pay since his arrest last year. He faces both misconduct charges before the merit board and criminal charges in Lake Criminal Court.

State police allege Mikulich was driving intoxicated July 10, 2016, in an unmarked Sheriff's Department squad car while on duty at the Gary Air Show.

Police said Mikulich struck and severely injured a pedestrian, Derrick Dircks of Frankfort, Illinois. Gary police stopped Mikulich about a mile and a half from the accident scene. He is accused of having a blood alcohol content of 0.15, nearly double the legal limit.

Bushemi said Mikulich declined to answer the sheriff's disciplinary charges at an earlier merit board evidentiary hearing on Fifth Amendment grounds to avoid self-incrimination.

Bushemi said while the merit board has found Mikulich guilty of misconduct, board members won't impose punishment until their Aug. 17 hearing when Mikulich and his attorneys can present arguments in his defense.

Mikulich's attorneys have offered an insanity defense to the criminal charges. Court-appointed doctors are set to examine Mikulich and report their findings to Lake Criminal Court Judge Clarence Murray. No trial date has been set in that matter.
VALPARAISO  The mother of a 20-month-old girl and her fiance were charged with the Friday death of the baby and injuries to two other children in their Portage home.

Gary Hanney, 29, reportedly told police the baby fell from a bed Tuesday night at the Camelot Manor Estates mobile home park after Hanney "plopped" down on the mattress. He said the baby was not crying when he picked her up and that she was looking at him.

Hanney said that 30 to 45 minutes before he called 911 for help, the baby began "breathing weird, with shallow breaths and only breathing every 20 seconds," according to charging information. He said the baby was unresponsive and "like a limp noodle" when he decided to call her mother and his fiancee, Tamika Conley, 23, who was at work.

Police said they were called to the residence at 10:30 p.m. and arrived to find medics working on the baby and two other children, ages 4 and 6, crying.

The baby was rushed to St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart where doctors found she had "multiple bruises on her body, and had no brain function," according to police. The baby's body temperature was 80 degrees and the doctor believed "the injuries occurred within a very short period of time prior to her breathing difficulties."

The baby was transported by helicopter to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis because of the serious nature of her injuries, police said.

She died shortly before 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Tammy Gregg.

Hanney initially said the only way the baby could have been injured was from the fall off the bed, according to police. But he added other potential explanations as the interview went on, including him holding the baby above his head by her arms and then by her chest, slapping her on the back and rubbing her eyes with his thumbs, all in order to wake her up, police said.

Hanney said that prior to calling Conley and after the baby began breathing only every 20 to 30 seconds, he used his phone to conduct an internet search for "ways to help her," according to charging information.

"Hanney also indicated that Conley was reluctant to call 911 immediately," according to charging information.

Hanney said Conley placed the baby in a cold shower in an attempt to revive her before agreeing to call 911 for help, police said.

Conley's other two children were also found to have multiple injuries each, including severe bruising, police said.

Police said the 4-year-old girl had bruising to her left eye, left cheek and left ear. The 6-year-old boy had bruising to his left eye, a broken blood vessel in his eye and "severe patterned bruising on his back."

"During the forensic interviews, both children stated that both mom and Hanney would hit them," police said.

Police said the family's residence was unclean, in poor condition and had drug paraphernalia in plain view. Conley reportedly told police Hanney had a heroin problem and smoked marijuana around her children while he watched them.

Hanney and Conley initially denied knowledge of the injuries to the two surviving children, but Hanney later said he struck both a week earlier, police said.

Conley faces charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, two lesser counts of neglect, two counts of battery and maintaining a common nuisance, Gregg said.

Hanney, is charged with aggravated battery resulting in death, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, three counts of battery and maintaining a common nuisance.

Gregg said additional or upgraded charges are possible pending autopsy results and a determination of the cause of death.

Conley and Hanney are scheduled to make an initial appearance on the charges Monday morning before Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa.
INDIANAPOLIS  Hoosiers have socked away more than $4 billion in the state's CollegeChoice 529 Savings Plan for the future educational needs of their children.

State Treasurer Kelly Mitchell announced Thursday that ongoing contributions by the 330,000 participants and recent investment returns helped push the plan's asset total over the $4 billion mark this week.

"As thousands of families across our state prepare to pay tuition bills for the fall semester, this milestone is a reminder that Hoosiers see the importance of saving for post-secondary education and the potential of using a tax-advantaged way to do so," said Mitchell, a Valparaiso University graduate.

Anyone can establish or contribute to a CollegeChoice 529 account online at collegechoicedirect.com.

Contributions of up to $14,000 a year and all investment returns are tax free, so long as the money is used to pay higher-education expenses, such as tuition, room and board, books, computers and fees.

Indiana residents also may qualify for a state income tax credit of up to $1,000 by contributing to a CollegeChoice 529 account.
The backlash against Big Wind continues. Indeed, entire states are now restricting or rejecting wind projects.

In April, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill putting an early end to lucrative tax credits Big Wind was collecting in the Sooner state. The move will save about $500 million in the next decade.

In May, the Tennessee Legislature passed a ban on new wind projects until July 2018. Legislators took action after Cumberland Mountains residents mounted furious objections to a proposed 23-turbine project that would have been built near the town of Crab Orchard.

On June 30, North Carolina passed a measure placing a moratorium on the development of new wind projects for 18 months. The move assures operations related to the states military bases are not impeded by 500- and 600-foot-high turbines.

To be sure, you wont read about this in the New York Times. Indeed, the paper of record hasnt published a single story on the fact three counties in western New York  Erie, Orleans and Niagara  as well as the towns of Yates and Somerset, are all fighting a proposed 200-megawatt project called Lighthouse Wind, which aims to put dozens of turbines on the shore of Lake Ontario.

The rural resistance to the land-devouring, subsidy-fueled sprawl of Big Wind doesnt fit the narrative  endlessly repeated by the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace and their myriad liberal allies  that wind energy is green. Nevertheless, the numbers tell the tale.

Since 2015, about 170 government entities from Maine to California have moved to reject or restrict wind projects. This year, 46 government entities have rejected or placed restrictions on Big Wind.

Whats driving the backlash? Simple: rural residents are protecting their property values and viewsheds. They dont want to see the red-blinking lights atop those massive turbines, all night, every night, for the rest of their lives. Nor do they want to be subjected to the noise.

The backlash is so fierce Big Wind has begun suing small towns to force them to accept wind projects. Since last October, NextEra Energy, the worlds biggest producer of wind energy, has filed lawsuits in federal and state courts against five rural governments, including the town of Hinton, Oklahoma, population 3,000. NextEra is funding its courthouse mugging of small-town America with your tax dollars. A recent report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that NextEra collected $7.8 billion in federal tax subsidies between 2008 and 2015, making it the 11th-most subsidized company in the country in that period.

The backlash isnt limited to the United States. In 2010, the European Platform Against Windfarms had about 400 members in 20 countries. Today, it has about 1,275 member organizations in 31 countries.

The backlash is happening offshore, too. In New York, the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and a boatload of fishermen and fishmongers have filed a federal lawsuit to prevent a wind project from being built on top of one of best squid and scallop fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard.

In short, Big Wind is facing a quandary: producing significantly more electricity from wind will require erecting more  and taller  turbines in rural areas. But as more turbines get built, and the taller those turbines get (the newest designs are more than 700 feet tall)  the more people will object.

The punchline here is obvious: in the name of climate change, environmental protection has been turned on its head. Rather than advocating for people, landscapes and wildlife, our biggest environmental groups are cheering all-renewable schemes that disregard all three.
NIPSCO is making a very poor choice installing LED street lights across its entire service area. These will have a sterile looking "cool-white" color temperature of 4,000 Kelvin.

Last year, the American Medical Association issued a warning that advises against the use of LED street lighting with a color temperature above 3,000 K because of health and environmental concerns.

Such lighting emits much higher levels of blue light than the older amber-colored, high-pressure sodium street lights. Bright blue-rich light at night is most disruptive to our ability to sleep because it more strongly suppresses our production of the hormone melatonin.

Blue rich lighting is harmful to the nocturnal behaviors of many species of wildlife, disrupting their sleeping, hunting, mating and migratory patterns necessary for survival. 4,000 K lighting also causes the worst sky-glow at night, making stars less visible for miles from a city or town.

I strongly urge NIPSCO to instead use warm colored LED lights that have a color temperature of 2,700 Kelvin or less for our health, environment and night sky. There is far more at stake here than money.

Jeremy Budrick, Michigan City
A suspected gunman was injured early Friday morning after being shot by police officers in Brooklyn.

It happened around 1:30 a.m. at the corner of Rochester Avenue and Stirling Place in Crown Heights.

Investigators say three plainclothes officers from the Brooklyn North Gang Unit heard reports of shots fired at the scene and arrived in an unmarked car.

There, they say they saw a man being chased by a 20-year-old man firing a gun.

"The officers exited their vehicle, gave tactical commands of 'Police, don't move,' at which time those commands were ignored and the male continued to run towards them. A sergeant who was one of the men in the vehicle, one of the officers in the vehicle was a sergeant, he exited the vehicle at that point and discharged his weapon at least two times striking the male one time in the thigh," said NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn North Commanding Officer Jeffrey Maddrey.

After getting hit, they say the man threw away his gun and ran off, before collapsing less than a block away.

He was taken to to the hospital and is expected to survive.

A 25-caliber pistol was recovered at the scene.
There was a major White House shakeup Friday afternoon. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suddenly resigned over the hiring of a Trump confidante and New York businessman to be White House Communications Director. Washington bureau reporter Alberto Pimienta filed the following report.

Sean Spicer is out at the White House.

After reflection, my decision was, I recommended the president that I give Anthony and Sarah a clean slate to start from so they can talk about the president's agenda and move it forward," Spicer said.

Spicer will stay until the end of August, and the new press secretary will be Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Spicer quit after he learned there was a new boss: Republican donor and New York investor Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director.

According to the New York Times, Spicer told the president hiring Scaramucci was a mistake. But the new communications director says there's nothing to see here.

"I would love to have Sean here. Sean decided that he thought it would be better to go," Scaramucci said. "His attitude is, if Anthony is coming in, let me clear the slate for Anthony."

And to the critics who say he lacks formal communications experience, he says that's not fully accurate.

"I have a lot of communications experience. I've spent a lot of time in television. I've spent a lot of time shaping the message at my old firm," Scaramucci said. "There is a lot of stuff that I don't know, so I'm going to lean on Sarah and other people to help me the best I can possibly be."

Reportedly, there have been some tensions between the White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Scaramucci. The new communications director denies that.

"Reince and I have been personal friends for six years," Scaramucci said.

Spicer has not been at the White House podium for weeks, but his briefings were must-see television. Cable news networks would broadcast live the testy, combative exchanges he would have with journalists.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would crisscross the borough of Queens this week, and insisted he would not shy away from areas where he is not that popular. He kept his promise and held an event in Whitestone on Thursday afternoon, where he got an earful from an angry New Yorker. NY1 Political Reporter Grace Rauh filed the following report.

Queens is home to the some of the city's most conservative neighborhoods, and Whitestone is one of them.

Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared there Thursday afternoon to announce that the city is putting an additional $16 million into a program to smooth out uneven sidewalks caused by tree roots.

"We understand this is a pervasive concern for homeowners in Queens," de Blasio said. "Again, it's partly because Queens has the blessing of all these trees."

The only bumps on his stroll around a Queens home were on the ground below.

But as the mayor wrapped up his news conference, it was clear he had a problem:

"I want to know why you let your police officers down and our country down by going to Germany and protesting against our country!" Vickie Paladino yelled at de Blasio as he left the event.

Paladino, a longtime Whitestone resident, slammed the mayor for leaving the city for Germany this month just one day after a police officer was targeted and killed in the Bronx. The mayor skipped town to participate in a protest rally in Hamburg.

"This has got nothing to do with party lines," Paladino said to reporters after she yelled at de Blasio. "This has got all about to do with a liberal socialist mayor who is running our country  running our city  and has no regard for our country."

Earlier in the day, the mayor got a warmer reception in Floral Park, where he spoke about a property tax break awaiting Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature in Albany.

"We know that's going to make a huge difference for so many people," de Blasio said.

The mayor said his sidewalk program will make a difference, too, for some four thousand New Yorkers.

Fixing city sidewalks is the kind of local issues for which Queens Week seems tailored. Of course, not everything went according to plan Thursday.
NATOs core mandate remains the territorial integrity and defense of all of the allies, which is provided by something called Article 5the mutual defense clause of the treaty. That means that if one country in NATO is attacked, all the other countries should respond, though there is a lot of doubt about what the response would be if one of the NATO countries were attacked today. Its considered the most successful military alliance in history, but its more than just a military alliancein fact a lot of what it does it pretty mundane: standardizations of radio frequencies and bullets and interoperability and protocol and operations and procedure. Multinational organization can be very complex, especially when youre in a combat zone. As Wesley Clark, who commanded the Kosovo operation for NATO in 1999, said, the only thing worse than going to war with allies is going to war without allies.

President Trump and others have criticized European NATO members for not playing a larger role in the fight against terrorism. What else should they do?

The NATO allies were in Afghanistan for more than a decade to provide for the defense of NATO and the Hindu Kush, preventing terrorist activities that would develop there from affecting Western countries in Europe and the United States. The only time Article 5 has ever been invoked was after the September 11 attacks. NATO offered AWACS [Boeing airborne warning and control system aircraft] and intelligence and more, but the Bush administration said Thank you but no thank you. NATO also has an assistant secretary general for emerging challenges; theyve worked on counterterrorism strategies within the alliance, they have a terrorism intelligence cell, and they have trafficking and arms regulations in middle Europe and in the Caucasus, which helps prevent terrorism. So to say NATO has done nothing on terrorism is, I think, a pretty empty argument, although its also not the core of what NATO does. Counterterrorism operations are really the purview of security servicesintelligence services and signal services that pick up and interpret data and then devise a strategy. And then in domestic societies its really up to domestic intelligence servicesthe FBI, the judicial system, the policeto manage the security problems. So NATOs role could be bigger, but then it also steps on other peoples feet.

European NATO members have also been called out by President Trump for not contributing their fair share to the alliance. Is the United States is shouldering an outsized portion of the burden?

I think the debate here often focuses far too much on what Europeans arent doing, when actually they do massive amounts of peacekeeping, reconciliation, and stabilization work in Africa, Europe, and elsewhere that is hugely valuable to us. And there are far more commonalities between our societies than we have with most others. Theres a fair charge that Europeans have underinvested in military capabilities and development, but this is not a new issue. It became acute at the end of the Cold War, when lots of countriesincluding the United States under Bill Clintoncut way back on defense spending. This was discussed at the Wales Summit a few years back, where all the allies committed to have increased defense spending by 2024, aiming for 2 percent. Several allies have, and its only 2017. So to go on about this is kind of disingenuous. NATO is a political military organizationits not just about weaponization. Its primary job is a form of political discussion, decision-making, consensus, and capabilities development. Furthermore, the costs that we invest in NATO are relatively small compared to what costs would be to actually intervene in a European conflict if something were to break out and we had to bring military operations there. The whole point of the U.S. underwriting NATO from the get-go was the idea that it was better to do this than to have to fight another World War II-like conflict. If you think that the U.S. has a national interest in stability in Europe, then the investment is pretty minimal. Sure, NATO needs reform. It needs updating. Europeans do need to invest more, and it would be good if they did lead more in NATO. But do Germans really need to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense? Probably not. Id rather see a focus on abilities and deployability, and not just an arbitrary number.

Would there be a downside to the United States taking less of a leading role in NATO, and adopting a more isolationist stance regarding international relations in general?

I suppose it comes down to your world view and your belief about what sort of country you want. Since the end of the Second World War, the United States citizenry has supported, financially, through taxes, the maintenance of a liberal world order. Thats one thats tried to move away from total power politicssurvival of the fittest, where the strong do what they want and the weak suffer what they mustand toward a rules-based, international law-based system, with an economic foundation in free trade. In what is called the transatlantic bargain, the Europeans underwrote American economic hegemony in exchange for defense. It was about establishing a system of global governance, and avoiding conflict through negotiation and arbitration. That whole order is built on the U.S.-European consensus, which exists in NATO. And then that system becomes the foundation for what happened in Asia throughout the Cold War, and the development of the alliance with South Korea, the rehabilitation with Japan, and more. But lately it seems like the U.S. is no longer interested in investing financially, emotionally, and in terms of leadership with these transatlantic organizations. This problem with NATO and U.S. leadership doesn't start with President Trump. President Obama pursued, unfortunately, in my opinion, a relatively weak foreign policy that didn't provide much leadership. He had a lot of disdain for Europe and European Union meetings. He thought they were boring and a waste of time. He thought Europe was done and dusted. In the end, when you look at his presidency in 10 or 20 years, the Middle East was a mess when he came and it was a mess when he left. Asia was in flux when he came and was in flux when he left. Europe when he arrived was whole and free, Europe by the time he left had the largest territorial change to status quothe seizure of a massive chunk of real estate [in Ukraine] through forcesince 1939.

With Vladimir Putins recent actions in Eastern Europe, does it almost seem as though NATOs original purposedefense of Europe against Russiais newly relevant?

I do think that core mission very much remains. Astute observers of Russia would say that theres essentially a conflicting world vision between the Europeans and North Americans on the one hand, and Russia and other countriesChina, to some extent, and a variety of countries in the Middle Easton the other. There's a global vision based on the rule of law and universal human rights versus 19th-century balance of power politics. At times, the U.S. has definitely abused its dominant position in the world and done things that maybe don't mirror its ideals, but by and large, it's pretty well-regulated by the system it's created. Putin wants to break up the unity of Europe in the European Union, but he also wants to see a break up of Euro-Atlantic solidarity, whether thats through force or through propaganda. If you want to just have an idea of the possible consequences of that, Ukraine is a good example, with the cyber war and interfering in elections that Russia has been trying out there. I think America really needs to have a discussion about what kind of country we want to be and what kind of leadership we want. If it is a smaller role in the world, that's fine, but there will be consequences, and it'll mean that maybe different countries will become more prominent, and that their values become more embedded at a global level. It's a decision we need to make, but the disturbances around the last election havent helped us reach a consensus in the U.S.

NATO is almost 70 years old. Do you see it still existing 70 years from now?

How about seven years? Seventy years is a long way away. I hope so. I had an American childhood and young adulthood, spent my 20s and 30s in Europe, and now Im back hereso Im very cosmopolitan in outlook. I think the idea of a world government is too aspirational and not realistic, but I do believe that strong relations between North America and Europe are in our best interest. I was fortunate to be able to live and work in the European Union for many years, and I would love to see a free trade zone that allowed for easier movement of peoples in the region. Id love to see more economic integration and I would hope NATO would be the core of that. I hope that NATO doesnt ever have to declare Article 5 againbut then again, thats the whole point of it, right? We struggle with the question of how to run our societies at the international level, and theres no overarching authority, so unfortunately the resort to violence is always a possibility. And it sounds horrible to say this, but the best defense is a good offense.
Youth Power and the Power of Ideas by Swami Bhajananda

Youth is a period when young people have lots of questions, inner conflicts and encounter the harsh and real world. That is the period where they need guidance and inputs to approach various problems. This book provides inspiring, self-empowering, motivating, and life transforming ideas. The books will be of help to youth, youth counselors, teachers, mentors and social workers.

Goodbye to Negativity by Swami Gokulananda

Swami Gokulananda is a senior monk at the Ramakrishna Order. He has delivered lots of lectures on developing or building positive attitude towards life and environment. This book is a compilation of lectures and interviews on the subject of building positive attitude. This book will be of special help to counselors and teachers, to help guide students better.

Many Many Gods of Hinduism by Swami Achuthananda

This book is written in a casual style and helps build a deeper understanding of Hindus and Hinduism. The book covers a lots of myths and controversies that is rarely covered in other books. It questions the believers and builds the non-believers to religious fold.

Western Questions Eastern Answers: A Collection of Short Essays by Ashish Dalela

We have come across many questions and those questions answered differently. That is the case with Religion and Philosophy. We all know that Philosophy and Science from the east have always been practiced to change the way we live. The author has taken the practiced approach from East to try and answer questions from the west. More importantly, he has triggered the power of reasoning to see how many answers fit the same question and do they make sense today.

Uncommon Wisdom: Fault Lines in the Foundations of Atheism by Ashish Dalela

Because of misunderstanding of fundamental concepts of religion we have various versions of atheism. We get distracted by materialism, idealism, relativism, evolutionism and various isms. We always reduce ideas to physical matter or something close. The book looks at nature as not just material objects. Instead, its a structured tree of abstract ideas, and these ideas can only be conceived. Thinking of such ideas can only happen if we can get elevated to a higher plane, a plane different from the religion that we practice.

Various Instagram accounts

Including Omconnection (great explanations of rituals, deities, and Hindu way of life), Shiva_ganesha_krishna (beautiful photos of Hindu deities), Shivaconnection, Hindspiration, and Srinivasanveeraraghavan (rare photographs of temples, deities, artwork, etc.).

Chandrashekar Vellur, Senior Affiliate Chaplain, and Sangeetha Kowsik, Affiliate Chaplain
To ensure they are unquestionably strong, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank Ltd. and Westpac Banking Corp. will need Tier-1 capital ratios of at least 10.5 percent by Jan. 1, 2020, the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority said in a statement Wednesday.The average across the banks at the end of last year was 9.85 percent, according to Morgan Stanley calculations, putting the lenders within close reach of the new target.The new requirements look relatively benign, said Anthony Ip, a credit analyst at Citigroup Inc. The majors may well be able to meet the new requirements organically without equity raisings, assets sales or changes to dividends. ANZ Bank shares rose as much as 4.2 percent, the most in more than eight months, and Commonwealth Bank added 3.4 percent. National Australia Bank rallied as much as 3.7 percent and Westpac climbed as much as 4 percent.Adding to the sense of relief, APRA said in an accompanying information paper that likely subsequent changes necessitated by international agreements can be accommodated within this framework and will not necessitate further increases to requirements at a later date.Later this year, the regulator will outline how it intends to build on the revised Basel III framework to address the structural concentration of exposure to residential mortgages. The design of these measures will seek to target higher risk lending, it said.Home loans account for more than 60 percent of domestic bank lending in Australia and the regulator has grown concerned that existing capital rules dont reflect this concentration of lending and risk. Property prices in the countrys biggest cities have soared in recent years, stoking fears of a house price bubble.APRA said it expects the big four banks will have to increase capital ratios by about 100 basis points above their December 2016 levels. Smaller banks will see their minimum requirements increase by about 50 basis points. The new target will put Australias banks in the top 25 percent globally, APRA said.The major banks will probably end up with capital ratios around 10.75 percent to 11 percent because the regulator would expect them to operate above the 10.5 percent minimum, UBS Group AG analyst Jonathan Mott wrote in a note to clients.Commonwealth Bank faces a capital shortfall of A$2.6 billion ($2.1 billion) under the new guidelines, while National Australia Bank is A$1.9 billion short, according to Morgan Stanley analysis released before APRAs announcement. Westpac needs A$700 million of fresh capital, while ANZ Bank has a A$1.4 billion surplus, Morgan Stanley said.The decision to raise capital requirements is the latest element of regulatory efforts to ensure the countrys large lenders can weather any downturn, particularly in the property market. In 2015, the big banks collectively raised A$20 billion in new capital after the regulator increased the amount banks had to hold against potential home-loan losses. This year APRA has also introduced new restrictions to limit the proportion of new interest-only loans issued.APRAs objective in establishing unquestionably strong capital requirements is to establish a banking system that can readily withstand periods of adversity without jeopardizing its core function of financial intermediation for the Australian community, Chairman Wayne Byres said in a statement.The regulator will decide separately whether to introduce a new class of capital to absorb losses and avoid taxpayer-funded bailouts in the event of a repeat of the global financial crisis, as has been implemented in Europe and the U.S.APRA said it encourages lenders to consider raising their capital benchmarks more quickly than the formal deadline. All the banks said they were well placed to meet the new requirements.The lenders have been strengthening their capital positions ahead of the APRA announcement, mainly by shedding riskier assets, according to Deutsche Bank AG. The banks have given themselves a good head start, analyst Andrew Triggs wrote in a May 12 note.
The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up the topic of legislative redistricting, which on the surface might seem interesting only to policy wonks and editorial boards. But hear us out: A decision from the high court could cause waves in Illinois  and after what weve seen this session in Springfield, we hope it does.

After all, ours is a state in which gerrymandering is a time-honored partisan tradition, as evidenced by truly bizarre state House and Senate district lines. Many, especially in the Chicago area, resemble abstract artworks, with boundaries turning and twisting to accommodate communities, neighborhoods and blocks.

It looks like a mess, and theres a good reason for that. The state Legislature crafts the borders, pending gubernatorial approval, which means whatever political party is in control rewrites the map for both General Assembly and Congressional districts. By using data on voter turnout and who won, legislators can simply adjust here and there to benefit their party.

The handiwork is blatantly political  and perfectly OK under current rules.

For Illinois Democrats, and especially longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, the structure helps retain incredible power and majority control in the Legislature. Because fewer Republican residents translate into fewer Republicans running for office, some districts are almost untouchable  making for nearly guaranteed wins and essentially pointless general election contests. The infection is allowed to fester year after year, cycle after cycle.

Of course, this is not unique to Illinois or the Democratic Party. Theres whats known as the snake by the lake, the nickname for Ohios Ninth Congressional District from the Michigan state line to Cleveland hugging Lake Erie. In fact, the word gerrymandering dates all the way to 1812, referencing an oddly shaped district drawn by the Massachusetts governor at the time, Elbridge Gerry.

Across the country, it has become a politically charged ritual repeating every 10 years as new census data comes out. The controlling political party runs the show.

Have a community that votes reliably for our candidates? Shift the line a few miles to include them.

Got a district with a lot of support with the other party? Divide it into multiple districts and dilute their toehold.

Lets weigh this district differently so we can guarantee a win.

Swing districts are snipped. Landslides are more common. Gridlock and lethargy take hold. Career politicians settle in.

If it seems like such a system is profoundly rigged, youre right. At minimum, its undemocratic. At the worst, its biased and stifles opposing views.

Fast-forward to today and the Supreme Court case to be taken up in the fall involves Wisconsin, where the GOP-controlled Legislature reconfigured maps to ensure majority in the Assembly and congressional delegation. To critics, the arrangement means elected officials are essentially limiting the say of those whose political beliefs differ from theirs, testing the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

This is a murky legal area, and the Supreme Court has resisted creating limits on how legislative districts are figured.

However, a required change from the high court may be the only way deeply entrenched Illinois politicians will reform the election process. Last year, the state Supreme Court rejected a ballot proposal to let voters change the system. A federal court in 2011 denied a GOP challenge to Democrats redrawing Congressional boundaries.

Other calls for reform have stalled in part because any changes would have to be approved by the very lawmakers who benefit from the system. GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner has confronted this same roadblock as hes pushed for term limits, another cause of endless dysfunction in Springfield.

This issue is especially important because the states continued population loss  about 37,000 in 2016 alone  will likely mean more substantial changes to maps when 2020 census data arrives.

Short of a Supreme Court mandate, an equitable solution to unfair legislative districts is to have maps drawn by an independent commission or based completely on census data. Diluting voter representation causes irreparable harm and is directly tied to the deep political divisions that make passing even a budget a major hurdle in our state. A larger array of political ideas and a more accurate voice of the people in decision-making is always better.

Well be watching the Supreme Court case closely.
Shoppers in Alabama can get an early start this weekend in preparing for the start of school with the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday that began Friday.

Alabamas 12th annual back-to-school sales tax holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday until midnight on Sunday.

For the first time, the state moved the holiday up to July instead of the first weekend in August.

It was changed because the Legislature passed a bill during the past session officially moving it from August to the third weekend in July to ensure that its always before the first day of school, said Melissa Warnke, spokeswoman for Alabama Retail Association.

There are over 318 cities and counties participating in the holiday, according to Warnke.

Items exempt from state and city sales tax fall into three major categories:

 Clothing  All apparel suitable for a person's general use is exempt unless it otherwise appears on the taxable list; clothing items must cost $100 or less per article of clothing to be exempt.

 Computers, computer software and school computer supplies  A single purchase with a sales price of $750 or less will be exempt. Exempt items include computers, computer software and any item commonly used by a student in a course of study in which a computer is used.

 School supplies  Any items costing $50 or less per item commonly used by a student in a course of study will be exempt. Supplies may include art supplies, reference maps and globes, textbooks on an official school book list with a sales price of more than $30 but less than $50, and books with a sales price of $30 or less per book.

The associations theme this year is New Date, Same Savings.

So the big push for us this year is just making sure that parents and teachers and anyone else who is doing back to school shopping knows that is in July rather than August of this year, Warnke said. We always encourage people to try their best to shop with retailers in their own community when theyre doing their shopping, particularly for big shopping events like the back to school season.

Shopping local in Opelika and Auburn

Warnke said the associations overarching theme is to shop local.

We want to encourage people to think about the value of their dollar and so when they shop with a local retailer, the local retailer is reinvesting that money back in your community, Warnke said.

Opelika Chamber of Commerce President Pam Powers-Smith said the holiday is beneficial for local businesses.

I think its a win-win situation for everyone, Powers-Smith said. Our local stores are getting business while the customers receive a benefit. Im glad our state utilizes this program.

Apparel that will be for sale at the Barbasol Tournament this weekend will be exempt from state and city sales tax.

In Auburn, Wrapsody co-owner Sarah Brown said she is "thrilled" the tax-free weekend is earlier this year than it has been previously.

"It will be a really busy weekend," said Brown, who said sales and foot traffic on tax-free weekend are exponentially higher than a normal weekend. "People will be shopping and thinking about going back to school. It's soon enough that I think a lot of people will want to get it done."

In addition to customers not having to pay tax, many stores have scheduled sales for this weekend. Wrapsody customers can expect 20 percent off all merchandise both Friday and Saturday, Brown said. The store is closed on Sundays.

Brown said she expects Vera Bradley lunchboxes to be the boutique's top seller for back to school, as well as locker decals, shoes and clothing.

"People will really try to take advantage of it being tax-free weekend," she added.

For more information on the holiday, go to www.alabamaretail.org/salestaxholidays and click on Back to School.
Theres no doubt that Wade Seago shot an enormous hog outside his home last week, but whether the hog was wild is debatable.

Wild hogs are common in south Alabama and cause various problems and occasional dangers for humans.

Trish Garcia, a Geneva County resident, said the 820-pound hog shot by Seago last week had escaped from her home only a few days before.

Garcia said she had borrowed the hog from other breeders to breed with her hogs. He escaped a pen when Garcia and her family went on vacation.

A social media post helped news of the hog shooting to go viral. Stories appeared on several national websites, including the Drudge Report and Fox News.

Garcia said she doesnt blame Seago for shooting the hog, but she does wish publicity from the event would die down a little.

Eugene Randle, a geospatial specialist who also has conducted extensive research into wild hogs, said that the hog shot by Seago hadnt likely been loose long enough to turn feral.

 This one was probably trying to go home, Randle said. He had just had a change of address.

Randle said wild hogs in North America rarely weigh more than 400 pounds. The hog shot by Seago weighed more than 800 pounds.

Randle also didnt blame Seago for shooting the hog, as it could have been very destructive to his property.

Wild or even slightly wild pigs like the one shot by Seago cause more than $1.5 billion in damage to agriculture and the environment each year, according to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
President Trump has recruited Mark Esper, who heads Raytheons Washington lobbying operation, for the Army Secretary post.

The West Point graduate and Gulf War vet leads Raytheons 20-member Arlington office and runs its political action committee.

Mark Esper

The maker of Tomahawk cruise missiles, which is among the top five defense contractors, chalked up more than $28B in revenues from its 65,000-plus employees.

Esper joined Raytheon in 2010 from the US Chamber of Commerce, where he led its Global International Property Center and Europe/Eurasia divisions.

Earlier, he was executive VP-defense & international at Aerospace Industries Assn., director of national security affairs for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and deputy assistant secretary of defense.
Looking for a job or a change of job in Offaly? Here are five jobs that are available today.

Pharmacy Technician (Maternity Cover)  Daingean

Clarity Locums is recruiting a pharmacy technician for a 6-month maternity cover contract for a pharmacy in Daingean.

Commencing ASAP. 40 hrs per week based on Monday to Saturday. For more on this job click here

Farm worker - Offaly

Full time farm worker need on a expanding holstein herd. Milking 180 cows all year round. Work includes milking and tractor operations. For more on this job click here

Full Time Sales Assistant - Petworld - Tullamore

Petworld currently requires a sales assistant for their Tullamore Petworld store. They are looking for an enthusiastic person, who is flexible and not afraid of responsibility. The ideal candidate will be customer focused, have a love for pets and animals, good at merchandising and is interested in developing their career. For more on this job click here

SEE ALSO: Jobs alert! Opportunity for Account Executive

Care Assistant - Ferbane/Belmont - Irish Home Care

If your instinct is to help this could be your calling. Irish Home Care are seeking kind, caring and considerate Carers for a number of full time and part time Care Assistant positions within the Tullamore area of County Offaly. For more on this job click here

Night Shift Van Driver - Carroll Cuisine - Tullamore

Part-time - Night shift driver required to carry out multi drop temp controlled deliveries. Part-time role approx. 32 hours a week working over seven days. For more on this job click here
Laois Government Minister, Charlie Flanagan, has extended a political olive branch to a future Sinn Fein opponent in Offaly ahead of what should be a titanic battle at the next General Election.

Flanagan, who is the Minister for Justice and Equality, reached out to his 'constituency colleague,' Deputy Carol Nolan when acknowledging her contribution to a new bill in the Dail.

Deputy Nolan will be battling hard with Laois TD Brian Stanley to retain two seats out of five for Sinn Fein if Laois and Offaly are reunited but at the next General Election. Six TDs represent the two counties at present but there will be five if the Constituency Commission's recommendations to merge are adopted by the Dail.

"I do not suppose it is premature of me to say that we are now constituency colleagues in a way that happened suddenly and without notice," the Minister told Deputy Nolan.

"I look forward to working with Deputy Nolan as both of us strive to represent the enlarged constituency of Laois-Offaly, which I had the pleasure of representing for a long number of years. I did not expect that I would have the opportunity to represent it again so soon," Flanagan said.

"No doubt, Deputy Nolan and I will meet outside the House in a way we have not done to date, representing as we do different constituencies," he added.

For her part, Nolan congratulated the Minister on his new job in the Department of Justice.

"I take this opportunity to wish Deputy Flanagan well in his new role as Minister for Justice and Equality," she said.

Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have two seats each in the separate Laois and Offaly constituencies at present. Unless there is a snap election, one party will lose out next time around.

Sinn Fein gained a seat when the counties split in 2016.

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy is Fine Gael's Offaly TD. Fianna Fail is represented in Laois by Sean Fleming while Barry Cowen is the party's Offaly TD.

Unsuccessful FF candidate in 2016 Eddie Fitzpatrick told a meeting in Portarlington this week that his party stood little chance of winning a third seat in Laois Offaly. He blamed this on the removal of Portarlington to south Kildare which is set to become a four seat constituency.

At the same meeting Fianna Fail in Port decided to put their energy into fighting to win a seat for in Kildare rather than fighting the constituency commission change which sends a population of 12,000 into Kildare which will have eight TDs at the next General Election.
Offaly three-piece Chasing Abbey have signed a global record deal in London, having stormed the charts in recent months.

The band formed in Tullamore last July and they have now announced that they've signed on the dotted line with 3BeatUk/Universal Music Group.

Reacting to the deal, the band stated, "Thank you all so much for your support and belief. You've made three young pups' dreams come true."

The three young pups have shown their teeth in the intervening 12 months, with upbeat hip-hop track, That Good Thing, receiving widespread acclaim, putting them in front of a massive radio and live circuit audience.

Described by this outlet as one of Ireland's most exciting bands a number of months ago, Chasing Abbey are now a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.

Having grown up sharing a love of music together, Ro, Bee and TeddyC have an unparalleled charisma that culminates in an explosive live show, producing a blend of pop, dance and hip hop that Kate Brennan Harding, producer of Today FM's popular show 'Lost in Music', describes as "brilliant and unique," claiming the Tullamore group are "the coolest thing to come out of Tullamore."

It's now expected that the band will begin work on new material and there is sure to be exciting times ahead for this up-and-coming Offaly group.
Agricultural News

Wheat Organizations Applaud Indiana's Ted McKinney as the Ideal Candidate for USDA Trade Post

On July 19, 2017, the Trump Administration announced a declaration of intent to nominate Ted McKinney for Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In May, the USDA created the new Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs position, as directed by the 2014 Farm Bill.





"McKinney's leadership experience as Indiana's Agriculture Director and longstanding background in trade make him an ideal candidate for this position," said David Schemm, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and a wheat farmer from Sharon Springs, Kansas. "The U.S. wheat industry applauds the Administration's choice and calls for a quick confirmation hearing in the Senate."





Indiana Agriculture Director Ted McKinney spent over 30 years in various roles with Dow AgroSciences and Elanco, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company.





"McKinney has been a champion for U.S. agriculture throughout his career and clearly understands the importance of access to foreign markets," said Mike Miller, chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and a wheat farmer from Ritzville, Wash. "We look forward to working with him and his team at USDA to expand trade opportunities for U.S. farmers."







Source - US Wheat Associates















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Top Agricultural News
Two Omaha police officers who were involved in the June death of an unarmed, mentally ill man will stop working for the city today.

The police labor contract bars the city from releasing disciplinary information in most cases, so Assistant City Attorney Bernard in den Bosch didnt say whether the officers had been fired.

But he said Thursday: As of tomorrow morning two officers will no longer be employed by the City of Omaha.

He said the two officers are Scotty Payne, a five-year veteran of the force, and Ryan McClarty, a two-year veteran.

Police Chief Todd Schmaderer had recommended the firing of both officers because of their conduct during a 73-minute encounter on June 5 that led to the death of Zachary Bearheels, 29, of Oklahoma. During the incident, Payne used his Taser on Bearheels 12 times and McClarty punched the man multiple times as he sat on the ground.

In this incident, despite our extensive training, we failed, Schmaderer said in June. The Omaha Police Department made a mistake on this occasion, and were doing whatever we need to correct it.

Sgt. John Wells, president of the police union, didnt immediately return a phone message Thursday.

But TV station KETV-7 reported that the union planned to appeal the decision.

When police officers are fired, they have the option of appealing the decision to either an independent arbitrator or the citys personnel board.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said he still is reviewing reports before deciding whether to file charges against the officers.

An autopsy said that Bearheels suffered a sudden death associated with excited delirium ... physical struggle, physical restraint and use of a (Taser).

Schmaderer promised several changes within the police department after Bearheels death, including a recruit class of experienced officers and more training on mental illness and the use of a Taser.

Bearheels was a member of the Rosebud Sioux of South Dakota, and after Native American activists raised concerns about how he was treated, Mayor Jean Stothert agreed to create a Native American advisory board.

World-Herald staff writer Alia Conley contributed to this report.
A patient at the Nebraska Medical Center cut a worker who was attempting to draw his blood.

Medical center officials said that about 8:30 a.m. Friday a phlebotomist was attacked by a 37-year-old patient on the fourth floor of the Lied Transplant Center.

The patient had refused to have his blood drawn and attacked Meagan Strande, 30, with a weapon he had fashioned from ordinary items found in his room, hospital and police officials said.

Other staff members and the med centers security team restrained the patient until police took him into custody.

Strande was taken to an emergency room, where she was treated with stitches for a small cut to her face.

Police said the man was booked into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of assault of a health care professional and use of a weapon to commit a felony.
Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian today hosted a visiting American trade delegation headed by Assistant United States Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Dan Mullaney.

The two officials discussed issues related to the Armenia-U.S. Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, and exchanged ideas on preparatory work for the Armenian-American Trade and Investment Council.

Further cooperation in the IT sector was a focus of the discussion.
An encouraging new pilot program by Nebraska state government is adding an innovative supplement  job assistance  to its food stamp help for families in need.

Under the program, which has been tested since last year in Grand Island, families who sign up with the state Department of Health and Human Services for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits  food stamps, as theyre commonly known  can also apply for help from Nebraska Department of Labor employees.

Those state workers help the clients with resume writing, understanding job search techniques and developing interview and on-the-job skills.

The goal is worthy: Boost these Nebraskans job skills and hopefully improve their financial circumstances and quality of life, so many can leave public assistance altogether.

The results so far are generally positive.

Of the 27 Grand Island residents who signed up for the help, 14 have been successful at getting jobs that pay better, have better benefits or offer more family-friendly work hours.

One person stopped needing food stamps altogether after moving from $492-a-month, part-time self-employment to a position paying $2,528 monthly. A single mother who had worked as a waitress making $900 a month with no benefits, moved to a job paying $2,700 a month and providing health insurance, a pension and other benefits.

The 14 clients on average boosted their income by $6,900 a year and cut their need for food assistance by 63 percent, HHS Chief Executive Officer Courtney Phillips said.

The program is now being expanded incrementally  to Hastings this month, Columbus in September, Norfolk in May  with hopes to take it statewide eventually. The work in Hastings will include a test run of an online service, to see how well the program can be implemented using computer-focused communication and assistance.

The pilot-project approach makes sense, since it allows complications to be identified and addressed.

This commendable, creative approach by the Ricketts administration deserves a salute.
Additional HRA for these states

The states being covered under additional HRA are the North Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands and Ladakh.

Consequent upon revision of the rates of HRA granted to the Central Government employees on implementation of the recommendations of the pay panel, additional HRA shall be granted to the civilian employees of the Central Government posted to States of North Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands and Ladakh, who leave their families behind at "their old duty station at revised rates, the government said.

Not applicable to

These orders, will not be applicable to such employees who were transferred out, of North Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands and Ladakh before 1 7.2017. These orders shall take effect from 1st July, 2017.

Applicable to

These orders shall also apply to the civilian employees paid from the Defence Services Estimates and the expenditure will be chargeable to the relevant head of the Defence Services Estimates.

Separate orders to be issued

In regard to Armed Forces personnel and Railway employees, Separate orders will be issued by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Railways, respectively. In so far as the employees working in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department are concerned, these orders are issued with the concurrence of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Accident victim bleeds to death as onlookers click pictures in Pune

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

An accident victim bled to death on a Pune road as onlookers chose to click pictures instead of helping the severely injured man. 25-year-old Satish Mete, a software engineer by profession was declared brought dead when he was taken to the hospital, had he received timely help, he may have survived.

In a suspected hit and run case, Mete was knocked down and sustained severe injuries to his head. As he bled from the mouth, nose and head, onlookers on the Bhosari road in Pune chose to click pictures and shoot videos instead of rushing him to the hospital. Much time was wasted before a dentist, Kartikraj Kate arrived at the spot and decided to rush the accident victim to the hospital. "I was on my way to my clinic at around 6.30 PM on Wednesday when I noticed a crowd. I walked into the crowd and saw a man soaked in blood, still moving but bleeding. None had come forward to help the man," said Kartikraj Kate.

The dentist then hailed an auto and took Mete to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pimpri where he was declared dead by the doctors. "While coming to the hospital I noticed tyre marks on his abdomen. He stopped breathing and I administered CPR but after some time he stopped responding. The doctors took an electrocardiogram at the hospital and declared him brought dead. His life could have been saved had the onlookers around taken him to the hospital immediately," he added.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 12:32 [IST]
As Cong heads for split in Gujarat, Vaghela says let them do what they have to

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The cross voting in the Presidential poll at Gujarat is a clear indicator that there is trouble ahead for the Congress. In the run up to the Gujarat assembly elections, Shankarsinh Vaghela of the Congress is set to split the party. At least 11 persons cross voted in favour of Ram Nath Kovind who was elected as the 14th President of India on Thursday.

The Congress is watching the developments with anticipation and reports indicate that Vaghela is set to split the party. Incidentally today is his 77th birthday and he is likely to walk out with his supporters.

Vaghela who had rebelled against the BJP, 17 years back had merged his Rashtriya Janata Party with the Congress. While he is planning a walk out it is still unclear if he would go with the BJP or float a third front in Gujarat.

He is planning a third front with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party and JD(U). He is also likely to rope in Hardik Patel, Jingesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakore. He expects to bag the support of the Patidars, Thakores and Dalits by roping in these persons.

Vaghela had rebelled against the Congress after it refused to declare him as the face of the party for the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections. He was told that projecting him as the face would upset the original Congressmen.

Let them do what they want, I will take action said Shankersinh Vaghela. Vaghela was reacting to the warning given to him by the core committee of the Congress following his comments against his party. He said that he would speak about all issues at 2 pm.

OneIndia News
Amidst standoff, what to expect from Ajit Doval's visit to China

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

All eyes and hopes are on National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval who will visit China later this month amidst the standoff at Dokalam. A lot rides on this visit as he is expected to open up the diplomatic channels for the first time since the standoff.

Doval a man famous for his doctrines has one for China too. He is always known as the person who has relied on a military solution over a compromise. It would be interesting to see how he would tackle the China issue.

At China one would get to witness a mix of both the hardliner stance as well diplomacy. China is not known to compromise, but highly placed sources tell OneIndia that the matter will be sorted out. Relations will be fine, our stance would be made clear, but not at the cost of a compromise, the source also said.

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Sikkim Stand Off : Ajit Doval to visit China soon, may resolve border tension | Oneindia News

In the top circles in Delhi, several officers say that Doval would come back with a solution. The ice would break and there would be a back off by both sides. For starters Doval would convey to the Chinese that the construction of roads near the International Border is hampering India's strategic interests.

At China he would tell the interlocutors about India's position. India would also tell China about the importance of being engaged in diplomacy.

India would not compromise on its territorial interests he would say when asked. His views on the territorial interests of the country whether it is China or Pakistan are now famously known as the Doval doctrine.

Doval is well aware that China has is mightier than India on the military front. However he makes it clear that China's weak spot is on the missile front. India must ramp up its missile capabilities, he always said.

He had also said even though the relationship with China is very important for India, there can be no compromise on matters relating to sovereignty. At a security conference he had said that India would like to develop relations with China to such an extent till the time our territorial sovereignty and integrity is not compromised.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 6:11 [IST]
Ready to quit cinema if it becomes hurdle to political career: Kamal Haasan

Before Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan to join politics?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Chennai, July 21: Tamil Nadu is in mood for some "filmi politics", literally. Probably that is why everyone is talking about the political debut of two of the biggest stars of Tamil cinema.

The rumour of Rajinikanth joining politics has been doing the rounds immediately after the death of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa, in December last year.

Now, the rumour mill is going overdrive to suggest that Rajinikanth's colleague and friend from the film industry, Kamal Haasan, is also planning to take his political plunge.

Of late, Kamal has been openly expressing his views about various political issues plaguing the state. A recent tweet by the actor-director gave clear indication that it is time for him to join politics. However, Kamal, like Rajinikanth, did not make any formal announcement in this regard.

"Let's proclaim aloud none is a king anymore, let's rise at heart that we are no king like you, one who dies defeated is a militant, one taking decision a chief minister, those who fall in line slaves? No path is visible unless searched," this cryptic tweet by the actor led to the prediction that he is interested in joining politics.

Moreover, he recently tweeted and asked his fans to lodge complaint against any corruption they notice in the current state government under CM E Palaniswami.

The report of Kamal agreeing to attend the platinum anniversary celebrations of Murasoli, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) mouthpiece, has given credence to the rumour of the actor joining politics.

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But Rajinikanth is yet to accept the invitation to attend Murasoli daily's anniversary celebrations.

The anniversary celebrations for the daily will be held over two days. Kamal will attend the event on August 10, while DMK cadres will take part in celebrations on August 11.

In reply to the corruption charges against his government by Kamal, Tamil Nadu CM said, "He is into acting... does not know about politics. After he comes to politics and says (such) things, we will give him a proper respone."

The residents of the southern state are eagerly waiting to witness the entry of two superstars into politics. Till, Kamal and Rajinikanth make their political plunge, everyone is keeping their fingers crossed.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 10:36 [IST]
Haryana village loses its Trump title within days

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Chandigarh, July 21: In June, Marora, a nondescript village in Haryana, got a lot of media attention after it was rechristened as Trump village, after Donald Trump, the President of the United States.

Nobody knows why it was renamed as Trump village, as the US President shares no connection with the village or Haryana for that matter.

However, nobody questioned the sudden change in the name of the village, which came just a few days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US on June 25-26, which saw a lot of bonhomie between the Indian PM and the US President.

The villagers of Marora were happy with their newfound fame. Marora was apparently 'baptised' as Trump village during a function hosted by the NGO, Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.

As a part of its renaming ceremony, the village got a huge billboard announcing "Welcome to Trump Village"--accompanied by a photograph of the US President, where he was seen smiling widely.

Now, it looks like the US President has to stay away from the village as the administration has declared that it was an "illegal" step to rename the village without taking any necessary permission from the authorities.

"Permission was not sought before changing the name. As per the rulebook, this cannot be done," Mani Ram Sharma, deputy commissioner of Nuh, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Thus, the Trump village signboard was removed by the district administration. However, the locals in the village were quite miffed with the action taken by the administration.

The villagers maintain that with the name change they got a "new identity", "recognition" and hope for "development".

Within days after the village's original name was changed, NGO Sulabh, as a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, constructed several toilets in the village to end open defecation. Till then, the villagers were relieving themselves in fields and open spaces.

"We are not changing the name, just giving it a nickname. This will attract government and private entities to the village and bring in development," says Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh.

Earlier, Pathak said that the move to rename the village was aimed at encouraging businessmen to adopt villages in India to promote sanitation.

"If every businessman and NRI decides to adopt a village in India, we can see a turnaround. I hope more and more people will come forward to help for the cause of sanitation," added Pathak.

He also expressed hope that the gesture would strengthen ties between the two nations.

As the state authorities denied permission to the village to carry the Trump title, it looks like Marora has to go back to its old days of being "desi".

OneIndia News
China calls Sushma Swaraj a liar, says US support to India 'illusory'

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Chinese state media has lashed out at India's External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and called her a liar. China's mouthpiece Global Times said that, "India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression," the report said.

Sushma Swaraj had said in Parliament on Thursday that India's position is not wrong on the trijunction and all nations are with it. The report said that she was lying to Parliament.

Further the report suggested that India should "abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam". It also warned of China resolving the "conflict through non-diplomatic means". "

It said India's stance has subtly shifted and it has started referring to Doklam as a tri-junction area of China, India and Bhutan. "These changes show New Delhi's guilty conscience," it also said.

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"India should have heard about the news that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed troops near the China-India border and transported materials and supplies to the area. The PLA is also reportedly conducting drills for mountain operations. These are certainly not for show. Now that the PLA has moved in on the China-India border, they will definitely not call back troops unless they recover the Chinese territory," the GT report said.

The report also spoke about China's military might and said that the country cannot afford to lose an inch of territory. The China-India border area may become a stage where China showcases the achievement of its long-term military development and reforms the report also said.

Get prepared for all possibilities from a potentially grave escalation of tension in the future. US and Japan's support to India is "illusory," the report also said.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 17:13 [IST]
Doklam: One motorable road complete, second to be constructed by March 2021

Don't allow next Doklam in Arunachal, says BJP MP; claims China has encroached upon 60 km of state

Doklam standoff: Former envoy to China calls for 'fast de-escalation of situation'

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Amid growing tension between New Delhi and Beijing over standoff at Doklam near Sikkim, former Indian ambassador to China Ashok K Kantha has called for 'fast de-escalation of the situation'.

The former envoy said that China should avoid heated rhetoric, adding that any kind of escalation on the ground should be avoided.

"Second requirement is to enter into meaningful dialogue to resolve this issue this involves China trying to change the status quo which has implications not only for Bhutan but also for India," told news agency ANI.

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Sikkim Stand off : India and China need to de-escalate the situation fast | Oneindia News

He also said that China's stand that there would not be any talks unless India withdraws its troops was unjust, calling it a "very unreasonable position to take".

On Thursday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that Beijing unilaterally tried to change the status quo at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will be travelling to Beijing on July 27-28 to attend a BRICS meeting. A lot rides on this visit as he is expected to open up the diplomatic channels for the first time since the standoff.

The standoff between Indian and Chinese armies has continued for close to five-weeks over the construction of a road by China at Doklam near Sikkim. It is an area where the borders of India, China and Bhutan meet. Bhutan says the land, which it calls Doklam, belongs to its kingdom and not to China, a claim that India agrees too.

OneIndia News
West Bengal Government provides financial relief to the Hills of North Bengal

Fast-unto-death begins to give impetus to Gorkhaland movement

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Darjeeling, July 21: A group of 12 persons, belonging to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's youth wing, will start their fast-unto-death, beginning from Friday, to press their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

"The Morcha's youth wing will go on an indefinite hunger strike from Friday," said Prakash Gurung, president of the GJM's youth wing. The fast will take place in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik.

"We have finalised the names of 12 members who have volunteered to undertake the fast. We will not reveal their names now," a leader of the Morcha's youth wing was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

The decision to hold the fast does not have the approval of all the pro-Gorkhaland parties, under the umbrella of Gorkhaland Movement Co-ordination Committee, however, the Morcha insisted that the hunger strike would lend impetus to their movement and draw national attention, especially at a time when Parliament is in session.

The indefinite bandh called by the GJM, which is spearheading the ongoing agitation to demand a separate homeland for the Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling and its neighbouring areas, entered its 37th day on Friday.

On Thursday, pro-Gorkhaland protesters hosted a demonstration outside the district magistrate's office in Darjeeling, demanding the restoration of internet services, which remained suspended for the past 33 days in the hills.

Some political activists dressed in traditional Nepali attire took out rallies in Darjeeling on Thursday. Police and security forces patrolled the streets and kept a tight vigil at every entry and exit points.

All shops, restaurants, hotels, schools and colleges remained closed but pharmacies were open.

On Thursday, several incidents of violence and arson were reported from various parts of the tourist town. The women's wing of the GJM has decided to take out a "dhikkar" (condemnation) rally on Friday in Darjeeling.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 6:46 [IST]
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how

Global community is on the same page with India on terrorism emanating from Pak

India

oi-PTI

The Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Gopal Baglay said the international community is on the same page with India on terrorism emanating from Pakistan and their solidarity with New Delhi on cross border terrorism is now moving towards enforcement and action.

In the report, the US on Wednesday listed Pakistan among the nations providing "safe havens" to terrorists, saying terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) continued to operate, train and raise funds inside that country.A similar report was released by the US last year too.

Talking about cooperation between India and the US in effectively dealing with terror, Baglay said the US has taken or proposes to take a number of measures against Islamabad to contain terrorism.

Replying to a question on mentioning of Naxals as terror group in the report, Baglay said like terrorists, they also cause huge damage and loss of lives. "...we all know it is terrorism."

Asked about ceasefire violations in the last few days by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he said India has lodged a protest with Pakistan in a note verbale.

He said a total of 240 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been reported in the current year so far which is significantly high compared to last year.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 1:08 [IST]
In Kovind's win, the Shiv Sena has everything to worry about

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The huge victory margin with which Ram Nath Kovind won the Presidential election has sent out a strong message to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. In the absence of a whip and secret ballot, it would never be known who cross voted in the Presidential election.

Incidentally the Kovind made gains in Maharashtra and other states where there was extensive cross voting. A total of 116 legislators are said to have crossed voted in the elections, the results of which were declared on Thursday.

In Maharashtra at least 24 legislators are said to have cross voted in favour of Kovind. It is still unclear whether it was the Congress or the NCP which cross voted in favour of Kovind.

How cross voting by 116 legislators helped President-elect Ram Nath Kovind

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However, the Shiv Sena has everything to worry about. The cross voting has clearly shown that the BJP can survive in the Maharashtra assembly without the support of the Shiv Sena.

The BJP has 122 MLAs in the 288 member house. The Shiv Sena which is the alliance partner has 63 MLAs. Now if one were to add the 24 MLAs who cross voted with the BJP's strength of 122, the number crosses the half way mark. The magic number in the Maharashtra assembly is 144 and if one were to do this new arithmetic, the number stands at 146, which is 2 above the half way mark.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 6:55 [IST]
Karnataka govt celebrates Dr Ambedkar: Quest for equity or appeasement?

India

oi-Anusha

'Reclaiming social justice' screams the tagline of 'Quest for equity', an international conference organised by Karnataka government to celebrate the 126th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar. While the three-day event is purportedly aimed to 'Revisit Ambedkar', the timing, as well as the intent, is not apolitical.

While leaders of the BJP including union minister Dr Tawar Chand Gehlot and Ramdas Athawale have been invited to the event, it is an out and out Congress show. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will inaugurate the event on Friday and with this, the Congress hopes to appeal to the aware, educated, intellectual voters from the AHINDA community.

Cheif Minister Siddaramaiah deliberately gave out hints of this being more than a mere international conference on Ambedkar when he tweeted a cryptic message. "At a time when divisive forces threaten the idea of India, the conference will see a coming together of all progressive forces in Quest for Equity," Siddharamaiah tweeted on the day he unveiled the logo for the event.

Freebies for one section, conference for another

While the Congress hopes to win over a section of Dalits through a slew of freebies and welfare schemes, the conference aims to win over those from the community who can't be pleased by doling out freebies. It is not without thought that the event has been organised by the Karnataka government. The state government is armed with the data from its Socio and Economic Survey. While the data has not been made public, the BJP has been alleging that the Congress will use it ahead of the election to appease vote banks.

After the data from Socio and Economic Survey was compiled, the Congress' poll strategy has changed. Putting to rest speculations of a popular face becoming the KPCC president, Karnataka Congress in-charge general secretary chose Parameshwar to continue in the post. "The Congress knows who will vote for the party and we do not intend to turn away our voters. In a bid to win over the BJP and JD(S)' voters, we can't lose our own. Dalit votes are the Congress' strength," said a Karnataka Congress leader.

Karnataka Congress' focus on Dalits

The international conference comes not just at a time when Karnataka is preparing for assembly polls but also at a time when parties are in a race for appeasement. While BJP's B S Yeddyurappa went on a statewide tour sharing meals with Dalits, the Congress introduced a slew of welfare schemes. The Congress government has announced schemes to the tune of Rs 27,703 crores aimed at benefitting 'marginal communities'. Free bus passes for Dalit students, full scholarships for bright students from the community, junket for farm workers are all part of Congress' 'great Dalit appeasement' plan. The conference may just be the newest addition.

The three-day international conference will see more than 200 scholars from different countries including celebrated civil rights activist Martin Luther King III. At a cost of Rs 20 crore, the event is being glammed up to 'celebrate Dr B R Ambedkar'.

OneIndia News
Karnataka II PUC supplementary results 2017 on July 26 or 27, how to check

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Karnataka II PUC supplementary results 2017 is expected to be released either on July 26 or 27. Candidates who appeared for the exam could either expect the result on Friday or Saturday. Candidates who appeared for the exam can check their results on the official website.

The II PUC exam was conducted from March 9 to 27. 6,84,247 candidates appeared for the exams. The results for the same were declared in May. The results once declared can be checked at results.nic.in, pue.kar.nic.in and karresults.nic.in.

How to check Karnataka II PUC supplementary results 2017:

Log on to results.nic.in , pue.kar.nic.in or karresults.nic.in

, or Click on supplementary results link

Enter required details

View result

Download

Take a printout

OneIndia News
CPI(M) has a problem with the Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra: Heres why

Kerala: CPI(M) office set on fire

India

pti-PTI

Kozhikode, Jul 21: The CPI(M) office in nearby Vadakara was set ablaze by unidentified persons in the early hours. No casualty was reported, police said.

The fire was noticed at the CPI(M) Choddanur block committee office at about 3 am by locals, who informed the fire and rescue personnel.

Nobody was at the office at the time of the incident, police said. The party office was partially damaged in the fire. Furniture and files inside the building were also destroyed, they said.

The fire and rescue personnel extinguished the fire with the help of local people. CPI(M) leaders said they suspect the involvement of Indian Union Muslim League workers behind the incident.

PTI
Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

Kerala: Rape case registered against Congress MLA

India

pti-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 20: A Congress MLA was booked on the charge of rape on the basis of a statement given by a 51-year-old woman, who was allegedly harassed by him.

A case was registered against the MLA on charges of abetment of suicide, following a complaint from the woman who had attempted suicide at nearby Balaramapuram.

"A case under IPC section 376 has been registered against Congress MLA M Vincent representing the Kovalam segment, after the woman's statement was recorded at a hospital in Neyyatinkara, where she is undergoing treatment, Kollam City Police Commissioner Ajeetha Begum said.

A magistrate has recorded the victim's statement at the hospital, she said. The woman's husband had alleged that the MLA used to repeatedly call her over phone and harass her. However, Vincent had termed the charges as "baseless" and said he would face the probe. "The charges are without any facts," Vincent had told PTI.

PTI
Kerala youth enters Googles Hall of fame for discovering bug in password

India

oi-Madhuri

Tech giant Google has rewarded an engineering student from Kollam district in Kerala by enlisting him in the Google 'Hall of Fame' for discovering a bug in its password system.

Athul Jayaram was given the recognition for spotting a bug that allowed only eight characters for creating passwords to its accounts. He spotted that allowing password with single characters was a security lapse.

Google has always promoted people to report bugs and vulnerabilities in their products and help them better through their Google Vulnerability Reward Program.

Researchers and bug hunters are listed in the order of the severity of the vulnerability detected. Jayaram's name is featured on the Page 26 of the total 83 pages in the Hall of Fame. His reward will be determined in accordance with the gravity of the security black spot he detected.

Google's Hall of Fame features over 1000 people who have contributed in making Google products safer.

Apart from Google, technical giants like Microsoft and Facebook also runs programs such as 'Bug Bounty' to reward the security researchers to report issues, and to encourage more people to help keep the applications secure.

According to Jayaram, he was always found of ethical hacking. He learned about ethical hacking in 2013. He has already mastered in PHP, ASP, ASPX, C++, Java and Javascript.

Jayaram is an engineering student at the Amity University in Noida. He is also pursuing MBA along with his B Tech. His father Dr Ananda works at the Divya Hospital in Kollam, while mother Dr Lekha works at the Government hospital in Kollam. His sister Lijina is also a doctor.

OneIndia News
Literary fest to be held in Kerala with tolerance as theme

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 21: Kerala is getting ready to host a literary festival with tolerance as the core theme amid raging debate over intolerance in the country.

Creative writers, journalists, theater and film personalities will deliberate on tolerance at the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE), to be held at Chengannur, a sleepy town in coastal Alappuza district, from July 24.

Organised by People for Performing Arts and More, an art-cum-cultural outfit, the three-day annual literary gathering is aimed at bringing about an enriching interaction between writers from different languages and regions.

Noted Malayalam writer and director of the festival T R Rajeevan said every language has its own style of expression and the objective of SIWE is to explore the power of language and literature through the gathering of writers.

"Being a part of human sensibility, tolerance is an age old, much-cliched subject. But, in the present socio-political scenario, there is a need to discuss and ponder upon this topic. It is time to observe and acknowledge the changing perspectives," the writer said.

Kannada writer and director of PAMPA, Kanaka Ha.Ma said Hindi has been selected as the main language of this year's ensemble and related writers and other personalities would take part in it.

Well-known Hindi author, Udayan Vajpeyi would inaugurate the festival on July 24, which would be concluded on July 26.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 18:02 [IST]
Modi and RSS want India to surrender its voice, says Rahul Gandhi

India

oi-Anusha

"Rohit Vemula was murdered. They called it suicide, I call it murder. Vemula was killed only because he was Dalit," is how Rahul Gandhi chose to begin his speech at the International Conference on Dr B R Ambedkar in Bengaluru. Rahul Gandhi mocked the BJP for failing to point out Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shortcomings.

"The emperor is naked and nobody is willing to tell him that. The government doesn't mind writing off corporate loans but will look away when farmers ask for loan waiver," Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress vice president said that there is currently a systematic capture of India's democratic institution by the Prime Minister.

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"For the powerful to capture the present they have to distort the past. To show us they can show us a perfect future they have to show a perfect past. India had great strengths but there were also weaknesses. Nothing alive is ever perfect. The BJP wants to paint a lie over India," he said. He added that Narendra Modi and the RSS wanted India to surrender its voice.

Rahul Gandhi took pots shots at media as well as the government over demonetisation. "The media in private called demonetisation 'insanity' but on record, they called it a stroke of genius," he said. Adding that the government was attempting to take India back to an era of oppression and untouchability, Rahul Gandhi called it an attempt to undo Dr B R Ambedkar's efforts.

"The aim is to mutilate the Constitution. The idea is to do to one man, one vote what they did to Vemula and Akhlaq," Rahul Gandhi said.

OneIndia News
Why is Parliament being cut-short so often asks Derek O'Brien

Monsoon session day 5: Lack of quorum forces adjournment of RS, debate continues in LS

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, July 21: The fifth day of Monsoon session of Parliament has packed agenda following the near-washout sittings in last few days, owing to the Opposition's protests. Both the Houses saw stormy sessions on Thursday. While Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day by noon, Rajya Sabha saw Congress and TMC staging walk out over cow vigilantism row.

On Friday, the government has listed 62 entries on its agenda for the day, including around 45 bills for introduction and 10 bills for further consideration and passing in Lok Sabha.

In Lok Sabha

Debate on private members' Sixth Schedule to the Constitution(Amendment) Bill, 2015 is on.

Lok Sabha passes Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education(Amendment) Bill to extend the deadline to December 2019 for untrained teachers to get qualified.

Lok Sabha reconvenes for the post-lunch sitting, takes up discussion on Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education(Amendment) Bill. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar introduces salient features of the amendment.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2.00 pm

Darjeeling unrest raised in Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, BJP blames West Bengal government for Darjeeling situation.

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Thokchom Meinya, Manipur MP, raises the issue of flash floods in the Northeast. It is high time to have a dedicated flash flood management policy for the North East and Manipur in particular, he says.

Lok Sabha is taking questions on population growth. MoS Health, Anupriya Patel is answering questions.

Question Hour begins. Lots of commotion in the House. Union Minister Ananth Kumar requests Congress MPs to allow the House to function. Where were you when the proceedings were running till late night yesterday, he asks.

In Rajya Sabha

As there were only 23 members, less than the number of members required for running the House, Deputy Chairman adjourns the House till July 24, 2017. Despite the ringing the bell for three-and-a-half minutes the quorum is 10 per cent of the total strength of the House - it's 25 in the case of the Rajya Sabha - could not be ensured.

Ramesh raises lack of quorum. Chair wants to check the quorum. Chair wants to ring quorum bell.

Rijiju makes it clear that Hindi is official language. All other languages are national languages. So there's no question of imposing any language over any other language.

B.K. Hariprasad's bill on regional languages is being debated. MoS Kiren Rijiju is replying. Rijiju says there is no move to impose Hindi. And says Hindi is an official language.

Members are being called to introduce their bills. K.K. Ragesh, V. Vijayasai Reddy, Rajkumar Dhoot and T. Subbarami Reddy introduce their bills.

Rajya Sabha reconvenes. Government withdraws the Noth East (amendment) bill, House agrees.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2.30 pm

Rajya Sabha resumes, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh briefs the Upper House on performance of agriculture schemes.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon

If an MP's House has been vandalised or attacked for what he said in the House, the government should take action,Kurien tells Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Now Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha also shout slogans.

Naresh Agarwal says BJP members are issuing threats to him even after he withdrew his comments. "If an MP receives death threats for what is said in the House, it is a serious issue," he says.

Opposition accuses govt of using finance bill route to pass key bills. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the government is passing key policy related bills to pass off as finance bills to avoid scrutiny in the Upper House.

Zero Hour proceedings begin in Rajya Sabha. The Representatives of People Act has been amended through Finance Bill, says Anand Sharma. What will be the role of this House if everything is passed as Finance Bill? Sharad Yadav, Ghulam Nabi Azad also join the issue.

Today's agenda

The Opposition is likely to raise key issues like enforcement of Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, action being taken against shell companies, implementation of GST and government's efforts to bring back money stashed abroad in the Question Hour. Important bills to be introduced include, The State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017, The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

In Upper House, The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017 will be taken up for passing and consideration. The Upper House, on Thursday, saw a heated debate on the on cow vigilantism and atrocities on Dalits, with the opposition trying to corner the government and a minister raking up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Godhra incident.

OneInda News
Nagaland CM Zeliang wins trust vote with support of 47 MLAs

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Kohima, July 21: T R Zeliang, who was reappointed as Chief Minister of Nagaland under dramatic circumstances on Wednesday, won the trust vote with the support of 47 out of 59 MLAs on Friday.

The development comes two days after the then CM Shurhozelie Liezietsu and his supporters failed to turn up for the special emergent session of the state assembly in Kohima on Wednesday morning.

Zeliang moved the vote of confidence in the Assembly as an MLA of the Naga Peoples Front, though he has been expelled from the party for six years.

"As per the Tenth Schedule amendment of 2006, an elected member of any party cannot be declared unattached in the Assembly even though he is expelled by the party," Yeptho, an MLA, asserted.

Earlier, he had expressed confidence that with the support of 36 NPF MLAs, seven Independents, and four BJP MLAs, which takes the number to 47 in the House of 60, Zeliang is sure of commanding a majority in the House.

Zeliang took over the mantle after incumbent chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu was dismissed by Governor P B Acharya, capping a rebellion in the ruling NPF he had spearheaded.

The Governor directed Zeliang to prove his majority in the Assembly by July 22 and the chief minister agreed to do so by Friday.

Zeliang was appointed chief minister for the second time under the third term of the NPF-led DAN government.

Zeliang was compelled to step down as chief minister in February in the face of massive protest against his government for conducting elections to urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women.

'Illegal' dismissal

Dethroned Nagaland chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu alleged that the Governor Acharya's decision dismissing his government and installing Zeliang as chief minister was "illegal and unconstitutional".

Interacting with the media at his official residence on Thursday, Liezietsu alleged, "The Governor dismissed my government without following any procedure and rules....it was illegal and unconstitutional."

Recalling the sequence of events since June 8 leading to his dethroning, Liezietsu, who is the president of the ruling NPF, said that the dissident MLAs had staked claim to form the new government from Kaziranga in Assam.

Terming the present situation as a 'temporary setback', Liezietsu asserted, "We do not have any bad feelings against anybody because we stand for truth and it will win at the end".

On the decision to contest the by-election to become a regular member of the House and continue the chair, Liezietsu clarified that it was because the state cabinet had on May 26 asked him to contest the poll which was also supported by the NPF Central Executive Council.

OneIndia News
My party-BJP have different ideologies but common aim of uplifting poor: Nepal ex-PM Prachanda

Former Nepal PM says removed from office for including Kalapani

Nepal leaders congratulate President-elect Ram Nath Kovind; want to work closely with him

India

oi-PTI

Kathmandu, Jul 21: President-elect Ram Nath Kovind was congratulated by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on his electoral victory. They expressed willingness to working closely with him to further strengthen the "cordial" relations with India.

Kovind, a low-key lawyer-turned-politician, was yesterday elected as India's 14th President, the first BJP member and the second Dalit to occupy the country's highest office.

Bhandari and Deuba, in their messages of congratulations sent to the president-elect yesterday, expressed willingness to working closely with him in the days ahead to further strengthening the cordial relations between Nepal and India, The Himalayan Times quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.

A former Bihar governor, Kovind, 71, defeated the joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 18:10 [IST]
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

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Pakistan violates ceasefire in J-K's Rajouri, 1 jawan martyred

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

A soldier was martyred after Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.

Rifleman Jayadrath Singh has lost his life in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Sunderbani sector, reports ANI.

An unprovoked firing from Pakistan's side started at around 6 PM on Friday. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively," Jammu-based defence spokesperson said.

Earlier, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in north Kashmir's Nowgam sector for the third consecutive day and in Keran sector but there were no casualties in the unprovoked firing from across the LoC.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire in north Kashmir six times in the last nine days.

On July 12, two Jawans were killed in sniper fire by the Pakistani Army in Keran sector of north Kashmir.

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 23:44 [IST]
Fact Check: Before swearing in ceremony did Ram Nath Kovind and Draupadi Murmu perform verdict rituals

Punjab artist paints massive portrait of Kovind to welcome Indias new President

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Amritsar, July 20: Artists are always known to be unique. So, on Thursday, when India got its 14th President, Ram Nath Kovind, an artist from Amritsar, Punjab, decided to welcome the news in his own 'artistic' style.

Painter Jagjot Singh Rubal finished a massive portrait of the president-elect at his home studio in Amritsar on Thursday. In the portrait, the 71-year-old former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former governor of Bihar, was seen flashing his gentle smile.

Like in real life, in the portrait too, Kovind was seen wearing his favourite grey suit.

The Punjab artist said he made the portrait to congratulate Kovind, the Dalit lawyer-turned-leader known for his works for the downtrodden and weaker sections of society.

Rubal is popular for painting massive portraits of famous personalities from across the globe. Earlier this year, Rubal painted a portrait of US President Donald Trump before his inauguration.

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Meanwhile, congratulatory messages continue to pour in for president-elect Kovind from across the country. From country's top politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to Twiterrati, everyone congratulated Kovind.

Kovind, fielded by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as their presidential candidate, won the elections by defeating the Opposition's nominee, Meira Kumar, the former speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Kovind secured the votes of 65.65 per cent of the electoral college, while the remaining 34.35 per cent went to Kumar, a senior Congress leader.

He will be sworn in on July 25. Kovind is the first BJP leader to enter the Rashtrapati Bhawan. After KR Narayanan, Kovind is the second Dalit President that India has elected.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 8:05 [IST]
Ram Nath Kovind bagged one vote from Kerala in Presidential poll

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In Kerala President-elect Ram Nath Kovind bagged just one vote. On the other hand, Meira Kumar drew a blank in the once strong Congress bastion of Andhra Pradesh.

In Kerala the total number of votes were 140. While Kovind bagged 1, Meira Kumar got 138. 3 votes were declared invalid.

Kovind bagged the maximum number of votes from Uttar Pradesh. According to the data provided by the returning officer for the election, in which Kovind garnered 2,930 or 65.35 per cent of the total 4,774 valid votes (of 10,69,358 value) polled, shows the two contenders scored overwhelmingly over each other in some states. Kumar gained a total of 1,844 (having value of 3,67,314) or 34.35 per cent of votes in the election.

10 things to know about Ram Nath Kovind, India's 14th President

The former Lok Sabha speaker drew a blank in once-a-Congress bastion Andhra Pradesh, while in Left-ruled Kerala Kovind got just one vote. In Nagaland, Kovind received 56 votes as against one to Kumar.

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The result was lopsided in Kovind's favour in Sikkim, too. He garnered 28 votes vis-a-vis one of Kumar. In the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh, which has the highest value of votes for the election, Kovind received 335 votes (having value 69,680) against Kumar's 65 (valuing 13,520). Kovind bagged all the 171 valid votes (of 27,189 value) polled in the TDP-BJP combine ruled Andhra Pradesh. In Maharashtra, which carries the second highest value of votes at 50,225, Kovind got 208 of the total 285 valid votes.

It is a very emotional moment for me: Ram Nath Kovind

Gujarat also gave fillip to Kovind, who won 132 votes (valuing 19404), restricting Kumar at 49. Bihar, where the ruling JD(U) supported Kovind by breaking ranks with its grand alliance partners, the RJD and the Congress during the election, also proffered the NDA nominee edge over Kumar. Of the total 239 valid votes polled there, Kovind gained 130, whereas Kumar scored 109 votes.

The bright spot for Kumar in this election was her scores in West Bengal and Kerala. In West Bengal, she bagged 273 of the total valid 284 votes against Kovind's meagre 11.

Kerala offered her 138 of the total 139 votes. In another Left-ruled state, Tripura too, she did well to garner 53 votes against Kovind's seven. In Delhi, she received 55 of the total 61 valid votes.

OneIndia News
SC sets aside Allahabad HC order granting bail to two accused in Owaisi car attack case

SC seeks Gujarat's reply on plea over re-induction of 2 cops accused in encounter cases

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 21: The Gujarat government has been asked by the Supreme Court to respond to a plea challenging the re-induction of two retired police officers accused in separate encounter cases.

"Issue notice returnable in two weeks," a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by former IPS officer Rahul Sharma alleging that two police officers - N K Amin and Tarun Barot - have been re-inducted as Superintendent of Police at Tapi district in Gujarat and Deputy Superintendent of Police in Railways, respectively.

The petition further alleged that Amin has faced trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Ishrat Jahan fake encounter killing cases and Barot was accused in the Sadiq Jaman and Ishrat Jahan encounter cases.

Amin, however, has been acquitted in the Sohrabuddin encounter case. Both the cops have been re-employed on a contractual basis with the police force.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 15:23 [IST]
Amidst standoff, Pak's Abdul Basit meets with Chinese ambassador in India

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

As India tries to defuse tensions with China, a meeting of the Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit and Chinese ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohul took place.

While the meeting that was held on Wednesday has been confirmed there is no clarity on what transpired between the two. The meeting is significant since China is trying to drum up support in its favour from several countries.

Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs had said in Parliament that all countries stand with India. She also said that India is in favour of a peaceful solution to the problem at Doklam.

Some reports indicate that Basit discussed the Doklam standoff with the Chinese ambassador to India. He is also likely to meet with the Bhutan ambassador this week.

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Sikkim Stand off : India and China need to de-escalate the situation fast | Oneindia News

When asked about this development, a Home Ministry official said that they are aware of the meeting. However what transpired is not clear. If Pakistan has discussed the Doklam issue then we will object to it strongly as they are not a party to the dispute.

Meanwhile National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval will visit China next week to take part in the BRICS meet. He is expected to open up the diplomatic channels to find a solution to the five week old standoff at Doklam.

OneIndia News
Engage in dialogue, reduce tensions, US tells India and China

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The United States has urged both India and China to engage in dialogue and reduce tensions along the border. Both India and China are in a standoff at Doklam for the past five weeks.

The comments by the US come ahead of the visit by National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval to China. The US also said it was closely monitoring the situation.

This is a situation that we are following closely and carefully. I'd have to refer you to the governments of India and China for more information on that, State Department Spokesman Heather Nauert told reporters at a news conference.

Responding to a question, she said the Indians and Chinese are talking on those issues.

We would encourage them to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions, Nauert said.

OneIndia News
Godavari Restaurant Chain all set for Detroit launch

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Michigan, USA: After grand success of Columbus restaurant and the first South Indian food truck of the country, Godavari will woo Detroit with great food and banquet facility.

Godavari, the fastest growing South Indian restaurant giant in the United States, is all set to flow into the City of Detroit on July 22, 2017. Godavari Detroit is strategically located in Farmington Hills area that houses a huge Indian community.

The restaurant is conveniently located in a nice strip mall with ample parking, and thus is one-of-its kind Godavari locations. Godavari Detroit will open up an attractive Banquet Hall named "Pushkara" that can accommodate up to 150 people.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajesh, owner of Godavari Detroit expressed excitement. "We have been running the Subway franchises in Farmington Hills area for more than 10 years. After that, we decided to get into South Indian food".

We are glad we chose the best South Indian chain, "Godavari". They have been supporting us at every single step since we picked up the location," he said.

The signature Godavari touch and its unmatched legacy will take over the Detroit's foodies too.

The astonishing Lunch Buffet on the opening day will comprise a huge spread of authentic items such as "Amala Appadam Bhajji", "Golconda Kodi Chips", "Pumpset Peethala Vepudu", "Amaravati Poornalu", "Muniandi Vilas Naatu Kozhi" and a lot more of authentic village recipes that will set taste buds on fire.

"We as a team have been working hard to dish out the best and authentic desi recipes to all our food lovers across all our locations in the US. As a team of young entrepreneurs, we are not just building a brand but spreading the aroma of South Indian food across the globe. We have lot of locations lined up and are receiving requests from many cities." says Varun Madisetty of Godavari.

"It's just been 26 months we opened our first location in Boston, and today we are happy to be serving more than 16 locations along with the first South Indian food truck of the country, 'Spicy Salaa'. All this owes to the trust and love our customers have in us." says Teja Chekuri, Co-founder of Godavari.

Godavari Detroit is all set to be one of the crown jewel locations of the Godavari brand as location, ambience and a great banquet experience enriching its list of offerings, besides the ultimate indulgence gourmets have with its food.

For more details, please reach:

Rajesh P

630-340-9760

DETROIT@GODAVARIUS.COM

It's time to enjoy the lavish Godavari Lunch Buffet @ Our Detroit Location:

Address:

GODAVARI DETROIT

35203 Grand River Avenue,

Farmington, MI 48335.

Ph: 248-987-6824

Thanks again.... Hope you all enjoy our cooking....

"Team" Godavari thanks the food lovers of Columbus, OH for their warm welcome and amazing response to Godavari. Here is the trailer of Godavari Columbus grand Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7REBCg74m7M

www.GodavariUS.com

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 17:30 [IST]
This Indian American girl has been declared as one of the brightest in the world

Indian-American doctor jailed for 10 yrs for USD 49 Million fraud

International

pti-PTI

Washington, Jul 21: An Indian-American doctor, known for promoting classical Indian dances in the US, has been sentenced to nearly 10 years of imprisonment for defrauding his former company's shareholders worth USD 49 million.

Sreedhar Potarazu, an ophthalmic surgeon licensed in Maryland and Virginia, provided materially false and misleading information to VitalSpring's shareholders to induce more than USD 49 million in capital investments in the company. Potarazu, 51, represented on numerous occasions that VitalSpring was a financially successful company and that the sale of VitalSpring was imminent, which would have resulted in profits for shareholders, the Department of Justice alleged.

The Indian-American doctor also admitted that he concealed from shareholders that VitalSpring failed to account for and pay over more than USD 7.5 million in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

For example, in 2014, Potarazu provided shareholders with a written summary of operating results that reflected VitalSpring's 2013 revenues to be approximately USD 12.9 million when, in fact, the 2013 revenue was less than USD 1 million, federal prosecutors alleged. Potarazu was highly popular among the Indian-American community for hosting annual UTSAV festival of classical Indian music and dance at the prestigious Kennedy Center.

In 2015, it was kicked off of by Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, joined by his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan. A major fund raiser for the Democratic party and its leaders Hillary Clinton and the former US President Barack Obama, Potarazu was also instrumental in special screening of "Jai Ho" a documentary on the work of A R Rahman at the White House in 2015. The legendary music director was personally present at the White House event.

"Like a director employing actors and props on a stage, Sreedhar Potarazu arranged for an imposter to pose as a buyer, provided a link to a bogus website and supplied fraudulent balance sheets, phony bank statements and false tax returns to convince VitalSpring investors and potential buyers that the company was financially healthy and up-to-date on its taxes," said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg.

"As a result of his actions, shareholders are out more than USD 49.5 million and over USD 7.5 million in employment taxes due to the US Treasury were diverted and never paid.

"With Potarazu's conviction and the sentencing hearings in this case, his fraud has been revealed, and today's imposition of a 119 month sentence holds him fully accountable for his actions," Goldberg said. At the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, Dr Potarazu has been nominated to the important credentials committee.

PTI
North Korea snubs Seoul's proposal for military talks

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Seoul, July 21: South Korea's proposed military talks aimed at easing tension between the two Koreas planned for Friday failed to happen after the North snubbed the call, a setback for new President Moon Jae-in's hopes for dialogue, reports Reuters.

The North has remained silent on the South Korean proposal, made on Monday, for talks on ways to avoid hostilities along their heavily fortified border.

Moon took office in May pledging to engage the North in dialogue, as well as to bring pressure on it to impede its nuclear and missile programs.

The proposal for talks came after the North said it conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4, and said it had mastered the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on it.

South Korean defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a briefing the military talks proposed for Friday were practically impossible as the North had not responded.

"It is an urgent needed task for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula to restore dialogue in the military area and to ease military tension between the South and the North," he said.

Moon said the proposal for talks still stood and he urged the North to respond.

It was the first formal overture by South Korea since cross-border ties broke down early last year under the government of Moon's predecessor, who imposed unilateral sanctions on the North for its nuclear tests and missile launches.

The North has conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests and a quick succession of missile-related activities since the beginning of 2016, after leader Kim Jong Un had pledged to improve ties with the South in a New Year's address.

The South had proposed talks to discuss ways to end activities on the border that have fueled tension.

By that, South Korea usually refers to loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts by both sides, while North Korea wants an end to joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, July 21, 2017, 10:21 [IST]
Blacklisting Mahmood blocked by China: The man who raised funds under garb of religion in India

Security Council reform postponed to next UNGA session

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

United Nations, July 21: The United Nations General Assembly has decided again to postpone Security Council reform negotiations to the next session.

The decision was taken amid criticism of the obduracy of a minority that stalled progress in the several decades-long effort to bring the UN's top decision-making body in line with the realities of the 21st centuries.

In what has become an annual ritual, the Assembly decided on Wednesday to put the reform process on the agenda of the next session that starts in September to continue the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on Council reform and to convene the "Open-Ended Work Group" on equitable representation on the Council and increasing its size.

"The discussions this year were much more interactive and productive," India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told IANS reviewing the work of the IGN.

"They covered all aspects and have now set the basis of moving to next phase at the forthcoming session," he added.

But Inga Rhonda King, a representative of L.69, a group pushing reforms, deplored on Wednesday the obduracy of a minority which prevented real work on negotiations even though the Assembly had taken up the reform some 25 years ago.

India is a member of L.69, a grouping of 42 nations.

"In no other purportedly democratic space have we seen the wish of 85 percent of the membership of an organisation not lead to action," said King, who is the permanent representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, noting that more than 160 countries believed the process had all the elements necessary to advance to text-based negotiations.

Although she did not name any country or group, her comment on behalf of L.69 at the Assembly were directed against the United for Consensus (UfC) group led by Italy and includes Pakistan, which has tirelessly worked to block the reform process.

Speaking on behalf of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan at the Wednesday session, Germany's Permanent Representative Harald Braun expressed disappointment that "we have not even set our sails on the course of text-based negotiations yet".

"It is the beginning of this standard-operating-procedure of all other UN negotiations that is missing," Braun said of the failure to adopt a text that would be the basis of negotiations.

"Our ship, the ship of the IGN, seems to have its rudders in the water on only one side. And while all of us are rowing as hard as we can, we move in circles," he said.

The four countries, India, Brazil, Japan and Germany, form G4 group that mutually supports each other's candidature on a reformed Council and works together for reforms.

Braun said that the group supported decision to roll over the negotiations to the next session and the paper prepared by the co-chairs of the IGN, Ion Jinga of Romania and Khaled Khiari of Tunisia, outlining the areas where there are agreements and which need further discussions on reforms.

IANS
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YORKVILLE  Merz North America will plant deeper roots in Racine County with a $3 million consolidation and expansion that will retain 165 good-paying jobs and create up to 20 more.

Merz North America, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., operates four sites in Racine County for manufacturing and distributing aesthetics products used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and neurologists.

Merz plans to consolidate its three leased facilities into one expanded location at 13900 Grandview Parkway. The new site will be home to the companys particle manufacturing, packaging, professional services and distribution operations.

Operations will continue at the 4133 Courtney St. facility in Blackhawk Industrial Park in Raymond, which Merz owns.

According to Matthew Anderson, vice president of technical operations for Merz North America, the company considered several options, including outsourcing distribution activities and relocating parts of its operations outside of Wisconsin, before deciding to consolidate its operations in Racine County.

The Wisconsin operation was the leading candidate for where Merz would continue the operations it started here 17 years ago, Anderson said. With support of a $750,000 forgivable Racine County loan administered by Racine County Economic Development Corp., Merz committed to a $3 million capital investment in Grandview Business Park. The loan is forgivable if Merz makes the capital investment, retains the 165 jobs and creates 20 new ones within three years.

Anderson said the project is about a 30 percent expansion there; construction is to begin Thursday, and Merz hopes to move into the new quarters next spring.

Anderson said the consolidation will increase efficiency of Merzs Wisconsin operations and fuel the companys continued growth in Wisconsin.

Merz is a privately held company based in Germany. Globally, Merz specializes in the research and development of drugs for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases and developed the worlds first drug for the treatment of moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer disease.

Locally, Anderson said, Merz manufactures:

Radiesse, a skin filler used by plastic surgeons and dermatologists for smoothing wrinkles and lines.

Coaptite, a product used by urologists for urinary incontinence.

Prolaryn, used to repair damaged vocal cords.

Calcium hydroxyapatite particles which are sold to a global medical device company for manufacturing of bone screws used in surgery. Merz also sells the particles to other small startup medical device companies for 3-D printing of medical products.

Anderson called Merz a premier place to work. The companys local 165 jobs are comprised approximately of 40 percent hourly jobs and 60 percent professional-level.

Merz is also involved in the wider community, Anderson said, with the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization and food bank as examples.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today (20) congratulated the Sri Lankan Government for setting up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP), an important step for all Sri Lankans who are still looking for the truth about their loved ones.

The United Nations stands ready to support this process and the Secretary-General looks forward to [the Office] becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of independent commissioners, said the Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq, In a statement.

For many years, Sri Lankas armed conflict was a matter of grave international concern. The United Nations supported political efforts to resolve the conflict and, during its final stages in 2009, strongly advocated respect for human rights and a humane and orderly end to the fighting.

In the aftermath of the conflict, the United Nations, through the work of its agencies, funds and programmes on the ground, has assisted with the safe and dignified return and resettlement of civilians uprooted by the conflict.

The UN has also encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to adopt policies to promote political reconciliation and a credible accountability process for allegations of wartime violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

(UN News Centre)
RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner has revealed that he felt frustrated in his last two years despite winning the UEFA Champions League with the club.

The German international was one of a number of big signings made under Frank Lampard in the summer of 2020, moving to Stamford Bridge despite constant links with Liverpool.

Speaking to the German FAs website, Werner said: Personally, it wasnt the very best time.

I had imagined something more. I learned a lot, won the Champions League and other trophies.

Read Also: Mourinho Makes Appearance In New Rap Video

I enjoyed the two years abroad very much  and enjoyed London very much. I had one laughing eye and one crying eye.

In Leipzig, not everything went so smoothly in the first few weeks, but the football under the new coach suits me very well and prepares me for what is required in the national team.

Style of play

Nicknamed Turbo Timo, Werner is known for his acceleration and pace. A direct, hard-working, and energetic forward, he initially played as a winger in his youth, before being switched to a striker or centre-forward role. An intelligent player, he has been praised in the media for his determination and willingness to drop deep to retrieve the ball or link-up with midfielders.

While he is not known for his physicality, aerial game, or holdup play, he is a prolific goalscorer, possessing excellent movement off the ball, as well as a powerful and accurate shot with his right foot from both inside and outside the penalty area; he usually prefers to cut inside from the left flank and shoot on goal with his stronger foot, although he is also capable of cutting inside from the right and striking with his left.

Return to RB Leipzig

On 9 August 2022, Werner re-signed for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a four-year contract for a reported fee of 25.3 million. On 13 August, Werner made his return debut in a 22 draw against 1. FC Koln. He also scored, firing a dipping shot from outside the box at Koln keeper Marvin Schwabe, who let it slip through his hands to gift Leipzig the opener in the 36th minute.

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A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Chimaroke Nnamani, has been appointed as a member of the APC presidential campaign council.

This is as the APC presidential campaign counci said that the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was conspicuously missing on the list it released Friday night because he had been directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to focus on issues of governance.

According to a statement by spokesman of the Tinubu/Shettima campaign team and minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), Osinbajo and the Secretary to government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, were left out in the list because Buhari instructed that they should be allowed to concentrate on governance of the country and administration of government.

In the 422-member list released by secretary of the presidential campaign council, Hon James Faleke, names of some prominent party chieftains were missing.

President Buhari and presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu are chairman and deputy chairman of the campaign council respectively, while Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, retained his position as director-general.

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is listed as deputy director-general (Operations) even as the list named APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, ambassadors, serving and past public office holders in key positions in the Campaign council.

But the names of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former SGF, Babachir Lawal; former minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and a staunch Tinubu associate, Adebayo Shittu, who heads one of his biggest support groups, Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance, were missing.

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But explaining the omision of Tinubus name, Keyamo said, Our attention has been drawn to some stories making the rounds that there may be something amiss within the family of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the name of our own revered and respected Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, is not included in the list of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

Nothing can be farther from the facts. For the avoidance of doubt, President Muhammadu Buhari , GCFR, is the Chairman of the Campaign Council. As a result, Mr. President has SPECIFICALLY directed that the Vice-President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha should be left out of the Campaign Council to concentrate on the governance of the country and administration of Government.

As a responsible Party and Government, all the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for electioneering campaigns. The APC has the mandate of the Nigerian people to administer the country on their behalf at least till May, 29, 2023, and this we intend to do with all sense of responsibility.

We will not toe the path of those who governed the country in an irresponsible manner before us and our Party is not in total disarray like those who wish to rescue the country, but cannot simply manage their own internal affairs.

Earlier in the statement on Friday announcing members of the campaign team, Faleke had said, We are pleased to announce the nominees of the leadership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, as per enclosed. All nominees are kindly advised to pick their appointment letters from the undersigned on Monday, 26th September, 2022 at 12noon.
Three personnel of Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency (KASTLEA) have been remanded by a Kaduna State Magistrate Court, sitting at Chediya GRA, Zaria, on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a married woman in the presence of her husband.

Barrister Aminu Yahaya and Sumayya filed the case against Nasiru DTO, Abubakar S, Dorcas Nana and 10 persons unknown, all personnel of KASTLEA for attempting to assault his wife.

They would be remanded until 18th October, 2022, when the case would come up for hearing.

The accused persons were charged under section 175 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Kaduna State, 2017.

Magistrate Rabi Hashim, who presided, said one of the charges is not a bailable offence.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, the Lead Counsel to the complaints, Dr. Hassan Bala, who is the Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Zaria branch, said the KASTLEA personnel assaulted one of their members family on the 19th September, 2022.

According to him, on that fateful day, the complaints were on their way to hospital with his sick mother when they stopped him and demanded for vehicle particulars.

He said the complainant begged them to allow him take his sick mother to hospital, but they (KASTLEA) declined and went ahead to write a fine against him, adding that there and then, he told them that only the court of law has the right to slam a fine on anyone found guilty.

He explained that the KASTELEA personnel went ahead and removed his number plates, adding that when they discovered that he could implicate them, they turned to his wife, claiming she was video recording them.

He said they tried to collect the phone from her, but the husband collected the phone from her.

Dr. Bala further said the KASTLEA personnel turned to the husband who happens to be their member, overpowered him and collected the phone.

He said in the process, the lawyer sustained injury and the phone fell on the ground and got damaged.

The defence counsels were Nuradden Hassan, Haliru Salim, Abdulmumini Ishaq, Khalid Kabir, Kabir Hashim and Suwaiba A.D. Yusuf.
According to reports, after the killing, their fingers were chopped off and their blood was used to write on the wall.

Chop Boy, a Nigerian music star, as well as his producer and two other persons have been killed.

They were murdered in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

DAILY POST reports that Chop Boii, aka Sempe, was reportedly in his house in Gwarimpa area of Abuja with his producer, a friend, and his producers girlfriend when they were attacked by yet to be identified armed men.

According to reports, after the killing, their fingers were chopped off and their blood was used to write on the wall.

When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adeh confirmed the unfortunate incident.

She said the incident was a case of suspected culpable homicide, stating that wife of one of the deceased, one Queen Blue Jack had earlier informed the Police of not knowing the whereabouts of her husband who left home with a friend and all efforts to reach them both proved abortive.



Upon receipt of this information, a team of detectives attached to the Gwarimpa division was drafted to the scene where her husband and three other persons were found dead in their pool of blood.



The bodies were taken to the hospital for possible medical intervention but were confirmed dead by a doctor on duty.



The deceased were deposited at the Kubwa General Hospital morgue; discrete investigations have commenced and emerging developments will be communicated subsequently.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has denied a statement allegedly attributed to it.

Ohanaeze said it never made a statement saying Nigeria would not be secured and united unless an Igbo president emerges.

The factional Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Okechukwu Isuguzoro, had in a statement on Tuesday said that Nigeria would not be secured and united unless an Igbo president emerges.

Reacting in a statement on Wednesday, Northern Elders Forum (NEF) condemned the statement in its entirety and asked the Ohanaeze to stop threatening Nigerians with the Igbo Presidency.

But in a swift response, Ohanaeze advised the Northern elders not to take as serious any statements from people bent on disgracing the apex Igbo body.

In a statement on Wednesday by the groups spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze dissociated itself from the purported comment made by Isiguzoro.

He stated that the leadership of the Igbo body was not in doubt, and asked the Northern elders to dismiss comments made by Isiguzoro in the future.

The statement reads: Dr Ahmed alleged that the threat came from Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, whom he addressed as the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

For the umpteenth time, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and indeed the eminent sons and daughters of Igbo land have pleaded with Mr Isiguzoro to desist from lowering the hallowed image of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to his level. He has been reminded to no avail that Ohanaeze represents the Igbo history, consciousness, unity, spirit and solidarity.

He has been told that Ohanaeze is far above him and should not always place the Igbo on line with his unguarded youthful impetuosity.

It is inconceivable that at a point the Igbo collective aspiration has gained an irresistible momentum, a wary transgressor would in the name of Ohanaeze, issue incendiary statements that have negative ethnic valences.

My brother, Dr. Ahmed and indeed the NEF are advised that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by an erudite scholar and diplomat, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor dissociates itself from the statement under reference.
Osun Governor-Elect Senator Ademola Adeleke has said the Supreme Courts declaration of him as the authentic Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate has confirmed his victory is divine.

The PDP also expelled Prince Dotun Babayemi from the party for taking Adeleke to court.

The Supreme Court dismissed Babayemis suit contesting Adelekes nomination as Osun PDP Governorship candidate.

Adeleke said his victory is divine, stressing residents of Osun have embraced light to take them to the Promiseland.

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Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, said: This project is divine and is here to stay. Our people voted for light and we must all defend and sustain that mandate built on our five-point agenda for good governance.

In a victory statement by Osun PDP Caretaker Chairman, Dr Adekunle Akindele, the party described the Supreme Court judgement as another landmark for Osun people.

While congratulating Adeleke, the party noted that Prince Babayemi ceased to be a member of the PDP and warned against any accommodation of the expelled politician in PDP matters.

As we are rejoicing, we must note very strongly that a mole among us who was an active agent of the APC had since lost his membership of PDP. No organ or affiliates of the party should accommodate him or his agenda again within this party.

Any member of the party who continues to romance the expelled member risks being charged with anti-party activities and may face appropriate sanctions. We must get rid of fifth columnists by descending heavily on them. We must uproot them and cut down their branches, the statement reads.
Joke Silva

Veteran actress, Joke Silva turned 61 on Thursday, September 29.

The actress who recently threatened a lawsuit against naysayers spreading rumors about her husbands death rejoices as she adds a new year.

Taking to her Instagram page, Joke Silva shared a photo and penned a song of appreciation in the Yoruba language which roughly translates to always praise God.

Sharing an ageless photo of herself, the thespian wrote;

Kasha ma dupe dupe kasha ma dupe dupeoromi o gbejo we we kasha ma dupe dupeThank you Lord for another year of your abundant Grace, Mercy and Favour.
Lyndon Station Elementary Earth Day clean up. Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney recently announced an initiative to clean up the Park Edge/Park Ridge neighborhoods to foster community pride and cut down on violence.
The many supporters of Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, have stormed the streets of Abuja.

They are currently carrying out a rally in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The rally began from the Unity Fountain to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium amid security presence.

Demonstrators had last week staged a rally in Ebonyi State.

Obi is a former governor of Anambra State contesting the 2023 presidential election alongside Mr Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, among others.

Details later
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested an 84 years old man, Stephen Jack for allegedly having carnal knowledge of an eight-year-old girl.

Ogun Police Arrests 84 Yrs Old Man For Defiling 8 Years Old Girl

This was disclosed in a statement posted on the twitter handle of the command.

The statement said the suspect who resides in okun owa area of Ijebu Ode was arrested following a report lodged at Obalende divisional headquarters by the father of the victim.

It said the victims father reported that he discovered that his daughter was bleeding from her private part, and when he asked her the cause, she informed him that the suspect had sex with her.

The statement reads, Upon the report, the DPO Obalende division, SP Murphy Salami detailed his detectives to the scene, where the randy old man was apprehended.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the old man is a known pedophile in the area. The victim has been taken to the General Hospital Ijebu Ode for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has directed that the suspect be transferred to State criminal investigation and intelligence department for more investigation and possible prosecution.

84 YEARS OLD MAN ARRESTED FOR DEFILING 8 YEARS OLD GIRL IN OGUN. An 84 years old man Stephen Jack has been arrested by police operatives in Ogun state for having unlawful carnal knowledge of an eight year old girl (name withheld). pic.twitter.com/yphZmmRQ5b  Ogun State Police Command (@OgunPoliceNG) September 24, 2022

In other news, Kanyi Daily had reported that the Ogun police command arrested two men for allegedly gang-raping 18-yr-old girl.
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Watching trends in the Nigerian marketing communications industry over the years, Florence Achado, the managing director of Vee69, shares her insight on how advertising shapes society

Excerpts

Whats your broad view of the trend in advertising industry in Nigeria in the last 10 years?

Over the years, the media has offered a wide range of industries some sort of leverage, and advertising is no exemption. Apart from innovation in print and electronic media that drives marketing communications, tech platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tik-Tok, You-Tube. With all their artificial intelligence, have also changed the way advertisers and consumers interface. We have also witnessed the advent of influencers. The Covid-19 pandemic, too, in the last three years. Remote working, consumers migrating online as a result of social distancing, and all that, have since forced brands to focus more on digital marketing communications.

Besides creating a consumerist society, how else, in your view, has advertising shaped Nigeria?

Like most mass-mediated industries, advertising has a strong impact on societythe way the media does, for instance. Its not just consumerism alone it creates; advertising creates and shapes values. Ill give an example, at vee69 we have handled humanitarian responses, campaign on out of school children in Nigeria and a lot more, these are based on patriotism, nation building and unity, it is not selling any consumable rather, it is selling ideas and positive outcomes. Ill say awareness is such a powerful weapon that changes everything.

What would you say about influencers? Are they stealing your job?

Talking about influencers. Like I said before: they are a force. I really do appreciate what they do. Its part of the diversity that makes us better in the industry.

What was the industry like when you founded Vee69?

A lot has changed over the years. Nigerias media space was a couple of years out on the information super highway, and standing right in the thick of social media disruption when we started Vee69 seven years ago. If you remember, the traditional media was losing readership in droves to websites and other web 2.0 platforms then. Starting up a full service advertising agency was no joke in such a disrupted environment. But at Vee69, we live with a purpose, and that purpose lights our path. We survived the test of that time.

Can you look at the trend in advertising education, and compare Nigerias standard with where you studied advertising?

While I studied marketing and advertising in Coventry, United Kingdom, I will say that the UK has a large advertising market, however this provides insight to help understand awareness and other forms of engagement

We are very resourceful in Nigeria. And I know the curricula, for both academic and professional qualifications, are up to the mark. I can tell that much because Im a full member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON)

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Display of affluence in ads and through channels advertising uses is stimulating get-rich vices in Nigerian youth. Whats your take?

I dont agree to that. Were very careful about what content Vee69 sends out, though. Even at that. Its about choices. Everyone is responsible for who they become. When you appreciate what you have, and what you are on the inside, no display of affluence can take you out of yourself.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) FCT Chapter, Thursday in Abuja held a first-of-its-kind Presidential Debate ahead of the Nigeria Football Federation elections.

The event saw CAFs Chief Safety & Security Officer, Dr. Christian Emeruwa, and FCTs FA Chairman, Adam Mouktar Mohammed go head to head as the Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare, represented by his Special Adviser on Media Mr. kola Daniel, Chairman NUJ FCT Council, Emmanuel Ogbeche and the crowd watch on in excitement.

Between the welcome address by Chairman of SWAN, FCT chapter, Bunmi Blair Haruna. and the closing remarks by Emmanuel Ogbeche, the candidates addressed critical points raised.

Adam Mouktar Mohammed was quick to highlight his achievements as the FCT FA Chairman when quizzed on his reasons for contesting.

He said, I have been in the position of the FCT FA Chairman for the last 3 years, and I see myself as a game-changer. We are in the 22nd century where football has evolved into a business, with my experience of developing young players from zero to heroes, Im very much suitable for the job.

Mohammed also emphasized picking players from all over the country and helping them through the ranks, from the U-17 to the U-19 to the senior National teams.

Read Also:Supercomputer Predicts Final Premier League Table

I have invested my time and money for over 20 years, and have gotten my hands dirty, so I know what is needed and what needs to be done. I resigned from my position, came into administration, and in the last 3 years, I can humbly beat my chest and say I am the best performing FA Chairman in the country.

We came in with the promise that we wanted to develop facilities, and we have done it. We have trained over 120 coaches which you can verify, and have returned the Abuja league to the top in the country. Talking about international cooperation, I have brought Bayern Munich, making a home-grown player to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world. So I understand the business of Football.

CAFs Chief Safety & Security Officer, Dr. Christian Emeruwa prides himself in his continental experience.

I sit currently in a position where I can see what happens in all 54 countries in Africa, and we have what is called the Directorate Review Session every Monday, where we look at the development and progress in each member association, Emeruwa said while answering questions on why he decided to vie for the position of NFF president.

Unfortunately, I sit at the meeting weekly and listen to how my country Nigeria is mostly at the bottom. In terms of development programs, progress in capacity building, league performance, and so on, and I said to myself, that in this coming election, I will not be sitting down anymore in the comfort of my office in Cairo, without coming back home to try and vie for the position.

I consider myself fit for the position because this is my profession. I studied sports from my first degree to my Ph.D. at the University of Port Harcourt, and I also worked within the purview of the NFF for many years, where I was privileged to be in the very engine room that drives the entire process of Nigerian Football, which is the office of the Secretary.

Emeruwa added: I have also worked with FIFA since 2015, in a job that has given me the opportunity to support the delivery of different competitions. I have also been able to join CAF to start up a department that was never in existence in the last 60 years of our African Football, and today, within 3-and-a-half years, that department is the second best in the world.

I thought that with my wealth of experience and knowing exactly the problems of Nigerian Football, it will be uncharitable to close my eyes, and not come back home to try to contribute.

The event had journalists and football fans gather at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council Secretariat, Utako Abuja.

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New research study shares details about Global Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Market Forecast Year From 2022, Analysis and Growths in New Research Report

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Global Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (OTA) Sales Market Report 2017 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.The market intelligence publication inspects into the growth trajectory of the Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Market in terms of income and capacity. The report also evaluates the foremost trends and the key factors that are probably to influence the growth of the market in an optimistic or adverse way. The report also high points the strategies, shares, and product portfolio of the key companies operating in the Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Market.Researchers anticipate that the Global Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Market will unveil a significant growth over the coming years. The market has perceived substantial growth over the last couple of years owing to its development. The market is also anticipated to grow owing to the introduction of testing laboratories at present. Organizations are being gratified to organize tests in offices to ensure employee safety owing to the rising pressure on them and devoid them of proscribed activities.Access the Sample of this report on the below mentioned link:On-the-spot testing is gaining popularity to promise random monitoring in order to decrease the incidence of mishaps due to abuse. The presence of plentiful clinical laboratories worldwide is yet another reason driving the demand for Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Market. Rising number of hospitals that depend on laboratories are estimated to boost the demand for products such as analyzers and sample collection devices.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (Million Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (OTA) for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited States,China,Europe,Japan,Korea,Taiwan.Ask for Discount on This Report at:An assessment of the market attractiveness with regard to the competition that new players and products are likely to present to older ones has been provided in the publication. The research report also mentions the innovations, new developments, marketing strategies, branding techniques, and products of the key participants present in the Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Device market. To present a clear vision of the market the competitive landscape has been thoroughly analyzed utilizing the value chain analysis. The opportunities and threats present in the future for the key market players have also been emphasized in the publication.The Top players including:-Global Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (OTA) market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (OTA) sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including,Texas Instruments,ON Semiconductor,Intersil,NJR,Triad Semiconductor,National Semiconductor,Stromeko,RCA,NTE Electronics,NXP Semiconductors.For more inquiry before purchase:The research study further offers a detailed overview of the competitive landscape of the Operational Transconductance Amplifiers Device market and throws light on the key players operating in it.The key players have been highlighted on the basis of various business strategies and the marketing tactics. This helps provide a strong understanding of the overall market. In addition, the financial overview, recent developments, SWOT analysis, product portfolio, and mergers and acquisitions in the market have been discussed in depth.About Research n Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Asia-Pacific competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports)
New Research Report in Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Market Forecast Year From 2022, Analysis and Growths in New Research Report Trends, Challenges and Drivers Analysis

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United States Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Market Report 2017 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.The market intelligence publication inspects into the growth trajectory of the Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Market in terms of income and capacity. The report also evaluates the foremost trends and the key factors that are probably to influence the growth of the market in an optimistic or adverse way. The report also high points the strategies, shares, and product portfolio of the key companies operating in the Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Market.Researchers anticipate that the Global Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Market will unveil a significant growth over the coming years. The market has perceived substantial growth over the last couple of years owing to its development. The market is also anticipated to grow owing to the introduction of testing laboratories at present. Organizations are being gratified to organize tests in offices to ensure employee safety owing to the rising pressure on them and devoid them of proscribed activities.Access the Sample of this report on the below mentioned link:On-the-spot testing is gaining popularity to promise random monitoring in order to decrease the incidence of mishaps due to abuse. The presence of plentiful clinical laboratories worldwide is yet another reason driving the demand for Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Market. Rising number of hospitals that depend on laboratories are estimated to boost the demand for products such as analyzers and sample collection devices.Geographically, this report splits the United States market into seven regions:The West,Southwest,The Middle Atlantic,New England,The South,The Midwest,with sales (volume), revenue (value), market share and growth rate of Multilayer Printed-wiring Board in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast).Ask for Discount on This Report at:An assessment of the market attractiveness with regard to the competition that new players and products are likely to present to older ones has been provided in the publication. The research report also mentions the innovations, new developments, marketing strategies, branding techniques, and products of the key participants present in the Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Device market. To present a clear vision of the market the competitive landscape has been thoroughly analyzed utilizing the value chain analysis. The opportunities and threats present in the future for the key market players have also been emphasized in the publication.The Top players including:-United States Multilayer Printed-wiring Board market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Multilayer Printed-wiring Board sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingNippon Mektron,Zhen Ding Technology,Unimicron,ELNA,Young Poong Group,Samsung Electro-Mechanics,Ibiden,Tripod,TTM Technologies,Sumitomo Electric SEI,Daeduck Group,Nanya PCB,Compeq,HannStar Board,LG Innotek,AT&S,Meiko,Chin-Poon,Shennan,WUS.For more inquiry before purchase:The research study further offers a detailed overview of the competitive landscape of the Multilayer Printed-wiring Board Device market and throws light on the key players operating in it.The key players have been highlighted on the basis of various business strategies and the marketing tactics. This helps provide a strong understanding of the overall market. In addition, the financial overview, recent developments, SWOT analysis, product portfolio, and mergers and acquisitions in the market have been discussed in depth.About Research n Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Asia-Pacific competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports)
What Are the Reasons for the Rise in Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market Recent Period??

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Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Professional Survey Report 2017 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.The global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market has been predicted to earn demand from various end-users and consumers. The threat of substitutes, technological risks, and an unfavorable impact on the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market, potential applications & opportunities from emerging regions which have been anticipated to raise the hopes of industry players have mentioned this study. This report projects the growth rate, market share, price, revenue, and production of each product type of global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market. The analysts have comprehensively studied different application segments in terms of factors such as their share, rate of growth, etc. of the market.Readers have been offered with a deep study of various regions and countries, such as Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, APAC, and Middle East & Africa deemed important for the growth and demand in the Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market. The prospect and status of each geography of the Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market have been analyzed taking into deliberation of the review period. For the same review period, this market has been researched according to a value where determinants such as gross margin, price, revenue, and production have been considered. The regional analysis of the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market is also performed as per the production, import, and export of each region and country discussed in the report. The analysts in the report have used tools such as Porters five force analysis and SWOT analysis.Under manufacturing cost analysis, the authors of the report have discussed the crucial raw materials, their price trend, important suppliers, and market concentration rate. The report has also discussed on the proportion of manufacturing cost and important elements of the market. Other aspects such as consumers, sourcing strategy, and industrial chain analysis have been elaborately explored in the report penned on the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market. Along with a list of distributors and traders, the researchers have analyzed the positioning of the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market based on three dynamics such as pricing strategy, brand strategy, and target client. For a study on marketing channel, the report has explored three vital subjects, viz. marketing channel development trend, indirect marketing, and direct marketing.Get Sample Copy of this Report:The research report analyzes the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market in an inclusive method by clarifying the key aspects of the market that are expected to have a measureable influence on its developmental prospects during the forecast period. This report focused on the primary and secondary market research methodologies which will further help organizations for making effective decision.This report includes massive data relating to the product or technological developments observed in the market, complete with an analysis of the impact of these advancements on the markets future development. Moreover, the report presents a 360-degree overview and SWOT analysis of the competitive Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market has been carried out. This report analysis will help organizations understand the major threat and opportunities that vendors have to deal in the market.The report also presents a thorough qualitative and quantitative data pertaining to the projected impact of these factors on markets future growth prospects. With the inclusive market data concerning the key elements and segments of the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market that can influence the growth prospects of the market, the report makes for a highly informative document. The report also identifies Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America as the prime regional markets for this market across the world.Get Discount on this report:In this report data of the top performing companies, geographical regions, as well as segments, can be obtained. A clear idea has been provided about the market growth during the forecast period. Furthermore, the major attracting drivers, challenges, and trends influencing the global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor market are examined at length. The report can effectively help companies in facing any challenges strategically to gain the determined benefits in this highly competitive global market. This report will provide readers a transparent understanding of the state of competition, threats, major opportunities, and the major rules, regulations, plans, and policies impacting the market.Table of Content:-Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor1.1 Definition and Specifications of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor1.1.1 Definition of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor1.1.2 Specifications of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor1.2 Classification of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor1.2.1 Resistance Type1.2.2 Holzer Type1.2.3 Others1.3 Applications of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor1.3.1 Automotive1.3.2 Power and Oil & Gas1.3.3 Chemical1.3.4 Agriculture1.3.5 Construction1.3.6 Others1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Share Analysis5.2 China Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Analysis5.2.1 China Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Share Analysis5.6 India Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Analysis5.6.1 India Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 Resistance Type of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Holzer Type of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.3 Others of Ultrasonic Retro-reflective Sensor Growth Driving Factor AnalysisFor More Enquiry On This Report:Company Overview:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat United States and Global and Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports)
Todays Research Report Coverage on the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) Sales Market

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Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market Report 2017- Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.The latest intelligence on the Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) Sales Market is available in the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market Research report. This report is a culmination of the key events from last decade to present day and helps to formulate the best strategy catered to both established market players and new entrants.A birds eye view of the EEPROM industry made available in the report helps readers to understand the key drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities that are shaping the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market. Furthermore, the report evaluates challenges experienced from buyers and sellers side. The report offers advice from key industry experts on how these challenges can be overcome.Download PDF Brochure@A major chunk of the report talks about the technologies that are and will influence the growth of the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market. Forecasts for these technology sectors are presented in the report. Integration is the key to advancement in technology in the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market. Companies that offer the latest integrated technologies at an affordable cost are expected to thrive in the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market. The dominating technologies in the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market along with the upcoming technologies that are expected to revolutionize the market are explained in the report.The report also elaborates on the opportunities the emerging markets of United States, Japan, China, Europe, Korea and Taiwan. Furthermore, the cost of raw materials in these nations is low, while the availability is high. This has turned the heads of several major international companies to the emerging countries.For Discount on Report Click@On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share, and growth rate of Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory for each application, including Aerospace Automotive Communications/Mobile Infrastructure Defense/Military OthersThe key companies operating in the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market along with their revenues, market size, key business strategy, key technology strategy, and recent developments are mentioned in the report. In addition to this, valuable recommendations on the opportunities players in the market can tap on is presented in the report. This will help clients to gain a competitive edge in the Global Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory Sales Market.Purchase full report@About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com ,
Premium Insight of Global Sandblasting Machine Market 2017-2022

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Sandblasting Machine Market - Premium Insight of Latest ReportMobile dry abrasive blast systems are typically powered by a diesel air compressor. The air compressor provides a large volume of high pressure air to a single or multiple "blast pots". Blast pots are pressurized, tank-like containers, filled with abrasive material, used to allow an adjustable amount of blasting grit into the main blasting line. The number of blast pots is dictated by the volume of air the compressor can provide. Fully equipped blast systems are often found mounted on semi-tractor trailers, offering high mobility and easy transport from site to site. Others are hopper-fed types making them lightweight and more mobile.In wet blasting, the abrasive is introduced into a pressurized stream of water or other liquid, creating a slurry. Wet blasting is often used in applications where the minimal dust generation is desired. Portable applications may or may not recycle the abrasive.The report, titled Global Sandblasting Machine Market defines about its present scenario and briefs readers about its products, applications, and specifications. The research lists key companies operating in this Global Sandblasting Machine Market and also highlights the key changing trends adopted by the companies to maintain their dominance. By using SWOT analysis and Porters five force analysis tools, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of key companies are mentioned in the report. All leading players in this Global Sandblasting Machine Market are profiled with details such as product types, business overview, sales, manufacturing base, competitors, applications, and specifications.For a detailed competitive analysis, the Global Sandblasting Machine Market is segmented on the basis of region, application, and product type. By region, the Global Sandblasting Machine Market is divided into Europe, Global, North America, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Key companies are focusing on spreading their products and services across various regions. Additionally, acquisitions and mergers from some of the leading organizations are on the cards in the near future. Efforts are being taken by most of the companies to improve their research and development activities to introduce innovations. Governments of many nations are also contributing towards the growth of the Global Market by increasing their funding. All these factors are predicted to propel the Global Sandblasting Machine Market.Marketing strategies and Marketing channels adopted by key companies are highlighted in this report. Companies are focusing on improving direct & indirect Marketing strategies, develop various Marketing channels, brand strategies, and pricing strategies. With this, the key companies will get a chance to focus on adopting the new trends and innovations in Sandblasting Machine Market. Additionally, by merging with startups, leading companies are aiming to maintain their dominance in the Global Sandblasting Machine Market.Innovations have helped key companies to introduce new ways of developing and advancing this Market. With the development and the introduction of tools, more concepts are able to create growth opportunities in the Market. Factor such as risks and technological progress are also highlighted in the report. Importance is given to changing consumer needs and customer preferences. The analysts also focus on changing trends in a political and economic environment that might affect the Global Sandblasting Machine Market. As per the findings of the report, the changing rules and regulations of governments of many nations are predicted to affect the growth of the Global Sandblasting Machine Market over the forecast period. However, changing strategies and new product developments are predicted to contribute towards the growth of the Market.Get Sample Copy of This Report:Complete report available at:About Research n Reports:Research N Reports is a new age Market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven Market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, Market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current Market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports)
Conducting Polymer Coatings Market Size 2017 Heraeus, Lubrizol Corporation, Dow Chemical Company

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Conducting Polymer Coatings Market Research ReportA market study  Global Conducting Polymer Coatings Market  examines the performance of the Conducting Polymer Coatings market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Conducting Polymer Coatings market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Conducting Polymer Coatings market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Conducting Polymer Coatings Market 2017 report includes Conducting Polymer Coatings market Size, Revenue, market Share, Conducting Polymer Coatings industry volume, market Trends, Conducting Polymer Coatings Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Conducting Polymer Coatings Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Conducting Polymer Coatings Market 2017:1. Heraeus2. Lubrizol Corporation3. Dow Chemical Company4. CrosslinkITEK5. Henkel Electronics6. NanoMarkets LLC7. IDTech EX8. Voltaic Coatings9. CBI Polymers10. AnCatt...Firstly, the report covers the top Conducting Polymer Coatings manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Conducting Polymer Coatings report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Conducting Polymer Coatings industry, Conducting Polymer Coatings industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Conducting Polymer Coatings Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Conducting Polymer Coatings research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Conducting Polymer Coatings market revenue worldwide.Finally, Conducting Polymer Coatings market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Elastomers Market Size 2017 BASF, The DOW Chemical Company, JSR Corporation, DuPont

Elastomers

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Elastomers Market Research ReportA market study  Global Elastomers Market  examines the performance of the Elastomers market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Elastomers market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Elastomers market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Elastomers Market 2017 report includes Elastomers market Size, Revenue, market Share, Elastomers industry volume, market Trends, Elastomers Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Elastomers Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Elastomers Market 2017:1. BASF2. The DOW Chemical Company3. JSR Corporation4. DuPont5. Lanxess6. Zeon Corporation7. Kuraray8. Covestro9. Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC10. Teknor Apex...Firstly, the report covers the top Elastomers manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Elastomers report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Elastomers industry, Elastomers industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Elastomers Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Complete Report:The Elastomers research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Elastomers market revenue worldwide.Finally, Elastomers market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Epoxy Resin Coatings Market Size 2017 Kukdo Chemical, Huntsman Corporation, Dow Chemical Company

Epoxy Resin Coatings

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Epoxy Resin Coatings Market Research ReportA market study  Global Epoxy Resin Coatings Market  examines the performance of the Epoxy Resin Coatings market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Epoxy Resin Coatings market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Epoxy Resin Coatings market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Epoxy Resin Coatings Market 2017 report includes Epoxy Resin Coatings market Size, Revenue, market Share, Epoxy Resin Coatings industry volume, market Trends, Epoxy Resin Coatings Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Epoxy Resin Coatings Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Epoxy Resin Coatings Market 2017:1. Momentive Performance Materials2. Kukdo Chemical3. Huntsman Corporation4. Dow Chemical Company5. Atul6. Sika7. Cytec Industries Incorporation8. DuPont9. 3M10. BASF11. Aditya Birla Chemicals12. NAMA Chemicals13. LEUNA-Harze14. Spolchemie AS...Firstly, the report covers the top Epoxy Resin Coatings manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Epoxy Resin Coatings report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Epoxy Resin Coatings industry, Epoxy Resin Coatings industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Epoxy Resin Coatings Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Epoxy Resin Coatings research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Epoxy Resin Coatings market revenue worldwide.Finally, Epoxy Resin Coatings market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Market Share 2017 Dow Chemical Company, Eastman, Taiwan Maxwave

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Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Market Research ReportA market study  Global Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Market  examines the performance of the Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Market 2017 report includes Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) market Size, Revenue, market Share, Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) industry volume, market Trends, Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Market 2017:1. Dow Chemical Company2. Eastman3. Taiwan Maxwave4. Yueyang Dongrun Chemical5. Tricochemical6. Wuxi Yangshi ChemicalFirstly, the report covers the top Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) industry, Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) market revenue worldwide.Finally, Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (CAS 763-69-9) market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Market Share 2017 CoorsTek, CeramTec, Kyocera, Morgan Advanced Materials

Bioceramics & Piezoceramics

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Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Market Research ReportA market study  Global Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Market  examines the performance of the Bioceramics & Piezoceramics market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Bioceramics & Piezoceramics market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Bioceramics & Piezoceramics market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Market 2017 report includes Bioceramics & Piezoceramics market Size, Revenue, market Share, Bioceramics & Piezoceramics industry volume, market Trends, Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Market 2017:1. CoorsTek2. CeramTec3. Kyocera Corporation4. Morgan Advanced Materials5. DePuy Synthes6. NGK Spark Plug7. SaintGobain Ceramic Materials8. Rauschert9. HC Starck...Firstly, the report covers the top Bioceramics & Piezoceramics manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Bioceramics & Piezoceramics report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Bioceramics & Piezoceramics industry, Bioceramics & Piezoceramics industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Bioceramics & Piezoceramics Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Bioceramics & Piezoceramics research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Bioceramics & Piezoceramics market revenue worldwide.Finally, Bioceramics & Piezoceramics market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Carbon Fiber Prefab Market Share 2017 Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, Honeywell, UTC Aerospace Systems

Carbon Fiber Prefab

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Carbon Fiber Prefab Market Research ReportA market study  Global Carbon Fiber Prefab Market  examines the performance of the Carbon Fiber Prefab market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Carbon Fiber Prefab market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Carbon Fiber Prefab market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Carbon Fiber Prefab Market 2017 report includes Carbon Fiber Prefab market Size, Revenue, market Share, Carbon Fiber Prefab industry volume, market Trends, Carbon Fiber Prefab Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Carbon Fiber Prefab Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Carbon Fiber Prefab Market 2017:1. Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran)2. Honeywell3. UTC Aerospace Systems4. Meggitt Aerospace5. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres6. Tianniao7. ZOLTEKFirstly, the report covers the top Carbon Fiber Prefab manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Carbon Fiber Prefab report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Carbon Fiber Prefab industry, Carbon Fiber Prefab industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Carbon Fiber Prefab Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Carbon Fiber Prefab research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Carbon Fiber Prefab market revenue worldwide.Finally, Carbon Fiber Prefab market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Antifreeze & Coolants Market Share 2017 SINOPEC, Shell, Mobil, BLUESTAR, Castrol, KunLun

Antifreeze & Coolants

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Antifreeze & Coolants Market Research ReportA market study  Global Antifreeze & Coolants Market  examines the performance of the Antifreeze & Coolants market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Antifreeze & Coolants market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Antifreeze & Coolants market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Antifreeze & Coolants Market 2017 report includes Antifreeze & Coolants market Size, Revenue, market Share, Antifreeze & Coolants industry volume, market Trends, Antifreeze & Coolants Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Antifreeze & Coolants Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Antifreeze & Coolants Market 2017:1. SINOPEC2. Shell3. Mobil4. BLUESTAR5. Castrol6. KunLun7. Prestone8. TOTAL9. Lopal10. Copton...Firstly, the report covers the top Antifreeze & Coolants manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Antifreeze & Coolants report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Antifreeze & Coolants industry, Antifreeze & Coolants industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Antifreeze & Coolants Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Antifreeze & Coolants research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Antifreeze & Coolants market revenue worldwide.Finally, Antifreeze & Coolants market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
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Anti-Freeze Agents Market Forecasts 2017 BASF AG, Chemutra Corporation, Chevron Oronite Company LLC

Anti-Freeze Agents

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Anti-Freeze Agents Market Research ReportA market study  Global Anti-Freeze Agents Market  examines the performance of the Anti-Freeze Agents market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Anti-Freeze Agents market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Anti-Freeze Agents market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Anti-Freeze Agents Market 2017 report includes Anti-Freeze Agents market Size, Revenue, market Share, Anti-Freeze Agents industry volume, market Trends, Anti-Freeze Agents Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Anti-Freeze Agents Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Anti-Freeze Agents Market 2017:1. BASF AG2. Chemutra Corporation3. Chevron Oronite Company LLC4. Baker Hughes, Inc5. Ethyl Corporation6. Afton Chemical Corp7. ExxonMobil Chemical Company8. Infineum International Limited9. Petroflow Energy Corporation...Firstly, the report covers the top Anti-Freeze Agents manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Anti-Freeze Agents report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Anti-Freeze Agents industry, Anti-Freeze Agents industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Anti-Freeze Agents Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Anti-Freeze Agents research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Anti-Freeze Agents market revenue worldwide.Finally, Anti-Freeze Agents market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Automotive Gear Oil Market Forecasts 2017 FUCHS Lubricants, Sinopec Lubricant, Shell, ExxonMobil

Automotive Gear Oil

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Automotive Gear Oil Market Research ReportA market study  Global Automotive Gear Oil Market  examines the performance of the Automotive Gear Oil market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Automotive Gear Oil market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Automotive Gear Oil market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Automotive Gear Oil Market 2017 report includes Automotive Gear Oil market Size, Revenue, market Share, Automotive Gear Oil industry volume, market Trends, Automotive Gear Oil Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Automotive Gear Oil Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Automotive Gear Oil Market 2017:1. FUCHS Lubricants2. Sinopec Lubricant3. Shell4. ExxonMobil5. BP6. Total Lubricants7. Chevron8. JiangSu Lopal Petrochemical...Firstly, the report covers the top Automotive Gear Oil manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Automotive Gear Oil report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Automotive Gear Oil industry, Automotive Gear Oil industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Automotive Gear Oil Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Complete Report:The Automotive Gear Oil research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Automotive Gear Oil market revenue worldwide.Finally, Automotive Gear Oil market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Masonry White Cement Market - Global Industry Key Players, Development Status, Type and Application, Forecast 2017 to 2022

Masonry White Cement Market

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Global Masonry White Cement Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Masonry White Cement Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Executive Summary:In this report, the global Masonry White Cement market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K MT), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Masonry White Cement for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest Sample Report Here @...Global Masonry White Cement market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Masonry White Cement sales volume, Price (USD/MT), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingCementir HoldingLafargeHolcimFederal White CementRoyal White CementSesco Cement Corp.Titan America...On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K MT), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/MT), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoType NType SOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Masonry White Cement for each application, includingResidential BuildingsNon-residential BuildingsIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Enquiry Before Buying @Some Major Points from Table of Content:Table of ContentsGlobal Masonry White Cement Sales Market Report 20171 Masonry White Cement Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Masonry White Cement1.2 Classification of Masonry White Cement by Product Category1.2.1 Global Masonry White Cement Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Masonry White Cement Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Type N1.2.4 Type S1.3 Global Masonry White Cement Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Masonry White Cement Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Residential Buildings1.3.3 Non-residential Buildings1.4 Global Masonry White Cement Market by Region1.4.1 Global Masonry White Cement Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Masonry White Cement Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Masonry White Cement Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Masonry White Cement Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Masonry White Cement Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Masonry White Cement Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Masonry White Cement Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Masonry White Cement (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Masonry White Cement Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Masonry White Cement Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Masonry White Cement Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Masonry White Cement Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Masonry White Cement Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Masonry White Cement Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Masonry White Cement (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Masonry White Cement Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Masonry White Cement Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Masonry White Cement (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Masonry White Cement Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Masonry White Cement Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Masonry White Cement (Volume) by Application3 United States Masonry White Cement (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Masonry White Cement Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Masonry White Cement Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Masonry White Cement Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Masonry White Cement Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 China Masonry White Cement (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Masonry White Cement Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Masonry White Cement Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Masonry White Cement Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Masonry White Cement Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Application5 Europe Masonry White Cement (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe Masonry White Cement Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.1.1 Europe Masonry White Cement Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe Masonry White Cement Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.3 Europe Masonry White Cement Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)5.2 Europe Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Players5.3 Europe Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Type5.4 Europe Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Application6 Japan Masonry White Cement (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6.1 Japan Masonry White Cement Sales and Value (2012-2017)6.1.1 Japan Masonry White Cement Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.2 Japan Masonry White Cement Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.3 Japan Masonry White Cement Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)6.2 Japan Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Players6.3 Japan Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by Type6.4 Japan Masonry White Cement Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationList of Tables and FiguresFigure Product Picture of Masonry White CementFigure Global Masonry White Cement Sales Volume Comparison (K MT) by Type (2012-2022)Figure Global Masonry White Cement Sales Volume Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2016Figure Type N Product PictureFigure Type S Product PictureFigure Global Masonry White Cement Sales Comparison (K MT) by Application (2012-2022)Figure Global Sales Market Share of Masonry White Cement by Application in 2016Figure Residential Buildings ExamplesTable Key Downstream Customer in Residential BuildingsFigure Non-residential Buildings ExamplesTable Key Downstream Customer in Non-residential BuildingsFigure Global Masonry White Cement Market Size (Million USD) by Regions (2012-2022)Figure United States Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure China Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Europe Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Japan Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Southeast Asia Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure India Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Global Masonry White Cement Sales Volume (K MT) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Global Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Global Market Major Players Masonry White Cement Sales Volume (K MT) (2012-2017)Table Global Masonry White Cement Sales (K MT) of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)Table Global Masonry White Cement Sales Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)Figure 2016 Masonry White Cement Sales Share by Players/SuppliersFigure 2017 Masonry White Cement Sales Share by Players/SuppliersFigure Global Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)Table Global Masonry White Cement Revenue (Million USD) by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)Table Global Masonry White Cement Revenue Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)Table 2016 Global Masonry White Cement Revenue Share by PlayersTable 2017 Global Masonry White Cement Revenue Share by PlayersTable Global Masonry White Cement Sales (K MT) and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)Table Global Masonry White Cement Sales Share (K MT) by Type (2012-2017)CONTINUEDPurchase Report @For accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially check :For updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially check :More about WiseGuyReports:Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD.Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
Bathroom Accessories 2017 Global Key Players  Kohler, Moen, Delta Matching Bath Accessories, American Standard, Gerber Pluming Fixtures Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Bathroom Accessories Market

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Bathroom Accessories Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Bathroom Accessories Market-Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:In this report, the global Bathroom Accessories market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Bathroom Accessories for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Bathroom Accessories market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Bathroom Accessories sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingKohlerMoenDelta Matching Bath AccessoriesAmerican StandardGerber Pluming FixturesGroheHansgroheBaldwinJadoAlsonsCafe PressDariceFibre Craft..Request for Sample Report@On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoTowel RackShowerSoap HoldersToilet Brushes and HoldersOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Bathroom Accessories for each application, includingResidentialHotelsOthersEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of ContentsGlobal Bathroom Accessories Sales Market Report 20171 Bathroom Accessories Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Bathroom Accessories1.2 Classification of Bathroom Accessories by Product Category1.2.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Bathroom Accessories Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Towel Rack1.2.4 Shower1.2.5 Soap Holders1.2.6 Toilet Brushes and Holders1.2.7 Others1.3 Global Bathroom Accessories Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Hotels1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Bathroom Accessories Market by Region1.4.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Bathroom Accessories Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Bathroom Accessories Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Bathroom Accessories Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Bathroom Accessories Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Bathroom Accessories Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Bathroom Accessories Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Bathroom Accessories (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Bathroom Accessories Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Bathroom Accessories Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Bathroom Accessories Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Bathroom Accessories (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Bathroom Accessories Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Bathroom Accessories (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Bathroom Accessories Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Bathroom Accessories Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Bathroom Accessories (Volume) by Application9 Global Bathroom Accessories Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 Kohler9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 Kohler Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Moen9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Moen Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Delta Matching Bath Accessories9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Delta Matching Bath Accessories Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 American Standard9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 American Standard Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.5 Gerber Pluming Fixtures9.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.5.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.5.2.1 Product A9.5.2.2 Product B9.5.3 Gerber Pluming Fixtures Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.6 Grohe9.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.6.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.6.2.1 Product A9.6.2.2 Product B9.6.3 Grohe Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.7 Hansgrohe9.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.7.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.7.2.1 Product A9.7.2.2 Product B9.7.3 Hansgrohe Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.8 Baldwin9.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.8.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.8.2.1 Product A9.8.2.2 Product B9.8.3 Baldwin Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.9 Jado9.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.9.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.9.2.1 Product A9.9.2.2 Product B9.9.3 Jado Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.10 Alsons9.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.10.2 Bathroom Accessories Product Category, Application and Specification9.10.2.1 Product A9.10.2.2 Product B9.10.3 Alsons Bathroom Accessories Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.11 Cafe Press9.12 Darice9.13 Fibre CraftContinued..Buy now @For accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially check:For updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially check:Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Global Held Pulse Oximeters Market by manufacturers illuminated and overview analysis by new report

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Global Held Pulse Oximeters Market Research Report 2017 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.The Global Held Pulse Oximeters Market provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Held Pulse Oximeters market analysis is provided for the Global Held Pulse Oximeters markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. The Global Held Pulse Oximeters market also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Get Sample Request for This Report:The Global Held Pulse Oximeters Market focuses on Global major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Global Held Pulse Oximeters market industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.This report studies Held Pulse Oximeters in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering Medtronic, Nonin Medical, Smiths Medical, Nihon-Kohden, Philips, Konica Minolta, Mindray, Heal Force, Contec, Jerry Medical Instrument, Solaris, Masimo Corpration.Get Discount on This Premium Research now at:The Global Held Pulse Oximeters market provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.For more enquiry before purchase:Table of Contents:1 Global Held Pulse Oximeters Overall Market Overview2 Held Pulse Oximeters Regional Market Analysis3 Global 2012-2017E Held Pulse Oximeters Segment Market Analysis (by Type)4 Global 2012-2017E Held Pulse Oximeters Segment Market Analysis (by Application)5 Development Trend of Analysis of Held Pulse Oximeters Market6 Held Pulse Oximeters Marketing Type Analysis7 Conclusion of the Global Held Pulse Oximeters Market Professional Survey Report 2017Complete report available at:About Research n Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports)10916, Gold Point, Dr, Houston, TX,Pin - 77064.Email:sales@researchnreports.comPhone:+1 888-631-6977
Global Parental Control Software Market Report, Trends, Size, Share, Analysis, Estimations and Forecasts

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A detailed overview of key market drivers, trends, restraints and analyzes the way they affect the Parental Control Software market in a positive as well as the negative aspect. The regions which are covered in this report are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America. Considering the given forecast period and precisely studying each and every yearly data, a report is been drafted to ensure the data is as expected by client.The report also evaluates the regulatory scenarios which affect various decisions in the Parental Control Software market. It also provides a detailed data about the plans, rule, regulations and policies with respect to this market. After compiling all data, this report forms an excellent report repository which can help gain maximum knowledge with respect to Parental Control Software market. With help of this reports, clients can understand the market strategies and make right decisions.Get Sample Copy of this report at:Increasing children access to multiple internet-enabled devices is the key factor contributes the growth of global parental control software market. Parental control software is an intelligent content filtering tool designed to let parents monitor set controls of childrens internet activity. Parental control software is commonly used to protect children from internet addiction, cyberbullying, harmful content, games and also from online predators. Some of the prominent features in parental control software includes website filtering, personal information blocking, access scheduling, chat monitoring, social network monitoring, remote management, location tracking, and calls & SMS monitoring and blocking.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Parental Control Software Market segmentsParental Control Software Market dynamicsEcosystem analysisParental Control Software Market current trendsParental Control Software Market current trends ChallengedCompetition & Companies involved technologyValue ChainMarket drivers and restraintsThe report provides insights on the following pointers:Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on products offered by the top players in the Parental Control Software MarketProduct Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on the upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the Parental Control Software MarketMarket Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging marketsthe report analyzes the markets for Parental Control Software products across various regionsMarket Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, and recent developments in the Parental Control Software MarketCompetitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market ranking, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the Parental Control Software MarketFor more information/ Ask your queries:A regulatory scenario that affect the various decisions in the Parental Control Software market are given a keen observation and have been explained. With such data, this report forms an excellent repository containing all the prime attributes of the companies which are trending in this particular market. Their efficient market strategies are studied in depth and are well explained.It provides a refined view of the classifications, applications, segmentations, specifications and many more for Parental Control Software market. Recent developments and policies with respect to this market are elucidated with maximum data. It examines the cost structures and pricing regarding the suppliers, raw materials, labors, equipments needed, and many other.Table of ContentsGlobal Parental Control Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Parental Control Software2 Global Parental Control Software Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles4 Global Parental Control Software Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)5 United States Parental Control Software Development Status and Outlook6 EU Parental Control Software Development Status and Outlook7 Japan Parental Control Software Development Status and Outlook8 China Parental Control Software Development Status and Outlook9 India Parental Control Software Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia Parental Control Software Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)12 Parental Control Software Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixBrowse the entire report in detail on the below link:About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports)
Global Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017

Global Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017

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The Deck Protective Layer Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Deck Protective Layer industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Deck Protective Layer market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Deck Protective Layer industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Global Deck Protective Layer market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Deck Protective Layer sales volume, Price (USD/sqm), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingA. Kahne BootsausstatterBELLOTTI SPACASA MAREDirecteckEurodesignGinnacle Import/Export PteGisaTex GmbH & Co. KGKing PlasticM.M. srlMar QuiptNord CompensatiNuTeak DeckingSeaDekStazoVETUSWorld Panel......Ask a complete & professional report sample, please send message to tinaning@qyresearch.com or visit atTable of contents:1 Deck Protective Layer Market Overview2 Global Deck Protective Layer Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Deck Protective Layer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Deck Protective Layer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Deck Protective Layer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Deck Protective Layer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Southeast Asia Deck Protective Layer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 India Deck Protective Layer (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Deck Protective Layer Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10 Deck Protective Layer Maufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Deck Protective Layer Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixRelated Reports:Global Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017China Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017USA Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017Korea Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017Japan Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017India Deck Protective Layer Sales Market Report 2017Contact Details:Company Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITED | focus on Market Survey and ResearchTina| Sales ManagersEmail: tinaning@qyresearch.com Tel: 0086-20-22093278(CN)Web:QYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business.Guangzhou
Global Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017

Global Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017

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The Laser Cutting Equipment Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Laser Cutting Equipment industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Laser Cutting Equipment market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Laser Cutting Equipment industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Global Laser Cutting Equipment market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Laser Cutting Equipment sales volume, Price (USD/sqm), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingTruking groupRofin-BaaselCoherentSpectra-PhysicsIPGGSITrotecGolden LaserHanslaserChutian LaserHgtech......Ask a complete & professional report sample, please send message to tinaning@qyresearch.com or visit atTable of contents:1 Laser Cutting Equipment Market Overview2 Global Laser Cutting Equipment Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Laser Cutting Equipment (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Laser Cutting Equipment (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Laser Cutting Equipment (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Laser Cutting Equipment (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Southeast Asia Laser Cutting Equipment (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 India Laser Cutting Equipment (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Laser Cutting Equipment Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10 Laser Cutting Equipment Maufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Laser Cutting Equipment Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixRelated Reports:Global Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017China Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017USA Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017Korea Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017Japan Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017India Laser Cutting Equipment Sales Market Report 2017Contact Details:Company Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITED | focus on Market Survey and ResearchTina| Sales ManagersEmail: tinaning@qyresearch.com Tel: 0086-20-22093278(CN)Web:QYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business.Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe District
Internet of Things in Retail Market 2017 - Current and Future Plans

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SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Internet of Things in Retail."Internet of Things in Retail: Technologies and Usage Cases", report discusses the benefits and challenges of IoT technologies such as RFID, Wi-Fi, Beacons, virtual reality, digital signage, robotics, drones and smart lighting. Usage cases by major retailers and vendors holistic solutions are evaluated, and advice provided regarding IoT implementations and how to successfully target retailers.IoT offer retailers opportunities to collect and analyze increasingly granular data in stores and warehouses for optimizing business processes. Consumers increasingly connected lifestyles have contributed to the rise of IoT in retail by demanding better interaction in stores by utilizing the latest technologies, and the desire to make shopping a more personal experience based on customers preferences. IoT ecosystems provide full connectivity within the store to meet the customers needs and improve the customer experience.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- IoT in retail stores and warehouses includes various connected devices/end points that either collect data for analytics purposes and for running applications (e.g. sensors, cameras, beacons, RFID, smart watches), or act on data generated by the application in order to display information or interact with customers and staff- IoT extends to back-end analytics, networks, servers and data warehouses that are required to generate actionable insight- Machinery including robotics and drones, and smart lighting form part of the latest IoT deployments since they provide smart interaction or data collection for analytics with linkages to other devices or a central database, which may also use artificial intelligenceKey points to buy- Gain a deeper understanding of IoT technologies and their importance in retail, which is especially beneficial for IT vendors when pitching these solutions to retailers.- Retailers' challenges and technology choices are discussed, and useful advice provided for IT vendors regarding offering digital signage, Wi-Fi, beacons, RFID and other IoT based solutions.Table of Contents1. Background: Retailers Business Challenges 32. IoT Technologies and Opportunities 82.1 Definition of IoT 92.2 Asset Tracking via RFID and NFC 102.3 Sensors and Cameras 122.4 In-Store Wi-Fi 132.5 Beacons 142.6 Digital Signage 152.7 Smart Shopping Carts 152.8 Smart Buttons 162.9 Networking for IoT 162.10 Analytics 172.11 Virtual and Augmented Reality 182.12 Drones 192.13 Robotics 202.14 IoT based Payment Systems 212.15 Smart Vending Machines 212.16 Smart Lighting 222.17 Other innovative technologies 23..CONTINUEDFor accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Ireland Baby Food Market 2017By Identifying the Key Market Segments Poised for Strong Growth in Future

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SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled The Baby Food Market in Ireland."The Baby Food Market in Ireland 2017", is an analytical report by which provides extensive and highly detailed current and future market trends in the Irish market.The Irish population and its baby food market are both small. Between 2010 and 2016 the number of births fell by over 14%. This, coupled with keen price competition, has led to a clear downturn in sales. Since 2010, retail sales have fallen by 10% and volumes by 19%. Consumption of all products fell, with drinks experiencing the greatest decline. Expenditure per capita rose by 5%, due mainly to significant unit price rises for wet meals and finger food.The number of births is expected to continue to fall, producing a brake on sales growth. By 2022, expects the total baby food market to fall by 4.5% in volume but to rise by 11.3% in value. Value growth will come largely from the trend towards more expensive products, such as pouches, with overall volume forecast to decline and no sectors, apart from finger foods, likely to increase in volume terms.What else does this report offer?- Consumption data based upon a unique combination of industry research, fieldwork, market sizing work and our in-house expertise to offer extensive data about the trends and dynamics affecting the industry.- Detailed profile of the companies operating and new companies considering entry in the industry along with their key focus product sectors.- Market profile of the various product sectors with the key features & developments, segmentation, per capita trends and the various manufacturers & brands.- Overview of baby food retailing with a mention of the major retailers in the country along with the distribution channel.- Future projections considering various trends which are likely to affect the industry.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- The Irish baby food market has undergone a steady decline due to falling birth numbers and shrinking per capita consumption.- The baby food market is dominated by baby milks, which accounted for 60% of value sales in 2016.- The top three manufacturers - Danone, Nestle and Heinz -account for 85% of the overall market in terms of value.- Ireland is a major producer of infant formula, with proximity to a high quality milk supply a major advantage.- Imports of milks & cereals have been rising, with the vast majority of products sourced from the EU.- Grocery outlets are the main distribution channel for baby food in Ireland, accounting for more than 95% of sales, with broad product ranges making them a popular shopping destination.- Growth in value is expected to be highest in the case of wet meals, due to the continued swing towards pouches and finger foods, as a result of the trend towards more modern snacks.Key points to buy- Evaluate important changes in consumer behavior and identify profitable markets and areas for product innovation.- Analyse current and forecast behavior trends in each category to identify the best opportunities to exploit.- Detailed understanding of consumption by individual product categories in order to align your sales and marketing efforts with the latest trends in the market.- Investigates which categories are performing the best and how this is changing market dynamics.Table of ContentsIntroductionExecutive SummaryDefinitionsBackground to the MarketMarket OverviewSector AnalysisProduction and TradeCompany ProfilesDistributionEconomic BackgroundProspects and ForecastsAppendix..CONTINUEDFor accessing accurate and deep understanding and to gain latest insights and key developments in the area of your interest, we also have a list of conferences in which you will be interested in, for more information, cordially checkFor updating knowledge or for thoroughly understanding various terminologies, we also have vast list of seminars for your reference, for more information cordially checkWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Erectile Dysfunction - Pipeline Review, H2 2017

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Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently publicized a new study to its vast repository, which is titled as Erectile Dysfunction - Pipeline Review, H2 2017. Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is the inability of a man to have an erection hard enough to have sexual intercourse. It can also be known as impotence.Request For Sample Report@The predisposing factors include tobacco usage, overweight, injuries, drug and alcohol use and medications, including antidepressants, antihistamines and medications to treat high blood pressure, pain or prostate cancer.Report HighlightsGlobal Markets Direct's Pharmaceutical and Healthcare latest pipeline guide Erectile Dysfunction - Pipeline Review, H2 2017, provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health), complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The guide covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases.The Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) pipeline guide also reviews of key players involved in therapeutic development for Erectile Dysfunction and features dormant and discontinued projects. The guide covers therapeutics under Development by Companies /Universities /Institutes, the molecules developed by Companies in Pre-Registration, Filing rejected/Withdrawn, Phase III, Phase II, Phase I, IND/CTA Filed, Preclinical, Discovery and Unknown stages are 2, 2, 4, 5, 3, 2, 13, 3 and 2 respectively. Similarly, the Universities portfolio in Phase I and Preclinical stages comprises 1 and 1 molecules, respectively.Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) pipeline guide helps in identifying and tracking emerging players in the market and their portfolios, enhances decision making capabilities and helps to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. The guide is built using data and information sourced from Global Markets Directs proprietary databases, company/university websites, clinical trial registries, conferences, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources. Additionally, various dynamic tracking processes ensure that the most recent developments are captured on a real time basis.Note: Certain content / sections in the pipeline guide may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data.Scope- The pipeline guide provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health).- The pipeline guide reviews pipeline therapeutics for Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources.- The pipeline guide covers pipeline products based on several stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages.- The pipeline guide features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which comprise, product description, descriptive licensing and collaboration details, R&D brief, MoA & other developmental activities.- The pipeline guide reviews key companies involved in Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects.- The pipeline guide evaluates Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), drug target, route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.- The pipeline guide encapsulates all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects.- The pipeline guide reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health)Reasons to buy- Procure strategically important competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies.- Recognize emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage.- Find and recognize significant and varied types of therapeutics under development for Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health).- Classify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic.- Develop tactical initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies.- Plan mergers and acquisitions meritoriously by identifying key players and its most promising pipeline therapeutics.- Formulate corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) pipeline depth and focus of Indication therapeutics.- Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies by identifying prospective partners with the most attractive projects to enhance and expand business potential and scope.- Adjust the therapeutic portfolio by recognizing discontinued projects and understand from the know-how what drove them from pipeline.Browse Full Report With TOC@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:
Dimer Acid Market 2017 - BASF, Wilmar, Arizona, Emery, Croda, Oleon

Dimer Acid Market

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Dimer Acid Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Dimer Acid Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Dimer Acid industry, and estimates the future trend of Dimer Acid market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Dimer Acid Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportBASFWilmarArizonaEmeryCrodaOleonFlorachemHenkelKLKAnqing Hongyu ShandongShandong HuijinJiangsu YonglinAnqing JuyuanJiujiang LishanThe market research report explores the Dimer Acid market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Dimer Acid Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Dimer Acid market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Dimer Acid. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Dimer Acid market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Dimer Acid is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Dimer Acid market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Dimer Acid market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Dimer Acid market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Dimer Acid production volume, data pertaining to demand and Dimer Acid supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Dimer Acid along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Dimer Acid across the world.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Global Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017

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SummaryThe Global Limonene Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Limonene industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Limonene market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Limonene industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Ask a sample or any question, please email to:hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comThe players list(Partly, Players you are interested can also be added):Florida Chemical CompanyFirmenichTropfruitCitrosucoCitrus OleoErnesto VentosSucorricoAgroterenas CitrusFlorachemLemon ConcentrateKey Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry Overview of LimoneneChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of LimoneneChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of LimoneneChapter Four Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Limonene by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Five Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Limonene by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Six Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of Limonene by Regions, Types and ApplicationsChapter Seven Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of LimoneneChapter Eight Major Manufacturers Analysis of LimoneneChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of LimoneneChapter Ten Industry Chain Analysis of LimoneneChapter Eleven Development Trend of Analysis of LimoneneChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of LimoneneChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the Global Limonene Industry 2017 Market Research ReportRelated Reports:US Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017Europe Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017India Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017China Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017Korea Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017Japan Limonene Industry Market Research Report 2017If you need a report or have any question, please feel free to contact meHebe | Sr. Manager  Global SalesProfessional Market Research Report PublisherQYResearch Co.LtdQYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchPhone: +86-20-2209-3278Email: hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comWeb:About QYResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, database and seminar services. the company owned a large basic database (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business. Through the companys years of effort and a lot of customer support, QYResearch consulting group creative design method of many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch brand has become the consulting industry with quality assurance consulting brand. The company has 2500 global well-known customers, covering energy automobile pharmaceutical chemical agriculture more than 30 industries, services from the data analysis and recommendations-Consulting landing one-stop solution, and research regions cover China,US,EU,Asia,Middle East and Africa,South America,Australia,etc Global all regions,and also built research or marketing center in China USA UK France Hongkong etc regions. currently, QYResearch has become the first choice and worth trusted consulting brand in Global and China business consulting services.Media ContactCompany Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITEDContact Person: HebeEmail: hebe@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: +86-20-2209-3278Address: Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe DistrictCity: GuangzhouCountry: ChinaWebsite:(US) |(EU) |(JP)
Friction Modifier Additives Market : Facts, Figures and Analytical Insights, 2016-2026

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Global demand for friction modifiers additives will reach about 174 thousand tonnes in 2016, up from 167 thousand tonnes in 2015. This will represent a market value of US$ 1,027 Mn, an increase of US$ 62 Mn from 2015. While wide-ranging applications, most prominently as lubricants in automotive sector, will continue to fuel demand, availability of affordable alternatives, such as dispersant additives, corrosion inhibitors and detergent additives will continue to pose challenges.By product type, inorganic friction modifier additives will continue to outsell organic, reaching about 597 thousand tonnes in 2016. Among the inorganic friction modifier additives, MoDTC will continue to account for the highest demand, reaching 275 thousand tonnes in 2016. Among the three types of organic friction modifier additives-polymers, fatty acids, and esters & amides-polymers are witnessing high demand from the automotive sector in North America and Western Europe. This trend is expected to gain further momentum in 2016, propelling the growth of the overall market.Automotive lubricants will continue to be the largest application segment for friction modifier additives in 2016, witnessing a growth rate of about 6% over 2015, representing a market value worth US$272 Mn.Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will maintain its numero uno position in 2016, with total demand expected to reach around 48 thousand tonnes. Demand will be supported by the regions expansive automotive sector, especially in the populous countries of China and India. These two countries will remain key to the growth of the global friction modifiers additives market in 2016 and beyond, as consumers in these countries put a lot of emphasis on the fuel efficiency of a vehicle while making buying decisions. In addition to the regions behemoth automotive industry, strong demand from the plethora of end-use industries in the region will continue to support demand. North America will continue to remain the second largest market for friction modifiers additives, representing a 22.5% share of global revenues.Request For Sample@Key players operating in the global friction modifiers additives market are Chemtura Corporation, Multisol, Archoil, International Lubricants, Inc., Afton Chemical Corporation, and Wynns.Long-term Outlook: The long-term outlook on the friction modifiers additives market remains positive with global volume witnessing a CAGR of 5.1% through 2026, whereas global revenues expanding at 6.9% through 2026.Send An Enquiry@ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
Complex Fertilizers Market 2017 - PhosAgro , Agrium Inc., Shikefeng Chemical, EuroChem Group AG

Complex Fertilizers Market

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Complex Fertilizers Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Complex Fertilizers Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Complex Fertilizers industry, and estimates the future trend of Complex Fertilizers market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Complex Fertilizers Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportCF Industries Holdings Inc. (U.S.)Yara International ASA (Norway)The Mosaic Company (U.S.)EuroChem Group AG (Switzerland)Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (Canada)PhosAgro (Russia)Agrium Inc. (Canada)Israel Chemicals Limited (Israel)Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile (Chile)Haifa Chemicals Ltd., (Israel)Helena Chemical Company (U.S.)Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd (India)Shikefeng Chemical (CN)The market research report explores the Complex Fertilizers market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Complex Fertilizers Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Complex Fertilizers market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Complex Fertilizers. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Complex Fertilizers market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Complex Fertilizers is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Complex Fertilizers market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Complex Fertilizers market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Complex Fertilizers market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Complex Fertilizers production volume, data pertaining to demand and Complex Fertilizers supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Complex Fertilizers along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Complex Fertilizers across the world.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Flexible Plastic Packaging Market Expected to Expand at a Steady CAGR through 2027

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Plastic packaging can be defined as a casing of any products by bags, pouches, plastic containers or jars which can be used for industrial goods, food & beverages, personal care products, and household products. PET (polyethylene terephthalate), HDPE (High-density polyethylene), LDPE (low-density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride) are largely used for plastic packaging. Plastics can be simply altered or molded in any shape as per required in packaging for goods. Flexible plastic packaging is the fastest growing segments of the packaging industry which combines the good qualities of plastic to deliver an extensive range of useful properties while using the minimum amount of material. Plastic packaging is largely used in industrial applications and in consumer products which help the product the products.Flexible plastic packaging is a type of packaging where plastics that are used is thin, light, and which are simply stretchable but yet retain the obstacle properties and tear and puncture resistant features that are why it is used for packaging products. Flexible plastic packaging is cheap, visually appealing and chemically inert which increases the brand demand of the products that are used in packing. Mostly Flexible plastic packaging are used for fast moving unit loads and to pack non-durable which has limited bulk industrial use with the exemption of FIBCs.Request Report Sample@Flexible packaging helps in reducing the waste of food as the shelf life of the food product is increased according to Industry Council for Research and Packaging on the Environment (INCPEN). Advanced packaging for milk pouches is helping the transportation easy and without nay refrigeration possible.Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market: SegmentationBased on the pack type, Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market can be segmented into:PouchesFlat PouchesStandup PouchesRetort PouchesBagsGusseted BagsWicketed BagsOthersSleeve LabelsBased on the material, Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market can be segmented into:PlasticPoly PropylenePolyester FilmPoly EthyleneLow-Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE)High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE)Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)Aluminum FoilPaperOthersBased on the application, Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market can be segmented into:Food PackagingReady-to-eat foodsProcessed foodsBakery foodsPet FoodsFruits and VegetablesOthersBeverage PackagingWaterDrinksJuicesOthersCosmetics PackagingHealthcare Product PackagingBlood bagsSaline BottlesBased on the Printing Technology, Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market can be segmented into:Digital PrintingFlexography PrintingOffset PrintingScreen PrintingRotogravure PrintingBased on the end-use industry, Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market can be segmented into:Food and BeverageHealthcarePersonal and HomecareOthersGlobal Flexible Plastic Packaging Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of the geographical market segment, Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market is segmented into seven different regions: North America, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific region, Japan and the Middle East and Africa.In regional segments, Asia-Pacific is the leading market for the global flexible plastic packaging market and is anticipated to continue its position during the forecast period. The expansion is mainly attributed to increasing of the packaging industry due to emerging markets in China and India followed by North America. Moreover, the flexible plastic packaging market in Europe is also rising during the forecast period as the application of flexible plastic packaging in food packaging industries is increasing.Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market is expected to witness sustained growth over the forecast period. Flexible plastic packaging has made the life of the consumers easier due to its functionality and sustainability which is the major factor for the growth of flexible plastic packaging market growth across the globe. Nowadays, a variety of pouches can be easily found in the supermarket, grocery stores, and various other stores.Rising Demand of flexible plastic packaging market from Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Industry is also boosting the flexible plastic packaging market.Furthermore, the fluctuating prices of raw materials are the major restraints in the growth for flexible plastic packaging manufacturers.Visit For TOC@Global Flexible Plastic Packaging Market: Key PlayersSome of the players operating in the Flexible Plastic Packaging Market includes Amcor, BASF S.E., AEP Industries, Amcor, Bemis Company, Constantia Flexibles, Berry Plastics, DS Smith, Sealed Air, Sonoco, Bischof + Klein SE & Co. KG and few other regional players. As the plastic Packaging is being accepted in most of the products. Manufacturers of flexible plastic packaging are improving their packaging to attract the consumers.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Soil Conditioner Market 2017 - BASF SE, Syngenta AG, Novozymes A/S, Solvay S.A., Akzo Nobel N.V., Adeka Corporation, DOW Chemical Company

Soil Conditioner

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Global Soil Conditioner Market Report 2017 provides detailed analysis of Soil Conditioner market, enclosing detailed study of Soil Conditioner market for last few years and forecast up to year 2022. The Soil Conditioner market report analyses the global Soil Conditioner market from different angles to understand various factors impacting the global Soil Conditioner market.The reports enlightens the user with various applications, product type, end user of Soil Conditioner market. Moreover, the Soil Conditioner market report helps to understand the market trends, Soil Conditioner growth aspects, utilization ration, supply and demand analysis, manufacturing capacity, raw material price trend and Soil Conditioner price trend during the forecast period 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Soil Conditioner Market 2017:BASF SESyngenta AGNovozymes A/SDOW Chemical CompanyAdeka CorporationSolvay S.A.Akzo Nobel N.V.Evonik Industries AGEastman Chemical CompanyVantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc.Clariant International AGSoil Conditioner Market Analysis: By ProductBy SourceNaturalSyntheticBy SolubilityWater-solubleHydrogelsSoil Conditioner Market Analysis: By ApplicationAgriculturalIndustrialInitially, the Soil Conditioner market report provides detailed information about major industry active into this market across all regions including the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, etc. Furthermore the market is characterized based on top geographical regions.In the later part, the Soil Conditioner market report shares information pertaining to the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Soil Conditioner industry, Soil Conditioner industry rules and policies, factors driving the growth of Soil Conditioner Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Enquiry Report Click Here:Global Soil Conditioner market report incorporates the major products which are in high demand currently along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Soil Conditioner market revenue worldwide.Finally, the report provides us with detailed market research finding and conclusion which helps the subscriber to develop profitable market strategies which will help to gain competitive advantage.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Smart Heat Meter Market 2017 - Plou, Itron, Diehl, Ista, Qundis, Zenner, Sontex, Kamstrup, Sensus, Engelman

Smart Heat Meter

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Global Smart Heat Meter Market Report 2017 provides detailed analysis of Smart Heat Meter market, enclosing detailed study of Smart Heat Meter market for last few years and forecast up to year 2022. The Smart Heat Meter market report analyses the global Smart Heat Meter market from different angles to understand various factors impacting the global Smart Heat Meter market.The reports enlightens the user with various applications, product type, end user of Smart Heat Meter market. Moreover, the Smart Heat Meter market report helps to understand the market trends, Smart Heat Meter growth aspects, utilization ration, supply and demand analysis, manufacturing capacity, raw material price trend and Smart Heat Meter price trend during the forecast period 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Smart Heat Meter Market 2017:DiehlKamstrupSensusStream MeasurementEngelmanVital EnergiLandis+GyrItronIstaQundisZennerSontexPlouSmart Heat Meter Market Analysis: By ProductMechanical Heat MeterUltrasonic Heat MeterSmart Heat Meter Market Analysis: By ApplicationResidentialCommercialInitially, the Smart Heat Meter market report provides detailed information about major industry active into this market across all regions including the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, etc. Furthermore the market is characterized based on top geographical regions.In the later part, the Smart Heat Meter market report shares information pertaining to the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Smart Heat Meter industry, Smart Heat Meter industry rules and policies, factors driving the growth of Smart Heat Meter Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Enquiry Report Click Here:Global Smart Heat Meter market report incorporates the major products which are in high demand currently along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Smart Heat Meter market revenue worldwide.Finally, the report provides us with detailed market research finding and conclusion which helps the subscriber to develop profitable market strategies which will help to gain competitive advantage.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Smart Audio Market 2017 -LG, Amazon, Mattel, Sonos, Edifier, Iriver, Philip, Xiaomi, Google, Apple, Lenovo

Smart Audio

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Global Smart Audio Market Report 2017 provides detailed analysis of Smart Audio market, enclosing detailed study of Smart Audio market for last few years and forecast up to year 2022. The Smart Audio market report analyses the global Smart Audio market from different angles to understand various factors impacting the global Smart Audio market.The reports enlightens the user with various applications, product type, end user of Smart Audio market. Moreover, the Smart Audio market report helps to understand the market trends, Smart Audio growth aspects, utilization ration, supply and demand analysis, manufacturing capacity, raw material price trend and Smart Audio price trend during the forecast period 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Smart Audio Market 2017:AmazonGoogleAppleLenovoLGHaman CatonMattelSonosEdifierIriverPhilipXiaomiSmart Audio Market Analysis: By ProductBuilt in Lithium Battery Smart AudioExternal Battery Smart AudioSmart Audio Market Analysis: By ApplicationConsumerCommercialInitially, the Smart Audio market report provides detailed information about major industry active into this market across all regions including the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, etc. Furthermore the market is characterized based on top geographical regions.In the later part, the Smart Audio market report shares information pertaining to the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Smart Audio industry, Smart Audio industry rules and policies, factors driving the growth of Smart Audio Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Enquiry Report Click Here:Global Smart Audio market report incorporates the major products which are in high demand currently along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Smart Audio market revenue worldwide.Finally, the report provides us with detailed market research finding and conclusion which helps the subscriber to develop profitable market strategies which will help to gain competitive advantage.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Small Animal Imaging Reagents Market 2017 -Bioscan, Siemens AG, PerkinElmer, Aspect Imaging, Gamma Medica, Miltenyi Biotec GmbH

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Global Small Animal Imaging Reagents Market Report 2017 provides detailed analysis of Small Animal Imaging Reagents market, enclosing detailed study of Small Animal Imaging Reagents market for last few years and forecast up to year 2022. The Small Animal Imaging Reagents market report analyses the global Small Animal Imaging Reagents market from different angles to understand various factors impacting the global Small Animal Imaging Reagents market.The reports enlightens the user with various applications, product type, end user of Small Animal Imaging Reagents market. Moreover, the Small Animal Imaging Reagents market report helps to understand the market trends, Small Animal Imaging Reagents growth aspects, utilization ration, supply and demand analysis, manufacturing capacity, raw material price trend and Small Animal Imaging Reagents price trend during the forecast period 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Small Animal Imaging Reagents Market 2017:Siemens AGLife Technologies CorporationFUJIFILM Holdings CorporationMiltenyi Biotec GmbHPerkinElmer, Inc.Bioscan, Inc.Mediso Medical Imaging SystemsGamma Medica Inc.Aspect ImagingSmall Animal Imaging Reagents Market Analysis: By ProductMri Contrasting ReagentsCt Contrast ReagentsUltrasound Contrast ReagentsNuclear and Optical Imaging AgentsSmall Animal Imaging Reagents Market Analysis: By ApplicationPharma CompaniesResearch InstitutionsInitially, the Small Animal Imaging Reagents market report provides detailed information about major industry active into this market across all regions including the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, etc. Furthermore the market is characterized based on top geographical regions.In the later part, the Small Animal Imaging Reagents market report shares information pertaining to the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Small Animal Imaging Reagents industry, Small Animal Imaging Reagents industry rules and policies, factors driving the growth of Small Animal Imaging Reagents Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Enquiry Report Click Here:Global Small Animal Imaging Reagents market report incorporates the major products which are in high demand currently along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Small Animal Imaging Reagents market revenue worldwide.Finally, the report provides us with detailed market research finding and conclusion which helps the subscriber to develop profitable market strategies which will help to gain competitive advantage.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Police made a point of being seen in Portage last Friday and Saturday with traffic stops and cruisers patrolling rarely visited alleys and side streets.

We will be everywhere, said Columbia County Sheriffs Office Detective Lt. Roger Brandner. And when we do this, it wont be just a couple Portage officers and a couple Sheriffs Office deputies, it is a totality of numerous officers with varying specialties from other jurisdictions.

Some Lodi residents likely noticed a similar operation in mid-June. In Portage, the two-day drug interdiction involved 18 officers from Portage, Lodi, Poynette, Columbus, the Wisconsin State Patrol and Columbia County Sheriffs Office, including four K-9 units.

We have seen an increase in drug overdose deaths, in drug overdose accidents and drugged driving, and some tips coming up of drug activity here or drug activity there, were starting to see some open-air drug trafficking, said Brandner. People are seeing these things happening and this is just an increased effort to bring high-visibility enforcement to areas.

Last weekend, officers made 92 traffic stops, with 17 criminal arrests, 97 warnings, 34 traffic citations and one citation for drug-related operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

We get a substantial number of drug-related calls for service and people providing information for drug investigations, said Portage Police Department Detective Lt. Daniel Garrigan, but we dont have anyone assigned to investigate those cases in and of themselves full time.

Over the course of a series of meetings with the Columbia County Drug Education and Enforcement Task Force, Garrigan and Portage Police Chief Ken Manthey decided to join with other area agencies for targeted short-term enforcement operations throughout the county.

The operation, organized through the Sheriffs Office, was a combination of long-term investigation and more random elevated traffic enforcement.

Certainly we have a number of folks in our community who are drug users and drug pushers, and it is sad, but it is a sad reality, said Garrigan, estimating 60 percent of calls to Crimestoppers provide drug-related information and over half of them relating to Portage. So we have people  eyes and ears out there  telling us that these things are going on and were all in, and we want to make a concentrated effort to curb that activity.

Drug Recognition Experts

Among the assets put into effect during the interdiction was officers certified as Drug Recognition Experts. In the Portage Police Department, their two officers are Brian Loewenhagen and, more recently, Peter Warning, who spent a week in May attending DRE training sessions with the Milwaukee Police Department, supported by a grant from the group Prevention and Response Columbia County.

One of the most common applications for this expertise is a traffic incident in which a driver does not seem entirely sober, but doesnt show the signs of alcohol.

We will go through this 12-step process in which youll do all sorts of things, said Warning. Youll do a check of their eyes, which will tell you a lot. You will check their pulse on three separate occasions, youll check their blood pressure, youll do psych-evaluation tests like they do for OWI, but it gauges their internal clock.

That last point is a particular concern when investigating highway accidents in recent years, according to Brandner.

You dont have to go too many days to see the effects of drugged driving in our communities: buildings being hit, stoplights and stop signs being run into, head-on accidents, driving the wrong way on the interstate, a vehicle going into the ditch on a nice sunny day; were seeing these things consistently, said Brandner. This is becoming more of a concern than the traditional alcohol-impaired OWIs.

Everyone wants to say that marijuana should be legal, said Warning, but at the same time, it severely inhibits your perception of time and distance. So these kids are smoking marijuana and then getting into a car and crashing their cars into parked cars and that is usually how they get arrested.

In the course of other criminal investigations, drug addiction is frequently either an underlying or intertwining factor, making the DRE skills valuable in questioning people as suspects or otherwise.

Warning gave one example of how the physiological red flags appear, with a woman who was being interviewed at the Milwaukee Police Department, both nodding off while talking and fidgeting with itchy arms, showing symptoms of both heroin and cocaine abuse.

Although Portage does not see the level of property crime or violent crime that a person can find in Milwaukee or Madison, Warning said that he does not take for granted that Portage would be immune to such things if addiction were to escalate to a point of residents having $150, $200, or as he saw in Milwaukee $300-a-day habits.

Investigations take time

We were trying to be proactive and rotate an officer into working primarily drugs, said Garrigan, but we havent been able to do that. For our own staffing levels, we cant afford to do that. Not that those cases dont get investigated, but drug investigations take time.

Garrigan said the department is moving forward with training for officers and partnering with other agencies.

Weve obviously been seeing more (overdoses) than in previous years and they have stayed pretty consistent ... we want to see a decrease in those numbers, said Brandner. I dont think our community just wants us to wait for these things to happen and react to them.

The Sheriffs Office has been active in public education, supporting treatment programs, drug court development, as well as enforcement, and to ignore one of them, Brandner said, hazards a growing problem on that front, whether increased drug trade, greater post-arrest relapse, or new users.

We want a plethora of different entities to stop this epidemic and I think that Columbia County is doing the right thing by supporting them, said Brandner.
Gift Packaging market Growth and Forecast 2017-2027

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Over the past decades, the global gift industry witnessed an impressive growth, owing to the expanded customer base along with increasing applications of innovative products at attractive prices. The gift market comprises of corporate gifting as well as personal gifting. Moreover, the gift packaging market experienced a revolution with new product innovations in the food as well as in the non-food segment accompanied by eye-catching packaging. Nowadays non-food gifting are not only restricted to small electronic items, bed sheets but also include gift vouchers, soft toys, artworks, artificial jewelries and many more. At the same time, various product types like cookies, fruit baskets, wine hampers, different types of cheese which comes under the categorization of food gifting for occasions like festivals, birthdays, etc. are also in the trend. The changing lifestyle together with customers ability and willingness to pay for innovative products drove this change in the gift packaging market.Nowadays, wrapping paper are in demand for gifts packaging. Some of the conventional examples of wrapping paper are recycled newspaper, reusable gift wrap, decorative lunch bags, gift box, decorative shopping bags and many more. The new alternatives for gift wrapping are also being introduced, for example, using a decorative handkerchief which also has other application can further fuel the growth in demand for gift packaging market. The gift market is expected to expand with a healthy growth rate of over 10% which in turns growth of the gift packaging market in the near future.Request Report Sample@Gift Packaging Market: DynamicsThe growing e-commerce in the gifting space is one of the major factor which is expected to drive the demand for the gift packaging market. Big e-commerce companies such as Snapdeal and Amazon play a vital role in fuelling the demand for gift packaging market. Further, increase in per capita income, increasing exposure to global trends is offering impetus to the growth of overall gift industry which in turn is escalating the gift packaging market across the globe. Personal gifting in number of occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, fathers day, and Mothers day is on the rise as the consumers, want uniqueness, different styles and personalization in their gift items, to match their status.In past years, food gifting was limited to the conventional sweets only, but nowadays customers are moving towards consistent quality products with a good taste in attractive packaging, which is a result of growing incidence of adulteration in conventional sweets.Gift Packaging Market: SegmentationOn the basis of packaging type, the global gift packaging market is segmented into,Primary PackagingSecondary PackagingTertiary PackagingOn the basis of product type, the global gift packaging market is segmented into,Gift boxesContainersRibbons & BowsGift SacksGift bagsWrapping paperTissue Paper & ShredsCellophane overwrap & bagsGift card & Money holdersOthersOn the basis of Materials, the global gift packaging market is segmented into,PlasticsPaper & PaperboardMetalsGlassOthersGift Packaging Market: Region Wise OutlookIn terms of geography, the global gift packaging market divided into five regions which includes North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa. Out of the five regions, Asia pacific represents the largest global gift packaging market, owing to the growth of rising disposable incomes coupled with the widened customer base. In Asia Pacific, developing countries like China and India, are the most lucrative countries for increase in consumer spending and rise in GDP.Visit For TOC@Gift Packaging Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players of the global gift packaging market are Smurfit kappa Group, Packlyn Ltd, Shenzhen Fuxiang Gifts & Packaging Co. Ltd., Interpak, Ebro Color GmbH, and many more.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Outboard Propellers Market 2017 - Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Mercury, Nissan

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Global Outboard Propellers Market Report 2017 provides detailed analysis of Outboard Propellers market, enclosing detailed study of Outboard Propellers market for last few years and forecast up to year 2022. The Outboard Propellers market report analyses the global Outboard Propellers market from different angles to understand various factors impacting the global Outboard Propellers market.The reports enlightens the user with various applications, product type, end user of Outboard Propellers market. Moreover, the Outboard Propellers market report helps to understand the market trends, Outboard Propellers growth aspects, utilization ration, supply and demand analysis, manufacturing capacity, raw material price trend and Outboard Propellers price trend during the forecast period 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Outboard Propellers Market 2017:HondaMercury/MarinerNissan/TohatsuSuzukiYamahaOutboard Propellers Market Analysis: By ProductAluminum PropellersSteel PropellersComposite PropellersOutboard Propellers Market Analysis: By ApplicationBoatOtherInitially, the Outboard Propellers market report provides detailed information about major industry active into this market across all regions including the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, etc. Furthermore the market is characterized based on top geographical regions.In the later part, the Outboard Propellers market report shares information pertaining to the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Outboard Propellers industry, Outboard Propellers industry rules and policies, factors driving the growth of Outboard Propellers Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.To Enquiry Report Click Here:Global Outboard Propellers market report incorporates the major products which are in high demand currently along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Outboard Propellers market revenue worldwide.Finally, the report provides us with detailed market research finding and conclusion which helps the subscriber to develop profitable market strategies which will help to gain competitive advantage.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Airborne ISR Market Analysis, Trend, Demand and Global Forecast to 2021

Airborne ISR Market

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Market Synopsis of Airborne ISR Market:The global Airborne ISR market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 4% during 2016-2021. This growth is driven due to growing demand of unmanned aerial vehicle, investments on ISR payloads, and procurement of multirole UAV remote sensors.The need for UAV remote sensors emerged from the changes in military security missions, such as, shift to Net-centric warfare (NCW), increasing Low intensity conflicts (LIC), need for persistence, and reduced tolerance to casualties.The Americas is the dominant player with 55% of the market share and is likely to be the leading region in the forecast period. Whereas, with the growing defense spending and procurement of airborne systems, APAC region will grow significantly at a CAGR of around 9% during the forecast period.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Airborne ISR Market: BAE Systems L-3 Communication Lockheed Martin Northrop Grumman UTC Aerospace Systems Boeing General Dynamics Raytheon Rockwell Collins ThalesStudy Objectives of Airborne ISR Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Airborne ISR Market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyse the Global Airborne ISR Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country-level analysis of the market for segment by systems and purpose. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Airborne ISR Market.Brief TOC:1. Introduction1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Objective2. Executive Summary2.1 Key Findings / Highlights2.1.1 Investment Opportunities2.1.2 Market Startegies2.1.3 Latest Developments3. Scope of the Study3.1 Markets Covered3.2 Years Considered For the Study (2016-2021)3.2 Geographic Scope3.3 Key Stakeholders4. Assumptions and Limitations5. Research Methodology5.1 Primary Research5.2 Secondary Research5.3 Econometric and Forecasting ModelContinueAccess Report Details @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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
2017 Polyisobutene Market: Focuses On Top Manufacturers - Ineos Group, Infineum, Lubrizol, Basf, Texas Petrochemical, Sinopec

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"The Latest Research Report Global Polyisobutene Market Research Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Polyisobutene MarketIn this report, the global Polyisobutene 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 is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Polyisobutene in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Polyisobutene market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingGet Sample copy of this Report @Ineos GroupInfineumLubrizolBasfTexas PetrochemicalSinopecCNPCCNOOCOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLow Molecular Weight PolyisobutyleneMiddle Molecular Weight PolyisobutyleneHigh Molecular Weight PolyisobutyleneOn 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 Polyisobutene for each application, includingAdhesivesElectronic InsulationOthersView Report @Table of ContentsGlobal Polyisobutene Market Research Report 20171 Polyisobutene Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Polyisobutene1.2 Polyisobutene Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Polyisobutene Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Polyisobutene Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Low Molecular Weight Polyisobutylene1.2.4 Middle Molecular Weight Polyisobutylene1.2.5 High Molecular Weight Polyisobutylene1.3 Global Polyisobutene Segment by Application1.3.1 Polyisobutene Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Adhesives1.3.3 Electronic Insulation1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Polyisobutene Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Polyisobutene Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)Send An Enquiry Request @1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Polyisobutene (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Polyisobutene Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Polyisobutene Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Polyisobutene Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Polyisobutene Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Polyisobutene Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Polyisobutene Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Polyisobutene Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Polyisobutene Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Polyisobutene Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Polyisobutene Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Polyisobutene Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Polyisobutene Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Polyisobutene Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Polyisobutene Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Polyisobutene Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Polyisobutene Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Polyisobutene Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Polyisobutene Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Polyisobutene Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Polyisobutene Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Polyisobutene Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Polyisobutene Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Polyisobutene Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Polyisobutene Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Polyisobutene Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Polyisobutene Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Polyisobutene Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Polyisobutene Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Polyisobutene Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Plastic Healthcare Packaging Market Industry Analysis, Trend and Growth, 2015-2025

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Packaging is one of the major industry in the world in which healthcare packaging represents miniscule share. The pharmaceutical packaging has rapidly become a vital part of drug delivery system as well as a major element of the marketing mix, though which manufacturers can distinguish their products from that of their competitors. Healthcare packaging protects products from materialistic damage, biological contamination and from all unfavorable external influences which can destruct the properties of the healthcare products. In material terms, healthcare packaging comprises of primary packaging, secondary packaging and tertiary packaging system. Primary packaging includes cap, labels, bottles, cap liner and others such as vials, ampoules, blisters, tubes, syringes and inhalers. Other than that, secondary packaging system consist of corrugated shippers, pallets and cartoons. Plastic healthcare packaging is generally a practice of packaging of devices, drugs, tools, and other pharmaceutical products. Inclination in the demand for healthcare practices strengthen the growth of healthcare packaging. Amongst the overall healthcare packaging, the plastics segment holds the highest share due to its high-adaptability and cost-effectiveness. The plastic healthcare packaging is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR during the period 2015-2025.Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging: Market SegmentationThe Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging market is segmented on the basis of type of healthcare industry such as medical device and pharmaceutical. The global plastic healthcare packaging is also bifurcated on the basis of end markets which include blister packs, plastic bottles, pre-fill syringe, caps and closure and others. The plastic healthcare packaging is further segmented on the basis of type of drug delivery which includes pulmonary, oral drugs, transdermal, injectable, nasal, topical, ocular and IV drugs.Request Report Sample@Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging Market: Growth DriversSignificant growth in pharmaceutical domain all across the world and inclining functional necessities for healthcare packaging products are some of the drivers in the global plastic healthcare packaging market. The anti-ageing population, inclining prevalence of chronic diseases and changing lifestyles will bolster the demand for healthcare related products and services and will further stimulate the growth of plastic healthcare packaging all across the globe. The advancement in technology in packaging and integration and advanced process of manufacturing are also fostering the growth of global plastic pharmaceutical packaging all over the world. Apart from this, escalating personal disposable income and higher standard of living in emerging countries such as India and China is also expected to grow the global plastic healthcare packaging market over the period 2015-2025.Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Amongst all the mentioned regions, North America captured the major share in the plastic healthcare packaging market in 2014. This is majorly due to presence of health conscious people and their spending power. Strong innovation, rising ageing population and inclining consumer demand for sophisticated packaging is likely to foster the growth of plastic healthcare packaging in American region. Rising chronic diseases in Asian region is expected to intensify the growth of plastic healthcare packaging in the region by 2025.Visit For TOC@Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging Market: PlayersSome of the major companies grabbing the substantial market share in the Global Plastic Healthcare Packaging market includes Tekni-Films Inc., Sealed Air Corporation, United Drug Plc, Aphena Pharma Solutions, Vetter Pharma International, Beacon Converters Inc., Catalent Pharma solutions, and others. The plastic healthcare packaging manufacturers are anticipated to focus on development of new and innovative packaging for healthcare products in order to gain the competitive advantage in the global plastic healthcare packaging market.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Forecast On Meat Packaging Market Global Industry Analysis and Trends till 2025

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Demand for meat packaging is projected to witness single digit growth during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the increased production of meat in the global market. Packaging is anything which is used to contain, handle, protect, and deliver raw material and processed goods. The main purpose of packaging is to provide products to consumer in perfect condition i.e, in intact form of food without spoilage. In addition, the advantages of packaging includes providing space for sharing information about the product such as nutrition, usage and direction.Meat Packaging Market: Drivers and RestraintsMeat packaging market is flourished worldwide due to various factors such as urbanization especially in developing economies such as India, Russia, Brazil and China, increase in demand of convenience products due to the time constraint. However, some of the factors which are restraining the market growth of meat packaging includes environment issues such as recyclability and sustainability coupled with hygienic packaging and rising concern regarding the health. The major trends of global meat packaging market are demand for smaller packaging size, new packaging material development and increase awareness towards environmental issues. Nano packaging also plays an important role in meat packaging as meat needs an aseptic packaging that lasts for maximum days for extended shelf life.Request Report Sample@Meat Packaging Market: SegmentationMeat packaging market is segmented on the basis of type, material, distribution channel and region. On the basis of type meat packaging market is segmented into On the basis of material meat packaging market is segmented as plastic wraps and storage wrap which includes three major categories of plastics: polyethylene (PE), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), oven cooking bags which are made from heat-resistant nylon, aluminium foil which primarily is made from iron and silicon, freezer paper which is white paper coated on one side with plastic to help keep air out of frozen foods, parchment paper made from cotton fibre and/or pure chemical wood pulps and wax paper made with a food-safe paraffin wax. Further on the basis of distribution channel it is segmented into hypermarket/supermarket, grocery stores, online retailing, departmental stores and others. Lastly, on the basis of region the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa.Meat Packaging Market: Regional OverviewNorth America is the largest market for meat packaging followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. China meat packaging is expected to show a significant growth due to rise in personal disposable income coupled with rise in consumption of beef, pork and other meat. Developed market such as North America, Europe are expected to exhibit faster growth rate by 2025.Visit For TOC@Meat Packaging Market: Key PlayersThe major players in the meat packaging market Amcor Ltd, Crown Holdings, Dupont, Nuconic Packaging Llc, Tetra Pak International S.A., Silgan Holdings, Inc., Reynolds Group and Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd to name a few. The big multinational companies in this category are investing heavily in the expansion development of product portfolio in meat packaging material in order to maintain a position in the packaging market. The companies are also focusing on merger and acquisition as strategies to enhance their production facilities and expand its global presence. For instance, in 2013, Crown holding acquired Mivisa Envases, SAU, a Spanish two- and three-piece food cans and ends manufacturing company.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017

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SummaryThe Global Pickup Truck Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Pickup Truck industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Pickup Truck market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Pickup Truck industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Ask a sample or any question, please email to:hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comThe players list(Partly, Players you are interested can also be added):FordGMToyotaFCAIsuzuNissanMitsubishiMahindra & MahindraVolkswagenGreat Wall MotorsJiangling MotorsZXAUTOTata MotorsAshok LeylandFoton MotorKey Topics Covered:Chapter One Industry Overview of Pickup TruckChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Four Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Pickup Truck by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Five Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Pickup Truck by Regions, Types and ManufacturersChapter Six Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of Pickup Truck by Regions, Types and ApplicationsChapter Seven Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Eight Major Manufacturers Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Nine Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Ten Industry Chain Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Eleven Development Trend of Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Twelve New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Pickup TruckChapter Thirteen Conclusion of the Global Pickup Truck Industry 2017 Market Research ReportRelated Reports:US Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017Europe Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017India Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017China Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017Korea Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017Japan Pickup Truck Industry Market Research Report 2017If you need a report or have any question, please feel free to contact meHebe | Sr. Manager  Global SalesProfessional Market Research Report PublisherQYResearch Co.LtdQYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchPhone: +86-20-2209-3278Email: hebe@qyresearchglobal.com or hebe@qyresearch.comWeb:About QYResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, database and seminar services. the company owned a large basic database (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business. Through the companys years of effort and a lot of customer support, QYResearch consulting group creative design method of many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch brand has become the consulting industry with quality assurance consulting brand. The company has 2500 global well-known customers, covering energy automobile pharmaceutical chemical agriculture more than 30 industries, services from the data analysis and recommendations-Consulting landing one-stop solution, and research regions cover China,US,EU,Asia,Middle East and Africa,South America,Australia,etc Global all regions,and also built research or marketing center in China USA UK France Hongkong etc regions. currently, QYResearch has become the first choice and worth trusted consulting brand in Global and China business consulting services.Media ContactCompany Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITEDContact Person: HebeEmail: hebe@qyresearchglobal.comPhone: +86-20-2209-3278Address: Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe DistrictCity: GuangzhouCountry: ChinaWebsite:(US) |(EU) |(JP)
Biodegradable Packaging Market Analysis and Value Forecast Snapshot by End-use Industry 2014-2020

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Biodegradable packaging provides natural and easily degradable protection when used mainly for the presentation and packaging of the products from the moment the production process begins until the product is administered or consumed. Biodegradable packaging significantly differs from the conventional non-biodegradable packaging. Biodegradable packaging degrades easily and quickly and thus, usually does not require the help of an external catalyst for degradation. Biodegradable products are usually land filled than that compared to that of the non-biodegradable conventional products. Depending on the choice of the materials used in the manufacturing of biodegradable packaging the properties, consumer attributes and appearance of the product packaging varies. Biodegradable packaging sector is a small segment which represents a merger percentage of the packaging industry. The global biodegradable packaging has now moved on towards more advanced and efficient packaging. A decade ago, biodegradable packaging was not known to have any real significance. However, recently biodegradable packaging has become an integral part of the global packaging market. The rising consumer awareness towards biodegradable packaging has led to the tremendous growth of the overall market.Increased consumer preference towards biodegradable materials coupled with the growing environmental concern is expected to boost the overall growth of the biodegradable packaging market. Most of the major packaging companies are now shifting their focus towards biodegradable packaging in order to achieve greater consumer satisfaction. In addition, to differentiate their products from that of the competitors many manufacturers are now shifting towards biodegradable packaging. The biodegradable packaging market is expected to witness the fastest growth than that compared to the plastics packaging market. The biodegradable packaging market is a relatively new market however; it is expected to capture the existing market share of the non-biodegradable plastic packaging market. The food packaging and beverage packaging market is expected to play a crucial role in driving the overall global biodegradable packaging market. However, lack of government support especially in the developed countries is expected to curb the growth of the market. The presence of hugeprice difference between the biodegradable packaging and other conventional packaging is further expected to hamper the growth of the market.Request Report Sample@Europe and North America are expected to dominate the overall market of biodegradable packaging. North America is expected to be the largest consumer of the biodegradable packaging market.The developed regions are expected to dominate the overall biodegradable packaging market owing to the presence of mature markets that consist of highly environmental conscious consumers. In addition, the presence of high-spending population is also expected to increase the overall demand for biodegradable packaging in the developed regions. The presence of large populations in Asia Pacific is expected to boost the biodegradable packaging market. Owing to the increase in the contract manufacturing process coupled with increased governmental interest to promote biodegradable products by providing incentives in some countries such as China and India is further expected to contribute to the growth of the market.The biodegradable packaging market is highly fragmented in nature. Some of the key participants of the biodegradable packagin market include International Paper, Natureworks LLC, Biopac, BASF SE, Stora Enso, Smurfit Kappa Group, Rocktenn, Clearwater Paper Corporation, Georgia-Pacific LLC and Novamont S.P.A among others. The companies mainly strive towards developing newtechnologies to manufacture biodegradable packaging material from various easily available natural resources. There are also huge investments in the research and development in order to develop innovative product which in turn would help the companies to gain competitive advantage in the marketVisit For TOC@About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Low Temperature Coating Market Revenue, Opportunity, Segment and Key Trends 2017-2022

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Coatings that are low-temperature coatings mainly designed for providing protection at lower temperatures against corrosion. These coatings are non-resistive to high temperature and act as a synthetic catalyst with super-weathering resistant and self-cross linked as a carrier. Specifically, these are used for working at lower temperatures. The low temperature coating enhances the coating adhesiveness and strengthens rate of action. One most common type of low-temperature coating is powder coating which is mainly used in industries. Epoxies, polyurethanes, tungsten carbide and several other raw materials are used for development of low-temperature coatings.The report tracks the major market events including product launches, technological developments, mergers & acquisitions, and the innovative business strategies opted by key market players. Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the low temperature coating market. The scope of this report covers the low temperature coating market by its major segments, which include the types, applications, and the major geographic regions.Download Free Sample:On the basis of region, the global market for low-temperature coatings has been fragmented into Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America. Among these, North America in terms of volume has major market share in past few years followed by Asia Pacific and Europe region. Certain regions which have lower temperatures such as Europe and North America, low temperature coatings are extensively used to in these regions. The US, Germany and France are among the top regions that are engaged in R&D activities of low-temperature coatings. In North America, producers of low-temperature coatings are building efforts for developing environment-friendly products and reducing potential health hazards.KEY MARKET PLAYERSKey players in the low temperature coating market include:1. PPG Industries Inc.2. E.I. Dupont De Nemours and Company3. The Valspar Corporation4. Axalta Coating Systems5. Vitracoat America Inc.6. Forrest Technical Coatings7. Specialty Polymer Coatings Inc.8. Platinum Phase SND BHD9. Bowers Industrial10.Tulip PaintsBrowse Report:About Scalar Market ResearchScalar Market Research Inc. aspires to assist organizations from around the world to achieve their business goal with premium market research reports and consulting services. Our real-time industry tracking with the help of advanced analytics offers a crystal clear view of all the activities in niche markets. Our team, with thorough global understanding, works relentlessly to gather the necessary market insights, including customer analysis, competitions and global forecast.Find out more about our services at:Contact:8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave.,Suite 1300Chicago, IL 60631Tel.: +1-800-213-5170 (U.S./Canada Toll-free)Email: sales@scalarmarketresearch.comFollow us on LinkedIn:
Thailand Automotive Institute Opens Thailands First Technology and Innovation Learning Center for Electric Vehicles

July 7, 2017 Dr. Somchai Harnhiran, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Industry presides over the grand opening of Thailands first Technology and Innovation Learning Center for Electric Vehicles (EV). Dr. Somchai was accompanied by Mr. Adisak Rohitasune, Acting Deputy Director of Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI), at TAIs Bangpoo office in Samut Prakarn province.As part of Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL. support for Thailands EV industry development, the company had donated a state-of-the-art 50kW DC Quick EV Charger and AC Charger to the new learning center. The company was represented by Mr. Hsieh Shen-yen, President of Delta, at the opening ceremony. Apart from the EV charging station, the event also showcased many types of EV such as E-Tuk Tuk, E-Bike and EV cars.The learning center is intended to be an EV technology development and learning center for entrepreneurs, government officials and general public. This is to support the advancement of Thailands automotive industry and drive Thailand toward the goal of becoming ASEANs EV hub and main production base. In addition, the learning center will be instrumental in generating public awareness in a sustainable future with EV technology.Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL. (DET) is one of the world's leading producers of power supplies and electronic components comprising cooling fans, EMI filters and solenoids. DET's key power management products consist of switching power supply, EV chargers DC-DC Converters and solar inverters. The products are widely used in applications for automotive, medical, telecommunications, IT, automation and more.Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL.909 Soi 9, Moo 4, E.P.Z., Bangpoo IndustrialEstate, Tambon Prakasa, Amphur Muang-samutprakarn, Samutprakarn Province10280 ThailandTel: +66 (0)2709 2800 ext. 6303, 6381Email: det.marketing@deltaww.com
Alcoholic Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients Market is Estimated to Grow at a CAGR over 8% by 2022

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Market Research Future Published a Half Cooked Research Report (HCRR) on Global Alcoholic Beverage Spice & Fruit IngredientsMarket  OverviewSpice & Fruit Ingredients Infused Alcoholic Beverage is all the rage these days. Liquor stores have shelves of it, and you may or not have seen more than one margarita lately with cucumber or jalapeno tequila. Liquor store shelves are lined with a seemingly endless array of fruit-flavored spirits, from vodka and rum to bourbon and tequila. So clearly, there is consumer demand, and for good reason. With real Spice & Fruit Ingredients, spirits infused with perfectly ripe, in-season produce can add lovely complexity to cocktails. However, some proclaimed Alcohol Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients Beverages produced for mass consumption is laden with artificial ingredients. The end result is products that taste more like flavored or Scented than actual fruit. Subtle and orchard-fresh they are not.The main processes of production of Spice & Fruit Ingredients Infused Alcohol Beverage are infusion, maceration and or distillation of herbs, spices, fruits, berries, etc. or just simple alcohol flavoring with highly concentrated flavors and extracts. Formulations can be very simple, containing just a few ingredients or very complex, using hundreds of different aromatic ingredients for instance a blend of 130 ingredients are used to make Chartreuse liqueur. It can be consumed by themselves as an after-dinner drink or dessert, poured over ice, as a mixer in cocktails, etc.According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, Globally, the market for Alcoholic Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients has been increasing due to changing consumption patterns and growing demand for new flavors and ingredients. Companys strategies inclined to launch of new alcoholic beverage products is also encouraging the growth of alcoholic beverage spice and fruit ingredients. Hence, global Alcoholic Beverage Spice and Fruit Ingredients market is expected to grow at CAGR over 8% post the year 2022.Request a Sample Report @Alcohol Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients Global Market  Key PlayersThe market is highly fragmented mainly due to the constantly changing consumer demands and preferences. Also, the market is highly competitive due to the presence of numerous players having regional and global presence. This further encourages players operating in the Alcoholic Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients market to compete based on price, quality, innovation, reputation, and distribution. A number of brands have outlined plans to widen the penetration by including various types of spice and fruit flavors to their product portfolio.Some of the key players profiled in Alcoholic Beverage Spice and Fruit Ingredients Market are - Brisan Ingredients, Sevarome, Huijbregts SL, Kerry Group, Treatt, Martin Mundo OHG, Hainan Nicepal Industry Co., Ltd and Kunming.Access the market data and market information presented through more than 60 market data tables and 25 figures spread over 110 numbers of pages of the project report Alcohol Beverage Spice and Fruit Ingredients Market - Forecast to 2022Alcohol Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients Global Market  SegmentsThe highly competitive market of Global Alcoholic Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients can be segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Spice Type: Comprises Bitter Orange Peel, Cacao Nibs, Cinnamon Sticks, Coriander Seed, Crystallized Ginger, Grapefruit, Juniper Berries and Others.Segmentation by Fruit Type: Comprises Apple, Cherry, Raspberry, Apricot and others.Segmentation by Form: Comprises Powder, Puree, Liquid and others.Segmentation by Regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Alcohol Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients Global Market  SynopsisSecondary data reveals that among the rapid change in the consumption patterns has led to adoption of various flavors in the alcoholic beverages. By volume, the fruit flavors hold a major share in comparison to spices in the alcoholic beverage ingredients market. Rise in demand for traditional and herbal based flavor alcohol drinks has stimulated the alcoholic beverageAccess Report Details @Alcohol Beverage Spice & Fruit Ingredients Market  Regional AnalysisEurope dominated the alcoholic beverage spice and fruit ingredients market share during the period 2011-2015 due to the presence of major market players in these regions. Asia-Pacific is emerging market with China being the major consumption center, accounting for astronomical amounts and is expected to grow over multi millions by 2022About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactAkash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market: Industry Trend and Global Forecast to 2021

Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market

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Market Synopsis of Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market:The Global Aerospace and Defence Telemetry Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 3% during 2016-2021. Factors driving the market are growing demand of radio and satellite based telemetry for military & defense application, investment in R&D to develop control & communications systems, and utilization of UAV for remote sensing.As per the MRFR analysis, issues related to C-band telemetry, noise due to interference, errors caused due to non-uniformity, and ongoing budget cuts would affect the market growth during the forecast period.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market: BAE systems Cobham Honeywell L-3 communications Zodiac Aerospace Curtiss-Wright Dassault Aviation Finmeccanica Kongsberg Gruppen Orbit TechnologiesStudy Objectives of Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Aerospace and Defense Telemetry market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyse the Global Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country-level analysis of the market for segment by application. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Aerospace and Defense Telemetry Market.Brief TOC:1. Introduction1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Objective2. Executive Summary2.1 Key Findings / Highlights2.1.1 Investment Opportunities2.1.2 Market Startegies2.1.3 Latest Developments3. Scope of the Study3.1 Markets Covered3.2 Years Considered For the Study (2016-2021)3.2 Geographic Scope3.3 Key Stakeholders4. Assumptions and Limitations5. Research Methodology5.1 Primary Research5.2 Secondary Research5.3 Econometric and Forecasting ModelContinueAccess Report Details @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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Steam Trap Monitor Market is Expecting Worldwide Growth by 2025

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Steam trap monitor system is designed to improve the steam system performance and provides the non-intrusive and easy installation with perfect wireless monitoring functions. It is essential to keep the record of steam traps performance for Steam users because blocked or leaking traps waste water and energy whereas a healthy steam trap inhabitants allow condensate to be removed and recycled from the steam system. Wireless steam trap monitor operates based on wireless sensor networks which include Routers, Sensors, and Coordinators. This makes a cluster tree network of devices where coordinator or router works as a parent and sensor works as a child and measure the steam conductivity and temperature. Steam trap monitor is helpful in online computation energy saving or loss due to leakage of steam traps and provides complete trap health analysis and status generated by the steam trap system. It is widely used in automotive and manufacturing industries, owing to a high demand for automation in these industries.To view complete report @Global steam trap monitor market: DynamicsThe key driving factor of global steam trap monitor market is the rapid growth of automotive industry, owing to a high demand of steam trap monitor systems. Due to strong demand for packaged food and beverages in food and beverages industries is also a major driving factor of global steam trap monitor market. Furthermore, global steam trap monitor market is majorly driven by the increase in high internet penetration and high technological advancement, attributed to the high adoption of smart devices based on the internet of things in various industries. Another factor which helps to grow global steam trap monitor market is rapidly increasing chemical as well as the pharmaceutical industry due to high usage of steam trap monitor systems. The microeconomic factors which drive the global steam trap monitor market are the rapid rate of industrialization and emerging economy such as Brazil, China, and India. The key restraining factor of global steam trap monitor market is higher maintenance cost and govt. Safety regulations related to global steam trap monitor market. Continuously rising in energy cost will increase the steam cost produced by site utility operations which will restrict to grow steam trap monitor market globally. Various large market players such as Forbes Marshal and Spirax Sarco released wireless steam trap monitor system which is the key trend which helps global steam trap monitor market to grow at a rapid pace over the forecasted periodA sample of this report is available upon request @Global steam trap monitor market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, global steam trap monitor market is segmented into seven regions  Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Western Europe, North America, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Among region mentioned above, North America accounts high market share in steam trap monitor market across the globe followed by Western Europe. Western Europe and Middle East & Africa is estimated to grow with a rapid rate in global steam trap monitor market due to its high usage in manufacturing industries in these regions. Due to low manufacturing cost in Asia-Pacific countries such as China and India is estimated to witness a rapid growth in steam trap monitor market across the globe.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Few prominent market players of global steam trap monitor market as follow:Forbes Marshall, Emerson Electric Co., Spirax-Sarco Engineering Plc., ThermaXX Jackets, LLC. , Mosto Technologies, Inc., Armstrong International Inc., Flowserve Corporation, GESTRA AG, CIRCOR International, IncAbout 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:
Floor Grinding Machine Market Demand is Increasing in Most Part of World 2025

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Grinding is the way toward removing metal by the utilization of abrasives which are bonded to form a rotating wheel. At the point when the moving rough particles contact the workpiece, they act as tiny cutting tools. The floor grinding machine is utilized for roughing and finishing flat, cylindrical, and cone shaped surfaces; completing inward cylinders or bores; framing and sharpening tools, catching or expelling rough projections from castings and stampings; cleaning, polishing and buffing surfaces. Floor grinding is used for the removal of adhesives, imperfections, rain damage, coatings. Machines that granulate concrete floors are made to deal with a much more anxiety and will have more power to drive the unit as concrete has a substantially higher sliding friction than marble or granite which is likewise worked wet, along these lines with less friction. Some sorts of marble will spark when it is ground dry, making profound damage to the marble surface. Concrete grinding and polishing have recently become famous in industrial settings, because of the quantity of favorable circumstances and benefits that it brings. Floor grinding machine smoothens the down rough concrete surfaces to uncover a smooth and shiny surface. Essentially, an overwhelming obligation granulating machine is utilized on the surface of the concrete slab, to polish it and make it look significantly more attractive. The floor grinding machines are made in a simple and robust but yet stylish and functional design.To view complete report @Global Floor Grinding Machine: Market Dynamics:Mainly industrial purpose drives the global demand of floor grinding machine market. The floor looks attractive, increases the durability of the floor, environment-friendly and saving a lot of money are the factors that further leads to a rising in demand of floor grinding machine. Simple design, robust construction, single speed, high quality, functional and price competitive are the factors that also propel the growth of floor grinding machine market. Rising industry in Asia-Pacific regions leads to a growth of floor grinding machine market. Owing to the wide range of its application in industry fuel the demand for floor grinding machine market. Floor grinding machine act as an essential device to organizations dynamic over the value chain and to the new entrants by empowering them to underwrite the opportunities and create business procedures.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global Floor Grinding Machine: Regional Outlook:The global floor grinding machine market is segmented into seven geographic key regions includes North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Japan, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan and The Middle East and Africa. The developing economies such as Asia-Pacific region lead to a growth of floor grinding machine near future owing to the development of industries is followed by North America, Japan. The demand for global floor grinding machine is expected to rise in the near future.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Global Floor Grinding Machine: Key Players:The few prominent key players of global floor grinding machine are:Husqvarna ABHTC GroupBlastracKlindexShanghai TuomeiXingyi PolishingScanmaskin Sverige ABSuperabrasiveLinaxTerrcoASL MachinesSubstrate TechnologyShanghai QingRoll GmbhBartell GlobalWeijie EnvironmentalAbout 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:
Comprehensive Report on Structural Adhesives Market by Future Market Insights

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Structural adhesives are special types of adhesives specially designed to bind nearly all thermoplastics, composite materials, and metals, other dissimilar substrates. These structural adhesives are used in many application including transportation, automotive, marine, HVAC, construction, wind energy, and industrial assemblies. As structural adhesives offers significant advantages over other methods of fastening so there use is increasing in aerospace and many other applications.Structural Adhesives Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe rising demand of structural adhesives in the growing automotive, and aerospace applications is driving the global structural adhesives market. Substantial growth in Asia Pacific region because of the increasing population and awareness about high quality products are expected to drive the structural adhesive market. The building and construction application segment is one the major segment for the consumption of structural adhesives. The demand from construction of dams, airports, bridges, railroad crossings, tunnelling, and other infrastructural activities are fuelling the demand for structural adhesives. Epoxy is majorly used resin type of structural adhesive and its demand is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Epoxy is widely used structural adhesive especially in niche applications where exceptional bonding strength is required.Request For Report Sample:Structural Adhesives Market: SegmentationOn the basis of Material Type,AcrylicEpoxyMethacrylatePolyurethaneOthersOn the basis of Application Type,Construction & BuildingAutomotiveMarineWind EnergyTransportationOthersStructural Adhesives Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global Structural Adhesives Market is segmented into the seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). APEJ and Japan together leads the global Structural Adhesives Market in terms of demand, followed by North America and Western Europe. The high demand from APEJ region is likely to become a major driver for global structural adhesives market. This is mainly due to rising demand from automotive, bus & truck, building and construction, and aerospace applications. Rising population in the region, competition of manufacturers to make high quality products, and growing innovations and developments in end use industries are making the region as a strategic destination for the global structural adhesives market.Request For TOC:Structural Adhesives Market: Key PlayersHenkel AG3MAshlandLord CorporationHubei Huitian Adhesive Enterprise Co.ITWDow Chemical CompanySIKA AGScott BaderArkemaABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Automotive Timing Belt Market Opportunity Assessment Research Study

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The automotive timing belt is an essential part of any internal combustion engine. The function of these timing belts or chains is to coordinate the rotation of camshafts and crankshaft in such a way that the inlet and outlet valves open and close at correct and suitable times during an engines exhaust and intake cycles. The timing belt or timing chain is very crucial as it prevents the pistons from hitting the valves. Automotive timing belts are basically either toothed belts or drive belts with teeth on the inside surface. The timing chain is a simple roller chain.Timing belts are usually made from polymers, rubbers or metal chains. These days, manufacturers are focusing on creating timing belts or chains which facilitate proper synchronization of crankshaft rotation with camshaft rotation. However, some still old engines use gears for driving the camshaft. There are many advantages of using timing belts or timing chains instead of direct gears for the placement of camshaft away from the crankshaft. Additionally, engines with multiple camshafts have a timing chain or belt that enables the engine designer to place camshafts away from each other. Timing chains were quite popular in automobiles through the 1980s. However, timing chains have become increasingly popular again in recent years. Timing chains are normally more robust than timing belts, but, neither is as strong as the direct gear drive. However, since timing belts are less expensive, operate more quietly and are lighter, they are preferred over direct gear drive.Automotive timing Belt Market dynamics:The market for automotive engine timing drives is composed principally of belt- and belt-based products, with belts being currently used in a majority of engines. In recent years, however, the automotive engine manufacturers are leaning towards more reliable and lower fuel consumption models. Therefore, their interest in belts, which are more durable and compact, has increased. Technological modernization has assisted in the expansion of new belts that are quieter, lighter and smaller than conventional belts and as a result, automakers are increasingly choosing to use belts in new engines. The market share of automotive belts is expected to surpass that of driving gears in the next five years.Request For Report Sample:The market for automotive timing belts is anticipated to grow at a healthy CAGR in the coming future. Furthermore, growing applications of automotive belts in the automotive industry is expected to propel the growth of the automotive timing belt market in near future.Automotive timing Belt Market segmentation:Automotive timing belts can be segmented on the basis of type of chemicals and application.By Product type, the automotive timing belt Market can be segmented into:Timing BeltsTiming ChainsOn the basis of Sales Channels, the automotive timing belt market can be segmented into:OEMAftermarketOn the basis of Vehicle Type, the automotive timing belt market can be segmented into:Passenger CarsLCVHCVAutomotive timing Belt: Regional Outlook:Owing to increasing global vehicle production and manufacturing, adoption of fuel competent technologies, developments in materials in reference to their durability and stern emission guidelines and norms, the market for timing belts is estimated to grow at a swift pace in coming future. The demand for timing chains or belts is also projected to grow due to the implementation of new fuel saving technologies and the growing government regulations on tail pipe emissions globally. The demand for timing belts and chains is coming from emerging nations such as India, China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa. Additionally, the increasing demand for automobiles in these regions is expected to grow at a very rapid rate, which in turn, is estimated to fuel the growth of the overall timing belt market globally. In terms of the global demand, the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to be largest market for the automotive timing belts and chains due to the growing vehicle production in China, followed by India. The demand for automotive timing belts in European countries is also anticipated to be high owing to the increasing production of automobiles in this region.Request For TOC:Automotive timing Belt: Market ParticipantsSome of the market participants in the Automotive timing Belt market are:B&B ManufacturingDaycoNingbo Beidi Synchronous BeltNingBo Fulong Synchronous BeltSKFTsubakiCarlstar GroupContiTech (Continental AG)FennerGatesACDelcoBandoBeck ArnleyABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The leading regional event for oil and gas projects is back again in Romania, on 25  26 October at Intercontinental Hotel.

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The Black Sea Oil and Gas conference will bring together onshore, offshore and midstream project owners from Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine to discuss the development of their projects, regulatory challenges, technological needs and business development plans for next years.The industry has seen positive changes in 2017: important offshore operators announced intention to invest massively in their fields, Black Sea Oil and Gas operator will present the final investment decision regarding Midia block, key onshore operators will announce their commercial plan for brownfield production (Mazarine Energy), and complex cross-border projects such as BRUA, TANAP, TurkStream will showcase the technical expectations from the supply chain until for 2020.Black Sea Oil and gas is the best opportunity for companies interested in value mapping the opportunities from upstream & midstream and to meet face to face the owners and decision makers from the region, being the only regional event attended by all operators, EPC contractors, service companies, TSOs, investors and government agencies.To see the full conference programme and list of speakers, please visit:Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, BucharestCONTACT:Elmira GabidullinaMarketing ManagerGlobal Business Club LtdT: +44 (0) 845 868 8234E: e.gabidullina@globuc.comGBC Ltd is an international company run by professionals with more than 20 years experience and a passion for organising highly successful international oil & gas events.Office 301, 22 Highbury Grove, N5 2ER UK
Growth Opportunities in Phthalocyanine Blue Market New Research Report

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Phthalocyanine Blue, also known a, phthalo blue, Monastral blue thalo blue .It was developed in order be used like a pigment. Its bright blue color is used in dyes and paints. It is very effective due to its superior qualities as tinting strength light fastness, resistance and covering power to the effects of acids and alkalies. It looks bright blue, doesnt dissolve in water and most solvents. The crystal modification decides the tint of the blue shade of phthalocyanine blue.Phthalocyanine Blue: Market DriversApproximately 25% of most artificial pigments are phthalocyanine derivatives Phthalocynanine Blue is a pigment that is insoluble in water and does not migrate in the material. Phthalocynanine Blue has been tested as a catalyst for redox reactions.Phthalocyanine Blue can used in oxygen reduction reaction and the sweetening of gas streams by removal of hydrogen sulfide.Phthalocyanine blue compounds are effectively used as donor materials in molecular electronics, like organic field-effect transistors. It is an important pigment used in the packaging and printing. Because of its stability, phthalo blue is also used in in coatings, inks and variety of plastics. The Phthalocyanine Blue pigment and does not mix in the material. Phythalocyanine Blue can be effectively used as pigment in packaging and the printing industry These dyes are widely used in different stages of dyeing textile ,in spin dyeing and in the paper industry.Phthaocyanine Blue has strong tinting strength and overpowers the solution to give out its color if mixed. It has a transparent color and is applied with glazing techniques. This compound is used to development quantum computing because its electrons exist for long periods of time in a state of quantum superposition. Phtalocynanine Blue is also an important ingredient in organic solar cell research. Phthalocyanine Blue can be effectively used in fine film solar cells because of its uniform growth and high stability. Phthalocyanine Blue can be made easily into thin film to be used in fabricating devices, which makes it effective to be used in quantum computing. It has a strong tint . Phthalocynanine Blue has a transparent staining color and can be applied using glazing techniques. There is evidence that exposure to phthalocynanine blue can cause grievous birth defects due to copper depletion in the case of developing embryos.Request For Report Sample:Phthalocynanine Blue can be segmented by usage:InksPhotovoltaicsQuantum ComputingResearch and DevelopmentPhthalocynanine Blue can be segmented by industry:Paints and PigmentsSolar CellPhthalocyanine Blue: Regional OutlookGeographically the Phthalocyanine Blue Market can be segmented into Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Globally, the Phthalocyanine Blue Market is performing in a dynamic manner where food manufacturers and suppliers are evolving and working closely to meets the wide variety of demands from consumers. The Phthalocyanine Blue Market market in North America is in its peak. The consumers trends are changing in the region which is influenced by the growing retailers generating the attractive and likewise innovative sale formats. The retailers now-a-days keeps first-hand knowledge on preferences and purchase habits of the consumers which they transmit to the upper stream of manufacturers in the supply chain. This flow of generated information through retailers to the manufacturers call for the demand of Phthalocyanine Blue Market, since it a raw material for pigments and dyes. Thus, the phthalocyanine blue manufacturer has to strategize their business through consumer insights and responses and due to the regional shift in the demand for attractive paints and textiles. The APEJ phthalocyanine blue market is expected to grow at significant CAGR during the study period, owing to the growing end-use industry such as pharmaceuticals .Also, the large amount invested in research and development can lead to the increase in demand for phthalocyanine blue.Request For TOC:Phthalocyanine Blue: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players in the Phthalocyanine Blue market are Kesar Petroproducts Ltd, Nanavati Group, Kolorjet Chemicals.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Biobased Transformer Oil Market Analysis, Forecast, and Assessment

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Transformers are virtually everywhere, and every distribution and power transformer is filled with dielectric insulating fluid, which exhibits high resistance to electricity and cools the transformer. Traditionally, dielectric fluids have been manufactured from mineral-oil derived from crude petroleum, but nowadays biobased transformer oil is replacing mineral-oil based products in the market. Biobased transformer oil is environmentally safe and also performs better than mineral oil products. The transformer oil is a relatively new product in the market. Biobased transformer oil is produced from vegetable oil feedstock. Biobased transformer oil does not contain silicone, petroleum hydrocarbons and halogens. The biobased transformer oil rapidly degrades in case of leakage or spill and also they are non-toxic in nature. Moreover, this type of oil has better resistance to fire as compared to their counterpart mineral oil and is mainly composed of soybean or other vegetable oils and antioxidants and other additives. One of the major advantages of biobased transformer oil is that they can be reconditioned and reused in another transformer, even if it had been used for the whole life of a transformer.Manufacturers of transformer oil are nowadays focussing on research & development activities in order to produce the most effective transformer oil. Scientists & researchers are investigating nanofluids for use in transformers and this would be utilized as additives in order to improve the thermal stability and electrical properties of the oil.Generally, trucking is used as the mode of transportation for the transport of the product from the transformer oil manufacturing plant to the transformers to be filled at the point of use.Request For Report Sample:Global Biobased Transformer Oil Market: SegmentationThe global biobased transformer oil market can be segmented mainly on the basis of application.Based on the application, the global biobased transformer oil market can be segmented intoPower TransformerDistribution TransformerOthers (Instrument, etc.)Global Biobased Transformer Oil Market: DynamicsIn order to deliver reliable & cleaner power to the customers, power utilities are focussing on enhancing the safety, environmental and operational performance of existing & new transformers. Dielectric insulating fluids such as biobased transformer oil are utilized to meet the high-performance transformer insulation. Demand for power transformers has evolved significantly both in terms of functionality and size. This in turn boosts the demand for biobased transformer oil and also drive the growth of global biobased transformer oil market. Further, growing desire for environment-friendly solutions over the recent past has intensified the quest to develop new solutions.Biobased transformer oil has to overcome their inherent stability based on the existence of poly-unsaturated products in the natural oil in order to compete with the mineral-oil based products. In spite of the improvements in the performance of biobased transformer oil, market for these products has been witnessing slow growth. The major reasons behind this are price and lack of regulatory pressures to change. Moreover, biobased transformer oil is generally expensive than their mineral oil counterparts, with various notable exceptions, hence without regulatory pressures it is difficult to convince a user to change what they know to be acceptable performance from traditional mineral-oil based products. The aforementioned reasons are expected to reduce the demand for biobased transformer oils and thus in turn hamper the growth of global biobased transformer oil market. The biobased transformer oil consumes large amount of energy in its manufacturing and hence its costs also build up, this is one of the key challenges identified in the global biobased transformer oil market.Request For TOC:Global Biobased Transformer Oil Market: Region-wise OutlookConsidering regions, Asia-Pacific is the major consumer of the biobased transformer oil followed by North America, Latin America and Europe. Demand for bio-based transformer oil is low in developed regions owing to the significant development of renewable energy resources in the developing countries such as China and India in the Asia-Pacific region.Global Biobased Transformer Oil Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the examples of the market participants in the biobased transformer oil market identified across the value chain include ABB, Cooper Industries (Eaton) and Cargill, Incorporated among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Insulated Paint Market: Classification, Opportunities, Types and Applications, Status and Forecast to 2022

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ReportsnReports.com provides an overview of the research on Global Insulated Paint Industry 2017 Market Research Report published through its high quality database.The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Insulated Paint manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Complete report on Insulated Paint market spreads across 102 pages profiling 06 companies and supported with 170 tables and figures @Key Companies Analysis: - ADESIV SRL, DRAPA CHEMIE, COLORPAINTRUBI, IGOE INTERNATIONAL LTD, STS ISOLAMENTI S.R.L.PEINTURES ROBIN and others profiles overview.The Global Insulated Paint Industry provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Insulated Paint market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.The Global Insulated Paint Industry focuses on global major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Insulated Paint industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered. With the tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Place a Direct Purchase on this Report @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents:1 Industry Overview2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Insulated Paint3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis4 Production Analysis of Insulated Paint by Regions, Technology, and Applications5 Sales and Revenue Analysis of Insulated Paint by Regions6 Analyses of Insulated Paint Production, Supply, Sales and Market Status 2010-20177 Analysis of Insulated Paint industry Key Manufacturers8 Price and Gross Margin Analysis9 Marketing Traders or Distributor Analysis of Insulated Paint10 Development Trend of Insulated Paint industry2017-202211 Industry Chain Suppliers of Insulated Paint with Contact Information12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Insulated Paint13 Conclusion of the Global Insulated Paint industry 2017 Market Research ReportList of Tables and FiguresGet more details on this report @About Us:Reports n Reports is digital databank of syndicated market reports for worldwide and China businesses. ReportsnReports.com offers market research reports to businesses, entities and organizations with an objective of assisting them in their decision making process. Our collection of 500,000+ industry & nation research reports shields 5000+ micro markets. We provide 24X7 available, online and offline support to our clients.Contact:Ritesh TiwariUNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZMagarpatta city, Hadapsar,Pune, Maharashtra 411013, IndiaTel: +1-888-391-5441sales@reportsandreports.com
Global Infant Radiant Warmers Sales Market Growth Analysis, Forecast Details till 2022

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The infant radiant warmer is basically used to maintain the body temperature of newborn infants. To discuss the scope of the market related to this material, Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently added a study titled as Global Infant Radiant Warmers Sales Market Report 2017 to its vast report repository. It is a comprehensive global analysis of the infant radiant warmers sales that is evaluated for incremental CAGR growth by 2022.Request Free Sample Report:Theses warmers provide radiant warmth to treat infants suffering from severe heat loss and is suitable for all environments, from labor rooms to neonatal ICUs. The warmer provides excellent care at affordable cost. The report commences with the global infant radiant warmer market overview followed with segmentation by type, application, and countries. The report has compared the market size by type for 2012-2016 with main types discussed precisely. Further, the applications segregation consists of comparative applications in hospital and clinic. The infant radiant warmer market is also analyzed and evaluated by global regions including countries such as the United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia and India. Moreover, the market size by value and volume is also accessed from 2012-2022.In the next section, the global infant radiant warmer players/suppliers, profiles and sales data are listed along with their company basic information, manufacturing base & competitors, product category, application & specification and main business/business overview. The featured companies in the report include; advanced Instrumentations, Alfamedic, ANA-MED, Ardo, Arroba Ingeniera, Atom Medical Corporation, AVI Healthcare, CI Healthcare, Cobams, Dixion Vertrieb, DRE Medical, Elektro-mag, Fanem Ltda, Fisher & Paykel, GE Healthcare, GINEVRI, IBIS Medical, Natus Medical, NOVOS, Olidef, Phoenix Medical, PT. FYROM INTERNATIONAL, Seeuco Electronics, Ural Optical, V-Care Medical, and Weyer.Browse Full Report With TOC:Lastly, the infant radiant warmer manufacturing cost is analyzed with key raw material detail evaluation that consists of its price trend, key suppliers, and market concentration rate. Further, the industrial chain, sourcing strategy, and downstream buyers are also provided in the report for the global infant radiant warmer market, which gives a brief overview of the market scenario from various facets. The research study concludes with the marketing channels, market positioning, distributors/traders list and finally the forecast (2017-2022) analysis is enclosed considering the countries forecast sales report and an overall infant radiant warmer revenue forecast during the period between 2017-2022.Make An Enquiry:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
VVT Actuators Market Forecast Report Offers Actionable Insights

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VVT Actuators enable mechanisms such as advancing or retarding valve timings, and also change or overlap or even lift valves in some applications. VVT actuators controls valve timing and contributes significantly to fuel efficiency improvement and emission reduction by optimally adjusting the opening and closing timing of intake and exhaust valve, as per the need of driving condition. These actuators mostly operates hydraulically and typically uses oil pressure to change the position of a phaser mechanism.The technology has been widely used across a variegated range of Japanese and European engines which includes Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen. However, over the last few years many local manufacturers have also incorporated VVT actuators with their engines. The global VVT actuator market is expected to witness decent growth over the forecast period.VVT ActuatorsMarket: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors boosting the growth of VVT Actuators market is rising automation across automobile industry. With rising disposable income, the global automobile market is expected to continuously increase over the forecast period. A large chunk of this demand is anticipated to come from the developing nations of Asia pacific and Latin America. This coupled with increasing focus on improving fuel efficiency and incorporating automation for better control, together will drive the market for VVT Actuators. Also, as local and regional car manufacturers also increasingly incorporate VVT actuators, demand is on the go. Furthermore, it is anticipated that many countries will mandate the incorporation of VVT actuator in passenger automotive vehicles, on the backdrop of increasing fuel efficiency, which will significantly fuel the global market for VVT actuators. Further, with the advent of driverless cars demand for VVT Actuators become unavoidable and the factor is expected to fuel the global VVT Actuators market over the end years of forecast period. However, high cost of VVT Actuators, still keeps the technology tapered with high end vehicles.Request For Report Sample:VVT ActuatorsMarket: Market SegmentationThe VVT Actuators Market is segmented on three factors, on the basis of placement side, implementation method and in terms of end use applicationBased on placement side, the VVT Actuators market is segmented into:Intake SideExhaust SideOthersBased on implementation method, the VVT Actuators market is segmented into:Cam SwitchingCam PhasingOscillating CamEccentric cam driveThree-dimensional cam lobeTwo shaft combined cam lobe profileCoaxial two shaft combined cam lobe profileHelical camshaftCamless enginesBased on end use application, the VVT Actuators market is segmented into:AutomotiveAerospace & AvionicsMarineOthersVVT Actuators Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, VVT Actuators market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.North America anticipated to be the global leader in terms of demand for VVT Actuators. The region has endorsed some of the most advanced technologies in vehicle automation, and caters wide-scale technological adoption rate. Further with the advent of companies into driverless vehicles, demand in the regions VVT actuators market is anticipated to shoot up over the end of forecast period. Western Europe being home to some of the most prominent global car manufacturers also caters huge demand for VVT Actuators, as many passenger cars and buses in the regions comes equipped with this technology, amid saving significantly on fuel efficiency. With increasing demand for cars in Asia Pacific Exc. Japan (APEJ) region, amid rising disposable income, demand for cars with high end features such as VVT Actuators is also on the rise. A large chunk of demand for VVT actuators is expected to come particularly from China and India based automobile manufacturers, as they shift towards global standards. Latin America, on similar lines as APEJ is expected to boost its demand for automotive vehicles over the forecast period, fuelling more demand for VVT Actuators in the region. Eastern Europe also attracts high demand for VVT Actuators not only from automotive segments, but also from Marine and Aerospace segment. The Middle East and Africa, VVT Actuators market is also expected to witness gradual growth over the forecast period, as global car manufacturers are expected to gradually set up their manufacturing bases in the region, over the last years of the forecast period.Request For TOC:VVT Actuators Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in Global VVT Actuators market are:-Mitsubishi Electric CorporationCamcraft, Inc.Metal Seal Precision, Ltd.Mikuni American CorporationZhejiang DiMa Vehicle Industry CompanyAutorunGOGO Automatic Company LtdDelphi Automotive LLPABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons Market 2017 -Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bharat Dynamics Limited, MBDA Missile Systems

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons industry, and estimates the future trend of Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportLockheed Martin CorporationBharat Dynamics LimitedMBDA Missile SystemsRaytheon CompanyThales Group, General Dynamics CorporationBAE Systems PlcSaab AB, Nammo ASThe market research report explores the Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons production volume, data pertaining to demand and Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Man-portable Anti-armor Weapons across the world.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Asia-Pacific Portable Ultrasound Machine Market Evaluation by Regions, Forecast Details Reported till 2022

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It has been noted that, space limitation, the importance of mobility, and the necessity of scanning in the field, adds to the market share of portable ultrasound machine market to an impressive level. To further detail, Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently added a research study titled as Asia-Pacific Portable Ultrasound Machine Market Report 2017 to its vast report repository. The analysis carefully values the market at some million USD in 2016 and is estimated to grow at a positive CAGR by the end of 2022.Request Free Sample Report:Portable ultrasound is an advancement over medical ultrasonography that utilizes small and light devices, compared to the console style ultrasound machines. They are affordable and its main utility is due to its portability and easy accessibility. Currently, this device is used in Cardiac, Vascular, Radiology, Endocrinology, Pediatric and OB/GYN applications.The report commences with Asia-Pacific portable ultrasound machine market overview followed by segmentation by type, application, and countries. The comparative product type discussed in the research are A-mode, B-mode or 2D mode, C-mode, M-mode, Doppler mode, Pulse inversion mode and Harmonic mode. Further, the applications segregation by comparison analysis consists of various applications such as cancer treatment, ultrasound treatment, ultrasound-guided therapy and diagnostic techniques. The Asia-Pacific portable ultrasound machine market is carefully analyzed and evaluated by regions including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Southeast Asia and Australia. Consequently, the market size is also discussed for machine sales & growth rate and machine revenue & growth rate, 2012-2022.Browse Full Report With TOC:In the next section, Asia-Pacific portable ultrasound machine competition analysis by players/suppliers, region, type, and application is completed for 2012-2017. The above countries are also discussed in-depth with volume, value and sales price. Later, the section offers details about the Asia-Pacific portable ultrasound machine players/suppliers and sales data with companies including; GE Healthcare, Fujifilm SonoSite, Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Toshiba Medical, Samsung Medison, Esaote, Hitachi Aloka, Terason, BenQ Medical, Signostics, Chison, MobiSante, Chison, Ecare, Zhuhai Carelife, Zoncare, Welld and SIUI.Lastly, the Asia-Pacific portable ultrasound machine manufacturing cost is analyzed with key raw material details that consists of its price trend, key suppliers, and market concentration rate. Further, the industrial chain, sourcing strategy, and downstream buyers are also provided in the report for the global Asia-Pacific portable ultrasound machine market, which provides a brief outline of the market scenario from various aspects. Finally, the market effect factors are listed that consist of technology progress/risk, consumer needs/customer preference change, economic/political environmental change.Make An Enquiry:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
Bio-Fertilizers Market Projected to Witness a Rapid Growth by 2027

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Market Research Future published a Half-Cooked Research Report (HCRR) on Global Bio-Fertilizers MarketGlobal Bio-Fertilizers Market - OverviewFertilizers and pesticides can be considered as two sides of a coin of agriculture. Fertilizer is food and pesticide is medicine for plants in conventional agriculture. On the other hand, bio fertilizer and or bio pesticide are referred to each one of them respectively in sustainable or environmental friendly system. Bio fertilizers are low cost, renewable sources of plants nutrients which supplement chemical fertilizers. These are nothing but selected strains of beneficial soil microorganisms cultured in the laboratory and packed in a suitable carrier. They can be used either for seed treatment or soil application. Bio fertilizers generate plants nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous through their activities in the soil or rhizosphere and make available to plants in a gradual manner. Bio fertilizers are gaining momentum recently due to the increasing emphasis on maintenance of soil health, minimize environmental pollution and cut down on the use of chemicals in agriculture. In rain fed agriculture, these inputs gain added importance in view of their low cost, as most of the farmers are small marginal and cannot afford to buy expensive chemical fertilizers, Bio fertilizers are also ideal input for reducing the cost of cultivation and for practicing organic farming.Globally, the market for Bio-Fertilizers has been rising owing to the environmental awareness, enhancing soil fertility and increasing demand for organic food. Augmented awareness of health, due to the Health hazards involved with the chemical fertilizers and pesticides customers inclination towards organic products is prevailing which ensues the growth of the market. While, factors such as lack of awareness and lower adoption rate of Bio-Fertilizers by farmers is anticipated to pose as a challenge to the market growth of Bio-Fertilizers.Request a Sample Report @Global Bio - Fertilizers Market - Key PlayersThe global bio fertilizers market appears to be highly fragmented due to the presence of numerous large and small players having global and regional presence in the market. The market will witness an intensified completion due to an increase in product and service leeway. The players operating in the market compete based on pricing, innovation, service, reputation, distribution, and promotion. The advances in technology and a significant capital investment these factors are considered as major setbacks. Innovation, mergers & acquisitions, and brand reinforcement remain the key trends for leading players operating in the highly competitive global market of bio fertilizers.Some of the key players profiled in Global Bio fertilizers Market report include- AgriLife, Antibiotice S.A, Bio Nature Technology PTE Ltd, Novozymes A/S, National Fertilizers Limited, Kribhco, China Bio-fertilizer AG, and Symborg S.LGlobal Bio  Fertilizers Market - SegmentsThe Bio Fertilizers Market can be segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation On the basis of Type: Comprises nitrogen fixing bacteria phosphate solubilizing bacteria, plant growth promoting bacteria, vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza, and others.Segmentation On the basis of Application Method: Comprises root dipping, seed treatment, soil, and others.Segmentation On the basis of Form: Comprises Liquid, powder and granular.& others.Segmentation On the basis of Regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Access the market data and market information presented through more than 60 market data tables and 25 figures spread over 110 numbers of pages of the project report Bio-Fertilizers Market - Forecast to 2027Global Bio- Fertilizers Market - Synopsis & ScenarioOne of the upcoming trends expected to provide impetus to the growth of bio fertilizers market is the emergence of liquid bio fertilizers, which are liquid formulations containing the desired microorganisms, micronutrients, and chemicals promoting the formation of resting spores. This helps the bio fertilizer to attain a longer shelf life and tolerance to adverse conditions. Moreover, liquid bio fertilizers have a shelf life of nearly two years, and they are very tolerant to high temperatures and ultra-violet radiations. Also, the microbe density in such bio fertilizers is higher in comparison to solid bio fertilizers. They are applied using power sprayers, fertigation tanks, hand sprayers, and as a basal manure mixed along with farmyard manure. These liquid bio fertilizers also have a very high enzymatic activity, leading to the high adoption rate amongst farmers.Access Report Details @Global Bio - Fertilizers Market - Regional AnalysisEurope dominates the Global Bio-Fertilizers Market with the largest market share followed by North America.Asia-Pacific and RoW are the other major markets for Global Bio-Fertilizers and are expected to grow at a substantial rate of a CAGR during 2016 to 2027.Bio Fertilizers market is projected to grow with a striking rate of CAGR; witnessing an exponential growth crossing its previous growth records by the end of the forecasted period (2016  2027).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.ContactAkash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Vision Positioning System Market Challenges, Size, Trends, Growth, Key Vendors and Drivers by Forecast to 2023

Vision Positioning System Market

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Market Highlights:The study indicates that the Vision Positioning System Market is method that provide the volume of information about the localization using vision information, extraction of visual features for positioning straightforward and representing the environment. However, it processes information from every sensor and completes complex calculations in real time. Camera system have become a predominant component of the Vision Positioning System. The Vision Positioning system industry is expected to grow during the forecast period due to rise in demand for automation in industrial applications. However, intensive training and education, an essential requirement to enable entry of machine vision in newer markets, restrain the vision positioning system market growth. Moreover, demand for miniaturization of machine vision system provides lucrative opportunities for the players operating in machine vision system industry.A Vision Positioning System Market is the method of positioning of a system that uses optical sensors, ultrasonic and image data to help the various instruments to identify its current position. The advantage of optical sensors is the ability to provide the distance information needed for collision avoidance. The growth of the vision positioning system market is driven by the increasing use of vision positioning systems in industrial automation and indoor navigation to handle various kinds of operations. Being a new technology the Vision Positioning System market is also driven by the continuous evolution of CMIOS image sensor.The global The Vision Positioning System market is expected to grow at USD 13.32 Billion by 2023, at ~10.87% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players: DJI (China) Omron Corporation (Japan) Cognex Corporation (U.S.) Parrot SA (France) Pepperl+Fuchs GmbH (Europe) Senion AB (Europe) Sick AG (Germany) Seegrid Corporation (U.S) ABB (Switzerland)Regional Analysis:The regional analysis of Vision Positioning System market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, North Americas, Europe and Rest of the World. Growing demand of innovative technology is driving the Vision Positioning System in North America and has become the leading in countries in the world as the highest usage in small drones, automated guided vehicles, and robotics for commercial and civil applications.The study reveals that Europe region is also showing a positive growth in the Vision Positioning System market during in present days and will reach to the highest point in forecast periods. Asia-Pacific countries like China, Japan and India have a fair share in the Vision Positioning System market due to the commercial segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 30 market data tables and figures spread over 100 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Vision Positioning System Market -Forecast to 2023.Vision Positioning System Market Segmentation:The Vision Positioning System Market has been segmented on the basis of t component, solution, location, platform, type, end-user and region. Looking through the end-user segment it has been observed that defense industry has shown a tremendous usage of Vision Positioning System market and holds the largest market share. The study indicates that the other sectors like government and defense sector is using optical sensors system and showing second largest position in this market.Market Research Analysis:On geographic basis, Vision Positioning System market is studied in different regions as North Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. It has been observed that North America region is leading in the Vision Positioning System market and is expected to grow with a high rate as well as hold the largest market share in the Vision Positioning System market, there has been a major focus into the commercials based low cost applications.Vision Positioning System market has the largest market size in the government and defense sector as well due to safety and security purposes. The study shows that Europe region is also showing a positive curve in growth graph in the Vision Positioning System market. The technological advancements in Vision Positioning system is widely used in aircraft and flight. The developing economies in Asia-pacific regions like China, Japan, India and others are showing high adoption in the Vision Positioning System market.Intended Audience System Security Software investors Defense and Government Police Departments BFSI Private Companies Component Suppliers Investors and Venture Capitalist Police Departments Vision Positioning System Service Provider Vision Positioning System Agencies Technology Integrators Research/Consultancy firmsBrowse Full Report Details @Table of Contents1 Market introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market structure:1.3.1 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By Component1.3.2 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By Solution1.3.3 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By Locations1.3.4 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By Platform1.3.6 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By Type1.3.7 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By End User1.3.8 Global Vision Positioning System Market: By RegionContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Vision Positioning System Market, By ComponentTable 2 Vision Positioning System Market, By SolutionTable 3 Vision Positioning System Market, By LocationContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Research MethodologyFigure 2 Vision Positioning System Market: By Component (%)Figure 3 Vision Positioning System Market: By Solution (%)ContinuedAbout 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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Telemonitoring System Market to Witness Steady Growth by 2022, Driven by High pool of Geriatric Population

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With an aging world population and a corresponding demand for aged care, interest in the development of telemonitoring systems has increased widely. As per the recent findings, the future of the global telemonitoring systems market displays positive result in its growth with constant advancements in the field of information technology. Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently broadcasted a fresh study to its vast repository, which is titled as Global Telemonitoring System Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022, and offers a comprehensive analysis of this market by examining its past performance, key trends and growth prospects.Request Free Sample Report:Telehealth monitoring systems provide a way to monitor patients and their needs within the comfort of their own homes. The telemonitoring systems assist the healthcare providers to deliver effective and suitable medical aid to the patients earlier it turns into a bigger problem. Telemonitors are devices that record a patient's vital signs several times a day and sends the information via the patient's telephone line to a central station where the results are monitored by nurses. This research report presents a descriptive analysis of the performance of the telemonitoring systems in the worldwide market, considering a number of factors, such as the manufacturing volume, product pricing, the dynamics of demand and supply, market size, share, revenue and the growth rate of this market.According to the findings, the telemonitoring systems market is primarily driven by the prevalence rate of diseases such cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, etc. The study also throws lights on the recent technological trends in telemonitoring systems. It has been analyzed that major advancement in technology has brought much-needed improvement to patients requiring home oxygen.Moving further, the global market for telemonitoring systems has been broadly assessed on the basis of the type, application and the geography. Based on the type, the market has been categorized into COPD Telemonitoring System, Blood Pressure Telemonitoring System, Glucose Level Telemonitoring System, Cardiac & Monitoring Systems and Others. By application, the market has been classified into Home care, Long-term Care Centers and Hospice Care. Telemonitoring systems find a significant application in the home care segment, states the market report.Browse Full Report With TOC:United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, China, India, and Japan have been identified as the key regional markets for telemonitoring systems in this study. The demand for telemonitoring systems market in the U.S. is determined by the countrys strong economy and the growing trend of home nursing facilities and hospice care.The report thus provides major insights into the global telemonitoring market in terms of its competitive landscape and regulatory framework. This section profiles the leading players operating in this market, which are Medtronic, Nihon Kohden, Honeywell, Boston Scientific Corporation, Philips Healthcare, SHL Telemedicine, St. Jude Medical, TeleMedCare, GE Healthcare and Abbott.Make An Enquiry:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News At:
Naval Combat Systems Market Analysis and Global Forecast to 2021

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Market Synopsis of Naval Combat SystemsThe global Naval Combat Systems market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 4% during 2016-2021. Growing tension at South China Sea, Indian Ocean, illegal trade, and immigration are the major factors driving the demand, thus resulting in the procurement of unmanned underwater vehicles and investment in naval combat system to counter national security threats.International Boundary Waters Treaty Act and other intergovernmental regulation to restrict the implementation of warfare systems are the challenges which would hamper the growth of the market. Other challenges are lack of advance technologies and outdated surveillance & radar systems are the factors impacting the growth, but at the same time it provides an opportunity to government and companies to modernize and produce state of the art technology to overcome the problem.Request a Sample Copy @Key Player of Naval Combat Systems Market: BAE Systems Lockheed Martin Raytheon Thales General Dynamics Harris Corporation L-3 Communication Systems Northrop Grumman SagemStudy Objectives of Naval Combat Systems: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Naval Combat Systems market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To Analyze the Naval Combat Systems market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters five force analysis. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to six main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, and Africa To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by systems To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and new product developments in the global Naval Combat Systems marketBrief TOC:1 Introduction1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Objective2 Executive Summary2.1 Key Findings / Highlights2.1.1 Investment Opportunities2.1.2 Market Startegies2.1.3 Latest Developments3 Scope of the Study3.1 Markets Covered3.2 Years Considered for the Study (2016-2021)3.2 Geographic Scope3.3 Key Stakeholders4 Assumptions and Limitations5 Research Methodology5.1 Primary Research5.2 Secondary Research5.3 Econometric and Forecasting ModelContinueAccess Report Details @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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Know the current Market Scenario of the Function-as-a-Service Market by Manufacturers, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025

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Global Function as a Service (FaaS): SnapshotServerless computing is all the rage these days as it shifts the task of running and managing the infrastructure from the company to its cloud provider. While software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS) are already well known and popular in the domain of serverless computing, there is another upcoming technology  function as a service (FaaS)  which is primed to become mainstream soon enough.Function as a service (FaaS) is essentially a software framework offered by a service provider. It can be tailored easily to serve the business needs of the user by helping them to quickly develop an application or system. By doing away with the need for heavy investments in infrastructure and hardware, FaaS results in tremendous cost savings. Some of prominent participants in the market are also big guns of the likes of Microsoft Corporation, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services, Google, Inc., and IBM.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From a geographical perspective, North America outshines all others due to the presence of a large number of FaaS providers and savvy companies increasingly looking to up business agility and flexibility, particularly in the advanced U.S. and Canada market. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is slated to expand at a good clip in the foreseeable future due to businesses booming in the developing economies in the region. China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, and other nations in the region, which are home to a growing number of software firms, are frontrunners in driving expansion in the Asia Pacific market.Global Function-as-a-Service Market: OverviewFunction-as-a-service (FaaS), a.k.a. serverless computing, is creating an evolution in the field of cloud computing as it plays a pivotal role in boosting IT agility by releasing developers from the taxing job of managing and provisioning servers. The next step in cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS), FaaS cancels the need to administer servers and pay for them when not in use while making it a whole lot easier to leverage and scale complex automation areas. It is an event-driven computing service which executes functions and codes only when required.Request TOC of the Report @Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Key TrendsThe international FaaS market is prophesied to grow in the black at a knockout CAGR as organizations shift from DevOps to serverless computing. During the forecast period, there could also be other factors supporting the market growth, which include maturity of hosted services, scalability, and agility. The global market could be driven by the constant need articulated by most companies regarding the optimization of microservices and management of multiple platforms. As a result, services such as microservice management and monitoring and automation and integration are anticipated to gain a relentless impetus.Issues pertaining to portability to the cloud could act as an obstacle in the global FaaS market. Nonetheless, the availability of robust pre-existing cloud infrastructure and easy management and deployment need are forecasted to make up for the market disincentive. Companies around the world are now implementing FaaS as a means to run, manage, and deploy applications. Keeping this ability of the product in view, the market is expected to see the domination of operator-centric FaaS and developer-center FaaS in the coming years. Besides for the deployment of different applications such as those relating to research and academic and mobile and web, FaaS can be employed to optimize their performance.Get Discount @Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Market PotentialDelineated as the first serverless database, FaunaDB Serverless Cloud, introduced by a San Francisco startup, is making rounds on technology news columns with its real-time data replicating ability to ensure multi-cloud availability. The serverless revolution by Fauna Inc. is proud to seamlessly span Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. Later in 2017, the company is planning to offer support to the Microsoft Azure cloud. This latest offering is based on the adaptive operational database of FaunaDB that is capable of leveraging pay-as-you-go pricing, reduced operational overhead, elastic scaling, enhanced marketing time, and other cloud capabilities.Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Regional OutlookThe North America FaaS market is prognosticated to lean on a colossal count of FaaS providers, surging want for business agility and flexibility, and towering rate of penetration into a gamut of industry verticals in the U.S. The researchers envisage the regional market to rake in a larger share of revenue in the coming years. Asia Pacific, on similar lines, is envisioned to secure a higher rate of growth during the forecast period. This could be due to the need to streamline business operations and enhance customer experiences with the help of significant investments in cloud service providers. As a result, Asia Pacific is predicted to register a telling CAGR.Global Function-as-a-Service Market: Competitive LandscapePlayers in the global FaaS market could be looking to boost customer satisfaction and focus on perpetual innovation in technology with a view to fortify their status in the industry. Additionally, partnerships, acquisitions, and new product developments are prime strategies projected to take precedence in the market. Some of the leading companies in the market are Dynatrace LLC, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corporation, Google, Inc., and IBM.About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
World Camera Bag Market - Product, Application & Regional Segment Analysis with Major Key TENBA, Canon, Nikon, National Geographic Projection to 2022

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HTF Market Intelligence released a new research report of 116 pages on title 'World Camera Bag Market by Product Type, Market, Players and Regions-Forecast to 2021' with detailed analysis, forecast and strategies. The study covers key regions that includes USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia and important players such as TENBA, Canon, Nikon, National Geographic..................Brief Summary about Camera Bag MarketThe Camera Bag 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.Request a sample report @Global Camera Bag Market: Product Segment AnalysisSingle ShoulderDouble ShoulderGlobal Camera Bag Market: Application Segment AnalysisGlobal Camera Bag Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaThe Players mentioned in our reportTENBACanonNikonNational GeographicJenovaSonyBenroKATAVanguardLoweproMake an enquiry before buying this Report @Table of ContentChapter 1 About the Camera Bag Industry1.1 Industry Definition and Types1.1.1 Single Shoulder1.1.2 Double Shoulder1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 Camera Bag 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 Camera Bag Market by TypesSingle ShoulderDouble Shoulder2.3 World Camera Bag Market by Applications2.4 World Camera Bag Market Analysis2.4.1 World Camera Bag Market Revenue and Growth Rate 2011-20162.4.2 World Camera Bag Market Consumption and Growth rate 2011-20162.4.3 World Camera Bag Market Price Analysis 2011-2016Buy this report @Chapter 3 World Camera Bag Market share3.1 Major Production Market share by Players3.2 Major Revenue (M USD) Market share by Players3.3 Major Production Market share by Regions in 2016, Through 20213.4 Major Revenue (M USD) Market share By Regions in 2016, Through 2021Chapter 4 Supply Chain Analysis4.1 Industry Supply chain Analysis4.2 Raw material Market Analysis4.2.1 Raw material Prices Analysis 2012-20164.2.2 Raw material Supply Market Analysis4.2 Manufacturing Equipment Suppliers Analysis4.3 Production Process Analysis4.4 Production Cost Structure Benchmarks4.5 End users Market Analysis.......ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Therapeutic Protein Market Opportunities and Forecasts, 2017  2025

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Therapeutic proteins are the engineered proteins in the laboratory intended for pharmaceutical use. The first therapeutic protein was Insulin, used for treating Diabetes in the 1920s. Under definite conditions, recombinant DNA technology makes it easy to produce proteins in particular host cells such as bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells. The host for production is chosen on the basis of the protein required. Mammalian cells are the most preferred host cell as their posttranslational modifications like glycosylation and sialylation have the biggest impact on the proteins pharmacokinetics and proteins efficiency. Therapeutic proteins aid in the personalized medicine concept as they make it easy for the individualized treatment by associating with the specifically targeted therapeutic procedure by recompensing the deficiency of the deficient protein. Antibodies are the fastest growing class of therapeutic proteins. The Antibodies support the immune response; furthermore, they can even induce accumulation of therapeutic agents at a tumor site by conjugation or fusion.Request to View Tables of Content @Global Therapeutic Protein Market: DynamicsLatest innovations in Recombinant Proteins have changed the scenario, and the increase in antibody-based drugs have headed to research on engineering protein scaffolds. According to NCBI, the latest advances in protein engineering technologies have allowed drug developers and manufacturers to fine-tune and exploit desirable functional characteristics of proteins of interest while maintaining (and in some cases enhancing) product safety or efficacy or both. New engineered proteins, including bispecific mAbs and multispecific fusion proteins, mAbs conjugated with small molecule drugs, and proteins with optimized pharmacokinetics, are currently under development. However, in the last several decades, there are no conceptually new methodological developments comparable, e.g., to genetic engineering leading to the development of recombinant therapeutic proteins. It appears that a paradigm change in methodologies and understanding of mechanisms is needed to overcome major challenges, including resistance to therapy, access to targets, the complexity of biological systems, and individual variations. Some of the significant trends in the therapeutic proteins market are hepatic metabolism and the rapid elimination, are a major setback to the clinical applications of therapeutic proteins, thus increasing the focus on Biobetters. Obstacles in production, Protein solubility, distribution, stability, delivery route (blood or alimentary may degrade it), physiologically active-post translational modifications and cost are the biggest challenges in the therapeutic protein market.Geographically, North America is the dominating region in the Therapeutic Protein market owing to the greater research and development work on therapeutic proteins going on in the North America and Europe. Rising awareness of Therapeutic Proteins amongst the individuals and healthcare professionals has fueled the Therapeutic Protein market. Asia Pacific and Latin America are the most lucrative markets, and both these regions most likely will exhibit a strong CAGR during the forecast years. The growth in this region is attributed to the increase in funding for research and development and entry of established players in these regions.Global Therapeutic Protein Market: Key PlayersCurrently, the global Therapeutic Protein market is highly competitive owing to the involvement of many established players. Some of the key players in the Global Therapeutic Protein are Amgen Inc, Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca, Baxter International, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Diasome Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly & Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Generex Biotechnology, Genentech, GeneScience Pharmaceuticals, Group Biogen Idec Inc, Hualan Biological Engineering, Johnson & Johnson, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Merck Serono S.A, Novo Nordisk, Oramed Pharmaceuticals, ProBiogen AG, Sandoz International, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and many more.To view complete report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Artificial Saliva Market Trends and Opportunities by 2017  2025

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Artificial saliva is a product that is used by people who have too little of their own naturally occurring saliva, a condition known as dry mouth or xerostomia which results from an inadequate flow of saliva. Drying irritates the soft tissues in the mouth, which can make them inflamed and more susceptible to infection. The Severe dry mouth can promote the growth of harmful organisms. Without the cleansing and shielding effects of adequate saliva flow, tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease are more likely to occur. Constant dryness and the lack of protection provided by saliva contribute to bad breath. Dry mouth can also cause full dentures to become less comfortable because there is no thin film of saliva to help them adhere properly to oral tissues. Artificial saliva products are available in various forms, such as aerosols or liquids that are squirted into the mouth.Artificial Saliva Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe primary driver of the global artificial saliva market is the growing number of cases of xerostomia. Dry mouth is caused when the salivary glands in the mouth don't make enough saliva to keep your mouth wet. These glands may not work properly as the result of medications, aging, nerve damage, tobacco and alcohol consumption, recreational drug use and other health conditions. Another factor that is expected to drive the growth of the global artificial saliva market is the economic status of consumers in developing regions. As the per capita in several developing countries is low as compared to that of developed countries, the consumption of meagerly priced artificial saliva products is expected to rise among them. In such cases self-management becomes a must like in addition to the advice from the doctor, these tips help relieve dry mouth symptoms like intake of over-the-counter saliva substitutes, breathing through the nose or seeking treatment for snoring if it causes ones to breathe through the mouth during the night.Request to View Tables of Content @Artificial Saliva Market: SegmentationThe market for artificial saliva is segmented into product type, distribution type, and regions:By product type, the artificial saliva market can be segmented into,Special ToothpastesLozengesChewing GumsHumidifiersOral Rinse SolutionOral Balance GelMoisturizing Mouth SprayNon-Drug TreatmentsOthersBy distribution channel, the artificial saliva market can be segmented into,Hospital PharmaciesRetail PharmaciesDrug StoresOnline PharmaciesHypermarkets and SupermarketsArtificial Saliva Market: OverviewDry mouth is most commonly reported among the elderly and is often related to systemic diseases they suffer from, or the medications are taken to manage those diseases. Over 500 medications cause dry mouth and when the elderly take multiple medications, the chance of dry mouth increase. Despite its common presentation and adverse impact on life quality, it is also generally poorly understood. Increased awareness of the condition is important in addressing these problems. An appropriate preventive program to decrease the risk of caries such as oral hygiene assessment and advice, use of daily ?uorides such as toothpaste and mouth rinses and regular dental visits needs to be developed. More research is needed to enhance the understanding and knowledge of this under-appreciated fluid which contributes so much to the well-being.Artificial Saliva Market: Region-wise OutlookRegionally, the market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. North America dominates the Artificial Saliva Market owing to the presence of the large global brands which are offering extensive product portfolios, covering multiple product categories. Following North America is Europe due to rising youth consumer base in this region is the driving factors for artificial saliva market in this area. Asia Pacific is expected to be a significant market due to the shifting operational setup of most of the multi-national companies in this region which would bring down the overall cost of the products. Asia-Pacific region is the growing part for artificial saliva.Artificial Saliva Market: Key PlayersA company earns the ADA Seal of Acceptance by producing scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety and efficacy of its product. The ADA council on scientific affairs carefully evaluates the evidence according to objective requirements. Some of the players of artificial saliva market are Mission Pharmacal Company, Colep Scitra Aerosols, Parnell Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Align Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Roxane Laboratories, Gebauer Company, Omnii International, and Kingswood Laboratories.To view complete report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Military Radar Systems Market is Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 5% by 2021

Military Radar Systems Market

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Market Synopsis of Global Military Radar Systems Market:The Global Military Radar Systems Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 5% during 2016-2021. The factors driving the market are growing demand of radar for airborne and maritime surveillance, to counter drug trafficking and illegal trespassing, and modification & upgradation of conventional radar systems.As per the MRFR analysis, factors restraining the market growth are defense budget cuts in several countries, high investment, feasibility issues, and technical and operational challenges.The development of COTS components and Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology are the emerging trend in the market. Technological innovation is the key parameter where vendors are spending in technology to improving efficiency and reliability.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Military Radar Systems Market: General Dynamics Israel Aerospace Industries Saab AB Selex ES Thales ASELSAN Boeing Harris Lockheed Martin Northrop Grumman Raytheon TermaStudy Objectives of Global Military Radar Systems Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Military Radar Systems Market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyse the Global Military Radar Systems Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country-level analysis of the market for segment by platform, and band type To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Military Radar Systems Market.Regional and Country Analysis of Global Military Radar Systems Market:As per the MRFR analysis, the Americas region will continue its dominance in the forecast period. Whereas, APAC will have significant growth and is expected to grow at CAGR of around 5% during the forecast period.In Europe, several security and space programs have been initiated in partnership with major countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The European Space Agency and the German Aerospace center have invested in radar technology.Access Report Details @Brief TOC:1. Introduction1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Objective2. Executive Summary2.1 Key Findings / Highlights2.1.1 Investment Opportunities2.1.2 Market Startegies2.1.3 Latest Developments3. Scope Of The Study3.1 Markets Covered3.2 Years Considered For The Study (2016-2021)3.2 Geographic Scope3.3 Key Stakeholders4. Assumptions and Limitations5. Research Methodology5.1 Primary Research5.2 Secondary Research5.3 Econometric and Forecasting ModelContinueAbout 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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
OTC Topical drugs Market By Type And Application, Forecast To 2017  2025

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Topical drugs are used for the application where body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments. OTC Topical drugs are epicutaneous medication that are applied in the skin directly. The large range of classes included in the topical drugs are creams, foams, gels, lotions and ointments. The advantage of reduced side effects to the other organ. Disadvantage of topical formulation is that it is time consuming, complicated and uncomfortable sometimes. Topical drug formulation are made up in a vehicle or base which is made specific to the site of the body or type of skin. The amount of ingredients observed in the skin totally depends upon type of skin. The different type of formulation of OTC topical drugs includes lotions, creams, ointment, gel, paste etc. Lotions that are usually thicker than a solution and contains oil and water or alcohol. Cream which is thicker than a lotion and usually maintains a shape of 50/50 emulsion of oil and water, it often requires preservatives and maintains the moisture. Ointment is semi-solid, water-free or nearly 80% oil. No need for preservative son contact allergy is rare in case of ointments. Ointments usually contains wool fat, emulsifying wax, macrogols, vegetable oils, beeswax, paraffin etc. Gels are aqueous or alcoholic semisolid emulsion. Paste form of topical drugs are concentrated suspension of oil, water and powder. Aerosol or spray form of topical drug are solutions with pressurized propellant.The OTC Topical drugs is segmented based on technology it utilizes such as Analgesics, Antibiotics, Antifungal, Antipruritic (Anti-Itch), Astringents and Others. Analgesics OTC topical drugs that are used for the pain relief. Antibiotic OTC topical drug inhibits the growth of microorganism and helps to killing them. Antifungal OTC topical drug treat and prevent fungicides and fungistatic and helps in treating and preventing mycoses. Antipruritic OTC topical drugs are also known as anti- itch drugs, these are medication that prevent the itching associated with reactions, eczema, sunburn, chickenpox etc.A Sample of this Report is Available Upon Request @The global market for OTC Topical drugs market is expected to be driven by the increasing number of patent cliff for topical drugs. The key drivers of the market are the increasing prevalence of skin diseases, allergic cases due to increasing pollution and other diseases. Moreover, the increasing incidence of skin cancer due to changing lifestyle, exposure to harmful carcinogens is also expected to act as the fuel to the growth of OTC Topical drugs market and is expected to drive the market within the forecast period of 2017-2027. However, use of other medication and the companies focus to introduce better innovative topical drug is expected to hinder the growth of OTC topical drug market.The increasing awareness among population regarding the use of several OTC topical drugs is one of the major reason to drive the market. Based on the drug class OTC Topical drugs are divided based on the distribution channel such as hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, online pharmacies and drug stores.By regional presence, OTC Topical drugs is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America will continue to dominate the OTC Topical drugs due to better healthcare facilities and increased cases of skin diseases. Europe and APAC is expected to hold large market share in global OTC Topical drugs. The increasing focus towards better healthcare system and the increasing geriatric population in APAC region is expected to grow the OTC Topical drugs market in this region.Request to View Tables of Content @Some of the major players in global OTC Topical drugs includes Novartis AG, GlaxoSmithKline plc. Sanofi, Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bayer AG, Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Abbott, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and others.To view complete report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
PET-CT Scanning Services Market is Expected to Witness a Steady Growth by 2017  2025

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Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a medical diagnostic technique that uses a PET scanner and an x-ray CT scanner to examine the metabolic activity of tissues inside the body. PET scanners measures body functions, such as oxygen usage, blood flow, and glucose metabolism to evaluate the functioning of organs and tissues. CT imaging uses x-ray equipment and contrast material, to produce images of internal organs which helps to interpret organs function. The combined PET-CT scans provide images of exact location of abnormal metabolic activity within the body which is used to provide accurate diagnoses compared to PET and CT separately.Various advancements in imaging techniques in the field of modern medicine have facilitated the acquisition of information related to the human body for clinical interventions. In addition, advancement in imaging provides physicians with new tools to improve care in innovative ways. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases across globe and growing demand for its diagnosis has encouraged diagnostic imaging companies to develop new and improve the existing servicesRising demand for effective diagnostic techniques across the globe, increased Medicare coverage for PET-CT scanning, and improving applications of PET-CT for cancer detection is expected to boost the growth of the global PET-CT scanning services market over the forecast period. Factors responsible for the growth of the global PET-CT scanning services market includes increasing availability of value based, technologically advanced PET machines especially in developed countries. However, a short shelf-life and low supply of radiopharmaceuticals is likely to restrict market growth over the forecast period.A Sample of this Report is Available Upon Request @Based on end user, the global PET-CT scanning services market has been segmented into hospitals, diagnostic centres, PET centres, and research institutes. Hospitals are expected to contribute highest share in the global PET-CT scanning services market over the forecast period due to large number of local and outpatient surgeries performed each year.On the basis of regional presence, global PET-CT scanning services market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to lead the global market due to high incidence rate of heart disease and neurological disorders in U.S. and Canada, while Europe is expected to hold second largest market share in the global market. Market in Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness significant growth owing to increasing case of gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders. In addition, increasing healthcare expenditure related to weight nuclear medicines and growing trend of advance imaging techniques is expected to boost the market growth in near future.Request to View Tables of Content @Some of the players operating in global PET-CT scanning services market are General Electric Co., Toshiba Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Siemens AG, Hitachi, Ltd., Positron Corporation, Mediso Ltd., and Yangzhou Kindsway Biotech Co. Ltd., among others. Major players in the global PET-CT scanners market are focusing on enhancing their global and regional presence through introduction of novel products and strategic operational expansionTo view complete report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
North America Kidney Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market by Type, by Tests and by Region - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (20162021)

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Market Data Forecast recently published a report on the North America Kidney Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Market" which estimates the market to grow from USD 1.12billion from 2016 to USD 1.46billion with a high CAGR of 5.51%.Kidney cancer accounts for 3% of all human cancers and is the most frequently occurring urologic tumours. Diagnosis of this cancer is generally done by blood and urine tests, imaging tests(like CT, MRI, PET scan and ultrasound) and biopsies. Treatment options include surgery, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and ablation.High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a fairly new technique which involves pointing very focused ultrasound beams from outside the body to destroy the tumour. Small kidney cancers can be treated by Ablation with cryotherapy or Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA). Research is still underway in these techniques to determine their long term usage as well as to refine them.Request sample:The DROC Analysis contains some of the factors that have major effects on the market dynamics be it positive or negative. Few factors analysed in the section are rising aging population, changes in lifestyle such as increased intake of alcohol and disproportionate smoking, and government policies to provide better care for kidney Cancer. However, high treatment cost is one of the main factor hampering the growth of the market in this region.Customize report:The market is segmented based on type and tests and is studied for a deep-level understanding of the Kidney Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics market. Each sub segment is accompanied with Market Size Estimations and Y-o-Y Forecasts as well.1) By Type Transitional Cell Cancer Renal cell carcinoma Renal sarcoma Other Cancers2) By Testsa. Biopsyb. CT Scanc. Cystoscopyd. Intravenous pyelograme. Kidney UltrasoundNorth American Market is studied in geographic perspective by segregating the market shares between USA and Canada. The North America market is advanced and is focused on inventing cost-effective techniques. Companies are dedicated to research, sourcing, and quality, factors that are vital to the success of the industry.Inquire before buying:As per the report,the major companies dominating the Kidney Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics market in this region are GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, Pfizer, Sanofi S.A, Hoffmann La Roche, Novartis, Abbott Laboratories.Scope of the North America Kidney Cancer Diagnostics and TherapeuticsMarket: Regional and country-level analysis that provides an innate perspective of USA and Canada Market to that of the North American region To detect major focus areas of industrial growth Segment-level analysis on basis of type, therapeutics, end-user along with market size forecasts and y-o-y estimations are provided Detailed explanation of major drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges (DROC) that affect the market and impact the ever-shifting market dynamics PESTLE and Porters Five Forces Analyses that examine the macro& micro environmental factors such as political influence, technological prowess, industry rivalry to name a few. An extensive listing of major market playersalong with company overview, product portfolios, key financial information (subjected to availability), SWOT analysis and analyst overview to study and sustain the market environment mergers, acquisitions, collaborations in the field along with new product launches, comparative financial studies and recent developments in the market by the major companies all rolled out into Competitive landscape Expertly devised Market Outlook comprising theInvestment opportunitiesto provide both individuals and organizations a strong financial foothold in the marketRequest Discount:Checkout other related studies in the Therapeutics Segment:Cancer Immunotherapy Market:Cardiovascular therapeutic Drugs Market:About Market Data Forecast:The publisher of this report is Market Data Forecast whose forte lies in Market research and Business Intelligence. Handling both individual and corporate clients across multiple business domains they offer syndicated/customized research to suit the clients research objective. Their research reports section offers a wide variety of market studies ranging from all-encompassing comprehensive market studies to product specific niche markets covering North America among other regions of the global market as well. For more info kindly visit,Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail:abhishek@marketdataforecast.comVisit MarketDataForecast Blog @View latest Press Releases of MDF @
Global Biometric Sensors Market 2016 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2021

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Biometric Sensors Market 2016 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.The global Biometric Sensors market has been discussed in detail in the latest report titled, which has been added by QYResearchReports.com. The report covers the latest market trends and new product development activities and the response to these new products by consumers. The report also studies the emerging segments within the global Biometric Sensors market. The current market size and estimated size by the end of the forecast period is evaluated for each segment and sub-segment with a view to help investors in deciding which segment to focus on or invest on. The report has a section where the factors fueling the growth of the market and those that are obstructing the growth of the market have been discussed in great detail.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @By making use of tables, graphs, charts, and statistics, this report aims to make the study of the global Biometric Sensors market easy to comprehend for new entrants as well as those established. The study effectively answers key questions regarding the Biometric Sensors industry such as, the turnover of the market by the end of the forecast period, the cost structure, the key application areas of Biometric Sensors, and the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers. The degree of completion, threat of new entrance, threat of substitutes, and the key market strategies adopted have all been analyzed in the study.The key players within the market have been investigated. Their business and financial growth, recently developed products or services, their strategy on how to retain customers, and the challenges faced by them as they fight for an increased share in the market have been included in the report.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Biometric Sensors1.1 Definition and Specifications of Biometric Sensors1.1.1 Definition of Biometric Sensors1.1.2 Specifications of Biometric Sensors1.2 Classification of Biometric Sensors1.3 Applications of Biometric Sensors1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Biometric Sensors2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Biometric Sensors2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Biometric Sensors2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Biometric Sensors2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Biometric Sensors2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Biometric Sensors2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Biometric Sensors2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Biometric SensorsBrowse Complete Report with TOC @3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Biometric Sensors3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Biometric Sensors Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Biometric Sensors Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Biometric Sensors Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Biometric Sensors Major Manufacturers in 20154 Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Biometric Sensors by Regions, Types and Manufacturers4.1 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Biometric Sensors by Regions 2011-20164.2 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of Biometric Sensors 2011-20164.3 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Biometric Sensors by Types 2011-20164.4 Global Capacity, Production and Revenue of Biometric Sensors by Manufacturers 2011-2016List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Biometric SensorsTable Product Specifications of Biometric SensorsTable Classification of Biometric SensorsFigure Global Production Market Share of Biometric Sensors by Types in 2015Table Applications of Biometric SensorsFigure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Biometric Sensors by Applications in 2015Figure Industry Chain Structure of Biometric SensorsTable Global Biometric Sensors Major ManufacturersAbout 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:
2017-2022 Global Top Countries Gummy Vitamin Market Report - Albanese, Smarty Pants Vitamins, Softigel, Ferrara Candy

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "2017-2022 Global Top Countries Gummy Vitamin Market Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The recent market research study contains a detailed statistical databank about the global Gummy Vitamin market, shedding light on all aspects of the market and all factors that shape its functioning. The global Gummy Vitamin market is elaborated upon in terms of its economic and regulatory governing factors, its segmentation by product and geography, and a detailed analysis of its entire value chain. The report consists of information gained from primary and secondary research about the global Gummy Vitamin market, collated expertly by experienced analysts and complemented by visual representation of the same. Due to the precise and accurate data in the report and reliable models used to analyze it, this report serves as a must-have tool for all leaders in the Gummy Vitamin industry.This report studies Gummy Vitamin in Global market, especially in United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, India, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, Brazil, Middle East and Africa, focuses on the top Manufacturers in each country, covering- Albanese- Bayer- Nature?s Way- Pharmavite- Hero Nutritonals- Herbaland- Smarty Pants Vitamins- Softigel- Ferrara CandyTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Past, current, and projected macro and microeconomic factors affecting the global Gummy Vitamin market have been studied voluminously in the report. The impact of the factors on the Gummy Vitamin market at present is also examined and forecasts for the markets development in the forecast period are presented. The development of the global Gummy Vitamin market is charted from 2017 to 2022. Analytical tools such as SWOT analysis are used to evaluate the relative impact of various factors on the market in the said forecast period.Segmentation of the global Gummy Vitamin market is dealt with in great detail, with each segment examined at a granular level to provide an inside out view of the global Gummy Vitamin market to the reader. The systemic analysis of the Gummy Vitamin market will help leading and prospective players figure out the most beneficial strategies to adopt and implement for the most sustainable expansion in the forecast period. Usage of analytical tools such as market attractiveness analysis further helps provide a detailed breakdown of the Gummy Vitamin market. The relative share of each Gummy Vitamin market segment is presented in the report, helping build up a comprehensive snapshot of the Gummy Vitamin market.Table of Contents2017-2022 Global Top Countries Gummy Vitamin Market Report1 Gummy Vitamin Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Gummy Vitamin1.2 Gummy Vitamin Segment by Types1.2.1 Global Sales Market Share of Gummy Vitamin by Types in 20151.2.2 Single Vitamin1.2.3 Multi vitamin1.3 Gummy Vitamin Segment by Applications1.3.1 Gummy Vitamin Consumption Market Share by Applications in 20151.3.2 For adults1.3.3 For children1.4 Gummy Vitamin Market by Countries1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)2 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales, Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Manufacturers2.1 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales and Market Share in 2015 and 2016 by Manufacturers2.2 Global Gummy Vitamin Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturers in 2015 and 20162.3 Global Gummy Vitamin Average Price by Manufacturers in 2015 and 20162.4 Global Gummy Vitamin Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types by Manufacturers2.5 Gummy Vitamin Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Gummy Vitamin Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Gummy Vitamin Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionBrowse Complete Report with TOC @3 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)3.1 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries (2012-2017)3.1.1 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales and Market Share by Countries (2012-2017)3.1.2 Global Gummy Vitamin Revenue and Market Share by Countries (2012-2017)3.1.3 Global Gummy Vitamin Price by Countries (2012-2017)3.2 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Price by Type (2012-2017)3.2.1 Global Gummy Vitamin Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)3.2.2 Global Gummy Vitamin Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)Figure Picture of Gummy VitaminTable Product Specifications of Gummy VitaminFigure Global Sales Market Share of Gummy Vitamin by Types in 2015Table Types of Gummy VitaminFigure Product Picture of Single VitaminTable Major Players of Single VitaminFigure Product Picture of Multi vitaminTable Major Players of Multi vitaminTable Gummy Vitamin Consumption Market Share by Applications in 2015About 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:
Global Defibrillator Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 - Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Defibrillator Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The report is a comprehensive blueprint for leading players in the global Defibrillator market. The report examines all factors affecting the global Defibrillator market in detail, coming up with an actionable database and insights for market players upon which to base their expansion strategies in the years to come. The data compiled in the granular research report comes from primary and secondary research methods employed to gain data about the various trends rising in the global Defibrillator market, the hierarchy of leading players in the Defibrillator market, and the macro and micro factors governing the Defibrillator markets dynamics.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversMedtronicSt. Jude MedicalBoston ScientificBiotronikSorin GroupPhilips HealthcareCardiac ScienceZoll MedicalTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The product type and regional segmentation of the global Defibrillator market is described in detail in the report and data regarding each segment is elaborated upon. This presents a detailed view of the global Defibrillator market substantiated by quantitative and qualitative analysis of historical, present, and estimated market trends. The historical development of each segment of the global Defibrillator market is charted in the report up to its present state. Forecasts are then made for each segment based on the effect of current trends. Cross-referential analysis regarding the various criteria for segmentation further consolidates the crucial nature of the market research report for leading Defibrillator market players.The data about the global Defibrillator market is examined in depth with analytical tools such as SWOT analysis, Porters five forces analysis, and market attractiveness analysis. This information helps clients gain a granular understanding of the market, thus helping refinement of market entry and expansion strategies of new and established Defibrillator market players, respectively. Detailed analysis of the market trends emerging and strengthening in the market will also help market players figure out beneficial market strategies. This makes the report a crucial tool for all stakeholders in the Defibrillator market.Table of Content1 Market Overview1.1 Defibrillator Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Automatic External Defibrillators1.2.2 Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators1.2.3 Wearable Defibrillators1.2.4 Advanced Life Support (ALS) Defibrillators1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Hospital1.3.2 Public Access1.3.3 Home Healthcare1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Analysis by Regions2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Medtronic2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Defibrillator Type and Applications2.1.3 Medtronic Defibrillator Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 St. Jude Medical2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Defibrillator Type and Applications2.2.3 St. Jude Medical Defibrillator Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Boston Scientific2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Defibrillator Type and Applications2.3.3 Boston Scientific Defibrillator Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Biotronik2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Defibrillator Type and Applications3 Global Defibrillator Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Defibrillator Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Defibrillator Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 Defibrillator Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 Defibrillator Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition TrendBrowse Complete Report with TOC @4 Global Defibrillator Market Analysis by Regions4.1 Global Defibrillator Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 Global Defibrillator Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 Global Defibrillator Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Defibrillator Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Defibrillator Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Asia-Pacific Defibrillator Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.5 South America Defibrillator Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.6 Middle East and Africa Defibrillator Sales and Growth (2012-2017)Figure Defibrillator PictureTable Product Specifications of DefibrillatorFigure Global Sales Market Share of Defibrillator by Types in 2016Table Defibrillator Types for Major ManufacturersFigure Automatic External Defibrillators PictureFigure Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators PictureFigure Wearable Defibrillators PictureFigure Advanced Life Support (ALS) Defibrillators PictureTable Defibrillator Sales Market Share by Applications in 2016About 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:
Global Ceiling Fans Market by Manufacturers, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 - Monte Carlo, Craftmade, Litex, Fanimation

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Ceiling Fans Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The global market for Ceiling Fans has witnessed a significant change in its market valuation over the last few years. This research report on the worldwide Ceiling Fans market presents an analytical study of this market with the help of a detailed analysis of its current and historical performances.The research report calculate the market size in terms of revenue (US$) generated and volume (kilo tons) produced. The key segments and the geographical subdivision of the Ceiling Fans market has been analyzed here at length on the basis of various market verticals. Market drivers, restraints, and the future prospects of each segment has been discussed in this report and, based on that, it determines the future of the Ceiling Fans market in the global arena.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversHunter Fan CompanyCasablancaEmerson Ceiling FansMinkaMonte CarloCraftmadeLitexFanimationKichlerPanasonicCrompton GreavesOrient fansTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Various aspects of the global Ceiling Fans industry such as the value chain and major policies, influencing the Ceiling Fans market across the world have been explained in details in this market study. Further, it also talks about the products available in the Ceiling Fans market with reference to their production volume, pricing structure, the dynamics of demand and supply, and the contribution in the global market for Ceiling Fans in terms of revenue.Several analytical tools such as feasibility, investment return, and market attractiveness analysis have been utilized to provide a complete picture of the developments of the global market for Ceiling Fans, determining important market strategies, which are likely to pay off in the long run.In conclusion, the market report analyzes the company profiles major players operating in the global Ceiling Fans market in order to produce the competitive landscape prevalent in the worldwide market for Ceiling Fans.Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Ceiling Fans Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 AC Ceiling Fans1.2.2 DC Ceiling Fans1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Home1.3.2 Commercial1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Hunter Fan Company2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Ceiling Fans Type and Applications2.1.3 Hunter Fan Company Ceiling Fans Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Casablanca2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Ceiling Fans Type and Applications2.2.3 Casablanca Ceiling Fans Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Emerson Ceiling Fans2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Ceiling Fans Type and Applications2.3.3 Emerson Ceiling Fans Ceiling Fans Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)3 Global Ceiling Fans Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Ceiling Fans Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer3.2 Global Ceiling Fans Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer3.3 Market Concentration Rate3.3.1 Top 3 Ceiling Fans Manufacturer Market Share3.3.2 Top 6 Ceiling Fans Manufacturer Market Share3.4 Market Competition TrendBrowse Complete Report with TOC @4 Global Ceiling Fans Market Analysis by Regions4.1 Global Ceiling Fans Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions4.1.1 Global Ceiling Fans Sales by Regions (2012-2017)4.1.2 Global Ceiling Fans Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Ceiling Fans Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Ceiling Fans Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.4 Asia-Pacific Ceiling Fans Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.5 South America Ceiling Fans Sales and Growth (2012-2017)4.6 Middle East and Africa Ceiling Fans Sales and Growth (2012-2017)Figure Ceiling Fans PictureTable Product Specifications of Ceiling FansFigure Global Sales Market Share of Ceiling Fans by Types in 2016Table Ceiling Fans Types for Major ManufacturersFigure AC Ceiling Fans PictureFigure DC Ceiling Fans PictureTable Ceiling Fans Sales Market Share by Applications in 2016Figure Home PictureFigure Commercial PictureFigure USA Ceiling Fans Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Canada Ceiling Fans Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Mexico Ceiling Fans Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)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:
Molecular Diagnostics Market focuses On Top Companies, Research Methodology, Drivers and Opportunities

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Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: OverviewMolecular diagnostics refers to a collection of techniques used to analyze biological markers in the individuals genetic code. The technique is used in diagnosing and monitoring diseases, detecting risks, and deciding suitable therapies for individual patients. It finds applications in blood screening, oncology, microbiology, and genetic tests. The technologies commonly employed in this technique are polymerase chain reaction (PCR), hybridization, isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology (INAAT), and DNA sequencing and next-generation sequencing. Some of the products and services used in the technique are instruments, reagents and kits, and software and services.Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Key TrendsThe transformative and dynamic nature of molecular diagnostics has facilitated it in evolving as an attractive segment in the global in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry. It has paved way for advancements in medical research and treatment of numerous diseases. The global demand for molecular diagnostics methodologies is largely supplemented by high sensitivity, accuracy, easy workflow, cost-effective testing, and fast turnaround time offered by these testing modalities.Request Sample Copy of the Report @In addition, these merits have created a gateway for personalized medicines, thus providing momentum to the global market. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of various types of cancer and infectious diseases is augmenting the market. Furthermore, reforms in the U.S. reimbursement scenario are working in favor of the overall market. However, delays in approvals of new molecular diagnostic tests due to the complex regulatory framework are limiting the market from realizing its full potential.Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Market PotentialAcquisitions and partnerships have emerged as a common trend in the global molecular diagnostics market over the past few years and are anticipated to continue in the coming years as well. For instance, in September 2016, Danaher acquired molecular diagnostics firm Cepheid for approximately US$4 bn. Another case in point is Qiagen N.V., which in July 2015 collaborated with multiplex clinical molecular diagnostics and multiplex molecular technologies developer Seegene Inc. Such deals are likely to make way for the development of novel diagnostics, which will not only help players in broadening their product offerings but also in making the future of the overall market bright.Request TOC of the Report @Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Geographical SegmentationIn terms of geography, the report presents an analysis of the market in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. North America will represent a large share in the market throughout the forecast period. The growth of the region can be attributed to the presence of well-established and advanced laboratory accreditation infrastructure, government initiatives promoting PoC facilities and awareness regarding the benefits of early diagnosis, and the increasing expenditure on healthcare.Asia Pacific is expected to register a significant CAGR during the same period, with emerging countries such as India and China being the sights of high growth. The improving healthcare infrastructure, high unmet needs, and growing geriatric populations are attracting global players to invest in the region. The increasing external funding for clinical studies is likely to drive the growth of the region.Get Discount @Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Competitive LandscapeA raft of players in the global molecular diagnostics market is entering into strategic partnerships with biotech firms to provide novel diagnostics solutions in order to enhance their visibility. Companies are investing hefty funds in research and development activities to introduce cost-effective and innovative products that will help them in expanding their product portfolio. Several participants are focusing towards business expansion through mergers and acquisitions, which is likely to intensify the competition in the market in the near future.Some of the prominent companies operating in the market are Abbott Molecular, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Alere Inc., Dako, Siemens Healthcare, Novartis AG, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bayer AG, Danaher Corporation, Hologic, Inc. (Gen Probe), and Qiagen.About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Regenerative Medicine Market : Demand and Growth 2017-2025

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Global Regenerative Medicine Market: OverviewThe global market for regenerative medicine market is expected to grow at a significant pace throughout the forecast period. The rising preference of patients for personalized medicines and the advancements in technology are estimated to accelerate the growth of the global regenerative medicine market in the next few years. As a result, this market is likely to witness a healthy growth and attract a large number of players in the next few years. The development of novel regenerative medicine is estimated to benefit the key players and supplement the markets growth in the near future.Global Regenerative Medicine Market: Key TrendsThe rising prevalence of chronic diseases and the rising focus on cell therapy products are the key factors that are estimated to fuel the growth of the global regenerative medicine market in the next few years. In addition, the increasing funding by government bodies and development of new and innovative products are anticipated to supplement the growth of the overall market in the next few years.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the flip side, the ethical challenges in the stem cell research are likely to restrict the growth of the global regenerative medicine market throughout the forecast period. In addition, the stringent regulatory rules and regulations are predicted to impact the approvals of new products, thus hampering the growth of the overall market in the near future.Global Regenerative Medicine Market: Market PotentialThe growing demand for organ transplantation across the globe is anticipated to boost the demand for regenerative medicines in the next few years. In addition, the rapid growth in the geriatric population and the significant rise in the global healthcare expenditure is predicted to encourage the growth of the market. The presence of a strong pipeline is likely to contribute towards the markets growth in the near future.Request TOC of the Report @Global Regenerative Medicine Market: Regional OutlookIn the past few years, North America led the global regenerative medicine market and is likely to remain in the topmost position throughout the forecast period. This region is expected to account for a massive share of the global market, owing to the rising prevalence of cancer, cardiac diseases, and autoimmunity. In addition, the rising demand for regenerative medicines from the U.S. and the rising government funding are some of the other key aspects that are likely to fuel the growth of the North America market in the near future.Furthermore, Asia Pacific is expected to register a substantial growth rate in the next few years. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the availability of funding for research and the development of research centers. In addition, the increasing contribution from India, China, and Japan is likely to supplement the growth of the market in the near future.Get Discount @Global Regenerative Medicine Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global market for regenerative medicines is extremely fragmented and competitive in nature, thanks to the presence of a large number of players operating in it. In order to gain a competitive edge in the global market, the key players in the market are focusing on technological developments and research and development activities. In addition, the rising number of mergers and acquisitions and collaborations is likely to benefit the prominent players in the market and encourage the overall growth in the next few years.Some of the key players operating in the regenerative medicine market across the globe are Vericel Corporation, Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd., Stryker Corporation, Acelity L.P. Inc. (KCI Licensing), Organogenesis Inc., Medtronic PLC, Cook Biotech Incorporated, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., Integra Lifesciences Corporation, and Nuvasive, Inc. A large number of players are anticipated to enter the global market throughout the forecast period.About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Respiratory Care Devices Market : Advanced Technologies & Growth Opportunities By 2025

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Global Respiratory Care Devices: OverviewRespiratory care devices are medical devices focusing on the diagnostics, treatment, control, and management of patients suffering from disorder in cardiopulmonary system. These devices are known to be reliable in providing enhanced care to patients suffering from acute and chronic respiratory abnormalities. They are primarily used as therapeutic devices, diagnostic devices, monitoring devices, and consumables and accessories. Their demand is high among end users such as hospitals, ambulatory care, and home care.Global Respiratory Care Devices: Key TrendsThe increasing prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and other respiratory diseases such as asthma and tuberculosis is the primary factor augmenting the global respiratory care devices. The growing global population of aged people is creating a staggering demand for respiratory care devices owing to the fact that they are more susceptible to respiratory disorders. Moreover, skyrocketing pollution levels and rising incidence of tobacco smoking are working in favor of the market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @However, the lack of reimbursement policies is limiting the widespread adoption of respiratory care devices. The low-cost products offered by local manufacturers are creating pricing pressure on international players. As a result, large manufacturers are selling their products at competitive pricing, which in turn is adversely affecting the overall revenue generation of the marketGlobal Respiratory Care Devices: Market PotentialVarious studies indicate that over 1 billion people across the world suffer from respiratory challenges such as CHF (congestive heart failure), COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and asthma, with about 80 million cases in the U.S. alone. The high prevalence is creating a pressing need for reliable breathing monitoring, training, and therapeutic devices for these patients in the hospitals and at home. This is prompting players to develop technologically advanced devices that can be cost-effective and improve patient outcomes across the continuum of care at home and hospitals. For instance, in November 2016, ADM Tronics Unlimited Inc. entered into a strategic agreement with QOL Devices Inc., regarding new respiratory training and therapy platform trademarked "Alvio" by QOL. Alvio is based on cloud technology and will be designed for use in non-regulated respiratory training applications and medical respiratory indications. Therefore, the birthing of advanced products in the near future is likely to revolutionize the global respiratory devices market.Request TOC of the Report @Global Respiratory Care Devices: Geographical SegmentationNorth America and Europe will account for a substantial cumulative share in the market throughout the review period. The presence of highly developed healthcare infrastructure and high technical acumen among end users to operate technologically advanced respiratory devices are contributing to the growth of the market in the regions. The widening base of patients suffering from respiratory diseases due to the increasing adoption of smoking and drinking habits is also fuelling the growth of these regions.Moreover, the growing geriatric population and rising funding by governments in the healthcare sectors are supplementing the growth of Europe and North America. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is expected to rise at a tremendous CAGR during the same period. The robust growth of the healthcare sector along with increasing expenditure on healthcare is one of the primary factors propelling the growth of the region. The rising per capita income and burgeoning demand for cutting-edge technologies are translating into the greater uptake of respiratory care devices in the region.Get Discount @Global Respiratory Care Devices: Competitive LandscapeThe majority of players in the global respiratory care devices market are focusing towards expanding their shares through product launches and technological advancements. The trend is likely to render the market a highly competitive arena in the near future. Some of the prominent companies operating in the market are Philips Healthcare, Medtronic Plc., Fisher and Paykel Healthcare Limited, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, CareFusion Corporation, Becton, Dickinson and Company, and Hamilton Medical AG.About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Italian True Fleet continues its positive run into June

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True Fleet in Italy finished its half year with another positive month, April being the only blip in what would have been a straight sweep. The Total Market achieved 194,000 registrations generating a very healthy +14.5%. For June the Private Market managed a +3.8%, True Fleet secured a growth of +14.8% though it was Special Channels delivering a +43.2% that draw the most focus. This has pushed these tactical channels year-to-date growth to a huge +35.3%.No prizes for guessing the number #1 manufacturer for True Fleets Top 10. Fiat once again retained the top spot producing a +18.6% growth over June 2016 though most interestingly two new entries inside the Top 10 produced triple-digit growth and only one other manufacturer retained its position.Renault scored the 2nd position jumping five places off the back of a 58.8% growth (the 3rd largest inside the top 10 for June). Ford, VW, Mercedes and Audi took the next four places respectively, with VW in 4th being the other OEM to retain its position. Nissan followed on from last months solid growth and delivered an exceptional +193.9% (highest growth inside Top 30) pushing the brand from 13th to 7th in the ranking. BMW finished in 8th, in 9th place was our 2nd triple digit growth OEM, on its home turf Alfa Romeo registered +141.5% and ascended 8 places while Peugeot rounded out the Top 10.Italy certainly seems to be one place that is not currently seeing any effect from the European diesel decline. While car taxation is not linked to CO2 emissions, high pump prices pronounce the diesel engines better fuel efficiency. Diesel registrations year-to-date have increased by 9.3% in the Private channel, True Fleets are up by 7.1% and Special channels by 41.0%. We also saw a direct positive correlation between the two manufacturers with the highest growth for June and the percentage of diesel that made up this growth. Diesel grew by 234.0% for Nissan and by 155.3% for Alfa Romeo leading to increases in the brands diesel shares by 11 and 6 percentage points respectively resulting in an overall share of almost 95% of their June True Fleet registrations. In all likelihood if Italian cities remain free of diesel bans and there is continued appetite to absorb some of the surplus from the other European nations declining diesel markets, manufacturers will shift those units into Italy and other nations with the capacity.(410 words, 2405 characters)DATAFORCE  Focus on FleetsDataforce is the leading provider of fleet market data and automotive intelligence solutions in Europe. In addition, the company also provides detailed information on sales opportunities for the automotive industry, together with a wide portfolio of information based on primary market research and consulting services. The company is based in Frankfurt, Germany.Michael GergenDataforce Verlagsgesellschaft fur Business Informationen mbHHamburger Allee 1460486 Frankfurt am MainGermanyPhone: +49 69 95930-231Fax: +49 69 95930-333Email: michael.gergen@dataforce.de
Forecast and Analysis on Energy Harvesting Market by Future Market Insights

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Energy harvesting, one of the most promising technologies to address the energy crises without altering the existing energy sources, is foreseen to witness staggering demand and innovation in the near future. The process of energy harvesting harnesses the power of ambient energy to use later in varied applications. With growing use of ambient energy and advent of the energy harvesting technology, the energy harvesting market is currently heading at a considerable pace globally.FMI extensive research indicates that the global energy harvesting market is anticipated to gain momentum and grow at a double-digit CAGR by 2020 end. A number of newly innovated efficient energy applications and widespread acceptance of renewable energy sources are expected to play a vital role in the growth of the global energy harvesting market during the forecast period 2014-2020.Key Drivers: Energy Harvesting MarketDuring the past decade, there has been growing demand for safe, power efficient, and enduring systems, which require minimum or no maintenance. This is a major driver of market growth, expected to continue pushing the demand for devices based on the energy harvesting technology. Growing applications of the energy harvesting technology in building and home automation is another key driver to the market growth.Moreover, industrial WSN demand energy harvesting on a large scale, which is expected to continue during the forecast period as well. The green energy trend is effectively governing the market, while favourable initiatives by various governments are also boosting the market on a global level.Request For Report Sample@Abundance of renewable energy sources, including tidal, wind, and ocean energy provide a dependable platform for the innovation of energy harvesting applications. This is also an influential factor contributing to the growth of market.Key Restraints to Market GrowthThe technology based on energy harvesting is typically used off-grid or on-demand. However, both of these usage patterns possess some technological complexities, which may restrict the widespread demand for energy harvesting devices in the market. Another deterring factor includes inadequate awareness among consumers about the availability and usage of the devices based on harvested energy.Moreover, relatively higher initial costs associated with these devices are expected to curtail the growth of the market globally. The energy harvesting technology generates lower current, which makes it incompatible for the application in all types of energy domains.Global Energy Harvesting Market: SegmentationFMIs research on the global energy harvesting market provides a six-year forecast, segmenting the market on the basis of different energy sources/fields, applications, and geography.On the basis of different energy sources/fields, the energy harvesting market is segmented into radiation (solar, electromagnetic, and light), mechanical (fluid, elastic, kinetic, and potential), chemical (battery, fuel cells, and phase change), nuclear, magnetic, electric, thermal, and gravitational. Among these, electric and magnetic fields form the most common source for harvesting energy.Based on the application, the energy harvesting market is segmented as wireless sensor network (WSN), consumer electronics, industrial, building, bicycle dynamo, military and aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and others (research, animals, and farming). Among these, consumer electronics, including mobile phones, wrist watches, calculators, and piezoelectric gas lighters cover the maximum share of the global energy harvesting market, followed by military and aerospace-based applications. However, building and home automation is the fastest growing application segment in the energy harvesting sector. Energy harvesting is also an integral part in a wireless sensor network (WSN) these days.Request For TOC@According to the geography, the energy harvesting market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, Americas are projected to remain the dominating markets in 2016, with a significant market share. However, Europe will be the fastest growing market, owing to burgeoning promotion and investments by The European Commission in R&D of energy harvesting and storage devices. North America and Asia Pacific will also account for remarkable market shares by 2020 end. In North America, the U.S. will dominate, whereas in APAC, Japan will reportedly contribute the largest share to the total energy harvesting market revenues.Notable Market TrendsBuilding and infrastructure, automation of lighting, security, and electronics at homes, and WSNs for bridges include some of the most sought after applications of energy harvesting since the past few years.The use of mmWave (millimetre wave) for 5G cellular networks has been a popular trend of wireless energy harvesting.The market is expected to gain traction from growing application of energy harvesting in wearable devices and mobile phones.Energy harvesting is estimated to find increasing applications in automobile industry in the near future.The advent of nanotechnology has offered ample of growth opportunities to the energy harvesting market. Since nanotechnology helps manufacturing of compact-sized devices, the emergence of portable devices based on energy harvesting technology is the most likely occurrence in the market.Key Players: Global Energy Harvesting MarketSome of the prominent players competing in the industry include ABB Limited, Arveni, Enocean, Fujitsu, Cypress Semiconductor Corp., Green Peak Technologies, Honeywell International, Inc., Levant Power Corporation, Marlow Industries, Inc., Microchip Technology, Inc., MicroGen Systems, Maxim Integrated, G24 Innovations Limited, Texas Instruments Inc., and STMicroelectronics.Other notable players include Silicon Laboratories, Inc., Siemens AG, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Mide Technology Corporation, Laird Plc., Lord Microstrain, EnOcean GmbH, Cymbet Corporation, POWERleap, Inc., Schneider Electric, Linear Technology, Microstrain, and Micropelt.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Stainless Steel Suture Market Analysis, Manufacturers Profiles, Market Competition 2017

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Surgical stainless steel suture is a non-absorbable, sterile surgical suture composed of stainless steel. The suture is offered in two forms monofilament and multifilament suture. Surgical stainless steel suture is designed for use in abdominal wound closure, hernia patch-up, sternal closure and other orthopedic procedures like cerclage and tendon repair.Global Stainless Steel Suture Market Research Report 2017 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.Download the free sample copy below@This Global Stainless Steel Suture market research is an intellect report with duteous efforts undertaken to study the right and valuable information. The data which has been looked upon is done considering both, the existing competitors and the upcoming competitors. Business strategies of the competitors in the industries are studied in detail. Well explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis.Data integration and capabilities are analyzed to support the findings and study the predicted geographical segmentations. Various key variables and regression models were considered to calculate the trajectory of Global market. Detailed analysis is explained and given importance to with best working models.Geographically, the segmentation is done into several key regions like North America, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America. The production, consumption, revenue, shares in Mill UDS, the growth rate of this market during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025 is well explained.Inquiry before Buying This Report@The ongoing market trends of Global Stainless Steel Suture market and the key factors impacting the growth prospects are explained. Latest trend and challenges faced are well explained. Top manufacturers, price, revenue, market share are explained to give a depth of idea on the competitive side.Each and every segment type and their sub types are well elaborated to give a better idea about this market during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025 respectively.End users, applications, product type, regions and many such segmentations are studied and researched upon using primary and secondary research sources.Top Vendors: Ethicon B.Braun Melsungen DemeTECH Medtronic Internacional Farmaceutica S.A. de C.V Smith & Nephew EndoEvolution Boston ScientificPurchase with Discounted Price@About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. We're relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Asia-Pacific competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer to consult as an extended arm of our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com ,
Gas Leak Detectors Market Intelligence Study for Comprehensive Insights

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A gas leak detector is a piece of equipment or a device that senses and detects the existence of gases in a particular area. These devices are used as a part of safety systems installed in factories, homes and commercial complexes. A gas leak detector system detects the gas leaked and generates a signal to take proper action. Industrially, gas detector systems are fitted with a sound alarm to evacuate the area in case of toxic gas leakage. The popularity of such devices is growing due to the influx of new chemical facilities across the world. Further, the growing gas storage facility network across the globe has deployed a significant number of gas leak detectors for safety systems.Due to their design modifications, gas detectors are broadly categorised on the basis of technology as electrochemical, infrared imaging, infrared point, ultrasonic, semiconductor and holographic. On the basis of product type, the global gas detectors market is bifurcated into portable gas detectors and fixed gas detectors.Request For Report Sample@Portable gas detectors are widely used in lab application whereas fixed detectors find their maximum application in gas extraction and processing fields. Fixed gas detectors can also be used for residential applications such as using itin a bedroom. Further, industrial fixed type gas detector application includes SCADA monitoring.Gas detectors are used in applications such as gas turbines, building and construction, health care, food and beverages, water treatment, oil and gas refineries, chemical plants, underground gas storage facilities, and others. The segments for refineries and chemical plants applications dominate the global market at present. Nevertheless, gas detectors are widely used in underground gas storage. The growing gas supply network is spurring the demand in this segment.One of the major driving factors for gas leak detectors market is the ever growing oil & gas industry. The increasing number of gas field explorations and widening gas supply network has been fuelling the demand for gas leak detectors. In addition, active government organizations have been imposing safety regulations on the industries. This, in turn, has propelled the demand for gas leak detectors. Further, Asia Pacific is likely to lead the league in terms of growth of the industrial sector, mining sector, medicine and healthcare sector, and construction sector. This is likely to create opportunities for the growth of theglobal gas leak detectors market. However, the market is facing strong competition due to the influx of new players in the market and frequent product launches.Multi-gas detector coupled with an analyzer system is one of the emerging trends in the global leaked gas detector market. This kind of detector is gaining popularity due to its compact designs and better features as compared to conventional gas leak detectors. It is expected that the after sales market is likely to develop further in future and a number of market participants will enter this segment. It is also expected that the gas leak detector manufacturers will expand their business to aftermarket sales through forward integration and strategic alliances.Request For TOC@A number of product launches can be seen in the global gas leak detectors market. For instance, market participants such as Scott Safety, GE and RAE Systems recently launched a few new gas leak detectors. The global gas leak detectors market has also been witnessing strategic alliances such as that between Cbiss and Old Man Partner. To expand the business globally, a number of gas leaked detectors manufacturers have acquired other companies such as the acquisition of Edinburgh Instruments Ltd by Techcomp Group Ltd., the acquisition of RAE Systems by Honeywell International Inc. and the acquisition ofGroveley Detection Ltd by Emerson.Some of the prominent players in global gas leak detectors market are City Technology Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Mine Safety Appliances Co., Dragerwerk AG & Co., KGAA, Testo AG, ABB Ltd, Industrial Scientific Corporation, California Analytical Instruments Inc., Figaro Engineering Inc., Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Hitech Instruments Ltd, Ametek Inc., Emerson Electric Co.,Halma Plc, Trolex Ltd,GE Measurement & Control, Gasmet Technologies OY, Enerac Inc., Xtralis Pty. Ltd, Horiba Ltd and others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The study provides a decisive view of the Surgical Lasers Market by segmenting it in terms of applications 2025

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Global Surgical Lasers Market: OverviewSurgical laser products are used in laser surgeries to destroy or cut abnormal or diseased tissues, destroy or shrink lesions and tumors, seal lymph vessels, remove moles and tattoos, and close off blood vessels and nerve endings among various other uses. They are available in different types such as argon, diode, neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet, and carbon dioxide. They are used in several procedures, including laparoscopic surgeries, percutaneous surgeries, and open surgeries and in various fields such as dermatology, urology, gynecology, cardiology, oncology, ophthalmology, and dentistry.Global Surgical Lasers Market: Key TrendsThe increasing prevalence of targeted diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases and expanding base of patients suffering from ophthalmic disorder are the leading factors providing a fillip to the global surgical lasers market. The growing preference for minimally invasive surgeries is also creating an upthrust in the global demand for surgical laser products. Moreover, the rising investments in the field from both public and private sectors are augmenting the market.On the other hand, the stringent regulatory scenario related to the approval of surgical lasers is inhibiting the growth of the market. Furthermore, the high costs of laser surgeries coupled with the shortage of suitable medical reimbursement policies are keeping the global surgical lasers market from realizing its utmost potential.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Surgical Lasers Market: Market PotentialEmerging regions are expected to present immense growth opportunities. As a result of which, players in the global surgical lasers market are expected to shift their focus towards developing countries. The rising expenditure on healthcare and improving medical practices are boosting the uptake of surgical lasers in these countries. Moreover, the booming medical tourism sector in these regions attracts people from all over the world, which makes them promising markets.Rapid advancements in surgical lasers are opening new avenues for market players. The introduction of laser surgeries in the field of veterinary care is unfolding tremendous growth opportunities for the global surgical lasers market. Surgical lasers are now being used to address pain, injury, and chronic health conditions in companion pets.Request TOC of the Report @Global Surgical Lasers Market: Geographical SegmentationThe key segments analyzed in the research report are Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America will be a prominent market throughout the forecast period, with the U.S. being at the forefront of growth. The increasing number of clinical trials and availability of favorable reimbursement policies for laser-assisted surgeries are triggering the adoption of novel technologies among healthcare professionals, which in turn is propelling the growth of the region. A large number of manufacturers headquartered in the region are also facilitating the widespread adoption of surgical laser products.Asia Pacific will register a healthy growth rate during the same period, owing to widening base of patient population for target diseases. The rising initiatives by governments to improve healthcare facilities are providing a significant push to the growth of the region. Moreover, the increasing awareness among healthcare professionals regarding the procedural benefits of surgical laser equipment and growing geriatric population are driving the growth of the region.Get Discount @Global Surgical Lasers Market: Competitive LandscapeThe majority of companies are focusing towards product launches to enhance their visibility in the high competitive arena of the global surgical lasers market. Mergers and acquisitions are also among the primary growth strategies adopted by key players to expand their product portfolio in the market. Some of the prominent companies operating in the market are Lumenis, Alma Lasers, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Spectranetics Corporation, Fotona d.o.o., Biolitec AG, Boston Scientific Corporation, and Cynosure Inc.About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Test Automation Market : Evolving Market Trends & Dynamics 2017 - 2025

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Global Test Automation Market: OverviewThe emergence of test automation has been the biggest boon to the IT sector. This software development tool has thoroughly helped the sector in optimizing test processes, reducing time, and bringing in efficiency. Functional testing, web services testing, compatibility testing, load testing, security testing, mobile testing, and QA process design among others. The growing expenditure on development of the IT sector for improving their software services, QA, and other applications are expected to nurture the growth of the global test automation market.Global Test Automation Market: Drivers and TrendsThe research report states that the rapid development of mobile applications is expected propel the growth of the global market in the recent years. Uptake of mobile applications in communications, multimedia travel, and utilities is expected to fuel the rise of this market in the near future. Analysts expect that the usage of cloud applications is also expected to improve the revenue earnings for the global test automation market. The growing awareness about deploying test automation amongst the IT sector has been a definite positive influence on the overall market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Despite the steady market drivers, the global test automation market is likely to face a few challenges such as high operating costs and high initial investments. However, emergence of newer and better technologies such as cloud computing services, big data analytics, and data virtualizations are expected to offer several lucrative opportunities to the global market.Global Test Automation Market: Market PotentialMobile Labs Introduced its deviceConnect Hosted Cloud, a solution for QA professionals and developers to efficiently manage their mobile testing lab. This will allow organizations to pick a well-suited mobile device cloud that caters to their need. The deviceConnect Hosted Cloud and deviceConnect On-premises Cloud and are private cloud-based mobile application testing platforms. The primary aim of these products is to ensure simple management of multiple devices for the purpose of enterprise application testing. The only difference between the two is who is managing these devices and where are they being hosted.Request TOC of the Report @Global Test Automation Market: Regional OutlookIn terms of geography, the global test automation market is fragmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Of these, North America is projected to lead the global market in the coming years due to a growing base of QA units in various organizations in a wide range of industrial verticals. Analysts expect that functional testing segment will dominate the region in the near future. Additionally, the rising investments in upgrading the current automation testing tools is also projected to drive the regional markets growth.North America will also aid the progress of security testing segment during the forecast period. The high adoption of mobile applications and Software as a Service (SaaS) on cloud will be the primary growth drivers for test automation in North America. Analysts expect that Asia Pacific will also offer lucrative growth opportunities to the global test automation market in the near future as the IT sector witness tremendous growth. The growing investments of foreign firms in the IT sector of various developing countries of Asia Pacific are expected to propel the regional markets growth.Get Discount @About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Aluminum Chemicals Market Analysis and Forecast Study for ( 2015 - 2025 )

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Aluminium is a silvery white chemical element that belongs to the boron group. It has symbol Al, atomic number 13 and under normal circumstances it is insoluble in water. Aluminium is ductile that can be drawn into wires and malleable which can be beaten into thin sheets. Aluminium chemical known as aluminium trihydrate is produced from bauxite by the bayer process which is used in production of aluminium metal. The majoraluminiumtrihydrate end use application consist of raw materials for production of chemicals that contain aluminium, reinforcement fillers and flame retardants in elastomers, plastics, adhesives and other products, coatings and filler pigments in papermaking among others. Aluminium sulfate is used as a flocculating agent for water purification. Aluminium hydroxide is found naturally as a mineral named gibbsite that is also known as hydrargillite is used as a feedstock for manufacture of aluminium compounds such as specialty calcined alumina among others. Sodium aluminate is an inorganic commercial chemical which is an effective source of aluminium hydroxide. This chemical has various technical and industrial applications.Aluminium silicate, aluminium phosphide and poly aluminium chloride are other aluminium chemicals which are used in textile, paper and medical industry among others.Aluminium is extracted by two process such as Bayer process followed by hall method. In the Bayers process bauxite is mixed with sodium hydroxide that dissolves in aluminium oxide. The other compounds from bauxite are left at the rear. The aluminium oxide is then treated with a Hall method. Enough cryolite is not available to make aluminium that is needed and therefore, synthetic cryolite is produced for this purpose.Request For Report Sample@Aluminium has wide areas of applications. It is used as pure metal in various compounds and alloys which is made by melting and mixing more than two metals. The aluminium chemicals also find a large area of application such as textile, medical, paper and fertilizers among others. Aluminium sulfate which is also known as alum is used in the paper and pulp industry on a large scale. The other application of alum is in the water treatment plants Aluminium based intermediates are use in the production of paints, tires, textiles, leather, foods and fertilizers among others. Aluminium acetate is a salt that is used as an astringent. Aluminium borate has application in glass and ceramics. Aluminium fluorosilicate is also used to produce glass and synthetic gemstones. Aluminium hydroxide is used as a mordant and as an antacid to purify water.The major driving factors for aluminum chemicals market is huge demand from water treatment plants and growing use of aluminium chemical in the glass and ceramic industry. Chemicals such as aluminium hydroxide, aluminium borate and aluminium sulfate are used on a large scale owing to the wide areas of applications in the market therefore boosting demand for aluminium chemicals in the market.Request For TOC@The major segments for aluminium chemicals market include North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World (RoW). China is the largest consumer of aluminium chemicals for manufacture of electronic products and plastics materials that are used to manufacture automobile parts. Therefore, Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest market for aluminium chemicals. North America is anticipated to boost demand for aluminium chemicals for manufacture of ceramics, paints and adhesives among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The forecast for Friday afternoon into Saturday couldnt be much worse for flooded areas of southern Wisconsin: more severe thunderstorms and rain  possibly a lot of rain.

The storms, which could feature hail, damaging wind and even an isolated tornado, are expected to dump 1 to 3 inches of rain and locally heavier amounts on areas that have had 5 to 10 inches this month, forecasters warned on Friday morning.

The National Weather Service said soil is saturated roughly south of a Kenosha to Baraboo line and more flooding is likely if those areas see more rain, so a flash flood watch is in effect from 4 p.m. Friday through 9 a.m. Saturday.

Here is a Weather Service video with details:

Areas south and west of Madison saw 3 to 5 inches of rain in rounds of storms Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and many areas of south-central and southeast Wisconsin have seen 5 to 10 inches of rain this month.

Roads that remain closed on Friday morning include Wisconsin 30 at County I near Dodgeville in Iowa County, Wisconsin 191 at County W near Hollandale in Iowa County, Wisconsin 39 at County K near Hollandale in Iowa County, while Wisconsin 78 at County A near Belleville in Dane County re-opened around daybreak on Friday.

Update: Those closed roads were opened by 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Flood warnings continue for many area rivers, including the Baraboo, Rock, Fox, Pecatonica, and Sugar.

Parts of western Wisconsin saw 6 to 8 inches of rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with evacuations in Arcadia and Galesville, and shelters open in Arcadia, Galesville, La Crosse and Sparta.

In addition, residents of southeast Wisconsin are still recovering from severe flooding last week.

The Weather Service said several rounds of storms are expected from Friday afternoon through the overnight for southern Wisconsin, tapering off Saturday morning. The greatest risk for severe storms to produce heavy rain, damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado is Friday afternoon and evening.

The flash flood threat will increase during the overnight hours as storms continue to track over the same areas.

Heat index values in the mid- to upper 90s are forecast across mainly southern and western portions of the area Friday afternoon, and mainly southern portions of the area Saturday.

In Madison on Friday, theres a 50 percent chance for showers and storms, mainly after 2 p.m., with some of storms possibly producing heavy rain, partly sunny skies, a high near 88 and heat index values as high as 95, cooled slightly by light southeast winds becoming south winds at 5 to 10 miles per hour in the afternoon, the Weather Service said.

Overnight, the chance for showers and storms is 90 percent, with 2 to 3 inches of rain possible, as the low falls to around 70.

The chance for showers and storms drops to 30 percent Saturday, with some storms possible producing heavy rain, partly sunny skies, a high near 83 and southwest winds at 5 to 10 mph turning out of the northwest in the afternoon.

The Weather Service said quiet and much more comfortable weather will follow, with just a 20 percent chance for showers and storms after 1 p.m. Sunday, a 20 percent chance for showers Wednesday night, and a 40 percent chance for showers and storms Thursday.

Skies over Madison should be mostly sunny Sunday and Monday, sunny Tuesday, mostly sunny Wednesday, and partly sunny Thursday, with highs near 80, 73, 77, 80 and 78, and lows Saturday night through Wednesday night around 66, 59, 57, 61 and 64.

27 Storm Track meteorologist Branden Borremans forecasts a few showers and storms developing on a muggy Friday afternoon, numerous showers and storms with more heavy rain likely overnight, a few showers and storms early Saturday, an isolated shower or storm later Saturday, then mostly quiet and more comfortable weather with a few storms possible Wednesday and Wednesday night, and scattered showers and storms Thursday.

Skies over Madison should be partly sunny to mostly cloudy Friday, cloudy turning partly sunny Saturday, mostly to partly sunny Sunday, mostly sunny Monday, sunny Tuesday, partly sunny Wednesday, mostly cloudy Thursday, and partly sunny next Friday, with highs near 87, 87, 84, 77, 80, 85, 83 and 82, and overnight lows around 69, 67, 58, 56, 61, 68, 64 and 60.

Thursdays high in Madison was 87 at 4:01 p.m., 5 degrees above the normal high and 10 degrees below the record high of 97 for July 20, set in 1901, 1930 and 2011.

Thursdays low in Madison was 67 at 5:38 a.m., 6 degrees above the normal low and 22 degrees above the record low of 45 for July 20, set in 1970.

Officially, 0.67 inches of precipitation was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Thursday, boosting Madisons July total to 4.67 inches, 1.9 inches above normal. For meteorological summer (June through August), Madisons precipitation total rose to 11.4 inches, 4.09 inches above normal. The 2017 total rose to 27.06 inches, 7.92 inches above normal.

Madisons record precipitation for July 20 is 2.53 inches in 1912.
Hot Melt Adhesives Market: Robust Growth of Construction and Packaging Industries to Trigger Demand By 2024

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The global hot melt adhesives market features a highly fragmented competitive landscape due to the presence of numerous small- and medium-sized enterprises. In a new study, Transparency Market Research (TMR) found out that the top six players in 2015 accounted for a cumulative share of 75% in the overall market. These players were Jowat SE, H.B. Fuller, Henkel, DOW Corning Corp., 3M Co., and Sika AG. These players are focusing towards their exports capacities in order to increase their geographical outreach across developed as well as emerging nations, which is likely to intensify competition in the near future, says TMRs lead analyst.As per the findings of the report, the opportunity in the global hot melt adhesives market was pegged at US$6.00 bn in 2015 and is expected to rise at a CAGR of 5.20% between 2016 and 2024, reaching US$9.44 bn by 2024.Browse Market Research Report @Europe to Maintain Leadership through 2024On the basis of end users, the packaging industry will continue to be the leading revenue contributor in the global hot melt adhesives market until 2024. The construction sector will also be a promising end user during the review period. Geographically, Europe will command the lions share in the market throughout the forecast horizon. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, will post a CAGR higher than any other region. The growth of the region can be attributed to the rising demand for high-quality packaging of consumer goods and food and beverages.Favorable Government Regulations to Escalate Adoption of Hot Melt AdhesivesThe extensive application of hot melt adhesives in the packaging, construction, and electronics industries stimulating the growth of the market. Therefore, the flourishing growth of these industries is reflecting positively on the sales of these adhesives, says a TMR analyst. In addition, developing countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia are high-profit destinations of key players owing to the increasing construction spending and widening packaging applications in the food and beverages sector.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Hot Melt Adhesives Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @These adhesives are said to be safe for human use, environment friendly, and VOC-free thermoplastics, which are suitable for production, storage, and transportation. Owing to these properties, governments worldwide are encouraging their usage through favorable policies, thereby stoking the growth of the market.Volatile Crude Prices to Keep Market from Realizing Utmost PotentialThe turbulence in prices of crude oil is adversely affecting the overall revenue generation of the global hot melt adhesives market. This is further compounded by the abundant availability of alternatives. Moreover, manufacturers have to comply with stringent regulations, particularly in developed countries, which renders the pace of development of the market sluggish. Nevertheless, the spiraling demand for hot melt adhesives in various end-use industries is making way for technological advancements, which is likely to provide significant impetus to the market in the near future. Furthermore, the soaring demand for polyolefin based adhesives is creating ample growth opportunities for the global hot melt adhesives market.About Us:-Transparency Market Research 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 are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers and Consultants, who 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Top Robotics Market Demand is Increasing Rapidly in Recent Years 2017 - 2025

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Global Top Robotics Market: OverviewThe surging demand for industrial robots with Internet of Things capabilities is transforming production lines, especially in the automotive and electronic industry. Next generation robots possess human-like attributes such as intelligence, recognition of objects, flexibility, memory, and ability to learn.Industries implementing robotic technologies receive huge financial benefits due to reduced overheads, flexibility, increased productivity, and waste reduction.Global Top Robotics Market: Key TrendsThe top factor driving the top robotics market for industrial robots is the increasing adoption of automated systems and the rising demand for industrial robots from medium and small-sized enterprises in developing countries. This is because deployment of robotic solutions ensures quality production and caters to meeting market demand in a timely manner. However, factors such as high upfront costs and high R&D expenses and unreliable performance in untested environment and absence of a high level of interface are restraining the markets growth.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Amongst industrial robots, articulated robots is expected to be leading product segment owing to their structural and operational capabilities. Articulated robots are extensively used in electrical and electronics, and automotive industries.On the other hand, the service robotics segment of this market is driven by the increasing demand for mobile robotic solution for warehouse automation and logistics, increasing demand from healthcare industry, and the increasing deployment of service robots for educational pursuits.Logistics currently holds the dominant position among the application segments of service robotics and is expected to retain its position in the near future. This is mainly due to the deployment of automated guided vehicles in production units and warehousing facilities for inventory management and freight handling.Request TOC of the Report @Global Top Robotics Market: Market PotentialFrom a leap from robotic vacuum cleaners, butlers, or medical assistants, industrial robots account for the greatest slice of the global robotics market, as per a recent industry news. Unlike the classical industrial robot that were used to carry out repetitive tasks, the next-generation robots are supported by software and peripheral vision systems and can perform varying tasks reliably that matches human capabilities.Global Top Robotics Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific is the leading regional market for industrial robotics market is led significant revenue contributions from China, Japan, and South Korea. The high concentration of robotic machines in South Korea and Japan to support the expanding electronics industry in these countries is benefitting the industrial robotics market in Asia Pacific. As per statistics of the International Federation of Robotics, Japan is the leading market for industrial robotics trailed by China.Moreover, the increasing deployment of automated systems in the automotive industry in Australia is anticipated to positively influence the regional markets growth. Strong focus on improving production techniques combined with efforts for the modernization of factories for improved productivity is one of the major factors driving robotic installations in the U.S. and Brazil.Get Discount @Global Top Robotics Market: Competitive LandscapeThe key players in the global top robotics market for both industrial and service robots are ABB Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp. FANUC Corp., Yaskawa Electric Corp., iRobot Corporation, Intuitive Surgical Inc., Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Aethon Inc., Lely Holding S.a.r.l., KUKA AG, Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Northrop Grumman Corporation, DJI, Parrot SA, Adept Technology Inc., DeLaval International AB, and The LEGO Group.Due to being capital-intensive, the industry restricts the entry of new market players in the market. New players are anticipated to face challenges pertaining to insufficient venture capital for innovation and product differentiation, thus limiting their presence in the robotics industry.About TMR Research :TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Forecast and Analysis on Cosmetic Ingredients Market by Future Market Insights

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Cosmetic ingredient market has changed a lot over the course of time. Since time immemorial, human beings are using different types of cosmetics to enhance their physical appearance, which in turn makes people feel more confident and pleasing in nature. It is due to growing demand for beauty products that market is flooded with various cosmetic products. The multibillion dollar industry is growing at a lightning speed to meet the consumer demand. Cosmetic ingredients are the specific sets of substance that are used in the formulation and composition of cosmetics. Any kind of impurities in raw materials and subsidiary technical materials are not considered as ingredients, hence water is also considered as separate ingredient. At present, various cosmetic business entrepreneurs use more than 5000 available cosmetic ingredients to offer selected cosmetics products.Cosmetic Industry: Drivers & RestraintsThe demand for good quality cosmetic products is fuelling the cosmetic ingredient market. Changing lifestyle specially in developing regions of Asia Pacific and Latin America brings a sea of opportunities to cosmetic ingredients manufacturers and suppliers. Increase in per capita income, rising awareness about beautification and increasingly urbanized population is offering momentum to the growth of overall cosmetic industry which in turn is escalating the cosmetic ingredients market to its zenith. Though cosmetic industry market size is growing at an impressive rate, various regulations prohibiting the use of certain chemicals as ingredients is a major challenge to the cosmetic ingredients manufacturers. In APAC, China and ASEAN regions are some of the most lucrative regions for increase in consumer spending and rise in GDP.Request For Report Sample@Cosmetic Ingredients Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global cosmetic ingredients market is segmented into,SurfactantsEmulsifiersAntimicrobialsUV absorbersEmollientsConditioning PolymersOthersAlpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxyl acids and talc are some of the examples of commonly used cosmetics ingredients. Among all these product type, surfactants are expected to hold the market dominance throughout the forecast period, however, conditioning polymers is projected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2015 and 2025.Request For TOC@On the basis of end-use applications, cosmetic ingredients market is segmented intoSkin CareNail CareMake upOthersSkin care and make up are the two most lucrative markets for chemical ingredients manufacturers. Together, they account more than onefourth of total cosmetic ingredients market. Changing lifestyle and increasing awareness about skin care is boosting the demand for skin care applications.Cosmetic Ingredients Market: Region-wise OutlookOn the basis of region, cosmetic ingredients finds its market scope in North America, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, Europe and Asia-Pacific. North America and Europe dominates the cosmetic ingredients, however, Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to be the most promising region in terms of incremental opportunities lying ahead for generating high revenue. Cosmetic ingredient market is highly regulated in Europe and North America. China, India and ASEAN are the key promising countries driving the cosmetic ingredients market in Asia-Pacific. Rapid growth of urbanization coupled with growing desire for skin care is expected to offer above average growth to cosmetic ingredients market in Asia-Pacific. Brazil leads the cosmetic market followed by Mexico in Latin America. As per the CANIPEC, the Mexican personal care industrys national chamber and association, there are more than 64 business enterprises operating in personal care market that are worth approximately US$ 14 billion in Mexico.Cosmetic Ingredients Market: Key PlayersCompany needs to meet the stringent quality norms before marketing their key ingredients. It is due to these factors that the market in North America and Europe is consolidated and is dominated by list of key cosmetic ingredient manufacturers and suppliers.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Vehicle Electrification Market Intelligence Research Reports for Actionable Insights

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Electrification of a vehicle is considered as one of the best way to reduce carbon emission, increase vehicle efficiency and reduce dependency over oil. Vehicle electrification generates new opportunities for consumer engagement along with various environmental and economic benefits. We can replace various hydraulic or mechanical systems with electric systems: hydraulic power steering with electric power steering and mechanical or hydraulic pumps with electric pumps. The air conditioner in a vehicle canVehicle Electrification Market: Drivers & RestraintsIncreasing prices of conventional fuels, growth in the sales of electric vehicles will enhance the growth of vehicle electrification. Growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles, stringent emission norm along with increasing environmental awareness among the consumer are also expected to fuel the growth of vehicle electrification market. Governments of various countries such as US are actively supporting vehicle electrification by providing tax exemption and subsidies.Request For Report Sample@Vehicle Electrification Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, vehicle electrification market is broadly segmented as:StartStop SystemElectric Power Steering (EPS)Liquid Heater PTCElectric Air-Conditioner CompressorElectric Vacuum PumpElectric Oil PumpElectric Water PumpThermoelectric GeneratorElectric TurbochargerOn the basis of vehicle type, the market is segmented into:Passenger CarLight Commercial VehicleHeavy Commercial VehicleTwo  WheelerRequest For TOC@Vehicle electrification market is segmented on the basis of degree of hybridizationas:Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) & Micro-Hybrid VehicleHybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)Battery Electric Vehicle (Bev) & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)In addition, report also includes segmentation on the basis of channel type:OEMsAftermarketVehicle Electrification Market: Region  Wise OutlookAsia  Pacific region owing to the fast growing automotive industry in developing countries such as India, China and South Korea is expected to show a significant growth in the vehicle electrification market. Strict laws in Western & Eastern Europe for vehicle efficiency will drive the vehicle electrification market in this region. North America is also anticipated to a moderate growth with credits to the strong fuel efficiency norms and support from government in the region. With rapid technological advancement and growing automobile industry, vehicle electrification market is expected to increase at a double CAGR during the forecast period.Vehicle Electrification Market: Key PlayersSome of the players in the market we identified includes, Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH., TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., Denso Corporation, (Japan), Nexteer Automotive, JTEKT Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mando Corp., Borgwarner Inc. and ZF Friedrichshafen AG.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Bluetooth Modules Market 2017 - Murata, Qualcomm, Intel, Broadcom, Panasonic, Texas Instruments, Fujitsu, Hosiden, STMicroelectronics, Laird, Taiyo Yuden, Cypress Semiconductor, Microchip Technology, Silicon Labs

Global Bluetooth Modules Market

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Global Bluetooth Modules Market 2017 Analysis Report audits a Market Regions, Product Categories, with Sales, Business Revenue, Goods cost, Bluetooth Modules piece of the overall industry and Growth patterns, concentrating on driving Bluetooth Modules industry players, showcase size, request and supply examination, utilization volume, Forecast 2017 to 2022.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportMurataQualcommIntelBroadcomPanasonicTexas InstrumentsFujitsuHosidenSTMicroelectronicsLairdTaiyo YudenCypress SemiconductorMicrochip TechnologySilicon LabsThe Global Bluetooth Modules report gives a thorough situation of the present and gauge Bluetooth Modules showcase procedures, improvement methodologies and development openings. Starting a discussion on the contemporary condition of Bluetooth Modules showcase, the report extra dissects the market powerful moving each area begun in it.The report additionally concentrates the Bluetooth Modules bits of knowledge of the organizations and suggestions that will help the perusers to have progressive learning of the Bluetooth Modules showcase.Enquire Before Buying @A principal diagram of the Bluetooth Modules market is introduced to the perusers with the assistance of market definition, order, different applications, and production network examination. The Bluetooth Modules report covers the investigation of conventional and the developing markets. The report more expresses the Bluetooth Modules showcase rivals, their business profiles, freshest news, their piece of the overall industry, developing arrangements and methodologies, client volume and creating strategies.In next part, the Bluetooth Modules Report assesses the gross edge examination of various locales i. e. (US, EU, China and Japan). Different areas can be included according to the prerequisite.All in all, it is an exhaustive research report which will help perusers to break down the possibility of interest in Bluetooth Modules advertise.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
George Molakal, American Investor, Harvard and Oxford Alumni Establishes "Asha Care" from Informal Funding Since 2011 to a Formal Platform

Asha Care is India's first platform to care for widows who have lost their husbands due to illnesses, suicides, and various other tragic events. Widows in rural India are usual home makers, and with the loss of the husbands, they have no income to support the daily living needs, basic food necessities and education for children and healthcare. In such situations, children drop out from schools to start working to earn daily bread for their families. This is tragic and its melts one's heart to see a family with hope for the future, lose its balance because the main breadwinner has suddenly died.Since 2011 George Molakal used his funds to provide a stipend for widows across multiple states in India to educate and reskill the widows and also provide an immediate cushion to the family for their basic needs and educational support of the children. This has slowly grown with more widows and children under the program, and now George is reaching out to his close friends to pitch in to support the widows who are the foundations of the families.About Asha Care Organization: http://www.ashacare.org/about-us.phpAbout Asha CareAsha (Hope) Care aims to provide a platform for the widows to get simple skills training so that can do some job, such as weaving, tailoring and other home based to skills for women based entrepreneurship. The platform also provides a monthly stipend for three years for stabilizing themselves and getting back to having a steady income to look after their families and society.The platform has covered multiple states across India, including Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and has reached out to villages in South Africa and Tanzania. The current operations are in low scale and with more widows looks for support, the work scale is also growing along with funding requirements.What Asha Care Will Do : http://www.ashacare.org/what-we-do.phpAsha Care is working with several NGO's for imparting skills training, identifying the widows and establishing the care and education of the children.Asha Care needs more volunteers and donors, and the platform enables the support to the widows who have no income to receive help and care from those privileged.George hopes to grow this into a global platform so that it can serve countries across the world in a transparent and community driven hope and care.Bring a Change Through Asha Care: http://www.ashacare.org/bring-a-change.phpAsha Care is Indias first platform to care for widows who have lost their husbands due to illnesses, suicides, and various other tragic events. Widows in rural India are usual home makers, and with the loss of the husbands, they have no income to support the daily living needs, basic food necessities and education for children and healthcare. In such situations, children drop out from schools to start working to earn daily bread for their families. This is tragic and its melts one's heart to see a family with hope for the future, lose its balance because the main breadwinner has suddenly died. Although the circumstances and predicaments of life may have treated them out of balance, made them become wayward but with our love and support we believe they can become better and live a good life.For More Details Visit : http://www.ashacare.org/about-us.phpContact:Vikas khengatvkhengat@ashacare.org+91 20 6687 0000Pune, MaharashtraIndia
Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Market to grow at over 4% CAGR from 2017 to 2024

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The polymer modified bitumen market is segmented into emulsions, road construction, and roofing & piping on the basis of application.Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Market size will likely surpass USD 14 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Polymer modified bitumen market is majorly driven by the construction and infrastructural industry. The use of PMB in roofing and construction activities is increasing at a rapid pace due to its waterproofing and cohesive properties. Rise in the demand for housing and other infrastructural facilities due to increasing population in the developing countries, rising disposable income and purchasing power parity are the factors driving the PMB market as people are ready to spend more on new and developed housing and commercial spaces.Request for a sample of this report @Environmental awareness is pushing the use of green cement, eco-friendly construction materials and chemicals. Developing regions of the world have a great amount of construction activities and infrastructural development, which in turn, is propelling the regional polymer modified bitumen market. Developing economies such as China and India have huge construction activities owing to huge and rapidly increasing population which is demanding better and superior homes. These factors drive the PMB market on a large scale in the developing as well as the developed countries.Volatility in raw material prices due to changing crude oil prices may hinder the polymer modified bitumen market growth in the coming years. Petroleum is the primary raw material used in the manufacture of polymers in polymer modified bitumen. Fluctuating crude oil resources around the world, large scale extraction and refining of oil and demand & supply ratio are some of the chief factors affecting the industry.Browse key industry insights spread across 200 pages with 387 market data tables & 15 figures & charts from the report, Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Market Size By Product (Thermoplastic Elastomers [SBS, SBR, SIS, SEBS, EPDT, IIR, Natural Rubber], Thermoplastic Polymers [EVA, EMA, EBA, APP, PE, PP], Thermosetting Polymers [Epoxy Resin, Polyurethane Resin, Acrylic Resin, Phenolic Resin]), By Application (Road Construction, Roofing & Piping, Emulsions [Paving, Waterproofing]), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, GCC), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Based on product, PMB market is classified into three broad categories which include- thermosetting polymers, thermoplastic polymers, and thermoplastic elastomers. Thermosetting polymers are further-divided into four segments namely, phenolic, epoxy, polyurethane, and acrylic resins. Thermosetting polymers have mineral particles with high adhesive strength and are comparatively high priced than thermoplastic elastomers and polymers. Thermoplastic elastomers have high temperature and storage stability with a comparatively lower cost and resistance to rutting. This segment finds extensive application in asphalt pavements due to its adhesion and cohesion properties.The emulsions segment is further classified into waterproofing and paving. Use of superior quality material for construction of houses and other infrastructural facilities is on a rise. Use of waterproofing solutions to prevent wetness and leakages of walls and ceilings is rising as new and improved construction material is available. These factors are propelling the PMB market demand.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Geographically, North America polymer modified bitumen market accounts for a significant share owing to road construction and development activities. The region has a mature construction industry due to excellent infrastructural and housing facilities. Road construction and development activities in Europe will further augment the PMB market owing to extensive use of the product owing to its cohesive, elastic and adhesive properties.Key players operating in the global polymer modified bitumen market are Royal Dutch Shell, Maruti Group, IKA group, Lagan Asphalt Group Ltd., MBD Industries, Offshore Petrochem, AMT Techno, Ooms Avenhorn Holding, Tiki Tar Industries, The Richmond Group, Marini S.P.A., Gulf Petrochem, L N Petro Chem, Veekay Industries, RoadStar, Ratnamani Industries, Space Petro Energy, Allied Bitumen Complex, South Machinery, and Bitumat Company Limited.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
Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market is Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 6% by 2021

Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market

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Market Synopsis of Commercial Aircraft Lighting MarketThe global Commercial Aircraft Lighting market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 6% during 2016-2021. This growth is driven due to increase in aircraft orders, growing passenger traffic, need for improved lighting systems for passenger experience.As per the MRFR analysis, the cost associated with modern lighting systems, issues related to its fittings, and growing aircraft backlogs are the factors limiting the market growth.With approximately 40% of all new airplanes being delivered to airlines based in the Asia Pacific region, it is expected to grow significantly.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market: Diehl Stiftung & Co. Kg. Zodiac Aerospace United Technologies Corporation B/E Aerospace, Inc. Luminator Aerospace Cobham PLC Honeywell International Inc, STG Aerospace Limited Astronics Diehl AerosystemsStudy Objectives of Global Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyse the Global Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country-level analysis of the market for segment by aircraft types, fit, light types, and technology. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Commercial Aircraft Lighting Market.Brief TOC:1. Introduction1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Objective2. Executive Summary2.1 Key Findings / Highlights2.1.1 Investment Opportunities2.1.2 Market Startegies2.1.3 Latest Developments3. Scope of the Study3.1 Markets Covered3.2 Years Considered For the Study (2016-2021)3.2 Geographic Scope3.3 Key Stakeholders4. Assumptions and Limitations5. Research Methodology5.1 Primary Research5.2 Secondary Research5.3 Econometric and Forecasting ModelContinueAccess Report Details @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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Middle East and Latin America Pet Food Industry Expected to Rise at 5.6% and 3.4% CAGRs: Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Pet Food Market - Middle East And Latin America Industry Analysis, Trend, Size, Share and Forecast 2014 - 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.The pet food market of Middle East and Latin America is expected to experience a stable growth from 2014 to 2020. The pet food market report is segmented on the basis of pet type, food type and by geography. The various category of food type includes dry food, wet/ canned food, snacks/ treats, nutritious and others including semi dry food and frozen food. By country, the pet food market of Middle East is segmented by country into Israel, UAE and others. The Latin America pet food market is segmented by country into Brazil, Argentina, and others consisting of Chile and Venezuela.Browse Detail Report With TOC @The pet food market of Middle East and Latin America is primarily driven by growing awareness of pet owners regarding pet health, thus increasing the demand for packaged and branded food. In addition, demand for pets for companionship and for security reason is rising due to the growing trend towards nuclear family. This, in turn, has significantly boosted demand for pet food in these regions.However, the rising incident of pets being allergic and strict government regulations acts as the restraining factors for the growth of pet food market. In addition, the increasing expense of feeding pets and cultural/Islamic regulations also hinders the growth of pet food market.The study highlights current market trends and provides the forecast from 2014 to 2020. We have also covered the current market scenario for pet food market and highlighted future trends that will have an impact on demand. The present market size and forecast until 2020 has been provided in the report. The micro economic factor affecting the demand and growth of the market has also been provided in the report.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The pet food market in the Middle East is expected to experience stable growth during the forecast period. Demand for pets for companionship is rising due to the growing trend towards nuclear family. This, in turn, has significantly boosted demand for pet food in the region. Furthermore, increasing awareness among people regarding the health of pets is anticipated to fuel demand for pet food in Middle East and Latin America. In Latin America, the major factor fuelling the demand of pet food is rapid urbanization. Urbanization is associated with busy work schedule leading to increasing adoption of pets.In both Middle East and Latin America, dry pet food held the maximum share in the pet food market among the different food types because of its ease of handling and less cost. Moreover, it is easier to feed pets with dry pet food. Among the pet types, the dog food held the major share. The trend shows that dogs are much more preferred than other pets as it can be used to release stress and for security purposes also. This factor is fuelling the demand for dog food in this region. However, in both Middle East and Latin America the nutritious pet food is the fastest growing segment. As people are getting more attached towards pet they are becoming very much cautious about their pets nutrition. Owners endeavor to provide nutritious food to pets is the factor responsible for the growth of the nutritious pet food market.The conclusive analysis of the Middle East and Latin America Pet food market and the forecasted market growth for the period 2014 to 2020 is provided in this report. The report provides in depth study of different market segments and detailed analysis of the pet food market in all possible way across different segments based on food type, pet type and by geography.Overall, the report takes into account a complete analysis of Middle East and Latin America pet food market and provides a predicted growth for the period 2014 to 2020, taking into account the various macro and micro economic factors affecting the market.The pet food market is segmented into:Pet Food Market, by Pet Type- Dog Food- Cat Food- OthersPet Food Market, by Pet Food Type- Dry Food- Wet/Canned Food- Nutritious- Snacks/ Treats- OthersPet Food Market, by Geography:- Middle East- Israel- UAE- Others- Latin America- Brazil- Argentina- OthersMake 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 @
Spices and Seasonings Market in the US 2016-2020 - Key vendors Ajinomoto, Associated British Foods, Kerry, McCormick, Ariake Japan, Fuchs North America, G.P. Desilva Spices, Unilever, Kraft Heinz Foods, Dohler

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Spices and Seasonings Market in the US 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Seasoning is the process of adding salt, pepper, spices, and herbs during food preparation. Spices are dried fruit, seed, bark, or root used to give flavor, aroma, as well as color to the food.There are a large number of spices available in the market in ground as well as whole forms, and each spice gives a unique flavor to the food. Some of the commonly used spices are black pepper, cinnamon, cumin seeds, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, chili powder, vegeta, and garlic.Technavios analysts forecast the spices and seasonings market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 6.72% during the period 2016-2020.Browse Detail Report With TOC @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the spices and seasonings market in the US for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, Technavio includes the sales of spices through food service and retail stores.The market is divided into the following segments based on product type:Salt and salt substitutesPepperDried herbsIndividual spicesOthersSpices and Seasonings Market in the US 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 vendorsAjinomotoAssociated British FoodsKerryMcCormickTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Other prominent vendorsAriake JapanFuchs North AmericaG.P. Desilva SpicesUnileverKraft Heinz FoodsDohlerSpice HunterAmerican Natural & Organic SpiceWorlee.Market driverDemand from ethnic populationsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeAdulterated spices and seasoningsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendRising innovation in productsFor 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 @
The largest bank company based in Wisconsin, Associated Banc-Corp, of Green Bay, is buying the largest bank company based in the Milwaukee area, Bank Mutual Corp., in an all-stock transaction valued at $482 million.

Bank Mutual, of Brown Deer, will merge into Associated Bank, creating a financial institution with total assets of $31.7 billion.

Associated Bank has $29 billion in assets, more than 200 locations and 4,400 employees. It provides financial services in eight states. It was founded in 1970 through the merger of three northeast Wisconsin banks, one of which has roots dating back to 1861.

Bank Mutual began in 1892 when employees of a Milwaukee newspaper combined forces to form a small building and loan association. The third largest bank with headquarters in Wisconsin, Bank Mutual has $2.7 billion in assets and nearly 600 employees. The bank announced in April it would close its Monona branch and sell five other locations, leaving it with 57 banking offices in Wisconsin.

Associated Bank has 19 branches in Dane County; Bank Mutual has three Madison-area branches.

Both publicly traded banks share customer-centric strategies and understand the importance of delivering increasing value to customers, colleagues, communities and shareholders, Associated president and CEO Philip Flynn said.

Under terms of the agreement, Bank Mutual shareholders will receive 0.422 shares of Associated common stock for each share of Bank Mutual common stock. Each share is valued at $10.38 based on the closing price of Associated common stock on July 19, 2017.

The boards of directors of both companies have approved the deal. If regulators go along, the transaction is expected to become final in the first quarter of 2018.

UW-Madison School of Business professor of finance James Johannes said he has not analyzed the deal but he is not surprised about it.

Merger & acquisition is going to be part of the banking landscape in the foreseeable future, said Johannes, director of the Puelicher Center for Banking Education. It is not clear that bank margins or spreads will rise nor is it clear that regulatory costs will fall. Therefore, to enhance earnings, banks will have to apply stable or falling margins to higher earning assets.
Aircraft Line Maintenance Market: Industry Analysis, Future Growth, Business Prospects and Global Forecast to 2021

Aircraft Line Maintenance Market

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Market Synopsis of Global Aircraft Line Maintenance Market:The global Aircraft Line Maintenance Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 5.5% during 2016-2021. The key factors driving the growth are growing initiatives towards aircraft safety, increase in flights hours, increased demand for aircraft, and usage of best in class technologies in aircraft.As per the MRFR analysis, factors restraining the market growth are scarcity of skilled manpower, complexity in technical documentation procedures, and supervision of line maintenance.Integration of IT for predictive maintenance and MRO outsourcing are the ongoing trends which will have positive impact on the market during the forecast period.Request a Sample Copy @Key Players of Aircraft Line Maintenance Market: Delta TechOps Lufthansa Technik Monarch Aircraft Engineering SIA Engineering Company SR Technics British Airways Engineering Hong Long Aircraft Engineering TAP Maintenance & Engineering Turkish TechnicRegional and Country Analysis of Global Aircraft Line Maintenance Market:As per the MRFR analysis, the EMEA region will continue its dominance in the forecast period. Whereas, APAC will have significant growth and is expected to grow at CAGR of around 6% during the forecast period.The Middle East is estimated to account for the maximum air traffic of 6.4% RPK, resulting in a better demand for MRO services, which is expected to double by 2024.Brief TOC:1. Introduction1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Objective2. Executive Summary2.1 Key Findings / Highlights2.1.1 Investment Opportunities2.1.2 Market Startegies2.1.3 Latest Developments3. Scope Of The Study3.1 Markets Covered3.2 Years Considered For The Study (2016-2021)3.2 Geographic Scope3.3 Key Stakeholders4. Assumptions and Limitations5. Research Methodology5.1 Primary Research5.2 Secondary Research5.3 Econometric and Forecasting ModelContinueAccess Report Details @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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Green Packaging Market 2016-2020 - Key vendors Amcor, DuPont, Mondi, Sealed Air, Tetra Laval, Ardagh Group, Airlite Plastics, Be Green Packaging, Bemis, Berkley International

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Green Packaging Market 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Green packaging is produced from sustainable, renewable, and recyclable raw materials. Green packaging technology uses materials such as paper, plastic, metal, and glass, which can be easily bent or molded as needed.Browse Detail Report With TOC @One of the major advantages of green packaging is that it produces less toxic emissions. With increased environmental concerns worldwide and the need to reduce toxic emissions, green packaging is increasingly being adopted by the food and beverage (F&B), healthcare, and personal care industries. This has resulted in high demand for green packaging.Technavios analysts forecast the global green packaging market to grow at a CAGR of 7.35% 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 green packaging market for the period 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report takes into account the total revenue generated from different end-users and types of packaging.The market is divided into the following segments based on product type:Recyclable packagingReusable packagingDegradable packagingGlobal Green Packaging 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 vendorsAmcorDuPontMondiSealed AirTetra LavalOther prominent vendorsArdagh GroupAirlite PlasticsBe Green PackagingBemisBerkley InternationalBioMass PackagingCascadesClondalkinCrownDairi-PakDS SmithEcologicElopakEmerald PackagingEnviroPAKEvergreen PackagingFabri-KalGeorgia-PacificGerresheimerGraham PackagingGraphic PackagingGreen PackagingHuhtamakiInnovia FilmsInternational PaperIntraPacNampakOwens-IllinoisPlastipakPolyoak PackagingRexamReynoldsRockTennSealed AirSmurfit-Stone ContainerSonocoWinpakWipakMarket driverDemand for bioplastics packagingFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeHigh cost of productionFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendDemand from emerging countriesFor 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 @
Rocket Propellant Chemicals Market Report  Actionable Insights and Recommendation

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Rocket propellants are chemical mixtures used to produce thrust in rockets. Generally, rocket propellants are made by the mixture of different fuels, oxidizers and chemicals, which during chemical reaction, creates a huge amount of gases and thus propels the rocket. Considerable developments have taken place in the rocket propellant chemicals market, which have made the rocket propulsion technology extremely powerful and have enabled the launching of various orbiting satellites, missiles, spacecraft and interplanetary space missions a commercial as well as technological success. Based on the requirement, single or multiple propellants can be used for propelling a rocket.Basically, four types of propellants are used in rockets i.e. solid, liquid, gas and hybrid, which utilize different mixtures of rocket propellant chemicals based on the custom need and availability of technology. Each propellant type has its own advantages and disadvantages. The solid propellants can be stored in compact size and are usually composed of various rocket propellant chemicals such as ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, etc. Mixture of liquid rocket propellant chemicals provide higher specific impulse when compared with the solid rocket propellant chemicals, however, they require additional valves, combustion chambers, which often lead to increased rocket system cost. Gas rocket propellant chemicals are usually compressed gases and are readily available at relatively low cost, however, their utilization is lesser as compared to the solid and liquid rocket propellant chemicals in the global market. Hybrid propellants generally include a solid fuel while the oxidizer is usually a liquid or gas. Although the hybrid propellants are relatively low in costs and can be shut down easily, they are more complex and their utilization become hard when a very large thrust is required.The developments in the rocket propellant technology and multifarious advances in the space sciences have made the space probes, including the interplanetary missions, such as, Indias Mars Orbiters mission extremely cost effective, and such missions are becoming more frequent than ever in the recorded history. Owing to the ever increasing growth in the space technology and rocket sciences, the market for rocket propellant chemicals is also expected to gain traction over the coming years and is expected to register significant growth rate over the forecast period of 2017  2027.Request For Report Sample:Rocket Propellant Chemicals Market: DynamicsThe space industry is becoming more dynamic than ever and the reach of this technology is not limited to the U.S., Russia and some European countries, as it was earlier. Even developing countries are exhibiting phenomenal growth in the space technology and the industry is growing as truly international. Unlike before, private companies are also investing enthusiastically in the space industry and the market is growing more and more competitive each year. Various research labs and institutes are also focused on the development of advanced rocket propellants and rocket propellant chemicals, which offer high performance, efficiency and safety. Rocket propellant systems in which the fuel and oxidizer are put separately, are also being developed for commercial scale, which offer excellent safety features with scaled up performance. Apart from this, the effective utilization of advanced rocket propellant chemicals is also coming into picture as a result of the dedicated research of scientists from across the world.Extensive research and development in the rocket propellants industry is garnering a new era of next generation rocket propellant chemicals. With the United States independent space agency  NASA  completing its first round of tests over the use of green rocket propellants and rocket propellant chemicals, the dynamics of global rocket propellant chemicals industry has already started approaching transformation. With considerable developments and funds rolling in from multiple investment forums, the space travel seems to be no more a distant dream, and the right rocket propellant chemicals system is expected to bring this dream closer to reality by providing cost effective and efficient propulsion to the rockets.Rocket Propellant Chemicals Market: SegmentationDifferent types of rocket propellant chemicals are used based on the requirement. The global rocket propellant chemicals market can be segmented on the basis of chemical type and region. On the basis of chemical type, the market can be segmented as the following:2-NitrodiphenylamineAmmonium PerchlorateBoron TrichlorideChlorine TrifluorideHydrazineHydrogen Peroxide, etc.Request For TOC:Among all regions, countries such as the U.S., China, Russian Federation, Japan, United Kingdom, India and Germany are getting more active in space programs and orbital launches. The market share of these regions in the global rocket propellant chemicals market is substantially higher when compared to the other regions of the world. With developing countries such as India, emerging as a giant in the space industry, other countries are also expected to follow the same growth path as a result of the domino effect, in turn creating a significant demand for rocket propellant chemicals over the coming years.Rocket Propellant Chemicals Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the players identified across the value chain of rocket propellant chemicals market include  Island Pyrochemical Industries, Yongzhou City Lingling Sanxiang Electrochemical Co., Ltd., AMPAC Fine Chemicals, CRS Chemicals and Mil-Spec Industries Corp., among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Data Masking Technology Market : Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Threats (2017 - 2027)

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The data masking technology market is growing as industries ranging from BFSI to government are becoming extremely cautious to the internal hacking and data privacy concerns. Recent technologies like big data where massive databases are generated, exposing it to greater risk.In order to address these concerns for preventing outside attacks, data masking technology is used which can be used to and analyze the data in proxy.Data masking technology provide data security by cloning the original data into a non-sensitive proxy which look like similar data. This non-sensitive data can be used in business process for testing and analysis without the risk of breaking the business. Dynamic masking is the recent trend in database access which is growing.Request Report Sample@Market drivers & challenges:Data masking technology market is mainly driven by the need for data security and privacy concerns.Data masking technology market is also driven by generation of large amount of data which is to be analyzed and tested without disturbing the normal business operations. Companies mainly prefer in data masking technology for Testing and analysis of the data, Production Database Protection and compliance for diverse requirements.Recently in data masking technology market there is significant growth in dynamic masking which is used to operate on masked data in real-time.Global Data Masking Technology Market: SegmentationGlobal Data Masking Technology market is segmented based on the end-user verticals, deployments models and region.On the basis of the end-user vertical the global Data Masking Technology market is segmented into BFSI, retail, telecomm, health care, energy, education, automobile, public sector and others.On basis of deployment models global Data Masking Technology market can be segmented to ETL, In-Place masking and dynamic masking.On basis of region global Data Masking Technology market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).Market Overview:Data Masking Technology market is an emerging market and growth rate during the projected period is due to entrant of large number of data masking software providers and due to the growth of dynamic masking.North America is dominant in Data Masking Technology market and followed by Western Europe during the period. Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a faster rate during the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Key Market Players:Some of the Key players in Data Masking Technology market are Informatica Corporation, CA Technologies, Camouflage software Inc., Delphix Corp, IBM Corporation,Compuware Corporation, Net 2000 Ltd, Oracle Corporation and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Feed Mycotoxin Detoxifiers Market : In-Depth Market Research Report 2017 to 2027

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Mycotoxins are small secondary metabolites (a collective group of natural chemicals) of moulds that can cause toxic effects on humans as well as animals which are referred to as mycotoxicoses. Some mycotoxins are used in growth promotions, antibiotics, and other types of drugs owing to its pharmacological activities. The major concern with mycotoxin as feed contaminants which are potentially removed by detoxifiers. The main mycotoxins are aflatoxins, Fusarium toxins, and ochratoxin. Detoxifiers aid in counter the direct or indirect effects of mycotoxin and other toxic agents. Moreover, kaolin, zeolites, and bentonite are used as a supplement to animal feeds which act as a gut protectants and considered as excellent adsorptive materials of heavy metals as well as bacteria. One of the technique to reduce the exposure of mycotoxins is to reduce the bioavailability in the livestock feeds by introducing various mycotoxin adsorbent agents which will decrease the intake of mycotoxins among animals.Feed Mycotoxin Detoxifiers Market:Drivers and RestraintsFeed mycotoxin detoxifiers market are witnessing maximum growth owing to increasing focus on animal health, enhancing the quality of animal feeds, rising demand for hygiene & animal products safety, growing awareness among farmers for the benefits of mycotoxin detoxifiers as feed additives in livestock production, and expanding livestock industry worldwide. Moreover, continuous feed safety issues due to the presence of mycotoxin, rise in focus on decontamination of livestock feeds, and advanced enzymatic deactivation technology are some of the factors that can boost the demand for feed mycotoxin detoxifiers over the forecast period. However, harmful environmental effect with the use of inorganic absorbents, requirement for precise inactivators for each mycotoxin, and limited techniques to analyze the prevalence of mycotoxin & eliminate them safely among producers may hamper the growth of feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market in near future.Request Report Sample@Feed Mycotoxin Detoxifiers Market:SegmentationThe feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market has been classified on the basis of animal type, product type and end user.Based on animal type, the feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market is segmented into the following:PoultryRuminantSwinePetsAquacultureRodentsOthers Species ( Dogs, Cats, and Horses)Based on product type, the feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market is segmented into the following:Mycotoxin BindersClaysBentoniteOthersMycotoxin ModifiersYeastsEnzymesOthersBased on end user, the feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market is segmented into the following:Aquaculture IndustryIntegratorsFeed ManufacturersFarmersHome-mixersFeed Mycotoxin Detoxifiers Market:OverviewFeed mycotoxin detoxifiers market revenue is expected to grow at a rapid growth rate, over the forecast period. The market is anticipated to perform well in the near future owing to the fact that it reduces animal feed contamination from mycotoxin & its harmful effects such as immune system, organ damage and reproduction of livestock, increasing use of mycotoxin detoxifiers in livestock feed additives for better quality, and growing demand for better quality meat & processed food worldwide. Moreover, increasing livestock population, and government initiatives for animal welfare are some of the factors that can accelerate the market revenue growth of feed mycotoxin detoxifiers during the forecast period. Based on product type, binders is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period attributed to prevent the animals intestinal tract from the absorption of mycotoxin through adsorbing toxins to their surface. Based on animal type, poultry account for largest share in the feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market over the forecast period owing to rising consumer predilections for poultry meat and high presence of aflatoxins in poultry feeds that contaminate feeds & reduce chickens body weights are some of the factors that boost the demand for feed mycotoxin detoxifiers in near future.Feed Mycotoxin Detoxifiers Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on the geographic region, feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market is divided into seven key regions: North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Western Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the feed mycotoxin detoxifiers marketowing to the high preference for poultry products, better understanding among farmers for the use of feed mycotoxin detoxifiers in feed additives, and the presence of active players in these regions. Asia Pacific holds huge potential and shows substantial growth in terms of rising meat consumption along with production of local meat, increasing demand for quality food, growing awareness towards food safety, increasing per capita spending on meat related products, and expanding industrialization of animal industry in these regions.Visit For TOC@Feed Mycotoxin Detoxifiers Market:Key PlayersSome players of feed mycotoxin detoxifiers market are Bayer AG, Alltech Bio-Products Co. Ltd., Poortershaven Industrial Minerals BV, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cenzone Tech Inc., Belgium Impextraco, AMLAN International, Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Kemin Industries, Inc., Biomin Holding GmbH, Adisseo France SAS, Novozymes A/S, Tesgo International BV, Evonik Industries AG, Nutreco N.V., and Zoetis Inc.Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Wafer Coating Equipment Market - Ensuring Long And Failure-Free Operation

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A coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. Wafer coating equipment primarily helps in the deposition of functional layers of materials on wafers. The wafer coating equipment market has been segmented into by coating process which includes vapor deposition, roll-to-roll coating process, chemical and electrochemical techniques among others. The market has been segmented into by end use industry semiconductor and electronics and research and development facilities. The semiconductor and electronics is furthermore segmented into solar panels, IC applications, sensors, display panels, among others. The market for wafer coating equipment by region has been segmented into, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, MEA (Middle East and Africa) and South America.The market for wafer coating equipment has been segmented into by coating process which includes vapor deposition, roll-to-roll coating process, chemical and electrochemical techniques among others. Vapor deposition is one the leading segment in the market for wafer coating equipment. Wafer coating adds a new property which includes electrical conductivity or magnetic response and forms an essential part of the end product. Coating process primarily helps in chemical and water resistance, abrasion and temperature resistance. Vapor deposition primarily refers to any process in which materials in a vapor state are condensed through chemical reaction, condensation, or conversion to form a solid material. These processes are applied to form coatings to alter the electrical, mechanical, thermal, corrosion resistance, optical and wear properties of the substrates. Roll-to-roll coating is practiced for production of flexible and high-volume printed electronics. Spin coating, spraying, dip coatings are some of the other type of wafer coating process.Obtain Report Details @The prime end use industry of wafer coating equipment market includes semiconductor and electronics and research and development facilities. Semiconductor and electronics is furthermore segmented into IC applications, solar panels, display panels, sensors among others. Semiconductor and electronics is a major end use segment for wafer coating owing to its potential capabilities in emerging semiconductor and energy conversion technologies. Major companies focus on providing researchers a wide array of cutting-edge and high end equipment through which they can concentrate on research activities related to novel thin film coating technologies from inception to commercialization. The major attributes of electronic and semiconductor devices are flexibility, functionality, and printability. Apart from these, one most important requirement is encapsulation. Many of the materials used in organic or printed electronic displays are chemically sensitive and generally reacts with many environmental components such as moisture and oxygen. Wafer coating is generally used to encapsulate the devices against oxygen, impurities, and moisture, thereby ensuring long and failure-free operation, which is one of the major reasons behind the growing application of wafer coating equipment.In 2016, Asia Pacific held the largest market share for wafer coating equipment in terms of revenue. China is leading the wafer coating equipment market in Asia Pacific. Increasing growth of semiconductor industry across Asia Pacific due to the presence of cheap skilled labor, land and government subsidies are is simultaneously boosting the usage of wafer coating equipment in this region. In North America, growing application of wafer coating equipment in industrial set ups, electronics, automotives, medical centers, and semiconductor are contributing to the positive growth of this market in North America. U.S. and Canada is leading the market for wafer coating equipment in North America. In Europe, U.K., Germany, France, Italy are holding a prominent position in the wafer coating equipment market. Brazil, Argentina are expected to witness positive growth over the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. In Middle East and Africa, There has been considerable advancement and development in the field of wafer coating equipment due to the growing demands of the semiconductor industry as well as the usage of coating equipment in the research labs.Aixtron SE (Germany), Thomas Publishing Company LLC (The U.S.), ASM International N.V. (The Netherlands), Entegris, Inc.(The U.S.), Arradiance, Inc.(The U.S.), Veeco Instruments, Inc. (The U.S.), Applied Materials, Inc. (The U.S.), Oxford Instruments Plc (U.K.), SENTECH Instruments GmbH (Germany), S-Cubed (The U.S.), CVD Equipment Corporation (The U.S.), Encapsulix (France), Picosun Oy (Finland), NOVO Engineering (The U.S.), Ultratech Inc. (The U.S) among others are some of the major players operating in the wafer coating equipment market globally..Fill The Form For An Exclusive Sample Of This Report @The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Soda Ash Market Estimated to Soar Higher by 2021

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Soda ash also known as sodium carbonate is a salt of carbnoic acid. Soda ash is hygroscopic in nature and forms strong alkaline solution in water.Soda ash is manufactured via three different process viz. Leblanc process, Solvay process and Hous process. Solvay process is most preffered manufacturing process in the industry due to its efficiency and cost. In this process, sodium chloride to sodium carbonate in presence of ammonia. Soda ash finds applications in various end-user industries such as glass, detergents, food and beverages, chemicals and dyeing among others.To access full report @The market for soda ashwas driven by various factors from different end-user industries. Huge demand from buildings & constructionindustry is driving the soda ash market in past few years. Soda ash is used in manufacturing of flat glass which is used in modern construction activities.Increasing demand from end-user industries such as automotive from emerging countries has been one of the major factors for the growth of flat glass, subsequently increasing demand for soda ash.Another, major factor driving the soda ash market is increasing demand for powder detergents from developing countries.Soda ash is also used in various applications such as metallurgy, personal care and water treatment among others. Rising demand for personal care and water treatment industry is expected to open new markets for the soda ash market during the forecast period. Increasing demand for soda ash from fiberglass and silicates is likely to provide major opportunities for soda ash market in next few years to come. However, stern regulations faced by soda ash industry are anticipated to hider the growth of the market in next few years.A sample of this report is available upon request @In terms of demand, Asia Pacific was the leading region insoda ashmarket. Asia Pacific is anticipated to be one of the fastest growing markets for soda ash due to increasing demand for glass and detergents from emerging countries such as India, Indonesia and Korea among others. The demand for soda ash is huge especially from buildings & construction, automotive and personal care end-user industry. The market for soda ash in Asia Pacific was led by China. However, India is likely to provide better opportunity for soda ash market owing to increasing consumption from various end-user industries. Asia Pacific was followed by Europe. Increasing demand from modern construction activities has been driving the market for flat glass in Europe, thus driving the demand for soda ash in this region. Germany, the UK, France and Italy were the major consumers of soda ash in Europe. However, certain regulations related to soda ash industry is likely to stagnant the growth of the market in this region. North America had the third-largest demand for soda ash in 2012. Increasing demand from glass and detergent industry were driving the growth of the market in this region. The U.S. had the largest demand for soda ash owing to huge demand from end-user industries such as buildings & construction, personal care and automotive among others. Rest of the World market is anticipated to show potential growth for the soda ash market in near future.Latin America is anticipated to show fastest growth for the soda ash market in this region. The demand is huge owing to increasing applications in personal care and water treatment applications.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @The market for soda ash is fragmented and however, various manufacturers have dominated in particular regions. Some of the key manufacturers in thesoda ashmarket areGujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd., Solvay Chemicals Inc., OCI Chemicals Corporation and Tata Chemicals among others.Key geographies evaluated in this report are:North AmericaU.SCanadaEuropeFrance, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UKEastern EuropeCISAPACChinaIndiaJapanAustraliaOthersLatin AmericaArgentinaBrazilOthersKey features of this reportDrivers, restraints, and challenges shaping the Soda Ash market dynamicsLatest innovations and key events in the industryAnalysis of business strategies of the top playersSoda Ash market estimates and forecasts(2015 -2021)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:
Global Military Vetronics Market Is Projected To Boost, Driven By Military Modernization And Growth In Defense Budgets

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Global Military Vetronics Market Report, published by Variant Market Research, forecast that the global market is expected to reach $9 billion by 2024 from $5 billion in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2016 to 2024. By geography, Asia Pacific and Europe are expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% and 6.3%, respectively, during the forecast period.The factors influencing the growth of the global military vetronics market include, growing need for automation, modernization of defense forces, and increased use of IoT and big data. Rising use of counter IED & armored vehicles and growing demand for drones & unmanned aerial vehicles also supplements the growth of the market. Additionally, increasing defense budget in emerging economies like India, South Korea, and others would show attractive business opportunities for the market in the coming years.Browse Complete Report @Type, system type, and geography are the major segments considered in global military vetronics market. The system segment is sub-segmented into control & data distribution systems, displays systems, power systems, vehicle management system, and others. Furthermore, by type, it can be segmented into light protected vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personal carriers, unmanned ground vehicles, and armored amphibious vehicles.In systems segment, power systems and control & data distribution systems accounted for the majority of market share in 2016. Moreover, Armored personnel carriers of type segment, are anticipated to grow at a fastest CAGR during the forecast period 2016-2024, owing to its high speed and protection level.Get Free Sample of This Report @The global military vetronics market by geography is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoW. North America held the major market share in 2016, owing to increased adoption of advanced technologies and modernization of military. Whereas, Asia-Pacific is likely is attain fastest CAGR during the forecasted period driven by, rising border conflicts and growing defense investment.The key players in the market include BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin Corporation, General Dynamics, Harris Corporation, GE Intelligent Platforms, Kongsberg Gruppen, Bharat Electronics, Rheinmetall Defense, Thales Group and SAAB A.B., among others.About Variant Market Research:Variant Market Research LLP was delineated in 2015 and to launch our business and website it grabbed more than a year. Our head office is based in Pune and we also have branch in San Francisco, California, the U.S. The long time was generally used to build up a talented team of experienced professionals and analysts, to generate client satisfying exact market analysis data. The company aims to be a specialist in delivering reports on various domains with precise analysis, keeping a virtuous relationship with our consumers. Our vision says, "We would like to grow with you, making your paths simpler yet solidest" and our mission is to "Implementing our analytical, technical and marketing skills to set a new goal for our consumers, dedicatedly helping them take their next strategic moves."The Co-founders of Variant Market Research: M/S Shweta Shubham and Mr. Yogesh Godse are keen to provide services across aforementioned domains helping them to take their strategic moves regarding their business and providing them the growth opportunities. The Co-founders say, "We believe in providing the future solutions for your business, exploring the current market trends and suggesting you the future strategies and forecast of a particular market that could keep your company ahead in the competitive market rivalry." We hold expertise in our designated areas of research and consulting with a team of experts from each of the dedicated areas covered under our research. Destined by the dedicated team of analysts and experts, we are envisioned to provide you our best in order to plan your next strategic move and take your company's future ahead with our support and your esteemed cooperation.For information, contact:VARIANT MARKET RESEARCH LLPWeb:Address:649 Mission St.,5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States.Tel: +1-415-680-2785Fax: +1-415-680-2786Email: help@variantmarketresearch.com
The LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) Networks Ecosystem Market Worth Will Reach $27 Billion in service revenue by 2020

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Latest industry research report on: The LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) Networks Ecosystem Market | Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsDownload Sample copy of this Report @Until recently, most M2M and IoT services have largely relied on licensed cellular, wireline and satellite networks for their wide area connectivity requirements. Cellular networks, in particular, have enjoyed significant success in the arena. However, for many low bandwidth IoT applications, traditional cellular networks are deemed too expensive due excessive power consumption and complex protocols that lower battery life. As a result, a number of LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) alternatives have emerged that specifically seek to address these concerns.LPWA networks are optimized to provide wide area coverage with minimal power consumption. Typically reliant on unlicensed frequencies, LPWA devices have low data rates, long battery lives and can operate unattended for long periods of time.Complete Report Details @Already prevalent in IoT applications such as smart metering, lighting control and parking management, LPWA networks are expected to make a significant contribution to the M2M and IoT ecosystem, with an estimated $27 Billion in service revenue by 2020.The LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) Networks Ecosystem: 2015  2030  Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts report presents an in-depth assessment of the LPWA networks ecosystem including LPWA technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, vertical market applications, deployment case studies, regulatory landscape, standardization, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents market size forecasts from 2015 till 2030. The forecasts are segmented for 9 vertical markets and 6 regions.The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.Topics CoveredThe report covers the following topics:LPWA networks ecosystemMarket drivers and barriersLPWA technologies, spectrum bands and key trendsAssessment of competing cellular, satellite, wireline and short range networking technologiesVertical market applications, opportunities and deployment case studiesRegulatory landscape and standardizationIndustry roadmap and value chainProfiles and strategies of over 100 leading ecosystem playersStrategic recommendations for ecosystem playersMarket analysis and forecasts from 2017 till 2030Forecast SegmentationConnection and service revenue forecasts are provided for the following submarkets:Technology SubmarketsProprietary LPWA TechnologiesNB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things)LTE Cat-M1 (eMTC/LTE-M)EC-GSM-IoT (Enhanced Coverage GSM for the Internet of Things)Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @Vertical MarketsAgricultureAsset Management & LogisticsAutomotive & TransportationConsumer Applications & Home AutomationEnergy & UtilitiesHealthcareIntelligent Buildings & InfrastructurePublic Safety, Security & SurveillanceRetail & VendingOthersRegional MarketsAsia PacificEastern EuropeMiddle East & AfricaLatin & Central AmericaNorth AmericaWestern EuropeKey Questions AnsweredThe report provides answers to the following key questions:How big is the LPWA networks opportunity?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?Which regions and submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?How are smart city initiatives driving LPWA network investments?What are the key performance characteristics of LPWA technologies such as Sigfox, LoRa, NB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT?How does regulation impact the adoption of LPWA networks?Do cellular LPWA networks pose a threat to proprietary LPWA technologies?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?What strategies should LPWA technology providers, mobile operators, MVNOs, aggregators, IoT platform providers and other ecosystem players adopt to remain competitive?Key FindingsThe report has the following key findings:Already prevalent in IoT applications such as smart metering, lighting control and parking management, LPWA networks are expected to make a significant contribution to the M2M and IoT ecosystem, with an estimated $23 Billion in service revenue by 2020.At present, a majority of LPWA networks are based on proprietary technologies and operate in license-exempt spectrum primarily in sub-GHz bands.With the recent completion of the NB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT standards by the 3GPP, mobile operators are aggressively investing in software upgrades to build their own carrier-grade LPWA networks.By 2020, SNS Research estimates that more than 35% of all LPWA profile IoT devices will be served by NB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT networks.As of Q42016, SNS Research estimates the cost of a typical LPWA module to be $4-18, depending on the specific technology. As LPWA network deployments mature, we expect that the cost per module can drop down to as low as $1-2 in volume quantities.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Ferrochromium Market Projected to Witness Vigorous Expansion by 2022

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Ferrochromium, also known as Ferrochrome, is an alloy of iron and chromium containing 50 to 70% of chromium. It is produced by electric arc melting of chromium ore and chromite. Ferrochromium is consumed extensively in the manufacturing of steel to achieve the qualities such as corrosion resistance, tensile strength, heat resistance and yield strength. The global ferrochromium market is anticipated to be in deficit to cater the increasing global steel market in near future. Ferrochromium is mostly produced in India, China, South Africa and Kazakhstan because of large chromite resources found in these countries. The global ferrochromium market is witnessing a modest single digit CAGR growth up till now and is expected to continue in future.To access full report @Ferrochromium is having its maximum share of consumption in steel industry and due to the ever increasing construction and demand of steel the global ferrochromium market is forecasted to flourish. In order to get a continuous supply of raw material for ferrochrome, China has established its operations in the countries like Turkey, South Africa, Philippines and Zimbabwe which would boost the global ferrochromium market in future. Due to the favourable conditions like lower electricity price and lower labour cost in upcoming markets like China, the production cost reduces comparatively. This will boost the production of ferrochrome to suffice its increasing demand and will contribute in global ferrochromium market.The global ferrochromium market can get hampered because of the increase in the export tax and fixed export quotas imposed by South Africa on chrome ore, owing to the concern of losing ferrochromium market to China. South Africa is having a significant market share in global ferrochromium market but there are concerns of power supply and higher production cost which would lead to the closure of small competitors and is estimated to slowdown the global ferrochromium market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Based on the carbon percentage, the global ferrochromium market is segmented as Extra low carbon ferrochromium powderLow carbon ferrochromium powderHigh carbon ferrochromium powderExtra high carbon ferrochromium powderBased in the available form, the global ferrochromium market is segmented as Ferrochromium slagFerrochromium powderBased on the application, the global ferrochromium market is segmented as Ball bearing steelsAcid resistant steelsCast ironsPowder metallurgyOthers (civil engineering, refractory materials)The global ferrochromium market can be divided into five regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific is having the maximum market share in global ferrochromium market, China and India are the countries having an excellent steel market, so these countries are significant in the consumption of ferrochrome. China is expanding its capacity to import chrome ore for the production of ferrochrome from the countries like South Africa, Turkey, Zimbabwe. Middle East and Africa are also marking a significant growth in the global ferrochromium market, Especially South Africa is having plenty of chromite resources for the production of ferrochrome. Europe is an emerging market in the field of ferrochrome and is anticipated to have a considerable market in future due to the flourishing automobile sector in the region. North America and Latin America is at a nascent stage in the global ferrochromium market.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players in global ferrochromium market are, Nava Bharat Ventures Limited, VISA STEEL, Balasore Alloys Limited, Aarti Steels Ltd, SR Group, Vyankatesh Metals & Alloys Pvt. LtdThe report covers exhaustive analysis on:Ferrochromium Market SegmentsFerrochromium Market DynamicsHistorical Actual Market Size, 2012  2014Ferrochromium Market Size & Forecast 2015 to 2025Supply & Demand Value ChainFerrochromium Market Current Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainFerrochromium Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for Ferrochromium Market includesNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific & JapanThe Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamicsIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trendsKey Competition landscapeStrategies of key players and product offeringsPotential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective towards market performanceAbout 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:
The Trump administration agreed this week to waive part of the penalty Harley-Davidson Inc. agreed to pay last year to settle a case over air pollution involving racing tuners that caused its motorcycles to emit higher-than-allowed pollution levels.

The Justice Department filed a new consent decree with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Thursday. It eliminated a requirement that the Milwaukee-based company spend $3 million to curb air pollution in local communities by paying to replace conventional woodstoves with cleaner-burning versions.

Harley-Davidson would still pay a $12 million fine.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed government lawyers last month to no longer seek settlements requiring offenders to pay third-party organizations to carry out pollution mitigation projects.

A judge must still approve the revision. Harley-Davidson declined to comment on the settlement change, referring questions back to the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Harley-Davidson executives met with President Donald Trump in February to discuss his push for America First trade deals. The White House did not respond to questions Thursday about whether the legal tussle over the companys alleged environmental violations came up in the meeting or in subsequent discussions.

The company has denied wrongdoing in the case, which involved about 340,000 Screamin Eagle Pro Super Tuners that allowed users to modify a motorcycles emissions control system to increase power and performance, according to court filings. The racing tuners, which the prosecutors said were illegal defeat devices under federal law, also increased the amounts of such harmful air pollutants as nitrogen oxide spewing from the bikes tailpipes.

Harley-Davidson said the offending tuners, which it no longer sells, were intended only for motorcycles ridden off-road and in closed-course competition.
The Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Market expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 12% over the next four years

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Latest industry research report on: The Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem Market : Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsDownload Sample copy of this Report @Given the increasing prevalence of expensive household goods, cars and consumer electronics, insurance has become an unavoidable and often necessary cost in modern life. Mobile phones, and smartphones in particular are no exception to this trend.Most major wireless carriers, insurance specialists, device OEMs, retailers and even banks now offer insurance plans that cover theft, loss, malfunctions and damage of mobile phones. Many policies now also integrate enhanced technical support and additional protection features such as data backup facilities, allowing users to securely backup their phone data online.SNS Research estimates that the global mobile phone insurance market is expected to account for nearly $20 Billion in revenue by the end of 2016. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 12% over the next four years, eventually accounting for over $30 Billion in revenue by the end of 2020.Complete Report Details @The "Mobile Phone Insurance Ecosystem: 2016  2030  Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts" report presents an in-depth assessment of the mobile phone insurance ecosystem including market drivers, challenges, opportunities, value chain, future roadmap, case studies, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents market size forecasts from 2016 through to 2030. The forecasts are segmented for 5 regional and 25 country level markets.Key Findings:The report has the following key findings:SNS Research estimates that the global mobile phone insurance market is expected to account for nearly $20 Billion in revenue by the end of 2016.The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 12% over the next four years, eventually accounting for over $30 Billion in revenue by the end of 2020.In an effort to boost the uptake of mobile phone insurance, wireless carriers and insurance providers have extensively enhanced their insurance offerings with the addition of location tracking, data protection/recovery features and integrated technical support.The success of mobile phone insurance plans has driven several wireless carriers, such as NTT DoCoMo and Orange, to invest in the sales of other insurance products through mobile phones and their retail outlets.New insurance models are also beginning to emerge, such as London-based So-Sures social insurance for mobile phones, which allows customers to get up to 80% of their money back, if they and their friends dont claim.Device OEMs are beginning to invest in tailored plans to suit the specific requirements of certain regional markets. A good example is Xiaomis Mi Protect plan in India, which covers accidental and liquid damage, for as little as $7 per year.Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @Topics Covered:The report covers the following topics:Mobile phone insurance ecosystemMarket drivers and barriersInsurance policy structure, distribution channels and key trendsCase studies of mobile phone insurance initiativesIndustry roadmap and value chainProfiles and strategies of over 40 leading ecosystem playersStrategic recommendations for ecosystem playersMarket analysis and forecasts from 2016 till 2030Forecast Segmentation:Market forecasts are provided for the following regional and country level submarkets:Regional SegmentationAsia PacificEuropeLatin & Central AmericaMiddle East & AfricaNorth AmericaCountry Level SegmentationArgentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, UK & USAKey Questions Answered:The report provides answers to the following key questions:How big is the mobile phone insurance opportunity?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?How is the ecosystem evolving by region?What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?Which countries will see the highest percentage of growth?Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?What risks are typically covered in mobile phone insurance offerings?How can insurance plans help wireless carriers in reducing churn?What strategies should wireless carriers, device OEMs and insurance providers adopt to remain competitive?Countries covered:ArgentinaAustraliaBrazilCanadaChinaColombiaFranceGermanyHong KongIndiaIsraelItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandRussiaSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainTaiwanUKUSAAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Disk Storage Systems Market Size will Observe Substantial Growth by 2025

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Disk storage system is the secondary storage systems in computers after RAM (random-access memory). Floppy disk drive and hard disk drive are both good examples of secondary storage devices. Disk is a general category storage place having a round plate on which data can be encoded. Disk storage systems provide storage productivity solutions such as virtualization, real time compression and delivering of the services.Get access to full summary @:Due to increasing volume of data, the demand for storage devices is increasing in developing countries to a great extent. Digital disk systems are the block storage devices divided in logical which are the collection of sectors. These are generally used in data centers providing technological advancements in the global market.Disk Storage Systems Market: Drivers and ChallengesThe increasing amount of data growing volume of data and storage capabilities are the major drivers for this industry. However, issues with storage densities, capacities and high cost for emerging technologies are some factors hindering the growth of the market.Disk Storage Systems Market: SegmentationOn the basis of end-user, disk storage system market can be segmented into industrial automation, energy and power distribution applications, automotive and transportation applications, consumer electronics, healthcare applications and military applicationsOn the basis of region, disk storage system market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and Japan.Disk Storage Systems Market: Regional OutlookNorth America and Europe market are in advanced stage of adoption of disk storage device. However, Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to witness the highest growth rates due to increasing data in developing countries.A sample of this report is available upon request @Key Market Players:Some of the leading players of Disk Storage Systems Market are: NetApp, IBM, HP Inc., Seagate Technology LLC, Micron Technology, Inc., SanDisk, Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, Dell and Hitachi, Ltd.In September 2016, Dell acquired EMC Corporation in US$67 bn deal. However, there are a lot of new players entering the market as it holds huge business opportunities.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:
The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years

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Latest industry research report on: The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market : Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsDownload Sample copy of this Report @Due to the bandwidth limitations of their traditional voice-centric LMR (Land Mobile Radio) networks, public safety agencies are keen to leverage commercial cellular network technology to support their growing broadband application needs. Considering its thriving ecosystem, spectrum flexibility and performance metrics, LTE has emerged as the leading candidate for public safety mobile broadband networks. In addition, with the recent approval of the MCPTT (Mission Critical Push to Talk) voice standard as part of 3GPP Release 13, LTE has also become an attractive substitute for providing LMR-like voice services.The Qatar Ministry of Interior made headlines when it deployed a private 800 MHz LTE network in 2012. Since then, numerous public safety LTE networks have sprung up across the globe, including the UAE, China, Laos, Turkey and Kenya. Several early adopter LTE deployments are also operational in the United States, as part of the planned FirstNet nationwide public safety broadband network. While most initial public safety LTE investments are limited to small-scale networks, nationwide rollouts in the United States and South Korea are expected to trigger significant large-scale investments throughout the globe.The European market is largely dominated by MVNO arrangements, such as the UK Home Offices ESN (Emergency Services Network) program that will use EEs commercial LTE network to deliver prioritized mission critical voice and data services for the UKs public safety agencies. As part of the program, EE is enhancing its existing network with additional sites, satellite backhaul and a dedicated mobile core for first responders, among other investments.Complete Report Details @Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $600 Million by the end of 2016. The market, which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport networking gear, is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years. By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by over 4.4 Million LTE device shipments, including smartphones, rugged handheld terminals and vehicular routers.The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: 2016  2030  Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts report presents an in-depth assessment of the global public safety LTE market, besides touching upon the wider LMR and mobile broadband industries. In addition to covering the business case, challenges, technology, spectrum allocation, industry roadmap, value chain, deployment case studies, vendor products, strategies, standardization initiatives and applications ecosystem for public safety LTE, the report also presents comprehensive forecasts for mobile broadband, LMR and public safety LTE subscriptions from 2016 till 2030. Also covered are public safety LTE service revenues, over both private and commercial networks. In addition, the report presents revenue forecasts for public safety LTE infrastructure, devices, integration services and management solutions.The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report, as well as a list and associated details of over 90 global public safety LTE network commitments (as of Q22016).Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @Key Findings:The report has the following key findings:SNS Research estimates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $600 Million by the end of 2016. The market, which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport networking gear, is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years.By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by over 4.4 Million LTE device shipments, including smartphones, rugged handheld terminals and vehicular routers.Following the Qatar Ministry of Interiors private 800 MHz LTE network deployment in 2012, multiple private LTE rollouts are underway by security forces throughout the oil rich GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, including the Abu Dhabi and Dubai police forces.Driven by nationwide public safety LTE network rollouts in the United States and South Korea, the North America and Asia Pacific regions will account for nearly 70% of all public safety LTE investments over the next four years.Almost all major LMR industry players are leveraging partnerships with established LTE infrastructure OEMs such as Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and Samsung, to offer end-to-end LTE solutions.Consolidation efforts are continuing to take place throughout the industry, particularly among the largest LTE infrastructure OEMs and public safety system integrators.Topics Covered:The report covers the following topics:Business case for public safety LTE and mobile broadband services, including key benefits and challengesTechnology, economics, trends, commercial commitments and deployment case studiesList of public safety LTE engagements worldwidePublic safety LTE infrastructure, devices and applicationsIndustry roadmap, value chain and standardization initiativesSpectrum allocation, deployment models and funding strategiesProfiles and strategies of over 260 ecosystem players including public safety system integrators and LTE infrastructure/device OEMsTCO analysis of private and commercial public safety LTE deploymentsMilitary and tactical LTE deploymentsPublic safety LTE base station (eNB) form factor analysisExclusive interview transcripts from 5 key ecosystem players: Ericsson, Airbus Defence and Space, Sepura, Aricent and Parallel WirelessStrategic recommendations for vendors, system integrators, public safety agencies and mobile operatorsMarket analysis and forecasts from 2016 till 2030Forecast Segmentation:Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:Public Safety LTE InfrastructureSubmarketsRAN (Radio Access Network)EPC (Evolved Packet Core) and PolicyMobile Backhaul and TransportRAN Base Station (eNB) Mobility CategoriesFixed Base StationsTransportable Base StationsRAN Base Station (eNB) Cell Size CategoriesMacrocellsSmall CellsTransportable RAN Base Station (eNB) Form Factor CategoriesNIB (Network-in-a-Box)VNS (Vehicle Network System)SOW (System-on-Wheels)Airborne PlatformPublic Safety LTE Management & Integration SolutionsSubmarketsNetwork Integration & TestingDevice Management & User ServicesManaged Services, Operations & MaintenanceCybersecurityPublic Safety LTE DevicesSubmarketsPrivate LTECommercial LTEForm Factor CategoriesSmartphones & Handportable TerminalsVehicle Mount Routers & TerminalsTablets & Notebook PCsUSB Dongles & OthersPublic Safety LTE Subscriptions & Service RevenueSubmarketsPrivate LTECommercial LTEPublic Safety User Subscriptions over Private Mobile BroadbandSubmarketsPrivate LTEPrivate WiMAXPublic Safety User Subscriptions over Commercial Mobile BroadbandSubmarkets3GWiMAXLTE5G & BeyondLMR SubscriptionsSubmarketsAnalogDMRdPMR, NXDN & PDTP25TETRATetrapolOthersLMR Data SubscriptionsSubmarketsP25 - Phase 1P25 - Phase 2TETRATEDSTetrapolOthersPublic Safety LTE ApplicationsSubmarketsVideo ApplicationszGIS, AVLS and MappingMobile VPN Access & SecurityCAD (Computer Aided Dispatching)Remote Database AccessTelemetry and Remote DiagnosticsBulk Multimedia/Data TransfersPTT & Voice over LTESituational Awareness ApplicationsRegional SegmentationAsia PacificEastern EuropeLatin & Central AmericaMiddle East & AfricaNorth AmericaWestern EuropeKey Questions Answered:The report provides answers to the following key questions:How big is the public safety LTE opportunity?What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?Which regions and submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?How does standardization impact the adoption of LTE for public safety applications?When will MCPTT and proximity services see large scale proliferation?What is the status of private LTE rollouts and public safety MVNO offerings across the globe?What opportunities exist for commercial mobile operators and MVNOs in the public safety LTE market?Is there a market for 400 MHz LTE networks?What are the prospects of tactical, vehicle-mounted and airborne LTE eNB platforms?How can public safety agencies leverage unused spectrum resources to fund private LTE networks?What strategies should system integrators and vendors adopt to remain competitive?About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Biometric Vaporizer Market - Advanced Features Are Incorporated In Order To Keep A Record Of Their Nicotine Consumption.

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An electronic cigarette or vaporizer also alternatively known as an ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery System) is a battery operated device that gives the essence of tobacco smoking to the user without inhaling the smoke. A vaporizer which is reckoned as a crucial alternative of the conventional cigarette emits nicotine in a vaporized form that is inhaled by the user. Though the effect of using vaporizer on human body is not fully known, it is considered as less toxic that the conventional tobacco cigarette as it produces vapor instead of smoke. With the increasing demand of vaporizer, many technological advancement took place in order to protect the vaporizer for getting used by other users other than the owner. In 2014, Vapor Corp introduced the concept of biometric vaporizer. An advanced fingerprint unlock mechanism is integrated in a vaporizer that allows the owner to initiate the function of vaporizing using his fingerprint. In addition, it also protects the vaporizer from getting stolen as it will be of no use to that person. The demand of biometric vaporizer is predicted to experience a stable growth rate during the forecast period from 2018 to 2024 in order to protect the device and to keep kids away for using the vaporizer.Obtain Report Details @Though the product was scheduled to be launched by Vapor Corp in 2014, the product is still in the research stage at present and is anticipated to get commercially launched by the end of 2017 of beginning of 2018. Up to 2019 to 2020, the market is predicted to experience a sluggish growth rate due to lack of consumer awareness. However, from 2021, the biometric vaporizer market is expected to grow rapidly when majority of the regulatory framework will fall in its place, thereby generating significant revenue.Initiatives taken by the parents consuming e-cigarettes to protect their children from using vaporizer considering the ill effects of tobacco is the most important factor predicted to boost the demand of biometric vaporizer during the forecast period from 2018 to 2025. Moreover, initiative taken by Vapor Corp to integrate other smart features that will keep a track of the amount of nicotine consumed or frequency of vaporizer usage is also predicted to create a better opportunity for the company to make their product salable. Furthermore, increasing health consciousness of the consumers is also predicted to boost the demand of biometric vaporizer after these advanced features are incorporated in order to keep a record of their nicotine consumption.However, predated high price of the product coupled with complex usage along with with low market penetration at the initial stage will results in low revenue inflow of the manufacturers. This in turn is expected to limit many e-cigarette manufacturers to enter into the market, thereby affecting the market negatively. Moreover, the local government and various regions proposal to impose hefty takes on e-cigarette is also anticipated to act as a restraining factor to the growth of this market in the coming years. In addition, immense competition in terms of price and product offerings of the already existing leading players of the e-cigarette market is also anticipated to deter the demand of biometric vaporizer to some extent during the forecast period.The future growth of the biometric vaporizer market is largely dependent on the regulatory framework implemented by the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, a recently established regulatory body and vaping association. Moreover, following the regulations of TPD (Tobacco Product Directive) implemented by the EU (European Union), various vaporizer company are expected to bring drastic changes in their distribution and marketing strategies which in turn is also predicted to effect the market demand of biometric vaporizer in the coming years.Fill The Form For An Exclusive Sample Of This Report @Geographically, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to experience the most promising market in term of growth in the coming years owing to large consumer base of technologically advanced products. On the other hand, imposition of taxes in four major states of the U.S on e-cigarettes is expected to be the primary factor behind the anticipated sluggish demand of biometric vaporizer in North America during the forecast period from 2018 to 2025.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Electricity Transmission Towers Market is Expected to Continue Flourishing in Developed and Developing Regions of World, 2025

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Electricity transmission towers are units that support power carrying conductors, i.e. overhead power lines between the generating end station and the local end substation. Electricity transmission towers play a vital role in delivering power through overhead lines by structurally supporting heavy high-voltage conductors. To transmit maximum power (110 kV or above) through overhead lines, typically towers have a height varying between 15 meters and 55 meters to withstand the tension. Normally, for heavy power transmission, HVDC (high-voltage direct-current) technology is used in long distance transmission to reduce power losses, and limit voltage drops; these DC conductors carry uniform voltage throughout their cross-sectional area. At maximum efficiency, the sending-end voltage should be equal to the receiving-end voltage, without any voltage drop out.To view complete report @Electricity (both power and energy) is a commodity that can be traded in a market place, such as to transmit electricity to a rural place, where the generated power is delivered to consumers, known as end users and also to manufacturing industries. In this process, transmission towers are essential to carry power, which drives the electricity transmission towers market. Aging tower infrastructure necessitates replacement with new towers, and hence drives the electricity transmission towers market.Electricity transmission towers have high tensile strength, and are designed as per the power rating of the conductor and supply frequency to withstand natural calamities and temperatures without losses. Transmission towers carrying high tension conductors with ground level clearance must be designed appropriately after calculating SAG. SAG is defined as the difference between the level between points of support and the lowest point on a conductor. Electricity transmission towers consist of the following parts: Boom of transmission tower, Transmission tower body, Peak of transmission tower, Cage of transmission tower, Cross arm of transmission tower, Stub/ anchor bolt and base plate assembly transmission tower, Leg of transmission tower.A sample of this report is available upon request @For residential or short distance purposes, electricity transmission towers are selected on the basis of usage and capacity of power conductors, whereas for long distances all the factors to be considered. Increasing population and growing demand for electricity drives growth of the electricity transmission towers market. Developing countries in the APAC region, such as India and China are estimated to hold a relatively high market share due to power deficiency, and lack of power supply in rural areas. After Asia Pacific, Europe is forecasted to capture a relatively high market share due to a high necessity for power in the increasing number of industries. North America and the Middle East collectively hold the third spot in terms of market share, owing to increase in industries, manufacturing, and oil and gas. Growing demand for electricity across the globe has created new opportunities for the global electricity transmission towers market.Global Electricity Transmission Towers Market: SegmentationThe global electricity transmission tower market can be segmented in a number of ways, of which two prominent classifications can be derived on the basis of type and design. The global electricity transmission tower market, segmented on the basis of type: AC, DC. The global electricity transmission tower market, segmented on the basis of design: Lattice, Tubular Steel, Concrete, Wood.Global Electricity Transmission Towers Market: Key Trends and DriversGrowing demand for electricity and an increased rate of industrialization in developing countries drives the growth of the electricity transmission tower market. Aging infrastructure and increasing rate of bulk power transmission across long distances drives growth of the electricity transmission towers market. Varying steel prices, availability of steel, and import and export restrictions may impact the electricity transmission towers market.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Global Electricity Transmission Towers Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified across the value chain include Zhejiang Shengda Steel Tower Co. Ltd., Prysmian S.p.A., Nanjing Daji Iron Tower Manufacturing Company Ltd., Weifang Changan Steel Tower Stock Company Ltd., Associated Power Structures Pvt. Ltd., Karamtara Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., and Nexans S.A.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:
Cell Culture Imaging Market - Huge Applications In The Research And Development Sector For Making Advanced Cells Will Provide Huge Growth Opportunities

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Spheroids techniques are developed for efficient and reliable research on 3-D cell culture further improving the application of spheroids in complex procedures that has led to the usage of cell culture imaging devices. Three dimensional culturing of cells has numerous advantages as compared to monolayer cultures with spheroids being represented in-vitro in the form of small avascular tumors. Various methods or procedures are generated using these techniques such as floating method and hanging drop method among others. Global market for cell culture imaging has been segmented into type, application and geography. Primary cell culture, secondary cell culture and cell line are different types based on which the global market for cell culture imaging has been segmented. The different application areas based on which the global market for cell culture imaging has been segmented into R&D facilities and healthcare among others.Global spheroids counting system market on the basis of geography has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Browse Report Details @Spheroids helps in improving the relevance of in-vitro results forming a major factor that contributes to the growing demand for cell culture imaging market. Spheroids form the biological models that deals with native tissues and engineered solutions further acting as building blocks that are needed for making tissues forming a major factor contributing to the growth of this market globally. In addition to this, applications of cell cultures in cell biology research and engineering of tissues for making it at par with the architectural environment of the natural tissues has also been another major factor to boost the demand for cell culture imaging market globally. Moreover, application of cell culture has lifesaving benefits for critically injured patients that has resulted in the technology being used to capture the defects and working of cells after they are cultured. Considering all these factors that has acted as drivers for this market there are also certain restraints that restricts the demand for this market. One such major restraint being the microscopy techniques that may function well for optically transparent and thin cultures but is not suited for imaging of 3D cell structures. Another major restraint for this market would be the risks associated with the replication of natural cell environment that may have adverse effects on the body of the patient. Along with this, any default on the monitoring of the imaging results may also prove life threatening further contributing to being another major restraint for this market. Huge applications in the research and development sector for making advanced cells will also provide huge growth opportunities for this market in the coming years.Geographically, it is North America that has contributed as one of the major regions for the growth of this market globally followed by Europe. Huge investments being made in the healthcare sector along with applications in R&D has formed some of the other major reasons for the growth of market in this region. Other than this, Asia Pacific has been another major region contributing to the growth of this market along with being one of the fastest growing region globally. China, Japan and India are some of the major regions in the Asia Pacific contributing to the growth. Huge government grants being made in the healthcare sector and research and development facilities has acted as some major drivers for the growth of this market in this region.Some of the major players operating in the cell culture imaging market includes Tokyo Electron (Japan), Screen Holding Co. Ltd. (Japan), and BD Lifesciences (The U.S.) among others present in the market globally. Companies operating in this market focuses on technological advancement as well as invests heavily in research and development for enhancing the company portfolio of different products.Fill The Form For An Exclusive Sample Of This Report @The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Faucets Market Revenue Predicted to Go Up by 2025 - PMR Report

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A faucet is a device regulating the release of any form of liquid or gas. Faucets consist of various components, which include handle, cartridge, spout, mixing chamber, aerator, and water inlets. Faucets are available in wide range of colors, styles, and finishes in order to meet the demand from customers. When the handle of a faucet is turned on, the valve opens and regulates the flow of liquid/gas. The flow can be adjusted as per the users requirement. The body of the faucet is generally made of brass, although die-cast zinc and chrome-plated plastic are also utilized in the manufacture.To view complete report @Residential faucets are usually available as single or dual control cartridge faucets. In single control type, a metal or plastic core is fitted, which operates vertically. Dual control type uses a metal ball, with spring loaded rubber seals fitted on to the body of the faucet. Cheaper versions of dual control faucets comprises of nylon cartridges with rubber seals. Certain faucets encompass a ceramic disc cartridge, which is relatively durable.Global Faucets Market: SegmentationThe global faucets market can be segmented on the basis of type, end-users, and applicationOn the basis of type, global faucets market can be segmented into: One-hand mixer, Two-hand mixer, Others (pillars). On the basis of end-user, global faucets market can be segmented into: Residential, Commercial, Industrial. On the basis of application, global faucets market can be segmented into: Bathroom Faucets, Kitchen Faucets.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global Faucets Market: DynamicsGrowing real estate sector including commercial, residential, and hospitality sectors, along with the rising disposable incomes, steady increase in urbanization, and high brand awareness among the consumers are projected to be the various factors boosting the growth of the global faucets market. Moreover, governments of various countries are introducing novel housing policies for rural areas, lowering housing loans, endorsing foreign investments in industrial sector and so on. The aforementioned reasons are expected to bolster the demand for faucets and in turn, propel the global faucets market growth.The rapid growth exhibited by the housing industry acts as the key driver bolstering the faucets market growth. The steady rise in the sales of homes and construction of skyscrapers and new commercial as well as residential buildings in several developing countries are projected to influence the growth of global market for faucets significantly over the forecast period.On the other hand, lack of penetration into several countries continue to serve as a major restraint to the industry. This is expected to slightly reduce the demand for faucets in near-future and thus restraining the growth of global faucets market. The key challenge identified in the market for the manufacturers is to meet the water conservation laws; according to these laws, faucets are manufactured in such a way that they must conserve water.In order to meet the ever increasing demand by consumers, value addition and quality improvement are the two major concerning factors, which will offer growth opportunity for the manufacturers of faucets across the globe.The key trend identified in the global faucets market include the manufacturing of sensor-based and battery operated faucets and also the significant drop in prices.Global Faucets Market: Region-wise OutlookRising per-capita income and high consumer spending power in developing countries, such as India and China, are the two major factors influencing the demand for faucets in the Asia Pacific region. The region is expected to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period, followed by Europe and North America. Europe is expected to be ahead of North America in styles, color, and designing department.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Global Faucets Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the examples of the market participants in the faucets market identified across the value chain include GROHE AG, Kohler Co., TOTO LTD., Jaquar, MAC FAUCETS, LLC., CERA Sanitaryware Limited, VitrA, and Agmeco Faucets Private Limited among others.Manufacturers are focusing on technology advancement, which helps in easier operations of the faucets and repair owing to fiber optics. These technological improvements are estimated to result in the introduction of electronic-based faucets in the residential sector.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:
Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors System Market Segments, Opportunity, Growth and Forecast By End-use Industry 2017  2027

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Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors are the devices used for monitoring the level of arterial oxygen tension (pO2), carbon dioxide tension (pCO2), and acidity (pH), these parameters assist in disease diagnosis such as shock, overdose of a particular drug, pulmonary disorder etc. The Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors are vital devices for CCU and ICU rooms in the hospital. The Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors market has evolved gradually from single parameter table-top devices to technologically advanced compact hand held devices. Currently, Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors system market comprises of handheld Blood Gas Monitors and bench-top Monitors, depending upon their size and portability. Apart from the normal blood gas monitors the next generation monitors have the ability to monitor glucose and calculate factors, such as P/F ratio and temperature corrected gases. This ability to measure blood glucose and monitor blood gases directly, frequently and easily by the patient, can allow closer patient management and earlier interventions.Request Report Sample@Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors System Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe primary factor for the growth of global blood gas Monitors market is the increasing number of hospital admissions attributed to increasing geriatric population and rising incidence of chronic diseases. Secondly growing healthcare expenditure levels and the introduction of advanced technologiesdrives the market growth for Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors systems over the forecast period. However stringent regulatory norms in some countries and high cost of point of care (POC) devices are the factoring restraining the market growth of Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors system market over the forecast period.Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors System Market: SegmentationThis market is segmented on the basis of product type, distribution channel and drug classSegmentation based by product typeBench TopPortableSegmentation based by end userHospitalsCardiac CentersClinical LaboratoriesOthersSegmentation based by applicationNext Generation Blood Gas MonitorsCombined Next Generation Blood Gas MonitorsNext Generation Blood Gas Monitors system market is mainly dominated by trends such as introduction of technically advanced sleek hand held devices having short turnaround time. Also the trends such as, increasing inclination to adopt combined Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors, which analyzes electrolyte parameters along with blood gas and manufacturers consistently focusing on developing user friendly and automated devices, which provides accurate results in short time are changing the market scenario, however there are many such trends expected to dominate the market over the forecast period.Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors System Market: OverviewThere are different varieties of Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors devices available in the market.Depending on geographic region, the Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors system market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.Globally, Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors market is expected to witness healthy growth in the near future due to increasing number of product innovations and the rise in per capita expenditure on healthcare in the developing nations. Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors system market is anticipated to show highest share is of North America followed by Europe owing to technological advancement, sophisticated technologically advanced healthcare infrastructure and more number of market players in these regions. Also it has been analyzed that most of the Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors available in North America and Western Europe have ability to integrate with the EMR system of the hospital, thus improving and streamlining the work flow at the healthcare facilities. Asia-Pacific market is expected to register fastest growth owing to the rise in geriatric population and also the rise in incidence of chronic diseases over the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors System Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in global Next Generation Blood Gas Monitors market includes Medica, Bayer, Radiometer Medical, Convergent technologies, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Alere, Inc., Nova Biomedical, Roche Diagnostics, and Siemens Healthcare, Samsung Medison, Erba, Nova Stat, Edan Instruments, Alere, Dalko Diagnostics etc. these players are entering into mergers & acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and product portfolio expansions, which are their key sustainability strategies. Secondly many local players have started entering in this lucrative market.Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Scale Supports Non-Blocking Network Inside Mega Data Center Building and More Efficient Processing

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"The Report Scale Supports Non-Blocking Network Inside Mega Data Center Building and More Efficient Processing provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"DescriptionNext generation mega data center technology is able to leverage scale to implement cloud computing that is better than most of what is out there now.Scale is a vital part of the technology used to support next generation data centers. The study is targeted to C-level executives that need to move quickly and surely to improve IT. Automation of IT depends on understanding the business market opportunity from an independent perspective. Vendors are smart but they are committed to the technology they are pushing, the Sea Change Series from WinterGreen Research is able to provide a perspective not available anywhere else.Get Sample copy of this Report @Extreme scale is what brings enough pathways inside a Mega data center to create a non-blocking (CLOS) networked server architecture. Non-blocking network architecture benefits the business because it permits launching thousands of virtual severs on demand at the application layer. In this manner, innovation can be made to happen quickly.Using a mega data center, DevOps and/or automated processes can request and deploy additional resource without backing the Dell truck up to the data center every week to provide on-demand capacity. Automated deprovisioning handles freeing of surplus resources, while being virtual means not having stacks of surplus hardware to dispose of as underutilized capital assets.Modern data centers are organized into processing nodes that manage different applications at a layer above infrastructure. Data is stored permanently and operated on in place. These are the two technologies to check for when choosing a data center. These architectural features provide economies of scale that greatly reduce the IT spend while offering better quality IT.Once scale is in place, then the economies of scale kick in. When negotiating for cloud capability, managers need to check to see that sufficient multiple pathways are available to reach any node in a non-blocking manner. Non-blocking architecture is more efficient than other IT infrastructure and supports better innovation for apps and smart digitization. Not all cloud architectures offer this business benefit.The Cloud 2.0 mega data center platform fabric technologies support the digital economy by creating scale with a network internal to the mega data center system image. Without scale, there are not enough pathways inside the data center to enable elimination of bottlenecks. Access to every node in the fabric, and multiple duplicate pathways to every node are needed to enable real time application connectivity. With sufficient scale, if one pathway is blocked, there are enough other pathways to get to the desired node resources.The theme of this study is that scale matters.View Report @Scale can be implemented by IT, but the executive needs to understand that there is a difference between different technologies. In a mega data center, the system is implemented as a fabric: servers are linked to top of rack switches, which are made from merchant silicon chips, mostly Broadcom, some switch ASICs. A pod of server racks are linked to each other through an edge aggregation switch. A pod of server racks is based on the same ASICs as in the top of rack switches.The importance of nonblocking architecture is compelling. Aggregation switches are lashed together through a set of non-blocking spine switches. All switches are based on the same chip. This is precisely the way Facebook is building its own Wedge and 6-pack open switches nine years after Google did it. The amazing thing is that Facebook had not done this already.The four superstar companies that are able to leverage IT to achieve growth, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and the leader AWS all use Clos architecture. What is significant is that systems have to hit a certain scale before Clos networks work Clos networks are what work now for flexibility and supporting innovation in an affordable manner. There is no dipping your toe in to try the system to see if it will work, it will not and then the IT says, We tried that, we failed, but what the executive needs to understand is that scale matters. A little mega data center does not exist. Only scale works.Maybe scale is not the only answer, maybe in 20 years, Quantum computing will bring a new data center system, but for now, Clos architecture and scale dominate those IT centers that have the strongest growth engine.Business leaders are challenged to move their enterprises to the next level of competition. An effective digital business player, transformer, and disruptor position depends on the effectiveness of employing digital technologies and leveraging connected digital systems. Organizational, operational, and business model innovation are needed to create ways of operating and growing the business using mega data center cloud technologies, systems are evolving. It is a journey to achieve the connected enterprise, ultimately connecting all employees and a trillion connected devices.Many companies are using digital technology to create market disruption. Amazon, Uber, Google, IBM, and Microsoft represent companies using effective disruptive strategic positioning. As entire industries shift to the digital world, once buoyant companies are threatened with disappearing. A digital transformation represents an approach that enables organizations to drive changes in their business models and ecosystems leveraging cloud computing, and not just hyperscale systems but leveraging mega data centers. Just as robots make work more automated, so also cloud based communications systems implement the IoT digital connectivity transformation.Disruption in the business markets represents major opportunity for vendors with cloud offerings. This is part of a larger digital transformation, a digital approach to interconnecting everything that enables organizations to drive changes in their business models and ecosystems.Disruptive cloud systems are provided by Amazon (AWS), Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. Data centers are in a class by themselves, they have functioning fully automatic, self-healing, networked mega datacenters that operate at fiber optic speeds to create a fabric that can access any node in any particular data center because there are multiple pathways to every node. In this manner, they automate applications integration for any data in the mega data center.By leveraging digital competencies, businesses can grow faster than they would otherwise. A digital strategy, in conjunction with the appropriate unified communications solution permits the implementation of innovative communications services. Digital connectivity with combined voice, video and file transfer can help organizations and their end users innovate and compete more effectively. It is imperative that organizations have a digital communications strategy in place.This is an era where the distinction between the technologies and processes that businesses deploy is tightly linked. Digital technology directly impacts customers and markets. The boundary between internal operations of the enterprise and its external ecosystem is rapidly disappearing. Customers, markets, competitors, partners, and regulators are inextricably linked.Mega data centers need to be understood by all senior executives whether they move in that direction or not. These are the IT used by the fastest growing organizations Google, AWS, Microsoft, and Facebook. There are 25 Sea Change Data Center study modules describing different aspects of the move to mega data centers. The Scale module describes that it is not sufficient just to try certain cloud techniques.Scale is an essential aspect of the data center positioning for these leading companies. These companies use Clos networks as their data center implementations. This module addresses how and why scale in the mega data center is important. The market shift to non-blocking network inside data center building means companies have to hit a certain scale before Clos networks work.Browse more ICT Market Research Reports @Companies ProfiledMarket LeadersAmazonMicrosoftGoogleFacebookTable of ContentsScale in the Mega Data Center: Executive SummarySea Change Series: Scale In The Mega Data CenterSea Change Series: Scale in the Mega Data Center, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook 2Aim to Realign IT Cost Structure 3Scale Matters 4Table of Contents 5Facebook Mega Datacenter Physical Infrastructure 13Facebook Automation of Mega Data Center Process 14Facebook Altoona Data Center Networking Fabric 15Facebook Altoona Cloud Mega Data Center 16Facebook Altoona Data Center Innovative Networking Fabric Depends on Scale 17Request for Enquiry @Facebook Fabric Operates Inside the Data Center 18Facebook Fabric 19Exchange Of Data Between Servers Represents A Complex Automation Of Process 20Applications Customized For Each User 21Machine-To-Machine Management of Traffic Growth 22Facebook Data Center Fabric Network Topology 23Building-Wide Connectivity 24Highly Modular Design Allows Users To Quickly Scale Capacity In Any Dimension 25Back-End Service Tiers And Applications 26Scaling Up As a Basic Function Of The Mega Data Center Network 27Facebook Fabric Next-Generation Data Center Network Design: Pod Unit of Network 28Mega Data Center Server Pods 29Facebook Sample Pod: Unit of Network 30Non-Blocking Network Architecture 31Data Center Auto Discovery 36Facebook Large-Scale Network 37Rapid Deployment Architecture 38Facebook Expedites Provisioning And Changes 39Google Douglas County Mega Data Center 40Google Data Center Efficiency Measurements 41Google Programmable Access To Network Stack 42Google Software Defined Networking (SDN)-Supports Scale and Automation 43Google Compute Engine Load Balancing 44Google Compute Engine Load Balanced Requests Architecture 45Google Compute Engine Load Balancing Scaling 46Google Switches Provide Scale-Out: Server And Storage Expansion 47Google Uses Switches and Routers Deployed in Fabrics 48Google Mega Data Center Multipathing 49Google Mega Data Center Multipathing: Routing Destinations 50Google Clos Topology Network Capacity Scalability 51Google Aggregation Switches Are Lashed Together Through a Set Of Non-Blocking Spine Switches 52Google Network Called Jupiter 53Microsoft Cloud Data Center Multi-Tenant Containers 54Microsoft Azure Running Docker Containers 55Microsoft Data Center, Dublin, 550,000 Sf 56Microsoft Builds Intelligent Cloud Platform 57Microsoft Crafts Homegrown Linux For Azure Switches 59Microsoft Azure Has Scale 60Microsoft Azure Stack Hardware Foundation 62Microsoft Azure Stack Key Systems Partners: Cisco Systems, Lenovo, Fujitsu, and NEC 63Microsoft Gradual Transformation From A Platform Cloud To A Broader Offering Leveraging Economies of Scale64Microsoft Contributing to Open Systems 65Microsoft Mega Data Center Supply Chain 66Microsoft Leverages Open Compute Project to Bring Benefit to Enterprise Customers 67Microsoft Assists Open Compute to Close The Loop On The Hardware Side 68Microsoft Project Olympus Modular And Flexible 69Microsoft Azure 70Microsoft Azure Active Directory Has Synchronization 71About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
TV White Space Technology Market to Register Substantial Expansion by 2025

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TV White Space Technology Market: OverviewTV white space technology is also known as Super Wi-Fi.The rapid increase in the Internet based users is resulting in the rise in the demand for the TV White space technology globally. The rural area based people are still not able to use the internet at their locations. This technology is providing access to them to the high-speed internet speeds.Get access to full summary @:The TV White Space Technology deployment is increasing rapidly in developed as well as developing countries as the wastage of the TV spectrum is amazingly utilized for generating the internet connections out of it at very remoter locations. The popularity of the TV white space technology is increasing rapidly from the past decade as the unused TV channels called as buffers are effectively and efficiently used for the transfer of the Wi-Fi on the locations which are very far from the operating locations.Global TV White Space Technology Market: Market SegmentationGlobal TV White Space Technology Market can be divided into three segments, based on range limits, applications, and regions.Segmentation on the basis of range limits type in TV White Space Technology market:The segments in TV White Space Technology market by range limits include: Medium, Long, Very Long.Segmentation on the basis of Application for TV White Space Technology Market:The major segments of TV White Space Technology market on the basis of application include: triple Play, Cellular Offload, Critical Infrastructure Monitoring, Environment Monitoring, Cognitive Machine to Machine (CM2M).Segmentation on the basis of Application for TV White Space Technology Market:The major segments of TV White Space Technology market on the basis of application include: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa.Global TV White Space Technology Market Drivers & RestraintsThe TV white space technology market is expected to witness significant growth in terms of demand in the forecast period because of the features and benefits of the TV white space technology over traditional WI-Fi such asTV White Space technology can cover an area of about 10 km in diameter (100 times the distance whereas traditional Wi-Fi routers has around 100 metersTV white space technology can penetrate obstacles such as buildings, trees, and rough surfaces as well whereas traditional Wi-Fi gets blocked by any environmental barriersOn the other hand, significant technical challenges are faced while implementing the TV whitespace technology. This is the major factor for the growth of the global TV white space technology.Global TV White Space Technology Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for TV whitespace technology is divided regionally into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East and Africa. Among these regions, the North America region dominates the market for TV whitespace technology as the highest demand for the fastest internet connections as well as the availability of disposable income in the rural area customers. Also, Latin America, Europe, and Japan follow North America in terms of demand for the TV whitespace technology. APEJ region is expected to show highest growth rate in the presence of a large number of mobile users in countries such as India and China. On the other hand, MEA is expected to show moderate growth rate for TV whitespace technology demand.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global TV White Space Technology Competitive LandscapeSome of the prominent players in the TV White Space Technology market include: Metric Systems Corp., Microsoft Corp., ATDI S.A, Carlson Wireless Technologies, Inc., Aviacomm Inc., Adaptrum, Inc., MELD Technology Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Hopes of landing a deal with giant Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn is likely one reason Gov. Scott Walker offered a deal to Republican lawmakers bickering over how to wrap up an overdue state budget, a Senate leader said Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Walker probably wants the next two-year spending plan to be in place sooner rather than later as his state competes with others to lure Foxconn to build a $7 billion plant here. A new state budget was due June 30.

If theres something looming like this ... it would be much cleaner to get the state budget wrapped up before we launch into this new area of Foxconn, said Fitzgerald, who made his comments on a syndicated conservative talk radio show. One of the reasons he wants to see the state budget completed.

Walker offered Fitzgerald and Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, on Wednesday to use $200 million slated for tax cuts to instead pay for roads projects. The compromise comes after weeks of continued disagreement between Senate and Assembly Republicans over whether to use more borrowing for projects or to seek new revenue sources through tax or fee increases.

Assembly Republicans, who have been against borrowing more for roads without a new source of revenue, agreed to Walkers proposal. But Senate Republicans didnt get on board.

Im wondering why the Senate is taking so long to embrace this, said Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, also on WTAQ-AM Friday. If this doesnt get us back to the negotiation table, then I dont know what will.

Steineke said his caucus is at a loss about why the Senate Republicans rejected the offer and urged them to come back to the negotiating table because Walkers offer is a good deal that addresses everyones concerns.

But Fitzgerald said the offer doesnt add up yet, and blamed Assembly Republicans for the stalled work on the next state budget that is primarily a result of the two houses divisions on transportation funding.

He said by sending a letter on Thursday to Walker accepting his offer, and calling to resume the Legislatures budget-writing committee, Assembly Republicans created an illusion that a budget deal was imminent. He said the Assembly is still pushing for new revenue  which wont fly with Walker  and Fitzgerald questioned whether Walkers offer actually eliminates transportation bonding levels as the Assembly suggests.

Thats all sleight of hand. Theres nothing there, Fitzgerald said.

But when asked if the two houses are having irreconcilable differences, Fitzgerald said no.

No no no. I dont want to suggest that we arent fairly close because I think we are, he said.
Battery Bank Market - Detailed Analysis on Product, Application & Regional Segment Analysis with Major Key Players Villain, Getihu, Titita, Aibocn, Batterybank Projection to 2022

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A new research document with title 'Global Battery Bank Detailed Analysis Report 2017-2022 ' covering detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia and important players/vendors such as Villain, Getihu, Titita, Aibocn, Batterybank................The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2022Brief Summary about Battery BankThis report mainly introduces volume and value market share by players, by regions, by product type, by consumers and also their price change details. As a Detailed Analysis report, it covers all details inside analysis and opinion in Battery Bank industry.This report splits Battery Bank market Capacity, Battery type, Price, Features , Function, by Product Category06, by Product Category07, by Product Category08, and by Product Category09, which covers the history data information from 2012 to 2016 and forecast from 2017 to 2022.Request a sample report @This report focus Global market, it covers details as following:Major CompaniesRavpower(united states)Anker(united states)Easyacc(united states)Kmashi(united states)Ec technology(united states)Villain(united states)Getihu(united states)Titita(united states)Aibocn(united states)Batterybank(united states)Vinsic-PB(United Kingdom)GRDE(United Kingdom)TeckNet(United Kingdom)Kinps(United Kingdom)COOLREALL(United Kingdom)Tecknet(United Kingdom)G4GADGET(France)UKAMZ(France)Motif(France)Highsurround(France)Huawei(china)Mi(china)Pisen(china)Aigo(china)Philips(china)Yoobao(china)Romoss(china)Zmi(china)Besiter(china)Iwalk (china)City trade (Japan)Sony(Japan)Toshiba(Japan)CLN (Japan)Energize(Japan)SOFTBANK genuine products(Japan)Atcket(Japan)GP Portable(Japan)Bestcamera(Japan)Yoobao Magic Box(Japan)Main RegionsUnited StatesEuropeGermanyUnited KingdomFranceItalySpainRussiaNetherlandPolandOthersChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOthersMain Product TypeBattery Bank Market, Capacity5000mAh & Below5000mAh - 9999mAh10000mAh - 11999mAh12000mAh - 19999mAh20000mAh & AboveBattery Bank Market, Battery typeLithium batteryAlkaline batteryManganese batteryZinc air batterySilver oxide batteryBattery Bank Market, Price$ 5 and below$ 6-10$ 11-20$ 21-30$ 31 and AboveBattery Bank Market, FeaturesIndicator LightsSolar ChargingFlashlightUltra SlimPocket-sizeBattery Bank Market, FunctionSingle USB portMulti-USB portsQuick ChargeDigital ScreenBuilt-in CableMain ApplicationsHome ApplicationsCommercial UseGet customization & check discount for report @Table of ContentsChapter One Battery Bank Market Overview1.1 Global Battery Bank Market Sales Volume Revenue and Price 2012-20221.2 Battery Bank, Capacity 2012-20221.2.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share Capacity 2012-20221.2.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Market Share Capacity 2012-20221.2.3 Global Battery Bank Price Capacity 2012-20221.2.4 5000mAh & Below1.2.5 5000mAh - 9999mAh1.2.6 10000mAh - 11999mAh1.2.7 12000mAh - 19999mAh1.2.8 20000mAh & Above1.3 Battery Bank, Battery type 2012-20221.3.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share Battery type 2012-20221.3.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Market Share Battery type 2012-20221.3.3 Global Battery Bank Price Battery type 2012-20221.3.4 Lithium battery1.3.5 Alkaline battery1.3.6 Manganese battery1.3.7 Zinc air battery1.3.8 Silver oxide battery1.4 Battery Bank, Price 2012-20221.4.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share Price 2012-20221.4.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Market Share Price 2012-20221.4.3 Global Battery Bank Price Price 2012-20221.4.4 $ 5 and below1.4.5 $ 6-101.4.6 $ 11-201.4.7 $ 21-301.4.8 $ 31 and Above1.5 Battery Bank, Features 2012-20221.5.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share Features 2012-20221.5.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Market Share Features 2012-20221.5.3 Global Battery Bank Price Features 2012-20221.5.4 Indicator Lights1.5.5 Solar Charging1.5.6 Flashlight1.5.7 Ultra Slim1.5.8 Pocket-size1.6 Battery Bank, Function 2012-20221.6.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share Function 2012-20221.6.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Market Share Function 2012-20221.6.3 Global Battery Bank Price Function 2012-20221.6.4 Single USB port1.6.5 Multi-USB ports1.6.6 Quick Charge1.6.7 Digital Screen1.6.8 Built-in CableBuy this report @Chapter Two, Battery Bank by Regions 2012-20222.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share by Regions 2012-20222.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Market Share by Regions 2012-20222.3 Global Battery Bank Price by Regions 2012-20222.4 United States2.5 Europe2.5.1 Germany2.5.2 United Kingdom2.5.3 France2.5.4 Italy2.5.5 Spain2.5.6 Russia2.5.7 Netherland2.5.8 Poland2.5.9 Others in Europe2.6 China2.7 Japan2.8 India2.9 Southeast Asia2.10 OthersChapter Three, Battery Bank by Brands 2012-20223.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Volume Market Share by Brands 2012-20223.2 Global Battery Bank Revenue Share by Brands 2012-20223.3 Global Top Brands Battery Bank Key Product Model and Market Performance3.4 Global Top Brands Battery Bank Key Target Consumers and Market PerformanceChapter Four, Battery Bank by Consumer 2012-20224.1 Global Battery Bank Sales Market Share by Consumer 2012-20224.2 Home Applications4.3 Commercial Use4.4 Consuming Habit and Preference....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
Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems Market Pegged for Robust Expansion During 2017 - 2025

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Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems are widely used in the military and aerospace industry which require data storage and visualization of Day/Night-Vision helmets or goggles. The information is displayed on the screen of the lenses, mirror or screen created specifically for viewing the data and also stored the data in a drive. The Day/Night-Vision equipments are of various types including night vision goggles, Day/Night-Vision helmets, periscope, guns and rifle scope, night vision binocular and others which has applications in various industries such as military, aerospace, aviation, police, security and surveillance and others. This technology is initially developed for military purposes and later found application in air force and civil aviation. With the advancement of technology, this technology have found applications in several other industries.Get access to full summary @:Most of the equipments has a display attached in it where some products such as periscope used in tanks has a separate visual screen which can be removed. Portable display units has gained a significant market share which is used in combat operations. These portable displays can be installed anywhere away from the equipment. These displays usually has a range of 50 to 100 meters and come with a receiver which receives signals transmitted by Day/Night-Vision equipment. Some of the displays has large ranges and can catch signals coming from few meters to kilometers. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market is expected to witness an escalating demand among various industries because of its broad applications and features.Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems: Market DynamicsDay/Night-Vision Data Display systems is used by pilots, military personnels and police. This technology has gained importance due to its varied applications. The military of all the developed and most of the developing countries have Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems and using the same for various purposes. North America is the largest market and manufacturer for Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems. Many new applications are springing in the market every day which requires Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems because of its unique properties. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market is expected to grow during the forecast period due to its versatile benefits and vast usage. However, Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems comes along with some restraints. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems is costly and sold to only organizations with legitimate registrations in their respective country. The cost of research and development of these products is great and hence the products turns to be costly. The demand of Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems is always low as compared to the supply due to the high prices. Accuracy and efficiency is also a constraint for Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems.Manufacturers have an opportunity in the production of Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems at cheap cost which is the upcoming trend in the market. Low cost can increase the sale and scalability of the products in the market.Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems: Market SegmentationDay/Night-Vision Data Display systems market can be segmented on the basis of type of display, which include: Glass, Mirror, Video Display Optical Kit, Lens, Others. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market can be segmented on the basis of type of equipments used, which include: Transmitter, Receiver, Day Light Filter, Software, Others. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market can be segmented on the basis of types of application, which include: Military, Aerospace, Aviation, Police, Security and Surveillance, Others.Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems: Segment OutlookDay/Night-Vision Data Display systems market can be segmented on the type of display which include glass, mirror, video display optical kit, lens and others. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market can be segmented on the type of equipments which includes transmitter, receiver, day light filter, software and others. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market can also be segmented on the type of application which includes military, aerospace, aviation, police, security and surveillance and others.Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems: Regional OutlookRegional coverage for Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market includes North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan. Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market witnesses a high demand and production in North America and Europe because of the significant investments in the region and high demand.A sample of this report is available upon request @Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems: Market PlayersThe market players in Day/Night-Vision Data Display systems market are Nexter group, Thales Visionix Inc., ATN Corporation, Rockwell Collins, DELOPT, Elbit Systems of America LLC and many more.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:
Global Gas Discharge Tube Arresters Market 2017 - Sankosha, Bourns, Littelfuse, Phoenix Contract, Lumex, TE Connrctivity, EPCOS/TDK, Radiall

Gas Discharge Tube Arresters Market

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The Gas Discharge Tube Arresters Market Research Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Gas Discharge Tube Arresters industry.Read Complete Report @The key players are expected to tap onto these market opportunities to penetrate the market. Furthermore, the untapped opportunities in emerging economies will provide a considerable impetus to the small, medium, and large companies operating in the Global Gas Discharge Tube Arresters market. These opportunities in turn are projected to have positive impact on the Global Gas Discharge Tube Arresters market. Players in the market are focusing on innovation, which has resulted in a lot of mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships. The prominent market players are also focusing to offer a broader range of products. Competitors often are competing on the basis of the cost of the products in the Global Gas Discharge Tube Arresters market.The report studies the Gas Discharge Tube Arresters market by evaluating the market chain, prevalent policies, and regulations as well as the manufacturers, their manufacturing chain, cost structures, and contribution in the industry. The regional markets for the global Gas Discharge Tube Arresters market are examined by analyzing the pricing of products in the region compared to the profit generated. The production capacity, demand and supply, logistics, and the historical performance of the market in the given region is also evaluated in this market report.Global Gas Discharge Tube Arresters Market : Top ManufacturesSankoshaBournsLittelfusePhoenix ContractLumexTE ConnrctivityEPCOS/TDKRadiallEatonGlobal Gas Discharge Tube Arresters Market : Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest for Sample Report @Development plans and policies significantly impact the market dynamic. The report therefore studies in detail the impact of the strategies, plans, and policies adopted by leading vendors of the Gas Discharge Tube Arresters market. Manufacturing cost of products and the pricing structure adopted by the market is also evaluated in the report. Other parameters crucial in determining trends in the market such as consumption demand and supply figures, cost of production, gross profit margins, and selling price of product and services is also included within the ambit of the report.About Us:MarketResearchStore is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Contact UsJoel JohnTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWeb: Market Research Store
Proteinase K Market Anticipated to Be Valued at US$ 33.4 Mn by the end of 2026

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Proteinase K is a million dollars market accounting for a small portion in reagents and enzymes. The Global Proteinase K market is classified into two main segments  lyophilized powder form and liquid form. By application the market is segmented as purification of DNA & RNA, in situ hybridization, mitochondria isolation and enzyme removal. Proteinase K is mainly used in contract research organisations, biotechnology companies, academic institutes, and diagnostics laboratories. In terms of revenue, the global Proteinase K market is expected to reach US$ 18.5 Mn in 2016, witnessing a year-over-year growth of 6.1%.A plethora of factors are expected to impact the growth of the global Proteinase K market. A significant rise in research and development activities, lesser production costs, broader application of Proteinase K and good product stability and specificity of Proteinase K will give a massive push to the revenue growth of the global Proteinase K market by the end of the forecast period. A steady rise of chronic diseases and better government-backed investment channels to fund advanced research and development are expected to expedite the expansion of the global Proteinase K market over the period of assessment.A slew of research activities, soaring expenditure on personal healthcare and increasing adoption of gene therapy has been significantly high in the U.S. market in the recent years, making North America the most lucrative market globally. As per a report published by the Cancer Society of America, in 2016, the population of cancer patients is skyrocketing within the country. The use of Proteinase K is high in gene therapy for hereditary diseases such as cancer, diabetes and others. The North America Proteinase K market revenue was accounted to be US$ 6.5 Mn in 2015, with the U.S. contributing a majority of revenue share.Request For Report Sample@Segmentation highlightsBy product form, lyophilized powder form segment accounted for higher revenue share in global Proteinase K as compared to liquid form segment. Lyophilized powder from segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 19.2 Mn by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period. The growth in lyophilized powder form can be attributed to the increasing advantages of powder form over liquid form in case of storage and preservation of sampleBy application, purification of DNA & RNA segment accounted for highest revenue share in global Proteinase K market as compared to other applications of Proteinase K. Purification of DNA & RNA segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 19.2 Mn by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 6.5% over the forecast period. This is expected to be followed by mitochondria isolation and enzyme removal applicationBy end-user, biotechnology companies account for higher demand for Proteinase K as compared to other end user segments such as academic institutes and diagnostics laboratories. The strong growth in biotechnology companies can be attributed to an increasing use of Proteinase K in research and development and new drug discovery. The cost effectiveness of Proteinase K over other reagents is the key factor responsible for its increasing use in biotechnology companies. Biotechnology companies segment is expected to register highest CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast periodRegional market projectionsDemand for research in academics and funding facilities provided by the US government to support gene therapy and other activities for drug development is anticipated to boost the North America Proteinase K market. Followed by North America, APEJ and Western Europe are the most lucrative regions of the global Proteinase K market and are anticipated to grow by 6.1% and 5.7% respectively over the forecast period. Increasing demand for drug development, rising hereditary diseases due to changing lifestyles and growing disposable income are some of the factors expected to contribute to the growth of the global Proteinase K market.Send an Enquiry @Vendor insightsTop companies profiled in the global Proteinase K market report include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, Qiagen N.V., Worthington Biochemical Corporation, Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Promega Corporation, Bioline and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG among others. Leading market players are adopting different strategies such as product launches and acquisitions to maintain their market share. For instance, in November 2015, Merck KGaA acquired Sigma-Aldrich to strengthen and expand its consumable and reagent portfolio.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Yoga Pants Market Size, Industry Analysis & Forecast Report 2017

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ReportsMonitor.com has added a new report to its database Global Yoga Pants Market Report 2017.This report identifies the Yoga Pants market size for the years 2012-2017, and forecast of the same till the year 2022. It also highlights the market drivers, restraints, growth indicators, challenges, and other key aspects with respect to the Yoga Pants market.Yoga Pants Market tracks the major market events including product launches, technological developments, mergers and acquisitions, and the innovative business strategies opted by key market players. Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the Copper Strips market. This research report offers in-depth analysis of the market size (revenue), market share, major market segments, and different geographic regions, forecast for the next five years, key market players, and premium industry trends. It also focuses on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges.For Requesting a Sample Copy of This Report, Please Visit @This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringlululemonLucyElektrixChampionNoli Yoga90 DegreeEASYOGASunyogaNikeAdidasAmerican ApparelForever 21GAPUnder ArmourBeyond YogaOnzieTeekiThe competitive landscape of the global market for Yoga Pants is determined by evaluating the various market participants, production capacity, Yoga Pants markets production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Yoga Pants market worldwide.This report segments the Yoga Pants marketCottonSyntheticsCotton-Synthetic BlendsOthersOn the basis of application:ManWomanKidUnisexFor comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, the Yoga Pants market is analyzed across key geographies namely:North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaEach of these regions is analyzed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market.Some points from TOC:Global Yoga Pants Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Yoga Pants1.1 Definition and Specifications of Yoga Pants1.1.1 Definition of Yoga Pants9 Development Trend of Analysis of Yoga Pants Market9.1 Global Yoga Pants Market Trend Analysis9.1.1 Global 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Market Size (Volume and Value) Forecast9.1.2 Global 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Sales Price Forecast9.2 Yoga Pants Regional Market Trend9.2.1 North America 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Consumption Forecast9.2.2 China 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Consumption Forecast9.2.3 Europe 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Consumption Forecast9.2.4 Southeast Asia 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Consumption Forecast9.2.5 Japan 2017-2022 Yoga Pants Consumption ForecastBrowse Full Table of Contents and Report Description @Reports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.008, Mihir Co-operative,Above Bharat Suzuki showroom,Fatima Nagar,Pune,Maharashtra,IndiaIndia: +91 2069535353Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Global Urology Disposable Market 2017- Coloplast, Rocamed, Cook Medical, Narang Medical Limited, GPC Medical Ltd

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The Global Urology Disposable Market 2017 Research Report includes a complete and meticulous study of Urology Disposable industry covering different aspects like market volume, market Share, market strategies, Urology Disposable growth trends, variety of applications, utilization volume, demand and supply analysis, production capacity and Urology Disposable industry cost structures during Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.The report titled Global Urology Disposable Market 2017 provides the comprehensive study of Urology Disposable market on a global scale, focusing on current as well as past details of Urology Disposable market. The competitive view of the Urology Disposable industry with respect to the industry competitors is also covered in this document. The company details of leading players like their profile information, revenue segmentation, business strategies followed by them and their contribution to the global Urology Disposable market share are mentioned.Request Here For Sample Report:Comparative Analysis of Urology Disposable Market According to the Key Vendors:1 Coloplast2 Rocamed3 Cook Medical4 Narang Medical Limited5 GPC Medical Ltd6 Olympus7 Allen Medical8 Stryker9 L-A Medical10Boston Scientific11Bard Medical12Urotech.The Urology Disposable report is organized into various sections based on different geographical regions and industry standards. The report mainly sheds light on leading players in the regions like (United States, EU, China, and Japan). Other regions can be added as per the requirement.Distinct aspects of the Urology Disposable industry like supply chain analysis, Urology Disposable industry rules and policies, factors that enhance the growth of Urology Disposable industry along with the limiting factors that restrict the growth of the industry are covered in depth. Furtherly, the Urology Disposable report elaborates product details starting with product definition, cost, product images, the cost structure, import/export information.Purchase Entire Report Here (To Get Instant Access):Various analytical are employed to analyze the market attractiveness, investment feasibility and investment return with respect to Global Urology Disposable Market 2017.Apart from providing a complete picture of the overall Urology Disposable market conditions the report also helps the industry players to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.QY Market Research is the terminal where all industrial, commercial and profitmaking venture will get the best research reports of the market in all sectors like automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, food and beverages etc.We provide you the important and necessary information to identify and analyze the need of market and the market size.Read More-News Network:-S no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Telephone Numbers:+1(857)2390696+91 9130855334Email ID: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest Market News-
Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment Market is Driven by Higher Incidence and Prevalence Rate and Rise in the Geriatric Population

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Malignant mesothelioma is deadly and rare type of cancer that affects the mesothelium, a membrane that forms a thin lining of the body's internal organs (pleurae, peritoneum, and pericardium). The mesothelium makes a special lubricating fluid that helps to protect the organs and allows organs to move against each other. Some major symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and cough. It takes around 35 to 50 years for the symptoms to manifest. Malignant Mesothelioma, can occur at any age; however, it is common in adults aged 65 and above. It is more common in men as compared to women, the male to female ratio is 3:1. Malignant mesothelioma accounts for 1% of all cancers worldwide.People exposed to asbestos (industrial pollutant), are at a higher risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. The risk of mesothelioma is increased in polluted areas by 2 to 10 fold as compared to non-polluted areas. Additionally, people who are exposed to a high dose of radiation, zeolites (minerals chemically related to asbestos), and suffering from simian virus 40 infection are at a risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.Obtain Report Details @In terms of type, the malignant mesothelioma market can be segmented into malignant pleural mesothelioma (occurs in the lining of the lungs), malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (occurs in the lining of the abdomen), and malignant pericardial mesothelioma (occurs in the lining of the heart). The malignant pleural mesothelioma segment is anticipated to grow because it accounts 70% of all mesothelioma cases followed by malignant peritoneal mesothelioma which accounts 15-20% of all mesothelioma cases. In terms of treatment, the malignant mesothelioma market can be segmented into surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Surgery includes pneumonectomy, debulking, and omentectomy and is preferred treatment for malignant mesothelioma. Patients who successfully underwent surgical resection have a high surveillance rate (significantly 5 years).Radiation helps to shrink the tumor size and is often used as an adjuvant therapy. Chemotherapy plays an important role in palliative care. A number of companies such as AstraZeneca are involved in research and development of therapeutics for malignant mesothelioma. Major pipeline molecules include durvalumab, tazemetostat, tremelimumab, nintedanib, ADI-PEG 20, and HSV 1716. Therapeutic pipeline is anticipated to witness considerable growth in the malignant mesothelioma market in the near future due to increase in incidence rate, rising air pollution, rising geriatric population, and increase healthcare expenditure. Additionally, the development of novel therapy and introduction to advance treatment options are likely to provide lucrative growth opportunities to the malignant mesothelioma market during the forecast period. However, long latent period between onset and symptom, lack of effective treatment, and low surveillance rate are key factors that restrain the malignant mesothelioma market.Make an Enquiry @In terms of geography, the malignant mesothelioma market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America leads the malignant mesothelioma market, followed by Europe, due to the higher incidence and prevalence rate, rise in the geriatric population, and increase in demand for advance treatment. Asia Pacific is an emerging market for malignant mesothelioma due to the developing healthcare infrastructure, increase in patient awareness, and rising government expenditure in the healthcare industry. However, poor patient awareness, lack of proper treatment, and high cost of therapy are factors restraining the malignant mesothelioma market in Middle East & Africa.Major players operating in the malignant mesothelioma market include Eli Lilly and Company, AstraZeneca plc, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Epizyme, Inc, Bayer AG, Aduro Biotech, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Polaris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Calithera Biosciences, Inc., and CBT Pharmaceuticals, Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking 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.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Passenger Seating Market Size  Industry Report 2017

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"The Report Global Passenger Seating Market Research Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Passenger Seating MarketIn this report, the global Passenger Seating 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 is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Passenger Seating in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGet Sample Copy of this report @Global Passenger Seating market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAeromot Industria Mecanico-Metalurgica Ltda (Brazil)Aircraft Industries (Czech Republic)Avianor Inc (Canada)Aviointeriors SpA (Italy)Avionics Services (Brazil)B/E Aerospace (UK)B/E Aerospace Business Jet Group?(U.S.A.)B/E Aerospace Inc.?(U.S.A.)Comp-Let, s.r.o.?(Slovakia)Crane Aerospace & ElectronicsDart Aerospace Limited?(Canada)Dretloh Aircraft Supply, Inc. (U.S.A.)E.I.S. Aircraft GmbH (Germany)ETI Tech, Inc (U.S.A.)Expliseat SAS?(France)Fast Aero Space Technologies AG (Switzerland)Geven Srl?(Italy)Iacobucci HF Aerospace (Italy)InSeat Solutions LLC (U.S.A.)Interface Aviation Inc (U.S.A.)View Full Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into3PT SeatbeltsICS (Integrated Child Seat)OtherOn 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 Passenger Seating for each application, includingAircraft ApplicationTrain ApplicationAutomotive ApplicationOtherTable of ContentsGlobal Passenger Seating Market Research Report 20171 Passenger Seating Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Passenger Seating1.2 Passenger Seating Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Passenger Seating Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Passenger Seating Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 3PT Seatbelts1.2.4 ICS (Integrated Child Seat)1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Passenger Seating Segment by Application1.3.1 Passenger Seating Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Aircraft Application1.3.3 Train Application1.3.4 Automotive Application1.3.5 OtherSend An Enquiry Request @1.4 Global Passenger Seating Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Passenger Seating Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Passenger Seating (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Passenger Seating Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Passenger Seating Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Passenger Seating Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Passenger Seating Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Passenger Seating Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Passenger Seating Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Passenger Seating Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Passenger Seating Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Passenger Seating Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Passenger Seating Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Passenger Seating Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Passenger Seating Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Passenger Seating Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Passenger Seating Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Passenger Seating Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Passenger Seating Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Passenger Seating Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Passenger Seating Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Passenger Seating Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Passenger Seating Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Passenger Seating Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Passenger Seating Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Passenger Seating Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Passenger Seating Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Passenger Seating Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Passenger Seating Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Passenger Seating Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Passenger Seating Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Passenger Seating Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Automotive Inspection Tunnels Market - Increasing Adoption Of Automotive Inspection Tunnels

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Paint quality, especially in an industry such as automotive, is a major element in the production of vehicles. The smallest of imperfections in the varnish of the paint job can result in rejection of the vehicle by manufacturers. Producers seek precision and accuracy in the surface coats and texture of the paint that can be achieved by contemporary painting procedures. This is due to a significantly high number of rejections by customers of cars with poor paint jobs.Browse The Report:A major factor for the growth of the automotive inspection tunnels market is the increasing adoption of automotive inspection tunnels especially by aftermarket paint booths as well as third-party body shops. The use of inspection tunnels aids in lowering the cost of repainting and proliferates the accuracy of error detection in the paints in advance, in addition to detecting errors post the painting procedure. Thus, it helps car owners to avoid repainting their cars, thereby saving cost. Additionally, some paint booths have started using in-house or make-do painting booths resulting in strong aftermarket systems, encouraging the overall growth of the automotive inspection tunnels market.Another trend that is likely to gain momentum in the automotive inspection tunnels market is the rise in adoption of automatic paint inspection processes. In the automotive industry, particularly, inspection tunnels bring in limited automation to the process of paint inspection. The possibility of fully automatic inspection tunnels is likely to be propelled by the growth of sensor-based recognition of paint imperfections, revolving light sources, and targeted lighting. Furthermore, the usage of image processing systems in automotive inspection tunnels eliminates the requirement of manpower to implement quality checks and is accurate and faster. These factors are likely to augment the growth of the automotive inspection tunnels market during the forecast period. However, complexities in controlling the humidity inside the tunnels may affect the automotive inspection tunnels market negatively.The global automotive inspection tunnels market can be segmented by end-user and geography. By end user, the global automotive inspection tunnels market can be segregated into original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), body shops, tier 1 suppliers, and tier 2 suppliers. In 2016, the tier 1 suppliers segment held the maximum share in the end-user segment of the automotive inspection tunnels market. This can be attributed to the high concentration of paint workshops in their production facilities as well as their global presence. The OEM segment is likely to expand at the maximum rate during the forecast period owing to their increased adoption of automotive inspection tunnels.In terms of geography, the global automotive inspection tunnels market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The Asia Pacific region accounted for the maximum share of the global automotive inspection tunnels market. Increase in sales of passenger cars, the growing focus on safety features, and significant presence of tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers in the region especially in the passenger car segment are expected to boost the demand for automotive inspection tunnels in the Asia Pacific region.Although the global automotive inspection tunnels market is comprised of only a small number of prominent vendors, the markets enormous potential for growth has intensified competition levels amongst market players. One of the major suppliers EISENMANN, mainly focusses on research and development for product development. The company maintains an extensive product portfolio as well as service offerings, especially in aerospace and automotive categories. Furthermore, the company offers systems for technologies such as surface eco-friendly modules, finishing, high-temperature processes, and material flow automation. Some of the other major players in the global automotive inspection tunnels market are LDPI, Wenker, and GigaTera (KMW).Make an Enquiry @The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Camping Coolers Market Size, Industry Analysis & Forecast Report 2017

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ReportsMonitor.com has added a new report to its database Global Camping Coolers Market Report 2017.This report identifies the Camping Coolers market size for the years 2012-2017, and forecast of the same till the year 2022. It also highlights the market drivers, restraints, growth indicators, challenges, and other key aspects with respect to the Camping Coolers market.Camping Coolers Market tracks the major market events including product launches, technological developments, mergers and acquisitions, and the innovative business strategies opted by key market players. Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the Copper Strips market. This research report offers in-depth analysis of the market size (revenue), market share, major market segments, and different geographic regions, forecast for the next five years, key market players, and premium industry trends. It also focuses on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges.For Requesting a Sample Copy of This Report, Please Visit @This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringIglooColeman (Esky)GrizzlyEngelPolar Bear CoolersBison CoolersORCAPelicanRubbermaidYETIK2 CoolersAO CoolersStanleyOAGearKoolatronThe competitive landscape of the global market for Camping Coolers is determined by evaluating the various market participants, production capacity, Camping Coolers markets production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Camping Coolers market worldwide.This report segments the Camping Coolers marketMetal CoolersPlastic CoolersFabric CoolersOn the basis of application:Backyard and Car CampingRV CampingBackpackingOthersFor comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, the Camping Coolers market is analyzed across key geographies namely:North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaEach of these regions is analyzed on basis of market findings across major countries in these regions for a macro-level understanding of the market.Some points from TOC:Global Camping Coolers Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Camping Coolers1.1 Definition and Specifications of Camping Coolers1.1.1 Definition of Camping Coolers9 Development Trend of Analysis of Camping Coolers Market9.1 Global Camping Coolers Market Trend Analysis9.1.1 Global 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Market Size (Volume and Value) Forecast9.1.2 Global 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Sales Price Forecast9.2 Camping Coolers Regional Market Trend9.2.1 North America 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Consumption Forecast9.2.2 China 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Consumption Forecast9.2.3 Europe 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Consumption Forecast9.2.4 Southeast Asia 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Consumption Forecast9.2.5 Japan 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Consumption Forecast9.2.6 India 2017-2022 Camping Coolers Consumption Forecast9.3 Camping Coolers Market Trend (Product Type)9.4 Camping Coolers Market Trend (Application)Browse Full Table of Contents and Report Description @Reports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.008, Mihir Co-operative,Above Bharat Suzuki showroom,Fatima Nagar,Pune,Maharashtra,IndiaIndia: +91 2069535353Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
The governor says the 13,000 jobs in Racine County are "no more important than the 13 jobs that we helped in the small business in Green Bay or in Superior or La Crosse."
Underwater Concrete Market Poised to Grow at a Healthy CAGR of 9% from 2017 to 2023

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Underwater Concrete Market Synopsis:Market Forecast:The Underwater Concrete Market is expected to grow over the CAGR of around 9% during the period 2017 to 2023.Market Research Analysis:Based on regions, the global underwater concrete market has been segmented as North America, Asia-pacific, Europe and rest of the world. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow with the increasing demand for a number of marine constructions such as harbor installations and bridge piers in rivers. The increasing number of underwater development projects in the developing nations of the region is further contributing to its growth. In North America, the rapid increase in the demand for luxury amenities such as swimming pools, is contributing to the growth of the underwater concrete market.Major Key Players in Underwater Concrete Market:The key players in Underwater Concrete Market are: Sika AG (Switzerland) Cemex S.A.B. De C.V. (Mexico) Rockbond SCP Ltd (UK) Conmix Ltd. (United Arab Emirates) HeidelbergCement Group (Germany) M-Con Products Inc. (U.S.) Underground Supply, Inc. (U.S.) Wieser Concrete Products Inc. (U.S.)Request to Receive a Sample Report @Market Overview:Underwater concrete are used in hydro projects, marine construction, metro projects and underwater repair. The major growth driver of the underwater concrete market is the increasing need for placing the concrete in structures such as basements, ducts, harbours, and bridges. Underwater concrete is also used extensively for construction of such underwater structures, owing to its properties such as low heat of hydration, controlled set time, comprehensive strength and adequate bond. The major factor that is expected to restrain the growth of the market is the problem faced in the segregation of fine aggregates from coarse aggregates.Scope of the Report:This study provides an overview of the global underwater concrete market, tracking two market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region.Report Details @The scope of the study segments the global underwater concrete market by its application, end-use and region. By Laying Technique:o Tremie methodo Bucket Placingo Pump Methodo Others By Application:o Marineo Underwater repairso Tunnelso Hydropowero Others By Region:o North Americao Asia Pacifico Europeo Rest of the WorldAbout 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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Outsourced Customer Care Services Market - Pin Point Analysis Of Changing Competition Dynamics And Keeps You Ahead Of Competitors

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The global outsourced customer care services market is growing to fulfill new expectations of end client. Companies are realizing customer experience as the real differentiator rather than the product and services offered by the companies. This makes it difficult for companies to achieve competitive differentiation. In addition, customers are becoming more connected than ever. This acts as a driver for market growth. Modernizing customer experience differ from the traditional customer relationship management (CRM). New opportunities are developing owing to more customization offered by customer care BPO service providers to use their expertise. This is intended for modernizing the customer experience.Browse The Report:The global outsourced customer care services market is likely to have double digit market growth in near future. Shift towards cloud-based services is likely to profit small and large businesses and assist in entering emerging markets. High demand for mobility is estimated to stimulate the demand for optimization of mobile customer care. This is expected to have a optimistic effect on the market in the next few years.The need of multi-channel solution development is mounting owing to the rising need for non voice channels in addition with other means of communication. Social customer care channels are expected to offer sizable opportunities for revenue generation to market players. security concerns and data privacy amid end users are vital for driving the adoption of host based customer care such as home agents. Factors such as growing technological advancements and change in consumer behavior are stimulating the need of efficient outsourced customer care services.The market is segmented by customer care service activity, which includes logistics, Customer relationship management and customer interaction. Customer interaction includes customer care, sales, marketing, technical support and product support. Customer interaction services are widely used by the companies for retaining the customers. Activities in customer interaction service include inbound and outbound calls, email and chat support, lead generation, telemarketing (up selling/ cross selling), technical support, customer helpdesk, billing and collection among others. In present business world, running a customer interaction center is complex owing to involvement of continuously increasing equipment costs, recruiting problems and rapidly changing technological issues. Call center outsourcing offers many companies with the huge opportunities for better customer experience and satisfaction.Call center outsourcing is able to remove these obstacles which allow a company to pay attention on its primary business activities. Customer interaction services outsourcing help companies to better manage customer relationships, utilize high quality services at cheaper rates, provide 24/7 customer service, decrease costs, manage, maintain and increase market coverage.Make an Enquiry @Industry players are focusing at ensuring customer loyalty and customer retention in order to sustain in the market with substantial profit margins. Complying with changing customer requirements effectively and providing multichannel solutions are some of the major criteria for sustainability in the market. Some of the key market players include Teleperformance SA, Stream Global Services, Convergys Corporation, West Corporation and Sykes Enterprises among others.This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Polypropelene Sutures Market Research Report 2017- Structure Analysis of Polypropelene Sutures Market

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The market research report helps analyze the Global Polypropelene Sutures market on a global basis and also offers forecast and statistics in terms of revenue for the anticipated forecast period 2017 to 2025. This research study offers a detailed overview of the market dynamics that are expected to affect the overall industry in the coming few years. In addition, the study explains the impact of the key factors on the development and growth of the global Polypropelene Sutures Market through the forecast period. Promising opportunities in the global Polypropelene Sutures Market have also been mentioned in the study.Global Polypropelene Sutures Market Research Report 2017 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.Ask for sample copy@Global Polypropelene Sutures Market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Global Polypropelene Sutures Market.To offer a clear understanding of the global Polypropelene Sutures market, several questions have been addressed in the research study concerning the growth of the global Polypropelene Sutures market. It is also been discussed with respect to projected growth rate of the global Polypropelene Sutures market in the near future. Also, depending on the ongoing trend of the market, the region which is anticipated to witness high growth in the next few years is studied in detail.Inquiry before Buying This Report@The research study further offers a detailed overview of the competitive landscape of the global Polypropelene Sutures market and throws light on the key players operating in it. The report provides detailed industry analysis of the global Polypropelene Sutures market with the help of proven research methodologies such as Porters five forces. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of the buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and the degree of competition.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Absorbable Sutures Non-absorbable SuturesOn 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 Polypropelene Sutures for each application, including Cardiovascular Surgeries General Surgeries Gynecological Surgeries Orthopedic Surgeries Ophthalmic Surgeries Other SurgeriesAbout Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. We're relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Asia-Pacific competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer to consult as an extended arm of our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com ,
Global E Cigarettes Market Professional Survey Report 2017 Top Manufacturers - Blu eCigs, Njoy, V2, Lorillard, Philip Morris International, Vapor Corp, MCig, Inc, ITC, Altria Group, KiK, Gamucci

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global E Cigarettes Market Professional Survey Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies E Cigarettes in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringBlu eCigsNjoyV2LorillardPhilip Morris InternationalVapor CorpMCig, IncITCAltria GroupChina National Tobacco CorporationJapan TobaccoElectronic Cigarette International GroupTruvapeProVapeCigr8KiKBull SmokeCloudcigHangsenFirstUnionShenzhen Jieshibo TechnologyInnokinKimreeGamucciBrowse Detail Report With TOC @By types, the market can be split intoMINI TypeEGO TypeMechanical MOD TypeBy Application, the market can be split intoMenWomenBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsGlobal E Cigarettes Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of E Cigarettes1.1 Definition and Specifications of E Cigarettes1.1.1 Definition of E Cigarettes1.1.2 Specifications of E Cigarettes1.2 Classification of E Cigarettes1.2.1 MINI Type1.2.2 EGO Type1.2.3 Mechanical MOD Type1.3 Applications of E Cigarettes1.3.1 Men1.3.2 Women1.3.3 Application 31.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of E Cigarettes2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of E Cigarettes2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of E Cigarettes2.4 Industry Chain Structure of E Cigarettes3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of E Cigarettes3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global E Cigarettes Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global E Cigarettes Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global E Cigarettes Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global E Cigarettes Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global E Cigarettes Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global E Cigarettes Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 E Cigarettes Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global E Cigarettes Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 E Cigarettes Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global E Cigarettes Sales Price4.4.2 2016 E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 E Cigarettes Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America E Cigarettes Market Analysis5.1.1 North America E Cigarettes Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 E Cigarettes Market Share Analysis5.2 China E Cigarettes Market Analysis5.2.1 China E Cigarettes Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 E Cigarettes Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe E Cigarettes Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe E Cigarettes Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 E Cigarettes Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia E Cigarettes Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia E Cigarettes Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 E Cigarettes Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan E Cigarettes Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan E Cigarettes Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 E Cigarettes Market Share Analysis5.6 India E Cigarettes Market Analysis5.6.1 India E Cigarettes Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 E Cigarettes Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of E Cigarettes Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of E Cigarettes Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 MINI Type of E Cigarettes Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 EGO Type of E Cigarettes Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.3 Mechanical MOD Type of E Cigarettes Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E E Cigarettes Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of E Cigarettes Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of E Cigarettes Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Men of E Cigarettes Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Women of E Cigarettes Growth Driving Factor AnalysisMake 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 @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics Market 2017 Top Players - First Solar, Sharp, Yingli Solar, Solar Frontier, SunPower, Solarcentury, Hanwha Solar, REC Group, Panasonic, Kyocera, Canadian Solar, Suntech

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.In this report, the EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) 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 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) 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.Browse Detail Report With TOC @EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) sales volume (MW), price (USD/W), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingFirst SolarSharpYingli SolarSolar FrontierSunPowerSolarcenturyHanwha SolarREC GroupPanasonicKyoceraCanadian SolarSuntechTrina SolarMeyer BurgerAGC SolarChengdu XushuangChangzhou NESLHarsha Abakus SolarSapa GroupWurth SolarOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (MW), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/W), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSingle Crystal SiliconPolycrystalline SiliconThin FilmOn 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 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) for each application, includingResidentialCommercialOtherTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsEMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market Report 20171 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)1.2 Classification of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)1.2.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Single Crystal Silicon1.2.4 Polycrystalline Silicon1.2.5 Thin Film1.3 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-20221.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Commercial1.3.4 Other1.4 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market by Region1.4.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) 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 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (2012-2022)1.5.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Competition by Manufacturers/Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application2.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Market Share of Major Players (2012-2017)2.1.2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Share by Players (2012-2017)2.1.3 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sale Price by Players (2012-2017)2.2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (Volume and Value) by Type/Product Category2.2.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.3 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sale Price by Type (2012-2017)2.3 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (Volume) by Application2.4 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (Volume and Value) by Region2.4.1 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4.2 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4.3 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Price by Region (2012-2017)3 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (Volume, Value and Sales Price), by Players, Countries, Type and Application3.1 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.2 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Type3.3 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Application3.4 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Value (Revenue) by Countries3.4.1 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume by Countries (2012-2017)3.4.2 Europe Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)3.4.3 Germany Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.4.4 France Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.4.5 UK Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.4.6 Russia Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.4.7 Italy Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.4.8 Benelux Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (Volume, Value and Sales Price), by Region, Type and Application4.1 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.2 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Type4.3 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Application4.4 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Value (Revenue) by Countries4.4.1 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume by Countries (2012-2017)4.4.2 Middle East Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.4.4 Israel Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.4.5 UAE Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.4.6 Iran Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) (Volume, Value and Sales Price) by Players, Countries, Type and Application5.1 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.1.1 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.2 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.2 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Type5.3 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Market Share by Application5.4 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume and Value (Revenue) by Countries5.4.1 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales Volume by Countries (2012-2017)5.4.2 Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)5.4.3 South Africa Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.4.4 Nigeria Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.4.5 Egypt Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.4.6 Algeria Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6 EMEA Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Manufacturers/Players Profiles and Sales Data6.1 First Solar6.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.1.2 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Product Type, Application and Specification6.1.2.1 Product A6.1.2.2 Product B6.1.3 First Solar Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.2 Sharp6.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.2.2 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Product Type, Application and Specification6.2.2.1 Product A6.2.2.2 Product B6.2.3 Sharp Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.3 Yingli Solar6.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.3.2 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Product Type, Application and Specification6.3.2.1 Product A6.3.2.2 Product B6.3.3 Yingli Solar Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.4 Solar Frontier6.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.4.2 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Product Type, Application and Specification6.4.2.1 Product A6.4.2.2 Product B6.4.3 Solar Frontier Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.5 SunPower6.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.5.2 Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Product Type, Application and Specification6.5.2.1 Product A6.5.2.2 Product B6.5.3 SunPower Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)6.5.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued...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 @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
Global 4D Printing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 - Top Players Autodesk, Hewlett-Packard, Stratasys

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global 4D Printing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global 4D Printing market, analyzes and researches the 4D Printing development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeAutodeskHewlett-PackardStratasys...Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaBrowse Detail Report With TOC @Market segment by Type, 4D Printing can be split intoProgrammable Carbon FiberProgrammable Wood - Custom Printed Wood GrainProgrammable TextilesMarket segment by Application, 4D Printing can be split intoMilitary & DefenseAerospaceAutomotiveTextileHealthcareOthersTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsGlobal 4D Printing Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of 4D Printing1.1 4D Printing Market Overview1.1.1 4D Printing Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global 4D Printing Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 4D Printing Market by Type1.3.1 Programmable Carbon Fiber1.3.2 Programmable Wood - Custom Printed Wood Grain1.3.3 Programmable Textiles1.4 4D Printing Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Military & Defense1.4.2 Aerospace1.4.3 Automotive1.4.4 Textile1.4.5 Healthcare1.4.6 Others2 Global 4D Printing Competition Analysis by Players2.1 4D Printing Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Autodesk3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 4D Printing Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Hewlett-Packard3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 4D Printing Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Stratasys3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 4D Printing Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments4 Global 4D Printing Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global 4D Printing Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global 4D Printing Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of 4D Printing in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of 4D Printing5 United States 4D Printing Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States 4D Printing Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States 4D Printing Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)6 EU 4D Printing Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU 4D Printing Market Size (2012-2017)6.2 EU 4D Printing Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)7 Japan 4D Printing Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan 4D Printing Market Size (2012-2017)7.2 Japan 4D Printing Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)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 @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
China Hydropower Market Capacity, Generation, Regulations and Company Profiles Outlook to 2030, Update 2017

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Hydropower (Large, Small and Pumped Storage) in China, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2017 - Capacity, Generation, Regulations and Company Profiles" to its huge collection of research reports."Hydropower (Large, Small and Pumped Storage) in China, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2017 - Capacity, Generation, Regulations and Company Profiles" is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the hydropower market in China.Browse Detail Report With TOC @The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global hydropower market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in China (includes conventional thermal, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) and provides future outlook with forecasts up to 2030. The research details renewable power market outlook in the country (includes hydro, small hydro, biopower and solar PV) and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in China hydropower market. A detailed coverage of renewable energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to hydropower is provided in the report. The research also provides company snapshots of some of the major market participants.The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalDatas team of industry experts.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @ScopeThe report analyses global renewable power market, global hydropower market, China power market, China renewable power market and China hydropower market. The scope of the research includes -- A brief introduction on global carbon emissions and global primary energy consumption.- An overview on global renewable power market, highlighting installed capacity trends, generation trends and installed capacity split by various renewable power sources. The information is covered for the historical period 2006-2016 (unless specified) and forecast period 2017-2030.- Renewable power sources include wind (both onshore and offshore), solar photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), small hydropower (SHP), biomass, biogas and geothermal.- Detailed overview of the global hydropower market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity split by major hydropower countries in 2016 and key owners information of various regions.- Power market scenario in China and provides detailed market overview, installed capacity and power generation trends by various fuel types (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) with forecasts up to 2030.- An overview on China renewable power market, highlighting installed capacity trends (2006-2030), generation trends(2006-2030) and installed capacity split by various renewable power sources in 2016.- Detailed overview of China hydropower market with installed capacity and generation trends and major active and upcoming hydro projects.- Deal analysis of China hydropower market. Deals are analyzed on the basis of mergers, acquisitions, partnership, asset finance, debt offering, equity offering, private equity (PE) and venture capitalists (VC).- Key policies and regulatory framework supporting the development of renewable power sources in general and hydropower in particular.- Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country.Reasons to buy- The report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner.- Identify key growth and investment opportunities in China hydropower market.- Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for hydropower market.- Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential.- Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events.- Identify key partners and business development avenues.- Understand and respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects.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 @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
Power Transmission Components Market Market Soaring at xx% CAGR During the Period 2017-2024

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Power Transmission Components Market size is set to exceed USD 35 billion by 2024, according to a new research report.Rising investment towards expansion of existing grid infrastructure coupled with growing electricity demand from rural areas will stimulate the power transmission components market share over the forecast period. In 2015, the National Energy Administration of China had released the transmission grid construction and reform plan with the aim to invest USD 280 billion towards the upgradation of UHV, HV and MV transmission lines.Increasing adoption of renewable energy including solar, wind, biomass and small hydro will increase the demand for small grid networks, which will drive the positively power transmission components market. Countries including the U.S., UK, China, and India are making significant investments towards the development of microgrid structure to supply electricity across remote areas.Enquiry Discount for Global Power Transmission Components Market Research Report @Power transmission components market size from transmission towers segment is set to witness strong growth by 2024. Deployment of multi circuit tower structures by various developed countries including the U.S. and UK to carry long distances overhead lines will favor the business growth. Transformer is predicted to surpass USD 2 billion by 2024. Growing concern towards the upgradation of aging infrastructure will positively impact the business growth.HVDC is anticipated to reach over USD 7 billion by 2024. Growing investments towards the development of long distance EHV and UHV network because safe and reliable electricity will positively drive the power transmission components market share. However, high initial cost may hamper the industry growth.U.S. power transmission component market share is predicted to grow over 4% over the forecast timeframe. Government measures towards reduction of T&D losses along with energy conservation will further complement the industry outlook.Request a Sample Copy of Global Power Transmission Components Market Research Report @For Europe, France power transmission components market size for 2015 was valued over USD 700 million. Growing measures to reduce the frequent blackouts owing to grid failures will stimulate the business growth. In 2016, Government of France announced to build 150-mile undersea transmission network with the aim to provide reliable electricity supply.China power transmission components market size is anticipated to witness a substantial growth of over 8% over the forecast period. Government of China is inherently working with the private players to enhance the capability of existing grid infrastructure to cater the growing electricity demand. India is predicted to exceed USD 4 billion by 2024. Government of India has introduced numerous initiatives to integrate the state and central grid to achieve single tariff structure. Ongoing program including rural electrification will further complement the business landscape.Brazil power transmission components market size was valued over USD 1 billion in 2015.In 2016, Brazils non-state-owned company CPFL Energia signed USD 13 billion strategic alliance with the State Grid Corp. of China.Key industry player includes Eaton, General Electric Company, Hitachi, ABB, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Siemens AG, Schneider Electric, Emerson, Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock, and Toshiba.Related Reports: -Global and Chinese Mechanical Power Transmissions Equipments Industry, 2017 Market Research ReportThe 'Global and Chinese Mechanical Power Transmissions Equipments Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Mechanical Power Transmissions Equipments industry with a focus on the Chinese market.Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
Global Hydropower (Large Hydro, Small Hydro and Pumped Storage) Market Size, Segmentation, Investment Trends, Regulations and Key Country Analysis to 2025 | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Hydropower (Large Hydro, Small Hydro and Pumped Storage) - Global Market Size, Segmentation, Investment Trends, Regulations and Key Country Analysis to 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Hydropower (Large Hydro, Small Hydro and Pumped Storage) - Global Market Size, Segmentation, Investment Trends, Regulations and Key Country Analysis to 2025 is the latest market analysis report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the hydropower market.Browse Detail Report With TOC @The report provides a detailed insight into the global hydropower market along with market analysis of key countries - US, Canada, Brazil, Norway, Turkey, Russia, China, India, Japan, Vietnam and Iran. The report covers information related to market size, installed capacity, power generation and market segmentation (small hydro, large hydro and pumped storage) during 2006-2025. The report analyzes key market aspects which determine hydropower sector and provides information on active and upcoming hydropower plants, tenders and contracts, and investment trends.The report uses data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by GlobalDatas team of industry experts.Browse Detail Report With TOC @ScopeThe report includes -- Hydropower market study at global level and at key country level, covering countries such as US, Canada, Brazil, Norway, Turkey , Russia, China, India, Japan, Vietnam and Iran- Historic and forecast data for cumulative and annual installed power capacity for hydropower- Historic and forecast data for cumulative and annual installed power capacity by segment- Information on active and upcoming hydropower plants, major tender and contracts and investment trends in the top countries- Analysis on major market forces driving or restraining the growth of hydropower market at global and regional level- Market size data at country and global level- Key policies and regulations supporting the development of hydropower market at country levelReasons to buyThe report will allow you to -- Facilitate decision-making by providing historical and forecast data in hydropower sector- Identify opportunities and plan strategies- Identify key factors driving investment opportunities in key countries- Develop strategies based on developments in the hydropower market- Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential- Identify key partners and business-development avenues- Respond to your market structure, strategies and prospectsMake 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 @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
Global and Japan E-cigarette Market Analysis Report 2017-2022 - Major Players - RASTABANANA, Maruman, ELECOM, Ploom tech, TIDEWAY, KANGQI, NUCIG, Kanger, Vapouriz, KIKA, JWraps

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "2017-2022 Global and Japan E-cigarette Market Analysis Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The global E-cigarette market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Japan plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of xx%.This report studies the E-cigarette development status and future trend in Japan, focuses on top players in Japan, also splits E-cigarette by type and by applications, to fully and deeply research and reveal the market general situation and future forecast.Browse Detail Report With TOC @The major players includeRASTABANANA(Japan)Maruman(Japan)ELECOM(Japan)Ploom tech(Japan)TIDEWAY(Japan)KANGQI(Japan)NUCIG(UK)Kanger(UK)Vapouriz(UK)Innokin(UK)IMECIG(UK)THORVAP(UK)OVALE(Italy)PLYROCK(US)BAROQUE(US)Boulder(US)Mask king(US)Bertha(US)Harmless Cigarette(US)JWraps(US)Necro Wraps(US)YiXing(China)SMOK(China)Aspire(China)Dehui(China)Kingsong(China)Bolatu(China)Guxi(China)Cloupor(China)KIKA(China)To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Figure Global and Japan Market Size (Million USD) Comparison 2012-2022Source: Annual Reports, Secondary Information, Press Releases, Expert Interviews and QYResearchJapan, July 2017Geographically, this report splits the Japan market into six regions,TokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersOn the basis of product, the E-cigarette market is primarily split intoBy MaterialAlloySteelCopperWoodyOtherBy PriceUnder $15$15 to $30$30 to $60$60 to $100$100 & AboveBy ClassificationSetAccessoriesHostAtomizerOtherBy TypeBox TypeSimulation TypeStraight TypeMechanical TypePipe TypeTable of Contents1 E-cigarette Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of E-cigarette1.2 Japan E-cigarette Market by Applications/End Users1.2.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2022)1.2.2 Indoor1.2.3 Outdoor1.3 Japan E-cigarette Market by Regions1.3.1 Japan E-cigarette Market Size (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2012-2022)1.3.2 Tokyo E-cigarette Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.3.3 Yokohama E-cigarette Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.3.4 Osaka E-cigarette Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.3.5 Nagoya E-cigarette Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.3.6 Others in Japan E-cigarette Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4 Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of E-cigarette (2012-2022)1.4.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2022)1.4.2 Japan E-cigarette Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5 Classification of E-cigarette By Material1.5.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Comparison by Types (2012-2022)1.5.2 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Market Share by Types in 20161.5.3 Alloy1.5.4 Steel1.5.5 Copper1.5.6 Woody1.5.7 Other1.6 Classification of E-cigarette By Price1.6.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Comparison by Types (2012-2022)1.6.2 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Market Share by Types in 20161.6.3 Under $151.6.4 $15 to $301.6.5 $30 to $601.6.6 $60 to $1001.6.7 $100 & Above1.7 Classification of E-cigarette By Classification1.7.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Comparison by Types (2012-2022)1.7.2 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Market Share by Types in 20161.7.3 Set1.7.4 Accessories1.7.5 Host1.7.6 Atomizer1.7.7 Other1.8 Classification of E-cigarette By Type1.8.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Comparison by Types (2012-2022)1.8.2 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) Market Share by Types in 20161.8.3 Box Type1.8.4 Simulation Type1.8.5 Straight Type1.8.6 Mechanical Type1.8.7 Pipe Type2 Japan E-cigarette Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Japan E-cigarette Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Japan E-cigarette Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Japan E-cigarette Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Japan E-cigarette Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Japan E-cigarette Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Japan Market2.5 Japan Players/Manufacturers E-cigarette Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types3 Japan E-cigarette Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) and Market Share by Regions (2012-2017)3.2 Japan E-cigarette Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Regions (2012-2017)3.3 Japan E-cigarette Price (USD/Unit) by Regions (2012-2017)4 Japan E-cigarette Sales and Revenue by Type/ Product Category (2012-2017)4.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Japan E-cigarette Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)4.3 Japan E-cigarette Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)4.4 Japan E-cigarette Sales Growth Rate (%) (%) by Type (2012-2017)5 Japan E-cigarette Sales by Application (2012-2017)5.1 Japan E-cigarette Sales (Million Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)5.2 Japan E-cigarette Sales Growth Rate (%) (%) by Applications (2012-2017)5.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6 Japan E-cigarette Players/Manufacturers Profiles and Sales Data6.1 RASTABANANA(Japan)6.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.1.2 E-cigarette Product Category, Application and Specification6.1.2.1 Product A6.1.2.2 Product B6.1.3 RASTABANANA(Japan) E-cigarette Sales (Million Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)6.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.2 Maruman(Japan)6.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.2.2 E-cigarette Product Category, Application and Specification6.2.2.1 Product A6.2.2.2 Product B6.2.3 Maruman(Japan) E-cigarette Sales (Million Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)6.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.3 ELECOM(Japan)6.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.3.2 E-cigarette Product Category, Application and Specification6.3.2.1 Product A6.3.2.2 Product B6.3.3 ELECOM(Japan) E-cigarette Sales (Million Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)6.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.4 Ploom tech(Japan)6.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.4.2 E-cigarette Product Category, Application and Specification6.4.2.1 Product A6.4.2.2 Product B6.4.3 Ploom tech(Japan) E-cigarette Sales (Million Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)6.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.5 TIDEWAY(Japan)6.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.5.2 E-cigarette Product Category, Application and Specification6.5.2.1 Product A6.5.2.2 Product B6.5.3 TIDEWAY(Japan) E-cigarette Sales (Million Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)6.5.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued...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 @ bit.ly/1TBmnVG
State Superintendent Tony Evers has filed paperwork to run for governor in 2018, according to state campaign records.

Evers, 65, said earlier this month he had heard from a number of supporters urging him to run for governor after he earned 70 percent of votes cast in an April election to secure a third term as head of the states 422 school districts.

But Evers isnt calling the Friday filing a final decision.

As I continue talking with voters about the future of our state, this is the next logical step for me to take, Evers said in a statement. My record of public service and leadership on behalf of Wisconsin families, kids, and educators brings a unique and different choice for voters. One that I believe provides a compelling alternative to the status quo. I look forward to making a final decision in the near future.

The state superintendent position is officially nonpartisan, but Evers has been heavily backed by Democrats, making him one of only three statewide officeholders with Democratic support.

The Plymouth native recently won his third statewide race to lead the states public schools. The only Democrat elected to the governors office in the past three decades, Jim Doyle, had won three previous statewide elections as attorney general.

Evers is the most prominent Democrat to file paperwork to run against the expected Republican candidate, Gov. Scott Walker, who has more than $2 million on hand heading into 2018, according to the latest campaign finance records.

Evers has experience fundraising statewide, but nothing like he would experience in a governors race. He raised about $440,000 in his recent re-election bid. Walker spent more than $36 million in 2014.

Though he has not officially announced, Walker is expected to announce after the 2017-19 state budget is passed that he will seek a third term and has mounted his probable campaign largely on a significant boost of funding he has proposed for public school districts.

A spokesman for Walker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Since proposing his spending plan for the next two years, Walker has touted his education proposal at nearly 50 public schools so far this year  about four times the number of schools he visited during his entire first year as governor.

Recent Marquette Law School polling shows significant public support in Wisconsin for increasing state funding for public schools, an attitude that could become central to a potential matchup between Evers and Walker.

Walker has proposed $649 million in new spending for schools within his $11.5 billion plan for K-12 education. His proposal provides about $227 million more in aid than what Evers asked for in his agency budget request.

Since he was first elected state superintendent in 2009, Evers has asked Walker and the Legislature four times to significantly increase funding for schools, by raising state-imposed revenue limits and changing the equalized aid formula to account for districts with high poverty, declining enrollment and rural issues. His proposal to revamp the states funding formula has repeatedly been ignored until this year, when Walker included some of his proposals.

Evers earlier this year praised Walkers budget proposal, but until now the two have been at odds over how much money the state and property taxpayers should send to schools, the expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers and on Walkers signature piece of legislation known as Act 10, which nearly eliminated collective bargaining for public school teachers and resulted in massive membership losses for the states largest teachers union, which has heavily backed Evers.

Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said Evers will have to compete with an idea being considered by fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik to prohibit state employees from paying toward their benefits.

If Tony Evers wants to run for governor, he needs to make clear where he stands on the early litmus test of this Democrat primary: whether to go further in empowering the big government special interests than even the administration of Gov. Jim Doyle did, Zimmerman said. With already $5 billion in savings for taxpayers from Gov. Walkers reforms, will tax-and-spend Madison liberal Tony Evers support having state employees pay nothing toward their benefits?

In a statement, Gronik said he has the utmost respect for Evers.

I believe anyone with a vision, plan and ability to execute for the state of Wisconsin should get into the race, Gronik said. Its exactly what the people of Wisconsin deserve when considering who they want to be their new governor and I love competition.

He said Evers represents a high caliber of individuals considering a run for governor, which is a strong reflection of Scott Walkers unpopularity and the deep divisions that he has created across the state.

Evers joins a pool of Democrats considering running against Walker next year, including Gronik, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin president Mahlon Mitchell, former Democratic Party chairman Matt Flynn, Rep. Dana Wachs, D-Eau Claire, Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, campaign finance changes advocate Mike McCabe and political newcomers Bob Harlow, of Barneveld, Ramona Whiteaker, of Stoughton, and Jeff Rumbaugh, of Madison.

Only Gronik and Harlow have officially announced a run.
Egg Protein Report on United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Types, Applications & Players Eurovo Group, Rose Acre Farms, VH group Project to 2022

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A new research document with title 'United States Egg Protein Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022' covering detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia and important players/vendors such as Eurovo Group, Rose Acre Farms, VH group, Wulro,A.G. Foods, Farm Pride................The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2022Brief Summary about Egg Protein""Egg proteins include Egg white powder, egg yolk powder and whole egg powder.Talking about the egg white and yolk proteins, it can be said that one large egg contains about 6.5 grams of protein, out of which egg white protein content is about 3.6 grams.""Request a sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Egg Protein in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversAvangardcoSanovoIGRECAInterovoBouwhuis EnthovenBNLfoodPost HoldingsEurovo GroupRose Acre FarmsVH groupWulroA.G. FoodsFarm PrideGF OvodryAdriaan GoedeSOVIMO HELLASRembrandtDEB EL FOODLodewijckx GroupKewpieDalian LvxueJinlin HoudeKangde BiologicalDalian Hanovo FoodsEtam Biological Polytron TechnologiesMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisMarket Segment by Type, coversWhole Egg PowderEgg White PowderEgg Yolk PowderMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoBakeryMeat ProductIce CreamOtherBuy this report @There are 17 Chapters to deeply display the United States Egg Protein market.Chapter 1, to describe Egg Protein Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by States, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Egg Protein, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the United States market by States, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, price, revenue and market share of Egg Protein, for each state, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to analyze the key States by Type and Application, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 12, Egg Protein market forecast, by States, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 14, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 15, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 16 and 17, to describe Egg Protein Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source.Get customization & check discount for report @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Egg Protein Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Whole Egg Powder1.2.2 Egg White Powder1.2.3 Egg Yolk Powder1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Bakery1.3.2 Meat Product1.3.3 Ice Cream1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Analysis by States1.4.1 California Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Texas Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 New York Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Florida Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Illinois Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Global Healthcare Cyber Security Industry Growth and Analysis 2016  2024

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Global Healthcare Cyber Security Market: SnapshotThe global healthcare cyber security market is predicted to lay a strong foundation of propelling growth on the growing need of network security, a type of IT security widely sought by healthcare organizations. Access control and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) mitigation are some of the highly sophisticated types of network security solutions that ensure protection. Interestingly, the end-user expenditure on these solutions is prognosticated to continue seeing a rise due to its mounting awareness. In 2016, network security showcased a dominating performance in the market. Other types of security such as wireless, cloud, and application could also contribute to the overall growth.View Report @While cyberattacks are prophesied to be amongst the primary drivers of growth in the global healthcare cyber security market, data breaches could well be in the run. An escalating count of healthcare institutions are expected to take to cyber security solutions to protect patient and their own data too. The implementation of connect medical devices and digital medical record systems coupled with the surging usage of laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices is foretold to set the tone for a valuable demand in the market.Focus on the introduction of technologically advanced solutions could be a key strategy adopted by leading players operating in the global healthcare cyber security market, followed by merger and acquisition. The rapid shift toward cloud computing technology is envisaged to supplement an additional boost to the demand in the market. More opportunities could take position in the market as players look to run new strategies to magnify their presence.Cyber security technologies and solutions are evolving due to the changing threat landscape, where threats are becoming smarter and damaging. In todays connected health environment, cyber security is no longer an option or afterthought whereas it is a critical strategic asset that is being addressed by every organization. Over the past decade, healthcare industry has implemented a healthcare information technology (healthcare IT) infrastructure to access, send and receive electronic health data. Given that medical records contain a wealth of information that can be used for identity theft and fraud (such as social security number, address or claims data), personal health information carries a higher value on the black market than other industries. The key factors driving the healthcare security market is the increasing cyber-attack threat. Recent estimates suggest that in the period from 2010 to 2014, approximately 37 million healthcare records were compromised in data breaches. Moreover, rise in the patent infringement cases, business records, medical identity fraud, and loss of patient health records are expected to boost the healthcare cyber security market during the forecast period of 2015 to 2023. However, lack of awareness about cyber security related to the healthcare industry would act as a restraining factor, thereby hampering the growth of the healthcare cyber security market.The global healthcare cyber security market has been segmented into solution type, end user and geography. On the basis of the solution type, the healthcare cyber security market has been segmented into risk and compliance management, identity and access management, security information and event management, and intrusion detection system (IDS)/intrusion prevention system (IPS), firewalls, antivirus, antimalware software, data encryption software, and others. The identity and access management is the fastest growing segment in the healthcare cyber security market. The market for end users in segmented into pharmaceuticals & chemicals manufactures, medical devices companies, health insurance companies, hospitals and others. Pharmaceutical companies held the major share of healthcare cyber security market in 2014 and is expected to witness a substantial growth during the forecast period. During the past decade, cyber-attacks on medical device companies, insurance and pharma companies is on the rise, thus fueling the market growth of healthcare cyber security market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Healthcare Cyber Security Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Geographically, North America held the largest share of the healthcare cyber security market followed by Europe in 2014, due to the presence of highly developed medical and healthcare infrastructure, high spending on the healthcare information technology, presence of the major pharmaceutical and medical devices companies in the region and government initiatives which have led the growth of the healthcare cyber security market. Asia Pacific is the most attractive market for the healthcare cyber security market due to the rapid improvement in the healthcare industry, economic development in the countries such as China, Japan, India and Australia, which would further booth the healthcare cyber security market during the focus period. Rest of the world holds immense potential for the growth as there are untapped opportunities in the health care cyber security market.Developing a cyber-security platform is no more an option today, it is a necessity. Some of the major players engaging in the health care cyber security market include Cisco Systems, Inc., IBM Corporation, MacAfee, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc., Symantec Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, FireEye, Inc., Northrop Grumma Corporation, Kaspersky Lab 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:
Global Tele-intensive Care Services Industry Growth and Analysis 2016  2024

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As per an article in the Permanente Journal  a journal of medical science, social science in medicine, and medical humanities, the cost of treating critically ill patients crosses US$67 bn per year in the U.S. alone. The mortality rate is around 10% and even reaches up to 28% in ICU settings. In order to limit ICU deaths, healthcare professionals and hospital managers are actively exploring tele-intensive care services. This keen interest by healthcare professionals in tele-intensive care services is owing to the number of benefits these services can offer to providers and receivers of critical care. Tele-intensive care units have helped patients in keeping medication errors in check and have decreased the length of stay (LOS) in ICUs. This is driving the global tele-intensive care services market.View Report @The report on global tele-intensive care services market is enriched with fruitful information, statistics, and data, which holds the potential to benefit readers. It provides a basic overview of the tele-intensive care services market including definition, classifications, applications, and industry chain structure.For the purpose of giving a clearer picture to the readers, the growth and decline of each of the segments have been given in the report along with the underlying reason behind the state of the segment. The leading segment and sub-segment and also the fastest growing segment are given.Overview of the Tele-intensive Care Services MarketThe demand for tele-intensive care services is driven by the rapid adoption of telemedicine among people across the globe. The rising number of patients requiring intensive care is burdening hospitals and as such, the adoption of tele-intensive care services is an ideal solution. Moreover, there is an increased interest and confidence among healthcare professionals in remote patient monitoring. This is fueling the growth of the market globally. Additionally, the cost and time savings associated with the ability to make quick decisions by the adoption of these services will further boost their demand.The centralization of the massive amount of patient data will aid the interest of healthcare professionals in tele-intensive care services. The decreased hospital stay and the reduced risk of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are some of the other factors encouraging the adoption of tele-intensive care services. The adoption of tele-intensive care services helps medical practitioners to monitor any important signs in patients and also receive alerts in case of deviations in the set health parameters of a patient. Moreover, the implementation of tele-intensive care services prevents hospital-setting related issues from occurring.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Tele-intensive Care Unit (ICU) Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.According to TMR, tele-intensive care services will be centered on IoT and various smart medical devices in the future. An increasing number of hospitals are realizing that the adoption of these services can be very profitable after the initial cost of investment has been recovered. This is further expected to encourage other hospitals to adopt these services, thus driving the global tele-intensive care services market.The global tele-intensive care services market is segmented on the basis of type, component, and geography. By product, the market is segmented into hardware and software. Hardware components are further categorized into therapeutic devices, communication lines, computer systems, physiological monitors, display panels, and video feeds. By type, the market is segmented into intensivist, open, co-managed, open with consultants. By geography, the market can be segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.Companies Mentioned in the ReportThe report studies key players operating in the global tele-intensive care services market. These include: Advanced ICU care, inTouch health, UPMC Italy, INTELEICU, iMDsoft, INOVA, and Philips. The business and financial overview, recent products and developments, and the strategies implemented by each of the companies are given in the report.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) Treatment Industry Growth and Analysis 2016  2024

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Primary biliary cholangitis, previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis, is a rare chronic liver disease, primarily characterized by destruction of the bile ducts which transport bile acid out of the liver. Although the primary cause of the disease has not yet been elucidated, research across the world has attributed it to be autoimmune in nature. The progress of this disease results in the harmful accumulation of bile acid, which causes severe liver damage, resulting in cirrhosis at the later stage of the disease. The disease primarily affects women in their middle age. The lack of a definitive cure for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) results in an immensely lucrative business opportunity to tap into this underserved market.View Report @Although presently the disease cannot be cured by medication, the progression of liver damage can be stalled with the help of a drug known as ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), the only FDA approved medication for the disease. Additionally, the symptoms of the disease in early stages which include itching and fatigue can be relieved with the aid of drugs such as antihistamines and opioid antagonists. However, if primary biliary cholangitis is diagnosed in later stages, the sole treatment option which remains viable for survival is liver transplantation. The improved diagnostic processes worldwide coupled with rise in patient awareness regarding treatment and physician check-ups upon experiencing symptomatic discomfort has led to lesser requirement of transplants. The improved scenario relating to the prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis has thus made medication a more popular course of treatment in comparison to liver transplants resulting in alleviating the progression of the disease.Although the treatment with UDCA helps reduce advancement of liver destruction, the drug has shown to be ineffective in adequately reducing disease specific blood compounds (such as bilirubin) in over 40% patients. Moreover few patients have experienced intolerance to the drug. Thus, there is immense potential for a new cure and innovative drug to create a remedial breakthrough in the market due to the current unmet need of the patient population.The global primary biliary cholangitis market can been segmented on the basis of type of treatment and by region. Based on type of treatment, the global market has been segmented into drugs and liver transplantation. The drugs segment has been further segmented into primary treatment (UDCA) and symptomatic relief treatment. The symptomatic relief segment includes drugs to aid in reduction of disease symptoms which includes antihistamines, Cholestyramine, antibacterials and opioid antagonists. In addition, a pipeline assessment has also been provided to assess the drugs undergoing early stage and late stage clinical trials.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) Treatment Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Globally, the annual incidence of the disease is estimated to be between 0.7 and 49 cases per million-population and prevalence between 6.7 and 940 cases per million-population, the variance in cases primarily based on age and gender and geographic location. However, various peer reviewed articles have suggested that the incidence is gradually increasing worldwide. Geographically the market has been segmented into five regions, namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. The market for this disease is expected to be higher in North America and Europe owing to the higher prevalence and incidence of the disease in those regions. Primary Biliary Cholangitis is more prevalent in Northern Europe, North America and Latin America and less common in Eastern Asia, Africa, and Australia. In the U.S., PBC is among the top ten causes to undergo a liver transplant. The incidence of PBC is high in U.K as compared to other regions in Europe and thus U.K is an attractive business opportunity for research as well as trial studies and drug sales pertaining to this disease. Thus, the global market for PBC is driven by rise in incidence of primary biliary cholangitis, increased exposure to environmental triggers to the immune system such as pesticides to susceptible individuals and growth in faulty lifestyle related triggers such as alcoholism, smoking and obesity.The key players in the market include Novartis AG, Actavis, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Lumena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Siedco Pharmaceutical Co., and Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc. etc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.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:
Global Cardiac Output Monitoring Devices Industry Growth and Analysis 2016  2024

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Cardiac output is known as the volume of blood is pumped by from the right or left ventricle of heart per minute and which is dependent on heart rate, and stroke volume. The cardiac output increases during acute exercise and mental stress, while decreased cardiac output might include physical exercise of a intensity that the patient is not able to bear because of decrease in oxygen supply, obesity, ingestion of large meals that place an added workload on the heart, retention of fluid, emotional stress, hypervolemia, and smoking. It is essential to assess the state of patients blood circulation. Low cardiac output usually leads to a common problem of low blood pressure which might surface occur during surgery, or during postoperative care in the intensive care units.View Report @In high-risk surgical patients and critically ill patients the arterial blood pressure and cardiac output usually are monitored more comprehensively. Cardiac output monitoring devices are used to know the cardiac output of heart and arterial oxygen content which enable the circulation of continuous systemic oxygen supply to the body. Doubling the cardiac output leads to double amount of the oxygen supply to the tissues, while the low cardiac output leads to inadequate supply of oxygen to organs like brain and the low amount of cellular oxygenation can cause tissue and organ failure. The major observed causative factors for the decrease cardiac output are congenital heart defects, pathologic changes in the heart's muscle, blood dyscrasias, chronic pulmonary disease and electrolyte imbalances (as of potassium or calcium). According to North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, decreased cardiac output is defined as a state in which inadequate blood is pumped by the heart to meet the metabolic demands of the body. Cardiac output monitoring devices market is classified on the basis of product type, methods, end-user and geography.On the basis of product type the market is broadly classified into invasive, minimally-invasive and non-invasive cardiac output monitoring devices. The invasive cardiac output monitoring has been traditionally accomplished using the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), but complications associated with PAC has markedly decreased the widespread use of the PAC. The market demand for the non- invasive devices is high followed by minimally invasive devices as compare to invasive devices, due to factors such as ease, accessibility and cost- effectiveness and fast response time. By methods the market is segmented as thermodilution method, pulse pressure analysis, Doppler method, bioimpedance and applied Fick principle. Each methods has its own merits and demerits. On the basis of end-user the market is segmented as hospitals, ambulatory care and critical care centers. By end-user hospitals covers the major market for cardiac output monitoring devices, because of reliability and conjunction of other therapeutic treatments. The factors such as raising incidences of cardiovascular diseases, increase in the number of people suffering from obesity, growing ageing population, and raising healthcare infrastructure facilities are the growth drivers of this market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Cardiac Output Monitoring Devices Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.By geography, the market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the world. Geographically, North America was observed to have the major share of cardiac output monitoring device market due to high healthcare awareness, prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and technological advancement in the region. Europe contributes to the second largest share in the cardiac output monitoring device market growth with raising ageing population. However, Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing due to the gradual adoption of improved technologies, emerging health care infrastructures, and raising population with cardiac problems and obesity. Followed by Rest of the world.The major key players operating in cardiac output monitoring device market include Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, Cheetah Medical, PULSION Medical Systems SE, Philips Healthcare, LiDCO Group plc, Boston Scientific Corporation, GE Healthcare, and others. Bioreactance-based NICOM Cheetah Medical remains the topmost non-invasive market leader.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:
Global Dental Fittings Industry Growth and Analysis 2016  2024

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Orthodontics mainly deals with the correction of improper alignment of teeth by braces or apparent loss of teeth by dentures/artificial teeth. Orthodontics was initially chosen for children but now it is used ubiquitously. Technological advancements have reduced the stigma related with this treatment and now many dental fittings such as tongue and teeth colored braces are available commercially. Rising awareness of dental aesthetics and related advantages has resulted in increased acceptance of dental fittings amongst all age groups.View Report @The dental fittings include dentures, archwires, anchorage appliances and ligatures. The braces or the brackets are meant to place the misaligned or crooked teeth in place. Braces are small squares attached to the front of the teeth by an orthodontic bonding agent and connected to each other via connectors or bands. Orthodontic bands are stainless steel, tooth colored material or transparent. Spacers are separating parts that fit between the teeth before the bands. Archwires guide braces with the movement of the teeth. Ligatures are small rubber bands which hold on to the archwires together. Traditionally braces were made up of metals, however, with technological advancements they are now available in ceramics. The braces are also made up of stainless steel, titanium or a mixture of both. The orthodontic archwires are of two types: coated metal and transparent non-metallic. Coated metal archwires are made up of nickel- titanium or of stainless steel and are coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), parylene-polymer, and an epoxy-resin. Transparent nonmetallic arches are similar to metal arches which are made from glass spindle and are embedded in polymer matrix. The growing demand for aesthetic archwires has led to many advancements in archwires technology. These wires will continuously be developed on the basis of appearance, durability and flexibility. Non-metallic archwires may take over the future market as they are more preferred over the conventional metallic wires. Dentures are used to replace and support the missing teeth and the surrounding gum tissues. Dentures are of two types: complete ones and the partial ones. The partial ones are plastic partials or the metal partials, on the basis of the material used to attach to the teeth.The dental fittings market is on an all-time high due to many regulatory reforms in most of the countries like reimbursement coverage, access to advanced technology, increased disposable income and increased rate of awareness about dental fittings treatment. Aspects such as rising awareness about dental fittings, cheaper availability of treatment and increasing health care expenditure may boost the growth of the dental fittings market in Asia Pacific. Attributing to rapid development in healthcare, infrastructure, government reforms and access to advanced dental fittings, China and India are most profitable markets in Asia. Also, easy availability of skilled orthodontists and supporting economy is expected to spur the growth of the dental fittings market in China and India.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Dental Fittings Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Many of the companies are manufacturing dental fittings, and are adopting acquisitions and mergers, extensive R&D as measures to expand their geographic reach and introduction of novel products in to the market. Asia Pacific dental fittings market is expected to rise with context to volume, on basis of low product prices, less market penetration, disposable earning and improving healthcare expenditure. Also the awareness of dental aesthetics systems and dental cosmetic surgery will expectedly drive this market in North America and Europe. The advanced CAD/CAM technology and 3 Dimensional digital imaging may lead to growth in the industry. The CAD technology can support in making digital prostheses much faster. The global dental fittings market is dominated by few key players such as GC Orthodontics, Dentaurum, Henry Schein, Hangzhou Shinye, and Dental Morelli.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:
Coil Coatings Market by Regional Analysis, Key Players and Forecast 2023

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Coil coatings are multilayered complex coatings of resins, pigments, and primers over metal rolls. Metal substrates (usually steel and aluminum) are roll coated in order to provide weather resistance and corrosion resistance. Coated metal rolls, sheets, and strips are then molded into necessary shapes. These coil coated metal objects are used in construction projects, automotive fabrication, appliances, HVAC systems, and furniture.Browse Market Research Report:This report provides detailed description of the global coil coatings market based on volume share (kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) from 2014 to 2023. It highlights factors contributing to the growth of the market. It also enumerates the restraints of the market. Detailed forecast for coil coatings from 2015 to 2023 has been provided separately for better understanding of the market scenario. The coil coatings market is described with respect to various segments along with potential opportunities during the next six years.In terms of geography, the global coil coatings market has been segmented into the following regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Each region has been further divided into countries that are key markets for coil coatings. The study also analyzes market attractiveness for key countries with the help of the market attractiveness tool.The study segments the global coil coatings market on the basis of products (active ingredients) such as polyester, silicone modified polyester, Polyvinylidene fluoride, polyurethane, plastisols, and others (including epoxides and acrylics). It provides forecasts and estimates for each product segment in terms of revenue and volume during the forecast period for each region, including countries as well.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Coil Coatings market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @The study also segments the global coil coatings market on the basis of end-user industries such as construction, automotive, appliances, and others (including packaging, furniture and HVAC). It provides forecasts and estimates for each application segment in terms of revenue and volume during the forecast period for each region, including countries as well.Increasing demand for coil coatings in key end-user industries such as construction, especially non-residential construction, is projected to fuel the global coil coatings market. Swift growth in global population, especially in developing countries, is anticipated to boost the construction, automotive, and appliances markets in these countries. This, in turn, is projected to propel the demand for coil coatings. Rapid pace of industrial development and rising prosperity of the population in developing countries is a stimulant for growth of sales of products such as furniture, appliances, automotive, and houses. Coil coatings used in the manufacture of these products in order to impart longevity through weather resistance, corrosion resistance, and aesthetic appeal. However, demand for coil coatings in Europe is likely to decline from previous levels owing to severe debt crisis in the region. Market players are shifting their focus from the once dominant Europe market to Asia and other fast growing regions. Middle East & Africa is projected to offer opportunities for market growth primarily owing to growth in construction and appliances industries in the region.Value chain analysis and Porters Five Forces Model have been included in the report to provide a comprehensive view of the market. These would also help understand specifics of the industry structure apart from providing an overview of the degree of competitiveness. The report also comprises detailed profiles of key players such as Akzo Nobel N.V., The Valspar Corporation, Beckers Group, Nippon Paints Co. Ltd., BASF SE, The Dow Chemical Company, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Dura Coat Products, Inc., Bulk Chemicals Incorporated, Axalta Coating Systems LLC, and PPG Industries, Inc. Detailed description of players includes parameters such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, upcoming facilities, capacity addition, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, new products, and recent developments.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Wind Energy Foundation Market 2016 Trends, Research, Analysis and Review Forecast 2024

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Wind Energy Foundation Market: OverviewAs reforms and policies stressing on adaptation of renewable energy are increasing, wind energy is expected to occupy a major market share of global power production in coming years. Demand for clean energy as well as depletion of conventional reserves have promoted use of renewable energy resources. Wind energy structures can be segmented on basis of location as offshore and onshore projects. Offshore wind turbines are now being installed in deep water also. These structures are extremely huge and heavy. The tower constructed for wind turbines carry weight of blades and also absorb static loads caused by fluctuations in wind power. Along with tower, foundation also carries weight of these structures. Hence to guarantee stability of wind energy project, the foundation should be strong enough to handle pressure exerted by slender structure above it.Foundation refers to support structure or geotechnical component for wind turbines situated between tower and seabed. In case of onshore wind energy project, foundation is constructed on different types of terrains under challenging soil and environmental conditions. For onshore construction, foundations can be segmented as raft, pile, and well foundations, among others. Raft footing is among frequently used structures and comes in different shapes depending upon various factors such as wind class, type of tower, and turbine capacity. The foundation designs varies according to the project, ground conditions, and the local rules and regulations.View Report @Wind Energy Foundation Market: Segment-wise InsightFor offshore wind energy projects, foundation structures can be classified as mono-pile, jacket-pile, gravity-type, tripod and suction caissons. Mono-pile comprises of steel pile that is situated at around 30-60 ft. into the seabed. Mono pile is among the most used types of foundations especially in Europe. However, they are not considered well-suited for large turbines, which are among latest trends of wind industry. Gravity-pile foundation are made of precast concrete and are ballasted with sand, gravel or stones. In these type of foundations turbines depend upon gravity to stand erect.Tripod foundations use the principle used in the oil and gas industry and are used for deeper depths. In this type, the foundation consists of three piles which are driven 32-46 ft. into the seabed. Jacket is another popular technology used for deep waters. It is made of steel beams welded together to form a jacket or cover. A floating offshore wind foundation is not used on a large scale. The deep water offshore wind structures are preferred as winds are stronger here as compared to the shores.However, the cost of offshore wind foundations is a major restraint for this market. The University of Dundee estimated in 2014 that foundations and installations can represent about 25% of the total wind turbine capital investment. Construction of foundations is critical as it depends upon many factors and requires extensive research. Apart from load that forms a major factor, motion caused by coupling of translational and rotational platforms and turbines are also considered. The foundation design also depends upon mooring lines for floating systems. Corrosion is another serious threat and requires extensive monitoring. As foundation contributes to major part of wind energy investment, these factors are critically analyzed.Mono-pile projects are most used form of foundations in Europe. Seabed structures and ongoing projects for sustainable energy promotions in Europe have helped in creating huge market opportunity for mono-pile foundation. The foundations market also depends upon the suppliers for materials. The suppliers for different types of foundation are not uniformly distributed globally. This is another reason for mono-pile being used extensively in Europe and jacket foundations is preferred in the U.S. Jacket foundation are light weighted as compared to other types and hence are easier to install. Mono-piles structures transportation is challenging as they are quite heavy. This may act as a restraint for mono-pile market in coming years.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Wind Energy Foundation Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Wind Energy Foundation Market: Competitive OverviewMajor players in this market are Suzlon Group, Ramboll Group, Owec Tower AS, Offshore Wind Power Systems of Texas LLC, Blue H Engineering BV, SWAY AS, Marine Innovation & Technology, Statoil, Principle Power, Inc., DONG Energy Burbo Extension (UK) Ltd., Bladt Industries A/S, TAG Energy Solutions, MT Hjgaard, Fugro Renewable Services, and Dillinger Hutte.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.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:
FGD Gypsum Market 2017 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2025

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FGD gypsum, also known as synthetic gypsum, is manufactured through the process of flue gas desulfurization. Flue gas desulfurization is a technology used to eliminate sulfur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants. The process keeps the air clean and provides sustainable and ecologically sound source of pure gypsum. The product is created while carrying out various industrial processes. Industrial production of phosphoric acid, titanium, hydrofluoric acid, and citric acid helps produce phosphogypsum, titanogypsum, fluorogypsum, and citrogypsum, respectively, as their by-product. The product manufactured is an environmentally friendly, highly sustainable and of high quality. The usage of the synthetic gypsum form FGD is expected to increase as more coal fired power plants convert their desulphurization processes to produce commercial gypsum. Increase in construction of wallboard plants near these power plants is also anticipated to boost the usage of FGD gypsum.View Report @FGD gypsum is used in various industries such as agriculture and construction based upon its usage. In terms of application, the FGD gypsum market can be segmented into wallboard, cement, plaster of Paris, fertilizers, and others. FGD gypsum is primarily used in the form of wallboards and plasterboards in the construction industry. FGD gypsum is also added to cement as filler or retarder. Plaster of Paris is utilized to create decorative panels, structures, and sculptures for the building & construction industry. FGD gypsum is a versatile mineral and is employed as a fertilizer in agriculture. It is primarily added as sulfur or calcium fertilizer. Additionally, gypsum is utilized as soil conditioner; it helps retain water. FGD gypsum is also used in ornaments and other decorative items.Growth in the construction industry in Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe is anticipated to boost the global FGD gypsum market in the near future. Demand for gypsum is high in the construction industry due to wide applications in wallboard, cement, and plaster of Paris. FGD gypsum is recyclable; this makes it the first choice of material in the construction industry. The construction industry in Europe is significantly strong. It accounts for 10% share of the GDP of European Union. The construction industry in Europe is estimated to expand at a steady rate of 3% till 2020. The construction industry is significantly strong in Western Europe as compared to its counterpart in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the European Union is focusing on energy efficient and green buildings plans. The region has developed a strong regulatory framework to achieve sustainable construction. These initiatives are likely to fuel the demand for gypsum wallboards and plasterboards in the construction sector in Europe. FGD gypsum boards are more energy-efficient and provide greener solutions than cement and concrete structures. Increase in population along with improvement in the standard of living in Asia Pacific is boosting the market in the region. In developing nations such as China and India, the demand for FGD gypsum is higher due to the development of industries and growth in the construction industry.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the FGD Gypsum Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The FGD gypsum market is highly consolidated; seven to eight manufacturers account for more than 80% the share globally. However, the rest (20%) of the market is relatively fragmented. Key manufacturers operating in the gypsum market include EDF Energy, E.ON UK Plc, Scottish & Southern Energy Plc, Rugeley Power Ltd., Drax Power Ltd., Eggborough Power Ltd., ?EZ Energeticke produkty, s.r.o., STEAG Power Minerals GmbH, VGB PowerTech e.V., and BauMineral GmbH.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 2014 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2024

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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:
More than half of Wisconsin's state legislators demanded on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration restore funding to put homeless veterans in two state homes, warning that the funding cut would worsen veterans' suffering.

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs received word in mid-June that the funding will end in September for the Veteran Housing and Recovery Programs at homes in King and Union Grove. Funding for the program at the Chippewa Falls veterans home will continue on a conditional basis.

WDVA officials say it isn't feasible to run the programs without federal funding. As a result, the King and Union Grove homes have stopped accepting new homeless vets. The WDVA has started working with veterans' advocacy groups to find new housing for 21 King vets and 28 Union Grove vets in the programs.

A bipartisan contingent of 81 state representatives and senators sent a letter Friday to Jeffery Quarles, director of the program that funds housing for homeless vets. The letter notes that the programs have been in effect at King since 1995 and at Union Grove since 1997 and ending them will cause more suffering.

"For some homeless veterans in our state, especially those in more northern and rural areas, there is simply an absence of necessary resources available to assist these individuals," the letter said. "Without the funding for these programs at King and Union Grove, there will be a lack of options for homeless veterans in certain areas of Wisconsin."

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Jill Snyder had no immediate comment on the letter.

Under the programs, the federal government reimburses states for the cost of housing homeless vets. The program provided about $1.3 million annually for Wisconsin in each of the last two fiscal years, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

WDVA spokeswoman Cara Vigue said in an email Friday that the agency applied for reimbursement for fiscal year 2018 ahead of an April 4 deadline and was told in mid-June that there would be no money for King or Union Grove. Vigue said the agency hasn't received an explanation, other than that the decision was part of a "transformation" of the reimbursement program.

Snyder wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that a review found some projects that the program funded were out of date and don't "reflect community needs and/or take into consideration current community resources."

"VA is simply allocating its resources differently in order to better serve veterans," she said, adding the agency offers other programs and services to help homeless vets.

She didn't mention Wisconsin specifically and didn't immediately reply to a follow-up message seeking more details.

The legislators also sent their letter to every member of Wisconsin's congressional delegation. House Speaker Paul Ryan and U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher sent their own letter to USDVA Secretary David Shulkin on Thursday saying they want to better understand why Union Grove and King didn't qualify for the reimbursements for the first time since the mid-1990s. They asked for a response by July 28.
Digital Paper System Market Development & Demand, Growth Analysis, Key Findings, Application and Forecast-2023

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Market Research Future published a research report on Digital Paper System Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Digital Paper System Market, By Technology (Electrophoretic, Electrochromic, Electrowetting, Cholesteric LCD), By Application (Technology Wearables) and End User (Consumer Electronics, Retail, Education) - Forecast 2023Market Synopsis of Digital Paper System Market:Market Scenario:Digital paper system is a patterned paper used in conjunction with a digital pen to create handwritten digital documents. The printed dot pattern uniquely identifies the position coordinates on the paper. The digital pen uses this pattern to store the handwriting and upload it to a computer.Digital paper systems are a true replacement for the vast amounts of paper that continue to clutter many offices and institutions. Digital paper system is interactive and can be responsive to inputs unlike electronic paper which is just a display.Major factors driving the growth of digital paper system market is the ease in reading and low power consumption features. Increasing number of technologies in the market like electrophoretic, electrowetting, cholesteric liquid crystal display, electrochromic and others is another driving factor in the growth of digital paper system market. However electrophoretic technology is expected to witness high growth owing to its growth in the e-paper market. The digital paper system market is expected to witness high demand on account of the growing number of applications in the display market.The digital paper system market has been segmented on the basis of technology, application and end user. These displays are readable in direct sunlight, lightweight, and are durable. The applications segment is further bifurcated into consumer electronics, retail, education and others. With growth in number of applications, digital paper system is expected to grow rapidly and dominate the market.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players: Amazon.com, Inc., Sony (Japan) E Ink Holdings, Inc. (Taiwan) Xerox Corporation (U.S.) Aveso Displays (U.S.) Bridgestone Corp (Japan) Delta Electronics, Inc. (Taiwan) Gamma Dynamics (U.S.) LG Display (South Korea) Samsung Electronics (South Korea), among others.Study Objectives of Digital Paper System Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the digital paper system market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future perspective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segmentation on the basis of technology, application and end user. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for digital paper system To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the digital paper systemSegments:Digital paper system market can be segmented on the basis of following:By Technology Electrophoretic Electrochromic Electrowetting Cholesteric LCD (CH-LCD) OthersBy Application E-Readers Technology Wearables Cell Phones & Music Player OthersBy End User Consumer Electronics Retail Education OthersBrowse Full Report Details @Regional Analysis:The regional analysis of digital paper system market is being studied for regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. It has been observed that North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the market, whereas Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. The major growth in digital paper system market in North America is attributed to the technical advancements and increasing demand for digital advancements in that region.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Digital Paper System Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2023 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Smart Education and Learning Market Share, Demand, Applications and Opportunities Market Research Report 2023

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Market Research Future published a Half-Cooked Research Reports on "Smart Education and Learning Market Research Report- Forecast to 2023" - Market Analysis, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023Smart Education and Learning Market, By Software (Assessment Services Adaptive Learning Platform), By Hardware (Student Response System), By Service (Professional Service), By Application (ProfessionalServices) - Forecast 2023Market Synopsis of Smart Education and Learning Market:Market Scenario:The upcoming revolution in education system is replacing traditional classroom and learning methods. The implementation of information technology is driving the smart education and learningMarket. Educational institutes are adopting advanced teaching methods and tools which includes white boards, projectors and smart notebooks. Implementation of such technologies in classroom improvesUnderstanding of students and provide with a clearer view about what to learn. Coordination betweenHardware provider, software innovator and education material provider is making learning easy forStudents.The key drivers of smart education and learning market is interactive displays hardware market and active learning. Increasing number of mobile learning applications and professional expertise with technology and towards digital learning are anticipated to drive the smart education and learning market.The smart education and learning market is segmented on the basis of software, hardware, service,Application and deployment and organization size. The software segmentation includes learningManagement system, learning content management system and adaptive learning platform andAssessment services. The LMS is the software that powers eLearning, and in its most common form itConsists of two separate parts. In the first part, a server component performs the core functionality, such as creating, managing and delivering courses, authenticating users, serving data and notifications. TheSecond part is the user interface that runs inside the browser as a web (like Gmail or Facebook), that is used by administrators, instructors and students.The Smart Education and Learning market is expected to grow at approximately USD 952 Billion by 2023, at 26% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.Request a Sample Report @Study Objectives of Smart Education and Learning Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the smart education and learning market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the smart education and learning market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment on the basis of software, hardware, service, application, deployment and organization size. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the smart education and learningBrowse Report Details @Key Players:The prominent players in the smart education and learning market are  Adobe Systems Inc. (U.S.) Blackboard (U.S.) Educomp (India) Cisco Systems Inc. ( U.S.) McGraw-Hill Education (U.S.) NIIT Limited (India) Pearson Plc. (U.K.) Desire2Learn (Canada) SumTotal System, Inc. (U.S.) Smart Technologies (Canada) Ellucian Company L.P (U.S.) Tata Interactive Systems (India) Promethean Inc. (U.K.) Saba Software Inc. (U.S.)Intended Audience Investors and consultants System Integrators Government Organizations Research/Consultancy firms Technology solution providers IT Solution Providers Educational InstitutesRegional Analysis:The regional analysis of smart education and learning market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, Americas, Europe and Rest of the World. The increasing demand for high-tech education is driving the market. North America to dominate the smart education and learning market. AsiaPacific region is expected to be the fastest growing market due to the high adoption of smart education and learning techniques in developing countries.Make an enquiry for this Report @Market Segments:Smart education and learning market for segment on the basis of software, hardware,service, application, deployment and organization size.Smart Education and Learning Market by Software: Learning Management System (LMS) Learning Content Management System Adaptive Learning Platform Assessment ServicesSmart Education and Learning Market by Hardware: Interactive White Boards (WBS) Interactive Displays Interactive Tables Student Response SystemsSmart Education and Learning Market by Service: Managed Services Professional ServicesSmart Education and Learning Market by Application: Government Enterprise/Business Education NGOs and Association Professional Services HealthcareSmart Education and Learning Market by Deployment: Cloud On-PremiseSmart Education and Learning Market by Organization Size: Small And Medium Organization Large OrganizationAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of variousIndustries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), RawResearch Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Aged Care Market | Analysis & Key Trends 2023

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Global Aged Care Market: SnapshotAs the percentage of geriatrics in the global population increments, projected to be 17 percent (1.6 billion) by the end of 2050 by the National Institute of Aging, the demand in the global aged care will simultaneously gain momentum. But escalating consumer base is not the only driver for the global aged care market, which will also gain from the advent of robots, who have the potential of reducing nursing care cost, although their commercialization is still keenly awaited. Some of the other important factors augmenting the demand in the global aged care market are: reducing pricing, growing demand for nurses with specific skillset, the participation of a large number of startups and smaller players in the localized regions, technological advancement in the devices such as wearables and customized medications. This increasing percentage of geriatric population is not bounded by any geographical region, which is another favorable factor for the vendors operating in the global aged care market.This report on the global aged care market provides comprehensive assessment of all factors on which the future of the market depends, and estimates its repercussions. It segments the market to understand the valuation of smaller aspects, takes stock of the potential of different regions, and profiles a number of current key players in order to represent the competitive landscape. This report has been developed by a group of professional market research analysts, aspiring to serve as a credible business document for the stockholders of the aged care market.View Report Most of us want to remain independent and stay in control, but due to growing age our ability starts to decline. Hence, the concept of aged care is introduced, for an easy and better living with proper nursing facility for the higher age group. It is also known as elderly care or eldercare. It emphasizes on the personal and social needs of senior citizens as they need some assistance in their daily activities and medical support who desire to age gracefully. A special act has been taken by the Australian Government for senior citizens known as The Aged Care Act 1997 for people who are unable to live independently of their own. It promises to provides them better and longer living. It is an important distinction that the designing of house, services, activities and employee training of global elderly care falls under the unpaid market sector.The main agenda is to ensure that eldercare services are targeted towards people and areas with the utmost need, it facilitate access to aged care services by those who need them, irrespective of culture, race, language, gender and economic background. Focus is also given on people who are homeless or lives in remote areas and special care is also provided for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) group. Programs are being adopted for the community based care for older people those are Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Packages Program. These provides coordinated and personalized home care and also offers four classes of package to assist aged people with simple, low, high and very high care needs.Aged care market has lot to offer for the special service providers who are capable to run long-term as well as short-term aged care home, nutraceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, senior care furniture manufacturers and real estate companies. Special products are being marketed for aged people such as smart seat hair protector, water proof seat protectors, and bed pads.It has already made an impact in developed countries like USA, Canada, and Australia. The aged care market is gaining its popularity in the developing countries like China, Singapore and India, as the major proportion of population is above 65 years. More elderly people will take up aged care services in the future rather depending on their families for care and support as younger people are moving to different cities leaving behind their extended family.Aged care market can be divided on the basis of services and geography. Services can be classified as home care services and residential care services.In home care services, they provide medical or nonmedical benefits which include personal care, skilled-nursing care, companion facilities, physical therapy and medical social services. It also includes in-home hospice care provider.In residential aged care, they provides well maintained accommodation for those whose care cannot be met in their own homes and thus needs a special care cell. There are again two categories in residential aged care facilities these are respite care and permanent care. Respite care offers short-term and temporary care in a residential aged care facility and supports both the older people and their care givers to live at home for as long as possible. They provide both high and low care facility. On the other hand permanent care offers tailor made individual needs in the residential aged care facility.Some of the key players can be divided on the basis of pharmaceutical manufacturer like Pfizer, Novartis, Merck & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk. On the basis of nutraceutical manufacturer like Alkemists Labs, Asiamerica Ingredients, Inc., Barrington Nutritionals, Nutralliance, Inc., and Proprietary Nutritionals Inc. Senior care furniture manufacturers can be classified as Phoenix Contract, Inc., Flexsteel and Kwalu.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Aged Care Market during 2016- 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Immunotoxins Market | Analysis & Key Trends 2023

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Immunotoxins are proteins that include a toxin along with an antibody or growth factor that binds specifically to target. An immunotoxin consists of a specific cell-targeting constituent, usually a monoclonal antibody (mAb) linked to a cell-killing toxin. Chemical conjugation of antibody to whole protein toxin creates immunotoxins, lacking of its natural binding domain. Immunotoxins are created in Escherichia coli that are distorted with a plasmid encoding the recombinant toxin. Harvesting recombinant protein is the most common method for manufacturing a substance for clinical trial. The insoluble protein is washed thoroughly with detergent to remove solublized, endotoxin, denatured, and condensed in guanidine-dithioerythritol solution. Then the recombinant protein is restored as a denatured protein or also known as renatured protein by rapid intensity into redox buffer containing glutathione and arginine, and the dialyzed renatured protein purified by sizing chromatography and anion exchange.Toxins used in immunotoxin structures are derived from fungi, bacteria and plants, while most function by inhibiting protein synthesis. The bacterial toxins that are commonly used in immunotoxins include the toxin from Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) and Diphtheria toxin (DT). Ribosomes inactivating proteins (RIPs) gelonin, the A chain of ricin (RTA), pokeweed antiviral protein and dodecandron are included in plant toxins that are utilized in immunotoxins. As it is an enzyme, one toxin molecule can work on many substrate molecules, having a lethal effect on the cell. Immunotoxins use in haematological malignancies is considered to be very important, which are characterized by a high percentage of malignant cells that express the target antigen in contrast to solid tumours, which are characterized by a mixed cell population, and cells that are often not easily accessible for immunotoxin.View Report According to a research, cancer was observed as the most frequent cause of death in most of the developed countries. In the U.S., the estimated number of new cancer cases was above 1.5 million in 2010, with a mortality rate accounting for 23% of total deaths. Thus, cancer is observed to be the major application of immunotoxin, to use highly potent agents as a cancer therapy, it is necessary to target the killing agent selectively to the cancer cells and immunotoxin therapy is also considered to be an important and effective molecular cancer treatment strategy. The major driver of immunotoxins market is increasing global prevalence of cancer. For instance, according to World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012, Cancers figure among the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths while lung, liver, stomach, colorectal and breast cancers cause the most cancer deaths each year. It is also expected that annual cancer cases will rise from 14 million in 2012 to 2022 within the next two decades.Major advantages of immunotoxins are minimum toxicity in normal tissues and discerning cytotoxicity towards tumor cells. The immunotoxins clinical development in the treatment of solid tumors has been impeded in part, by the initiation of an immune response directed mainly against the toxin moiety, and in part by loss of activity of the fusion protein, e.g. by sterical barrier in the case of large toxin moieties. Strategies to overcome these limitations and develop the clinical performance of immunotoxins may reduce immunogenicity of it by removing the T-cell epitopes and use bispecific or bivalent constructs as next generation molecules.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Immunotoxins Market during 2016- 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Drip Irrigation Systems Market Market to Ensure Healthy Growth

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The drip irrigation systems market in MENA region is mainly backed by the rising water scarcity and need to increase agricultural productivity in the region. The demand for drip irrigation systems is expected to witness strong growth during the forecast period due to high water efficiency of these systems as compared to the conventional irrigation techniques.. In addition, drip irrigation helps in reducing the water wastage due to evaporation, as water is directly applied to the plant root. This is one of the most important advantages of these systems as compared to the sprinkler irrigation systems. Due to these advantages of drip irrigation systems, the demand for these systems is predicted to soar substantially during the forecast period.In 2013, agriculture segment accounted for the largest share in terms of revenue in the MENA drip irrigation systems market. The demand for these systems was mainly due to the strong agriculture sector in countries such as Israel, Turkey, Iran, Egypt and others. Drip irrigation systems enable high agricultural productivity in comparison to other irrigation techniques. Thus, with rising agricultural development in MENA region, the demand for these systems is estimated to grow substantially. Furthermore, countries such as Morocco, Qatar, Sudan and others are focusing on development of their agriculture sector in order to increase their agricultural productivity. Through this, these countries plan to reduce their dependence on food imports and achieve self-sufficiency in food production. With growing efforts for increasing domestic food production, the drip irrigation systems market in the region is predicted to witness strong growth during the forecast period. Furthermore, greenhouse production is expected to rise substantially in the coming years for production of different vegetables, fruits and other crops. Since drip irrigation systems are the most suitable form of irrigation for greenhouses, the adoption of these systems in this application is estimated to grow substantially during the forecast period.Obtain Report Details @On the basis of components, the drip irrigation systems market in MENA was dominated by the tubing segment. Currently, round tubing account for the largest share, in terms of revenue, in the MENA drip irrigation systems market. This is majorly due to high popularity of these tubing for drip irrigation systems in the region. However, due to various advantages such as high durability, resistance for wear and tear and cost effectiveness of flat tubing, the demand for this segment is predicted to rise substantially during the forecast period.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @In 2013, the Middle East accounted for the largest share of around 72% in terms of revenue in the MENA drip irrigation systems market. This was largely due to the high penetration of drip irrigation systems in countries such as Israel, Turkey and Iran. Moreover, due to high water scarcity in the region, the demand for drip irrigation systems is expected to remain strong in the Middle East during the forecast period. Furthermore, North Africa is expected to witness highest growth in the adoption of drip irrigation systems during the forecast period. The high growth is expected to come from countries such as Morocco, Egypt and Sudan. The demand for drip irrigation systems in these countries is expected to be mainly supported by agriculture and greenhouses applications.The Middle East and North Africa drip irrigation systems market shows strong competition among the existing players in the region. The market is fragmented in nature with significant number of global as well as regional players. In order to sustain competition, majority of the drip irrigation manufacturers focus on strengthening their distribution networks across the region.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:
Carbon and Energy Software Market Growing with Innovative Industrial Applications

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Increasing need to reduce energy consumption and operational costs has led to the rising demand for carbon and energy software, globally. In addition, rising concerns towards climatic changes and global warming have made it imperative for various governments across the world to work towards reducing carbon emissions. Thereby, energy intensive industries including oil and gas, energy and utilities, and manufacturing need to monitor and assess their energy consumption. Carbon and energy software has offered a viable solution to such industries to effectively monitor and assess overall energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with various business operations within an organization. Furthermore, increasing popularity of sustainability management across various organizations in the IT and telecommunication, retail and manufacturing industries is further driving the demand for carbon and energy software market.Increasing complexities and expansion of supply chain in various organizations across the world have led to increasing operational costs. Thereby, organizations seek to deploy carbon and energy software in order to efficiently map, monitor, and assess energy consumer by various individual processes throughout the supply chain. Furthermore, such software enables organizations to optimize various operations to achieve higher sustainability in terms of carbon emissions and energy consumption. Carbon and energy software offers precise measurement of the carbon emissions enabling organizations to publish their carbon footprint accurately. Organizations can fine tune their operations to reduce their overall carbon footprint and comply with various government regulations and norms pertaining to carbon emission.Obtain Report Details @Depending on their specific requirements, customers can choose between the on-premise and hosted carbon and energy software solutions. Increased control over information and higher privacy offered by the on-premise carbon and energy software solutions has led to the higher adoption of these solutions across critical industries such as oil and gas; and energy and utilities. Increasing need for enhanced scalability and rising penetration of Internet has led to the increasing popularity of hosted or cloud-based carbon and energy software solutions. Reduced initial investments and enhanced convenience are expected to drive the growth of hosted carbon and energy software market.Based on the end-use, the carbon and energy software market is segmented into oil and gas; energy and utilities; IT and telecommunication; manufacturing, and others (retail, automobiles, construction, medical, etc.). In 2013, IT and telecommunication held the largest market share in the overall carbon and energy software market. Rising need to reduce operational costs to increase profitability and build an environmental friendly brand image has made it imperative for numerous organizations across the world to make use of carbon and energy software. Government initiatives taken towards reducing the overall carbon emissions in various countries in Europe and Asia Pacific region are further driving the growth of carbon and energy software market.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @By geography, North America led the overall carbon and energy software market in terms of revenue in 2013 on account of higher adoption of this software solution in the region. Europe held the second largest revenue share of the overall carbon and energy software market in 2013. Carbon and energy software market in Asia Pacific is expected to achieve significant growth during the forecast period from 2014 to 2022. Increasing government activities for curtailing carbon emissions and achieving higher energy efficiency are expected to drive the carbon and energy software market in this region. Furthermore, higher concentration of IT and telecommunication sector in countries including China, India, Japan, and Indonesia offer immense growth opportunities in the carbon and energy software market during the forecast period from 2014 to 2022. Countries in the Latin America region including Brazil, Argentina, and Chile have also been identified as growth markets during 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. 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:
Network Analysis Module Market: Overview, Latest Trends, Manufacturers Challenge Competitors with Forecast upto 2024

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In the era of technology, the busy world is connected with peers over the networks, which is why issues related to the security threat, poor network performance and mismanagement of traffic are increasing rapidly. So, to assist this problem, Network Analysis Module (NAM) is an idle solution. The core competency of the module such as optimize resources utility and trigger troubleshoot to enhance the network performance are the vital parameters, which are enabling Network Analysis Module (NAM) to became a versatile solution to network problems.With increasing complexity in IT environment, enterprises are witnessing huge problems in monitoring network performance, in order to measure the overall efficiency, Network Analysis Modules are mandated products, which facilitate the smooth workflow. Confidentiality breaches, traffic management, data destruction & manipulation are the foremost issues, which forces management to adapt advanced network monitoring system, owing to which the demand for Network Analysis Module (NAM) are increasing.The other viewpoint of the company is to optimize network availability and cut down costs by improving asset utilization, this ideology is the important parameters, which is creating lucrative opportunities for investors to avail the B2B business opportunity for Network Analysis Module (NAM) market.Obtain Report Details @Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market is segmented by component, vertical, organizational size, deployment, and region.By component, the Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market can be segmented into hardware and software. By vertical, the Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market can be segmented into Education, BFSI, Manufacturing, Telecom and IT, Energy, Healthcare and life sciences, Public Sector & Utilities, and Retail. By organization size, the Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market can be segmented into Small & medium enterprise (SMEs) and large enterprises. By deployment, the Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market can be segmented into cloud and on-premise.Regionally Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market can be segmented into the Middle East and Africa, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Japan, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan. North America is quite matured market with regards to technological advancement. Therefore, North America is anticipated to contribute highest market share for Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market. Followed by North America, Western Europe is estimated to capture the second largest market share owing to increase in IT infrastructure development in many organizations.Asia-Pacifics most emerging nations China and India are witnessing the fastest growth due to the adaption of smart technology. Besides, growing number of small and medium enterprise in Asia Pacific countries are spurring the demand of Network Analysis Module.Make an Enquiry@Nagios, Cisco, C.A Technology, Microsoft Corporation, Sevone, Zabbix, Fortinent Fortisiem, Solarwinds, Netscout, Opsview, ScienceLogic, ITRS Geneous, Paessler AG, App Neta, Logic Monitor, Riverbed, Optiview XG, Net Crunch, Zenoss Service Dynamics And Manage Engine Are The Key Player Of Network Analysis Module (NAM) Market.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
A former Gladstone police sergeant convicted of orchestrating a plot to kill his wife in 2011 will pay her estate nearly $426,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Leslie Bottomly on Wednesday ruled in favor of the estate of Debbie Higbee Benton. Both parties agreed that Lynn Edward Benton will pay $425,000 in damages and another $956 in fees. The lawsuit, filed by Debbie Higbee Benton's mother Irene Berg, sought $900,000.

It's not clear how or when Benton will pay the money, said J. William Savage, one of the attorneys who represented Higbee Benton's estate.

Benton's Oregon Public Employees Retirement System benefits can't be garnisheed in this case because Higbee Benton, 54, was killed before the 2013 statue that allows the funds to be seized, Savage said.

Benton, 55, was a police officer in Gladstone for more than two decades and was once the face of the department as its public information officer. He was fired in December 2011, seven months after his wife's death.

Savage said Higbee Benton's family wanted a civil judgment as well as the criminal verdict.

Jan Kitchel, Benton's attorney, said Benton is in the process of appealing his October 2016 conviction for aggravated murder, criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and attempted murder. Benton was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Kitchel declined to discuss how Benton will pay. The attorney said the criminal conviction factored heavily into the civil case and if Benton is successful in appealing his conviction, he would move to overturn of the civil judgment.

"I think he should prevail in that appeal, based on all that I've seen in his case," Kitchel said.

Higbee Benton and Benton married in October 2010. Higbee Benton was found shot, beaten and strangled in a storage room in her beauty salon in Gladstone seven months later.

Prosecutors said Benton wanted his wife dead in part to prevent domestic violence allegations from affecting his job. Benton began transitioning from female to male in 2010 and their relationship began to deteriorate over the transition, prosecutors said.

Benton offered $2,000 to his friend, Susan Campbell, and her son, Jason Jaynes, to kill Higbee Benton, prosecutors said. Benton also made an earlier attempt on his wife's life by trying to give her an overdose of fentanyl, prosecutors said.

According to authorities, Campbell shot Higbee Benton in the back, called Benton and fled. Benton then picked up Jaynes, drove him to the salon and watched as Jaynes killed his wife, prosecutors said.

Jaynes, 36, was sentenced in January to nearly 12 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder and Campbell, 59, was sentenced in February to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years for aggravated murder.

Of the trio, Campbell is the only one who admitted to investigators that she harmed Higbee Benton. With his guilty plea, Jaynes admitted that he agreed with his mother to kill Higbee Benton for money.

Benton, who was found guilty by a Clackamas County jury, has never admitted to any role in his wife's death. No physical evidence was found linking Benton and Jaynes to the killing.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency Friday for 17 Wisconsin counties, including Dane County, to help deal with the aftermath of heavy rains this week.

Torrential rains and storms over the last few days across the southwestern, south-central and western Wisconsin counties have led to closed and flooded roads and trails, flooded rivers and downed trees.

With the state of emergency declared, Walker directed state agencies to help those impacted by the floods. He also activated the Wisconsin National Guard, which could be called out if local authorities ask for assistance.

Between six and eight inches of rain fell across the impacted area Wednesday, Walker said.

The declaration comes as up to three more inches of rain is expected through Saturday morning. A flash flood warning watch has been issued for 14 already soggy counties, including Dane, in southeastern and southern Wisconsin through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Besides Dane, Buffalo, Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Trempealeau and Vernon counties were included in the declaration.

Walker had already declared a state of emergency because of heavy rain in Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties last week.
Thousands of students will learn next month whether they will receive Oregon Promise grants to help reduce the cost of tuition at community college this fall, but hundreds of applicants who would've qualified during the program's first year will receive some bad news.

The promise, a last-dollar scholarship program approved by lawmakers in 2015 to great acclaim nationally, is no longer available to any and all qualified Oregonians.

Oregon lawmakers approved $40 million in funding during the legislative session which wrapped up earlier this month. That cash ensured the program would continue for at least a second year. In 2015, the Legislature approved $10 million to pay for just one year of the program. But the $40 million to support a second class of incoming community college students wasn't enough to make the program available to all qualified applicants. Higher education officials said the state fell $8 million short.

So, in year two, students who indicate on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid they will receive larger contributions from family members will not qualify for the grant.

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission is still finalizing the specific income-requirements. Last month, higher education staffers told lawmakers that families earning more than $100,000 a year in adjusted gross income would likely be cut out of the program.

Juan Baez-Arevalo, interim director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission Office of Student Access and Completion said in a statement that the state was "excited by the burgeoning student interest" in the program. "Even after we apply the income-related criteria, we expect this new investment will support four out of five of the eligible applicants for this coming fall," he said.

Students will receive an email in August saying whether they will receive a grant to attend school this fall.

Students who already attended one of Oregon's 17 community colleges last fall will not be affected by the new income requirements. More than 6,800 students participated in the first year.

More than 13,800 recent high school graduates and GED recipients submitted applications during year two.

Students must fill out a FAFSA and accept any and all scholarships and grants before receiving a promise grant. In the first year, about 53 percent of the grant recipients did not qualify for the federal low-income Pell Grant because their families made too much money. Seventy-five students from families of greater than $238,000 received promise grants last year.

Many students don't attend college completely free. Oregon's grant is based on the average community college tuition, or roughly $3,398 per year. If a student chooses to go to a more expensive school, or enrolls in more than 12 credits of classes, they could owe the difference.

Oregon lawmakers did make other changes to the program during the session to give more time for students to apply for the program, including if they have experienced a "significant hardship" or are new recruits in the National Guard.

The program previously was available only to students who had graduated or received a GED within the past six months.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen


The state plans to kill some animals in a wolf pack, which has repeatedly preyed on livestock in Stevens County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said Thursday.

The wolves, known as the Smackout pack, has preyed on livestock four times since September.

"The purpose of this action is to change the pack's behavior," said Donny Martorello, a wolf manager for the agency. "That means incrementally removing wolves and assessing the results before taking any further action."

The Smackout pack is one of 20 wolf packs, all in Eastern Washington, documented in Washington state in 2016. At that time, the pack was estimated to consist of eight wolves, but it has since produced an unknown number of pups. The pack roams an area near the Canadian border north of Spokane.

Wolves were wiped out in Washington early in the last century, but begin moving back into the state from Idaho and Canada earlier this century.

The state is now home to at least 115 wolves, growing at a rate of 30 percent per year, and there have been conflicts between wolves and ranchers that prompted the state to kill numerous problems wolves in recent years.

Jim Unsworth, director of Fish and Wildlife, authorized the lethal action against the Smackout pack.

The department in June adopted a policy of removing wolves that prey on livestock three times in a 30-day period or four times in a 10-month period, Martorello said.

The Smackout pack's latest depredation against cattle was discovered July 18.

In June, a ranch employee caught two wolves in the act of attacking livestock and killed one of them, the agency said.

"This rancher has made concerted efforts to protect his livestock using non-lethal measures," Martorello said. "Our goal is to change the pack's behavior before the situation gets worse."

Gray wolves have been removed from federal Endangered Species Act protections in the eastern third of the state, although they remain protected under state law.

Chase Gunnell, a spokesman for Conservation Northwest, called the decision to kill several wolves "heartrending," but said it may prevent the entire pack from being wiped out.

"We see this is a test of the theory that early lethal intervention can disrupt depredating behavior," Gunnell said.

He said it was clear, based on information from the agency, that the ranchers involved in this case have taken steps to avoid conflicts with wolves.

-- The Associated Press
A 40-year-old hiker who was reported missing Wednesday night when she didn't return from Game Lake Trail was hoisted to safety by the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday afternoon.

The aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Sector North Bend hoisted the hiker at approximately 12:30 p.m. and transferred her to the Curry County Sheriff Department who were waiting in Agness, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

Around 10 a.m., Curry County requested assistance after locating the hiker. She reportedly became lost and dehydrated and spent the night on the trail, which is located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

Although she was found in stable condition, she was only wearing shorts and a T-shirt and had an emergency survival solar blanket to keep her warm.

--Olivia Dimmer

503-708-8630; @DimmerOlivia
After nearly a month on the run, an 18-year-old escapee from Camp Riverbend Youth Transitional Facility was caught this week after allegedly shoplifting candy bars in Albany, state police said.

Albany police detained Micah West of Salem on the shoplifting allegations Tuesday and then arrested him on the escape warrant and booked him into the Linn County Jail, Oregon State Police said in a news release.

On Wednesday, he was transferred to the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn. He might face charges for his June 20 escape from Camp Riverbend in La Grande as well as other allegations after his escape, state police said.

State police believe West and/or fellow escapee Brittain McAuliffe, 18, of Central Point stole a vehicle from Oregon State Parks on June 24, they said in an earlier release.

McAuliffe is still at large. Police describe him as 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, with a stocky build and tattoos on both forearms, one saying "Native Pride." He also wears glasses.

Police ask anyone who spots him to contact the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center dispatch at 541-664-4600 or 911.

--Olivia Dimmer

503-708-8630; @DimmerOlivia
Portland city managers can now approve most six-figure consulting contracts without bringing the spending proposals before the City Council, where commissioners and the public can weigh in.

The council unanimously voted Thursday to increase the value of contracts for expert services that require council approval from $100,000 to $500,000. This means 95 contractsor more than $9.5 million worth of dealsapproved by the city council in the last 17 months would have been selected without council oversight.

Mayor Ted Wheeler acknowledged there were "trade-offs" between public transparency and increasing the efficiency of the bureau projects when it came to accepting this policy change.

"If I'm sitting in the audience, I'm still wondering 'what about transparency?'" he said before voting yes on the policy.

Commissioner Nick Fish also pressed on the issue of transparency. He asked if the contracts could be found at a central location on the city's website. Interim Chief Procurement Officer Larry Pelatt said all contract solicitations are online. Chief Financial Officer Ken Rust noted that there are already a lot of contracts that don't come to council at all, saying "if you think it's difficult to get that information, it's not different from what we're proposing."

"I still think there needs to be a centralized place where people can go to find this," Fish said. "Otherwise we're requiring people to jump through a lot of hoops to find information."

It's not clear if that will happen. Fish did not formally introduce an amendment that would create a centralized tracking system before voting to approve the policy change. Procurement officials didn't agree to heed Fish's request.

Although Wheeler noted the transparency questions highlighted in an Oregonian/OregonLive story Wednesday, he made clear that he supports the oversight change that his office brought forward Thursday.

He emphasized his desire to speed up bureaucratic processes and the criticism he's received, reported in a Willamette Week story Wednesday, for not moving quickly enough to address Portland's housing crisis.

"You'll see I'm being excoriated broadly for being too slow to respond to the housing crisis," Wheeler said. "This is a way to speed things up"

Saltzman and Eudaly also supported the change. Commissioner Amanda Fritz did not vote. She is visiting her mother in England until Aug. 1.

Pegged as a pilot program, the procurement officer's increased signing authority will last through December 2018.

The proposal would also increase the value of public improvement and construction contracts, as well as goods and services contracts, the procurement officer could execute without council approval from $500,000 to $1 million.

Jen Clodius, city finance office spokeswoman, said the change will help "improve efficiency in getting infrastructure projects from 'Bid' to 'Notice to Proceed' more quickly."

When asked how raising the threshold for council review of consulting projects would help increase construction project efficiency, Clodius noted that it takes two months to get an ordinance through council.

Three members of the public testified against the policy change Thursday, saying that increasing the value of contracts that can be decided without the council's approval diminishes public trust.

"When standards fall, so does community trust," Craig Rogers said during public comment.

--Jessica Floum

503-221-8306
Portland's mayor wants to press ahead for a court opinion on whether the Police Bureau can order an officer who uses deadly force to speak to internal affairs investigators within 48 hours, without compromising an ongoing criminal inquiry.

Mayor Ted Wheeler will ask the City Council on Aug. 3 to pass a policy that would push for police interviews with internal affairs investigations within 48 hours of an officer's use of deadly force under tight confidentiality restrictions, roping such an internal administrative review off from the district attorney's criminal inquiry.

But before it goes into effect, the city will petition for a circuit court judge, and then likely an appellate court, to validate the policy or determine whether it's legally valid.

Document: Proposed city ordinance

Meanwhile, the Police Bureau's revised use of force directive, based on Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill's legal advice, is expected to go into effect within 30 days.

That requires internal affairs investigators to get approval from the district attorney before ordering any officer who uses deadly force to speak in an internal administrative interview. The district attorney, citing a 1984 Oregon Supreme Court ruling, believes any officer compelled to give a statement to internal affairs before a criminal investigation is completed could have his statements suppressed by a court and granted immunity from prosecution. The 1984 Supreme Court ruling affirmed a state appeals court ruling from 1982.

The district attorney, in a memo issued in late March, advised the Police Bureau to hold off compelling any police interviews until after a grand jury has heard the case, which could be weeks after a deadly encounter.

Underhill's advice to police followed the hard-fought and successful elimination of the controversial "48-hour rule" in the police contract that had allowed officers to wait at least two days before making a statement to internal affairs.

"I oppose the 48-Hour Rule. Officers who wrongly use deadly force should no longer wear a badge. The previous Council paid a steep price to eliminate the rule, and I want it gone forever,'' Wheeler said in a prepared statement.

The mayor said Underhill's interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling is "the best we have at this time,'' yet he added that he's not convinced the 1984 case, which did not specifically deal with the circumstances of concurrent employment and criminal investigations, "should be the final word on issues critical to police accountability and public trust today.''

Underhill on Friday said he welcomed the city's move to get a court ruling.

"I support the city's efforts to have our courts review the constitutional implications of the city's administrative practices in this area. Everyone will benefit from the clarity a reviewing court will offer to this practice - the sooner the better,'' Underhill wrote, in response to the mayor's move.

Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association that represents rank-and-file officers, said he was dismayed by the mayor's move. "It is frustrating that our Mayor is actively seeking ways to undermine our constitutional rights as police officers,'' Turner said.

The ordinance that will go before council next month says the law on the issue "is not entirely clear'' and that the district attorney's interpretation "frustrates the compelling public interest in a prompt and timely administrative investigation'' to determine if an officer who killed someone on duty violated any city policies or training.

Under the proposed policy, an internal affairs investigator could compel an officer to answer questions within 48 hours of a deadly force incident, unless there was a compelling reason to delay the meeting. Refusal to talk to internal affairs may be grounds for a disciplinary action based on failure to follow directives, but it will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Refusal alone would not be enough for discipline.

The internal affairs captain would be responsible for ensuring that the compelled statements and any evidence derived from them are "kept wholly confidential'' within the bureau's Professional Standards Division and not provided to anyone involved in the criminal inquiry, or anyone outside of the division, until the criminal investigation is done.

Even if a district court judge approved of officers' compelled statements within 48 hours of a deadly force incident, it likely would take an appellate court ruling on the subject before a change is made, as Underhill is relying on a 1982 state appellate court ruling, approved by the state Supreme Court, city attorneys said.

Michael Gennaco, of the California-based OIR Group that's been hired by the city to review officer-involved shootings, told The Oregonian/OregonLive, that "any investigative system whereby no one is able to interview an involved officer in an officer-involved shooting for several weeks is wholly inconsistent with best investigative practices.''

He added, "The proposed amendments to Police Bureau directives that would change the waiting period for such interview from 48 hours to several weeks is in serious need of further discussion and reconsideration.''

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
City officials plan to create a new commission to draw public input on Portland police policies and performance, partly to comply with a federal mandate for community engagement in the city's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nearly half a year has passed since the city dissolved the struggling Community Oversight Advisory Board, which the council created to monitor Police Bureau reforms required under the settlement agreement. The settlement stemmed from a 2012 federal investigation that found police engaged in a pattern of using excessive force against people with mental illness.

The city hasn't replaced the board or held public meetings on the ongoing bureau reforms since.

Instead, it's met behind closed doors in formal mediation sessions with lawyers from the federal Justice Department and the Portland Police Association for several months. The parties started mediation after the city challenged a district judge's order for Portland lawyers to update him in open court on the status of the reforms more frequently than the scheduled annual conferences. The city had petitioned the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the judge's order and authority.

A document filed in federal court Wednesday afternoon gives the first indication -- though in extremely general terms -- of what Portland city officials are considering in order to come into compliance with the settlement's community engagement requirement.

"The City is preparing to establish a new commission to interface between the public and the Portland Police Bureau, to provide public input and recommendations regarding police performance in key focus areas, to facilitate better community engagement and outreach, and to ensure community-engaged policing both during and beyond the pendency of the Settlement Agreement,'' the report says.

Michael Cox, spokesman for Mayor Ted Wheeler, who serves as police commissioner, said he expects a proposed ordinance to come before the City Council in August on the new community engagement plan.

But he gave some more details of the plan on Thursday.

The new group would be called "Portland Commission on Community-Engaged Policing,'' and be made up of five to nine members. It would meet twice a month, but those meetings would not be open to the public, Cox said. The commission would hold quarterly town hall meetings that are public.

"We need a process that's efficient and effective to allow its members to focus on their work and research,'' Cox said.

The volunteer community members would be appointed to the commission by the mayor, and report to the mayor's office. The commission would make recommendations to the Police Bureau and city about police use of force, officer interactions with people who suffer from mental illness, handling of citizen complaints involving racial justice and the best way to expand public outreach and community involvement.

In contrast to the lack of response the defunct community oversight board received from the Police Bureau or the mayor's office, Wheeler pledges "thorough and timely responses'' to this commission's future recommendations, Cox said.

City lawyers also say they expect to resolve their differences with Justice officials through mediation, without the appellate court's intervention.

City attorney Tracy Pool Reeve, police union attorney Anil S. Karia and U.S. attorneys signed the latest status report.

The Albina Ministerial Alliance's Coalition for Justice and Police Reform has attempted to fill the void this year, hosting two community forums to solicit public input on the settlement agreement and share information with the public.

Its lawyers, J. Ashlee Albies and Kristen Chambers, in a separate court filing said they were dismayed that the city didn't make public earlier this year the Multnomah County district attorney's legal advice to delay compelling police officers who use deadly force to talk to internal affairs investigators until criminal investigations are done, which could take weeks. As a result, little public input has been permitted on the subject, they wrote.

The settlement agreement, approved by a federal judge in August 2014, called for the city and Police Bureau to review and revise its policy for compelling officers who use deadly force to speak to internal affairs investigators "as appropriate so that it's complaint with applicable law and current professional standards.'' Further, a federal Justice Department compliance report issued last year urged the Police Bureau, in collaboration with the district attorney, request that officers who use deadly force "provide a voluntary, on-scene walk-through and interview, unless the officer is incapacitated.''

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon recently canceled the scheduled third annual conference on police reforms set for Oct. 5 because of the city's pending mediation and challenge of his order before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

But city officials and federal Justice lawyers have jointly urged the judge to hold the conference Nov. 16. Though the city's challenge is pending before the appellate court, the city did not seek to halt the annual federal court conferences, city attorneys noted in their latest report.

City attorneys also briefly identified other areas of the settlement agreement that they've worked in the past year: revising the Police Bureau's policies on use of force, "coordinating'' with the Multnomah County District Attorney to "revise protocols for reporting and investigating'' police use of deadly force "in light of applicable state and federal law,'' and working to partner toward the opening of the Unity Center, a specialized psychiatric emergency department in Northeast Portland.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
WASHINGTON -- Battling brain cancer, John McCain on Thursday vowed to return to the Senate, leveling fresh criticism at the Trump administration and aiming a good-natured dig at Republican and Democratic colleagues shaken by news of his diagnosis.



"I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support -- unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by!" McCain said in a tweet. Showing no signs of stepping back from political and national security battles, he issued a statement slamming the Trump administration over its Syria policy.



The 80-year-old McCain, the GOP's presidential nominee in 2008 and a six-term Arizona lawmaker, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, who had removed a blood clot above his left eye last Friday. They also managed to remove all of the tumor that was visible on brain scans.





The senator and his family are considering further treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, as he recuperates at his home in Arizona. President Donald Trump called the senator on Thursday, said a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.



In a blistering statement through his office, McCain criticized the administration over reports that it was ending a program to assist Syrian opposition forces fighting the government of Bashar Assad.



"If these reports are true, the administration is playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin," said McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and short-sighted."



More significantly, McCain's absence complicated Republican leader Mitch McConnell's plans for a Senate vote on a GOP health care bill to erase much of Barack Obama's law. A vote is possible as early as Tuesday, but Republican defections plus McCain's likely absence could sink any chance even to get started.



McCain's closest friend in the Senate, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said that they had spoken by telephone Wednesday night and that the diagnosis had been a shock to McCain. But Graham said "woe is me" is not in McCain's DNA. "One thing John has never been afraid of is death," said Graham, who said he expects McCain to be back at the Capitol.



Prior to a Thursday news conference on immigration legislation, Graham said McCain called him three times. "He is yelling at me to buck up, I'm so going to buck up," Graham said.



It was unclear how long McCain might be out. Earlier this year, Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., missed several weeks after undergoing back surgery. Former Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., was out for nearly a year after suffering a stroke in 2012.



Meantime, prayers and words of encouragement flowed in Thursday from presidents and Senate colleagues past and present.



"I called Senator John McCain this morning to wish him well and encourage him in his fight. Instead, he encouraged me," said former President George W. Bush, who prevailed over McCain for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000. "I was impressed by his spirit and determination."



Former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas said: "Having known John for many decades, I am certain that he is as tough as they come -- if anyone can defeat this, it's him. John is a true American hero."



According to the American Brain Tumor Association, more than 12,000 people a year are diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same type of tumor that struck McCain's Democratic colleague in legislative battles, the late Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. The American Cancer Society puts the five-year survival rate for patients over 55 at about 4 percent.



McCain, a former combat pilot, has a lifetime of near-death experiences -- surviving a July 1967 fire and explosion on the USS Forrestal that killed 134 sailors, flying into power lines in Spain, being shot down in October 1967 and falling into Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi, and going through 5 1/2 years in a North Vietnamese prison.



"The Hanoi Hilton couldn't break John McCain's spirit many years ago, so Barbara and I know -- with confidence -- he and his family will meet this latest battle in his singular life of service with courage and determination," said former President George H.W. Bush.



Commenting on both McCain and the response, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said, "The outpouring of bipartisan respect and love for John McCain as he faces this cancer battle reminds us that after all the meanness there is a human side to politicians. Count this Democrat in John McCain's corner."



In the past, McCain had been treated for melanoma, but this primary tumor is unrelated. Doctors said McCain is recovering from his surgery "amazingly well" and his underlying health is excellent.

-- The Associated Press
PLUSH -- Federal and state agencies are investigating if there was a link between a series of wildfires in southeastern Oregon and military training exercises.

Officials believe the seven small fires that ignited on July 11 could have been connected because they were all attributed to human activity, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

In addition, remains of an incendiary flare used in the military training exercises were found at one of the burn sites, the state Department of Forestry said. The Oregon National Guard agreed to suspend the use of the flares after investigators contacted officials. But National Guard spokesman Maj. Stephen Bomar said he was skeptical his agency was the source of the fires.

"It has been more than 20 years without any sort of flare starting a fire at all in this air space," Bomar said, adding that the flare found was military grade but did not match those used by Oregon's National Guard.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife all warned of potential wildfire risk from flare use, citing species such as sage grouse that could be threatened by loss of habitat from wildfire. All three agencies asked the Air National Guard to restrict its use of flares during periods of "high" fire danger, rather than just during "extreme" fire danger.

Fire danger currently ranges between high and very high throughout most of Eastern Oregon.

Brett Fay, assistant regional fire management coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said last week's concentration of ignitions was "pretty rare."

-- The Associated Press
A 48-year-old Waukesha male died Friday morning in the Township of Oak Grove after failing to stop at a stop sign, causing a car crash, according to the Dodge County Sheriff's Office.

While driving westbound on County Trunk Highway W toward County Trunk Highway A, the driver went through the stop sign at the intersection without stopping, and collided with another vehicle, which was driven by a 34-year-old Juneau female, the Sheriff's Office said.

The male driver was taken to Beaver Dam Hospital, and then flown via Med Flight to UW Hospital in Madison, where he died shortly after, the Sheriff's Office said. The condition of the female driver, who is currently at Beaver Dam Hospital, is unknown.

The Sheriff's Office is not identifying the individuals until their families have been notified.
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Timothy Ward, 15, of Detroit doesn't get many opportunities to go swimming or take part in other water activities that many Gladwin County residents frame their summer days around; but, recently he picked out a tube and headed into the Cedar River.

Ward was part of a group of about 30 youth from Detroit who took part in the one-day event hosted by the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw parishes. Youth from Sacred Heart Church in Gladwin and Sacred Heart Church on Mack in Detroit, along with youth from catholic churches in Merrill and Saginaw, attended the event. The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw includes Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Sanilac, Saginaw and Tuscola counties.

"I hope I don't capsize," Ward said, feeling a bit reluctant to face the water with his amateur swimming skills. "I haven't been swimming since I took swimming lessons last year."

Mark Graveline, Gladwin Sacred Heart Church youth ministry coordinator, told the group that the water was knee-deep in the area where they would be and the group would watch out for each other.

Graveline said the youth group from Gladwin visited the Detroit church in January. The visitations are part of an ongoing partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw and Archdiocese of Detroit.

"They form relationships and friendships," Graveline said. "When we were there, there was about 500 youth doing community service."

Joyce Francois, youth coordinator for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said the purpose of the visit was to offer the Detroit youth exposure to northern Michigan.

"Many have not seen it before or had exposure to the area," Francois said.

She said the group visited last year, but the two churches were not able to come together. This year, both churches were part of the event.

"This was the goal and we finally met the goal," Francois said.

Juliana Obia, 16, of Detroit came last year for the Gladwin visit.

"It's definitely different," Obia said of the differences between Detroit and Gladwin.

Ward's goal for the day visit was to meet new people and learn more about what it is like living in a community smaller than Detroit. Ward took part in the one-day visit to Gladwin County in 2016, and was happy that this year they were joined in the activities by the area youth. Ward said it fun last year to just get away from Detroit and see a new place.

"This is awesome," said chaperone and St. Francis member Kathy Mahaffy, of Saginaw. "It brings youth together from all different parts of Michigan."

Rusty Birnal, of Saginaw who also a member of St. Francis who assisted in chaperoning the youth, said it gives their group opportunities. She said the visit allows the youth exposure to the country and water activities.

"Everyone's normal is different," said Carin Owen, youth ministry director at Hemlock's St. John XXIII Roman Catholic Parrish.

She said for some of the youth it is normal to live in the peaceful country setting and go tubing on a regular basis and for those from the city, it is normal to be surrounded by big buildings and hustle and bustle. Owen said the event allows the youth to share their different experiences.

The day's activities included community service at Sacred Heart Church's mission and cemetery. This was followed by kayaking, canoeing and tubing, then celebrating Mass and a barbeque.

"It's a beautiful town," said Golda Amizaa, 17, of Detroit, who was anxious to meet new friends from the area.

Amizaa said she could see living in a smaller town, such as Gladwin.

"It's small, it's not that busy like it is in Detroit," she added. "It is peaceful."

Some youth made friends with others in their own communities, as well. Caleb Brandel, 13, and Travis Leach, 12, both of Saginaw, met Tuesday morning while doing community service at the Sacred Heart cemetery. They learned they will both be going to Swan Valley next year.

Both boys were looking forward to cooling off in the water after a morning of planting new soil in the cemetery and cleaning headstones.

Leach and Brandel said they enjoyed meeting each other and others from around the state.
GRIDLEY  If Marty Klopfenstein has a regret in life, it was one he had no control over. Growing up in Gridley, he was about to enter high school when his family moved to the Chicago suburbs where he attended Lyons Township High School in La Grange.

We had 4,500 students in the school, he said. Thats a lot different than what we had in Gridley. It was a culture shock.

So, Klopfenstein concentrated on his passion for art  so much so, that during those high school days, he took a home correspondence course with an art school, based on an advertisement he saw on a book of matches.

I was doing pretty well in my high school art classes and I majored in art for two years at Northern Illinois University, he said. But I had to find other work.

Eventually, he worked as a commodities broker and then, for 13 years at the Mitsubishi auto plant in Normal. Hes now retired and lives in Bloomington, but still dabbles in his first love.

I came out of retirement for a very special project, and one that means a great deal to me, he said.

This week, Klopfenstein is putting the finishing touches on a 30-foot by 7-foot mural in downtown Gridley that includes eight different scenes of village history.

Its hard to tell when you are really finished with something like this, he said. You always feel like you want to add one more thing or tweak something just a little bit. But, I think I am getting close.

The original blueprint for the mural was designed by El Paso-Gridley art teacher Cathy Cordell, with input from Village Board members. From there, the board began asking about potential artists and Jeff Woodard of the McLean County Museum of History suggested Klopfenstein to trustee Susan Laiming.

I said, Well, I know Marty, because he used to be in my class before high school, she said. Right then, I knew it was the perfect fit.

Gridley was incorporated on April 1, 1869 and named after Gen. Asahel Gridley who served during the Black Hawk War. Like many towns at the time, the railroad was vital to growth and jobs.

The first picture in the mural honors that history with tracks and a train. Other images include an elevator, a general store, a church, an elevator, a water tower and the high school. The images were recreated from pictures and approved by the Village Board.

Klopfenstein said he still does some art around the Twin Cities. In 2012, he cooperated with a Springfield Girl Scouts troop to paint a mural near Main and Market streets to mark the organizations 100th anniversary.

Residents of the village, population 1,400, are thrilled, Laiming added.

Its incredible, said Marilyn Kirkton, whose husband Brent was Gridley mayor for 21 years, but died last year. Its really hard to describe my feelings about it because my husband grew up here and absolutely loved this town and everything about it. He saw the downtown was starting to get run down a little and he wanted to fix it up nice for the residents and people who drive through.

When Brent Kirkton died, the family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Gridley Community Improvement Fund.

That fund helped with this project, Laiming said. The town leaders know that this is very important for Gridley.

Klopfenstein said he started working on the mural last August and donated more than 100 hours of time to complete the project.

"I still love Gridley and was so proud to be able to work on something like this," he said.

Laiming said his work will be appreciated for years to come.

The downtown was becoming somewhat of an eyesore, she said. We just love it. Marty did a fabulous job and we are very pleased with it. The village board is thrilled and so are our residents.
BLOOMINGTON  With the first day of school approaching, Gov. Bruce Rauner is putting his foot down when it comes to school funding reform.

On Friday, Rauner set a deadline of noon on Monday for the General Assembly to send Senate Bill 1 to his desk.

The measure includes a new evidence-based school funding formula that would divvy up the extra $350 million slotted for K-12 public schools in the recently-passed state budget.

Previously, Rauner said he approves of 90 percent of the bill, but he plans an amendatory veto to the part that uses state money to pay part of the pensions for Chicago school employees, calling it a bailout for the Chicago public school system.

The Senate has held off on sending the bill to the governors desk knowing he will veto that part of it.

If I dont see that bill by Monday, Ill call for special session and demand they come to Springfield and do their jobs every day until we have school funding done, Rauner told The Pantagraph on Friday.

If special session is called Monday, Rauner said he hopes to see the amendatory veto upheld by lawmakers.

One of the key funding factors in the bill is examining a district's available local resources. The more local resources a district has available, the fewer dollars it would receive from the state.

Due to special authority by the General Assembly, Chicago Public Schools are able to exclude tax dollars received from a separate tax levied for teacher pensions. That lowers the district's available local resources, allowing more dollars to flow to Chicago under the bill.

After cutting the portion of the bill he doesn't support, Rauner said he plans to rework pension legislation presented by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton.

As part of that reform, Ill have Chicagos pensions treated like the rest of the state, but they shouldnt hold up a pension bailout on the backs of school children and teachers, said Rauner.

Under Senate Bill 1, all Pantagraph-area districts would receive more funding than the current funding formula.

According to www.Illinois.gov, for example, Bloomingtons District 87 would receive an extra $163,065, McLean County Unit 5 would receive an additional $421,243 and Stanford-based Olympia would receive an extra $54,615.

Under Rauners adjustments, those districts would receive even more on top of that, he said. District 87 would see an extra $93,563, Unit 5 would receive an additional $241,700 and Olympia would receive an extra $31,336.

If the bill is postponed and money isn't distributed, districts will still open schools in August, but for some, it would be a matter of time until reserves dry up.

Unit 5 business manager Marty Hickman said the Normal-based district could operate for about 40 days, or until early October, by using reserves.

It is critical that something is agreed upon quickly, said Hickman.

District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said the smaller Bloomington district could operate for the entire 2017-18 school year without state funding.

Olympia Superintendent Andrew Wise said his rural district also would be able to keep schools open all year because "many sacrifices have been made over the past decade" to build a stable reserve fund.

Rauner marked July 31 as the deadline to finalize the bill. The Illinois State Board of Education said the funding plan must be approved by Aug. 3 in order for schools to receive payments on time.

Im going to call for special session every day if needed. Theres no reason this cant be done by July 31. That gives us enough time to process checks and do whats right, said Rauner.
BLOOMINGTON  The City Council is expected to vote Monday night on a proposed ordinance to create a civilian police oversight board, but its membership would not include convicted felons or police officers.

"I think I am not alone in saying that most of us on the council had many, many conversations across the community about this ordinance and how it needed to read and what its focus should be," Ward 6 Alderman Karen Schmidt said Thursday.

"A group of aldermen worked very hard to try and synthesize all of the ideas with the product that we have in front of us now," said Schmidt. "I also think most of us made some compromises on some things.

"But the heart of the ordinance is something I know a majority of us can support," she added. "It provides a structure for us to build a stronger police-citizen relationship. There are a lot of tools in it that focus on helping communication and education across the board."

An alliance of community organizations  including Not in Our Town, American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, YWCA of McLean County and Black Lives Matter Bloomington-Normal  has asked for a citizen review board for police. Some community activists also wanted to allow convicted felons to apply and to exclude anyone affiliated previously or currently with law enforcement.

"Essentially we came back to where we were kind of at to start with on those issues  that the felons are prohibited even if they're nonviolent felons and even if (their crimes) occurred 20 or 30 years ago, and no law enforcement officials," said Mayor Tari Renner.

Ky Ajayi, a member of the local BLM chapter, said he has mixed feelings about the revised ordinance.

"I will be glad if a review board is created." he said. "I will be disappointed that people who have been convicted of crimes in the past would not be eligible to be considered for membership on the review board."

If that happens, he said, "people who have served and paid their price to society for whatever mistakes they have made are not afforded full rights of citizenship.

"I think people who have been through the process can bring a unique perspective to the review process."

Police Chief Brendan Heffner previously said he is against felons serving on the board unless someone from law enforcement also is allowed to serve.

Ajayi said he would be pleased if the exclusion of city employees and anyone with current or former affiliation with a law enforcement agency is in the ordinance.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

"I think law enforcement has a lot of input on the complaint review process already while in the initial investigations of complaints," said Ajayi. "And part of the appeal of a review board is its independence from law enforcement."

Ajayi noted that the proposed ordinance includes a provision that board members participate in training provided by the city's police and legal departments, which also would be available as resources if the board has any questions or needs clarification.

The board would serve in an advisory capacity to the police chief and city manager, Renner noted.

According to language in the proposed ordinance, the board could provide "a resident perspective to the evaluation of civilian complaints, including the timely, fair and objective review of complaints."

The board's review would be limited to whether proper protocols were followed in the investigation by police.

The ordinance's revision "makes the language very clear that the goal here is improving relationships between community citizens and our police officers," added Renner.

"The real concept is: Does an agency monitor itself, regardless of whether it's police?" said Renner. "It's another set of eyes, and I think that is what is important here."

Renner said the appointment of anyone to the board must be approved by a supermajority of the council, which is six out of the nine aldermen.

"So it's not just me or the future mayors that would be making recommendations," said Renner.

Because this would be a new committee, Renner said that for first round of appointments he would make an exception and have the council look at all of the applications, and that he would abide by the council's top selections.

The proposed ordinance says members must possess a reputation for fairness, integrity and a sense of public service, and in making the appointments, adding the mayor will seek to reflect community diversity.

A council vote anticipated on July 10 was postponed until after a majority of aldermen asked to hear more from Heffner about how the police department currently handles citizen complaints and efforts to build better relationships between the community and the department.
Illinois voters will decide Tuesday whether to amend their state constitution to guarantee the right to bargain collectively. The fate of the ballot measure is being closely watched in Illinois and beyond. Unions and pro-industry groups say it could signal a new chapter in the struggle over workers rights as U.S. union ranks have grown. They view it as a way to ensure that workers will always be able to use their collective clout to secure better pay, hours and working conditions. Business groups and conservatives oppose the measure, saying it will drive up taxes, give unions too much power, lead to more strikes and prompt companies to leave for more industry-friendly states.
Donald Trump's White House has slowly but surely reduced its presence in the White House briefing room during the first six months of his presidency -- with on-camera briefings all but disappearing from the schedule.

The Trump administration held an on-camera briefing 12 times in February, and then another 17 times in March. In May, there were 11 briefings on camera. Since then, those numbers have dropped drastically. Briefings are shorter, less substantive and rarely on camera these days. In June, there were only eight on-camera briefings. There have been zero in July.

When the briefing is off-camera, news outlets are typically barred from airing the audio live and must wait until the briefing is over to take it to air.

White House deputy secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has also had an increased presence at the lectern. She has handled most of the briefings since June 27, leaving many wondering about the role of her boss, press secretary Sean Spicer. He last briefed reporters on July 17 -- for the first time in three weeks -- because Sanders was not at the White House that day.

Spicer has justified off-camera briefings by saying he wants the President's voice "to carry the day," though he later admitted he preferred for the cameras to be turned off because "a lot" of reporters "want to become YouTube stars."

During an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network Wednesday, Spicer said the White House communications team is "very engaged with the press all day long doing interviews like this" and "communicating with the press."

"We do a briefing every single day," Spicer said. "I think for a lot of folks, they're more interested in getting the clip to put on the Internet, to put on their news, and we're interested in making sure that we communicate with the American people, that we give the press an opportunity to get their questions answered but we're not here to make it a spectacle, either."
BillerudKorsnas CEO Says Market for Fiber-Based Packaging Stayed Strong in Q2 2017 "The business areas showed stable performance over the quarter on a strong market and we see some positive development in local prices. Consumer Board is showing volume growth of around 6% compared with the first half of last year."  Per Lindberg, President and CEO, BillerudKorsnas. July 21, 2017 - BillerudKorsnas CEO Per Lindberg on July 18 said markets for the company's fiber-based packaging remained strong through the second quarter of 2017 and that scenario is expected to continue over the next quarter. Mr. Lindberg made the following comments on BillerudKorsnas' second quarter results and third quarter outlook: The market for sustainable packaging materials and solutions remains very encouraging. We delivered a stable result in the second quarter, despite the pressure from costs of external factors and the major disruption at Gruvon, which was communicated in May. Looking ahead, we see that the path we have chosen is the right one. Markets are performing strongly over the short term, and in the long term the trend points to companies being ambitious in their sustainability efforts both in their business operations and their products. The prospects for growth are good. THE RESULT We delivered solid operating profit of SEK 489 million. Production was relatively stable and we had planned maintenance shutdowns at three of our production units over the quarter, which cost SEK 25 million more than we had estimated. In addition, we had SEK 25 million in costs for the shutdown of the pulp line for the fluting machine at Gruvon, which we communicated separately, as well as additional costs related to Rockhammar of approximately SEK 30 million. Our results were also negatively affected by increased costs of deliveries due to the strike at the Port of Gothenburg. The business areas showed stable performance over the quarter on a strong market and we see some positive development in local prices. Consumer Board is showing volume growth of around 6% compared with the first half of last year. MARKET OUTLOOK The strong performance in the market by all business areas is expected to continue over the next quarter. The outlook is good and there are opportunities for further price increases, particularly in the Packaging Paper and Corrugated Solutions business areas. Primary fibre-based material with high sustainability performance is our core business, but alongside this, our solutions-based offerings are growing rapidly. This is being driven by both demand for a comprehensive offering in which the material is a key component, and by other types of solutions and packaging services. We are seeing a trend of packaging gaining an increasingly important role in many brand owners' efforts to make their products more competitive. The sustainability performance of packaging is particularly important. This continues to give us great confidence in our products and our development. STRATEGY We are continually reviewing and updating our growth strategy, but our chosen approach remains in place and we are firm in our belief in our clear focus on the effectiveness, sustainability and innovation of both new materials and new solutions and offerings. Achieving long-term growth requires resources and investments, along with a balance between a strong proactive approach and a focus on the right initiatives. Packaging generates significant value for virtually all product value chains, and BillerudKorsnas aims to shift its position forward in these chains. These efforts have created opportunities to develop new end-to-end solutions together with other companies such as our cooperation with Bosch on Axello Zap. This solution, which has only been in place for a year, is an example of where we see growing interest in end-to-end solutions with the potential to replace conventional packaging with more sustainable options. Also, it recently won a prize at Packaging Europe's Sustainability Awards in the Bio-based Packaging category. BillerudKorsnas is a leading manufacturer of packaging papers, including: kraft and sack paper, liquid packaging board and cartonboard, containerboard (fluting and liner), and market pulp. The company has 8 production sites in Sweden, Finland and the UK. To learn more, please visit: www.billerudkorsnas.com. SOURCE: BillerudKorsnas
Europac Develops a Box-Ice Bucket Made of Corrugated Cardboard Europac's box-ice bucket is ready-to-use packaging that acts as a sales tool for the wine and cava industry. "You only need to empty a bag of ice inside and wait for 30 minutes," the company says. July 21, 2017 - The Europac Group (Papeles y Cartones de Europa, S.A.) has developed a new packaging solution for drinks manufacturers  a box-ice bucket for bottles of wine and cava, designed by the Group's Packaging Division, which cools drinks and maintains the appropriate temperature for consumption. "You only need to empty a bag of ice inside and wait for 30 minutes," the company says. According to Europac, its box-ice bucket is ready-to-use packaging that acts as a sales tool for the wine and cava industry. The box-ice bucket is packaging with high quality printing to be placed on shelves at points of sale, where it becomes a medium for communication and a marketing tool to attract the attention of consumers and to strengthen sales. In addition, the wine or cava and the ice bucket are sold together in this packaging format and transported as one single product. The box-ice bucket is a solid structure, which allows the bottle to be safely carried by a handle. Another noteworthy feature of the product  an internal development by Europac  is the absence of joints, which prevents the water from the melted ice penetrating the box's structure. Once used, it becomes recoverable waste that is recycled and converted into raw material for manufacturing paper. The Europac Group (Papeles y Cartones de Europa, SA) is an integrated manufacturer of paper and packaging with operations in Spain, France and Portugal. To learn more, please visit: www.europacgroup.com. SOURCE: The Europac Group
Leaked legal documents printed from the sue-counter-sue saga raging between Johnny Depp and his former financial management team, TMG, have given us a very intimate look into this strange pirate man's lifestyle choices. Today, a new batch of docs issued by TMG, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, take us even deeper into the odd and perplexing universe of Depp's bank statements. Join us, won't you? *thunder clap*

To review the case as it stands, Johnny claimed that TMG mismanaged his funds and owes him damages, while TMG claimed that Johnny knew he was over-spending, and his ludicrous financial habits could not be controlled by man or beast. I'll let you guess which side had the receipts. Over the past few months, we learned that the actor has a $2 million monthly spending habit, which memorably includes $200k for private planes, a $30k line item for wine, along with some extra discretionary spending for "rare guitars" and a custom $3mil cannon to blast Hunter S Thompson's ashes over the unsuspecting people of Aspen. (Side note: Does the phrase "rare guitar collection" send a chill up your spine, or is that just me?).

TMG was asked to make some amendments to their initial complaint, which they did today, and so they went ahead and sprinkled it with more EVEN MORE insane disclosures from their doomed quest to convince Johnny to spend less money. The shady bitches at TMG will also have you know that in addition to the $75mil worth of real estate and $18mil luxury yacht we already knew about, Johnny racked up more than $500k in rental fees to store his Hollywood memorabilia collection, spent $17k on handbags and luggage at Prada, and splashed out on a $7k sofa from the set of Keeping Up With The Kardashians as a gift to his daughter Lily-Rose. Just what every girl dreams of, I'm sure!





Photo vie Getty Images


Ken Ham, founder of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, recently erected a life-size replica of Noah's Ark outside the museum. And because some people cannot understand that certain aspects of culture aren't for them, Ham tweeted photos of the Ark lit up in rainbow colors, but instead of celebrating Pride, he tried to reclaim the rainbow for straight Christian people.

The @ArkEncounter is lit permanently at night with a rainbow to remind the world that God owns the rainbow & is a sign of His covenant pic.twitter.com/U0dmKnXV2v

 Ken Ham (@aigkenham) July 18, 2017

Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do @ArkEncounter -God owns it-He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood pic.twitter.com/cNR51zTbPX

 Ken Ham (@aigkenham) July 18, 2017

Well if you know anything about Gay Twitter, you know that they won't let this float. The replica has been rebranded as the #GayBoat and is now the newest and possibly most iconic queer icon, according to gay corners of the Internet. Now we can't wait for next year's party on a Gay Boat for Pride. Fingers crossed we can get the Babadook to perform.

no the boat is gay https://t.co/d0VotDaF0k

 JuanPa (@jpbrammer) July 20, 2017

Pretty sure the boat is bi because it sails both ways. I'll see myself out now.

 Ecce_Homosexual (@Ecce_Homosexual) July 20, 2017

I checked the gay agenda and boats are definitely gay pic.twitter.com/aIDjP6BqUt

 Ashley (@ashcech) July 20, 2017

Photo via Twitter @aigkenham
11 Christian Converts Issued Long Prison Sentences in Iran in Less Than Two Months in Sham Trials

07/21/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh on Sentencing Spree Since June 2017



The Holy Savior Cathedral church in Isfahan, Iran.

The Iranian authorities must immediately halt the disturbing trend of arrests and imprisonment of Christians, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement on Thrusday July 20, 2017.

In less than two months, since June 2017, Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh of Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran has issued long prison sentences to at least 11 Christian converts and the former leader of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church in Iran.

"Christians are recognized as an official religious minority in Iran's Constitution, but the state continues to persecute members of the faith, especially converts," said CHRI's executive director Hadi Ghaemi.

"The state must respect its own laws and international obligations and allow Christians and all religious minorities full freedom of worship," he said.

According to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran ratified in 1975, "everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

The Islamic Republic views any alternative belief system, especially those seeking converts, as a threat to the prevailing Shia order.

On July 6, Ahmadzadeh sentenced four Protestant Christian converts to 10 years in prison each in a trial completely lacking due process, according to Mansour Borji, the advocacy director of Article 18, a London-based organization that defends Christians in Iran.

Yusif Farhadov, Eldar Gurbanov and Bahram Nasibov from Baku in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Iranian national Nasser Navard Goltapeh were arrested by security forces at a reception hosted by their Christian friends in Andisheh on June 24, 2016.

No evidence was presented to show the defendants had acted against national security, Borji told CHRI, but the four were convicted of being "Zionist Christians" who "acted against national security with the intention of overthrowing the state in a soft war."

Ahmadzadeh had already convicted four other Christians of similarly trumped up charges two weeks earlier.

Charged with "assembly and collusion against national security" for organizing home churches and preaching "Zionist Christianity," Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, Mohammad Reza (Yasser) Omidi, Mohammad Ali Mosibzadeh and Zaman (John) Fadaei-all converts-were also sentenced to 10 years in prison each by Mashallah on June 24.

After serving his prison term, Nadarkhani will be exiled to Nikshahr, in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, for two years. Omidi will be exiled for two years to Borazjan, Bushehr Province, after the completion of his sentence.

The four, who were given 20 days to appeal, were arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents while performing Christian rituals at the home of a friend in Rasht, Gilan Province, on May 13, 2016.

On June 11, Victor Bet Tamraz, the former leader of Iran's Assyrian Pentecostal Church, and Christian converts Hadi Asgari and Kavian Fallah Mohammadi were sentenced by Mashallah to 10 years in prison each while convert Amin Afshar Naderi was issued a 15-year prison sentence.

They were also all previously arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents.

There are no recent official statistics available on the number of Christians in Iran, but 117,704 were counted in a 2011 state census. In 2010, the World Christian Database (WCD) recorded 270,057 Christians in Iran. Some Christian organizations argue the number is much higher.

According to Article 13 of the Constitution: "Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians are the only recognized religious minorities, who, within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education."

"No one in Iran is prosecuted for their beliefs unless they have committed a crime," said Kazem Gharibabadi, the assistant for international affairs at the judiciary's Islamic human rights division, on March 17, 2017.

However, the Christian community, particularly its convert community, faces systematic state persecution and discrimination due to its growth.

Despite President Hassan Rouhani's pledges during his election campaign in 2013 that "All ethnicities, all religions, even religious minorities, must feel justice," the targeting of Christian converts for state persecution and prosecution has continued unabated under his administration.

"Rouhani was recently reelected in large part because of his promises to improve civil and political rights in Iran," said Ghaemi. "Yet we're seeing an increasing number of arrests of religious minorities, as well as activists, by the Intelligence Ministry, which is supposed to operate under him."

"Rouhani must use all his authority to reign in the ministry and ensure it stops its trampling of citizens' rights," he added.
UNESCO 2030 Educational Guidelines Scrapped by Iran Include Essential Protective Measures Against Child Abuse

07/21/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Religious conservatives in Iran began opposing the Rouhani government's plan to implement the UNESCO agenda 2030 guidelines into the country's educational system after a campaign was launched by hardliners to discredit it.





Protests against UNESCO 2030 in Qom, Iran



Implementing educational guidelines from the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development could help prevent tragedies like the case of Atena Aslani, according to a sociologist and expert on Iran's educational system.

Aslani's seven-year-old lifeless body was found with "signs of sexual abuse" on July 10, 2017 in the garage of a man with an alleged history of sex crimes convictions. She had gone missing on June 19, 2017 in Parsabad, Ardabil Province, 428 miles northwest of Tehran.

A member of UNESCO's Peace and Education Commission, Said Peyvandi, told CHRI that educating adults and children about sexual abuse could help reduce such crimes.

"If we look at other countries with advanced child protection policies," he said, "there is an emphasis on educating children and adults, as in UN 2030 agenda, to make them aware and conscious about criminal behavior and develop a social deterrence and security net against such threats."

He added: "UNESCO's 2030 agenda recommends children be educated about their bodies, health and sexual relations from a sociological and psychological point of view which creates awareness in dealing with harmful situations. But unfortunately, Iran's supreme leader and his advisers look at these recommendations from a different perspective. They have halted the [guidelines'] implementation without having something to replace them with."



Protests against UNESCO 2030 in Qom, Iran



Public outrage over Aslani's death generated discussions on social media and by Iran's media outlets over how to prevent child abuse.

"If boys and girls do not receive proper training they will always be vulnerable to sexual abuse," wrote Shahindokht Mowlaverdi, Rounahi's vice president for women and family affairs, in a post on her Telegram channel on July 15.

"The problem is that Iranian officials don't recognize that children need to be aware of sexual matters to fight dangerous situations in life," said Peyvandi. "Their approach is very superficial and amateurish and as a result, they don't learn from tragedies like what happened to Atena."

He continued: "Iranian society is virtually defenseless in dealing with these issues not just because of a lack of education, but also the absence of institutions where victims could turn to for protection without fear."

"What happened to Atena might make society think about why children and young people need greater awareness to resist harm and avoid falling prey to predators," he said.

Peyvandi also told CHRI that Iran's decision to not adopt voluntary guidelines from the Education 2030 Framework for Action, which UNESCO helped draft, was largely due to religious opposition to sexual tolerance and gender equality.

President Hassan Rouhani had planned to implement the guidelines until Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei voiced his adamant opposition.

"The officials of the Islamic Republic look at the 2030 agenda not as a teaching tool or a cultural guideline," he said, "but as a sexual textbook based on an alien ideology that has no psychological and sociological understanding of Iranian realities."

"That's why without a protective shell, children like Atena Aslani will continue to become victimized," he added.





Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is against UNESCO 2030



Adopted by UNESCO in 2015, the 2030 agenda aims to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." The agency was entrusted to "lead and coordinate" the agenda with "governments and partners on how to turn commitments into action."

In September 2016, Rouhani's cabinet entrusted the Education Ministry to draft Iran's national education policy taking into consideration the UN document's non-binding guidelines.

However, in a speech to the staff of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council on May 7, 2017, Khamenei accused the government of "quietly" adopting the UN's "anti-Islamic" recommendations "on behalf of influential world powers."

"This UNESCO 2030 document is not something that the Islamic Republic will surrender to," he said. "It's wrong to sign some document and then quietly go ahead and implement it. That's absolutely forbidden."

Shortly afterwards, Mohammad Doulabi, a conservative member of the Assembly of Experts from Zanjan, claimed on May 11 that the 2030 agenda promotes homosexuality and would drive children away from Shia Islamic values.

"If we implement this program in the country, our youth and future generations will lose their revolutionary and Islamic spirit," he declared.





"2030 is Cultural Capitulation"

Reads a statement by Dr. Abbasi



When Rouhani suggested that the government would still implement parts of the agenda that do not contradict Islamic or Iranian values, Khamenei moved to completely outlaw it.

"Some say they have altered this document and won't carry out any part that's unacceptable," said Khamenei on June 8, 2017, indirectly referring to Rouhani. "I'm saying that our national education policy should not be written from abroad... Whether it has anything against Islam or not, it doesn't matter. This is Iran. This is the Islamic Republic. This is a great nation. Why should a few people at UNESCO or the United Nations write our education policy? This has to do with our independence."

Khamenei, who was appointed as Iran's supreme leader in 1989, has regularly warned about a so-called Western "cultural invasion" during his speeches, which often include decrees that the entire country, including all branches of government, are expected to follow.

On July 13 Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri announced the government had officially reversed its decision to implement the 2030 agenda.
This article was updated to reflect changes in pricing.

Sticky Password may not be as familiar as LastPass or 1Password, but it boasts features that rival both of them, albeit in a much less polished package. It doesnt quite rise to the top tier of password managers, but its more than capable of getting the job done.

When you download Sticky Passwordtheres no web version of the appit will prompt you to create a master password. Unlike some other password managers, Sticky Password doesnt offer a way to recover or reset this password if you forget it, so commit it to memory. Youll also be asked if you want Sticky Password to sync your data over its cloud network or your own Wi-Fi network. With this unique option, your devices sync only when theyre all connected to your wireless network, so your data never goes out over the internet. Its a nice added layer of security.

After a brief tutorial and installing your preferred browser plugin, youre free to surf. Sticky Password automatically captures your login credentials when you visit a secure website for the first time and then autofills your credentials when you return. If you have more than one account for a given site, Sticky Password will prompt you to select one from a pop-up window. You can also opt to have it automatically log you in.

Note: This review is part of our best password managers roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.

PCWorld Sticky Password can manage app logins as well as website credentials.

Interestingly, Sticky Password will also store application logins. These can be added manually under a separate App Accounts tab in your vault. You can type the app name or browse to it on your hard drive, then enter your user name and password.

The password generator, which surfaces whenever youre creating a new account, defaults to a 15-character password using letters, numerals, and symbols. You can adjust the length, though, from four to 99 characters. Sticky Password immediately gives you a strength rating and percentage.

You can audit all your stored passwords by going to the Quick Access tab in your vault and selecting the Security Dashboard. Like Dashlane, it will give you an overall rating for all your passwords, plus strength ratings for each individual one. It also lets you know how many of your passwords are weak, reused, or old, and you can edit any of the entries by clicking the pencil icon adjacent to it. Alas, Sticky Password doesnt offer a secure way to share passwords.

PCWorld Sticky Password provides templates for all kinds of personal data, though they look a little dated.

It offers two-factor authentication using the Google Authenticator app, which sends you a verification code to enter along with your master password. The mobile apps can use biometric ID on supported devices.

A Secure Memos tab allows you to add all manner of personal data to your vault. The memo entry fields look much like a note in Evernote: Theres a formatting toolbar across the top, and when you choose a templatecredit card, software license, passport, etc.it populates the text area with relevant fields.

Sticky Password is free to use on a single device. To unlock syncing (cloud or Wi-Fi), secure cloud backup, and password sharing you need to upgrade to a Premium account for $30 a year, or $200 for a lifetime license. With every purchase, parent company Lamantine Software donates money to the Florida Save the Manatee Club. (Lamantine means manatee in French.)

Bottom line

At times Sticky Passwords interface looks downright dated, but dont let that fool you. It supports some robust password-management features and its Wi-Fi sync is a great feature for anyone desiring an extra layer of protection in light of recent breaches. Its lack of secure password sharing can be a hindrance but that shouldnt hold you back from giving it a try.
The Ghana Standards Authority and Invest in Africa have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to make Ghanaian businesses, especially SMEs, become more competitive locally and globally through improved quality and access to financial and technical support.



Following the 2016 African Partner Pool (APP) Business Forum which was held under the theme of Creating Thriving Businesses through Taxation & Quality Standards, the relevance of information on quality standards for business growth was evident and this has led to the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding to help bridge the knowledge gap of Ghanaian businesses, especially the SMEs.



This MOU will allow Invest in Africa to advertise the services of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) on the Invest in Africa and African Partner Pool websites, with direct links to the GSA website so as to inform and simplify the process of accessing the services of GSA.. SMEs will also have the opportunity to participate in events, training programmes and forums that focus on quality standards and their application to business growth and development.



The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) which is the National Standards body was established by the Standards Act 1973 (NRCD 173). The Authority is also the custodian of the Weights and Measures Act (NRCD 326, 1975). These legislations together mandate the Authority to undertake: national standards development and dissemination, product certification scheme, pattern approval of new weighing and measuring instruments, destination Inspection of imported high risk goods, advise the Ministry of Trade, Industry, on standards and related issues amongst others



Signing the MOU, the Executive Director for Ghana Standards Authority, Prof Alex Dodoo pointed out the need to create awareness for the services of the Authority, and their readiness to facilitate, direct and assist SMEs to produce quality made in Ghana goods and access their services to meet the required standards.



Invest in Africa (IIA), a cross-sector partnership of companies with the vision to create thriving African economies, has been set up to give businesses access to skills, finance and new markets. This is done through its key initiatives the African Partner Pool (APP), an online business platform that connects international companies to validated local businesses. www.africanpartnerpool.com.



Another initiative of Invest In Africa is the Business Excellence Programme, a combined Development Partners & Private Sector funded programme with the aim of building businesses to be more competitive.



Sam Brandful, the Ghana manager for Invest in Africa expressed the view that the collaboration with the GSA will guide local businesses to expand, understand and meet Ghanaian and international standards and empower local businesses to support the the Ghanaian economy while addressing major challenges which affect their growth.



Ghana Standards Authority joins the cross sector group of companies that IIA is currently working with through various initiatives. These include: Tullow Ghana, EY, AGI, AB & David Law, Ecobank, Modec Ghana, UT Bank, GIPC, Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Newmont Mining, Guinness Ghana, GE, AFDB,FMO, B&FT, Multi Media Group (MMG) and Dun and Bradstreet.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Ocquaye has called on former Members of Parliament (MPs) to take active interest in the work of Parliament and governance of the country.



He said as former MPs they could bring to bear their rich experience in the review of the current Standing Orders of the House as well as help shape the Public Members Bill.



Prof Oquaye made the call at a forum for former Members of Parliament at Parliament House in Accra.



The conference which is being attended by former MPs from the 1979 Parliament to the sixth Parliament of the fourth Republic and being financed by Parliament is to build the capacity of the former MPs.



Prof Ocuaye also charged the former MPs to add their voice to important national issues which he said would go a long way towards advancing political and constitutional matters.



He lauded the former MPs their dedication and service to the nation in many capacities.



He also expressed delight at the presence of the large number of former MPs at the forum which he said shows their care for the institution of Parliament.



Your very presence here is a wonderful call to national duty he added.



Prof Ocquaye also noted that Parliament as an institution is crucial to act and work as a watchdog and controller of the Executive.



He said as former MPs, they should not be interested at their welfare alone but critical matters that concern the people as a whole.



He announced that the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB) has approved that former MPs and their spouses be treated free from Parliaments clinic.



Mr Alban Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker on his part called for the formation of respectable political class of people whose integrity would be respected by all.



He said it is about time politicians refrained from self-destruction and commended them for attending the conference in the large numbers.



Mr Kosi Kedem, President of the Forum for former Member of Parliament (FFMP) on his part commended the Leadership of Parliament for their support in providing the group with an office and auxiliary staff as well as a vehicle to carry out their activities.



He appealed to Parliament to do something urgent about the conditions of former MPs in terms welfare which he said was not in a good state.



He therefore suggested to Parliament to establish a Pension Scheme for sitting MPs and if possible extend it to the former MPs, or MPs should be made to retire on part of their salary.



Mr Kedem stated that the existing end of Service benefit scheme or gratuity of collecting bulk sum gave false hopes and it was not sustainable.



He said after Parliament, many MPs are stigmatised politically and cannot get any job to do.



He said the gratuity system had woefully failed to answer the needs of former MPs, especially at their old age and called for a more responsive, fair and equitable end of service benefit system for MPs.

He said Parliament should consider extending some of its welfare programmes for sitting MPs to former MPs.



We are convinced that a Pension Scheme could be the answer, may be a lesser evil he added.



Mr Kedem also suggested to Parliament to institute a Memoir Writing and Publishing Fund to help former MPs who want to write and publish their memoirs.



He said it then follows logically that Parliament should make available its Research and Library facilities to former MPs.



With all his experience, if an MP dies without a written memoir then a whole Library is lost to posterity 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.

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Ex-Adenta Member of Parliament, Kojo Adu Asare on Monday managed a deftly pun on Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumias name while on live radio, calling him Dr. Borrowmia.



Of course Adu Asare offered the catcall as a slip of tongue and checked himself with an Ei! Dr. Bawumia for correction, but the drop was loud and emphatic enough to escape observation.



His point was that the New Patriotic Party was out to do worse than it criticized its main opponents for, when it comes to government borrowing.



In a rancorous version of the perennial debate between the ruling New Patriotic Party and opposition National Democratic Congress over which side offers a better option for Ghanaians, Adu Asare said after berating the then NDC government for borrowing too much and pointing to the availability of resources enough, locally, to build a better Ghana, the NPP is on track to do worse.



The platform was Asempa FMs Ekosii Sen programme, hosted by Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong, aka KABA, and his opponent from the NPP was MP for Sekondi in the Western Region, Andrew Egyapa Mercer.



According to Adu Asare, the loudest voice in that onslaught against the then NDC government, he jested, was Dr. Borrowmia, now the leading man in government in canvassing for loans.



He suggested that the NPP was ashamed to call a spade a spade, choosing to now call the $15 billion loan it is contracting from the Chinese government variously as a leverage and an investment, wondering which foreign private investments are subjected to parliamentary approvals.



Adu Asare vowed a showdown in Parliament when Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presents details of the financial arrangement for scrutiny.



But Andrew Egyapa Mercer countered and said there is nothing scandalous the NDC can unravel when the minister attends Parliament to present the investment agreement.











Source: Daily Graphic









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

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Some leading members of the New Patriotic Party are seething with rage over President Akufo-Addos pledge to put his presidency on the line as his commitment to end illegal small scale mining popularly called galamsey, in Ghana.



According to the peeved NPP bigwigs, the Presidents comment could court hatred for the party and that could truncate the governing partys stay in power after the next general elections in 2020.



Though the NPP kingpins are not against President Akufo-Addos pledge to fight galamsey, they noted that his promise to put his presidency on line to fight the menace does not inspire confidence in party supporters that the party in power can go beyond first term.



Speaking the minds of the many NPP big shots and supporters brooding over the Presidents comment was no less a person that former Member of Parliament for Upper Denkyira West, Benjamin Kofi Aryeh.



According to the former MP, President Akufo-Addos statement is a statement of defeat and surrender which should not have come from the President, insisting the Presidents declaration gives an indication of his uncertainty in winning the next polls if he pursues the fight against galamsey.



Hon Aryeh said President Akufo-Addo could still have made his point about fighting galamsey, without having to make such a negative statement. I dont agree with the statement the President made; putting his presidency on the line. No! Normally those negative connotations should be avoided, he noted on Adom Fms Badwam.



The president, Nana Akufo-Addo, speaking at a forum against illegal mining Monday July 10, 2017, said he will put his presidency on the line with a commitment to end the illegal small scale mining popularly called galamsey in Ghana.



But the former NPP MP said such statements are not helpful for the President and the NPP as it has a possibility of demoralizing persons who have high hopes in him and may have adverse results on his votes at the next elections.



He is in to succeed. The President must succeed. More so, everyone who believes Akufo-Addo and the party must stay in government may get discouraged if he makes statements of the sort.



Hon Aryeh noted that the President Akufo-Addo should speak from a positive perspective, assuring Ghanaians of his role in ensuring the menace is dealt with but not showing signs of weakness.



The President should speak from the positive side, saying he knows he has the support of the public and so we are going to succeed and move on perhaps with a higher number of votes next time around, he stated.



Reports are that some kingpins of the NPP are worried over some of President Akufo-Addos actions and pronouncements, saying it could hurt the partys chances of retaining power in the 2020 elections.

Source: Al-Hajj









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
Just when you thought the prospect of a Kingsman sequel couldnt be more exciting, BAM  up pops the first red-band trailer to kick things into overdrive.

The sequel to Matthew Vaughns 2014 spy smash sees Gary Eggsy Unwin  the protege of Harry Hart (Colin Firth)  and his fellow Kingsman join forces with their American counterpart, Statesman  who pose as cowboy whiskey distillers  to save the world.

Who are they saving it from? New villain Poppy (how much do you fucking love Julianne Moore), whose plans for world domination include sugary food, drugs and killing off every last Kingsman.

maniacal laughter

The NSFW The Golden Circle trailer gets a 10/10 from us not only because it features Channing Tatum in a cowboy hat and some poor bloke being bisected by an electrified lasso, but because it confirms Firths major role in the sequel, despite being shot point-blank in the eye in the first movie.

Check it out:

Theres no word on an Aussie release date *just* yet but it drops in American cinemas on September 22.

GET HYPE.

Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Let us preface this story by saying its based on a tabloid rumour. But, look, its Friday and were great big balls of love right now so were going to share it with you anyway.

According to a new report from US magazine Life & Style thats set the Game Of Thrones fandom ablaze, Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are officially engaged.

A source told the glossy Jon Snow Harington recently cooked Rose a romantic candlelight dinner and proposed to her, after which she burst into tears and immediately said yes!

The cuties  who made their red carpet debut as couple just over a year ago, in April 2016  recently hit another big relationship milestone when they shacked up together.

Ive moved in with my best friend, Rose, Harington told James Corden back in June. So, Im very, very happy and its going well.

Their reps are yet to confirm or comment on the potentially game-changing news, so please take it with a grain of salt but also enjoy that warm fuzzy feeling thats now enveloped you.

Source: Life & Style.

Photo: Getty / Axelle / Bauer-Griffin.
Tyga, mate. The rule of break-ups is, you whinge a shitload to your friends about your shitty ex and how you were the normal one, and they were absolutely the one with all the problems and thats why you broke up. But you absolutely keep that shit on lock, and publicly pretend youre the happiest person on the planet, nothing but love for that garbage person, blah blah all is well in the world. Ok?

You do not give public interviews throwing extreme shade and airing all your dirty laundry. It just makes you look like the pissy, butthurt one.

Well, Tygas not following the break up rules apparently, because hes gone and given a scathing interview on US radio station Power 105.1 about his breakup with Kylie Jenner earlier this year.

At first, hes pretty chill.

I have love for her but Im not in love no more, he said.

That lasts for about 0.2 seconds, because he then gives a very obvious shade-throw.

When youre with anybody that first year, its magic and then after that, you start realizing a bunch of shit.

Ummmm dont think we didnt notice that reference to Kylies infamous realising stuff quote from that fucking weird Christmas/New Years video.

The rest is typical, thinly-veiled digs at Kylie and her lifestyle being the main factor in the break up.

I think the main thing was a lot of people, a lot of outside influences. Andshes younger than me and shes dealing with perception. Im older so I can deal with perception. But for her, growing up how she grew up, image and perception was everything. So you have a bunch of people pulling from you and youre still trying to develop as a young woman.

Like maybe thats true but come on, man. It kind of makes her sound like a child. Which is equal parts gross and patronising.

He then makes a dig at the Kardashian empire  which buddy, you really benefitted from.

I like to keep a mystique and I know thats how she made her money, Tyga said.

Remember that tune you released and had Kylie star in? Sorry but literally zero people would have listened to that if you werent dating a Kardashian/Jenner, and had her star in the film clip.

A post shared by Tyga / T-Raww (@kinggoldchains) on Aug 31, 2015 at 7:52am PDT

He does make one interesting point in the interview, regarding how race potentially played a factor in the sheer volume of news pieces about the couple. While (in my opinion, anyway) it seemed the age gap, and Kylie being under 18 when they were first rumoured to be dating was more of a factor in their newsworthiness, the Kardashian/Jenners have routinely come under fire on social media for dating men of colour.

For the last seven months we aint been together, have there been any negative stories out? he said. All Im saying is whoever controls this kind of media doesnt like seeing rappers with these type of women, especially young white women, and its just how it is.

But then its back to the regular programming of over-sharing about their relationships demise.

I mean, when it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it was really bad.

Hopefully hes got some bangers on the way courtesy of his deep heartbreak, cos I for one would like another Rack City for my 3am Friday dance floor sessions, ok?

Image: Instagram / @kyliejenner.

Source: Power 105.1.
Brunch is the best meal of the day, dont argue with me because you have absolutely no leg to stand on. Its part brekkie, part lunch, you can kinda get away with eating it at any hour from 10am til 3pm, and it always involves eggs as an option  the greatest of foods (again, dont argue with me mate, Im writing this article so I get to make wildly aggressive sweeping statements).

The only thing second to eating brunch is taking photos of it. Dont lie  when someone plonks a particularly food porny plate in front of you, your fingers itch to grab your phone, lift it high over your head like an absolute gronk of the highest order, and snap 50 pics. Youll then ramp the saturation up and post one to your Insta feed, refreshing every 10 seconds to ensure those likes are piling high  much like your french toast thats now gone cold.

Im not actually judging you. Im also judging myself. We all do this shit in 2017, and we all recognise it for the gross waste of time and energy that it is. But are you even a human being these days if youre not socialling your food? I doubt it. Even my dad Instagrams his breakfast (he does a shit job and uses the Crema filter but hes trying guys).

In the interest of making all of Australias Insta feeds that much more attractive, weve rounded up the spots to brunch that do the best job of over-styling their food.

GAUGE  SOUTH BRISBANE

A post shared by Gauge (@gauge.brisbane) on Jan 6, 2017 at 3:14pm PST

Gauge is chic as hell, and the brainchild of Jerome Batten  the dude behind Sourced Grocer, which if you hail from Brissie youll know of (and love).

MERRIWEATHER CAFE  SOUTH BRISBANE

A post shared by Merriweather Cafe (@merriweathercaf) on Jul 1, 2017 at 12:45am PDT





This cute Brissie cafe has an all day brunch menu (the best) and work out their menu by focusing on seasonal produce. They also make heaps of their stuff in house  including their jams and relishes.

BSKT  MERMAID BEACH, GOLD COAST

A post shared by Cora (@coralieoshea) on Jul 19, 2017 at 12:20am PDT





BSKT is part of the wave of health-conscious eateries ion the GC  it started as simply a cafe, and now its expanded into a full on grocery for all your ~health life~ needs. But the food you can eat-in is still A+, dont you worry.

BAREFOOT BARISTA  PALM BEACH, GOLD COAST

A post shared by e l l e n c h a n d l e r (@ellenjanechandler) on Jul 15, 2017 at 7:14pm PDT

Anywhere offering a breakfast board is bound to have your photography needs covered. Barefoot Barista has this. It also has a lot of other yummy meals, and its location down on the waterfront.

PORT CITY ROASTERS  SOUTH FREMANTLE

A post shared by Port City Roasters (@portcityroasters) on Apr 26, 2017 at 6:24pm PDT

These guys blend their own coffee on site, as well as offering a sweet all-day brekkie (a must for a top brunch spot tbh).

FIKA ON BRIX  PERTH

A post shared by Bryony (@pertheats) on Jun 17, 2017 at 10:08pm PDT





This adorable spot in the Mills Park Centre is all blonde wood and mint green accents, so youll wanna IG the entire interior, let alone their perfectly presented meals.

LANEWAY SPECIALTY COFFEE  DARWIN

A post shared by MELODY LAY (@itsmelodylay) on Feb 8, 2017 at 8:20pm PST

These guys and Besser Kitchen & Brew Bar are partner food spots, and damn do they both do a good job of churning out tasty eats that also look schmick. Get the smoked belly bacon and two egg roll. *drools*

BESSER KITCHEN & BREW BAR  DARWIN

A post shared by Besser Kitchen & Brew Bar (@besserbrewbar) on May 15, 2017 at 3:52am PDT

Besser is the newest bebe for the owners of Laneway Specialty Coffee, and its a beaut one. You wont know what to Instagram  the swish interiors, or your perfectly presented food.

HARRYS CAFE  BONDI, SYDNEY

A post shared by Harrys Bondi (@harrysbondi) on Sep 15, 2016 at 9:00pm PDT

Ah, Bondi. If theres anywhere worthy of a smug social post, its the iconic beach suburb  and Harrys embodies all the things you want in a beachside cafe. Think sunny outdoor tables with blonde wood tables and summery teal crockery. Oh, and yummy as hell food.

BISTROT GAVROCHE  CHIPPENDALE, SYDNEY

A post shared by Bistrot Gavroche (@bistrotgavroche) on Jun 13, 2017 at 1:35am PDT

If you like your food Instagrams more make everyone drool, this is your place. The French restaurant does a mean brunch, and everything looks rich and delicious through a camera lens.

SHUK  BONDI, SYDNEY

A post shared by SHUK (@shukbondi) on Mar 4, 2017 at 3:04pm PST

Israeli cafe Shuk is an Eastern Suburbs of Sydney institution, and its main claim to fame is the always-perfect shakshuka. It photographs like a rustic dream (I cant believe I just wrote that) and tastes just as good as it looks.

THE TINY GIANT  PETERSHAM, SYDNEY

A post shared by THE TINY GIANT (@thetinygiantpetersham) on Jun 5, 2017 at 6:05pm PDT

Instagrammers come from far and wide to this tiny Petersham cafe to order, then take pics of, the fairy floss-topped french toast. No, seriously  last time I was there, every table around had at least one of the signature dish on it, and at least four cameras angling for the best shot. Look, it is a beauty of a dish, isnt it.

CUCKOO CALLAY  SURRY HILLS & NEWTOWN, SYDNEY

A post shared by Cuckoo Callay (@cuckoocallay_cafe) on Jul 10, 2017 at 11:37pm PDT

The Newtown darling now has a Surry Hills sister, and both offer delish and cool-looking meals to punters. If youre into interiors, hit up the Surry joint  its all hot pink retro benches and fold-out windows.

DARLING CAFE  SOUTH YARRA, MELBOURNE

A post shared by DARLING ?? MELBOURNE (@darlingcafe) on Jul 12, 2017 at 3:58pm PDT

Any place doing sticky date pancakes is worthy of a visit for that alone, but Darling Cafe ups the ante with its impeccable food presos.

AU79  ABBOTSFORD, MELBOURNE

A post shared by Good as gold. (@au79cafe) on May 9, 2017 at 3:07am PDT

Au79s entire spiel is about good, in-house brewed coffee, excellent food, and all made by people who care about what theyre doing. Cant go wrong with that, right? Or their painfully Instagrammable pink tables.

THE KETTLE BLACK  SOUTH MELBOURNE

A post shared by The Kettle Black (@kettleblackcafe) on May 27, 2017 at 2:29pm PDT

This joint was named by three Melbs PED.TV staffers for this story, so you know its gonna be damn good. Everything is super minimalist interior-wise, and dishes are laid out with restaurant-style design precision.

KITTY BURNS  ABBOTSFORD, MELBOURNE

A post shared by Kitty Burns (@kitty.burns) on Jul 2, 2017 at 8:08pm PDT

Considering its interiors have won bloody awards, youd expect this adorable joint to have equally presentable food offerings. And that they do  although you cant go past their different coloured lattes for perfect pics.

TOP PADDOCK  RICHMOND, MELBOURNE

A post shared by toppaddock (@toppaddock) on Jul 6, 2017 at 4:11pm PDT

Sister cafe to Kettle Black, Top Paddock has a more rustic-style brekkie on offer  think warming bowls of porridge and a pile of chorizo and bacon on toast.

CRACK KITCHEN  ADELAIDE

A post shared by Crack Kitchen (@crackkitchen) on Jun 4, 2017 at 9:34pm PDT

Crack kitchen is a foodie bloggers heaven in Adelaide  all big ceramic plates with food piled high in the centre.

KARMA AND CROW  RICHMOND, ADELAIDE

A post shared by Karma and Crow (@karmaandcrow_adl) on Jun 28, 2017 at 11:38pm PDT

This cool Adelaide space is part workshop, part studio, part cafe. Come for the food and cute photo ops, stay for the shopping.

All this talk of Instagram got you thinking about a side hustle as an influencer? Win our current comp c/o Set for Life and you could with $5k toward whatever your side hustle is, plus a luxe weekender in Sydney and lunch with girl boss legend Eleanor Pendleton of Gritty Pretty.

Image: Instagram / @merriweathercafe.
You might have heard people rejoicing that Celine Dion is back on account of her reemergence onto the social scene after losing husband Rene Angelil to throat cancer in January 2016. But its like, ummmm excuse me bitch, she never left. Its CELINE FRIGGIN DION.

Her latest gift to us all is a collaboration with US Vogue, who captured her in a series of straight-fire ~lewks~ from Paris Couture Week.

Filmed at different locations around the City Of Love, including her suite at the five-star Ritz Paris, everyones favourite Canadian diva truly out-Dions herself in Christian Dior, Valentino, Chanel and more for whats truly a work of art.

We see her biting the head of a mannequin in a giant fuck-off headpiece by master hairstylist Julien dYs.

Taking a v. dramatic boat ride that gives the Titanic a run for its money.

Flirting with a waiter whose sole purpose in life looks to be supplying her with French fries.

But of all the videos many amazing looks, this sparkly Rodarte jumpsuit  with matching cape, which she flings off with such aplomb  has sent our souls to straight to extra heaven.

Cue the adoration of the Internet.

when someone drops in at your desk when you are clearly a very very busy busy working woman pic.twitter.com/K2kWE5QYY2  Taber Andrew Bain (@taber) July 20, 2017

I goofed up and stacked these frames backwards but honestly I wouldnt question you if youd told me Celine just summoned that wrap onto her pic.twitter.com/LpaK3GK623  Taber Andrew Bain (@taber) July 20, 2017

Me: Im going to be productive today

Me five minutes later: pic.twitter.com/h89OVP4EGf  Jon (@prasejeebus) July 20, 2017

Me going to get lunch pic.twitter.com/wrSmCqaC8Z  Emanuel (@CNicosiaAnthro) July 20, 2017

Celine can make eating a single fry a fucking JOURNEY pic.twitter.com/VSqGNVHtZH  Adam (@adamjmoussa) July 20, 2017

This is basically the trailer to the greatest movie of all-time. https://t.co/GmAufdlzCg  Jacqueline Purdy (@JacquelinePurdy) July 20, 2017

Check out the full video here:

.@CelineDion is back in the spotlight and modeling the most dazzling looks from this seasons couture shows. https://t.co/z3vtkoixCd pic.twitter.com/42udTrURJe  Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) July 20, 2017

Our hearts will go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and o  you get the picture.

Photo: Vogue / Daniel Bouquet.
It appears the heroin epidemic has destroyed two more lives, with the deadly fallout uncovered during a routine traffic stop in western Pennsylvania.

An Allegheny County sheriff's deputy alerted by a motorist to a van driving erratically followed the vehicle to a dead end and then approached the driver on Wednesday in Whitehall Borough, Pa.

That is when the deputy stumbled onto heroin's latest carnage.

Behind the wheel, the driver, John Sokolowski, 26, was allegedly incoherent and under the influence of the drug.

But it got worse.

When deputy S. Jason Tarap investigated the van, he found a woman's naked, lifeless body in the rear of the vehicle.

Now the rest of the story is coming out, a familiar tale of lives wasted to heroin:

KDKA-TV, first to break the story, reports Sokolowski told police he woke up Wednesday morning, but could not wake his girlfriend, identified as 32-year-old Ashley Morgenstern, after the pair allegedly used heroin.

Sokolowski said he got scared, removed his girlfriend's body from the residence to the van, then proceeded to spend the next few hours just driving around.

Morgenstern was described as blue and cold to the touch when she was found near the rear door of the van by the deputy.

The Pittsburgh woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sokolowski, who police said had two stamp bags in his pocket, faces charges of drug possession, driving under the influence and abuse of a corpse.

At last report, he was lodged in Allegheny County jail.

Alas, heroin takes two more, adding to its grim, ever-rising toll.
Free concerts, from the PA 28th Division Band to Badfish to Celtic, plus Third in the Burg events, movies, a cleanup at City Island and plenty of activities for children and families are on top this weekend in central Pennsylvania. Events are pulled from the PennLive events calendar.

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"Weaving through the Countryside"

The exhibit features paintings by Valerie Moyer and basketry by Teena Beutel.

Friday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Perry County Council of the Arts Gallery, 1 S. Second St. Newport, PA 17074, 717-567-7023

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Daniel Zampogna, PennLive

Third in the Burg at the Susquehanna Art Museum

Friday 6 to 9 p.m., Susquehanna Art Museum, 1401 N 3rd St, Harrisburg. Each third Friday of the month, the Susquehanna Art Museum is open free for 3rd in the Burg.

From the Facebook event page: "Join us for The Great Summer Switch, a join effort between SAM and The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Tina Sell, SAM's Director of Education, will conduct a tour at 6 PM of Art of the State at the State Museum, then visitors can walk up the street to hear PHMC's Commissioner and artist Ophelia Chambliss give a tour of "Art in Balance: Motorcycles and Fine Art" at SAM at 7:30 PM.  Artwork featured in Art in Balance is on loan from the permanent collections of the Samek Art Museum and the Woodmere Art Museum. Visit the vault in the historic bank building for the special pairing of a 1992 Ducati Super Sport with a 3D animation made specifically for Art in Balance by new media artists Christopher Kaczmarek and Jerzy Klebieko!"

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MidAtlantic Fiber Association, A Kaleidoscope of Possibilities

Friday, July 21, noon to 10 p.m, and Saturday, July 22, noon to 8 p.m. Millersville University, Student Memorial Center, 21 S. George St., Lancaster. 717-871-4636. Admission and parking are free.

The Mid-Atlantic regions premier fiber art workshop weekend is hosted biennially by the MidAtlantic Fiber Association (MAFA), a nonprofit volunteer organization. Spend the day in the Marketplace with 30 vendors, a Fashion Showcase, mini-seminars, and knit- and spin-ins. For an in depth learning experience in weaving, spinning, dyeing, felting, and/or other fiber-related arts, register for a workshop online.

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Book-to-movie matinee

Friday, July 21, 2 to 4 p.m., New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza. 717-774-7822

Youth, ages 11 and older, are encouraged to read the book, then come to the library to watch the movie and discuss them both. This month's book/film is "The Book Thief." Registration required.

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Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Third Friday Food Truck Feast

Friday, July 21, 5 to 9 p.m., First United Methodist Church135 W. Simpson St. Mechanicsburg. 717-639-5888

The Food Truck Feasts have a new location and will be held the third Friday of the month through October. Trucks could include MAD Sandwiches, Up In Smoke BBQ, The Chicken Truck, Soul Burrito, It's All Greek to You, Potato Coop, One Love Cafe and Kona Ice.

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Family Movie Night: "Moana"

Friday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St. Camp Hill. 717-761-3900

The library will be showing a G or PG rated movie Free popcorn will be served. All ages welcome and all children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration

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Badfish, the Sublime tribute band

Friday at 8 p.m., Sawyer's, 210 N 2nd St. Badfish, the Sublime tribute band, plays a free show as part of the Sawyer's Summer Free Concert Series.

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Greater Harrisburg Concert Band begins 34th season

Friday, July 21, at 7 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church132 E. Main St. Mechanicsburg, and Sunday, July 23, at 7 p.m. at Faith United Church of Christ, 1120 Drexel Hills Blvd., New Cumberland.

The theme of this summer's concert series is "Harmony, High Notes, and Humidity." The band is led by music director/conductor Dr. William Stowman -- chair of the music department at Messiah College where he teaches trumpet and conducts the jazz and trumpet ensembles.

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Comedy Night at Midtown Scholar for 3rd in the Burg

Friday, July 21, at 8 p.m., Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. Third St., Harrisburg. 717-236-1680. Free comedy night at the Scholar for 3rd in the Burg.

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Free Outdoor Movie Night

Friday, July 21, Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 890 Ebenezer Road, Lower Swatara Twp. 717-939-0766 or email ebenezercc890@yahoo.com

Free refreshments offered at 8:30 p.m., with movie beginning at dusk. Bring chairs and blankets.

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Community Photo Exhibit

Friday, July 21, McCormick Riverfront Library101 Walnut St. 717-234-4976.

Stop in to experience a photography exhibit featuring the work of local student artists. This show is displayed at The Library in partnership with Jump Street and the Boys and Girls Club

Students were led by photographer Charlie Smith in building their own camera from a kit and then using these cameras to capture the cycle of water and river life in Harrisburg. This residency blended science, engineering, biology, storytelling and the arts, resulting in some impressive shots of our riverfront.

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Free Community Breakfast

Saturday, July 22, at 8 a.m., at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 700 E. Market St., York, . 717-845-8023

This breakfast is provided by community donations and volunteers. The parking lot is accessible from the alley on Sherman Street.

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Harris Tower Railroad Museum

Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Harris Tower Railroad Museum, 637 Walnut St. Harrisburg.

Substantial rehab, a new exhibit, an enhanced data link, new memorabilia and expanded displays are highlights of the Harris Tower Railroad Museum.

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Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

HYP City Island Clean Up

Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Harrisburg Young Professionals City Beautification will partner with Harristown Development Corporation and its International House program to clean up and beautify a rest area on City Island. Weeds will be removed and replaced with flowers and mulch. Volunteers will also, sand and repaint park benches. A simple breakfast will be provided with snacks and water available through the event. Hand tools and other garden gear will be provided.

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Robots

Saturday, July 22, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza. 717-774-7822

Dash and Dot Robots are back by popular demand. Sign up for a 30-minute block to try out beginning robotics. Registration required.

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Mixed Media Art: A Cup of Joe

Saturday, July 22, at 11 a.m. at McCormick Riverfront Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg. 717-234-4976

Create a mixed-media work of art celebrating coffee with the guidance of a staff member. All supplies are included. Registration is required.

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PennLive.com

"The Battle for Another Tomorrow: Civil War Surgery and Anesthesia"

Saturday, July 22, 1 to 2 p.m. at the National Civil War Museum1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg. 717-260-1861. Lecture is free, but regular museum admission applies for entrance to the galleries.

This Lessons in History lecture will be presented by Frank Feyock, CRNA, and Rick Schroeder, M.D., Gettysburg licensed battlefield guides.

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Pennsylvania 28th Division Band

Saturday, July 22, 6 p.m. at Italian Lake ParkThird and Division streets, Harrisburg. 215-837-4769.

Enjoy an evening of music by Pennsylvania's 28th Division Band whose members will be traveling from all corners of the state to play a variety of music, old and new, topped off with John Phillip Sousa marches. Held to honor the National Guard. Bring your own seating.

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Steven Courtney Band

7:30 p.m. July 22 at Longs Park Amphitheater.

Courtney = roots, blues, folk. With Mark DeRose & The Dreadnought Brigade. Free.

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Farmers Flea Market at Williams Grove

Sunday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Williams Grove Steam Engine Show Grounds, Williams Grove Road, Monroe Twp. 717-766-4001 (leave a message) or wghsea@yahoo.com

The Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association will hold a Farmers Flea Market sunrise to 2 p.m. every Sunday throughout the year, weather permitting. Vendors welcome at Steam Engine Hill. Weather permitting.

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Terrace Table Talks

Sunday, July 23, 1 to 3 p.m., Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center,500 Kings Gap Road, Carlisle. Contact Sarah Berg at sberg@pa.gov or 717-486-3799

Come to the mansion terrace and join one of the park educators for a short discussion while enjoying the view. Terrace Table Talks are informal 10-15-minute sessions that are repeated from 1-3 p.m. This month's theme is Mammals of Pennsylvania. Try to guess the animal by its fur and teeth.

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Fullset at Long's Park Summer Music Series

7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at Longs Park Amphitheater, Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster. Celtic.

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More events for kids and the family:

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Family Summer Camp

Saturday, July 22, noon to 3 p.m. at Bass Pro Shop, 3501 Paxton St., Swatara Twp. 717-565-5200

Features games and crafts for kids, and activities and workshops where families can learn the skills needed to enjoy outdoor adventures together. Families can learn the basics of camping, fishing, shooting and archery. Other workshops include hiking and backpacking, water safety for boating and kayaking, and learning about animals in the wild. All workshops are approximately 20 minutes in length and kids will get a free lanyard and then earn a free, collectible pin for every workshop completed. When kids have finished all six workshops they will receive a completion pin (while supplies last). Contact the store for the schedule.

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Can You Build It?

Saturday, July 22, at 10 a.m. at the East Pennsboro Branch Library, 98 South Enola Drive, East Pennsboro Twp. 717-732-4274

Kids can drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for building STEM activities for all ages.

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Friday Fun

Friday, July 21, at 11 a.m., East Pennsboro Branch Library, 98 South Enola Drive East Pennsboro Twp. 717-732-4274

Drop by any time between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All ages welcome. No registration necessary. The theme for the third Friday of the month is trains.

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Play Day for Families

Friday, July 21, at 10 a.m., Hershey Public Library, 701 Cocoa Ave. 717-533-6555, ext. 3708

Families with children ages 3-6 are invited to 60-minutes of center-based play that encourages children and their adults to engage in the five practices of "Early Literacy" -- talking, singing, reading, writing and playing. (Older siblings may play board games in the adjacent room.) Registration is required.

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Looking for more things to do?

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Break out your best pillow and prepare for battle. Pittsburgh's 11th annual giant pillow fight is this Sunday.

The pillow fight will be held rain or shine at 8:20 p.m. in Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave., just before the movie in the park. The rules are simple: Bring your own pillow; do not attack anyone without a pillow; and if your pillow rips, you are responsible for cleaning up the mess.

Fighters are encouraged to wear pajamas or comfortable clothes and can stay after the 10- to 15-minute battle for the free screening of "Nine Lives."

This is the 11th year of the city's giant pillow fight, presented by the Pittsburgh Cacophony Society. Last year's featured about 150 participants.

Philadelphia hosted a giant pillow fight on April 1, which was both April Fool's Day and International Pillow Fight Day. The event brought out people in dragon onesies, wrestling costumes, children and adults, showing that the joy of a pillow fight is universal.
In the late 19th century, Pennsylvania was a hub of railroad activity in the United States.

With more than 11,000 miles of track, there was hardly anywhere the railroad didn't go. Even natural obstacles didn't pose a challenge to railroad engineers. They had successfully conquered the Allegheny Mountains at the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona in the 1850s and built large viaducts all over the state to take trains right over deep valleys.

In the early 1880s, Thomas Kane, who was the president of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railway, was trying to build a railroad from Bradford, Pennsylvania, to the coal fields in Elk County. Unfortunately, the Kinzua Valley stood in his way.

While he could have built an extra eight miles of track to avoid it, Kane told his engineers to build directly across the valley. The result was the Kinzua Viaduct.

Built in just 94 days in the summer of 1882, the Kinzua Viaduct was the world's longest and tallest railroad bridge when it was completed. The bridge was instantly a tourist attraction with excursion trains coming from as far away as Pittsburgh and Buffalo, New York, to ride over the viaduct.

Underneath the Kinzua Bridge.

By 1900, train engines were too heavy for the Kinzua Viaduct, and it was closed to traffic. In just four months, the entire bridge was dismantled and rebuilt using strong metals. However, a critical mistake was made in reusing the original bolts that held the bridge together.

The Kinzua Viaduct remained in regular service until 1959 when the bridge was sold for scrap. However, the scrap company decided it was too important to destroy, and sold it to the state of Pennsylvania in the 1960s. In 1970, Kinzua Bridge State Park opened to the public.

Over the next three decades, visitors came to see this amazing bridge and walk across it on platforms built next to the tracks. From 1987 until 2002, the Knox and Kane Railroad offered excursion trains that passed over the Kinzua Viaduct, giving visitors another way to experience this amazing bridge.

Looking up through the ruins of the bridge.

In 2002, the bridge was closed for repairs because engineers determined that it was at risk of failure in high winds. Repair work was started on the bridge with the hope of reopening it to both pedestrian and train traffic.

On July 21, 2003, a powerful storm began moving through north-central Pennsylvania. This stormed created an F1 tornado that moved through the Kinzua Valley. When it hit the bridge, the rusty bolts that held the base of the bridge together failed, causing 60% of the bridge to crumple and fall into the valley below.

Since the Kinzua Viaduct was such a prominent piece of transportation history, as well as a boon for tourism, the state set to work figuring out what to do with the bridge. They contemplated rebuilding it, but the $45 million price tag was deemed too steep.

Instead, they turned the park into a testament to the power of nature and its effects on man-made structures. The remaining portions of the bridge were turned into an observation deck, offering amazing views over the valley from 300 feet off the ground.

Visitors can walk through the valley to see the bridge's ruins.

The destroyed portions of the bridge were left intact in the valley floor. Visitors can hike a short, but very steep, trail to the bottom of the valley to get a close-up look at the destroyed towers which lay where they fell.

In 2016, a new visitor center opened in the park, which tells the story of the bridge and offers great views looking out over it.

Somewhat ironically, the ruins and remains of the Kinzua Viaduct are even more of a draw than the intact structure was. The site is an amazing testament to the power of nature and offers a great chance to see some of the most beautiful scenery in north-central Pennsylvania.

There's no question that a visit to Kinzua Bridge State Park should be on the short list for all Pennsylvania travelers.

Jim Cheney is the writer behind UncoveringPA, Pennsylvania's most-read travel blog. He has traveled to every county in Pennsylvania and to many countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. He lives in Harrisburg, Pa.
WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned Friday, following the appointment of wealthy financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director, according to a White House official.

Spicer's abrupt and angry departure - which caught even senior West Wing staffers by surprise - reflects the latest upheaval in a White House that has been consumed by chaos and staff infighting since almost the day President Trump took office.

Scaramucci has previously had a tense and fraught relationship with both Spicer and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who both vehemently objected to Trump's decision to install Scaramucci in the top communications job. Scaramucci has coined a particularly crude nickname for Preibus, and Preibus previously blocked the financier from several other top White House roles.

Scaramucci had been in talks with the president and senior staff all week. But the shake-up comes amid intensifying tumult at the White House as Trump moves to respond to the widening special counsel probe into his campaign's possible collusion with the Russian government and searches for ways to revive the administration's stalled legislative agenda.

Trump officially offered the position to Scaramucci, who he has become closer to in recent weeks, at a meeting with senior staff in the Oval Office on Friday morning. And Thursday, Trump, Vice President Pence, Scaramucci and Trump's daughter, Ivanka, also huddled privately in the Oval Office to discuss Scaramucci's new role.

On Friday morning, the West Wing scrambled to present a united public front. Preibus called a private meeting of the White House communications staff, and made clear that Spicer, who is expected to help Scaramucci transition into the role, is leaving to give the new communications director "a clean slate," according to someone briefed on the meeting.

Preibus also tried to play down any tensions with Scaramucci, saying the two have known each other for a long time, and Scaramucci told his new team that he is not a "top down" manager, this person said.

Scaramucci and Spicer also hugged.

But bringing Scaramucci into the White House is likely to increase the backbiting and tension among Trump's senior staff, especially with Priebus, with whom he has clashed in the past. The communications post has remained open since it was vacated by Michael Dubke in May.

Bringing Scaramucci into the fold represents the most significant shake-up yet for a communications shop that has struggled to amplify the president's message on the administration's core economic and national security priorities.

Scaramucci, a Trump campaign loyalist backed by Trump's children, was slated to join the White House in another capacity early on, but he had challenges resolving ethical conflicts associated with his fund, SkyBridge Capital, which he sold to a Chinese conglomerate with ties to the government just before Trump's inauguration. Trump has also been impressed by Scaramucci's frequent appearances as a defender on cable news.

At the same time, Trump's legal team is also in flux. Trump's longtime personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, will step back from his central role in the president's outside legal team with John Dowd, a seasoned Washington attorney with a focus on white-collar crime, now taking the lead in managing the president's defense. Mark Corallo, a longtime GOP operative who had served as a spokesman for Trump's legal team, resigned Thursday.

The president has become agitated by the possibility that special counsel Robert Mueller might begin looking into Trump and his family's personal finances. In an interview this week with The New York Times, the president issued a warning to Mueller that such a move would be a "violation."

"Let's go back to what the purpose of the investigation was: Russian interference in our election," said White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, speaking on Fox News Friday morning. She added, "Where is this going and are Americans comfortable with that - with the taxpayers funding this, with this going off all types of chutes and ladders?"

Trump's legal team has begun working to undermine the special counsel probe, including investigating ways to highlight conflicts of interest on Mueller's, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The president has also inquired about his pardon authority.

After the story was published, one of Trump's attorneys, Dowd, said it was "not true" and "nonsense."

One Trump adviser said the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority, as well as the limits of Mueller's investigation.

"This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself,' " a close adviser said.

The idea that Trump would proactively pardon people involved in the Russia investigation was immediately criticized by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating Russian meddling in the election and possible Trump campaign collusion.

"The possibility that the president is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement. "Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line."

The White House has struggled to remain focused on its agenda, amid the constant drumbeat of the Russia investigation. The president himself has only fueled the Russia frenzy, giving an interview on Wednesday in which he talked extensively about the probe.

Last week, the White House announced that another attorney, Ty Cobb, would join the White House to help manage the response to the investigation internally.

On Friday morning, when asked if Scaramucci would join the White House, Conway praised him but did not confirm that the decision was settled.

"All I can say is in speaking with the president and others that, you know, we have a great communications team already," Conway said. "Anthony Scaramucci is somebody who has been an incredible asset to President Trump all during the campaign, the transition, and now he is one of the killers on TV who goes out there, thinks the president is being treated very unfairly, and we don't get any of the economic news out there, even though our press and communications shop tries."

"The president has confidence in all of the people who work for him, and we know that Anthony is someone who is a friend to the administration," she added.

This story has been updated with more details.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's decision to bring Anthony Scaramucci into a top White House role represents a remarkable political ascension for the investment veteran, who had bounced around several Republican campaigns before striking gold as a full-throated Trump supporter.

Scaramucci, known as "The Mooch," is at least the third person offered the White House communications director job since Trump was elected last year. Jason Miller initially accepted the post but opted against it before he ever started. Michael Dubke had the job for a tumultuous stint several weeks ago but left after the White House lurched from one controversy to the next.

Trump has long admired Scaramucci's unabashed loyalty and willingness to stick up for the president during hostile interviews on cable news. Scaramucci has an upbeat enthusiasm that White House officials believe has been missing from their current communications strategy, several administration officials said.

This would be at least the third Trump administration job that Scaramucci has been offered. He was set to be director of the White House's Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, but critics within the White House blocked him from ultimately taking that post.

In June, he started working in a senior role at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, but he will have only been in that job for roughly a month because he will be transitioning into the White House communications job very soon.

Scaramucci didn't initially jump onto the Trump campaign. In 2015, he worked on Scott Walker's presidential campaign, serving as national finance chairman, and then he latched on to the Jeb Bush campaign when Walker withdrew. He later signed up to help Trump with his campaign and rose as one of the most well-spoken advocates for Trump's agenda, particularly the president's economic goals to grow the economy.

Scaramucci has not always had the kindest words for Trump. Before he joined Trump's campaign, he said during a 2015 Fox Business appearance that Trump - as a candidate was "another hack politician."

"Probably going to make Elizabeth Warren his vice presidential nominee," he said.

He also once said Trump would probably become president of "The Queens County Bully Association."

"You are an inherited money dude from Queens County, bring it," Scaramucci said.

Scaramucci, like Trump, has deep New York roots and he worked at Goldman Sachs before starting SkyBridge Capital, an investment company. He hosted an annual hedge fund conference in Las Vegas that became a well-attended industry gathering, called the SALT conference, which helped him raise his profile.

Numerous appearances on cable news helped even more, and it was Scaramucci, in 2010, who asked President Barack Obama during a CNBC town hall when the White House would stop treating bankers like "a pinata."

He's known as being very comfortable in the rough-and-tumble world of fighting back against negative press. CNN published a story alleging that the Senate Intelligence Committee was looking into whether Scaramucci met with a top executive from a Russian investment fund before the inauguration. Scaramucci denied doing anything wrong, the story was later retracted, and three CNN officials resigned. The moment was seen as a big victory for Trump as his allies, who have complained for months about negative media coverage. Scaramucci accepted CNN's apology and his stature grew even more within the White House.

Still, Scaramucci is a well-known cable news speaker but has no experience delivering an effective White House narrative or communications strategy. He does, however, speak with a more populist and less political bent than other White House officials. He has said, for example, that more must be done to address income inequality, an issue the Obama administration tried to elevate with mixed success.

"You may not like the president, you might like the president, but we have to fix this problem whether you're a Democrat or a Republican," Scaramucci said at the SALT conference in May. "The rich people in this room, the wealthy people, you don't want to live in a barbed-wire-encased security perimeter in your McMansion like they do in Latin America. So we have to fix this problem."

He has also shown an openness to bringing more bipartisanship into the Trump administration as well, something that separates him from others who have deeper ties with the Republican National Committee.

At Mitt Romney's annual Deer Valley retreat this June, Scaramucci attended and offered his ideas for how he would remake the White House's communications team, according to someone who was there who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the private event. He said the White House's message has been muddled and needed to be made more clearly.

He suggested that if he was there he would start a daily "TV" show of sorts each morning, with a desk on the White House lawn. Each day they'd broadcast their own news report on the things they wanted to promote, having guests appear and even inviting Democrats to join and discuss the day's agenda.

In Scaramucci's 2016 book, "Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole, How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure into Success," he told readers about how not to take criticism personally.

He wrote that he went to the Lupus Foundation annual luncheon after being "ripped apart by bloggers and reporters," and was seated near Trump. Trump noticed that he was downtrodden and asked what was wrong.

When Scaramucci mentioned the media criticism, Trump responded: "Look, it comes with the territory. You are gaining a high profile, which means it's time for people to start shooting at you. Buck up! Big deal you were raked over the coals a little bit. So what? It has been happening to me for over 30 years. I laugh at the hit pieces now. The sooner you build up your resistance, the better."
PHILADELPHIA -- An al-Qaida suspect linked to a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist has been brought to Philadelphia from Spain to face terrorism charges.

Court officials say Ali Charaf Damache of Algeria appeared in court Friday and will be arraigned next week.

U.S. prosecutors say Damache married a Colorado woman who traveled to Ireland to meet him in 2009.

They say Jamie Paulin-Ramirez eventually helped the FBI investigate a terror cell that included a Pennsylvania woman known as "Jihad Jane" online.

Damache, known as "Black Flag" had been fighting extradition. Officials say the cell wanted to kill a cartoonist who had offended Muslims.

The Trump administration will try Damache in civilian court rather than send him to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, a hard-line approach favored by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
When Frederick Brooks thought a hotel housekeeper had stolen his money, he grabbed her by the neck, lifted her off the ground and slammed her against a wall while he screamed at her.

A few minutes later, when Brooks found his cash behind a dresser, he laughed and told the housekeeper to, "Just let it go."

Well, she didn't.

And Brooks won't be going anywhere for a while.

A state Superior Court panel ensured that this week by upholding the Philadelphia's man's 6- to 12-year prison sentence for an aggravated assault conviction.

On appeal, Brooks, 50, claimed he shouldn't have been convicted of aggravated assault because the woman suffered no serious injuries during the August 2014 incident at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the City of Brotherly Love.

President Judge Emeritus Kate Ford Elliott reached a different conclusion in the state court opinion.

She noted that an aggravated assault conviction can be based on an attempt to cause serious bodily injury, which certainly applied in Brooks' case. The judge cited evidence that the housekeeper was so shaken up she was hospitalized and missed a week of work.

Brooks also was convicted by county Judge J. Scott O'Keefe of simple assault and reckless endangerment after he waived his right to a jury trial. O'Keefe ordered that Brooks must be under "intense supervision" while he serves 2 years of probation after finishing his jail term, court records show.
Pennsylvania's nascent medical marijuana industry has entered a new phase, one that could be dominated by legal wrangling as investors challenge the state's highly competitive--and secretive--permit process.

Last month, the Department of Health awarded 27 permits for dispensaries and another 12 for grow facilities based on scores handed down by a panel whose composition remains a mystery. That left 418 other applicants, including many that invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the pursuit, to mull their options.

For some, the failure to secure a permit isn't just a disappointment. It's cause for legal action.

DOH Spokeswoman April Hutcheson said 72 grower/processor and 69 dispensary hopefuls appealed their permit denial within 10 days of the agency's notice. One additional grow facility applicant failed to meet that deadline.

The DOH has 10 days to respond and, eventually, those challenges could make their way to court.

Kevin McKeon, a Harrisburg attorney representing several clients appealing their denials, said the big unknown is timing. The appeals process, both at the administrative level and in the courts, would seem to exceed the timeline laid out by the DOH to launch the new industry and issue its next round of permits.

"I think time will tell," he said, of the prospect of lengthy legal wrangling. "That is the extent of what I can see in my crystal ball."

John Collins, who leads the DOH's Office of Medical Marijuana, has said Pennsylvania's program is on track to begin delivering medicine to patients next year. Indeed, the state has stuck to its original timetable for the permits, although it allowed applicants to submit background checks after the permits were announced.

An investor in one firm said a proposal was making the rounds with several of the losing applicants to join forces in a class-action suit. It was still too early to tell whether that would materialize, the investor said, but a protracted court case seemed inevitable.

Why?

For one, cannabis is a massive, fast-growing business. According to Arcview Market Research, marijuana sales reached $6.7 billion nationwide last year and could hit $20 billion by 2021.

Pennsylvania offers a valuable new market. It is heavily regulated, with a limited number of treatable medical conditions and restrictions against smoking, but some investors believe that will change as recreational use becomes more widely accepted. For example, York City Council voted earlier this week to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of the drug. It followed a similar measure in Harrisburg.

Those two factors drew a number of high-profile figures to compete for the first round of permits. The teams behind winning applications included a former state environmental secretary, an ex-NFL player and the chief of staff for a longtime, now deceased Philadelphia lawmaker.

Letters of support came in from local officials, state legislators and former Gov. Ed Rendell, although the DOH said it removed them from the applications prior to scoring.

The convergence of so much money and power stoked suspicion about the process, at least among those who didn't get in on the industry's ground floor and were primed to challenge the DOH's long-heralded commitment to transparency.

Several principals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to ongoing interactions with the DOH or because they were not authorized to speak about their ventures, zeroed in on that perceived lack of transparency.

"It's impossible to stand ourselves side-by-side with someone who got a permit because the only thing the state released were black pages," said one key investor of a grow facility that failed in its bid for a permit.

As part of the application process, the state asked companies to submit their own redactions of material they considered to be trade secrets. The DOH then added redactions of such elements as Social Security numbers, bank routing numbers, personal phone numbers and information about the security plans.

That procedure led to major disparities between the applications.

Among dispensaries, for example, Columbia Care Pennsylvania redacted hardly anything while Mission Pennsylvania II redacted its own name.

"[The redactions are] a challenge in attempting to evaluate the department's scoring," McKeon said. "It's a real handicap to not have more information in the applications that have been made available."

On the other side, he said there's value in allowing a company to protect its trade secrets. There's no reason why some elements of the applications, such as diversity or community impact plans, should be secret but other redacted materials are clearly sensitive.

"The applicant obviously may have put a lot of effort into what amounts to a proprietary process . . . and has awareness or belief that no one else has it," he said. "It may also be subject to a pending patent."

When it comes to the actual appeals, the range of possible outcomes remains unclear.

Hutcheson said the DOH's legal team will have to answer questions about whether an administrative appeal could result in changes to an applicant's score and whether that would change the outcome of the permit awards. As of Thursday evening, there was no answer.

McKeon and others PennLive spoke to about the process were not aware of how that would work.

"We're pretty much in uncharted territory here," said McKeon, who has experience with administrative appeals, particularly at the state's Public Utility Commission and the Gaming Control Board. He's also chaired the state's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee.

While some agencies have detailed guidelines for such appeals, DOH regulations refer to state statutes for appeal procedures. Those generic statutes, of course, don't answer the question of whether a successful appeal impacts the issuance of the agency's limited number of medical marijuana permits.

Under the normal course of an appeal, McKeon said the matter would go to a hearing examiner who takes evidence and renders a decision. That, in turn, could be appealed to the agency head, in this case acting Health Secretary Rachel Levine. Her decision could then be appealed to the Commonwealth Court.

"In theory, an appellant can appeal for any reason," he said, "so in this case an appeal could challenge a score in a particular category for the particular applicant or it could challenge a score overall for the applicant by comparison to an applicant who got the permit."

There are also applications that the DOH declined to score at all.

That was the case of one of McKeon's clients, who the attorney would not identify. The client's application was denied, he said, because they failed to check either the "yes" or "no" box concerning whether it would offer workers' compensation to its employees. The firm did, however, answer "yes" to a question about whether it would abide by all applicable laws, one of which is workers' compensation insurance.

"It was an obvious oversight," the attorney said. "The department could have picked up the phone or written a letter but they didn't."

One thing that is clear is that, according to Hutcheson, any of the 39 permits awarded so far that may be revoked will not be issued to another applicant. To date, she said, none of the permit holders have changed.

That comes despite controversy over one permittee that had its pre-approved medical marijuana licenses revoked recently in Maryland. In that case, two former executives face charges in Minnesota related to their alleged transport of 12 pounds of cannabis oil across state lines to a facility in New York.

"[The 39 permit holders] are still in the six month period to become operational, which includes the FBI background checks," Hutcheson said. "If an individual associated with the entity has a criminal background, they have to be removed from the entity or the entity risks losing its permit."

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.
MIDDLETOWN - Penn State trustees have approved a 2.74 percent tuition increase for entering Pennsylvania resident students at the University Park campus, but not without some concern about where rates are headed from here.

The new rate computes to an increase of $232 per semester and it would push the annual tuition cost to $17,416.

When combined with costs of traditional housing and meal plans, and mandatory student fees, the new rate would bring the comprehensive cost of attendance to $29,226 for 2017-18.

(The above figure is for freshmen and sophomores. Penn State tuitions jump from about $1,400 to $5,000 per year for a student's junior and senior years, depending upon their major.)

As in keeping with recent years, the tuition schedule contained a higher increase (3.85 percent) for out-of-state students, and lower rates of increase at Penn State's 19 undergraduate branch campuses.

The latter group breaks down as follows:

* An increase of 2.49 percent for resident students at the Abington, Altoona, Berks, Erie and Harrisburg campuses.

* An increase of 2.35 percent for resident students at the Brandywine, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill, Worthington Scranton and York campuses, and;

* A tuition freeze for the third straight year at the remaining eight branches: Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango and Wilkes-Barre.

University officials said the 2.74 percent bump for in-state students at University Park is the third-lowest percentage increase there since 1967, trailing only the 2.29 percent increase in 2016-17 and a freeze for all resident undergraduates in 2015-16.

But an increase could not be avoided, Senior Vice President for Business and Finance David Gray said, given the combination of increases in health care costs and pension contributions, and the expected flat-lining of state aid.

The tuition rates approved Friday were considered in conjunction with a total operating budget of $5.7 billion for general academic operations, the components of Penn State Health, agricultural extension services and the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Major areas of spending increases in the university's general operations budget include $24.8 million to fund contractual and merit-based salary increases; $14.8 million for the increased pension costs; and $12.5 million for new health care costs for employees.

Several members expressed concern that, with a new five-year plan for capital projects up for approval later this year, tuition pressures are only going to increase as debt service costs rise.

"Five years from now, we just projected that we'll be 30 percent higher (in tuition rates) than we are today. That's unnacceptable," said trustee Ted Brown.

Member Rob Tribeck, meanwhile, called on Penn Staters to take a more aggressive approach in fighting for more state aid, and he challenged university executives to do more to cut administrative costs and restructure tuition rates in the future so that the spread between in-state and out-of-state students is even greater.

Brown, Tribeck and four other board members voted against the increase as proposed.

Friday's action did require a small leap of faith.

To date, the state Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf still have not finalized a 2017-18 state budget, meaning there is a hold for the moment on an agreed-to appropriation of $318.2 million for Penn State.

But President Eric Barron has said the university needs to move forward, and is doing with the hope that "the Legislature will resolve its challenges soon and continue its pledged support to higher education for its citizens."

The University of Pittsburgh and Temple University, Pennsylvania's two other major state-related universities, are expected to raise their tuitions by 2.5 percent for in-state students this year.
FILE - In this May 17, 2017 file photo, model Bella Hadid and her father Mohamed Hadid arrive at the opening ceremony of the 70th international film festival in Cannes, France. Mohamed Hadid, the father of fashion models Bella and Gigi Hadid, has been fined and given community service for illegally building a gigantic mansion in Los Angeles' Bel Air district. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hadid was sentenced Thursday, July 20, 2017, to 200 hours of service, fined $3,000 and ordered pay the city more than $14,000 to cover building department costs. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
This photo provided by the Carlisle Police Department shows Civil War-era artillery shells that were discovered by a librarian at the Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, Mass., on Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Carlisle Police Department via AP)
The pandemic brought a technological revolution to schools. Is that a good thing?

Regardless of the path, by necessity, most educators agree the pandemic electrified the use of technology in the classroom.
This piece, titled, The New Plague, depicts life in Philadelphia in the age of COVID. Artist and educator Raphael Tiberino began painting at the age of four and has been in the spotlight as a professional creative for over 25 years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities has fined Newbridge Securities of Boca Raton, Fla., a state-record $499,000 for failing to "maintain a reasonable system for applying and enforcing written procedures" for the sale of derivative securities by the firm's agent in Pennsylvania from 2012 to 2016. The firm has consented to the fine, without admitting wrongdoing.

"This is the largest amount ever assessed by the department," against a single firm in a single enforcement action, department spokeswoman Virginia Lucy said, after a search of state records. .

The state did not name the agent. Records maintained by FINRA, the securities industry's self-regulatory arm, list Newbridge's agent in Pennsylvania as Austin Dutton, a registered broker who runs an office of Bridge Valley Financial Services, an arm of Newbridge. Dutton's clients including Philadelphia police officers and firefighters. He did not return calls Thursday. Newbridge president Thomas Casolaro did not return a call to his office in Boca Raton.

According to FINRA, Dutton has been in the business for 21 years, the last nine at Newbridge. In 2015 the firm settled a dispute with a Dutton customer who alleged negligence and other issues by paying the complaintant $15,000, while denying any wrongdoing. In 1997, Dutton was "allowed to resign" by Prudential Securities, also after admitting no wrongdoing, according to FINRA.

Dutton's practice has included the sale of real estate-backed securities issued by firms controlled by Nicholas Schorsch, son of a Jenkintown scrap-metal dealer who built a group of real estate and investment sales companies controlling more than $30 billion of U.S. real estate at its height in the early 2000s.

Two senior officers of American Realty Capital Partners, one of Schorsch's public companies, admitted they had exaggerated profits in reports to investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2014. One has since pleaded guilty to securities fraud, and a second was convicted at a trial last month. Schorsch, who has given up management positions in the public companies, has not been charged. He and former directors of his companies, who include former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, are contesting investors' civil lawsuits accusing Schorsch of taking more cash from his companies than he was entitled to take.

The reorganization of Schorsch's companies made some of the investments Newbridge sold hard for investors to resell at the prices investors paid. "I made a $100,000 investment in one of those companies, Business Development Co. of America," Emil Tofton, a Montgomery County attorney who was a Dutton client, told me.

Although Tofton said he purchased the shares with the understanding that, as real estate investments, they were likely to maintain or gain value in the current economic environment, he was unable to sell them without taking what he considered significant losses. He bought the shares through Dutton's firm for $10.90 a share in Feb. 2013, and after many attempts was finally able to sell some of them in February at $8.50, at a loss of 21 percent, he told me. "It was hard to sell. It never gained value after I bought it."

He said family members who did business with Dutton bought shares of another Schorsch vehicle, Retail Centers of America. Those also traded below the purchase price, Tofton said. "The company seems to control the price. There are no other bidders. They got you," and investment management fees add up, he said.

In 2015, Dutton said that Philadelphia police and firefighters were a big part of his business, and that many were happy with the performance of the real estate-backed investments, which he promoted through emails and free dinners.

"A hundred retired policemen have said to me, 'You must be the smartest guy in the world. Or the dumbest guy in the world. Because you have all our money, and we know where you live, and we all carry guns.' There's an accountability here," he said at that time.

(This story was updated Friday to note that it is the largest action of its type in the state securities regulator's history.)
In 2010, around the time Vernon and Shirley Hill opened Metro Bank PLC in London, the Philadelphia banker and his designer wife were making another investment across Europe: They bought a minority stake in Seguso Vetri D'Arte, a hand-blown lighting and art-glass company in Venice's ancient Murano glassmaking district.

With Metro Bank, the Hills were taking on established British banks, building an aggressive new lender that's now worth $4 billion. With Seguso, the mission is different: The Hills aimed to rebuild a brand in partnership with a family that traces its foundry back 23 generations, to 1397.

"We are really lucky to get the Hills on board," co-owner Pierpaolo Seguso told me from the company's Lexington Avenue showroom in New York. "The goal was to build a world-class brand and get our family business  that's what we are, a small manufacturer  to the next level. We got a boost, and the relationship is better than we expected. Obviously it is not a quick process. With the investment in promotion and marketing, we are really starting to see the momentum. We are pleased, and busy."

"It's a magic company that has a 620-year tradition of doing the world's best work," says Vernon Hill in the Philadelphia offices of Republic First Bancorp, where he is chairman and lead investor. Shirley Hill collects Murano glass, displaying airy, bright vases, long-stemmed hand-blown chandeliers, and a towering sundial at the couple's supermarket-sized Moorestown palazzo home, which they call Villa Collina  Hill House. Signature Seguso art pieces decorate the Four Seasons Hotel in Dubai, the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, and Las Vegas casinos.

The financial freeze of the late 2000s hit Murano glassmaking firms hard: "They lost their ability to raise capital. Loans froze. Luxury business is the first to stop, and people stopped buying. It was a perfect storm," says Joseph Del Raso, senior partner at Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton, who guided the Hills in the steps of doing business in Italy.

Murano's glassmakers have met technical and business changes across centuries. But like many old firms, Seguso combined creative design with conservative production and business methods. "We have this historical company, a great knowledge, top position. But they needed to open for them the American market and other markets," with "money and the technical marketing competence of a Vernon Hill," says Andrea Canepari, a native of the Venice region and Italy's former consul general in Philadelphia.

Canepari calls the Hill-Seguso deal a milestone in the region's recent trans-Atlantic investment. The Italian American National Foundation, of which Del Raso is a past president, this year gave the Hills its One America award, previously bestowed on an eclectic group  boxer Muhammad Ali, President George H.W. Bush, actor Christopher Reeve  citing the Seguso partnership.

"We had to bring their business elements up to modern standards  how it's projected in the market," Hill said. "I gave my wife the job of turning this into a world brand. Like Lalique," the French firm that has expanded beyond heavy leaded-glass pieces to room decorations, perfumes, and other branded goods.

"The Venetian people invented glass, but they almost never learned to build themselves into a brand," he added. "Shirley took the investment in their brand and turned touring their furnace, from a visit to a manufacturing facility, to a tour where you learn the history of glass. It wasn't a business decision; it was a fun decision."

The business, which expects to be profitable this year, is about half custom lighting fixtures, half art glass. The company also makes "simple stemware and giftware" glasses that sell for hundreds of dollars for "clients that are passionate but cannot afford thousands," Pierpaolo Seguso told me.

With Hill backing, Seguso has sponsored events at high-end venues such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The Financial Times' luxury-living section ran a story, noting that other Murano studios are also taking on Italian and foreign business partners. In May, Seguso opened an exhibit of works by the brothers' father  "Song of Glass by Giampaolo Seguso"  at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., further exposing the brand.

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Independence Blue Cross has requested rate increased on individual plans that range from 2.8 pecent to 15 percent. Read more

Independence Blue Cross requested rate increases ranging from 2.8 percent for an HMO to 15 percent for a Personal Choice plan, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced Friday.

If granted, the company-average 8.5 percent increase would be far less than the 28 percent average increase that regulators approved for Affordable Care Act plans in effect this year. The rates could still increase dramatically if Washington makes big changes to the health law or repeals it, or Independence could leave the exchange entirely, as many insurers across the country have already done.

Republican congressional leaders, urged on by President Trump, continue to wrestle with ways to radically alter the system established by the 2010 law or to simply repeal it and replace it with something else later.

The turmoil has been frustrating for insurers, said Daniel J. Hilferty, president and chief executive of Independence, which is the only company selling individual ACA plans on the federal exchange for Philadelphia and Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.

Not knowing whether subsidies, known as cost-sharing reductions, will be paid or if the individual requirement to buy insurance will be enforced or dropped is making it hard for Independence to commit to selling plans on the exchange for next year because without those pillars of the ACA, its average rate increase would soar into the high 20 percent range.

"We have made no decision at this point. Things are so fluid. We are looking for any sign of commitment to pay the CSRs, of commitment not to repeal the mandate, at least during a transition period to whatever comes next in 2020," Hilferty said Friday.

Insurers have until Sept. 27 to decide whether they will be on the exchanges next year, according to consulting firm Mark Farrah Associates, which also said this week that nationally, 141 health plans filed applications to offer ACA coverage next year, down 38 percent from 227 last year.

Open enrollment will start Nov. 1 and run through Dec. 15, a shorter period than in recent years, designed to make it harder for individuals to opportunistically sign up for insurance when they get sick.

Independence's Keystone Health Plan East, which sells HMOs, requested an average rate increase of 4.6 percent, with a range of 2.8 percent to 12.3 percent. The company has 151,360 people in plans affected by these changes.

For a 40-year-old nonsmoker, the monthly cost before subsidies of Keystone's cheapest Silver plan would climb 3 percent, to $385.71 from $373.94, if Independence's request is granted, the state said. From 2016 to 2017, the cost of the corresponding plan soared 35 percent.

The Independence unit that sells Personal Choice plans asked for a bigger average increase of 13.9 percent, with plan hikes ranging from 11.7 to 15 percent, the state said. These plans have 53,205 members.

The monthly cost before subsidies of the cheapest Silver Personal Choice plan for a 40-year-old nonsmoker would jump 13 percent to $515.10 from $453.95, if the insurance department approves the company's request. Last year, the corresponding plan was up 17 percent.

Statewide, insurers asked for an average 8.8 percent increase.

"Pennsylvania's individual market is stabilizing, and the current rate requests we see, which are in line with the annual trend in medical costs, are proof of this," Insurance Commissioner Karen Miller said.

Miller cited a study by consulting firm Oliver Wyman that predicted nationwide average increases of 5 percent to 8 percent to account for the cost of care. Insurers had a break in 2017 from the federal health insurer tax. Its return next year accounts for a 3 percent increase from that tax.

Other states, like Maine, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, and Washington, are still struggling with volatility and have seen requests for across-the-board double-digit rate increases, according to local news accounts.

Miller warned that Pennsylvania's relative stability this year is not guaranteed to last. "I have asked Congress and the Trump administration to help stabilize the individual market rather than trying to undermine the entire law, which will only hurt the real Pennsylvanians who benefit from the law," she said.

The department has scheduled meetings to gather feedback on the rate requests. In the Philadelphia area, consumers will be able to comment on 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Free Library of Northampton Township, 25 Upper Holland Rd,, Richboro. For 30 days, public comments will also be accepted by email at ra-in-comment@pa.gov.
With fluid boundaries and the ability to create and change names from the ground up, Philadelphia has emerged as a city of neighborhoods. Here, a local restaurant names itself after the historic Devils Pocket neighborhood. Today, some consider that to be located inside Graduate Hospital or Southwest Center City. Read more

Calls to Rich Boardman at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Maps Collection came from out-of-towners, genealogists, but mostly, rowdy bar patrons.

"Often someone would call me and say, 'I'm having an argument with a friend! What's the boundary of this neighborhood or that neighborhood?' " said Boardman, who ran the Maps Collection for nearly 30 years. "They would be on the phone shouting, 'This is the boundary! No, this is it!' "

When it comes to defining neighborhoods in Philadelphia, there are no easy answers.

Take, for example, the swath of the city bounded by South Street to Washington, and from Broad to the Schuylkill. Is it Graduate Hospital? South of South? Southwest Center City? It's been called G-Ho. So-So. And then, of course, it has neighborhoods within: Schuylkill Square. Naval Square. And Devil's Pocket.

And that's just 0.4 square miles of a 141-square-mile city.

For decades, Philadelphia has carried the designation of "the city of neighborhoods," a moniker cemented over the years, even as other large cities carved out tiny neighborhoods of their own.

Boardman says the nickname stuck for good reason: The now-retired historian has identified 685 Philadelphia neighborhoods dating to 1778. That's everything from Chestnut Hill to Frankford to Beggarstown (located in today's Mount Airy section), recorded on a map just two years after America declared independence. In 2015, Boardman added the final name to his current list: Olde Richmond, which he discovered in the "older" section of the city's Port Richmond neighborhood.

But if history is any indication, Boardman's list will continue to grow, as the city rapidly gentrifies and re-labels.

Given fluid boundaries, self-declared names, and a fierce pride among residents about where they are from, squabbles over neighborhood names are nothing new. At one point, more than a century ago, today's Mount Airy had at least four names: Dogtown, Beeberstown, Beggarstown and Franklinville.

(Think those sound odd? There was once a Pumpkintown around the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bells Mills Road, and a Frog Hollow in today's Logan section.)

As new development has marched across the city, residents at times have been pitted against developers and real-estate agents, historians and preservationists, over neighborhood names: Should the Gayborhood be called Midtown Village? And what do we call the city's Callowhill neighborhood  that, or the Loft District, or Chinatown North, or Eraserhood?

From the quarrels have emerged questions about who has the authority to declare a name and where the names should come from. And a bigger question has emerged about when change may be necessary.

According to a spokesman for the Philadelphia Planning Commission, the city has no involvement in drawing neighborhood boundaries  and keeps no official count of neighborhoods. Some, such as Fishtown and East Falls, date back decades, taking their names from the geography around them. Others, such as Chinatown, emerged based on the populations and businesses that settled within.

In recent years, new, sometimes controversial, names have crept into common vernacular  places such as Temple Town in North Philadelphia, Newbold in Point Breeze, and Naval Square in Southwest Center City  all named for massive development that occurred in their boundaries.

The rise of dozens of names has been fueled by new laws governing Philadelphia's self-organized Registered Community Organizations, collections of neighborhood residents who are notified about proposed developments that may affect them and who then get to offer input.

In practice, the role has allowed groups to carve out territory, naming their RCOs to promote a desired name. It's given rise to nearly 290 RCOs  and a multitude of organizations named for both historic and new neighborhoods, places such as Olde Richmond and Swampoodle, Cathedral Park and Olde Kensington. (And, for that matter, there are RCOs for South Kensington, East Kensington, and New Kensington, too.)

A few years ago, Denise Whittaker helped launch the Community Action Group in Northwest Philadelphia, claiming the swath from 24th and Allegheny to 30th and Hunting Park Avenue to Indiana Avenue for her RCO. The name she gave the area? Swampoodle Heights, reviving the historic Swampoodle name, used for the area in the early 1900s.

"We wanted to have a historic name, and this area was known for being swampy before industry moved in," said Whittaker, the group's vice president.

Why add Heights? The area around 30th Street is situated on more elevated land, she said, but mostly, "psychologically, a neighborhood name may change how you think and feel about where you live.  We're trying to clean up our community."

Some residents have taken to it: The Community Action Group hung signs for the new neighborhood  Swampoodle Heights: Love Where you Live, and another, Live Where You Love  along light posts, and has spread the name at cleanup events. Others, however, remain skeptical.

"Some people say, 'I don't live in Swampoodle; I live in Allegheny West," Whittaker said. " If you want to say Allegheny West, that's your choice."

Other neighborhood name changes have faced fiercer push-back.

The Cecil B. Moore section of North Philadelphia has undergone tremendous development over the years as the student population at Temple University has swelled. In return, private developers increasingly have been building in surrounding neighborhoods, replacing dilapidated single-family homes with student high-rises. Eventually the redevelopment gave way to "Temple Town"  a new name so widely used that even Google Maps picked it up.

Eventually, after protest, Google stripped the Temple Town name, and the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood was restored. For many North Philadelphia residents, it was a lesson about how fragile community history can be in the midst of change.

Other neighborhoods have seen their names shift under development pressures in recent years, too, many times altered by developers who are trying to re-brand to create interest in an area.

Developer John Longacre employed that method when he took a chance on an area of South Philadelphia bound by Jackson Street to Tasker and 18th Street to Broad. At a time when no one was developing that section of Point Breeze, Longacre introduced the South Philly Tap Room, new housing, and other commercial activity along West Passyunk Avenue to revitalize the area. When his job was complete, he dubbed the neighborhood Newbold after a street located in the neighborhood decades before.

"I's a great name," Longacre said. "It has ties to the history, and there's a connotation  it's new, it's bold, it seemed to fit."

As for that unlabeled area in the Southwest part of the city? The South of South Neighborhood Association said the group is not pushing any particular name.

"We're trying to be sensitive of the neighbors that were here before us," said Nicole Koedyker, programs manager for the group. " In a unique neighborhood like Grad Hospital  it's important to help [residents] feel passionate about the neighborhood."
Something was rotten in Gulph Mills. And it was dangling from my fork:

A $32 hunk of American Kobe flat-iron steak, presumably a luxurious delight, was instead radiating a sulfurous stench. It was such a powerful funk, I could smell it from the table. "Like a bad egg," said the guest next to me. And as I lifted the fork toward my lips, all attempts to fight the repulsion reflex in my brain for a nibble ended in refusal to swallow.

"Is everything OK?" asked our French server at Savona, showing a faint glimmer of concern for the first time in an evening when she'd shown mostly disinterest. When she wasn't off snacking at every pass of the bread station, she was forgetting to bring my glass of wine. Or she was making an executive decision to omit the sauce from my lactose-intolerant guest's short rib without asking us  despite the fact the sauce contains no dairy (contrary to her claim that it contained cream).

Have you ever seen a naked brick of braised short rib? Fraying at its edges, drying out from the kitchen's heat, it's an ugly beast of gray meat. It looked lonely and unappetizing over an iron platter squiggled with pureed peas and tiny carrots. But at least it was tender, and it didn't seem dangerous  unlike the flat iron in question, which had been whisked away without discussion or apologetic fuss. A do-over had been fired without consulting us first.

It was presumptuous to assume we'd want to give that steak another try. But in this case, I'm glad she did: The encore cut (which the restaurant properly comped) was buttery, clean, and richly beefy. It was also severely undercooked, with a tough sinew threading its still basically raw center. But it was good to know our first plate was a weird anomaly at a restaurant long known for its fine ingredients. Not that Savona's staff seemed overly concerned. A shrug and a "who knows?" was all we got as a follow-up explanation for that steak.

"Was everything else OK?" asked a manager.

"No, not really. It wasn't OK," I replied with rare tableside candor. In fact, I had a lot of issues with this latest incarnation of Savona, a perennial three-beller that recently underwent another renovation in its continuous quest to become more accessible. Did they really want to know?

Clearly not. They picked up the plates from our table in awkward silence, brought the bill, and let us leave.



I needed to return for another visit to give this old personal favorite and venerable standby another chance. It's not easy for a restaurant to remain relevant for 20 years, especially a high-end destination such as Savona, which began life as a gastronomic Main Line temple of French Riviera cuisine and world-class wines, and then, after the crash of 2008, decided it had to become more casual  and more Italian  ASAP. It has been a multiphase process over the last decade, with the addition of a wraparound terrace and a second menu of less-expensive pizzas and pastas. The most recent revamp opened the kitchen behind a picture window, expanded the bar seating, added blackboards and butcher-block tables to the plush gray dining rooms, and finally merged the dual-personality menus into one, including a casserole section (misspelled in Italian) with chicken pot pie and macaroni and cheese.

It's a reasonable strategy for co-owner Evan Lambert and his partner Andrew Masciangelo, a conscientious chef with a long track record of three-bell quality, who was apparently on vacation during the incident of the nasty steak. "It's one of our best sellers," he said, having never encountered a similar offcut in his kitchen. "I just ate one last night."

His kitchen lieutenants should have noticed that stinker in his absence. They also should have picked the unopened clams out of the otherwise delicious bowl of fregola sarda with seafood in brothy green pesto. They might also have cooked the pizza, a crackery flatbread, until the oddly rubbery square chunks of mozzarella began to soften.

I'm also betting the chef would wince at the unenthusiastic menu advice offered by his staff, in particular the young French servers who come to Savona on an annual exchange program to anchor the otherwise inexperienced staff of young locals with attitudes that range from frosty to contemptuous.

"Where I come from, it's baked," was all I got when I asked one of the Frenchwomen how the market fish casserole was prepared. In fact, it comes over an intricately layered potato-tomato terrine moistened in fish stock. I would have ordered it had I known.

"I don't like pastas very much," sniffed another French server. "But this one has lobster, so it's OK." Not exactly a hard-sell for the corzetti, a small portion of stamped pasta coins in a bisquey veloute topped with a few tepid nuggets of crustacean for $32. We were better off with the comfort pastas, such as the pillowy agnolotti of chicken and prosciutto in a buttery sage emulsion, or the snappy threads of pasta alla chitarra, which were delicious, coiled into a heap beside three big meatballs that were white inside with veal and ricotta.

That chitarra was one of the few highlights of my second visit, when things improved only slightly. A branzino fillet marked by the hardwood grill was beautifully simple, a great ingredient not ruined, and set beside an evocative Mediterranean trio of tomato compote, olive tapenade, and roasted peppers. A thick slice of seared Scottish salmon was satisfying over stewed chickpeas. The pizza topped with little beech mushrooms and goat cheese was solid, if unexciting. A baked apricot custard clafouti for dessert was a sweet and simple showcase for summer fruit.

There were two small bright spots at my first meal as well: an appetizer of crisply fried artichokes and the lightly seared cubes of five-second tuna.

But the complimentary shot of chilled watermelon gazpacho was mealy and brown. A crudo of scallop and sea urchin, which should have been chilled, had warmed to room temperature by the time the raw shellfish was served. A single arm of tender grilled octopus for

$17 also appeared to have waited around too long, its exterior dried to a leathery matte.

A four-bone rack of lamb, seemingly unseasoned and startlingly plain considering its $49 price tag, was on the raw side of medium-rare. The kitchen successfully cooked it more, but neglected to add at least a few more grains of salt. A side of "haystack potatoes" had the opposite problem of being oversalted, though it was the fact these shoestrings were limp, pale, and shining with grease that really made me wonder who, if anyone, was really paying attention.

At least I could always wash away Savona's culinary troubles with a stellar drink.

Except I couldn't. The cocktails, once fantastic under former mixologist Papi Hurtado, were artless. A glass of wildly overpriced manzanilla sherry, typically briskly cold and fresh, was served insipidly warm in a snifter. Yes, Savona still has a fabulous bottle list of 1,000-plus wines, mostly still French (though with a strong American presence) and targeted to big spenders. But unless you opt for one of the "superpremium" pours of Kistler or Insignia, the glass selections are uninspired, especially in my quest for crisp Italian whites, considering the menu's seafood-centric focus. The trebbiano was too flabby. An exotic Hungarian furmint was a better bet. A chardonnay from Pays d'Oc, a bargain region not considered a French hot spot for chardonnay, was serviceable enough  except for all the huge chunks of cork that were floating in my glass.

At this moment, my palm actually smacked my face. Who could ever have imagined a meal of broken cork, questionable ingredients, and spotty, haughty service at Savona? This old standby may well have the right idea as to where it needs to go to remain relevant. But getting there is about the daily details and not forgetting the very fundamentals that brought it acclaim to begin with.
Oscar-winner Mark Rylance didn't need to method-act his way into Dunkirk and his role as a civilian volunteer who crosses the English Channel in his own boat to rescue stranded soldiers.

Rylance could look to his own extended family  the firefighter cousin, for instance, who rushed into the burning Grenfell Tower on June 14 to rescue stranded residents. And the actor has always immersed himself in the stories of ordinary men who find strength and purpose in helping each other.

Rylance, on that note, was just in Pennsylvania  the town of Homestead this month  to mark the 125th anniversary of a 1892 steelworker uprising pitting striking workers against armed Pinkerton detectives. Rylance, former director of the Globe Theater in London, is turning the clash into a play.

This week, he'll be in London at the British Film Institute for a screening of Dunkirk and has invited his rescue-worker cousin to attend.

The film, he said, captures the spirit of such people.

"When people talk about the Second World War, they talk about collective spirit, when the frictions of class broke down. You would see the king and queen come out to a bombing site, and everyone was in it together. We fought and we won because we were in it together. We didn't separate and splinter, and Dunkirk is the most dramatic example of that," said Rylance, whose character is based on the thousands of civilian boat captains who crossed the channel to rescue stranded British troops  more than 400,000.

"Men were saved by the small, humble actions of many individuals going over and joining with military and helping everyone else, at great risk to their own lives. My father was only 6 years old at the time, but he remembers the sense of unity, he remembers hearing that we got the men back, and he remembers the power of that collective spirit."

The country felt it again, he said, when the Grenfell Tower block caught fire, and "everybody became very aware of the civilian rescue service. My cousin was among the firemen who went into that tower, and represents the kind of selfless bravery involved in going into that building to save people," said Rylance, who noted the decisive actions of first-responders has put enormous pressure on politicians to reverse cuts to such services.

For every recent act of terror, he said, there is another example of common folks responding with uncommon courage.

"The bravery of civilians who stood up to those who were attacking people with knives in London. The policeman who held off three of them with just a truncheon," he said. "Because this film is a rescue story, it's going to touch that nerve. It's a hot topic in England at the moment."

Rylance has long been regarded as one of the world's great stage actors, but didn't really find a defining on-camera role until his star turn in BBC's Wolf Hall. That led to his role as a Soviet agent in Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies and to an Oscar for best supporting actor.

Has life changed for him since the Academy Award?

"I think people can now sell my picture for 60 quid. That means I have to sign more pictures," he said, "but I certainly don't mind."

He sees award shows as "a crafty way of drawing people's attention to films," even if the awards themselves are not always properly distributed.

"I grew up watching and emulating Robert Mitchum, who is one of my favorites. I don't think he ever won an Oscar. I'm glad to have one, but if you take it too seriously, and you think you are a great actor because you have one, you've got the wrong idea."
Gov. Wolf has proposed a natural gas levy of 6.5 percent, which would yield an estimated $400 million to $500 million a year. Read more

Of all the terrible, unfair and just plain stupid ideas flowing out of Harrisburg these days over how to plug a $2 billion-plus hole in the state budget, this takes the cake.

An idea is being circulated in Republican circles to get revenue from the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania  not by taxing the large companies drilling the gas, but by taxing the consumers who use natural gas.

That is not a misprint. They do not want to tax the mega-companies that sold $3.5 billion worth of Pennsylvania gas in 2016.

Instead, they want to tax gas consumers, who number nearly 2.7 million statewide, including 500,000 in Philadelphia alone.

The details are sketchy because the idea has not yet surfaced in public yet, though it may this weekend when the state House will be in session to debate matters dealing with the budget and taxes.

The state already imposes what is called a gross receipts tax on electricity, hydroelectric and water that raises close to $900 million a year.

Natural gas used to be included on the list, but was dropped in 1999, presumably to spare gas consumers some pain in the face of rising costs.

There is a huge difference between now and 1999. Since then, Pennsylvania has developed its own natural gas industry, mostly by using hydraulic fracking to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale. There are 5,000 so-called "horizontal wells" in the state, most of them clustered in the southwest and far northeast sections.

The $3.5 billion in sales is less than it was a few years ago, due to a slump in natural gas prices. But, analysts predict the market will expand in coming years, with more gas being pumped out of more wells.

Pennsylvania now ranks as the second-largest gas producer in the United States, behind only Texas. It also ranks as the only state that does not have a tax on natural gas. Most states impose a tax on a percentage of natural gas that flows out of the wells  Texas, for instance, has a 7.5 percent tax on the market value of the gas.

For the last five years, advocates  including Gov. Wolf  have proposed that Pennsylvania enact a similar tax. In his most recent budget, Wolf proposed a 6.5 percent tax, which would yield an estimated $400-500 million a year. And that's based on current production; as demand rises, so would that amount.

The industry is dead set against an extraction tax. So are Republican lawmakers, many of whom benefit from the industry's campaign contributions. (Democrats have also received contributions, though far less than Republicans.) The industry does pay impact fees  a levy enacted during the Corbett administration, which sets a fee based on each well drilled, not the volume of gas it produces. Last year, the tax bought in $173 million a year, the lowest amount since the fee was enacted in 2011, and most of it goes to areas where drilling is concentrated.

Wolf's latest proposal would give companies a tax credit for whatever impact fees companies pay.

Under the gross receipts tax idea, the gas companies would not pay an additional dime, but consumers could be on the hook for many millions of dollars.

This is an idea that should die of shame before it gets seriously consideredas should the lawmakers who would consider it.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office was never given any paperwork or consulted in a formal way on whether to file charges in a fight that resulted in serious brain injury to a Drexel University student, the spokesman for the office said Friday.

"We never received anything from Drexel," said spokesman Cameron L. Kline.

The university, Kline said, may have made an informal phone call about the case  in which lawyers say Ian McGibbon, then a junior business major, was punched during an altercation, hit his head, was knocked unconscious, and suffered serious brain injury. But that wouldn't have been the appropriate route to follow for a possible assault case, according to Kline.

"That's not how it works," he said.

Drexel spokeswoman Niki Gianakaris said the university would have no further comment. On Thursday, she said in a statement: "The Drexel police conducted an investigation, notified the Office of the District Attorney, and it was determined that no charges would be filed."

Her statement came in response to a lawsuit filed Thursday by McGibbon's parents, Roderick J. and Elizabeth, of Narberth. They're suing the student who the suit alleges punched their son; several fraternity members who did not call 911 after McGibbon was knocked unconscious; two fraternities; and the bar that served alcohol to some of them that night. The university is not a defendant in the suit.

The McGibbons said their son, now 23, has had four head surgeries. He can't remember things, doesn't have use of his left arm, walks with a brace, and tires easily, they said. His parents obtained a court order declaring him incapacitated and appointing Roderick McGibbon as his guardian.

The incident occurred early on Sept. 12, 2015, between 32nd and 33rd Streets on Powelton Avenue, when McGibbon and two fellow members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity were on their way home from a bar. Fraternity members helped him back to the house after the altercation  lawyers showed video of McGibbon being held up by two men as he walked down the street. He was placed on a couch, the family's lawyer, Robert J. Mongeluzzi, said. The fraternity's "risk manager" monitored him for several hours until 6 a.m., then went to sleep, the attorney said. McGibbon, according to Mongeluzzi, had a bright red bruise on his head and wasn't making sense when he talked.

But it wasn't until noon the next day that McGibbon's parents, who were concerned that they hadn't heard from their son, went to the fraternity house, found him "unconscious, nonresponsive, and covered in blood and vomit," and called for emergency help, Mongeluzzi said. McGibbon, who lives with his parents, suffered "catastrophic and permanently disabling injuries," the suit alleges, including "spasticity" of his left arm, "seizure disorder, persistent disabling headaches, severe concentration difficulties, anxiety, depression, and other psychological and emotional injuries."
The State of Maryland says it intends to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Scott Pruitt, over smog-inducing pollution drifting across its borders from neighboring states, including Pennsylvania.

The notice, filed Thursday by the Maryland Department of the Environment, says the EPA is failing to do its job under the Clean Air Act. It singles out 36 power plants in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia as failing to use pollution control equipment and emitting nitrogen oxides.

Nitrogen oxides combine with volatile organic compounds in sunlight to create ground level ozone, or smog.

Maryland says it will file suit because the EPA has failed to act after it sent a petition to the agency in November 2016 stating it can't meet its own ozone reduction goals because of the upwind plants.

"To date, the EPA has not taken action" before the July 15 deadline, the notice of Maryland's intent to sue reads.

Maryland notes that it's not asking the EPA to take extra measures and that the power plants should not bear extra costs. It simply wants the plants to start using their own pollution controls to manufacturers' specifications on days when ozone reductions are needed  typically during heat waves.

The petition, filed under the "good neighbor" provision of the Clean Air Act, named coal-fired plants that are "clearly not running controls effectively." It names six Pennsylvania plants.

It says that on some bad ozone days, more than 300 tons of nitrogen oxides are being released that could have been contained if the plants "had simply run their control technologies efficiently."

"These days are often the same days where ozone levels are likely to be highest because of hot, ozone-conducive weather," the petition says.

An EPA spokesman said the agency "does not comment on potential litigation."

The Environmental Defense Fund lauds the notice to sue, said Vickie Patton, a lawyer for the group.


A stepmother and her stepdaughter murdered as they sat next to each other in a truck in Fairhill; a woman struck in the face by a stray bullet while driving to work in Logan; a young Frankford resident shot to death by her ex-boyfriend, who then turned the gun on police  and himself.

Since July 12, five women have been slain and three others critically injured in six cases across Philadelphia, a city where 85 percent to 90 percent of homicide victims are typically men.

Four of the women were killed or gravely wounded in incidents of domestic violence.

Most recently, a 48-year-old woman was stabbed to death and her 21-year-old daughter was critically injured when the younger woman's ex-boyfriend attacked them with a knife around 1:55 a.m. Thursday on the 2700 block of Daly Terrace in South Philadelphia, where the women lived, according to police. Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene that the suspect was upset because the younger woman had recently "dumped" him.

The identities of the victims and the suspect, who remains on the loose, have not been released.

Around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jose LeBron, 38, shot his 48-year-old wife in the neck in a house on the 400 block of Somerset Street in Kensington, police said. LeBron then fled to another home on the block, and when police arrived on the scene, he went out on the porch and took turns pointing his gun at his own head and then at police, authorities said. When LeBron allegedly refused to drop the weapon, seven SEPTA and city police officers fired at him. He was hit in the legs and arm but was listed in stable condition Thursday. LeBron's wife, who suffered a gunshot wound to her neck, remains in critical condition. LeBron faces attempted murder and related charges in the case.

Another suspect faced off with police Tuesday night into early Wednesday after he shot his ex-girlfriend to death, barricaded himself in a home, and fired shots at police during a seven-hour standoff, according to authorities.

Khalil Redding, 32, who had just been released from prison last month, allegedly went to the Frankford home of his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Michelle Saint-Aude, around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday and shot her repeatedly outside the residence, police said.

Later, Redding was traced to a house on the 1300 block of East Haines Street in East Germantown, and at 6:30 p.m., a barricade was declared by police. During the standoff, Redding fired shots at police from the home, but no injuries were reported. At 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, authorities entered the house and found Redding dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Earlier Tuesday, around 7:30 a.m., a 42-year-old woman, whose identity has not been released, was struck in the head by a stray bullet that went through her windshield as she was driving to work on Rockland Street near 11th Street in the Logan section, police said. She remains in critical condition at Einstein Medical Center. Her shooter remains on the loose.

Last week, 19-year-old Aslemarie Torres and her stepmother, Lylliana Mendoza, 35, were shot to death shortly early on July 12 as they sat together in a truck parked in front of their home on the 3000 block of Lawrence Street in Fairhill. A neighbor with surveillance cameras said his footage showed a driver pulling up alongside the truck the women were sitting in and firing about two dozen shots into the vehicle. Authorities have not identified a suspect or a motive in the case.

Later that day, Rosalind Wicks, 57, was stabbed four times and beaten to death with a hammer shortly after 7 a.m. in the kitchen of her home on the 5500 block of North Hill Creek Drive in Crescentville. Her daughter, who was also at home at the time, was treated for a head injury, according to authorities. A police spokesman said Thursday that no arrest had been made in the case but that detectives are "actively pursuing leads."

Staff writer Joseph A. Gambardello contributed to this article.
An unidentified man suspected of overdosing is administered narcan by Philadelphia Fire personnel on Witte Street in Kensington in June of 2017. Read more

Jorge Balbuena was supposed to be a kingpin.

Arrested in 2015, Balbuena was accused by the federal government of leading an operation that distributed heroin, cocaine, and crack in Kensington. Prosecutors said he conspired to try to smuggle as much as 100 kilograms of heroin (about 220 pounds) into the United States from his native Dominican Republic, discussed smuggling routes for Colombian heroin, and sold drugs with coconspirators.

But when Balbuena, 31, was sentenced Wednesday to 63 months in federal prison for dealing about $50,000 of heroin in Philadelphia, it became clear that the drug-lord narrative didn't hold up. He slept on couches in the city after losing a construction job, his lawyer said. Used whatever cash he could scratch together to feed his partying habit. And, often, he diluted his dope so severely that customers sought him out afterward, feeling as if they'd been ripped off.

"He's really not a large-scale member of any drug organization," defense attorney Luis Ortiz told U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, an assessment with which prosecutors largely agreed in sentencing memos.

Balbuena may not have been a major player in Philadelphia's booming heroin trade, but the criminal case against him still proves instructive. Interviews with city police, federal officials, and neighborhood activists reveal that Kensington's heroin markets, on the street level, are largely a decentralized economy  a series of corners run by separate, small groups of dealers, as opposed to being controlled by large gangs or singularly powerful individuals.

The result, officials say, is a level of competition that helps keep drug prices low and purity levels high  and allows people like Balbuena to eke out some sales.

"There's no big don that runs the whole area down here," said Philadelphia Police Inspector Ray Convery, who leads East Division, which encompasses Kensington. "It's all individual corners."

The resolution of Balbuena's case comes as city officials have pledged a major effort to combat the opioid crisis, convening a task force to develop comprehensive recommendations, and working to clean up and close a notorious railroad gulch that had become a magnet for heroin users

Other cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, have long been associated with gang violence, and Long Island, N.Y., has experienced a recent surge in gang-related killings. But the sellers who dot Kensington's corners are not nearly as connected to one another or to the rituals and symbols typically associated with hierarchical organizations, police say.

"Every block is a different crew up there," said Patrick Trainor, spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency's Philadelphia field office, which tends to focus on large-scale drug prosecutions. Philadelphia police, in addition to building cases against dealers, are responsible for patrolling the neighborhood to ensure safety for residents and make arrests where warranted.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross also believes that the competition could be fueling additional violence in the area: The 24th and 25th Police Districts, which encompass most of Kensington, had recorded 19 more homicides through mid-July than at the same point last year, he said.

The number of drug-related slayings citywide has also steadily increased, according to police statistics  from 26 in 2013 to 68 last year.

"With the increase in demand for heroin, in particular, it has sparked more competition," Ross said in an interview this month. "Ergo, you're getting a lot of violence that is stemming from it."

Police recently deployed 30 additional bicycle officers in Kensington, and 20 more officers in the narcotics strike force there, Ross said. Officers also regularly use naloxone to treat overdose victims  more than 160 doses had been administered by officers in East Division through June, half of those in the last month. Where appropriate, police assist medics who sometimes spend large chunks of their shifts responding to reports of overdoses.

"It's not little pockets," medic Caleb Cummings, 33, said during a recent work shift in Kensington. "It's thousands of people."

Balbuena's crew was not accused of any violent acts, but prosecutors said they sold heroin mostly around D Street and Indiana Avenue in 2014 and 2015, in the heart of Kensington's drug markets.

Balbuena, a permanent U.S. resident  whose nickname, according to prosecutors, was Hansel  initially was painted as the leader of an eight-person operation, according to an indictment filed in December 2015.

The indictment said he obtained large quantities of heroin, then processed, remixed, and repackaged it for his members. It also said he talked to at least one person in the Dominican Republic about smuggling heroin into Philadelphia from that country and from Colombia. And he was accused of traveling to North Carolina with a member of his crew, Yan Mota Soto, to pick up a supply of drugs.

Prosecutors led by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer later conceded that Balbuena was not, in fact, the group's mastermind. His organization "worked together and performed different functions at different times, with no real structure or hierarchy," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. They also said the trip to North Carolina yielded no heroin.

Balbuena's crew was most frequently accused of unwittingly selling drugs to undercover buyers. The indictment said Balbuena and his group sold amounts usually worth a few thousand dollars each. In one instance, the indictment said, a dealer named Elvin De Jesus sold 206 grams of fake heroin (nearly half a pound) to an undercover agent who was a regular customer of the crew.

Trainor, of the DEA, said corner groups often buy heroin in quantities as small as a few ounces to resell. He said that Mexican cartels are the main source of large shipments to the United States, although he and other officials were more circumspect about how drugs trickle out to the corners. Trainor said cartels sell heroin for about $60,000 per kilogram (2.2 pounds), about half the price of what producers in South Asian countries, such as Afghanistan or Thailand, had charged when they were dominant suppliers.

In 2015, the DEA unveiled a major case against the so-called Laredo Drug Trafficking Organization, a Mexican group whose members were accused of distributing more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of heroin to various locations in the United States, including Philadelphia and Camden.

Most dealers in Kensington, however, rarely handle such quantities, Trainor said. A bust this winter in Burholme, a joint effort by the DEA and the District Attorney's Office, netted 13 kilograms of heroin (28 pounds), said by prosecutors to be one of the largest drug confiscations in city history.

"You could buy four ounces  and you could make a lot of bags [for resale] out of that," Trainor said.

Most dealers sell bags of heroin for between $7 and $10 on the street. Convery said police try to track markings on bags to tie them to crews and monitor which strands might be causing overdoses. But keeping up is a challenge.

"They'll put somebody else on the corners as fast as we lock them up," he said.

Although Convery believes, as do many other police officials, that arrests alone will not make a sizable dent in the heroin problem, most say they remain committed to disrupting the drug trade  and seeking ways to reduce the violence that can come with it.

"They're running a business down there," Convery said. "I run a business to try and stop them."

Balbuena pleaded guilty to selling 730 grams of heroin (1.6 pounds) over about 18 months. Six of the 17 counts against him were dropped in return for his plea.

Two of his coconspirators, De Jesus and Pedro Angel Montes-Perez, pleaded guilty as well. De Jesus is to be sentenced Tuesday; Montes-Perez was ordered in April to serve 30 months in prison.

Three others  Soto, Jose Garcia, and Ysidro Garcia  have been fugitives since 2015. Charges against another alleged participant, Gary Cuevas-Reyes, were dismissed last September. Court papers did not provide a reason.

Balbuena's family sat in the back row of a federal courtroom Wednesday as he accepted his sentence. Speaking to the judge through an interpreter, he gave a nod to his supporters and asked for their forgiveness.

"This is not," he said, "what they taught me to be."
A 65-year-old woman accused of stealing a cab was arrested Thursday morning after police stopped her and found she had picked up passengers, authorities said.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before," Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters. He called the crime "bizarre."

Betty Thomas, of the 100 block of East Mayland Street, East Germantown, was charged Thursday with car theft, theft of services, receiving stolen property, terroristic threats and unauthorized use of an auto. She was released on her own recognizance after her arraignment Thursday night.

Police gave this account:

Thomas caught a Freedom cab in Germantown around midnight and asked to be taken to the SugarHouse Casino on the waterfront in Fishtown.

En route, she asked to stop to buy water at a gas station at Broad Street and Hunting Park Avenue in Nicetown-Tioga.

There the driver got in dispute about the fare with Thomas, "who proceeded to get into the driver's seat and drove southbound on Broad Street."

Police broadcast a description of the cab. About a half-hour later, officers stopped the car in front of the 24th and 25th District headquarters on Whitaker Avenue in North Philadelphia.

A 23-old-woman and her infant daughter were in the rear seat. The woman told police she was a legitimate would-be fare-paying passenger.

No one was hurt.

"An unusual job with a happy ending," Small said.
Folcroft Borough Police Officer Christopher Dorman, who was shot seven times as he responded to a call, spoke to reporters in June 2016. Read more

A Delaware County man was sentenced to 33 to 100 years in state prison on Thursday for shooting at two Folcroft Borough police officers, hitting one seven times and seriously wounding him.

Donte Brooks Island, 34, who officials said had shown a propensity for violence since he was a juvenile, pleaded guilty in May to two counts each of attempted murder, assault on a law enforcement officer, and gun offenses in the 2016 shooting of Officer Christopher Dorman and for shooting at Officer David DePietro, who was not hit.

Island turned around and apologized to the two officers in the courtroom. "I was having a bad day. I was doing drugs," he said, according to Deputy District Attorney Daniel McDevitt.

Jeanne Dorman, the officer's mother, emotionally told Delaware County Judge Gregory Mallon how she almost lost her son, and District Attorney Jack Whelan asked the judge to send a strong message about how the public needs to be protected from people like Island.

It was just before 10 a.m. June 24, 2016, when Dorman, then a 25-year-old part-time officer, responded to the 1500 block of Elmwood Avenue for a report of a drug deal. Island, who lived in an apartment complex on that block, was outside and met the description given in a 911 call. After Dorman approached, he told Island he would pat him down, but Island pulled out a .40-caliber gun and shot the officer in the face.

In all, Dorman was shot seven times  once in his face, once in his groin, once in a leg, and four times in the chest. His life was saved by his bulletproof vest.

DePietro pulled up as the backup officer and began shooting at Island, who then fired at DePietro, but missed. Island fled, igniting a three-hour manhunt that drew more than 200 officers to the tiny Delaware County borough.

Dorman underwent multiple surgeries at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia and was released after three days. He returned to work as a police officer three months later.

Island, whose attorney could not be reached immediately, had been arrested previously 10 times and was convicted eight of those times  five as an adult, three as a juvenile.

Starting on Oct. 22, 1994, Island, then 12 and living in West Philadelphia, was charged with robbing a 14-year-old boy at knifepoint in Upper Darby, stealing the victim's jacket. He was later convicted.

As an adult, he was convicted of simple assault in Venango County, Pa., and of drug offenses in Philadelphia.

In 2003, Island was indicted in federal court for illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He was later sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison and was released in 2013. He was on supervised release when he tried to kill the officers.

McDevitt noted in a sentencing memorandum that 24 law-enforcement officers in the state have been fatally shot in the line of duty since 2007, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

"These shootings and assaults demonstrate a disturbing trend," McDevitt wrote. "Pointing and discharging a firearm at a law enforcement officer must be dealt with severely in order to vindicate the rule of law represented by law enforcement officers on the street."
I left Sean Spicer's office about 9:45 Friday morning. I didn't want to overstay my welcome, since he'd told me he was meeting with the president at 10. By the time I'd returned to my hotel and turned on the television, word was breaking that Spicer had just quit as White House press secretary.

No, I didn't know his departure was imminent. The timing took me by surprise, but not necessarily the outcome. We had an off-the-record, 45-minute, forward-looking conversation. And I have no interest in violating our confidentiality. The only thing I'll offer is that in retrospect, he did seem to take a strong interest in how I juggle my many platforms  radio, TV, print, and private speaking.

After clearing White House security and entering his office at 9, I'd made a joke about finally getting to see the space I'd helped him obtain. He laughed, knowing it to be a reference to his many appearances with me during the campaign, Saturday mornings on CNN. When Spicer was the Republican National Committee's chief spokesman and strategist, he'd often been my guest. We seemed to have a good rapport even when those exchanges were animated, and one got a little hot:

MAS: I need to ask you an additional question.

SPICER: No!

MAS: Speak to the point

SPICER: That's not true, Michael!

MAS: I want to address this. I'm also concerned

SPICER: Jesus!

MAS: Come on, I'm being fair to you but I've got to get a word in every once in a while. I'm also troubled by the idea that my president-elect  he's going to be all of our president  is already throwing under the bus the intelligence community, with whom he's going to have to work on life-and-death matters. Wasn't that a troubling thing to do at 9:34 last night in that very 

SPICER: No! No  Michael, the New York Times in their story said that they based their conclusions on the fact that the RNC was hacked, OK? If the RNC was not hacked, then that cast doubt on their conclusions!

That was Dec. 10, and I knew Spicer was happy with the outcome because the RNC soon tweeted a transcript. At the same time, he'd texted me afterward to make sure there were no hard feelings.

Later that day was the Army-Navy Game in Baltimore. The president-elect was hosted that afternoon in the box of David Urban, a West Point graduate, former chief of staff for Sen. Arlen Specter, and the politico who engineered Trump's upset victory in Pennsylvania. Urban told me later that he watched the president-elect congratulate Spicer for kicking my ass on TV that morning  a recollection about which I reminded Spicer on Friday.

We shared a laugh in his White House office during what I now realize was his final appointment as press secretary.

I knew it was time to leave when Sarah Huckabee Sanders popped her head in the door. My final comment to him on the way out the door referenced "eight years."

He laughed. He had to know.

With each passing Melissa McCarthy impersonation of "Spicy," many Americans who despise President Trump also came to dislike Spicer as the face most associated with the administration. His daily briefings became daily sport for some as evidenced by the ratings. I get all that. And we'll have to wait for his memoir to know what it felt like to be told by his boss to go out on Day One and make a futile argument about inaugural crowd sizes. But in my limited dealings with him, he was always a gentleman. He never did come back to my program as press secretary, a casualty, I'm sure of the state of affairs between our respective employers.
Ali Charaf Damache (right), an Algerian-born terror suspect accused of recruiting Colleen Jihad Jane LaRose of Montgomery County in a 2009 plot to assassinate a Swedish artist, made his first public appearance on U.S. soil Friday in Philadelphia. Read more

An Algerian-born terror suspect accused of recruiting Colleen "Jihad Jane" LaRose of Montgomery County in a 2009 plot to assassinate a Swedish artist made his first public appearance on U.S. soil Friday in Philadelphia, six years after he was indicted and just hours after his extradition from Spain.

Ali Charaf Damache, 52, is the first foreigner brought to the United States to face terrorism charges under the Trump administration, whose officials  including the president himself  had previously argued that suspects like him ought to be prosecuted in military tribunals rather than civilian courts.

Prior to his removal to the U.S. this week, Damache was in the custody of Spanish authorities, who detained him in a hotel room in Barcelona after receiving a phone tip in December 2015.

But it was unclear whether his appearance Friday in a federal courtroom in Philadelphia signaled a larger policy shift for the Justice Department under President Trump.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was in Philadelphia earlier in the day delivering a speech on "sanctuary cities" at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Center City, betrayed no hint of the major development that would unfold just hours later in the long-dormant terror prosecution.

Sessions has repeatedly argued that terrorism suspects do not deserve the same legal rights as citizens tried in U.S. courts and suggested that trying them within the country's borders would pose a security risk. Instead he has advocated  as recently as during a radio interview in March  that they be held and prosecuted in the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Trump also took that position during his campaign last year, vowing at a rally in February 2016 to "load [Guantanamo] up with some bad dudes."

But that rhetoric did not penetrate Damache's brief court appearance Friday, at which the Irish-Algerian dual citizen said little and simply requested that authorities contact the embassy of Ireland to secure legal representation on his behalf. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Rice scheduled his next court hearing for Aug. 28.

Damache, first arrested on unrelated charges in Waterford, Ireland, in 2010, had been fighting extradition since a federal grand jury indicted him a year later on one count each of terrorism conspiracy and attempted identity theft.

Prosecutors here have alleged that Damache recruited several Americans to join a cell he was trying to establish for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in Algeria. Three recruits, including LaRose, have been sentenced prison terms for their involvement.

But in May 2015, an Irish High Court judge refused to extradite Damache to the U.S., citing concerns over U.S. prison conditions. Justice Aileen Donnelly also questioned why Irish authorities had not tried to prosecute him first for his purported crimes. She ordered his release from custody. Ireland's attorney general appealed.

It remains unclear when or why Damache arrived in Spain. Had he remained in Ireland, he likely would have remained free, at least until the resolution of the appeal.

Known by his online moniker "theblackflag," Damache emerged as a shadowy figure in the case against LaRose and her co-defendants  one of the earliest prosecutions in the U.S. of its citizens seeking to aid violent jihadist efforts abroad.

Prosecutors say he used jihadist websites between 2008 and 2011 to recruit light-skinned women and others who did not fit the stereotypical terrorist profile.

His targets included the blonde, blue-eyed LaRose; Jamie Paulin Ramirez, a Hispanic single mother from Colorado; and Mohammad Hassan Khalid, a former high school honors student from Maryland who was, at the time of his guilty plea, the youngest person convicted in the U.S. on terrorism charges.

Together, authorities say, they attempted to recruit more men and women from Europe and the U.S., some of whom would travel to South Asia for explosives training and return to Europe to carry out terrorist attacks.

According to court filings, Damache eventually persuaded LaRose and Ramirez to join him in Ireland, with promises that they would launch an attack on Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist whose work depicting the prophet Muhammad's head on the body of a dog offended some Muslims.

Ramirez, who took her son with her, married Damache the day of her arrival in the country. LaRose became disenchanted and eventually left the group, calling an FBI tip line seeking money to return home.

But at her sentencing hearing in 2014, LaRose still spoke of Damache with admiration.

"I had so much respect for him. I had this emotional attachment to him," she told U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker. "He was so brave."

She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is serving her term in Tallahassee, Fla. Ramirez was sentenced to eight years. Khalid was released in 2015 after serving his prison term.

Damache could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
David T. Jones is the citys new commissioner for the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services. Read more

With Philadelphia confronting an unprecedented opioid crisis, Mayor Kenney has confirmed a new leader for the department charged with leading the fight. David T. Jones, who has been acting commissioner of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) since January, may now remove the "acting" from before the title.

Kenney announced Friday that after a five-month-long national search for a new commissioner, Jones will be the department's new leader. Jones replaces Arthur C. Evans Jr., who left in January to become CEO of the American Psychological Association.

Jones, 52, will oversee the department, which has a $1 billion-a-year budget and nearly 800 employees. The agency is charged with managing the city's mental health services, addiction treatments, and disability services for adults and children.

"This agency and its dedicated staff are closely involved with some of the most pressing issues facing our children, adults, and families, including the growing, sad to say, opioid epidemic and responding to individuals who are homeless and dealing with substance misuse or mental health challenges, Kenney said during Friday's announcement.

When Kenney announced Jones' name to a standing room only crowd in the Mayor's Reception Room, the room broke out in cheers and applause. Jones is said to have a lot of supporters within the department.

Kenney said Jones has "the knowledge, the vision and the ability to lead DBHIDS and ensure that those in need receive the best service and treatment possible."

Jones has been with the department since 2013, serving as a deputy commissioner before he was tapped to fill in as acting commissioner in January. As deputy commissioner, Jones oversaw the department's fiscal and administrative operations. Prior to his time at DBHIDS, Jones was chief of behavioral health and crisis services for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services in Maryland.

At the announcement Friday, Jones praised the staff at DBHIDS.

"These folks have great acumen. They have tremendous skill sets and they are certainly committed to serving Philadelphians," Jones said. He also said he looked forward to continuing to work with the various city departments such as police and health to address the many needs of the city.

At the public forefront of the issues is the opioid crisis. More than 900 people died last year from opioid overdoses, a 30 percent increase from 2015. This number of fatalities this year is expected to surpass last year's numbers.

Jones' department will be responsible for implementing the recommendations brought forth in May by the Mayor's Task Force to Combat the Opioid Crisis. Jones said Friday that work has already begun by increasing the number of treatment slots available.

"It's going to be a continued work in progress," he said of the rollout of the task force recommendations.
Kelley Hodge walks to give her pitch for interim district attorney in City Hall July 19, 2017. Read more

Congratulations, Kelley Hodge, for being appointed interim district attorney, becoming an instant footnote in Philadelphia history.

You'd have to have some reason to lust for a job that lasts just 5 months, but Hodge was among 14 citizens who hung their names out there. She joins another footnote, Lynne Abraham, who was also a candidate for the interim job.

Abraham is a double footnote: First, she was Philadelphia's first female DA (and she appointed Hodge a Municipal Court supervisor). Second, as a judge in 1991 she was appointed by fellow judges to run the office when DA Ron Castille resigned to run for mayor. In a 39-37 vote, she edged out fellow Common Pleas Judge Russell Nigro, who was elected to the state Supreme Court four years later. (Earlier in her career, Abraham had been an assistant district attorney.)

I don't know how Hodge will run the office, but the last thing we need filling out the term of disgraced DA Seth Williams is an activist. No disrupters need apply.

We have one of those in the White House, and the reviews have not been good.

I imagine working in the DA's Office in recent months must have been like being in Mosul, with daily airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and booby traps. The sanctity of the office was shattered by the indictment, trial, and sudden confession of the boss.

Morale melted like water ice, but the office hobbled forward. If there was any collapse of mission inside the offices at 3 South Penn Square, it didn't make its way into the media. And it would have.

The traumatized people there hunkered down, focused on the important work in front of them, and behaved like professionals.

Ernest Hemingway defined courage as grace under pressure. That defines professionalism, too.

Although maybe not a stampede out of the DA's Office, a record 43 assistant district attorneys departed in 2015, the year rumors about Williams broke into print. So far this year, 26 have walked.

"You try not to let it affect you at all, you plow forward," I was told by a former prosecutor with friends in the office. "Most of that office, in my view, had long since checked out on Seth."

Mostly, he said, staffers feel embarrassment.

As interim DA, Hodge will have to shred the curtain of embarrassment lowered on the office by Williams. Calm and stability should be the ingredients for dealing with the 306 prosecutors. Some hand-holding, back-patting, and hair-smoothing may be required.

I'm not kidding. The attorneys are not children, but some certainly feel tainted by shame.

Hodge should see herself as a caretaker, not a rule-maker. She is a bridge.

"Wholesale changes, they take a lot of thought and a lot of implementation," I was told by Abraham a few days before the appointment was made, a decision she said she would support no matter who got the job.

Her former rival, Nigro, agrees. "They're not going to be able to set policy because they're not going to have enough time," he told my colleague Chris Brennan the other day.

In November, a new boss will be chosen by the voters. Implementing policies now that might be reversed by a new DA in January would add to the turmoil.

Hodge is the new boss by default of the felonious old boss.

We've had the storm in the DA's Office. Now is the time for calm.
WASHINGTON  There are lots of John McCain stories. Mine is from Philly.

This was in January, when Republicans held their congressional retreat at the Loews Hotel in Center City. A few reporters, maybe a half-dozen of us, were waiting in the lobby before President Trump was to speak to the gathered lawmakers, when down came McCain for an impromptu question-and-answer session.

He took a seat, the hotel's jazz music playing overhead and a wall of TVs tuned to Fox News behind him, and started by recounting his days at the Naval Academy, when he would visit Philly for the Army-Navy game. If you were in one of the academies, "you could not buy a meal or a drink" in the city, he told us, adding with a gleam, "Of course, I didn't partake of any alcoholic beverages."

Having loosened up the crowd with a veteran politician's skill, we scrambled through a series of issues, from defense spending to Russia, from Obamacare to the border wall, McCain fielding anything we threw at him and layering in cracks about his age. When he explained how well he knew Trump's national security team, McCain, 80, quipped, "There's very few benefits of old age, but I have dealt with these people for years."

Near the end of a 45-minute session, one reporter asked about a joke that McCain has repeated so often that he says his staff now mouths it whenever it begins.

"Ted Kennedy is the one that told me," McCain explained, "if a joke is funny it's worth telling again and again and again."

We were about done when we got a glimpse of the traits that have made McCain a giant. I asked about how he would work with Trump, with whom he had clashed, now that the new president had taken office.

McCain said he couldn't respond to every wild comment or tweet. But, he said, there were certain things he had an obligation to take on  particularly the idea of using torture in interrogations.

"I have to speak up, I have to. I have no choice on that," he said. "Because of my own personal experience, because of everything about that I've seen."

His personal experience is well-known but worth repeating: Shot down over Hanoi, with two broken arms and a broken leg, McCain was tortured, beaten, and left in solitary confinement. He contemplated suicide. And when the North Vietnamese realized his father was the U.S. commander in the Pacific and offered to let him leave, McCain refused. He insisted that those captured before him be allowed out first. He spent 5 years imprisoned.

How many would have held to that sense of honor? How many would have the steel to follow through?

That experience alone would make McCain a hero even if he never set foot in the Senate. He's added to his service with more than three decades in Congress and was the Republican nominee for president in 2008.

In Philly, McCain served up a reminder of the ethos that kept him in that prison camp when he could have left, and that, in the 2008 race, saw him rebuke a supporter who denounced Barack Obama as "an Arab." He showed his understanding that some principles are bigger than what might be expedient, bigger than him and worth fighting for.

"Torture takes away the most important aspect of the United States of America: We are a moral nation. We are not like other countries. We don't torture people," he said. "It's not only the issue of torture. It's also the issue of what kind of nation we are."

Like anyone else, McCain hasn't always lived up to his greatest attributes. He has certainly made mistakes and political calculations.

But there, on a couch in Philadelphia, was a close-up look at the side that has made McCain respected across the political world.

That's why we saw such a remarkable outpouring when McCain's cancer diagnosis was announced Wednesday night, from senators and presidents of both parties, who professed admiration, respect, and heartfelt love.

McCain's daughter, Meghan, called him "a warrior at dusk."

Yet, still fighting. A day after the diagnosis was announced, McCain's office blasted out a statement criticizing Trump for reportedly ending some assistance to Syrian rebels, accusing the administration of "playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin."

He added on Twitter, "Unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon."
The news cycle had not been kind to Attorney General Jeff Sessions by the time he made it to Philadelphia on Friday.

His boss was griping about him in the New York Times. He was fighting off rumors that he'd resign. And then, late Thursday, a federal judge had refused to reinstate the controversial executive order meant to be a cornerstone of his Department of Justice: one aimed at cutting federal funds from "sanctuary cities."

Now, Sessions was in one of those cities, addressing a packed room at the U.S. Attorney's Office that included the head of a police department he had threatened to defund.

For the most part, he stuck to the script. He touched on violent crime and decried gang violence. He lamented skyrocketing overdose deaths. Like President Trump before him, he cited the murder rate here, which is up 21 percent this year, and spoke at length about the unsolved killing of Tymier Frasier, a 14-year-old boy shot to death in Kensington in May.

And he said sanctuary cities like Philadelphia were harming their residents by not cooperating with the federal government. The city forbids police officers from asking about the immigration status of people they encounter, and does not honor requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold inmates in custody without a warrant.

Sessions urged officials here to "re-think" such policies. "Some jurisdictions in this country refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and turn over illegal aliens who commit crimes  even MS-13 gang members," he said. He cited two oft-mentioned cases in which undocumented immigrants had been released from custody in Philadelphia, including one man who was later rearrested in connection with the rape of a child.

Still, Sessions said, he wasn't blaming local police.

"I know that you want to help," he said. "The problem is the policies that tie your hands."

Afterward, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross told reporters that he supported Mayor Kenney's policies and believed local police should stay out of immigration enforcement.

"We have a tough enough time building relationships as it is," he said. "As it relates to violent crime, our problems are not people from other countries."

Ross said he had expected the attorney general would mention the city's murder rate, but he added that crime in general is down. And though Sessions didn't bring up his previous threats to pull federal funding from the police department over the city's sanctuary status, Ross said his department could "ill afford it."

"We want every bit of assistance that we can get," he said. "Residents of the city are entitled to that and deserve it."

Kenney bristled at Sessions' remarks, saying in a statement that the sanctuary city policy keeps the city safer.

"Blaming an entire group of people for our country's problems and violating their right to due process isn't constitutional and it isn't American. Philadelphia treats immigrants as we would any other resident under our criminal justice system," he said.

Studies have shown lower crime rates among immigrants than among native-born Americans.

Outside on Chestnut Street, a few dozen protesters carried signs reading "Trump is not my president" and "Build bridges, not walls." The group chanted and spoke for about three hours about the Trump administration's policies on immigration and mandatory minimum sentences. They also blocked traffic on Seventh Street for about an hour.

"Minorities are what makes this country great," said Bernadette Karpf, 21, of Upper Darby, protesting with the group RefuseFascism.org.

If he was worried about his job security Friday, Sessions didn't hint at it in his speech. And though the president had needled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in his Times interview, too, Sessions took time to praise his second-in-command, who he said "sort of" runs the department. "He's from around here," he said, noting that Rosenstein grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and attended the Wharton School: "He's been trained in how to read numbers."

"It's a great honor for me," Sessions told the crowd, "to serve as your attorney general. I do my best every day to be faithful to the laws of the constitution of this United States and fulfill the goals of the president that I share."
WASHINGTON  President Trump's decision to bring Anthony Scaramucci into a top White House role represents a remarkable political ascension for the investment veteran, who had bounced around several Republican campaigns before striking gold as a full-throated Trump supporter.

Scaramucci, known as "The Mooch," is at least the third person offered the White House communications director job since Trump was elected last year. Jason Miller initially accepted the post but opted against it before he ever started. Michael Dubke had the job for a tumultuous stint several weeks ago but left after the White House lurched from one controversy to the next.

Trump has long admired Scaramucci's unabashed loyalty and willingness to stick up for the president during hostile interviews on cable news. Scaramucci has an upbeat enthusiasm that White House officials believe has been missing from their current communications strategy, several administration officials said.

This would be at least the third Trump administration job that Scaramucci has been offered. He was set to be director of the White House's Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, but critics within the White House blocked him from ultimately taking that post.

In June, he started working in a senior role at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, but he will have only been in that job for roughly a month because he will be transitioning into the White House communications job very soon.

Scaramucci didn't initially jump onto the Trump campaign. In 2015, he worked on Scott Walker's presidential campaign, serving as national finance chairman, and then he latched on to the Jeb Bush campaign when Walker withdrew. He later signed up to help Trump with his campaign and rose as one of the most well-spoken advocates for Trump's agenda, particularly the president's economic goals to grow the economy.

Scaramucci has not always had the kindest words for Trump. Before he joined Trump's campaign, he said during a 2015 Fox Business appearance that Trump  as a candidate was "another hack politician."

"Probably going to make Elizabeth Warren his vice presidential nominee," he said.

He also once said Trump would probably become president of "The Queens County Bully Association."

"You are an inherited money dude from Queens County, bring it," Scaramucci said.

Scaramucci, like Trump, has deep New York roots and he worked at Goldman Sachs before starting SkyBridge Capital, an investment company. He hosted an annual hedge fund conference in Las Vegas that became a well-attended industry gathering, called the SALT conference, which helped him raise his profile.

Numerous appearances on cable news helped even more, and it was Scaramucci, in 2010, who asked President Barack Obama during a CNBC town hall when the White House would stop treating bankers like "a pinata."

He's known as being very comfortable in the rough-and-tumble world of fighting back against negative press. CNN published a story alleging that the Senate Intelligence Committee was looking into whether Scaramucci met with a top executive from a Russian investment fund before the inauguration. Scaramucci denied doing anything wrong, the story was later retracted, and three CNN officials resigned. The moment was seen as a big victory for Trump as his allies, who have complained for months about negative media coverage. Scaramucci accepted CNN's apology and his stature grew even more within the White House.

Still, Scaramucci is a well-known cable news speaker but has no experience delivering an effective White House narrative or communications strategy. He does, however, speak with a more populist and less political bent than other White House officials. He has said, for example, that more must be done to address income inequality, an issue the Obama administration tried to elevate with mixed success.

"You may not like the president, you might like the president, but we have to fix this problem whether you're a Democrat or a Republican," Scaramucci said at the SALT conference in May. "The rich people in this room, the wealthy people, you don't want to live in a barbed-wire-encased security perimeter in your McMansion like they do in Latin America. So we have to fix this problem."

He has also shown an openness to bringing more bipartisanship into the Trump administration as well, something that separates him from others who have deeper ties with the Republican National Committee.

At Mitt Romney's annual Deer Valley retreat this June, Scaramucci attended and offered his ideas for how he would remake the White House's communications team, according to someone who was there who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the private event. He said the White House's message has been muddled and needed to be made more clearly.

He suggested that if he was there he would start a daily "TV" show of sorts each morning, with a desk on the White House lawn. Each day they'd broadcast their own news report on the things they wanted to promote, having guests appear and even inviting Democrats to join and discuss the day's agenda.

In Scaramucci's 2016 book, Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole, How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure into Success, he told readers about how not to take criticism personally.

He wrote that he went to the Lupus Foundation annual luncheon after being "ripped apart by bloggers and reporters," and was seated near Trump. Trump noticed that he was downtrodden and asked what was wrong.

When Scaramucci mentioned the media criticism, Trump responded: "Look, it comes with the territory. You are gaining a high profile, which means it's time for people to start shooting at you. Buck up! Big deal you were raked over the coals a little bit. So what? It has been happening to me for over 30 years. I laugh at the hit pieces now. The sooner you build up your resistance, the better."

Everything is happening so fast  or at least that's how it feels trying to follow politics these days. You've seen the headlines about President Trump and his policies  but what do they mean for Philadelphia? What does that mean for you? We've launched a newsletter to explore just that. You can sign up to get the weekly Trumpadelphia newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday.
"When the president does it, that means it is not illegal," Richard Nixon said during a televised interview in 1977. But Nixon understood that he could never pardon himself. President Trump may not.

Four of my best-sourced colleagues reported Thursday night: "Some of President Trump's lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the president's authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort. Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, according to one of those people. A second person said Trump's lawyers have been discussing the president's pardoning powers among themselves. Trump's legal team declined to comment on the issue. But one adviser said the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority. . ."

"Trump has been fuming about the probe in recent weeks as he has been informed about the legal questions that he and his family could face," write Carol D. Leonnig, Ashley Parker, Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger. "His primary frustration centers on why allegations that his campaign coordinated with Russia should spread into scrutinizing many years of Trump dealmaking. He has told aides he was especially disturbed after learning Mueller would be able to access several years of his tax returns. . . . All presidents since Jimmy Carter have released their tax returns. . . .

"Currently, the discussions of pardoning authority by Trump's legal team are purely theoretical, according to two people familiar with the ongoing conversations. . . . Some note that the Constitution does not explicitly prohibit a president from pardoning himself. On the other side, experts say that by definition a pardon is something you can only give to someone else. There is also a common-law canon that prohibits individuals from serving as a judge in their own case. . . . 'This is a fiercely debated but unresolved legal question,' said Brian C. Kalt, a constitutional law expert at Michigan State University who has written extensively on the question. . . . No president has sought to pardon himself, so no courts have reviewed it."

It is the same ethos that was on display when Trump boasted to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush in 2005 that he could get away with kissing, groping and propositioning married women. "When you're a star, they let you do it," Trump said on a hot mic. "You can do anything."

He won despite the emergence of that video. Most Republican leaders quickly moved on.

Trump often acts like a man who has learned over his 71 years it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. When he fired James Comey as FBI director, which he admitted he did with the Russia investigation on his mind, he was caught off guard by the blowback. Perhaps it was partly because he's accustomed to being able to get his way.

Soon after the November election, Trump flippantly brushed aside a question about the conflicts of interest that would inevitably arise from his business dealings. "The law's totally on my side. The president can't have a conflict of interest," Trump said in one of his most Nixonian turns of phrase (and there have been many). "In theory, I could run my business perfectly and then run the country perfectly. There's never been a case like this."

Defending his refusal to divest from his complicated holdings, he said voters knew what they were getting when they voted for him. "Prior to the election it was well known that I have interests in properties all over the world," Trump tweeted during the transition.

Running the privately held Trump Organization, the president was not accountable to an independent board of directors. No one could fire him for making disastrous decisions because it was a family business. (Every time I write about Trump's background in business, former chief executives at Fortune 500 companies complain to me that Trump didn't have to deal with boards and audits the way they had to. . .)

When he took office six months ago, Trump himself now acknowledges that he did not understand the limitations of a president's power to exert his will on the federal government. But it's also pretty clear he still does not understand it.

In his sit-down with the New York Times in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump dubiously asserted a prerogative to order an FBI director to end any investigation for any reason at any time. He said he had the right to tell Comey to stop looking into Michael Flynn, though he continues to insist he did not do that. "Nothing was changed other than Richard Nixon came along," Trump said. "Out of courtesy, the FBI started reporting to the Department of Justice. But there was nothing official. There was nothing from Congress. . . . But the FBI person really reports directly to the president of the United States, which is interesting."

CNN reported overnight that Trump personally interviewed his nominee to be U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia before tapping her. There are 93 presidentially appointed U.S. attorneys, but this one is of special interest to Trump because she has jurisdiction over the capital city  where he obviously has a lot of personal interests at stake. "Jessie Liu, the current deputy general counsel for the Treasury Department who Trump tapped to be the next US attorney for the District of Columbia, disclosed in her responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee that she met with the President as part of her interview process," Laura Jarrett scooped:

"According to multiple former US attorneys and several law enforcement sources . . . such a meeting with the President as part of the interview process would be virtually unheard of in past administrations. . . . Of the first seven US attorney nominees that Trump selected in June, only Liu said that she met with Trump. Other nominees described only meeting with Justice Department officials, such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, in their submissions."

Barack Obama did not meet with his picks to lead the District's U.S. attorney's office in 2009 and 2015 before their nomination. "It's wrong, and the reason it's wrong is that it serves to undermine the rule of law," Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, told CNN. "This goes to the independence of the Justice Department" and "any effort by any president to diminish that is problematic."

This is a big dang deal that should not get lost amid the even bigger stories. It raises a host of questions about what commitments Liu might or might not have made to the president and to what extent she would try to protect him once confirmed.

Everything is happening so fast  or at least that's how it feels trying to follow politics these days. You've seen the headlines about President Trump and his policies  but what do they mean for Philadelphia? What does that mean for you? We've launched a newsletter to explore just that. You can sign up to get the weekly Trumpadelphia newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday.
MOSCOW  The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump's eldest son and other senior campaign advisers in a highly scrutinized meeting at Trump Tower last year had previously represented Russia's top spy agency in a land dispute in Moscow, according to court documents.

Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Moscow lawyer with powerful government contacts, represented a military unit founded by the Federal Security Service in court cases in 2011 and 2012, court rulings seen by the Washington Post show.

In those cases, Veselnitskaya represented Military Unit 55002 in a dispute over a five-story office building in northwest Moscow where a number of electronics companies were based. It was not immediately clear what the spy agency, known as the FSB, used the building for. But the state-run company that now occupies the property provides electronic components for Russian tech companies.

The news was first reported on Friday by Reuters, which said it had seen documents showing Veselnitskaya's role in the legal tussle began as early as 2005 and lasted until 2013.

According to legal records, Military Unit 55002 was founded by the FSB, and it is located next to the Lubyanka, the headquarters of the Soviet Union's secret police and intelligence agency for decades. The military unit works on procurement for the FSB, which directs Russia's counterintelligence and border security agencies.

There is no information suggesting that Veselnitskaya is herself an intelligence agent or an employee of the Russian government. But the new information adds to the intrigue surrounding the June 2016 encounter, in which Donald Trump Jr. met with what he was told was a "Russian government attorney" who could offer damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of cyberattacks and propaganda aimed at undermining the American presidential election and discrediting Clinton. A special counsel is investigating possible coordination between Trump's associates and Russian officials during the campaign. President Trump has denied that his campaign received assistance from Russia.

Veselnitskaya could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

The court rulings are the first legal evidence to emerge of a relationship between Veselnitskaya and the Russian intelligence establishment. Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who accompanied her to the meeting at Trump Tower, has also reportedly told friends that he was a former counterintelligence officer. He has told journalists that that is untrue.

Veselnitskaya, a former Moscow regional prosecutor from 1999 until 2001, became well-known for defending developers in property disputes. She was married to a former deputy prosecutor for the Moscow region, and she represented the family of former Moscow region transportation minister Pyotr Katsyv.

She has said that she is in regular contact with Yuri Chaika, who has been the Russian prosecutor general since 2006. In emails that Trump Jr. received setting up the meeting, he was told that the negative information about Clinton originated with a top Russian prosecutor and was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."

Chaika's office has denied supplying such information.

The lawsuit that came to light Friday was filed by the Federal Property Management Agency, which had given the FSB-run military unit the right to use the commercial property in 2007. The property agency was suing a private firm called Module B that claimed rights to the building. The military unit represented by Veselnitskaya was a third party in the lawsuit and "supported the demands of the claimant"  the federal property agency  the 2011 ruling read. The court ruled in favor of the property agency in 2013.

The five-story office building has served as a hub for state-run tech development since the era of the Soviet Union. According to the court documents, the building was used by the Soviet Ministry of Electronic Industry until 1991, when it was put on the market as part of a sweeping privatization of state assets, and then resold in 2000. A Russian appeals court in 2011 ruled that the original sale was illegal, saying the building had been "taken from government control against the will" of authorities.

A company called Electronintorg, which is owned by the state-run corporation Rostec, now says that it occupies the building. Rostec's chief executive is Sergey Chemezov, a former KGB employee who served in East Germany alongside Putin.

A description on the company's website says it "fulfills the requirements of industries of the Russian Federation for domestic and imported electronic components, technologies," and is also involved in promoting Russian electronic products abroad.

Procurement records show that Elektronintorg has filled a little under 3.4 million rubles ($57,435) in government orders since 2015. Mainly, the orders are for niche industrial chemicals and supplies, such as photoresist, water glass and ion-exchange resin.

Some of the chemicals are used to create ultrapure water, which is commonly used in the semiconductor industry.
WASHINGTON  The chaos engulfing President Donald Trump and his orbit intensified Friday, as Trump moved to shake up his legal and White House communications teams in response to the widening special counsel probe into his campaign's possible collusion with Russian government election meddling and a stalled health-care push that threatens his entire legislative agenda.

At the same time that the investigation appears to be broadening in scope, his longtime personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, will step back from his central role in the president's defense. John Dowd, a seasoned Washington attorney with a focus on white-collar crime, will take on the lead role in Trump's defense. Mark Corallo, a longtime GOP operative who had served as a spokesman for Trump's legal team, resigned Thursday.

Meanwhile, at the White House, Trump is installing an ally and wealthy financier, Anthony Scaramucci, as his communications director.

The move prompted White House press secretary Sean Spicer to resign.

On Friday morning, the West Wing scrambled to present a united public front. Chief of staff Reince Preibus called a private meeting of the White House communications staff, and made clear that Spicer, who is expected to help Scaramucci transition into the role, is leaving to give the new communications director "a clean slate," according to someone briefed on the meeting.

Preibus also tried to play down any tensions with Scaramucci, saying the two have known each other for a long time, and Scaramucci told his new team that he is not a "top down" manager, this person said.

Scaramucci and Spicer also hugged.

But bringing Scaramucci into the White House is likely to increase the backbiting and tension among Trump's senior staff, especially with Priebus, with whom he has clashed in the past. The communications post has remained open since it was vacated by Michael Dubke in May.

Bringing Scaramucci into the fold represents the most significant shake-up yet for a communications shop that has struggled to amplify the president's message on the administration's core economic and national security priorities.

Scaramucci, a Trump campaign loyalist backed by Trump's children, was slated to join the White House in another capacity early on, but he had challenges resolving ethical conflicts associated with his fund, SkyBridge Capital, which he sold to a Chinese conglomerate with ties to the government just before Trump's inauguration. Trump has also been impressed by Scaramucci's frequent appearances as a defender on cable news.

The president has become agitated by the possibility that special counsel Robert Mueller might begin looking into Trump and his family's personal finances. In an interview this week with the New York Times, the president issued a warning to Mueller that such a move would be a "violation."

"Let's go back to what the purpose of the investigation was: Russian interference in our election," said White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, speaking on Fox News on Friday morning. She added, "Where is this going and are Americans comfortable with that  with the taxpayers funding this, with this going off all types of chutes and ladders?"

Trump's legal team has begun working to undermine the special counsel probe, including investigating ways to highlight conflicts of interest in the special investigator team, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The president has also inquired about his pardon authority.

After the story was published, one of Trump's attorneys, Dowd, said it was "not true" and "nonsense."

The idea that Trump would proactively pardon people involved in the Russia investigation was immediately criticized by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating Russian meddling in the election and possible Trump campaign collusion.

"The possibility that the president is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing," Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.) said in a statement. "Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line."

The White House has struggled to remain focused on its agenda, amid the constant drumbeat of the Russia investigation. The president himself has only fueled the Russia frenzy, giving an interview on Wednesday in which he talked extensively about the probe.

Last week, the White House announced that another attorney, Ty Cobb, would join the White House to help manage their response to the investigation internally.

On Friday morning, when asked if Scaramucci would join the White House, Conway praised him but did not confirm that the decision was settled.

"All I can say is in speaking with the president and others that, you know, we have a great communications team already," Conway said. "Anthony Scaramucci is somebody who has been an incredible asset to President Trump all during the campaign, the transition, and now he is one of the killers on TV who goes out there, thinks the president is being treated very unfairly, and we don't get any of the economic news out there, even though our press and communications shop tries."

"The president has confidence in all of the people who work for him, and we know that Anthony is someone who is a friend to the administration," she added.

Everything is happening so fast  or at least that's how it feels trying to follow politics these days. You've seen the headlines about President Trump and his policies  but what do they mean for Philadelphia? What does that mean for you? We've launched a newsletter to explore just that. You can sign up to get the weekly Trumpadelphia newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday.
Former city prosecutor Kelley Hodge said in her job application that she was "ready to perform the duties" of Philadelphia district attorney "on Day One."

Day One could be Friday for Hodge, who was elected Thursday by the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Board of Judges to serve as interim district attorney.

Hodge, 45, will complete the second term of former District Attorney Seth Williams, who resigned last month and is awaiting sentencing in a federal corruption case.

Hodge learned of her election in a phone call she described as "incredible" from President Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper. She described her anticipated chances of victory before that as "remote."

"It's pretty remarkable and very humbling," Hodge said. "It's not lost on me how significant the job is. It's about moving the office forward, moving beyond what was a very tumultuous time when there were many distractions from what was going on day to day."

Hodge becomes the first African American woman to serve as district attorney. Williams was the city's first African American district attorney.

The election process was overseen by Woods-Skipper and Judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson, the longest currently serving judge on Common Pleas Court. Both are African American.

"I think we're proud of the process and the efficient way in which we handled it," Woods-Skipper said. "We had many fine candidates who elected to put their names in the hat. And I think she's an excellent choice."

By tradition, the judges place their ballots in a scuffed-up top hat that may have belonged to a long-ago jurist.

Massiah-Jackson said she was "absolutely" proud that an African American woman had been elected.

"This is a very positive result," she said. "The best candidate won."

Woods-Skipper said the work of city prosecutors hadn't changed much during the scandal that surrounded and consumed Wiliams' political career and personal life.

"But we wanted to ensure that the leadership at the top is sending a clear message that we are running an office that has integrity, that has a mission and goal to be fair and treat everyone decently moving forward," Woods-Skipper said.

Hodge, in her letter of interest sent to the board last week, said her "legal foundation is deeply rooted in my initial employment as an assistant public defender in Richmond, Va." She also worked on Title IX issues at the University of Virginia.

Hodge returned home to Philadelphia in 2004, going to work as a prosecutor for then-District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham. She worked for Abraham, who was also a candidate Thursday, for six years and then two more for Williams, who took over the office in 2010.

Hodge wrote that she had "maintained relationships with many current and former members of the office and believe I can and would bring a level of familiarity" to the job.

Then-Gov. Tom Corbett appointed Hodge as the Safe Schools Advocate in Philadelphia in December 2011, a post she held until August 2015. Hodge, in her application, said she reestablished an office that assured the accuracy of School District crime reporting.

She has been in private practice at the law firm Elliot Greenleaf, working on cases involving higher education, white collar crime and internal investigations. She serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and as a hearing committee member for the state Supreme Court Disciplinary Board.

Fourteen candidates applied for the position. One, acting District Attorney Kathleen Martin, used her interview with the judges Wednesday to withdraw her candidacy and ask them to support John Delaney, the deputy district attorney in charge of the trial division.

Eighty-three of the 88 eligible Common Pleas Court judges voted in the first round but no candidate won a majority. Hodge held 32 votes while Delaney took 16 and Joe Khan, a former city and federal prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully for district attorney in the May Democratic primary election, took nine.

The three went into a runoff, with Hodge winning 40 votes, Delaney 36, and Khan seven.

With Khan eliminated, Hodge won a second runoff with 43 votes while Delaney had 38. There was one abstention and one judge apparently left the proceedings before the third vote.

Hodge will be paid about $77,656 for 5 months of work.

The other candidates were retired Judges Ben Lerner, Paul Panepinto and William Manfredi; Senior Judge D. Webster Keogh; former prosecutors Robert A. Rovner, Curtis Douglas, Arlene Fisk, and James Berardinelli; and longtime defense attorney Leon Aristotle Williams.

The Board of Judges voted in a courtroom on City Hall's sixth floor, a tight and spartan place compared with some of the nearby ceremonial courtrooms with gilded cornices and soaring ceilings.

The judges met under a drop-ceiling and fluorescent lights, the lone adornment being a state court seal and a portrait of the late Common Pleas Judge Curtis Carson Jr., who served 23 years on the bench and in 1952 was one of the first three African Americans appointed as assistant district attorneys in Philadelphia. Carson later served as a local NAACP official.

It has been 26 years since the last time the Board of Judges selected a district attorney. They chose one of their own, Abraham, in 1991. She stepped down as a judge to take the post, which she held for 18 years, leaving office in January 2010.

The local NAACP chapter and a group called Philadelphia Coalition for a Just DA had called on the Board of Judges to reject Abraham's application, based on her record in office. More than 1,400 people signed a petition supporting that.

Abraham won just four votes Thursday and was eliminated in the first round.

The Board of Judges is about evenly split in tenure  45 of the judges have served 10 or more years on the bench while 43 of them have less than 10 years of service. Women outnumber men, 47 to 41. Minorities make up 44 percent of the judges, with 32 African Americans, five Hispanics, and two Asians.
Al Gore, shown in Paris in 2015, follows up his hit 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth with a sequel opening in August. Read more

When framers of the Declaration of Independence outlined those famous truths they believed self-evident, we can imagine they unanimously agreed that logic, wisdom, and knowledge are unassailable, rooted  as they wrote  in the "laws of nature and of nature's god." Writing during an intellectually exuberant period of change later referred to as the Age of Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, their words reflected the essential ideal of this movement: Reason provides understanding of the natural and political worlds.

With far more evidence at hand than our forefathers might ever have imagined possible, scientists and educators in the 21st century study Earth's systems with an array of data. Using logic and many lines of evidence that build upon centuries of learning and scientific advances, we continually grow the knowledge and wisdom needed to comprehend nature's laws in a complex and changing world.

The 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth was hailed by many for its reasoned account, and yet it was vilified by "climate-change deniers" as if the laws of nature are mutable or deniable. To be sure, these laws can be refined in light of new evidence, but it is the weight of scientific evidence in support of human-induced climate change that is unassailable.

Regardless of political rhetoric today, An Inconvenient Truth has had a profound impact on the under-30 generation, which has the most at stake in Earth's future climate.

According to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, a record number of Americans view global warming as a serious threat (72 percent), and think that human activity is the cause (46 percent). This survey shows that the younger generations (18 to 29 years), of all political leanings, are more prone to believe global warming is real (73 percent) and caused by human factors (60 percent) than the over-65 generation (61 percent and 36 percent, respectively).

The new film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power could not come at a more appropriate or crucial time in modern culture. The world is looking to the United States for climate-change leadership, but finding precious little. The Trump administration's decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement unfortunately reflects the opinion in the United States that climate change is not seen as an immediate threat to global welfare.

A 2016 Pew Research Center report on what the world thinks about climate change found that majorities in all 40 nations polled say climate change is a serious problem, and a global median of 54 percent believe it is a very serious problem. Opinion in the United States (41 percent), however, lags behind Latin America (77 percent), Europe (60 percent), Africa (52 percent), and Asia (48 percent) in concern that climate change is harming and will harm global populations.

So, what's to be done?

Whether you grasp the scientific logic underpinning human-induced climate change or not, why not prepare for the worst and hope for the best? We do the same in purchasing insurance for our homes or lives. No one believes they will get into an accident or get cancer, yet we all recognize the value of insuring for the worst, particularly when much is at stake.

It's the same with climate change, although we must think beyond our own lives and homes, to the broader common good. We'd rather not think that seas will rise and inundate much of the world's population, and yet we are facing that very problem due to global warming.

That opening passage in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence has come to represent a moral calling for which the nation should strive.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, and invite you to build upon the work started by our country's founders. They held logic so dear, to advance the common good through scientific understanding and achievement.

Robert C. Walter (robert.walter@fandm.edu) is an associate professor of geosciences and Dorothy J. Merritts (dorothy.merritts@fandm.edu) is professor of geosciences and chair of the environmental studies program at Franklin & Marshall College. Their 2008 article Natural Streams and the Legacy of Water Powered Mills won the 2011 Kirk Bryan Award from the Geological Society of America for outstanding research. Merritts is coauthor of the textbook Environmental Geology.
Was the real Russian goal the collection of Kompromat rather than finding partners for collusion when the meeting occurred with Trump campaign representatives June 9, 2016? That's what I'm wondering after recent revelations about the Trump Tower confab attended by three Americans (Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner) and five Russians. Much of the focus thus far has been on the intent on the American side of the table. But let's think this through from the Russian perspective.

Remember, only recently did the American people learn about this confab, but presumably the Russian government was already in the loop. Just as was the case regarding Michael Flynn's meeting in late December with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn lost his job as national security adviser when the Washington Post reported the meeting had occurred, in contravention of what Flynn told Vice President Pence.

But who already knew what Flynn had represented was not true? The Russians. Their possession of embarrassing, potentially incriminating, information would have been of great value as leverage against the administration.

Maybe that's what they intended at Trump Tower. Consider that Rob Goldstone wrote to Trump Jr. by email June 3, 2016, at 10:36 a.m. and offered to help the Trump campaign "incriminate Hillary" Clinton with "very high level and sensitive information" that was part of "Russia and its government's support" of Donald Trump over Clinton. How interested was Junior?

Well, it took him all of 17 minutes to reply. That's when, at 10:53, he said: "  if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer." And, despite Junior's initial claim that the focus of the meeting was adoption, a subject not addressed in the emails, we know that he invited Manafort and Kushner to join him.

Goldstone, four days after his initial email to Junior, sent another communication, this time referencing one of the participants as "the Russian government attorney." And Junior forwarded the email chain to Manafort and Kushner so that they, too, would have seen the subject line: "Russia  Clinton  private and confidential." So now, they also were part of the paper trail planning a meeting where the Russian government sought to provide high-level and sensitive information that would incriminate Clinton.

The minute the meeting took place the damage was done, regardless of any outcome. As of that moment, Russia held sway over the American participants.

It's almost too clean. Too perfect. Wrapped with a bow.

Here are written communications to someone named Donald Trump offering support in his American campaign from the government of Vladimir Putin. That alone would have been a strong bit of Kompromat, or compromising material, to hold over their heads if only the New York Times hadn't broken the story. Maybe that was mission accomplished?

Now, before you put me in a tin-foil hat, let me wrap myself in the curriculum vitae of Keith Darden. He's a political scientist at American University who is writing a book on Kompromat in the post-Soviet era, and he does not scoff at my idea.

"It's entirely plausible," he told me. "That's the standard mode of operation for the KGB; if they had material on someone that incriminated them or was morally compromising, something that would embarrass them publicly. They held that information until the time when it was perhaps useful to employ the person who was the object of that information. 

"And they could come to that person and say, 'Look, we have this information on you. It would be a shame if we had to release that. But we have these favors that we need to ask of you. We need you to spy on this neighbor. We need you to open a bank account in this name. We need you to recognize the annexation of Crimea.' There are all sorts of things that an agent of influence of Russian intelligence could be asked to do. This is the primary mode through which they would gain that agent's influence."

Darden told me that Kompromat is not the same thing as the sort of opposition research to which we are accustomed in the United States. The media and the president have often treated the two as the same. For example, on July 17, President Trump tweeted: "Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That's politics!" Not exactly, according to Darden. The former is held for leverage, while the latter always gets dropped.

"Opposition research is not held in reserve as a way to blackmail the object of that research," he said. "Journalists put it out right away. They want to get the scoop. Lawyers don't sit on incriminating information, they bring it to trial. This [Kompromat] is a very different thing. The KGB was not a law enforcement agency. Nor was it providing a public service or providing information about people. It was holding that information so that it could blackmail large segments of the population into compliance."

Flynn didn't lose his job because of what he talked about with Kislyak. It was that he hid the conversation from the FBI and from his security disclosures in a way that gave the Russians leverage over him. They were probably disappointed when the Post made the meeting public. So, too, might be the Russian view after the New York Times brought to light the attendance June 9 of Trump Jr., Manafort, and Kushner. If so, it makes you wonder what else they might have in their files.

Michael Smerconish can be heard 9 a.m. to noon on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 124. He hosts Smerconish at 9 a.m. Saturdays on CNN. @smerconish
Magnetometer calibration

Last year, LightSail 2 completed an extensive set of magnetometer calibrations and attitude control tests at Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory and the UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.

LightSail orients itself in space using a set of electromagnetic torque rods that push against Earth's natural magnetic field. The spacecraft reads the strength and direction of that fieldwhich varies around the worldusing magnetometers mounted at the end of each deployable solar panel.

Those magnetometers are factory-calibrated, but a spacecrafts electronics also generate magnetic fields. Therefore, the magnetometers must be calibrated again after installation.

When LightSail's solar panels are closed, the magnetometers sit right next to the spacecrafts solar sail deployment motor. The motor spindle has six magnets attached to it, and every time the motor spins, the magnets end up in a slightly different position

After LightSail's final boom deployment test, during which the motor spun for the final time before solar sail deployment in space, the spacecraft went back to UCLA for a final magnetometer calibration.

"We don't have a way of precisely stopping the motor in the same position every time," said Alex Diaz, a LightSail engineer at Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation. "So, being that we aren't going to move the motor any more, we went ahead and did a calibration."

Prox-1 mission change

In late May, LightSail 2's partner spacecraft, Prox-1, shipped to the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Prox-1 is a Georgia Tech student-built SmallSat sponsored by the Air Force's University Nanosat Program, or UNP. LightSail 2 and Prox-1 are booked as secondary payloads on the Air Forces STP-2 mission, which will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Prox-1's original mission plan was to deploy LightSail 2, track it down, and image it during solar sail deployment.

In Albuquerque, the UNP and Prox-1 teams conducted a review of the spacecraft, and determined that while the hardware needed for the mission was fully integrated, the flight software required further development.

"After discussions between the Air Force and Nanosat program, the two programs decided to scale back some of Prox-1 mission objectives," said Dave Spencer, LightSail 2s project manager.

As part of the change, Prox-1 will still deploy LightSail 2, but not track the solar sail CubeSat down and image it during sail deployment. None of LightSail 2s mission objectives have changed, and fortunately, the spacecraft has its own onboard cameras, which the LightSail team will use to image the solar sail deployment sequence.
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All of the cladding at Plymouth's tallest building will have to be replaced following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, is has been revealed.

Fresh safety checks have been carried out on the 23-storey Beckley Point skyscraper, after the devastating tower block fire in London.

Although an investigation found the external cladding to be "satisfactory", concerns were raised by construction firm Kier, surrounding its safety.

That's why the decision has been made to re-clad the entire building.

However The Student Housing Company, which is running the accommodation, has assured students will still be able to move into their new homes in mid-September.

They said in a statement the decision has been made "to ensure absolute peace of mind", but means building work will continue well into the academic year.

(Image: Penny Smith)

A spokesperson said: "Following the tragic fire in London on June 14, there has been an understandably high level of public concern for any buildings which feature cladding panels as part of their design.

"To maintain our excellent fire safety record, we immediately investigated all our existing and new buildings. As a result of further input from the building contractors and to ensure absolute peace of mind for our residents, their parents, our contractors and ourselves, a decision was taken to completely replace the external cladding at Beckley Point.

"The contractors are working hard to expedite this process and finish as soon as possible.

"While scaffolding will remain on some parts of the building until the external work is finished in late 2017, it will in no way impact the full completion of the internal works which, together with a large part of the exterior, will be finished on schedule. As such, we will be opening the property and welcoming our new residents to their accommodation in mid-September 2017.

"As a modern building, Beckley Point will be fully compliant with all fire safety regulations. The building will benefit from a round-the-clock fire alarm monitoring system, a full sprinkler system, 24/7 staff onsite to aid and assist, as well as a host of other fire safety features."

Scaffolding on the tower started coming down in May, when Kier bosses told The Herald it would be another four months before the building would be revealed in all its glory.

However last month there was speculation the project was at risk of being several months behind schedule after the scaffolding went back up  rumours Kier initially quashed.

A spokesperson for the company told The Herald earlier this week: "We are making good progress on the Beckley Point project.

"We have experienced some delay in going through thorough checking and response post Grenfell as you would expect, and to provide full reassurance, but the building will be open for this year's student intake."

Council chiefs urged all Plymouth's private landlords and developers to check the cladding on their buildings in wake of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in London last month.

In Plymouth, the Lynher, Tavy and Tamar House blocks in Devonport have been found to have combustible cladding.

A council spokesperson said earlier this month all developers and landlords in the city should ensure that any Aluminium Composite Material cladding on their property is checked.

They said: "Any new building must satisfy all relevant building regulations, which include fire safety provisions.

"These have to be checked by local authority building control or an approved inspector before it can be occupied.

"Any block not meeting the relevant standards would not be approved.

"All developers are advised to be conscious of any new information and guidance relating to cladding materials that may come from the Government, which has extended the same checking and testing approach it has used for social housing to privately owned properties of 18m and above."

The deaths of 40 people have been confirmed by the authorities, though police have said they believe the final death toll will be about 80.

Grenfell Tower: What happened?

The Grenfell Tower fire broke out on Wednesday, June 14 at the 24-storey, 220-foot-high (67 m) blockof flats in North Kensington.

Flames tore up the building, leaving people trapped on upper floors, including children, some holding babies from windows and others jumping from their flats.

Harrowing video footage showed trapped residents hanging the makeshift ropes made of sheets and blankets out of their windows several storeys up as flames and debris rain down the side of the building.

It caused at least 80 deaths and over 70 injuries. A definitive death toll is not expected until at least 2018.

Before the blaze Grenfell Tower had been recently refurbished with Reynobond PE cladding, consisting of Reynolux-coated aluminium sheets over a Reynobond polyethylene core.

The plastic core of the cladding used on Grenfell Tower could have burned as quickly as petrol, a fire safety expert said earlier this week.

Dr Roth Phylaktou, an expert in fire investigation, said the cladding combined with insulation was "optimum for vertical fire spread".

Now experts who recovered remains after the 9/11 attack in New York are helping police investigators combing through debris from the fire.

What is happening in Plymouth?

Cladding feared to be a fire risk will be removed from Mount Wise Towers 'as soon as possible', it was announced at the end of last month.

Following tests in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the outer layer of cladding on the Lynher, Tavy and Tamar high rise buildings in Devonport was revealed to consist of a combustible material - aluminium coated with a polyethylene core.

In a statement, John Clark, chief executive for Plymouth Community Homes, said: "We know from previous inspections and fire risk assessments that the Rockwool insulation that makes up the inner layer of the cladding of the Towers is not combustible and has the highest fire safety rating (0 rated).

"This factor has not yet formed part of the Government's test.The system used at the Towers is not the same system reported to have been used at Grenfell Tower.

"However, in light of the new information and guidance we have received from Central Government, we will be removing the combustible elements of the cladding from the Mount Wise Towers as soon as possible."

A week after the Grenfell Tower disaster, Downing Street has revealed that around 600 high rises across England are using similar cladding to Grenfell.

Local MP Luke Pollard was called back to Plymouth for a briefing.

He was alerted to the test results during a debate in the House of Commons on the Grenfell Towers disaster and left immediately.

"What residents will want to know is that the city council, Plymouth Community Homes and the Fire Brigade are working together to get the answers they need," Mr Pollard said.

"What we need now is to make sure they conduct updated fire checks and provide information to residents and people who live nearby on what this means."

PCH has been working with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and have implemented a number of precautionary measures in addition to removing the cladding.

"We have completed a further review of our Fire Risk Assessment," John Clark said.

"We have implemented 24/7 monitoring of the towers by security teams.We are completing further checks today to ensure all fire doors remain in place and closers are fitted and operating as they should be. We are installing additional fire protection to the interiors to the stairwells of each Tower today as an extra fire safety measure.

"There are elements of the guidance that will take longer to implement, but which we are also acting on immediately including installing heat detectors into every flat in addition to the current mains-wired smoke alarms.

"The process of buying and installing will begin today and will be completed over a number of weeks. A sprinkler system will be installed in each of the towers. Feasibility tests were completed in February to ensure it was possible to fit a sprinkler system in each building and we have ordered them today."

PCH report that all the measures will take 'a number of months' to complete and assert that these changes are in light of new Government measures.

"The cladding installed in 2000 met with all the fire and building regulations at the time and the action being taken now are precautions in response to the new information and guidance being issued by Central Government," John Clarke said.

"We are working closely with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and Plymouth City Council on assessing risks, sharing information and responding to the latest information from the Government."
Is the Trump administration going to hand over US peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan to private mercenaries?

This is now the big question in national security policy circles. It follows last weeks New York Times report that Erik Prince, the founder of private security firm Blackwater, and Stephen Feinberg, the billionaire financier who owns defense contracting giant DynCorp International, have been lobbying the Pentagon to replace troops in Afghanistan with contractors.

Prince outlined his proposed solution in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed: a MacArthur model, with an American viceroy leading a force of private military units. Feinbergs plan, according to the Times, calls for more collaboration with the Afghan government, but it would also use private fighterspossibly even DynCorp employeesand would put the CIA in command. Both men pitched their ideas directly to the Secretary of Defense at the behest of senior Trump advisers Stephen Bannon and Jared Kushner.

The news is deeply troubling. There is an obvious conflict of interest in letting contractors devise a military strategy that relies entirely on contractors. In addition, the two pitchmen who stand to profit from it symbolize the worst aspects of outsourcing. When Prince led Blackwater, the company earned international infamy with instances of excessive force and brutality in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a $42 million fine for arms export violations. Prince, who now runs another private security company, is reportedly under investigation for money laundering and sketchy business dealings with foreign governments. DynCorp continues to receive billions of dollars in federal business every year despite a long track record of questionable behavior, including instances of human trafficking and contract fraud.

Its also unclear how the Pentagon can square this strategy with a federal regulation that bars contractors from performing inherently governmental functions, or functions that directly impact the governments discretionary authority, decision-making responsibility, or accountability. Among the tasks considered off-limits to contractors are the command of military forces, the conduct of foreign relations, the determination of agency policy, and the direction and control of intelligence and counter-intelligence operations.

The strategy could also come with a price tag that antagonizes deficit hawks. The Project On Government Oversights Bad Business report found that security services, performed both domestically and overseas, often cost the government more when performed by contractors. For example, we determined that Blackwater security guards in Iraq were between 11 and 78 percent more expensive than military guards.

So far, the ambitious proposals of Prince and Feinberg seem to be falling on deaf ears at the Pentagon, which is planning to send several thousand additional troops to a war that is about to enter its 17th year and has cost in the neighborhood of $1 trillion.

POGO believes that contractors should continue to play a role in the pacification and redevelopment of Afghanistan, but not a leading role. This is especially true in combat, peacekeeping, and intelligence operations, where a clear chain of command and a robust system of accountability are essential. Taxpayers should not foot the bill for a private army that could ultimately undermine US objectives and worsen the situation in Afghanistan.
Maura Bell was determined to have a ballet career. But as a high school senior, she didnt feel ready to audition for companies yet. I knew I had more maturing to do, both technically and as a young woman, she remembers. Bell started researching collegiate options and discovered that Indiana Universitys ballet department hosted a two-week summer intensive for pre-college students. The reputation of IU spoke for itself, so I decided to do the summer intensive to get a feel for what it would be like to go there.

The deciding moment came at the end of her second week, when department chair Michael Vernon led her and fellow students on a tour of IUs Musical Arts Center. I remember standing on that stageits the size of the Met and it just clicked: This was where I wanted to be, my dream school, she recalls. Bell auditioned for the ballet department that fall. Four years later, she credits the training and connections she made at IU with her ultimate post-graduation success: a contract with Saint Louis Ballet.

College summer programs offer students a chance to experience what life would be like as a dance major, and introduce them to a wide range of possibilities for their training and future career. Even those on the fence about going to school could benefit from spending a few weeks on campusalong with the strong focus on individual development, collegiate summer intensives allow students to meet year-round faculty and current dance majors, scope out the dorms and dance facilities, and do some major networking.

Students at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Photo by Dance Shitagi, Courtesy UNCSA.

A Taste of Campus Life

Many college summer programs aim to mimic the experience of being a year-round student. Whats ideal about it is that they get a real taste of the university, says Vernon. Theyre on IUs campus and in our dorms, taking class from our regular faculty, learning the rep our students performed the previous school year. Dancers also have lectures from professors in music for dance and take theater dance classes. At the dorms, says Vernon, the RAs are all ballet majors who can talk to them about the department and show them what our standards are.

At the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, summer intensive students are exposed to the eclectic atmosphere of its conservatory life. UNCSA offers three simultaneous intensives in classical, comprehensive and commercial dance. Classical and comprehensive track students take many of their classes together. Visiting guest artists supplement the year-round faculty, including recent UNCSA alums like New York City Ballets Claire Kretzschmar, American Ballet Theatres Kelley Potter and former Royal New Zealand Ballet dancer Sam Shapiro.

In fact, guest faculty makes up a large component of these intensives, allowing students to make professional connections. At the University of Utahs summer intensive, program director Michael Bearden brings in three or four artistic directors each year. Its a great opportunity for our students to get exposure to people who may be scouting for their own companies, says Bearden. Recent examples included Cincinnati Ballets Victoria Morgan, Pacific Northwest Ballets Peter Boal, Kansas City Ballet II manager Anthony Krutzkamp and UNCSA dance department dean Susan Jaffe.

Kara Roseborough, a junior at U of U, was initially drawn to its summer intensive partially because of its guest teachers. But she found herself excited by the universitys own faculty, as well as the atmosphere on campus. U of U wasnt on my radar until I went that summer, but I was so impressed by the teachers, felt so nurtured and pushed, that it was an environment I became very interested in, she recalls. Shes now double majoring in English and ballet and hopes to add dance journalism to her experience someday.

Maura Bell in Balanchines Western Symphony. Photo by Pratt+Kreidich Photography, Courtesy St. Louis Ballet.

Getting Your Foot in the Door

Attending a college intensive may also give you an advantage if you decide to audition for the year-round academic program later. Department directors and faculty are often actively recruitingand assessingpotential applicants during the summer. Talent is only one aspect of becoming a great artist, says UNCSA summer program director Sean Sullivan. Characteristics that take time to assess in a person, like tenacity, work ethic, curiosity, imagination and respectfulness all play into who might be an ideal candidate for our program. So if weve had five weeks to get to know and appreciate a dancer, versus three hours at an audition, its very beneficial.

Lawrence Rhodes, artistic director of The Juilliard Schools dance department, agrees, and notes that the process goes both ways for students attending the schools summer intensive: You get three weeks of experience in the Juilliard way of training, working and living. You can decide whether you like it or not, and we can decide whether we think youre the right material for us.

Current senior Angela Falk says attending Juilliards summer intensive not only solidified her hunch that she wanted to enroll there, it made her less intimidated to apply. I absolutely felt more confident going into the audition for the college program, she says. Knowing who was teaching the audition class, as well as several of the other dancers, made me feel comfortable.

Lawrence Rhodes leading class at Juilliard. Photo by Todd Rosenberg, Courtesy Juilliard.

Visit Again During the School Year

While summer is a great chance to preview college life, directors agree that those interested in the degree program should revisit campus during the school year. Sullivan says that while the intensity and professionalism is the same, during the year, the depth of exploration is greater. We do four major dance productions, and the students are also taking their academic classes. Its well worth it to come again.

Even so, Falk is glad she was able to spend a summer on campus. I felt like a Juilliard student for three weeks, she says. On the last day, I told my parents, If I ever got into this school, I dont know how Id pass it up. 




The following is an excerpt of a column in the Washington Times by Paul Davis.

As a writer, Ive gone out on patrol with police officers, accompanied narcotics squads on drug raids, observed detectives investigating murders and other crimes, and Ive interviewed police commanders and commissioners in station houses and police headquarters.

Ive witnessed how police officers are treated with suspicion, spite and scorn by some. But Ive also witnessed crime victims and frightened citizens who were relieved and comforted by an officers presence.

There is a growing anti-cop campaign in the country that unfairly labels all police officers racists, crooks and murderers. The campaign includes public rants, violent protests, excessive lawsuits, political posturing and unflattering portrayals in popular culture. And too often, this anti-cop crusade leads to the murder of a police officer, as weve seen in New York, San Antonio, Washington D.C., and other cities around the country.

In my view, there is nothing more dangerous than a cop killer. The criminal, terrorist or political activist who is willing to take on an armed police officer and murder him or her will not hesitate to kill anyone, anytime, anywhere. A cop killer is a total outlaw and a true menace to all of us.
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Just when we thought the web of financial conflicts in the Trump White House couldnt get any worse, a new report on Thursday found that Jared Kushners position in the administration is being used by his familys company to attract investors.

According to CNN, Jared Kushners status as a top aide to President Donald Trump was used to lure Chinese investors to his familys New Jersey development.

More from the report:

References to Kushner are part of online promotions by two businesses that are working with Kushner Companies to find Chinese investors willing to invest in the 1 Journal Square development in exchange for a US visa. The promotions are posted in Chinese and refer to Kushner Companies as real estate heavyweights, going on to mention the celebrity of the family is 30-something Mr. Perfect Jared Kushner, who once served as CEO of Kushner Companies. One posted online in May by the company US Immigration Fund, a private business based in Florida, also contains a reference to Kushners appearance on the cover of Decembers Forbes Magazine, under the headline This guy got Trump elected. The post was removed shortly after CNN contacted the company for comment.  The promotions are aimed at bringing in investors who pay at least $500,000 apiece and in exchange get US visas, and potentially green cards, for themselves and their families if the development meets certain criteria. The deals are part of a legal US government program called EB-5, which grants up to 10,000 immigrant visas per year.

As CNN also noted, this news comes even after the company was forced to apologize for mentioning his name during a sales pitch in May.

Once again, its clear that Donald Trump and those in his administration (and family) are not just uninterested in separating themselves from their private businesses in order to focus on governing the country  but they are shameless in their attempts to use their positions to enrich themselves.

Its no surprise then that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is currently investigating the Trump family finances in relation to Russias interference in the 2016 election.
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Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan lashed out at the Congressional Budget Office on Thursday, calling the latest score of the Senate health care plan bogus and making the claim that millions of Americans actually prefer to be uninsured.

Ryan attacked the CBOs finding, saying, I really dont see that as a credible number.

Video:

Ryan said:

I think thats kind of a bogus number. What theyre basically saying is people will choose not to buy something that they dont want to buy if they dont have to buy it. The governments forcing people to buy something they dont want, and so if we stop forcing people to do something they dont want to do, they wont do it.  If states wont expand Medicaid in the future, then that person who was in that state that might have gone on Medicaid wont go on it. So I really dont see that as a credible number.

Instead of acknowledging that the American people simply dont want what the GOP is selling them on health care, Ryan is attacking the nonpartisan CBO and trying to convince the country that all 22 million people who would lose insurance under Trumpcare would be happy.

What Ryan didnt mention is that only a small fraction of those who have received coverage under the Affordable Care Act dont want it. Millions of Americans  particularly those on Medicaid, which Ryan dismissed in his comments  see the law as a literal lifesaver.

Not to mention the fact that every organization or expert with any knowledge of the U.S. healthcare system opposes the Republican plan to dismantle the current law.

If this is the strategy the GOP continues to use on health care  bashing the referee instead of abandoning their disastrous and deadly health care legislation  then they will continue to fail on this issue and show themselves as a party that doesnt know how to responsibly govern.
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By Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  U.S. Senate Republicans, scolded by President Donald Trump for failing to overturn Obamacare, tried to salvage their seven-year effort for a new healthcare law on Thursday, but leading senators indicated frustration over shifting goal posts.

Trump on Wednesday told the Senates fractured Republican majority to revive a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare that collapsed on Monday after Republicans from both moderate and conservative factions pulled their support.

But after a late-night emergency meeting on how to win over holdouts appeared to yield no progress, senators expressed irritation.

It really is starting to feel like a bazaar, $50 billion here, $100 billion there, and I feel like its losing coherency, Senator Bob Corker said.

Susan Collins, a moderate who strongly objected to the revised bill, said that Trump contributed to the lack of clarity over the next steps.

The president made very clear yesterday that he wants to see a bill passed, Collins said. Im unclear, having heard the president and read his tweets, exactly which bill he wants to pass and whether he is for just repealing, or repealing and replacing  whether hes for the Senate bill.

Trump, who had campaigned heavily on a promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, the signature legislative achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama, took a hands-off approach to the healthcare debate last week. On Tuesday he suggested that he was fine with letting Obamacare fail. But on Wednesday he switched course and demanded that senators stay in Washington through their planned August recess until they find common ground on healthcare.

The repeal and replace bill crafted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would leave 22 million Americans without health insurance coverage by 2026, the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday.

Before Trumps Wednesday lunch with 49 Republican senators, McConnell had planned to hold a straight repeal vote next week, but that appeared doomed with several Republican senators having already said they oppose that approach.

The CBO said on Wednesday that 32 million more Americans would lose their insurance coverage by 2026 under a bill that would repeal much of Obamacare without a replacement. That compares with the more than 20 million who have become insured under Obamacare, as the Affordable Care Act is known.

MCCAINS CANCER ADDS PRESSURE

Adding to Republicans woes was news late Wednesday that Senator John McCain has aggressive brain cancer. With a narrow 52-48 Republican majority, their fight for votes becomes even more difficult.

McCain, a Republican known for his feisty independence, tweeted,  unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, Ill be back soon, so stand-by!

McConnell revealed little of his next steps but said Republicans were not giving up on their efforts to overhaul Obamacare.

Dealing with this issue is whats right for the country, he said on the Senate floor on Thursday. The fight to move beyond the status quo of Obamacare was certainly never going to be easy. But weve come a long way, and I look forward to continuing our work together to finally bring relief.

The dramatic week at Congress and in the White House was taking its toll.

Im getting a little anxious, Corker said.

Collins said that while it was unclear just what the Senate would be voting on, she was likely to oppose even the procedural motion to bring up either a repeal bill, or a repeal and replace bill.

My intention, unless the bill is substantially changed, is to vote against the motion to proceed, Collins said.

Democrats, who are united in their opposition to the Republican efforts and reveled in this weeks deadlock, told Republicans to abandon their healthcare efforts as they appeared no closer to reconciling policy differences after Wednesdays meeting.

Its time for Congress to pivot away from the bills that are going nowhere, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

(Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb; Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler)
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Donald Trump, clearly terrified over the direction of the Russia investigation, is considering to use his pardon powers on himself, his family members and his aides, according to a stunning new report in The Washington Post.

The Post reports that Trump has asked his advisers about his ability to pardon himself or others, and another source said that the presidents lawyers are also discussing the possibility of issuing pardons.

The president is also reportedly trying to build a case against Special Counsel Robert Mueller  the man running the wide-ranging investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election and Moscows connections to the Trump campaign.

More from the eye-popping report:

Some of President Trumps lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the presidents authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort. Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, according to one of those people. A second person said Trumps lawyers have been discussing the presidents pardoning powers among themselves. Trumps legal team declined to comment on the issue. But one adviser said the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority, as well as the limits of Muellers investigation.  With the Russia investigation continuing to widen, Trumps lawyers are working to corral the probe and question the propriety of the special counsels work. They are actively compiling a list of Muellers alleged potential conflicts of interest, which they say could serve as a way to stymie his work, according to several of Trumps legal advisers.

Its hard to be shocked by any news about this president or the increasingly explosive scandal surrounding his ties to Russia, but this is a rather incredible development.

The news also comes a day after Trump threatened Mueller in an interview with The New York Times, telling the paper that if Mueller decides to investigate his familys finances, then he will be crossing a red line.

Ultimately, Trumps efforts to intimidate Mueller in hopes that he will back off the Russia investigation, while now reportedly considering whether to pardon himself and those close to him, suggests this is a president running scared.
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What is the most repeated lie Trump tells? Naturally, its about Obamacare being dead.

The most Orwellian part about this lie is that the uncertainty with the exchanges is actually Donald Trumps administrations fault.

Trumps most repeated claim, uttered 44 times, was some variation of the statement that the Affordable Care Act is dying and essentially dead,' The Washington Post wrote. But the Congressional Budget Office has said that the Obamacare exchanges, despite well-documented issues, are not imploding and are expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future. If anything, actions taken by the Trump administration have spawned uncertainty. Several insurance companies have cited Trump administration policy as a reason to leave insurance markets in certain states, though others have sensed opportunity and moved in to replace insurers who have left.

Over and over again, insurance companies have said specifically that the Trump administration is causing uncertainty in the insurance markets.

In an article about the growing frustration with the Trump administrations management of the Obamacare exchanges, The Los Angeles Times noted, Health insurers across the country are making plans to dramatically raise Obamacare premiums or exit marketplaces amid growing exasperation with the Trump administrations erratic management of the program and its conflicting signals about the fate of aid for low-income consumers and other key issues.

At the same time, state insurance regulators  both Democrat and Republican  have increasingly concluded they cannot count on the Trump administration to help them ensure that consumers will have access to a health plan next year.

It got much worse. Of the Trump administrations lack of leadership, a senior company official told The Times, There is a sense that there are no hands on the wheel and they are just letting the bus careen down the road.

No hands on the wheel. That sums up the Trump Administration on just about every topic, except ways they can harm the U.S.A., give Russia more power, undermine democracy, give big presents to the very rich or take rights away from groups of people.

The most repeated lie Donald Trump has told is about Obamacare imploding. This from the man and party who cant get their own health care ideas together enough to get their own party to agree, let alone pass something that would actually help the people they claim to represent.

Donald Trump just cant quit his obsession with lying about President Obama.
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By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Dining on rib-eye steak and peach cobbler with a group of senators, President Donald Trump was cautiously optimistic that Republican efforts to overhaul Obamacare were in good shape.

Then came word that two Republican senators not at the dinner  Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas  had announced their opposition to the healthcare proposals put forward by party leaders in the Senate.

The setback on Monday night triggered a last-gasp effort by the president and top aides to keep the legislation from dying. He called 49 Republican senators over to the White House for lunch and a scolding on Wednesday, telling them they needed to settle their differences and that they should postpone their summer recess until a deal was done.

For seven years you promised the American people you would repeal Obamacare. People are hurting and frankly inaction is not an option, said Trump, who desperately wants a legislative victory to make good on his campaign promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

It is by no means clear if Trumps pressure can help Republicans overcome sharp differences between moderates who want to preserve health insurance for their constituents and conservatives insisting on lower costs.

But after doing little over the past few weeks to win senators support for the controversial legislation, Trump is now staking his reputation on getting them to cut a deal.

Senior White House aides said on Wednesday the president sensed the healthcare effort could be salvaged despite the grim outlook.

After a series of conversations with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as well as Lee, Senator John Cornyn of Texas and others, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told Trump he felt it was possible to keep the effort alive.

Trump agreed, based on his own talks with senators, and told aides he was hearing that a lot of people dont want this to be over, an aide said.

Senator Ted Cruz, who has led conservative criticisms of the proposals, was also sounding more positive.

So Trump dispatched Vice President Mike Pence and Priebus to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to see if there was room to maneuver, the aides said.

Pence and Priebus worked the room, talking to nearly every senator present and urging them not to concede defeat.

The two men reported back to Trump and he decided to invite the Republican senators for lunch, the aides said.

At that lunch, beneath the portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the White Houses State Dining Room, Trump made clear he wanted the senators to go back to the drawing board before heading out on vacation in August.

Any senator who doesnt vote to open debate is really saying theyre okay with Obamacare, he told the room. We shouldnt leave town until this is complete, until this bill is on my desk and until we all go over to the Oval Office, Ill sign it and we can celebrate with the American people.

Some of the senators who have opposed parts of the legislative effort were strategically placed around the room. Next to Trump was Senator Dean Heller of Nevada and Lee was next to Pence.

Trump referred to Heller with a chuckle, Look, he wants to remain a senator, doesnt he?

The comment drew a wry smile from Heller.

After nearly two hours of talks over lunch, the group agreed to meet on Wednesday night to start talks on whether the hurdles could be overcome. But Cruz said after the meeting that they were still divided on some issues.

Every Democrat in the Senate is opposed to the repeal of Obamacare, so it can only pass if Republicans are united. Polls show the proposals are unpopular, so some Republican lawmakers fear a backlash.

White House aides said they hope an agreement can be worked out by next week.

(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Kieran Murray and Toni Reinhold)
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Despite being smack in the middle of the Trump administrations so-called Made in America week, Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort filed a new request on Thursday to hire dozens of foreign workers.

Their rationale for the request? They cant find any qualified American workers to work as housekeepers and restaurant employees at the resort.

According to the documents, which were first reported on by BuzzFeed, the presidents club in Florida is asking the government for permission to hire 70 temporary foreign workers.

This comes as Trump continues to tout his self-proclaimed buy American, hire American agenda during a week thats supposed to outline policies that would benefit U.S. workers.

As BuzzFeed also noted, Since Trump launched his presidential campaign in June 2015, businesses owned by him or bearing his name have sought to hire at least 370 foreign guest workers under H-2B program and a similar one called H-2A, including more than 230 for Mar-A-Lago and the Jupiter club.

The Washington Post also reported on Thursday: Earlier this year, the Trump Winery near Charlottesville, Va., applied for visas to hire 23 foreign workers under a different visa program meant for farm workers.

One top Democrat blasted the made-in-America hypocrisy on Thursday, saying that Trump has failed to put forward a single bill to support job creation or domestic manufacturing during his six months in office.

If President Trump is serious about restoring American manufacturing and supporting the creation of jobs, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said. He should work with Democrats to advance our Make It America plan to create the best conditions for American businessmen to innovate, manufacture, and create jobs here in the U.S.

At the end of the day, most folks have been able to see through the presidents phony rhetoric on this subject, but it appears the Trump himself has given up pretending to care about American workers  even during Made in America week.
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Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, hammered Trump for trying to destroy checks and balances while mentioning the potential Trump crime of money laundering for Putin.

In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Rep. Schiff said:

In recent interviews, President Trump and his legal team have demonstrated their continuing disdain for the independence of the FBI and Department of Justice. Trump appeared to threaten Special Counsel Bob Mueller, accused Jim Comey of attempting to blackmail him and lying about his conversations with Trump in the Oval Office, and complained about Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusal from the Russia investigation. Reportedly, his legal team has disturbingly begun to explore to use of presidential pardons for Trump family members and aides to undercut the Special Counsels probe, something Trump should rule out categorically.

There is no doubt that Mueller has the authority to investigate anything that arises from his investigation into the Trump campaigns ties to Russia, including financial links, and this is spelled out in the order from the Deputy Attorney General and the law that governs the powers of the Special Counsel. Indeed, this is a very important part of Muellers responsibility given that any financial impropriety between Russia and the Trump organization, such as money laundering, could represent just the kind of Kompromat that Russia could utilize to influence Administration policy. I have every confidence that Mueller will not respond to the President and his teams less-than-subtle effort to constrain his probe, and it will be up to Congress to ensure that he has the necessary resources and independence to carry out his investigation.

Trump, also in a recent interview, suggested that the FBI should report directly to the President, a view which is contrary to the long established tradition and policy ensuring the independence of our law enforcement agencies. The FBI Director does not report to the President on specific cases, and someone in the White House needs to counsel the President on the paramount importance of a truly independent Justice Department and Bureau. The decision by Attorney General Sessions to recuse himself was dictated by DOJ policy and the result of his intimate role in Trumps campaign and his subsequent misleading statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee about his contacts with Russian officials. This is not about being fair to the President; it is about being true to the system of checks and balances and following the law.

The point of Schiffs statement is that our democratic system of governance is under attack from Trump. The President is trying to destroy any check on his power. Rep. Schiffs specific mention of money laundering was intriguing because it is the second time in two days that Trump, his family, his businesses, and his associates have been mentioned in the same sentence as a serious crime.

Trump pointed his investigators towards his finances when he declared them off limits to the investigation.

Schiff was correct. This investigation isnt about fairness. It is about potential Trump campaign collusion with Russia, and money goes straight to the root of the relationship and the motive.
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By Maria Tsvetkova and Jack Stubbs

MOSCOW (Reuters)  The Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr. after his father won the Republican nomination for the 2016 U.S. presidential election counted Russias FSB security service among her clients for years, Russian court documents seen by Reuters show.

The documents show that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, successfully represented the FSBs interests in a legal wrangle over ownership of an upscale property in northwest Moscow between 2005 and 2013.

The FSB, successor to the Soviet-era KGB service, was headed by Vladimir Putin before he became Russian president.

There is no suggestion that Veselnitskaya is an employee of the Russian government or intelligence services, and she has denied having anything to do with the Kremlin.

But the fact she represented the FSB in a court case may raise questions among some U.S. politicians.

The Obama administration last year sanctioned the FSB for what it said was its role in hacking the election, something Russia flatly denies, and Charles Grassley, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has raised concerns about why Veselnitskaya was allowed into the United States at all.

Veselnitskaya did not reply to emailed Reuters questions about her work for the FSB. The FSB did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters could not find a record of when and by whom the lawsuit  which dates back to at least 2003  was first lodged. But appeal documents show that Rosimushchestvo, Russias federal government property agency, was involved. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Veselnitskaya and her firm Kamerton Consulting represented military unit 55002 in the property dispute, the documents show.

A public list of Russian legal entities shows the FSB, Russias domestic intelligence agency, founded the military unit whose legal address is behind the FSBs own headquarters.

Reuters was unable to establish if Veselnitskaya did any other work for the FSB or confirm who now occupies the building at the center of the case.

MASS HYSTERIA OVER MEETING

President Donald Trumps eldest son eagerly agreed in June 2016 to meet Veselnitskaya, a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have damaging information about Democratic White House rival Hillary Clinton, according to emails released by Trump Jr.

Veselnitskaya has said she is a private lawyer and has never obtained damaging information about Clinton. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, has said she had nothing whatsoever to do with us.

Veselnitskaya has also said she is ready to testify to the U.S. Congress to dispel what she called mass hysteria about the meeting with Trump Jr.

The case in which Veselnitskaya represented the FSB was complex; appeals courts at least twice ruled in favor of private companies which the FSB wanted to evict.

The FSB took over the disputed office building in mid-2008, a person who worked for Atos-Component, a firm that was evicted as a result, told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.

The building was privatized after the 1991 Soviet collapse, but the Russian government said in the lawsuit in which Veselnitskaya represented the FSB that the building had been illegally sold to private firms.

The businesses were listed in the court documents, but many of them no longer exist and those that do are little-known firms in the electric components business.

Elektronintorg, an electronic components supplier, said on its website that it now occupied the building. Elektronintorg is owned by state conglomerate Rostec, run by Sergei Chemezov, who, like Putin, worked for the KGB and served with him in East Germany.

When contacted by phone, an unnamed Elektronintorg employee said he was not obliged to speak to Reuters. Rostec did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked which organization was located there, an unidentified man who answered a speakerphone at the main entrance laughed and said: Congratulations. Ask the city administration.

(Additional reporting by Polina Nikolskaya, Gleb Stolyarov and Darya Korsunskaya in Moscow; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Mike Collett-White)
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
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar will join the BJP any day as the conman's second letter sparked a row over the Delhi government's much-publicised education model. "Sukesh Chandrashekhar is learning to speak the language of the BJP. Even the BJP used to say there should be a lie detector test for Kejriwal. Now, he is trained to join the BJP. He will join the BJP any day now," Arvind Kejriwal said. Meanwhile, the jailed conman alleged that he had arranged the PR for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's Delhi schools' story.
Im not sure what I was expecting when my colleagues and I kept urging the Legislature to let the state inspector general take a look under the hoods of South Carolina's school districts, but it wasnt what we got from the first such investigation. Read moreScoppe: Inspector general puts SC school districts on notice of new scrutiny to come
MILWAUKEE  Kwik Trip Inc. has agreed to buy 34 PDQ convenience stores, a move that will push Kwik Trip's overall store count above 600.

La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip said Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of employee-owned PDQ Food Stores, of Middleton, Wis., for an undisclosed price.

The purchase will give Kwik Trip nine more stores in southeastern Wisconsin and 23 more in the Madison area, along with single stores elsewhere in the state.

Kwik Trip expects to close the deal in October. It is subject to approval by PDQ employees.

Kwik Trip will operate the new locations under the PDQ name until it remodels them, a process expected to be finished in mid-2018.

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The La Crosse company probably will spend $30 million to $40 million on the effort, spokesman John McHugh said. Among changes will be the installation of Kwik Trip's proprietary food program, with hot foods counters and fresh produce areas, as well as exterior remodeling to fit the Kwik Trip model, he said.

Known as a leader in its industry, Kwik Trip has grown steadily in the last three decades but has stepped up its expansion in recent years. With the PDQ acquisition, Kwik Trip will have added more than 200 stores since 2013.

The company employs more than 19,000 people and expects to add another 1,000 with the PDQ purchase. Six years ago, Kwik Trip had about 10,000 employees.

PDQ dates to 1949 but wasn't branded with its current name  it stands for "pretty darn quick"  until 1962. The Jacobsen family owned the chain until 2009, when it was sold to employees.

Besides the Wisconsin locations, PDQ has one store in Tahoma, Calif.  in a rustic, lodge-style building along Lake Tahoe. Kwik Trip is not buying that store.
This week I want to tell you about one of the crown jewels of the summer night skies. I also want to get you prepared for the best celestial happening in the United States so far this century, a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

In the meantime, with even a small to moderate telescope you can view a cluster of a million stars crammed together in a tight ball. It's called the Great Hercules star cluster , and it's one of the true treasures of the entire night sky. As it is with any worthy treasure, you have to dig for it a bit, but not all that much. It's even visible in moderately light-polluted heavens, but if you can see it in the darker countryside it will be all the better.

The Great Hercules cluster, known astronomically as Messier object 13, or M13, is categorized as a globular star cluster. Throughout the celestial dome there are hundreds and hundreds of star clusters. All you have to do is lie back on the ground or in a reclining chair and randomly scan the heavens with a pair of binoculars and I'm sure you'll find some.

Most of these are what's known as open star clusters, made up of groups of young stars that recently formed gravitationally out of a huge hydrogen gas cloud. Most open clusters are occupied by stars less than a couple of hundred million years old. In the lifetime of stars, that's a blink of an eye!

Fuzz ball

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Globular clusters like M13 are different. They are spherical swarms of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of stars packed in a small area, usually less than 300 light-years in diameter. Globulars are made up of old stars generally more than 10 billion to 12 billion years old, and more than 140 globular clusters form a giant halo around our Milky Way Galaxy. In a way, they are part of the outer structure of our home galaxy, or what some astronomers call satellites of our Milky Way. That makes them a heck of a long ways away. The best one to see in our part of the northern hemisphere is without a doubt M13, about 25,000 light-years away

This is a great time of summer to find the Hercules globular cluster. As soon as it gets dark enough, begin your quest. Start out by facing south and look for Vega, a very bright star, shining nearly overhead. Then look for Arcturus, an even brighter star perched in the fairly high western sky. Draw a line between Vega and Arcturus and M13 will be just short of the halfway point between the two stars. Scan that area with your binoculars or telescope and see if you can spot what looks like a little fuzz ball. It's on the right side of the moderately bright trapezoid of stars that make up the central area of the faint constellation Hercules the Hero.

Through a telescope, that fuzz ball appears as a dazzling sphere crammed full of stars, about 150 light-years in diameter. It's celestial congestion to the max! With enough magnification and light gathering, you may see some individual stars at the cluster's edge. Many astronomers estimate there are maybe a million-plus stars living there.

Also keep in mind that because of its vast distance and the speed of light we're seeing the Hercules globular cluster now as it looked in 23,000 BC. Chances are it's still about the same now, though. I know you'll love viewing M13. I sure love showing it off to fellow stargazers at my star parties. It's a wonderful telescope destination.

Aug. 21 eclipse

Pray for clear skies on Aug. 21 for the first total eclipse seen the United States since 1979. Here in southeastern Minnesota it won't be a total eclipse, but will be a deep partial eclipse that begins at 11:45 a.m. and continues until 2:32 p.m. At the eclipse maximum, at 1:09 p.m., 85 percent of the sun will be obscured by the moon. Never stare at the sun directly during a partial eclipse or at any other time. You can easily permanently damage your eyes.

You can safely view the partial eclipse with specially filtered eclipse glasses to protect your eyes. You'll find eclipse glasses for sale all across the Internet when you Google "solar eclipse glasses." I've seen them for sale as low as about $2. I would get several pairs as soon as you can, because I know they will be a lot harder to get as we get close to Aug. 21.

Another way to view the partial eclipse safely is to hold a piece of white cardboard with a pencil diameter hole in it over another piece of stiff white cardboard. The best and safest way to aim the piece with the hole at the blank card is to stand with your back to the sun and hold the pinhole piece back toward the sun. Use the shadow of the cardboard to aim it over the blank cardboard and you should be able to see the eclipse with absolutely no danger. It really works!

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If there's any chance for you to travel to the path of totality, be there! The 60- to 70 mile-wide strip of the country with totality runs from northern Oregon to South Carolina. It's so worth the trip. I've seen a total solar eclipse before, and as hard as I try, it's impossible to describe in words. The temperature drops, stars come out, and you can see solar flares shooting out from the edge of the sun and corona, the sun's outer atmosphere.

During totality is the only time you can view the eclipse without eye protection. Totality in most of the band lasts less than two minutes. My advice is to stop viewing the totality directly and use special eclipse glasses or other protection a good 30 seconds before totality ends. Safety first!

If you do plan to travel into the path of totality, be sure to make your choice of destination as fluid as possible. Keep a close eye on the weather forecast within a few days of Aug. 21. It might be hard to find lodging within the eclipse band, but since totality is in the midday hours, you can wake up early and drive into the band. There's a great app that can help you with the best place for you travel. It's Eclipse 2017.org. One of the great tools I use to help predict cloud cover for any given place is Clear Sky Clock.

Again, it is so worth the journey! You'll thank me later!
The chances of me ever collecting that beer from Tyrel Clark are looking more and more slim by the moment.

Not that the Eyota mayor is trying to weasel out of anything. Far from it. (He's a standup guy.) But we're making some changes here in the newsroom, and I will no longer be covering Eyota as part of my beat.

If you're not up on newspaper lingo, a beat is your designated area of coverage. It can be a topic like business, education or medicine, or a geographic area such as Wabasha, Winona and Goodhue counties.

The latter is my beat. I used to also be responsible for several towns in Olmsted County, but we swapped that out for having me contribute more to AgriNews, the Post Bulletin's sister newspaper that covers all things farming.

The upshot of that is I'm less likely to see much of Mayor Clark and the rest of the people in Eyota, Dover or Oronoco, all of whom I've been covering for the last six years.

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It makes me a little sad. I've been covering these cities since my days as a freelance writer, and I have cell phone numbers for city officials in my phone. That's a relationship.

Consequently, thanks to these changes, that beer may never happen.

Clark  probably half jokingly  said after a story I wrote helped lure a dental practice to Eyota that once the tap house/brewery the city is angling to lure came to town, he'd probably owe me a beer to thank me for my coverage.

Not that I write stories with free beer in mind. I passed my journalism ethics class with a B-plus.

But a big part of having beats is developing relationships. We all do it.

Our hard-working political reporter can hook you up with a personal cell phone number of any legislator in the region. She spends time with these folks and can dish personal tidbits on them. Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, always has a few bottles of Spring Grove Soda Pop in his office. Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, displays prints of her father's renowned photographs.

Getting to know these folks personally helps her do her job as a reporter. If you have a relationship, people are more likely to return phone calls and are less guarded when you ask them questions.

It's not just those movers and shakers on our beats who mean something to us. I wrote a story about young Mia Gerads whose parents were hosting fundraisers to get her a service dog. I met Mia and her mom, Melissa, just once, but I think about her from time to time. I hope they raise the money needed to get that dog and make her life better. She's a great kid and she deserves to have a break for her health.

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Reporters aren't the only ones who make those connections.

One of our hard-working photographers snapped a photo of a pooch at RochesterFest last month. A dog-lover, she connected with Dolly immediately and made a connection with Dolly's owner as well.

Turns out, that pup had a bone disorder that had sent it to the vet for serious care on more than one occasion. As fate would have it, just days after the photo was taken, Dolly died from complications related to her condition. Needless to say, our dog-loving photographer was more than a little moved by the news.

"The night I learned of the death of the small dog with the curly brown hair  and a tongue that stuck out and made me snicker  my heart was heavy," she wrote. "And I was astonished by the timing. When I told my husband, Carl, the sad news, he said that maybe God was using me when He put me where I was to capture that special last photograph and memory of Dolly."

It was a moment. A moment when a cute dog with a crooked jaw -- and her tongue hanging out -- helped build a relationship. And that's a big part of what we do around here.
PRESTON  Fifteen members of the Swartzentruber Amish community had their day in court Thursday.

The hearing was the latest in a series of legal actions taken against the group, who have continually failed to bring their graywater sewage system up to state and county codes due to its members' religious beliefs.

At the core of the Amish faith is "Ordnungs," a set of rules and expectations meant to govern the lives of followers. Modern, "worldly" technology, including the use of state-mandated sewage systems, is eschewed.

Through these hearings, the office of the Minnesota attorney general and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are attempting to establish whether these homeowners can be held in contempt of court for refusing to follow prior court orders regarding their wastewater.

Assistant attorney general Leah Hedman and MCPA sewage expert Steve Oscarson served as the prosecution.

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The 15 cases included summons for both the husbands and wives of the Amish families. Due to Amish tradition, only the men appeared in court.

Menno Mast and Sam Miller were represented by the Legal Aid Administration.

Mast, a woodworker, was born into the Amish community and baptized into the church in 1984. He considered the new sewage treatment method to be too "worldly."

"The world is not in our religious beliefs," he said. Mast sees his faith as his lifestyle and the "face of God."

His argument centered on Romans 12:2, a Bible verse that instructs followers to "be not conformed to this world." Mast had not installed a sewage system due to his "sincerely held" religious beliefs.

Miller, who works in a sawmill, has been a member of the Amish Church for 23 years. There are 10 people living in his home and using the current sewage system, he said. He cites tradition as the basis of his disapproval of the water system.

The other 13 men declined legal assistance as they appealed their charges. Due to community standards, the men typically receive homeschool education until about eighth grade.

Among them was Eli Hershberger, who works as a farmer and at a sawmill. He claimed religious opposition to using a sewage tank.

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Also representing himself was Emery Miller.

'We feel that any type of septic system is a way of the world, and we do not conform to the way of the world," Miller said.

Like others, he cited the Romans 12:2 passage. He also mentioned a biblical direction to honor one's mother and father. Since his mother and father did not have a septic tank, he felt that he should not, either.

All of the men declined to comment further on their cases.

Though this case opened Thursday, the issue is not new.

The contention can be traced back to March 2006, when the Fillmore County Zoning Office performed a compliance inspection on the homes as part of a countywide "Imminent Public Health Threat Inventory."

Swartzentruber Amish use a "straight-pipe system" that discharges unclean water directly to the ground prior to treatment. Running water enters the home through a gravity-based pipe system that has been in place for many years. Community members do not take issue with its use due to its historical precedent.

The issue arose when homeowners refused to place a similar gravity-based system to process wastewater, as it has not been done in the past.

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The county identified the straight-pipe system as an "imminent threat to public health." Members of the Amish community declined to make the required changes due to their religious beliefs.

The issue was brought back to the forefront in 2013. Minnesota passed a law requiring counties to create and enact local ordinances that comply with changes to the MPCA's sewage treatment system within two years. All homes were to have a holding tank for wastewater, the size of which is determined by the number of bedrooms in the home.

The Fillmore County ordinance provided "alternative local standards" for their Amish community. Amish households are required to have a 1,000 gallon tank regardless of bedroom size.

Amish homeowners refused to make the mandated changes and the case was referred to the MPCA in August 2015.

In November, the MCPA sent an administrative penalty order that ordered the Amish to make the necessary updates or appeal within 30 days. Members of the community again declined to make the changes and did not appeal within 30 days. A $1,000 fine was imposed in February 2016.

Thursday's hearing is an attempt to find a solution suitable to the Swartzentruber community.

Though the prosecution could legally seek imprisonment or fines, efforts have instead been focused on seeking compliance with the ordinances.
VIOLA  Riders of the Great River Ridge Trail will soon have a new spot for jumping onto the 13-mile paved path from Olmsted County Road 9 to Plainview.

Roberta Kurth, a 20-year member of the Great River Ridge Trail Committee, said the organization had some funds from past grants and decided a parking lot in Viola would be the best use of the money.

"Every time you go through Viola on (Olmsted County Road 2), there are cars on the shoulder," she said. Mainly, those are trail users parking along the road and leaving their cars while they enjoy the trail. "The county put up no-parking signs, but people still park there. It's a little congested at times."

The parking lot, which should be done in a week or so, weather permitting, will be on the west side of the trail, on the north side of County Road 2, she said.

The parking lot won't be huge, just eight stalls. But it should be enough to keep cars off the road and trail users from getting tickets.

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Kurth said the trail right-of-way is owned by Wabasha County, which is working with the trail committee and Olmsted County to get the parking lot built.

"They own 50 feet on each side of the trail," she said, referring to Wabasha County. A contractor from Plainview is doing the construction.

While the new parking lot is good news for the trail committee, Kurth said the committee might have another bit of good news within the next couple of months.

"We're working on a deal with Canadian Pacific (Railroad) for the right-of-way from County Road 9 to (U.S. Highway) 14," she said.

That 1.5-mile stretch  along with an agreement from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to extend the last few feet to the Eyota roundabout  would help the trail reach its eventual goal of joining Plainview and Eyota.
As the Trinamool Congress is all set to observe Martyrs' Day today to remember victims of 1993 Kolkata firing, Opposition parties have termed the event a farce.

By Manogya Loiwal : As the Trinamool Congress is all set to observe Martyrs' Day near Victoria House in Esplanade area in central Kolkata today, Opposition parties are accusing Mamata Banerjee's party of doing little for the families of victims.

The Martyrs' Day is observed annually to remember the 13 people killed in firing during a rally on July 21, 1993 in Kolkata led by Mamata Banerjee, who was then a part of the West Bengal Youth Congress. The Trinamool Congress party came into being five years later in 1998.

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Posters ahead of the event have only CM Mamata Banerjee's photos as Narada and Saradha scams haunt most other Trinamool Congress leaders.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has on many occasions used this day to send out a message to party cadres to keep Bengal peaceful and going by the posters put up across the city, this year will be no different.

"We are observing this day again as Martyrs' Day as we have in the past. People from across the country are expected to join us in this rally. Party members would pledge in the presence of lakhs of people that we would not allow any communal tensions to flare up within Bengal or in India. We will fight for the development and peace of the state. This is the main issue. Mamata didi has already given a call that our main issue is peace and development. With this agenda in mind, we will seek support from people. Mamataji is the brand of Trinamool Congress. She has become a representative of India. Her schemes have won awards. Her Kanyashree scheme was chosen from 552 projects across 62 countries. And her picture has an emotional connect. So we as a party feel that that this would relate to people closely", Power Minister Sovan Dev Chattopadhayay said.

NO VICTIM OF 1993 FIRING HAS GOT JUSTICE: BJP

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh has accused the TMC of holding the rally for political gains.

"None of the martyrs (those killed in 1993 firing) have got justice. The person who shot them was an officer then and today he is a minister in the TMC. He is governing the country," Ghosh said.

He went on to say that the impact of the rally would be overshadowed by the Presidential election result.

WHAT IS TMC's STAND ON FINDINGS OF INQUIRY REPORT, ASKS LEFT

Meanwhile, the Left has slammed the Trinamool Congress for not taking a firm stand on findings of the inquiry report.

CPI(M) leader Fuad Halim said, "21st July is observed by TMC as Martyrs' Day every year. The interesting part is that after the TMC came to power in 2011, the investigation in the case was handed over to Justice Sushanto Chatterjee."

Halim added, "The Judicial Commission report with its recommendations was filed in 2014. But the government is yet to decide what they want to do with it. One of the recommendations was to offer a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to victims' families, which the party has not accepted. In fact, TMC has not made its stand clear on the findings of the inquiry report."

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TMC WAS NOT EVEN FORMED IN 1993: CONGRESS

According to Congress, TMC has no connection with what happened in 1993.

"July 21 is supposed to remember the martyrs of 1993. The TMC was not even formed back then. In fact, many of the people who were directly or indirectly responsible for the firing are now holding positions in the state government. We observe Martyrs' Day, our Youth Congress does it every year. I would also like to point out that the government could have taken so many steps in the last six years to help the victims' families, but Mamata Banerjee has not done so. Even the inquiry report has not seen the light of day. So Martyrs' Day is all a farce. It has nothing to do with remembering the Youth Congress activists, who were killed in police firing under the Left Government," OP Mishra of the Congress said.

Also read | Mamata's all out war on BJP: TMC only party capable of taking it down

Also read | Dinajpur: One killed in clash between BJP and TMC

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ALSO WATCH VIDEO

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While a prison escapee who was recent captured after 25 years on the run didn't escape from Rochester, he did serve two years here prior to escaping in Michigan.

Robert Frederick Nelson, 64, was apprehended by authorities after he stopped by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to renew his state identification card.

Most media accounts reported Nelson's original escape was from the Federal Medical Center prison in Rochester. He didn't escape from the FMC. However, Nelson was incarcerated here from Dec. 15, 1987, until Sept. 5, 1989, according to Justin Long of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Nelson transferred from Federal Correctional Institution Milan in Milan, Mich., to a Residential Reentry Center (halfway house) on Dec. 17, 1991.

"He did not escape from a federal correctional institution or a federal medical center, but Mr. Nelson was placed on escape status on Feb. 18, 1992 for absence from the RRC," Long said.

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Nelson is currently in custody at a halfway house in Phoenix, Ariz.

The whole incident with the false connection to Rochester's prison has been confusing.

Chris Clifford, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Minneapolis, told the Associated Press that Nelson was listed as having escaped from the Federal Medical Center in Rochester in 1992, but he didn't know the circumstances.

FMC executive assistant Dan Cansino stated the media accounts reporting Nelson's ties to FMC were "not correct." In its 32-year history, he said the first and only news release the FMC has issued for an escape was in 1995.

That's when inmate David A. Wieling, 34 at the time, walked away from an outside work detail on the afternoon of Aug. 8.

This marked the "first escape from FMC in the prison's 11-year-history," according to the Aug. 17, 1995, Post Bulletin story. The U.S. Marshals Service headed the search for Wieling, who was apprehended about a year later when officials found him at a farmhouse in Iowa. Bureau of Prison records indicate he was released in April 2008.

At the time of the prison's dedication in September 1985, it held 150 inmates and was operated by 250 staff members on an $11 million budget. Today, the prison holds 657 inmates.
Jonah Goldberg notes in a recent column that climate change alarmism seems to have turned itself up past 11, probably because (my theory) Trump has driven them out of what little of their minds was left:

One of the hallmarks of the Ugly American is the habit of thinking foreigners will understand what youre saying if you just shout it louder and louder. The Ugly Environmentalist does something similar. He exaggerates the challenge of global warming by using ever more hysterical rhetoric, thinking that if the last doomsday prediction didnt work, this one will.

Thats one reason why a story reported this week in Nature will likely get a large echo very soon in the media, and be cited by the usual climatistas:

Satellite Snafu Masked True Sea Level Rise for Decades The numbers didnt add up. Even as Earth grew warmer and glaciers and ice sheets thawed, decades of satellite data seemed to show that the rate of sea-level rise was holding steady  or even declining. Now, after puzzling over this discrepancy for years, scientists have identified its source: a problem with the calibration of a sensor on the first of several satellites launched to measure the height of the sea surface using radar. Adjusting the data to remove that error suggests that sea levels are indeed rising at faster rates each year. The rate of sea-level rise is increasing, and that increase is basically what we expected, says Steven Nerem, a remote-sensing expert at the University of Colorado Boulder who is leading the reanalysis. . . Nerems team calculated that the rate of sea-level rise increased from around 1.8 millimetres per year in 1993 to roughly 3.9 millimetres per year today as a result of global warming.

In other wordsweve fiddled with the satellite data. Isnt it a curious thing that all of the recent various revisions of climate data all seem to come out with the same sign?

Heres the underlying paper in Geophysical Research Letters, which is hard for a non-scientist to get through, and heres Natures own contribution to the subject. Fortunately, we can consult an actual scientist about this. I sent this news item on to Dr. Roy Spencer at the University of Alabama, one of the scientists who helped design our climate satellite monitoring systems. He posts this note:

When I read that, I (like everyone else) assumed that corrections to the satellite sea level data since 1993 have now led to a revised trend toward faster (not slower) sea level rise. Right? Wrong. During the satellite era (since 1993), the trend in sea level rise was revised downward, by almost 10%, from 3.28 mm/year to about 3.0 mm/year. (For those concerned about Miami going underwater, these numbers equate to a little more than one inch every 10 years). This result was published back in April in Geophysical Research Letters, and the new Nature study looks at the wiggles in the revised data since 1993 and makes ominous pronouncements about sea level rise acceleration. Im calling fake science news on the Nature reporter who covered the story. The headline was technically correctbut misleading. (I can also make up technically correct headlines: Scientists Agree: Sea Levels are Rising, We are All Going to Die.) The researchers in April made a major adjustment to the first 1/4 of the satellite record, bringing those early sea levels up. This results in adding curvature to the upward trend (an acceleration) by flattening out the early part of the curve. This new signature of acceleration was what made the news in the new Nature study, even though the long term trend went down.

Were going to get predictions of sea monsters swimming in the streets of Miami and New York anyway. Oh, waitthats already happened.
Ive been critical of President Trump today. But few days go by without me being happy he defeated Hillary Clinton.

Heres a reminder of why. Yesterday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson announced that his agency will reinterpret the ultra-instrusive Obama housing rule known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). The rule was designed by the Obama administration to seize federal control over local zoning for the purpose of creating neighborhoods that comply with the lefts race-based vision of where people should live. We discussed it here, among other places.

Secretary Carson didnt say exactly how he plans to reinterpret AFFH. However, he told the Washington Examiner that he doesnt believe in the manipulation associated with the rule or with the burdens it imposes on local communities. As a candidate for president, he called it a doomed-to-fail attempt to legislate racial equality.

Carsons announcement comes on the heels of a decision by HUD to accept Westchester Countys analysis of the impact its zoning rules have had in creating barriers to fair housing. The analysis concluded that its zoning rules are not the cause of the concentrations of white, hispanic, and black populations that exist in the County.

Reportedly, the analysis submitted by the County  its eleventh attempt to satisfy HUD  was basically the same as an analysis submitted to, and rejected by, the Obama administration. The difference, of course, is the new administration.

Weve written about how Westchester County was ensnared by HUD. It occurred as the result of a lawsuit and a settlement agreement. The County entered into the settlement agreement because it thought it had a reasonable partner  the Bush HUD. It ended up dealing with Obamas HUD, which was anything but reasonable.

Now that its dealing with the Trump administration, the Countys nightmare may be over.

The problem, though, is that the next administration might revert to the Obama approach. The AFFH rule could be re-re-interpreted and then used to ensnare localities that accept federal housing money. There would be no need to sue them.

Thats the problem with merely reinterpreting AFFH. The rule should be eliminated. Otherwise, its a time bomb waiting to go off.

Thats why conservative Republicans led by Sen. Mike Lee called on Carson to rescind the rule. They should continue to insist on this.

Carson said he feels constrained by the Supreme Courts decision in 2015 that the Fair Housing Act permits law suits based on disparate impact and do not require proof of intent to discriminate. I doubt that this 5-4 decision, in which Justice Kennedy cast the deciding vote, entails the AFFH rule. Indeed, I think Justice Kennedys opinion can easily be read to say it does not. If HUD lawyers are telling Carson something different, he should consider getting a second opinion.

In any event, were already in a much better place when it comes to AFFH with President Trump in office than we would have been with Hillary Clinton  a resident of Westchester County, by the way  at the helm.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo took the occasion of an interview by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens at the Aspen Security Forum yesterday to call out the Times for disclosing the identity of the CIA new officer in charge of Iran operations. The Timess wantonly destructive article blowing the identity of the CIA officer required a little help from its friends  the usual cadre of current and former intelligence officials who collude with the Times in its dirty work.

BizPac Review quotes Pompeo: We had a publication you work for Bret, that published the name of an undercover officer at the Central Intelligence Agency, a visibly angry Pompeo told Bret Stephens onstage at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. I find that unconscionable. The BizPac Review article notes that Pompeo earned a thunderous round of applause for his comments.

I wish I could have been there to join in. Pompeo deserved a standing ovation.

For the record, here is the June 2 New York Times story to which Pompeo was referring, reported by Matthew Rosenberg and Adam Goldman. Rosenberg and Goldman should at the least be summoned before a grand jury and required to identify their sources or be held in contempt.

Below is the complete one-hour video of the interview posted by the Aspen Institute. I havent yet been able to watch the whole thing and dont have time at the moment to locate the relevant exchange. FOX News has a good account posted here along with a video clip. However, I cant get the video clip posted with the FOX News story to play.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)

By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 21 (PTI) A powerful explosion today tore through a shop in Chinas eastern Hangzhou city popular among tourists, killing at least two persons and injuring 55 others, officials said.

The blast ripped through three restaurants and damaged a combined burned area of 200 square meters at around 8.40 AM in the Zhejiang provinces West Lake district.

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Billowing flames and strong heat shattered the glass of passing vehicles, including a bus, causing most of the injuries, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Bottled Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has been blamed for the blast, the report quoted local officials as saying.

The fire has been put out and all the injured have been sent to hospitals, according to the citys fire department.

Authorities said that 55 people were receiving treatment in six hospitals. Seven of the injured people were critical.

Among the injured, two were restaurant employees while the rest were passengers in passing vehicles or pedestrians.

The district public security bureau has identified the two persons who died in the blast. One was on the bus and the other riding a bicycle when the blast occurred.

Meanwhile, police have taken the shop owner into custody.

The provincial blood centre has appealed to the local residents to donate blood.

Che Jun, the provincial Communist Party chief, called for all-out efforts to treat the injured, saying a thorough investigation needed to be conducted as well as extensive checks to rule out hazards that could undermine public safety.

The shop is located in the West Lake district, a well- known scenic area. The lake was used as the backdrop of a performance directed by Zhang Yimou as part of the G20 summit last year.

Millions of tourists come to Hangzhou every year. They are drawn by the scenic beauty of its temples and lakefront location. PTI KJV AMS ABH CPS

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Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau returned from vacation and held a press conference yesterday afternoon on the shooting death of Justine Damond by Officer Mohamed Noor. The Star Tribune reports on the press conference here along with two-minute audio excerpts. The Star Tribune has also posted video of the entire press conference on Facebook here.

The departments video of Chief Harteaus statement is posted on YouTube. I have embedded it below. Please note that the video omits the question-and-answer period that followed Harteaus statement.

Harteau knows little more about the incident than what has been publicly released by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Noor continues to rest on his right to remain silent. He has spoken neither to the BCA nor to the departments internal affairs unit reviewing the shooting.

Noor was accompanied on the evening of the shooting by Officer Matthew Harrity. Noors partner has been interviewed by the BCA. The BCA has released a summary of the interview posted here.

Harrity drove the squad car that responded to Damonds 911 call with Noor in the passengers seat. With lights off, they drove through the alley behind Damonds residence. Harrity told the BCA that he was startled by a loud noise immediately before Noor shot past him out the open drivers side window of their squad car at Justine Damond as she approached.

Based on the publicly available information, the shooting of Ms. Damond is indefensible. Not a single fact has been brought forward to suggest that Ms. Damonds shooting was lawful. Noors refusal to talk suggests he cannot defend his actions.

Harteau said nothing in defense of Noors actions. If anything, she condemned him and disassociated the department from his actions. In her statement she put it this way: Justine didnt have to die. Based on the publicly released information from the BCA, this should not have happened. On our squad cars, you will find the words To protect with courage and serve with compassion. This did not happen.

And this: Having the information that is publicly available right, while recognizing there is an open BCA investigation, I believe the actions in question go against who we are as a department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers. These were the actions and judgment of one individual.

And this: This did not have to happen and, again, Justine did not have to die.

Translation: Noor didnt need to kill Justine.

Asked in the question-and-answer period about the possibility that Noor was an affirmative-action hire, Harteau asserted: This is about an individual officers actions. Its not about race or ethnicity. We have a very robust training and hiring process. This officer completed that training very well, just like every officer. He was very suited to be on the street.

I dont think this answers the question. I think it avoids it. Listening to Harteaus additional comments toward the end of the press conference, I believe she was referring to the departments field training after hiring.

Minneapolis attorney Robert Bennett has been retained by Ms. Damonds family to represent their interests in the matter. Bennett specializes in police misconduct cases. He is an outstanding attorney whom I have known for a long time. Bob told the Star Tribune: Its quite clearly an improper use of deadly force on someone who it is impossible for me to conceive of as a threat to anyone. I mean she saves ducklings out of the sewer, for Gods sakes.

If the loud noise that startled Officer Harrity illuminates anything, it may be the sick culture that reigns in Minneapolis.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) There are 417 Indian fishermen believed to be languishing in Pakistani jails, the government said today.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Subhash Bhamre, Minister of State in the Defence Ministry, said as per the information available with the Ministry of External Affairs, 494 Indian fishermen were in Pakistani jails until July 1 this year. Of them, 77 were released on July 10.

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The minister added that there are 975 fishing boats in the neighbouring countrys custody.

"The government consistently takes up the issue concerning the release of all Indian fishermen and their boats in Pakistani custody," Bhamre said. PTI PR BSA

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Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that various delegations, who came to Pakistan from the US and other countries, have visited the affected areas, which "we successfully cleansed from terrorism."

By PTI: A day after the United States listed Pakistan among nations providing safe havens to terrorists, on Thursday the country said that it is fully resolved to fight terrorism and had taken strong measures against the menace.

"Our efforts have been met with success, and acknowledged by a number of countries including the United States," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at the weekly briefing.

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He said that various delegations, who came to Pakistan from the US and other countries, have visited the affected areas, which "we successfully cleansed from terrorism."

His remarks came a day after the State Department in its annual Country Report on Terrorism, as mandated by the Congress, said that Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten US interests in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as LeT and JeM in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan," the report said, noting that the Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed continued to address large rallies.

Reacting to the State Department report, Zakaria said Pakistan was fully resolved to fight terrorism and had taken strong measures against it.

INDIA IS TARGETING CPEC: PAK

He, however, accused India of targeting the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Zakaria also that India was not extending support to the a UN observer group, which has the mandate to monitor the ceasefire violations at the LoC and Working Boundary in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

"We have repeatedly urged the Indian side to permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UNSC resolutions," he said.

India maintains that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control.

Zakaria said that 21 civilians were killed and 30 others injured in LoC firing in 2017, while the ceasefire violations have increased from 382 in 2016 to 580 this year.

He said Kashmir is a core dispute between Pakistan and India, and it threatens the peace and stability of region.

Pakistan believes in peace and resolving all outstanding issues with India through negotiations, he added.

Also Read

India's diplomacy power play pays off, Seoul pulls plug on PoK projects

--- ENDS ---
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  About 30 eighth-grade girls sat wide-eyed Wednesday as they heard from women working as pilots, engineers and air traffic controllers at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center.

When they asked how many of air-traffic controller Renee Zapfs colleagues were women, she did not demure.

Its low. Im not going to lie, said Zapf, 30, of Hammonton. Theyre working on it. We need you ladies to step up and do your part.

The weeklong Tech Trek camp hosted by Stockton University and the American Association of University Women encourages girls to pursue STEM careers, where they are severely underrepresented.

In all, 62 girls from all over the state participated in the camp, where they immersed themselves in science experiments and workshops.

I want to be a chemist, said Caroline Endicott, 13, of Somers Point.

She wanted to attend the camp because she liked the message it sent.

I learned binary code, and Im good at it, Endicott said.

The girls all had different goals for their future in STEM-related fields. Mariana Santiago, 12, of Bridgeton, said she hopes to be a baker, where math and chemistry play a big role.

Mikayla Evans, 13, of Millville, said she wants to be math teacher. Mei McGarvey, 13, of Port Republic, aspires to be an architect.

STEM jobs are growing rapidly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 8.6 million STEM jobs in 2015. Many of these jobs are paying double the national average for non-STEM jobs, according to a BLS report.

In 2009, women were 48 percent of the workforce and 24 percent of the STEM workforce in the United States, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Linda Harmon, president of the Atlantic County chapter of the AAUW, citing Journal of Science research, said by eighth grade, girls are making a choice  conscious or unconscious  whether to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or math.

And by the end of high school, fewer girls than boys plan to pursue STEM in college. AAUW Atlantic County supports every effort to reverse this long standing trend, Harmon said.

Tech Trek camp aims to push more women toward the STEM fields.

In my group, Im the only female engineer, Danielle Stephens, an aerospace engineer from Mays Landing, told the girls.

Stephens, 32, said she always liked the challenge and sense of accomplishment when solving a math or science problem. Getting used to the lack of females in the field was something she had to get used to.

Dr. Christina Young works in industrial engineering at the Technical Center. She said it was in college that she noticed the lack of diversity in the STEM fields. She said women will be underestimated in the field typically reserved for men.

Its really important to have confidence in what you bring to the table, she said. Stand up for yourself and others.
VENTNOR  It was quiet in the studio at Yoga Nine, except for the sound of a deep bass drum being thumped in the front of the room.

About 17 students inhaled and exhaled along with the tempo of the drum.

For those in the room, it was a form of communicating with the instructor. The only other form of communication was sign language.

The class was instructed completely in American Sign Language, and the class is geared for those who have partial hearing loss and who are partially or completely deaf.

Its just one of many classes the studio plans to offer through the summer and fall. Its part of the studios Community Access Yoga Classes program and is available to the deaf community with paid classes every Tuesday and one free class available once a month. The class is available to the general public.

There is no oral instruction. The vibration of the drum helps the students know when to begin a pose, to keep a steady breath and to finish and move on to the next pose.

Francesca Carbone-Dicarlo heads the class as she signs along with the group to keep them up to speed.

Students sign with Carbone-Dicarlo if they feel lost, and she, along with studio owner Laurie Greene, walk around to give up-close visual demonstrations so students can keep up.

That inclusion is something the community needs to do more, Carbone-Dicarlo said.

Its important that we accommodate for the deaf population, because most studios dont have classes that accommodate, and the deaf community then doesnt have access, she said.

Carbone-Dicarlo graduated from Gallaudet University  the only deaf university in the world  and said she wanted to integrate both sign language and yoga into one class. Its a class unlike any other.

With classes around here, they can see whats going on but they arent getting instructional cues on where to move their body. Its more providing a service, she said.

And it seems to be working.

About 30 minutes into the class, students are breaking a sweat as they move from chair pose to childs pose.

A couple of children in the group laugh and take pictures of each other as they hold their pose. Some are concentrating on their breath and the placement of their body on the mat.

Susan Coleman, of Galloway Township, is hearing-impaired and saw a Facebook post about the free class. She began classes and said, via interpretation from Carbone-Dicarlo, that she now feels more flexible on a daily basis.

My first class I went home and I hadnt really exercised much. I sometimes walk, but I needed more activity. I really like yoga. I feel energized, Coleman said.

She said ASL instruction is so important when it comes to having someone like Carbone-Dicarlo provide sign language.

Its really helpful. We need more ASL access with businesses all over, Coleman said.

Rosemarie Crisham, of Margate, played the role of drummer during Tuesday evenings class.

Crisham said the deaf community is frustrated due to a lack of resources.

We always wish we can go and do this and do that but we dont have the access and theres so much opportunity out there but we dont have the language, Crisham said through Carbone-Dicarlo.

More classes at the studio are on the way.

Greene intends to host CAYC classes for different groups in the area. She will start a class for those suffering with trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder in September where the instructor will be affiliated with a local veterans group. The classes, like Tuesdays class, still will be available to the general public. She also wants to begin a class in September for people with chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis or lupus.

Those interest in more information on classes may contact Yoga Nine studio at 609-214-6596 or at yoganine.com.
By India Today Web Desk: Taking care of a daughter and working on a film is not a cake walk. Ask actor Akshay Kumar and he will tell you how difficult it is. The 49-year-old actor, who is currently shooting for Reema Kagti's Gold in London, is also babysitting his daughter as wife Twinkle Khanna is touring Europe.

And in an interview to Mumbai Mirror, the Rustom actor confessed that his respect for his wife has gone several notches higher. He told the daily, "My wife (Twinkle Khanna) is touring Europe, my son Aarav is in Oxford for a two-week study course so I'm babysitting my daughter Nitara besides shooting for a film (Reema Kagti's sports-drama Gold). And I have to confess that minding a little girl is a tough job."

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He added, "My admiration for Mrs Funnybones has gone up several notches after realising the magnitude of the task. I don't know how she writes, designs, looks after our children and still manages to stay calm on most days."

Akshay, who is juggling between work and taking care of his daughter, revealed, "Every morning, Nitara and I have breakfast together, then, we go to this park nearby where one can feed rabbits and goats. After her day-nurse comes, I travel to London for my shoot. Post 'pack-up', I take my daughter out again. The other evening, we went to watch Cars. Half way through the film she decided that she was tired, so we had to leave and drive back. I tried explaining to her that I wanted to continue watching the movie till the end, to no avail. Bringing up a baby is tough."

On the work front, Akshay is awaiting the release of Toilet Ek Prem Katha opposite Bhumi Pednekar.

ALSO READ: See Akshay Kumar and kids Aarav-Nitara in 7 photos. Got a better way to beat the Monday blues?

ALSO READ: Twinkle Khanna destroys troll who badmouths her, Akshay Kumar and PM Narendra Modi

ALSO WATCH: Akshay Kumar is the real 'Khiladi' of Bollywood

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ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP)  A man has admitted he was drunk when he struck and killed a co-worker with a top loader on a pier in New Jersey.

Fifty-year-old Victor Belo of North Arlington pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the 2015 death of 49-year-old Judy Jones at the APM marine terminal in Elizabeth. Authorities say Belo had several drinks during lunch before he returned to work at the pier.
MAYS LANDING  An Atco man could face five years in jail and deportation to Mexico after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a relationship he had with an 11-year-old girl, officials said.

Euno Roque-Guerrero, 27, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct before Judge Michael Blee, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced Thursday.

As a part of the guilty plea, Guerrero will be registered as a sex offender, be on parole supervision for life and forfeit his pharmacy technician registration.

At 11:54 p.m. Feb. 20, Hammonton police responded to a report of suspicious vehicle behind a shopping plaza on South Whitehorse Pike. Police found Guerrero in the vehicle with an 11-year-old girl he first identified as his relative but later told police he was dating her.

Guerrero said he and the girl were in the parking lot because they couldnt go to their homes due to their age difference, according to a press release from the Prosecutors Office.

Guerrero had kissed and improperly touched the girl, police and the prosecutors Special Victims Unit found.

Guerrero has been held in the Atlantic County jail since his arrest. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 29
A federal investigation into public employees health benefits extends beyond Margate and into Ventnor and Atlantic City, officials said Monday.

No charges have been filed, and the FBI declined comment.

Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian confirmed the city, like Margate, received a grand jury subpoena in early June from the U.S. Attorneys Office for information about employee health benefits. The city, which has 850 employees on state public health benefits plans, responded that month, he said.

Ventnor City Commissioner Lance Landgraf said Monday his city also received a subpoena but declined to comment further.

On Saturday, Margate Mayor Mike Becker confirmed a federal investigation in his city and said he would suspend without pay any city employees who were indicted as a result. Margate has 116 employees.

Guardian also said any city employee who is indicted would be suspended without pay. The employee would have five days to appeal the suspension for a final determination.

An indictment is just the start of the process, Guardian said. Theyre still innocent until theyre proven guilty.

Longport Mayor Nick Russo said the borough has not received a subpoena for the information.

Special Agent Jessica Weisman of the FBIs Northfield office declined comment Monday.

Margate Superintendent John DiNicola said he has heard the rumors about an ongoing investigation involving a number of public employees. DiNicola said he is not aware of any school district employees being questioned in connection with the investigation.

Guardian said the citys Fire Department will consider mutual aid for the neighboring Downbeach communities in the event of a staffing problem associated with an investigation.

Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans said he will speak with other fire chiefs and departments when more information emerges.

Atlantic City would definitely, absolutely assist our neighbors in anything we can do, Evans said. We will wait and see what happens.

Its still unknown how many people could be affected by the investigation and from which departments, Guardian said.

Staff writers John De-Rosier and Suzanne Marino contributed to this report.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Patients of Dr. James Kauffman, the jailed endocrinologist, have until 4 p.m. Friday to retrieve their medical records from his Ocean Heights Avenue practice before the office closes, according to staff there.

A sign on the door of Atlantic Endocrinology Associates on Ocean Heights Avenue says the office will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until July 21. Staff said records would not be available after that.

Patients were told to call 609-653-0505 to get their records, as it would allow staff to gather them and be able to tell the patients whether the office is in possession of the records and whether they can have them ready when the patient arrives. After several emails and a visit to the office, patients voiced frustration that it was difficult to get through on the phone line.

Inside the office, patients quietly lined up with drivers license or photo identification in hand to show staff members in order to pick up their medical records. Most transactions were pleasant and quick, and after wishing staff members well, the patients left with manila portfolios in their hands with the medical information they will need to take to their next doctor.

Patients whose records were not physically in the office were told to contact the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office at 609-909-7800. A staffer said it could take a while for the records to be copied and returned but that the patient would eventually get them.

Some patients records were seized June 13 by the FBI when Kauffmans office was raided in connection with a medical fraud investigation that resulted in an armed standoff between the doctor and police. Kauffman has been in jail since that time, and his license has been suspended in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He remains licensed in Florida.

Kauffman, of Linwood, was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of hollow-point bullets and obstruction of the administration of law.

The charges are unrelated to an investigation into the 2012 killing of Kauffmans wife, April, a local radio personality and veterans advocate.

According to county Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner, the FBI seized about 1,000 medical files out of the 9,000 to 10,000 files that were kept at Atlantic Endocrinology Associates, of which Kauffman was the sole practitioner.

One of the many patients retrieving records was Ocean City teacher Andi Storey, of Northfield. Storey was there to pick up her husbands records and was told by a member of the Atlantic Endocrinology staff that the records were not there and to contact the Prosecutors Office.

Dr. James Kauffman appeals ruling to keep him in jail MAYS LANDING  Dr. James Kauffman has filed an appeal of a Superior Court judges decision t

A staffer at Kauffmans office said they have been giving patients their records for the past three weeks, which she said is standard procedure when a practice closes permanently. Asked what about the patients who do not get to Kauffmans office before 4 p.m. Friday, the worker said, They will not be able to get them.

She said those people who cannot get to the office can give written authority to a relative or another person who will need to show identification to pick up the records.

Atlantic Endocrinology Associates is at 4030 Ocean Heights Ave. in Egg Harbor Township.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Jailed endocrinologist Dr. James Kauffmans medical practice wound down its last hours Friday as patients scrambled to retrieve their records from the Ocean Heights Avenue office.

The office, the owner of which is listed as Atlantic Downbeach Associates LLC, was set to close for good at 4 p.m.

Kauffman, the sole practitioner in Atlantic Endocrinology Associates, has been in jail since his arrest June 13 on weapons charges, and his license to practice medicine in New Jersey has been suspended.

Sally Russell and her daughter Sarah drove from Mays Landing after reading Friday morning about the office closing. Russell said she had not been to see Kauffman in more than seven years but wanted to get whatever records were in the office.

As she entered the office, a member of Kauffmans staff recognized Russell and informed her that records beyond seven years were no longer kept at the office nor were they available. Russell thanked the staffer and walked outside, saying that while she would have liked to pick up old records, she appreciated not having to wait in the long line only to learn they were not there.

Kauffman was arrested following an armed standoff at his office as police, FBI and the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office attempted to serve a warrant for alleged medical fraud.

His medical license also has been suspended in Pennsylvania. He is still licensed to practice in Florida.

Kauffmans wife, April, a noted radio host, veterans advocate and business owner, was found dead in the couples Linwood home in 2012. The doctor has not been named a suspect in the yet-unsolved murder.

Patients exiting Kauffmans office Friday reported a wait of 40 to 45 minutes to retrieve their records, but no one was complaining. Most seemed genuinely appreciative of the effort Kauffmans staffers were putting in to get each person connected to their medical files and out the door in a timely fashion.

At the same time, not all of Kauffmans patients records were still at the office, as about 1,000 were seized in the June 13 raid, according to Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner. Those patients should call the Prosecutors Office at 609-909-7800.

Francine Branin said she learned of Kauffmans office closing through a Facebook post Thursday night. She drove in from Tuckahoe to pick up records.

We came all the way here because he was a fantastic doctor, Branin said. My son is a diabetic and he was really depressed about having the disease, but Dr. Kauffman was great with him. He made him feel OK about it and was very thoughtful and very kind. I am really very sorry about all of this.

Sally Russell added her thoughts as well.

Dr. Kauffman was a wonderful doctor. His care is part of why I am still here today, said the Mays Landing resident. He figured things out when other doctors could not. He honestly was a wonderful doctor, and I am so sad to see what has happened.
TRENTON  A Millville woman was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison for leading a ring that shoplifted more than $20,000 in merchandise from stores.

Chiara Pender, 30, had pleaded guilty March 10 to a second-degree charge of leading of an organized retail-theft ring, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced.

Last summer, after Penders arrest June 3, 2016, seven ring members were arrested and all pleaded guilty, Porrino wrote in a press release.

Thareick Archer, 26, of Vineland, was sentenced May 26 to 18 months in prison for receiving stolen property.

Mark Rabb III, 30, of Millville, was sentenced April 7 to 30 days in Cumberland County jail for receiving stolen property.

The five other defendants pleaded guilty to charges of theft or receiving stolen property and were sentenced to three-year terms of probation.

Pender and her co-conspirators stole from stores including Burlington Coat Factory, Home Goods, Kohls, Lowes, Marshalls, Rite Aid, Target, TJ Maxx and Walmart, Porrino said.

Pender drove the people she recruited to the stores. They shoplifted clothing, electronics and things that could be hidden easily.

She returned the stolen item without a receipt to obtain gift cards using another co-conspirators to re-enter that store or after driving to another location in the store chain.

Pender sold the gift cards, ranging from $100 to more than $660, at pawn shops, where she received about half the value of the cards in cash, Porrino said.

Organized retail theft is a multibillion-dollar drain on the retail industry caused by criminals like Pender who methodically steal from popular store chains, Porrino said. These thieves think the worst theyll face is a low-level shoplifting charge, but this prison sentence reflects our resolve to ensure they face serious punishment. Well continue to work closely with the industry to prosecute these criminal enterprises aggressively.

The State Police Interstate Theft South Unit and the Division of Criminal Justice investigated.
OCEAN CITY  Bonnie and Bob Monczewski stocked their bar and hung decorations Thursday for their 20th annual Night in Venice party.

On Saturday, Ocean City will rock through the decades during its 63rd annual boat parade. People will decorate boats and homes with memorabilia from decades past in the hopes of winning a prize and enjoying a midsummer weekend at the shore.

Its all about being with family and friends, Bonnie Monczewski said. I have friends that Ive kept in touch with for years coming to the party.

The Monczewski family has hosted a private Night in Venice party for two decades at their West 17th Street home. They expect 50 to 60 people to watch the parade there.

Doug Bergen, Ocean Citys public information officer, said Night in Venice is one of the citys only events that features the bayside of the island, which he says is as much of a jewel as the beach and Boardwalk.

This is one of the weekends when there wont be a vacant room or rental on the island, Bergen said. Restaurants, caterers, ice companies, party supply shops  there are any number of businesses in town who feel a direct impact.

Down the street from the Monczewskis, Maryrose and Dave Gans set up their electric Night in Venice sign and displayed their Great Gazoo painting in preparation for their party, which will have a Flintstones theme this year.

The Ganses will dress up as Barney and Betty Rubble. There will also be a Fred and Wilma Flintstone, as well as a Pebbles, among other characters from the cartoon.

Were not really trying to win any competition, we just both love the weekend, Maryrose Gans said. It does become a lot of work though.

Dave Gans said he received his electric Night in Venice sign from a man whose home was knocked off its foundation during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Instead of fixing it, the man knocked down the home, he said.

Also on 17th Street, Deneen Macauley washed out coolers and prepared for her party. Last year, Macauley won first place in zone seven of the house decorating contest with a New York City theme.

We used to live on the ocean side of the city but moved back here two years ago, Macauley said. We always went to house parties (for Night in Venice) and now love having our own.

But the main event will take place on the water.

The annual boat parade will begin 6:30 p.m. The grand marshal for this years celebration will be Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks on the 1990s NBC show.

Mike Castera, 67, of Somers Point, will continue his family tradition of decorating their boat and participating in the parade.

Castera has been decorating his boat for 34 years, he said. His father, Joe, began decorating a boat more than 50 years ago.

This year, Castera will have a pinball-themed boat in a nod to the song Pinball Wizard by The Who.

Well start getting the boat ready at about 10 a.m. on Saturday, and then its a race to get it done by the parade, Castera said. My dad is a World War II veteran who has done this for decades.  Its just a great tradition.
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By PTI: Jammu, Jul 21 (PTI) An Army jawan was killed in a ceasefire violation by the Pakistan army which opened fire today on Indian posts along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, after a days lull.

Eleven persons, including 9 soldiers, were killed and 18 people injured in 18 ceasefire violations by Pakistan this month.

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"Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts in Sunderbani sector at around 1805 hours today. The Army retaliated strongly and effectively", a defence spokesman said.

In the exchange, Rifleman Jayadrath Singh, hailing from Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpuir district, was grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries, he said. The soldier is survived by his wife. PTI AB BSA

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Medicare is the federal health-insurance program for people 65 or older and certain people with disabilities. Beneficiaries love the program and depend on it, and so do a large and unknown number of criminals and scam artists.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors announced the settlement of a Medicare fraud case involving a Pennsylvania hospice firm with a location in Marmora, Cape May County. Prosecutors said the company admitted patients who didnt need hospice care for nearly seven years starting in 2005.

Compassionate Care of Gwynedd Inc., of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, agreed to pay $2 million to settle the case. Whistleblowers will get $350,000.

At the same time, the U.S. Attorneys Office for northern Georgia announced another unit of national hospice company Compassionate Care Hospice Group agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit. Prosecutors said Compassionate Care Hospice of Atlanta paid five physicians to refer patients and certify they were eligible for hospice care, according to McKnights Long-Term Care News.

Thats not all. The same day, the U.S. Attorneys Office for eastern Pennsylvania announced an $8.8 million settlement by Home Hospice Care Inc., owned by two Philadelphia couples. Three of the owners are among 22 people with the firm convicted of criminal charges in the case, which submitted $14.3 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

Medicare is far too easy to defraud, as the motorized wheelchair scandal showed several years ago.

Examples from that included a doctor and a medical supply firm owner in California who were sentenced to jail for swindling Medicare with millions of dollars worth of bogus prescriptions for the wheechairs. A Nigerian woman in Texas took Medicare for $1.6 million from 2007 to 2009 for improper wheelchair claims, some for deceased people.

Investigations of Medicare revealed that of the approximately 5 million new claims it receives each day, fewer than 3 percent are checked by a live person before they are paid.

The scale of Medicare fraud became apparent when it began reviewing power-wheelchair claims in some states  now 19  in 2012. As a result of that limited effort to ensure claims were legitimate, government spending on power wheelchairs fell by 78 percent.

Every couple of years the federal Medicare Fraud Strike Force rounds up a shocking number of suspects  invariably including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals  charged with making millions in false billings.

In 2013, the strike forced charged 89 people with making $223 million in fraudulent Medicare claims. Two years later, 243 people were charged with participating in Medicare fraud schemes worth $712 million.

Last week, right on schedule, the U.S. Justice Department said it had charged more than 400 people, including 56 doctors, with committing $1.3 billion in government health benefits fraud.

Since 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged more than 3,500 people with falsely billing Medicare for more than $12.5 billion.

Given Medicares drastically insufficient oversight of claims, undetected fraud is probably many times that amount.

As national and state leaders grapple with improving health insurance and care, they should make sure that whatever the system, it doesnt massively waste taxpayers money by making fraudulent payments.
Trash tide after A.C. show

What I witnessed after a wonderful beach concert July 12 in Atlantic City was utterly disgusting. The concert was over and the crowd headed for the Boardwalk. I am a bit slower so I stayed behind until the crowd thinned out.

One of the ladies that I was with walked down to the water and motioned to the remaining people on the beach to walk to her. She looked and sounded distressed. Upon reaching her I saw what was a river of trash washing into the ocean.

The concert was an expensive production, yet no one took into account that the tide would wash up and take the filth thrown on the beach back out with it. Towels, cups, cans just washing into the ocean like it was supposed to happen. Someone needs to be seriously fined for this.

There were many security personnel riding quads right over it. After a short period, the 12 people who were actually cleaning this horrific mess with their bare hands were told to get off of the beach. This city needs to get it together.

Daria LoRusso

Brooklawn, Camden County

Vote fraud inconsequential

Regarding the July 12 commentary by Jason Snead, The persistent problem of voter fraud require electoral reforms:

Sneads column supporting the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity headed by Vice President Mike Pence must be based on alternative math. More than 136 million votes were cast in the 2016 national election. The Heritage Foundation database, lauded by Snead, has identified a total of 581 cases of voter fraud and 848 criminal convictions. Snead cites this as clear evidence that reform is needed.

A company with $136 million in sales that lost $585 to theft wouldnt revamp its security systems or fingerprint its employees. It would probably throw a party.

Joan Farrell

Egg Harbor Township

Laws must be enforced

Many people now feel that the laws do not apply to them, and if they break the law, they should not have to accept the punishment.

If people do not stop at a stop sign, they are going to get a ticket and a fine. If they come to this country on a visa and it expires, they have to get the visa renewed or return to their country. That is the law.

If a states law says people need photo identification to vote, they must show the ID. There is a federal law against sedition. If someone encourages or practices sedition toward any government official, they are violating the law and should expect to be punished.

If people feel that any law is improper, they should contact their elected representatives who can change that law. These representatives are responsible to all of the constituents in their area. They have the authority to change the law. People do not have the right to disobey the law without suffering the consequences.

Frank Priolo

Hammonton
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to conduct an audit of the purchase and sale of onion and videotape the entire bidding process of the sale in the presence of five officials.

By Hemender Sharma: The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to conduct an audit of the purchase and sale of onion and videotape the entire bidding process of the sale in the presence of five officials. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting that was convened to discuss the way forward after an India Today investigation exposed how corrupt officials were manipulating the sale of freshly-procured onion.

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The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and attended by his top advisors and secretaries.

The government, while acting on the India Today investigation, had earlier suspended SK Soni, General Manager of the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, who was caught on camera trying to fix a deal. The government also referred the matter to the Economic Offices Wing (EOW) of the state police that registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Soni.

EOW CONDUCTS RAIDS

Soni was arrested by the EOW on Thursday and his office sealed. The EOW has also raided the Shajapur and Ujjain Mandis, where Soni had claimed deals were fixed.

The Opposition Congress also walked out of Madhya Pradesh Assembly while referring to the India Today investigation showing farmers getting fleeced in mandis across the state. "While the state government claims that it is helping farmers, the reality has been exposed by the India Today investigation," leader of Opposition Ajay Singh said after staging the walkout.

The government last month announced that it would procure onions at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 8 per kg after farmers took to the streets demanding a better price for their produce. The government has so far already procured onions worth over 700 crore and most of it is either rotting in the open or has been sold to traders at Rs 2 per kg.

Also read | India Today impact: MP govt asks EOW to register case against those exposed in onion auction scam

Also read | How onion auction was rigged to sell to private players at throwaway prices in MP

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | India Today impact: MP govt seeks criminal case against accused in onion auction scam

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) A CAG report has exposed wasteful and avoidable expenditures, and irregularities in three IITs at Jodhpur, Roorkee, and Madras, that cost the exchequer around Rs 18.03 crores.

According to the Comptroller and Auditor Generals report - Compliance Audit Observations for year ended March 2016 - IIT-Roorkee spent Rs 15.06 crore in vain for construction of sewer lines and sewage treatment plant projects which was not completed even after four years from the date of completion.

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IIT-Roorkee had also paid service tax to the tune of around Rs 1.33 crores for outsourced services although these services were exempted from such tax, the report stated.

IIT-Jodhpur had irregularly waived recovery of excess payment amounting to Rs 59.38 lakh to its faculty.

The report said, "The MHRD has directed IIT-Jodhpur to stop overpayment and recover the excess payments".

IIT-Madras has been accused of incurring avoidable expenditure of Rs 1.05 crores towards penal charges on electricity consumption.

Besides, Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode (IIM-K) has also been accused of extending GPF-cum-pension scheme to its employees without government approval which has cost Rs 61.20 lakh. PTI CPB KUN

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GOTEBORG, Sweden, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Capio AB are hereby invited to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) with the purpose of new election of Hans Ramel as ordinary member of the Board. The EGM will be held at Lilla Bommen Konferenscenter, Lilla Bommen 4A, 411 04 Gothenburg, Sweden, at 4.00 p.m. CET on Tuesday 22 August 2017. Registration will commence from 3.30 p.m. CET.

A. RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

Shareholders who wish to participate in the EGM must:

Firstly , be registered in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB no later than Wednesday 16 August 2017, and

Secondly , notify the company of their intention to attend the EGM under the address Capio AB, c/o Euroclear Sweden, "Extraordinary General Meeting", P.O. Box 191, SE-101 23 Stockholm, by calling +46-8-402-91-36, weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., or at the website www.capio.com no later than Wednesday 16 August 2017.

In connection with notification, shareholders must state their name, address, telephone number (daytime), personal or corporate identity number and information concerning their shareholding. Shareholders or proxies for shareholders at the EGM may take a maximum of two representatives with them to the EGM. Representatives may be brought to the Meeting only if the shareholder gives notice of their attendance as described above for notification of participation of shareholders. For shareholders who will be represented by proxy at the EGM, the original version of a signed and dated power of attorney must be enclosed with the notification. A form for the power of attorney is available on the company's website, www.capio.com and will be sent by mail on request to shareholders who state their address. For those representing a legal entity, a verified copy of the registration certificate or corresponding document showing the company's signatories must also be submitted.

In order to be entitled to participate in the EGM, shareholders whose shareholding is registered in the name of a trustee must re-register their shares in their own name at Euroclear Sweden AB. Shareholders who require such re-registration should notify their trustee well in advance of Wednesday 16 August 2017, when such re-registration must have been completed.

B. AGENDA OF THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING



Proposal for agenda

Opening of the Meeting. Election of Chairman of the Meeting. Preparation and approval of the list of shareholders entitled to vote at the Meeting. Approval of the agenda. Election of one or two persons to approve the minutes of the Meeting. Determination of whether the Meeting has been duly convened. Determination of the number of members and deputy members of the Board. Election of members of the Board; new election of Hans Ramel . Determination of the fees of the Board. Closing of the Meeting.

The Nomination Committee's proposals

Proposals regarding election of Chairman of the Meeting and election of Board members (Items 2 and 7-9)

The Nomination Committee, consisting of Per Colleen (Fjarde AP-fonden), Chairman, Joakim Rubin (Zeres Capital), Per Hesselmark (R12 Kapital), Bo Lundgren (Swedbank Robur fonder), Hans Ek (SEB Fonder) and Michael Wolf (Chairman of the Board), proposes the following:

- The Chairman of the Board, Michael Wolf, shall be elected Chairman of the Meeting.

- The number of Board Members shall be eight, without deputies.

- New election of Hans Ramel as ordinary member of the Board to replace Fredrik Naslund, who has declared that he is no longer at the disposal for the Board due to Nordic Capital VI Limited having divested its holding of shares in Capio. It is noted that the Board thereby consists of Michael Wolf (chairman), Gunnar Nemeth, Birgitta Stymne Goransson, Pascale Richetta, Michael Flemming, Gunilla Rudebjer, Joakim Rubin and Hans Ramel.

- The annual fees of the Board, and its committees, as resolved at the Annual General Meeting on 3 May 2017 shall continue to apply and shall as between Hans Ramel and Fredrik Naslund, as applicable, be divided pro rata between themselves in relation to their respective duty periods during the time from the Annual General Meeting 2017 until the end of the next Annual General Meeting.

Hans Ramel (born 1964), MBA, is one of the founders and partner of R12 Kapital AB. Before this, Hans has worked at Oriflame Cosmetics and Coopers & Lybrand Consulting. Hans is a member of the Board of, among others, Aditro Group AB, NCAB Holding AB, OSM Holding AB, Stichting af Jochnick Foundation and Twilfit AB.

C. NUMBER OF SHARES AND VOTES IN THE COMPANY

The total number of shares and voting rights in the company is 141,159,661.

D. INFORMATION AT THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

At the EGM, the Board and the Managing Director shall, if requested by a shareholder and the Board considers that it can be done without material damage to the company, provide information regarding issues that may (i) affect the assessment of an item on the agenda, (ii) affect the assessment of the company's or a subsidiary's financial situation or (iii) concern the company's relation to another group company. A shareholder may send questions in advance by mail to Capio AB, "EGM", P.O. Box 1064, SE-405 22 Gothenburg, Sweden, or by email to agm@capio.com.

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.

Contact:

Henrik Brehmer

SVP Group Communication and Public Affairs

Telephone: +46-761-11-34-14

E-mail: henrik.brehmer@capio.com



This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/capio-ab/r/extraordinary-general-meeting-in-capio-ab--publ-,c2315052

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SOURCE Capio AB
SANYA, China, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 Sanya Global Wedding and Honeymoon Island Forum (GWHI Forum) concluded on July 20, 2017 at The Sanya EDITION. The forum's theme was "Love, connecting the world."

Nearly 200 overseas representatives from the world's 20 leading wedding and honeymoon island countries and regions gathered in Sanya to share experiences and exchange ideas on the development of the global wedding tourism industry. Delegations were from China (Sanya and Taiwan), Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia, the Cook Islands, Mauritius, Spain (Balearic Islands), Thailand (Phuket and Koh Samui), Maldives, Japan, Fiji, Seychelles, New Zealand, South Korea, the United States (Saipan and Guam), the Philippines (Boracay), Greece (Santorini), Australia and Tahiti.

A series of events were held during the forum, including keynote speeches from participating delegations, wedding-themed folk performances, a VIP round-table meeting, a Sanya wedding tourism sourcing fair, and wedding shows by Chinese designers at The Sanya EDITION, The Shanhaitian Resort Sanya, Autograph Collection and InterContinental Sanya Resort.

"Sanya is a romantic city full of happiness. As the first city in China to roll out a wedding destination marketing strategy, Sanya has achieved rapid growth in the wedding tourism market via its holistic tourism development plan. The city now offers a variety of featured wedding products and services by integrating its wedding tourism resources which has garnered considerable attention for the city," said Mr. Bao Jian, Executive Vice Mayor of the Sanya Municipal People's Government, during his welcoming speech at the opening ceremony.

Thanks to Sanya's strong economic engine and a huge tourism consumption market, Sanya, an important strategic pivot point on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aimed to use the 2017 GWHI Forum to actively build a cooperative platform for global wedding and honeymoon destination islands. The forum represents the first formal piece of IP (Intellectual Property) created by Sanya in the professional international conference and exhibition sector. Sanya is on its way to becoming a world-class wedding and honeymoon destination island.

According to incomplete statistics, in 2016, Sanya received some 300,000 couples who had their wedding photographs taken in the city, and over 10,000 couples who visited Sanya on their honeymoons, generating tourism consumption of more than 8 billion yuan.

Sanya Wedding Tourism Sourcing Fair

A promotional conference for Sanya wedding tourism and a Sanya wedding tourism sourcing fair were held at The Sanya EDITION on July 19, 2017.

The Sanya wedding tourism sourcing fair attracted more than 500 purchasers from wedding companies across China seeking business opportunities with 50 star-rated hotels, 8 scenic spots, and 50 local wedding tourism service providers from the Greater Sanya Tourism Circle.

Deals with a total value of over 185 million yuan were made during the fair.

VIP Round-table Meeting

The VIP Round-table Meeting of the 2017 GWHI Forum was held at The Sanya EDITION on July 19, 2017. During the meeting, the GWHI Organization and Committee were established and it was determined that a permanent secretariat would be set up in Sanya and that a GWHI Information Exchange Center will be built. It was also decided that organizers would collect the information on each island country and region, a list of wedding and honeymoon resource providers, and a list of Chinese purchasers, and that the information would be easily accessible to all members.

The VIP Round-table Meeting also confirmed that Sanya will be the permanent host city for the GWHI Forum. The date for the 2nd GWHI Forum has been set for June 2018. The "Sanya Vision for the 2017 GWHI Forum" was released during the meeting. The vision plan set out a list of goals and guidelines that all participating island countries and regions should work together to achieve during the 2017-2018 period.

The GWHI Forum provided a solid platform for participating island countries and regions to strengthen exchange and cooperation. Through sincere and open communication, and mutual learning, member countries and regions will work towards building each participating island country and region into an emerging wedding tourism destination on the world stage.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170721/1904202-1-a

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170721/1904202-1-b

SOURCE Sanya Tourism Development Commission
MILWAUKEE, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A. O. Smith Corporation and The Water Council have selected Nanolytix of Toronto as the 2017 winner of the BREW Corporate: Powered by A. O. Smith challenge.

Nanolytix is a pioneer in artificial intelligence and sensor technologies for water quality detection applications. The unique water quality sensor technology detects the presence of pathogens and other contaminants in real time using handheld devices.

"We're excited about the prospective opportunities to partner with the Nanolytix team alongside A. O. Smith engineers at the Corporate Technology Center and the Global Water Center," notes Dr. Robert Heideman, chief technology officer at A. O. Smith Corporation. "The potential for a low cost, water quality sensing technology made Nanolytix a great fit within our global water strategy."

Nanolytix Chief Executive Officer Harjeet Bajaj says, "We're excited about the chance to rapidly commercialize our water technologies with the help of A. O. Smith's comprehensive platform. We see an opportunity to leverage A. O. Smith's global presence to more effectively access global markets."

The Business, Research, Entrepreneurship in Wisconsin (BREW) Corporate challenge focused on four areas of interest to A. O. Smith: water purification, water heating, sensors, and innovative technologies.

All entries were reviewed by a panel of A. O. Smith employees, The Water Council senior staff, and subject matter experts in the area of freshwater science.

"We felt Nanolytix and their unique sensor technology would be a good investment for both A. O. Smith and The Water Council," Heideman continued.

The Nanolytix team will receive a minimum investment of $50,000 from A. O. Smith, as well as tuition to participate in The Water Council's 12-month accelerator program in Milwaukee. In addition to the investment, the winning entrepreneurs receive:

A suite in the Global Water Center for up to 12 months;

Business model and operations training through The Water Council and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Institute for Water Business;

Institute for Water Business; Access to the Global Water Center's Flow Lab and A. O. Smith product engineering labs;

product engineering labs; Mentorship from A. O. Smith corporate development and senior engineering staff, as well as direct access to BREW Preferred Partners;

corporate development and senior engineering staff, as well as direct access to BREW Preferred Partners; Attendance to conferences and pitch sessions with The Water Council; and

A one-year membership to The Water Council providing access to an extensive water technology network.

"Adding Nanolytix to the BREW portfolio is a significant win for all of us," says Dean Amhaus, president and CEO at The Water Council. "Four years ago there was no established way of finding water startups located around the world. Now we're able to match A. O. Smith with a unique water startup from Canada and help both companies grow in Wisconsin's water innovation hub."

Finalization of the winner, Nanolytix, is pending final contract negotiations.

About BREW Accelerator

Launched in 2013 by The Water Council, the BREW (Business  Research  Entrepreneurship  In Wisconsin) Accelerator unleashes water innovation by funding water technology startups from around the world with commercialization potential. This first-of-its-kind accelerator pairs a unique water-focused startup community with credible resources of Milwaukee's world water hub to help entrepreneurs accelerate results, inspire action to create further opportunity, and disrupt the status quo.

BREW Corporate Accelerator, an expansion of the BREW, partners with global corporations, including Veolia and A. O. Smith Corporation, looking for new technologies to solve a specific challenge. By combining funding with access to executive-level mentors, corporate R&D, and intensive business training, BREW Corporate accelerates the development of high-caliber startups. Startups compete in a challenge revolving around specific areas of interest identified by each corporation. Those who show the highest likelihood of solving the challenge are selected for the program. For more information, visit www.thewatercouncil.com/brew.

About Nanolytix

Nanolytix is a global leader in rapid testing technology in the areas of water and air. The company launched in 2016 with locations in Toronto and Hamilton, Ont., Canada. For more information, visit www.nanolytix.ca.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., is a global leader applying innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products. For more information, visit www.aosmith.com.

About The Water Council

Headquartered in the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next to the world's largest freshwater system, The Water Council is a non-profit organization that drives economic, technology and talent development to support the global water industry. As the leading U.S. cluster, and one of the most powerful water technology hubs in the world, the organization convenes global water leaders and supports more than 190 members from small and mid-sized businesses and large global corporations to engineers, entrepreneurs, utilities, government agencies, education programs and non-profits, with valuable services, programming and networking opportunities. Established as a 501(c)(3) in 2009, the driving force behind its success is the vibrant spirit of collaboration between public, private and academic sectors with a strong, shared commitment to finding innovative solutions to critical global water challenges. For more information, visit www.thewatercouncil.com.

SOURCE A. O. Smith Corporation

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WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) today issued a report authored by The Menges Group which quantifies the current and potential savings to Medicaid programs around the country realized by adoption of the managed care model. Those savings  based on reasonable changes to the Medicaid  are only a fraction of the drastic cuts anticipated in plans to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act. The report estimates that in 2016, Medicaid managed care results in nationwide savings of $7.1 billion, and projects savings from existing managed care programs to total $94.4 billion over the next ten years. The report also estimates that total savings of $63 billion  including $35 billion in federal savings  could be realized over the next ten years if all Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) spending were to be moved to a capitated managed-care model. All savings estimates are relative to the FFS coverage setting.

Baseline data used to develop the estimates were obtained from annual CMS-64 state-level reports on Medicaid expenditures.

Managed care is poised to become the dominant payment model for Medicaid. As recently as 2010, capitated managed care represented just over a quarter of total Medicaid spending nationwide. That figure rose to 48.9 percent of national Medicaid expenditures by 2016, and this percentage will likely continue to increase.

"This report puts in black and white the fact that managed care can save precious Medicaid resources while at the same time maintaining a high level of access and quality care," said ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray. "Should Congress continue to turn to managed care's predictable budgeting and quality management tools to effect further savings, they must assure that Medicaid managed care plans are reimbursed in an actuarially sound manner. If states are allowed to compromise or waive actuarial soundness, plans will consider dropping out of the Medicaid program. And states and Congress will be back at square one."

This report draws a sharp contrast to the nearly $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid spending currently under contemplation on Capitol Hill. "There are ways to improve the efficiency of the Medicaid program, to be sure," added Murray. "$800 billion in budget cuts are simply a different order of magnitude than what innovation and system reform can provide. These cuts aren't trimming fat from the Medicaid program. They get at muscle and bone."

To read the report in full, visit www.communityplans.net.

About ACAP

ACAP represents 60 Safety Net Health Plans, which provide health coverage to more than twenty million people in 29 states. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.

SOURCE Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP)

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ANCHORAGE, Ala., July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) today filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court in response to a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in October of last year. The ruling upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 2012 decision listing the Alaska population of the bearded seal as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Joining ASRC in the petition are the State of Alaska, the North Slope Borough, the Northwest Arctic Borough, the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope and NANA Regional Corporation.

"This is yet another example of federal overreach threatening the quality of life and economic viability of Alaska Native communities," said Rex A. Rock Sr., ASRC president and CEO. "The Ninth Circuit's decision will have detrimental effects on growth and sustainability in our region, at a time when the state's economy is already on unstable ground."

Rock continued, "By accepting uncertain 100-year climate projections as the basis for a threatened listing, the appellate court has undermined the statutory requirement that threats to a species be foreseeable. The Ninth Circuit's permissive standard for the listing of species not only creates unnecessary regulatory burdens on the North Slope, but sets the stage for additional species to be considered for ESA listing throughout the entire state."

"If the ESA listing for bearded seals were to stand, it would require us to recover a population that has not yet declined," said Bruce Dale, Director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "That is simply not possible and a poor use of resources."

"We are deeply concerned by this decision, just as we were five years ago," said North Slope Borough Mayor Harry K. Brower, Jr. "We want to work together with industry and government agencies to protect the subsistence rights of our people, protect the environment, and develop all the resources of the North Slope in a responsible manner. We support this court petition, but we are always ready to meet and discuss a way forward."

In 2013, Alaska Native entities, the State of Alaska, and the oil and gas industry filed lawsuits challenging the NMFS listing decision. The Alaska District Court vacated the bearded seal listing in the summer of 2014, concluding that "forecasting more than 50 years into the future is simply too speculative and remote." NMFS appealed the ruling.

About ASRC

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation is owned by and represents the business interests of the Arctic Slope Inupiat. Since opening enrollment in 1990 to Alaska Natives born after 1971, the corporation's shareholder base has nearly tripled, growing from the 3,700 original enrollees to around 13,000 today. Corporate headquarters are based in Barrow, Alaska, with administrative and subsidiary offices located in Anchorage and throughout the United States. ASRC, along with its family of companies, is the largest Alaskan-owned company, employing approximately 11,000 people worldwide. The company has six major business segments: petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services, construction, industrial services, government services and resource development.

CONTACT:

Ty Hardt

Sr. Director of Communications Desk (907) 339-6888

Mobile (907) 223-3253

[email protected]

SOURCE Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

Related Links

http://www.asrc.com


PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlantis, Paradise Island (the "Resort") today announced that a recent data security incident may have compromised the security of payment information of some customers who used debit or credit cards at food and beverage and retail locations at the Resort between November 1, 2016 and April 3, 2017. We have engaged professionals who have corrected the issue and customers can now safely use their credit and debit cards at the food and beverage and retail locations at the Resort. This incident did not affect credit and debit cards used to make or pay for hotel reservations or purchases made by guests who charged their food and beverage or retail purchases back to their room.

What Happened? The Resort began investigating unusual activity after receiving reports from its credit card processor. The Resort immediately began working with third-party forensic experts to investigate these reports and to identify any signs of compromise on its computer systems. On May 10, 2017, the Resort confirmed the existence of suspicious files on its computer systems that indicated a potential compromise of customers' credit and debit card data for some credit and debit cards used at food and beverage and retail locations at the resort.

The Resort has been working with third-party forensic investigators to determine what happened and what information was affected. The Resort has confirmed that malware may have captured data from some credit and debit cards used at food and beverage and retail locations at the Resort. The Resort has removed the malware at issue to contain this incident and implemented additional procedures in an effort to prevent any further unauthorized access to customers' credit and debit card information. This incident did not affect credit and debit cards used to make or pay for hotel reservations or purchases made by guests who charged their food and beverage or retail purchases back to their room.

What Information Was Involved? Through the ongoing third-party forensic investigations, the Resort confirmed that malware may have captured credit and debit card data from some credit and debit cards used at food and beverage and retail locations between November 1, 2016 and April 3, 2017. The information at risk as a result of this event for credit or debit cards used at the impacted locations includes the card number, expiration date and CVV. This incident did not involve customers' Social Security numbers as this information is never collected by the Resort. This incident did not involve customers' names or PIN numbers, either.

What We Are Doing. "The Resort takes the security of our customers' information extremely seriously, and we apologize for the inconvenience this incident may have caused our customers," Howard C. Karawan, President and Managing Director of Atlantis, Paradise Island, stated. Mr. Karawan expanded, "We continue to work with third-party forensic investigators to ensure the security of our systems on behalf of our customers and would like to take this opportunity to remind customers to remain vigilant against fraud by reviewing their financial account statements regularly and reporting any suspicious activity."

For More Information. Customers can email [email protected] for more information regarding this incident. Customers can also find information on this incident and what they can do to better protect against fraud and identity theft at www.atlantisbahamas.com.

What You Can Do. The Resort encourages all customers to remain vigilant against identity theft by reviewing their financial account statements regularly and monitoring their credit reports for suspicious activity. Customers should immediately report any unauthorized charges to their card issuer. The phone number to call is usually on the back of the credit or debit card. Under U.S. law, individuals over the age of 18 are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Customers may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report.

The Resort encourages customers who believe they may be affected by this incident to take additional action to further protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss. At no charge, customers can have these credit bureaus place a "fraud alert" on their file, alerting creditors to take additional steps to verify their identity prior to granting credit in their name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect the customer, a fraud alert may also delay customers' ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies their identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms a customer's fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on the customer's file. Should customers wish to place a fraud alert or have any questions regarding their credit reports, they may contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Equifax Experian TransUnion P.O. Box 105069 P.O. Box 2002 P.O. Box 2000 Atlanta, GA 30348 Allen, TX 75013 Chester, PA 19022 1-800-525-6285 1-888-397-3742 1-800-680-7289 www.equifax.com www.experian.com www.transunion.com

Customers may also place a security freeze on their credit reports. A security freeze prohibits a credit reporting agency from releasing any information from a customer's credit report without the consumer's written authorization. However, customers should be aware that placing a security freeze on their credit reports may delay, interfere with or prevent the timely approval of any requests they make for new loans, credit mortgages, employment, housing, or other services. If a customer has been a victim of identity theft and provides a credit reporting agency with a valid police report, the agency cannot charge the customer to place, lift or remove a security freeze. In all other cases, a credit reporting agency may charge a fee to place, temporarily lift or permanently remove a security freeze. Customers will need to place security freezes separately with each of the three major credit bureaus listed above if they wish to place a freeze on all of their credit files. To find out more about how to place a security freeze, customers can contact the credit reporting agencies using the information below:

Equifax Security Freeze

P.O. Box 105788

Atlanta, GA 30348

1-800-685-1111

(NY residents please call

1-800-349-9960)

www.freeze.equifax.com Experian Security Freeze

P.O. Box 9554

Allen, TX 75013

1-888-397-3742

www.experian.com/freeze/center.html TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance

P.O. Box 2000

Chester, PA 19022

Fraud Division

1-888-909-8872

www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze

Customers can further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts and the steps they can take to protect themselves, by contacting the Federal Trade Commission or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580, www.ftc.gov/idtheft/, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with the Commission. Customers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Customers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, customers will likely need to provide some kind of proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement. This notice has not been delayed as a result of a law enforcement investigation.

SOURCE Atlantis, Paradise Island
He made the comments during a closed meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

By Press Trust of India: Citing strong ties with Asian giants India and China, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering attack against the European Union (EU) describing its treatment of the Jewish state as "crazy" and "self-defeating".

"We have a peculiar situation. The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel, that produces technology in every area, on political conditions. The only one," Netanyahu told four European leaders on Wednesday during a closed meeting that was inadvertently caught by an open microphone.

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The details of the meeting accidentally got broadcast to journalists in a nearby room because of the open microphone. The feed was cut off as soon as it was discovered.

Pointing towards Israel's growing technological collaborations with India and China, without such conditions, Netanyahu emphasised that Chinese President Xi Jinping called Israel an "innovation giant".

"We have a special relationship with China and they don't care about the political issues," local media quoted him as saying.

ON NARENDRA MODI'S RECENT VISIT TO ISRAEL

The Israeli leader also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Israel, saying that the Indian leader said he needed to take care of India's interests.

"I need more water, clean water. Where will I get it...," Netanyahu quoted Modi as saying.

He made the comments during the closed meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Czech Republic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

"I think it is crazy, I think it is actually crazy," Netanyahu said. "I am not talking about my interests, Israel's interests; I'm talking about Europe's interests."

Europe is endangering its own development by endangering its ties with Israel over this crazy attempt to create conditions for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, he said, adding that Israel is right there and Europe is disconnecting itself from this massive center of innovation.

"If this were only about my interests, I wouldn't have brought it up. Don't undermine the only country in the region that is looking after Europe's interests. Stop attacking Israel, support Israel," the Israeli premier warned.

Orban responded to Netanyahu in a conciliatory tone, saying that EU sets similar conditions to its member states as well.

"Europe must decide if it wants to live and prosper or wither and disappear. I see you're shocked because I'm not being politically correct," Netanyahu told the EU leaders in an unprecedented tirade.

EU-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT

He went on to further talk about his disagreements with former US president Barack Obama and even accepted hitting arms transfers to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Syria dozens of times, something the international media attributes to Israel but the Jewish state maintains ambiguity around it, neither accepting responsibility nor denying it.

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"We had a big problem with US policy. It's different now. There's a stronger stance against Iran. There's a renewed American presence in our region and more bombings, and that's positive," Netanyahu said.

"I told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, when we see (Iran) transferring weapons to Hezbollah, we'll hit them. We've done it dozens of times," he was heard as saying.

The hawkish leader was trying to convince his counterparts to communicate to their colleagues the need to push forward the EU-Israel Association agreement that has been frozen since Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008- 2009.

Also Watch:

PM Modi, Netanyahu visit desalination plant at Olga beach in Israel

--- ENDS ---
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mike Morgan (#88) gave it his all after the collision with Trevor Kruckeberg (#63) on Saturday, but with that Tommy Boileau (#16) gained the lead taking the win.

Boileau won his first feature win of the Minimizer Bandit Big Rig Series event at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, giving the crowd something to cheer for the last couple of laps of the 25-lap A-main.

"It's my first season racing on ovals, I've always run road courses. Finally got a win here on the oval, glad to do it at this awesome track down here in Iowa," said Boileau.

The last 3 laps were action packed with Morgan in the lead and the $10,000 in hand until he ran into lap traffic and collided with Trevor Kruckeberg, pushing him to the back of the pack. With three laps left to go Boileau, takes the lead and takes first place and the $10,000. Despite his setback, Morgan still managed to race his way from the back to third and take home $5,000.

"It was fun seeing Tommy Boileau take home his feature win of the Bandit Series," Brian Madsen said. " You never know how it'll turn out, even the last lap can take you from first to last. Every Bandit has a shot at taking home the $10,000."

With Boileau taking the win on Saturday, he passes Justin Ball (#17) for third in the points standings. Ricky Rude (#14) still remains in first with 2513.5 points, But Morgan coming close in second only 60 points behind Rude.

"Hopefully we get to come back next year. I had a total blast," said Boileau.

"The people and staff of Hawkeye Downs Speedway made The Bandits feel right at home at their beautiful track. We can't wait to come back in 2018!" said Madsen.

"We're proud to be a part of a new series like the Bandit Series," said Race Director of Hawkeye Downs Speedway Kevin Korsmo, "It was just so exciting to see them on the track tonight and actually race".

The Minimizer Bandit Big Rig Series moves on to Madison International Speedway in Madison, Wisconsin, July 28th.

About Bandit Big Rig Series

The Minimizer Bandit Big Rig Series returns big rig tractor truck racing to the short track in the United States. The series was designed to be affordable and accessible for anyone wishing to put together a race team.

For additional information, please contact Elijah Van Sice at (320) 212-0290, or email [email protected].

Media Contact:

Craig Kruckeberg

Minimizer Bandit Big Rig Series

(612) 360-9936

[email protected]

SOURCE Minimizer
NEW YORK, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Betterment, the largest independent online financial advisor, today announced a $70 million round of funding, an extension of last year's Series E. Swedish investment company Kinnevik led the round, extending its financing from last year. Previous investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, and Francisco Partners also participated in the round.

Over the past 15 months, Betterment has grown from managing $4 billion to now nearly $10 billion in assets for more than 270,000 customers. Since the company's last financing in March 2016, Betterment has launched a series of new product innovations including access to licensed financial experts on the phone, advanced tax-efficiency tools, portfolio personalization, and a range of other new features. This financing will enable Betterment to continue to aggressively grow its business and increase product development.

"Kinnevik and Betterment have formed a strong partnership over the last year, and we welcome their increased commitment to our growth story," said Jon Stein, Founder and CEO of Betterment. "We've always prioritized what would have the biggest impact for our customers. Since the beginning, that's meant focusing on delivering the best possible after-tax returns and empowering customers to do what's best with their money. The additional funding will allow us to fulfill our mission and continue to build products that put even more money back in our customers' pockets."

"The follow-on investment into Betterment aligns with our strategy of investing over multiple rounds into high-performing technology enabled companies," said Chris Bischoff, Senior Investment Director, of Kinnevik AB. "Betterment has continued to impress us with its strong growth, customer-centric focus, cutting-edge technology and talented team. After a year of investment, we saw additional opportunities for growth and proposed the financing to Betterment. We are excited about the opportunity to deepen our relationship."

Betterment offers a globally diversified portfolio of index-tracking exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with personalized advice in a goal-based investing framework. Customers can open and customize regular investment accounts, traditional/SEP/Roth IRAs, trust accounts, and accounts for retirement income. Betterment also has expanded its platform to serve advisors and 401(k) markets. For more information, please visit Betterment.com.

Contact Info:

Joe Ziemer, [email protected], 212-228-1328

Arielle Sobel, [email protected], 646-836-9246

Danielle Shechtman, [email protected], 212-228-1328

Betterment is the largest independent robo-advisor, helping people to intelligently manage and grow their wealth through smarter technology. With more than 270,000 customers and nearly $10 billion in assets under management, the service offers a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs, designed to help provide you with higher expected returns for retirement planning, building wealth, and other savings goals. Betterment also helps customers get on track for a comfortable retirement with RetireGuide, a retirement planning tool that lets people know how much they should save and if they are investing correctly. Betterment was a CNBC Disruptor 50, FT 300 and Webby award winner, and it has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal. Betterment helps people work to achieve a smarter financial future with minimal effort and for a fraction of the cost of traditional financial services.

Investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities. Determination of largest independent robo-advisor reflects Betterment LLC's distinction of having highest number of assets under management, based on Betterment's review of assets self-reported in the SEC's Form ADV, across Betterment's survey of independent robo-advisor investing services as of July 11, 2016. As used here, "independent" means that a robo-advisor has no affiliation with the financial products it recommends to its clients. If you also have a 401(k) account through Betterment For Business, that account is subject to a separate fee schedule and is not included in your balance for determining eligibility for the fee tiers or subject to the fee cap mentioned above.

SOURCE Betterment

Related Links

http://www.betterment.com


NEW YORK, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Biogas Plant Market: Overview



The global biogas plant market report by Transparency Market Research provides in-depth analysis of the biogas plant market globally. The report segments the market on the basis of feedstock type and geography. The report analyzes the global biogas plant market in terms of biogas plant volume (Units) 20162022. For this research study, the base year is 2015, whereas the forecast is from 2016 to 2022. The report provides a comprehensive competitive landscape and features companies involved in entire supply chain of biogas plant including component providers, biogas plant manufacturers, suppliers, EPC players and others. This report includes the key dynamics affecting the biogas plant market globally. The analysis in the report provides detailed insights of the global biogas plant market. The drivers, opportunities, and restraints of the market were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report. The report also provides a detailed industry analysis of the global biogas plant with the help of the Porter's Five Forces Analysis model.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04644550/Biogas-Plant-Market-Global-Industry-Analysis-Size-Share-Growth-Trends-and-Forecast.html







Global Biogas Plant Market: Key Segmentations



The research report is segmented into feedstock type. Feedstock type segment is further segmented into agricultural waste, energy crops, sewage sludge, industrial waste, food & beverages processing residue, food & beverages waste.



The global biogas plant market has been segmented geographically into five regions and further into sub-segmented 18 unique country sub-segments. The regional segments are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. The 18 countries which have been separately addressed in this report are the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Russia, China, India, Japan, Oceania, Turkey, GCC, South Africa, North Africa, Brazil, and Mexico.



On the basis of feedstock type, food & beverages processing residue and agricultural waste dominated the global biogas plant market in 2015. Biogas plant require regular supply of high yield feedstock to produce biogas and make biogas plant operations profitable. Single type or multiple types of feedstock can be fed simultaneously into biogas plant. Increasing greenhouse gases emission has increased the adoption of clean fuel across the globe. Various government incentives and subsidies have encouraged several companies to invest in construction of biogas facility. However, the global biogas market growth could be hampered by high initial investment and installation costs.



Global Biogas Plant Market: Key Analytics



Asia Pacific dominated the global biogas plant market in terms of biogas plant volume, in 2015. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2016 to 2022. China, India, Japan, Australia, and ASEAN countries are some of the major countries in the Asia Pacific biogas plant market. Asia Pacific biogas plant market was dominated by biogas plants utilizing agricultural waste, F&B processing residue, and sewage sludge as the feedstocks. Rising investments for waste management coupled with growing energy imports have compelled various countries such as China and India to focus on alternate sources of energy such as biogas.



Some of the major players operating in the global biogas plant market include Air Liquide, Wartsila, Scandinavian Biogas, EnviTec Biogas AG, Ameresco, Inc., Swedish Biogas International, PlanET Biogas Global GmbH, Agrinz Technologies GmbH, Beijing Sanyi Green Energy Development Co., Ltd., SP Renewable Energy Sources Pvt. Ltd., IES BIOGAS srl., Quadrogen, CH4 Biogas, Biofuel USA Corporation, and Biofrigas Sweden AB among others. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and SWOT analysis. The global biogas plant market has been segmented as follows:



Global Biogas Plant Market: By Feedstock Type



Agricultural Waste

Energy Crops

Sewage Sludge

Industrial Waste

Food & Beverages Processing Residue

Food & Beverages Waste



Global Biogas Plant Market: Regional Analysis



North America

The U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

Italy

Spain

U.K.

Russia

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

Oceania

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Turkey

GCC

South Africa

North Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04644550/Biogas-Plant-Market-Global-Industry-Analysis-Size-Share-Growth-Trends-and-Forecast.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


CINCINNATI, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carew International CEO Jeff Seeley has been selected to deliver a keynote address at the Sales 3.0 Conference, September 18-19, in Las Vegas. In his presentation, Building the Perfect Sales Beast, Seeley will address current trends impacting the sales function, and the need for sales professionals to perform with multi-dimensional capabilities in order to increase their value, influence and sales effectiveness. Seeley will also share insights on the specific skills and mindset necessary to function in this expanded capacity.

Carew CEO Jeff Seeley

"I am pleased and honored to participate in the reinvention of sales through the Sales 3.0 Conference," stated Seeley. "This event has proven to be a magnet for thought leadership and sales innovation, and I look forward to the exchange of insights and inspiration with this distinguished group."

The upcoming Sales 3.0 Conference will attract more than 300 leaders in sales, marketing, sales enablement and sales operations to gain insights, strategies and best practices to improve sales team performance and bottom-line results. The conference is produced and hosted by Selling Power magazine, the leading digital magazine for sales leaders, and publisher of Sales Management Digest.

Jeff Seeley is CEO of Carew International, a global leader in sales training and leadership development. Seeley is also a prominent leader in the training and development industry, a frequent keynote speaker at industry events, including TED Conferences, corporate sales meetings and professional conferences, and a widely published author.

About Carew International

Carew International is a leader in the professional development industry, providing innovative, high-impact solutions for performance improvement with sales training, social selling and sales leadership training. For more than 40 years, Carew has delivered unique, comprehensive and proven development programs to fulfill its mission of creating value, supporting dramatic bottom-line results and acting as a strategic asset to customers worldwide. Carew International is a privately-owned company headquartered in Cincinnati. For more information on Carew development programs, or upcoming sales training events, contact us at 800.227.3977, [email protected], or visit us online at www.carew.com.

Contact: Mary Ann Lynn

Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations

Carew International, Inc.

Phone: 513.706.0476

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Carew International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.carew.com


Dompe, an Italian biopharmaceutical company, announces that the European Commission has granted the marketing authorisation of cenegermin eye drops for the treatment of moderate to severe neurotrophic keratitis. This makes it the first biotechnological treatment authorized for this specific indication in the Europe Union, which responds to the needs of patients affected by this rare and severely debilitating eye disease that can cause vision loss. Until now, there have been no approved drugs for the treatment of this condition.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/531470/Dompe_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/531471/Dompe.jpg )



Behind the development of cenegermin are decades of "Made in Italy" research, stemming from the studies of Nobel laureate Rita Levi Montalcini, who discovered the nerve growth factor (NGF). This lead to the collaboration between Dompe and world-renowned centres of excellence in ophthalmology.

"Neurotrophic keratitis is a rare disease that is particularly debilitating, and until now, has been an unresolved health concern for patients. The authorisation obtained by the European Commission, after positive opinion received from the EMA CHMP, is a milestone for the patients affected by this disease, for the research in this sector and for our Company," affirms Eugenio Aringhieri, Chief Executive Officer of Dompe Pharmaceuticals. "It is our first biotech drug that was obtained thanks to the work of a skilled and passionate team that has believed in this project from the beginning; and thanks to the constant collaboration with an excellent medical community, which has contributed to the development of the product in its various phases in national and international centres. It is a long, complex yet exciting journey that never ends but begins with this important regulatory step. The next steps will definitely be to make the product available in other areas outside of Europe and in other future indications."

Cenegermin is the name of the primary active ingredient of the drug, and it is the recombinant version of the human nerve growth factor (NGF), developed and prepared through a biotechnological production process unique to Dompe. Cenegermin is a protein that is almost identical to the one the human body produces naturally, which is involved in the development, maintenance and survival of nerve cells[2]. Administered as eye drops in patients with moderate to severe neurotrophic keratitis, this solution can help restore the normal healing processes of the eye and repair corneal damage.

"There are numerous clinical conditions that can lead to subnormal corneal sensitivity and neurotrophic keratitis due to damage to the rich nerve supply provided to the eye via the trigeminal nerve", says Reza Dana, Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Cornea Service and Senior Scientist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, USA. "In the more severe cases, neurotrophic keratitis can lead to ulcers, corneal necrosis and perforation, and visual loss. Considering the possible severity of neurotrophic keratitis, and the lack of good response to standard therapies in many cases, having a valid therapeutic option that can directly promote nerve function is a major contribution to the field and to the community of ophthalmologists, not to mention the many patients suffering from this condition."

Cenegermin was developed at the Dompe L'Aquila Research and Production Centre, thanks to recombinant DNA technology, with the use of bacteria in which a gene (DNA) is introduced that allows the bacteria to produce the human growth factor on their own.

"I think it is a big success to have taken the first nerve growth factor from Rita Levi Montalcini's discovery after so many years of hard work, and turned it into a therapy that is now authorized at the European Union level. It is further confirmation that it is possible to create innovative research in Italy, and that the pharmaceutical sector in our country is globally competitive," explains Sergio Dompe, President of Dompe Pharmaceuticals. "At this time, my thoughts and gratitude go out to all of the Researchers, who have participated in so many countries and in various roles in the project, making an essential contribution to the creation of this new drug, but especially to Professor Rita Levi Montalcini; this research was born out of her brilliant intuition."

The process of registering the drug is underway, also in the United States, where cenegermin is still an investigational product, and where Dompe has started the submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the first part of the registration application (Biologics License Application) through a procedure called "rolling submission." Finally, in Japan dialogue has begun with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) to define a development plan in the same direction.

About Dompe

Dompe is one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in Italy. It focuses on the development of innovative therapeutic solutions for diseases with a high social impact for which therapeutic options are lacking. Based in Italy, Dompe has its headquarters in Milan. Its research efforts focus on unmet therapeutic needs such as diabetes, organ transplantation, ophthalmology and oncology. The industrial pole of L'Aquila (Abruzzo) is home to a world class biotechnology plant developing drugs for Primary Care for the markets of about 40 countries worldwide. Dompe has its offices also in Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and United States (Boston).

For more information: http://www.dompe.com e http://www.dompetrials.com

Forward looking statements

This press release makes reference to certain information that may not coincide with expected future results. Dompe firmly believes in the soundness and reasonableness of the concepts expressed. However, some of the information is subject to a certain degree of indetermination in relation to its research and development activities and the necessary verifications to be performed by regulatory bodies. Therefore, as of today, Dompe cannot guarantee that the expected results will be consistent with the information provided above.

1. M. Sacchetti, and A. Lambiase, Diagnosis and management of neurotrophic keratitis. Clin Ophthalmol 8 (2014) 571-9.

2. R. Levi Montalcini, The nerve growth factor 35 years later, Science 1987

SOURCE Dompe
ORANGE CITY, Fla., July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Civitas Senior Living, a Texas-based senior living management and consulting company with more than 30 communities across the nation, is proud to announce its latest development: Parc Hill Senior Living. Located in Orange City, Florida, the community will have 69 assisted living apartments and 30 memory care units dedicated to individuals with Alzheimer's and dementia.

Parc Hill Senior Living will offer industry leading amenities such as an activity center, theater, wellness/fitness center, salon, and a chef-driven cafe serving freshly-prepared meals.

Civitas believes that every senior deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and that life should be robust, active, and focused on the future. Civitas is deeply passionate about delivering unparalleled caregiving in warm, nurturing spaces that feel like home. A hallmark of Civitas' service is its signature Passion Program which ensures comprehensive continuous care by integrating all the powers at play. From activity programming to medication management to culinary experiences and more, Civitas' Passion Program is the guiding force behind the company's mission: To live every day with passion.

"Our passion is people and our mission is to inspire active, healthy, and happy lives," said Civitas President Wayne Powell. "We're grateful for the opportunity to achieve that here in Orange City."

Taking inspiration from picturesque Key West, Florida, Parc Hill will be designed by Davis Wince, Ltd. Since 1995, the architecture firm has worked to bring great ideas to life with consistent follow through on every project. The firm's Senior Living Studio combines experience and innovation to deliver superior environments for discerning seniors, facility operators, and developers.

Parc Hill Senior Living will add 75 jobs to the Orange City, Florida community.

ABOUT CIVITAS SENIOR LIVING, LLC:

Civitas Senior Living is a Fort Worth, Texas-based management company that specializes in the development, acquisitions, and operational management of senior housing properties including assisted living, retirement centers, and independent senior living properties. For more information about Civitas, please visit www.CivitasSeniorLiving.com or call 817.386.8888. www.PassionSeniorLiving.com

CONTACT:

Andrea Owen

Civitas Senior Living

(817) 386-8888

SOURCE Civitas Senior Living

Related Links

http://www.Civitasseniorhealthcare.com


PHOENIX, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Thursday, instituted new regulations clarifying and modernizing the process for candidates who participate in the Clean Elections funding program and make purchases from political parties and political consultants.

"Clean Elections funding must be used for campaign expenditures directly related to candidates own campaigns. The regulations approved on July 20 ensure that candidates continue to demonstrate that their expenditures for consulting and similar services from political parties are appropriately documented, that campaign mail literature is provided to the Commission in real time, and that lump sum payments are prohibited," said Tom Collins, the Commission's Executive Director. "Clean Elections has always prohibited candidates from using Clean Elections funds to subsidize parties and political consultants."

The Commission voted to impose the new requirements on participating candidate expenditures to political consultants and political parties.

The amendments, which apply to parties and other consultants, are part of an ongoing effort to improve and reform the Commission's rules.

Candidates who participate in Clean Elections Funding forgo special interest contributions in favor of smaller donations, principally from Arizona voters who reside in their district or the state.

The Clean Elections Fund, a dedicated funding source created by voters, is supported by surcharges on criminal fines and fees. No money for Clean Elections comes from the general fund, which pays for schools and other state needs.

"The voters recognize that the Clean Elections System requires dedicated funding and that is why they created the fund," Collins said.

Commission continues to take public input and modernize policies.

"Many voters are worried that more special interest money, often from undisclosed sources, is flowing into Arizona elections," Collins said. "Clean Elections Funding breaks the link between dollars and political favors by focusing on voter and candidate participation."

The modernization of the rules is ongoing. Already, the Commission has approved rules requiring audits of all statewide participating candidates. A pending measure to require audits of all participating legislative candidates is currently open to public comment. Audits of all transactions with political parties will be part of the auditing process going forward, Collins said.

"The goal here is to provide more transparency for voters while at the same time fighting corruption, as voters intended," he said. "The Commission balanced candidates' ability to make choices in how they run their campaigns within the strict confines of the Act."

The proposals were developed after Rep. Vince Leach, R- Saddlebrooke, raised the issue at the legislature.

"I want to thank Mr. Leach for raising the issue and ensuring Clean Elections is stronger and more effective in fighting corruption in Arizona politics," Collins said.

The Clean Elections System is a comprehensive voter-centered program that involves Clean Elections funding, independent campaign finance law enforcement and voter education. The program is administered by a five-member board consisting of two Republicans, two Democrats and one Independent, appointed by Governor Doug Ducey and elected Democratic leaders.

To learn more about the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, visit www.azcleanelections.gov.

SOURCE Citizens Clean Elections Commission

Related Links

http://www.azcleanelections.gov


"I want to inspire people to try something new, to tackle an idea they've seen or to dream up something new entirely and share it with the world," said Harp. "There's no doubt we're seeing a renaissance. People are getting back to their roots and working with their hands to create."

Dremel, which offers a full line of versatile, easy-to-use tool systems, announced its Mission to Make at the Haven Conference, a DIY and home blogging event in Atlanta this weekend. The brand acknowledges the Maker Movement is much larger than one brand or person.

"For the past 85 years, Dremel has been empowering creativity," said John Kavanagh, president of Dremel. "We believe that making brings people together  inventors, artists, hackers, hobbyists. With today's technology and the ability to share what you're making in real-time and across the globe, we're inspired by the ingenious creativity amongst Makers. Our Mission to Make shines a light on all that's happening and we hope it inspires future Makers, both young and old."

Beyond the launch of Mission to Make, Harp will encourage the movement through a series of social posts and additional cross-promotion with the Dremel brand. Dremel is the first tool company the celebrity woodworker has partnered with since his projects like attention-grabbing tables and elaborate doors began gracing the airwaves a few short years ago.

"Dremel believes anyone can be a Maker, and when I look at the world, all I see is possibility," said Harp. "We can all wake up and do that thing that seems impossible. We can try. It's not about the project. It's about so much more."

Additionally, the Dremel brand is partnering with three other Makers: Jamison Rantz of the Rogue Engineer, Amy Bell of the Positively Splendid and Amy Stringer-Mowat of American Heirloom. These Makers of varying skillsets and passions will tackle several missions throughout the 2017 calendar year with some of the brand's products including the Dremel 4300, the Hatch Project Kit and the Dremel 3D40.

Since 1932, Dremel has powered Makers by producing ingenious tools, applications and accessories to meet their ever-evolving needs. To track the Dremel brand's Mission to Make, use the hashtag #MissiontoMake or follow the Dremel brand's social properties via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About Dremel

Since inventing the high-speed rotary tool in 1934, the Dremel brand has been helping Makers with its full line of versatile, easy-to-use tool systems that deliver the perfect solution for almost any job. From our Dremel rotary tools, Multi-Max oscillating tools, Ultra-Saw and Saw-Max multi-saws, and Fortiflex flex shaft tool to the Idea Builder 3D printer, Makers have come to know and trust the brand to complete their projects. Combining compact size, ergonomic design, precision and versatility with a wide range of highly engineered accessories, Dremel tools can be used to accomplish numerous applications in a variety of materials.

Today, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation in Mount Prospect, IL, Dremel celebrates 85 years in business and maintains its commitment to innovation and quality. Regardless of what the task may be, the Dremel brand is dedicated to empowering Makers through creativity, precision and project enjoyment.

Editor's Note: Dremel is a registered brand name and is used as an adjective to describe the products made by the Dremel brand.

SOURCE Dremel
RICHMOND, Va., July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Dominion Energy Midstream GP, LLC, the general partner of Dominion Energy Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: DM), has declared a second-quarter 2017 cash distribution of $0.2880 per common and subordinated unit  an increase of 5 percent above the first-quarter 2017 distribution  which corresponds to an annualized distribution rate of $1.152 per such unit.

Distributions are payable on Aug. 15, 2017, to unitholders of record at the close of business Aug. 4, 2017.

The partnership's last quarterly distribution was declared April 21, 2017.

This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). All of Dominion Energy Midstream's distributions to foreign investors should be treated by brokers and nominees as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, the partnership's distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest effective tax rate.

Dominion Energy Midstream is a Delaware limited partnership formed by Dominion Energy, Inc., to grow a portfolio of natural gas terminaling, processing, storage, transportation and related assets. It is headquartered in Richmond, Va. For more information about Dominion Energy Midstream, visit its website at www.DominionEnergyMidstream.com.

SOURCE Dominion Energy Midstream Partners

Related Links

http://www.DominionEnergyMidstream.com


The property will be held by an existing consolidated joint venture with institutional investors including Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The same consolidated joint venture also acquired 1299 Ocean Avenue and 429 Santa Monica Boulevard in April 2017. A portion of the purchase price was provided by a $77.5 million secured, non-recourse interest only loan to the joint venture that matures July 2019 and bears interest at Libor plus 1.55%. Douglas Emmett provided 20% of the equity capital and manages the joint venture.

Douglas Emmett's total office portfolio now consists of 70 office properties totaling approximately 18.3 million square feet. Douglas Emmett also owns 10 premier apartment communities in Los Angeles and Honolulu comprising 3,320 units, and approximately 850 residential units under development.

For QIA, this acquisition represents another step in its plans to significantly expand its US investment portfolio, and follows other large Class "A" investments in real estate, such as the Manhattan West project in New York City in 2015, the acquisitions of the Westwood Office Portfolio with Douglas Emmett, and a 9.9% interest in Empire State Realty Trust in 2016. QIA has announced plans to invest $35 billion in North America over five years.

About Douglas Emmett, Inc.

Douglas Emmett, Inc. (DEI) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), and one of the largest owners and operators of high-quality office and multifamily properties located in the premier coastal submarkets of Los Angeles and Honolulu. Douglas Emmett focuses on owning and acquiring a substantial share of top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities in neighborhoods that possess significant supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities. For more information about Douglas Emmett, please visit our website at www.douglasemmett.com.

A bout Qatar Investment Authority (QIA)

Qatar Investment Authority was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 following the vision of HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to strengthen the country's economy by diversifying into new asset classes. Building on the heritage of Qatar investments dating back more than three decades, its growing portfolio of long-term investments help complement the state's huge wealth in natural resources.

Headquartered in Doha, and now with a subsidiary in New York called QIA Advisory, QIA is structured to operate at the very highest levels of global investing. As a world class investor, QIA adheres to the strictest financial and commercial disciplines. It has a strong track record of investing in different asset classes, including listed securities, property, alternative assets and private equity in all the major capital markets as well as the newer emerging markets.

For more information, please visit our website at www.qia.qa or contact:

Media:

Stuart McElhinney, Vice President  Investor Relations

310.255.7751 [email protected]

David Henderson, Finsbury UK:

+44 20 7251 3801

Mallory Weinberg, Finsbury

US: +1 646 805 2043

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the historical facts, the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements based on the beliefs of, assumptions made by, and information currently available to us about known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control or ability to predict. Although we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, they are not guarantees of future performance and some will inevitably prove to be incorrect. As a result, our actual future results can be expected to differ from our expectations, and those differences may be material. Accordingly, investors should use caution in relying on forward-looking statements to anticipate future results or trends. For a discussion of some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Douglas Emmett, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.douglasemmett.com


Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had a hot mic moment in Europe recently, allowing journalists to listen in to his off-the-cuff remarks. One of those comments gave an indication into why Indian PM Narendra Modi did not stop over in Palestine during his Israel trip earlier this month.

By India Today Web Desk: In a diplomatic goof up, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments made behind closed doors were made public when his staff seemingly forgot to turn off a mike attached to his body.

The comments, made to the leaders of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia during a closed-door meeting, lasted a few minutes. The mic was finally turned off, but not before reporters managed to hear Netamyahu lambasting the European Union for its attitude towards Israel.

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At one moment, Netanyahu, in a seeming attempt to burnish Israel's reputation over Palestine by citing his country's strong ties to India, referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the country.

According to Israel-based newspaper Hareetz, Netyanyahu told the gathered leaders, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he needs water for his people. Where will I get it? Ramallah? No."

Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the West Bank where countries (India included) that have diplomatic relations with Palestine locate their missions. Ramallah is also a traditional stop for most foreign heads of state or dignitaries visiting Israel.

Notably, Modi did not visit Ramallah during his Israel trip, an act that seemingly established India's growing tendency to de-hyphenate Israel and Palestine as far as foreign relations are concerned.

EU's BEHAVIOUR TOWARD ISRAEL IS 'CRAZY'

Netanynahu's comments about Modi were just part of what seems to be the Israeli prime minister's drive to get the European Union to agree to trade terms that are not contingent on Israel-Plaestine peace process.

"The European Union is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel, that produces technology and every area, on political conditions. The only ones! Nobody does it," Netanyahu reportedly tells the four eastern European leaders. "It's crazy. It's actually crazy."

Netanyahu then goes on to mention China and India, apparently citing them as example of countries that "don't care about" about the Palestine factor. "We have a special relationship with China. And they don't care. They don't care about the political issues. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he needs water for his people. Where will I get it? Ramallah? No," Netanyahu said, according to Hareetz.

Netanyahu also linked Israel to Europe development, saying that undermining Israel was the same as undermining Europe. "I think that if I can suggest that what comes out of this meeting is your ability perhaps to communicate to your colleagues in other parts of Europe: help Europe - twice. Don't undermine that one Western country that defends European values and European interests and prevents," Netanyahu said.

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"There is no logic here. The EU is undermining its security by undermining Israel. Europe is undermining its progress by undermining its connection with Israeli innovation by a crazy attempt to create conditions," he added.

"We are part of the European culture," Netanyahu later says. "Europe ends in Israel. East of Israel, there is no more Europe."

Netanyahu also reportedly spoke about how Israel has ties to Arab state and about the United States's attitude towards Israel. The Israeli PM indicated his unhappiness with former President Barack Obama, saying that situation is different and "stronger" now.

The mic soon went off, seemingly after Netanyahu's staff released the goof up. Hareetz also posted a short recording of Netanyahu's comments on YouTube (this was edited by Hareetz; Netnayahu's full comments appear in its online report on the matter):

MODI IN ISRAEL

The comment about water and Ramallah that Netanyahu attributed to Narendra Modi purportedly came during the Indian prime minister's visit to Israel earlier this month.

The visit was marked by an unusual show of friendship between Netanyahu and Modi. The Israeli prime minister accompanied Modi, the first Indian PM to visit Israel, to almost all his destinations during his three-day trip.

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Notably, the visit did not focus much on military hardware, which has been the centre-point of India's notoriously secretive relationship with Israel, with the two leaders signing agreements in and holding talks on areas relating to space technology, cybersecurity, agriculture and water conservation.

Notably, Modi's visit came just over a month after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India.

ALSO READ | India-Israel relation over the years: Ten defining developments

ALSO READ | When Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, with Narendra Modi by his side, snubbed Pakistan

--- ENDS ---
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A Duval County jury has handed down a $1,105,000 verdict in favor of Amanda Fournier for the broken neck she suffered at age 17 from falling through the faulty railing of a residential balcony.

Fournier, now 21, was an incoming freshman at University of North Florida at the time of the fall. She was attending a fraternity party at a rented Jacksonville residence owned by Shahab Derazi.

"Through our investigation and in subsequent testimony we clearly showed the jury that the railing was not properly affixed to the second floor balcony according to code nor by the manufacturer's instructions," said Mark Avera, Partner, Avera & Smith. "The owner also failed to have a professional inspection of the balcony and railing, a structure that presented an extremely dangerous circumstance ultimately causing Amanda's devastating fall and injury."

Avera & Smith attorneys Mark Avera and Rod Smith demonstrated to the jury that Derazi hired an unlicensed contractor to repair the balcony and inspect the railing three months before the fall, and that the contractor never secured a permit for the job. Avera asserted that an inspection by a building official would have very likely identified the dangerous condition of the balcony railing.

Fournier, who suffered compression fractures to vertebrae in her neck and back, required a two-level fusion of her cervical spine as a result of the fall, followed by extensive physical therapy. It's probable she will require additional surgery in the future.

Avera & Smith has represented Floridians for more than 60 years with a legacy of personal service and genuine care for clients and the local community. Visit www.avera.com for more information.

SOURCE Avera & Smith

Related Links

http://www.avera.com


Geramae Godilano, who joined the company in Hong Kong, as Director of Business Development and Client Delivery, has over 15 years experience managing CRM, sales, marketing, technology and client-service business functions and delivering strategic initiatives. She joined GIBC Digital from J.P. Morgan, where she held Asia Pacific roles as Head of CRM for the asset management business and Cloud Governance Lead within Corporate Technology. Geramae also held positions at Aberdeen, Deutsche Asset Management, and UBS Global Asset Management, Aon, Deloitte, and PWC. Geramae is currently studying for her MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Pooja Bali joined GIBC's Automation & Process Design team in New York. She comes to the company from GE Capital, where she was the primary infrastructure lead for strategic projects & initiatives within global sourcing. In her role at GE, Pooja was responsible for identification, management and mitigation of process risks through data analysis and effective reporting procedures.

Alex Fishbein, who joined the Data Intelligence Group, is a senior quant, whose career spans more than twenty years, specializing in prepayment-modeling, volatility, and liquidity risk management related to agency-mortgage-backed securities. Alex has expertise in fixed income analytics, portfolio management, mortgage payments, securitization, derivatives, relative value, risk mitigation, economic modeling, liquidity, and policy risk. Among other things, Alex conceived, designed and implemented a revolutionary prepayment analysis graphical application that synthesized large amounts of data for convenient analysis by prepayment modelers and traders. Alex has also been an International Grandmaster in chess since 1992, Ranked #13 in the U.S. and #150 in the world, at his peak.

Greg Wood, GIBC Digital's CEO, said, "We are hiring the best and brightest to help us deliver world-class consulting to our clients. Our business success depends on getting people with the right values, abilities, and skills, in that order. If we do that well, there is no limit to what we can do. I'm pleased to have Geramae, Alex, and Pooja join our journey."

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

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DUBLIN, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Embedded Computer Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global embedded computer market to grow at a CAGR of 16.93% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Embedded Computer 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 convergence of embedded systems and applications. Retail segment: It is the fastest growing segment of the market moving toward the improvement of user experience, which increases the performance and connectivity. The point-of-sale (POS) terminals, which is used for dual display for advertising and accounting applications that are connected to central servers, is the perfect example of an embedded computer.



According to the report, one driver in the market is increase in the use of embedded computer in telecom infrastructure. Telecom infrastructure uses the embedded system in numerous ways such as telephone switches, mobile phones, routers, and network bridges. In the telecom sector, the use of embedded computer boards in the back-end process in the networking area increases the speed of the Internet. This would provide high-speed communication channel, which would increase the customer's demand for a high-speed network. Customers are increasingly focused on data, video, and media, which was the reason for 11.2% of traffic in 2014 and 51% in 2016.

Further, the report states that one challenge in the market is inability to configure or upgrade an embedded system. Once an embedded board is specifically built for an embedded application, both the hardware and software module configurations are fixed and finalized for that particular application. It does not facilitate the upgradation of memory space or replacement of processors in future; the whole board needs to be replaced instead. This necessitates the replacement of boards for every additional feature. Hence, this has reduced the growth of embedded boards and increased the adoption for motherboards or industrial boards having additional features such as replacement and more slots.

Key vendors



Advantech

Digi International

Eurotech

Kontron

Radisys



Other prominent vendors



Emerson Network Power

GE Intelligent Platforms

Mercury Systems



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by product type



PART 07: Market segmentation by type of processor



PART 08: Market segmentation by application



PART 09: Geographical segmentation



PART 10: Key leading countries



PART 11: Decision framework



PART 12: Drivers and challenges



PART 13: Market trends



PART 14: Vendor landscape

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8xt7bc/global_embedded

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Orthodontic Equipment and Consumables Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global orthodontic equipment and consumables market to grow at a CAGR of 4.14% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Orthodontic Equipment and Consumables 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 increase in dental tourism. Individuals seek dental care outside of their local healthcare systems and may be accompanied by a vacation. Dental tourism is a growing sector worldwide as the world turns out to be perpetually more interdependent and competitive. Techniques, materials, and technological advances are spreading rapidly, enabling providers in the emerging countries to offer dental care at an affordable cost when compared with the developed nations.

According to the report, one driver in the market is rising demand for cosmetic corrections and dental deformities among teenagers. Many teenagers have some form of dental disorders, including crowding, rotation, or malocclusion of teeth. There has been a rise in demand for these types of orthodontic corrections among teenagers as they are more conscious about their looks and do not want their teeth to remain in a bad or misaligned shape. Adolescence age has been considered the most preferable age to undergo any orthodontic treatment.

Further, the report states that one challenge in the market is uncertain reimbursement policies. Reimbursement or insurance coverage is a primary factor influencing the global orthodontic equipment and consumables market. Reimbursement policies provide limited or no coverage for dental replacements and restorations, that limits the adoption of advanced treatment. As far as braces and orthodontics is concerned, it is important to know what is covered under dental insurance for both children and adults.

Key vendors



Dentsply Sirona

Danaher

Patterson Companies

Henry Schein

GC Corporation



Other prominent vendors



3Shape

A-dec

DENTAURUM

Midmark

Navadha Enterprises

Rexton

Septodont

Ultradent Products

Zimmer Biomet

Zirkonzahn



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by product type



PART 07: Market segmentation by end-user



PART 08: Geographical segmentation



PART 09: Decision framework



PART 10: Drivers and challenges



PART 11: Market trends



PART 12: Vendor landscape



PART 13: Key vendor analysis



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jz4gpl/global

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Portable Medical Equipment Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global portable medical equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 8.86% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Portable Medical Equipment 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.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is increasing online presence of vendors. With the growing preference for home-care settings for portable medical devices, many vendors are increasing focus on online marketing and online retail. Players such as Medtronic and Phonak (Sonova) have created their online presence by creating their official pages on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Many vendors are also engaging in online retailing as this allows them to expand their target market beyond clinics and hospitals, and be more accessible to home-healthcare patients. Online retailing also helps vendors to minimize their costs on setup, distribution, and operations. Key vendors such as Medtronic, Roche, and Abbott sell their portable medical devices are already selling their products via websites such as Amazon. Other prominent vendors such as Tandem Diabetes Care and Contec Medical Systems are also selling their devices online to increase their customer reach and overall sales potential.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is rise in demand for portable medical devices. Approximately 5.4% of the global population does not have access to essential health services. Hospitals/clinics in many remote areas do not have equipment such as patient monitoring devices and medical imaging devices. The problem becomes more acute in remote areas because of many infrastructural limitations like frequent power cuts, unreliable transportation, and lack of space.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is High cost of devices. Portable medical devices such as blood glucose monitoring systems, pulse oximeters, ultrasound devices, thermometers, and other point-of-care (POC) devices require frequent battery changes, recharging, and maintenance, which results in high cost. These devices are priced on the basis of the type of function and diagnosis.

Key vendors



Medtronic

Philips Healthcare

GE Healthcare

Abbott Laboratories

Sonova



Other prominent vendors



Animas

Briggs Healthcare

Contec Medical Systems

Carestream Health

Guangdong Biolight Meditech

Others



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by product



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



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/slg2t2/global_portable

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), GridWise Alliance, and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) will host a Grid Innovation Expo on Capitol Hill on July 25 in conjunction with the U.S. House Grid Innovation Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA).

The hands-on House Grid Innovation Expo will feature the latest innovative technologies and projects that are transforming the energy grid. Exhibitors will include; ABB, American Electric Power, CenterPoint Energy, Florida Power & Light Co., G&W Electric, General Electric, Innovari, Itron, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, S&C Electric Company, Siemens, Southern California Edison, Tesla, Vermont Electric Power Company, Xcel Energy, and others.

Learn about how electric companies and our technology partners are deploying smarter energy infrastructure, including energy storage, smart meters, microgrids, and tools that enable multi-dimensional flows of power, information, communications, and more. These projects showcase the customer benefits that come from making the energy grid smarter, more reliable, more resilient, cleaner, and more secure.



When: Tuesday, July 25, 2017, 9:30 a.m.  4:30 p.m.



Where: Rayburn Foyer (First Floor), Rayburn House Office Building



Who: Edison Electric Institute (EEI), GridWise Alliance, and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) will host electric companies and technology partners in conjunction with the House Grid Innovation Caucus.

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 60 international electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliersand related organizations as Associate Members.

SOURCE Edison Electric Institute

Related Links

http://www.eei.org


BALTIMORE, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America in cooperation with the NAACP will distribute 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for children in the Baltimore community. The backpacks and related school supplies will be distributed on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at the Baltimore Convention Center in conjunction with the 108th NAACP annual convention. The event attendees will be joined by representatives from the Baltimore Mayor's Office, community leaders, and non-profit community organizations in the area.

The Hyundai Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway is a part of the company's ongoing commitment to giving back to local communities. Children in the Baltimore area will receive these basic school supplies and have the opportunity to interact with civic leaders. This is a part of both organizations' commitment to education and community support.

"Hyundai is committed to helping build strong communities by giving back to the markets in which we work and do business," said Zafar Brooks, Director Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity and Inclusion, Hyundai Motor America. "We are pleased to work with our longstanding partnership, the NAACP, in an effort to serve Baltimore area school children. We hope this donation of backpacks and school supplies will benefit many children in the community and will help to support their educational effort."

In addition to the backpack give away, Hyundai will sponsor the NAACP Youth and College Division for a special event. Legendary Hip-Hop artists, Curtis Blow, Cool Mo Dee, and Kid Capri will perform for the youth conference participants.

For additional information and to register to receive a backpack for a local child, visit the NAACP Experience booth at the Baltimore Convention Center. A maximum of two backpacks will be distributed per family.

For more details on Hyundai Motor America, please visit www.hyundaiusa.com

Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com

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ABOUT HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America

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TUCSON, Ariz., July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GainClients, Inc. (OTC: GCLT) ("GainClients" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that NOVA Home Loans, the largest privately held mortgage bank in Arizona ("NOVA") has signed an agreement with GainClients to use the new Home Purchase Service indefinitely.

NOVA participated in the Beta Test of the service, which was extremely successful. NOVA has since signed a two-year contract with GainClients and is using the service in seven cities in the southwest. It expects to make the service available in all of its locations in AZ, NV, CO and CA.

The Home Purchase Service is the Company's new purchase money solution for the real estate industry, particularly lenders whose refinance-business has dropped due to higher rates.

About NOVA HOME LOANS

NOVA HOME LOANS has served the needs of homeowners and homebuyers since 1980. It is able to originate loans in 12 states. In 2001, NOVA merged its flexibility as a mortgage broker with the efficient service of a mortgage banker & broker to create a better way of lending. Efficiency and teamwork are the keys to its accelerated loan delivery. Visit https://www.NOVAhomeloans.com/about/ to learn more.

About GainClients, Inc.

GainClients products, the GCard, the Home Purchase Service and GCHomesearch consist of custom-built data and marketing services designed specifically for the real estate industry. The company's clients include real estate related organizations such as banks, credit unions, real estate and lender brokerages and title/escrow as well as individual real estate, mortgage, and title and escrow professionals. Learn more at http://www.gainclients.com/index.html

https://gcard.gainclients.com/

https://do.gainclients.com/

https://www.gchomesearch.com/

Contact:

GainClients, Inc.

6245 E. Broadway Blvd. #400

Tucson AZ 85711

[email protected]

SOURCE GainClients, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.gainclients.com


NEW YORK, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lupus Research Alliance congratulates GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on the approval of belimumab (Benlysta) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a self-injectable (subcutaneous) formulation for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) being treated with standard therapy.

Belimumab is currently approved as a one-hour intravenous infusion given once every four weeks by a healthcare professional in a hospital or clinic. The new formulation allows patients to administer the drug to themselves as a once-weekly injection.

Lupus Research Alliance CEO and President Kenneth M. Farber, commented, "The new self-injectable belimumab may improve quality of life for many people with lupus. For people living with a disease that too often necessitates multiple medications and numerous regular doctor's visits, the convenience and independence offered by being able to take one treatment in the privacy and comfort of your own home can mean a great deal."

The approval is based on data from a large controlled study of more than 800 patients with active SLE, which measured reduction in disease activity at Week 52 in patients receiving belimumab plus standard of care, versus those receiving placebo plus standard of care (assessed by SRI, a composite measure of efficacy in lupus).

GSK anticipates that the new formulation will be available in specialty pharmacies late August 2017.

About Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90% of lupus sufferers are women, mostly young women between the ages of 15 to 44. Women of color are especially at risk. In lupus, the immune system, which is designed to protect against infection, creates antibodies that attack the body's own tissues and organs -- the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and joints.

About Lupus Research Alliance

The Lupus Research Alliance unites the global lupus community in bold determination to free the world of lupus through the power of science. We will transform the lives of people affected by lupus as we welcome and embrace a new scientific era, pioneer innovation, push the frontiers of knowledge, enlist diverse new scientific talent, and lead the drive to new treatments, prevention and cure. Because the Lupus Research Alliance Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs.



SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance

Related Links

http://www.lupusresearch.org


The focus on IT systems at sea follows the recent global WannaCry attack, which shut down computers used by Spanish ISP Telefonica, FedEX and the UK's National Health Service, among others, affecting some 200,000 computers in 150 countries. This was followed later in May with the British Airways outage, which saw hundreds of flights cancelled over a holiday weekend and 500 million wiped of parent company IAG's value.

Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President Safety & Security Services, Inmarsat, the mobile satellite company, will deliver the keynote presentation in the Knowledge Theatre, "Cyber Security: Protecting the Industry", assessing the new risk factors of an increasingly connected shipping industry and how industry players can protect themselves against cyber security threats.

"Hacking, ransomware and system outages have long been a concern for the shipping industry, particularly with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the connected ship. These risks are heightened due to the significant growth in networks of physical objects accessed through the internet," said Broadhurst.

According to a 2016 global analysis report by the Ponemon Institute, which surveyed data collected from 383 companies in 12 countries, the average total cost of a data breach stands at US$4 million, a figure that has increased 29% since 2013. The average cost per lost or stolen record is $158, with a 15% average price increase since 2013. In total, the number of security incidents reported in 2015 stood 63% higher than in 2014.

Emma Howell, Group Marketing Manager, Seatrade portfolio commented, "Over recent weeks and months, we have seen huge organisations crippled by ransomware attacks and IT meltdowns  compromising systems and costing some businesses many millions of dollars. The need for the shipping industry to tackle this growing menace head-on is greater than ever before and we look forward to welcoming decision makers and industry leaders to debate these important issues."

However, compounding the issue, insurance providers are yet to close all of the gaps in their policies, leaving shipping companies at even greater risk and facing huge financial losses.

"Most insurance policies have Cyberattack exclusion clauses, for property damage and business interruption and this exposes shipping companies and ship owners to huge risks. We have seen some response from the insurance industry but until comprehensive products are rolled out the responsibility of backing up systems, protecting data and ensuring a network is robust and secure, very much remains with the shipping company and ship owner," added Howell.

Staying with the technological theme, the SOMWME 2017 programme will also feature sessions on SMART solutions, covering developing technologies such as automation and predictive maintenance, alongside design and development of a new generation of specialised offshore vessels, with confirmed speakers including; Arnstein Eknes, Business/Segment Director Special Ships, DNV GL, Oskar Levandar, SVP Concepts & Innovation, Rolls-Royce; and Alexander Nurnberg, Managing Director, MacGregor.

Elsewhere on the Seminar programme, discussion will turn to green and efficient vessels for the future.

Seatrade Offshore Marine & Workboats is the largest workboat and offshore marine event outside of the USA, attracting more than 200 offshore marine and workboat companies.

For more information and event updates, contact Emma Howell, Group Marketing Manager, Seatrade Portfolio: Tel: +44 1206 545121;

or log on to www.seatradeoffshoremarine.com.

About UBM's maritime portfolio  connecting customers globally

UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed.

At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors  from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.

For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat operates around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com.

The Inmarsat press release newsfeed and corporate updates are on @InmarsatGlobal.

Media Contact

STEVEN JONES

Managing Director

Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 455 9769

E-mail: [email protected]

Office 106, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City

PO Box 502701 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Website: www.shamalcomms.com

A member of the WorldWisePR Affiliates

SOURCE Seatrade Communications

Related Links

http://www.seatradeoffshoremarine.com


RSS-BJP affiliated think tank Bharat Niti has planned a massive 'Hinduism and Social Media Conclave' in November in the holy city of Kashi with Yogi Adityanath as its chief guest.

Bharat Niti has planned a aHinduism and Social Media Conclavea in November in Varanasi. Yogi Adityanath is the designated chief guest for the event.

By Siddhartha Rai: Now Hinduism and Hindutva would be protected and propagated by an army of online warriors.

RSS-BJP affiliated think tank Bharat Niti has planned a massive 'Hinduism and Social Media Conclave' in November in the holy city of Kashi, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi is also known.

The right-wing aims to raise a dedicated unit of virtual soldiers from among its Internet and social media savvy cadre to "protect Hinduism from being deprecated and its symbols desecrated on online platforms by people inspired by leftist ideologies or Islamism".

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The online route seems in line with the social media presence of the BJP-RSS complex of organisations and the fact that the PM is one of the most followed people on Twitter in the world.

The gathering would discuss how Hinduism can be protected and propagated via online and social media platforms such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

"It has become the order of the day that miscreants post defiling material on social media websites so as to hurt the feelings of the Hindus," Shailendra Sengar, member of the management team of Bharat Niti, told Mail Today. "They make fun of our Gods and Goddesses. At times it has been seen that more than making fun, they post things that are directly sacrilegious. We shall be discussing at the Kashi meet how we can stop and counter such propaganda as also we shall put our heads together to find ways to propagate Hinduism through high-tech means such as social media and online platforms."

Sengar, who is also the newly appointed vice president of BJP's Kisan Morcha, told Mail Today that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who has come to be seen recently as the new and more aggressive face of Hindutva politics, is the designated chief guest for the event. BJP-RSS ideologues such as Murlidhar Rao would also be attending the meet. Rao is a leading right-wing economic ideologue and the mentor of Bharat Niti initiative.

"We have accorded our invitation to the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and he has expressed his desire to attend. He was very happy at the initiative," Sengar said.

Academics, such as commentator on Hinduism David Frawley, would fire the zeal of the web soldiers on the occasion, Sengar said, adding, "Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation along with such luminaries as Acharya Balkrishna of Patanjali Ayurveda and commentator/columnist Advaita Kala will also grace the meeting with their presence and share their insights for what we want to achieve."

There would be a special session to focus on the subject of cow and the sanctity it carries in the Hindutva belief system. Bharat Niti is an initiative to encourage objective study and in-depth analysis by citizens, policymakers, domain experts, researchers and commentators, on varied issues of national and international importance. It is a wide platform to bring various stakeholders together to deliberate and propose public policy in the wider national interest.

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Also Watch:

Yogi Adityanath triggers Hindutva debate, Manipur adopts soldier from Kerala; more

Also ReadYogi Adityanath puts metro-man back on track, E Sreedharan to plan metros of 3 more cities

--- ENDS ---
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 300 million people in the United States potentially could directly view the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, and NASA wants everyone who will witness this celestial phenomenon to do so safely.

That Monday, a partial eclipse will be visible in every state. A total solar eclipse, which is when the Moon completely covers the Sun, will occur across 14 states in the continental U.S. along a 70-mile-wide (112-kilometer-wide) swath of the country.

It's common sense not to stare directly at the Sun with your naked eyes or risk damaging your vision, and that advice holds true for a partially eclipsed Sun. But, only with special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer, you can safely look directly at the Sun.

NASA recommends that people who plan to view the eclipse should check the safety authenticity of viewing glasses to ensure they meet basic proper safety viewing standards.

Eclipse viewing glasses and handheld solar viewers should meet all the following criteria:

Have certification information with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard

Have the manufacturer's name and address printed somewhere on the product

Not be used if they are older than three years, or have scratched or wrinkled lenses

be used if they are older than three years, or have scratched or wrinkled lenses Not use homemade filters, or be substituted for ordinary sunglasses -- not even very dark ones -- because they are not safe for looking directly at the Sun

"While NASA isn't trying to be the eclipse safety glasses 'police,' it's our duty to inform the public about safe ways to view what should be a spectacular sky show for the entire continental United States," said Alex Young, associate director for science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's important that individuals take the responsibility to check they have the proper solar eclipse viewing glasses. With the eclipse a month away today, it's prudent to practice ahead of time."

An alternative method for safe viewing of the partially-eclipsed Sun is with a pinhole projector. With this method, sunlight streams through a small hole  such as a pencil hole in a piece of paper, or even the space between your fingers  onto a makeshift screen, such as a piece of paper or the ground. It's important to only watch the screen, not the Sun. Never look at the Sun through the pinhole -- it is not safe.

NASA has coordinated with medical and science professionals to provide additional safety information. For details, visit:

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

More than 6,800 libraries across the U.S. are distributing safety-certified glasses. Many are working with scientists to hold viewing events and activities before and during the eclipse. For a listing of participating libraries, visit:

https://www.starnetlibraries.org/2017eclipse

NASA Television is offering a special live program, "Eclipse Across America: Through the Eyes of NASA" with real-time coverage of the event from coast to coast. The nearly four-hour program will include unprecedented images of the Aug. 21 eclipse from numerous spacecraft -- including the International Space Station  high-altitude aircraft and balloons, and ground observations. Each will offer a unique vantage point for the eclipse. Additionally, the broadcast will include live coverage of activities in parks, libraries, stadiums, festivals and museums across the nation, and on social media. To watch the Aug. 21 NASA TV eclipse broadcast online and access interactive web content and views of the eclipse from these assets, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/eclipselive

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


PITTSBURGH, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BEST Robotics, Inc., a national nonprofit STEM and robotics educator known for annual competitions that draw more than 25,000 middle school and high school students in 17 states, is opening its executive headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Founded in 1993, the organization's mission is to develop the nation's workforce by inspiring students to pursue majors and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). BEST Robotics works closely with companies across industries to provide opportunities for students. Nearly 5,000 volunteers and mentors work with students through 45 licensed hubs.

"We're very excited to establish a headquarters here," said executive director Rosemary Mendel. "Our program will help prepare students for the growing number of STEM jobs throughout Western Pennsylvania and the Tristate region."

Mendel, a Western Pennsylvania native, said Pittsburgh's recognition as a top tech community and a top educator of STEM talent factored into the location decision. As part of its decision to locate here, she said BEST Robotics will bring a free STEM education and robotics competition to middle and high schools in the Pittsburgh region.

"BEST is committed to making STEM learning and careers accessible and inclusive, and we deliver on that commitment by making the program free to schools and students," said board president Todd Atkins. "Our focus is on expanding the program both regionally and nationally to provide access to alternative STEM education and to increase the pipeline of educated STEM professionals."

"Collaborating is an integral part of our program delivery," Mendel said. "BEST is fueled by volunteers, industry mentors, university outreach and corporate partnerships. I'm looking forward to working with local leaders to bring the program to students in our area."

Local educators active in the BEST Robotics program are excited by the decision.

"The BEST program encompasses learning beyond STEM and has had measurable impact among the students who participate," said Dr. Mike Bright, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Grove City College.

"There are many individual stories of students who decided they could go to college or major in a STEM field based on their BEST participation," said Bright, a BEST board member and founder of the Wolverine BEST Hub at Grove City.

BEST Robotics students report an 88 percent increase in computer and technology aptitude because of their participation, and a 77 percent increase in their interest in STEM. Long-term tracking of student participants shows that nearly 50 percent later chose STEM-related college majors.

About BEST, Inc.

BEST Robotics, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology. Supported by volunteer educators, BEST provides schools with a free robotics design education program and competition with the goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each year, thousands of students from more than 850 high schools and middle schools nationwide participate in BEST Robotics regional competitions.

SOURCE BEST Robotics, Inc.
EDISON, N.J., July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) has released the first edition of The Digital Carpenter, a magazine featuring news and features on our issues, projects and Union Carpenters. To read The Digital Carpenter, please visit: http://www.northeastcarpenters.org/digitalcarpenter

The 48-page magazine includes informative articles about:

Wealth Inequality : Wealth inequality in U.S. rises as union membership declines and Right To Work states increase. (Pages 12-17)

: Wealth inequality in U.S. rises as union membership declines and Right To Work states increase. (Pages 12-17) Sisters in the Brotherhood Program : Learn about the Sisters in the Brotherhood Program and recent events to promote jobs in construction for women. (Page 19)

: Learn about the Sisters in the Brotherhood Program and recent events to promote jobs in construction for women. (Page 19) NRCC's Ready to Run Program : Are you Ready to Run for public office? Our carpenters hold elected/appointed positions on local/county/state boards, councils and legislative offices throughout the Northeast. We are helping to shape legislation/policies that benefit the hardworking middle class. (Pages 20-21)

: Are you Ready to Run for public office? Our carpenters hold elected/appointed positions on local/county/state boards, councils and legislative offices throughout the Northeast. We are helping to shape legislation/policies that benefit the hardworking middle class. (Pages 20-21) Davis-Bacon : It's not a breakfast sandwich; it's a decades-old law that puts money in the pockets of hardworking Americans. (Pages 22-23)

: It's not a breakfast sandwich; it's a decades-old law that puts money in the pockets of hardworking Americans. (Pages 22-23) 1099 Misclassification/Payroll Fraud : A Stockton University study on employee misclassification/payroll fraud found that NJ's underground construction economy employed 23,000 off the books construction workers. (Pages 24-25)

: A University study on employee misclassification/payroll fraud found that NJ's underground construction economy employed 23,000 off the books construction workers. (Pages 24-25) Right to Work : There are 28 Right To Work States and the number grows annually. President Trump and Republican lawmakers also support a Federal Right To Work law. (Pages 26-27)

: There are 28 Right To Work States and the number grows annually. President Trump and Republican lawmakers also support a Federal Right To Work law. (Pages 26-27) Trump: The First Six Months : Read more about the current U.S. administration's stance on issues that impacts Labor Unions. (Pages 28-30)

: Read more about the current U.S. administration's stance on issues that impacts Labor Unions. (Pages 28-30) Project Spotlights : From Stockton University's Unified Science Center to the PA Turnpike/Route 95 Interchange, NRCC's Union Carpenters are working on some of the most major projects in our region. (Pages 35-39)

: From Stockton University's Unified Science Center to the PA Turnpike/Route 95 Interchange, NRCC's Union Carpenters are working on some of the most major projects in our region. (Pages 35-39) New Training Centers: NRCC is building the largest training center for craftsman on the East Coast to give our apprentice/journeymen carpenters the skills they need in the 21st century construction industry. (Pages 42-45)

NRCC is building the largest training center for craftsman on the East Coast to give our apprentice/journeymen carpenters the skills they need in the 21st century construction industry. (Pages 42-45) Clocking Out: Clocking Out: Read the advice from recently retired union carpenters, Thomas Bucco and Daniel Souza . (Page 47)

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: www.northeastcarpenters.org; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; or Twitter: https://twitter.com/nrccarpenters.

SOURCE Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC)

Related Links

http://www.northeastcarpenters.org


MILWAUKEE, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual will host more than 10,000 of its financial representatives and their families from across the country in Milwaukee July 22-26 for the company's 137th Annual Meeting. To coincide with the Annual Meeting, the company will hold a sneak peek of the 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons on Sunday, July 23 in advance of the grand opening in August.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7991452-northwestern-mutual-137th-annual-meeting/

First Look: Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons The Atrium joins Northwestern Mutuals south building, built in 1912-1914, with the new Commons and symbolizes the connection between the companys historic past and bright future. The open stairway in the Mason Street Lobby encourages people to take the stairs rather than the escalator, staying true to Northwestern Mutuals focus on health and wellness. The abundant natural light pouring into the Northwestern Mutual Commons is integral to the buildings design. Construction on the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons began in fall 2014 and the building will officially open on August 21, 2017. Each floor of The Tower has 10-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows to bring in maximum natural light and showcase views of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan.

Construction of the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons began in fall 2014, and it is designed to enable the company's workforce to innovate and collaborate. The 21st-century work environment will help employees work in new ways while attracting top talent all aimed at providing financial security to more families and businesses.

"We believe in Milwaukee and are proud to call it our home," said John Schlifske, chairman and CEO, Northwestern Mutual. "As we celebrate 160 years of delivering financial security to our clients, we are strong, vibrant and growing. Our new work space will help attract top talent and drive innovation for our clients and for Milwaukee."

Northwestern Mutual's Annual Meeting brings together employees and financial representatives nationwide in the company's hometown of Milwaukee to network and learn from experts. Throughout the meeting, key company executives, including John Schlifske, chairman and chief executive officer; Gregory Oberland, president; and Tim Schaefer, executive vice president  client and digital experience, will address attendees and discuss Northwestern Mutual's continued transformation, investment in innovation, and commitment to delivering financial strength. The Annual Meeting will have a local economic impact of approximately $12.9 million.

To learn more about the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons visit www.NorthwesternMutual.com/BuildingMKE.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for 160 years. Through a distinctive, whole-picture planning approach including both insurance and investments, we empower people to be financially confident so they can live life differently. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience to help our clients navigate their financial lives every day. With $250.4 billion in assets, $28.2 billion in revenues, and more than $1.6 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.4 million people who rely on us for life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, brokerage and advisory services, trust services, and discretionary portfolio management solutions. The company holds more than $100 billion of client assets as a part of its wealth management company and investment services. Northwestern Mutual ranks 97 on the 2017 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2017.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual

Related Links

http://www.northwesternmutual.com


Since its inception, STEMNow has educated more than 360 teachers and affected the lives of more than 22,000 New York City public school students, in large part because of the lasting influence of the participating teachers. STEMNow includes the largest tuition-free university-run summer program of its kind in New York City  organized by the NYU Tandon Center for K12 STEM Education  and hosts sessions by Girls Who Code , college courses for high school students who want to get a jump on their baccalaureate degree, and Tech Kids Unlimited education for young people with learning disabilities.

This year alone, STEMNow will host 120 K-12 teachers and nearly 750 middle and high school students in 19 different programs and 24 research laboratories.

On Friday morning, July 21, 2017, Chancellor Farina will keynote the invitation-only celebration, which is expected to draw to the school more than 500 attendees supporting the programs that open engineering horizons to middle and high school students from diverse backgrounds. Many of the STEMNow students are from communities typically under-represented in STEM fields, and at a time when women comprise only 24 percent of those in STEM careers, a groundbreaking 60 percent of STEMNow students are female.

"We warmly welcome Chancellor Farina once again this summer, along with all the educators who join us in our mission to educate the next generation of engineers and scientists who will take on the most pressing challenges facing our world," said NYU Tandon Dean Katepalli R. Sreenivasan. "We are proud that STEMNow introduces young students to activities relevant to their future, and we hope these classes will spark in them an interest in pursuing a career in STEM. We're pleased to collaborate with the New York City Department of Education and its cadre of dedicated teachers who prepare students to contribute to society, build communities, and transform nations."

"As we work to ensure equity and excellence for all of our 1.1 million school children and prepare them for college and careers in the 21st century, it is essential that they have exposure to hands-on, high-quality STEM instruction," said NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina. "I thank NYU Tandon for its partnership in expanding access to STEM programs for New York City's students and for its work supporting our dedicated educators."

STEMNow includes classes, workshops, labs, and field trips that center on robotics, entrepreneurship, mechatronics, smart cities, 3D printing, integrated circuit design, cybersecurity, and laboratory research. The summer program, which runs through August, engages middle and high school teachers, students from middle school to those in graduate school who act as teachers, NYU faculty, and mentors from the school's Future Labs network of business incubators.

STEMNow includes two brand-new programs:

The National Science Foundation-funded Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) gives teachers, each joined by two of their students, a deep-dive into robotics as well as business planning, new-product development, intellectual property, and even fundraising.

The popular middle school program Science of Smart Cities expands this year to challenge high school students. Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC) introduces them to innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as the technology of connected cities. After five weeks of hands-on instruction and mentoring, participants enter a three-week team-based workshop to create smart-cities devices or ideas that offer solutions to urban challenges.

Another cornerstone STEMNow program, ARISE (Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering), returns as a seven-week immersion that involves college-level coursework and lab research in civil and urban engineering, composite materials, mechanics, molecular design, robotics, and sensors.

Founded in 2013, STEMNow provides students of all backgrounds access to high-quality instruction, enabling them to set a course toward success in STEM higher education and, ultimately, the competitive global economy.

For more details, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu/press-releases/2017/06/28/its-summertime-nyu-tandon-invites-nyc-students-teachers-dive-stem.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, the country's largest private research university, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu.

www.facebook.com/nyutandon

@NYUTandon

SOURCE NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Related Links

http://engineering.nyu.edu


NEW YORK and MENLO PARK, Calif., July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Oak Hill Capital Partners ("Oak Hill") today announced that it has successfully closed Oak Hill Capital Partners IV ("Fund IV"), a $2.65 billion private equity buyout fund. The fund was significantly oversubscribed, surpassing its target of $2.0 billion and its hard cap of $2.5 billion.

Oak Hill will continue its 30-year history of successful private equity investing with Fund IV, leveraging its experienced team, longstanding theme-based investment philosophy, and systematic approach to value creation. Consistent with Oak Hill's core philosophy of partnership through alignment of interests, the General Partner will remain the largest investor in Fund IV, with a $300 million commitment.

J. Crandall, Managing Partner and Founder, said, "We would like to thank all our investor partners for their conviction in our team and strategy, and for their trust in us. We are very appreciative of the continued support from our existing investor partners and are also extremely pleased to welcome our new investor partners to the Oak Hill family. I am also particularly proud of the entire Oak Hill team, as each member was engaged in and contributed to our fundraising success. With this fundraise behind us, I am very excited about the prospects for our firm and for our team, and am delighted by the continued able leadership of my partner, Tyler Wolfram."

Tyler Wolfram, Managing Partner, said, "Oak Hill has been incredibly active, yet disciplined in the current market environment. Our team has leveraged our theme-based investment strategy to drive compelling new investments in the marketplace. We continue to work in partnership with our management teams to enhance the franchise value at each of our portfolio companies by executing well-defined value creation plans. With five investments completed in Fund IV, we have a well-diversified portfolio to build upon in the months and years to come."

Oak Hill will continue to target control-oriented private equity investments of $100 million to $300 million in middle-market companies primarily in North America, focused across the following sectors: Consumer, Retail & Distribution; Industrials; Media & Communications; and Services. Fund IV has already invested over $900 million across five platform investments to date, including Imagine! Print Solutions, FirstLight Fiber, Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, CCC Information Services, and Charter NEX.

Fund IV generated demand from institutional investors around the world, representing a diverse investor base. More than 60 institutional limited partners from 20 countries invested in the fund, representing leading endowments and foundations, public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, financial institutions, consultants, and family offices. The fund also received commitments from current and former portfolio company management teams with whom the Oak Hill team enjoys longstanding relationships.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as Oak Hill's fund counsel.

About Oak Hill Capital Partners

Oak Hill is a private equity firm managing funds with more than $10 billion of initial capital commitments since inception from leading global endowments and foundations, public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, financial institutions, consultants, and family offices. Over the past 30 years, the professionals at Oak Hill and its predecessors have invested in 84 significant private equity transactions across broad segments of the U.S. and global economies. Oak Hill applies an industry-focused, theme-based approach to investing in the following sectors: Consumer, Retail & Distribution; Industrials; Media & Communications; and Services. Oak Hill works actively in partnership with management to implement strategic and operational initiatives to create franchise value. For more information, please visit www.oakhillcapital.com.

Media Contact:

Jeremy Fielding / Ethan Lyle

Kekst

212-521-4800

SOURCE Oak Hill Capital Partners

Related Links

http://www.oakhillcapital.com


MUNICH, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Practice Insight, the leading provider of intellectual property big data analytics software continues to expand its operations with a new office in Singapore. The office will cover the growing Asia Pacific region and is in addition to their existing offices in Europe, Australia, and the US.

"We are pleased to offer the Asia Pacific IP market greater access to our leading edge solutions to transform their businesses. Our new Singapore office will serve to expand our overall reach throughout Asia whilst also providing outstanding and responsive customer service within the region," said Mr. Wolfgang Danner, General Manager-Business Development, Practice Insight.

Under the leadership of Mr. Wolfgang Danner and Ms. Doris Spielthenner, General Manager, Practice Insight has grown from a development office in Perth, Australia to offices located in Europe, United States and now Asia. Over the past year, the company has also expanded its product range with the launch of a patent monitoring tool Citation Eagle, and now WiseTime, a fully automatic time tracking program.

For media inquiries, please contact

Erika Dauner, Marketing Coordinator,

Practice Insight,

[email protected]

+ 49 (0)89 89 0578816 (Munich)

SOURCE Practice Insight
NSI CEO, Mike Smith said, "I am excited by this combination. Premier is building a strong, integrated technology company and their existing services, such as routine & special core testing, provide the valuable inputs needed for stimulation design and fracturing/reservoir simulation. The goal is to use the new organization to push the boundaries for optimization of hydraulic fracturing."

PREMIER, with 8 facilities on three continents, will contribute industry leading competency to the combined company through its high-resolution reservoir characterization and completion optimization solutions for unconventional reservoirs. PREMIER is working with customers in conventional and unconventional plays globally. The combined business will be able to further key customer touchpoints from core through stimulation workflows in the United States, and deliver this expertise to the international market through the acquisition of COREX earlier this year.

PREMIER CEO Steve Cobb stated, "NSI and Dr. Smith have been technology leaders in applying hydraulic fracturing to enhance reservoir economics. Incorporating NSI's 3-dimensional StimPlanTM software with the geoscience and reservoir engineering solutions provided by PREMIER will provide our customers with a value proposition that is unique to the industry."

About Premier Oilfield Laboratories: Premier brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts who utilize breakthrough technologies and progressive approaches to help our clients understand how to better design exploration and exploitation strategies, optimize production, and mitigate risk. Please visit Premier Oilfield Laboratories at www.premieroilfieldlabs.com

About NSI: NSI's services include fracture treatment design, execution, and analysis; reservoir engineering related to the design and evaluation of fractured wells; fracturing and reservoir-related computer software; rock; and industry training courses. These services provide an integrated approach to supply the client with reliable answers and cost-effective solutions to their tough fracturing problems. Please visit www.nsitech.com

SOURCE Premier Oilfield Laboratories, LLC

Related Links

http://www.nsitech.com


WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- HRH Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud officially began his tenure as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States today with the presentation of his credentials to President Donald J. Trump at a White House ceremony.

"I am honored and excited to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America. Close friends and long-time allies, now more than ever, our two countries are aligned in shared interests and common purpose," said the Ambassador. "We are expanding trade and investment, increasing cultural exchanges, and fighting terrorism side by side."

"My first priority is to build on the outcomes of the Riyadh Summit to foster closer cooperation on our collective security and to expand our economic partnership," said the Ambassador. "I also want to reintroduce Saudi Arabia to the United States. Under our new leadership, Saudi Arabia is continuing to change and modernize. I want to engage Americans in new ways to introduce and describe the important economic and social reforms now underway."

Most recently, Prince Khalid was a senior civilian advisor in the Ministry of Defense. Previously, he was an officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) where he flew F15-S combat missions in Syria and Yemen. As a result of a back condition that prevented him from flying, Prince Khalid served as a tactical intelligence officer at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran.

Prince Khalid graduated from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the RSAF. He received pilot training in the United States at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Mississippi. He also studied advanced electronic warfare in France.

Prince Khalid is the 10th Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the U.S. since 1945.

SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
As she has become a favourite contestant among audience, 'Oviya's army' and 'Oviyans' have gone crazy on Twitter in her support.

By India Today Web Desk: Oviya, Bigg Boss Tamil contestant, is being cornered by all other remaining contestants and everyone wants to know whether she will be eliminated from the house.

As she has become a favourite contestant among audience, 'Oviya's army' and 'Oviyans' have gone crazy on Twitter in her support.

A campaign has been launched on the social media platform to garner votes for the much loved contestant who has managed to charm viewers with her expressions and way of dealing with the others in the house.

advertisement

Supporters have come up with a war cry (of sorts) "Neenga shut up pannunga!" for the starlet.

Here are some reaction from Twitter:

#VivoBiggBossTamil #BiggBossTamil #Oviya #OviyaArmy Girls like Oviya are very rare.Thanks to her Mom and dad for bringing her up right way.- mohinder (@nagmnagm) July 21, 2017

#Oviya taught me a lot... How to behave? How to be I am in tough situation? Also she smiled after they irritated isolated? #tamilatheist- TamilganeshTamilmani (@tamilatheist) July 21, 2017

Some have comapred her to thalaiva aka Rajinikanth

With 10 contestants remaining from the original count of 15, Oviya, Namitha and Ganesh Venkatraman are up for this week's elimination.

--- ENDS ---
HOUSTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE:PWR) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Stronghold, Ltd. and Stronghold Specialty, Ltd. (Stronghold), a leading specialized services company that provides high pressure and critical path solutions to the downstream and midstream energy markets. Headquartered in La Porte, Texas, Stronghold has a strong presence in the strategically important Gulf Coast refinery and petrochemical market and serves nearly all regions of the United States. The company has achieved strong organic growth by leveraging its operational excellence to expand into ten distinct specialty services companies, each providing platforms for future growth. Stronghold generated revenues of approximately $500 million for the full year of 2016 and has a workforce averaging approximately 2,800 employees. The industrial services market is a natural service line expansion for Quanta, further enabling Quanta to meet energy customers' needs. Stronghold's operations will be reflected in Quanta's Oil and Gas Infrastructure services segment.

"We remain positive on our 2017 and multiyear outlook and believe Stronghold is a strategic acquisition that will allow us to capture a greater portion of the energy industry operating and capital spend," said Duke Austin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quanta Services. "With positive industry dynamics, visible cross-selling opportunities and Quanta's support, we believe there is a multiyear opportunity for Stronghold's operations to achieve double digit growth. Stronghold's recurring revenues, accretive operating income margin profile and strong free cash flow generation align well with our strategic imperatives for long-term profitable growth. Stronghold is led by a multigenerational, experienced and well respected management team and, importantly, has a world-class, industry leading safety record. We welcome all of Stronghold's employees to the Quanta family."

The transaction consideration consists of an upfront payment of approximately $450 million, comprised of $360 million of cash and 2.7 million shares of Quanta Services common stock valued at approximately $90 million, with a cash and stock earnout that could provide maximum additional consideration of $100 million if cumulative three-year EBITDA targets are achieved. For the remainder of 2017, the acquisition of Stronghold is expected to generate $6.0 million to $7.5 million of net income attributable to common stock and to be accretive to Quanta's GAAP diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock by $0.02 to $0.03 and to non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock by $0.06 to $0.07, with accretion expected to increase in 2018. Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock is calculated by adjusting net income attributable to common stock to account for, all net of tax, $3.0 million to $4.0 million of acquisition and integration costs, $2.0 million to $2.5 million of amortization expense associated with Stronghold's intangible assets and approximately $0.5 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense. The allocation of the purchase price is preliminary and subject to change.

"Quanta is an ideal cultural and strategic fit for Stronghold, and we are excited to join the Quanta family," said Joe Durham, Chief Executive Officer of Stronghold. "Both companies are committed to safety, our employees and our customers, which provide the foundation for success. Joining Quanta will provide significant resources to Stronghold as we look to build on our history of profitable growth and meet the growing needs of our customers in the years ahead."

Stronghold's existing management team will remain in place, with founder Joe Durham continuing in his leadership role as Chief Executive Officer of Stronghold. With a skilled, dedicated and high-quality workforce, Stronghold will serve as a platform operating unit of Quanta.

Harris Williams & Co. served as financial advisor and Baker Botts L.L.P. served as legal advisor to Quanta for the transaction.

Conference Call Information

In conjunction with this announcement, Quanta has scheduled a conference call and webcast for this morning, July 21, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Prior to the conference call, Quanta will also post an accompanying management presentation in the "Investors and Media" section of the company's website at www.quantaservices.com. To participate in the call, dial 1-201-689-8345 or 1-877-407-8291 at least 10 minutes before the conference call begins and ask for the Quanta Services Investor Call. Investors, analysts and the general public also have the opportunity to listen to the conference call and view management's accompanying presentation by participating in the company's webcast, which will be broadcast live. Please visit the "Investors and Media" section of Quanta's website at least 15 minutes early to register and download and install any necessary software. For those who cannot participate live, shortly following the call a digital recording will be available in the "Investors and Media" section of the company's website and a telephonic replay of the call will be available through July 28, 2017 by dialing 1-877-660-6853 and referencing the conference ID 13666857. For more information, please contact Kip Rupp, Vice President - Investor Relations at Quanta Services, by calling 713-341-7260 or emailing [email protected].

About Quanta Services

Quanta Services is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering infrastructure solutions for the electric power, oil and gas and communications industries. Quanta's comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining energy and communications infrastructure. With operations throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia and select other international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to safely complete projects that are local, regional, national or international in scope. For more information, visit www.quantaservices.com.

About Stronghold

Stronghold is a leading specialized infrastructure solutions company that provides high pressure and critical path solutions to the downstream and midstream energy markets, through ten distinct specialty services companies. Headquartered in La Porte, Texas, with an average of 2,800 employees, Stronghold is committed to developing solutions that support customers' success through safe and effective project execution. The Stronghold group of companies are Cat-Spec Ltd., Citadel Industrial Services, Ltd., Dorado Specialty Services, Ltd., Elite Fabrication, Ltd., Elite Piping & Civil, Ltd., Elite Turnaround Specialists, Ltd., Specialty Tank Services, Ltd., Stronghold Inspection, Ltd., Stronghold Tower Group, Ltd. and Turnkey I&E, Ltd.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release (and oral statements regarding the subject matter of this release) contains forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Quanta's plans and strategies; projected revenues, net income, earnings per share, margins, cash flows, capital expenditures and other projections of operating or financial results, including the estimated accretive diluted earnings per share and amortization expense attributable to Stronghold; estimated transaction and integration costs associated with the acquisition of Stronghold; expectations regarding Quanta's business or financial outlook; expectations regarding the growth, trends or opportunities in particular markets, including the industrial and refinery services market, the midstream and downstream energy services markets and the oil and refined products storage market; future capital allocation initiatives and the strategic use of Quanta's balance sheet; the development of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids resources and the level of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids production and prices and the resulting impact on Quanta's and Stronghold's business or the demand for Quanta's and Stronghold's services; the potential benefits and synergies expected from the acquisition of Stronghold; Quanta's ability to successfully identify, negotiate and complete additional acquisitions; the business plans or financial condition of customers; current economic and regulatory conditions and trends; and other statements reflecting expectations, intentions, assumptions or beliefs about future events, and other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Although Quanta's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and by known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or beyond Quanta's control, including, among others, market conditions; the effects of industry, economic or political conditions outside of Quanta's control; the ability to achieve the expected benefits from the acquisition of Stronghold, including the failure of the acquisition to be accretive to Quanta's earnings or the failure of Stronghold to produce anticipated financial or operational results; the inability to successfully integrate and realize synergies from the acquisition of Stronghold; the potential adverse impact resulting from uncertainty surrounding an acquisition, including the ability to retain key personnel from the acquired business and the potential increase in risks already existing in Quanta's operations; growth outpacing Quanta's decentralized management and infrastructure; unexpected costs or unexpected liabilities that may arise from the acquisition of Stronghold; adverse economic and financial conditions; trends and growth opportunities in relevant markets; the successful negotiation, execution, performance and completion of anticipated, pending and existing contracts; loss of customers with whom Quanta or Stronghold have long-standing or significant relationships; Quanta's ability to generate internal growth; competitive dynamics, including Quanta's ability to effectively compete for new projects and market share; the effect of natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil prices on operations and growth opportunities and on customer capital programs and the resulting impact on demand for services; the future development of natural resources; the failure of existing or potential legislative actions to result in increased demand for services; estimates and assumptions in determining Quanta's financial results; Quanta's ability to successfully identify, complete, integrate and realize synergies from any future acquisitions; the adverse impact of impairments of goodwill, receivables, property, equipment and other intangible assets or investments; the ability to access sufficient funding to finance desired growth and operations; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Quanta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2016, Quanta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Mar. 31, 2017 and any other documents that Quanta files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For a discussion of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are urged to refer to Quanta's documents filed with the SEC that are available through the company's website at www.quantaservices.com or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of this date. Quanta does not undertake and expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Quanta further expressly disclaims any written or oral statements made by any third party regarding the subject matter of this press release.

Investors - Kip Rupp, CFA Media  Deborah Buks and Molly LeCronier Quanta Services, Inc. Ward (713) 341-7260 (713) 869-0707

SOURCE Quanta Services, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.quantaservices.com


- Hilco Global, Gordon Brothers, Tiger Capital Group and Great American Group to Liquidate All Inventory at Stores Slated to Close

- Sears Hometown Store Closing Sales to be Conducted by Local Owners

TORONTO, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears Canada Inc. ("Sears Canada" or the "Company") announced today that a joint venture ("JV") group formed among Hilco Global (through its Canadian division, Merchant Retail Solutions, ULC), Gordon Brothers, Tiger Capital Group and Great American Group, will begin operating liquidation sales today, Friday, July 21, 2017, at the stores previously announced by the retailer as closing, listed below. This announcement comes after Sears Canada obtained an Order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 to liquidate 54 Stores (20 full-line, 15 Sears Home, 10 Outlet, and 9 Hometown locations).

Beginning today, customers can take advantage of fantastic savings of up to 50% off during the store liquidation event sales. Great deals will be available on all merchandise including brand name men's and women's apparel, children's wear, footwear, bed and bath, home decor, fitness and recreation, toys, furniture, mattresses, major appliances, hardware, luggage and more.

Sears Canada full-line stores, Sears Home stores and Sears Outlet stores participating will immediately begin to feature DEEP DISCOUNTS from 20% to 50% off of a variety of products from Sears own brands, including Kenmore, in addition to well-known national and designer brands.

A spokesperson for the JV group managing the sale process, Gary Epstein said, "We encourage consumers to shop early to take advantage of the best selection of products and great savings available throughout the stores while supplies last." The JV Group also indicated that select fixtures, furnishings and equipment in the closing stores will also be for sale. He also indicated that Sears Canada gift cards will be honored throughout the sale.

The JV group, which has been appointed to operate the store liquidation process, has significant experience in Canada having operated several recent events for other retailers in Canada including Target Stores, Express, and BCBG.

Additional Information: Sears Canada and certain of its subsidiaries were granted an Initial Order and protection under the CCAA on June 22, 2017. Copies of the Company's motion materials and other court documents are available on the Monitor's website: http://cfcanada.fticonsulting.com/searscanada. Information regarding the CCAA process may also be obtained by calling the Monitor's hotline at 416-649-8113 or 1-855-649-8113 (toll free), or by email at [email protected] Sears Canada will continue to provide updates regarding its restructuring as developments warrant.

Liquidation Sales Start July 21, 2017 at the following locations:

Sears Full-Line Outlet Sears Home Sears Hometown Medicine Hat, AB Abbotsford, BC Calgary, Glendeer Circle, AB Spruce Grove, AB Grande Prairie, AB Winnipeg Garden City, MB Edmonton Skyview, AB Fort McMurray, AB Lloydminster, AB Halifax Outlet, NS Ancaster, ON St. Albert, AB Red Deer, AB Cornwall, ON Woodbridge, ON Sherwood Park, AB Kamloops, BC Chatham, ON London, ON Okotoks, AB Bathurst, NB Cambridge, ON Scarborough, ON Cold Lake, AB Saint John, NB Timmins, ON Kingston, ON Orangeville, ON Corner Brook, NL St. Eustache, QC Ottawa East, ON Rimouski, QC Truro, NS Place Vertu, QC Sudbury, ON Rouyn Noranda, QC Dartmouth, NS Sorel, QC Windsor, ON

Brockville, ON

Orillia, ON

Sault Ste. Marie, ON

St. Bruno, QC

Hull, QC

Laval, QC

Chicoutimi, QC

Quebec City, QC

St. Georges de Beauce, QC

Ste. Foy, QC

Alma, QC





Drummondville, QC





Regina, SK





Moose Jaw, SK





Prince Albert, SK







About Sears Canada: Sears Canada Inc. is an independent Canadian digital and store-based retailer and technology company whose head office is based in Toronto. Sears Canada's unique brand format offers premium quality Sears Label products, designed and sourced by Sears Canada, and of-the-moment fashion and home decor from designer labels in The Cut @ Sears. Sears Canada also has a top ranked appliance and mattress business in Canada. Sears Canada is undergoing a reinvention, including new customer experiences at every touchpoint, a new e-commerce platform, new store concepts, and a new set of customer service principles designed to deliver WOW experiences to customers. Information can be found at sears.ca/reinvention. Sears Canada operates as a separate entity from its U.S.- based co-founder, now known as Sears Holdings Corp., based in Illinois.

About Hilco Global - Merchant Retail Solutions, ULC : Merchant Retail Solutions, ULC is a Canadian division of Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com) which provides a wide range of analytical, advisory, asset monetization, and capital investment services to help define and execute a retailer's strategic initiatives. The firm's activities fall into several principal categories including acquisitions; disposition of underperforming stores; retail company or division wind downs; event sales to convert unwanted assets into working capital; interim company, division or store management teams; loss prevention; and, the monetization of furniture, fixtures and equipment. Hilco Global, is one of the world's leading authorities on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions. Hilco Global operates twenty specialized business units around the world.

About Gordon Brothers : Since 1903, Gordon Brothers (www.gordonbrothers.com) has helped lenders, operating executives, advisors, and investors move forward through change. The firm brings a powerful combination of expertise and capital to clients, developing customized solutions on an integrated or standalone basis across four service areas: valuations, dispositions, operations, and investments. Whether to fuel growth or facilitate strategic consolidation, Gordon Brothers partners with companies in the retail, commercial, and industrial sectors to put assets to their highest and best use. Gordon Brothers conducts more than $70 billion worth of dispositions and appraisals annually. Gordon Brothers is headquartered in Boston, with 25 offices across four continents.

About Tiger Capital Group, LLC: Tiger Capital Group and its affiliates provide asset valuation, advisory and disposition services to a broad range of retail, wholesale, and industrial clients. With over 40 years of experience and significant financial backing, Tiger offers a uniquely nimble combination of expertise, innovation and financial resources to drive results. Tiger's seasoned professionals help clients identify the underlying value of assets, monitor asset risk factors and, when needed, provide capital or convert assets to capital quickly and decisively. Tiger's collaborative, straight-forward approach is the foundation for its many long-term 'partner' relationships and decades of success. Tiger maintains domestic offices in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, and international offices in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia. To learn more about Tiger, please visit www.TigerGroup.com.

About Great American Group : Great American Group, LLC is a leading provider of asset disposition, advisory and valuation services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc. Great American Group efficiently deploys resources with sector expertise to assist companies, lenders, capital providers, private equity investors and professional services firms in maximizing the value of their assets. To learn more about Great American Group, please visit www.greatamerican.com.

Forward Looking Information

Certain matters set forth in this news release, including but not limited to statements with respect to the CCAA application and proceedings, the restructuring and the sale and investment solicitation process, and the Sears Canada Group's ability to meet its obligations are forward looking. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions, including assumptions as to future operating conditions and courses of action, restructuring alternatives, economic conditions, and other factors that management believes are appropriate. Such forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in these statements, including the risk that the restructuring may be protracted as well as those risks and uncertainties identified under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in Sears Canada's management's discussion and analysis for the 52-week period ended January 28, 2017, and for the 13-week period ended April 29, 2017, available at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as at the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them, either publicly or otherwise, to reflect new events, information or circumstances.

SOURCE Hilco Global

Related Links

http://www.hilcoglobal.com


The speakers of the summit are going to give profound insights on topics such as the cryptocurrency industry in China including its pioneering technology, the environment and its development in global market as well as how Blockchain technology can shape the future and more.

China's First BTC Documentary Premiere

One of the highlights of the summit is the much-anticipated premiere of the documentary titled - Bitcoin: Shape The Future, which examines the history of Bitcoin in China as well as the emerging industries it has spawned.

The BITKAN crew traveled across China to interview key players for a deeper insight. In order to make it happen, their path went from Beijing, Dongguan, Shenzhen to Hong Kong, and they even trekked into the wildness of Inner Mongolia. The crew investigated everything about Bitcoin from the hardware like mining machines, mining pools and mining factories, to the software like Bitcoin application technology and Bitcoin trading platforms. They also conducted interviews with more than 20 leaders in the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency industry as well as those mentioned above who are entrepreneurs, institutional and individual investors and academics who study the field. In this way, BITKAN managed to cover every aspect of Bitcoin in this coming documentary.

As another foucs of the documentary, it also talks about scandals, social media outbursts and personality clashes that steered Bitcoin's path -- which are cases outside China people probably never heard of.

Your Voice Matters

In a world of increasing government oversight, how do we move forward to achieve mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies and Blockchain technology without sacrificing privacy? How far-reaching are its possible application?

These are all questions that will impact the future of Bitcoin, cryptocurrency as a whole, and Blockchain technology. And only by communicating and discussing with professionals all over the world can we begin to solve the problems. The BTC & Blockchain Global Summit will give everyone a voice in shaping that future!

Now this unprecedented summit is open for registration!

Official Website:

http://www.bitkan.com/event?from=newsch

Buy Tickets at:

http://www.huodongxing.com/event/2396787801000

Pay by Bitcoin:

Please e-mail us at: [email protected] to get our wallet address.

Business Enquires:

[email protected]

SOURCE BITKAN
NEW YORK, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP, a class action law firm dedicated to representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating a potential breach of fiduciary duty claim involving the board of directors of Franklin Financial Network, Inc. (NYSE: FSB).

If you are a shareholder of Franklin Financial Network, Inc. and are interested in obtaining additional information regarding this investigation, free of charge, please visit us at:

http://pjlfirm.com/franklin-financial-network-inc/

You may also contact Robert H. Lefkowitz, Esq. either via email at [email protected] or by telephone at 212-725-1000. One of our attorneys will personally speak with you about the case at no cost or obligation.

Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP is a law firm exclusively committed to representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty and other types of corporate misconduct. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://pjlfirm.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

SOURCE Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP

Related Links

http://www.pjlfirm.com


NEW YORK, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --



 The global superalloy market reached $5.2 billion in 2015. This market is expected to increase from nearly $5.6 billion in 2016 to $7.7 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% for 2016-2021.



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p05002442/Superalloys-Technologies-Applications-and-Global-Markets.html



 Transportation applications market is expected to grow from $3.2 billion in 2016 to nearly $4.3 billion in 2021 at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2016 through 2021.

 Industrial and power generation applications market is expected to grow from $2.3 billion in 2016 to nearly $3.4 billion in 2021 at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2016 through 2021.



Introduction

Study Goals and Objectives

This report provides a global overview of the market for superalloys, with breakdowns by region and by major technology. BCC Research's goal in conducting this study was to assess and describe the current status and potential growth of the worldwide use of superalloys, and associated markets.



More specifically, the study includes the following objectives:

 Summarize the current boiler markets and emerging trends that weigh on market valuations and futures.

 Evaluate the existing boiler industry, focusing on boiler manufacturers within primary categories of industrial boilers.

 Assess market potential for enhanced oil production (EOR) technologies over a five-year period from 2016 through 2021.



Reasons for Doing This Study

Several key factors are currently influencing superalloy production and associated markets, across a variety of applications. Continued advancement of the global air travel industry, both for cargo and personal transit, is enabling major airlines to upgrade their fleets to newer, more energy efficient planes sporting modernized, superalloy containing engines.



In the power generation industry, new deployments of gas turbines and repowering of older technologies such as coal with natural gas supports advancement in these markets, both for gas and steam turbines. Global advances in industrial production are also driving the increased use of superalloys in that category, while volatility in the oil and gas industry may be calming down with oil prices that are approaching increased stability. Finally, automotive technologies are continuing to advance, especially surrounding increased fuel efficiency, which is driving the use of superalloys in that category.



The last several years have marked an auspicious time for expansion within global and regional markets for superalloys. However, is the time still opportune into the near- to mid-term (through 2021)?



Moreover, if so, which regional and national markets, and which superalloy categories or applications will show the strongest growth? Further, what strategies should superalloy market participants pursue to take advantage of potential upcoming market advances? This report intends to assist industry executives, sales managers, and strategists to better plan their approach to growth within today's diverse industrial boiler markets.



Intended Audience

This report provides and an in-depth analysis of superalloys and their key applications, relevant markets and production information, technological descriptions and issues, applications and market factors, and market potential. It gives an overview of applicable regulations and standards that bear on leading worldwide markets.



This study will be of interest to current and prospective suppliers of superalloys, those involved in the superalloy supply chain, and manufacturers who rely on superalloys as a critical component of their key products. Other parties for which this report will be beneficial include entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies interested in entering or expanding into the superalloy technology sector, materials developers looking to develop new materials, or those who seek to bring emerging materials to the market. This review will also be of interest to corporate planners and strategists, materials research and development strategists, engineering, alloy materials industry groups, and other public- and private-sector interest groups and market analysts.



Scope of Report

The scope of this investigation includes the major superalloy categories that are relevant to an array of mechanical products and equipment. Superalloys provide enhanced durability, excellent thermal management and associated properties, and other key benefits that are critical to the operation of many high-tech mechanical and industrial equipment and facilities.



The specific technology categories considered in this report are shown below, which include all major sectors bearing moderate to large markets for superalloy materials on a global basis. This report focuses explicitly on superalloys and does not consider other alloys such as advanced titanium or steel alloys.



Superalloy categories considered in this report:

 Airplane jet engines: jet engines for commercial cargo and passenger airlines; jet engines for private business airlines; jet engines for military applications; jet engines for rotary (helicopter) applications.

 Power generation: utility gas turbines; industrial gas turbines for power generation; steam turbines; nuclear reactors.

 Industrial applications: gas compressors; chemical processing equipment; waste processing equipment; thermal processing equipment.

 Oil and gas extraction: subsea topsides; drilling and completion; compressor systems.

 Automotive: turbochargers; other engine components.



Biomedical applications are also covered in this report. However, they carry a small market size and therefore market data, with breakdowns by material and region but not by their application within the biomedical category, and are provided in an appendix.



The data, market information, and industry insights presented are intended to provide a holistic overview of all the major markets for superalloys. The market analysis submitted in this report is based on a variety of data sources. These include the most recent corporate, industrial, and government data on superalloy production, sales, imports and exports.



The manufacturing and industrial productivity data is intended to help gauge anticipated future market growth. The results from the data generated by recent and ongoing research and development efforts are aimed at identifying new and developing niches for certain classes of superalloys and their potential for associated growth.



Research and development of new superalloys and associated materials are key drivers of future market growth within the industry. Emerging superalloys that may become commercially viable within the next five years are summarized but are not included in the market assessment of this report. BCC Research analyzes each major viable superalloy, as shown above, determines its current market status, examines its impact on future markets, and presents forecasts of growth over the next five years.



Technological issues, including the latest trends, are assessed and discussed, as are the current and likely regulatory environments in support of this industry. Sales of superalloys into various industrial and manufacturing categories and end uses are considered.



BCC Research analyzes the superalloys industry on a worldwide basis regarding the production and sale of superalloys, as these are incorporated into a variety of products. BCC Research also examines institutional and government support, including research and development (R&D), which ultimately provides support to long-term growth in superalloys markets, as relevant through 2021. BCC Research also discusses recent trends and projections in terms of unit sales, as well as market sales values.



Methodology

This report is based on reviews of each superalloy and its current usage, by region and nation as relevant, and information collected from government, industry, and corporate sources. Additional data were gathered from conversations with industry insiders, government officials, regulators, and other players active in the global superalloys industry.



Data were compiled by the analyst for all national and regional markets considered. Available data were assessed by the analyst for gaps, underreporting, and other signs of inaccurate or missing information. Information gaps or inaccuracies were identified and estimated using applicable and available benchmarking tools, including national or regional level changes in industrial productivity where growth was assumed to correlate with growth in the boilers markets. Alternatively, where available, information on industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are largely due to boiler emissions, or other industrial air quality emissions was used.



BCC Research's research of present and historic market trends was conducted primarily via internet research and phone interviews, relying on available industry and government data and information gathered from telephone and email-based interviews. Internal company data and annual documentation of sales relevant to a particular superalloy technology or sales category were also reviewed in order to prepare market assessments. Based on the results of our surveys and research, BCC Research analyzed the potential applications for each technology, assembled data for 2015 and 2016 sales, and forecast sales through 2021. Additionally, when available, the data provided in this report were compared with other industry data to ensure relevance, applicability and accuracy.



Information Sources

Both primary and secondary research methods were used in preparing this report. BCC's primary and secondary data collection efforts included various authorities, as discussed above, including producers and distributors of superalloys, manufacturers relying on superalloys as a critical component of their product lines, alloy and superalloy industry groups, other industry analysts, and researchers, analysts, and reports from government and nongovernmental organizations. The following table summarizes information sources for each of the major sections of this report.



Research information sources for this report include:

 Review of superalloys including technologies, breakdown categories, technological trends, and products: Secondary information sources include corporate, industry, and government information and data.

 Industry structure and market overviews by superalloy category: Primary information sources include industry interviews.

 Major companies and company profiles: Primary and secondary information sources include industry interviews and internet research.

 Market assessment and projections: Primary and limited secondary information sources include industry interviews, government and industry documents and data sources, and BCC Research calculations.



Geographic Breakdown

In this report, the geographic regions considered for market analysis include, and only include:



North America

 United States

 Canada



Europe

 France

 Germany

 Italy

 Russia

 Rest of Europe



Asia

 China

 India

 Japan

 Rest of Asia



Summary and Highlights

Superalloys form the backbone of contemporary air transit and thermal power generation industries  industries that are evolving rapidly to meet new and increased demands while deploying new and advanced technologies that are enhancing fuel and energy efficiency while curbing airborne emissions. However, superalloy deployments are not limited to these two areas.



These exceptionally strong, highly heat- and corrosion-resistant metal alloys are also finding application in other industries where they are bringing significant benefit. Superalloy technologies have, for example, enabled the proliferation of turbochargers in the global automotive industry, helping to advance automobile and commercial vehicle fuel efficiency and performance significantly.



Turbomachinery applied to oil and gas segments contributes to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) through efficient gas compression, while superalloy based drills allow drilling operators to tap petroleum resources buried beneath deep, hot, and resistant geologic formations. Finally, superalloys applied to industry specific processes are supporting new advances in chemicals production, more effective and efficient petroleum refining and petrochemical production, and conventional and advanced thermal processing.



Superalloys touch multiple market categories, each of which varies based on industry-specific factors, ranging from energy efficiency to consumer preference. As such, identifying factors relevant to the market as a whole, or to a particular desired application or outcome, can be confounding. To address this critical issue, BCC Research has assembled a comprehensive overview of current and near-term future superalloy markets. Our analysis provides both a high-level overview of the market, important to investors and others looking to understand overall superalloy market dynamics and trends, along with a bottom-up look across five specific superalloy markets.



These are broken down by industry as follows:

 Aircraft jet engines  breakdowns for commercial cargo and passenger,

 Private business.

 Military  rotary and helicopter segments.

 Power generation  utility gas turbines, industrial gas turbines, steam turbines, nuclear reactors.

 Industrial processes  compression, chemical processing, waste processing, thermal processing.

 Oil and gas  subsea topsides, drilling and completion, compressor systems.

 Automotive  turbochargers, other engine equipment.



BCC Research's analysis of the global market for superalloys anticipates solid growth in all the defined regions and market segments. As shown in the table and figure below, global sales during 2015 to 2016 increased from $5.2 billion to nearly $5.6 billion. Near-term and mid-term future growth will drive markets to almost $7.7 billion by 2021, for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%, globally.



Transportation applications for superalloys will be characterized by reliable growth, with markets in these segments collectively advancing from $3.2 billion in 2016 to $4.3 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 5.7%. Meanwhile, growth in industrial and power generation applications, including the oil and gas segment, will advance from $2.3 billion in 2016 to $3.4 billion in 2021, exhibiting solid market development at 7.7%. BCC Research's full report provides additional market breakdowns according to the categories and sub-segments listed above, along with additional breakdowns by superalloy type (i.e., nickel-based, cobalt-based and iron-based).



Market analyses are also provided by region for North America, Europe, and Asia. Additional national level data for select major markets within these regions, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, the Rest of Europe, China, South Korea, Japan, and the Rest of Asia are also included.



BCC Research's analysis of the global superalloys market is supported by a comprehensive review of available industry and government data, combined with personal interviews and frank discussions with industry insiders and leaders in the industrial boiler industry. BCC Research's global superalloys assessment combines corporate data, industry reportings, trade data, and government information, along with the main benchmarks, in a well-supported and accurate evaluation of superalloy markets.

The result is a robust series of regional projections based on reliable data, industry and government trends, and expert opinion.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p05002442/Superalloys-Technologies-Applications-and-Global-Markets.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com



__________________________

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SOURCE Reportlinker

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A brand that remains ahead of the curve, Umami Burger continually brings together partners from the arts and design, to food and beverage, to pop culture and celebrity, inclusive of Cindy Crawford, Mindy Kaling, and Alton Brown. Constantly striving to disrupt the market, the recent Southern California Impossible Foods partnership has projected Umami Burger into the spotlight, challenging the gourmet burger trend by featuring an innovative burger patty, with premium ingredients and a message to convey. "With the ever-growing and recent success of Umami Burger's partnership with Impossible Foods in our Los Angeles restaurants, we're excited to expand our footprint with Impossible Foods to the Bay Area," states Sam Nazarian, Founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based sbe and Umami Burger's majority shareholder. "Through our partnership with Impossible Foods, Umami Burger will continue to provide guests with innovative and cravable social dining experiences that stick to the brand's differentiating taste and ambitious standards for quality."

The Impossible Burger is the world's only burger that looks, handles, smells, cooks, and tastes like ground beef from cows - but is made entirely from plants, with a much smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. Using roughly 75% less water, generating about 87% fewer greenhouse gases and requiring around 95% less land than conventional ground beef from cows, the Impossible Burger is produced without hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol, or artificial flavors.

"Seventy years after Southern California popularized the burger and made it America's favorite food, Umami Burger ignited the 'better burger' trend and helped it spread worldwide," said Impossible Foods CEO and founder Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D. "Together, Impossible Foods and Umami Burger can keep expanding, leading global food and restaurant trends."

Following the Impossible Burger launch at Umami Burger's Los Angeles County locations, the Impossible Burger will debut in more fine-dining restaurants and multi-unit chains throughout the United States. After the Oakland facility is fully ramped up, the company plans to launch Impossible Burger in retail outlets and key regions internationally. In addition to the Impossible Burger, the company is developing additional types of plant-based meats, dairy products, and cheeses.

ABOUT UMAMI BURGER:

Founded in Los Angeles in 2009, Umami Burger has been named GQ's "Burger of the Year," Men's Journal's "Best Burger in America" and one of the "25 Most Innovative Consumer Brands of 2016" by Forbes' CircleUp25. Currently, Umami Burger has 25 restaurants in California, New York, Illinois, Nevada and Japan with additional locations planned around the world, including nine more locations in Japan. sbe, the Los Angeles-based leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hospitality venues, is Umami Burger's majority shareholder. For more information on Umami Burger, please visit umamiburger.com or follow @umamiburger or #umamiburger on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE FOODS:

Based in Redwood City, California, Impossible Foods makes delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products directly from plants -- with a much smaller environmental footprint than those produced from animals. The privately held company was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., formerly a biochemistry professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Stanford University. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, Google Ventures, Horizons Ventures, UBS, Viking Global Investors, Open Philanthropy Project and Temasek.

More information:

MEDIA CONTACT:

BREAD & BUTTER PUBLIC RELATIONS

Kaitlin Egan

717.341.0035

[email protected]

IMPOSSIBLE FOODS

Jessica Appelgren

415.871.1662

[email protected]

SOURCE sbe

Related Links

http://www.sbe.com


"One of the primary purposes of Union Pacific's safety programs is to reduce railroad crossing accidents and it is encouraging to see positive results," said Cameron Scott, Union Pacific executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Communities play a big role in helping their friends, neighbors and family members staying safe around railroad tracks. We will continue working with local authorities to share our safety message and educate drivers."

Cities and counties determine where roads intersect with rail lines and warning signs at public railroad crossings. Union Pacific's Crossing Assessment Process (CAP) studies the crossing characteristics and focuses its efforts where incidents may be more likely to occur. While all crossings complying with Union Pacific maintenance standards are safe for drivers, the program identifies safety enhancements that may require working with cities to add signage such as pavement markings. For private crossings, the company works with landowners to find alternative access that doesn't cross the railroad.

The U.S. Department of Transportation studied train-vehicle accident reports over a 10-year period and found 94 percent of public railroad crossing accidents were caused by risky driver behavior, such as driving around activated automatic gates. Union Pacific's Crossing Accident Reduction and Education Safety (UP CARES) public safety program allows the company to work with communities through a variety of outreach channels. Thousands of UP CARES events are held annually across Union Pacific's 23-state network to educate pedestrians, motorists and truck drivers about how to stay safe around railroads and grade crossings.

Union Pacific outreach efforts also include annual digital and social media rail safety video campaigns urging pedestrians and drivers to use caution near railroad crossings. The campaigns include engaging videos shared through Facebook and YouTube and encourage audiences to share videos, images and rail safety ideas.

More information about Union Pacific's rail safety efforts is available in its 2016 Building America Report.

ABOUT UNION PACIFIC

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. In the last 10 years, 2007-2016, Union Pacific invested approximately $34 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure. The railroad's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

www.up.com

www.facebook.com/unionpacific

www.twitter.com/unionpacific

SOURCE Union Pacific

Related Links

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WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

WINNECONNE SECESSION

Profile America  Friday, July 21st. Fifty years ago today, Winneconne, Wisconsin declared its independence. Residents were annoyed that their town of some 1,300 was accidentally left off the state's 1967 road map. Unsatisfied with Wisconsin's apology, they seceded. Upon forming the Sovereign State of Winneconne, the secessionist government set up toll-gates at the border, plotted to annex nearby Oshkosh, good naturedly declared war on the United States, and contemplated seeking annexation by another state with better weather. Wisconsin's then governor negotiated a settlement satisfactory to the rebels. Winneconne rejoined Wisconsin just after midnight on July 22nd. An annual Sovereign State Days celebration commemorates the event in the town now grown to 2,400 residents. Profile America is in its 21st year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winneconne,_Wisconsin#Secession_and_sovereign_statehood

Secession actions and 1967 population/accessed 5/3/2017: https://www.protectedplanet.net/country/US https://books.google.com/books?id=pYrlk8fDC50C&pg=PA216&lpg=PA216&dq=winneconne+declares+war+on+united+states&source=bl&ots=NJBVoFtljQ&sig=KKNepCAzwAlcxwsawGv8Ylco9dI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj90fPPw9TTAhVPw2MKHer5DesQ6AEILTAC#v=onepage&q=winneconne%20declares%20war%20on%20united%20states&f=false

Threatens war/accessed 5/3/2017: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/10/27/page/240/article/winneconne-declares-war-on-the-united-states

Commemorations/accessed 5/3/2017: http://www.thenorthwestern.com/story/news/local/2014/07/19/winneconne-sovereign-state-parade-events/12889767/

Winneconne population estimate:

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Related Links

http://www.census.gov


WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rural northwest Arkansas resident Mike Frazee provided emotional testimony yesterday before a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife hearing on what it's like to live in America with no access to safe drinking water.

Arkansas resident Mike Frazee (right) talks with Senator John Boozman (R-AR) about living in America without access to safe drinking water. Frazee testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on Innovative Financing and Funding: Addressing America's Crumbling Water Infrastructure" on behalf of the Water Systems Council.

Frazee, whose family lacked access to safe drinking water for decades before they were provided with a low interest loan through the Water Systems Council's Water Well Trust to drill a water well in 2014, testified during the subcommittee's hearing on "Innovative Financing and Funding: Addressing America's Crumbling Water Infrastructure."

During his introduction of Frazee, Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) noted: "Mr. Frazee has lived in Rogers Arkansas since 1990. Since moving to Rogers to be closer to his family, he has not had running water. In 2014, Mr. Frazee's mother contacted my office and we discussed the problem her community was facing.

"I must admit I was surprised to hear that lack of running and clean drinking water was still a problem in our country, let alone in my home state. After talking to Mrs. Frazee, I got her in touch with the Water Systems Council, who was able to drill wells that brought fresh reliable drinking water directly to her home as well as the homes of her neighbors.... Given Mr. Frazee's personal experience, I cannot think of anyone better to testify."

The Environmental Protection Agency's most recent Needs Survey placed the shortfall in drinking water infrastructure funding for small communities (3,300 or fewer persons) at $64.5 billion. There are 52,000 community water systems in the United States, of which 41,801 are small community water systems, and 27,500 of those serve populations of fewer than 500 people.

"Usually when we imagine life without clean and efficient drinking water and wastewater we picture communities that do not resemble our own. We picture far off countries that do not have all of the blessings America has. Sadly, this cannot be further from the truth," said Sen. Boozman. "Currently, an estimated 1.7 million Americans live without access to clean, running drinking water in their homes. There are tremendous infrastructure needs in rural America. We are in a position to address this problem. We have an Administration that has made infrastructure investment a top priority, coupled with bipartisan support in both the Senate and House. We have an incredible opportunity to work across the aisle and get back on track to making America's water infrastructure the best in the world."

Below are excerpts from Frazee's testimony on July 20:

"I live in rural, northwest Arkansas - an area of great natural beauty, but where access to basic services like drinking water can be extremely difficult. Life without drinking water can be strenuous and stressful. You are constantly worried about how much water you have and how much water will be consumed in simple day-to-day activities. In my part of the world, people drive every day, thousands of miles a year, to haul water from a coin operated water machine to their homes. And, if that water machine is broken or you have a snow or ice storm, you might have to go several days without water.

"Hauling water consumes many hours a week, puts tremendous wear and tear on your vehicle and has resulted in a number of deadly accidents. My dad, who is a disabled veteran, spent much of his life hauling water to our home. My mother was constantly stressed about the water level in the tank outside our home.

"Many people in our area (veterans, disabled, single parents) are down on their luck, just trying to do right and survive. These folks can't go to a bank and ask for loan to pay for a well. We don't have an opportunity to tap into city or rural water systems. Many of our neighbors struggle to have water. We have seen single moms taking their children to haul water in buckets. One also worries about the quality of the water being hauled. The water machine I used has a sign that states - 'We cannot insure the quality of the water.' How awful is that?

"Wells and well systems are a God-send to rural communities like mine. We were never going to have the resources to pay for a drinking water treatment facility or run water lines many miles. However, wells proved to be a very cost effective alternative for me and my neighbors. The Water Systems Council, through its Water Well Trust, has provided my mom, myself and families across Arkansas quality drinking water at a reasonable price through wells.

"And last year, Senator Boozman worked with Senator Cardin on legislation requiring the USDA and the EPA to set up a Clearinghouse of information with data on the use of wells and well systems to meet rural drinking water challenges. The Water Systems Council has proven that wells can reduce the cost of providing drinking water to many rural communities by over 75 percent.

"As we've seen in Arkansas, wells can significantly reduce the cost of providing drinking water to many small rural communities and Congress should do everything it can to promote the use of wells in these rural areas. I know firsthand the importance of safe, affordable drinking water and wells are a part of the solution."

The Water Systems Council (WSC) was the sole drinking water organization invited to testify before the U.S. Senate on water wells as a cost effective solution to America's rural water infrastructure crisis. WSC established the Water Well Trust in 2010 and it continues to be the only national nonprofit organization helping Americans get access to a clean, safe water supply. To date, the Water Well Trust has completed water well projects in Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas and has pending projects in Georgia, New York and South Carolina.

For more information, visit watersystemscouncil.org and waterwelltrust.org.

Contact

Margaret Martens

Executive Director

Water Systems Council

202-625-4387

[email protected]

SOURCE Water Systems Council

Related Links

https://www.watersystemscouncil.org


SALT LAKE CITY, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Western Governors University (WGU) has tapped two leaders in 21st century education to serve on the nonprofit, online university's Board of Trustees. Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO and President of Dreambox Learning, and Joseph B. Fuller, Professor of Management Practice and Co-Director of the Managing the Future of Work Project at Harvard Business School, joined WGU's board earlier this month.

In addition to her role as President and CEO of Dreambox Learning, Jessie Woolley-Wilson has held executive leadership positions in a number of education technology companies, including Kaplan, LeapFrog SchoolHouse, and Blackboard. She is a two-time recipient of EdTech Digest's EdTech Leadership Award for transformative innovation in education. Wilson has been recognized for her leadership and impact by Seattle Business Magazine, Forbes, and The New York Times. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of Virginia.

"I am honored to join WGU's board and support the university in its mission to expand access to affordable, high-quality higher education," said Woolley-Wilson. "I look forward to bringing my experience in education technology to this passionate group."

Joseph Fuller currently teaches the General Management Processes and Action course in Harvard Business School's MBA program. As Co-Director of the Managing the Future of Work Project, Fuller is researching and developing solutions to address the skills gap in the U.S. Prior to his faculty role at Harvard, Fuller was founder and CEO of Monitor Group, a global consulting firm, working extensively with technology firms. He has written extensively on education and workforce issues in publications such as the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Harvard University.

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve on WGU's board," Fuller said. "My research highlights the criticality of maintaining our skills base to America's competitiveness. WGU's competency-based, online model is precisely the type of innovative solution required to ensure our future prosperity."

"WGU's Board has an important leadership role to play in guiding the university to ensure that we continue to fulfill our competency-based mission, including our promise to expand access to the underserved," said WGU Board of Trustees Chairman and former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer. "Jessie and Joe, with their backgrounds in educational technology, adaptive learning, and education for the contemporary workforce, will provide valuable insight and expertise to our Board."

About WGU

Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves 82,000 students and 87,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation's leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 20 years, the university has become a leading force in changing lives through education. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at www.wgu.edu.

Follow WGU:

http://www.facebook.com/wgu.edu

http://www.linkedin.com/companies/western-governors-university

http://twitter.com/wgu

http://www.youtube.com/WesternGovernorsUniv

http://google.com/+wgu

http://news.wgu.edu/news/news.xml

Contact for media inquiries:

Joan Mitchell  VP of Public Relations

801-428-5463

[email protected]



Contact for enrollment information:

866-225-5948

wgu.edu

SOURCE Western Governors University

Related Links

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By PTI: Jaipur, Jul 21 (PTI) BJP national president Amit Shah today claimed the party is based on principles with its internal democracy intact and said those outfits which do not have these qualities cannot work for the countrys welfare.

Addressing a gathering of prominent people from different walks of life in Rajasthan, he said the BJP government does not take decisions that gives a feel-good factor but which are good for the people and it has helped the country to progress fast.

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Referring to Ujjwala scheme, shutting down of shell firms, policies to close black moneys entry route into the country and the surgical strike, he said, "A party should have policies for the welfare of the people and the BJP is one of them."

"We are working to reform policies that lead to the countrys transformation," the BJP national president said.

He said the BJP has given a corruption-free government at the Centre whereas everyone knows about scams of crores of rupees during the previous Congress-led UPA dispensation.

"Today, a tea-seller from a poor background is the countrys prime minister and a booth level worker of the party is its national president because of its internal democracy and principles," Shah said.

"Those parties which do not have strong democratic values and principles, cannot work for the welfare of the country," he said, adding, "We should evaluate and do a comparative study before mandating any party to power."

The BJP government at the Centre took 50 big decisions in last three years, which the previous governments could not take in 50 years, Shah claimed.

"It shows the difference in governance. When we came to power 60 per cent people did not having bank accounts. Today, 28 crore people have bank accounts," he said.

Claiming that the BJP is one of the few parties that has both principles and is democratic, Shah said these two qualities have made the party the largest in the country.

He said the party constituted by a handful of people now has 11 crore members.

"Everyone knows who will be the next President of the country, but there is no clue who will be the next President of the BJP after me," Shah said.

Speaking about BIMARU states, he said some states were termed as such because of financial indiscipline and administrative disaster.

Appreciating the schemes initiated by the Rajasthan government, Shah said, "Due to the administrative acumen of the the BJP government in the state, it has become a prosperous. The party has shown how a government should work. Soon, Uttar Pradesh too will lose the BIMARU tag."

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Addressing the gathering, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the BJP has shown the path of good governance.

"People in the world have trust in the BJP government today. People see India with hope," she said and exuded confidence that Rajasthan will be congress free in the next Assembly election scheduled at the end of next year. PTI AG NSD

--- ENDS ---
The confessional statement of VC Prakash, one of the persons investigated by Delhi Police in cash for two leaves symbol case, says that he ''helped arranging meetings'' between Dhinakaran and Sasikala inside Bengaluru jail as he ''knew some jail officials".

By Shalini Lobo: The DIG Prison of Bengaluru, D Roopa (now transferred) in her two reports submitted to DG Prison has alleged that Rs 2 crore bribe was paid to jail authorities to get a VVIP treatment for Sasikala Natrajan who was convicted in disproportionate asset case and now lodged in central prison of Bengaluru.

At least the document accessed by India Today is hinting so. The confessional statement of VC Prakash, one of the persons investigated by Delhi Police in cash for two leaves symbol case, says that he ''helped arranging meetings'' between AIADMK party leaders including Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran and now convicted party general secretary Sasikala Natrajan inside high security prison of Bengaluru as he ''knew some jail officials".

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Interestingly VC Prakash, who was till recently holding a Minister of State rank in government of Karnataka, also confessed that he had helped Mallikarjun, a close aide of TTV Dhinakar, to send Rs 2 crore to Delhi.

In the political corridors of Karnataka, VC Prakash is also known for his association with Congress veteran G Paremeswara, who was the home minister of state till June.

The confessional statement of Prakash, says "Mr. Mallikarjun also asked me to help organising their meetings with Ms Sasikala lodged in Bangalore jail as I knew some jail officials."

VC Prakash also confessed he was close to Mallikarjun, an accused in the two leaf symbol scam, and that he was aware of Mallikarjun and TTV Dhinakaran sharing a close relationship.

While Prakash accepted that TTV's associate Mallikarjun contacted him asking him to send some money urgently from Chennai to Delhi, but he, however, claimed that he did not know who the money went to.

Later, Delhi Police busted the hawala transaction trail and arrested Bengaluru-based Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Further Delhi Police arrested Malikaarjun and TTV Dhinakaran alleging that they planned to bribe Rs 50 crore to Election Commission officers so that they can get two leaf symbol for their fraction of AIADMK.

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Sasikala VVIP row: Despite transfer, DIG Roopa stands by her report

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New Delhi, July 18 : National passenger carrier Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani on Tuesday that the airline has no plans to offer a VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) to its employees.

"There is no such proposal for VRS," Lohani said.

Earlier, some reports had mentioned that before the airline's divestment, its management has been asked by the government to draw up a proposal to offer voluntary buyouts to its employees.

"Air India and its subsidiaries have nearly 20,000 employees. Among them, Air India has only 11,500 employees. Air India management has not offered their employees voluntary buyouts," said Dhananjay Kumar, Spokesperson, Air India.

The development comes after the June 28 decision of the Union cabinet which gave its in-principle approval for divestment of AI, whose debt has mounted to Rs 50,000 crore besides huge losses.

The Union cabinet's decision on Air India came after NITI Aayog in a recent report to the Civil Aviation Ministry recommended strategic disinvestment in the loss-making Air India.

At present, the national passenger carrier has a debt burden of more than Rs 50,000 crore.

The airline in 2015-16 had posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore. For the last fiscal (2016-17), the company is expected to report an improved operating profit margin.

The flag carrier had got a new lease of life on April 12, 2012, when the previous central government under the UPA had approved a Rs 30,000 crore turnaround (TAP) and financial restructuring plans (FRP) package spanning up to the year 2021.
Accra, July 20 : The Indian government is partnering with a Ghanaian company to build capacity of the country's professionals in providing homeopathic education and treatment and recently sent two experts from the Ministry of Ayush to train doctors and staff at the company's chain of C4C Hospitals.

"We would be ready to assist through capacity-building -- be it in the form of visiting experts or through extra-curricular or sub-technical advice," Indian High Commissioner Birender Singh Yadav said of the initiative, which could also see the hospital chain expand into other West African nations.

During their stay in Ghana, the two Indian homeopathic experts visited the Presidency where they met Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who promised that the ministry was ready to collaborate with the Indian government and the C4C Hospitals to promote homeopathic healthcare and education in Ghana.

The team also met the heads of the various departments of the National Professional Board For Techinical Examinations (NABPTEX) to discuss how to incorporate homeopathic education into the curriculum of the Technical Universities in Ghana.

"Officials of NABPTEX expressed their readiness to collaborate so that homeopathy can be taught in all their institutions, starting with a pilot scheme at the Accra Technical University for the award the Higher National Diploma in Homeopathic Medicine for graduates of the C4C Homeopathic Medical College," C4C Hospitals Director Michael Kojo Kyeremateng told IANS.

The C4C chain has 10 branches in all the 10 regional capitals of the nation and some districts to make homeopathy accessible to all Ghanaians.

Kyeremateng, an Indian-trained Ghanaian alternative medical practitioner, has been recognised by the Indian government and the Ministry of Ayush for his passion and zeal in promoting education and homeopathic treatment in Ghana.

He recently represented Africa at the International Convention On World Homeopathy Day in New Delhi organised by the Ministry of Ayush.

Under the terms of assistance to the C4C Hospitals, "Indian experts would provide training for a continuous professional development programme for C4C staffers to enhance their practice and to lecture to the students of the homeopathic medicine college," Kyeremateng explained.

He said the C4C Hospitals has signed an signed academic MOUs with two Indian entities --Vadodara's Parul University and Kolkata's IBAM Academy -- to promoting homeopathic education and alternative system of medicine for Ghanaians through the C4C Homeopathic Medical College.

In line with this, the C4C Homeopathic Medical College will send its students to india for one year after three years of studies in Ghana for academic and practical training, for a joint degree awarded by the Parul University. There is also a programme to provide distance education for those who want to study any alternative system of medicine with the IBAM Academy.

In addition, Kyeremateng said the company is also venturing into the West Africa region by establishing homeopathic hospitals and had taken the lead to introduce a Homeopathic Health Insurance Policy to make homeopathy affordable to all Ghanaians in the region.

(Francis Kokutse can be contacted at fkokutse@gmail.com)
Agartala, July 20 : A Tripura tribal party demanding a separate state on Thursday called-off a blockade of the state's key national highway and the lone railway line, officials said here.

The blockade was called by the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) on July 10 that led to serious shortage of essential items, including food grain.

"The blockade was withdrawn this morning without any major trouble. Although we were fully ready to evict the IPFT people, we did not use force as they called-off the blockade on their own," West District Police Chief Abhijit Saptarshi told IANS from the Khamtingbari blockade site, 35 km north of here.

Saptarshi said that they are arranging some buses to ferry the IPFT members including women to their villages in different districts.

IPFT President Narendra Chandra Debbarma while announcing the withdrawal, said the central government is expected to hold a meeting with party leaders next week to discuss about their demand.

"Governor Tathagata Roy communicated our demand to the central government. We have advanced one step to achieve the separate state for the tribals. We have to go a long way to achieve the desire goal," Debbarma said.

The IPFT has been agitating since 2009 for a separate state to be carved out by upgrading the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq.km area, home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals.

Most political parties, including the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the other tribal parties including Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura have rejected the IPFT's demand, saying it was not practical to divide the small state.
Lima, July 20 : A new coin featuring the endangered Andean bear has been issued in Peru.

The Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) issued the coin on Wednesday in a bid to raise people's awareness about the threat to the species.

The coin is the first in a series called "Peru's Endangered Wild Animals" which will showcase wildlife threatened with extinction, Xinhua news agency reports.

"The series on endangered animals that we are presenting today is going to consist of 10 (different) coins," said BCRP President Julio Velarde.

"In the first place, we have chosen the Andean bear, the only one of the world's eight types of bears that exists in our region," added Velarde.

The coins featuring the Andean bear aim to both draw attention to the plight of wildlife and to promote coin collecting, according to the BCRP.

"We are going to mint 10 million coins. It is a limited edition of a sol (Peru's currency), it is legal tender and has special characteristics that make it collectible," it said.

The coin is made of alpaca silver, which is an alloy of mainly copper and nickel. It features an image of the bear, also known as the spectacled bear, due to the unique markings around its eyes.

The flip side of the coin, which is worth one sol, features Peru's coat of arms.

The spectacled bear can reach 2.2 meters in height, weighs up to 180 kilos and inhabits the mountain ranges of South America between 800 and 4,750 meters above the sea level.

The bear spends much of its time climbing trees and feeding on fruits and berries.

Peru's estimated 18,000 Andean bears are threatened by encroaching agriculture, illegal logging and unregulated hunting, with farmers considering them destructive to their corn fields, said the national park service.
Islamabad, July 20 : A leading Pakistani newspaper on Thursday urged the government to provide protection to Hindus in the background of increasing cases of forcible conversion to Islam.

The Dawn said in an editorial that the part of the Thar desert that lies within Pakistan had long been a bastion of communal harmony.

"Given there is near parity between the Hindu and Muslim populations in the area, that peaceful coexistence has been an example for other Pakistanis to emulate," it said.

"However, there have been indications for a while now that Thar's benign social ethos is undergoing a change, a change that bodes ill for the future of those who call it home and one that may well have wider repercussions for the rest of the country."

The Dawn said an investigative report about forced conversions of Hindus it carried detailed how "certain mullahs and feudals are exploiting poverty and class distinctions to put Thar's Hindu community under unprecedented pressure...

"The spread of the madrassah culture has led to a wave of fundamentalism in which conversion to Islam, whether by force or otherwise, has become a means to an end.

"For one, the conversion of Hindu girls - many of them underage - and young women, is often used to 'legitimize' their kidnapping and rape.

"Cowed into submission, and afraid of rejection by their community if they return, they can do little else but say their conversion was voluntary.

"How else can one explain that young girls and women of marriageable age comprise the vast majority of such cases? Moreover, if they do convert willingly, why is it they never contact their families again?"

The daily accused "certain elements" of offering material inducement to impoverished Hindus to embrace Islam.

"The state has a duty to protect the Hindu community and its right to live as Hindus," the Dawn said.
New Delhi, July 20 : The note ban did have a slight impact on the adoption of technology and purchasing trends in the country but that phase is now over and gaming PCs, along with convertible laptops, will drive the next level of growth in the personal computers' space, a top Lenovo India executive has stressed.

Saying that demonetisation cooled down the demand for PCs in India, market research firm Gartner said earlier this week that worldwide PC shipments saw a 4.3 per cent decline in the second quarter of 2017. It added that the PC industry globally is in the midst of a five-year slump and this is the 11th straight quarter of declining shipments.

In the Asia-Pacific region, PC shipments witnessed a decline of 5.1 per cent in the quarter and, in India, "the PC market was primarily affected by market dynamics coupled with the absence of a large tender deal compared to a year ago and higher PC prices brought about weak market growth," Gartner said.

"The market is only looking up. Demonetisation was a blip and it created an instability for a short time -- 15 days or a month. We were all surprised with the way the market has bounced back," Rajesh Thadani, Executive Director-Consumer Business and Ecommerce, Lenovo India, told IANS.

"After the demonestisation, we saw that demand for premium devices (priced more than Rs 50,000) doubled. The mainstream market -- devices which are available for nearly Rs 30,000 -- is also growing," Thadani added.

According to the latest "Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker" by market research firm IDC, Lenovo, with 17.7 per cent market share, came third in India for the first quarter of 2017.

Globally, Lenovo shipped 12.1 million units in the second quarter of 2017 and recorded 19.9 per cent market share to grab the second spot, according to Gartner.

Aiming to change these figures, Lenovo on July 19 unveiled new additions to its Yoga and Ideapad range of future-ready laptops.

With this, the Chinese technology major has targeted mainstream and premium segment customers with devices ranging from as low as Rs 17,800 to a highest of Rs 74,850.

"The consumers today are no longer satisfied with a basic PC and want more power in it. There is a small set of customers who are deal seekers and want value for money, but those who want New Age devices and have spending capacity are growing very fast. I think this is the trend we are witnessing in the Indian consumer industry," Thadani noted.

Even gamers are now shelling out more money to get a top-of-the-line experience.

"When the cash was going out of the system owing to the note ban, Lenovo changed the strategy and offered discounts on credit cards, EMI schemes and tied up with third-party vendors. This helped us create even more demand," the Lenovo executive told IANS.

Thadani highlighted that in mature markets like Japan, the PC market is declining but when it comes to evolving markets like India where PC penetration is still low, the demand is growing.

Talking about GST, he said that the move has forced businesses to become more structured.

"We see a lot of opportunity because enterprises and traders are now joining the new tax regime. They would need infrastructure and this is where companies like Lenovo will benefit by providing them solutions," Thadani said.

Going forward, the company is building products around Virtual Reality (VR) and new technologies where the devices will be Cloud-enabled.

"It's still early to talk about, but this is something that we look forward to. With the technologies around Microsoft Cortana, Lenovo will come with devices that will fulfil the current and growing needs of the consumers," Thadani said.

(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in)
New Delhi, July 20 : In a minor reshuffle in the Delhi Council of Ministers, Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia was on Thursday given the additional charge of the Tourism Department.

Sisodia got the additional charge from Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who was handed the additional charge of Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

"Manish Sisodia has been given additional charge of Tourism, Art and Culture Department as the Delhi government now has its key focus on tourism," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Media Adviser Nagendra Sharma said.

The Revenue Department, handled by Sisodia till date, has now been handed over to Kailash Gahlot, handling the law and transport portfolio.
By PTI: By Adit Khanna

London, Jul 20 (PTI) A British MP has tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling on the government to stand with India in its fight against terrorism and probe if there are any direct or indirect links to groups or individuals in the UK that may be involved in such cross-border atrocities.

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Bob Blackman, a Conservative Party MP who regularly speaks out in support of the rights of Kashmiri Hindus in Parliament,tabled theEarlyDayMotion(EDM) titled Condemning the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir last week and has attracted support from seven other MPs, including veteran Indian-origin Labour party MP Virendra Sharma.

Blackmans latest EDM calls on the UK government to "stand with India" in its fight against terrorism.

"That this House condemns the recent killings of innocent Hindu pilgrims in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir in India; recognises it as a gruesome attack on innocent pilgrims by Lashkar-e-Taiba, an internationally recognised terrorist group, led by Abu Ismail," it reads.

It urges the government to condemn strongly the attack and stand with India in the fight against terrorism; calls on the Government to investigate if there are any direct or indirect links to organisations or individuals in the UK that may be involved in such cross-border atrocities in India.

It further calls on the Government to reject all forms of terrorism and support to organisations and individuals propagating such ideology and to take strong action against such organisations and individuals in the UK to ensure peace in the UK as well as India.

EDMs are formalmotionstabled in the House of Commons as a means of drawing attention to a particular issue or cause. PTI AK NSA

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Lucknow, July 20 : More than 100 kanwariyas were injured, of whom at least a dozen are critical, after their camp in Uttar Pradesh was hit by lightning early on Thursday, police said.

The kanwariyas or Lord Shiva devotees were taking rest under the shed of an abandoned petrol pump in Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli area when lightning struck and the shed collapsed, burying many.

A total of 100 kanwariyas were injured of whom 12 are in critical state, police told IANS. Most of the injured are residents of Meerut and Ghaziabad.

Machines were pressed into service to remove the debris and pull out those trapped inside while senior district and police officials camped at the spot to oversee relief and rescue operations.

The seriously injured have been identified as Sunny Thakur, Nitin Arya, Yogendra, Rakesh Goswami, Rajendra, Sonu, Ajay Singh, Amit, Sumitpal, Maniram, Sagar and Manoj.

The kanwariyas undertake a tough pilgrimage from the first day of the Hindu month of Shravan, walking with pitchers of the holy Ganga water all the way from Haridwar to their home towns and villages where the pitchers are emptied at Shiva temples.
New Delhi, July 21 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after a case of molestation was lodged against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Prakash Jarwal, saying he must expel his party legislator.

Strongly condemning the incident of molestation of a woman by AAP legislator Jarwal, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari in a statement said: "If Kejriwal has any morality or respect for women, then he should show courage to take action against his party's MLA immediately."

"If any morality is left in Kejriwal, then he should expel Jarwal from the party immediately for a fair inquiry and ensuring justice for the victim," he said.

The BJP leader's remarks came a day after Delhi Police on Thursday filed a case of molestation against Jarwal.

The BJP leader also said that it was not the first incident when Jarwal had been found misbehaving with women.

Last year, Jarwal was accused of misbehaving with and assaulting a woman. The Deoli MLA was arrested for his alleged misbehaviour with the woman.

Taking a dig at AAP legislators, Tiwari, who represents the North East Delhi constituency in the Lok Sabha said: "The MLAs accused of corruption, rape, hawala dealings and forgery are the living proof of it. The MLAs and ministers of Kejriwal government are a huge burden on the people of Delhi."

He also stated that the AAP had become a symbol of atrocities against women.

Tiwari then alleged that the persons elected to protect the interests of people had become "blots on the society and the entire humanity".

Slamming Kejriwal, Tiwari said: "Silence of Kejriwal shows that his claims of women's security before elections were hollow."

The BJP leader also expressed surprise that even after the cases of atrocities against women by the AAP MLAs and ministers, the Delhi Commission for Women was completely silent.
New Delhi, July 21 : A ministerial group formed to look into the modalities of national passenger carrier Air India's divestment process met here on Friday.

The group -- Air India-specific Alternative Mechanism -- headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met here for the first time after its formation.

The meeting comes after the June 28 decision of the Union cabinet which gave its in-principle approval for divestment of AI, whose debt has mounted to Rs 50,000 crore besides huge losses.

The Union cabinet's decision on AI's divestment was based on NITI Aayog's recent report to the Civil Aviation Ministry recommending strategic disinvestment in the loss-making Air India.

The airline in 2015-16 had posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore. For the last fiscal (2016-17), the company is expected to report an improved operating profit margin.

The flag carrier had got a new lease of life on April 12, 2012, when the previous central government under the UPA had approved a Rs 30,000 crore turnaround (TAP) and financial restructuring plans (FRP) package spanning up to the year 2021.

After the Union cabinet's in-principle approval for Air India's divestment, budget passenger airline IndiGo expressed its interest in participating in the stake sale of the flag-carrier.
New Delhi, July 21 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is the Chairperson of the advisory committee of the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, on Friday invited proposals for the award latest by August 31.

This was announced by member-secretary of the committee Motilal Vora in a statement.

"The 30th award for the year 2015-16 would be for the recognition of outstanding contribution to the cause of National Integration in that year and two years immediately preceding it," read the statement.

The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration was instituted in 1985 by the Congress party in its centenary year.

The award is given on October 31 -- the day when the late Prime Minister was assassinated -- observed as Martyrdom Day.

The award is for promoting national integration, understanding and fellowship amongst religious groups, communities, ethnic groups, cultures, languages and traditions of India and also to strengthen through thought and action, the nation's sense of solidarity.

The award carries a citation and cash amount of Rs 10 lakh and is given either to a person or an institution for outstanding contribution made towards promoting national integration.

Among the award recipients are Rajiv Gandhi (posthumously), M.S. Swaminathan, A.R. Rahman, Javed Akhtar, Gulzar and A.P.J Abdul Kalam, among others.
Islamabad, July 21 : At least four persons, including three policemen, were killed and another was injured on Friday evening when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a police vehicle in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, police said.

Raja Umar Khattab, a senior police official of the counter-terrorism department, said the incident took place when a group of six gunmen riding on three motorcycles sprayed bullets at a police vehicle in Korangi area of the city.

A police officer, two constables, and a 12-year-old passerby were killed on the spot, while another passerby was wounded.

Police, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to the Jinnah Hospital.

The police mobile was on its routine surveillance mission when it came under attack, the officer said.

Seemi Jamali, a spokesperson for the hospital, said that all four victims received multiple bullet wounds, especially in their head and chest.
Kolkata, July 21 : Terming actions of Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government and the BJP-led central dispensation "similar in nature", the CPI-M on Friday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations of centre's "corruption, atrocities and harassment" were "equally applicable" to her government.

"The activities of the ruling parties at the centre and the state are similar. The only difference is that Banerjee runs a regional party while the forces at power in the centre are bigger, more dangerous and fascist in nature," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said at a press conference.

"Whatever allegations Banerjee has made against the central government and the BJP, are all applicable to her party and government as well. Her party is resorting to these malpractices at the state level for last six years, while the force at the centre is doing it all over the country for the last three years since ascending to power," he added.

Terming Banerjee's speech on the Martyrs' Day event as "hollow" and "laden with false promises", Mishra said she has not addressed the major state issues like farmers' distress, unemployment and lack of industrialisation.

"Banerjee hasn't talked about the most important issues we are facing. She said there has been 12,000 farmer suicides in the country however till date she has not accepted a single incident of farmer's suicide in this state. Does she want to tell us that all the farmers in Bengal are happy and living a good life?" he asked.

"West Bengal has become a graveyard. The factories are getting locked out everyday. The people are loosing their jobs. The Chief Minister claims that she would create jobs for the people but the reality is something else," he complained.

Taking a swipe at the Trinamool Congress supremo for claiming her party is secular, Misra claimed only talks of secularism will not help the state and urged Banerjee to also start acting in a more secular manner.

"Banerjee talks about secularism but the stand of her government is not at all secular. She has not said a single word about how a state administration or a Chief Minister should deal with the issues of religion. It's time to act in a secular manner," he added.
New Delhi, July 21 : US' prestigious Stanford University, in its Social Innovation Review, has expressed appreciation for the Delhi government's move to offer free primary medical healthcare through neighbourhood clinics, popularly known as Mohalla Clinics.

The city's Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government has till April, has set up over 150 Mohalla Clinics in different parts of the city and aims to take the number to 1,000.

Commending the initiative, the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), published by the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, said that healthcare in India - like the US - was far from universal and was not only privatised but also deeply unequal, heavily favouring wealthy patients who have access to urban centres.

"The government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi wants to change that. Since winning elections to govern India's capital and its environs in 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a project to offer Delhi residents free preventive health screenings through local clinics in the neighbourhoods, or mohallas, where they live," it said.

"A new patient can walk into a Mohalla Clinic-no appointment necessary-and receive a full physical examination from the doctor on staff. The clinic offers all consultations, screenings, lab tests, and medications free of charge, and asks the patient to register on a hand-held tablet for follow-up visits.

"Patients referred to a specialist or hospital can receive those services for free, too. The Mohalla Clinics themselves keep only 120 different basic medications, which the government replenishes regularly," said the article.

In past also, the Mohalla Clinics were lauded by the UN's former Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.

One of the world's oldest medical journals, The Lancet (Britain) also praised the concept in December last year.
Bengaluru, July 22 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday warned the ruling NDA government against distorting the Constitution and implementing the agenda of the RSS.S

"The aim of the union government is to distort the Constitution, which was drafted by B.R. Ambedkar, and implement the RSS agenda. We should go by what Ambedkar had exhorted us to do - educate, organise and agitate," he said at an international conference here.

Inaugurating an international conference on "Quest for Equity: Reclaiming Social Justice, Re-visiting Ambedkar", Gandhi said truth and power were not the same.

"Truth and power are not the same thing. Truth is what stands up to power," he told the gathering at the opening ceremony of the three-day conference organised by the state government.

Citing a few influential leaders and change makers the world over, Gandhi said iconic personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar and and American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr had the ability and courage to speak the truth of power.

"Though the emperor is naked, none had the courage to point it out due to oppression, weakening of the institutions and subversion of democracy to serve the narrow purpose of a few," he asserted.

Drawing parallels to Adolf Hitler's assertion that reality was best understood when it was suppressed, he said a dangerous and global epidemic was to distort truth.

Gandhi also decried casteism and untouchability that were still prevalant across the country.

Human rights activist Martin Luther King III, son of the legendary American civil rights leader, said that like US President Donald Trump's campaign, the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unleahsed animosity against the minorities.

"Parallels abound between the 'alt-right' in the US and the 'Hindu-extreme right' in India," he said.

Organised by the Karnataka government, the conference will unveil the 'Bengaluru Declaration' outlining specific constitutional, institutional and policy responses to concerns of equity, human rights, freedom and democracy.
Beijing, July 22 : The US will soon ban its citizens from visiting North Korea, following the death of American student Otto Warmbier, officials said.

The ban will likely be announced on July 27 and will come into force thirty days later, Nicholas Banner, co-founder of Beijing-based Koryo Tours said on Friday on the basis of information they received from the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which collaborates with the US regarding consular matters in North Korea.

Confirming the news, Xi'an based Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement on its website that following the ban, the US government will revoke the passports of Americans, who visit North Korea, Efe news reported.

During his visit, Warmbier was arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel.

The 22-year-old American was freed by Pyongyang in June in a state of coma and died six days later.

Apart from Warmbier, three other Americans were arrested between 2013 and 2014 and repatriated after several months in captivity.

In 2008, a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier after allegedly entering a restricted military zone.

Many travel agencies were expecting the ban, which primarily seeks to prevent the arrest of more Americans by the North Korean regime as bargaining tools.

However, the measure might not be as much of a deterrant since North Korea issues visas separately instead of stamping them on passports.
By PTI: By Aditi Khanna

London, Jul 21 (PTI) A British Muslim mother has launched legal action against her daughters school in London for allegedly banning her from its premises because of her face- covering veil or niqab.

Rachida Serroukh was reportedly told by teachers of Holland Park School during a parents evening that it was the schools policy not to allow face veils.

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The 37-year-old, whose 11-year-old daughter studies at the prestigious school, has launched a discrimination test case on the grounds of religion after feeling "shaken" due to being asked to leave the school from a back exit.

"I was very shaken and was in a state of shock about what had happened. I had never experienced anything like this before. I have experienced name calling in the street from strangers about my veil but nothing like this had ever happened before. When I got home, I just broke down," Serroukh was quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.

She claims to have asked several times to see the school policy banning visitors from wearing a face veil and wrote to the school for clarification on the face veil ban.

In an email from the schools deputy head, Ross Wilson, said: "It has not been necessary to date for the school to have this requirement stated in written policy."

"Given the concerns you have raised, we are now considering a written amendment to our health and safety policy to include this specific requirement and will follow the normal protocol of seeking the approval of the governing body," the email said.

Guidance from the UKs Department for Education states that it is up to individual schools to decide about whether staff and pupils can wear face veils, but it says nothing about parents and other visitors.

Serroukhs lawyer, Attiq Malik of Liberty Law Solicitors, believes it is a "straightforward" test case of discrimination on the grounds of religion.

"The government constantly talks about British values. To me, those values include diversity and multiculturalism. If a school in London is doing this, what might be happening elsewhere," he questioned.

"If people are not allowed to come to premises wearing a niqab for example ? does this not pave the way for a raster not to be allowed to wear dreadlocks, or a Sikh not being allowed to wear a turban? What are we opening the door to," he added.

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The school is yet to respond to the legal action. PTI AK AJR

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Thailand is a food-lover's haven, and the streets are the best place to try new flavours. Bangkoks gourmet cuisine scene is ever expanding, but its at ground level at outdoor markets where youll find the most authentic flavours and experiences.

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Bangkoks gourmet cuisine scene is ever expanding, but its at ground level at outdoor markets where youll find the most authentic flavours and experiences. Up north, in Chiang Mai, youll want to sample khao soy, a northern delicacy that combines a coconut milk curry sauce with fried chicken and crispy egg noodles. Classic Thailand for Foodies includes walking and tasting tours of Bangkok and Chiang Mais best street food and markets, and a full-day cooking class in Chiang Mai. Other guided touring will include cultural treasures such as Bangkoks top temples, and Doi Suthep, a mountainside temple just outside Chiang Mai. Finally, passengers will fly south to the gorgeous white sands of Koh Samui for rest and relaxation before returning home.

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For reservations and information, visit http://www.goway.com, or call 1-800-387-8850.
A dance isnt just a dance and a Kachina doll isnt just a statue, everything has meaning and depth.

Festivals, dancing, music, and nature, these are the elements that come alive in the summer months, across the country. Native Americans share their culture with the general public year-round, but some of the largest Pow Wows are celebrated in the summer time. Its safe to say that on any given weekend this summer, a Pow Wow is taking place somewhere in the country.

The word Pow Wow comes from the old Algonquian word which typically described a gathering of spiritual healers celebrating successful hunts. Keeping with this spirit, many tribes have opened their communities to the public, teaching them about traditional dances, deities, and symbols that make their culture so animated and alive.

NativeAmericanJewelry.com, one of the online leaders in Native American art and jewelry has taken the opportunity to ring in the summer season with a new collection of Kachina dolls. These figures are paramount to the Hopi Tribe and considered sacred, often representing the spirts of nature or that of the tribes ancestors. Their role is to watch over the Hopi people during certain times of the year. These deities are honored through Native American dance ceremonies, where respected members of the tribe wear the dress and mask of the Kachina they are honoring.

There are numerous types of Kachina (warrior, clown, chief, hoop dancer, and many more). These figures are used to instruct the next generation of Native Americans children in the ways of the Hopi people. Collectors from all over the world love these stunning pieces and the artistry that goes into them as well.

NativeAmericanJewelry.com spokesman, Steven Onida, gave a few comments on the new release of Kachina dolls, Our team loves Pow Wow season and well even be attending a few ourselves. One of the main reasons the Native Community loves to open their celebrations to the general public is to teach them about their culture. A dance isnt just a dance and a Kachina doll isnt just a statue, everything has meaning and depth. Keeping with that spirit, we wanted to release a collection that could teach people. Kachina dolls are easily one of the most recognizable aspects of Hopi culture. These unique figures make it easy for people to learn about key values of the tribe. These artistic guardians can also protect the home as well. We want people to learn something from these figures and the deep spirituality behind them. They serve as a sense of community, strength, and power.

For people that want to attend a Pow Wow to enjoy the rich food, skillful dance ceremonies, and the art that will be sold by vendors, Onida recommends going to http://www.powwows.com to search for these celebrations by date and location.

Onida and the team at NativeAmericanJewelry.com invite anyone interested in Native culture to visit their site and see these beautiful works from the Hopi and Navajo tribes of the Southwest.
Worthen Industries manufacturing plant in Nashua, New Hampshire

Renewvia Energy is helping a manufacturing business in New Hampshire set a state record while cutting the companys energy costs in half. Renewvia recently finished work on the largest rooftop solar array in New Hampshire at Worthen Industries. Worthen is a 150-year-old, family-owned manufacturer with deep ties to its state and community.

This is Renewvias second distributed solar project for Worthen and part of the manufacturers larger sustainability efforts. The array includes 2,710 solar panels and spans 90,000 square feet of roof at one of their manufacturing facilities in Nashua. The array will generate approximately 50% of the energy the business needs to operate.

Solar is becoming more understood and standard with businesses in all areas of the world because of the obvious and immediate economic advantages in addition to the bump in brand equity associated with corporate carbon reduction initiatives. U.S. corporations can gain access to valuable tax rebates and subsidies, while doing something good for their community, said Trey Jarrard, CEO Renewvia Energy.

Worthen CEO David Worthen said installing the array was a strategic business move that would protect the company from changing energy costs. The northeast really has issues with electricity costs, and installing solar panels is one way to offset that financial burden. We are able to save a substantial amount of money through energy savings.

Worthen also considered the panels an important investment in the company's future and a statement about their commitment to protecting the environment. We want to be around for another hundred and fifty years, he said. The best way we do that is to make products efficiently, to use less energy and create less waste.

While any solar array is a noteworthy investment, the scope of the Worthen project caught the attention of local and state leadership, plus many environmental groups. Worthen was praised in the local media and during the annual New Hampshire Energy Week, which is held in early March. Also, the Concord Monitor published an editorial written by David Worthen about the benefits of clean energy policies.

About Renewvia Energy

Renewvia Energy designs, installs, owns, and operates commercial, solar microgrids and utility solar power systems in both urban and rural geographies across the globe. Renewvia adds value to clients businesses, provides above market returns for investors and improves quality of life for people in power challenged areas. The company provides a complete range of solar energy solutions including turnkey solar installation, integrated financing and solar consulting services. Renewvia solar power plants reside in multiple geographies, interconnecting to numerous utilities under complex and challenging financing structures. For more information, visit http://www.Renewvia.com.

About Worthen Industries

Worthen Industries, Inc. manufactures specialty adhesives, coatings, coated products, and thermoplastic extrusion. Their UPACO (Union Paste Co.) & NYLCO (New York Laminating Co.) divisions consist of 15 Product Lines in their 5 U.S. locations that specifically focus on their customers needs. They are a service-driven company that adds value through their Research and Development capabilities to provide custom solutions throughout the marketplace.
We are excited to reach out to an entirely new audience of people to teach them about the benefits of our snail creams and help them to achieve their skin care goals, said Paula

Elicina, a company that creates a line of anti-aging and skin care products using snail slime as its primary active ingredient, announced its products will now be more widely available in the United States market as it continues to expand its branding efforts in the country.

The company can trace its roots to 1980, when the Bascunan family came up with the idea to export snails to Europe for their gastronomic consumption. The family members soon noticed that while handling the snails, their cuts would heal relatively quickly without leaving scars behind. Fernando Bascunan, today a doctor for the University of Chile, conducted a study about the properties of snail secretion and discovered that the slime made by this particular type of snail, the Helix Aspersa Muller, has a variety of beneficial effects for the skin. The rest is history.

We are thrilled to be expanding the availability of our products in the United States market, said Paula Bascunan Elicinas General Manager Many people are not familiar with the benefits of snail secretion or products that heavily feature it in their composition. What we offer are completely natural and extremely beneficial products that rejuvenate the skin, minimize some signs of aging and keep people looking and feeling fresh and youthful.

In its natural state, the secretion of the Helix Aspersa Muller snail contains significant amounts of allantoin, glycolic acid, elastin and collagen, all of which are well known for their benefits in the fields of cosmetology and dermatology. The first snail cream made by the Bascunan family contained 80 percent snail extract and 20 percent cream. It was named Elicina after a 17th century European medication also made from snail secretion. Today, all of the companys products contain snail secretion up to 80 percent of their total weight.

The products are used to treat a variety of common skin conditions, such as stretch marks, age spots, wrinkles, acne and cuts. The natural properties of snail secretion help to provide a faster regeneration of the skin and a healthier overall appearance. Elicinas products are safe for use by people of all ages.

We are excited to reach out to an entirely new audience of people to teach them about the benefits of our snail creams and help them to achieve their skin care goals, said Paula
UNICO President Elect Tom Vaughan, Dr. Nancy Cappello and Francine Nido, UNICO National Secretary Dr. Cappello embodies the true spirit of our organization, an organization which celebrates our proud Italian American heritage and the positive contributions we make as Americans.

Nancy M. Cappello, PhD is being honored by the largest Italian American service organization in the United States, UNICO, with its Americanism  Civis Illustris Award for her outstanding work in communities in the US and around the world. This year, the national meeting and awards ceremony is being held at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, AZ.

As director and founder of Are You Dense, Inc., and Are You Dense Advocacy Inc., patient advocacy breast health nonprofit organizations, Dr. Cappello spearheads grassroots efforts to educate the public about risks and screening challenges of dense breast tissue to prevent missed, delayed and advanced-stage cancer.

Moreover, she is the inspiration behind the first density reporting law in the nation in 2009, catapulting Connecticut as a global leader in density reporting and adjunct screening for women with dense breast tissue. Currently, 32 states have enacted density reporting laws as a result of her hard work, hard work which ultimately continues to save thousands of lives each year through earlier breast cancer detection, leading to timelier treatment.

I am honored, humbled and gratified to be recognized by an organization of my heritage, says Dr. Cappello. UNICO subscribes to ideals I hold dear, including lifes work that benefits humanity, through our countrys legislative and constitutional processes upholding our shared tenets as Americans.

According to Tom Vaughan, incoming National President, UNICO, Dr. Cappello embodies the true spirit of our organization, an organization which celebrates our proud Italian American heritage and the positive contributions we make as Americans.

Founded in 1922 in Waterbury, Connecticut by Dr. Anthony P. Vastola, UNICO, which translates from Italian to mean one and unique evolved to stand for Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity, and Opportunity, becoming cornerstone to its foundation. When the National Civic League merged with UNICO in 1947, the merger created the largest Italian-American charitable organization, with the singular goal to make all of its members better American citizens.

Holding up values such as giving to the community with good works guided by a strong moral compass runs in many families. Its in their genes, their DNA, adds Francine Nido, the UNICO Waterbury Chapter Board of Directors and National Secretary, and person responsible for nominating Dr. Cappello. Like her Italian ancestors who supported Dr. Vastolas initial vision, our recognition to Dr. Cappello furthers their legacy for all Italian Americans who work hard and contribute to society for the greater good.

For more information about UNICO, please visit Unico.org. For more information about Nancy M Cappello, PhD and her work in breast health, visit AreYouDense.org and AreYouDenseAdvocacy.org
Cross-Directional Rollga Foam Roller on the Back If you live in Europe, I would like you to say hello to Rollga.

Tim Schmidt, the co-owner of Rollga, announces that Rollga is expanding into yet another country. Rollga is now available in Europe. "If you live in Europe, I would like you to say hello to Rollga." expresses Schmidt. "Rollga is the only cross-directional foam roller, with an omni-directional feel and four zones patented to fit your body." Schmidt explains. Rollga's mission is to restore movement to the world.

"We are grateful for this partnership with Bremermann," says Schmidt, "now we can further our mission to restore movement to people across the globe." Rollga has previously been available in the European market, but Schmidt said the shipments were expensive. Also they would get hung up at the border or lost altogether. Rollga Europe is the key partnership Rollga needed to further the reach around the globe effectively.

Who is behind Rollga Europe? http://www.Rollga.com

Bremermann Vertriebs is a German-based company located in Stuhr. Owner Jan Bremermann & Alan Duong heard about Rollga after a collegue traveled abroad to the United States. During the stay the student acquired a Rollga and returned to Germany with it and showed it to the staff at Bremermann Vertriebs. This was the beginning of a new passion for the Bremermann team. Their team quickly locked arms with the United States and began the process to bring Rollga to Europe. "We are excited to bring the Rollga experience to all of Europe," says Jan Bremermann. Please welcome the Rollga Foam Roller to Europe.

http://www.Rollga.de Download the free Rollga app: Search "Rollga" in any app store.

About Rollga:

Rollga is a cross-directional foam roller designed to stabilize the hips, align the back, and increase range-of-motion. The Rollga foam roller is ideal for muscle recovery, fascial health, and functional restoration of movement. Ordinary foam rollers cause discomfort and pain due to the unfitting design. This groovy foam roller is designed and contoured to fit your body and reach trigger points that are difficult to reach with a traditional flat foam roller. Outside of Europe, Rollga has distribution partnerships established in the United States, Canada, Israel, China and New Zealand.
AADM Award No one has done more to advance the science and practice of disaster medicine over the past dozen or more years than Marvin Birnbaum.

Marvin L. Birnbaum, MD, PhD, an Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of Wisconsin, was honored recently by the American Academy of Disaster Medicine (AADM) with its Distinguished Service Award. The award was presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc. held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Dr. Birnbaum was recognized for his vast contributions to the discipline of disaster medicine, according to AADM President Arthur Cooper, MD, MS, FAADM. "No one has done more to advance the science and practice of disaster medicine over the past dozen or more years than Marvin Birnbaum, said Dr. Cooper.

Dr. Birnbaum is the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (PDM), the official journal of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM). He served as PDMs Editor-in-Chief for more than 20 years until stepping down in 2011.

In 2003, Dr. Birnbaum was presented with the prestigious Peter Safar Award from WADEM for his advocacy and work promoting the science of prehospital and disaster health. He has also served as WADEMs Board Chair (2011-2015) and President (2005-2009).

Dr. Birnbaum is co-editor of the Health Disaster Management: Guidelines for Evaluation and Research and has compiled a book on the medical aspects of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami for the Southeast Asia Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The American Academy of Disaster Medicine promotes the practice of disaster health care, ensuring that all physicians are aware and prepared to effectively respond to future disasters  either natural or man-made. AADM is an affiliate academy of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.  (AAPS), the governing body of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS). ABPS is a recognized multi-specialty physician certifying organizations in the United States, headquartered in Tampa, FL.
Canadian authorities recently revoked the charity status of two NGOs they believe may have links to Jamaat-e-Islami, which is considered to be the parent organisation of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

By India Today Web Desk: A few weeks before the United States declared Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist, two NGOs were quietly stripped of their charity statuses in Canada over suspicion that they had links to the terrorist group.

The two NGOs - ISNA (Islamic Society of Northern America) Islamic Services of Canada and the Canadian Islamic Trust Foundation - were former affiliates of the ISNA-Canada, a group that Canadian authorities began auditing in 2011.

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According to a Global News report, which carries letters written by the Canada Revenue Agency to ISNA Islamic Services, from this week, Canadian authorities suspect that the NGO helped route funding from the country to a purported Pakistani charity whose armed wing is widely believed to be Hizbul Mujahideen.

Canadian authorities informed ISNA Islamic Services in March this year that they intended to revoke the NGO's charity status for "not complying" with the Canadian law and for failing to demonstrate that it used its funding for charitable purposes.

The Canada Revenue Agency further went on to say that they had been able to uncover links between ISNA Islamic Services and Jamaat-e-Islami, a Pakistan-based political group that is widely considered to be the parent organisation of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The CRA found that the Jami Mosque in Toronto was involved in collecting funds for which it issued ISNA Islamic Services tax receipts. The funding was then routed to the Relief Organization of Kashmiri Muslims (ROKM), via the ISNA Development Foundation, which itself lost its charity status four years ago.

ROKM, the CRA said, is the charitable arm of Jamaat-e-Islami that "actively contests (sic) the legitimacy of India's governance over the state of Jammu and Kashmir."

"Our research indicates that ROKM is the charitable arm of Jamaat-e-Islami, a political organization that actively contests the legitimacy of India's governance over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, including reportedly through the activities of its armed wing Hizbul Mujahideen," the CRA reportedly said.

"Given the identified commonalities in directorship between ROKM and Jamaat-e-Islami and the Hizbul Mujahideen executive committee, concerns exist that the funds collected and disbursed as part of this relief fund may have been used to support the political efforts of Jamaat-e-Islami and/or its armed wing Hizbul Mujahideen," the CRA went on to say.

HIZB ON RADAR

Canada's action came around a few weeks before Hizbul Mujadhideen chief Syed Salahuddin was declared a global terrorist by the United States. The US move came a day before President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Washington for their maiden meet.

Hizbul Mujadhideen was already a proscribed organisation in the US when the country took action against Salahuddin. The US move was welcomed by India.

Islamabad, on the other hand, criticised the move, calling it unjustified. "The US State Department's designation of Syed Salahuddin, the head of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group based in Pakistan, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist was unjustified," the Pakistan Foreign Office had said in a statement.

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(With inputs from Geeta Mohan in New Delhi)

ALSO READ | India slams Pakistan for glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani

ALSO READ | Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits to carrying out terror attacks in India over Kashmir

ALSO WATCH| Canadian NGO loses charitable status for suspected links to Hizbul Mujahideen

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At 2Hopkins, we are committed to being an important part of that pulse and a good neighbor that truly encourages a sense of community.

LIVEbe, a new, premier apartment developer and operator dedicated to delivering distinct apartment homes within connected communities, made a financial contribution to the Baltimore Chapter of Rebuild Together on Thursday as part of its Beauty in Baltimore contest.

LIVEbe, which recently joined Downtown Baltimore with the development of 2Hopkins, a 183-unit, high-rise apartment community centrally located in downtown, honored contest winner Bill King at a recognition event Thursday at 2 Hopkins Plaza. King won the Instagram contest that featured more than 600 entries.

Contest participants submitted photos from within the city to Instagram with the hashtag #BeautyInBmore. The winner received a monetary prize and LIVEbe matched the amount with a donation to the Baltimore chapter of Rebuild Together.

Were all in for Baltimore, and judging by the photo contests, the citys residents are as well, said Elaine De Lude, vice president of LIVEbe. They not only seem to feel the vibe of the city, but also strive to become a part of it and take immense pride in the rebuilding effort. At 2Hopkins, we are committed to being an important part of that pulse and a good neighbor that truly encourages a sense of community.

The recognition event included free drinks, live music from Janine Wilson and featured 100 posters of the best photos from the contest. LIVEbe announced contest winners and runners-up between songs and set breaks, and a background slideshow continually rotated through the multitude of submitted images.

2Hopkins is located in an area amidst a complete revitalization. Extremely resident-friendly and aiming to offer a quintessential downtown Baltimore experience, 2Hopkins is one of the most cutting-edge communities in the area. It is the first residential property on the East Coast to implement refrigerated lockers as part of a top-of-the-line amenity package. That includes stunning views of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows, a pet spa with large and small dog areas, a community host/concierge and garage parking. The penthouse level features remote controlled blinds and special corridor designer finishes.

As part of its effort to highlight a sense of community, 2Hopkins will fund resident-curated events, such as book clubs, wine tasting and fitness groups. The community is also a growing social hub, with kickball leagues and additional communal activities sprouting up on a daily basis.

The Beauty in Baltimore contest was another step in cultivating a sense of pride for the downtown corridor. Kings winning photo depicted a bicyclist riding at night at a waterfront park with the city in the background. Runners-up were Chris Cunningham, Antoinette M. Bynum and Brian George.

Innovative redevelopment projects like 2Hopkins really have this neighborhood going," said King, a City Center resident who is president of the City Center Residents Association. Its part of an effort to convert Baltimore's most iconic and historic office buildings into state-of-the-art residences, which has brought a modern flair to the old central business district. The Beauty in Baltimore contest was an awesome idea and a great opportunity to explore the beauty all around us in this city, both old and new."

About LIVEbe

Headquartered in Rockville, Md., LIVEbe was founded in 2016 and is helmed by multifamily veterans Elaine De Lude and Jennifer Rucker. LIVEbe is the multi-family division of Berman Enterprises and was established with a specific focus on fostering a sense of community by offering an unparalleled living experience for residents and employing LIVEAmbassadors who are forward thinking and passionate about providing exceptional customer service.

About Berman Enterprises

Berman Enterprises is a multi-generational real estate and investment company founded on the principles of honesty, integrity, hard work, hands-on management, community and philanthropy. Employing a conservative financial strategy, Berman Enterprises has experienced sustained growth since brothers Melvin J. Berman and I. Wolford Berman founded the company in 1952.

Today, the Company and its affiliates own and manage more than 9 million square feet of commercial office, retail, industrial/flex and residential properties in Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The Company also owns several hundred acres of developable land representing thousands of units of residential and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial and retail development potential.

Media contact

Elaine De Lude

240-621-3200

edelude(at)livebe(dot)com
Thomas Jefferson University, in collaboration with ARTZ Philadelphia and Theater of Witness, was awarded a $300,000 grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage to build on Jeffersons growing humanities program which fosters empathy, comfort with ambiguity and the recognition of ones own limits among health professions students.

The two-year project will build on ARTZ@Jefferson, a year-old collaboration between Thomas Jefferson University and ARTZ Philadelphia, in which people living with dementia and their care partners become mentors to Jefferson health professions students. Now, this Pew-funded expansion will join artists, medical students, people living with dementia and their care partners in a creative process of empathy-building, storytelling and relationship-forming that will culminate in an original theater performance work. Furthering Jeffersons development of creative instruction at the intersection of art, healthcare and wellness, the program is guided by the principle that the arts provide a rich context for applying habits of emotional intelligence that are essential to the successful practice of medicine.

Thomas Jefferson University is deeply committed to exploring innovative, arts-based methods for sustaining empathy, said Megan Voeller, Director of Humanities at Thomas Jefferson University. We believe that medicine is a performative and relational art as well as a science, and that empathy is a process of authentic dialogue and relationship-building that cannot be taught through textbooks.

Thomas Jefferson University is partnering with two Philadelphia-based organizations on the grant. Together, the team is building an integrated curriculum that will identify and weave together common themes that run through all of the programs experiences. Through ARTZ Philadelphia, approximately 80 people living with dementia and their care partners will become mentors to students by engaging in a series of intimate conversations generated by arts-based experiences and punctuated by facilitated learning sessions. The course is designed to engage students in first understanding people as people and only second as patients.

Working with Theater of Witness, which produces testimonial performances, students will practice deep listening and develop autobiographic and partner pieces within the classroom setting. Teya Sepinuck, founder and artistic director, will lead listening circles of students who will engage in sharing their own stories through a variety of creative processes. A select group will work with Sepinuck over an extended period of time to develop a full Theater of Witness production about what it means to become a healer.

Our organization is committed to creating theater that gives voice to those whose stories havent been heard, said Sepinuck. We are thrilled to help Jefferson create the next generation of healers, people who listen through their hearts as well as their stethoscopes.

Susan Shifrin, Ph.D., is director of ARTZ@Jefferson and founding director of ARTZ Philadelphia, which provides art-making and conversation programs for people with dementia and their care partners, some of whom will serve as mentors to the participating students.

There is only one set of experts when it comes to living with dementia  the person with dementia and their care partner. Our program provides a safe, mutually-respectful forum where the stigma of dementia can be dismantled and students can learn from the experts. This upends the historically fraught relationship between people with dementia and the medical establishment, said Shifrin. Also, by exploring their own vulnerabilities, we hope that these future health professionals will be able to respond more authentically to others vulnerabilities as they move forward in their careers.

Jefferson has a rich history of researching empathy in medicine and using humanities-based programs to cultivate emotional intelligence in students. Created at Jefferson and widely used by researchers, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy is a validated, 20-item scale that is designed to measure empathy in physicians and other practicing healthcare professionals, medical students and other health professions students. It has been translated into 47 languages and has been used in more than 70 countries. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy will be used in this project to evaluate quantitative outcomes. Qualitative outcomes will be evaluated by the expertise of an ethnographer.

At Jefferson, we have a longstanding tradition of using humanities-based programs to educate the future healthcare teams and leaders, said Charles Pohl, MD, Associate Provost for Student Affairs at Thomas Jefferson University and Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Through the generous support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, our program not only has the opportunity to develop the necessary qualities such as empathy, tolerance of ambiguity, team-based learning, communication skills to provide high quality care, but also enable our students to be mentored and learn from people with chronic disease as well as create a space for the voices of people with dementia, artists and healthcare students to be heard.

###

About Jefferson

Jefferson, through its academic and clinical entities of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, including Abington Health and Aria Health, is reimagining health care for the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Jefferson has 23,000 people dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educating the health professionals of tomorrow, and discovering new treatments and therapies to define the future of care. With a university and hospital that date back to 1824, today Jefferson is comprised of six colleges, nine hospitals, 35 outpatient and urgent care locations, and a multitude of physician practices throughout the region, serving more than 100,000 inpatients, 373,000 emergency patients and 2.2 million outpatients annually.
airberlin flight attendantswelcome James "Maggie" Megellas onboard

The crew of flight AB7211 from Miami to Berlin-Tegel had a very special guest on board: James "Maggie" Megellas. The retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel celebrated his 100th birthday in March. He took part in the liberation of Berlin during the Second World War. During his 80s, the former paratrooper wrote the best-selling autobiography, "All the way to Berlin. A Paratrooper at War in Europe". He has now accepted the invitation from the Federal Minister of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen, to attend this Thursday's Ceremonial Swearing-In of German Army soldiers. Megellas is visiting the capital until Sunday, before taking an airberlin flight back home to the US. Megellas lives in Texas with his wife Carole. They have two sons and five grandchildren.

About airberlin

As one of Europes largest network airlines, airberlin focuses on extremely frequent domestic flights and on services between a number of major European cities and its Berlin-Tegel and Dusseldorf hubs, from where the airline also operates long-haul flights to the US, Caribbean and the Middle East. airberlin carried approximately 28.9 million passengers in 2016 and its fleet is among the most modern and eco-efficient in Europe. airberlin is a member of the oneworld airline alliance, co-founder of Etihad Airways Partners and a strategic partner of Etihad Airways, which has a 29.21 percent share in airberlin. topbonus, the frequent flyer programme of airberlin, has more than 4.3 million members.

Press contact:

Melanie Schyja

Press Officer

Tel.: +49 30 3434 1500

Fax: +49 30 3434 1509

Email: melanie.schyja(at)airberlin(dot)com

http://www.airberlin.com

http://www.facebook.com/airberlin

On behalf of airberlin

Madeleine Vogelsang

Media Relations Representative USA & Canada

Phone: 1-917-971-6213

Email: mvogelsang(at)zcomgroup(dot)org
Any handyman will tell you that a roll of Duct Tape is the most useful tool in their toolbox - so I began to understand that small business marketing must be simple, affordable, always-at-the-ready, and effective at solving any of a host of problems

Philadelphia is now one of the elite locations to offer marketing activated websites based on the best-selling book: SEO for Growth by John Jantsch, author of the best-selling Duct Tape Marketing and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System, and Phil Singleton, an experienced SEO consultant with years of experience at the local, regional, and national levels. SEO for Growth contains valuable tips on how to leverage the new rules of search engine optimization to make sure a business website gets found online.

Brad Tornberg, Principal Consultant of E3 Consulting Partners, LLC, was chosen as one of the first certified SEO Consultants through SEO for Growth. E3 Consulting specializes in business operations and business development to help companies obtain critical bottom line results. Their roots are both from entrepreneurial organizations and Big 5 consulting firms with extensive experience in industry, technology and management consulting.

Brad is also a Master Duct Tape Marketing Certified Consultant. He also has his Microsoft Certification in the Customer Relationship Management Software series. Brad has been featured on radio and television and just recently wrote and published a book titled The Business Fitness Revolution, which evaluates both the Physical and Mental well-being of the C level executive or business owner as well as the overall health and wellness of the business and helps identify the things that keep it from performing at optimal business health.

Philadelphia SEO for Growth is a top Philadelphia area digital marketing agency that is based on the principles of Duct Tape Marketing. It is made up of experienced professionals, providing the Philadelphia and South New Jersey (including Atlantic City) area businesses with:



Inbound marketing strategies

Designing and developing websites that are search engine friendly

Social media marketing services

Content marketing

Reputation management

And more!

The Duct Tape Marketing strategy is a concept that provides small businesses with a simple, effective, and affordable marketing strategy. John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and author of Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine, The Referral Engine, and SEO for Growth. He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System and Duct Tape Marketing Consulting Network that trains and licenses small business marketing consultants around the world. John describes the Duct Tape Marketing philosophy as follows:

Just as any handyman will tell you that a roll of Duct Tape is the single most useful tool in their toolbox - one they would never be without - so I began to understand that small business marketing must be simple, affordable, always-at-the-ready, and effective at solving any of a host of problems.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, started out as a dark art designed for ways to trick search engines into making specific web content or websites show up in the top results. Because search engines are looking to give the searcher the most accurate and useful content possible, based on the search criteria entered, keyword research and planning are key elements to successful results.

SEO for Growth is a concept that embeds SEO into the first stages of website design, not as an afterthought. It reinforces an inbound strategy as a necessity for getting found online and growing business. It provides a complete SEO roadmap to all the right places from content to keywords to analytics so your customers can easily find your business and your business can find success. As Joost de Valk, CEO & Founder of Yoast, comments on the SEO for Growth strategy:

"There are many pieces to solving the SEO puzzle. From search engine friendly web design and content marketing, to social media and reputation management, SEO for Growth will help you put it all together."

For further information, contact:

http://philadelphia.seoforgrowth.com/

BNY Mellon center

1735 Market Street, Suite 3750B

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(267) 915-2205
Weve highlighted the research and actionable insights that meeting planners and their partners can use to plan for and respond to disruptions.

The Incentive Research Foundation is pleased to release the white paper "Mitigating Risk in Modern Meetings and Incentives," an analysis of critical findings reported in the "2016 Event Disruption Study." The white paper explores disruption mitigation strategies for meetings and incentives and provides insights on how partners prepare for and handle disruptions.

Meeting planners reported that disruptive incidents, happening with increasing frequency, include many weather-related phenomena, public enemies such as wars and terrorism, the business partners mistakes, and the clients lack of cooperation. Planners estimated they now spend up to 25% of their time planning for potential disruptions, and nearly 40% of the planners expect that their time and effort to plan for disruptions will increase somewhat in the next two years.

The '2016 Event Disruption Study' demonstrates that disruptions are very real part of doing business in the meeting and incentives industry, said Melissa Van Dyke, IRF President. With the white paper 'Mitigating Risk in Modern Meetings and Incentives,' weve highlighted the research and actionable insights that meeting planners and their partners can use to plan for and respond to disruptions.

The "2016 Event Disruption Study" was completed in 2016 by University of South Carolina professors Dr. Haemoon Oh, Ph.D, and Dr. Miyoung Jeong, Ph.D. There were 18 interviews and 266 electronic responses. Event planners were surveyed on all events they had planned in 2015 and 2016.

Critical findings on risk mitigation measures discussed in "Mitigating Risk in Modern Meetings and Incentives" focus on effective planning, lessons learned during disruptions, and the importance of vendor trust and cooperation. Insights addressed in the white paper include:



Over 90% of planners said their companies require contingency plans  with 54% requiring them for all events and 37% for some of their events

Planners confidence level about planning for disruptions is 79%

Almost half the planners (49%) have switched at least one business partner due to the partners poor handling of disruptions

Nearly 70% of planning companies provide guidelines or assistance for planning for disruptions

The Internet is the most frequently used resource for when planning for disruptions

Nearly half (49%) of planning companies or planners actively communicate to their attendees about potential disruption situations and suggested action

The destination has been changed at least once by 68% of planners because of perceived risks or disruptions

Roughly 70% of planners required waivers for either both the attendee and guest together (34%) or the attendee and guest separate (34%)

When a disruption occurred, 57% of planners either agreed or strongly agreed with the partners readiness or capacity to handle disruptions

Planners listed strong relationships and cooperation with vendor partners as the most needed resource for disruption planning

When evaluating what built trust within the vendor partner relationship, a vendor partners cooperative behavior had strongest impact (64%)

To view the white paper, please visit http://theirf.org/research/mitigating-risk-in-modern-meetings-and-incentives/2211/.

To view the full study, please visit http://theirf.org/research/2016-event-disruption-study/2134/

About the IRF:

The Incentive Research Foundation (TheIRF.org) funds and promotes research to advance the science and enhance the awareness and appropriate application of motivation and incentives in business and industry globally. The goal is to increase the understanding, effective use, and resultant benefits of incentives to businesses that currently use incentives and others interested in improved performance.
Mile of Music returns to Downtown Appleton, Wisconsin, on August 3 (photo by Graham Washatka of Graham Images) Its not every festival where you can join a funk band jam, learn Brazilian Samba drumming or get songwriting tips from an established artist.

Mile of Music, presented by Tundraland, is returning to Appleton for its milestone fifth year from August 3-6 and will welcome 225 artists to perform at 70 downtown and riverfront venues. As festival organizers make final preparations in the next two weeks, they are focused on sharing the opportunities for exploration and discovery that abound at Mile 5.

To spread the word about Mile 5 happenings, the festival is utilizing its website, which is designed and maintained by Stellar Blue Technologies. Visitors can go online for everything from reviewing the four-day schedule of events and reading up on artist bios to finding information on Music Education events. The website connects to all of the festivals social channels and is being regularly updated with the latest news, blog posts and media coverage related to the music festival.

In addition to the Mile of Music website, the festival also offers a downloadable app developed by the team at Skyline Technologies to help visitors tailor their experience. The latest version will give users the ability to preview artists music and customize a schedule based on their favorite acts.

There is so much exciting stuff that will be happening over the course of four days at the festival, and we want visitors to have quick, easy access to all of it, said Dave Willems, Mile of Music co-founder and marketing executive. The website is an information-packed resource and the festival app serves as a handy way to get a real-time look at whos playing, whos coming up and where to head next.

Mile of Music continues to be an event where people can explore new music as it is a cover-free zone that showcases artists original work. The line-up is set to include 900-plus live performances this year, with genres ranging from pop/folk, Americana/roots and bluegrass to indie and funk rock. There are many local acts scheduled to appear as well as soloists, duos and full bands traveling from as far as Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, Ontario and Paris to play.

Beyond listening to the music at Mile 5, visitors are also encouraged to get in on the music-making. The Music Education Team will be back with dozens of hands-on workshops, jam sessions and other experiences that allow attendees to experiment with instruments, song and dance.

Since its first year, Mile of Music has put a big emphasis on music education to encourage more interaction, Willems said. Its not every festival where you can join a funk band jam, learn Brazilian Samba drumming or get songwriting tips from an established artist.

In addition to the scheduled shows and education events, festival attendees can also add some spontaneity to the mix. The Mile of Music bus will be running all weekend with live, on-board performances from many artists, and there will also be pop-up performances throughout the one-mile stretch.

Mile of Music performances are free to attendees. Music-Makers Badges are available and allow entry to a select number of exclusive shows and also provide other festival and year-around perks.

About Mile of Music

Mile of Music is an artisan, original music festival that began in August 2013, bringing more than 200 bands and solo artists to Downtown Appleton each summer to perform nearly 1,000 live music sets over four days. The collaborative event was co-founded by Appleton marketing executive Dave Willems and Appleton-based national recording artist Cory Chisel, with support from nearly 100 community organizations and sponsors and more than 300 volunteers. For more information, visit http://www.mileofmusic.com.
Surge, LLC, a leading onshore software consulting firm offering Americas best software engineers, on demand, at an affordable price, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Surge was founded by Matt MacKay, a former software engineer, on July 19, 2007. When starting Surge, Matt wanted to create a different kind of company, one that gave people flexibility but still had high expectations.

When the company was formed it was the early days of telecommuting and Surge was one of the first companies to offer 100% telecommuting to everyone in the company. Surge has been one of the most successful pure telecommuting companies in the world.

Most senior-level, responsible, software professionals, which describes everyone here at Surge, are more productive working remotely. There are less distractions and interruptions, less time commuting, more time 'in the coding zone,' and you can work when and where you are most productive, said Matt MacKay, CEO.

Boasting an impressive client list that includes some of the largest companies and well-known brands in the world such as Under Armour, McKesson, Stanley Black & Decker, Discovery, Marsh & McLennan, Verizon, and Ralph

Lauren, Surge has solidified itself as the top choice in onshore outsourcing.

This milestone comes at a time that Surge was named to the INC 5000 list of Americas fastest growing companies for the sixth straight year, putting Surge in the top 10% of an already elite list, and achieving Honor Roll status. With a staggering growth rate of over 550% over the past three years, the company employs more than 275 senior level software professionals in the U.S. and Canada. Surges proprietary recruiting and staffing process ensures that when you hire Surge you are hiring the best in software design, development, testing, and agile project management.

Surges list of accomplishments are only secondary to the fact that its staff love working at Surge. Surge has a voluntary attrition rate of less than 5%, which is well below the industry average.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Surges management team sent pizzas to all 275 staff and had a virtual pizza party as well as prize giveaways that included drones, digital cameras, and paid vacations to Disney World.
Walnut Hill Medical Center is closing. Our goal is to make the best of an unfortunate situation, and reallocate these much needed medical assets within the healthcare community. This state-of-the-art equipment will bring significant value to patient care in its next home, said Joanne Frogge,

BidMed LLC announced it will hold a one-day online auction to sell the medical assets of Walnut Hill Medical Center in Dallas, TX, due to the hospitals recent closure. This one-day medical online auction will take place on BidMeds website http://www.bidmed.com/events on July 25, 2017, from 8am to 5pm CDT. Registration is free and now open, and inspection of all equipment is available by appointment to registered buyers.

Walnut Hill Medical Center- The $100 million facility was described by its owners as "the dawn of a new era of health care delivery" when it opened in 2014. Forbes writer Carming Gallo described the facility as the hospital Steve Jobs would have built. The 100-bed facility featured 7 operating rooms, 4 cardiac catheterization labs, 16 intensive care unit beds, endoscopy suites, and specialty equipment including CT, MRI, digital X-ray, mammography, and ultrasounds.

Our goal is to make the best of an unfortunate situation, and reallocate these much needed medical assets within the healthcare community. This state-of-the-art equipment will bring significant value to patient care in its next home, said Joanne Frogge, BidMed President.

A complete list of equipment for sale and details about the auction are available online at http://www.bidmed.com/events/walnut-hill/.

BidMed LLC (http://www.bidmed.com) is a leader in the healthcare asset disposition industry, specializing in the buying and selling of pre-owned medical equipment. Powered by innovative technology and proprietary data, BidMeds services include medical asset valuations, inventory reconciliations, and liquidations. With over 20 years of experience in the asset disposition industry, BidMed provides current, fair market values on pre-owned medical assets using a progressive, in house data analytics tool. BidMed liquidates U.S. and Canadian healthcare facilities due to relocations, expansions, and closures, providing complete onsite project management to ensure clients recover the highest value for all medical assets. BidMed is headquartered in Chicago, IL and has worked with a diverse base of clients, including hospitals, surgery centers, transition/equipment planning companies, financial lending institutions, and equipment manufacturers.
NextLOGiK, a software company based in Columbia, Maryland, received the 2017 Communitas Award for its work supporting Rebuilding Together Howard County, a nonprofit organization that brings volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners.

The Communitas Award, given by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, recognizes the efforts of exceptional businesses, organizations and individuals working to help others by supplying resources and guidance to benefit their community and change what it means to do business.

Rebuilding Together Howard County (RTHC) is a local affiliate of the national Rebuilding Together nonprofit that provides vital home repairs to those who cannot afford them, including people with disabilities, the elderly, veterans and families with children.

Kirk Couser, CEO of NextLOGiK, was introduced to RTHC in 2013 while participating in Leadership Howard County. At the time, RTHC was struggling to attract new homeowner applications and needed more donations and corporate sponsors. When paired with RTHC as part of Leadership Howard County, Couser led a team in devising a plan to strengthen RTHC.

The final plan addressed RTHCs need for a stronger online presence, including a more powerful voice on social media, a new website and online applications for easier access. RTHCs budget, however, could not cover the plans costs. In response, Couser offered to manage and fund the development of a new website for RTHC as well as provide full-time social media marketing.

Couser joined RTHCs board of directors and his team helped the organization grow. Thanks to NextLOGiKs work, RTHCs social media presence grew on Twitter from 0 to 400 followers and on Facebook with 45 likes reaching 1,400 over the course of NextLOGiK and RTHCs collaboration.

In addition, RTHC expanded under the guidance of Couser and his team, taking on two new employees and allowing the organization to rely less on the all-volunteer board and delegate tasks to new staff members.

NextLOGiK is an organization which strongly embodies the philosophy of people coming together for the good of the community, said Ann Heavner, executive director of RTHC. As a result of their generous talent and expertise, Rebuilding Together has an outstanding website which encourages low-income homeowners to apply for free home repairs. NextLOGiK also is the creative force supporting our monthly newsletters and social media outreach to our sponsors and thousand volunteers. Rebuilding Together Howard County cannot thank NextLOGiK enough for their outstanding support to enable our organization to grow and help those who cannot help themselves.

Since the launch of the new website, the number of homeowner applications and corporate sponsorships have both doubled. Likewise, RTHC has moved from making home repairs once a year in April to providing home repairs year-round to those in need.

Being a part of the growth Rebuilding Together Howard County has experienced is why I encourage our team to get involved in the community, Couser said. You cannot put into words how it feels to hear homeowners thank our volunteers for making their homes livable. This organization is helping more people in our community each year and we are humbled to support this effort.

About NextLOGiK:

NextLOGiK is a software company based in Columbia, Maryland, that specializes in providing solutions to the health care and compliance industries. NextLOGiK developed CompWALK, a cloud-based, online and mobile platform that automates compliance and risk management operations. NextLOGiK is committed to giving back to the community that fostered its success, involved heavily in several local nonprofit organizations including the Howard County Autism Society, Rebuilding Together Howard County and the Howard County Police Foundation. Learn more at http://www.nextlogik.com.

About Rebuilding Together Howard County:

Rebuilding Together Howard County is the nations largest nonprofit organization which brings volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners in Howard County, Maryland. Since 1992, more than 700 houses in Howard County have received free home repairs. Approximately 800 to 1,000 volunteers work the last Saturday in April to repair homes to enable homeowners to be safe, warm and dry. Learn more at http://www.RebuildingTogetherHowardCounty.org.
Professional Wakeboarding Couple Dean Smith and Amber Wing My wife and I both love to wear Groove Rings when were out on the water, said Smith. Im able to show my commitment to my family and my passion for wakeboarding!"

Groove Life is excited to announce they've partnered with the wakeboarding husband and wife team of Dean Smith and Amber Wing to help spread the word about Groove Ring high performance silicon wedding bands and all-purpose rings.

From the rock face to the auto shop, Groove Ring is the world's first breathable silicon ring that's built for both work and play.

Unlike rigid metal bands that can get caught on rocks, branches, or in machinery, Groove Rings are designed to move with the finger and break away when danger strikes.

Groove Ring Specs:

Low profile prevents snags

Air ports allow fingers to breathe

Recessed grooves provide increased airflow

Liquid injected design gives a flawless finish

Comfort fit inner arch and eased edge lessen skin contact

Available in an array of fashion forward colors and classic neutrals for men and women

Comes with a Lifetime Warranty

Athletes, carpenters, outdoorsmen, and more agree that the Groove Ring is an affordable way to show off their style and commitment without sacrificing safety.

atGroove Rings can be purchased online or at select retailers nationwide.

About

Groove Life launched in 2016 with the release of their flagship product the Groove Ring. Founder Peter Goodwin wanted to wear a ring that showed his commitment to his family while meeting the demands of his work as an Alaskan guide and wilderness lodge owner. His creation not only offers durability and functionality, but rugged good looks as well.

About

Dean Smiths wakeboarding credits include being a two time Australian Pro Tour Wakeboard Champion and 2010 World Champion. His wife Amber Wing was crowned the Queen of Wake in 2013 and achieved the first ever womens 900 and womens double flip. Together theyre the power couple of wakeboarding. They split their time between their favorite wakeboarding spots in Florida and Sydney, Australia.

--

Leah J. Cybulski

Senior Public Relations Project Manager

ChicExecs Brand Strategy

820 Los Vallecitos Blvd Ste A-C

San Marcos, CA 92069

C 708 426 8730

http://www.chicexecs.com

Leah(at)chicexecs.com
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The government today blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the unrest in Darjeeling, saying her attitude and handling of the issue had "set the quiet hills on fire".

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told the Lok Sabha that tri-partite talks involving the Centre, the state and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) can be held only after peace has been restored in the region.

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He made the statement after Mohammed Salim (CPI-M) raised the issue in the Zero Hour, accusing Banerjee of trying to impose her will on language and other governance affairs on the people in the hilly region.

"You cannot delcare a war on the people," he said, adding that the states food minister had threatened to stop supply of essential provisions to Darjeeling if the protests continued.

The central government cannot remain quiet, he said, asking it to call a tri-partite meeting.

"You must tell the chief minister to work as per the Constitution," he told the Centre.

Members of the Trinamool Congress, which is in power in the state, were not in the House.

Kumar said the situation in Darjeeling was getting more serious.

"There must be peace. If the quiet hills have been set on fire, then the reason is the Chief Ministers attitude and her handling of the issue," he said. PTI KR ARC

--- ENDS ---
With just over two weeks remaining for submission, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Foundation (iaedp) announces a final Call for Proposals for its 2018 annual Symposium slated for March 22  25 in Orlando, Florida at the Omni at ChampionsGate. Deadline for submission is July 31, 2017.

The iaedp Foundation is pursuing abstracts on inventive treatment modalities for the many phases of the eating disorder clients journey-- from denial and resistance to treatment and ultimately recovery.

According to Bonnie Harken, Managing Director of the iaedp Foundation, iaedp seeks treatment providers from all disciplines to convert ongoing research, brain imaging and treatment updates into meaningful eating disorder treatment protocols.

Our focus is to search for those special and innovative proposals which help clinicians in all eating disorder treatment settings, said Harken.

The iaedp Foundation asks that professionals include experiential or interactive components in their presentations. Preference is given to unique presentations offered for the first time.

At iaedp, our intention is to provide training to as many professionals as possible in order to build and develop skills and knowledge about eating disorders, says Harken. The iaedp Foundation certification programs are designed by treatment professionals to work for all treatment experts working in therapeutic settings.

More information about all aspects of the Call for Proposals and the 2018 Symposium can be found at iaedp.com.

About iaedp: Since 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals has provided education and training standards to an international and multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions. Registration information for the 2017 iaedp Symposium can be found at iaedp.com.
A need for greater openness and partnerships is even being felt in our most venerable institutions  the banks  which are starting to acknowledge the need to work within a shared ecosystem.

This years unbound London has been the companys biggest show in Europe to date with delegate numbers growing by 25 percent year-on-year. More than 5,000 visitors from over 30 countries made the journey to the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane to hear how some of the worlds most successful brands are embracing technology innovation to unlock new commercial opportunities.

The event brought together 120 speakers from across multiple sectors to cover markets ranging from fintech to retail. The conference packed 30 sessions across the main stage and the popular Future Stage by Stylus over the course of two days (19-20 July). A truly eclectic agenda covered everything from immersive live video and socially conscious innovation, to trend spotting and how advertisers can take advantage of gameshow theory. The festival also ran a series of workshops, startup battles and other challenges.

One of this years most anticipated speakers was Bruce Daisley, EMEA Vice President, at Twitter. His big idea session Eat Sleep Work Repeat  Can we win the battle vs. work took a hard look at contemporary workplace culture. In what was a very timely examination in the wake of controversies surrounding tech-led firms, he pointed to the damage a companys internal tone can inflict upon its external brand.

He characterised the blurring of the lines between our personal and professional lives as geekploitation, characterising food freebies and games in the office as red herrings that are actually hindering productivity. Daisley also singled out open plan offices as being detrimental to efficiencies and creativity, particularly in forcing people to isolate themselves with headphones: If you look into the way that ideas are created, headphones are probably one of the worst things to happen to the working environment in the past ten years.

A late addition to the agenda came in the shape of the Rt. Hon. Matt Hancock, Minister of State for Digital. Hancock outlined how the government intends to ensure the UK remains the best place in the world to build and grow a technology business. The session addressed concerns raised by several founders over the course of the conference  access to the best international talent in the wake of last years referendum. The minister highlighted he felt Britain has been most successful when it has been open to new ideas and pointed to initiatives such as the Tech Nation visa scheme. He went on to reassure delegates that Brexit negotiations are unambiguous in their aspiration to secure ongoing engagement and trade with the EU, while the government also aspires to build relationships on a global scale.

New for 2017 was the Female Founders Startup Challenge in which eight finalists pitched to be named Europes top female entrepreneur, and a prize worth over 4,500. This went to Daniella Peri of Yoppie, a company that offers organic, biodegradable tampons.

This years StartUp Bazaar exhibition featured almost 100 companies from 28 countries, including delegations from Italy and Romania. A further 50 European businesses earned a complimentary exhibition space in the new unbound50 zone, which featured the most exciting early-stage start-ups as selected by unbound.

Vertical markets represented in the exhibition included AI and Data, FinTech, Internet of Things, AR & VR, Retail and E-Commerce, Media, Adtech and Marketing. Some of the companies generating the most buzz in the StartUp Bazaar included doppel and Sidekick Health. Sensiks demonstration pod also attracted a lot of attention over the course of both days as curious delegates lined up to discover what Sensory Reality (SR) has to offer.

Daniel Seal, founder and CEO of unbound, said: Its been another exciting festival and the message that digital disruption means no business can afford to stand still came across louder than ever. Theres a very real risk that legacy organisations in all vertical markets face being disintermediated by more nimble startups.

Historically both sets of players have been cautious in how they engage with each other, however as time moves on were reaching a point where the benefits of mutual collaboration are becoming apparent. A need for greater openness and partnerships is even being felt in our most venerable institutions  the banks  which are starting to acknowledge the need to work within a shared ecosystem. The fact that even this most conservative of sectors is having to evolve so quickly highlights the extent to which data is shaping our world.

Ends

unbound will return in Q4, with the next festival moving west to focus on the Latin American market. The inaugural unbound Miami takes place on 1st & 2nd November, for more information on that event, including the latest speaker updates, please visit https://unbound.live/ and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @unboundglobal

Notes for editors

A selection of images from the event can be downloaded here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v8qrvmytlopzj3a/AABT9ZUHSNfW7bGsL6qE2XNna?dl=0

Press contact

Andy Riley, PR(at)unbound(dot)live

About unbound London

unbound London is the UKs largest and most exciting innovation festival. It celebrates its fifth anniversary in July, and in that time has established itself as more than just another tech event. It is a celebration that captures the energy and fun of Europe's start-up scene, having built up a supportive and inclusive community that makes it a greatly anticipated fixture in the calendars of thousands of brands, corporates, founders and entrepreneurs.

https://unbound.live/london2017/ #unboundLondon

About unbound

unbound connects brands and corporates with disruptive technology, products and services, in order to fuel their innovation and growth. unbound works across three key areas: Labs, Insights and Festivals. Over 18,000 founders, entrepreneurs, investors, brand executives, start-ups and opinion formers will attend the award-winning unbound festivals in 2017. For more information, please visit http://www.unbound.live or follow on Facebook & Twitter, @unboundglobal.
It's spectacular to have international recognition for our work with Modern Business," says Harrington Past News Releases RSS

The Producers of Modern Business with Kevin Harrington, one of the original Sharks from the hit reality series Shark Tank, are pleased to announce that the high-end, large-format international magazine, Livein, which publishes simultaneously in both English and Italian, highlights a 2-page cover story about the Shark himself, Kevin Harrington, and his collaboration with Modern Business in its May 2017 edition.

The magazine features a full-page photo of Harrington on the cover with an article in both English and Italian about him and his association with Modern Business inside. Harrington is the host and headlining spokesperson for the program, which scans world media to find compelling stories about groundbreaking achievements, inspiring people and paradigm-shifting developments, in order to provide viewers with unprecedented access to industry leaders and rising stars. Typical subjects for Modern Business segments could include anything from manufacturing, business management solutions and cost containment strategies to software, cloud computing and outstanding institutions of higher education.

Shot on location, written and edited by the award-winning Modern Business team, these riveting segments, which tend to run from three to five minutes in length, are compiled into half-hour programs and aired in a paid programming format on national and international networks, notably Fox Business News and Bloomberg Television.

Readers of Livein's May 2017 edition are treated to a banner article by the Founder of the ergoActive movement and Inventor of the Back Bliss and Ergo-Gym Computer Workstation, Phil Brady. Phil briefs the readers on Kevin Harrington's impressive background as inventor of the infomercial, mastermind behind billions of dollars worth of sales and star as one of the original "Sharks" on the hit reality television series "Shark Tank". Phil, an avid Shark Tank fan since the show first aired, wanted to write this article after he had taken advantage of Kevins amazing ability to allow each entrepreneur to shine. After seeing first-hand the power a Shark could bring to his business, Phil now encourages business people, both upcoming and experienced, to "Put a Shark in Your Tank" in order to bolster their own fortunes. Having Kevin Harrington in their corner virtually eliminates any limitations on their success.

"It's spectacular to have international recognition for our work with Modern Business," says Harrington. "The concept behind the show is to track down the world's most inspiring people, compelling stories and groundbreaking achievements to feature on our show."

"We at Modern Business are all about raising awareness and educating our viewers on relevant business topics," says Paul Douglas Scott, Executive Producer of Modern Business. "In his four decades as an entrepreneur, Kevin Harrington has launched more than 10 businesses with over $100 million in sales each. He's also introduced 600 products generating over $6 billion in sales. Kevin has his finger on the pulse of new trends in business and is a great host for Modern Business."

About Modern Business

Headquartered in South Florida, Modern Business is a full-service production, branding, and marketing company that specializes in producing and airing 3-5 minute informative, newsworthy segments about emerging and established companies that have new, innovative, game-changing ideas in order to showcase the hottest products and services that could very well transform our lives in the foreseeable future. Working out of a 25,000+ square foot, state-of-the-art studio, the companys creative team handles every aspect of production from script to screen to airing. For nearly two decades, Modern Businesss veteran staff of writers, producers, videographers and editors has amassed more than 50 Telly Awards, thousands of prestigious clients and over $20 million in television placements.

About Kevin Harrington

Kevin Harrington has paved the way as an inspiration to entrepreneurs around the world. He has been welcomed into millions of homes globally over the years through his informative and entertaining programs on both syndicated and paid television. As host of Modern Business, Kevin invites viewers to learn about hard working entrepreneurs, innovative technologies, new companies and exciting advancements. In every episode, he takes viewers behind the scenes with his featured guests.

About Livein Style

Livein is an Italian lifestyle magazine that specializes in publishing high-quality lifestyle stories and subjects of elegance. With articles that range from fine art to high-end wellness centers, the magazine focuses on the promotion of luxury brands. Livein is also the official magazine of the New York Italian community. The magazine has been available in NYC since February 2016 and continues publication on a bi-monthly basis.

For more information on Modern Business, please visit http://www.modernbusinesstv.com.
Tuantu "Tu" Doan Vu, PA-C - West Dermatology, Fresno, CA "I invite everyone to stop in and say hiI look forward to getting to know the West Dermatology patients and customizing solutions to their skin problems, said Ms. Vu

West Dermatology is pleased to announce the newest addition to their Fresno, California location, Ms. Tu Tuantu Doan Vu, PA-C. Beginning July 17, 2017, Ms. Vu will join West Dermatologys large network of medical and cosmetic dermatology practices, bringing with her more than 27 years of experience in dermatology, skin cancer, and more. She graduated from the University of Florida College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program with a BS in Medicine and is certified by the NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants).

I cant wait to start the next stage of my career with West Dermatology, especially since I can stay in the Fresno/Central Valley area, says Ms. Vu. It was important for me when contemplating the next part of my life and career to stay in the area. The fact that Id be part of a committed team of fellow skin specialists dedicated to safe, effective solutions and the best in patient care is equally important to me.

Adds Dr. Ronald Shiell of the Fresno office, We look forward to Ms. Vus starting with us. With her background, training, and demeanor, shes going to fit in nicely; our staff and patients will certainly embrace her.

In cosmetic dermatology, Ms. Vu specializes in body contouring, IPL treatments, facial peels, and laser therapies. Furthermore, shes adept at injectable treatments, such as Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, Kybella, and Bellafill. But her knowledge and skill dont end thereshes also a specialist in medical dermatology and skin cancer.

I gravitated toward health and medicine as a career because it runs in my family, Ms. Vu says. I guess I inherited my familys inclination toward the healing sciences and to helping those in need. I think thats why my focus and knowledge are as varied as they are, including why treating patients with skin cancer is so important to meI want to pass on all I know about skin cancer and the possible ways to prevent it so patients can avoid its consequences.

Ms. Vu gladly accepts all insurance plans offered at the Fresno office, where shell make vital contributions in other key areas, as well: asthma, allergies, family medicine, and emergency medicine. Shes also linguistically gifted, as she speaks Vietnamese, French, and Spanish in addition to English. For more on Ms. Vu and her approach to solving skin cancer issues and other dermatological concerns, visit http://www.WestDermatology.com/.

Being able to help people improve their lives and well-being is such a special feeling to me, says Ms. Vu. Im grateful for the chance to continue giving back to the community that has been so good to me. I invite everyone to stop in and say hiI look forward to getting to know the West Dermatology patients and customizing solutions to their skin problems.

For more than 60 years, West Dermatology has been providing patients with the best treatment possible through a combination of expertise, compassion, convenience, and comprehensive care. Through multiple locations across the West Coast in California, Nevada, and Arizona, West Dermatology offers a network composed of millions of patients with 24/7 access to board-certified dermatologists.

For more information please visit http://www.WestDermatology.com

West Dermatology

18831 Von Karman Ave. #300

Irvine, CA 92612

(702) 933-0225

info(at)westdermatology(dot)com
By PTI: (Eds: Adding more information)

New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet in a money laundering case against various accused including a chartered accountant, allegedly linked to RJD chief Lalu Prasads daughter Misa Bharti.

The 2,000-page long final report, filed in the case against accused Rajesh Agarwal, does not make Lalus daughter an accused. However, the document contains her name.

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The ED had recently raided the farmhouses of Bharti and her husband in Delhi in relation to the case being probed against Agarwal, two Delhi-based businessmen brothers -- Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain -- and others, who are alleged to have laundered money using over 90 shell companies.

Special Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra will take up the charge sheet for consideration on August 9.

The probe agency has also told the court that the investigation is still going on and the ED may file a supplementary charge sheet against fresh accused.

The court today put up Agarwals bail plea for argument on July 29.

In a written submission, the ED had earlier opposed Agarwals bail plea saying he might tamper with evidence if the relief was granted to him.

The Jain brothers were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate earlier under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Besides Agarwal and Jain brothers, the charge sheet includes the names of around 35 people and the firms as accused.

According to the ED, Agarwal was associated with some transactions involving a firm allegedly linked to Bharti which is suspected to be involved in tax evasion.

The case had emerged after the ED had filed a criminal complaint in February this year under the PMLA.

It was based on a charge sheet filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office against certain individuals and firms "for providing accommodation entries by accepting funds from their beneficiaries through mediators and converting the same into share premium transactions in the beneficiary company".

The ED suspects the entire racket to be worth about Rs 8,000 crore of slush funds. PTI UK SJK RKS PKS TIR

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A two-year investigation by China's anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, found Gang had "violated party discipline," and was guilty of "abusing his power to seek benefits and accepted huge amounts of money."

Gang has been removed from office and expelled from the Communist Party.

He became Deputy Director and Director of the Futures Supervision Department of the CSRC in 1993, and was made Vice Chairman in 2008.

His role included approving applications for initial public offerings (IPO)  in which shares of a company are sold to the public for the first time  which earned him the nickname "King of IPOs" for how quickly he processed applications.

He then moved to overseeing fixed income and futures markets.

But a crash in the Chinese stock market in 2015, which saw it lose $5 trillion in value, prompted an investigation. The crash was found to have been due in part to financial speculation and short sellers, and Gang's former secretary was found guilty of insider trading.
President Donald Trump is expected to name well-known Wall Streeter Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House communications director, according to multiple reports.

Goldman Sachs could be about to tighten its stranglehold on global markets.

If you want to make money in the stock market, you'd better nail earnings season. Or else. The reason is simple: Quarterly results are exerting unprecedented influence over stock returns and, by extension, portfolio performance.

The quietest market in decades is masking big money-making opportunities, according to Larry Adam, the chief investment officer for the Americas at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management.

McKinsey & Co top trader at Deutsche Bank has reportedly left after a bet went wrong to the tune of $60 million.

China's former "King of IPOs" has been found guilty of corruption. And the world's most brilliant China mind has a warning about "Chinese medicine."

Legendary investor T. Boone Pickens said that after 89 years of life, he no longer feels like he'll live forever. And that's not a bad thing. And Big Oil is gearing up for another crazy round of cost cuts.

Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have each seen their fortunes swell by more than $20 billion this year.

And Google's been running a secret test to detect bogus ads  and its findings should make the industry nervous.
"Wow. That's all he wanted," a source close to the White House told CNN in May. Spicer has spoken publicly about his Catholicism, telling reporters that he gave up alcohol for Lent.

Reports Friday suggested Spicer's resignation was connected to Trump's naming former hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci to the position of White House communications director.

Before Trump's meeting with the pope, both sides agreed to limit the number of staffers attending the high-profile encounter, according to CNN, and Trump's entourage included mostly family.

First lady Melania Trump and the president's daughter Ivanka were seen donning matching veils alongside Ivanka Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, the White House senior adviser. A few key communications aides were also present at the meeting, including spokeswoman Hope Hicks and social-media director Dan Scavino, according to Politico.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; national security adviser H.R. McMaster; Keith Schiller, a deputy assistant; and Brian Hook, a State Department aide; also attended. Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, and Stephen Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, had already returned to Washington after an earlier stop in Saudi Arabia.
A three-year-old girl who was physically and sexually tortured, died today. Her mother's employer who is a former home guard used her as a voodoo doll and pierced the toddler's body with needles.

By India Today Web Desk: A three-year-old girl who was sexually and physically tortured by her mother's employer died at SKMM hospital in Kolkata today.

The child,a resident of West Bengal's Purulia district, was brought in a critical and serious condition to the hospital on July 15.

The doctors and surgeons delayed the surgery and operation as the child wasn't stable.

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"There are as many as seven needles forced into the child's body. The needles could not be taken out as it may cause further damage to her body. She is kept under observation," hospital commented on her initial state.

Photo Courtesy: Manogya Loiwal

The incident of abuse and torture came to light after her mother took her to Bankura Medical College with a complaint of fever.

The doctors there discovered that the child was brutally abused by someone and several needles were injected in her body.

There were multiple external injuries and some even on her private parts which were caused by the needles.

Photo Courtesy: Manogya Loiwal

Police reports suggest that a former home guard, Sanatan Thakur, in his mid '50s practiced black magic. He employed the child's mother as domestic worker and used the child as a voodoo doll. He abused her body for the practice of his black magic.

On July 18, doctors successfully got rid of all the seven needles from her body and the little girl was kept under observation.

But today, hospital declared her dead. "She succumbed to sepsis and pneumonia between 2 am and 3 am," the source from hospital said.

Police have a lodged a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POSCO) Act against Sanatan Thakur who is on a run and still at large.

FYI || 8-year-old sexually abuses friend, tells cops she learnt it from being repeatedly raped herself ||

FYI || Army can rape and abduct women, shoot people... nobody can question them: Left's Kodiyeri Balakrishnan ||

FYI || 3 women kidnap, force-feed and rape 23-year-old man for 3 days ||

--- ENDS ---
The list is a ranking of the world's largest companies by revenue and according to Fortune, the listed companies generated $21.7trillion in revenues and $1.5 trillion in profits during the 2016 financial year.

Africa has some of the fastest growing companies in the world but not even the growth by companies like Algeria's Sonatrach, Angola's Sonangol, MTN and the Bidvest Group could see them break into this year's list.

This year's list saw companies from 34 countries listed with China the most impressive performer with 115 companies listed, boosted by ten new entrants including e-commerce colossus Alibaba Group Holding.

Social media giant Facebook also made the list for the same time.

American tech giant Apple was the most profitable during 2016 followed by four other Chinese companies all of whom were banks.
The President said this at the 2017 Innovation Prize for Africa Awards hosted in Ghana.

He announced the establishment of a technology commercialisation unit in the country.

READ ALSO: 6 ways to make extra money aside your regular income

He explained that this will ensure that the seeming gap between industry and academia in the innovation sector is bridged.

In addition, he further disclosed that efforts are being made to triple the allocation for research within the medium to long term to drive the growth of innovation in Ghana.

The 2017 edition of the Innovation Prize for Africa had over 2,500 nominations across Africa.

After several scrutiny the number was reduced to the final ten nominees who were awarded for their ingenuity.

READ ALSO: How to make the jump from corporate life to entrepreneurship

A 58 year old Egyptian Aly El-Shafei, won the overall prize of 100,000 dollars.

Philippa NgajuMakobore from Uganda was the 2nd winner. She received a cash prize of 25,000 dollars for her project which controls the fluid flow in the administration of infusion.

The recipient for social impact, Dougbeh Chris Nyan of Liberia also received 25,000 dollars.
In an exclusive interview with Pulse Ghanas Portia Arthur, the 26-year-old said she will only act nude if it pays well and sends a message to impact peoples lives.

Nude is broad and I think it is relative. It depends on what kind of nude. If it is reasonable and if depicts what I am being endorsed for. If it pays well and depicting a strong message that will impact on peoples lives. It could be nudity for skin products. But not totally nude like go off your panties and your bra. Just some part of you that wont show your private parts because you are still a woman and wont want to expose all your private parts out there. It has to be done tactically.

READ ALSO: How to rock African print like a Ghanaian diva

Commenting on an explicit video of a girl, Rashida Black Beauty, who went viral after insulting her boyfriend in the later part of last year, Victoria said:

It is insane when I hear or see some nude photos and videos. What are you posing nude for? Are you getting paid for it? Are you sending a message, what message are you sending? It should be classy if you want to go nude.

If I decide to go nude, I will look for a professional photographer and get it done the profession way.

READ ALSO: Top 8 most stylish Ghanaian actresses for June 2017

Victoria Lebene is the ex-girlfriend of Ghanaian actor, Kofi Adjorlolo.

The couple broke up because Victoria's father S.P Victor Mekpeh who is a retired Chief Superintendent Officer of Ghana Prison Service has been against her relationship right from day one and he has always maintained his position that he will never give his blessing, if she decides to go ahead to marry Mr Adjorlolo.
The accused, who reside at Gwagwa, Abuja, are standing trial on a three-count charge of joint act, assault and theft.

Police Prosecutor Oyeyemi Adeniyi told the court that the complainant, Richard Tarfa of Best Life Church, Kado Village, reported the case at the Wuse Police Station on July 10.

He alleged that the duo committed the crime at the village when they attacked the complainant with a cutlass.

They beat up the complainant and stole his N20, 000.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 79, 265 and 288 of the Penal Code.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mr Muhammed Tahir, admitted the accused to a bail of N50, 000 each and a surety each in like sum.
Adeniyi, who lives at No. 5, Ajibiowu St., Ile-Ife, is being tried for a two-count charge of abduction and impregnating a teenager.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Magistrate Olalekan Ijiyode, who gave the ruling, did not grant the oral bail application of the accuseds lawyer person, but asked him to come with a written application.

Ijiyode, therefore, ordered that the accused should be remanded in prison pending the consideration of the bail application.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Emmanuel Abdullahi, told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 14 at No. 5, Ajibiowu St., Ile-Ife.

Abdullahi said the accused also conducted himself in a manner likely to cause the breach of peace by impregnating a 17-year-old without the consent of her parents.

The accused abducted the girl and kept her in his house without the knowledge of her parents.

The offences contravened Sections 249 (d) and 361 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2003.

The Defence Counsel, Mr S.O. Salami, had applied for the bail of the accused, saying he will not jump bail.
The defendant, who is standing trial on a four-count charge bordering on abduction, adultery and enticing a married woman, resides at Karmo Village.

The judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, who gave the order, also granted the defendant one surety in like sum.

Sadiq said the surety must produce, must reside within the courts jurisdiction, should also produce an utility bill carrying his name.

Earlier, Police Prosecutor Zannah Dalhatu told the court that the complainant, Mr James Olanga, who lives in the same address with the defendant, reported the incident at Karmo Police Station on July 17.

He said that the complainant alleged that the defendant intentionally committed adultery with his wife and impregnated her.

Dalhatu said the complainant alleged that the defendant deceived his wife by buying her clothes.

The offences contravened Sections 272, 387, 388 and 389 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty, claiming ignorance of the womans married status.

According to him, they met as adults and got involved in the love affair and that he did not deceive her.

Counsel to the defendant, Mr Isaac Mathew, applied for his bail and assured the court he would not jump bail.
Abiodun, whose residential address was not given, is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Friday Mameh, told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 3, at 10 a.m. in Lagos.

He said the accused stole the 110,000 dollars property of Sterling Bank Plc.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 287(8) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.

The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Counsel to the accused, Mr T.J. Agoro, urged the court to grant his client bail.

Agoro told the court that he would stand surety for the accused and ensure that he showed up in court till the determination of the case.

The Magistrate, Miss O. A. Olagbende, released the accused to his counsel on the grounds that the lawyer would ensure that the accused attends courts proceedings.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Fatimoh Sodamade, ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison in view of the gravity of the offence.

The prosecutor, Mr Felix okafor, had told the court that the defendants committed the offence on June 16, at 1.00p.m. along Idi-Ifa area in Osogbo.

Okafor said the defendants conspired to slaughter one Lateef Yusuf with a knife, following a dispute.

He said the offence contravened Sections 324 and 316, and punishable under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol.11 Laws of Osun, 2002.
The father of three lost his 18-year-old marriage for labelling his wife a witch.

The Court President, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, in his judgment said that it was obvious from available testimony and the respondents refusal to appear in court, that the marriage had hit the rocks.

Throughout the duration of this case, the respondent refused to honour court processes.

Therefore, the court has no other choice than to dissolve the marriage.

The marriage between Mrs and Mr is hereby dissolved from today.

Both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways without any hindrances and molestation, he said.

Omilola referred the issue of custody of the children to the family court, within the Lagos Judicial Division.

Earlier, Mosurat, 48, told the court that she was no longer interested in the marriage, because her husband labelled her a witch, responsible for his predicament.

My husband goes about telling whoever that cared to listen that I am a witch and I was responsible for his low financial status.

Most times, he comes to my shop wearing worn-out clothes to curse me and destroy my goods, she alleged.

She further alleged that Munirudeen was an irresponsible husband and father.

Since the inception of our marriage, I have been the one paying our house rent and the childrens school fees. Our first child is in the university and I am the one paying her fees.

"Six years ago, my husband packed out of the house to stay in Sango-Ota in Ogun, claiming Lagos State is expensive. He married another woman and abandoned us.

After some months, he came back to Lagos to squat with friends in my area from where he comes to my shop to insult and curse me, she said.

The petitioner said that her marriage had been turbulent and fraught with fights and quarrels.

She said that she had not been at peace because her husband always beat her at the slightest provocation.

My husband takes alcoholic drinks a lot. He drinks to stupor, after which he will vomit everywhere in the house.

I have reported him to his family, but he refused to change, she said.

The woman urged the court to terminate the marriage because she was no longer interested in it.

Please, dissolve the marriage. I want to live to eat the fruit of my labour. In fact, the love I once had for him has faded, she said.
Maharashtra top cop Satish Mathur has instructed his immediate subordinates to make sure that self-styled cow vigilantes do not miss use the state's beef law that bans the slaughter of cow for beef.

By Mustafa Shaikh: Maharashtra has asked its police officers to take steps to ensure that self-styled cow vigilantes do not misuse a state law that bans the slaughter of cow for beef.

The directive, issued by Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur, are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments in which he asked states to prevent violence being carried out in the name of cow protection, Mathur said.

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Maharashtra is among the states that has seen violence by so-called gau rakshaks or cow vigilantes who target people suspected of carrying beef/transporting cattle for slaughter. A recent India Today investigation had even uncovered a gang of these self-styled cow vigilantes who used Maharashtra's beef law to essentially demand 'protection money' from meat traders.

Maharashtra DGP Satish Mathur spoke to his immediate subordinates over a two-day video conference during which he instructed them to ensure that the beef law is not misused in the state. "The message was conveyed to the inspector generals of Maharashtra Police in the two-day long video conferencing. The instructions have been passed in the line of directive issued by the Prime Minister," Mathur told India Today.

Maharashtra Police has become the first police force in the country to pass such specific instruction on the controversial issue of cow vigilantism, which has especially blown up following several cases of lynching in which people suspected to be carrying beefed were beaten to death.

LAW AND ORDER NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY, CENTRE SAYS

Meanwhile, in an unconnected development, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre today told the Supreme Court that it "doesn't support violence in the name of gau raksha."

At the same time, the Centre sought to wash its hands off the matter and shifted the burden on to the states, telling the apex court that law and order was a state subject.

A number of states have been made respondents in the matter but have not filed their response. So the court adjourned the matter, giving them four weeks to do so.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by Pune-based activist Tehseen S Poonawala seeking action against so-called gau rakshaks.

ALSO READ | Mob lynching India's shocking war within, a challenge Narendra Modi must confront

ALSO WATCH | Cow vigilantes or extortionists? India Today exposes Maharashtra's cow saviours

--- ENDS ---
Kachala, whose address was not disclosed in court, pleaded not guilty to a charge of an attempt to commit felony.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Bosede Adegeshin, said that Kachala committed the offence on June 25 at Unity Estate, Itamaga in Ikorodu at 3:00 a.m.

He, dressed in black attire and holding an axe, was found peeping through the windows of some houses within the community.

The security men in the community caught him during the act and handed him over to the police during the day, the prosecutor said.

He said that the offence contravened Section 407 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section stipulates three years imprisonment for offender.

Magistrate O.O.Olatunji granted bail to the accused in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The mother of the child, Gifty Sannie who is a second-year nursing student at the university and has three children enrolled in the University Basic School, said the incident happened on July 19 this year.

According to her, the school is attempting to cover up the incident.

The school authorities are protecting the teacher and trying to cover it up but I will never allow it to rest. Enough is enough! she said.

It was deliberate so that I could take the kids out of the school  this has been going on for a very long time, enough is enough, Valley View University and Valley View University Basic School, you are evil people, God will punish you, she told Accra-based Class FM.

READ ALSO: Rashida Black Beauty goes naked

She said that she reported the case to the Ghana Police Headquarters because she did not trust the Adenta Police Command enough to handle the alleged incident even though it was within their jurisdiction.

Ms Sannie has also called on the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service (DOVVSU) to get involved to ensure that the lady teacher is arrested and dealt with.

She further alleged that about a month ago, the same female teacher cut her daughter with a blade and sucked her blood. You cut a little girls finger and such her blood, are you a vampire? she asked.

READ ALSO: Shoprite salesgirl docked for alleged theft of N554m

A police medical report has since indicated that the little girl suffered from medile vulva mucosa, bilaterally.

But the Senior Registrar of Value View University, Pastor Joe Hagen said that the allegations are not true.

Its not true that anybody inserted broom into the little girls vagina, he told Accra-based Class FM.

He further expressed anger at the station for coming out with the story without cross-checking the facts.
The case was brought to the court by the husband, Mr Tunji Oyedele, who accused his wife of adultery, engaging in fetish activities and attempting to kill him.

The wife, Romoke, a 40-year-old trader, who denied the allegations, told the court that the man was sending her away because he now has a new wife.

The president of the court, Mr Adegboyega Omilola, said the court had no option than to separate the couple as the husband was adamant to all mediation efforts by the court and his family.

Since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court has no choice than to dissolve the union in spite of the fact that the wife still claims she loves her husband.

The court pronounces the marriage between Mr Tunji Oyedele and Mrs Romoke Oyedele dissolved today, both parties henceforth cease to be husband and wife.

Both are free to go their separate ways without any hindrance and molestation, Omilola ruled.

My wife is promiscuous, whenever I travel, my wife brings men into our house; on two occasions, I caught her with her lovers in our bedroom.

One day, I came home unannounced and caught her with one of her lovers in our bedroom.

On another occasion, I caught her with another man who she claimed was her Pastor.

She claimed that the said Pastor wanted to take her to a river for a special bath to avert spiritual attack, he said.

The petitioner further alleged that his wife was fetish and always in possession of different charms.

I see different strange objects in my bathing water, food and everywhere in the house.

There was a day I entered her room in her absence and saw feathers tied with clothes and other diabolical objects.

I believe that my persistent illness, which has deferred medical solution, is as a result of her fetish acts.

I have been forced to leave my own house because I dont want to die now, he said.

The 52-year-old businessman, who presented the pictures of the charms as exhibit, also said that his wife got pregnant for another man after she had their first baby.

My wife abandoned our 10-month-old baby for me and got pregnant for another man. She came back after some years and I accepted her, he said.

According to him, his wife has no respect for his family.

My wife used to call my mother a witch and always fought with her whenever she visits; my mother has stopped coming to my house, he said.

He also said his wife chased away his first wife who did not bear him any child by always mocking and calling her a barren wife.

Romoke refuted the allegations, insisting that she was not adulterous.

The man my husband first saw in our bedroom was my classmate in primary school; the other man was my Pastor, who came for spiritual purpose, she explained.

The 40-year-old trader said she was not fetish and did not know how the charms got into her room.

The mother of four denied abandoning their baby to get pregnant for another man, saying it was her husband that chased her out of his house.

My husband chased me out of his house after I had our first baby and that made me to get pregnant for another man, she told the court.

She said that she and her husband had lived in peace until January 2016, when he married a new wife.

My husband and I never fought; but immediately he married another woman, his attitude changed.

His new wife accused me of sending hired killers to her and my husband turned me into a punching bag, she said.
The prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecution, Yvonne Atakora Oboubisa told the court on Friday that since the arrest of Aisha in May, attempts by the prosecution to reach her husband have not yielded any result.

He said that investigation has shown that the said husband holds three passports of different countries.

READ ALSO: Angry Aisha Huang denied bail again

Aisha was arrested with four other Chinese nationals for their alleged involvement in illegal mining in an area belonging to the Volta Resources Company Limited.

She has been charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, (Act 703), and providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act.

She has also been charged with the illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to Section 24 of the Immigration Act, 200 (Act 573) and Regulation 18(1) of the Ghana Immigration Regulations, 2001 (L.I.1691).
Some workers on Wednesday petitioned the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, asking for investigations into allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance against the Chair of the election management body.

They are also demanding her removal over allegations that she terminated a contract with STL and unilaterally renegotiated a contract with a vendor of the EC for $21,999,592 without informing her deputies or other commissioners.

READ ALSO: Workers petition Nana Addo to remove Charlotte Osei

The petition, signed by the lawyer for the workers, Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, described as fraudulent Mrs Oseis cancellation of a contract between the EC and Superlock Technologies Limited (STL)  a company contracted to supply and manage Biometric Voter Registration machines (BVRs) and the Biometric Voter Devices (BVDs), as well as, coupled with her ordering of the payment of $76,000 to IT firm Dream Oval.

"The Commission signed a contract with Super Tech (STL) Limited on the premise of that Voter Registration Exercise was going to be electoral area based. Upon assumption of office as Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei unilaterally abrogated the said contract without recourse to the same Commission that approved the earlier version, the petition said.

"She single-handedly renegotiated the contract with the vendor without the involvement of the members of the Commission, not even the deputies. She then awarded the contract to the tune of $21,999,592 without going through tender contrary to the Public Procurement Act. The Chairperson then re-awarded these contracts without approval from the Commission."

But in a statement, Mrs Osei said: The contents of the said petition which has been widely circulated on social media and published by the mainstream media, are frivolous, baseless and are actuated by malice and ill will. These allegations are in my view, the product of an overactive evil imagination, and do not deserve any serious attention.

I wish to state categorically that all the defamatory allegations are outright lies and without any merit whatsoever.

I understand from the media that the Presidency has received the alleged petition. I have my full responses ready for each and every allegation made in the so-called petition. However, in deference to His Excellency the President of the Republic, for whom I have the highest levels of respect, I would respectfully wait to be formally informed by the Presidency before I make my responses public.

I take the opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to the staff of the Electoral Commission, political leaders from the various political parties, and members of the general public for the overwhelming support shown to my family and I so far. I am absolutely certain that once again, history and the truth will vindicate the just.

The political motive hunting would not serve the greater purpose. The 'motiveless malignity' behind this Petition are self-seeking and faceless individuals with the sole motive of satisfying their purely personal vendetta against my person and protecting illegal financial interests.
Parliament has summoned her to brief the House about how much the Commission made from the controversial accreditation fees it charged journalists who covered the 2016 general elections.

This was disclosed by the Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu during the presentation of business for next week.

READ ALSO: Workers petition Nana Addo to remove Charlotte Osei

The EC boss is also expected to brief the house about how much the commission spent on the exercise to replace lost Voter ID Cards.

Charlotte Osei is currently being pressured by some workers of the Commission who have petitioned the president to investigate her for financial malfeasance and fraud and subsequently remove her from office.

She has since described the claims by the group of workers as baseless.
The Deputy Finance Minister Kweku Kwarteng had indicated that his Ministry released an amount of GHS5.26million towards the celebrations.

He made this known in Parliament on Thursday following a question by Juaboso MP Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who wanted to know how much government spent on the Ghana 60 Years On celebrations.

Mr Kwarteng said the figure comprises GHS3.1 million from the Government of Ghana and GHS 2.16million from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

Out of the total figure of GHS5.26 million, GHS3.0million went to the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Ghana@60 Secretariat whilst GHS100, 000 and GHS2.16million were paid to the 10 Regional Coordinating Councils and 216 District Assemblies respectively.

The Office of the Chief of Staff had indicated that in terms of actual disbursements, GHS2.98million was spent by the Ghana@60 Secretariat out of the figure released from the governments sources.

An amount of GHS2.16million was spent by the 216 District Coordinating Councils bringing the total expenditure to GHS5.24million of the GHS5.26million released.

Mr Kwarteng said the funds were captured in the 2017 budget statement and therefore the president would be aware of the contents of the statement.

But the Chairman of the Ghana@60 committee, Ken Amankwa said that the 5.26 million cedis the Committee received from the government was spent on the Independence Day parades and not Ghana@60 events.

Weve never relied on the public purse for any of Ghana@60 years celebration. The point is there are two budgetary allocations. Whether Ghana @60 comes on or not, there is always the celebration of Independence Day.

This year only happens to be the 60th Anniversary so the budgetary allocation meant for the celebration actually went to the parade of the military, the school children which occurs every year. It is not true that GHC 3 million came from government, Mr. Amankwah told Accra-based Citi FM in an interview.

It will be recalled that the president indicated at the launching the Ghana@60 Planning Committee on February 9 at the Flagstaff House, that the estimated total of GHS20million for the Ghana@60 celebrations would be borne by the private sector.
Their action was contrary to section 56(a) and (b) of Act 851, Public Health Act (2012).

The Magistrate, Mrs Victoria Ghansah advised the accused to go and be ambassadors of a clean environment.

She urged AMA to ensure that residents who have not yet registered under the polluter-pay policy are able to do so, adding that persons who will flout sanitation laws would not be spared.

READ ALSO: Minister mulls setting up a National Sanitation Authority

The Sub Metro Director for Okai-North Sub Metro, Mr. Angel Ketadjo said the offenders were caught dumping the rubbish at Lapaz on the N1 main road and others were also caught at the Lapaz new market road.

They were subsequently sent to the Tesano police station and later to the Abeka Magistrate Motor and Sanitation court of the AMA.

Mr. Ketadjo said a 20-member taskforce including the police are currently in the area to curb the illegal disposal of waste.
The main opposition NDC has blamed the president, Nana Akufo-Addo for recent happenings at the Electoral Commission.

According to the party, it will resist the blackmail witch-hunting of the head of the election management body, Charlotte Osei, who was appointed by the former president, John Mahama.

Stay off intruding into the operations into the activities of the independent EC, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference organised by the NDC to assess the presidents first six months in office.

But reacting to the comments by the NDC, Mr Ayariga said: My concern is I dont understand why the NDC is defending EC boss and asking the president not to do witch-hunting.

I have read the letter or the petition that some group of EC workers sent to the President. I read many of the allegations and I assume that if all these allegations are true, then its very serious... he told Accra-based Class FM.

We are told that the EC Chair used Ghc4million to renovate her residence, I think it is on the higher side, without even the approval of the commission, I think it is abuse of power. And then they made mention of she using $4million to award a contract to a company that is associated with her, that is also abuse of power, if it is true.

But my concern here is that, I dont understand why the NDC as a party, and a group of members of the NDC are defending the EC boss and asking the President not to do witch-hunting..." he said.

Mr Ayariga further believes that those calling on the president to ignore the petition for removal are hypocrites.

I will call it hypocritical for some institutions like the Peace Council to call on the President to be careful with how he impeach the EC boss."
But how those programs work and how much people pay varies widely. In some cases, patients would leave the hospital with no bill at all. In others, they'd owe lots of money.

Business Insider has 14 editions around the world, so we asked our international colleagues what would happen if they were to break an arm in their countries.

Here's what they told us.

Sweden: Government insurance with a private boost

Where would you go?

The main option is urgent care at a regional hospital, which is run and funded by the county council. (There are 20 in Sweden.)

You can also go to a local emergency unit, also known as a walk-in center, for which there are both private (for-profit) and public (nonprofit) options. Doctor's offices and primary care units do not provide urgent care.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

Most Swedes live within an hour's drive from the nearest hospital or local emergency unit. You can call the emergency number 112 to get an ambulance to remote locations. Once you've checked in, urgent care at a hospital usually takes four to six hours in all, depending on severity. Local emergency units are faster and provide care within a couple of hours.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

All emergency healthcare in Sweden is funded by the government (i.e., the county council). The patient will need to pay $35 to $45 for a hospital emergency-clinic visit. If they have If P&C insurance, this fee could be covered afterward. The Swedish  and Nordic  principle of equal healthcare access for all means you can't pay extra to get preferential treatment.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

All Swedish residents, including expats, are covered by a government-funded universal healthcare insurance. Employers and labor unions may offer private group insurance, but these will generally not cover urgent cases such as fractures.

Some 650,000 out of 10 million Swedes currently have private healthcare insurance  a number that is likely to increase because of a shortage of nurses and other skilled medical staff.

A patient can freely choose between public and private primary healthcare providers, as far as local capacity permits. This policy has resulted in a steady increase in the amount of private healthcare options in Sweden. Healthcare in Sweden is decentralized to local county councils and municipalities. About 90% of the work of Swedish county councils concerns healthcare, but they also deal with other areas such as culture and infrastructure.

 Tom Turula,

Italy: No cost at the hospital

Where would you go?

If I were to break my arm, I would go to a public hospital.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

It depends on the seriousness  on average, for such an accident, within a day.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

I would pay zero.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

In Italy, you don't need to have insurance. Some employers  for example, journalists  have special insurances that enable them to go to private hospitals, but that's something more, an additional option. Because if you break an arm, you can go to a public structure and obtain there everything you need.

 Carlotta Scozzari,

United Kingdom: Fully government-run health service

Where would you go?

I would go to the National Health Service's A&E (accident and emergency) department, which is funded by the British government.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

In London, there would generally be one that is accessible. The waiting times can vary. It could be hours.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

The medical care would have no cost. It's funded by taxpayers through an NHS tax.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

Employers can provide supplementary private medical insurance. You may be taxed at a higher rate by signing up for private health insurance. You generally have to visit an NHS general practitioner before your private health insurance will approve a private visit. Each treatment/office visit is assessed individually by your insurer.

 Dina Spector,

Germany: Insurance required

Where would you go?

You can either go to a hospital or to the office of an orthopedic surgeon. Doctor's offices are privately owned; hospitals can be either privately owned or owned by the government. There are also many hospitals that are operated by universities.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

If you live in the city, the drive is short. In rural areas, it can take a while. There is a dramatic shortage of doctor's offices in these areas. You never know how long you have to wait. Sometimes you get treatment pretty fast; sometimes the waiting room is full of other injured patients. I've heard from someone with a severe sepsis who had to wait a whole day in the hospital.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

People in Germany are legally required to have insurance. The only other option is private insurance, which is often used by wealthy people because they get better treatment. You pay nothing for a broken arm or other injuries or health issues. There are, however, certain extra treatments that are not covered by insurance, like dental cleaning or plastic surgery. Those are treatments that are not necessary.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

One-half of the insurance is paid by your employer, the other half is subtracted from your salary. The amount depends on your salary. If you earn more, you pay more. You can choose the insurance company yourself. If you are unemployed or unable to work, your insurance is covered by the government.

 Sabrina Hoffmann,

The Netherlands: Up to 350

Where would you go?

The first place to go is urgent care (usually part of a hospital), which is funded by the Dutch government.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

Usually, people live within half an hour of an urgent-care facility. You can call the emergency number 112 to get an ambulance; if an experienced person is available, they can also determine to have a private car take you to urgent care.

Once you arrive, the waiting time depends on the relative urgency of your case at that moment. So it can vary between no time and about one hour.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

In the Netherlands, each year people have to pay the first 350 ($400) of medical costs out of pocket. Everything above that is covered under the "basic health insurance policy," which includes basic hospital care like treating a broken arm. So for a broken arm, it depends on your total medical costs during the year.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

The basic health insurance policy is obligatory. Every Dutch adult has to have one, and it costs, on average, 109 per month in 2017.

The government determines what is covered under this insurance, but people get the basic insurance from private insurance companies. Private insurance companies are not allowed to exclude applicants for the basic insurance policy on medical grounds. However, the government gives financial compensation to private insurance companies with a lot of high-risk customers.

There are some differences in the price of the basic health insurance, but these are relatively small, as every insurer offers the same package.

Additionally, you can get extended insurance which covers things that fall outside the basic policy. People can decide for themselves if they want or need one. Prices differ, and private insurance companies have the right to refuse people.

 Jeroen de Boer,

Singapore: Public and private insurance

Where would you go?

I would go to A&E at a hospital. The first choice would be the hospital nearest to me at the time, and it usually doesn't matter if it is a public or private hospital because I am covered by insurance. Having said that, most people would usually opt to go to a public hospital even if they are insured, because these are larger and more cost-friendly.

The timing of the incident also matters, as private hospitals may not have 24-hour staff on standby for specific procedures. So I would opt for a government-owned hospital if the accident occurred late at night.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

How long it would take depends on where you live. As Singapore is a small nation, most people will find themselves within five to 20 minutes of the nearest hospital. In any case, it would not take more than 30 minutes to get to the hospital unless there is a very bad traffic jam at the time.

Waiting times vary. In my experience, it can take less than one hour to be seen by a doctor, or it can take up to seven hours, especially late at night, if the hospital happens to be busy.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

Including basic tests and X-rays, the A&E consultation itself would cost about 115 Singapore dollars ($85). The cost of additional or follow-up treatments differs according to the type of specialist seen and where treatment is sought  a government clinic versus a government hospital versus a private clinic.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

In Singapore, we are covered by a government-administered insurance called MediShield Life, which provides coverage for treatments at public hospitals. This insurance can be upgraded with Integrated Shield Plans offered by private insurers. This will allow us to be insured for treatment in private-class wards and private hospitals as well.

Many people in Singapore also have private insurance or are covered under an employer-sponsored insurance, which will usually be sufficient to cover any outstanding amount on the bill.

We can also pay for certain medical treatments with our Medisave accounts. The Medisave is a national savings scheme administered by the government-run Central Provident Fund Board that involves mandatory monthly savings, taken from our salary, and compulsory contributions made by employers.

 Jessica Lin,

Japan: Even the unemployed must be insured

Where would you go?

The first place to go is the hospital (orthopedics). You can go to family-run clinics or hospitals run by family, local, or prefectural governments.

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

Usually, it takes around half an hour to go to the nearest hospital. Once you arrive at the hospital, the waiting time can vary from five to 30 minutes. If you have a serious injury, you'll have to go to a bigger hospital, which can have longer waiting hours.

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?

Depending on the family income and the age insured, patients typically pay 10% to 30% of the cost, with the remaining covered by the government. The total cost of the broken arm is around 68,000 yen ($600). Of this, you pay 20,000 yen, with the remaining 48,000 yen covered by the government.

How does your insurance work? Do you pay for it? Do you get it from your employer, the government, or somewhere else?

A person pays a certain amount of money every month to a public insurer. If you go to a hospital and get some medical services and you pay the 30% of it, the hospital charges the medical fee to a screening/payment institution, which then passes it on to the public insurer.

The associations comprise several public insurers that manage the funds raised by the premiums people pay. Every Japanese citizen, including the unemployed, is required to participate in National Health Insurance. During their working years, most people get their insurance through their employers as a benefit. A certain portion of your monthly paycheck is deducted by your employer, which pays your premium to the public insurer.

Patients ages 75 or older pay only 10% of the medical costs. In some cities in Japan, children under 15 can receive free medical treatments because the government pays for them.

 Lisa Nonaka,

Nigeria  some employers provide insurance

Where do you go?

A government-owned hospital.

How long does it take to get there and get treatment once you're there?

How much would the broken arm cost you?

How does your insurance work?

- Shkairudeen Taiwo,

United States - Many without insurance

Where would you go?

How long would it take to get there and to get treatment once you're there?

How much would the broken arm cost you? How much would it cost you if you didn't have insurance?
The Centre told the court that law and order is a state subject and it was their responsibility to take action in such cases.

By India Today Web Desk: The Narendra Modi government today told the Supreme Court that it does not back any kind of vigilantism during hearing on a petition against mob lynching in the name of cow protection.

The Centre told the court that law and order is a state subject and it was their responsibility to take action in such cases.

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"Law and order is a state subject and Central government does not have any role into it. However, Union of India is of the view that no vigilante group has any space in the country as per procedures of law. It does not support any kind of vigilantism by private persons," Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the court

FROM INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE: Beef, ban and bloodshed

The apex court had earlier issued notice to six states, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Karnataka on such attacks.

Replying to the notice, Jharkhand and Gujarat told the Supreme Court that administration has taken action against all those involved in such vigilante attacks in the recent past.

Activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, in his plea, said violence committed by these Gau Raksha groups have reached such proportions that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared them as people who were "destroying the society".

The plea also alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protecting cows and other bovines and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country".

ALSO READ:

Mob lynching India's shocking war within, a challenge Narendra Modi must confront

Cow vigilantism: Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, 6 states

Cow vigilantes defy PM Modi yet again, attack drivers transporting cattle in Assam

Killing people in name of cow not acceptable, Gandhi won't approve: PM Narendra Modi in Gujarat

WATCH: Man lynched despite PM's warning: Why is mob vigilantism rampant in BJP-ruled states?

--- ENDS ---
"I love the president and I'm very, very loyal to the president, and I love the mission that the president has," he said.

He sparred with reporters about the concept of "fake news," shooting back with a recent controversy with CNN. He played to Trump directly, saying the president has good karma and, many times, that he "love[s]" Trump. He noted that he had written a best-selling book.

Welcome to the Anthony Scaramucci show. He acts like Trump. Sounds like Trump. He looks like the guy Trump wants representing his White House. The 30-minute briefing was decidedly Trump-ian.

Scaramucci may be an imperfect choice to be the White House communications director. But he will decidedly be a communications director for the Donald Trump presidency.

There was a moment Friday afternoon when Twitter realized some of Scaramucci's tweets of years past. He has donated to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He once suggested there were too many guns in the United States. The Berlin Wall didn't work, he tweeted. And he once said he hoped Hillary Clinton would run for president in 2016.

In other words, he is almost exactly like Donald Trump  a malleable businessman from New York, and an outsider to politics who will, as he suggested Friday, let the president be himself.

If there is one thing Donald Trump hates being, it is controlled. One of the president's longtime allies rejoiced Friday upon hearing the news that Scaramucci would join the White House and Spicer was on his way out.

"Excellent news!" the ally texted.

To Trump's allies, Scaramucci is one of them. He will be fiercely loyal to the president, in part because he is not in the same way tethered to the system that tried to bring down Trump during the 2016 election. That system includes Spicer, the former communications director at the Republican National Committee, and Reince Priebus, the former RNC chair who was reportedly incensed at Scaramucci's hiring.

Another Scaramucci comment went around Twitter on Friday  one in which he called Trump a "hack" in 2015 while supporting Scott Walker's candidacy. Scaramucci apologized for that comment Friday at the press briefing in a very animated way, estimating that it was the 50th time he had done so because the president brings it up "every 15 seconds."

But even so, to another longtime Trump ally, that was "not as bad as Sean Spicer saying in September that if Trump did not improve his poll numbers the RNC would suspend its financial support of his candidacy." That was an apparent reference to an off-record meeting in which Spicer floated the possibility, during the time the RNC was still trying to mold Trump into a more "disciplined" candidate.

Trump's move Friday was another in a line of decisive rejections of that philosophy. There could be more coming, even as Scaramucci played nice with Priebus on Friday and said their relationship was akin to that of "brothers."
The FBI's inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign is being led by special counsel Robert Mueller and has so far focused on top White House aides, Trump's immediate family, and the president himself in a wide-ranging examination that has stymied the Trump administration for months.

Some of Trump's lawyers are also looking for ways to "limit or undercut" Mueller's investigation, The Washington Post reported Thursday night, citing people familiar with Trump's legal counsel's thinking.

The Trump administration has already employed such tactics to a degree by accusing Mueller and his investigative team of various conflicts of interest. Trump has pointed out, for example, that Mueller has hired investigators who openly supported Hillary Clinton, his rival in the 2016 election.

The question of whether Trump can pardon himself of any crimes has been floated before. One of Trump's advisers told The Post the president had "simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority."

"This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself,'" the adviser said, according to the newspaper.

Trump has previously floated what he suggested were conflicts of interest from Mueller as a possible reason for removing the former FBI director from the investigation.

Trump appeared to suggest as much in a Wednesday interview with The New York Times in deriding Mueller's interviewing for the FBI director job the day before he was appointed as special counsel. On Thursday, the White House walked back the president's comments, saying Trump "has no intention" to remove Mueller from the Russia investigation.

Still, the White House is said to be intent on finding fault in Mueller's investigators, The Times reported Thursday night, looking for ways to discredit the investigation or force some members of Mueller's team to recuse themselves.

Critics, including some Democrats, have described Trump's behavior toward the Russia investigators and toward the investigation itself as unbecoming of someone who is innocent.

"Russia's interference in the 2016 elections was an attack on our democracy," Sen. Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Thursday night. He added: "The possibility that the president is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing."

"Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line," Warner said.

Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under Barack Obama, offered a warning to Trump, saying the president "cannot define or constrain" Mueller's investigation.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the two-day conference on Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) on Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Abuja.

He said that the funding is part of the government's plan to encourage the local miners and to lure investors to the industry.

He explained that it will be disbursed through the existing Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in the form of loan interest loans that will support the industry.

According to Dr. Fayemi, "We have decided at the level of the Ministry to put in at initial stage N2.5bn to our DFIs, as a Pilot project to our small scale miners, who have been able to show proof of what they have been able to do.

"We are working with our DFIs to finalise modalities, so that they could access this money.

"We give the DFIs money through the banks and develop the template that would guide access to the money. We would ensure monitoring and evaluation of the process."

He also said, "We are working with the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund to develop an investment vehicle for mining, which is huge sum of money close to $500 million. We are also targeting junior miners, whose projects have long gestation periods."

The minister noted that the Federal Government is not neglecting the bigger players in the sector, as it is also supporting them to do explorations and transition to production.

He said while the government is working tirelessly to attract global attention to the mining sector, it has to review some laws and regulations that make it hard to be competitive.

"The Nigerian Mining and Mineral Act by and Large is a good law, it is 10 years old and we are reviewing it currently to fill gaps we have received as feedbacks from players in the industry," he said.

Dr. Fayemi also condemned the raw exportation of the country's minerals, stating that the country imports 80 percent of bitumen used even though it is one of the most endowed with the product.

He said, "We are working with the customs on this. We are encouraging our companies and giving them 18 months before we can come down heavily against them.

"We do not take kindly to raw exportation of our minerals because it can be processed, and there are companies that are adding value now to what they produce. We need to work and support them."

Dr. Fayemi also said the Federal Government is working on how to create avenues for states to participate better in the mining sector.

"We said the states can set up a company, approach government for a license and use that to mine.

"States have latched onto that. We have also organised a session with them on how you run a Special Purpose Vehicle in the mining and mineral sector.
The young man made the plea under one of her Instagram posts saying his mum is unable to assist him as she has not been paid her pension fee for six months now.

ALSO READ:It looks like OAP is giving romance another shot

Toke replied his plea by asking him to send his account details. See their interaction below:

This is not the first time the Vlogger would be giving out money. Last month a fan who needed money to purchase school handouts reached out to her so he could buy the items.

The fan who goes by the Twitter ID, "@godsown99" appealed to the presenter by tweeting at her. He wrote, "Good morning Ma'am. Please help me with N10k to buy handouts in sch. May God continue to bless you. Amin."
He was from the Kanuri ethnic group and real name was Mmadi Make. It has been said that he was a prince in Sokoto before being kidnapped at the age of 7. He was taken to North Africa on a Spanish ship. After some time as a camel herdsman, he was sold yet again to someone simply known as Marquis in Messina on the Italian island of Sicily.

This was when he learnt how to speak Italian. After a serious illness, he was baptised and given the name Angelo Soliman. His name Angelo was a tribute to an African slave Angelina who worked in the same house with him. Angelo was taken by her kindness to him. As part of creating a new life for himself, he chose September 11 as his birthday.

Angelo soon became the valet and travelling companion of Furst Johann Georg Christian Lobkowitz, the imperial governor of Sicily. The governor was able to get Angelo after begging his owner Marquis for him several times. Angelo accompanied him to military campaigns. It has been said that the Nigerian saved the life of Furst Johann Georg Christian Lobkowitz in one of these campaigns. This led to his rise within the social life of this era.

Angelo was a brilliant individual and it took him only 17 days to be able to write German. This was just one of his many scholarly accomplishments. Not only could he write German, he could speak six languages- Italian, French, German, Latin, Bohemian, English.

In 1753, Lobkowitz died and Angelo Soliman was absorbed into the household of Prince Joseph Wenzel Liechtenstein. The reputation of Soliman quickly grew. He was soon known as the "noble Moor." He rose to become the chief servant and the tutor of the heir to the Prince, Aloys I.

In 1768 he got married to Magdalena Christiani the sister of the French General Francois Etienne de Kellermann. The marriage was done in secret.

Prince Joseph Wenzel Liechtenstein heard about his marriage and expelled him from his palace. Angelo Soliman bought a small house in the city of Vienna. Their union produced one child, a girl known as Josephine Soliman.

Two years after the death of the Prince, Aloys I re-invited Angelo Soliman invited him to the palace again to educate his sons. In September 1871, Angelo Soliman joined the Vienna Lodge of the Freemason Order known as "True Concord."

Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a member of the lodge. Records have it that Soliman and Mozart met on several occasions at the lodge. It has been said that the character "" in the opera Abduction from the Seraglio written by Mozart. Soliman eventually became the Grand Master of the Mason lodge.

As the Grand Master, Angelo Soliman helped introduce scholarly elements in its rituals. This went on to influence Free masonic practices across Europe greatly. Till today, his influence is still very much felt. In Masonic circles, he is known as the "Father of Pure Masonic Thought."

On November 21, 1796, Angelo Soliman had a stroke on a street in Vienna and died at the age of 75. On the order of Kaiser Franz II, his body was skinned and stretched on a wooden figure. In essence, he was mummified and displayed for public exhibition at the Natural History Museum of the Imperial House of Austria.

Josephine Soliman wrote numerous petitions to the King to have Angelo's remains returned to his family. Nothing came out of them.

In 1848 the museum was engulfed in flames during the October Revolution which destroyed Soliman's corpse. A cast of his head is however still on display in the Rollett Museum in Baden.
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He was arraigned on a two-count charge of theft and criminal breach of trust.

The judge, Mr Hassan Ishaq, who handed down the verdict, said the court had no option than to sentence the accused since he had admitted committing the crime.

For his pleaded for leniency, Ishaq, however, gave him an option of N15, 000 fine and ordered the convict to pay N46, 000 as compensation to the nominal complainant.

Prosecutor Vincent Osuji had told the court that the complainant, Mrs Folasade Aiyegbusi of Kasrhi, Abuja, had on July 19 reported the incident at Karu Police Station.

Osuji said the complainants car developed a mechanical fault in Karu while driving from her house and called the accused, a mechanic, to work on the car.

The accused insisted on towing the vehicle to his workshop located at Nyanyan in Nasarawa, a satellite town to the FCT.

The complainant discovered that her handbag worth N14, 000 was missing from the vehicle  it contains a Samsung galaxy phone worth N150, 000, two Nokia phones worth N18, 000, two ATM cards, one dollar debit prepaid card, a pair of eyeglasses worth N12, 000, and N18, 000 cash.

Osuji told the court that police detectives during investigations found the missing bag in the accuseds possession, who confessed to the crime.

He said only the Samsung phone and one of the Nokia phones were recovered from him.
By India Today Web Desk: Salman Khan's Dabangg 3 has been in news for quite some time now. It is no secret that the 51-year-old actor will begin shooting for the film some time next year, and the script is already in place.

However, with Arbaaz Khan stepping down as the director, the makers have been looking for a director for the third instalment of Dabangg franchise.

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Earlier, it was speculated that Prabhudheva will direct Dabangg 3. But if a report in Mumbai Mirror is to be believed, Sabbir Khan of Baaghi fame has been approached to direct the film. And the filmmaker will take the story forward with Dabangg 3.

In fact, Sabbir is currently working on three-fours scripts for the film. He was quoted as telling the daily, "Yes, I've started working on a plan for Dabangg 3 but I can't say anything until the paperwork is finalised. I am in talks and am really happy that I was one of directors selected to work on the final script."

Ever since the announcement of Dabangg 3, rumour has it that the film will be a prequel - a story about how Chulbul Pandey became Robinhood of his area. But Salman in an interview to DNA revealed that there is a twist to this plot. "The story starts with Dabangg 3 in the present and then it goes back to the past, and then comes back to the present day again. It will have a prequel portion, but only as a flashback," said the 51-year-old actor.

"So it's Chulbul Pandey now and then - what has gone on in his life before part one and two. The flashback will show how Chulbul Pandey actually became Chulbul Pandey. The remaining part will be about what he's up to now," he added.

ALSO READ: Will Dabangg 3 be a prequel to Dabangg? Salman Khan responds

ALSO READ: Dabangg 3 to go on floors in 2018? 5 things we are looking forward to in Salman's film

WATCH: A look at Salman Khan's controversial life

--- ENDS ---
Punch reports that the incident happened on November 24, 2016, after the Ambassador who was 75-years-old at the time of his death, had chattered Lamidi to take him around town and informed him that his vehicle had broken down.

Lamidi, an indigene of Oyo town in Oyo State, was arrested in his home town where he was hiding after selling Nwachukwus vehicle with Abuja registration number, YAB 938 MC.

The police were also able to recover the vehicle which had been sold to one Femi Adeyemi with forged documents.

A police source who confirmed the arrest of the murderer said Nwachukwu had chattered Lamidi on November 23, 2016, and in the course of taking him around, had informed the suspect about his car which had a mechanical fault.

Lamidi was said to have offered to take the ex-envoy to his brother whom he claimed was a mechanic, who could work on the car and it was decided that Lamidi would come to the house of the former Ambassador the following day.

The suspect reportedly showed up at the ex-envoy's residence at Villa Nova Estate, Apo, the following day as agreed.

Unfortunately for the deceased, who lived alone, his security guard was not in the house at the time of Lamidi's visit.

It was gathered that Nwachukwu had offered Lamidi some food but he declined while sitting across from him at the dining table.

As the man was eating, the suspect pounced on him and wrestled him to the floor and then stabbed him in the neck with a pair of scissors.

He stole the plasma television and home theater in the apartment and went away with the deceaseds Lexus SUV which he sold for N1.480 million to one Femi Adeyemi with forged documents, the police source said.

While confessing to the crime at the premises of the Apo Divisional Police Station, Lamidi said that he did not know what came over him when he murdered the ex-Ambassador, saying that he just found himself stabbing the septuagenarian until he died.

I don't know what came over me. I think it was the devil who made me do it. I just found myself stabbing them. After stabbing him, I felt terrible and guilty but there was nothing I could do to reverse the situation.

I sold the plasma TV and home theater audio system to a seller of fairly-used products at Area 10, Abuja for N38,000, he said.

He added that he kept the SUV in Sauka Village along Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road for two weeks before driving it to his hometown.

The suspect said when he got to his town, he gave the vehicle to one Okuta who assisted him in forging the vehicle documents, adding that he compensated Okuta with N380,000 after selling the vehicle.

Out of the remaining N1.1 million, I bought a motorcycle for N180,000 and invested N500,000 in a cooperative society. I gave a car dealer N500,000 to assist me in getting a car, but he defrauded me and didnt provide any vehicle.

I have not committed any crime before; I blame the devil for this. Sometimes, I entertain negative or diabolical thoughts, but I dont smoke or drink, Lamidi explained.
He said the 97 deaths represented the accumulation of all the Nigerians that had been killed in previous incidents in the Bakassi area since 2008.

Onyeama made the clarification before the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs headed by Rep. Nnena Elendu-Ukeje. The committee is probing the incident.

The minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Olusola Enikanolaye, added that independent investigation had shown that such killings did not occur.

He explained that the incident started following the deployment in July 2017 of a new Divisional Officer (DO) to Idabato sub- division of Cameroon to administer the Bakassi General Area.

On assumption of office , the new DO commenced the imposition of new taxes on the residents after a meeting with all the chiefs."

Accordingly, all men engaged in fishing and other business activities in the area were to pay N55,000, women. 30,000 and churches N50,000 per annum.

Furthermore, taxes on packets of fish were raised from N200 to N1,000. Butchers were to pay N1,000 per head for goats slaughtered by them."

The sanctions placed on the residents for violation of the tax rules include seizure of their boats and payment of 200 per cent of the initial tax."

This accounts for the N100,000 which was hitherto heralded in the news and initial reports as the amount of the tax to be paid by Nigerians.

He said by the records of the Nigerian Mission, the death recorded were not orchestrated by the Gendarmes.

He said that some Nigerians fled their homes and headed for the Ikang Jetty when the new DO threatened to use force. It was while they were on their way that some of them reportedly drowned.
Idris said the federal police system is the best for the country, urging the Federal Government to improve funding for the force.

The police boss stated this in Abuja on Thursday, July 20, at a meeting with State Governors.

He appealed to the governors to support the passage of the Nigeria police trust fund bill before the National Assembly.

He said, "I sincerely believe that the federal police is still the best for the country and with improved funding the challenges of crime will be addressed.

"Those agitating for state police should consider the level of our political maturity.

"Let me use this opportunity to appeal to your excellencies to prevail on your representatives at the national assembly to ensure the passage of the bill.

"It is my sincere belief that once the police trust fund bill is passed into law, the necessary finances required to effectively police the nation will be available."

According to him, the trust fund will lift the pressure of funding the police off the state governments.

Idris noted that Nigerian policemen are part of the least paid in the world in spite of operating under the UN ratio of 1:400.

"About 10,000 police officers have been recruited recently to fill the gap but this is still a far cry," he said.

"To meet up with the UN ratio of 1:400, the Nigeria police requires additional 155,000 police officers for the next five years."

Idris stated that a request to recruit 31,000 policemen has been sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for approval.

He also said structures are being put in place to bridge the communication gap between the Police and members of the public.

One of this, the IG said, is the establishment of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service (NPBS).

"When commissioned, it will broadcast Nationwide on TV, Radio, online and the National Emergency Communication Command Control Centre (NEC4)," he said.
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Osinbajo seeks N135.643 billion virement for priority projects

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo wants the approval of the House of Representatives for the virement of N134,643,018,749 billion from various budget lines to fund the Federal Governments priority projects and programmes.

Governors forum raises panel to consider state police

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has resolved to constitute a six-man committee to consider the vexed issue of state police in the country in a veiled backing for restructuring.

Government reinstates Christian, Islamic studies as separate subjects

The Federal Government yesterday ordered the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to make Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Religious Knowledge distinctive subjects in the basic education curriculum.

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VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Advocates of secession are agents of disunity  Northern elders

NORTHERN Elders Forum, NEF, yesterday, described those agitating for secession as agents of disunity, saying their aim was to cause disaffection and chaos among the various sections of the country.

Nwabueze, Adebanjo, Akinrinade, others meet on Nigerias restructuring

A group of elder statesmen, under the aegis of Eminent Leaders of Thought, ELT, yesterday, met to foster national unity and douse rising tension in the country.

Why Melayes recall process must continue, INEC tells court

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to vacate the interim order that stopped process for the recall of Senator Dino Melaye.

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THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Fresh suit wants FEC to declare Buhari unfit

Another suit has been filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja asking for an order compelling the Federal Executive Council to declare ailing President Muhammadu Buhari as unfit to continue to hold office and another mandating the National Assembly to constitute a medical panel to verify the Presidents fitness.

TSA: Lenders kick as court orders seven banks to remit $793.2m to FG

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered seven commercial banks to temporarily remit a total of $793.2m allegedly hidden by them in contravention of the Federal Governments Treasury Single Account policy.

Senate okays N200/$ forex discount for hajj pilgrims

The Senate, on Thursday, approved the recommendation by its Committee on Foreign Affairs that the Federal Government should grant a concession of N200 to a United States dollar for Nigerian Muslims pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in 2017.

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THISDAY NEWSPAPER

Court Orders Seven Banks to Remit $793.2m to TSA, Banks Deny

Ten months after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) suspended nine commercial banks from trading in the interbank foreign exchange (IFEX) market for failing to remit a total of $2.33 billion belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company to the federal governments Treasury Single Account (TSA), a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered seven of the banks to temporarily remit a total of $793.2 million allegedly still domiciled with them in contravention of the TSA policy.

Restructuring: Govs Constitute Panel on State Police, Others

As the clamour for the restructuring of the country continues, governors on the platform of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) thursday in Abuja constituted a committee to interface with the Nigeria Police on crucial security matters such as state police.

Luxembourg Banks Lien May Impede US Bid to Seize Alukos Cash

U.S. prosecutors trying to recover proceeds from an alleged $1.7 billion Nigerian fraud perpetrated by one of the directors of Atlantic Energy Drill Concept and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd (AEBD), Mr. Kolawole Akanni Aluko, may have to wait their turn.

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THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER

Apapa chaos traps thousands of containers at port

Goods estimated at several billions of naira are trapped in hundreds of containers at Apapa seaport, as trucks can no longer access or exit the various terminals inside the ports due to the current logjam in Apapa.

Senators violate Standing Orders in desperate scramble for juicy committees

In the face of current economic challenges, Nigerian Senators are said to be forcing their way into what they see as juicy committees, thereby violating those rules they set by themselves to guide activities at the red chamber.

Airlines losing traffic to Ethiopia on price, connectivity
Phillips, at a news conference in Lagos ahead of Saturdays council polls in the state, reassured all players of the commissions readiness to conduct free and fair elections.

I wish to reiterate that the commission will provide a level playing field for all political parties and their candidates.

The commission shall remain committed to its responsibilities of conducting free, fair and credible elections.

Nobody, therefore, has any cause to entertain any fear or doubt on the neutrality of the commission as an electoral umpire at the local government level of the state.

We are very much aware of our responsibilities as provided for in the relevant enabling laws she said.

Detailing the preparations, the chairman said the commission had already moved all non -sensitive electoral materials to the 20 Local Goverment Areas and 37Local Council Development Areas.

She said that the early movement materials was to forestall delay and ensure early take off of the election.

The chairman also said all security arrangements had been concluded to ensure a hitch-free election.

Philips reiterated that the restriction of movement from 7am to 3pm was to ensure order and impressive participation in the polls.

She said the commission was at the climax of sensitisation campaigns to mobilise residents for the election.

The chairman urged residents to come out during the election and vote for the candidates of their choice.

She urged residents and candidates to conduct themselves peacefully and shun acts of violence during and after the election.

Phillips said accreditation of voters and the actual voting would commence simultaneously at 8am.

She said results would be declared across the state not earlier than 3pm, after voting.

Phillips said that councillorship results would be declared at ward collation centres, while results for the chairmanship would be declared at the local government collation centres.

The only condition that may warrant the declaration of the results outside of the collation centres is if it is discovered that the environment is not safe, she said.

The LASIEC chairman however said developments across the state would be monitored at an Election Support Centre set up at the commissions office.

She thanked the media for their collaboration with LASIEC to ensure the success of the polls.
Council polls hold in Lagos State on Saturday to elect chairmen and councillors in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

Adeyeri told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Epe that the 250 personnel were deployed because of the peculiarity of the area.

The DPO said beyond the deployments, they were also collaborating with other security agents like the military and the State Security Service.

We have put in place adequate strategies, to ensure a hitch free exercise and adequate peace before, during and after the elections, he said, assuring that they were battle ready.
The Guardian reports that the Federal Government has given a directive to the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

The NERDC has been ordered to revise the curriculum, thereby returning Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) to stand-along subjects.

This order was given by the minister of education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, during a meeting with stakeholders in Abuja.

Represented by Anthony Anwukah, minister of state for education, Adamu emphasised the importance of reinstating the two subjects as separate subjects.

According to him, these subjects need to go back to being separate entities in order to handle the controversies that the revision had caused.

He said, "There is this controversy over the merger of CRK and IRK in the school curriculum.

There were complaints by parents that children were overloaded with so many subjects and the recommendation then was to merge one or two subjects.

Unfortunately, water and oil were merged together and it is not working.

So, to save ourselves the agony, the two subjects should be separated. We push that to the NERDC.

Adamu also revealed that the revision, the collapse of the two subjects, was done by the previous administration in 2014.

However, he said it was done to reduce the number of subjects taught in schools.

Moving on, the minister stated that the government would do it's best to achieve inclusive and quality education, adding that this is part of the government's sustainable development goal to be achieved by 2030.

In his words, We recognise that the task of revamping the education sector is challenging, the ministry of education cannot do it alone. Our task is to coordinate national efforts to meet our national goals and objectives.

It is our belief that with good planning, appropriate investment of resources, transparency, due process, effective collaboration and coordination of inputs and activities of government and that of all stakeholders, we will realise our vision of providing quality education to build and sustain adequate human capital for national development.

The merging of CRK and IRK under Civil Education has been a cause of concern for many Christian leaders.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and even the Senate have all waded into the matter.
By PTI: Dhanbad( Jharkhand), July 21 Doctors and interns of Patliputra Medical College (PMCH) went on strike after family members and relatives of a patient thrashed junior doctors in central emergency alleging delay in treatment.

The doctors and interns at the hospital went on indefinite strike since yesterday night, official sources said.

Therefore, services at the hospital were affected.

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PMCH superintendent Dr Kameswar Biswas admitted that the doctorsstrike affected services today.

The out patient department (OPD) patients had to return unattended after waiting for doctors in hospital till 1 pm due to the strike, sources said.

According to PMCH registration records around 2,700 patients had appointments with doctors of various departments today.

According to PMCH authorities Dr Yogesh and Dr Abhishekh were attacked by the patients family.

Dr Yogesh received an eye injury and Dr Abhishekh was attacked with a sharp weapon from behind.

A complaint has been lodged with the police.

The striking doctors demanded that the culprits should be arrested immediately, installation of CCTV in the hospital and security cover.

They also demanded that only two attendants of a patient should be allowed to enter the central emergency. PTI COR SBN

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The analysis of a system called "Payments for Ecosystems" in Uganda showed its benefits to the environment were 2.4 times as large as the program costs, said the study in the journal Science.

"The payments changed people's behavior and prompted them to conserve," said lead author Seema Jayachandran, associate professor of economics in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University.

"And we didn't find any evidence that they simply shifted their tree-cutting elsewhere."

The two-year study in western Uganda examined the impact of offering landowners 70,000 Ugandan shillings ($28 in 2012 U.S. dollars) per year for each hectare (2.5 acres) of forest in which they left trees unperturbed.

Sixty villages were randomly selected to receive incentives, and 61 were not offered any cash to save the trees.

Satellite data was analyzed to measure tree cover, and forest monitors conducted spot checks on enrollees' land to hunt for any sign of recent tree-clearing.

"In the villages without the program, nine percent of the tree cover that was in place at the start of the study was gone by the end of it, two years later," said Jayachandran.

"In the villages with the PES program, there was four to five percent tree loss. In other words, there was still deforestation, but much less of it."

Cost-effective

Forests in Uganda provide precious habitat for endangered chimpanzees.

Between 2005 and 2010 Uganda had one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, with 2.7 percent lost per year, according to background information in the article.

A full 70 percent of forests in Uganda are located on private land, where poor farmers cut them for timber. Cleared land is also used to grow crops.

After the study, villages offered the incentive preserved 13.5 more acres (5.5 more hectares) of forest than villages in the comparison group.

"This equates to 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide not released into the atmosphere, at a total cost of just 46 cents per ton not released over the two years of the study," said the report.

Because the amounts of money involved are fairly small, and because most deforestation today occurs in low-income countries, researchers said the savings can be big.

Paying farmers to conserve and plant trees was an estimated 10 to 50 times more effective per dollar spent than many energy efficiency programs in the United States, the study found.

"This is the first experimental study of its kind to show not just how effective, but how cost-effective, programs like this can be," said Annie Duflo, executive director of Innovations for Poverty Action.
Kurz said he had told his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano that "rescue missions in the Mediterranean cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe", on the sidelines of an OSCE meeting in Vienna.

"We hope that ferry services for illegal migrants will be halted between Italian islands like Lampedusa and the Italian mainland," Kurz said.

"If people are quickly brought to the mainland from the islands and then continue to trek north, this will not only increasingly put pressure on central Europe but also encourage more migrants to set off" to reach the continent, he added.

Italy on Thursday presented its programme for when it takes over the chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation from Austria next year.

Alfano said there will be a strong "focus... on the Mediterranean region", the migration crisis and terror threats, but also on promoting intercultural and inter-religious dialogue.
The country's Secretary of Institutional Security, Sergio Etchegoyen, told journalists that the government had dispatched 620 officers of the national force and 380 traffic police to shore up security.

"We are in the process of developing a long-term plan to reduce crime in Rio," Etchegoyen said.

The national force is a reserve corps of police and firefighters that can be deployed at the request of states.

The traffic police have been mobilized due to a recent sharp increase in theft of goods. The supplementary forces will also aim to stem the influx of weapons fueling wars between narcotraffickers.

Insecurity has been exacerbated by the catastrophic financial situation in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which is on the brink of bankruptcy and pays its officials, including police, after months of delay.

Violence has surged in the city, which hosted the Summer Olympics just one year ago. A shocking three people a day were hit by stray bullets in the first six months of the year.
That attack heightened tensions over the presence in Lebanon of more than a million refugees from the civil war across the border.

Hezbollah media outlets announced "the start of a military operation to purge Jurud Arsal and Qalamun of armed terrorists".

Jurud Arsal is a mountainous area around the Lebanese border town of Arsal, which lies directly across from the Syrian Qalamun region.

Hezbollah media said the operation had been launched on two axes -- from the Syrian town of Flita and from the southern part of Jurud Arsal, already under the group's control.

There was intermittent shelling throughout the day on the outskirts of Arsal, but the town itself remained relatively calm, a local source told AFP.

A Hezbollah statement provided to AFP confirmed that two of its fighters were killed in the clashes Friday.

Last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whose fighters have been battling inside Syria alongside government forces for years, warned that extremists in Jurud Arsal were "a threat to all, including the Syrian refugee camps".

"It is time to end this threat," he said.

Refugees flee

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said "the Lebanese army would conduct a planned-out operation in Jurud Arsal and the government gives it freedom (to do so)."

But there was little official comment on the Hezbollah offensive, with Lebanese President Michel Aoun saying he was "following the military developments" without elaborating.

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri discussed the Arsal clashes with Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdulkarim.

"We discussed the consecutive victories in Arsal and in Syria," Abdulkarim said after Friday's the meeting, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

Lebanon's army has not officially announced its participation in the offensive but said Friday it had "targeted, with heavy weapons, a group of terrorists that was trying to infiltrate Arsal".

It also said it had "authorised a group of women and children coming from a (refugee) camp close to the position of armed men to enter the town of Arsal".

The border between Lebanon and Syria is ambiguously demarcated in places around the town of Arsal, which is home to around 45,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations.

Other refugees are believed to be living in camps in the Jurud area, directly on the border, cut off from the town by checkpoints, but their numbers have not been confirmed.

While much of Qalamun is now under Syrian government control, pockets of rebel-held territory remain, particularly along the border.

Ahead of the operation, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Lebanon, Christophe Martin, told AFP that preparations had been made to receive wounded civilians from Jurud Arsal.

"We support two hospitals in Arsal and we have supplied them with more medicine and surgical material because they have limited resources," he said.

Detainee deaths

More than a million Syrian refugees have flooded into Lebanon since the conflict in their country erupted with anti-government protests in March 2011.

They live in apartments and homes but also informal camps across the country, and their presence has been largely tolerated despite testing the limited resources and ageing infrastructure of a country of just four million citizens.

But the security situation in Arsal has long been a concern, with Lebanese security forces fighting fierce battles with jihadists in the area in 2014.

When the jihadists withdrew, they kidnapped 30 soldiers and policemen, subsequently killing four of them while a fifth died of his wounds.

Sixteen were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015 but another nine are still being held.

Friday's operation comes at a time of rising frustrations over the refugee presence, with growing calls for a plan to repatriate the enormous population.

The Lebanese president warned this week against anti-refugee rhetoric in the wake of the June 30 attack on troops in Arsal.

After the raids, the Lebanese army arrested dozens of people, four of whom were subsequently declared to have died of pre-existing conditions while in custody.
The troops killed the suspects, including an alleged drug lord, in a raid in the eastern Tlahuac neighborhood of the sprawling metropolis of some 21 million.

"Felipe de Jesus 'N' was head of an extremely violent criminal organization" that operated in eastern Mexico City, the navy said in a statement, referring to an alleged drug trafficker nicknamed "El Ojos" ("The Eyes").

Hundreds of police and soldiers rushed to Tlahuac in vans and armored vehicles when the shooting broke out. A military helicopter buzzed overhead, providing aerial intelligence.

However a swarm of unidentified motorcyclists and people driving motorcycle taxis sped around the nearby streets creating havoc.

Local TV aired footage of eight motorcyclists cornering a small bus and forcing the driver and passengers to exit. The assailants then set the bus on fire.

Separately, a cluster of motorcycle taxis -- which witnesses said are driven by people working for crime gangs -- blocked streets and clashed with police in unrest that dragged into the night.

Gun battles between security forces and criminals are common in places like the western state of Sinaloa or the northern states of Tamaulipas and Chihuahua, where drug cartels are well entrenched.

Mexico City however has been spared this sort of unrest.

Unprecedented violence

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera has said repeatedly that the powerful drug cartels do not operate in the capitaly.

He told Televisa TV that the Tlahuac raid had been planned "for more than seven months," and that the crime gang targeted was not in the same league as the larger cartels.

"That doesn't mean that they aren't dangerous and that they aren't violent," Mancera said.

The navy statement said that military-grade weapons were found at the scene of the gun battle.

The shooting broke out when Marines carrying out intelligence operations came across "groups of retail drug dealers" who are also presumably "involved in extortion, kidnapping and homicides," the statement read.

Mexico, with a population of around 123 million, has seen a surge of deadly violence in recent months extending to areas once considered relatively safe.

Nationwide murders hit a record high in May: 2,186 homicides, an average of 70 a day and the most since the country began keeping track 20 years ago.
The bill instructs Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor to compile a list of anonymiser services and prohibit any that fail to respect the bans issued in Russia on certain websites.

The proposed law still has to be approved by the upper chamber of parliament and then by President Vladimir Putin.

Several internet-based groups in Russia have condemned it as too vaguely formulated and too restrictive.

The Duma also approved moves Friday to oblige anyone using an online message service to identify themselves with a telephone number.

Russia's opposition groups rely heavily on the internet to make up for their lack of access to the mainstream media.

But the Russian authorities have begun to tighten controls on online services, citing security concerns.
With the country struggling to kick an economic slump, some 40,000 Italians between 18 and 34 years old set out to seek greener pastures elsewhere in 2015, according to the Migrantes Foundation.

"Just talking with people (in Italy) it's clear going away might be the only solution," said D'Elia, 26, who has spent the last five years in London, where he currently works as a barman, and intends to stay for now despite high living costs.

"I was born in Italy, where I'd like to start a family and grow old. I'd like to go back but only when 'mother Italy' starts taking care of her children again," he told AFP, saying the situation over the last few decades has degenerated.

According to Raffaella Cagliano, a professor at the School of Commerce at Milan's Polytechnic, some young Italians leave because "an experience abroad... is seen as an important added value for their careers".

They want to "experience something different, open their horizons to the world," she said.

The phenomenon is global, and with around 15 percent of Italian university graduates seek work abroad it is not experiencing a notably bigger "brain drain" than in elsewhere, she said.

'No meritocracy'

But most of Italy's youths are unwilling to return -- and the country is seen as offering little to attract foreign graduates.

"This is clearly linked to the lower job opportunities, the weaker pay" on offer here, Cagliano said.

Growth in the country has been sluggish at best since 2014, following two years of recession. GDP is forecast to inch up just 1.3 percent this year.

The jobless rate hovers at over 11 percent, well above the euro area average of 9.3 percent. Among 15 to 24-year olds it leaps to 37 percent, compared with a European average of 18.7 percent.

But difficulties in finding work is not the only reason pushing young people to leave.

"They also complain about the lack of meritocracy" and the time it takes to climb the career ladder, Cagliano said.

Valentina Bressan, 42, who works in the opera world of stage design and costumes, said she had opportunities in France "that I would never have had in Italy".

"If you don't have the right qualifications, even if you have the experience, you won't get hired," she said.

Bressan, who in 2010 became the first female technical director of the Choregies d'Orange summer opera festival in France, said that in Italy getting work was all about who you knew.

'Crazy' red tape

"In Italy it feels like if you are not from a certain family, or do not have links with certain people, you can't get anywhere. It is very unfair, competence is not rewarded, and that leaves little hope" of making it, she said.

D'Elia agrees, saying that London offered a sort of American Dream: "Even if you are no-one, you can become someone. Unlike in Italy, you can not only have a career but also progress quickly".

Sergio Mello, who set up a start-up in Hong Kong before moving to San Francisco, said Italy "does not offer a fertile environment to develop a competitive business".

The government is endeavouring to encourage its graduates to return, notably with a new 50 percent income tax break that can be enjoyed for up to five years.

But Mello says there are other problems: "The bureaucracy wastes a lot of time", the red tape "drives you crazy", and the system favours "thieves" to the detriment of "those who pay their taxes".
China-based Young Pioneer Tours, which had taken Warmbier to North Korea, and Koryo Tours said the ban will come into force on July 27 -- the anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- with a 30-day grace period.

"We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea)," Young Pioneer Tours said on its website.

"After the 30-day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government," it said.

The company did not say who had notified it of the ban, which followed its earlier announcement that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea in the wake of Warmbier's death last month.

Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockerell told AFP that his company was notified by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which usually acts on behalf of the United States in North Korea since Washington has no diplomatic ties with the isolated regime.

The official announcement "will basically end American tourism" in North Korea, Cockerell said.

"It remains to be seen what the exact text is, but the indication is it's just a straight up ban on Americans going," he said.

His company currently takes between 300-400 Americans to the country each year, he said, adding that the company has begun informing American customers who had reserved tours of the ban.

While the decision will be bad for business, he sees it as more damaging to "North Koreans who are interested in having a balanced portrayal of what Americans are really like".

A US embassy spokesman in Seoul could not be reached for comment, while his counterpart in Beijing said she would check with Washington.

'Bargaining chips'

It was unclear whether the ban would be imposed by a US executive order.

A foreign affairs subcommittee of the US House of Representatives is scheduled to take up draft legislation on July 27 that would forbid Americans from travelling to North Korea.

According to its text, at least 17 US citizens had been detained in North Korea as of May. At least three remain in the country's custody.

"The government of North Korea has repeatedly detained United States citizens to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations over a variety of issues," it says, including "North Korea's illegal nuclear weapons program."

The bill would require Senate approval and the president's signature before becoming law.

Travellers wanting to visit the North must go with a tour company.

Americans are required to fly to Pyongyang from Beijing, while other nationalities are allowed to go by train.

But the US State Department has strongly warned US citizens against travelling there.

Warmbier, 22, died after being medically evacuated to the United States suffering from severe brain damage. He had spent 18 months in captivity in North Korea.

US President Donald Trump had blamed Pyongyang's "brutal regime" for his plight.

North Korea accused the United States of waging a "smear campaign" and denied that Warmbier was tortured or abused.

Young Pioneer Tours, founded in 2008 by a British expat, came under fire after Warmbier was flown home in a coma following a flurry of secret diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

The University of Virginia student was arrested at the airport as he was leaving Pyongyang in January last year and sentenced at a show trial to 15 years of hard labour for stealing a political poster from a hotel.
The meetings come at a time when Beijing is aggressively engaging the international community in order to set a narrative that suits their agenda. Pakistan is now trying to leverage that crisis by going forward and engaging China and Bhutan in New Delhi.

By Geeta Mohan: Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui and Bhutan's Ambassador to India Vetsop Namgyel on two different occasions. The focus of the meetings were the current border stand-off at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.

The meetings come at a time when Beijing is aggressively engaging the international community in order to set a narrative that suits their agenda. Pakistan is now trying to leverage that crisis by going forward and engaging China and Bhutan in New Delhi.

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Indian administration is keenly monitoring the Chinese envoy's engagements here and also the worrying development of the Pakistani High Commissioner meeting the envoys of the two nations. While the meeting of the Pakistani and Chinese envoy took place on Wednesday, it is learnt that it was on request of High Commissioner Basit that the meeting with the Ambassador Namgyel took place on Thursday.

While some diplomats have tried to play down the meeting by calling it a 'regular' affair, India Today has learnt that Doklam crisis and the position of China and Bhutan were discussed during the meetings. This even as the border stand-off continues with China setting preconditions of 'withdrawal' of Indian troops and with India also taking a firm stand that both sides should pull back.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, responding to queries in Parliament, had said, "India wants that all troops be removed from the tri-junction point before discussing the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan are with us."

Also Read:

Doklam row: India-China bilateral talks ruled out till border standoff is resolved

Former Army chief General Shankar Roychowdhury on Doklam standoff: China a strategic threat, India can't back off

Watch Video: China not keen on talks unless India withdraws troops from Doklam

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Katumba launches its new outfit mixing Brazilian drums, Liverpool brass and tribal beats at Brazilica Festival by Khyle Deen . Published Fri 21 Jul 2017 11:58

Katumba Drumming helped bring the Liverpool streets and stages alive last weekend with their wall of sound Katumba Bloco as part of the Brazilica Festival parade, and their new outfit KATUMBA DRUMnBRASS at the Pier Head Village Stage.



KATUMBA is Liverpools renowned drumming group, recently returned from performing at Brazil's world famous Carnival celebrations, KATUMBAs hypnotic blend of sound and dance is original, empowering, and truly unforgettable.



With over 80 trained drummers and dancers from all over the world, KATUMBA comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whether stage or parade, live performances range from a smaller energetic 8-piece to an 80-strong roaming carnival guaranteed to blow any crowd away!



KATUMBAs vibrant mix of samba-reggae, maracalypso and Afro-Brazilian-inspired original compositions pushes the boundaries of genre, all topped off with stunning high impact choreography.



Their unique new live outfit, KATUMBA DRUM N BRASS blends the raw power of brass, deep sub bass and electronic beats, resulting in a carnivalesque cacophony of styles such as hip hop, drum and bass, and heaps of funk.



Speaking about the new show, Juliana Landim Katumbas Director said: We wanted to create something that reflects our influences. Im from Brazil, our Music Director Ritchie from Scotland, were based in Liverpool and have worked with music and movement all our lives. So, we bring all that to KATUMBA DRUM N BRASS, and the result is something sounding like BasementJaxx meets Hackney Colliery Band - at a Brazilian Carnival! And of course with all the choreographed movement and lots of energy we always bring to our shows!







http://www.facebook.com/katumbadrumming

http://www.twitter.com/KatumbaBloco

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If three's company, 14 is a crowd, as Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse brings back one of its biggest and most popular musicals, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," with the same director that corralled the venue's last version.

Based on the classic 1954 film starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell, this Tony-nominated romance is directed and choreographed by Circa veteran Ann Nieman (her 29th show here), who helmed the lucky "Seven" 16 years ago.

"There's an enormous amount of dance," she said this week. "The cast is amazing. It's a luxury, really. They're so talented, quick on their feet."

"It's a monster of a show to put together in just two weeks, and Ann has led it beautifully," Jon Reinhold (in his Circa debut as Adam, the role made famous by Howard Keel) said. A 33-year-old Philadelphia native, now based in New York City, he played Adam in the show in 2001 at the Fireside Dinner Theatre in Ft. Atkinson, Wis.

"To relearn it has been a challenge," Mr. Reinhold said, noting the 20-member cast rehearsed eight hours a day for 12 days before opening. "It's kind of mind-blowing," Ms. Nieman said of the short rehearsal period.

Set in Oregon in 1850, "Seven Brides" tells the story of Millie (Sara Tubbs), Adam's young bride living in the wilderness. She plans to civilize and marry off his six rowdy, unshaven brothers to ensure the success of her own marriage. But Millie's scheme backfires when the brothers, in their misguided enthusiasm, instead kidnap six women from a neighboring town in hopes of making them their brides.

"He's a lovable, gruff mountain man who doesn't know any better, and has a reckoning moment," Mr. Reinhold said. "It's that classic leading man reckoning."

"He's the most stubborn, the least willing to learn, until finally it sets in, it's his time," he said. "It's almost that classic 'Beauty and the Beast' story, where she tames him in a way. He learns a great deal from Millie after losing his parents early, being forced into a position to raise a family, doing the best he can."

"It takes a really strong woman to show him he can curb his ways, and be in a partnership," Mr. Reinhold said.

"She's a very strong-willed woman who knows what she wants," Ms. Tubbs said. "She had to grow up very fast too. She lost both her parents on the trail, and had to grow up alone. She's been used to taking care of herself. She turned to God a lot during that, so she knows that's very important to bring into the boys' lives, because they don't know anything about the Bible, manners, or really much of anything."

"She's very nurturing and wants a family of her own, too," Ms. Tubbs (a 36-year-old married Moline mother of three in real life) said. "It's fun to watch her, and the relationship with the boys. She really grows to love them and take care of them."

Mr. Reinhold's credits include Javert in "Les Miserables," Beast and Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast," Trevor Graydon in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Joe Hardy in "Damn Yankees", and Judas in "Godspell."

Mr. Reinhold worked with Ms. Nieman on that "Godpsell" 12 years ago at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers, Fla.

"Theater in any medium is great, getting to tell a story," he said. "This (Circa) space is so beautiful. ... To come in and see this beautiful proscenium, it's really wonderful to be able to do a full-scale show, with these beautiful sets and lighting, with people able to eat at the same time. It's great, and it's sadly becoming a lost art form. There aren't many dinner theaters that stay around anymore."

"This is a wonderful thing to have; the facility is just gorgeous," Mr. Reinhold said.

Ms. Nieman's previous Circa shows include "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," "Grease," "Annie," and "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Area pianist and educator Ron May serves as music director for "Seven Brides."

This 2014 version (the original played on Broadway in 1982) features two new songs, including one for Millie, "I Married Seven Brothers."

Ms. Tubbs was directed by Ms. Nieman for "White Christmas" (as Betty in 2014) and "A Wonderful Life" (as Mary in 2015). Other Circa roles include in "Phantom" and "Les Miserables," and Ms. Tubbs was seen earlier this year at Moline's Black Box Theatre in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" and "I Love You Because."

"This is my first Circa summer show," she said. "This is the first time I've experienced the heat of the (no AC) rehearsal space, so that's been an experience. We were only in there for four days so that wasn't so bad." Most of "Seven Brides" takes place in the winter.

"We laugh, make you cry. There's a lot of dancing, singing. It's very entertaining and so much fun to do," Ms. Tubbs said. "The dancers in this show are amazing. They're wonderful."

Also familiar to venue regulars in the show are Joey Boos ("The Music Man"), Erin Churchill ("Snapshots"), Marc Ciemiewicz ("Fiddler on the Roof"), Bobby Cook Gallagher ("Snapshots"), Chris Galvan ("Phantom"), Brad Hauskins ("The Sound of Music"), Audrey Leigh Johnston ("Holly Jolly Christmas") and Tom Walljasper ("Million Dollar Quartet").

Mr. Reinhold loves traveling the nation as an actor. "I've been very fortunate. I love the gypsy lifestyle of seeing the country or other parts of the world, meeting amazing people along the way."

Ms. Tubbs said at one point they lived an hour apart in central California, when Mr. Reinhold worked at the Sierra Rep. She's from Lodi, Calif.

"It's amazing the people you meet in the theater world. ... You can find connections," Ms. Tubbs said. "It's an insanely small world," Mr. Reinhold agreed.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  A coalition of social-service providers owed money by Illinois state government is seeking more time to appeal its lawsuit to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Andrea Durbin is chairwoman of Pay Now Illinois. She said Thursday was the deadline to appeal a lawsuit against the state to the high court. But the coalition petitioned to postpone the deadline to Sept. 30.

Pay Now Illinois filed a lawsuit in Cook County seeking payment of bills because Illinois was without a budget for two years. Lawmakers enacted one this month. Durbin says she was told Sept. 30 is the deadline in the budget law for paying past-due bills.

The coalition announced Thursday that Circuit Judge Robert LeChien dismissed this week a similar lawsuit the group filed in St. Clair County in February.
The incident that highlighted a security breach has left all wondering how the packet reached the trolley. The Customs department is still testing and verifying the content of the packet.

By Mail Today: In what could be an insider's job, a suspicious packet containing narcotic substance was found in the food trolley of an Air India flight at Delhi airport on Thursday.

The incident that highlighted a security breach has left all wondering how the packet reached the trolley. The Customs department is still testing and verifying the content of the packet. Prima facie, it appears to be narcotic substance.

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Highly placed sources said there was a tip-off after which Customs intercepted a brown packet in the lower row of the food trolley. An Air India official claimed that at around noon, the supervisor of Sky Gourmet, an inflight catering service provider, noticed two packets, hidden beneath catering cutlery while moving the trolley from Air India flight number 440 that arrived from Chennai on July 19. A senior official confirmed to Mail Today that the packet was seized.

The trolley was loaded in Chennai. Officials claim that access to trolleys remains only with the employees and the cabin crew. Sources informed that the packet weighs close to two kilos and is suspected to have morphine. Narcotics Control Bureau officials later said it contained a mixture of morphine weighing around 1895 gm.

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Now, LSD biscuits seized in Hyderabad, 9 arrested

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URBANA, Ill. (AP)  A 28-year-old man charged in the abduction of a University of Illinois scholar from China has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Brendt Christensen is accused of kidnapping 26-year-old Yingying Zhang on June 9 in Urbana, 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. He is a recent graduate student in physics at the university.

Under questioning Thursday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long, Christensen revealed he is taking Klonopin "as an anti-depressant."

Christensen said the medication did not affect his ability to understand the charges against him.

Investigators say Zhang was abducted after she left campus to sign an apartment lease. They believe Christensen lured her into his car.

Investigators have said they believe Zhang is dead, although her body hasn't been found.

The judge set a Sept. 12 trial date for Christensen.
HONOLULU (AP)  A human rights complaint has been filed with an international commission to investigate claims of human rights violations in Hawaii's commercial fishing industry.

Turtle Island Restoration Network told The Associated Press on Wednesday that they filed the complaint last week with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. The filing asks the panel to determine the responsibility of the U.S. for human rights abuses against foreign workers in Hawaii's longline fishing fleet.

An Associated Press investigation into the seafood industry revealed that hundreds of men are confined to Hawaii boats that operate because of a federal loophole that exempts the foreign fishermen from most basic labor protections.

Many come from impoverished Southeast Asian and Pacific nations to take the jobs, which can pay as little as 70 cents an hour.

The fleet catches $110 million worth of luxury seafood annually.

The petition, which the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery and Ocean Defenders Alliance joined, was filed on July 13 with the agency that can make non-binding recommendations to government officials and policymakers.

The Inter-American Human Rights Commission is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States, which works to protect human rights in the hemisphere. The U.S. is a member of that organization.

"Hawaii's longline fishery operates in a void of regulation. Government at the state and federal level is failing to ensure even the most basic human rights for these workers," said Cassie Burdyshaw, advocacy and policy director for the Turtle Island group.

Since initial reports, little has changed in the industry that provides ahi tuna and other fish to American and overseas consumers at a premium price.

"The lack of action taken to address ongoing human rights abuses acts as a tacit approval of slave-like working conditions to provide luxury seafood to wealthy United States citizens," the petition says.

Two Hawaii lawmakers introduced measures to create more oversight, but they failed. Both proposals aimed to find ways to get more information about what's happening on the boats and to catch potential problems.

"The lobby was out full force to kill this bill, just as I expected," said state Rep. Kaniela Ing, who introduced one of the measures. "It's difficult because there's very few advocacy organizations for these sorts of migrant workers, so their voice is not as loud as the moneyed lobby behind the longline guys."

In written testimony submitted during legislative hearings, Jim Cook and Sean Martin of the Hawaii Longline Association argued that foreign fishermen "possess legal standing and have legal recourse."

However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents now stamp "Refused" on every fisherman's landing permit. That means they are technically not allowed to set foot on U.S. soil, customs officials said. The state requires fishermen to be legally admitted to the U.S. to get fishing licenses.

The men are not permitted to fly into the country because they do not have visas and must instead arrive by boat.

Attempts to contact Cook and Martin were unsuccessful Wednesday.
DILI, East Timor (AP)  Almost two dozen parties are contesting parliamentary elections in East Timor this weekend that are likely to return independence heroes to power despite frustration in the young democracy with lack of economic progress and warnings the country could be bankrupt within a decade.

East Timorese hope the elections will repeat the success of a peaceful vote for the largely ceremonial role of president in March, which was the country's first election without U.N. supervision since peacekeepers left in 2012. Political stability is particularly crucial for the country, which officially gained independence only 15 years ago, because it is facing a financial time bomb.

Oil revenues, which finance more than 90 percent of government spending, are rapidly dwindling and the country's $16 billion sovereign wealth fund could be empty within 10 years with the government's annual withdrawals exceeding its investment returns, according to La'o Hamutuk, an East Timorese research institute.

An opinion poll commissioned by the International Republican Institute, which promotes democracy in the developing world, showed almost half of East Timorese surveyed in May were undecided about which party they would vote for on Saturday. But the current cast of leaders, whose popularity owes much to their history as fighters in East Timor's struggle for independence from Indonesia, are unlikely to be unseated.

Parliament is currently dominated by a national unity coalition led by Fretilin, the party of Prime Minister Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo, with CNRT, the party of resistance leader and former president Xanana Gusmao, who remains highly influential. Seats are allocated to parties based on the percentage of votes won if they poll higher than 4 percent.

The Popular Liberation Party, a new political force led by former president and resistance fighter Taur Matan Ruak, is campaigning on a platform of better access to education, anti-corruption and compulsory military service to address high youth unemployment and may pick up a few seats.

Campaigning, which was punctuated by parties trading accusations of vote buying, ended on Wednesday without major incident.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, voted overwhelmingly in 1999 to end 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation. Indonesia's military and pro-Indonesian militias responded to the independence referendum with scorched earth attacks that devastated the East Timorese half of the island of Timor.

Today, the country of 1.3 million people, still faces poverty with many people lacking clean water and sanitation. Unemployment is high and young people are increasingly looking abroad for work. The top and perennial concern of voters in the IRI survey was the poor condition of roads. They also believed government corruption was worsening.

"Here in Dili it is very difficult to find jobs," said Agustinho Lopo, who like other young Timorese hopes he can find work in South Korea.

To develop the economy, leaders have focused on big ticket infrastructure projects such as airports, a highway and a special economic zone funded from the dwindling $16 billion Timor-Leste Petroleum Fund. It was established in 2005 from revenues from the now almost-dry Bayu-Undan oil field. The field is forecast to end production in 2021.

In an acknowledgement that progress is uneven, both Fretilin and CNRT have vowed during the campaign that the benefits of their development plans will be spread more widely.

As the country's funds run down, development of the potentially lucrative "Greater Sunshine" oil and gas field in the Timor Sea is stalled by a boundary dispute between East Timor and Australia and the insistence of top East Timorese leaders that the processing plant be located in East Timor despite industry experts saying that would make development of the field financially unviable.

In March, an Australian parliamentary committee heard testimony from an expert who predicted East Timor could become a failed state without revenue from Sunrise, outraging East Timorese leaders despite similar warnings coming from other quarters in recent years.

East Timorese, however, are still optimistic about the future. The IRI survey showed 68 percent believed that East Timor would be better off in a year's time.

Ano Peji Colo, a student at the National University of Timor, said East Timor needs other industries, not only oil and gas, to compete with other Southeast Asian nations.

"I really hope that the new government will invest more in the economy. The government shouldn't depend on oil and gas because oil and gas is not sustainable," he said.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces near a contested Jerusalem shrine after Muslim worshippers massed outside for evening prayers on Thursday as tensions over the holy site escalated further.

Israel police spokeswoman Luba Samri said Palestinians hurled stones and glass bottles at officers after the prayers outside the site, referred to by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated at least 22 people for injuries. Police said no officers were injured; they had no information about injured protesters.

The Palestinians were protesting Israel's placement of metal detectors at the entrance to the holy site after a deadly attack there last week in which three Israeli Arab gunmen killed two Israeli police officers before they were shot and killed at the entrance to the site.

Israel has defended the detectors as a necessary security measure, one it says is used routinely at holy sites around the world.

But Muslim clerics have called for mass protests at the site on Friday  unless the detectors are removed by then. International efforts have been underway to try and stave off a major conflagration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security chiefs were to discuss the situation late Thursday after he returned from visits to France and Hungary. The security services are reportedly divided over what to do about the detectors, given the rising tensions surrounding the site.

Earlier in the day, Israel's public security minister, Gilad Erdan, insisted the detectors were essential to maintaining security. "The Israeli police needs these metal detectors so the security checks can give a proper response to the security considerations," he said.

Israeli security forces are on high alert ahead of Friday, when tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers typically descend on the walled compound in Jerusalem's Old City for prayers. The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday called for a "day of rage" against the security measures.

Conflicts over the holy site have repeatedly triggered Israeli-Palestinian confrontations. Hamas called the initial closure of the site following last week's deadly attack a "religious war" and called on followers to attack Israelis.

Muslim clerics have been urging the faithful to skip prayers in neighborhood mosques on Friday and converge on the shrine, in an attempt to draw larger crowds. Worshippers have been asked this week to pray in the streets rather than submit to the new security procedures.

Netanyahu held urgent phone conversations with his security chiefs Wednesday and appears to be under intense international pressure to back down.

Netanyahu said Israel is in close contact with Jordan, the traditional Muslim custodian of the shrine, to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Jordan's ruling Hashemite dynasty, with ancestry said to go back to Prophet Muhammad, derives much of its legitimacy from custodianship over the shrine. The White House has also called for tensions to be reduced.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called on Israel to remove the metal detectors in a phone conversation with his counterpart Reuven Rivlin. The Israeli president called last week's attack "intolerable" while officials in Erdogan's office say he told Rivlin that violence wasn't acceptable. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Azzam Khatib, the director of the site's Muslim administration, or Waqf, said he was hopeful an arrangement could be found before the Friday prayers. "We will never ever accept any changes in the mosque, and Israel has to put an end to this crisis by removing the metal detectors," he said.

A Jerusalem resident near the site, Ruben Abu Shamsi, said he hopes "the Israeli government will be so wise to avoid the violence."

Nationalist Israeli politicians have been pressuring Netanyahu from the opposite direction.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settler Jewish Home party, warned of an Israeli "capitulation" that "will damage Israel's power of deterrence and will endanger the lives of the visitors, the worshippers and the police officers."

After last week's deadly attack, Israel closed the site for two days for searches. It was only the third closure since Israel captured the shrine, along with east Jerusalem and other territories, in the 1967 Mideast war.

The closure drew wide condemnation from the Muslim world. Israel began opening the site gradually on Sunday.

Jews revere the 37-acre (15-hectare) raised platform as the site of their biblical temples. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of one of the temples, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.

Muslims believe the hilltop marks the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Also on Thursday, the Israeli military said it shot and killed a 26-year-old Palestinian attacker who tried to stab soldiers at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Hebron.

In the past two years, Palestinians have killed 45 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. During that same period, Israeli forces have killed more than 255 Palestinians, most of them said by Israel to be attackers while others were killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders to commit attacks. Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger over decades of Israeli occupation of territories they claim for their future state.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the Holy Land's most contested shrine boiled over into violence on Friday that killed six people  three Palestinians in street clashes in Jerusalem and three Israelis in a stabbing attack at a West Bank settlement.

After nightfall, a Palestinian sneaked into a home in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank and stabbed to death three Israelis.

The military said the attacker apparently jumped over the fence and infiltrated the family's home, surprising them as they ate the traditional Sabbath evening meal. It said the Palestinian killed a man and two of his children, while a woman was wounded and taken to hospital. The man's grandchildren were present but not harmed, it said.

The army released footage showing a blood-covered kitchen floor. It said senior military officials are meeting overnight to discuss how to proceed.

A military spokesman called the Palestinian attack "a massacre."

Israel TV's Channel 10 said the assailant was in his late teens and had posted on Facebook that he was upset by the events at the Jerusalem shrine. Eli Bin, the head of Israel's rescue service MDA, said an off-duty soldier next door heard screams, rushed to the home and shot the attacker through a window. Bin said the wounded attacker was taken to a hospital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, announced that he is freezing ties with Israel, dealing a blow to fledgling Trump administration efforts to try to renew long-dormant peace talks.

Abbas said contacts with Israel would be suspended on "all levels." It was not immediately clear if this means long-standing security coordination between Israeli troops and Abbas' forces will be halted.

At issue in the current round of violence are metal detectors Israel installed at the Jerusalem shrine this week in response to an attack by Arab gunmen there.

The metal detectors are perceived by the Palestinians as an encroachment on Muslim rights and portrayed by Israel as a needed security measure following the attack that killed two Israeli policemen.

Earlier Friday, several thousand Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank clashed with Israeli troops, burning tires or throwing stones and firecrackers. Troops fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen hospitalized with live or rubber bullet injuries.

White clouds of tear gas rose from Jerusalem streets and West Bank flashpoints. In one neighborhood, Palestinians threw stones from behind a mattress used as a shield.

Israel also faced growing criticism from the Muslim world, and thousands staged anti-Israel protests after Friday prayers in Jordan and Yemen. Turkey and Egypt also condemned the violence.

The confrontations could escalate in coming days as both sides dig in.

Israel said the metal detectors would remain in place. Lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel would not surrender to what he said was "violence and incitement" by those "attempting to drag us into a religious war."

Jerusalem's top Muslim cleric, Mohammed Hussein, said protests, including mass street prayers outside the shrine, would continue until the devices are removed. He told worshippers Friday that they should prepare for a "long test of wills" with Israel.

"We will not back off," he said.

The shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, sits at the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, symbolizing the rival religious and national narratives of the two sides.

Disputes over the 37-acre (15-hectare) walled hilltop platform in Jerusalem's Old City have repeatedly triggered major confrontations in the past.

Muslim leaders have portrayed the metal detectors as part of a purported Israeli campaign to expand its control over the shrine  a claim Israel denies. Muslim clerics urged worshippers to pray in the streets near the shrine, rather than submit to the new security procedures.

The faithful complied. Thousands flocked to the Old City each day this week for street prayers, kneeling on mats spread on cobblestone and asphalt.

On Friday, the highlight of the Muslim religious week, Israeli police severely restricted Muslim access to the Old City to prevent mass protests.

Some 3,000 officers were deployed at checkpoints in and around the city, turning away Muslim men under the age of 50, including those trying to reach the city from Israel and the West Bank.

In the end, only a fraction of the typical Friday turnout of tens of thousands of worshippers reached the Old City.

After peaceful prayers, clashes erupted in several areas of Jerusalem and across the West Bank.

Palestinian health officials said three Palestinians were killed by live fire in different areas of Jerusalem.

The Red Crescent said 390 Palestinians were hurt, including close to 100 who were hospitalized for live fire or rubber bullet injuries. Israeli police said five officers were wounded.

The perceived threat to the shrine, home to the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, has galvanized Palestinians  especially those in east Jerusalem which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and quickly annexed.

Since 1967, Israel has increasingly cut off east Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland, leaving the city's Arab residents without a political leadership.

Muslim clerics stepped into the void this week, taking the lead in prayer protests.

Under the post-1967 arrangements, Muslims administer the compound. Jews can visit, but not pray there. For decades, the status quo held, in part because leading rabbis, citing religious purity laws, banned Jews from entering.

In recent years, religious opinion has shifted, and growing numbers of Jews are visiting the compound. This shift has stoked Muslim fears that Israel may try to expand Jewish control there. Israel has reiterated that it has no intention to change the status quo.

Fakhri Abu Diab, a 55-year-old worshipper, said he feels Muslims must stand their ground.

"If we let them, they (Israelis) will take over the mosque completely," he said, standing near the Old City. "If we resist them, they will stop."

The compound is the third holiest site of Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is also Judaism's holiest site, once home to biblical Temples.

Jordan, the custodian of the Jerusalem shrine, has repeatedly appealed to Israel to remove the devices. The two countries cooperate closely on regional security issues, but frequently disagree on Israel's policies at the shrine.

On Friday, several thousand Jordanians protested against Israel in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

Demonstrators chanted, "the people want to liberate Al Aqsa," referring to one of the mosques in the compound.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country is in touch with Israeli officials to try to end the crisis. Speaking in Ankara after Friday prayers, he called Israel's security measures "radical," saying limits imposed on Muslim prayers would not contribute to a solution.
By Ananya Bhattacharya: Christopher Nolan is back with his latest film, Dunkirk. This is the big Hollywood release of the week. Here is our Dunkirk movie review.

Dunkirk Cast: Tom Hardy, Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance

Dunkirk Director: Christopher Nolan

Dunkirk Rating: (5/5) And some more.

If you thought Dunkirk would be a war film that revels in victory at the end of a journey, it is not. This is a Christopher Nolan film. The Miracle of Dunkirk is his subject but there was no victory. Dunkirk was defeat and desperation and the eventual evacuation. Nolan has taken us through a wormhole, inside the human brain, shown us his idea of the Caped Crusader, and has now gifted us a film with near-apocalyptic scenes, told from three perspectives.

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Land, sea, air.

"...we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender," was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's famous speech in the British parliament on June 4, 1940, the day the Dunkirk evacuation ended. Nolan picks up Churchill's speech and gives his viewers battle scenes from land, sea and air. He tells his story in a non-linear manner, but never for a moment can you afford to let your attention waver. Such is the man's grip on the camera, and on people who go in to watch a Nolan movie.

What ensued in Dunkirk during those eight days in May-June 1940 hasn't exactly been explored at this level by any contemporary Hollywood filmmaker. The Dunkirk evacuation comes alive in Nolan's hands. Dunkirk is shot for IMAX, and you would benefit massively from watching the film in that format. It is a thoroughly immersive experience.

Nolan makes you shrink in your seat when you see a group of soldiers stuck under water, he makes you duck when the German planes bomb the British ships at sea, he makes you stare at the screen in wonder when the long, gorgeous shots of the English Channel are presented in front of you. You are with Mr Dawson when he sails towards Dunkirk to bring the soldiers home, and you feel every bit of the restlessness that an Alex feels when they are waiting for high tide. Dunkirk is not something you would want to miss.

It is May 1940. The world is at war. The Allied forces in France are under attack from the Germans, who are closing in on them with every passing minute. The troops have been pushed to the beaches of the French town of Dunkirk. They can 'practically see home' on the other side of the Channel, but home is still just in their hopes. Till Operation Dynamo is launched. Destroyers cannot reach the harbour of Dunkirk because the waters are 'too shallow'. Civilian vessels jump in to rescue these army-men stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk when the British forces realise that they alone cannot see this operation through.

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Normally, a country's army is known to defend its civilians. So when the tables are turned in Dunkirk, Nolan makes you see at once the disappointment on the soldier's face at having 'let down' his countrymen, and the pleasure on the faces of civilians at just seeing their soldiers alive.

"Well done," says a man distributing blankets to the soldiers once they reach the British bank of the Channel. "We didn't even do anything. All we did was survive," responds Alex. "That's enough," says the man.

There is no sense of victory among the rescued soldiers. Their faces have disappointment writ large on them. Churchill's "Wars are not won by evacuations" encapsulates exactly what Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is essentially all about. The film is set in a war zone but it is hardly a war film. It is set as much in the closed, intimate spaces of a soldier's mind and heart, as it is against the waters of the English Channel. Dunkirk rips you apart at the misery of a soldier who failed at his duty as much as it makes you heave a sigh of relief that they are on shore, safe. Victory in Dunkirk is no victory. If at all, it is Pyrrhic.

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Nolan uses three perspectives to tell the story of Dunkirk. In air, there are the excellent Tom Hardy and Jack Lowden behind their masks. On land and sea, there is Nolan's entire cast comprising Harry Styles, Mark Rylance, Fionn Whitehead and all else. Dunkirk benefits as much from these actors, consummate in their craft, as from Nolan in the director's chair. He knows what to extract from which actor. A wistful Tom Hardy as he is being taken prisoner, a downcast Harry Styles as their train pulls in to Siding, a determined Kenneth Branagh announcing that he was 'staying back for the French', every actor in Nolan's theatre is a wizard in his craft. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema collaborates with Nolan after 2014's Interstellar and leaves an indelible impact on you. The haunting background noises of a ticking clock and the German planes whizzing by stay on in your mind long after you are out of Dunkirk. As do Hoytema's long shots of the water from the air, the devastation on the beaches and even the patch of oil on the sea.

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Drop everything and go watch Dunkirk. It is an experience. Not a mere film.

(The writer tweets as @ananya116)

ALSO READ: What you need to know before watching Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk

ALSO READ: Indians too were trapped with Allied forces in Dunkirk during the 1940 evacuation

ALSO WATCH: All you need to know about Indian war heroes of World War I and the Battle of Haifa

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G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
The order comprises 21 10-car trains and one four-car set, and deliveries are due to take place between late 2019 and the end of 2020.

Hyundai Rotem says the trains will be equipped with real-time passenger information and remote diagnostics systems. The seat width has been increased by 50mm to 480mm, and each vehicle will be equipped with two air purification systems to minimise the concertation of particulates onboard.

An update on the expansion of Seouls urban rail network will appear in the August issue of IRJ.

For detailed data on metro train orders around the globe, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
The trains would operate under electric power between Britomart and Papakura, where they would switch to battery mode for the remainder of the journey to Pukekohe. At present passengers have to change from electric to connecting diesel services at Papakura

The $NZ 207m fleet would be supplied by CAF, which built the citys fleet of 57 AM class suburban EMUs. However, Auckland Council is also considering a $NZ 174m proposal for trains from Hyundai Rotem.

The Pukekohe line is due to be electrified by 2025, which would enable redeployment of the battery trains on extended Western Line services to Huapai and Kumeu.
Phase 4 is due to be completed by 2022 and will add five new lines to the network. These comprise:

- A branch of Line 6 from Lilin to Zhongshan Daxue (6.4km, three stations)

- Line 12 from Zuopaotai to Haishang Tianyuan Dong (40km, 29 stations)

- Line 13 Phase 1 from Wan Kou'an to Shangwu Bei (23km, 14 stations)

- Line 14 (express line) from Gangxia Bei to Shatian (51.9km, 14 stations), and

- Line 16 from Dayun to Tiantou (27.6km, 23 stations).

With the completion of Phase 4, the Shenzhen metro network will reach 596.9km. Future phases are expected to increase the total length of the network to 753km.

For detailed data on urban rail projects in China, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
An initial order for 260 vehicles was placed in 2012 and the first pre-series 10-car train was delivered in 2016. At least 35 cars are due to enter passenger service before the end of this year, subject to the successful completion of safety and reliability tests. At least 166 cars will be in service by the end of 2018, and the entire fleet of 775 cars will be delivered by autumn 2022.

California Public Utilities Commission requires trains to pass 16 tests before they can be certified for passenger operation.

The vehicles are being assembled at Bombardiers plant in Plattsburgh, New York.
THE $US 2bn supply and maintenance contract for 28 new high-speed trains to replace Amtraks North East Corridor Acela train fleet was one of the most significant global rolling stock orders of 2016.

The articulated trains will expand the fleet to enable half-hourly peak Acela Express services between Washington DC and New York and an hourly New York - Boston connection when they enter operation from 2021. They will run at up to 257km/h initially, but could potentially hit 300km/h in the long-term.

The contract served as a real statement of intent for the future of the United States national passenger operators flagship service. It was also a major coup for the successful bidder, Alstom: both in securing the contract amidst strong competition from other suppliers, and as an early vote of confidence in its new generation high-speed platform, Avelia.

Amtraks Avelia Liberty trains will consist of two compact power cars and nine intermediate trailers. Each train will accommodate up to 33% more passengers than the Acela, while Alstom says it will be possible to lengthen the train with up to three additional cars if required.

This flexibility is at the heart of the Avelia platform, which according to Mr Jean-Marc Tessier, Alstoms vice-president of main-lines and project director of TGV2020, is rationalising the manufacturers high-speed and very high-speed rolling stock offering.

Indeed, rather than offering bespoke solutions, Tessier says the emphasis is now developing bricks of technology. Specific bricks include the traction system and train control, and various car configuration and passenger experience solutions that can be offered in a range of combinations to meet the needs of a specific client or tender.

While the Amtrak project is the first reference for Avelia in the market, the French government-backed TGV of the Future programme is actually driving the development of the platform ahead of a major order for the train by French National Railways (SNCF).

Tessier says that as part of its TGV2020 strategy, SNCF launched a partnership of innovation tender two years ago. This innovative approach is supported by the European Commissions (EC) Europe 2020 strategy and enables SNCF to identify a supplier with which it can work to find the optimal solution for a particular project, in this case the development of its next-generation high-speed train. Alstom subsequently won the bid, with the project getting underway in May 2016.

The idea is to define the best train together with SNCF by identifying what exactly will help them to achieve their major objectives: decreasing acquisition and operation costs as well as cutting the cost of maintenance and energy consumption, Tessier says.

Speedinnov

In parallel, in 2015 the French government launched its Future Investment Programme (PIA) for various industries. The transport element is led by Ademe, a government agency which funds sustainability projects, which together with Alstom formed the Speedinnov joint venture in 2015 to work on, and ultimately deliver, the TGV of the Future project. Alstom retains a majority share in Speedinnov, which is also supported by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research, and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Digital.

Mr Stephane Kaba, Alstoms high-speed development director and president of Speedinnov, says the joint venture was established at a time when the profitability of French train operations was being squeezed. Low-cost airlines, car sharing and long-distance bus operators had all accrued significant market shares and the government was keen to reorient this back towards rail.

Increasing the attractiveness of the services to passengers is aligned with SNCFs new high-speed strategy and the inOui brand, which it will launch when the new Sud Europ Atlantique and Bretagne-Pays de la Loire LGV lines open on July 2.

For Kaba this is a major shift compared with the start of the TGV programme 35-40 years ago. At this time, he says the question of service and meeting different passenger needs was not really considered. But in light of fierce competition from other modes it is now integral to SNCFs offering.

In the past we had trains with a lifespan of 30-40 years with the same design and layout - first class, the restaurant car, and second class were always in the same place on the train, Kaba says. This time is over. One of the key guidelines coming from the operating companies like SNCF, the French government, and through the Speedinnov joint venture is to have a technical chip, like the aircraft industry, where you can adapt the offering according to different types of passenger experience. They want a train for 40 years so it is important for the operator to understand that this train answers the passengers needs.

As well as harnessing technical innovation that will make the train attractive once again to French passengers, Kaba says reducing the cost of using rail services is critical to bringing people back. As a result, manufacturing a cheaper train is an underlying objective for the TGV of the Future programme.

One of the key guidelines is to develop a train with not only lower acquisition costs - 20% less compared with the train before - but also to create an overall system where the total cost of ownership for the duration of 30-40 years is dramatically less than we have today, Kaba says.

As a result, Tessier says in the initial partnership of innovation phase a great deal of thought is directed at identifying the right technologies and solutions that will achieve this and to avoid a scenario where SNCF might waste money on items that provide limited benefit.

For example, he says in the past an SNCF engineer might have asked for everything they wanted without knowing the consequences in terms of cost and benefit.

Now we are in a situation where we can say that if you select this option it will cost you that much, if you select that, it will cost you this much, Tessier says. Comparing this will help you decide as an operator what is best for you: will it bring more passengers on board? Will it change nothing? Will it change the perception of passengers? It is much more focused on the passenger and the business, and what the train brings to passengers in order to compete effectively with other modes of transport.

To identify these needs he says it is essential that the partnership of innovation process is a true partnership, with both sides contributing their relevant expertise to identify the optimal solution. It is not like it was in the past where SNCF was checking every detail of what we were doing, Tessier says. Instead we are combining our experience. They have a lot of experience in maintenance and also about how our train is behaving after 15, 20, 30 years of operation. By sharing all of this experience we are in a position to make the best decisions.

Order

With Alstom and SNCF now 14 months into the 18-month development project, providing Alstom meets the objectives of the partnership, SNCF will soon have the opportunity to order trains.

Like it is for Amtrak, Speedinnov will be responsible for developing and delivering the train for SNCF under any contract awarded. While Kaba says that it is too early to say when exactly any contract will be offered, and what specific technologies will be used, Tessier emphasises that any technology will be considered as long as there are benefits in terms of the final solution.

In some cases, he says it is likely that technologies used for the past 30 years will be retained because they remain the most suitable solution. In others it is conceivable that the train will adopt technologies pioneered in Alstoms previous high-speed offerings such as AGV and Pendolino, or even Speedelia, the concept developed for an Italian high-speed tender, which Bombardier and AnsaldoBreda (now Hitachi Rail Italy) won in 2010.

Tessier adds that while Avelia is its next-generation train, these earlier platforms are not necessarily defunct in their own right, and depending on the contract, they might still be offered.

When you look at the market and the contracts that have been won for high-speed and very high-speed around the world - in Spain, with Amtrak, and in Saudi Arabia - they were all push-pull configurations, Tessier says. There is a market for different configurations, but for AGV we will see. We have not been in a position to offer this train very often.

The joint venture is also working on new innovations, particularly regarding improving energy efficiency, which in light of the COP21 agreement is now a major consideration for train operators. Tessier says it is similarly ready to adapt to any technical revolution that occurs, including to new developments from research initiatives such as the Shift2Rail programme.

We know the history of the train is not finished once it is designed for the first time. It will continue to evolve, Tessier says. For the Shift2Rail programme, the ones we are involved in, we expect that we can introduce these in the medium term compared with what we want to deliver in the short term. You might have other technologies which alter the bricks and in the past the TGV has been adapted to several new technologies as they become available. This shows the evolution of the train.

Embracing cutting-edge technologies where appropriate aligns with the governments desire for PIA to reinvigorate domestic industry and enable French companies to compete for business both at home and overseas.

For Alstom, this contrasts with its previous approach to TGV, which was very much a French project with only a few export orders. Kaba says emphasising the bricks approach will equip it with a platform capable of effectively competing for international contracts, and combat the threat posed by its aggressive Chinese competitors.

While it is likely that 90% of the train will remain common for each order secured, he says the remaining 10% will be customer-defined. The Amtrak contract epitomises this approach. Unlike SNCF, which favours double-deck high-speed rolling stock, Amtrak wanted a single-deck solution. And while France is a mature high-speed market, Kuala Lumpur - Singapore, and proposed projects in the Middle East are new, and will have varying cultural demands on how the train should look and feel, meaning that what is offered could vary substantially.

Between the power cars you can have different things, so you may have single-deck and double-deck and you may increase the number of cars, Kaba says. This is very interesting for the British market for example, where you have residual value, and it is very important where the franchise model is used in more and more countries, so you can use what you have in different ways. This is a big advantage for the project.

With a general lack of high-speed rolling stock orders around the world, and with competition fierce to supply what are often iconic trains, there is big pressure to succeed in the market. Alstom clearly hopes that the fresh approach employed in Avelia will give it the flexibility to offer a relevant and affordable product anywhere in the world. And with major contracts coming up for HS2 in Britain, and Kuala Lumpur - Singapore, it will soon become apparent whether they have got it right.
Former chief minister of Jammu and Kasmir, Farooq Abdullah, today said that India should approach third parties like US and China to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

By India Today Web Desk: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday said that India should approach third parties, such as the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

Adbullah said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

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"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.

"If India is ready to talk to China and does not want to get into war, then they can talk to Pakistan also," he added.

Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement - Friends can be changed, but not neighbours, the National Conference (NC) leader said that arrogance and stubbornness would not let any of the nations progress and develop.

"The stubbornness, exhibited by both the nations, will not lead us anywhere. Remember what Atal Bihari said, 'Friends can be changed, but not neighbours. One can move forward while maintaining friendship or can regress by becoming enemies,'" he said.

Expressing concern over the ongoing tension in the Valley, Abdullah appealed to the Government to bring the disturbing elements to light and punish them.

"If the youth of tomorrow are targetted today, how will they run the nation? I would like to urge the Government to expose the perpetrators," he said.

"We are being sandwiched. People die every day. The situation is worse in the Valley," he added.

Jammu and Kashmir is embroiled in violent chaos since July last year, when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by the security forces.

With inputs from ANI

Also Read:

Jammu and Kashmir: 6 killed, many trapped in flash floods triggered by cloudburst in Doda district

PM Modi's policies have set fire to Kashmir: Rahul Gandhi

WATCH | Farooq Abdullah welcomes third-party intervention in Kashmir issue

--- ENDS ---
Hunter Harrison, what exactly is going on at CSX? Im hearing lots of voices. Theyve become loud and frequent and as such are nearly impossible to ignore. Theyre the voices of railroaders, from the executive to the train and engine service level. Theyre former and present CSX employees. Theyre people who have worked for you at other railroads. And theyre all saying basically the same thing: That the changes you are making at CSX arent the right thing to do, or arent working.

Herewith is a collection of accounts from various sources. Some of it is hearsay. Some of it has been published. Suffice to say that all these sources are credible. I name no names. I pass no judgment. My opinion, as a railroad industry trade journalist with 25 years of experience but who has never lined a turnout, pulled a coupler pin, laid a section of rail or devised a service plan, is irrelevant.

So, I leave it up to you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions. Ill share one opinion: Much of this material may be disturbing to you. And based upon this publications previous experiences with Hunter Harrisona two-time Railroader of the Yearits disappointing, even sad (though he is no less deserving today of these past awards as when they were given, in 2015 and 2002). Take these bullet points for what theyre worthwith a grain of salt, or a bottle of Pepto-Bismol.

First, what the newspapers have been reporting:

 The July 19, 2017 Jacksonville Business Journal: Despite a strong second quarter for CSX Corp., the companys stock is plummeting after a bombshell revelation from new CEO Hunter Harrison during the Wednesday morning earnings call. Harrison, whose arrival at CSX led the stock to hitting an all-time high, told analysts during a conference call that his tenure with the company would be short, and that he sees his role as an interim leader to get the company to solid footing before he exits.

Im a short-timer here, said Harrison. Im the interim person thats going to try to get this company to the next step and good foundation. Hes not the only railroad employee who might not be there for long: During the call, the CEO said up to 700 more layoffs may be on the way.

Harrisons statement, combined with declines in overnight trading, has overshadowed the railroad companys good second quarter.

Theres a lot to like about the results, Edgar Jones analyst Dan Sherman told the Business Journal, who noted [an] 8% drop in expenses since the [previous] quarter. The drop in expenses is the result of CSX thinning its locomotive fleet, workforce and hump yards, and Harrison said more cuts are still to come. The fleet has been trimmed by 900 locomotives and could be trimmed 100 more. The workforce has lost 2,300 employees and could lose 700 more. The railroad started the year with 12 hump yards and could end with three, Harrison estimated. Other efficiencies include lengthening trains and bringing contracted work back in house. Harrison said these operational efficiencies would bear fruit in future quarters.

If we make the improvements we make, well be rewarded, and if we dont, we wont, he said. Harrison acknowledged the difficulties of the cuts his company has made and addressed the culture of fear some have accused him of creating. We cant carry dead weight, he said. Everybody has to do their job. Everybody has to do their part. Harrison said it is not his goal to create a culture of fear, but rather create a culture where everyone can add value to the company in the most effective way. He also said increased efficiency will attract more customers. Lastly, Harrison reiterated that his tenure would be short, and that he sees his role as an interim leader to get the company to solid footing before he exits.

The companys cuts have trimmed its footprint in Jacksonville. Earlier in the year, the company jettisoned 500 employees here. For investors, Harrisons focus on efficiency brings hopes of faster future earnings, Sherman said. (Harrison) is really delivering, said Sherman. I dont think [the management team is] going to let up. I think youre going to keep seeing more efficiency.

 The July 18, 2017 Jacksonville Daily Record: CSX wants to renovate Jacksonville headquarters; $2 million investment in riverfront building comes after job cuts, introduction of new CEO: CSX Corp. not only is updating the railroads operating program. It also wants to renovate its Downtown Jacksonville headquarters at a cost of $1.85 million.

The city is reviewing a building permit for Auld & White Constructors Inc. to renovate the 15th-floor executive offices at 500 Water St. on the riverfront. With all the other changes at the company, including a new CEO, job cuts and a focus on improving the operations, there were questions whether CSX was committed to maintaining its headquarters in Jacksonville.

With these updates, CSX expects that the headquarters building will accommodate our needs for the foreseeable future, said spokesman Rob Doolittle on July 17. Plans show remodeling of 20,450 square feet of space for offices, conference rooms, a recording studio, work cafe, a warming kitchen, and more, including the C-Suite. That suite appears to be for CEO Hunter Harrison and two other top executives. Their offices are near the almost-1,200-square-foot boardroom.

CSX said the building, which it owns, was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. It comprises almost 487,000 square feet of space. Gresham, Smith and Partners is the architect for the renovations. Doolittle said CSX is renovating to modernize and update the space and to accommodate changes to the office space needs of our staff. He said projects include modifications to the lobby area, the 15th floor and several other locations. He said the work is expected to be completed over the next year in phases so that it can minimize disruption for employees.

Commentary from railroaders and other observers, as noted above:

 Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl: Our concerns about service stem primarily from direct channel checks with a number of rail customers as well as our [most recent shipper] survey, in which shippers expressed some displeasure with CSXs service, with 24% calling it poor. No other railroad received a poor rating from more than 6% of shippers. However, we suspect this view of CSX is related to a reduction in the number of offerings rather than the poor quality of service, given the companys fairly solid productivity metrics. In addition to potentially impacting the companys ability to get price, the service issues could lead to some market share loss. A key point here is that we believe the percentage of the rail network in the east that is peer- and truck-competitive is materially greater than that north of the U.S. border, where Harrison achieved two of his big successes.

 The 2Q 2017 financials are squishy, and the related commentary is only marginally credible. Start with revenue: It was goosed by $58 million in liquidated damages for a volume commitment that was not met in previous periods. This was almost certainly a coal shipper, as revenue for coal is shown as up 27% on a volume increase of only 7%. This has nothing to do with current quarter operations.

On the expense side, a favorable judgment related to a previously condemned property of $55 million was credited against Materials, Supplies and Others. Again, nothing to do with 2Q 2017. Further, a rental income of $13 million that formerly was treated as Other Income (i.e., it had no impact on the Operating Ratio) was moved to be a credit against Equipment and Other Rents. Thus, $126 million of favorable one-time adjustments were made. The 2Q 2017 OR without the restructuring charge was reported as 63.2, but in reality would have been 66.8 but for the above factors. Other non-material adjustments were alluded to.

 All helper crews are to be eliminated system-wide and crews will double grades. EHH had all CSX division superintendents and assistants escorted off the property on Friday (July 14). Then, a dozen or more CN operating officers are leaving to come to CSX with much higher pay and stock options.

 One casualty of EHHs new plan: napping breaks, which train conductors and engineers are allowed to take for up to 45 minutes under a strict protocol when trains are stopped.

 EHH is now making CSX employees buy their own work boots and personal protective wear if not covered by union agreements. Hes eliminating as many long pools as he can, in favor of more frequent, shorter crew starts that dont require a hotel stay. Three-Point Protection is gone, and yard speed limits were increased. Dispatchers will be moving back to Jacksonville by the end of October. No more use of brake sticks that allowed crews to release or engage hand brakes without getting in between cars.

 EHH eliminated Road Foreman of Engines positions. He eliminated yard cabs, and Trainmasters are now required to take crews out to trains in their own cars. He closed most of the hump yardsBirmingham, Atlanta, Toledo, Cumberland, Selkirk, Louisville, Hamlet and Willard Westbound. Avon and Willard Eastbound are currently still open but probably will be closed. Cincinnati, Waycross and Nashville are the only ones left.

 Hunter did away with the rule banning getting off moving equipment. He currently has a team working on a design to single-track from Albany, N.Y. to Chicago.

 We have no senior leadership in the field other than Trainmasters and Chief Dispatchers, and many of the Trainmasters are so young and new they have no real knowledge of how CSX worksor how a train works, for that matter.

 Things are really slowing down on CSX in Ohio. Train movement in and out of Willard is at a crawl. Sidings are filling up. Even the daily train from the Wheeling & Lake Erie to Willard is taking much longer to get in and out of Willard. Twelve hours to run from New London, Ohio, to Willard and returnabout 30 miles.

In New York State, were starting to witness some problems on the Water Level Route. As the name implies, its pretty much flat, save for six miles of 0.89% westbound grade near Batavia. Ive gone on lunch break from work a couple of times now in the past two weeks and heard crews talking on the radio about some heavy westbound train stalled into Batavia, and theyre single-tracking around it. In-the-field reports suggest that the average size of merchandise freights these days is 800-900 axles with only two units up front. The best that one of these trains could hope for is 5 mph up the 0.89%.

Willard had two yardmasters per shift, one Eastbound and one Westbound. In July, Eastbound was handed all of New Castles work, which includes three different yardstotally overwhelming. And then Saturday, Willard WB yardmasters were abolished, so we now have one person per shift running everything between Willard and New Castle. Its absolute chaos. Already, one yardmaster is out of service for a side swipe.

The most important point is that they closed the westbound hump in the process! Now the eastbound hump processes both east and west traffic. The no. 2 main is now a yard track, and the westbound receiving and block-swap tracks are departure tracks for both directions.

EHH abolished the long pools between Buffalo and Willard, and Willard and Chicago. The North Baltimore to Chicago and the New Castle to North Baltimore long pools still existfor now. So, any train not going to and from North Baltimore is short-pooled: Buffalo to Cleveland, Cleveland to Willard, Willard to Garrett, Garrett to Chicago.

CSX workers say that Willard and Avon are in meltdown mode, with way too many cars and trains being held back. One person said New Castle has 700 cars for Willard that Willard cant take, and Willard is actually sending cars back to New Castle to get them out of the way.

Willard Yard was running about the mid- to high 20s in dwell hours up until three weeks ago. As of July 7, dwell was at 36.2 hours. Avon Yard was running about the same as Willard Yard until about four weeks ago. As of July 7, dwell was at 34.2 hours. Larger dwell hours exist at the following yards as of July 7: Montgomery, Ala.: 52.6 hours. Louisville, Ky.: 45.7 hours. Nashville: 44 hours. Russell, Ky.: 43.3 hours. Toledo: 50.1 hours

Avon is packed with cars; it is bursting at the seams right now. It doesnt have enough power to move trains out of the departure yard, and there are another 1,200 enroute. There 700 in receiving, 1,000 in the bowl, and 1,150 in departure.

To add insult to injury, EHH asked the BLET (Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen) to start discussing converting our pay from mile/trip rates to hourlythe same game plan from the CN and CP.

 CSX is running empty cars sometimes thousands of miles without a load to avoid dwell and Increase velocity measurements. EHH has silenced the knowledge base that really runs the railroad, and that is never good. You cant improve fuel efficiency by running empty cars away from loads. CSX is storing or selling equipment, creating a shortage of gons for scrap loading. Order fill rates are at about 23%, causing shippers to move scrap by truck, barge and ship. I estimate CSX lost more than 1,000 scrap loads in June, and July looks worse.

The hump yard closings have caused congestion at other yards, causing CSX to move cars to other locations. Hundreds of loads are moving on wrong trains (right car, right train measurement seems to have been eliminated). Yards are moving cars on the wrong trains because there is no time to switch them, to avoid a dwell beating from EHH. The same thing is happening with bad-order cars to get them off dwell numbers.

When too much focus is put on dwell time, the field will find ways to avoid a Dwell Spanking. It would be interesting to see what the bad-order and empty-miles numbers are showing before and after EHH came. The steel mills are the next group to complain because there is no scrap moving due to storage and possible sale of gons. CSX is a spaghetti railroad and thus Precision Railroading will not work.

 Independent railway economist and Railway Age Contributing Editor Jim Blaze: Car dwell in selected CSX yards is deteriorating vs. similar weeks one year ago. Upward-trending yard dwell times are a statistical indicator of poor origin/delivery freight movements. This is well known to network simulators that examine such technical material. That said, train speeds out on the main lines are much higher now for some customers. However, intermodal blocks that used to move in unit trains are clearly moving much slower. That doesnt translate into a likely huge intermodal growth scenario. There is a likely negative market consequence from these operational performance metrics. Motor-vehicle shippers like Ford cant be happy as their supply chain adjusts to slower manifest train speeds. Grain cars, often owned by shippers, are moving slower. So while CSX reports it is storing or scrapping cars, some of their customers likely face the problem of having to buy new cars. (For reference, download the PDF of CSX yard dwell times and train speeds at the link below. Blaze compiled the data, taken from the most recent reporting week as of July 23, 2017, as reported by CSX to the AAR.)

Also, Jim Blaze offers his take on the definition of Precision Railroading. Download a PDF of his article, prepared especially for Railway Age, at the link below.

 A CSX engineering department system production team machine operator: By far, the biggest change to me and my coworkers is the change from four ten-hour days to five eight-hour days for almost all jobs. Supposedly, the change was made due to switching from working curfews to working windows between trains to keep from holding them up. If youre only getting three hours of track time, for example, between trains to put a system team on the track to replace ties or rail or surface, there is no sense in having a ten-hour work day. The downside is that there are system production teams with people living all over the eastern U.S. Theyre getting off work Friday afternoon, with only two days off to drive home (sometimes very long distances), be with their families, take care of things at home and drive back to their hotel by Sunday night in order to work Monday morning. If you live very far from where the team is working, its very hard to do. A lot of people just end up having to stay on the road because they cant go home. Going from three days off per week to two makes a huge difference to us on system production teams!

Some other changes that occurred recently: They are doing away with warm-up stretching we used to do at the end of the morning job briefings. There are no more Safety Committees and Safety Committee meetings.

These changes are giving the impression that concern for the almighty dollar has become more important than worker safety or workers being with their families.

 Hunter is out of control. Hes destroying good, experienced railroaders lives and careers. He wants to take the premier high-capacity main line in the East, the (ex-New York Central-Penn Central-Conrail) Water Level Route, which Al Perlman reduced from a four-track main to two tracks, and reduce it to a single track. Ten or twelve years ago the railroads were saying they didnt have enough capacity. Now he wants to reduce it? Thats insanity.

 Al Perlman reduced capacity because he had excess capacity and couldnt afford to maintain redundant signals and track structure. I dont know what the situation is now on the Water Level Route, or the projections, but one wonders if the reason has more to do with cutting costs to improve the stock price than with being genuinely thought out and data driven.

 Hunter hasnt learned his lesson from when he tried to take over Norfolk Southern: Railroad customers, the communities in which railroads operate and legislators collectively form a powerhouse. Few people know this, but Hunter didnt voluntarily retire from CN. CN wasnt planning on renewing his contract. He got angry, so he eventually teamed with the hedge funds. Its all about personal gain.

 Harrisons previous railroadsthe Illinois Central, CN, and Canadian Pacificwere all linear railroads, while CSX is a network. It is a lot easier to do Precision Railroading on a linear railroad. Harrison offended sufficient customers on his previous railroads to reduce traffic, and therefore reduce congestion, and he could then close a lot of yards. And then, Bingo! Precision Railroading falls right into place. Im not certain he will be able to pull off Precision Railroading on CSX.

 What really disturbs me about Hunter right now is that he knows he runs one of the largest, mostly unsupervised outdoor factory floors in the world, which means productivity and efficiency require a high level of worker effort possible only when morale is high. Yet in the midst of devastating employee layoffs sure to wreak economic havoc on an equal number of families, Hunter is spending to spruce up his executive offices! He earned the title, Ugly American when in Canada for upsetting long-standing workplace cultural norms. Now he is cementing his image, among employees, as The Ugly One. Loyalty is not a one-way street.

 In the business ecosystem, company stakeholders consist of more than just shareholders. They include customers, employees, suppliers, business partners, communities, etc. Cost reduction can generate immediate financial results, but it is organic growth that makes a business sustainable for the long term. Looking through the eyes of just one stakeholderthe shareholdermakes the business ecosystem unsustainable.

Pretty strong words, for certain. Im not sure how much of whats been said here is accurate, or how much comes from people with their own agendas. All I know is that it would be rather difficult to make some of this up. I certainly would like to hear from more of you, whether or not you agree with whats been reported.

I have been hoping I would hear from Hunter Harrison, and he has indeed contacted me. Understandably, he strongly disagrees with what has been said in this article, and has asked for an opportunity to respond. There is a bigger picture here, he feels, that people arent seeing or arent willing to see. So, within short order, expect to see a response, unedited, from Hunter Harrison.
North Carolina Ports and CSX announced a new daily intermodal service between the Port of Wilmington and Charlotte, beginning July 28.

The double stack Queen City Express marks the official return of intermodal rail to its facilities, the North Carolina State Ports Authority said.

The Queen City Express provides premier rail service over competing ports for existing and future container customers in one of the most significant economic centers in the Southeastern United States, said Executive Director Paul J. Cozza. In addition, further establishing our inland terminal helps answer the request of many cargo owners asking for improved connectivity to international markets.

The scheduled service offers the availability of containers at the Charlotte Intermodal Terminal (CIT) owned by North Carolina Ports. The train also provides connectivity for all ocean container services currently calling Wilmington.

This service, dovetailed with the investment that CSX is making in Rocky Mount (N.C.), is a testament to our dedication to the State of North Carolina and North Carolina Ports, said Dean Piacente, Vice President of CSX Intermodal. In addition to the connection to Charlotte, CSX will also provide future access to a transformational, state-of-the-art intermodal rail terminal in Eastern North Carolina  the Carolina Connector. The Carolina Connector (CCX), announced in the summer of 2016 in Rocky Mount, will serve as a hub in the Southeast for containerized freight. The railroad said CCX along with the Queen City Express will lower transportation costs for businesses while taking trucks off the road, reducing emissions.

The addition of the Queen City Express follows the start of four new container services at the Port of Wilmington. The authority has also ordered new Panamax ship-to-shore cranes from Shanghai Zhenjua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC). There is a turning basin expansion project, various berth improvements, and the expansion of the container yard, in all investment of $150 million in infrastructure in the coming years.
Nemtsovs daughter seeks to overturn sentence in politician murder case

MOSCOW, July 21 (Yelizaveta Ponomareva)  The daughter of prominent Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov murdered in February 2015 filed an appeal seeking to overturn the sentence given to five defendants in the case, her lawyer Olga Mikhailova told RAPSI on Friday.

Additionally, Zhanna Nemtsova in her appeal demanded to change murder charges against the defendants to assassination, Mikhailova added.

Earlier, one of the defendants, Temirlan Eskerkhanov, appealed his sentence. Other defendants are also going to appeal their sentences, attorney Dagir Khasavov told RAPSI.

On July 13, the Moscow District Military Court sentenced murderers of Nemtsov to prison terms varying from 11 to 20 years. The court ruled in accordance with the will of the jury panel founding all defendants guilty. Zaur Dadayev, Nemtsovs first-hand killer was sentenced to 20 years. Anzor Gubashev was sentenced to 19 years, Shadid Gubashev to 16 years, Temirlan Eskerkhanov to 14 years and Khamzat Bakhayev to 11 years. All defendants will serve their time in a high-security penal colony. The court fined defendants 100,000 rubles (about $1,700). |Shadid and Anzor Gubashev, Eskerkhanov and Bakhayev were also subjected to additional restriction of freedom for two years.

A prosecutor has requested to sentence Dadayev to life. She also demanded a 23-year prison term for Anzor Gubashev, a 21-year prison sentence for Shadid Gubashev, 19 years in prison for Eskerkhanov and 17 years for Bakhayev. Bakhayevs lawyer Zaurbek Sadakhanov asked the judge to pardon his client. A lawyer representing Nemtsovs family also reinforced previously stated opinion that there is not enough evidence to prove Bakhayevs guilt.

In late June, jurors found all the defendants guilty of involvement in the politicians murder and illegal trafficking in firearms and ammunition. According to the verdict, they did not deserve leniency.

The jury panel stated that one of defendants, Dadayev, conspired with others, was stalking and collecting data on Nemtsov, prepared murder and killed the politician himself, shooting his victim at least six times from an unidentified gun.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, a prominent opposition politician, who held a number of high-ranking posts in the Russian government in the 1990s and in the 2000s joined the opposition, was shot down in the center of Moscow as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin on the night of February 28, 2015.

Investigators believe that the conspirators in the murder had thoroughly prepared to commit this crime and spied on the victim.

Five men have been charged with contract murder, illegal acquisition, carrying and keeping of weapons.

Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in Chechen Interior Ministry, is believed to be a mastermind of the murder. He was placed on the international wanted list in November 2015. Beslan Shavanov, who allegedly was also implicated in the crime, reportedly killed himself when police tried to arrest him.

Criminal prosecution of Shavanov was dismissed because of his death. Investigation into Mukhudinov is underway.




WASHINGTON: US legislation renewing and tightening sanctions on Russia, stalled in the House of Representatives, was not passed before the US and Russian presidents met at the G20 summit in Hamburg. The proposed bill had already received criticism not only from Russia but also from Germany and Austria about the impact sanctions may have on Europe's gas supply.
As the India-China standoff at the Doklam tri-junction area enters its second month, it is clear this is the most serious crisis between the two countries in 30 years. There are several ways in which it might develop. Unilateral concessions and Chinese escalation are unlikely, with the local military balance precluding any quick and decisive action by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). A longer-term standoff, perhaps even stretching through the winter, is more likely  but also unsatisfactory to Beijing, and therefore unstable. A diplomatic off-ramp is currently hard to see, but may become easier in the autumn. These options are explored in turn, below.

The first scenario is that one side or the other will make a unilateral concession, either China abandoning its road construction in disputed territory or India withdrawing troops to allow China to proceed unimpeded. This scenario, though comforting, is exceptionally unlikely.

Both sides have made it absolutely clear that they see important interests at stake (sovereignty for China, national security and alliance credibility for India) and have dug in their heels. China has backed up this position with military exercises, unusually aggressive threats, and an effort to lobby P5 countries. While playing down the seriousness of the episode and emphasising diplomacy, India is showing no signs of wobbling. New Delhi has taken opposition parties into confidence, moved troops from the 20th and 27th mountain divisions towards Doklam, proposed a doubling of border guard deployments, and indicated that its forces will block Chinese construction for as long as necessary.

The second scenario is the Chinese use of force to expel India's 300-400 troops, resume road construction, and, as John Garver has put it, 'teach India a lesson before China's advantage is eroded'. Whether through snap exercises, warnings that its patience is running out, or lurid threatsfrom former Chinese diplomats, Beijing certainly wants New Delhi to think that this is a serious possibility. Some Indian experts agree, warning that Chinese signals echo those seen before past wars.

How should we judge this possibility? I am sceptical that China can, or intends to, use force to expel Indian forces directly. The geography of Doklam, the proximity of several Indian mountain divisions, and broad improvements in India's military position in the northeast in recent years mean that any Chinese attack would not be guaranteed to succeed, forcing Beijing into a choice between humiliating defeat and major escalation. India's own assessment is that there have been no unusual military movements in Tibet for two months, and at least one Indian general has noted that 'there is no military mobilisation by China'. India would detect any large-scale troop movement across the Tsangpo, so it would be difficult for the PLA to achieve both surprise and mass.

But even if it could do so, it is no exaggeration to say that a wider war (which could involve airpower, ballistic and cruise missiles, and cyber-attacks) would be devastating for China's strategic objectives in Asia and the world. It would explode the idea of peaceful rise, compound growing mistrust in Chinese intentions, and accelerate the process of India's convergence with the United States and Japan. Though Tibet is a 'core interest', China's position there is not materially affected by a few kilometres of road.

With that said, we should be alive to the possibility of China escalating elsewhere, either to seize territory as a bargaining chip to swap for Indian concessions in Doklam, or merely to punish India in order to weaken its resolve in Doklam. Despite the public insouciance, Indian officials are seriously concerned by this prospect, with eastern Ladakh, in the western sector of the India-China border, seen as especially vulnerable.

The third scenario (and perhaps the most probable) is a protracted standoff, akin to the Sumdorong Chu crisis. That crisis began in June 1986, escalated with massive deployments (200,000 on each side, by some accounts) and de-escalated only over the next summer. Former National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon has gone as far as to suggest that the issue took eight to ten years to resolve. Doklam is presently far less militarised, but it is possible to imagine incremental changes to readiness and deployment that might, eventually, even have implications for the landmark 1993 border agreement and its principle of 'mutual and equal security'.

Whether or not force levels rise, defence journalist Ajai Shukla has suggested that Indian officials would view a prolonged standoff (the continuation of the status quo) as a de facto victory for India. Chinese warnings of 'losing patience' would be exposed as hollow, while the PLA would not each the crucial Jam Pheri ridge. However, and indeed precisely for this reason, such a long crisis would be unacceptable to Beijing, and therefore unstable in various ways. In effect, China would look for ways to pressure India  locally at Doklam, elsewhere on the border, and more widely in South Asia.

Looking first at Doklam, MIT political scientist Taylor Fravel has suggested that China could look to build permanent structures to the rear of the 'front', though still on territory disputed between Bhutan and China: 'India would then be faced with accepting a larger, more permanent Chinese presence or escalating further to stop it.' If the crisis stretched into the winter months, questions of re-supply might also push China down this road.

Zooming out, Beijing might also seek to put pressure on India by aggressive patrolling, incursions, and construction elsewhere along the Line of Actual Control. Previous crises have occurred in Depsang and Chumar in Ladakh, on the countries' western border, as well as lesser friction in Arunachal Pradesh, far to the east. This is exactly what Indian officials feared during the Sumdorong Chu crisis in 1987, and China would have every reason to probe in sectors where the local military balance was more uncertain. At a certain point, the boundary between such probing and scenario two, outright armed attack, would be blurred. China is adroit at exploiting such ambiguity.

In this specific case, China has another, potentially attractive, option: probing other disputed stretches of the China-Bhutan border, forcing India to choose between a larger intervention, with longer supply lines, or abandoning Thimpu. This would risk an even wider crisis, because India would probably opt for the former.

In addition to this localised pressure, China could also intensify support for Pakistan, potentially by supporting more projects in Indian-claimed Gilgit-Baltistan, conducting more naval activity in the Indian Ocean, redoubling its outreach in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and further hardening its already rigid position on a range of diplomatic issues from the designation of Pakistani terrorists to Indian membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. India could and would respond to these steps, but it would have to stretch its forces more thinly, accept the re-deployment of dual-tasked units away from Pakistan-facing positions, and consider the financial implications of such a posture. Meanwhile, remarkably, India still lacks a full-time defence minister.

The fourth scenario, and the most hopeful, is a diplomatic settlement. The basic contours of a settlement are easy to imagine. India would agree to withdraw its forces from Doklam, in exchange for China ceasing the extension of its road. This would satisfy one key Indian aim, of ensuring that the PLA cannot reach the crucial Jam Pheri ridge. However, the details are harder to pin down. China's road through Doklam has existed for at least 12 years and perhaps far longer, so Beijing won't withdraw from the area altogether and could even, as discussed above, reinforce its presence. How would India view, say, a mutual withdrawal, followed by a Chinese build-up south of Batang Lain disputed territory? And would a straight swap, withdrawal for construction halt, be enough for China? Some Indian analysts have suggested that New Delhi might need to offer wider concessions, such as a softer Indian line on the Belt and Road Initiative, to secure agreement. I am sceptical of this, though it depends on how confident India feels in the status quo, and how worried it is about Bhutan breaking ranks.

It's unclear whether the circumstances are ripe for diplomacy, which would involve flexibility on all sides. India's foreign secretary has told legislators that the two foreign ministries are 'engaged in negotiations', contrary to Beijing's public stance. India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who has also served as special envoy on India-China border talks since November 2014, is due to visit Beijing during 27-28 July for a meeting of NSAs from the BRICS countries. China's own domestic political circumstances may also complicate matters, with the 19th National Congress of the Community Party, where Xi Jinping hopes to consolidate his already formidable grip on power, just a few months away. It may be harder to make concessions until after that gathering, while it may even suit Beijing to keep the crisis simmering through this period.

In all likelihood, the Doklam crisis will not lead to war. China has a long record of using public threats to coerce adversaries, but the consequences of a war with China would be far out of proportion with the issue at stake. However, a quick solution (either unilateral or mutually agreed) is also unlikely. As the crisis stretches on, China is likely to seek ways to pressure India, both on the border and elsewhere, and this will compound the cycle of competition that is already well underway.
WASHINGTON: US legislation renewing and tightening sanctions on Russia, stalled in the House of Representatives, was not passed before the US and Russian presidents met at the G20 summit in Hamburg. The proposed bill had already received criticism not only from Russia but also from Germany and Austria about the impact sanctions may have on Europes gas supply.

Europe and the United States need not worry: Energy markets have undergone significant transformation in favor of importers, and Russias tough talk warning against sanctions is little more than posturing. Russia needs Europe as a market for its oil and gas.

The proposed sanctions bill  if passed by the House of Representatives and not vetoed by President Donald Trump  would put into law sanctions previously established under former President Barack Obama as well as expand them, targeting various companies and sectors of the Russian economy, including the energy sector. The sanctions, renewing earlier sanctions for Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 and involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine, are a response to Russias cyberattacks during the 2016 US presidential election as well as weapons supply to Syrias government. Significantly, the new bill hinders Trump from easing sanctions on Russia without approval from Congress. The Senate approved the bill nearly unanimously in June.

Russias majority state-owned gas company, Gazprom, complains that the new sanctions target European companies involved in Russias controversial Nord Stream II pipeline project. The planned project expands the existing Nord Stream system that pumps Russian gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany and bypasses Europes previous gas transit hub, Ukraine. With companies from Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK on board with the project, Nord Stream II, if completed, would support the dominance of Russian gas in Europe. Gazprom controls about 15 percent of global reserves and more than 70 percent of Russias.

In response to the sanctions, Viktor Zubkov, chairman of Gazproms board and former prime minister stated, As the project moves towards implementation, the basic design is completed, the construction of the pipes continues, there are now more insinuations and tightening of sanctions against Russia in the field of energy. In Europe, the regions gas supply is being threatened. Washington pursues purely economic interests by lobbying for American energy companies in Europe.

There are two ways to interpret Zubkovs statement. First, given the Kremlins history of using energy as a weapon the statement reads as an innuendo that Russia could or has the potential to threaten Europes gas supplies. Another, that the Nord Stream II pipeline ensures European gas supplies from Russia, and thus US sanctions that threaten the pipelines completion indirectly threaten Europes imports. Neither is quite accurate though the threat could ring true to long-term Russia watchers.

Zubkovs statement echoes the Kremlins tradition of veiled threats to cause disruptions in energy supplies to its rivals. Indeed, Russia has cut gas supplies to Ukraine on multiple occasions and hiked gas prices to Central and Eastern European countries when political tensions ran high.

Gazproms leadership has been closely tied to the Kremlin since the 2000s. For instance, before he was elected Russian president in 2008, current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev served as Gazproms chairman of the board in 2000 and then on the board of directors between 2000 and 2001 and between 2002 and 2008. Chairman of the management committee of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, not only worked for Putin in the St. Petersburg Mayors Office in the 1990s, but was also a loyal friend. Zubkov was prime minister under Putin before Putin became prime minister himself while Zubkov replaced Medvedev at Gazprom when he took the presidential office.

However, the Kremlins innuendo that US sanctions threaten Europes supply of Russian gas is either empty bluff or dangerous miscalculation. At the end of the day, the global natural gas markets have transformed with much greater supply and liquidity from booming US natural gas production and rising US liquefied natural gas exports.

For instance, this month the first US shipment of LNG arrived to Polands new Swinoujscie terminal. Likewise, Lithuania signed its first agreement to receive US LNG by August of this year, utilizing its LNG terminal that since 2014 has challenged Gazproms gas supply monopoly in the Baltics. Even within Russia itself, Gazprom is losing the power it once had over the export market. A private Russian gas firm is slated to deliver the first Russian LNG shipment to Europe, ahead of Gazprom.

Overall, Gazprom has been desperate to hold on to the European gas market where it faces not only more competition but also a political backlash due to its previous heavy hand in energy trade exemplified by political gas pricing and threats of gas cuts. Eastern European, Nordic and Baltic states have denounced Nord Stream II as another monopoly effort by Russia in Europe and a security threat given Russias increased military presence in the region where the pipelines would be laid. Moscows suggestions that Europes gas supplies from Russia are threatened may convince other EU countries of the need to secure alternatives for Russian gas imports.

Nonetheless, some in Europe prefer more Russian gas imports via Nord Stream II as exemplified by German and Austrian criticism to the new sanctions. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said, Europes energy supply is a matter for Europe, not the United States of America.

Russias threats can only backfire. As explained in my new book, The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas, the changing nature of the natural gas markets are increasingly chipping away at the Russian monopoly over Europe, with growing LNG trade, new US imports and a buildup of new infrastructure to bring alternative sources of gas from the Caspian. Russia no longer has the influence it once had over gas markets in Europe, and the new market realities will prove stronger than Russias sharp rhetoric.

Thus, European countries like Germany should not fear further US sanctions on Russia. Europe has alternative sources and future gas supplies will not depend exclusively on Gazprom and Nord Stream II. Likewise, the House of Representatives should take advantage of the historic transformation in the global energy market and feel free to press for Washingtons long-term goals in Europe and vis-a-vis Russia.
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 (?c????a?) 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 (?a?a?c??c???a??) (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????e?), 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 (??a?) with contempt, Xi declared traditional thought and culture the soul (?e?) 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 (?a??a??a??a?e?)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 (?e??c?a?) 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 (e?e??c?) (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 (a???a??) 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. [1] 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 (e?e??a?) 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 (e??) 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 (??a???a??a?) 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. [2] 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). [3] 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 (a?c?) 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 (c??a??). 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.

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Abdullah said India has many allies across the globe who can help it resolving the long-pending contentious issue of Kashmir.

By Alok Ranjan: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today triggered yet another controversy when he said that India should approach other countries such as the United States and China to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

Abdullah said India has so many allies across the globe, who can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

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This is not the first time that he has issued such a controversial remark.

Here's a list of some of his contentious comments:

November, 2015: Farooq Abdullah taunted the government saying Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is not a personal property to be inherited. He questioned India's claim on PoK and said that it isn't its paternal property. "Kya yeh tumare baap ka hai (Is this your fathers' property)," Abdullah said.

December, 2016: Farooq Abdullah triggered a controversy by asking the Hurriyat to unite for the cause of Kashmir and that his party was with them in it. He said, "I ask these Hurriyat leaders to unite. We are standing by your side at this hour. Don't think of us as your adversaries. We are not your adversaries." He then went on to address his party workers saying, "Don't stay behind in this struggle of Kashmir".

February, 2017: Kashmiri youth were picking up guns not for becoming legislators but for "freedom of Kashmir" and maintained that youngsters are not afraid of death.

April, 2017: Stone throwers in Kashmir "are giving their lives for the solution of (the) Kashmir (problem) and not for tourism". "I want to tell (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi sahab that there is no doubt about tourism being our life. But one who throws stones... he has nothing to do away with tourism." He welcomed the US's "desire to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue".

April, 2017: He courted controversy once again after alleging that the encounter in Kupwara, where three soldiers were martyred, was being blown out of proportion to tarnish the image of Muslims. Calling it a conspiracy to inflame hatred against Muslims, the Srinagar MP asked why there was less hue and cry over Sukma Naxal attack as compared to the Kupwara encounter.

ALSO READ:

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Farooq Abdullah: Wake up India, talk to Pakistan or lose Kashmir

WATCH: Farooq Abdullah welcomes third-party intervention in Kashmir issue

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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/22/2017



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
By PTI: Visakhapatnam, Jul 20 (PTI) Visakhapatnam rural police have seized 576 kg ganja worth Rs 75 lakh and arrested five persons allegedly involved in the transportation of the contraband in the agency area in the district.

The arrest was made yesterday near Alluri Park at A L Puram under K D Peta police station limits in the Agency area of the district, a police officer said.

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Three smugglers managed to escape from the spot.

"Based on the information that ganja was being transporting in a car and van, the police intensified vehicular checks. Noticing the police teams, the smugglers tried to escape from. However, five of them caught by the police, although three others escaped from the spot," Inspector of Koyyuru police station P V B Uday Kumar said.

Police found five bags of ganja in the car and 19 bags in the van, collectively weighing 576 kgs.

Police also seized Rs 37,000 in cash and four mobiles besides two motorcycles and the ganja-laden vehicles from the gang.

The five accused were identified as Atchyuta Appalanaidu (30), Kethavath Senkar Nayak (25), Ramavath Siva Kumar (23), Ramavath Hanuma (37) and Banavath Naga (24), police said.

The gang had procured the drugs from Vizag agency and were transporting it to Narsipatnam.

"We have registered a case against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and investigation is on to nab three others," Uday Kumar said. PTI CORR NP

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By PTI: Panaji, Jul 21 (PTI) Goa Legislative Assembly today congratulated Ram Nath Kovind on being elected as Indias President.

BJP member Glen Ticlo moved a motion on the floor of the House during the ongoing monsoon session, for congratulating Kovind.

The motion was supported by all the members, including the opposition benches.

"There is a link of Kovindji to Goa. When he was in Goa to meet the legislators, he told me that he is operating his office from the bungalow in Delhi which was allotted to me as the defence minister," Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said speaking on the motion.

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Parrikar had in March this year resigned as the defence minister. He was later sworn-in as the chief minister of Goa after the BJP stitched up a coalition to form a government in the state.

The chief minister today thanked Kovind for visiting Goa and interacting with the legislators.

"His visit to Goa made a difference. That may be the reason why some opposition MLAs also voted for him. They (opposition) must have felt that Kovind gave them respect by coming to Goa to campaign," Parrikar said.

The BJP leader pointed out that the oppositions presidential candidate, Meira Kumar, had invited Congress legislators from Goa to meet her in Mumbai during the campaigning.

After the results of the presidential election were announced yesterday, it was found that at least three out of the 16 Congress MLAs in Goa voted for Kovind whereas two votes were found invalid.

Hailing Kovind, Parrikar termed him as a studious person who has an impressive knowledge of law.

"Kovindji is a person suitable for the post of the president of India," he said.

Speaking on the motion, Vijai Sardesai (of Goa Forward Party) said that the selection of candidate by NDA itself made a difference.

"Even Congress legislators voted for him," he said.

Sardesai, whose party is an alliance partner in the state government, said the voting pattern from Goa in the presidential poll indicates that a group of Congress legislators is willing to switch over to the ruling side in the state.

"The results should lay to rest any speculation about instability in the Manohar Parrikar-led government. In fact, there is a camp in Congress which is willing to join us," he claimed.

"The government is absolutely stable," Sardesai said. PTI RPS GK RYS

--- ENDS ---
While there were a few men spotting the audience of the Georgia Theatre on Wednesday night, Magic Men Live is, at its heart, a ladies night.
Surat houses more than 650,000 powerlooms. Of this, at least 60 per cent have been shut since a month, a loss of Rs 900 crore, finds out Vinay Umarji.

Rukesh Kumar, 22, is running out of patience and finances.

He's whiling away time in his 6'x6' abode in the Shivamnagar slum in Surat that he shares with a fellow textile worker.

The Rs 5,000-odd he'd saved in June, after sending another Rs 5,000 back home in Patna, is almost over.

His employer had, as part of a general protest at the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) levy since July 1 on the sector, shut his dyeing unit.

Resulting in no work for Kumar and about 400 others.

"I am yet to hear anything from our contractor on when the unit will restart. If the money runs out, I will arrange some from home to book my travel back to Patna," Kumar tells Business Standard.

He's been working in Surat for 10 years, having come as 12-year-old.

The three-storied building in the Shivamnagar slum has a dozen such rooms and two common toilets, occupied by workers on a sharing basis or families.

Almost all of whom are waiting for a call from employers to resume work. Which looks slims at the moment.

The Rs 50,000-crore (Rs 500 billion) textile industry in Surat -- the diamond trade and textiles are the two sectors of note here -- employ an estimated 1.5 million.

Spread out in spinning, weaving, dyeing and processing, trading and garmenting jobs, through 20,000 manufacturers, including powerlooms, 75,000 traders and 150 wholesale textile markets.

Almost all the workers hail from other states - Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, among others.

While the government and the media's attention has been drawn towards the textile trading community, trying to make its voice heard through an indefinite strike which began on June 16 and ended on July 18, it is the powerloom and processing units that are dying a slow death.

The problem

A single loom generates an average revenue of Rs 22,500 or Rs 15 per metre for 1,500 metres of weaving in a month.

Surat houses 650,000 such powerlooms, thereby generating close to Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) of monthly revenue.

Of this, at least 60 per cent have been shut since a month, a loss of Rs 900 crore (Rs 9 billion) so far.

The weaving and processing units of the Surat textile industry have been the most hit, since they are largely informal and de-centralised, unlike larger textile entities that run composite units, right from fibre or yarn to finished goods.

According to Ashish Gujarati, president of the Pandesara Weavers' Association, which alone has 200,000 powerlooms, the decentralised units get their weaving and embroidery work done through job work or outsourcing, which, after GST, attracts an 18 per cent duty.

The double whammy for the powerlooms is that not only is most of the yarn twisting and embroidery job work unorganised and often done by women from their homes - it might also not merit any input tax refund under GST, as 80 per cent of the raw material is power and labour, which does not come under the input credit net.

"The powerloom industry is highly unorganised and decentralised. An 18 per cent duty on the job work as a service put an additional burden of 56p per metre; nor can it get input credit (treatment).

The government should have allowed time for the powerloom industry to first come under the formal taxation net before levying any duty on it.

The current structure favours larger composite textile players, since they don't have to pay tax at every level of production and processing, unlike the decentralised powerlooms," says Gujarati.

Mehul Patel, who runs a 100-loom unit in the Pandesara GIDC site, has been forced to lay off 16 workers, with five others left to work a single shift of 40 looms.

In the past month or so, Patel has incurred a loss of Rs 520,000.

"We have stopped getting orders from master weavers who used to outsource work to us. Whatever orders we even fulfilled are lying as inventory at our unit.

The additional burden of 56p per metre under the 18 per cent GST on job work is impossible for us to bear in this downturn scenario," he rues.

'Wrong sequence'

The industry has been demanding an 18-month vacation to get the entire value chain registered under the GST Network (GSTN) before any tax is levied.

Purushottam K Vanga, chairman of the Powerloom Development and Exports Promotion Council, says he has made several representations to the government and is waiting for the August 5 meeting of the GST Council.

"Surat represents a major chunk of India's powerloom industry, with Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Over 60 per cent of the 2.5 million powerlooms employing eight mn workers nationally are shut. With each passing day, orders are drying, leading to more units shutting shop," Vanga adds.

Gujarati says the statements Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has been making do not touch the issues of the powerloom industry.

"The FM is talking about composite mills, not the decentralised weaving and processing units of Surat, when he says GST will not have an impact on the textile industry.

It is complete discrimination against the decentralised units, which will see a duty credit accumulation that cannot be refunded by the government and multiple filings," he says.

Meanwhile, despite ending the strike, textile traders have seen almost zero business so far.

Ashish Nimbark, a small-time trader in the Millennium Market has even got calls from clients who wish to return goods, to avoid showing fresh stock after the GST onset.

More, with only 3,000 of the 75,000 traders registered on GSTN, small-time traders have hardly seen any enquiries being generated in the past month.
Why are far right Hindu organisations growing in strength?

Why is there a rising subscription in Neo-Wahabism, the Saudi Arabian version of contemporary Islam?

Mohammad Sajjad takes a closer look at the factors driving communal polarisation in Bihar.

IMAGE: A Hindu Yuva Vahini member inside the vigilante group's office in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh.

HYV offices have started appearing in some villages of Siwan and Gopalganj districts, north Bihar.

Unemployed youth, with bikes and cellphones, are ready recruits to such organisations.

Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

Why are far right Hindu organisations like the Bajrang Dal growing from strength to strength in Bihar?

In the recent incidents of communal violence in Muzaffarpur (January 2015), Vaishali (November 2015), and Saran (August 2016), Bajrang Dal youth were alleged to have indulged in the violence.

The Bajrang Dal -- joined by the community of Mallahs (fishermen) -- is becoming more visible and assertive, specifically in Bihar's Saran, Tirhut and Mithila.

There is a stereotype about the Mallahs. In colonial records, they were identified as 'criminal tribes'. And cutting across religious and caste barriers, the local population have always expressed a certain degree of fear about the community.

In recent times, the Mallahs in Bihar (as well as in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and other parts) have made efforts towards political organisation and assertion.

The Nishad Samanway Samiti is an umbrella organisation of different sub-castes identifying with the Mallahs, and one of its constituents -- the Ved Vyas Parishad -- was in negotiation with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in September 2015 before went to the polls.

Their political assertion is aided by the fact that while large swathes of the men of the peasant communities have migrated for their livelihood and children's education, the rate of migration among Mallah males is the lowest.

In migrating, many peasants of the chaurs (low lying waterlogged lands across north and east Bihar) have left their land abandoned.

The soil from these abandoned pieces of land is used by brick makers, and thereby emerge baolis (ponds and pond-lets) within the chaurs.

The Mallahs use these baolis as fisheries without paying anything to the landowners. The chaurs also attract birds. The Mallahs sell their fish and birds, fetching good income.

This economy has its implications.

The preponderant physical presence of the Mallah males in the villages makes them emerge as local toughs.

Their defiance against the absentee landowners (not landlords, as most of them are marginal and middle peasants) by exploiting the chaur lands make them a cohesive group, which has started yielding a political-electoral advantage to them.

Geographically, the commissioner's division of Saran (Bihar) and the Gorakhpur division (Uttar Pradesh) are contiguous, with better road and rail connectivity. The rail contractors and the mafia of Saran-Tirhut and Gorakhpur have been in close contact with each other for decades.

Gorakhpur is also the base of operations of two far right affiliates -- the Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV, whose chief Yogi Adityanath is now UP chief minister), and the Gita Press.

Now, HYV offices have started appearing in some villages in Siwan and Gopalganj districts, north Bihar, particularly among the Rajputs, as Yogi belongs to the Rajput community.

Unemployed youth, with bikes and cellphones, are ready recruits to such organisations.

Demographically, it appears that a huge proportion of people falling into such groups are from the 18 to 40 age range.

There is a huge mass of youth looking for purpose or fun, and eve-teasers, cow-protectors, and lynch mobs often comprise such age groups.

Communalisation of Muslims

Communal sentiments are also rising among Muslims living in these districts.

The rising subscription to Neo-Wahabism, the Saudi Arabian version of contemporary Islam, poses a problem not only for Hindu-Muslim harmony, but also for intra-Muslim sectarian harmony.

Among Sunni Muslims, the instances of Barelvi-Deobandi/Neo-Wahabi conflicts are becoming more frequent, and quite often these conflicts degenerate into riots.

The age-old practice of marriage ceremonies being attended by members of both communities, Hindus and Muslims, has been undermined.

With rising Neo-Wahabism, a section of pesh imams -- the prayer leaders of village mosques -- have started prohibiting participation of Hindu friends in Muslim marriages.

In some cases, brazenly setting aside courtesy and hospitality (mehmaan-nawazi), Hindu friends of the groom sitting on the stage for the nikaah ceremony have been driven out by maulvis (Muslim clergy) performing the ritual.

In many villages -- under the garb of fighting what they insist on calling shirk and bidat (innovations) of the Barelvi majority -- the Neo-Wahabis are pursuing the politics of one-upmanship and hegemony.

The Barelvis have also come out with a new practice -- processions marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. This procession comprising sword-wielding Muslims shouting slogans -- traditionally, such practices were only associated with Muharram -- are led by green flags.

This is often mistaken by Hindus as a Pakistani flag. This is increasingly turning these Muslim villages into a seething cauldron of maslaki (sub-sectarian) conflicts.

In a number of cases, the nexus between the village rangdaars (musclemen extorting money, also called 'frontline functionaries of the state'; in West Bengal, they are called mastans) and the pesh imams is obvious.

Almost invariably, the masjid fund is controlled and regulated by the village hoodlums who also determine the recruitment and dismissal of the pesh imams.

My trips to many villages in north Bihar have revealed that quite a large number of Muslim youth are in a state of denial about the growing influence of Neo-Wahabi radicalism among a section of their co-religionists.

This intolerance, creating obnoxious walls of divide, needs to be fought by those standing for plural values.

IMAGE: A Muslim voter in Patna.

The political empowerment of Muslims, and in some cases their affluence, have made it easier for the Sangh Parivar to convince the Dalits and Other Backward Classes, as also the poor among the upper castes, that the 'secular raj' has only benefitted Muslims.

Photograph: Krishna Murari Kishan/Reuters

Widening divide

Meanwhile, the implementation of reservations (soon after Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister in November 2005) in Panchayati Raj institutions for the Ati-Pichhrha -- 28 of the 41 Muslim communities fall in this category; nine in Pichhra and the rest belong to the upper castes -- a number of Muslims find themselves politically empowered.

This too has deepened the conflict between the Hindu and Muslim communities, particularly when it comes to electing the Panchayat Samiti pramukh (chief) and the Zilla Parishad adhyaksh (chairman).

In the elections for these positions, quite often, money and muscle power prevail.

This has resulted in identity-based rivalries as has the display of wealth earned in West Asian countries by neo-rich Muslims.

In Muslim neighbourhoods, each village has some people working in the Gulf countries. With remittances coming in, these neighbourhoods have become more affluent, a fact that has not gone unnoticed.

In recent decades, old mosques have been renovated and expanded, and tall minars (minarets) have been constructed.

The high-rise minars and gumbads (domes) are a conspicuous assertion of Muslim identity, and have become eyesores in Hindu neighbourhoods as Hindu temples are often not built as tall as the minars.

Remittances from the Gulf countries have also been invested in local trading and real estate.

This phenomenon is visible, in varying degrees, in the districts of Gopalganj, Siwan Champaran and Darbhanga.

In these places, some Muslim MLAs and MPs have also been elected in the last two decades.

This conspicuous affluence and political empowerment of Muslims have made it easier for the Sangh Parivar to convince the Dalits and Other Backward Classes, as also the poor among the upper castes, that the 'secular raj' has benefitted only the Muslims.

That such a dispensation needs to be replaced with a party that can protect 'Hindu' interests.

This is a commonly admitted fact among the people of this area -- that the BJP will do dharm-raksha, if not anything else.

Re-assuring steps awaited

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the MLA from Mahua (Vaishali) and Bihar's health minister, has launched the Dharmnirpeksha Sevak Sangh to fight the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliates.

But he has not articulated the details of the saffronisation of Bihar.

Does he have adequate information about the mushrooming of such organisations across rural Bihar?

Has he diagnosed the socio-economic factors behind such challenges?

Will the DSS be able to take up these challenges?

Does he have the cadre to confront communal forces?

Do he and his cadres have adequate conviction and capabilities?

Many cadres could opportunistically stick to Tej Pratap only so long as he is in power.

Relatively speaking, in the people's estimation, Lalu's younger son, Tejashwi, the deputy chief minister, is supposed to be a more promising leader than Tej Pratap.

But Tejashwi is now under the scanner on corruption charges, which might further weaken the Mahagathbandhan, and brighten the BJP's prospects.

Whether with the RJD or the BJP, Nitish Kumar may continue as Bihar's chief minister, but the real question is how does he wish to go down in history.

As an aide to the far right majoritarian chauvinism, a regime now identified more with lynching? Or as a protector of vulnerable groups at a very frightening moment for them?

It is also possible that given the BJP's fast-expanding social base, both Nitish and Lalu may end up spoiling each other's electoral fate, pushing Bihar into the hellish fire of hate-mongers.

Professor Mohammad Sajjad is with the Centre of Advanced Study in History of Aligarh Muslim University and has published two books -- Muslim Politics in Bihar: Changing Contours (Routledge, 2014), and, Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur since 1857 (Primus, 2014).
'If there's one administration that would be likely to put the squeeze on Pakistan, it's the Trump administration.'

'This is an administration that views terrorists as a black and white issue (kill them all, no questions asked), and will have little patience for Pakistan's selective policy toward terrorism.'

On Wednesday, July 19, the United States State Department released its Country Report on Terrorism 2016, which listed Pakistan among the nations and regions providing 'safe havens' to terrorists.

The State Department report, official sources told Press Trust of India on Wednesday night, is 'vindication of India's long-standing position on the menace of cross-border terrorism in this region.'

Asked for his observations, one of India's leading Pakistan watchers told Rediff.com on Wednesday night that "They (the US) haven't declared them a terror sponsor. Even last year Pak was listed as a safe haven for terrorists...they aren't even on the watch list as yet. So perhaps we are getting ahead of the story."

One of America's leading observers on South Asia, when asked for his reaction, felt, "My immediate reaction was that there wasn't yet enough clarity from the Trump administration about which direction it intends to go on either Pakistan or Afghanistan, and that it might not be smart to read too much into this report."

"This seemed especially true since the report was released by State which is currently understaffed and not a serious power player," the South Asia expert said, adding, "That said, most signs suggest Trump is inclined to be tougher on Pakistan."

To understand the State Department report better and find out if it indicates that President Donald J Trump will be tougher with the generals and politicians in Pakistan than his predecessors George W Bush and Barack H Obama, Rediff.com's Nikhil Lakshman reached out to Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director and Senior Associate for the South Asia program at the Wilson Center, the Washington, DC think-tank.

Readers will recall our interview with Michael -- an articulate and respected observer on India, Pakistan and the rest of South Asia -- after Prime Minister Narendra D Modi's visit to Washington last month when he gave the "Modi-Trump summit 10/10".

Do you think much is being made in government circles in New Delhi about the couple of words ('safe havens') used in the section on Pakistan in the State Department's Country Report on Terrorism 2016?

Does the section, in your reading, indict Pakistan enough and vindicate India's stand that it indulges in cross border terrorism?

I imagine those words and the report they come from are garnering much more attention in the Indian media than they are in the Indian government.

And that's because the words don't really say anything new or anything we didn't already know.

This isn't the first time the US government has accused Pakistan of providing terrorist safe havens, and it won't be the last.

This State Department report is an annual one, and in previous years it's mentioned the safe haven issue as well.

In separate contexts -- such as the joint statement following Narendra Modi's recent meeting with Donald Trump in Washington -- the US government has brought attention to anti-India terror groups on Pakistani soil and the need for Pakistan to eliminate them.

However, Washington has rarely if ever stated explicitly that the Pakistani State is orchestrating cross-border violence through these terrorist proxies.

What would be much more significant, in my view, is if the US government were to ratchet up the allegations and link terrorists more explicitly to the Pakistani security establishment.

We all remember when Admiral Mike Mullen famously referred to the Haqqani Network as a 'veritable arm' of the ISI.

Could we hear a similar allegation again at some point soon? Absolutely.

I doubt the Trump administration will mince many words in telegraphing its unhappiness about the Pakistani State and its ties to terror groups.

The bilateral relationship is poised to go downhill, and with that could come some sharp and increasingly tough rhetoric from the US side.

The 'safe havens' don't refer to terrorists like Jaish-e- Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayiba operating against India, but to terrorists like the Haqqani Network which attack American soldiers in Afghanistan -- is that correct?

Did you think that the section on Pakistan is mild, especially in its glossing over Islamabad/Rawalpindi's role in fomenting terrorism in India?

Generally in these types of reports there is also mention of the anti-India groups, though it's true the main focus in the new State Department report is on the anti-Afghanistan groups like the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban.

And it's easy to understand why.

It's the anti-Afghanistan groups that pose a more direct threat to Americans and US interests, given that they are waging insurgency in Afghanistan and attacking American troops.

In Washington, everyone remembers that Americans died in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but beyond that LeT and JeM are seen as less of a direct threat to the US.

This is why much of Washington's messaging on terror in Pakistan focuses on the anti-Afghanistan groups.

For this reason, I think the Trump administration will focus its counterterrorism policies in Pakistan much more on the Haqqanis and Taliban than on the anti-India outfits.

At the end of the day, the Trump administration is all about 'America First' and tackling global threats that imperil Americans the most.

I imagine this could entail, perhaps, expanding the drone war into Baluchistan to go after Taliban and Haqqani leaders.

Yet with LeT and JeM and its ilk, the Trump administration's efforts will revolve mostly around sharing intelligence with India and, in due course, perhaps selling India weaponry that will enhance New Delhi's capacity to go after these Pakistan-based terrorists.

I don't think we should overstate how much Washington will do to combat these anti-India groups.

Is the Country Report a significant document? Or is it a routine report issued by the State Department, compiled by American diplomats in the countries they are based and their counterparts in Washington, DC?

Does it have any value at all in determining American policy on terrorism?

Ultimately it's a relatively inconsequential document.

The US government is always churning out reports, and this is just one fish in a very big sea of documents and information overload.

Certainly it's notable for some folks, particularly those that study terrorism and South Asia more broadly.

But in terms of its impact on US policy, there's not much there.

Another reason we shouldn't read too much into this document is that it was issued by a US government agency that has been heavily marginalised by the Trump White House.

Let's be clear: The State Department is not and will not be the lead authority when it comes to Pakistan policy during the Trump era.

And so really this report is just the latest document of many to be produced by a defanged agency -- not exactly something ticketed for the president's desk.

So Pakistan is not a State Sponsor of Terrorism, as Iran is, in Foggy Bottom's eyes?

No matter, the carnage its proxies inflict in India and Afghanistan?

Pakistan is, in fact, the only country in the Central Asia and South Asia section of the report to be bestowed the accolade of 'Counterterrorism Partner'!

How do you account for Washington's unwillingness to censure Pakistan for encouraging terrorism in India?

This is a conundrum that has puzzled many analysts of Pakistan.

I think there are three main reasons why the US gives Pakistan the kid gloves treatment.

One is fear.

Many in Washington fear that taking a harder line toward Pakistan could backfire in dangerous ways.

In effect, according to this line of reasoning, taking a tougher position on Pakistan could lead it to tighten, not loosen, its ties to terrorists.

If the US were to really ramp up its hardline policy by declaring Pakistan a State sponsor of terror and cutting ties to the Pakistani military, then the result could be downright stabilising: Emboldened militants, heightened anti-Americanism among the masses, and so forth.

Not to mention, Pakistan would likely retaliate by closing down the crucial roads used by NATO forces to transport materiel to Afghanistan.

This is the epitome of the 'too big to fail' dynamic: The risks of cracking down on Pakistan outweigh the costs of sticking with what you have in Pakistan, warts and all.

A second reason why the US hasn't come out stronger in its condemnation of Pakistan could be recognition of the fact that Pakistan has actually, at times, been a helpful friend.

Most recently, after the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan let the US use its military bases and house security personnel on these bases, it allowed Pakistani roads to be used to transport NATO military supplies to Afghanistan, and it gave Washington permission to use drone strikes.

Pakistan may be perfidious and work against US interests, but it has actually helped Washington achieve some of its goals in the region.

And that's something that US officials havent forgotten, despite how unhelpful Pakistan has been otherwise.

A third reason why Washington hasn't censured Pakistan for its role in encouraging terror in India could be that it doesn't feel it has sufficient proof.

There's no doubt that anti-India terror groups enjoy safe havens in Pakistan, but evidence that the ISI is directly orchestrating efforts by terrorists to cross the border and stage attacks -- as they were several decades back -- may not be as strong.

And so the US may prefer to hold back.

The State Department does not detect the fingerprints of Jaish and Lashkar on the Pathankot and Uri terror attacks, both of which occurred in 2016, but has no such hesitation in blaming the Haqqani Network for attacking US troops in Afghanistan.

How do you explain these double standards?

I think it goes back to the evidence issue.

There are all kinds of smoking guns pointing to how the Haqqani Network has used Pakistan as a staging ground to carry out attacks on Americans in Afghanistan.

When it comes to Pathankot and Uri, it's not quite as easy to connect the dots.

There's certainly good reason to think LeT and JeM had a hand in the Pathankot and Uri attacks, but then again there are plenty of local, unaffiliated militants in Kashmir aggrieved by Indian security measures who would have an incentive to attack Indian troops.

Is the US as dependent on Pakistan for counterterrorism these days as it was in the early years of the War on Terror?

How has the equation changed in your perception?

What kind of assistance, in your understanding, does Pakistan still offer the US in counterterrorism?

US-Pakistan counterterrorism cooperation has decreased ever since US combat forces left Afghanistan.

With the US no longer fighting a combat war in Afghanistan, there's not as much need to secure Pakistani CT cooperation -- cooperation, let it be said, that was lacking when Washington needed it the most during the height of the American troop surge in Afghanistan.

At any rate, the height of US-Pakistan CT partnership took place in the immediate years after 9/11, when Pakistan was essentially opening up its military bases for American use.

I do think the US will still look to Pakistan to provide some counterterrorism assistance.

It's only natural to assume so, given that the US is likely to maintain, if not increase, troops in Afghanistan over the coming years.

Washington's asks will be modest, but in many ways consistent with expectations of the past: Permission to use drone strikes, provision of intelligence about the location of anti-Pakistan terrorists, and access to NATO supply routes in Pakistan.

Why were the Bush and Obama administrations reluctant to punish Pakistan for harboring terrorists that attacked American and ISF soldiers in Afghanistan, undermined US nation-reinforcement initiatives in that country?

It all goes back to the reasons why Washington doesn't take a harder line toward Pakistan overall -- a combination of fear of the consequences and recognition of the fact that Pakistan has actually been helpful to the US at times.

Given rising levels of anti-Pakistan hostility in Washington these days, I imagine it's the fear factor -- fear of the consequences of taking punitive measures -- that will be more likely to hold America back in the coming months.

Here, the supply line issue looms large.

If Washington were to declare Pakistan a State sponsor of terror at the very moment when it plans to send more troops to Afghanistan, then a Pakistani decision to retaliate by closing the supply routes could be disastrous for US policy.

Do you think the Trump administration will be tougher with Islamabad, given the President's declared hostility to Islamic terrorism?

What kind of action can we expect from President Trump vis-a-vis Pakistan?

Traditionally, American generals have had a good relationship with their counterparts in Rawalpindi.

Since both the American NSA and secretary of defence are both generals, will they advocate cutting some slack where the Pakistanis are concerned?

Despite Washington's hesitation to take the gloves off, I do think we could see a tougher policy toward Pakistan.

If there's one administration that would be likely to put the squeeze on Pakistan, it's the Trump administration.

This is an administration that views terrorists as a black and white issue (kill them all, no questions asked), and will have little patience for Pakistan's selective policy toward terrorism.

I think that one major Trump administration difference we could see from the Obama administration is an expansion of the drone war into Baluchistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

We may have gotten a preview a few weeks back when a drone strike reportedly killed a Haqqani Network leader in KP (Khyber PakhtunkhwaKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.

So far as we know, the ISI has never given the US permission to send drones into these regions -- this is why most drone strikes have been in the tribal areas, where they are permitted by the ISI.

So if the US does take its drone war away from the tribal areas, then there could be devastating effects for US-Pakistan relations.

Washington would probably want to work with Islamabad in advance of a drone war expansion to try to get some type of buy-in, so as to reduce the chances of Islamabad retaliating by closing the NATO supply routes or even encouraging militants to ramp up their attacks on Americans in Afghanistan.

It's tough to figure what the retired generals in the Trump administration think about Pakistan.

On the one hand, they do indeed enjoy warm ties with the Pakistani military. But then again, they saw their soldiers in Afghanistan get killed or maimed by Pakistan-allied terrorists.

My sense is the Trump administration will want it both ways -- it will seek to reduce aid and perhaps expand the drone war, but at the same time aim to maintain a workable relationship with Islamabad.

Were the CIA and other American intelligence and military agencies aware that the Pakistanis were 'playing' them constantly, but still opted for an intelligence-sharing and security relationship, simply because it was better to have the Pakistanis on their side rather than being adversaries? For that matter, were the Pakistanis ever truly on the Americans' side?

It's a complicated story.

I'm sure that the US intel and military community was well aware of Pakistan's double game.

After all, it was a top US official, Mike Mullen, who made perhaps the most damaging U.S. allegation about Pakistan's ties to militants.

But I do think that the CIA and military sought to focus on the positives -- witness how CT cooperation was built around terrorist groups that threatened both the US and Pakistan, like Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, and more recently ISIS.

Taking a glass-half-full approach was an effort in part to be pragmatic (The US had to find a way to justify partnering with Pakistan) but it was likely also an expression of the too-big-to-fail idea: Better to be on Pakistan's good side than its bad side.

Of course, this is somewhat of a flawed argument.

For the US, being on Pakistan's good side hasn't prevented American troops from getting killed by Pakistan-aligned terrorists.

I don't think Pakistan was ever truly on America's side, just as America was never truly on Pakistan's side.

These are two countries that have starkly divergent interests when it comes to matters of stability and counterterrorism, and even their best efforts at partnership haven't changed the basic calculus: When push comes to shove, each country pursues its own interests without regard for what the other wants.

How would you assess the India-US counterterrorism relationship?

In your assessment, is it the only genuinely successful such a partnership in Central and South Asia?

In what way, if you agree?

Would it be one of the success stories of the India-US relationship?

Do you believe there is real time sharing of information between the two sides?

I can understand what Washington brings to the table, but India? What intelligence, in your understanding, could India offer the Americans?

Overall, it's a very solid relationship with a lot of momentum and a whole lot of room to grow.

In effect, the sky's the limit for US-India relations -- and the very successful visit of Modi to Washington last month amplified the goodwill and trust and shared interests that undergird the partnership.

Certainly, for Washington, it's the deepest partnership it has in South Asia, by far.

Counterterrorism cooperation is one of the strongest elements of a very warm and strong overall relationship.

Modi and Trump see eye to eye on terror (just as Obama and Modi did), and they both feel very similarly about terrorism in Pakistan -- it needs to be dealt with, and right away.

That said, it is true that the counterterrorism partnership is not trouble-free.

There are things that one side could ask for that the other isn't willing to give.

For instance, Trump may want India to formally join the anti-ISIS coalition, which New Delhi is unlikely to do.

And India may want the US to go further than the US is willing to go in targeting anti-India terrorists in Pakistan.

Still, the counterterrorism partnership is a strong one, and this was underscored in the joint statement after the Modi-Trump meeting.

We can expect the two countries to ramp up their intelligence cooperation, and for the US to provide India with weaponry -- like drones -- that better allow India to surveil the movements of cross-border terrorists.

I can also envision them working together to try to freeze the financial assets of various anti-India militants in Pakistan.

Would you know of any instances where this counterterrorism partnership worked to avert or eliminate terror threats?

Was this counterterrorism relationship a consequence of 26/11 or predates that?

Does this partnership involve other American allies as well like Britain, Israel, Saudi Arabia?

It's been building for quite some time, though I do think it began to really pick up steam after the Mumbai attacks.

It was after the Mumbai attacks when the CIA presence in Pakistan began to increase in a big way.

One of the major reasons for this increased presence was to track the movements of Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

Raymond Davis, perhaps the best embodiment of the extended and often ugly CIA presence in Pakistan back then, was in Lahore trying to gain info about LeT.

I also think we could look to the Obama years as a time when CT cooperation really took off, simply because it was during the Obama years -- and particularly the second Obama administration -- when the relationship on the whole really took off.

Obama himself took a strong interest in CT cooperation, but you also had a huge fan of India -- Ashton Carter -- heading the Pentagon, and that entailed a deepening of the security relationship with the natural consequence of a more expansive CT partnership.

The State Department report does not allude to the elephant currently lurking in the room -- the Pakistani establishment's assertions that India is instigating terrorism in Balochistan.

Does America not believe the Pakistani charges?

Or does it not find a place in the report for the same reason as India's assertion that Pakistan is behind the Pathankot/Uri attacks?

For lack of evidence? Or for Washington's unwillingness to upset either side?

I have yet to meet a US official, past or present, who believes these Pakistani allegations about Indian terrorism in Baluchistan. And that is not an exaggeration.

As I understand it, the 'dossiers' that Pakistan has reportedly supplied to American officials (and UN officials too) purportedly detailing the extent of India's transgressions are in fact filled with vague and unconvincing material.

So this one is simple: The State Department report doesn't allude to the elephant in the room because it doesn't believe in the elephant to start with.

Pakistanis often say that Washington's silence about 'Indian terrorism' in Pakistan is an indication of Washington's clear pro-India tilt.

In fact, I'd argue it's more an indication of a desire not to make proclamations about something it doesn't believe to be true.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi with US President Donald J Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the Oval Office, June 26, 2017. Photograph: Reuters
Congress general secretary Ambika Soni on Friday dismissed reports of her resignation from the party, saying she had asked the leadership to lighten her duties due to her health.

Soni is the All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

"There is no question of resigning," Soni said.

"I had myself asked the party leadership to lighten my duties in the party due to my health," she said, adding that she will continue to fulfil the responsibilities till new appointments are made.

She said she had told the party leadership last year that Himachal Pradesh goes to polls later this year and it was difficult to travel in the three hill states due to her health.

She, however, continues to be the party general secretary and in-charge of the states. Sources said that she will continue to fulfil her responsibilities till new appointments are made.

Party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "We strongly reject insinuations being planted by our adversaries regarding her resignation."

He described her as one of the 'most seasoned, experienced and capable' leaders of the party.

"A year ago Ambika Soni had requested the party leadership to lighten her duties on account of her health. The party has and will always continue to utilise her experience and acumen," he said.

The Congress leadership is in the process of restructuring the party by bringing in some new faces in leading roles, ahead of organisational elections that are set to end by October 15.

The Congress leadership has already made some new appointments in poll-bound states, including Gujarat, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.

Sources say that the party leadership is in the process of appointing a new Pradesh Congress Committee chief for Madhya Pradesh and some restructuring is expected in its Himachal Pradesh unit.

Himachal Pradesh goes to polls along with Gujarat in November this year.
On July 25, when Ram Nath Kovind is sworn in as the 14th President of India, the outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee will leave Rashtrapati Bhavan and make his way to 10 Rajaji Marg in Lutyens Delhi -- his new residence post retirement.

According to a report in the Indian Express, Mukherjee reportedly wanted a house with a good reading and writing space.

IMAGE: 10 Rajaji Marg is being prepared for Pranab Mukherjee's move. It is spread over an area of 11,776 square feet and houses a library and reading space. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Spread over an area of 11,776 sq feet, 10, Rajaji Margs ground floor has a library and an attached reading space.

Interestingly, the house was occupied by another president -- Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. Kalam lived in this bungalow till his death in 2015.

It was then allotted to Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, which had evoked strong reactions from some quarters following Sharmas reported remarks that Kalam was a nationalist despite being a Muslim.

IMAGE: 10, Rajaji Marg also housed former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam till his demise in 2015.

Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo



According to the Presidents Pension Rules 1962, a retired President shall be entitled without payment of rent to the use of a furnished residence anywhere in India at the choice of the retired President, without payment of water and electricity charges for the remainder of his life.

According to earlier media reports, the government had asked former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangmas family to vacate the 34, APJ Abdul Kalam Road bungalow, which was likely to become President Mukherjee's new address upon retirement.
India on Thursday made a renewed pitch for a 'peaceful resolution' of the Dokalam standoff with China through diplomatic channels, insisting that differences should not become disputes.

The assertion by New Delhi came on a day China said diplomatic channels remained 'unimpeded' to discuss the issue provided India withdraws its troops from Dokalam.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters that India has been in 'close contact' with the Bhutan government on the unfolding developments, noting that diplomatic channels to resolve the issue with China have not broken off.

When referred to China's demand that status quo be restored in Dokalam, he said India has also been asking for it.

"There is a certain approach to resolve tri-junction issues and that it should not be altered unilaterally."

He said Bhutan's demand to China asking it withdraw its troops from Dokalam has also been India's stance. Baglay said India is for resolving border issues with China peacefully and referred to the understanding between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting in Astana last month that differences between the two countries should not be allowed to become disputes.

The two leaders had met in Astana on the sidelines of the summit of Shanghai Organisation Cooperation.

"Basically India's approach has been to find peaceful resolution of all matters concerning the border with China," he said, adding "Diplomatic channels are available and not broken off."

Asked about China ratcheting up rhetoric against India, Baglay quoted 15th-century saint Kabir, indicating it was not necessary to take note of everything that has been coming from the Chinese side.

"It is obvious that every responsible power, every responsible person and player in the world, of course, prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand," Baglay said.

Earlier in the day, China said diplomatic channels with India remained 'unimpeded' to discuss the Dokalam standoff but at the same time reiterated that the withdrawal of the Indian troops from the area is a 'precondition' for any meaningful dialogue.

Asked about China's comment, Baglay said diplomatic channels remaining available implies that it is a process.

The MEA spokesperson also said at least one flag meeting between the two sides had taken place after the face-off, which began on June 16. "I am aware of flag meeting taking place after June 16. Now whether there was one or more, I am not aware of."

On whether India has briefed other countries on the issue, Baglay said, "It is not appropriate for me to comment on diplomatic discussions and interactions that take place as a regular matter and also on sensitive issues of this nature."

"I would not like to go into the details of how and what and with whom such conversations have taken place, if they have taken place," he said.

To a question on whether India can explore going to the United Nations if diplomacy fails to resolve the standoff, Baglay said he cannot reply to hypothetical questions but added "In a sense you have answered your own question."

Asked about comments by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Jammu and Kashmir counterpart Mehbooba Mufti that China could be behind troubles in their states, Baglay evaded a reply and only said cross-border terrorism was the root of the problem in J&K.

Baglay also confirmed that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will travel to Beijing to attend a meeting of the BRICS multilateral grouping on July 27 and 28.

Representative image.
IMAGE: The killing of Zimbabwe's dearest lion -- Cecil -- had cause widespread outcry, with many demanding a strict punishment for the hunter. Photograph: Eric Miller/Reuters

The eldest son of Cecil the lion has been killed by trophy hunters in Zimbabwe, meeting the same fate as his father whose death in 2015 caused a global outcry.

Xanda, a six-year-old male, was killed just outside Hwange National Park in north west Zimbabwe -- near the spot where Cecil died two years ago.

Authorities were able to identify the animal -- believed to be Cecils oldest cub --because it had been fitted with an electronic tag.

Two years ago, Walter Palmer sparked international outrage by shooting Cecil, one of Zimbabwes most cherished lions.

Richard Cooke, the professional hunter accused of killing Xanda, also reportedly killed the cubs brother in 2015.

Cooke handed Xandas electronic collar back to researchers.

Andrew Loveridge, from the Oxford University research team is quoted as saying: I fitted it last October. It was monitored almost daily and we were aware that Xanda and his pride was spending a lot of time out of the park in the last six months, but there is not much we can do about that.

Richard Cooke is one of the good guys. He is ethical and he returned the collar and communicated what had happened. His hunt was legal and Xanda was over six years old so it is all within the stipulated regulations.

Cecil was found beheaded and skinned near Hwange National Park in 2015 and authorities said Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minneapolis, paid a $55,000 (Rs 35 lakh) bribe to wildlife guides to allow him to shoot the lion with a crossbow.

He was forced to abandon his dental practice for weeks amid the outcry over the killing.
An 18-year-old boy was killed and another person injured in alleged firing by security forces on a group of stone-pelters in the Beerwah area of Kashmir's Budgam district on Friday, police said.

According to the police, the group started pelting the personnel belonging to the 53 Rashtriya Rifles with stones.

A police spokesman said someone from the crowd burst a fire cracker, which the army personnel took as a grenade blast.

"Someone among the miscreants also hurled a fire cracker towards the forces. The army men thought a grenade was hurled and retaliated. Two persons identified as Tanveer Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrahim Wani were injured in the incident. Tanveer later succumbed to injuries, while Ibrahim is stable," he said.

However, a defence spokesman, said the security forces opened fire after a mob tried to snatch their weapons.

"An army patrol was subjected to heavy stone pelting by the mob in Kondur village near Beerwah town at 1.15 pm. In no time, the numbers swelled and the intensity of stone pelting increased.

"Some stone-pelters tried to close in and snatch the weapons from the soldiers. Two persons were reportedly injured when the troops opened fire. One of the injured later succumbed to injuries," he said.

The police added that the situation in Beerwah town and adjoining areas was tense following the incident.

Malik detained after trying to march towards UNMOGIP office

Police on Fridya detained Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik after he tried to lead a march towards the local office of United Nations in Srinagar to protest the 'killings in Kashmir'.

Malik was detained after he tried to lead a protest march to the office of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) at Sonwar in Srinagar after congregational prayers, a police official said.

He said Malik along with his supporters assembled in Dalgate area of the city here this afternoon and tried to take out a protest march to the UN office.

Police swung into action and took him into custody, the official added.

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front spokesman said Malik had gone into hiding as police had yesterday raided the outfit's office to arrest him.

Police had imposed a stringent curfew, barricades and razor wire were placed on every road leading towards Lal chowk and the UN office, the spokesman said.

But it failed to deter Malik and others to reach Buchwara Dalgate, he added.

The spokesman said Malik addressed people at the Jamia Masjid in Buchwara and later at the Buchwara Chowk as well.

The JKLF chairman had gone into hiding as state has 'choked' every space for peaceful programmes in Kashmir, he said.

Friday's protest strike and sit-in outside the UN office are actually a mark of protest against the 'spree of innocent killings in Kashmir', Malik said before being detained by the police.

He said it is obligatory on the international community, especially the UN, to take cognisance of these 'gross human rights violations'.

Earlier, the separatists had asked the people to march to Sonwar to participate in a sit-in outside the UN office.

However, police foiled the proposed march by sealing the roads leading to the UNMOGIP office and imposing strict restrictions in eight police station areas of the summer capital.

Representative image.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) Senior diplomat and External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay was today appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Ministers Office.

He has been appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as Indias Ambassador to Paris.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Baglays appointment to the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

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Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.

The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, it said. PTI AKV DIP ZMN DIP

--- ENDS ---
'Ask the chief minister to give in writing that the police must not do their job. We will back down and stop checking vehicles.'

Days after DSP Shreshta Thakur confronted BJP workers, she was transferred.

Veer Arjun Singh reports from Lucknow.

Police and Indian Police Service officers are routinely transferred. While it's within a government's rights to do so, the practice is most common after a regime change.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's arrival was no different.

In a major reshuffle, 67 IPS officers in the state were transferred within 100 days of his government.

The decision was made, a list was issued and then publicised by media reports that offered no insights.

It's routine and the news has minimum public recall. But then came along a woman cop who revived the debate.

Till recently, Shreshtha Thakur, 34, was stationed in UP's Bulandshahr as deputy superintendent of police. She has now been sent to Bahraich district, 125 km from Lucknow near the Nepal border.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party maintains it is a routine transfer that includes 243 others, but Thakur's eventful week before her transfer has raised a question.

Thakur had an unusual day outside a court earlier this month when she was thrust with political pressure into releasing an offender whom she had rounded up along with four others.

Pramod Lodhi was stopped and fined for not wearing a helmet. He was later arrested for allegedly thrashing a police officer on duty and misbehaving with others.

Lodhi is reportedly a BJP worker and his colleagues claim he was beaten by the police.

Lodhi's supporters had gheraoed the police and an irate conversation was being routinely interrupted by slogans of 'UP police murdabad' when Thakur decided to step up and confront them.

Thanks to her tech-savvy deputies, the altercation is on record, and has since gone viral.

'Ask the chief minister to give in writing that the police must not do their job. We will back down and stop checking vehicles,' Thakur says as she challenges each man condemning the police to come in front and face her.

'The police have the right to do their job, but why are you punishing BJP workers?' says one of them as Thakur thunders back, 'Who's a BJP worker? If you are, then you're bringing a bad name to your party.'

As tempers flare up, she reminds the party activists that they must mind their tone while speaking to an officer on duty.

'We have raised our hand today and will raise it again,' she rebukes the men who dare to raise their voice.

'My transfer is a reward for my good work,' Thakur wrote on Facebook after she was told of her new posting.

She precedes the news with the saying, 'A lamp has no address, it illuminates wherever it goes.'

Political pressure is not new to police in the populous UP.

According to an IndiaSpend analysis of data from the Bureau of Police Research and Development, the state transferred IPS officers at four times the Indian average.

"It (Uttar Pradesh) is the most complex state to operate, and when policemen find themselves against a person who wields the backing of a powerful caste or a politician, the government lends no support," says Prakash Singh, former director general of police, who led the UP police force from 1991 to 1993.

Singh, however, refrains from passing any judgement on the case and says he has a positive outlook towards the Adityanath government.

As for Thakur, she has asked her well-wishers to visit her in Bahraich.

The new city awaits her arrival with a hero's welcome.

IMAGE: A screengrab from the video shows Deputy Superintent of Police Shreshtha Thakur confront the BJP workers.
'...getting drenched in the rains, doing farm work, labour and sweating it out so that they can get their evening meals.'

'I want to tell them that this Ram Nath Kovind of Paraunkh village is going to Rashtrapati Bhavan as their representative.'

Archis Mohan reports.

In the fourth week of May, Ram Nath Kovind was called to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 71 year old assumed that the meeting had something to do with his gubernatorial assignment in Bihar, but was surprised to be told that he was one of the nine names being considered for the National Democratic Alliance's Presidential candidate.

Unlike some of the other nominees, Kovind's name was not discussed in the media.

Even his closest friends and relatives had no idea that Kovind could succeed Pranab Mukherjee as India's President until Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah announced the Dalit lawyer's candidature following the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting on June 19.

Kovind's ability to keep a low profile was not the only reason that Modi and Shah handpicked him.

By making Kovind, a Dalit from Uttar Pradesh, the BJP-led NDA's Presidential nominee, Modi and Shah took the Opposition by surprise, which was forced to recalibrate its strategy to name Congress leader Meira Kumar, Dalit icon Babu Jagjivan Ram's daughter, as its nominee.

But the damage was already done to Opposition unity.

Kovind's candidature led to a split in the Opposition, with the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United, Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, and several regional parties announcing they would vote for the NDA candidate.

If the move caused hiccups in the JD-U-Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress 'grand alliance' in Bihar, it also contributed to Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati quitting her Rajya Sabha membership.

Ever since performing miserably in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Mayawati has been in search for a cause that could help her reclaim her party's Dalit support base.

Kovind's choice has strengthened the BJP's newfound support among non-Jatav Dalits.

On Thursday, July 20, the result was on expected lines.

Kovind received 65.65 per cent of the electoral college votes.

Congress leaders claimed Kumar's were the second-highest number of votes that a runner-up had ever received in 13 previous Presidential elections.

But there was some embarrassment for the Congress, with some of its legislators in Gujarat having voted not for Kumar, but Kovind.

There were instances of cross-voting in favour of Kovind in some other states too.

Kovind will take the oath of office on July 25.

He is only the second Dalit, after K R Narayanan (1997 to 2002), who will become India's head of State.

After the results, an emotional Kovind reminisced about his journey from a mud-walled house in Paraunkh, his ancestral village in Kanpur Dehat, to become the 14th President of India.

"It is raining a lot in Delhi today and it reminds me of days when I would stay in my paternal village. It was a kachcha home of mud walls," the President-elect remembered.

"The straw roof would not be able to stop water during rains. We brothers and sisters would huddle around a wall, waiting for the rains to stop."

"There would be so many Ram Nath Kovinds in the country today, getting drenched in the rains, doing farm work, labour and sweating it out so that they can get their evening meals."

"I want to tell them that this Ram Nath Kovind of Paraunkh village is going to Rashtrapati Bhavan as their representative."

With Kovind's election, and Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu set to be the vice-president, it will be for the first time in 70 years that the two Constitutional heads as well as the head of government, the prime minister, will be associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Kovind is also the first BJP member to be elected President of India.

Kovind has been a two-term Rajya Sabha member (1994 to 2000 and 2000 to 2006).

He has also been a BJP spokesperson and the head of its Dalit Morcha.

Months before the Bihar assembly polls in October 2015, Kovind was appointed Bihar governor.

He has been a lawyer and associated with the RSS' Dalit outreach for over 40 years.

He has also served as a member on the board of management of Ambedkar University, Lucknow, and was a member of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.

Kovind is married and has a son and a daughter. His wife Savita accompanied him during his election-related campaign across India over the past month.
The Trump administration will not give $350 million (Rs 2,250 crore) in coalition support fund to Pakistan after the US Defence Secretary said that he cannot certify that Islamabad has taken 'sufficient actions' against the dreaded Haqqani terror network, an official said on Friday.

The Pentagon's decision came ahead of a review of US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As a result of the notification by Defence Secretary James Mattis to Congress, the Department of Defence has reprogrammed remaining Coalition Support Funds, which is $350 million, to other accounts, Defence Department Spokesman Adam Stump said.

"Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defence committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani Network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Coalition Support Funds (CSF)," Stump said.

Pakistan-based Haqqani network is blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on US and Western interests in war-torn Afghanistan.

The terror group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people.

This is for the second consecutive year that the US Defence Secretary has refused to certify to Congress, as mandated under National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), that Pakistan has taken satisfactory action against the Haqqani network.

The group is believed to be based in the unruly tribal regions of Pakistan, near the porous border with Afghanistan.

As authorised by the US Congress in its NDAA, the Department of Defence reimbursed $550 of $900 million to Pakistan early this year.

Mattis' predecessor Ashton Carter was the first US Defence Secretary to refuse that certification.

"The funds ($350 million) could not be released to the government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network as per the requirement in the FY 2016 NDAA," Stump said.

"Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million of the $900 million the country was authorised in FY16 CSF. With the secretary's decision, there is no additional FY16 CSF available to Pakistan. The secretary decided to request reprogramming of the funds to retain the ability to use those funds for other requirements," he said.

As part of the regular Defence Department budgetary process, the FY16 CSF money allotted for Pakistan needed to be released or reprogrammed prior to the expiration of the funding, Stump said.

"This decision does not prejudge the conclusions of the White House review of South Asia strategy, which is still ongoing," Stump insisted, articulating that this decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over previous years.

"We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism," he said.

However, the Taliban and the Haqqani Network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan, Stump said, two days after the State Department in a report to the Congress had listed Pakistan as one of the countries having terrorist safe havens.

"In our discussions with Pakistani officials, we continue to stress that it is in the interest of Pakistan to eliminate all safe havens and reduce the operational capacity of all militant organisations that pose a threat to the US and Pakistani interests as well as regional stability," he said.

Noting that Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million in FY16 CSF, Stump said $300 million of FY2016 Coalition Support Funds were already rescinded as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017. $50 million was the remaining amount available out of the $900 million authorised for Pakistan in FY16 CSF, he said.

Pakistan is authorised to receive up to USD 900 million in FY17 CSF.

"There is a similar certification requirement for Pakistan pertaining to USD 400 million of FY17 CSF. Pakistan still has time to take action against the Haqqani Network in order to influence the Secretary's certification decision in FY17," Stump said.

The Coalition Support Fund (CSF) authority is not security assistance, but rather reimbursements to key cooperating nations for logistical, military and other support provided to US combat operations.

Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received more than $14 billion since 2002.

"CSF is just one component of the United States' broad and enduring partnership with Pakistan," Stump added.

Photograph: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Friday suggested third party mediation to resolve the Kashmir issue, saying India should take the help of 'friends' and that dialogue was the only solution.

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir also asked, "Till what time should we wait?" and wondered how many more wars will India and Pakistan fight.

"The way out is through dialogue. Use your friends... Use them for dialogue to resolve the issue," he told reporters outside Parliament.

Asked if he meant that a 'third party' should be involved, Abdullah said, "(US President) Donald Trump has said he wants to settle the Kashmir problem. We did not ask him for it (help). China has also said it wants to mediate in Kashmir... We are not saying (that we) hand over things to them."

He stressed that taking help does not mean 'we should hand over' the affairs to 'friends'.

Abdullah referred to the wars that India and Pakistan had fought and said it was time to take 'the bull by the horns'.

"You haven't spoken for 70 years... four wars have happened," he said when reminded by a reporter about India's stand that Kashmir was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

"Till what time should we wait? Should we wait for a thousand years? You have to take the bull by the horns. You have to do it sometimes. They (Pakistan) have atom bomb, so have you. How many people will you kill? This is not the way," Abdullah said.

"How many more wars you will fight? How much more will you damage India? The money you spent on buying planes, materials for forces ... If you spend it on poor farmers, India will prosper," he said.

Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, had in April said the Trump administration would try and 'find its place' in efforts to de-escalate India-Pakistan tensions and not wait till 'something happens'.

However, Trump himself has not made any public statement on playing the role of a mediator in the Kashmir issue.

China had on July 12 said it was willing to play a 'constructive role' in improving India-Pakistan ties, especially after the increased hostility along the Line of Control.

India had, however, snubbed China, insisting it was a bilateral matter between it and Pakistan.
The President may not have agreed with the government on many occasions.

Not once was this ever made public though he told off ministers in private, reports Aditi Phadnis.

IMAGE: Pranab Mukherjee has done it all -- from handling finance, the planning commission, commerce, shipping and transport, industrial development, steel and mines in the past, he capped it all by becoming President of India.

Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

It was hot, that evening of May 22, 2004, a day before the United Progressive Alliance was to be sworn in. This was the first major tryst of the Congress with coalition politics at Delhi.

As television channels were going wild speculating about who was going to get what portfolio, Pranab Mukherjee was sitting quietly in his small study in his Talkatora Road residence, going through various reports on the functioning of the Union home ministry; a few party seniors had confidently told him that he would be India's Union home minister in a few hours.

Kashmir had seen a terror attack and some news channels -- confident that they were interviewing the next home minister -- even aired some comments from Mukherjee on the attack.

Late in the evening, as those channels flashed the portfolios of the new ministers in Manmohan Singh's council, against Mukherjee's name the legend said: Defence minister.

There was an air of disbelief on Talkatora Road. His close aides, under the mistaken impression that the defence ministry was a portfolio a notch lower than the home ministry, were both shocked and indignant.

But what did the man himself do? He took 10 to 15 seconds to digest the new situation. Went to the toilet. Came back and ordered his assistant: 'Connect me to the defence secretary.'

Pranab Mukherjee, then the most experienced minister in the UPA, knew that slippery patches abound in the corridors of power -- and you must take what you get, there is no time to ponder over unfulfilled possibilities.

But when he left the ministry to occupy another corner of the South Block as foreign minister in 2007, he had begun to like being defence minister.

"I enjoyed it a lot. So much to learn, so many technical things, and more than anything, it was a new kind of a job," said the minister who has handled finance, planning commission, commerce, shipping and transport, industrial development, steel and mines in the past and caps it all by becoming President of India.

His affection for Indira Gandhi has stayed with him. And he learnt a lot from her administrative skills and tactics in party politics.

He also earned her anger when he contested and lost the Lok Sabha elections in 1980 (this prominent Gandhi family loyalist could not win a Lok Sabha election until 2004).

Indira Gandhi telephoned Mukherjee a few hours after the results were out: 'Everyone in this country knew that you would not win. Even your wife Shuvra knew it. What made you think that you could pull through?' and without waiting for an answer slammed the phone down.

After two days, Mukherjee got another call from Delhi. This time it was Sanjay Gandhi: 'Mummy is very angry with you. But she also said that there cannot be a Cabinet that doesn't have Pranab.'

Pranab Mukherjee became the Union finance minister in Indira Gandhi's council of ministers and was accommodated through a Rajya Sabha seat.

His first Budget speech in 1982 lasted for 1 hour and 35 minutes. "I'll never forget what Indira Gandhi said in the House after I finished. She remarked: 'The shortest finance minister has delivered the longest Budget speech'."

Balram Jakhar, sitting in the Speaker's chair, quipped: 'It's a long and short story,' he once told a reporter.

His fall from grace after Indira Gandhi's assassination is too well known to bear repetition. But, rehabilitation followed.

Then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao was also advised once to shunt Pranab Mukherjee out. A group of jealous senior leaders gave a long deposition to Rao that he should immediately make Mukherjee the governor in Uttar Pradesh which would more or less have ended the Bengali leader's political career. Rao heard them with patience.

Then he gave his s verdict: 'Already most of our voters have fled to Mulayam Singh Yadav. If Pranab becomes governor, hearing his Hindi accent, the rest will also run away.'

By the end of the UPA's tenure, it was clear that Mukherjee had his sights set on Raisina Hill.

He was not to be denied. The chatter about his Presidency is the mercy petitions for death sentences that he turned down. But that was classical Mukherjee -- a man who believes you must be responsible for your actions.

He has not stinted in reminding the government and the Opposition alike about their responsibilities -- in several speeches he has recorded how disappointed he was in the Opposition stalling Parliament.

In others, he has quoted Hindu scriptures to illustrate that inclusiveness has always been a part of Indian society.

The steps taken by Mukherjee to revive and restore Rashtrapati Bhavan's priceless architecture and artefacts was part of a project to maintain the continuum in history.

Rashtrapati Bhavan also opened its doors to scholars, musicians and scientists who were invited to treat it as a retreat.

Mukherjee's respect for the Constitution is unparalleled.

He might not have agreed with the government on many occasions. Not once was this ever made public -- though he told off ministers in private.

It is a tribute to him that he did; and a tribute to them that they took it.
The strike has left more than 43,000 students in a dilemma on how or rather whether they will be able to appear in the board examinations this year. Subsequent to a request from the parents, several teachers have now gone out of their way to teach the students privately at home.

By Manogya Loiwal : Gorkhaland Movement has not only brought the life in Queen of Hills to a standstill but also raised a big question on the fate of students appearing in board examination this year.

Darjeeling district has around 50 schools which are of national and international standards but all are closed since June 15. The schools in entire hill area of Darjeeling are more than a century old. Housed in heritage buildings these schools have been the education centres of many governors and other respected dignitaries over the years.

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The strike has left more than 43,000 students in a dilemma on how or rather whether they will be able to appear in the board examinations this year.

Many schools have still not held the half yearly examinations till now for this academic year.

The schools have been closed for more than a month and many parents are worried about the fate of their wards.

TEACHERS TO RESCUE OF STUDENTS

Subsequent to a request from the parents, several teachers have now gone out of their way to teach the students privately at home.

The tuitions are being giving to these students free of cost every day in the first half of the day mostly from 11 am to afternoon.

Nadim Akhtar is one of the several teachers who have made this effort. Akhtar, who teaches in a private school, said, "I am teaching these students in my home to help them in their studies. I am teaching them on the request of their parents. At first I was not ready but the way they requested me and when I saw these kids, I changed my mind and decided to teach them for about one-and-a-half hours."

He expressed the confidence that his efforts would benefit these kids because they want to play whole day but do not want to study. At least under his guidance they are learning something new. They cannot attend to school but in his home they are taking test of every subject every day. At least they are not sitting blank. Whatever they study under his guidance, they revise everything at their home, he added.

The teacher said he supported the issue of Gorkhaland. Still he was teaching these students so that they could revise their syllabus properly. "I am not teaching them any new chapter. I am just teaching them according to their mid-term syllabus. Students easily forget the subjects like maths and science. This is the only reason I am helping these students," he said.

However, the students in the rural areas are not as fortunate as their counterparts in the urban areas. The distance they can afford to travel is never more than two kilometres for safety and security reasons but there are other constraints too.

They can only revise since the boarders are unable to attend the extra classes as it may result in a mismatch of the syllabus.

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TEACHERS' PROTEST

Meanwhile, several teachers have returned the awards from the state government but are still doing their duty of teaching at home, sans any cost.

Pramila Pradhan, senior teacher of St Joseph School in Darjeeling said, "I got this academic award in 2012 from the teaching department of West Bengal government in Kolkata. The way the Bengal Government is ill-treating everyone, I thought I should return this award and support others."

SCHOOLS AGAINST TAKEOVER BY FORCES

The Central Paramilitary Forces are seeking school buildings for operation and accommodation bringing the school authorities at loggerheads.

Father Kiju, assistant principal of North Point School in Darjeeling, made it clear that the forces will in no way get the school premises for any such purpose.

He said, "They want to camp here but we are not giving them any space. They entered by breaking the locks. They were asking for the permission but we denied. They want to stay here with their securities which can be a risk. This is the only reason we didn't give them the permission."

GORKHALAND JANMUKTI MORCHA AGITATION CONTINUES

The Morcha leaders are continuing their demand, strike and have gone on hunger strike also now.

Sonum Lama, president of Student Morcha said, "The adverse impact on education due to the mass movement has been massive. It has affected the life of the students," blaming the government for the situation.

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With inputs from Kayes Ansari

ALSO READ:

Gorkhaland stir: West Bengal Police digs who all GJM leaders called while Darjeeling burned

Gorkhaland stir: Darjeeling flares up again after three protesters killed; Army redeployed

--- ENDS ---
'Released' Chinese rights lawyers remain under 24-hour surveillance with teen son

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 5 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, 'Released' Chinese rights lawyers remain under 24-hour surveillance with teen son, 5 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a87f13.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-05

From left to right, Bao Zhuoxuan, Wang Yu, and Bao Longjun, in undated photos. Photos courtesy of an RFA listener

Prominent Chinese rights lawyer Wang Yu, who was 'released' on bail last August after being held for more than a year on subversion charges, has been under tight surveillance akin to house arrest along with her whole family ever since, her lawyer told RFA on Wednesday.

Two years after police launched a nationwide operation targeting lawyers, Wang Yu and her husband and colleague Bao Longjun are now living in the northern region of Inner Mongolia along with their son Bao Zhuoxuan, and are seldom seen or contacted by friends or former colleagues.

Repeated attempts to reach Wang and Bao on their previous cell phone numbers resulted in "number unobtainable" messages or busy signals this week.

However, the family reportedly traveled to Tianjin in late June to visit relatives, but remained under close surveillance by state security police during the trip, and returned to Inner Mongolia's Ulaanhot city on June 30, sources told RFA.

"They are still not free," fellow rights lawyer Wen Donghai, who has met with Wang since her "release," told RFA. "There is even surveillance in their bedroom, and there is a team of people watching them around the clock."

"That team follows them wherever they go."

Wen said the couple's son, who was slapped with a travel ban after planning to attend a high school in the United States, has been barred from taking up a place at a Beijing school.

"According to the rules, their bail period should be up on July 22, after which the authorities should unconditionally drop the charges against them," he said. "They should regain their freedom in the next couple of weeks, but it doesn't look as if that's what the authorities are getting ready to do."

Bao's defense lawyer Huang Hanzhong said the inclusion of the couple's son in the surveillance regime is indefensible.

"At least there is still a criminal case pending against Bao Longjun and Wang Yu, but their son Bao Zhuoxuan isn't a suspect in any criminal case," Huang said. "He should be allowed the freedom to travel and to study."

"Nobody out of the three of them is free," he said. "This is a serious violation of their rights as citizens, and an illegal act."

Rights groups say several individuals 'released' following the crackdown that began with Wang's detention on July 9, 2015 are still being held incommunicado.

Under surveillance

Meanwhile, others who were granted "bail," including legal assistant Zhao Wei, have also remained under surveillance, and haven't been in touch with their usual social circle since leaving the detention center.

Overseas rights groups said they would mark the anniversary of the crackdown on rights lawyers by designating July 9 Chinese Lawyers' Day.

"As prominent representatives of Chinese lawyers, human rights lawyers have been the target of the Chinese government's persecution since the beginning of the rights defense movement," a consortium of groups including the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group said in a statement.

"They've had their licenses to practice law revoked, they've been followed, threatened, publicly slandered by state media, abducted, disappeared, sent to forced labor camps, imprisoned for lengthy periods, and tortured," the statement said.

"Persecution has become commonplace," the groups said, announcing plans for an inaugural event on July 9 in Washington.

Concerns are growing for the safety of dozens of human rights lawyers and associates locked up in an unknown location by the Chinese authorities in a crackdown that started in July 2015.

Following a nationwide operation targeting rights lawyers, activists, their families, and employees, at least 19 of the more than 300 detained, questioned, or otherwise affected were held on suspicion of subversion with no access to a lawyer.

Reported by Ding Wenqi for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Tibetan monk missing in custody has been sentenced

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 5 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Tibetan monk missing in custody has been sentenced, 5 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88013.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-05

Jamyang Lodroe is shown in an undated photo. Photo sent by an RFA listener

A Tibetan monk who vanished after being taken into custody last year by police in Sichuan's Ngaba prefecture was sentenced this week to a three-year prison term, Tibetan sources say.

Jamyang Lodroe, 36, was sentenced on July 4, 2017, by a court in Ngaba's Trochu (in Chinese, Heishui) county, a relative living in Paris told RFA's Tibetan Service.

"Authorities allowed his family to visit with him for an hour, but did not say where he will be sent to serve his sentence," the source named Choephel said, citing contacts in Ngaba.

Lodroe, a monk at Ngaba's Tsinang monastery, was detained without explanation on the evening of May 15, 2016, in front of the Barkham (Ma'erkang) City People's Hospital, sources told RFA in earlier reports.

"He was held incommunicado since then, and his family and other relatives asked the relevant police departments many times where he was being held, but always without success," Choephel said.

Lodroe had written articles on sensitive political subjects and was accused of sending news about protests to contacts outside his area, Choephel said, adding that this may be why he has now been imprisoned.

Authorities in Tibetan-populated areas of China closely monitor Tibetans' use of mobile phones and social media and harshly punish the spread of news or images of self-immolations and other protests challenging Chinese rule, sources say.

Reported by Sonam Lhamo for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Two Vietnamese hostages of Abu Sayyaf beheaded: Philippine military

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 5 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Two Vietnamese hostages of Abu Sayyaf beheaded: Philippine military, 5 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88113.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-05

Philippine soldiers display various types of seized improvised explosives and banners similar to those used by the Islamic State at a village in Basilan province in the southern Philippines, May 16, 2015. AFP

Philippine troops have recovered two decapitated bodies believed to be those of Vietnamese hostages held captive by the Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern island of Basilan since November, military officials said Wednesday.

The severed heads were found next to the corpses, officials said. The grisly discovery came on the 44th day of a government offensive to dislodge members of the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group in the city of Marawi, some 300 km (187 miles) northeast of Basilan.

"The bodies were found at 5:40 in the morning by a member of the local populace," said Col. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Joint Task Force Basilan.

"The cadavers will be made to undergo forensic exams as coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy is also simultaneously done," he said.

Uy said the bodies were identified as Hoang Thong and Hoang Va Hai. The two were among six Vietnamese crew members of the MV Royal 16 cargo vessel who were abducted in November by Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) gunmen off Basilan, a stronghold of the militants.

One of the six, 28-year-old Hoang Vo, was rescued by the Philippine Army after soldiers overran an Abu Sayyaf position last month. Three other Vietnamese are among 22 people, including citizens of The Netherlands, Indonesia and Japan, who are still being held captive by extremists in Basilan and in the jungles of nearby Jolo island, officials said.

Vietnam said it was trying to verify reports of the beheadings from Philippine officials.

"Vietnam strongly condemns all acts of kidnapping and inhumane murder," Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnam's foreign ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement Wednesday. "Such actions must be punished appropriately."

Philippine regional military chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez also condemned the beheadings and vowed to step up offensives to recover the remaining hostages.

"(The military) commiserates with the bereaved family and friends of the slain victims," he said. "In no way does the Abu Sayyaf Group represent our Muslim brothers who are true followers of the Islam."

Operations were ongoing to recover three other hostages in Basilan, Galvez said, but did not elaborate.

Engaged in banditry, kidnappings

The Abu Sayyaf, or Bearers of the Sword, is the most brutal of militant groups operating in the southern Philippines. It was formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network but has mostly been engaged in banditry and kidnappings, including of Indonesian and Malaysian crew members of commercial ships sailing in area waters.

In February, the gunmen beheaded German yachtsman Jurgen Kantner after his government failed to pay a ransom equivalent to U.S. $600,000 demanded by the gunmen. Two Canadian hostages suffered the same fate last year.

ASG gunmen have also carried out some of the Philippines' biggest terrorist attacks, including the 2004 bombing of a passenger ferry that killed more than 100.

The group is believed to number in the few hundreds and is divided in several factions, one of which is led by Isnilon Hapilon, who has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).

Hapilon managed to escape troops in Basilan early this year, and last month connected with militants led by members of the Maute family in Marawi.

Military officials said Hapilon, backed by several Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern fighters, plotted the takeover of Marawi, a Muslim trading hub of 200,000 people.

The takeover triggered vicious gun battles since May 23 and forced President Rodrigo Duterte to place the entire southern region under martial law.

Duterte had also sought the assistance of the United States and Australia, who are providing intelligence assistance by flying spy planes over Marawi, which has been emptied by its residents with bombing runs and intense fighting reducing parts of the city to rubble.

The military said the gunmen were still in control of several villages, where the militants are holding dozens of people as hostages. Hundreds of other residents remain trapped in the war zone, officials said.

The fighting has killed 343 militants, 85 security forces and 39 civilians. A Singaporean IS fighter, whose body was recently recovered, was among the dead militants, officials said.

According to earlier reports, two Indonesians, a Malaysian, two Saudis and a Chechen were among other foreign militants killed in the action in Marawi.

The viciousness of the gun battles and the presence of the foreign fighters in the city have raised regional concerns that Southeast Asia may become a hub for IS as it loses ground in Syria and Iraq. In recent weeks, officials in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia have also warned that IS fighters fleeing from the battles in Marawi could try to infiltrate their nearby territories by sea.

In the Malaysian state of Sabah, which lies off the southern Philippines, an intelligence source with the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), told BenarNews that all movements of ships in the area were being watched for suspicious activity.

"All fishing and passenger boats plying the Sulu sea are being intercepted by Malaysian security forces in the hope of getting information about IS militants in the area," the source said on condition of anonymity.

"The particulars of all people found on the Sabah side of the the Sulu sea are being questioned thoroughly, and their particulars are being noted and compared with those on the ESSCOM wanted lists," the source said, adding, "There are fears that IS Militants trying to flee the southern Philippines may disguise themselves as fishermen, or Filipinos wanting to 'visit' their friends or relatives already in Sabah."

Vantage point captured

On Wednesday, officials said troops had taken control of Dansalan College, a hilltop campus in Marawi that provides a vantage point for enemy snipers.

"The challenges for the troops also remain continuously in their fight to retake many of the buildings in the remaining four villages and that is why our troops continually are engaged the whole day as they make their way inside the interior areas," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said.

"We will continue to focus on this kind of operation as we enter into the inner areas of these villages that are held by the enemy," he said.

Padilla said the discovery of two cadavers in Basilan was also a confirmation that the gunmen have become desperate in the face of a military offensive.

"It's a positive indication that their forces are almost spent," he said.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Vietnam detains young activist over critical Facebook comments

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 5 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Vietnam detains young activist over critical Facebook comments, 5 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88213.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-05

Detained activist Tran Hoang Phuc's Facebook page, with his reaction to being blocked by police from meeting U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016. Tran Hoang Phuc

Vietnam has arrested a young activist for posting material critical of the government on social media, his mother told RFA's Vietnamese on Wednesday.

Ho Chi Minh City native Tran Hoang Phuc, 23, was detained on July 3 on the accusation of "possessing materials, producing and posting videos on internet critical of the government" under article 88 of Vietnam's penal code, she said.

"I went to talk with Hanoi police on July 3 and was told that Phuc has been detained," Huynh Thi Ut, Phuc's mother, told RFA.

The detention order issued by Hanoi police on July 3 says that Phuc is in the custody of Hanoi police.

Rights groups and Western governments say Vietnamese authorities frequently use Article 88 and the charge of "propaganda against the state" to arrest and imprison those who support democracy and human rights and denounce abuses.

Phuc was selected to take part in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), a U.S. government leadership development and networking program in Southeast Asia. He was invited to meet with then U.S. President Barack Obama last year when Obama visited Vietnam, but police blocked Phuc from going to the meeting.

"I have worked with Phuc on some education and business strategy consultancy projects," former political prisoner Le Thang Long told RFA.

"Phuc is a serious young person who is truly patriotic. He always obeys the laws so I am very surprised to hear from his mother that he has been detained," he added.

Phuc's detention follows the sentencing on June 29 of activist and blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as Mother Mushroom, to 10 years in prison under Article 88 for her Facebook posts and interviews with U.S. news agencies.

Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Paul Eckert.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Arrests of Myanmar journalists a matter of whether laws are just: Aung San Suu Kyi

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 6 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Arrests of Myanmar journalists a matter of whether laws are just: Aung San Suu Kyi, 6 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88313.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-06

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) and Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende (L) hold a press conference in Naypyidaw, July 6, 2017. RFA

Myanmar's de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Thursday that the arrests of three journalists in northern Shan state should not be seen as a problem between the media and the military, but rather as a question of whether existing laws are just and democratic.

Three journalists from independent, domestic news outlets were charged in late June under the country's colonial-era Unlawful Association Act for covering a drug-burning ceremony held by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic militia officially described as an illegal group. The trio will go on trial on July 10.

"This should not be seen very narrowly as three journalists against the army or vice versa," Aung San Suu Kyi said, responding to a question by a Reuters reporter at a news conference with visiting Norwegian Foreign Minster Brge Brende in the capital Naypyidaw.

She said that if existing laws are not helpful to justice and democracy, then the judiciary should make an attempt to amend them, but that the administrative sector cannot intervene in judicial affairs.

"Rule of law means they have to be, first of all, just laws," she said.

Rights activists say the act is one of many legal statutes used to suppress political opposition, often in the case of ethnic minority groups. It carries a maximum prison sentence of three years and a possible fine.

The act was used during Myanmar's decades of military junta rule to detain persons linked to rebel groups, and continues to be used to jail those accused of contact with rebel forces in states beset by ethnic separtist civil war.

The arrests come as Myanmar journalists and rights groups have called for the repeal of another repressive statue frequently used by those in power to prosecute journalists for defamation.

Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Act prohibits the use of telecom networks to defame people and carries a jail sentence of up to three years and a fine for those found guilty of violating it.

Journalists and rights groups accuse government officials and military officers under the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi of routinely using the statute to prosecute critics who post articles about them on social media.

At the end of the news conference, Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters that the national parliament has begun to work on amendments to Article 66(d).

Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
By PTI: Karachi, Jul 21 (PTI) At least three policemen and a 12- year-old boy were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a police van in Pakistans southern port city of Karachi, officials said today.

The police van was parked near the Darum Uloom religious seminary in Korangi.

"Two policemen died on the spot while another one died in a hospital. A 12-year old boy was also killed as he was caught in the firing when he was passing by near the seminary," senior police official Arif Aslam said.

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A large number of police and paramilitary troops rushed to the area after the incident and cordoned off the crime scene.

This is not the first-time policemen have come under attack in Karachi. Last month, gunmen killed four policemen in Site Town area of the city when they were having Iftar at a roadside restaurant.

On May, two policemen were gunned down by unidentified men in the posh Bahadurabad area.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the counter terrorism department in Sindh Raja Umar Khatab said that 9 mm shells were found from the spot which indicated same group was involved which had earlier carried out the attacks on the policemen in Site area and Bahadurabad. PTI CORR KJ

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Myanmar political parties call for martial law in northern Rakhine state

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 6 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Myanmar political parties call for martial law in northern Rakhine state, 6 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a8853.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-06

The map shows Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung townships in western Myanmar's Rakhine state. RFA graphic

Fourteen political parties in Myanmar, including the main opposition party, urged the civilian government on Thursday to order martial law in the unstable northern area of Rakhine state where a series of disappearances and murders have struck fear in ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)  the country's main opposition party, with a strong military background  and 13 others want de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi's 15-month-old National League for Democracy (NLD) government to order military forces to step in because they believe that local civilian agencies are unable to maintain public order and safety.

"Just like in the Laukkai area [of volatile northern Shan state] recently, we want to see martial law in some areas of Rakhine state where it is necessary, where the civilian administration cannot do much to ensure security," said Nay Min Kyaw, general secretary of the National Democratic Force Party (NDF), said.

Rakhine authorities have charged more than 500 local Muslims and deemed 1,300 others fugitives for their alleged involvement in deadly attacks last October on border patrolmen in the state's three northern townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung. The attacks were blamed on an obscure group of militant Rohingya Muslims.

Despite the action, the area is far from secure, local say.

In June, Myanmar security forces killed three men while clearing a suspected Rohingya insurgent training camp in a mountain range in the Maungdaw-Buthidaung township area where tunnels, weapons, huts, rations, and training materiel were discovered during a two-day security clearance operation.

Several recent killings in the tri-township area, including two of ethnic Rakhine people, coupled with alarm about attacks by Rohingya Muslims, forced about 200 Rakhine Buddhists to flee Maungdaw last week. The move prompted troops in the area to be put on high alert and a state parliamentary official to call for increased security.

Though the 14 political parties commended the central government for using terms such as "terrorizing groups" and "extreme violence" in its news releases about the violence in northern Rakhine state, they believe that Naypyidaw is not exercising powers provided by existing laws in handling the situation, and instead is doing things which are not in conformity with the powers it has, Nay Min Kyaw said.

The political parties also urged the government not to accept an international fact-finding mission that the United Nations Human Rights Commission will send to Rakhine state to investigate atrocities that Myanmar's army is said to have committed against Rohingya Muslims during a four-month security sweep of the northern townships following deadly attacks on border guard stations in October 2016.

Myanmar has disassociated itself from the U.N. resolution on the fact-finding mission, arguing that it is not in keeping with what was actually happening on the ground in northern Rakhine.

Aung San Suu Kyi has appointed a commission led by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to examine the situation on the ground in Rakhine and propose ways to solve the sectarian tensions. The commission's final report is due in August.

Residents hold public meeting

In a related development, about 200 people from Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung townships held a public meeting on Thursday to discuss security in the wake of the latest act of sectarian violence to rock the restive state.

On Tuesday, a Buddhist mob attacked and killed a Rohingya Muslim man and injured six others in the state capital Sittwe after the group became involved in an argument with a local businessman over a boat purchase.

The attack resonated with people in the three townships where a rising number of murders and disappearances have occurred amid growing fear about possible attacks by Rohingya Muslims, who constitute a majority of the population in the area.

Locals who attended the meeting called for tighter security in the area and discussed forming a militia to protect themselves from attacks by Muslims.

They also noted that the police have not made any arrests in the recent murders of two local ethnic Rakhine people.

"Rumors and threats are rife that more violence is coming, and the number of murders of locals is rising [so] we discussed the need for more security in the area," said Maung Khin Win, vice-chairman of the Emergency Relief Committee, a local aid organization.

The residents also said foreign nongovernmental organizations and international assistance were not helping the problem, but rather making it worse.

Reported by Min Thein Aung for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Proposed Cambodia law would ban Sam Rainsy association with CNRP

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 6 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Proposed Cambodia law would ban Sam Rainsy association with CNRP, 6 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a8863.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-06

The National Assembly's permanent committee meets to discuss proposed changes to the Law on Political Parties in Phnom Penh, July 6, 2017. RFA

Lawmakers from Cambodia's National Assembly met Thursday to discuss a proposed amendment that would ban the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) from associating with its former leader Sam Rainsy if voted into law next week.

The amendment to the Law on Political Parties  proposed by the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP)  would ban parties from associating with or using the voice, image, or written documents of anyone convicted of a criminal offense, according to a copy of the proposed changes obtained by RFA's Khmer Service.

Article 44(2) would also prevent parties from supporting or organizing plans with anyone to undertake "actions against the interest of the Kingdom of Cambodia," and using a name or acronym that is similar to one used by another party.

Political parties found in violation of the proposed amendment could be banned from political activities for up to five years and prohibited from competing in elections, or even dissolved.

The amendment will be put forward for a vote by the 68 CPP lawmakers and 55 CNRP lawmakers that make up the National Assembly on July 10.

The CPP had proposed an amendment to the Law on Political Parties which was approved amid a boycott of parliament by opposition lawmakers in February that banned convicted criminals from holding a leadership position in a party, forcing Sam Rainsy to resign as president of the CNRP.

The former opposition chief has been living in self-imposed exile in France since November 2015 to avoid jail time for convictions widely seen as politically motivated and delivered by courts beholden to Prime Minister Hun Sen's government.

The latest proposal followed a speech by Hun Sen last week to mark the 66th anniversary of the founding of the CPP, during which he slammed Sam Rainsy for his daily Facebook videos criticizing the shortcomings of the ruling party from abroad.

Chheang Vun, a spokesman for the CPP's National Assembly members, told reporters that the ruling party is determined to pass the proposed amendment at its earliest convenience.

He scolded opposition lawmaker Yem Ponhearith for saying recently that a photo of Sam Rainsy holding hands with current CNRP president Kem Sokha had helped the party make substantial gains in last month's commune election, warning him that doing so will be a crime "when the amendment is passed."

"That means the CNRP is colluding with a convict  it's very serious and your words can be held against you," he said.

"You have to be very careful. You have to study the laws before you speak. You can enjoy freedom of expression, but beware of its boundaries. Using Sam Rainsy's image will be illegal and punishable."

'Ruled by law'

CNRP deputy president Eng Chhai Eang told reporters after Thursday's meeting that the CPP intends to use the proposed amendment to "narrow the path" of the CNRP ahead of a general election scheduled for next year.

He dismissed the proposed changes as "a joke . . . in violation of the constitution," and vowed that CNRP lawmakers will boycott next week's vote on the amendment, which he called "useless" and "a waste of time."

"No law has ever restricted the use of a voice or image of a convict for the interest of a political party," he said.

"It is absurdly unprecedented that such a law, which is aimed at restricting the rights and freedom of the people, is being proposed now. It is clear now that Cambodia is ruled by law, not the rule of law. This [proposal] is nothing but an attempt to hold onto power and impose restrictions on the opposition."

Eng Chhai Eang acknowledged that if the new law is adopted, the CNRP will be forced to comply and remove Sam Rainsy's image from its posters or be dissolved.

But he warned that adoption of such a law would severely damage Cambodia's image in the eyes of the international community.

"This law is unwelcome and strongly criticized  it will make Cambodia look bad," he said.

"Nonetheless, the CNRP is determined to move forward with our goal of winning the upcoming [general] election. We won't play the CPP's game. We will stick to our objective, and when the CNRP wins the election, we will remove such laws."

The Phnom Penh Post quoted political analyst Cham Bunthet as saying that the proposed amendment would worsen an already divisive and fragile political environment in Cambodia, and that he did not believe it would have the intended effect of sidelining Sam Rainsy.

"This will make Sam Rainsy more popular and make the situation in Cambodia even worse," Bunthet told the Post, explaining that whatever credibility the former opposition leader had lost by fleeing arrest threats from Hun Sen would now be recouped with the government showing it feared him.

Reported by Savi Khorn for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Protests continue in Kazakhstan over China's treatment of Kazakhs

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 6 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Protests continue in Kazakhstan over China's treatment of Kazakhs, 6 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a8873.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-06

Kazakh nomads herd their livestock with their caravan across a plain in Altay prefecture, northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, June 2, 2012. AFP

Amid growing cross-border tensions over a dispute over Chinese restrictions on the free movement of Kazakhs to neighboring Kazakhstan, an elderly Kazakh mother has made an emotional plea to the country's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to put pressure on Beijing to release her son, an ethnic minority Kazakh actor in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Kazakhstan citizen Sabila Tacassi, mother of Zhenishan Baghdap, 50, made the plea in a video after he was taken away from his home by Chinese police in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi on May 2.

"I have been a Kazakh citizen for many years now, after emigrating from China in response to the President's call," she said. "I am a mother of seven, and became a Kazakh citizen in 2002."

"I have also won a Glorious Mother award from the government, as well as government subsidies, which, combined with my pension, mean that I live a comfortable life," she said.

The Chinese government in the mid-20th century issued Glorious Mother awards to women who gave birth to more than five children in recognition for their contribution to boosting the country's population so as to fortify it against Western imperialism.

"But now, I have suddenly discovered that my son Zhenishan Baghdap has been detained in China," she said.

Baghdap, a Kazakh voice actor and movie translator with family in Kazakhstan, may have been detained for posts made to social media, sources in the region told RFA on Thursday.

"This was a fairly high-powered guy, and quite a famous character," an anonymous source said. "He had previously worked in the Kazakh section of Xinjiang TV, and he was a famous voice actor who had also translated a lot of movies."

"The reason they detained him was probably because of something he did or said online," the source said. "But the authorities don't need a reason to detain people anymore."

Growing anger among Kazakhs

Baghdap's detention comes amid growing anger among Kazakhs with relatives in China over the Chinese Communist Party's apparent crackdown on the minority ethnic group within its borders.

Last month, a group of state scientists and other scholars hit out at the "persecution" of ethnic Kazakhs by Chinese authorities, and called on Astana to put pressure on Beijing.

Meanwhile, sources said two other people, a Kazakh named as Kalyhar and a member of China's Uzbek minority identified by the single name Rustum, were detained at the same time.

Kalyhar was detained at Xinjiang's Baktu border crossing on his way to Kazakhstan, a second source said.

"He had already bought a house in Almaty, and then gone back [to Xinjiang]," the source said. "Then he sold his house in [Xinjiang's] Tacheng, and was on his way back again."

"He was detained at the Baktu border crossing, carrying a huge amount of cash, and they wanted to know why he was taking so much money out of the country. He was a former cop in Tacheng, but they detained him anyway."

Rustum, meanwhile, was a devout Muslim youth with an elderly mother to care for, the source said.

"He said his prayers every day like an ordinary Muslim, and was detained," he said.

Passport, resident permit confiscations

Residents of Kazakhstan have complained they are being prevented from seeing their families after Chinese authorities began confiscating the passports and residence permits of ethnic minority Kazakhs whose family members live across the border.

Some 200,000 Kazakhs who hold Chinese passports and permanent residence cards for Kazakhstan were told to hand in their Kazakhstan-issued residency cards to Chinese police "for safekeeping," although sources later said officials in some parts of Xinjiang were rapidly backpedaling on the policy and working round the clock to send Kazakh green cards and passports back to their owners.

In a related development, Chinese police recently issued warrants for the arrest of some 200 Chinese nationals who follow prominent Kazakhstan blogger and podcaster Jarkan 7 on social media, sources in Kazakhstan told RFA this week.

"Some of them had been downloading Jarkan 7's podcasts or retweeting them, so now 200 Kazakhs are on the secret watch list [of the Xinjiang police], including me," the source said.

"I'm not afraid, because I am a Kazakh citizen, so they can't touch me or hurt me, but they have gone to visit my family, my parents a number of times," the source said.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Tibetan villagers fight eviction from their land in Chamdo

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 6 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Tibetan villagers fight eviction from their land in Chamdo, 6 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a8883.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-06

A map showing the location of Pashoe county in the Tibet Autonomous Region's Chamdo prefecture. RFA

Tibetan villagers living in Tibet's Chamdo prefecture are resisting local authorities' orders to vacate their land, vowing to petition higher levels of government for permission to stay, a source living in the region says.

The land, which is shared by Pashoe (in Chinese, Basu) county's Nara and Dziwa villages, has been farmed by villagers and their ancestors for centuries, but has now been claimed by Pema township officials for development, an area resident told RFA's Tibetan Service.

"Authorities say they need the land for the construction of hospitals and schools and other public places, and are offering low levels of compensation for those now living there," RFA's source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Houses, farming fields, and orchards are all being claimed, the source said.

"Villagers believe that this attempt to take their land for so little money is a corrupt plot and that officials will, in turn, sell the land for commercial development at a much higher rate to Chinese businessmen and their relatives," he said.

Chinese officials are now using threats to force villagers to sign hand-over agreements by July 20, and are claiming that their orders to seize the land come from "all levels of the Chinese government," the source said.

"But villagers believe that no orders have been given by higher authorities, and that the plan to take their land comes only from the county chief and a few other officials."

"[The villagers] are determined now to seek intervention by China's central government and to bring their grievances to the highest authorities," the source said.

In April, nearly 200 Tibetan families living in Pashoe and neighboring Dzogang (Zuogang) county were ordered to leave their homes to make way for an unspecified government construction project, with the move to new locations to be made at their own expense, sources told RFA in an earlier report.

Chinese development projects in Tibetan areas have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms and local officials of improperly seizing land and disrupting the lives of local people.

Many result in violent suppression, the detention of protest organizers, and intense pressure on the local population to comply with the government's wishes.

Reported by Dawa Dolma for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Illegal Lao workers flee Thailand amid crackdown

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 7 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Illegal Lao workers flee Thailand amid crackdown, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88926.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-07

Lao workers, allegedly held in cages when then they worked on a chicken and pig farm, hide their faces as they head to a state-run shelter in Thailand's Pathum Thani province, Aug. 23, 2015. Thanarak Khunton / Bangkok Post

Hundreds of undocumented Laotians have fled Thailand since the Thai government imposed tough new restrictions on illegal migrant workers two weeks ago, according to a border official, with some condemning the Lao embassy for failing to protect their rights amid the crackdown.

On June 23, Thailand implemented a royal decree imposing jail terms of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht (U.S. $2,941) on illegal workers in the country.

The decree was suspended for 180 days following a backlash from companies and migrant advocates, but hundreds of Laotians have fled the country in the meantime, fearing prosecution by the government and exploitation by their employers, according to a Thai official at the Pak Xaeng border checkpoint between Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani and Laos' Champasak provinces.

The official, who spoke to RFA's Lao Service on condition of anonymity, said that "more than 100" undocumented workers from Laos were returning home daily through his checkpoint alone until earlier this week, when the stream trickled down to around 30 per day.

Most of the workers, he said, are paid minimum wage on a daily basis for jobs in construction and agriculture, and illicitly enter Thailand because the fees required to obtain legal work  often around 20,000 baht (U.S. $587) per person  are too high for them to afford.

A Lao official at the Vangtao border checkpoint in Champasak, who also asked to remain unnamed, confirmed that most Lao workers chose to "pay a smaller amount of money to border authorities" in bribes to cross into Thailand, instead of paying fees for legal work status in the neighboring country.

By circumventing legal work status, however, undocumented Laotians working in Thailand regularly face exploitation by their employers, who violate their rights, or by middlemen, who promise them well-paying jobs, only to traffic them into slavery-like labor conditions.

One such worker, who did not provide her name, recently posted a complaint on Facebook slamming Lao authorities  and specifically Lao embassy officials  for failing to advocate for Laotians working in Thailand and provide them with assistance when in need.

"Why doesn't the Lao embassy take care of Lao workers in Thailand instead of only trying to get tax money from them," she asked in her post.

Worker assistance

Officials at the Lao embassy in Bangkok refused to comment on the situation of Laotians working illegally in Thailand, despite repeated requests.

But an official with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in the Lao capital Vientiane told RFA that undocumented workers do have access to limited assistance from the Lao diplomatic mission in Thailand.

"We recommend that they return to Laos and obtain what they need legally," he said.

"If you enter illegally, you have a chance of getting into trouble. Our laws can't cover everything for those in Thailand."

Additionally, he said, Laos and Thailand have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in place to help tackle the employment issue, and the Thai government has established centers in Thailand's capital Bangkok and in Nongkhai city, along the border with Laos, to assist Lao workers.

According to Thailand's Ministry of Labour, there are around 170,000 Lao workers working legally in the country out of around 2.7 million documented migrant workers  mainly from Myanmar and Cambodia.

While the ministry does not provide figures for undocumented workers from specific countries, it estimates that 2 million migrants are working in Thailand without papers. Reports suggest that more than 200,000 of those illegal migrant workers are from Laos.

Labor shortage

Meanwhile, Laos is suffering from a shortage of workers  including skilled workers  but Laotians prefer to work in Thailand because they receive nearly double the pay they get at home.

Due to the shortage, the Lao government has been forced to allow companies investing in Laos to import workers from their own countries  mainly China, Vietnam, and Thailand.

In addition, many nationals from these countries have entered Laos with valid passports, but have overstayed their visas to work illegally in construction or to set up their own small businesses throughout the country, often transporting goods for sale in rural areas.

In 2016, the Lao government ordered provincial authorities to register all illegal immigrant workers in the country, but as of March only around 24,000 have been documented, leaving what is believed to be a substantial number unlisted.

Reported by RFA's Lao Service. Translated by Somnet Inthapannha. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
China jails labor activist who supported Guangdong labor movement

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 7 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, China jails labor activist who supported Guangdong labor movement, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a8893.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-07

Protesters hold placards demanding the release of Chinese labor activist Liu Shaoming from jail and the release of terminally ill Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo on overseas medical parole during a demonstration in Hong Kong, July 7, 2017. RFA

Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Friday jailed a prominent labor rights campaigner and veteran of the 1989 pro-democracy movement for four-and-a-half years after finding him guilty of subversion, his lawyer said.

Liu Shaoming, 59, was handed the sentence by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court, his defense attorney Wu Kuiming told RFA.

"Of course this is totally unreasonable, because he is innocent, and this is a very heavy sentence," Wu said. "I was a bit surprised, because four-and-a-half years is a tough sentence."

"He also thinks that the sentence has very little to do with the things he has said, and he will be appealing, although appealing usually results in the initial decision being upheld in such cases, in my experience," he said.

Wu said Liu's family has been left reeling by the harshness of the sentence, amid growing fears for his health in prison.

Liu was initially detained on May 30, 2015, on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge frequently used by police to target dissidents and rights activists.

But he was tried in April 2016 on the more serious charge of "incitement to subvert state power."

Liu had been active in a number of industrial disputes in recent years, including speaking out on behalf of cleaners at Guangzhou's University City, striking workers at the Xinsheng Shoe Factory, and many others, he said.

Broader campaign

The jailing of rights activists is part of a broader campaign by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to exert political pressure on civil society groups, which include those campaigning for the rights of women, migrant workers, consumers, students in education, sex workers, and those with disabilities and diseases.

Guangdong-based rights activist Sun Tao said he had been detained alongside three other activists as they tried attend the sentencing hearing on Friday.

"The road outside the court was lined with police vehicles, at least 10 of them, all kinds," Sun said. "We took a photo outside the court on the opposite side of the road, and posted it online, but then we were stopped by [police] before we even reached the court."

"They checked our IDs, and then took us down to the police station . . . on suspicion of disrupting public order," he said. "They just detain people when they feel like it now."

Liu's friend Guo Chunping told RFA that he is a longtime democracy activist who was detained for publishing an online memoir of the 1989 military crackdown on the student-led pro-democracy movement, as well as being a labor activist.

"The socioeconomic background is that the Chinese economy started to slow down, which led to a lot of people losing their jobs," Guo said.

"If they hadn't cracked down on the labor movement, then more and more people would have gotten involved, and become dissidents," he said.

"The authorities see the labor movement and the pro-democracy movement as interconnected, and Liu Xiaoming had written a memoir of June 4, 1989, which is probably what angered the Chinese Communist Party," he said.

Hong Kong labor union leader and veteran rights activist Lee Cheuk-yan said Liu had done nothing wrong, however.

"All Liu Shaoming did was basically to express his opinion on workers' rights and about not forgetting the Tiananmen Massacre," Lee told RFA.

"He was held for some time before finally being sentenced for incitement to subvert state power, which I think is an abuse of power."

"It's now very common for them to treat any kind of opinion as subverting state power, which is very worrying indeed," he said.

Reported by Tam Lee for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Ding Wenqi for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Myanmar and Thailand agree to issue documents to migrant laborers

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 7 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Myanmar and Thailand agree to issue documents to migrant laborers, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88b4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-07

Thein Swe, Myanmar's minister for labor, immigration and population, says authorities in Myanmar and Thailand will work together to ensure that Myanmar workers are documented to work legally in Thailand, following a meeting with his Thai counterpart in Naypyidaw, July 7, 2017. RFA

The Myanmar and Thai labor ministers reached an agreement on Friday to issue official documents to Myanmar workers allowing them to work legally in the neighboring country two weeks after new Thai labor regulations took effect under which undocumented migrant laborers can be expelled.

The laws, which aim at tackling human trafficking concerns raised by the international community and resolving the growing problem of undocumented migrant workers in Thailand, caused an exodus of more than 60,000 foreign workers  many from neighboring Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia  fearing arrest.

The regulations, which went into effect on June 23, impose heavy fines on both Thai employers and foreign workers who lack work permits.

Thein Swe, Myanmar's minister for labor, immigration and population, told reporters after his meeting with Thai labor minister General Sirichai Distakul in the capital Naypyidaw, that authorities in both countries will work together to ensure that Myanmar workers are documented to work legally in Thailand by rechecking their statuses between July 24 and August 7.

There will be no cost for the service for workers, and Myanmar will open six additional offices to issue certificates of identity (CI cards) to Myanmar laborers so they can work legally in Thailand, he said.

"Thai authorities will not take action against Burmese workers any more, even if they have no documents or incomplete documents," Thein Swe said on Thursday.

"If authorities find undocumented workers, they will ask their bosses if the workers are employed at their businesses or not," he said. "If they are, authorities will let these workers register [for proper documents]," he said.

Mobile teams of Thai authorities will issue CI cards for Myanmar migrant workers who cannot readily return to Myanmar because of long distances, he said. The mobile units will also work on Sundays, the day of the week when migrant workers have off.

"Then, Thai authorities will send us their registration documents, and these workers will be legal workers after we issue them passports or other legal documents," Thein Swe said.

More than 180,000 of 3 million Myanmar workers have already been issued CIs, he said.

Still heading to Thailand

Of the estimated 5 million Myanmar citizens working in Thailand, about 2.2. million have proper documents, Thein Swe said after his first meeting with Sirichai Distakul on Wednesday.

Roughly 43,000 undocumented Myanmar workers have returned home from Thailand in the past two weeks, though Thai authorities have delayed full implementation of the law until the end of the year to allow those without proper documents to get the necessary paperwork at home.

Last week, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told reporters that migrants affected by the new regulations could continue to work temporarily, pending verification of their identities.

The influx of Myanmar nationals returning from Thailand has overburdened social agencies and swamped border crossings, Myanmar officials said.

Thai authorities are allowing only about 100 people per day to go from the border crossing in the town of Ranong across from the Myanmar town of Kawthaung on the southernmost tip of the country in Tanintharyi region, state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

While thousands of workers return home to obtain the legal documents they need to legally work in Thailand, about 500-1,000 more are heading to Thailand each day under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries, the Myanmar Times reported, citing Aung Kyaw Myint, assistant director from the immigration ministry.

"If we send Burmese workers to foreign countries, we will send them under the MOU," Thein Swe said on Thursday.

"Myanmar will work on decreasing human trafficking, and Thailand has to work on having good and real business owners," he said.

Thein Swe also said Myanmar has sent workers to South Korea and is still in discussions with the Japanese government about sending them to Japan.

Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Myanmar court rejects sixth bail request by detained editor

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 7 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Myanmar court rejects sixth bail request by detained editor, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88c4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-07

Kyaw Min Swe (C), editor-in-chief of the independent Myanmar newspaper The Voice Daily, leaves Bahan township court after his sixth bail hearing in Yangon, June 7, 2017. RFA

A court in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon on Friday rejected the sixth bail request by an editor charged with defamation of the military under a widely challenged section of the country's Telecommunications Law, his lawyer said.

Bahan township court rejected the request of Kyaw Min Swe, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper The Voice Daily, citing a lack of sufficient facts, his lawyer Khin Maung Myint told RFA's Myanmar Service.

"We asked the judge what documents we need to submit," Khin Maung Min said. "We can say that it is the medical document, but we know that the prison department can't do that," he said.

In mid-June, the court denied another bail request by Kyaw Min Swe, who suffers from stomach and liver ailments, because it said his lawyer had submitted an unofficial medical certificate from a private clinic instead of a formal document from a state medical facility.

Kyaw Min Swe was forced to get the certificate from an outside clinic because officials at Insein prison on the outskirts of Yangon where he is being held would not issue a medical document, Kyaw Min Swe said.

Lieutenant Colonel Lin Tun, who filed the defamation lawsuit against Kyaw Min Swe, testified at today's hearing as he has done previously, and will testify at his next bail hearing on July 14.

Kyaw Min Swe and the paper's satire columnist Kyaw Zwa Naing, who goes by the pen name British Ko Maung, were detained on June 2 and charged with defamation under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law after the armed forces complained about a piece they had published that mocked a military propaganda film.

On June 16, the same court released Kyaw Zwa Naing after Kyaw Min Swe testified that he was solely responsible for posting on social media the article that allegedly insulted the armed forces.

Myanmar journalists and rights groups have called for the abolishment of Article 66(d) which prohibits the use of the telecom network to defame people and carries a jail sentence of up to three years and a fine for those found guilty of violating it.

They say that government and military officials are increasingly using the article to silence their critics, thereby threatening freedom of the press.

Reported by Thant Sin Oo for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Thailand will not expel illegal migrants from Cambodia despite crackdown

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 7 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Thailand will not expel illegal migrants from Cambodia despite crackdown, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88d7.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-07

Ith Sam Heng addresses a workshop on labor inspection and the elimination of child labor in Siem Reap province, May 24, 2017. RFA

Thailand has agreed to refrain from expelling undocumented Cambodian workers and will allow them to seek official status, despite a recent decree imposing harsh new restrictions on illegal migrants, Cambodia's government said Friday, following a meeting between the two nations' labor ministries.

On June 23, Thailand implemented a royal decree imposing jail terms of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht (U.S. $2,941) on illegal workers in the country. The decree was suspended following a backlash from companies and migrant advocates, but thousands of Cambodians have already fled the country, fearing arrest and deportation.

On Thursday, Cambodian Minister of Labor and Vocational Training Ith Sam Heng led a delegation from the ministry's Commission for Provision of Lawful Status to Cambodian Migrant Workers Residing and Working in Thailand to meet with Thai labor minister Sirichai Distakul in Bangkok to discuss a settlement regarding Cambodian workers.

In a statement issued Friday, the commission said that the Thai government had agreed at the meeting not to enforce penalties against any Thai companies employing undocumented Cambodians or expel Cambodian migrants who are currently working in Thailand.

Thailand will grant a 15-day grace period from July 24 to Aug. 7 to any Cambodian migrant workers and Thai employers who lack documentation to register at Foreign Migrant Worker Registration offices, which will be opened in 10 locations in Bangkok and also in each of Thailand's 76 provinces.

Cambodian migrants who previously held work permits but changed employers without applying for new status will also be allowed to register with Thailand's Ministry of Labour, the statement said.

The Commission for Provision of Lawful Status will also launch campaigns next month to provide travel documents to Cambodian workers in Thailand who lack them, allowing them to stay and work in the country.

The commission called on Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand to "remain calm" in coming weeks and to "perform your work as usual."

According to Thailand's Ministry of Labour, around 2.7 million documented migrant workers  mainly from Myanmar and Cambodia  are currently working in the country. The ministry estimates that 2 million migrants are working in Thailand without papers.

Questionable implementation

On Thursday, following his meeting with Sirichai Distakul, Ith Sam Heng told reporters that a recently updated survey by the Thai ministry had found some 1.05 million Cambodian workers in Thailand, only 750,000 of whom are documented.

He applauded Thailand's new labor law, which he said "prevents human trafficking and exploitation of foreign workers," but expressed reservations over how quickly it had been implemented.

"It caused Burmese and Cambodian workers to leave out of fear, and also caused concern for employers," he said.

The Thai government tried to calm the situation by announcing a 120-day grace period on July 1 and extending it to 180 days on Tuesday, but Cambodians have been streaming across the border since the June 23 decree was issued, and Ith Sam Heng said at least 4,000 had returned home through various checkpoints on Thursday alone.

The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday that at least 34,800 Myanmar and 7,360 Cambodian migrants are known to have left Thailand over the past two weeks.

At an IOM-operated center for assisting migrants in the Cambodian border town of Poipet, many arrivals told the agency they had left Thailand fearing arrest, but plan to return when they have obtained the necessary travel documents and visas.

IOM said that returns to Cambodia had "surged to over 5,000 in the past week, including women and children."

"Some women said that when they next return to work in Thailand, they plan to leave their children in Cambodia with relatives," the agency added.

Cambodia's government on Monday closed all checkpoints along its border with Thailand to anyone other than Cambodian migrant workers returning home, in what is seen as a bid to prevent more illegal workers from crossing into Thailand.

The move drew criticism from residents who say their livelihoods depend on traveling between the two countries.

Reported by Sothearin Yeang and Hour Hum for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo and Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Uyghur students in Egypt detained, sent back to China

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 7 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Uyghur students in Egypt detained, sent back to China, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88ea.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-07

A Uyghur student sits at a restaurant table in Cairo while police detain others behind him. Photo sent by an RFA listener

Egyptian police moved this week to round up and deport Uyghur students living in Cairo, detaining some in restaurants or at their homes and seizing others at airports as they tried to flee the country, sources in the Egyptian capital said.

At least 200 have been detained since July 4, including 30 seized by police at the Eslem Uyghur restaurant located in Cairo's 7th District, one female student told RFA's Uyghur Service on Thursday.

"All of them are students here," the young woman said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"I know one of the students who was taken away. His name is Masjid Musa," she said. "He has the legal papers he needs to stay in Egypt, but they don't care if your papers are in order or not."

"If you are a Uyghur, you will be immediately detained," she said.

Another detainee, named Abdughappar, was taken from an airplane as he was leaving for Turkey, the young woman said.

"He is a student at Al-Azhar University and has a family, a wife and two children. They were running away from Egypt because everyone who went back to China in the past few months has disappeared without a trace."

"Anyone deported back to China will definitely be jailed," she said.

"I have heard that Uyghurs are being held at the Cairo airport, and that armed Chinese security officers have been seen there," another Uyghur student said, also on condition he not be named.

"We call on Uyghur leaders [in exile] to contact the Turkish government and international human rights organizations and ask them to help us."

Speaking from the airport, another Uyghur student said that Egyptian police had taken his passport and were holding him and other detainees together in a hall.

"There is also another group here who were brought back from their flight, so we have more than 20 Uyghur students here altogether," he said. "The police are watching us and telling us we will be deported back to China."

Another 80 were meanwhile being held at an airport in Alexandria, another source said, while a further 24 were reported detained there on Friday while waiting for a 3:00 p.m. flight to Turkey.

On the run

Students who have evaded detention are hiding in malls, in mosques, and in nearby fields, one Uyghur mother said, adding that she is now on the run with two young students given to her by their mother for protection.

"When we were leaving, I spotted some people watching the area where we were staying. They were in a black, ugly-looking car with tinted windows, and after we left they detained the Uyghur students who were living at our house."

"They were all Uyghurs, and I'm sure they were sent by the Chinese government," she added.

One Uyghur student now in hiding said that his brother, a PhD student at Al-Azhar, had also been detained.

"I am now on the run with his wife and three children," he said. "My brother called me from the detention center and said that he saw about 200 Uyghur students being held there."

"It has been several days now that we have been running on empty stomachs," another student said.

"We have valid visas and passports, but we can't go to the airports, and we can't go the markets for food or get gas for our cars. The Egyptian people have been told that we're criminals, and they inform the police if they see us."

Forced to sign

Another student said that a friend in detention had told him that police were forcing them to sign documents stating they had participated in Uyghur separatist organizations based outside of China.

"Some did not sign the document, because older students warned them not to," he said.

"Police took fingerprints of all their fingers."

Also speaking to RFA, an Uzbek national living in Egypt said that he and his family were dining at one of Cairo's Uyghur restaurants when police suddenly arrived.

"There were 10 to 20 Uyghurs there, chefs and so on, and the police took all of them away."

"There were Kyrgyz and Uzbek people at the restaurant, too, but they weren't touched at all. Police asked everyone's ethnicity and took away all the people who said they were Uyghur."

Reached for comment, a staff member at the Egyptian embassy in Washington D.C. said only that she had heard media reports of the detentions. "Since I am not authorized to speak on this matter, I cannot say anything more about it," she added.

Calls to the embassy's press office rang unanswered on Friday.

Rebiya Kadeer, president of the Munich-based exile World Uyghur Congress, meanwhile called on the international community to prevent the forced return of Uyghurs from Egypt to China, adding, "We have been following this issue closely for the past two or three months."

"I ask all Uyghur organizations to do their best to help the Uyghurs detained in Egypt."

'Extremely concerning'

International law requires that people living in foreign countries not be returned to situations in which they are likely to face persecution, Sophie Richardson  China director for Human Rights Watch  said in an interview.

"It's extremely concerning if the Egyptian government is somehow being complicit in a legally baseless Chinese effort to force people back to China," Richardson said.

On July 6, as at least 36 Uyghur students detained in Egypt were being sent back against their will to China, a Beijing-sponsored troupe of Uyghur dancers and musicians performed at Cairo's Opera House in a production showcasing Xinjiang's "colorful" Uyghur culture, Chinese state media reported.

The performance and an accompanying exhibit of musical instruments and photos of ethnic costumes was backed by support at "the highest level" from China's Central Party Political Bureau, China's state-controlled news agency Xinhua said.

Reported by Gulchehra Hoja and Kurban Niyaz for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
By PTI: Los Angeles, Jul 21 (PTI) Humans have created 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastics since early 1950s, and most of it now resides in landfills or the natural environment, a study has found.

Researchers, including those from the University of Georgia (UGA) in the US, found that by 2015, humans had generated 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastics, 6.3 billion tonnes of which had already become waste.

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Of that total waste, only 9 per cent was recycled, 12 per cent was incinerated and 79 per cent accumulated in landfills or the natural environment, researchers said.

If current trends continue, roughly 12 billion metric tonnes of plastic waste will be in landfills or the natural environment by 2050, they said.

"Most plastics do not biodegrade in any meaningful sense, so the plastic waste humans have generated could be with us for hundreds or even thousands of years," said Jenna Jambeck, associate professor of engineering at UGA.

"Our estimates underscore the need to think critically about the materials we use and our waste management practices," said Jambeck.

The scientists compiled production statistics for resins, fibres and additives from a variety of industry sources and synthesised them according to type and consuming sector.

Global production of plastics increased from 2 million metric tonnes in 1950 to over 400 million metric tonnes in 2015, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances, outgrowing most other human-made materials.

Notable exceptions are materials that are used extensively in the construction sector, such as steel and cement.

However, while steel and cement are used primarily for construction, plastics largest market is packaging, and most of those products are used once and discarded.

"Roughly half of all the steel we make goes into construction, so it will have decades of use - plastic is the opposite," said Roland Geyer, associate professor at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

"Half of all plastics become waste after four or fewer years of use," said Geyer.

The pace of plastic production shows no signs of slowing. Of the total amount of plastics produced from 1950 to 2015, roughly half was produced in just the last 13 years.

"What we are trying to do is to create the foundation for sustainable materials management," Geyer said.

"Put simply, you can not manage what you do not measure, and so we think policy discussions will be more informed and fact based now that we have these numbers," said Geyer.

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The same team of researchers led a 2015 study published in the journal Science that calculated the magnitude of plastic waste going into the ocean. They estimated that 8 million metric tonnes of plastic entered the oceans in 2010.

"There are people alive today who remember a world without plastics," Jambeck said.

"But they have become so ubiquitous that you cant go anywhere without finding plastic waste in our environment, including our oceans," said Jambeck.

The researchers cautioned that they do not seek the total removal of plastic from the marketplace, but rather a more critical examination of plastic use and its end-of-life value. PTI SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---
Cambodia amendment effectively cuts Sam Rainsy ties to CNRP

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 10 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Cambodia amendment effectively cuts Sam Rainsy ties to CNRP, 10 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a88fa.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-10

In a screen grab taken from CCTV, CPP lawmakers vote for an amendment to the Law on Political Parties at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh, July 10, 2017. RFA

Cambodia approved a controversial amendment to an electoral law Monday at a parliamentary session boycotted by opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmakers, effectively cutting off ties between the CNRP and its former chief Sam Rainsy ahead of a general election scheduled for next year.

The amendment to the Law on Political Parties  proposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and adopted with votes in favor by 65 of its 66 present members of parliament  bans parties from associating with or using the voice, image, or written documents of anyone convicted of a criminal offense.

All 55 CNRP lawmakers boycotted the voting session on the grounds that the proposed changes were part of a bid to "suppress" political parties and potential challengers to the ruling party, which the opposition said in a statement went against the principles of rule of law and a pluralist democracy, as guaranteed by the constitution.

Article 44(2) also prevents parties from supporting or organizing plans with anyone to undertake "actions against the interest of the Kingdom of Cambodia," and using a name or acronym that is similar to one used by another party.

Political parties found in violation of the proposed amendment could be banned from political activities for up to five years and prohibited from competing in elections, or even dissolved.

During the debate on the amendment in parliament, ahead of Monday's vote, Hun Sen's son and CPP lawmaker Hun Many said that the new amendment would force Cambodian politicians to compete with one another "on the basis of national interests and maintaining peace," and did not target any one individual.

"On this basis, should there be any violations against the stipulated clauses of the statute, I hereby request its effective enforcement so as to protect peace, the nation, stability, and national interests," he said.

The CPP had proposed an amendment to the Law on Political Parties which was approved amid a boycott of parliament by opposition lawmakers in February that banned convicted criminals from holding a leadership position in a party, forcing Sam Rainsy to resign as president of the CNRP.

The former opposition chief has been living in self-imposed exile in France since November 2015 to avoid jail time for convictions widely seen as politically motivated and delivered by courts beholden to Prime Minister Hun Sen's government, but his image appears on CNRP billboards throughout Cambodia and he regularly speaks at opposition events via Skype.

The CPP won last month's commune elections, but the CNRP received nearly 44 percent of all votes to the ruling party's 51 percent.

'Anti-Sam Rainsy Law'

In a statement issued Monday, the former CNRP leader condemned the adoption of the "Anti-Sam Rainsy Law" by a "rubber-stamp parliament" and called the move to eliminate him from Cambodia's political arena "useless, futile and counterproductive."

Sam Rainsy said he was "honored to be Hun Sen's constant obsession," but recommended that the prime minister "better use his time and energy to  among other things  push for the adoption of really useful laws aimed at putting things right in a country that is just upside down."

"There is not only one Sam Rainsy, but there are millions of Sam Rainsys in Cambodia, in that any Cambodian citizen who loves his or her country and wants to fight for freedom and justice, can be named Sam Rainsy," he said.

Cambodian political analyst Chan Vibol told RFA's Khmer Service that those who proposed the amendment fear democratic competition, and by doing so have made it clear to voters that they need to choose a leader in next year's general election who will protect their democratic rights.

"There are three developments I've noticed [as a result of this process]," Chan Vibol said.

"First, the value of the National Assembly [parliament] is seriously lowering. Second, the drafters of the law fear democratic competition. And third, it affects the spirit of the constitution, a number of national and international laws related to granting freedom of expression, and political participation," he said.

"Even a convicted criminal should enjoy the right to express his or her own ideas."

While the new amendment was adopted in the National Assembly Monday, it must now be approved by the Senate and the Constitutional Council  widely seen as formalities  before being signed into law by King Norodom Sihamoni.

Reported by Thai Tha for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Cambodians mark first anniversary of death of Kem Ley with ceremonies, processions

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 10 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Cambodians mark first anniversary of death of Kem Ley with ceremonies, processions, 10 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a890c.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-10

Cambodians hold a ceremony to commemorate slain political commentator Kem Ley on the first anniversary of his death in Tram Kak district, southwestern Cambodia's Takeo province, July 9, 2017. RFA

Cambodians held services in the capital Phnom Penh and elsewhere in the country on Monday marking the first anniversary of the death of prominent government critic and scholar Kem Ley, while the United States embassy and rights groups called for a full and impartial reinvestigation of his murder.

Kem Ley was gunned down in broad daylight on July 10, 2016, when he stopped for coffee in a Star Mart convenience store beside a Caltex gas station in Phnom Penh.

Days before he was murdered, he had discussed on an RFA Khmer Service call-in show a report by London-based group Global Witness detailing the extent of the wealth of the family of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 32 years.

Former soldier Oeuth Ang  who calls himself Chuob Samlab, a Khmer name meaning "meet to kill"  confessed to shooting Kem Ley over a U.S. $3,000 debt. Though he was sentenced to life in prison in March for the crime, it is widely believed that others were involved in the pundit's slaying.

Supporters of Kem Ley, who frequently criticized the government of strongman Hun Sen, held two ceremonies in the capital to commemorate his devotion to the nation, one at the Caltex Bokor traffic stop where he was shot and another in the Wat Chas Buddhist pagoda.

More than 30 young people, representatives from trade unions and civil society groups, and two Buddhist monks placed garlands around a photo of Kem Ley at the Caltex Star Mart store at the Bokor traffic stop under the watchful eyes of authorities.

Theng Savoeun, secretary-general of the Cambodian Farmers Community Alliance, said during the event that social workers in Cambodia continue to face imprisonment and murder, which has instilled fear among youths who broach societal issues.

"In a time of such fear, I want to encourage Cambodian citizens and youths to dare to speak the truth rather than protect themselves, per Kem Ley's advice," he said. "What he said was that . . . when our citizens are well aware of the truth, the system of respect for human rights and democracy in Cambodia will improve."

Luon Savath, known as the "multimedia monk," told the small crowd that everything Kem Ley had said about social issues was always backed by concrete evidence and information.

"He said there was wide-scale forest destruction [based on] what he had analyzed and what we have all seen and heard," the monk said. "We see that our forests are diminishing."

Kem Lay "did not lie, incite, or cheat," Luon Savath said. "The key principles that he had were integrity, values, morality, and fairness in accordance with democracy."

At Wat Dhammacakkaram, also known as Wat Chas, Buth Buntinh, founder of the independent monk network for social justice, and 11 other Buddhist monks held a ceremony to recite Buddhist scriptures for Kem Ley's soul to rest in peace.

Buth Buntinh said the monks were holding the ceremony on a small scale so people could join a larger one in southwestern Cambodia's Takeo province where Kem Ley's body was laid to rest.

Takeo province remembers

In Takeo province, Yeng Virak, president of the Grassroots Democracy Party, said he considered Kem Ley as the great founder of his party and pledged to push further to seek justice for him.

"We believe that if we get support from the citizens we can win to lead the government in the future," he said. "Then we will be able to seek justice for Kem Ley and his family."

"We have all known that Kem Ley dared to devote his life to the cause of social justice," he said.

"He yearned for social justice for Cambodian citizens and for the country as a whole," Yeng Virak said. "So if we have chance to lead the government, we will guarantee that Cambodia will have social justice."

When we are able to provide social justice for Cambodian citizens, then we can provide justice for Kem Ley," he said.

Kem Ley's younger brother, Kem Rithysak, said that as long as there are no changes to the present judicial system, his family will never receive justice for Kem Ley.

Phok Se, Kem Ley's 78-year-old mother who lives Ang Takob village, Leay Bo commune of Tram Kak district in Takeo province, said she takes care of her son's tomb and a statue of him, and talks to villagers and her son's supporters from near and far.

Oeuth Ang's mother, Ek Tab, who lives in a village in the Angkor Chum district of northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province, said she has moved from place to place since her son's conviction, fearing for her safety

Kem Ley's widow Bou Rachana, who is living Bangkok with the couple's five children awaiting the granting of refugee status so they can settle in a third country, told RFA's Khmer Service on Sunday that she gave some food to Buddhist monks as an offering to commemorate the anniversary of her husband's murder.

Bou Rachana also called on the courts to reinvestigate Kem Ley's murder.

"I cannot accept the fact that Chuob Samlab [the alias of the soldier who killed Kem Ley] is my husband's killer," she said. I cannot accept that the court has convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment or anything else, because not only myself, but also all citizens both inside and outside the country, do not trust the courts in Cambodia  that they are independent [of the ruling Cambodian People's Party]."

Banteay Meanchey procession

More than 200 young people in northwestern Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province held a tree planting ceremony on Sunday and a Buddhist "rainy season candles" procession to commemorate Kem Ley's death in the vicinity of Wat Tuol Preah Pnov pagoda near Thai border in O Chrov district.

"As a youth, I respect [Kem Ley's] heroism and patriotism for the nation," said Sy Va, a youth leader from the town of Poipet. "He dared to sacrifice his life for the sake of protecting our territorial integrity. What we can never forget is his daring to speak the truth, his desire for the country to obtain freedom. Up to the day that he lost his life, he still worked for the nation. We can never forget him!"

Sum Chankear, the Banteay Meanchey province coordinator for the domestic rights group Adhoc, said the ceremony and procession had raised awareness of Kem Ley's legacy among young people.

"It is also a sign that Kem Ley's ideas will always rest in Cambodian hearts for application in the future," he said.

Thousands of Cambodian migrant laborers workers in Thailand's Chonburi province held ceremonies at a number of Thai pagodas to commemorate Kem Ley's death.

The United States and rights groups around the globe called for a full accounting of Kem Ley's murder on the first anniversary of his death.

"We express our renewed condolences to Kem Ley's family, who are still waiting and hoping for a full accounting of this senseless and cowardly act," said a Facebook post by the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh on Monday.

Rights groups raise concern

More than 160 organizations worldwide, including London-based Amnesty International, raised concern about an apparent lack of progress in investigating the crime and called for a commission of inquiry into the killing.

"In light of the inadequacy of the investigation, the Royal Government of Cambodia is urged to establish an independent and impartial Commission of Inquiry, in line with international standards, to continue the investigation," said a statement issued by Amnesty International.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said prosecutors had failed to conduct a thorough investigation of the case and used Oeuth Ang as a "scapegoat."

"Kem Ley's murder in broad daylight in central Phnom Penh a year ago, shortly after publicly criticizing the unusual wealth of Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family, was all about silencing a prominent critic and reiterating that speaking about such sensitive topics carries a deadly risk," he said.

"No one believes the story concocted by convicted killer Oeuth Ang, not even his wife and family, but in a justice system captured by the ruling CPP party such stories don't require an iota of credibility for a conviction," Robertson said.

"Prosecutors have not even gone through the motions to investigate alleged accomplices mentioned by Oeuth Ang, such as the person he says introduced him to Kem Ley, or the man who he claims sold him the gun used to commit the murder," he said

"Oueth Ang is at best a scapegoat for others who are still at large," he said.

Reported by Leng Maly, Vanndeth Van, Chandara Yang, and Hour Hum for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Myanmar security forces kill two in shootout in Rakhine's Buthidaung township

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 10 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Myanmar security forces kill two in shootout in Rakhine's Buthidaung township, 10 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a891c.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-10

By Roseanne Gerin

Weapons and other items seized by security forces following a shootout with 'armed terrorists' are displayed in Buthidaung township in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, July 9, 2017. Photo courtesy of Myanmar State Counselor's Office

Myanmar security forces killed two people during an attack by "armed terrorists" in Buthidaung township on Sunday in the turbulent northern part of the country's Rakhine state, the office of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi said.

The attackers used small arms and landmines against the government security forces on patrol near Buithdaung's Tinmay village, firing about 20 rounds of bullets from a house owned by a resident named Phwayaut Islam, according to the statement issued by the office.

Security forces returned fire, while those inside the house exploded a mine, it said.

When the forces tried to clear out the house, three people ran out, including Phwayaut Islam and a man named Zarbe, who were shot and killed, the statement said.

Inside, security forces seized a Ba-94 gun, cartridge cases, bullets, a handmade gun, a remote mine, and material for building improvised explosive devices, it said. A 1,000 Bangladeshi taka (U.S. $12.41) note along with other notes of various denominations, various small items, and a cellphone were found in a small bag.

The Ba-94 was one of the weapons that belonged to the assailants who waged deadly attacks on the Kyikanpyin border guard station on Oct. 9, 2016, the statement said.

In all, three border guard stations were attacked in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships that day, leaving nine patrolmen dead.

Authorities later blamed the raids on an obscure group of militant Rohingya Muslims, which they have not named, and ordered a security crackdown on the tri-township area during which about 1,000 people are estimated to have died and 90,000 Rohingya fled their homes, with most going to neighboring Bangladesh.

So far, Rakhine authorities have charged more than 500 local Muslims and deemed 1,300 others fugitives for their alleged involvement in the October 2016 attacks.

Though the crackdown ended in February, government soldiers continue to patrol the townships in the wake of a series of disappearances, murders, and other attacks on security forces that have struck fear in ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, who constitute a minority in the area.

Recent killings of ethnic Rakhine people coupled with alarm about armed assaults by Rohingya Muslims forced about 200 Rakhine Buddhists to flee Maungdaw last week. The move prompted troops in the area to be put on high alert and a state parliamentary official to call for increased security.

Fourteen Myanmar political parties, including the main opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), urged the civilian government on July 6 to order martial law in the townships.

They also urged the government not to accept an international fact-finding mission that the United Nations Human Rights Commission will send to Rakhine state to investigate atrocities that Myanmar's army is said to have committed against Rohingya Muslims during the four-month security sweep of the northern townships

The central government has disassociated itself from a United Nations resolution mandating the fact-finding mission.

The country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has appointed a commission led by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to examine the situation on the ground in Rakhine and propose ways to solve the sectarian tensions. The commission's final report is due in August.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Round-ups of Uyghurs continue as Egypt, China condemned by rights groups

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 10 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Round-ups of Uyghurs continue as Egypt, China condemned by rights groups, 10 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a893c.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-10

File photo of a mosque at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, from which Uyghur students have been rounded up at China's behest. AFP

Rights groups condemned Cairo and Beijing at the weekend for the detention and deportation to China of Uyghur students studying in Egypt, where desperate Uyghurs continued to try to avoid being rounded up by authorities.

At least 200 Uyghurs, many of them religious students, have been detained since July 4, rounded up in restaurants and at airports as they tried to flee to safer countries, they told RFA's Uyghur Service.

A Uyghur student in Egypt told RFA his pregnant wife was detained on Sunday along with an older woman and a young man as they fled to an airport in Hurghada.

"I was hoping to send my nine-months-pregnant wife accompanied by an older lady and several Uyghurs to Turkey through Hurghada. I sent them off to Hurghada on a bus leaving at 1:30 p.m.," said the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"I received a message from them around 7:00 p.m. that they were stopped and detained by police on their way to Hurghada airport," he added.

"I was in constant contact with them fearing the worst. But I was reassured many times by them that they would be released soon and taken to the airport. In the end, they were detained at the police station," said the student.

"Their phones seemed to have been taken away from them. All of their phones are turned off."

Forced to sign extremist confessions

Egypt's state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted unnamed officials as denying on Sunday that Egyptian authorities were targeting Uyghur students.

Human rights and Uyghur exile groups condemned China and Egypt for violating the rights of the Uyghurs and breaking a UN treaty forbidding forced repatriation.

"We strongly condemn the Chinese government for exporting its repression of the peaceful Uyghur people into other countries," Omer Kanat, director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, said in a statement.

"The detained and deported Uyghurs were simply religious students studying at Al-Azhar University. They didn't commit any kind of crimes," said Kanat.

"The only reason they were rounded up was because the Egyptian authorities followed through on the Chinese request to deport them to China. These Uyghur students were forced to sign a form stating they had joined extremist organizations by the Egyptian authorities and then were deported," he added.

Human Rights Watch, which said that at least 62 Uyghurs had been detained since July 3, said Uyghurs deported to China face a serious risk of arbitrary detention and torture.

"The Egyptian authorities should halt this outrageous round-up of Uyghurs," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Uyghurs living in Egypt should be free from fear of arbitrary arrest and deportation to a country where they risk persecution and torture."

The Daily News Egypt website quoted the Egyptian Commission of Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) as saying on Sunday that 12 Uyghur students were deported to China on July 6, while Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 80 Uyghur students in Cairo and 20 in Alexandria and Hurghada.

The student whose expectant wife was detain told RFA "I am so worried right now and I do not know what to do."

"I had decided to send my pregnant wife to Turkey first because I didn't want her to give birth in Egypt. Once she gives birth, then we have to go to the Chinese Embassy to get birth certificate. Then, we will get caught and deported," he said.

"Her due date is just few days away. I simply cannot understand how the Egyptian police could possibly detain a nine-months-pregnant woman."

Reported by Kurban Niyaz for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Paul Eckert.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Vietnam failed sailors beheaded by Islamic militants: Family, neighbors

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 10 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Vietnam failed sailors beheaded by Islamic militants: Family, neighbors, 10 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a894c.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-10

The sister-in-law (L) and mother (R) of Hoang Van Hai in an undated photo. Photo provided by an RFA listener

Vietnam's government should have done more to bring home two Vietnamese sailors executed last week after being held for nearly eight months by Islamic militants in the Philippines, family and neighbors of the two men said Monday.

Hoang Van Hai, Hoang Trung Thong and four other Vietnamese crew members of the cargo ship MV Royal 16 were taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf group in November.

Hai and Thong were beheaded by their captors, allegedly on July 5, and their remains were discovered by Philippine troops on the island of Basilan early the next day, Vietnam's Vice Foreign Minister Vu Hong Nam said last week in a statement condemning the killing.

Nam said that the Foreign Ministry would support the victim's families in preparing for their funerals and continue to request that Philippine authorities work to ensure the safety of Vietnamese citizens.

Philippine troops rescued a third MV Royal 16 crewman, Hoang Vo, from Abu Sayyaf last month, but three others remain in captivity.

On Monday, Hai's father Hoang Van Tu told RFA's Vietnamese Service that the MV Royal cargo company and the Vietnamese government had not done enough to save his son from Abu Sayyaf, which is known to behead its hostages when ransom demands are not met.

"[The militants] said we had to pay about 100 million pesos (U.S. $1.97 million) as a ransom," Tu said in an interview at his home in Thanh Hoa province's Tinh Gia district.

Later, he said, the wife of the cargo ship's chief officer  who was also held by Abu Sayyaf  instructed families of the crewmen to sign a memorandum "with no words" to secure their release.

"We wondered how we could sign something with no words, but then the director of MV Royal said that only he knew what the content of the memorandum would say, and if we wanted to save our children then we would have to do it," Tu said.

"He told us to trust in him. There were six of us families and we each signed 10 blank documents. We didn't expect anything like this to happen!"

Hoang Van Hai's uncle Trung told RFA that Abu Sayyaf executed the two crew members because the group had waited too long for ransom money from Vietnam, which he called a state that "doesn't work for the benefit of its people."

"The citizens of countries with democratic political systems that are open and respectful of human dignity wouldn't be denigrated and neglected by foreigners," he said.

Mishandled situation

A neighbor of Hoang Trung Thong's family in Quang Binh province said that both the government and MV Royal had failed Thong and Hai, and neglected to keep them informed of the hostage situation.

"From the state to the company, both handled the issue in the most ridiculous way," he said.

"It had been seven to eight months, so if they couldn't do anything for them, they should have let the families or the media know, so people could donate money to save them," he added.

"The villagers here love each other very much, and every evening they have gone to the victims' families to offer their condolences."

The lives of the crewmen were extremely difficult, the neighbor said, and they did not deserve to be mistreated by their company and government.

Most of the crew earn 5 million to 8 million dong (U.S. $220 to $352) per month, only getting paid after completing journeys across the ocean lasting several months, while their wives and children live in poverty, he said.

He called on Vietnam's authorities to rescue the remaining Vietnamese crewmen being held by Abu Sayyaf, saying that to do so is "the duty of a good government."

Islamic militants

Abu Sayyaf, which formed in the 1990s with financial assistance from Al-Qaeda, split into a loose collection of factions in the mid-2000s and is now believed to number around 400 members. Several of the factions have declared allegiance to the Islamic State since 2014, according to the BBC.

The Islamic militant group has become known for kidnapping over the past 15 years and has earned millions of dollars in ransom, which it has used to acquire modern weaponry, boats and communications equipment.

According to the Philippine military, Abu Sayyaf is still holding a total of 22 hostages, including 16 foreigners.

In February, the group beheaded 70-year-old German national Jurgen Kantner after its demand for 30 million pesos (U.S. $590,000) was not paid.

Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian hostages last year.

Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Emily Peyman. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
China steps up controls on use of VPNs to scale the Great Firewall

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 11 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, China steps up controls on use of VPNs to scale the Great Firewall, 11 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a895c.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-11

A man uses a laptop at a Beijing office of Sina Weibo, widely known as China's version of Twitter, in a file photo. AFP

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.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Chinese police detain 'more than 100' friends, classmates of Kazakh custody death imam

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 11 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, Chinese police detain 'more than 100' friends, classmates of Kazakh custody death imam, 11 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a89613.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-11

A Kazakh herdsman grazes a flock of cattle and sheep in Yining county, in Xinjiang's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, June 20, 2017. Imaginechina

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.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
UN human rights envoy pays sixth visit to western Myanmar's Rakhine state

Publisher Radio Free Asia Publication Date 11 July 2017 Cite as Radio Free Asia, UN human rights envoy pays sixth visit to western Myanmar's Rakhine state, 11 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971a89813.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

2017-07-11

Yanghee Lee, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights to Myanmar, leaves a press conference in Yangon, Jan. 20, 2017. AFP

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 Fishermen's 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 country's 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 don't 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 fishermen's survival and provide adequate health care and education so they could eke out a living after Myanmar's 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 nortehrn 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 southern Myanmar's 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 state's 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."

UN fact-finding mission

Lee's 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 Rakhine's 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 Burma  we 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, Myanmar's 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 country's southeastern Cox's 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 RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Link to original story on RFA website

Copyright notice: Copyright  2006, RFA. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.
Poland: Senate should reject "death knell" for rule of law

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Poland: Senate should reject "death knell" for rule of law, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971ad8d4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Following the news that the lower house of the Polish parliament has passed a law granting the Minister of Justice extensive new powers, including the ability to dismiss all existing members of the country's Supreme Court, Gauri Van Gulik, Deputy Europe Director at Amnesty International, said:

"Judicial independence in Poland has suffered yet another damaging blow with today's decision by the Sejm. Much of the country's justice system is already effectively in the hands of the Law and Justice Party, and the Supreme Court represents a last vital bastion of independence. If the Senate passes the bill, it would sound the death knell for judicial independence and fair trial rights in Poland.

"Should this progress through the Senate, it will be even more glaringly evident that Poland is at clear risk of breaching its human rights responsibilities. The EU must follow through on its strong words and trigger Article 7."

Background

The amendment of the Law on the Supreme Court entered the first hearing in the lower chamber Sejm on 18 July and was passed on 20 July. It will now be heard by the upper chamber, the Senate. If passed by the Senate, it will need to be signed into law by the President.

If this amendment enters into force, the day after all current Supreme Court judges will have to retire. The Minister of Justice, will also have the power to decide to grant exceptions to this rule and extend the tenure of some of the judges. The Minister will gain new competence within the disciplinary proceedings of the Supreme Court judges.

The amendment introduces the following main changes in the powers of the Minister of Justice which raise particular concerns:

1. It would grant the Minister the power to terminate the term of judges on the Supreme Court;

2. The Minister would also have the power to form the "new" Supreme Court after the termination of terms of the current Supreme Court members

3. The Minister will gain new competence within the disciplinary proceedings of the Supreme Court judges, including the possibility to question the decisions of the Supreme Court taken in previous disciplinary proceedings.

Two other laws - the Law on the National Council of Judiciary and the Law on Common Courts - that undermine judicial independence have been passed by both chambers of the Polish parliament and are awaiting sign-off by the President.

On 18 July, Amnesty International delivered a public statement on all of these proposed amendments. It can be accessed via the link here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur37/6753/2017/en/

Article 7(1) of the Treaty of the European Union allows the European Council to issue a warning tomember states where there is "a clear risk of a serious breach" of the respect for the rule of law and human right

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Turkey: International pressure mounts on Turkey as world leaders demand release of jailed activists

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Turkey: International pressure mounts on Turkey as world leaders demand release of jailed activists, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971adda4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Just days after six human rights defenders were remanded in pre-trial custody in Turkey, the European Commission has joined governments and world leaders, including Angela Merkel, to demand their immediate and unconditional release.

Speaking today a European Commission spokesperson called for the "immediate release of these people". This call follows similar demands by the governments of Germany, the US, France, Belgium, Ireland and Austria.

"The jailing of these six human rights activists - including the director of Amnesty International Turkey - has spurred world leaders to break their silence on the ongoing human rights crisis in Turkey. They are now coming together with remarkable speed and speaking with uncommon unity. Momentum is growing and now is the moment for other world leaders to speak out," said John Dalhuisen, Europe Director for Amnesty International.

"The global demand on Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release these six is growing ever louder as is the wider call that Turkey end the brutal crackdown that has ravaged the country for the last year. Whilst those responsible for the bloody coup must be brought to justice, this cannot be used as a cover to eliminate all forms of peaceful dissent."

European Commission - "We call for the immediate release of these people." (20/7/17)

United States - "These politically-motivated arrests were carried out to frighten and suppress those willing to stand up for human rights in Turkey...I call on Turkish authorities to release Idil Eser and her fellow activists without delay or condition." (18/7/17).

Angela Merkel - "This is another case where, in our view, innocent people are caught up in the wheels of the justice system and end up in detentionWe declare our solidarity with [Peter Steudtner] and all the others arrestedthe German government will do all it can, on all levels, to secure his release." (18/7/17)

Germany - "Claims of terrorist links are absurd. It is appalling to accuse Amnesty and other rights organizations of terrorism." (18/7/17)

France - "France remains concerned by the recent arrests that targeted Turkish officials of Amnesty International as well as other journalists and human rights defenders. We call for their quick release." (18/7/17)

Belgium - "The Minister calls on the Turkish authorities to drop all charges against the 11 people in question, immediately and without conditions." (20/7/17)

Austria - "This is a transparent attempt to intimidate and silence human rights defenders. We will press for their immediate release at all levels." (20/7/17)

Ireland - "The targeting of human rights activists is not an activity we expect to see in a country which respects basic human rights and the rule of law, and I call on the Turkish authorities to release those arrested." (20/7/17)

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
An editorial in China's daily Global Times slammed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's remarks in Parliament on the Doklam stand-off, ruling out a simultaneous withdrawal of troops from the region.

By Ananth Krishnan: Keeping up the shrill rhetoric from Beijing, an editorial on Friday in the widely-read Chinese-language edition of the Communist Party-run Global Times slammed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's remarks in Parliament on the Doklam stand-off, accusing the minister of "lying" and ruling out a simultaneous withdrawal in the disputed region describing it as India's "fantasy".

The editorial also threatened Delhi with military action. "China has already shown its tolerance and calmness to the largest extent", it said. "If New Delhi does not withdraw its troops, the last option for China is fighting against India and ending the conflict without diplomatic means."

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External Affairs Minister Swaraj had pointed out that India "had to intervene at the trijunction point to stop China's unilateral attempt to change the status quo because this would impact our security" and said that India was "willing to talk but both sides should take back their armies to their original positions."

An editorial in China's Global Times slammed Sushma Swaraj's remarks on Doklam.

The widely-read Chinese edition of the Global Times rebutted her remarks, saying, "The lady foreign minister was lying to the parliamentarians in India, because firstly, India invaded the territory of China and it is a fact that New Delhi's adventures made the international community surprised that no country would support it. Secondly, India's military power is far behind China, and once things go to a military solution, there is no doubt India will lose."

SIMULTANEOUS WITHDRAWAL DEMAND SHOWS CHANGE IN STAND: CHINESE DAILY

The editorial suggested Swaraj's comments of a simultaneous withdrawal indicated a change in stand. "We noticed that the tone of the statement by India has been fractionally changed. They started to claim that Donglong (Doklam) is a trijunction and have presented the proposition of withdrawing the troops of both sides to feel out China's response. It reflects that New Delhi has begun to be diffident."

The Global Times Chinese editorial also warned of escalation at other points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). "If India still holds on to their confrontational attitude, they should prepare for bearing the consequences of the escalation of the conflict". The logistics and maneuverability of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is far superior to that of India", it added. "Our troops may appear at any place on the other side of the border and the Sino-India border will become the arena for China to show its achievements on army training and reforming."

Ruling out a simultaneous withdrawal, it called on India to "abandon the long-term fantasy of the Donglang [Doklam] area". "China will never engage with what India calls 'double withdrawal'. Confrontation is in the territory of China, and India must unilaterally withdraw", the editorial added.

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The newspaper claimed public opinion in China was supportive of strong action. "Not one inch of Chinese land can be lost, which is the desire of the Chinese people. The Chinese government will never allow China's public sentiment to be violated and the PLA will never disappoint the Chinese people."

NO PEACE AT COST OF CHINA's LOST TERRITORY

"China cherishes peace. But peace cannot be achieved at the expense of China's lost territory, and 1.4 billion Chinese people will not accept that peace."

The editorial in the Chinese edition also said India was "ridiculous" to assume it had an advantage. "India's current number of soldiers may be higher, but they do not know the PLA's strong delivery capacity can change the number of forces within a day. China also has a long-range strike capability. China and India's military spending scale is four to one, and the GDP is five times larger than India's. Such a gap in strength will shape the actual outcome on the border."

It also said that India would not receive support from the United States or Japan in the event of a conflict, referring to the recent Malabar exercises. "Their support is virtual", it said. "If India imagines it has a strategic card in the Indian Ocean, then it is being naive. China has a lot of cards than can hurt India's soft underbelly."

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Referring to 1962, the editorial said India had made "a wrong assessment" then of "China's determination to defend territory." "We hope this time New Delhi does not repeat the same mistake," it concluded.

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Prominent human rights defender detained ahead of death penalty conference

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Prominent human rights defender detained ahead of death penalty conference, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971b2cf4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Malaysian government must immediately release prominent Bangladeshi human rights defender Adilur Rahman Khan, FIDH and its member organization Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) urged today. Adilur is a Vice-President of FIDH and Secretary of its member organization in Bangladesh, Odhikar.

Adilur was detained on 20 July 2017 at approximately 4:00 am by immigration officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. No reason was given for his detention. Adilur had been invited to attend a death penalty conference organized by the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) from 21-22 July 2017 in Kuala Lumpur.

FIDH and SUARAM condemn the Malaysian authorities' decision to detain Adilur. The two organizations note that this is the second case of harassment of a visiting human rights activist in just over a month. On 18 June 2017, Malaysian immigration authorities at Kuala Lumpur International Airport detained and deported Singaporean activist Han Hui Hui.
Vietnam: Immediately release labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Vietnam: Immediately release labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga, 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971b3344.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Vietnamese authorities must drop all charges against labour and land rights defender Tran Thi Nga and immediately release her, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT partnership) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) urged today.

Tran Thi Nga's trial is scheduled for July 25-26, 2017 at the People's Court in Ha Nam Province. She has been charged under Article 88 of the Criminal Code ("spreading propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam"). If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in jail.

"The harassment, arbitrary arrest, and trial of Tran Thi Nga follow a familiar pattern of repression that will inevitably continue unless Hanoi enacts significant institutional and legislative reforms, including the amendment of the country's numerous repressive laws," said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.

Tran Thi Nga was arrested on January 21, 2017 at her home in Phu Ly, Ha Nam Province, after the police searched her house and confiscated several of her personal belongings. On the same day, Tran Thi Nga's partner Luong Dan Ly, a pro-democracy activist and blogger, was also arrested. He was released the following day.

Police accused Tran Thi Nga of using the Internet "to spread some propaganda videos and writings that are against the Government of the Social Republic of Vietnam".

"We strongly condemn the prosecution of Tran Thi Nga, which illustrates once more the Vietnamese Government's relentless efforts to intimidate and silence human rights defenders for their legitimate human rights activities. Vietnam must immediately and unconditionally free Tran Thi Nga and all other jailed human rights defenders," said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.

Tran Thi Nga has suffered repeated intimidation, harassment, detention, interrogation, and physical assaults by security agents because of her human rights activities. In May 2014, a group of five men assaulted her with iron rods, breaking her arm and leg. In the days prior to her arrest in January 2017, Tran Thi Nga was subjected to increased police intimidation and harassment, including surveillance of her home and the use of physical force to keep her from leaving her house. Police also refused to allow a neighbour to take her two young sons to the city to buy them food.

"The result of Tran Thi Nga's trial is a foregone conclusion and it certainly won't be the last conviction of a human rights defender by Vietnam's kangaroo courts. Without renewed international pressure, Hanoi's crackdown on human rights defenders will continue unabated," said VCHR President Vo Van Ai.
South Sudan: Release journalist held incommunicado since 10 July

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as Article 19, South Sudan: Release journalist held incommunicado since 10 July, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971b3fd4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ARTICLE 19 condemns the incommunicado detention of Adil Faris Mayat, the head of South Sudan's state-owned national TV broadcaster, SSBC, since 10 July. He has not been allowed to contact his lawyer or family, and has yet to be charged with a crime.

Mayat was arrested by National Security Services (NSS) officers in Juba after SSBC failed to air a live speech by President Salva Kiir marking the sixth anniversary of the country's independence.

"Arbitrary detentions of journalists by state officials in South Sudan have seen a worrying rise, and this latest incident shows the price journalists pay for failing to toe the government line. This latest detention is part of a trend of arrests and intimidation of journalists in South Sudan. Incidents like this serve to create a chilling effect, worsening the already alarming state of free expression and media freedom in the country," said Henry Maina, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa Regional Director.

South Sudan has been regressing further on human rights and media freedoms as the country's civil war, which has displaced more than 2 million people, continues into its fourth year. Among other human rights violations, there has been an onslaught on media freedoms by the state. Journalists are regularly arbitrarily detained or harassed, and face mistreatment or torture, and numerous critical media outlets have been closed. The ongoing efforts by President Salva Kiir's government to suppress media freedom are further demonstrated by the recent banning of several international media outlets, and the ban on at least 20 foreign journalists from working in the country.

While restrictions on freedom of expression are permitted during conflict, according to international standards, rights may only be restricted to the degree strictly necessary to protect national security. The arbitrary incommunicado detention of Mayat and similar attacks against and arbitrary detentions of journalists and activists clearly fail to meet that test.

"South Sudanese journalists already face hostile working conditions in the country's ongoing conflict, and as efforts towards a new peace agreement in the young country continue, the government must show its willingness to reform by safeguarding core human rights, including freedom of expression, " added Maina.

ARTICLE 19 calls upon the South Sudanese government and NSS to release Mayat without delay, and to release all other journalists and human rights defenders that are currently being held by the government. We urge the South Sudanese government to make a concerted efforts toward ensuring the protection of freedom of expression in the country, by committing to a process of reform which would include the ratification of key international and regional human rights treaties. We also urge the government to address impunity for attacks on freedom of expression and other human rights, by, among other things, ensuring the prompt trial of 12 soldiers accused of the murder of a South Sudanese journalist and the gang rape of several foreign aid workers in an incident in July 2016 in Juba.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
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.
Toward a More Belarusian Belarus

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Grigory Ioffe Publication Date 20 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 96 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Toward a More Belarusian Belarus, 20 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 96, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971bc324.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Belarus's independent voice is growing louder. On June 27, the Belarusian embassy to the United States organized a reception on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. More than 100 American guests participated in the reception, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bridget Brink, who made a friendly speech immediately following remarks by Charge D'Affaires Pavel Shidlovsky. Shortly thereafter, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko shared congratulatory remarks at the reception organized by the US embassy in Minsk, in conjunction with US Independence Day (US Embassy, July 1). No such high-ranking Belarusian official has delivered a speech at the US embassy in Minsk since the mid-1990s. The media, however, kept mum, apparently not to inflame passions on Belarus's eastern flank.

Lenta.ru, one of Russia's more balanced online news platforms (unlike "patriotic" Regnum, EaDaily, and many others) confirmed such passions are real. It shared its concern about the popularization of the Belarusian language. The Lenta.ru article also noted with disapproval instances of local authorities being rebuked after complaints were made that these officials had issued a Russian-language response to a petition written in Belarusian. And it bemoaned successful complaints in Belarus against city bus drivers who adorn their cabins with Russian flags or ribbons of Saint George-symbols of Russian military glory. Last but not least, "three Belarusian adherents of the Russian world [Russkiy Mir]" (see EDM, December 12) are still awaiting trials in jail. It appears that "today's Belarus cannot be compared to [the country it was] ten years ago in terms of 'growth of national consciousness.' " The latter word combination is put in quotation marks as some sort of a falsehood because "Belarusians are [just] Russians of higher quality," as President Alyaksandr Lukashenka himself used to say-though no longer does (Lenta.ru, July 1).

Alexei Venediktov, the director of Russia's liberal radio channel Ekho Moskvy, remarked, "Belarus does not exist in Russia's [information] space except in times of crisis" (Euroradio, July 14). If Venediktov's observation is true, then the time of crisis is already upon us. Venediktov noted that Lukashenka talks of the historical Principality of Polotsk as the cradle of Belarusian statehood in the 10th century (Tut.by, July 1). Having visited Polotsk on Lukashenka's advice, Venediktov received an earful about the dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and about Euphrasinia Polotskaya, a daughter of the Vitsebsk prince, considered a sacred figure from the Belarusian past. Moreover, Venediktov left Belarus committed to interviewing Lukashenka-next time, he intends to ask him about Belarusian history, identity and the differences between Belarusians and Russians (Euroradio, July 14).

Some Russian critics-as reflected in the aforementioned Lenta.ru material, let alone on the pages of Regnum (June 20)-identify a "soft Belarusianization" (SB) of Belarus. As Artyom Shraibman, the political commentator of Tut.by, declared, the Belarusian authorities expanded the scope of permissible nationalist sentiment as "a reflex reaction of the state organism to the external challenge," i.e., to the fact that "the sense of Russian national greatness has been getting up from its knees too stridently" (Tut.by, July 6). Shraibman lists multiple signs of SB. First, in July 2014, Lukashenka made a speech in Belarusian for the first time in many years. Second, in July 2017, he spoke about 1,000 years of Belarusian history, not a history traced back to just 1917. Third, the Pahonia ("pursuit"), the coat of arms deriving from the legacy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania but delegalized as a national symbol of Belarus in 1995, is now on sale all around Minsk. Moreover, the former Belarusian ideologue-in-chief, Igor Buzovsky-now in charge of the administration of the central district of Minsk-speaks sympathetically about the Pahonia as well as about the likewise delegalized white-red-white flag, which is now omnipresent in the country. Fourth, Belavia has become the official air carrier of Alexander Mikhalok's rock band, which only recently was a symbol of the anti-Lukashenka opposition (YouTube, July 13). Fifth, employees of the A-100 network of gas stations have switched to speaking Belarusian with their clients. Shraibman surmises that Belarus is "more cohesive than we used to think" and "only the current political framework stands in the way of cooperation between all sorts of people who want to see a more Belarusian Belarus."

Yet another sign of the country's independent voice is the fact that, on July 5-9, Minsk hosted a session of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with 700 delegates from 57 countries in attendance. Besides being able to conduct this session in Minsk, Belarus won three other victories. First, it prevailed over Lithuania, whose draft resolution about the danger allegedly posed by the Belarusian nuclear power plant currently under construction, received support from only eight countries; whereas 20 voted against the resolution and 29 abstained. Among those not only voting but also speaking against the resolution was Sweden, formerly a persistent critic of Belarus (Tut.by, July 7). Second, although the PA adopted a resolution criticizing Belarus for deviating from democratic norms, that resolution did not make it into the final declaration (Tut.by, July 9). Third, Belarus did not support Russia's attempt to exclude a resolution on the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity from the session's agenda (Tut.by, July 6). In that regard, the words Lukashenka used to admonish the delegates of the 19th World Congress of the Russian Press (which also took place in Minsk) are noteworthy: "You have become the main components of hybrid wars," exclaimed the Belarusian leader (Tut.by, July 12).

On July 13, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense declared it would forward invitations to international organizations and neighboring countries to monitor the Belarusian-Russian joint exercise Zapad 2017 (Interfax, July 13). One week earlier, meeting with a US Congressional delegation led by Senator Roger Wicker, Lukashenka observed that while there is no crisis in the bilateral relationship, there is a deficit of ideas (Belta, July 6). Considering that Belarus's independent voice is now being heard as never before, while the West's policies toward Belarus are increasingly being recognized as ineffective (Svaboda.org, July 12), it was Lukashenka's way of saying "the ball is in your court."

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Moscow Cannot Afford a South Ossetian Strategy in Ukraine's Donbas

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Paul Goble Publication Date 18 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 94 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Moscow Cannot Afford a South Ossetian Strategy in Ukraine's Donbas, 18 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 94, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971bcb24.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Vladimir Putin has slammed the brakes on a much-ballyhooed Duma proposal to offer Ukrainians in the occupied Donbas region Russian citizenship on a simplified basis (Kommersant, July 18). Almost certainly, the initiative was abandoned because if these individuals were to obtain that status-as the residents of the breakaway "Republic" of South Ossetia did almost a decade ago-then Moscow would have to assume responsibility for them. And this is something the Kremlin clearly recognizes it cannot presently afford.

Numerous Duma members and others in Russia who support this idea see a simplified path to Russian citizenship as opening the way for the ultimate annexation of Donbas. But many in the Kremlin recognize such an outcome would be extremely costly financially and politically. Financially, it would put burdens on Moscow to come up with money to provide at least basic services to several million people; and politically, it would mean that the Kremlin would be eliminating the chief lever it hopes to have in Ukraine as well as further isolating the Russian Federation from the Western powers.

This turn of events suggests that Putin, if not all the members of the Duma, recognizes that while Moscow benefits in many ways from the so-called "frozen" conflict in Donbas, it could lose big by taking any dramatic step to further destabilize the situation. In turn, that means today's announcement that the Moscow-backed leadership of Russian-occupied Donbas plans to form "a successor state" to Ukraine-"Malorossiya"-should be dismissed as nothing more than the latest incarnation of the Russian propaganda project "Novorossiya." One may, thus, readily expect that this new iteration will ultimately fail to materialize just like "Novorossiya" did. And in fact, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is already predicting such a fate (Spektr.press, July 18).

Putin's decision to quash the Duma bill was reported in today's (July 18) Kommersant and quickly picked up by Ukrainian outlets (Kommersant, Dsnews.ua, July 18). Deputy Konstantin Zatulin's proposal on the simplification of citizenship procedures for non-Russians specifically covers "bearers of the Russian language" who live on the territory of the former Russian Empire or the Soviet Union. Putin's objections to the Zatulin bill were cast by the paper in terms of the entire region, but the Kremlin leader's decision applies in the first instance to Ukrainians, especially those already living in the Russian Federation or in the Russian-occupied Donbas.

Tomorrow, the Duma will consider the measure but without the sweeping provisions Zatulin had offered. According to Kommersant, the United Russia deputy has already pulled them "on the recommendation of Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, who suggested coordinating this with the Main Political Administration [of the parliament], the foreign ministry, the interior ministry, and the Russian government as a whole." This brings to a halt what had appeared to be a runaway train. The Duma had already approved Zatulin's idea on first reading because many of its members clearly felt that tens if not hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians would choose to become Russians overnight if they did not have to go through the current complicated system of obtaining written confirmation of their status as Ukrainians from the Ukrainian government. Kyiv has been slow to provide such confirmation documentation, according to Duma members.

Before Putin's intervention, Duma members had been enthusiastic about the measure, convinced that it meant, in the words of Aleksey Polubota, a Svobodnaya Pressa commentator, that "Russia is preparing a 'South Ossetian' variant for Donbas." The offer of Russian citizenship to people in the occupied regions would soon be followed by Moscow's recognition of those regions as independent countries, he further predicted (Svobodnaya Pressa, July 15).

Duma deputies suggested that "by the most modest estimates," some 700,000 Ukrainians would choose to become Russian citizens overnight, if the new simplified procedures were put in place. And many of them suggested this should have happened long before now, Andrey Yepifantsev, a Moscow analyst, told Polubota. The reason Moscow has moved in this direction, he said, was that Putin decided-on the basis of his recent meeting with United States President Donald Trump, in Hamburg-that the Minsk agreements on a Ukrainian ceasefire have no future. Rather, Yepifantsev argued that Russia must "repeat the steps it already took in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the handing out of its passports. This shows that Moscow will assume responsibility for the defense of its citizens in the unrecognized republics" that will then become independent countries.

Aleksandr Shatilov, the dean of the sociology and political science faculty at the government's Finance University, agreed. He told the Svobodnaya Pressa commentator that "receipt of Russian citizenship by residents of Donbas will mean that they will be under the protection of the Russian state." Russians support such a move, even if some in the "Russian elite" still have "illusions" that they can reach a deal with the West on Ukraine, Shatilov asserted.

But Putin's intervention, signaled by Kommersant today, shows that whatever "illusions" some in Moscow may have, the Russian government clearly believes it cannot afford to do what the Russian parliament would like.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russian Citizenship for Ukrainians: Addressing Russia's Population Decline

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Maksym Bugriy Publication Date 18 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 94 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russian Citizenship for Ukrainians: Addressing Russia's Population Decline, 18 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 94, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971bd4c4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

The State Duma of the Russian Federation passed an amendment to its citizenship laws, on July 12, easing the procedure for Ukrainians to acquire Russian citizenship. According to the new amendment, those wishing to acquire Russian citizenship would no longer need to provide Russian authorities with paper certification from Kyiv that they were abdicating their Ukrainian citizenship. Such a document was difficult to obtain. Under the new legal guidelines, an individual would need to only submit a notarized copy of the abdication application to the Russian Migration Service (Interfax, July 13).

On July 18, however, President Vladimir Putin rejected the proposed deeper simplification measures that would allow individuals not even resident in Russia to apply for citizenship (Kommersant, July 18). Presumably, the price tag for caring for the tens if not hundreds of thousands of expected new Russian citizens in occupied Ukrainian Donbas was too high for the Kremlin (see EDM, July 18). Nevertheless, the Duma's aborted citizenship bill had every sign of a systemic campaign. And it illustrates the ways in which demographic decline trends are increasingly influencing Russian policies on a whole host of issues.

Easing Russian citizenship for Ukrainians from Donbas was initially "prompted" by a question for President Putin on his call-in show earlier this summer. And the policy was subsequently endorsed by Putin during his meeting with the governor of Belgorod Oblast, which borders on Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast (Lenta.ru , July 14). According to the interior ministry, "about a million people" were unable to receive the required abdication certificates from Ukraine in order to apply for Russian citizenship. And Duma committee chair Pavel Krasheninnikov suggested "hundreds of thousands" of Ukrainian residents of Rostov Oblast stood to benefit from the new law (Vzglyad, July 11)

This simplification of citizenship procedures was likely motivated at least in part by the Kremlin's ongoing "crawling occupation" plans to grant Russian nationality to the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk "People's Republics" in Donbas. Moreover, the initiative may have been meant for domestic consumption in preparation for the 2018 presidential campaign. But in a longer-term perspective, the move seemed designed to address Russia's looming "demographic gap" by encouraging culturally acceptable immigration from Ukraine.

Russian officials and experts both periodically acknowledge the demographic problem faced by Russia, aggravated by reduced and deferred fertility during the1990s, when the economy was in recession. Immigration accounted for 98 percent of Russia's population growth of 262,000 people in 2016, which had been lower than the 2015 increase of 277,400 people (Vedomosti, February 22). Last year, Russia's Economic Development Ministry called for a proactive migration policy to prevent future declines in the country's workforce (RIA Novosti, October 29, 2016). And Putin himself admitted that demographic decline would lead to near-term recruitment problems for the military (RBC, November 22, 2016). Furthermore, according to political demography scholar Andrey Korotayev, it will not be possible to entirely prevent Russia's depopulation-only to mitigate decline and aging. Korotayev argues the core of the problem dates back to the economic depression of the 1990s: from 1989 to 1993, the number of newly born babies declined two times and then stagnated until 1999. Furthermore, the post-Soviet Central Asian republics, which are the main source of migrants to the Russian Federation, experienced their own birth declines at the end of the 20th century-even more dramatic than in Russia (Lenta.ru August 9, 2016).

In theory, unlike the migrants from culturally different Central Asia, Ukrainians-who have a reputation for being highly adaptable-could be more easily integrated, thus making Russia's overall population more homogenous. Generally, when applying for citizenship, Ukrainians can pass a Russian-language test without any difficulty. The war in Donbas has whet the appetites of some of Russia's regional authorities for these potential immigrants. The governor of Rostov, for example, proposed to count Ukrainian refugee children in the oblast's statistical reports to improve the region's poor population record for 2015 (RBC, June 10, 2015)

But mobility statistics and public opinion polls cast doubt on the presumption that the simplification of receiving Russian citizenship status would actually increase the flow of Ukrainian Slavs to the Russian Federation. According to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service (Data provided directly to author, April 26), the number of individual border crossings between Ukraine and Russia increased slightly in 2016 (11.6 million) compared to the previous year (10.9 million). But the overall volume and growth rate of these border crossings (+6 percent) was much lower than that with European Union member states (33.9 million in 2015; 37.2 million in 2016; +10 percent change). The introduction of visa-free tourist travel for Ukrainians and proactive politics in Hungary, the Czech Republics, Poland and some other EU countries to attract Ukrainian workers makes Russia a less attractive migration destination, especially during its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Number of Total Border Crossings in Ukraine (2015-2016)

Ground Vehicles (thousand) Individual ground border crossings (thousand) Border with: 2015 2016 % Change 2015 2016 % Change The Russian Federation 2,360 2,293 -3% 10,941 11,606 +6% Belarus 1,383 1,319 -5% 7,243 6,337 -13% Administrative line, Kherson Oblast/Crimea 0.796 0.517 -35% 3,127 2,701 -14% Poland 7,116 7,256 +2% 21,422 22,601 +6% Slovakia 0.979 1.036 +6% 2,307 2,612 +13% Hungary 1,999 2,420 +21% 7,144 8,469 +19% Romania 1,091 1,325 +21% 29,80 3,498 +17% EU member state borders 11,186 12,047 +8% 33,853 37,179 +10%

(Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine)

Some Russian media sources quote Russian statistical data that about 2.5 million Ukrainian citizens were in Russia as of January 1, 2016. Of those, 1.4 million had a temporary or permanent residence permit, including 0.4 million who were granted temporary refugee status. Yet, local attitudes toward the Ukrainian temporary refugees from Donetsk and Luhansk differ: quite often they are treated not as "Novorussians" but as "Ukrainians." Notably, some of these refugees, especially in Crimea, are perceived as competitors for labor (Km.ru, March 1, 2017).

Russia is still the second-largest outward migration destination from Ukraine, after Poland. But it is becoming less attractive. An opinion poll from last February shows that the number of Ukrainians willing to work in Russia has declined by four times-only about 6 percent of those willing to work abroad name Russia as their preferred destination. And reportedly, many of these "target" Ukrainians would rather have both Russian and Ukrainian passports, especially due to the EU visa-free travel regime (Espreso.tv, March 15; Vzglyad, July 11).

Nevertheless, Moscow may still focus on legally absorbing the large number of Ukrainians temporarily residing in Russia without Russian citizenship. Governmental statistical data already includes the residents of annexed Crimea within Russian population figures, boasting demographic growth of 2.6 million "new" Russians in 2014 (Statdata.ru May 17, 2017). Furthermore, the simplification of citizenship rules could help attract fresh talent. In the report "The Strategy for Russia. Russia's Foreign Policy: end of 2010s-Beginning of 2020s," the authors recommend an "active policy to attract valuable personnel [from Ukraine] to work in Russia [and] replenish [Russia's] domestic human capital" (Svop.ru, May 2016). This especially concerns Ukrainian weapons and technology designers and engineers. Coping with multiple crises, the Ukrainian government is likely to face challenges in countering such "demographic operations."

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
The Indian military is required to hold ammunition enough to fight a short intense war of 20 days and stocks of just 20 per cent of the armoury - 31 types of ammunition - were found to be satisfactory.

Stocks of as many of 26 types of ammunition was available for a little over 20 days.

By Sudhi Ranjan Sen: The stock of as many as 61 types of ammunition - out of a total of 152 types of ammunition considered critical by the Indian Army to fight a war - is available for just 10 days only, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found.

The stocks of just 20 per cent of the armoury - 31 types of ammunition - were found to be satisfactory, the CAG has found. The CAG report was placed before the Parliament today.

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The Indian military is required to hold ammunition enough to fight a short intense war of 20 days. Earlier, Indian military was required to have store supplies, spares and ammunition - called War Wastage Reserve (WWR) - to fight a 40 day intense war. In 1999 the WWR was scaled down to only 20 days.

The CAG says that of the 152 types of ammunition identified as critical stocks of only 31 were available for 40 days whereas as many as 12 types of ammunition was available for 30 to 40 days and stocks of as many of 26 types of ammunition was available for a little over 20 days.

The CAG report says that while WWR stocks of some of the critical items have improved - for instance explosives and demolition items- ammunition for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) and Artillery ammunition "meant for sustaining superior fire power were under critical level".

FROM INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE: Unmade in India

SHORTFALL NOT MET DESPITE SPECIAL PLAN

Concerned by shortfall, the previous UPA government had come up with a plan - Ammunition Road Map - to rapidly add to ammunition stocks by 2015. The CAG report, however, observes that "despite a lapse of more than three years - from March 2013- no significant improvement in availability of WWR ammunition was noticed".

SHORTAGE OF AMMUNITION AFFECTS TRAINING OF SOLDIERS

Lack of ammunition stocks is severely affecting training of the Indian Army. The CAG has observed because of shortage of ammunition, the Army Head Quarters had imposed "restriction" on training. It says in 2016, of the 24 types of ammunition required for training only three were available for more than five days for training activity. And, the availability of as much as 88 per cent of ammunition was far below requirement. "Majority of training ammunition - 77 to 88 per cent - remained critical i.e. less than five day".

FROM INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE: Preparing for the worst

SPECIAL POWERS TO INDIAN ARMY TO MAKE EMERGENCY PURCHASES

Concerned by huge shortfall of ammunition, the Government recently gave the vice-chief of Army Staff powers to make to emergency purchases.

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Sources told India Today that the Indian Army has identified 46 types of ammunition, about half dozen types of mines and 10 weapon systems as extremely critical. "These can now be purchased immediately bypassing the long winded procurement procedure," a senior officer said.

Also read:

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Doklam standoff: China tells Arun Jaitley it is also different from 1962

Indian Army not providing enough fruits, vegetables to its jawans: CAG

Should India be tackling China first than Pakistan? 1971 war army veteran explains

Also watch: Worst India-China standoff since 1962: Jibe for jibe, eyeball to eyeball again?

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UNHCR welcomes registration of a million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR welcomes registration of a million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan , 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971c8904.html [accessed 12 November 2022]

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the pilot launched this week of the Pakistan government's programme to register undocumented Afghans living in the country, currently estimated between 600,000 to one million.

This significant step will help regularize the stay for many Afghans at a time when return to their home country may not be possible.

Afghans registered under this new scheme will receive Afghan Citizen (AC) cards, providing them legal protection from arbitrary arrests, detention or deportation under Pakistan's Foreigner's Act. The AC cards will allow Afghans to stay in Pakistan for the time being, until they can be issued documents, such as passports, by the Government of Afghanistan. The initiative will bring much needed relief for many Afghan families where some were registered refugees, while others had no legal status.

The registration of undocumented Afghans follows three years of consultations between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and UNHCR. It forms part of Pakistan's Comprehensive Policy on the Repatriation and Management of Afghans, which was endorsed by its cabinet in February this year. Other components of the plan include: extending the validity of the Proof of Registration cards to some 1.4 million registered Afghans refugees until the end of 2017; a commitment to adopt a national refugee law; and a visa regime for different categories of Afghan refugees who have the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

The six-month registration programme began yesterday (20 July) with the launch of a pilot in the country's capital Islamabad and the north-western city of Peshawar, which hosts the largest number of undocumented of Afghans. The programme is expected to be rolled out in all four provinces from 16 August.

Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Ministry of States and Frontier Regions and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation will oversee the project with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR.

UNHCR will assist IOM with its information campaign in reaching out information to Afghan communities residing in Pakistan as well as ensuring that Afghans with international protection needs are referred to UNHCR.
Educated and Unemployed: Russia's Youth

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Robert Cobb Publication Date 18 July 2017 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Educated and Unemployed: Russia's Youth, 18 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971cb6210.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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Researchers from Moscow's prestigious Higher School of Economics have found that a third of Russia's unemployed youth today have advanced degrees or have completed other tertiary education. According to their recently published report, "The Russian Labor Market: Trends, Institutions, and Structural Changes," the share of those aged 20-24 with specialist or professional higher education but unemployed has risen from 7 percent in 1995 to 28 percent in 2015. The report notes a decline in NEETs (the international acronym for Not in Employment, Education, or Training-those believed to be the greatest problem for society) aged 15-24 from 25 percent, in 1995 to 17 percent in 2015; but it leaves the impression that the bulk of the decline in NEETs can be accounted for by an increase in education. In fact, graduates are emerging at the end of the university pipeline simply to become older NEETs. The report suggests several possible causes of the increase in the educated unemployed: growth in poor-quality universities that do not adequately prepare graduates for the market, a discrepancy between the labor market and the skills learned in school, entitled youth turning their noses up at low salaries, and even cultural change whereby it is less acceptable for young women simply to marry and stay at home (Izvestia, July 4).

The needs of the country may swing another way, however, as the population pyramid for Russia portends demographic collapse in the next 20 years. The state might increasingly advise young Russian women to stay at home and have babies. Presently with 142 million people in the country, some projections augur that number will decline to 128 million by 2050 and 117 million by 2100 (Populationpyramid.net, accessed July 7). The main reason is that the current youth generation is a lot smaller than those in the past: official government statistics show that the share of the Russian population aged 15-30 declined from 24 percent in 2002 to 19.7 percent in 2015 (Gks.ru, accessed July 7). This is partially a ripple effect of the calamitous 1990s, when the birth rate plummeted even as the mortality rate saw a steep rise and male life expectancy in Russia went as low as 56. The virtual collapse of the state and the steep rise in the cost of living following privatization meant many young couples declined to have children or, if they did, restricted themselves solely to one offspring (Timothy Heleniak, "Russia's Population Perils," in Stephen K. Wegren & Dale R Herspring, eds., After Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Unknown, Rowman & Littlefield, 2009). Sociological studies about the importance of birth order and siblings on the socialization of young children and the character traits they retain into adulthood suggest the consequences of the changing Russian family structure could be sizeable. Regardless, the decline in the Russian population in the 1990s was the largest for any population outside of wartime ever, and has consequences for the state.

One of these serious consequences is the government's perceived need to protect and guard today's Russian youth from external influences viewed as malicious. This policy now regularly includes surveillance and harassment of foreigners, including those on legitimate business in the country, by local security forces. The author knows several people who have been subjected to such treatment, although details are not given in order to protect the identity of those individuals. Another consequence of Russia's population decline is increased immigration from Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as well as from Russia's own internal abroad-the North Caucasus. And those workers tended to be willing to take on the more menial jobs that ethnic Russians refuse to do. Some have suggested that Islamic migrants might pose a long-term security risk to the integrity of the Russian Federation, although evidence of the extent of radicalism among guest worker communities inside Russia is not exactly clear cut (see EDM, February 18, 2014; September 9, 2015; May 19, 2016.

Changes in the employment prospects and social structure of contemporary Russian youth go some way toward explaining the demographic composition of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's supporters in recent protests. Commentators were surprised at the number of young people at the March 26 protests (see EDM, March 27) and again at the June 12 protests. If, in 2011, it was the "creative classes" that led demonstrations (in Moscow if not elsewhere), then real unemployment prospects and exclusion from the political arena appear to be driving the youth to lead protests in Russia today. Modernization means more people hold advanced degrees; but increasingly, these same people demand a greater role in the country's politics. Presumably as a way of combatting this trend, President Vladimir Putin and his team in the Kremlin have planned trips to meet with and listen to youth when Putin travels in support of governors up for regional elections. In Belgorod, for instance, he met with a student construction brigade (stroyotryad) on July 14 and then a week later with students of the Sochi center for gifted children. The topic of youth is thus expected to be one of the leading issues in the upcoming presidential campaign (Agentnews.com, July 7).

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russian Capabilities in Electronic Warfare: Plans, Achievements and Expectations

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Sergey Sukhankin Publication Date 19 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 95 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russian Capabilities in Electronic Warfare: Plans, Achievements and Expectations, 19 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 95, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971cc974.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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Russia's Radio-Electronic Technologies Group (KRET), part of the state-owned high-technology corporation Rostec, announced on June 10 that "work on a new gadget that can imitate a group of jets, rockets or a massive missile attack" has entered the final stage. Representatives of KRET described this as a "revolution in EW [electronic warfare]" (TASS, June 10). The spoofing device is merely one of several notable new EW products being produced by the Russians. Other important systems include:

 The infantry combat system "Ratnik," designed to improve the connectivity and fighting effectiveness of combat personnel. The system was introduced in 2016 and has been battle tested in Syria (Tvzvezda.ru, May 24) as well as during the Slavic Brotherhood 2017 exercise, seen as a precursor to this year's large-scale Zapad 2017 exercise (see EDM, June 26).

 RP-377LA "LORANDIT" maneuver and control, radio tracking and interference complex (Tvzvezda.ru, April 27).

 A-100 "Premier" airborne early-warning and control aircraft, equipped with active phased array radar (APAR). The system is meant to replace A-50M and A-50U aircraft, and it was personally introduced by Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The A-100 is said to be particularly effective in conjunction with land-based early-warning radars such as "Voronezh." The combination reportedly enables effective targeting of cruise and even hypersonic missiles (Vpk-news.ru, June 7).

 The "Rtut-BM" mobile EW complex, specifically designed to protect troops and military hardware from artillery rockets and shells. Incidentally, this complex was spotted in the Donbas region (Informnapalm.org, August 16, 2016).

 "Khibiny-U" defensive aides system for fighter jets. According to Vladimir Mikheyev, the advisor to KRET's first deputy CEO, "this is the next-generation modification of the onboard defense system" (TASS, June 16, 2017).

 "Zaslon-REB" (Barrier-EW) communication security system (COMSEC), specifically designed to protect the "information space and the area of operations of Russian armed forces" (Politinform.su, April 26). Russian sources claim that this innovation is fully automated and has a particularly flexible architecture; they assert it can secure effective control over all types of mobile connections and networks within the area of operations.

Available information on the subject suggests that Russia's activities in the domain of EW have three main objectives:

The consolidation of intellectual efforts and development of closer links between the military and academia. The main role in developing new products/technologies has been allocated to the so-called Fifth Faculty at the Zhukovsky-Gagarin Air Force Academy (the only such academic body in Russia), tasked with the "preparation of highly qualified specialists in the domain of EW and Informational Security" (A-., accessed July 7). The intensification of special training. During 20162017, a series of strategic exercises were carried out across Russia and the former Soviet space. In the Electron 2016 exercise, held on the territory of the Southern Military District, ten pieces of the most up-to-date EW equipment were tested (Oborona.ru, August 22, 2016). In 2017, units of the 201st military base (stationed in Tajikistan) tested various elements of military transportation with employment of "Leer" and "Infauna" radio signal jamming complexes (TASS, April 11). These systems are considered significantly superior to the "Khibiny" system currently being installed on Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft (Kkret.com [archive], February 26, 2015). In the same year (May 2017), an Electronic Warfare Troops command exercise was held in Tambov region. The main task for the training session was to utilize "the experience of EW in conditions of real time warfare" (TASS, May 16). Emphasis on import substitution. This task is mainly entrusted to two leading public concerns: Sozvezdie and KRET. The latter is known for producing such EW technology as "Krasukha-S4" interference stations, the "Rtut-BM," the "Rychag-AB," the "Vitebsk" system and the already mentioned "Khibiny-U." It is also known that, in 2017, new working group clusters will be established to elaborate more advance means of employing EWwith emphasis on both land and sea domains.

In an exclusive interview given on April 15 (the anniversary of the creation, in 2009, of the Russian Electronic Warfare Troops), Major General Yuriy Lastochkin, Russia's chief of the EW Troops, outlined the following EW dimensions to be prioritized by Russia's defense industry in the short to medium terms (Vpk-news.ru, April 26):

 Deployment of controlled radio suppression on enemy territory on the basis of unified small and jamming modules carried by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV);

 The use of powerful electromagnetic radiation to defeat the enemy;

 Development of technique(s) based on programmable equipment and leveled at highly organized command-and-control systems. This is to be done through influencing the accessibility, integrity and confidentiality of information;

 Introduction and implementation of means concerned with imitating false radio-electronic signals as well as deceiving the enemy's command and control (both troops and weapons systems);

 Upgrading the overall level of information security and perfecting the algorithms of decision-making via the unification of means in the domain of domestic command and control.

Lastochkin asserted that Russia has become one of the leading world players in the domain of EW. He also noted that the initial damage caused by Western sanctions was painful but "has mostly been overcome, although some problems do exist."

In the final analysis, it needs to be acknowledged that the progress in EW achieved by Russia since 2009 is impressive, particularly given the fact that after 1979 this military area had not enjoyed significant attention. At this juncture, the Ukrainian crisis has played an essential role in the development of Russia's EW capabilities, and the lesson learned are likely to thoroughly penetrate the entire Armed Forces. For instance, Russian officials have stated that, by 2020 Russia's Army and Navy will renew their EW equipment by 7075 percent (Hardbroker.ru, accessed July 7). Nevertheless, some serious doubts remain. Namely, some Russian sources have questioned both the originality and true capabilities of the much-trumpeted "Zaslon-REB" (Ng.ru, April 20), which was praised by Lastochkin (see above). Given this and several other instances of a mismatch between official declarations and practical results in the domain of Russia's EW capabilities, more discretion in future assessments is warranted.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Fear of Long-Forgotten Urals Republic Reemerges in Moscow

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vadim Shtepa Publication Date 19 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 95 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Fear of Long-Forgotten Urals Republic Reemerges in Moscow, 19 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 95, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971cd024.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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The behavior of the Russian authorities can routinely be described as "mirroring." If the United States accuses Russia of intervening in last year's presidential election, the Kremlin responds that Moscow had nothing to do with it and, on the contrary, other countries are interfering in Russian politics. So perhaps not surprisingly, this past June, the Federation Council (the upper chamber of the Russian parliament) created a temporary commission to protect state sovereignty and prevent interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation (TASS, June 14). The commission intends to tackle not only the "hostile activity" of foreign states, but also deal with the "escalation of protest moods" inside Russia itself-activities the authorities regularly blame on the non-state media and non-governmental organizations (NGO).

Within weeks of being formed, the Federation Council commission's members discussed a proposal to block foreign Russian-language media (TASS, June 28). And in July, a number of pro-Kremlin media outlets began publishing articles attacking various Russian regional movements for their demands for more self-government. Notably, one of the prevalent examples brought up repeatedly was that of the Ural Republic (a regional autonomy that existed briefly in 1993), which the recent articles accused of being "anti-Russian" and "pro-Western."

For example, Ruslan Karmanov, a columnist with RIA Novosti, directly describes modern-day supporters of the Ural Republic as "separatists." And he regrets that its proponents are "not criminalized." Finally, he lauds the Chinese government for severely punishing every instance of struggle for regional self-government in that country (RIA Novosti, July 4). It is quite illustrative that the Russian Federation's official news agency presents the unitary Chinese regime as an example for imitation.

The following day, another Russian news agency, REX, published an article on the same topic, and with the same harsh criticism (Iarex.ru, July 5). The author of the second article, Dmitry Egorchenkov, is the director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Russian University of Peoples' Friendship. If Karmanov only criticizes "separatist bloggers" and wishes for them the fate of Chinese prisoners, Yegorchenkov sees a deeper world conspiracy. In his view, the West is always dreaming of new strategies to "break up" Russia, and all Russian regionalists are thus foreign "agents of influence." The head of the Ural Republic in 1993, Eduard Rossel, who was a typical Russian bureaucrat, would most certainly be surprised by such a description.

Obviously, for the authors of these publications, the Ural Republic is not a half-forgotten experience of the first years of post-Soviet Russia, but an actual and frightening prospect for the present. Pavel Luzin, a professor at Perm University, pushes back against such criticism in his historical look at the Ural Republic, which existed from July to November 1993: "There was no question of separatism [at the time]. Elites and citizens of the rich region wanted for themselves the same opportunities that citizens of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan had" (Afrerempire.info, July 7). Nonetheless, for pro-Kremlin Russian commentators and experts close to the authorities, the idealization of a unitary state has become ubiquitous; and in general, unitarism is now equated in Russia with state sovereignty. In such political conditions, anyone speaking up in defense of the country's federal system becomes called a "foreign agent."

Why has the 1993 Ural Republic raised such ire in recent months among pro-Kremlin writers worried about Russian sovereignty? Perhaps it is because the head of the above-cited Federation Council commission, Andrei Klimov, hails from Perm, one of the largest Ural-region cities. On a related note, it bears pointing out that a recent investigation by Novaya Gazeta shows a rather characteristic feature shared by many of the fiercest fighters for "Russian sovereignty," which they see as being under threat from domestic "foreign agents." Many of these "patriotically minded" Russians conduct their business via offshore accounts. For example, the same Klimov-a prominent leader of the ruling United Russia party-has founded companies in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands (Novaya Gazeta, July 13).

In July, it also became known that the Kremlin does not intend to prolong the bilateral agreement with Tatarstan on the delineation of powers (RBC, July 11). This document was in fact the last vestige of the Russian political order from the early 1990s. Although during the years of Vladimir Putin's rule, it has become pretty much strictly symbolic-the republic has long lacked any real political or economic self-government.

Why are the Russian authorities and their supporters so afraid of real federalism? Perhaps they believe that a return to federalism will free the historical pendulum in Russia to swing from one extreme to the other. After the Putinist "vertical of power" regime brought about an absolute unitary state, they fear that a new era of decentralization-if it is allowed to proceed without repression-could perhaps lead to a final breakup of the country. In the meantime, it is appropriate to recall a sad joke, currently popular with Russian bloggers, that vividly characterizes the current leadership's "mirror policy": How will the Russian authorities fight America? They will bomb Voronezh!

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russo-Sino-Mongolian Transit and Infrastructure Cooperation and Mongolia's New President

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Alicia J. Campi Publication Date 19 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 95 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russo-Sino-Mongolian Transit and Infrastructure Cooperation and Mongolia's New President, 19 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 95, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971ce984.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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On July 10, Mongolia swore in its new president, Khaltmaa Battulgaa former professional judo wrestler, wealthy businessman, former Democratic Party (DP) parliamentarian, and former minister of transportation and construction (20082012). It was widely expected that the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) candidate, Parliamentary Speaker Miyeegombo Enkhbold, would emerge as the winner to replace two-time President Tsakhia Elbegdorj. Much like the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and Donald Trump's election in the United States, Battulga's victory, which required two rounds of voting, caused shock waves among the country's elites and across the region. In the spring, the MPP had negotiated an International Monetary Fund (IMF)led package of $5.5 billion to refloat the loan-dependent Mongolian economy and had stopped the economic slide of -1.6 percent in 2016's third quarter by moving to 4.2 percent growth in 2017's first quarter (Montsame.mn, July 3). However, Battula's openly nationalistic "Mongolia First" election slogan and his criticism of Mongolia's economic dependence on China attracted significant support throughout the country.

Battulga's win came as Mongolia has tried to re-establish its image as an attractive foreign investment destination despite poor transport and industrial infrastructure. Its economic downturn and lack of Western foreign direct investment (FDI) forced DP and MPP politicians to pursue a trilateralism policy, emphasizing economic relations with China and Russia. China has been the largest consumer of Mongolia's mineral resources for two decades, invested $3.5 billion, and in 2016 bought 88 percent of Mongolia's total exports. Mongolian coal exports rose by nearly 500 percent as of May 2017 (up 42 percent to China from a year ago to 3.16 million tons), influenced by Beijing's ban on North Korean anthracite coal purchases since February and Cyclone Debbie's disruption of Australian coking coal production (Fronteranews.com, June 27).

The MPP has made concrete progress on several transportation projects to allow Mongolia to realize its dream of being an "economic transit corridor" between its two neighbors and a key link in the Northeast Asian portion of China's "One Belt One Road" (OBOR). On April 78, the Mongolian transport ministry and Ulaanbaatar Railway (UR) organized "Transit Mongolia 2017," in Beijing, for government, transport and customs companies involved in Mongolia-China-Russian rail transportation. In 2016, UR transported 2.3 million tons of transit freight (11 percent of total and 24.5 percent of transport revenue). The Mongolian transit route is 748 kilometers shorter than the Manzhouli route connecting China with Europe, and 513 km shorter than the Kazakhstan route. Mongolia decreased transshipment tariffs by 70 percent and tariffs for transit goods by 15 percent in order to compete with these other corridors. Moreover, it simplified border clearance so that bi-directional Sino-Russian transshipment has been accelerated by 2627 percent (The Mongolian Messenger, April 14).

In June, Aspire Mining, 100 percent owner of Mongolia's second largest coking coal reserve operation, signed an agreement through its subsidiary Northern Railways LLC with state-owned China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) on an ErdenetOvoot Railways Project. This link will be part of OBOR and the trilateral Northern Rail Corridor connected to the Russian rail system. The Northern Rail Corridor, to be completed by 2022, is a 410 km railway, financed through a concession agreement for 163.5 billion rubles ($2.77 billion) (Proactiveinvestors.com.au, June 7). Near the Russian border, construction of 65 km of the 95 km paved road was completed in June under a two-part road/rail with freight terminal construction agreement for the "Mining and Metallurgical Complex" project, which exploits state-owned iron ore deposits in Darkhan-Selenge region (Montsame.mn, June 28) On the southern Zamiin-Uud border, a UR logistics center was 40 percent complete in early July. Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), it will increase the transit capacity by developing both narrow and wide gauge rails, an auto road, water and transmission lines, and electric sub-stations under general contractor China Railway 21st Bureau, supported by South Korea's Suson LLC. By 2019, 6 million tons of freight will transit through Zamiin-Uud annually (Montsame.mn, July 4).

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which since 2006 has invested 1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) in 80 Mongolian projects, announced in July a $7.6 million financial package to Terra Express, a leading local mining logistics company. This will be its first project in the transport sector to support Mongolia's logistical integration across Eurasia. The expansion of the multi-billion-dollar Oyu Tolgoi (OT) copper and gold mining project in the Gobi Desert is expected to drive market demand for Terra's services (Ebrd.com, July 3). Meanwhile, the World Bank promised $54.4 million toward reliable electricity and renewables. Funding covers Baganuur-Southeast and the Erdenet-Bulgan distribution networks, which supply electricity to 9 of Mongolia's 21 provinces, and the development of the first large-scale, 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant (Worldbank.org, June 15)

On April 26, a Beijing meeting of the Sino-Mongolian Cooperation Council discussed mining, railway and processing implementation of the Tavan Tolgoi (TT) coal project with Shenhua Group; a copper smelting plant; production of synthetic natural gas; and establishment of coal processing, power and copper concentration plants at TT. In May, the Mongolian foreign minister signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) on coordinating initiatives for Mongolia's "Steppe Road" and OBOR to create an infrastructure system across Mongolian territory, covering rail, energy, road and gas pipelines (The Mongol Messenger, May 5). However, President Battulga's agenda may curb these projects by trying to increase state control over the mining sector and reaching out to other investment partners.

Battulga was congratulated immediately by Russian President Vladimir Putin and, secondly, the Dalai Lama. Other foreign reaction has suggested the big loser could be China. Western media focused on Battulga's pro-Russian posturing, citing similarities to Putin that could change regional dynamics (Lowyinstitute.org, July 12). US outlets reported on election-related corruption and Battulga's Sinophobia (Washington Post, July 13). The Chinese official press denigrated Battulga's interest in strengthening relations with "Third Neighbors" (Moderndiplomacy.eu, July 13) and warned Chinese investors of his narrow-minded nationalism (Globaltimes.cn, July 12, 13).

This wily businessman should not be dismissed or underestimated. He has appointed experienced DP politician Zandaakhuu Enkbold as his chief of staff and former Ambassador to China Tsedenjav Sukhbaatar as foreign policy advisor. Although Battulga made his own fortune outside the mineral sector, he is a pragmatist who recognizes that Mongolia's success requires Chinese participation. In mid-April, the ADB predicted Mongolian GDP would accelerate this year to 2.5 percent, even though strengthening resource revenues management and diversification remain challenges (The Mongol Messenger, April 14). Battulga the populist may advocate limiting cooperation with China in favor of Russian and Western trade partners, but he is aware that Mongolia's landlocked status hamstrings his country's options, while an MPP-controlled Parliament limits his constitutional powers.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict Could Be Escalating

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Pavel Felgenhauer Publication Date 20 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 96 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict Could Be Escalating , 20 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 96, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971cef74.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

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This week (July 18), Alexander Zakharchenko, the Russia-backed leader of the self-proclaimed and Moscow-supported "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR), declared that a new state-"Malorossia" or "Little Russia"-must be created to replace the present Ukrainian "failed state." According to Zakharchenko, the regime in Kyiv has failed, and the only way to stop the conflict in Donbas and to maintain Ukrainian territorial unity is to reinvigorate the failed state as a federalized Malorossia that will have two official languages-Russian and "Malorossian" (Ukrainian). This new country would then become part of a joint union state with Russia and Belarus "while continuing to be independent and sovereign." All attempts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the European Union would be repudiated by the new Malorossia government. The capital of the new state would be Donetsk instead of Kyiv. Selected delegates from different regions of Ukraine will be gathered to form a constitutional assembly to inaugurate Malorossia (RIA Novosti, July 18).

The Malorossia declaration by Zakharchenko was condemned in Kyiv and in the West for undermining the Minsk Two (signed in February 2015) roadmap to peace in Donbas. France and Germany called on Russia to condemn the Malorossia project as "unacceptable" and to concentrate on implementing the Minsk Two protocols. The initial reaction in Moscow was mixed. The Russian representative in the Minsk "Contact Group"-Boris Grizlov, an old-time Kremlin insider from St. Petersburg-told reporters the Malorossia initiative "does not comply with the Minsk process and could be treated as a discussion point as part of information warfare and a reaction to provocative statements coming from Kyiv." Some Russian parliamentarians supported Zakharchenko, while others expressed doubts, insisting the Malorossia idea is "impractical and badly thought through." Within the Russian-controlled part of Donbas, different pro-Russia separatist leaders also expressed misgivings about Malorossia (RIA Novosti, July 18).

An opinion seems to have formed in the Russian media that Zakharchenko is a crazy separatist, who does not really know what he is talking about and has embarrassed the Russian authorities by publicly undermining the Minsk Two protocols, which Russia officially supports (Kommersant, July 20). Ukrainian observers insisted the Malorossia plan was a "provocation" invented in the Kremlin-it was a way for Zakharchenko and the Russia-backed rebels in Donbas to remind the West about their existence and possibly instigate some Western pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to make concessions. Ukrainian experts seem to believe the provocative statement by Zakharchenko about a fictitious Malorossia cannot be a prelude to a serious escalation in the Donbas fighting, "since this would destroy the Russian diplomatic game of portraying Kyiv as the bad guy that is failing to implement Minsk Two" (Segodnya.ua, July 18).

The situation has turned out to be more complicated, however. President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladislav Surkov is the Kremlin's point man on everything concerning Ukraine. He is a true decision maker (together with Putin), unlike Grizlov or any Russian parliamentarians. On July 19, he was reported to have actually supported Zakharchenko at a meeting with experts in the Kremlin. Surkov reportedly said, "All this hype about the fantasy Malorossia state is good-it emphasizes that Donbas is fighting not to separate from Ukraine but for its territorial integrity, for all of Ukraine and not for a part. There is a civil war in Ukraine between forces that see its future differently: Kyiv wants a pro-European utopia, Donbas replies with the idea of Malorossia" (RIA Novosti, July 19).

Surkov's spin of the Malorossia idea seems to be more than just a way to cover up the embarrassment of a faulty move by Zakharchenko. It is in line with the Kremlin's longstanding strategic goal to take back all of Ukraine under Russian domination as part of the so-called "Russkiy Mir" ("Russian World"). In essence, Zakharchenko followed up with what the Kremlin has been seeking to obtain all along. Speaking to reporters in Hamburg this month, after meeting President Donald Trump during the G20 summit, Putin once again insisted: "I am absolutely sure the interests of Ukraine and Russia, of the Ukrainian and Russian people fully match, but the interests of Ukrainian leaders and some political forces in Ukraine are different." Putin accused the Ukrainian leadership of deliberately trying to separate the Ukrainian and Russian people and states, which need and want to be together to jointly develop and build a future. Putin accused Ukraine's leaders of "trading in Russophobia" to please the West, which appears intent not to allow Russia and Ukraine to move any closer, at any cost. "I believe this situation will end eventually, and we are interested in it ending as soon as possible," continued Putin (Kremlin.ru, July 8).

The fighting in Donbas has been increasing after the Putin-Trump summit. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) special observer mission in Donbas, there has been a 20 percent increase in ceasefire violations in the week after the G20 summit (Militarynews.ru, July 18). According to official Ukrainian military sources, on July 19 alone, nine Ukrainian soldiers were killed and five more wounded in renewed clashes along the eastern frontline. These losses seem to indicate a dramatic increase in violence (Militarynews.ru, July 20).

Meanwhile, the cost of keeping part of Donbas as a Russia-controlled enclave is growing for Moscow, as the fighting continues to simmer while its social and economic infrastructure degrades. But the Kremlin does not need a "frozen conflict" in Donbas with an ever-growing price tag, when the real goal is to take and "integrate" the entirety (or most) of Ukraine. According to Putin, the true enemy is the regime in Kyiv and its Western backers. And it seems increasingly unlikely that these enemies can be defeated by Russia simply maintaining the status quo in eastern Ukraine, instead of going all in to end "this situation as soon as possible," to quote Putin (Kremlin.ru, July 8).

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Corruption Spoils Every Attempt to Cooperate With Russia

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Pavel K. Baev Publication Date 17 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 93 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Corruption Spoils Every Attempt to Cooperate With Russia, 17 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 93, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971cf8a4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Following the long-expected July 7 meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, the main tangible result was the ceasefire in the southwestern corner of Syria. But this "deliverable" is of little, if any, interest to the Russian public, particularly as Russian casualties in that conflict continue to mount (RBC, July 11). Putin has been generous with his somewhat dubious compliments of Trump, describing him as a man who surprised him with a readiness to listen and to respond frankly (Kommersant, July 15). The Russian mainstream media resolutely ignores all new turns in the US investigations into Moscow's interference in last year's presidential election. Instead, Russian outlets stick to the official position of blunt denials, which Putin reconfirmed in Hamburg. The main story is actually the deadlock regarding the issue of access to diplomatic dachas in Washington, DC, and New York, which were declared off-limits for Russia by the Barack Obama administration last December (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, July 14).

The instant collapse of the initiative to establish a joint group on cybersecurity was interpreted primarily in the context of Trump's complicated relations with the US Congress and explained away as a casualty of the furious attacks on the president by distressed Democrats (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, July 12). There is indeed an obvious need to establish "rules of engagement" in the fast-evolving sphere of warfare in the virtual space, where attacks could inflict heavy damage and remain unpunished (Gazeta.ru, July 11). Yet another recent hack on the US State Department underscored that the risk remains uncontained (Kommersant, July 15). The problem, however, is that it is perfectly possible for the Russian special services to cover up their involvement by engaging and then dumping some "patriotic hackers," so there is little incentive for Moscow to curtail its experiments with offensive cyber operations (Meduza.io, July 12). Only a few enterprises in Russia have the capacity to develop weapons as powerful as the recent computer virus Petya; and the Kremlin objects vehemently to sanctions on such suspects as Kaspersky Lab (Newsru.com, July 12).

It is as difficult to distinguish between Russian special services operations and hacker activism in the cyber domain, as it is to find a difference between Moscow's recruitment of intelligence "assets" and Russian "oligarchs" building business connections abroad. The recently unearthed meeting from last year between key members of the Trump campaign and Kremlin-connected lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, accompanied by Russian-American lobbyist and former Soviet counterintelligence officer Rinat Akhmetshin, illustrates this muddle (Novaya Gazeta, July 14). Her attempts to lobby against the Magnitsky Act were so awkward that a fiasco was pre-determined (Grani.ru, July 13). Russian special services have access to various pools of "dirty money" and feel unconstrained in appropriating such funds, even for personal profit, as the arrest of two Federal Security Service (FSB) colonels in Moscow has reminded yet again (Kommersant, July 15). Every rational proposition to set up new reliable "rules of engagement" in some area of relations, including even arms control, is thus inevitably compromised and defeated by this all-pervasive culture of corruption that shapes Russian foreign policy, which employs "black" propaganda as the instrument of choice.

The struggle against corruption makes up the core of blogger and opposition leader Alexei Navalny's political campaign; he insists it is not a hollow slogan but a practical and winnable cause (Moscow Echo, July 14). He follows closely the development of the Russian investigations in the United States and has important things to say on the corrupt connections, particularly regarding the role of Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika (Navalny.com, July 11). Standing tall against relentless police pressure, Navalny inspires expanding networks of followers, particularly among the youth. The hypocrisy of the government in vilifying him only adds credibility to his cause. Illustratively, evidence recently came to light that Andrei Klimov, who leads the prosecution of "foreign agents" in the Federation Council, runs together with his wife dubious off-shore businesses registered in Cyprus (Novaya Gazeta, July 14). Unlike many liberal critics of Putin's regime, Navalny has set as his goal building a position of political power. And the corrupt officialdom cannot find a way to stop him, short of resorting to extreme measures, like with Boris Nemtsov, whose murderers have just received relatively light sentences (Moscow Echo, July 13).

Putin seems perturbed by this political challenge; he is reluctant to let Navalny partake in the presidential campaign but understands that without the opposition challenger's participation the electoral contest could lack legitimacy. The Russian leader was supposed to announce his claim for yet another presidential term in the week after Hamburg; but he traveled to some distant monasteries instead (Newsru.com, July 12). Few doubt that the elections, which are eight months away, will be heavily manipulated in Putin's favor, and even fewer question whether he intends to run (RBC, July 5). Putin, however, likely finds little comfort in polls that show 66 percent of Russians want him to continue his rule (Levada.ru, July 5). He knows how quickly the public mood can shift and suspects that the elites might betray him, particularly since his loyal subordinate Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev lost all support in the ruling bureaucracy after Navalny targeted him in an investigation (Vedomosti, July 13). Postponing the announcement may be a useful way to maintain suspense, but it could backfire as Navalny's straightforward message about the need for change at the top gains momentum (New Times, July 12).

Putin may think that the problem of corruption is of little interest to the Russian public, but falling incomes inevitably provoke outrage against bureaucratic predation. He may also think that the export of corruption has yielded some useful connections with the Trump administration, but the deepening investigations in the US turn every minor asset of this kind into a huge liability. Putin hopes for a follow-up high-level dialogue after the promising tete-a-tete in Hamburg, but cannot quite understand the political risk to his counterpart in the White House from befriending the Kremlin chief. The new blend of corruption, intelligence operations, cyberattacks and propaganda offensives, now the trademark of Russia's foreign policy, requires a new kind of Western deterrence-and there can be no ceasefire in the fight against this menace.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Hungarian Minority's Demands for Autonomy in Romania: Brushfire or Prelude to Full-Fledged Blaze?

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Peter Gross Publication Date 17 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 93 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Hungarian Minority's Demands for Autonomy in Romania: Brushfire or Prelude to Full-Fledged Blaze?, 17 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 93, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971d0284.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Joining the list of autonomist movements in at least 19 other European countries, the Szekler community in southeastern Transylvania has ignited an ethno-political brushfire in Romania. According to the "Petition on the Day of Szekler Freedom," the group demands territorial autonomy and "full and effective freedom and equality" (Sznt.sic.hu, March 10). Unresolved, this initiative and the Romanian government's pushback against it may morph into a major problem in a region struggling with similar issues in Moldova, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, among others.

The authors of the autonomy demands are a sub-group of ethnic Hungarians with a distinct, 800-year-long social and political identity. Over 600,000 Szeklers constitute 75 percent of the population in Covasna, Harghita and Mures counties, in the center of Romania-a region they call Szeklerland. Representing half of the country's Hungarian minority, according to the 2011 census, the Szeklers demand political and administrative self-rule, with an elected president, their own flag, and recognition of Hungarian as an official language alongside Romanian (Recensamantromania.ro, accessed July 17). They also want control of more of the region's state taxes and a return of what they claim to be their patrimony, such as church and school buildings, forests, quarries and mines, which were nationalized by the Communist regime.

Since 1990, Hungarians have dominated the leadership of the counties and towns in which they make up a majority, rebuilt the educational and cultural institutions destroyed by the Communist government in the 1980s, and are represented in the Romanian parliament. They also enjoy cultural autonomy, including the use of Hungarian. All insufficient, the Szeklers say, particularly in light of what they perceive as pressure to assimilate. Bucharest's intent to remap the country's administrative organization feeds the Szeklers' fear they will be gerrymandered into minority status in the locales where they are now in the majority.

Szeklerland is the "only significant [minority dominated] region in Europe without a special status," declares Dr. Miklos Bakk, who teaches at Sapientia University in the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca. A Szekler himself, Bakk was one of the authors of "a new blueprint for autonomy," launching a debate in October 1992 that culminated in "The Declaration Regarding the National Question." By 2003, it evolved into the "Autonomy Package Plan," the backbone of the "Autonomy Statute of Szeklerland" introduced by the Szekler National Council (SZNT) the same year, and followed by a new iteration in 2006 (Sznt.sic.hu, June 5, 2006). Autonomy advocates point to the Catalan (Spain) and South Tyrol (Italy) regions as models.

Split into moderate and radical factions, Romania's Hungarians support Szekler autonomy but differ on how to proceed and what the process ought to emphasize. This cleavage is exhibited in their representation in parliament, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR). Autonomy advocates say that the DAHR secured individual but not collective rights for Hungarians. And while its platform included support for the Szeklers, it "did not do much [in parliament]" to help the cause, argues Bakk (Author's interview, May 25).

For most Romanians, the Szeklers' pursuit of autonomy "means opening a Pandora's box, creating a dangerous precedent for the breakup of the country's unity," a fear with roots in history, explains Ruxandra Hurezean, a senior editor at Sinteza magazine in Cluj-Napoca (Author's interview, March 8). Transylvania passed from Ottoman to Habsburg, then Austro-Hungarian control by the 17th century, before joining in 1918 with the Romanian United Principalities established in 1859. By 1940, the contentious relationship between Romanians and Hungarians worsened when Hungary annexed 40 percent of Transylvania with help from Nazi Germany. Romanians were persecuted, expelled and killed during the annexation. In turn, Romania deported tens of thousands of Hungarians from southern Transylvania. The 1947 Treaty of Paris annulled the annexation and re-established the Romanian-Hungarian border set by the 1920 Treaty of Trianon.

Hungary remains unhappy about the loss. Likewise, the memory of that temporary dispossession keeps Romania embittered and suspicious of Budapest's intentions. Currently, supporting Szekler autonomy is a death knell for any Romanian political party, politician or government. This explains both the parliament's and the government's refusal to even contemplate the SZNT's "Autonomy Statute of Szeklerland" of 2006 or the 2004 "Framework Law on the Personal Autonomy of National Minorities," authored by the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania (Emnt.org, accessed July 17). And when, in January 2017, ethnic-Hungarian citizens of Romania launched a popular initiative on autonomy, the national parliament's expert legal advisory body, the Legislative Council, concluded that "creating a distinct state entity, parallel to the national unitary [] state" is impossible, because the country's constitution defines Romania as a "national, sovereign, independent, unitary and indivisible state" (Monitoruljuridic.ro, January 26).

Neither side is willing to recognize each other's sensibilities and fears. The articulation of the Szeklers' search for dignity, respect and survival has taken on the political rhetoric of "autonomy," but this characterization is also suggestive of exclusivist nationalism. It unquestionably creates a casus belli for Romanians, admittedly a feeble one but an excuse for anti-Hungarian-incitement and sometimes violence-as "patriots" in and out of the national, regional, and local governments have done since 1990. Additionally, it is a palliative for the ongoing political crisis.

A case in point was a failed Social Democratic Party (SPD)-DAHR agreement in June 2017. The SPD offered parliamentary approval for a national holiday on March 15, the day Hungary celebrates its 1848 revolution, and for Hungarian to be recognized as an official language for use in Hungarian-controlled local administrations. HotNews.ro reported, on June 20, that in exchange, DAHR was to join a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu. The incident instantly triggered a display of xenophobia, demagoguery and instigation to violence by a handful of politicians and media outlets. Accusations circulated that Transylvania was in danger of being "auctioned" to Hungary and that there will be a "separate state in [] Transylvania."

This latest chapter in Romania's enduring political drama suggests that even initiating a dialogue on Szekler autonomy in today's political and emotional climate appears impossible. Without it, states the "Petition on the Day of Szekler Freedom," the "rise of extremist views" is being encouraged. Whether this is a warning, threat or plea, there may be a need for the international community to finally become involved before the local brushfire flares into a blaze.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
The South-West Transport Corridor Project and the Geopolitical Reshaping of the South Caucasus

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Fuad Shahbazov Publication Date 17 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 93 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, The South-West Transport Corridor Project and the Geopolitical Reshaping of the South Caucasus, 17 July 2017, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 93, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971d0ed4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

Baku hosted the first joint gathering of the heads of the railway administrations of Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Poland, on June 19. The meeting was dedicated to the newly-launched "South-West Transport Corridor," which links into the broader Trans-Caspian International Route project launched in 2016. The event concluded with the signing of a new joint protocol that envisages expanding cooperation opportunities along the so-called "South-West" route (Iran-Azerbaijan-Georgia-by ferry across the Black Sea-Ukraine-Poland) in order to optimize cargo transportation and increase transit capacity. Reportedly, the next joint meeting of the working group will be held in Odesa in September 2017 (Trend, June 19).

The coordination work of the project was assigned to Azerbaijan Railways CJSC. "The Coordination Council on the South-West route will be located in Baku-this is another advantage for us. The working group for the project will operate in Iran. We will try to negotiate, unite joint efforts, so that this transport corridor will earn and bring profit, in particular to Azerbaijan," said Javid Gurbanov, the chairman of Azerbaijani Railways (CBC, June 20).

As part of the already-launched Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR), the South-West corridor will also involve such countries and regions as India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf. The total length of the South-West corridor will be 7,654 kilometers. According to estimates, cargo delivery via the new railway will take 15 days (Sea-news.az, June 20).

South-West Transport Corridor (Source: financialtribune.com)

Explicitly recognizing the deep crisis in its oil market due to chronically low global prices, Azerbaijan is seeking opportunities to increase its role as a regional transit hub. As such, Baku is investing in local and international transport projects that gather several foreign countries together. Azerbaijan is a natural crossroads for growing continental land-based trade, and its geostrategic location is key to connecting the transportation networks and markets of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. In this regard, Baku has already voiced strong interest in joining the ambitious North-South Transport Corridor (with a total length of 7,200 km), which stretches from Indian ports to Iran, Russia, Central Asia, all the way to Europe (see EDM, April 24). Thus, Azerbaijan has positioned itself to accommodate the growing transit traffic from India, China, South Asia and Central Asia.

Clearly, Azerbaijan is conscious of the importance of being a key link in the various international transit corridor projects that pass through the South Caucasus region. Thus, Baku has endeavored to involve more foreign countries, as well as investments, in order to increase its impact as a transit hub. Recently, China Communications and Transportation Association signed a memorandum of cooperation with Azerbaijani Caspian Shipping CJSC, allowing the latter to become a member of the TCITR corridor (Trend, June 14). The trans-Eurasian TCITR route (of which the North-West Corridor is a key part) makes use of Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakhstani, Turkish and Ukrainian seaports. Simultaneously, the TCITR project itself has engendered a new quadrilateral cooperative relationship: of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan (Trend, March 27).

In total, Azerbaijan has invested about $20 billion in the last several years to develop its transport infrastructure, build new highways and seaports, and reconstruct domestic railway lines (Report.az, November 25, 2016). Alyat, the new major seaport south of Baku, became operational in 2015. The Alyat port is located on a 400-hectare plot, of which 100 have been allocated to the Alyat International Logistics Center; a further 50-100 hectares have been dedicated to the development of a Free Economic Zone (Abc.az, August 7, 2008).

Azerbaijan sees the newly proposed South-West transport route as another means of diversifying its economy and reducing the country's dependence on energy exports. The transit project's participating countries predict that 200,000 tons of cargo will be shipped along this corridor by the end of 2017. Although the official protocol on this transit project was signed in June 2017, the Azerbaijani media claims that Tehran, Baku, Tbilisi and Kyiv signed an initial agreement already in 2016 to potentially divert up to 10 million tons of Europe-bound goods from India to this path. Reportedly, the South-West Transport Corridor is an "economically viable" option for shipping up to 72 million tons of goods from India to Europe and 25 million tons in the opposite direction every year (Financial Tribune, June 21). For now, plans exist to eventually increase the annual transit capacity along this route to 20 million tons (CBC, June 20).

The South-West Transport Corridor promises to ensure smooth and secure access to import and export markets for landlocked Central Asian countries. And thanks to this project, Azerbaijan is positioning itself as an important gateway for delivering their goods to the rest of the world. In light of this, Azerbaijan can be expected to further increase its investments in developing similar trans-regional transit projects in future, including the construction of new railway connections with Iran, Georgia and Turkey, linking Europe with the East.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
In Nigeria, UN deputy chief says 'messages of women' vital to sustainable peace, development

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, In Nigeria, UN deputy chief says 'messages of women' vital to sustainable peace, development, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971f0ed4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Urgent action is needed now towards the meaningful participation of women in peace processes, as well ensuring their voices are heard in all aspects of society, the United Nations deputy chief told reporters in Abuja today as part of a first-ever UN-African Union trip focused on women, peace and security.

It is about action. It is about implementation, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the press in the Nigerian capital, where she also spotlighted the importance advancing gender equality as a precondition for sustainable development for all.

During the joint AU-UN high-level trip, which will move on from Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ms. Mohammed will be accompanied by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and the Special Envoy of the AU on Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop.

It is a new era, Ms. Mohammed continued, a new era where we have many tools at our disposal.

We know that from the economy to stability and peace, we are not able to achieve our goals if we are only investing in half of the population. Human resource is a major asset of a nation and a continent. Women often account for half. But they lack the investment we need, she added, urging that women's voices be heard in all aspects of society.

What we really want to do is to hear and bring the messages of women Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General

Ms. Mohammed cited various challenges, which went beyond abject poverty to encompass high maternal mortality rates, extremism and education gaps.

What we really want to do is to hear and bring the messages of women  women in decision-making, women who bear the brunt and carry the burden of many of the tragedies that we see  to see how we can come out of this, how we can be a constructive partner in finding the solutions to sustainable development, she stressed.

According to Ms. Mohammed: It makes economic sense. It's not charity. It is about rights [] it's a huge part of our economic development.

Over the past two days, the deputy UN chief met with the acting President and key ministers on these and other issues that affect development.

VIDEO: UN deputy chief calls for greater role of women in peace, prevention and sustainable development. Credit: UN News

Investing in Sustainable Development Goals can help prevent conflict

From the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria's north-east to the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and farmers, she said conflicts drain the country's economy of resources that could be better used for development.

Without peace we cannot have development. Whatever investments that we are putting into development we are seeing them eroded by the lack of peace, she underscored.

Ms. Mohammed also spoke about meeting with young refugee girls, who, living in camps, fled tragedies, including some of the freed Chibok girls. We heard stories that young girls should not have to tell, and these have been a tragedy for all of us, she lamented.

However, the deputy UN chief was inspired by their spirit as they refuse to be victims and are survivors with a future that is bright.

We saw girls [] who talked about their dreams  no longer their nightmares, she said, adding that while challenges remain as there are many girls still left behind, it shows that there is hope.

Ms. Mohammed underscored the importance of strengthening partnerships with Nigeria and the African Union for a scaled-up response to support women and girls who face these tragedies.

Turning to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she emphasized that by investing in them, we can look at the root causes [] we can prevent the conflict from happening.

Also, as present conflicts are resolved, the SDGs provide an opportunity to invest in the day after, to make sure that we are building back so that we don't lose the dividend of peace.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police today seized 66.5 kilograms of suspected heroin from a truck that originated from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: In a major drug bust, the Baramulla Police today seized 66.5 kilograms of suspected heroin worth Rs 300 crore from a truck that originated from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The truck was purportedly carrying boxes full of garments, but hidden among the boxes were packets of narcotics.

The truck, numbered AJK XA-267, originated from Muzzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and was headed towards Uri in Kashmir. Officials posted at the LoC Trade Centre in Salamabad, Uri, who were already on the lookout for such a truck after receiving intelligence inputs about the movement of drugs, stopped the lorry and carried out a search, which led to the recovery of the narcotics.

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The driver of the truck - a PoK man named Syed Yousuf - has been arrested, but officials believe he is just a small-time operative. A case has registered under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act (NDPSA).

Two men - a fabric businessman and his relative - are believed to be responsible for the drug consignment. They have been identified and are being tracked, Baramulla SSP Imtiyaz Hussaid said.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST HAULS

Today's drug haul is one of the biggest in Jammu and Kashmir. The state's biggest ever drug was in 2014 when over 100 kilogram of brown sugar was seized. The 2014 consignment too came from PoK.

Cross LoC trade at the Chakoti-Uri section has been under radar of intelligence and security agencies for a while now. Agencies are also concerned at that LoC trade routes are being used to by terror associates to route Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) into India.

In March, the Jammu and Kashmir police also busted an arms consignment, arrested a truck driver who was transporting pistols, grenades and assorted ammunition from across the PoK. The arms, police said, were meant for terrorists in south Kashmir.

ALSO READ | Drugs found in Air India food trolley, insider's role suspected

ALSO READ | Hyderabad: Drug racket haul reveals city school children major consumers

--- ENDS ---
Change in behaviour for South Sudan actors 'long overdue,' Security Council told

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Change in behaviour for South Sudan actors 'long overdue,' Security Council told, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971f2d04.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Urgent action is needed now towards the meaningful participation of women in peace processes, as well ensuring their voices are heard in all aspects of society, the United Nations deputy chief told reporters in Abuja today as part of a first-ever UN-African Union trip focused on women, peace and security.

It is about action. It is about implementation, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the press in the Nigerian capital, where she also spotlighted the importance advancing gender equality as a precondition for sustainable development for all.

During the joint AU-UN high-level trip, which will move on from Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ms. Mohammed will be accompanied by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and the Special Envoy of the AU on Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop.

It is a new era, Ms. Mohammed continued, a new era where we have many tools at our disposal.

We know that from the economy to stability and peace, we are not able to achieve our goals if we are only investing in half of the population. Human resource is a major asset of a nation and a continent. Women often account for half. But they lack the investment we need, she added, urging that women's voices be heard in all aspects of society.

What we really want to do is to hear and bring the messages of women Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General

Ms. Mohammed cited various challenges, which went beyond abject poverty to encompass high maternal mortality rates, extremism and education gaps.

What we really want to do is to hear and bring the messages of women  women in decision-making, women who bear the brunt and carry the burden of many of the tragedies that we see  to see how we can come out of this, how we can be a constructive partner in finding the solutions to sustainable development, she stressed.

According to Ms. Mohammed: It makes economic sense. It's not charity. It is about rights [] it's a huge part of our economic development.

Over the past two days, the deputy UN chief met with the acting President and key ministers on these and other issues that affect development.

VIDEO: UN deputy chief calls for greater role of women in peace, prevention and sustainable development. Credit: UN News

Investing in Sustainable Development Goals can help prevent conflict

From the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria's north-east to the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and farmers, she said conflicts drain the country's economy of resources that could be better used for development.

Without peace we cannot have development. Whatever investments that we are putting into development we are seeing them eroded by the lack of peace, she underscored.

Ms. Mohammed also spoke about meeting with young refugee girls, who, living in camps, fled tragedies, including some of the freed Chibok girls. We heard stories that young girls should not have to tell, and these have been a tragedy for all of us, she lamented.

However, the deputy UN chief was inspired by their spirit as they refuse to be victims and are survivors with a future that is bright.

We saw girls [] who talked about their dreams  no longer their nightmares, she said, adding that while challenges remain as there are many girls still left behind, it shows that there is hope.

Ms. Mohammed underscored the importance of strengthening partnerships with Nigeria and the African Union for a scaled-up response to support women and girls who face these tragedies.

Turning to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she emphasized that by investing in them, we can look at the root causes [] we can prevent the conflict from happening.

Also, as present conflicts are resolved, the SDGs provide an opportunity to invest in the day after, to make sure that we are building back so that we don't lose the dividend of peace.
UN envoy calls for de-escalation of tensions and violence in Jerusalem

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN envoy calls for de-escalation of tensions and violence in Jerusalem, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971f3e49.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Expressing deep concern over a surge in tensions and violence around the holy esplanade of Jerusalem's Old City, the United Nations envoy on Middle East peace today called for de-escalation of the situation.

I call on all concerned parties to de-escalate the situation and on moderate voices to speak up against those who try to fuel tensions, said Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in a statement.

He welcomed the commitment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to uphold and respect the status quo at the City's holy sites, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' firm condemnation of violence, specifically the deadlt attack on two Israeli policemen on 14 July.

I hope these affirmations will contribute to resolving the concerns of all parties and put an end to the provocative rhetoric that has added to the escalation over the past week, Mr. Mladenov said, noting the importance of the special role of Jordan and the historical role of King Abdullah II, as custodian of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Drought in DPR Korea threatens food supply during ongoing lean season

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Drought in DPR Korea threatens food supply during ongoing lean season, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971f4b84.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Amid the worst drought in nearly two decades in the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations agricultural agency is calling for emergency food assistance, as well as irrigation and farming equipment, to help farmers get through the lean season.

DPR Korea's crop production for 2017, including staple rice, maize, potatoes and soybean, has been severely damaged by prolonged dry weather conditions, threatening food security for a large part of its population, according to a new report by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

Rainfall from April to June in key crop producing areas is well below the long-term average, severely disrupting planting activities and damaging the 2017 main season crops.

The rainfall is below the level in 2001, when cereal production dropped to an unprecedented two million tonnes. The lack of food caused a large part of the population to go hungry, the UN agency reported.

"Immediate interventions are needed to support affected farmers and prevent undesirable coping strategies for the most vulnerable, such as reducing daily food intakes, said Vincent Martin, FAO Representative in China and DPRK.

He said it was critical that farmers receive appropriate and timely agricultural assistance, including irrigation equipment and machinery.

Increased food imports, commercial or through food aid, would be required during the next three months at the peak of the lean season, to make sure there is adequate food supply for the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly.
Sri Lanka: UN chief congratulates government on setting up office of missing persons

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Sri Lanka: UN chief congratulates government on setting up office of missing persons, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5971f59c4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today congratulated the Sri Lankan Government for setting up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP), an important step for all Sri Lankans who are still looking for the truth about their loved ones.

The United Nations stands ready to support this process and the Secretary-General looks forward to [the Office] becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of independent commissioners, said the Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq, In a statement.

For many years, Sri Lanka's armed conflict was a matter of grave international concern. The United Nations supported political efforts to resolve the conflict and, during its final stages in 2009, strongly advocated respect for human rights and a humane and orderly end to the fighting.

In the aftermath of the conflict, the United Nations, through the work of its agencies, funds and programmes on the ground, has assisted with the safe and dignified return and resettlement of civilians uprooted by the conflict.

The UN has also encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to adopt policies to promote political reconciliation and a credible accountability process for allegations of wartime violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
Lesvos: Symbolic protest from refugees caught in the net of the EU-Turkey deal

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Lesvos: Symbolic protest from refugees caught in the net of the EU-Turkey deal, 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/597214494.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Refugees, Greek islanders and activists today called on European leaders to heed their plight in a flash mob on a beach on the island of Lesvos symbolising the spirit of "refugees welcome", organized by Amnesty International and Lesvos Solidarity.

The #ActionLesvos flash mob wrapped a giant fishing net with an EU flag on it around 60 refugees and activists to represent the situation of refugees and migrants trapped on the Greek islands by the EU-Turkey deal.

The flash mob comes after a week of protests in the nearby Moria camp and 10 days before the majority of the EU emergency funding for NGOs supporting refugees in Greece runs out.

"This is a protest against the EU-Turkey deal, which has been trapping people on Lesvos since 2016. Refugees are not criminals. We fled our countries because of hate and came to Europe to seek our freedom, but now we are stuck on the island. We have no option and no hope," said Hamid Hamid, a refugee activist from Ghana, currently living in Greece, who is one of the activists taking part in the camp and came up with the concept.

The protest called on European leaders to take responsibility for welcoming refugees, by moving them off the Greek islands to the mainland and then relocating them to other European countries.

"This action aims to open the heart of Europeans to the plight of refugees caught in the net of the EU-Turkey deal, which has been trapping refugees and migrants on Greek islands since 2016. Local people also took part in the flash mob because they too feel trapped by the situation and abandoned by the rest of Europe," said Maria Serrano, Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International.

"The suffering refugees face in Europe is far from over. People need to know that the situation for refugees on Lesvos is dire, desperate and unsafe. With limited access to legal, medical, psychological and other support. Things are likely to get worse, not better, unless European governments change course and welcome refugees."

The flash mob was held on Kratigos beach, near Mytilene,the main town in Lesvos. The beach was a major landing point for thousands of refugees departing from Turkey in 2015 and early 2016.

In June 2017, 940 refugees and migrants arrived in Lesvos. More than 400 refugees arrived in the first two weeks of July alone. Under the EU-Turkey deal, authorities now prevent refugees and migrants who arrive on Greek islands from leaving, in order to return them to Turkey. This policy has resulted in increased overcrowding, appalling conditions, and mounting anxiety for refugees.

"Before the EU-Turkey deal, we were at least able to support refugees with the hope that all their difficulties and suffering will be over as they were able to cross the borders and arrive in the place they were heading to. Now people are desperate, and suffering more and more psychological problems as they have to wait on the islands to lodge their asylum claim in a lengthy and complex asylum procedure that leaves them in limbo for months," said Efi Latsoudi from Lesvos Solidarity.

"After a week marred by mounting tensions in Moria camp, we wanted to send a clear message that responsibility lies at the doorstep of European leaders."

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BACKGROUND

On 31 July the majority of the EU emergency funding provided directly to NGOs responding to the needs of refugees and migrants trapped on the Greek islands will come to an end. The Greek government will take over the management of all aspects of the migration response, including the distribution of EU funds. However, no plan has been announced by the Greek authorities yet as to how this will be implemented.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Uganda: Arrest of dozens for attending peaceful meetings is absurd

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Uganda: Arrest of dozens for attending peaceful meetings is absurd, 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/597214a54.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Responding to the Ugandan police's announcement that they have arrested 56 people for allegedly holding illegal meetings under the deeply-flawed Public Order Management Act (POMA), Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said:

"The Ugandan police are no strangers to making arrests in utter disregard for constitutionally-guaranteed rights, but this most recent case is patently absurd. These 56 individuals are guilty of nothing more than attending a peaceful meeting. They should be released immediately and unconditionally.

"The Public Order Management Act is deeply flawed and has previously been used by the police to crack down on the opposition and civil society. This latest mass arrest is no exception."

The police did not specify what these individuals were discussing, but opposition activists say the arrests are linked to ongoing attempts to drop age limits from the constitution and allow President Yoweri Museveni, 72, to run for a sixth term in 2021. The current age limit to run for president is 75 years.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Chile: Landmark Senate Vote to Ease Abortion Rules

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Chile: Landmark Senate Vote to Ease Abortion Rules, 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/597215184.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Chilean Senate on July 19, 2017 adopted a bill to ease abortion restrictions, Human Rights Watch said today. As Chile has the most restrictive abortion law in South America and one of the strictest in the world, the vote is a significant development in realizing women's human rights and preventing unsafe, clandestine abortions in the region.

The bill was approved more than two years after President Michelle Bachelet's government introduced the original version of the bill. The bill decriminalizes abortion under three circumstances: if the life of the pregnant woman or girl is at risk; if the pregnancy is the result of rape; and if the fetus suffers severe conditions not compatible with life outside of the womb.

"Chile's absolute prohibition on abortion has been a cruel law and bad public policy," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "Doctors will no longer have to turn away women who are in desperate and life-threatening situations to seek clandestine or unsafe procedures."

Chile is one of very few countries in the world where abortion is criminalized with no exceptions. They also include Nicaragua and El Salvador in Latin America, which has some of the world's most restrictive abortion policies. These highly restrictive laws fuel unsafe, clandestine abortions, putting women's lives at risk. By approving this bill, Chile distances itself from legal restrictions that directly harm women's health, Human Rights Watch said.

President Bachelet first introduced the bill in January 2015 to address the absolute ban on abortion in Chile's criminal code. Under articles 342 (3) and 344 of the Chilean Criminal Code of 1874, an abortion caused by the pregnant woman or another person is punishable by up to five years in prison.

The Senate voted on each exception to the abortion ban individually. The provision relating to a risk to the life of the pregnant women or girl was approved by a vote of 20 to 14. The provision allowing abortion when a fetus is not viable was approved 19 to 14. The narrowest exception, and most controversial going into the vote, was abortion in the case of rape, which passed by only 2 votes, 18 to 16.

This version of the bill must go back to the Chamber of Deputies before it is ready for President Bachelet to sign into law.

While the new law represents an advance in the region, the limitations in the law still mean that women who face health concerns due to a pregnancy cannot lawfully terminate a pregnancy. In addition, policymakers will have to address issues related to conscientious objection by a health care provider, which can impede access to legal abortion.

"The Chilean Senate's vote marks a significant advancement in the protection of women's health and rights," Vivanco said.

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
China: Widow of Nobel Laureate Feared 'Disappeared'

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 20 July 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: Widow of Nobel Laureate Feared 'Disappeared', 20 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/597215674.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Chinese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Liu Xia, the wife of deceased Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also stop harassing and detaining Liu's supporters for commemorating his death.

Since Liu Xiaobo's funeral on July 15, 2017, following his death from complications of liver cancer on July 13, the authorities have refused to provide information on Liu Xia's whereabouts, raising concerns that she has been forcibly disappeared.

"Liu Xia has been a prisoner of the state for years simply because of her association with a man whose beliefs the Chinese government cannot tolerate," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "Her forced disappearance since Liu Xiaobo's funeral heightens concerns about her well-being and safety."

Liu Xia was last seen in an official photo taken on July 15, in which she and a few relatives are lowering an urn containing Liu Xiaobo's ashes into the Pacific Ocean at a beach near Dalian, a city in northeast China. Since then, her friends and relatives in Beijing have not been able to reach her directly. According to international and Hong Kong media reports, on July 19, authorities have forcibly taken Liu Xia for a "vacation" in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

Liu Xia, 61, is a Beijing-based poet, artist, and photographer. She has published collections of poems and her photographic works have been exhibited in France, Italy, the United States, and other countries. Liu Xia met Liu Xiaobo through Beijing literary circles and married him when he was imprisoned in a re-education through labor camp in 1996.

Since December 2008, when Liu Xiaobo began serving his most recent sentence for allegedly inciting subversion, Liu Xia has been held arbitrarily under house arrest and deprived of almost all human contact except with close family and a few friends. Throughout Liu Xiaobo's hospitalization, which began in June 2017, Liu Xia was prevented from speaking freely to family, friends, or the media. She is known to suffer from severe depression and a heart condition.

An enforced disappearance is defined under international law as the arrest or detention of a person by state officials or their agents followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty, or to reveal the person's fate or whereabouts. Enforced disappearances place the victim at greater risk of abuse and inflict unbearable cruelty on family members and friends waiting to learn of their fate.

Since Liu Xiaobo's death, Chinese authorities have also systematically prevented his supporters from holding commemorative activities. On July 18, police detained Dalian-based activists Jiang Jianjun and Wang Chenggang for throwing a bottle with a message to Liu at the beach near where Liu's ashes were scattered. Jiang was later given 10 days' administrative detention. It is unclear whether Wang has been released. Ding Jiaxi, a Beijing-based human rights lawyer, was detained at a Shenyang police station from July 13 to 15 after he protested in front of the hospital where Liu received treatment. Beijing police have held activist Hu Jia under house arrest since June 27 to prevent him from going to the Shenyang hospital or participating in memorial activities.

On July 19, as Liu Xiaobo's supporters in Hong Kong, Melbourne, London, San Francisco, and elsewhere gathered to mark the seventh day of his death, a traditional Chinese memorial rite, police across China called, summoned, or visited activists at their homes, warning them not to join the commemoration. Those who have been harassed include Guangzhou-based activist Wu Yangwei (also known as Ye Du), writer Li Xuewen and rights lawyer Huang Simin, Hangzhou-based writers Wang Yongzhi (also known as Wang Wusi) and Wen Kejian, Shanghai-based activist Jiang Danwen, and activist Hua Chunhui, based in Wuxi, a city near Shanghai.

Liu Xiaobo's death has also prompted new action by China's internet censors, Human Rights Watch said. On the Twitter-like Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, "RIP," and the candle emoji were censored. On WeChat, a social media platform with more than 700 million daily active users, the number of blocked word combinations have significantly increased, and images related to Liu were filtered even in private one-on-one chats, according to a study by the Canada-based organization Citizens Lab.

After announcing Liu Xiaobo's death on July 13, Shenyang authorities arranged a private funeral that only Liu Xia, a few of Liu Xiaobo's relatives, and some unidentified individuals, possibly state security officials, were allowed to attend. The funeral was followed by a sea burial, although there was no indication these were the funeral arrangements that Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia wanted. Authorities appeared to impose these on the family to prevent having a gravesite that could become a place of pilgrimage for Liu's supporters. Liu's long-estranged brother, Liu Xiaoguang, later appeared at a government news conference thanking the Communist Party for its handling of Liu's treatment and funeral.

"Chinese authorities may think they will succeed in expunging all memories of Liu Xiaobo and all he stood for," Richardson said. "But in their torment of Liu Xia, their harassment of his friends, and their efforts to silence his supporters, all they do is inspire greater adherence to those ideas."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Indonesia: 'Religious Rights' Bill Would Harm Minorities

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Indonesia: 'Religious Rights' Bill Would Harm Minorities, 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/597215b64.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Indonesian government should scrap a draft law on the protection of religious rights that reinforces existing regulations that discriminate against religious minorities, Human Rights Watch said today.

The religious rights protection bill, which is expected to go before parliament by the end of 2017, enshrines both Indonesia's abusive blasphemy law and decrees which restrict religious minorities seeking to construct houses of worship. The draft law also imposes excessively narrow criteria for a religion to receive state recognition, and increases the powers of the discriminatory official Religious Harmony Forums (Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama or FKUB).

"The misnamed religious rights bill is nothing less than a repackaging of highly toxic regulations against religious minorities in Indonesia," said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher. "The Indonesian government should abolish discriminatory regulations, not collect them under a cynical veneer of 'religious protections.'"

The government has sought to justify the law on the basis that "[existing] regulations guaranteeing the protection of religious rights are neither sufficient nor applicable enough to the changing landscape of the society's legal needs." But while religious minorities in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, are vulnerable to discriminatory laws and official indifference to worsening intolerance by militant Islamists, the draft law compounds rather than mitigates those threats.

The draft law reinforces and expands the scope of Indonesia's abusive 1965 blasphemy law. The law, article 156a of the Indonesian criminal code, punishes deviations from the central tenets of the six officially recognized religions with up to five years in prison. The blasphemy law has been used to prosecute and imprison members of religious minorities and traditional religions. Recent targets of the blasphemy law include three former leaders of the Gafatar religious community following the violent forced eviction of more than 7,000 members of the group from their homes on Kalimantan island in 2016, and former Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama. The blasphemy law also has been used as the legal basis for a number of government regulations that facilitate official discrimination on the basis of religion. These include a June 2008 government decree that ordered members of the Ahmadiyah religious community to cease all public religious activities on the grounds they deviated from the principal teachings of Islam, and threatened violators with up to five years in prison.

The draft law expands the current sole criteria for a blasphemy offense of "showing hostility, abuse, or desecration" toward a religion to a total of seven criteria. Article 31 of the draft law states that anyone who persuades others to convert from their original religion faces a maximum prison term of four years. Article 32 allows for six months in prison for anyone convicted of "purposefully creating noises near worship houses when people are conducting their religious ceremonies." Article 34 allows for a five-year prison term for anyone convicted of "illegally tainting, destroying, or burning a holy book, a worship house or ritual tools." The bill provides no definition for what would constitute "tainting" those objects.

The draft law also reinforces existing discriminatory "administrative and technical requirements" that unfairly restrict the construction of houses of worship by religious minorities. Article 14 reiterates the existing official approvals for the construction of a house of worship including "a written recommendation from the Religious Affairs Ministry" and "a letter of recommendation from a particular city/regency's Religious Harmony Forum." Article 13 also hinges official approval for construction permits for houses of worship to "the proportion in which adherents of a particular religion, which wants to set up the house, relative to their village's total population."

These conditions echo the decrees on construction of houses of worship pronounced in 1969 and 2006 that have long infringed upon the right to freedom of religion by unnecessarily restricting the construction of houses of worship. These regulations have especially been used to discriminate against Christians who seek to build churches. In rare cases, they have also been used in Christian-majority eastern Indonesia and Hindu-majority Bali Island against Muslims who seek to build mosques and Christians who want to build churches.

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Russia: Government vs. Rights Groups

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Russia: Government vs. Rights Groups, 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5972164c4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

For the past four years, the Kremlin has sought to stigmatize criticism or alternative views of government policy as disloyal, foreign-sponsored, or even traitorous. It is part of a sweeping crackdown to silence critical voices that has included new legal restrictions on the internet, on freedom of expression, on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and on other fundamental freedoms.

An enduring, central feature has been the 2012 law requiring independent groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive any foreign funding and engage in broadly defined "political activity." In Russia, the term "foreign agent" can be interpreted by the public only as "spy" or "traitor." To date, Russia's Justice Ministry has designated 158 groups as "foreign agents," courts have levied staggering fines on many groups for failing to comply with the law, and about 30 groups have shut down rather than wear the "foreign agent" label. Organizations targeted include groups that work on human rights, the environment, LGBT issues, and health issues, groups that do polling about social issues. A court forced the closure of AGORA Association, one of Russia's leading human rights organizations , in response to a Justice Ministry suit alleging that the group violated the "foreign agents" law and carried out work beyond its mandate. The ministry has removed its "foreign agent" tag from over 20 groups, acknowledging that they had stopped accepting foreign funding. Accordingly, as of July 21, 2017, the official list of active "foreign agents" consisted of 89 groups. The 'Foreign Agent' Law Under the 2012 law, groups must register with the Justice Ministry as "foreign agents" if they receive even a minimal amount of funding from any foreign sources, governmental or private, and engage in "political activity." The definition of political activity under the law is so broad and vague that it effectively extends to all aspects of advocacy and human rights work. Initially, the law required all nongovernmental organizations that met these criteria to register with the ministry and to identify themselves as "foreign agents" in all their public materials, with legal consequences for failure to comply. Russia's human rights groups resolutely boycotted the law, calling it "unjust" and "slanderous." In 2013, Russia's then-federal ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, challenged the law in Russia's Constitutional Court. In 2014, the court upheld the law, finding that there were no legal or constitutional grounds for contending that the term "foreign agent" had negative connotations from the Soviet era and that, therefore, its use was "not intended to persecute or discredit" organizations. The court also found that the "foreign agent" designation was in line with the public interest and the interest of state sovereignty. Two years of mounting pressure by the authorities, court proceedings, and massive fines did not succeed in forcing groups to voluntarily register as foreign agents. In May 2014 Russia's parliament amended the "foreign agents" law to authorize the Justice Ministry to register groups as "foreign agents" without their consent. In May 2016, parliament adopted another set of amendments to the law, expanding the controversial definition of "political activity" to include, among other things, any attempt by an independent group to influence public policy, regardless of the group's mandate. To date, the registry of "foreign agents" includes the following organizations:

Association of non-profit organizations in defense of voters' rights "Golos" (Moscow) - June 5, 2014 Interregional public organization "Human Rights Center 'Memorial' " (Moscow) - July 21, 2014 Regional public organization "Ecozaschita! - Womens' Council" (Kaliningrad) - July 21, 2014 Foundation for assistance to protection of itizens' ights and reedoms "Public Verdict" (Moscow) - July 21, 2014 Foundation "Institute for Information Freedom Development" (Saint-Petersburg) - August 28, 2014 Private institution "Information Agency MEMO. RU" (Moscow) - November 20, 2014 Non-profit partnership "Institute of Regional Press" (Saint-Petersburg) - November 20, 2014 Autonomous non-profit organization "Moscow School of Civic Education" - December 9, 2014 Arkhangelsk regional public organization of socio-psychological and legal assistance to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBT) "Rakurs" (Arkhangelsk) - December 15, 2014 Regional public organization "Public Commission for the Preservation of the Heritage of Academician Sakharov" (Moscow) - December 25, 2014 Kaliningrad regional public organization "Human Rights Center" (Kaliningrad) - December 25, 2014 Free Press Support Foundation - December 30, 2014 Saint-Petersburg public human rights organization "Civil Control" (Saint-Peterburg) - December 30, 2014 Interregional public human rights organization "Man and the Law" (Yoshkar-Ola) - December 30, 2014 Interregional public organization "Information-Educational Center 'Memorial' " (Yekaterinburg) - January 16, 2015 "Information Bureau of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Saint-Petersburg" (Saint-Petersburg) - January 20, 2015 Non-profit partnership "Press Development Institute - Siberia" (Novosibirsk) - January 30, 2015 Interregional public foundation for civil society development "GOLOS Povolzhie" (Samara) - February 6, 2015 Interregional charitable organization "Siberian Environmental Center" (Novosibirsk) - February 12, 2015 City public organization "Samara Center for Gender Studies" "Samara Center for Gender Studies" (Samara) - February 16, 2015 Regional foundation "Center for the Protection of Mass Media Rights" (Voronezh) - February 26, 2015 Autonomous non-profit organization "Center for Anti-Corruption Research and Initiatives 'Transparency International-R' " - April 7, 2015 Ozersk city social and environmental public organization "Planet of hopes" (Ozersk) - April 15, 2015 Regional public charitable organization for assistance to refugees and migrants "Civil Assistance [Civic Assistance Committee]" (Moscow) - April 20, 2015 Interregional charitable public organization "Center for Development of Non-Profit Organizations" (Saint-Petersburg) - May 13, 2015 Establishment "Informational Bureau of the Council of Ministers of Northern Countries" (Kaliningrad) - May 13, 2015 Non-governmental specialists' educational institution of additional professional education (advanced training) "Academy of Human Rights" (Yekaterinburg) - May 15, 2015 Sverdlovsk regional public organization "Sutyajnik" (Yekaterinburg) - May 15, 2015 Nizhny Novgorod regional public organization "Environmental Center 'Dront'" (Nizhny Novgorod) - May 22, 2015 Non-profit programmes foundation of Dmitry Zimin "Dynasty" - May 25, 2015 Interregional public "Foundation for Peace in the South and North Caucasus" (Stavropol) - June 19, 2015 Autonomous non-profit organization "Center for Independent Social Research" (Saint-Petersburg) - June 22, 2015 Regional public organization for promoting protection of reproductive health of citizens "Population and Development" - June 23, 2015 Association "Assistance in Legal Protection of People 'Legal Basis' " (Yekaterinburg) - July 3, 2015 Komi regional public organization "Commission for Protection of Human Rights 'Memorial' " (Syktyvkar) - July 21, 2015 Interregional public foundation for civil society development "GOLOS-Ural" (Chelyabinsk region) - July 27, 2015 Media Support Foundation "Sreda" - July 28, 2015 Foundation "Civic Action" (Perm) - August 5, 2015 Chechen regional public organization "Human Rights Center of the Chechen Republic" (Grozny) - August 21, 2015 Interregional public environmental foundation "ISAR-Siberia" (Novosibirsk) - August 26, 2015 Public organization "Perm Regional Human Rights Center" (Perm) - September 3, 2015 Autonomous non-profit organization "Far Eastern Center for Civil Initiatives and Social Partnership" (Vladivostok) - October 13, 2015 Union of public associations "Russian Human Rights Research Center" (Moscow) - October 20, 2015 Foundation for Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights "Women of the Don" (Novocherkassk) - October 27, 2015 Regional public institution "Research and Information Center 'MEMORIAL' " (Saint-Petersburg) - November 6, 2015 Non-profit organization "Glasnost Defense Foundation" - November 19, 2015 Autonomous non-profit organization "Institute of Human Rights" (Moscow) - November 20, 2015 Interregional public organization "Center for Assistance to Indigenous Peoples of the North" (Moscow) - November 27, 2015 Regional public organization "Information and Research Center 'Panorama' " (Moscow) - December 18, 2015 City public organization "Ekaterinburg society 'Memorial' " (Yekaterinburg) - December 30, 2015 Interregional public organization "Committee for Prevention of Torture" (Orenburg) - January 14, 2016 Interregional public organization "Bureau of Public Investigations" (Nizhny Novgorod) - January 14, 2016 Nizhny Novgorod Regional Public Organization "Institute for Forecasting and Settlement of Political Conflicts" (Nizhny Novgorod) - January 22, 2016 City public organization "Ryazan historical, educational and human rights society 'Memorial' " (Ryazan) - February 1, 2016 Chelyabinsk regional public initiative - women's public association "Women of Eurasia" (Chelyabinsk) - February 15, 2016 Chelyabinsk regional public initiative "Ural Human Rights Group" (Chelyabinsk) - February 15, 2016 Omsk regional public organization "Center for Health and Social Protection 'SIBALT' " (Omsk) - February 15, 2016 Charitable foundation for social and legal support "Sphere" (Saint Petersburg) - March 1, 2016 Interregional public organization "Center for Civic Education and Human Rights" (Perm) - March 3, 2016 Non-profit organization "International Foundation for Development of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East 'BATANI' " (Moscow) - March 11, 2016 Autonomous non-profit organization "Publishing House 'Valentin Manuylov' " - April 15, 2016 Regional public organization "Integration Center 'Migration and Law' " (Moscow) - June 16, 2016 Non-commercial partnership for support of social and preventive programs in public health "ESVERO" (Moscow) - June 22, 2016 Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice Promotion (Moscow) - June 29, 2016 Autonomous non-profit organization "Publishing house 'Park Gagarina' " (Samara) - August 31, 2016 Autonomous non-profit organization "Analytical Center of Yuri Levada" (Moscow) - September 5, 2016 Interregional environmental protection and human rights public organization "Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus" (Maikop) - September 13, 2016 Foundation for support of civil freedoms "Legal Mission" (Chelyabinsk) - September 21, 2016 Autonomous non-profit human rights organization "Draftee's School" (Chelyabinsk) - September 21, 2016 International public organization "International Historical-Educational, Charitable and Human Rights Society 'Memorial' " (Moscow) - October 4, 2016 Sverdlovsk regional public foundation "Health Era" (Yekaterinburg) - October 11, 2016 Chapaevsk city public organization "Association of Medical Workers of Chapaevsk" (Chapaevsk) - October 21, 2016 Regional charitable foundation "Samarskaya Gubernia" (Samara) - November 2, 2016 Association "Internet Community" (Samara) - December 13, 2016 Autonomous non-profit organization for social support "Project April" (Tolyatti) - December 19, 2016 Regional public organization for assistance to women and children in crisis "Information and Methodological Center 'Anna' " (Moscow) - December 26, 2016 Krasnodar regional charitable public organization "Southern Human Rights Center" (Sochi) - December 27, 2016 Regional public oranization for promotion of citizens' education "Center for Information and Analysis 'SOVA' " (Moscow) - December 30, 2016 Sverdlovsk public organization for assistance to legal migration "Nelegalov.Net [No Illegals]" (Yekaterinburg) - January 10, 2017 Saint-Petersburg public environmental human rights center "Bellona" (Saint-Petersburg) - January 16, 2017 Soloneshensky district youth public organization "Pro-Movement" (Altay region) - January 25, 2017 Kaliningrad regional public organization "Society for German culture and Russian Germans Eintracht - Soglasie" (Kaliningrad) - January 31, 2017 Foundation for development assistance to mass communication and legal education "Tak-Tak-Tak" (Novosibirsk) - February 20, 2017 Murmansk regional public organization "Kola Environmental Center" (Apatity) - April 20, 2017 Foundation for sustainable development "Silver Taiga" (Syktyvkar) - June 23, 2017

And the four NGOs which registered voluntarily:

Association "Supporting Competition in the CIS Countries" (Moscow) - June 27, 2013 Karachay-Cherkess republican youth public organization "Union of Young Political Scientists" (Cherkessk) - December 15, 2014 Regional public organization "Center of Independent Researchers of the Altai Republic" (Gorno-Altaisk) - June 10, 2015 Sverdlovsk regional public social projects foundation "New Time" (Yekaterinburg) - June 23, 2017

Leader of at least 1 NGO faces criminal charges personally:

Regional public human rights organization "Union 'Women of the Don' " - criminal proceeding is in process. Chair Valentina Cherevatenko faces up to two years in prison for "malicious evasion of the duty to file the documents required for inclusion in the register of nonprofit organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent."

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Tanveer Ahmad Pala was hit by a bullet when a stone pelting mob attacked a patrol party of 53 Rashtriya Rifles in Beerwah town on Friday.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday registered a case against a counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles unit in connection with the killing of a youth in Budgam district.

Tanveer Ahmad Pala was hit by a bullet when a stone pelting mob attacked a patrol party of 53 Rashtriya Rifles in Beerwah town on Friday.

Pala was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed.

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Another youth was injured in the incident, but doctors termed his condition as stable.

Police in central Budgam district said an FIR had been registered against the army unit in connection with Pala's death.

The police said here that the foot patrol of the counter-insurgency unit was returning to their camp when near Beerwah some miscreants pelted stones at them.

"Someone among these miscreants also hurled a fire cracker towards the army men. Because of the bang, the army men thought a grenade was hurled and they retaliated."

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Jammu-Kashmir Police take 3 Hurriyat leaders into preventive custody

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Cumhuriyet trial in Turkey: "Stop treating journalists as terrorists!"

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Cumhuriyet trial in Turkey: "Stop treating journalists as terrorists!", 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/597216de4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) plans to be in court in Istanbul on 24 July for the start of the trial of 17 Cumhuriyet journalists and other members of the newspaper's staff. The organisation is launching a petition today for the dismissal of the case and the immediate release of the 11 defendants already held provisionally for months.

Sign the petition!





The 17 Cumhuriyet employees are accused of being accomplices to terrorism for the sole reason that their newspaper is critical of the government. They are facing up to 43 years in prison. Ironically, the day the trial starts is celebrated as National Press Day in Turkey.





An international RSF delegation, including RSF's Turkey representative, Erol Onderoglu, will attend the first hearing. They will also take part in a demonstration outside the law courts in the Istanbul district of Caglayan at 9 am, before the start of the trial, together with many other observers.





RSF will step up its campaigning throughout the week, releasing videos of well-known international media figures supporting Cumhuriyet. Members of the European Parliament will also participate, continuing a campaign launched in the spring. The French street artist C215, who has been joining in RSF activities in support of Turkey's imprisoned journalists, will go into action again in Paris on 24 July.





"It's journalism in Turkey, not just Cumhuriyet, that is being put on trial," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. "Journalists are yet again being treated as terrorists just for doing their job. We have had enough of these mass trials, crazy charges and arbitrary detentions that are tragedies for the victims. We call for the broadest possible campaign to tell the Turkish authorities they cannot continue to crush press freedom and the rule of law."





Journalism treated as a crime





The prosecution claims that Cumhuriyet criticized the authorities in its articles in order to better "defend" three "terrorist" organizations - the Gulen Movement (which is said to have masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt), the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and DHKP/C, a small far-left group.





In fact the newspaper has been tireless in its criticism of all three organizations, whose ideologies are very disparate. The indictment is based above all on criticism of the government that the defendants expressed in in articles, tweets and statements.





Awarded the RSF Press Freedom Prize in 2015, Cumhuriyet is one of Turkey's oldest newspapers and is now one the few remaining independent outlets in a media landscape that has been devastated by the government's crackdown.





Cumhuriyet has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's growing authoritarianism and has been responsible for many revelations that embarrassed the government. Its revelations about Turkish arms deliveries to Jihadi groups in Syria led to the arrests of then editor Can Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul in 2015.





11 journalists held arbitrarily





Ten members of the newspaper's staff, including editor Murat Sabuncu, columnist Kadri Gursel, cartoonist Musa Kart and administrator Bulent Utku, were arrested on 31 October 2016. The United Nations has called for their immediate release, describing their detention as arbitrary. Investigative reporter Ahmet Sk joined them in prison in late December.





All requests for the release of these journalists have so far been systematically rejected. In the absence of any response from Turkey's constitutional court, their lawyers have turned to the European Court of Human Rights.





RSF organized a demonstration outside the Strasbourg-based court on 29 May to press it to rule as quickly as possible on their cases and the cases of other imprisoned Turkish journalists.





The six defendants who are not detained include the columnist Aydn Engin, the newspaper's fiscal affairs director, Gunseli Ozaltay, and former editor Can Dundar, who fled the country and now lives in Germany.





Turkey is ranked 155th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index. The situation of its media was already worrying but has become critical under the state of emergency proclaimed after the July 2016 coup attempt. Around 150 media outlets have been closed, mass trials are being held and more than 100 journalists are currently in prison - a world record.





Read the report that RSF published on 13 July, one year after the coup attempt.


Complete silence from Burundi a year after journalist's disappearance

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 21 July 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Complete silence from Burundi a year after journalist's disappearance, 21 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5972176f4.html [accessed 12 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

On the eve of the first anniversary of reporter Jean Bigirimana's disappearance, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Burundian authorities to release the findings of the investigation they promised last August and to do everything possible to establish what happened to this journalist.

A reporter for the independent news website Iwacu, Bigirimana left his home in Bujumbura on the morning of 22 July 2016 to meet a contact in Bugarama, a small locality about 45 km to the east in Muramvya province. He told his wife he would be back for lunch. She never saw him again.





Bigirimana arrived in Muramvya, where several witnesses say they saw him being arrested by members of the National Intelligence Service (SNR). Policemen in Muramvya told friends of Bigirimana that they saw him being thrown, bound, into the back of a vehicle containing the chief of the SNR's Muramvya office. The SNR initially acknowledging holding Bigirimana but later retracted.









Suppressing the truth





After seeing no sign of any police search for Bigirimana, his Iwacu colleagues decided to conduct their own investigation. Despite police attempts to intimidate them, they found two bodies in a ravine a few days later. The bodies were bloated by exposure to water and one was headless.





When summoned for identification, Bigirimana's wife found herself alone in room, surrounded by policemen, being asked to say whether a naked, headless body that had been immersed in water for several days was her husband. She tried to identify the body by its feet but failed.





The two bodies were then quickly buried, without any DNA test or any other forensic examination.





Iwacu registered as an interested civil party in the case and filed a formal complaint against persons unknown in August 2016. Trial International, an NGO that combats impunity, referred the case to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.





Public pressure finally forced the authorities to react. In August 2016, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye announced on Twitter that the Muramvya prosecutor's office had opened an investigation into Bigirimana's disappearance.





But, after that terse announcement, there was no sign of any real investigation. According to the information gathered by RSF, the police never questioned either Bigirimana's colleagues or the people who witnessed his arrest.





When reached by RSF, the police spokesmen said all questions should be addressed to the judicial authorities. But neither Muramvya's prosecutor nor the spokesman of the Muramvya prosecutor's office responded to RSF's queries.





"It is high time for this investigation to be completed so that we can finally find out what happened to Jean Bigirimana, said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk. Regardless of who was responsible, all possible light must be shed on this case in order to end the impunity that just reinforces the climate of terror, not only for journalists but for all Burundians. It seems that the Burundian authorities have not yet turned their words into actions. This high-profile case offers the Burundian government - which often complains of being the victim of international meddling - the opportunity to carry out an investigation in a completely sovereign manner."





The case continues to be a sensitive issue in Burundi. Bigirimana's wife, who has never stopped demanding to know the truth, has been the target of repeated threats. On 23 June, she found a printed message outside her door threatening her and telling her to retract everything she has said about her husband's disappearance.





She took the message to the local police station but the police have taken no steps to protect her or investigate the threats. A few days later, the national police spokesman claimed that he had not been told about the threats.





RSF launched a petition last year calling for an investigation into Bigirimana's disappearance. It was signed by more than 11,000 people.





Burundi has fallen 15 places in RSF's World Press Freedom Index since the start of the ongoing political crisis in 2015 and is now ranked 156th out of 180 countries. The media freedom situation there is now categorized as "very bad."
Fisheries and Land Resources

July 21, 2017

New Canadian Agricultural Partnership to Help Position Canada as a Leader in the Global Economy

The agriculture and agri-food sector is a key growth industry in Canada, contributing over $100 billion annually to the economy and employing 2.3 million Canadians.

Ministers of Agriculture reached agreement today on the key elements of a new federal, provincial, territorial (FPT) agricultural policy framework during the Annual Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture held in St. Johns from July 19-21.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3 billion investment, will come into effect on April 1, 2018. It will strengthen the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector, ensuring continued innovation, growth and prosperity. In addition, producers will continue to have access to a robust suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership will focus on six priority areas:

Science, Research, and Innovation  Helping industry adopt practices to improve resiliency and productivity through research and innovation in key areas.

 Helping industry adopt practices to improve resiliency and productivity through research and innovation in key areas. Markets and Trade  Opening new markets and helping farmers and food processors improve their competitiveness through skills development, improved export capacity, underpinned by a strong and efficient regulatory system.

 Opening new markets and helping farmers and food processors improve their competitiveness through skills development, improved export capacity, underpinned by a strong and efficient regulatory system. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change  Building sector capacity to mitigate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and adapt to climate change by enhancing sustainable growth, while increasing production.

 Building sector capacity to mitigate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and adapt to climate change by enhancing sustainable growth, while increasing production. Value-added Agriculture and Agri-food Processing  Supporting the continued growth of the value-added agriculture and agri-food processing sector.

 Supporting the continued growth of the value-added agriculture and agri-food processing sector. Public Trust  Building a firm foundation for public trust in the sector through improved assurance systems in food safety and plant and animal health, stronger traceability and effective regulations.

 Building a firm foundation for public trust in the sector through improved assurance systems in food safety and plant and animal health, stronger traceability and effective regulations. Risk Management  Enabling proactive and effective risk management, mitigation and adaptation to facilitate a resilient sector by working to ensure programs are comprehensive, responsive and accessible.

Under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, BRM programs will continue to help producers manage significant risks that threaten the viability of their farm and are beyond their capacity to manage. Governments responded to industry concerns regarding eligible coverage under AgriStability, ensuring a more equitable level of support for all producers. Highlights of upcoming BRM changes are available at //www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/the-canadian-agricultural-partnership/summary-of-items-from-the-2017-annual-meeting-of-federal-provincial-and-territorial-ministers-of-agriculture/?id=1500475666246 .

Governments further committed to engaging in a review that explores options to improve BRM programming. The review will recognize the important role played by all programs (AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriInsurance) in the risk management plans of producers given the diversity of the sector. The review will also directly involve producers and have an early focus on market risk, including as it relates to AgriStability addressing concerns regarding timeliness, simplicity and predictability. Ministers will be presented with options in July 2018 for consideration based on early findings of the review.

The agreement reached by ministers today sets the stage for FPT governments to conclude bilateral agreements by April 1, 2018. It is a priority for ministers to implement a seamless transition from the current policy framework to the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Extensive consultations with industry and Canadians informed the development of the new agreement, which builds on the success of previous FPT agricultural frameworks. Governments will continue to work closely with the sector as Canadian Agricultural Partnership programs are developed and implemented, to reflect the diverse needs across Canada, including the North.

This years Annual Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture focused on important initiatives touching the agriculture and agri-food sector including the status of trade negotiations and market access initiatives in key export markets. To this effect, FPT Ministers reiterated their support for supply management. Ministers agreed to the approach for optimizing the Pan-Canadian Regulatory Framework and endorsed the Plant and Animal Health Strategy for Canada. Indigenous agriculture in Canada and the development of a Food Policy for Canada were also addressed. A summary of items discussed at the meeting is available at [link]. The next annual FPT Ministers' meeting will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in July 2018.

Quotes

"The Canadian Agricultural Partnership sets the direction for the future of the sector to help it continue to innovate, grow and prosper, and position Canada as a leader in the global economy. Together with provinces and territories, I am committed to expanding business opportunities for our Canadian producers, ranchers and processors, and strengthening the middle class."

Lawrence MacAulay

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"The Canadian Agricultural Partnership enables continued investment in strategic initiatives for agriculture and agri-food programming in Newfoundland and Labrador, and will have a significant impact on our rural communities and the provincial economy. The partnership will help our government achieve its goal of increasing food self-sufficiency to at least 20 per cent by 2022, and then building beyond that goal, as laid out in The Way Forward: Realizing Our Potential."

Honourable Steve Crocker

Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources

- 30 -

*The Ministers from British Columbia and New Brunswick were not in attendance but were represented by officials.

Learn More

Summary of items from this years Annual Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture - www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/the-canadian-agricultural-partnership/summary-of-items-from-the-2017-annual-meeting-of-federal-provincial-and-territorial-ministers-of-agriculture/?id=1500475666246

Canadian Agricultural Partnership - Business Risk Management Programs - www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/the-canadian-agricultural-partnership/canadian-agricultural-partnership-business-risk-management-programs-effective-april-2018/?id=1500475317828

Calgary Statement  //www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/developing-the-next-agricultural-policy-framework/calgary-statement-towards-the-next-policy-framework/?id=1468864509649

Consulting on the Canadian Agricultural Partnership - //www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/public-opinion-and-consultations/consulting-on-the-next-agricultural-policy-framework/?id=1461767905189

Video - The View from Here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNe4S4xMeAc&feature=youtu.be

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @FLR_GovNL and @AAFC_Canada
Surrey, BC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/21/2017 --To all those Canadian nurses who have always yearned for top branded nursing shoes Canada - good news is on the way! Nursingshoes.ca has just arrived online with a huge stock of premium nursing shoes from leading brands. It's for the first time in the history of Canadian nursing accessory sector; an online store has taken a visionary step forward to bring nurse shoes from name brands such as Sanita or Algeria.



The site is bustling with shoes for both male and female nurses. Free Shipping is available on first orders till 1st September 2017.



"We are thrilled to announce that we have just launched our new online endeavor Nursingshoes.ca It's the only Canadian website which stocks shoes from leading brands like Cherokee or Algeria. We know our Canadian nurses have always longed for branded trendy shoes yet there were never such facilities before. But we are here to change the scene for better now with our top-notch branded collection. With us, you have a vast and versatile range of fashionable nursing shoes that are a fine blend of both style and substance. Moreover, we have also got free shipping on your first order as our welcome offer", stated Oree Koblentz, the owner of Nursingshoes.ca



The new site is a part of leading Canadian company, OK Uniforms And Health Care, which includes a medical uniform store & a home health care firm. Both the stores are widely acknowledged across the country for top rated customer service and premier quality.



"After a successful stint of 5 years, we planned to expand our business into the nursing shoe sector. We are a family owned business and take all our clients as a member of our extended family. We promise the same commendable level of customer service & product quality with Nursingshoes.ca as we are known for with our other two stores".



Interested buyers can choose the nursing shoes from a wide range of colors and styles- such as clog, open clog, loafer, Mary Jane and many more. The site also allows filtering as per the choice of color.



Branded shoes are not the only thing that makes Nursingshoes.ca stand out in the crowd. Unlike the regular nurse shoes sellers, the new site offers shoes especially for Canadian professionals and all the products here are sold in Canada only. All items are shipped from Surrey and this way, the buyers are relieved from any duty or brokerage charge- usual with other stores.



"One of main advantages of buying nurse shoes from our store is that no longer would you have to pay duty or brokerage fees along with excellent buying experience as compared with other stores out there".



To know more about branded nursing shoes and get one for you, please visit the official website at nursingshoes.ca or contact them below.
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.

Mooresville-Decatur
Never do we ever yearn for kachoris like we do during the rainy season.

By Shreya Goswami: Snacks, especially crunchy and savoury ones, are a huge hit across North India--which is why we have such a huge varity of samosas, pakoras and khasta namkeen. And one of these, the golden-brown kachori, is quite the monsoon favourite.

Kachoris are usually served two-ways: plain or stuffed. If it's stuffed, it goes well with sweet and spicy chutneys. If it's not stuffed, then we love to have it with some sabji, preferably made of potatoes or taro roots.

Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Cook With Manali

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And when it comes to serving hot kachoris, Delhi doesn't fall short of the mark. Here are some of the places you must visit for a bite of your favourite monsoon kachori, the next time you get the munchies.

Also Read: 5 South Indian ingredients you must know all about

1. Jung Bahadur Kachori Wala

If you depend on Old Delhi for your food, you can't go wrong. This is why Jung bahadur Kachori Wala at the Paranthe Wali Gali in Chandni Chowk is an old favourite. Aloo ki sabji, khasta kachoris, freshly chopped green chillies, coriander and onions, with a side of green chutney--that is precisely what makes this place a must-visit for all foodies.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/thisisdelhi Picture courtesy: Instagram/thisisdelhi

2. Fateh Ki Kachori

Another North Delhi centre for great kachoris is Fateh's old place near Kashmere Gate. This place has been around for ages, and the kachoris served here seem to get better by the day. Crunchy, topped with a sabji and freshly chopped onions make a single plate of this kachori just the treat for when it rains.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mr.hungry12

3. Baba Nagpal Corner

This Lajpat Nagar destination is well-known for a number of delicacies, including chhole bhature. But their kachoris are to die for! Don't believe us? Just order their aloo kachori the next time you're there, and you'll know just what we mean.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mannunegi2017

Also Read: 5 best samosa places for your perfect Delhi monsoon treat

4. New Vishal Corner

Nehru Place might be a destination only for offices and electronic repair shops, but it should also be a foodie's destination thanks to New Vishal Corner. You can trace this place from miles away by the whiff of fresh kachoris that are fried in large woks. The kachoris here are fantastic, and so is the potato curry that is served on the side.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/sunnyboy_nemu_1009

5. Kamala Sweets

If there's one thing Chittaranjan park nails, it is Bengali food. And while you might not know it, Bengalis have a great take on your favourite kachoris, especially the stuffed ones. Kamala Sweets serves some of the best ones in town, which is why you need to head there, right now.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/blogsmania

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A court in Cambodia has charged the second person in one week for allegedly threatening the life of Prime Minister Hun Sen on the head of states Facebook page, drawing concern from a rights group that suggested the post may have been faked to frighten online critics.



The Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged Rom Chamroeurn, 28, with making a death threat under Article 233 of Cambodias Criminal Code, court spokesperson Ly Sophanna told reporters Thursday, adding that his case had been sent to an investigating judge.



The person posted a message on Facebook threatening to kill Samdech Techo Hun Sen, he said, using an honorific title for the prime minister.



According to screenshots published by government-aligned media group Fresh News, Rom Chamroeurn posted a photo of himself posing with a pistol alongside text that said, Hun Sen, somehow I will kill you and claiming that Cambodia would not have peace until the strongman was dead.



Rom Chamroeurn allegedly claimed that Hun Sen and his family are ethnic yuon, using a term for Vietnamese in Cambodia which some consider derogatory, and suggested that he had an affair with the prime ministers wife, Bun Rany.



The case is the latest in a series of court actions pertaining to supposed threats against government officials and comes just one week after police in Sihanoukville detained a young man named Pich Ratha, also for allegedly threatening to kill Hun Sen in a comment posted to the prime ministers Facebook page.



Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service Friday, Am Sam Ath, head of investigations for the Cambodian rights group Licadho, said he was concerned that some Facebook accounts may have been faked as part of a bid to frame the accused and to discourage online criticism.



We are concerned that the Facebook accounts might have been fabricated or hacked to cause the victims harm, he said.



Recent arrests [in connection to the alleged threats] have sent a chilling message to other Facebook users.



Am Sam Ath urged authorities to undertake a thorough investigation into online threats before making any arrests to ensure that the accounts are not phony.



He also warned against the use of the judicial system to restrict freedom of speech.



Other civil society groups have also accused the authorities of practicing a double standard by arresting those who have allegedly threatened members of Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), when several people who have made death threats against members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) remain at large.



Other cases



In addition to Rom Chamroeurn and Pich Ratha, three other people have been charged or detained in connection with comments they allegedly made linking Hun Sen to the murder of prominent political analyst and scholar Kem Ley.



Last week, Cambodian police arrested Heng Leakhena for a video she posted on Facebook suggesting that Hun Sen and his family had a hand in the gunning down of Kem Ley a year ago when he stopped for coffee in a Star Mart convenience store beside a Caltex gas station in the capital Phnom Penh.



Hun Sen has sued three others for defamationSam Rainsy, former head of the CNRP, opposition Senator Thak Lany, and jailed political commentator Kem Sokover accusations that the CPP planned Kem Leys murder.

Sam Rainsy and Thak Lany are both in exile, and Kim Sok is in jail awaiting trial.



Former soldier Oeuth Angwho calls himself Chuob Samlab, a Khmer name meaning meet to killconfessed to shooting Kem Ley over a U.S. $3,000 debt. Though he was sentenced to life in prison in March for the crime, it is widely believed that others were involved in the slaying and that Oeuth Ang had had no contact at all with the political analyst prior to the killing.



Reported by Moniroth Morm for RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
China's migrant population, drawn to cities and pushed out of poorer areas by by mass layoffs and rural land grabs since the 1990s, has risen in recent years to more than 200 million, nearly one-fifth of the population.



The majority of migrant workers who flock to bigger cities in search of manual labor in factories and on construction sites are from a farming background.



But their search for a better life for themselves and their families is hampered by a discriminatory "household registration," or hukou, system that limits access to services like healthcare and education to natives of a given area.



Nonetheless, they continue to head in all directions.



The resident population of Beijing has swelled by 59 percent since the start of the century, with an increase of 56 percent reported by neighboring Tianjin and a 50 percent rise in Shanghai.



Migrants from other regions of China have also been flooding into Tibet and Xinjiang, as part of what critics say is a deliberate policy to suppress the local ethnic minority populations.



Xinjiang's population saw a 30 percent rise since 2000, while Tibet's increased by 28 percent.



But Liu Kaiming, who directs the Institute of Contemporary Observation in the southern city of Shenzhen, said recent changes in the hukou regulations have made it harder to get established in "first-tier" cities like Beijing and Shanghai.



"Although there have been reforms to the hukou system in China's small and medium-sized cities, the threshold for migrant populations to transfer their hukou to first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, is very high," Liu said.



"China's floating population mostly consists of farmers and small-town residents, who head for the coastal cities and first-tier cities," he said.



"But the hukou system means that the way they are treated and the social services they can access are tied to their place of birth," he said. "So, even if they move to a new place of work, they still can't enjoy the same benefits that local people do."

Stratification of privilege



Beijing University of Science and Technology professor Hu Xingdou said that the stratification of privilege is becoming very marked, with first-tier cities attracting far more wealth and offering more resources.



"Beijing is a privileged city, and its medical, educational and other services are of a particularly high standard, because many people living in the city are privileged," he said. "The government allocates a certain amount of resources to the city."



Hu called for an end to the hukou system altogether, to narrow the wealth gap between the richest and poorest places in China.



"This way, city people would be allowed to buy real estate in rural areas, to invest there," he said. "It would also be possible to settle in rural areas, which would promote their development."



"This would also in turn ease the problem of very high prices in big cities," Hu said. "Narrowing the gap between the cities and countryside would also mean that rural residents have more opportunities in their hometowns."



The majority of migrants hail from the central provinces of Henan, Anhui and Hunan, while their top destinations are the rich coastal provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, according to a map published by the search engine and online encyclopedia Baidu.



Reported by Gao Shan for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The Central Bank of Laos has rejected claims by the director of an agricultural company running a pyramid scheme that a warning it issued informing the public that the firm was operating illegally was responsible for the loss of millions of U.S. dollars of investors money.



The PS Agriculture and Industry Promotion Import-Export Company of Laos ceased providing promised interest payments in January this year and as investors sought to withdraw their capital, they were told it had been used to build infrastructure and attract new deposits through high rates of return, leaving them little recourse.



On July 6, PS Agriculture failed to meet a deadline ordered by the Bank of the Lao PDRthe countrys Central Bankto repay the nearly 100 million kip (U.S. $12.14 million) it owes investors.



A week earlier, PS Agriculture director Por Her told investors that the companys financial problems occurred because the bank intentionally accused PS in order to damage its public image and that they had become poor due to  the banks warning notice.



PS Agricultures fund had at one point grown to include more than 200,000 investors with deposits worth more than 900 billion kip (U.S. $109.3 million), but after the government issued a warning at the end of last year calling the investment scheme illegal because the company was not registered as a financial firm, stakeholders began to withdraw their money.



On Thursday, director general of the Cabinet Office of the Bank of the Lao PDR Phetsathaphone Keovongvichith, told RFAs Lao Service that the bank could not be blamed for PS Agricultures default.



It is not right that the company says the problem occurred because the bank issued a notice accusing it, he said.



In fact, we issued the notice to raise peoples awareness [about the companys legal issue related to its registration], and it was up to them whether or not they decided to invest. We didnt want the situation to become worse.



PS Agriculture and Industry Promotion Import-Export Company of Laos registered as an agricultural company in 2012 with 900 million kip (U.S. $109,240) of capital to produce purified drinking water, noodles, run a rice mill, and farm organic chickens and vegetables.



The company solicited deposits of between 500,000 and 5 million kip (U.S. $61 and $608) per person for an expansion fund, promising monthly interest payouts of at least four percent, and bonuses of 24 percent to those who maintained their deposits for a yearfar surpassing rates offered by Lao banks.



Phetsathaphone said that after investigating PS Agriculture, the Central Bank determined that the company had promised investors impossibly high dividends and had issued its warning to inform the public about the companys performance, as well as risks associated with investing.



Either way, he said, PS Agriculture was not legally permitted to raise funds because it was not registered as a financial entity, and the bank had ordered it to obtain a new registration.



A committee at the Central Bank is monitoring PS Agriculture and holding meetings with the company now that it has passed the deadline to repay investors and will work with it to address problems appropriately, he added.



Attempts to contact Por Her by telephone went unanswered Thursday.



Loss of trust



At the end of June, investors had called for Por Her to step down after it became clear that PS Agriculture would be unable to repay them, saying he no longer had the trust of the firms stakeholders.



Por Her told investors at the time that the company planned to repay the 100 million kip it owes them, although not before the deadline ordered by the Central Bank.



Once the debts are repaid, he said, the company plans to list on the Lao Securities Exchange, adding that the roughly 50,000 investors who have kept their deposits with the firm will be invited to purchase the shares of those who withdrew them following the government warning last year.



He vowed that PS Agriculture will sell everything it owns to clear its debts.



Sources have acknowledged that investors were at least partially to blame for pursuing what they saw as a get-rich-quick scheme, without fully researching how PS Agricultures expansion fund operated, and that many who decided to contribute to the fund based on the advice of friends or family didnt understand the contract behind their investment or even the basic procedures of the company.



But a Laos-based legal expert recently called PS Agriculture a scam that operates by taking money from one person and paying it as interest to another, with an elaborate network of brokers who hunt for innocent investors as victims in exchange for commissions.



Reported and translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Kyaw Min Swe (C), editor-in-chief of The Voice Daily, and satire columnist Kyaw Zwa Naing (R), who writes under the pseudonym British Ko Ko Maung, arrive at the Bahan township courthouse in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon, June 16, 2017.

Myanmars military on Friday filed a lawsuit in Yangon against the editor and columnist of an independent newspaper under the countrys Media Law in the first such case in which journalists have been sued under the 2014 statute.

Kyaw Min Swe, editor-in-chief of The Voice Daily, and the papers satire columnist Kyaw Zwa Naing, who goes by the pen name British Ko Ko Maung, have been charged under Section 25(b) of the Media Law enacted under former president Thein Seins administration for publishing a satirical article mocking a military propaganda film.

Both men had been detained and charged in June with defamation under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law after Lieutenant Colonel Lin Tun of the Myanmar Army filed a suit against them in Yangons Bahan township police station on May 17.

On June 16, the court released Kyaw Zwa Naing after Kyaw Min Swe testified that he was solely responsible for posting on social media the article that allegedly insulted the armed forces.

Section 25(b) specifies a fine of 300,000-1 million kyats (U.S. $217-U.S. $724) for media workers deemed guilty of violating professional responsibilities and codes of conduct under three subsections of the Media Law.

The Democratic Voice of Burma news service reported that the militarys new lawsuit under Section 25(b) accuses the defendants of writing news in a manner that deliberately harms the reputation of an individual or organization, and which negatively affects human rights.

I learned about this [new charge] from the court today, but I havent received any official documents yet, said Kyaw Zwa Naing who attended a bail hearing for his boss at the Bahan township courthouse.

If we media people commit any violations, this Section 25(b) should be used rather than Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, he said. We cannot accept the use of Section 66(d) against us.

After learning about the new charge, Kyaw Zwa Naing requested bail and was released on 2 million kyats (U.S. $1,448).

The court, however, denied Kyaw Min Swes eighth request for bail on the first charge, and he did not ask for bail on the new charge, said his legal adviser Khin Maung Myint.

Privacy-invasion lawsuit rejected

Also on Friday, the same Bahan township court rejected an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed by a group of reporters against an army sergeant and police officer on July 19.

Myanmars Committee for the Protection of Journalists accused Corporal Soe Myint Aung from the Yangon Division Military Headquarters of illegally stalking them by taking their photos with his cell phone outside the Bahan township courthouse on June 30 as they were showing their support for Kyaw Min Swe during one of his previous bail hearings.

They also filed charges under the countrys Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens against Bahan township police officer Aye Min Thein for not taking their complaint.

The law says if a case is filed by anyone under oath, the police must accept it, said committee member Tharlon Zaung Htet. But the policeman concerned refused to open a case.

The deputy commander of the police station decided that the army corporal had not violated the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens and refused to accept the case.

We are now discussing with our lawyers about taking the case to the district court and taking action against the judge, Tharlon Zaung Htet said.

Because the same plaintiff had filed the second suit in Bahan township court, the first case concerning Section 66(d) would have to be closed, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported, citing Khin Maung Myint.

The lawyer also said he would propose to the regional parliament that the charges against Kyaw Min Swe be dropped, the report said.

The court action comes as lawmakers discuss and debate a draft bill amending the 2013 Telecommunications Law, including allowing bail for those charged and eliminating the ability of third parties to file complaints.

Myanmar journalists and rights groups have called for the repeal or amendment of the section which prohibits the use of the telecom network to defame people and carries a jail sentence of up to three years and a fine for those found guilty of violating it.

Reported by Aung Theinkha and Way Yan Moe Myint for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike today threatened to blacken all boards in Hindi if the government did not change them to Kannada.

By Rohini Swamy: The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) protested in front of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) demanding that all the signboards in the city should give prominence to Kananda.

About 70 per cent of the signboards should be in Kannada. Moreover, the group has threatened to blacken the boards if their demands were not met.

The group has been demanding that all boards especially in the Namma Metro remove Hindi signage.

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The KRV has been has been persistently attacking the state government asking them to order all Hindi boards to be removed.

Praveen Shetty from KRV said that they were seeking a decision form the government saying that all boards should be in Kannada.

"People come from other states and put up boards in their mother tongue. We demand that they it should be changed to Kannada. We will protest till it is implemented," he said.

The Bengaluru Urban Minister KJ George while speaking to India Today said that the state government is committed towards giving Kannada the utmost respect and status, but the debate was unnecessarily about Hindi, especially when all three languages - Kannada, English and Hindi are used.

George also said that if any of the protestors take law in their hands, they will be punished.

Also Read:

Bengaluru: Hindi words covered on sign boards outside Namma Metro stations

Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada group blacken Hindi sign boards at metro stations

Pro-Kannada organisation calls for formation of anti-Hindi front

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Soldiers from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army patrol a village in eastern Myanmar's Shan state in an undated photo.

UPDATED at 10:07 A.M. on 2017-07-21

Growing tension between government soldiers and Taang National Liberation Army troops in northern Shan state has forced hundreds of people from seven villages in Hsenwi township of Lashio district to preemptively flee to safety to the town of Theinni, a local lawmaker said on Thursday.

Since the government army was there, the locals became worried about possible fighting when the soldiers encountered TNLA troops, said Nang Khin Htar Ye, a member of the Shan state parliament from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party.

She said 296 people arrived in Theinni on Wednesday, and now a total of 731 are there, staying in a Buddhist monastery. The town is about 28 miles north of Shan states largest town Lashio.

The villagers have accused TNLA soldiers of extorting 10 million kyats (U.S. $7,250) from each of the seven villages when they entered the area at about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.

When villagers said they were not able to pay, they abducted three villagers, threatening to kill them, Nang Khin Htar Ye was quoted as saying in the report.

Community leaders, government officials, and lawmakers have been asking for donations for the villagers, the amount of which has reached about 3 million kyats (U.S. $2,175), she told RFA.

Fighting between the TNLA and government army and intermittent clashes between the TNLA and a rival ethnic militiathe Shan State Army-South (SSA-S)have forced thousands of residents in northern Shan state to flee their homes and seek shelter in Buddhist monasteries.

The TNLA along with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Arakan Army (AA), and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) comprise the Northern Alliance, a coalition fighting Myanmar forces in northern Shan and Kachin states that carried out coordinated attacks on government and military targets in northern Shan state last November.

None of the groups signed a nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) with the government in October 2015, and they have largely remained outside the countrys slow-moving peace process aimed at ending decades of war.

Thais break up CSSU meeting

In a related development, a Myanmar military attache asked Thai authorities on Thursday to ban an ethnic Shan group called the Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) from meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Thai authorities said they complied with the request by Brigadier General Khin Zaw because he indicated that illegal groups and foreigners who wanted to create upheaval in Myanmars political situation were attending the meeting.

Officials in Thai Army Region 3 informed us to stop the meeting for two reasons, said Sai Bo Aung, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), one of the political groups comprising the CSSU.

Thai army officials said the meeting was counterproductive to Myanmars peace process and included representatives from ethnic armed groups that have not signed the governments NCA, he said.

The civilian-led government of Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seeking to end long-term fighting between heavily armed ethnic militias and the Myanmar military and build a democratic federal union in the country through a series of peace negotiations.

RFAs Myanmar Service could not reach the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok for comment, but an official at the countrys consulate in Chiang Mai said he did not know about the matter.

We have received no instruction or information regarding this news, said Counselor San Yu Kyaw.

The CSSU was set up in October 2013 in Thailand to try to restore unity among ethnic groups in Shan state, solve political problems among various ethnic communities, and build a democratic system and a federal union in Myanmar.

Besides the SNDP, the committee includes the Shan State Joint Action Committee, Restoration Council of Shan State, and Shan civil society organizations.

Reported by Kyaw Thu and Aung Moe Myint for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

CORRECTION: An earlier verion of the article incorrecrtly identified military attache Khin Zaw as a major instead of a brigadier general.


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The CBI has filed an FIR against Karti for helping INX Media get Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance when his father was the finance minister.

CBI filed an FIR against Karti for helping INX Media when his father P Chidambaram was finance minister. (File Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: The Madras High Court today refused immediate relief to Karti Chidambaram in INX Media kickbacks case.

Karti, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son, had moved approached the court asking it to quash the the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case.

The court said it'll have to check whether it can hear his plea or not as the CBI had filed the case in Delhi. The court will hear the case next on July 28.

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The CBI had asked Karti today in connection with the case. Sources in the CBI said he was called earlier also in June but he had sought more time to appear before the agency.

Sources said the CBI is likely to quiz Karti in connection with a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister.

The CBI has alleged that a firm "indirectly controlled" by him received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea.

P Chidamabaram had issued a strong statement in response to the FIR, saying that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

ALSO READ:

More trouble for Karti Chidambaram as ED says it has fresh evidence in INX Media deal case

No one from my family could influence FIPB: Chidambaram

ED notice to Karti Chidambaram, others for foreign exchange violations

WATCH: Heat on Karti Chidambaram: Enforcement Directorate to seek information from UK in INX case

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A Richmond panel tasked with determining whether the city should re-establish a local human rights commission has set two hearings next week to gather public feedback.

The effort is being spearheaded by the City Council and Riquia Taylor, a rising senior at Virginia Commonwealth University who served on a human rights commission in her hometown of Newport News.

When a resident felt discriminated against by a store owner who refused him access to the shops public restroom, Taylor said the commission intervened: It ended up just being a big misunderstanding, she said. A member of the committee who spoke the same language as the store owner was able to resolve the issue.

In another case, she recalls a man feeling he was discriminated against because of his race when his application to rent a home was denied. A lawyer on the commission helped look more deeply into the issue.

When she got to VCU, she learned the city did not have a comparable commission and asked Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson to investigate the idea.

Robertson and Councilman Parker C. Agelasto introduced legislation last year to establish a task force this year to look into whether Richmond would benefit from a commission and, if so, what its role should be.

Joyce Davis, a policy analyst for the City Council, said that in Virginia, the commissions generally serve as a resource for residents who feel they were discriminated against and offer advice and recommendations, but carry no enforcement power.

Taylor is co-chair and is sold on the benefits, but now she said the group wants to hear from residents to get their input.

The first is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Southside Government Service Center, 4100 Hull Street Road. The second will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers at City Hall, 900 E. Broad St.
Crime in Richmond is still on the rise this year after a deadly 2016.

The 3 percent increase in violent crime across the city so far in 2017 largely centers on the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties in the East End and other concentrated areas of poverty in South Richmond, according to police.

Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham and Commonwealths Attorney Michael N. Herring held a press conference Friday to brief the media, and public, about crime halfway through the year.

Whats most disturbing about the crime trends he presented, Durham said, is its effect on the citys youth.

Weve had our challenges with our young kids being shot and murdered in our city, Durham said. Everybody should be disturbed by that. Fourteen of our children shot. Four of our children killed.

The four killed were 16 or younger. Two others killed in the city were 18. In all of 2016, just two young people, a 17-year-old and 3-year-old, were killed.

Among the 14 shot and wounded this year were a 7-year-old boy at a bus stop with his father in a drive-by and two girls  one 4 and the other 7  who were shot accidentally.

Durham said he pooled as many resources as possible to combat the violent tide that consumed Mosby Court early in the year. A double homicide where 15-year-old Taliek Brown and 16-year-old Mikkaisha Smoot died shook the community at the end of March, and the fatal shooting of Virginia State Police Special Agent Michael Walter in May brought it to a standstill overnight as police searched for the shooter.

In the 56 days since Walters death, there has been just one shooting in Mosby. It occurred last weekend, Durham said. Meanwhile, Whitcomb Court  where five people were injured in a drive-by shooting earlier this week  and Gilpin Court are seeing crime rise.

The crime-fighting plan works, Durham said when you give it that attention. But ladies and gentlemen, I have to tell you, its tough maintaining that posture with the resources when then other communities have flare-ups.

Durham theorized that the police presence in Mosby may have displaced some crime into those neighboring communities.

Gilpin leads the six largest RRHA properties in all incidents  which the chief defined as anything where police took a report. Mosby is third. RRHA properties account for a third of the 4,786 incidents of crime in the first six months of 2017.

The correlation between crime and poverty is not new, nor is it unique to Richmond, said Herring, the commonwealths attorney. Hes proposed a root cause analysis to drill down deeper into some of the common factors such as poverty and poor health and the impact they might have on crime. Herring challenged the city to look at violence, and particularly gun violence, as a health crisis  on par with opioid and drug abuse.

It reveals that the scope of the problem is beyond traditional law enforcement suppression, Herring said. So to that end, hopefully, later on in the fall were going to do root-cause analysis in the city, which is a mammoth undertaking, but will be very illuminating on the actual causes of the crime in these pockets.

Herring said the causes could range from density of housing, poor education or health care issues.

Whatever the cause is, if we dont try to bring some resources to bear on the cause, you will always be presented with a graphic like this, he said. And that to me is bordering on stupidity.

Durham said the department has biweekly meetings with the housing authority to talk crime. The authority has mentioned adding cameras and purchasing ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator or gunshot detection system, for their properties.

Violent crimes  homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults  are up 3 percent in the first half of the year. But in April, the citys violent crime was up 9 percent compared to last year. Durham said the department has worked hard to close the gap.

Hopefully, prayerfully, we will be below last year, Durham said.

Last year, the city saw 61 homicides, the most in a decade. Another six deaths  four justified homicides and two death investigations  are not among that number that police report to the FBI.

So far this year, the city has had 33 homicides  31 of which occurred in the first six months, which was the focus of Fridays press conference. Three are being investigated by Virginia State Police. There are three other death investigations, two justified homicides, one fatal officer-involved shooting and a manslaughter, or accidental shooting death.

Like many of you in our communities, we, as the police department, were frustrated also with the violence thats occurring in our city, Durham said. When a violent crime occurs, its an all-hands-on-deck approach, not only by members of the Richmond Police Department and our partners, be it in the criminal justice system, be it on the federal side, but most importantly our community members.

Folks are tired; we are too.
A Bedford County man was arrested Wednesday evening after he shot a neighborhood dog twice, killing it in front of several children, after it allegedly bit his grandson, according to a Bedford County Sheriffs Office news release.

Fred Dooley, 60, of Goodview, was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, according to the release. He was then transported to the Bedford Adult Detention Center and released on bond.

Bedford County emergency services received a call at about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday that a man had just shot a dog near Oak Park Drive in Goodview. While deputies were responding to that call, dispatchers received a call from Dooley.

Dooley advised dispatchers that a neighbors dog had bitten his grandson and he was requesting an ambulance, the release states.

Dooleys grandchild had injuries consistent with a dog bite, according to the release, and the grandchild was transported to the hospital.

Dooley advised the deputy that after the dog had attacked his grandson, he retrieved his handgun from inside his home. He then walked down the road, located the dog and shot it twice, the release states.

Officials did not indicate if the dog was on Dooleys property or where the dog was shot.

A BCSO deputy interviewed multiple witnesses and confirmed children were playing in the area when Dooley fired his gun.
The son of a man killed during a reported May standoff with Pulaski town and county officers was convicted this week of threatening retaliation.

James A. Burton Jr., 27, of Dublin, entered an Alford plea and was convicted Wednesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court of threatening officers. In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his or her innocence but admits that enough evidence exists to win a conviction.

Judge Brad Finch sentenced Burton to two years in prison, then suspended all but two months of it. That meant that Burton, who has been jailed since May, was to be released after the hearing.

The charge against Burton stemmed from a Facebook post that he made soon after his father died during a violent encounter with law enforcement. The elder Burton had choked his wife, then threatened officers with a shotgun and fired a shot toward them, according to witnesses cited in a Virginia State Police report on the May 14 incident. James Burton Sr., 48, was shot by a sheriffs deputy after he fired his shotgun toward police, the report said. Commonwealths Attorney Mike Fleenor later determined that the shooting of Burton was appropriate and legally justified.

After his fathers death, the younger Burton posted on Facebook that he wouldnt mind if town and county officers were shot and said that he was calling them out. U have one more Burton to kill Im ready to die, Burton wrote, according to a copy of the post that Fleenor provided.

Attorney Richie Davis of Radford, who represented Burton, said after Wednesdays hearing that while his client admitted making the Facebook post, he denied that he actually meant to harm anyone.

This case is more about a hurting son, Davis said. ... It comes down to what the definition of a true threat is.

Davis said that Burton entered an Alford plea to get the case behind him and gain release from jail.

It was better to get this man back to his family to complete the grieving process, Davis said.

Fleenor wrote in an email after the hearing that grief did not excuse Burtons post.

Although Im sure that Mr. Burton was upset about the recent death of his father, the extreme and vile threats made against law enforcement could not be ignored. Police officers have difficult jobs and take a lot of guff on a regular basis, but they certainly have the right not to be threatened with death and extreme bodily harm, Fleenor wrote.
By PTI: Chennai, Jul 21 (PTI) Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister P Chidambaram, has moved the Madras High Court seeking quashing of the fresh summons issued by the CBI for questioning him in connection with a corruption case.

When the petition came up for hearing today on the question of maintainability, Justice P Velmurugan, after hearing arguments by both sides, adjourned it to July 28 without passing any interim order.

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The CBI had on July 19 issued the summons asking Karti to be present today for questioning in the matter related to alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was the finance minister.

The agency has alleged that a firm "indirectly controlled" by Karti had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in 2007.

This was the second summons issued by CBI in the case. Earlier, it had asked Karti and four others to appear for questioning on June 27 and 29. He had then informed the CBI through his lawyer that he needed more time to appear.

In the court today, the CBI opposed the petition arguing it was not maintainable.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, contended that the summons had been issued well within the jurisdiction and investigating powers of the CBI.

The agency wanted the court to dismiss the plea on grounds of maintainability, he said.

Senior Counsel Goal Subramaniam, representing Karti, submitted it was a settled principle of law that issuing summons to an accused and interrogating him would amount to violation of fundamental right guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.

He said the article states that no person accused of an offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.

"The Article grants immunity from self incrimination. Thus the instant summons is only to make the petitioner make self-incriminating statements when it is the case of the petitioner that he has not met any official in the ministry of finance for any purpose much less for FIPB approval for the INX group," he said.

Thus the notice summoning his client was liable to be set aside, Subramaniam submitted.

An FIR has been registered against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007.

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The probe agency had claimed that the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but the then finance minister Chidambaram had cleared it.

P Chidambaram had issued a strong statement in response to the FIR, saying that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

In May this year, the agency had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case. PTI CORR VS RT

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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
The son of a man killed during a reported May standoff with Pulaski town and county officers was convicted this week of threatening retaliation.

James A. Burton Jr., 27, of Dublin, entered an Alford plea and was convicted Wednesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court of threatening officers. In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his or her innocence but admits that enough evidence exists to win a conviction.

Judge Brad Finch sentenced Burton to two years in prison, then suspended all but two months of it. That meant that Burton, who has been jailed since May, was to be released after the hearing.

The charge against Burton stemmed from a Facebook post that he made soon after his father died during a violent encounter with law enforcement. The elder Burton had choked his wife, then threatened officers with a shotgun and fired a shot toward them, according to witnesses cited in a Virginia State Police report on the May 14 incident. James Burton Sr., 48, was shot by a sheriffs deputy after he fired his shotgun toward police, the report said. Commonwealths Attorney Mike Fleenor later determined that the shooting of Burton was appropriate and legally justified.

After his fathers death, the younger Burton posted on Facebook that he wouldnt mind if town and county officers were shot and said that he was calling them out. U have one more Burton to kill Im ready to die, Burton wrote, according to a copy of the post that Fleenor provided.

Attorney Richie Davis of Radford, who represented Burton, said after Wednesdays hearing that while his client admitted making the Facebook post, he denied that he actually meant to harm anyone.

This case is more about a hurting son, Davis said. ... It comes down to what the definition of a true threat is.

Davis said that Burton entered an Alford plea to get the case behind him and gain release from jail.

It was better to get this man back to his family to complete the grieving process, Davis said.

Fleenor wrote in an email after the hearing that grief did not excuse Burtons post.

Although Im sure that Mr. Burton was upset about the recent death of his father, the extreme and vile threats made against law enforcement could not be ignored. Police officers have difficult jobs and take a lot of guff on a regular basis, but they certainly have the right not to be threatened with death and extreme bodily harm, Fleenor wrote.

Sometimes people think that their posts on Facebook and other social media dont have consequences, he added,  but in this case, they certainly did.
A former Roanoke College student, charged earlier this year follow an on-campus incident, has been indicted on sexual assault charges.

James Douglas Caruso, 19, is accused of aggravated sexual battery, object penetration and forcible sodomy. A Salem grand jury returned indictments on those three charges Friday.

Caruso is scheduled to go to trial on the charges Nov. 3.

At a preliminary hearing in June, Carusos accuser, a 19-year-old woman, told a judge she and Caruso lived in the same dormitory and were acquaintances who met for drinks in his room.

She said she later awoke, naked, to find him engaged in sexual activity with her. He stopped when she objected, she said. She said she left, notified security and later agreed to a forensic examination.

After hearing the evidence, the judge certified the case to circuit court.

The Roanoke Times does not identify people who report sexual assaults.

Caruso was a student at the college at the time but is no longer enrolled, the school has said.

He remains free on bond, and the court agreed to modify conditions to allow him to travel from New Jersey to New York.
The lawmaker is accused of raping, stalking and abetting suicide of a 51-year-old woman.

By India Today Web Desk: A Congress MLA from Kerala has been booked on the charge of rape, stalking and abetment of suicide of a 51-year-old woman.

The victim attempted suicide after she was allegedly harassed by MLA M Vincent, against whom a case was registered based on her statement before the police.

Vincent, who represents the Kovalam Assembly seat, is accused of stalking, rape and abetment of suicide based on the statement given by the woman who had last week tried to end her life in Balaramapuram, police sources said.

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The city magistrate also recorded her statement at a hospital in Neyyatinkara, where she is undergoing treatment.

Vincent, however, alleged that there was a "political conspiracy" behind the allegation against him and filed a complaint with police, demanding a detailed probe into the matter.

He claimed that a CPI(M) local leader was present at the woman's house when she attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills. Her brother is also a Marxist activist.

Police had on Wednesday registered an abetment of suicide case against Vincent after the woman's husband filed a complaint with police, alleging that the MLA used torepeatedly call her over the phone and harass her.

The woman's medical examination will be held today, the sources said.

(PTI inputs)

Also read:

Shimla rape outrage: How Himachal, other states fare in crime against women

Delhi: Man posing as coach rapes minor national-level Kabaddi player

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Roanoke firefighters rescued two dogs from a Raleigh Court house that caught fire Thursday afternoon.

Improperly discarded smoking materials sparked flames in the rear of the two-story house in the 1800 block of Arlington Road Southwest, according to Roanoke Fire-EMS.

Crews went to the house about 5:14 p.m. Firefighters saved two small dogs  Mickey and Edward.

You need a bath, a firefighter told Edward as the dog wiggled in his arms.

One cat was missing. No one else was inside at the time of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

The American Red Cross is helping two adults and three children who have been displaced.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire caused about $50,000 in damage.
WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned Friday, following the appointment of wealthy financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director, according to a White House official.

Spicer's abrupt and angry departure - which caught even senior West Wing staffers by surprise - reflects the latest upheaval in a White House that has been consumed by chaos and staff infighting since almost the day President Donald Trump took office.

Scaramucci has previously had a tense and fraught relationship with both Spicer and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who both vehemently objected to Trump's decision to install Scaramucci in the top communications job. Scaramucci has coined a particularly crude nickname for Priebus, and Priebus previously blocked the financier from several other top White House roles.

Scaramucci had been in talks with the president and senior staff all week. But the shake-up comes amid intensifying tumult at the White House as Trump moves to respond to the widening special counsel probe into his campaign's possible collusion with the Russian government and searches for ways to revive the administration's stalled legislative agenda.

"The president wanted to bring on some folks, to add to the team. They were great," Spicer said in a brief interview on Friday. "This is something you dream of. I can't thank the president enough."

Spicer said that he resigned to give the president a "clean slate" moving forward. In a message on Twitter, he added that he will serve in his post until the end of August.

Asked if he had any regrets, Spicer answered: "None."

Trump officially offered the position to Scaramucci, whom he has become closer to in recent weeks, at a meeting with senior staff in the Oval Office on Friday morning. And Thursday, Trump, Vice President Pence, Scaramucci and Trump's daughter, Ivanka, also huddled privately in the Oval Office to discuss Scaramucci's new role.

On Friday morning, the West Wing scrambled to present a united public front. Priebus called a private meeting of the White House communications staff, and made clear that Spicer, who is expected to help Scaramucci transition into the role, is leaving to give the new communications director "a clean slate," according to someone briefed on the meeting.

Priebus also tried to play down any tensions with Scaramucci, saying the two have known each other for a long time, and Scaramucci told his new team that he is not a "top down" manager, this person said.

Scaramucci and Spicer also hugged.

But bringing Scaramucci into the White House is likely to increase the backbiting and tension among Trump's senior staff, especially with Priebus, with whom he has clashed in the past. The communications post has remained open since it was vacated by Michael Dubke in May.

Bringing Scaramucci into the fold represents the most significant shake-up yet for a communications shop that has struggled to amplify the president's message on the administration's core economic and national security priorities.

Scaramucci, a Trump campaign loyalist backed by Trump's children, was slated to join the White House in another capacity early on, but he had challenges resolving ethical conflicts associated with his fund, SkyBridge Capital, which he sold to a Chinese conglomerate with ties to the government just before Trump's inauguration. Trump has also been impressed by Scaramucci's frequent appearances as a defender on cable news.

At the same time, Trump's legal team is also in flux. Trump's longtime personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, will step back from his central role in the president's outside legal team with John Dowd, a seasoned Washington attorney with a focus on white-collar crime, now taking the lead in managing the president's defense. Mark Corallo, a longtime GOP operative who had served as a spokesman for Trump's legal team, resigned Thursday.

The president has become agitated by the possibility that special counsel Robert Mueller might begin looking into Trump and his family's personal finances. In an interview this week with The New York Times, the president issued a warning to Mueller that such a move would be a "violation."

"Let's go back to what the purpose of the investigation was: Russian interference in our election," said White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, speaking on Fox News Friday morning. She added, "Where is this going and are Americans comfortable with that - with the taxpayers funding this, with this going off all types of chutes and ladders?"

Trump's legal team has begun working to undermine the special counsel probe, including investigating ways to highlight conflicts of interest on Mueller, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The president has also inquired about his pardon authority.

After the story was published, one of Trump's attorneys, Dowd, said it was "not true" and "nonsense."

One Trump adviser said the president has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority, as well as the limits of Mueller's investigation.

"This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself,' " a close adviser said.

The idea that Trump would proactively pardon people involved in the Russia investigation was immediately criticized by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating Russian meddling in the election and possible Trump campaign collusion.

"The possibility that the President is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement. "Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line."

The White House has struggled to remain focused on its agenda, amid the constant drumbeat of the Russia investigation. The president himself has only fueled the Russia frenzy, giving an interview on Wednesday in which he talked extensively about the probe.

Last week, the White House announced that another attorney, Ty Cobb, would join the White House to help manage the response to the investigation internally.

On Friday morning, when asked if Scaramucci would join the White House, Conway praised him but did not confirm that the decision was settled.

"All I can say is in speaking with the president and others that, you know, we have a great communications team already," Conway said. "Anthony Scaramucci is somebody who has been an incredible asset to President Trump all during the campaign, the transition, and now he is one of the killers on TV who goes out there, thinks the president is being treated very unfairly, and we don't get any of the economic news out there, even though our press and communications shop tries."

"The president has confidence in all of the people who work for him, and we know that Anthony is someone who is a friend to the administration," she added.

---

Ben Terris and Rosalind Helderman contributed to this report.
RICHMOND  A unanimous Virginia Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a complaint from the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission against two judges accused of improper political activity.

The commission asked the justices to censure former Virginia Court of Appeals Judge Rudolph Bumgardner III and former Circuit Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr. for campaigning against an Augusta County voter referendum question on moving the county courthouse from Staunton into the county last year.

In a 16-page ruling Thursday, the justices concluded that there was not clear and convincing evidence showing that the two judges  both retired but subject to recall to hear cases  had violated the specific judicial canons as charged.

Their actions did not amount to judicial misconduct that was prejudicial to the proper administration of justice warranting censure or removal from office, wrote Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons.

The judges were supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutherford Institute and almost two dozen former presidents of the Virginia Bar Association who argued the two were exercising free speech rights. The court heard 40 minutes of argument on the question last month, but none of the justices asked any questions of the lawyers on each side.

A member of the county Board of Supervisors complained to JIRC that the judges were violating a judicial canon, or rule, against political activity. The proposed courthouse move was rejected by voters last November.

Last December, JIRC found that by clear and convincing evidence the complaints against them were well-founded and of sufficient gravity to constitute the basis for retirement, censure, or removal.

The rule against political involvement is aimed at preventing damage to the public trust and confidence in an independent, impartial judiciary. The commission recommended that the Supreme Court censure the judges.

Lawyers for the judges wanted the justices to dismiss the complaint. They argued, among other things, that JIRC misinterpreted and misapplied the terms political and political organization, which should be limited to mean only partisan political activity involving candidates and political parties.

Thursdays opinion held that it was unnecessary to address the judges First Amendment arguments.
By India Today Web Desk: In what could be seen as the latest tussle between the Congress-led Puducherry government and the office of the Lieutenant Governor, the state party unit has released a poster in which she is shown as Adolf Hitler.

The poster was allegedly made viral by a unit of Congress in protest against Centre and the Lt Governor over the nomination of MLA's.

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Bedi has been targeted by Congress after three persons from the BJP were sworn-in as the members of the Legislative Assembly on July 4. The three members were nominated by the Centre.

The induction was met with protests by the Congress party. Several leaders including Pudducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy took part in the protests.

The three leaders were inducted by Bedi as members of the House on the night of July 4 at the Raj Nivas triggering strong protest from the Congress, its alliance partner the DMK, the left parties and the VCK.

A bandh was also observed on July 8 in Puducherry at the instance of these parties to protest against the "undemocratic style of functioning of the Lt Governor and the nomination of three BJP activists by the Centre without adhering to democratic procedures."

The parties also sought ouster of Bedi through the bandh and also through a fast on July 7.

Paper cutting showing the poster.

WhatsApp conversation showing the involvement of the Congress unit.

Also Read: Puducherry: Congress wants LG Kiran Bedi sacked for nominating 3 MLAs without consulting CM

WATCH : Lieutenant Governor is not a ceremonial head signing files: Kiran Bedi to India Today

--- ENDS ---
Virginians need to think long and hard about whom they want to run the Commonwealth this November. As a business owner of a private investment firm, based right here in Virginia, I always look at candidates through a lens of economics: their ability to grasp economic concepts and grow the economy. And in this vein, the difference between gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie couldnt be starker.

As you likely know, the minimum wage in Virginia is currently the lowest it can be under federal law  $7.25 an hour. For a full-time worker, putting in 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, without any sick or vacation days, that comes out to just $15,000 per year. I challenge anyone to try to live on $15,000 a year. A new study from the Brookings Institution indicates that while the average income in the U.S. has increased, median income is just $17,500, which means that half of all workers make less. Its simply unacceptable that so many Virginians are forced to live in abject poverty despite working full-time.

Many states have increased their minimum wages for two reasons: 1) to reduce reliance on public assistance and save taxpayers millions of dollars, and 2) to drive job growth. Researchers at the University of California estimate that Virginians pay $2.2 billion a year in taxes to cover public assistance for low-wage workers, essentially subsidizing big corporations such as Wal-Mart and McDonalds. Most states that have increased their minimum wages have also seen increased job growth. Quite simply put, when people earn a living wage, they can put that money back into economy. Virginia isnt preserving jobs by keeping its minimum wage low, its handicapping itself in an increasingly competitive national economy.

Gillespie strongly opposes increasing the minimum wage and seems to still be captive to failed theories of trickle-down economics. Gillespie famously said during his failed 2014 Senate campaign, A lot of those jobs are second earners in the family. A lot of them are first-time workers, its the first job theyve ever had. A minimum wage job is where you learn to get to work on time. Its where you learn the great feeling at the end of getting that paycheck and knowing you gave an honest weeks work. Its where you learn the social aspect of work, where you play on a softball league or go for a beer after work.

That was news to the tens of thousands of minimum wage workers in Virginia, the clear majority of whom come nowhere close to Gillespies description. Far from his caricature of a teenager earning a little extra spending money, which ignores the vital role teenagers often play in supplementing household income in low-wage households, the average minimum wage worker is a 35-year old who earns half of her familys income. In fact, 88 percent of workers earning the minimum wage are 20 or older. And 28 percent even have children to support, some of whom are single parents. Gillespies dated views are also out of touch with the 66 percent of Virginians who support raising the minimum wage. Someone who says he wants to represent all Virginians should know more about the people in Virginia whose votes hes courting.

Northam recognizes in an economy that is 70 percent driven by consumer demand, theres no better way to create growth than to put money in the hands of people who will spend it. He is a strong supporter of a $15 minimum wage, which would transform the lives of 37 percent of workers across Virginia. But more than that, by giving a raise to people who previously had almost no disposable income, a higher minimum wage will kick the commonwealths economy into overdrive. Northams support of a $15 minimum wage isnt just good for Virginian workers, its good for Virginia businesses as well.

The people of Virginia understand the need for every worker to earn a wage that lets them stand on their own two feet. They deserve a governor who does too.
By Elizabeth Haley Olsen-Hodges and John Garvin

Olsen-Hodges is co-founder of the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Virginia and Garvin is volunteer there.

I encountered a gentleman not many months ago who was a proponent of clean air with an enthusiasm approaching militancy.

Too much CO2 in the air; fossil fuels to blame. The answer to this impending crisis was obvious to any right-thinking person: wind turbines. When I mentioned that turbines kill large numbers of birds and bats, he shrugged it off. Species have gone extinct throughout history. His statement is true, but to take that truth a step further and tacitly step aside while humans force animals into extinction seems a leap too far, even for right-thinking persons.

Here was a man who expended all his concerns on clean air while ignoring all the interconnecting aspects of his environment. To be solely concerned with the continuation of humanity above all else is not only self-absorbed, but could lead to our own decline as a species.

There is a concept known as the Keystone Species that refers to certain forms of life which act as the backbone of an ecosystem; removing them from that environment would cause a cascade of negative consequences, the same way removing the keystone from an arch can cause the entire structure to lose stability or collapse. One of these species is the pileated woodpecker.

This large bird, at first glance, could be seen as destructive because as it excavates trees for insects, it creates large holes, and leaves them behind. But these holes serve a purpose: many animals who cannot hollow out their own recesses depend on the woodpecker to create them. Owls, bats, songbirds, flying squirrels, cavity-nesting ducks and many more use the cavities left behind for shelter to raise their young. The wood chips the woodpecker scatters soon decay and help enrich the soil. Eventually, when old trees are peppered with holes, they fall, leaving a light opening in the forest canopy to allow new-growth. To remove the pileated from their ecosystem would cause all the species that depend on it for their own lives to decline.

Another species which is the overlooked is the yellow-bellied sapsucker. Hummingbirds are so dependent on sapsuckers  who drill tiny sap wells in the bark of trees that hummingbirds require for calories during migration  they time their journey with the movements of sapsuckers. Many other species of mammals and birds depend on sapsuckers to survive between winter and spring.

Sapsuckers are unfortunately one of the causalities from wind turbines. As a bird that migrates at night, it cannot easily see the spinning turbine, and tens of thousands of these birds collide with them and die during the fall and spring migrations. Reducing the number of sapsuckers puts pressure on these other species that depend on them and, even if those dependent animals are not known to collide with wind turbines, the death of one can become the death of many.

A large percentage of our songbirds are nocturnal migrants, even if they are primarily active during the day. Included in the list are many beloved, colorful species such as the Baltimore oriole, many of whom do not make it to their end-migratory homes because of such collisions.

Even birds that exclusively fly during the day, such as vultures, eagles and other raptors are killed by wind turbines. Vultures, in particular, are declining worldwide. Without vultures  who purify our environment by eating carrion and destroying rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, botulism and other deadly bacteria  we are putting our society at greater risk for the spread and outbreak of such diseases.

The State of North Americas Birds report 2016 reads that 37 percent of birds in North America are in need of urgent conservation action, otherwise they will go extinct in the near future, and the majority of them are migratory. In addition, many commonly known and beloved birds are in steep declines, such as the Northern bobwhite, Eastern meadowlark and snowy owl. The reason for their decline is various man-made activity. But our livelihoods shouldnt and dont have to cause the extinction of others.

Wind energy may become an important part of the energy technology in our near future. But accepting the deaths that wind turbines cause as merely collateral damage is irresponsible. We may not be able to prevent all these deaths, but there are already people working on ways to re-design turbines so that the damage done is brought to a minimum. This also goes for other threats to wildlife, such as minimizing the effect of feral cats and other invasive species, both plant and animal.

For all of the children, of all of the species, for all of time.
Lets give credit where credit is due: President Trump is responsible for bringing broadband Internet to two counties in Southside Virginia. Indirectly, anyway.

He might also be responsible, again, indirectly, for extending broadband to lots of other places in rural America.

At the very least, hes at least responsible for one of the worlds tech giants focusing on the digital divide that has left many rural areas still on dial-up.

Thats the political takeaway from Microsofts much-heralded proposal last week that we use unused television frequencies to deliver broadband to rural areas.

Microsoft has been experimenting with this so-called white space technology for 14 years now, and in the past four years has run pilot programs in Africa and the Philippines that have connected about 185,000 people to high-speed Internet.

Now, parts of Southside Virginia will get upgraded to the same level of technology that Botswana has, which just goes to show how far behind some rural areas in the United States are.

This apparently wouldnt have happened if there hadnt been such a stark electoral divide in last years presidential election, with rural counties delivering unprecedented margins to Trump. In all honesty, the election did provide a wake-up call for all of us in the country to think about the role of rural counties, said Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Vast stretches of the country are stranded outside an economy that increasingly relies on high-speed data transmissions over broadband connections. For a community to not have broadband is the economic equivalent of not having electricity, or telephone service.

Its ironic that it took Trumps election to call attention to this gap. After all, Trumps economic policies have been decidedly backward-looking rather than forward-looking  he talks a lot more about bringing back industries that will never come back (such as coal) than he does about extending the new economy to his rural constituency. History, though, is full of ironies.

The bottom line is what matters and the bottom line is that Trumps election led to Microsofts potentially revolutionary proposal for rural America.

Lets also be clear what this really is: The opening move in a political battle. That doesnt make Microsofts proposal any less important, or sincere. However, Microsofts much-ballyhooed announcement in Washington was really a brilliant public relations move to get the attention of federal policy-makers.

Microsoft isnt offering to connect every house in the country itself. Instead, the software company is providing the technology and an unspecified amount of funding to telecom companies in 12 states  including Virginia. That Virginia project is in conjunction with Mid-Atlantic Broadband, a non-profit telecommunications provider based in South Boston.

(While were passing out credit, lets pass out some more: It was two Southside legislators, Democrat Whitt Clement of Danville and Republican Charles Hawkins of Chatham, who in the late 90s pushed for using the states settlement against tobacco companies to fund what we know today as the tobacco commission, responsible for funding economic development projects in former tobacco-growing regions. It was Gov. Jim Gilmore who accepted the deal and Gov. Mark Warner who then pushed the tobacco commission to invest in broadband projects, which led to the creation of Mid-Atlantic Broadband. And it was President Obamas stimulus package that provided the funding to extend the Mid-Atlantic network all the way to Blacksburg. The new Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority? It connects to that line, so users need to thank Clement, Hawkins, Gilmore, Warner and Obama.)

In any case, Microsofts direct role in Virginia will be limited to Charlotte and Halifax counties. Microsoft hasnt said how much itll spend there, but its already provided $250,000 to Mid-Atlantic for a pilot program. In return, Microsoft will share some of the future revenues, which it intends to use to extend service elsewhere.

Thats good for Charlotte and Halifax counties. Its also potentially good for Microsoft, although a company that has a net income of $5.7 billion in the first quarter of this year alone probably isnt going to get much richer off some rural counties here or there.

Microsoft deserves credit for whatever it can do to extend broadband to rural areas. This seems as close to altruism as youre going to find in the corporate world these days. Its also really a demonstration project.

Heres the policy question behind all this: Microsoft is asking federal regulators to reserve unused white space television bandwidth nationwide for broadband. Television broadcasters arent happy about this. They see some unfairness here. Its the height of arrogance for Microsoft  a $540 billion company  to demand free, unlicensed spectrum after refusing to bid on broadcast TV airwaves in the recent FCC incentive auction, said a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters.

To be fair, Microsoft says its not interested in getting into the broadband business. Its offered up its 39 white-space patents to other companies who want to do that. That generosity doesnt move broadcasters. They worry that the devices necessary to make white-space technology work will interfere with neighboring channels. Its all very technical, and very complicated. And, ultimately, very political.

The Trump administration is putting together its proposed $1 trillion infrastructure plan. There are some  including Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem  who have urged Trump to include funding for rural broadband in that package. The problem with rural broadband is that its expensive to lay fiber to everybodys house, although somehow we manage to run telephone lines and electric lines. Microsoft is showing that there may be a different and more cost-effective way to do that, even if by cost-effective we mean $10 billion, which is what some estimate it would cost to make use of white-space technology nationwide.

Is this the right answer? No clue. However, Microsoft has helped focus national attention on how large parts of rural America have Third World infrastructure  and, more importantly, offer a potential solution. Put another way, Microsoft has just handed Trump an opportunity to deliver bigly for his rural supporters. Lets see if he takes advantage of it.
In a recent Facebook Live video by Ralph Northams campaign, Ed Gillespie appeared as a stiff cardboard cutout, showing no response as a parade of Northam aides read the text of the controversial Republican health care overhaul pushed by President Donald Trump. On a website created by Gillespies campaign, Northams policy agenda for Virginia was represented as a substanceless void of white pixels.

On Saturday, the digital stunts of the 2017 gubernatorial campaign will give way to a more traditional form of political combat: an in-the-flesh debate at the venerable Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs.

Northam, Virginias Democratic lieutenant governor, will square off this weekend against Gillespie, a political consultant and former chairman of the Republican National Committee, in a 90-minute debate sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association and moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS NewsHour. The 11 a.m. debate, the first of three scheduled before the November election, is open to the public and will be streamed live online.

Since winning their respective primaries on June 13, Northam and Gillespie have rolled out a handful of policy proposals aimed at state issues such as mental health, the opioid crisis, veterans and struggling economies in rural Virginia. As it did in the primaries, Trumps presidency threatens to overshadow everything.

This week, Democrats launched a statewide surrogate push, seeking to tie Gillespie to Trump, complete with blue Trump-Gillespie signs made to look like throwbacks to Trumps presidential campaign emblem.

A vote for Ed Gillespie is a vote for Donald Trump. Pure and simple, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker said at a news conference in Capitol Square.

While barely fending off Trump-style Republican Corey Stewart in the GOP primary, Gillespie was lukewarm toward Trump. He said little that could be taken as directly praising or criticizing the president. To break the Republicans statewide losing streak in a state trending Democratic, Gillespie needs the support of diehard Trump fans in rural areas and more moderate Republicans in heavily populated suburbs.

With Gillespie taking heat from Democrats for comments in which he said a governor who can work with D.C. Republicans would be an asset to Virginia, surrogates for his campaign took his comment a step further in a statement released Thursday.

Virginia needs a governor who is eager to work with President Trump, not be at odds with him, state Sens. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach and John Cosgrove , R-Chesapeake.

Lieutenant Governor Northam has not only made clear he is unwilling to work with President Trump but his relentless name calling and hyper-partisan rhetoric has all but assured any working relationship between Northam and the federal government would be inconceivable.

In response, the Northam campaign posted a poll on Twitter asking people to weigh in on which issue Gillespie is most eager to work with Donald Trump on. Among the options were tax giveaways to the rich, gutting Medicaid and banning abortions.

Quentin Kidd, director of Christopher Newport Universitys Wason Center for Public Policy, said Gillespies statement sent a pretty loud signal about how Gillespie plans to speak about Trump in the general election.

I expect him to fill in the contours of that signal in this debate, Kidd said. And that will set the tone for his campaign going forward.

Northams challenge, Kidd said, will be to show that he can be an energetic candidate, one willing to pull out the sharp knives on a highly disciplined opponent and buck the good old country boy perception that comes with his Eastern Shore drawl.

He has a bit of the George W. Bush in him in that you underestimate him because of that. And then he turns around and nails you with something that you werent prepared for, said Kidd, who moderated a 2013 debate between Northam and then-GOP nominee for lieutenant governor E.W. Jackson.

Gillespie, too, has a history of debate surprises.

At a bar association debate during his 2014 run against U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Gillespie, who opposes abortion in most cases, threw a curveball by saying he supports women being allowed to buy birth control pills without a prescription, emphasizing that contraception should be easier for adult women to obtain.

Separating himself from the Trump-fueled rumblings in Washington, Gillespie, whose campaign platform centers on cutting taxes, recently released detailed policy blueprints to coordinate Virginias efforts to improve its mental health system and move toward treating opioid addiction as a disease rather than a moral failing. This week, Gillespie focused on ways to build on the assistance the state already provides to military veterans and their families.

Republicans have sought to contrast Gillespies proposals with Northams, contending that the GOP candidate has in-depth plans for the state and accusing Northam of standing for little beyond protesting Trump.

Northam recently touted a plan to help rural Virginia, reintroducing his proposal for cost-free community college or trade school and calling for a $15 million expansion of University of Virginias College at Wise in Southwest Virginia. Northam, a pediatric neurologist from Norfolk, has also placed a heavy emphasis on health care, calling for a bipartisan subcommittee to study the issue in Virginia after the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress seemingly failed to deliver on long-standing promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

After the debate, Northam is planning to travel farther south to treat poor patients at the free Remote Access Medical clinic held annually in Wise County.

Gillespie has avoided taking a definitive position on various Republican health care plans coming out of Washington, a stance Northam could prod during Saturdays debate. The forum also presents Gillespie with a chance to try and pin Northam to a clear position on a pair of controversial natural gas pipeline projects planned for Virginia, which Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and business interests support but environmentalists and landowners oppose.

Libertarian Cliff Hyra has pushed unsuccessfully to be included in the debate. The VBAs standing debate policy is to only invite candidates who, in the organizations judgment, are significant and have a reasonable chance of being elected. The VBA says that to be considered significant, a candidate must have demonstrated substantial voter interest and support at least 30 days before a scheduled debate.

Gillespie has pushed for a much more robust debate schedule, accepting invitations from 10 debate sponsors. Northam has agreed to two more, a September debate hosted by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and an October debate in Southwest Virginia.

With no TV audience and a friendly crowd of lawyers, Kidd said Saturdays debate probably wont matter as much as the next two, unless one of the candidates commits a flub that draws negative attention.

I think of this as the prelim debate, Kidd said.
The viewers are not very happy with Ekta Kapoor's Kumkum Bhagya, according to reports.

By India Today Web Desk: Things are not going great for popular show Kumkum Bhagya. According to a report in India Forums, fans of the Ekta Kapoor show have lodged a complaint with the National Consumer Complaint Forum against the show.

Apparently, the viewers are tired with the same plot twists of the show, and want nothing to do with it anymore. They want the show to end, according to the same report.

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"I really don't know anything about it. I am hearing it for the first time," Bollywood Life quoted actress Shikha Singh as saying. Shikha plays Aaliya, Abhi's sister, on the show.

However, despite severe criticism, Kumkum Bhagya continues to rake in TRPs every week.

The show stars Shabir Ahluwalia (Abhi) and Sriti Jha (Pragya) in lead roles, and has been produced by Balaji Telefilms.

Also read: What's cooking between Kumkum Bhagya actors Mrunal Thakur and Arjit Taneja?

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By India Today Web Desk: Lara Dutta is busy being a doting mother to her daughter, Saira, and has become choosy with her films. According to a report in DNA, the actor, who was last seen in Azhar, is set to make a big comeback with Crazy Hum, which will also feature Aditya Roy Kapur, Sonakshi Sinha, Diljit Dosanjh and Boman Irani. Shooting is currently underway in New York.

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A source is quoted as telling the publication, "Unlike Karan Johar who plays himself in the film, Lara doesn't play an actress but one of the characters. She plays the head of the management at IIFA and has a full-fledged role in the movie, which will also have some interesting cameos. Lara's role has different flavours to it and she said yes almost immediately."

Lara confirmed the news and said, "We have been shooting in New York and it's been a madhouse with amazing energy on the sets. I'm very excited to be a part of this film. Also, for the first time we are exploring a new genre of stage reality film."

She had earlier shared a picture from IIFA's green carpet on Instagram, and written, "First of its kind experience walking the green carpet 'in character'!! Sorry to the fans and press on the carpet, couldn't shake hands or greet you, our film cameras were rolling and you'll are all going to be in the shot!!!"

First of its kind experience walking the green carpet 'in character'!! ???. Sorry to the fans and press on the carpet, couldn't shake hands or greet you, our film cameras were rolling and you'll are all going to be in the shot!!! ?????? A post shared by Lara Dutta Bhupathi (@larabhupathi) on Jul 15, 2017 at 7:47pm PDT

Crazy Hum is Wizcraft's foray into film production. The film is based on the IIFA awards, and portions of the film were shot on the green carpet and on stage as well. Salman Khan will be seen in a cameo in the film. Speaking to India Today at the green carpet, Salman had said, "I've been working since the time I've come, I just shot a cameo for Vashu Bhagnani and IIFA. The film is on IIFA so let's see how that goes. I was just shooting for it right now."

PHOTOS: Lara Dutta with hubby Mahesh Bhupathi and daughter Saira celebrate Christmas

PHOTOS: You won't be able to take your eyes off Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi

ALSO WATCH: I look best in a bikini, says Lara Dutta

--- ENDS ---
In the annual Martyrs Day rally today in Esplanade area of Kolkata, Banerjee went all guns blazing against the Modi government.

By Manogya Loiwal : Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made it loud and clear that she sees the Bharatiya Janata Party as her rival. In just six years of defeating the Left front, she has identified a new force rising against her and has declared a war against it.

In the annual Martyrs Day rally today in Esplanade area of Kolkata, Banerjee went all guns blazing against the Modi government. She raised a number of issues but avoided any mention of the simmering Gorkhaland.

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She roared, "Modi government is like Kalidas which is cutting the branch they are sitting on. Why can they not solve diplomatically. They are travelling abroad and selling our country."

"You have freed Bengal from Left rule and now the Left is hobnobbing with BJP for their survival." She exhorted the audience to join her in saying, "Karenge ya Marenge...Aamra Lorboo...dorkar holey morbo...( we will do or die...we will fight and if needed lay our life too)"

Banerjee has usually used this occasion to interact with lakhs of supporters who gather from various parts of the state to attend her rally.

She said, "We will defeat the BJP politically. There is a big fight ahead and we will play and defeat them with sixers in all matches."

Banerjee said that she wasn't afraid of the Centre and will not just fight against it but emerge victorious. She pledged for the security of the country saying that the BJP-led government had spoiled relationships with every neighbouring country.

"We love our nation and will go to any extent to protect it. Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sikkim and now China is moving forward towards us."

DARES BJP TO FIGHT IT OUT IN POLLS

The next big election is in 2019 which BJP is eyeing and seeks to make inroads in Bengal by targetting it. Acknowledging this Banerjee has said, "It is not that easy to win Bengal in 2019. We will burn holes in your pocket. We will have to do regular programs in every district and area. August 9 will be 'BJP Bharat Chodho andolan'( BJP Leave India movement). It is time for them to leave India, we will oust them from the state and country."

Raising questions on the intent behind demonitization once again, Banerjee said, "Demonitization was a scam in itself. The notes have gone into some pockets. It was a farce to show that it was being done to curb fake currency."

MODI GOVERNMENT A FAILURE

"The government has failed to improve GDP growth and provide jobs. Farmers are committing suicide across the country. Who is responsible for these farmers' death? The Saradha scam happened in Left rule but we came to power in 2011. How are we involved in it? Congress and BJP are hand in glove in the same," Banerjee added.

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"Even Narada scam is a fake one. They came in the name of interview and did a sting operation. We are not afraid," Banerjee said while calling the Modi government a failure.

Banerjee also reached out to her supporters at a time when fingers are being raised at Bengal for failing to control communal riots in the state. She explained to her supporters, "I need all of you to swear that you will not allow anyone to ignite protest and riots. This is BJP's strategy. They are behind the riots."

She asked people not to pay any heed to rumours and protect the state as a part of TMC. Banerjee challenged the BJP and said that the party would fail to get even a single seat in the elections.

Bengal had witnessed a cross voting of five votes in the Presidential Election and she dismissed the possibility of TMC being a part of it.

"We got full votes with support from 18 parties and in Vice-Presidential polls we will get more votes with two more parties joining us," she said while defending her legislators.

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Questioning the way her government has been treated by Central government, Banerjee said, "I have been running a government from six years but never seen a central government that is bulldozing the state government. We are not their servants. We are an elected government."

She lashed out at the CPI (M) too and said that it was working for the BJP. "They are voting for the BJP discreetly...chor chor...bhai bhai," Banerjee added.

ATTACK ON MEDIA

Holding social media responsible for fueling rumours she said, "We have to fight it on social media also. If you come to know about anything inform us and we will take action. Facebook is turning into fake book. Cyber crime is a big crime and we will take action."

Targeting the Modi government she also spoke out against media houses.

"All Delhi media has been purchased by the BJP." said Banerjee.

The West Bengal chief minister said that the situation in the country was worse than the Emergency. Even TV channels are being raided for raising voice against them.

GAU RAKSHAKS ARE GAU BHAKSHAKS

"Gau rakshaks are essentially 'gau bhakshaks'. In the name of cow, they will dictate what we will eat or not," Banerjee said.

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She also accused the Centre of unleashing central agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Department against those who had opposed demonetisation and GST roll-out in haste.

ALSO READ:

Not Nitish Kumar, it is Mamata Banerjee who can give a tough fight to Narendra Modi in 2019

Waive all farmer loans: Mamata Banerjee to PM Modi

WATCH| Waive all farmer loans: Mamata Banerjee to PM Modi

--- ENDS ---
The scene in Parkgate after the Yorkshire Bank raid.

TWO armed raiders robbed a bank of 126,660 in an early-morning raid before threatening police with a gun and running down a woman with her own van as they fled, a court heard.

Paul Smith (55), of The Coppice, Kimberworth Park, has admitted being one of two balaclava-wearing armed robbers who targeted Yorkshire Bank on Broad Street, Rawmarsh, on January 29 last year.

Michael Lydon (53), of Fairview Avenue, Cleethorpes, denies being Smiths accomplice and went on trial at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday.

He faces two charges of robbery, two of possession of an imitation firearm and one each of making use of an imitation firearm with intent, attempted robbery and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Smith (pictured) has admitted all seven offences and will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

Another man, Jason Heppenstall, has admitted being the getaway driver.



He was tracked down by police after he used his own car to pick up Smith and his accomplice in the car park of Wilsons Carpets in Parkgate after the raid, the court heard.

Mr Timothy Capstick, prosecuting, said Heppenstall (28), of Langdon Walk, Kimberworth Park, had been introduced to Lydon by Smith three years after starting a relationship with Smiths daughter.

Unemployed Heppenstall had been offered money to drive Smith around, said Mr Capstick, and it had soon become apparent that he and Lydon were planning to rob the bank and Heppenstall was recruited as the getaway driver.

The court heard the robbers entered the bank by the roof and rounded up staff as they were opening up.

The robbers forced staff to open cash machines and a safe, which they emptied into a holdall.

One worker bank activated a panic alarm, which alerted the police.

When the robbers, who were wearing high-visibility jackets, saw PC Neil Windles police car outside they fled by the roof with the money in a holdall and escaped down a ladder, Mr Capstick said.

PC Windle was told to put his hands up but he activated an emergency transmission device to alert colleagues, said the prosecutor.

When PC Joseph Fearnley arrived at the scene, he ignored the armed robbers demands to get on the floor and ran back to his police car to alert the control room, Mr Capstick said.

The robbers chased PC Fearnley, pointed the imitation handgun at his face, forced him to get over a wall and told him not to give chase, he said, adding that the terrified officer complied with this order.

The raiders tried in vain to carjack the Audi being driven by brave mum Kerry Leary in nearby on Ashwood Road, leaving her with serious injuries, the court heard.

Mr Capstick said the men next targeted van driver Sharon Uttley in Foundry Street, grabbing her round the neck and by the hair when she refused to hand over her car keys.

Ms Uttley broke free and ran to a shop to raise the alarm, he said, but when she tried to stop the men driving off in her van, they used it to knock her down, seriously injuring her.

The robbers headed to Wilsons Carpets on Rotherham Road to meet Heppenstall, the court heard, having dumped their fake gun and the holdall full of money and left the van in Rail Mill Way.

Staff in the carpet shop became suspicious on seeing the men in the shop and made a note of the reigstration of the Blue Citreon which picked them up, Mr Capstick said, which led police to Heppenstall.

Mr Capstick said Lydons defence barrister would argue that Heppenstall, who is due to give evidence, had lied about the defendants involvement and that Lydon was not involved.

The trial continues.
DRUGS were seized, illegal vehicles impounded and raids carried out during a day of action yesterday.

Police officers, PCSOs and mounted officers were out on the streets of Dinnington to crack down on criminals and provide reassurance to residents.

A man was arrested after several wraps of heroin were found in a raid on a house in Nursery Road.

Insp Caroline Bakewell said that the force was responding to concerns from the public that they felt abandoned after the closure of the villages police station.

We have established that people in Dinnington feel as if they are not getting enough attention and response, she said.

This operation, which is a spin-off from the ongoing Operation Duxford, is a short-term action to show people we are responding to what is happening in this area.

Its about enforcement first but engagement as well.

Insp Bakewell said concerns had been made about local policing to town councillors and MP Sir Kevin Barron.

She said that police had held events in Dinnington to meet the public and that officers working in the community gathered valuable intelligence.

Elsewhere, police horses were on duty meeting the public and officers from Rotherham Borough Council were on hand to help with enforcement against illegally-used vehicles.

Traffic officers were on hand to enforce speed limits and other road rules.
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...

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Pallinghurst said it will now commence the compulsory acquisition of the remaining 7.62 percent minority shares in Gemfields to take its stake in the company to 100 percent.

The company had recently secured about 92.38 percent acceptance for the acquisition of Gemfields.

"I am delighted that Pallinghurst will become successful in acquiring 100 percent of Gemfields, said Pallinghurst chief executive Arne Frandsen.

This will allow for the Pallinghurst team to take full operational control, revitalise the company and unlock the synergies.

This will in turn strengthen and improve Gemfields's operational and financial position."

Following its restructuring and the acquisition of the emerald and ruby mining company, Mining Weekly reports that Pallinghurst would begin preparatory work to obtain a listing on the London Stock Exchange as Gemfields delists from Londons Aim by end of July.

Pallinghurst had been a long-term and supportive investor in Gemfields.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The Sri Lanka Gem & Jewelry Association has announced the launch of the 27th edition of the FACETS International Gem & Jewelry Exhibition, says a press release from the organisation.

To be held from the 31st of August to the 3rd of September at the BMICH, FACETS is the premier event of the Gem & Jewelry Industry of Sri Lanka. Following its inception in 1991, FACETS has gradually grown in scale and size to become one of the most popular exhibitions of its kind in the world.

FACETS 2016 saw the introduction of the Premier Jewelry Pavilion and the Gem & Jewelry Mart, both of which received much admiration and interest from visitors, including His Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena himself.

Delegations and individual buyers from countries such as Nepal, Myanmar, Hong Kong, China, Russia and France, will feature at the exhibition, and many more individual buyers are expected to attend the event, thereby increasing international exposure for the local industry.

The exhibition will also offer visitors a glimpse into the world of gem and jewellery production and also numerous stalls will feature various pieces of machinery and tools used to cut and polish gemstones and craft jewellery.

There will also be many laboratory stalls where visitors can get a look at the process of examination that a gem is subjected to. They can even test their own gems and receive a certificate proving the stone's value and authenticity.

The FACETS organising committee has also announced the introduction of a special app, designed especially for the exhibition. The FACETS app will provide users with a list of the booth-holders, specific events, a lay out of the booths, information about FACETS, the exhibitions rules and regulations. The app will also enable those planning to attend the exhibition to register online.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Today is the 106th birth anniversary of Canadian Philosopher Marshall McLuhan, the man who predicted the rise of internet.

By India Today Web Desk: Google has come up with a colourful doodle in the honour of Marshall McLuhan's birth anniversary, showing the theories he professed about the acoustic age, the literary age, the print age, and the electronic age.

A Canadian philosopher and professor, today happens to be McLuhan's 106th birth anniversary.

WHO WAS MARSHALL MCLUHAN?

Herbert Marshall McLuhan was the media visionary who predicted the advent of the internet almost 35 years before it happened.

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He was born in Canada in 1911, and studied at the University of Manitoba and University of Cambridge before becoming a lecturer at the University of Toronto.

His idea that history could be divided in four eras: the acoustic age, the literary age, the print age and the electronic age, led to the prediction of the internet.

In 1989, his prediction began coming true with the birth of the internet.

In the 1960s, he coined the term 'global village'. McLuhan authored his first about the 'global village' in 1962, The Gutenberg Galaxy.

In his follow-up book, Understanding Media, he explained the method of the dissemination of message and how it is more influential than the message itself.

INDIA AND MARSHALL MCLUHAN

A 1991 article on India Today magazine actually explains how McLuhan's idea of a global village worked in India while broadcasting a show by Pranoy Roy.

Roy's team had done the election analysis and the engineering staff was to coordinate 23 OB spots with eight studio link-ups for election bulletins. This means they had to handle inputs from 31 centres, and this was managed through DD's three dedicated microwave circuits that link 14 cities.

It was not as if all 31 inputs were available simultaneously at the master switching room because only one centre on a given circuit can come in at a time.

This coordination required that staff at each level be given detailed instructions on what to do at what time. Getting signals from the party offices to the master switching room presented a problem, so a hopping centre was set up atop the Hotel Kanishka building from where signals hopped to the master switching room.

More than 1,000 members of the engineering staff made sure signals came smoothly from remote centres to the nation's living-rooms. To their delight not once did the dreaded message "Sorry for the interruption" flash during the show.

This is how the idea of global village by Marshall McLuhan worked for India, when thousands of people tuned into their television and had access to the same message.

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FYI || Who is Jamini Roy, artist honoured by Google with a doodle? ||

FYI || Independence Day Special: Google doodles that put a smile on our face ||

--- ENDS ---
North Carolina Ports

North Carolina Ports and CSX will commence a daily, intermodal rail service between Wilmington and Charlotte. This double-stacked train, dubbed the Queen City Express, will begin service on July 28, 2017.

The Queen City Express provides premier rail service over competing ports for existing and future container customers in one of the most significant economic centers in the Southeastern United States, said Executive Director, Paul J. Cozza. In addition, further establishing our inland terminal helps answer the request of many cargo owners asking for improved connectivity to international markets.

North Carolina Ports says the service will be one of the fastest and most direct rail services into and out of the Greater Charlotte region from a port in the U.S. Southeast. North Carolina Ports will offer containers at its Charlotte Intermodal Terminal (CIT) for the rail service. North Carolina Ports says the train will also provide connectivity for each and every container service currently calling on the Port of Wilmington.

This service, dovetailed with the investment that CSX is making in Rocky Mount, is a testament to our dedication to the State of North Carolina and North Carolina Ports, said Dean Piacente, vice president of CSX Intermodal. In addition to the connection to Charlotte, CSX will also provide future access to a transformational, state-of-the-art intermodal rail terminal in Eastern North Carolina  the Carolina Connector.

North Carolina Ports says the Carolina Connector (CCX), which was announced last summer in Rocky Mount, N.C., will serve as a key transportation hub in the Southeast for containerized freight. The company says CCX along with the Queen City Express will lower transportation costs for businesses while taking trucks off the road. North Carolina Ports says that one intermodal train can take as many as 280 trucks off the road.

In addition to the Queen City Express, North Carolina Ports has recently announced the activation of four new container services. To prepare for this growth, North Carolina Ports has ordered new Panamax ship-to-shore cranes from designer Shanghai Zhenjua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. Between the new cranes, turning basin expansion project, various berth improvements, and the expansion of the container yard, North Carolina Ports says it will pump over $150 million into its infrastructure over the next few years.
(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Brazilian government announced a twofold increase in fuel taxes in an attempt to raise revenues and avoid missing this year's fiscal target - a primary deficit of R$ 139 billion.

The tax on gasoline rose from R$ 0.3816 to R$ 0.7925 per liter, while the tax on diesel oil increased from R$ 0.2480 to R$ 0,4615 per liter. Taxes for ethanol also increased - producers will pay R$ 0.1309 per liter, from the current R$ 0.1200 level, while the ethanol tax for distribution will rise from zero to R$ 0.1964 per liter.

The decision comes only a week after the Brazilian Federal Court of Audit (TCU) said that the federal government could miss the 2017 fiscal target. According to the court report, a large part of this year's expected revenue refers to public asset sales scheduled to the end of this year that could face delays.

Out of the R$ 27.9 billion in expected revenue from public concessions and permits, almost 70%, or R$ 19.3 billion, refer to tenders that are scheduled to conclude in the last two months of 2017. It would be R$ 11 billion in November and R$ 8.3 billion in December.

"It is worth noting that an eventual R$ 19.3 billion revenue frustration would raise the federal government's annual primary deficit to more than R$ 161 billion if no compensatory measure is adopted," said the TCU report. The document stressed that the government would also have a "short time to take alternative compensation measures," like limiting spending or raising other revenues.

Investors were wary of the Brazilian fiscal target early on this year. A recent survey by the Finance Ministry conducted at the start of this month showed that economic experts believed that Brazil's primary deficit in 2017 would reach R$ 145.268 billion - above the R$ 139 billion deficit target. In June, investors expected a lower primary deficit, of R$ 142.0551 billion.

In a statement, the Finance Ministry said that the decision to raise fuel taxes was "absolutely necessary to preserve the fiscal adjustment and the trajectory of recovery in the Brazilian ."

Besides raising taxes, the government also decided to cut R$ 5.9 billion in spending but added that non-recurrent revenues expected towards the end of this year would compensate for those cuts.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
(Agencia CMA Latam) - After several years of negotiation, Argentina closed a deal to sell fresh lemons to Mexico, after both countries agreed on phytosanitary requirements for the Argentinean exports of the fruits.

Argentina's Minister of Agroindustry, Ricardo Buryaile, stated that "this topic was from the beginning considered as a priority on the agenda with Mexico and encourages us to continue working to obtain access to other products of Argentinean commercial interest."

Taking into account that the opening occurs almost at the end of the current lemon harvest, Argentina is expected to be fully able to export to Mexico next year, although there is still the possibility of some shipments this season.

Argentina is the world's largest exporter of fresh yellow lemons.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev NV or AB InBev on Thursday said it is acquiring Hiball Inc., a San Francisco-based maker of organic energy drinks and carbonated juices and water. The company did not disclose the terms of the deal.

The deal will further boost AB InBev's investments in the no-alcohol sector with healthy energy drinks and sparkling waters, two of the fastest-growing beverage categories.

The deal comes as the company and its U.S. wholesaler network were looking for new opportunities in non-alcoholic beverages.

According to the firm, Hiball's two signature brands, Hiball Energy and Alta Palla, will benefit from AB InBev's brand-building experience, its amazing wholesaler network, and its operational expertise.

Hiball was founded in 2005 by Todd Berardi. The company, which now has 20 employees, makes natural, organic energy drinks aimed at consumers who want the boost of energy, with less or no sugar, and organic ingredients. Hiball's energy drinks and sparkling energy waters are made with a proprietary, organic-certified energy blend, consisting of caffeine, guarana, and ginseng.

Joao Castro Neves, chief executive of Anheuser-Busch, said, "Our goal is to deliver Hiball products to new , while preserving their culture and brand identities. Hiball's motto is ' It's all good ,' and we couldn't agree more."

Following the close of the acquisition, Berardi, his wife Alyssa Warnock, Hiball's Creative Director and Designer who designed all the branding and packaging, and Dan Craytor, VP of Business Development, will continue to lead and manage the .

Anheuser-Busch said it plans a phased transition of the Hiball Energy and Alta Palla brands to its wholesaler partners.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Beazley Group plc (BEZ.L) reported profit before tax of $158.7 million for the six months ended 30 June 2017 compared to $150.2 million, prior year. Profit after income tax - all attributable to equity shareholders increased to $131.7 million or 24.6 cents per share from $128.8 million or 24.3 cents per share, previous year.

First-half revenue increased to $983.1 million from $939.9 million, a year ago. Net premiums written was $936.4 million compared to $930.4 million.

Andrew Horton, CEO, said: "Beazley delivered another good performance in the first half, against a backdrop of continuing competition. Our US operations performed strongly and our newly authorised Dublin based insurance company will support our growth plans in Europe, where we see opportunities to distribute our specialty products."

The board has declared a first interim dividend of 3.7 pence, in line with the strategy of delivering 5-10% dividend growth. This will be paid on 31 August 2017 to shareholders on the register at 5.00pm on 4 August 2017.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Spain's foreign trade gap widened in May from a year ago, as imports grew faster than exports, preliminary figures from the Economy Ministry showed Friday.

The trade deficit rose to EUR 1.43 billion in May from EUR 0.94 billion in the corresponding month last year.

Exports climbed 15.2 percent year-over-year in May and imports surged by 16.7 percent.

During the January to May period, total trade deficit of the country was EUR 9.82 billion versus EUR 6.52 billion in the same period of 2016. Both exports and imports advanced by 10.9 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Two China-based travel agencies that operate tours in North Korea said Friday they have been informed that the US Government will introduce a ban on its citizens from visiting North Korea as tourists.

Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours said they were informed by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which represents US interests in the North Korean capital, that the ban is expected to be announced on July 27 and come into effect 30 days later.

From that time onwards, it will be illegal for any US national traveling to the Communist nation as a tourist, and their passport will be invalidated.

Koryo Tours apologized to its potential customers over the development, and said US citizen who had booked a trip to North Korea through them will be contacted shortly.

The tour operator wrote on its blog that they will continue to take US citizens to other destinations such as Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia and Far East Russia.

The US Government has not yet confirmed the news about the proposed ban, but anti-Pyongyang feeling is strife in the United States in the wake of ballistic missile tests targeting the country, and the death of American student Otto Warmbier in June, a few days after North Korea released him in a coma after 18 months of captivity.

After the death of Warmbier, Young Pioneer Tours, which organized his trip to North Korea in December 2015, reportedly said it would no longer take US citizens to the reclusive country.

A bipartisan bill proposing tight restrictions on travel to North Korea, and banning tourists to that country, was introduced in the Congress in May citing the risk of U.S. citizens being detained there for political reasons.

Three U.S. citizens remain imprisoned currently in North Korea. Several American tourists visit North Korea ignoring the State Department's strong warning to U.S. citizens against traveling to a country deemed as dangerous to them.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Documents in possession of India Today revealed at least three companies used by Rajesh Kumar Agarwal and Jain brothers to launder money in Jagat Projects Ltd had clear links with Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar.

By Atir Khan: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar have links with at least three companies probed by Enforcement Directorate in chartered Rajesh Kumar Agarwal and Jain brothers' money-laundering case. ED filed the chargesheet in Rajesh Agarwal and Jain Brothers' case on Friday.

Documents in possession of India Today revealed at least three companies- Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt. Ltd, Ad Fin Capital Services Pvt Ltd and Shalini Holdings Ltd-used by Rajesh Kumar Agarwal and Jain brothers to launder money in Jagat Projects Ltd had clear links with Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar.

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Analysis of Rajesh Kumar Agarwal's accounts have revealed that on May 27 and June 3, he received Rs 9,000,000 from these three companies which were transferred to Mishal Packers and Printers Pvt. Ltd, a company where both Misa and Shailesh were directors. Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd is also under Income Tax lens in connection with allegedly acquiring benami properties.

ED FILES PROSECUTION COMPLAINT

While the probe in Misa Bharti and her husband's case is still on, ED on Friday in Patiala House court filed a prosecution complaint against Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, M/s Jagat Projects Limited, Sant Lal Aggarwal & Satish Pawa (Directors M/s Jagat Projects Limited) and various other shell companies operated by Surender Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain.

On March 31, 2003, Serious Fraud Investigation Office had also probed Jain brothers case and submitted a report on March 31, 2016 red-flagging and requesting Supreme Court monitored Special Investigating Team to oversee the detailed probe. On September 14 Income Tax Department had carried out a series of searches in which it had seized documents pertaining to the companies allegedly involved in money laundering.

UNACCOUNTED MONEY LAUNDERED THROUGH SHELL COMPANIES

Subsequently ED also took over the probe and during the investigation, it was revealed that M/s Jagat Project Ltd and its directors have converted their unaccounted money to the tune of Rs. 64.70 crore into apparently legitimate transactions by way of share subscription through various shell companies. Out of this amount, Rs. 62.20 crore of unaccounted money was laundered through 26 shell companies controlled by Jain Brothers.

The modus operandi of Jain Brothers was to launder the unaccounted money through the process of placement of funds, layering of transactions and the final integration of laundering money into the banking channel camouflaged as legitimate share premium transactions. They would charge commission for this job.

Based on the statements of various persons recorded under Section 50 of PMLA and analysis of documents, it was established that Rajesh Kumar Agrawal has played a pivotal role in the transactions between Jain Brothers and others. Similarly he has been a mediator between Misa Bharti's company and shell companies, which provided the money into her company.

ALSO READ:

Misa Bharti's accountant Rajesh Agarwal arrested by ED in money laundering case

Stung by Income Tax raids, Lalu Prasad hits back, says will continue fight against Fascist BJP

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ALSO WATCH: Income Tax raids at Lalu Prasad, daughter Misa Bharti's houses over dubious land deals

--- ENDS ---
Days after the liberation of Mosul from the clutches of ISIS, an India Today team went to Iraq in search of 39 missing Indians.

By India Today Web Desk: Less than a week after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj indicated that 39 Indians missing from Iraq since 2014 might be alive in a prison in the civil war-ravaged country, an India Today team travelled all the way to Mosul but found no sign of them in the restive region.

"The day the Iraqi PM declared Mosul is liberated from ISIS, I asked (minister of state) VK Singh to go to Erbil," Sushma Swaraj had said. "Sources there told VK Singh that the missing Indians are most probably in a jail in Badush where fighting is still going on".

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Soon after, India Today's crew set out for Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, in search of the lost people.

WATCH: India Today ground report: Mystery over 39 Indians missing in Iraq deepens

On the way, the first Indian media outlet to reach Mosul after the fall of ISIS, found that the bastion of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reduced to a rubble.

In 2014, the leader of the terror group declared a global caliphate from Mosul after his jehadi guerrillas overran the ancient city.

The mosque, from where he made the announcement, appeared to be a relic of its past.

There was, however, no clarity about al-Baghdadi's whereabouts. An estimated 40,000 people have been killed in Mosul, with many more still unaccounted for.

In the city of Erbil, near Mosul, Red Crescent manager Hawre Ihsan Sadiq admitted he had received no information about the missing Indians.

In Mosul, the heart of the conflict, India Today's crew navigated its way through some of the potentially dangerous zones to Badush prison, where it found the jail itself had been flattened to the ground.

There was no sign of the prison, let alone the missing Indians.

WHAT INDIA TODAY SAW IN IRAQ

Baghdadi's caliphate has turned into debris and the historic old city of Mosul is now destroyed beyond recognition.

The Al Nuri Mosque from where Abu Bakr Baghdadi announced his caliphate barely manages to stand. Undiffused car bombs are still lying around and the stench of death is difficult to escape.

Days after the liberation of Mosul from the clutches of ISIS, the people who inhabit the area have been shifted to refugee camps and Iraqi security forces stand guard there.

There is no clarity whether Baghdadi has been killed or is still alive but there is nothing left. There is only destruction as far as one's eyes can see. Human beings are nowhere to be found but the stench of rotten bodies dominate the air.

The counter-terrorism unit of Iraq says the mosque was bombed by ISIS itself. They said many car bombs were used by ISIS because they wanted to destroy the area entirely.

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An estimated 40,000 people have been killed in Mosul and many bodies lie under the rubble.

THE INDIAN COMMUNITY

Tirupati works at the famous Indian restaurant in Erbil. He hails from Hyderabad and has been in the capital of Kurdistan regional government for the last three years. He says Erbil is safe but ever since the abduction of the 39 Indians, the Indian community has been worried.

"We are very sad about them that they are stuck there...that where they are...I feel very very sad. We want to know where they are. Whether they are safe or if they are in any trouble," said Tirupati.

He also added, "Mosul people are coming here, they used to live there but the Indian people are stuck there."

About 6,000 Indians live in Erbil and at the beginning of the conflict 22,000 lived in Iraq. As with other parts of the Middle East, Indians come to Iraq looking for work in construction, oil refineries, marketing and as engineers. Middle-East provides India with a high amount in remittances and livelihood.

But the fate of the 39 Indians has kept not just them but the entire country concerned.

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RED CRESCENT HAS NO CLUE

India Today correspondent went to the office of the Red Crescent in Erbil which had given some inputs about Indians to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Hawre Ihsan Sadiq, who has been the manager of Red Crescent's Erbil branch since September 2014, said his people are on the ground. He admits that if there is any information that needs to be shared it would go through him.

On being asked: "If Red Crescent volunteers or anyone finds any information on Indians, will that come to you?", Sadiq replied: "yes of course. May be some security info won't".

"Some information may be available with the Baghdad headquarters but since ISIS's presence in Mosul nothing much has come up."

WEST MOSUL

After crossing 12-13 security checks and driving through endless destroyed and uninhabited homes, India Today reached Hamadiya where Christians lived before the ISIS came.

Brigadier Abdul Amin-al-Kazraji in-charge of the famous golden division told India Today that he holds India with regard but has no information on the missing Indians.

Brigadier Kazraji provided India Today team with security to let it get to Badush prison where EAM Sushma Swaraj says that it is likely that the 39 Indians are still there.

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The India Today team was informed that it is still dangerous in West Mosul and that there are sleeper cells.

THE FINAL MILE

The India Today team finally reached close to the prison where another local team is invited to facilitate us.

The team of men lead the India Today team to a path full of mines and they watch their steps carefully to reach Badush prison where, as per the intelligence information that Sushma Swaraj has received, the abducted Indians could possibly be present.

However, the information is absolutely incorrect because the building we are being told was destroyed by ISIS itself years ago and the area was liberated a few months ago by the counter-terrorism unit of Iraq. What is left are the remnants of what was once a prison where ISIS had come to get some of their Islamist brothers released from and in the process also ended up occupying Mosul.

The question hence continues to be where are the 39 Indians? 63 km west of Mosul lies Tal Afar which is still firmly under ISIS's control.

Brig Abdul Amin told India Today, "It is possible. They take hostages to Tal Afar. They did that with other hostages from East Mosul".

While the brigadier refuses to comment on Indians, he provides us with a glimmer of that ever lasting hope that may be ISIS has taken them to Tal Afar.

The Indian government is hoping for a miracle and so are we.

CONGRESS TO TARGET SUSHMA

Congress will bring a privilege motion against Sushma Swaraj for allegedly misleading India on the 39 missing Indians. Pratap Singh Bajwa has accused Sushma Swaraj of deliberately lying about the condition of the missing Indians.

Also read:

No confirmed information on 39 missing Indians, Iraqi ambassador tells India Today

Families of missing Indians in Iraq meet Sushma Swaraj, MEA says they may be in Badush prison

The black shroud in Kashmir marks presence of ISIS in Valley

How ISIS lures youth with women, meat, chocolates to recruit in Kerala. An India Today exclusive

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By PTI: Kathmandu, Jul 21 (PTI) Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba congratulated president-elect Ram Nath Kovind on his electoral victory and expressed willingness to working closely with him to further strengthening the "cordial" relations with India.

Kovind, a low-key lawyer-turned-politician, was yesterday elected as Indias 14th President, the first BJP member and the second Dalit to occupy the countrys highest office.

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Bhandari and Deuba, in their messages of congratulations sent to the president-elect yesterday, expressed willingness to working closely with him in the days ahead to further strengthening the cordial relations between Nepal and India, The Himalayan Times quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.

A former Bihar governor, Kovind, 71, defeated the joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker. PTI CPS

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Dear Editor,

Re: Parliament and the Head of State

Again the people have no choice but to put a majority of H.R.P.P in power that will never vote against the P.M. because of that pathetic election rule that allows five H.R.P.P people to run in one district.

This insures the P.M. stays in power no matter what the people want.

Its this rule that makes Samoa a dictatorship just like China.

You can vote but you have no choice in who you vote for.

Also for your information P.S. Jeffrey, both a Presidential system and a Parliamentary system have their pros and cons. Because of party discipline a Parliamentary system can more easily turn into a dictatorship than a Presidential system.

A president must negotiate with all members in the houses.

Look at the U.S. right now as an example. Trump cant get anything through because there is no party discipline.

Use Samoa as an example of a dictatorship because all the P.M. has to do is make up rules that no other Parliamentary system has like the one I mentioned and he gets to be a dictator for as many years as he wants.

In a Parliamentary system the party picks the leader and a person may vote for a H.R.P.P member because they like that person but they actually may hate the Leader of the party but once that person gets in they are forced to do the bidding of the P.M. not their constituent.

This is not the case with a congressman or a senator. They can make decisions based on what their constituents want. Just look at republicans that are not supporting the Trump care bill because it would hurt their constituents.

Ueni
Samoa pushes for Super rugby inclusion during P.Ms New Zealand visit

Cabinet has approved the report on the Prime Ministers trip to New Zealand on 16 June 2017. The trip included meetings with the Rugby New Zealand; the Manukau Institute of Technology and the launching of the Manu Samoa Old Boys Association.

The meeting with the New Zealand Rugby Union was attended by New Zealands Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Cherry Brownlie and former Minister Murray Mcully.

Representatives of the organisation for the South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby unions (SANZAR) were also present as well as representatives of the Fijian and Tongan Rugby Unions.

The meeting focused on the inclusion of a combined Pacific Team in the Super Rugby tournament.

The meeting by the Prime Minister and the Manukau Institute of Technology focused on reviewing and initiating networks with the Government of Samoa through education.

The Prime Minister also launched the Manu Samoa Old Boys Association (M.S.O.B.A). Members of this association will assist with the selection of rugby players for the Manu Samoa. The Prime Minister also challenged the M.S.O.B.A to network with former All Blacks who are Samoans to reaffirm opportunities for Samoan players in the team.

Samoa at Global Environment Facility Expanded

Constituency meeting

A delegation from Samoa will take part in the Global Environment Facility Expanded Constituency Meeting in Tonga on 24 - 28 July 2017.

The meeting will focus on:

 Discussions on G.E.Fs assistance and the progress of projects funded by this organisation;

 Discussion on G.E.F7 or the funds and projects for the next phase;

 Samoas participation to follow up on projects funded by G.E.F for the Ministry of Environment, EPC and Samoas Trust Estate Corporation.

 Discussion on the implementation and progress of projects funded by the G.E.F;

 Discussion on Ridge to Reef programme;

 G.E.F - Small Grants Programme;

 Promote and share knowledge and experiences on the progress of different projects to align with set guidelines.

Samoas delegation include the C.E.O for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ulu Bismark Crawley; A.C.E.O for GEF in Samoa, Annie Rasmussen; A.C.E for Land Management Division, Felisita Tala Heather and Safuta Toelau Iulioo.

Report on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Cabinet has approved the report on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (A.I.I.B.) meeting in South Korea on 16 - 18 June 2017.

The theme of the meeting focused on sustainable infrastructure in Asia and A.I.I.B. members.

The meeting affirmed the membership for Samoa in the A.I.I.B. before the end of December 2017. The Government will also have to initiate plans for infrastructures that could possibly be funded by the A.I.I.B. according to the set requirements.

The A.I.I.B.s next meeting will be held in Mumbai, India on 25 - 26 June 2018.
We wouldnt change a thing about Samoa.

So says Rachel Savage, a kindergarten teacher from Ashburton New Zealand.

When she caught up with the Dear Tourist yesterday, she was asked if there was something she would like to see improved in Samoa for tourists.

Rachel and her family were doing some last minute gift shopping at the Fugalei markets at the end of their ten-day holiday.

Earlier in the year, Rachel was trying to decide where her family would get away for a mid-winter vacation.

She was spurred on by the recommendations of her family and friends about the untouched beauty of Samoa and the charm of her people.

And in Samoa, she has not been disappointed.

We had the most amazing experience, we had beautiful fales, beautiful food we just loved it, she said. The people were very open with us, a lot of the fale owners were really responsive to having us there and let us in to experience their families and their lives.

Rachel talked about their very interactive holiday and their intentions to get out of the car and have a hands-on experience in Samoa.

Together the Savage family bike gang (including her 73-year-old mother in law) left their car behind in Upolu and biked all around Savaii, staying in various hostels and hotels from Manase to Vaisala to Saletoa.

We love biking and we got to see the island at a much slower pace. We got to meet people and our guides gave us lots of information so we learnt heaps and it was much better than being in a car.

As an early childhood educator, Rachel was interested in learning more about Samoa beyond the usual sightseeing attractions and through her interactions with local guides she gained more understanding about the schooling, the role of Matai and the church within the village.

We loved it so much, we are definitely coming back, she says enthusiastically.

We left the Savage family as they shopped for presents to gift Rachels kindergarten students, some of whom are children of Samoan descent and according to Rachel have never visited Samoa.

Some of them have never been back here and I just want them to feel connected with a little something special from the country of their heritage.
(M.P.M.C. Press Secretary) - Samoa will host the 2017 Inter-island Samoa talks in Apia with American Samoa in early October.

Originally the talk was planned for early next month but American Samoa has communicated to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi requesting to postpone the meeting to October to allow the territorial government to finalize issues from their end to be tabled in the upcoming meeting.

And as one of the three central government agencies, the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet, (M.P.M.C.) is tasked as the implementing agency to organize the event. In the last few months a series of meetings with government stakeholders have since taken place to prepare the agenda for the upcoming event with our neighboring U.S. territory.

Among the long outstanding issues that is expected to be addressed in the two day brainstorming session includes Trade and Economic Integration, Agriculture, Immigration, Health, Education, Transport, Telecommunication, and Tourism.

In terms of exports, the Agricultural Sector remains optimistic that their American Samoa counterparts will assist with a request from Apia to the United States Department of Agriculture to certify the two mobile abattoirs and the soon to be built permanent and Central Abattoir that will open up the lucrative meat export markets to the United States via American Samoa.

Then there is the Tui-Samoa fiber optic cable that Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi is hoping for the territorial government to come to the negotiating cable and become part of the Tui-Samoa family which now includes neighboring Pacific Island countries. The target is for improvement on telecommunication connectivity at affordable rates for residents of the 2-Samoas.

Immigration issues which include the current reciprocal permit regime between the two countries is another issue expected to be revisited during the talks in bids to minimize the red tape in processing entry permits.

And of course, the long awaited trade agreement that would be mutually beneficial to Samoa and American Samoa.

The talks is geared at providing focus areas that includes the identification of improvements to the immigration, customs, taxes, business creation, and foreign investment rules of the countries that would benefit economic integration.

As a lead up to the talks, Prime Minister Tuilaepa reiterated that under these circumstances, it is imperative for the two Samoas to try as much as we can to cooperate in every area available.

We are already doing this successfully in the number of sectors, and with mixed success in the various other facets of our engagement.

However we obviously need to do more and we must continue to collaborate and cooperate in working towards goals that would mutually benefit our islands.
Reading the Wednesday edition of your Samoa Observer newspaper sent chills down the spine. The headlines and stories on the first three pages alone were enough to send a shock wave throughout Samoa with the suggestion that a terrible illness has invaded this society.

The worry is that it appears that all levels have been infected by this illness so that today, we are on the verge of the pillars of Samoan society collapsing causing irreparable damage.

Lets begin from the front page for example. Under the headline Police investigate alleged falsification of govt. files, we are told that a certain company involving high-profile officials  including government officials - had been engaged in alleged illegal practices.

The investigation follows an official criminal complaint filed by an Associate Minister alleging that forgery and falsification was involved in the companys business license.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are very serious allegations. The idea that senior government officials who are supposed to lead by example are implicated is both chilling and worrying. How can we expect members of the public to be law-abiding citizens if their leaders do the opposite?

On page 2 of the same paper, there was a story about a young man, Telea Kepaoa, convicted for attempting to murder his stepfather. He has been jailed for six years.

The incident occurred on 28 February 2016 when the step-father and the accuseds mother had an argument.

The accused heard the argument, walked over and heard the step-father saying things about him and his sister, the Court was told.

The accused was not happy as this is not the first time the step-father has had a fight or argument with his mother. The accused got hold of a machete, went to the main road to wait for his step-father and assaulted him with the machete.

Justice Tuatagaloa noted the victim sustained multiple lacerations to his left forearm, deep open fracture to his left elbow, amputated right thumb and multiple lacerations to the left thigh.

Now this sort of attack is not new. And thats the real concern here. Our people are obviously no longer afraid to kill others  including their very own relatives. In this case, this young man could have easily killed his stepfather. What is going on in Samoa today? Why have certain people become so ruthless and have turned into such savages?

Speaking of being ruthless and savages, one shameful trend that has emerged is that of brothers and sisters being hauled before Court for incest. One more case of this nature emerged in the Supreme Court this week. It is that of a brother and sister accused of having sex.

The Acting Assistant Commissioner, Salaa Moananu Salaa said the incident occurred during Mothers Day. The sister is married with children and her brother is ten years younger than her. It was her husband who reported the matter to the police.

Folks just this week, this is the second case of this nature to have surfaced before the Court. What is going on? What has happened to the sacred relationship and respect between a brother and sister that Samoa is so well known for?

Indeed these incidents send chills down the spine with the idea that Samoa has become such a sick society. These cases are not normal.

We agree that these sorts of incidents are not new and they are not confined to Samoa. Whats alarming here is that theres been a prevalence of heinous criminal offenses being committed in this country, as the Courts have often pointed out. The stories highlighted in this piece were on the first three pages of one of seven editions of this newspaper in a week.

We should be alarmed.

The worry is if more and more people are continued to be charged and thrown to prison, we may soon find Tafaigata Prison incapable of keeping convicted offenders in custody.

What we find most distressing is that many people are making the sincere effort to ensure that good things are done to give everyone in this country the chance to live a better life. And in so doing, they help raise Samoas image high.

But then bizarre incidents such as the alleged corruption involving high profile officials, violent outbursts among families and the disgraceful behaviour within our homes will inevitably tarnish that image. They also destroy the positive contributions others have worked hard to achieve.

These are the challenges of our time. We need leaders to address these issues. Now is a good time to start.

What do you think?

Have a great weekend Samoa, God bless!
A new chapter in the history of Samoa started yesterday at Tuanaimato.

It began with the changing of the guard in terms of the Head of State when His Highness Tuiaana Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II took his oath as the new Head of State. By his side was the Masiofo, Her Highness Faamausili Leinafo.

They take over from former Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi and his Masiofo, Her Highness Filifilia Tamasese.

The inauguration was witnessed by hundreds of people, including the outgoing Head of State, Members of the Council of Deputies, government leaders, Members of Parliament and families.

The formalities started with a prayer by Chairman of the C.C.C.S. Reverend Elder Tunumoso Iosia. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu.

During his first official speech, His Highness Tuimalealiifano, noted that he is nothing but a humble servant of God. He thanked everyone who attended the service.

I thank the Government of Samoa, through the Honorable Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi the Speaker and Members of Parliament for appointing me to this prestigious position, he said.

I am but a humble servant but your prayers and support and the leading of the Holy Spirit will give me the strength to fulfill the duties of the Head of State.

Lau Afioga, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi and Masiofo Filifilia I acknowledge and applaud your great service of 10 years, wherein you were Head of State.

It will not be easy for me to continue where you have left and I will need your support.

The Head of State also called on everyone to work together.

In the spirit of humility, I call upon the people of Samoa, the government, the clergy the traditional leaders, the business community, leaders, family and friends.

Let us all work together for continued peace and betterment of Samoa. Samoas Head of State is truly a calling from our Lord, the God Almighty, upon whom Samoa is founded upon.

And I am but an instrument, in his hands and I cannot do anything without him. Not unto us o Lord, not unto us but we give you the praise and the glory for your faithfulness and your grace.

Following the inauguration, there were traditional presentations to the government by the Falelatai District.

The new Head of State has been holding the Tama Aiga Title, Tuimalealiifano, since 1977. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from The Australian National University, a Diploma in Theological Studies from Malua Theological College.

His Highness was a Secondary School Teacher, a Police Chief Inspector in Samoa, and in New Zealand for three years.

A Principal State Solicitor in the Office of the Attorney-General, a former Public Defender with the Justice Department, a former Public Trustee and a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Samoa.

His Highness has been a Member of the Council of Deputies to the Head of State, first in 1993-2001 and later from 2004 to present until his appointment to Head of State.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has scoffed at claims that he alone made the decision to change the Head of State.

He has also dismissed calls for the appointment to be put to a public vote, saying Members of Parliament were chosen by voters and it is their prerogative to make decisions that benefit the country.

There are people going around today saying that the H.R.P.P changed the law so they can bring in anyone they want, Tuilaepa told the media.

My response is that is the way Parliamentary democracy works. The party that has the numbers is the party that dictates the changes they want  including the appointment of the Head of State.

So we are merely following Constitutional policies. This is also how the Governor Generals of New Zealand and Australia are appointed, whoever the governments want is the person they will have.

In terms of what is happening in Samoa, Tuilaepa asked: Who can oppose the government if they have the majority in terms of numbers?

Tuilaepa was responding during his weekly media programme ahead of last nights ceremony where the nation welcomed the new Head of State, His Highness Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II.

He takes over from His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi who has held the post for the past 10 years.

According to Tuilaepa, the changing of the guard is in accordance with the Constitution. He added that it was about time the Tui Aana gets an opportunity given that Malietoa and Tui Atua are the only people to have held the position since Independence in 1962.

And already, the P.M. revealed that Parliament is thinking of legislating for a Head of State to only serve two terms.

That way the appointment avoids controversy and prepares the position holder for his two terms, said the Prime Minister.

That way also, we are not criticised and we will be spared from hearing disappointed statements about the decision. You see eventhough the Constitution is quite clear as it stands today, there will always be disappointment on the part of the person who keeps wanting the role which is whats happening.

The problem is Parliament has a duty to carry out and that is to change these honorary positions.

Tuilaepa also rubbished claims he singlehandedly runs the H.R.P.P.

Ive often heard statements such as the P.M. holds the key to opening and closing the door. Ive heard people say that whatever the P.M. say thats what goes.

Such an opinion is harboured by people whom if they are given the chance to administer the government, they will run it like an army. They will rule it like a military; they will not listen to any advice from Members of Parliament or Cabinet.

Tuilaepa said he is different.

I listen to what the party says, which is the democratic system. It dictates that for every leader, they must listen to the party.

Going back to the appointment of His Highness Tuimalealiifano, the P.M. confirmed that the vote was done the Samoan way.

There was an opportunity (for members of the party) to express opinions and the person whom most members gravitated towards was the one chosen.

What I mean is that no one person has the power when it comes to things like this. This is why this party remains united as it has been from the start. As a leader, I always seek the opinion of my party before any decision is mad.

Lastly he said changes such as this are critical so that members of public understand that these changes are not made by one person.

They are done by the party.
The Samoa Cocoa Industry Development Initiative (S.C.I.D.I) project exists to help cocoa farmers in Samoa.

Set up after the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Leuluaialiiotumua Bill English announced a $4.8million support for the cocoa industry, this week, a meeting was held at Hotel Elisa to raise awareness and seek engagement support for achieving early implementation activities.

Participants came from government agencies (M.O.F, S.T.E.C, M.A.F, S.R.O.S) and the private sector. A similar meeting was held in Savaii.

The meetings were facilitated by Dr. Hans Maurer and the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce, Lemauga Hobart Vaai.

According to Lemauga, the S.C.I.D.I is all about the building of a sustainable cocoa export industry through co-operation, commitment and innovation.

What we are trying to do is to conduct more awareness for the cocoas because for a lot of families, the standard of the cocoa is not good, he said.

We are doing awareness programmes both in Upolu and Savaii.

The key details that we have been trying to introduce and explain is how to use the grafting nursery. We want Samoa to establish our cocoa industry just like the International cocoa committee guidelines.

So it is very important, for our stakeholders, individual farmers and farmers association to work together.

Lemauga said the meetings were extremely useful.

What Ive heard from the participants is that most of the participants do not understand the project details.

We are working for the farmers; the project doesnt look at working against initiatives that are currently in place. We are trying to improve the project on a national scale.

We are also looking at five years and after two years, we will prepare a review to see if we can still go on or change the project approach.

I think the most important objective is to be adaptive to what we need to improve our design team so that we can work on this project knowing Samoa farmers will benefit from it.

The overall goal is to develop the cocoa industry into a main export market.

Ever since weve expanded out weve realised theres a lot of cocoa here in Samoa and so we want to make them feel that they have a source of income with cocoa.

One of the objectives is to take us all back when we were exporting our cocoas as one of the key commodities.

This graft process is technically a technique that is used worldwide to accelerate the growth of cocoa. Its one of the initiatives that this project is trying to achieve for our farmers both small farmers and commercial farmers to improve their productions especially the quality of their productions which is very important.

Any challenges?

One of the challenges is trying to gather all the farmers. Its all about bringing everyone together, we dont want to leave anybody out, and we will not leave anybody out in this project. Thats the most important thing for us at the moment.

DETAILS

The meetings aime to raise awareness about:

 grafting nursery planning;

 formalise contractual agreements with the local implementing partner;

 engage with key partners in preparation of the formation of the Activity Establishment Committee;

 agree scope of the tree survey pilot with a local supplier;

 engage with other relevant partners to plan future visits.
Think a minuteEdwin Thomas was one of the greatest actors in the 1800s. He became world-famous for his acting performances in Shakespeares plays. Edwins two brothers, John and Junius, were also actors, but they were not as talented as Edwin.

Then one night, almost like a Shakespearean play, tragedy hit their whole family.

The brother, John Wilkes Booth, shot and killed the American President, Abraham Lincoln, while Lincoln was in a theatre watching a play.

After that night Edwin Thomas Booths reputation was greatly hurt. In fact, shortly after his brother killed President Lincoln, Edwin actually quit acting and ended his very successful career.

Many years later Edwin tried to return to acting for a time, but he was never the same because he was filled with terrible shame and guilt from his brother murdering the President.

One night, Edwin was getting on a train when it suddenly moved and jolted forward. A young man next to him slipped and fell down onto the track by the moving train.

Very quickly, Edwin risked his own life to reach down and pull the man back up to safety. A few days later Edwin received a letter of thanks from the man whose life he had saved.

The man had recognized Edwin as the famous actor and wanted to thank him again in a letter. Amazingly, that young man whose life Edwin had saved was Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of the man Edwins brother had killed. So while one brother had killed the President, the other brother had saved the Presidents son.
The 2018 Atlas SUV is Volkswagens biggest vehicle and its biggest challenge in the U.S.  but it could become the brands biggest ambassador.

Most VW models sold here were staunch adherents to the European market for drivability first and North American comfort and conveniences second. It is quite clear after a weeks test that Volkswagen proselytized the German product planners and engineers to let go of stubborn ways and build this vehicle for the needs and preferences of a North American market.

Their focus created a big SUV that has every creature comfort and convenience for this market but with VWs European drivability.

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The three-row, seven-seat Atlas has all the right SUV cues, such as hunky body bulges, tall stance and Volkswagen-lean exterior styling. Inside, there is 10-gallon-hat headroom (41.3 inches), long second-row legroom (37.6 inches) and a squared-off cargo area amplified by fold-flat second and third rows.

It is a made-in-American vehicle  Chattanooga, Tenn.  that got a lot of attention in my week of testing. After letting interested people sit behind the wheel, each reaction was positive. So has all been forgiven and alls well that ends well?

Atlas is sold in front- or all-wheel drive configurations with four-cylinder or V-6 engines, both with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-drive models have the standard 235-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 258 foot-pounds of torque at 1,600 rpm.

With a choice of five trim levels (S, SE, SE Tech, SEL), starting prices for four-cylinder models ranges from $31,425-$40,085. Front-drive V-6 pricing ranges from $32,825-$41,815. V-6 AWD pricing ranges from $34,625-$48,490; pricing includes the $925 freight charge.

Four-cylinder and base V-6 models will not go on sale until September. And an option for second-row captains chairs will be available later, too.

Also new for Atlas and the upcoming 2018 Tiguan compact SUV is an enhanced warranty of six years/72,000 miles bumper to bumper, including the powertrain. Roadside service is for 3 years/36,000 miles.

Todays tester is a V-6 SE front drive with the Technology package, which was a reasonable $38,015 with no options.

The 276-hp, direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 has good towing torque of 266 lb.-ft. at 2,750 rpm. (The tow rating is up to 5,000 pounds with the trailering package.) The power can be wheel-spinning strong when pushed, but acceleration, generally, is tuned for fuel economy. Sport mode sharpens takeoff and shift responses just enough to hold your line without racerish aggression. Fuel economy estimates are 18 mpg city, 25 highway and 20 mpg combined for front-wheel drive (17/23/19 mpg AWD) on 87 octane. I was averaging 20.3-23.1 mpg and the 18.6-gallon tank should easily allow a 400-mile cruising range.

There appeared to be no dumbing-down of content to hit the price point, at least on the tester. SE Tech standard features include smartkey entry and push-button ignition, leatherette upholstery, rearview camera with guidance lines, halogen fog lights with low speed cornering lights and a power liftgate.

The steering is a standout for its light touch and in-tune communication through the wheel. Tooling the mall lot is a pleasure, helped by the 38.1-foot turning circle (tight for such a large vehicle). Braking is confident from 13.2-inch vented front discs and 12.2-inch solid rear discs. The standard, 18-inch Continental all-season tires (245/60) can transfer road noise on some surfaces or the noise may be from all the space around the tires in the wheelhouse. But the cabin is a sealed capsule of quietness, which makes any ambient sound more noticeable.

The cabin has appealing textures to the plastics with solid and precise assembly of panels with no ragged edges. The driver seat is full-bodied and wide. Its also a little low (even with power height adjustment) for the 97th percentile short person. Oddly, there is no height adjustment for the front passenger seat, which can be an issue for some.

The driver controls are simple and functional with easily viewed gauges. The wide touch screen gives access to myriad functions, including apps and a photo gallery of your road-trip travel memories. But there also are secondary knobs, dials and switches for AC-temp-fan, vents and seat heaters.

An e-bin at the shifter console has open space and a charging USB, aux-in and 12-volt plug. And theres another USB in the large center armrest console. Large sliding visors have covered and lighted mirrors. And generous door storage will accommodate large water bottles.

The back seat has roomy adult space for legroom, thigh support and wide shoulder room of 60.8 inches. The doors open wide for good step-in space and the 60/40 folding seats have a few inches of recline and fore-aft travel. The broad fold-down armrest has cup holders and there is loads of door storage with capacity for large bottles. The tip-n-slide seat function has easy action to the third row.

The way-back seats have broad and well-padded seat bottoms but short legroom of 33.7 inches. Vents in the window pillars are a welcome stream of fresh air.

The cargo area is nearly double-bed width (48 inches) with 7 feet of length with both rows folded. The folding seat mechanisms show some good engineering, because most do not fold completely flat.

The Atlas is a formidable new SUV entry. It doesnt raise any benchmarks, but it leaves none ignored, either.

2018 VW Atlas V6 SE Tech

Body style : large, 7-pass. SUV, in front- or all-wheel drive

: large, 7-pass. SUV, in front- or all-wheel drive Engine : 276-hp, direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6; 266 lb.-ft. torque at 2,750 rpm

: 276-hp, direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6; 266 lb.-ft. torque at 2,750 rpm Transmission : 8-speed automatic with 4MOTION permanent all-wheel drive with clutch-pack center differential and adaptive torque distribution

: 8-speed automatic with 4MOTION permanent all-wheel drive with clutch-pack center differential and adaptive torque distribution Fuel economy: 18/25/20 mpg city/hwy/combined; 87 octane

SPECIFICATIONS

Fuel tank : 18.6 gal.

: 18.6 gal. Cargo space : 20.6-96.8 cu. ft.

: 20.6-96.8 cu. ft. Front head/leg room : 41.3/41.5 in.

: 41.3/41.5 in. 2 nd row head/leg room : 40.4/37.6 in.

: 40.4/37.6 in. 3 rd row head/leg room : 38.3/33.7 in.

: 38.3/33.7 in. Length/wheelbase : 198.3/117.3 in.

: 198.3/117.3 in. Curb weight : 4,502 lbs.

: 4,502 lbs. Turning circle : 38.1 ft.

: 38.1 ft. Tow capacity: up to 5,000 lbs. w/trailering package

FEATURES

Standard equipment includes : smartkey entry and push-button ignition, leatherette upholstery, rearview camera with guidance lines, 3-zone automatic climate control, halogen fog lights with low speed cornering lights, heated power side mirrors with turn signals, 8-inch touch screen, 60/40 folding second row seats with tip-and-slide third row access, 50/50 fold flat third row, power liftgate, electric parking brake, power tailgate

: smartkey entry and push-button ignition, leatherette upholstery, rearview camera with guidance lines, 3-zone automatic climate control, halogen fog lights with low speed cornering lights, heated power side mirrors with turn signals, 8-inch touch screen, 60/40 folding second row seats with tip-and-slide third row access, 50/50 fold flat third row, power liftgate, electric parking brake, power tailgate Safety features include: 6 air bag, stability and traction controls, automatic post-collision braking, brake assist, brake-force distribution, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitor, rear traffic alert

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According to reports, Nia Sharma has been approached for Bigg Boss' new season by its makers.

By India Today Web Desk: Popular television actress Nia Sharma has apparently been approached for being a part of the controversial reality show Bigg Boss' new season. However, the actress refuted the reports as mere rumours saying that she hasn't been approached for anything.

"I don't know how my name started appearing everywhere but I don't entertain such news," the actress told PTI.

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Nia, who will soon be seen on the small screen in reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi revealed that she had the toughest time performing every stunt on the show.

"I was very apprehensive to sign the show. I thought I would not survive in the show beyond one or two episodes because I am scared of these things (creepy insects) in real life. But I am so happy the way I performed," Nia told PTI.

Nia first became a household name when she starred in the Star Plus show Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behena Hai.

Also read: Khatron Ke Khiladi: Here's what Nia Sharma calls Rohit Shetty on sets of the show

--- ENDS ---
A Mexican restaurant is Carlsbad is putting on a fundraiser to raise money for temporary housing and services for injured area military members.

Senor Grubbys is set to bring together the community July 26 for its 9-Year Anniversary Party benefiting Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station.

The San Diego-based volunteer-run nonprofit provides transitional housing and support services for injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as they transition from military service to civilian life.

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The nonprofit helps service members who are recovering at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Naval Medical Center San Diego and Naval Base San Diego along with their families.

Since it was established in 2004, Warrior Foundation-Freedom Station has helped service members seriously injured coming home from war; those suffering from post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury, those undergoing physical or occupational therapy and veterans who have been medically retired and remain in the San Diego area.

The free charitable event open to all ages will feature carnival games with prizes, dunk tank, raffles and giveaways.

The community event is from 6-10 p.m. at 377 Carlsbad Village Drive.

Visit www.warriorfoundation.org and www.eatgrubbys.com.
Relatives of a Vista man fatally shot by a sheriffs deputy on July 5 said Thursday they plan to file a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit against San Diego County, and urged authorities to order an independent investigation into the shooting.

The family of Jonathan Coronel announced the planned lawsuit during a morning news conference with the Rev. Shane Harris, president of the San Diego Chapter of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization.

We do not trust local prosecutors to investigate local police shootings, Harris said. Its a conflict of interest.

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He said the situation demands an independent investigation by the states Attorney General.

Officer-involved shootings in San Diego County are investigated by the county District Attorneys office.

DA spokeswoman Tanya Sierra said Thursday the office considers itself to be independent of law enforcement agencies involved in shootings and always conducts an independent evaluation of each case to determine if a shooting was legally justified.

The District Attorneys office has conducted reviews of hundreds of state and local officer involved shootings in the county since the mid-1970s.

Coronel, 24, a documented gang member, was fatally shot during an encounter with deputies in the backyard of a Vista home as he tried to evade authorities seeking to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

Lt. Kenn Nelson said last week that Coronel was crouching on the ground, with his right hand obscured by a t-shirt, when he extended his arm toward a deputy, later identified as Christopher Villanueva. Fearing for his life, Nelson said, Villanueva fired 16 rounds.

Coronel was not armed. His family, his lawyer and a witness say they believe he was trying to surrender when the shots were fired.

Villanueva is the same deputy who during a confrontation in August shot and killed another Vista gang member, Sergio Weick. Weicks family has already filed a federal lawsuit against the sheriffs department.

Attorney Angel Carrazco is representing both families.

Were going to get to the truth, Carrazco said. Based on what Ive seen this is a very, very bad shooting. A terrible shooting.

It could take a year or longer before a suit is filed in the Coronel case because they must wait for law enforcement to complete its investigation.

The incident involving Coronel began around 10:15 a.m. July 5 when he ran from a car after members of the sheriffs Gang Enforcement Detail in Vista tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

When gang officers lost sight of him, uniformed patrol deputies  including Villanueva  came to help search the area, a residential neighborhood east of North Melrose Drive.

Coronel was eventually discovered hiding in the back yard of a nearby home. A man who lives in the home and witnessed the shooting said it appeared Coronel was lying on the ground and trying to surrender when the shots rang out.

During Thursdays news conference, Coronels uncle, Diego Coronel, repeated the call for an independent investigation.

Its out of control, he said. This officer treating citizens the way he is  its not right. We are seeking justice.

San Diego County Sheriffs deputies are not equipped with body-worn cameras that can provide video documentation in such incidents. Just this week, the countys Board of Supervisors approved spending $1.1 million for the devices.

Harris, of the National Action Network, implied that the Coronel shooting hastened the action.

I think the process sped up after the killing of Jonathan Coronel, Harris said. I think the county said I guess its time we get body cams.

In fact, the sheriffs department and the county had been studying the body cameras issue for three years. The timing of the vote to purchase the equipment was coincidental and had nothing to do with any recent shooting, a sheriffs spokesman said.

As for an independent investigation, Harris said he asked Attorney General Xavier Becerra earlier this week to take over the case. He said Becerra indicated his office could make such a move, but such a decision was premature.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones
It was a complete shock in June when Ashley Neumann learned she has a rare and aggressive cancer, one that often kills within nine months. Rather than planning her funeral, the 31-year-old Vista woman immediately started planning her wedding.

The only way to make it through something so devastating is to be positive, said Neumann, who was already in a committed relationship with longtime love, David Mitchell, with whom shes raising two children.

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Their world turned upside down when Neumann was diagnosed with NUT midline carcinoma, a squamous cell cancer that generally affects the midline of the body such as the head, neck and center of the chest.

Less than 10 percent of those who have it are cured, according to Dr. Kathryn Gold, the UC San Diego oncologist treating Neumann.

A week after the terrible diagnosis, Neumann and Mitchell, 37, got married in a small civil ceremony. But Neumann had her heart set on more  a big country wedding with a lovely dress and her little boys as ring-bearers.

Some people want the vacation of their dreams, she said. My dream was to get married and have my father walk me down the aisle.

As word got around, her friends started rallying to make it happen. A GoFundMe account was created and has since raised about $2,500, toward a $10,000 goal. Strangers have also stepped forward to donate items like small succulents in individual pots, to be used as wedding favors.

I just wanted her to have her wedding, to encourage her to keep fighting, said friend Stacie Smith, who set up the account.

Neumann said the outpouring of support has buoyed her. Its been amazing, she said.

A busy mom to two boys, she first sought medical help earlier this year for a nagging cough and pain deep in her shoulder. Initial treatments were for bronchitis and pneumonia.

Still sick, in May she went in to the emergency room at a La Jolla hospital, and a CT scan revealed a cancerous mass in her lung. She spent a week in the hospital, growing so scared she could not discuss next steps with her doctor.

I was in fear, she said. One day your life is perfect, the next its upside down.

The news grew worse when doctors took a closer look at the mass. It turned out to be NUT midline carcinoma, a rare cancer with only 20 to 40 cases diagnosed in the country each year, according to Gold, an oncologist with UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. The carcinoma is primarily seen in teenagers and young adults.

We really dont know why they happen, Gold said. Its not related to smoking or drinking or any other bad habits.

The median survival time is nine months. Gold said that less than 10 percent of the patients are cured, but cautioned that it is difficult to get good statistics because the number of people diagnosed with this cancer is so low.

Neumanns treatment is a combination of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancer. The surgery cannot be done if the cancer has spread, as is the case for most who have the carcinoma.

On that front, Neumann has reason for optimism. Her cancer  multiple masses in her lung and lymph nodes  hasnt spread anywhere else in her body.

She could be cured of this tumor, and that is our hope, Gold said.

As she fights her cancer, Neumann is looking forward to the upcoming nuptials. She has set her wedding date  Aug. 12  and found a venue she could afford in Menifee. She also has the dress, paid for by a member of her extended family.

Its going to be a country wedding, she said. It will be perfect. I know it will be.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
Chula Vista has settled a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former deputy fire chief after he was fired.

The $2.1 million settlement agreement with Jim Garcia includes roughly $1.2 million awarded by a San Diego Superior Court jury in January for lost wages and emotional distress damages.

The additional $900,000 Garcia received in May addresses all other claims, including attorneys fees and costs.

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Garcias salary at the time of termination was about $150,000.

In addition, Garcia had reportedly planned to work for at least another five years, which the damages compensated him for in part.

Throughout the lawsuit the city maintained that Garcia was legitimately and appropriately terminated from his position in the best interest of public safety.

City Attorney Glen Googins said the citys decision to settle the January 2015 case was made to stop what he called expensive and disruptive litigation.

The city continues to believe that the fire chief (Jim Geering) acted within his rights when he released then Deputy Fire Chief Garcia, an at will employee, as part of his reorganization of that department, Googins said.

When Garcia filed the complaint in May 2015 he was the oldest of his peers at 58, and had 25 years of experience.

He argued that the city discriminated against him on the basis of his age and disability when he was terminated Jan. 14, 2015. His termination came just hours after talking to the citys risk management representatives about a work-related neck and spinal injury he received while employed with the Fire Department in 1998.

Garcia later filed a lawsuit alleging that he was terminated due to his age and/or neck injury, and, that the city did not investigate allegations of discrimination.

In the complaint, he also states he was terminated without notification or cause and was told his position was being eliminated.

It was not.

Instead, several new positions were created, but those positions were given to younger employees, which became a substantial motivator in Garcia suing, the complaint read.
Initial findings into the June 17 collision between the Navy destroyer Fitzgerald and a civilian cargo ship in the Philippine Sea reveal that the American crew might have caused the disaster that killed seven U.S. sailors, according to a CNN report Friday.

Citing unnamed military sources, CNN said officials believe a string of human errors aboard the guided-missile destroyers bridge contributed to the collision with the much larger ACX Crystal, a container vessel.

They did nothing until the last second, CNN quoted one official as saying. A slew of things went wrong.

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The news organization reported that a second official said the crash will wind up being our (the U.S. Navys) fault.

The interim probe determined that Fitzgerald crew members failed to realize that the ACX Crystal was approaching and that they took no actions needed to avoid the collision, CNN reported.

Several multinational investigations continue into the accident, which occurred about 64 miles south of Japan. The container ship speared the Fitzgerald below the destroyers waterline, flooding it with seawater and drowning seven sailors.

The dead included Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, of Oceanside, and Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, of Chula Vista. Both were buried with full military honors nearly two weeks ago.

Navy officials in San Diego said the Navys investigation into the collision continues and that they had no comment on CNNs report.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Los Angeles officials are considering making significant changes to the way they enforce gang injunctions in the wake of a lawsuit that accused the city of violating the constitutional rights of thousands of people, according to court documents made public this week.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit last year, accusing the city and the Los Angeles Police Department of serving injunctions against people who had not been given an opportunity to prove they are not gang members in court. The injunctions are civil court orders that bar suspected gang members from engaging in certain activities in areas where the gang is known to congregate, which the city terms safety zones.

In a filing in federal court this week, Deputy City Atty. Patricia Ursea acknowledged the city is planning to alter the policies that govern the injunctions. People subject to injunctions will have at least 30 days to challenge them in state court or through a city removal process before they become enforceable, according to the filing.

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The city is also going to revise its criteria for removing people from injunctions, which had come under sharp criticism from the ACLU and other activists, and has considered releasing an undisclosed number of people from current injunctions, according to the filing.

Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the city attorneys office, declined to offer more details about the revisions, citing the ongoing litigation. He said the city will announce the policy changes when they are finalized later this year.

The LAPD did not respond to a request for comment.

The city is currently enforcing 46 separate injunctions against approximately 10,000 people in Los Angeles, according to the ACLUs lawsuit, which was filed in October of 2016. Nearly 80 gangs are subject to injunctions, according to the city attorneys office, accounting for approximately 20% of Los Angeles known gang population.

The city has used the injunctions as a tool to stifle gang crime since the late 1980s and early 1990s. People subject to injunctions are generally barred from wearing clothing that police believe highlights gang affiliation within the safety zones, and from socializing with other alleged gang members in public, including family members. Gang crime has waned in the city, and across the country, since then.

The city and the ACLU had been in settlement talks, but those ended last month, according to court records. Urseas filing asked the court to consider if the ACLUs suit was moot now because the city believes its planned policy changes answered the ACLUs concerns about violation of due process.

Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the ACLU of Southern California, said it was too early to tell whether the policy changes would provide the relief the ACLU sought on behalf of its clients.

Those changes are aimed at the points that weve raised, but whether they address them or not, I dont know, he said Thursday.

Use of injunctions has come under fire in Los Angeles and other parts of the state. In 2013, an appellate court found that use of the court orders by some Orange County law enforcement agencies violated residents due process rights.

The Los Angeles City Council also approved a $30-million settlement last year to end a class-action lawsuit brought by gang members who said the injunctions subjected them to unlawful curfews. The funds were used to create a job training program for gang members.

In its lawsuit, the ACLU did not question the effectiveness of the injunctions but blasted the methods by which the city obtains them and what it called a painstakingly slow relief process for those who think they have been wrongfully labeled as gang members. City officials usually name a gang faction, rather than individual gang members, when seeking an injunction, according to the suit. That creates a situation where the city typically wins the orders during an uncontested court proceeding, the ACLU said.

The injunctions themselves have long been hailed as part of the citys success in combating gang crime. Tony Moreno, a retired LAPD investigator and expert on gang activity, said street gangs like to control territory through public shows of force and intimidation. The injunctions, which bar them from congregating in public, can help break that stranglehold.

Thats part of the gang game, intimidating the community. When that works, you dont have people coming forward, you have people less likely to call the police, he said.

The injunctions can also help reduce violent crime, both by disrupting gang activity and reducing a gangs visibility, according to Moreno. The sight of several gang members assembled on a street corner could look like a bulls-eye to rival criminals, he said.

The other thing you got to remember about gang members is when they congregate, theyre a great target, he said. I cant tell you all the shootings Ive been to when theres a drive-by, and they went to get three or four guys on a corner, and they hit a kid.

But when someone is wrongfully labeled a gang member, they face an uphill battle when trying to clear their name, according to Bibring, who called the citys removal process woefully inadequate.

The citys removal process, at the moment, is still very one-sided. It allows the person who is subject to a gang injunction an opportunity to present an argument as to why they should not be on the injunction, but theyre never given notice of why police think they are participants in a gang, he said. Theyre never allowed to cross-examine. They dont know what evidence the police have.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

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Faced with mounting questions and anger on campus, USC announced Friday that it was hiring an ex-federal prosecutor to investigate a report by The Times that the former dean of the universitys medical school associated with criminals and drug abusers and used methamphetamine and other drugs with them.

We are outraged and disgusted by this individuals behavior, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said in a letter to the campus community, referring to Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, former dean of the Keck School of Medicine.

USC officials said they had begun the process to strip Puliafito of his faculty tenure and terminate him. In a separate letter to the faculty, Provost Michael W. Quick said the university had just learned about egregious behavior on the part of the former dean concerning substance abuse activities with people who arent affiliated with USC.

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The statements by USCs top officials were much more strongly worded than comments they made earlier in the week.

Quick said that shift was due to evidence officials reviewed Friday.

This was the first time we saw such information first-hand, Quick wrote. It is extremely troubling and we need to take serious action.

He did not reveal the evidence or say how it was different from the detailed account of Puliafitos behavior published in The Times on Monday.

Do you have information about USCs former med school dean? We want to hear from you 

Puliafito is barred from our campuses and any association with USC, including attending or participating in university events, the provost said.

Puliafito had continued to represent USC in public as recently as Saturday, when he spoke at a medical education seminar in Pasadena sponsored by the Keck School.

The Times report said that Puliafito used drugs with a circle of much younger people while leading the medical school.

It is crucial that we understand how these events occurred, Nikias said in his letter.

The universitys investigation will be overseen by Debra Wong Yang, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles and a former member of the Los Angeles Police Commission.

Yang represented USC when it faced a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against USC in 2012 by the parents of two graduate students who were slain off-campus. The suit was dismissed in 2013.

Yangs profile page on the Gibson Dunn website says she has worked as an adjunct professor for USCs Gould School of Law. It does not say when she taught there. She did not immediately respond to an interview request.

The law firm has close ties to USC. Its managing partner, Kenneth M. Doran, is a graduate of the USC law school and a former chairman of its board of councilors. He has also been a prominent fundraiser for the school. Gibson Dunn was cited in USC Law magazine in 2009 for achieving 100% participation by its lawyers in a fundraising drive. Of 28 law firms cited for their generosity, Gibson Dunn had the most USC alumni, with more than 30, according to the magazine.

Nikias said that Yang would conduct a thorough investigation into the details of Carmen Puliafitos conduct, the universitys response, as well as our existing policies and procedures.

All of us must cooperate fully and swiftly with the investigation, the letter said. It is critical we understand how and why this happened so we can do everything possible to improve our ability to prevent something like this from happening again.

Nikias said Yang would present findings and recommendations to the executive committee of the USC board of trustees. He did not say whether the findings would be made public.

Nikias has declined interview requests by The Times, and did not respond to written questions addressing how USC handled the Puliafito affair.

On Monday, when The Times lengthy investigation was published, USC announced that Puliafito, 66, had been placed on leave from his positions as a faculty member and Keck eye surgeon, and was no longer seeing patients.

Puliafito, who led the medical school for nearly a decade, resigned his $1.1-million-a-year deans post in March 2016, in the middle of the spring term, saying he wanted to explore outside opportunities.

He did not mention that three weeks earlier, a 21-year-old woman had overdosed in his presence in a Pasadena hotel room. The woman was rushed to a hospital, where she recovered. Police found methamphetamine in the hotel room, according to a police report, but made no arrests.

A tip about the episode prompted The Times to investigate. The newspaper interviewed six people who said they partied and used drugs with Puliafito in Pasadena, Huntington Beach and Las Vegas, as well as at USC. They ranged in age from the late teens to late 30s. None were USC students.

Members of the group captured their exploits in photos and videos shot in 2015 and 2016.

Steve Lopez: USC bosses flunk the leadership test amid shocking allegations about former medical school dean 

In one video, a tuxedo-clad Puliafito displays an orange pill on his tongue and says into the camera, Thought Id take an ecstasy before the ball. Then he swallows the pill.

In another, Puliafito uses a butane torch to heat a large glass pipe outfitted for methamphetamine use. He inhales and then unleashes a thick plume of white smoke. Seated next to him on a sofa, a young woman appears to smoke heroin from a piece of heated foil.

On Wednesday, the current medical school dean addressed angry students.

These allegations, if they are true, they are horrible and despicable, Dr. Rohit Varma told the gathering of scores of medical scholars and graduate students at the Keck School of Medicine in Boyle Heights.

Hes a man who had a brilliant career, all gone down the drain, Varma said. Im standing in this place where my predecessor now has this taint. ... It is sad.

He also said that Puliafito had sought treatment in the past for alcoholism, but that the allegations in the article that he used drugs came as a complete shock to us.

At the meeting on the Keck campus, students  some wearing hospital scrubs  said university administrators should have known more about Puliafitos troubling behavior, including reports that he appeared drunk or otherwise intoxicated at campus events. One woman said that it seems shocking that no one has been able to figure anything out in the last 10 years. ... People are now going to be questioning our professionalism.

Yang was an L.A. Superior Court judge and was appointed U. S. attorney for the Central District of California in May 2002 by President George W. Bush. She is a graduate of Pitzer College and Boston College Law School.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

paul.pringle@latimes.com

sarah.parvini@latimes.com

adam.elmahrek@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

9:40 p.m. Updated with more on Gibson Dunn

5:20 p.m.: Updated with USC beginning the process to terminate Puliafito.

5:08 p.m.: Updated with new details from provost, background on Yang.

4:15 p.m.: Updated with new details from USC.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The government today asserted in Parliament that it has no intention to impose Hindi over any other Indian language, a remark which assumes significance because of protests in some states due to apprehensions over the issue. All languages are national languages, althought Hindi is the official language, said Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is in-charge of the Department of Official Languages in the central government. He said the government is trying to find a way soon on how to bring the pending 38 languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, which grants official status to a language. "There is no question of imposition of Hindi over any other language. Hindi is the official language. There is no one language which is national language," he said in the Rajya Sabha. He was replying to a debate on a private members bill which sought inclusion of Tulu and Kodava languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution moved by B K Hariprasad of the Congress. "It is not a question of trying to impose Hindi. Let us be very clear. There is no one language which is national language, all languages are national languages. Hindi is the official language, so there is no question of discrimination. There is no special effort or attempt to promote Hindi," Rijiju said. His comments assume significance as they come in the backdrop of allegations by certain quarters in some state like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that the central government is trying to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states. The controversy over Hindi being imposed was generated after President Pranab Mukherjee accepted the recommendation of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language that all dignitaries including the president and ministers, especially those who can read and speak Hindi, may be requested to give their speech/statement in Hindi only. The president had accepted several other recommendations, including making announcements on board aircraft in Hindi followed by English. Elaborating on the governments three-language formula, Rijiju said it is already in existence and there is no bar on any state to conduct its business in regional languages. The minister observed that the issue of language is very sensitive and a slight mistake or misrepresentation can lead to many differences within the country. "We have not given any preference to one language over another. While justice is being done, we must ensure that no complications arise in the future because it is a very sensitive subject," Rijiju said. Clarifying the government position, he said, "We have made it clear that there is no question of imposition of Hindi over any other language. Hindi was made the official language taking into account the spirit of members of Parliament. Hindi has to be promoted but at the same time all other regional languages also have to be promoted". Hariprasad, while piloting his private member bill, highlighted the importance of regional languages. "We have no problem in making Hindi compulsory in southern states but please make one southern language compulsory in north India," said Hariprasad, who hails from Karnataka. Hariprasad also demanded that a criteria be developed for inclusion of languages in the 8th Schedule to make the process transparent and devoid of politics. To this, Rijiju said it is not easy to define the criteria which will make a particular language qualify for inclusion in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. He said the Home Ministry had set up a committee to have a look at the cases pending regarding inclusion of more languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. The minister urged Hariprasad to withdraw his bill, saying the two languages cannot be considered in isolation for inclusion in the 8th Schedule, to which the Congress member relented. At present, there are 22 languages under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution while 38 languages have been listed formally. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are demands for inclusion of 38 more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. Participating in the debate, Prasanna Acharya (BJD) urged the central government to come out with a broader Constitution amendment bill.

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"Let the government constitute a committee which should go deeper into the subject," he said.

"India cannot unite unless we bring the people together," he said, adding "inspite of all diversities, this nation is one and it continues to be one".

He said sometimes people are angry like in Gorkhaland, who are demanding a separate state, and urged the government to take care of the sentiments of people of the area. He urged the Centre to also bring Sambalpuri and Kosli languages of Odisha as part of the 8th Schedule.

Shiv Pratap Shukla (BJP) said if all the languages were taken care of, then there would not have been problems as existing today.

The President of India has himself said that if a language is spoken more in a state, then the government can include it in the 8th schedule, he said.

He said the three-language formula has been diluted as Sanskrit has been abandoned and only English and Hindi are recognised more.

He lamented that while India has not bothered about promoting Sanskrit, Germany has adopted it and is promoting it. He urged the government to include Bhojpuri and Tulu in the 8th schedule as it is spoken by a large number of people across the country. Anand Bhaskar Rapolu (Cong) stressed the need for protecting lesser-spoken languages in the country.

La Ganeshan (BJP) cautioned against imposition of English, saying in Tamil Nadu the mother tongue is Tamil but a generation has grown which didnt know how to write it and now there is a generation which doesnt know how to read it.

Pradeep Tamta (Cong) said languages like Bhojpuri, Kumaoni, Garhwali should also be included in the 8th Schedule.

Ram Vikas Netam (BJP) lamented that though Chhattisgarh was carved out as a separate state, its language Chhattisgarhi was still to be accorded official status. PTI RSN NAM SKC AKK AKK

--- ENDS ---
The Mexican businessman who went on trial a year ago and was convicted for illegal campaign donations is readying for a second trial on the lone charge federal prosecutors did not win a conviction.

Jose Susumo Azano Matsura was convicted in September of 35 charges of conspiracy to make illegal campaign donations and funneling about $600,000 in donations to two mayoral campaigns in 2012. Azano is a Mexican citizen who at the time had no legal status in the U.S., and under federal law was prohibited from making campaign contributions.

Jurros deadlocked on one other count  that Azano illegally possessed a firearm. The weapon, a black Sig Sauer P225 with a laser sight, was found in a bedroom closet of his Coronado mansion when 16 federal agents searched the home on Jan. 22, 2014.

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Azano was admitted to the country at the time under the provisions of a B1/B2 visa, which are temporary for tourists and business purposes.

Its illegal for people visiting the country under such a visa to possess a firearm.

The issue might not be so straightforward, however. In several pretrial motions this past week Azanos lawyer, Knut Johnson, sketched out defenses to the charge  including one based on the contention that Azano was told by a federal agent he could have a firearm in order to protect wealthy businessman and his family.

A defendant who relies on a the assurance of a government official that something is legal to do can assert that defense, known as entrapment by estoppel.

Its unclear exactly where the gun came from. At the trial last summer, Azanos former lawyer indicated an FBI agent had told Azano getting a gun was okay. Federal prosecutors wrote in a pretrial filing that Azano had told people the gun was a gift from Mexican generals or the Mexican president.

In court papers filed this week, Johnson wrote that Azano identified a federal law enforcement officer who provided the firearm in question to his household several years before the search.

Azano was on good terms with some people in federal law enforcement. He made his fortune in large part by providing sophisticated surveillance tools to law enforcement in Mexico.

Johnson said that Azano has met with federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents, communicated with the FBI about kidnappings in Mexico, and provided resources to law enforcement investigations, including expertise, surveillance and equipment.

Azano is also fighting the charge by arguing that the gun was illegally seized by agents. An application for the search warrant that had been obtained before agents descended on the home did not say they were looking for a weapon, so seizing the weapon that formed the basis of the charge was beyond the scope of what they were allowed to seek.

The warrant was sought to search for evidence of tax crimes, Johnson wrote. Agents found the gun after asking Azano if there were any weapons in the home  a standard query when law enforcement serves warrants.

Azano told agents there was a gun in a locked cabinet in a closet of the homes master bedroom.

Federal prosecutors have yet to respond to the recently filed motions. At the trial last year they said the issue was simple: Azano was prohibited from possessing any firearms, and a firearm was found in the closet of the bedroom of a home he owned.

Other elements of the case continue to linger.

Azanos son, Edward Azano Hester, was also convicted of conspiracy and aiding campaign contributions of a foreign national. The jury could not reach a verdict on six counts, and acquitted the younger Azano of six other counts.

On July 12, prosecutors told U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello that they would dismiss the charges the jury deadlocked on. But they said they would do so without prejudice  leaving the door open to potentially refiling the charges.

That did not sit well with Charles La Bella, Hesters lawyer who is a former federal prosecutor. He said government lawyers told him they wanted to keep the possibility of refiling charges, in case they were not satisfied with whatever sentence Anello gives Hester.

La Bella wanted a chance to argue that the charges should be dismissed in a way that they could not be filed again, known as a dismissal with prejudice. But Anello declined to allow him do so  and dismissed the six deadlocked charges as prosecutors requested.

That cleared the way for Hester to be sentenced, which is set to occur on Nov. 6.

A third defendant, campaign services expert Ravneet Singh, is set to be sentenced on Aug. 31. He was convicted of conspiracy and falsifying campaign finance records. Singh provided social media and other services in the 2012 race, for the campaigns of former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and ex-Mayor Bob Filner. Prosecutors said Azano secretly paid for them.

Lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes was acquitted of four charges, but the jury deadlocked on others, including the conspiracy charge. A retrial is set for December.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
A former contractor who worked in Camp Pendleton warehouses was sentenced in San Diego federal court Friday to a year in prison for helping steal $444,000 worth of medical equipment destined to treat sick and wounded Marines overseas.

John Montano worked as a civilian biomedical technician in warehouses run by 1st Medical Logistics Company, helping maintain and ship medical equipment to armed forces worldwide. Prior to that, he had worked in the medical field in the Navy for 20 years before being honorably discharged in 2010.

Montano admitted to being part of a scheme that stole at least $3 million in equipment from the warehouses and sold them to resellers off-base in 2012. Specifically, he admitted to helping steal eight anesthesia machines at $41,400 a piece and 10 autoclaves at $11,200 a piece, according to court records. He was paid around $30,000 to $40,000 for his role in the scheme.

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Prosecutors noted that he lied to investigators when first approached about the case. He later explained that he wanted to clear out the warehouse and didnt care where the equipment went, prosecutors said.

He was ordered to pay about $444,000 in restitution to the Marines and forfeit $42,000. Most of the stolen equipment was later recovered by the government.

While investigators have been able to track $3 million in stolen goods, authorities admit they dont know the entire scope of the thefts.

Montano is the last of six people to be sentenced in the fraud.

In May, warehouse clerk Henry Bonilla was sentenced to 15 months in prison and clerk Richard Navarro to 12 months. They were also ordered to jointly pay $3 million in restitution.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
The offer is blunt and chilling.

Someone by the name of Rent-A-Hacker claims in an online ad that you can hire him to destroy the reputation of any person or business you desire.

If you want someone to get known as a child-porn user, no problem, the ad reads. Ill do anything for money.

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Thats not hyperbole. Cyber experts said you can anonymously hire hackers to wreak havoc on everything from one person to tens of thousands of hospitals, banks, universities, power plants, government agencies and other major institutions and businesses around the globe.

Or you can buy malicious software and learn to do it yourself.

The process begins with a visit to the dark web, a secretive corner of the World Wide Web thats starting to become as well-known for cyber attacks as it is for transactions involving illegal drugs, weapons, child pornography, human trafficking and stolen data.

The dark web is a digital netherworld where black-market sites are hidden from search engines such as Google and Bing. But visitors can explore and buy its wares with special browsers that conceal peoples identities and locations.

Activity on these black markets has raised enough concern that during this past week, top authorities in several countries announced that they had joined forces to shut down AlphaBay, the worlds leading marketplace on the dark web. They also said for the past month, law enforcement had taken over another prominent black market  Hansa  and impersonated its administrators so they could collect information about merchants and customers.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions described the unusual, elaborately coordinated operation as the largest (dark web) marketplace takedown in history.

Yet cyber experts were divided on whether the international crackdown would have a lasting impact. In the past, people simply switched to other forums on the dark web or created new ones whenever authorities achieved a rare closure of an existing site.

The dark web is so covert, its usually difficult to precisely track specific characters and their actions. Still, analysts believe the dark web and its main browser, Tor, played a key role in a recent series of high-profile cyber attacks that raised public awareness about hacking to a new level.

Two events have stood out.

Last October, hackers hijacked thousands of Internet-connected devices in peoples homes and used them in an attack that knocked out popular websites in the United States, including Netflix, PayPal, Twitter, Spotify and Airbnb.

That incident was followed in May by a more ambitious operation. Hackers unleashed WannaCry, a digital worm that infected more than 230,000 computers worldwide with ransomware. The worm  basically nasty software  froze computers operating systems and then demanded ransom in exchange for relinquishing control of those machines.

The attack disrupted hospital care in England, closed gas stations in parts of China, crippled some railway operators in Germany, slowed auto production in France and interfered with FedExs delivery system in Europe.

The general public is beginning to realize that while theyve been busy with online shopping and banking and Facebook and YouTube, the darker elements of society have been developing their own uses of the internet, said Stephen Cobb, a researcher in the San Diego office of cybersecurity firm ESET.

Theyre leveraging its anonymity and ubiquity to enable a wide range of crimes, both digital and physical, he added.

For a number of reasons, things are expected to worsen.

Its becoming easier to buy products and services on the dark web due to the growing acceptance of Bitcoin, a digital currency that can be hard to trace.

The world also is experiencing explosive growth in the use of web-connected devices, giving hackers ever more targets. Thats especially true in peoples homes, where things such as refrigerators, thermostats, nanny cams and toothbrushes are being linked to the internet.

Many of these devices have few or no security features.

In addition, hackers are getting better at stealing and selling data, particularly electronic health records, which sell for $500 apiece on the dark web.

Despite the much-touted success of the law-enforcement campaigns against AlphaBay and Hansa, investigators struggle to identify cyber criminals most of the time.

Theres no one to subpoena, said Special Agent Nicholas Arico of the FBI, who works on cyber crime cases out of the agencys San Diego office.

In recent weeks, the credit bureau Experian has been running TV ads that highlight the dark webs dangers. Such advertising is welcomed by cyber experts, who said the public is confused by much of the online world  and how it can affect their lives.

At a minimum, people should know that the web is composed of three neighborhoods, which have different names and functions.

The public is most familiar with the surface web, which refers to public sites that can be found with standard search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. This is where Facebook lives. And CNN. And WebMD.

There are about 1 billion of these websites, but they make up only 4 percent of the World Wide Web.

The other 96 percent is called the deep web, which is mostly composed of databases run by government agencies, financial institutions, health systems, library systems and colleges.

All of these databases have addresses. But for privacy and protection, they arent indexed. They cannot be easily identified with standard search engines, although you can use a browser to visit the sites if you know their exact addresses.

Most of these sites require log-ins, and many arent open to the public for any reason.

Then theres the dark web, a subset of the deep web that comprises about 7,200 sites. Its called dark because its hard to find and its contents are hidden.

Analysts said hundreds of sites on the dark web are forums and black markets where millions of dollars in illegal commerce occur each day. You can buy everything from grenade launchers to opioids to hacking tools stolen from the National Security Agency.

The criminality is so widespread, it obscures the fact that the dark web also broadly benefits society through the use of customized browsers, particularly Tor, which can be downloaded for free.

Tor and its support network are so effective at hiding a persons identity and location that theyre widely used by whistleblowers, journalists, businesses, non-government advocacy organizations, the military, human-rights groups and political dissidents, including people who were involved in the Arab Spring uprising in the Middle East.

The Tor network is used every day all across the world to help people in oppressive regimes to communicate anonymously without fear for their safety, said Christine Runnegar, a staff adviser at the Internet Society, an advocacy group based in Reston, Virginia. Its an important human-rights tool.

The browser also is used by people who simply wish to remain anonymous so they can avoid having information about their lives collected by governments, corporations and social networks. For example, about 1 million people use Tor to access Facebook.

Tor represents a scientific advance thats being used for good and ill. And the downside generates a lot of concern and frustration.

The Wannacry and Petya ransomware attacks in May and June started from NSA tools that were leaked on to the dark web, said Kevin OBrien, chief executive of GreatHorn, a Boston-based cyber company. The amount of off-the-shelf malware for sale on the dark web is expanding daily.

Gary Davis, a security evangelist at Santa Clara-based McAfee, said: We are also seeing an increase in malware as a service being made available where, after answering a few quick questions and providing payment, anyone can launch an attack. You can even find how-to videos on YouTube that step you through how to use malware and launch attacks.

The situation represents a nightmare for law enforcement.

Its incredibly difficult to prove who is doing these actions. Theres anonymity on the Internet and then hackers can bounce their attacks across countries, often utilizing countries where there arent laws against it or where the authorities dont have time or expertise to try to help the U.S. in tracking down these criminals, said Ben Johnson, chief technology officer at Obsidian Security in Newport Beach.

Its painstaking work.

The FBIs Arico said, One of the things we do to determine if someone is a big player in the market is just look at their moniker and say, How many transactions did that particular individual do and whats the size of their Bitcoin wallet?

Its one of those things where you have to use traditional law-enforcement techniques coupled with new technology, he added. Were constantly having to reinvent new ways to gain attribution. The most difficult thing in any type of cyber investigation  specifically in a dark market  is (identifying) the person behind the computer.

Hacking through the dark web is a global problem and wont go away until there is much better legal cooperation between key countries, especially Russia, China and the West, said Satya Gupta, co-founder and chief technology officer for the San Jose-based security company Virsec Systems.

The hackers are nimble, good at hiding their tracks, and can more easily monetize activity through Bitcoin or complex chains of Paypal accounts, Gupta said. This will be an ongoing arms race between well-organized and well-funded hackers, and businesses and individuals that are getting smarter about security. There is no easy cure for this other than constant vigilance.

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Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
San Diego business leaders on Thursday said they have raised money to fund two large tent shelters to get homeless people temporarily off the streets, but the next step will be up to elected officials.

This doesnt work if the city doesnt step up and have their own internal debate and determine where these go, said Dan Shea, a chain restaurant operator and partner at Paradigm Investment Group, LLC.

Shea and San Diego Padres Managing Partner Peter Seidler held a news conference at the University of San Diego to announce that private donors have contributed more than enough for two large industrial tents, which would each cost about $800,000 to buy and erect.

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While they both noted that some city and county officials are on board with the idea, they also expect there will be a fight over where to put the tents.

Weve remained agnostic on that point, Shea said. We dont want to be in the middle of their fight. They have to stand up and they have to make the decision of what location the first one is going to go.

How to furnish and operate the shelters also would need to be worked out.

Each tent would hold about 250 people, and Shea said the plan is to put up as many as needed and leave them up until permanent housing is found for the homeless they serve.

If successful, their effort would bring back the types of tents the city had used in its winter shelter program, which was abandoned about three years ago in favor of year-round housing at Father Joes Villages.

Those earlier tents, donated by the San Diego Unified Port District, are no longer available because they were recycled by the port a couple years ago after the citys housing policy changed.

San Diego has shifted its focused away from shelters and toward a housing first approach that puts homeless people in permanent supportive housing, which many consider a more effective approach to solving the causes of homelessness.

Seidler stressed that the tent proposal is not in conflict with housing-first, but is needed as a temporary solution because there isnt enough available permanent housing to meet the countys needs.

An annual count of the homeless in San Diego County this year found 5,621 people were unsheltered, an increase of 14 percent from last year, and 3,495 were in shelters, a decrease of 6 percent.

The number of homeless and unsheltered is rising, Seidler said. The number of deaths is rising. The number of serious illness is rising, and the time is now to act, to start reversing those numbers.

Seidler said patient collaboration between many people, as well as a sense of urgency, is needed to address the problem.

Seidler, Shea and other business leaders have been meeting weekly for months to discuss the homeless issue and they have participated in symposiums on the subject held at USD.

In a plan they first revealed in June, they said an analysis of the proposal found it would cost $17 per person a day for the city and county to provide services to go with the tents.

Seidler said the services were needed in addition to the tents because San Diego just cant warehouse people, but must provide long-term help with addictions, housing needs, health problems and other issues.

San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, chair of the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless board, said the tent proposal made sense, and he didnt see it as in conflict with housing-first.

People have been down on shelters because it diverts attention from long-term solutions, but those long-term solutions are not going to develop overnight, he said.

Roberts calls the offer to fund two tents very generous, and he thinks other elected officials will be on board with the idea as an interim solution.

He does expect that there could be a fight over where to put the tents  there often were disputes over the location of the previous winter shelters  but said he was optimistic that all sides could come together.

Id hate to see such an offer not be acted on with the need thats out there, he said.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer is supportive of the idea of providing more temporary beds for homeless people, but stopped short of endorsing the tents.

Mayor Faulconer has called for everyone to play a part to reduce homelessness, and we appreciate that everyone from elected officials to San Diego residents are heeding the call and coming forward with resources and ideas, Craig Gustafson, Faulconers press secretary, wrote in an email.

We appreciate and welcome the financial commitment of businessmen Peter Seidler and Dan Shea, he continued. A homeless facility needs land as well as funding. There is no perfect spot for homeless services and the city does not own any property that doesnt come with serious challenges, whether they be logistical or financial.

Gustafson said that the mayor is committed to finding a site for temporary beds, which dont necessarily have to be in a tent.

Earlier this year, Faulconer announced the city plans to spend $12.5 million to create a homeless intake center that will include a number of beds for temporary shelter.

San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward, a member of the citys Committee on Homeless and a member of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless board, couldnt be reached Thursday but recently expressed support for more emergency housing.

In a memo he sent to Committee on Homelessness members Wednesday, Ward wrote that the city should be doing more to get people off the street as soon as possible, and his suggestions included using the practice field at Qualcomm Stadium. He did not, however, mention putting a tent at the site.

USD President James Harris and San Diego Community College District Chancellor Constance Carroll also were at the news conference Thursday.

Carroll said the community college district could help in the effort by providing classes in the tents that could lead to employment, similar to what it is doing with the San Diego Rescue Mission.

Harris said USD will continue to hold symposiums on the subject and could work with other higher education schools in the county to compile whatever research on homelessness has been conducted at those campuses.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
San Diegos plan to allow local cultivation, manufacturing and testing of marijuana took a key step forward with the recent unveiling of proposed regulations for those activities.

Leaders of the local marijuana industry are praising San Diego for being among a small group of California cities willing to allow a local marijuana supply chain in addition to permitting storefronts selling the drug.

But they also criticized the proposed regulations as too strict, particularly a rule capping the total number of cultivation and manufacturing businesses at two per City Council district  or 18 maximum in the city.

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In addition, some said zoning restrictions that outlaw dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and other sensitive uses shouldnt apply to cultivation and manufacturing sites because there is no public access to them.

Others said the city releasing only a summary of the proposed regulations, instead of the full text, has left many unanswered questions, including what will happen to a handful of businesses already engaged in cultivation and manufacturing with tacit city approval.

RELATED: Local marijuana producers in limbo as San Diego weighs legalization

Industry leaders also expressed frustration that Council President Myrtle Cole has postponed a July 31 hearing on the new regulations to Sept. 11.

The delay was requested by local cannabis consultant Lani Lutar and Mickey Kasparian, head of a new umbrella labor group known as the Working Families Council.

Lutar said the goal of the delay is ensuring new regulations help San Diego maximize tax revenue and the economic boost of marijuana legalization, and that the regulations prioritize working families, the environment and the safety of residents.

Jeff Murphy, the citys planning director, said the delay jeopardizes the citys ability to have its regulations in place before new state rules for the marijuana industry  both recreational and medical  are expected to take effect in January.

The new state and city rules were prompted primarily by California voters approving recreational marijuana last November by passing Proposition 64.

The proposed San Diego regulations, which the city posted on its website with little fanfare on July 13, would place regulations on marijuana manufacturing and cultivation businesses similar to the rules for dispensaries.

It appears that rules for testing facilities would be a bit looser, but thats unclear.

Manufacturing and cultivation businesses would need to be in industrial zones, at least 100 feet from any residential properties and at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, churches, youth-oriented facilities and other sensitive uses.

Such businesses also couldnt be within 1,000 feet of each other. And similar to a city maximum of four dispensaries in each of nine council districts, there would be a maximum of two cultivation and manufacturing businesses per district.

I was very disappointed these regulations put a cap, said Kimberly Simms, an attorney working with several local marijuana businesses. If the intention is to have the city of San Diego be self-sufficient and have a fully functioning supply chain within our city boundaries so we dont have to truck product in and out, then two per district isnt going to cut it.

And those were the intentions expressed by the City Council last winter when it directed staff to create regulations that would possibly allow local cultivation and manufacturing.

RELATED: San Diego legalizes recreational pot dispensaries

Council members said not allowing such businesses locally would cost San Diego jobs and tax revenue, jeopardize the safety of patients and increase air pollution by forcing tons of marijuana to be trucked into the city from elsewhere.

La Mesa is the only other city in the region that has indicated it may allow cultivation.

The United Medical Marijuana Coalition, a group of local dispensaries, expressed similar concerns to Simms.

The rules as proposed will unquestionably fall short of supplying the legal market in the city of San Diego, and we hope the City Council will address this, said Phil Rath, the groups executive director. Local production lowers costs and has added benefits for the environment and our regional economy.

Rath said his groups goal is to have enough product grown locally and legally to supply all of the citys 16 legally approved dispensaries, a number thats expected to eventually climb near or above 20.

He said there were a number of troubling provisions in the proposed regulations beyond the cap of two cultivation and manufacturing businesses per district, but declined to specify.

Simms said one such provision is separation requirements from sensitive uses like schools and parks.

They are fully appropriate for dispensaries where theres public access and signage and a lot of foot traffic, she said. But these non-retail facilities have no public access, there is no coming and going and there is no signage, so why are we making this so overly burdensome?

She added that if churches or schools or youth-oriented facilities open in industrial areas, that is their choice and they should expect to be near industrial businesses like those that cultivate and manufacture marijuana.

Simms said limiting the number of legal businesses in San Diego cultivating and manufacturing marijuana would only encourage a black market of suppliers for the citys dispensaries.

Gina Austin, another local marijuana attorney, said the proposed cap was a major red flag.

Its a concern any time you artificially limit supply and demand, she said.

But Austin said its hard to evaluate the rules when the city hasnt released the full text.

The city has withheld the information no matter how hard we try to get more details, she said.

Its also not clear what would happen to 27 businesses  17 manufacturers, eight cultivators, one testing lab and one warehouse  that dont actually have any legal standing despite being given city business tax certificates, more commonly known as a business license.

Simms said she believes some or all may be grandfathered in  allowed to continue operating  or be given priority for permits.

Austin said she thinks that five of the 27 businesses that have building permits, not just business tax certificates, are in a much stronger position legally than the others.

Despite their criticisms, Simms and Austin said San Diego deserves praise for moving forward with regulations.

Cities and counties across the state are enacting bans and continuing with the Draconian rhetoric that cannabis is the root of all evil, so Im very happy that SanDiego is continuing to be a leader, Simms said.

On the delay of the hearing, the citys planning director, Murphy, sent a memo to Cole on July 18 urging her to stick with the citys preferred July 31 date.

Murphy said legal notices have been posted and 200 stakeholders got notifications. He also said waiting until September may not give the city enough time to approve the regulations before the end of the year, especially if the council wants any changes.

A July 31 hearing would allow time for staff to make any requested amendments during the summer recess and then return with an actionable final draft in September, with a second reading in early October, Murphy wrote.

He also said not adopting regulations before the state does would create a risk of many illegal non-retail marijuana uses beginning to operate in the city.

Murphy also said the councils crowded legislative calendar this fall could mean the postponement will force other key items to be delayed.

Jimmie Slack, Coles chief of staff, said in a response memo that the marijuana regulations would not delay other priority legislation, but he didnt address the other concerns raised by Murphy.

Lutar, the cannabis consultant who joined with labor to create the delay, said the regulations are too important to be rushed.

We thought it was important to slow things down a little bit so the proper regulations can be adopted, she said.

Lutar said shes been studying best practices in other California cities and Colorado to determine how San Diego can benefit the most from marijuana legalization.

Council President Cole declined to comment on the delay.

The citys proposal can be found here.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
A robber pulled out a machete to threaten a Lexus owner and steal his car in Mira Mesa early Friday, police said.

Officers later found the sedan about a mile away, abandoned.

Police said the victim was sitting in his car on Caminito Manso shortly after 2 a.m. when a man masked in a blue bandanna walked up and demanded his electronic tablet.

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The car owner refused to hand over the device, prompting the culprit to draw a machete. The victim scrambled out of his car and backed away as the robber started swinging the weapon, police Officer Robert Heims said.

The robber jumped into the gray Lexus GS300. He hit a parked car he drove toward Hillery Drive, then turned west. Officers came across the Lexus about a mile away, on Ivory Coast Drive, at 3:30 a.m.
A man gravely wounded in an attack in Oceanside remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, a police lieutenant said.

A resident at a home on Winter Road near Springtime Drive found the 38-year-old victim and called police about 10:50 p.m. Wednesday to request medical aid, police Lt. Valencia Saadat said.

Paramedics took the man to a hospital with multiple, life-threatening injuries, Saadat said.

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She said investigators were awaiting reports from doctors to determine the nature and extent of his wounds.

Detectives have not determined where the attack occurred. The lieutenant said the victim has lived at the home intermittently over the last three years but is not currently a resident.

The resident who called 911 did not witness the assault, Saadat said. Investigators have not identified a suspect.

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Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
A man suspected of human smuggling was arrested Thursday after leading a deputy on a pursuit that ended when the suspect crashed his pickup near the community of Potrero.

The deputy tried to pull over the driver, who was in a Ford Ranger, at Potrero Valley Road and state Route 94 about 1:30 p.m. The truck had a cracked windshield and did not have registration tags on its license plate, Sgt. Joseph Leos said.

The driver sped off on Potrero Valley Road. The pursuit went on for about a mile, until the driver hit a fence post while he tried to turn onto a side road, Leos said. The impact caused the pickup to overturn onto its side.

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The driver, identified as Eric Oxenham, 22, climbed out of the drivers window  uninjured.

Inside the truck were three gallon-sized bags of marijuana and a loaded Uzi submachine gun, Leos said.

Oxenham was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant for human smuggling and other charges including being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with BJPs reax, correcting word in headline)

Kolkata, Jul 21 (PTI) Stepping up her attack on the BJP, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said it should be ousted from India for "failure on all fronts" and offered to back all parties which intended to fight the saffron party.

She announced that her party would hold an "Oust BJP from India" programme from August 9 to August 30 after alleging that the BJP had "failed on all fronts" including keeping good relations with foreign countries, especially neighbouring ones.

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"We will oust the BJP from India. It is our challenge. The Centre is trying to browbeat us with Saradha, Narada cases, but we are not afraid of it. None of us is guilty. We will not bow our heads," she told a massive rally here.

Banerjee said the TMC would file a defamation case against the CBI and other central agencies for "harassing and defaming" TMC leaders.

The TMC holds a martyrs day rally on July 21 every year in remembrance of 13 youth Congress activists who were killed in police firing in Kolkata in 1993. Banerjee was then a leader of the West Bengal Youth Congress.

Ridiculing Banerjees call to "oust" the party from the country, the BJP said that the TMC had been "reduced to a signboard" in Tripura, where it tried to expand its base.

Six sacked TMC MLAs in Tripura had voted for NDA nominee Ram Kath Kovind in presidential election.

"She had earlier given a Modi hatao, desh bachao (get rid of Modi, save the country) call, but the BJP won in four more states (after that). We are ready to fight her politics of appeasement and communalism," West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

He said the saffron party came to power at the Centre and 18 states through a democratic process.

Banerjee accused the central government of not allowing state governments to work freely and trying to intefere in their affairs.

"They are not allowing the state governments to work freely. If they are an elected government, we are also an elected government. We are not their servants," she said amid applaud from the audience.

Banerjee said that 18 opposition parties came together and supported opposition candidate Meira Kumar in the presidential election.

"This platform has been expanded and we are also fighting together in vice presidential poll. It is just a beginning. This platform will expand in future to defeat the BJP, which thinks that it will have a cakewalk for it in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Things will not be that easy (for the BJP)," she said.

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Voicing her partys support to those who will fight the BJP, she said, "West Bengal will stand besides Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and all those who will oppose the BJP."

She alleged, "Indias relations with foreign countries have deteriorated under BJP-led government at the Centre. Why cant it improve relations with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, which have borders with West Bengal?"

In an obvious reference to the unrest in Darjeeling hills, Banerjee said, "If you try to disturb Bengal, then it will lead to disturbance in entire India because of its geo-political position."

She also accused the Centre of unleashing central agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Ddepartment against those who had opposed demonetisation and GST roll-out in haste.

Described the prevailing situation in the country as worse than during the Emergency, she said opposition parties and a section of the media were being targeted for "speaking against" the Modi government.

"We are now living in such an atmosphere as where no one can eat freely, no one can talk freely. Dalits and Muslims cant live with their self-respect. The BJP is trying to dictate everything. Even (Nobel laureate) Amartya Sen cant speak," she said.

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Banerjee asked her partys leaders and workers to start preparing for next years panchayat elections. "I have information that Lok Sabha polls can be advanced," she said.

Claiming that the general election can be advanced, she said, "The parliamentary polls may be held next year. I have been hearing such news. We should be prepared. If all opposition parties come together, the BJP will be driven out of power in the next polls."

On the cross-voting that took place in West Bengal during the presidential poll, Banerjee blamed Left Front MLAs for voting in favour of BJP pick Ram Nath Kovind.

"Both the Left and the BJP are playing a fixed match. They (Left) are claiming to fight the BJP and are now casting their votes in favour of the BJP," she said.

She also announced a series of political programmes in the state in the next two months and asked her party workers to stay alert so that no untoward incident took place.

"Please remain alert. The BJP is trying to spread rumours in social media websites. Please be cautions and if you find something is wrong, inform the police," she said. PTI PNT SUN MD SC

--- ENDS ---

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Nearly six months ago, we penned a joint op-ed in this publication promising bipartisan action to address the serious housing crisis our city currently faces. This Monday, in an event we are labeling Housing Action Day, the San Diego City Council has the opportunity to follow through on this promise by supporting three specific reforms that will help build more housing, offering an opportunity for San Diegans struggling to pay rent or to buy a home.

While we come from opposite ends of the political spectrum and may disagree on some issues, we do agree that immediate action is needed. By now, the staggering housing statistics are commonly known. The cost of average rent has reached nearly $2,000 a month. The median cost of a home has surpassed a half-million dollars. On average, San Diegans spend more of their annual income on housing than San Franciscans!

These sobering numbers have motivated us to bring together stakeholders from both sides of the aisle to brainstorm and bring forward several measures to streamline the housing approval process. The three measures being considered this Monday focus on allowing construction of housing to move faster, therefore reducing the cost to build, and ultimately the cost to rent or buy.

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Streamline companion unit construction: This proposal allows homeowners to easily build companion units commonly referred to as granny flats on their property. In addition, the fee charged for building these units will be reduced.

Last year, only 10 companion units were built in the entire city. This reform will help increase the level of construction on these types of homes. The proposal will also provide increased income for struggling homeowners choosing to rent companion units and gives families more options to better care for aging parents.

Process-level reductions of qualifying housing projects: In a new expedited program, eligible projects that include housing plans that provide at least 10 percent affordable units, projects that meet green sustainability standards, and projects near transit priority areas would be approved faster.

High process levels correlate with additional delays. This expedited program will help reduce these delays and increase the development we need. The proposal moves qualified projects to Process Level 2, reducing the time and cost it takes to navigate through red tape while still providing ample levels of review.

Reforming the appeals process: Currently, if people wants to abuse the process, they can file an appeal for $100 to cause delays to an approved project. Appeals clog the housing construction pipeline resulting in project delays, increased costs and wasted staff time. The current average length for an appeal hearing is 104 days. These changes will help reduce that number.

Our solution is to increase appeal fees to $1,000 and require the appeal hearing to occur within 60 days. This will still give someone the opportunity to appeal a project, and, if there is widespread community support for an appeal, the Community Planning Group in the neighborhood can still appeal for free. In addition, the City Council is required to hear these appeals even if an appellant rescinds his or her appeal! Our reform will change this unnecessary requirement, saving staff time and dollars.

We are committed to showing the rest of the state that government can take action to solve the housing crisis. After all, a significant percentage of housing costs come from government regulation. This is the first of many Housing Action Days with specific proposals we hope to have before the City Council. The Smart Growth and Land Use Committee, comprised of ourselves and council members Chris Cate and Georgette Gomez, are working diligently on additional reforms that could reach the full City Council this fall. Some of those measures include: park equivalencies, deferring fees, setting housing target goals, options for self-certification and restructuring development fees. Additionally, we will review opportunities to support funding affordable housing programs.

During this process, we have been inspired with the vast level of support our efforts have received from organizations and individuals from all areas of the political spectrum. To continue our momentum, we urge those still on the sidelines to consider joining us in our efforts to fix this crisis. It is our moral imperative to do all we can to ensure future generations of San Diegans have the same opportunities we had growing up in this beautiful region.

Though we may have our differences, if we focus instead on what can bring us together, we will solve this housing crisis.

Sherman, represents District 7 on the San Diego City Council and is chairman of the councils Smart Growth and Land Use Committee. Twitter: @ShermanSD7. Alvarez represents District 8 on the City Council and is vice chair of the committee. Twitter: @AlvarezSD.
San Diego is a successful example of what can be achieved when countries collaborate. Our binational region has been recognized for helping to improve the innovation economy, attracting new investments and strengthening cross-border infrastructure. Central to these achievements has been the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has made it easier for companies to do business on both sides of the border.

In Washington D.C., federal lawmakers currently are working to modernize this landmark agreement, which could unleash new economic opportunities for the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Earlier this week, I testified before congressional leadership about the importance of maintaining existing benefits of NAFTA, as well as making amendments that reflect changes in todays global market. From an energy perspective, NAFTA has been a big plus for the U.S., helping to create a robust and integrated North American energy market that supports U.S. jobs, strengthens our energy security and protect the environment.

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IEnova, a Sempra Energy operating subsidiary, now ranks as one of the largest private energy companies in Mexico with more than $7 billion in assets. IEnovas footprint in Mexico spans several lines of business: natural gas transportation, distribution and storage; electricity generation (natural gas, wind and solar); and liquids storage and transportation.

Energy investments in Mexico are generating tens of thousands of new well-paying jobs on both sides of the border for engineers, operators, accountants, IT professionals and others. Providing energy to Mexico involves a lengthy and complicated supply chain that is growing and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S. associated with the production and transportation of natural gas and liquid fuels to the border.

Developing new infrastructure for cleaner energy also is helping Mexico reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the environment.

The opportunities created by the global energy market have contributed to an energy trade surplus for the U.S. Our nations trade with Mexico and Canada in energy commodities, including electricity, liquid fuels and natural gas, exceeds $140 billion annually. In fact, last year, the U.S. enjoyed a trade surplus in energy commodities with Mexico of more than $11 billion, with more than $20 billion in U.S. exports to Mexico and less than $9 billion in U.S. imports from Mexico.

And, we are just beginning to tap the potential of U.S.-Mexican energy trade. Mexico expects a doubling in its natural gas imports in just the next five years and in its per capita electricity consumption during the next 25 years.

In addition to maintaining the existing benefits, our leaders have an opportunity to improve NAFTA in ways that expand trade and investment:

 First, NAFTA should reflect todays market openness. When NAFTA was negotiated in the early 1990s, much of the Mexican energy sector was effectively closed to U.S. and other foreign companies. In 2013, however, Mexico amended its constitution and enacted legislation to reform the energy sector and increase foreign investment;

 Second, we should maintain the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to protect our investments in foreign lands and further expand it. Essentially, maintaining ISDS levels the playing field for U.S. businesses. It provides U.S. investors with same rights in foreign markets that foreign investors enjoy in the U.S. under federal law; and

 Third, NAFTA should be modernized by increasing regulatory coordination in the energy sector, particularly with respect to the cross-border infrastructure development process.

If our federal lawmakers can preserve NAFTAs existing benefits, while updating it to reflect changing market conditions, this critical trade agreement has the potential to increase economic growth on both sides of the border, improving the environment and providing a boost to border cities like San Diego. A growing U.S.-Mexican energy trade partnership is a win-win-win proposition for both countries: for our economies, our communities and our environment.

Arriola is executive vice president, corporate strategy and external affairs, for Sempra Energy.
In recent years, the California State Auditors Office has waded into the affairs of several small water districts and water retailers, including districts in Victorville and Hesperia and the city of Downeys Public Works Department. This is all well and good. The state auditors office purview covers a wide range of government bodies, and the obscure ones certainly merit the same sort of oversight.

Now The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has a new suggestion for state Auditor Elaine Howle: We think her office should investigate the harsh allegations lobbed against the states largest water agency  the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 18 million residents  by its largest member agency, the San Diego County Water Authority. And theyre ready.

The two agencies have been at war for a quarter-century, since the water authority began an aggressive pursuit of new suppliers after being squeezed by MWD during the states 1987-1992 drought. In 2015, a San Francisco Superior Court judge agreed with the agency that MWD had systematically overcharged the authority for years, ordering $234 million in repayments for overbilling and clearing the way for billions of dollars in long-term savings to authority customers. Last month, an appellate court partly reversed the ruling, an action the water authority hopes the state Supreme Court will overturn.

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But the water authoritys allegations go far beyond challenges to billing practices. The authority asserts that MWDs reckless fiscal practices are a key factor in the sharp increase in its water rates.

From an email, here are three of its allegations:

MWD engaged in unplanned borrowing of $900 million (in a single year, 2016); and drained their unrestricted cash reserves so low that of $378 million it projected to have on hand on June 30, 2017, $300 million was borrowed money.

MWDs own numbers show it overcharged Southern California water users  not just those in San Diego County  by $847 million above its budgeted costs between 2012-2015.

MWD has recently engaged in $1.2 billion in unbudgeted and unplanned spending [that] included questionable land purchases ... without even a single appraisal.

MWD says this is propaganda that ignores its strong fiscal management, modest rate increases and a low debt load and some of the highest bond ratings. But in a telephone interview, MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said he had no objections to a state audit. I dont know what good it would do, he said. Im not afraid of it. If the auditor said SDCWAs criticisms of MWD are a PR campaign driven by their litigation strategy, he added, Im not sure theyd change their strategy.

The water authority contends its allegations are amply documented at the mwdfacts.com website it runs. In an email, Assistant General Manager Dennis Cushman said the water authority very much wanted a state audit to ensure MWD finally gets the intense scrutiny it has long needed.

For the millions of people who rely on MWD supplies  and who have seen their rates double over the past decade  the stakes are high. So Elaine Howle, come on down. Theres digging to be done.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
Lightly edited comments from our online coverage.

Regarding Rep. Susan Davis, three other House Dems sued for displaying Pride flag (July 19): There have been many cases where the American flag was ordered removed because someone found it offensive. What makes the Pride flag different?

satyr0

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Joined June 16, 2016

Wow, so much hate. Cant we just keep religion private and in the home/churches instead of trying to force ones religious beliefs on others? Violent rhetoric is not the sole property of any political side. Both sides of the spectrum are guilty of it. Draft-dodging Ted Nugent was known for his venom against Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Was he also wrong?

jcarra8963

Joined April 24, 2016

Move to Canada, what are you waiting for? Your progressive paradise awaits you. America will never submit to tyranny of the Marxist left, never.

ConservativeMexican

Joined April 25, 2016

Regarding Trumps second meeting with Putin draws scrutiny (July 19): Cant help but laugh at the title of this article! Tell me a single thing a president of the United States can do without scrutiny from one side or another.

jaydubyadubya

Joined April 19, 2016

Understand, Trump did not go into a secret meeting with Putin. He walked across the room that had 50+ people in it and sat down and talked to him with all those people there as well. The media types are just angry as they werent consulted and begged to be there to legitimize the conversation with their blessing.

If they were there, all wed hear is that though the pair were sitting in plain view of all the G20, their spouses and their staff he was doing something evil. Just give it a break, though I did hear Trump had Russian dressing on his salad. OMG!!

Scott Rieker

Joined April 17, 2016

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.

Regarding Imperial Beach, two counties sue fossil fuel companies (July 17): People who buy homes near airports should have no right to complain about noise. People who buy homes at or below sea level or on a known floodplain have no right to complain about water. Thats just stupid.

schachgeek

Joined Jan. 21, 2017

Wow. This trial lawyer-driven drivel will be thrown out. Hmmm, no surprise trial lawyers tend to be liberal. LOL. It is akin to American states suing paper companies because companies cut down trees for paper. Hahaha. Dont blame the end user. Blame the company, so the liberal saying goes. Problem with society is no one takes personal responsibility. It is always about being opportunistic for cash.

e_cccc

Joined March 9, 2017

Why not sue S.D. County, too? The self-induced sprawl caused people driving cars to move and commute causing more pollution every day. And there is more housing in the pipeline.

Mon Key

Joined April 3, 2017

Regarding How to stay afloat when your workplace is toxic (July 17): HR is not your friend, they represent the organization. Often whatever you present to them goes directly back to the offending manager. Setting internal limits might be nice but when you put them in practice, you risk losing your job so you should have a backup plan for another way to make a living.

Organizations should keep in mind that there are dollar costs for failing to remedy abusive workplaces. High turnover and absenteeism are just a drop in the bucket. The costs in lost productivity are significant.

cfehner

Joined April 19, 2016

Find the positives in the job, like youre getting a paycheck. Keep in mind those who have very little or are homeless. Might change your perspective.

tenhomas

Joined April 21, 2016

Regarding Biking dreams run headlong into reality (July 17): California is a car-centric state. Always will be. Grown-ups wearing spandex and acting like theyre better than everyone else and dont obey traffic laws turns a lot of people off. Ever seen the mass (whatever its called) bike thing? Violent thugs abound.

williamlyons7

Joined April 29, 2017

Look how the city has handled traffic and congestion for vehicles. This will tell you a lot about how alternatives will be handled. Painting a big bike path arrow down the center of a thoroughfare does not make things any better. In fact it has made things worse.

Why does a bike that is only inches wide need to take 20 feet to maneuver? A quarter-of-a-million dollar bike path from Adams to El Camino Real just completed. Right next to it 15 south backed up to hilt every day. Start with basics first and get our roadways up to par.

SportsdeadtownUSA

Joined April 23, 2016

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
Congratulations to Bob Svatos for winning the top spot this week! He will receive Steve Breens signed original in the mail. Thanks to all those who participated.

Next weeks cartoon is below. Please remember to limit your submissions to three and keep em brief. Good luck!

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Winner

Its annoying having to come here to ask you to approve our loan when youre still living in our basement. Bob Svatos, Scripps Ranch

Finalists

Im a Barbara Bush impersonator. I want to borrow you for my act. John Troy, Escondido

Does our reverse mortgage cover my husband backing our car into the house? Dwight Newell, Coronado

Did you tell your boss you failed every math class of mine you were in? Kevin Hippensteel, Santee

But if the government can keep borrowing even though it runs big deficits, why cant I? Stewart A. Halpern, La Jolla

What do you mean your credit report shows that I have 12 accounts with Wells Fargo? Lee Cording, San Diego

I just need a bridge loan until they fund Social Security. Karna Small Bodman, Rancho Santa Fe

Its only until America is great again. Joe Montenegro, El Centro

Why dont I loan you some personality? Ken Turek, San Diego

Have you heard of Jimmy Choo? Deborah Lessard, Spring Valley

I want to pay off my student loan. Michel Tout, La Jolla

I just won a million-dollar lottery in Nigeria, but I need a loan for the trip. Noah Mationg, San Diego

You say your policy is to lend money only if a person proves she doesnt need it? Lyn Lake, Carlsbad

Why do I want a loan? Im on my way to the pharmacy. Carrie Scott, Oceanside

What do you mean its against bank rules to co-sign for your mom? Peter Q. Davis, La Jolla

I thought I raised you to be trusting and generous. Rick Hess, Poway

Sorry, son. When you said your new job was as a loan arranger, I thought you were gonna be a cowboy. Jake Jacoby, San Diego

You wouldnt like a scathing review on Yelp, would you? Robert Sigafoes, San Diego

Please blink if I got the loan. Ruben Escobosa, San Diego

Its for my son, Paul Dragos. Hes trying to live off his caption contest winnings. Paul Dragos, San Diego

K-12

I need a loan to pay for all the stuff I bought at Comic-Con. Jackson Hartman, sixth grade, Ada Harris Elementary

Next weeks cartoon

To enter, email entries to cartooncontest@sduniontribune.com by 10 a.m. Tuesday. Please remember to limit your submissions to three and keep em brief. View last weeks winners.
Planning group offers best solution

Caltrans has abdicated its responsibility by not addressing the years-long death trap at Highway 67 and Mt. Woodson Road. This is the classic accident waiting to happen scenario.

Caltrans and the City of San Diego should be taking the lead in solving this decades-old dilemma. District Supervisor, Dianne Jacob said last week, If they would officially designate the trail, the county would build a parking lot. The city would operate and maintain it. Weve been looking into a partnership for years, but the city of San Diego has reneged on taking any responsibility whatsoever.

A similar parking hazard plagued Poways Iron Mountain trailhead at Highway 67 and Poway Road. A 100-space parking lot was built in 2010 with 20 additional slots added last year. It alleviated much of the roadside congestion along Highway 67.

One alternative to be discussed is totally unacceptable. The plan calls for blocking hikers from using the access trail to the mountain park. This would add considerable length to the official dirt path that starts at Lake Poway. Its totally inconvenient.

The best solution is the one recommended by the Ramona Community Planning Group. It calls for a 177-space parking lot behind the CDF Fire station. Jacob said, The public needs to be more responsible and to be careful because their lives are at risk until we come up with a solution.

Lets hope the authorities can come up with a final solution before innocent people are maimed or killed.

Peter Quercia

Ramona

Stop pretending on health bill

So the Voting Rights Act protects voting rights and the Homestead Acts were about home ownership. Even the much-maligned Affordable Care Acts intent was to make health care affordable.

The Senates health bill is called the Better Care Reconciliation Act. This would lead one to believe its about providing better health care for Americans. Im not convinced, however, that forcing the poor, the sick and the elderly to pay more for medical insurance will improve health outcomes. Some senators would like to propose an amendment to allow people to buy cheap, low-coverage plans as long as the insurance company offers at least one option that meets the minimum requirements. Im also skeptical that going back to having uninsured Americans using the ER as primary care will lead to better care.

The Pay Less-Get Less Act?  Maybe.

The Pay More-Get Less Act?  Likely.

The We Dont Want Taxes On The Wealthy To Benefit Poor/Old/Sick People Act?  Sure.

The Congress Doesnt Feel Like Negotiating Lower Health Care Costs Act?  Sounds about right.

While the name of the bill doesnt matter as much as what it does, the name of this act demonstrates that the Senate leadership wants to give the illusion that they want to improve the lives of Americans. If the Senate wants to try to figure out how to make sure more Americans can get the care they need when they need it without going bankrupt, then they need to write a law that does that. If they are not interested in giving more Americans the benefits and the peace of mind that come with quality health insurance, then they need to stop pretending that they do.

Ken Marushige

Ramona
By PTI: By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jul 21 (PTI) The hearing of a corruption case against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family in the high-profile Panama Papers leaks case concluded today in the Supreme Court, which reserved its judgement.

The three-member bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan has not given any date for the announcement of the verdict.

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Justice Saeed observed that the court will not deviate from any law while delivering judgement in the case. "We are conscious of the fundamental rights of petitioners and respondents," he said.

The opposition parties in Pakistan have taken on Sharif seeking his disqualification after the Panama Papers last year revealed that he and his family allegedly evaded tax by setting up offshore companies to purchase properties in London. PTI SH ABH AKJ ABH

--- ENDS ---
Nawaz Sharif isn't much of an orator. He rarely gives one-on-one interviews, and when he does, he has usually got an aide or two hanging around, whispering the appropriate response in his ear for a tough one, even handing him a scribbled note to read out.

The Man of Steel, as the industrial magnate has been baptised for his political prowess and foundry background, isn't much of a number-cruncher either, and Punjabi jokes come more easily to him than statistics: all very unbecoming traits for the premier of a raucous land.

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But before he holed himself up in Islamabad's lush Prime Minister House last week, digging in to defend his family from the increasingly inquisitive Panama Papers probe, Sharif was most confident, even cavalier about one subject: the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In a long roster of public appearances he made before being snowed under by the ongoing graft investigation, the usually taciturn Sharif had taken the lead in promoting the $50 billion trade and infrastructure Chi-Pak project as his own.

In his first speech to the nation on Independence Day in 2013, he promised to make Pakistan a "hub of economic and political activities" with its newly enhanced but iron-clad China partnership. Just two weeks later, at the induction ceremony of an 'indigenously built' frigate fitted by the China Shipbuilding Trading Company in Karachi, he would use what would become his favourite phrase for the next four years: "Game changer".

Fast getting clarity and not yet past his first quarter in office, by mid-September 2013, Sharif was telling Turkish businessmen in Ankara to invest in a 'corridor' he was making with Beijing. By the end of the month, he was sharing his plans at the United Nations, telling the General Assembly that Pakistan wanted to work with Afghanistan to "establish and reinforce regional trade, energy and communication corridors".

A month later, he would announce at an American Business Council lunch in Washington that "Pakistan's proximity to two of the world's largest markets-China and India" would place her in the "middle of all the action" as she geared up for something he would finally gave a name to: the "Pakistan China Economic Corridor".

But 'PCEC' didn't have the same ring as 'CPEC', and once the senior partner in the pact officially took over the title as well as the driver's seat, marked by a state visit from President Xi Jingping in 2015, Sharif never looked back.

Ribbon cuttings, political speeches, power lunches and state dinners, there was never a time when Sharif was not flexing his China muscle in this premiership. Perhaps overexcited at a launch ceremony, he told an audience in Balochistan last winter that the project was conceived just two years ago (not entirely true, the Chinese reportedly pitched CPEC to Pervez Musharraf in some form as far back as 2003). Still, the fact-checking didn't stop his courtiers from calling him the "architect" and "co-creator" of the project.

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Meanwhile, Pakistanis of all sorts, business journalists, labour rights leaders, opposition politicians, ethnic nationalists, called him out for making CPEC a close-to-home project for himself and his own constituency, Punjab. In return, he unleashed his Wharton-schooled spin doctors on the talk show circuit. Soon enough, the CPEC civil war had erupted, and the project's transparency was called into account. But like Le Carre's Tailor of Panama, Nawaz had stitched a tale longer than any wardrobe could bear. The Mayfair Apartments scandal took over. The supreme court stepped in. And now, just a bad hearing or three away from being disqualified, he's angling again: ruin Nawaz and ruin CPEC, or so his ruling Pakistan Muslim League would have us believe.

"If you lose political and economic stability right now, another 20,000 soldiers guarding CPEC won't be able to stop the damage to this project," warned planning minister Ahsan Iqbal. 'We will make CPEC a success, Inshallah, come what may', came the press release from the Army General Headquarters. It was quoting Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Thus, from being the only same page issue between the government and the army, CPEC has morphed into a potential civil-military flashpoint.

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Away from Islamabad, down south, another component of CPEC is unfurling: China is coming to a naval theatre near you. Senior officials say they see 'clear possibilities' of Chinese military bases coming up on Pakistani soil, a development that would allow China extended access to the Indian Ocean.

Likely to be naval, with docking, refitting and even partial rebuild facilities for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the bases are likely to be on the Makran coast of Balochistan, the restive Pakistani province that sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman, leading to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, some of the world's most vital maritime, trade and energy corridors.

A Pentagon report released in early June had also focused on China setting up military bases abroad. 'China most likely will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a long-standing friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan, and in which there is a precedent for hosting foreign militaries,' said the report, titled 'Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2017'.

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"The bases can only be at Gwadar, with some rebuild facilities, and also in Ormara and Jiwani, as that is where the threat has to be mitigated," a high-ranking Pakistani military official confirms, on the condition of anonymity, referring to three of the four main coastal cities of Balochistan, the largest of which, Gwadar, already has a commercial port built and operated by the Chinese.

Common Enemy

The 'threat', of course, is India, and other common friends, or now estranged partners, like the US and Iran. "Both Pakistan and China have a shared interest in leveraging the commons, and specifically the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) for military and economic purposes and so would be interested in balancing US dominance and Indian strengths in the IOR," says Sameer Lalwani of the Stimson Center, from Washington.

The logic isn't stretched. As theirs has been a long-enduring relationship, crafted from a security perspective revolving around containing India (and more recently, influencing Afghanistan), China, already Pakistan's largest arms supplier, would like to see it beefed up as a permanent South Asian bulwark against India. As for Pakistan, it wouldn't mind an all powerful China in its backyard, providing extra cover against smaller players like India and Iran.

While the Chinese foreign ministry slammed the US report as 'conjecture', a senior diplomat confirms that Pakistan requested China to build a naval facility in Gwadar as far back as 2011, during then premier Yousaf Raza Gillani's visit to Beijing, just days after the US Navy SEAL raid to kill Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad. "The more that's left unsaid, the better for Sino-Pak security purposes," says the diplomat, asking not to be named. "Also, Pakistan isn't Djibouti, so there's little need for a pen-and-paper deal."

"Cooperation between the two sides is so long-standing there is scope for more flexible arrangements, most importantly, reliable access for PLAN to Pakistani ports," says Andrew Small, author of The China Pakistan Axis: Asia's New Geopolitics. "The two sides can plan for developing facilities in Karachi, Gwadar or Ormara that the PLA can use whenever it needs without having to take the sensitive step of providing a separate base."

"Primarily, we see a Chinese naval base in some shape or form at Gwadar, as half of Chinese oil imports move through the Strait of Hormuz," assesses a Pakistani naval intelligence officer. "But survival is about keeping pace with change. India switched from non-aligned to its current American tilt, didn't it? For a country like Pakistan, which has an existential threat from a larger enemy, we need an equaliser against India. Previously, it was the US and Saudi [Arabia]. Now, it's China."

One Belt, One Road, Two Bros

On June 11, as three Chinese warships docked for a training mission at Karachi port, where China is already manufacturing four attack submarines for its ally as a part of its biggest arms deal yet, nobody important skipped lunch at the port call reception, despite Ramzan.

As Pakistani admirals reaffirmed their country's role in President Xi Jinping's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative with their all-hands-on-deck speeches, the famous 'all-weather friendship' of the two 'Iron Brothers' remained in play. OBOR is the new gravy train helping pull the contemporary Sino-Pak partnership. Crucially, Pakistan is banking on over $50 billion in OBOR loans and grants from China to develop CPEC, running from the landlocked western Chinese province of Xinjiang down to its Gwadar port, connecting Chinese trade and supplies to the larger Indian Ocean. "The economic relationship has previously been extremely weak and China has previously been very reluctant even to contemplate a serious overseas military presence," says Small. "There is a significant correction going on now, on both counts."

That correction is key. With CPEC kicked off, Pakistan's success becomes a yardstick for China's Belt and Road Initiative. In effect, the Islamic Republic remains too big to fail for the People's Republic, now more than ever. If it does falter, analysts think that Beijing will need to take measures to safeguard its own assets, too.

"OBOR would certainly provide a good reason for China to engage in such basing," says Lalwani. "The CPEC intensifies Chinese investments and exposure in the region, so they have strong incentives to protect their assets."

Basing isn't a new concept for China. With an under construction military base in Djibouti and the man-made islands in the South China Sea, Beijing is showing an increasing interest in the protection of its sea lines of communication (SLOCs), if not power projection.

As CPEC unfurls, Chinese presence in Pakistan is being felt in many ways. There are already over 50,000 Chinese nationals in Islamabad, says an intelligence official. Chinese companies are booking whole apartment blocks in the city, even as schools introduce compulsory Mandarin classes and banks adopt yuan-friendly practices.

PLA Part Deux

From Balochistan to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan is gearing up to protect the under-construction Chinese trade routes. Its army has raised two new infantry divisions, speckled with commando, paramilitary and police units (around 15,000 personnel strong), to protect Chinese workers and investments. Hotel lobbies are filled with plainclothes officers tasked with protecting incoming Chinese visitors. The Frontier Corps in Balochistan, a vital component of CPEC security, has asked for and is getting as many as 50 new battalion-sized wings. Even the military academy in Kakul has increased its cadet intake by a third since CPEC was formally launched.

But interviews with a range of military personnel indicate that while Pakistan is confident about its ground forces protecting CPEC, there are gaps on the coast and at sea. Even though China continues to arm it, the Pakistan navy (and its Marines, in charge of port security) is the smallest and least funded of its three services. That's where PLAN, already present in the Arabian Sea on the premise of anti-piracy operations, and other Chinese elements come in. "Chinese deployments in Pakistan could range from intelligence personnel, naval forces, air forces to support missions in Central Asia, or even special forces or counter-terrorism strike capabilities," says Lalwani. But nobody, not even the People's Republic of China, can pitch a tent in Pakistan and not worry about the weather.

Pakistan First, China Later

Last summer, when a Chinese nuclear attack submarine quietly docked in Karachi, no one noticed. As the development finally surfaced, Indian analysts were alarmed but the news didn't even make it to Pakistan's rowdy evening bulletins. Local editors saw nothing remarkable about a Chinese submarine doing its first port call in South Asia, that too at Pakistan's strategic nerve centre. But days later, in an auditorium in Quetta, Lt Gen. Aamer Riaz, the man who runs Pakistan's Southern Command, and former boss of military operations, made an important comment reflecting the strategic community's stand on Sino-Pak ties. "No doubt, CPEC is going to be great, Inshallah. But remember: the Chinese are Chinese first, businessmen second and Pakistan's brothers third," warned the infantry officer who has been tasked with securing the army's largest land area of responsibility, Balochistan. "We should think the same way: Pakistan first, the business of the state next, then comes China." Chinese military presence in Pakistan, or its effect on the country's sovereignty, isn't going to go unnoticed, or without debate.

"There is a firm opinion against any bases being given to any foreign country inside Pakistan. We've seen what happened when we gave such rights to the Americans," says Lt Gen. Javed Ashraf, retired chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate, referring to the forward bases Pakistan controversially granted to the US for military operations in Afghanistan and drone attacks in its own tribal areas in the 2000s. But Pakistani forces now depend on Chinese aid, and Chinese aid, while more readily available, doesn't come cheap.

--- ENDS ---
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/21/2017 -- Ferrochromium, also known as Ferrochrome, is an alloy of iron and chromium containing 50 to 70% of chromium. It is produced by electric arc melting of chromium ore and chromite. Ferrochromium is consumed extensively in the manufacturing of steel to achieve the qualities such as corrosion resistance, tensile strength, heat resistance and yield strength. The global ferrochromium market is anticipated to be in deficit to cater the increasing global steel market in near future. Ferrochromium is mostly produced in India, China, South Africa and Kazakhstan because of large chromite resources found in these countries. The global ferrochromium market is witnessing a modest single digit CAGR growth up till now and is expected to continue in future.



To access full report @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/ferroch



Ferrochromium is having its maximum share of consumption in steel industry and due to the ever increasing construction and demand of steel the global ferrochromium market is forecasted to flourish. In order to get a continuous supply of raw material for ferrochrome, China has established its operations in the countries like Turkey, South Africa, Philippines and Zimbabwe which would boost the global ferrochromium market in future. Due to the favourable conditions like lower electricity price and lower labour cost in upcoming markets like China, the production cost reduces comparatively. This will boost the production of ferrochrome to suffice its increasing demand and will contribute in global ferrochromium market.



The global ferrochromium market can get hampered because of the increase in the export tax and fixed export quotas imposed by South Africa on chrome ore, owing to the concern of losing ferrochromium market to China. South Africa is having a significant market share in global ferrochromium market but there are concerns of power supply and higher production cost which would lead to the closure of small competitors and is estimated to slowdown the global ferrochromium market.



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Based on the carbon percentage, the global ferrochromium market is segmented as 



Extra low carbon ferrochromium powder

Low carbon ferrochromium powder

High carbon ferrochromium powder

Extra high carbon ferrochromium powder



Based in the available form, the global ferrochromium market is segmented as 



Ferrochromium slag

Ferrochromium powder



Based on the application, the global ferrochromium market is segmented as 



Ball bearing steels

Acid resistant steels

Cast irons

Powder metallurgy

Others (civil engineering, refractory materials)



The global ferrochromium market can be divided into five regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific is having the maximum market share in global ferrochromium market, China and India are the countries having an excellent steel market, so these countries are significant in the consumption of ferrochrome. China is expanding its capacity to import chrome ore for the production of ferrochrome from the countries like South Africa, Turkey, Zimbabwe. Middle East and Africa are also marking a significant growth in the global ferrochromium market, Especially South Africa is having plenty of chromite resources for the production of ferrochrome. Europe is an emerging market in the field of ferrochrome and is anticipated to have a considerable market in future due to the flourishing automobile sector in the region. North America and Latin America is at a nascent stage in the global ferrochromium market.



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Some of the key players in global ferrochromium market are, Nava Bharat Ventures Limited, VISA STEEL, Balasore Alloys Limited, Aarti Steels Ltd, SR Group, Vyankatesh Metals & Alloys Pvt. Ltd



The report covers exhaustive analysis on:



Ferrochromium Market Segments

Ferrochromium Market Dynamics

Historical Actual Market Size, 2012  2014

Ferrochromium Market Size & Forecast 2015 to 2025

Supply & Demand Value Chain

Ferrochromium Market Current Trends/Issues/Challenges

Competition & Companies involved

Technology

Value Chain

Ferrochromium Market Drivers and Restraints



Regional analysis for Ferrochromium Market includes



North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia Pacific & Japan

The Middle East and Africa



Report Highlights:



Shifting Industry dynamics

In-depth market segmentation

Historical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trends

Key Competition landscape

Strategies of key players and product offerings

Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth

A neutral perspective towards market performance



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.



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/20/2017 -- Canada Hosted PBX Market: Snapshot



Adoption of cloud and related services has elevated due to the competitive advantages offered by cloud in business communication, operations and other crucial organizational functions. Enterprises with higher employee size would require huge communication set up to work efficiently. Moreover, with hosted PBX the efforts required to set-up new equipment for business communication is drastically reduced. With the increasing enterprise size, need for robust communication tools has also increased. Such factors have led to increase in demand of hosted PBX market in Canada. The hosted PBX market in Canada is expected to experience higher demand during the forecast period 2017 to 2025.



Canada's hosted PBX market is driven by increasing demand for enterprise mobility and workforce as well as multiple benefits offered by hosted PBX services such as minimized operational expenses, elimination of additional set up costs among others. Growing adoption of wireless services in small, medium and large enterprises is also expected to fuel the demand for hosted PBX market in Canada. It is projected to generate US$459.6 mn in 2017. Furthermore, the market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 18.2% during the forecast period 2017 to 2025 reaching US$1.75 bn by 2025.



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Large Enterprises to Account for Leading Share in Canada Hosted PBX Market



The hosted PBX market in Canada can be broadly classified on the basis of enterprise size and end-use application. Based on enterprise size, the market can be bifurcated into small and medium enterprises and large enterprises. Of these, large enterprises held dominance and is expected to continue boating the larger share through the course of the forecast period. By the end of 2017, overall shares held by the segment is expected to reach 68.7%. However, over the coming years, growth in the small and medium enterprises segment is expected to elevate as they exhibit a higher adoption of hosted PBX with an aim of minimizing operational expenses.



Telecom & IT to Continue Leading Market as Dominant Application Segment



Based on application, the key segments in the Canada hosted PBX market are include banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), telecom and IT, healthcare, government, retail, hospitality, education and others such as manufacturing and transportation. As Canada holds the reputation of one of the earliest adopters of the latest technologies, it boasts a highly sophisticated telecom & IT infrastructure. Hence the country exhibits a rising adoption of advanced information technology. The companies located in Canada are mostly looking for cost-effective and advanced communication solutions. While this fuels the demand for hosted PBX, similarly given the scenario the telecom and IT sector has emerged as a key contributor to the market. In 2016, the telecom and IT sector held the dominant share of 20.1% in the market. It is expected to remain the market lead through the forecast period.



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Besides this the Canada hosted PBX market is also expected to witness rising demand in government, BFSI, hospitality, and retail sectors. The rising demand for better enterprise and workforce mobility, besides the growing awareness about multiple benefits offered by PBX such as elimination of additional set-up cost and minimizing operational expected, will aid the market's expansion in Canada.



Some of the key service providers engaged in Canada's hosted PBX were, 3CX, Mitel Networks Corporation, Bell Canada, BroadConnect Technologies Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Allstream, Inc., Alpha Telecom Services Inc., Birch Communications, AstraQom International, Voysis IP solution Inc.,Ringcentral and Telus Communications.
Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/20/2017 -- One of the most sought after natural food preservatives, Rosemary extracts are also used in various end-use industries for their flavouring and aromatic attributes. In addition, Rosemary extracts impart a wide range of health benefits, which prompt at their growing demand in the market, addressing health conscious consumers.



With a variety of industrial applications in pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, and chemical and household sectors, Rosemary extracts are currently witnessing high demand in the global market. FMI predicts this demand to continue in the near future as well, attracting substantial revenues over the forecast period 2016-2026.



Key Drivers: Global Rosemary Extracts Market



Rosemary is indigenous to Alps but is commercially cultivated in several regions across the globe for various end-use applications. This cultivation is highly supported by the growing demand from consumers who are predominantly choosing natural and organic food preservatives over artificial ingredients.



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Moreover, manufacturers are constantly ramping up their R&D efforts, leading to discovery of more benefits and potential applications of Rosemary extracts. This is expected to play a key role in bolstering and directing the demand for Rosemary extracts in the global market.



Rosemary Extracts: Market Trends



The adoption of Rosemary extracts for various food, pharmaceutical, and skin care products is trending in the market.



Rising adoption of natural food colourants, and stevia as a healthy sweetener, is strongly supporting the demand for Rosemary extracts globally.



Global Rosemary Extracts Market: Segmentation



FMI's research on the global Rosemary extracts market offers a 10-year extensive forecast, segmenting the market on the basis of variety, application, and region.



On the basis of variety, the Rosemary extracts market is segmented into three commercial varieties -



Camphor-borneol

1,8 cineole

Verbenone



Camphor-borneol has essential antioxidant properties and enjoys dominant market share and is widely used in the manufacture of premium products. Verbenone and 1,8 cineole rosemary extracts are expected to witness strong demand during the forecast period.



Rosemary extracts are further segmented on the basis of its application in food and beverages industry, pharmaceuticals, household sector, cosmetics, and pet food market. Being a natural preservative, Rosemary extracts find wide-ranging applications in the food and beverages industry, especially in non-alcoholic beverages, bakery products, meat products, and culinary spices. The demand for Rosemary extracts is also robust in the pharmaceutical sector, where it is used for manufacturing drugs to treat skin allergies and slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease.



Based on the geography, the global Rosemary extracts market is segmented into Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific.



Regional Outlook: Rosemary Extracts Market



Geographically, FMI has thoroughly analysed the Rosemary extracts market. Their production, import, export, and consumption in North America, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia have been remarkably dynamic since the past few years.



Europe is the supply base, led by Spain and France in terms of supply and export, and production and consumption respectively.



However, North America and APAC are estimated to emerge as the most lucrative markets over the forecast period 2016-2026. The U.S. has already started the agricultural cultivation of Rosemary in the Southwest region.



Moreover, Mediterranean countries, including Turkey, Spain, and Morocco are rapidly growing, expected to become commercial production hubs for Rosemary extracts in the global market.



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Key Players in the Rosemary Extracts Market



Key manufacturers in the Rosemary extracts industry include Kemin, Kalsec, Nutrafur, Naurex, Dansico (DuPont), Flavex, Frutarom, Suptek, Hainan Super Biotech Co., Ltd., and Geneham Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Kemin's Rosemary extracts combined with green tea blend is one of the most popularly used to preserve the ideal colouration and flavour of meat, and extend its shelf life.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/20/2017 -- 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.



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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.



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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.



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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.



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Einstein vs. Newton, revisited

UofSC professor to recreate historic experiment during solar eclipse

Physics and astronomy professor Timir Datta, seen here at the Melton Observatory on campus, will recreate a century-old experiment during the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.

What does Albert Einstein have to do with the solar eclipse youve been hearing so much about? Turns out that a total solar eclipse  when the moon orbits directly in front of the sun  is the perfect time to test Einsteins theory of general relativity.

Thats what happened in 1919, when British astronomer and physicist Sir Arthur Eddington used the total solar eclipse to measure how stars shift when they are close to the sun, validating Einsteins then 4-year-old theory.

University of South Carolina physics and astronomy professor Timir Datta will recreate the historic experiment on Aug. 21, when Columbia will be home to the longest total solar eclipse for a metro area on the East Coast. Working with students and other astronomers, Datta will use modern technology, high-powered telescopes and cameras to record the sky over South Carolina.

People say Eddingtons experiment is one of the most noted experiments of the last century because it had such a big impact. It pulled out Einstein from being almost unheard of  some closet scientist. Worldwide, it made a big impact because it showed that theres more to gravity than Newton, Datta says. Thats one reason I want to revisit it.

Eddington led an expedition to Africa where he photographed the stars near the sun during the eclipse on May 29, 1919. His research confirmed Einsteins theory that as stars pass near the sun they appear to bend because their light is curved by the gravitational field. Because the sun is normally so bright, it is difficult to see the stars around it, but the curves of light are noticeable during a total solar eclipse, when the suns light is directly blocked by the moon.

While Sir Isaac Newton also predicted that light will bend around a large object like the sun, the two theories diverged regarding the influence of gravity on light. Einstein showed it wasnt the gravity of the stars that was pulling the light, but rather the space-time that is created that causes stars to bend. When Eddingtons research was published, it was hailed as proof that Einsteins general relativity theory surpassed Newtons model. Headlines in The New York Times on Nov. 10, 1919, read, Men of Science More or Less Agog Over Results of Eclipse Observation and Einstein Theory Triumphs.

At 2:41 p.m. on Aug. 21, when the Columbia area will go dark for about 2 minutes and 36 seconds, Datta will recreate the experiment with the benefit of equipment that wasnt available to Eddington nearly 100 years ago. Yet Datta expects the results will stay the same.

In the experiment, Datta, other astronomers and some of his former students who will travel to South Carolina from places including Turkey and South Korea, will take pictures of a section of the sky during the eclipse, and look at the same stars six months later. They expect to show that the stars that are closest to the sun are bending more, while those farther away are bending appropriately less.

He hopes to take photographs using the large telescopes at the Melton Observatory on the universitys campus, but the team is developing a backup plan if the weather forecast calls for storms. If that happens, they will take portable equipment to go to the nearest spot where good weather is predicted.

If were lucky, well find 20 stars in the field of view that well analyze and see if their position today is different six months later, he says. I dont have any doubt that Einstein is right. The idea is not to disprove, but to revisit a historical experiment. We want to use todays technology to revisit and hopefully get some young people involved and interested. And lucky for us, we dont have to travel too far.

"This is something we will do for pleasure.

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[MANILA] Global acceptance of genetically modified (GM) crops sprang back in 2016 after suffering a decline in 2015, according to estimates by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

According to ISAAAs Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops: 2016, released in May, 185.10 million hectares of GM crops were planted in 2016, showing an increase from 179.70 million hectares in 2015. In 2014, the global area under GM crops was 181.50 million hectares.

These numbers come from 26 countries, 19 of which are developing countries. The top five countries growing GM crops are the US (72.90 million hectares), Brazil (49.10 million hectares), Argentina (23.80 million hectares), Canada (11.60 million hectares), and India (10.80 million hectares)  totalling 91 per cent of the global area under GM.

Some countries in South-East Asia such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have the potential to adopt biotech crops but do not have biosafety regulations. Rhodora Aldemita, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications

Soybean accounted for 50 per cent of the global area under GM crops in 2016. It was followed by maize (33 per cent), cotton (12 per cent), and canola (5 per cent). Other GM crops available in the market today include sugar beet, papaya, squash, aubergine and potato.

The non-profit ISAAA estimates that biotech crop planting increased 110-fold in the 19962016 decade, with an accumulated area of 2.1 billion hectares. As the fastest adopted crop technology in recent times, biotechnology has helped alleviate poverty and hunger, benefiting 18 million small farmers and their families.

However, according to the ISAAA media release, the promises of biotech crops can only be unlocked if farmers are able to buy and plant these crops.

Farmers with little or no capital hesitate to adopt this tool (GM technology), Rosalie Ellasus, GM maize farmer from the Philippines, and representative of the Asian Farmers Network, tells SciDev.Net.

In fact, adoption and acceptance of GM technology has not gone unchallenged, though in varying degrees across the Asia-Pacific region.

Some countries in South-East Asia such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have the potential to adopt biotech crops but do not have biosafety regulations, Rhodora Aldemita, senior programme officer at ISAAA, tells SciDev.Net. Others like Myanmar have adopted GM crops while still drawing up regulations, she adds.

Indonesia is yet to firm up feed regulations, the Philippines is struggling with regulations that have halted biotech crop approvals, and Thailands strict regulations only allow field testing, Aldemita says.

India has restricted GM technology to non-edible crops like cotton. Approvals for GM aubergine and GM mustard have not gone beyond field trials, with public litigation and provincial governments blocking attempts at commercialising these staples.

We have concerns regarding the biosafety of GM food crops that are similar to what we see in most of Europe, Aruna Rodrigues, the main petitioner against the technology in Indias Supreme Court, tells SciDev.Net.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Asia & Pacific desk.



This article was made possible with support from Monsanto.
The finding has pushed back the previous estimation regarding the existence of homo sapiens in Australia by 18,000 years. A team of archaeologists from the University of Queensland has been excavating the sites situated in a rock shelter in Majedbebe, Northern Territory since 2012. The archaeologists discovered stone tools and weapon, which indicated an advanced understanding of tools making.

They have published the findings of in the Nature which made significant changes to the history and understanding of human migration to Australia. The findings of advanced stone tools baffled scientists as many of the stone tools, including axes, only appeared in other civilizations 20,000 years later.

Associate professor of the University of Queensland, Chris Clarkson told the Sydney Morning Herald that the ancient stone tools axes were found in perfect shape. The axes were declared as the oldest stone axes that made with polished and sharpened edges.

"Now we know humans were living in northern Australia a minimum of 65,000 years ago," Clarkson said regarding the stone tools found in the excavation. "The search will be on to discover each of the steps they took on the way."

In order to confirm their conclusion, the archaeologists used more than just radiocarbon dating examinations. They also used additional examination technique, called optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). This technique analyzes the mineral grains in the stone tools artifact to determine the last time the artifact was exposed to the light, thus determining the time when the artifact was buried.

This discovery has proved another theory that the Australian Aborigines were the first people in the world that sailed the ocean in a major maritime migration. It is because no human being has ever recorded to undertake such a journey in 65,000 years ago.

Aborigines possible sailed for at least 55 miles in the open ocean from Africa to reach Papua New Guinea. Afterward, they could have walked from Papua New Guinea to Northern Australia, because the sea level was very low during that time.


By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) With the arrest of four men, the police claimed to have solved the kidnapping of a doctor by an Ola cab driver in east Delhis Preet Vihar earlier this month.

The accused had furnished fake documents to enrol as a cab driver with Ola and for 13 days, he and his accomplices managed to evade the police by posing as kanwaria pilgrims, said joint commissioner of police, eastern range, Ravindra Yadav.

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The four were nabbed and the doctor rescued following a shootout with police in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh last night and one of the accused sustained bullet injuries in his left leg.

On July 7, Dr Rakesh of Metro Hospital, Preet Vihar, approached the police with a complaint alleging that his colleague Dr Sreekanth Goud was missing since the previous night.

On the same day, cab aggregator Ola also told police that one of their drivers had informed them that he had kidnapped the doctor who had booked a cab from near Preet Vihar metro station to Gautam Nagar, the police said.

Subsequently, on July 8, the driver of the vehicle that Goud had boarded called Ola customer care and demanded a ransom of Rs five crore. According to the firms records, the driver was identified as one Ramvir Kumar, said Yadav.

The firm provided details about the owner, driver and the vehicle to the investigators. However, the documents of the accused were found to be fake upon verification.

Doctors at the Metro Hospital informed the relatives of the victim in Telangana and his uncle came to Delhi.

Meanwhile, the ransom calls continued from the kidnapper. He used a threatening tone and language while conversing with the customer care persons.

He threatened to kill the doctor if the ransom amount was not paid by the company. He also sent some videos in which the victim could be seen begging for his release and life, said Yadav.

It was found that the cab had been registered with Ola on July 3 and Goud was the first passenger it picked up.

Several teams of the district were formed to nab the accused. Since the identity of kidnappers was not known, the teams were given specific tasks to follow each and every small lead which could help in identifying the criminals. The teams camped in difficult conditions to make the operation successful, said Yadav.

It emerged that the accused were based in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and were changing their locations frequently. They moved between Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Hapur, Meerut, Bijnor, Muzaffanagar and Haridwar towns.

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The Delhi Police also sought help from the local police of Meerut Range led by IGP Ram Kumar, SSP Manzil Saini, and ASP, STF, Alok.

In an effort to identify the accused driver, various documents submitted by the accused were verified, a number of executives and vendors of Ola who assist in the process of attachment of vehicles and drivers were questioned.

More than 100 vehicles similar to the suspected vehicle were screened. Several disgruntled drivers were interrogated and their profiles were analysed in depth, said Yadav.

During this process, it was found that the Ola cab that was used for kidnapping the doctor had earlier also plied with the firm.

The police found a sticker on the cab that indicated that it had been bought from a shop in Meerut. The shop owner was contacted and the suspects identified.

The kidnappers used the victims phone to make calls for the ransom and used to switch off their phones to evade surveillance. The officer said that even though they received several leads, the fact that the accuse kept changing locations hindered their progress in the case.

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On July 16, the accused fled in sugarcane fields leaving behind the vehicle used in kidnapping after they were chased by the police.

Last evening, the police received specific information about the location of the accused and the victim. A raid was conducted by the team of assistant commissioner of police, Preet Vihar, Hemant Tiwari.

The house where Goud was being held captive was cordoned off.

When the accused realised they were surrounded, they opened fire on the police party. The police team fired back at them and one of the accused was injured.

The victim was safely rescued and handed over to his family members. Goud thanked the police for rescuing him and was quite emotional after returning safely to Delhi.

The arrested accused have been identified as Pramod Kumar (44), Amit Kumar (37), Sohanveer (49) and Nepal (44).

During the initial probe, it was found that the absconding accused Sushil and his brother, Anuj, both residents of village Dadri, had planned the kidnapping.

They had earlier worked with Ola and were well aware about how the system functions. They knew that usually there is a gap of two to three days after the documents are submitted till they are verified.

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After submission of documents, a vehicle can at once start plying, police said, but before it could emerge that the papers were fake, they kidnapped the doctor for ransom.

For several months, they had been planning to execute a fool-proof ransom operation wherein their identities would remain hidden.

They were very sure that their identities would remain secret and used to say that it would always remain a mystery.

They roped in their neighbours Gaurav Sharma and Vivek alias Modi, and their relative Pramod. They had identified several hideouts to hide the victim.

They had also timed the plan to coincide with the huge rush of Kanwaria pilgrims which leads to traffic jams and hampers mobility of the police.

"There is a gap in the verification process, which they exploited. They were very clear in their mind that Ola would pay ransom for the sake of their reputation," said Yadav.

They never demanded any money from the family of the victim and tried to portray to him that he was merely incidental to the crime and it was the cab company that they were targeting, he added. PTI SLB KUN

--- ENDS ---
On July 23, Parliament will be hosting a farewell programme inside its hallowed Central Hall for the outgoing President.

By Poulomi Saha: The country's 13th President Pranab Mukherjee will be relinquishing office on July 24. His five year term soon comes to an end, and to mark this momentous occasion, Members of Parliament have planned a grand farewell.

On July 23, Parliament will be hosting a farewell programme inside its hallowed Central Hall for the outgoing President.

The programme will start at 5:30pm and will be addressed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan and Vice-President of the country and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari. The programme will last half an hour.

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All members of Parliament, from both houses, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in attendance at the programme. The President will be presented with a coffee table book and a memento.

The book will have signatures from members of Parliament, including those of Prime Minister Modi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Speaker (Lok Sabha) Sumitra Mahajan, Deputy Speaker (Lok Sabha) Thambidurai and Deputy Chair (Rajya Sabha) PJ Kurien. Currently, it has been kept at the Central Hall for members to drop by and sign. The book has close to 695 signatures so far.

This book will also have photographs of President Mukherjee's visits to Parliament. The memento will have the signatures of the Vice-President and Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

In fact, the Speaker's speech will be embossed on a silk cloth that will be rolled and presented to President Mukherjee. The cloth will have art form from the President's native state, West Bengal printed on it.

All gifts will be packed in boxes craved by artisans from Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Sources within the Lok Sabha Secretariat informed India Today that keeping in mind the President's native food tastes, 'Shondesh' will be the speciality served at the high tea for all guests.

ALSO READ:

Perks of a former president: A sprawling house for Mr Mukherjee in Lutyens' Delhi with a library

Pranab Mukherjee: When mob lynchings become uncontrollable, we must ask are we vigilant enough

ALSO WATCH:

Are we vigilant enough to save tenets of country? Asks President Mukherjee over lynching fever

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Constitution (Eds: Updating with additional quotes)

Bengaluru, July 21 (PTI) Launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today alleged it was "mutilating" the Indian Constitution through "systematic capture" of democratic institutions by the Prime Minister, bureaucracy and the RSS.

"There was a man called Hitler and he once wrote --keep a very firm grasp on reality so you can strangle it at any time. Today this is what is happening all around us. This strangulation of reality," Gandhi said, as he targeted Modi and the RSS, saying they want India to "surrender its voice."

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"The aim is to mutilate the Indian Constitution which was given to us by Sri Ambedkar. That is the aim, to mutilate the Constitution given to us by Mr Ambedkar," Gandhi said at the inauguration of the three-day BR Ambedkar International Conference organised by the Karnataka government here.

Gandhi said India lost its Independence because when Britishers stepped on its soil millions and millions of people kept quiet and allowed the British to do exactly what they pleased because they were powerful.

"And that is exactly what is happening today. When the journalist doesnt write about the violence in front of her eyes, when the judge is pressurised into giving a judgment..that is exactly what is happening."

"Indias freedom was not simply taken away by the British. It was handed over to them by some Indians....we lost our voice because we surrendered it."

"And this is exactly what Modi and RSS want. They want India to surrender its voice."

Observing that there were two ways to rob people of their voice -- to frighten them into submission and to shout so loudly that no one else can be heard--, he said, "Narendra Modiji and the RSS are doing exactly that."

"What is happening today is the systematic capture of Indias democratic institutions by the Prime Minister, by the bureaucracy and the RSS....," he alleged.

"Do not forget that every single Indian will be robbed of their voice, every single Indian will be robbed of his future. We must firstly keep the firm grip on reality. We must never ever allow them to strangle it," he said.

Attacking Modi on demonetisation and for not listening to farmers, Gandhi said, "The emperor is completely naked, but nobody around him has the courage to tell him."

Referring to the Rohit Vemula suicide controversy, he said, "They call it suicide, I call it murder. Rohit was crushed and murdered by the indignities he suffered. He was killed only because he was a Dalit. The instrument of his murder was the letter written to his university by the Government of India. A letter that destroyed his future forever."

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Also referring to the lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq at Dadri, he said he was "butchered" because they said he stole a calf which was a lie. Instead of questioning his brutal killing, they asked whether the meat in the fridge was mutton or beef, he said.

He said thousands of farmers commit suicide and the government looks the other way. But the government can forgive any amount of corporate debt, calling it corporate write-offs, but farmers were given nothing, he said.

Lashing out at Modi on demonetisation, he said thousands of businesses were wiped out and "hundreds of people simply died..."

Gandhi said, "...privately our friends in the press called it insanity but publicly they called it the stroke of genius."

Ridiculing Modis talk about "plastic surgery and Ganeshji," Gandhi said, "He talks about nuclear weapons and flying chariot in ancient India, about the perfect country without misery, without poverty and without the crime of caste. Well let me tell you he is lying."

"The BJP wants to paint a lie over India so that they can return to a forgotten time... forgotten age. An age where people were humiliated by power, where people voices were crushed....where millions and millions of Indians were untouchables."

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"The truth embedded in the history of India is the betrayal of the weakest by the powerful," he said.

The conference, inaugurated by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King III and attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has been organised to commemorate the 126th birth annivesary of Ambedkar. PTI BDN KSU RA BN SK

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Rahul Gandhi described Kashmir as India's internal issue and slammed the Modi government over its failure to contain the unrest in Kashmir.

By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today once again attacked the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular over Kashmir unrest.

Rahul Gandhi accused the NDA government of mishandling the Kashmir issue and said that there is no need of involving a third party in discussion over controversial issue.

"India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India. This is our internal matter and we don't need any third party's involvement in it," Rahul Gandhi told reporters in New Delhi.

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"Main kaafi samay se keh raha hoon ki Narendra Modi ji aur NDA ki policies ne Jammu Kashmir ko jala diya hai (I have been saying this for a long time that Narendra Modi and NDA's policies have set fire to Kashmir)," he added.

After the July 10 terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag, Rahul Gandhi had singled out PM Modi's Modi's policies and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) alliance with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP) for the increase in terror attacks in the Kashmir Valley.

In a series of tweets, the Gandhi scion said Modi's policies have created space for terrorists in Kashmir which is a "grave strategic blow" to India.

Rahul Gandhi said a "short-term political gain for PM Modi from PDP alliance" has cost India "massively". Modi's personal gain means India's strategic loss and sacrifice of innocent Indian blood, Gandhi said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had in June hinted towards talks over Kashmir issue, saying the government was ready to talk to anybody who wants to initiate talks. "The situation in Kashmir has seen a lot of improvement and we can assure that the government will get the situation under control. Despite having a large Muslim population, ISIS has been unable to establish a hold in India," Rajnath Singh had told reporters. Further lauding the Centre's governance, Singh further stated that under the Modi government, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir situation has improved a lot as 368 terrorists have been neutralized since 2014.

ALSO READ:

PM Narendra Modi's policies made space for terrorists in Kashmir: Rahul Gandhi

Yes, Rahul Gandhi met Chinese envoy, says Congress hours after calling it 'fake news'

Rahul's salvo at Modi: Parliament opens at midnight for GST but not a minute spared for farmers

Rahul Gandhi to Narendra Modi: Congratulations. PM's reply: Thank you. Long live democracy!

WATCH: No need for third party's involvement in Kashmir issue: Rahul Gandhi

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Rahul Gandhi charged that Narendra Modi and RSS want India to surrender its voice.

By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the PM and the RSS have captured democratic institutions.

"What is happening today is the systematic capture of India's democratic institutions - by the PM, bureaucrats and the RSS," Gandhi said at a function in Bengaluru.

Rahul said Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) want India to surrender its voice - the aim is to mutilate the Constitution.

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He raked up the issue of Mohammad Akhlaq, lynched to death by a mob allegedly for consuming beef in Bisada village near Dadri of Uttar Pradesh.

"Md Akhlaq is butchered because they say he stole a calf. It was a lie. Instead of questioning his (Md Akhlaq) brutal killing they ask whether the meat in the fridge was mutton or beef," Rahul Gandhi said.

On Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide, he said: "I don't call it suicide, I call it murder. Rohit was crushed and murdered by the indignities he suffered".

WHAT RAHUL GANDHI SAID:

Truth and power are not the same thing. Dr. Ambedkar is great because he stood for the truth: Rahul Gandhi.

Publicly they called it a stroke of genius, privately they called it insanity: Rahul Gandhi on demonetisation.

Modi government wants to "mutilate" the Constitution given by Ambedkar, he said.

Thousands of businesses are wiped out due to demonetisation, hundreds die, but instead of speaking to the Parliament, Modi spoke to Coldplay.

"BJP wants to paint a lie over India so that they can return it to an age of kings and no questions, where people were humiliated by power, where people's voices were crushed, where the poor and weak were trampled upon. Where millions of Indians were untouchables," Rahul Gandhi said.

"The emperor is completely naked but nobody around him has the courage to tell him," Rahul Gandhi says taking a jibe at PM Modi.

Also read:

PM Narendra Modi's policies have set fire to Kashmir: Rahul Gandhi

PM Narendra Modi's policies made space for terrorists in Kashmir: Rahul Gandhi

Yes, Rahul Gandhi met Chinese envoy, says Congress hours after calling it 'fake news'

Rahul's salvo at Modi: Parliament opens at midnight for GST but not a minute spared for farmers

Rahul Gandhi to Narendra Modi: Congratulations. PM's reply: Thank you. Long live democracy!

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Supreme Court today hinted that that the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute will be heard soon.

By Alok Ranjan: The Supreme Court today hinted that the plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, seeking its intervention in the Ram Janmabhoomi issue will be heard soon.

SC says the main matter will be listed shortly but has not given a date for the hearing yet.On March 31, apex court refused to grant an early hearing in a plea filed by Swamy concerning the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid case.

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The apex court questioned Swamy's role in the matter and said it did not have the time to hear the plea.

On March 31, the court has said that the Ayodhya dispute is a sensitive and sentimental issue that needs to be settled amicably and through consensus.

The court suggested that if required, a principal mediator can be chosen by the court to settle the issue.

At that time Chief Justice JS Khehar said if the parties want him to mediate, then he is ready for the task.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO THE EARLY HEARING OF RAM JANMABHOOMI CASE February 2016: The apex court had in February permitted Swamy to intervene in the appeals pending in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir title suits in which status quo has been ordered to be maintained. In his petition, Swami had earlier urged the apex court to allow the Hindus to rebuild the temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya. April 2016: The Supreme Court refused to entertain Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy's plea seeking early hearing on the Ram temple issue. The apex court said the intervener cannot move for early hearing, adding that it would hear the matter once the parties agree for a date. November 2016: The Supreme Court agreed to have an urgent hearing of a plea made by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy with regard to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The plea to "re-build" a Ram temple at the Ramjanmabhoomi site will be heard by the Supreme Court along with appeals challenging a 2010 Allahabad High Court decision fixing the exact birth place of Lord Ram at the disputed Ayodhya site. March 21, 2017: The Supreme Court asked both parties to the Ayodhya Ram Temple dispute to sort out their issues outside court. Chief Justice of India JS Khehar said that the issue is 'a matter of sentiment and religion', and added that the apex court would intervene only if the parties to the case could not solve it. He asked the parties to 'sit together and arrive at a consensus'. Khehar said that if negotiations break down, the apex court would appoint a mediator. The court was responding to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking urgent hearing of the case. The court instead asked him to sort out the issue through negotiations agreed upon by all petitioners, and inform it before March 31. March 31, 2017: The Supreme Court refused to grant an early hearing in a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy concerning the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid case. "You didn't tell us you were not a party to the case, we only got to know that from the press," a bench comprising of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and D.Y. Chandrachud said in an verbal observation.

Also Read:

Supreme Court hints at early hearing in Ayodhya's Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case

Supreme Court suggests out-of-court settlement of Ayodhya dispute, calls Ram Mandir matter of sentiment

Subramanian Swamy: Ram temple at Ayodhya will be constructed by next year

WATCH | Ayodhya dispute: Five creative solutions to the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid standoff

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President of India is usually considered as a rubber stamp. But, even the Acting Presidents have shown in the past that the notion is not true.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Technically speaking Ram Nath Kovind will take oath as the 15th President of India on July 25. Ram Nath Kovind is the 14th person to enter the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the President of India.

As President of India, Ram Nath Kovind will be the head of the state. All the international treaties will be signed in his name. The Narendra Modi government will carry out all constitutional business in his name. All wars and pacts will be declared in Ram Nath Kovind's name for next five years.

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Presidents in India are not particularly known for exercising their powers against the will of the elected government at the Centre. But, almost all the Presidents had some kind of differences with the government.

Many predecessors of Ram Nath Kovind chose to exercise their powers to keep the government in check. As Governor of Bihar, Ram Nath Kovind built a reputation for following the rule book. The Constitution gives certain discretionary powers to the President. Even some Acting Presidents have shown rule book to the government of the day.

Besides full time presidents, India has had three persons officiating as Acting Presidents for short tenures on four occasions. On three of the occasions, the officiating Acting President was the Vice-President.

Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah was the first person to become the Acting President while he was the Chief Justice of India.

FIRST ACTING PRESIDENT

VV Giri was the first person to serve as Acting President after the demise of President Zakir Hussain in office in 1969. But, about 10 weeks later, Giri, who was the Vice-President then, resigned from his post. The posts of both President and Vice-President fell vacant. Constitutionally, this situation is untenable.

Justice Hidayatullah was the Chief Justice of India. Thus, in accordance with the constitutional provisions, Justice Hidayatullah was sworn in as the Acting President of India till VV Giri, after winning the election, took oath as the President of India.

Justice Hidayatullah was the Acting President for little over one month during July 20 - August 24 in 1969. He was the only person to have officiated as the Acting President two times.

On the second occasion, Justice Hidayatullah was the Vice-President of India, having been elected to the office after his retirement from the Supreme Court. He was elected as the Vice-President of India in 1979.

In 1982, the then President Giani Zail Singh went to the US for treatment. Justice Hidayatullah officiated as the Acting President in his absence.

THE OTHER ACTING PRESIDENT

President of India is usually considered as a rubber stamp. But, there have been occasions when certain people holding the highest office in the country dig their heels making the government of the day nervous. One such person was the fifth Vice-President of India BD Jatti.

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BD Jatti was the Acting President in the post-emergency period after the demise of the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad, who was the second person to die in the highest office of the land.

BD Jatti was known as a soft-spoken person in his close circles but when he became the Acting President for little over five months during 11 February 1977 - 25 July 1977, he exercised the powers of the President in letter and spirit.

HOW JATTI TOOK ON JANATA GOVERNMENT

In 1977, the Janata Party had swept the Lok Sabha polls and some of the Vidhan Sabha elections riding on the anti-emergency and anti-Indira wave. Moraji Desai was the Prime Minister of India.

The Desai cabinet decided to dissolve the assemblies of all the states ruled by the Congress. Union Home Minister Charan Singh sent the decision of the cabinet for President's approval. But, BD Jatti declined to sign the order.

Jatti's decision was a break from tradition as previously, the presidents accepted the advice of the Union Cabinet on the matters of dissolution of state assemblies.

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Jatti's objection was that there had been no report from the governors of respective states stating breakdown of constitutional machinery - the necessary condition for imposing President's Rule in a state and dissolving the assemblies.

Jatti, as Acting President, laid down that imposition of President's Rule in a state should not only by politically and constitutionally correct, but the Centre's action should also appear proper for the benefit of democracy.

However, Jatti later signed the order after the Union Cabinet sent it again. But, despite an anti-Congress popular sentiment in the country, his earlier decision not to sign the order for President's Rule in nine states had made the Janata government nervous. His objection added a layer as safeguard for imposition of President's Rule in a state.

ALSO READ |

Kovind will be 2nd Dalit, 7th youngest President. Know your Presidents

Ram Nath Kovind is the next President, but BJP isn't satisfied

ALSO WATCH | Ram Nath Kovind reacts after his election as President of India

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A last-minute deal that Gov. Jerry Brown made with Republican lawmakers to win support for a 10-year extension of his signature climate program could cost the governor another top priority: high-speed rail.

In extending Californias cap-and-trade system of controlling greenhouse-gas emissions through 2030, lawmakers approved a Republican plan this week to put a constitutional amendment before voters that seeks to give the minority party more say over how the programs money is spent. One-fourth of that money  more than $1 billion so far and $500 million projected a year in the future  goes toward high-speed rail, a project that Republicans widely oppose.

With the proposed $64 billion train line between Los Angeles and San Francisco facing not only Republican opposition but financial struggles, any cut in funding from the cap-and-trade program could be fatal.

This absolutely calls into question the viability of high-speed rail going forward, said Assemblyman Marc Steinorth, R-Rancho Cucamonga (San Bernardino County), who voted to extend cap and trade in part because of the proposed constitutional amendment. If the bullet train cant prove its worth, (this amendment) provides a pathway to ending the funding for the boondoggle once and for all.

However, several dominoes must topple for Republicans to realize their desire to kill high-speed rail.

First, the proposed constitutional amendment must win voter approval when its on the ballot in June. The amendment calls for a one-time increase in the number of votes that the Legislature needs to approve how cap-and-trade money is spent, including the funds for the rail project.

The voting threshold would rise from a simple majority to two-thirds of both the Assembly and state Senate. That could hand leverage to Republican legislators, if they can break the Democrats current two-thirds hold on both houses.

However, the Legislatures vote wouldnt happen until 2024. Until then, funding would continue to flow to high-speed rail, which is already under construction on a 119-mile stretch between Madera and the Bakersfield area.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

High-speed rail officials, while acknowledging they cant afford to lose cap-and-trade money, note that 2024 is a long time from now. They  and Brown  are betting that the rail line will be so far along by then that the public wont stand for lawmakers killing it.

By 2024, were going to be deep into construction. Were going to be on the verge of opening the first service. Well be seeing Google and others making massive investments in areas around high-speed-rail stations, said Dan Richard, chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority. The case will be there for the importance of continued funding.

Richard said the rail authority has enough money either on hand or in the pipeline  almost $20 billion  to finish most of the first leg of construction. The agency expects trains to begin zipping through the Central Valley at up to 220 mph in 2025.

When the whole line is completed, boosters say, high-speed trains will make the trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles in two hours and 40 minutes.

Opponents say that even though funding couldnt be cut for another seven years, the uncertainty could be enough to prevent the rail authority from securing loans and investments needed to build the line.

It really jeopardizes the bonding, said Steinorth. The whole concept of bonding is that you have future revenue to cover the expense.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The proposed constitutional amendment was authored by Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley (San Bernardino County) and was inserted into the climate package last week. When the cap-and-trade legislation came to a vote Monday night, Mayes and six other Republicans in the Assembly joined Democrats in approving it. One Republican in the state Senate also voted for the bill.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Michael Macor / The Chronicle Show More Show Less



Under Browns climate-change program, the state puts a cap on total carbon emissions and requires companies to buy permits in order to pollute. Proceeds from permit sales go to projects that support disadvantaged communities and the environment. The program has already raised more than $4 billion.

The governors office declined to comment on the proposed constitutional amendment. Political observers, though, say the climate program is so important to Brown that he was willing to take a calculated risk on other priorities, like high-speed rail.

Global warming is the big issue of the day for him, and hes staked a lot on it, said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California. In this particular moment, he felt it was more important to do something on climate change, which would reflect that California has bipartisan support on the issue going forward.

Groups critical of high-speed rail note that the project has already run well past budget projections since California voters approved nearly $10 billion in bond money for the trains in 2008. If the backers expect the projects momentum to be unstoppable by 2024, opponents predict that high-speed rail will be so problem-plagued that voters will welcome the chance to kill it.

There is potential here, said Aaron Fukuda, co-chairman of Citizens for California High-Speed Rail Accountability. By the time we get there, the track record could be so bad, no pun intended, and we havent gotten where we need to go, that people are going to ask, how much more are we going to spend on this thing?

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Pittsburg Police Department / Pittsburg Police Department

Police are on the hunt for a 19-year-old Antioch man they say fatally shot a Bethel Island man near an ice cream parlor in Pittsburg on Wednesday, officials said.

Officers found the 43-year-old victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside a Baskin Robbins on Century Boulevard about 3 p.m., according to the Pittsburg Police Department.
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An attack on a man outside the BART station in Richmond this week had an influential witness who was not pleased with what he saw  city Mayor Tom Butt.

Butt said two BART employees sat in a nearby truck and watched the assault Thursday morning, apparently doing nothing, as the victim was beaten and kicked by a group of juveniles while a woman intervened. The mayor snapped a photo of the two men wearing neon utility vests sitting in a truck with the BART logo.

There was a woman there who was screaming at the kids, Stop, stop, get out of here, Butt said. I was astounded two BART employees would just watch while some brave woman was doing her best to chase these kids off and save this guy.

BART police said five or six juveniles assaulted the man, kicking and punching him shortly before 11:30 a.m., but Butt estimated that the group numbered about a dozen. The youths escaped into the surrounding area, police said.

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said via email Friday that the spot where the attack happened was a plaza outside the station that is in the jurisdiction of the Richmond Police Department. But the mayor said he had called 911 and had been greeted by confusion as to whether the incident was under the jurisdiction of BART or Richmond police.

There were several problems I was concerned with. One is the dispatch issue. To me, its crazy for a BART police officer to have to respond to something like this thats right in the heart of downtown Richmond, he said.

Butt said he had emailed the BART Board of Directors and Richmond police chief to express his concerns.

He said there was no one at the station agent kiosk, and when he came back through the station about five hours later on his return trip from San Francisco, the kiosk still stood empty.

A station agent was on duty at the time, but may have been dealing with job responsibilities outside the kiosk, Trost said.

We had a station agent in the station, who likely was involved in one of the many duties required of agents that occur outside the information box such as on platforms and near our ticket vending machines, Trost said.

The station agent is being interviewed to determine his or her whereabouts, according to BART spokesman Taylor Huckabee.

Trost said the youths were not BART passengers and were loitering in the plaza before the attack. She added that they may have stolen a cigarette from the victim.

The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Lt. Felix Tan, a spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.

Butt said on his return trip through the station, he noticed another startling detail: The victims blood had not been cleaned from the pavement.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

I went up the stairs and was kind of astounded  there was a pool of blood on the sidewalk from where this guy was injured, Butt said. Like no one thought it was a good idea to clean it up.

Trost said, The blood on the street was Richmonds jurisdiction, but we still sent a crew to clean it.

Chronicle staff writer

Michael Bodley contributed

to this report.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
For the first time in San Francisco history, South of Market has the distinction of being the citys highest-valued neighborhood, according to data released Thursday by the San Francisco assessor-recorders office, which establishes values for all taxable properties.

The construction of Salesforce Tower, the new Transbay Transit Center and a number of apartment towers helped push SoMas assessed value to around $17 billion, Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu said.

Historically, San Franciscos Financial District, with its tall office buildings and commercial properties, held the title of the citys highest-valued neighborhood.

The aggregate value for all of San Franciscos taxable value this year stands at $223 billion, a 10.8 percent increase over last year. Elsewhere across the Bay Area, growth rates averaged between 5 and 7 percent.

In San Francisco, the biggest contributing factor to this years growth spurt in valuation  59 percent  came from real estate sales. Under state law, values are reassessed once a property is sold. When real estate prices are high, counties profit as properties change hands.

 Dominic Fracassa

Campaign complaint: The consultant who ran Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewers 2016 campaign is facing a state ethics complaint, alleging that he violated a law barring candidates from communicating with independent expenditure committees.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Progressive strategist Jim Stearns worked as a consultant for Fewer while producing slate mailers for the Affordable Housing Alliance, the complaint said. But the mailers that Stearns group sent out didnt endorse a slate of candidates or ballot measures  they merely attacked Fewers opponent, Marjan Philhour.

In this case, Jim Stearns was brazenly coordinating with himself, said the complaint filed by pro-density housing activist and startup founder Vincent Woo.

It went on to accuse Stearns of using $280,000 from the American Beverage Association  colloquially known as Big Soda  to fund the anti-Philhour mailers, disguising the source of the money.

Stearns said its routine for political consultants in San Francisco to work for candidates and also put together slate mailers and that its the responsibility of the organization behind the mailers  in this case, the Affordable Housing Alliance  to follow the rules.

Stearns accused Woo of making the complaint in order to harass and intimidate someone who falls on the opposite end of the housing debate. Pro-density activists  many of whom describe themselves as YIMBYs  are known for using legal complaints to move their political agenda forward.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission bans slate mailer organizations from simultaneously functioning as campaign committees to support or oppose a candidate, officer or ballot measure.

As for the Big Soda contribution, Californias Political Reform Act mandates that election campaigns fully and truthfully disclose all their funding sources, said commission spokesman Jay Wierenga.

 Rachel Swan

Email: cityinsider@sfchronicle.com, dfracassa@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @dominicfracassa, @rachel swan
Google spent the most it ever has in a single quarter trying to influence elected officials in Washington, according to lobbying disclosures made public late Thursday. The past three months have also seen record spending on lobbying by several other major tech companies, including Amazon, Apple and Uber.

Google Inc., according to the disclosure forms, spent $5.93 million between April 1 and June 30, more than any other corporation in the second quarter. Thats about 40 percent more than it had spent during the same period last year. The only three entities that doled out more money were large business organizations: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($11.68 million), the National Association of Realtors ($10.92 million) and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America ($6 million).

Since the 2016 election, the tech industry has had to navigate not only a Republican-controlled Congress, but also an administration whose decisions have often cut against Silicon Valleys business interests and largely progressive outlook.

The combined lobbying efforts of some of the most influential tech companies  Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft  totaled $15.79 million.

Googles lobbying efforts come as it faces the largest fine the European Union has ever levied against a company for abusing its dominant market position. In June, the European Unions antitrust chief hit Google with a $2.7 billion fine, saying the company illegally steered users toward its comparison shopping site. If the ruling is not overturned, it could reshape the companys behavior and direct the evolving boundaries of tech-industry regulation.

Stateside, Google and others in the industry have had to adapt to a new political order, one without the close ties it built with the Obama administration. In recent months, some in Washington have called for increased scrutiny of techs dominant companies.

Google lobbied both chambers of Congress and the White House. Among the issues lobbied for were legislative responses to the presidents travel ban, high-skilled immigration, education, U.S. and international antitrust law, Federal Communications Commissions privacy regulations, and freedom of expression.

Google declined to comment.

Amazon shelled out $3.21 million, up from $3 million at the same time last year. As it sought to lobby policymakers on a host of issues, including drones, air cargo and autonomous vehicles, the company announced plans to purchase Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, a move that would grant the company more than 450 brick-and-mortar stores across the country. But the proposed acquisition has triggered some antitrust concerns among lawmakers.

Amazon declined to comment.

Uber, which has had a troubled year, spent $430,000 during the second quarter, which is about 40 percent more than its tally for the same quarter last year and roughly equal to the total amount spent in all of 2015. Lyft, Ubers chief rival in the United States, also set its own lobbying record for the most cash spent in a single quarter, $140,000.

Apple spent $2.2 million, marking a nearly 80 percent increase from last years $1.23 million. The company dedicated lobbying cash to issues including autonomous vehicles, mobile health apps and international tax reform.

While Facebook and Microsoft did not have record lobbying spending for the second quarter, they both disclosed multimillion-dollar lobbying efforts. Facebook spent $2.38 million, up from last years $2.19 million. The company lobbied both chambers of Congress, the White House and six federal agencies on issues including terrorism, network neutrality, Internet privacy, encryption and international taxation. Microsoft spent $2.07 million, which matched last years total. It lobbied Congress, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, among others, and focused on issues including cybersecurity, high skilled immigration and the Paris climate agreement.

Hamza Shaban is a Washington Post writer.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

An unidentified male was stabbed to death in San Franciscos Hayes Valley on Thursday night, police said.

Officers found the victim on the sidewalk at Lily and Octavia streets shortly after 7 p.m. He was declared dead at the scene, according to officer Michael Andraychak.
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A few weeks out from his first day as the new executive chef at Cotogna, Quinces rustic sibling, Chris Cipollone was nearly 3,000 miles away in his New York home, mulling over how to coordinate a short-notice move across the country.

Its a lot, he says with a laugh. But San Francisco was always the dream for my wife and I. Before now, we just didnt have a away to actually get there.

To successfully (and quickly) uproot a culinary career on one coast and set it down on another, Cipollone said it takes planning, some luck and the right job opportunity.

The East Coast chef was born in New York, Hudson Valley to be exact, and raised by parents that worked in the wine industry. They were also the reason Cipollone enrolled in and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. From there, he traveled to Italy as part of a fellowship before coming back stateside and opening Tenpenny at the Gotham Hotel. In 2013, he opened Piora in New York Citys West Village, which went on to earn a Michelin star in 2015. The menu was based around his penchant for mixing Italian and Korean influences into modern American dishes. Both restaurants are now closed.

For Cipollone, the move was about family. His wife works for Napa-based John Anthony Family of Wines and they were ready for a change of scenery.

When it comes to comparing food scenes to New Yorks, its like apples and oranges, says Cipollone. New York is a top market. But so is San Francisco. Ive always been intrigued by the city.

As for Cotogna, the relationship between chef-owner Michael Tusk and Cipollone goes back a few years to when they were finding time regularly visit each others restaurants.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

The mutual admiration turns into a working relationship on Aug. 7, when Cipollone starts at his new post. Until then, hes focusing on everything else, including housing (Tusk helped set up a temporary apartment for the chef during his transition).

Being a chef, Ive traveled the world and seen a lot of things. So we get to be more global so theres no culture shock when you go somewhere new, he says. Now Im just getting everything in order for the move.

Cotogna: 490 Pacific Ave.; www.cotognasf.com .

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Docs Clock, the beloved Mission dive bar whose closure incited city-wide outcry this spring, has re-opened at 2417 Mission St., just two blocks from its original location.

The move took about three weeks longer than owner Carey Suckow had originally planned, but the new Docs looks remarkably similar to the old Docs: same dark, shotgun-style layout; same booths in the back; same art on the walls. Theyve kept the shuffleboard table and the original bar (which took a lot of manpower to transport; helpers included the owners of the Tempest and Connecticut Yankee bars). An artist friend will even recreate the Aztec-style wall mural.
WASHINGTON  Fresh off a visit to the nations largest womens prison at Chowchilla, in the prison-dotted San Joaquin Valley, Sen. Kamala Harris on Thursday tacked another piece onto what is becoming her signature issue, criminal justice reform  and reached across the aisle for help.

Teaming up with Republican maverick Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky in her first bipartisan legislative venture, the California Democrat introduced a bill that takes aim at whats called money bail, a system she says lets high-rolling gangsters go free to await court dates while leaving poor women and men to sit in jail for months, often losing their jobs, their homes and even their children along the way.

The United States is the only nation besides the Philippines to use a persons ability to pay as the sole reason to avoid jail while awaiting trial, said Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, director of criminal justice and drug policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of California, one of numerous civil justice groups backing the legislation.

STEPHEN CROWLEY/NYT

The current system works against working people, people who dont have a bunch of cash on hand to write a check to be able to get out, Harris said in an interview. This is really nonpartisan. It is not confined to any one geographical area of this country. It is overall a flaw in our system that needs to be corrected.

Paul posed the issue as one of Americans expecting fair and equal treatment under the law regardless of how much money is in their pockets or how many connections they have. He said the bill would allow states to reform their systems based on their specific needs, and provide more equal treatment to minorities.

The legislation starts small with a $10 million, three-year grant, awarded to six states that can show an intent to replace their cash-bail system with pretrial assessments that consider the danger an arrested person poses to the community and the likelihood of flight. The programs in the six states would serve as pilots to see what works and what doesnt. Another $5 million would go toward collecting data nationwide on exactly how many people are in jail awaiting trial because they cant afford bail.

No one knows what that number is, or how many people remain in jail awaiting trial because they are potentially dangerous criminals or simply cant afford to post bail. But estimates in California are that 63 percent of inmates in county jails are awaiting trial or sentencing. Thats about 46,000 people on any given day, at an average cost each of more than $100 a day, according to the office of state Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, who has a bail reform bill pending in the state Legislature.

The bail issue has flown under the radar of bipartisan scrutiny of the broader criminal justice system, its overflowing prisons and the explosive growth of female incarceration nationwide.

Harris, the former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney who joined the Senate in January, earlier this month visited the Central California Womens Facility at Chowchilla, in Madera County. She became one of the few national politicians, if not the only one, to visit the prison.

Shortly after the visit, Harris co-sponsored the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, a Democrat-only bill with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Durbin of Illinois. That legislation would require the federal Bureau of Prisons to place imprisoned women closer to their families, prohibit the solitary confinement of pregnant women, expand visitation for primary child caretakers and provide parenting classes, among other things.

Harris said part of her motivation is to get what she calls a better return on investment for taxpayers for women serving prison time based on crimes directly related to such issues as drug abuse or trauma. It costs, for example, $75,000 a year to imprison an inmate, Harris said, referring to the prison system, which houses more serious criminals than the jails. It costs about $4,700 to give them drug addiction treatment and about $10,000 to give community mental health services.

The legislation comes as the Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions has pushed to reverse his departments policies toward reduced sentencing and sought to crack down on drug-related crimes.

Bail reform has received far less attention than other prison issues, said Barry Pollack, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which supports the Harris-Paul bill.

What many people dont understand is that a large percentage of the people who are in jails in this country have never been convicted of anything, Pollack said. They are people who are simply awaiting trial.

Thats because most states, including California, make payment of bail the one condition of pretrial release. The median bail set in California is $50,000, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Bail bond companies typically charge 10 percent of the the bail set by a judge, or $5,000 in the median case, an amount many people cant afford.

So literally what we have are debtors prisons across the country, Pollack said. It is bad public policy in just about every way that public policy can be bad. People arent being locked up based on their dangerousness to their community or their risk of flight, but rather simply their inability to make money bail.

Conversely, he said, people are released if they can pay bail, regardless of their risk of flight or danger to others.

Harris said many people, even if arrested for minor crimes that are unlikely to lead to jail time, simply stay in jail because they cant afford to get out. The stays can last for days, months, and even, at least in one Los Angeles case that lawyers cited, more than a year.

This happens in courthouses around our country every day, said Harris. Cases get continued, theres a backlog of cases, there arent courtrooms available, and they sit around waiting for trial.

The ACLUs Dooley-Sammuli said for people in low-wage jobs, not being able to pay bail or incurring big fees to bail bond companies can be disastrous, both for them and for taxpayers.

How many days can you call in sick before you lose your job? she asked.

She said people get their cars towed, and have their children taken away and placed in foster care. If they lose their jobs, they cant pay their rent, and that can cascade into other problems, she said.

This is not a small problem, Dooley-Sammuli said.

Carolyn Lochhead is the San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com
Glioblastoma, the cancer with which Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been diagnosed, is a highly lethal malignancy that killed Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Beau Biden, the son of former Vice President Joseph Biden. Here is what you need to know:

Q: What is glioblastoma?

A: Glioblastoma is an aggressive cancer that is the most common of all malignant brain tumors. About 12,400 new cases are expected in 2017, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. The tumors arise from the brain's glial cells, which are cells that are wrapped around neurons throughout the central nervous system. Typically, said Matthias Holdhoff, associate professor of oncology at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, "the tumors are considered not curable."

About 23,000 adults, more of them men than women, are diagnosed with various types of primary brain cancers a year, according to Cancer.net, a web site of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Unlike most other cancers, brain tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. They kill by interfering with normal body function, depending on their location.

Q: What are some symptoms of a glioblastoma?

A: Depending on the location of the tumor, a patient can have seizures, headaches, blurred vision and confusion.

Q: How is it treated?

A: The first step is surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. But because the cancer has "extensions" that spread throughout the brain tissue, excising every bit of the malignancy is difficult, Holdhoff said.

After surgery, patients typically receive six weeks of oral chemotherapy and radiation. Sometimes that course of treatment is reduced to three weeks for older people. After that, most patients get chemotherapy several days a month for an additional six months.

The median survival time following that treatment is about 15 to 16 months, Holdhoff said. But that varies considerably: "It's not just a matter of the cancer but where it is and what it's doing to the patient," agreed Frederick Smith, a Washington, D.C., oncologist.

Age can affect how long a person survives; in general, being young is better. Other key factors include how well a person was functioning before being diagnosed and the molecular characteristics of the tumor.

Q: What about immunotherapy?

A: New treatments that unleash the immune system against malignancies can help patients with several kinds of cancer, including metastatic melanoma and lung and bladder cancers. But while there are many clinical trials testing immunotherapy for glioblastoma, so far the studies haven't shown a meaningful survival benefit, experts say.

Q: What happened to Kennedy and Biden?

A: Kennedy disclosed his diagnosis in May 2008, three days after suffering a seizure. He underwent more than three hours of surgery shortly after that at Duke University. He died in August 2009. Biden, the former vice president's oldest son and the attorney general for the state of Delaware, was diagnosed in 2013 and had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy before going back to work. He died in May 2015 at the age of 46.

---

The Washington Post's Lenny Bernstein and Lena Sun contributed to this report.
Among the 21 MPs whose votes were rejected as they strayed from the prescribed method for voting, 13 are from the BJP. The value of the votes lost by these 21 disqualified votes is 15,000.

The BJP leadership, which spent a lot of time campaigning hard to secure each and every possible vote for its presidential candidate, is angry. For, the margin of win could have been better.

Among the 21 MPs whose votes were rejected as they strayed from the prescribed method for voting, 13 are from the BJP. The value of the votes lost by these 21 disqualified votes is 15,000.

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"Silly mistakes is all I can say. The MPs were supposed to write '1' for their first preference Ramnath Kovind. They couldn't even do that simple task," said a BJP leader, requesting anonymity. Sources say some wrote "one" instead of "1" and some simply put a tick mark.

The party had organised classes for its MPs in Parliament and MLAs in state assembly about the process of voting.

The party may pull up the erring leaders. "We know whose vote has been rejected and senior leaders will be speaking to these MPs. Ordinary voters can vote clearly even though they have to pick between dozens of candidates on an EVM. They (the MPs) couldn't pick between two," said the BJP leader.

The party is carefully examining the votes to see if any of its MLAs defied party line as the poling witnessed largescale cross-voting in seven states. The leaders are happy that in most states the cross-voters were from the opposition camp. They voted for Mr Kovind rather than their own candidate Meira Kumar in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, WB, Punjab, Assam and Tripura.

The Congress on the other hand is worried as in Gujarat, at least 12 party MLAs are said to have voted for Kovind. This clearly is a sign of brewing dissent ahead of the assembly polls and voting for three Rajya Sabha seats on August 8. This also indicates that senior leader Shankarsinh Vaghela, who was once with the BJP seems to be on his way out.

Also Read

President Ram Nath Kovind: PM Modi's political masterstroke?

Can Ram Nath Kovind, second Dalit President, follow in the footsteps of first Dalit President K R Narayanan?

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Kids from Girls Inc. of Alameda County, an Oakland nonprofit that prepares girls from neglected neighborhoods to break through gender, economic and racial barriers, recently visited a place where not many black and brown women are seen: a tech company.

A group of 28 middle-school girls toured the San Francisco office of Airbnb, the vacation-rental company, two weeks ago. There, the girls made their own version of Airbnbs guidebooks for cities they called Oakland Experiences.

Very cool.

Even cooler: This trip happened because Jonard La Rosa, who works on Airbnbs design team, thought introducing the girls to the inside of a multibillion-dollar tech giant would enrich the Girls Inc. summer program.

Its because La Rosa, a first-generation American of Filipino descent, understands that seeing someone who looks like you working at a tech company goes a long way toward helping you see yourself working there.

I wanted to use my privilege as an Airbnb employee to give a chance to the underprivileged youth served by Girls Inc. to take a tour of Airbnb and meet Airbnb employees that can serve as inspiration or role models, La Rosa, 28, told me.

Airbnb has struggled with the same underrepresentation of women and non-Asian minorities  notably among executives and tech workers  as most other major tech employers. But Airbnb encourages its employees to do programs like this, programs that might actually help shrink the diversity gap in tech.

This should be happening at any tech company that cant hack diversity.

But somehow companies operate without realizing that the best recruiters for black and brown employees arent highly paid consultants, recruiting firms or people with a mouthful of a job description and the word diversity in their title.

No, its the black and brown employees, however few, already on the payroll.

Yes, guys  and, unfortunately, tech is still very much a boys club  its all about connections.

La Rosas connection to Girls Inc. is that hes engaged to Mary Ann Manipon, who works in payroll and development at the organization.

What La Rosa and other black and brown people who have worked for tech companies, including myself, understand is that theres long been a disconnect between talking about a diversity pipeline and actually building it.

When La Rosa, who spent the first 14 years of his life in Dededo, the largest village in the U.S. territory of Guam, got his first job for a big tech company, he felt like an impostor. This was as a Google contractor.

I felt like I didnt belong and that I somehow cheated into getting there, La Rosa said. But soon I felt more comfortable with my skills and had confidence with my ability to contribute.

He realized then that anybody, regardless of socioeconomic background, could perform if given a chance. But some girls in Oakland dont have that chance, because one in three, many of them black and brown, dont even graduate from high school, according to Girls Inc.

Its just that nobody ever told someone like me, You can make it, or made me feel like I belonged in the industry as a youth, La Rosa said. I also hope to foster a relationship with Girls Inc. so that Airbnb as a company can be involved at a higher-than-superficial level.

Sure, Google announced in March that it was a starting a summer program, taught in part by senior engineers, at its Mountain View headquarters thats geared toward students at historically black colleges and universities. Clap, clap, clap.

But companies wont be able to effectively train, recruit and retain black and Latino employees if they dont give those who work there already a voice in the process. That seems to be happening at Airbnb.

It just happens so much throughout our company and often goes unnoticed, Jasmine Mora, Airbnbs press secretary said. And its just very natural and very much a part of Airbnb. Our employees lead these efforts because they care about the communities they live in.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr
Californians have a right to know the true source of funding on ballot measures. Period. The law should be straightforward and strong: The donors should not be obscured by money-laundering schemes or deceptive names such as Californians for Puppies and Free Lunches instead of the special interest backing or opposing a measure.

Regrettably, a bill to require such transparency (AB700, the Disclose Act) failed by a single vote in the state Senate last year. In that case, the blame rested with Senate Republicans, who assured its defeat by either voting no or failing to vote.

This year, a revised version of the Disclose Act (AB249) was nearly derailed by the Democratic leadership in the state Senate. Its Rules Committee initially refused what should have been a routine procedural move  allowing Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, to assume authorship from former Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, after the latter was elected to Congress.

On Wednesday, the committee relented, and AB249 remains alive, with Mullin as author.

Its no mystery why a major reform bill supported by a wide array of good-government and progressive organizations would encounter parliamentary games in the Democrat-controlled Senate: opposition from some labor groups, which carry outsize influence in Sacramento. If anything, the resistance from interests that engage in elections only highlights the need for disclosure.

Heres what AB249 would do:

Require that the largest funders of TV, radio, online and print ads about ballot measures be disclosed.

Require the disclosure of any donor of $50,000 or more and set guidelines to assure that it be readable. No more fine print.

Require that the top two funders of radio ads and robocalls be revealed.

This will get to who the real source of the funds is, Mullin said in a phone interview Thursday. He said he would have liked the bill to go further  to include independent spending for and against candidates, not just ballot measures  but this is a marked improvement over current law.

Forthright disclosure has become all the more critical with the U.S. Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision, which effectively cleared the way for corporations, unions and other interests to spend unlimited amounts in independent expenditures on political campaigns.

Its important to note that even the conservative justices who took the reins off campaign spending limits made plain that the free speech right of contributors does not preclude laws on meaningful disclosure.

In California, nearly $1 billion was spent on ballot measures between 2012 and 2016. All too often, the sources of those dollars were blurred in hard-to-read print or deceptive group names.

Democrats need to demonstrate that we are indeed the party of campaign reform, said Mullin, while adding that he may need to get Republican votes to reach the two-thirds threshold required for passage.

California should lead the way with passage of AB249.
Carbon consumed all the oxygen in Sacramento last week as the governor and lawmakers focused on fighting global warming, leaving efforts to address the states housing crisis up in the air. Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers insisted, however, that trying to solve the worlds problems wont keep them from facing Californias, promising to take up housing as soon as the Legislature returns from its summer recess in a month. With the states vast shortage of homes inflating prices and rents, overwhelming highways and transit, and populating tent and RV camps throughout the Bay Area and beyond, much depends on their ability to do so.

Given the crisis and how many Californians are suffering, we have to act now, said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco. We didnt get into this crisis overnight, and were not going to solve it overnight, but we have to take major steps this year. Weve been talking about the housing crisis for a long time without a lot of action in Sacramento.

Chiu said he takes heart that action is nevertheless closer than ever based on an explicit commitment to a housing package by the governor and Democratic legislative leaders that was hundreds of conversations in the making. Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a joint statement last week that they look forward to finalizing measures that would both expedite private development and increase government spending on affordable housing. This comprehensive approach, they added, does whats long been needed in California  build new homes and improve access to housing. The hope is for a grand bargain to bring together those who favor easing building restrictions, as the governor has, and those who would rather boost government subsidies, a more popular cause among Democrats in the Legislature.

Senate Bill 35, the most controversial but crucial of the bills at hand, would take aim at the root of the crisis by overriding development roadblocks in cities and counties that arent meeting their housing needs. Senate Bills 2 and 3 would fund more affordable housing by imposing $250 million a year in fees on real estate transactions and asking voters to approve $3 billion in borrowing. Despite stronger support among the ruling Democrats, the spending bills are expected to be more difficult because they require a two-thirds supermajority  a feat that required assists from Republicans to pass last weeks climate-change legislation and Aprils gas-tax hike.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, has championed the streamlining bill but said the spending measures are important to boost affordable as well as market-rate housing. We need both, he said. In expensive areas of the state, the market is not going to produce housing affordable to the lowest-income residents.

In a less dysfunctional market, older, cheaper housing would meet more of that need. But with more than 65 percent of apartments in California dating to before 1980, the dearth of new housing drives up demand and prices across the board, and the resulting gentrification fuels even more antidevelopment sentiment. Although direct government funding of affordable housing construction and subsidies would provide some relief, breaking the vicious antidevelopment cycle is more likely to have a lasting impact.

The urgency to do so was only heightened by the Legislatures recent approval of a counterproductive bill to exempt Marin County from density standards for the next decade. That means Sacramentos chief contribution to the housing crisis to date has been to compound it.

If the spending bills under consideration make breaking the development stranglehold possible, they will be worthwhile. For the Legislature and the state, continuing to do nothing poses the greatest risk.

Long way home

Lawmakers plan to take up bills to address Californias housing crisis when they return from their summer recess in a month. Key components of the package would:

Speed development. Senate Bill 35 would expedite approval of urban, multiunit, residential developments that conform to zoning, affordability and other standards in communities that arent meeting local housing needs.

Fund affordable housing. Senate Bill 2 would add fees of up to $225 per real-estate transaction to raise $250 million a year for affordable-housing programs. Senate Bill 3 would ask voters to approve $3 billion in borrowing for those programs.
The dissent in Gujarat Congress unit is out in open as at least 12 party MLAs cross voted in favour of BJP's President nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

By India Today Web Desk: Ram Nath Kovind is new President of India. He will take oath on July 25. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is celebrating Kovind's win, the main Opposition Congress' worries has just multiplied with the results of Presidential election.

Sources told India Today that at least 12 Congress MLAs cross voted in favour of Kovind in Gujarat giving him an advantage.

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The dissent in Gujarat Congress unit is clearly out in open and it is not good news for the central leadership. Assembly elections in Gujarat are due later this year and voting for three Rajya Sabha seats is on August 8.

CONGRESS VETERAN VAGHELA MIFFED WITH PARTY

Veteran Gujarat Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela is said to be unhappy with his party.

The 77-year-old leader, who was earlier with the BJP, is expected to make will make an important announcement and share his "feelings" with his supporters during a mega gathering on his birthday today in Gandhinagar.

FROM INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE: Vaghela 'unfriends' Congress

Sulking for not having been given a free hand for the party's campaign for the state Assembly election due later this year, the former chief minister visited Delhi on Thursday. It was a 'personal' visit, he said while refusing to divulge details of his Delhi tour. However, speculations are rife in the state about him joining the BJP again.

Vaghela had earlier slammed the state Congress over 'lack of homework' for the Assembly polls.

When asked about the cross voting by Congress MLAs in favour of NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Vaghela claimed ignorance.

"I voted for UPA nominee Meira Kumar. I don't know about cross voting. My Delhi visit was purely personal. It was not political," he told reporters at the airport.

On June 24, while addressing a meeting of his supporters in Gandhinagar, Vaghela had said he would not follow the Congress leadership if it continued on its present suicidal path in Gujarat.

"My problem with the party is they have done no planning to win Gujarat elections, when we know that it (elections) won't be delayed for even a month. Owners lack the foresight. They do not know what is going to happen tomorrow," Vaghela had said.

(With inputs from PTI)

ALSO READ:

Ram Nath Kovind is the next President, but BJP isn't satisfied

Gujarat Congress leaders upbeat after meeting Rahul Gandhi in Delhi

Is President Ram Nath Kovind Modi's political masterstroke?

WATCH: From Paraunkh to Raisina: Ram Nath Kovind's journey to Rashtrapati Bhavan

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The smoky haze didnt faze proud El Capitan or majestic Yosemite Falls on Thursday, and tourists could still see Half Dome rising up like a crescent moon as the tourist mecca went about its business seemingly oblivious to the havoc being wrought 30 miles west of the park entrance.

Yosemite National Park was unmoved by the Detwiler Fire, which continued its path of destruction through Californias Gold Country, billowing smoke across the mountainous landscape.

Park rangers, hotel workers, rock climbers, museum curators and sightseers carried on as if the 70,000-acre fire was a mere gnat on the windshield of a tour bus.

We do have smoke blowing into the valley, but its pretty minimal at this time, said Jamie Richards, a Yosemite park ranger, describing how the light haze has served only to highlight the grand waterfalls and cliffs. We still have water cascading over the waterfalls. Its still really nice.

The hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and other visitor services in Yosemite Valley were all open. Full power had been restored after park officials were forced to use generators a day before when the fire approached the electrical grid along Highway 140.

Skies remained hazy throughout the region, but the smoke was not nearly as bad as it was Wednesday, according to park officials.

The biggest inconvenience was the closure of a portion of Highway 140, one of the three main routes used to approach from the west, because of the flames threatening Mariposa. Visitors traveling to Yosemite from the Merced area were being diverted to Triangle Road toward Highway 49, which leads into Oakhurst before reconnecting with Highway140.

The park remained crowded despite the smoke.

We have had visitors asking questions, but all the major roads in and out of Yosemite are open, Richards said. If you are planning a trip to Yosemite, its still a great time to come.

Lisa Mayo, executive director of the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau in Sonora, about 20 miles northwest of the fire, said a lot of people have been calling her to find out about the air quality before heading up to the mountains.

There is smoke in the air and it can shift depending on the wind, Mayo said. The area is also getting busier with emergency personnel, but I dont think people are necessarily canceling trips at this point. As long as they dont have respiratory issues, they are being told it is OK to come up.

The Yosemite Westgate Lodge, on Highway 120 in Buck Meadows, remained open for business.

The smoke is here, and people have canceled reservations because of it, said a manager at the lodge who identified herself as Lucy. We do whatever we can to prioritize our customers first and give them updates about what is going on. It does affect business a little because people are worried.

Mayo, who has offered to arrange lodging for firefighters, said most people in the communities around Yosemite are used to fires in the summer and early fall.

Weve been through this before and well get through it again, she said. Our thoughts are with all the firefighters and the other personnel helping to stop the fire and those whove lost their homes.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
When Madelyn Markoe and Jessie Barker hired San Francisco interior designer Hannah Collins to design their new spot, a Cuba-Miami restaurant in the Mission District, their idea was to re-create the atmosphere of a typical Cuban home. They have traveled a lot around the country, but I have never been there, Collins said. So I had to do a lot of research to combine the warmth and coziness of a private residence and a liveliness of a commercial space.

The result is Media Noche, Spanish for midnight, in a 1,500-square-foot spot that recalls 1950s Cuban decor aesthetic but with a modern twist. To simulate the vibrant Latin energy, the designer played with colors: a palette of turquoise for the big windows and pillars, and some pink and coral for details. The floor is covered by vintage-chic tiles that reproduce a specific Cuban pattern the designer found in the book The Cuban Table by Ana Sofia Pelaez and Ellen Silverman. The tiles are custom-made by Avente Tile, a manufacturer based in Mexico. The company was the only one available to replicate that particular motif, Collins said. Mirrors, lamps, plants and vintage gates bought by the designer at an Alameda flea market hang on the walls. You could easily see this kind of decor in private homes in Havana. Metal furniture is very popular in Cuba, and we collaborated with James Davids of Clover Iron and Wood to custom-make metal pieces like the light box, the metal trims and the metal drink trail that separates the dining area from the counter, she said. A contemporary touch marks the bathroom  metallic yellow banana wallpaper that evokes Andy Warhols iconic version. When we were looking for patterns to adorn the bathroom, the banana was coming back. Then we found this cool wallpaper and decided to use it, she said. The refined work doesnt end inside the restaurant. Outside, San Francisco street artist fnnch has created a flamingo mural just for Media Noche.
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When asking seasoned miners about this years so-called gold rush in Northern California, it can be a challenge to obtain trustworthy information.

People who are smart dont advertise what theyve found, said Bob Van Camp, better known as Digger Bob. If youre finding nuggets in an area, you dont tell anyone about it; Ive made that mistake before.

After all, if youre a professional miner looking to make your fortune, its the nuggets youre after. Flakes and dust are milquetoast  and altogether worthless  compared to heavy chunks of the shiny yellow stuff.

Northern California was pelted with record rainfall this winter, and miners predicted that once all the water washed away, gold would be left in its wake. It appears that their predictions are panning out.

Folks are finding more gold  flood gold  than usual this year, said Diana Clayton, president of the Shasta Miners & Prospectors Association, which owns seven claims throughout Northern California and boasts about 350 members.

Many of our members have been mining for decades, Clayton said. They really know the area. And they know theres been changes.

Bryant Shock, co-owner of Gold Prospecting Adventures in Jamestown, Calif., estimates that theres been a quarter increase in professional miners heading up north  a sure sign of a legitimate gold rush, he says.

So too, Shock has seen bigger chunks of the mineral unearthed this season than in recent years, and not just near streams and rivers. Heavy rainfall triggers slides, he explained, which create cutouts in the hills and deposit small bits of gold in gulches and ravines.

Ive heard of people walking along, kicking the dirt and finding a piece of gold, Clayton added. She said a Shasta Miner recently uncovered a nugget half the size of her pinkie finger  thats a biggie.

Clayton wasnt about to let SFGATE in on the location of the prized chunk  Thats like asking fishermen where they found their best catch!  but she did mention the prospects surrounding the Oroville Dam, where miners believe gold is buried in the bedrock and dirt washed away when the spillway flooded.

SEE ALSO: Dramatic new images show scale of damage to Oroville Dam spillway

Theres good gold in that gravel, said professional miner Mike Abernathy definitively.

Aspiring miners should take pause before heading to Oroville with a pan in their hand and visions of riches on their minds. The region surrounding the spillway is completely inaccessible to the public, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) vehemently refutes the treasure hunters chatter.

The river channels affected by the flooding were extensively mined during the late 19th and 20th centuries, and having high flood waters would not expose additional gold, a BLM spokesperson told SFGATE over email.

Nonetheless, a miner can dream  thats what this gold hunting business is all about anyway. Odds of making a fortune in the goldfields of California are slim-to-none, but thats not really the point.

Said Clayton, Its about having fun and maybe getting lucky.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions claim that President Trump wont strip federal funding from San Francisco, Santa Clara County and other sanctuary locales for refusing to cooperate with immigration officers was an illusory promise, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick III of San Francisco rejected Trump administration requests to reconsider the nationwide injunction he issued in April, prohibiting the threatened cutoffs of federal funds, in response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County. Orrick also refused to dismiss the lawsuits.

Trump issued an executive order Jan. 25 saying he would penalize cities and counties that violated federal immigration law. San Francisco and Santa Clara County deny any such violations but said in court filings that the order threatens hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in their in their annual funding.

Orrick, in his April 25 injunction, said Trumps order and his public statements foreshadowed a wholesale takeaway of federal funding, which is beyond the presidents constitutional authority.

Justice Department lawyers argued, however, that Sessions had eliminated any such prospect with a May 22 memorandum. The memo  which the department described as binding on all government agencies  interpreted Trumps order to apply only to a limited number of federal grants, expressly tied to compliance with immigration law, and totaling less than $1 million a year for San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.

Orrick was unpersuaded. The two-page document contained no legal analysis and could be disregarded whenever the administration chose to do so, he said.

The attorney general could, at any time, revoke the AG memorandum and issue new guidance, Orrick said. Or the president could replace the attorney general to revoke it. ... The AG memorandum is functionally an illusory promise to enforce the executive order narrowly.

He also said the Trump administration has repeatedly accused San Francisco of violating federal law  as recently as July 12, the day of the most recent hearing on the case, when Sessions told a law enforcement gathering in Las Vegas that San Francisco, among other cities, was protecting criminals rather than law-abiding residents by refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities.

The underlying dispute is whether the law requires cities only to provide information on local inmates immigration status, as San Francisco and Santa Clara County do, or to prolong their confinement when federal agents want to pick them up for deportation.

Immigration enforcement is the federal governments job, and San Francisco does not interfere with that, City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in response to Orricks ruling. Were pleased the court saw through the Trump administrations sleight-of-hand.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @egelko
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Muni Metro riders can look forward to shiny new, and, one would hope, more reliable light-rail cars soon, perhaps by October, but first theyll have to put up with a little pain.

Beginning Saturday, and continuing for about a month, the Metro subway will be closed between West Portal and Montgomery Street stations all day on weekends and after 9:30 p.m., instead of midnight, on weeknights. The subway will remain open Aug. 11-13 during the Outside Lands music festival. The shutdown will enable Muni to test the first five of its new light-rail cars in the subway, where theyre controlled by computers.

During the closures, Muni will use buses to run between stations on the subway portions of Metro lines, although those typically take longer and travel more circuitous routes.

Metro riders in the Powell Street station Thursday said the shutdowns would be inconvenient but worth the hassle.

I guess Ill find other ways of getting home if Im staying out late, said Matt Long, 31, a software developer who rides Metro three or four days a week. Midnight already seems early, 9 p.m. is a lot worse. But its fair. I get it.

Carl Folk, whos 58 and self-employed, said the shutdowns and bus shuttles would make it a little tougher to get around. But if theyre going to replace the cars, we can deal with it.

The first of 265 new railcars arrived in January and Muni has been testing them in its yards and on the street-level sections of the Metro lines, where operators control the trains. John Haley, the Municipal Transportation Agencys transportation director, said the tests have turned up many problems but theyve been fixed. None is major or expected to cause delays, he said.

Workers have had to adjust the heights of some boarding platforms and move some cables to accommodate the new cars, which are being manufactured by Siemens in Sacramento, and the workers have replaced the headlights with brighter ones.

The biggest challenge has been getting the 14 different systems on the new trains  from air conditioning to Clipper readers to the public-address announcement and message displays  to work together.

Trains in the subway are computer controlled, so tests in the tunnel will focus on fine-tuning the control system to work efficiently with both the new Siemens cars and existing Breda cars operating in the subway at the same time. The control system governs the propulsion and braking systems, when the doors open and close and where and when trains stop.

Shutting the subway will allow Muni to complete the tests more quickly than if it performed them during the two hours or so available each night, Haley said.

The tests are required before the state Public Utilities Commission will certify the cars to carry passengers. Muni hopes to conclude testing by Aug. 20 and give the results to the PUC, which could take a month or more for approval. Then Muni will spend a week or so burning in the cars by running them for 1,000 miles, Haley said, as a final test.

Muni eventually will replace all of its existing 149 Breda cars and expand its fleet to handle expected growth in population and ridership. By the end of 2018, 24 new cars will have been delivered, with four more arriving in time for the Warriors fledgling arena opening scheduled for 2019.

The rest of the cars are scheduled to be delivered starting in 2021and continue to arrive gradually through 2028. MTA officials are talking with the Federal Transit Administration about possibly speeding up that process.

The first three cars pressed into service, said Haley, will be placed on the crowded and delay-ridden N-Judah line, where he expects them to have a quick impact.

We expect leaps and bounds improvements with reliability, he said. Service will improve immediately.

The cars, which are gray and white and wrapped with a big red stripe, will feature more dependable doors, more efficient braking, a more spacious interior and more stanchions and handholds to grab, he said. People whove seen them in testing on the streets, Haley added, are excited about the new cars and often have to be prevented from boarding.

If thats any indication, he said, people will be thrilled with the new trains.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanataun@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
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An attack on a man outside the BART station in Richmond this week had an influential witness who was not pleased with what he saw  city Mayor Tom Butt.

Butt said two BART employees sat in a nearby truck and watched the assault Thursday morning, apparently doing nothing, as the victim was beaten and kicked by a group of juveniles while a woman intervened. The mayor snapped a photo of the two men wearing neon utility vests sitting in a truck with the BART logo.

There was a woman there who was screaming at the kids, Stop, stop, get out of here, Butt said. I was astounded two BART employees would just watch while some brave woman was doing her best to chase these kids off and save this guy.

BART police said five or six juveniles assaulted the man, kicking and punching him shortly before 11:30 a.m., but Butt estimated that the group numbered about a dozen. The youths escaped into the surrounding area, police said.

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said via email Friday that the spot where the attack happened was a plaza outside the station that is in the jurisdiction of the Richmond Police Department. But the mayor said he had called 911 and had been greeted by confusion as to whether the incident was under the jurisdiction of BART or Richmond police.

There were several problems I was concerned with. One is the dispatch issue. To me, its crazy for a BART police officer to have to respond to something like this thats right in the heart of downtown Richmond, he said.

Butt said he had emailed the BART Board of Directors and Richmond police chief to express his concerns.

He said there was no one at the station agent kiosk, and when he came back through the station about five hours later on his return trip from San Francisco, the kiosk still stood empty.

A station agent was on duty at the time, but may have been dealing with job responsibilities outside the kiosk, Trost said.

We had a station agent in the station, who likely was involved in one of the many duties required of agents that occur outside the information box such as on platforms and near our ticket vending machines, Trost said.

The station agent is being interviewed to determine his or her whereabouts, according to BART spokesman Taylor Huckabee.

Trost said the youths were not BART passengers and were loitering in the plaza before the attack. She added that they may have stolen a cigarette from the victim.

The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Lt. Felix Tan, a spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.

Butt said on his return trip through the station, he noticed another startling detail: The victims blood had not been cleaned from the pavement.

I went up the stairs and was kind of astounded  there was a pool of blood on the sidewalk from where this guy was injured, Butt said. Like no one thought it was a good idea to clean it up.

Trost said, The blood on the street was Richmonds jurisdiction, but we still sent a crew to clean it.

Chronicle staff writer

Michael Bodley contributed

to this report.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
Residents in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco were advised to shelter in place for about an hour Friday afternoon because of a gas leak, officials said.

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued an alert about 1:21 p.m. advising the incident had been resolved.

The gas leak was near the intersection of Pierce and Page streets just a few blocks from Alamo Square, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

This all started around noon, a construction crew which is unrelated to PG&E was doing some work in the area when that crew hit a 2-inch plastic line, said Andrea Menniti, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Our crews safely stopped the flow of gas around 1:06 p.m, she said. They will remain on scene to make repairs.

The streets around the leak were closed to foot and vehicle traffic during the leak, and people where the gas fumes were detected were asked to shelter in place, police advised at 12:13 p.m.

Menniti said PG&E is investigating whether the crew called 811  a free service that marks underground pipelines in advance of construction projects  before they started digging.

Damage to underground pipelines is the number one risk facing PG&Es gas system, Menniti said, so we are trying to educate the public about the importance of calling 811.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
MARIPOSA  Evacuated residents of fire-besieged Mariposa came back to their historic downtown Friday, grateful that there was a downtown to come back to, even as the blaze eating up the heart of Californias Gold Rush Country grew to 75,000 acres.

Weary but hopeful, locals began to trickle back to the strip of stores and restaurants shortly after the evacuation order was lifted at noon.

Restaurateurs were wiping off tables, innkeepers were vacuuming rooms, merchants were waiting for customers.

Im excited that I can help my community again, said Heidi Dulcich, the longtime manager of the Coast Hardware store. Its not about the money, its about helping people.

Customers lost no time loading up on gloves, tarps, trash bags and shovels. Another popular item was emergency radio scanners, so residents could listen to the latest from the fire lines.

Mariposa is still here, were open and our wonderful town has survived, said Dane Carlson, chief executive officer of the Mariposa Chamber of Commerce. Arm in arm, were moving forward.

Skies were still smoky but spirits were high, he said.

Come on up, he said. You can walk into any hotel right now and get a room. You can walk into any restaurant and get a table.

Officials reopened Highway 140, between Highway 49 and Old Highway North, a route leading to Yosemite National Park that had been closed since Tuesday because of the Detwiler Fire. Highway 49 between Highway 140 and Lemee Lane was also reopened, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported.

But many areas outside town remained under evacuation order.

The Mariposa County Sheriffs Office said it will have a heavy presence in the town area to ensure the security and safety of residents and businesses.

Anthony Skogen of nearby Mount Bullion said he had ignored recommendations to flee his home and stayed behind. His home was spared after firefighters cut a fire line about 50 yards from his back wall.

Its not real normal yet, Skogen said.

At the River Rock Inn in downtown Mariposa, employee Tricia Redding said it was good to be back in business because during the evacuation, Mariposa was like a ghost town and it was kind of creepy.

The hotel had allowed firefighters to use its rooms to take showers, while at least one hotel guest who had left the hotel to visit Yosemite National Park by bus was prevented by the evacuation order from returning to her room and wound up staying in a Red Cross shelter in Oakhurst, 30 miles away.

Hopefully, theyll get the fire out and life will start returning to normal, Redding said.

Teddy Russell, 69, drove his pickup truck to Coast Hardware to buy fuel for his home generator and a part for his water pump. Without them, Im SOL, he said, using the salty acronym for being out of luck.

Firefighters had advised him days ago to leave his home in nearby Midpines. It was advice he declined.

The past couple of days, he said, hes been pulling weeds around his house and sweeping pine needles from his roof, to better his odds.

This is the worst Ive ever seen the fire situation up here, he said.

Meanwhile, firefighters reported they are making progress in containing the inferno, officials said.

The Detwiler Fire, which started Sunday afternoon, rapidly spread across Mariposa County, leveling 61 homes and 60 other structures as of Friday morning. Nearly 4,000 firefighters on the fire line increased containment to 25percent from 10 percent the day before, Cal Fire officials said. More than 1,500 structures remained in danger.

One of the destroyed buildings was the Little Church in the Hills, a 76-year-old nondenominational house of worship.

The fire continued to threaten the smaller community of Coulterville, 30 miles to the north.

Hot and dry conditions in the area contributed to the fires rapid spread as 3,737 firefighters battled the inferno using 462 engines, 82 bulldozers and 13 helicopters, Cal Fire officials said.

The blaze, Californias second largest this year, was burning in an area of tall chaparral and trees that flourished over the wet winter but dried out quickly during an early summer heat spell that saw days of triple-digit temperatures in the region about 30 miles west of Yosemite National Park.

Power lines to Yosemite continued to be threatened, but the park remained open.

Kurtis Alexander, Sarah Ravani and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com, sravani@sfchronicle.com and srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander, @SarRavani and @SteveRubeSF
An unidentified male was stabbed to death in San Franciscos Hayes Valley on Thursday night, police said.

Officers found the victim on the sidewalk at Lily and Octavia streets shortly after 7 p.m. He was declared dead at the scene, according to officer Michael Andraychak.
By Ajit Kumar Jha: Given democratic politics is primarily a symbolic struggle for political representation and empowerment of the downtrodden, the election of Ram Nath Kovind with 65 per cent votes as the second Dalit president after KR Narayan - who was the 10th president and the first Schedule Caste candidate (1997 to 2002) - is a momentous moment for Indian democracy.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's choice has widely been described as a "political masterstroke". By selecting a Dalit candidate for the highest office of the land, he has not only managed to expand, deepen and consolidate the BJP's political base among the poor, backward and Dalit masses much beyond its traditional upper-caste strongholds - stitching together in vernacular vocabulary the Mandal with the Kamandal - but also for cracking the old certitudes of Indian politics built around century-old caste hierarchy. So formidable was the first-mover advantage that the NDA gained from selecting a Dalit candidate for the head of state that the Congress's candidate Meira Kumar - also a Dalit and a woman to boot - became the only possible choice for the 17-party mahagathbandhan.

A Dalit-versus-Dalit contest for the head of country cannot be dismissed anymore as traditional caste politics as some observers have mistakenly identified the contest. Indeed, by linking symbolic Dalit empowerment with democratic political mobilisation, Indian democracy has overturned the traditional definition of caste as rigid social stratification and redefined it as the main vehicle for liberating social and political transformation similar to the civil rights tradition of American politics and the selection of an Afro-American Barack Obama for the US presidency. Arguably, today the highest Constitutional offices of Indian democracy, the Prime Minister the President and in the near future the Vice President (in all likelihood Venkaiah Naidu) will be political leaders with RSS and BJP background. Yet the other common thread linking all them is that all three are from modest Dalit and OBC background. To use the vernacular vocabulary, this is the sangh politics of samajik samrashta (social churning), in other words, the stitching together of the Mandal with the Kamandal. Historically, the RSS - led by conservative Brahminical leaders - had among them a radical streak in the form of Dattopant Thengadi, the trade unionist Swadeshi leader, who was the election agent of the tallest Dalit leader and the father of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, Babsaheb Ambedkar. The new model of samajik samrashta practised by the new BJP under the leadership of Modi is an extension of that progressive tradition.

In its 70th year of independence, the presidential election of 2017 has proved to be historic beyond Dalit empowerment. The contest for the 14th President has witnessed the highest turnout in presidential election in Indian history: a record 99 per cent. Moreover, the campaign by both the presidential candidates were in the finest tradition of democracy by maintaining the highest standards of decorum and decency. Will President-elect Ram Nath Kovind prove to be a rubber stamp like a Fakruddin Ali Ahmed who signed and approved of the proclamation of Emergency in 1975 by Indira Gandhi even before the cabinet discussed the matter or, will he used his presidential discretion to carve out an independent image for himself, like exemplary presidents before him in the tradition of Rajendra Prasad, Dr Radhakrishnan and the first Dalit president KR Narayanan? According to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Kovind had been an exemplary governor from 2015 to 2017. Right after his victory, an emotional Kovind said: "It is my duty to protect the Constitution and uphold its values as the President." As the custodian and the protector of the Indian Constitution should he do so as the 14th President of India, he will go down in history as a visionary statesman.

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The writer is Editor, Research, India Today

Also Read

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Ram Nath Kovind as presidential candidate: How BJP aggressively continues to woo Dalits

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Upon first glance, the Buddha Exquisite in Chinatown blends in with the neighboring businesses, which are tightly packed in the bustling corridor. A sea-foam green marquee rests atop the stores entrance with an image of Buddah adorned by rosy lotus buds.

The business, located on 756 Jackson St., operates as a paper goods shop. But back in 1940, the Grandview Theater occupied the location and was considered Chinatowns first modern theater, according to an article by SF Weekly.

Today, the only signs of its former heyday are the marquee and a neon-lit sign. The structure's interior was remodeled, but it once held 400 seats and carpeted floors.

The Grandview Theater opened in 1940, when filmmaker Joseph Sunn Jue envisioned a movie theater that catered to Chinese audiences.

He presented films shot in Hong Kong but also Cantonese-language films that Jue produced in San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicles G. Allen Johnson wrote.

A former nightclub located in an alley off Grant Avenue was converted into a movie studio called the "Grandview Motion Picture Company, where Jue created his films, the Chronicle wrote on Sept. 21, 1947.

Joseph Jue is the only organizer and president of Americas only company that produces Chinese films, and that company is right here.

When he wasnt busy directing films, he was an usher at the Grandview Theater, the Chronicle wrote on Nov. 25, 1940.

His films covered various genres including detective stories, zany comedies and historic dramas, the Chronicle noted.

In 1940, Jue produced about 18 films a year and categorized features as supers or quickies. The budget and timeframe for these projects depended on the category.

Supers are budgeted at between $40,000 and $60,000 and take from three to six months to produce. Quickies cost $15,000 to $20,000 and are rushed out in three weeks, The Chronicle wrote in 1940.

In the same article, the Chronicle said the latest film Jue produced was called, They Get What They Wanted. Jue believed the film was somewhere better than a quickie but by no means a super.

Perhaps what made the Grandview Theater successful was that it had a strong hold in the Asian community. First generation Chinese-Americans spoke little English and Chinese movies were among the few diversions available, SF Weekly wrote.

In fact, Jues films were popular with viewers outside of San Francisco. According to the Chronicle, Jues films were a hit in several countries including Cuba, Mexico, Panama, South America, Hawaii, the Philippines, Australia, and Madagascar.

In the 1960s popularity for Chinese movie theaters started to fade as some in the community started to prefer American movies.

Second-generation Chinese-Americans generally stayed away from Chinese movie theaters, going only on occasion and in the company of an older relative, SF Weekly wrote.

Still, that wasnt enough to sustain the theater and in the mid-1980s, the Grandview Theater finally closed its doors.

Eventually, the theater was sold and works produced by Jue were thrown out of the attic where they were stored, erasing the historic record of 20th century San Francisco, the Chronicles G. Allen Johnson wrote.
"Black Panther" and "Fruitvale Station" director Ryan Coogler has been vocal about his life growing up in Oakland.

And as he revealed at Comic-Con in San Diego this week, part of his youth was spent in search of black superheroes at a comic book store by his East Bay elementary school called Dr. Comics & Mr. Games.

As he says, he first fell in love with reading about "X-Men" character Bishop.

"I was like, 'Holy smokes, there's a black X-Man?'" he says. "Then I found out Stan Lee talked about how Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were some of his inspirations for Magneto and Professor X. So I was like, 'Jeez, my culture is influencing this!' And this is being referenced. But I always did long for that one (black) superhero who the whole book was around. The same way I could pick up a Captain America book or a Spider-Man book."

RELATED: Marvel's new 'Black Panther' film could feature nods to the Bay Area

Coogler continues, saying he went to Dr. Comics & Mr. Games to find out if there were more black superheroes.

"I remember going in there saying, 'You got any black superheroes? Got anybody who looks like me?'" the director says. "The first thing they did was walk me over to 'Black Panther.'"

Coogler never forgot that store, and when he got the directing gig for the new Marvel project, he and his wife paid it another visit. They bought two "Black Panther" comic books.

The new "Black Panther" film may pay some respect to Coogler's hometown; as we reported in January, the movie will include a '90s-era flashback that will feature buses fashioned to look like AC Transit vehicles.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


Matt Rourke/Associated Press

WASHINGTON  Russias ambassador to Washington told his superiors in Moscow that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to public assertions by the embattled attorney general, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Ambassador Sergey Kislyaks accounts of two conversations with Sessions  then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump  were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials both in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.
FRANKFORT, Ky.  A federal judge has ordered Kentucky taxpayers to pay more than $220,000 in attorneys fees from a legal dispute that arose when an elected county clerk caused a national uproar by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2016.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning said Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was acting on behalf of the state government when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-couples on the basis of her religious beliefs. He ordered the state to pay $222,695 in fees to the attorneys of two couples and others who sued Davis.
RICHMOND, Va.  When a French artists statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee arrived by train in Richmond in 1890, thousands helped haul the enormous work to what is today the citys grandest boulevard. Many took home pieces of the rope they used as souvenirs, so beloved was Lee as a top Confederate commander and native Virginia son.

Well over a century later, cities across the U.S. are removing Confederate statues and other symbols critics see as offensive reminders of slavery and racism. But not Richmond, which has no such plans for taking down Lees towering statue  or others like it  along its Monument Avenue.

Mayor Levar Stoney recently announced he thinks the monuments should stay put but appointed a commission to study adding historical context, likely with new signs or new statues. His approach has been praised by many residents, who consider removing the statues impractical. But its also raised debate about whether the city that was the capital of the Confederacy and a major hub in the domestic slave trade is appropriately acknowledging the darkest chapters of its past.

This new mayor, who we had hoped would break with the traditions of the past, has stated he doesnt think that the statues should come down. ... And that is out of step with what is happening throughout the South, and its an embarrassment, frankly, said Phil Wilayto, a community organizer and one of the plans most outspoken opponents.

When Stoney, who is black, announced the commission last month, he said he was personally insulted by the Confederate figures but believed telling the whole truth about their history was the best place to start.

Equal parts myth and deception, they were ... a false narrative etched in stone and bronze more than 100 years ago  not only to lionize the architects and defenders of slavery  but to perpetuate the tyranny and terror of Jim Crow and reassert a new era of white supremacy, the 36-year-old, first-term mayor said.

Today, Lees 21-foot statue rises atop a pedestal nearly twice that tall on a grassy circle. Elsewhere on the broad avenue lined with mansions and tony apartments are statues to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, generals J.E.B. Stuart and Thomas Stonewall Jackson and Confederate naval officer Matthew Maury.

Sarah Rankin is an Associated Press writer.
PHILADELPHIA  The Trump administration has brought an al Qaeda suspect to the United States to face trial in federal court, backing off its hard-line position that terrorism suspects should be sent to the naval prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, rather than to civilian courtrooms.

The suspect, Ali Charaf Damache, was transferred from Spain and appeared Friday in federal court in Philadelphia, making him the first foreigner brought to the United States to face terrorism charges under President Trump. Authorities believe Damache was an al Qaeda recruiter. He was charged with helping plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who depicted the prophet Muhammad in cartoons.
WASHINGTON  White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned Friday, after the appointment of wealthy financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director. Spicers deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was promoted to the press secretary role several hours later.

Spicers abrupt and angry departure  which caught even senior West Wing staffers by surprise  reflects the latest upheaval in a White House that has been consumed by chaos and staff infighting since almost the day President Trump took office.

Scaramucci has previously had a tense and fraught relationship with both Spicer and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who both vehemently objected to Trumps decision to install Scaramucci in the top communications job. Scaramucci has coined a particularly crude nickname for Priebus, and Priebus previously blocked the financier from several other top White House roles.

Scaramucci had been in talks with the president and senior staff all week. But the shakeup comes amid intensifying tumult at the White House as Trump moves to respond to the widening special counsel probe into his campaigns possible collusion with the Russian government and searches for ways to revive the administrations stalled legislative agenda.

Trump officially offered the position to Scaramucci, whom he has become closer to in recent weeks, at a Friday morning meeting with senior staff in the Oval Office. On Thursday, Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Scaramucci and Trumps daughter, Ivanka, also huddled privately in the Oval Office to discuss Scaramuccis new role.

Asked if he had any regrets, Spicer, who on Twitter said he will serve in his post through the end of August, replied: None.

On Friday, the West Wing scrambled to present a united public front. Priebus called a private meeting of the White House communications staff and made clear that Spicer, who is expected to help Scaramucci transition into the role, is leaving to give the new communications director a clean slate, according to someone briefed on the meeting.

But bringing Scaramucci into the White House is likely to increase the backbiting and tension among Trumps senior staff, especially with Priebus, with whom he has clashed in the past.

Steve Bannon, Trumps senior strategist, also opposed the hiring, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Though Bannon likes Scaramucci personally, he worried that he represents the corporate, Wall Street globalists against which he and other White House hard-liners have railed and does not have the right skills for the job.

Abby Phillip, Ashley Parker and Damian Paletta are Washington Post writers.
By India Today Web Desk: Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's little bundle of joy, Taimur, turned seven months old yesterday. The family decided to have a small celebration, and Taimur's masi Karisma Kapoor took to Instagram to share a snap of the festivities. Karisma shared a photo of the birthday cake on her Instagram story last night.

"Our baby turns 7 months," she wrote on the picture of the chocolate cake, which had "Happy 7th month birthday Taimur" written in white icing.

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A few days ago, reports suggested that Kareena has already begun planning Taimur's first birthday, and is toying with the idea of having a Peppa Pig-themed party for the toddler.

Taimur has been the paparazzi's favourite for a while now, and at a recent event, Kareena said that she did not mind him being snapped wherever he goes. "The culture today has changed. Anywhere you go, you're getting photographed. Taimur is as normal as anybody else, so why should he be treated otherwise? It's absolutely okay," she said.

ALSO READ: Mira Rajput and Kareena Kapoor Khan are competing fiercely? It involves Misha and Taimur

ALSO SEE: Saif and Kareena's li'l cutie Taimur is making our hearts melt

ALSO SEE: This photo of Kareena with her bundle of joy Taimur is breaking the internet

ALSO WATCH: Saif-Kareena become proud parents to a baby boy, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi

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The ink wasnt even dry on the West Coast longshore contract when the head of the employers group, the Pacific Maritime Association, proposed to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union a three-year extension, making it an eight-year contract. While the number of registered longshore jobs, 14,000, is the about same as in 1952, the volume of cargo passing through the 29 ports has increased 14 times to a record-breaking 350 million revenue tons a year.

Under the current contract, employers have eliminated hundreds of longshore jobs through automation on marine terminals such as the fully automated Long Beach Container Terminal and the semi-automated TraPac freight-forwarding facility in the Port of Los Angeles.

By the end of an extended contract in 2022, several thousand longshore jobs will be eliminated on an annual basis due to automation, warned Ed Ferris, president of ILWU Local 10 in San Francisco. With driverless trucks and crane operators in control towers running three cranes simultaneously, the chance of serious and deadly accidents are enormous.

Now maritime employers are pulling out all stops to push through this job-killing contract extension, using both Democratic and Republican politicians, high-powered PR firms and even some union officials.

On July 18, The Chronicle published an Open Forum by Democrats Mickey Kantor, former U.S. secretary of commerce who led the U.S. negotiations to create the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement, which cost millions of jobs, and Norman Mineta, also a former secretary of commerce.

The authors of this pro-employer piece talk of preserving labor peace and refer to West Coast port shutdowns over the last 15 years. Yes, there is a class war on the waterfront, but its being waged by the employers: Those port closures were caused by employer lockouts in 2002, 2013 and 2014 during longshore contract negotiations.

The 2002 lockout was ended after Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called on President George W. Bush to invoke the antilabor Taft-Hartley Act  not against the maritime employers lockout but against the longshore union. The only time the ILWU shut down Pacific Coast ports between 2002 and today was May Day, 2008, in protest of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  the first-ever labor strike in the United States to protest a war.

In their Chronicle commentary, the two Democrats cite figures for wages and pensions that reflect only the highest skill level after a lifetime of work in one of the most dangerous industries. And then they threaten that if the contract proposal is rejected, it could lead Republicans and Democrats alike to impose antistrike legislation on the waterfront.

The ILWU backed Bernie Sanders in the presidential primary and then Hillary Clinton in the election. Yet no matter who leads it, the Democratic Party represents Wall Street on the waterfront. Clearly whats needed is a workers party to fight for workers interests. And that includes fighting for nationalization without compensation of the transport industry while establishing workers control.

The so-called friends of labor Democrats have been enlisted by the Pacific Maritime Association because earlier this year at the Longshore Caucus, a union meeting representing West Coast dockworkers, the San Francisco delegates voted unanimously to oppose a contract extension. Saturday, they held a conference at their union hall on automation and the proposed contract extension. One proposal was to make automation benefit dockworkers by reducing the workweek to 30 hours while maintaining 40 hours pay, creating another work shift.

There are tens of millions of unemployed people in this country. The labor movement should launch a new campaign for a shorter workweek at no loss in pay as part of a struggle for full employment to benefit all, not President Trump and his Wall Street cronies. In resisting this contract extension, ILWU waterfront workers can stand up for all workers.

Jack Heyman, a retired Oakland longshoreman, chairs the Transport Workers Solidarity Committee. https://www.transportworkers.org/
By PTI: (Eds:Adding more details)

New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The Supreme Court today asked the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on violent incidents in the garb of cow protection.

The apex court did so even as the Centre said it condemns any kind of vigilantism but the law and order is a state subject and that it has no role to play in the matter.

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However, a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said that Centre and state should not protect any kind of vigilantism.

"You say that law and order is a state subject and states are taking actions as per law. You dont protect any kind of vigilantism," the bench, also comprising A M Khanwilkar and M M Shantanagoudar, asserted.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that Parliament was also informed yesterday by the government that it does not support any kind of vigilantism.

"Law and order is a state subject and Central government does not have any role to play into it. However, Union of India is of the view that no vigilante group has any space in the country as per procedures of law. It does not support any kind of vigilantism by private persons," Kumar said.

He sought some time to file a reply to the petition.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde appearing for one of the petitioners said that the Centre and various states have not filed their replies to the petition.

The counsel appearing for Gujarat said that there was only one such incident of cow vigilantism in the state and necessary action has been taken against those responsible.

Jharkhand in its reply accepted that few incidents of violence have indeed taken place in the recent past but termed them as "stray incidents" and said that people engaging in violence has been booked as per law.

In its affidavit it said, compensation has been paid to the victims of violence perpetrated by Gau Rakshaks (cow vigilante groups) and added that steps have been taken to restore "confidence of the aggrieved community."

The apex court also sought the assistance of the Centre and states for removing violent content related to cow vigilantism uploaded on social media.

The bench asked Centre and other states to file their detailed reply and posted the matter for further hearing on September 6.

The apex court had on April 7 sought the response of six states on the plea, filed on October 21 last year, seeking action against cow vigilantes who were allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.

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Activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, in his plea, said violence committed by these Gau Raksha groups has reached such proportions that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared them as people who were "destroying the society".

The plea also alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities in the name of protecting cows and other bovines and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country."

"The menace caused by the so-called cow protection groups is spreading fast to every nook and corner of the country and is creating disharmony among various communities and castes," the petition submitted.

The plea sought to declare as "unconstitutional" section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, and Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which provide for protection of persons acting in good faith under the Act or rules.

Seeking action against the vigilantes, the petition said the atrocities committed by them were punishable under various provisions of IPC and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989. PTI MNL ABA SJK RKS GSN GSN

--- ENDS ---

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The SC judges ruled that amending the rules of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 was the job of the parliament and not of a court.

By Harish V Nair: She tried her best. But a 60-year-old senior lady doctor, a resident of Delhi's Defence Colony, whose 40-year-old daughter having a mental maturity of a four-year-old toddler was raped, lost her legal battle on behalf of hundreds of similar victims for a more friendly trial court. If she had won, it would have been a landmark ruling.

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The Supreme Court on Friday unfortunately ruled that the trial of a case wherein the victim is an adult whose mental maturity is of a kid cannot be shifted to a children's court and the accused cannot be tried under the stringent provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.

The victim, who was brutally raped, suffered from cerebral palsy, a case of under-developed brain like that of a child.

Due to the impact of the gruesome incident seven years ago, the victim's mental capacity drastically reduced from that of an 8-year old to a three-year old toddler. This was making the recording of her statement before a magistrate extremely difficult as she could not convey to the judge what exactly was done to her.

The victim in the pertinent case anyways would not have benefitted even if the court had ruled in her favour as the accused died when her mother's plea to shift the case from a normal court to children's court was pending in the apex court.

But her mother, despite the tragedy and trauma that had befallen her, had fought on with the help of her lawyer Aishwarya Bhati for the interest of hundreds of other similar victims.

"We discussed the issue in detail. There are two concurring judgments rejecting the plea," said Justice Dipak Misra

Justice Rohinton Nariman added: "We thought about it. But despite our best effort, we could not do much."

Both judges said that criteria of mental age required amendment of the rules of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 and it was the job of the parliament and not of the court.

"Needless to emphasise that courts sometimes expand or stretch the meaning of a phrase by taking recourse to purposive interpretation. A judge can have a constructionist approach but there is a limitation to his sense of creativity. In the instant case, I am obliged to state that stretching of the words "age" and "year" would be encroaching upon the legislative function," Justice Misra said in the judgment.

Justice Nariman said: "It is clear that viewed with the lens of the legislator, we would be doing violence both to the intent and the language of Parliament if we were to read the word "mental" into Section 2(1)(d) of the 2012 Act. Given the fact that it is a beneficial/penal legislation, we as Judges can extend it only as far as Parliament intended and no further."

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The Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed the victim's mother's plea. The apex court was initially convinced by the argument of Aishwarya Bhati, the lawyer for the petitioner that the mental age of the victim should be taken as the criteria for classifying an offence under POSCO instead of the chronological age.

The POSCO Act defines child to mean a person below 18 years of age and lays down a detailed mechanism and procedure to ensure that recording of statement of the child is done in a child-friendly manner with care. But unfortunately the act fails to account for the mental age of the victim.

It requires that the child doesn't see the accused at the time of testifying and permits assistance of interpreter/expert and the presence of parents. The Rules provide for compensation for relief or rehabilitation of the child.

SHOCKING EXTRACTS

Said the mother's petition in the court: "After putting a lot of efforts were made to do In-Camera Recording the evidence of the prosecutrix in a vulnerable room at Saket Court Complex, New Delhi in which prosecutrix did make a coherent statement in child like language of the anatomical part of the accused that was put in her.

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However, the trial judge refused to accept the child-like language, despite the fact that the interpreter Dr. Roma Kumar was interpreting the child like language for the trial judge and the case was thereafter adjourned because the prosecutrix was distressed and crying instead the trial judge adjourned the in-Camera Trial because repeated questioning in the same was making the child cry and distressed. Thereafter, the matter was listed for 21.05.2015, 27.05.2015 and the I.O. was directed to collect the relevant information from AADI and submit the report on 18.05.2016 at 4.00 p.m."

Although the Delhi Police proceeded with filing chargesheet against the accused under Section 376(2)(L) of the Indian Penal Code (sexual assault with a mentally or physically challenged victim), the victim's mother approached the Delhi High Court to allow shifting of the case to the Special Court trying POSCO cases.

The High Court in June last year turned down the request forcing the mother to approach the Supreme Court.

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BENEFITS OF A POCSO COURT

In a normal court a "child" victim feels intimidated in the presence of the accused and his lawyer who will cross examine her even if it is an in-camera proceeding.

In a designated POCSO court, procedure of recording statement of victim is different.

Child will be comfortable as accused will not be seen

The accused's lawyer cannot cross examine the child and he can only submit a list of questions to the judge who will then put it to her. Thereby any chance of intimidation of the victim by the defence lawyer is ruled out



--- ENDS ---
Sean Spicer on Friday from his position as the White House press secretary after President Donald Trump chose Anthony Scaramucci as the communications director, a position that Spicer had until now in addition to his press secretary duties.

By India Today Web Desk: White House press secretary Sean Spicer is resigning his position, according to two people with knowledge of the decision, news agency AP reported.

One of those people said Spicer is quitting because of objections over the appointment of a new White House communications director, New York financier Anthony Scaramucci. AP did not identify the people, saying they had spoken only under the condition of anonymity.

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News agency Reuters confirmed the news of Spicer resigning as well, reporting that a White House official as saying that Spicer, who has been serving in a dual role for President Trump as press secretary and communications director, abruptly resigned on Friday after Trump chose Scaramucci as the new communications director.

Scaramucci, a long-time Trump supporter and a Wall Street financier Anthony, was picked by President Donald Trump to be his White House communications director on Friday, a White House official said, according to Reuters.

Currently at the Export-Import Bank, Scaramucci is expected to start his new job in August, the official said.

While AP reported that Spicer was resigning to Sacaramucci being picked, Reuters said that no other changes were immediately expected in the White House communications operation.

Sacaramucci's appointment comes as the White House deals with questions around a special counsel probe and several congressional investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and potential collusion with Trump's campaign.

The communications position has been vacant since Michael Dubke resigned in May as communications director. Spicer has been serving a dual role as press secretary and communications director since Dubke left.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters, said Scaramucci was interviewed by Trump on Friday morning and the job had been offered and accepted.

Scaramucci, a Republican fundraiser and founder of Skybridge Capital, was earlier offered the post of US ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

ALSO READ | White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer wishes India a happy Independence Day... in June

ALSO READ | Trump spokesman sparks outcry by comparing Assad to Hitler, apologises

ALSO WATCH | What happens when Donald Trump gets a WhatsApp message from PM Modi

--- ENDS ---
Gujarat Congress party leader Shankersinh Vaghela said he will resign as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and quit as MLA after the Rajya Sabha election on August 8.

By India Today Web Desk: Gujarat Congress party leader Shankersinh Vaghela today said the party high command had expelled him. Vaghela also said he was not going to join the BJP.

Earlier today, Vaghela had said that he has been expelled by the party 24 hours back.

Vaghela, who is celebrating his 77th birthday today, made the announcement at a rally in Gandhinagar. He also said he will resign as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and quit as MLA after the Rajya Sabha election on August 8.

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He claimed he was a victim of intra-party conspiracy, due to which the party had shown him the door.

Vaghela has been in the news ever since he openly raised questions over the leadership of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

He said the party did not even wait to hear what he would say at today's event before taking the decision to throw him out. Vaghela termed it a case of "vinashkale vipareet budhdhi". Appealing to his supporters, he said that the "final high command" are the people.

No action was taken against Shankersingh Vaghela ji nor was he expelled.These are baseless arguments.Its his decision: RS Surjewala,Congress pic.twitter.com/C1PNfXWFA7 ANI (@ANI_news) 21 July 2017

WHAT VAGHELA SAID:

It is my destiny (being expelled), but I am not the one to retire. Bapus never retire. Fighting against injustice is my nature, even if it means losing everything in the process," he said.I became a victim of intra-party conspiracy, be it BJP, be it Congress.Sacking someone may satisfy your ego, but nothing beyond that. Behave like a statesman, not a politician," he said.There was a conspiracy to get me expelled. I told Rahul Gandhi about this, he said this must be to accommodate someone else.I had told Soniaji mein aapka bharosa nahi todunga (I will not break your trust). I went to meet her, told her thanks a lot Madam for everything. I may not remain with the party after sometime but don't worry I am not going anywhere. I am not joining BJP.I am going to resign today as Leader of Opposition. I am a free bird, I am relieving the Congress of me, and I release myself from the Congress.

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN VAGHELA AND CONGRESS

His recent visit to Delhi gave ground to rumours about the growing strife within the Gujarat Congress.

Vaghela, once a BJP leader, has been accused of corruption earlier this year.

Sources from the party had earlier said that he might quit politics or join the BJP to save himself from the CBI.

Vaghela has been accused of facilitating cross voting during the presidential election in favour of NDA's Ram Nath Kovind, however, addressing the gathering he denied such allegations.

On Thursday evening, the Gujarat Congress issued a warning to Vaghela not to "play any politics" under the guise of his birthday celebrations with his supporters and legislators.

He was also told that his public utterances would not be tolerated by the party any further.

Also Read:

Birthday boy Shankarsinh Vaghela to make big announcement today, Gujarat Congress edgy

Gujarat Congress delegation to meet Rahul Gandhi today to end factionalism in state unit

Congress betting big on Prashant Kishor, wants him to repeat Punjab success in Gujarat this year

WATCH | Congress president forms panel to overhaul communication strategy

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Gujarat's stalwart leader Shankarsinh Vaghela is celebrating his birthday today. Vaghela, who was once the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is expected to make some big announcements today during his elaborate birthday celebrations. Speculations are rife that the veteran Congress leader may switch sides and join the BJP again.

Vaghela has been in the limelight for some time for his critical view of the Congress leadership. His recent visit to Delhi fueled rumours that saying good-bye to the Congress and align with the NDA government.

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While internal strife goes on unaddressed in the Gujarat Congress, Vaghela's statements and frequent Delhi visits have added to the speculations.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND VAGHELA

The Presidential Election has emerged as the latest flashpoint between Vaghela and the party leadership. It has been reported that as many as 12 MLAs from Congress cross-voted in support of BJP's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind yesterday.

The Congress had fielded former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against Ram Nath Kovind.

However, soon after the election was over, Congress is reported to have sent a warning Vaghela asking him not to speak against the party and its leadership.

Earlier, Vaghela had questioned the Congress leadership on several issues. He is said to be particularly miffed with the Congress leadership over "indecision" about Gujarat Assembly election scheduled for later this year. Vaghela was even reported to have "unfollowed" the Congress on Twitter.

Vaghela has made a few attempts to patch up with the Congress leadership. His recent visit to Delhi was one such attempt, where he wished to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. But, he could only hold a meeting with Sonia Gandhi's political advisor Ahmed Patel.

'DELHI FOR PERSONAL WORK'

Officially, Vaghela yesterday told journalists in Gujarat that he visited Delhi for some personal work. But, the murmurs in the political corridors leave no doubt that all is not well between the Congress and Vaghela.

There confusing reports about Vaghela's terms of understanding with Congress leadership. Some reports claim that the Congress had promised Vaghela the chief ministerial candidature in the Gujarat Assembly election.

However, the allegations of corruption forced Vaghela not to accept the offer. This is also said to be the reason why he is contemplating quitting Congress.

On the other hand, the Congress leadership is said to have conveyed to Vaghela that even if he quits the Congress in the wake of CBI inquiry, he should not join the BJP or float an independent political outfit.

One of his close aides said that considering the age, Vaghela may declare his retirement from politics or he could push his son to join BJP to 'save himself from the CBI'.

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Also Read:

Gujarat Congress delegation to meet Rahul Gandhi today to end factionalism in state unit

Yogi effect in Gujarat: Congress vows to waive off farmers' loan if voted to power

Congress betting big on Prashant Kishor, wants him to repeat Punjab success in Gujarat this year

WATCH | Congress president forms panel to overhaul communication strategy

--- ENDS ---
By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: The recent show by Shantanu & Nikhil could have easily been interpreted as a coup against current global tensions, what with models in uniform-like couture pieces cascading down the carpeted runway at The Imperial hotel, Janpath.

The inspiration was the army, navy and air force where men and women walked shoulder-to-shoulder in sleek, fitted ensembles -styles that would bring pride to any patriotic heart. However, the autumn/winter '17 haute couture show called 'The Regiment' aimed to overthrow prevalent gender roles and stereotypes.

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Also Read: People are hating Sonakshi Sinha's new look. What do you think?

Speaking with Lifestyle, Shantanu Mehra emphatically clears the air on a warlike message, "We have always been inspired by vintage India and the cultural nostalgia. Over the last two years we found a new love -affair with the pre-Nehruvian, pre-independence era in India where there was this sense of pride and celebration."

Photo : Mail Today

He adds, "Here we have looked at the Indian Armed Forces to speak about a very relevant cause, which is gender equality. We decided to send across the message of gender neutrality with a bonafide regiment of men and women who are equally strong and who think alike. We feel proud of the uniform - it gives purpose and discipline and becomes a very compelling narrative to craft this message."

Photo : Mail Today

Also Read: The Harry Potter clothing line has all you can dream of

Photo : Mail Today Photo : Mail Today

Prior to the show, Shantanu & Nikhil's Instagram handle was peppered with terms like integrity, determination, courage, strength, fearless, individuality, solidarity and order. The clothes themselves were tailored with precision and the styles courted androgyny, with men's shawls being belted at the waist, and women's jackets falling square on the shoulders.

Photo : Mail Today

"We decided to transform men with a bit of femininity and give the female a stronger presence. This sense of androgyny stemmed from the discussions we'd been having with our clients who gave us the belief that we can bring masculinity to women's wear and add the feminine to men's clothing," he states.

Photo : Mail Today

For this, they ensured that no harsh textures were used in order to compliment the strategic placement of embroidery, medallions, and Swarovski elements. We saw sherwanis inspired by trench coats, lehengas with smart patterns, evening skirts with an assymetrical hemline, and saris with body harnesses on the blouse. In some ways the collection could be called the 'anti-trend' in occasion-wear that the Mehra brothers have long tried to establish. "Earlier the gown was the anti-trend to the sari. Now they are being done by every second designer. This, for us, is the anti-trend to the gown - it's the fruit of our innovation in occasion wear. The austerity and functionality of our clothing will definitely be the new direction of the S&N philosophy in the years to come," shares Shantanu.

Photo : Mail Today Photo : Mail Today

Photo : Mail Today

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While the designers see this primarily 'India-centric line' to be a part of a bride's trousseau, or as options to be worn at other people's wedding functions, the duo will be creating a watered-down version of it for an international audience. This new line will be launched in January 2018. For those who would like a part of the admirably crafted collection, the ensembles are already available at their 7 flagship stores across the country in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, and Kolkata. The pieces are priced from Rs. 48,000 onwards and go up to around Rs. 2,25,000.

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The mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, which had been blaming India for Doklam standoff, has now appealed that the border tension in Sikkim sector should not impact economic cooperation adversely.

By India Today Web Desk: With military standoff with India over Doklam plateau in the Sikkim sector threatening to escalate and impact economic relations between the two countries, Chinese paper the Global Times has reflected China's nervousness.

An article appearing in the Global Times - Considered as the mouthpiece of the Communist party of China - has appealed to India that the ongoing border tension between India and China should not impact the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) meet in Hyderabad.

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The Global Times article said, the India-China border standoff should not be allowed to threaten a mega economic deal Asia- Pacific nations are trying to negotiate at a meeting in Hyderabad.

The Global Times generally reflects the views of the ruling party. In recent days, the tabloid has been at the forefront of verbal allegations against India amid the tension between the two countries in the Sikkim sector.

WHAT IS RCEP?

Sixteen countries, accounting for about 27 per cent of global trade, are meeting in Hyderabad to discuss the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is aimed at liberalising trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

The technical level talks for the RCEP began on July 18. On July 24, the negotiations will formally start.

The meeting is happening under the shadow of the standoff between India and China - the two largest economies taking part in the talks.

DOKLAM STANDOFF AND ECONOMICS

The standoff began over the construction of a road by China in Doklam area and India fears the road could be used to cut New Delhis links with its northeastern states.

India has said it is ready for talks with China to end the tension but both sides should first withdraw their armies from the disputed area. "We are saying that the matter can be resolved through talks, but both sides have to first take back their armies," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said.

"China and India are two prominent members of the group, but they face the task of preventing an escalation of their border tensions from becoming an obstacle to reaching trade agreements at the negotiating table," the article said.

"China hopes that India can strive to control its actions, ensuring that the escalation of the border tensions does not endanger the atmosphere of cooperation for the RCEP," it said.

"If India encourages the border tensions to thwart the free trade negotiations, China will fight back and spare no effort to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, which cannot be traded in any case," it said.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ |China editorial slams 'lying' Sushma on Doklam standoff, threatens military escalation

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Doklam: When George Fernandes called China as threat no. 1 and how he stands vindicated

China trying to change status quo in Doklam, India ready to defend: Sushma Swaraj

ALSO WATCH | China trying to change status quo in Doklam: Sushma Swaraj

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with versions of Army, police)

Srinagar, Jul 21 (PTI) An 18-year-old boy was killed and another person injured in alleged firing by security forces on a group of stone pelters in the Beerwah area of Kashmirs Budgam district today, police said.

According to the police, the group started pelting the personnel belonging to the 53 Rashtriya Rifles with stones.

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A police spokesman said someone from the crowd burst a fire cracker, which the army personnel took as a grenade blast.

"Someone among the miscreants also hurled a fire cracker towards the forces. The army men thought a grenade was hurled and retaliated. Two persons identified as Tanveer Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrahim Wani were injured in the incident. Tanveer later succumbed to injuries, while Ibrahim is stable," he said.

However, a defence spokesman, said the security forces opened fire after a mob tried to snatch their weapons.

"An army patrol was subjected to heavy stone pelting by the mob in Kondur village near Beerwah town at 1:15 pm. In no time, the numbers swelled and the intensity of stone pelting increased.

"Some stone-pelters tried to close in and snatch the weapons from the soldiers. Two persons were reportedly injured when the troops opened fire. One of the injured later succumbed to injuries," he said.

The police added that the situation in Beerwah town and adjoining areas was tense following the incident. PTI MIJ SRY ZMN SRY

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Rumoured lovebirds Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani are busy painting the town red. From being spotted at dinner dates to bagging a film together, Tiger and Disha have come a long way together. And the rumoured couple was spotted together at the screening of Tiger's recently released film Munna Michael.

Disha and Tiger arrived together for the screening of the film. The lovebirds were accompanied by Tiger's sister Krishna Shroff.

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Clad in a floral dress, Disha made a pretty picture as she moved out of the theatre with Krishna.

On the work front, they have signed their first film together. Tiger will share screen space with Disha in Baaghi 2. This is the first time that the rumoured lovebirds will be seen together on 70mm. Talking about the camaraderie that Tiger shares with Disha, he told BollywoodLife, "I am looking forward to working with her as I am really comfortable with her. We share an easy chemistry, so it will be fun working with her."

They had earlier come together for the music video of Befikra, and their sizzling chemistry was such a hit that rumours of a real-life romance soon spread like wildfire. However, both actors have denied reports that they are romantically involved and insisted that they are "just good friends."

(Photos: Yogen Shah)

ALSO READ: Disha Patani spends her birthday with rumoured boyfriend Tiger Shroff

ALSO READ: Rumoured lovers Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani to come together for Baaghi 2

ALSO WATCH: Tiger Shroff opens up on kissing Shraddha Kapoor, his stunts and more

--- ENDS ---
Following a wrong U-turn and altercation with traffic police that he broadcast on Facebook Live, TMC leader Srijan Basu was arrested by police. He was later granted bail by a Kolkata court.

By Manogya Loiwal : A Trinamool Congress leader has been arrested after a Facebook Live showing his fight with the local traffic police officials over a wrong U-turn.

Srijan Basu, a TMC leader of ward number 2 in Salt Lake was arrested after he beamed a face-off with traffic police personnel for a U-turn which according to him was correct but not in accordance with the rule book.

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Srijan Basu explained it to the officer that he was Live on Facebook and said, "I took U-turn from this way. There is no 'No U-turn' board. But still they forcefully stopped my car."

On Facebook Live, Basu said, "Two traffic police personnel forcefully stopped my car in the middle of the road near Salt Lake City Centre 1, Bidhan Nagar, North Kolkata. They alleged that I had turned my car from the wrong side. But, this is the correct way to take a turn as far as I know. The number of the car is WB 08A 2176. I was present in this car. Now, I will talk to the officer."

HOW TIDES TURNED

As they engaged in verbal duel over U-turn, Srijan Basu raised another issue as he took on the traffic officials. Basu asked the traffic police personnel to show their badges and name plates.

Basu argued that without their badges and name plates, how anyone would distinguish them from school going students in uniform. When traffic police asked Basu to come along to the police station, he retorted saying that he "will only visit legislator Sujit Bose to explain the incident and also to the Mayor."

In the Live video Srijan Basu also claimed that the viewers were the witness that he had done nothing wrong. He blamed the traffic officials for the incident that took place on July 19.

Following this, the traffic police lodged a complaint against Srijan Basu. He has now been arrested.

SUPPORT FOR SRIJAN BASU

After Srijan Basu was arrested, support for him has grown. One of his neighbours, Chandan Shah said, "He didn't commit any crime by showing the fight with traffic police live on Facebook. Doing this is not prohibited. If the Facebook Live is banned by the government, only then it will become a crime."

"May be, he (Srijan Basu) took the stopping of his car by traffic police as illegal, so he posted it on Facebook. But, we can't see any illegality in that post. Now, we are just waiting for the result," Shah said.

His counsel Rajdip Banerjee said "Srijan Basu posted some live videos on Facebook exposing the way traffic police work. Police responded by filing two false cases. Today police arrested Srijan Basu, who was presented before the court before he was granted bail."

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ALSO READ |

West Bengal: Trinamool leader puts up video provocating people to beat former minister like a dog

ALSO WATCH | Bengali poet booked over Facebook post targeting UP CM Yogi Adityanath

--- ENDS ---
"I've never seen a bunch of men so thankful for just a small gesture. Their firefighting uniforms haven't been washed in 4 or 5 days. So they were so thankful when I offered to help them."

Geno Juarez Jr. works at the Hampton Inn in Turlock.

Eighty firefighters are staying there as they battle California wildfires. And here's how a washing machine and a small act of kindness come in.

Geno explained it in a post:

Big shout out to all the firefighters from the Alameda, Oakland, Fremont, and Hayward Fire Departments.

They're all staying at the hotel where I work. And they all have to pay to wash their uniforms.

So I asked my boss if we can wash their stuff for free in our hotel laundry room. She said yes.

They were so thankful. This is the least we can do to help out these guys while they're trying to save people's homes.

Thank you gentlemen for your hard work.

---Geno Juarez Jr.

It's always the little things.

#RealPeopleRealStoriesRealLife

Thank you to Geno's sister Monique for telling me about the story.

Frank Somerville is a contributor to SFGATE and anchors the 5, 6, and 10 p.m. news on KTVU. This post originally appeared on his Facebook page.
Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang has won the trust vote in the state assembly with 47 of 59 MLAs voting in his favour.

By India Today Web Desk: TR Zeliang, who was reappointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland following high drama on Wednesday, won vote of confidence today in the Assembly. His motion for vote of confidence was supported by 47 of 59 legislators in the Nagaland Assembly.

Earlier, Zeliang moved the motion for vote of confidence in the Assembly as an MLA of the Naga People's Front though he had been expelled from the party for six years, a spokesperson of Zeliang's group Tokheho Yeptho said.

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"As per the Tenth Schedule amendment of 2006, an elected member of any party can be declared unattached in the Assembly even though he is expelled by the party," Yeptho, said.

Zeliang claimed that he enjoyed support of 36 NPF MLAs, seven Independent, and four BJP legislators. This put the number in his favour at 47 in the House of 60.

Zeliang was sworn in as the Chief Minister after Governor PB Acharya dismissed Shurhozelie Liezietsu's government in the wake of a rebellion in the ruling NPF. Zeliang had engineered the rebellion.

After he was sworn in as the Chief Minister, Zeliang was asked by the Governor to prove his majority in the Assembly by July 22. Zeliang has been appointed Chief Minister for the second time.

Zeliang had to step down as Chief Minister in February in the face of massive protest against his government after local body elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Also read:

TR Zeliang is Nagaland CM after Shurhozelie Liezietsu fails to appear for floor test

Nagaland CM Shurhozelie Liezietsu fails to turn up to face Assembly floor test

Nagaland crisis: Former CM Zeliang stakes claim to form government, rushes to meet PM Modi

--- ENDS ---
William Luther/San Antonio Express-News

These articles and photo collections on SFGate.com and the premium SFChronicle.com got the most visits in the week that ended at 10 a.m. Thursday:

SFChronicle.com
JERUSALEM  Escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the Holy Lands most contested shrine boiled over into violence Friday that killed six people  three Palestinians in street clashes in Jerusalem and three Israelis in a stabbing attack at a West Bank settlement.

After nightfall, a Palestinian sneaked into a home in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank and stabbed to death three Israelis, the head of Israels rescue service said.

According to initial reports, a Palestinian entered a home in the Halamish settlement Friday night, fatally stabbed three civilians  two men and a woman and wounded another woman, before being shot at the scene. The army released footage showing a blood-covered kitchen floor.

Israel TVs Channel 10 said the assailant was in his late teens and had posted on Facebook that he was upset by the events at the shrine. Eli Bin, the head of Israels rescue service MDA, said an off-duty soldier next door heard screams, rushed to the home and shot the attacker through a window. Bin said the attacker was wounded and evacuated to a hospital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, announced that he is freezing ties with Israel, dealing a blow to fledgling Trump administration efforts to try to renew long-dormant peace talks.

Abbas said contacts with Israel would be suspended on all levels. It was not immediately clear if this means long-standing security coordination between Israeli troops and Abbas forces will be halted.

At issue in the current round of violence are metal detectors Israel installed at the entrances to Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque compound earlier this week, in response to a deadly attack by Arab gunmen there.

The metal detectors are perceived by the Palestinians as an encroachment on Muslim rights and portrayed by Israel as a needed security measure following the attack that killed two Israeli policemen.

Earlier Friday, several thousand Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank clashed with Israeli troops, burning tires or throwing stones and firecrackers. Troops fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen hospitalized with live or rubber bullet injuries.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead as Muhammad Mahmoud Sharaf, 17, from the mostly Palestinian neighborhood of Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem; Muhammad Abu Ghanam, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of At-Tur, which is on the Mount of Olives; and Muhammad Lafi, 18, from Abu Dis, a Palestinian town on the outskirts of the city.

Mohammed Daraghmeh and Ian Deitch are Associated Press writers.
LONDON  For the first time in the global AIDS epidemic that has spanned four decades and killed 35 million people, more than half of all those infected with HIV are on drugs to treat the virus, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday.

AIDS deaths are also now close to half of what they were in 2005, according to the U.N. AIDS agency, although those figures are based on estimates and not actual counts from countries.

Experts applauded the progress, but questioned if the billions spent in the past two decades should have brought more impressive results. The U.N. report was released in Paris where an AIDS meeting begins this weekend.

When you think about the money thats been spent on AIDS, it could have been better, said Sophie Harman, a senior lecturer in global health politics at Queen Mary University in London.

She said more resources might have gone to strengthening health systems in poor countries.

The real test will come in five to 10 years once the funding goes down, Harman said, warning that some countries might not be able to sustain the U.N.-funded AIDS programs on their own.

The Trump administration has proposed a 31 percent cut in contributions to the U.N. starting in October.

According to the report , about 19.5 million people with HIV were taking AIDS drugs in 2016, compared to 17.1 million the previous year.

UNAIDS also said there were about 36.7 million people with HIV in 2016, up slightly from 36.1 million the year before.

In the reports introduction, Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS executive director, said more and more countries are starting treatment as early as possible, in line with scientific findings that the approach keeps people healthy and helps prevent new infections.

The report notes that about three-quarters of pregnant women with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, now have access to medicines to prevent them from passing it to their babies. It also said five hard-hit African countries now provide lifelong AIDS drugs to 95 percent of pregnant and breast-feeding women with the virus.

For more than 35 years, the world has grappled with an AIDS epidemic that has claimed an estimated 35 million lives, the report said. Today, the United Nations General Assembly has a shared vision to consign AIDS to the history books.

The death toll from AIDS has dropped dramatically in recent years as the wide availability of affordable, life-saving drugs has made the illness a manageable disease.

Maria Cheng is an Associated Press writer.
WAKISO, Uganda  Some menstruating schoolgirls were locked in dormitories while their peers were in class. To avoid the humiliation, others stayed home.

As more girls skipped class because they couldnt afford sanitary pads, authorities at a government-backed school outside Ugandas capital, Kampala, were forced to do what few have done: provide free sanitary pads.

We looked at the absenteeism rate and you would find that in a class if there are six people who are absent, at least four of them are girls. Some boldly came to us and said, When we are on our period there is no care, so thats why we prefer staying at home, said Vincent Odoi, a teacher at Wampewo Ntakke Secondary School.

Menstrual hygiene has emerged as a serious, and often emotional, subject in Africa, where some experts say governments must supply free sanitary pads to schoolgirls who often are at risk of dropping out because of embarrassment.

The issue recently became politically charged in Uganda when a prominent academic was jailed for calling President Yoweri Museveni a pair of buttocks after the government broke a promise to provide free sanitary pads to schoolgirls across the country.

One in 10 African schoolgirls misses school during menstruation, according to the United Nations, and many, after lagging behind, eventually drop out.

Last month, Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta signed a law authorizing his government to supply sanitary pads to teenage girls at public schools nationwide. Zambia announced a similar plan in 2016 targeting schoolgirls in rural and semi-rural areas.

But elsewhere in Africa, appeals for free sanitary pads have not been so successful.

Stella Nyanzi, a research fellow at Ugandas Makerere University, faces criminal charges after she accused the countrys first family of being out of touch with ordinary people when the government said it couldnt afford to donate sanitary pads.

Girls and young women are not going to stop menstruating in the near or far-off future, Nyanzis campaign, dubbed #Pads4GirlsUg, told reporters after she was released from jail in May.

About 34 percent of Ugandas population lives below the poverty line on less than $2 per day, according to World Bank figures. Much of sub-Saharan Africa faces similar levels of poverty, or worse.

Rodney Muhumuza is an Associated Press writer.
1 Top court control: Polish lawmakers voted Thursday to approve a contentious law that gives control of the nations Supreme Court to the president instead of to judges, sparking new protests outside parliament in Warsaw. The bill has drawn condemnation from the European Union and has led to street protests. Critics say it kills judicial independence and violates the rule of law. The new law gives the nations president the power to influence the courts work and to appoint its judges.

2 Dali paternity lawsuit: Catalonias High Court said forensic experts successfully removed biological samples from Salvador Dalis body 27 years after it was embalmed and interred in a museum dedicated to the painters memory. Dali died in 1989 and was buried in Figueres, the northeastern town in Spain where he was born 84 years earlier. Last month, a Madrid judge ruled that the artists remains should be exhumed to settle a paternity lawsuit brought by Pilar Abel, a 61 year-old tarot card reader. Abel says her mother had an affair with Dali while working as a domestic helper. She says a desire to honor her mothers memory, and not money, was motivating her lawsuit.
1 Mexico City shootout: Mexican military forces killed a suspected gang leader and seven others in a bloody shootout this week in southern Mexico City, which has largely avoided such large-scale drug violence. The shootout and roadblocks of burning buses set up by gang members created a scene that is common in other Mexican cities in the grasp of drug cartels, but rare in the capital. Sixteen people were in custody on charges of sabotage and property damage related to the blockades, Mexico Citys prosecutors office said. The gang operated in the Tlahuac and Iztapalapa districts on the citys south and east sides, where it dealt drugs, and carried out kidnappings, extortion and murder, Mexicos navy said. Authorities identified the leader as Felipe de Jesus N and did not name the gang. But local media called him El Ojos and said he led the Tlahuac cartel.

2 Terrorism fight: The Pentagon is withholding hundreds of millions of dollars meant to reimburse Pakistan for its fight against terrorist groups, citing Islamabads failure to take sufficient action against the Haqqani Network, an offshoot of the Taliban based in Pakistan. The announcement on Friday comes as Defense Secretary James Mattis and the White House debate a long-delayed strategy for the war in Afghanistan that could adopt a tougher line toward over Pakistans role in the conflict. Of the $900 million originally marked for Pakistan, $550 has already been disbursed.
BEIRUT  The Syrian army and members of Lebanons militant Hezbollah group launched a major ground offensive on Friday aimed at ending the years-long presence of hundreds of militants in a border area between the two countries.

The offensive was widely expected after negotiations with militants to leave the area failed over the past days. The battle will be fought by Syrian troops and Hezbollah gunmen on the Syrian side of the border while the Lebanese army will likely fight against the militants on the Lebanese side.

On Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the countrys military is preparing a military operation to secure a lawless section of the border with Syria while Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah hinted in a speech last week that a joint operation was in the works with the Lebanese and Syrian militaries to expel insurgents from the border area.

Government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reported that military operations began early Friday from two fronts on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and the Syrian village of Fleeta. Arsal is about 50 miles south of the Syrian city of Homs.

It said Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters captured some areas from the militants and killed and wounded a number of extremists.

The oppositions Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian warplanes struck the area. It added that Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters captured some areas from insurgents.

The rugged mountainous region is a stronghold of Syrias al Qaedas branch, known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham or Fatah al-Sham Front, as well as the Islamic State and the Levant Peoples Brigades.

Hezbollah says the border area has been used in the past to launch attacks deep inside Lebanon, including a wave of bombings since 2013 that have killed scores of people.

The attack in the Lebanon-Syria border area came as fighting between two of Syrias strongest military groups spread in the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib with al Qaeda-linked fighters trying to capture a main border crossing point with Turkey.

Bassem Mroue is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  Tour groups that specialize in travel to North Korea said Friday that the Trump administration plans to bar Americans from visiting the country starting next month, in apparent retaliation for the detention of U.S. citizens there and the death of a young tourist who was held for nearly 18 months before being flown home in a coma.

Two tour companies, Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, said they were told the ban would be announced July 27 and would take effect a month later.

The State Department had no immediate response to the reports.

Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student from Ohio, used China-based Young Pioneer Tours to travel to North Korea in January 2016, only to be arrested on charges of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor. He died June 19 at age 22, six days after being released in a coma and flown home to Cincinnati.

Young Pioneer Tours announced last month that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea, saying that Warmbiers death prompted a reevaluation. Now, the assessment of risk for Americans visiting North Korea has become too high, the company said.

The U.S. government had discouraged Americans from traveling to North Korea but had not issued an outright ban.

Unlike Warmbier, none of the three Korean Americans known to remain imprisoned in North Korea entered the country as tourists. One is a businessman who formerly lived in northern Virginia, and two had taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, a school attended by the children of North Koreas elite.

The longest-held American is Kim Dong-chul, a businessman who was working in a special economic zone in North Korea when he was arrested in October 2015 and accused of being a South Korean spy.

Kim Sang-duk, a 58-year-old U.S. citizen also known as Tony Kim, was teaching accounting at the university. He was accused of unspecified hostile criminal acts.

In recent years, tour companies have reported that roughly 800 to 1,200 Americans have visited North Korea annually.

William Branigin and Carol Morello are Washington Post writers.
Welcome to Shakesville, a progressive feminist blog about politics, culture, social justice, cute things, and all that is in between. Please note that the commenting policy and the Feminism 101 section, conveniently linked at the top of the page, are required reading before commenting.
Two people were killed when earthquake measuring 6.7 on Richter Scale struck near major Turkish and Greek tourist destinations in the Agean Sea on Friday.

By Reuters: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.7 killed two people when it struck near major Turkish and Greek tourist destinations in the Agean Sea on Friday, Turkish and Greek officials said.

The quake, which struck at 1:31 a.m. (2231 GMT on Thursday), was located off the southwestern coastal city of Marmaris in the Mugla province, the USGS said. It was close to the Turkish towns of Bodrum and Datca, and the Greek island of Kos in the Dodecanese Islands archipelago, all of which are major tourist destinations.

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George Kyritsis, the mayor of Kos, told Reuters that at least two people were killed in the Greek island and several were injured by the quake.

"We have two dead and some people injured so far," Kos Mayor George Kyritsis told Reuters.

Greece's fire service said it had rescued three injured persons from a damaged building.

The chairman of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Mehmet Halis Bilden, warned citizens about incoming aftershocks, and added there were no casualties or major damage in Turkey.

AFTER-SHOCKS

"Our people should know that aftershocks are continuing, so they should refrain from entering damaged or vulnerable structures," Bilden told broadcaster CNN Turk.

Data on AFAD's website showed at least 13 aftershocks (12 in Turkey and one in Greece) with 5 of them over 4.0 magnitude. One of the aftershocks was a magnitude 4.6 that struck at 1:52 a.m. (2252 GMT on Thursday).

Television footage from the Mugla province showed hundreds of people abandoning their buildings and waiting on the streets, as others ran away from buildings on roads. It showed cars shaking and products falling off shelves at stores across the region.

Mugla Governor Esengul Civelek told a news conference that initial reports showed there were no major damages and disruptions. She said a small number of people had suffered minor injuries and that authorities would provide supplies and assistance to citizens on the streets.

Mugla Mayor Osman Gurun said power outages affected certain parts of the province and that telephone operators experienced shortages due to overloads. Bodrum Mayor Mehmet Kocadon said the earthquake had caused minor cracks on some old buildings.

The European quake agency EMSC said a small tsunami could be caused by the quake, but Turkish broadcasters cited officials saying large waves were more likely.

The temblor, initially reported as a magnitude 6.9, was very shallow, only 6.2 miles (10 km) below the seabed, the USGS said.

Turkey's AFAD said the temblor had a magnitude of 6.3, while local authorities said the quake was felt across the Aegean coast.

A magnitude 6.7 quake is considered strong and is capable of causing considerable damage, but the effects of this one would have been dampened by striking in the sea.

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Turkey is prone to earthquakes because it is located between the Arabian plate and Eurasian plate.

More than 600 people died in October 2011 in Turkey's eastern province of Van after a quake of 7.2 magnitude and powerful aftershocks. In 1999, two massive earthquakes killed about 20,000 people in the densely populated northwest of the country. A 5.9 magnitude quake in 1999 killed 143 people in Greece.

--- ENDS ---
New Zealand hit a new annual migration record last month as the country's appeal lures more foreigners and better prospects here mean fewer Kiwis are tempted to move overseas.

The country had net migration of 72,305 in the 12 months through June, as migrant arrivals rose 5.1 percent to a record 131,355 and departures advanced 5.6 percent to 59,050, Statistics New Zealand said. The increase in the latest year was mainly driven by non-New Zealand citizens, who provided the country with a net gain of 73,600 migrants while there was a net loss of 1,300 New Zealand citizens, Stats NZ said.

New Zealand has been experiencing record levels of net migration over the past three years as the country lures more foreigners to our shores, with the numbers far surpassing the last migration boom the country experienced back in the mid-2000's. Rising immigration is shaping up to be a key election issue as it strains the country's housing and infrastructure which haven't kept pace with population growth, especially in the country's largest city of Auckland, which attracts about half of the new arrivals.

"New Zealand has seen a net gain of 72,000 people due to migration over the past year and current trends suggest that these elevated numbers are unlikely to turn around anytime soon," Kiwibank chief economist Zoe Wallis and senior economist Jeremy Couchman said in a note on migration published ahead of today's data.

"The rapid rise in net migration in recent years has meant that New Zealand is currently experiencing the fastest pace of population growth seen since the mid-1970s. A rapidly growing population has an impact on the NZ economy through increased demand for goods and services, higher demand for housing and also a larger supply of available workers," the economists said.

While migration is a hot topic headed into this year's general election, the economists noted that on a per capita basis, New Zealand remains "very sparsely populated", with an average of 17 people per square kilometre, compared with the OECD average of around 33 people per square kilometre.

In the latest data, the biggest increase in net migration for the June year were from the United Kingdom (up 2,600) and South Africa (up 1,800). India saw the largest fall in net migration gain, down to 7,400 in the June 2017 year from 12,100 in the June 2016 year, which Stats NZ said reflected fewer student visa arrivals from India. Australia is the largest source of arrivals, followed by the UK and China.

Of the 33,500 departures of New Zealand citizens in the June 2017 year, 61 percent went to Australia, according to the data.

"The number of New Zealanders moving offshore remains very low, and we continue to see large numbers of New Zealand citizens returning from Australia," Westpac Bank senior economist Satish Ranchhod said in a note. "The net outflow of New Zealand citizens is at its lowest level since 1984."

Separately, tourism data released today showed visitor arrivals for the June 2017 year rose 10 percent to a new record high of 3.6 million, compared with year earlier levels.

For the month of June, visitor arrivals jumped 17 percent to 230,100, with visitor arrivals from the UK and Ireland accounting for 49 percent of the rise. UK and Irish visitor arrivals numbered 23,400, which is the second-highest number for a June month since 2005 which also coincided with the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Stats NZ said.

Meanwhile, overseas trips by New Zealand residents rose 11 percent to reach a new annual record of 2.7 million, with 44 percent of those headed to Australia, the agency said.

(BusinessDesk)

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A higher volume of wool was offered at New Zealand's latest weekly auction as stockpiles from last season come to market.

Some 8,873 bales were offered at yesterday's North Island auction, 32 percent above the 6,697 bales offered at the same time last year, AgriHQ said. The auction achieved a strong clearance rate of 81 percent, ahead of the 74 percent average clearance rate in the previous season which ended June 30, AgriHQ said.

New Zealand has just ended the worst wool season since the global financial crisis as China, the largest buyer of the fibre, switched its preference to fine wool and away from strong wool that makes up the majority of the country's clip. Industry estimates suggest between 150,000 to 200,000 bales may have been stockpiled by farmers, brokers, merchants and exporters, as sellers rejected weak prices below the cost of production.

"The volume on offer remains higher than the same time last year as the large stockpiles of wool slowly makes its way into the market, the rate it is being released so far is not causing any problems as of yet," said AgriHQ analyst Sam Laurenson. "There still seems to be no sign of improvement in prices in the near term due to a lack of demand."

The wool on offer at the latest auction was very limited with the majority of the fibre being crossbred second-shear wool, and prices generally eased amid a stronger New Zealand dollar, Laurenson said.

Longer 37-micron crossbred second-shear wool was unchanged at $2.65 a kilogram compared with the previous North Island auction two weeks ago and was 15 cents/kg below last week's South Island sale. Meanwhile shorter styles were down 5 cents to $2.40/kg compared with the last North Island auction, and unchanged compared with last week's South Island sale.

As a result, the coarse wool crossbred indicator dropped 7 cents to $2.69/kg. That's just above the $2.67/kg level a fortnight ago, at the first sale of the 2017/18 season, which is one of the lowest points in AgriHQ's records since 2000.

(BusinessDesk)

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By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 21 (PTI) An explosion today tore through a shop in Chinas Zhejiang Province, killing at least two persons and injuring 55, officials said.

The explosion took place in the West Lake District in Hangzhou at around 8.40 AM. Billowing flames and strong heat shattered the glass of passing vehicles, including a bus, causing most of the injuries, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

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Among the injured, 12 people sustained severe injuries. The fire has been put out and all the injured have been sent to hospitals, according to the citys fire department.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

The shop is located in the West Lake District, a well- known scenic area. The lake was used as the backdrop of a performance directed by Zhang Yimou as part of the G20 summit last year.

Millions of tourists come to Hangzhou every year. They are drawn by the scenic beauty of its temples and lakefront location. PTI KJV AMS ABH AMS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Gopeshwar, Jul 21 (PTI) Two women were killed and 33 others injured today when a bus carrying pilgrims from Maharashtra fell into a gorge in Uttarakhands Chamoli district.

Three pilgrims who had sustained serious injuries in the mishap were being sent to Dehradun by a chopper for better treatment, Chamoli SP Tripti Bhatt said.

The accident occurred around 3 pm on Badrinath highway near Umadevi Lounge in Karnaprayag, she said. The private bus was carrying pilgrims from Maharashtras Aurangabad after they had paid obeisance at the Badrinath temple.

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The mishap could have been major and the casualty figure higher if the bus luckily had not got stuck in the middle of the gorge. At the end of the ravine flows the Alaknanda river which is currently in spate, the SP said.

Police rushed to the spot immediately after being informed about the mishap, recovered the bodies and rescued the injured with the help of locals, she said.

All the injured were admitted in the Karnaprayag government hospital from where three seriously injured were referred to a higher centre in Dehradun, she said. PTI Corr ALM IKA

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Aditi Khanna

London, Jul 21 (PTI) The UK government today appointed Brenda Marjorie Hale as the first female president of the Supreme Court, the senior-most judge of the country.

Baroness Hale, 72, will take charge as the head of Britains top judging panel in September following the retirement of current president, Lord Neuberger, 10 Downing Street said in a statement.

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"It is a great honour and a challenge," said Hale who has served as Neubergers deputy since 2013.

She added: "I look forward to building upon his pioneering achievements, including developing closer links with each part of the United Kingdom, for example by sitting outside London, and improving the ways in which we communicate our work to the public.

"Recent high-profile cases mean that more people than ever before have heard of the Supreme Court, and we hope that this will help to create a broader understanding of how the judiciary serves society."

The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil cases in the UK, and criminal cases from England, Northern Ireland and Wales ? which means it considers cases where an order had already been made in a lower court and is being challenged.

It most recently made headlines around the world with its Brexit decision earlier this year, directing British Prime Minister Theresa May to seek Parliaments approval before triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which set the clock ticking on Britains exit from the European Union (EU) in March this year.

Hale attended Cambridge University before teaching law at Manchester University. She qualified as a barrister and practiced at the Manchester Bar, where she specialised in family and social welfare law and founded the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, becoming the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission in 1984.

Five years later, Lady Hale became a High Court judge - the first to have made her career as an academic and public servant rather than a practising barrister ? and was the second woman ever promoted to the Court of Appeal and first female Law Lord.

She retains her links with the academic world as Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Visitor of Girton College, Cambridge, and Visiting Professor of Kings College London.

Three new justices have also been appointed to the Supreme Court - Lady Justice Black, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Lord Justice Brigg ? who will take up the role when Lady Hale is sworn in officially as president on 2 October.

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The appointments were confirmed the day after the judiciary published its diversity statistics, showing that women and ethnic minorities remain severely under-represented in the UKs judicial system. PTI AK AJR

--- ENDS ---
WWII nurse reflects on meaning of Veterans Day Anne Losito has observed Veterans Day around the world. The 97-year-old Camarillo resident served her country as an Army nurse during World War II, and her family has a rich...

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By PTI: Colombo, Jul 21 (PTI) The UN today lauded Sri Lanka for setting up the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), terming it a "significant milestone" for all searching for nearly 20,000 people who are still missing eight years after the end of nearly three-decade-long brutal civil war.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena signed the gazette on the OMP yesterday, a move which has drawn praise from the international community.

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Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutereres, said that establishment of the OMP was a "significant milestone" for all Sri Lankans still searching for the truth about their missing loved ones.

"The United Nations stands ready to support the process and that the Secretary-General looks forward to the OMP becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of the independent commissioners," Haq said quoted Guterres as saying in a statement.

UN Resident Coordinator in Colombo Una McCauley said that setting up of the OMP was a significant step forward for the people of Sri Lanka.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap said he was happy about the move as it will provide families waiting for answers hope for swiftest operationalisation of the office.

Canadas High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Shelley Whiting said the signing of the OMP gazette was a welcome and important step towards providing families of the missing with answers.

The OMP was one of the accountability mechanisms advocated in UN Human Rights Council resolutions on Sri Lanka since 2013.

They called for the establishment of independent international court to probe alleged war crimes committed by both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government troops during the last stages of the 30-year-long civil war which ended in 2009.

According to the government estimates, around 20,000 people are still missing due to various conflicts including the 30-year-long separatist war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east which claimed the lives of at least 100,000 people.

The LTTE, which led the separatist war for a separate Tamil homeland, was finally crushed by the Lankan military in 2009 with the death of its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. PTI CORR MRJ AKJ MRJ RBS

--- ENDS ---
Understanding how children learn, and especially how they learn language, is a critical public health issue, says Skidmore psychology professor Jessica Sullivan. Language skills underpin academic success, which is associated later in life with several markers of good health. While psychologists have known for years that young children learn from what they see and hear in daily life, they havent known how best to code and quantify those everyday perceptual inputs.



Early-childhood cognition

researcher Jessica Sullivan Early-childhood cognitionresearcher Jessica Sullivan

Sullivan came up with an innovative method, and now shes earned a two-year, $147,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to share its results with other scientists. Those results contain 325 hours of video collected in New York, California, and Australia as part of a project led by Sullivan and colleagues Michael Frank at Stanford and Amy Perfors at the University of Adelaide. The researchers fitted babies with small head-mounted cameras that recorded everything they saw and heard, for two and a half hours per week, as they grew into toddlerhood. In addition to capturing the sights and sounds encountered by the babies over two years, the researchers gathered cognitive, social, and linguistic measures along the way. Sullivan says, This dataset is the first of its kind and is unique in its size, scope and perspective.

The NIH funding will allow heralongside Skidmore studentsto label, transcribe, and post the videos on Databrary, a repository funded by the NIH and the National Science Foundation.

There other scientists can search particular activities, locations, family members and objects in the videos and also use the footage in their own research.
The Voice will give unjust power to those who have no authority to speak for us The federal government should practice what it preaches and obtain consent for The Voice through those who actually speak for country - not via some national overarching body speaking to people who are not.

Anthony Albanese arrives in Asia ahead of international summits The Prime Minister has touched down in Cambodia for the first of several international meetings including the G20 and despite attending alongside President Xi Jinping the pair may not get the opportunity to meet.

00:22 Disruptions to train services to impact Sydney commuters this weekend Train passengers in Sydney can expect lengthy disruptions this weekend as planned track work collides with industrial action.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) America sees India as a natural partner in the field of innovation and Washington is committed to work with New Delhi to continue to grow a collaborative and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in this country, an American diplomat today said.

US ChargA d?Affaires in India MaryKay Carlson said the "tremendous drive, enthusiasm and intellect" for innovation and entrepreneurship (in India) is "particularly exciting".

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"I am impressed by your innovative ideas and commitment," she told a graduation ceremony of the inaugural batch of Nexus, a US government-funded platform for enabling and encouraging start-ups in India.

"We see India as a natural partner in these fields," she said while addressing them at the American Center here.

Under the Nexus platform, 10 start-ups were chosen from over 113 applications from all over India, who underwent an intense 10-week training programme that featured workshops conducted by expert and industry leaders from the two countries, the US Embassy officials said.

Nearly half of these innovations were further picked up today for incubation under the programme, which the US government runs in partnership with the University of Texas in Austin.

Nexus represents one of the many initiatives that the US government supports to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in India, she said.

"Whether we are talking about the US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund or USAIDs Millennium Alliance, we are committed to working with our Indian partners to continue to grow a dynamic, integrated, innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem here in India," Carlson said.

The diplomat said Nexus plays a key role in providing relevant information, best practices from the US and mentorship opportunities to promote start-ups and also "learn from you".

"Because that is the strategic convergence...whether it is in economic sphere or defence partnership, its across the board," she added.

Nexus director Erik Azulay, who moved to Delhi from Austin to set up and run the centre, said the initiative is about demonstrating the best practices in incubating start-ups and guiding entrepreneurs towards success in the business world.

"Our first cohorts (batch) graduated today and we had some of the most exciting entries, out of which best 10 were shortlisted for the programme. The next batch would be starting this fall (autumn season). We are also hopeful of the formal launch of Nexus facility at the American Center, sometime in September," he said.

Start-ups selected under Nexus include Agpulse (Ayurvedic organic agricultural inputs), Escrowffer (platform for buying or selling of property with a safety net), Dhakka Brakes (which invented a new regenerative brake system for rickshaw pullers).

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"The Indian Angels Network, TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), FICCI, Indian School of Business, The Department of Science and Technology, USAID and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) are all coming together to show that a unified ecosystem is stronger and more productive for promoting entrepreneurial success," Azulay said. PTI KND TIR

--- ENDS ---
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By PTI: (Eds: Incorporating Speakers statement)

Kohima, Jul 21 (PTI) Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang today won the trust vote in the assembly with a comfortable margin, two days after he replaced Shurhozelie Liezietsu, capping a week of dramatic developments in the state.

He secured 47 of 59 votes in the House which included 36 of the NPF, four of the BJP and seven from the Independents, Speaker Imtiwapang Aier said.

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Former chief minister Liezietsu bagged 11 votes - 10 from the NPF and one Independent, the Speaker said.

He was not present in the Assembly as he is not a member.

Before the Speaker put the motion to vote, a discussion was held where seven out of the 11 legislators supporting Liezietsu lamenting his dismissal saying it was "unconstitutional".

They also sought clarification on the Speakers action in rejecting the candidature of MLA Kiyaneilie Peseyie as chief whip of the NPF party while accepting Zeliangs appointment as the chief whip.

After winning the trust vote, Zeliang told PTI that the council of Cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries would be chosen next week.

He expressed confidence that he would provide a stable government and complete the remaining seven months before the next state general elections in 2018.

Zeliang was sworn in on Wednesday replacing Liezietsu, who was dismissed from office by Governor P B Acharya.

Liezietsu and his supporters failed to turn up in the Assembly to face the floor test. PTI NBS SUN MD ZMN

--- ENDS ---
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The teachers' union has warned the authors of a damning report into Canberra's school system to stay out of the classroom and leave lesson planning to the experts.

The Australia Institute report, which found the majority of Canberra's high socioeconomic public and private primary schools record worse results than comparable schools interstate, has recommended a voluntary trial of direction instruction teaching methods.

Austrailan Education Union ACT branch secretary Glenn Fowler. Credit:Jeffrey Chan

"Direct instruction is ... characterised by the use of demonstration, guided practice then independent practice, summarised in the phrase 'I do, we do, you do'," the report said.

"It is important to note that direct instruction programs are not intended to be used exclusively and advocates of direct instruction do not suggest that entire school days are dedicated to direct instruction lessons."
While most Canberrans avoid the pre-dawn chill in warm beds, airline engineers are awake spraying a layer of ice from their planes in the sub-zero cold.

The city's near-nightly frosts this winter would delay flights but for an orange fluid that washes down the aircraft at Canberra Airport before take-off.

De-iceing work on the Qantas aircraft at Canberra airport in sub-zero temperatures. Credit:Karleen Minney

In mid-winter, engineers turn their hoses on the planes most mornings each week to stop ice from adding weight to the aircraft and changing how air flows over the wings. But this season's unusual chill may have them working harder.

Canberra's having its coldest start to winter in 33 years, and meteorologists say it's averaging minus 2.1 degrees overnight - well below the long-term average hovering at zero.
Long after the House Rules caravan has moved on and the peacock-on-the-wall controversy and the twins-were-robbed debate seem like ancient history, Bezzina House in Sydney continues to be a home away from home for Canberrans who need specialist cancer care.

Two Canberra families featured on House Rules when the final three teams in the TV design competition were tasked with renovating a room each, as well as the common areas, of Bezzina House, the St George Community Care Lodge in Kogarah.

Judd Hoyle, of Giralang, and Curtin couple Jennifer and Tom Wharton, have benefited from Bezzina House in Sydney, a facility for cancer patients and their carers. The families also featured on House Rules when teams renovated rooms at the lodge in Sydney. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The lodge was built opposite the St George Hospital almost 20 years ago through a public appeal. It provides low-cost accommodation for interstate and regional NSW residents who are receiving in-patient or out-patient treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Their immediate family is also allowed to stay in the units to be close to their loved one during their recovery.

Manager Denise Clancy said patients and their families stayed for a night or for months, depending on their need.
A Canberra woman was forced to dash from her boyfriend's car semi-naked after he tore her dress from her body and poured an energy drink over her head moments after he had choked and punched her.

The man's crimes prompted a magistrate to condemn domestic violence as a "curse" on society as she jailed him for the attack, which prosecutors said was designed to degrade and humiliate his victim.

The Chifley man, 34, pleaded guilty to charges in the ACT Magistrates Court after he attacked his then-girlfriend in his car and at his home over three days last December.

In the first incident, he yelled and screamed at the woman as he drove before he squeezed his fingers around her windpipe and caused her to struggle for breath and fear she would die.

When they got to his home she tried to leave but the man put his face close to hers and head-butted the woman, causing her to feel dizzy.
ACT policing attend the scene of a shooting at 96 Badimara street waramanga. Shots appear to have hit a vehicle, brickwork near the front door and a window in the front of a house. Photo by Karleen Minney. Credit:Karleen Minney There had been members of other outlaw motorcycle gangs in Canberra for years, but never a blatant incursion by a rival group setting up a chapter in the traditional Rebels stronghold. Tensions sparked by members patching over - or switching gangs - flared between the two clubs with a flurry of brazen shootings, with shots fired at homes in Kambah, Stirling and Florey in March 2015. A senior Viking executive was the cousin of the Victorian president of the Comanchero motorcycle gang. Comancheros Daniel Grech, 27, and Lihai Vimahi, 24, were jailed last month after a man with links to the Rebels was shot as he smoked on his porch in the Stirling incident.

The Rebels - once Australia's largest outlaw motorcycle gang - have been crippled by internal power struggles after long-reigning national president Alex Vella's visa was cancelled while holidaying in Malta in 2014. In the ACT, their power was sapped even further when a group of senior southside Rebels defected to establish a Nomads ACT chapter and conflict erupted again in early 2016. A Tuggeranong tattoo parlour owned by former southside Rebels stalwart Wayne Gordon Clark - the father of one of the defecting bikies - was allegedly targeted in May that year. Late last year, about 20 Rebels - including a number of senior office bearers - handed in their colours, only months after the Nomads' defection. The turmoil and resignations mean the number of patched bikies calling the capital home has dropped, with estimates placing the figure between 20 to 50.

In the months that followed, ACT Policing's anti-bikie Taskforce Nemesis probed a shooting and car fire at an Isabella Plains house, a fire at the Comanchero former clubhouse in Fyshwick and a second tattoo parlour arson attack. But the most recent incidents - three shootings in less than a fortnight linked to rivalry between the Nomads and Comanchero - have marked an escalation in the battle for supremacy in the south. They have also raised fears about the increasingly dangerous weapons used by perpetrators and driven public conversation about what measures would be needed to curb the violence. In one incident, an AK-47 assault rifle was used to pepper the Waramanga house and car of a Comanchero with 27 bullets, days after a Kambah home linked to a Nomads member was targeted. The attacks prompted Chief Police Officer Justine Saunders to admit she had been "alarmed" by rising gun crime and feared it was only a matter of time before someone was injured or killed.

Bond University criminologist Terry Goldsworthy said the use of an AK-47-like firearm would seem to mark an escalation of violence between the gangs. "Once you start to get machine guns to shoot at each other, that elevates to another level the concerns people should have and the concerns law enforcement should have. "It's quite significant having access to that kind of weaponry." The shootings again revived debate over controversial anti-consorting laws, which had been staunchly opposed by defence lawyers and civil libertarians before they were shelved by the ACT government last year. Assistant Commissioner Saunders said while tougher laws alone were not the answer, she would monitor bikie activity and raise the legislation with government again if she felt it was necessary.

She said she'd directed officers to take "all action possible" to prevent and disrupt bikie gang activity, while flagging a potential push for tighter gun laws and bolstered powers to help police secure crime scene evidence. Dr Goldsworthy was surprised there hadn't been any "overt action" from police this week to halt the bikie violence and said consequences for perpetrators needed to be met with agile and timely responses. "There's no point planning a raid four weeks after a house has been shot up. It just has no meaning." He said intensified violence would boost public pressure from the community and politicians to force action from authorities to make it harder and more awkward for bikie gang members to operate. Assistant Commissioner Saunders said there was no simple solution to halting criminal activity linked to bikie gangs but said a national, multi-pronged approach was necessary.
I speak, of course, of Y2K. Don't laugh. There are important lessons in the unlikely story of how the world came to mitigate the effects of a ticking time bomb under modern civilisation. The primary lesson is this: If you want to prompt expensive, collective global action, you need to tell people the absolute worst that could happen. We humans do not stir at the merely slightly uncomfortable. Only the worst case gets us going. People tend to remember Y2K as a joke, and not a good one. Way back in the last century, computer scientists and IT guys began warning that a strange computer bug lay dormant in just about every computer in the world. When the date turned over from 1999 to 2000, computers would go haywire, they said, leading to all manner of annoyances, if not global catastrophe.

At first, no one believed them. As I discovered when I investigated Y2K for its 10th anniversary, the technicians who discussed the problem in the early 1990s were often mocked for their alarmism. The year 2000 was a long time away, and people shrugged. 'Curse of the age' But then, in the mid-1990s, a sense of urgency took hold. The tech industry was booming and the worldwide web was becoming the white-hot centre of innovation. So it began to make sense that a computer bug could take down the world. But mostly, what happened was that the narrative changed. Instead of couching the problem in the anodyne language of software, proponents of action began to describe in concrete and frightening terms how the bug could alter modern life. They painted the worst-case picture. And the worst case started to sound pretty darned bad. A letter that New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan sent to President Bill Clinton in 1996 illustrates this tack. Pointing to a government study that "substantiates the worst fears of the doomsayers," he warned that the bug could cripple the IRS [US tax office] and the Social Security Administration, prompting economic chaos.

After outlining a series of recommendations - involving enormous organisational and financial costs - Moynihan ended with a stark warning: "The computer has been a blessing; if we don't act quickly, however, it could become the curse of the age." Prompted by media coverage of potential devastation, governments and businesses across the globe got in gear. The US spent $US100 billion to address the bug, according to a 2000 report by a Senate committee that studied the effort. (All but $US8.5 billion was spent by companies, not the government.) Across the globe, about $US580 billion went to fixing Y2K. Working overtime The effort was monumental. In the two years before the turn of the century, most of the United States' large companies and government agencies - many of which had been running on software that was decades old - worked overtime to examine and rid their code of the software bug.

The alarm proved useful. When companies looked at their code, many found they were more vulnerable to Y2K than they'd previously thought, the Senate report found. Many also came up with ways to mitigate disaster in case their fixes didn't work: Local governments rebuilt and tested emergency management systems, which later proved crucial for New York after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The fight against Y2K was also close to unprecedented. Throughout US history, Americans have been good at getting things done after the stakes have become clear. They moved mountains after the Great Depression and Pearl Harbor. But Y2K is one of the precious few examples where they mobilised to fight something looming on the horizon - the same kind of mobilisation we now need for climate change. One popular misconception about Y2K is that it was a wasted effort. After all, when the clocks turned over on January 1, 2000, there were scattered problems, but the world didn't end. And there is some evidence that money was misspent.

But several of the government and outside analysts who have studied the response - including the Senate task force - concluded that on the whole, the effort was justified, given what we knew about the bug beforehand, and especially considering the United States' particular vulnerability to tech problems. Precautionary principle The best analysis of the effort I've read came from two Australian researchers, John Phillimore and Aidan Davison, who argued in a 2002 paper that fighting Y2K was an example of the "precautionary principle," an idea well-known in the environmental movement. It essentially boils down to this: It's better to be safe than sorry, especially if the sorry end of the spectrum involves the end of the world as we know it. And the way to get people to understand that, Phillimore and Davison wrote, is to explain the worst case.
Businessman and former MP Clive Palmer is back on Australian soil  and back in court  after a lavish Mediterranean cruise and trip to Europe.

But he's still not sure where in the world his globe-trotting nephew is.

Mr Palmer on Friday attended a closed mediation session with the state Department of Environment and Heritage Protection in his capacity as director of Queensland Nickel Sales over environmental notices against his now-closed Yabulu refinery.

It comes after federal government-appointed liquidators also lodged a 280-page claim in the Brisbane Supreme Court in late June attempting to claw back some of the $300 million in debts left when Queensland Nickel collapsed in early 2016, leaving hundreds without a job.
Fortescue Metal Group is likely to lodge an appeal after the Federal Court recognised a native title claimant group has exclusive rights over Pilbara land where the company operates the Solomon iron ore mine.

Shortly after the judgment was handed down on Thursday, senior Yindjibarndi lawman Michael Woodley vowed to launch a compensation claim against the company.

But FMG chief executive Neville Power on Friday said the company would look at its options and was likely to appeal the court ruling.

"We're looking at that now and I think we're likely to appeal," he told ABC radio.
Fortescue Metal Group's signal that it will appeal a judgment granting native title is "disappointing" say the local people who won the landmark case.

The Federal Court ruled on Thursday that the Yindjibarndi had exclusive rights over Pilbara land where Fortescue operates the Solomon iron ore mine.

Senior Yindjibarndi lawman Michael Woodley signalled immediately that the people would seek compensation but on Friday morning Fortescue suggested it would look to appeal the decision.

"We're looking at that now and I think we're likely to appeal," FMG chief executive Neville Power told ABC radio.
The fraught business of choosing a broadband carrier to wire up a new property development is poised to intensify even as NBN Co has half of Australian households connected.

Broadband is now an essential infrastructure and federal government legislation requires developers ensure properties are ready to be wired up.

Australia's wholesale broadband carrier NBN Co has most of the market covered  it has connected 5.7 million households and has an estimated 50 to 60 per cent share of the greenfields market  but not everyone is willing to wait for the NBN to get to their neighbourhood or outer-suburban estate.

And even then, a host of bitter complaints have erupted over slower than promised speeds, although the NBN is certainly not the only provider attracting consumer anger.
Increased demand for industrial property assets has led to a sharp rise in land values in Sydney's south west and outer west, leading to an overflow from investors into what is deemed the secondary tier of properties.

Accordingly, values are also increasing down the ladder, and as the sector awaits the arrival of internet giant Amazon, prices and rents are tipped to go higher.

24 South St, Rydalmere is occupied by Rhino Rack Australia.

According to research by Colliers International, the south west has experienced record-breaking annual growth of 36 per cent since its pre-GFC level for the 2017 financial year and now averages $475 a square metre. The outer west has recorded 31 per cent annual growth, to the same level.

Jon Orsborn, director of industrial at Colliers International, said the Moorebank Intermodal transport hub was attracting buyers.
Under the watchful gaze of Charles Moore, the chief executive of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, the precinct is preparing for a multibillion-dollar overhaul.

While there remains discussions about a new rail network, the dash for office development and expansion is well and truly on.

A rendering of GPT's proposed office building at 4 Murray Rose Avenue in Sydney Olympic Park.

Major investors, including GPT Group, Dexus Property and Growth-point Properties Australia are in the process of developing sites after the NSW government said in September it would allow for towers of up to 45 storeys in the precinct.

Mr Moore will oversee the Sydney Olympic Park Masterplan 2030, which may result in up to 10,000 units and more than 100,000 square metres of retail space developed alongside a new commercial core.
What started as two mates sharing a flat in Bondi, Sydney, with a vision, has become a hotel chain with seven assets and growing.

Veriu Hotel group's Alex Thorpe and Rhys Williams met when they were 10 years old, studied communications at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) together and then started in business 16 years ago. They are still best mates.

Rhys Williams (left) and Alex Thorpe, directors of Sydney's Veriu Hotels & Suites. Credit:Dan Gray

They had a vision to go into the accommodation business while looking for a flatmate years ago and realised that, while it is a tough industry, they have the drive and passion to make it work.

They started the Furnished Property student accommodation business and are now firmly entrenched in the hotel sector.
Illustration: Glen Le Lievre People may fear that their own job may be taken over by a machine, or worry there'll be insufficient meaningful jobs for their kids. Maybe, maybe not. Before we leap to cataclysmic conclusions, Gruen reminds us that fears of technological advances rendering many jobs obsolete is an idea with a long pedigree  back to the Luddites going around smashing machines in the early 1800s. Employment by skill type (non-seasonally adjusted). Credit:ABS, RBA In the 200 years since then, employers have never ceased seeking out the newest and best labour-saving technology, but so far this has failed to cause mass unemployment.

Coming to today, Gruen says there's little sign of a quickening in the rate of change in occupations that might signal big, new technology-driven changes in the labour market. Nor is there any sign of the rapid improvement in the productivity of labour that you'd expect to see if there was widespread replacement of workers with machines. The proportion of routine manual jobs (such as labourers and machinery operators) in total employment has fallen from 40 per cent to 30 per cent over the past 30 years. Credit:Louie Douvis Routine or predictable tasks are more susceptible to displacement than non-routine tasks. David Gruen But what's been clear for some time, he says, is that jobs across the economy are not equally susceptible to being displaced by technology and automation. "Routine or predictable tasks are more susceptible to displacement than non-routine tasks. This observation applies to both manual and cognitive tasks  whether manual or cognitive, routine tasks are easier to automate than non-routine ones."

David Gruen says jobs across the economy are not equally susceptible to being displaced by technology and automation. Credit:Vince Caligiuri Alex Heath, of the Reserve Bank, has used the ABS' figures on workers by occupation to see how these distinctions have affected our workforce over the 30 years to 2016. She finds no sign of a recent quickening in the pace of change in occupations but she certainly does find such change over the 30 years since 1986. As I read her graph, the proportion of routine manual jobs (such as labourers and machinery operators) in total employment has fallen from 40 per cent to 30 per cent, while the proportion of routine cognitive jobs (such as salespeople and clerical workers) has fallen from 27 per cent to 23 per cent. Non-routine manual jobs on the rise

In contrast, the number of non-routine manual jobs (such as nurses and hospitality workers) has risen from 6 per cent to 11 per cent, with non-routine cognitive jobs (such as management and professional occupations) rising from 27 per cent to 36 per cent. This means routine jobs' total share of the workforce fell by 14 percentage points, whereas non-routine jobs' share rose by 1-43 points. This may surprise: the share of routine and non-routine manual jobs fell by 5 percentage points, meaning the share of all cognitive jobs rose by the same. (If you're wondering, over that 30-year period, total employment grew by almost 5 million jobs  an increase of more than 70 per cent  with the extra jobs spread about equally between part-time and full-time.) Two trends

Gruen says we should expect these trends to continue. But he makes a point first made by American economist Daron Acemoglu, that there's not one big trend going on in the workplace, but two. The one that gets all the headlines is automation  jobs being taken over by machines. But the trend that gets much less notice  thus contributing to the public's excessive anxiety  is the continuous creation of new, useful, complex (that is, non-routine) jobs. We've seen that, for at least the past 30 years in Oz, both trends have been at work. One displacing jobs, the other creating them. And so far, their effect on the composition of jobs has been roughly equal, and hasn't prevented continued growth in the total number of jobs. Hard to automate Of course, it remains possible that the digital revolution will cause an acceleration in trend of displacement of jobs by machines, thus overwhelming the creation of new, complex jobs.

But another American economist, David Autor, has explained that certain tasks are particularly hard to automate. These are tasks "that people understand tacitly and accomplish effortlessly, but for which neither computer programmers nor anyone else can enunciate the explicit 'rules' or procedures ... [The] tasks that have proved most vexing to automate are those demanding flexibility, judgment and common sense  skills that we understand only tacitly". 'Machine learning' Of course, it's possible that "machine learning" may overcome these problems, but there's another constraint on machines taking all our jobs away to remember: the need for interpersonal skills in a growing number of jobs and our human preference for being served or helped by humans, not robots. Don't discount the human factor.
Full marks to police Earlier this week we had the SWAT team arrive. A tenant inour part of a Lyons public housing complex was experiencing 'drug-induced psychosis'. He is known to ACT Policing and is a recent arrival to our stairwell. I want to commend ACT Policing for their professional conduct. No shots were fired and the man was taken into custody. The young female negotiator showed great skill in getting the man to open his door. The alternative would mean a destroyed 2-hour rated fire door. Cost: three grand fitted. Housing ACT would have had to add that to their already horrendous maintenance bill.

While this went on there were numerous support services waiting on the ground outside. Patience was the key that day. Francis Bucknell, Lyons Refugee shame We're now into the fourth year of mandatory detention of asylum seekers who come by boat. One might be tempted to ask readers for suggestions as to on what else we could have spent well over $4.5 billion the policy has cost us  so far. There are other costs, of course, such as Australia's international reputation and the misery of the physical and sexual abuse revealed by Senate and Immigration Department enquiries but I suspect these don't count in the minds of government.

I have this vision of Peter Dutton arriving at the Pearly Gates and being asked by St Peter how he spent the time on earth God granted him, and him replying that he had taken frightened, desperate people who had chanced all and then separated families, put them in concentration camps and left them to the predations of their minders, local populace, dodgy local governments, and other inmates. There would be a short, silent pause before St Peter leaned forward and pulled the lever on the trapdoor. Dallas Stow, O'Connor  Citizenship issue?

Recent difficulties with Section 44 of the Constitution concerning "dual citizenship" reminds me that there is an unresolved problem with Australia's first Labor prime minister. John Christian Watson. He was born in Valparaiso, Chile as Johan Cristian Tanck in April 1867, the son of a New Zealand mother and a Chilean/German father. Chris, as he became known, at age two went to New Zealand with his mother [dad had disappeared!]. He became John Christian Tanck and then John Christian Watson. He came to Australia in his early 20s and became prime minister in 1904 without any evidence that he had abandoned his Chilean citizenship. Should his descendants be summonsed for his ill-gotten parliamentary earnings? Ray Blackmore, Pearce

Ludlam's exit Could it be that the controversy surrounding the resignation of Greens senator Scott Ludlam for having dual citizenship with New Zealand will put the Australian legal system under the microscope more than it will the former senator for not doing his homework. On the day the Australian Constitution was drawn up in the late 1800s, New Zealand was expected to join the federation. WA had yet to decide to. It would not be unreasonable to assume that in the minds of the Constitution drafters, NZ was not a 'foreign power' of the type warned against in section 44.

From my recollection of legal studies, judges go to lengths to determine the mindset of the lawmakers before coming to their decision. If that is still the case it would seem to be very much in Mr Ludlam's favour. Frank Cassidy, Kambah Dream busted With house sales above $1 million in the ACT now commonplace my heart goes out to young families seeking a home of their own.

Are future generations destined to be life-long renters and apartment dwellers? There goes the great Australian dream. M. Moore, Bonython Leunig's take Apropos John Hewson's "The true source of wasteful government spending" (July 21, p 19), Michael Leunig says it all on page 385 of "The Wayward Leunig: cartoons that wandered off".

He suggests four suitable national infrastructure projects: The Dull Cube Project  a giant concrete cube for every town, city and suburb in the land; The Arch of Nothing  gateway-type arches on a grand scale to be constructed in civic spaces across the nation; The National Toothpaste Grid  a pipeline looping around the continent to deliver toothpaste to every bathroom in Australia; and The Solar Sausage Sizzler Project  sausage sizzle panels to be installed on every rooftop in the land. Kevin Bray, Belconnen Voter priority over heritage Adam Gartrell ("These outdated rules belong to a different world", July 19, p2-3) makes plenty of good points about the rule on politicians' citizenship being outdated, but we simply shouldn't let it go. Sure, we have a more multicultural society than when the constitution was drafted, but asking a politician to symbolically and literally indicate their first loyalty is to serve their adopted nation is no small thing.

No one has suggested ex-senators Ludlam and Waters were agents for New Zealand and Canada, and their resignations are unfortunate. However, checking and denouncing citizenship and dual citizenship is easy. If the nomination process for political parties and the Australian Electoral Commission needs to be tidied up and encompass this step, then that is a simple and effective solution. Their resignations aren't the first for this technical breach, and they won't be the last. But they should. Symbols matter. Given that voters actually care that their elected representatives lives in their electorate and community it's not beyond belief that allegiance to Australia is important. So, to all aspiring candidates, retain a pride and affection for your heritage, whether it's anything from another country where you or your ancestors were born, or simply the suburb a few blocks over where you used to live, but on election day be ready to say and to show that the people you're asking to elect you are your first priority.

Kel Watt, Canberra What now on overstayers? Surely the great new Border Protection Force is capable of supervising those poor souls currently incarcerated on Manus Island and Nauru if they were brought to Australia for much-needed rehabilitation? Apparently the Americans are in no hurry to take them, so they may linger there for years waiting to die. Their only crime was to flee their war-torn countries and seek asylum. Border Force must be capable of turning boats back if they were to resume coming, else they don't deserve their name or their fancy uniforms and equipment.

There is no excuse for continuing with the threadbare policy of offshore detention on the grounds of national security. We are told that Australia has a problem with expenditure, and our own needy people have benefits cut back to pay for the offshore detention facilities. These contain 1200 people for a cost of $5billion Australian taxpayer dollars already spent, with more to come. Just think what those dollars could do to alleviate homelessness in our cities. Meanwhile, we are also told that 64,000 people who arrived in Australia by plane on visitor or student visas have overstayed by up to 20 years.

They are all here illegally, in spite of prime ministerial grand standing about deciding who shall come to our country, etc. What will Border Force do about these individuals, who apparently have caused very little in the way of problems during their illegal stay, but are reported to be occupying at least 20,000 Australian jobs? K. L. Calvert, Downer Density needs review Richard Johnson's (CT, July 20) comments on density are apt.

Over the last 20 years the demand for higher density housing has increased in response to the ageing of the population, decreasing household size, increasing centralisation of employment, the undersupply of land for detached dwellings, increasing congestion and reduced housing affordability. The shift in demand is reflected in the 50per cent increase in the number of dwellings in North Canberra between 1991and 2011, much of it in the Northbourne Avenue corridor. Clearly the transformation of the corridor began well before the announcement of lightrail. By increasing demand in the corridor, the light rail project has accelerated the need to upgrade infrastructure, contributed to difficulties experienced in the housing renewal program and diverted demand from other locations including the town centres. To meet the community's housing needs the Barr government urgently needs to consider the best locations for higher-density housing.

Such a review would provide context for the government's centres and housing policies and the light rail project. Mike Quirk, Wanniassa Preaching to disillusioned Malcolm has let himself down yet again. ("PM labels coal opponents 'delusional"', canberratimes.com.au, July 16). Malcolm, in pandering to a conservative audience, puts people who want to phase out coal in the same basket as left-wingers and inner city Green voters.

Malcolm is smart enough to know this is not true. For example, I and many others are not rabid greenies or left-wing ideologists but are deeply concerned about the impacts of climate change. And as for clean coal technology ,which Malcolm was also advocating, he is also smart enough to know that "clean coal" cannot be anything but an oxymoron when looking at the total impact of coal production on farmland, water quality and the atmosphere. And how unfortunate that Malcolm is still blaming renewables for high energy prices when reputable studies attribute it to other causes. Malcolm is smart enough to know that what he is advocating are non-evidence-based falsehoods.

With a PM acting as an advocate for the coal industry, no wonder the electorate is so disillusioned. Robyn Vincent, McKellar Slaughter not torture As humans we have the right to eat cattle if we choose to. We don't have the right to torture them during the slaughtering process. Apparently those NT cattle barons now demanding compensation of $600 million for the temporary export halt called by the then Labor government in 2011 didn't see the scenes of torture of Australian cattle in Indonesian abattoirs that the rest of us saw. John Davenport, Farrer

TO THE POINT HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? All of a sudden the ACT has a crime wave between two bikie gangs. Mick Gentleman please explain how you have allowed this to happen when you had the powers to stop bikie association. If you had thought outside the square and represented the ACT as you should then this war would not have occurred.

Innocent citizens will get killed and I for one will hold you responsible. Mark Urquhart, Palmerston ELEVATED FEAR I hope that the elevation of Minister Dutton to security supremo has made would-be terrorists and immigration queue-jumpers as scared as I am. Ed Highley, Kambah

So, former Queensland walloper and detention centre specialist, Peter Dutton, is tipped to head the federal government's new security "super-portfolio", consisting of ASIO, the AFP and Border Force. Certainly gives added meaning to the term "police state". John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW With the appointment of Peter Dutton as the new Super Minister of Defence against the Dark Arts, a quote from former US Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara springs to mind: "How much evil must we do in order to do good?" What kind of good is to actually come out of it, is anyone's painful guess. Luca Biason, Latham, ACT

CONFUSING VALUES Christopher Pyne says the United Arab Emirates "shares many of our values in terms of the geopolitical issues". I thought Australian values were things like a fair go and compassion for the underdog. What has this to do with exporting defence equipment to kill people? Michael McCarthy, Deakin Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message eld, not as an attached le. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.
They are not, yet. That is a key finding from the L'Estrange review of Australia's intelligence agencies. It found much to be satisfied with: a high level of professionalism, world-class tradecraft and a strong culture of accountability. But to step up from merely "highly capable agencies" into a "world class intelligence community" some changes are needed, the review said.

The cynics see a plot to draw attention away from Liberal Party infighting and keep Peter Dutton too busy to challenge for the leadership with a powerful new Home Affairs super-portfolio. But stepping back from the political nitty gritty, we accept that the Prime Minister is doing what any responsible holder of that office should do by ensuring the institutions and arrangements meant to protect our nation, meaning us, from external and internal attacks are as good as they can be.

The masked soldiers were in the frame to convey the opposite: that there's a new normal, and it's not safe, and that's why we need the blitz on national security arrangements which Mr Turnbull prosecuted with vigour this fourth week of the parliamentary winter break.

Image is everything, and don't our politicians know it. Some people were affronted that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull chose a backdrop of armed, masked commandos to announce the plan for greater co-ordination on counter-terrorism between the defence forces and the state police. We want to see the Prime Minister strolling in a park or mall, chatting amiably with smiling citizens. That's reassuring. That's normal.

The co-ordinating arrangements are little changed since they were put in place 40 years ago. Back then the perceived threats were long-haired student protesters rather than co-ordinated or lone wolf attacks by radicalised groups or individuals associated with extreme terror groups, such as Islamic State.

As the Prime Minister noted in one of his press conferences this week, these attacks can be over in minutes so it's crucial that the police as first responders have the right training and resources at their disposal to deal with an attack on the spot. For sieges or co-ordinated mass attacks, different responses are required, but in all cases, we want all the resources and expertise at our disposal to be available.

The clear dividing lines that have set foreign intelligence apart from domestic intelligence, kept intelligence separate from law enforcement, and defence separate from domestic law enforcement, have for the most part worked well to ensure that intelligence is used only for legitimate purposes. But for the "imposing" challenges that will "intensify" over the coming decade, we need greater collaboration across the traditional dividing lines, and more cross-over points between agencies, the review found. The Lindt cafe siege is a case in point. We also need new funding to span gaps in capability, especially cyber-security and what the review calls "the new frontiers of data-rich intelligence".

Unlike our "Five Eyes" intelligence partners - the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand - Australia has lacked a single point of co-ordination for its intelligence agencies. That will be established as an Office of National Intelligence, which the review said should sit within the Prime Minister's portfolio. Separately, the Department of Home Affairs brings together the domestic spy agency ASIO, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and the office of transport security.

We can't be sure the changes will work as promised. It could take years before agencies start to truly work together in sync. As with any change, it's a risk, but we see no reason to doubt Mr Turnbull when he says his focus as Prime Minister is on keeping Australians safe. For our intelligence and security agencies to retain the trust of the community they depend on, the reflexive tendency to retreat more than necessary into secrecy and opacity will need to be resisted. There's nothing wrong in being pictured with the forces we rely on to protect us, even in their full scary regalia. It's a welcome vote of confidence in them, their bravery and their professionalism. But when the boundaries which have preserved public confidence in our security and intelligence agencies are being deliberately shifted, it's crucial that the public be kept well informed as to why this is necessary and how it will work.
Former High Court justice Lionel Murphy pictured in 1975. Credit:Fairfax Media Upon his acquittal, Murphy's determination to return to the High Court was not greeted enthusiastically by some of his fellow judges, who were rumoured to be threatening to boycott sitting with Murphy. Facing a potential judicial crisis, the Hawke government ordered a secret inquiry to examine fresh allegations of misconduct on Murphy's part  that he had offered a bribe to federal police officer Don Thomas. Also being examined by the parliamentary inquiry was a secret report produced by the Stewart Royal Commission into The Age tapes. From 1976 through to late 1983 the NSW police had been running an illicit phone-tapping operation which targeted drug boss Bob Trimbole and underworld figures George Freeman and Saffron.

They were also tapping Ryan's phone. What they heard was astonishing. It appeared that corruption within the state had reached the very highest levels. In early 1984, Melbourne's Age newspaper had published excerpts from the phone taps. The identities of Murphy and Ryan were soon revealed. This secret volume of Justice Don Stewart's contained further damaging allegations including that Murphy and Morgan had pressed then NSW premier Neville Wran to appoint a mate to the Ethnic Affairs Commission. As the group of men that May night as they enjoyed the view across the waters of Sydney Harbour from Ryan's home on the tip of Kurraba Point in Neutral Bay, an abode funded by a winning bet on Dream King in 1961, they were completely unaware that the NSW police knew all about their dinner plans. In March, 1979, two months before the dinner, the police taps revealed Murphy asking Ryan about "this bloke [Briese]" who was replacing Farquhar. "Is he the right fellow?"

"Yes, you're going to dine with him." "He's a good fellow, is he?" repeats Murphy, to which Ryan responds that Murphy would be able to assess Briese himself at the dinner but warns Murphy that they had "better not talk about it right now." As Briese was later to testify, he felt the purpose of the dinner was to determine if he would be as "flexible" as his predecessor. Rumours that Farquhar was bent were rife in the judiciary. The year prior to Ryan's dinner a photographer had snapped "The Chief", as Ryan referred to Farquhar, at the races with crime kingpin Freeman, and Dr Nick Paltos, who was later jailed for a drug importation. Only days after Ryan's dinner, Farquhar was to sit on his last case  one which involved Ryan's clients.

Ryan had first come to the notice of police when his clients Roy Cessna and Timothy Milner were caught with a massive quantity of Indian hemp. Over the next few weeks police listened in as Ryan and Farquhar regularly talked on the phone about Cessna-Milner case. They also heard him discuss the case with Murphy. The taps on Ryan's phone not only led them to Farquhar but also to Lionel Murphy and to the sickening realisation that their boss Commissioner Wood appeared to be part of a corrupt network. Known as "the Sculler" because of his Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medals in rowing, Wood was also heard on the phone talking to Ryan about the Cessna-Milner case. Wood later tried to get information from his police department. Five days after the dinner, the head of the police prosecution department was shocked to receive a call from the police commissioner himself instructing him that he had spoken to Farquhar and that the Cessna-Milner case was to be heard summarily rather than by way of indictment. This guaranteed a lesser sentence. That same day Farquhar moved the case to a court with no sound equipment. He gave Milner an 18-month sentence, of which he served only six, and Cessna received a $1000 fine.

The taps on Ryan's phone also led to Ryan's arrest in August 1981 over an immigration racket where he was accused of forging documents to allow 22 Koreans to gain residency. Conspiracy charges were later added. In 1981 Ryan was heard ringing Murphy about this case. This wasn't the first time Ryan had sought favours from his friend. In 1974, while attorney-general, Murphy organised for the release of Ryan's client, suspected drug trafficker Ramon Sala, and the return of Sala's passport. Using the passport, which was a forgery, Sala left the country. The following year Ryan also spoke to Murphy about downgrading Customs surveillance on Saffron, which was achieved. In late December 1982, after Ryan's committal hearing had started, Murphy rang Clarrie Briese, who was now the chief magistrate. Murphy said he wanted to talk to Briese, but not on the phone.

In early January 1983 Lionel and Ingrid Murphy dined at the Brieses' house during which Murphy raised the topic of conspiracy cases. He then allegedly said: "I'll tell you about another weak case of conspiracy too, and that's the Morgan Ryan case." The Ryan case concerned him, said Murphy. Briese offered to make inquiries. At the end of January, Murphy rang Briese and they spoke at a legal function later that day. Briese told Murphy that it looked likely that magistrate Kevin Jones would commit Ryan to stand trial. Murphy allegedly said: "The little fellow will be shattered." The following day, 28 January, Murphy is alleged to have uttered one of the most notorious lines in Australian judicial history when he said to Briese: "And now, what about my little mate." Murphy's phone was not being tapped so there was no way of determining whether he had used those words. At his later criminal trial Murphy denied referring to Ryan as his "little mate". Murphy's efforts to help Ryan didn't stop there. In April, after Ryan had been committed to stand trial, Murphy rang the chief judge of the District Court Jim Staunton to see if Ryan's trial could be expedited.

In July 1983, District Court judge Paul Flannery was listed to preside over Ryan's criminal trial. As Flannery's son-in-law, now retired District Court judge Stephen Walmsley, later wrote: "A few days before the trial began, out of the blue, Flannery received a phone call from Murphy inviting him to dinner. Paul and Rosemary Flannery went to dinner at the Murphys' Darling Point unit on the Saturday night before the trial began. They were the only guests. "The trial was not mentioned, but a legal issue highly relevant to the Ryan case was raised by Murphy. Flannery said to Rosemary on the way home: 'He's trying to nobble me.'" The bombshell of The Age tapes in early 1984 was the beginning of the end of Murphy's illustrious career. After two parliamentary inquiries, the DPP charged him with two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The two key witnesses in the trial of the High Court judge were the then chief magistrate, Clarrie Briese, and District Court judge Paul Flannery. The jury convicted Murphy of the Briese count but found him not guilty in relation to the Flannery matter. Murphy's 18 months' jail sentence was put in abeyance while an appeal was heard.

A second trial was then held  only on the Briese count  and, on April 28, 1986, Murphy was found not guilty. At this trial Murphy gave an unsworn statement from the dock, a move which raised eyebrows in legal circles. As to the other diners that fateful night in May, an anonymous dossier of allegations about commissioner Wood had been handed to parliament only days before the dinner. He resigned the following month. In August 1987, Wood was charged with perverting the course of justice over the Cessna-Milner affair but before his trial started the key witness died and the case did not proceed. In March 1985, Farquhar was jailed for four years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice over dismissing fraud charges against rugby league boss Kevin Humphreys. After his release he beat a charge of receiving stolen artwork. At the time of Farquhar's death in 1993 he was on trial over stolen passports. Ryan, now 96, was found guilty over the Korean immigration racket. On appeal, a new trial was ordered but it never took place. He was later beat a charge for knowingly giving false evidence to the 1985 Stewart Royal Commission into The Age tapes.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is re-opening talks with the government on media reform Credit:Alex Ellinghausen So where to now? Di Natale has ordered a review of party processes, to ensure no one else is caught out by the dual citizenship rule again. The review, which so far does not have a timeframe, will also look at accountability and transparency issues within the party. Unlike Larissa Waters, Jess Irvine could run for federal office in Australia. Credit:Dan Peled It hasn't helped that in recent days there have been questions about Di Natale's own status, although he tweeted proof he was not an Italian citizen on Friday afternoon. There have also been queries about the eligibility of Tasmanian senator Nick McKim, as a former British citizen, and Waters' replacement Andrew Bartlett, because he was working for a university at the time of his nomination.

The Greens leader, however, insists no more resignations will be required. Greens MP Adam Bandt (right) lost the deputy leadership in 2015. Credit:Darrian Traynor I'm really looking forward to getting the carpenters into the Senate and watching them put in some ramps "We're very confident there are no remaining issues with regards to our MPs or future MPs," he says. In the short-term, the Greens have some waiting to do. The process to replace Ludlam and Waters could take until October. The Senate needs to refer the matter to the Court of Disputed Returns and the Senate can't do that until it sits again in August. On Thursday, party whip Rachel Siewert and party room chair Adam Bandt were made temporary co-deputy leaders. But a final decision and rearrangement of portfolios will have to wait until the new senators arrive in Canberra.

This paves the way for a shift in the power dynamics of the party. As one Greens member noted, Bandt is now the only realistic alternative to Di Natale as leader - although there is no serious speculation about a leadership change anytime soon.Bandt has been deputy leader before, under Christine Milne. But he lost the spot when Milne resigned and there was an almost instantaneous ballot to elect a new leadership team. Some within the party feel this timing disadvantaged Bandt's chances. It will be up to the party room to decide whether they elect two deputy leaders, as they did last time with Ludlam and Waters, or stick with one. When asked if there needs to be diversity in the Greens leadership, Di Natale notes it is a "decision for the party room". But adds, "it would be my strong view that given we've got such a proud record of having gender representation that that would be reflected in the leadership of the parliamentary team". If there is only one deputy leader, this could count against Bandt, who is Victorian, like Di Natale, and open the door to someone like Siewert. The party's community affairs spokesperson is regarded as a hard worker, even if she does not enjoy the same public profile as other Greens. Sarah Hanson-Young has put her hand up before, but did not get the support of her colleagues. Former Tasmanian Greens leader McKim, who has 15 years experience in state parliament has also been floated. All this upheaval comes as the Greens look towards a critical federal election, expected in 2018 or 2019. At the next national poll, the Greens will have six of their nine senators up for re-election, as well as Bandt recontesting his lower house seat of Melbourne. Party insiders are predicting it will be tough to hold onto to Hanson-Young's South Australian seat, in part due to the Nick Xenophon factor. In Queensland, with One Nation chipping away at protest voters, Waters' replacement (likely to be former Democrat leader, Bartlett ) is tipped to struggle.

While the resignations of Ludlam and Waters see the Greens lose two of their best performers, party watchers don't see it as a mortal blow. Associate Professor Anika Gauja researches political party organisation at Sydney University and notes that the Greens' 10-member federal party room is "more than the sum of its parts". She adds that as a minor party, many voters would struggle to name the Greens leader, let alone the other members of the team. "I don't think the loss of particular senators is going to be the end of things for them." On the bright side, some within the party think the dual citizenship catastrophe may mean that the infighting with Rhiannon and her supporters in the NSW Greens subsides - at least for now. While Di Natale will not be drawn on his NSW colleague, he notes, "in moments like this it often brings people together. I'm very confident that we'll come together as a party room stronger than before." There is also great optimism around Ludlam's likely replacement, the 22 year-old disability activist, Jordon Steele-John, who uses a wheelchair. "I'm really looking forward to getting the carpenters into the Senate and watching them put in some ramps," Di Natale says. "While Scott's irreplaceable, the likely election of Jordan to the Senate is going to be transformational in terms of the voice he gives people living with disabilities and young people."
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has dismissed concerns about Donald Trump's US presidency, saying she is working well with his team and that there's nothing surprising about its policy of "America first".

"If it means that he intends to focus on the interests of the United States as an overriding priority, then it is hardly surprising, given every world leader should say that their priority is to act in the national interest of their citizens," she told the Melbourne Institute's economic outlook conference on Friday.

The US will remain dominant. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at the Melbourne Institute outlook conference on Friday. Credit:Les O'Rourke

"While there is an almost universal focus, some may say obsession, with the President's Twitter account, and it has proven to be a most effective means of instantaneous communication, we have been focusing on what the President and his administration have been doing.
In some ways, the next election is shaping as a battle between head and heart.

Thanks to Bill Shorten's "scene-setter" speech in Melbourne on Friday, voters could face the starkest choice in decades - either to stick with the low-tax, pro-business, growth model despite its underperformance, or junk all that in favour of a strengthened social safety net funded by higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

Amid the torpor bedevilling the global economy, Malcolm Turnbull is searching for a consistent line, declaring himself an "optimist" while warning that household budgets could be further strained, meaning borrowers should be "prudent" about their indebtedness.
Today, Sophie, who lives in France, has a job interview. If you could see her nervously twisting her hair, you might think shes anxious, like anyone would be in the circumstances. You would be wrong. Sophie is actually on the verge of a panic attack. At 27, she just lost her job as a salesperson due to repeated cash-register mistakes  and its the eighth time in the last three years. She loved maths at university and is deeply ashamed. She hopes the person hiring will not bring up the subject  she has no justification for her professional failures and knows that she is incapable of making one up.

Studies reveal one woman for every nine men is diagnosed with so-called high-functioning autism, that is, autism without intellectual disability. If we compare this to the one woman for every four men diagnosed with the more readily identified low-functioning autism, we can easily imagine many autistic women are left undiagnosed.

Lets call her Sophie. The description well give could be that of any woman who is on the autistic spectrum without knowing it. Because theyre intelligent and used to compensating for communication impediments they may not be consciously aware of, these women slip through the cracks of our still-too-inefficient diagnostic procedures.

Sophies wish is granted: the interviewer asks her instead about her time at university. Relieved, she happily launches into an explanation of her masters thesis on meteorological modelling, but he cuts her off abruptly, clearly irritated. He wants to know why she is applying for a temporary job as an accounting assistant when she has no experience or training. Although her heart is racing wildly, Sophie manages to keep her composure, explaining that she taught herself accounting at home in the evenings. She describes the excellent MOOC (online course) she found on the website of the French Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, and tells him how one of the questions she asked the teacher on the forum led to a fascinating debate on the concept of depreciation expenses.

Sophie is not good at guessing what people are thinking, but she understands from the way the man is staring at her that he believes she is lying. Overwhelmed, she feels weaker by the minute. She watches his lips move but does not understand what hes saying. Ten minutes later shes in the street, with no memory of how the interview ended. She is shaking and holding back tears. She curses herself, wondering how anyone could be so stupid and pathetic.

She climbs into a crowded bus, swaying under the heavy odours of perfumes worn by those pressed up around her. When the bus brakes suddenly, she loses her balance and bumps into a fellow passenger. She apologises profusely and hurriedly gets off. In her rush, she trips again and falls to the pavement. I must get up, everyone is looking, she thinks, but her body refuses to obey. She can no longer see properly and doesnt even realise her own tears are blinding her. Someone calls an ambulance. Sophie wakes up in a psychiatric facility. She will be misdiagnosed with a psychological disorder and given medication that will solve none her problems.

A unique way of thinking, a taste for solitude, intense passions

Sophies story is typical of the chaotic lives led by women whose autism remains undiagnosed because they are on that part of the spectrum where the signs are less obvious. In spite of her impressive cognitive capacities  like the ability to teach herself a totally new field of knowledge  Sophie has no idea of her own talents, and neither do those around her, or only rarely. Trapped in a social environment highly critical of what makes her unique, such as her unusual way of thinking, taste for solitude, and the intensity of her passions, Sophie is acutely aware that these are seen as shortcomings.
NSW should consider selective primary schools for its most gifted students and give them the same early intervention as students with special needs, according to a leading academic in gifted education.

Jae Jung, a senior lecturer in the University of NSW's school of education and a lead researcher of gifted education, said primary schools modelled after the state's 48 selective high schools could be the solution to Australia's "neglect" of its brightest students that is leading to its sliding performance at the international level.

"We're not taking care of gifted students at the lower primary level," Dr Jung said. "The earlier educational intervention is provided, the more likely their potential will be realised.

"These are the students who will find cures to major medical conditions and make a real difference to the lives of others, but they're the ones we're neglecting."
Professor John Blaxland is critical of the proposed Home Affairs ministry. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos What is incontestable is that since its inception in 2006, the integrity commission has not held a single public hearing into any of the agencies it oversees: the AFP, the Criminal Intelligence Commission, Border Force and the Immigration Department. Due to a lack of resources, Australia's least-known corruption fighting body relies on one of the agencies it oversees, the AFP, to actually carry out its major investigations. Several of these joint investigations are under way. They include a probe into a Melbourne-based government agency insider suspected of helping an international criminal syndicate bypass border controls. A second ongoing inquiry is targeting a network of Sydney contraband traffickers who have had highly irregular dealings with government officials. An associated case involves a government official who authorities suspect tipped off a notorious Sydney drug importer about a police operation.

Other major inquiries have been shelved for lack of evidence. These include a case in 2014 involving a now-former official from a government agency and a money launderer connected to a senior Asian politician. In its most recent corporate plan, the integrity commission, known by its acronym ACLEI, says the corruption risks it confronts have "high potential impacts on individuals, Australian society and the economy  including by: aiding the illicit drug, counterfeit and contraband trades [and] facilitating money laundering and terrorism financing". The impact on the joint investigations of the reforms unveiled by Turnbull is unclear. One senior official says the shake-up is "logical" and likely to enhance the integrity commission's focus as it shifts from Justice Minister Michael Keenan's portfolio to that of the Attorney-General, George Brandis. But several officials in Canberra say there appears to have been limited thought, if any, about what the reforms will mean for the fight against corruption. Professor Blaxland proposes an alternative: "I find the idea of a national ICAC [independent commission against corruption] attractive. There is a compelling case for it." Senior staff inside Border Force also believe the current oversight model is failing. The agency referred serious allegations to the integrity commission two years ago. Since then, it has been left in limbo, unable to conduct its own internal inquiries and remove suspected staff.

"We want to get rid of them or do our own investigations, but we can't," says one senior official. Despite intensive investigation work over many months, the two most serious corruption cases being investigated by the integrity commission and the federal police have yielded no public hearings and no criminal charges. A report released on Saturday by the Australia Institute claims corruption commissions which hold public hearings are far more successful at exposing and prosecuting corruption. The biggest user of public hearings is the NSW ICAC. Since 2012, it has held 123 public hearings and referred 76 people to the state Director of Public Prosecutions, far more than any other state commission. The institute's figures are open to interpretation. Queensland's corruption commission (which held its first public hearing this year) has referred 32 people for prosecution without the use of a single public hearing. Former NSW director of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery argues the lack of accountability in the existing model is grounds for a national ICAC. So too is the fact that no agency has dedicated responsibility for investigating those outside of ACLEI's jurisdiction, including federal politicians. ACLEI also has no oversight over the Australian Tax Office, defence or other public sector agencies.

Mr Cowdery says concerns about the unfair smearing of reputations via public hearings can be managed by a commissioner who exercises his discretion carefully. "Any half-competent commissioner can do it. Public hearings are vital because they give the public confidence that this work is being done," he says. Senior officials who back the existing system of secret federal police and integrity commission investigations say it safeguards the reputations of those suspected of corruption but later cleared. The Coalition opposes an ICAC, with politicians wary of the risk of a corruption commission chasing political scalps. Veteran corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald, QC, who is working with the left-leaning Australia Institute as it campaigns for a national ICAC, says those opposed to public hearings "demonstrate a fundamental ignorance of democracy".
Shot in the leg, Sydney bodybuilder Hedi Ayoub sought shelter behind a tree in a south-western Sydney park. But there was no escape.

Omar Rajab, now 24, pursued a wounded Mr Ayoub before he fired a fatal shot into the victim's neck.

Omar Rajab is led from the Supreme Court in Sydney to a waiting prison vehicle on Friday. Credit:AAP

In the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, Rajab was jailed for at least 15 years and six months for murdering Mr Ayoub at Salmon Reserve in Punchbowl in June 2015.

In delivering her sentence, Justice Elizabeth Fullerton described the killing of Mr Ayoub, 22, who was shot four times, as "callous in the extreme".
NSW Tourism and Major Events Minister Adam Marshall said: "The tourism industry is vital not only to Sydney's economy but to the whole of NSW, contributing billions in revenue and supporting tens of thousands of jobs throughout the state." A crowded Bondi Beach in summer. Credit:Ben Rushton In the 12 months to March 2017, Sydney received more than 13 million overnight visitors, including 3.6 million overseas tourists, who stayed a total of 101 million nights, according to Destination NSW, the state government's tourism agency. Visitors are forecast to spend more than 146 million nights in Sydney by 2024-25. But tourism can carry unwanted baggage such as urban congestion, rising housing prices, loss of social amenity, destruction of unique neighbourhoods and environmental impacts. Crowds filter through the city during the 2016 Vivid Sydney Festival. Credit:James Alcock

"The assumption that has governed most destinations is that more tourism is better," according to Felicity Picken, a lecturer in Western Sydney University's School of Social Sciences and Psychology. "This suits macro-economic growth models and the globally competitive tourism supply sector, like hotel chains, but has always carried problematic environmental and social consequences." Short-term rentals, popularised by Airbnb, in residential buildings and neighbourhoods has caused conflict. Sydney's public transport to tourist hotspots such as the Blue Mountains and beach suburbs is often congested, causing discomfort for residents and visitors. Backpackers were blamed for trashing Coogee Beach with 15 tonnes of rubbish on Christmas Day last year. Road closures during this year's Vivid Sydney festival caused inconvenience to Sydney CBD residents, resulting in at least one resident locked out of her Circular Quay apartment complex and abused by traffic controllers.

Public transport to tourist hot spots such as the Blue Mountains is often congested outside of peak travel times. Credit:Facebook/Lorraine Vogel Dr Picken also questioned whether the economic benefits of tourism and access to Sydney's tourist sites was evenly shared. These problems pale in comparison to Venice, which receives an estimated 30 million visitors a year, including many day trippers and cruise ship passengers. 'Tourists go away' Anti-tourism posters appeared in Venice last year with a blunt message in English: "Tourists Go Away!!! You Are Destroying This Area". The city may also lose its UNESCO World Heritage status because of mass tourism.

Barcelona has moved to restrict the number of hotels following protests by residents who claim the tourist boom has priced them out of the city. Closer to home, Byron Shire has proposed a bed tax to cope with the influx of tourists  around 2 million each year  and deal with rental affordability issues. New York, London and Berlin are among cities that have moved to impose restrictions of short-term rentals. "The resistance to tourism as witnessed in mature tourist destinations like Venice and Barcelona offers a wake-up call to all international tourism destinations and is a development that was almost unthinkable a decade ago," Dr Picken said. Larry Dwyer, a professor of tourism economics, management and policy at the University of NSW, said Sydney had proportionately far fewer tourists than Venice, Barcelona and Byron Bay, with visitors concentrated in the CBD and eastern suburbs. He suggested tourists, who tend to have higher disposable incomes, had bid up prices in areas such as The Rocks, Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and King Street Wharf, which were at risk of losing their identity to cater for tourists. "They build glitzy, fun parlour-type things to entertain tourists and the city then loses a lot of its identity," he said. "It's like a bastardisation or commodification of culture. But the problem is tourists like these precincts."

Airbnb: friend or foe? The loudest gripes about tourism remain Airbnb-type rentals, which attract blame for noise, congestion, competition for parking, reducing the amount of rental housing supply as well as raising rental prices  issues raised in the NSW government's Short-term Holiday Letting in NSW Options Paper released on Friday. Airbnb has also addressed accusations that people have suffered discrimination because of their race when trying to make a booking. An Airbnb spokesman said the homestay website spread the economic benefits of tourism: "In stark contrast to mass junk-food tourism, Airbnb supports a healthier and sustainable kind of tourism where everyone in our community shares the benefits." "Without home sharing, many of our hosts, including seniors and families, would struggle to pay their mortgage or bills," he added.
A rapid bus system along Victoria Road and an extension of Sydney's eastern suburbs light rail line from Kensington to Malabar are, along with a tram down Parramatta Road, inner Sydney options recently analysed by Transport for NSW.

But the state government is not committing to any of them, and says the shape of Sydney's transport future will be determined by a masterplan released later this year.

The Herald on Thursday revealed that extensive planning had been undertaken in Transport for NSW for a light rail line down Parramatta Road. Those planning works, however, were cancelled this year.

The documents obtained by the Herald also show that a "rapid bus network" along Victoria Road has been under consideration by the state's transport authorities.
Low-lying bayside and riverside Brisbane suburbs are being warned to prepare for potential flash flooding over the weekend, with an abnormally high tide expected.

Brisbane City Council advised residents in areas prone to localised flooding to avoid parking their cars in the street and said sandbags were available if required.

Council warns of potential flooding in bayside and riverside Brisbane suburbs and have reminded residents of sandbag collection points (file picture). Credit:Michelle Smith

Areas connected to foreshore and tide-affected areas of the river, creeks and other waterways may also be affected, according to BCC.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast high tides above 2.65 metres on Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings, with the peaks expected between 9 and 10.35pm.
Scientists are now trying to "read" 10 years of koala "bellows" and using unmanned drones in the latest attempts to understand one of Queensland's most embarrassing stories: the steady march towards extinction of the south-east Queensland koala.

The research  and its impact on Queensland's tree-clearing rates  will be a major election issue at the next state election.

Environment Minister Steven Miles with Minin the koala. Credit:Tony Moore

That extinction tale will most likely be confirmed in the final version of Queensland's most significant koala research paper  from the Koala Expert Panel  now due next month, in August 2017.

The expert panel has, in its February 2017 interim study, already proposed three major thrusts to try to prevent the extinction of the koala in south-east Queensland within 10-15 years.
What do Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Sergey Brin and Arianna Huffington have in common? Apart from being famous entrepreneurs and ridiculously wealthy, they're also currently (or were once) married to a spouse of a different race. Could there be a connection between that and their success? That suggestion might sound far-fetched but it isn't when you consider compelling new research that reveals being in a relationship with someone from a different culture  or even just being friends with them  ramps up creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Before you write off the research as a desperate attempt to find a connection where none exists, take into account the following. First, it was conducted by some of the world's most respected institutions such as Columbia University, the University of California, and INSEAD. Second, it was published in The Journal of Applied Psychology, one of the most prestigious academic publications with a ruthless peer-review process. Third, the findings are the result of four separate studies, each of which used very different methodologies and, in combination, thousands of participants.

In the first study, MBA students were asked to engage in various activities over a 10-month period. One required them to think of as many creative uses as possible for a brick. Another needed them to solve a challenging puzzle. The outcome: "Participants who dated individuals from other cultures exhibited superior creative performance." Not by a little but by a lot.

In the second study, the researchers moved away from university students and instead analysed adults. The participants were this time required to write an essay about one of their prior relationships such as "where their partner was from, what they had done together, what they had learned from their partner, interactions with their partner's friends and family," and so on.
Jude Sparks was out on a family hike in the desert near Las Cruces, New Mexico, testing walkie-talkies, when he tripped over a rocky protrusion.

When he got up, he examined what appeared to be two large, fossilised teeth jutting out from the ground. Further up, he spotted what looked like a tusk, he added.

Jude Sparks with the stegomastodon fossil he stumbled across near Las Cruces, New Mexico. Credit:Peter Houde-New Mexico State University

Jude, then 9, was intrigued. But his brother Hunter, who had been running behind him, didn't seem too impressed.

"Hunter said it was just a big, fat rotten cow," Jude told KVIA News, which first reported the story.
Ten days would have to pass between a person's first verbal request and their final verbal request. The panel believes this would allow enough time for a person to ensure their wish to end their life is "well-considered" but does not unnecessarily prolong suffering. How would the lethal drug be administered? The drugs would be provided by pharmacists in a locked box. For most people, the drugs would be self-administered, but there would be exceptions for people who are unable to take it themselves. Medical practitioners would be allowed to administer the drugs to those who are unable to take them independently.

Nobody else would be permitted to administer the drugs. The panel believes that for some patients just knowing they can access the lethal medication would provide some comfort. Who would be eligible?

Anyone eligible to end their life would have to be over 18 years of age, live in Victorian and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. They would have to be diagnosed with an incurable disease or condition that is expected to cause death within 12 months, with intolerable suffering that cannot be relieved. Who would oversee the process? Two medical professionals would conduct assessments of a person's eligibility for euthanasia. At least one of those medical practitioners must have expertise in the person's disease, illness or medical condition. The panel has recommended that a health practitioner be present in the final moment, should the patient request it.

In the United States, a stronger flu vaccine for the elderly has been used since 2009. Credit:Nicolas Walker How would the process protect people from being pressured to end their lives? Under the recommendations, it would be illegal to compel a person through dishonesty or undue influence to request access to euthanasia or to self-administer the lethal drugs. It would also be an offence to administer the lethal dose to a person who lacks decision-making capacity. What checks and balances would be in place?

A voluntary assisted-dying review board would be established to review each assessment that has been approved and ensure that laws have been observed. The board would refer breaches to the police, coroner or the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. The panel has also recommended that the laws be reviewed after five years. Christian leaders say the the option of assisted dying could "become an expectation'. What would happen if someone were to change their mind?

A person would be allowed to withdraw at any moment. But if a patient decided to continue with the process after initially backing out, they would have to start the process again from the beginning. If the proposed law does get through parliament, when will it come into effect? The panel has recommended an 18-month period between passing the laws and the regime's commencement. What about doctors with a moral objection to helping someone end their life? Loading
A quick-thinking police officer who saved the life of a choking baby in Melbourne's west has described it as the highlight of his almost two decade long career.

The distressed parents of a four-week-old boy who had stopped breathing flagged down Sergeant Christopher White and Constable Alice Campbell as they were patrolling the suburb of Deer Park about 9.30pm on Tuesday evening.

Sergeant White said he realised something was wrong when the father became frantic and yelled out to the officers for help.

The father, carrying the baby who had turned blue in his arms, got into the police car which then headed to the Western General Hospital.
Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann would have happily been a full-time dad to his young twin daughters.

Instead, the respected heart surgeon, 41, worked hard to help others at Melbourne's Box Hill Hospital.

Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann has had a scholarship launched in his name.

Tragically, the hospital is where the 41-year-old became the victim of an alleged one-punch attack.

Friends and colleagues gathered on Friday for an emotional memorial service for the German-born specialist who died on June 28, four weeks after allegedly being hit at the hospital's entrance.
Standing on a street corner in St Kilda in the 90s. Credit:Fairfax Photographic Ms Mizzi's children have never before spoken publicly about losing their mother. Her murder in effect left them orphaned, given their father was living overseas and they had no relationship with him. They have questioned why their mother's death does not attract the same media attention as other unsolved cases, and have come to a troubling conclusion: that it is because she was viewed as a sex worker and a drug addict  not as a mother, or a young woman, or a daughter, or a sister. "We see her as just this perfect untainted mother," Tanille said.

"Because we never got old enough to understand that part of her life or anything like that, there's this untainted image of what we had as a parent. "We never got to meet her properly because we were so young." They have other questions that are not as easy to answer, because they have never spoken to police about the case, and do not know who to ask to find out about it now. They do not know whether a DNA sample from the killer was found on their mother's body, and whether it is on file, a potential breakthrough just waiting for a match. They do not know when the case was last reviewed, or if it has ever been reviewed.

Or whether police cleared a man with a lengthy criminal record who had been in an incredibly violent relationship with their mother and was provided an alibi by his partner. And, perhaps most of all, why it seems they are destined to never know who killed their mother. "As much as it hurts us to relive things, we want her to be remembered." The murder of Tracy Connelly, pictured with her partner Tony, remains unsolved. Several theories

The case of Tracy Connelly remains active, homicide detectives say. She was murdered in the van she called home, which was parked in Greeves Street on July 21, 2013. Her partner, Tony Melissovas , who also acted as look-out for her, had been in hospital at the time. Ms Connelly, a 40-year-old mother-of-one, died from multiple injuries, details of which cannot be revealed. She  like the other victims  had performed sex work to fund a heroin addiction. It is understood police have investigated several theories relating to ongoing disputes she was said to have had with other workers, but none of these inquiries have led to an arrest.

Forensic tests were conducted internationally in a bid to catch her killer. "Police still have a significant amount of work to do on this investigation, however Victoria Police is committed to bringing this investigation to a successful conclusion," a spokeswoman said. Ms Mizzi died aged 24 on March 30, 1994, the day after she was found in a carpark at the rear of a building on Brighton Road. That night, Ms Mizzi planned to work near the intersection of Inkerman Street and Brighton Road. About 8.30pm, she went to an amusement centre nearby, ordered a chocolate milkshake, and asked the manager if she could leave her bags there until early the next morning.

After she finished her milkshake, she put on a black jacket and left. Several people  including nearby residents  saw Mizzi standing on the corner shortly before 10pm, talking to a man with whom she appeared to be familiar. She was standing on the west side of Brighton Road, between Inkerman and Blanche streets. A couple who lived in a building that backed on to the carpark of an office on Brighton Road were in bed when they heard a woman screaming, sometime between 10pm and 10.30pm. She screamed three of four times, not in quick succession, but with a brief pause in between.

About 11pm, Tiffany, another sex worker, was picked up by two young men and driven into the same car park. As they got out of the car, Tiffany heard a "husky, deep breathing choking type groan". Her "johns" told her not to go towards the noise, and wanted to leave, but she implored them to get the car, so they could shine the lights on the bushes. When they did, she saw a woman's breast, and blood everywhere. Her clients drove out of the car park, and Tiffany ran out the car park after them, and across the road to the amusement centre, to tell the police.

Ms Mizzi had been bashed so severely with a blunt instrument that parts of her skull were embedded in her brain. She was naked, and none of her clothing or jewellery were ever found. Apart from suspicions about the former partner, police questioned a known street crawler, who was seen acting strangely in the area on the night of the murder. White panel van The oldest of the unsolved cases also appears to have the most evidence, with multiple witness accounts of the man suspected of taking Ms Byrnes, and his panel van. On April 6, 1991, Ms Byrnes walked out of the Esquire Hotel, turned her back on Port Phillip Bay, and made for Carlisle Street.

In her room upstairs, she left her partner, in life and in work, Caro who had a toothache that she wanted to treat before heading down. The pair were addicted to heroin. Minor habits was how they described them, but other local sex workers thought they were probably using more than they let on, given how often they saw them on the streets. Carol and Ms Byrnes always worked together. If one of them got a job, the other would follow them back to their room, number 11, and stand outside the door to make sure everything was ok. But Ms Byrnes wanted to make some money, and Carol's tooth was killing her. So they agreed to meet up in half an hour.

Ms Byrnes took her place near the intersection of Carlisle and Foster streets. She was 23, a touch taller than 160cm, and thin. Blonde haired and brown eyed. A light-coloured birthmark on her right ribs. She wore black lycra tights, a navy blue zip-up fleece over a black lycra boob-tube, fingerless gloves, a small opal pendant on a gold chain, which was Carol's, and black suede stilettos. Ms Byrnes was standing near another worker, Wendy. There were not many others out that night. About 10 minutes after Byrnes arrived, a white panel van passed slowly. Wendy went and spoke to the driver.

"How much?" the driver asked. "What for?" Wendy answered. "Everything," he said. Wendy asked him what he meant by everything, and he said something she could not remember later, but felt he was a time waster, and maybe something even more sinister. She went back to her spot, and told Byrnes about him. Byrnes, nonplussed, approached the van. After about five minutes, she walked back to Wendy, asked her to tell Carol she wouldn't be long, and then walked across Carlisle Street and down towards Luna Park, where she got into the waiting van. It took less than a minute for Byrnes to realise she was in trouble.

Just down the road from where she was picked up, several witnesses saw a woman's legs coming out the open passenger door of a van, which was being driven slowly but erratically. It looked like whoever was inside was trying to escape. A taxi driver and another witness chased the van in their own cars, but lost it. The next time it was seen, the passenger door was closed, but it was still being driven strangely, according to a security guard on duty at Wattie Watson Oval in Elwood. The night was cloudy, and the van was soon swallowed in black.

It stopped not far down the road from the guard. And here, about eight hours later, Byrnes' body was found, naked, apart from a fingerless glove on her right hand. She had been ferociously beaten to death with a hand-held metal tool known as a wad cutter. Byrnes had 16 separate injuries, including skull fractures, a broken jaw, and broken ribs. As the van passed again, the guard noticed through a rear window that there was a large dark dog, maybe a Rottweiler, in the back.

Despite what was described by the homicide squad at the time as an "intense police investigation", and the detailed statements of several witnesses, nobody has ever been charged. The car was found to be a cream or white Morris Minor panel van, of which about 1800 were registered in Victoria at the time. The driver of a similar van which was seen in the area was described as about 30, caucasian, with brown hair about collar length, and of a medium build and height. One man also described the driver as "rough-looking". Byrne's family, or her former partner Carol, could not be contacted.
UPDATE:

The driver who killed a teenager by running him down as the 14-year-old rode a stolen motorcycle in WA's Goldfields region has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Elijah Doughty died after being hit by a ute. Credit:Facebook/@Elijah Doughty

After a four-day trial the 56-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found not guilty of manslaughter but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of dangerous driving causing death in the Supreme Court of WA in Perth on Friday.

The maximum penalty for dangerous driving causing death is 10 years jail.
A well-known sex hotspot for men  the Lake Monger toilet block  is set to be demolished by the Town of Cambridge because of ongoing concerns about anti-social behaviour and "beat activity".

The Dodd Street toilets have been the subject of anti-social behaviour for years, but a number of strategies - including closing them, putting locks on the toilets and cutting back nearby shrubbery - had all failed.

The notorious toilet block at Lake Monger is set to be bulldozed. Credit:Eleri Teesalu

Cambridge council even spent $60,000 on lights at the toilet block in May last year in an attempt to try and deter anti-social behaviour and "inappropriate sexual activities".

Now the town has had enough and a committee meeting this week voted to have the dunnies bulldozed and a new one built near a playground at the Dodd and Gregory street end.
Earlier correspondence from IBR seen by WAtoday said the event was cancelled "due to the unavailability of some of the speakers advertised on the program and we are not able to get the same calibre replacement speakers in this short time." IBR's promise of a refund to delegates comes despite its cancellation policy stating credit will be issued in the event of a postponement. "If the rescheduled date is not suitable for the delegate to attend the conference IBR will provide the delegate with 100% credit to attend a future IBR event," the policy reads. "The credit will be valued for one year. IBR will not provide refunds for cancellations or postponements." IBR has been contacted for comment. The event's web page has now been taken down. "I was approached by them in February to take part, and told I wouldn't be paid for it, but would get great exposure," Ms Coffey said.

"I don't usually do that, unpaid events, but the line up they had assembled was so strong I thought why not? It's a great chance to get some exposure and meet new people and share my expertise with my industry." Earlier this month, Ms Coffey reached out through Linkedin to connect professionally to all of the speakers listed in promotional material at the time of her signing to the event. Some communicated that they would be in Perth for the conference, but she said many others said either they had no idea they were scheduled to appear, or said that they had spoken at other IBR events but had not agreed to come to Perth. Ms Coffey said she also spoke to another person who had discovered their name, image and biography had been used to promote the event before they'd signed on to appear. "The more I looked into it the more red flags I saw, and I raised my concerns with them and asked to be taken off the speakers list," Ms Coffey said.

"I'm worried that this is a bait and switch, that people are signing up for this event thinking they'll see these speakers and when they rock up on the day it will be something else. "I understand that like all events line ups change, but when the advertised speakers don't even know they're involved then something's not right." Ms Coffey was also skeptical of the Web 3.0 conference's ticket price - a full price of $2495 plus GST for a two day event - which she believes is very high for an event of its kind. "A well recognised tech conference is Rise in Hong Kong and that's something like $600 a ticket for three days and they have their big name speakers locked in well in advance so you know what you're signed up for. "$2500 could be like half of someone's training budget for the year in Perth. They needed to have it locked in before they started advertising."

Under the Terms and Conditions listed on IBR's website, the company states that speaker line ups for its events may be subject to change. "IBR reserves the right to alter or modify the advertised speakers and/or topics if necessary. Any substitutions or alterations will be updated on our web page as soon as possible." On the morning of July 19, IBR's website advertised twelve speakers for the Web 3.0 conference, but later that day a number of speakers were removed, and then several others added, with the line up then changing repeatedly in the following days. WAtoday reached out to the advertised speakers originally listed, with many confirming they will be attending the Perth event. But one person who appeared at a Web 3.0 conference in Canberra organised by IBR said they would not be appearing in Perth, despite their name, image and biography being used in promotional material tied to the WA edition.

Another told WAtoday they did not know they were listed as a speaker and were being used to promote the event. A third, US-based social media expert Douglas Karr, said while he had written an article several years ago on the concept of Web 3.0, he had never agreed to come to the conference of the same name, and was being promoted without his knowledge. Speaking about the wider conference industry and not IBR specifically, Mr Karr said consumers need to be careful when they sign up for marketing events. "There's a ton of money to be made in selling marketing books, marketing speeches, marketing conferences, and marketing products that don't actually work it's a multi-billion dollar industry," he said. "Too many companies spend hard-earned money with organisations who couldn't care less about the actual results their clients get. They just shift gears and move on to selling the next silver bullet."
One of East Timor's largest political parties has denounced "acts of intimidation and terror" against some if its supporters ahead of Saturday's parliamentary elections.

Fretilin issued a statement late on Friday saying its supporters and sympathisers in several villages in Baucau, the country's second largest town, had been told that unless they voted "for certain political parties" their houses would be ransacked and they would be killed.

Until Fretilin issued the statement, campaigning across Asia's youngest nation had been reported to be free of any political violence.

Fretilin's deputy secretary Jose Reis said the party calls on the army and police to "pay attention and provide security to these areas to allow the community to exercise their democratic rights freely."
Robert Timm, an activist with Germany's 'identitarians'. Credit:Twitter/RobertTimm The boat would arrive in Catania within days and would set off for its first ten-day mission early next week. The crew of about 10 would take videos and photographs of NGO and migrant boats, Timm said. The Defend Europe ship anti-extremists say will put lives at risk. Credit:Screengrab About a dozen boats crewed by humanitarian groups are currently working in the areato help with rescues.

Around 85,000 migrants arrived in Italy by boat in the first six months of 2017, 21 per cent more than in the same period in 2016. Defend Europe says it will stop economic migrants going to Europe. Credit:Screengrab More than 2200 people have died attempting the crossing this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Rescues are happening much closer to Libyan waters, prompting accusations the NGOs are encouraging people smugglers. Boat belonging to the Defend Europe group. Credit:Twitter/DefendEurope

"Our first objective is to just look how the other NGOs are working, if [there are] signs that they are actually cooperating with the human traffickers," Timm said. They will track NGO boats using radar, to check if they stray into Libyan waters, and monitor radio channels to see if they were communicating with people smugglers. "This is something we want to see and document," Timm said. "The more evidence we collect the better." NGOs may also be picking migrants up from boats that were intact and not in danger, he said. "There are rumours that the traffickers themselves are still on the boat, then the people are brought to an NGO ship then the guy brings the ship back [to Libya]."

He said the mission was "already a success" because of new scrutiny of the actions of humanitarian NGOs. If somebody genuinely needed rescuing during their mission Defend Europe would come to their aid, Timm said. "But we will make sure that we are not making ourselves also responsible for bringing migrants to Europe. If we have to take people on board we will make sure they go back somewhere to Tunisia or somewhere else close by." Timm denied that the human rights principle of non-refoulement required them to take rescued migrants to the safety of an Italian port. Tunisia was safe enough to take rescued migrants as a first choice. If Tunisia rejected them then Libya was an option, he said. "Libya is definitely not a cosy place, but  they took the risk of being in Libya in the first place so it can't be that bad actually," Timm said. "If your life is really in danger you don't really complain that you are being brought back to Africa, you should be happy that you are still alive."

He suggested Defend Europe may join in rescues with other NGOs and offer to take the migrants back to Africa. "That tells a lot about the actual motives they have" if they refuse the Defend Europe option, Timm said. If their mission is successful they will try to repeat it. In Germany the identitarians are registered as "a kind of club" but they were trying to become a professional NGO, Timm said. He said they admired Australia for "dealing pretty well" with migrants arriving by boat.

"This is something we should establish in Europe as well," he said. Nick Lowles, director of the anti-extremist Hope Not Hate group, said Defend Europe were "anything but cuddly". He wrote for the Huffington Post on Thursday that "they hold deeply anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant views and, in many cases, have links to notorious far-right groups as well as being actively supported by white supremacists worldwide". But Timm said his colleagues were not racist. "Europe is pretty small and we are very few people and if we now take in a certain amount of migrants and we become a minority within our own territory then our culture will vanish and that is something we just want to prevent," he said.
London: North Korea is facing severe food shortages due to the worst drought since 2001, with food imports needed to ensure children and the elderly do not go hungry, the United Nations' food agency says.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said rainfall in key producing areas fell well below the long-term average between April and June and badly affected staple crops including rice, maize, potatoes and soybean.

This disrupted planting activities and damaged the 2017 main season crops, requiring

increased food imports, commercial or food aid over the next three months to ensure adequate food supplies for the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly.
Xanana Gusmao, the 71-year-old former revolutionary fighter, president and prime minister, has insisted in a high-stakes gamble that gas from Greater Sunrise must be piped to a yet-to-be built refinery on East Timor's isolated southern coast, while a consortium of investors - including ConocoPhillips and Woodside Energy - says it is not viable to bring the gas to East Timor across a deep trench, and want the gas processed on a floating platform. Young men wave the flag of the CNRT, the party of former president Xanana Gusmao. Credit:Wayne Lovell The consortium partners have indicated publicly that they don't want to pipe the gas to Darwin. "The [election] candidates are striking heroic poses about negotiations with Australia," says Clinton Fernandes, an expert on Timor at the University of New South Wales, referring to UN-backed negotiations to resolve the bitter dispute between Australia and East Timor over maritime boundaries. East Timorese President Francisco Guterres, known as Lu-Olo. Credit:Wayne Lovell

Gusmao and the generation of leaders who fought Indonesia's 1975 invasion and 24 years of brutal occupation appear likely to hold on to power after a violence-free campaign. Their candidate, Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, also a former resistance commander, won 57 per cent of the vote at presidential elections in March, signalling strong support for a "coalition of national unity" comprising Gusmao's National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction, or CNRT, and Fretilin, the most established party that appears to have run the most modern and professional campaign. One fifth of 750,000 registered voters will be casting ballots for the first time, in a country where half of the population is under 20. Credit:Wayne Lovell Jose Ramos-Horta, a former president and prime minister and still an influential figure in Dili, said most voters remain "politically, psychologically and emotionally attached" to national leaders who led the country during the independence struggle. He told the Portuguese news agency Lusa that Timorese is a "fundamentally patriarchal culture in which the oldest means experience and wisdom".

Supporters of Fretilin and Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres campaign in Dili during the presidential election in March. Credit:Wayne Lovell But Michael Leach, an expert on Timorese politics at the Swinburne University of Technology, said the complexion of the new government is hard to pick because of changing voter patterns. The median age of Timorese is just under 19 and with a voting age of 17, a fifth of voters will cast their ballots for the first time. Xanana Gusmao led the negotiations at The Hague. Credit:Wayne Lovell The People's Liberation Party (PLP), led by 60-year-old former president Taur Matan Ruak, also a resistance commander in the occupation years, is supported by a host of younger Western-educated Timorese from Dili's intelligentsia.

"If we don't know how to involve young people in the development process they can become a time bomb," he told reporters. The PLP favours military conscription, prompting critics to argue it would be dangerous to train youths in use of firearms and be conditioned to follow hierarchical orders in a country where mobs made up mainly of youth rioted in 2006. According to La'o Hamutuk, an independent NGO in Dili, almost half the population live in poverty, two-thirds live in rural areas, largely by subsistence farming, and about 1200 children under five die from preventable conditions every year  15 times the number who die from physical violence. The country has almost no industry and a tiny private sector. Leach said Gusmao's personal legitimacy and popularity as a former resistance commander remains the cornerstone of his party.

And Fernandes said Gusmao's large election war chest means he can communicate his message better than his rivals. Gusmao's party has been well supported by businesspeople, who have benefited from government contracts, and the beneficiaries of pensions. "His donors have good reason to believe he will win comfortably and he also probably retains the trust of enough people to do so," Fernandes said. Two decades after Timorese bravely defied violence and intimidation to vote to break away from Indonesia in a UN-run referendum, Gusmao will remain the country's most powerful figure after the election, analysts say. He has been tasked with leading the Greater Sunrise negotiations when a conciliation commission releases its findings on September 19.

In mid-July, ConocoPhillips left open the possibility of gas from fields other than Barossa being piped to Darwin, and said it is assessing several options. These may include Greater Sunrise. East Timor's national oil company has also expressed hope in a possible gas field south-east of the country called the Crocodile project, which is 100 per cent owned by East Timor. Onshore exploration is also planned. But analysts say that even if Greater Sunrise or other fields are developed soon, East Timor's leaders will face having to implement austerity programs by 2026, given the rate of the country's spending on infrastructure and other programs. Loading Some analysts predict Gusmao may be willing to soften his stance on Greater Sunrise once the election is out of the way.
Seoul: Two tour agencies that arrange trips to North Korea said on Friday the US government will soon ban its citizens from travelling there, after the death of a US student arrested there while on a tour.

Koryo Tours said the ban would be announced on July 27 and would go into effect 30 days later. It said the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular affairs for the United States in the North, informed it of the ban, but did not say how long it would last.

American student Otto Warmbier died days after he returned to the US after being imprisoned in North Korea. Credit:AP

"But it does seem to be the case that in just over a month, it will be impossible for Americans to visit as tourists," Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockrell told Reuters by telephone.

Another tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, said on its Web site that it had also been informed of the ban, citing the same date.
White Cloud, Michigan: A jury has convicted a Michigan woman of first-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband in a crime apparently witnessed only by the man's pet parrot.

The Newaygo County jury deliberated for about eight hours before finding Glenna Duram, 49, guilty on Wednesday.

Glenna and Martin Duram and Bud, Martin's parrot.

Martin Duram, 46, was shot five times in May 2015.

Glenna Duram suffered a head wound in what prosecutors said was a suicide attempt, but survived after spending months in hospital.
Among the experiments: How microgravity affects stem cells and the factors that govern stem cell activity

Santa Monica's NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, who is making final preparations for his launch to the International Space Station later this month, will be participating in live satellite interviews from 9 to 10 a.m. EDT Friday, July 14, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

The interviews will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website and will be preceded at 8:30 a.m. by a video feed of highlights from Bresnik's mission training and previous spaceflight.

Bresnik will arrive at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sunday, July 16, for final pre-launch training. He and his crewmates, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency), will launch on the Russian Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft at 11:41 a.m. on July 28. They are scheduled to return to Earth in December.

Their flight plan calls for an arrival at the station about six hours after launch, where they will join Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer of NASA. The crew members will continue several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science currently underway and scheduled to take place aboard humanity's only permanently occupied orbiting lab.

Among the experiments is Cardiac Stem Cells, which investigates how microgravity affects stem cells and the factors that govern stem cell activity, including physical and molecular changes. The Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass experiment is also scheduled to arrive at the station during the crew's stay and will measure the charges of cosmic rays ranging from hydrogen up through iron nuclei, over a broad energy range.

Bresnik was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but considers Santa Monica, California, to be his hometown.

He graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and was commissioned in the Marine Corps in May 1989. NASA selected him as an astronaut in May 2004. This will be his second trip to the International Space Station and his first long-duration mission. Previously he flew aboard space shuttle Atlantis to the station in 2009.

For details about his experiences in space, follow Bresnik on social media at:

https://twitter.com/astrokomrade

https://www.facebook.com/AstroKomrade

https://www.instagram.com/astrokomrade
The 16-year-old student denied the weapon was his when authorities discovered it in his backpack.
5A: Fort Wayne Snider comes alive in second half to sink Mishawaka

It was looking good for Mishawaka after scoring 15 points before Fort Wayne Snider even touched the ball. Then the second half happened.
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 76F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
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But political resistance is also growing inside Poland. In recent days, tens of thousands of people have taken the streets to protest against what the opposition has called "an assault on democracy." But the PiS party doesn't need to worry too much about the demonstrations, which are restricted to the major cities. The party still enjoys a clear lead in national polls. The Polish economy is growing steadily -- by over 4 percent in the first quarter of 2017 alone. And tax revenues have also risen since the party came to power.

Judicial reform is only one aspect of Kaczynski's plans to overhaul Poland. He has long entertained ideas of a "Fourth Republic," a strict but caring state replacing the "Third Republic," as post-communist Poland is often called. Parliamentarians with the liberal opposition fear that the government will continue eroding Polish democracy and that a compliant judiciary could start to challenge unwelcome election results. There are indications that the PiS party is planning to revamp electoral regulations so that it is guaranteed victory for years to come. Urban constituencies, where the party tends to perform poorly, could be redrawn to include more rural areas, thereby redistributing its majorities.

The government's next target could be Poland's private media companies. A favorite buzzword of the Law and Justice party is "renationalization," which in this case would exclude by law international publishing companies from the Polish market.

A Conspiracy Theorist

Kaczynski is a stocky man with a round head. He often looks disgruntled and rarely has any kind of emotional outburst. This week, however, he became unusually angry. During a parliamentary debate on the judicial reforms, a liberal member of parliament raised the specter of Jaroslaw Kaczynski's late brother Lech, who served as president from 2005 to 2010, and was killed in a plane crash close to the Russian city of Smolensk seven years ago.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski stormed over to the podium. "Don't wipe your treacherous mugs with the name of my late brother," he bellowed. "You destroyed him, you murdered him!" The incident illustrates the party chairman's obsession with conspiracy theories. Like many in the party, he is convinced that his brother was deliberately killed in an assassination masterminded by Russia and approved by the liberal Polish government in power at the time.

There was a time when Lech and Jaroslav were Europe's political curiosity nonpareil. They were outsiders, frequently mocked, not least for their appearance. But they had a talent for demagoguery, which propelled them both to power. From 2005 to 2007 they both held office, as president and prime minister respectively. Jaroslav continued to pursue their political agenda after the death of his brother in the Smolensk plane crash. But what is driving him?

Two weeks ago, Kaczynski was the keynote speaker at a Law and Justice party congress in Przysucha, some 40 kilometers from Warsaw. "Poland is united," he said from behind the lectern in a drab auditorium. "We are here to ensure that everyone in Poland has the same opportunities, regardless of whether they live in the cities or in the country."

Kaczynski is not a fiery speaker. He's not a champion of the people. He tends to enumerate ministerial achievements, which sounds dull, but only to the uninitiated. PiS party politicians listen closely, because this is when they get to find out who has earned brownie points. The list of acknowledgments tells them who is currently in favor with the "prezes," Polish for president.

'Positive Change'

Issues and appointments are not debated within the party. Its agenda is drawn up by Kaczynski, as is the electoral list.

Ideologically, he stands for what is essentially a left-wing vision of a generous state, dished up with what liberal politician Leszek Balcerowicz once called "nationalist-Catholic gravy." Kaczynski makes himself out to be the defender of the interests of the common people, defending them from the supposedly "pathological" consequences of the economic liberalism rampant since the fall of the Iron Curtain.

From the very beginning of his political career, he has maintained that it was former communists and dissidents and not the general public who benefited from this economic upswing. According Kaczynski's narrative, they cherrypicked jobs and businesses from Poland's bankrupt estate and ushered in an era of dog-eats-dog capitalism. Average Poles were hung out to dry. Kaczynski wants to see the "networks" that emerged at this time tackled, and the most egregious examples of the cold new economic order crushed. The current PiS party slogan sounds less combative than previous ones: "dobra zmiana" means "positive change." The underlying message is that the party intends to make Poland more humane.

In contrast, the liberal opposition, which had been in power until 2015, has little to offer these days. The bedrock of its political platform has always been the EU. Its vision is basically that so long as Poland is a reliable European partner, aid from Brussels will ensure prosperity for all. The trouble is that few people believe in this vision in the remote east of the country, in villages and small towns.

The Law and Justice party appeals to people who are frustrated by the slow pace of economic progress. Its core voters are not the poor, but the middle classes. Families fed up with dilapidated schools and kindergartens, as well as small businesspeople and shop owners who feel threatened by international retail chains. These are the sorts of voters who want the PiS to guarantee a welfare benefit of 500 zlotys for a second child and reduce the retirement age from 67 to 65 for men and to 60 for women.

Most of them attach little importance to constitutionally spurious moves such as the judicial reform. The judiciary they know from the post-'89 years was inefficient and corrupt anyway. It all goes to show that one reason why Kaczynski is such a successful politician is because he understands how to harness a mood and bring it to a head. He's seen as a modest man willing to sacrifice his own interests for the greater good of the country -- in direct contrast to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has a soft spot for oligarchy glamor.

Eroding Democracy

But where exactly does Kaczynski stand on democracy? "(He) loves Poland and believes in God and the state," says Michal Kaminski, who used to represent the Law and Justice party in the European Parliament and is now a conservative lawmaker in Poland's lower house. He says that Kaczynski is deeply convinced that he knows what is best for Poland and the Polish people. On principle, he is not opposed to democracy, but nor does he want his agenda to be impeded by pesky checks and balances such as a constitutional court. "Internally, the PiS party is looking increasingly more like a sect than a political party," says Kaminski.
Kerry Davis, Rheannon Hackett and Megan Stevenson are studying animal management at the Penrith based Newton Rigg college, and later this month they will fly out to the historic town of Split before heading to the Kuterevo Bear Sanctuary in a small village in the Velebit mountains. There they will spend 17 days helping with conservation work which includes caring for the orphaned resident brown bears.

Their tasks will include cleaning and building enclosures, maintaining the bears' habitat, working with staff to forage for food for the animals, and monitoring native wildlife such as wild bears, deer and foxes. In addition, twice a week the trio will attend lessons to learn Croatian and will undergo the challenges of wild camping in the mountains.

Lecturer Danielle Robinson explained:

This is a major opportunity for the students to be part of an important conservation project. It's organised through the Everything is Possible, a not-for-profit organisation which offers international experiences to young people funded through the Erasmus+ programme.

Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. It runs for seven years from 2014  2020 with organisations invited to apply for funding each year to undertake creative and worthwhile activities.
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This summer, catch a movie under the stars.

Several area communities are making the most of the summer weather with outdoor movie nights. Movie-goers are advised to bring blankets, chairs and snacks. The films are generally scheduled to begin at dusk.

The Mill River Park Collaborative in Stamford is hosting Sci-Fi Movies in the Park on select Friday nights, as well as an Animation Celebration Movie Series on select Saturday nights in July and August. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and "Moana" are among the movies scheduled to be screened.

Some local beaches are also featuring outdoor movies. In Norwalk, the city's family movie series is held on Saturday nights through August 19 at Shady Beach/Calf Pasture Beach.

For a taste of nostalgia, head to the Southington Drive-In. While the outdoor movie theater is a bit of a drive, it's one of only three of its kind left in Connecticut.

According to the theater's website, films scheduled on Saturday nights through September 2 including "Dirty Dancing," "The Goonies," and "The Trolls." The cost is $15 per carload for non-residents.

Films are screened at the Pleasant Valley Drive-In in Barkhamsted Thursday through Sunday nights. The Mansfield Drive-In in Mansfield Center is the state's other remaining drive-in movie theater.

Click through the slideshow above for a look a more outdoor movies scheduled across the area.
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STAMFORD  A Norwalk man accused of a series of bank robberies faces new charges for using a counterfeit check to withdraw more than $10,000, police said.

Joseph Boccuzzi, 34, who has been held in lieu of $1 million bond at the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, appeared this week in the Stamford courthouse where he was charged with second-degree larceny and forgery.
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STAMFORD  Mayor David Martin recognized the three city police officers who rescued a 7-year-old boy who jumped off a fishing pier this week at Cummings Beach Park.

The proclamations for Sgt. Charles Chip White and officers Damien Rosa and Michael Montanaro offered the citys appreciation for saving Jadiel Garcia who they found clinging to a piling about 80 feet from the Cummings pier about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Most of you have heard this before and Ill say it again, those in public safety, whether its police or fire or EMS, when you put on that uniform you stand ready to risk it all to protect our community  that is my definition of a hero, Martin told the group of officers Thursday.

Martin acknowledged he will not be there to congratulate them every time they make a difference in the community.

So, this has to be a symbol for all of you every time you stand ready to take that call, Martin said. I just can say thank you.

The proclamation reads, Be it hereby known that to all that the city of Stamford offers its grateful appreciation to (White, Rosa and Montanaro) in recognition of your bravery, professionalism and dedication to this community. On behalf of the city of Stamford and in honor of your professional response to the incident number 1707160031 on July 16, 2017 and the teamwork which enabled a safe resolution to a water rescue, thereby saving a seven-year-old life.

Martin said he was proud of the entire city police department.

In this particular case, these three fine gentlemen of the police department were there when the call came, Martin said.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com;
T he boss of AstraZeneca today did little to reassure the City he staying at the pharma giant, as a leaked internal memo to staff failed to put to bed rumours of his departure.

Pascal Soriot broke his silence following recent reports from Israel that he was about to join the countrys pharma company Teva as its next chief executive.

Bloomberg published a memo sent on July 16. He said: Together, we are poised to achieve something remarkable and that few thought possible Nothing can break the momentum you have established, and certainly not rumours.

However, the Frenchman stopped short of saying whether he had had an offer from Teva, or revealing his response to such an offer.

A company spokesman said: Pascal routinely communicates with employees. He wanted to address any concern that may exist as a result of speculation in media and reiterate that collectively we are all focused on our great progress and priorities.

Astra said Soriot is expected to attend an industry meeting in September.

Soriot has led the Anglo-Swedish firm since 2012 and is best known for having fought off a 54 billion takeover attempt by US drugs giant Pfizer three years ago.

But takeover talk has re-emerged in recent months with Novartis said to be interested. This year is also make or break for the companys drugs pipeline, with several key cancer treatments on the way.
S trolling down St Jamess Street and stepping over the threshold of the UKs oldest wine merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd, must be the closest thing to time travel without a Tardis.

The dark Dickensian shopfront and the famous sign of the coffee mill  under which the business has traded in Londons clubland for more than three centuries  reek of tradition. And dominating the oak-panelled lobby are the huge original scales where the likes of Lord Byron and Pitt the Younger once stood when it was the height of society fashion for gentlemen to weigh themselves outside the shop.

Chief executive Dan Jago a tall, affable, bespectacled type, flicks though one of the weighing books from 1756 and shows off an entry where one ancient customer has written wearing heavy coat as an excuse for putting on a few pounds. Jago has been running the business for nearly two years now, charged with dragging one of the most famous names in the capital into the modern age but clearly abuzz with the heritage of the place, which has two royal warrants. The Berrys have been in the business, founded by the mysterious Widow Bourne in 1698, for 200 years and the Rudds are the newcomers, first investing a mere century ago.

Like the Tardis, the Berry Bros front is also deceptive: its far bigger on the inside. Jagos whistle-stop tour of the rooms behind the modest shopfront takes us through stone alleyways and basement passages around two acres of wine cellars, where the exiled Napoleon III held secret meetings 200 years ago.

We stumble across a wine class being prepared by one of firms seven Masters of Wine (there are only 356 in the world), and event rooms which entertained almost 25,000 guests last year. City types, hedge-funders, Asian billionaires  even actor Johnny Depp  have been through its doors. There are the distant cheers of some French producers whove had a good lunch. Then theres the new shop around the corner dispensing everything from Berry Bros best-selling Good Ordinary Claret at 9.95 to bottles at 20,000.

It was almost inevitable that 56-year-old Jago would head into the drinks trade. His father, Tom, started off in advertising working on famous campaigns such as Go to work on an egg but later ended up involved in the creation of tipples such as Baileys and Malibu. Dad always tells the story that he married my mother because shed been given quite a good collection of claret by her father, he recalls.

Wine was usually on the table at home in Wimbledon, and he had his first glass at seven or eight. But the penny finally dropped at 11 when his father took him to his grandfather in Norfolk, and he introduced him to a 1949 Lafite and told him to remember what a truly great wine smells and tastes of. The memory lingers to this day: It was 10 years or more before I came back to looking at wine more seriously but I was captivated by the smell and taste of this thing.

There was little Lafite on offer in the Royal Navy when Jago left school  Surreys liberal-minded Frensham Heights  and ran away to sea. He was bored by exams and wanted to see the world, so he signed up on an eight-year commission. There the brew of choice was Courage Sparkling Bitter (known in the navy as nerve gas because it was quite strong ale); because his father had been in the wine trade, he ended up looking after the ships cellar. As a navigator on an anti-submarine frigate  not much good in the Falklands  he never saw a shot fired and spent most of his time on the bridge making sure we went from here to there, drawing straight lines on a chart.

He left the Navy in 1988, and the wine trade lured him back in, first as a salesman at Laytons wine merchant and then at Bibendum, the wholesaler. He rose to be joint managing director there before quitting for Tesco in 2006, becoming a huge industry player as the grocers category director for beers, wines and spirits. His career there spanned Sir Terry Leahys reign (his brain computes things twice as fast as almost anybody Ive ever met), the turbulent Phil Clarke era (much more engaged in his public image) and finally the arrival of Dave Lewis to clear up the mess.

Jago was one of nine senior executives suspended by the company when news of Tescos 263 million accounting scandal broke  although he says there was never any doubt in his mind that he was in the clear in the four months he was away. I knew the moment I was asked to go home that day that theyd got it wrong and thered been a mistake, so I said well just wait and see while they sort this muddle out. So I went back full of as much enthusiasm as I had before I was asked to go home.

But he says that when he returned, it felt strange, in that the organisation had clearly been through a lot of

soul-searching and confusion in those past three or four months. Nobody really knew what was going on and why it was happening.

Jago says the suspension had nothing to do with his eventual decision to leave, but when Berry Bros & Rudd came on the phone five months later, there was never any doubt in his mind.

He found a famous name fallen on hard times, and in desperate need of modernisation. As one industry rival puts it, no company has a divine right to exist despite a great tradition, and the merchant was listing, bleeding cash and crippled by ancient IT. The Berrys  who own about 20% of the shares  and the Rudds, who speak for around 75%, badly needed a fresh pair of eyes.

Says Jago: I discovered a brilliant brand that was not necessarily being pointed in the right direction and was still operating on a cultural supposition from 20 or 30 years ago  that people come to us and we dont go to people. There was a belief and expectation that the brand was strong enough to bring business in.

Early on, he settled a long-running legal row with a Hong Kong partner and began getting to grips with the groups old-fashioned working practices and creaking computers. Ironically, for a company that was one of the first in the country to have its own website (behind the screen, there was probably somebody with an abacus or a quill pen), it has had to spend a fortune on IT as well.

That said, he doesnt want to kill off the heritage and brand that people love but just make it ruthlessly efficient. He has also got the different parts of the business  the international arm, the spirits side and the wine business  talking to each other a bit more, and hired a few colleagues from his Tesco days to help with the job.

The family dont want to sell, and see their responsibility as being able to hand it on in a better state than when they inherited it. My job is to be the bridge between the last 300 years and the next 300 years, he says. Results seem to show his early efforts bearing some fruit, with sales at a six-year high of 170.5 million and operating profits of 1.8 million  which chairman Simon Berry called terrific. They want managed growth, not growth at any cost, says Jago.

Spending your days in the land of Pomerol, Pauillac and Petrus must make it awfully tempting to swipe the odd bottle off the shelves of an evening, but Jago says he probably drinks less now here than where I was before. And he has an admission to make. I have to say Im a huge fan of a good pint of beer, a nice pint of well-kept brown beer in a pub on a Friday evening, standing outside, served at the right temperature. The first inch of that pint of beer, theres almost no better drink in the world.

Its good to know that the king of fine wines enjoys the odd crafty pint.
T he International Monetary Fund has agreed a $1.8 billion (1.4 billion) loan for Greece, ending a two-year impasse with the European Union over the debt-laden countrys third bailout.

The IMF has been reluctant to support its latest 86 billion (77 billion) rescue in 2015 without EU nations agreeing to debt relief. Now it has agreed the loan in principle but wont commit any funds until it gains specific and credible assurances from European lenders over the countrys debt sustainability.

Managing director Christine Lagarde said: A debt strategy anchored in more realistic assumptions needs to be agreed. I expect a plan to restore debt sustainability to be agreed soon.

IMF involvement is a key demand of creditors like Germany, who are reluctant to concede on debt relief until after Septembers elections. Greece also needs to keep economic reforms on track to get the money but the IMF is worried that even with reforms, its debt will reach about 150% to GDP by 2030.

Creditors could bring the debt under control by extending grace periods, lengthening the maturity of the debt or deferring interest payments, the IMF says.
W hen youre charging people handsomely to enhance their reputation, the last thing you need is to have your own public image trashed.

But thats where Bell Pottinger, one of the biggest PR firms in London, finds itself.

As viewers of BBCs Newsnight were powerfully reminded last night, the company is up to its neck in allegations that it helped orchestrate a black ops PR campaign in South Africa deliberately prodding powderkeg racial tensions.

Swirling claims in some quarters say Bell Pottinger created, or knew its campaign colleagues were creating, fake social media feeds stirring up racist feeling.

So far, in dealing with its own crisis management, the firm has gone down the traditional route: apologise. Hire lawyers at Herbert Smith to investigate itself. Fire the executive in charge of the project.

But senior management remains in place. Chief executive James Henderson  who denies all knowledge of the wrongdoing  survived a crisis board meeting on Tuesday.

Directors say they fleshed out a surprising plan for the companys future to be revealed in due course.

Is that good enough? For some clients, no. This scandal happened on Hendersons watch.

It took place because he agreed to take on a client in South Africa  the billionaire Gupta family  with a controversial reputation and close links to a president, Jacob Zuma, mired in corruption allegations.

Even if Henderson wasnt aware of how his staff would run the campaign, he should have known the risks of dealing with the Guptas.

After all, Investec  the respected South African banking giant  dropped Bell Pottinger when it learned of the contract last spring.

That was a red flag alert which should have, at the very least, led Henderson to keep a super-close watch on the campaign.

Another flare went up in the summer when Richemont heir Johann Rupert  another ex-client  opposed the contract.

Since the black ops scandal erupted in recent weeks, Im told other African clients have walked.

Temasek in Singapore will no longer work with Bell Pottinger on projects and, in London, Acacia Mining and CYBG  owner of Clydesdale bank  have moved.

Another major UK client tells me its likely to follow suit soon.

Others are waiting for the outcome of the Herbert Smith inquiry and an August disciplinary hearing at the PR industrys professional body, the PRCA.

The last time it had a hearing of this magnitude was also into Bell Pottinger, over cash-for-access allegations. That tells you the firm is guilty of the cardinal sin of PR  becoming the subject of the story.

Henderson should have seen this coming. Its hard to see how he can survive in post for long.
W hen it comes to topsy-turvy City gossip, the speculation swirling around Lloyds Scottish Widows insurance arm and Standard Life-Aberdeen seems the topsiest-turviest yet.

The recent word has been that, after the 11 billion merger of the Scottish fund giants next month, Lloyds would sell Widows to them and return the proceeds to shareholders.

After all, the speculation went, Lloyds shareholders want to own a bank, not an insurer.

The theory was given legs because Standard Aberdeen already knows Widows well: Aberdeen has been managing the Widows 130 billion of funds since the pair struck a partnership in 2013.

In fact, ScotWids cash makes up around a third of Aberdeens funds under management. Standard Life and Aberdeen have done little to dispel the gossip. But it always seemed a bonkers theory.

Firstly, investors approved of the Standard-Aberdeen merger as it creates a bigger fund manager, not so the combined business could hose cash around buying pensions and savings businesses.

Secondly, Lloyds has never shown an interest in selling its insurance business before. Far from it: not so long ago chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio promoted Widows boss Antonio Lorenzo to run Lloyds entire insurance operation. Lorenzo is viewed as a star in the bank.

Why would H-O waste him on a division he wants to shrink? If anything, Lloyds is more likely to buy Standard Lifes insurance business than the other way around.

The whole Widows issue will come to a head in the not-too-distant future. H-O had the right to terminate Widows fund management deal with Aberdeen when it merged with Standard Life.

He chose not to, opting to suck it and see for six months.

So, all sides will sit around a table in February and review what to do with these billions of pounds-worth of our insurance savings.

Those talks will not see Lloyds selling Widows. Horta-Osorio should do its 3000 unsettled staff a favour and put the rumour to bed.

On the payment pace

Another day, another monster payment-processing takeover.

As companies get more online and global, they need to be able to take customers cash seamlessly online, offline and across all countries. And they want to be able to do it through as few payment processors as possible.

One airline recently moved from having 27 providers to two. Thats happening across the world, so processors must consolidate to cover all bases.

Paysafes new owners, like Worldpay, will have mergers in mind. Its a shame to see another UK stock-market leader taken over, but for London firms to get left on the shelf in consolidation would be worse.
V odafone is phasing out TalkMobile, its low-end brand acquired from Carphone Warehouse in 2011. That means towards 50,000 UK customers will be transferred onto Vodafones platform, without service interruption, the telecoms giant insists.

London Vodafone customers should get better coverage, it said, after a new network-share agreement with rival carriers was signed.

Its shares were the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard today after first-quarter results were well received.

They moved up 3.5p to 228.4p after a rise in service revenue of 2.2%. That was notably better than the market had been predicting. Vodafone shares hit a high of 440p in January 2014. Revenues in the UK fell, but at a slower rate than before. UK sales were down 2.7%. Vodafone is growing in all other European markets, especially in Turkey, where sales were up nearly 14%.

Chief executive Vittorio Colao was in an upbeat mood. We have made a good start to the year in Europe, where our commercial momentum remains robust.

India remains a harshly competitive market. Although competition in India remains intense, service revenues stabilised compared with the prior quarter, he added.

George Salmon, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: A few years ago, India was seen as the engine of growth, while the European businesses struggled. Fast forward to the present day, and things look very different.
D unkirk, which finally opens across the country today, is a history film with startlingly little history to narrate. It is, as the critics have been reporting, a wholly immersive experience, plunging the viewer straight into events, without any more than a few lines of context in the opening credits.

We see a very young soldier walking down a French street, grabbing at German leaflets fluttering from the sky, telling the British to surrender. Suddenly he is under fire. He manages to flee but those around him all fall. From there we go straight into the chaotic scenes on the beach and the terrifying bombing attacks from the sky.

The director, Christopher Nolan, has pared away everything that would allow us any historical perspective. We never even see any Germans, until in silhouette at the end. Nazism is notable by its absence, Nolan admits. We do not have Churchill impersonated for us either. Its a completely conscious decision. We dont deal with the politics of the situation, says Nolan. We dont deal with the larger worldview around it because I think it would be too daunting a responsibility to try and own a complex piece of history that you cant actually distil into a two-hour dramatic narrative.

He knows that his film is likely to be the defining image we have of Dunkirk for years to come  indeed, for a generation. And that is a grave responsibility. But he says hes comfortable presenting the visceral experience with no overview.

A couple of critics have protested that this makes the film the equivalent of a contextless video game. But actually, it makes this Dunkirk absolutely the right historical film for now. Although Nolans recreation of the scene is as accurate as he could possibly make it  filmed on the beach, at the right time of the year, using genuine small boats from the era, making the most of the Spitfires that are still flying, carefully keeping his cast as young as the actual soldiers were, and so forth  it is all turned to the purpose of making Dunkirk present for us now, not an image of the past to contemplate.

Dunkirk - Trailer

And that is how we take in the experience now: immersed, present, there ourselves. Nolan again and again makes us see what those struggling to survive see. We would not be able to do this in the same way if the overall circumstances were any more extensively narrated for us.

Nor does Nolan believe there to be any truth to be found in a more objective take. This, he acknowledges, is the thread that connects Dunkirk with all the films he has ever made. They are all about individual experiences, potential contradictions with objective reality, and the film tries very strongly to leave space for the seemingly infinite number of experiences and stories that would contradict each other or comment on each other in different ways.

One example of this in the film, he offers, is watching a Spitfire pilot ditch from another Spitfire. It looks calm and controlled, but to actually go through that, as you do later in the film, is completely different. But this principle is at work throughout the movie. It is this that makes its approach so different, so obviously right for our sensibilities today, and which makes all other recent history films, such as Churchill (and to judge by its trailer, the upcoming Darkest Hour, in which lean Gary Oldman impersonates stout Winston Churchill thanks to immense prosthetics), look hopelessly old-fashioned and aesthetically hampered.

Critics give glowing reviews as Dunkirk receives top movie ratings

To achieve this effect of dunking you, the viewer, into what you see, Nolan has more or less abandoned the creation of character too, almost anonymising his protagonists, not appealing to our sympathies for individuals in peril. Saving Private Ryan is actually much bloodier and more horrific than Dunkirk but it has an incredibly strong storyline throughout as an organising narrative, which some critics felt turned the film, after the carnage of the landing sequence, into yet another story of cowboys and Indians. And heroics have always been what have made war films acceptable for us, whatever the level of horror  most recently in Mel Gibsons explosion of violence in Hacksaw Ridge, made morally irreproachable by its pacifist hero, played by Andrew Garfield, being braver than anyone.

The one film that significantly precedes the approach of Dunkirk is Terrence Malicks 1998 masterpiece about the Guadalcanal campaign, The Thin Red Line. Malick, too, takes us into a flow of present time and the terror of men who do not know any larger picture. Nolan pays tribute to it as timeless, very accessible and contemporary even though it is about World War Two, and it is clearly the texture he has himself sought.

Dunkirk - in pictures 1 /24 Dunkirk - in pictures Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon Melinda Sue Gordon

In his new book, The Fear and the Freedom: How the Second World War Changed Us, the historian Keith Lowe demonstrates the extent to which we are still living in the aftermath of the events of 1939-45  indeed, that the Second World Wars legacy is only growing ever more resonant. That is why it matters so much how we re-interpret it in what is still the most powerful medium  and why Christopher Nolans film is such a significant moment in that history.
T he recent spate of attacks involving the use of high-strength acid has shocked London. Today an investigation by this paper makes clear just how easy it is to buy it on Londons high streets. Even though sulphuric acid is on the Governments list of reportable substances, our journalists were able to make multiple purchases in various shops, apparently without arousing suspicion.

Plainly our findings should provoke serious concern. In particular, it is worrying that the shopkeepers we spoke to had little knowledge or understanding of the Home Offices existing guidance on the sale of sulphuric acid. Whats more, some seemed barely to know how dangerous it can be when used for ill.

Last week, the Standard called for the Government to take reasonable steps to restrict sales of the most corrosive liquids. The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has already announced that there is to be a review of the law, and today she urges retailers and sales assistants to be more vigilant when selling dangerous chemicals. This is undoubtedly important. Many household products can pose dangers in the hands of criminals and they cant all be banned; the key is to limit the ease with which the most noxious can be obtained. And if retailers are unaware of the dangers of sulphuric acid, better labelling may help.

Ms Rudds determination to combat this new scourge is all to the good. However, there is a broader context to the current debate, which is that violent crime as a whole is on the rise  crimes against the person were up 18 per cent last year across the UK. Acid attacks, grisly though they are, are just the tip of a grim iceberg. If we look at numbers alone, knife crime remains a far more significant and widespread problem, as this paper has made clear in recent months. Indeed, for many young people in London, carrying knives for protection is normal.

We have to tackle the issue in a number of ways: chiefly by using the law as it stands more vigorously; sentences must reflect the gravity of acid attacks. Identifying offenders, however, is the first step. The Home Secretary and the Met Commissioner should sanction the increased use by the police of intelligence-led stop-and-search. It is not a popular tactic  and of course it must be deployed sensitively  but we know from past experience that it is effective.

Londoners want to feel safe. The Government has a responsibility to make sure we are.

Mind the (burger) bap

What New York does today, quite often, London does tomorrow. So with the ban that its transport chief is considering on the consumption of hot food on subways. Joe Lhota was the victim of a fellow travellers untidy eating habits  unfortunately, it was a Chinese takeaway, with rice  and he now wants to ban the practice. This happens already in Washington, San Francisco and Chicago.

He is right, and London should follow suit. Eating hot food in a Tube carriage is anti-social because it is an olfactory assault on other passengers. It is not a happy spectacle to eat in public, but on a crowded train it is unacceptable. Other people may be made hungry or nauseated by the smell; either way, their olfactory space is being invaded. Eating at all on a train is tricky, but when food is messy and smelly it should be kept for consumption elsewhere.

We live in a crowded city and we cannot behave in public spaces the way we might in private. In densely packed Tubes in particular, we must mind our manners. We already ban the consumption of alcohol on public transport; extending it to hot food would not be a big step. It would certainly help the cleaners who must deal with the remains. Underground bosses should consult passengers on a ban, and if there is public support, follow New Yorks lead. If we want kebab, let us eat it elsewhere.
Y our editorial [July 19] made some pertinent comments about the BBC facing competition from Netflix et al but missed the crucial point that it is not content but the medium that is the challenge.

Neither my daughter nor nephews watch mainstream television: they only consider streaming services for their copious consumption of dramas and documentaries.

The BBC has produced the most fantastic range of content over the past two or three years, such as Poldark, Peaky Blinders and The Last Kingdom, which is sold around the world at a profit. Not being available via Amazon or Netflix has probably meant whole swathes of younger viewers have not watched them. To this end, the BBC has announced significant investment in a new streaming service for childrens content, which will then create a new generation of BBC consumers.

The licence fee seems to be very reasonable, given the brilliant radio, TV and online content available. At least it is better than paying a penny to Rupert Murdochs Sky empire.

Laura Field

There has clearly been much gnashing of teeth over the presenters and actors salaries disclosed by the BBC. In particular, various female employees have been quoted as being beyond madness and incandescent with rage.

Im in full agreement with gender equality in all areas of life, and its clear that the female broadcasters have drawn the short straw. But we should all be incandescent with rage at the obscene amounts of money that any of this motley crew of overpaid, overblown, self-important clowns gets paid, especially in light of the current austerity environment.

Its no surprise that the highest earners  namely Chris Evans, Gary Lineker and Graham Norton  seemed so blissfully happy broadcasting when only they knew how much they were being paid. Now that we do, we are not amused or entertained.

Gerry Brown



While we as taxpayers want transparency, fairness and proper governance, forcing the BBC to reveal the salaries of its top talent and to suffer the media headlines it has generated has not been fair and obscures the truth.

The fact that white male talent (as always) is paid more than non-white and female talent is nothing new  just run the same analysis of any other organisation and you will undoubtedly find a similarly uneven situation.

As the BBC has been forced to reveal top salaries and names, maybe we should insist on having a level playing field and ensure that all other public services and government departments reveal the names with highest salaries.

Dowshan Humzah



Battersea project is a huge housing loss

Last week Tory-led Wandsworth Council voted to allow the Battersea Power Station developers to cut 250 affordable homes from their iconic riverside site. This project was only providing 15 per cent affordable housing in the first place. Now its nine per cent.

Londoners are sadly getting used to situations like this, where large projects promise affordable homes which then never materialise. Theres nothing inherently wrong with review mechanisms (the legal devices used to revise these promises), but, tacking them onto large projects midway through is dangerous. It offers developers too many ways to move costs around and get out of earlier commitments.

But Councils must share the blame. This development has projected profits of 1.8 billion, but, instead of standing up for local residents, Wandsworths Council decided to back the developers. The costs of these 250 homes account for only 1-2 per cent of total costs. This was never going to be deal breaker. Wandsworth Council could have refused their application and this project would still have gone ahead.

The housing crisis is one of the most serious issues facing our country and London in particular. The cost of rent keeps going up while whole generations are frozen out of the property market. This situation is unsustainable and the Conservative government are doing nothing to address it.

Battersea Power Station is one of Londons most celebrated landmarks. It could also have been a bold attempt to deal with the housing crisis. Instead its a huge missed opportunity, which has just been made worse.

Marsha De Cordova, MP for Battersea

Mrs May's curious view of democracy

About a third of the electorate voted for Theresa May in the election yet she lost her majority. But by agreeing to give 1billion to the DUP to gain the majority she needed, she is now again in charge of the Brexit negotiations.

She says it is the will of the people to leave the EU so there is no turning back. She refuses to countenance a final vote in Parliament on the terms of Brexit. As things stand, the UK could leave the EU simply because the Tory party is in hock to a group of Right- wingers. This seems to be what we call democracy nowadays.

Nick Dekker



From day one, obstacles have been placed in the way of Theresa May, a democratically elected Prime Minister, to try to slow down or alter the will of the majority.

As a country we should be behind the Government, not trying to change the result of a vote that, whether we agree with it or not, was a clear signal to leave the EU as soon as possible.

Nick Smith



Southern Rail chaos is just intolerable

I am disappointed to see the Southern Rail saga go off the news radar. This company cannot operate without its drivers working overtime so dozens of services have been cancelled.

Streatham Common, the sixth- busiest station on the Southern network, has had four trains cancelled between 6pm-7pm. Passengers are fainting on overcrowded trains, while Southern fails to acknowledge that its plans to operate driver-only trains will penalise disabled passengers.

Claire Michaela

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She debuted a cropped hair cut at Wimbledon two weeks ago and plumped for a plunging neckline at a Buckingham Palace banquet last week, but the Duchess of Cambridge's brave new look wasn't finished there.

Having surprised fashion critics with a pair of scalloped suede Prada sandals in burgundy at the Natural History Museum last Friday, Kate Middleton has hinted at a seemingly similar fondness for Miuccia's handiwork ad the rest of us having stepped out in the style twice more since.

Opting for a cream pair to pack for this week's royal tour of Poland and Germany, the Duchess has worn the 550 shoe with a teal and grey Markus Lupfer midi and a bold red Alexander McQueen gown with a Bardot neckline.

Unlike her trusty LK Bennett courts or favourite nude wedges, the stiletto sandal provides Kate with the most directional shoe design we're yet to see her wear.

Elegant in its simplicity, the shoe's scalloped detailing is a modern take on the strappy sandal spotted underpinning 95% (approx.) of evening looks over the last 3 years.

A busy week for the Duchess in the style stakes, the royal tour has provided her with the perfect opportunity to experiment with her style.

Duchess of Cambridge's wardrobe in Poland and Germany 1 /18 Duchess of Cambridge's wardrobe in Poland and Germany July 21, 2017 Wearing pale lilac as she arrives at the main railway station in Berlin AP July 20, 2017 Wearing Markus Lupfer to Clarchens Ballhaus for a reception with young entrepreneurs and creatives in Berlin AP July 20, 2017 Wearing Markus Lupfer to Clarchens Ballhaus for a reception with young entrepreneurs and creatives in Berlin PA July 20, 2017 Wearing a Breton stripe top to take part in a rowing race between the twinned town of Cambridge and Heidelberg and against Prince William Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing a Breton stripe top to take part in a rowing race between the twinned town of Cambridge and Heidelberg and against Prince William Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Jenny Packham for a visit of the German Cancer Research Center Getty Images July 19, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen at the 'Queen's Birthday Garden Party' in the garden of the residence of the British ambassador in Berlin AP July 19, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen at the 'Queen's Birthday Garden Party' in the garden of the residence of the British ambassador in Berlin EPA July 19, 2017 Wearing Catherine Walker at the airport on the flight from Warsaw to Berlin Getty Images July 19, 2017 Wearing Catherine Walker at the airport on the flight from Warsaw to Berlin PA July 18, 2017 Wearing Erdem while laying a rose at the monument to the fallen shipyard workers of 1970 during a visit to the European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk Getty Images July 17, 2017 Wearing Polish designer Gosia Baczynska while attending a party at the British ambassador to Poland's residence in honour of The Queen's birthday Getty Images July 17, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen on her arrival at the airport in Warsaw Getty Images July 17, 2017 Kate wearing Alexander McQueen on the family's arrival at the airport in Warsaw EPA

The red McQueen gown proving a wardrobe highlight, the mother-of-two has also impressed in a white peplum look by the same designer as well as a yellow Jenny Packham number.

Making her next sartorially savvy move, Kate arrived at a party at the British Ambassador to Poland's residence in honour of the Queen's birthday wearing a piece by Polish designer Gosia Bacynska.

Paired with a black closed-toe heel with an ankle strap, the Duchess looks poised to experiment further with her shoe repertoire.

The Duchess of Cambridge - style file 1 /220 The Duchess of Cambridge - style file Click through to see Kate's style evolution... Getty Images June 23, 2005 Kate and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrew's University Getty Images August 6, 2005 At the Gatcombe Park Festival of British Eventing Getty Images May 6, 2006 Leaving Laura Parker Bowles wedding to Harry Lopes Getty Images December 15, 2006 At Sandhurst to see William take part in the Sovereign's Parade at The Royal Military Academy in Camberley AFP/Getty Images March 13, 2007 At the Cheltenham Race Festival AFP/Getty Images April 11, 2008 Wearing a Reiss coat at William's graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell air base in Lincolnshire AFP/Getty Images November 16, 2010 Wearing Issa posing for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace after announcing their engagement Getty Images February 25, 2011 Visiting the University of St Andrews Getty Images April 29, 2011 Wearing Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen at the West Door of Westminster Abbey for her wedding to Prince William AFP/Getty Images April 29, 2011 Evening celebrations after her wedding to Prince William AFP/Getty Images June 9, 2011 Wearing a Jenny Packham dress at the 10th Annual Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) Gala Dinner AFP/Getty Images June 25, 2011 Wearing Alexander McQueen to present medals to members of the Irish Guards at the Victoria Barracks Getty Images July 1, 2011 Wearing an Issa dress at the Evening National Canada Day Celebrations in Ottawa Getty Images July 7, 2011 Wearing a Jenny Packham dress at Calgary Airport Getty Images July 9, 2011 Wearing an Alexander McQueen gown with Jimmy Choo heels at the BAFTA "Brits to Watch" event held at the Belasco Theatre Getty Images October 26, 2011 At an event in support of the 'In Kind Direct' charity at Clarence House Getty Images November 10, 2011 Wearing a bespoke Jenny Packham gown at a reception in aid of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal at St James's Palace Getty Images March 15, 2012 Playing hockey with British hockey team members at the Riverside Arena during a visit to the Olympic Park AFP/Getty Images April 25, 2012 Wearing Matthew Williamson at the UK Premiere of 'African Cats' AFP/Getty Images June 17, 2012 Wearing Zara jeans, a Burberry shirt, Really Wild waistcoat and Le Chameau boots at an 'Expanding Horizons' Primary School camp Getty Images September 13, 2012 Wearing Alexander McQueen at an official dinner hosted by Malaysia's Head of State Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah of Kedah Getty Images September 14, 2012 Visiting Assyakirin Mosque Getty Images September 16, 2012 In Honiara on the Solomon Islands AFP/Getty Images September 18, 2012 At a 'fatale', a singing and dancing event AFP/Getty Images May 22, 2013 Wearing Emilia Wickstead at a garden party at Buckingham Palace AFP/Getty Images July 23, 2013 Wearing Jenny Packham while departing The Lindo Wing with their newborn son, George Getty Images September 12, 2013 Wearing Jenny Packham at the inaugural Tusk Conservation Awards at The Royal Society AFP/Getty Images October 23, 2013 Wearing Alexander McQueen while holding her son Prince George of Cambridge following his Christening at Chapel Royal in St James's Palace AFP/Getty Images April 16, 2014 Wearing Roksanda Ilincic at Sydney Airport Getty Images April 20, 2014 Wearing Alexander McQueen while leaving St Andrew's Cathedral following a Easter Sunday Service Getty Images June 15, 2014 With Prince George at the Royal Charity Polo during the Maserati Jerudong Trophy at Cirencester Park Polo Club Getty Images October 21, 2014 Wearing Jenny Packham at the Natural History Museum after she attended the Wildlife Photographer of The Year 2014 Awards Ceremony Getty Images March 11, 2015 Wearing Hobbs at the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery Getty Images May 2, 2015 Wearing Jenny Packham to step out with new-born daughter Charlotte outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital AFP/Getty Images October 26, 2015 Wearing a Jenny Packham gown at the Royal Film Performance of "Spectre" Getty Images March 3, 2016 During a short private skiing break in the French Alps Getty Images March 11, 2016 Visiting the mentoring programme of the XLP project Getty Images April 10, 2016 Playing cricket during the royal visit to India and Bhutan Getty Images April 14, 2016 With Bhutan's Queen Jetsun Pema at the Tashicho Dzong in Thimphu AFP/Getty Images April 15, 2016 Posing next to a prayer wheel on the trek up to Tiger's Nest Getty Images May 20, 2016 Wearing Alexander McQueen as she arrives at Land Rover BAR Getty Images July 6, 2016 Wearing a Barbara Casasola dress to announce the Victoria and Albert Museum as the winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016 prize Getty Images August 24, 2016 Wearing LK Bennett to visit the Youthscape centre in Luton Getty Images September 2, 2016 Wearing Gap trousers on the Island of St Martin's in the Scilly Isles Getty Images September 25, 2016 Wearing Alexander McQueen to greet members of the public after arriving by sea plane at the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre Getty Images September 27, 2016 Wearing Preen by Thornton Bregazzi for a reception at Government House in Canada Getty Images September 27, 2016 Wearing Dolce & Gabbana to visit Kelowna University during the Royal Tour of Canada Getty Images November 3, 2016 Wearing Self-Portrait at the UK Premiere of "A Street Cat Named Bob" Getty Images December 8, 2016 At an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace Getty Images December 25, 2016 Attending a Christmas Day service at St Mark's Church in Englefield AFP/Getty Images January 11, 2017 Visiting a Child Bereavement UK Centre in Stratford Getty Images February 5, 2017 Competing against The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry during the Team Heads Together at a London Marathon Training Day at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Getty Images February 6, 2017 Attening the Place2Be Big Assembly With Heads Together for Children's Mental Health Week at Mitchell Brook Primary School Getty Images March 17, 2017 Attending a meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace Getty Images March 17, 2017 Attending a dinner at the British Embassy in Paris as part of their official visit to the French capital Getty Images March 18, 2017 Playing rugby at the Trocadero during an official two-day visit to Paris Getty Images March 28, 2017 Wearing a Temperley gown to the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery Getty Images April 4, 2017 Wearing Marchesa at the opening night of "42nd Street" at Theatre Royal Getty Images April 4, 2017 Attending the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Getty Images April 16, 2017 Attending the Easter Day service at St George's Chapel in Windsor in bespoke Catherine Walker Getty Images May 3, 2017 Feeding a lamb as she visits Author Michael Morpurgo's Farms for City Children in Arlingham, Gloucestershire Getty Images May 11, 2017 Wearing an Emilia Wickstead coat on a visit to Luxembourg Getty Images May 22, 2017 Arriving at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show wearing Rochas Getty Images June 17, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen with Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour Getty Images June 17, 2017 Wearing Dolce & Gabanna in the Parade Ring as she attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse Getty Images July 17, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Poland Getty Images July 19, 2017 Visiting the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with Prince William Getty Images July 19, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen at The Queen's Birthday Party at the British Ambassadorial Residence in Berlin Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Hugo Boss Breton top to compete with Prince William as they cox rowing boats in a friendly race on the Neckar River in Germany Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Jenny Packham in Germany Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Markus Lupfer in Berlin Getty Images July 21, 2017 Wearing Emilia Wickstead to visit the Maritime Museum in Hamburg Getty Images August 30, 2017 Wearing Prada to visit The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Getty Images October 10, 2017 Wearing Temperley to attend a reception on World Mental Health Day at Buckingham Palace Getty Images October 16, 2017 Wearing Orla Kiely at an event at Paddington train station AFP/Getty Images October 18, 2017 Wearing a Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini blazer at London's West Ham football stadium PA October 31, 2017 Looking sporty at the Lawn Tennis Association in London Getty Images November 7, 2017 Wearing Diane von Furstenburg to attend a charity dinner at the Orangery at Kensington Palace AFP/Getty Images November 8, 2017 Wearing a Goat burgundy dress for the annual Place2Be School Leaders Forum in London AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2017 In a Catherine Walker & Co coat dress at the Royal Festival of Remembrance Getty Images November 28, 2017 In a Kate Spade dress at The Foundling Museum, London Getty Images December 6, 2017 Wearing a Goat dress in Manchester Getty Images December 12, 2017 Attending the 'Magic Mums' Christmas Party in Seraphine coat dress Getty Images December 14, 2017 Attending the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service at St Paul's Cathedral Getty Images December 25, 2017 Attending the Christmas Day Church service in Miu Miu Getty Images January 30, 2018 Attending a dinner in Sweden wearing Erdem Getty Images January 31, 2018 At the Fotografiska Gallery wearing Erdem Getty Images February 1, 2018 At the Royal Palace in Oslo wearing Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images April 23, 2018 At the Lindo Wing wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images May 19,2018 At Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images June 9, 2018 At Trooping The Colour in Alexander McQueen Getty Images July 9, 2018 At Prince Loui's christening wearing Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images July 14, 2019 At Wimbledon with Duchess of Sussex wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images July 15, 2018 At Wimbledon wearing Dolce & Gabbana AFP/Getty Images October 10, 2018 At the V&A wearing Erdem Getty Images October 12, 2018 At the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images October 23, 2018 At a state banquet wearing Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2018 Attending a service to mark the centenary of the Armistic wearing Catherine Walker AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2018 At Remembrance Sunday wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images November 21, 2018 At UCL London wearing Paule Ka AFP/Getty Images November 28, 2018 At Leicester City Football wearing Catherine Walker Getty Images December 4, 2018 At a Christmas Party at Kensington Palace wearing Brora cardi and Emilia Wickstead skirt Getty Images December 4, 2018 At a reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images December 5, 2018 At RAF Akrotiri wearing a Smythe blazer Getty Images December 11, 2018 Visiting Evelina London Children's Hospital wearing L K Bennett Getty Images December 25, 2018 At the Christmas Day service wearing Catherine Walker AFP/Getty Images January 15, 2019 The Duchess of Cambridge steps out in a Dubarry jacket, Zara jeans and Chloe suede boots Getty Images January 16, 2019 In Oscar de la Renta for a visit to The Royal Opera House Costume Department Getty Images January 29, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Dundee Getty Images January 29, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Dundee Getty Images January 29, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Dundee Getty Images February 5, 2019 In an Eponine London dress and L.K Bennett boots Getty Images February 10, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images February 13, 2019 Wearing bespoke Dolce & Gabbana Getty Images February 13, 2019 In glorious Gucci Getty Images February 27, 2019 In red Carolina Herrera and L.K. Bennett boots Getty Images February 27, 2019 In a Barbour puffer jacket Getty Images February 27, 2019 Wearing New Balance trainers and a Ralph Lauren sweater Getty Images February 27, 2019 Wearing Missoni Getty Images February 28, 2019 In Mulberry coat, dark blue court heels by Rupert Sanderson and a Jimmy Choo clutch bag Getty Images February 28, 2019 In Jenny Packham Getty Images February 29, 2019 In a khaki Barbour jacket, a red J.Crew jumper and her trusty brown Chloe boots Getty Images March 5, 2019 In a bespoke dress by her own private dress maker Getty Images March 6, 2019 Wearing a Sportmax coat, a Michael Kors dress with a bag by Manu Atelier and earrings from Kiki McDonough Getty Images March 11, 2019 Recycling a Catherine Walker coat and a Lock & Co. hat Getty Images March 12, 2019 Wearing a Gucci blouse and Jigsaw wide-leg trousers Getty Images March 12, 2019 Wearing bespoke Alexander McQueen Getty Images March 17, 2019 Opting for green McQueen Getty Images March 19, 2019 Wearing a Catherine Walker coat Getty Images April 21, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images April 25, 2019 In a Catherine Walker coat and a matching Rosie Olivia hat Getty Images May 1, 2019 Wearing Emilia Wickstead Getty Images May 7, 2019 In L.K Bennett trousers and a nautical jumper Getty Images May 8, 2019 In a Lorenzo Serafini blazer and black skinny jeans Getty Images May 8, 2019 Wearing a TROY London jacket and Penelope Chilvers boots Getty Images May 14, 2019 In Alessandra Rich Getty Images May 20, 2019 In floral Erdem Getty Images May 20, 2019 Wearing a broderie anglaise M.i.h blouse with brown culottes and white Superga sneakers Getty Images May 21, 2019 In an Alexander McQueen coat, a matching Juliette Botterill hat and delicate pearl earrings that once belonged to Princess Diana Getty Images June 3, 2019 In bespoke Alexander McQueen for the State Banquet Getty Images June 8, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen for Trooping the Colour Getty Images June 12, 2019 Wearing an off-the-shoulder Barbara Casasola dress Getty Images June 18, 2019 In Elie Saab Getty Images June 25, 2019 In Ridley London and Castaner espadrille wedges Getty Images July 1, 2019 In a Sandro dress and Accessorize earrings Getty Images July 2, 2019 Wearing a Suzannah dress and a belt and bag by Alexander McQueen Getty Images July 13, 2019 In bespoke Dolce & Gabbana and a bag by the same brand Getty Images July 14, 2019 In an Emilia Wickstead dress and Aldo shoes Getty Images September 5, 2019 Wearing Michael Kors for Princess Charlotte's first day at school Getty Images September 10, 2019 Wearing Emilia Wickstead Getty Images September 19, 2019 Wearing an Equipment blouse Getty Images September 26, 2019 Recycling her favourite Alexander McQueen coat for the fourth time Getty Images October 2, 2019 Wearing a dress from the collaboration of two lesser-known London-based brands, ARoss Girl and Soler Getty Images October 9, 2019 In Jigsaw culottes Getty Images October 14, 2019 In a custom two-piece by Catherine Walker Getty Images October 15, 2019 Getty Images October 15, 2019 Wearing a green tunic by Catherine Walker, trousers by Maheen Khan, a scarf by Satringi, and Zeen earrings Getty Images October 15, 2019 Wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images October 17, 2019 Wearing bespoke Maheen Khan Getty Images October 18, 2019 Wearing a traditional shalwar kameez - a traditional outfit of a long tunic and trousers - by Gul Ahmed Getty Images October 23, 2019 Wearing L.K Bennett PA November 18, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images November 30, 2019 Wearing Alessandra Rich PA December 11, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen and Princess Diana's earrings Getty Images

Having so far stepped out in 6 different pairs of shoes this week - including, naturally, that trusty nude wedge - the fashion pack will have their eyes firmly on the Duchess's feet over the coming months to see if her Prada penchant stretches as far as those leopard-print platforms. We can only dream.
T he fall of the Soviet Empire between 1989 and 1991 marked the high tide of western hubris, characterised by the belief that as economic liberalism spread, so would our versions of democracy.

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the financial meltdown after 2008 punctured this delusion, as did the prodigious growth rates notched up by the authoritarian capitalists of China. It did not help either that western politics (and parts of the mainstream media) were hit by corruption scandals involving expenses or phone-hacking.

The West got cold feet about whether or not globalisation was such an unalloyed good, as people noted huge domestic economic inequalities, as in the case of the 0.1 per cent of plutocrats and the rest in the US, or between nation states such as Germany and Greece, Italy and Spain in the EU. To make matters worse, the cultural identity of the US and Europe seemed to be assailed by what everyone realises is just the advance guard of migrants fleeing failed states, drought and war.

One result was that many of those hurt by globalisation sought sanctuary and security in a protectionist version of the nation state. Raucous populists of both Left and Right pandered to this anxiety. As celebrities  be they barflies, grandpas or tycoons  they conformed nicely with the internal dynamics of both the old and new media. They could always provide the live bust-ups that TV producers were seeking, while their soundbites were perfectly attuned to those echo chambers for the likeminded such as Twitter. The British voted for Brexit and Trump became US President.

The array of international institutions that the US created in 1944-45 have lost their potency, while the EU is frozen between being an assemblage of nation states and a federal union with a common currency that itself has exacerbated structural inequalities.

Meanwhile, China has established a range of rival associations, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, while launching the One Belt, One Road initiative, which in scale exceeds the Marshall Plan.

Stephen D King charts the rise and fall of globalisation in this elegantly written and fluent book which effortlessly combines economics, history, politics and technologies. His darkest thoughts envisage a future that resembles that of George Orwells Nineteen Eighty Four, in which the world consists of three blocs any two of which are always at war with the third. A spoof speech by Republican President (Ivanka) Trump in 2044 shows where we might be in a couple of decades.

Are things as bleak as King suggests? He is persuasive on how technology reinforces prejudices and how, through automation and 3-D printing, manufacturing and services could be re-shored. Nor will we require winter aubergines from Kenya or Peru if we follow Japans example (and the hash growers of Brixton) with hydroponic factories. He is also convincing on how a rise in incomes in Africa (whose population may have risen by 40 per cent by 2100) may result in even more migrants from, for example, a Nigeria whose population will be 752 million and not 182 million.

More book reviews 1 /24 More book reviews Recovery by Russell Brand Will Russells brand of self-help prove quite so addictive? By Nicholas Lezard. Read review A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman Paxo refuses to answer all the really good questions, says David Sexton. Read review Politics: Between: The Extremes by Nick Clegg The basis of this book makes it impossible not to warm to Clegg, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review Serious Sweet by A L Kennedy Thank heavens for London in this tale of self-obsessed lovers. Read review The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth by Anna Keay Born a kings b****** and destined for a traitors death. Read review Man Up: Boys, Men and Breaking the Male Rules by Rebecca Asher Getting to the bottom of why boys will be boys. Read review The Course of Love by Alain de Botton A philosophical novel that does run smooth, says Johanna Thomas-Corr. Read review The Tree Climbers Guide: Adventures in the Urban Canopy by Jack Cooke How I gave this book a proper test and ended up with a broken ankle. Read review Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre Brontes classic tale in the imaginations of other writers, says Claire Harman. Read review Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran Caitlin comes clean about politics  the world according to our funniest feminist. By Rosamund Urwin. Read review Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo Theres no messing wih Marie, says Katie Law. Read review Cockfosters Stories by Helen Simpson After 50, a womans life gets better not worse. By Katie Law. Read review Stalins Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie Joker in the spying pack. By Richard Bassett. Read review Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin The darkness that lies at the heart of the novel is offset by a lightness of touch, says Mark Sanderson. Read review Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello Elvis proves not quite so lyrical on the page, says Nick Curtis. Read review The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkins Photographs by Richard Bradford His poetry paints better pictures than any camera, says David Sexton. Read review Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Morality wins out over macabre murders, says Melanie McDonagh. Read review The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Calling all Flynnies: the con girl whos like gone girl. Read review

But it is also striking that in 2017 populist challengers have been defeated in Austria, the Netherlands, Spain and France in recent elections, and that Chancellor Merkel will be a shoo-in this September. Were the political systems of the Anglosphere not so terminally dysfunctional, politicians might be able to mitigate the problems which King describes so well, including the creeping superfluity of entire swathes of the clerical middle class.
I n the time of Brexit and Trump, political activism has seen a rise as more and more citizens participate in change for the underrepresented and the overlooked. But what does it take to successfully run a campaign?

Campaign Bootcamp run regular training sessions for activists from all walks of life. Dedicated individuals apply to gain the skills, community and confidence needed to run the campaign they're passionate about  and thats exactly what I got staying at Bore Place in Kent.

The days were filled with coding workshops, strategy planning, fundraising and storytelling from Standing Rock protestor William Hawk and IC Change founder Becca Bunce - there was even a bit of lip sync battling.

Stories were shared and friendships were formed. Here are some of the people fighting the resistance against sameness:

Speech speech: Maria beaming during graduation / Maria Munir

They've personally called out President Obama on the discriminatory bathroom laws in America and have spoken at the Women of the World Festival, so youll understand why Maria Munir needs no introduction.

The non-binary international human rights activists admitted the reason behind their activism is because I must do something; otherwise I am accepting the negative untruths people say about all aspects of my identity.

So, why do you fight for change?

Growing up, I faced a lot of racism and Islamophobia. My identity was considered wrong, and through no fault of my own. I couldnt just sit by and let people throw words at me, telling me to go back to my own country when I was born here.

No one should face an assault on their identity, regardless of gender, faith, race, disability, or anything in-between.

Tell us about your experience at Campaign Bootcamp

It was such an open, welcoming environment. When I arrived, I saw the facilitators wearing lanyards with their pronouns on. Instantly, I knew I was in the right place.

I learnt so much but there were many tense moments, especially from the fishbowl exercise. Four people talked about the similarities between the outside world and bootcamp, whilst everyone else listened in silence. It brought out a lot of unresolved tensions about race and illnesses which resulted in a How to be a better white ally session. I think that shows exactly why bootcamp was so amazing. We had many obstacles, but we worked out how to overcome them.

What was your favourite memory from the week?

Sitting around the campfire and eating freshly-made sourdough pizza. There was an ambience of understanding and emotion. I sang Naat, a poetic form of retelling stories about the Prophet Muhammad. As a kid, singing gospel songs and hymns at school, I felt unable to showcase the depth of my religion. When I finished singing, everyone burst into applause and cheers. In that moment, I felt empowered. Not only was I closer to my religion, but to my new best friends.

Follow Maria @Maria_Munir

Grace Jeremy

Focused and in the zone, not one to miss a moment / Campaign Bootcamp

When 24-year-old Grace Jeremy isnt campaigning for mental health, she is working as a Participation and Rights Worker at Off The Record in Bristol, or she is knee-deep as a young peoples co-ordinator at Time To Change for young peoples rights and mental health.

I am always striving to make my work truly participatory and inclusive, rather than tokenistic. I believe this is a constant process of learning, unlearning, relearning, and adapting.

What drives your work as a campaigner?

Ive had mental health difficulties most of my life. My bad experiences can be surmised by my time spent under CAMHS. I was life-threateningly unwell suffering with anorexia and depression, and left their care in a worse state than I entered.

My physical and mental health was still critical, and I had lost all faith in statutory services. My rights had been broken, the guidelines had been broken, and I felt I had been broken too. Disempowered and disengaged, I had almost resigned myself to a half-existence: one that could have killed me. What got me going was an underlying anger and a burning desire to ensure no other young person went through my ordeal.

Your work can be a heavy burden, how do you take care of yourself?

Working in mental health, self-care and self-preservation are topics I often discuss. I have an inclination to rant about how self-care has been hijacked by aesthetically-driven consumerism - just check the Instagram hashtag - whilst self-care in its truest sense is anything that improves your wellbeing.

As pretentious as it sounds, I personally find spending time in nature to be incredibly restorative. I believe that making things  anything, can do you the world of good, even if you arent good at it. I find music to be very powerful, have a song for every feeling, and will often play guitar when things get too heavy. In all honesty, The Mentality Project gives me life.

How did attending bootcamp help you?

I found it to be the most emotionally draining, explorative, and amazing week. I laughed, cried, felt vulnerable, got angry, was overjoyed, conquered fears, challenged my views and the views of others, and realised Im pretty damn strong.

It provided a space to reflect on the inclusivity and intersectionality of my work. I particularly enjoyed examining the roots of the issues I campaign on, gaining new insight and direction on the systems I must tackle to efficiently bring about positive social change.

Follow Grace @_graceadele

Ayo Olatunji

Because sometimes the student becomes the teacher / Campaign Bootcamp

Described by others as a diplomatic, at 20-years-old, medical student Ayo Olatunji is realising the need for airtight strategy and planning  applying for bootcamp in the hopes of learning and doing just that.

I think being racially profiled by certain groups and by the mainstream media was quite difficult but I got through it.

Then how would you describe yourself?

The word diplomatic seems to get attached to me, which I wouldn't necessarily disagree with, but I don't shy away from saying things when I must. I am Muslim so praying fives times a day keeps my energy as centred as possible. I have been through a multitude of hardships and have suffered from extremely heavy mental illness.

I draw on that pain, anger and the lessons I have learnt and channel it into my campaigns, I have a personal stake in anything I campaign on or talk about. I stand against racism, Islamophobia, neo-colonialism and the apartheid (especially with whats happening in Palestine). I think the fact that I am still standing despite facing backlash all the time is my biggest achievement.

How would you describe your time at Campaign Bootcamp?

It was an eye opening experience into the world of activism. I got a lot more insight into LGBTQIA issues and disability issues, and I will be committing to incorporating their concerns into my campaigns.

But you'd think in the midst of campaigners and activists, people would be knowledgeable about white privilege and racism. Whether involved in activism or not, they must take a look at themselves. But I had a great buddy called Tumu, and we had a good week together cracking jokes. She cheered me up when I was feeling overwhelmed and I have great memories of her.

Now youve graduated from bootcamp, whats next?

That would be decolonising the establishment. I found out about bootcamp through an email sent through the African Caribbean Society at my university. All week we were given a great basis and template to move forward and progress in our own individual campaigns. I have just taken up the Black Minority Ethnic Officer post at UCL. I have big plans - people of colour must and will be recognised, so watch this space.

Follow Ayo @AyoOlatunji96

Aisha Ali-Khan

Caught out! Time away does make the heart grown fonder / Campaign Bootcamp

Teacher and human rights activist, Aisha Ali-Khan, is a force not to be reckoned with having served as a litigant in person in a libel case against George Galloway, where she successfully won and got a public apology.

Recalling her favourite memory of bootcamp, Aisha recalls her time spent relaxing with my home group buddy, Yasmin Kayali, who is also an amazing activist for Syrian refugee rights.

What are you currently campaigning on?

I am working on the #bringlouishome campaign, to reunite a British mother with her son who was removed from her custody in an unfair sharia ruling in the UAE. I cannot bear to see anyone suffer injustice, regardless of their background. Injustice is my biggest driver.

Also, I am fighting for equal gender rights, giving people back their reproductive rights and having greater civic and political participation especially for BAME women. Access to justice is very important to me driven by my personal experience of having the lack of funds but having to fight a very powerful, rich opponent, who was sitting as a Member of Parliament at the time.

So, what would you say has been your greatest achievement?

Running a short but successful campaign called SuedbyGalloway, which helped over a dozen people access free legal help and advice. I have always been an activist for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was a child carer for my four disabled siblings, three of whom have since passed away and my mother had quadruple heart bypass.

This made me realise there will always be people who would never have their voices heard and therefore needed others to fight for them. I have strived to be that person, even at great personal cost sometimes.

What should we expect from you in the near future?

I am working towards a law degree so I can help others access legal help and hopefully, justice. I also want to highlight how women from a BAME background civic and political participation is stifled by men who use honour as a tool to degrade, humiliate and discourage them from public life, just as I was.

Campaign Bootcamp has helped develop my confidence. It was a very interactive experience and you learn so many skills you would need as a successful campaigner, all under one roof, so to speak.

Follow Aisha @aak1880

Louise Brookes

All smiles cause its pizza time / Maria Munir

Self-described as patient, caring, loyal and compassionate, Louise Brookes is the 27-year-old Brummie working all across the West Midlands as a Regional Co-Ordinator for Time To Change whilst documenting her experience as a young wheelchair user on her blog.

I go into schools and talk about Time To Change and explain that our aim is to reduce the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health.

As a wheelchair user passionate about mental health, tell us the struggles youve faced?

Some people are still pretty reluctant to talk about mental health and others have wondered why I chose it rather than disability rights, for example. As a wheelchair user I was always told by professionals things I could do to help my physical health - "do these exercises, eat this food, wear these special shoes" - but I don't feel I have ever received any support or acknowledgement about how my physically disability could negatively affect my mental health.

When I was a teenager, I began to suffer with mental health problems and realised it was something people didn't really talk about. That's when I got into mental health campaigning - to talk about it more and to stress the connections between physical and mental health.

So, what were you expecting from bootcamp?

I had no expectations and was pretty apprehensive before arriving. However, I met a couple of the facilitators I had been emailing and I then felt a lot more at ease. I really enjoyed the whole week, however there were some really long days. I've never been good at getting up early - yes, 7:30am is early to me!

I was so excited to meet other campaigners and as soon as we had the opening circle and a minute to introduce ourselves I knew I could learn a lot from these people. I enjoyed that the whole farm was accessible and I could have my independence getting around the site unaided.

What will you are taking away from your time at bootcamp?

I genuinely think bootcamp helped me find myself. I learned to step out of my comfort zone and do tasks I probably wouldn't do in the outside world. It helped me to connect with like-minded people, gave me questions to think about and time to reflect. I would definitely recommend applying.

What Ill remember most is our time round the campfire with spoken word poetry and song performances  it really made me emotional, but in a good way! But my most enjoyable activity was probably the lip sync battle.

Follow Louise @LABrookes22
C athy Newman is imploring me to watch a video called my clitoris. Its a song made by anti-FGM group Integrate Bristol (key lyrics: seems its up to us girls to be quite tough// if we need to spell it out, get your mitts off my muff), and the Channel 4 News presenter thinks it helps undermine the conspiracy of silence around female genital mutilation.

People see FGM as something a bit icky  womens issues, explains Newman.

Theyre squeamish and dont want to talk about it. As long as people feel shy talking about vaginas and clitorises, that shows the problem. We need to remove the taboo.

As her contribution to that goal, Newman is hosting a concert at KOKO, #C_ntTouchThis: Musicians Against Mutilation, next week to launch a new charity headed by Comfort Momoh, a midwife at Guys and St Thomas Hospital who set up a clinic in 1997 to help FGM survivors.

Newman, one of C4 Newss most popular journalists, joined the show 11 years ago and became its first female presenter in 2011. She met Momoh when she made a feature about her clinic. Her former patients told me what a difference she had made to their lives. These women hadnt registered what had happened to them, yet when they came to give birth they couldnt because they were completely sewn up. They had suffered infection, scar tissue. I meet loads of incredible people in my job but when you meet someone like Comfort, you dont forget it.

Eight months ago, Momoh approached Newman about the concert. You cant say no to Comfort because shes so persistent and you dont want to say no because she puts so much energy into her work.

Together, the pair concocted a mix of music and campaigning (the rapper Little Simz is headlining, plus there will be poetry and DJs), with the aim both to launch Momohs charity, Global Comfort, and to raise awareness about FGM  hopefully to stamp it out not within a generation but now.

The logo for the concert  which features the word c_nt surrounded by a representation of a vagina  has provoked some criticism. A lot of people on Twitter have gone What! Its an outrage! But what is actually an outrage is mutilating women.

Worldwide, more than 200 million women and girls are believed to have undergone FGM, with an estimated 137,000 living in England and Wales. A case of FGM is either discovered or treated at a medical appointment in England every hour.

Newman is furious that despite FGM being illegal for three decades, there have been no successful prosecutions. This is a crime against women and girls. Why is it so difficult to secure a conviction? It is going on under our noses in every neighbourhood in the UK. Its an offence to take your children abroad to have them cut, but its also happening here. Politicians are talking the talk on this issue now  the question is whether it translates into action.

Young girls being checked for FGM - London Live

The 43-year-old uses a presentation Momoh gave to fellow medics to illustrate the barbarity. She showed a slide of a woman whose vagina has been completely sewn up. It was like something from Hannibal Lecter  big stitches. Were not just talking about a designer vagina here  were talking about brutal maiming of women with health implications that can last a lifetime, or even lead to death.

Whenever Newman tweets about FGM, men respond you dont campaign against circumcision. She argues that the two are not equivalent. FGM is illegal, its often done in a setting that is not hygienic, and this is something done to children  there are even babies having FGM done to them. The children will be held down. It can be done in the bush and theyre sewn up with thorns.

Adrian Lourie

The charity will particularly target teenagers, those of an age where they or their friends may be taken away one summer for FGM overseas. Its the next generation who need to speak up. In the Somali community, I know there are girls who wont stand for the idea of being cut  and thats hugely encouraging.

Inspiring British women on Instagram 1 /28 Inspiring British women on Instagram 1. Adwoa Aboah Model and founder of GURLS TALK @adwoaaboah "My story starts in London. I was born there. Ive spent most of my life there. It is my home. Instagram has helped me connect to girls all over the world, it has given me a platform to share my story, speak my truths and give other girls the opportunity to do the same." @adwoaaboah 2. Lucille Clerc Illustrator @lucille_clerc "My story reflects my experience as an illustrator between two cultures, being French and living in London. Its a door to my sketchbook, my personal research and techniques, and a way to raise attention on topics that matter to me." @lucille_clerc 3. Mabel McVey Musician @mabelmcvey "Strong female role models have always been very important to me and my story. When looking at a camera, it isnt about a man being on the other end, its about me. Its about feeling positive about myself and I want other young women to feel confident about themselves too." @mabelmcvey 4. Glacier Girl Activist @glacier996girl "My story is about raising awareness for climate change and adapting the aesthetic of eco-friendly to appeal to the iGeneration." @glacier996girl 5. Gill Button Artist @buttonfruit "Im a compulsive painter of faces. I seek to portray the confidence and power that people gain through self-adornment, but I always aim to show a hint of inner vulnerability. Instagram is the perfect environment to post my paintings and drawings. Its fantastic to get an instant reaction to new paintings Ive been working on, and it spurs me on to keep creating. The community of artists Im lucky enough to be part of is the most inspirational and supportive Ive known since leaving art college. It is also amazing that so many international clients find me on Instagram which has given my career a brand new lease of life." @buttonfruit 6. Iska Lawrence Model @iamiskra "My story is about showing the world that you can stand up for yourself when trolls or online bullies try and attack you and bring you down. Instagram has completely changed my life, opening up opportunities in my career and allowing me to find my voice. When I began posting honest and un-retouched photos on Instagram, I received hundreds and eventually thousands of supportive messages and comments. I felt more confident about my body and most importantly found a platform I could use to help others who struggle with body image and self-esteem." @iamiskra 7. Becky Jane Brown Vlogger and artist @BeckieJBrown "My story is that I battle depression and trichotillomania, where Im compelled to tear out all my hair. I strive to create more awareness for my disorder, whilst trying to bring hope to other sufferers around the world. I mainly use Instagram to document small but important moments from each day of my life, a combination of sad and uplifting experiences but all important regardless. My main focus is to show others that no matter what conditions or disorders we have, we can have normal lives and be happy." @BeckieJBrown 8. Nicky Baker Shepherdess @therunningshepherdess "My story is about a woman working in a predominantly male environment. I hope that it shows that although I may not be as physically strong as the men working on the farm, I am just as capable." @therunningshepherdess 9. Rachel Siegfried Flower farmer @gandgorgeousflowers "My story captures a life in flowers on our flower farm in Oxfordshire. I strive to show the changing seasons through palette of flowers and foliage that I grow which I use to inspire and create my floral designs. Instagram has helped me to champion British cut flowers and share how we sustainable grow them to produce naturally beautiful and stylish designs which reflect our gardens and landscape." @gandgorgeousflowers 10. Jools Walker Cyclist @ladyvelo "My stories is a narrative of my life on two wheels. Through my combination of positive images and words, I aim to redefine what the stereotype of cycling is and use my voice to encourage other women to do the same. Instagram has given me a platform to show diversity in cycling does exist. It allows me to reach other to other everyday women and inspire them to get out there and ride, smash stereotypes along the way and encourage them to share their stories." @ladyvelo 11. Carrie Anne Roberts Entrepreneur @mre.soeur "My story is about life as a single mother and small business owner. I believe in the power of sisterhood and the importance of sharing stories so I try to stay extremely candid with my posts, exposing the struggles and triumphs of motherhood and the early stages of a creative brand. Im passionate about forming real connections, celebrating women and throwing out waves of positivity and self-acceptance in order to build a sense of community." @mre.soeur 12. Olivia Bradbury Student @mathsbiochem "My story captures the changing attitudes towards teenage girls taking traditionally male-dominated subjects in school; showing them that subjects dont come with a gender." @mathsbiochem 13. Viviana Gomez Morales Skateboarder @ViviGomez12 "My story captures the strength and versatility of female skaters. In the world of skateboarding its common for a guy to say hes never seen a girl skateboarder. I hope that my photographs shine a light on the amazing ladies who are out there ripping the streets and encourage other women to get involved." @ViviGomez12 14. Sisters Uncut Activists @sistersuncut "Sisters Uncut is an intersectional feminist direct-action group that campaigns against cuts to domestic violence services in the UK. We often post photos of our actions on Instagram because its a way for us to share our demands amongst a wide audience. The further we can spread our message the more we can build a movement and reach people who might not have heard about us otherwise. Its important that we show our Sisters that we are fighting for and alongside them, and by capturing our actions and sharing them on Instagram people can connect with what we are doing online. There are many women and non-binary people on Instagram who inspire and encourage us." @sistersuncut 15. Munroe Bergdorf Activist and DJ @munroebergdorf "My story is one of self-empowerment and self-belief. Growing up, there werent any aspirational trans women of colour in the media I could relate to, so hopefully through documenting my achievements and experiences I can show younger trans girls and boys that their gender isnt something that should stand in the way of what they want to accomplish in life." @munroebergdorf 16. Helen Downie Artist @Unskilledworker "My story is about me waking up to painting at the age of 48 and committing and being disciplined to the action. I have learned more about myself through this process than in any other experience in my life. I post my work to Instagram and I consider it finished. At this point I am able to see the work outside of the environment it was created and in doing so, I gain a new perspective. Instagram has cut out the traditional gatekeepers which allows for my work to be seen by a wider audience." @Unskilledworker 17. Molly Gunn Entrepreneur @SelfishMother "My story is since 2011. The year I had my firstborn, Rafferty. The year I was a mixed-up new mum. The year I discovered sanity lay in my sense of self. The year my blogzine and brand Selfish Mother was born. Instagram is a window to Selfish Mother. A way to connect with our likeminded tribe." @SelfishMother 18. Dina Torika Designer and Vlogger @dinatokio "My story is all about inspiring women through style, in particular the Muslim modest dresser that loves expressing her individuality. Deconstructing the stereotype that the woman in a hijab is oppressed and reinventing what it means to be a British Muslim woman in todays society." @dinatokio 19. Davorka Andjelic Artist @tilly2milly "I use Instagram as a platform to connect with inspiring and creative people around the world. My main theme is paper dolls, which I make using magazines and newspapers. For me they represent a connection with raw emotion to which only children are privileged. They express my emotions of joy, sadness, hope and fear. Because of Instagram I started taking them on my travels and it is truly wonderful to find little corners of the world where they look at home." @tilly2milly 20. Jaz OHara Activist @theworldwidetribe "My story demonstrates how love and compassion come out on top. Despite the most difficult circumstances, humanity will prevail. My story took me on a journey from working in fashion in London, to living in a refugee camp in Calais, France after a post I wrote about my first visit there went viral. My story is about encouraging and inspiring responsibility and power within each of us to stand up for what we believe and create positive change." @theworldwidetribe 22. Amber Kirk-Ford Blogger @themilelongbookshelf "My story is about the importance of literature and how reading the right book can change your life. My aim is to show how fun and brilliant books can be and that theyre not boring, dusty tomes you might remember with dread from school." @themilelongbookshelf

Newman adds that the aim is also to keep FGM on the political agenda. As Home Secretary, Theresa May was very outspoken on FGM  thats to be applauded. Now shes Prime Minister, theres a lot more on her plate. Charities like Comforts will ensure FGM isnt forgotten among all the big issues of the day.

Newman notes that we can get change even in this time of turmoil, pointing to Labour MP Stella Creasy winning a decades-long struggle to give women in Northern Ireland access to terminations on the NHS in mainland Britain. It was pretty inspiring  she used a moment of parliamentary weakness to win new rights for these women. For Newman, that cause is personal. In 2012, the mother of two daughters, who is married to the writer John OConnell, revealed that she had aborted a child after her doctors discovered the baby had a rare condition that meant there was a high chance it would die in utero or during birth.

The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is giving his support to C_unt Touch This, telling the Evening Standard: FGM has been illegal in the UK for more than three decades, yet its still going on right now. This is an outrage that shames us all. So Im appealing to every single Londoner to work together to end the conspiracy of silence around FGM. We all have a duty to call it out.

Newman is impressed that Khan calls himself a feminist and is so supportive of anti-FGM work. Its so important everyone  men and women  are on board, that it isnt just in the silo of womens problems. This cant be something female journalists cover but the blokes dont. When I sent out the [event] flier to my contacts  a lot of MPs  I hovered over a few, thinking quite traditional bloke, would he welcome this? I decided to send it anyway, because thats the point.

Did she include Jacob Rees-Mogg? She laughs. Actually, I didnt but I will now. Hed welcome this, dont you think? Well, thats the challenge.

@RosamundUrwin

#C_ntTouchThis, July 25, koko.uk.com
H ave you ever been in the middle of a heated argument when the other person suddenly pulls out their phone and starts texting?

This behaviour, known as stonewalling, fits into a category that marriage therapist John Gottman has identified as one of four signs a couple is headed for a breakup.

Gottman is a psychology professor at the University of Washington and has been studying couples for decades.

Gottman and University of California Berkeley psychologist Robert Levenson spent 14 years studying 79 married American couples to find out what  if anything  those who divorced had in common.

The couples who split by the end of the study tended to display one of four behaviours which Gottman called "the four horsemen of the apocalypse": contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling. But Gottman also told Business Insider that there are ways to spot these behaviours early and work to change them for the better.

9 break up signs you should know 1 /12 9 break up signs you should know Youre arguing all the time You try and try, but you keep fighting over the same things. Or one big thing. Either way, you never resolve it so the arguing continues. If you cant get past your problems, then maybe its time to part ways before things get worse. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. You dont want to make sacrifices Compromise is a major part of being in a relationship, but if youre growing resentful about the amount of time, effort and money youre putting into a relationship, chances are youre not invested in the long-haul. If a night out with friends consistently takes priority over spending the weekend at your partners parents house, it might be a sign that youre yearning for your independence. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. You dont make time for each other anymore In the early stages of the relationship youd message each other all the time. Now you can barely be bothered to text them back, let alone spare some time for a call. If youve reached the point where youre actively ignoring their attempts to contact you, its time to have the talk. Copyright (c) 2013 Rex Features. No use without permission. The reasons to stay together are trivial Hes financially stable. Shes good at cooking. These might be nice additions to a relationship, but they shouldnt be the reason why you're still together. The same applies to the I'm scared I wont meet anyone else excuse. Copyright (c) 2016 Rex Features. No use without permission. Everything your partner does bothers you Remember how you used to find their strange laugh endearing? Or his stubborn nature cute? Now you they just drive to despair. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. Youve stopped having sex Theres no normal to the amount of sex you should be having, but theres a difference between cooling down after the initial honeymoon period, and cooling off all together. If youve swapped orgasms for a DVD box set of Downton Abbey, it might be time to reassess. Copyright (c) 2013 Rex Features. No use without permission. You want different things Kids. Jobs. Mortgages. These are big decisions to make as a couple that will only work if both of your lives are heading towards the same goal. Perhaps you want to travel for a year, or take an opportunity abroad? Before you go any further, make sure youre both on the same path. Otherwise, it might mean its time to move on. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. The people closest to you express concern Youre friends, family and co-workers have an objective view of your relationship. If several people sound the alarm about how your relationship is negatively affecting you, its time to listen up. Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission. Youre thinking about what else might be out there It used to be that you wanted to spend every night and waking moment together, but now youre daydreaming about bachelorhood, romanticising past relationships or even making contact with old flames. Either way, you already have one foot out of the door. Copyright (c) 2016 Rex Features. No use without permission.

1. Contempt

Contempt alone, Gottman told Business Insider, is "the kiss of death" for a relationship. He described the behaviour as a virulent mix of anger and disgust that's far more toxic than simple frustration or negativity. It involves seeing your partner as beneath you, rather than as an equal.

The reason contempt is so powerful, Gottman said, is because it means you have closed yourself off to your partner's needs and emotions.

If you constantly feel smarter than, better than, or more sensitive than your significant other, you're less likely see his or her opinions as valid. And more importantly, you're far less willing to put yourself in his or her shoes and try to see a situation from his or her perspective.

To combat this behaviour, partners need to be open to seeing things from the other's point of view.

According to a relationship expert, salary might affect cheating. / Shutterstock

2. Criticism

Like contempt, criticism involves taking something your partner did and turning into a statement about their character or the type of person he or she is.

Say your partner has a habit of leaving used dishes around the house. Do you calmly tell them that the behaviour bothers you, or do you think to yourself, "Why am I dating the type of person who is so careless that they leave their dishes everywhere?" If you're in the latter category, Gottman said these reactions can feed darker feelings of resentment and contempt.

The next time you find yourself criticising your partner's character, then, perhaps take a moment to question why you're doing it. Are you trying to avoid addressing a bigger issue?

3. Defensiveness

Gottman found that couples who divorce within the first several years of marriage  one of the times when divorce rates are highest  tend to slide easily into emotionally-charged situations.

One partner in these dangerous scenarios, he said, often plays the victim and becomes defensive.

For these couples, "entering negativity is like stepping into a quicksand bog. It's easy to enter but hard to exit," Gottman said.

To avoid a situation like this, he advised taking responsibility for your role in a tough situation. This can be uncomfortable, but it's often what keeps a bad situation from escalating, he said.

4. Stonewalling

You know when an argument is about to start  you can feel your heart rate increase and your voice get a bit louder. But if things start to get heated, do you walk away or simply ignore your partner?

Blocking off conversation can be just as toxic for a relationship as contempt because it keeps partners from addressing an underlying issue, Gottman said. So if you find yourself shutting down, pause and think about how you can stay open to what your significant other has to say.

The takeaway

Gottman isn't the only researcher to highlight these signs that all is not well with a couple. A recent study of close to 400 newlyweds found that couples who yelled at each other, showed contempt, or shut off conversation about an issue within the first year of marriage were more likely to divorce as far as 16 years down the road.

Still, keep in mind that it's okay to occasionally display one of these behaviours. If get frequent enough to replace more positive interactions, however, that can be cause for concern.

Simply recognising that you're doing something negative is the first step to combating it. If you can figure out how to avoid a behaviour or replace it with a more productive one, you'll probably make your relationship stronger.

In fact, Gottman said that partners in the couples he's studied who succeed in staying in love have both cultivated what he calls "the magic trio": calm (even during conflict), trust, and commitment.

Those traits are essentially the opposite of the "four horsemen," and they involve building a safe haven with your significant other  a place where you feel comfortable, nurtured, and free to express yourself without fear of retribution. Gottman likened the idea to the actor Tom Hanks' monologue about his late wife in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle."

"Hanks says something like  meeting her was like finally coming to 'a home, but a home I had never known before,'" Gottman said.
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A brief intermittence in the otherwise uninterrupted Midlothian landscape, theres something rather stoic about Borthwick Castle.

Its hard not to be impressed by the imposing building standing resolutely against the mottled sky, which, when considering its original purpose  as a stronghold for the Borthwick clan  is entirely the point.

History

Having long been relieved of its protective duties, the 600 year old keep now enjoys a reputation as one of the most spectacular party venues in the UK. Both opulent and traditional, the building itself would surely outdo even the best dressed guest. This is a place made to be explored, giddily, over the course of an evening.

A building so steeped in history can often feel like it has a life of its own. Built in the 15th century, its seen its fair share of drama, which is exactly what you want if youre looking to hire out somewhere historic.

Famed for housing Mary Queen of Scots after the death of her husband and later spitting her out again, dressed in a page boys garb as she tried to escape a host of irate Scottish barons, it also still bears the scar of an attack by Oliver Cromwell in 1650.

Borthwick Castle

Design

Although nowhere near as eventful as its chequered past, Borthwick has enjoyed some action over recent years too. Filled with garish seventies carpets and mismatched furniture, it had been run as a hotel for years before being bought by a couple who, after staying there and falling in love with it, thankfully set about restoring it to its former glory.

Mary Queen of Scots was a guest here

Four years on, thanks to the enlistment of award-winning interior designer Melanie Brown , the space has been transformed. Each of the ten chambers has been refurbished individually to tell the story of a famous guest  the Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Borthwick rooms being the most opulent of the lot  but its the Great Hall and State Room that really pack a punch.

The newly refurbished State Room

Despite the eight foot thick walls and scarcity of windows, Brown has somehow managed to make the castle seem light and airy. Feather down cushions crowd hand crafted George Smith sofas and golden light cast by multiple candelabras is absorbed by the velvet rushes. Dinner on the long banquet table is presided over by two rather proud looking suits of armour and, no matter the time of year, youll always find a fire crackling in the grate.

With ten bedrooms, three reception rooms and a newly completed honeymoon suite, the castle can hold around 80 people  ideal for an intimate wedding, extravagant client banquet or milestone birthday. The staff are on hand at all times to offer advice on themes and culinary day dreams are brought to life by resident head chef Derek Johnstone- an ex charge of Michel Roux Jr and winner of 2008s Masterchef: The Professionals.

The Great Hall: perfect for banqueting

Food

Its hard to decide what the best thing about this place is, but the food - made using seasonal, local ingredients  is a strong contender. Hog roasts fat with crackling, melting wild venison or sweet and succulent lobster- whatever your food fantasy, Johnstone will bring it to life with panache. I still dream of the woodland mushroom ravioli paired with a sharp Barbera and the extensive porridge menu on offer in the morning, which was a well- placed antidote to my enthusiastic exploration of the whisky cupboard the night before.

Getting There

Unless you have a helicopter in which to arrive on the manicured lawn (this has been done before) a rather more modest travel option will have to suffice.

Just a thirty minute drive from Edinburgh airport and a couple of miles from Gorebridge station, the castle can be easily reached by both air and rail. Whilst the 70 minute easyJet journey isnt a particularly comfortable one, its certainly convenient; although the stunning views as you travel up the east coast by train trump it in terms of beauty.

Amazing views of the surrounding countryside

Lasting Impression

If youre looking to host an event thatll be talked about for years to come, Borthwick Castle offers the backdrop for exactly that. With its decadent furnishings, lavish feasting and raucously festive feel, you can imagine its original inhabitants being proud of its restoration to grandeur.

After all, how much can the art of partying have really changed over the last half a millennia?

Cost
P olice have called off their search of a landfill site for missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague saying "no trace" of him has been found.

Suffolk Police Detective Superintendent Katie Elliott said officers sifted through 6,500 tonnes of waste in an "unprecedented" search for the 23-year-old.

She said: "Our thoughts are with Corrie's family as we had hoped that this search would have provided them with the answers about what happened to him.

"Sadly we have not found Corrie, or any trace of his clothing or mobile phone."

Corrie McKeague, 23, has been missing since September 24 last year. / PA

Mr McKeague, from Fife in Scotland, vanished after a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds on September 24 2016.

A bin lorry was seen on CCTV near Brentgovel Street in the town around the time Mr McKeague was last seen, and it took a route which appeared to coincide with the movements of his phone.

The bin lorry linked to the disappearance of Mr McKeague was initially thought to have collected an 11kg (1st 10lb) load, but police said it was later found to be more than 100kg (15st 10lb).

Police officers search a landfill site in search of missing RAF airman Corrie McKeague. / Getty Images

Officers started searching the landfill in early March and police said the search has cost more than 1.2 million to date.

Search at the site was stood down on Friday afternoon.

Ms Elliott said: "The investigation behind the scenes hasn't stood still while the search has been carried out, but all the information we have still points to the fact that Corrie was transported from the 'horseshoe' area in the bin lorry.

"Having been through all of the possibilities in detail, there is nothing to support any theory other than that Corrie was in the bin.

Missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague walking along Brentgovel Street around 3.25am on the day he went missing / PA

"There are no further sightings of him on CCTV to suggest he left the area, and we have explored the other possibilities as to how he left, such as being taken from the area by someone, and there is no evidence to support that this is the case.

"On CCTV he appears to be alone and we have traced and spoken to everyone who walked through Brentgovel Street around the relevant time, and none of them have seen anything suspicious.

"We know that Corrie's phone travelled away from Bury St Edmunds at the same time as the bin lorry that collected waste from Brentgovel Street.

"The theory that Corrie was in the bin that was emptied into the bin lorry shortly after he was last seen is strengthened by credible information that we have obtained through our inquiries that Corrie had been known to go to sleep in rubbish, following a night out.

"We've explored every other reasonable hypothesis and there is nothing to support any other explanation."

Mother Nicola Urquhart with her son's girlfriend April Oliver / PA

Ms Elliott paid tribute to the officers sifting through the waste, with many needing hydration tablets as they worked in soaring temperatures in recent weeks.

She said: "We have been absolutely committed to finding Corrie and none of us wanted to be in this position, where we are unable to provide the answer.

"This has been one of the biggest and most complex searches of a landfill site in the country. This search process has been reviewed as it has been carried out and what we have learned and the expertise gathered during the search is now being called upon by other constabularies."

Suffolk Police have commissioned a review of the work completed since the start of the investigation to see if anything further can be done to trace Mr McKeague.

Ms Elliott, who said any new lines of inquiry would be pursued "vigorously", added: "We have searched the whole area where we believed Corrie could be. We had compelling information that directed us to this area, however we haven't found Corrie and this is bitterly disappointing."

Mr McKeague's girlfriend April Oliver announced last month that the missing serviceman had become a father with the birth of their daughter.
The tone of this response was arguably reminiscent of the response, earlier in the week, to Washingtons announcement of new sanctions against 18 individuals and entities with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the countrys ballistic missile program. On Tuesday, the Iranian parliament quickly passed a bill purportedly targeting American adventurism in the region, in part by allocating more than a quarter of a billion dollars each to ballistic missile development and to the IRGCs foreign special operations branch, the Quds Force.

The new US sanctions were imposed one day after President Donald Trump begrudgingly certified Irans compliance with its basic requirements under the 2015 nuclear agreement, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. As the Trump administration has backed down from  or at least delayed  promises to tear up that agreement, it has sought to get tough on other examples of Irans destabilizing activity. This is in keeping with positions Trump had expressed both before and shortly after his presidential inauguration, as when he urged the US State Department to consider designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.

The hardline paramilitarys well-established support for terrorist activity is very much at the center of the new diplomatic flap between Iran and Kuwait, as well. The Kuwaiti governments decision is supposedly an outgrowth of two-year-old case involving security forces disruption of a terrorist cell that had stockpiled weapons and appeared to be planning bombings inside the country. In the aftermath of the seizure of those weapons and the associated arrests it was widely reported that the terror cell had links to both the IRGC and the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, Al Jazeera explained the supposed connection between this incident and the ouster of Iranian diplomats, but it failed to explain why that ouster was taking place now. The timing of the Kuwaiti decision is potentially very significant. For one thing, it stands to have an impact on a pre-existing diplomatic crisis that had already developed among Arab powers, which may have been providing Iran with leverage to break up Arab unity at a time when the Gulf Cooperation Council was working to push back against growing Iranian influence in the region.

The Al Jazeera report even went as far as to say that the GCCs very existence was under threat from the crisis, in which three members  Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain  severed ties with a fourth  Qatar  over its apparent willingness to pursue improved relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Kuwait, also a member of the GCC, had been acting as a mediator between the two sides, while Iran has sent food shipments to Qatar in order to make up for what has been withheld by the Arab powers. This, of course, has helped Qatar to extend its defiance of erstwhile regional allies while they tried to encourage the country to come back into the fold and sign onto assertive policies toward the Iranian regime.

The new diplomatic conflict between Kuwait and Iran naturally raises questions about whether Kuwaits mediating role will be affected. Although there is no clear answer to this at the moment, Iranian officials quickly adopted the strategy of simply ignoring the Kuwaiti attempts at reconciliation among regional powers. It is regrettable that Kuwaiti officials, in this sensitive situation in the region, instead of making an effort to reduce useless tensions have targeted the Islamic republic with baseless accusations, Qassemi said in his meeting with the Kuwaiti charges daffaires.

As well as disregarding Kuwaits concerns about an IRGC link to the terror cell, the Iranian regime also denies the much more general and well-founded accounts of IRGC-linked terrorist activity. These denials are of course being utilized to justify the emerging Iranian threats of reciprocal measures against any foreign states that put pressure on the IRGC or the regime itself. This now includes Kuwait, and certainly the United States as well.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that Iranian state media had quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying that his country would resist American sanctions. The president, often described in Western media as relatively moderate, described the newly imposed sanctions as one of the plots of the Americans, with the end goal being to trick Iran into violating the nuclear agreement on its side.

It remains possible that the White House will cancel that agreement on its end, given Trumps apparent reluctance to certify Iranian compliance the first two times he was required to do so. But it is also possible that the new sanctions measures are only part of a strategy of focusing attention on other matters of concern stemming from the Islamic Republic, among which is its support for terrorism.

If the latter is the case, one measure that the US president might undertake is to press for the withdrawal of licenses allowing Boeing and its Europe-based competitor Airbus to sell commercial aircraft to Iran. Foreign Policy Magazine published a thorough editorial this week advocating for Trump to do just this. The article noted that the IRGC is deeply ingrained in the Iranian economy and has been known to co-opt commercial aircraft for its smuggling of weapons and fighters to foreign combat zones and terrorist cells. Consequently, the authors argue, virtually any Western business deals with the aviation sector would run a risk of financing or otherwise materially supporting terrorist groups.

The Foreign Policy article also made reference to the growing tensions between the Iran and the GCC. It pointed out that Boeing already sells military equipment to Saudi Arabia, and that new deals with the Islamic Republic could endanger this relationship and generate pushback from the Arab powers unless President Trump stepped in to prevent such issues from manifesting in the first place.

Although the president has remained silent about the Boeing deal, he has personally bolstered arms sales to Saudi Arabia, signing new agreements during a May visit to the Arab country. That visit coincided with an Arab Islamic-American summit, which generated joint statements explicitly decrying Irans regional activities.

It is generally understood that strengthening relationships with established regional partners is a major part of the Trump administrations emerging policies of opposition to Iran, and it now stands to reason that Kuwait could be more deeply integrated into those plans, provided that its relationship with Iran continues to break down following the expulsion of diplomats.

After certifying Irans compliance with the nuclear agreement, the Trump administration indicated that it would be undertaking a comprehensive review of its Iran policy. It is possible that other adversaries and potential adversaries of the Islamic Republic will be doing the same in the days to come, as they react to the political realities established by Washingtons ongoing pursuit of sanctions and other assertive measures.
T ributes have been paid to a kind and beautiful teacher who was killed in a brutal hammer attack at her home in south-east London.

Florina Pastina, 36, died in hospital after she was attacked with a hammer at an address in Croydon early on Wednesday morning.

Police raced to the scene in Alpha Road shortly after 7am where they found Ms Pastina and a 25-year-old man, who had also suffered injuries.

Doctors battled to save her but she did in hospital in the early hours of Friday, Scotland Yard said.

In a statement, her family said: We are heartbroken at the loss of a much loved sister and friend, who was a well-respected teacher. Such a beautiful and kind person, who had so much more to give."

The scene of the attack in Alpha Road, Croydon / Google

Close friend Monica Santaella told the Standard: My heart is broken to know what happened to one of the most sweet and good people I have ever met.

I met Florina four years ago, l had the pleasure to spend three years working with her, she was one of the first friends l had in London.

She was a cat lover, she loved them more than everything, she was always happy, sweet, modest... pure love with everyone, one of the strongest people I have ever met.

I still can't believe she's gone. I will always feel blessed to have been part of her life.

She left a lot of people who always will miss her and remember her smile. 

Another friend, named Violeta Negru, said: She is my best friend Im so disappointed this is happened I still cannot believe it.

A heart-felt tribute written on her Facebook page said: "You were and you will remain the same girl with the smile of the year.

"Great pain and suffering is (in) our souls. We will never forget you."

Scotland Yard has launched a murder investigation into Ms Pastinas death.

The 25-year-old man who was also injured in the assault was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and has since been discharged.

A 34-year-old-man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.

He suffered non life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital.

All three are believed to be known to each other while the hammer used in the attack was found at the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, of the Mets Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "I am particularly keen to hear from any neighbours or people who passed through Alpha Road at the time of the incident who may have seen or heard something that could assist with our investigation.

"Any piece of information, however small, will help my team build a picture of events that tragic morning."

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call the Mets Homicide and Major Crime Command by dialling 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
P olice are hunting for two suspected gunmen who fled the scene after allegedly shooting a man in the back in an attempted murder.

Detectives are still on the hunt for the two suspects after a 26-year-old man was "recklessly" gunned down in a busy street in Harrow on Sunday.

It was "sheer luck" the victim was not killed, officers said.

As police appeal for witnesses and information, they released CCTV photos of the men making off on a moped from Palmerston Road, where the shooting took place.

Officers and the London Ambulance were called to the scene at 10.35pm on Sunday. The victim was rushed to a central London hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

A CCTV still showing the moped riding away. / Met Police

Roads in the area were closed temporarily while police worked at the scene but were later reopened.

The suspects are described as two black males wearing black jackets and helmets.

Detective Sergeant Lucy Carberry, from the Met's Trident and Area Crime Command, said: "The suspects in this case have recklessly shot at the victim with a powerful weapon whilst there were a number of people around.

"It is only by sheer luck that we are not dealing with a murder of the victim or very serious injuries to others in the area at the time who could well have been hit by the shots fired by what we understand to be a shotgun.

"Palmerston Road in Harrow is very busy and we know there are people who do not live in the area who were passing through and witnessed the shooting and saw the culprits make off. I am appealing to them directly to get in touch with my team.

"Their calls will be treated in the strictest confidence."

Anyone with information concerning this attack is urged to call police on 020 8201 2713. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
T hese are two moped riders being hunted by police in connection with the murder of a father in a suspected Rolex robbery in south London.

Detectives investigating the fatal stabbing of builder Danny Pearce, 31, issued CCTV images today showing two men in motorcycle helmets and tracksuits on a moped.

Mr Pearce had just left a jazz bar in Greenwich with his girlfriend and some friends when two men drove up and demanded his watch.

At first the victim thought it was a joke and refused to hand it over but one of the moped riders stabbed him repeatedly in the neck with a large kitchen knife.

Danny Pearce, 31, was killed in Greenwich. / Met Police

The pair ripped the Rolex off the victims wrist during the attack in King William Walk in the early hours of Sunday. Witnesses described how the robbers fired shots from a handgun before riding off though none are thought to have hit the victim.

Mr Pearce managed to stagger to a near-by house to seek help but died of massive knife wounds at the scene shortly after midnight on Saturday.

The pair of moped riders police want to speak to. / Met Police

The terrifying attack is the latest incident in an explosion of violent moped crime in London with gangs of thieves roaming the capital.

New statistics show a 12 per cent rise in robberies with four in ten robberies in England and Wales now committed in London.

Danny Pearce, 31, was stabbed to death by members of a moped gang

Detective Inspector Jo Sidaway, who is leading the murder investigation, said: We are releasing images of two men we are eager to trace and speak to. If you have any information that could help us, we would urge you to come forward as soon as possible.

The appeal comes as police revealed that a 26-year-old man was shot in the back by two men armed with a shotgun in Harrow.

Police believe Mr Pearce may have been robbed for his watch, similar to one pictured. / Met Police

Detectives say the moped riders fired the weapon towards a group of people in Palmerston Road at 10.35pm on Sunday.

The suspects are described as black and wearing black jackets and helmets. They left the scene on a moped.

Detective Sergeant Lucy Carberry, from the Trident gangs unit, said: The suspects in this case have recklessly shot at the victim with a powerful weapon whilst there were a number of people around. It is only by sheer luck that we are not dealing with a murder

Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A mother has revealed her heartbreak after her ex-partner was found guilty of beating her five-year-old son to death for losing his shoe.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, flew into a rage and attacked his girlfriends son Alex Malcolm in Mountsfield Park, Catford, south-east London.

Witnesses heard a child's fearful voice saying "sorry", loud banging and a man screaming about the loss of a shoe.

Alex suffered fatal head and stomach injuries and died in hospital two days later, while one of his trainers was later found in the play area by police.

He was perfect: Alex Malcolm, who died in hospital

Iheanacho, who was in a relationship with Alex's mother Lilya Breha, was convicted of murder at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday.

Following the guilty verdict, Ms Breha revealed her final moments with her son as he lay dying in hospital.

She said in a statement: Alex was so small but he was my strength and my purpose for living.

"The hardest thing I have ever had to hear was that my child died.

"I remember it like it was yesterday.

Guilty of murder: Marvyn Iheanacho (Metropolitan Police)

"Lying next to him in a hospital and praying that everything would be fine, that he will open his eyes.

"I didn't even get to tell him I love him.

"All I got was to put my hand on his chest and feel every single one of his final heartbeats."

CCTV shows murderer walking along street with child he killed

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Lynes said: "Iheanacho subjected that poor little boy to a brutal assault after flying into an uncontrollable rage just because Alex lost one of his shoes.

"Afterwards Iheanacho came up with various stories to try to cover his tracks, insisted his girlfriend lie for him and attacked her when she tried to get medical help for her unconscious son.

"It is no surprise the jury easily saw through his stories and while nothing can bring Alex back, I hope Iheanacho's conviction today provides his mother and father and their families with some comfort."

Iheanacho, from Hounslow, west London, has a string of previous convictions for violent offences, including attacks on ex-partners and robbery.

He will be sentenced on Tuesday.
A stepfather is facing life behind bars after he was found guilty of battering a five-year-old boy to death in a south-east London park for losing his shoe.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, flew into a rage and subjected his girlfriend's son Alex Malcolm to a brutal attack in Mountsfield Park in Catford.

Witnesses heard a child's fearful voice saying "sorry", loud banging and a man screaming about the loss of a shoe.

Alex suffered fatal head and stomach injuries and died in hospital two days later, while one of his trainers was later found in the play area by police.

Guilty of murder: Marvyn Iheanacho (Metropolitan Police)

Iheanacho, who was in a relationship with Alex's mother Lilya Breha, was convicted of murder at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday.

The jury of seven men and five women returned a unanimous guilty verdict on Friday.

Ms Breha nodded as the verdict was announced and quietly wept in court.

Alex Malcolm, who died in hospital, pictured with his mother Liliya Breha

Iheanacho, from Hounslow, west London, has a string of previous convictions for violent offences, including attacks on ex-partners and robbery.

Judge Mark Dennis QC deferred sentencing until Tuesday.

Iheanacho, who was known to Alex as "Daddy Mills", admitted beating the boy before, in a note in his diary which read: "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."

Alex's head, neck, and body were covered with bruises after the attack on November 20 last year.

Iheanacho carried the unconscious boy to a minicab office and took him to Ms Breha's flat, while the nearest hospital was just a five-minute walk away.

CCTV shows murderer walking along street with child he killed

Ms Breha has described how he then attacked her when she tried to call an ambulance.

She said she started screaming when she saw Alex was "unconscious and his face was disgusting".

She told the court that she kept on shouting at Iheanacho: "What have you done?"

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".

She told the jury that he "tried to strangle me, pretty much his intention was to try kill me, is all I can say".

But she grabbed the phone after noticing her son was getting cold, his face had turned blue and he had stopped breathing.

Doctors at Lewisham Hospital tried to resuscitate Alex, but a CT scan revealed he was suffering from severe brain swelling, and he was transferred to King's College Hospital.

He was pronounced dead on November 22 after an unsuccessful operation.

Iheanacho gave several different accounts of how the horrific injuries were caused, including that Alex fell off a climbing frame, which were all rejected by the jury.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
T he suspected killer of a teenage girl whose body was found in a fridge was arrested in Dover as he tried to leave the country.

Detectives are today questioning two men in connection with suspected honour killing and the attempted murder of the victims cousin.

The terrified survivor, 21, banged frantically on doors of neighbouring homes before staggering to a nearby hospital with a slashed throat and multiple stab wounds.

She told medics she had been kidnapped with her 19-year-old cousin and driven to a detached property under renovation in a wealthy south London suburb.

Police first launched a search for the two women after receiving a call at 5pm last Wednesday raising concerns about the welfare of two women.

The remains of a teenage girl were found in a fridge at a suburban home / Nigel Howard

They searched one address but found no trace of the women.

Two hours later police were alerted by a hospital after a woman was brought in suffering multiple stab and slash injuries.

Officers raced to a 1.2 million five bedroom property in Coombe Lane West in Kingston where they smashed down the front door and found the body of the teenager in a large upright fridge.

Police sources said the womans body was intact when it was found. A police spokeswoman refused to say if the women had been raped or sexually assaulted.

The Met said it had searched two separate addresses in a frantic hunt for the women before being alerted to the Coombe Lane West address.

Two men, age 33 and 28, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. The oldest suspect is understood to be related to the two victims. A 29-year-old woman has been detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Detectives are today questioning two men in connection with suspected honour killing / Nigel Howard

Police confirmed that a 33-year-old man was arrested in Kent.

The six-bed property, which stands behind 8ft high iron gates, was today being searched as officers appealed for information. A silver Renault Clio stood on the paved driveway with a smashed drivers window.

Neighbours in Coombe Lane West, Kingston, told how the 21-year-old girl banged on their doors at around 5pm on Wednesday.

One said: I could hear running on the gravel drive and then a loud knock. It was very sudden and very loud. I had a facemask on, but I jumped up and went downstairs. By the time I opened the door the person was gone. I could hear them running away on the stones.

It was strange but I didnt realise how serious it was until the police came later. Its a horrible shock. You cant believe something like this could happen across the road.

Another neighbour said: I looked out at about 8pm and there were police everywhere. Theyd broken into the house with a battering ram and it was left lying there in the drive.

Another neighbour said: When I walked to school to pick up my daughter I had a quick look. The fridge had been pulled out to the front door and was being examined and people were taking photographs of it.

Weve been told it was one of those honour killings.

The family who live in the property, a man in his 50s, a woman in her 20s and two children, are said to have moved there around 18 months ago. They are understood to be staying in a house nearby during renovations.

The neighbour said: They really keep themselves quiet, we hardly ever see them. Even when there was a huge campaign in the street to stop a phone mast going up they were the only people not to get involved.

But they go to great lengths to decorate at Halloween and Easter, putting skeletons and lights all over the house.

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Price said: We are doing everything we can to fully understand the circumstances of this despicable attack on two young women.

The death of the 19-year-old woman is being treated as murder and the attack on the 21-year-old is being treated as attempted murder. We are appealing for anyone with information to contact us.

At this early stage it is believed the two victims were taken to an address before being attacked. We also understand that the victims were known to their attackers.

Anyone with information should call officers on 020 8721 4066 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A five-year-old girl selling lemonade to revellers heading to a festival in east London had her stand shut down by council officers who slapped her and her father with a 150 fine.

Andre Spicer said his daughter burst into tears and told him Ive done a bad thing after enforcement officers read out a lengthy legal letter before issuing him the notice.

The five-year-old and Mr Spicer, a professor at City University, were given the fine for "trading without a permit" after they set up the make-shift stall near their home in Mile End.

After it was contacted by the Standard, Tower Hamlets Council promised to cancel the fine "immediately" and said it would contact the family to apologise.

A spokesman for the council said it expected its enforcement officers "to show common sense" when using their powers.

Furious Mr Spicer branded the enforcements officers' decision an over-zealous way of applying the rules, after the pair set out to refresh festival goers heading to Lovebox in Victoria Park on Saturday.

He said: Its not like she was trying to make a massive profit, this is just a five-year-old kid trying to sell lemonade.

Andre Spicer and his five-year-old daughter set out to sell refreshments for festival-goers heading to Lovebox / Rex Features

She sobbed all the way home and was telling me: 'Dad, Ive done a bad thing. She was very upset because she was proud of selling it, and this really soured the experience.

Things like this are common in America. When I shared our experience with my cousin who lives in Chicago, he told me this would be a national scandal.

Mr Spicer said he tried to tell his distraught daughter they would set up another stand to sell their homemade pop once they had a permit, but she replied: No. Its too scary.

After telling his friends what had happened, he said a colleague told him it was an example of how we are discouraging budding female entrepreneurs.

Branding the situation Lemonadegate, Mr Spicer said he has been left confused over how to entertain his child, adding: Setting up a lemonade stand is obviously far too risky.

The professor said four officers stormed up to the table just 30 minutes after the pair had set up the stand, where they were selling one large cup of the fizzy drink for 1 and a small glass for 50p.

A spokeswoman for the local authority said: We are very sorry that this has happened. We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen.

The fine will be cancelled immediately and we will be contacting Professor Spicer and his daughter to apologise.

Stars Frank Ocean and Solange Knowles and DJs Chase and Status and Annie Mac were among the stars performing at the Lovebox dance festival at the weekend.
I ndustrial strength acid is being sold without question barely half a mile from one of the most recent attacks, the Standards investigation reveals today.

Litre-size bottles of a drain-cleaning product with a 91 per cent concentration of sulphuric acid was purchased by our reporters in two shops in Mare Street, Hackney.

An even stronger sulphuric acid - at 93 per cent concentration - was purchased in Walthamstow, several miles away.

Police figures reveal that East London is at the centre of the epidemic, with Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney the four boroughs with the highest number of acid attacks in the last three years.

Last week, five moped drivers were targeted in a 90-minute rampage across Hackney and Islington that left one man blinded in one eye.

The sale of sulphuric acid is not illegal but it is listed in Home Office guidance for businesses on the sale of chemicals that could be used to make explosives and poisons.

Traders told to report suspicious sales Traders who sell toxic chemicals including sulphuric acid are asked by the Home Office to look out for anybody appearing to buy them for criminal purposes. The advice was introduced in 2014, primarily to deal with people seeking to make home-made explosives, and makes no mention of acid attacks. It requires suspicious transactions and significant disappearances or thefts of products containing chemicals such as sulphuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid  all of which are in legal products  to be reported to police. A leaflet advises that a customer may be making a suspicious transaction when they: Appear nervous, avoid communication, or are not a regular type of customer. Attempt to purchase an unusual amount of a product or unusual combinations. Are not familiar with the regular use of the product, nor with handling instructions. Are not willing to share what he/she plans to use the product(s) for. Refuse an alternative product with a lower but sufficient concentration. Insist on paying cash and in large amounts. Are unwilling to provide identity or home address details if requested. Request packaging or delivery methods that deviate from what would be expected. Contact can be made by calling 0800 789321 or by emailing chemical.reporting@met.police.uk

The rules, which were upgraded in May 2015, require people who want to import or acquire certain regulated substances to hold a Home Office licence and associated photographic ID document. Poisons can only be supplied to the public by a pharmacist.

Sulphuric acid is listed as a reportable substance, meaning it can be bought without a licence. However, under the guidance, traders must report any suspicious transactions of it to a national contact point (0800789321) or email details to chemical.reporting@met.police.uk

Sulphuric acid is particularly harmful at high concentrations because it causes chemical burns as soon as it comes into contact with skin.

Secondary injuries are then caused when it heats up as it reacts with the water held naturally within human organs, causing them to dehydrate. It can cause permanent blindness if splashed on eyes, and damages internal organs irreversibly if swallowed. It is powerful enough to corrode metal.

Acid Attack Victim Covered In Water

All products bought by the Standard carried danger warnings and logos on their packaging. However not all revealed the concentration of sulphuric acid. One was described as being industrial strength for trade and professional use.

These are different to conventional household bleaches such as Domestos, Mr Muscle and Duck, which contain low concentrations of sodium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda).

When questioned following the purchases, most shopkeepers expressed shock at the strength of the chemicals they were selling.

They said they were unaware of Home Office guidance to report suspicious transactions to the police hotline.

SHOP ONE

The Standard visited a household store in Mare Street and found packaged boxes of a 91 per cent sulphuric acid drain cleaner sitting on a lower shelf towards the rear of the shop.

At the till an elderly cashier joked laughed after initially claiming it cost 10, apparently amused at our reporters ignorance about the products real cost.

When our reporter returned to the store the 65-year-old shopkeeper, who gave his name as M. Patel, said he was unaware of the Home Office hotline and the advice on suspicious transactions.

He said: Should I stop selling it now? I didnt know [about the number] until you told me.

I know not to sell this one to under 20s, under-25s, bad people. But older people, genuine people like over-30 can buy it.

Younger people never come here for this, I dont even give them bleach. If a younger person comes in for it I know its not to unblock the sink.

During the conversation with Mr Patel, a customer in a niqab told our reporter: You need to spread awareness, because people dont know, they just sell it.

SHOP TWO

At another store across the street, a young man behind the till was silent as he placed the same drain cleaner in a blue plastic bag, before simply stating the price of 6.

Malnit Singh, 24, later said he had been given no instructions about the sale of the highly-corrosive acid.

But he added: I wouldnt sell this to teenagers. Its strong.

SHOP THREE

At another store in Mare Street, the Standard was sold an industrial strength cleaner - which is too powerful to be used on domestic plumbing - without being asked about its intended use.

The product contains an unknown concentration of sulphuric acid and contained the warning: Misuse can cause severe burns.

In April, 20 people were injured when a corrosive substance was sprayed at two men at the packed Mangle nightclub in nearby London Fields.

Hasan Cevli, 22, whose uncle owns the shop, said the fact that some traders had limited English made it hard for them to understand the toxic make-up of such substances.

He said more detailed information should be given to wholesalers, and backed changes to the law that would curb corner shops from selling it.

Mr Cevli said: We are not informed about these products. When you go to the wholesalers, they do not tell you things about these products and whats in them. So I think more information needs to be given to sellers.

Most people dont get educated about them and if the shop owners are foreigners from another country they definitely dont know anything about it. I think now they will stop selling it.

I would certainly support a change in the law because we dont really know what were selling, maybe even cancelling grocers or small shops from selling it and just letting B&Q or Wickes or other retailers like that sell it.

SHOP FOUR

The Standard was also able to buy the 91 per cent sulphuric acid in Well Street. Again, our reporter was not asked any questions.

When questioned, shop owner Raj Patel, 52, said he would remove the liquid from his shelves.

He said: I thought the acid being used was a different type of thing. I will remove it. I was not aware it could be used for this.

We will store it in the back from now on and then if anyone asks for any specifically we will do it that way.

SHOP FIVE

Last month aspiring model Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37, suffered life-changing burns when someone threw a substance into their car window as the pair celebrated Ms Khans 21st birthday in Newham.

At a nearby supermarket in Canning Town, the Standard was again able to purchase the 91 per cent cleaner, this time for 4.99, without challenge.

Supervisor Kris Menan later said he supported a ban on the product in the wake of the nearby attack on Ms Khan.

He was unaware of the Home Office guidance, but said he would not sell the product to under-18s.

He said: I know how strong it is. We know about this one, we use it ourselves as well. My manager said we cant sell this to kids. But if my dad or your dad comes in, we sell it.

If you want to ban this product, I agree, why not. Its easy to buy for the kids. Its common sense, I dont want to sell this kind of thing.

Especially because this just happened up the road. Do you know how old she was? 21-years-old. If Newham Council said to ban it, we would support that.

SHOP SIX

In Waltham Forest, we found the most potent cleaner yet - containing 93 per cent sulphuric acid. Manufactured in the US, it cost 5.50 from a store in the Wood Street area of Walthamstow. It is sold in a protective thick plastic bag.

The label warns that the substance can cause fire or explosions, is fatal if inhaled and causes severe skin burns and eye damage.

The worker said: It is advisable to read the instructions and use a funnel. If it accidentally goes on your hands it will pretty much burn through them.

I had to pour some out down the drain just to get rid of it, it went through my gloves and burned my hand. I had to spend 30 minutes running it under the tap.

When quizzed later by the Standard, the assistant said: Ill put it to my boss, its his choice to sell it. Im generally cautious and if I thought you were underage I wouldnt have sold it to you. I use my common sense.

It is really scary that this stuff has been weaponised. Some of the attacks have been racially motivated as well and Im Sikh so it is a worry.

I would support Government intervention on this but we havent heard anything bad about it from the supplier.

We sell boilers here too and if they are put together wrong by someone unlicensed they can blow up your whole house, imagine having that on your conscience.

But at the end of the day we have to make money to pay the bills.
E ast London council enforcement officers are facing an angry backlash after they shut down a five-year-old girls lemonade stand before fining her father 150.

The outrage came after it emerged the young child burst in to tears and told her dad Ive done a bad thing after Tower Hamlets officers shut the stall down.

The officers were branded contemptible idiots by angry Twitter users, with others saying the unbelievable incident left a sour taste in their mouth.

Former Ukip MP Douglas Carswell joined the social media fury, adding that the story is the British state summed up in one news item.

Another Twitter user wrote: This would only happen in England! What a joke, whoever issued that clearly doesn't have [the] mental capacity to work in their role.

Others told of how the enforcement officers showed no common sense, unnecessarily crushing the heart of a child.

One social media user said: As though its not hard enough raising children these days, this will stick with her for a long time causing confusion. Way to go morons.

Another added: Makes my heart bleed... there's no way I'd crush the heart of a child! Shame common sense ain't so common nowadays.

Some furious Londoners even said that the four officers should lose their jobs over the outrageous decision, with others branding them the fun police.

One commenter wrote: Surely our councils have better things to do than this! Bonkers!

The outrage came after Andre Spicer told how four officers read a lengthy legal letter to him and his five-year-old before slapping him with the fine on Saturday.

Before the social media storm, Mr Spicer said he was told if this had happened in America it would be a national scandal.

The City University professor also said a friend told him it was an example of how we are discouraging budding female entrepreneurs.

He said four enforcement officers stormed up to the table just 30 minutes after they set up the stand, where they were selling one large cup of the fizzy drink for 1 and a small glass for 50p to revellers heading to Lovebox festival in Victoria Park.

After it was approached by the Standard, Tower Hamlets Council promised to cancel the fine immediately and said it would contact the family to apologise.

A spokesman for the council said it expected its enforcement officers "to show common sense" when using their powers, adding that in this case This clearly did not happen.
O ne of Mayor Sadiq Khans most radical manifesto ideas to help cash-strapped Londoners pay for their heating faces the axe, it is claimed.

Khan vowed to explore setting up a fully-licensed, independent energy company to bulk buy power and sell it back to Londoners before taking City Hall in May 2016.

But that plan, part of his much-delayed Energy for London strategy launch, is now expected to be ditched or made a white label - or face of - an existing energy firm, it is claimed.

The energy industry is dominated by the six largest suppliers who are repeatedly accused of overcharging customers.

Khan hoped to lower bills for households and businesses through the not-for-profit low-carbon plan, but a partnership model with a traditional supplier striving to make profits could threaten that aim.

Emma Hughes of campaign group Platform told the Standard: This has gone from a genuine plan to help London out of fuel poverty to essentially a branding exercise.

"If the GLA does not have full control on tariffs, it will be a case of negotiating and not necessarily getting the best price.

"People distrust energy companies but if its not a direct relationship that wont improve. The energy market is monopolised and this is a missed opportunity to break that monopoly.

"The low carbon economy is a big part of our future. Only a full license London company allows us to build skills, expertise and jobs in this crucial sector."

The Energy for Londoners strategy, which includes wider sustainability plans, is expected to be unveiled to much fanfare next month. It had been expected in the spring, before election, terror attacks and the Grenfell Tower tragedy delayed its launch.

City Hall declined to comment on the specifics of the strategy.

A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said: The Mayor is committed to increasing energy efficiency and has ambitious plans to make London a zero-carbon city by 2050. Plans for Energy for Londoners will be announced in due course.

One energy source said an option would be to white label the service using an existing council energy company, like Nottingham, potentially robbing London of jobs and investment.
Meanwhile, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi stipulated that the contents of the statement were criminal and it was allegedly claimed that the defendant had been held captive at Guantanamo Prison. Therefore, the Judiciary has the right to prosecute him.

In a statement released on July 1, 2017, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the arrest of Hamid Baghaei as an illegal measure and a gross oppression. He also said that the Judiciary is responsible for any possible harm to his health.

Hamid Baghaei was arrested for unlawful seizure, collusion with non-governmental transactions, and embezzlement during the conflicts among the gangs and fractions.

Meanwhile, some media reported that the regimes Judiciary has given the IRGC the authority to arrest Rouhanis brother and assistant, Hossein Rouhani and to freely investigate on his case as well.
A British woman is demanding an apology one year after counter-terrorism police detained her for reading a Syrian art book on a plane.

Muslim NHS worker Faizah Shaheen says she is being forced to go to court to get the apology after she was questioned under terror laws last July.

She had been returning from her honeymoon in Turkey when was stopped at Doncaster Airport.

A Thomson Airways cabin crew member had reported her for reading Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline on the outbound flight.

Ms Shaheen, whose work in mental health care involves looking for the signs of radicalisation in young people, was questioned for around 30 minutes, during which she was asked about the book, her work and the number of languages she spoke, the BBC reported.

She told the corporation: "I felt upset and distressed, followed by anger. I struggled to accept that I was being singled out for reading a book on art and culture.

"One year on, Thomson Airways has failed to provide an explanation or apology despite legal involvement.

"This attitude has left me with no option but to seek a declaration from the court under the Equality Act."

Ms Shaheen's legal team said it had written to Thomson telling the company it believed she had been a victim of discrimination, adding she believes she was singled out because of her race.

Thomson spokeswoman: Were really sorry if Ms Shaheen remains unhappy with how she feels she was treated.

"We wrote to her to explain that our crew undergo general safety and security awareness training on a regular basis.

"As part of this they are encouraged to be vigilant and share any information or questions with the relevant authorities, who would then act as appropriate.

"We appreciate that in this instance Ms Shaheen may have felt that over caution had been exercised, however like all airlines, our crew are trained to report any concerns they may have as a precaution.
T he judge in the Charlie Gard case has told the boys parents that he will soon need to hear new material as they enter the latest stage in their legal battle.

Fridays hearing at the Family Division of the High Court is the latest tense instalment of an ongoing struggle by Chris Gard and Connie Yates to win the right to take their son to the US for treatment.

They want the judge to rule that their 11-month-old boy  who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage  should be allowed to undergo a therapy trial overseen by a specialist in New York.

During the hearing, which was scheduled for Mr Justice Francis to make case directions, barrister Grant Armstrong, representing the boys parents, told the court that the baby had undergone further scans in the past few days, and that experts had discussed the case.

Solemn: Charlie Gard's parents enter the next phase of their legal struggle (Lauren Hurley/PA ) / Lauren Hurley/PA

Dr Michio Hirano, a neurologist at Columbia University Medical Centre, will give evidence at next week's hearing along with the boys parents, he said.

Mr Justice Francis warned that he would need to know what new material there is, since he decided in April that life-support treatment should stop.

He said he would also want to know what difference any new material would make.

Dr Michio Hirano believes the boy's condition could improve with a new experimental treatment / AP

While Mr Armstrong said experts had expressed a range of opinions at a medical experts' meeting earlier this week, Mr Justice Francis noted that there had also been a "considerable amount of agreement".

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where the boy is being cared for, have said the proposed experimental therapy is experimental and will not help. They believe life support should be withdrawn so the boy can die with dignity.

Charlie's parents, who are in their 30s and come from Bedfont, west London, have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London.

They have also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene.

But the couple say there is new evidence and want Mr Justice Francis, who in April ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street GOSHs favour, to carry out a fresh analysis of their case.

11-month-old Charlie Gard has a rare genetic disorder / PA

Mr Justice Francis considered the couple's new claims at preliminary hearings.

Last week, he suggested that the American specialist - Michio Hirano, a professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York - should travel to London to meet Great Ormond Street doctors and other clinicians.

Dr Hirano examined Charlie and discussed his case at Great Ormond Street on Monday and Tuesday.

Additional reporting by Press Association
P rince George beams in this adorable new photo released by William and Kate to celebrate his fourth birthday.

The official portrait, taken at the end of June, shows a smiling Prince George, who turns four on Saturday, at Kensington Palace.

He spent the run-up to his big day on an official tour of Poland and Germany with his parents Kate and William and his two-year-old sister Princess Charlotte.

In a statement the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said they were delighted to share the photograph as they prepared to celebrate Georges fourth birthday.

Beaming: Prince George smiles for the camera (Chris Jackson/Getty Images/PA) / Getty Images

They added they would like to thank everyone for all of the kind messages they have received."

The picture was taken by Chris Jackson, Getty Images Royal Photographer, who said: He is such a happy little boy and certainly injects some fun into a photoshoot."

Prince George - In pictures 1 /10 Prince George - In pictures Having a ball Prince George makes little friends on tour Playtime Prince George mixes with the baby masses Family portrait The Cambridges are snapped in an informal setting Standing tall An adoring Kate helps Prince George get up on his own two feet Touchdown The Duchess of Cambridge is a hands-on mother William in 1983 Charles and Diana were surrounded by staff Going solo Prince William keeping himself occupied during the royal tour in 1983 William in 1983 Prince William was often in the arms of his nanny

William and Kate's eldest child has a busy year ahead of him as he starts school in September.

The Duchess has already said she is not sure George, who will be young for his year, "has any idea what's going to hit him" as he begins full-time education.

William and Kate with their son George and daughter Charlotte during their recent tour of Poland and Germany / EPA

George is joining private day school Thomas's Battersea in September, where fees cost 17,604 a year.

The selective establishment states that its most important rule is to "be kind". Its 540 pupils are aged from four to 13, with around 20 in a class.

Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child's first day in school.

Prince George given helicopter tour as Royals head home 1 /13 Prince George given helicopter tour as Royals head home Prince George stands in a rescue helicopter as his father the Duke of Cambridge adjusts his helmet. PA Prince George takes a look at the controls. PA Prince George and Princess Charlotte explore a rescue helicopter as they visit Airbus in Hamburg. PA The family arrive at Airbus. PA The Royals set off for the UK. PA The family prepare to leave after their tour of Germany and Poland. PA Prince George and Princess Charlotte wait with their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to board a plane. PA Prince George sits in a rescue helicopter. PA Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk with their parents. PA Prince George stands in a rescue helicopter PA

The Cambridge family will be based at Kensington Palace in London, rather than at their Norfolk mansion Anmer Hall, with William leaving his air ambulance helicopter pilot job this summer to become a full-time royal.

George showed himself to be something of a shy royal diplomat when he arrived in Warsaw, needing encouragement from William to exit the plane, and fidgeting on the red carpet.

Duchess of Cambridge with her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte at a children's party for Military families at Government House in Victoria during the Royal Tour of Canada / PA

According to Kate, the prince is a "noisy" youngster and a "really lovely little boy" whom she hopes will keep "feisty" younger sister Princess Charlotte in check.

Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born at St Mary's Hospital's private maternity unit, the Lindo Wing, at 4.24pm on July 22 2013, weighing 8lbs 6oz.

According to Kate, the prince is a "noisy" youngster / PA

He made his public debut in front of the world's media on the hospital steps one day later, wrapped in a white merino wool shawl, cradled in his proud parents' arms.

A great-grandchild to the Queen, he will be the 43rd monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England if, as expected, he follows reigns by the Prince of Wales, and then William.
M icrobeads will be banned after environmental campaigners warned that the tiny plastic particles are making their way into waterways where they are eaten by wildlife.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced the move in a speech on Friday after a public consultation over the beads, found in a wide range of personal care products such as face washes, exfoliators and toothpastes.

In his first major address in the role, Mr Gove confirmed a manufacturing and sales ban in response to mounting evidence of environmental harm.

Speaking at the World Wildlife Fund UK, Mr Gove said: Eight million tonnes of plastic are discarded into the worlds oceans each year, putting marine wildlife under serious threat.

He added: Last year the government launched a consultation on banning microbeads in personal care products, which have such a devastating effect on marine life.

We are responding to that consultation today and we will introduce legislation to implement that ban later this year.

Clinique Exfoliating Scrub, Diors Instant Gentle Exfoliant, and Crest 3D White toothpaste have all been shown in the past to contain microbeads.

A manufacturing ban is planned from 1 January 2018, while a sales ban will follow on 30 June 2018.

Greenpeace UK, which collected more than 388,000 signatures on a petition against microbeads, celebrated on its Twitter feed by declaring: VICTORY!

The new law will apply to rinse-off products, but is not yet extended to leave-on cosmetics such as makeup and sunscreen.

The cosmetics industry has argued against broader-reaching legislation, arguing that the inclusion of such products would mean reformulating up to 90 per cent of their existing lines.

An expert committee will rule on leave-ons later this year.
A t least two people are dead and over 200 injured after a powerful earthquake struck Greek holiday resort islands early on Friday morning.

The 6.7 magnitude quake hit seven miles north-east of Kos in the Aegean Sea, and was also felt in nearby Turkey.

Holidaymakers were forced to sleep outdoors for safety as buildings crumbled due to the strength of the tremor.

Rescuers were also checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night.

Two men from Turkey and Sweden died after a building collapsed onto hundreds of tourists in a bar in the main square of Kos.

UK man describes Kos earthquake

Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services. The island's port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.

The earthquake struck Kos in the early hours of Friday morning / AP

Lauren Duffy, a 20-year-old student from Merseyside, was evacuated along with her mother and sister from the Atlantis Hotel, which was strewn with shattered glass.

She said: "We were asleep in our hotel room when we were woken by really violent shaking, and we all were screaming and told to evacuate from the hotel."

Earthquake hits Mediterranean holiday resorts 1 /33 Earthquake hits Mediterranean holiday resorts Hotel guests sleep outdoors after abandoning their rooms. AP At least two people were killed in the earthquake. AP This hotel, west of Bodrum in Turkey, saw residents sleeping outside. AP A man lies on the ground as other tourists stand outside a bar in Kos. AP Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road of stones in Kos. AP Damage and flooding on the Greek island of Kos. AP People sleeping in the street after the quake in Kos. REUTERS Damage on the streets of Kos caused by the earthquake. REUTERS Bicycles lie strewn in the street after the natural disaster. REUTERS At least 200 people are said to have been injured. REUTERS The 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey's Aegean coast, but the worst hit was Greece's Kos island. AP Fallen bricks from a damaged castle in Kos. AP People walking by a damaged building. AP People walk through floodwater following the earthquake in Bodrum, Turkey. REUTERS People uploaded photos and videos of the damage onto social media. REUTERS A flooded road near the coast in Kos. AP People try to move cars from the flooded street. AP In Kos' old town area, where there are bars and night spots, broken stone littered the streets. AP A man spends the night outside following the devastating earthquake in Bitez. AP Rubble sits on the street in front of a collapsed house after an earthquake in Kos on the island of Kos, Greece AP A car is covered with debris following an earthquake on the island of Kos, Greec EPA Medics transfer an man injured during an earthquake off the island of Kos, to the hospital of the city of Heraklion on the island of Crete, Greece Reuters A man looks at damaged boats at a beach following a sea surge caused by an earthquake AFP/Getty Images Tourists gather outside terminal buildings at an airport on the island of Kos AFP/Getty Images A damaged vehicle is seen following a sea surge caused by an earthquake, in the Agean coastal city of Mugla, Bodrum EPA

She said they were able to return to the hotel just long enough to retrieve their passports before they were forced out again by tremors.

Tom Perry-Fox, who was on the second floor of his hotel in Kos when the earthquake struck, said it was "like a movie".

He told Sky News: "You're scared for your life, you don't know what's happening.

Wreckage: damage caused by the earthquake on the Greek island of Kos / REUTERS

A mother and daughter who went on holiday to Kos for a break following a sudden death in the family said they woke up to their room shaking.

Eleanor Ruddock and her 22-year-old daughter Naomi immediately grabbed their phones and ran outside.

Speaking from their room in the Akti Palace resort, Ms Ruddock said: "We were asleep and we just felt the room shaking. The room moved. Literally everything was moving. And it kind of felt like you were on a boat and it was swaying really fast from side to side, you felt seasick."

Diving instructor Christopher Hackland, from Edinburgh, said: The instant reaction was to get ourselves out of the (hotel) room. There was banging. There was shaking. The light was swinging, banging on the ceiling, crockery falling out of the cupboards, and pans were making noise.

There was a lot of screaming and crying and hysterics coming from the hotel. It felt like being at a theme park with one of the illusions, an optical illusion where you feel like youre upside down.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100.

"Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery," he said.

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He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos's main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged.

Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred six miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles east-northeast of Kos with a depth of six miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkish disaster officials said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic".

In Bitez, a resort town about four miles west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds.

Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone.
P rince George finally cracked a smile after his parents went to the extreme length of arranging a helicopter to be at the airport as they left Germany.

George, who turns four on Saturday, has appeared glum at every moment he has been thrust into the spotlight during the Royals five-day tour of Poland and Germany.

But he was all smiles and waved as the family took to the tarmac where the choppers, worth an estimated 12 million combined, were waiting at the Airbus site in Hamburg.

But Princess Charlotte appeared to throw a little tantrum as the family arrived at the air base, before being given a stern telling off by the Duchess of Cambridge.

They were a special treat for little George who palace sources say is "helicopter crazy."

Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk with their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they visit Airbus in Hamburg / PA

It was Charlotte who had a tantrum this time - throwing herself to the ground in a huff at one point.

The two-year-old stamped her feet and looked on the brink of tears - but the strop passed as quickly as it began when her parents cunningly distracted her with the impressive choppers.

Princess Charlotte throws a little tantrum in Germany

Prince William, who flies the H145 for the air ambulance, proudly gave demonstrations to his family.

The Fab Four looked at the H145 before heading to the H135 where George eagerly clambered on board.

Kate's fashion on tour of Poland and Germany

William was seen showing his son how to open and close the door.

They then headed to the private jet with Charlotte's bad mood completely evaporated as she skipped towards the steps.

They were seen off by the British ambassador Sir Sebastian Wood and the mayor of Hamburg Olaf Schulz.

Diplomatic Charlotte shook hands with both and the youngsters were handed a book each with a red ribbon wrapped around.

Princess Charlotte with the Duchess of Cambridge at the airfield / Getty Images

George bravely bounded up the steps - ready to start his birthday celebrations.

Charlotte was helped up the steps by her dotting dad while Kate said a final goodbye to the ambassador and mayor.

They colour coordinated in shades of red and purple.

George in his trademark navy shorts and a shirt and Charlottle in a pretty summer floral frock.
P eople who snore are at greater risk of developing dementia later in life, researchers have said.

Scientists at Harvard University found that disorders such as sleep apnea that disrupt sleep are linked to greater cognitive decline, especially among those with a gene that predisposes them to Alzheimer's.

Loss of memory and thinking function were reported to be particularly poor in people who both suffer a sleep disorder and also carry a gene called the apolipoprotein -4 (APOE-4) allele, linked to greater risk of developing Alzheimer's.

About 20 per cent of the population are thought to carry the APOE-4 allele, while snoring is believed to affect up to 40 per cent.

The researchers found that a condition called increased overnight hypoxemia, in which blood oxygen levels fall, and increased daytime sleepiness were associated with poorer attention span and memory.

More daytime sleepiness was also linked to slower thinking speed, while sleep apnea was tied to poorer attention and thinking speed.

The links were strongest in carriers of the Alzheimer's risk gene APOE-4.

Sleep apnea, in which sufferers briefly stop breathing as many as 30 times per hour during the night, is marked by loud, heavy snoring.

Our study provides further evidence that sleep-disordered breathing negatively affects attention, processing speed and memory, which are robust predictors of cognitive decline, said senior study author Susan Redline, professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Given the lack of effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, our results support the potential for sleep-disordered breathing screening and treatment as part of a strategy to reduce dementia risk.
P assengers departing London over the busiest travel weekend of the year have been reassured they should not face chaotic delays after an earthquake hit Greece and Turkey last night.

Two people were killed and more than 120 were injured when the earthquake struck off the coast of popular island Kos in the early hours of Friday.

The 6.7 magnitude quake  which was felt nearby in Bodrum, Turkey  left some tourists sleeping outside after buildings collapsed into piles of rubble.

The Foreign Office has warned of possible disruption to ferry and flight services as a result of the earthquake and several flights out of Kos airport have been delayed or cancelled.

Earthquake hits Mediterranean holiday resorts 1 /33 Earthquake hits Mediterranean holiday resorts Hotel guests sleep outdoors after abandoning their rooms. AP At least two people were killed in the earthquake. AP This hotel, west of Bodrum in Turkey, saw residents sleeping outside. AP A man lies on the ground as other tourists stand outside a bar in Kos. AP Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road of stones in Kos. AP Damage and flooding on the Greek island of Kos. AP People sleeping in the street after the quake in Kos. REUTERS Damage on the streets of Kos caused by the earthquake. REUTERS Bicycles lie strewn in the street after the natural disaster. REUTERS At least 200 people are said to have been injured. REUTERS The 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey's Aegean coast, but the worst hit was Greece's Kos island. AP Fallen bricks from a damaged castle in Kos. AP People walking by a damaged building. AP People walk through floodwater following the earthquake in Bodrum, Turkey. REUTERS People uploaded photos and videos of the damage onto social media. REUTERS A flooded road near the coast in Kos. AP People try to move cars from the flooded street. AP In Kos' old town area, where there are bars and night spots, broken stone littered the streets. AP A man spends the night outside following the devastating earthquake in Bitez. AP Rubble sits on the street in front of a collapsed house after an earthquake in Kos on the island of Kos, Greece AP A car is covered with debris following an earthquake on the island of Kos, Greec EPA Medics transfer an man injured during an earthquake off the island of Kos, to the hospital of the city of Heraklion on the island of Crete, Greece Reuters A man looks at damaged boats at a beach following a sea surge caused by an earthquake AFP/Getty Images Tourists gather outside terminal buildings at an airport on the island of Kos AFP/Getty Images A damaged vehicle is seen following a sea surge caused by an earthquake, in the Agean coastal city of Mugla, Bodrum EPA

But, as the British summer break begins, London holidaymakers have been reassured by flight operators that they should be able to travel as planned.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook said it has teams in the areas affected who are supporting customers. There is no disruption to travel out of the UK, he added.

Travel: Thomas Cook advised passengers to contact them if they were concerned about their trip

The spokesman advised customers to continue as planned and to contact the company if they were concerned.

"Any customers who are on holiday with us and who have concerns should speak to our teams on the ground or call us on +44 161 774 2966," he said.

"And any customers who are due to travel to the affected areas in the coming days should check our website for updates or call us on 01733 224 536.

Easyjet confirmed an early-morning flight to Bodrum departed as scheduled and announced it was not expecting any disruption to services over the weekend.

Heathrow Airport was unaffected by the chaos and Gatwick and Luton spokesmen confirmed flights would be departing as usual.

Two dead in earthquake that strikes Greek island of Kos

A spokeswoman for Stansted Airport said she was not aware of any disruption to flights but advised passengers to check with their operator.

This is a very busy travel weekend, she said. So we would always advise people to check the status of their flight with their airline.

A statement on the Foreign Office website said: Please contact your airline, ferry company or tour operator for updates to services.

It also instructed anyone in the affected area to contact friends and family to tell them they are safe.

You should be aware of the possibility of aftershocks, and follow the advice of the local authorities and/or your tour operator, it added.
T he US is set to ban its citizens from visiting North Korea, according to tour agencies operating there.

Two agencies, Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, claim the ban will be announced on 27 July and come into effect 30 days later.

The reports have not been confirmed by the US.

Young Pioneer Tours was the agency that took American student Otto Warmbier to North Korea. He was arrested during his trip and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.

After falling into a coma he was released and returned to the US, but died days later.

North Korea has said through its state media that Mr Warmbier's death was "a mystery" and dismissed accusations that he had died as a result of torture and beating in captivity.

Otto Warmbier while detained in North Korea / REUTERS

Young Pioneer Tours, based in China, issued a statement on Friday saying: "We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea).

"It is expected that the ban will come into force within 30 days of July 27th. After the 30 day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government."

The company had reportedly been informed about the ban by the Swedish Embassy, which looks after US affairs in North Korea.

The isolated state allows foreign tourists to visit but their travel is strictly limited.

Tensions between North Korea and the US have heated up in recent months as Kim Jong Un continues to test nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, US vice president Mike Pence said the era of strategic patience with the nation was over.
L inkin Park frontman Chester Bennington spoke candidly about his depression in the final interview before his death, saying that he had to fight.

The US rocker, 41, who was found dead at the Palos Verdes Estates in Los Angeles on Thursday, said that he either had to give up and f****** die or choose to carry on with his life.

Speaking to reporter Will Lavin, in an interview obtained by the Mirror, Bennington said that he wanted to enjoy being a father to his six children.

I came to a point in my life where I was like, I can either just give up and f****** die or I can f****** fight for what I want,'" he said.

Chester Bennington: Music world responds to the death of Linkin Park singer

And I chose to fight for what I wanted. I wanted to have good relationships. I wanted to love the people in my life. I wanted to enjoy my job.

He added: I wanted to enjoy being a dad and having friends and just getting up in the morning. Because that was a struggle for me.

Benninton, whose death is being investigated as a possible suicide, went on to say that the bands new album and regular therapy sessions had helped him conquer his demons.

Benningtons fellow bandmates Mike Shinoda and Dave Phoenix Farrell said they had been left heartbroken by the news of his death.

Music world stars including Rihanna, Imagine Dragons and Stormzy have all paid tribute to the iconic frontman.

The date of Benningtons death, July 20, marks what would have been the 53rd birthday of his close friend Chris Cornell, who died in May this year.

For confidential support on mental health call the Samaritans on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or attend a local Samaritans branch.


A ctress Evanna Lynch has revealed that she left a budding career in Los Angeles for London because she couldnt find any unique parts.

The 25-year-old beat 15,000 girls in an audition to win the coveted role of Luna Lovegood in four of the Harry Potter films.

After the franchise ended she moved to LA to try to further her career. However, the Irish star is now on stage in London in the revival of the acclaimed play Disco Pigs.

On a whim, I met a manager. He was very encouraging so I just went [to LA], she said. I stayed for three months, then five years passed. I [did] acting classes, trying different methods. I just felt the stuff I was reading for out there I didnt love it as much as the stuff here. I was finding much more unique projects like this.

As soon as I read this [Disco Pigs] script I thought, This is so strange, and it made me think a lot. I moved back here in November.

In Disco Pigs she plays 17-year-old Runt, alongside Colin Campbell. The play, at Trafalgar Studios, tells of two teenagers whose explosive relationship is played out in the nightclubs of Cork.

I was doing the Potter films at that age. I wasnt a party animal, she said. I seem to play teens who are wild and unapologetic  but I was bookish and introverted.

Disco Pigs, by Enda Walsh, runs until August 19.
[July 20, 2017] Allegheny Citizens Unite to Make History

PITTSBURGH, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Election Integrity - DontTreadOnMyVote.com is an Allegheny County, non-partisan organization spearheading legislation for the formation of a county commission of citizen experts whose mission will be secure, accessible, auditable, and re-countable elections in Allegheny County. "Pennsylvania's state election law requires that all elections are auditable. Yet Allegheny's votes are tabulated using electronic voting machines with no paper trail. This also means the voting record cannot be audited and is vulnerable to fraud or flawed software. Like millions of people around the country, our county citizens are increasingly concerned that their votes are vulnerable to manipulation and fraud and they are voicing their concerns by signing our petition to create a Citizens Commission to make our elections more secure," says Dr. Michelle Zuckerman Parker, founder of Election Integrity and the DontTreadOnMyVote movement. In the midst of growing evidence of nationwide hacking and vote manipulation in the 2016 election, the proposed ordinance would create a commission, comprised of members chosen by County Council and the County Chief Executive, to review the County's voting systems and recommend improvements including the possibility of changing the system to paper ballots. There are three simultaneous efforts for this legislation: Citizens met with their County Councilperson who could introduce it, pass it, and implement it; A petition drive to put the ordinance on the Council's agenda. The agenda initiative requires 500 valid signatures of registered voters i the County to be collected in a short time period; A campaign to place the legislation directly before the voters in the November election. This requires 22,000 signatures to be collected by July 31 .



League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, VoteAllegheny, B-pep (Black Empowerment Political Project) and the national organization, Verified Voting. The Election Integrity - DontTreadOnMyVote.com movement is quickly gaining momentum and attracting national attention, with the Twitter hashtag #22KSignatures. The website provides information for volunteers and for voters looking for a signing location. They are eagerly looking for more volunteers. Allegheny County residents are encouraged to sign, collect signatures or set up a signing station and citizens across the country are encouraged to enact similar movements.

Dr. Zuckerman-Parker earned her doctorate in Instructional Technology from Duquesne University and her undergraduate at Rochester Institute of Technology. She was previously funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for her innovative work to empower students to be change agents. She is a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant. She received the American Assoc. of University Women, "Friend of Equity Award" (2009), from Duquesne University. "Mind Heart & Spirit" Award (2008) and a two-year appointment as a member of "Emerging Scholars Network" of the International Assoc. for Media & Communication Research (2007). Media Contact:

Dr. Michelle Zuckerman Parker

Email: [email protected] Related Files Ordinance_by_referendum.pdf Related Images image1.jpg image2.png image3.png image4.png Related Links http://donttreadonmyvote.com/ http://lwvpgh.org/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/allegheny-citizens-unite-to-make-history-300491795.html SOURCE Election Integrity-DontTreadOnMyVote.com

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Growing up in a small town in western Nebraska, Angela Morris always knew its where she wanted to teach. This fall, she starts the next part of her career journey as principal at Geil Elementary School in Gering.

Graduating from Paxton High School, she attended Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, now Midland University, where she earned her degree in elementary education.

I also met my husband at Midland, she said. We lived in Omaha for a few years while he was finishing his degree in Occupational Therapy at Creighton University.

Morris did substitute teaching in several schools in the Omaha area, later teaching at Elkhorn and Bellevue.

After her husband finished his degree and landed a job in North Platte, the family moved west.

I started out teaching in the country schools, but I moved into the North Platte district after the rural schools were consolidated, she said.

After teaching in urban areas, she realized that teaching in a one-room schoolhouse was different but it was like going home to what she knew growing up.

The country schools had small classes and individual attention, she said. With both third- and first-graders in the same classroom, it was like a big brother, big sister relationship. The second child sometimes learns a lot from the first.

Morris said what she loves about elementary education is the childrens sense of discovery. Everythings new to them and theyre eager to learn and try new things. Thats why her heart is in elementary education.

After teaching in North Platte for about 15 years, Morris learned about the principal position opening in Gering.

She was excited about what Gering was doing with their response intervention process in working individually and in small groups to get every student to the level where he or she should be in their education.

I was a big advocate for that while I was in North Platte, she said. I worked closely with my principal and attended several conferences in Omaha. It just made sense in how to reach every student.

Relationships are another essential part of the education process; and Morris saw that during her interview process.

From the questions, I could tell how everyone in Gering is focused on relationships with staff, students, parents and community, she said. That was important to me. I also saw the support from the teachers and the administrative team. They were very connected and those relationships are important.

Morris said she wants to continue the positive things happening at Geil.

We have great teachers here and a lot of support from the parent groups, she said. Im also ready to try some new things they want to try. This is all about the kids and whats important for them.

Morris wants kids to become independent learners even as they move on from Geil.

I want them take the knowledge theyve learned and go out on their own and discover things, she said. I want then to not be afraid to try new things and even fail. For most of them, their future jobs havent been invented yet.
SCOTTSBLUFF  Nowadays it would seem all too easy to borderline blissfully ignorant  or even completely detached  about where our food comes from.

However, the Western Nebraska Agri-Women, an affiliate of American Agri-Women, aims to change that through education and membership programs.

Janeene Brown, president of the western Nebraska affiliate and part owner of Deines Irrigation, said the chapter was founded five years ago, and while theyre a small group (10 members), they are mighty.

Theres a lot of people who want to join us, but they live an hour away, so were trying out some new things, she said. Even if we just reach people, educate and bring facts to them, thats what were about.

At its first-ever Business After Hours, the Western Nebraska Agri-Women had tables set up with different foods and various ag facts about where the foods came from.

Were advocating for local ag as much as we can in Nebraska, charter member Elaine Pile said. Were trying to get the good information out and alleviate some of the misunderstandings.

Pile said that a hot-button issue has been genetically modified organisms. Pile said oftentimes, misleading information is spread via Facebook, and she hopes events like the business after hours not only help to bolster the Agri-Womens ranks, but also inform the public.

At one of the booths, Amber Newman of Harrisburg gave out samples of her jellies, which are made from locally-sourced ingredients and sold at Laura Lees Double L Country Store and Cafe in Harrisburg.

While she has canned for years, she recently began selling her jams commercially. She said she has become interested in joining the Western Nebraska Agri-Women.

The booths showcased everything from locally-sourced dry beans, beats and beef, to wheat and corn. Numerous Nebraska beers and wines were also available for tasting.

As part of their outreach efforts, Brown said the group also hosts activities like the kids rodeo at fair every year and a farmers share breakfast at the Farm and Ranch Expo in February, where they sell breakfast burritos at 25 cents a piece  the exact return farmers make of the production of each raw ingredient that goes into making a breakfast burrito.

This year, we upped it to 200 burritos, and we still sold out within half an hour, Brown said.

Brown said the Western Nebraska Agri-Women meet the first Thursday of every month at Runza on Broadway in Scottsbluff. If you missed the event, but are still interested in joining the chapter, give their Facebook page (Western Nebraska Agri-Women) a like or email Brown at janeene@deinesirrigation.com.
[July 20, 2017] Computer Assisted Coding Market by Software (Natural Language Processing, Structured Input, Integrated Systems), Service (Support, Education & Training), Application - Global Forecast to 2022

LONDON, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The global computer-assisted coding market is projected to reach USD 4.75 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 11.5% during the forecast period.



The factors expected to drive the growth of the market are increased regulatory requirements for patient data management, increasing implementation of EHR (electronic health records), and growing utilization of computer-assisted coding systems to curtail the soaring healthcare costs.





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5009191/



The rapid growth in developing countries across APAC is also expected to provide an opportunity for revenue generation in the market. However, high implementation and maintenance expenses for computer-assisted coding and lack of IT professionals in the healthcare industry are expected to hinder the growth of the computer-assisted coding market to some extent.



The integrated computer-assisted coding software segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on product & service, the market is categorized into solutions and services.



In 2016, the solutions segment dominated the market. The solutions segment is subsegmented into standalone software and integrated software. The integrated computer-assisted coding software segment is the fastest-growing segment of the global computer-assisted coding solutions. This can be attributed to the growing need for optimized computer-assisted coding software for seamless workflow and successful data integration within healthcare provider systems.



The web-based solutions segment to dominate the global computer-assisted coding market during the forecast period

Based on the mode of delivery, the global computer-assisted coding market is segmented into web-based solutions, cloud-based solutions, and on-premise solutions. In 2016, the web-based solutions segment accounted for the largest share of the global computer-assisted coding market.



Web-based solutions help clinicians to create complete and accurate clinical documentation. Healthcare providers prefer web-based solutions owing to their data security features, cost benefits and ease of support in downstream revenue cycle and quality reporting processes.



North America to witness the highest growth during the forecast period (2017-2022)



North America is the largest market for computer-assisted coding, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The implementation of ICD-10 coding standards in the country's healthcare system and the resultant demand for effective claims management processes in the country's healthcare delivery framework are some of the factors contributing to the large share of North America in the market. However, the Asia-Pacific market is expected to register the highest growth during the forecast period owing to the growing need to curtail healthcare delivery costs, increasing implementation of electronic health records in healthcare, and rising medical tourism in this region.







Break of primary participants was as mentioned below:

 By Company Type  Tier 145%, Tier 240% and Tier 315%

 By Designation  C-level41%, Director Level30%, Others29%

 By Region  North America38%, Europe31%, Asia-Pacific19%, RoW12%



The major players in the computer-assisted coding market are 3M Health Information Systems (U.S.), Optum, Inc. (U.S.), Nuance Communications, Inc. (U.S.), McKesson Corporation (U.S.), Cerner Corporation (U.S.), Dolbey Systems, Inc. (U.S), Precyse Solutions LLC. (nThrive) (U.S.), Craneware plc (U.K.), Artificial Medical Intelligence (U.S.), TruCode (U.S.). Other players include Quest Diagnostics (U.S.), Streamline Health Solutions (U.S.), M-scribe Technologies, LLC (U.S.), eZDI Inc. (U.S.), Alpha II LLC. (U.S.), ID GmbH & Co. KGaA (Germany), ZyDoc (U.S.), Coding Strategies, Inc. (U.S.), Patient Code Software (U.S.), and Flash Code (U.S.).





Research Coverage:

The report analyzes the computer-assisted coding market and aims at estimating the market size and future growth potential of this market based on various segments such as product & service, application, mode of delivery, end user, and region.



The report also includes an in-depth regulatory analysis for various regions across the globe and competitive analysis of the key players in this market along with their company profiles, product and service offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies. This report also provides market information on North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World.



Reasons to Buy the Report

The report will enrich established firms as well as new entrants/smaller firms to gauge the pulse of the market, which in turn would help them, garner a greater share. Firms purchasing the report could use one or any combination of the below-mentioned five strategies.



This report provides insights on the following pointers:

 Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on product portfolios offered by the top players in the computer-assisted coding market. This report analyzes the market by product & service, application, mode of delivery, end user, and region

 Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on the upcoming trends and product launches in the computer-assisted coding market

 Market Development: Comprehensive information about the lucrative emerging markets for computer-assisted coding

 Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, growing regions, recent developments, and investments in the computer-assisted coding market

 Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, products, and technological capabilities of the leading players in the computer-assisted coding market

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COLUMBUS, Neb.  The price of copper has been inching up slightly in 2017, and so have copper thefts. Copper theft, done specifically to pick up a small amount of cash quickly, is especially harmful because of the safety risks it creates when taken from electric utility property, such as substations and power poles. The risk can cause fires, explosions, power outages, electric shock, or even loss of life.

In the past week, Nebraska Public Power District has seen a significant jump in thefts of copper from its locked substations. Individuals have entered several substations illegally and have taken grounds, typically an eight inch copper rod used to direct stray current to the ground and minimize equipment damage. There is no way to know by looking at the ground rod and wiring whether it is carrying electricity or not at any given time.

We are asking the public to be our eyes and ears and be on the lookout for the potential theft of copper wiring from transmission poles and substations across the state, said NPPD Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Kent. The substations targeted are located in rural areas as opposed to those located in communities. Stealing copper or other metals from substations or electric facilities is a crime.

Kent explained that copper theft is a significant safety issue for the thieves, but it can potentially cause harm to members of the public and utility workers. Copper thefts can cause power outages that can be inconvenient for customers and costly to business.

NPPD urges anyone who may see suspicious activity at electric substations to contact their local law enforcement agency with a description of the individuals and vehicles involved. Kent emphasized that individuals should not attempt to apprehend the intruders.

He also stressed that NPPDs service vehicles are well-marked with bright orange bumpers. Other utilities serving specific areas have wording or logos on their vehicles identifying them as an electric utility, too.

The public should alert local law enforcement of any vehicles that are not identified as being from a utility and activities that appear to be unusual, or individuals that appear to be acting suspicious around electric facilities including power line poles, he added.

NPPD works with law enforcement agencies across the state to make them aware of the signs of potential copper theft and their personal safety when investigating these thefts. Some of the signs of copper theft to watch for include:

Loose or broken wires;

Broken utility pole attachments;

Open gates at unattended substations or holes in the security fence;

Burn marks on utility equipment; and

Electrical arcing
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.




(Isabelle Z.) Italys controversial new measure that requires young students to get vaccines against 12 common illnesses is not going over too well with the people, who have taken to the streets to protest the rule.





Related Article: Major Yale Study Shows Vaccines Tied to Multiple Brain Disorders





Source  Natural News

by Isabelle Z., July 17th, 2017

In May, officials ruled that kids will not be allowed to enroll in state-run schools until theyve gotten the vaccines for measles, chicken pox, mumps, hepatitis B, tetanus and polio. Parents who send non-vaccinated kids to schools or even child care facilities will be given steep fines, and repeat offenders could even lose custody of their children. The parents will have to present proof of vaccinations each school year.

Last year, Italy introduced its no jab, no pay policy that took child benefits away from parents who failed to get their kids vaccinated. This resulted in 200,000 more kids getting vaccinated. Despite this increase, measles is on the rise in Italy, and the government is taking the opportunity to blame the jump in cases on not enough kids being vaccinated in an attempt to try to scare more people into getting shots. They have conveniently failed to point out the possible contribution of the shedding of the virus from those who have been vaccinated since that policy was instituted to the current epidemic.

Italy making some concessions in response to protests

People have been protesting for more than a month, and now it appears that their voices are being heard as the Italian Senate has appeared to soften its stance. A new proposal sees lighter penalties for those who do not get on board if the legislation passes and the original 12 required vaccines being reduced to ten. The amendments would also drop the requirement to report those parents who do not comply to authorities, which could have caused some parents to lose custody of their children. Meanwhile, the maximum penalty for older children who are already in school but havent been vaccinated will be decreased from 7,500 Euros to 2,500 Euros.

While this is certainly an improvement, most Italians remain unhappy with the idea of any amount of forced vaccinations, and some people are criticizing the Italian government for its close relationship with vaccine maker Glaxo Smith Kline.

Italians vaccine skepticism hardly surprising

The mainstream media, of course, has largely failed to cover the anti-vaccine protests, despite the presence of millions of people in major Italian cities shouting We want freedom! Its only natural that the people would want to have the freedom to choose whether they put their childrens lives at risk with vaccines that contain all manner of horrific ingredients like thimerosal and formaldehyde.

In addition, it is not surprising that Italians would be skeptical of vaccines. On top of the growing body of evidence showing a link between vaccines and several scary side effects as well as autism, a flu vaccine made headlines in the country in 2014 when 13 people died after being given the jab. This prompted the Italian government to ban the batches that were behind the deaths.

The new decree must now pass through Italys Chamber of Deputies, where it is expected to be approved, although there is the possibility that further amendments might be added.

Similar legislation was recently passed in France, where children will be required to get 11 vaccines despite widespread doubts among the population regarding vaccine safety and efficacy.

_________________________

Stillness in the Storm Editors note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Do you think this article needs a correction or update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com with the error, headline and url. Thank you for reading.
Prime Minister of the Government of Republic of Moldova Pavel Filip has stated on Friday that the North-Atlantic Alliance (NATO) will open an office in Chisinau, underscoring that "the Republic of Moldova's neutrality doesn't mean the isolation of this country."

Filip said, at the end of the meeting with Romanian PM Mihai Tudose, that the NATO office in Chisinau might be operational as of August 2017.

"We want and I assure you that we will further have a good collaboration with the North-Atlantic Alliance. (...) There is no obstacle and no barrier in opening this office, except for some technical issues and we hope that by August we would have fixed them so we have a NATO liaison office here in Chisinau," PM Filip mentioned.

agerpres.
[July 20, 2017] Maritime industry experts to discuss cyber security

WannaCry cyberattack and other huge IT outages prompt warnings on vulnerability of shipping industry, as cost of average attack rises to US$4 million per incident SINGAPORE, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IT protection and cyber security will take centre stage at the biennial Seatrade Offshore Marine and Workboats Middle East (SOMWME) exhibition and conference, taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 25  27 September 2017. The focus on IT systems at sea follows the recent global WannaCry attack, which shut down computers used by Spanish ISP Telefonica, FedEX and the UK's National Health Service, among others, affecting some 200,000 computers in 150 countries. This was followed later in May with the British Airways outage, which saw hundreds of flights cancelled over a holiday weekend and 500 million wiped of parent company IAG's value. Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President Safety & Security Services, Inmarsat, the mobile satellite company, will deliver the keynote presentation in the Knowledge Theatre, "Cyber Security: Protecting the Industry", assessing the new risk factors of an increasingly connected shipping industry and how industry players can protect themselves against cyber security threats. "Hacking, ransomware and system outages have long been a concern for the shipping industry, particularly with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the connected ship. These risks are heightened due to the significant growth in networks of physical objects accessed through the internet," said Broadhurst. According to a 2016 global analysis report by the Ponemon Institute, which surveyed data collected from 383 companies in 12 countries, the average total cost of a data breach stands at US$4 million, a figure that has increased 29% since 2013. The average cost per lost or stolen record is $158, with a 15% average price increase since 2013. In total, the number of security incidents reported in 2015 stood 63% higher than in 2014. Emma Howell, Group Marketing Manager, Seatrade portfolio commented, "Over recent weeks and months, we have seen huge organisations crippled by ransomware attacks and IT meltdowns  compromising systems and costing some businesses many millions of dollars. The need for the shipping industry to tackle thisgrowing menace head-on is greater than ever before and we look forward to welcoming decision makers and industry leaders to debate these important issues."



However, compounding the issue, insurance providers are yet to close all of the gaps in their policies, leaving shipping companies at even greater risk and facing huge financial losses. "Most insurance policies have Cyberattack exclusion clauses, for property damage and business interruption and this exposes shipping companies and ship owners to huge risks. We have seen some response from the insurance industry but until comprehensive products are rolled out the responsibility of backing up systems, protecting data and ensuring a network is robust and secure, very much remains with the shipping company and ship owner," added Howell.

Staying with the technological theme, the SOMWME 2017 programme will also feature sessions on SMART solutions, covering developing technologies such as automation and predictive maintenance, alongside design and development of a new generation of specialised offshore vessels, with confirmed speakers including; Arnstein Eknes, Business/Segment Director Special Ships, DNV GL, Oskar Levandar, SVP Concepts & Innovation, Rolls-Royce; and Alexander Nurnberg, Managing Director, MacGregor. Elsewhere on the Seminar programme, discussion will turn to green and efficient vessels for the future. Seatrade Offshore Marine & Workboats is the largest workboat and offshore marine event outside of the USA, attracting more than 200 offshore marine and workboat companies. For more information and event updates, contact Emma Howell, Group Marketing Manager, Seatrade Portfolio: Tel: +44 1206 545121; or log on to www.seatradeoffshoremarine.com. About UBM's maritime portfolio  connecting customers globally UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors  from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions. For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn About Inmarsat Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat operates around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com. The Inmarsat press release newsfeed and corporate updates are on @InmarsatGlobal. Media Contact STEVEN JONES

Managing Director

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Website: www.shamalcomms.com A member of the WorldWisePR Affiliates View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maritime-industry-experts-to-discuss-cyber-security-300492143.html SOURCE Seatrade Communications

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Prime Minister Mihai Tudose stated on Friday in Chisinau that Romania will remain an advocate of the Republic of Moldova at international level.

He stated, at the end of a meeting in Chisinau with his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip, but also with members of the Moldovan Cabinet, that Romania will endorse the Moldovan authorities in order to follow a European path, but he underscored the need of continuance of the power in the Republic of Moldova.

"There is a need of continuance, a need of stability because otherwise all the efforts made by the Moldovan Government and the Government of Bucharest in order to help, if they don't have a finality in a few years, to cross as soon as possible the path towards the European Union on which the Republic of Moldova has enrolled, it's a shame to make so many unnecessary efforts. We are fully committed in the joint effort with the Republic of Moldova," Tudose stated.

agerpres.
Romania's President Klaus Iohannis and President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, on Friday were presented with "Dr. Wilhelm Filderman - For Merit Reward" medals, at an event hosted by the Choral Temple of Bucharest to celebrate the 135th birth anniversary of Wilhelm Filderman, who was chairman of the Union of Romania's Jewish Communities in 1929-1941 and 1944 - October 25, 1945.

"We are presenting Mr President with the 'Dr. Wilhelm Filderman - For Merit Reward' medal as we believe, judging by his speeches so far, that he is a true model. He is a model that can be referenced by any important politician who wants to go down in history as Wilhelm Filderman did," said Aurel Vainer, chairman of the Federation of Romania's Jewish Communities.

"It is hereby awarded an honorary medal 'Dr. Wilhelm Filderman - For Merit Reward' to His Excellence Klaus Werner Iohannis, Romania's president to acknowledge your precious contribution to the constant advancement of principles, values and laws of a pluralistic democracy in Romania, in gratitude for the continual cultivation of intercultural, interethnic and interdenominational dialogue under mutual respect circumstances," reads the motivation signed by Albert Kupferberg, chairman of the Filderman Foundation and by Chairman of the Federation of Romania's Jewish Communities Aurel Vainer.

Accepting the medal on behalf of President Iohannis was his adviser Sergiu Nistor.

"I am receiving the 'Dr. Wilhelm Filderman - For Merit Reward' anniversary medal with gratitude and joy over the friendship that connects me to your community. I am extending my cordial salutations to the leadership of the Federation of Romania's Jewish Communities and the management of the Filderman Foundation. They are bringing to our attention the higher-than-life personality of Wilhelm Filderman, whose 135th birth anniversary we are celebrating. Wilhelm Filderman was a loyal and faithful fighter for the political rights of people of Jewish origins living in Romania. (...) I would like to mention particularly Wilhelm Filderman's personal courage and loyalty as he fought for Romania during WWI and was decorated for his combat exploits with prestigious decorations such as 'Romania's Crown' and 'Military Virtue'. (...) I can see in the medal you are bestowing on me today, and which is an honour to me to accept, your commendation for the objectives I have set to achieve and our joint commitment to achieving them. Today's anniversary is a necessary commemoration of the man and human model that Wilhelm Filderman embodied," reads Iohannis' message read out by his adviser Nistor.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk was presented the same medal to acknowledge his contributions to the advancement of European democratic values, peace and social dialogue.

Receiving the medal on behalf of Tusk was personal aide Stefan Smith, who read out a message from Tusk in which Tusk gives thanks for the message received and a letter informing him about the decision to award him the medal. President Tusk, added Smith, is grateful for the medal and says getting it is an honour to him, asking the awarders to deliver the medal by courier.

Also presented the medal were Chairman of the European Court of Human Rights Guido Raimondi; European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu; Minister for Romanians Everywhere Andreea Pastarnac; Chairman of the Romanian Academy Ionel Valentin Vlad; Israeli ambassador to Romania Tamar Samash; Bucharest Bar Dean Ion Dragne; Bucharest University Chancellor Mircea Dumitru, and President and CEO of Romania's National Television Broadcasting Corporation (TVR) Irina Radu.

Judge Margareta Teodorescu; Romaqua Group Borsec CEO Octavian Cretu; Kaufland Romania Manager Katharina Scheidereiter, and CEO of Zdrovit Romania pharmaceuticals company Cristian Iliescu were among the awardees as well.

Part of the event, Romania's consul general in New York Radu-Catalin Dancu, was presented a "Medal of Honour - Friend of Romania's Jewish Communities."

The celebrations continued with a symposium called "135 years since the birth of Dr Wilhelm Filderman - a figurehead of Romania's Jewry, European promoter of national minorities' rights defence." Delivering speeches to the symposium were Radu-Catalin Dancu; Nicolae Dragusin - scientific researcher with the Elie Wiesel National Institute for Holocaust Studies in Romania; Lya Benjamin - researcher with the Centre for Jewish History Studies in Romania, as well as Chairman of the Jewish Community of Bucharest Paul Schwartz.
Approximately 25,000 servicemen from 22 NATO member states and allies and over 3,000 combat means participated in the Saber Guardian 17 (SG17), the largest military exercise conducted on Romania's soil, says a release of the National Defence Ministry (MApN) sent to agerpres. on Friday.

The SG17 displayed an impressive force on the territories of Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, following a fictitious scenario in which more than 25,000 troops, with more than 3,000 technical means, of which 90 combat and transport aircraft, carried out military operations for the release of a portion of the territory occupied by a hostile force.

"The SG17 proved the reaction and deterrence capacity of the allied and partner states in a collective defense scenario, by exercising the projection of force. Only on Romania's soil, approximately 70 train sets, over 400 auto convoys, approximately 50 air flights and a maritime transport ship have gathered this impressive force, with exercises being conducted in over 20 shooting ranges, training centers and deployment districts," the release points out.

During the exercise, the servicemen have conducted a large range of operations in a multinational, inter-armed and joint context: air assault, tactical marches, operations on water courses, fire guiding, maneuvers and real shootings with the technique of all forces categories, medical evacuation and treatment of wounded.

For the impeccable performance of all the personnel, equipment and ammunition maneuvers in various countries, combat firing drills and other sequences, the General Staff structures have coordinated the operations as being the host country.

The Joint Forces Command has coordinated the activities of all national, allied and partner structures participating in the exercise on the national territory, from the Advanced Command Point situated at the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" garrison.

"The main task was to synchronize the deployment of the SG17 integrated and associated national exercises led by the the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) that was possible by staying permanently connected to the Command Point of the Multinational Division in Novo Selo, Bulgaria,'' the MApN mentioned.

Furthermore, the Communications and Information Command and the Joint Logistics Command have supported the military exercise in terms of special equipment.

The Romanian Army participated in the exercise with approximately 8,000 servicemen of the land forces and 1,000 technical means, over 1,000 servicemen of the air forces, over 40 aircraft and almost 800 servicemen of the naval forces, with 10 combat ships and logistic support, 12 watercraft and 18 land means.

One of the most complex operations was forcing the Danube River, where approximately 1,600 servicemen with over 400 technical means have crossed the water course in contact with the enemy, being supported by aircraft and river ships.

For the first time in a major military exercise that was carried out in Romania, in a realistic scenario, it were exercised the transportation and treatment of wounded, by the deployment of three NATO ROL 2 hospitals (212 U.S. Campaign, ROL 2 Medical School of the Romanian Armed Forces and Balkan Medical School), an operation coordinated nationwide by the Medical Directorate.

In order to ensure transparency, between 12 - 18 July, 25 delegates from 13 member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have been observing the SG17 exercise. The delegates had the possibility to watch from the ground or helicopters, the areas where different sequences were being conducted, the size and layout of troops in the field.

The observation activity was organized in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Document 2011 on confidence and security measures in the OSCE space, Chapter 6 - and Security in the OSCE Area, Chapter VI - Observation of certain military activities.
Every startup knows that in order to start seeing a profit margin, it takes a lot more than just a brilliant idea. In recent years, startup culture has been celebrated for boosting overall innovation and flexibility within the business world, but it has also been subject to various misconceptions. Stories of unicorns and entrepreneurs who catch the eye of a big name investor, earning millions overnight, have led many startup hopefuls down the wrong path.

To avoid putting the cart before the horse, early stage startups need to be aware of all the options available, and when it comes to financing your startup, there are several innovative ways that can help you turn that brilliant idea into a reality.

1. Reach out to your peers

Understood to be one of the more flexible platforms for startups to increase their financial prospects, peer-2-peer lending has created space for small companies to raise capital without having to go to the bank. Removing the presence of an official financial entity, individuals can interact on a personal level with their borrowers and are able to seek out addition sources of funding if needed. Lending Club is a leading example as one of the worlds largest P2P lending platform, which provides loans from individuals and SMEs.

2. Industry specific grants and loans

Startup culture has had a major influence on the global business world. With many cities around the world investing in technology, and local startup ecosystems, there are more local initiatives that aim to support local SMEs and startups than ever before.

Programs, like Virgin Startup, focus on local entrepreneur needs and, in addition to financial help, provide mentorship as well. And its not just private companies that are lending a hand, government entities are also offering funding schemes. The European Small Business Portal is a scheme funded by the European Union that offers both direct and indirect funding as well as alternative resources.

3. Crowdfunding is still a thing!

In 2009, a company was launched that changed the way creative enterprises, like startups, and independent entrepreneurs do business forever. That company was Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform that has generated over $5 billion in direct economic impact for both creators and their communities. Over the last five years, crowdfunding has been all the rage and has led to startup-specific crowdfunding sites. Platforms such as AngelList and Crowdfunder focus on helping small businesses get their names out there while focusing on industry-specific needs, such as launch costs, raising capital and carving out a sustainable business plan for your company.

4. Invest in an expert

While consulting an expert isnt a direct way to fund your startup, its an effective way to increase your chances of acquiring financial assistance, especially if youre looking to get your hands on some venture capital funding. Financial consultants know the language of money and can help guide your startup in the right direction, creating financial guidelines that will help you both attract and retain investment in the long run.

From crowdfunding to working with contractors, startups today have a myriad of options that they can explore that will increase their chances of financing their idea. The above steps are both practical and flexible, which not only helps in the early stages of development but also encourages long-term financial growth.
St. Louis' minimum wage will soon to drop to $7.70, but who benefited from the short-lived increase to $10 an hour?

Economist Charles Gascon and Senior Research Associate Daniel Eubanks looked into the issue and their findings were released in May by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Gascon and Eubanks suggest policymakers differentiate between city residents and city workers. Among 32,500 city residents who earn less than $10 an hour, only 19,900 were affected by the raise. Because the majority of city workers commute from outside the city, about 23,000 non-residents also benefited.

Another crucial distinction is between low-wage workers and low-income households.

More than half of those living in poverty have no one in their household who is employed. Moreover, many minimum wage workers are often young workers taking their first job, Gascon and Eubanks wrote. So, low wages may not be associated with low household income.

Only 9,500 resident workers who earn less than $10 per hour live in households that earn below the median annual income of about $35,000. Those workers represent 48 percent of the 19,900 residents less than $10 an hour.

Gascon and Eubanks say other policies, such as earned-income tax credits and housing assistance, can do more to help low-income residents.

St. Louis' minimum wage ordinance went into effect in May, raising the wage floor to $10 an hour within the city limits. Missouri's statewide minimum is $7.70 an hour, and a state law pre-empting local minimum wages takes effect Aug. 28.
Halfway through a dangerous heat wave gripping the St. Louis area, people appear to be taking warnings seriously and keeping themselves and others safe.

But its early, said Dr. David Brown, cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. With an excessive heat warning in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday, Brown warned everyone to stay vigilant by taking breaks, staying hydrated and checking on neighbors.

Area emergency rooms report lower than expected numbers of heat-related illnesses since the warning started on Tuesday. Most cases involve problems such as dehydration and exhaustion. There have been no reports of life-threatening heatstroke.

Luckily, air quality levels have mostly remained safe, according to monitoring by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Heat can result in smog, which can exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma.

At Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, emergency room doctors have seen less than a handful of people each day, said Dr. Alok Sengupta, chairman of Mercys emergency department.

With the triple-digit temperatures that weve been having, I think thats pretty good, Sengupta said. People are doing a fairly good job at taking necessary precautions.

With lots of advertising and outreach, people are more aware of Cool Down St. Louis, a volunteer group that provides needy populations in the metro area with an air conditioner or utility assistance, said Gentry Trotter, the groups founder. People can access help through the groups hotline 314-241-7668 or mobile-friendly website, cooldownstlouis.org.

The group is trying to keep up with 850 inquiries this week, which Trotter says is a good thing. The biggest challenge in keeping people safe, providers say, is getting those fearful of being able to pay their bill to turn on their air conditioning.

Weve passed the word inundated, Trotter said. We are now into slammed, whammed, wang, boom.

Gary Christmann, commissioner of the St. Louis Emergency Management Agency, says a citywide effort to get safety messages out via Twitter and Facebook is making a difference, as well as a system to check on city residents who could be in danger.

After a 2006 heat wave coincided with a widespread power outage, the city developed a database of sick and elderly residents and a system to check on them in times of crisis.

We recognized we had a deficiency in being able to locate those who are most vulnerable, Christmann said.

Since then, the system  used in times of excessive heat or cold and other disasters  has been fine-tuned. The database now contains the names of 6,000 residents who are to be contacted with an automated message containing safety information. Those who cant be reached are called by city employees. Those who still cant be reached get a knock on the door.

On Thursday, teams of employees spread across the city and checked on 162 homes in about four hours, Christmann said. We hope we dont find anyone in distress. But if we do, we know we have the resources to be able to respond.

The United Way of Greater St. Louis operates a 24-hour helpline at 2-1-1 to connect residents to social services. More than a quarter of the calls this week were heat-related, officials said, such as how to get help with utilities or locate one of the hundreds of cooling sites across Missouri and the Metro East area.

Groups such as the Salvation Army have been handing out cold bottled water to people in parks, at bus stops or sitting on porches across the city.

Christmann warns that even after the excessive heat ends, needs will continue.

The buildings and city of St. Louis will still be warm for a couple of days, he said. Still take your time. Still continue to take precautions.
Updated at 12:30 p.m. with information about a previous incident in Pine Lawn. Updated again at 1:30 with identification of fatal shooting victim.

A stolen SUV involved in a police chase Thursday night that ended with the fatal shooting of a man by St. Louis police had been pursued by officers from a municipal police cooperative the night before, police said.

Tim Swope, chief of the North County Police Cooperative, said that incident started when police from his department were in pursuit of another vehicle on Wednesday night. He did not have information about the reason for that pursuit.

That chase started in Pine Lawn and went eastbound on Natural Bridge road into the city. Then a white Nissan Murano started chasing the police car  pursuing the pursuers  and tried to ram the officers around Natural Bridge Avenue and Goodfellow Boulevard.

He said his officers ended the pursuit on the first car and chased the Nissan downtown before calling it off and giving area law enforcement information about the wanted vehicle

A day later, St. Louis police saw the Nissan and tried to stop it, according to statements from St. Louis acting police chief Lawrence O'Toole.

A St. Louis police officer ended up fatally shooting a man who jumped from a stolen vehicle that crashed after fleeing police, authorities say The suspect struggled with two officers and then pointed a gun at them before one of the officers shot him, O'Toole said.

On Friday, police said the man was Isiah Perkins, 27, of the 10300 block of Oxford Hill Drive near Creve Coeur.

The police said a second man in the car remained at large.

OToole came to the scene of the shooting in the 6100 block of Laura Avenue near Goodfellow Boulevard to release details on the incident.

He said that about 8:30 p.m. officers spotted the white Nissan Murano, which had been stolen on July 18.

The officers put down spike strips at Goodfellow and Natural Bridge Avenue, OToole said.

The SUV hit the strips but sped north on Goodfellow until it crashed in the parking lot of the St. Louis Fish & Chicken shop at Lillian Avenue and Goodfellow.

OToole said the officers saw that a man who ran from the Murano was holding a gun. The two pursuing officers twice fired Tasers at him and fought with him during their attempt to arrest him.

OToole said the Tasers apparently were ineffective; when the suspect pointed a gun at the officers, one of them fired several shots at him, killing him. The officer, actually, was knocked to the ground and was on the ground at the time he fired at the suspect, OToole said.

Police are searching for another man who ran from the Murano, OToole said.

No officers were injured in the incident. A gun believed to have been the suspects was recovered.

The officer who opened fire is 35 and an 11-year veteran of the department, OToole said.

The incident is the fifth fatal shooting by St. Louis police in the last three months. All of the others were in south St. Louis.

On June 13, a man who attempted to rob a gas station just off Interstate 55 at Arsenal Street late Tuesday was fatally shot by an off-duty officer.

On June 7, SWAT officers shot and killed a man who police said opened fire on them with an AK-47 as they tried to serve a warrant at a home on South Kingshighway.

On May 26, a man who threatened to harm police and commit suicide was fatally shot by an officer during an exchange of gunfire at the mans home in the 4800 block of Hamburg Avenue.

On May 10, a woman was shot and killed by an officer after pointing a gun at police in the 3600 block of Wilmington Avenue, a few blocks north of Carondelet Park.
JEFFERSON CITY  A more than decade-long fight by blind people to get the state to pay them money they are owed may be inching toward a conclusion.

Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce has set a Sept. 18 date to hear what could be final arguments in a settlement affecting more than 3,000 visually impaired Missourians.

Pending the outcome of that hearing and barring further appeals, the state would then have to find more than $23.8 million to distribute to recipients of Missouri's Blind Pension Fund.

Since the 1920's, blind residents have been receiving monthly cash benefits from the state as part of the fund. But the Missouri Council of the Blind asserted for years the payments werent being calculated correctly, and brought a successful a lawsuit against the state.

The case has been winding through the court system since 2006.

Chris Gray, executive director of the Missouri Council of the Blind, said the states lawyers have been dragging their feet on an issue that affects disabled people.

They are making us jump through hoop through hoop, Gray told the Post-Dispatch. Weve worked with the state at some length and basically had no cooperation from their legal team.

The delays are costing taxpayers more than just the settlement. Under terms of an earlier ruling by Joyce, the state must pay interest at 9 percent per year, which amounts to more than $2 million.

The blind pension fund allows residents who are over 18 and totally blind to receive up to $718 a month, plus state-funded health care coverage.

Once the settlement is paid out, each pensioner is expected to receive a lump sum of about $3,000, Gray said.

Gray is concerned the state will balk at where the money comes from. He says the states Legal Expense Fund is a logical place to take money.

The money is there and interest continues to build up, Gray said.

Loree Anne Paradise, deputy chief of staff for Attorney General Josh Hawley, signaled that attorneys for the state still have issues with the settlement agreement that need to be addressed.

Our office will continue to work diligently with the Department of Social Services to negotiate with the plaintiffs while at the same time vigorously defending this ongoing litigation and representing the interests of the people of the State of Missouri, Paradise said in an email Friday. In addition, further appeals are possible.

In 2014, former Gov. Jay Nixon reversed a plan to cut pension benefits for the blind less than 24 hours after the Post-Dispatch ran a story about the planned cuts. The $33-a-month drop for all 3,847 recipients would have saved the state an estimated $730,000.
ST. LOUIS  Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson remembered fire Capt. John Kemper Friday as dedicated to the fire department.

He dedicated his life and committed his career to the service of humanity, Jenkerson said. Serving and protecting the citizens of the city of St. Louis.

Kempers 25 years of service included weekends, holidays, birthdays and anniversaries spent away from his family, Jenkerson said.

Kemper, 59, died July 12. He had been badly hurt while battling a structural fire in the 3600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue on July 5.

He was released from the hospital July 7 and died at home.

Kempers family entered the building at Harris-Stowe State University, where the funeral was held, by walking through lines of firefighters standing at attention in dress uniforms. Bagpipers accompanied the solemn walk.

I cant imagine a greater honor to give a fellow firefighter, said Yvonne Love, 56, of Olathe, Kan., who knew Kemper and his wife in high school. This is one of the saddest and the most beautiful things happening at the same time.

Kempers oak casket, draped with an American flag, was at the front of the auditorium.

Before the service began, photos from Kempers life were projected on a wall. They included photos from his first dance with his wife at their wedding, a vacation at Universal Studios and him standing in front of a firetruck. In all the pictures, he had a big smile.

Jenkerson said Kemper never put his health and safety above others.

Fire Capt. John Kemper lived to help others in their time of need, he said.

Tonya Howard, wife of St. Louis fire Capt. Todd Howard, said she was proud of how Kemper was being honored. It just shows how much love there is in this company, she said.

At least 200 people poured into the auditorium to pay their respects.

Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed presented the Kemper family with a resolution from the board recognizing Kemper.

Among those speaking at the service were Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.

David Scott, chaplain for the Fire Department, called Kemper a great man, loving husband, outstanding father and the leader of many.

At the end of the funeral the last call of service, signifying that Kemper was going home, was heard over the speakers. His last alarm was documented on July 5, 2017, at the age of 59 after serving 24 years.

Because of the scorching heat, mourners were encouraged to listen to the 21-gun salute from inside the building.

After the service, the casket was taken on a firetruck back to the mortuary.
ST. LOUIS  Initial readings from air monitors positioned around the Clemens House did not detect asbestos, officials from the city and the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

The vacant, historic building  built by Mark Twains uncle in the St. Louis Place neighborhood  burned in an early-morning fire last week. In the aftermath of the blaze, windblown debris that was scattered in nearby neighborhoods sparked concern among residents about exposure to asbestos.

Samples collected Monday by the EPA confirmed the presence of asbestos in debris from the fire, prompting officials to place air monitors throughout the surrounding neighborhood on Wednesday to check for any airborne asbestos.

Data from an initial group of five monitors came back negative Thursday evening. Officials said nine additional air monitors were placed in the neighborhood Thursday, with further testing set to take place throughout the week.

The historic building has long stood vacant and is owned by Paul McKees redevelopment organization, NorthSide Regeneration. NorthSide states asbestos was removed from parts of the house years ago, but not from roofing material, because of concerns the removal would compromise the buildings structural integrity.

Until further notice, residents are still advised to avoid touching, picking up or moving any debris that may have come from the fire, according to EPA officials. Officials also sought to assuage fears from residents about short-term exposure, saying risks of harm are low because fire debris containing asbestos is inert until disturbed.

City, state and EPA officials held a meeting Thursday in the basement of the Griot Museum of Black History to answer questions and address residents concerns. An EPA official said the agency and McKee have reached an agreement that McKee will pay for the cleanup, which could start as early as next week.

The EPA will oversee the cleanup plan, and it will include demolishing the Clemens house, officials told residents Thursday.

Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
The Mattoon Chamber of Commerce has been working with business and community leaders on projects to help promote Coles County as an area for growth potential, business investment, and a recreational destination. Mattoon City Commissioner, Rick Hall, has titled the program "Coles County Promotion". The objective of Coles County Promotion is to use a focused approach to market Coles County businesses, service providers, educational opportunities, historical sites, recreational areas, and events to everyone who travels through Coles County.

The Chamber offered to take the lead on the initial project of Coles County Promotion to rename exit 192 on Interstate 57. Interstate 57 runs directly through Coles County and on average over 18,000 people travel through the County on the Interstate each day. Exit 192, the most recent exit into Coles County, was opened mainly for tractor trailer traffic to easily reach local industries outside of city limits. The exit was originally named County Road 1000N, based on the title of the existing road, and is otherwise known as Coles County Highway 18.

Over the years, proposals to rename the exit were rejected based on costs reaching upwards of $60,000 and other factors. The Mattoon Chamber volunteered to work on a name for the exit that would correlate with the Coles County Promotion Plan. The Chamber has a solid working relationship with the Effingham office of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Dewayne Seachrist, the head of Traffic Operations, explained that as long as the proposed name is sustainable for 10 or more years and is applicable to the area, there is no cost to the county or local cities. After numerous variations, discussions, and proposals,"Mattoon-Charleston Enterprise Parkway" was agreed upon. Seachrist told us this name is acceptable and cost free based on the fact that there is industry and enterprise to the west of the exit in Mattoon including Mars Petcare, Justrite Manufacturing, and LSC Communications. On the Charleston side, there are also many industries including Vesuvius and Hi-Cone.

The process to complete the proposed name change has been meticulous and time consuming. One of the biggest hurdles we overcame was explaining to all parties involved, we did not plan on changing the name of the road itself, just the exit; meaning businesses and residents would not have to change their physical addresses. We had to obtain letters of endorsement from the cities of Mattoon and Charleston. Additionally, we needed a resolution of approval from The Road and Bridges Committee of the Coles County Board. The resolution will be presented to the full County Board for approval on August 8, 2017. Once fully approved, the new exit signs, to help promote our area, should be installed this fall.
MATTOON -- Two local Republican state lawmakers saw the recent series of budget votes as a necessary evil, according to their comments made Wednesday.

In a discussion with constituents and the JG-TC Editorial Board, Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, and Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston, stood behind their votes that garnered negative responses among residents in their districts.

For Righter, the vote on the budget package July 4 was easily the toughest in his career.

I've cast thousands of votes in my time in the General Assembly and there was never one that I didn't want to cast more than I did on the Fourth of July, Righter said.

Righter, who was a part of the negotiation talks leading up to the budget pact and vote, did not see an end to the budget impasse that had plagued the state for two years. And come that July 4 vote, Righter became the only Republican state senator to vote yes on the $36 billion budget package that included an unpopular tax hike.

According to the Associated Press, the revenue-generating measure that state lawmakers voted on raised the income tax rate by 32 percent. The approved measure increased the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations will pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

No one wants to pay more taxes, Righter said. And I'll guarantee you: The person for whom that is more intense is the person who casts the vote to make people pay more taxes and gets to pay them as well.

Despite his reluctant vote, Righter defended his choice, saying it was better for the district than the alternative.

After two plus years, I felt like the state and my district had run out of time, Righter said.

He said the $36.3 billion balanced budget was better than the estimated $40 billion the state would have had to pay through court orders and consent decrees, which until recently had become the appropriating process over these past two years.

The spending would have just been on autopilot as state lawmakers continued to toil away at a compromise between Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-led state legislature, Righter said.

The state senator noted that the budget is less spending than the $37.1 billion budget the Republican governor proposed. Rauner and other Republican state lawmakers continue to be staunch critics of the approved budget.

Righter said his vote came down to getting a budget, having it balanced and tackling the backlog of bills that have reached $15 billion.

Righter said that based on revenue projections, some of which come out of the governors office, the budget is balanced.

If the executive branch doesnt manage it, you will end up with a deficit, Righter noted.

Righter said higher education institutions in his district also played a role in his vote.

Phillips thought process mirrored that of Righters when voting yes on the bills and the preceding overrides of Rauners vetoes. Phillips was one of 10 Republicans in the House to do so.

Phillips said that a tax hike was coming no matter what, looking at options that were available. The only difference would be the how and the why, Phillips said.

Negotiations on reforms that could be tied to the bill were stalling. They stopped in June, he said. And, for him, he didn't see an end to the stalemate outside of the move he and other lawmakers made at the start of July.

Leading up to the budget vote, Phillips said he received numerous calls from business owners stressing the impact that declining enrollment at Eastern Illinois University was having on their businesses across his district.

Phillips said he was in support of many of Rauners reforms, but it was time to end the stalemate in Springfield.

I believe in the governor, but people have lost their jobs, Phillips said.

So, Phillips told the Republican leaders that he was voting yes on the package and when the bills came up for a vote, he pressed his button, went to his office to close up, and left for the day.

I wasnt happy I was put in that position, he said. We should have negotiated (by then).

I did not like to vote yes, he added.

Both of the local lawmakers said they did not see letting the state burn as a viable option.

There are some people in this government and around this government who just think this should be a forest fire exercise, Righter said. Just let er burn in hopes that something new and refreshing and wonderful will grow up. I am not sure I ascribe to that.

Since the budget vote, Phillips and Righter have received hundreds of responses about their decisions -- many, but not all, negative and some that leaned into threatening territory.

Phillips said he received threats from people saying they would hang him up from the courthouse lawn. But Phillips said, for him, the response has been largely positive, though. Righter said most comments he's getting are negative, but he understands people's frustration.

While appropriations have been set, the budget battle is not entirely over. State lawmakers are now coming to a standstill on an evidence-based K-12 funding formula.

Both local lawmakers remain optimistic for movement on reforms. Righter said the reforms Republicans have been calling for are still moving forward.

"I trust that the Democrats know they need reforms," Phillips said.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif says India is using the soil of Afghanistan for terrorist activities in Pakistan.

He said enemies of Pakistan are hatching conspiracy against the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for vigorously pursuing China Pakistan Economic Corridor and Gwadar Port.

Khawaja Asif said Pakistan achieved many successes on economic front and in the war against terror under the dynamic leadership of Nawaz Sharif.

Defence Minister said that Pakistan is making progress in every field and will emerge as economic power very soon.
As the Supreme Court of Pakistan reserved its judgement in Panama Papers implementation case, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif summoned an important consultative meeting in Islamabad today (Friday) to discuss the governments future strategy, sources told.

According to sources, federal ministers, advisors and special assistants to the premier are attending the meeting, however, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar is not present.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in Islamabad through a special flight to participate in the meeting.

Earlier today, Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb expressed the confidence that the Supreme Court will decide the Panama Papers case strictly in accordance with the law and constitution.

Speaking to journalists outside the apex court in Islamabad, the minister said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons did not claim exemption available to them and instead presented themselves for accountability.

She said despite a lengthy and minute investigation process, there is not a shred of evidence to prove allegations of corruption, commission, kickbacks or misuse of power by the elected Prime Minister.

To another question, Marriyum Aurangzeb dispelled he impression that Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan is angry with the party. She said everyone has his own point of view but this does not mean differences within the party.
CHI Health announced Friday that it has sold the two Linc Care urgent care centers in Lincoln to MedExpress.

The two locations, at 3910 Village Drive and 5000 N. 26th St., have closed temporarily for minor renovations. The Village Drive location will reopen Aug. 9 and the North 26th Street one will reopen Aug. 11. Other practices at 5000 N. 26th St., including Company Care and Autumn Ridge Family Medicine, will remain open with no service interruption to patients and will continue to operate under The Physician Network.

MedExpress, which has corporate offices in both West Virginia and Pennsylvania, opened a Lincoln urgent care clinic earlier this year at East Park Plaza at 66th and O streets.

MedExpress looks forward to expanding our presence in the Lincoln community to provide quality, convenient and cost-effective care to families and local employers, Fred Hinz, MedExpress regional vice president of operations, said in a news release.

The two companies also said they plan to launch a collaborative care initiative that will enable them to seamlessly coordinate care to enhance quality, increase patient convenience and lower costs. As part of the initiative, MedExpress patients who need more advanced care can transfer seamlessly to a CHI Health location if they choose to.

CHI Health said many of the Linc Care employees have been offered jobs with MedExpress. It said it is working to transition other employees to open positions within its system.

Services offered at the two locations will remain mostly the same and include walk-in care for minor illnesses and injuries, preventative care such as physicals and immunizations, and employer health services.

Linc Care opened its first clinic in 1985, and CHI Health St. Elizabeth bought 49 percent of the operation in 1985. The hospital became the clinic's majority owner in 1997.
In the years before and immediately after World War II, Wladyslaw Strzeminski was Polands best-known artist, an avant-garde theoretician who was friends with the likes of Kazimir Malevich and Marc Chagall, designed a much-seen room in a modern art museum to house his works and those of his sculptor wife and taught legions of loyal students.

Strzeminski, however, is almost unknown today, expunged from the public memory by the Stalinist regime that controlled Poland after the war, a brutal Communist dictatorship that literally killed the artist and his art.

The story of Strzeminskis final years is grippingly told in Afterimage, the final film by the great Polish director Andrzej Wajda that is carried by a brilliant performance by Polish superstar Boguslaw Linda as the artist.

The picture opens with Strzeminski, who lost a leg and an arm in World War I, rolling down a hill to meet with students who were learning to paint, and to see the world for themselves from the charismatic, engaging teacher.

Then, the scene moves to Strzeminskis apartment, where hes seated on the floor in front of a canvas, painting and everything turns red. A giant banner of Stalin is being raised outside his windows, and when he uses one of his crutches to poke through the fabric to get some light, he's arrested and hauled off to meet with authorities.

Thats the first of his confrontations with apparatchiks, who are trying to force him to adopt Soviet social realism and abandon his painting style -- which, from the images in the film, moved from geometric abstraction to fractured, distorted landscape work.

With each of his refusals, Strzeminski loses something -- first his job, teaching at the Lodz Academy of Fine Art (which he co-founded) and, by the end of his life, any way to earn the stamps needed to get food in shortage-plagued, post-war Poland.

But he remains undaunted by the losses, working with his students in his apartment, meeting with old friends and dealing with his daughter Nika (the very good 13-year old newcomer Bronislawa Zamachowska), who must cope with the death of her sculptor mother and find a way to live with her indifferent father.

Linda plays Strzeminski perfectly, reflecting the man whose resistance to the regimes intellectual tyranny never wavered nor did his stubborn artmaking and teaching. And the script by Andrzej Mularczyk tautly captures that tragic collision between artist and authorities -- whether the incidents shown on scene really happened or not.

Its impossible not to see the parallels between Strzeminski and Wajda, who spent decades making pointed political movies under the eye of the Communist governments that controlled Poland until 1990.

Wajda, who died last year at age 90, was able to find a way to work around the censorship and oppression. Strzeminski could not -- or would not -- making Afterimage a powerful tribute to a fellow artist who lost everything, including his place in history.
The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday upheld a decision by a district court judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the city of Lincoln against Lancaster County seeking to cover the medical costs stemming from a friendly punch between officers in September 2013.

A sheriff's deputy hit a Lincoln police officer, who was working light duty, on the left shoulder as he greeted her, not knowing she recently had had rotator cuff surgery, the order said.

Nebraska's Workers Compensation Court then ruled the city owed the officer $63,418 for medical expenses and indemnity benefits, the order said.

In May 2015, the city sued the county, saying the deputy was negligent and failed to recognize the physical contact might harm the police officer.

Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson ruled in August 2016 that the deputy's punch constituted battery, not negligence, under state tort law.

That law defines battery as an actual infliction of an unconsented injury or unconsented contact with another, Nelson states.

In a battery case, the motive doesn't matter, the judge wrote.

As such, the county isn't liable because state tort claims law for municipal governments doesn't apply, Nelson said.

Also, the county's insurance policy doesn't apply to any negligent or intentional act on the part of county employees that results in damages of $250,000 or less, she said.

Nelson ruled in favor of the county, ending the lawsuit before a trial. The lawsuit was then brought to the Supreme Court, which agreed with Nelson's opinion and ruling.
A severe weather warning issued for the Bay of Plenty has been lifted and thunder and hail is now being forecast for this afternoon.

The deep and large low currently centred over the South Island is bringing sunny spells, big downpours and hail to northern New Zealand, while the east of the South Island is wet under widespread rain.

The North Island today is under a large norwest flow. Big towering clouds are in this flow and some are producing very heavy downpours with hail and isolated thunderstorms, says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

As of 11am there was thunder in Auckland.

On Saturday more rain, before that same souwest change moves in and clears showers by night time (and perhaps a dusting of snow on the Central Plateau).

11am lightning tracker.
UPDATED:

Police continue to investigate the death of a 48-year-old man in Kinloch last night.

The man was found dead by a family member at about 8.30pm, who then called emergency services.

Police believe the man was shot at his rural property, on Whangamata Road, two days ago.

The 38-year-old woman, who was the mans partner and was missing, has now been located at a nearby property safe and uninjured.

Police will be continuing area searches and the scene examination tomorrow.

Police ask for any information from members of the public who may have seen or heard anything in the area last night before 8:00pm.

Anyone with information can contact Taupo Police on 07 378 6060 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

No information on the 48-year-old mans identity can be released at this stage.

A post mortem will take place tomorrow.

EARLIER:

A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a 48-year-old man in Kinloch, near Taupo.

Police believe the man was shot at his rural property, on Whangamata Road, yesterday evening, says Bay of Plenty CIB Detective Senior Sergeant John Wilson.

The man was found dead by a family member at about 8.30pm, who then called emergency services.

Police are at the address today conducting a scene examination.

We will also begin searching the extensive rural property, which includes several hectares of bush, as part of the investigation.

Based on initial enquiries, police have concerns for the safety of the mans 38-year-old partner who may have been present during the incident but is currently unaccounted for.

She was last seen at the address yesterday afternoon and her vehicle is still there.

Police are keeping an open mind as to where she may be and welcome any information from anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area last night.

Anyone with information relating to this investigation or the womans whereabouts can contact Taupo Police on 07 378 6060 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 111 555.

Police will not be in a position to release the name of the deceased until a post mortem and formal identification process has been completed.

This is expected to take place tomorrow.
Everything seems to point to the fact that 2017 will be the year in which the recovery of the property market is definitively confirmed, after the most difficult years of the economic crisis.

This is certainly reflected in the statistics regarding the number of home-building plans authorised by the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos (official association of architects), a compulsory step before work can begin.

The figures released earlier this month correspond to the period between January and June this year and refer to both flats and houses. They show that the college approved the plans for 2,442 properties in Malaga province; that is twice as many as in the same period of 2016.

Developers announce the construction of 1,500 homes Housing developer Neinor Homes is to invest 100 million euros in several new construction projects in the province of Malaga. These first schemes involve more than 625 properties although the firm has plans in the pipeline for a total of 1,500 new homes over the next few years. The companys director Juan Velayos said on Tuesday that the firm had already spent 200 million euros on buying land. The new housing developments will be located in Marbella, Casares, Benahavis, Velez-Malaga and Malaga city. The city project involves a development of 114 flats in the Teatinos area, said Velayos.

The numbers have doubled in Malaga city and on the western and eastern Costa del Sol, but not in rural areas, where only 129 homes were authorised in the first six months of the year. The greatest investment by property developers continues to be in Malaga city, where the plans for 644 properties have been approved, and on the Costa del Sol, with over 1,000 in the past six months.

The increase has been particularly significant in Fuengirola, which has gone from just three homes stamped between January and June 2016 to 140 in the same period of this year; Manilva, increasing from two to 70; Benalmadena, from 22 to 143; and also Marbella, where 134 plans have been approved, compared with the 77 in the first six months of last year. Construction in Estepona is also increasing, and Mijas remains at the same level. In Torremolinos, however, the number has dropped: only 23 property plans were stamped in the first half of this year.

On the eastern coast, Rincon de la Victoria tops the list with 244 properties receiving the go-ahead, compared with 32 in the first six months of last year. In Velez-Malaga, however, 24 fewer properties have been approved than in January to June 2016.

The figures show that the vast majority of new properties are outside any social housing schemes: in fact plans for only 10 subsidised apartments (nine in Malaga and one in Marbella) have been approved so far this year.

President of the association of builders and developers, Emilio Lopez, said businesses are not as interested in these properties now because the government has reduced financial subsidies for their construction, so the profit margins have dropped.

Lopez is optimistic about the property sector. The recovery is becoming more evident. It is possible that 5,000 plans will be approved by the end of this year, although before [the crisis] in a place like Malaga it would have been about 20,000 a year, he explained.
A gang linked to more than 20 robberies has been brought down in a sting operation carried out by the National Police.

Two men, 30 and 46, of Algerian origin, as well as one of their partners, 31, from Morocco, were arrested in the Guadalmar area of Malaga after being observed breaking into a car by smashing the window.

Property searches led detectives to believe that the thieves are responsible for a number of robberies, more than 20, targeting recent arrivals from Malaga airport, primarily foreigners starting their holidays, in shopping centres close to the airport.

The raids uncovered a stash of 34 suitcases, 11 laptops, rucksacks, handbags, watches, mobile phones, cameras and several pairs of sunglasses.

Some of the victims are still on holiday in the province and were able to recover their lost goods. However, many had already returned.
The first prison sentences have been handed out in the long-running Gurtel corruption trial.

In just one of several sub-trials making up this high-profile case, a court in Valencia found eleven of the thirteen accused guilty. This particular strand of the case relates to corruption in the awarding of contracts for the Valencia regional government's stand at the Fitur travel show between 2005 and 2009.

Scheme mastermind, Francisco Correa, received 13 years, as did Pablo Crespo, Correa's right-hand man. Alvaro Perez, also know as 'the moustache' was given 12 years.

The overall case relates to corruption in Madrid and Valencia linked to the PP party. Defence lawyers have said that they will appeal.
An Omaha woman faces a felony charge after investigators say she handed K2 to an inmate at a Lincoln prison Wednesday, according to court documents.

Nebraska State Penitentiary staff confiscated the item that Charlotte Hampton handed to the inmate and a state trooper took her to jail, an affidavit for her arrest said.

Prosecutors on Thursday charged Hampton with conveying an article to an inmate, an offense punishable by up to two years in prison.

The 47-year-old remained in the Lancaster County jail on $5,000 bond Thursday evening.
Two of Spains main tourist magnets stepped up the pressure on owners of properties who rent out to visitors without the necessary permission this week.

Faced with saturation and complaints from residents that it is impossible for local people to find places to rent at affordable prices, Barcelona and the Balearic Islands chose different ways to get to grips with the problem of illegal self-catering properties.

In Barcelona, city mayor Ada Colau launched a highly visible campaign to get tourists to think twice before reserving a non-approved holiday let. Going under the name Fair Tourism Barcelona, a website has been set up as part of the initiative where people can report unauthorised properties and check to see if what they are booking is legal or not.

Within the city centre eye-catching double beds were placed at key tourist locations, including outside the citys cathedral and by the Sagrada Familia basilica with the message, Just because its on the internet doesnt mean this bed is legal.

City hall sources said that in the first six months of this year over 2,000 properties have been identified as being offered to tourists without a licence.

Meanwhile, in the Balearic Islands, the regional parliament has approved tougher rules to rent out holiday homes.

Restrictions increased

From now on owners of flats can only rent out beds their homes up to sixty days a year if the property is their normal residence.

In addition there will be a freeze on granting new licences for a year while the different councils on the islands work out where permission can be granted and which areas are saturated.

There was controversy when a section of the new rules insisting flats dedicated solely to rental are registered was left out of the decree at the last moment after a disagreement with Podemos. Politicians are now trying to find a way to reincorporate that planned restriction.
With less press coverage at the time, the UK government letter triggering Article 50 also announced withdrawal from Euratom. That is the European Atomic Energy Community through which Britain is guaranteed a long-term supply of fuel for power stations and can import medical isotopes it doesnt produce itself, for example cancer treatment. Since these decay rapidly they must be shipped within a day or even hours of need.

The UK government believes Euratom membership is legally tied to EU membership and simultaneous withdrawal is unavoidable; but the two are governed by separate treaties, so was this theory tested? After all, the UK joined Euratom in 1957, before it joined the old EEC. This feeds suspicion that the government hasnt thought things through and that its red lines are overruling practicalities.

Theresa May has stated her fundamental opposition to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which can make rulings on the Euratom treaties, and free movement, which separately covers nuclear specialists. The former chief of staff to the UK Brexit secretary of state said that these conditions have hamstrung the government. Already it is struggling to fill regulatory gaps that its objectives will create. On Euratom it admits it hasnt assessed the impact of leaving and of the eight Brexit bills creating new UK powers, the relevant one (nuclear safety) does not cover some key Euratom provisions.

Some Tory MPs want the government to reverse the Euratom decision (although they supported it when they voted for the Article 50 bill). Even if this doesnt conflict with EU withdrawal, to cede to these MPs might mean retracting the Article 50 letter (and amending the Act of Parliament) which this government wont do. However, it cant afford rebellions either because it needs to pass a lot of legislation before spring 2019 with a slim majority. Therefore, its vulnerable to pressure to compromise.

That process seems to have started with ministers talking about continuing some EU rules, payments, and migration during a transition period. There could be more concessions in relation to some of the 40 EU agencies that benefit both UK industries and citizens. Its impossible either to replace all of these quickly, which includes getting international recognition for new alternative standards on, for example, sale of prescription medicines, or to keep them while severing all ECJ ties.

The debate over this will reveal more of the Brexit minefield (besides the dangers lurking in the Repeal Bill that was published last week) and raise this question: how can staying in the single market be the nuclear option if youre expensively copying its mechanisms? Increasingly, its likely that more buttons will be pushed that are beyond the governments control and, ultimately, the hand that pulled the trigger can be forced by events, particularly ones that impact on voters everyday lives.
Predictions for the growth rate of the Spanish economy this year have almost reached the magic number of 3.2% - the rate at which it expanded in 2016. On Tuesday, the IMF announced that the countrys economic expansion will be 3.1% of GDP in 2017, thereby increasing its April forecast of 2.6% by half a percentage point. This upward revision is the latest instalment of a numbers game in which the Spanish government is also a key participant.

The IMFs most recent tweak to its 2017 economic forecast for Spain prompts one to wonder who is following whom in the race to get to 3.2%. Mariano Rajoy announced a couple of weeks ago that he expects Spains economy to grow by 3%, rather than the 2.7% the Popular Party had previously projected. The IMFs most recent forecast for 2017 is now in line with the Bank of Spains projection of 3.1% economic expansion this year. The Bank announced that figure in June, thus cancelling its original estimate of 2.8% GDP expansion this year.

As I wrote here two weeks ago, this ever-increasing optimism obscures issues still troubling the Spanish economy. Indeed, in announcing its latest revision to Spains economic forecast, the IMF warned that the countrys public debt (100% of GDP) and unemployment rate (18%) are still too high. When the Washington-based fund increased its growth projection in April, it did so with the same caveats - and presumably will do so again the next time it tweaks its 2017 forecast for Spain.

This time, the IMF also said of Spain that the momentum created by past reforms may be bigger than estimated. Though there is clearly truth to this, it is exactly the kind of thing not to say to a government already coasting: except for passing a long-delayed 2017 budget in June, Rajoys administration has done little else since regaining office last autumn. This is partly because it only commands a minority in a deeply fractured congress. But it is also because the Popular Party relies too much on impressive macroeconomic statistics to demonstrate its supposed competence. So long as external bodies such as the IMF keep upping their growth forecasts for Spain, Rajoy can carry on telling a positive story about the Spanish economy.

The Spanish prime minister also claims that he is dealing with the countrys unemployment problem by creating 500,000 new jobs a year. Most of these new positions are contracts for just a few days or weeks of work, though, so their creation leads to more, not less, instability in the labour market. Yet its only a matter of time before Rajoys government increases its own projection for the Spanish economy in 2017, thereby reaching the magic number of 3.2%.
The numbers dont seem real, Attorney General Mark Herring said.

But they are.

Herring said that preliminary data show around 60,000 overdose deaths last year across the country with 1,100 of them in Virginia. Each one of those deaths, the Democrat said during a Thursday stop in Wytheville, was someones child, sibling, parent or friend.

The attorney general noted that addressing the opioid crisis requires a multifaceted approach.

We cant arrest our way out of it, he said.

While celebrating recent bipartisan legislation that allows first responders to carry and administer naloxone and a Good Samaritan law that encourages people to call 911 and stay with drug overdoses without the fear of prosecution, Herrings office is also looking to educate and investigate.

Tazewell County schools recently announced that they would use the documentary Heroin: The Hardest Hit in their prevention education efforts and in Bristol, he screened the film When Seconds Count: How Law Enforcement Can Save a Life during an Overdose to law enforcement.

The Virginia Attorney Generals Office is also part of a multistate probe into pharmaceutical companies, looking into whether manufacturers or distributors violated any laws. His office is also investigating Virginia doctors and health care providers, averaging one a week during his time in office, Herring said.

The heroin and opioid crisis has its roots in the medicine cabinet, Herring said.

The attorney general said heroin use had been at a consistent level for decades and then once opioid pain medicines hit the market, heroin use began to grow exponentially.

Herring, who is seeking re-election, said patient will often get a prescription legitimately and then become addicted. They then go out hunting for pills. Once the supply of pain pills dries up, he said people will turn to heroin.

They find heroin or heroin finds them .

The southwestern corner of the state, Herring said, is still predominately pharmaceutical territory; however, he said his office is starting to see a surge in heroin deaths. Compounding the problem here, he said, is a shortage of long-term treatment options. Herring said short-term detox is available in the region but the nature of the addiction requires ongoing, long-term work.

Relapse is a part of recovery, he said.

He noted that there are many pieces of the puzzle. Aside from looking into pharmaceutical providers, law enforcement has to clamp down on dealers and traffickers. Education programs have to be in place. Pill mills need to be identified. And treatment programs have to be expanded.

The good news, Herring said, is that in this region folks are already working together to maximize resources. Law enforcement, school and health officials do a good job of communicating, he said.

The medical community, too, is coming along. Herring said pain relief has to be addressed differently, noting that a generation of doctors were trained that all pain had to be treated and that the opioids were a safe way to do that.

Herring said that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing, and one that cuts across demographics.

These drugs dont ask skin color, he said. They dont care about age or gender  everyone is at risk.

The attorney general said he has talked with myriad parents who have lost children. None believed that it could happen to them. Yet it did. The same thing applies to those who progress to shooting up. None thought they would do that, yet, Herring said, the drugs overtake their lives and they find themselves doing things that violate their moral code.

Herring, who supports drug courts and hopes the General Assembly will cut loose more funding in the future, said he derives inspiration from the families that have lost loved ones and go on to dedicate their lives to making sure no other family has to go through what they had to go through.

The opioid fight is more than two decades old now, with apparent victories not lasting.

In 2003, then-Attorney General Jerry Kilgore launched a formal probe that resulted in a 2008 Medicaid fraud conviction worth $634.5 million in fines to Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, with $105 million going to Virginia. In 2009, Virginia received a $1 million share of a $19.5 million civil settlement payout from Purdue Pharma. The attorney general then, Bob McDonnell said that the OxyContin abuse problem  has abated considerably.

In 2012, a prescription drug abuse summit met in Wytheville. At that meeting the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the Western District of Virginia reported that drug deaths from 1999 to 2012 had increased by 80 percent.

Though Herrings swing through Southwest Virginia was focused on opioids, he talked in Lebanon about methane royalties and previewed the new military and veteran legal resource guide in Abingdon.

Herring is facing a challenge for the Attorney Generals Office from Republican John Adams.
For a small group of Native students, this week was about science and leadership and culture, about peering into the future at possibilities they may not yet have considered.

Its important for everyone to have role models, to have a vision beyond where you are, said Chris Cornelius, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. Through this, youre able to see something that goes beyond your current box. ... Youre given a vision and maybe you are given hope.

This, during a sultry summer week in Nebraska, is the Sovereign Native Youth STEM Leadership Academy, a partnership between the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs and UNL's Mid-American Transportation Center.

The weeklong academy teaches leadership skills, celebrates Native culture and offers a look into the possibilities of STEM majors.

This is the seventh year the Commission on Indian Affairs has offered the leadership academy, but its the first year the organization has partnered with the transportation center, a consortium of various Midwestern universities and colleges that supports transportation research and STEM careers.

That means this years academy focused more on science, technology, engineering and math, fields where Natives and other minority groups are under-represented.

Cornelius, the first Native student to earn a chemical engineering degree at Montana State University and the first to earn his doctorate in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech, said its important for students to see role models in such fields.

Larry Rilett, a distinguished professor of civil engineering at UNL and director of the transportation center, said the center has offered Roads, Rails and Race Cars after-school programs at several Lincoln middle schools and hopes to expand those programs to Nebraskas Native reservations.

To that end, they invited teachers from Santee, Omaha Nation and Winnebago schools to help teach 11 high school students from the reservations and schools in Omaha and Lincoln.

In addition to expanding the after-school programs, organizers hope to offer the summer leadership academy to high school students in Kansas and South Dakota.

Students spent the week soaking up experiences and making video diaries of what theyd learned.

They walked along a portion of the Chief Standing Bear Trail in Southeast Nebraska, the path traversed by members of the Ponca Tribe when they were forced from their homeland in 1877. They considered how it became a railroad and eventually a recreational trail given back to the tribe.

They stayed in UNL suites and spent Sunday talking with a university scientist about stem cells.

They participated in an opening ceremony led by a tribal elder and toured the UNL campus to learn what it would be like to be a student.

They met state Sen. Tom Brewer and toured the Nebraska Capitol. They visited the law college, biological science engineering labs and the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum.

They operated driving simulators at the University of Nebraska Medical Center mind and brain health labs and met with executives from Union Pacific and BNSF Railway.

And Thursday, they pondered the physics and engineering principles required to build a trailer that could carry weight while being pulled through water by a remote-control boat  then put their trailers to the test in the water.

This really helps me think about what I want to do, in fact, said Landon Heaton, who will be a junior at Omaha North High School.

Gabe Bruguier, a doctoral student and educational program coordinator of the transportation center, said thats the point.

We dont just want them to leave with T-shirts and polo shirts. We want them to leave with ideas for what they can do for themselves and their tribes in the future."
Lincoln Public Schools will host a "bonus" Learning Lunch on Monday with information about the solar eclipse passing over Nebraska in August.

The presentation will feature James Blake, LPS science curriculum specialist. LPS has been planning for months to make sure all students learn about the eclipse and those from first through 12th grade are outside to see the once-in-a-lifetime event on Aug. 21.

During the school year, LPS hosts monthly Learning Lunches for staff and community members in the district office board room, 5905 O St.

For Monday's event, doors to the board room open at noon, the program begins at 12:15 p.m. and questions and answers happen at 12:45 p.m. Participants should bring their own lunch. LPS will provide dessert.
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Apple raised the curtain on HomePod, its upcoming smart speaker, during Mondays keynote presentation at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

The company also announced some desktop OS features for the iPad, and revealed its plans to become an augmented reality powerhouse.

Just like iPod reinvented music in our pockets, HomePod is going to reinvent music in our homes, Phil Schiller, Apples senior vice president for worldwide marketing, told an enthusiastic crowd at the San Jose Convention Center in California.

HomePod, which will sell for US$350, is slightly less than 7 inches tall and is covered with a seamless 3D mesh fabric which, Schiller said, has incredible acoustic properties.

Inside the speaker, there are seven tweeters, each with their own driver, that give sound precise directional control. HomePod also has a 4-inch woofer that uses dynamic software modeling to eliminate distortion as the volume is cranked up.

The smarts of the speaker is from an Apple A8 processor.

Its perhaps the biggest brain ever in a speaker, Schiller said.

The HomePod will be available in December.

Heat on Sonos and Bose

The processor, which can be found in older iPhones, allows the speaker to do real-time acoustic modeling, audio beam forming and multichannel echo cancellation.

You dont have to know what any of that is, said Schiller. Just know that it sounds incredible.

There are six microphones in HomePod, so it can handle voice commands  even when its playing music  through Apples digital assistant Siri.

We really believe its going to take your home music experience to the next level, Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the event.

Although the smart speaker market is dominated by Amazon and Google, Apple appears to have set its sights on other players in the speaker market.

Its going after Sonos and Bose sound systems in the home, noted Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies.

This is a powerful home audio speaker first that also supports Siri, he told TechNewsWorld.

Focus on Music

Apple is positioning HomePod more as an audio device than a smart home interface, said Jonathan Collins, a research director at ABI Research.

The focus looks to be more about competing with Sonos and supporting Apples Music service than its HomeKit efforts, he told TechNewsWorld.

The price tag is notably higher than both Amazon and Googles smart home offerings, he pointed out, and while it will no doubt appeal to Apple fans, there is little to suggest  at least from the initial details  that this will directly compete against those Echo and Home devices.

More iPad Muscle

In addition to announcing a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, Apple revealed a number of features in iOS 11, which will be released in the fall, that give the tablets desktop operating features like drag and drop, an expanded dock for quick access to favorite programs, and support of a file system, including baked in support for popular third-party apps like Dropbox and One Drive.

Those are the features on the Mac that most of us have been wanting on the iPad for at least three years, Creative Strategies Bajarin said.

Now the iPad is very similar in experience to the Macintosh, he added. That tells me that Apple believes that the iPad is the future form factor for mobile computing.

The iOS 11 features were needed if the iPad Pro wanted to live up to its pro name, maintained Kevin Krewell, a principal analyst at Tirias Research.

Without a file manager, you really couldnt use it as a professional tool, he told TechNewsWorld.

Now the iPad is much more functional for a professional whos used to using a file manager in their work, Krewell added. This is a big step up for iOS.

AR Powerhouse?

Apple also introduced to developers a new AR kit that it believes will make the company a leader in the augmented reality domain. With AR kit, iOS 11 becomes the worlds largest augmented reality platform, Cook said.

What Apple introduced with AR on mobile is significant, maintained Bajarin.

Theyll dominate the AR space in mobile almost overnight, he said. The AR kit will create a level of innovation within their software developer community that is going to result in an amazing amount of new apps.

While there may be lots of new apps, whether or not there will be a lot innovation remains to be seen.

Theyre not adding any hardware, Krewell noted. Theyre just using the existing iPhone platform for AR, so its a limited version of AR  a better version of Pokemon Go.
At least 100 million adults in the United States have diabetes or prediabetes, health authorities have warned.

As of 2015, more than 9 percent of the U.S. population, or 30.3 million, had diabetes, according to the 2017 National Diabetes Statistics Report of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of Americans with diabetes rose from 29.1 million in 2014.

Another 84.1 million had prediabetes. In prediabetes, on the other hand, an individual has elevated blood sugar levels, but those have not reached full-blown diabetes status requiring medication or insulin injection.

Report Highlights

"Diabetes and prediabetes remain serious threats for more than one-third of Americansthe statistics are staggering," said the American Diabetes Association's chief scientific, medical, and mission officer Dr. William T. Cefalu in a statement.

Over one-third of American adults have prediabetes and most of them do not even know it, warned CDC director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, calling for ramped-up efforts to reduce the diseases burden on patients and the health care system. The agency noted that the condition could escalate to diabetes within five years when left untreated.

According to the CDC report, diabetes incidence increased with age. Of adults ages 18 to 44, 4 percent had been diagnosed, versus 17 percent in people ages 45 to 64 and one-fourth of those ages 65 and above.

Diabetes rates were also found higher in certain ethnic groups, or 15 percent for American Indians or Alaska Natives, 13 percent for blacks, 12 percent for Hispanics, 8 percent for Asians, and 7.4 percent for whites.

What Can Be Done?

Individuals with diabetes are significantly at risk for complications such as kidney failure, heart disease and stroke, blindness, and foot and leg amputations.

Awareness, however, remained low, with almost one in four adults with diabetes unaware they had the disease. Less than 12 percent of prediabetic people, too, did not know of their condition.

Prevention, according to Lenox Hill Hospital endocrinologist Dr. Minisha Sood, remains key in stopping the disease in its tracks.

Optimal nutrition education and access to good nutrition is critical to our success as a medical community in the battle to prevent diabetes in the U.S., Sood said.

In a study published in June, scientists from Sweden discovered a substance in broccoli as an effective treatment agent for type 2 diabetes, competing against the usual prescription drugs.

The research came after testing more than 3,000 compounds that could alter genes that have a hand in type 2 diabetes. The naturally occurring compound sulforaphane, found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, stood out from the rest.

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New discoveries have revealed that settlers colonized Australia about 20,000 years before humans first migrated to Europe.

The recent discovery includes the world's oldest stone axes, art, and other artifacts found in northern Australia. These relics show that humans occupied Australia as far back as 65,000 years ago. By contrast, despite its close proximity to Africa, the earliest known examples of human settlements in Europe only date back to about 45,000 years ago, making the Australian settlement much older.

In addition to axes, Chris Clarkson, the lead researcher on the study, said that there is evidence that these settlers carried spears and made use of seeds.

"The site contains the oldest groundedge stone axe technology in the world, the oldest known seed grinding tools in Australia and evidence of finely made stone points which may have served as spear tips."

The artifacts were found on land owned by the Mirarr clan located in the region of Madjedbebe. The land is surrounded by the Kakadu National Park but is legally distinct from it due to a deal struck in 1982.

Representatives of the Mirarr have said that the find highlights the importance of the area and has requested that it receive the "highest level of conservation and protection."

This discovery holds implications not just for the people of Australia but also for everyone, as it sheds new light on our origins as a species.

"The settlement of Madjedbebe around 65,000 years ago ... sets a new minimum age for the human colonisation of Australia and the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa and across south Asia," the researchers wrote in Nature.

Australia's Megafauna

While the main thrust of the research focused on the implications this colony had on theories regarding the migration of early humans, it also shed some interesting light on mankind's relationship with Australia's megafauna. Many of these creatures, such as a 2-ton wombat or kangaroos too large to jump, were believed to have been wiped out by humans fairly early after they arrived in Australia. However, this settlement predates the extinction of Australia's megafauna by about 20,000 years.

"Our chronology places people in Australia more than 20,000 years before continent-wide extinction of the megafauna," the researchers wrote.

Of course, this doesn't mean that humanity wasn't at least partially responsible for the loss of Australia's megafauna. It just means that it may have taken longer than previously thought.

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The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm just got a lot more intense, as four major iPhone suppliers filed counter claims against the chip maker.

The counter claims are lodged a couple of weeks after Qualcomm filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, seeking to ban iPhones and iPads from being imported into the United States after being manufactured in China.

Four iPhone Suppliers Fire Back At Qualcomm

Compal Electronics, Pegatron, Wistron, and Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, claim that Qualcomm is trying to force them to pay licensing fees in excess of what it will normally receive.

The suppliers became involved in the legal battle when Qualcomm filed separate lawsuits against them for payments that it believes Apple owes the chip maker.

Apple is said to be covering the required legal fees for the defense being mounted by the iPhone suppliers. Apple will also be filing a separate motion to combine the counter claims of the iPhone suppliers with its own lawsuit against Qualcomm.

If Apple and the iPhone suppliers are successful in the lawsuit, Qualcomm stands to lose billions of dollars in refunded fees and damages.

Apple vs Qualcomm Continues

The dispute over Apple and Qualcomm revolves around fees that Qualcomm charges on all modern smartphones, even for those that do not use its Snapdragon chips. This revenue stream has made Qualcomm one of the richest companies in the telecommunications industry.

The legal battle started in January, when Apple launched a $1 billion lawsuit against Qualcomm for overcharging billions of dollars, alleging illegal business practices. Apple insists that Qualcomm's royalties are not based on the market price of the technology, but rather on the cost of the iPhone. Earlier in the year, Apple CEO Tim Cook likened the situation to a sofa maker who changes the price of his products depending on the house that they are bought for.

While it is true that Qualcomm developed technology that is important in how modern smartphones operate, the cost of that technology is the subject of the debate, especially as smartphones continue to become more complex and expensive.

Qualcomm has also just filed two new patent infringement lawsuits against Apple, but this time, in courts in Germany. The patents, which discuss methods to transmit information without draining the life of batteries, are the European versions of the patents involved in Qualcomm's push to ban the entry of iPhones and iPads in the United States.

It appears that there is no end in sight for the legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm, especially with the addition of the four major iPhone suppliers as new players.

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Sony has started working on the next major PlayStation 4 system update, with a beta test soon to be launched.

Gamers who would like to get an early look at what the PlayStation 4 version 5.0 update will offer can now sign up as beta testers, before testing begins in early August.

PlayStation 4 Version 5.0 Update

Sony announced the development of PlayStation 4 version 5.0 update through a post on the official PlayStation blog.

While Sony has not yet revealed any information on what players can expect from the firmware update, there will surely be new features and improvements coming to PlayStation 4.

For the last major update, PlayStation 4 version 4.50, Sony introduced a long list of upgrades and features, including Boost Mode to stabilize frame rates and load times on the PlayStation 4 Pro, improvements to the PlayStation VR, voice chat for Remote Play, external HDD support, and custom wallpaper.

The PlayStation 4 version 5.0 update will likely come with an even more impressive list of additions, with Sony stating that it will share more information on what gamers can expect from the software upgrade soon.

How To Sign Up As A Beta Tester For PlayStation 4 Version 5.0

While waiting for Sony to reveal more details, gamers who would like to be among the first ones to experience what PlayStation 4 Version 5.0 will offer can now sign up as a beta tester.

Sony has created a dedicated page for players interested in becoming a beta tester. However, it should be noted that completing the enrollment form does not necessarily guarantee a spot within the beta testing of PlayStation 4 version 5.0.

Players who will apply as a beta tester will need to be at least 18 years old, and have access to the Master account of the PlayStation 4 console that will be used. It was initially reported that beta testers will need to be a PlayStation Now subscriber, but Sony has since added an option for applicants to state if they are not signed up for the service. This might mean that the PlayStation 4 version 5.0 update will feature a new functionality related to PlayStation Now, and it has been clarified that subscription to the service is not a requirement for beta testing.

PlayStation 4 owners who are selected to participate in the beta program will receive an email with a voucher code and instructions on how to launch the test. Players who decide to drop out of the program can roll back to PlayStation 4 version 4.50 anytime.

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If you wonder why dogs are extremely amiable and affectionate toward you, the answer may lie in genetics.

New research has suggested that common underlying genetics between dogs and humans may explain dogs hyper-social behavior toward people.

Human Condition Marked By Extreme Sociability

A group of researchers from Princeton University, Oregon State University, and other institutions discovered distinct genetic insertions in chromosome 6 of dogs tied to a tendency to seek out humans for physical contact and attention.

The insertions, known as transposons, were detected in a genomic region connected to Williams-Beuren syndrome, a developmental delay where intense sociability is one symptom.

In humans, deletion instead of insertion in the same gene set is linked to the syndrome.

It was the remarkable similarity between the behavioral presentation of Williams-Beuren syndrome and the friendliness of domesticated dogs that suggested to us that there may be similarities in the genetic architecture of the two phenotypes, said study author and Princeton assistant professor Bridgett vonHoldt in a statement.

VonHoldt previously described the canine analog to the part of the human genome called the Williams-Beuren syndrome critical region (WBSCR).

Dogs And Wolves

In their recent study, the researchers delved on genetic and behavioral data on 18 dogs and 10 captive, socialized wolves, where both animals took part in problem-solving activities with corresponding food rewards.

Dogs more favorably demonstrated human-directed social behavior, seeking out human contact and assistance during the research.

Transposons found on the dogs WBSCR genes explained the differences in their behavior. VonHoldt considered this an important genetic consideration rather than a so-called social gene, one shaping animal personality.

The results also suggested that in the process of canine domestication, dogs were probably selected for their sociability and tendency to seek human companionship rather than a set of cognitive abilities.

Biologist Adam Boyko from Cornell University told the New York Times that the work is truly interesting and important, possibly among the first to ever identify certain genetic variants crucial for turning wolves into dogs.

He added, however, that the study covered a small number of animals, and a bigger study on a more diverse group of creatures may be needed to confirm the results on the candidate genes for hypersociability.

The findings have been detailed in the journal Science Advances.

Earlier studies this year revealed other curious findings: dogs likely judge someone based on how she treats people, and that these lovable canines may actually be mirroring their owners traits.

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The wait will soon be over, Samsung fans: the direct successor to the Note 7 will officially launch on Aug. 23.

Samsung is holding an "Unpacked" event in New York City that day, and while the company hasn't explicitly confirmed anything about the Note 8, the event's "do bigger things" caption should pretty much reveal it anyway. Those who remain unconvinced should look at the silhouette style teaser photo, where an S Pen is clearly visible. Samsung's Note line is famous for its bundled pens.

Samsung confirmed the date on Twitter with a GIF, showing what looks like an Infinity Display. Oddly, unlike the promotional materials for the Galaxy S8, the device featured in this one is in its landscape mode.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Rumors

There were talks of Samsung fully abandoning the Note branding after what happened with the Note 7, but before the whole fiasco occurred, the Note line was one of its most recognizable brands. A month from now we'll know if the company decides to stick with the Note naming scheme.

Rumors suggest the phone will sport a 6.3-inch Infinity Display  just marginally larger than the Galaxy S8 Plus. That seems to accord with the "do bigger things" slogan, and if true, the Note 8 will sport the largest screen in the Note's history.

The Note 8 Will Feature A Similar Design As The Galaxy S8

Many speculate the design won't change much. The Note 8 will borrow heavily from the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in terms of design, but Samsung isn't to blame here  if you've got something as dazzling as the Infinity Display, then there's very little room to make it even more gorgeous than it already is. The Note 8 will most likely sport thin bezels, which means it won't have any space for a physical home key  the first for a Note phone.

The only real frustrating tenet suppose Galaxy S8 design elements indeed migrate to the flagship is the fact that Samsung might still place the fingerprint scanner on the back of the Note 8.

Mostly unchanged design elements shouldn't be much of a bummer, though, because the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus still look extremely well-crafted pieces of hardware all things considered. How the Note 8 differs from both phones will be interesting to see, though.

On the specs side, rumors suggest that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip will power the Note 8, the same chip that powers the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Alas, details about the phone remain slim, save for the occasional "leaks." Some say the Note 8 will cost more than $1,000 and ship by September. Expect due coverage when Samsung's Unpacked event kicks off.

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More than half of all people infected with HIV are now using drugs to treat the virus, the United Nations revealed in a report released on Thursday, July 20.

Strides In Battle Against HIV And AIDS

The U.N. AIDS agency said that deaths related to AIDS are also now close to half of the 2005 number albeit the figures are estimates and not based on actual counts.

The report released in Paris, where an AIDS meeting will be held this weekend, is a welcome news amid the global AIDS epidemic that has so far killed about 35 million over the past four decades.

The report "Ending AIDS: Progress towards the 90-90-90 targets" says that of the 36.7 million people with HIV, 19.5 million had access to treatment last year. AIDS-related deaths also dropped from 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016.

30 Million HIV-Infected People Could Be Getting Treatment By 2020

Michel Sidibe, Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive Director, said that if this trend continues, the world will be on track to reach the target of 30 million people with HIV getting treatment by the year 2020.

"We are on track to double that number to 30 million and meet the 2020 target," said Sidibe. "We will continue to scale up to reach everyone in need and honor our commitment of leaving no one behind."

The report also showed that more than 70 percent of people with HIV are aware of their status, and 77 percent of them are accessing treatment.

More Work Needs To Be Done

Still, the numbers suggest there is still more work that needs to be done. About 30 percent of people with AIDS are not aware of their HIV status, 17. 1 million of people with HIV do not have access to antiretroviral therapy, and more than half of HIV-infected people are not virally suppressed.

Experts said that the billions that were spent for battling the AIDS epidemic in the past two decades should have had more impressive results.

"When you think about the money that's been spent on AIDS, it could have been better," said Sophie Harman, of Queen Mary University in London.

Harman said that the real test will be in five or 10 years' time when the funding goes down, citing that some countries may not be capable of sustaining UN-funded AIDS programs on their own.

The United States alone is known to have 1.2 million people infected with HIV.

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A year after a child's drowning rendered her unstable and unresponsive, doctors have essentially reversed the brain damage incurred from the accident thanks to hyperbaric and normobaric oxygen therapies. Here are the basic facts about these life-saving therapies.

From Tragedy To Recovery

In the United States, 10 people die from unintentional drowning every day, two of which are children under the age of 14. Such is the case of 2-year-old Eden Carlson, who drowned in 5 degree Celsius water after getting past the baby gates and falling into the family pool where she was discovered 15 minutes later.

After the accident, Carlson's heart did not beat on its own for 2 hours, and she remained unresponsive to all stimuli even after a month in the hospital. MRI revealed deep injuries to Carlson's deep gray matter and loss of white and gray matter, which points to brain damage.

After researchers from LSU New Orleans and North Dakota School of Medicine treated the 2-year-old to normobaric oxygen therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), Carlson is now able to walk and talk, and her cognitive and motor skills have almost returned to normal.

Normobaric Oxygen Therapy

Because HBOT was inaccessible at the patient's location, doctors first administered normobaric oxygen therapy to prevent further brain tissue degeneration while the child is not yet in a treatment center for HBOT.

Basically, a normobaric oxygen treatment entails administering a patient with oxygen at sea level. After Carlson was treated with 100 percent normobaric oxygen through a nasal cannula for 45 minutes per day, she woke up, gained a little alertness, and stopped squirming. She also showed signs of improved speech, eye tracking, ability to laugh, and movement in her arms.

Note that despite the improvements she exhibited, the normobaric therapy was merely a bridging treatment to prevent further brain damage until the child was taken to an HBOT treatment center. This method of oxygen therapy is also being tested for its merits in treating migraines, acute stroke, and chemical and thermal injuries.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

HBOT is essentially a mode of oxygen therapy in which patients are placed in a pressure chamber in hopes of increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood. Because the air pressure inside the chamber is over two times higher than normal atmospheric pressure, the blood is able to bring more oxygen into the body's tissues and organs.

HBOT is often used to treat infected wounds faster, but the method may also be used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, necrotizing soft tissue infections, radiation injury, and burns.

In the case of Carlson, she was placed inside the hyperbaric chamber for 45 minutes five days a week to complete 40 sessions. An MRI scan 27 days after her last HBOT showed almost complete reversal of the drowning-induced brain damage.

A World's First

The doctors who administered the oxygen therapies to Carlson believe that this is the first recorded case of a reversal of brain damage after normobaric and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In Carlson's case, her very developmental age, as well as the early therapy intervention, is believed to have contributed to her startling recovery.

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Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a primary glioblastoma, deemed the deadliest of all kinds of brain cancer.

The 80-year-old Arizona senators condition was revealed after a tissue sample was taken as surgeons removed a blood clot from above his left eye. The tumor had been completely removed, and McCain and his family are now reviewing possible treatments with his doctors at Mayo Clinic Hospital.

But how do doctors go about treating this aggressive form of cancer?

Glioblastoma Treatment Options

The general approach is to offer patients a combination of radiation and chemotherapy as a first-line treatment, said medical oncologist Dr. Matthias Holdhoff in a CNN report. He was not part of the team taking care of the senator.

In standard treatment, surgery will first remove as much of the tumor as possible. After weeks of recovery, there will be five to six weeks of everyday, low-dose radiation and chemotherapy sessions. The latter is expected to help render the former more effective.

Finally, a higher-dose chemotherapy will be performed, typically five days of daily chemotherapy. After three weeks of rest, there will be another five days of treatment, and care will continue for at least six months.

Prognosis, Challenges, And Hope

Glioblastomas, however, are known to be stubborn, showing up again in the same brain region where they first appeared.

The median overall survival rate for the condition, revealed radiation oncologist Dr. Raju Raval in an LA Times report, is from 14 to 16 months. This means half of glioblastoma patients may live as long or longer, while the other half are no longer around despite treatment done.

Plenty of challenges present themselves in treatment, including the tumors extremely fast growth and complex nature. Glioblastomas are also known to have fingers on the edge of the tumors, making it so difficult to remove all cancerous cells during operation.

There is actually a lot of diversity in the cancer cells of the tumor, said neurosurgeon Dr. Ian Dunn in an LA Times report, likening it to a tumor in a tumor with different features and different faces.

But researchers are eyeing new, promising glioblastoma therapies with a focus on harnessing the immune system to battle the cancer cells. A number of patient trials are ongoing.

A cap-like device, for instance, produces electric fields to fight cancer and may assist in brain tumor patients survival. In a study involving patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma, researchers found that more than twice the number of patients given the therapy survived five years after getting it, along with chemotherapy.

While on rest, McCain expressed gratefulness to his doctors and confidence that any future treatment will be effective, according to a statement.

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China has mapped out plans to be the world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030, challenging U.S. dominance in the field by building a homegrown industry worth nearly $150 billion.

The plans were disclosed amid escalating international tensions over the technologys military applications, along with AIs increasing importance in anything from smart cars and energy to computing.

AI Development Roadmap

Late Thursday, July 20, the State Council in Beijing released the countrys AI development plan, Reuters reported. It aims to grow domestic AI industries to more than 150 billion yuan or $22.2 billion by 2020 and 400 billion yuan or $59.1 billion by 2025.

With the major push into AI dominance, China eyes rival American market leaders that include Alphabet Inc.s Google and Microsoft Corp.

The local and central government are supporting this AI effort. They see this trend coming and they want to invest more, said Rui Yong, chief technology officer of computer maker Lenovo Group, during an AI conference held in Shanghai on the day of the announcement.

Two professors who consulted with the government on the initiative said that Chinas focus will be on moonshot projects, startups, and academic research in the field, and would be targeted to support medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, and homeland security, to name a few.

They told the New York Times that among the main impetuses for the plan was the 2016 loss of South Korean champion Lee Se-dol in the board game Go, created by Googles AlphaGo. Back in May, Google brought AlphaGo to China, where it also defeated top-ranking Chinese player Ke Jie in an event that did not go through live broadcast in the country.

What The US Is Likely To Do

The United States, on the other hand, is also slated to revisit its investments in areas such as AI, where nations such as China are feared to have access to the technology governing military strategy and surveillance.

The U.S. defense department has also recently found that Chinese funds have been flowing into American AI firms, some of which are believed to help America build its future weapons and defense systems.

Meanwhile, the United States has slashed its science budget, cutting back on resources for a number of agencies traditionally involved in AI research.

If things go well for China, its final-stage plan estimated to happen by 2030 will position the country to become the premier artificial intelligence innovation center worldwide.

Serious commitments are already leading to this direction, where the local government of Tianjin, for instance, expressed plans to allot $5 billion to support AI and form an intelligence industry zone on a 20-square-kilometer land.

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OMAHA  The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday rejected a death-row inmate's call for his murder convictions in one of the deadliest bank shootings in U.S. history to be overturned because he said the lawyer defending him was incompetent.

The state's high court agreed with a lower court that refused Erick Vela's request to void the convictions.

Vela and two other men were sentenced to death for killing five people at a U.S. Bank branch in Norfolk on Sept. 26, 2002. A fourth man who served as a lookout was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences.

Vela pleaded guilty in June 2003 to five counts of first-degree murder in the killings of bank customer Evonne Tuttle and bank employees Lisa Bryant, Lola Elwood, Jo Mausbach and Sam Sun. Vela was sentenced to death in 2007 for the botched heist at the bank about 90 miles northwest of Omaha.

The high court found no merit to Vela's claims, including one in which he faulted his attorney for not advising him to plead guilty earlier in the case. Vela asserted he would not have been subject to the death penalty had he pleaded guilty earlier, because Nebraska enacted a revised death penalty law in late 2002 to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said juries  not judges  should determine whether a defendant is eligible for the death penalty.

Previous Nebraska Supreme Court rulings in the bank killings case undermined that argument, Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman wrote.

Those rulings rejected arguments that Nebraska effectively had no valid death penalty before the law was amended in 2002.

Vela's attorney did not return a message left Friday seeking comment. The Nebraska Attorney General's Office declined to comment.
"Dialogue and negotiation in 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
OMAHA  Police say a man was arrested after stabbing an employee taking his blood at an Omaha hospital.

Police said the stabbing was reported around 8:30 a.m. Friday on the fourth floor of the Nebraska Medicine's Lied Transplant Center.

A police report says a 30-year-old phlebotomist was attempting to draw blood from the 37-year-old man who didn't want his blood drawn. Hospital officials said he attacked the woman with a weapon he had made from items found in his room. She needed stitches to close a wound on her face.

Police said other staff members and security staffers held the man down until police arrived. The man was arrested and jailed on suspicion of assaulting a health care professional and a weapons count.
San Francisco is a long way from Grosse Tete, but that's where a national animal rights group has filed its latest legal papers in a 7-year-long quest to have Tony the tiger removed from his roadside truck stop enclosure in Iberville Parish.

The California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund, which asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture in April to investigate and ensure that the 17-year-old Bengal tiger is receiving proper care, is now suing the department in federal district court in San Francisco.

The ALDF filed a Freedom of Information Act request in May for records related to USDA's inspection of Tony and sought expedited processing of its request, which ALDF says the act requires when delayed disclosure "could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual."

ALDF says the department denied the group's request, stating that Tony is not an "individual" because the term applies only to humans.

In its suit, ALDF argues Tony is an individual and cites the Merriam-Webster online dictionary that defines the noun "individual" as "a single organism as distinguished from a group." The dictionary definition also states that the markings on tigers are "unique to each individual," ALDF says.

ALDF is asking a federal judge in San Francisco to declare Tony an "individual" and order expedited processing and production of the group's records request.

Informed of ALDF's attempt to have Tony classified as an individual, the tiger's owner, Michael Sandlin, quipped this week, "Maybe Tony should run for governor."

Sandlin, owner of Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete where the tiger is housed, insisted that Tony is not sick  just very old and arthritic.

"Tony is 17 1/2 years old, approaching life expectancy," he said. "We're trying to make him as comfortable as we can. Tony is fine. He's old."

Sandlin said the Agriculture Department conducted an on-site inspection in April and found the truck stop to be in compliance with the department's regulations.

ALDF executive director Stephen Wells contends the American people have a right to access information quickly when an animal's life and safety are on the line.

"The USDA is charged with protecting the interests of animals, yet it erroneously excludes animals from the scope of provisions intended to allow prompt public access to information that might be necessary to  protect the lives of the very animals they are responsible for protecting," he said.

In Baton Rouge state court, ALDF is trying to persuade a judge to strike down a 2014 Louisiana law that has allowed Tony to remain at the truck stop.

Tony has been on display at the truck stop since 2001.
PAPILLION  A Sarpy County prosecutor facing charges of assault and negligent child abuse has quit her job.

Authorities say Jennifer Hessig resigned Wednesday. Court records say she's charged with misdemeanor domestic assault for incidents Feb. 3 and July 3, and with five misdemeanor counts of child abuse stemming from the July 3 incident. Hessig has declined to comment.

Her attorney, Julie Bear, said in a written statement that Hessig "has been proactive in addressing the matters in her personal life" and will continue to do so as the matter moves through the court.

Hessig and her husband, Bellevue police detective Harold Hessig, were arrested July 4. Prosecutors have declined to charge him.

A Douglas County prosecutor will handle Jennifer Hessig's case. A Dodge County judge has been assigned to it as well.
Louisiana Family Forum, the powerful religiously based lobbyists, released its legislative scorecard Friday, ranking the states 144 legislators.

Family Forum rated legislators on whether they voted the way the group wanted on nine bills for senators and 11 measures for representatives.

"We encourage Louisiana residents to use this tool to analyze how their lawmakers represented their family's values, said the Rev. Gene Mills, who is president of the Family Forum, in a press release.

That generally lined up along party lines with 37 Republican House members supporting Family Forum positions more than 80 percent of the time  16 of whom voted with the group 100 percent of the time.

The highest rated Democrat was Rep. Neil Abramson, of New Orleans, with 75 percent. Twenty-eight House Democrats agreed with Family Forum half the time or less.

The issues included opposing legislation that would allow quicker divorces for couples with children and prohibitions against corporal punishment as well as voting against the state budget, which Family Forum referred to as creating fiscal crisis allocating expenditures without assurance of sufficient expected revenue.

The seminal vote on the state budget for this fiscal year was on an amendment that passed 53-50. The vote took place six days into an overtime session called after lawmakers couldnt come to a compromise during the regularly allotted time.

State senators were judged by whether they opposed non-discrimination clauses on sexual orientation grounds and on surveying school children on their sexual behavior, among other issues.

Ten senators, one of whom was a Democrat, backed every Family Forum position. Three of the four senators from New Orleans were considered hostile to the Family Forum.

The group plans to hand out awards to the lawmakers who ranked highest on their scorecard at the 18th Annual Legislative Awards Gala on Sept. 21.

This year, we will honor 26 state senators and representatives as Outstanding Family Advocates and 52 legislators will be named Family Advocates.

The 2017 Legislative Scorecard is available online at www.lafamilyforum.org/action
In this May 17, 2017, file photo, workers in protective gear attach straps to the statue of Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard as it is prepared for removal from the entrance to City Park in New Orleans. State Rep. Patricia Smith, a black Baton Rouge Democrat, received 105 emails alone, almost all favoring a proposal by her Republican colleague Thomas Carmody that would have erected obstacles to tearing down such monuments.
With Republican efforts to obliterate former President Barack Obama's signature health care law once again on the rails, it might be time to consider an alternative approach to fixing what ails the country's health care system. Maybe we could just let governors, not Congress, give it a try.

Unlike the congressional majority, which has pushed several equally unpopular versions of the repeal-and-replace they've long promised  and unlike President Donald Trump, who appears to know little and care even less about the chaos and pain the proposed legislation would cause  it's the nation's governors who have kept their eyes on the ball.

Gov. John Bel Edwards joins bipartisan group in criticism of U.S. House health initiative Gov. John Bel Edwards joined a bipartisan group of governors finding fault with the U.S. Hou

That includes Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has joined with 10 other governors to urge Congress to go back to the drawing board, fix what needs to be fixed and preserve the services on which their constituents and their state budgets rely.

"Congress should work to make health insurance more affordable by controlling costs and stabilizing the market, and we are pleased to see a growing number of senators stand up for this approach," said a joint statement released by the group this week. "The Senate should immediately reject efforts to 'repeal' the current system and replace sometime later. This could leave millions of Americans without coverage. The best next step is for both parties to come together and do what we can all agree on: fix our unstable insurance markets."

One reason to pay attention to the group is that it's bipartisan, while the repeal/replace coalition in Washington is just the opposite.

In fact, the group is dominated by the sorts of governors who, unlike many members of Congress, see benefit in governing from the center. There's Edwards, a Democrat leading a state that usually votes reliably Republican, and there's also Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of reliably Democratic Massachusetts. There are also a bunch of chief executives from states that are closely divided. They include Republicans such as Ohio's John Kasich and Nevada's Brian Sandoval, as well as Democrats Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania.

One more thing: These governors are, as a rule, well-regarded by their constituents. According to recent state-level surveys by Morning Consult, nine of the 11 have positive approval ratings at home, including Edwards, who got a thumbs-up from 58 percent of the Louisiana voters polled between April and July.

Compare that to Gallup's most recent approval rating for Congress, which clocked in at a dismal 20 percent.

Some of these governors lead states with senators on the fence and have been providing an effective counterweight to partisan pressure in Washington. Sandoval, for example, clearly has the ear of the senator from his state, Dean Heller, who faces a daunting reelection next year.

Edwards doesn't have that kind of political hand to play, but he's been in regular contact with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the former Charity system doctor who's emerged as a surprise skeptic of his party's repeal drive. Even though Edwards is a hard "no" and Cassidy appears to be trying to get to "yes," Edwards administration officials have applauded his efforts to look out for the state's needs and interests.

And that's really what should be the bottom line here.

What these governors know, and what some politicians up in Washington seem to forget, is that whatever Congress does will have huge implications for their constituents, whether they be working poor people who've used Medicaid expansion to access preventive care, people facing mental health and addiction challenges who are covered under the law's essential benefits provision, and those with preexisting conditions that previously gave insurers the right to refuse coverage or charge unaffordable premiums.

And there's something else these governors know that should be obvious, but somehow isn't: There's no point in chalking up a political win if the people you represent suffer.
A St. Tammany Parish jury found 27-year-old Anthony Dearmas guilty of first-degree murder Friday in the battering death of his 6-week-old son,
It wasn't quite a wicked-witch-is-dead Munchkin happy dance, but the white noise of foregone conclusions drowned out Republicans' relatively muted regret over their failure to repeal and replace Obamacare.

It was never gonna happen.

Partly this is because the GOP version of reform would have first done harm to our most vulnerable citizens -- the elderly, the disabled and the poor. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins cited drastic Medicaid cuts as her reason for withholding support of the so-called "Better Health Reconciliation Act." Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also said he wouldn't support the bill, because it didn't go far enough in repealing Obamacare.

When two more GOP senators -- Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas -- defected Monday night, the deal was undone. Lee said the bill failed to repeal all of the Obamacare taxes. He also said the bill didn't go far enough in lowering premiums for middle-class families or in loosening costly regulations.

Thus, the weeks-long tornado of hot tempers and chill winds culminated Tuesday morning when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell realized he didn't have enough votes.

During almost a decade of writing sporadically about health care in its various iterations, I've interviewed dozens of people from a mix of related fields -- medical, business, legislative and political. Not once have I found a single person who thought the GOP could pull off a repeal and replace. Why?

Firstly, because the vast majority of Americans are fundamentally opposed to allowing others to suffer. And secondly, sort of, the ACA affects one-sixth of the U.S. economy. How does one untangle a knot of 20 million strings? Why not just repeal and replace California and call it a day? It would be easier.

The fact is, Obamacare was never perfect nor should anyone have expected it to be. Today, we have a health care system in pitiful disrepair, as insurance companies opt out of exchanges, premiums continue to climb, and healthy, young people forgo insurance premiums that would have subsidized coverage for unhealthy, older Americans and the less fortunate.

Therein lies the crux of the least solvable problem inherent in such a gargantuan, multifaceted overhaul: It denies, emphatically, the nature part of being human, which is in constant tension with government-mandated insurance coverage. The central question is: How do you make it both cost-effective as well as fair?

Many Americans simply don't see the fairness in a system that requires them to pay high premiums for others' poor health, some of which is, let's face it, earned. Not deserved, but sometimes resulting from poor lifestyle choices.

Why, indeed, should a single, childless 30-year-old male who runs three miles a day, eats rationally, doesn't drink, smoke or take drugs, be saddled with insurance premiums to cover pregnancy, abortion, alcoholism, addiction, or an abundance of health consequences resulting from obesity and inertia?

For that matter, why should women have to subsidize men's sexual dysfunction curatives when, by the way, men don't have to pony up for women's corresponding, post-menopausal, medically appropriate intercessions. Here you see one of the finer-print dilemmas. We'd rather force nuns to concede tacit approval of abortion than insist that insurance subsidies be tied to healthy behaviors.

I'm sorry if this sounds heartless; the brain calls it reality. No wonder Obamacare was so difficult to craft and a replacement equally so. There are simply too many moving parts to make the sucker float -- and too many reasons to not sink it.

Since McConnell's repeal-only idea seemed doomed Tuesday afternoon after GOP Sens. Collins, Shelley Moore Capito and Lisa Murkowski said they oppose immediate repeal, perhaps, finally, Republicans and Democrats can snap on their wizard hats and cobble something workable together. After all, it's the only thing they haven't tried yet.
A federal judge this week rejected pleas for new trials by all 10 "39'ers" gang members who were convicted in a blockbuster trial early this year, clearing the way for their sentencing next week.

Eight of the 10 men who were found guilty in February after a six-week trial face mandatory terms of life in prison. Minimum 20-year sentences await the other two, Solomon Doyle and Damian Barnes.

The eight men facing life are Leroy Price, Ashton Price, Alonzo Peters, Jasmine Perry, McCoy Walker, Terrioues Owney, Evans Lewis and Curtis Neville. Among them, only Peters was not convicted of a role in at least one murder.

The 47-count federal indictment blamed 14 killings in 2010 and 2011 on the defendants, along with many other shootings and a heroin-dealing business that stretched from Central City to the Upper 9th Ward.

The 39'ers, prosecutors and witnesses said, were a unified force of members from three gangs: "3NG," named for their bloody turf at Third and Galvez streets; "G-Strip," from Gallier Street; and a group from the Florida housing development.

Each of the 10 defendants was accused in at least one killing. They included a group gun assault that left acclaimed bounce rapper Renetta "Magnolia Shorty" Lowe and Jerome "ManMan" Hampton dead in a shower of more than 80 bullets outside a New Orleans East apartment complex on Dec. 20, 2010.

Several cooperating witnesses at the trial portrayed Lowe as collateral damage in a pre-emptive attack on Hampton, a Calliope gang rival.

The centerpiece of the defendants' long-shot pleas to overturn their convictions was a letter that turned up after the trial, written last year by admitted gang enforcer Washington "Big Wash" McCaskill to an Orleans Parish prosecutor

McCaskill, who went on to testify at the 39'ers trial, wrote in May 2016 that the federal gang case was "all made up lies." He accused the government's two star witnesses, gang leaders Darryl "Brother" Franklin and Gregory "Rabbit" Stewart, of lying "about a lot of things" in a bid for a reduction of their multiple life prison sentences.

If presented at the trial, the letter "would have been a devastating blow to (the) credibility and veracity of Stewart and Franklin and to the integrity of the government's case," wrote Billy Sothern, the attorney for convicted 39'er Evans Lewis.

In a 31-page order issued this week, U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey agreed that McCaskill's letter should have been revealed but found it likely wouldn't have mattered.

Defense attorneys "inexorably" impeached the credibility of both Franklin and Stewart during several days of cross-examination, and the jury still came back with guilty verdicts, Zainey noted.

"The court is not persuaded that any of the jurys conclusions would have been different if the defense had had the letter during trial," he wrote.

Leroy Price, Ashton Price, Peters and Perry are scheduled to be sentenced Monday morning. Walker, Owney and Lewis are slated for sentencing on Tuesday, with Neville, Doyle and Barnes to be sentenced Wednesday.
Police have blocked dozens of drug consignments en route to Canberra addresses in the mail.

Operation Vitreus, a week-long action by all state and territory police and Australia Post to stop mail drug consignments, saw 29 envelopes and parcels containing drugs blocked before they arrived at ACT addresses.

Drugs seized by police as part of Operation Vitreus.

During the operation, ACT Policing Criminal Investigation detectives seized synthetics, cannabis, steroids, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.

Police also seized a small amount of a methamphetamine precursor called phenyl-2-propanone, or P2P.
Commonwealth Bank could free up capital for higher-returning businesses by selling its insurance arm CommInsure, analysts say, as a growing number of banks retreat for the wealth management sector.

After reports CBA may be considering joining rivals National Australia Bank and ANZ Bank in selling part of its wealth business, bank watchers said there was not a convincing strategic reason for the bank to hold the assets.

Analysts say there is not a compelling reason for banks such as CBA to own life insurance businesses. Credit:Wayne Taylor

CLSA analyst Brian Johnson said life insurance was a capital intensive business in which banks such as CBA had no clear competitive advantage. Their advantage was the ability to distribute such products to retail customers.

"They are natural distributors, but not natural owners," Mr Johnson said.
The tunnel would be more than twice as long as the current record holder: the Gotthard Base Tunnel, a rail line that runs through the Swiss Alps. For some urban context: a recently opened stretch of subway in New York cost $US4.5 billion for some 3 kilometres of rails. It was first proposed in 1919 and opened to the public in January 2017. These things take time.

The US Department of Transportation referred a query about the project to the White House, which said in an emailed reply through a spokesman: "We have had promising conversations to date, are committed to transformative infrastructure projects and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector."

Even if the Boring Co. did receive some kind of approval to start digging a tunnel, it's not clear how quickly the company will be able to move. Musk began digging in May on a small test tunnel using a second-hand boring machine, called Godot, which he acquired for his speculative new enterprise.

Here's how Musk described the Boring Co. at a Ted Talk in April: "This is basically interns and people doing it part time. We bought some second-hand machinery. It's kind of puttering along, but it's making good progress."
The case for change is compelling. In summary: there can be a crescendo of suffering as death draws nigh; a doctor's duty is to relieve suffering; some suffering will be relieved only by death; a doctor's duty is to respect a patient's autonomy; some patients rationally and persistently request assistance to die; palliative care cannot relieve all the pain and suffering of dying patients.

As befits such a profound human rights issue, government and opposition lawmakers will be given a conscience vote on the legislation, which will be introduced later this year.

Details are contained in 66 recommendations in the Andrews government's Ministerial Advisory Panel report on voluntary assisted dying. The independent export panel, chaired by former president of the Australian Medical Association, Professor Brian Owler, produced the report after an extensive parliamentary inquiry last year recommended the historic change. That recommendation echoed the findings of a Senate inquiry. Polls have long shown that as many as four in five Australians support assisted dying.

The proposed assisted dying law for Victoria contains safeguards so comprehensive that the legislation will be the most conservative of its kind anywhere in the world.

Legitimate and benevolent objections are that ill people will seek it either because they are coerced by scurrilous relatives or make the decision when mentally unwell. The manifold protections in the proposed laws should assuage such concerns. These include: the patient is expected to die within a year; is aged over 18; has an incurable disease; and has suffering that "cannot be relieved in a manner that is deemed tolerable".

Further, to prevent "elder abuse", two independent assessments will be done to ensure a person's request to die is voluntary and properly informed. Only the patient would have access to lethal medication, which would be dispensed in a locked box. The patient must begin with a verbal request, followed by a formal written request, then a final verbal request. "If anything, we can be criticised for the burden it may place on someone that is dying," Professor Owler said.

The case for assisted dying is strengthened by the fact that while far from all those given the option to end their lives in this way actually exercise it, everyone given it immediately benefits from a reduction in fear and anxiety.

Mercifully, not everyone is going to suffer an excruciating end  the panel predicts about 150 Victorians a year would be eligible  but everyone has the right, should they be in such terrible extremis, to this gentle, decent option. There is certainly no lack of dignity in opting to let an illness run its course, but there is in denying choice in certain, strictly regulated, circumstances. The proposed laws are enlightened and compassionate and merit support.
The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures. The same can no longer be said about the Justice Department.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a directive Wednesday reinstating the controversial practice of adoptive forfeiture, expanding the ability of law enforcement to take possession of assets belonging to suspects  even if they havent been or wont be charged with a crime  under civil law and later profit from the assets so long as the low bar of probable cause is met.

This is why adoptive forfeiture is a bad deal for Americans, and more than two dozen states restricted the process in recent years. In few places will Sessions change be felt more acutely than Nebraska, a leader in forfeiture reform.

Last year, the Legislature passed a laudable measure that banned permanent asset seizures by law enforcement until a suspect was convicted of a crime and limited when the less-restrictive civil forfeiture process could be used.

Now, its all but moot, as local law enforcement can skirt more restrictive state laws in favor of the far more permissive federal standards.

Although Sessions directive includes modest safeguards against abuse  most notably, requiring more detail from law enforcement on probable cause and notifying people of their rights  his agency took a net step backward. His document doesnt address the major concerns about the practice of forfeiture:

* The Constitution requires the presumption of innocence until a person is found guilty in court. By requiring those whose assets are seized to sue for their return, the courts are essentially holding those people as guilty until being proved innocent.

* Equitable sharing, which was suspended along with adoptive forfeiture at the federal level in 2015, allows law enforcement agencies to keep up to 80 percent of proceeds while sharing at least 20 percent with federal authorities. This federal policy encourages local law enforcement to seize assets and police for profit.

* By allowing law enforcement agencies to circumvent state laws and instead operate under the far less onerous federal guidelines, the Justice Department has overruled the local control Republicans vociferously defend.

This sudden pivot in favor of restoring the adoptive forfeiture runs counter to the platform adopted at last summers Republican National Convention, which accurately notes: When the rights of the innocent can be so easily violated, no ones rights are safe. We call on Congress and state legislatures to enact reforms to protect law-abiding citizens against abusive asset forfeiture tactics.

Seizing the ill-gotten gains of a person tried and convicted in court is wholly defensible for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. But Sessions directive reopens a dangerous Pandoras box that disregards both the due process rights of Americans and self-rule of state governments.
The intelligence watchdog's staff of just 17 people has "not kept pace" with its growing workload in keeping a check on the nation's thousands of spies, a major intelligence review has found.

The review, released this week, has urged the Turnbull government to triple the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to 50 staff, in particular to allow it to carry out more random spot checks on the agencies.

The review by Michael L'Estrange and Stephen Merchant also recommends greater parliamentary oversight with an MPs' committee able to ask the watchdog to investigate particular spy operations.
Queensland police have charged more than 100 people with a variety of drug trafficking and weapons offences after an extensive investigation spanning almost two years.

The majority of the arrests took place in Mackay, but it will be alleged the drug and firearm networks targeted also had connections to the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

Dangerous drugs were found hidden inside a gas cylinder on the Gold Coast in May 2016 as part of Operation North Frogmouth. Credit:Queensland Police Service

Operation North Frogmouth began in early 2015 and involved detectives from across the state, as well as the Crime and Corruption Commission.

It will be alleged that during the investigation substantial quantities of dangerous drugs were found including methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and steroids, as well as a variety of weapons.
A Glock 22 handgun has been either stolen or lost from a south-east Queensland police station.

The police-issued Glock 22 went missing from the Yamanto police station in Ipswich some time between June 25 and July 18  a period of more than three weeks.

A Queensland Police Service-issued Glock has gone missing from a south-east Queensland police station.

Police have been unable to find the missing weapon, despite extensive efforts and believe it is either lost or stolen.

Police officers were told about the unaccounted-for gun late this week, but an alert was not issued to inform the public.
A man in his 80s who was being chased by police after a brothel shooting has shot himself on a major freeway in Melbourne's north-west.

Police were pursuing the man after a shooting at a Brunswick brothel, Romantics, about an hour earlier.

They approached his car, which had stopped on the Calder Freeway just after 11am, and found he had shot himself.

A police spokesman said the man appeared to have shot himself at some time before police approached the vehicle.
The early red-light district of Melbourne was much like today's St Kilda, archaeologists say.

The historically significant "Little Lon" precinct in the east of Melbourne's CBD  covering Little Lonsdale, Spring, Exhibition and Lonsdale streets  has been investigated by archaeologists for almost three decades.

Their searches have uncovered pocket watches, bottles, pins, Chinese coins, contraceptive devices (bone rings that would have been used as part of a diaphragm) and clay tobacco pipes with erotic designs that were most probably used by brothel patrons.

Most of the materials came from cesspits from the 1850s to the 1880s.
A man wanted over a suspected burglary in Geraldton will face assault charges after allegedly biting and stabbing two police officers during his arrest.

Police allege the 23-year-old Narrogin man struggled violently with officers on Thursday evening, biting one of them on the arm before momentarily breaking free.

The WA police union have previously voiced concerns about the number of officers injured

A Taser was used to subdue him, after which he began to struggle again before stabbing a second officer with a scissor blade in the wrist, forearm and bicep, police said.

The officers - one a 40-year-old senior constable who has been with the police force for nearly 9 years - and a 29-year-old first class constable with 6 years experience, were both taken to hospital for treatment.
Moscow: The Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr. after his father won the Republican nomination for the 2016 US presidential election counted Russia's FSB security service among her clients for years, Russian court documents seen by Reuters show.

The documents show that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, successfully represented the FSB's interests in a legal wrangle over ownership of an upscale property in north-west Moscow between 2005 and 2013.

The FSB, successor to the Soviet-era KGB service, was headed by Vladimir Putin before he became Russian President.

There is no suggestion that Veselnitskaya is an employee of the Russian government or intelligence services, and she has denied having anything to do with the Kremlin.
YORKVILLE  Gov. Scott Walker stopped in Racine County Thursday to give local authorities a pat on the back for their efforts to find and stop public assistance fraud thats saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

For Racine, Kenosha and all across the state there is big savings when it comes to clamping down on fraud, Walker said.

The governor made the announcement at Racine Countys Ives Grove County Building in Yorkville as a part of Fight Fraud Wisconsin Day.

Last year, Walker said $51 million was saved in Wisconsin, of which $5 million came from Racine County authorities, thanks to help from the Department of Health Services Office of the Inspector General.

Those are dollars that otherwise would have been spent on fraudulent claims and overbilling, Walker said. It helps us operate in more effective, more efficient and more accountable state and local governments.

Saving $9.7 million since 2012, Racine County has teamed with Kenosha County officials to establish a program investigating FoodShare and Medicaid fraud called the the Wisconsin Kenosha Racine Partnership FPIP Consortium.

Program integrity in our public assistance programs ensures that we are able to provide benefits to the citizens of our state that really need them, said Racine County Executives Chief of Staff M.T. Boyle.

The partnership between the OIG and local agency fraud units are committed to making sure the right benefits go to the right people, Boyle said.

Since 2011, Walkers administration has expanded staff from one to 30 working on fraud investigations and prevention. Walker points out that the state went from 3,200 fraud investigations in 2008 to 16,000 in 2015.

Its a win for the hard-working taxpayers of the state who want to make sure those dollars are spent for the right reasons, Walker said. Secondly, its a win for the truly needy people, the children in need of assistance, the senior citizens, people with disabilities and or those who temporarily need our help to get back on their feet again.

DHS provides almost $9 billion in benefits to more than 1.3 million people in Wisconsin every year.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
Other Side of 50 Falls can be serious for older adults; take precautions

For weeks, friends and neighbors worked on planning a surprise block party for my friend Margarets 90th birthday. On the big day, over 50 people showed up with food, drink and gifts to celebrate. Several of the neighbors who attended...

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Honoring the helpers Awards recognize those who support autism community

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Go purple to support those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer November is the busiest month of the year for cancer awareness campaigns. Im going to focus on one of thempancreatic cancer because its a type weve seen a noticeable rise in over the last few years. And because it remains...
BURLINGTON  Officials continue to assess damage from last weeks historic floods while keeping a close eye on the weather forecast over the next few days.

Dozens of officials from local and state agencies met for a roundtable discussion Thursday at the Western Racine County Service Center, 209 N. Main St., on the aftermath of flooding in the area last week.

As the cleanup continues, some were skittish about the possibility of more rain. The National Weather Service said thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible Friday night in southeastern Wisconsin.

As of early Thursday afternoon, officials did not foresee more of the type of flooding Burlington endured last week.

Every time it rains, were going to be a little bit more on edge than before, said David Maack, coordinator of the Racine County Office of Emergency Management. Were concerned, but were not anticipating any major issues.

Citizens now are starting to get spooked, Mayor Jeannie Hefty added. Theyre just starting to dry out. Some of them arent even at that point. Were trying to keep everybody together and be more positive and reassuring.

After reaching a historic high of more than 16 feet and causing flooding throughout Burlington, the Fox River was down to less than 10 feet Thursday.

Assistance not guaranteed

In the City of Burlington so far, assessment teams have surveyed 688 homes and identified one home as being destroyed, 40 with major damage, 71 with minor damage and 576 affected, Maack said during the roundtable.

In the Town of Burlington, 32 homes sustained major damage, 43 had minor damage and 26 were affected out of 112 homes surveyed.

Officials are still assessing damage and adding up totals to submit to the state and federal governments for possible reimbursement.

I dont want to give any promises that there is federal assistance thats coming, said Brian Satula, Wisconsin Emergency Management administrator. Right now were in the short-term recovery, and one of the things we have to do in short-term recovery is ... gather all the damage assessment thats out there. Were still gathering and getting updated reports on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, public infrastructure damage and initial emergency response has resulted in more than $3.9 million in expenses so far.

Officials urged residents and business owners to document damage the best they can, including taking lots of photos and saving receipts, for insurance purposes.
MADISON  Lawmakers are working on an incentive package to lure a giant Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer to Wisconsin as they also hash out a deal to pass the next state spending plan that is now 20 days late.

The Associated Press first reported the lawmakers work on a package for Foxconn, which employs about 1 million people to assemble iPhones and smartphones for BlackBerry and Sony.

The company is considering building a $7 billion U.S. plant that could employ as many as 10,000 people to build display panels. Racine County is believed to be one of the top contenders to host the facility, with local governing bodies meeting numerous times in closed session in recent weeks.

Most recently, trustees from Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant met in private July 10 about a potential future development project in Racine County, though officials afterward did not offer specifics.

Foxconn officials also are looking at building in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, said whatever package lawmakers settle on to propose to Foxconn would not be included in the 2017-19 state budget.

(The package would be) a separate bill if and when the deal is done, Nygren said Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told the Associated Press that lawmakers are talking about huge, big numbers to offer to Foxconn officials.

Nygren said the potential incentive packages are not directly affecting the delay in passing a budget, but lawmakers are now mulling a proposal from Gov. Scott Walker to eliminate a $203 million income tax cut to lower bonding levels and potentially help create Foxconn incentives.

He said lawmakers are considering how this move would affect future budgets.

Foxconn is part of the long-term conversations about the budget, Nygren said. He stressed the discussions are fluid.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported in recent weeks that company officials have held a number of meetings in the state, looking at potential sites in southeastern and central Wisconsin including Dane County.
May 25, 1929 - July 18, 2017

Helen Juanita Montgomery, 88, of Caldwell passed away Tuesday, July 18, 2017, with her friends and family by her side. Graveside services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 22, at the Montgomery Family Cemetery in Chriesman with Rev. Emerson Ayers officiating. Burial will immediately follow. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, July 21, at Phillips and Luckey Funeral Home in Caldwell.

Helen Juanita (Boyd) Montgomery was born May 25, 1929 in the Chriesman community to William Darr and Birdie Missouri (Eanes) Boyd. She graduated from Mary Hardin-Baylor University with a Bachelor's Degree in Home Economics. Her first job was a County Extension Agent in Kerrville, TX. On June 11, 1958, she and Charles "Ted" Edwin Montgomery were married. To this union three children were born, William K. "Bill", Sandra, and Virginia. Helen also had the opportunity to live in Montana, where she loved to fly fish, Kansas, Honey Grove, TX, and Waller, TX, before coming back to Chriesman.

She taught elementary school in Caldwell ISD until her retirement at age 70. Helen was a member of the Texas State Teachers Association, was nominated and received an award for Teacher's of the Round Table, and assisted in developing the education platform for former Texas Governor Ann Richards. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell. Helen was an avid Texas A&M fan and raised cattle with Ted and her three children. She was a great storyteller, which kept everyone entertained. Most importantly, she loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. On summer breaks she held "Camp Caldwell" for her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband; and sisters, Willie M. Boyd and Virginia Boyd.

She is survived by her children, Virginia Lyda and husband, Tim, William Montgomery and wife, JoLeah, Sandy Montgomery and partner, Karen Johnson; brother, Olin Boyd and wife, Velma; and five grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be her grandchildren, Stuart Lyda, Lindsay Lyda, Logan Lyda, Trysten Montgomery, and Ben Birch.

The family would like to thank Helen's faithful caregivers, Betty Sims and Bonnie Story, for giving her the ability to stay in her home. They would also like to acknowledge Compassionate Care Hospice for their assistance during this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Aggieland Humane Society or a charity of your choice.
The GOP's red wave foundered nationally, but it swept away Democrats in Iowa
DOVER  House Speaker Paul Ryan said he is seeking answers about a federal cut that will shutter a program serving homeless veterans at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove.

The state Department of Veterans Affairs lost a federal grant of about $500,000 for its Veteran Housing and Recovery Program at the Southern Wisconsin campus in Dover, 21425 Spring St. The program serves 28 people. Federal funding also was eliminated for the homeless program at the states King home.

The cut came after federal officials announced in December it intended to terminate certain grants awarded between 1994 and 2016 as it transitioned to a competitive grant process.

In a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin released Thursday, Ryan and U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher said they support efforts to modernize VA programming. But they want more information about why facilities in Dover and King lost the grant and how they can compete for grants in the future.

Given the critical need for the services these particular facilities provide to at-risk and homeless veterans, we are seeking additional information to better understand why the homes at Union Grove and King did not qualify for this federal funding for the first time since 1995 and 1997, respectively, according to the letter.

The news that the grants were not renewed has caused a significant amount of anxiety among the veteran residents who are currently housed in these facilities, they said in the letter.

Gallagher and Ryan asked Shulkin to help assist veterans displaced and identify funding alternatives for the state veterans agency.

Ryan, who represents Racine County, said in a statement to The Journal Times that hes committed to working with stakeholders to ensure Wisconsins veterans continue to receive the care they need.

This letter will help clarify outstanding issues surrounding these grants, and will help everyone involved chart a path forward to ensure these veterans receive the assistance they deserve, Ryan said.

Federal funding for the Dover facility, known as Cottage 16, is due to end in September. State officials are not accepting new admissions and have vowed to work with veteran service organizations and nonprofits to transition veterans there now into new housing.

Advocates say the Racine County area already faced problems providing housing for homeless veterans even with the Dover facility open.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, circulated a letter among state legislators Thursday requesting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reconsider its denial of federal funding for the Union Grove and King programs.

Especially for homeless veterans in the northern and rural parts of the state, there is not the resources available to assist them, the letter states.

These veterans have made great sacrifices in their service for our country and deserve this assistance in their time of need, according to the letter to Jeffrey Quarles, director of the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program office. They have, without question, earned it.
Google has all the answers. People these days don't look to encyclopedias or books to get infoor recipes.

Financial site CashNetUSA looked at Google Trends to find out which recipe each state Googles the most.
NORWALK  The Norwalk Board of Education will hold its annual retreat Friday and Saturday at the Maritime Aquarium.

Topics on the boards agenda range from reviewing 2016-17 achievement data to an evaluation of the superintendents performance.

The purpose, said Board of Education Chairman Mike Lyons, is for the board to have a chance to discuss results and longer-term plans free of the demands of budgets, contracts and day-to-day business that occupies our regular meetings.

Norwalks Board of Education began holding annual retreats back in 2013 under the leadership of then-Superintendent Manny Rivera, Lyons said.

The first two retreats were held at Norwalk Community College. The last was held at Dolce. This will be the first time the retreat is held at the Maritime Aquarium.

An example of a product of the retreats is the 2016-2019 Strategic Operating Plan, which was devised during last years sessions and serves as a road map for the district.

Though Lyons pointed out on social media that the the retreat is intended to be a working session solely for the board, he said all sessions not under executive session will be open to the public.

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education recommends boards throughout the state hold annual retreats to self-evaluate and plan for the future.

Rebecca Adams, a senior staff attorney at CABE, said retreats should be made open to the public in accordance with the law.

The retreat will run 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

A specially scheduled Board of Education meeting is to take place at the end of the retreat, at 1 p.m. Saturday, to vote on the approval of a new chief of specialized learning and student services.

An agenda for the retreat was posted online and is available at norwalkps.org.

KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-842-2567; @kevinedschultz
NORWALK  Police have identified the man fatally shot Thursday night as Johnny Lezeau, 26, of Norwalk.

The shooting occurred around 7:45 p.m. on Ely Avenue in South Norwalk.

Police said they were called to the area of 236 Ely Ave., where the man was found with life-threatening injuries. Lezeau was taken by ambulance to Norwalk Hospital, where he died.

We dont believe this was a random shooting, said Norwalk police Detective Bureau Commander Lt. Thomas Mattera. This is an active, ongoing investigation.

Police say there were multiple people in the area at the time of the shooting.

Mattera said it is believed that the suspect(s) were driving past Lezeau and shot the gun from the car.

Someone who lives in the area told Hearst Connecticut Media that the there were four or five shots, and then a man could be seen collapsing onto a lawn. A white Honda Civic then revved its engine a couple times and sped away.

An autopsy was scheduled Friday morning.

Crime Scene Unit and detectives were at the scene Thursday night, and left the scene by 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Police ask anyone with information to call detectives at 203-854-3011.

The incident was the latest of several shootings.

On July 20, Alexander Cardone, a 19-year-old Norwalk man was charged for his alleged role in a July 9 Plymouth Avenue shooting where an 18-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries. Police say more arrests are expected.

On May 18, police responded to multiple calls of shots fired in the area of 33 Orchard St.

A short time later, Norwalk Hospital reported that a male victim arrived at the hospital suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Detectives said their preliminary investigation revealed the shooting was not random and that the victim was likely targeted.

On April 13, police responded to a report of shots fired around 10:40 p.m. on nearby Chapel Street, and found a crime scene, but no victims.

Norwalk Hospital then reported that two males with gunshot wounds had arrived by private vehicle. A short time later, a third male victim arrived at the Norwalk Hospital. He also had been shot.

Norwalk police have investigated three homicides in Norwalk this year.

On April 26, 49-year-old Lisa Zemlok was found dead inside a residence at 505 Westport Ave., which she shared with Paul Bjerke. Bjerke was arrested in the death and charged with first-degree manslaughter.

On May 1, Melissa Wilkinson, 33, died in apparent murder-suicide in her Wilton Avenue apartment. Police said she was shot by her father, Mark Wilkinson, 55, before he turned the gun on himself hours later.

Staff writer Cedar Attanasio contributed reporting.
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NORWALK  The curtain has finally fallen on the White Barn Theater saga.

The historic venue was demolished early Thursday after a two-year fundraising effort to save it from a housing development came up short.

James Fieber, manager of 78 Cranbury Road II, LLC, the owner of the property, said he met later in the day with Waldo Mayo, great-grandnephew of Lucille Lortel, who operated a theater on the property for decades.

Waldo expressed that he was very appreciative that we gave him and his organization a long period of time to consummate the deal  over two years  and he acknowledged that fundraising was more difficult than he anticipated, Fieber said. However, hes still interested in trying to figure some way to build a theater on that property.

Fieber said he told Mayo that the theater building had to come down due to its deteriorated condition, but added that he remains open to discussion about other aspects of the property. At the same time, he reminded that he has an approved development for the property.

We have an approved plan and the execution of that plan and the timing for execution of the plan are imminent, Fieber said.

Mayo, when reached Thursday afternoon, declined comment.

Until 2002, the barn-turned-theater and house at 78 Cranbury Road were the home of Lortel, proclaimed the Queen of Off-Broadway by the Museum of the City of New York, and a summer theater for 50 years.

In October 2015, the city approved plans for a 15-house development on the site, a project was put on hold as a favor to the foundation.

The foundation reached an agreement with Fieber, which gave it until the end of 2016 to raise the $5.2 million needed to purchase the property. The foundation did not meet the deadline but discussions continued between Fieber and the foundation.

Mayor Harry W. Rilling said his office received a voice message Thursday morning from Stephen Nevas, the attorney representing foundation, expressing concern that the theater had been demolished. Rilling had Laoise King, his chief of staff, contact the citys building department.

Norwalk Chief Building Official William D. Ireland confirmed for King that 78 Cranbury Road II, LLC had a valid permit to proceed with demolition.

They are within their rights, Ireland wrote in an email response to King, they have an active demolition permit.

Last year, the foundation received a $3.4 million loan from The Conservation Fund, which they would not receive unless they purchased the property. Additionally, the foundation applied for a grant through Norwalks Open Spaces fund to cover another portion of the total $5.2 million purchase price.

Rilling, who helped negotiate several extensions of the fundraising deadline, expressed disappointment that the foundation failed to raise the money and that the theater had been demolished.

We tried to work with Waldo Mayo and attorney Nevas and the others, but they werent able to get the funding necessary to purchase the property, said Rilling, who spoke with Fieber Thursday afternoon. We had hopes that there were a lot of others who would come to their support, but apparently they werent able to materialize.

The property abuts a 5.2-acre nature preserve maintained by the Norwalk Land Trust. At this time, John Moeling, president of the NLT, said there are no plans to expand the preserve though it has been discussed with Fieber.

Weve talked with them, Moeling said. Nothing has come of those so far, and as far as we know we will just continue to work with the preserve that we have. Depending how the development of the of the property goes, well just keep an eye on it and make sure they know they have a fragile ecosystem in their back yard and were here to help them. We are their partners in conservation.
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WILTON  In Quakerism, listening to the voice of God is more than sitting in silence. Its centering your body, clearing your mind of thoughts and, sometimes, repeating a phrase to yourself as you wait for a divine message.

At times, people feel overcome with the sense to stand up and share that message or revelation with everyone else in that worship meeting.

This has happened several times to Renda McCaughan, a ninth-generation Quaker.

One of the basic tenets of Quakerism is that we dont believe that we need a minister to tell us what God is all about. We believe that God can speak to us directly, she said.

Ive been a Quaker all my life, so Ive had a lot of experiences in this waiting business, she said.

McCaughan and her husband, Peter, are both members of the Wilton Monthly Meeting, a society of Quakers formerly known as the Weston Preparative Meeting and, later, the Fairfield County Monthly Meeting. The couple, along with dozens of other members, gathered July 15 to celebrate the meetings milestone of 75 years.

Michel Loth, of Stamford, was one of the members who attended the 75th anniversary party, which consisted of worship, yoga dance, food and music, and a history lesson from Renda McCaughan.

Though Loth grew up Protestant in Switzerland, he said he identified more with Quakerism when he moved to the U.S. when he was 28 in 1978. He said he felt welcomed and cared for the moment he visited Wilton Monthly Meeting 25 years ago. This was especially true when he went through a heart attack and a divorce later on.

There was always this care, this love, this neutrality where theres no judgment placed, Loth said.

Here, you have the chance to level things out in your heart and in your head and you can take all of that out into the real world and practice it. ... There are so many people in Fairfield County that could use a place like that.

The first official gathering of Wilton Monthly Meeting was in 1942, at the home of Henry and Estelle Fraad in Weston. Today, the group gathers at its meetinghouse at 317 New Canaan Road, beside the Connecticut Friends School that exists under the groups care.

Since the meeting is unprogrammed in the Quaker tradition, members gather in the meeting room without any prearranged prayers, readings, sermons or hymns. Worship ends when a member, designated beforehand, starts shaking hands with others.

McCaughan said unprogrammed meetings like Wilton Monthly Meeting are becoming less common, as more meetings have a minister nowadays.

People like to have ministers, I guess, although I understand some churches are declining also and people are turning away from organized religion, she said. Of course, we think of ourselves as an unorganized religion, so were hoping theyll come to us because we dont have much of a creed. I wouldnt say you can believe in whatever you want but we only have a limited number of things that makes us Quakers.

Members of Wilton Monthly Meeting share similar beliefs, McCaughan said, although some describe themselves as non-theistic. One shared belief is that every person has light within them, or that of God, regardless of their race, sex or background. This was the central message of George Fox, the founder of the Quakers, who called for an egalitarian and spirit-filled Christianity accessible to all.

Many Quakers today, like the ones belonging to Wilton Monthly Meeting, maintain the same level of openness and acceptance while focusing on six core values: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship.

Over the years, Wilton Monthly Meeting has sent care packages to people in the aftermath of World War II, helped sponsored 50 Hiroshima women who were brought to the U.S. for reconstructive surgery, and started a sewing group that knit and donated hundreds of articles of childrens clothing for 45 years.

The group also became a sanctuary meeting in 1986, sponsoring and housing refugees from Guatemala and Bosnia. In July 2016, the group worked with the Westport-Weston Interfaith Council and the Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services to help support the Almasri family from Syria and to find them a home in Norwalk.

Such efforts to help those in need are truly admirable, the father of Syrian refugee family said.

We lost all our family in Syria, he said. But here, our family now.

Wilton Monthly Meeting gathers every Sunday at the meetinghouse at 10 a.m. and can be reached at 203-762-5669.

skim@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2568; @stephaniehnkim
The clouds over the Thompson Open Air Arena at Fonner Park were thin on Thursday morning, like cotton pulled apart. But they were thick enough to cover the sun at 8:30 a.m. and to make the morning heat more bearable for the last day of competition at the Nebraska State 4-H Horse Exposition.

For the last day, 4-Hers showed their skills at roping. Contestants competed in break away roping, calf roping and dally roping.

To prepare, riders sat on horses and whipped their lassos. Large loops of rope floated through the air as riders moved their lassos above their heads and below their horses.

Calves ate grass, trotted in small circles and jerked their tails in a gated area near the arena as they waited for the chase.

For break away roping, calves are released into the arena and riders race after them on their horses. Riders jerk the reins to follow the calves, and they furiously whip and throw the lasso to catch the calf. The calf continues running with the loop around its neck, belly or legs, and the rope is detached from the riders saddle.

Sometimes, though, calves evade the lasso. Some calves are more erratic than others and they run into corners, or quickly switch their direction.

Out of the 11 competitors on Thursday morning, only five caught their calves.

The event was exciting for the audience.

Go, go, go buddy, one spectator said while he watched. Get him ... get him ... get him ... Thats a nice loop.

After earning second place for break away roping, Ethan Naughtin approached his supporters in the bleachers.

You got him! his mother told him. Naughtin nodded back.

That curt nod and second-place ribbon were likely bought with a lot of time, hard work and money.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners says the annual cost of owning a horse, not including stabling costs, is at least $2,500, while other horse-related organizations estimate it to be at least $3,600.

Horses can be free, cost $500, $5,000 or even tens of thousands of dollars, and the initial cost of horses is usually the most affordable aspect of horse ownership.

Next are feeding, training, cleaning, healing, sheltering and outfitting the horses. The American Quarter Horse Association estimates riding supplies, known as tack, can add up to $2,000.

Trips to horse shows mean gas, trailers, hotels and entrance fees.

Mary Tenbusch was at the exposition selling saddles, halters, accessories and more out of her trailer. Tenbusch said expenses can be as high or as low as people want them to be.

It comes down to personality, Tenbusch said. She said some people will spend $20,000 on a pedigree horse, hundreds of dollars on hand-tooled saddles, or they can opt for plainer equipment.

But all Im saying is, you cant ride $20,000 of receipts, she said. Is a blingy saddle going to get you three more seconds in barrel racing?

Tenbusch said she had limited resources when she showed horses, so she sells her equipment at reasonable prices.

If I make only a little bit but pass on a great deal, thats worth it for me, she said. Especially for people who might not have enough money.

Jennifer Schell has supported two of her children at the exposition, and she said the entry fees, the fuel and the veterinarian bills can add up.

Its very expensive, but its a commitment, Schell said. Its what we do and its something we do as a family.
KEARNEY  University of Nebraska at Kearney physics and astronomy professor Mariana Lazarova is the Citizen CATE Experiment state coordinator for Nebraska and site coordinator for Ravenna.

The Citizen CATE (Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse) Experiment will capture images of the suns inner corona during the Aug. 21 Great American Solar Eclipse, using more than 60 telescopes operated by area scientists, high school groups and universities.

Volunteers from more than 20 high schools, 20 universities, informal education groups, astronomy clubs, five national science research labs and five corporate sponsors from across the country are involved in the experiment.

The goal of CATE is to produce a scientifically unique data set  high resolution, rapid-cadence white light images  of the inner corona for 90 minutes.

Lazarova will work with two students from the UNK Society of Physics for the project.

From Bulgaria, Lazarova came to the United States for undergraduate and graduate school, and is now an assistant professor for the UNK Physics and Astronomy Department. She also is the UNK planetarium director. She studies the host galaxies of quasars using the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope.

For the CATE experiment, volunteers will track the sun using 68 identical telescopes, software and instrument packages spaced along the 2,500-mile path of totality. Each site will produce more than 1,000 images.

Ravenna will experience totality (total coverage) at 12:57:30 p.m., and the duration is 1 minute, 54 seconds. Partial coverage begins at Ravenna at about 11:30 a.m. and continues until about 2:30 p.m.

Resulting data from the CATE experiment will consist of 90 minutes of continuous, high resolution and rapid-cadence images detailing the suns inner corona  a region of the solar atmosphere typically very challenging to create images of.
The corner of South Cedar and West Koenig streets, a lot that is now vacant, will someday be the home of an adoration chapel.

The Catholic Diocese of Grand Island plans to build a chapel on the site, which is across the alley from St. Marys Cathedral. An individual bought the lot and donated it to the diocese.

The house that long sat on the site has been removed.

The Rev. Joseph Hanefeldt, bishop of the diocese, hasnt yet talked to an architect. The bishop hasnt had time to look at what it will cost. But he says it will be built.

Hanefeldt said he wants to foster Eucharistic adoration in the diocese.

The chapel will be open 24 hours a day. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be offered at all times.

Typically, Catholics will sign up to pray for an hour at the same time each week.

But people will also be able to come and pray whenever they want, Hanefeldt said. It will be open both to local residents and people traveling through town.

He wants to give people the opportunity to come and pray in the presence of the Lord and allow Him to transform them from the inside out, Hanefeldt said. Bringing their joys and gratitude, their sorrows and worries, their hopes and dreams, they will come and be with our Lord.

It will differ from a parish in that the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be uninterrupted.

The cathedral is such a busy place, regularly used for Masses, funerals, weddings and other events such as quinceaneras, Hanefeldt said.

But you cant have the Eucharist exposed during Mass or other activities, he said.

People enjoy the chance to pray before the body of Jesus, Hanefeldt said. There are so many people, especially our Hispanic brothers and sisters, who love to come and pray, he said.

The chapel will offer people a private and separate place in which to do that.

The adoration chapel is not an official part of the capital campaign thats currently underway at St. Marys.

An addition was recently built at the dioceses office at 2708 Old Fair Road. While plans for that addition were being drawn up, the Rev. James Golka of St. Marys wondered if there might be room for an adoration chapel.

Hanefeldt said no, but it would be great to have such a chapel at the cathedral where the whole city could come and pray, he said.

Thought was given to incorporating the chapel into the improvements being made at the cathedral. Hanefeldt didnt initially envision the chapel as a free-standing structure.

Plans changed when the opportunity arose to obtain the lot next to the cathedral. The chapel will be owned by the diocese.

A security system will be installed to protect the safety of those coming and going, and those inside the chapel, Hanefeldt said. Its possible that people arriving from out of town will be asked to call the church office to get the security code.

Hanefeldt is a big believer in Eucharistic adoration.

In this busy culture, he said, we all need to spend more time with the Lord. Spending that time in a private place, in the real presence of the Eucharist, gives God a chance to work on our souls.

People can pray at home, in a park or on a mountaintop. That is all very good, he said. But to pray in the Eucharistic presence of our Lord gives God a chance to work on us and gives Catholics a chance to bring all that we really need to him.

Hes the spiritual doctor of our souls, Hanefeldt said, so he likes the idea of giving God a chance to work on the souls hes trying to save.
Heartland Lutheran High School is holding its first Hogs & Dogs event on Saturday to raise money to support veterans through the Lutheran Family Services At Ease and Buddy Check programs.

The event kicks off at noon with a 200-plus mile poker run to Cairo, Ravenna, Worms, Hampton and Hastings before returning to Heartland Lutheran.

At 6 p.m. a dinner of brats, hot dogs, and hamburgers will be served, with a parking lot dance to follow from 7 to 10:30, featuring Luke Mills. This is an all-age event, with adult beverages for sale and being provided by The Wave Pizza Company. All proceeds will be going to support veterans in Central Nebraska.
GIBBON  When it comes to giving in the community, Jamie Olson and Jodi Peterson of Gibbon know the right ingredients.

Together, they organized a group called Gibbons Little Free Pantry to help children and families in need.

Olson, a paraprofessional at Gibbon Public Schools, saw the need for donated food when kids would come to school hungry. She has worked as a kindergarten paraprofessional for GPS for four years.

Kids would come to school saying they wouldnt have breakfast or what not, and out of the 600 students at our school, 60 percent of them are on free and reduced lunch, Olson said.

In addition, the crucial need for food in the childrens lives also was seen at Gibbon Baptist Church when youths met there once a week.

We have a food for kids program at Awana. The amount of food the kids could eat might have been their only meal for that day. They were just so hungry, so we saw a need there, too, Peterson said.

Olson came across an article one day on Facebook talking about a woman, Jessica McClard of Arkansas, who started something called the Little Free Library. The idea was that people could take and leave books as they pleased.

McClard then realized she could do that with non-perishable food and household goods. She started the Little Free Pantry in Arkansas, and the idea has exploded.

People call it Blessing Boxes or all kinds of things, Olson said. The motto is, Take what you need, give what you can. People are free to come and take what they want and give what they want.

Olson and Peterson have been working on the idea since last fall. The ribbon cutting was Feb. 25. Peterson and Olson said their secret ingredient is the community.

The Gibbon High School shop class built the pantry box. Adams Corner Market in Gibbon let the duo set up a donation bin at the grocery store.

Shoppers at his store can shop, buy stuff and put it right there and one of us will go there and pick it up and store it or put it where its needed, Olson said. It has been a community effort.

Peterson and Olson said there had been some doubts.

They were concerned about vandalism, and we were going to have more people take than give and it is always going to be empty, Peterson said. I think everyone is shocked how everyone has come together.

Gibbons Little Free Pantry is in the parking lot of the Baptist Church at 705 Court St. Other churches have helped gather food for it, as well. The box has been empty once, and that was on July 4.

Olson and Peterson update the community about how the pantry is doing on their Facebook page  Gibbons Little Food Pantry.

As long as it is being used and being successful that way, (it will be around) forever, I guess, Olson said, laughing.

Though it is called a food pantry, people are encouraged to leave household items such as toilet paper, deodorant, toothbrushes and more. The hygiene products have actually gone faster than the nonperishable food items in Gibbon, Peterson and Olson said.

I thought it would work. You doubt yourself when other people doubt you, Peterson said. I knew that the need was out there and as long as people give and, really, people are generous. If they have extra or not very much, you might take from it one day and give back the next day. Its a way that you can give and take.

The final ingredient to the Gibbon Little Food Pantry success is prayer, Olson and Peterson said.

I think we just prayed about it, and this is what we are going to do and it worked, Peterson said.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has quashed speculation that he might run for U.S. Senate in 2018.

I want to put this to rest because its becoming a distraction: no, I am not running for U.S. Senate, Clarke told conservative radio host Vicki McKenna on Friday.

Clarke fueled that speculation in May, saying he had not totally closed the door on a run in 2018, when Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin will seek re-election.

Clarke has run for Milwaukee County sheriff as a Democrat but allies with Republicans and conservatives; he has been a particularly outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump.

In the interview, Clarke slammed what he called a scam PAC, or political action committee, that has raised money by touting him as a potential Senate candidate. He did not specify the PAC to which he referred; multiple ones have used Clarkes name and the possibility of him running for Senate in fundraising appeals.

Hang on to your money, Clarke said.

Republicans who are considering a U.S. Senate bid next year include state Sens. Leah Vukmir and Scott Fitzgerald, state Rep. Dale Kooyenga, businessman Eric Hovde and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kevin Nicholson.
One of the great things about living in the United States is the opportunity afforded to almost all citizens to improve their lives. We say almost because some people are born into terrible circumstances that make the opportunity practically impossible  but nevertheless the rule applies.

For those who define improve in financial terms, being born into an economy based on capitalism is a tremendous head start. The system offers an unparalleled chance to become financially independent. By contrast, imagine being born in Cuba, Russia or any number of African nations. Theres simply no contest.

If you agree with the above, a look at people living in our country today should give rise to some puzzling questions. Why are so many people poor? Why are so many dependent on government assistance for food and shelter? Why are millions so distant from being financially independent?

The answer, according to Brookings Institute scholars, lies in something called the success sequence. In brief, it holds that young people are far more likely to flourish financially if they follow three easily-understood rules, in exactly this order:

 Get at least a high school degree.

 Work full time.

 Marry before having children.

These three rules may seem straightforward and uncomplicated, but millions of people in the United States havent followed them. The results of these failures are easy to see, and they have major societal and financial effects on our nation.

Statistics show that the results transcend both racial and economic backgrounds. If the rules are followed, they have a powerful effect on outcomes.

Perhaps the most compelling statistic, as shown in a recent article from the American Enterprise Institute, is that 97 percent of millennials (ages 28-34) who follow the success sequence in order are not poor by the time they reach their mid-30s.

This statistic and others are compelling reasons why greater attention should be paid to why young people are ignoring basic rules for attaining financial self-reliance, and what can be done about it. It is a challenge for business leaders, educators and other policy makers. Why do so many people fail to follow basic rules that have obvious benefits?

As a society, we arent paying enough attention to this problem. Far too many people are making bad choices. The consequential impact on society and the quality of life for those making poor choices is quite damaging and getting worse.
Gov. Scott Walker offered a change to his budget plan this week to Republican leaders feuding over how to pay for road projects in an effort to break a 20-day impasse, but its unclear if its enough to get both houses back to the negotiating table.

Theres no deal yet. Thats for sure, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Thursday after he relayed to his members the governors offer to use $200 million slated for tax cuts for road projects instead, drawing down bonding levels.

But Walkers offer did win support from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Assembly Republicans, who in letters to Walker and Senate Republicans on Thursday said they accepted the governors proposal and want to resume work on the 2017-19 state budget as early as next week.

The proposal that you outlined yesterday is a positive step forward in our desire to find a long-term solution and we believe the leadership that you have displayed has bridged the gap between our two houses, Assembly Republicans wrote Thursday.

Walkers offer came as lawmakers Thursday wondered if a possible state incentive package for technology giant Foxconn would affect budget deliberations.

Assembly Republicans have been fiercely against Walkers and Senate Republicans proposals to borrow millions in the 2017-19 state budget without increasing revenue sources to pay for the projects. Senate Republicans put forward their own budget proposal this week that included $712 million in new bonding for roads.

But Senate Republicans arent yet ready to say theyre on board. Fitzgerald told reporters hes still not clear what the details are of Walkers offer, and that Vos also this week floated the idea of taxing electric vehicles to bring in new revenue for road projects  an idea that should be discussed further.

Walker told reporters in Sturtevant on Thursday that he hopes Senate Republicans will come back with a reasonable adjustment to the offer, according to audio provided by Walkers office.

Walkers offer eliminates a $203 million tax cut that would instead be used to reduce or completely wipe out all new transportation bonding in the 2017-19 state budget, the governor told reporters.

I hope were getting close, Walker said. Part of my role as a leader not just in my party but over all the state is to listen and try to figure out how to bring different interests together.

Fitzgerald said he doesnt yet know if he has enough votes to pass a new state budget. He said his members still want to do more to move toward eliminating the personal property tax in Wisconsin and some have concerns about other issues that need to be addressed including the budgets structural deficit and spending out of the states general fund.

The Legislatures budget-writing committee hasnt met since June 15, and Fitzgerald said meeting next week  as Assembly Republicans have asked  may be too aggressive, but the committee could meet the first week of August.

He also said his members have a lot of questions about state officials and lawmakers work on crafting an incentives package to lure giant Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to Wisconsin, and whether that effort affects the current state budget.

A lot of members want to talk about how the Foxconn thing folds into this and I (said) I dont have have any information. I know theyre working on a (memorandum of understanding) but we dont have anything yet so I said just kind of keep an open mind on that, Fitzgerald said. I still believe, and I think most of the members agree with me, that it should be a separate bill from the budget and I dont think there has to be any linkage necessarily to this budget in any way other than if there is a transportation issue on the (I-94) north-south and somehow that could be folded in.

If lawmakers settle on an incentive package, it wont be in the new budget, but moves to help fund the package could be part of current budget negotiations, Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal.

Foxconn is part of the long-term conversations about the budget, said Nygren, co-chairman of the Legislatures budget committee.

He said the potential incentive package is not directly affecting passage of a new state budget, which was due July 1, but he said lawmakers are considering how any incentive package could affect future budgets.

Nygren agreed that any incentive package for Foxconn would be contained in separate legislation.

Foxconn employs about 1 million people to assembly iPhones and smartphones for BlackBerry and Sony.

The company is considering building a $7 billion U.S. plant that could employ as many as 10,000 people to build display panels. Foxconn officials also are looking at building in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Fitzgerald told The Associated Press, which first reported about the incentives package, that lawmakers are talking about huge, big numbers to offer to Foxconn officials.

Fitzgeralds spokeswoman Myranda Tanck said that while Fitzgerald was aware of efforts to bring Foxconn to Wisconsin, all negotiations with the company are being conducted with the administration and have not significantly included legislators.
The potential development of 15.4 acres of land behind Books-A-Million moved closer to reality Wednesday as Madison County unanimously approved an agreement to transfer the land to the city of Edwardsville.

The property, at the corner of Plum Street and Governors' Parkway, is currently zoned residential, and Mayor Hal Patton has said the city will consider changing that to commercial or mixed-use development.

The arrangement mirrors an earlier agreement between the city and county that led to the construction of the nearby Dierbergs Market, at Edwardsville Crossing.

Im all for developing this area. Id like to see it grow and for us to collect taxes from it, said Jack Minner, who represents Edwardsvilles District 18 on the County Board.

The property, in the late 19th century, was owned by the Illinois Terminal Railroad of Alton. Then in the late 1970s local officials began discussing plans for a route near the south end of the city that was later to become Governors' Parkway.

And on June 26, 1979, the county bought the site from Illinois Terminal for $62,437.

The latest agreement gives the city of Edwardsville the right to purchase the property for $5 million and to eventually solicit Requests for Proposal to have it developed.

According to the terms of the intergovernmental agreement, the county agrees to credit the city 3 percent of the purchase price at the time of the closing as an administrative fee for soliciting Requests for Proposals from potential developers and for marketing the property in question.

Not everyone agrees with the development plans. At the June County Board meeting, Ann Werner urged officials to preserve the 15.4 acre-property as green space and incorporate it into the Madison County Transit District bike trail system. Such a move, she said, would improve the quality of life for everyone in the county.

Weve got this 1860s mindset that weve got to conquer the land. Thats gotta stop, she said.

At Wednesdays meeting, there was initial confusion about where the $5 million from the sale of the property would actually go. Minner and others worried that it would simply be placed in the countys General Fund.

County Administrator Doug Hulme said that it would be, but at the meeting he was told that the Buildings Committee had earmarked it for the Capital Projects Fund.

That move satisfied several County Board members, including Minner and Mike Parkinson, who represents Granite Citys District 19.

Putting it in the Capital Projects Fund is a good move because we have facilities that are in decline, like the jail, Parkinson said. It needs a lot of infrastructure work, and these funds can be utilized for things that we need in this county to make things better and avoid litigation in the future.
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Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 09:06 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9ca3a9 4 Editorial #Editorial,#Perppu,Hizbut-Tahrir-Indonesia,HTI,#Hizbut-Tahrir-Indonesia,extremism,radical-group,Islam,caliphate,Islamic-caliphate,intolerance Free

The government on Wednesday banned Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an organization of at least 500,000 members that calls for an Islamic caliphate. Despite the controversy over the new government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) which enables the government to ban any mass organization deemed to go against the Pancasila state ideology, and immediate legal challenges from HTI, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has expressed his determination to enforce it. Is everyone relieved? Naturally, no. Regardless of its campaign to change the very foundation of the republic, HTI is one of the least intimidating Islamist groups in Indonesia compared to religious vigilantes and other groups associated with terror acts inside and outside the country.

Even if all those groups could be banned, we remain aware of widespread extremist beliefs that justify violence, based on intolerance against anyone seen to adhere to different beliefs. Surveys have confirmed that such intolerance has spread throughout schools via religious studies.

Intolerance has even been institutionalized in staterun schools. A non-Muslim student in Banyuwangi, East Java, recently retracted her application to her favorite state junior high school after being told that all students had to wear the hijab. The angry regent, Abdullah Azwar Anas, immediately demanded that the school drop the rule and apologize to the student.

Several local leaders have become among the best allies of the national leadership in spreading Indonesias values of respect for diversity, simply by doing their job of ensuring that all citizens in their jurisdictions can access vital public services and working to stop discrimination wherever they see it.

Some leaders have even signed hundreds of discriminatory regulations.

Some leaders have won recognition for their focus on inclusion, like Regent Azwar, while others work tirelessly to ensure inclusion despite limited resources.

In a discussion on human rights involving local leaders on Thursday, Regent Hilmi Hadid of North Kayong, which hosts the famous Karimata Islands in West Kalimantan, described efforts to provide free health and education services for residents in dozens of islands. He proudly announced that child marriage had decreased under his leadership.

Regent Remigo Yolando Berutu of Pakpak Bharat regency in North Sumatra, which has won four national annual awards for human rights, said free education was steadily increasing the average number of school years enjoyed by students.

The municipal secretary of Bitung in North Sulawesi, Audy Pangemanan, discussed aggressive health monitoring programs and the merit-based appointment of authorities in his district. Three of eight district heads are women, he said.

Authorities, scholars and religious figures recognize that a sense of being marginalized is one factor that drives individuals into groups and networks offering supposed dignity and easy solutions to all the worlds ills.

Addressing inequality must therefore remain a priority at all levels. Several regents and mayors have unwittingly become the guardians of what often seems a fragile republic. We need many more.
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Linkedin Mariette Le Roux (Agence France-Presse) Paris  Fri, July 21, 2017 13:29 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9d731f 2 Health AIDS,health,UN,#AIDS,#health,#UN Free

AIDS claimed a million lives in 2016, almost half the 2005 toll that marked the peak of the deadly epidemic, said a UN report Thursday proclaiming "the scales have tipped".

Not only are new HIV infections and deaths declining, but more people than ever are on life-saving treatment, according to data published ahead of an AIDS science conference opening in Paris on Sunday.

Experts warned, however, that much of the progress can be undone by growing resistance to HIV drugs.

Unless something is done, drug-resistant virus strains may infect an extra 105,000 people and kill 135,000 over the next five years, and boost treatment costs by $650 million (560 million euros), said the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to a UNAIDS global roundup, 19.5 million of 36.7 million people living with HIV in 2016 had access to treatment.

Read also: A closer look at life as HIV-positive

This marked the first time that more than half of infected people were receiving anti-retroviral treatment, which rolls back the AIDS virus but does not completely eliminate it.

"We could get 2.4 million new people on treatment" in 2016, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe told journalists in Paris. "We are saving lives."

The report said AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005 to one million in 2016, adding that "for the first time the scales have tipped."

The year 2016 saw 1.8 million new infections, almost half the record number of some 3.5 million in 1997, said UNAIDS.

In total, 76.1 million people have been infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, since the epidemic started in the 1980s. Some 35 million have died.

"Communities and families are thriving as AIDS is being pushed back," said Sidibe.

"As we bring the epidemic under control, health outcomes are improving and nations are becoming stronger."

As yet, there is no HIV vaccine or cure, and infected people rely on lifelong anti-retroviral therapy to stop the virus replicating.

Without treatment, HIV-infected people go on to develop AIDS, a syndrome that weakens the immune system and leaves the body exposed to opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, and some types of cancer.

Treatment carries side effects and is costly, but allows infected people to be healthier for longer.

Read also: Fighting against autoimmunity

- 'More work to do' -

Most progress has been made in east and southern Africa, the region that was hardest hit by the epidemic and where many interventions were focused.

Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths in the region declined by 42 percent. The region accounts for half the world's infected population, with women and girls disproportionately affected at 60 percent.

Sixty percent of all people who receive anti-retroviral therapy live in east and southern Africa which, along with west and central Europe and the Americas, is on target to meet the so-called 90-90-90 targets set by the UN, said the report.

By 2020, states the plan, 90 percent of infected people must know their status, of whom 90 percent must be on treatment. In 90 percent of those, the virus will be "suppressed" by medicine to the extent that it cannot function or replicate.

By 2016, 70 percent of infected people knew their status, said the new report. Of those, 77 percent were on treatment, and 82 percent had virus suppression.

UNAIDS expressed concern about two regions with worsening AIDS trends: the Middle East-North Africa, and eastern Europe-central Asia.

Both are areas marred by conflict and political uncertainty, and where stigma helps to drive HIV infection underground, making it even more difficult to combat.

New HIV infections rose by 60 percent in eastern Europe and central Asia, and deaths by almost a third from 2010 to 2016.

In the Middle East and North Africa, the number of AIDS deaths increased by a fifth in the last six years.

"Globally, progress has been significant, but there is still more work to do," the authors said in a statement.

"Around 30 percent of people living with HIV still do not know their HIV status, 17.1 million people living with HIV do not have access to anti retroviral therapy, and more than half of all people living with HIV are not virally suppressed."

Of the total infected population, over two million were children younger than 15, said UNAIDS. Only 43 percent of them were on treatment.

New infections among children almost halved from 300,000 in 2010 to 160,000 last year, said the report.

This was partly due to more and more HIV-infected pregnant women -- 76 percent in 2016 -- having access to drugs blocking virus transmission to their offspring.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 11:04 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9d090a 1 Art & Culture bali,#Bali,band,#band,musician,#music,music,music-festival,The-Hydrant Free

Bali-based band The Hydrant reportedly performed in front of more than 5,000 people at the 2017 Pohoda Festival in Trencin, Slovakia, last weekend. Dressed in Elvis Presley-esque costumes, they band rocked the main stage with its popular tracks My Music is Rock n Roll and Jalan-Jalan.

Among the 130 performers, Antara news agency reported that The Hydrant was the only rockabilly band to appear at the festival.

Read also: The flaming spirit of Barasuara

Although The Hydrants name may not ring a bell for most local music enthusiasts, the band is no stranger to the annual Slovakian open-air music festival.

Prior to this, the band, featuring vocalist Marshello, lead guitarist Vincent, stand up drummer Christopper and upright bassist Adi, also performed at the 2009 Pohoda Festival.

Indonesian Ambassador to Slovakia Adityatwidi "Wieke" Adiwoso expressed her happiness to see The Hydrants participation in the festival.

The band members said in a joint statement that they used the opportunity to establish networks with European musicians. (jes/asw)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 07:15 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9c619b 1 Business smelters,business,concentrate,exports Free

The Indonesian Resources Studies (IRESS) has revealed that 11 smelters were closed following the relaxation of concentrate exports by the government as miners prefer to directly export their products.

There are people who have suffered from the export relaxation, and because of the policy, the market is flooded by the commodity, making the prices go down, IRESS executive director Marwan Batubara said Thursday as reported by tempo.co.

The 11 smelters were respectively owned by PT Karyatama Konawe Utara, PT Macika Mineral Industri, PT Bintang Smelter Indonesia, PT Huadi Nickel, PT Titan Mineral, PT COR Industri, PT Megah Surya, PT Blackspace, PT Wan Xiang, PT Jinchuan and PT Transon.

The government issued Government Regulation No 1/2017 on the relaxation of concentrate exports, followed by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministers Regulations No 5/2017 and No 6/2017, essentially allowing miners to export their low mineral concentrates for bauxite and nickels.

Marwan said these three regulations also cost Indonesia the opportunity to greatly benefit from smelting activities and create jobs.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Handoyo from the Indonesian Smelting and Manufacturing Business Association said that the group was now tracking companies that had been affected by the government policy.

There are those who have negotiated with the banks and those who let go of their employees, Jonathan added. (bbn)

Topics : smelters business concentrate exports
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 06:30 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9c52a6 1 National drug-dealer,capital-punishment Free

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Thursday that the example of the Philippines illustrated that capital punishment was an effective way to combat drug dealers.

He said capital punishment delivered a deterrent effect, despite controversies surrounding its implementation.

"From practice in the field, we see that when we shoot at drug dealers they go away," Tito said, referring to the drug war initiated by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

Civil societies that focus on human rights have long lambasted the Indonesian government for persistently implementing the death penalty. These groups often highlight the countrys judicial system, which is still marred by rampant corruption.

Tito earlier expressed appreciation for the work of his subordinates who succeeded in foiling a plan by four Taiwanese citizens to smuggle one ton of crystal methamphetamine into Greater Jakarta last week.

During the drug bust, one smuggler was shot dead while resisting arrest.

Tito said he had told police officers not to hesitate shooting drug dealers who resist arrest. (hol/cal)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 07:30 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9c6797 1 City Jakarta-council,Councilors,private-assistant Free

Jakarta City Councilors are asking for private assistants to help them handle their heavy workload.

Financially, Jakarta can provide personal assistant for each council leader and member, Hanura Party councilor said Syarifuddin on Thursday during a plenary meeting to discuss a draft bylaw on the financial rights and administration of city councilors.

Every faction at the City Council asked for expert teams, using the 2017 Government Regulation No. 18 on financial authority and the administration of leaders and members of regional councils as the basis of their request, kompas.com reported.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said it wanted to add three more experts to its working department.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) proposed that the number of experts be based on the councilors workload, given that they are not represented in each municipality and regency.

Meanwhile, the National Awakening Party (PKB) suggested that each councilor be assisted by one expert and each faction by five experts.

It was previously reported that the City Council was racing against the clock to deliberate a draft bylaw that could give its councilors a 20 percent increase in salary.

City Council leaders are now paid more than Rp 95 million (US$7,125) per month, while City Council members receive around Rp 75 million per month.

The council has only passed two out of 32 draft bylaws listed in this years city legislation program (prolegda), prompting criticisms of poor performance. (cal)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 19:45 1939 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9e770a 2 City traffic-congestion Free

The Jakarta Police plans to formally recruit civilians who usually help manage traffic at intersections and U-turns in exchange for small tips, to help ease heavy traffic congestion in the capital.

Jakarta Police traffic unit head Sr. Comr. Halim Paggara said he would coordinate with the city administration to implement the plan along some congested roads, such as in Kuningan, South Jakarta, where a construction project was under way.

We will deploy more personal [to manage the traffic flow] in Kuningan, which has been affected by several ongoing construction projects, Halim said at the police headquarters in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Friday, as quoted by tempo.co.

He added that the civilians, popularly known as the Pak Ogah squad, would be equipped with special uniforms. Business entities near congestion hotspots would pay them. We will ask businesses to pay them using their CSR funds.

The city administration is currently expediting some infrastructure projects such as mass rapid transit (MRT) and light rail transit (LRT), resulting in increased traffic congestion near construction sites during rush hour. (vny)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 20:00 1939 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9e86d5 1 City Jakarta-council Free

Collusion between the City Council and the Jakarta administration has reemerged after former governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama was forced to step down from his post, Center for Budget Analysis executive director Uchok Khadafi said.

Uchok said he had been alerted to an alleged violation relating to the floor area ratio (KLB) limits of some buildings, including a 13-story building in Pantai Indah Kapuk, Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

The council became free after Ahoks departure. I just got information about how city councilors assisted the violation process of the projects, Uchok said on Friday as quoted by tribunnews.com, adding that the case should be investigated.

Uchok claimed that buildings in Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta should have less than 13 floors.

City Council deputy speaker Abraham Lulung Lunggana has said previously that the building did not violate any regulations, referring to city bylaw No.1/2014 on detailed spatial planning, issued by then Jakarta governor Joko Jokowi Widodo, the countrys current president.

[The project] also followed the 1999 detailed spatial planning [RDTR] bylaw. It has been compliant, Lulung said. (vny)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Fri, July 21, 2017 09:45 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9cc991 1 National Central-Java,Central-Java-Police,CrystalMeth,crystal-methamphetamine,CrystalMethamphetamine Free

Personnel from the Central Java Polices narcotics investigation directorate have arrested two former drug convicts who previously completed sentences at Kedungpane Penitentiary in Semarang, Central Java.

The police allegedly found 919.5 grams of sabu-sabu (crystal methamphetamine) at a boarding house where one of the suspects lived. The suspects, Yongki BS, 42, a resident of Kebon Agung, East Semarang, and Doni alias Sinyo, 30, a resident of Sompok, South Semarang, had allegedly sent a kilogram of crystal meth to Pasuruan, East Java.

The police first arrested Yongki at a hotel in Semarang on Saturday. We knew about the drug distribution from information from the public. The police found 1.5 grams of crystal meth on him, Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Condro Kirono said in Semarang on Thursday.

The police later brought him to his boarding house in Malangsari, Tlogosari, Semarang, where they found 915 grams of crystal meth."

Condro said the police later arrested Yongkis friend, Doni, who lived in Sompok, Semarang. They allegedly found 3 grams of crystal meth on him.

The two suspects claimed they got the crystal meth from Jakarta. We are still coordinating to see whether or not this case is related to a recently discovered attempt to smuggle one ton of crystal meth in Anyer, Banten. We strongly suspect this case involves an international network, Condro said. (yon/ebf)
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 11:35 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9d13d1 2 Business sugar,auction Free

After being on hold for weeks, the government has announced that an industrial sugar auction will resume and has asked food and beverage firms to register as buyers through futures and commodity trader PT Pasar Komoditas Jakarta (PKJ).

Futures Exchange Supervisory Board (Bappebti) head Bachrul Chairi said the auction would be held at the latest on Oct. 1 and the board was preparing to promote the auction across the country.

As of earlier this week, 200 buyers, mostly medium and big firms, have registered.

(Read also: New incentive offered to attract investors to sugar industry)

We will promote the auction across the country, especially in big cities, where many food and beverage firms are located, he said via phone on Thursday.

On Wednesday, House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing trade approved a Trade Ministry proposal to introduce the auction system for the distribution of industrial sugar, a key ingredient in food and confectionary manufacturing as well as the catering, baking, pharmaceutical and beverage industries.

The ministry said the new system would improve transparency and provide fair prices for small and medium enterprises.

Previously, some lawmakers were concerned that this new method of sugar trading would lengthen the supply chain and create inefficiencies.

This is the first time the government has instructed businesspeople to buy sugar through an online auction. (hwa)

Topics : sugar auction
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Linkedin News Desk (The Star/Asia News Network) Petaling Jaya  Fri, July 21, 2017 15:33 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9dc1c1 2 Politics Mahathir-Mohamad,Anwar-Ibrahim,Malaysia Free

Malaysia's former Prime Minister-turned-opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad has defended his treatment of his one-time deputy Anwar Ibrahim in 1998.

Responding to a question on Facebook live if he had any regrets about the treatment of Anwar, Tun Dr Mahathir said on Friday (July 21) he was merely "responding to the situation at hand".

Anwar was once a protege of Dr Mahathir, and the rising star of Malaysian politics, but they fell out in the late 1990s.Then the Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar was fired from the Cabinet in 1998, tried for corruption and sodomy and thrown in jail for the first time.

The sodomy verdict was overturned in 2004, when Dr Mahathir's successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was holding the premiership.

Anwar, who has been convicted of another sodomy offence and is now in jail, has become de facto leader of the opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan (PH), while Dr Mahathir is also a PH chairman.

The PH alliance is made up of Dr Mahathirs Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), Mr Anwars Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Amanah, a group of rebels that splintered from Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) after the latter parted ways with its former opposition colleagues in 2015.

"Now, it is different," Dr Mahathir said in Friday's interview with Thai journalist and Nation Multimedia Group chairman Suthichai Yoon.

"If we keep on raking up the past, you can never work with anybody. You will always be fighting against your enemies, and that is bad.

"I'm not angry over the past, he is not angry over the past also," said Dr Mahathir.

Dr Mahathir was declared PH chairman at a post-midnight press conference last Friday, during which he announced that a new premier would seek Anwars release and install him as the eighth PM should the opposition pact end Barisan Nasionals uninterrupted six-decade rule.

Mahathir said in the interview Anwar as "quite capable" of becoming prime minister, adding that Malaysia's future premiers "will not be so powerful as the present one".

In the same interview, Dr Mahathir exonerated his former "enemy", Lim Kit Siang, claiming that the DAP adviser was "not as bad" as he had made him out to be in the past.

He also indicated that it was all part of a strategy to portray political enemies in a negative light.

"When you are in the government, you have to demonise your opposition," said Dr Mahathir, adding that Lim is "very much disliked by people of my old party".

"But people realise that he is not as bad as I made him out to be in the past," said Dr Mahathir.

During Dr Mahathir's tenure as prime minister in 1987, Lim was arrested under Ops Lalang and spent 17 months in prison without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Manila  Fri, July 21, 2017 17:17 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9de7b0 2 Business Philippines,bank,Fraud Free

A senior executive has been arrested for defrauding the Philippines' second-largest bank in a scandal that sent the institution's shares tumbling Friday, officials said.

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co vice president Maria Victoria Lopez is suspected of stealing 1.75 billion pesos ($34.5 million) in loans from his employer, they added.

A trusted employee of the bank for 30 years, earning a monthly salary of 250,000 pesos, Lopez was arrested Tuesday while trying to move the stolen money to an unspecified personal account, National Bureau of Investigation spokesman Ferdinand Lavin told a press conference.

Lavin said the money was taken from the credit facility of one of its biggest corporate clients.

"The biggest loser of this is the integrity of the banking system," said Lavin, who added the suspect would be charged with theft, violation of the banking law and falsification of documents.

The bank did not confirm how much was stolen or the time-frame of the fraud, but stressed it did not affect its customers.

"In the context of the bank's 1.9 trillion-peso financial resources, rest assured that we continue to operate business as usual for the bank and our customers," it added.

Metrobank, as the bank is known, is investigating whether there were other people involved in the fraud, Lavin added.

Universal Robina Corp, a large food processing company, said Friday the fraudulent loans had been drawn from its credit facility with Metrobank.

"We thank Metrobank President Fabian Dee for giving us heads up advice on this unfortunate development and his assurance that URC will not be financially impacted in any way by this incident," it said in a statement.

However, the fraud wiped nearly $300 million off the paper value of Metrobank on Friday as investors sold down the stock.

Metrobank shares closed 5.03 percent lower Friday to 86.90 pesos.

The lender's parent firm GT Capital Holdings fell 2.85 percent to 1,195.00 pesos.

Universal Robina shares closed 0.62 percent down to 161.00 pesos Friday.

But Central Bank governor Nestor Espenilla told reporters he had no doubt Metrobank would be able to absorb the blow.

"Banks have controls so that these kinds of things can be mitigated and withstood," Espenilla said.

However, he added: "We have to look into the adequacy of those controls if in fact a significant crime happened."

Last month, a computer virus forced the Bank of the Philippine Islands to shut down online access to its services and cash machines for two consecutive days.

The bug drained some accounts and added money to others.

Last year unidentified hackers stole $81 million from a US account of the Bangladesh central bank, funnelling the stolen funds into a Philippine bank and Manila-based casinos.

Topics : Philippines bank Fraud
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 15:45 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9dc718 1 Business rice,National-Police,food Free

The National Police are cracking down on the distribution of bogus premium rice after a company allegedly repackaged subsidized rice and rebranded it as premium rice.

The polices food commodity task force on Thursday evening confiscated 1,161 tons of rice from a warehouse belonging to PT Indo Beras Unggul in Bekasi, West Java.

It is at this warehouse that the repackaging process allegedly took place.

Speaking at a press conference, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said Indo Beras had deceived customers by repackaging the IR 64-type rice, which is subsidized by the government, as premium rice under the brands Ayam Jago and Maknyus.

The rice was sold for around Rp 20,000 (US$1.50) per kilogram, more than double the price for IR-64 rice.

The Agriculture Ministry sets the highest price for IR 64 rice at Rp 9,000 per kg, Tito said, adding that the company had possibly violated the 1999 Customer Protection Law.

(Read also: Indonesia's rice self-sufficiency to be achieved by 2020)

Tito added that the alleged fraud had potentially harmed citizens and generated trillions of rupiah in losses.

The fraud was uncovered after the polices food commodity task force examined the level of nutrient content in rice under different brands. It found that the nutrient content in rice under the implicated brands was below the standards for premium rice.

PT Indo Beras Unggul is a subsidiary of publicly listed food company Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food. (rdi/dea/hwa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 09:00 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9c96bf 1 National Pancasila,HTI,Hizbut-Tahrir-Indonesia,#Hizbut-Tahrir-Indonesia,Perppu,Islamic-caliphate Free

The National Police are investigating a number of organizations believed to be acting against the state ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, a day after the government banned Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).

There are some organizations [suspected of acting against the Pancasila]. We are investigating them, said National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto as reported by Antara.

Signed on July 10, presidential regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) No.2/2017 on Mass Organizations gives the government the power to disband an organization without due process and prohibits any organization to adopt and spread an ideology contradicting Pancasila.

Police are communicating with the Law and Human Rights Ministry and the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry in their investigation into the organizations.

On Wednesday, the government banned HTI, an organization that aims to establish a global Islamic caliphate, claiming its actions were not in line with Pancasila  the foundation of Indonesias pluralistic society.

Rights activists consider the move undemocratic and threatened the freedom of assembly and association.

Amnesty International Indonesia chairman Usman Hamid said banning HTI would instead push some of its most conservative members to join extreme, violent groups operating underground, and this would eventually bring further threats to the country. (saf/ebf)
Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii (right) leads a toast to Marzuki Darusman (left), the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea, during an award ceremony at the envoys residence in South Jakarta on Friday. Marzuki was conferred the Order of the Rising Sun for his distinguished achievements in raising awareness about the human rights situation in North Korea.(JP/Ibrahim Irsyad)(right) leads a toast to Marzuki Darusman (left), the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea, during an award ceremony at the envoys residence in South Jakarta on Friday. Marzuki was conferred the Order of the Rising Sun for his distinguished achievements in raising awareness about the human rights situation in North Korea.(JP/Ibrahim Irsyad)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 22 2017

With the provision on the presidential threshold within the newly passed election bill intact, predictions are that President Joko Jokowi Widodo and his former rival in the 2014 presidential election, Prabowo Subianto, will face off against each other once again in 2019.

Pro-government political factions at the House of Representatives voted to maintain a minimum support requirement for a political party or an alliance of political parties to field presidential candidates in the bill after the opposition factions walked out of the Houses plenary meeting late on Thursday.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Nation/ANN) Bangkok  Fri, July 21, 2017 08:00 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9c7b5a 2 SE Asia #Thailand,#politics,#trial Free

Just a day after a key party figure and red-shirt leader was sent to jail, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra will today attend the last hearing at the Supreme Court for alleged negligence in her governments controversial rice-pledging scheme  a case in which she could face a jail term.

At todays hearing, the 17th in this case, the Supreme Courts Criminal Division for Political Office Holders is also expected to announce the date for its judgement.

The political heat has turned up with Jatuporn Prompan, the top red-shirt leader and a key Pheu Thai politician, being sentenced by the Supreme Court yesterday to a one-year imprisonment in a libel case involving former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva.

However, observers viewed that yesterdays verdict against Jatuporn could discourage Yinglucks red-shirt supporters from showing up in a great number at todays final hearing, as had been planned.

The court, today, will also rule on whether to grant a request by Yingluck to seek a Constitutional Court review on her cases legal validity under the new Constitution, which came into effect in April.

In her last-ditch attempt to delay a high-court judgement, Yingluck pointed out in her petition that Article 235 of the new charter requires the court to base its consideration upon the inquiry file of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). She said that this contradicted the 1999 law on court procedures, which required the court to mainly rely on the report by the relevant NACC committee.

During the previous 16 court hearings into the rice-pledging case, a few hundreds of Yingluck supporters would usually show up at the courts premises, but their number is expected to be higher today due to the significance of the final hearing, prompting Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to urge supporters to abide by the law and respect the judicial branch.

In addition, General Chalermchai Sitthisart, the Army chief, brushed aside allegations that the military had dispatched personnel to monitor the movement of key Pheu Thai Party figures ahead of todays court hearing.

Chakkawud Triwallop, a red-shirt leader in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, said he had received an annonymous call telling him to be low-profile in displaying moral support for the ex-premier so as to avoid worsening the political climate and economy.

Chalermchai said no special orders had been issued Army personnel concerning todays final court hearing. He said Yinglucks supporters had a right to show their moral support without breaking the law.

Chalernchais estimate was that there would be 300 to 500 people showing up at the high court premises today when Yingluck attends the hearing, adding police will be responsible for law enforcement during the session.

Deputy premier Wissanu Krea-ngam said Yingluck had a right to petition the Consti-tutional Court to review the court procedures in the rice-pledging case in which she has been charged with neglecting her duty as prime minister while implementing the scheme, resulting in corruption and huge loss of taxpayer money.

Wissanu said it was up to the high court to decide whether Yinglucks petition would be forwarded to the Constitutional Court for a review as sought by the ex-premier under Article 5 of the new charter. A judicial review would lead to a further delay of the high courts judgement.

Besides Yingluck, the former commerce and deputy commerce ministers of the Yingluck government are also facing similar criminal lawsuits pending in the Supreme Court.

In addition, Yingluck and former Cabinet members are also fighting civil liability lawsuits in which the government is demanding massive compensation for state losses in the rice-pledging scheme.

Meanwhile, Yuttapong Charassa-thien, a former deputy agriculture minister of the previous Yingluck government, yesterday led a group of media representatives to inspect the premises of Kanchana Feedmill Co in Ratchaburi province to verify the firms purchase of government-owned rice.

According to Yuttapong, the firm won a Commerce Ministry contract for 38,924 tonnes of rice which came from the previous governments pledging scheme but that amount of rice was not present at the feedmill firms warehouses.

Yuttapong earlier asserted that the government had sold rice suitable for consumption to the feedmill industry at a very low price resulting in bigger losses for the rice-pledging scheme in order to justify its lawsuits against former premier Yingluck. An executive of Kanchana Feedmill said the firm had purchased 38,924 tonnes of rice from the Commerce Ministry and the rice was stored at other warehouses.

He said the rice had already been used in feedmill production.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Nation newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (Sin Chew Daily/ANN) Petaling Jaya, Malaysia  Fri, July 21, 2017 09:51 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9cf2de 2 SE Asia #Malaysia,#social-media,#SocialMedia,#FakeNews Free

Based on public complain and monitoring by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), 1,500 social media accounts have been identified as fake accounts.

In an email reply, MCMC said the characteristics of these fake accounts are using others identity, fabricated organisztion or fake details.

MCMC pointed out that a total of 1,500 social media accounts have been identified with follow up actions taken. However, MCMC did not reveal the name list of identified fake accounts.

It said once the fake account users violate Section 233 of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998, they are liable to a maximum fine of RM50,000 (US$11,661) or a maximum jail of one year or both.

Under the section, anyone who makes any comment, request, suggestion which is obscene, indecent, false, or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person is liable to the penalty if convicted.

MCMC said it will also take administrative measure to lodge report against fake accounts to the respective social media platforms as they have violated regulations set by those platforms.

On offences under other acts, they would be handed over to the respective enforcement agencies.

Fake account holders would be investigated under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act as part of the procedure and investigation process. The fake account holders are entitled to defend or appeal against action taken against them.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said on 9 July that 1,500 fake account holders have been identified from January to June this year and action would be taken against them.

He said these fake account holders release fake news through Facebook, Twitter and other social media. The government would work with police to take action against them including delete the accounts.

The ministry would be going after fake news as those fabricated information have smeared the country. The ministry would also be taking action against political parties which have crossed the base line.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Sin Chew Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 17:05 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9ddefe 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Batam,Airport,foreign-investment Free

Eleven local and foreign investors have shown their interest in taking part in the development and management of the biggest airport in Batam, Hang Nadim Airport. The project auction itself will be conducted by the end of 2017.

Among the 11 investors are Incheon from South Korea, GMR Group from India, GVK Mumbai from India, Mitsui from Japan, Vinci from France, Angkasa Pura II from Indonesia, Regnum Resource from Singapore, Zurich Airport from Switzerland and Munich Airport from Germany. The other two are consortium companies from China and one is a local company group from Indonesia, said the airport's acting director Dendi Gustinandar.

Most of the investors have been involve in the aviation industry although some, like Matsui and GVK, are mostly involve in manufacturing and communication sectors respectively.

Read also: Yogyakarta's 'viral' garden in bloom

These 11 investors have been briefed by Batam Industrial Development Authority [BP Batam] regarding Hang Nadim Airport's profitability and development. Weve already prepared 1,762 hectares of land that can be developed by BP Batam, Dendi added.

Currently, the only investor that has set foot in Batam is Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) that has agreed to use 23 hectares of land beside Lion Airs 29 hectares.

Hang Nadim is set to become an industrial area. GMF is currently preparing for a measuring team to come to Batam to do their work, told Dendi.

Read also: Batam to open first modern museum in 2018

The number of passengers at Hang Nadim reached six millions per year, growing by 10 percent each year.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya commented that about 75 percent of foreign tourists come to Indonesia by planes, so the availability of plane seats is key to reach the 2017 and 2019 targets.

Currently there are only 19.5 million seats available from both national and international airlines; these seats are only enough to fulfill last years target of 12 million foreign tourists. Meanwhile for this years target of 15 million foreign tourists, we need an additional four million seats, explained Arief.

As for the 2018 target of 18 million foreign tourists, an additional 3.5 million seats is needed to reach 7.5 million seats. As for the 2019 target of 20 million foreign tourists, an additional 3 million seats is needed to reach 10.5 million seats. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, July 21, 2017 12:03 1940 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a9d21ce 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Tourism-Ministry,London,tourism-promotion Free

The Tourism Ministry is bringing summer to London, United Kingdom, with Indonesia Weekend that is going to be held from July 22 to 23 at the Potters Field Park.

With a mission to promote Indonesia as a warm destination, the 6,200-meter park that is located not far from the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London is set to be transformed into a beach party equipped with 50 tons of white sand and beach huts and boasts Indonesian tropical drinks, banana boat and surfing simulator.

It will also host an exhibition that will occupy up to 180 meters area of the park.

Potters Field Park is a very strategic location to promote the Wonderful Indonesia brand. Hopefully this event can attract the Londoners' attention. On weekends, the park is usually passed through by at least 70,000 people, said Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.

Read also: Four Indonesian destinations named best dive sites in Asia by CNN

Former MasterChef Indonesia judge chef Degan Septoadji reportedly would demonstrate how to cook rendang (beef simmered in coconut milk and spices), soto Betawi (Betawi-style beef aromatic soup) and gado-gado (Indonesian salad with peanut sauce) at the event.

Meanwhile, an Indonesia pavilion is set to showcase carnival from Malang Flower Carnival and a VR experience.

Therell be music performance from DJ Allfy Rev who is going to bring a modern twist into Indonesian songs, as well as Jei Angklung, Topeng and Jaipong traditional dance performances, said the ministry's deputy assistant for Europe, the United States, Middle East and Africa Tourism Promotion, Nia Niscaya.

The event will also host pop up boutiques from Dauky and Elzatta by Elhijab and Indonesian Fashion Chambers, as well as a fashion show.

Read also: Titanic hotel to open in Belfast this September

Other than that, therell be a performance of pencak silat mixed with hip hop music, henna artist and mural artist, Nia added.

The ministry also invites three local operators, namely Kuoni Travel, Ethos Travel and Dive Worldwide, to promote travel packages to Indonesia.

Last years Indonesia Weekend managed to attract more than 30,000 visitors, of which 72.4 percent were from British, 24.7 percent from other nationalities and 2.9 percent were Indonesians.

Last year's event featured 53 stalls and 500 minutes of performances at the main stage and reportedly sold more than 6,000 sate ayam (chicken skewers).

The number of European tourists who visited Indonesia last year reached one million, of which 230,000 were from the UK.

For this year, the English market is targeting to contribute 384,000 tourists to Indonesia. (kes)
(lead article, Socialist Workers Party statement)

Socialist Workers Party: US hands off Venezuela!

The Socialist Workers Party urges working people across the United States and around the world to stand with their fellow toilers in Venezuela, speaking out against Washingtons threats and attacks on Venezuelan sovereignty.

The U.S. propertied rulers, and the Venezuelan opposition forces they back, see the deep economic crisis battering Venezuelas workers and farmers as an opportunity to bring down the government of President Nicolas Maduro there and install a regime more subservient to the interests of Washington and Venezuelas employing class.

President Donald Trump has threatened to take strong and swift economic actions against the Venezuelan people if the government doesnt cancel a scheduled July 30 election for delegates to a Constituent Assembly it says it needs to stabilize the country after three months of increasingly violent anti-government demonstrations organized by opposition forces. These same groups now threaten to set up a parallel government of so-called national unity.

The Maduro government, like the Bolivarian government of Hugo Chavez before it, has earned the undying hatred of the U.S. and Venezuelan capitalist rulers because it has sought to manage the capitalist market to use oil profits to fund social programs popular with most Venezuelan workers and farmers. It collaborates with revolutionary Cuba, sending much-needed oil at reduced prices, speaking out against Washingtons interference in Latin America and the Caribbean, and welcoming thousands of Cuban volunteer doctors, health workers and teachers who bring medical care and literacy to working people throughout the country.

The working class of Venezuela is the real target of Washington and the pro-imperialist parties seeking to overthrow the Maduro government. They rightly fear the working class as the force capable of ending their class rule, as the toilers did in Cuba in 1959.

Foreign intervention in the Bolivarian and Chavista Republic must stop, Cuban President Raul Castro told Cubas National Assembly July 14. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

Working people here and worldwide should follow Cubas proletarian internationalist example. The Socialist Workers Party says: U.S. hands off Venezuela! End Washingtons economic sanctions and interference in the internal affairs of the people of Venezuela!





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Washington threatens strong economic action







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(front page)

Help build Che brigade to Cuba, Sochi Youth Festival

Workers and youth are signing up to participate in two important international gatherings  the In the footsteps of Che International Brigade to Cuba Oct. 1-15 and the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi, Russia, Oct. 14-22.

The In the Footsteps of Che brigade honors Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. This October is the 50th anniversary of Ches death in combat in Bolivia, where he helped lead a guerilla movement against that countrys military dictatorship in 1967. Castro, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, died last November.

The brigade will include voluntary agricultural work and visits to battle sites where Che fought during the 1956-58 revolutionary war. Brigade participants will meet with combatants who fought alongside Che during Cubas revolutionary war and in the Cuban military column that fought alongside Congolese fighters seeking independence from Belgium in 1960.

We organized a public meeting on the brigade at the Hartford public library, Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba member Tim Craine told the Militant July 18. Four people signed up to go after hearing about the itinerary and the significance of the visits to the places where Che fought during the revolution. Now were raising funds to help people to go.

Milly Guzman-Young attended the meeting and signed up to go with her daughter. I am from Puerto Rico. I have so much to learn from Che and the steps that Cuba took to be free, she told the Militant. Puerto Rico needs to be free from the austerity measures and the hands of the U.S. Cuba did it and they are still free.

You can see for yourself the gains the Cuban people have made, Jonathan Batres, 24, who joined the May Day Cuba brigade from Los Angeles, told the Militant. You can see the effects of Washingtons economic blockade, and how resourceful and resilient the Cuban people are.

This fall Batres is planning to go to the World Festival of Youth and Students in Russia. The festival is sponsored by the World Federation of Democratic Youth, an anti-imperialist organization that has organized similar gatherings since 1947.

Going to Sochi where thousands of people will exchange different opinions, and being able to meet revolutionary-minded young people from around the world, will also be an amazing experience, Batres said. Through opportunities like this were able to reach out all over the world and build the movement against war and exploitation.

Some 20,000 delegates from 120 countries are expected this year. Cuba is organizing to send 250 young revolutionaries. Although the deadline for registration was July 20, the Militant will continue to cover the preparations and political debates leading up to the festival.
(front page)

Liberals furor against Trump reflects fear of

working class

Why are liberal Democrats, some Republican politicians and most of the mainstream capitalist media continuing to promote the witch hunt against President Donald Trump? Why cant they accommodate themselves to work with his administration? After all, hes one of their own: A wealthy capitalist seeking to advance the interests of U.S. capital at home and abroad.

The fact is both the Democratic and Republican parties are in crisis. The rulers increasingly fear the working class, which is battered by depression conditions and sees no wing of the capitalist political parties with answers and responds to Donald Trumps call to drain the swamp. The bosses see working-class battles coming down the road.

The most significant phrase uttered by President Trump in his inaugural speech, economics columnist Martin Sandbu wrote in the July 18 Financial Times, was not America First but American carnage.

What sort of country describes itself, in the words of its highest leader no less, in such terms? Sandbu asked.

American decline is not a figment of Mr. Trumps imagination, Sandbu said, describing the carnage facing working people in the U.S. Centuries-old progress against mortality has gone in reverse and working people are dying from the afflictions of broken lives and broken communities: drug overdoses, liver disease and suicide.

The rulers fear of the working class fuels the relentless drive of the liberal Democrats and media moguls, as well as the middle-class left and some anti-Trump Republicans, to press for indictments against his family members and to drive him from office. They are bound and determined to criminalize what are in fact political differences with President Trump.

Campaign against the working class

Trump didnt seize the presidency by deception, wrote Colbert King in the Washington Post July 14. Nearly 63 million Americans sent that burlesque comedy with headliner Donald Trump to Washington. In other words, the problem isnt Trump, but the workers who voted for him.

The hosts of the late-night shows decided that they had carte blanche to insult not just the people within this administration, but also the ordinary citizens who support Trump, Caitlin Flanagan wrote in the May issue of Atlantic, viewing them as the minions pouring out of his [Trumps] clown car.

As a result, working people dont believe much of what they see on the news, Flanagan says, because they see themselves falsely portrayed as a bunch of trailer-park, Oxy-snorting half-wits and KKK supporters.

This is why the workers who turned to Trump, many of whom had turned to Barack Obama four years earlier, dont buy the liberal assault on the president. They agree that the capitalist media runs fake news.

Is Moscow the smoking gun?

After months of trying to find a crime they could pin on Trump and his administration, the New York Times and others leading the charge against the president thought they finally found the smoking gun  a June 9, 2016, meeting Donald Trump Jr. had with a Russian lawyer and an ex-spy lobbyist who they thought had dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. says it turned out the duo didnt have any information of use, and they listened instead to their calls for relaxing sanctions against Moscow.

But even after the release of Trump Jr.s emails, and scores of op-eds in the Times and other papers crying bloody murder, no one can point to any crime that has been committed.

President Trump gets a hearing from many workers when he argues that Hillary Clinton violated the law with her handling of thousands of government emails, but was never prosecuted, while my son Don is being scorned by the Fake News media.

Charles Krauthammer, a conservative opponent of Trump, conceded in the Washington Post July 13 that Moscow is not the only world power that tries to intervene in the elections of other countries.

You dont have to go back to the 40s and 50s when the CIA intervened in France and Italy to keep the communists from coming to power, he said. What about the Obama administrations blatant interference to try to defeat Benjamin Netanyahu in the latest Israeli election?

The criminalization of political differences between different factions of the capitalist parties will continue.

Both parties are wracked by divisions and will never be the same. In addition to the ceaseless anti-President Trump chorus, the Republicans are divided by their own differences, incapable time and again of passing an alternative to Obamacare. And this despite the fact they have a majority in both houses of Congress.

Trump himself isnt really a Republican. President Trump has a funny way of talking about the Republicans as if hes not one of them, James Hohmann wrote in the Post July 19. Maybe its because he was a registered Democrat until as recently as 2009.

The Democrats are in no better shape. While they all are buoyed by the shrill campaign against Trump, they are bitterly divided on how to rebuild a party that can win elections and con working people. The Bernie Sanders revolution is working hard to gain position to take over the party, even if it means the Democrats continue to lose elections while they plod along.





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(front page)

SWP campaigns in working class to expand reach of party

Militant/John Naubert

Mary Martin, Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor in Seattle, led a team of party members and supporters to South Seattle July 13 to talk with workers there about the deepening economic, political and moral crisis of the capitalist rulers and their system and the partys efforts to reach, get to know and work with those attracted to what it has to say.

The working people here do all the work and somebody else takes the credit, Gary Nobles, a disabled auto mechanic, told Martin when she raised these questions after knocking on his door. And another thing, they have a law for everything and when they have it out for you they use it against you.

The fact is working people make everything anyone uses today, Martin said, but the profits go to the bosses, not to us. And this is how they decide what they hire us to make  what will reap the highest profit, not what people need.

Until working people organize in the millions to take power out of their hands and run society ourselves and work together to eliminate want and inequality, to build culture and solidarity, she replied, workers skills and talents wont be realized.

Socialist Workers Party members and supporters are knocking on doors in cities and small towns across the country to discuss with working people, the partys perspective on how to respond to the capitalist crisis.

As part of these discussions, SWP members and supporters introduce workers to Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart?; The Clintons Anti-Working-Class Record: Why Washington Fears Working People; and Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power, all by SWP National Secretary Jack Barnes, as well as Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible? by SWP leader Mary-Alice Waters. And they work to expand the circulation of the Militant, the partys paper.

Every day I try to find ways to fill prescriptions when people cant afford the medicines, a pharmacy technician named Ellen told Martin at her door. But it seems like it always ends up that their only option is to buy fewer pills and try to stretch out the dosage till the next month. Theyre not getting the medicine they need.

The disaster of health care under capitalism is part of the carnage facing the working class for which neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have any solutions, responded Martin. What they offer us isnt health care, its inadequate insurance and exorbitant drug prices, things that make those bosses rich, while more and more of us get less and less care. Workers need to organize to fight for government-funded cradle-to-grave health care coverage.

It will take a socialist revolution like workers and farmers carried out in Cuba to implement this once and for all, she said.

Socialist campaigners knocked on doors across the Minneapolis area over the July 15-16 weekend, discussing politics with workers and making progress in collecting the 750 signatures needed to go well over the filing requirement to put David Rosenfeld, SWP candidate for mayor, on the ballot.

I work two part-time jobs in the construction industry and I cant find a job that doesnt pay minimum wage, 25-year-old Brenda Kelly said when SWP members explained who they were. We need fundamental change. She got a Militant subscription and signed to put Rosenfeld on the ballot.

Dozens of other workers got Militants, including seven who purchased subscriptions and 10 books by SWP leaders, and more than 160 people signed the petitions.

Socialist Workers Party members and a port trucker they work with from Los Angeles joined a July 15 picket line in front of a detention center in Henderson, Nevada, where four backers of framed-up ranchers Ammon and Cliven Bundy are being held on charges growing out of their successful protests to stop government agents from seizing the Bundys cattle.

They call this building a justice center. No. This is a jail, Ryan Farnsley, a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees who works as a facilities technician for the city of Peoria, Arizona, told party members who joined the protest.

We say there is a dictatorship of capital where the government and both parties defend the interests of the capitalist class, said SWP member Bernie Senter. My party says working people need to take political power in a revolution that mobilizes millions of workers, farmers and ranchers.

Party members got a good hearing from those at the rally, who were interested in their explanation that the Bundys fight to defend their access to the land is a fight for the working class.

To find out how you can get involved, look up the SWP branch nearest you on page 8.

Edwin Fruit in Seattle, Tony Lane in Minneapolis, and Deborah Liatos in Los Angeles contributed to this article.





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(special feature article)

Cubas role in the fight for African liberation

is unforgettable

5th Continental Conference in Africa organizes solidarity with the

Cuban Revolution

WINDHOEK, Namibia  From the earliest days of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban government and the Cuban people, led by Comrade Fidel Castro, embraced the struggles for the liberation of African peoples as their own, said Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, honorary president of the Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association, as he welcomed delegates from across Africa to the 5th Continental Africa Conference in Solidarity with Cuba. The gathering was held here in the capital city of Namibia June 5-7.

Cuban internationalist volunteers in tens of thousands came to Africa as soldiers, doctors and in other capacities to fight for the liberation of the entire African continent, he added.

The sacrifices that the Cuban people made for Namibia to achieve its independence are too great to quantify, because it is difficult to imagine the SWAPO victory without the friendship of Cuba.

Ya Toivo, a national hero of Namibia, was one of the founders of the South West Africa Peoples Organization (SWAPO) that led the Namibian struggle for independence from apartheid South Africa from 1960 to 1990. He was imprisoned for 16 years at the infamous Robben Island prison of the racist South African regime. Ten of those years he was incarcerated alongside Nelson Mandela, the future president of South Africa, and other leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle.

Ya Toivo, who attended every session of the event, died June 9, age 92. The spirit and tone of the conference could not have been captured better than by his words and warmth throughout. The depth of appreciation to the Cuban people for the internationalist solidarity extended to the peoples of Africa in their national liberation and anti-imperialist struggles marked every aspect of the event.

Continental gathering

The 5th Continental Africa Conference in Solidarity with Cuba was attended by 183 delegates from 17 African countries, Cuba and the United States.

The previous four took place in South Africa (1995), Ghana (1997), Angola (2010), and Ethiopia (2012).

The African countries represented at the 2017 event, in addition to Namibia, included Angola, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), South Africa, Tanzania, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The conference also received a message of solidarity from the African Union, sent by its chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad.

Under the banner Intensifying Solidarity with Cuba and Continuing the Legacy of Fidel and Che, the gathering was called by the Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association and the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

Namibian President Hage Geingob officially opened the event paraphrasing the words of Cuban national hero Jose Marti: In a time of crisis, the peoples of the world who are going to fight together must rush to know each other, adding that in our time of crisis Cuba rushed to know us.

Sam Nujoma, internationally known leader of the independence struggle and first president of Namibia, joined the presidium for the closing session of the conference. Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila addressed the session.

Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who also serves as Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, took part in every session. Activities included not only cultural events but a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at Heroes Acre, where dozens of those who devoted their lives to the independence struggle are buried, and a visit to Independence Memorial Museum.

Nandi-Ndaitwah personally led the tours of both sites, explaining important aspects of Namibias history and the cultures of its people, and describing the lives and contributions of those memorialized at Heroes Acre.

Cuban Ambassador to Namibia Giraldo Mazola headed the Cuban delegation, which included Victor Dreke, president of the Cuba-Africa Friendship Association. Dreke, who is known among anti-imperialist fighters throughout Africa by his Swahili nom-de-guerre Moja, was second in command to Che Guevara in the column that aided anti-imperialist forces in the Congo in 1965. He headed Cubas internationalist mission in Guinea-Bissau in 1966-68, fighting alongside the national liberation forces there led by Amilcar Cabral.

The ICAP delegation was headed by its president Fernando Gonzalez, a Hero of the Republic of Cuba and one of the Cuban Five, who also served in Cubas internationalist mission in Angola. The ICAP presidents remarks at a State House dinner for conference participants hosted by President Geingob were one of the highlights of the conference. (See accompanying article on page 6.)

Jose Prieto, another veteran of Cubas internationalist mission in Angola, who is responsible for ICAPs work in Africa, gave delegates a brief summary of the history of the Cuban Revolutions solidarity with the peoples of Africa during the opening plenary session.

Prieto was one of the Cuban soldiers stationed 25 miles from the Namibian refugee camp in Cassinga in 1978 when it was attacked by South African planes and paratroopers, who massacred some 600 Namibians, mostly women and children. He was among the Angolan and Cuban volunteers who fought their way to the camp to help repel the attack and treat the injured. Sixteen Cuban soldiers gave their lives in that battle and 78 were wounded.

The response of the Cuban leadership to the Cassinga massacre  one of the most infamous episodes during the Namibian struggle against the apartheid regime  is also known throughout Africa. Hundreds of the orphans and other surviving children of Cassinga were flown to Cuba where schools staffed by Namibian and Cuban teachers were established for them on the Isle of Youth. Many went on to study in Cuba for years, graduating from Cuban universities and today shoulder leadership responsibilities in all arenas of Namibian society.

Numerous survivors of the Cassinga massacre educated in Cuba were among the Namibian delegates participating in the solidarity conference.

Impact of Cubas solidarity

Solidarity is not giving what you have in abundance, Fernando Gonzalez told the conference. It means sharing whatever you have, even though it might not be much. Thats the difference between solidarity and charity.

Remarks made by speaker after speaker during plenary sessions as well as two working commissions revealed the profound impact that revolutionary solidarity of the Cuban people has had on the peoples of Africa.

Delegates worked throughout the conference to hammer out plans for actions to strengthen the solidarity movement with the Cuban Revolution. The discussion was far ranging.

Speaking to the entire gathering, Angolan General Kundi Paihama, former minister of defense and today governor of Angolas Cunene province, thanked conference organizers for the opportunity to participate. Solidarity is a moral duty to all on the African continent, he remarked. Cuban blood has been spilled here. That is the truth  the role of Cuba was and is unforgettable.

Referring to the campaign waged by pro-imperialist forces in Africa and around the world who seek to discredit Cubas historic contributions to the African freedom struggle, Paihama added, The accusations against Cuba are not true. Against the facts there is no argument.

Zimbabwean Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgar Mbwembwe reminded delegates, to applause, of the decisive role played by Cuban medical personnel in confronting the Ebola crisis in western Africa in 2014. Cuba needs our solidarity now more than ever, he added.

Chris Matlhako, general secretary of South Africa Friends of Cuba, spoke on behalf of the large South African delegation attending the conference. The South African government is often pressured by imperialist powers around the world to condemn supposed human rights violations in Cuba, he told delegates.

We remind them we do not have a short memory. When we were fighting for our freedom, those same countries were supporting the apartheid regime of South Africa against us, he said, and now they ask us to condemn those who fought and died together with us and shared our fate.

Guinea-Bissau delegate Imani Na Umoja told a reporter for the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, Conscious people have come from all over Africa to show our solidarity with Cuba. The worst crime in the world is to be ungrateful. When Africa called, Cuba answered. Now Cubas calling and Africa must answer. We have a debt.

Nigerian delegate Denja Yaqub, from the Nigeria Labour Congress, stressed the broad political education tasks that must be central to the solidarity work in every country. We cant run away from the fact that we are faced with a contest of socialism versus capitalism, he emphasized.

Lefika Chetty, another member of the South African delegation, described how we have been trying to educate South African citizens from working class to bourgeoisie on the role that Cuba played in our own freedom.

The struggle that culminated in the winning of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale was a watershed for us. she added. It opened the doors to our own freedom.

Graduates of Cuban universities

One of the most important features of the conference was the participation of delegates from across the continent who were graduates of Cuban universities  teachers, engineers, agronomists, medical personnel and many other disciplines. Today, they are not only using their training to address pressing social needs in their own countries. They are also the backbone of solidarity work with the Cuban Revolution in numerous countries.

Many were meeting each other for the first time, sometimes even those from the same country. They began discussing among themselves the potential for creating a network of collaboration across the continent and possibly organizing a continental day of solidarity.

According to former Cuban Ambassador to Namibia Angel Dalmau, who today serves as a food consultant to the Namibian Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, more than 40,000 African students have been educated in Cuba since the opening years of the revolution.

40,000!

People all over Africa have benefited from what the Cuban educational system has given us, Namibian delegate Constancio Mwanoingi told participants at one of the commission sessions. Its important for those of us who have been trained in Cuba and understand the revolution to come together and defend Cuba and advance Africa.

Mwanoingi, a Cassinga survivor, studied in Cuba from 1978 to 1985 and then returned to join the fighting ranks of the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia. Along with others in the conference he plans to take part in activities that will be organized Oct. 11-12, on Cubas Isle of Youth to mark the 40th Anniversary of International Education in Cuba  1977-2017.

On behalf of defenders of the Cuban Revolution in the United States, Mary-Alice Waters, president of Pathfinder Press, brought greetings from the National Network on Cuba, the Washington D.C., Metro Coalition in Solidarity With Revolutionary Cuba and the New York-New Jersey Cuba Si Coalition.

In appreciation of the importance of the conference and the work of the Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association, Waters presented Andimba Toivo ya Toivo with a handsome bound display of photos recording Cubas more than 55-year record of solidarity with the independence struggles of the peoples of Africa.

Final declaration

Unanimously adopted at the closing session of the conference, the final declaration demanded the U.S. government end the illegal, economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba. It called for the unconditional return to the government and people of Cuba of the territory illegally occupied by the government of the United States of America at the Naval Base in Guantanamo and denounced the violations of human rights in the U.S. prison located there.

Delegates also affirmed their support for the struggles of the people of Western Sahara and Palestine, the independence struggle of the Puerto Rican people, and solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The invitation extended by the Nigerian delegation to host the 6th Africa continental conference in Lagos in 2019 was enthusiastically welcomed by all.





Related articles:

Fernando Gonzalez: "What I owe the people of Namibia and Angola"

Help build Che brigade to Cuba, Sochi Youth Festival







Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




3 arrested for swindling Rs 5.5 million off Dang woman

Police have arrested three persons who reportedly swindled a local of Dang out of Rs 5.58 million.
EasyJet is hoping to inspire a generation of young flyers to become readers by adding libraries to its planes.

The books in the flybraries  flying libraries  have been chosen by author and former childrens laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson and include classics like Peter Pan, Alices Adventures In Wonderland and The Railway Children.

She unveiled her selection at the official launch of the easyJet Book Club at Gatwick Airport.

Children can start the books while on board then download the title to finish on a device while away. The next passenger can then pick up the book. Some 7,000 books are available across the airlines 147 planes flying to European destinations.

EasyJet started the flybraries after research found a decline in reading among young children.

The airline polled 2,000 British parents with children aged eight to 12 and found more than eight in 10 parents (83%) say children are reading less in comparison to when they were younger.

Whereas parents would read four books over the summer holidays, on average children now read three.
A startling video has captured the moment a boat full of tourists had a very close encounter with a whale in Australia.

Mark Collins had taken his family and friends out whale watching off the coast of Exmouth when a whale breaching just ahead of a small dinghy took them all by surprise.

It was very spectacular when it happened but immediately afterwards it dawned on us how close to tragedy it was, Mark told The West.

That was more than a little intense  and came just as the family were discussing how dangerous the situation could become.

The Ningaloo Coast, and in particular the Exmouth Gulf, experience the highest density of humpback whales in the southern hemisphere during their migration to Antarctica between June and November  with an estimated 30,000 gathering around the gulf to rest before making their return journey south.

Luckily, no-one was hurt in the incident and those tourists probably went home with a very cool story to tell.
In a speech on Thursday, Universities Minister Jo Johnsonthat the government was considering implementing a legally binding contract between students and universities.

Such an agreement would establish exactly what students should expect in terms of contact time, the number of lectures and seminars each week and the structure and time frame for assessments and feedback. Students would be able to take legal action against institutions if they did not comply with their obligations under the contract. Johnson also criticised the spiralling salaries of many university Vice-Chancellors. He announced that he would ask the Office for Students (OfS), the new university regulator which is set to be established in January and fully launched three months later, to look into the issue alongside the plans for student contracts. He suggested that university remuneration committees could be required to publicly justify any pay increased above the salary of the Prime Minister (approximately 150,000) to ensure that any pay rises are only granted for exceptional performance.An investigation by the University and Colleges Union in Februarythe average salary of a University Vice-Chancellor was 277,834, over six times higher than the average wage of university staff. NUS Vice President for Higher Education, Amatey Doku, condemned the new announcements as a desperate defence of a broken system. We appreciate the governments recognition that students needs must be met by the education system, but we are travelling down a road that students do not want to be on at all. he said. The ministers vision of higher education is seeing our world-class university system being treated in the same way as the NHS. This is nothing short of hypocritical from a government who can find 1bn to bribe the DUP to prop them up, yet refuse to invest in things that will benefit society. Doku also highlighted concerns previously raised by the NUS over student living costs, including the much higher dropout rate among poorer students. He accused the government of consistently failing to recognise the wider benefits of investing in university education, including developing a highly skilled workforce and fomenting economic growth.
The old tablecloth trick is simple: pull the sheet away, and leave everything on it still standing.

But one mans unique take on the classic stunt has raised the stakes somewhat.

Putting his dignity  among other things  on the line for his most recent trick, Japanese Twitter user @uespiiiiii placed some crockery on his unmentionables and attached the cloth to a fan.

Mission accomplished  he never even looked fazed.

According to Google translate, the user describes himself as a naked entertainer, which is a pretty accurate description.

But wait, theres more. Prepare yourself mentally because hes about to get as vacuum cleaner involved, though perhaps not in the way you might expect.

Now here he is getting three filled mugs involved.

Going for a cuppa around this guys house must be a thing to behold.

Before you go thinking its all nudity and questionably coloured tea, though, here he is

with

a feat of real skill  and some shorts, youll be glad to hear.

If he sent the blooper reel for these to Youve Been Framed hed be getting a pretty steady salary.

Where could he take his one-man show next? Maybe he will have to up the ante
Action plan delay leaves goal in doubt

The National Action Plan to End Child Marriage is likely to take a few months before coming into effect due to apathy of concerned stakeholders towards giving a final shape to the draft.
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Beyond borders

Nepal should make a convincing case for the establishment of AIIBs headquarters in Lumbini
Bills for federal and provincial polls tabled

Amid reservations from the fringe parties, the government on Thursday presented the bills related to elections for Federal Parliament and Provincial Assemblies, imposing a 1.5 to 3 percent threshold for the parties to be eligible for representation in the House.
Centralised mindset

The federal government has shown it is determined not to let go of the purse strings
Chitwan farmers go for tissue cultured banana

An increasing number of farmers in Chitwan have been switching over to tissue cultured banana plants in a bid to increase output.
Several public meetings this week in Watertown

Here's a look at who's meeting this week and what they'll be discussing.
Ex-king discharged from hospital

Former monarch Gyanendra Shah, who was admitted to the Thapathali-based Norvic Hospital after he complained of chest pain on Wednesday, has been discharged on Friday.
In NC meeting, Poudel, Deuba trade barbs over poll outcome

The Nepali Congress on Thursday organised a gathering of senior leaders, central working committee members, parliamentarians and local leaders of Province 2 to discuss the partys strategy for the third round of local elections scheduled for September 18 in Province 2.
Superstar Aamir Khan, who will be next seen in Thugs of Hindostan has wrapped up his shooting schedule in Malta and is vacationing in Italy with his family.

The superstar wanted to spend some quality time with his wife Kiran Rao and son Azad Rao Khan, whose summer vacations are on. As soon as the shooting was completed, the actor flew his family to the exotic location.

Mr. Perfectionist' of Bollywood is making sure that they have the perfect holiday.

A source close to the actor revealed, "Aamir is in Rome on a vacation with his family. So far they have visited the museums in Florence, including the Accademia Gallery. They also saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa".
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
The Niti Aayog on 20 July made a presentation on the proliferation of digital payments in the country and how it is transforming the Indian economy to the parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, which is also looking into the November demonetisation measure, official sources here said.

The presentation to the Committee, headed by Congress Lok Sabha member M Veerappa Moily, was made by the Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, along with other senior officials.

The Committee, which has already taken views of Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel and senior Finance Ministry officials on the demonetisation of high-value notes, will meet again on 27 July, the sources said.

It is expected to finalise its report on the matter by the end of August, he added.

On November 8 last year, the government scrapped Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes in a move designed to check black money, counterfeit currency and terror financing. The shortage of currency following the move gave a push to digital transactions in the country.
The Indian telecom regulator on Friday turned down the proposal of incumbent telecom players to fix a floor price for both voice and data services and said it did not seem to be a 'workable idea'.

"We had a detailed discussion (with industry stakeholders) for two hours. Fixing a floor price was not a workable idea. Prices will continue under the principles of forbearance like now," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman RS Sharma told reporters after the meeting.

He further clarified that there was a consensus that there is no need to persue this idea of floor price anymore.

On June 15, the telecom industry stakeholders had suggested to TRAI to fix floor prices for voice and data.

"The operators today have discussed the idea of creating a floor price for voice and data services. The rationale behind it was that no operator can offer data and voice services below that price," Sharma had said earlier.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar on Friday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government for the prevailing situation in Darjeeling.

The north Bengal hill town has been witnessing an indefinite agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland for over a month.

Kumar said the Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government should work towards peace in the area to pave way for a meaningful dialogue.

The Union Minister's remarks came after Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member Mohammad Salim raised the issue of the ongoing agitation in Darjeeling and called for the Centre's intervention.

Salim said there has been violence and the local residents were peeved over certain remarks made by Trinamool leaders.

"The state government is resorting to threats," he added.

Salim said a meeting should be convened of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and efforts should be made to "save Darjeeling".

Responding to the member's concern, Ananth Kumar said the situation was getting "serious" and all efforts should be made to restore peace in the region.

He said the situation had conflagrated due to the "attitude of the Chief Minister".

Kumar said: "First normalcy should be restored and then the way forward could be prepared in consultation with the stakeholders."


The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday took over investigation in Gudia gangrape-cum-murder case and reportedly visited the crime scene in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh.

Sources said that the CBI officials reached Shimla on Thursday, took over the investigation from HP Police and visited the scene of crime at Kotkhai in Shimla district.

The CBI sleuths also visited the family of the victim and recorded their statements in the case, sources added.

Simultaneously, a Police team under Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Soumya Sambasivan along with the Deputy Commissioner, Shimla Rohan Chand Thakur visited Kotkhai area to dispel the anger among locals.

We visited Kotkhai today as part of confidence building measure among locals and they have been assured of free and fair probe in the case, Soumya Sambasivan told The Statesman.

Soumya said they also inspected Kotkhai Police Station that was ransacked by locals on 19 July after one of the accused in the case, Suraj was allegedly murdered by main accused, Rajender Singh alias Raju

As we have to re-establish the Police Station, inspection of the Police Station was done and it would be made functional soon, she said.

The Shimla SP along with a Police team will also met the family members of the victim and assured them of fair investigations.

Meanwhile, in another development in the case, the autopsy report of the co-accused in the case had revealed that he had died to head injuries.

The Nepalese national Suraj was allegedly murdered by Raju after a scuffle over the statements made to the Police by the former. Raju had allegedly smashed the head of Suraj on the floor, resulting in his death reportedly due to excessive bleeding.

Raju and Suraj along with three other accomplices were arrested by the Police on 13 July, claiming that the five had gangraped and later killed the Class X student after offering her lift.
The Madras High Court on Friday declined to provide any immediate relief to Karti Chidambaram on his petition to quash the fresh summons by the CBI in a case involving foreign investment clearance when his father P. Chidambaram was Union Finance Minister.

Pointing out the case was filed by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi, the court said it would have to check whether it can proceed with the matter and posted the matter to July 28.

The CBI wants to examine Karti Chidambaram in a case related to Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media for allegedly receiving funds from Mauritius when his father headed the Finance Ministry.

The agency had issued summons to Karti Chidambaram and four others for questioning on June 27 and June 29, but they did not turn up.


West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of not allowing her government to work.

My party will launch 'BJP Quit India' campaign from 9 August, she said.

Centre is not allowing state governments to work. We are not its servants, the West Bengal chief minister said while addressing a rally in the state.

Saying that 18 opposition parties, including hers, have forged an alliance against the BJP, she said her party will launch 'BJP Quit India' campaign from 9 August.

"We will launch the movement in every Lok Sabha and assembly constituency, block, city and village. I urge all my ministers, MPs, MLAs and block leaders to take part in the programme," she said.

"India's relations with foreign countries have deteriorated under the Modi government," she said.

Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar blamed Mamata Banerjee and her government for the situation in Darjeeling and said that the West Bengal government should work towards peace and a meaningful dialogue.

The north Bengal hill town has been witnessing an indefinite violent agitation for a separate state, Gorkhaland, for over a month.

(With inputs from agencies)
In a significant development to the political crisis in Nagaland, Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Friday won the trust vote with the support of 47 MLAs in the state assembly.

The development comes two days after former CM Shurhozelie Liezietsu failed to turn up for the floor test in the special session of the state Assembly.

Governor PB Acharya on Wednesday appointed TR Zeliang as the chief minister of the state. The Governor had asked him to prove majority on the floor of the Nagaland legislative Assembly on 21 July.

Liezietsu was supposed to prove majority in the assembly after the Gauhati High Court on Tuesday dismissed his plea to stay Governor PB Acharya's directive for a floor test. Governor Acharya had directed the legislative Assembly Speaker to summon an emergency special session for the floor test.

Liezietsu faced rebellion by 43 Naga Peoples Front MLAs led by TR Zeliang, demanding a change of leadership in the present house of 59. He had filed the petition on 14 July, seeking a stay on the Governor's directive.
Muhammad Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested here on Friday when he tried to lead a protest march.

Police arrested Malik in Druggen area after the Friday prayers when Malik came out of a mosque to lead the march towards the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar area.

Malik was whisked away by police along with some supporters.

Separatists had called for a protest sit-in outside the UNMOGIP in Srinagar on Friday to highlight the "repression and innocent killings in Kashmir".

Authorities had blocked all roads leading to the UNMOGIP Headquarters, preventing both pedestrian and vehicular movement in the area.
Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi, who earned high appraise for her acting in films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Ek Thi Daayan, Badlapur, etc., is currently in Chennai to shoot with Tamil film superstar Rajnikanth.

Shooting for the gangster thriller Kaala Karikalan, 30-year-old Qureshi is happy that she got a chance to work with Rajnikanth so early in her career.

A source working closely with the film cast revealed Qureshis commitment for the film, saying: Huma has been working round the clock and living out of a suitcase with her challenging schedule. With just bare minimum sleep, she manages her entire team pretty well.

She really admires the discipline of the South Indian film industry and is looking forward to shooting in Chennai, the source added.

The New Delhi-born actress landed in Mumbai on Wednesday after making a magnificent appearance at the IIFA Awards in New York.

A part of the film has already been shot in Mumbai and the rest will be shot in Chennai, where Qureshi will be seen in action from July to August this year.
Congress MPs led by Sonia Gandhi staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Friday to protest against the government's alleged "indifference" to the farmers' plight and demanded that the Centre announce a farm loan waiver at the earliest.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Congress member Deepender Singh Hooda said while the House has debated on the farm distress on 19 July, the members of his party were not satisfied with the response of Agriculture Minster Radha Mohan Singh. The Opposition raised slogans and demanded Prime Minister's reply on the crisis.

Hooda said during the discussion the Centre did not make it clear whether it intended to implement recommendations made by the M S Swaminathan Commission. He added that the BJP had promised in its election campaign of 2014 to implement the commission's recommendations.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anant Kumar countered the accusations, saying the Opposition party was "shedding crocodile tears". "You all are not genuinely concerned about the farmers. You are only shedding crocodile tears," Kumar alleged. The minister wanted to know why the Congress members were not present in the House till 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday when the House took up a long-drawn-out discussion on the agrarian crisis. "You are now showing false sympathies," Kumar said.

Immediately, several Congress members including Sushmita Dev, Ranjeet Ranjan and Rajeev Shankarrao Satav rushed to the Well and continued protesting and shouting slogans.

Citing schemes like farm insurance and easy availability of fertilisers, Kumar said no government had done so much for farmers as the Modi government had in the last three years.

The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned for the whole day on Thursday due to disruptions from the Opposition. On Friday, the Speaker conducted Question Hour and took up matters of public importance after the Congress walkout.

Shell companies: During Question Hour, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in response to a query said the task force constituted by the government with regard to shell companies had submitted its report and action is being taken on it. Last year, more than 1.6 lakh shell companies were de-registered. Jaitley's response was to a query on whether a large number of shell companies and entities that are primarily used as conduits for dealing in black money and hawala transactions have come to the notice of the government. Later, Jaitley introduced a Bill to repeal the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959, the State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956, and further to amend the State Bank of India Act, 1955.

Inadequate doctors: On the issue of health care, the government told the Lok Sabha that India has less than one doctor for every 1000 population which is less than the stipulated minimum laid down by the World Health Organisation. Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were a total 10,22,859 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India as on March 31 this year.
Labour shortage hits reconstruction works

Post-earthquake reconstruction has been paralysed by a shortage of labourers despite a slump in labour migration for foreign employment, stakeholders have observed.
The Chinese media on Friday accused External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj of lying in Parliament that all countries support Indias stand on the ongoing stand-off with China at Doklam.

First, India's invasion of Chinese territory is a plain fact. New Delhi's impetuous action stuns the international community. No other country will support India's aggression. Second, India's military strength is far behind that of China, the Global Times, which always reflects the opinion of the ruling Communist Party, said in an editorial.

Sources in the Indian establishment declined to comment on the strong editorial in the newspaper, saying New Delhi remained committed to resolving the row through diplomatic means. The daily, which has published a series of articles blaming India for the face-off, said if the conflict escalated to the extent that the issue had to be resolved through diplomatic means, India would surely lose.

It said India should abandon the fantasy of a long-term standoff at Doklam. China will by no means agree to the withdrawal of troops from both sides in order for talks to be held. Doklam is Chinese territory. The withdrawal of Indian troops must be a precondition for talks and China will not compromise on this stance, it added in an obvious reference to Swarajs statement in the Rajya Sabha that both countries should withdraw their forces from Doklam.

The newspaper said China had noticed that India's stance had recently changed subtly and started to stress that Doklam was "a tri-junction area of China, India and Bhutan". New Delhis attempts to call on "both sides to withdraw troops" to allow for talks reflected its "guilty conscience", the paper said.

It said China had reiterated its stance on the issue and shown the utmost tolerance and patience toward India. If Indian troops continue trespassing into China's territory, what Beijing may do next is to get prepared for a military confrontation against New Delhi and resolve the conflict through non-diplomatic means.

The daily said China could not afford to "lose an inch" of territory. This is the sacred wish and request of the Chinese people. The Chinese government will not breach the fundamental will of the people and the PLA will not let the Chinese people down.

If New Delhi remained stubborn, India should get prepared for all possibilities from a potentially grave escalation of tension in the future, it said.
Televangelist Zakir Naik's organisation Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) on Friday approached the Delhi High Court against a tribunal's order which had upheld the central government's decision to ban it under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal recused herself from hearing the matter and posted it for July 27 before another bench.

Saying there were sufficient reasons and cause to declare IRF an unlawful association, a special tribunal headed by Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal of Delhi High Court on May 11 had upheld the November 17, 2016 notification banning IRF for five years.

Filing an appeal against tribunal's order, the IRF sought setting aside of tribunal's May 11 order, aguing that actions done by individuals named in the FIRs  Naik and his aide Arshi Qureshi  cannot reflect on the organisation.

The ban will affect the charitable and education work being done by IRF, said the plea, adding that FIRs were based on speeches allegedly made by Naik years before the charges were raised.

On March 16, a single judge bench of the High Court had also dismissed IRF's plea against the Central government's decision to immediately ban the organisation, saying immediate action appears to have been taken in "interest of sovereignty, integrity and maintenance of public order".

On November 17, 2016, the Union home ministry imposed an immediate ban on the organisation under the Unlawful Activies (Prevention) Act.

The Central government had produced before the court the relevant documents, based on which the decision to ban IRF was made, and said the need for taking "urgent step" was felt in view of the apprehension that Indian youth could be "radicalised" or "motivated" to join terror groups like Islamic State by the alleged statements and speeches made by the organisation and its members, including its President, Naik.

The government had also said that as per notification, Naik was also accused of making statements which were "derogatory of other religions" and thus, "spreading communal disharmony".


A report by the US clubbing Pakistan among nations providing "safe havens" to terrorists validated India's position that terrorism emanating from the country was a cause of global concern, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.

Spokesperson in the Ministry Gopal Baglay said the international community is on the same page with India on terrorism emanating from Pakistan and their solidarity with New Delhi on cross border terrorism is now moving towards enforcement and action.

In the report, the US yesterday listed Pakistan among the nations providing "safe havens" to terrorists, saying terror groups like the LeT and the JeM continued to operate, train and raise funds inside that country.

A similar report was released by the US last year too.

Talking about cooperation between India and the US in effectively dealing with terror, Baglay said the US has taken or proposes to take a number of measures against Islamabad to contain terrorism.

Replying to a question on mentioning of Naxals as terror group in the report, Baglay said like terrorists, they also cause huge damage and loss of lives. "we all know it is terrorism."

Asked about ceasefire violations in the last few days by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he said India has lodged a protest with Pakistan in a note verbale.

He said a total of 240 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been reported in the current year so far which is significantly high compared to last year.

Baglay said the LoC was coming under pressure due to attempts by terrorists to cross over to India.

He said India has asked Pakistan to maintain the ceasefire arrangement of 2003.
The issue of 39 Indians, taken hostage by ISIS in Mosul in 2014, as well as ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of energy and trade are expected to be discussed during the visit of the foreign minister of Iraq here next week.

The external affairs ministry today said Ibrahim al- Jaafari will pay his first official visit to India from July 24-28 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"During the upcoming visit, the two sides will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. The visit is expected to add further impetus to our mutually beneficial bilateral engagement," a MEA release said.

It also noted that bilateral trade amounted to nearly USD 13 billion in 2016-17.

"Iraq contributes significantly to India's energy security and is the second-largest supplier of crude oil to us (over 37 MMT during 2016-17), it said.

The Iraqi leader will be accompanied by a senior-level official delegation.

The visit is taking place just two weeks after Mosul was liberated from the ISIS. Immediately after the announcement of Mosul's liberation, the Indian government activated various channels for locating the 39 Indians.

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh also visited Iraq to coordinate and facilitate the return of the Indians stuck there.

After his visit, Swaraj said according to the information, the Indians abducted by the ISIS in Iraq are at a jail in Badush and attempts are on to liberate them.

The MEA also emphasised that India and Iraq have historically enjoyed close and friendly political, economic and cultural ties.

Thousands of Indians visit Iraq annually for pilgrimage to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government's policies for the volatile situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have been saying this for a long time that Modiji and the NDA policies have set Jammu and Kashmir on fire," Gandhi told reporters here.

"It is being said that talks should be held with China and Pakistan over Kashmir. But Kashmir is India and India is Kashmir."
Of the 1,650 political parties registered with the Election Commission, only the BJP and the Communists to an extent have upheld internal democracy, BJP President Amit Shah said on Friday.

"All the other parties are dynasties," Shah told a meeting of prominent citizens here.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, he said, was a party with a difference. It was the only party that was based on principals and it had internal democracy in place, he added.

Shah, on a three-day trip of Rajasthan, traced the history of the party and tried to convey how the BJP was different from all others.

"Can anyone of you say who will be the BJP President after me? No one. But regarding the Congress, anyone can predict who will become the President after Soniaji," he said, referring to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP is the only party where a 'booth karyakarta' can become a national President, Shah said, he added, referring to himself.

"Internal democracy in any party is important. It is because of this that in the BJP a tea seller became the Prime Minister."

Political parties without internal democracy and principals cannot govern the country and the states in the right manner, he said.

"Political parties who do not have internal democracy can never contribute towards making democracy stronger in the country."

He said the BJP was the only party where decisions were made on merit. "There are only a few parties which work on principals The BJP is the main."

He added: "Because of BJP government policies, Rajasthan is out of BIMARU status Soon you will see Uttar Pradesh coming out of BIMARU status as now we have a BJP government there."

Shah said that although the Congress ruled the country for 70 long years, there were villages even today without electricity.

"Now we will see to it that there is no village left without electricity."

Earlier, Shah presided over a meeting of Rajasthan ministers. It was also attended by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP state President Ashok Parnami.

"He took feedback from the ministers and listened to them patiently as each minister gave details of the work done by their ministries," a BJP functionary told IANS.

Shah told the ministers to spread awareness about the Modi government's programmes among the masses.

He also met MLAs, MPs and party leaders and inaugurated an e-library at the BJP office here.


Launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged it was "mutilating" the Indian Constitution through "systematic capture" of democratic institutions by the Prime Minister, bureaucracy and the RSS.

"There was a man called Hitler and he once wrote keep a very firm grasp on reality so you can strangle it at any time. Today this is what is happening all around us. This strangulation of reality," Gandhi said, as he targeted Modi and the RSS, saying they want India to "surrender its voice."

"The aim is to mutilate the Indian Constitution which was given to us by Sri Ambedkar. That is the aim, to mutilate the Constitution given to us by Mr Ambedkar," Gandhi said at the inauguration of the three-day BR Ambedkar International Conference organised by the Karnataka government here.

Gandhi said India lost its Independence because when Britishers stepped on its soil millions and millions of people kept quiet and allowed the British to do exactly what they pleased because they were powerful.

"And that is exactly what is happening today. When the journalist doesn't write about the violence in front of her eyes, when the judge is pressurised into giving a judgment..that is exactly what is happening."

"India's freedom was not simply taken away by the British. It was handed over to them by some Indians.we lost our voice because we surrendered it."

"And this is exactly what Modi and RSS want. They want India to surrender its voice."

Observing that there were two ways to rob people of their voice  to frighten them into submission and to shout so loudly that no one else can be heard, he said, "Narendra Modiji and the RSS are doing exactly that."

"What is happening today is the systematic capture of India's democratic institutions by the Prime Minister, by the bureaucracy and the RSS.," he alleged.

"Do not forget that every single Indian will be robbed of their voice, every single Indian will be robbed of his future. We must firstly keep the firm grip on reality. We must never ever allow them to strangle it," he said.

Attacking Modi on demonetisation and for not listening to farmers, Gandhi said, "The emperor is completely naked, but nobody around him has the courage to tell him."

Referring to the Rohit Vemula suicide controversy, he said, "They call it suicide, I call it murder. Rohit was crushed and murdered by the indignities he suffered. He was killed only because he was a Dalit. The instrument of his murder was the letter written to his university by the Government of India. A letter that destroyed his future forever."

Also referring to the lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq at Dadri, he said he was "butchered" because they said he stole a calf which was a lie. Instead of questioning his brutal killing, they asked whether the meat in the fridge was mutton or beef, he said.

He said thousands of farmers commit suicide and the government looks the other way. But the government can forgive any amount of corporate debt, calling it corporate write-offs, but farmers were given nothing, he said.

Lashing out at Modi on demonetisation, he said thousands of businesses were wiped out and "hundreds of people simply died"

Gandhi said, "privately our friends in the press called it insanity but publicly they called it the stroke of genius."

Ridiculing Modi's talk about "plastic surgery and Ganeshji," Gandhi said, "He talks about nuclear weapons and flying chariot in ancient India, about the perfect country without misery, without poverty and without the crime of caste. Well let me tell you he is lying."

"The BJP wants to paint a lie over India so that they can return to a forgotten time forgotten age. An age where people were humiliated by power, where people voices were crushed.where millions and millions of Indians were untouchables."

"The truth embedded in the history of India is the betrayal of the weakest by the powerful," he said.

The conference, inaugurated by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King III and attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has been organised to commemorate the 126th birth annivesary of Ambedkar.
An Indian soldier was killed and another was injured in Pakistan firing on the Line of Control (LoC) Friday in Jammu and Kashmir's Jammu district, defence sources said.

According to the sources, Pakistan army violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovked firing across the LoC in Chhamb sector at 6.05 p.m.

"One soldier identified as rifleman Jaidrath was killed while another rifleman identified as Sachin Kumar was injured," a source said, adding Indian troops were "effectively and strongly retaliating".

The sources said Pakistan army initiated firing from Pimpal border outpost on their side of the LoC, while the Indian soldiers killed or injured were deployed at Goga-2 border outpost on the Indian side in Bhattal area of Chhamb sector.


Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said India should turn to third parties, such as the United States and China, for mediation in the Kashmir issue.

His comment attracted immediate condemnation from the ruling BJP-PDP alliance in J-K. "Condemn his statement. When he was chief minister, he'd talked of attacking Pakistan. Why this two-faced approach?" J&K deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh was quoted as saying.

Advocating a dialogue between Indian and Pakistan amid tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), Abdullah said violence and warfare were not the solution to settle the Kashmir dispute which has plagued both the countries for nearly seven decades.

"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to catch the bull by the horns. War means annihilation, as they (Pakistan) have atomic bombs, just like we do. The way (to resolve the issue) is through dialogue," Abdullah said.

The former J-K chief minister said India had many allies across the globe who can act as intermediators to help settle the Kashmir issue.

"Use your allies to initiate a dialogue and find a lasting solution. US President Donald Trump has said he wants to settle the Kashmir problem, we didn't ask them to. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.

Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remark  Friends can be changed, but not neighbours  the NC leader said that arrogance and stubbornness would not let the two countries progress.
The US has said it wants India and China to engage in a direct dialogue to reduce tensions amid a dragging stand-off on the border between the two armies.

"They (India and China) are talking those issues. They're going to talk to one another. We would encourage them to direct  engage in a direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions," said US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Thursday.

The borders of India, Bhutan and China meet at Doklam, which holds strategic importance to all three. China calls Doklam its own but India and Bhutan call it Bhutanese territory.

India stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in Doklam in June, leading to the face-off between New Delhi and Beijing.

The US spokeswoman said Washington was keeping a close watch on the situation at the Bhutan-China border. "This is a situation that we are following closely and carefully."
Landslides obstruct vehicular movement along Pasang Lhamu highway

Multiple landslides triggered by incessant rainfall at different locations have blocked transportation along the Ramche stretch of the Pasang Lhamu highway on Friday.
The sentencing of two editors to one year jail terms in Karnataka for alleged breach of legislative privilege draws into focus the role of the Press in reporting activities of lawmakers.

While the arrests, ordered by the Speaker of the legislative assembly, have been stayed on a suggestion by the High Court, the issue of legislative privilege remains alive because what the assembly in Karnataka did last month mirrors actions taken in the past and could well be emulated by other legislative bodies, including Indias parliament. The genesis of the matter lies in our Westminster-style Constitution.

When adopted in 1950, it said that the privileges of legislators would, until they were defined by Parliament, be the same as those enjoyed by members of the British House of Commons on that date. This is an unexceptional provision because many Commonwealth countries have used the privileges of the Commons as a template.

In 1978, the Constitution was amended to read, In other respects, the powers, privileges and immunities of each House of Parliament.shall be such as may from time to time be defined by Parliament by law and until so defined shall be those of that House and of its members and committee immediately before coming into force of Section 15 of the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978.

This was a disingenuous ploy to remove the reference to the House of Commons without in any way changing the import of the Constitutional provision but one that ensured a person not possessing a pre-1978 copy of the Constitution would be utterly clueless about the privileges that legislators enjoy.

While ignorance of a law is no defence, obfuscation on such a massive scale might well overturn even that settled proposition. The intent of those who framed the Constitution was clear. Borrowing the privileges of British MPs was a temporary measure, and there was a clear injunction to Indias parliamentarians to define and codify their privileges.

Sixty-seven years later, the privileges remain undefined and therefore both ambiguous and open to subjective interpretation. Without going into the merits of the Karnataka case, it is necessary to state that the two journalists were found guilty of articles deemed defamatory by three legislators including the Speaker. Various media bodies have deplored the punishment saying that when remedies for defamation were available, the privileges route ought not to have been taken.

But the greater cavil that the media and rights practitioners have is that legislators have stubbornly refused to codify their privileges. They argue that many other Commonwealth jurisdictions have already done so and in a manner that restricts the scope of parliamentary privilege rather than expand it at will, as they allege is the case in India.

Privileges of legislators are meant to insulate them from criticism and action for what they say and do inside the legislature.

The privileges of the House of Commons were first claimed when it was struggling to establish a distinct role for itself within Parliament. As noted by the British Constitutional theorist Erskine May, these privileges were necessary to protect the House of Commons and its members, not from the people, but from the power and interference of the King and the House of Lords.

Indeed, a Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege of the UK parliament recommended in 1998-99 that Parliament's jurisdiction over contempt committed by non-members should be transferred to the courts. Australia invoked Section 49 of its Constitution and codified its privileges in the Parliamentary Privileges Act, 1987. It abolished (Section 6) the offence of contempt by defamation outside the House.

Several bodies in India have stressed the need to codify parliamentary and legislative privileges. The National Commission to Review the Constitution said in 2003: The only idea behind parliamentary privilege is that members who represent the people are not in any way obstructed in the discharge of their parliamentary duties and are able to express their views freely and fearlessly inside the Houses and Committees of Parliament without incurring any legal action on that account. Privileges of members are intended to facilitate them in doing their work to advance the interests of the people. They are not meant to be privileges against the people or against the freedom of the Press. The Commission recommends that the time has come to define and delimit privileges deemed to be necessary for the free and independent functioning of Parliament.

The Second Press Commission, the Press Council of India, the Indian Newspaper Society and the Editors Guild of India have at various times sought codification of privileges. But to no avail. In a 2014 history of the Indian Newspaper Society titled Threescore and Fifteen, I had written: The position of our Parliament has been consistent in two aspects  (i) It shall not codify its privileges and (ii) if the Press wishes to know when and where it might be in breach, it ought to study all past rulings of the Committee of Privileges on the basis that if Britain can survive with an unwritten Constitution we ought to be able to survive with un-codified privileges.

The flaw in this reasoning ought to be immediately apparent  we do have a written Constitution, one that had actually asked Parliamentarians to codify privileges. Because the same position obtains in state Legislatures, the undefined threat of a breach of privilege constantly hangs over the head of the publisher, and by the nature of its presence acts as a muzzle on the free Press. This situation calls for immediate remedy.

No remedy is in sight nor will one be for as long as Indias legislators refuse to accept the weight of opinion that enjoins them to define their privileges. The irony is that in doing so, they appear to ignore even the Constitution they are sworn to uphold. Journalists it seems must reconcile themselves to this legislative peril.

(The writer is Editor, The Statesman. This is a series of columns on global affairs written by top editors and columnists from members of the Asia News Network and published in newspapers and websites across the region.)
To understand why the grass is always greener on the other side, one must visit Kasol in Himachal Pradesh.

This is where tourists are always happy, the air intoxicating  an ideal place to vacation in the lap of nature. Parvati valley, located 30 km north-east from the town of Bhuntar (which also has an airport), is bound to enchant with its luxuriant pine forests, the untamed Parvati river and some of the most sought after hippy cafes.

The river accompanies one from Bhuntar (the place where it meets the Beas) along the winding roads right up to Kheerganga, touching Malana, Kasol and Manikaran.

The trek from Malana to Kheerganga (2,960 m high) is ideal for backpackers and nature enthusiasts. Earlier, it was foreigners, who made a beeline for the place but now young Indians are visiting. From the 1980s Israeli tourists started habituating Kasol in huge numbers.

The city also has a Chabad(prayer place) for the Israeli community right opposite the Evergreen Cafe. Non-Jews too are warmly welcomed in this holy place. Israeli travellers make this place their home for a few months before moving to some other destination. Most of the signboards outside restaurants and cafes are in Hebrew and the place has been dubbed mini-Israel! Spread out along the Parvati river with mountains on all sides, Kasol has an ambience of tranquillity.

Visitors can go for trekking and trout fishing, and also river rafting in Kullu and Bhuntar. Frequented by tourists and hippies, Kasol has everything from riverside bars to cheap guesthouses and quaint cottages with tents next to the ferocious Parvati.

Kasol township, though really small, is split into "old" and "new" through a paltry bridge. Most cafes offer Israeli food. The smoking dens also serve as hippie hangouts. One can sit quietly and watch the river flow and bite into some kio and other lip-smacking dishes that each of the cafes has to offer.

Seriously recommended is Evergreen Cafe, with its open-air seating options offering breathtaking views of the Himalayan hill slopes.

The German Bakery is one place apt to be recommended for its delicious, funnily enough, Italian pastries! Most places have crayons and colour pencils on each table, inviting visitors to let their creativity loose. Bright artworks adorn the walls in most of the cafes. Not to forget the delicious momos or freshly-rolled noodles at one of the Tibetan stalls.

The Kasol market mainly offers a variety of t-shirts, mostly sporting Bob Marley images, with shopkeepers claiming he visited the place! One can buy handpainted stone chillums along with yoghurt and dry fruit.

From Kasol, cross the Sikh holy town of Manikaran en route to Barshaini, from where one takes the 24- km up-and-down trek to Kheerganga. Other treks are to Sar Pass and Yanker Pass, though considered slightly difficult. There are two trails from Barshaini  one is via the village Kalga and the second is through a Shiva Temple.

There are options of wooden cottage homestays en route, a variety of flora and abundant plum trees. As one approaches Kheerganga, the pristine forests get denser. The Kheerganga trek is itself memorable. One need not worry if one is a solo traveller as there are many others.

The moment one reaches Kheerganga, one gets a feeling of exhilaration. On the other side of the mountain is the Lahaul Spiti valley. All of a sudden, there is a huge land mass with no trees but greenery everywhere. A bath in the refreshing hot water springs, also known for their medicinal value, washes away all weariness. The green meadows in Kheerganga are also utilised for yoga and meditation.

Far away from the clutches of technology, this place has the potential to melt the heart. Then there is Chalal, the party place for tourists in the Parvati Valley. As Kasol is perceived a tad crowded, loners and those who seek peace escape to the quiet and quaint, Tosh for its soothing serene scenery.

Tosh remains snow-capped in winters. There is the mysterious Malana, whose people believe that they descended from the army of Alexander the Great and impose fines on visitors if they touch them or their belongings. The people are friendly but outsiders should keep their distance.

Almost half the hippies flock to this valley to explore its peculiar traits, like houses with each storey having a specific name and purpose! All these tiny villages host music festivals and rainbow meets.

Be it for school reunions or romantic weekends, Kasol is a grassy getaway where one can relax and live the Himalayan experience.
The lure of the Ramayana trail, pristine beaches and vast expanses of forestland teeming with faunal bio-diversity will make travellers pack their bags and jet-set to the destination. And if one is still guessing about the place, it is Sri Lanka.

For the first time, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau set foot in Kolkata to host an interactive tourism road show recently. The event saw the presence of 14 destination management companies flying down from Colombo to the City of Joy. Viranga Bandara, assistant director, marketing (India), STPB, said, Sri Lanka has a variety of wildlife to showcase to visitors and a number of new destinations have emerged in the eastern part of the country. Many new resorts have been built and whale watching is cheaper in the country.

It is a diversified land with serene beaches, stunning wildlife adventure, ancient sites of the Ramayana and a smiling populace.

Kandy is a significant heritage destination. Bandara also pointed out that most travel companies are designing five-day tours for travellers from Bengal to embark on a sojourn of the country and the tour begins from Rs 35,000 onwards per person depending upon the kind of hotels.

With a view to draw a large number of Indian travellers, STPB is planning to go for a digital marketing campaign across cities. Bandara further said, We intend to consolidate our campaign and place the country as a preferred holiday destination for Indian tourists. Winter is the best time starting from October to March to explore the country.We have hosted tourism road shows in Mumbai and hope to organise similar events in Hyderabad and Chennai this month. West Bengal contributes around 22 -30 per cent of Indian outbound tourists to Sri Lanka, and Colombo and Kandy are the hot-selling destinations for tourists from here. Sri Lankan Airlines has begun touching down in Kolkata from 30 October last year. It operates thricea-week flights on a day-time schedule.

The airline is also starting flight services from Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Visakhapatnam this month. Bandara said, The airline prides in having a weekly 150 flights from Colombo to Indian cities. We are trying to boost the corporate segment of tourists in Kolkata.

The country has emerged as a wonderful family destination. There are a few iconic destinations like the Unesco-listed World Heritage Site of Sigiriya.

There are lush tea plantation sites, spice trails and the historic Dambulla.

Bandara said, We receive the highest number of Indian travellers from Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. There were around 3,56,000 Indians flying out to Colombo last year and we are expecting about 4,50,000 Indian travellers to visit the country in the current period. Overall, there has been around 26 per cent growth in Indian tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka.
Two Chinese H-6K bombers have flown over Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone east of the island under the close vigil of the latter's combat aircrafts, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said.

Taiwanese fighter jets closely monitored the movements of the Chinese planes and never posed a threat to national security, the ministry said in a statement on Friday, and called for citizens to remain calm.

It is the first time the Taiwanese military has released photographs showing Chinese military aircraft, Efe news reported.

This year has seen a series of intrusions by Chinese planes and vessels  including aircraft carrier Liaoning  through eastern as well as western Taiwanese waters.

Meanwhile, Taipei has bolstered military exercises and taken steps to keep an eye on the passage of Chinese ships and aircrafts.

Earlier, on Thursday, Japan said 10 Chinese military aircrafts, including H-6K bombers, had overflown the East China Sea, passing through the Miyako Strait between Taiwan and Japan.

Since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen  who is opposed to a union with China  took charge in May 2016, Beijing has stepped up the diplomatic siege as well as military intimidation of the island.

China considers Taiwan a renegade province and has refused to give up on the use of arms to gain control of the territory.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Tehran would respond appropriately to new US sanctions but that Iran remained committed to its nuclear deal with world powers.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will always stick to its international commitments, Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting.

But if the US wants to press forward with new sanctions under any pretext the great nation of Iran will respond appropriately, he said.

We will not forgive violations by the Americans and we will stand against them.

His comments came a day after the US and Iran traded tit-for-tat sanctions over the Islamic republic's ballistic missile programme.

The State Department slapped sanctions on 18 individuals and entities in Iran, hours after the White House admitted Tehran was sticking to the 2015 agreement.

Iran hit back with its own sanctions against American people and entities that have acted against the Iranian people and other Muslim peoples of the region.

Rouhani today accused Washington of duplicity.

On one hand they send official reports to Congress verifying that Iran has been completely loyal to the nuclear deal, Rouhani said.

On other hand they seek new sanctions under various excuses against logic (and) the spirit and text of the accord, he said.

Iran's parliament yesterday voted to streamline a bill that would increase funding for the country's missile programme and Revolutionary Guards in response to Washington's adventurism in the region.

An overwhelming majority of lawmakers voted to prioritise the motion that would see an additional USD 260 million allocated to developing the missile programme and the same amount to the elite Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations wing, the Quds Force.

Rouhani accused his American counterpart Donald Trump of breaking international deals on Cuba, North Korea and climate change, all reached under Trump's predecessor Brack Obama.

He said Washington was pushing Iran to abandon its commitments and that the US was worried over improved economic relations between Iran and Asia and Europe.

We are happy that so far the 5+1 (world powers) have stood strongly to protect the nuclear deal, he said.
Palestine parliamentary committee at Jordan's Lower House on Thursday expressed its rejection of Israeli violations in al-Aqsa Mosque following a gun attack that resulted in the death of two Israeli policemen.

At a meeting with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the committee said the Jordanians reject any violation in the holy mosque, Xinhua reported.

The comittee also called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop its violations in Jerusalem.

Safadi pointed out that Jordan was exerting efforts to restore stability and end the tension to prevent any escalation.

Jordan, which oversees the holy Islamic and Christian sites in East Jerusalem including al-Aqsa Mosque, will continue its efforts to ensure the mosque is open to all Palestinians, the minister noted.

Israel needs to respect the status quo in East Jerusalem and refrain from any attempts to alter the status quo in the city, Safadi added.

Last Friday, three Israeli Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces inside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, after two Israeli officers were killed in an attack.

Israel reopened the compound on Sunday with the introduction of metal detectors and security checks installed at the entrances.

Protests have since broken out in the holy site, with dozens of Muslim worshippers refused to enter the Mosque and prayed outside, considering the security checks a "violation" of the third holiest place for Muslims.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to resolve a diplomatic crisis that has pitted it against Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the foreign minister of Oman, which has remained neutral in the dispute, Tillerson yesterday noted "positive movement" in talks since he visited the region ten days ago.

"The Qataris have continued to move forward on the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that the US and Qatar entered into to address many of the terrorism, terror financing, counter-terrorism concerns that people have," he said.

"So we're, I think we're satisfied with the effort they're putting forth," he continued.

"I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade, which is really having the most, I think, negative effects on the Qatari people," he added, referring to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.

The four powers cut ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran  charges which Doha denies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular have been critical of Tillerson's efforts, accusing him of being too sympathetic toward Qatar.

Qatar's ruler said yesterday that the Gulf emirate is ready for dialogue to resolve the diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led bloc so long as his country's sovereignty is respected.


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Manual worker dies of suffocation in 40 feet deep well

A manual worker has died of asphyxiation while cleaning up a well at Gitanagar in eastern Chitwan on Thursday.
But the tribe has a long way to go
The winds of change are whistling their way through the stone walls of the Bengaluru Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara. Days after the explosive jail report by then DIG (Prisons) D. Roopa gave credence to strong rumours of "irregularities" inside the jail, including special treatment to VVIP convictsAIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala convicted in disproportionate assets case and kingpin of multi-crore fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi for a "price", the 'VIP culture' in the prison seems to be fading.

On Thursday, AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran was refused special entry to meet his aunt and AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala by the jail authorities, as the visitors of other inmates waiting outside in the queue demanded that Dhinakaran, too, should be given a token and made to wait for his turn. Dhinakaran, who was accompanied by three MLAs, had to leave without meeting Sasikala.

The allegations of bribe are baseless, he told reporters. Sources also confirmed that Sasikala too had been weaned of the "perks" in the wake of the big expose.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised over the "travesty of justice" as the disproportionate assets case was shifted to Bengaluru in 2003, after DMK leader K. Anbazhagan had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case out of Tamil Nadu for a "free and fair" probe. Ironically, Karnataka finds itself in a spot over the allegation of having extended "VIP perks" to a convict Sasikala, who is serving a four-year jail term.

Last week, an embarrassed state government had initiated a high-level probe by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, soon after allegations of Rs 2 crore being paid as bribe to top jail officials for extending special facilities to Sasikala became public. The Siddaramaiah government also initiated a slew of transfers as a face saving measure.

DGP H.N. Satyanarayana Rao was transferred (and sent on forced leave). But, what shocked the people and the opposition parties was the shunting out of whistle-blower Roopa, who was transferred as Commissioner of Traffic and Road Safety citing "violation" of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules.

The jail inmates and their families outside launched an aggressive protest demanding reinstatement of Roopa and the ouster of jail superintendent Krishna Kumar, who is accused of assaulting 32 jail inmates for siding with Roopa and Anita, who has been in-charge of the barrack occupied by Sasikala.

Amid protests by prisoners and families, and the BJP women's wing, the government finally moved out both tainted officersKrishna Kumar (to Gulbarga jail) and R. Anita (to Dharwad).

Interestingly, a video clipping of Telgi's cell with the comfortsa cot, an LED television, a computer, and under-trials assigned to give him massageswent viral on social media. While, visuals showing five cells being cordoned off for Sasikala's use, a meeting room, a well equipped kitchen and luxuries like mattress, mosquito net, utensils and Sasikala taking a stroll in a silk salwar kameez were splashed in the media, which substantiated the claims made in the jail report. Now, will transfers alone suffice, ask citizens.

What the two explosive reports say

Report one

The explosive jail report submitted by DIG Prisons on July 12, 2017 has mentioned irregularities in Parappana Agrahara jail, including special facilities for high-profile convicts like Sasikala and Telgi. The nine-points raised by Roopa are:

1. Exchange of Rs 2 crore as bribe to buy VIP treatment for Sasikala, including a special kitchen

2. Kingpin of fake stamp paper scam Abdul Kain Telgi enjoys VIP treatment, 3-4 undertrials used for body massageno offical action taken

3. Unabated ganja smuggling in jail. During a recent drug (urine) test, 18 out of 25 inmates tested positive for drugs like cannabis, barbiturates, benzodiazepine and morphine

4. Convicts manning the records room raise concerns of misuse of crucial documents

5. Reasons for her boss (Rao) questioning her visit to the jail "without permission"

6. Inmates issuing threats to doctors who demand issue of certificates to help them get treatment outside hospitals

7. Concern over inmates working at pharmacy and misuse of sleeping pills

8. Inaction over a case of harrassment reported on June 23, where a nurse was manhandled by an inmate

9. No action taken in the case of an attack on chief medical officer on June 29

Report two

The second report is also an internal report submitted to the higher-ups, highlighting the crucial evidences against the alleged irregularities and the need to safeguard them.

1. Report mentions a locked room on the first floor, where all other officers' chambers are located, as the "meeting room" spruced up with curtains, a table, a revolving chair and four chairs for Sasikala to meet her visitors. While ordinary prisoners meet their visitors in an enclosure, divided by a mesh, and under CCTV surveillance (camera 6 and 7), Sasikala has been allowed a private meeting room, in violation of the Prison Rules. The recordings of Camera 6 and 7 will ascertain the claim, as you will find no footages of Sasikala's visitors though one can find their names in the register.

2. The officer has appealed to the department to ensure protection of the crucial footages and hold the officials responsible in case of loss of the evidence. The evidences include CCTV footages of (camera No. 89) Telgi's cell which are crucial evidence to prove VIP treatment. These footages also prove the existence of Sasikala's special kitchen.

3. Report notes plight of undertrials (in barrack no. 3) who have not been given legal aid for almost a year now.

4. The officer has also urged the DGP to arrange to send the official video recordings of her previous visit to the jail and her interaction with the inmates, as they are crucial evidences to prove the points made in her reports. Roopa has put on record that her prior requests for the recordings were not honoured as she received a blank pendrive once and subsequently, a pendrive with all crucial portions of the footages missing.

5. Suspicion of inmates using mobilephones as the mobilephone jammers inside the jail continue to be dysfunctional despite the annual maintenance contract being in place.

6. Irregularities in parole and release of prisoners and food tenders have been reported through anonymous calls and letters and during interaction.

7. Roopa has sought disciplinary action against Bengaluru's jail superintendent Krishna Kumar and Belgaum jail superintendent T.P. Sesha for violating the service rules by speaking to the media and for releasing her entry in the jail register and CCTV visuals during inmates' protests to the media.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, speaking at Bengaluru on Friday, said that truth and power were not the same thing. Dr Ambedkar was a great man because he stood for the truth.

Invoking Ambedkar, he exhorted the nation to educate, organise and agitate.

Civil rights activist Martin Luther King III who began with a tribute to his father, a prominent name in the world that stood against oppression and for affirmative action, also drew attention to the many similarities between Dr King and Dr Ambedkar, calling them leaders with tough minds and tender hearts.

Pointing out the common challenges faced by the United States and India because of its leadership, he called out the inherent danger of both.

Both nations are being led by personalities that seek to unleash divisiveness and cater to majoritarian forces that stand against the very spirit of democracy and equality. Like Donald Trumps campaign, the election of Modi has unleashed ferocious animosity against minorities, said King, drawing parallel between the alt-right in the US and the hindu-extreme right in India.

Taking the argument forward, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, Today, we are told that being a good Indian means we have to ignore the inequality and exploitation in our midst; that we need to adhere to rigid norms regarding food, clothing, language and free speech. I reject that view as totally opposed to the letter and spirit of our Constitution.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah recalled Dr Ambedkar's warning that political equality cannot become a reality unless we ensure social and economic equality. Over the last four years, all our policies and programmes have been designed to ensure economic freedom to our citizens particularly those who are marginalised, stigmatised and disadvantaged. We in Karnataka also believe strongly in Prof Amartya Sens categorisation of development as freedom, said Siddaramaiah.

Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar said, "Sovereignty and democracy can survive only if social order is based on equality and respect for humanity."

The international conference titled Reclaiming Social Justice, Revisiting Ambedkar, seeks to leverage Babasahebs life and work as an inspiration to critically reflect on the contemporary significance of social, political and economic justice in India, and across the world.
Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang wins vote of confidence in state assembly, gets 47 out of 59 votes.

Zeliang got the votes of 36 NPF, 4 BJP and 7 independents, said Speaker Imtiwapang.

Zeliang, 65, was sworn in as the chief minister of Nagaland for the second time after his predecessor Naga Peoples Front (NPF) president, Shurhozelie Liezietsu, was dismissed by governor P.B. Acharya for failing to turn up for a vote of confidence on Wednesday.

The 13-day power struggle within the ruling NPF was triggered by Zeliang who sent a letter to the governor on July 8, staking claim to form the government with the support of 34 (later 37) NPF legislators and 7 independents.

Zeliang proved his majority on Friday.

Zeliang, the sitting Peren MLA, who is a six-term legislator, was the chief minister from May 24, 2014 tilll February 20, 2017. Shurhozelie had taken over on February 22 after Zeliang was forced to step down following sustained protests against his governments move to hold urban local body polls with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Zeliang was ousted by the NPF as a chunk of the leadership thought that in view of the state elections next year, the party should not be seen as going against the custom and tradition of the Naga society. The existing customary laws of the Nagas prohibits women from engaging in active politics. Zeliang was someone who wanted to go by the Constitution.

But what has turned the numbers in Zeliangs favour? The Nagas are extremely piqued that the Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) last week called for the dissolution of the state Assembly and imposition of presidents Rule. The latest rebellion is attributed to the alleged nepotism by Shurhozelie who had made his son an advisor to the chief minister with the rank and status of a cabinet minister.
Apart from intra-party political equations, there are definite political goals in the mind of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his strategy of installing Ram Nath Kovind in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 1. To retain the dalit votes that rode in to the BJP on the Narendra Modi wave in the last Lok Sabha elections. 2. To counter allegations by the opposition that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are anti-dalit. 3. To assuage the fear among the dalits, in the wake of the atrocities committed over cow protection.

Dalit leader Mayavatis frantic resignation from the Rajya Sabha is an indication of the effects that Ram Nath Kovinds entry has created in dalit politics.

Doing away with power centre

Narendra Modi's decision to play the dalit card was based on his plan that his power should not face any challenge from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Had senior BJP leaders like L.K. Advani or Murali Manohar Joshi or Union Minister Sushama Swaraj become president, there would have been concerns of a power tussle between the prime minister and the president. But Ram Nath Kovind, who rose from the post of Bihar governor to that of the president of India, does not pose any such trouble.

To retain Uttar Pradesh

Ram Nath Kovinds selection to the top-most post is also a recognition to Uttar Pradesh, the state which fetched the BJP a spectacular win in the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections. The first dalit President from the BJPs power centre of North India is bound to find favour in the dalit sections.

The BJP is aware that Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh would not be able to create substantial favour for the party within the next two years ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In UP, it is not easy to sustain support for the BJP, which was voted to power with much hope and anticipation, and to keep at bay the anti-government sentiments. Modi is trying to create the image that the people of UP are with the BJP.

The BJP has won dalits confidence in Bihar and Maharashtra by projecting Ramvilas Paswan and Ramdas Atavle, respectively, as NDA leaders. In the next stage of a similar experiment, the BJP sees Ram Nath Kovind as the trump card to win over the strong dalits vote-banks in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal.

The BJP wants dalits and other weaker sections to be a contented lot when the Narendra Modi governments achievements, during the five-year period, will be evaluated in 2019. Ram Nath Kovind is the partys answer in case the Modi governments sincerity on the issue of uplifting dalits is questioned.
MCC delegates visit Nepal to advance compact programme

Nepal is all set to tap a funding pool of $500 million (approximately Rs52 billion), the biggest foreign grant amount in its history, under the compact programme pledged by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the US government.
Wolfgang Schaeuble has won his parliamentary seat a dozen times, survived an attempt on his life and guided Angela Merkel through the euro zone crisis. Now, the German chancellor may have to sacrifice him to secure a coalition deal.

Merkel's conservatives are likely to win a national election on September 24, but lack of an overall majority could force them to continue their alliance with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

SPD leaders say their price for a re-run of the current 'grand coalition' would be for Schaeuble to vacate the finance ministry and hand it to them.

Schaeuble personifies the fiscal discipline and financial stability that many Germans crave. But for the SPD he goes too far.

For Merkel's political opponents, Schaeuble's emphasis that both Germany and other EU countries adhere to Europe's budget rules risks denying French President Emmanuel Macron the flexibility to revive his country's economy.

Germany is awash with tax revenues but France is in a tighter spot. The SPD worries that insistence on French budget discipline will not give Macron the room for manoeuvre to foster growth. If Macron fails, the SPD's concern is the EU will fail or that far-right leader Marine Le Pen could win power.

SPD Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he had asked Merkel which scenario in her view would be more expensive for Germany: a slightly higher budget deficit in France or Le Pen as president in five years.

"We Germans must change our position," Gabriel said.

Softening Schaeuble's approach to the euro zone would not go down well with many Germans. In his home region of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where hard work and saving is a way of life, he enjoys cult status.

In Schaeuble's view, governments must stop piling up debt so that future policy makers still have some money to spend.

READY TO CONTINUE

In a wheelchair since a deranged man shot him at an election campaign event a few days after German reunification in 1990, Schaeuble lives for the job and has signalled his willingness to stay in politics.

I'm ready to continue, he told voters in Sasbachwalden, his home town near the French border.

Schaeuble does not let his disability hold him back.

In May, he flew half way around the world to spend 12 hours in Durban, where he attended several panels at the World Economic Forum on Africa, backed efforts to attract more investment and lectured students on how the EU works.

It is this relentless drive that commands the respect of voters and colleagues alike.

When I go to breakfasts and party meetings with him, he is the one who is the most aggressiveready to take on the Social Democrats, a senior German government official said.

But while polls suggest Merkel will win a fourth term in September, she might end up losing Schaeuble as finance minister.

TRICKY TALKS

Merkel faces tricky coalition talks over ministerial jobs in the next parliament.

Senior members of the two parties most likely to be her junior coalition partnerthe SPD and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP)have made clear that they have their eye on the finance ministry this time.

The SPD won't repeat the mistake it made during the coalition talks four years ago, Gabriel told reporters.

In 2013, the SPD focussed mainly on domestic issues and pushed for the introduction of a national minimum wage. It consequently got the labour ministry, among other departments such as economic affairs and foreign relations.

Now, the SPD's candidate for chancellor, Martin Schulz, has made investment and solidarity with Europe a cornerstone of his campaign, signalling a less rigid stance on the budget.

If the Social Democrats are forced into another grand coalition under Merkel, it would be very important for the SPD to get the finance ministry, a senior SPD source told Reuters.

If there's one thing we Social Democrats have learned, it's this: We should not enter coalition again without controlling the finance ministry, SPD budget lawmaker Johannes Kahrs told Reuters.

The smaller FDP shares similar thoughts. A senior FDP source said the party was interested in the finance ministry, although it could be more difficult for it to achieve this.

REFORM, THEN INTEGRATE

Senior members of Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative bloc acknowledge that she could win the election and still be forced to give up Schaeuble as finance minister.

Eckhardt Rehberg, Merkel's chief budget lawmaker in parliament, said his party would find it hard to keep the finance ministry if the election produced another 'grand coalition' with the SPDan option both parties have said they dislike.

Keeping the finance ministry will be most difficult to achieve with the SPD as junior partner because the party has put a strong emphasis on finances and Europe, Rehberg told Reuters.

If we have a similar situation on election night as we did four years ago, the SPD is likely to demand not only the foreign ministry but also the finance ministry, he added.

It remains unclear whether Merkel will have to sacrifice Schaeuble. But his departure would be a blow for the chancellor's goal of strengthening integration within the EU once Britain leaves, or at least within the euro zone.

For Merkel, deeper integration is a question of sequencing.

This is where Schaeuble could help her: keeping sceptical German voters and lawmakers on board by insisting France and the southern euro zone countries reform first, before agreeing to bind Germany's economic fate closer to theirs.

If France becomes stronger that would help, said one senior official close to Merkel.

Sourced from Reuters
As I have said before, MH370 has too many theories and not enough evidence. That is why I am looking for evidence. I find the debris and that tells us something about where and how the plane crashed. We really need to find the black box and the crash site. But what I am looking at is more like what didnt happen, rather than what did happen. It is clear that it did not crash in the Gulf of Thailand nor did it crash in the Bay of Bengal. It crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, somewhere south of the equator and north of 35 degrees. It is also clear that it was not a controlled ditching, gliding or pilot suicide where the pilot deliberately takes the plane as far south and buries it intact. We know because of the debris that the plane is not intact in the water and we know because of the wing flap that it was retracted, it was not deployed, so those are things that didnt happen.

It is possible that there was some sort of onboard emergency that caused the plane to turn back to the nearest available airport. The captain would try to turn it back to try to land at Penang. That is the bearing that he took. As far as the other turns go, it is possible that the pilot was overcome by fumes, punched in some wrong coordinates, turned up north of the straits of Malacca and flew on, a ghost plane, and crashed.

There is a possibility, however, depending on the number of turns that the plane took, that the Satcom system was turned off and then turned back on. It is also possible that it was hijacked physically by someone on the plane. All the crew and passengers have been cleared in investigations, but you never know who is on the plane. There can be stowaways. It is certainly possible. It is possible that there was a physical hijacking on the plane. I know absolutely nothing about computers, nothing about hacking, and I am not an aviation expertbut its possibleand it should be looked into, that this was a cyber hijacking and in that case you need to have the best computer people looking at all possibilities and see if maybe somebody, who was very good with computers, could have hacked into the system and taken control of the plane. That needs to be looked at. There are certain things that could have happened and certain things that could not have happened and we need to be open to everything that is supported by evidence.
Many Venezuelan streets were barricaded and deserted on Thursday for a strike called by foes of President Nicolas Maduro to demand elections and the scrapping of plans for a new congress they fear would consolidate dictatorship in the OPEC country.

From the Andes to the Amazon, millions joined the 24-hour shutdown, staying at home, closing businesses or manning roadblocks in a civil disobedience campaign the opposition hopes will end nearly two decades of socialist rule. Two young men died in the unrest, authorities said.

We must all do our best to get rid of this tyrant, said Miguel Lopez, 17, holding a homemade shield emblazoned with No To Dictatorship! at a barrier on a Caracas street devoid of traffic.

Many private transportation groups heeded the strike call, while students, neighbours and activists hauled rubbish and furniture into streets to erect makeshift barriers. The opposition said 85 per cent of the country joined the strike.

In some places, however, such as the poor Catia and January 23rd neighbourhoods of Caracas, streets and shops were still buzzing, while motorbike taxis replaced buses.

I have to work to subsist, but if I could, I would strike, said clothes seller Victor Sanabria, 49, in the southern town of San Felix. We're tired of this government.

In a speech, Maduro vowed some of the strike leaders would be jailed and insisted the action was minimal, with the 700 leading food businesses, for example, still working.

He said opposition supporters attacked the headquarters of state TV and burned a kiosk of the government postal service, but were repelled by workers and soldiers. I've ordered the capture of all the fascist terrorists, he said, singling out a Caracas district mayor, Carlos Ocariz, for blame.

In clashes elsewhere, security forces fired tear gas at protesters manning barricades. Youths shot fireworks at them from homemade mortars.

Ronney Tejera, 24, and Andres Uzcategui, 23, died after being shot during protests, the state prosecutor's office said. More than 170 people were arrested by late afternoon, a local rights group said.

DEATHS

Violence during four months of anti-government unrest has taken around 100 lives, injured thousands, left hundreds in jail and further damaged an economy in its fourth year of a debilitating decline.

Clashes have occurred daily since the opposition Democratic Unity coalition and a self-styled youth-led Resistance movement took to the streets in April. In the latest fatality, a man confronting protesters was burned to death this week in the northern coastal town of Lecheria, media and authorities said.

Leaders of Venezuela's 2.8 million public employees said state businesses and ministries remained open on Thursday.

I'm on strike 'in my heart' because if we don't turn up, they will fire us, said a 51-year-old engineer heading to work at state steel plant Sidor in southern Bolivar state.

Oil company PDVSA, which brings in 95 per cent of Venezuela's export revenue, was not affected.

In an internal memo seen by Reuters, PDVSA ordered all workers to strictly comply with working hours and stressed that failure to show up would lead to sanctions.

The Constituent Assembly is going ahead! PDVSA president Eulogio Del Pino said on state TV, referring to Maduro's plan to create a super-legislature in a July 30 vote to replace the current opposition-controlled National Assembly.

As the PDVSA president spoke he was surrounded by red-shirted oil workers in Monagas state chanting they will not return in reference to opposition aspirations to take power.

Some Venezuelans grumbled that Thursday's strike would cost them money at a time of extreme hardship.

How can I eat if I don't work? said Jose Ramon, 50, chopping bananas and melons at his stall in a market in Catia.

By early evening, the strike seemed far more successful for the opposition than a similar action last year, which had a lukewarm response after Maduro vowed to seize closed businesses.

The streets are desolate, including close to the dictator, said opposition leader Freddy Guevara, tweeting pictures of empty avenues including near the Miraflores presidential palace.

We fill and empty the streets when we choose in protest.

SANCTIONS

Venezuela's opposition now has majority support and said it drew 7.5 million people over the weekend for a symbolic referendum against the proposed assembly, which 98 per cent of voters rejected.

Maduro also faces widespread foreign pressure to abort the assembly, which could rewrite the constitution and supersede other institutions.

The opposition is boycotting the vote, whose rules seem designed to guarantee a government majority in the new congress.

US President Donald Trump weighed in on the dispute this week, threatening economic sanctions if the July 30 vote goes ahead. Individual sanctions could be applied to Maduro allies such as Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino or Socialist Party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello, US officials have told Reuters.

If they don't sanction me, I would feel bad! mocked Cabello at a rally of supporters on Thursday.

As well as a presidential election, Venezuela's opposition is also demanding freedom for more than 400 jailed activists, autonomy for the legislature and foreign humanitarian aid.

Sourced from Reuters
The Pentagon will withhold the remaining $50 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan for fiscal year 2016 after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress that Islamabad had not taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network, a US official said on Friday.

"The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network per the requirement in the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act," Adam Stump, a Pentagon spokesman, told Reuters.

This is not the first time the Pentagon has decided not to make military reimbursements. Last year, it withheld $300 million.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump's administration is exploring potentially hardening its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on militants launching strikes in neighboring Afghanistan.

Possible Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding U.S. drone strikes and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally.

"This decision does not prejudge the conclusions of the White House review of South Asia strategy, which is still ongoing," Stump said.

Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million of the $900 million the country was authorized to receive in fiscal year 2016.

Of the rest, $300 million had already been reprogrammed for other purposes, but had not been previously reported. Mattis' latest decision affects the remaining $50 million.

Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with US officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

The United States in 2012 designated the Pakistan-based Haqqani network as a terrorist organization. The year before, US Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, then the top U.S. military officer, caused a stir when he told Congress that the Haqqani network was a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate.

Pakistan argues that it has done a great deal to help the United States in tracking down terrorists and points out that it has suffered hundreds of deaths in Islamist militant attacks in response to its crackdowns.

The Pakistan embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Are there civilians trapped in the ruins?

I asked a soldier belonging to a Shiite militia group, which was part of the offensive to liberate Mosul. The battle for Mosul, which started last October, is drawing to a close, with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi declaring victory on July 9. Sporadic clashes, however, still continue, especially in the old city. The regular Iraqi army, the Golden Division special forces and the federal police have been leading the campaign against Islamic State.

The soldier laughed, and pointed to the battle tanks in the street, which were decorated with flags to mark Iraqi victory. They are all under the rubble, he replied, reminding me of the dirty part of the war. By the end, the war was about prisoners tied to the ground waiting to be questioned, and dead bodies lined up in rows inside buildings, as after a mass execution.

Another face of the war: soldiers carrying on their backs women and children, who came like ghosts from the ruins of the old city. They were wounded, hungry, barefoot and in tears. In a word, desperate.

Two days before the end of the war, General Fadhil Barwari, the commanding officer of the special forces, was looking at an old city map at his base in west Mosul. He was barely 200 metres from victory.

What about civilians? I asked him.

Winning moment: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi at an event in Mosul to declare victory over IS | Reuters

We are waiting only to rescue the kids, he said. All others will die. We have pictures of women fighting. Those who stayed back till now, have done so to fight. We will save the children because they are our children, too. They are the children of Iraq. We will not have pity for anyone else.

The advance of the special forces in the last hours of the war was quite dangerous. The IS terrorists had turned houses into booby traps. There were electric cables everywhere, set up to blow up everything.

Many civilians died like this, said a major from the special forces. We have evidence that IS locked up dozens of civilians in the basements of the houses. We fear they were blown up trying to get out.

In the last hours of the war, IS terrorists even sent their women to die. The wives came out of the narrow, destroyed alleyways of the old city, holding their children in their arms, asking to be savedand they blew themselves up, killing civilians, soldiers and their own children.

We can ask men to undress in front of us to check for explosives or weapons, but we cannot do that with women. Our religion does not allow that, said Usama, a young soldier from the special forces. It was dramatic. All of them seemed to be our enemies. We could no longer make out whom to save and whom to suspect.

Walking in the old city today means walking along a stretch of ruins and corpses. The smell of putrefied bodies is sickening. And, like in the case of many other wars, it is difficult to accurately estimate the losses, both civilian and military.

Bombs have destroyed 80 per cent of the buildings in the old city. There are entire neighbourhoods, some stretching up to a kilometre, where there is not a single building that has not been hit. From the rubble, remnants of homes and cars emerge. Then suddenly, there are legs, arms and heads. It is hard to say whether they belonged to terrorists or civilians.

The humanitarian situation is really difficult. According to Iraqi government data, about nine lakh people fled Mosul after the war began. Nearly one-third of them are in refugee camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. Many have decided to return despite the lack of water and electricity. Damage to infrastructure is estimated to be worth a billion dollars.

At Jadida in west Mosul, I met 11-year-old Mohammed, whose family chose to return to their home. There is no water, electricity or food. Still, they would rather stay here in the rubble than in a faraway refugee camp. On the walls of their home are holes made by IS terrorists. They forced men to make these holes, and then forced our families to follow them, to use them as human shields, said Ibrahim, Mohammeds brother.

Those who returned to Mosul have started slowly rebuilding their lives, closing the holes in the walls, waiting on endless queues for water, and praying for their loved ones.

Mohammeds elder brother was killed by terrorists because he worked for the government forces as a barber. His mother cant stop crying looking at his photograph.

Mohammed attends a school in the afternoon, which has been set up to help children who missed their classes for years.

Will you forgive the IS terrorists? And, their children who were forced to join them? I asked him.

No, he said. I will not forgive anyone. They have ruined souls and lives. There is no forgiveness.

These are the words of a child who has seen brutality. Recovering the future of Iraq involves recovering the lives of children like him.

On July 10, Prime Minister Al-Abadi was at the base of the Golden Division to congratulate the troops. There were Iraqi flags on the tanks. The soldiers shouted.

From here, from the heart of the free and liberated Mosul, by the sacrifices of the Iraqis from all the provinces, we announce the awaited victory, said Al-Abadi, surrounded by Iraqi and Kurdish commanders. I declare the end, the collapse, and the failure of the false terrorist state of IS. This great feast day crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis of the past three years, he said. Meanwhile, reports appeared on July 11 that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed.

I met a soldier who was still not convinced. No, he said. The roots of IS are still here.
MoHA moots adding two more AIG posts

The Home Ministry is considering creating two new positions of Additional Inspector General of Police, increasing the number of AIGs to 13, to accommodate police officials close to the ruling parties.
President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday evening spoke by telephone with the President of Turkey at President Erdogans request, against the background of recent developments in the region.

During their conversation, President Rivlin clarified to his Turkish counterpart that the terror attack perpetrated on Friday on Har Habayis  a site holy for all  was intolerable, and crossed a red line which endangered the ability of all of us to live together.

President Rivlin reminded President Erdogan that after the terror attack in Turkey, the State of Israel was quick to condemn those criminal acts. He said Israel expected to hear similar condemnation from Turkey, with the understanding that terror was terror wherever it took place; in Jerusalem, in Istanbul, or in Paris.

President Rivlin stressed that Israel was maintaining and would continue to maintain the status quo at the holy sites. He added that the steps taken on Har Habayis were intended to ensure that such acts of terror could not be repeated, and that Israel was committed to safeguarding the lives of all the citizens who visited the holy places.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Booming demand for ice cream has helped Unilever overcome another fall in the sales of its spreads such as Flora margarine.

The FTSE 100 consumer goods giant  whose brands also include Marmite, Dove soap, Domestos and Hellmanns  reported a 5.5 per cent rise in revenues to 24.6bn in the first half of the year.

Profits soared 22 per cent to 2.9bn as the company raised prices and cut spending on everything from flights for staff to ingredients and advertising.

Boom time: Profits soared 22 per cent to 2.9bn as the company raised prices and cut spending on everything from flights for staff to ingredients and advertising

Chief executive Paul Polman, who fought off a 115bn takeover bid from US rival Kraft Heinz this year in what would have been one of the biggest deals in corporate history, said the results were further proof of the validity of his long-term plan for the business.

The 61-year-old launched a comprehensive review of the business to bolster its defences  including the sale of the spreads division. Ice cream led the way for Unilever amid demand for its Ben & Jerrys and Magnum ranges.

Polman said the margarine market was particularly tough in the UK and Germany while sales of Magnums ice creams grew at double-digit rates.

He is now looking at bringing Dollar Shave Club, the Californian upstart shaving business Unilever bought last year for 770m, to the UK.

The Dutchman, who has been in charge of Unilever since 2009 and was paid 7.4m last year, said he was transforming Unilever into a more resilient, more competitive and more profitable business.

Sales were up 3.1 per cent at the food and refreshment arm. Without the spreads business, sales would have risen 4.2 per cent.

Unilever raised prices by 3 per cent in the second quarter and saved more than 888m across the entire first half. Its shares rose 1.7 per cent, or 75p, to 4389p.

Custard collapse

A fall in custard sales hit Premier Foods as it blamed warm weather and lacklustre dessert sales for poor performance. The Mr Kipling maker saw sales fall 3.1pc in the 13 weeks to July 1, due in part to fewer consumers buying Ambrosia custard.

However, international sales rocketed 20 per cent, with Cadbury cake sales in Australia a major contributor.

A partnership with Japanese noodle-maker Nissin Foods resulted in more than 3m of retail sales.

The group, which also owns brands including Oxo and Batchelors, has recently been stung by the surging cost of commodities.
Shares across Europes biggest carriers plunged yesterday after EasyJet warned of the impact of a price war.

EasyJet dropped 5.9 per cent, British Airways owner IAG plunged 3.9 per cent and Lufthansa 8.6 per cent after EasyJet said it expects revenue per seat  a measure of fares  to fall by 2 per cent in the six months to September.

Air France and Air Berlin shares also dropped by 8.3 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively.

Up in the air: Like most airlines, low fuel prices have seen EasyJet raise capacity, driving down fares for passengers

Like most airlines, low fuel prices have seen EasyJet raise capacity, driving down fares for passengers.

But while the airline raised its profit forecast to a range of 380m to 420m yesterday  above the analyst consensus of 375m  outgoing chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall, 55, said the extra capacity put pressure on yields.

It comes just days after German flag carrier Lufthansa voiced similar concerns over the pricing outlook, despite also upgrading its profit forecast.

Despite the warning, EasyJet enjoyed a strong third quarter performance.

Sales in the three months to June 30 increased 16 per cent to 1.4bn while passenger numbers jumped 10.8 per cent to 22.3m. Total revenue per seat increased 2.2 per cent to 55.80 per seat.
National, provincial election date to be announced soon: PM Deuba

Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba has said all the three levels of election were imperative for the implementation of the constitution and that the date for the election of the state and federation would be announced soon.
Sangam Prasain is Business Editor at The Kathmandu Post, covering tourism, agriculture, mountaineering, aviation, infrastructure and other economic affairs. He joined The Kathmandu Post in October 2009.
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By Naeisha Rose

The 103rd Precinct has identified a fourth suspect in the July 11 gang assault and robbery of a 50-year-old mother of two who was leaving Celestial Church of Christ in Jamaica last week.

The police were searching for Isaiah Shorter, 20, a black male with brown eyes and black hair.

Three other suspects  Brandon Walker, 20, Julisses Ginel, 19 and Justin Williams, 17  were arrested and arraigned July 14 on multiple charges of criminal sex act, robbery and sex abuse charges, according to the Queens district attorney.

The woman was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center where she was in stable condition, police said.

The three defendants live in SCO Family Services, a transitional independent living center, which provides services to homeless youth and young adults up to age 21. It is located on South Road in Jamaica.

The center opened over a year ago, but the community was not informed that it was coming to Jamaica, officials said.

The four suspects were said to have a pack-like mentality, according to Queens DA Richard Brown.

Williams allegedly approached the unidentified woman with what appeared to be a firearm at the intersection of 150th Street and Beaver Road at about 10:30 p.m. as she walked home and demanded that she give him money and her cell phone, the criminal complaints filed by the DAs office said. Walker allegedly went up to her and asked her to take her clothes off and perform oral sex on them, according to prosecutors.

The victim tried to defend herself, but Ginel and the man believed to be Shorter threatened to shoot her, the complaint said. Williams and Walker forced the victim to perform a sexual act on them, according to the DAs office.

The DA said two of the defendants were suspected of holding up three innocent men at gunpoint the next night and stealing their personal property.

Someone who worked at the center informed on the four young men, according to the Department of Youth & Community Development spokesman Mark Zustovich and the NYPD. DYCD is the city organization that supervises and funds SCO.

An employee at a transitional independent living program for young adults discovered that residents served through the program might be linked to the attack reported in the media, Leslie Johnson, the director of communications at SCO, said in a statement. Our staff took action and alerted the authorities, which directly led to the arrests.

According to a consultant for SCO who asked to remain anonymous, the Jamaica center that opened over a year ago was specifically meant to help young men that ask for right to shelter. They are required to focus on pursuing work or school, while remaining out of adult homeless shelters so they can become self-sufficient in the future. This is the first time an incident happened in the organizations 30 years.

State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) was devastated to hear about what happened to the woman and disappointed to learn of another social service center built in the southeast Queens area without community approval. Earlier this year he put forth a bill that would require agencies to consider community feedback on the location of homeless shelters.

He was unaware of the existence of that group home at that site prior to the reports of the attack, said Andrew Taranto, a spokesman for Comrie. Like so many others, he was horrified by the news of what happened. As she, her family, and her congregation heal from this tragedy, he is praying for her serenity and strength and for justice to be served.

The churchs pastor, Kehinde Oyetunde, said the church is doing everything to support the victim and spoke of her current state.

Shes trying to get past the shock, shes not feeling well, the pastor said. Right now she is down. She was the type of woman that would take care of everybody. She feels weak and scared.

The pastor said that since the social worker is in a very emotionally fragile state and has taken time off from work, the church would financially assist her, her husband and their children.

We are helping her counseling-wise and we are trying to raise funds for her, Oyetunde said. We started a GoFundMe page so that everybody could give her a helping hand.
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By Naeisha Rose

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced that seven projects in Jamaica would receive a combined $10 million for his Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The DRI has come a long way in recent years, state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said. Its all thanks to the small business and civic leaders who have put forth this tremendous effort to realize their vision of what downtown Jamaica should be. Funding these projects will help us unlock the full potential of the downtown area. I look forward to continuing this work with local residents, my colleagues, and Gov. Cuomo, whom we thank for his leadership.

State Assemblywoman Vivian Cook (Jamaica) shared his sentiments.

Thanks to Gov. Cuomo for providing this wonderful opportunity to revitalize and invigorate Jamaicas diverse downtown, Cook said. These projects will not only improve public spaces for everyone to enjoy and spur investment in the area, but also place a premium on preparing the local community for jobs through educational programs, as well as entrepreneurship and workforce training.

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation will receive funding to create a shared workspace at the Moda Building, which is located at 153-10 Jamaica Ave. The 10,000-square-foot space will be affordable for freelancers and entrepreneurs of startups and provide them with business equipment to do their jobs. It will accommodate up to 90 people at a time, according to the governors office.

The second project involves bringing high-speed broadband to the downtown Jamaica area to support the delivery of high-speed service to existing businesses and the public.

The third development will expand pedestrian space, lighting and streetscape at Parsons Boulevard between Jamaica and Archer avenues. The fund will initially expand pedestrian sidewalks so that the area becomes a venue for public programming down the road, according to the statement from Cuomos office.

Dining options in the area will be improved to add to the nightlife activity downtown. Through a Restaurant Startup Fund, Jamaica Market, a food court located at 90-04 160th St., will establish space to set up an incubator that offers services for new food businesses. Up-and-coming restaurateurs will get restaurant space and funding for equipment to lower their startup costs. Food operators at the court will also get to expand their business.

The fifth program is entrepreneurship training through the Expand Prime Skills agenda, which will provide low-income residents support to launch or grow a business. The graduates of the program will receive mentorship and funds for equipment towards their business ideas.

Thomas Edison High School, located at 165-65 84th Ave., will have a career prep program. The school will receive funds for equipment and software to maintain its technical curriculum and ensure that graduates are job-ready for employment in tech, design and the health sectors, which are growing industries in the area.

The last project will include the development at the LIRR underpass at 159th Street, the key pedestrian gateway between York College and the downtown area, which will be converted into public space. Improvements to what will be called the Archer Archways include overhead lighting, public art, seating and an event space. Vendors will be able to temporarily set up stalls for commercial use, according to Cuomos office.
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By Mark Hallum

De Blasio administration officials spread their wings for City Hall in Your Borough, an initiative by Mayor Bill de Blasio to govern from each borough, by touring the facility of S&L Aerospace Metals in College Point.

Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and EDC President James Patchett were shown around the expanding facility that manufactures key components for both military and private aircraft. S&L is not only notable for keeping its base in Queens, when many industries have decided to leave the city altogether, but for building an additional 34,000 square feet to the manufacturing plant which will allow the company to add 20 high-paying advanced manufacturing jobs.

Im so pleased to see a business like this, not only want to come to New York, but want to stay in New York, Glen said in reference to the perception that companies are looking to other cities to do business in. The workforce [at S&L] are New Yorkers and incredibly diverse. It kind of puts an end to the myth that people dont want to build a business in New York or that this kind of investment in a factory doesnt work here. In any way the city government can help these businesses expand, thats a job for us.

Executive Vice President Ted Varvatsas led the tour in which he showed the manufacturing process of making landing gear for Black Hawk helicopters, used to transport military personnel in theaters of combat, and also a hydraulic component that controls the pitch of the wing on the F-35 fighter jet, a highly controversial development project for the military because of the price tag that comes with each plane.

This is very complicated, Varvatsas said, referring to the F-35 part. We get all of the most complicated jobs that are out there and that helps us tremendously. If they want a cup made, I wont recommend they come to S&L. My customers know that.

The floor of the facility is filled with milling machines and operators doing complex work. Technicians work diligently making sure every aspect of the object they are molding meets exact measurements. Buckets of aluminum shavings are situated near machines showing just how much work goes into the process of producing aircraft parts.

One employee, Bill Hans, has worked at S&L for over 40 years but recently put in his retirement. He emigrated from Germany in the 1960s, and spent time in the U.S. Army  which stationed him in his home country  before leaving and getting involved in the aerospace industry.

Many workers in the S&L ranks are immigrants from Asia and Latin America.

According to Varvatsas, employees are hired on and stay long term. The only cause for turnover the company is currently experiencing is from retirees.

S&L started in Brooklyn in 1947, and in the 1950s and 60s, began moving into the defense industry. For much of the time it has been in business, S&L has had a facility in Maspeth. When it came time to move in 2007, the company made the determination to stay in Queens and limit layoffs by staying within a 10-mile radius, according to Varvatsas.

The company currently has over 100 employees and 55,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
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By Naeisha Rose

Shamel Capers, 19, a Brooklyn teenager, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Wednesday for the shooting death of Daja Robinson, 14, in 2013, the Queens district attorney said.

Capers was found guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to DA Richard Brown.

Daja was a South Jamaica resident who died after a bullet pierced through the window of a city bus and struck her in the head May 2013

Capers, who was 15 at the time of the gang-related shooting, was one of two assailants in the crime. The other was Richmond Hill resident Kevin McClinton, who was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges in 2016.McClinton is serving 40 years to life in prison, according to Brown.

Daja was one of four family members lost to gun violence between 2010 and 2014. In 2014, her cousin, Khalil Brown, 17, was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Khalils uncle, former NYPD Officer Colin Bowlin, was shot in 2011. In 2010, Dajas cousin, Gary Bowlin, was gunned down at a barbershop in Richmond Hill, according to family.

Brown hopes that loved ones will find comfort in the justice that was meted out for Daja, the only child of Shadia Sands and a student at Campus Magnet High School in Cambria Heights.

The death of Daja Robinson was a tragic and senseless murder. The 14-year-old was a talented teenager with a bright future before her, until the two defendants in this case struck with total disregard for human life and fired into an occupied New York City bus. Both defendants were tried and convicted by a jury. Both young men will be incarcerated for a very long time.

He added, Hopefully, Dajas family, friends and loved ones can find some closure and solace in knowing that the persons responsible for taking her young life have now been held accountable and are no longer a threat to society.
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
Poor road condition hits Chitwan tourism

Tourism enterprises in Chitwan are experiencing a sharp decline in business as the landslide that struck Narayanghat-Mugling highway last week continues to pose a problem.
ALBANY The alleged Grandpa Bandit -- accused of hitting a Dollar Tree in North Greenbush as well as other dollar stores nationwide -- was arraigned Thursday, federal officials said.

David Daniel Hunter, 53, of Enfield, Conn., was in court on the robbery and transporting a stolen motor vehicle in interstate commerce charges, said Acting U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Vadim D. Thomas, FBI special agent in charge.
HOOSICK FALLS  A village man is accused of stealing a car and driving it to Bennington, Vermont, police said.

Edward Cook, 33, is charged with felony grand larceny.

Police allege Cook and two other people stole a car and fled when they were found by Bennington police. Cook was arrested Thursday.

Cook was arraigned in village court and taken to Rensselaer County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail.

The investigation is ongoing, with additional arrests pending.
SCHENECTADY - At her age, Meredith Anker says she no longer has wants to schlep her belongings to higher ground every time the Mohawk River overflows it banks.

When that happens, the large couch in the family room ends up on the kitchen counter while the other one is mounted on saw horses to protect them from the river that is about 150 feet from her residence.

"The anxiety has just gotten to me, and for somebody who's in their 70s, it's not easy to move everything upstairs," said Anker, who is 72. "I was just sick of that anxiety. It was too much."

On Thursday, a few days before the historic Washington Avenue home, which dates to 1820, is set to be shifted about 60 feet to its temporary location, Anker remained sanguine about what appears to be a permanent solution to her water woes.

Earlier this week, her contractor, Jim Plowman, stood outside the place as a crew from Larmon House Movers used a large Bobcat to delicately set steel beams in place for what will be the final resting place of the structure.

"There will be quite a bit of work to do after it's moved," added Plowman. On Thursday he said they were waiting for the gas line to be disconnected and relocating the structure would likely take place in about a week.

Once that happens, the structure will remain at a temporary site for upwards of a month, which will give the crew time to fill in and shore up the foundation at the new spot, said Plowman. A one-car garage will be built into the foundation.

He explained that the final plans call for the home to be elevated about 7 feet and set back about 15 feet from Washington Avenue and roughly 20 to remove it from the flood plain.

A $300,000 grant from the NY Rising Community Reconstruction program, part of the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery, will pay for most of the project, said Plowman, who runs an Albany-based construction company.

The closely watched move will be the first time within recent memory that a residence has been elevated, according to Stockade Association President Carol DeLaMarter, who stopped by the home Tuesday to check out the progress.

It's been a sometimes controversial years-long journey just to get to this point for Anker, including several appearances before Schenectady planning officials, chiefly the Historic District Commission.

Anker, who has lived in the Stockade since 1993, recounted contacting a realtor in hopes of putting the house on the market after it was damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

She ditched the idea because of the challenges associated with listing a residence in the flood plain that is so close to the Mohawk and the difficulty of selling it.

Still, Anker spoke about the dichotomy of being able to sit in her living room and enjoy the spectacular views of the river which also puts her at the mercy of the waterway when it crests.

She is optimistic that the move will work. "I pray that it happens," said Anker, who is renting a place in the Adirondacks until the project is done and she can return home.
New York

A person who reported eating at a Chipotle in northern Virginia has tested positive for norovirus. But health officials say that's not yet enough to determine the cause of the roughly 60 reported illnesses it has identified.

The location in Sterling, Va., was temporarily closed for cleaning this week after customers reported symptoms that Chipotle said were consistent with norovirus. That sent shares of the restaurant chain down, underscoring how vulnerable its reputation remains almost two years after an E. coli outbreak that sent its sales plunging.

Norovirus is a leading cause of illnesses from contaminated food, and infected employees are a frequent source of the outbreaks. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. Overall, one out of six Americans get sick each year by consuming contaminated food or drinks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Loudoun County Health Department in Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., says it is still awaiting further test results that should be available early next week. David Goodfriend, director of the health department, says that having another person test positive for norovirus would be a "very strong indication" that norovirus was behind the illnesses. The health department says it has identified about 60 sickened people who said they ate at the Chipotle in question.

Chipotle has stressed the safety measures it has taken to prevent such occurrences or respond quickly when they happen. But its image is still fragile, and the chain was dealing with more bad publicity Thursday after mice fell from the ceiling in a Dallas location. Chipotle says it was an "extremely isolated incident," and that the mice got there because of a structural gap in the building and the gap has been fixed.
Qatar Airways adds additional flights to Moscow

Qatar Airways has added additional flights to its Moscow route, bringing the total frequency to 21 flights per week between Doha and the Russian capital.
The cold saltwater came over the bow of the boat and down on us. Our vacation had finally begun.

My wife, Gillian, and our 7-year-old foster daughter, who we call "Little Wren," were exploring the Schoodic section of Acadia National Park. If you haven't heard of Schoodic, or can't say it (pronounced SKOO-DICK by Maine tongues), you're not alone. Only 10 percent of Acadia's one million annual visitors come to Schoodic, the only part of the park on the mainland. Our 250-page guidebook had one page about Schoodic. One. It's Acadia for introverts.

Foster kids like Little Wren live on shaky ground. A tremor hit just before we departed and reverberated through our trip. She wasn't the same spunky little girl we'd come to know.

A free bus delivered us from our campsite at Schoodic Woods to the town of Winter Harbor where we caught a ferry to Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. There we saw Acadia's famous attractions: Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach and Thunder Hole.

Then, on the ferry back, that wave coming over the bow. Drama shouldn't be solved by an outside character, but no one told Captain Dan. Little Wren looked back to see his bearded, smiling face at the splashing he may have delivered on purpose. She waved, he waved, then they exchanged funny faces through the wheelhouse glass. Little Wren was soon steering the boat, giving long horn blasts and tossing ropes over the side for docking. Captain Dan did more than deliver us back to Winter Harbor.

Acadia National Park is Acadia National Park in large part due to the Schoodic Peninsula. Lafayette National Park was the original name, to honor Marquis de Lafayette, the French military commander instrumental in the Revolutionary War. However, the Schoodic Peninsula was owned by English citizens willing to donate the land to a national park but not willing to donate the land to a national park honoring a French general. Lafayette National Park became Acadia National Park and the Schoodic Peninsula joined it.

Our Acadian home for the week was the newly opened Schoodic Woods campground. Our humble tent occupied ground slated to be a high-end resort until an anonymous donor purchased the land and donated it. Opened in 2016, Schoodic Woods boasts beautiful, well-separated sites and clean bathrooms. At present, there are no shower facilities. We hung a water bag from a tree for a "wood shower" and hoped the sea air would cover any smells we missed.

Little Wren's newfound love of sea captains led her to draw a picture for the captain of the puffin cruise we took midweek. She continued to draw pictures for nearly everyone on board as the tide slowly turned and the ground began to steady beneath her.

We'd intended Schoodic Peninsula to be a jumping-off point for the "main" attractions on Mount Desert Island, a 45-minute boat ride or an hour drive away. But after a few peaceful days on Schoodic, we found the noise and crowds of Mount Desert Island jarring. Instead, we investigated the hiking trails that fan out across the peninsula from the campground. We trekked up the 400-foot Schoodic Head, looking down on ocean views before taking the bus back to our campsite.

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We explored the tidal pools at Schoodic Point, where thunderous waves crash into pink-tinged granite lined with fingers of darker, ancient lava to make a spectacular shoreline. We hiked to Little Moose Island just off the loop road. During low tide, Little Moose is accessible by land and we enjoyed lunch on our own private island from a spot surrounded by wild roses, rock and water.

Crushed-stone bike paths cross the peninsula and the paved loop road is also popular with cyclists. Two of the bike paths, Frazier Creek and Bunkers Harbor, lead to within a mile of the goods and services of Birch Harbor and Winter Harbor. Several of our fellow campers rode their bikes to Winter Harbor, took the ferry to Bar Harbor, then put their bikes on the buses and continued their bike trips on the plentiful Mount Desert Island carriage roads.

We alternated our evenings between fireside camp dinners, songs and s'mores and the restaurants of Birch Harbor and Winter Harbor. I washed down burgers with some fine Allagash White at the Pickled Wrinkle after a hike. On another night, the friendly staff of Chase's Restaurant in Winter Harbor helped Little Wren celebrate her newly minted status as National Park Junior Ranger with blueberry pie. We finished our evenings out with slow drives around the Schoodic Loop Road, watching the sun fall behind Cadillac Mountain with the bay between us holding the lights of twilight.

A ranger told us Frazier Point was a good place to look for starfish so we visited on our last day. Gillian and Little Wren scoured the rocks with a shell guide in hand. I looked out across the waves of Mount Desert Narrows and saw the Winter Harbor ferry charting its daily course. I had only a short second of reflection, to think about the crests and falls of waves and lives, before someone was pulling at my arm, showing me one more thing she had discovered in this place.
Someday, surely, a clever writer and an imaginative composer will make good use of the drama we're living through right now. Perhaps they will fashion a great work for the stage  a musical, maybe, or an opera  and an audience long removed from our generations will watch with healthy disinterest the conflicts that so disturb us today.

Just now we're anything but amused. TV newscasts are so unsettling that we have to take a break before bedtime in order to calm down enough to sleep. The many crises facing us seem so intractable that it's hard to imagine a theater audience someday watching a show about us, confident as they settle in that it will come to a satisfying end, after which they can stand and applaud and, maybe, think a bit for a few days about the primitive folks of 2017.

It's too bad we can't read the script now  a nice three-act narrative structure, maybe, with the setup, the confrontation, the resolution. Surely we've hurdled enough obstacles that we're now well into Act Two, right? Do we have to wait much longer, and go through a disaster or a crisis, before we get the descending action of Act Three?

In summertime around here, we have lots of opportunities to witness great storytelling, maybe by attending some of the extraordinary theater in the Berkshires or world-class opera at Glimmerglass. We watch stories inspired by historic villains and victims, demagogues and dogmatists, saps and sharpies. And the next day, if we've paid attention, we can see the characters' real-life progeny all around us, setting the stage for that production that will someday be staged.

More Information Rex Smith is editor of the Times Union. Share your thoughts at http://timesunion.com/rex_smith. See More Collapse

There's Steve Bannon, doing a fairly good portrayal of Lady Macbeth, the goad who convinced he who would be king to let his most malignant impulses be realized. In Shakespeare's telling, you may recall, it didn't take long for things to turn bad for the ever-adaptable Macbeth and his lady.

Or consider the role that Mitch McConnell is so convincingly playing, as the supportive pal of the con man  say, Buddy Hackett as Marcellus Washburn in "The Music Man" (catch it at Park Playhouse in Washington Park next month), who helps his crony deliberately incite mass distress over something innocuous: a pool table in River City, or, in the version featuring McConnell, millions of imagined fraudulent voters. Marcellus' big musical number is gibberish  "Shipoopi!" he sings. I can picture McConnell doing "Shipoopi." Can't you?

And poor Jeff Sessions! If only he had ever seen "Tosca," the tragic Puccini opera (last performed at Glimmerglass in 2010), he would have known that betrayal looms for all who come too close to Scarpia, the prince of malevolence.

It's life imitating art, no doubt.

But it's not just big characters who have roles here. We're all in the cast, on the biggest of stages. It's like an outsized version of "West Side Story"  Sharks and Jets, wearing our gang colors of blue or red, fighting it out in our shared but bitterly contested neighborhood, America.

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Our divisions don't just pit Democrats against Republicans or liberals against conservatives. It's more complex than that (starting with the fact that true conservatives recognize that Donald Trump isn't one of them). It's also a divide between urban dwellers and country folks, globalists and nationalists, cosmopolitans and traditionalists  along with, of course, the usual splits by race and class and generation and gender.

America has always been a place of many interests, but until recently we have managed to pull together enough of a shared identity that we weren't alienated from our neighbors. Now our disagreements have become shrill and consistent, our shared ground shrunken.

Historians will someday try to track where this decay of our comity began. I'd urge them to study the inequity of economic advancement over the past two generations, and the alienation that has resulted from the reality of that unfairness. A Harris poll last year revealed that more than two-thirds of Americans believe that what they think doesn't count very much anymore. So they have become detached.

And rather than attempting to unify the country, our crude president uses the one position that represents us all to further divide us. He even attacks the institutions dedicated to keeping us safe, our federal intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, because their integrity makes them inadequately deferential to his negligent leadership.

So from our separate corners of turf, we fight on. It's tragic, and it's hard to see how this drama plays out happily. At the end of "West Side Story," the Sharks and Jets finally come together. But they are carrying a body, and the whole audience is in tears, heartbroken at the loss of love.
THE ISSUE:

Immigration enforcement clouds a normally upbeat Saratoga racing season.

THE STAKES:

Will lawmakers see how unproductive the nation's current strategy is?

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

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The start of the Saratoga Race Course meet on Friday would normally be a time of hopes and dreams large and small  for racing fans, horse owners, local businesses and all the people whose livelihoods get a boost from the track. This year, though, brings a less welcome kind of anticipation, too: fear.

It's the fear that undocumented immigrants  including those who work at the track or in Saratoga Springs' restaurants, hotels and other businesses  now live under every day, as the Trump administration takes a more aggressive approach to illegal immigration. It's the fear business leaders have, too, that immigration officers will seize their workers. For local leaders, it's the fear of how this may harm the city's economy.

This cloud isn't just over Saratoga. It hangs over an agricultural industry that doesn't know if it will have enough workers to harvest the corn, apples and other crops that will mature in coming months. It chills the efforts of communities that have been working to bring people out of shadows and subcultures for their safety.

And it darkens the prospects of a better life for people like Enriques, the pseudonym of a 46-year-old Guatemalan depicted by the Times Union's Leigh Hornbeck. He has lived in this country for 25 years, coming most recently to Saratoga Springs, where he holds down a job and plans to marry. Stopped recently by immigration agents, he now faces deportation.

About the only people who seem pleased with this state of affairs are a president who made fear and loathing of Mexicans a centerpiece of his campaign, and those among his supporters who cheer his absurd vision of a costly, grandiose border wall and the preposterous notion that Mexico would pay for it.

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More thoughtful, compassionate minds on both sides of the aisle know this is bad for America's economy, if not its soul. Or at least they once did.

Just four years ago a bipartisan group of senators known as "The Gang of Eight," including New York's Charles Schumer, Arizona's John McCain and Florida's Marco Rubio, put together a comprehensive package that included stronger border security, ways to give undocumented immigrants temporary legal status and a path to permanent resident status, smarter policies to address the need for skilled and non-skilled labor, and a citizenship path for people brought here illegally as youngsters.

That common-sense idea, however, was lost in the din of the politics of hate and fear that Donald Trump, and others, exploited so effectively.

Surely lawmakers in Washington must see the waste, and the indecency, of the administration's heavy-handed approach. And surely, in a political climate so fractured and unproductive, they must be yearning for common ground on which they could stake a major accomplishment. They have such an opportunity in immigration, and a ready blueprint for achieving it.

We can only hope and dream that they will seize it.
As a pediatrician and a mother, I worry about the impact of climate change on children's health. Climate change threatens everyone's health and well-being, especially children.

Right now, New York and eight other states have an opportunity to clean up our air by reducing pollution through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate cap-and-trade program intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and expand renewable energy.

The Trump administration's harmful environmental policies endanger our communities' and the environment  making local and state action critical. This is why strengthening RGGI  right now  is so important. Several governors of RGGI states have made lofty promises about combatting climate change. The question is, given the opportunity to actually do something, will they?

Climate change is already exacerbating many health problems. One such threat is worsening air pollution, particularly ground-level ozone, a component of smog. Ground-level ozone is created when pollution from tailpipes and power plants react with sunlight and heat. The hotter the day, the worse it is, and New York City, for example, is a hotspot for ozone pollution. The American Lung Association's 2017 "State of the Air Report" gave failing grades for three of the city's five boroughs for high ozone days.

High levels of ozone can lead to breathing problems for everyone, but especially kids with asthma. Asthma patients are the first to feel the effects of poor air quality: more frequent and severe asthma attacks, more emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Asthma is one of the biggest reasons children miss school.

The burden of asthma does not affect all children equally. Kids living in low-income neighborhoods are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than kids in higher-income neighborhoods.

In addition to the tremendous toll that asthma takes on children and their caregivers, the social and economic costs of asthma are far-reaching. The State Department of Health estimated in 2014 the annual overall cost of asthma in New York at $1.3 billion.

There is good news. New York has seen recent declines in overall asthma deaths, hospitalizations and asthma prevalence among children in the Medicaid program. Further progress remains essential. Furthermore, New York has strong leadership from many of its elected officials on climate change and clean air policies. New York has begun to invest in clean, safe energy sources to reduce air pollution. More must be done, and quickly, as President Donald Trump and many members of Congress are dismantling federal air quality and environmental protections.

So what can concerned citizens do to continue the push for clean energy, clean air, and a healthy future for our children?

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We can call on our elected leaders in New York to strengthen RGGI. Since 2008, RGGI has aided in reducing carbon emissions and air pollutants from large fossil-fuel fired power plants in New York and throughout the Northeast. As of 2014, it has been estimated that RGGI has led to fewer heart attacks and reduced adult mortality providing New York with over $800 million in health savings.

These gains are promising, but they are not enough. As I write this, the RGGI-participating states, including New York, are determining its next phase. As of now, RGGI states are required to reduce carbon pollution by 2.5 percent each year. Doubling the carbon pollution reductions to 5 percent each year would provide more than $2 billion in health benefits over the next decade  more than double what would be achieved by continuing business as usual.

Along with reducing pollution faster, money generated by the cap-and-trade market should be heavily invested in the communities most impacted by air pollution and climate change. By contacting Gov. Andrew Cuomo, we push him to make RGGI as strong as it can be, and benefit the people who need it most.

Dr. Lauren Zajac is a pediatrician in New York City, a member of the national board of directors for Physicians for Social Responsibility and a member of its New York chapter.
Race against time

The Constituency Delineation Commission should be allowed to function independently
On Monday 24th July South Tipperary General Hospital is to launch a free Baby Box programme aimed at reducing and raising awareness around infant mortality. Educating parents on how to care for newborn is at the centre of the Baby Box initiative.

The distribution of Baby Boxes in conjunction with prenatal education has contributed to the reduction of infant deaths (cot deaths) in Finland, where they have been in use for 80 years. The tradition has contributed to reducing the infant mortality rate in Finland from 65 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 1938 to 2.26 per 1,000 births in 2015. Irelands infant mortality rate is currently 3.7 per 1,000 births.

The Baby Boxes, which are made from a durable cardboard and come with a firm mattress, waterproof mattress cover, and fitted cotton sheet, are traditionally used in Finland as a babys bed for the first months of life, replacing the need for a traditional Moses basket or cot.

Most importantly, families receiving a Baby Box will have access to the Baby Box University, a comprehensive maternal and childcare education platform, available from pregnancy onwards. Developed with leading medical experts around the world, Baby Box University enables each of its healthcare partners to customise the educational content to suit local need.

The Baby Box programme will see parents who complete e-learning modules provided with a free Baby Box for their infant to sleep in. The online education element is inclusive and accessible; easy to follow and available in multiple languages, reflecting the growing diversity of Irish labour wards. Women can sign up for the Baby Box University e-learning at their ante-natal clinic.

Mary O'Donnell, Clinical Midwifery Manager said, South Tipperary General Hospital Maternity Unit is delighted to be part of the Baby Box global initiative which supports new parents on their journey to parenthood.

Jennifer Clary, the founder and CEO of The Baby Box Co., which is supplying the Baby Boxes and Baby Box University memberships for participating parents said, We are delighted to continue the expansion of the Baby Box University programme in Ireland.
Independent TD Mattie McGrath is set to lead a cross-party, Local Authority and Borough District Council Deputation from Tipperary to meet with the Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, on Monday next, July 24th.

Deputy McGrath was speaking ahead of the meeting which he organised to galvanise support for the upgrading of the N24 to motorway status:

I will be particularly anxious to convey to Minister Ross the depth of our ambition for Tipperary and indeed for the south-east region.

It is my firm belief that we all now need to make a concerted effort to present the Minister and the Department with a unified and solid proposal regarding the merits of upgrading the N24 to Motorway status.

Phase 1 between Limerick and M8 could be built at a cost of 540 million and would join with the M8 at Cahir which would include a bypass of Tipperary Town (motorway status) and which would culminate with access to the ports in Waterford and Rosslare.

This would include a further bypass of Clonmel taking traffic off of the ring road. Should it be approved it would it would result in an estimated saving of 400 million when compared to other proposals for similar types of projects.

It is absolutely vital that we work together to ensure that issues surrounding connectivity within the region are addressed and that the Minister and his department are left in no doubt about the strategic value and the necessity of this proposal.

Getting the green light for this project would represent a massive step forward for all of us.

It would also go some way toward confirming that the government is serious about improving the connectivity deficits that the regions and rural Ireland are experiencing in comparison to a thriving motorway and transport infrastructure centred around the capital and the eastern region generally, concluded Deputy McGrath.
Girl Guides from 12 different countries will camp under canvas at Ireland's biggest ever international Girl Guide camp at Rockwell College, Cashel, from Sunday 30 July - Sunday 6 August next.

1,800 Girl Guides and their leaders will be camping under canvas for the week, regardless of the weather!

There will be Girl Guides from all corners of Ireland as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Georgia, the Philippines, Finland, St Vincent and the Grenadines, England and Scotland.

During the week the Guides will take part in a wide range of activites that will help them grow in confidence and develop life-skills. They will build rafts, rockets and volcanoes, play quidditch, cook dishes from around the world and take part in drama, music, body confidence, yoga, meditation and coding workshops. They will also learn about the Sustainable Development Goals and will explore ways that they can make a difference in their local communities and overseas.

Guiding aims to ignite a social and environmental conscience in our members from age five-plus while they take part in team-building and problem-solving games and challenges. They learn how to speak out on issues that concern them and how to inspire others to take action too," says Camp Chief Jenny Gannon.
[July 20, 2017] PacSci EMC Competes on National Stage as NASA iTech Innovation Competition Finalist

PacSci EMC (News - Alert) recently participated as a finalist in NASA's second iTech Forum, competing to have their innovative idea selected as one of the top 10 in a yearlong initiative to find and foster innovative solutions with the potential to benefit NASA and the nation in the future. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170720006386/en/ Douglas Terrier, Acting Chief Technologist, NASA presents Peter Current, Steve Nelson, and Bret Omsberg with a certificate recognizing "PacSci EMC as a top 10 finalist of NASA iTech's Cycle 2 on July 13, 2017." Photo Credit: NASA The teams competed against entrepreneurs presenting their proposed solutions to tough technology challenges to judges consisting of NASA's chief technologists, space industry leaders and potential investors. Hosted by the National Institute of Aerospace in Hampton, Virginia, from July 10-13, the forum brought together finalists from across the U.S. to compete and showcase their innovations. "NASA iTech is unique in that it reveals groundbreaking technology solutions and provides a catalyst for industy investors, government agencies and small businesses to collaborate with the innovators to mature their technologies for both space and commercial applications," said Kira Blackwell, Innovation program executive in the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.



The cutting edge technologies presented by the finalists may solve some of the most challenging problems on Earth and have the potential to solve some of NASA's deep space exploration challenges. The technology focus areas for NASA iTech Cycle 2 were: Autonomy (News - Alert), Big Data - Data Mining and Machine Learning, Medical Systems and Operations and Radiation Protection and Mitigation. An additional category, X-Factor Innovations: Solutions for Unspecified Future Challenges, was added for Cycle 2 to allow for groundbreaking ideas or technology that may not align precisely with another specific focus area, but could still make a significant impact on future exploration efforts. PacSci EMC submitted its Modular Architecture Propulsion System (MAPS) under "X-Factor Innovations: Solutions for Unspecified Future Challenges." MAPS takes the equivalent energy found in a tank of toxic liquid fuel and quantizes it into an array of sealed, solid propellant rocket motors safely commanded by a low power, Smart Energetics Architecture (SEA) bus. MAPS "plug and play" simplicity eliminates tanks, valves, plumbing, and large power supplies while greatly enhancing customer workflows. MAPS is fully operational in 5 milliseconds with a 10+ year on-orbit life.

"The quality of the top ten finalists was eye-opening and judging among the top entrants was extremely close," said Blackwell. "Our goal is for iTech to provide a catalyst for industry investors, government agencies and small businesses to collaborate with the best innovators to mature their technologies for both space and commercial applications and PacSci EMC along with our other our top ten finalists have a bright future ahead." For more information about NASA iTech, visit: http://www.NASAiTech.com ABOUT PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC ENERGETIC MATERIALS COMPANY LLC (PacSci EMC): PacSci EMC has a deep history serving both manned and unmanned space exploration and satellite missions. Our products are used in all phases of space flight beginning with ground-based operations through lift-off/boost, solid rocket booster jettison, payload fairing separation, booster separation, second stage flight, payload separation and flight termination. We have put this expertise to work creating MAPS, an innovative and highly reliable, non-pressurized, solid propellant, "plug and play" propulsion system for use on CubeSats and SmallSats. For over 65 years, our customers have relied on our expertise and dedication to safety and quality. Discover more: https://www.psemc.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170720006386/en/

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[July 20, 2017] Dow's Innovative Solutions Tackle Challenges in E-commerce Packaging

SHANGHAI, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Online marketplaces are fast gaining popularity among consumers. Particularly in Asia Pacific, e-commerce growth is expected continue at a double-digit rate at least till 20201 and consumers in Asia Pacific are twice as likely to visit an online shop as in other parts of the world. It is forecasted that e-commerce transactions in Asia Pacific will surpass USD 33 trillion in 2030. The meteoric growth in the Asia-Pacific e-commerce industry has generated big ripples of spending frenzy especially all across the region, most notably in China. The total e-commerce transactions in the country amounted over CNY 5 trillion in 2016. This prolific growth breeds marvelous opportunities for the packaging industry -- provided the challenges that come along are addressed in a consumer-friendly and efficient way. The development of the e-commerce industry, along with other digital aspects of retailing, has touched upon not only the small and 'handy' category of products, but also other goods and commodities like furniture, appliances, equipment, grocery, and even perishable food items. The proliferation of online retailing has forced a vast majority of retailers to make great effort to explore the online space. The opportunities and possibilities of this fast-growing industry has led to an amazing growth in the logistics and courier industry - stimulating flexible packaging in Asia Pacific, and triggering a surge in evolution and innovating for packaging materials across industries. Challenges and opportunities Packaging is the best form of advertising for any product or community. A good packaging can deliver a power message and promote the product's attributes and the brand's image effectively. Business strategists and marketers are focusing heavily on packaging design to enhance the recognition effect of their brand identity when the product is exhibited on the shelf. Consumers are also more likely to prefer products whose packaging leave a positive and inspiring impression, according to Journal of Applied Packaging Research2. This is even more so especially for gift items. The emerging e-commerce industry brings great challenges to flexible packaging. The appearance of the packaging is surely very important -- but not more than the convenience and efficiency they are expected to deliver, including the product information that consumers can get from the pack. Consumers usually get detailed information of the products online, and then choose and buy the products according to their preference, and will only get to see the appearance of the packaging only after the delivery. Packaging cost is currently a vital factor in ensuring a brand's financial performance. With the convenience of the internet, consumers are able to compare prices and features of similar or congeneric products -- simply by clicking on different websites. People choose, not surprisingly, the more cost-effective products that deliver the best value for their money. As a result, brand owners must take into consideration not only the cost of production, but also the packaging cost. One of the most important challenge is to ensure that the packaging protects the size, shape, quality and appearance of the product. As almost everything can be bought online, people no longer go to shops and showrooms to check out the goods. Instead, they pay for it online, and expect the perfect and unblemished goods to be shipped to their doorsteps. It is a challenge for retailers to avoid damage, leakage and deterioration during the delivery process. Global leader tackls industry challenge



Dow is not only a global leader in packaging materials, it is also a pioneer in supporting the e-commerce packaging sector. Staying true to its tradition of industry engagement and continuous innovation, Dow keeps a constant track of developments in the logistics and packaging sectors. Here in Asia Pacific, based on intensive research and development, the company has developed a range of flexible packaging solutions to meet the needs of the vibrant e-commerce market in this region. Dow's patented innovative enhanced expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam technology is a solution to tackle the challenges faced by e-retailers. Dow INNATETM Precision Packaging Resins provide excellent packaging performance

INNATE Precision Packaging Resins are a new family of innovative resins that address some of today's more challenging packaging performance gaps with an unprecedented balance of toughness and stiffness in combination with excellent tear and puncture resistance. Created from a patented molecular catalyst coupled with advanced process technology, INNATE Precision Packaging Resins empower the consumers to unlock new packaging opportunities through stiffness-toughness balance, processing ease and improved sustainability profiles. Co-extruded film made with INNATE Precision Packaging Resins offer up to twice as much abuse-resistance compared to traditional materials currently available in the marketplace. This family of resins is born from breakthrough process technology that allows accurate and consistent control of the resin chemistry for marrying film properties like never before. For e-commerce packaging, leakage & breakage in delivery are the major issues for all stakeholders across the industry value chain. Consumers are dissatisfied with the leakage -- and this definitely leads to a very negative impression about not just the brand but also the manufacturer itself. During deliveries, goods are stacked against each other while being transported over tens of thousands of miles, and the risk of leakage and wear and tear is very high. Dow's innovation in flexible packaging, INNATE Precision Packaging Resins could address this problem and provide distinct advantages for e-commerce logistic packaging through its excellent stiffness, toughness and processability. As a result, this innovative solution from Dow has won the 2016 Ringier Technology Innovation Award for its outstanding features and diversified adaptability. INNATE Precision Packaging Resins are at the cutting edge of high performance resins for packaging markets -- it offers unprecedented performance levels to help businesses avoid the most complex and daunting challenges faced by the packaging sector. AFFINITY Polyolefin Plastomers, excellent sealant performance AFFINITYTM Polyolefin Plastomers (POP) can deliver greater sealant performance as compared to traditional polyethylene at much lower cost. Through the use of Dow's patented INSITETM Technology, AFFINITYTM POP gains excellent sealability to diverse structures, as well as lower heat seal and hot tack initiation temperatures for faster filling speeds and lower leak rates. Fresh food packaging is becoming more important in the booming e-commerce industry. Fresh fruit and vegetables require different degrees of oxygen or nitrogen transmittance and adjusting gas transmittance to preserve fresh food in its best condition during transportation is a challenge. Dow has developed AFFINITYTM POPs used in breathable films for modified atmosphere packaging. Packages designed with selective barrier properties control the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and oxygen concentration inside the package which gives outstanding protection for fresh food during transportation. Meanwhile, the excellent sealant performance and improved tear resistance of AFFINITYTM POPs enable downgauging and improved package integrity, which can prevent leakage or damage during long-haul courier and transportation. The performance of AFFINITYTM POPs strongly supports brand owners in gaining core competitiveness in the emerging e-commerce market. Besides INNATE Precision Packaging Resins and AFFINITYTM POPs, Dow also provides comprehensive product portfolio including ELITE AT polyethylene resins, ELITE enhanced polyethylene resins, and DOWLEX polyethylene resins for the e-commerce sector, to address challenges in different aspect and fulfill differentiated demands in the market. Revolutionizing the value chain Dow invests significant efforts and resources to collaborate with its industry partners. The company actively promotes continuous improvement and performance enhancement throughout the value chain by deploying innovative technologies and in-depth services. When developing INNATE Precision Packaging Resins, Dow engaged manufacturers and brand owners to analyze the market trend and customer needs. Through deep and long consultations with industry stakeholders, Dow has promoted the innovative solutions among all parties in the value chain to best meet the customer needs. For film manufacturers, INNATE Precision Packaging Resins means higher process efficiency and more universal formulation and more opportunities. The resins also bring advanced performance and differentiated packaging solutions for brand owners. This precise and state-of-the-art packaging solution also helps the distributors in e-commerce industry to offer better reliability and integrity, extend the expiration date, and lower the risk of leakage and damage during the shipment journey. Dow will continue to monitor the e-commerce industry by analyzing the integrated channels of the business -- from online to offline, production to logistics. The rapidly developing cross-border e-commerce industry will bring unique, new opportunities and challenges to flexible packaging. Continuing its pioneering role in market development, Dow will focus on exploring the integrated services involving all its business partners from the beginning point to the end of the make-move-deliver process. The ultimate aim is to provide more effective and comprehensive solutions to the booming e-commerce market, offering best value for businesses and customers alike. On the other hand, Dow will remain committed to environmental protection - developing environment-friendly flexible packaging materials that perform better with lower weight, lower thickness, and reduced waste. By saving on packaging materials, transportation space and energy consumption from the very beginning, Dow seeks to contribute to the sustainable development of the e-commerce industry across Asia Pacific. 1 https://www.emarketer.com/Article/B2C-Ecommerce-Heats-Up-Southeast-Asia/1014588

2 http://scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=japr Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow SOURCE Dow

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[July 20, 2017] GO-PAY Driving the Cashless Society in the Largest Southeast Asia Population

JAKARTA, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GO-PAY powered by GO-JEK proved itself as one of the leading e-wallets in Indonesia, the largest Southeast Asia country, as it has just recently received an Award from the Central Bank of Indonesia in Jakarta. GO-PAY won the award for its success in promoting cashless society, financial inclusion and small-medium enterprise (SME) empowerment. The award was handed over by the Governor of Bank Indonesia Agus D.W. Martowardojo. GO-JEK is the first unicorn startup in Indonesia. Through the Bank's official media release, Agus Martowardojo stated that the awards reflect the synergy between Bank Indonesia, Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK), and Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS), to facilitate the acceleration of economic growth through financial innovation. This awarding event by Bank Indonesia is expected to intensify the support for home-grown fin-tech innovations with the aim of accelerating financial inclusion. Andre Soelistyo, GO-JEK President who attended the awards-giving ceremony said the award was testament to the effort and energy of all GO-JEK employees, more than 300,000 driver partners as well as more than 100,000 SMEs involved in the GO-JEK platform, who continue to promote a cashless society through GO-PAY. "As the only e-wallet that received award from Bank Indonesia, we are very proud of this accolade. This will motivate us to bring more innovative financial digital services to help our customers increase their productivity for their daily needs and most importantly to help our SME and driver partners increase their financial well-being," said Andre. Nadiem Makarim, GO-JEK CEO said, "We are so honored to receive this award from the Central Bank of Indonesia. We are very excited to see the majority of GO-JEK transactions are now already cashless." GO-JEK now has been downloaded more than 44 million time as of June 2017. " With this renewed support of Indonesian regulators, GO-JEK and other locally-founded tech companies can truly transform the economic opportunities of every Indonesian. Most of our partners used to be unbankable before they joined GO-JEK. Now, they are not only bankable, they also have easy access to affordable insurance, loans and even mortgages. Many thanks to our financial institution partners that work hard with us to make this possible. We are always open to have more collaborations with financial institutions to usher a new era of financial innovation in Indonesia," he added. About GO-JEK GO-JEK is an app based on-demand service provider that provides a variety of complete services starting from transportation, logistics, payment, food delivery, and other on-demand services, by connecting users to more than 300,000 ojek and car driver partners, more than 100,000 food vendors, and more than 7,000 other services. GO-JEK's operations are based on 3 pillars: speed, innovation, and social impact. The company now operates in 35 cities, including Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Bali, Makassar, Medan, Palembang, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Balikpapan, Malang, Solo, Manado, Samarinda, Batam, Sidoarjo, Gresik, Pekanbaru, Jambi, Sukabumi, Bandar Lampung, Padang, Pontianak, Banjarmasin, Mataram, Pematangsiantar, Tasikmalaya, Serang, Cirebon, Tegal, Salatiga, Magelang, Purwokerto, Kediri dan Madiun. GO-JEK application is now available for iOS and Android and can be downloaded through www.GO-JEK.com/app .







Media Contacts: Rindu Ragilia Aziz Hasibuan PR Manager Konsultan komunikasi GO-JEK GO-JEK Indonesia IDEA Group Indonesia [email protected] [email protected]

+62811 1919 033

SOURCE GO-JEK

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[July 21, 2017] Cyankart.com Becomes India's First Fashion Portal to Accept Payments Through Bitcoin

FARIDABAD, India, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyankart India Pvt. Ltd., the company that owns and operates Cyankart.com, on Monday, 17th July 2017, announced the addition of Bitcoin payments on their web portal; becoming India's first fashion and lifestyle store to start accepting payments on their website through Bitcoin. While the Indian government is mulling legalizing Bitcoin cryptocurrency in India, there are still very few places online where payments through Bitcoin can currently be done. As per a recent CNBC India report, a committee of finance ministry officials, IT ministry officials, NITI Aayog, and Reserve Bank officials may be inching closer to legalizing virtual currencies in India. The CMO and one of the Founding Partners of Cyankart, Abhay Bajaj, was quoted saying, "This is a big move for us. We believe the cryptocurrency movement is just starting to pick up pace n India and it won't be much time before we'll start seeing people using Bitcoin as regularly as they use mobile wallets at the moment."



Cyankart India was last in the news earlier this year, in January, when they had a successful exit in the sale of one of their other ventures, Sixteeninches.com, an online supplement store which could allow fitness enthusiasts from all over the country to order authentic fitness products at affordable costs. The company was sold at an undisclosed amount to Mukund Arora, a leading fitness consultant from Karnal, Haryana. While it is yet to be seen how successful this Bitcoin movement can be, it might just end up becoming much more relevant in the near future. A few years ago, it was hard to imagine people adapting to digital payments and mobile wallets, and look how much has changed on that front. Post demonetization, the mindset of the Indian consumer has drastically changed towards cash-based expenses and Bitcoin could ride that wave and end up being a success story.

About Cyankart India Pvt. Ltd. Cyankart India Pvt. Ltd. is an online e-commerce unit started back in 2013 with three Founders - Abhay Bajaj, Varun Jain and Aditya Bajaj. The firm currently runs Cyankart.com, which currently serves over 10,000+ customers every month. Media Contact:

Abhay Bajaj

[email protected]

+91-9717288999

CMO & Managing Partner

Cyankart India Pvt. Ltd.



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RJP-N will take part in phase III local polls: CEC Yadav

The chief election commissioner (CEC) Dr Ayodhee Prasad Yadav has said he is confident that the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal will take part in the local level elections being held in Province No 2 on September 18.
[July 21, 2017] Government Advances Clean Growth Economy With Call for Expressions of Interest for Next-Generation Clean Energy Infrastructure Projects

OTTAWA, July 21, 2017 /CNW/ - Investing in next generation clean energy infrastructure and technologies will advance Canada's efforts to build a clean economy, create well-paying jobs for middle-class Canadians and help us reach our climate change goals. Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today announced a call for expressions of interest for funding aimed at driving an innovative and sustainable economy. Natural Resources Canada received funding in Budget 2017 for the implementation of new national programs, including projects to support next-generation smart grid systems, reduce the reliance of northern and Indigenous communities on diesel fuel, increase the number of electric vehicle stations and help build new net-zero buildings across Canada. Natural Resources Canada is now seeking information from potential applicants through a project concept questionnaire and expressions of interest. A call for full project proosals will follow later this year.



Natural Resources Canada is also investing $155 million to support clean technology projects in Canada's natural resource sectors in partnership with the provinces and territories. A call for expressions of interest for this funding is expected in the fall, followed by a call for full project proposals later in the year. These investments are part of Budget 2017's commitment to support the government's Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

The global market for clean technologies has surpassed $1 trillion a year and is growing. As the world seeks out cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy and new technologies to improve the quality of air and water, Canadian companies will lead the way and capture their share of the market. Quotes "Investing in programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable power and support projects that will help build better-connected electricity systems will help us to build a clean-growth economy, create well-paying jobs for middle-class Canadians and realize our climate change goals." Jim Carr

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources How to Apply:

Project concept questionnaire and expressions of interest Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca. SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[July 21, 2017] Congressman Joaquin Castro to Bestow CHCI Chair's Award upon Award-winning Author and Activist Sandra Cisneros

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and its Chair Congressman Joaquin Castro announced that Sandra Cisneros will receive the prestigious CHCI Chair's Award at the CHCI 40th Anniversary Awards Gala in the nation's capital on September 13. The Chair's Award celebrates an outstanding Hispanic American role model for their collective accomplishments-personal triumphs, professional successes, leadership, and civic engagement that combine to make a lasting positive effect on both the Latino community and the greater American society. "Sandra Cisneros has been a strong voice for the Latino community through her writing. She has mastered the art of poignant storytelling and her works illustrate real life-joys and heartbreak, strength and determination-while encouraging a spirit of kindness and generosity toward all people," said Congressman Joaquin Castro, Chairman, CHCI. He continued, "Both on and off the page, Sandra is a voice of activism, positive change, and most importantly-hope." "Sandra has been recognized and praised for her collection of works that span more than 40 years. Her thoughtful words have been translated into more than 20 languages, touching the lives of people around the world. CHCI is proud to honor Sandra Cisneros with the Chair's Award in recognition of her passionate spirit, her talents and achievements, and her commitment to the Hispanic community," said Castro. Sandra Cisneros-award-winning poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, and activist-has reached millions of people through her witing. Her work, which primarily explores the lives of the working-class, is a powerful reflection of life that also seamlessly raises awareness of social issues. Her storytelling develops complex, highly relatable characters that exhibit a range of emotions, strength, and determination on their personal journeys. Her coming-of-age novel, The House on Mango Street, has sold more than five million copies and is required reading in elementary, high school, and universities across the nation. Sandra's writing has earned her international recognition, and her books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Her numerous awards include NEA fellowships in both poetry and fiction, the Texas Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Fellowship, several honorary doctorates and most recently Chicago's Fifth Star Award, the PEN Center USA Literary Award, and the National Medal of the Arts, awarded to her by President Obama in 2016. To encourage and support other writers, Sandra has created two foundations-the Macondo Foundation, which has served hundreds of socially-engaged writers through the Macondo Writer's Workshop, and the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation, a grant-giving institution for Texas writers created in memory of Sandra's father.



"I am the daughter of a Mexican immigrant who became a U.S. citizen by serving in the U.S. Army. I am the granddaughter of campesinos who arrived in this country as migrant farm workers," said Sandra Cisneros. "Perhaps never more in the history of our nation do we need to unite as a community on behalf of community. It is with gratitude and humility that I accept the recognition of CHCI." CHCI's Annual Gala is its signature celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month that attracts an impressive gathering of Latino community advocates, including Members of Congress and other elected officials, corporate executives, public sector and nonprofit leaders, educators, celebrities, and media. The 2017 Awards Gala is the 40th anniversary of the inaugural fundraising dinner organized by five Hispanic Members of Congress to benefit Hispanic youth. It now boasts more than 2,000 attendees who come together to celebrate the cultural richness and diversity of the Hispanic community and support Latino youth leadership development. This year's event will be held at the Washington Marriott Marquis on Wednesday, September 13.

About CHCI The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) is the nation's premier, nonpartisan nonprofit organization that invests in emerging Latino leaders by providing opportunities to explore public policy and leadership in our nation's capital. The CHCI experience inspires young Latinos for greater personal and professional achievement by placing them on a new trajectory-through paid Congressional internships and fellowships, leadership development, civic engagement, community service, and networking. Program graduates join a powerful alumni network where they continue to shape our country's future by creating positive change on the local, regional, and national level. CHCI educates, empowers, and connects the next generation of Latino leaders to strengthen the Latino community and the nation. CHCI's Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic members of Congress, nonprofit, union and corporate leaders who champion leadership opportunities for Latino youth. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170721005547/en/

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Mega Millions numbers for Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

Here are the winning Mega Millions numbers and results for the lottery jackpot drawing on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.
Rs 12b Kailali irrigation project 70pc complete

Nearly 70 percent of the construction work at the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project in Kailali in the far west has been completed.
Qualcomm told investors that its legal dispute with Apple harmed its Q3 revenues. But the company won't back down--chief executive Steve Mollenkopf said on an earnings call that Qualcomm will "appropriately defend the tremendous value that our innovations bring to this industry."

The companies have gone back and forth since January, when Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion and 1 billion yuan in San Diego and Beijing, respectively. Apple claimed that Qualcomm charged unfair royalty fees on the baseband processors used in the iPhone; Qualcomm said that Apple "intentionally mischaracterized [their] agreements and negotiations" by "misrepresenting facts and withholding information" in talks with regulators.

Things only escalated from there. Qualcomm said in April that Apple had withheld royalty payments from manufacturers, and in May, it said that Apple had urged its partners to break their contracts. In the meantime, Samsung and Intel filed amicus briefs in the FTC's antitrust case against Qualcomm, alleging that the company had violated Fair, Reasonable, And Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) patent terms to stifle competition.

In the Q3 earnings call, Mollenkopf said Qualcomm knew that "fundamentally these issues are driven by commercial interests and contract negotiations" and that it would "continue to work to reach resolutions as we have done in the past." He also reaffirmed Qualcomm's commitment to working with Apple despite the legal dispute:

As you know, we have a strong relationship with Apple for many years and they have been a long standing and valued customer. We intend to continue to provide them with our industry leading products and technologies as we always have and do our best to remain a good supplier to Apple even while this dispute continues.

But earlier this month, that didn't stop Qualcomm from trying to stop the import and sale of iPhones that don't use its baseband processors. You can't call them "frenemies," but it's clear that as much as Qualcomm and Apple want to prevail over the other, they also need each other to thrive.

Qualcomm president Derek Aberle said on the earnings call that Qualcomm expects the FTC's antitrust case to head to court by early 2019. In the meantime, Qualcomm will continue to work with its licensees to mitigate Apple's effect on its business. He also discussed the patents Qualcomm has accused Apple of violating and, naturally, all the other stuff you'd expect from an earnings call. You can find a full transcript of the call on Seeking Alpha.
Man fatally stabs another in Westport area during argument over woman, police say KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City man faces a Murder in the 2nd Degree charge for the Wednesday, July 19th fatal stabbing of Jorge Sanchez outside a Westport business. Kenneth Michael Tillson, 48, is also charged with Armed Criminal Action.

A lovers quarrel outside a sandwich shop and a Summer day is one of the latest local tragedies on Kansas City streets:
Kansas City police are asking for help in identifying a man and woman in an assault and carjacking case. Police said a man armed with a gun attempted to carjack a man on June 30 near 18th and Vine streets. Investigators said the victim was assaulted, but was able to run away.
Overnight Inmate Incident

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  On Thursday, July 20, at approximately 11 p.m., an individual was brought into the Jackson County Detention Center (JCDC) by the Jackson County Sheriffs Office on a parole violation.





Upon arrival to intake, the 35-year-old man was evaluated by a nurse. Due to the inmates combative behavior and to prevent him from harming himself or corrections officials, he was placed in a restraint chair pursuant to national accreditation standards. During the approximate 2.5 hours he was in our facility, he was checked numerous times by health care professionals and Corrections staff.





When determining that there was a health emergency, numerous medical professionals performed life-saving measures on him. Emergency personnel were immediately called and transported him to Truman Medical Center, where he died.





Corrections staff reported the incident to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office.

###













We had a mostly productive conversation about this tragic topic early this morningNow, here are the deets as the political fallout continues . . .First, the official word from the County . . .Check the news coverage following TKC . . .Links . . .Developing . . .
BRUSSELS (ANA/ C. Vasilaki) The European Investment Bank (EIB) on Thursday announced the signature of a financing agreement with Terna Energy Group, giving 24 million euros available under the Juncker Plan for the development, construction and operation of three wind farms in Viotia Prefecture in central Greece.

The Greek bank Eurobank Ergasias acted as a co-lender, the announcement mentioned, while the EIB's loan "benefits from the support of the EU budget guarantee under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the financial instrument of the Investment Plan for Europe."

"The EIB is committed to financing green energy projects across the European Union. We are particularly pleased that this project promotes renewable and clean energy for the people of Greece, but it also enhances energy security and will help the country meet its renewable energy targets. This is precisely the kind of operation the Investment Plan for Europe was designed to support. I am delighted about this further step to bring the benefits of the European Fund for Strategic Investments to Greece. Looking ahead, the EIB is following developments in the Greek electricity sector and stands ready to finance sound projects that fulfil its criteria and EU energy policies," noted Jonathan Taylor, EIB Vice-President responsible for lending in Greece.

European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, stressed: "Today's agreement is another clear demonstration of the Commission's commitment to supporting the mobilisation of investments in Greece that will contribute to securing the country's recovery. It also shows how the Investment Plan contributes to achieving the Commission's wider strategic objectives, in this case facilitating Europe's transition to a low-carbon economy."

The project includes the development, construction and operation of three windfarms with a combined installed capacity of 48.6 MW in Viotia, central Greece. A total of 18 turbines - eight for one location and five for each of the other two - will be built. The windfarms, located in Dervenochoria and Tanagra in Viotia in central Greece, will connect to two existing substations through approximately 16.5 km of underground cabling.

Situated on top of neighbouring mountain ridges north-west of Athens, and at an altitude of between 800 m and 1 000 m above sea level where the wind resource is excellent, the wind park should generate more than 120 GWh per year for the Greek electricity system.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Leaflet License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ANA-MPA
SCs interim order denial paves way for merit grads admission

The Supreme Court on Thursday denied an interim order on a petition lodged by non-meritorious students who had claimed their admission in MD/MS programmes to be legal and that implementing the merit-based admission would be unfair to them.
The new contract, which contains 21 articles, defines the rights and obligations of both sides

The Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority, which manages Greece's biggest and busiest port, has reportedly agreed, in principle, with union locals representing workers over a new general labor code, aimed at liberalizing the decades-old regime that existed at the facility under a state-run administration.

The new contract, which contains 21 articles, defines the rights and obligations of both sides, and fulfils the Chinese shipping giant's oft-repeated intention of making the port of Piraeus more competitive and efficient through a more flexible work schedule, such as instituting a flat eight-hour shift with overtime paid thereafter. The port's organizational chart is also revised and updated, while the manner in which individual work contracts are finished also changes.

Another new reform - at least as far as Greece's cavernous public sector is concerned - is an evaluation report for workers and management.

Agreeing over a new labor code is considered as an imperative before the port authority's new management and unions begin substantive negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, which has a September deadline for concluding.

One of the main points of the new work regime (article 13) refers to seven-day-a-week schedule at the port, with workers on a five-day alternating schedule. Weekends and holidays are not considered as eligible for overtime pay if a shift is part of a worker's five-day schedule.

The sale of a majority stake of the Piraeus Port Authority, along with its management, was a landmark privatization in Greece during the last seven to eight years of economic crisis.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Nikolaos Diakidis License: CC-BY-SA

Photo Source:pixabay.com

Source: naftemporiki.gr
Sino-Indian standoff

As Nepal is situated next to Sikkim and the Siliguri corridor, it has high stakes in how the dispute unfolds
Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

In yet another feather in the cap of the Chandigarh Administration, the Union Territorys Annapurna Akshaypatra Yojana (food for all at Rs 10) and the Kalam Express (school on wheels for children with special needs) are all set to go national.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed Chandigarhs best practices and has asked all states and UTs to follow suit, a top government functionary told The Tribune here today.

Modi patted the UTs back during an interaction with chief secretaries of states and union territories in New Delhi on July 10. The interaction was part of the national conference of chief secretaries on the theme of States as Drivers for Transforming India. This was the first time that the Prime Minister addressed such a gathering at such an event. The chief secretaries spoke briefly on one best practice each of their respective states.

On UTs behalf, Adviser Parimal Rai presented the best practices being followed in Chandigarh. They included the food-for-all scheme, which was launched on January 2 this year, and the school on wheels for children with special needs, which was launched on June 23 last.

The Prime Minister was told that 3,000 food packets in seven specially fabricated mobile food vans were being distributed at seven locations across Chandigarh thrice daily at Rs 10 each.

With an aim to supply affordable, hygienic and nutritious food, each packet consists of a vegetable, six chapatis and pickle.

Similarly, Modi was briefed that more than a year after the successful launch of the first Kalam Express, the second Kalam Express was rolled out in Chandigarh on July 13. While the first bus was a refurbished Red Cross van, the new vehicle has been customised for the purpose.

In Chandigarh, during the past one year, the Kalam Express has identified 260 children with special needs that qualify for this assistance. The team was currently catering to 168 children in city slums. Among these, they have helped 36 children get admission to various government schools and six kids to special schools such as Vatika School in Sector 19 and the Institute for the Blind in Sector 26, Chandigarh. The new bus has more seating capacity which means it will be able to cater to more children at a time.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said priority and approach mattered a lot in governance. He said, We have a lot to learn from the experiences of states, which could provide the best solutions to problems and challenges. He said top government officials had the collective vision and capabilities to overcome challenges. In this regard, experience sharing was important, he stressed.

The Prime Minister said a team of young officers from across the states should now deliberate and learn from these best practices, by visiting each state and UT. This will help in efficient adoption of best practices across states and UTs, Modi said.

Stressing the need for replicating the success of small states and union territories like Chandigarh by large states in one district to begin with, the Prime Minister made a special mention of Chandigarh becoming the first kerosene-free city in the country.

UTs best practices

Food for all

The first-of-its-type Annapurna Akshaypatra Yojana to feed the needy is the brainchild of UT Deputy Commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi. Interestingly, this innovative food for all, which a few other states and UTs have already followed, involves no funding by the government and is purely funded by various organisations under their voluntary donations and CSR programmes.

The food for all has been planned to cater to the needs of almost 1 lakh workers of the unorganised sector, including 25,000 industrial workers and street vendors each, besides over 10,000 auto-rickshaw pullers living in Chandigarh.

I wish that no one in the city should sleep in hunger and shed tears for food, this was Joshis idea behind the first such initiative in the country. The scheme, costing Rs 1 crore, has been funded by various PSUs and NGOs under their CSR and voluntary donation schemes. The Indian Red Cross Society, Chandigarh, is implementing the project with the help of the UT Labour Department.

School on wheels

Another brainchild of UT Deputy Commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi and his wife and Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Gauri Prashar Joshi, the Kalam Express is an initiative that aims to promote, develop and maintain the skills essential for children with special needs so that they can perform better in their homes and social setting. This is a mobile educational-cum-rehabilitation unit for children with special needs living in slum, rural and rehabilitation colonies of the city who cannot commute to schools for attaining education and also require different therapies because of their physical limitations.

The initiative is to provide services to special children who cannot afford it or are confined to their homes, and there is need to include them in the mainstream. A team of a special educator and a physiotherapist has been visiting these children in the mobile unit equipped with audio visual and tactile teaching aids like Braille kits, toys and special oro motor kits.
Our Correspondent

Kharar, July 21

An issue pertaining to 458 kanals of land at Seonk village in Kharar subdivision, involving relatives of a Punjab minister, which led to much hue and cry inside and outside the Punjab Assembly earlier, has reached the court of the Kharar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).

A case for setting aside the order of the Naib Tehsildar-cum-AC (second grade), Majri, dated January 18, 2017, has been filed by Sher Singh and Mohinder Singh, both khewatdars of Seonk village, before the court of the Kharar SDM, who has fixed August 1 as the next date of hearing in the case.

The case has been filed against Rana Ranjit Singh and his wife Sukhjiner Kaur, both residents of Sector 4, Chandigarh, and Makbuja Malkan of Seonk village. The applicants have pleaded before the court that Rana Ranjit Singh and his wife Sukhjinder Kaur had purchased 142 kanals in Seonk village of which a major portion was gair mumkin pahar and they were not in possession of any portion of the land in the village. They are influential persons, they pleaded. They (Ranas) filed an application for correction of the khasra girdawari in the above court on December 14, 2016. The court allegedly decided the said application illegally, arbitrarily and unconstitutionally on January 18, 2017, in their favour in a short period against the law and facts on the file.

The applicants and none of the khewatdars of the village were summoned by the Naib Tehsildar and no notice was given to them. They have written that the respondents are owners of the land in the village (about 142 kanals), but they got the khasra girdawri of land measuring 458 kanals and 2 marlas in their name in connivance with the Naib Tehsildar. They have alleged that now they were threatening to take forcible possession of the land. They came to know about the above order on June 19, 2017, and immediately submitted a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, Mohali, but no action was taken by the officer. They have pleaded that the order, dated January 18, 2017, should be set aside.

They have written that the above respondents had mortgaged this land with the Union Bank of India after producing false reports of value of the land in question although the issue of title of this land in dispute was pending before the court of the Director, Rural Department and Panchayats.

They have also given an application for setting up a local commission to inspect the land in question.
Salil Desai

Salil Desai

FILM-MAKER Madhur Bhandarkar's forthcoming film, Indu Sarkar, set for release soon is in the eye of a controversy, apparently because it is a dramatised account of the Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid-1970s.

The Congress has kicked up a storm, claiming that the film has been made at the behest of the BJP, given director Madhur Bhandarkar's close affiliation with the party, with the express purpose of demonising Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi, in a bid to further vilify the Congress party.

The publicity material, including the trailer, imagery, stills, the title Indu Sarkar gives one enough clues to believe that perhaps the Congress might be right and that Bhandarkar could be motivated to a certain extent in portraying the Gandhis in negative light. It is quite possible that the film might take liberties in exaggerating, misrepresenting, even blatantly denigrating the Congress party.

However, the Congress has no business crying foul, demanding that the film be shown to them before release,putting pressure on the CBFC or even organising a stir against Indu Sarkar. That is because, like any other film-maker, Bhandarkar has every right to interpret events in the past, tweak them and use them selectively as a period backdrop, to tell a story which is fictionalised. The film is not a documentary, nor is it a biopic, so what basis does the Congress have to object to its release or force the film-maker to show them a preview? How is the demand any different or less illiberal than other recent attempts to scupper different films  be it the Rajput Karni Sena's attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati, objecting to unconfirmed romantic sequences between Rani Padmini and Allauddin Khilji or lawyers approaching the courts to clip portions of Akshay Kumar's film Jolly LLB 2, because they felt it showed judges, courts and the legal fraternity in bad light?

There is also news that CBFC has asked the film-maker to make 12 cuts, chopping of some words, scenes and references that might be construed as offensive to political sentiments of different organisations, including the Congress, the RSS and the Akalis. In fact, CBFC has now told a defiant Bhandarkar to take the matter to the Tribunal. Meanwhile, a woman claiming to be Sanjay Gandhi's secret daughter held a Press conference and claimed that the trailer of Indu Sarkar depicts her "father" wrongly. Interestingly, Sanjay Gandhi's official family, wife, Maneka Gandhi and son, Varun Gandhi, both of whom are part of the BJP don't appear to have said a word so far. Amidst all this, the real question is, why should the issue of political sentiments come into the making of cinema at all? We already have so many caveats when it comes to cinema  no hurting of religious, regional, caste, social and cultural sentiments. Are we now also going to add the bogey of political sentiment to it?

Because if we are, then we are driving one more nail into the coffin of freedom of expression. For as we well know, just about anything can be politicised in our country. Moreover, the moment we accept the argument of hurting political sentiment, we immediately provide immunity to politicians, leaders and controversial political issues now and in the future, from ever being portrayed, dissected and criticised on screen. Instead of being blinded and whipping itself into a rage just because a film on the Emergency is being made by a film-maker with BJP leanings, the Congress needs to look at the larger picture. For a party that played a glorious role in India's freedom, ruled India for nearly 60 years and can rightly be credited for nurturing India's liberal democracy and many of its achievements, should it now start operating like an upstart political outfit, mimicking regressive, illiberal tendencies that are in vogue everywhere, because of the current dispensation in power?

Can protesting a mere movie, be the agenda of a national party, just because it fears the movie is unkind or scathing towards its long-dead leaders? Does it really believe that a movie depicting events of 40 years ago could have such a decisive impact on public opinion that it will succeed in decimating the Congress party and its first family completely, across the country? If that is the anxiety driving the Congress, then it is not just an exaggerated fear, but also betrays insecurity and utter lack of confidence that does not behove a party that is supposed to be the principal Opposition. Of course, it's entirely possible the party is simply trying to galvanise its demoralised workers, using Indu Sarkar as a pretext.

However, it would have been so much better if the Congress had refused to bite the bait, let the film be released without any protests and then pointed out flaws, factually wrong depictions or exaggerations resorted to by the film-maker, if any. This would have been a mature political response. Instead, by breathing fire it has accorded disproportionate attention and publicity to the film. It appears churlish, defensive and as undemocratic and intolerant as the BJP and its affiliates and clones.

Indeed, if the Congress wants to regain its position as a credible centrist, progressive,liberal, democratic alternative, it cannot afford to be a mirror image of the BJP and its aggressive, right-wing, intolerant politics. It's high time it realised that being hypocritical and selectively liberal, won't help it to win back support from people who are uncomfortable with the BJP's authoritarian brand of politics. Above all, the Congress needs to see the sad, ground reality that their protest against Indu Sarkar simply does not resonate with today's middle class, which sees it as just another sycophantic action by the party.

The writer is a Pune-based novelist and film-maker.
The Foreign Office usually doesnt hold back its counsel, especially under the Modi government. At least it has never been shy of matching each Pakistani volley with one of its own or reminding Nepal of its place under the sun. In the ongoing eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation on the border with China it has adopted a more restrained position, opening the door partly to a civil dialogue on its resolution. Making the first government statement since the stalemate developed over a month ago, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spelt out the Indian stand: India wishes to peacefully resolve the issue through dialogue.

But for that to happen, both countries must withdraw their troops from the faceoff point on the Doklam plateau. India can hardly withdraw first and lose face not just in the present tactical confrontation but in the entire near neighbourhood as well. This is because the Foreign Office maintains that it was the Chinese who unilaterally tried to change the status quo of the tri-junction point between China, India and Bhutan. China, however, is objecting on a different footing altogether. It finds it unacceptable that Indian troops have entered China through Bhutanese territory.

The increasing frequency of Sino-Indian standoffs makes it apparent that the previous agreements to keep the border peaceful and tranquil are losing their efficacy. National Security Adviser Ajit Dovals visit to Beijing next week should bolster attempts by diplomats to achieve closure on the jostling at Doklam. At the same time, both sides will have to start burning the midnight oil to refurbish the existing understandings on not allowing a border standoff to spill out of control. The list of disagreements between India and China has grown in the past three years. These have not been helped by a media campaign so virulent that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had to speak out against it. While the Chinese side has been belligerent, such confrontations do not suit the national priorities of both countries. Simultaneously, South Block may have to rework its foreign policy approach because China has displayed its ability to raise tensions at any place of its choosing on the border.
Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

In a bid to dispel the impression of divisiveness, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today attempted to project there is unity in the state Cabinet. He was addressing mediapersons here on the occasion of 1,000 days of his government.

Khattar was accompanied by Cabinet ministers Capt Abhimanyu, OP Dhankar, Kavita Jain, Krishan Lal Panwar as also now mellowed down Anil Vij. He enumerated his governments many achievements. Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, however, was not present though sources close to Khattar justified his absence maintaining that all those ministers, who were available in Chandigarh, were invited to the press conference.

Though these ministers, in a show of solidarity, shared the dais with Khattar, it was the Chief Minister who did all the talking, as they occasionally nodded in agreement. Together, they released a booklet highlighting the achievements of the government in 1,000 days.

The Chief Minister also downplayed dissidence in the BJP. He said there was no division in the party and there were no dissident MLAs. Every MLA wants maximum development in his constituency and we also want development in every Assembly segment. We have heard their demands and are working on developing the entire state without bias, he said.

Also, for the better part of the press conference, the Chief Minister harped on the wrongs of the previous Congress government, which his government has attempted to correct. The previous government passed on a legacy of subterfuges they had employed to circumvent the system. We have spent a lot of time establishing systems where none existed, Khattar said.

Khattar compared his tenure with the 10 years rule of the Congress. He appreciated Gujarats fiscal health during Narendra Modis time. The fiscal health of Haryana has improved. The state is spending 89 per cent of the budget on the heads of salary, pension, repayment and interest compared to 102 per cent in 2014 when we assumed power. Gujarat spends about 65 per cent of the budget on these heads, which is way better than us, meaning thereby that it has greater availability of savings, he said.

He was critical of the Congress for its failure to implement the recommendations of the committee headed by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the benefit of farmers, for neglecting Mewat, practically ruining the power sector, which was neck-deep in debt, and lowering the standards of education by following the no detention policy. His government has done a lot to rectify these problems, he added.
Tribune News Service

Solan, July 21

Activists of the BJP entered into a scuffle with the police here today over burning an effigy of CM Virbhadra Singh during a protest outside the DC office against inept handling of Kotkhai rape and murder case. The fracas began after the police reportedly tried to stop the BJP activists from burning the CMs effigy.

The party activists also handed over a memorandum addressed to Governor Acharya Devvrat to the DC expressing concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The protest was led by local MLA and BJPs chief spokesperson Dr Rajiv Bindal. He criticised the CM for stating that rape incidents took place everywhere, adding it reflected his indifference towards the suffering of the common man.

Congs silent march

Mandi: The Congress held a silent march against the Kotkhai gang-rape and demanded severe punishment to the accused. The march was held under the leadership of district Congress committee president Deepak Sharma here today. He said: "This incident has shaken the entire state, We demand that harsh punishment should be given to those who are involved in the case." They mourned the death of the victim and observed a condolence meet.
Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 21

After a fortnight of public outrage that followed the rape and murder of the 16-year-old school girl at Kotkhai, a team of officials led by Rohan Chand Thakur, Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, and SP Somya Sadasivam visited the victims parents at Tali village of Deha tehsil today. The team gave a patient hearing to the victims family.

The team reached the village at 7 pm after they had a first public interaction with the members of the Joint Action Committee at Kotkhai initiating some confidence-building measure to restore peace at the violence-hit place.

The DC said they visited the victim's parents at their village and offered condolences. The district administration has offered to shoulder the entire expenses of victim's brother till the completion of his education. Also, the Deputy Commissioner extended a help of Rs 2 lakh from the District Red Cross and assured all assistance in future. The family thanked them for their visit.

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a solidarity march in support of the victims family. Kotkhai has turned into a fortress with four reserve battalions deployed there. The situation is under control now. Peace has returned here as no incidents of violent protests were reported, said Pankaj Sharma, an ASP deputed as part of a team to oversee law and order in Kotkhai.

Dhumal: Protest not for political gains

Hamirpur: This protest is against the incompetence of the state government and not for playing politics. This is for seeking justice for the Kotkhai victim. This was stated by former Chief Minister PK Dhumal while addressing a rally organised by the BJP to demand justice for the victim, at Gandhi Chowk here on Friday. He said the Opposition was to raise the issues pertaining to development and other social problems being faced by the people of the state, but it was unfortunate that people had to cry for justice following the "negligence" of the government and the police in this case. OC

Govt, cops shielding main accused: BJP

Una: The BJP unit of Una on Friday staged a protest at the district headquarters, against the state government and the police for not doing a fair probe and protecting the main accused in the Kotkhai rape and murder case. Led by BJP MLA and state party president Satpal Singh Satti, protesters raised slogans as the protest march started from the PWD Rest House and ended at the Bus Stand Chowk where they burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister. OC
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 21

Even as a formal order from the CBI is still awaited for taking over the investigation into the rape and murder of the 16-year-old Kotkhai girl, the Himachal Pradesh Government today submitted the report sought by Governor Acharya Devvrat on the issue.

The two-page report submitted by Chief Secretary VC Pharka to the Governor details the sequence of events and the steps taken by the police so far. Copies of a number of documents, including the letter written by the CM to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and order for the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT), have been attached with the report.

The report gives details of the case registered under Sections 302, 376 of the IPC and Section 4 of the POSCO Act at the Kotkhai police station on July 6 besides making a mention of the constitution of the SIT headed by Inspector General of Police (South) on July 12.

The report also talks about the death of one of the accused Suraj in police custody and the registration of an FIR under Section 302 of the IPC on July 19 in that regard, the suspension of the SHO and the sentry of the Kotkhai police station for dereliction of duty, the transfer of the entire staff of the police station and the registration of five FIRs, including three at Kotkhai and one at Theog, in connection with the rampage and protests by angry mob.

Meanwhile, the four accused in the case were today produced in a Theog court that remanded them in judicial custody till July 27.

Meanwhile, the district police have decided to provide security to Mamta the wife of Nepalese labourer Suraj who died in custody. She is being shifted from her hutment in the orchard in Kotkhai to a safer location.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 21

The J&K Police today seized 66.5 kg of narcotic drugs in north Kashmir from a truck arriving from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of the cross-LoC trade between India and Pakistan.

The seizure was made this afternoon at the Salamabad Trade Centre at Uri in Baramulla district on the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar highway, over 100 km north of Srinagar.

We had specific information that a large quantity of narcotic drugs is to be carried by some PoK truck and delivered at this side by means of cross-LoC trade. We intercepted the truck from PoK on Friday at Salamabad and on thorough search of the truck 66.5 kg of narcotic drugs were seized, Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, Imtiyaz Hussain said.

The narcotic drugs, which appear to be heroin, were found in the vehicle bearing registration number XA-267, Hussain said.

He said the drugs were hidden in boxes, suppose to contain mercantile goods, which were to be supplied to Kaloo Traders. The driver of the truck was identified as Syed Yousuf, son of Ali Akbar of Muzaffar Ahad, PoK. He was detained and being questioned. The SSP said they would investigate all the angles in the case. We are investigating all the angles, including the aspect that drug may have meant to fund terrorism or even fuel stone-throwing, he said.
Manpriya Singh

There is nothing off limitssarcasm, satire, humour, pun (intended or unintended), bring it on! Language is not a bar either. The only thing barring the jokes on Queens of Comedy is the gender of the person they come from. Queens of Comedy, the soon-to-be-aired female comedy show on TLC, invites all the girl power in full force to take on the male-dominated world of stand-up comedy.

This is to give women not just a footplate to be themselves but also that little push, which is often lacking for them. Its about that little nudge asking them to step out, come forward and show us their talent, says Kaneez Surka, one of the three judges. While Varun Thakur of Struggling Actor Vicky Malhotra fame will be hosting the show, Rohan Joshi (AIB) and actor Richa Chadha will be the co-judges.

Why we need it?

There is no denying the comedy clubs sprouting all over the country and comedians achieving celebrity status, but more than half-a-dozen comedy shows have only sprung a few names in the country, namely Bharti and Sugandha Mishra. Opines Rohan, Men have an upper hand because there are a lot of factors at play. Weve seen situations like leaving out female comedians because theyd have to organise a separate room for girl while the men can be stacked together.

As for why an all-female comedy show will not have all-female judges, shares Rohan, I am not out there as a man. I am there as a comedian and yes, I am the diversity on the show.

Please dont intellectualize

No offence, but at the end of the day, its about a few good laughs. Thats where the parameters of judging start and end. Opines Rohan Joshi, of AIB fame, on the parameters of judging, I dont believe in intellectualizing it. Its comedy, you see it, you laugh at it and its done.

There can be no tips

While no one can teach wit or comic timing, there is just a little something that Kaneez would like to share with all the aspiring girls. Try something new, be yourself and just do it. All I am looking at is eight really funny people starting and continuing their careers in the world of stand-up comedy.

Send in your entries

For the girls who have often had to restrict their wit to all girls night-out or college hostel rooms, its time to take a step forward, even if a hesitant one. All the entries will be uploaded on the shows website, of which the 50 shortlisted entries will be open for voting. Adds Kaneez, on the show adopting digital format of entries, It could be in Hindi or it could be in English, we are not even making language a bar. Digital format coupled with no language restrictions is to make sure that we are open to as many women as possible out there.

The top eight short-listed contestants will battle against each other and feature in the reality show in their quest to be Indias next female comedy sensation.

(The show premieres on September 24 and will air on weekends at 10 pm on TLC)

manpriya@tribunemail.com
Ratna Raman

Ratna Raman

WILLIAM Butler Yeats (1865-1939) described Keats as a schoolboy with face and nose pressed to a sweet-shop window. English Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) died of consumption (tuberculosis) at 25. Keatss fascination for literature drew him away from a medical career. Despite obtaining a licence to practise as a physician and surgeon, Keats resolved to become a poet and wrote powerful, sensuous poetry in the last years of his life.

Sweet-shops in England and Ireland may have been wonderful places in Yeatss times. In India, however, Indian sweets could be viewed whenever the traditional halwai raised the metal shutters at the shop entrance. On ledges or shelves, piled high in trays, or kept behind counters in large glass jars, Indian mithai, made with fruit, flour, lentil, milk and nuts, attracted passersby. Piping hot jalebis, fragrant and golden-orange shift our focus from the greasy black kadhai and the utilitarian syrup container into which fried jalebis are immersed.

Usually, the young have their face and nose pressed at sweet-shop windows while drooling over delicious mithai. The visual Yeats conjures is poignant and creates cadences (rhythmic flow) that resonate within each readers mind through stirring memories. Despite being a subjective (personal) view, the image generates several associations and connections. Whenever or wherever this happens we are witnessing the spell of poetry and its ability to stir emotional responses.

More often than not, the business of mithai is transacted through cash on purchase. Stories of little boys jailed for petty stealing or beaten within an inch of their lives (idiom, beaten to the point of death) continue to be reported in newspapers. The inability to savour sweets (indicative of the pleasures of life) because of the glass separator is a powerful metaphor, recalling missed opportunities, deprivation and mortality.

Does language carry forward this extraordinary connective quality when used functionally? Images of disposable shampoo and body lotions brought home by travellers, in magical little plastic bottles, in urban India, come to mind. Nowadays, state-of-the-art beauty products contain potent remedies and manufacturers advertise all manner of magical transformation. To bolster product sales, there is audio-visual advertising wherein young men and women are transformed into gorgeous superhumans, after the use of advertised products that rid themselves of all possible flaws. Their skin is clear, wrinkle free and moisturised. Their teeth sparkle and hair is dandruff free and beautifully coloured. Dye is no longer appropriate for describing changes in hair colour.

Advertisements promote sales, but instructions such as for oily skin, for dry skin or for thin brittle hair emblazoned on products, tend to mislead. Skin, oily or dry and hair, thin or brittle; remains undesirable. Why dont manufacturers affirm in bold print that their products improve oily skin, for instance? Is it because, such claims might fall flat (not be substantiated)?

Ay, theres the rub! (obstacle, Hamlet). Poetry can be insightful and provide perspective but a functional language barely supports accompanying visuals.
Mumbai, July 21

India's wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani on Friday announced the launch of Jio "intelligent" phone, offering life-long free voice calls bundled with 4G data streaming at an "effective price of zero".

Ambani, who had taken the telecom sector by surprise with free voice calls and data last year, announced the next leap at the company's 40th shareholder meeting today.

The phone, targeted at 50 crore feature phone users in the country, will be available for pre-booking from August 24 on payment of a refundable security deposit of Rs 1,500.

This deposit will be refunded after 36 months on return of the phone, he said, adding that the price of the phone will be "effective zero".

He used the occasion to introduce his twin children, Akash and Isha, who presented the phone features that include calls and text messaging on voice command, Internet surfing and cable to connect the device to TV to view content, including videos.

"JioPhone will make the 2G feature phone obsolete," Ambani claimed, adding that the company is looking to bring 5 million phones to the market a week.

The JioPhone will be available for user testing in beta mode from August 15 and for pre-booking from August 24.

"Reliance democratised the equity culture in the past. Now, Jio will democratise the digital culture in India," he asserted. "Digital Life will no longer be the privilege of the affluent few."

Out of the 78 crore phones in India, Ambani said, 50 crore are feature phones that cannot be used for Internet or data usage. The new phone would give "affordable" device to these 50 crore users and "end the digital exclusion in India".

Reliance Jio, the fourth-generation telecom arm of Reliance Industries, will provide unlimited data on the phone for Rs 153 per month.

Jio, he said, already has 125 million users since its launch in September last year. PTI
Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

The Congress on Friday staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha on the issue of agrarian crisis.

Party president Sonia Gandhi was present in the House and joined the party members in the walkout.

This was during Zero Hour. Congress Whip in Lok Sabha Deepender Hooda said the reply of the Union Minister on the discussion on the agrarian crisis in the House on Wednesday was not satisfactory, hence, in protest the Congress would stage a walkout.

Earlier, the Congress members trooped into the Well of the House and continued sloganeering on farmers issue for the entire Question Hour.

During Question Hour, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley responded to a query saying the Task Force constitited by the government with regard to shell companies had submitted its report and action is being taken on it.

Last year, more than 1.6 lakh shell companies were de-registered.

Later, Jaitley introduced a Bill further to repeal the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959, the State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956, and further to amend the State Bank of India Act, 1955.
New Delhi, July 21

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on violent incidents in the garb of cow protection.

The apex court did so even as the Centre said it condemned any kind of vigilantism but law and order was a state subject and that it had no role to play in the matter. However, a Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said the Centre and states should not protect vigilantism.

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You say that law and order is a state subject and states are taking action as per law. You dont protect any kind of vigilantism, the Bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and MM Shantanagoudar, asserted. Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said Parliament was also informed yesterday it did not support any kind of vigilantism. Union of India is of the view that no vigilante group has any space in the country. It does not support vigilantism by private persons, Kumar said.  PTI
Girja Shankar Kaura

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani again stormed the telecom market today as he announced the launch of a 4G-enabled phone that would be available at an effective zero price for Jio subscribers.

Jio had entered the competitive telecom sector last September with a six-month promotional offer of free voice and data, which helped it mobilise 12.5 crore users.

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Boasting of smartphone-like features, the JioPhone would be available at a one-time security of Rs 1,500, refundable after three years on return of the phone. It would be available for user testing in beta form from August 15 and for pre-booking from August 24, said Ambani at the 40th annual general meet of Reliance Industries Ltd in Mumbai.

JioPhone will be physically available to those who have pre-booked, on a first-come-first-served basis, September onwards, he said. Once production starts, the company expects to churn out 50 lakh phones every week.

Ambani said voice calling on JioPhone would be free while customers could avail of free voice messages and unlimited data at just Rs 153.

Reliance has also launched a new accessory to mirror its JioPhone content on TV at Rs 309 per month. The phone can play videos too using Jio apps. Equipped with 22 regional languages, it can be operated using voice commands.

What you pay

Rs 1,500 one-time security, refundable after 3 years on return of phone

Free voice calling, but unlimited data and voice messages to cost Rs 153/month

Will be available on first-come-first-served basis; pre-bookings begin on August 24

Likely specifications
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

Having taken a stand before a nine-judge Constitution Bench that right to privacy is not a fundamental right, the Centre on Friday told another Constitution Bench hearing a case on protection of data on instant messaging service Whatsapp that personal data was an extension of ones personality and hence a part of fundamental right to life.

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"Data of a user is connected to his personality and it is an integral part of Article 21 (Fundamental Right to Life and Liberty), Additional Solicitor-General PS Narasimha told a five-judge Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which is examining issues arising out of the 2016 privacy policy of WhatsApp.

If any contractual obligation impinges upon that, it will have ramifications. We will come out with regulations (on data protection)," Narasimha said.

On the face of it, the central governments stand in the WhatsApp case appears to be contrary to its categorical statement before the nine-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar.

The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on September 6 after senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing WhatsApp, pointed out that the verdict of the nine-judge Bench on right to privacy will have a bearing on the case and it matter should be heard only after the judgment was pronounced by the larger Bench.

Petitioners Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi have claimed WhatsApps decision to share all its subscribers data with Facebook impinged on privacy of 160 million Indian users.

The Delhi High Court had ruled last year that Whatsapp should delete all data in its possession till September 25, 2016, but said the company was free to share the data with Facebook post September 25, 2016, thus enabling subscribers to voluntarily withdraw from the service if they were not keen on sharing their data with Facebook.

The high court had asked the Centre and TRAI to examine the feasibility of bringing the messaging services under a regulatory regime in India.

The petitioners appealed the high courts verdict in the top court where the issue got referred to a Constitution Bench.

Launched as an application in 2010, WhatsApp has millions of users, including over 160 million in India. Its privacy policy at the time of launch did not allow sharing of users data with any other company.

WhatApps new privacy policy has come under challenge as it allows it to collect and share information about its users with Facebook and all its group companies for the purpose of commercial advertising and marketing on its platform. Petitioners contended it violated their right to privacy.

Facebook bought Whatsapp in February 2014.
New Delhi, July 21

A Delhi court on Friday granted five more days to the Enforcement Directorate for the custodial interrogation of a woman director of two Dubai-based firms in connection with its probe in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP choppers money laundering case.

A Special CBI judge Arvind Kumar extended the custody of Shivani Saxena, an active director of Ms UHY Saxena and Ms Matrix Holdings, both located in Dubai, after she was produced from her earlier ED custody.

During the proceedings, the probe agency sought seven more days claiming that she was required to be confronted with various incriminating documents to ascertain the proceeds of crime and money trail.

It also told the court that due to her poor health, the probe during her custody period moved at a slow pace.

Her advocate, however, opposed the plea citing her health condition.

The court thereafter directed the agency to take care of her health and provide her with medicines and doctor during the custody.

The ED had arrested Saxena on July 17 from Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

The agency had said in a statement that she was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Saxena and her husband Rajiv are residents of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, an archipelago which is home to the most expensive properties in the United Arab Emirates(UAE).

The ED alleged that the two Dubai-based firms Saxena was involved with are those through which the proceeds of crime have been routed and further layered and integrated in buying the immovable properties/shares among others in this case.

The agency had said that its probe found that AgustaWestland, United Kingdom paid an amount of Euro 58 million as kickbacks through two Tunisia-based firms.

These companies further siphoned off the said money in the name of consultancy contracts to Ms Interstellar Technologies Limited, Mauritius and others which were further transferred to Ms UHY Saxena and Ms Matrix Holdings Ltd, Dubai and others, it had said.

The ED also claimed that Saxenas husband Rajiv is the beneficial owner of Ms Interstellar Technologies Limited, Mauritius.

It alleged that both the Dubai companies of the couple received the proceeds of crime in their respective Dubai bank accounts from the Mauritius-based firm.

The ED, in this case, had also arrested Delhi-based businessman Gautam Khaitan last year and he is out on bail at present.

The probe in the deal had gathered pace after a Milan (Italy) court sometime back sentenced Italian defence and aerospace major Finmeccanicas former chief Giuseppe Orsi and AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini on corruption charges in the sale of these helicopters to India.

The Milan court order also mentions the name of former IAF chief SP Tyagi at several points.

Post this, the ED and the CBI began a fresh round of questioning of the accused in this case and collection of further evidences.

The ED had registered a PMLA case in 2014 and had named 21 people, including Tyagi, in its money laundering FIR.

On January 1, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Finmeccanicas British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal. PTI
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

The Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered multi-national Pepsico Holdings to pay an amount of Rs 80,000 along with 12 per cent interest, from the date of complaint till actual payment, to NRI Daljeet Kaur for selling underweight Lehar Karare Peanuts.

The order of the commission president, Justice Paramjeet Singh Dhaliwal (retd) read that the complainant is not interested in the compensation. She wanted to make a statement on the open loot of consumers by the multi-national company.

Daljeet Kaur had purchased five packets of Lehar Karare Peanuts for Rs 10 each from a provision store in Patiala on October 20, 2015. The packet read 25 per cent extra. Suspecting the packet to be underweight, she got it weighed. The scale showed the reading at less than 40 grams while the packet read 25 per cent extra and should have weighed 50 grams.

The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Patiala, in an order dated December 21, 2016, had accepted her complaint and ordered a compensation of Rs 10,000.

To make a bigger statement, Daljeet Kaur approached the commission seeking a compensation of Rs 80,000.

A representative of the State Metrology Department carried out a weighing exercise of the peanut packet in the presence of the commission president. The packet weighed only 38.71 gm against 50 grams as claimed.

Allowing the enhanced amount to the complainant, the commission also directed the Metrology Department to make sure that random surveys of quality and weight of the pre-packed articles be carried out regularly.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

The Centre has approved the Nation Health Mission Punjabs state programme in implementation plan for 2017-18 amounting to Rs 806.28 crore.

Announcing this here on Friday, Brahm Mohindra, Health and Family Welfare Minister, said Punjab had put forth a strong case to the Centre for a major uplift of health care services and a series of new initiatives in the public health sector.

He said Punjabs team headed by Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, Health, and Varun Roojam, Mission Director, NHM, personally pursued the plan submitted by the state with the Centre.

Activities were discussed with senior officers of the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare during the national programme coordination committees (NPCC) meeting held in New Delhi.

Mohindra said that among the new initiatives approved by the Centre, the major initiatives included the setting up of health and wellness centres. Under this initiative, 200 sub-centres of the state will be strengthened as health and wellness centres, where promotive, preventive and primary curative health and health care services would be provided.

Special courses for staff nurses to train them for primary health care have also been approved. These staff nurses will be posted at sub-centres as community health officers and a budget of Rs 12.65 crore has been approved for this.

The Health Minister said that with a view to meeting the shortage of specialists, especially gynaecologists and paediatricians, DNB course at district hospital Ludhiana had been approved. In addition, all districts and sub-divisional hospitals would be computerised in a phased manner and a proposal amounting to Rs 9.45 crore had been approved for the purpose.

The state government has also planned to provide free treatment to senior citizens.

While sharing other major highlights of Punjabs plan for 2017-18, the minister revealed said Rs 195.11 crore now stood approved for providing equipment and drugs to all health institutions, including free drugs and diagnostics.

Punjab has managed to get allocated Rs 278.59 crore for the salaries of specialists, medical officers, staff nurses and other paramedical staff. Rs 29.92 crore has been approved for the flagship schemes of Janani Shishu Surakhsha Karyakaram (JSSK) and Janani Surakhsha Yojana (JSY) under which free treatment to all pregnant women and infants is provided.

Mohindra said that for smooth implementation of National Urban Health Mission Rs 33.58 crore had been approved for strengthening the health care institutions, outreach camps and Mahila Arogya Smitis.

With the objective to combat and controlled diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, dengue and elimination of leprosy Rs 20.88 crore has been approved, whereas to tackle non-communicable diseases, especially hypertention, diabetes and other cardio-vascular diseases and blindness a budget of Rs 16.84 crore has been approved.
Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

The state government has initiated the process to replace the NRI Commission with an ombudsman to revamp the grievance redressal system.

While the five-year-old commission is headed by a retired judge of the High Court, the ombudsman could be headed by a former bureaucrat in the rank of Principal Secretary or above.

After legal vetting, the draft has been readied, a senior functionary in the Chief Ministers office said. CM Capt Amarinder Singh, who holds the NRI portfolio, is expected to take the final call in the coming days.

The government has also proposed to depute the Additional Deputy Commissioners (Grievances) as additional ombudsmen at the district level. The complainant would be able to file an appeal against the decision of the ADCs court before the ombudsman.

Rakesh Kumar Garg, chairman of the NRI Commission, opined that anyone dealing with NRI affairs should have judicial powers. The commission is a statutory body enacted under the law. The commission has been disposing of about 300 cases every year, he said.

To give more teeth to the ombudsman, various departments whom the NRIs have to deal with would be brought under one roof. There is reportedly a lack of coordination between the office of the Commissioner, NRI Affairs, and the civil administration and the police in dealing with NRI complaints. The Commissioner, NRI Affairs, does not have an office to operate from here.

Kamaljeet Singh Hayer, honorary member of the NRI Commission, said the commission needed more powers. There is a need to set up a tribunal to listen to all judicial and revenue matters and it should be the final authority. Many NRIs face problems related to property. They come to the state for a short period every year and cant afford to spare time for protracted legal proceedings, he said.

Three fast-track courts planned for Moga, Ludhiana and Mohali are yet to see the light of day.

Property Safeguard Act for speedy eviction

The state is also drafting a NRI Property Safeguards Act for the speedy eviction of NRI property from tenants/ encroachments. A committee has been constituted to work out the details of the proposed Act.

Harassment cases up: Canadian MP to cm

New Delhi/Chandigarh: During an interaction with Canadian MP Rameshwar Singh Sangha in New Delhi on Friday, Capt Amarinder Singh said he had taken up with the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court a proposal to set up courts for speedy trial of NRI cases and strict rules to safeguard their properties. The government plans to establish the courts as part of the ex-servicemen courts since there are not enough NRI cases to merit separate ones, he told the MP. The CM expressed concern on the use of Canadian soil by radical elements to stoke divisiveness in India. Sangha told the CM that cases of harassment of NRIs were on the rise. TNS
NEW DELHI, July 21 (UNI)-An agreement for a loan of 12 million (about Rs. 25.2 crores) to the Government of India was signed here today by Mr. S. Jagannathan, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance, and Mr. John Freeman, British High Commissioner.

The loan will be for 25 years free of interest, with repayments beginning after the seventh year. A major part of the loan will be used to refinance service payments which fall due in the first half of the financial year on aid loans given in the years 1985 to 1962. The balance of the loan is being given as general purpose aid for the purchase of goods and services from the U.K
H. Kishie Singh

The parking lot of this big fancy hospital had Mercedes, Jaguars, BMWs and other top-end cars. Inside, a sign at the entry to the lifts read, Give way to stretchers, wheelchairs and the elderly!

Really? Do you have to be told this? If the cars parked outside are any indication, the owners should be well educated. They probably are, but lack social etiquette. They push past the elderly, the frail, the unwell and the stretchers.

Anywhere else in the world, people step aside, make way for the elderly and the sick and maybe even offer to help them. That is a sign of good manners, which are absent in this country. This behaviour represents an attitude which is boorish. In spite of their education, they display a lack of manners, etiquette, decency and most of all compassion. Sad to say, this attitude and behaviour spills out on our roads. That is the way we drive without a thought for any other road user. The result is 1,40,000 road fatalities annually.

I have had to go to the PGI, Chandigarh, on a few occasions. The New OPD is a very modern building with all facilities. However, there is a major flaw. The parking lot is badly placed. It is across the road and a patient has to cross four lanes of traffic to get to the OPD Block.

No motorist slows down for the pedestrians who have absolute right of way. To make matters worse, the motorists dont hesitate to blow their car horn. This, when there are No Horn and Silence signs all over. Even if they were not there, should one not have the good sense to respect that a hospital is a silence zone.

The Cardiac Centre is a kilometre away. A motorist always in a hurry, hooting indiscriminately, insists on overtaking. Not only is that dangerous, but is disrespectful for the ailing. The Cardiac Centre is well placed and, thankfully, the parking lot is close by. So, no crossing roads.

Traffic at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, is much the same. I was entering through the In gate. There were five- six cars ahead of me waiting in line because an ambulance was offloading a patient. The car behind me honked a couple of times, the owner flashed his lights. As nothing was moving, he broke the queue and entered through the Out gate only to come bumper to bumper with an ambulance. A jam! How can a straight thinking person obstruct an ambulance?

The Maharashtra government has asked the President of India to grant permission to penalise offenders under the Maharashtra Transport and Road Safety Act 2017. Section 20 of The Act prohibits sounding horn needlessly or continuously or what more than what is necessary to ensure safety. It also prohibits blowing horns in Silence Zones, using multi-toned horns creating harsh, shrill loud or alarming noise or driving vehicles after making modifications in the exhaust leading to creation of undue noise. Section 23 of The Act provides a penalty of Rs 2,000 for each contravention.

If Chandigarh is to be a Smart City, this one serious problem must be addressed.

Happy Motoring!
Jyotirmoy Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 21

The number of farm deaths in the state rose to five after a farmer committed suicide in Chamba block of Tehri district today. Rajkumar (46) ended his life by consuming an insecticide. His body was found in a field this morning. The deceased Rajkumar taken loan from two banks and was unable to pay off the amount. He is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons.

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for more than half of the states population. Rise in farm deaths has given the opposition a chance to corner the state government. State Congress president Pritam Singh expressed shock over suicide by a farmer in Tehri. He said farmers were under tremendous pressure to repay bank loans, which had become increasingly difficult due to crop loss on account of deficient rainfall and other natural causes. He also flayed the BJP government on its failure to fulfill election promises, which included farm loan waiver.

Meanwhile, a four-member delegation of the Congress comprising Shanti Prasad Bhatt, Narendra Ramola, Rajeshwar Badoni and Sahab Singh Sajwan met the bereaved family in Chamba today and inquired about the incident.

Of the five farm deaths, three have occurred in Udham Singh Nagar district while one each took place in Garhwal and Kumaon hills.
Islamabad, July 21

Pakistans Supreme Court today concluded hearing the high-profile Panama Papers case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family for alleged corruption, but reserved its verdict that could jeopardise his political future.

The three-member Bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan did not immediately give any date to give its judgment.

Justice Saeed observed that the court will not deviate from any law while delivering its judgment. We are conscious of the fundamental rights of petitioners and respondents. The apex court also opened the final part of the 10-volume report submitted by the Joint Investigation Team it had set up to probe the allegations of money laundering by Sharif.

The JIT has recommended that the reports Volume-X should be treated as confidential as it contains the details of correspondence with other countries. Sharifs legal team has objected to it.

The court has ordered authorities to provide a copy of the volume to Sharifs lawyer Khawaja Harris.  PTI

Sharifs response fails to satisfy court
Jerusalem, July 21

Three Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on Friday as clashes erupted between protesters and Israeli forces over new security measures at an ultra- sensitive Jerusalem holy site where police restricted access for Muslim prayers.

One Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli gunfire in the A-Tur neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

A second Palestinian was killed by gunfire in east Jerusalems Ras al-Amud neighbourhood, while a third was shot dead in Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank, the ministry said, without providing details on the circumstances.

Israels army confirmed it was involved in clashes in Abu Dis.

The unrest came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalems Old City for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

Police said later in the day that discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors instead of forcing everyone to go through them.

But Palestinian and religious leaders were still calling on worshippers not to enter until they were removed.

Hundreds held midday prayers near the gates of the Old City in protest. According to police, dozens of people entered the compound.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalems Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gatethe entrance most heavily used by Palestiniansblocked.

A group of several hundred people, including Muslim leaders, marched towards the Lions Gate entrance to the mosque compound, but police informed them that only men aged 50 or over would be allowed in.

Police later fired stun grenades and tear gas towards protesters outside the Old City, while Palestinians threw stones and other objects at security forces in some areas.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 109 people were wounded in Jerusalem, of whom 38 were taken to hospital. No injury toll was given for the West Bank.

They turned back everyone who came here to pray but then I told them I was going to the doctor, but they did not let me in, said Ulfat Hamad, 42, who was visiting from the United States.

I am going to pray here with others, he said outside the walls.

Tensions have risen since police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceive as a means for Israel to assert further control over the compound containing the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern.  AFP
Washington, July 21

US President Donald Trumps legal defence team is exploring ways to grant presidential pardons to his family members and aides amid reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was looking into their finances as part of his Russia probe, according to a media report.

Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, The Washington Post quoted one of the people familiar with the effort.

Trump is fighting allegations his presidential campaign colluded with Russians to get him elected last year. Last month reports emerged that Trump was considering firing Mueller, drawing criticism from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers.

According to the Post, a second person said Trumps lawyers have been discussing the Presidents pardoning powers among themselves.

Some of President Trumps lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S Mueller IIIs Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the Presidents authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort, the report said.

The special counsel, meanwhile, has asked White House officials to preserve any records of a meeting last year between the President's son and a Russian lawyer, according to a source with knowledge of the request.

Reacting strongly to the report, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in a late night statement called for full disclosure of the presidential pardons.

Tomorrow, in response to a report that President Trump is considering pardoning his aides, or his relatives, or even himself to avoid potential criminal charges, I will be formally calling upon the White House Counsel to publicly disclose all presidential pardons, Krishnamoorthi said.

If President Trump were to pardon himself or his aides  especially in secret before any charges have even been brought  that would sabotage a federal investigation. We need full transparency of the Presidents exercise of pardon power now, he said.  PTI

Sessions wont resign despite Trumps censure

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he planned to remain at his post despite President Donald Trump slamming the Justice Department head for recusing himself from the Russia probe, Efe reported

I have the honour of serving as attorney general and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate, Sessions said

WH spokesman spicer quits
Washington: The Trump Administration on Friday announced plans to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea, attributing it to the serious risk of arrest and long- term detention of Americans in the reclusive nation. The move comes following the death of university student Otto Warmbier, who was returned to the US in a coma after spending time in a North Korean prison. A federal notification is scheduled to be published next week and new travel restrictions could come into place 30 days after that. Individuals seeking to travel to North Korea for certain limited humanitarian or other purposes may apply to the Department of State for a special validation passport, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said. pti
Washington, July 21

The Trump Administration on Friday announced plans to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea, attributing it to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of Americans in the reclusive nation.

The move comes following the death of university student Otto Warmbier, who was returned to the US in a coma after spending time in a North Korean prison.

A federal notification is scheduled to be published next week and new travel restrictions could come into place 30 days after that.

The safety and security of US citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Koreas system of law enforcement, the Secretary (of State) has authorised a Geographical Travel Restriction on all US citizen nationals use of a passport to travel in, through, or to North Korea, Nauert said.

Once in effect, US passports will be invalid for travel to, through and in North Korea, and individuals will be required to obtain a passport with a special validation in order to travel to or within North Korea, she said.

Individuals seeking to travel to North Korea for certain limited humanitarian or other purposes may apply to the Department of State for a special validation passport, the spokesperson said.

There has been movement towards a ban for a while in the US, which increased with the Warmbier death.

Apart from the treatment of Americans in North Korea, tension has been increasing over North Koreas nuclear programme.

This month North Korea announced it had successfully tested what it said was its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the latest in a series of tests in defiance of a UN ban.  PTI
Basin Environmental opens office at 61st and Memorial

Basin Environmental & Safety Technologies has opened a new office in Tulsa at 61st Street and Memorial Drive, company officials announced this week.

The company announced the hiring of Jason Voskuhl as vice president of engineering and environmental compliance programs and manager of the new office. The Tulsa native has 20 years of experience in environmental compliance.

The new office will allow for the company to better serve and more efficiently handle its clients needs as Basin continues to grow. Basin is a Native American-owned small business that handles a wide diversity of environmental, safety and health needs.

BKD transfers Devore to Oklahoma from Nebraska

BKD CPAs & Advisors transferred Robyn Devore from its Nebraska practice to its Oklahoma practice unit, managing partner Todd Lisle announced.

Devore is a member of BKD National Not-for-Profit Group, BKD National Governmental Group and BKD National Higher Education Group. She helps lead the team for these industries in BKDs Oklahoma offices.

She is a graduate of Drury University.

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits adds new staff

Ramon Walker of Tulsa was one of three hires announced by The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, the states preeminent provider of training, consultation and advocacy services to the charitable sector.

Walker is an experienced development instructor, having developed online and in-person courses for adults. Walker has produced leadership conferences and is a graduate of Oral Roberts University.

Other hires include Kim Leveridge as director of learning and professional development and Linh Sasser as communications coordinator.

The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is a statewide nonprofit organization equipping and strengthening the Oklahoma nonprofit sector through training, consulting, advocacy, membership, networking and awards. Its mission is building better communities through effective nonprofits.

Financial veteran joins Enacomm Financial Suite

Enacomm Inc., a leading provider of customer authentication and intelligent interactions technologies for banks, credit unions and credit card companies, named David Baker as vice president of sales-financial services.

Baker will focus his efforts on the companys banking products and services, known as the Enacomm Financial Suite.

Enacomm is pushing the envelope with financial services technology that will transform todays banking into an experience fit for future generations, Baker said. Im excited to introduce banks, credit unions and credit card companies to Enacomms intelligent customer self-service solutions that reduce costs while improving customer retention.

Baker joins Enacomm from Unify (formerly Siemens Enterprise), where he successfully led a goal-exceeding team as director of North America Channels. Before Unify, he drove sales of call center technologies in numerous senior positions at several organizations. He is a graduate of Bridgewater State University.

Lopp of HoganTaylor named chair of OSCPA committee

HoganTaylor executive S. Christopher Lopp was named chair of the Oklahoma Society of CPAs Business Valuation/Forensic & Litigation Support Committee for 2017-18.

Lopp has more than 20 years of experience in financial management, strategic planning, business valuation, litigation support and mergers and acquisitions transactions in a variety of industries.

Lopp, who has served on the committee since 2011, was asked to take on this new role by Jane Haskin, the incoming president of OSCPA.

He is a graduate of the University of Tulsa.

ImpactTulsa announces new director of early learning

Jessica Smith was named director of early learning at ImpactTulsa.

Smith has 15 years of experience in public education and nonprofit work. She was the program director at Reading Partners for four years and led 52 people to serve over 1,300 students in 22 schools within Tulsa Public Schools. She was also a library media specialist for nine years.

She has bachelors and masters degrees from Northeastern State University.

Tulsa County ranch owners receive Centennial award

Tulsa County ranch owners Kathleen Morrow and her brother, Frank Morrow of Rockwall, Texas, won the Oklahoma Centennial Ranch Award, deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Melvena Heisch announced.

The Morrows own the Morrow Home Place near Collinsville and have grown hay, alfalfa and raised dairy cattle, Dorset sheep and Herford cattle since their grandfather, Joe Fagan Morrow, settled the land in 1905. Four acres of the property, including the original homestead, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

To qualify for a Centennial Farm or Ranch Award, a property must be owned by a family member for at least 100 years and be operated or occupied by a family member or leased out by a family member older than 65. The property must include a minimum of 40 acres and gross annual sales of at least $1,000.

APA Services hosting 2 aviation job fairs this month

APA Services, a national placement firm focusing on the aviation and aerospace industry, will hold two job fairs Wednesday as it hopes to fill more than 200 positions in the industry in Oklahoma.

Fairs will be held at 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center, 6808 S. 107th East Ave. Tulsa Tech and Spartan School of Aeronautics will also participate.

APA needs to fill positions ranging from entry level to skilled labor to high-level engineers. Entry-level positions do not require previous aviation experience. The pay range is between $10.50 and $75 an hour.

Positions include skilled aviation and aerospace technicians, A&P mechanics, avionics technicians, structures mechanics, inspectors, paint, composites, cabinetry and upholstery and more.

This is a great time to work in aviation, said Nicole Minter, company principal and APA director. Our client companies are busier than ever and need good people to fill the positions. These are good-paying jobs with solid companies.

St. John Rehab center holds grand opening

St. John Health System and HealthSouth Corp. held a community grand opening celebration to commemorate its new hospital, St. John Rehabilitation Hospital, affiliated with HealthSouth, on July 13.

The 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital is at 1200 W. Albany Drive in Broken Arrow. It also includes two isolation rooms, two bariatric rooms and six rooms equipped for patients needing dialysis treatments during their stay.

The 49,000-square-foot hospital also features a spacious therapy gym, outdoor courtyard, dining room and dayroom areas. It serves patients overcoming a variety of debilitating illnesses and injuries including stroke and other neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, amputations, hip fractures and complex orthopedic conditions.

This is where magic takes place. Through this hospital, patients will be treated with a multidisciplinary approach to help them meet their medical and personal goals, said David Nicholas, CEO of St. John Rehabilitation Hospital. We look forward to reaching many milestones for a second time with our patients such as walking, communicating, driving, cooking and getting back to work.

Credit unions to hold charity ride to aid childrens hospital

Oklahoma Central Credit Union and Cornerstone Credit Union League will host the third annual Credit Unions Care Charity Ride to benefit The Childrens Hospital at Saint Francis on Saturday.

Members and staff from Oklahoma Central and other credit unions from Tulsa and surrounding areas will deliver bags full of stuffed dogs to the hospital. The ride is part of Cornerstones fundraising campaign for the Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, of which The Childrens Hospital at Saint Francis is a local partner.

Riders will meet at 9 a.m. from Oklahoma Central Credit Unions Brookside branch, 4956 S. Peoria Ave., and caravan to the Childrens Hospital at Saint Francis at 10:30 a.m. To participate, visit oklahomacentral.org/creditunionscare.

Linde Engineering adds two to executive positions

Linde Engineering North America announces that Carlos Conerly has been named president of its natural gas and refining division and Artugo Puigbo as vice president of sales and technology for the natural gas and refining division.

Over his nearly four decades of experience, Conerly has led teams in sales, marketing, strategic planning, engineering, design, fabrication and construction of process plants for the oil, natural gas and refining industries. His previous roles include positions with Thomas Russell, Exterran and most recently ISTI Plant Services.

Puigbos experience is in engineering, field services, sales and management. He most recently worked for Cameron/Schlumberger as global director of midstream and previously held positions with Bechtel Corporation, Merichem Chemicals, Exterran and Petroleos de Venezuela.

Both will serve in the companys Tulsa office, 6100 S. Yale Ave., Suite 120.

ONEOK executive named Roundtable chairman

Rob Martinovich with ONEOK was named chairman of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable for 2017-18 at its recent annual meeting in Tulsa.

Local representatives named to the board include Steve Hendrickson of Boeing and Stuart Solomon with PSO. Mike Neal with the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce was named ex officio member.

OBR was founded in 1991 and serves as the states key economic development support organization and works to promote new jobs and investment in Oklahoma through business expansion, start-up and recruitment efforts with approximately 160 member companies.

Boldt Company recognized for top superintendent

The Boldt Company announced Brad England has been named the 2017 Superintendent of the Year by the American Subcontractors Association of Oklahoma.

England has worked for The Boldt Companys Oklahoma City office for 12 years first as a carpenter and was promoted to superintendent in 2008.

ASAOK is the primary industry trade group representing subcontractors in the construction industry. Member companies nominate top subcontractors and vote for the best of the best within the industry and presented awards at the annual banquet in Shawnee.

Avansic receives award for fourth straight year

Avansic: E-Discovery and Digital Forensics was recently honored with a Platinum Partner Award from iCONECT-XERA for the fourth year in a row.

The award recognizes the companys commitment to provide litigation support hosting, services and technology to its law firm and corporate clients. Avansic provides e-discovery, digital forensics, online review hosting, data preservation and expert consulting services to attorneys and corporations.

We are honored to be awarded with this recognition and look forward to continuing to bring e-discovery and document hosting services to Oklahoma and the region, Avansic CEO Gavin W. Manes said.

Partners were evaluated by reviewing their contribution to product vision, customer service, joint marketing of the iCONECT-XERA eDiscovery software and engagement with clients to expand eDiscovery knowledge. Avansic also met requirements for product knowledge, administrator certifications, size of installation and duration as a hosting partner. Platinum level awards are granted to companies that have made additional investments in staff, infrastructure and customer engagement.
In the third year of its revival, Tulsas Great Raft Race will feature a reboot of the traditional sand sculpture contest and the addition of rental vessels on which to float the Arkansas River.

Organizers also have introduced a STEM School Challenge to teach raft-building skills and promote student participation, as well as a pre-party to take place in mid-August at Fuel 66.

Mayor G.T. Bynum, speaking at a news conference Friday with race director Seth Erkenbeck, used the promise of his own participation on the water to encourage entrants and support efforts to boost river development and recreational use.

Its a high-risk thing for an elected official to be in a boat out there; the symbolism, if my raft sinks, is dangerous, Bynum quipped.

The event on Labor Day, Sept. 4, is expected to draw more than 1,000 people to the Arkansas River to float the eight miles from Sand Springs to Tulsa.

Those who dont own or dont want to build a water craft can register online and then rent an inflatable raft or kayak at the entry point in Sand Springs. The deadline to sign up your own vessel or for a rental at tulsaraftrace.com is Aug. 15.

So you can show up with nothing, jump on a kayak and participate in the event, Erkenbeck said.

Spectators also can rent kayaks at the Bud Light Boatyard Bash at River West Festival Park, where the race concludes, to experience the sights from on the water.

The sand sculpture contest, a tradition in the 1980s and 1990s, will return for the 2017 event. Good Morning America featured the contest on its show in 1991, Erkenbeck said.

John Gowdy, a world-champion sand sculptor from the East Coast, will produce a Tulsa-themed exhibition piece and judge the competition. Sand sculpture teams can sign up at the Raft Races website, as well.

Chase Beasley, an American Airlines official, discussed details of the STEM School Challenge that his company is sponsoring.

Teachers can register a class online, with 10 classes to be selected for participation. The chosen classes will receive raft race curriculum and a guide to raft construction, Beasley said.

Engineer sponsors also will be available to guide raft-building, he said.

Its going to be more of a holistic experience than just encouraging the kids to come out and covering their fee to get in the race, Beasley said.

Bynum called the Arkansas River the citys defining natural asset and the reason why Tulsa is where it is on the map. He said generations of people were able to use the river for recreation, and citizens overwhelmingly voiced in the Vision 2025 sales-tax vote for low-water dams that they want that option again.

This is one day out of 365 that we get to use the river for recreation, Bynum said. Think about what its going to be like here in a few years when you can use it any day of the year for that.
Production has started on an new animated series for preschoolers, Bluey.

Created by Joe Brumm with Ludo Studio, the 52 x 7-minute series has been co-commissioned by ABC and BBC Worldwide, to screen in 2019 on ABC KIDS and thereafter on CBeebies.

The series follows Bluey, a loveable and inexhaustible six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy who lives with her dad, mum and four-year-old little sister, Bingo.

In each episode, Bluey turns her energy to the task of constructing bizarre and elaborate games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun.

Bluey is based on the experience of raising two daughters, said Joe Brumm. Playing seems as natural to them as breathing. Its fascinating seeing how much they learn from devising and playing their own games, especially the more elaborate and social ones. So Bluey is a celebration of the role imaginative play has in shaping healthy kids. Were excited to express this universal message in a uniquely Australian setting.

Michael Carrington, Head of ABC Childrens Television said, By creating Bluey solely in Australia, Ludo Studio is giving Aussie animation talent a chance to shine on a delightful and engaging series that will be broadcast here and distributed internationally. Our ABC KIDS audience will instantly fall in love with this imaginative and curious little blue cattle dog, and were thrilled to be partnering with Ludo Studio once again on another unique and endearing preschool series.

Henrietta Hurford-Jones, Director of Childrens Content for BBC Worldwide said: Were thrilled to be working with the talented team at Ludo and Michael and team at the ABC on Bluey. This show introduces a wonderful character in Bluey who uses every day gameplay to understand the world around her. The show takes an authentic and very funny view on family life with young children that ensures it will be enjoyed by parents as well as children. Add in the beautiful Australian locations and colours and we feel Bluey will become a new global hit.

Bluey comes with funding support from Screen Australia, in association with Screen Queensland.

Inspired by the warmth and beauty of semi-tropical Queensland, this big-hearted, authentically Aussie series will be created and produced wholly in Australia. The creative team behind Bluey includes creator/showrunner Joe Brumm (Charlie and Lola), Emmy awarding-wining producer/executive producer Charlie Aspinwall (Doodles, #7DaysLater), Emmy awarding-wining producer Daley Pearson (Doodles, #7DaysLater), and animation director Richard Jeffrey (Tinga Tinga Tales). The series will be executive produced by Michael Carrington, ABC Head of Childrens Television, and Henrietta Hurford-Jones, Director of Childrens Content for BBC Worldwide.

Sally Caplan, Screen Australias Head of Production said: Ludo Studio are carving out a niche for themselves as innovative storytellers and creators of fun, fresh kids content. Their International Emmy awards demonstrate the global appeal of their shows, so it is no surprise to see BBC Worldwide come on board and co-commission Bluey with ABC KIDS. We are sure children around the world will love the adventures of this adorable Australian cattle dog!

Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira congratulated Brisbane-based Ludo Studio on their latest success. Screen Queensland has provided funding for Blueys development and its great to see the series begin production, Ms Vieira said. Children will fall in love with this wonderful animated show, created by one of Australias most innovative production houses.
Afghan refugees hold up cards providing proof of registration, in Maach, Pakistan in 2008. A new pilot programme that began this week is issuing citizen cards to undocumented Afghans in Pakistan.  UNHCR/DAKhan

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the pilot launched this week of the Pakistan governments programme to register undocumented Afghans living in the country, currently estimated between 600,000 to one million.

This significant step will help regularize the stay for many Afghans at a time when return to their home country may not be possible.

Afghans registered under this new scheme will receive Afghan Citizen (AC) cards, providing them legal protection from arbitrary arrests, detention or deportation under Pakistans Foreigners Act. The AC cards will allow Afghans to stay in Pakistan for the time being, until they can be issued documents, such as passports, by the Government of Afghanistan. The initiative will bring much needed relief for many Afghan families where some were registered refugees, while others had no legal status.

The registration of undocumented Afghans follows three years of consultations between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and UNHCR. It forms part of Pakistans Comprehensive Policy on the Repatriation and Management of Afghans, which was endorsed by its cabinet in February this year. Other components of the plan include: extending the validity of the Proof of Registration cards to some 1.4 million registered Afghans refugees until the end of 2017; a commitment to adopt a national refugee law; and a visa regime for different categories of Afghan refugees who have the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

The six-month registration programme began yesterday (20 July) with the launch of a pilot in the countrys capital Islamabad and the north-western city of Peshawar, which hosts the largest number of undocumented of Afghans. The programme is expected to be rolled out in all four provinces from 16 August.

Pakistans National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Ministry of States and Frontier Regions and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation will oversee the project with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR.

UNHCR will assist IOM with its information campaign in reaching out information to Afghan communities residing in Pakistan as well as ensuring that Afghans with international protection needs are referred to UNHCR.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Afghan refugees hold up cards providing proof of registration, in Maach, Pakistan in 2008. A new pilot programme that began this week is issuing citizen cards to undocumented Afghans in Pakistan.  UNHCR/DAKhan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan  An Afghan in Pakistan without papers, Mohammad Rehman has lived all his life in fear of arrest by the police and deportation to his conflict-torn homeland.

But a new Pakistan government programme to register up to one million undocumented Afghans like him, is finally allowing him to dream of stepping out of the shadows with a measure of security.

I am feeling confident that I will have at least some sort of identity while in Pakistan, says Rehman, who was born and raised in Pakistan to Afghan parents. If the police arrest me now, at least I will be released without much trouble.

The pilot programme launched on July 20 seeks to register undocumented Afghans living in the country, currently estimated between 600,000 to one million, many of whom have lived in Pakistan for nearly four decades and raised children there.

I am feeling confident that I will have at least some sort of identity while in Pakistan.

Under the scheme, thousands like Rehman will be issued with an Afghan Citizen, or AC, card providing legal protection from arbitrary arrest, detention or deportation under Pakistans Foreigners Act.

The six-month registration programme began with pilot projects in the countrys capital Islamabad and the north-western city of Peshawar, which hosts the largest number of undocumented Afghans. The programme is expected to roll out in all four provinces from August 16.

The push to issue the cards has been welcomed by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. It will allow Afghans to stay in Pakistan for the time being, until they can be issued documents such as passports, by the Government of Afghanistan.

The initiative will bring much needed relief for many Afghan families where some were registered refugees, while others had no legal status, UNHCR spokeswoman Duniya Aslam Khan told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday (July 21).

It will help regularize the stay for many refugees at a time when return to their home country may not be possible, she added.

The registration follows three years of consultations between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and UNHCR. It forms part of Pakistans Comprehensive Policy on the Voluntary Repatriation and Management of Afghans, which was endorsed by its cabinet in February this year.

"The initiative will bring much needed relief for many Afghan families."

Other components of the plan include: extending the validity of the Proof of Registration cards to some 1.4 million registered Afghans refugees until the end of 2017; a commitment to adopt a national refugee law; and a visa regime for different categories of Afghan refugees who have the Proof of Registration cards.

Pakistans National Database and Registration Authority, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation will oversee the project, with support from the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, and UNHCR.

UNHCR will assist IOM with an information campaign to reach Afghan communities living in Pakistan, as well as ensuring that Afghans with international protection needs are referred to UNHCR.

Aside from easing his fears of arrest, undocumented Afghan honey vendor Saleem Khan sees other benefits from the registration programme. He hopes that having a card will allow him to move more freely and access markets in the village of Mandi Bahuddin in Punjab, and, reduce his childrens fear of discrimination in school.

My daughters were reluctant to attend the school as their teachers would bother them from time to time due to lack of documents. Police would stop us at every check post. After getting the card, we will be relieved, he says.

Additional reporting by Qaisar Khan Afridi in Islamabad
For half a year, school teacher Jean-Claude Ndereyahayo was tortured in a prison in Burundi. When he finally found refuge in Canada in 2007, all he landed with was an extra shirt and pair of trousers purchased from an airport shop.

I began to wonder, what will my life be? he says. Because at the beginning, it was hard. I was in a shelter.

Undeterred by the daunting obstacles and towering buildings of Toronto, Jean-Claude threw himself into school to distract from the loneliness of his new surroundings. His perseverance paid off  he soon found a job as a community service worker, helping those in need in the community.

Last year, he anxiously clutched a bouquet of flowers at the same airport he had arrived at nine years earlier, waiting for his wife, Desiree, to step through the doors.

You can't imagine he says, trailing off, gazing at her in the modest apartment they share today. To his left, the flowers are still in a vase  dried out, but forever a reminder of the challenges and joys of their new home.

When you can feed your family, when you can just help friends, when you can just contribute to the community, it means you are a free person, he says. Now I have the vision to make my life the fullest possible.

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.
George Perry, Mauli Agrawal, Joo L. Ong, Jose L. Lopez-Ribot and Bernard Arulanandam

(July 20, 2017) -- The UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers (ADR) today inducted two new members: Joo L. Ong and Jose L. Lopez-Ribot.

The UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers was established in 2015 to select and honor outstanding faculty who are accomplished scholars and who share UTSAs continuing commitment to research excellence. The Academy aims to foster the highest quality of research and scholarly activity by UTSA faculty, and to promote the universitys vision as a premier public research university. The Academy is composed of researchers across all disciplines who represent the best of UTSA research.

Each year, the Academy decides upon the induction of new members. Candidates are nominated by their peers, and their body of research work is subjected to intense evaluation. Academy members review each candidate, looking at all the criteria and discusses the candidates to ensure a lively debate.

There are many components the committee considers to measure the research and academic impact of a nominee. We are looking for high quality research and scholarly activities. It is a rigorous process to determine who is a true scholar, said Hamid Beladi, chair of the Academy of Distinguished Researchers, and Janey S. Briscoe Endowed Chair in Business.

The Academy considers a number of factors that include but arent limited to: the impact and the overall quality of the research, the number of citations and publications, publication in highly recognized and leading peer-review journals, recognized works, performances and exhibitions, competitive grants (federal and international) and funded research, patents, major scientific inventions, editorships and research recognitions.

This year, two UTSA researchers were selected for induction.

Joo L. Ong & Jose L. Lopez-Ribot

Joo L. Ong, Ph.D., is the USAA Foundation Distinguished Professor in the UTSA Department of Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the associate dean of administration and graduate studies for the UTSA College of Engineering and is the interim department chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Ongs primary research focuses on modifications and characterization of implant biomaterial surfaces for dental and orthopedic applications, tissue engineered bioceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration, protein-biomaterials interactions and bone-biomaterials interactions.

Ong is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is also the Associate Editor for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part B. His publication portfolio includes two books (one edited), 16 book chapters and 146 peer-reviewed journal publications. He has four issued patents from his research work and one pending patent filed with the US Patent Office.

Jose L. Lopez-Ribot, Pharm.D., Ph.D., is a professor of Microbiology and the Margaret Batts Tobin Distinguished Chair in Biotechnology, Department of Biology. He is also the Associate Director of The South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (STCEID).

His laboratory studies fungal infections, with an emphasis on the opportunistic pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, the main causative agent of candidiasis affecting an increasing number of immune- and medically-compromised patients. Work in his laboratory encompasses from the basic biology of the cell wall, biofilm formation, adhesion and morphogenetic conversions, to the use of animal models to better understand virulence and host responses, to the more translational and clinical aspects such as antifungal drug development, drug resistance and vaccines; with the ultimate goal of devising new strategies for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of candidiasis.

In 2016, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He is an author of more than 175 publications and several patents, and he has received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense, American Heart Association (AHA), different foundations and pharmaceutical companies. He has also provided extensive service to his discipline as a grant reviewer for NIH, AHA, National Science Foundation, Veterans Administration and many other different national and international funding agencies, as well as an associate editor, editorial board member and ad-hoc reviewer for multiple Microbiology and Mycology journals.

The Academy of Distinguished Researchers serves as a way to recognize the high caliber of research being done at UTSA, and provide a forum for our researchers to connect and to collaborate. Our institutional goal is to be recognized as a research-intensive institution based on the scholarly output of our outstanding faculty members, said Bernard Arulanandam, Interim Vice President for Research, UTSA.

With todays inductees, the Academy now has 15 members, representing the UTSA Colleges of Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Liberal and Fine Arts, Public Policy and Sciences.

UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.
Alpine Streams Topic of July 27 UW Research Center Talk

Deb Finn, Missouri State University stream ecologist assistant professor, will discuss the importance of alpine streams on ecosystems Thursday, July 27, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service Research Center in Grand Teton National Park. (Deb Finn Photo)

The importance of alpine streams on the ecosystem will be discussed Thursday, July 27, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Deb Finn, Missouri State University stream ecologist assistant professor, will present Tetons alpine streams: unsung heroes of diversity and vulnerability as part of the centers Harlow Summer Seminars at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required.

Alpine streams are the highest-elevation headwaters of major river basins such as the Mississippi and Columbia. Unique ecosystems in their own right, alpine streams support a diversity of animals, plants and microbes that thrive in cold conditions with short seasonal windows of opportunity for growth and reproduction, Finn says.

Most alpine streams rely on meltwater from various sources -- including glaciers, snowpack and subterranean ice -- with each source type generating a unique set of environmental conditions to which the local fauna and flora are adapted, she says.

Finn will present an overview of alpine stream ecology from a worldwide perspective, then discuss ongoing research in the Teton mountain range. She will emphasize conservation concerns associated with climate change and the possibility of climate refugia to help alpine biodiversity ride out the worst of this storm.

Her ongoing research is in high-alpine stream ecosystems, such as those above treeline in the Tetons. She has studied climate change impacts on alpine streams in mountain ranges of both North America and Europe, and is part of a team of researchers working to understand ecology and environmental change in Tetons alpine streams.

The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area.

For more information about the Harlow Summer Seminars, contact Michael Dillon at (307) 543-2463 or michael.dillon@uwyo.edu.


Las Vegas hottest party of the year, Aid for AIDS of Nevadas (AFAN) 31st annual Black & White Party, returns to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Saturday, Aug. 19 (Pictured: Jane McGuire, Alison Scheel, Sheila Taylor, Jermey Szymankowski).

Hosted by the Duchess of Decadence Norma Llyaman, the highly anticipated event will feature avant garde (and barely there) fashions, performances from top entertainers, savory food & beverage offerings, and exciting silent auction items.

Last year, nearly 4,000 guests raised more than $140,000 to benefit AFANs client service programs to help men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada.

Themed A New Orleans Soiree, the Hard Rock will be transformed into The Big Easy with inspired decor. For an added element of mystery, mystic vendor booths will offer a glimpse into the future, drawing upon the voodoo culture found in the alleys of Bourbon Street.

Marco and Joanna from iHeart Radio Sunny 106.5 will host a VIP reception from 7-9 p.m. with performances from Pia Zadora, Michelle Johnson, and East Side Riot.

While savoring an array of appetizing food and beverage options, guests will be treated to a lively set by DJ Axis and eye catching performances from Strip entertainers including Absinthes Melody Sweets, Human Nature, BAZ, Frank Marinos Divas, Culture Shock, and acrobats Brandon Scott and TJ Stutts.

Fantastic silent auction items will be up for bid including a hotel and spa package at Waldorf Astoria Orlando, tickets to Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Cher, Cirque du Soleil shows, other luxury gift baskets, staycation packages, and beauty products. To view silent auction items, visit the AFAN Facebook album at facebook.com/AFANLV.

Ticket packages include: $65 Black Package includes general admission access at 9 p.m. and unlimited food and beverage samples from vendors $85 White Package includes entry to private reception from 7-9 p.m. with complimentary toast, passed appetizers, early access to silent auction items, and unlimited food and beverage samples from vendors $125 Silver Package includes access to VIP lounge area inside the party with upscale open seating and cocktail service, premium vodka samplings, entry to the private reception from 7-9 p.m., and unlimited food and beverage samples from vendors Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased at afanlv.org. Purchase tickets early and receive 10% off by using discount code EARLYBIRD. Offer available until July 31. Guests must be 21+ years old and are encouraged to wear as much black and white possible, or as little as they can get away with.

Following the party, Piranha Nightclub will host the official after-party, and to complete the weekend, Temptation Sundays at Luxor will host a Big Easy pool party on Sunday, Aug. 20. Guests are encouraged to get home safe by using the official ride-share sponsor Uber. Use code AFAN2017 and a portion of your ride will be donated back to AFAN.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is offering a limited amount of staycation packages for party attendees. Receive 10% off rooms by clicking here or calling reservations at 1.800.473.7625 and mentioning the B&W Party.

Presenting sponsors include Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Penn & Teller, Walgreens, iHeartMedia, Greenspun Media Group, and PDQ Printing. For sponsorship opportunities, please email events@afanlv.org.


Kari Curletto of Las Vegas was named the winner of the 13th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest presented by Cheap Chic Weddings and Quilted Northern at Thursdays design showcase.

Ten finalists showcased their work at the contests finale event held at Peerspace venue Loft 29. Contestants crafted dresses out of nothing more than Quilted Northern bath tissue, tape, glue and/or needle and thread, and this year 1,517 entrants were up to the challenge.

[fbvideo link=https://www.facebook.com/cheapchicweds/videos/1598185596898352/ width=588 height=700 onlyvideo=1]

Representatives from Cheap Chic Weddings and Quilted Northern, Edward Meyer of Ripleys Believe it or Not, Mara Urshel, co-owner of Kleinfeld Bridal and Michael Russo, Lifestyle Expert, TV Host and Celebrity Wedding & Party Planner served as judges for this years contest to help select the winning designs. Mr. Meyer presented the Ripleys Fan Favorite Award to Ronaldo Cruz of Chesapeake, Va..

Russo commented These dresses, with the incredible level of detail and the uniqueness of the design, make them showroom ready.

Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com, an online company specializing in providing brides with fiscally savvy tips for a fabulous wedding, began the annual contest thirteen years ago based on the popular bridal shower game. As the contest has increased in popularity from year to year, so has the level of competition.

Although the competition has been going on for more than 13 years, the designers consistently exceed our expectations! says Laura Gawne, co-founder of Cheap Chic Weddings. This years crop of designs continues to impress and convey what is truly possible when toilet paper is crafted for greatness, added Susan Bain, Cheap Chic Weddings Co-Founder.

Designers collectively used approximately 250 rolls of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush and Ultra Soft and Strong bath tissue to craft their one-of-a-kind designs. Quilted Northern is proud to supply toilet paper that has been crafted with the highest attention-to-detail for over 100 years  making it luxurious enough for a memorable wedding dress but comfortable enough for a forgettable bathroom experience. The Crafted For Greatness campaign illustrating the Quilted Northern journey can be viewed here:

Crafted For Greatness Campaign for Quilted Northern

httpvh://youtu.be/hgB6_h_CYp4

We were amazed to see how the finalists worked with our meticulously designed Quilted Northern Bath Tissue to create runway ready, couture craftsmanship, said Brian Rice, Senior Director, Design & Packaging Innovation for Georgia-Pacific. While our first foray into fashion may be unexpected, we are excited to put our experience in crafting for comfort in the bathroom to use in this new world.

Additionally, Quilted Northern is proud to partner with The Longleaf Alliance and has made a donation to plant one tree for every contestant of this years 13th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest presented by Cheap Chic Weddings and Quilted Northern. Maintaining longleaf pine stands is crucial in supporting biologically diverse habitats throughout the southeast, and the Longleaf Alliance is a leader in this effort.
Linked to the bank account of the customer, the Citibank Debit Mastercard performs standard functions including cash withdrawals and purchase payments. The new Mastercard is also contactless-enabled, affording customers the convenience of paying for purchases at millions of merchants in almost 80 countries worldwide.

At Citi, our goal is to deliver best-in-class products and services, and to ensure remarkable banking experience for our clients, wherever they are. The new Citibank Debit Mastercard is packed with features, benefits and privileges, including exclusive offers on dining, shopping, travel and lifestyle purchases, said Natasha Ansell, Vietnam Citi country officer.

Debit cardholders will enjoy a suite of new features including access to Mastercards highly successful Priceless Cities programme, which provides exclusive travel and lifestyle experiences in more than 45 destinations around the globe.

Citi Vietnam has commenced issuing the new Debit Mastercard to their customers, with all customers expected to receive the new card soon.

We have accelerated efforts to transform our model to be simpler, dramatically faster, more scalable and far more digital. Mastercard is well respected for their global leadership and role in driving payments innovation, and we are very pleased to continue our work together to make payments simpler, easier, and more secure for our clients, added Ansell.

Citi was one of the first major bank partners for Masterpass, allowing cardholders to pay with any enrolled credit, debit anywhere online or in app, using any device, eliminating the need to enter payment and shipping details every time they make a purchase.

Beyond the convenience of making cash withdrawals and point-of-sale transactions anywhere in the world Mastercard is accepted, Citi customers will have access to new functionalities on their debit cards from making secure online transactions to contactless mobile payments and more, said Julienne Loh, executive vice-president, Global Products and Marketing, Asia Pacific, Mastercard.

According to Euromonitor, debit is the fastest growing payment method in Asia Pacific, representing 58 per cent of card payment volumes at around $6.58 trillion. In 2016, debit transactions grew at 21 per cent CAGR, outpacing both credit transactions (18 per cent) and cash (13 per cent).

Higher growth in transactions compared to average ticket size further indicates an increasing preference for using debit for everyday transactions.
All regulations to guide the implementation of the National Assemblys resolution on settling non-performing loans must be issued before August 15. - Photo vaytien.com

The PM issued Directive 32/CT-TTg, stating that all regulations to guide the implementation of the NA resolution on settling non-performing loans must be issued before August 15, the date the resolution takes effect, a move that reflects the Governments determination to settle bad debts.

Under the directive issued on Wednesday, Phuc has assigned the Ministry of Justice to direct the enforcement agencies at all levels to rapidly settle lawsuits, which have taken legal effect, related to bad debts of credit institutions and the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC).

The ministry will also be responsible for drafting a decree on collateral transaction, which will be submitted to the Government for approval.

The directive orders the Ministry of Public Security to direct its agencies to maintain security and social order when credit institutions and the VAMC exercise their legal right to confiscate and sell collateral assets of bad debts as per the regulations stated in the resolution.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment must direct its property ownership registration agencies to carry out procedures to transfer the property ownership and use rights to legal purchasers and assignees of bad debts, as stipulated in the resolution.

The PM has also entrusted the Ministry of Planning and Investment to co-operate with relevant agencies to map out plans to disburse State budget in order to pay arrears for the Governments infrastructure construction projects.

Under the directive, Phuc has required the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) to closely supervise and inspect credit institutions and the VAMC in the implementation of the resolution.

The central bank must also work out with relevant ministries and agencies a streamlined legal framework proposal for settling bad debts and collateral assets and submit it to the Government before August 15, 2021, based on effects of the enforcement of the resolution.

Besides enhancing supervision, the SBV must also take responsibility for streamlining current legal regulations on the governance of credit institutions, especially risky governance, and credit granting for credit so as to minimise bad debts the next time.

Last month, NA deputies ratified the resolution on dealing with banks bad debts. Experts have applauded the resolution, saying it is necessary to reduce the bad debt ratio of credit institutions, including the debts sold to VAMC, to below 3 per cent.

With the resolution, credit institutions and the VAMC can trade bad debts in an open, transparent manner at market prices, in accordance with the law, they said.

Huynh Minh Tuan from VnDirect Securities said the resolution would perform the important job of clearing away congestion in the economy, which agencies have been trying to do for the past five to six years but only with modest success. Now, the resolution will give more rights to credit institutions to liquidate mortgaged assets, thereby helping to avoid prolonged lawsuits related to debt collection and reducing capital costs.

According to an SBV report, by the end of 2016, non-performing loans across all credit institutions accounted for 5.8 per cent of the institutions total outstanding loans. If hidden debts are also taken into consideration, the total is 10.08 per cent.
Abhishek Prasad plays the guitar during brain surgery in Bangalore. (Photo: AFP/Handout)

Abhishek Prasad had been suffering a neurological disorder that caused his fingers to cramp in one hand, preventing him from strumming properly.

The 37-year-old sought treatment from numerous specialists before doctors at Bangalore's Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital recommended a bizarre procedure to reverse the condition known as "musician's dystonia".

Surgeons drilled into his skull under anaesthetic and attached an electrode that allowed them to pinpoint where in the brain needed "burning" to cure the rare nerve disorder.

"During this entire surgery Abhishek was fully awake and was playing the guitar, since this problem only comes when he tries to play," Dr Sharan Srinivasan said in a statement Thursday.

"This feedback was very important for the doctors to get the exact location of the target to be lesioned."

Prasad described the surreal experience of being conscious on the operating table during the seven-hour procedure as his fingers slowly became more dexterous.

"I was amazed to see my fingers improve magically on the operation table itself. By the end of the surgery, my fingers were 100 per cent cured and I could move them like before," he told the Times of India newspaper.

Prasad had stitches removed on Thursday in hospital, where he thanked doctors and played a few tunes to demonstrate how well he had recovered.
The Dangerous Side-Effects of Plastics, and How to Minimize Their Toxic Impact

Plastics are not only an environmental disaster; these man-made conveniences introduced a century ago are also harming our physical and mental health. Phthalates  chemical compounds used to make plastic more flexible and durable  are found in more products than you might imagine, and have become the human bodys
According to the Washington Post, President Trump has terminated all CIA programmes providing support to jihadists in Syria.

According to the daily, this decision was probably taken during a meeting with CIAs Director, Mike Pompeo, and the National Security Adviser, General H.R. McMaster. This closed meeting would have taken place before the Trump-Putin meeting on 7 July 2017 during which a cease-fire in the South of Syria was announced. This chronology would prove that the Trump administration was bowing down to Russia.

But according to our information, this decision would have been taken around 20 May 2017. Furthermore, the decision would apply not just to jihadists in Syria but to all jihadists wherever in the world they may be. On the basis of this decision, Donald Trump would have been able to deliver his speech at Riyadh calling upon all Muslim states to break ties with all jihadists including their political matrix, the Muslim Brotherhood.

In Syria, the US is now supposed to be fighting Daesh in support of the Kurds belonging to the PKK/YPG.
The Ministry for Heritage has announced that three new interpretation panels have been placed within our Old Town in order to provide information on our Medieval History, namely our Islamic and Spanish Periods.
First Meeting of the Gibraltar Consultative Council

In 2015, The Chief Minister announced that he was to bring legislation to Parliament to set up a Consultative Council, along the same lines as the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, to consider such issues that are above party politics but which affect the national interest.

The first meeting of this Consultative Council is planned for Monday 24 July, to be held at No 6 Convent Place.

The first meeting of the Council will include only post holder members and life members of the Council, that is to say, individuals who are members of the Council by virtue of posts they hold or have held. Members of the Council who are appointed by the Chief Minister, or ad hoc members will be notified of the Chief Ministers request to join the Council in coming weeks before a further meeting of the Council in the autumn.

The following post holder members and life members of the Gibraltar Consultative Council have been invited to attend :

As Post-Holders:

The Chief Minister, who will act as Chairman The Deputy Chief Minister

The Minister for Justice

The Leader of the Opposition

As Life Members:

Those individuals who have held the post of Chief Minister

Those individuals who have held the post of Deputy Chief Minister

The Chief Minister has reached out with a personal invitation to the new Leader of the Opposition, Hon Mr Roy Clinton, to attend the first meeting of the Council. In a statement, Government have said that Mr Clinton has "declined the invitation on the grounds that it remains GSD policy not to attend."

The Chief Minister said: I am very pleased that the Consultative Council will meet for the first time on Monday. I have been very keen to get the work of the Council going. This is a time in our history when we need to have all of Gibraltars best brains working together in the common interest of Gibraltar. That is what the Council will set out to achieve. It will provide a sounding board of advice for a Chief Minister on matters which transcend the party political and which are in the national interest of Gibraltar. I am grateful to all those who are entitled to membership by virtue of the posts they hold or have held who have indicated that they are able to attend on Monday. I will look forward to the meeting which I expect will concentrate on the future workings of the Council which I trust will endure long after I leave Government and the post of Chief Minister.
Dane DeHaan in Valerian. Photo: STX Entertainment/EuropaCorp /YouTube

Dane DeHaan is in the wrong movie this summer. Instead of Valerian, he ought to have done Dunkirk. Christopher Nolans war movie is exactly the kind of blockbuster DeHaan has been trying to get into since the start of his career. Instead, his big-budget features have been good movies that cant access his charisma (Valerian) or bloated, bad ones that dont do anything for anyone (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). We dont begrudge any young actor becoming a star  and DeHaan should be!  but this is the wrong approach. I submit a humble request: Dane DeHaan, please stick to indies.

In Valerian, Luc Besson cast DeHaan to get away from the glazed, hyperfit leading-man standard issued by Marvel. I like the fact that Valerian is not Schwarzenegger. Hes not Iron Man, Besson told Vulture recently. Hes not the big guy. Most of the time hes lucky, sometimes he says stupid things. He is very human. Valerian and his partner Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a pair of intergalactic space agents on a recovery mission that goes awry when a species no one has ever heard of captures their commanding officer (Clive Owen). Its like Star Wars without the daddy issues  not a lot of drama to parse, but its fun.

Bessons right about DeHaans appeal: Hes not built like so many other actors of his class, but the humanity that got him hired can only carry so many scenes. It ebbs and flows in Valerian: Hes believable as a bratty lawman ogling Rihannas striptease, but less believable when hes trying to banter with Delevingne. (This isnt entirely his fault; everyone in Valerian delivers Bessons dialogue like theyre chewing toffee.) In the bombast of action scenes, however, he deflates right when Valerians story needs him to be swashbuckling.

Thats not to say that he lacks swagger. The actors eyes are permanently saddled with duffel bags under them, but hes been surprisingly visceral in previous roles. Kill Your Darlings deploys his charisma in doses that alternate between seductive and unsettling: As Beat poet pal Lucien Carr, he seduces Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), but also manipulates him. Its a romance mangled with his own boyish confusion. Hes pushing everyones buttons, albeit awkwardly. The Carr character is like Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted except a little less certain, a little more confused. Same goes for DeHaans performances in Chronicle and Place Beyond the Pines, where hes quiet, but not necessarily gentle. He might look like a pimply teen late for homeroom, but hes playing real outsiders  unusual and unnerving  not just mercurial adolescents.

Performances so still and controlled dont quite scan in the blockbusters DeHaans chosen so far. Harry Osborne and Valerian are characters with sex appeal and braggadocious overtones; DeHaans whole skill set comes from a subtlety that gets lost if the cameras not fixed on him. His strongest performance to date was as the teen therapy patient Jesse in HBOs In Treatment. Playing off of Gabriel Byrnes controlled, measured performance, DeHaans energy was constantly and excitingly in flux. With a flicker, he switched from bragging about sleeping with older men, to fearful of how easy it was to manipulate his adoptive mom, and shaken by the possibility of connecting with his birth parents. There were flashes of rage and immaturity, energy that his work in blockbusters has always lacked.

Theres someone in Hollywood whos had this same problem, except her blockbusters successfully turned her into an A-list star: Kristen Stewart. The two actors presences share an underlying tension thats released not in flashes of rage, but in pulsing currents. Even with the movies melodramatic overtones, Stewart was as out of place in Twilight as DeHaan is in Valerian. Her niche arrived in finding her physicality in stillness: reading mysterious texts in Personal Shopper, sparring with Juliette Binoche in Clouds of Sils Maria, spilling out words in Certain Women.

Even with the explosion of cinematic universes, there are still plenty of young actors who do interesting, rewarding work outside the confines of blockbusters. Perhaps DeHaan could take a page from Paul Danos book, or maybe even Michael Ceras? Remove the effects-heavy, big-budget scripts from the stack, and get back to the kind of roles that made us fall in love with him.
Kevin Spacey. Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage

Kevin Spacey has come out to Italy to shoot a Netflix biopic about author and public intellectual Gore Vidal. According to Variety, The Last Stations Michael Hoffman is directing the film, which will focus on Vidals life during the 1980s, and will shoot at Vidals villa on the Amalfi Coast. Throughout his long literary and political career, Vidal insisted that he was not gay, but bisexual, making the role a great fit for Kevin Spacey, who mostly just makes jokes about rumors of his own sexuality. Though by starring in films like this one, Spacey has made it clear that hes biopic-curious.
Photo: Annapurna Pictures

In the summer of 2014, I went up to Detroit to meet a man who had been very hard to find. He was called Cleveland Larry Reed, a common enough name, but it had taken a researcher several months to dig up a working telephone number. I left a few messages. When I finally got him on the phone, he wasnt sure he wanted to see me, let alone talk about 50 years ago.

I promised that I wouldnt waste his time, and he eventually let me into his apartment. It looked like Larry, in his mid-60s, hadnt been out in a couple of days, maybe longer. Living alone, not too steady on his feet, hed fallen a long way from the glamour and ease of his youth, of electrified nights singing and dancing for the fancy crowds at the Fox Theater downtown.

In 1967, Larry was 18 years old and the co-founder of a Motown group called the Dramatics. They were a bunch of friends who had honed their playground songs into a major-league act, touring the country, opening for Aretha Franklin, the Supremes, all the huge Detroit stars. Larry was deeply committed to his music and career and didnt court trouble with anybody, much less the police. But one night, in the summer of 67, at the Algiers Motel in Detroits Virginia Park section, he had an encounter with law enforcement that left him permanently wounded  mentally and artistically.

What brought Larry down wasnt a flaw in his character, or a bad decision made in the heat of a moment, it was shitty luck and racism. At the height of the Detroit riots, when the Dramatics fled from a canceled gig and were trying to find a safe place, Ron Banks, the groups other co-founder, managed to make it home, and would go on in the following years to lead the Dramatics to Billboard hits. By a random twist of fate, Larry and some of the others tumbled into the Algiers Motel, where they crossed paths with a police squad that judged them by the color of their skin. The result was a night of terror from which Larry never recovered. Turn left, go home. Turn right, grab a hotel room. What separated success from failure for young black men in the late 1960s was so thin, it was almost impossible to delineate in the moment.

On that muggy summer afternoon in 2014, after spending several hours with Larry, I found a lot to respect and admire. He had, despite everything, persevered in his determination to live as an artist. He now sung for various church choirs. I left his apartment feeling deeply compelled by his story and grieving for the potential that had been robbed from him.

The sort of interaction I had with Larry was unique, as all people are unique, but not entirely new to me. As a reporter and the writer of three scripts set in the real world, I often find true events and real people as my spark and inspiration. When I started Detroit, I thought of it as Larrys story  one man who has his voice stolen from him. But as I learned about what happened at the Algiers Motel, and more broadly about what had been going on in the city of Detroit, the cast of characters grew. The five-day rebellion that will forever mark Detroits history started as a chain reaction, moving from person to person, group to group, until it engulfed 200 city blocks of a dense urban area. I followed the story outward from Larrys own, interviewing firsthand as many participants and witnesses as I could, while bringing other characters to life from newspaper archives, police reports, federal lawsuits, and other contemporaneous accounts. It was a daunting task. You could take almost any person alive in Detroit in 1967 and theyd have a story to tell. At some point, the screenwriter in me has to tell the journalist to put his notebook down.

Larrys story ended up sharing space with that of Melvin Dismukes, played so poignantly by John Boyega, as an African-American security guard stuck on both sides of the racial divide, and the sociopathic racist patrolman, Krauss, a character inspired by the actions and recorded deeds of a Detroit policeman.

Detroit in 1967 was highly segregated city, its racial boundaries enforced by the police. Young black men, in particular, were subject to routine assaults and humiliations as a means of keeping them in their place, and it was the accumulated anger and frustration from these encounters that exploded during a routine raid of an after-hours club on a hot July night. I thought it was important to show how even small interactions could be loaded with hostile, dehumanizing intent, like a cop grabbing the backside of a young black woman as hes herding her into a van. I drew inspiration from the disturbing trove of news photos, like a famous one of police in riot gear advancing down the street on a gang of elegantly dressed grandmothers. Fear erased all semblance of civil society.

During the writing of the screenplay, in the summer of 2015, the story and characters took shape in a haunted mood of danger and sudden death, and I found myself working in horror-genre veins, except that in my case, the supernatural element was replaced with the all-too-real terror of racism. At the same time, the emerging narrative had elements of a crime saga, set against the backdrop of a city on fire. Although, in another twist on convention, in this crime tale the perps were the police.

By the time the draft was completed, and passed on to my frequent collaborator, director Kathryn Bigelow, Id written something quite unlike the singular focus and sole protagonists of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. The effort to make Detroit a mirror of the chaotic times led to an ensemble piece, quickly shifting between characters in a nesting doll of movies within movies, a riot film that gives way to racial horror-crime that switches to a courtroom drama, with several detours along the way into a bands journey, the miseducation of rookie cops, and the adventures of a pair of young women experimenting with sexual freedom. It was, in short, a lot of ground to cover in a single picture. But Kathryn was encouraging, and over the proceeding draft we collaborated closely to hone the themes and scope, while attempting to keep alive the spirit of a tough and untamed narrative.

The underlying intention, however, was always pretty straightforward: to unpack the riot and this one incident at the Algiers from the point of view of its many participants, and thereby enable the audience to experience the events themselves. We wanted viewers not so much to watch the story as absorb it like a physical sensation. This necessitated certain narrative devices, in order to slip the whole thing past the resistance viewers often have allowing troubling feelings to get in.

So, I aimed to make the films structure feel like a volatile crowd, unpredictable and densely populated. The dialogue was a constantly looming creative challenge. It couldnt live in the past  it had to strike a middle ground between period authenticity and contemporary relatability. Most of all, the character arcs themselves had to bend to the reality of what the theorists call racial power structures. To me, that meant letting go of the screenwriters trusty toolbox and instead of using character to guide the plot  i.e., that character determines fate  embracing a plot in which social forces triumph, continuously and tragically, over individual will.

Beyond that, I dont have anything prescriptive to say about racism in America, only the sorrowful and perhaps obvious observation that the lessons learned 50 years ago seemed to have been forgotten in the wake of continuing injustices in Ferguson, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, and so many other cities. And while it is indeed an interesting and vital question to ask how much has changed since the 1960s between African-American communities and the police forces that putatively serve them, I leave that discussion to professionals in race and police reform. My interest was primarily in the human narrative, and the spiritual costs that the big social forces extract from us as individuals.

A word about research and real events: The foundation of the story, rooted as it is in an historical incident, was provided by an ample historical record, documents, police files, and a research team I commissioned, led by veteran investigative journalist David Zeman, who guided a Pulitzer Prizewinning series for the Detroit Free Press, among many other career highlights. The great journalist John Hersey wrote a book called The Algiers Motel Incident, which was published in 1968, before the dust had settled. Wherever possible, I took scenes and dialogue directly from contemporaneous accounts, like a newspaper story of a grieving mother on courthouse steps addressing the acquittal of the men charged with killing her son. There is, of course, a lot that is unknown or disputed, and in those cases, I employed poetic license, under a self-imposed rule to never stray from what I understood to be the underlying truth of a scene or an event. This script is built on a sturdy base of journalism and history, but it is not the same as journalism or history, nor does it aspire to be. As a screenwriter, I take the responsibility of being the creator of a tale, of transforming these raw materials into a drama.

I chose this story from the 60s in part because the decade evokes such lively and contradictory associations. The summer of 1967 witnessed two of the worst civil disturbances in American history  first Newark, then Detroit. It is troubling even now to watch the news coverage of all that violence and destruction, but make no mistake about it  this was an uprising, a rebellion. This was black America lashing out against an entrenched culture of repression and bigotry. And yet the far more widely remembered (and celebrated) spectacle of rebellion from that same moment in time is of the Summer of Love, all those hippies, mostly white, joyfully grooving out in San Francisco. By now, the love-potion stuff has run its course, diffused into little more than an advertising trope, but the events in Detroit are hard evidence of a cultural crisis that remains unresolved, of two Americas that still dont know quite how to deal with each other.

Detroit opens in select cities on July 28 and goes wide on August 4.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Comic-Cons biggest stage used to be dominated by movie blockbusters, though lately, its been reserved far more often for high-profile TV titles. Its fitting, then, that today in Hall H we got a project that controversially straddles the line between the two.

That would be Bright, which is rumored to be the most expensive film Netflix has ever commissioned. It walks and squawks like the sort of summer-movie tentpole that would play in 3,000 theaters: Directed by David Ayer, who is coming off the biggest hit of his career with Suicide Squad, it stars Will Smith as a human cop paired with an orc (Joel Edgerton) to solve crimes in an effects-laden, magic-infused version of Los Angeles. But despite costing upwards of $100 million to make, it will debut on the streaming service this December, foregoing any kind of exclusive theatrical window.

Will Netflix begin to cannibalize the theatrical experience if it can offer comparably big-budget films? For that matter, does it dent Will Smiths big-screen career if his action movies, which once reliably set box-office records every Fourth of July weekend, now debut on a streaming service that doesnt even offer viewership figures? The Netflix film Okja recently got this conversation rolling, but Bright will offer a far more mainstream test of whether a movie is still treated the same when its streaming. After Brights Hall H panel, Smith and Ayer gathered nearby to debate the matter with press.

I have a 16-year-old, a 19-year-old, and a 25-year-old at home, and their viewing habits are almost anthropological, said Smith, who proposed that Netflix and theaters can and should co-exist. Its a great study to see how they still go to the movies on Friday and Saturday night, and they watch Netflix all week. Its two completely different experiences.

For me, its pretty simple, said Ayer. This movie, I got to make in a way and at a level that otherwise, I may not have been able to make.

I pressed Ayer on that point. For as successful as Suicide Squad was, it was critically drubbed and subject to plenty of studio interference: Warner Bros. reportedly hired the company that cut the trailer to re-edit and re-score the directors cut Ayer submitted, and the final version of the film leaves all sorts of intended story lines hanging in the wind. Had Ayer made Bright at a big movie studio, how much would he have had to compromise his vision for it?

Smith quickly covered Ayers microphone. Objection, your honor, he joked. Im not gonna have my client answer that. After a huddle with Ayer, Smith relented: Ill allow it.

Its hard to speak for what could have been, said Ayer, delicately. I can say that this is the movie that should have been. I got to shoot in Los Angeles, we werent chasing a rebate. We got the equipment we wanted, we were able to shoot practical stunts. As a filmmaker, to spend more time working on the creative [instead of] working on the spreadsheet that supports the film is a true pleasure. I think that changes how you come at the movie and it changes how the cast comes at the movie because you feel that freedom.

The rating would have been different, added Bright producer Eric Newman. This is a rated-R movie, but at a studio, with the big budget it had, it wouldnt have been.

Theres a lot of orc nudity, joked Edgerton.

Once you go orc, you never go back, said Smith.

At the Hall H panel before the press conference, Smith admitted that a theatrical release still has a certain magic to it. Theres something about the big screen that does something to peoples minds, said the 48-year-old star, recalling the ecstasy of seeing Star Wars in a movie theater as a kid. (I had sex a few years later. It was close, but no Star Wars, he said.) Though Smith had plenty of success as a rapper and TV star before transitioning to movies, his first big-screen success changed the way people treated him. I was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and people would see me on the street, like, Will, Will, Will! said Smith. And that Monday after Independence Day came out was the first time anybody referred to me as Mr. Smith. [It] penetrates people in a very different kind of way.

But Smith, who once studied Tom Cruises country-hopping promotional playbook in order to launch himself as a bona-fide global superstar, is paying just as much attention to the cultural shift thats happening now. It is such a new world, he said. I released my first record in 86, so Im over 30 years in the business. Im seeing that transition of, essentially, the fans being more and more involved in the creative process. In terms of movie stardom, its a huge difference: You almost cant make new movie stars anymore, right?

Smith wondered out loud if Hollywoods trouble with minting new A-listers might be related to how accessible todays stars are on social media. Back in Smiths heyday, There was a certain amount of privacy and distance that you had from the audience, he said, and only on July Fourth did you have access. That [limited] amount of access gave you a bigger-than-life kind of thing, but this shift into this new world is almost like a friendship with the fans. The relationship is less like the time that you could make Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise into these gigantic figures. You cant create that anymore. The shift is to, Were best friends.

If Netflix offers a more intimate experience with the man who used to rule the movies, Smith is okay with that. He wants what you want. I love trying to make that shift and that transition, he said. Still, Smith flashed a little of that old-school ambition when a reporter asked how he felt about Christopher Nolans comments that Netflix, in its refusal to grant its films an exclusive theatrical window, was pursuing a mindless strategy.

Well, said Smith with a grin, I think Mr. Nolan is a wonderful director and I will not say anything that will keep me from being in his next movie.
For a minute or two this week, Zoo seemed kind of  boring. How strange, right? I really didnt think it possible. Especially after last weeks cliff-hanger, which cut a surprise reunion short with a sudden assault by a flock of hybrid vultures. (Im gonna need a good collective noun here thats better than flock. How about a hyperbole? That seems apt. A hyperbole of mutant vultures.) Anyway, youve got vulture hybrids, not just attacking the cabin where the heroes are hiding, but also dive-bombing underground for reasons unknown. We dont find out why until our team gathers their wits and fights their way back to their plane, and then we discover what they were doing underground.

The mutant vultures caused a nearby volcano to erupt.

Good ol Zoo.

Unfortunately, things start to drag a bit after that. Its a weird sort of slowdown  especially since this episode spends most of its time reuniting the entire Zoo Crew, something Ive wanted to see since the time jump separated everyone. However, outside of a few standout moments  Mitch telling Jackson what hes been up to is worth the price of admission alone  the reunions feel too anemic, even as they are enlightening. Jackson hates Jamie for her tell-all book, which used pseudonyms but was unfortunately too detailed to keep him anonymous, which forced him to go into hiding once the Shepherds deduced his identity. Abe and Dariela, burdened with Leanne Ducovnys request that they turn over Clementine, join the crew after Mitch and Jackson decide his expertise is needed to examine a vulture-hybrid corpse they brought on board the plane. And Mitch is perturbed by how dark Jamie has become, as signified by the fact that she drinks a Tom Collins now. Sometimes, I dont know whats stranger: Zoos ideas about science, or Zoos ideas about interpersonal relationships. Whatever. Mitch and Jamie still bang, so I guess Mitch gets over it.

Working together, the Zoo Crew figures out Abigail Westbrooks plan: to use these weird disk-devices as beacons that cause the new hybrids to propagate in new areas, eventually leading them all over the world. With enough beacons in key areas worldwide, Westbrook can bring about Hybrid-geddon and cause hybrids to sweep over the entire world in 90 days flat. They also discover her next target: New York City.

Its in New York that things finally start to pick up. First, Dariela and Abe have been debating about whether or not they will betray their friends to save their son. At first, Dariela argued against it, but then she secretly arranges to have Clem handed over to Ducovny.

Ducovny, by the way, is having a hard time these days. Her government-sanctioned plan to abduct children for her fertility experiment has not, as you would imagine, gone over well with the American people. Protesters gather around the Reiden office building every day, and shes getting pressure to subject her project to full government review. Whats more, Jamie gets a message from an informant that Ducovny is actually the Falcon, a.k.a. the leader of the Shepherds and the target she wants most to kill. Hmm.

Meanwhile, the Zoo Crew hatches a plan to stop Abigail, using Logans authority to get past the barricade and into Reiden as soon as Abigail arrives in the uniform of a cop she killed. After Mitch, Jamie, and Logan give chase, Abigail activates the beacon and hybrid vultures descend upon New York, giving her a chance to get away. When a countermeasure that Abe and Jackson worked out cant be implemented by Mitch and Logan, they compromise  by attaching the beacon to a drone so they can lead the hybrids into the ocean.

Problem solved? Day saved? Nope. Everything falls to pieces. In the confusion of the hybrid attack, Jaime ditches her team to go kill Ducovny, and then turns herself in. Clem, who thinks shes on an errand to pick up a spare part during all this, is in fact abducted by bounty hunters hired by Dariela. But because of the hybrid attack and Ducovnys death, no one is there to pick Clem up  and now the bounty hunters, being an intrepid bunch, want to take her on the market.

Also, that plan that was going to save us all? The whole lets put the beacon on a drone bound for the ocean thing? Not good enough. The drone battery is dying before itll make it far enough out. So Jackson Oz and Abe hatch the craziest plan yet: Theyll fly out to meet it in midair, open their cargo bay, and fire a battery cable at it with a crossbow. But we dont know if itll work, or if any of these plot threads will get resolved, because this is where the cliff-hanger leaves us.

Watching this show, I am beautiful.
Baylor Scott & White Health has hired Kyruus, a Boston-based company, to manage its information flow and to give clients online access to specifics about where to find treatment among the health systems 48 hospitals, including its Waco location, and its 1,000 access points and 5,500 participating doctors.

Kyruus will enhance the online experience offered to consumers, spokeswoman Serena Bronda said.

Bronda said Kyruus helps health systems in sharing information internally and with the general public, with the goal of giving consumers a one-stop option in their pursuit of health care. She said clients will have phone, online and person-to-person exposure to providers.

Improving patient access starts with capturing complete and accurate information about the providers within a health system, Kyruus CEO Graham Gardner wrote in a press release.

Julie Yoo, chief product officer and co-founder of Kyruus, said in a phone interview the seven-year-old company has grown to 350 clients, including 26 sizable health systems such as Baylor Scott & White Health, with 95,000 physicians associated with those systems.

Patients are told to wait a week to see a doctor, and we assume thats because every doctor is booked solid, Yoo said. Thats typically not the case. Most health systems are working at 60 to 80 percent of capacity utilization. A digitized inventory of providers means shorter wait times, which benefits the patient and the provider.

Yoo compared the service to Travelocity and Expedia in the travel industry.

She said in some cases the process means coordinating an appointment with a physician who is not the patients regular doctor.

But this is a soft referral system in which we recommend the best possible options. At the end of the day, patients make their own choices. We do not prescribe or force any selection," she said. If the patient wants to stick with the original choice, thats fine, though it could mean a longer wait for an appointment.

The system also will allow patients to go online and review information about physicians, and doctors can do the same for patients, she said.

A doctor may notice that laboratory results look a little unusual, as reported online, and recommend a visit to the cardiologist, Yoo said.

Her company has a growing staff of about 100 who visit clients and provide training on the nuances of using its products, she said.

She said some clients publish the cost of services, but she cautioned she is not saying Baylor Scott & White Health will take that approach.

The service we and others provide is a growing trend in the industry, and it is receiving a lot of attention from venture capitalists who want to provide funding, Yoo said. They view it as a massive market opportunity.

One of the Kyruus programs will give Baylor Scott & White patients access to the companys database of doctors and other providers who deal with specific conditions and illnesses, according to a press release on the contract.

Kyruus will complement the health systems effort to provide patients with personal health care information through mybswhealth.com and the myBSWHealth app, Baylor Scott & White spokeswoman Julie Smith wrote in a statement to the Tribune-Herald.
A Fort Worth man was convicted Thursday of kidnapping a woman he met at a homeless shelter and attempting to sexually assault her at a roadside park.

Jurors in Wacos 19th State District Court deliberated about four hours before finding Roy Lee Wells Jr., 42, guilty of aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and attempted sexual assault, a third-degree felony.

Wells, who rejected a plea offer before trial for eight years in prison, faces up to life in prison on the kidnapping charge and up to 10 years on the assault charge.

He has elected to have Judge Ralph Strother assess his punishment. Strother will sentence Wells in about six weeks after reviewing a report from the probation department.

Wells is not eligible for probation on the aggravated kidnapping conviction but is seeking probation on the attempted sexual assault charge.

Wells was arrested in May 2016 at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center after bringing the woman there when she complained of possible heart problems.

The woman, a native of Ethiopia, testified with the assistance of an Amharic interpreter. She said Wells sexually assaulted her twice in Fort Worth after they met at a homeless shelter there.

On the the night Wells was arrested, Wells forced her into his car and started to drive, she said. She told police they stopped along the way at what might have been a rest area or highway park and Wells attempted to sexually assault her.

The woman said she screamed and told him no, and Wells got mad and hit her with a belt.

The woman told Wells she thought she was having a heart attack, and he took her to the hospital, where Wells was arrested.
A judge denied attempts Friday by writ attorneys for death row inmate Carnell Petetan Jr. to submit more evidence of his alleged intellectual disability but allowed them to pursue claims that Petetans trial attorneys were ineffective.

Judge Ralph Strother of Wacos 19th State District Court conducted a hearing Friday on Petetans voluminous application for state writ of habeas corpus. The judge instructed attorneys on both sides to submit briefs on the appellate claims while denying Petetans attorneys from the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs an evidentiary hearing on their proposed issues.

Strother will review the briefs and make a recommendation to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals about whether he thinks Petetan deserves relief, including a possible new trial.

The Court of Criminal Appeals rejected Petetans original appeal in March, affirming his conviction and death sentence in the September 2012 shooting death of his estranged wife, Kimberly Farr Petetan, at her Waco apartment.

A 19th State District Court jury convicted Petetan and recommended he be put to death in April 2014. Trial testimony showed Petetan killed his estranged wife and kidnapped her young daughter just a few months after his release from a 20-year prison term.

One of Petetans writ attorneys, Jeremy Schepers, argued that Petetan deserves a hearing because his office has affidavits from 10 new witnesses, including three experts, who did not testify at Petetans trial concerning his alleged intellectual disability.

Schepers argued that the Court of Criminal Appeals denied Petetans original appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in another death penalty case with similar issues. The standards for determining intellectual disability, which can prohibit an inmate from being executed, may have changed with the higher courts ruling, Schepers argued.

Prosecutors counter

McLennan County prosecutor Sterling Harmon countered that the witnesses do not provide anything new, only more of the same testimony Petetans trial attorneys elicited at his trial.

The elephant in the room here is that this defendant testified at his trial, Harmon said. He went mano a mano against the states attorney for about three hours. The jury saw him, they heard him and they determined he was not intellectually disabled.

The McLennan County jury found that Petetan constitutes a continuing threat to society and rejected his claim that he is exempt from execution because of mental impairment.

The judge gave the writ attorneys an opportunity to brief their claims, including allegations that Petetans trial attorneys did not adequately investigate his life history and his intellectual disability. They also allege the attorneys failed to conduct an adequate investigation into Mr. Petetans incompetency to stand trial.

Petetan, a Port Arthur native, denied that he broke into his estranged wifes Lake Shore Drive apartment and shot her in front of her daughter and two men who rode from South Texas with him earlier that day.

Both of those men and the girl testified they saw Petetan shoot his wife, Kimberly Petetan.

Kimberly Petetan started writing Carnell Petetan in prison in 2009 after a chance meeting with his brother. A recovering drug addict who was studying to be a drug abuse counselor, Kimberly Petetan shared her story with Carnell Petetans brother, and he suggested that Carnell Petetan, then serving prison time for three violent assaults, could benefit from her kindness.

Petetan was in prison at the time for shooting two men and attacking another man in separate incidents when he was 16.

Petetan has been locked up since he was 13. He was on juvenile probation for attacking a teacher before being sent to a state juvenile facility in Brownwood.

At his trial, prosecutors established that Petetan sexually assaulted three other inmates while in prison, assaulted guards and was a member of the 357 Graveyard Crips prison gang.
Two suspects wanted in connection to a shooting death and robbery in Louisiana were arrested in Waco on Thursday morning, federal officials said.

Devin Jahmal Holefield, 25, and Devonta Deywane Orphey, 23, both of Lake Charles, Louisiana, were arrested after Lake Charles police gathered information that the two men were at the Landmark Apartments, 344 Richland Drive. Authorities conducted surveillance on the apartment complex and were able to arrest Holefield and Orphey outside the complex Thursday morning.

"A U.S. Marshals task force out of Lake Charles and Lake Charles police detective cased the neighborhood Wednesday, did interviews with known associates and developed information in Louisiana," U.S. Marshals Service Supervisory Deputy Dan Phillips said. "Once they had their information, our officers where out there within 30 minutes and found the car with Louisiana plates and were able to take them into custody without incident."

Phillips said Holefield and Orphey are suspects in at least two armed robberies Monday in Lake Charles, Phillips said. During the second robbery, a 31-year-old man was shot and killed, in what Phillips called a gang-related robbery.

According to a press release from Lake Charles authorities, several suspects are believed to be involved in the robberies. At least two suspects were arrested by Louisiana authorities, but both Holefield and Orphey were able to flee the area.

U.S. Marshals and members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force helped with the arrests in Waco.

Phillips said two loaded firearms and several boxes of ammunition were found the in suspects' car. Holefield and Orphey were arrested and taken to McLennan County Jail on murder and robbery charges, where they are awaiting extradition.

"This was a great collaboration of the task force and local, state and federal agencies," Phillips said. "Every agency involved is committed to being a team and keeping the community safe, no matter who is making the arrest."
Senate Republican leaders originally blocked all five GOP women out of negotiations for their health-care bill. And on Tuesday, three Republican women sunk leaders last-ditch effort to do something toward their promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.

After Senate Republicans second version of a health-care bill collapsed Monday under the weight of more than a dozen senators (male and female) who had concerns, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decided to just vote on repealing Obamacare without a replacement.

McConnells aim was to stick it to conservative senators who played an outsized role in sinking the first two versions of the bill. He was daring them to pull the trigger on something that could leave 32 million more people uninsured over the next decade and blow up the insurance markets. But before McConnell could even play chicken with these (mostly male) senators, by lunchtime Monday, Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski shut that down.

I did not come to Washington to hurt people, Capito tweeted.

I do not think that its constructive to repeal a law that is so interwoven within our health-care system without having a replacement plan in place, Collins said.

I cannot vote to proceed to repeal [Obamacare] without reform that allows people the choice they want, the affordability they need and the quality of care they deserve, Murkowski said.

In the Senates incremental world, three no votes is enough to stop a bill from even getting a chance for a full vote. By lunchtime Monday, Republicans efforts to unwind Obamacare was apparently dead. And it was Senate Republican women who killed it.

Lets rewind to explain why the Senates five Republican women werent originally involved in crafting a health-care bill. Republican leaders have been trying to write a bill that could pass an ideologically divided Senate since May, when House Republicans barely passed a controversial  and largely unpopular  piece of legislation. Senate leadership promptly threw that in the trash.

Instead, Republicans set up a group of about a dozen lawmakers to come up with something more moderate. None of them were women.

Leaving women out of the negotiations for legislation that affects half the population in a very intimate way was a huge optics blunder for Republicans. It underscored the partys lack of diversity, especially in the Senate, where 47 out of 52 Republicans are men. Just last year, Collins told researchers for a report about women in Congress that as a woman in this nearly all-white-male world, she has to fight harder to get recognized.

But leaving out women soon turned into a political problem for Republican leaders. McConnell retreated behind closed doors to write the legislation and soon even the members of the original working group didnt know what was in it. They unveiled a bill in June that received immediate skepticism from about a dozen senators, including Collins, Murkowski and Capito.

Republican leaders felt they had no choice but to negotiate the bill in secret to try to find a delicate balance between the partys conservative and moderate factions, which have very different ideas about governments role in health care. But in leaving senators out, they also left out their opinions. In the end, it was three female senators who were left out of negotiations from the start who torpedoed Republicans possibly final attempt to undo Obamacare.

Yet one shouldnt read too much into the gender dimension. Female Republicans concerns were much the same as their male colleagues concerns about the legislation. It would have cut Medicaid too much. It raised premiums on the elderly and sick. It left rural hospitals without a safety net. Murkowski and Collins said they wouldnt vote for a bill that defunded the womens health-care clinic Planned Parenthood.

This bill would make sweeping and deep cuts in the Medicaid program, which has been a safety-net program on the books for more than 50 years, Collins told ABC News on Sunday.

If theres a lesson in all this, its that when trying to overhaul a major social program, perspectives matter.
During the 85th legislative session, TRS-Care faced dire circumstances resulting in painful cost hikes for Texas public education retirees. As executive director of the Texas Retired Teachers Association, I have heard from thousands of retired school personnel about how the new health-insurance plans, which go into effect in January 2018, will impact their fixed monthly annuities.

This past session was not the first time that TRS-Care faced funding problems. In 2015, a $768 million shortfall was paid for in full by the Legislature. This session the shortfall grew to more than $1 billion. A state budget deficit made it nearly impossible to fund the shortfall without structural changes. If nothing had been done to address TRS-Care, the shortfall would have reached $3 billion to $4 billion in two years.

A study was conducted by the House and Senate in 2016. I heard disturbing testimony from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas that, without legislative action, retiree premiums would skyrocket to as much as $1,500 per month. Knowing no retiree could sustain such a premium on an average monthly income of $2,000, TRS made clear the program would close entirely before next session. The choice to eliminate access to health care for retirees was not one the TRTA supported.

The Texas House stepped up to support teachers and public education for the entirety of the 85th legislative session. It did the same for retired educators and the future of TRS-Care. While some retirees may not like all changes agreed upon in House Bill 3976, without its passage TRS-Care would have faltered and every retiree in the program would have faced a much bleaker reality.

HB 3976 shares TRS-Care plan costs by increasing contributions from the state and school districts. Going forward, these increases in funding will help ease the growing financial burden on retirees. State Rep. Trent Ashby, a Lufkin Republican who carried the bill, and House colleagues worked alongside TRTA and others to secure additional funding  $500 million from the Rainy Day Fund. The House unanimously approved this plan and TRTA considered this a comprehensive solution alongside the bill. The Senate, however, did not agree with utilizing Rainy Day dollars to soften the blow and extend solvency of TRS-Care.

Funding for TRS-Care will continue to be an issue. I fear retirees living on fixed incomes will lose access to health care due to ever-increasing medical costs. This is not the vision I have for our dedicated public education employees. A better solution with more funding can and should be found to ensure our retirees have access to quality, affordable health care.

Retirees are scared and unsure of how to deal with changes of this magnitude. Many educators have difficulty understanding how TRS-Care fell into such grim circumstances. Some retirees have even raised concerns about their legislators not supporting them in the struggle to maintain the program.

Most retirees, however, do not realize how close TRS-Care came to failing. It took an amazing effort led by Ashby, other legislators  including Republican state Rep. Charles Doc Anderson of Waco  to keep the unthinkable from happening. House Bill 3976 keeps TRS-Care alive and gives us the most valuable resource we need to truly solve this problem: time. A better solution would be impossible to reach if the program had collapsed.

To see this issue resolved, retired educators should ask Gov. Greg Abbott to make TRS-Care a top priority in the special session. With billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund, more should be done to help retirees.
Updated: Sunday, July 23 4:15 p.m.

The Wahoo community continues to rally support for Maddie Talbert, Emma Hastings, Jack Maass and Sapphire Quintana, the Wahoo teens from First Presbyterian Church were injured in an elevator accident while on a mission trip in New Orleans last week.

A prayer chain has been established and community member are being asked to sign up for 30 minute slot to prayer for healing and recovery. Sign up is done through Signup Genius at www.signupgenius.com/go/508084caaad2ea3ff2-prayer.

Three of the injured teen were planning to return home on Sunday afternoon, according to the groups Facebook page, New Orleans Mission 2017  RHINO.

Posted: Friday, July 21 2:45 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS  Four Wahoo youth offering a helping hand in New Orleans, Louisiana are now recovering from a July 20 elevator accident.

Five youth and three adults from First Presbyterian Church in Wahoo are on a mission trip there, working with the Rebuilding Together program.

First Presbyterian Church Pastor Kathleen Splitt, who is on the mission trip, reported Friday afternoon that one of the youth injured has already been released from the hospital, a second could be released later today and the other two will hopefully be released next week.

Two of the youth underwent surgery for their injuries. Splitt said although serious, the injuries appear to be isolated to broken bones.

Its broken bones, Splitt said. They have done all the tests they can do in the last 24 hours and its only broken bones. Bones will heal.

The mission group that left Sunday for New Orleans was scheduled to come home this Saturday. Splitt said Friday afternoon it was still unknown if some people would still return as planned or not.

The group is being hosted by the St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. Splitt said and one of the members of the church invited them to a private home. The homes host and four of the youth got into an elevator to see something on the third floor.

They piled into the elevator to go to the third floor, but a brake or something failed when they got there and the elevator crashed down two floors, she said.

She said the homeowner was also injured and underwent surgery. His condition was unknown Friday afternoon.

Families of the injured youth were immediately contacted. Splitt said she knew of at least one parent who had already flown to New Orleans and others were in route.

She added that the New Orleans host church has gone over and above with their support, offering to pay for flights and hotel rooms. Homestead Presbytery in Nebraska has also been in contact and offered support.

Splitt was already feeling the support from Wahoo too. She said she has been contacted by members of the Wahoo community, asking what can be done.

I tell them right now what we need is prayer, she said.

Up until Thursdays accident, the youth had been having a good trip.

Their mission was to scrape houses in preparation for painting. Another mission group from the Dundee neighborhood in Omaha is also taking part right now in the Rebuilding Together project.

Splitt said the two groups have bonded over the past week.

The kids are getting to be friends, she said. The Dundee kids are really concerned and are asking what they can do to help.
Located just a stone's throw from Piazza Farnese and Campo de' Fiori, Caffe Peru is one of the oldest bars in the centre of Rome.

By day it offers a wide range of pastries, sandwiches and coffee, while during the evening it becomes a cocktail bar, often hosting cultural events such as art exhibitions and readings.

The bar's clientele is eclectic, ranging from designers to Hollywood actors, priests to fashion models.

Also of note is the bar's lively decor with its bespoke tiles and mosaics by local artist Giancarlino.

Mon-Thurs 06.00-02.30, Fri-Sat 06.00-03.00.
It was Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (well before Russell Crowe in Gladiator) who said, "What we do now, echoes in eternity." How right he was. A few simple words written 120 years ago are ringing through our political landscape today; Section 44 of our constitution has seen the removal of two senators in the last week.

As ex-Greens senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters will ruefully tell you, Section 44 disentitles a person who is "under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen  of a foreign power" from standing as a candidate for parliament.

Does anyone seriously imagine Ludlam kept a secret allegiance to New Zealand? And Waters was simply born in Manitoba; her Canadian citizenship a simple accident of her parents' careers and local laws.

What makes things more perverse is that to be an MP in New Zealand you need only be a citizen, enrolled to vote and have lived there for three years. In Canada the Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that every citizen has the right to sit in Parliament. So in three years Ludlam could potentially be an MP in Wellington, while Waters could sit in Ottawa next to Justin Trudeau.
Despite the backlash from some sectors of the community, Dr Jane Baird says her job is very satisfying. Credit:Dani Knox Is concern about later-term abortions valid? In reality, abortions after 20 weeks are costly, difficult to access and sometimes subject to individual doctor's personal ethics about upper term limits, which can be earlier than the law stipulates. Later-term procedures also tend to be more complex procedures, and require different training. Queensland, where abortion is still in the criminal code, only has one private clinic that provides elective abortions at 18 weeks, with many people forced to travel interstate to access them past 16 weeks. Marie Stopes' Maroondah clinic in Victoria offers terminations for pregnancies of up to 23 weeks and 6 days, which they say is the latest the procedure can be accessed electively in Australia. Past that term limit, an abortion in Victoria requires ethics approval from two doctors. In many states the limit where ethics approval is legally required is earlier.

Tracy Little, the nurse unit manager at Maroondah, says that there is a lot of stigma surrounding later-term abortions. "I think that when I first started working here I was probably a little bit guarded to say where I worked and what I did but I've changed my attitude about that," Little says. "I'm very proud of what I do now that I've been here and see what great work we do and how we help women." Dr Jane Baird, a GP surgeon at Maroondah, says one myth about second trimester abortions is that they're inherently risky procedures for women. "Abortion is much safer than a vaginal delivery, and infinitely safer than a caesarean. "We still see women who die in childbirth in Australia. People haven't got that possibility even in their mind."

Late-term abortions: Rare, and not without reason A 2013 study examining the experiences of women in the US who had abortions past 20 weeks compared with women who had earlier abortions found that women seeking later abortions were younger, more likely to be unemployed and less likely to be married. According to the study: "Most women seeking later abortion fit at least one of five profiles: They were raising children alone, were depressed or using illicit substances, were in conflict with a male partner or experiencing domestic violence, had trouble deciding and then had access problems, or were young and nulliparous [never had a child or carried a pregnancy beyond 20 weeks]." It's difficult to find accurate figures around later-term abortions in Australia. One fact sheet from Women's Health Victoria suggests that less than 1 per cent of all abortions performed in Australia occur after 20 weeks. And data on why abortions are sought at later stages is even harder to come by.

"We get a lot of women with foetal abnormalities," says Little. Dr Baird remembers one case of a woman from WA who had travelled to the clinic. A morphology scan had showed that the fetus had a 50 per cent chance of having severe complications. But in WA, the cut off for elective abortions is 20 weeks. "You have to go before a panel and they decided she wasn't able to have a termination in Western Australia." Little says another factor in later-term abortions is simply not being aware of pregnancy immediately. "People wonder how people can possibly get to that late term without knowing they're pregnant. [But] women can get to full term and not know they're having a baby." The idea that people seeking abortions haven't been using contraception is a myth, says Dr Baird: "Most of the women I meet were using contraception."

She points out that many people assume that contraception is infallible, and don't realise that contraception has an increased failure rate over time, as the efficacy of birth control is usually communicated as its effectiveness over the course of a single year. As a result, "30 per cent of people on the pill will have an unintended pregnancy in five years". According to this interactive New York Times piece, even following permanent sterilisation methods, five in 100 people could become pregnant in 10 years. Dr Baird also says that later-term abortions attract more criticism because while early-term fetuses can resemble a "peanut", after 18 weeks more identifiable human features emerge. "I think it's easy to target second trimester abortions because it's easy to get an ultrasound picture of a fetus that has a heart and legs and a brain. Just because it has a brain, doesn't mean it's all wired up.

"People don't understand what happens over 40 weeks." Threshold of viability While continuing developments in neo-natal care have vastly improved the outcome for premature babies, they have also caused debate about limits for termination. In Australia, pregnancies between 22 and 26 weeks are regarded as being at the "threshold of viability". According to the "perinatal care at the threshold of viability" Australian guidelines, babies born alive between 23 and 25 weeks have a 50-90 per cent chance of a "poor outcome" if intensive treatment is provided  poor outcome defined as death or "profound impairment". "The thing I've learned is that, what could be something that I could manage in my situation in my family, versus what someone else could manage in their situation in their family is very different," says Dr Baird.

"If someone has the resources to care for this baby [born severely premature] then that's terrific. If someone's saying to me 'I don't have the resources to care for a healthy normal baby in 20 weeks time' that's a different argument." Dr Baird says she understands why people struggle with the concept of later-term abortions, but believes it's just a question of timing. She says many of their patients are vulnerable and in difficult life situations. "It's really important that they can access services. And if I believe in choice I have to put my money where my mouth is." Loading Despite the backlash from some sectors of the community, Dr Baird says her job is very satisfying.
In the darkest hours of tropical nights, professor Zenobia Jacobs trekked into the scrub of Kakadu National Park in search of the tiniest of time-capsules.

Her job was to collect grains of sand from an archaeological dig within an ancient Aboriginal rock shelter known as Madjedbebe.

She collected samples every five centimetres as the dig progressed right down to 2.5 metres.

She could not expose a single grain to sunlight.
Athens: A powerful earthquake has shaken the Greek resort island of Kos, killing two tourists, injuring more than 120 and damaging historic buildings and the main port .

Greek authorities have confirmed the tourists were from Turkey and Sweden.

A man lies on the ground as other tourists stand outside a bar after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early on Friday.

Fire Service rescue chief Stephanos Kolokouris told state television they died when a wall collapsed onto a bar in the Old Town of the island's main port.

The 6.5-magnitude quake struck about 1.30am (local time) on Friday rattling other islands and Turkey's Aegean coast as well, but Kos, nearest to the epicentre, appears to be the worst-hit where the two deaths and injuries have been reported.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 21, 2017 | 05:16 AM | MAYFIELD, KY

Two men were arrested on drug and other charges Thursday afternoon after a traffic stop in Graves County.

Graves County Sheriff Dewayne Redmon says deputies stopped a vehicle for traffic violations on US 45 North at Lumber Road in Mayfield. The vehicle was occupied by 32-year-old Matthew West and 35-year-old Ian Brady.

A search of the vehicle was conducted and drugs were found. West and Brady were arrested and lodged at the Graves County Jail.

Brady is charged with operating on a suspended operators license, failure to wear a seat belt, no insurance and no registration receipt. West is charged with possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jul. 21, 2017 | MURRAY, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 21, 2017 | 08:21 AM | MURRAY, KY

A Murray man is behind bars on drug charges after a search warrant at an apartment.



According to the Murray Police Department, officers went to an apartment complex (the address was not released by police) to serve an arrest warrant against 29-year-old Ray Caldwell, of Murray.



Police say when they knocked on the door, the man that answered provided a different name other than Caldwell. As they were verifying the name Caldwell had given them, police say he ran out of the apartment and jumped to the ground from a second story balcony.



Police chased him down two blocks away and took him into custody. He was arrested on multiple different drug charges for possession of meth, two warrants on contempt of court, and second degree fleeing or evading police. Caldwell was booked into the Calloway County Jail.




By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 20, 2017 | 07:29 PM | HOPKINSVILLE, KY

NASA is reporting that some unsafe eclipse glasses are being distributed by unscrupulous companies.

NASA recommends only using eclipse glasses with ISO 12312-2 printed on them that have been manufactured by four U.S. companies: American Paper Optics, Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17.

NASA officials say buying your eclipse glasses on Amazon does not ensure their safety. They say you should check your eclipse glasses and viewers to verify that they have the correct ISO designation and were manufactured by one of the four companies recognized by NASA as legitimate.

NASA also recommends that residents not reuse old eclipse viewing glasses, as they become unsafe after three years. Also, lenses that are scratched or wrinkled are not safe to view the event.

On the Net:
The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

By The Associated Press Jul. 20, 2017 | 08:44 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY

A former beauty pageant winner from Kentucky has been accused of smuggling marijuana into an Ohio prison for an inmate.

Media outlets report a grand jury in Allen County, Ohio, indicted 28-year-old Kia Hampton of Louisville earlier this month.

The third-degree felony charge of bringing drugs onto government facility grounds carries a maximum three-year prison sentence upon conviction.

Hampton was served a search warrant upon arriving at the Allen Correctional Institution on May 26 for an inmate visit.

Hampton was crowned Miss Kentucky USA in 2011 and was the first black woman chosen to represent Kentucky in the Miss USA Pageant.
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By The Associated Press

Jul. 20, 2017 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Jul. 20, 2017 | 05:34 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

A human rights group says the Kentucky Department of Corrections is illegally censoring books the group has sent to prisoners.



The nonprofit Human Rights Defense Center said it filed a lawsuit against the department this week in federal court in Frankfort.



The Defense Center says it sent 158 books to Kentucky prisoners in the past year and dozens were rejected for a variety of reasons. Among them the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law, the Prisoner Diabetes Handbook and the Prisoners' Self-Help Litigation Manual.



According to the Defense Center, the department's policies of banning books not directly purchased by prisoners and those not included on a pre-approved vendor list violates the First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment rights to equal protection and due process.



A department spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government is spending $6 million to supply Churchill by sea with enough propane to get through the coming winter.

Its better to be safe than sorry, Premier Brian Pallister told reporters Friday morning. Were erring on the side of making sure the people of Churchill are warm for the winter.

Pallister and Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen told a news conference that theyre acting independently to ensure Churchill has sufficient propane to take the town into next summer, even if the flooded-out rail line does not get repaired.

After heavy spring melt caused severe flooding, Hudson Bay Railway owner Omnitrax Canada suspended operations on the line June 9. (Supplied)

Manitoba is contracting with Stittco Energy to ship 110 containers with 2.2 million litres of propane, enough to supply Churchill through next June. If enough work gets done converting some buildings in Churchill to electric heating, that propane could last into a second winter, Pallister said.

We cant assume were going to get that rail line in, and then be wrong, Pallister said.

This is a cost worth incurring, Pedersen added.

Churchill Mayor Mike Spence learned about the propane shipment plans through the media. Repairing the flood-damaged rail line remains the issue, he stressed.

We understand that governments want the rail line owner (Omnitrax) to live up to their obligations. They need to force that issue or step in themselves. They cant dither while a community and northern Manitobans livelihoods are at stake, Spence said.

The provincial plan to ship propane this winter means the province appears to have given up. Even Omnitrax has stated that the rail could be fixed in 60 days. KRC (Keewatin Railway Company) said they could do it sooner.

Which rail companies have the province met with? Why are they prepared to spend millions of dollars without seriously examining repair options? This is not leadership, and only means more losses for northern Manitoba, he said.

From day one, Emergency Measures officials and federal officials have met to plan and co-ordinate to ensure food, propane and fuel issues are being looked at. However, if the rail line is repaired, these issues will be solved, Spence said by email.

It is imperative federal and provincial government officials meet immediately to determine how repair work will be initiated, Spence said, adding he cant understand why the premier is unable to make this a priority for his ministers.

Port, rail line are federal responsibilities: Pallister

Both supply and storage have been issues for the embattled town.

Pedersen said the shipment will include eurotainers, stackable steel-framed containers of propane that can be loaded onto a freighter in the St. Lawrence River, then stored safely in Churchill. The shipment needs to arrive by late September before the winter freeze-up begins.

The total cost of this undertaking is expected to be around $6 million. Were investing money without any acknowledgement of a partnership, the premier said.

While repeatedly saying he wasnt there Friday morning to take shots at Ottawa, Pallister said the port and rail line are federal responsibilities.

We will continue to urge the federal government to come forward with their plan. Ports and lines are federal, he said.

But Ottawa wouldnt give a direct answer Friday.

The office of federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Ottawas main priority is maintaining access to food and supplies for the people of Churchill.

We take this matter seriously and have already taken concrete measures to help the people of Churchill, wrote spokeswoman Delphine Denis.

The federal spokesman didnt address the companys calls to fund the rail lines repairs, or the provinces request to make a plan for the future of both the rail line and port.

Why are they prepared to spend millions of dollars without seriously examining repair options? This is not leadership. Churchill Mayor Mike Spence

Omnitrax has an obligation to repair and maintain its line and maintain service to residents, and we expect Omnitrax to meet its obligations, Denis wrote.

Pedersen said Denver-based Omnitrax made it abundantly clear earlier this week it doesnt intend to fix the line, which the company estimates would cost $20 to $60 million.

Our concern is Omnitrax is using the people of Churchill as a pawn in whatever theyre negotiating, he said.

Pallister still not addressing the real problem: MLA

Spence demanded that federal and provincial ministers get in a room together immediately and get the rail line running again.

The loss of Northern Manitobas lifeline is about more than propane. This is about the absence of leadership of federal and provincial elected representatives to this ongoing emergency, Spence said.

It is disappointing to hear todays update through the media. We continue to call for governments to sit around a table and meet with us. In over eight weeks since this emergency began, federal and provincial government elected officials have not met face-to-face once to our knowledge. The (grain) elevator has been closed for an entire year.

Pedersen noted the companys estimate has a huge spread, but he saw no point in getting the province to hire someone else to evaluate repairs and duplicate Omnitraxs report.

We do roads, bridges, ditches, we dont have the expertise to do rail lines, he said.

There may be legal implications for Omnitrax and the contracts its signed with the province, and subsidies its received, Pallister said.

I expect there are tons of them, said Pallister, who opted not to elaborate, though he noted American firms tend to be far more litigious than Canadian companies.

What about getting the rail line fixed? demanded New Democrat MLA Tom Lindsey. Crews could already be fixing up the rail bed and laying in materials, he said from Flin Flon.

Once again, hes (Pallister) still not addressing the real problem, is he? Last week he was switching to Hydro  whats the plan next week?

 with files from Dylan Robertson

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/07/2017 (1941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Exchange Income Corp. reported record-breaking second-quarter results released on Wednesday, several weeks ahead of schedule.

The Winnipeg-based company with diversified holdings  including regional airlines in Manitoba, a jet-leasing and parts company and a number of manufacturing companies in Canada and the U.S.  generated revenue in the second quarter of $273.1 million, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $70 million and net earnings of $25.8 million  all record-breaking results.

The all-time record results are that much more relevant as the company is currently the target of a short-selling campaign by high-profile San Francisco investor Marc Cohodes.

The results were better than the analyst consensus, which forecast revenues of $241 million for the quarter and earnings per share of 69 cents. The company reported earnings per share of 77 cents Wednesday.

Shares were up 3.12 per cent on Wednesday to $33.02.

EICs share price is still down from Decembers high of $45.09 but has held its own and is up $2 since a biting report from Cohodes first surfaced two weeks ago.

Another report from Cohodes last week quoted an unnamed pilot who said he quit his job at Perimeter Airlines, an EIC-owned airline, questioning the airlines safety practices.

But company officials have addressed maintenance issues and revenue from its Manitoba airlines was up seven per cent in the quarter with Perimeter posting all-time record numbers for May and June.

Company officials and the preponderance of Bay Street analysts of the company have refuted many of the short-sellers claims, which focused on questioning the companys ability to pay its healthy dividend and also made accusations about the airlines safety records and the track record of executives and board members.

In an interview shortly after the release of results on Wednesday, company CEO Mike Pyle refused to address Cohodes accusations directly.

Our job is to run the business. In the long run, businesses are valued based on profit and losses. We have been doing this for 13 years. Things dont always go perfectly. We have challenges in our business But we dont need everything to go right for us to deliver good results to our shareholders, Pyle said.

People have the right to be long or short on our stock, that is up to them. We are going to deliver results and if we deliver results in the long run that is what stocks are valued on.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Just hours after the release of one of Exchange Income Corp.s most successful quarters in history, another short report from activist short seller Marc Cohodes of Alder Lane Farm LLC was released, driving EICs share price down more than eight per cent.

Despite the fact that most, if not all, of the equity analysts who regularly undertake technical analysis of the financial results believe the shares should be worth between $40 and $45, the stock closed at $30.33 Thursday on very heavy trading.

Short sellers borrow shares from brokers, paying a nominal rental fee, and then hope to make money by driving the share price down and buying them back at a lower price.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Exchange Income Corp. CEO Mike Pyle rejects claims that EIC-owned airlines are threatened by boycotts and competition.

Among the allegations that have appeared in these short reports is that the number of flights on EIC-owned regional airlines Calm Air and Perimeter Airlines were down  78 per cent for Perimeter and 53 per cent at Calm Air  in June. But the company reported that revenue for its so-called legacy airlines  including Bearskin Lake Air Service and Keewatin Air  was up seven per cent in the quarter and company CEO Mike Pyle said Calm Air and Perimeter had record-breaking months in June.

The short report suggests EIC airlines market dominance is collapsing, threatened by new competition.

The suggestion that they are under massive siege is just factually wrong, Pyle said in a conference call with analysts.

The latest Alder Lane Farm report, which came out Thursday, states: Multiple reports out of Canadas Northern Provinces say First Nation peoples are boycotting EIF-owned airlines. Boycott and competition sharply cutting EIFs flight count.

Sheila North Wilson, grand chief for the organization that represents northern Manitoba First Nations, is not shy to criticize the transportation infrastructure that leaves her people paying more for services that people elsewhere in Canada would find lacking.

Ive talked to communities who are trying to find alternatives. But no, there is not much new competition in the north, North Wilson said.

While she said she does hear criticism of the air service in the north and talk about boycotts, she agreed Perimeter and Calm, at least some of the time, do provide good service.

Chuck Davidson, the chairman of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and co-chair of a provincial task force on the Manitoba governments Northern Economic Development Strategy, is often flying back and forth to and from northern communities.

I think there is always going to be concerns about the cost of travelling in northern Manitoba. Thats not a big surprise to anyone, he said.

The cost of doing business in the north is not inexpensive, no question about that. There is always going to be grumbling. But in terms of the service, I fly there on a regular basis. Ill be on a Calm Air flight on Saturday morning. Its always good service.

The main thesis of the Alder Lane Farm claims is that EIC will not be able to sustain its generous dividend policy. Virtually all of the Bay Street analysts disagree.

In particular, the short sellers take exception to the way one of EICs subsidiaries accounts for its assets.

One frustrated analyst, who spoke on condition that his name not be used, said, Its six of one, half dozen of the other. The accounting department can have discussions all day and not get anywhere.

Its just a difference in interpretation. You trust the auditors and trust the company. Thats what they (Alder Lane Farm) are not doing.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/07/2017 (1941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drivers who hate parallel parking rejoice  at least, for the next eight months.

The City of Winnipeg will unveil a new eight-month pilot project Monday  on Bannatyne Avenue between Rorie Street and Waterfront Drive  that will make parallel parking a thing of the past.

Instead, new reverse angled parking stalls will line the section of Bannatyne, which will be converted into a one-way westbound street, in an effort to bring more on-street parking to the Exchange District.

Parking is in very short supply in the Exchange District, said Coun. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas).

Its a number one priority for residents and businesses and at the end of the day were going to nearly double the capacity of parking on the street. This is a very innovative way to bring angled parking to the Exchange District.

But, two business owners on the stretch of Bannatyne set to be affected have expressed concern with both the project and its timing.

What theyre doing now is not properly done, said Alfonso Maury, 51, owner of Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria.

Street parking in the summer is not that important. Half the people of the city are away on holidays. There are other things the city should be taking care of downtown before worrying about 45-degree parking.

A city spokeswoman said the Office of Public Engagement informed business owners in the area about the project Wednesday.

One of those owners asked not to be quoted, but said she was in agreement with Maury on the topic.

Maury also worries the changes could create dangerous situations for both cyclists and people enjoying restaurant patios, as cyclists may be pushed closer to traffic and vehicles backing into parking stalls carelessly could bump into his patio.

Its going to kill once a week if you ask me, said Maury. Its going to be really dangerous.

The city, however, says existing bike lanes will not be affected by the change.

Current parking (above) and back-in angled parking starting July 24, 2017.

The response to the project by both the public and business owners will play a large role in whether or not the changes become permanent. Should it be a success, Coun. Pagtakhan says it could serve as a springboard for bringing similar designs to other areas of the neighbourhood.

The Institute for Transportation Engineers says reserve angled parking is one of the best and safest practices for large cities, as it allows drivers to see on-coming traffic sooner when pulling out of a parking space.

That said, Maury is still disappointed with the timing of the project even if it does improve the parking situation in the Exchange District.

I just dont see any reason to start it now, said Maury. We have the Fringe Festival now. We have the Canada Games coming up. Why not wait til September or even October. Parking in downtown is always going to be complicated, but the time for this is in the winter.

A parking violation grace period of one-month will follow the changes, where only warnings will be handed out to drivers parked incorrectly. But after one month, a $70 ticket will be issued.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  The leader of the federal Conservatives has hand-picked a Manitoban for his top ranks as the party gears up its opposition to the Liberals halfway through their four-year term.

Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen will continue as the partys House leader, a job she took on an interim basis last September. In keeping the position, shell hold one of the caucus top five positions.

The job involves negotiating with the Liberals over scheduling debate of legislation and helping her partys MPs shepherd private members bills.

Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press Tory Leader Andrew Scheer praises Manitoba MP Candice Bergen (left) for her incredible skill Thursday while naming her permanent party House leader.

But more visibly, Bergen will continue taking the Liberals to task in the Commons over their controversial proposals such as limiting the days Parliament sits.

Standing next to Bergen at a news conference Thursday, Tory Leader Andrew Scheer said shes had incredible skill with the job. In choosing her and four others as the partys lead MPs, Scheer is giving Bergen a strong voice in how the party prioritizes issues and regions.

I intend to be the voice of Manitoba at our government-in-waiting table, Bergen said Thursday.

Bergen says shes in close contact with the provincial government, who largely share her political views. Provincial Finance Minister Cameron Friesen served as Bergens campaign manager. Shes friendly with Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who frequently disagrees with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Bergen says she intends to keep track of the Liberals carbon tax, which all provinces except Saskatchewan and Manitoba have signed on to, as well as the updated agreement on health funding, on which Manitoba remains the only holdout.

The payment to Omar Khadr has been prominent and concerning to Manitobans, Bergen said. Shes also watching for the fallout of the governments changes last year to Winnipegs aerospace industry.

More recently, Bergen has closely watched the situation in Churchill, the northern Manitoba town whose rail line has been cut off since May 24. The province says its waiting to learn whether Ottawa will pay to repair the line or present a future for the town.

Everybody is operating in a vacuum. They seem to be sending the message that rural and remote communities will be given lip service, if that, but really nothing else, Bergen said.

She added that Trudeau should visit the town, because he has not bothered to visit the Arctic and our North  but Trudeaus office noted he visited Yellowknife and Iqaluit in February.

While many see Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr as the closest Manitoba voice to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Bergen slammed Trudeaus decision to break with the tradition of naming select MPs as responsible for a provinces issues.

I was part of a government that recognized the different regions of Canada, she said.

Its very clear that Justin Trudeau has centralized the power.

Trudeau spokesman Cameron Ahmad rejected the idea, saying each MP advocates for their communities.

We will not take the approach the previous government took by pitting one region against another, Ahmad said.

Bergen said her party will closely watch how the Liberals approach next months NAFTA negotiations. She said Conservatives will quietly raise concerns with the Liberals, and if theyre listened to theyll present a united front to the Americans.

We absolutely are united  were in step with all of our colleagues in the House of Commons, she said.

Were positive about Canada and the future of our country.

Bergen, 52, was first elected in 2008, and spent two years as social development minister under Stephen Harper.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Car travel by Canadians to the United States fell during May to its lowest level in 14 years, with Manitoba leading the way with the largest provincial drop.

In that month, 37,041 Canadians crossed the Manitoba border into the U.S., compared to 47,661 in the same month of the previous year  a drop of just more than 22 per cent, according to data released by Statistics Canada Thursday.

For the country as a whole, the decrease was only 8.3 per cent.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

Peter Kalhok, who works with the tourism statistics program for Statistics Canada, says experts are unable to explain the extreme drop in border crossings for Manitoba.

I really dont have an answer for why Manitoba would be different than other provinces, Kalhok said. Were aware of it and I admit its something were looking at too.

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Kalhok went on to clarify that border crossings for May 2016 for the province of Manitoba were considered average, which means a spike in the previous year cannot explain this years low figures.

That said, Kalhok admitted local events such as festivals, or the opening of the new outlet mall in Winnipeg, could potentially play a role in the drop. Without quantifiable data, however, he would not make definitive statements on causes.

A poll released by Probe research at the end of 2016 showed that 29 per cent of Manitobans, almost one in three, would be less likely to travel to a United States led by President Donald Trump.

Those figures were particularly high among women, with 37 per cent provincewide saying it would affect their travel plans. For women between the ages of 35 and 54, that figure rose to 49 per cent.

For men, however, 70 per cent said the presidents identity would have little to no impact on whether they would go to the United States.

For every other month of 2017, Manitoba border crossings to the U.S. were on the rise from the previous year, with the only significant variance coming in May.

For the country as a whole, 3.2 million trips were made south of the border in May, down 7.7 per cent from April and 5.5 per cent from May 2016.

Weve noticed theres a drop almost across the board, which is very interesting for us, Kalhok said.

The last time the level of car trips south by Canadian residents were this low was in May 2003. That year also saw a drop in value for the Canadian dollar respective to its U.S. counterpart  similar to 2017.

When compared to the U.S. dollar, the Canadian dollar was at 73 cents in May. In May 2003, it was at 72 cents.

One possible explanation put forth by Statistics Canada is that unusually wet weather in May, particularly in central and eastern Canada, could have lowered the amount of car trips south of the border.

Travel Manitoba did not respond to interview requests.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/07/2017 (1941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the past several winters, conservationist Cary Hamel has held his breath, hoping an endangered species of butterfly will emerge from cocoons in the summer.

When the Poweshiek skipperling butterfly emerged again this year near Vita, Hamel was relieved, despite estimates that say there are fewer than 100 left in Canada. The small winged creature is orange and black, but not patterned in the eye-catching way of other butterflies.

And thats why people seem to care less about them, according to Hamel, the conservation science manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canadas Manitoba region.

Its not as showy and beautiful as some other endangered species, like monarch butterflies or polar bears, he said.

But the role they play in the ecosystem is the same as other pollinators. The butterflies are essential to flower reproduction. In particular, the Poweshiek skipperling pollinates black-eyed susan flowers.

What we are most concerned about, in any ecosystem when you start to lose species, is what they call a cascading effect. If youre losing this species, youll probably be losing other species, said Richard Westwood, chairman of environmental studies and sciences at the University of Winnipeg.

Researchers dont fully understand why the species has declined, and Hamel says more research is needed on the rare insect.

The consequences of a disruption or disappearance of any (ecosystems) animals or plants, like the skipperling, can lead to changes that are impossible to fully understand until its too late to reverse, he said.

Hamel does know habitat loss has played a role in endangering the insect. The butterflies live in tall grass prairie, which occupies less than one per cent of their former 6,000-square-kilometre spread in Manitoba, the provinces habitat conservation website says.

Hamel and his colleagues are working to preserve these grasslands, and not just for their ecological benefits.

SUBMITTED An endangered Poweshiek skipperling butterfly is seen in a tall grass prairie preserve in the southeast corner of Manitoba.

Walking through a prairie meadow is just an amazing experience in the summer when the butterflies are out and the grasses are growing and theres life all around you, he said.

Researchers believe Canadas remaining Poweshiek skipperlings are all in tall grass prairie near Vita.

The only other places people can spot them are in Michigan and Wisconsin. Hamel estimates the creature count is below 500 worldwide.

The University of Winnipeg and Nature Conservatory of Canada are crowdfunding a campaign for the protection and management of tall grass prairie.

The money raised will allow students to research other reasons behind the decline.

Were trying to do it in a way that all the lessons we learn can be applied to many of the species that are declining in the Prairies, Hamel said.

Every last butterfly is important at this point.

As a flagship species, the Poweshiek butterfly serves as an indicator to the overall health of its ecosystem, Westwood said.

If tall grass prairie areas lose the Poweshiek skipperling butterfly, it may signal danger for the disappearing ecosystem.

stefanie.lasuik@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadians have been hearing a lot lately about a surge in the number of reported cases of childhood diseases, and with good reason.

Outbreaks of mumps, for example, have been generating headlines for months. But there is another, more serious childhood disease lurking out there that isnt getting the attention it deserves: measles.

In the past few months, outbreaks of measles have been reported in Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick and Alberta.

Lukas Schulze / DPA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A doctor's assistant prepares a measles vaccination.

There have also been outbreaks in nearby Minnesota, with 78 cases reported to date, and in Europe, where Italy alone has reported more than 3,000 cases in the past few months.

Fortunately, Manitoba hasnt had an outbreak yet  there were no cases of measles reported in 2016, only two in 2015 and eight in 2014. But there is evidence to suggest our luck may be about to run out when it comes to the spread of this dreaded childhood disease. The reason: although measles, like mumps, can be prevented with a vaccination, too many people are choosing not to get one.

This is no small thing. Many people may believe that measles is just a harmless rash, but this is often not true. Three months ago, a seventeen-year-old girl from Portugal died from pneumonia caused by measles. In fact, up to one in 10 people infected with measles may experience serious complications, like pneumonia, and it causes 134,000 deaths every year around the world.

These deaths occur mainly in those who are most vulnerable: children less than one year old and those who have weakened immune systems. These are also the two groups of people who are not eligible for the vaccine, even if they or their families want it.

This is why public health officials are constantly encouraging people to get vaccinated. Not only does it protect the individual in question, it also helps protect those who are most vulnerable. This is important because the measles virus can be introduced into a community from a visitor or returning traveller at any time. And once it arrives, it can spread very quickly.

In fact, experts suggest that if 10 people in a room are exposed to the disease without proper protection, nine of them will become infected. This means that at least nine out of every 10 people in any given community or group need to be immunized against measles to stop the rapid spread of infection. The problem is that Manitoba is falling far short of this target. The most recent data suggests only seven out of 10 Manitobans are adequately immunized. Throughout the province there will be population pockets where the immunization rate is below or above 70 per cent, thereby increasing or decreasing the risk of infection.

How much of a health risk does that relatively low immunization rate pose? Consider this: Italys immunization rate was similar to Manitobas before it experienced its recent explosion of cases. So why arent immunization rates here and elsewhere higher?

For some, it comes down to questions about safety and effectiveness. But on both counts, the evidence is clear.

Vaccines are one of the most effective medical inventions of all time. The measles vaccine has decreased the number of cases in Canada by over 600 times. Vaccines are also one of the safest and most studied medical interventions in history. While serious side-effects can occur in about one in a million doses, your risk of being hit by a car while walking is three times higher, according to Manitoba Public Insurance statistics.

So what can you do?

First, check your immunization records to see if you or your children are up-to-date by calling your regional immunization records clerk (in Winnipeg, 204-938-5347), contacting your local public health office or contacting your doctor to obtain a copy of your records.

Second, speak to your doctor about any questions you may have and get immunized if you are due. Getting any needed free immunizations will update your immunity and protect yourself and your loved ones from preventable diseases like measles.

Third, spread the word to make sure your community is protected  so that we all do what we can to protect those who, for medical reasons, are unable to be immunized.

For more information about immunizations and when to get vaccinated,visit gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/div/schedules.html.

Dr. Davinder Singh is a public health resident with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/07/2017 (1941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Brian Pallister and a Minnesota congressman say they want to raise awareness about the risks faced by asylum seekers crossing into Canada on foot.

A news release issued by the province and Minnesota said both places have a proud history of welcoming refugees fleeing dire circumstances, but warned purposely avoiding physical ports of entry and attempting to cross open countryside to reach Canada from the United States is extremely dangerous.

Individuals and groups who attempt this crossing risk serious injury or even death from a wide range of natural hazards including floods, open water, freezing overnight temperatures and the risk of exposure, the release said.

TREVOR HAGAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

Issued Wednesday by the province and Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, the release references the Safe Third Country Agreement that prevents people in both countries from making their refugee claim at ports of entry and warned those who make it to Canada by avoiding the ports wont necessarily be allowed to stay.

It is important for potential asylum seekers to know that they will not automatically gain asylum upon entering Canada, and that their odds of approval are not increased by entering Canada illegally from the United States, it said.

Those seeking asylum in Canada must still go through an immigration and refugee process similar to the process that would apply in the United States. Further, asylum decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and the granting of refugee status is not guaranteed.

It said the weather may be warmer, but dangers persist for migrants on foot.

The life-threatening hazards facing potential asylum seekers continue past the end of winter as temperatures and wet conditions still pose significant dangers, it said, pointing to the death of Ghanaian Mavis Otuteye, whose body was found in northern Kittson County on May 26, as an example of the considerable risks being taken to avoid detection when there are safer options in place.

Otuteye, who wanted to avoid detection because her U.S. visa expired long ago, was trying to get into Canada to visit her daughter in Toronto when she died from hypothermia.

The release comes more than a month after Pallister participated in a joint mission to Washington, D.C. with fellow premiers, where they met with U.S. counterparts on topics of shared importance, a spokesman for the premier said on Thursday.

Manitobas premier met specifically with Peterson on June 7, discussing a wide range of Canada-US and Manitoba-Minnesota matters, including the significant commercial connections between Manitoba and Minnesota, the important role of the North American Free Trade Agreement in supporting the economy on both sides of the border and concerns related to asylum seekers crossing into Manitoba.

The joint statement reflects the shared concerns of Congressman Peterson and Premier Pallister in regard to asylum seekers crossing the border, the spokesman for the premier said.

Both the premier and the congressman recognize the need to better inform those considering entering Canada this way of the serious risks posed by attempting to cross the border irregularly, and the potential for asylum seekers to be exploited. The statement is intended to raise awareness in Minnesota and Manitoba of these risks, both among potential asylum seekers and in communities that asylum seekers may transit.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police have arrested two 18-year-old men in connection with a bicycle-jacking on Wellington Crescent.

Members of the west district station community support unit were conducting a proactive project focused on property crime in the area of Lindsay Street and Wellington Crescent Thursday at 12:30 a.m. when they came upon a robbery, police said in a release.

Police met with a 14-year-old boy who had been pushed to the ground, punched and robbed of his bicycle by three males who had fled the area.

A short time later, a general patrol unit observed three suspects in the area of Portage Avenue and Winston Road. They ran from police and were tracked by members of the K9 unit. One suspect was located in the 100 block of Winston Road, while another was located in the 100 block of Cavell Drive.

The stolen bicycle was recovered and will be returned to the 14-year-old victim, police said. One of the suspects, an 18-year-old male, was arrested for robbery and failure to comply with a condition of recognizance and held in custody. Another 18-year-old was arrested for robbery and possession of a weapon and released on a promise to appear.

The major crimes unit continues to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police are on the lookout for a Winnipeg man wanted in connection with a street brawl downtown after the Canada Day festivities.

The Winnipeg Police Service is asking the public for assistance in locating Jeremy Andrew Cabalu, 27. A warrant for his arrest has been issued for aggravated assault, police said in a press release. The arrest warrant was issued in connection with a large fight that broke out just after midnight on July 2 at the intersection of Smith Street and St. Mary Avenue.

When police arrived, they found three people suffering from stab wounds. Two men  a 27-year-old and a 26-year-old  were both treated for stab wounds and released from hospital. A 22-year-old man was taken to hospital in critical condition. Hes since been released from hospital, police said. Two other men were also were treated for stab wounds and released.

Winnipeg police are asking the public for assistance in locating Jeremy Andrew Cabalu, 27. (Police handout)

An investigation by the major crimes unit led to a number of arrests, including six men and a woman.

Cabalu is described as Asian, 5-foot-5 in height, about 114 pounds with a thin build. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority and the union representing 150 of its employees enter the weekend with the clock ticking down to possible strike action.

Late Thursday night, the Public Service Alliances Union of Canadian Transport Employees served the authority with a required 72-hour strike notice.

Negotiations with the assistance of a federally appointed mediator, underway since July 17, will continue through the weekend. Should a tentative agreement not be reached, PSAC has advised the authority, which is responsible for the management and operation of Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, a strike will commence at 3:00 a.m. Monday.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES August produced the highest monthly passenger volume for the airport in more than a decade.

Our team remains committed to working night and day until Monday morning to negotiate a fair tentative agreement for our members employed by the WAA, PSAC Prairies regional executive vice-president Marianne Hladun said Friday in a news release. Were still hopeful we can reach a deal and avoid the need for strike action.

Approximately 150 airport employees  including duty managers, administrative workers, various tradespersons, IT workers, airfield maintenance and labourers  have been without a contract since June 30, 2016.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority said Friday it is prepared to continue mediation to find a suitable resolution in hopes of avoiding a labour disruption.

However, should the union decide to take strike action, the authority has contingency plans in place and does not anticipate any significant disruption to operations, it said in a news release.

One major bone of contention, the union has said, is to save jobs and stop management from contracting out work.

The authority has countered that claim, stating it has never contracted out union work. It also said since the new Winnipeg terminal opened in October 2011, the number of union positions has increased.

PSAC represents more than 170,000 workers across Canada, including nearly 8,000 in Manitoba.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. operates Richardson International Airport (which boasts some 4,000 employees on its campus), Iqaluit International Airport and other affiliated businesses.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/07/2017 (1941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Age has never been an issue for Chris Ewen, but after but after beating former Ritchot mayor Jackie Hunt in Wednesdays byelection, its in the spotlight.

Thats the first question all the media have asked. Im 29 years old, said Ewen, who has no political experience.

He credits his victory to social media and getting out the youth vote.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The incoming mayor of Ritchot, Chris Ewen, 29, will conduct business at the RM office in St. Adolphe. He beat former mayor Jackie Hunt in Wednesdays election.

Ewen was approached by his customers to run for mayor after Hunt abruptly resigned last April, citing name-calling and belligerent behaviour by some councillors.

Ewen runs two family-owned coffee shops called Capo Coffee Lounge in Ile-des-Chenes, which is in the rural municipality of Ritchot, and Niverville, which is not.

People saw my commitment, saw I was there 16 hours a day, I didnt take a paycheque for the first two years. They saw the sweat I put into it, he said.

The keys to his success were hard work, door-knocking, and getting out there on social media. His knowledge of social media marketing stems from online marketing for the coffee shops, he said.

Young voters are on social media. If you can tap into that, the possibilities are endless, he said.

Turnout was strong, with 39 per cent of those eligible voting, a very high figure for a byelection and much higher than in the 2014 municipal election.w

While hes been in the community for only three years, people in Ile-des-Chenes responded to Ewen in a big way.

He crushed it in his home ward, Ward 1, with a 394-to-85 vote over Hunt. Hunt outpolled Ewen in the remaining three wards but it wasnt enough to overcome that advantage.

Ewen took 39 per cent of the vote compared to Hunts 34 per cent, besting her by 92 votes.

Asked about sitting on council, which has become an increasingly full-time job that people often hold at the end of their careers or in retirement, Ewen said operating a business means his hours are flexible.

Ewen will still be part of the coffee shop business but family members will look after day-to-day operations.

He will relinquish his shares in the business so theres no conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, people who supported Hunt taking a stand against bullying on council were disappointed she lost the election. Hunts stand struck a chord with people beyond the borders of Ritchot.

Her courageous actions and resignation started an important and necessary discussion about bullying of elected officials and staff, said Cheryl Christian, a West St. Paul councillor.

Christian said Hunts action prompted her and other female councillors to put forward a motion to protect elected officials under the Workplace Health and Safety Act.

As things stand, elected officials arent included in legislation because they are defined as neither employers nor employees.

The motion will be heard at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities annual meeting in November. If passed, it will be forwarded to the provincial government.

If Ritchot voters were unhappy with Hunts actions that resulted in a byelection, they were furious at Hunts two opponents on council, councillors Ernest Dumaine and Corinne Webb, who prompted her resignation.

Dumaine received just 10 per cent of the Ward 1 vote, with Shane Pelletier the victor.

Webb also finished last in Ward 4 with just 22 per cent of the vote. Janine Boulanger edged Elmer Hywarren by a mere 15 votes, 142 to 127.

Incumbent Ron Mamchuk was re-elected in Ward 2 with 39 per cent of the vote.

Jeannot Robert was returned by acclamation in Ward 3.

Mamchuk said hes sorry to lose Hunt from council.

She was really hands-on and experienced and a very well-spoken person. I think its going to be a big loss, said Mamchuk.

But he said we cant really compare Hunt to her successor Ewen because we dont know what Chris will bring to the table.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the year of Canadas sesquicentennial, its worthwhile to assess the state of Canadian democracy. Were lucky to live in what is clearly an established, stable and peaceful democratic nation.

Still, there is always room for improvement and, for Canada, that is most clearly the case with respect to democratic engagement. Canadians do not engage with politics as often as they could or, ideally, should. Our democracy suffers as a result.

The classic measure of democratic engagement is voter turnout in elections. Engaged citizens turn out to exercise their right to vote when given the opportunity to do so. Turnout in the 2015 Canadian election was 68.3 per cent, a respectable number. Indeed, 2015 marked the highest voter turnout in a Canadian election since 1993, after which turnout rates declined.

CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Canadians have room for improvement when it comes to democratic engagement.

Still, voter turnout in Canada is far from a model of democratic engagement: analysis by the Pew Institute comparing turnout in recent national elections shows Canada in 19th place behind other developed democracies.

This picture quickly gets worse at other levels of politics. Only 57.4 per cent of registered voters bothered to cast their ballots in the last Manitoba election. And turnout in the 2014 Winnipeg civic election was a meagre 50.2 per cent.

This last result is striking: local government has more impact on the day-to-day lives of Canadians than either the provincial or federal government. Despite this, only half of eligible Winnipeggers participated in the decision about who would take the reins at City Hall.

If there is good news to be found in the results from the 2015 national election, it is that turnout between the 2011 and 2015 national elections jumped most significantly among young voters. Turnout for those aged 18 to 24 increased from 39 per cent in 2011 to 57 per cent in 2015, a stunning bounce that may augur a future where young Canadians are more engaged in the political process.

Turnout is important, but is not the only indicator of democratic engagement; after all, voting is a simple act that we engage in only once every four years. What about other forms of democratic engagement that get citizens involved between elections?

Samara, a non-profit think tank dedicated to improving Canadian democracy, has recently released its Democracy 360 report card that assesses exactly how Canadians engage in politics. And Samara takes a broad view of democratic engagement, going much further than just voter turnout.

For example: Samaras report finds that only 38 per cent of Canadians have participated in a formal political activity in the past year. These activities include being a member of a party, attending a political meeting, donating money to a party or candidate, volunteering in an election campaign or giving a public speech. Notably, only eight per cent of Canadians are member of political parties. Such a low number has the effect of denying those parties invaluable insight and feedback from grassroots Canadians.

If Canadians are relatively unlikely to get involved in politics, that doesnt mean theyre not interested. Samara finds that 67 per cent of Canadians discussed politics in the past year. The most common way they did so was old-fashioned: just over half of Canadians had talked about politics in person or over the phone. Canadians also take advantage of social media to chat about politics online and to gather political information, and even to engage directly with politicians via Facebook or Twitter.

While formal political activity is reserved for a relatively small number of Canadians, the number of people participating in other forms of activism is much higher. Fully 68 per cent of Canadians participated in some form of activism, including signing a petition, boycotting a product or shopping for ethical reasons or protesting. Canadians, it seems, are not shy about acting upon their views and opinions.

And while formal political engagement is limited, Samara finds evidence that Canadians are likely to participate in other forms of civic engagement. A total of 88 per cent of Canadians had participated in some form of civic engagement, including donating money to a charity, volunteering, working in a relevant group or organization and working with others to solve a community problem.

Canadians are civic-minded. Theyre willing to invest both their time and money into their communities and the charities they believe in. Further, they are often willing to take action in accordance with their political views and beliefs, including by boycotting products and protesting. And while we often talk and engage in banter about politics, Canadians are less likely to take the leap when it comes to actual, hands-on involvement in the political process.

The foundation for democratic life in Canada is strong, but we are often reluctant to take advantage of this by making our voices heard in the political process. Our politics suffers as a result.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/07/2017 (1940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As anyone who paid attention in high school science class can tell you, the law of inertia states that a body at rest will remain at rest unless an external force acts upon it.

For the sake of the people of Churchill, one can only hope Premier Brian Pallister paid attention in science class.

The situation involving the idled northern-Manitoba port, the damaged railway that is supposed to connect it to the rest of the province and the resulting supply crisis affecting its 900 stranded citizens is, as Newtons first law of motion might suggest, very much at rest. And unless an external force acts upon it, quickly and decisively, Churchills population is in a heap of trouble.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESs files Omnitrax executive Peter Touesnard

Its clear that Omnitrax, the Denver-based company that owns the Port of Churchill and the floodwater-damaged Hudson Bay Railway, will not be the external force that gets the supply trains back in motion. Officials from the company held a technical briefing in Winnipeg Tuesday, in which they declared repairs to the rail line will cost between $20 million and $60 million, would take about 60 days to complete, and  heres the tricky part, for Mr. Pallister and his federal-government counterparts on the Churchill file  will absolutely, positively not be paid for by Omnitrax.

We cannot justify spending the resources to repair this line, was the blunt assessment of Omnitrax chief commercial officer Peter Touesnard, who added that the railway is not economically viable.

After two months of foot-dragging and inaction-justifying misinformation, Omnitrax has made its position clear, stating that the railway, no longer viable as a business concern, should be viewed as an essential service and treated by government as a public utility.

Omnitrax, which has been handed tens of millions of taxpayer dollars since 1997, had recently been looking to sell the combined assets to local, First Nations-led interests  a transaction that would depend on another injection of federal and provincial funds.

In other words, Omnitrax wants to be paid to abandon its Manitoban interests.

But if, as it seems, Omnitrax views the Hudson Bay Railway as having no commercial value, then it stands to reason the company could simply cut its losses by walking away.

Whats needed now is for government to take the necessary steps to repatriate the port and railway and get down to the business of re-establishing Churchills links to desperately needed supplies and almost-as-crucial tourism revenue.

But which government will make the first move? On Wednesday, Mr. Pallister stated Manitoba wont act on the railway-repair issue until the full cost is known and Ottawa makes a decision about the ports future. The federal government, for its part, said it still expects Omnitrax to live up to its agreements regarding the port and railway.

For practical purposes, Omnitrax is out. The feds are dithering and its safe to say Churchill is a long way from the top of the Trudeau governments priority list.

Expecting swift action from Ottawa is inviting disappointment.

Which, of course, puts Churchills desperate disconnectedness back into the provinces hands. Mr. Pallister has shown great tenacity when it comes to demonstrating what hes absolutely not willing to do  sign on to health-care accords, settle on a carbon-pricing framework, get on board with marijuana legalization  but on the Churchill file, waiting for someone else to make the first move is no longer an option.

If the premier decides to hold his breath on this one, itll be the heating-fuel-deprived residents of Churchill who end up turning blue.
The Republicans have big plans for health care in this country: to eliminate coverage for millions of Americans while delivering a big tax cut to the rich.

As someone who stands to benefit from that tax cut, let me just say: I dont need it, and I dont want it. No tax cut is worth excluding millions of Americans from the health services they need.

Any new health care legislation should be focused on providing the best available health services for all Americans, not deliberately putting them out of reach. And yet, this is exactly what the twin monstrosities that came out of the House and Senate would have done.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the House bill wouldve left 23 million Americans uncovered by 2026. The Senate version was only a shade better, leaving 22 million people out. Those bills were nonstarters with the public  the party was forced to pull them, along with any immediate plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

This Republican-majority Congress has shown their cards: They favor less coverage for workers and the elderly and lower taxes for the wealthy.

Republicans in both chambers claim theyre doing this to support freedom and choice for the American people. They say the free market is the only way to provide Americans with access to affordable health care. They claim deregulation will help drive down health costs.

Well, for starters, so-called free markets are unicorns  fanciful creatures with magical powers that dont exist in the real world. All markets are designed; they dont emerge spontaneously from nature. We form, structure, regulate, and enforce markets through policy and institutions which reflect private and public interests.

When it comes to health care, were talking about something closer to a natural monopoly like electricity, not an industry like autos or breakfast cereals. Everyone needs basic medical services on a regular basis, and we need to make sure the same quality is available to everyone  even in hard to reach or low-income areas.

This will always require some form of direct government funding of services, especially with respect to primary care. Failing to do so means were not serious about the goal of quality care for all Americans.

This doesnt necessarily mean an entirely government-run system  theres plenty of room for private medical practices and businesses to provide the spectrum of services we need. But it does mean some degree of public funding is essential.

A fully privatized system can never adequately provision the nation. Rural communities dont have adequate medical facilities and staff. Underdeveloped urban communities suffer from the same lack of basic resources, and their residents often dont have the ability or time to travel to other locations.

Republican leaders claim they want affordable access to quality health care for all Americans, but all of their proposals have focused on lowering taxes on businesses and the rich, regardless of the very real cost in terms of human life.

Its a false choice, and the effects will be cruel.

A healthy nation is a prosperous nation. This is primarily a challenge of real resources and the distribution of those resources, not of money. Congress can and should authorize any necessary funding to achieve the stated public goal simply by appropriating the funds.

This includes designing a system that will ensure there are enough facilities, doctors, nurses, specialists, transportation systems, and all the other elements of quality care in close proximity to all who need it  at any level of need and ability to pay.

Members of the House and Senate were put there by the voters and have an obligation to fight for and protect all of their constituents, not just the ones wealthy enough to bankroll their campaigns.
BAIDOA, Somalia  This town was liberated from the control of al-Shabab (an Islamist insurgent group) five years ago. But liberated is a relative term. The security bubble created by the presence of United Nations and Ethiopian military forces reaches less than 10 miles outside of town, leaving just a short hike to terroristland. Women I met in line at a clinic had come from al-Shabab-occupied territory that morning. The insurgency forbids medical treatment from the government, so women must sneak in and out of town for prenatal care. If they are caught with their blue medical record cards, al-Shabab imposes fines or worse.

In sophisticated propaganda videos, the Islamist insurgency claims to having a working, parallel government, with schools and medical facilities. When I mentioned this to Somalis, they laughed. Al-Shabab is best at taxing movement and businesses, conducting targeted assassinations, and importing al-Qaeda bomb experts. Last year, a double bombing in Baidoa killed more than 30 people. In 2015, three fighters wearing Somali army uniforms breached the Baidoa green zone and killed several people across from the compound where I was writing this column.

Most of the men you encounter in the street are armed, and travel outside of town requires a small platoon of guards. The periodic gunshots you hear are disconcerting, but usually indicate weddings and other celebrations. It means someone is happy, I was told.

The relative stability of the town attracts IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) fleeing from famine-like conditions caused by three years of inadequate rains, further complicated by conflict. More than 700,000 Somalis  well over half of them children  have left their homes due to the drought. At one IDP camp, I spoke with a woman who had all her food and money confiscated at al-Shabab checkpoints. I spoke with a woman who started her trek with six children and ended with four  the other two taken by cholera, which can kill within hours.

Somalia generally gets bad press, focused on starvation, terrorism or piracy. But its not a country comprised mainly of hungry, Islamist pirates. It is a country in the midst of re-founding itself. It recently elected a promising new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who has Somali/American dual citizenship and once worked for the Department of Transportation in Buffalo, New York. But Farmajo is now under considerable pressure to produce tangible social and military results.

The Trump administration is correct to insist that, in cases such as this, hard power is foundational. There is no sustained development in a state of nature, the war of all against all. So American drones fly over Somalia and America helps train the Somali military. There are rumors that Farmajo may soon undertake a military offensive as a show of strength.

But any rational account of American interests must also include the well-being of the Somali people. More than 3 million Somalis  about one-fourth of the population  are in critical need of help. Poverty and despair do not cause terrorism, but they can contribute to the failure of states, which provides the chaos in which terrorism thrives. Somalia is exhibit A. And conditions are about to get worse. If the drought continues, hundreds of thousands more Somalis will flood places like Baidoa and tens of thousands of children will be at imminent risk of death from starvation.

The time-compressed disasters  events like earthquakes and hurricanes  tend to result in concentrated generosity. But a slowly unfolding nightmare is no less frightening. Across South Sudan, northern Nigeria, Yemen and Somalia, we are hearing, not urgent shouts, but gradually fading voices. This is one horrifying aspect of meeting severely malnourished children in Baidoas hot, crowded, reeking hospital ward. Some are too weak even to cry, and their quiet bleat may be the saddest sound I have ever heard.

There is little question that the already generous response of the United States and other donors will need to be stepped up even further. But those who find that statement ideologically objectionable  those who believe that our government shouldnt respond in this fashion  can still show their generosity to private and religious groups doing frontline work in the region. (A place to start is the Hunger Relief Fund sponsored by PepsiCo, Google, Twitter and others at globalemergencyresponse.org. One of the groups, World Vision, in this consortium sponsored my visit.)

It is difficult to describe the scale of Somali suffering  a quarter of the population wrestling with hunger and despair. These people require more than a flash of empathy. They need empathy and action as sustained and implacable as the drought itself.
JUNEAU  A 49-year-old Randolph man and former state of Wisconsin employee was sentenced to prison Friday for storing child porn on his work computer.

Sean E. Robillard appeared before Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Brian Pfitzinger and was sentenced to three years of initial incarceration and a 10 year extended sentence. Robillard also must pay $5,000 in addition to fines and court fees.

Robillard was found guilty of three counts of possession of child pornography April 11.

According to the criminal complaint, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, in conjunction with the Dodge County Sheriffs Office, conducted a search warrant at a residence in Randolph May 3, 2016.

Officers interviewed a man who identified Robillard as his stepfather. The man told officers that Robillard possessed a laptop computer that he took to work with him daily. Officers also learned that Robillard had left for work that morning. Robillard was employed as a technical engineer for the Wisconsin Circuit Court Automation Program at the time of his arrest.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on Robillards vehicle in the city of Eau Claire. Two laptop computers and two USB drives with approximately six terabytes of storage capacity were confiscated as a part of the search warrant. During the search Robillard told officers they would find child pornography on the devices.

Officers located multiple files containing child pornography with prepubescent victims including photos and videos. Officers believe that at least one of the children depicted in the files is under the age of 13.
FOX LAKE  Running a city involves a lot of cleanup, and that topic took up most of the Fox Lake City Council agenda Wednesday.

The council approved a bid of Kopplin & Kanas Inc. for site work on the citys west side for the LeRoy Meats of Horicon factory, a new Subway restaurant and any other development that may come to that site. The firm was the only bidder at nearly $1.3 million.

Mayor Tom Bednarek indicated that once the site is cleared for work by an archaeologist, site work including street installation, grading and utilities may commence. Native American artifacts were found at the site shortly after ground work began, causing a delay. He expects work to begin around July 31.

Rules for the citys fenced dog park, behind the community center/city hall at 248 E. State St., were tentatively approved. The rules are copied from the city of Belgium.

Posed with enforcement of the rules, and whether dogs are licensed and have their shots, police chief Jim Rohr suggested an answer.

If theyre checked right away, word would spread really quickly, he said.

When asked whether drinking is allowed on the site, alderman John Mund joked, My dog doesnt drink that much.

Rohr clarified that carrying open containers of alcohol in the city is only allowed on St. Patricks Day, and is prohibited every other day  including at the dog park.

The park is being tried for a year, with the city to decide whether to continue it after that trial.

Work is progressing well on the Third Street and Mill Road reconstruction projects, reported director of public works Geno Huettner.

Replacement of strobe lights to mark a crossing at the intersection of College and State streets is on hold, pending the results of the manufacturers copyright dispute.

We cant go further with that until the suit is settled, said Rohr.

He added that the city needs to enact an ordinance prohibiting passing on the right at that location to prevent motorists from going around those who obey the signal, with potentially dangerous results.

Its two signs, one on each side. Ill try to get approval from the county, and well get those up, Rohr said.

Alderman Dan Ault suggested that the crosswalk stripes be repainted to make that designation clearer to motorists.

If were going to enforce these rules, people have to be able to see where they are, Ault said.

Huettner responded that the weather has delayed such painting, and that most of the cities in the state are behind for that very reason, but added that crews will begin painting as soon as they are able.

Were ready to rock and roll as soon as Mother Nature allows it, he said.

The village of Brownsville is hoping to join the Fox Lake Municipal Court, but attorney Steve Hannan warned that people from the city, and the village, must be able to vote for the judge. He added that each municipality must enact similar ordinances to make enforcement effective.

It has to be compliant with the state statute, Hannan said. Its no different than any other election.

Following discussion Hannan said, It will take a while to draft it, but were both working in the direction of getting this done.

Responding to a citizen inquiry, city officials indicated that the swimming pool slide is out of commission for the rest of the year, and that replacement will be a budget item for 2018.
Capital Newspapers, publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times, has named John D. Blais general manager.

Blais, a senior media executive in Chicago and northern Illinois, will oversee day-to-day operations of Capital Newspapers, which provides business and operational support for the two Madison newspapers and several other publications. Blais will not be responsible for news or editorial functions of the newspapers or websites. He starts Aug. 4.

Blais co-founded Chronicle Media, which circulates in 14 counties in Illinois, including the Chicago metro area. He previously served as vice president/general manager of Chicago Sun-Times Media Local and director of business development for the Sun-Times. He has held other leadership roles with Pioneer Press newspapers in Chicago, the Aurora Beacon-News, Elgin Courier-News, Naperville Sun, Sun Publications, Auto Trader and the Chicago Tribune.

Johns enthusiasm for our industry and entrepreneurial drive has led to success across a variety of platforms and makes him the perfect choice to advance our market strategies and provide our advertising customers with even more creative solutions to build their businesses, said John M. Humenik, president of Capital Newspapers and president and publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal.

Capital Newspapers is co-owned by Lee Enterprises, the Davenport, Iowa, company that is responsible for the State Journal, and The Capital Times Co., which publishes The Capital Times.
When I first joined my small-town Wisconsin practice decades ago, my two older colleagues said that as soon as a child ate solid foods, such as infant cereal, it was best to give them some eggs. If you didnt, they would become allergic.

I had been taught that giving eggs was a no-no. If done too early, a child would develop an allergy. That was modern medicine.

As you can imagine, our conflicting views produced a lively conversation. In the end, they came around to my way. But as you can see from the research below, I should have come around to their way.

Waiting too long to give your kids eggs, milk (in Wisconsin milk seems to only comes from a cow, not an almond tree or soy beans) and peanuts will encourage allergies rather than help to prevent them.

New research coming out of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study  the CHILDS study  bears out this idea. Following more than 2,000 Canadian children all around the country, researchers discovered that kids who didnt get eggs or peanut products by 6 months of age were two times more likely to develop an allergy  and with milk, they were four times as likely.

Researchers then looked at the gut flora, the beneficial bacteria that live all over our gut, to see if the answer was there. And it was. By using innovative DNA techniques, they discovered that the kids who ate these common allergen foods were more likely to have higher levels of good bacteria in their gut.

As a society we have become so absorbed in protecting our kids, making sure they dont come into contact with things that might harm them, that we no longer realize there is a balance here. Just like kids should come into contact with dirt, kids should come into contact with all sorts of food when theyre young. Otherwise, their body doesnt develop well. A variety of foods is the best way to feed our children.

Dear Dr. Zorba: My 32-year-old son and his wife are trying for a family. They had a miscarriage early on in the pregnancy. He has been taking finasteride, one milligram, which he buys online from India.

I worry that this unregulated drug might causes genetic defects or infertility, or interfere with his desire to have sex. He swears it doesnt and that India drugs are just as good as those from the U.S., but much cheaper. Any studies here?  Worried Mom

Dear Worried: India produces fine drugs. Many of our generics come from India, manufactured using American techniques following our Food and Drug Administration regulations. Whether hes using one of these companies for his finasteride (often used to treat male pattern baldness) is impossible for me to tell. I recommend to many men who want to use Cialis or Viagra that they get them from Canadian pharmacies, which often get them from India. But as I tell them  buyer beware. By the way the cost for generic Viagra from India is 1/15th the cost of the US branded drug.

A cheaper way to get Propecia, a brand name of finasteride, is for him to ask his doctor to prescribe generic finasteride five-milligram tablets. These are used to treat enlarged prostate. Its the same drug but in a larger tablet. Then break it into quarters and take that instead.

Yes, its now a 1.25-milligram dose instead of a one-milligram dose, but that shouldnt make a difference. And then you may have solved your problem.

I checked www.goodrx.com, which notes that 30 tablets are only $10. That means he would have a four-month, U.S.-manufactured supply for 10 bucks. Pretty cheap. Stay well.
Maybe the easiest-to-see impact David Bennett made in Portage is the road off of Highway 51 that takes you straight to Portage High School.

The 1946 PHS graduate is the reason East Collins Street exists at all, Dan Pulsfus said. Pulsfus, the Portage Community School District Superintendent for 14 years until 2007, recalled that around the time when the high school was being built in the mid-1990s, the school didnt have a good exit road.

But Bennett, without hesitation, provided to the city an easement on his property existing west of the high school. Before that, School Road was the only access.

Not only did he allow the new road to happen, but he allowed it to happen at no charge, Pulsfus said. He retained the right to the property if the school should ever close, but that could be 100 years from now.

Bennetts donation occurred when everyone else around there was selling (land) for high prices, David Bennetts son, Mark, noted. And they had a right to do that.

A lot of people have contributed to their community in various ways, and this was his way of helping.

Bennett served in the U.S. Army, served as District Attorney for Columbia County and served as a Regent for the Wisconsin State University System. He did a lot in those capacities, and a lot of other things too  particularly over his long legal career, Mark said. To get the whole picture of what David Bennett did before he died in 2003, you might as well take East Collins Street to courthouses and state colleges across Wisconsin.

Family ties

One way Id encompass this is public service, said Mark, also a lawyer. Mark Bennett was thinking about his Portage High School Hall of Fame induction speech for his dad, which hell deliver on Saturday. Mark Bennett works with his brother, Todd, at Bennett and Bennett LLC, which got its start when Ross Bennett  Davids father  began practicing law in Portage in 1926.

David Bennett started there in 1956, when it became Bennett and Bennett, where he remained in the legal profession until his death. Todd joined in 1985 and Mark joined a year later.

In only a decade, Bennetts will have been practicing law in Portage for 100 years. We each have two sons, Mark said of himself and Todd, but I dont know if any of them will become lawyers or not.

Energetic and vigorous

David Bennett was known for being a very energetic and vigorous district attorney in Columbia County from 1959 to 1967, Mark said. Its hard to single out the best cases  David Bennett was prosecutor or defense attorney in 15 murder trials  but two cases stood out for their uniqueness.

The late Wisconsin-area Judge Robert H. Gollmar  best known for presiding at the trial of serial killer Edward Gein  had written about the cases involving Bennett in his book, Tales of a Country Judge.

Most of (Davids) contemporaries are no longer here, unfortunately, Mark noted, before he told the stories. In Marquette County, David Bennett was involved in a murder case that was doubly tragic  since the reason a man named Peter Stewart was murdered turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Gollmar  out of his respect for David Bennett  had appointed him special prosecutor for the case.

All murders are tragic, Mark said, but for someone to be killed for no reason, it seemed especially important to try it right, in court. David Bennett argued the case well enough that Rogelio Buhat was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Legal authority

The second case  with Gollmar again appointing Bennett as special prosecutor  was the first of its kind, Mark said. Allen Roberts was accused of mortally shooting a woman in Columbus, but his lawyers defense of not guilty by reason of being a chronic alcoholic and David Bennetts prosecution led to it still being taught in law schools and cited as legal authority today.

Columbus defense attorney Carroll Callahan had brilliantly defended Roberts in this way, Gollmar wrote in his book, presenting to the jury the idea of an alcoholic who could not be guilty of an illegal offense for being intoxicated because he had no control over his conduct.

But Bennett successfully prosecuted Roberts, who was found guilty of murder in the first degree. Alcohol shouldnt make a person innocent, Mark Bennett summarized the case. The case later went to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where the conviction was upheld.

Past Columbia County Sheriff Armin Ohnesorge and detective Robert Hamele had both agreed, Mark Bennett said, David Bennett was the best district attorney that Columbia County has ever had.

Regent; developer

As a regent of the Wisconsin State Universities from 1965 to 1971, just prior to its merger with University of Wisconsin System, David Bennett helped to shape education in an era of many historic events and challenges for the universities, Mark Bennett wrote in the HOF application for his father. Some of those challenges included 70-percent growth in student enrollment, the addition of many undergraduate programs and the student unrest during the Vietnam War.

Bennetts accomplishments in this role included serving as chairman of the building committee, during a time of mass construction for the nine public universities in Wisconsin State Universities; establishing the Hotel and Management Department at UW-Stout; establishing the Police Administration Department at UW-Platteville; gaining federal approval for Army Reserve programs; and providing leadership in the adoption of uniform student conduct and discipline procedures.

As a developer, Bennett built real estate complexes in Portage, Baraboo and Reedsburg, including Portages Riverwood Apartments located on West Mullett Street, which provides low-income housing.

Really nice guy

A lifetime resident of Portage, David Bennett worked hard for the city, Columbia County and the state, the whole time trying to make it a better place for people to live, Mark said.

Not only was he an accomplished person, fellow 1946 PHS graduate Ray Gloeckler said, but he was a really nice guy to have as a friend.

Gloeckler  also a PHS HOF member  lived a half-block from Bennett on West Franklin Street when they were growing up. They would later attend UW-Madison together, where Gloeckler, 89, would eventually teach art from 1961 to 1997.

We used to go sledding, Gloeckler recalled of his boyhood. And it was really helpful to have someone from Portage that I knew in Madison, especially with all the veterans returning (from World War II). As 17- or 18-year-olds, Madison seemed like a pretty big place.

He wasnt a perfect man, Mark said. He was a good father.

Obviously he had a big impact on my life, because I did follow his career as an attorney, as did my brother Todd.

I think my dad took his job to heart, Mark continued. I think he tried to use good (law practices) but also good common sense.

He had the vision and leadership to succeed.




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Minister elaborates on India's plan for ten new PHWRs

21 July 2017

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Further details have been given about India's planned construction of ten indigenously designed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), which the cabinet approved in May. The reactors are to be built at four plant locations - including two new sites - by 2031.

On 17 May, the cabinet - chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - approved the construction of ten 700 MWe units in a "significant decision to fast-track India's domestic nuclear power program". The cabinet's announcement did not give any timeline or locations for the new reactors, but said the project would result in a "significant augmentation" of the country's nuclear generation capacity.

In response to a question in India's lower house, the Lok Sabha, Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed that the government had "accorded administrative approval and financial sanction" for the construction of the ten PHWRs.

He said that two of the reactors would be constructed as units 5 and 6 of the Kaiga nuclear power plant in Karnataka state; two as units 3 and 4 of the Gorakhpur plant in Haryana state; two as units 1 and 2 of the new Chutka plant in Madhya Pradesh; and four units at the new Mahi Banswara plant in Rajasthan. They are scheduled to be progressively completed by 2031.

Site for new Russian units



India is expected to inform Russia soon of its choice of site for a second nuclear power plant, Sergey Orlov, ASE Group's representative in India, has told reporters in Chennai, according to NDTV. ASE Group, the engineering subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, built the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.



The site for a new plant would be in a low seismic zone that is not heavily populated and "preferably" on the coast since the VVER 1200 reactor is a water-cooled one, Orlov said.

India's most recent nuclear power plan, issued in 2012, included 700 MWe PHWRs with two units each to be built at Gorakhpur, Chutka, Bhimpur (Madhya Pradesh), Mahi Banswara and Kaiga, with potential construction starts this year. Under the plans announced by Singh, the two units planned for Bhimpur now appear to have been transferred to Mahi Banswara. In addition to the PHWRs, further Russian-designed VVER reactors are to be built in the second phase of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant at Tamil Nadu.

"As nuclear power projects are in the central sector, power generated by them would allocated to the beneficiary States/UTs [union territories] in the electricity region by the Ministry of Power as per the extant guidelines," Singh said.

He said the estimated total cost of constructing the ten units is INR 1050 billion ($16.3 billion) "at constant price level (excluding escalation and interest during construction)".

Singh added that the materials, components and equipment needed to build the ten units will be sourced indigenously. When announcing plans for the new units, the cabinet said they would be a "fully homegrown initiative", with likely manufacturing orders to Indian industry of about INR 700 billion.

The cabinet said the project will adopt a "fleet mode", bringing "substantial economies of scale" and maximising efficiency. It is expected to generate more than 33,400 jobs and strengthen the country's credentials as a "major nuclear manufacturing powerhouse".

"In respect of fuel, a decision on using indigenous or imported fuel in respect of each project would be taken by the government at an appropriate time," he said.

India has 6780 MWe of installed nuclear capacity from 22 operational reactors with another 6700 MWe expected to come on stream over the next five years. The first four indigenously designed 700 MWe PHWRs are being built at Kakrapar (units 3 and 4) and Rajasthan (units 7 and 8).

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Russia has one of the largest concentrations of millionaires in the world, and according to Forbes it is home to 96 billionaires. The country is also one of the richest in the world with a GDP of US $1.28 trillion. However, despite the countrys immense wealth, millions of Russians live below the poverty line. In 2015, the Moscow-based Financial University posted a report establishing the poorest cities in the country.

The Financial University report was conducted in Russias major cities with populations greater than 500,000 residents. In the report, respondents were asked to identify their income level, the lowest being people whose income was barely enough to buy food, and these were categorized as critically poor, while the highest level was residents whose income provided for everything including real estate.

1. Tolyatti

Coming in at first place was the city of Tolyatti, the administrative center of Stavropolsky District. The city is among the largest in the country, with a population of over 720,000 people. Founded in 1737 as Stavropol-on-Volga, the city was renamed in 1964 in honor of former Italian Communist Party secretary, Palmiro Togliatti. While the city is home to few major industries, including the Russian car-manufacturer, AvtoVAZ, which is the largest employer in the city, 13% of Tolyatti residents were found to be critically poor, and struggled to afford a simple meal. Another 57% of the residents were found to be low-income. The young male demographic accounted for the largest number of the critically poor, which makes the city a fertile ground from which social problems may emerge.

2. Astrakhan

The city of Astrakhan was ranked the second poorest. The large city has a population over half a million residents and is located along the Volga River, near the Caspian Sea. Financial University's study found that 56% of Astrakhan residents were low-income, while another 11% were found to be critically poor. Astrakhan's position in the list was a surprise, considering that the city is dubbed as the Caspian Capital, and has a thriving fishing industry.

3. Penza

Located about 370 miles south of Moscow, Penza is one of the largest cities in Western Russia, with a population of over 520,000 residents. The city thrived during the Soviet Era and was the city in which the Ural mainframe computer was produced. Financial University's report found Penza was the third poorest city in Russia. The report determined that 53% of Penza residents were categorized under low-income, while 12% of the citys residents were found to be critically poor. The worrying statistic tarnishes Penzas reputation as the Penza regions eponymous capital.

4. Volgograd

Originally known as Stalingrad, the city of Volgograd is one of the most popular cities in Russia, with its rich history drawing foreign tourists. With a population of over 1 million residents, Volgograd is the largest city on the list. Volgograd was ranked the fourth poorest Russian city, where 63% (the highest on the list) of its population was termed as low-income, while another 18% were termed as critically poor.

5. Saratov

Saratov is a Russian city situated in the Saratov Oblast, and is home to one of the busiest ports along the Volga River. The city is also one of the largest in the region, with a population of over 840,000 residents. The report from the Financial University established that 50% of Saratov residents were under the low-income bracket, while 10% of the citys residents were categorized as critically poor. Saratov's ranking was baffling considering that the city lies in a region endowed with natural resources and is home to heavy industries.
Portuguese is the official language as well as the most widely spoken language in Brazil. With roughly 204 million speakers, Brazil is the world's most populated Portuguese-speaking country by a wide margin, followed only by Angola and Mozambique, which boast 20 million and 14 million speakers respectively.

Brazil is the largest country in South America both by land area and by population. It is home to over 209 million people, and its largest city is Sao Paulo, which also happens to be the largest city in South America as well as one of the largest cities in the entire world.

Brazil is known for being a megadiverse country with an impressive wealth of plant and animal species. It is home to the world-famous Amazon Rainforest and Amazon River. The country is an up-and-coming tourist destination, mostly thanks to its impressive beaches, national parks, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Portuguese - 97.9%

Portuguese is by far the biggest major language spoken in Brazil, with around 97.9% of the population using it as their primary language. Brazil is unique for being the only predominantly-Portuguese speaking country in South America. Though Brazilian Portuguese and the Portuguese spoken in Portugal are mutually intelligible, there are some colloquial differences between the two.

Prior to colonization, a number of indigenous languages were spoken in what is today Brazil. However, after the Portuguese arrived in 1500, Portuguese began to emerge as the primary language. It is a trend that has continued to this day.

German - 1.9%

Though the speakers only represent around 1.9% of the population, German is the second-most reported language in Brazil. The number of German speakers was particularly strong in the 1940s, when many immigrants from Germany arrived in the country. However, German remains a commonly-spoken language to date, as many German immigrants have preserved the use of their language over time. A German-language newspaper by the name of Brasil-Post has been in print in Sao Paulo for fifty years. German is taught in schools in some municipalities in the country.

Indigenous Languages - 1.9%

As aforementioned, the indigenous languages of Brazil predate European colonization. Many of these languages have preserved over the years and continue to be in use to this day, including Ticuna, Kaingang, and Kaiwa Guarani.

Spanish in Brazil

Due to the countrys geographic proximity to Spanish-speaking countries as well as similarities between the two languages, many Brazilians can understand Spanish. This is especially true in areas of the country that are close to its Spanish-speaking neighbors. However, Spanish fluency is not widespread throughout the country as interest in Spanish as a second language is often overtaken by English.

English in Brazil

English is often taught as a second language in schools in Brazil, and many Brazilians also partake in private English classes. Like most countries, English proficiency is most common inside the countrys major cities. It is estimated that out of the estimated 5% of Brazilians who speak an additional language, 3% speak English.

Italian in Brazil

Like those who immigrated from Germany, there was also a large Italian emigration to Brazil in the 20th century. As a result, the Italian language also has a presence in the country. However, the language has not been conserved as well as the German language.
Croatia is a Central European nation with a population of slightly over four million people. The Republic of Croatia is among the countries with the slowest population growth rates. Its population sharply declined during its fight for independence between 1991 and 1995, when Croats were killed or evicted by Serbian forces. Over the years, Croatia has welcomed immigrants as a way to boost its population. Immigrants are minority ethnic groups who make up 10 percent of the population in Croatia. Some of the minority communities are Slovaks, Serbs, Bosnians, Hungarians, Czechs, and Italians. The Constitution of Croatia recognizes most of these minority groups and protects their rights. Croatian is the national and official language in the country. Nonetheless, the constitution allows the use of minority languages in an official capacity in the municipalities. Some of the minority languages used in Croatia include Serbian, Czech, Italian, Hungarian, Slovak, and Romani.

Croatian: the Official Language of Croatia

As expected, Croatian is the most popular language in the country, and 95% of the population are Croatian native speakers. Before Croatia adopted Croatian as its official language in the 19th century, Latin was the official language. A form of Serbo-Croatian language, which is a blend of Serbian and Croatian, was used in Croatia between 1945 and 1991. Croatian consists of three dialects, namely Shtokavian, Kajkavian, and Chakavian.The language uses the Latin alphabet.

Minority Languages of Croatia

Serbian

Serbian is a minority language in Croatia, and is mainly used by Serbs in Croatia. The Serbian language is closely related to Croatian. The language is taught in a few schools, especially in the counties of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem. Croatians firmly rejected the use of Serbian as the official language through violent protests in 2013. However, Croatian laws granted Serbs the right to use their native language for official purposes in areas where they formed a third of the population. Unlike Croatian, which uses the Latin alphabet, Serbian uses the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet.

Italian

Italian is recognized as a minority language in the Croatian Constitution. Italian native speakers make up only 0.43% of all Croatian citizens. The largest group of native Italian speakers is found in Istria County, where they make up 6 percent of the population. In Istria, Italian is used alongside Croatian as the official languages. Some schools in the county teach Italian, and there is an Italian daily newspaper known as La Voce del Popolo.

Czech

Croatia hosts slightly more than 6,000 Czechs who are largely found in Bjelovar-Bilogora County. Czechs use their native language in official matters, as well as the Croatian language. The Czech Ambassador to Croatia was among the top campaigners for the protection of minority languages.

Significance of Minority Languages in Croatia

The Republic of Croatia recognizes the importance of using different languages in an official capacity, as well as in schools and the media. Minority languages bring diversity to Croatia and open the country to numerous opportunities. Additionally, protection of minority languages in Croatia's constitution has led to unity and harmony in Croatia. Most immigrants appreciate that their native languages are recognized as official languages in Croatia.
Despite years of being isolated from many countries, Cuba has maintained a multi-cultural population which has shaped the languages spoken in the country. The primary languages used in Cuba spread to the country during the 17th and 18th centuries, while the country was under Spanish colonial rule. Cuban Spanish and Haitian Creole are the dominant languages in the country.

The Most Popular Language of Cuba: Cuban Spanish

Cuban Spanish is the most popular language in Cuba, and has an estimated 11 million native speakers. Cuban Spanish belongs to the Indo-European language family and the West Iberian language group. The language is a variant of Spanish language and shares numerous characteristics with other Spanish varieties spoken in the region. One common feature in these Spanish varieties is the use of diminutive ending -ica and -ico, which is different from the Spanish standard of -ita and -ito, respectively. Linguists claim Cuban Spanish originated from Spain, and particularly in the Canary Islands. Cuba experienced an influx of Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands in the 19th and 20th centuries, who largely influenced the growth of the Cuban Spanish language. Immigrants from other regions in Spain also arrived during that period, but their effect on the language was not as profound.

Haitian Creole

Haitian Creole is a major language in Cuba and is used predominantly by the Haitian Cuban people, who are estimated to number about 300,000 individuals. Haitian Creole has its origins in Haiti, where the native speakers originated. These original Haitian Creole speakers were black slaves who immigrated to Cuba during the Haitian Revolution of the early 18th century, along with their French masters. More Haitian immigrants settled in the country in the 19th and 20th century, where they worked as casual laborers in the expansive sugar cane farms. The native Haitian Creole speakers were discriminated against by the Cuban government in the 19th and early 20th century until 1959, when Fidel Castro assumed power and formed a government. In recent years, the use of the Haitian Creole language has spread to non-Haitian Cubans, many of whom speak the language fluently. The dominance of this language in Cuba is evident in the recent establishment of a Haitian Creole radio program in Cubas capital, Havana.

Liturgical Language of Cuba: Lucumi

Lucumi is a minor language in Cuba. The language is heavily influenced by the West African Yoruba language. The language has no native speakers, as it is defined as a liturgical language and is used as a second language to practitioners of Santeria. Lucumi originated from Yoruba slaves brought to Cuban during the trans-Atlantic slave trade of the 18th century. These Yoruba slaves molded the language, incorporating other Bantu languages spoken by other African slaves along with the Spanish language used by the slave masters.

Foreign Languages Spoken in Cuba: Galician and Corsican

The Galician language is natively spoken in Spain by inhabitants of Galicia, who are estimated to number about 4.8 million people. Galician is closely related to Portuguese, with the two languages being derived from the West-Iberian language group. In Cuba, the Galician language is used by Galician expatriates who are usually found in the major cities of the country. Corsican is another major foreign language spoken by a significant population of Italian expatriates. The language has its origins from the Corsica and Sardinia regions in France and Italy, respectively. Corsican is closely related to the Italian language, with the two sharing the Tuscan language group.
Official Language of Italy

Italy is located in Western Europe, where it juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. It has a multicultural population of over 60 million inhabitants, who speak a diverse range of languages from minority languages to regional dialects. The official language spoken in Italy, however, is Italian. This language is spoken by around 85 million people throughout the world and serves as one of the working languages of the Council of Europe. It is considered a Romance language and is more closely related to Latin than any other Romance language. Italian has its roots in the Tuscan dialect of the Italo-Dalmatian subgroup, which belongs to the Indo-European language family. This dialect was used by the upper class and by writers of the Florentine society during the 1100s. In fact, the famous author Dante Alighieri is often given credit for standardizing the language. Today, Italian is not listed by the constitution as the official language, although several courts have made legal decisions identifying the language as such.

Minority Languages of Italy

A number of minority languages are also spoken in Italy. Many of them have been classified as historical language minorities by the government of Italy, including French, Greek, German, Sardinian, Albanian, Occitan, Croatian, Slovene, Ladin, Friulian, Catalan, and Franco-Provencal.

Of these languages, Sardinian belongs to its own group within the Romance languages. Around 1 million people speak Sardinian, the majority of which live on the island of Sardinia. It is considered an indigenous language and has been influenced by Catalan, Byzantine Greek, Spanish, Italian, and pre-Latin languages. Like Italian, it is very closely related to Latin. Sardinian is divided into two principal varieties: Logudorese and Campidanese. According to UNESCO, both varieties are endangered, as Italian is becoming more prominent. Around 68.4% of the population of Sardinia can speak this language, while only 13% of children are considered fluent.

Other Languages Spoken in Italy

A number of other languages are spoken in Italy as well, 31 of which are considered to have varying degrees of vulnerability according to UNESCO. Severely endangered languages of this country include Griko (in both Calabria and Salento), Gardiol, Vastese, Toitschu, and Molise Croatian.

Griko

Griko is the language of the Griko people, who are believed to be descendants of the Ancient Greek communities in Southern Italy. Because of this, the Griko language is considered a living artifact of Magna Graecia. This language has between 40,000 and 50,000 second language speakers and belongs to the Hellenic language group, under the Italiot Greek sub-category.

Gardiol

Gardiol is considered a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the town of Guardia Piemontese in the Calabria region.

Vastese

Vastese is so rare that it is only spoken by the inhabitants of the town of Vasto. Most of the native speakers are between the ages of 80 and 90, while middle-aged adults have only auditory command of this language. Most children have little to no comprehension of Vastese. It is considered a separate language and not a dialect of Italian.

Toitschu

Toitschu is a dialect of Alemmanic and is spoken throughout the Piedmont and Aosta Valley of Italy. This dialect is also known as Walser German, and is not mutually intelligible with Swiss or Standard German.

Molise Croatian

Molise Croatian is a dialect of Serbo-Croatian. It is spoken throughout the Campobasso province of Italy by the Italian Croats population. Today, this language has less than 1,000 native speakers.
As US-based Amazon online retail giant moves to conquer the Indian market, it has invested 16.8 billion rupees ($US250 million) in its Indian arm, Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd, in a bid to oust its chief Indian rival Flipkart.

With this new infusion, Amazons total investment in India crossed the $2 billion mark, making the company the second largest global investor in Indias digital economy. The first is Japanese-based telecommunications and internet company SoftBank, which has nearly $4 billion in investments in the country.

After meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his US visit, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos tweeted in excitement, Always impressed, energized by optimism and invention in India. Excited to keep investing and growing.

Commenting on the recent investment, an Amazon spokesperson gushed, We remain committed to our India business with a long-term perspective to make e-commerce a habit for Indian customers. He added, We are delighted and humbled by the trust from our customers, to lead in India things that matter to our customers in just four years of our business, while continuing to launch innovative India-first initiatives as well as completely new offerings like Prime and Prime video.

Like other transnational corporations, Amazon hopes to extract super profits by taking advantage of the countrys contract labor system and the governments ruthless suppression of working-class resistance. Earlier this year, 13 autoworkers at the Maruti Suzuki assembly plant in Manesar, in the giant industrial belt outside of New Dehli, were sentenced to life in prison on trumped up murder charges. The special prosecutor who originally sought the death penalty complained that the Maruti Suzuki workers strikes, plant occupations and other militant actions were a stain on our image that undermined Prime Minister Modis Make in India campaign to attract foreign investment.

A team of reporters from the World Socialist Web Site and International Amazon Workers Voice recently visited the Amazon Transportation Services Pvt Ltd. facility in the Royapettah district of Chennai, a city of 7 million on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India. The reporters spoke with contract workers at the Amazon facility.

Arjun, 45, said, When I joined the company as a contract worker I was told my daily wage would be 550 rupees (US $8.50). I dont have a day off during the week and I am not entitled to festival holidays. Its sort of like no work, no pay. If I get hurt during my working hours I will have to bear the medical expenses.

He continued, I would leave this job if I could get one with higher wages. I dont have any direct connection with Amazon. I have to talk to my contractor about any problems with pay and I dont even know how much the contractor gets from the company. There is no definite date for payment so I never know when Im going to get paid. When they pay a contract worker its like theyre giving money to a beggar.

Its very difficult to look after my family with my low wages. Arjun explained that his children are forced to go to poorly funded public schools even though he and other workers would like to send their children to private schools for a better education. I pay rent for my house and I cant meet all these expenses, he said.

I know Amazon operates in several countries, including Germany, America and Britain, but I had no idea about the conditions of Amazon workers in these countries. Ive only learned about the conditions and struggles of Amazon workers in different countries by talking to you. I agree all the struggling workers at Amazon should unite and fight for better wages and working conditions.

As you say it would be good if the workers of the world unite and fight. I like that concept. But no other parties in this country talk about this program. I dont like any of these parties. Workers need a party like yours.

Arjun denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a rogue because Modi is passing bills against working people. Modi, he said, cuts subsidies meant for working people. He ignores the plight of the farmers. He is touring the world. How much money did he seize by demonetizing and eliminating 500- and 1,000-rupee currency notes?

Pushparaj, 55, a contract driver, is paid only 12,000 rupees (US $186.42) per month. He gets no additional benefits, which only a small number of permanent workers receive.

The worker described his experience following the tragic death of his wife. My wife used to work as a permanent worker in a private company called Medafom in Chennai. The company was shifted to Chennais suburb. She died while working in the company, but, so far, the company has not given us any of the benefits she was entitled to, including her Provident Fund (PF) and gratuity.

When I asked the company to give us the money we were entitled to so I could pay for my daughters wedding, they refused. I was so angered by companys hostile attitude I rushed to the company gate carrying 5 litres of kerosene and prepared for self-immolation. At that point company officials came running towards me and gave me 10,000 rupees. I was only able to get this pittance because I threatened to kill myself in protest. So far they have not given us my wifes severance package.

To survive I work at Amazon as a contract worker in very difficult conditions. I dont even have a place to stay, so I sleep on a platform outside the company gate.

Commenting on the role of political parties at the central and state level Pushparaj said, None of the parties are any good. During former DMK [Tamil Nadu-based bourgeois party] rule, its leader Karunanidhi became notorious for his partys rampant corruption. He made all his family members rich. They have hidden all the wealth they accumulated through corruption.

But the late Jayalalithaa, [the former chief minister AIADMK, which currently rules Tamil Nadu] was caught red-handed because she was not as efficient as the DMK leaders in hiding the illegal wealth she stole! Both the ruling and opposition parties are corrupt and work for their selfish interests.

Pushparaj scoffed at the Modi-led Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for boasting about seizing black money (illegally obtained income not declared for tax purposes) and demonetizing smaller currency notes. Modi made opening bank accounts compulsory as well as a mandatory identity cardthe Aaddhar card systemto hand out the governments meager benefits.

When Tamil Nadu farmers went to capital New Delhi and staged demonstrations to demand loan waivers, Modi never bothered to meet them and address their plights.

The poor farmers who borrowed from the banks and were unable to repay the loans were humiliated and driven to suicide. But the rich, like Vijay Mallya who borrowed 70 billion rupees from public-sector banks and failed to repay them, were allowed to flee the country and lead an extravagant life style in London.

Both the state and central governments protect the interests of the rich. I like your party because it fights for the unity of the international working class.

Sukumar, 29, said, I get a monthly salary of 15,000 rupees (US $233) and I have been working for this company for the past three months. My driving job is difficult, but they still pay me less. If Amazon, a world-wide company, paid us directly we would get a minimum of 20,000 rupees (US $310.70). I am living with my parents because thats the only way I can manage with my low salary.

The young worker also expressed his alienation from and contempt for the corporate-controlled political parties. Dont talk to me about the political parties. Modis demonetization measure further deteriorated the conditions of poor people. He boasted his government would take away black money from the rich and give it to the poor. But so far, the poor have not benefited at bit.

Mohammed, 26, a driver, said, I come from an agricultural village in Chengalput, 57 km (35 miles) away from Chennai. In the government-sponsored public work scheme, a person in the village is only paid 150 rupees (US $2.33). Thats why I didnt go for that work. I come from a poor farmer family. The real estate developers are regularly taking over the farm fields to build houses and the farmers water is diverted. The big land owners are building houses on their farm lands and rent them out to make profits.
The public defenders office in Baltimore recently released information about a January drug bust in which an officer was recorded on his body camera planting drugs when he thought it was not recording. The man who was arrested has been held in jail since that time on $50,000 bail, which he was unable to post. The man has now been freed, and the officer has been suspended.

The body-cam video was recorded on January 24, and shows the officer, Richard Pinheiro, standing in a yard full of trash along with two other officers. Pinheiro is holding a soup can with a transparent plastic bag stuffed into it, which he then places within a pile of garbage. He and the other officers then move out into a narrow access alley.

In the alley, Pinheiro activates his body-cam, unaware that it had also captured the previous 30 seconds of video before activation. He and the officers then stage themselves finding the plastic bag full of illegal drugs, even making up phony dialog, such as, Im gonna go check here, hold on, and Yo, hold up. The fabricated search lasted only 15 seconds.

The body-cam footage of police planting drugs was sent by the public defenders office to the state attorneys office last week, prompting the release of the man who was charged with the crime. Baltimore police officials stated that they had been watching the man who they believed was selling heroin and storing it in that garbage-filled yard back in January.

According to the Baltimore Police Department, the man had already been stopped earlier that day, purportedly possessing and selling drugs. The police department showed that they had another video where the officers found a knotted bag containing 25 heroin capsules, and that they were hoping to find an open bag nearby. The open bag is what Pinheiro is supposedly finding on the video released by the defenders office.

Baltimore police officials are using this first video to excuse Pinheiros actions, stating that he may have found the open bag legitimately, but wanted to make sure it was found on camera. They have stated that their focus now is to learn why the officers would have staged a discovery. They did not admit that one faked video could also mean that the first video was also faked.

Even though the prosecutors office claimed to be appalled by the incident, they are allowing Pinheiro to testify in another case this week. According to their office, he was named as a witness in some 53 other active cases.

Debbie Katz Levi, of the public defenders office, stated, We have long supported the use of police body cameras to help identify police misconduct, but such footage is meaningless if prosecutors continue to rely on these officers, especially if they do so without disclosing their bad acts. Officers should not be able to decide when to turn the cameras on and off.

Saginaw, Michigan police shoot handcuffed man in back of patrol car

On Wednesday afternoon, police officers in the Township of Saginaw in Michigan shot and killed Farhad Jabbari while he was in the back of their squad car. The man had been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, and when investigators arrived at the scene the man had been shot to death with one hand still cuffed.

The officer who was driving the car reported that Jabbari was moving in a way not usual for a person who was handcuffed. Purportedly, Jabbari had managed to slip his handcuffs to the front of his body. A second officer arrived in a separate patrol car after which Jabbari purportedly began assaulting both officers while they adjusted his cuffs. Witnesses heard three to four gunshots, one of which hit and killed Jabbari. The assisting officer was shot in the arm, and the one who fired had injuries to his face and eyes.

Some of Jabbaris friends spoke to the media about him. I saw him two weeks ago, and he seemed perfectly fine, Tim Morningstar said. I know he had been battling depression. Court records show that Jabbari completed one year of a suspended sentence for a no contest plea in a domestic violence case in 2016, leaving him with no criminal conviction. Both officers are on administrative leave.
After 52 years, the oldest worlds guerrilla group has laid down its arms. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos last week signed an amnesty covering 3,252 members of the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the last of three such decrees covering a total of 6,005 guerrillas. Another 1,400, many of whom are in prison, are being sent before judges to secure amnesty.

The decrees follow the appearance by Santos, the UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission for Colombia, Jean Arnault, and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, also known as Timochenko, at a ceremonial surrender of weapons in Mesetas, Colombia on June 27.

At the event, the UN inspectors verified a container filled with rifles as a symbolic act, leading to a collection and counting of all FARC weapons.

"Rodrigo Londono, Timochenko," shouted to the guerrillas at the Mesetas Camp: Goodbye, weapons! Goodbye, war!

The guerrillas have moved to temporary demobilization camps, established also as Gun Drop Zones, where thy have been slowly handing over their guns, reaching 7,132 according to the latest report. For security reasons some weapons will remain in the camps until August 1, but for the most part, the UN inspectors said, disarmament is essentially complete.

According to media reports, the collected weapons are being packed for shipment out of Colombia and, in some cases, will be melted down and used to build monuments.

President Juan Manuel Santos said in an interview on July 1, 2017: The disarmament of the members of the FARC registered in the country zones is complete. The recovery of weapons in the hideouts is underway. We hope that the United Nations, supported by the police, will have an inventory of these weapons on the first of September.

However, two weeks after the widely publicized event in Mesetas, the United Nations Mission accused Colombias government of undermining the countrys peace process by failing to release imprisoned FARC members and protect disarmed guerrillas as promised in a peace deal with the countrys oldest and largest rebel group.

In a press release, the UN Mission said the government should act responsibly and swiftly to put an end to a situation that weakens peace building. The statement continued: The detention of members of the FARC-EP in prisons six months after the congressional approval of the Amnesty Law and two weeks after the disarmament of individuals undermines the reintegration process and the consolidation of peace.

In fact, more than 1,400 imprisoned FARC members went on hunger strike, claiming their freedom as promised in the peace deal signed on November 24, 2016 and ratified by Congress in an amnesty law a few days later.

In addition, the Santos government has failed to send in troops to take control of territory abandoned by the FARC, creating insecurity and leading to the assassination of more than 50 social leaders, six demobilized FARC rebels and nine family members of former guerrillas.

As the UN noted the insecurity of FARC members in the demobilization zones, illustrated by the cases of threats and assassination against them and their family members weakens the prospects of peace in Colombia. Santos, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the deal with the FARC, has been criticized for failing to comply with the peace agreement.

The unfolding of this process threatens to escalate the violence on the part of already dangerous and violent right-wing paramilitary gangs like the Urabenos, Rastrojos, Aguilas Negras and others, as well as the so-called Bacrim (Bandas CriminalesCriminal Gangs) or Colombias organized crime, which are ready to move into the vacuum left by the FARCs demobilization. In many cases, this involves seizing territory where the FARC collected taxes from farmers cultivating coca and drug traffickers, with the right-wing paramilitaries intending to do the same.

According to the World Bank data, Colombia is the most unequal country in Latin America after Guatemala.

In Colombia, the top 10 percent of the richest people earn at least four times more than the bottom 40 percent, according to the bank. Additionally, 77.6 percent of land in the country is owned by only 13.7 percent of the countrys inhabitants.

From their origins in 1964, the FARC made agrarian reform the very core of its political program. It embraced the conceptions of peasant-based revolution propounded by Maoism and Castroism, even as Colombia was becoming an increasingly urban society, with today less than a fifth of the population left in the agricultural sector.

While the peace deal signed between the guerrilla movement and the government includes an agrarian reform provision, the measures envisioned will do nothing to resolve the historic problem of latifundia and the grinding oppression of the peasants and rural poor. Under the control of the Santos government, the so-called reform will be used to open up large areas formerly contested by the FARC to exploitation by foreign mining companies and agribusiness.

The FARC has begun the process of transforming itself into a political party in alliance with the Stalinist Colombia Communist Party (Partido Comunista Colombiano-PCC).

The PCC and the FARC announced earlier this month that they would seek to create a political alliance ahead of the countrys 2018 elections. The decision was revealed at the opening of the 22nd Congress of the PCC, which was attended by several FARC members. One of the leaders of the PCC declared: The PCC and the FARC are all anxious for the development ... of the new party or political movement.

There are precedents in Colombia for such a development. The M-19 (19th of April Movement) Castroite guerrilla group disarmed itself at the end of the 1980s, with its members receiving small business loans from the government and its leaders becoming bourgeois politicians, one of whom, Gustavo Petro, is the current mayor of Bogota.

The FARC itself sought to turn to bourgeois politics in the 1980s, integrating itself into a political party known as Union Patriotica (UP). While the party enjoyed some initial success it was subjected to a ruthless campaign of assassinations, with some 3,000 of its candidates and campaign workers killed by right-wing paramilitaries operating with the support of the military.

Since then, the FARC has seen its numbers decimated and has suffered a considerable loss in popularity with its activities associated more in the mind of the public with the drug trade, kidnappings and extortion than any revolutionary agenda.

While its disarming appears to signal an end to the role played by the FARC in the 52-year-long civil war that claimed the lives of over 265,000 Colombians and displaced some 6 million more, there is no reason to believe that the peace deal will end the endemic violence, the majority of which has always been the work of the army and the paramilitary right.

Meanwhile, the FARC and the PCC will field a party that will serve as a left cover for the Santos government as it prepares intensified attacks on the living conditions of the Colombian workers. Facing continued weak oil prices and under pressure from Wall Street investors for further adjustments, Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas has vowed to slash $1.65 billion from next years budget.

In the final analysis, the peace deal will do nothing to lessen intense social inequality, endemic state repression, lack of democracy and rampant corruption in a country that constitutes one of the closest allies of the US imperialism in Latin America.
France's National Assembly voted on July 6 a new prolongation of the state of emergency until November 1 and, with the Senate, discussed on July 18-19 in accelerated proceedings a bill that would inscribe the police powers granted by the state of emergency into common law.

As these bills are examined and discussed in the press, opposition to them is growing. Even inside the academic and NGO circles that largely supported President Emmanuel Macron in this year's presidential elections, it is increasingly widely recognized that he is taking a historic step to build an authoritarian and anti-democratic regime in France.

On July 12, Liberation and Mediapart published an appeal signed by 500 academics and researchers criticizing moves towards a permanent state of emergency. These are measures that gravely menace liberty and that, according to this bill, could be decided by the interior minister or police prefects not in a situation of 'imminent peril,' but more broadly, at any time or place and  [that could be] decided based on simple suspicions, it declares, concluding: We cannot accept such a regression of the rule of law.

In parallel, protests called by a coalition of NGOs, trade unions (including of judges), and of petty-bourgeois parties including the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA), the Stalinist French Communist Party, and Jean-Luc Melenchon's Unsubmissive France (LFI) took place in Paris on July 1 and 18. They were called on the slogan No to a permanent state of emergency. Another protest is scheduled for September 10.

The parties organizing the current protests supported the previous Socialist Party (PS) government of President Francois Hollande, its Je suis Charlie campaign after the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo, and the imposition of a state of emergency after the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris. They accepted the suppression of democratic rights under the state of emergency, which deputies of the Left Front coalition between the PCF and Melenchon voted in the Assembly.

The WSWS for its part consistently opposed the state of emergency, stressing that it would serve to build a police state repressing working class opposition to austerity and imperialist war. It stressed that the state of emergency was not in fact a struggle against the Islamist terror networks carrying out attacks in Paris, which the imperialist powers in fact use in their wars in Syria. It located the more profound causes of the state of emergency in the international crisis of capitalism and the collapse of democratic forms of rule that are incompatible with rising grotesque social inequality.

The perpetrators of the terrorist attacks were individuals well known to intelligence services, who allowed them to circulate freely and operate without hindrance. This was the case of the Kouachi brothers, who carried out the Charlie Hebdo attack; of Amedy Coulibaly, who carried out the attack in the Hyper Kosher market in Vincennes the same day; and of Saleh Abdeslam, the key suspect in the November 2015 attacks, who hid for four months near his family home in Brussels while he was supposedly being searched for by every police force in Europe.

The recent attacks in Manchester again revealed the close ties between Western intelligence and the individual carrying out the terror attack. He and his family were well known to the security services, as his family had participated in CIA-led wars in Libya and Syria.

The NPA in particular rapidly and vocally aligned itself with these wars. It defended the war in Libya on the false pretext that it was a humanitarian intervention, and Hollande's war in Libya with the false claim that militias dominated by Islamist forces linked to Al Qaeda were leading a democratic revolution. This party, integrated into the political machinery that aimed to sell imperialist foreign policy to the population, ended up also serving as a cover for the political lies that underlie its repressive domestic policy.

The masses, and above all the working class, are profoundly attached to democratic rights. However, their oppositional struggles will develop along political lines extremely different from those of symbolic protests dominated by parties like LFI, the PCF, and the NPA or other groups close to the PS and the imperialist state machine.

If the warnings that predominate in the current protests point to Macron's dictatorial policy and call for maintaining the rule of law, they advance above all the argument that the state of emergency is not effective against terrorism. That is, they accept the legitimacy of the war on terror, which has served from the beginning as a false pretext for the suppression of democratic rights. One speaker at the protests even proposed to reinforce the intelligence services and to form on the ground [in Syria] a universal coalition against the Islamic State.

The speakers at the protest address demands to Macron without mentioning his predecessor, Hollande, to pass over in silence the fact that they supported his policy. They address also the parliament, the July 18 demonstration having passed in front of the Senate, which had just prolonged the state of emergency until November.

If Macron is trying to build a permanent police state in France, it is because he knows that the opposition of the working class will be of an entirely different scale and character than that of the old political satellites of the PS. He has no popular support for his policies of war and austerity, a state of affairs underscored by the unprecedented majority abstention in the legislative elections. His party won a majority in the Assembly with the support of only 16 percent of registered voters.

Broad sections of the population and of youth are openly hostile to Macron's policies; an explosion of the class struggle and a revolutionary confrontation between the working class and the bourgeoisie are being prepared.

The sections of the media and the political establishment who are now concerned by the permanent state of emergency are proposing to preserve the rule of law and capitalism. But it is crisis-ridden capitalism, with its wars and social and economic crises, which is driving the ruling class to try to destroy democratic rights by setting up a permanent police state.

The only viable defense of democratic rights is through the revolutionary mobilization of the working class in France and across Europe in a political struggle against capitalism. It is the only force in society that can secure the overthrow the capitalist class in order to defend and extend democratic rights that are now under profound threat.
The June 14 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed at least 80 people, has exposed the life-threatening conditions in which millions of poor and working class people are forced to live in Britain and throughout the world.

The cost-cutting and negligence that led to the Grenfell disaster are rampant in New Zealand. As in Britain, property owners, construction companies, suppliers, local councils and successive governments have been complicit in flouting regulations to cut costs and maximise profits.

The governments assurances cannot be trusted. Building and Construction Minister Nick Smith told the media the combustible aluminium composite panels that contributed to the immense scale of the Grenfell fire were not prevalent in New Zealand and had been banned for new buildings from January this year.

This is the same government that has prevented a proper investigation into the 2010 Pike River mine disaster, which killed 29 men, and shielded those responsible from prosecution. Repairs to thousands of damaged homes overseen by the government insurance agency EQC following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake failed to comply with building standards.

In fact, the dangerous cladding has been available for at least a decade in New Zealand and the extent to which it has been used is not clear. On June 30, the Auckland Council said it would review the safety of 90 buildings with the cladding it had identified in the city, a process that could take several months. So far only two buildings have been namedthe Nautilus and Spencer on Byron. The council claims these have other features, including sprinklers, which make them safe.

There are many other fire risks. On July 7, Radio NZ reported that there is widespread industry agreement that most [multi-storey] buildings have weak points that could accelerate the spread of a big fire and shouldnt have been signed off as compliant with the Building Code.

Fairfax Media reported that patients in Christchurch Hospital are at risk of dying from smoke inhalation because of holes in fire protection walls. The District Health Board claimed it was repairing the walls.

Ron Green from the Association of Building Compliance said he had seen hospitals and rest homes with inadequate fire barriers. He had been shouting about this for a long time and the Grenfell disaster, as horrible as it is, has made people aware that things can happen.

In April 2014, Green told the NZ Security magazine that 99 percent of the buildings I inspect dont comply with the Building Code and less than 10 percent will be only 60 percent compliant. The article noted there was no requirement for contractors or sub-contractors to be trained in the installation of passive fire protection (PFP) systems, such as fire and smoke barriers, and no compliance checking for fire stopping.

A 2008 study of 11 high-rise buildings by the Fire Protection Association found that more than half did not meet the Building Code, primarily because of breaches in smoke and fire barriers.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment dismissed these warnings in 2014. A spokesperson told NZ Security: Were aware of some issues but nothing suggests a widespread or endemic issue that needs to be dealt to in particular.

But Home Owners and Buyers Association (Hobanz) president John Gray told Newstalk ZB on June 15 that all the large building complexes that Hobanz had assisted owners with have suffered from the lack of proper fire rating and fire protection. He said Hobanz had grave concerns about residents safety.

Gray blamed the failings on willful negligence on the part of the designers, builders and certifiers... These werent mistakes... It was a willful and deliberate act to save costs.

He explained: Weve seen building Warrants of Fitness being issued [by council inspectors] and all the boxes being ticked and yet there are glaring omissions in relation to the protection of penetration through cladding, and even the lack of operable smoke detectors and fire alarms.

Another widespread problem was the lack of intumescent coatings ... to delay the deformation of the steel [in a fire] so that the building doesnt immediately collapse.

The absence of meaningful enforcement of regulations was highlighted by a recent radio NZ report that the Sky World building received a Warrant of Fitness from Auckland Council in January 2016 despite having multiple defective or broken smoke alarms, smoke detectors, and smoke extraction systems.

The seven-storey building, housing several shops, a cinema complex and food court, is visited by two million people per year. Auckland Council, which is dominated by the Labour Party and its allies, identified problems with the building in mid-2015 but allowed it to continue to operate.

A Dangerous Building Notice was issued in December 2016 after owner James Kwak refused to make the necessary repairs. The council stated: In the event of fire, injury or death to any persons in the building or to persons on other property is likely.

Despite this finding, Sky World was not shut down. It was ordered to take precautions, including employing extra security guards, until the faults were reportedly rectified in May this year.

The fire danger in residential buildings is compounded by overcrowding caused by soaring house prices and rents. Speculation by rich investors has driven up prices for houses, which now sell for more than $NZ1 million on average in Auckland, the largest city.

In 2013 it was estimated that more than 41,000 New Zealanders are homeless, while in Auckland alone 6.6 percent of houses and apartments33,000are officially classified as empty. Thousands of people are crammed into expensive rental accommodation, including slum-like boarding houses. In many cases, whole families share the same room.

Successive National and Labour Party governments have deliberately run down public housing for low-income people. Today there are about 64,000 houses owned or managed by Housing New Zealand, compared with 69,928 in 1992, despite the population increasing from 3.5 to 4.5 million. There have been reports of people becoming ill and even dying as a result of cold, damp state houses (see: New Zealand toddlers death linked to run-down public housing).

The National government is currently privatising state housing in parts of the country. The opposition Labour Party has criticised the sales but not proposed a significant expansion of public housing to address the homelessness crisis. The ruling elite and its political parties have no intention of spending the billions of dollars required to repair unsafe buildings and ensure that everyone has access to safe and decent housing.

Attend the Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) public meeting, The Grenfell Tower disaster: A crime against the working class on Sunday, July 30.

The author also recommends:

Australian building experts discuss the Grenfell Tower fire

[12 July 2017]

Anger grows over failure to prosecute those responsible for Grenfell Tower inferno

[15 July 2017]
The International Socialist Organization (ISO) held its Socialism 2017 conference in Chicago on July 6-9. What was most striking about the event was the virulence of the pro-war policy of the ISO.

At several sessions dedicated to geo-political developments, ISO speakers presented positions that differed little, if any, from those of the US State Department. They denounced Chinese and Russian imperialism and presented the reactionary forces in Syria, armed and funded by the US, Turkey and the Gulf States, as revolutionaries.

A central role was played by Ashley Smith, an editorial board member on the ISOs International Socialist Review magazine and the organizations principal proponent of regime-change in Syria. While Smith usually remains in the background, during these sessions he intervened aggressively, in some cases from the back of the room, to shout down anyone who questioned the ISOs international policies and affiliations.

At one session, titled, A Newer World Order? Imperialism and the Rise of China, Smith spoke from the panel and began by declaring that Chinas rise as a new imperialist power is the most significant development since the US rise to world power.

China was challenging the US economically and militarily throughout the world, Smith asserted. It was determined to reestablish its ancient empire by overrunning Taiwan and seizing islands in the South and East China Seas, he said, giving it control over sea lanes and undersea gas deposits. The Asian country was also engaged in a new form of colonial subjugation of Africa and Latin America, Smith claimed, which was not that different from American and European imperialism.

Smith and other ISO speakers threw the epithet imperialism, without the slightest historical or scientific content, at any potential regional rival that obstructed Americas drive for global hegemony, with one ISO supporter referring to Iran as an imperialist power, and then, after being challenged, saying it was sub-imperialist power.

After several audience members expressed concern that the military aggressiveness of the US could lead to a clash with China or Russia and the danger of nuclear war, Smith did everything to downplay the danger and sow complacency. The inter-imperial rivalry with China could trigger a much larger confrontation, including militarily, Smith said, But there are factors that mitigate against that. The two powers are utterly tied together. Apple does not want the US to bomb its iPhone factories in China. The other supposedly mitigating factor was that both the US and China have nuclear arsenals and the danger of mutually assured destruction would stop war.

Only the so-called anti-imperialist left says were on the brink of war, Smith declared in another session, titled, The Russian Menace? Putins Foreign Policy. The risk of such a war, he insisted, was completely unlikely, next to zero.

This was because the US was not really in the business of regime change in Syria, Smith asserted. Instead the US and Russia were both intervening to prop up Assad, with Russia bombing genuine revolutionaries and the US bombing ISIS.

The real character of these so-called revolutionaries was revealed at the session Revolution and Counter-Revolution in the Middle East delivered by Anand Gopal, a journalist and fellow with the International Security Program at the Washington, DC think tank New America. New America is run by Anne-Marie Slaughter, the former Director of Policy Planning for the US State Department from January 2009 until February 2011 under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Gopal, who has reported for the Wall Street Journal and Foreign Policy, has slipped in and out of areas in Syria controlled by al Qaeda-backed rebel forces, which would be impossible without the support of US and foreign intelligence services. He boasted that he has visited a Syrian town near Aleppo a dozen times since 2011.

Gopal blamed the poor organizational abilities of the Free Syrian Army and the destructive influence of Baathism on the countrys democratic and leftist traditions for the fact that the anti-Assad struggle is under the leadership of al Qaeda, which, he said, was independently funded and better organized.

My friends couldnt get weapons, so they went over to Turkey to talk with the MCM, the CIA-led intelligence there, who said they would arm them, on the condition they fight ISIS and not Assad. They refused, he said, and By 2013-2014, all my friends had joined al Qaeda.

Gopal reacted with hostility when a World Socialist Web Site reporter asked him about Seymour Hershs recent article, which debunked US government and media claims that the Syrian government had conducted a gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in April. The attack was used by the Trump administration, with the support of the Democratic Party, as a pretext for its cruise missile attack on Syria.

Without providing the slightest evidence against Hersh, Gopal crudely declared, That was complete bullshit.

From the back of the room Smith thanked Gopal for his brilliant remarks. When one attendee at Gopals panel asked if there were two sides to the Western-backed White Helmets in Syria, Smith and others shouted, Theres just one side!

Summing up, Smith declared, The left internationally has betrayed the Syrian RevolutionWe have to build a new left, a revolutionary left, built on solidarity, not campism.

The implication here is that anyone who opposes the plundering of Syria by US imperialism and a bloody invasion to install a US-backed puppet in Damascus is really in the camp of Assad or Putin.

The ISO is not a left or anti-war organization. Functioning as an external faction of the Democratic Party, the ISO is chiefly concerned with overcoming the deep hostility to war among millions of workers and young people. Aware that some people they have brought into their movement mistakenly think the ISO is opposed to the operations of American imperialism, they used the conference in Chicago to set them straight.
Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of the management-provoked incident at the Maruti Suzuki Manesar auto factory outside of Delhi, India that was used as the pretext for the mass prosecution and frame-up of workers.

On July 18, 2012 management fired a Maruti Suzuki workerJaya Lalwho objected to workers being forced to labor through their tea break and the abuse by a manager who slandered him for his poverty and background as a dalit, that is, a descendant of the Untouchable caste.

The company unleashed bouncers (thugs) against workers who came to their co-workers defense. A fire of undetermined origin then erupted and Avineesh Dev, the only manager sympathetic to the workers, died of asphyxiation.

Following the altercation, 148 workers were arrested and 31 ultimately convicted on March 10, 2017, including 13 sentenced to serve life terms in the hellish Indian prison system. The brutal attack on Indian autoworkers involved the collaboration of Maruti Suzuki executives, the police, and the highest levels of the Indian state.

The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and the World Socialist Web Site have launched a worldwide campaign to defend these heroic workers. We encourage workers, students and all those who defend democratic rights to sign the petition demanding the immediate release of the Maruti Suzuki workers.

The Stalinist-dominated All India Trades Union Congress marked the anniversary with a small demonstration, attended by workers from Maruti Suzuki, Honda Motors and Hero Motocorp. The workers gathered at the Rajiv Chowk Delhi metro station. The workers marched from the station to nearby government offices where they delivered a petition.

The token character of the protest underscores once again the treacherous role of the Indian Stalinists. Since the onset of the state persecution, the Stalinist unions have worked to isolate the Maruti Suzuki workers and suppress opposition to the attack, or, where that has been impossible, divert the anger of workers into futile appeals to the corrupt Indian courts.

The spinelessness of the Indian Stalinists has encouraged further state attacks. Last month, more than 400 workers were arrested after police charged and beat workers and their families for protesting in front of the Aisin Automotive components factory in Haryana. Those workers face low wages and brutal conditions like their counterparts at the nearby Maruti Suzuki plant.

The aim of the assault on Maruti Suzuki workers is to crush all opposition to the sweatshop conditions that prevail in Indias industrial belt, home to massive transnational corporations such as Japanese-based Suzuki Motors.

The judge in the case rejected out of hand the workers version of events, claiming that they made up the story about being attacked by the security thugs. The judge also excluded all testimony from workers who witnessed the July 18, 2012 events, but were not implicated by the prosecution in any wrongdoing. In contrast, the judge gave free rein to management officials to give their version of the story, without any challenges from worker eyewitnesses.

Twelve of the 13 men sentenced to life prison terms were leaders of the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU). A series of militant strikes at the plant had forced management to recognize the MSWU in March 2012. The union, built in opposition to a management-dominated stooge union, won widespread support for its opposition to the hated contract labor system. In the aftermath of the company-staged provocation, thousands of workersboth permanent and contractwere fired, scores detained by police and held without bail for years and the MSWU essentially smashed.

The growth of militancy among Maruti Suzuki workers is symptomatic of the radicalization of Indian workers, drawn from the impoverished Indian countryside to feed the insatiable demand of global big business for cheap, highly exploited labor. The Manesar factory had been a center of opposition in the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt with a wave of strikes, plant occupations and other militant actions, which came to a head in 2011.

The biographies of the Maruti Suzuki workers serving life prison terms further underscores the brutal character of the frame-up. Most are married and come from poor farming families with few resources. In many cases the arrest of their chief breadwinner has created severe hardships for children and other relatives.

For example, MSWU President Ram Maher Singh is in his early 30s and is from the village of Guliana in the Kaithan District. He has a wife, aged 30, two sons, 7 and 9 years old. They eke out a living on a mere four acres of land that they farm.

Ajmer Singh was the MSWU legal adviser. He is from Samanputti village in the Rohtak District. He has a 27-year-old wife and two children, ages 6 and 8. His father is 55 and his mother is 50.

Singh has two unmarried brothers and two married sisters. His brothers, who had to quit school because of Ajmers jailing, now make pottery out of mud to support their family.

Framed-up Maruti Suzuki worker Jaya Lal has no land, coming from a very poor family in Baikal village, Jaind District. His wife is 28 and they have one son, age 5-1/2 years old. His father and mother are still living and he has one brother, age 35. His family was totally dependent on Jaya Lals income.

Another jailed worker, Ram Vilas, has a 25-year-old wife and 7-year-old son. In addition, he has a father, age 66, and a mother, 48. His only brother is a 20-year-old student. He is from Gamdy Village in the Sonipat district and his family has no land and are very poor.

MSWU Chief Patron Sandeep Bhillo age 31, is not married. He is from Dihola village in the Jaind District. While in jail, one of his sisters committed suicide. His father, Sube Singh, is 55, his mother 50.

In waging a struggle against the sweatshop conditions, the Maruti Suzuki workers struck a blow, not only against the Japanese owned multi-national and the Indian authoritys efforts to make the country the center of cheap labor for the world, but for workers in the more advanced capitalist countries who are also being subjected to relentless attacks on their jobs and living standards.

In opposition to the national poison being spread by the trade unions and capitalist parties throughout the world, the campaign to defend the Maruti Suzuki workers is aimed at unifying the international working class in a common struggle against the attacks of the globally organized corporations. We urge readers of the World Socialist Web Site to support the campaign to defend the Maruti Suzuki workers and make their cause widely known.
According to intelligence reports from Iraq, the US-led massacre in Mosul has claimed a staggeringly higher toll of Iraqi civilian lives than had previously been reported.

More than 40,000 men, women and children were killed in the grinding nine-month-long siege of Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, according to a report published Thursday by the veteran Middle East correspondent for the British daily Independent Patrick Cockburn.

Cockburns source is the former finance and foreign minister of the Iraqi government, Hoshyar Zebari, an Iraqi Kurd with close ties to Iraqs Kurdistan Regional Government. The figure was supplied by Kurdish intelligence.

The figure given by Mr Zebari for the number of civilians killed in the nine-month siege is far higher than those previously reported, but the intelligence service of the Kurdistan Regional Government has a reputation for being extremely accurate and well-informed, reports Cockburn.

The sheer scale of the killing makes the siege of Mosul one of the greatest war crimes of the post-World War II era. While before the city fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in June of 2014 it had a population of approximately 2 million, by the time the siege began, there were still at least 1.2 million civilians trapped in Mosul. This population was subjected to horrific violence.

Earlier, the UK-based monitoring group Airwars had provided an estimate of 5,805 civilians killed in airstrikes by the US-led coalition between February 19 and June 19. This figure excluded those killed in the four preceding months of the siege, as well as those who died in the last three weeks of the intensive bombardment that reduced western Mosuls Old City to rubble.

In his interview with Cockburn, Zebari attributed a significant share of the carnage to the relentless artillery bombardment of western Mosul by Iraqs militarized federal police, using weapons that are inaccurate and of use only in terms of demolishing entire neighborhoods rather than targeting fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The report issued earlier this month by Amnesty International, At Any Cost: The Civilian Catastrophe in West Mosul, also pointed to the devastating effect of these bombardments, which were used to compensate for the lack of sufficient numbers of adequately trained Iraqi troops to throw into combat in the crowded streets and alleyways of Mosuls Old City.

Pro-government forces relied heavily upon explosive weapons with wide area effects such as IRAMs (Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions), Amnesty charged. With their crude targeting abilities, these weapons wreaked havoc in densely populated west Mosul, where large groups of civilians were trapped in homes or makeshift shelters. 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.

The report described the artillery and rocket launchers employed by the Iraqi forces, working closely with US special forces advisors, as indiscriminate weapons that must never be used in the vicinity of civilians.

One indication of the scale of the killing has come, unintentionally, from the Iraqi government itself. Since proclaiming Mosuls liberation on July 10, Iraqi officials have put out a statement claiming that its forces had liquidated 16,467 terrorists. When the siege began, US commanders estimated that there were somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 ISIS fighters in the city. An obvious explanation for this discrepancy is that any male Iraqi killed in the city, fighters and civilians alike, has been designated as a member of ISIS.

Despite the fanfare by the Baghdad government over Mosuls liberation and victory over ISIS, fighting is still being reported within the city, with guerrilla bands carrying out lethal attacks on Iraqi government units.

At the same time, there have been multiple reports indicating that the government forces and allied militias have been engaged in savage acts of collective punishment against Mosuls survivors, including mass summary executions and torture.

Human Rights Watch reported Wednesday that international observers had discovered an execution site in west Mosul. It recounted their testimony that they found inside an empty building a row of 17 male corpses, barefoot but in civilian dress, surrounded by pools of blood. They said many appeared to have been blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their back. The human rights group cited a large number of similar incidents along with relentless reports, videos, and photographs of unlawful executions and beatings by Iraqi soldiers.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi made it clear that the government will do nothing to halt these atrocities. He described them as individual acts and not widespread.

The US corporate media has all but blacked out the reports of massive civilian casualties and the war crimes carried out since the retaking of Mosul. The Iraqi government itself has sought to bar reporters from the city in order to conceal the scale of the bloodshed and continuing executions.

While largely dropping its coverage of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Mosul, the New York Times Thursday published a hypocritical editorial titled Avoiding War With Iran, which expressed some trepidation over the increasingly bellicose acts of the Trump administration aimed at provoking just such a conflict.

The newspaper of record suggests that It is useful to recall the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War arguably Americas biggest strategic blunder in modern times. It criticizes the Bush administration for launching a war to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein even though he had nothing to do with Sept. 11 and had no nuclear weapons. It adds, Mr. Bush decided to fight a pre-emptive war without a solid justification or strategy. Such a stumble into war could happen again.

Conveniently forgotten in this cynical presentation is the fact that the Times as an institution played a major role in advocating and facilitating the Iraq war.

Its senior correspondent Judith Miller worked intimately with US officials to promote and embellish upon phony intelligence on non-existent Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Thomas Friedman, the papers chief foreign affairs columnist, churned out columns advocating what he openly acknowledged would be a war of choice against Iraq, justifying it in the name of democracy, human rights and oil.

The newspaper set the tone for the rest of the media in terms of propaganda that paved the way to a criminal war of aggression that claimed the lives of over one million Iraqis and continues to generate mass murder in Mosul.

Even more chilling was an editorial column on Mosul titled The City Is the Battlefield of the Future, that appeared in the Wall Street Journal Thursday under the byline of one Maj. John Spencer, deputy director of the Modern War Institute at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York.

The battle for Mosul represents the future of warfare, Major Spencer argues, adding U.S. commanders ought to imagine how they would handle a similar environment.

Clearly, they have more than imagined it--in terms of Iraq--with US commanders directing much of the destruction rained down on the city.

Echoing what is now standard Pentagon doctrine, the major insists that the wars that the US military will confront will be fought in cities -- dense, often overpopulated and full of obstacles: labyrinthine apartment blocks, concealed tunnels, panicking civilians.

His primary concern is that the Pentagon presently has no systematic training of its troops for urban combat, and that the word siege--the barbaric strategy employed against Mosul--does not appear in its training manuals.

He insists that US forces need to be equipped to operate in large cities with new equipment, formations and doctrine. He advances a modest proposal for meeting this need: Major cities such as Detroit and the outer boroughs of New York have large abandoned areas that could be safely redeveloped as urban training sites.

In other words, American troops are to be trained in the art of urban combat and siege warfare inside American cities. The proposal suggests that what the major is really urging Pentagon commanders to imagine is using the military to suppress revolutionary upheavals in the US itself.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released the Trump administrations objectives for the upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Monday.

Animated by Donald Trumps nationalist America first agenda, they are aimed at recasting NAFTA into a more overtly US-dominated, protectionist North American trade bloc, so as to bolster American big business as it confronts its chief global economic rivals: China, Germany, and to a lesser extent Japan.

Lighthizers document begins with the demand that NAFTAs rules be rewritten so as to eliminate Americas trade deficit with its NAFTA partnersa measure principally aimed at Mexico.

Fully backed by the right-wing trade union bureaucracy, Trump has whipped up anti-Mexican chauvinism as part of his Buy American, hire American program. Under the cover of nationalist demagogy, this program is designed to boost US corporate profits through massive tax cuts and the gutting of workers wages, workplace benefits, and environmental regulations. These reactionary policies go hand in hand with US imperialisms ever more open reliance on military force to assert its global interests against its economic and geostrategic rivals, whether in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, or the Asia-Pacific.

Washington intends to use the NAFTA renegotiationformal talks are to begin August 16both to extract concessions from corporate Americas Canadian and Mexican rivals and to establish a template that can be used to bully other countries into adopting trade and investment rules more favorable to US big business.

Thus, Lighthizers document outlines demands for strengthened intellectual property rights, which would benefit the US pharmaceutical and IT giants; for greater market access for US agribusiness; and to preserve and strengthen Mexicos energy market liberalizationthat is the opening up of the countrys oil, natural gas and electricity sectors to foreign capital. This last objective is shared by Canada, whose banks and oil and infrastructure companies are major players in global energy markets.

Another Trump administration objective is to ensure that no country acts as a currency manipulator. This has less to do with the actions of the other NAFTA members than at creating a mechanism for the US to advance its aggressive economic demands against Beijing and Berlin. During the presidential election campaign, Trump repeatedly denounced China as a currency manipulator. In recent months he has joined his chief economic adviser Peter Navarro in excoriating Germany for its large trade surplus and accusing it of benefiting unfairly from the low-value Euro currency.

The first six months of the Trump administration have witnessed a sharp increase in protectionism internationally. In March, in what amounted to a further breakdown of the US-led system of world trade established in the post-war era, Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin prevailed on his counterparts at a G-20 finance ministers meeting to drop a commitment to combat protectionism from the meetings final communique. Since the 2008 world financial crash, the reaffirmation of this commitment had been seen as essential in avoiding a reversion to the beggar-thy-neighbour policies that exacerbated the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In April, Trump initiated steps toward slapping high tariffs on US steel imports under a rarely used 1962 law which allows the president to block imports that undermine national security. While this measure would chiefly hit China, European countries, led by Germany, have reacted angrily and are threatening to adopt counter-measures.

Soon after, White House leaks revealed that Trump was on the verge of announcing Washingtons impending withdrawal from NAFTA. Only after frantic lobbying by leading US business representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto did Trump agree not to launch the NAFTA renegotiation by threatening to blow up the 23-year-old trade bloc.

However, US officials continue to use bellicose imagery in discussing their approach to the talks and Lighthizers objectives document bluntly states that no deal, i.e. NAFTAs collapse, would be better than a bad deal.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has made clear that Washington sees the renegotiation of NAFTA as the prelude to the intensification of trade conflicts around the world. Following his confirmation in February, he emphasized that the Trump administration would prepare measures against China, labelling it the largest protectionist economy in the world. Two months later, Ross accused Chinese companies of using NAFTA rules to gain access to the US market via Mexico. The whole idea of a trade deal, he declared, is to build a fence around participants inside and give them an advantage over the outside.

Trump and his aides have indicated the US will insist that NAFTAs rules of origin regulations that stipulate how much of a product must be manufactured in the NAFTA region for it to be tariff freeare rewritten to the detriment of foreign producers, including in the highly globally-integrated auto sector. Currently 62.5 percent of a car must be built in the three NAFTA states for it to be tariff exempt.

There are indications that sections of the Mexican ruling elite are prepared to line up with Washingtons bellicose anti-China stance in exchange for securing a deal with the US, which is the destination for more than four-fifths of Mexican exports. Cesar Castro, head of the electronics industry group Canieti, told Reuters that his organization was considering supporting a rise in the rules of origin on electronic products from 5 to 50 percent as a means to boost the manufacturing of certain components in Mexico rather than importing them from China and other Asian countries. Moises Kallach, head of Mexicos CCE business lobby, also indicated that Mexico might be ready to accept the Trump administrations proposal that some products be subject to domestic content rules, requiring that a certain amount of their production take place within a designated NAFTA country.

Within the US, some of the most stridently protectionist demands are being raised by Democrats. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden dismissed Lighthizers list of objectives as hopelessly vague in how the changes would benefit the United States on issues such as intellectual property, investment, currency manipulation and government procurement.

The Canadian bourgeoisie, which for has decades relied on its close partnership with Washington to advance its global imperialist ambitions, has strongly supported the Liberal governments push for a close working relationship with the Trump administration. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House in February, he endorsed the idea of a US-led North American protectionist bloc and emphasized Canadas eagerness to strengthen military-security cooperation with the US, including through the expansion and modernization of NORAD.

Canadian officials have also signaled that if push comes to shove they are ready to throw Mexico to the wolves and strike a bilateral deal with the US.

However, many contentious issues remain. In April, the US imposed high tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports in a long-running dispute, and Trump attacked Canadas dairy industry in a series of belligerent statements.

While Canadian government officials have refused comment on Lighthizers objectives, saying they arent going to negotiate through the press, various trade experts have expressed shock and anger at some of the US demands. Particularly grating are two that would undermine Canadas privileged status under NAFTA: the scrapping of a dispute resolution system known as Chapter 19 and a provision that exempts Canadian and Mexican producers from US safeguard trade actions unless they can be shown to have been major contributors to the alleged harm suffered by US firms.

Canada has drawn up its own list of demands for the NAFTA talks, but unlike the Trump administration is under no legal obligation to release them to the public.

While claiming to be confident that a deal will be reached, the government is known to have drawn up lists of threatening and retaliatory trade measures.

In both Canada and the US, the trade unions are leading the way in stoking economic nationalism, while closely collaborating with government and industry in the formulation of their respective countries demands.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has criticized the Trump administration for failing to live up to its hardline protectionist rhetoric. Lighthizers objectives, he claimed, are vague and unambitious.

Jerry Dias, the president of Unifor (the former Canadian Auto Workers union), is urging tariffs be imposed on cars produced in Mexico, claiming that this will force auto producers to open new plants in Canada and the US. Last week Dias traveled to Washington to meet with Wilbur Ross, who, according to the Unifor president, agreed with him that Mexico is the problem when it comes to auto investment.

For decades, the US-based United Auto Workers (UAW) and Unifor have pitted autoworkers in Canada and the US against each other, imposing round after round of wage and benefit cuts in the name of defending American or Canadian jobs. Now they are joining forces, adopting Trumps fair trade slogan, and calling for the rules of NAFTA to be changed at the expense of Mexican workers and so as to strengthen the North American automakers against their rivals in Europe and Asia.
Several incidents in the last number of days and weeks have revealed a deepening crisis in transit in the New York and New Jersey area.

A Long Island train went off the tracks Tuesday morning at about 5:15 in the Long Beach rail yard despite moving only at 4 to 5 miles per hour. There were no passengers on the train and no workers were injured; but the derailment happened in the part of the yard which made access impossible, closing the Long Beach station for hours creating a suspension of service affecting about 20,000 customers.

The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) was only able to restore partial service by 7:30 a.m., but it was not until about 3 p.m. that full service was restored to Penn station. Troubles were increased later that afternoon on nearly all the lines on the LIRR for nearly 90 minutes due to signal problems near the Jamaica station.

In New York City, on Monday afternoon, a fire started on about 30 feet of trash strewn on the tracks, which disrupted service on the A, B, C, and D lines for more than two hours in Manhattan during the morning rush hours. A train that was north of the smoke-filled tunnels and station was stuck and the riders had to be evacuated. Nine passengers were sent to local hospitals to be treated for smoke inhalation.

This incident took place around the same area as the derailment on June 27, which led to an unsafe smoke condition created in part by trash and debris on the tracks, causing the evacuation of about 800 passengers.

In an attempt to blame the commuters for these fires, the head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) which runs the LIRR and the New York City bus and subways, Joe Lhota, spoke about restricting the right of passengers to eat on the trains.

Since July of last year, there have been 698 track fires. It would be a mistake, however, to just compare, as Lhota did, this number with the 5,800 track fires in 1981.

First, there were 844 train delays related to subway fires in April of this year, a 22.5 percent increase compared to 689 fire-related delays in April of last year.

Second, the ridership has almost doubled since 1981, which means that these fires have a larger impact on a greater number of people.

Furthermore, it was in 1981 when the New York transit system, through decades of neglect was on the verge of complete collapse threatening the very ability of the city, the financial capital of the country, to transport working people throughout its five boroughs. As a result, beginning in that year, tens of billions of dollars were spent to save the transit system, but at the same time, creating through lack of public funding a continuously growing long-term bond debt which is now about $40 billion.

As a result, 17 percent of the transit agencys operating budget is used to service the debt payments, and this is anticipated to grow to 20 percent by around 2020. This is a fundamental reason why the fare has been going up every two years and is scheduled to continue to increase every two years, making it increasingly difficult, especially for the poorest residents, to ride the bus and subways for commuting for such critically necessary reasons as job interviews and medical appointments.

Currently, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has not explained where $5.8 billion of the $8.3 billion that he promised the MTA to fulfill its current $32 billion 2015-2019 Capital Plan will come from. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also not explained where the $2.5 billion that he promised for that plan will come from.

The MTA chairman has said that the agency is expecting to have new vacuum trains, which the agency uses to keep the tracks clean, by the end of the year.

But New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer complained that this should have happened sooner. This is outrageous. We released an audit two years ago that showed there was so much trash on the tracks the rats were standing upright.

Despite accumulating bond debt and regular fare hikes, the transit system has been deteriorating. In April of this year there were 74,000 subway delays, up 164 percent from the average monthly delays in 2012.

The city comptroller recently released a study that found that 75 percent of those surveyed reported that delays over the last three years made them late for work, almost two-thirds said the delays made them late for retrieving their children, and almost 30 percent were late for a doctors appointment.

Even worst was the fact that 18 percent reported that they received an employer reprimand, 13 percent lost wages and 2 percent were fired. The survey found that those residents in lower-income communities were those most likely to suffer these consequences.

The report concluded, We have a signal system that is 70 years old, [train] cars that are some of the oldest in the world, and overcrowding that makes New Yorkers feel like jam-packed sardines.

In New Jersey, the commuter rail system has also been plagued by delays and overcrowding. It has been estimated that the transit agency has drawn from an account intended for upkeep and upgrades. During the nearly eight years of Governor Chris Christies administration, New Jersey has twice raised fares and has shifted $3.4 billion from transit capital funds to close state budget deficits. This is almost half of the $7.6 billion that both the Democratic and Republican governors have transferred since 1990.

Federal records show that New Jersey Transit had 67 outstanding violations citations, including some serious equipment defects. In September of last year, a train crashed into a barrier in Hoboken station whose tracks lacked a safety signal system, killing a woman on the platform, and injuring more than a hundred passengers.

Since July 1, New Jersey Transit has cancelled 126 trains mostly due to staffing problems. It is unclear if the reason is that engineers are exercising their contractual right to take two days off when schedule changes are made, or if summer vacations or track work are a factor. However, a major issue is a lack of necessary manpower.

New Jersey Transit is supposed to have 383 engineer positions, but only has 350 available and 17 in training. It takes two years to become an engineer, but there is also a 60 to 70 percent failure rate. The union has complained for two years that staffing was inadequate. In addition, the union chairman, James Brown has said that with the additional track work at Penn Station, the locomotive engineers are simply spread too thin to keep up with the added work.

In addition to this, 20 New Jersey Transit buses were cancelled Wednesday morning due to what the agency called operational issues.

Due to years of neglect, resulting in three derailments in less than four months, emergency track work at Penn Station, the busiest hub in the country, servicing the Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, the federal commuter railroad that owns it, started more than a week ago, creating what has been called the summer of hell.

Amtrak officials have determined that the New Jersey train derailment on July 6 was caused by defective timber ties allowing the rails to widen, causing a wheel of a train to come off the tracks. Officials have also concluded that the same track defect was involved in the derailment of another New Jersey train in April, which injured five people and created several days of service disruptions. In March, a derailment was the result of an Amtrak train sideswiping a New Jersey train which was caused by a mismatch between two pieces of connecting rail.

This crisis in transit is not only creating increasing service delays and disruptions, resulting in loss of income, but has become increasingly dangerous to the physical safety of passengers and crews alike. Despite all the stated concerns of the Democratic and Republican politicians, capitalism can offer no solution to this worsening decay in infrastructure. Quite the contrary. With all the planned tax cuts for the wealthy corporations, more spending for the military, and even more draconian budget cuts in social services, emanating from Washington DC, this can only get worse.
A recent study by the global risk management firm Willis Towers Watson, Shifts in benefit allocations among U.S. employers, details the results of the decades-long assault on workers retirement and medical benefits by Corporate America and both big business parties.

The study draws on a database of retirement and health care programs of over 500 companies with at least 200 employees from 2001 to 2015, as well as a survey of 4,721 full-time employees from 2015 to 2016.

The global risk management firm notes the precarious situation facing both older workerswho have little resources for retirementand younger workers who have only recently become employed. The writers note, Whether its the baby boomers behind on retirement savings or the millennials trying to keep up with student loan debts, sluggish wage growth is making their financial burdens heavier. Many employees are worried about paying todays bill and about financing tomorrows retirement.

Employers reduced their expenditures on retirement benefits by a staggering 25 percent between 2001 and 2015, the report notes. In addition to cutting retired and current workers benefits, corporations have essentially eliminated traditional employer-paid defined benefit retirement benefits for newly hired workers, replacing them with defined contribution plans, such as 401 (K) plans, which are funded by workers with set contributions from employers, with the final payout not defined but largely determined by the vagaries of the stock market. According to the study, the percentage of employers offering DB plans plummeted from 45 percent to just seven percent between 2001 and 2015.

To offset rising employee medical costs, the report notes, employers have reduced pension and post-retirement medical expenditures. This reflects a seismic shift in the allocation of benefit dollars, the report declares. In 2001, active health care costs comprised about two-fifths of benefits while retirement benefits made up the remaining three-fifths. By 2015, the ratio had flipped, with active health care benefits accounting for slightly less than two-thirds of the costs and the retirement share dropping to slightly more than one-third.

The rise in employer expenditures for current workers medical care has also spurred on the drive to force workers to pay higher deductibles and co-pays. This process was accelerated under Obamas misnamed Affordable Care Act, which initially included a Cadillac Tax on corporations, which provided supposedly overgenerous health care packages.

The corporate and financial elite have long complained that workers are living too long after retirement and that the costs of legacy workersi.e., retireeshas become unsustainable.

In 2005, then CEO of GM spin off Delphi parts maker declared, We are witnessing the slow death of defined benefits as industrial compensation policy. The social contract inherent in defined-benefit programs perhaps made some economic sense when you worked for one employer till age 65 and then died at age 70, Miller said. Now, he complained, people can start work at age 20, retire at age 50, and expect full pensions and health care till age 90 or so.

The Willis Towers Watson study shows the devastating results of this social contract being ripped up and the four-decade social counter-revolution waged by the capitalist class to return to the good old days when workers essentially labored until they dropped.

According to the study, 44% of older workers (age 55+) who are concerned about their future finances and 64% of those who are struggling financially expect to work to age 70 or later.

Pew Research Center recently noted that the number of American aged 65 or over who are working jumped from 13 percent in 2000 to nearly 19 percent in 2016, and was expected to increase to 32 percent in the next five years.

Over 25 million Americans 60 years or older are economically insecureliving at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level or $29,425 a year for an individualaccording to the National Council on Aging. This will only worsen as the Trump administration and the Democrats move to destroy Medicaid and prepare the way to slash Medicare and Social Security too.

Far from opposing the attack on pensions and post-retirement medical care, the unionsincluding the United Auto Workers, Teamsters, United Steelworkers and United Mine Workershave colluded with management to cut these benefits in the name of boosting the competitiveness and profitability of US corporations. While looking the other way as corporations have looted retiree benefits to fund ever-higher dividend payouts, stock buybacks and mega-mergers and acquisitions, the union bureaucracy has increasingly benefit from management of multi-billion-dollar pension and retiree medical care trusts.

In exchange for agreeing to the halving of new hire wages, the expansion of part-time and temporary labor and the destruction of thousands of jobs, the Obama administration handed the UAW control of a massive Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA) fund, valued at $50 billion. The UAW executives have a financial incentive to reduce benefits and accelerate the demise of hundreds of thousands of retirees and their dependents to keep their VEBA slush fund and investment vehicle thriving.

The number of impoverished senior citizens could potentially skyrocket this year as 22,600 retired coal miners and the United Mine Workers Health and Retirement Funds nears bankruptcy and the temporary federal fix ends. The Central States Pension fund, which covers 407,000 Teamster truck drivers and warehousemen in the Midwest and South, is also near bankruptcy.

Roughly one million workers are currently covered by multi-employer pension funds that are likely to run out of money in the next twenty years.

The survey of workers notes that since the financial crash of 2008, the desire for retirement guarantees has been rising steadily, up 17 percentage points since 2009. At the same time, only a third of respondents would accept a smaller paycheck in exchange for more generous health benefits or lower, more predictable costs when using health care services.

Many employees, the report notes, appear to have reached the limit of how much they are willing or able to pay for health care benefits, which raises the question: Have we gone too far in cutting retirement support at a time when escalating health care costsamong other factorsare making it difficult to save more?

The existence of employer paid pensions and retiree medical benefits was not the result of the beneficence of the industrialists and bankers. On the contrary, these social rights were won through fierce industrial battles of the working class in the 1940s and 1950s, and defended in struggles into the 1970s. The suppression of the class struggle by the unions, which reduced strike activity to historic lows during the eight years of the Obama administration, has allowed the ruling class to turn the clock backwards and send millions to an early grave.

The study by the London-based global risk management company is not primarily a celebration of the success in robbing workers of their retirements. Noting that survey results suggest a disconnect between employees primary concerns, needs and preferences, and the reshuffling of employer dollars, the report is also a warning that stagnating wages, impossibly high healthcare costs and working increasingly longer years is provoking enormous anger and that will inevitably find expression in a sharp escalation of the class struggle.
Last Saturday, Justine Damond, a 40-year-old yoga instructor and native of Australia, became the latest in the long line of victims of homicidal police violence in the United States. She was shot and killed by officer Mohamed Noor in an alleyway behind her home in a middle-class area of Minneapolis.

While few details have been released, what is known about Damonds killing provides insight into the social and psychological underpinnings of the epidemic of police brutality and murder that has already claimed at least 675 lives since the beginning of the year.

Noor and his partner Matthew Harrity were responding to a 911 call from Damond around 11:30 p.m., reporting a possible rape near her home. According to investigators, Harrity and Noor were driving through the well-lit alley behind Damonds home in their squad car with the lights off when they were startled by a loud noise.

When Damond, unarmed and in her pajamas, appeared at the drivers side door, Noor immediately opened fire from the passenger seat, shooting across Harrity and through the door, striking and killing Damond. No explanation has been given as to why Noor had his gun drawn.

Investigators have determined that while the officers were both wearing body cameras, neither of the cameras were turned on at the time of the incident. Neither is there footage from the police cars dash camera.

The fatal shooting came less than one month after police officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted on all charges related to the 2016 shooting death of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis. The immediate aftermath of the shooting was streamed live on Facebook by Castiles girlfriend, sparking nationwide protests against police violence.

Noor, the first Somali-American police officer in his precinct, undoubtedly confronted difficulties as a young immigrant from a country devastated by years of war stoked by the US government. Before becoming a cop, he earned a business degree and worked in property management.

There is no indication that this was an individual likely to end up senselessly shooting and killing an unarmed person. Evidently, however, two years in the police department sufficiently shapedand warpedhis mental and emotional makeup to turn him into a killer.

Noor has so far refused to give his own account of Damonds killing to investigators. But the particularly bizarre and arbitrary character of his action suggests that it was an act of savage violence waiting to happen. He seems to have instinctively reacted to a loud sound and the sudden appearance of a person at the door of his squad car like a man under threat for his life. He was likely conditioned by his training and the atmosphere that prevails in his police precinctlike those across the countryto view the public as a hostile force and himself as a part of an army of occupation.

This, in fact, is an accurate characterization of the social function of the police in working class and poor communities in capitalist America. It is not simply or primarily a question of Noors subjective state of mind. Or, to put it differently, his outlook, pervasive in the highly militarized police departments around the country, is rooted in and reflects objective social relations.

For all the media talk of a few bad apples and pathetic proposals for better training of the police, cops are instructed to shoot-to-kill whenever they encounter anyone they feel is threatening their life or the lives of others.

The police today are armed to the hilt with the latest military style weaponry, including armored vehicles, tanks and attack helicopters. At least one in five police officers is a veteran of bloody US wars in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere.

After a quarter century of war waged by the US government abroad, including more than 15 years of the war on terror that knows no physical boundaries or time limits, police at home have adopted the same counterinsurgency tactics and mindset. Officer Harritys attorney told the media that it was reasonable to assume that the officers thought they were being ambushed when Damond approached their car.

With approximately three people killed every day by police in the US, barely a day goes by without a news story or video exposing yet another gruesome police murder or violent attack. Police shootings on such a scale are a phenomenon peculiar to the US among the advanced economies. No country in Europe even comes close.

Police officers maim, shoot and kill with virtually complete impunity. As is the case with Noor and Harrity, officers involved in violent incidents are placed on paid leave during an investigation. It is exceedingly rare that an officer who kills or brutally beats someone is charged with a criminal offense. If charged, it is even less likely that he or she will be convicted.

American life has become increasingly militarized, whether it is at airports, on shopping streets, or during major holidays, heavily armed police and security forces are regularly deployed. No major sporting event can be held without the repeated and incessant promotion and glorification of the military.

These developments are inextricably connected to the terrific intensification of class tensions. In a society where the richest eight individuals own more wealth than the bottom half of the worlds population, the ruling oligarchy must ultimately rely on sheer state violence to defend its power and privileges and is preparing for social upheavals by putting in place the infrastructure of police-state rule.

This Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the onset of the Detroit riot, the biggest and bloodiest of a massive wave of urban eruptions that hit virtually every major city in the United States. A combined total of more than 17,000 military and paramilitary forces, including 4,700 federal troops, were mobilized to brutally suppress an uprising of the most oppressed sections of the working class in what was then the center of auto production in the US and the world. These rebellions were, for the most part, sparked by police brutality and racism.

A major part of the response of the ruling class was the establishment of specially armed and trained police units, such as the SWAT teams in Los Angeles, tasked with terrorizing and intimidating the working class. In the intervening years, the police have only become more brutal and violent.

Even though the class struggle has been artificially suppressed in recent decades, due mainly to the treachery of the trade unions, social tensions are higher than ever. The American population is seen by police as a hostile enemy that could erupt at any moment. The police feel threatened everywhere they turn, even in middle-class, largely white neighborhoods.

The killing of Damond exposes the absurdity of token liberal reforms proposed or implemented over the last few decades as a supposed means of tempering police violence, including body cameras, racial sensitivity training, and the racial integration of police forces.

Police violence is not a result of a few bad cops, poor training, a lack of public oversight or too few minority cops. While each incident may differ in its details, police violence is ultimately rooted in the capitalist system itself.
Hundreds of protesters demanding justice for those killed in the Grenfell fire, including survivors, protested outside Kensington Town Hall Wednesday evening as representatives of the Kensington and Chelsea Council sat in full session for the first time since the June 14 inferno.

Protesters brought homemade banners with slogans including, Justice for GrenfellWe Demand the Truth. A large banner read, in reference to the Conservative-run council, The Royal Murderers of Kensington and Chelsea (the area is a royal borough).

A heavy police and security guard presence was mobilised outside and inside the council hall, part of moves by council officials to try to ensure that as few as possible would be able to enter and observe proceedings.

Last month, then Conservative council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown attempted to ban survivors, local residents and the media from attending the first meeting of the council to be held since the fire. Paget-Brown insisted that to allow the public entry would likely result in disorder and closed the meeting down within minutes.

The latest attempt to silence growing hostility to the council and policewho continued to drip-feed information about their criminal investigationwas opposed by protesters who demanded that more survivors be allowed in.

The public gallery of the council chamber was packed with about 70 survivors and an additional room was set aside for another 150 people from the local community. They spoke of the disgusting treatment being meted out to the forgotten survivors of the fire.

The meeting saw Elizabeth Campbell formally elected as council leader, following the resignation of Paget-Brown last month. Shouts of Murderers, Shame on you and Resign echoed from the public gallery as councillors raised their hands in support of her appointment. One survivor, Mahad Egal, described the inhumane treatment of survivors by the council since the fire and told Campbell, Youve let the dead down. Now youre going to come for the living ... step down and resign.

Campbell could hardly be heard and had to stop several times as she declared, We meet at a time of unimaginable grief and sorrow. The Grenfell fire is the biggest civilian disaster in this country for a generation. ... I am truly sorry that we did not do more to help you when you needed it the most.

These are crocodile tears. During her time as Cabinet Member for Family and Childrens Services (May 2013 to May 2017), Campbell oversaw a one-third cut in the departments budget, which included the axing of after-school and holiday care for the most vulnerable children.

She employed similar insincere, scripted words following the disastrous cost-cutting exercise involving the outsourcing of school transport in 2014, declaring, It is upsetting that so many have had cause for complaint. We are driving very hard to bring things up to the expected standard and nothing short of that will be acceptable. She added, I want to apologise to those service users who have been affected and hope they will recognise that our intentions are honourable.

Due to the anger and outrage of residents at the council, Labour Party opposition leader Robert Atkinson put on a left facerepeating the call for commissioners to take over the running of the council, which the Labour Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad branded not fit for purpose.

Several motions proposed by councillors were due to be discussed, including a petition by more than 1,500 people for the entire leadership of Kensington and Chelsea Council to resign.

However, where Labour councils are in power, austerity and cost-cutting have been just as ruthless as anything carried out by the Tories. Moreover, Labour are fully behind Prime Minister Theresa Mays bogus public inquiry, which is aimed at ensuring a cover-up, with those responsible in ruling circles evading justice.

Behind Campbells handwringing, the councils contempt for the survivors of Grenfell and local residents is revealed in the fact that only a fifth of the survivors have been temporarily rehoused. Despite Campbell acknowledging that the council, located in the wealthiest area of London, has a spending reserve of 274 million, she said that just 400 social houses will be acquired or built in the borough in the next five years, the equivalent of 80 a year.

Campbell and the other Tory councillors refused to stand down and, under conditions of a local and national crisis, began an extended summers vacation with the full council not scheduled to meet again until October 25.

A number of survivors and other local residents were allowed to address the meeting.

An Iranian woman held up the key to her 10th floor Grenfell Tower flat as she declared, Im here to represent those who died innocently and they are powder nowthe bodies powder. And those survivors who are burning inside themselves  nobody hears them and nobody listens to them.

They say they understand us but the truth of the matter is they dont. Every time I look at this key I ask, what is the difference between us human beings? Why do you judge people because of what theyve gottheir wealth? Why dont you care about human beings right here?

A woman who said her young niece had died in the fire explained that members of her family were unable to speak in public because their pain is too huge and that councillors should be embarrassed by their totally inadequate response.

She was backed up by several Grenfell residents who recounted the terrible treatment they have received since the fire. One said he had been consigned to a hotel room with just one double bed for him, his wife and three children. I was forgotten about by the authorities, he explained. You know whos done something for us? The residents of north Kensington. Our community. Our neighbours.

Another said the way the fire victims families had been treated was disgusting, declaring, Weve been swept under the carpet.

One man said the families of the deceased are being treated like cattle.

The ongoing trauma suffered by the local population was evident as the meeting ended abruptly due to a resident, who had just finished speaking, collapsing to the ground. According the Evening Standard, A female companion said that she had collapsed multiple times since the fire.
In a lengthy interview Wednesday with three reporters for the New York Times, President Trump publicly criticized his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, and three other Justice Department officials who have the main responsibility for the federal investigation into allegations that the Russian government intervened in the US elections to support Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Both the content of the interview and the venue were extraordinary. Trump blasted Sessionshis first and most prominent congressional backer during the Republican primary campaignfor recusing himself from oversight of the Russia investigation. And he made his comments to the New York Times, the newspaper that has been spearheading the campaign to portray the Trump campaign, and the president himself, as in collusion with Moscow.

Trump called Sessionss decision to recuse himself very unfair to the president, adding, How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, Thanks, Jeff, but Im not going to take you. Its extremely unfairand thats a mild wordto the president.

He went on to attack the fairness and impartiality of the three Justice Department officials with the main responsibility for the Russia investigation: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who now supervises the investigation since Sessions has recused himself; special counsel Robert Mueller, the retired FBI director selected by Rosenstein to run the probe after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey; and acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who plays a major role, at least until Trump nominee Christopher Wray is confirmed by the Senate as the new FBI director.

Trump suggested that Rosenstein, a Republican and the only George W. Bush appointee as US attorney to be retained in office by Barack Obama, was actually a Democrat, because he was a prosecutor in Baltimore, and There are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any.

McCabe came under fire from Trump for the well-publicized connection between his wife Jill, a Democratic candidate for the Virginia state senate in 2013, and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who directed $500,000 from political action committees into her failed campaign. McAuliffe, a Democrat, is a long-time political crony of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Trump spent more time criticizing Mueller, complaining that he hired several lawyers who had contributed money to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, and declaring that he had other conflicts of interest. He claimed that Mueller had interviewed at the White House for the position of FBI director after the firing of Comey, a previously unreported fact, if true.

The Times reporters, Peter Baker, Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman, sought to elicit from Trump a threat to fire Muellersomething that is within his powers as president, but likely to produce a political firestorm or even trigger impeachment proceedings. Trump partially obliged, in this exchange near the end of the interview:

SCHMIDT: Last thing, if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russiais that a red line?

HABERMAN: Would that be a breach of what his actual charge is?

TRUMP: I would say yeah. I would say yes

SCHMIDT: But if he was outside that lane, would that mean hed have to go?

HABERMAN: Would you consider

TRUMP: No, I think thats a violation. Look, this is about Russia

The question was finally posed point-blank by Schmidt: Would you fire Mueller if he went outside of certain parameters of what his charge is? Only then did Trump hedge, saying, I cant, I cant answer that question because I dont think its going to happen. At this point, the interview transcript ends.

Attorney General Sessions responded only indirectly to the publication of the Trump interview, saying that he plans to continue in his position as long as that is appropriate. White House spokesmen denied that Trumps comments were in preparation to dismiss Sessions and replace him with a nominee who had no links to the Trump election campaignthe reason Sessions was compelled to recuse himself.

Trumps intentions in giving a nearly hour-long interview devoted largely to the Russia investigation are unclear. It may have been a shot across the bow directed at Mueller, warning him to stay away from the Trump family finances. Or it may be a maneuver to shift the focus of media attention, after ten days of press reports directed mainly at his son Donald Trump Jr. and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, for their previously undisclosed meeting with a Russian lawyer last year at Trump Tower.

Kushner is scheduled to testify July 24 at a closed-door session of the Senate Intelligence Committee, while Trump Jr. and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort have been summoned to a July 26 public session of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate sources told the press that Mueller had given the Judiciary Committee permission to call the younger Trump and Manafort to testify in public.

Muellers investigation now encompasses the June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, when Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and four other people: publicist Rob Goldstone, who brokered the meeting; Rinat Ahkmetshin, a millionaire Russian-American lobbyist and associate of Veselnitskayas; translator Anatoli Samochornov, a former State Department employee; and Ike Kaveladze, a Russian-American representative of Russian real estate billionaire Aras Agalarov, who set up the meeting through Goldstone. Kaveladzes attorney said Tuesday that he had been telephoned over the weekend by Muellers office asking whether his client was willing to be interviewed. Kaveladze has agreed to do so.

Whatever the motivation of the interview, Trumps comments about former FBI Director James Comey give a glimpse of the frenzied infighting within official Washington, driven by conflicts over foreign policy, and by concerns, particularly in the national security establishment, that Trump prioritizes his personal business interests over the longer-term interests of American imperialism.

Trump told the Times that he had suspicions of Comey since their meeting two weeks before the inauguration, when he pulled Trump aside after a national security briefing at Trump Tower. Acting as the designated representative of all the intelligence agencies, Comey told him of a dossier assembled by a former British spy that contained unsubstantiated and sensationally sleazy allegations about Trumps conduct during a visit to Moscow. In my opinion, he shared it so that I would think he had it out there, Trump said. Asked if Comey was using it as leverage, i.e., to blackmail him, Trump responded, Yeah, I think so. In retrospect.
Amid escalating conflict between Ankara and its NATO allies, and within the Turkish ruling class, over the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt on July 15 of last year, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Tuesday that talks between Ankara and Moscow had reached an agreement on Turkey deploying Russias S-400 missile system. This missile system would not be integrated into NATOs air defence network.

Speaking to journalists in Ankara on Monday, Isik said that negotiations between the Turkish and Russian governments are on the point of a successful conclusion. He did not give a date for the signing, however. Alexander Mikheyev, CEO of Russians state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport, also confirmed the purchase agreement.

Bloomberg News reported last week Turkeys agreement with Russia to purchase one of the worlds most sophisticated missile-defence systems, at a cost of $2.5 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Ankara will purchase two missile batteries from Russia within a year and co-produce two more in Turkey.

Parallel to the announcement of the imminent conclusion of the Turkish-Russian missile deal, Ankara also signed an initial accord with French-Italian consortium Eurosam on the development of another missile defence system.

Speaking July 14 at a reception for Bastille Day in the French embassy in Ankara, the Turkish defence minister said that Turkish companies would work with the Italian-French consortium. According to Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency, he described the move as one of the most concrete developments of Turkeys alliance within the defence industry.

Currently, Ankara does not have its own long-range air-defence systems. It relies on Spanish Patriot Advanced Capability-2 and Italian SAMP-T missiles, stationed in 2016 in southeastern Turkey, after the US, Germany and the Netherlands decided to remove their Patriot batteries from the country. This stepped up Ankaras efforts to acquire its own missile-defence system.

Should it be signed, the S-400 deal would further undermine Ankaras relations with NATO, especially with the US, as occurred when Turkey decided to buy a long-range air defence system from a Chinese state-run company in 2013. Under US pressure, the Turkish government was forced to scrap the $3.4 billion program altogether in November 2015.

After the project was cancelled and the Turkish air force shot down a Russian bomber on November 24, 2015, undermining Turkish-Russian relations, Ankara expressed its intention to independently develop a missile defence system, This aim was not realized, however, and Ankara turned to Moscow to purchase the S-400 air and missile defence system.

Despite Turkish officials numerous statements that the deal with Russia shouldnt be seen as a search for an alternative to NATO or the EU, the S-400 deal is a blow to these two crisis-ridden imperialist alliances.

By obtaining its first long-range air and anti-missile defence system from Russia, Turkey could conceivably close its skies to NATO fighters if necessary.

Speaking on the S-400 deal, US Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters last Friday that they would have to seedoes it go through? Do they actually employ it? Do they employ it only in one area? All that kind of stuff. But you know, well have to take a look at it.

The Turkish government, led-by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also knows the risks involved. Due to his inability to comply with US interests and war strategies in Syria contrary to Ankaras own interests, Erdogan has become the main target of Turkeys imperialist allies, in a conflict that reached its highest point in the coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

As the coup attempt failed thanks to mass popular opposition, Erdogan and his government openly accused Ankaras Western alliesespecially the US and Germanyof backing the putchists, and banned German parliamentarians from visiting their troops in Turkey.

In response, Berlin decided to redeploy its troops and equipment from the Incirlik base to positions elsewhere, possibly Jordan, while Berlin and its European allies, notably Austria and the Netherlands, banned Turkish government officials from organizing rallies in the campaign on the April 16 Turkish constitutional referendum.

Hypocritically using Erdogans post-coup crackdown on the opposition as a pretext, the European Parliament has voted against the continuation of accession talks between Ankara and the EU. Meanwhile on July 7, more than two years of talks in Switzerland between the leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reunify the divided Cyprus collapsed.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The 44th Civil Support Team conducted a training exercise at Florida A&M University Thursday.

Officials say it is all apart of their mission to support the civilian authorities in the event of a terrorist act.

Thursday, they had simulated weapons of mass destruction lab set up to allow trainees the chance to learn how to handle one of these situations.

The support team is one of two Florida National Guard's full time response teams for emergencies, natural disasters, or terrorist events.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNN) - White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned Friday morning just as the White House hired Anothy Scaramucci as a new communications aide, according to The Associated Press.

Spicer has had a stormy tenure as the spokesman for the Trump administration, attempting to defend the president's tweet storms and wild on-the-record statements since he became press secretary and communications director on the day of the inauguration.

He has had to defend positions that were lacking in credible evidence. The tone was set his first day on the job.

On the day after Trump's inauguration, in his first briefing as White House spokesman, the former Republican National Committee's communications director angrily dressed down the media, claiming they under-reported the size of the Trump inauguration crowd.

"This was the largest crowd to witness an inauguration, period," Spicer said, without any supporting evidence.

The briefing came on Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration, after aerial photos were released by the U.S. Park Service that clearly showed a larger crowd at President Barack Obama's 2008 inauguration. Nielson ratings showed Obama's first inauguration drew a larger TV audience.

He left the podium without taking questions.

Spicer has also had to defend the presidents claim that millions of people voted illegally in the fall 2016 election, which gave Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton an almost 3-million popular vote advantage. Trump also claimed his Electoral College victory was the largest since Reagan's in 1984, which was false. He also accused former President Barack Obama of "wire-tapping" him, a claim that remains unproved.

The sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, May 9, took Spicer and his staff by surprise, and the media went hours after the news broke without official word from the White House. Two days after the firing, Trump contradicted the position taken by the administration and delivered via surrogates on multiple media outlets.

Blistering criticism came from all corners that the president had fired the nation's top law enforcement official who was spearheading the investigation into whether Trump's campaign had ties to Russia's election meddling.

On Wednesday, Trump told NBC Anchor Lester Holt that he had already made up his mind to fire Comey before receiving a recommendation from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The White House had said the president made the judgement after reviewing the letters from the two top Department of Justice Officials.

Spicer was replaced in the briefing room by Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Spencer the two days after Comey's firing.

Spicer survived an April mistake when he stated that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II defending Trump's decision to attack Syria in response to a chemical attack on civilians by President Bashar al-Assad. He apologized profusely, which probably saved his job.

After Trump secured the GOP nomination, Spicer became an advocate for the real estate mogul on talk shows and national news. He became known for a combative relationship with the media during the stretch run of the presidential campaign.

He was lampooned on comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live, portrayed by Melissa McCarthy.

Spicer is a U.S. Naval Reserve Commander.

Previously, he served as assistant U.S. trade representative for media and public affairs in the George W. Bush administration. During the 2000 election cycle, Spicer oversaw the re-election strategies for more than 220 members of Congress.

Copyright 2017 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
MARIANNA, Fla. (WTXL) - A heads up before you head out to enjoy the weekend: health officials say some popular swimming holes aren't safe.

This week, a damaged sewage pipe near Highway 90 in Jackson County caused an untreated waste water leak. The Florida Department of Health in Jackson County is now asking people to avoid swimming in Spring Creek or the Chipola River.

T.G. Harkrider, the Environmental Health Director for the Florida Department of Health in Jackson County, says they began testing the water within an hour of the initial leak.

"We took a sample upstream from the spill and we took two downstream," said Harkrider. "The one upstream came back within acceptable limits. The first place that we sampled below the sewage leak was not acceptable."

That sample tested positive for fecal bacteria. Officials are still waiting for the results of a second round of testing.

In the meantime, the City of Marianna has put crushed lime rock around the area, trying to kill bacteria and the odor from the leak. Harkrider says, beyond that, not much more actual clean up can done. They will just keep testing the water, letting dilution and time take care of the issue.

"It's only going to get better from there," said Harkrider. "The leak has been stopped so there's no more point-source contamination coming in. Therefore, theoretically once we've got a good sample, it should stay good."

If you've recently been swimming in the area, Harkrider recommends seeking medical attention if you begin having gastrointestinal issues, like a stomachache, nausea, or diarrhea.

Health officials will continue testing the waters over the weekend. You can contact the Florida Dept. of Health here for the latest info.
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman paid a condolence visit Thursday to the families of the two police officers who were murdered last friday in a terror attack by three gunmen at the Lions' Gate at the Temple Mount.

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Hugging the families of Staff Sgt. Maj. Ha'il Satawi, 30, and Staff Sgt. Maj. Kamil Shnaan, 22, of Maghar and Hurfeish, respectively, Friedman told them: "We have to make sure that no family suffers like this."

Satawi, 30 is survived by a three-week-old baby, Ramos, his wife Arin, his parents and three siblings. Shnaan, 22, was the son of former MK Shachiv Shannan.

Satawi (R) and Shnaan (L)

He was recruited seven months ago into the Israel Police where he served as a patrol officer in the Temple Mount Unit in the Jerusalem District.

While Israel is dealing with required security matters in order to return security to the Temple Mount, we cannot forget that 100 kilometers north of Jerusalem, two wonderful families are suffering, Friedman said at the end of his visit.

Their precious sons, one of them a father to a three-week-old baby, were taken from them in a terror attack at one of the holiest sites in the world. The families should be in everyones prayers and we need to focus on ensuring that no other family should have a reason to suffer this way.

Friedman also echoed the worries expressed by the White House yesterday, stating that is was very concerned over the escalation of violence on the Temple Mount.

The US is very concerned about the situation on the Temple Mount and calls upon all the sides to find a solution that ensures safety and security at the site and preserve the status quo.

Thousands of Israeli police began taking up positions at the holy site following a decision taken Friday morning to keep recently installed metal detectors there for the time being in response to last Fridays attack. While a number of other alternatives were considered, the police ultimately decided that the metal detectors were of paramount importance for maintaining security.
The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an offensive on Friday to clear militants from an area of the Syrian-Lebanese frontier, a commander in the military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad said.

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The operation is targeting insurgents from the Nusra Front group in the Juroud Arsal area on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal, and in areas of the western Qalamoun mountains in Syria, the commander said.

Hezbollah operation

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The barren Juroud Arsal area between Syria and Lebanon has also been a base of operations for Islamic State militants. Several thousand Syrian refugees are living in camps in Juroud Arsal.

Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said Nusra militants were being targeting in Juroud Arsal and in areas near the Syrian town of Fleita.

Hezbollah (Photo: Reuters)

The Lebanese army has deployed reinforcements on the outskirts of Arsal town in anticipation of the operation, aiming to prevent militants from fleeing into Lebanon, a Lebanese security source said this week.

The Nusra Front was al Qaeda's official affiliate in the Syrian civil war until last year when it formally severed ties to al Qaeda and renamed itself. The group now spearheads the Tahrir al-Sham Islamist alliance.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Tuesday the Lebanese army would carry out a carefully planned operation in the Juroud Arsal area, but there was no coordination between it and the Syrian army.

Photo: Reuters

In 2014, the Arsal area was the scene of one of the most serious spillovers of the Syrian war into Lebanon, when jihadists briefly overran the town of Arsal.

The Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah has provided Syrian President Assad with crucial military support in the war, a role that has drawn heavy criticism from its Lebanese opponents including Hariri.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has reached out to US President Donald Trumps top Middle East advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, asking him to exert pressure on Israel to remove metal detectors installed at the entrance of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in response to a deadly terror attack the area last Friday.

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During their conversation, Abbas attempted to solicit a US commitment to ordering Israel to back away from the area by explaining to Kushner the severity of the crisis, warning that it could spiral out of control if Israel doesnt withdraw its beefed-up presence and immediately take the detectors down.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg

Photo: TPS

After discussions were held in the Security Cabinet overnight Thursday, police were said to have been given a free hand on deciding whether the metal detectors remain in place or are taken down.

However, it was not immediately clear who was ultimately responsible for the final decision, with the police insisting that the outcome of the talks was the result of choices by the political echelons.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg

Either way, thousands of police officers have been sent to deal with violent eruptions ahead of Fridays mass prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque on what has become over the last few days an extremely volatile and volcanic Temple Mount.

Additionally, in a bid to minimize levels of violence, Israeli security forces will be restricting entry into the Old City to men aged 50 and above. Women of all ages will be permitted to enter as usual.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg

Palestinian security officials have already informed their leaders of the immense pressure they are facing in east Jerusalem and in the West Bank since the inception of the crisis in areas which fall under their security jurisdiction.

Matters are only likely to be exacerbated by the calls from Gaza by the Hamas terror group to stage a day of rage , placing a further burden on Israeli forces which have been deployed to the southern border to repel any possible attacks launched from the strip.
An escalating dispute over metal detectors at a contested Jerusalem shrine turned violent on Friday, setting off widespread clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli troops in which rioters threw rocks, flares and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen injured by live rounds, rubber bullets, tear gas and beatings, medics said.

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The confrontations in Jerusalem and the West Bank erupted after midday Friday prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week. Thousands performed the prayers in the streets, rather than in the shrine, to protest Israel's decision earlier in the week to install metal detectors at the gates to the walled compound.

Palestinian rioters stoning Israeli security forces

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Mohammed Sharaf, 17, was killed in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. Palestinian sources claimed that the teen was shot by a "settler" who also wounded another protestor, but the circumstances are still unclear.

L to R: Lafi, Sharaf and Ghannam

Mohammad Hassan Abu Ghannam, who's in his 20's, was killed in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of At-Tur.

A police spokesman said police had been targeted by flares in At-Tur, putting the lives of officers in danger, and had employed riot disposal means.

The spokesman said police were looking into the circumstances of Abu Ghanam's death.

Photo: AFP

Photo: Reuters

Photo: Reuters

Mohammed Lafi, 18, was killed in clashes in the town of Abu Dis in the Jerusalem vicinity. He was fatally wounded after being shot in the chest, succumbing to his wounds shortly after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Photo: Reuters

The Palestinian Red Crescent says 41 Palestinians were taken to hospitals or clinics with injures from live fire, rubber bullets and beatings. About 150 Palestinians were treated for tear gas inhalation.

Photo: EPA

Photo: Reuters

Four Israeli police officers have been reportedly injured in the clashes after being struck with stones and flares. 17 rioters were arrested after being caught throwing rocks and shooting flares at riot police.

Protests (:  ,  ,  , )

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Prior to the reports, minor violent skirmishes broke out against Israeli security forces Friday afternoon in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz adjacent to Lions Gate, as some 3,000 Muslim worshippers concluded their prayers outside the Al-Aqsa mosque and a handful began hurling trash cans and rocks at the officers.

These clashes were followed by riots throughout the West Bank, with thousands taking to the streets in worryingly escalating violent protests.

Photo: Reuters

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg

Palestinians evacuating wounded protestor

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The clashes come on the heels of a decision to leave metal detectors outside the entrances of the Temple Mount but in the main, protestors refrained from exhibiting a mass resort to violence.

Photo: AFP

By 12pm, tensions were palpable as light clashes broke out at the Jaffa Gate between the worshippers and the security forces before being swiftly dispersed.

Near the Damascus Gate, a flashpoint of terror attacks, the atmosphere also provided a foretaste of what was expected as protestors became increasingly agitated with the arrival of public officials who immediately set about inflaming the crowds.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg

Some 3,000 worshippers also gathered at the Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz adjacent to Lions Gate while around 400 Palestinians began throwing rocks at security forces at a checkpoint in Qalandiya in north Jerusalem.

Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

Police also repelled an attempt to penetrate by force the block set up at the gate as rioters pelted them with rocks. According to the police, order was also restored shortly thereafter.

Clashes were recorded in Ni'lin, north Sinjil, Ramallah, at Rachels Tomb in Bethlehem, Tuqu' in Gush Etzion and in Hebron.

Photo: EPA

Thousands of Israeli police officers took up positions at the gates of the Temple Mount ahead of the Friday prayers as they geared up to face expected mass violent protests by worshippers.



Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

The decision to leave the metal detectors in place was reached after protracted discussions held by the Security Cabinet overnight Thursday. They were originally installed there following a deadly terror attack last Friday which claimed the lives of two Israeli officers.

Photo: Reuters

Photo: Reuters

Other steps being taken Friday include the restriction of entry to the Old City and the Temple Mount to men aged 50 and above. Women of all ages will be permitted to enter as usual.

Photo: Reuters

Before the commencement of the Friday prayers the Waqf leaders and senior Islamic officials from east Jerusalem met to discuss what actions should be taken to try and force Israels hand.

We will continue to pray outside the Al-Aqsa mosque as long as the metal detectors are at the gates, said the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein.

Prayers

By 1:00pm, a sea of worshippers had amassed outside the mosque, intermittently prostrating themselves as they called out in unison religious chants, with Israeli police forming a human wall watching out for the initial sparks that might presage the explosive clashes. The worshippers concluded their prayers shortly after 1:30pm.

Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

Jordan's and United Arab Emirates foreign ministers urged Israel to respect the status quo and to allow free and unhindered access by the protestor into the mosque. Moreover, they called on the international community to engage in efforts to resolve the crisis.

But the Temple Mount is not only place that Israeli security forces prepared for a confrontation. The IDF also partially implemented a decision taken on Thursday to deploy five additional battalions to the West Bank.
Demonstrations in support of Palestinian worshipers in support of their struggle against the new Temple Mount security measures were held Friday in Jordan and Turkey.

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In Amman, Jordan, thousands gathered and shouted epithets against Israel.

Friday's anti-Israel protest in Amman, Jordan

According to reports, the crowd shouted, among other things, "How beautiful it is to kill soldiers from Jerusalem," with some waving a model of a cardboard missile with the words "Al-Aqsa - Red Line."

Another demonstration was held in Istanbul, where Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned the use of metal detectors at the entrance gates to the Temple Mount.

"The security measures taken by Israel are wrong ," he said. "Blocking Muslims from entering the compound will not contribute to finding a solution to the issue."

Anti-Israel protest in Amman, Jordan

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In his weekly sermon, senior political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh appealed to Arab nations to intervene.

"Where are you, a nation of a billion people, while the prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque are being prevented? Where are the Arab summits while the mosque is filthy with settlers?"

Haniyeh went on to say that "the campaign in Jerusalem is a campaign of the Palestinian people and of the Arab and Islamic nation. The anger in the streets of Jerusalem is a response to the Palestinian issue. The metal detectors are harming the Palestinian people and we will not allow it."

Haniyeh then praised the residents of Jerusalem and the Arabs of Israel "for refusing to surrender to the steps of the occupation in the Al-Aqsa Mosque," claiming that "this campaign will end with the victory of the Palestinian people. We can withstand any challenge."

According to Haniyeh, "the cameras, the checkpoints and the gates, are aimed at establishing Israel's control over the mosque and restoring the plan to divide it."

He expressed his support of Muslim faithful who refused to enter the Temple Mount through the metal detectors, saying "the only language that the Israeli occupation knows is the language of force," and so Palestinians must speak in their language, as "the decision of the Israeli cabinet proves that the dreams of peace and normalization have collapsed."

'Al-Aqsa - Red Line'

Haniyeh then called on Turkish President Erdogan, who is also chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to formulate a comprehensive plan to combat the "Israeli conspiracies" regarding the Temple Mount.

The Hamas leader then appealed to King Abdullah of Jordan and called on him to shoulder his responsibility for the recent events in Jerusalem.

Shortly after the protests and Haniyeh's sermon, clashes ensued between Palestinian protestors in the West Bank and Israeli security forces, which later escalated into riots in which 3 Palestinian protestors lost their lives , dozens more were injured and several Israeli police officers were wounded.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the Trump administration is still trying to get right what he calls "the big ideas" for a new Afghanistan war strategy.

Mattis was asked what is holding up the administration's strategy review at an impromptu news conference with reporters at the Pentagon. Mattis had told Congress in June that he would have it ready by mid-July.

Mattis revealed no details of the ongoing administration debate in his remarks at the Pentagon.

He cast the problem in the context of past American wars, including those that did not end wellsuch as Vietnamand those that still have not ended, such as Iraq. He said he wants to be sure there is administration agreement on the political goals as well as the military means.
Vacation Bible school, concert planned

McCOOL  On Sunday, July 23, the McCool United Methodist Church will be sponsoring the Armouraires Quartet in the sanctuary. The concert will begin at 5 p.m., with a potluck to follow the concert.

Ice Cream Social

BRADSHAW  Bradshaw United Methodist Church will hold their Annual Ice Cream Social on Friday, July 21 from 5  7 p.m. Homemade ice cream, sloppy joes and pie will be served. A free will offering will be taken with proceeds going toward the Community Ministries Fund.

St. Peter Lutheran Church to hold Vacation Bible School

GRESHAM  St. Peter Lutheran Church Vacation Bible School will be Wednesday, July 19, and Saturday, July 22, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Contact Jessica Tonniges at 402-710-9503 to volunteer.

Zion Church Picnic Sunday

BENEDICT  Zion Lutheran Church will have a church picnic on Sunday, July 23, at 5:30 p.m. Gregg and LuAnn Bolton will host the event at their home. Table service, dessert and beverages will be provided. The congregation is asked to bring side dishes.

UMC to serve meal at Rescue Mission

YORK  The United Methodist Church in Benedict will serve a meal at the Living Water Rescue Mission on July 27.

First United Methodist Church to hold VBS

YORK  The First United Methodist Church in York will be holding Vacation Bible School, Passport to Peru  discovering Gods Good Gifts, on Monday, July 24 through Friday, July 28. Pack your bags and come with us on a cross-cultural trek to Peru. Hike cloud-shrouded ruins in Machu Picchu. Savor the exotic flavors of the Amazon. Heart what daily life is like from kids in Peru. Immerse your kids in this vibrant culture where they discover Gods good gifts for us all. This VBS teaches kids God gives us comfort, patience, peace, love and joy. Classes will be held from 6  8 p.m. at 309 East 7th Street in York. Register online at www.yorkumc.com.

St. Peter LWML to meet

YORK -- The St. Peter LWML will meet Tuesday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m.

LWML Ice Cream Social July 27

YORK -- Enjoy some Homemade Ice Cream at the Annual LWML Ice Cream Social on Thursday, July 27 from 5:30 until 8 p.m. in the Emmanuel Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall located at 9th & Beaver Ave. in York. Homemade ice cream along with pies, cake and bars will be served. Ice cream can be purchased for take-home on Thursday evening. A free will offering will be taken for Camp Luther in Schuyler, with supplemental funds from THRIVENT. The public is invited to attend.

Ice Cream Social in Exeter

EXETER  The Exeter United Methodist Church will have a homemade ice cream social on Sunday, July 30, from 4:30-7 p.m., at the Exeter Senior Center. Along with ice cream, there will be homemade pies and sandwiches. Freewill offerings will be accepted.

Special brunch at UMC on Aug. 13

BENEDICT  Services at United Methodist Church on Sunday, Aug. 13, will be at 8 a.m. A special brunch to honor graduates will be held following the service at the community center.

2nd Cup Cafe in Bradshaw

BRADSHAW  The 2nd Cup Cafe community coffee is held at the Bradshaw United Methodist Church fellowship hall each Thursday morning from 8:30-10 a.m. Proceeds from the weekly coffee benefit the Green Beans Coffee Co. program Cup of Joe For a Joe, which provides coffee for service personnel overseas. Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy a cup of coffee and morning pastry.

Faith Lutheran LWML holds meeting

YORK  Faith Lutheran LWML met July 12 at 6 p.m., at the church.

Nine members were present.

A baked potato bar and desserts were enjoyed by all members present.

Work night ensued with members taking care of tasks in the church and fellowship hall kitchen.

A few announcements were shared by President Deb Tonniges, including St. Johns Waco LWML inviting us to their salad supper on Aug. 16.

Ms. Moore, the delegate for national convention would like to visit a meeting to share about her experiences. An invitation will be extended to her to come to our September meeting.

We were made aware that Missionary Gary Theis has an upcoming birthday. It was moved and seconded to send a donation to Mission Central in his honor.

We will review our bylaws and send them to District when updated (if needed).

The next meeting will be devotions at Willow Brooke on Aug. 5 at 1:30 p.m. Volunteers will bring cookies to share.

Cheri Luebbe closed the evening by sharing a devotion about Joy in Christian freedom  reaching out to others in service and love.
With vacancy rates now at an all-time low of 1%, renters in Sydney are adjusting their expectations and anticipating the worst as legislation keeps new property developments in gridlock, according to Sam Elbanna, founder and managing director of CPM Realty.

The harsh reality is that while property development plans sit waiting for DAs, many smart investors have jumped on the AirBnB bandwagon as a clever way of increasing their returns, Elbanna said.

While a one-bedroom apartment in Surry Hills might get $750 a week under normal circumstances, investors are making $900 - $1,000 a week via AirBnB. Unfortunately, this takes away from the already limited supply of properties for tenants looking for long-term homes, and jacks up rental prices to an all-time high.

Tackling this crisis involves increasing supply. If the number of properties out there for sale doubled, housing affordability would improve and developers would be forced to compete on quality and price, Elbanna added.

In order for this to happen, the wait time for DAs would have to be reduced and other red tape cut through. The legislated wait to get a DA is 40 days, yet most developers are expected to wait anywhere up to 18 months for an approval, Elbanna said. Then, when they finally get the go ahead, banks impose a presale quota for construction finance before building can commence. Although the increased demand often ensures that quotas are met, this can delay the process further.

Not only is there a long wait on developments, Sydney is also seeing widespread construction of properties that have already been purchased. At that point, developers are free to hike up prices, as theyve already met the required presales quotas.

Yet, instead of providing more housing availability, the government has advocated to helping buyers out by increasing their capacity to purchase land and property, with grants, loans and stamp duty reductions, Elbanna said. Effectively, the government is giving these buyers more buying capacity, leading to increases in demand and even higher prices. So, the same people that the governments are seeking to help are in fact being forced to either pay more or [are being forced] out of the market altogether.

Acording to Elbanna, the state government should be focusing at ways to make more property available, be it for rental, investment, or own-home purchase. The faster we can develop rental stock, which would lower prices, the more opportunities there are for investors, especially those looking for long-term tenants and in areas where AirBnB is not likely to claw away at a share of the rental market, which would ease the rental situation.

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Through June, the cheapest homes in Sydney were valued at slightly over $600,000 each this year, making even the lowest-priced houses in the greater Sydney metropolitan area more expensive compared with other assets, according to Eliza Owen, a commercial property research analyst at CoreLogic.

Meanwhile, in the heart of Sydneys central business district, more than 80 offices sold for less than the bottom 10% of Sydneys cheapest houses, ranging in price from $87,000 to $604,000  for an average of $380,363.

Small commercial spaces are relatively low in value for a number of reasons. Investors in commercial property are highly dependent on rental yield, rather than capital growth  and the initial price reflects these expectations. Whereas the lowest tenth percentile of Sydney houses saw capital growth of 11.4 per cent in the year to May, capital growth in commercial properties is typically more subdued, Owen said.

According to Owen, the lowest sale value was a room in 229 Macquarie Street. At a mere 26sq m, the property was sold for $87,000 in July 2016.

The cheapest office sales were in the business centre: Macquarie Street, King Street, and Sussex Street. Meanwhile, five of the 10 cheapest sales came from 368 Sussex Street, a 10-storey building established in 1973. This building is just minutes away from Town Hall Station, World Square, and a number of other notable landmarks.

High returns from residential properties have seen many commercial properties valued on their potential to be converted into houses or units, even though these strata spaces cannot be rezoned.

The cheap office units sold over the year in the Sydney CBD are in high-rise commercial buildings, with an average floor area of 47sq m. The minimum floor space for one bedroom apartments in NSW is 50sq m, Owen said.

Their relative affordability aside, are these offices a great investment? Given their small size, the per-square-metre price isnt exactly cheap. However, like any investment, its about paying the right price for the right return  and some of these low-value office spaces have great rental yields.

The highest rental yield associated with a transaction over the year was 6.7 per cent on a 51sq m unit sold for $475,000 in Pitt Street. Depending on the terms of the loan for the property, such an investment is likely to be positively geared, Owen said. Assuming demand for offices in the Sydney CBD is driven by strong economic performance, such purchases could present good investment opportunities.

Related Stories:

Is There A Bubble Building In The Commercial Sector?

Property Prices Could Double In Badgerys Creek
New Delhi: The Department of Telecom (DoT) on Friday held detailed discussions with the operators, industry associations and research organisations on the broad contours and direction for the new telecom policy.

Based on the inputs received today, the DoT will be constituting working groups in the coming weeks to look into different aspects of the upcoming policy, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told PTI.

"The meeting drew a huge response. There were representatives from telecom companies, infrastructure providers, research organisations and trade bodies, and discussions took place on what should be the focus of the new policy," she said.

The DoT is in process of formulating a National Telecom Policy that will focus on areas such as Internet for all, next-generation technologies (like 5G and Internet of Things), skills development, and security, among others.

The DoT plans to go for a wide consultation and outreach before finalising the new policy, and expects to have it in place by March 2018.

The new policy formulation comes at a time when the sector is confronting financial difficulties. Revenue and profitability of both large and small operators have come under severe pressure after the entry of aggressive newcomer Reliance Jio and the subsequent advent of free data and voice offerings.

A recent report by Icra has warned that industry revenue will plunge by another 6 per cent in the current financial year due to competition and pricing pressure.

An inter-ministerial group has been constituted to consider measures to mitigate the industry's financial stress, and the report of the committee is expected before the end of the month.

Asked to comment on Jio's new aggressive offering announced today, Sundararajan said "these are all new benchmarks for India. It is all making it accessible and affordable for the common man".
New Delhi: Delhi Police is expected to file its reply in the case relating to mysterious death of former union minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar in 2014.

Sunanda was found dead in the Hotel Leela Palace in January 2014.

The Delhi High Court had on July 20 asked the city police to file a status report with regard to the ongoing probe into Sunanda Pushkar's death.

HC passed its order while hearing BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's plea seeking a court-monitored probe by the CBI-led SIT into the death of Pushkar.

A division bench of Justice GS Sistani and Justice PS Teji directed the Delhi Police to submit status report in three days.

The direction was issued by the bench after Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra informed the court that the status report of the investigating agency has been given to him in the court room so he wants to go through it before placing it on record.

Mehra further informed the court that SIT has been constituted in the matter.

While appealing for a CBI probe into the high-profile death case, Swamy has alleged that "inordinate delay" has been caused in the investigation "which is a blot on the justice system".

"A lot of evidence was destroyed. Delhi Police has set up a vigilance inquiry to probe lapses into this investigation," said Swamy.

The post-mortem report confirmed her death was "unnatural" and "due to poison", Swamy had said.

He had further alleged that Congress MP Tharoor was influencing investigation into the matter.

The plea, which was filed earlier this month, has sought setting up of a multi-disciplinary Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Intelligence Bureau, the Enforcement Directorate, RAW, the Delhi Police and headed by the CBI to probe the case.

51-year-old Pushkar was found dead at a suite in a five-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014, a day after her spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on Twitter over her alleged affair with Tharoor.

The Delhi Police had in January 2015 registered a case of murder in connection with Pushkar's death. The FBI report sent to the Delhi Police in November 2015 had virtually ruled out the theory of 'polonium poisoning' having caused her death. In January 2016, the AIIMS medical board unanimously concluded that the cause of Sunanda Pushkar's death is poisoning.

Several persons, including Tharoor, have been questioned in connection with Sunanda's death.

The police have also conducted polygraph test on six persons, all prime witnesses in the case, including Tharoor's domestic help Narayan Singh, driver Bajrangi and Sanjay Dewan, a close friend of the couple.

Tarar has also been questioned about her relation with the Congress leader and his wife, her fight with Sunanda over Twitter, and other issues revolving around Sunanda's death.

With PTI input
New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday urged people to use bicycle at least once a week to protect the environment.



"Use cycle at least once a week, as it will prove beneficial to the environment as well as our health," the minister said here while leading a plantation drive.



Harsh Vardhan also called upon people to protect and conserve the flora and fauna.



Terming planting trees a "divine work", the Environment Minister said that one should treat them like a family member.



"They not only help in making the environment pure but also provide life-giving oxygen, fruits, flowers, shade and cool the environment," the minister said.



"People should plant more and more saplings to stop the imbalance in nature," he added.



Harsh Vardhan pointed out that after becoming the Environment Minister, he had the opportunity to plant saplings at several places in the country, but the pleasure that he got on Thursday in planting saplings while getting drenched in rain was an unparalleled experience.
Johannesburg: A trophy hunter in Zimbabwe has shot dead a cub of Cecil the lion whose death in 2015 caused worldwide outrage, researchers tracking the pride confirmed Friday.



Xanda, a six-year-old lion fitted with a radio collar, was killed on July 7 in northwest Zimbabwe, close to where US dentist Walter Palmer shot Cecil with a high-powered bow and arrow two years ago.



"Xanda was shot by a trophy hunter on a legally sanctioned hunt in a hunting area outside Hwange National Park," Andrew Loveridge from Oxford University's zoology department told AFP.



"As researchers we are saddened to lose a well-known study animal we have monitored since birth."



In 2015, Cecil's killing triggered fierce controversy as he was a popular attraction for visitors to the famed Hwange National Park.



Both Cecil and Xanda wore electronic GPS tracking collars in a project run by Oxford University's wildlife conservation research unit. But they had strayed out of the park boundaries and into a legal hunting area.



The trophy hunter has not been named, but many hunters are from the United States or South Africa, paying tens of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to kill lions and other wild animals.



Pro-hunt groups say hunting provides an essential economic incentive to promote long-term conservation and that the income pays to safeguard wildlife and catch poachers.



Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper named the hunt's professional expedition leader as Zimbabwean Richard Cooke, and said that the hunt was legal as Xanda was six years old.



It added that Cooke had handed in the collar after discovering it on the dead animal, who was the head of the pride with two lionesses and several cubs.



Palmer, who shot Cecil, a 13-year-old male, was hounded on social media and went into hiding after demonstrations outside his dental practice.

He was reported to have paid $55,000 for the hunt.

No charges were brought against Palmer or the local guide as the hunt was also found to be legal.

Scientists, who say that Hwange has a healthy population of about 550 lions, are pushing for a 5-km (3-mile) hunting exclusion zone to protect lions who wander outside the park's boundaries.

Cecil had at least 12 surviving cubs last year, according to the Oxford research project.
Panaji: A West Bengal resident was stabbed to death by his own friend at Calangute beach here Thursday night, police said.

The incident could be a fall out of a drunken brawl, police said.

Rakesh Rai from Darjeeling was stabbed by his friend Santosh Chattar from Nagpur at Calangute beach last night, police said.

"The incident happened at 10.30 pm," Calangute Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi said.

The fight broke out when a group of friends which included the victim and the accused were drinking at Calangute beach.

Dalvi said the deceased was rushed to Goa Medical College and Hospital where he was declared brought death.

The accused has been arrested.


New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine decisions of the Gujarat government to re-induct two superannuated police officers, N K Amin and T A Barot, who were accused in encounter cases.

Amin, who retired in August last year as Superintendent of Police (SP), has been re-appointed as SP of Mahisagar district of Gujarat on contractual basis for one year. He faced trial in the Sohrabuddin and Ishrat Jahan fake encounter killing cases, the plea alleged.

Amin has been acquitted in the Sohrabuddin case.

Barot has been re-inducted in October last year as Deputy Superintendent of Police with Western Railways at Vadodara for one year after his retirement. He was accused in the Ishrat Jahan and the Sadiq Jamal encounter cases, it said.

"Issue notice returnable in two weeks," a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said after finding prima-facie merit in the plea of former IPS officer Rahul Sharma against re-induction of the two officers.

The court however, clarified that its notice was conditional and would come into effect only when the defects in the petition are cured by the petitioner.

The ex-IPS officer, in his plea filed through advocate Varinder Kumar Sharma, has referred to the apex court's order allowing the Gujarat government to accept the offer of state's top cop P P Pandey to relinquish posts of director general and inspector general of police.

Sharma has challenged the Gujarat High Court's decision dismissing his plea against re-induction of the two officers.

The plea alleged that Amin had been charge-sheeted by CBI in the two encounter cases and has already spent "close to eight years in judicial custody" and was immediately re-instated as the SP after getting released.

"Moreover, Tarun Barot is also a charge-sheeted accused in two different cases of abduction and murder of various persons. He too was arrested in the afore mentioned cases and spent close to 3 years in judicial custody.

"The respondent state has preferred to re-appoint Barot immediately after his release as DySP, (Head Quarters), Western Railways at Vadodara," it said.

Appointments have been made despite "bearing in mind the questionable track record of the two officers" and these are in violation of guidelines of the Supreme Court and in violation of "the doctrine of public trust", the plea said.

"In fact, the said appointments are even de hors to the circulars referred to by the respondent state itself as these circulars prescribe that reappointments/extensions shall be preferred only in cases where the officer being preferred for re-appointment/extension has outstanding merit and in cases where no suitable replacement is found for the seat being vacated provided that the state establishes that it has carried out the exercise to find a suitable replacement," the plea said.
New Delhi: India contributes 33 per cent of the total number of child brides in the world with nearly 103 million Indians married before they were 18, said a report released on Friday.

An estimated 85.2 million of the 103 million were girls, said the ActionAid India report, "Eliminating Child Marriage in India: Progress And Prospects", released by actor-activist Shabana Azmi.

At 103 million, the number of child marriages is more than the total population of Philippines (100 million) and Germany (80.68 million), stated the report, analysing data from Census 2011.

Of every 28 girl child marriages occurring per minute in the world, more than two take place in India. Elimination of girl child marriages can help avoid 27,000 neonatal deaths, 55,000 infant deaths and 1,60,000 child deaths, it said.

"Patriarchy is at the root of child marriage, and patriarchy has to be tackled completely to eliminate child marriage. Spreading education and building confidence amongst girls enables them to resist child marriage and chart their own lives," Azmi said.

The numbers are huge and should be taken seriously, she added.

"No society can be called civilised if they have one- third of their population in such conditions. The report brings out certain shocking facts, something we have to take very seriously," Azmi told PTI.

Education reinforces gender divides, she said.

"Even in textbooks, where is the father? Father is in the office. Where is the mother? She is in the kitchen. Why can't mother and father both be in the office and be in the kitchen? We need to see with a magnifying glass what is being taught to our children."

According to Srinivas Goli, Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University and author of the report, child marriage needs to be looked at as an economic issue.

"India needs to realise that child marriage is not just a human rights or gender issue. It is a huge demographic, health, education and economic issue. If we cannot eliminate child marriages, it will become a huge hindrance to India's economic prospects in the form of unhealthy and unskilled workforce. The more skilled workforce alone can contribute to a GDP 1.7 per cent," Goli told PTI.

The report found that rural regions account for 75 per cent of all instances of child marriages. Seven states (Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) account for 70 per cent of child marriages in the country.

Child marriage cannot be directly linked to socioeconomic factors as six of the 10 states that account for a significant proportion of marriage below 18 years of age are socio-economically better-off states. These states are former Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat.
New Delhi: Congress general secretary Ambika Soni on Friday dismissed reports of her resignation from the party, saying she had asked the leadership to lighten her duties due to her health.

Soni is the AICC general secretary incharge of party affairs in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

"There is no question of resigning," Soni told PTI.

"I had myself asked the party leadership to lighten my duties in the party due to my health," she said, adding that she will continue to fulfil the responsibilities till new appointments are made.

She said she had told the party leadership last year that Himachal Pradesh goes to polls later this year and it was difficult to travel in the three hill states due to her health.

She, however, continues to be the party general secretary and incharge of the states. Sources said that she will continue to fulfil her responsibilities till new appointments are made.

Party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "We strongly reject insinuations being planted by our adversaries regarding her resignation."

He described her as one of the "most seasoned, experienced and capable" leaders of the party.

"A year ago Ambika Soni had requested the party leadership to lighten her duties on account of her health. The party has and will always continue to utilise her experience and acumen," he said.

The Congress leadership is in the process of restructuring the party by bringing in some new faces in leading roles, ahead of organisational elections that are set to end by October 15.

The Congress leadership has already made some new appointments in poll-bound states, including Gujarat, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.

Sources say that the party leadership is in the process of appointing a new PCC chief for Madhya Pradesh and some restructuring is expected in its Himachal Pradesh unit.

Himachal Pradesh goes to polls along with Gujarat in November this year.
Jaipur:With assembly polls due next year in Rajasthan, BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday virtually began rebooting the party's election machinery, asking leaders and workers to focus on strengthening the organisation at booth-level.

Shah, who started his three-day visit to Rajasthan on Friday, met party MPs, MLAs, and other office-bearers from across the state to chalk out strategy for BJP's 'Mission-180' to retain power in the desert state.

The BJP chief, who has a proven track record of mobilising cadre to deliver crucial victories for the party, sought suggestions from the members on various issues and assured them that they would be worked out.

"Positive discussions on various issues were held today in his (Shah's) first meeting with ministers and the second major meeting with MPs, MLAs, district presidents and others," BJP's state unit president Ashok Parnami said.

"The biggest mantra Shah gave today is for strengthening booths to ensure victory in elections," he told reporters at the party headquarters here after the meeting.

Parnami said the party is implementing Shah's vision and agenda in Rajasthan and exuded confidence that the party would be able to achieve its 'Mission-180' in assembly elections and 'Mission-25' in 2019 Lok sabha polls.

The BJP, which wrested power from Congress in Rajasthan in 2013, has 161 MLAs in the House of 200 and aims to raise the tally to 180 in the next assembly elections, he said.

In Lok Sabha, all 25 MPs from Rajasthan are from BJP which the party aims to retain in the next general elections.

MLA (Ramgarh) from Alwar district, Gyan Dev Ahuja, said he raised the issues of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Article 370 of the Constitution which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir,?rising population, among others.

Ahuja said he has also suggested that the "gap between minority and majority should be bridged".

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, BJP national vice president Om Mathur, Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Goel, C R Chaudhary, besides the heads of various cells of the party were present in the meeting.

However, dissident MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari skipped the meeting.

"I had already made it clear that I will not attend any party meeting or function till the notice served on me is withdrawn," he told PTI.

Tiwari was served notice for indiscipline in May and has since been openly criticising and targeting chief minister Raje.

The BJP chief is also scheduled to meet seers tomorrow to take their feedback and seek their "blessings" for the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Parnami said.

Earlier in the day, Shah, who arrived in Rajasthan today, inaugurated a library and e-library at the party headquarters here which contain more than 2000 books and close to 8400 e- books.

The Nanaji Deshmukh library has books on prime minister Narendra Modi, veteran BJP leader L K Advani, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, and other personalities like Sardar Patel, Veer Sawarkar, Swami Vivekananda, Deel Dayal Upadhyay, B R Ambedkar.

It also has books on Kashmir issues, terror of ISIS, cultural heritage of India, RSS philosophy, Hindutva, constituent assembly debates, besides documents on the Jansangh and the BJP.
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday rejected veteran leader from Gujarat Shankersingh Vaghela's claim that he has been expelled from the party, saying 'no action as taken against him'.

No action was taken against Vaghela ji nor was he expelled, ANI quoted party leader RS Surjewala as saying here.

Surjewala said that his party had refused to grant Vaghela's wish to replace the current Gujarat Congress chief and hence he may have been upset.

A party is always bigger than individuals, Surjewala said, adding the reports of his expulsion are baseless and it was his decision to quit.

The veteran Congress leader had claimed on Friday that he was expelled from the party.

Addressing his supporters on the occasion of his 77th birthday celebrations in Gandhinagar, Vaghela said, "Congress expelled me 24 hours back, fearing what I would say at the event."

Earlier, he had slammed the state Congress over "lack of homework" for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Vaghela is said to be unhappy with the Congress for not having been given a free hand for the party's campaign for the state Assembly Election 2017.

Vaghela, who had snapped ties with the BJP in the late nineties to set up his own party which later merged with Congress, has been asserting before the party high command to hand over reins of the December election battle to him.
New Delhi: The Centre on Friday informed Supreme Court that it does not support any kind of cow vigilantism in any state and no such group has any place in the country as per the procedure of law. The Apex Court then asked all the states to file an affidavit in the matter asking them how they will prevent cow vigilantism.

On the other hand, the BJP-ruled states Gujarat and Jharkhand told the top court that action has been taken against those involved in violence related to cow vigilantism.

A petition seeking a ban on cow vigilante groups across the nation was filed in the apex court.The petitioner had alleged that the vigilante groups have unleashed terror on Minority and Dalit communities, where the Centre has proven ineffective in training terror, unleashed by these groups.

Earlier the Court had sought a response from Centre and other states on the issue. Many cases of harassment and violence in the name of "gau raksha" (cow protection) were recorded, on which the nation stands divided.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in June, had condemned the attacks in the name of cow vigilantism saying, "Killing people in the name of cow is unacceptable. No one has the right to take law into his/her hands. We belong to a land of non-violence. Violence is not the solution to any problem."

Earlier Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar after the all-party meeting had said, "Prime Minister Modi has asked the State Governments to take strict action against the anti-social elements creating violence in the name of cow vigilantism and punish them strictly."
New Delhi: Opposition parties including Congress will on Friday discuss the issue of alleged cross-voting that happened during the Presidential Elections in which NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind emerged victorious.

Kovind's victory was expected given the NDA's numerical superiority over the Opposition, but his presidential bid got a push with lawmakers from rival parties cross-voting for him in several states, including poll-bound Gujarat and Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal.

As per BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav, who was also Kovind's key election manager, nearly 116 lawmakers from rival parties, including the Congress, appeared to have voted for the NDA candidate.

The 71-year-old defeated the former Lok Sabha speaker after garnering 65.65 percent of the votes in the electoral college.

Kovind, the former Bihar governor, received 2,930 votes with a value of 7,02,044, said election Returning Officer Anoop Mishra. Kumar got 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314.

The states from where Kovind got votes from the rival camp included West Bengal, where the BJP is locked in a bitter, and often bloody, fight with the ruling TMC. Kovind clinched the votes of 11 MLAs in the state, five more than NDA's tally of six.

He also managed to secure votes of seven lawmakers in the Left-ruled Tripura, where BJP or its NDA allies do not have any MLA. These included six TMC MLAs who are likely to join the BJP.

The Congress has much to worry about Gujarat where Assembly Elections are due later this year, with at least eight of its MLAs appeared to have voted for the NDA's candidate.

The party has 57 MLAs in the state but Meira Kumar got only 49 votes.

The Congress party is gripped by a factional feud in Gujarat between Leader of the Opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela and state party chief Bharatsinh Solanki over who would leader the Assembly poll campaign.

The issue holds significance as cross-voting can wreak havoc for the opposition parties who have declared Goplakrishna Gandhi as their joint vice-presidentioal candidate against NDA nominee Venkaiah Naidu.

Asserting that the cross-voting in the recently concluded Presidential election shows lack of unity in the Congress party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that all political leaders who wished for the better of the nation, have voted for President-elect Ram Nath Kovind.

BJP leader Vishwas Sarang said large-scale cross-voting exposed the vulnerability of the opposition camp.

"I had already told this in advance that let the results come, and the truth of unity in the Congress will come out in open. All the leaders who love this nation have voted for Kovind ji," Sarang told ANI.

Announcing the results, Lok Sabha Secretary General and returning officer Anoop Mishra announced yesterday that Kovind got 2930 votes valued 7,02,044 and Meira Kumar got 1844 votes valued 3,67,314.

Kovind's overall vote value was 661 more than the assured value of 701,382, comprising lawmakers from the NDA and some opposition parties. In contrast, Kumar's total vote value stood at 367,314.

With Agency inputs
New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has called for an meeting of MPs, MLAs and other party leaders on July 23 in Delhi.

Yesterday, the BSP maestro presented a handwritten resignation note to Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice-President Hamid Ansari.

She had initially presented a three-page resignation on Tuesday. However, the resignation was not accepted as it was not in the required format. Staging a walkout from the upper house, Mayawati alleged that she was not being allowed to speak on Dalits atrocities. During her 2-minute speech to highlight the frequent attacks on Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, was interrupted several times.

Critics are viewing her move to walk out of Rajya Sabha over Dalit issue as an effort to win back her voter base. The party's been out of power since two consecutive terms.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav supported her move, further offering to field her in elections from Bihar.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: The government has built more than 96,000 houses for married military officers and soldiers as part of the sanctioned project to construct 1,98,881 houses, Parliament was told on Friday.



While 57,875 units were constructed in the first phase, of the 69,904 units meant for second phase, 38,811 have already been built, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.



"The balance 31,093 under the second phase are under construction. Balance 71,102 are planned for third phase projects," he said.



The Married Accommodation Project was approved in 2002 for providing 1,98,881 Dwelling Units (DUs) to serving defence personnel.



"Apart from the construction of dwelling units, the hiring of houses is also undertaken for defence personnel to meet the deficiency of housing," he said.
New Delhi: The government on Friday assured parliamentarians that Aadhaar data is safe and there is no chance of it falling in wrong hands, officials said.

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by P Chidambaram was informed that the Aadhaar data was in safe custody but the government was still not complacent and kept upgrading its security systems, officials privy to the development said.

The queries by members of the panel were answered by the representatives of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal authority for Aadhaar in the country.

Apart from Aadhaar, the panel also discussed various national security issues, they said.

The committee interacted with Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Home Secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba and others regarding the prevailing security situation.

The Home Ministry officials explained various steps taken for internal security, including in Jammu and Kashmir.

Another meeting of the committee will be held on July 27 when home ministry officials will give a detailed presentation on various issues, they said.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has refuted former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah`s assertion that a third party can be approached for the settlement of the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.

"I have been asserting for long that it`s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies at the Centre that have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir. And the point that is being mentioned that a third party`s intervention should be invited for the settlement of the issue, it`s wrong.

India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India," Rahul said on Friday."It`s our internal matter and no other country should have any say in it," he added.Earlier in the day, Abdullah said that India should approach third parties, such as the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

Adbullah said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.

"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world.

They can ask them to act as a mediator. U.S. President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.

This is not the first time when the Congress vice-president has blamed Prime Minister Modi for creating space for militancy in the state."Modi`s policies have created space for terrorists in Kashmir. Grave strategic blow for India," Rahul had earlier tweeted.

"Short term political gain for Modi from PDP alliance has cost India massively. Modi`s personal gain=India`s strategic loss + sacrifice of innocent Indian blood," the tweet added.

The BJP reacted by blaming the country`s first prime minister and Rahul`s great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and the Gandhi family for all the problems in Kashmir.

Union minister Smriti Irani also hit out at Rahul for criticising Prime Minister Modi for the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and politicising the issue at a time when the country was "united against terrorism".

"Upon return from strategic and very well known holiday, Mr Gandhi has chosen to attack the Prime Minister, especially when nation stands united against terrorism," Irani said.The BJP also has been dubbing Rahul Gandhi as "immature" owing to his tweets targetted at the Centre.
New Delhi: As soon Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was elected the 14th President of India, his ancestral village Paraukh in Kanpur Dehat district burst into celebrations. Residents lit lamps with ghee, played gulal (colour), burst firecrackers as their 'Baba Ji', defeated Opposition candidate Meira Kumar in a straight fight by a huge margin of 334,730.

After his thumping victory, Kovind reminisced his early life in his native village where he used to reside in a small mud house with his siblings. Addressing media, soon after taking over Pranab Mukherjee, Kovind said that it is an emotional moment for him. "Today it's raining in Delhi since morning. The rain reminds me of my childhood days when I used to live in my native village," said Kovind, adding, "Ghar kachcha tha, mitti ki diwar thi, baarish ke samay phoos ki chhat paani rok nahi pati thi. Ham sab bhai, behan, kamare ke baahar khade hokar intezar karte the ki baarish kab khatam hogi" (We had a thatched house, the walls were made of mud. The roof leaked and we used to wait for the rain to stop),'' leading daily Times of India quoted Kovind as saying.

Early life:

Son of a farmer, Kovind was born on October 1, 1945 at Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh. His father had to sell a piece of his farmland to fund Kovinds education. He prepared for civil services and cleared the examination in third attempt but did not get desired rank. He then chose to practise as a lawyer, first at the Delhi High Court. Between 1980-1993 he practised as standing counsel at the Supreme Court.

Political journey:

Kovind, was known as a crusader from his student days for the Rights and Cause of Weaker Sections of the Society specially SC/ST/OBC/Minority/Land Women. In year 1994, he was elected to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and served two consecutive terms until March 2006. He will be the second Dalit President after K.R. Narayanan. Kovind, who was the national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), headed the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha for three years from 1999. He was actively associated with the RSS before joining the BJP.

Result:

He got 2,930 votes carrying a value of 700,244 while the former Lok Sabha Speaker secured 1,844 votes with a value of 367,314, the highest vote value recorded by any losing candidate in all the Presidential elections held so far. The electoral college consisted of 4,986 voters with a total vote value of 10,98,903. Seventy seven votes with a value of 20,942 were found to be invalid.



While Kovind got 65.65 per cent of the total valid votes with a value of 10,69,358, Meira Kumar got 34.35 per cent. MPs and MLAs are eligible to vote in the Presidential election. Of the votes of MPs, Kovind got 522 compared to 225 by Meira Kumar. The value of votes of MPs received by Kovind was 369,576 and that by Kumar was 159,300. In Andhra Pradesh, where Congress has one MLA, Meira Kumar drew a blank with all non-BJP parties voting for Kovind.



Announcing the election of Kovind, Returning Officer and Lok Sabha Secretary General Anoop Mishra said Kovind had got the required votes under the quota allotted to him in the preferential vote system under the Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections Act."I declare Ram Nath Kovind as duly elected to the Office of President," he said at the end of the counting process that lasted more than five hours.

How cross-voting by Opposition lawmakers boosted his bid:

Analysis of results shows that cross-voting took place in favour of Kovind by about eight legislators in Uttar Pradesh and nearly 11 in Gujarat, where state elections are due for the year-end. Kovind got about nine votes more than expected in Maharashtra, three in Assam, two each in Punjab and Delhi, two in Goa and five extra votes in West Bengal.

The extra votes in his favour are believed to have come from Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and from Congress in Goa. In West Bengal, opposition parties alleged that the Trinamool MLAs did the cross-voting. State Congress spokesperson Om Prakash Mishra said the Trinamool lawmakers were facing heat over CBI investigations into multiple scams, so they were in "secret understanding with the BJP".

In Delhi, the BJP has only four MLAs. Kovind has got two more votes, including apparently of Kapil Mishra, the suspended Aam Aadmw Party MLA.In Uttar Pradesh, where the Samajwadi Party (SP) is riven by factional strife, Shivpal Singh Yadav, the brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, had openly declared that he and some other MLAs voted for Kovind.

In Tripura, six suspended lawmakers voted for the winning candidate. In Gujarat, as many as 11 Gujarat Congress legislators are learnt to have cast their votes in favour of Kovind.

Reactions:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Union Ministers and leaders of allied parties congratulated Kovind on his victory. "Best wishes for a fruitful and inspiring tenure," Modi tweeted. He also said he was gladdened by the extensive support for Kovind among MPs and across various states. "I thank members of the electoral college," the Prime Minister said.



BJP President Amit Shah said Kovind's "truly historic" victory was for the poor, downtrodden and the marginalised and their aspirations.



Meira Kumar also congratulated Kovind. "I extend my good wishes to him as it has fallen upon him to uphold the Constitution of India in this most challenging time."



Later, Modi, accompanied by Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, visited Kovind's residence here and greeted him. He presented a stole and a flower and offered him sweets.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: Right to privacy could be determined from a case-to-case basis, the Supreme Court observed on Thursday. A nine-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, said that privacy cannot be an absolute right and the state may have some power to put restrictions.

The bench was revisiting the top court's 55 year-old judgment that states privacy is not a basic fundamental right for citizens.

"Right to privacy is an amorphous right and not absolute. It is only a small sub-sect of liberty," said the bench.

The nine-member bench comprised of Justices J Chelameswar, S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, Rohinton Fali Nariman, Abhay Manohar Sapre, D Y Chandrachud, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and S Abdul Nazeer.

"In a technologically dynamic society it is imperative to keep dimensions of right to privacy flexible to adapt and adjust with the new scenarios," it said, adding many of the fundamental rights "cannot be enjoyed to the fullest in the absence of right to privacy", as reported by the PTI.

The bench then referred to NGO Naz Foundation's case of decriminalising consensual gay sex among lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, saying that the verdict "would become vulnerable".

The top court also referred to the issue of data protection in today's world of big data where operators have access to all details of consumers, including fingerprints.

"We live in an age of big data and the state is entitled to regulate the data whether it is for the purpose of regulating crime, taxation or other activities... Right to privacy cannot be so absolute that it prevents the State from legislating or regulating it," the bench said.

"If I decide to co-habit with my wife, police can't barge into my bedroom. That's my privacy. Whether to send my children to school is not privacy because I have to send them to school under the Right to Education law," said Justice Chandrachud.

Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, arguing on behalf of the petitioners, said right to privacy is a pre-existing "natural right" which the Constitution acknowledged and guaranteed to the citizens in case of infringements by the State.

(With PTI Inputs)
New Delhi: Asking the BJP MPs to shun the red beacon culture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged them to work among the masses and publicise central government`s pro-poor schemes.

The Prime Minister`s remarks came during his meeting here over breakfast with a group of Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MPs from western Uttar Pradesh, which was also attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.

"Due to the central government`s schemes for the poor, a change in the lives of beneficiaries is clear. 80 per cent of sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been paid their arrears," Modi told the MPs, according a party statement.

"The Prime Minister told the MPs to shun the mindset of red beacon culture," the statement added.

Modi said on account of Ujjwala scheme, which aims to replace unclean cooking fuels with the clean and more efficient LPG, the health of poor women`s had improved a lot.

"Now you need to organise conferences of women and make them aware them about nutrition," he said.

The Prime Minister said that a Goods and Services Tax (GST) helpdesk would be set up in Parliament Library Building where MPs can get information from the officials.

During the meeting, MPs told the Prime Minister that after three years of Modi government and three months of Uttar Pradesh`s Yogi Aditynath government, a new confidence could be seen in the people. They claimed that due to the pro-poor schemes, the BJP`s popularity had also increased.

The meeting was part of Modi`s beginning of a new tradition where he holds meetings at his official residence with party MPs in groups during Parliament sessions and discusses issues related to development in their constituencies and states.

During the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to end on August 11, Modi will meet eight other groups of MPs.
Beijing: The India-China border standoff should not be allowed to threaten a mega economic deal Asia- Pacific nations are trying to negotiate at a meeting in Hyderabad, an article in an official Chinese daily said on Friday.

The comment was made by The Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party media group, which generally reflects the views of the ruling party.

In recent days, the tabloid has been at the forefront of verbal allegations against India amid the tension between the two countries in the Sikkim sector.

Sixteen countries, accounting for about 27 per cent of global trade, are meeting in Hyderabad to discuss the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is aimed at liberalising trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

The technical level talks for the RCEP began on July 18.

On July 24, the negotiations will formally start.

The meeting is happening under the shadow of the standoff between India and China - the two largest economies taking part in the talks.

The standoff began over the construction of a road by China in Doklam area and India fears the road could be used to cut New Delhi's links with its northeastern states.

India has said it is ready for talks with China to end the tension but both sides should first withdraw their armies from the disputed area.

"We are saying that the matter can be resolved through talks, but both sides have to first take back their armies," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said.

"China and India are two prominent members of the group, but they face the task of preventing an escalation of their border tensions from becoming an obstacle to reaching trade agreements at the negotiating table," the article said.

"China hopes that India can strive to control its actions, ensuring that the escalation of the border tensions does not endanger the atmosphere of cooperation for the RCEP," it said.

"If India encourages the border tensions to thwart the free trade negotiations, China will fight back and spare no effort to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, which cannot be traded in any case," it said.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to Gujarat government on a petition challenging the re-induction of two retired police officers, accused in separate encounter cases.

The top court sought the state's response as to why the cops have been re-appointed in the force after superannuation.

"Issue notice returnable in two weeks," said a two-member bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud.

Two police officers in question are N K Amin and Tarun Barot, who have been re-employed on contractual basis with the police force.

The top court was listening to a petition filed by former IPS officer Rahul Sharma.

The petition said Amin has been re-inducted as the Superintendent of Police at Tapi district in Gujarat while Barot as the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Railways. It alleged that Amin faced trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Ishrat Jahan fake encounter killing cases while Barot was accused in the Sadiq Jaman and Ishrat Jahan encounter cases. Amin, however, has been acquitted in the Sohrabuddin encounter case.

(With PTI Inputs)
Srinagar: Muhammad Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested here on Friday when he tried to lead a protest march.

Police arrested Malik in Druggen area after the Friday prayers when Malik came out of a mosque to lead the march towards the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar area.

Malik was whisked away by police along with some supporters.

Separatists had called for a protest sit-in outside the UNMOGIP in Srinagar on Friday to highlight the "repression and innocent killings in Kashmir".

Authorities had blocked all roads leading to the UNMOGIP Headquarters, preventing both pedestrian and vehicular movement in the area.
New Delhi: The New Maharashtra Sadan has penalised its catering contractor for not following certain conditions of the contract, a senior official said on Friday, days after a BJP MP complained about bad service in the canteen.

Maharashtra Resident Commissioner Aabha Shukla did not elaborate on the reason behind the step but confirmed that he was fined.

"The contractor was penalised for not following certain conditions of the contract," she said.

Earlier this week, Sunil Gaikwad, a BJP MP from Latur, had complained of unsatisfactory service in the New Maharashtra Sadan canteen. Gaikwad was not available for comment.

The New Maharashtra Sadan was in the news in 2014 when Shiv Sena MPs allegedly tried to force feed a worker observing Roza, claiming bad quality food was served to them.
New Delhi: Mobile phones worth Rs 90,000 crore were produced in the country last fiscal, while imports of handsets stood at USD 3.7 billion (about Rs 24,364 crore) during the period, Parliament was informed on Friday.

India, which is one of the largest telecom markets globally, has seen production of mobile handsets grow at a steady pace over the past few years.

"During 2014-15, mobile handsets worth Rs 18,900 crore were produced in India, which increased to Rs 54,000 crore in 2015-16 and further to Rs 90,000 crore in 2016-17," Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Domestic production of cellular mobile handsets witnessed a growth of 185 percent in value terms in 2015-16 compared to 2014-15 and 67 percent in 2016-17 as against 2015-16, he said.

Sinha noted that during the said time-frame, import of mobile handsets declined from 210 million devices (worth USD 7,948 million) in 2014-15 to 146 million units (USD 6,059 million) in 2015-16.

Imports further fell to 76 million units (USD 3,788 million) in 2016-17, he said.

The minister said all major brands (both foreign and Indian) have either already set up their own manufacturing facilities or are in the process of doing so.

Some companies have also sub-contracted manufacturing to Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) companies operating from India.

These factories are located in regions like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

To promote indigenous manufacturing in India, the government has introduced differential excise duty on cellular mobile handsets in the Union budget of 2015-16, Sinha said.

"The Government of India has notified the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) to promote indigenous manufacturing of cellular mobile handsets and its sub- assemblies... Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 10 percent has been imposed on cellular mobile handsets and identified parts thereof," he added.
New Delhi: As Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani paid tribute to father Dhirubhai Ambani before addressing the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday at the Birla Matushri Sabhagar, his mother Kokilaben Ambani broke down into tears.

Speaking at the event, Mukesh Ambai said, '' I want to dedicate these 40 years of achievement and records to only one person, founder chairman D Ambani."

Mumbai: Kokilaben Ambani breaks down as Mukesh Ambani pays tribute to Dhirubhai Ambani at 40th AGM of Reliance. pic.twitter.com/d6E1qzj2Hs  ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2017

Ambani also launched the much rumoured 4G feature handset known as JioPhone  what he called will be 'India ka Intelligent Smart Phone. During the event, the RIL chairman asserted that the JioPhone will be a 4G enabled cost-efficient feature phone that can work on voice commands.

''Today, I am delighted to announce that JioPhone will be available to all Indians for an effective price of Rs 0,'' Mukesh Ambani said. While launching the phone, he said that the plan is to collect a fully refundable, one-time, security deposit of Rs 1,500. The handsets to be available for pre-booking from August 24. It will have pre- loaded apps of Reliance Jio like Jio TV, Jio Money etc. The phone will also have facilities like Wi-Fi connectivity and browsing. Along with that he also announced its cable TV device.
Mumbai: Kangana Ranauts sister Rangoli Chandel hit back at writer Apurva Asrani, who accused the Queen actress of nepotism!

Asrani, who had issues sharing the credits for writing Hansal Mehtas Simran with Kangana, took to Twitter a few days back to ask if even actress herself was promoting nepotism!

He wrote:

I hired my brother as addnl writer on my new film. #Kangana hired her sister as manager & now promotes her brother. All guilty of #nepotism?  Apurva Asrani (@Apurvasrani) 18 July 2017

Kanganas sister Rangoli, an acid attack survivor, responded to Asranis tweet by saying: Acid dsn't kill you it just distorts your face in a way that wherever you go people's jaw drops in a very sad way. Kangana nt only got my treatment done but saw to it that I gained my confidence back, she held my hand and took me to the sets. I m topper in M.Sc microbiology I didn't loose my degree after the attack but I lost my confidence and started to wear veil. I am her sister and i am with her in that capacity, my brother is a pilot and don't you dare to bring him in to this. You are after your 5 mins fame which you don't deserve so please calm down and Relax (sic).

@Apurvasrani acid dsn't kill you it just distorts your face in a way that wherever you go people's jaw drops in a very sad way. 19 July 2017

@Apurvasrani Kangana nt only got my treatment done but saw to it that I gained my confidence back, she held my hand and took me to the sets.  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) 19 July 2017

@Apurvasrani I m topper in M.Sc microbiology I didn't loose my degree after the attack but I lost my confidence and started to wear veil .  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) 19 July 2017

@Apurvasrani I am her sister and i am with her in that capacity, my brother is a pilot and don't you dare to bring him in to this.  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) 19 July 2017

@Apurvasrani You are after your 5 mins fame which you don't deserve so please calm down and Relax. 19 July 2017

For the uninitiated, the nepotism debate started soon after Kangana accused Karan Johar of nepotism on Koffee With Karan in February. The filmmaker didnt react spontaneously but responded to her allegation later during an event in London. The Dharma Productions scion even took the heated topic to the IIFA 2017 stage thereby dragging the matter a little too far.

Though Kangana look least perturbed, the filmmaker expressed regret over the skit at the awards event that was totally unwarranted.
New Delhi: Bollywood young gun Arjun Kapoor is gearing up for the release of his next titled 'Mubarakan' starring Anil Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz and Athiya Shetty in the lead.

While promoting the film, Arjun said that Sonam Kapoor happens to be his favourite cousin. IANS quoted him as saying, "Sonam is my favourite cousin. We both are of similar age. We both have gone to the same school and from the beginning, I am very protective of her and will always be in my life".

Interestingly, Anil Kapoor asked Arjun about the qualities he has inherited from the Kapoor family, and the young lad replied, "I feel the love for cinema, the desire to constantly entertain the audience. We as family love cinema and one thing I learned from them is that no matter how many times you need to be there, always be at the service of the audience because they make you. They are the reason that we are here today."

He added: "They all have taught me that it's never about what I am doing, it's always about giving back, connecting and entertaining the audience. More importantly, making good films. There have been ups and downs in our family, but I have always seen that we all have remained united, stuck together to try and entertain the audience."

'Mubarakan' is helmed by Anees Bazmee and is slated to release on July 28.

(With IANS inputs)
Mumbai: Sunny Leone and Daniel Weber are now proud parents to a 21-month-old girl child. The couple has adopted the baby from Latur in Maharashtra and the little one has been named Nisha Kaur Weber.

The duo had applied for adoption at an orphanage almost two years ago. And now they have finally been able to realise their dream of bringing a baby home.

According to a report in India.com originally attributed to Hindustan Times, Daniel said, Right now, its all so brand new because it has just been a few days. The moment we got the picture (of Nisha); I was so excited, happy, emotional and [experienced] so many different feelings. We literally had three weeks to finalise everything. Usually, people get nine months to prepare (laughs).

The adoption process involved a lot of paperwork and the couple was busy putting their documents in order to complete the formalities.

Also, they couldnt choose the orphanage. Speaking about how Nisha entered their life, Sunny said, We didnt decide. The Indian government and Cara agency decided when we were ready (smiles). We didnt know that you dont get to choose the ashram or orphanage that you adopt from, the ministry chooses for you, she said.

Sunny (Karenjit Kaur) always wanted to have a Punjabi name for her son or daughter and hence Nisha has Kaur as her middle name.

Heres wishing Sunny and Daniel hearty congratulations on the arrival of their little princess Nisha.
New Delhi: After the 2014 hit Vellai Illa Pattadhari (VIP), the much-awaited sequel`s release, which has Kajol on board, would be delayed by one month.

Journalist Sreedhar Pillai? tweeted the same, "Breaking- Producer @theVcreations confirms @dhanushkraja #VIP2 which was to release on July 28 has now been pushed to August!"

With Raghuvaran`s high popularity in the first part, Kajol is all set to spread her luck in this upcoming sequel, playing the role of Vasundhara, opposite Tamil star Dhanush.`VIP 2` is Kajol`s second movie in Tamil cinema and marks her return to Kollywood after 20 years.

The movie has been directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth and produced by Kabali producer, S Kalapuli Thanu.
New Delhi: In 1969, US space agency NASA launched the first manned lunar mission  Apollo 11 and along with the astronauts, sent a simple, square white bag meant to carry the first sample of lunar material ever collected, which it did.

The collection pouch used by Neil Armstrong  the first man to set foot on the moon  held rocks and dust from the lunar region known as the Sea of Tranquility.

The bag that contains remnants of moon dust and is labeled "Lunar Sample Return", went up for auction on the auction block at Sotheby's New York on July 20, also the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The collection pouch  which was once nearly thrown out with the trash  sold for USD 1.8 million, Sotheby's said.

Auctioneer Joe Dunning introduced the lot as "an exceptionally rare artifact from mankind's greatest achievement." It sold to an anonymous buyer on the telephone following a sluggish five-minute bidding war.

Its previous owner was an Illinois lawyer, who bought it in 2015 for USD 995.

But even with the buyer's premium added to Thursday's $1.5-million hammer price, the bag fell short of Sotheby's pre-sale estimate of USD 2-4 million.

Sotheby's said it was the only artifact from the Apollo 11 mission left in private hands. After Apollo 11 returned to Earth, nearly all the equipment from the mission was sent to the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum.

But an inventory error left the sample bag languishing in a box at the Johnson Space Center.

Staff were about to throw it out before offering it to a collector who ran a space museum in Kansas, keeping it unaware of its provenance.

When the collector was later convicted of theft, fraud and money laundering, the FBI seized the box from his garage to auction it off for restitution.

The bag  which has a tear and is made of the same fire-retardant material as space suits  was offered four times for sale, before the Illinois lawyer bought it in 2015.

Noticing dark smudges inside, she sent it to NASA for testing, which confirmed in 2016 it was indeed moon dust from the Apollo 11 landing site, and that it was the decontamination bag listed in the Apollo 11 stowage list.

A legal battle ensued over ownership, which ended in a federal judge ordering NASA to return the bag to the lawyer  who then offered it for sale.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister HN Ananth Kumar on Friday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government for the prevailing situation in Darjeeling.

The north Bengal hill town has been witnessing an indefinite agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland for over a month.

Kumar said the Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government should work towards peace in the area to pave way for a meaningful dialogue.

The Union Minister's remarks came after Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member Mohammad Salim raised the issue of the ongoing agitation in Darjeeling and called for the Centre's intervention.

Salim said there has been violence and the local residents were peeved over certain remarks made by Trinamool leaders.

"The state government is resorting to threats," he added.

Salim said a meeting should be convened of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and efforts should be made to "save Darjeeling".

Responding to the member's concern, Ananth Kumar said the situation was getting "serious" and all efforts should be made to restore peace in the region.

He said the situation had conflagrated due to the "attitude of the Chief Minister".

Kumar said: "First normalcy should be restored and then the way forward could be prepared in consultation with the stakeholders."
Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Friday filed a report before the Calcutta High Court stating that the situation in communal strife-hit Basirhat was under control and that a strong presence of force was being maintained to ensure normalcy.

The state government filed an affidavit before a division bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty stating that a strong police force supervised by senior officers was posted at Basirhat sub-division in North 24-Parganas district.

At least 1,162 state police personnel, including RAF and four companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), were deployed in the sub-division, which was hit by communal clashes in the first week of July.

So far 86 cases were registered and 71 persons arrested in connection with the clashes, said the affidavit, signed by the deputy secretary, Home and Hill affairs of the state government.

The affidavit was filed by the West Bengal Government on a direction by the division bench detailing steps it has taken to control the situation in riot-affected Basirhat sub-division where Baduria was the most affected.

The direction to the state government came on a petition seeking that the state compensate the victims of communal clashes.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing after two weeks, the bench directed.
Beirut: The Hezbollah on Friday said it will begin an offensive to oust terrorists from the mountainous regions of Lebanon along the Syrian border.

The new operation to clear radicals from areas around the town of Arsal and in al-Qalamoun was reported by al-Manar television owned by Hezbollah, reports Efe news.

With heavy artillery and missiles, Hezbollah bombarded positions held by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, a former Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate, in several areas located in northeastern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Army also bombed on Friday "terrorist groups" trying to flee from the Wadi al-Zaarour region to Arsal.

On Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced during the plenary session of Parliament that his government authorised the Army to carry out a planned and meticulous operation in the heights of Arsal where extremists from Syria are hiding.

A military source told Efe news that there was a decision on the part of the Lebanese authorities to put an end to the activity of "terrorists" in that area although the troops will act only in a defensive way.
Seoul: South Korea`s proposed military talks aimed at easing tensions between the two Koreas planned for Friday failed to take place after the North snubbed a call by the South, a setback for new President Moon Jae-in`s hope of engaging Pyongyang in dialogue.

South Korea`s Defence Ministry was expected to issue a statement at 0130 GMT after the North remained silent on Seoul`s proposal made on Monday for talks to be held to discuss ways to avoid hostilities near the heavily armed border. Defence Ministry was expected to issue a statement at 0130 GMT after the North remained silent on Seoul`s proposal made on Monday for talks to be held to discuss ways to avoid hostilities near the heavily armed border.

Moon took office in May pledging to engage the North in dialogue, as well as bring pressure to impede its nuclear and missile programmes.

The talks proposal came after the North claimed to have conducted the first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier this month, and said it had mastered the technologies to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile.

It was the first formal overture by Seoul after cross-border ties broke down early last year under the government of Moon`s predecessor, who imposed unilateral sanctions on the North for its nuclear tests and missile launches.

The North has conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests and a quick succession of missile-related activities since the start of 2016, after its leader Kim Jong Un pledged to improve ties with the South in his New Year`s day address.

On Monday the South proposed the military talks to discuss ceasing activities at the border that have fuelled tension.

By those activities, South Korea usually refers to loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts by both sides, while North Korea wants a halt to routine joint U.S.-South Korea military drills.
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hit back on Friday at US lawmakers opposed to the prospect of his visiting the White House, saying he would never go to the United States, which he called a "lousy" country.

Duterte was responding to remarks by Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern, who told a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that he would protest against such a visit if US President Donald Trump followed through on an invitation to the firebrand Philippine leader.

The commission, made up of members of the US House of Representatives, convened on Thursday in Washington for a hearing on Duterte's deadly, year-old war on drugs, which has killed thousands of Philippine citizens.

Human rights groups say many of the deaths were executions by police, an assertion the authorities reject.

"There will never be a time that I will go to America during my term, or even thereafter," said Duterte, who has made no secret of his grudge against the United States, his country's oldest ally.

"So what makes that guy think I'll go to America?" he told reporters, referring to McGovern.

"I've seen America and it`s lousy... it would be good for the US Congress to start with their own investigation of their own violations of the so many civilians killed in the prosecution of the wars in the Middle East," he added.

"Otherwise I will be forced to investigate you also. I will start with your past sins."

Trump came under heavy criticism in Washington when he invited Duterte to the White House during a telephone conversation in April. He did not say when.

Duterte's spokesman said Trump had told his Philippine counterpart he was doing a "great job".

A leaked transcript obtained by the New York Times backed that up, quoting Trump commending Duterte for his "unbelievable job on the drug problem".
Ankara: A powerful earthquake killed two people on the Greek holiday island of Kos in the early hours of Friday, also causing disruption in the Turkish tourist hub of Bodrum.

A Turkish and a Swedish tourist, aged 39 and 22 years, had been killed when the roof of a popular bar collapsed, Greek police said. Kos`s port was put out of action and, across the strait in Bodrum, a small tsunami damaged vehicles parked near the shore.

Around 200 people were injured, including tourists of various nationalities. Many of Kos`s tourists spent the night in the open as a precaution, hotel owners said.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 6.7 and located the epicentre 10 km (6 miles) SSE of the Turkish summer tourist hub of Bodrum, and about 16 km ENE of Kos`s main port, across a strait from Kos.

Data from Turkey`s disaster and emergency management authority, AFAD, which put the quake at magnitude 6.3, showed that more than 40 aftershocks were felt in Turkey and Greece, in the immediate aftermath of the quake, with some up to magnitude 4.6.

About 80 people were treated in hospital in Bodrum after the tremor, which struck at 1:31 a.m. (2231 GMT).

Hotel owners there told Turkish broadcasters that some tourists were checking out.

"It was a lucky escape and it could have been much worse," said Issa Kamara, a 38-year old personal trainer at the Maca Kizi hotel in Bodrum`s smart Turkbuku area.

Constantina Svynou, head of the hoteliers` association in Kos, told Greek ERT television that many visitors had spent the night outside their hotels, but some were now returning to their rooms.

"There are about 200,000 tourists on the island, we are at the peak season. Our first reaction was to calm the tourists, following basic rules and evacuating hotel buildings," Svynou said, adding that there had been no injuries at the hotel.

CRACKS IN QUAYSIDE

A hospital official in Kos said 100 people had been hurt but that most had only slight injuries.

Video footage showed long, wide cracks in the asphalt on the quayside at the port of Kos, which is near a tourist strip of cafes and bars.

Kos`s airport remained operational and Greek Deputy Shipping Minister Nektarios Santorinios flew there. But he said the port was out of action.

"Passengers on ferries have been rerouted to the islands of Nisyros and Kalymnos," he told Greek SKAI TV.

Police said most of the damage in Kos had been to older buildings. The Kostoday.com website showed parts of the tourist strip flooded, and a small fishing boat stranded on a road.

A seismologist told Greek TV that there had been a tidal wave about 70 cm (28 inches) high.

Turkey`s emergency authorities warned against aftershocks, but said there had been no casualties or major damage there, although some power cuts were reported.

The broadcaster CNN Turk said that, in Bodrum, 60 vehicles had been dragged along by the water. It also showed boats listing in a harbour. Several store owners told the broadcaster NTV they had suffered flood damage.

Television footage from the area showed hundreds of people abandoning buildings and waiting on the streets, as cars shook and items fell off store shelves.

Turkey`s location between the Arabian tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate renders it prone to earthquakes.

In October 2011, more than 600 people died in the eastern province of Van following a 7.2-magnitude quake and powerful aftershocks. In 1999, two massive earthquakes killed about 20,000 people in Turkey`s densely populated northwest.
Ankara:Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yilidirm on Friday dismissed comments by German authorities that he said were aimed at sowing doubt among investors, adding that Turkey was just as Germany.

Yildirim's comments to reporters after Friday prayers, came after Berlin warned its citizens that traveling and working in Turkey carried security risks.

Yildirim also said Turkey wanted Germany to take measures against militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the network of the US-based cleric it blames for last July's failed coup.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. The UN Industrial Development Organization launched an ambitious project, providing 2 million dollars to Armenia for developing the textile and footwear production branch.

According to Anita Traviani, project leader of UNIDO, this branch has huge potential in Armenia.

A center is planned to be opened, which will act not only as an educational center, but will also offer services.

Our goal will be to develop the textile and footwear production branch in Armenia based on international experience. Armenian producers will be trained in the center on how to make European standard shoes. This is a long term process, however it is the only way for Armenia to be able to make shoes with acceptable European standards, Traviani told ARMENPRESS.

The center will offer export, financial management, skills development services.

Traviani said they wouldnt have been able to initiate the program without the assistance and interest of the ministry of economic development and investments.

The center is planned to be opened in September.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Those Ucom mobile customers who plan to enjoy their summer holidays in Georgia, USA, Egypt or Europe from now on can activate Internet in Roaming bundles at even more affordable rates, Ucom told ARMENPRESS.

For example, in order to activate the 100 MB bundle Ucom mobile subscribers should pay 2500 AMD instead of the previous 3900, the activation of 300 MB bundle will cost 6500 AMD instead of the previous 8900, while the most extensive bundle of 1GB can be activated at the rate of 18000 AMD only, instead of the previous 24900.

The validity period of the bundles, as usual, remains unchanged and makes 30 days. Distance should never be an issue to stay in touch with your close ones. Just right after the activation of the Internet in Roaming bundle one should make sure he/she is connected to the specific operator in a particular country, and then enjoy the vacation without being detached from the world routine, - specified Hayk Yesayan, Director General at Ucom.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. The tension in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact has nothing to do with the constitutional changes or the presidential election in Artsakh. The escalation is simply Azerbaijans strategy, however no serious actions should be expected from Azerbaijan for at least a few years, political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan told a July 21 press conference.

Artsakh isnt acting in order to please anyone. The international community cant view the constitutional changes as a deviation from democracy. The constitutional referendum was simply an internal process relating to the development of Artsakhs politics and the people, Iskandaryan said, adding that this is another phase of development for the country.

According to him, Azerbaijan understands that it cant solve the NK conflict with large-scale operations, but neither can it with diplomacy.

The border escalation is simply Azerbaijans strategy, an attempt to psychologically pressure Armenians.

However, from a political perspective, no serious shifts will happen from the Azerbaijani side anytime soon, he said.

Iskandaryan says Artsakh and Azerbaijan are incomparable in terms of democracy. Azerbaijan is in a middle-eastern regime, similar to Uzbekistans former regime.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. The FUN ARMENIA Campaign has kicked off with the assistance of the state tourism committee. The campaign is organized by the eli.fun leisure and tourism platform and the Armenian office of PicsArt photo design and editing network.

Fun Armenias purpose is to discover and present every single part of Armenia. Both Armenians and Artsakhis, as well as foreign tourists can take photos and share the tourism other Armenia.

People can publish photos, which will show the uniqueness of Armenia and Artsakh.

An official from the state tourism committee said this is a good platform for presenting Armenian tourism sightseeing locations and opportunities from another point of view, and discovering new locations.

The committee said the best photos will be used on the Armenia.travel website, while surprises await the winners.

Tigran Tchorokhyan from eli.am said the winners will have a chance for a crazy vacation in Armenia.

He says there is a misconception among locals that vacationing in Armenia is more expensive than abroad, however this in untrue. Armenia offers numerous tourism opportunities, ranging from nature tours, cultural and adventure tourism, and alternative options.

Everyone who is willing to take part can simply login to PicsArt or a social network and post the photos using the #funArmenia hashtag and add a short comment.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Vice-Speaker of Armenias Parliament Ms. Arpine Hovhannisyan, who also acts as the leader of the Armenia-USA friendship group, held a meeting on July 21 with US Ambassador to Armenia H.E. Richard Mills.

Hovhannisyan attached importance to the continuous efforts of the United States aimed at strengthening the democratic institutions in Armenia, effectiveness of the anti-corruption fight, development of the civil society and implementation of reforms.

The US Ambassador highly valued Hovhannisyans personal contribution and efforts in deepening bilateral relations, and expressed confidence that the cooperation with the legislative body will be as effective as it was with the executive.

The friendship and partnership of our states is long lasting, strong and versatile. We expect to continue our partnership with the parliamentary friendship group  with your skilled leadership. Together we will strengthen parliamentary ties between the USA and Armenia and will form new opportunities for cooperation, the US Ambassador said.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. The Sevan Startup Summit 2017, an annual business forum, will be held July 24-31 on the Lake Sevan shore.

The event will bring together more than 100 startup teams, programmers, investors, mentors and business trainers from over 10 countries, and will feature discussions, competitions and new discoveries.

The event is organized by Startup Armenia Foundation, with Ameriabank acting as the main partner.

For the first time in Armenia, a Camp Fire Pitch will be held during the event.

Startup Armenia founder Hakob Hakobyan says they are all geared up to host over 1 thousand of participants.

There will be 7 main competitions, more than 100 startup teams, more than 1500 volunteers during the business forum. Ameriabank will provide Big Batlle  the grand prix, which can be a huge boost for the startup, he said.

An Ameriabank official said the bank was eager to join since it highly values the development of innovative businesses in the country.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan congratulated Ram Nath Kovind on being elected as President of India, wishing good health and successes, and eternal peace and happiness to the Indian people.

I am sure that during your tenure our friend India will continue its upwards development  having significant contribution in establishment of regional and international stability and peace.

Armenia greatly values the comprehensive development and continuous strengthening of the mutually beneficial partnership and historically deeply rooted relations with India. I am sure that through joint efforts we will succeed in raising the Armenian-Indian relations to a new qualitative level, for the benefit of our peoples welfare, the Armenian president said in a letter.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. On July 21 Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan attended a solemn opening ceremony of the community center and a first-aid station in Garnakar village of the Martakert region, press service of the Artsakh Presidents Office told Armenpress.

According to the President the expansion and modernization of infrastructure network in rural areas has always been and will remain in the authorities' spotlight.

President Sahakyan awarded American philanthropist of Armenian origin, member of the "Motherland" union Barunak Cheliqean with "Gratitude" medal for implementing these initiatives and supporting Artsakh by highly aprreciating his and the union's patriotic activity.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Luys Foundation scholarship students from all over the world have arrived in Armenia to cooperate and work together on several projects of the foundation on the sidelines of the Lets develop Armenia together program, for the benefit of community development.

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting with the youth of Luys, who have worked during the summer in five communities of Armenia and Artsakh  in Stepanakert, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Dilijan and Gargar.

Theyve also worked in Yerevan, implementing projects in entrepreneurship, rights, architecture, transportation, alternative energy and other sectors.

The president wished good luck to the scholarship students of Luys, urging them to link their own successes with the countrys successes and realize their own role in the development of the country.

I am very happy for this meeting, because this kind of meetings have long become tradition, but they havent become an ordinary thing and arent an end in itself.

I am also happy because I always meet the young people, I always use every occasion and chance for interaction, because I am sure that this is the best way to keep the hand on our societys pulse, because the youth has a sharp eye, they see the future and they are able to orientate very well in this rapidly changing world. Certainly, what Im saying isnt in an abstract sense, and I think that for anyone who follows our politics it is obvious that for many years one of our most important emphases was the development of education and science, the president said.

According to the president, the Luys Foundation, the network of Tumo creative centers, which will definitely be expanded, and a number of other educational centers prove this long-term policy, the results of which will become clear in the future.

And these results, of course, will very positively impact the development of our countrys economy and the welfare of our people, the president said, emphasizing that such victories create an Armenia, the cooperation with which is on one hand honorable for many countries, and on the other hand usual, because Armenia is heading towards the rank of developed countries.

President Sargsyan emphasized that there is a need to make strategic changes in the Luys foundation and to centralize the activity on training such specialists who are needed in Armenia. Namely the president pointed out IT professionals and architects.

Jacqueline Karaslanyan, the executive director of the foundations educational program, mentioned that theyve chosen the top 10 programs, which were presented to the president by the students.

One of the programs was presented by Arsen Vasilyan, who studies in the American MITs physics and computer science faculty. He mentioned that its already two years that the MIT and Luys foundation are cooperating, and holding joint lectures for students throughout Armenia. In 2017, they worked in Vanadzors technological center.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan held a meeting on July 21 with members of US Glendales Armenian Eagles Foundation  Andranik Baloyan, Vahram Shalvardzyan, Araks Galstyan. Anahit Nazaryan, project leader of the Armenian Border NGO was also present, the ministry told ARMENPRESS.

The American-Armenian foundation has financed business programs in Armenias bordering regions in cooperation with the Border NGO.

Armenian Eagles is implementing five programs in Baghanis community, including the launch of a sewing workshop and financing of service business ideas.

The minister welcomed the guests and thanked them for their patriotic activity. The minister namely said: I am very grateful as an Armenian, as a representative of the state. The country begins at the borders, the bordering villages. Villages must be strengthened. There is huge work to do in any village. Your movement must become Pan-Armenian in nature. The youth is initiative, active and organizing. You must become the moving force and unite others around you. I am fascinated, proud that this kind of young people are growing up in and out of the country, who are concerned about strengthening Armenias borders even by living abroad. A powerful generation is growing, we are immortal, eternal. Our knowledge and capabilities are infinite. Our vision, our goal, future and dream is powerful Armenia.

The guests thanked the minister for the warm welcome and encouraging words.

Andranik Baloyan presented their impressions, their projects, prospects and opportunities.

We are very impressed, upon talking to the villagers we understood that the prospect of working and having their jobs gives them hope for tomorrow. The villagers excitement inspired us. If many similar projects are implemented, the situation can change. Opportunities must be created for working people, he said.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Today President Serzh Sargsyan met with the students of the Luys Foundation.

One of the students asked the president about the changes in the foundations strategy, and the president responded by saying he wants that the male scholarship masters students of the Luys Foundation to have served in the military.

We want the beneficiaries of the foundation to have their contribution in the development of Armenia, meaning after graduating from foreign universities to stay and work in Armenia for a certain period of time.

I find that the foundation must work harmoniously with the ongoing changes in the country. We are implementing a program, according to which all young people [male] studying in universities should either service in the military during [their studies], or serve as officers for a certain period after graduating. We want the foundations graduates to more effectively participate in the development of the country, the president said.

Since 2009, Luys Foundation supported more than 500 students to receive education in the most prestigious universities around the world.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. A team of Kansas National Guardsmen from the United States is in the Republic of Armenia to train Armenian firefighters in first aid, life-saving techniques, and hazardous material awareness, recognition and response, the US Embassy told ARMENPRESS.

The Kansas Guardsmen are joined by soldiers from the United Kingdoms Royal Army Medical Corps, and members of the British Armys 6th Rifles Battalion.

Together, they will conduct training through July 28 at six fire rescue stations across the Shirak province.

This military-to-humanitarian outreach event is the first-of-its-kind in the 14-year partnership between Armenia and the Kansas National Guard, part of the National Guard Bureaus State Partnership Program.

This exchange is the continuation of our strong and vibrant relationship between the Kansas National Guard and Armenia, said U.S. Air Force Maj. Donald Harper, a Kansas National Guard Airman who serves as the bilateral affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.

The Armenians, British Medics and CBRN soldiers, and Kansas Guardsmen all stand to benefit from this peer-to-peer exchange of experience. Harper said the primary goals of this exchange are to strengthen relationships between the Ministry of Emergency Situations and fire rescue stations.

It will also improve Armenian firefighters capabilities to provide basic first-aid and improve their responses to any hazardous material incidents. The exchange will help the fire departments develop their medical skills, a responsibility recently assigned to them by the Ministry.

These added capabilities will complement other local and national first responder agencies. Because the fire rescue stations are assuming new responsibilities, the Kansas National Guard is also providing each station with a package of basic medical and first aid supplies.

This exchange provides a chance for the Kansas Guardsmen and RAMC soldiers to share their knowledge, broaden their worldview, and improve their team-building, instruction and presentation skills. The multi-national training exchange will culminate with a capstone exercise on July 28 which will showcase the skills Armenian firefighters learned during the 10 days.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Armen Ashotyan  Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, on July 21 hosted Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to Armenia Richard Mills, press service of the Parliament told Armenpress.

Welcoming the Ambassador, Armen Ashotyan highly appreciated the bilateral relations, including also at the inter-parliamentary platform. In this context he attached importance to the effective partnership between the respective committees of the parliaments of the two countries and the intensification of contacts between the parliamentary friendship groups.

In his turn the US Ambassador congratulated Ashotyan on his election as Chairman of the committee and attached importance to deepening the inter-parliamentary cooperation.

The standing committee on foreign affairs is one of the key structures of parliamentary diplomacy. We expect to continue the already formed partnership with the committee under your skilled leadership, and reach new achievements on strengthening the bilateral ties, Richard Mills said.

During the meeting the sides also touched upon the formation of Analytic Council working group created by the initiative of the standing committee and its activity goals. In this context the possible cooperation ways with the US Embassy were discussed.

The two officials also discussed the regional affairs. They attached importance to ensuring security and stability in the region, as well as peacefully settling the existing conflicts.

In this context speaking about the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armen Ashotyan attached importance to its peaceful solution, ensuring peace and stability in the region and highly appreciated the US role in this issue as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing country. Ashotyan stated that Armenia expects from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs more addressed approaches.

At the end of the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to further cooperation and steps.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on July 21 hosted Adelina Jouberyan Phon Furshtenberg, the principal curator for the first Standard International Triennial of Contemporary Art, who is the co-founder of the Armenian pavilion and winner of the Golden Lion in Venice's 56th Biennale in 2015, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

In 2015 she has been awarded by President Serzh Sargsyan with 2nd degree Medal for Services to the Fatherland for presenting at best the Armenian culture to the international community.

The meeting was also attended by Vardan Karapetyan  Chairman of the Standard International Triennial, commissioner for the Armenian pavilion at Venice's 56th Biennale.

President Sargsyan thanked Adelina Jouberyan Phon Furshtenberg for contribution to present at best the Armenian pavilion at the Venices Biennale to the world and attached importance to the organization of the first international triennial in Armenia and her participation in this initiative.

Adelina Jouberyan Phon Furshtenberg thanked the President for the warm reception and said she brought the Golden Lion award to Armenia with a wish to leave it in the homeland.

The meeting participants remembered President Sargsyans remarks on receiving the award at the Biennale who said this prize should be interestingly linked with Armenia. They said by following the Presidents words, they initiated the organization of Standard Triennial of Contemporary Art in Armenia which is also the unique reflection of this link.




YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of the Parliament Ara Babloyan on July 21 held a meeting with Rector of the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) Koryun Atoyan, Director of Amberd Research Center operating within the ASUE Armen Grigoryan and researchers, press service of the Parliament told Armenpress.

The meeting was also attended by Parliaments Vice Speaker Mikayel Melkumyan and several MPs.

During the meeting the cooperation opportunities of the parliamentary standing committee on economic affairs, the ASUE and Amberd Research Center were discussed.

Speaker Babloyan highly appreciated the mutual partnership of the research center and the standing committee on economic affairs.

Chairman of the standing committee Khosrov Harutyunyan attached importance to the partnership between the sides and said from now on the researchers of Amberd center will be the committees expert-consultants.

ASUE Rector Koryun Atoyan thanked the Parliament Speaker and Khosrov Harutyunyan and attached importance to the mutual partnership, adding that it will contribute to process of developing and adopting laws on economic affairs.

Vice Speaker Mikayel Melkumyan, as a lecturer at the ASUE, expressed hope the cooperation will provide wide chance for carrying out more thorough works.

At the end of the meeting Khosrov Harutyunyan and Koryun Atoyan signed a memorandum of cooperation.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. The world should see what resources Armenia has, Arpi Yusufyan  Luys Foundations scholarship student, told reporters after the meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan on July 21, reports Armenpress.

She arrived in Armenia together with the remaining scholarship students to carry out activity within the frames of Lets Develop Armenia Together program.

This year Arpi graduated from the Harvard University. She has arrived in Armenia also to work at Dilijan central school.

Harvard is a unique experience for me and is distinguished in a sense that it attracts students as much as possible so that they will come and study there. I am from America, however, there are also students from Armenia. The university creates a unique atmosphere of diversity. Currently I am working at the universitys Psychology Department, but I hope my visits to Armenia will be continuous and I will be able to continue my activity and complete my works here. In any case I imagine myself in Armenia, she said who visited Armenia for the first time and is very impressed.

She told about laboratories operating in Dilijan and assured that such laboratories are not so much in the world, it is necessary to more thoroughly present this fact to the world.

These laboratories are used only by several students, and I think it is necessary to tell that there are such laboratories in Dilijan, Yerevan. This must be done at the right time and now its the right time, she said.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Robert Panosyan, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, proposes to create a structure in Yerevans Kond tunnel will which serve as a gallery, reports Armenpress.

Robert Panosyan is a scholarship student of the Luys Foundation. He informed that the proposal is being discussed with Chairman of the Urban Development Committee Narek Sargsyan.

We have worked on the project a year ago and we need to establish a technology center. Last year we have applied to Luys Foundation and received a monetary award. As a trial we want to construct a smaller building in Yerevan with these funds, but later we will construct larger buildings. Here we want to construct a technological museum since Armenia has achievements in this field, he said.
YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Diaspora Minister of Armenia Hranush Hakobyan says it is necessary to raise an issue at the UN to adopt a declaration and later convention on Diaspora, reports Armenpress.

Thanks to the convention, Diaspora rights and links will be protected internationally.

Armenians have the worlds most widespread Diaspora in 118 countries of the world. This is the reason that we want to raise an issue at the UN to create a working group which will adopt declaration and convention on Diaspora. In that case no any state will violate the rights of Diaspora-Armenians, Hranush Hakobyan said at the meeting with teachers training program within the frames of Diaspora summer school.

The Minister also attached importance to the fact of Diaspora-Armenians being dual citizens. Today over 100.000 people from Diaspora are dual citizens. I think this number is still low. It is important to arrive in the homeland freely. I want that you serve as an example for others to become dual citizens, the Minister stated.

Minister Hakobyan introduced on the meeting participants that in addition to educational programs the Ministry also organizes meetings for teachers with state, public-political figures. Visits to historical sites, museums are also being organized. In terms of exchange of experience the visits to schools are also important.

Armenia has 38 pan-Armenian organizations, 724 churches, 1004 schools, 34 museums, 103 center for Armenian studies, 637 cultural centers in Diaspora, and more than 300 media operate in more than 40 countries. We have the most structures in the CIS states, Georgia, North America, East Europe, Turkey.
GYUMRI, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Khachatryan family from Gyumri welcomed the 11th baby.

The baby boy Davit was born with 3kg 600 grams weight. He has five sisters and five brothers.

The father of the family is a craftsman, is engaged in renovation of apartments and furniture production.

In an interview to Armenpress, mother of the new-born baby Lilit Khachatryan didnt complain on any problems. I would advise all mothers to have many children. Yes, there are some difficulties, but all difficulties must be overcome, the mother said.

Armenuhi Mkhoyan
YEREVAN, 21 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 21 july, USD exchange rate up by 0.20 drams to 478.82 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 7.08 drams to 557.59 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.04 drams to 8.14 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.46 drams to 622.85 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 45.12 drams to 19069.07 drams. Silver price down by 0.67 drams to 249.08 drams. Platinum price down by 101.81 drams to 14132.08 drams.
SAN FRANCISCORagingStallion.com takes nine hot pistol fondlers to the Gun Show under the watchful camera's eye of award-winning director Steve Cruz. Gun Show is now available on DVD and download on the Falcon Studios Group Store.

This tongue-in-cheek and tongue-in-ass fuck frenzy stars exclusives Rikk York and Bruno Bernal, who are joined in intense action by Pierce Paris, Michael Roman, Daymin Voss, Tristan Jaxx, Jaxton Wheeler, Sean Duran and Julian Knowles.

When visiting the Gun Show, get your fill of patriots, good ol boys, Second Amendment activists, and plenty of concealed weapons hidden deep inside camouflaged pants. Steve Cruz directs this spoof of American firearm culture where the men are men, and their guns are cocked and loaded!

Michael Roman and Pierce Paris don't trust the looks of Bruno Bernal, and start bullying him by chanting build the wall. The two rednecks take Bruno to a back room where he sucks their dicks and gets fucked up the ass. Daymin Voss has a gun booth that's about to close for the day when Tristan Jaxx comes looking to buy. He gets more than he bargains for when he gets the gun dealer ass up on the table and goes balls deep to complete the purchase.

Gun lovers Jaxton Wheeler and Sean Duran pull up to the show with raging hard-ons, turned on by all the firearms. Rather than get arrested in the parking lot jacking off, the buddies decide to find a quiet utility closet inside. Duran slips into the show to hand out Second Amendment rights literature when he stumbles on Rikk York. Rikk likes what he sees in the corn-fed hunk and bends over to let Sean stretch his asshole.

The Gun Show is winding down and Julian Knowles is packing up his booth when he catches Jaxton Wheeler beating off to a rack of his semi-automatic rifles and pistols. Julian sucks Jaxton to get a nice taste before Jaxton shoves his stiffy firmly up Julian's ass to cap off another successful show.

Its a common theme in my movies to take a satirical look at mainstream American culture, to self examine without getting too serious or lost in the issues. Gun Show does just that. Are we disrespectful to lawful gun owners? Absolutely not. In fact, as we celebrate our First Amendment rights, we also celebrate our Second. We wanted nothing to get in the way of the sexual energy, states director Steve Cruz. All these scenes are hot as fuck! The debut scene takes the piss out of anti-immigration. After all, its the idea of the melting pot that all are welcome and all created equal that remains the foundation of what it means to be an American. We have to use humor to tear down these attitudes. At the end of the day, its all in good sexy fun!

Falcon Studios President Tim Valenti said, Steve Cruz has done an incredible job at showing off the potential of the hot Second Amendment activists and regular gun-toting Americans. I think all Second Amendment lovers should be required to suck a dick before buying a gun.

For DVD wholesale purchasing, contact John Gunderson ([email protected]).
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
An American loses his job due to his work being off-shored. He is very depressed and calls a mental health hot line. He gets a call center in Pakistan where the call center employee asks, "What seems to be the problem?" The American responds that he has lost his job due to the work being sent overseas and states, "I am really depressed and actually suicidal." The call center employee says, "Great. Can you drive a truck?"

Johns Hopkins is dedicated to the world of ideas and that world expands exponentially as those with different experiences and points of view share their knowledge and interpretations with one another [...unless of course those views diverge from the dominant groupthink protected under the banner of 'political correctness' or threaten the safe spaces and comfort of anyone else]. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion reflects both a recognition of the past and the promise of the future, something owed to everyone in the Hopkins community.

For the past six years, I have taught an undergraduate course on international economics at Johns Hopkins University. Most of my students thought it was a very good course. So I was shocked when, on December 6, 2016, I was met at the door of my classroom by Johns Hopkins security personnel and barred from entering.The next day, I received a letter from my dean suspending me from my teaching duties-just three classes before the end of the semester.What had I done to cause such a reaction by the administration? I had told a joke when discussing off-shoring, the practice of firms shifting work abroad, often in search of lower wages. Here it is:The lecture on off-shoring took place several weeks earlier. The stated reason for my suspension was that three students (out of 68) complained that my joke had created a "hostile learning environment" in the class. That's a charge most college administrators now take with the utmost seriousness.At the time of my suspension, the investigation into those complaints by Johns Hopkins' Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) had not even started, but still the administration somehow concluded that my teaching had to be terminated immediately.I believe that the real reason I was barred from class and suspended was that in response to being informed two weeks earlier that a complaint had been made, I had noted the Orwellian characteristic of the OIE, quoting from their website but adding the italicized phrase in brackets:I had also noted that the OIE appeared to be an enforcement mechanism for the "Political Correctness" and "Safe Spaces" culture supporting the Roadmap to Diversity and Inclusion promulgated by President Ron Daniels and Johns Hopkins trustees. This "roadmap" was a response to demands from the Black Student Union that included greatly increasing the number of underrepresented minorities, subsequently defined as African Americans, Native Americans, South Pacific Islanders, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgender people, and "self-identifying men, women, and non-binary" persons.Hopkins has an Academic Council with the mandate to "consider cases of alleged academic misconduct, faculty discipline, and appeals from negative promotion decisions, and will take action as necessary." An appeal for access to the Academic Council by me, and for me by the Association of American University Professors, was met with the reply that no action could be taken before the OIE investigation was complete.Although the OIE investigation was finished in early April and I was told a report would be ready in two weeks, the OIE has failed to complete the report, thereby delaying any access to a faculty review.The term of my contract ended June 30 of this year and the long delay in providing such a report may simply indicate a desire to prevent access to the Academic Council, perhaps with its concurrence. In any case, the Homewood Academic Council (HAC) informed me on July 3 that "removal from a class for incidents of this kind would not ordinarily reach the level of extraordinary grievance that might be productively reviewed by HAC."I conclude that Johns Hopkins would rather have a sacrificial lamb to appease student protesters than to provide a faculty member with any semblance of due process.Over two dozen students wrote emails protesting the actions taken against me and attesting to the value of my teaching. Here are just two of the posted comments.Craig Vande Stouwe wrote:As a nineteen-year-old who grew up in New York, I've spent my whole life hearing the virtues of some of the "politically correct" ideologies you've challenged in class extolled. Throughout class, I found myself disagreeing with you and with the class readings in principle on a variety of issues. However, that disagreement was my favorite part of class. Being challenged critically on an idea that I assumed to be indisputable fact has been one of the best intellectual aspects of my time here at Hopkins. Especially when these challenges are on the basis of a sound economic analysis.... If I could give you any advice as a student, I'd say continue to challenge students' beliefs, continue to invite us to discuss with you, and continue to cultivate the intellectual environment you have had in your classes."John Crawley wrote:After four years here at Johns Hopkins I have firmly come to believe that the education system here is flawed.... I am very rarely challenged by a teacher to WANT to learn more, and WANT to research more into something... until this semester. For the first time in my four years here, I was truly excited to go to class and learn. For the first time in my four years here, I have spent more than 4 or 5 weeks now working on an assignment (my term paper). And honestly, the first time in my four years year I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring my prompt for an assignment.... How can we be brought up in a "marketplace of ideas" when there is only one "right" (or left) belief? How can we gain a competitive advantage when we're afraid of being wrong? Thank you again for inspiring me.In their article The Coddling of the American Mind , Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt worry that the imposition of "vindictive protectiveness" (a good description of my case) encourages students to think pathologically. Based on my experience, I can also affirm that it also encourages administrators, OIE investigators, and some faculty to also think pathologically. The failure to provide students alternative perspectives while encouraging them to think about and debate controversial issues and to make up their own minds is where many universities are now failing American students.The encouragement to students to become hyper-sensitive to possible violations of political correctness and its restrictions on speech differs from what was expected of 18- and 19-year-olds some 70 years ago, as was pointed out to me by a high school friend of mine when he heard about my alleged offenses. Dr. Colin McKinnon wrote:In 1944, 18-year-olds were losing their lives on the beaches of Normandy to protect democracy, including free speech. In 2016 our 18-year-olds need trigger warnings for potentially hot topics of discussion, safe places if their feelings are hurt by an idea, or, even more ridiculous, time off from university because Hillary lost the election. Free speech and the idea of a university is at a crossroads.From our "greatest" generation to whining victims of "micro aggressions" in less than three quarters of a century? Not entirely, as a reading of the comments from my students attest. But the threat is real.We are in a battle for the survival of the university as understood by President Hanna Holborn Gray who helped inspire the University of Chicago's recent Statement on Freedom of Expression with the following words:[Education] should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think. Universities should be expected to provide the conditions within which hard thought, and therefore strong disagreement, independent judgment, and the questioning of stubborn assumptions can flourish in an environment of the greatest freedom.Our universities have gone badly astray when professors can be yanked out of their classes and denied rudimentary academic due process simply because a student couldn't take a joke or administrators cannot tolerate criticism of actions that threaten to undermine the idea of a university.
Contact: Daniel Keylin

Daniel Keylin daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. This week, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) co-introduced the Separation of Powers Restoration Act (SOPRA), legislation that would restore accountability to the regulatory process and ensure proper judicial review, empowering the courts-not agencies-to interpret all questions of law, including both statutes and regulations.The Senate bill was also introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mike Lee (R-UT), James Lankford (R-OK), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Ben Sasse (R-NE).Senator Tillis said.Senator Hatch said.Chairman Grassley said.Senator Lee said.Senator Flake said.Senator Crapo said.Senator Kennedy said.Senator Cruz said.Senator Sasse said.Background:For many years, the nation has witnessed a steady accumulation of power within administrative agencies. As a practical matter, agencies' power to regulate and to adjudicate has supplanted legislation and judicial review as the primary means by which governance takes place at the federal level. This trend only accelerated under President Obama, whose major legislative actions-such as Obamacare and Dodd-Frank-delegated massive amounts of power to the federal bureaucracy.The central precept undergirding the Constitution is the notion that liberty depends on the separation of powers and the preservation of check and balances. As James Madison put it in Federalist 47,By definition, the accumulation of power within administrative agencies represents a shift away from the constitutional separation of powers and the liberty it protects. Insulated from the checks and balances on its authority, the federal bureaucracy imposes an estimated $1.88 trillion burden on the economy each year, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. That equals roughly $15,000 per household and 11.5 percent of the nation's 2012 GDP. This figure is more than $300 billion higher than combined individual and corporate federal income tax receipts and equivalent to 85 percent of U.S. corporate profits in 2013. Judicial review represents the most effective remaining independent check on regulation and administrative action.One of the primary means by which the judiciary checks the otherwise-unbridled powers of the federal bureaucracy is by evaluating whether an agency's action violates the law. In such cases, the paramount matter in contention is the meaning of the law at issue. For many years, the courts' held that when considering the meaning of legal text,Fed. Trade Comm'n v. Gratz, 253 U.S. 421, 427 (1920). This approach was anchored in Chief Justice John Marshall's seminal words in Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137, 177 (1803), thatHowever, in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), the Supreme Court held that courts should defer to an agency's interpretation of a statute as long as the statute is "ambiguous" and the agency's reading is "reasonable." In practice, these terms are interpreted extraordinarily leniently for agencies. In subsequent cases, the Supreme Court has extended similar deference to other legal interpretations by agencies. For example, in Auer v. Robbins, 519 U.S. 453 (1997), the Court applied the Chevron standard to agencies' interpretations of their own regulations. Furthermore, in Nat'l Cable & Telecomm. Ass'n v. Brand X Internet Servs., 545 U.S. 967 (2005), the Supreme Court held that statutory interpretations by an administrative agency can override previous interpretations by federal courts, and in City of Arlington, Tex. v. Fed. Commc'ns Comm., 133 S. Ct. 1863 (2013), the Supreme Court even went so far as to hold that a court must defer to an agency's interpretation that concerns the scope of the agency's jurisdiction.The Separation of Powers Restoration Act would clarify in Section 706 of the Administrative Procedure Act that courts shall decide
Contact: Amy Holcombe

Amy Holcombe amy.holcombe@vidanthealth.com

GREENVILLE Vidant Medical Center (VMC) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting two teachers from Wellcome Middle School during the week of July 24 as part of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education's (NCBCE) Teachers@Work program.Teachers@Work  is a joint initiative between NCBCE, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), STEM East and the North Carolina Community College System. The partnership links education and the business community in order to help teachers create relevance between their classroom curriculum and the skill sets needed by local businesses.VMC is one of 12 businesses participating in the initiative in eastern North Carolina. As part of the program, participating teachers will spend one week during the summer monitoring a local company in or close to their community. Teachers will be paired with employees of the company and will be exposed to different aspects of the business. At the end of the on-site program, the teacher will create a lesson plan showcasing both hard and soft skills needed by future employees that are specific to their partnering business or industry. VMC will also participate in a job shadowing or job mentoring program with our partnering teachers' students.The two teachers participating in the program with VMC are language arts teacher Tenisha Holloway-Powell and STEM teacher Elrica Cooper, both from Wellcome Middle School in Greenville. They will be among 50 middle and high school teachers throughout the state participating in the 2017 NCBCE Teachers@Work program.said Lisa Lassiter, Vidant Health administrator, health careers program.During the week Holloway-Powell and Cooper will spend with VMC, they will be exposed to several different skills needed in the health care system by job shadowing current team members.Teachers@Work is made possible by grants from Biogen and State Farm. In eastern North Carolina, the program also receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.For more information about NCBCE Teachers@Work, visit www.ncbce.org
Going To Mass Was Once Dangerous

When I was growing up going to mass was a very precarious venture.



Allow me to explain...



 Up until that time in Catholic Church History there had never been any Rest Rooms in our churches.

 In fact, it was considered by many of us a mortal sin to do such a thing in a church.

 It was probably a venial sin to even think of doing any such a thing in a church.

 Back then we had sins but now we just express ourselves, do our own things or something like that.

 Catholic Children would walk up the aisle, genuflect, make the sign of the cross on their little selves and with rosary beads and prayer books in their little hands they would slide into the pew, kneel down and pray fervently that God would forgive them for their evil ways.



That was then and this is now...



 We now have Rest Rooms in all our churches.

 Our children are never told about mortal or venial sins because we don't want to cause them to suffer from worry, guilt or anything that might prevent them from developing into the full flower of wonderful human beings that modern parents are programming them to become.

 Catholic Children are now dragged up the aisle carrying several action figures, a coloring book, crayons and a plastic bag of fruit loops.

 You never see a rosary or prayer book because the little darlings have very small hands and can only carry so much.

 Within minutes of arriving in their pews, after they have spread their mass paraphernalia all over the pew and the floor, they announce that they have to go to the Rest Room.

 If makes no never mind that the child may live right across the street from church and that he went potty before he left home 5 minutes ago, the Rest Room Demand is still made.

 If the modern parent shows any hesitation the child (who is in full control of the situation) announces, "If I don't get to go potty right now, I am going to die."

 The horrified modern parent immediately jumps up and leads little modern catholic by the hand back to the Rest Room.

 Actually the children could lead the way because they know from past experience where the Rest Rooms are.

 It does not matter how solemn a part of the mass is currently in process, when the child makes the Rest Room Demand the parent springs into action.

 This past Sunday I saw a three year old make a Rest Room Demand two times within five minutes (poor little thing must have been having issues).



Remember the subject of this blog? If not, I'll save you the trouble of scrolling up...



Going To Mass Used To Be Dangerous.

Why was it so dangerous? Don't you see it? ...



In the old days several of Rest Room Deprived Children who were going to die if they did not get to the Rest Room immediately did die immediately.



As we tried to exit the church at the end of mass, some of us tripped over the deceased little bodies and fell on our faces. There was a lot of Catholics seen stumbling out of church back then with bloody noses. It was awful and, yes, it was downright dangerous!



Would I kid u?

Smartfella


Since launching its Stand Up for Free Speech project in 2014, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has had a great deal of success in defeating college officials when they interfere with the free speech of students. But you can't win them all, and a recent decision went against FIRE and the students it represented.Ironically, this free speech case arose when a number of students at the University of South Carolina (USC) affiliated with the campus chapters of Young Americans for Liberty and College Libertarians hosted an event in November 2015 whose very theme was the threats to free speech on American college campuses. And the students played by the university's rules, obtaining prior approval from USC's director of campus life for the posters it planned to display to illustrate the problem of censorship.But, given the hyper-sensitivity of some college students, complaints about the event were almost inevitable. Three students filed formal complaints of discrimination afterward. One alleged that the students running the event were rude and made racist statements. (These days, of course, the claim of "racism" is so readily used that it often means nothing more than disagreement with a position taken by a "progressive" student.) Another griped about the use of the term "wetback" (which was quoted in the context of a case) and the third maintained that a friend had been "violently triggered" by seeing a swastika and now "feels unsafe" on campus. ("Unbelievable" is an overused word, but it applies there.)It should have been obvious that the three complaints, one of which whined that the students behind the event "wanted to use university resources and space to post offensive symbols and racial slurs," completely missed the point of the free speech display. They were so far-fetched that one has to suspect that they were made merely to cause trouble for the two student groups.Unfortunately, college officials feel obliged to treat all "discrimination" complaints seriously.A few days after the event, student Ross Abbott (president of USC College Libertarians), who had helped organize it, received an official notice of charge letter from the university's office of equal opportunity programs. It informed him that he had ten days to schedule an appointment with assistant director Carl Wells to discuss the charges against him, and furthermore that he was not allowed to talk about the matter with any member of the faculty or student body. Abbott was also warned in the letter that he could face sanctions (ranging from mandatory "awareness" training up to expulsion) if the case should be sent on to the office of student conduct.All of that was quite intimidating, perhaps intended to soften Abbott up for, as the letter put it, "mediation to resolve the complaints."Abbott was of no mind to cave in to the university's thought police. He duly made the required appointment with Wells, and presented him with a letter of his own, stating that he would not agree to any "mediation" since he had done nothing wrong. During the meeting with Wells, he had to answer each of the complaints about the posters-which again had already been approved by another USC official as non-discriminatory-and strongly did so.Evidently, Abbott did a good job of standing his ground. On December 23, 2015, he received another letter from Wells, notifying him that the university would take no further action against him over the complaints regarding his free speech on campus event.Even though the USC system had let Abbott off the hook, its high-handed rules were still an affront to the First Amendment's free speech values. Therefore, Abbott filed suit in February 2016 to challenge the school's vague, overly broad policies. His complaint argued that those policies give school officials "unbridled discretion to review and restrict student speech."The case was heard by federal district judge Margaret Seymour , a Clinton appointee. Her July 7 ruling inwas a setback for free speech on college campuses. Judge Seymour held that USC's policies were constitutionally acceptable as "a narrow approach to addressing the rights of students on campus: those who participated in the event and those who felt discriminated by it."That decision makes hash out of the First Amendment. Its protection of free speech does not call for any "balancing" of the right to speak against the supposed right not to feel "triggered" or "discriminated." Speech on the USC campus is not free when students can be brought up on official charges, hit with a gag order, and threatened with punishment if they should fail to appear before school administrators-simply because another student files a complaint over speech he or she didn't like."Narrowly tailored" or not, the university's policies make free speech very problematic at USC.FIRE's Executive Director (and Martin Center Board member) Robert Shibley responded to the Abbott decision, saying that the opinion "kneecaps free speech by giving campus bureaucrats extraordinary latitude to browbeat dissenters into keeping their mouths shut." And the attorney who handled the case for the students, Robert Corn-Revere, states that the decision is "plainly contrary to well-established First Amendment principles and will be overturned on appeal."The next stop will be the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. We will find out if Mr. Corn-Revere's optimism is correct. Until then, USC students had better be prepared for mandatory "discussion" sessions with university officials if they should say something that provokes anyone to complain.
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has widened his investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Mueller is looking into Trump's financial dealings with with unsavory Russian businessman, including mobsters and corrupt Kremlin officials.

Mueller has his work cut out for him  the August/September issue of The New Republic has an in-depth article about Trump's

"decades-long ties to Russian mafia." Only someone brainwashed by ideology could read this article and not think Trump has been up to no good for a very long time.

From The New Republic's press release:

In "Trump's Russian Laundromat," veteran journalist Craig Unger details how the Russian mafia has used the president's propertiesincluding Trump Tower and the Trump Taj Majalas a way to launder money and hide assets. "Whether Trump knew it or not," writes Unger, "Russian mobsters and corrupt oligarchs used his properties not only to launder vast sums of money from extortion, drugs, gambling, and racketeering, but even as a base of operations for their criminal activities. In the process, they propped up Trump's business and enabled him to reinvent his image. Without the Russian mafia, it is fair to say, Donald Trump would not be president of the United States." Based entirely on the extensive public record, the piece offers the most comprehensive overview of the deep debt that the president owes the Russian mafia. "The extent of Trump's ties to the Russian mafiaand the degree to which he relied on them for his entire business modelis striking," says Eric Bates, editor of the New Republic. "After reading this story, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the president continues to exhibit a deep loyalty to the world of shady Russian operatives who have invested vast sums in his properties."

Trump's lawyer says the new direction Mueller is moving leads to a forbidden zone. From Bloomberg:
DUBAI (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday new U.S. economic sanctions imposed against Iran contravened the country's nuclear accord with world powers and he vowed that Tehran would "resist" them, state television reported. The Trump administration slapped the new sanctions on Iran on Tuesday over its ballistic missile program and said Tehran's "malign activities" in the Middle East undercut any "positive contributions" coming from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord. "Some of the actions of the Americans are against the spirit and even the letter of the (nuclear accord). We shall resist these plans and actions," Iranian state television quoted Rouhani as saying. "One of the plots of the Americans is to act in such a way that would make Iran say that it is not following its commitments... I think the Americans will fail as we will always respect our international commitments," Rouhani said. Iran's parliament agreed on Tuesday to discuss measures, including increased funding for the missile program, as retaliation for the new U.S. sanctions, state media reported. The U.S. measures signal that the administration of President Donald Trump is seeking to put more pressure on Iran while keeping in place the agreement between Tehran and six world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions. The U.S. government said it was targeting 18 entities and people for supporting what it said was "illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity." (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Panu Wongcha-um, Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Aukkarapon Niyomyat BANGKOK (Reuters) - An army general, two provincial politicians and police officers were among 62 people out of a total of 103 defendants found guilty on Wednesday by a judge in Thailand's biggest human trafficking trial. The trial, which began in 2015, had been marred by allegations of intimidation of witnesses, interpreters and police investigators. Some of those guilty of trafficking were also convicted of taking part in organized transnational crime, forcible detention leading to death, and rape. A Bangkok court took more than 12 hours to deliver its ruling which rights groups said showed the government was serious about convicting perpetrators. "The court has sentenced 62 defendants on 13 different charges," the criminal court said in a statement on Wednesday. In the harshest sentence given by the court, Soe Naing, widely known as Anwar, a Rohingya man who police said was a key figure behind a brutal trafficking network that ran a jungle camp where dozens died, was sentenced to 94 years in prison. The defendants, among them Myanmar nationals, were accused of smuggling and trafficking migrants on the Thai-Malaysia border. Thailand has historically been a source, destination and transit country for men, women and children who are often smuggled and trafficked from poorer, neighboring countries, including Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, to work in Thailand or further afield in Malaysia, often as laborers and sex workers. TIER 2 Last month the U.S. State Department left Thailand on a Tier 2 Watchlist, just above the lowest ranking of Tier 3, in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, because the country did not do enough to tackle human smuggling and trafficking. The convictions could help lift Thailand out of Tier 2 next year, said rights groups. "This should potentially show that the Thai government will continue to pursue measures that will lift Thailand out of Tier 2 of the U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report," Amy Smith, an executive director of rights group Fortify Rights, told Reuters. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, head of the ruling junta, asked Thais not to blame the trafficking on military figures, a reference to the army general on trial, Manas Kongpan, the most senior of the officials arrested in 2015. "There are many people in this human trafficking network," Prayuth told reporters. "Don't group all soldiers in the country as one." Manas was sentenced to 27 years in prison. The two convicted politicians, from provinces in the south, Patchuban Angchotipan  a former official in the Satun provincial government better known as "Big Brother Tong" - and Bannakong Pongphol - ex-mayor of Padang Besar in Songkhla - were sentenced to 75 years and 78 years in jail respectively. SHALLOW GRAVES The trial began in 2015 after a Thai crackdown on trafficking gangs following the gruesome discovery of dozens of shallow graves near the Thai-Malaysia border that authorities said was part of a jungle camp where traffickers held migrants as hostages until relatives were able to pay for their release. Many never made it out. Some of the dead are thought to have been Rohingya  a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar's troubled Rakhine State  although Thailand has yet to release a full report on the graves and the results of post-mortem forensic testing. Rights groups say trafficking networks were largely left intact by the 2015 crackdown and trial. "We believe the crackdown is only a disruption of a trafficking network but that network is still very much well in place," said Smith. Sunai Phasuk, senior Thai researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the death penalty could be the heaviest sentence for those convicted of trafficking. "The fact that there are very senior officials charged with this crime will help deter criminals in trafficking networks in the future," Sunai, who observed the court proceedings, told Reuters. Thailand denies that trafficking syndicates still flourish, saying it has largely stamped out human trafficking. In its TIP report last month, the State Department said Thailand did not "convict officials complicit in trafficking crimes" and official complicity continued to impede anti-trafficking efforts. (Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry, Clarence Fernandez and Ken Ferris)
Gaming

Kahoot! Adds $10 Million in Funding, Launches Mobile App

Kahoot!, the popular game-based learning platform, has added $10 million of funding to its series A financing round, the company said Wednesday. A group of new private investors from Norway, where Kahoot! is based, led this series A extension funding round, joining current investors Microsoft Ventures, Creandum and Northzone.

The financing will be used to fund Kahoots higher investment in product development and expansion of its commercial activities, according to a news release issued Wednesday. The total Series A funding is now $20 million, which includes $10 million closed in September 2016.

This additional funding comes at a very important stage of Kahoots development, said Eilert Hanoa, chairman of the board, in a statement. The Kahoot! team has done a tremendous job growing the user base, which is up more than 60 percent year-over-year to 50 million monthly active users today, and this funding will help the company drive continued user growth and revenue.

Kahoot! is free and always will be free for teachers, CEO Erik Harrell said in a recent interview. Kahoot! foresees making money in the future through paying customers in the corporate world. Kahoot! is currently designing programs and content for corporate training, Harrell said.

In other news from Kahoot!, the company has released a beta version of its mobile app for iOS and Android. The mobile app allows teachers to send game-based, after-class challenges to students as homework. The students can continue playing for revisions or fun wherever they are, at any time. The company expects a full launch of the app during the 2017-18 school year.

To get a brief overview of the mobile app, watch the video below:

To learn more about the mobile app, visit this site or go to the mobile app page and sign up. To learn more about Kahoot!, visit the companys website.
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New York, July 21, 2017Moroccan authorities should immediately release Badil Editor-in-Chief Hamid al-Mahdaoui, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police arrested al-Mahdaoui yesterday as he traveled to the Rif area of northern Morocco to cover protests, according to one of the journalists colleagues and news reports.

A statement issued yesterday by prosecutors in the city of al-Hoceima said that al-Mahdaoui is accused of giving a speech that incites participation in a banned protest and breaking the law through speeches and shouting in public places, according to news reports.

Al-Mahdaoui was questioned in court today and is due to appear for an arraignment tomorrow, according to Badil reporter Omar Benaddi.

Police arrested al-Mahdaoui as he headed to demonstrations organized by the anti-corruption movement al-Hirak al-Shaaby, (The Popular Movement), Benaddi told CPJ. Police took the journalist to their headquarters in al-Hoceima, according to the reports. The city has been at the center of protests since the death of a fishmonger who was crushed in a garbage truck while trying to recover fish that police confiscated from him in October 2016. At least two other journalists have been arrested while covering the protests, CPJ has found.

Moroccan authorities should release Hamid al-Mahdaoui and drop all charges against the journalist, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program coordinator Sherif Mansour. Journalists in Morocco should be free to report on matters of public importance without fear of reprisal.

Benaddi, who has spoken with al-Mahdaouis lawyer, told CPJ that the journalist denies the charges. Witnesses said that al-Mahdoui did not give any speeches and that the police car appeared to be following the journalists car before his arrest, according to Benaddi and news reports. CPJ was unable to find contact information for al-Mahdaouis lawyer.

Prosecutors said in their statement that al-Mahdaouis arrest is not connected to his journalism. Government spokesperson Moustapha Khalfi and the Moroccan embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately respond to CPJs emails requesting comment.

Al-Mahdaoui has faced legal action previously in relation to Badils coverage, CPJ has found. Last month, Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit filed a criminal defamation complaint against al-Mahdaoui over a video in which the journalist alleged that Laftit is involved in corruption. In 2015, the journalist was handed a four-month suspended prison sentence and he and a co-defendant were ordered to pay a combined 100,000 Moroccan dirhams (US$10,290) in damages for criminal defamation. Also in 2015, a Moroccan court ordered Badil to shut for three months and al-Mahdaoui to pay a fine in relation to a report on a car bombing that the government claimed was false.
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New York, July 20, 2017Israeli authorities should ensure that journalists can cover protests and unrest safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At least two journalists were injured on July 18 as police broke up protests in Jerusalem, the local press freedom group Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedom (MADA) told CPJ.

Mohamed al-Sadeq, a correspondent for online Palestinian news network Jerusalem Media Center, was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by police when security forces ordered a group of journalists to leave a garage where they were hiding from the clashes, and Latifa Abdullatif, a correspondent for Al-Jazeera Mubasher (Al-Jazeera Live), was hit on the back by police wielding batons while she was filming the protests, according to Shireen al-Khatib, from MADA, who has spoken with both journalists. Both journalists said they believe they were targeted because they were filming, al-Khatib said.

The journalists were covering protests over the installation of metal detectors at the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount in Jerusalem after two police officers were shot dead outside the compound on July 14, according to reports.

Covering a demonstration should not be a dangerous assignment for journalists, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. We call on Israeli police officials to investigate the assaults and ensure that all journalists can cover unrest safely and without fear of reprisal.

Al-Sadeq told MADA that he and a group of other journalists hid in a garage when police started to fire rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators, but that officers forced all the reporters out. Al-Sadeq said that as he ran away, while filming the clashes behind him, an Israeli officer shot him in the leg with a rubber bullet, according to the statement and news reports.

Separately, Abdullatif told MADA that two Israeli officers with batons attacked her while she was filming the clashes, leaving her with a bruised back.

Al-Sadeq did not respond to CPJs request for comment sent via social media. CPJ was unable to find contact details for Abdullatif.

The Israel Defense Force and Israeli police did not immediately respond to a CPJ email requesting comment.
Iranian authorities have reportedly sentenced another American citizen to a ten year prison term on charges of espionage.

A spokesman for Irans judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi made the announcement on July 16th. The Iranian judiciarys news site Mizan later identified the American as Xiyue Wang, a Princeton University graduate student who was born in Beijing. Princeton University said the student had been doing historical research for his doctoral dissertation about Irans late Qajar dynasty, and that he had been arrested months ago.

The imprisonment and conviction of U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals falsely accused of crimes against national security have been an ongoing and dangerous trend in Iran.

Despite hopes that the nuclear deal -- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, agreed to by Iran , the EU, and the P5 +1 countries in 2015 -- would induce Iran to become a more responsible member of the international community, Iran has continued to engage in malign activity, including the arrest and imprisonment of U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals. In 2016, Iranian American businessman Siamak Namazi was sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage; his eighty year-old Iranian American father, Baquer, who had traveled to Iran to help his son after his arrest, was also sentenced to ten years for the same crime.

More victims of such unlawful behavior include Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British national, who worked for the charitable arm of Thompson Reuters, and was sentenced to five years for purported security crimes; as well as free and open internet advocate Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese national and U.S. permanent resident, sentenced to prison for 10 years. These U.S. citizens and foreign nationals held by Iran vehemently protest their innocence.

According to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, detaining political prisoners is one of the worst human rights abuses a country can do. As she suggests, no country which engages in such behavior can have any credibility in the world.

The United States calls on the Iranian government to release all individuals unjustly held in Iran, including U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, and allow them to reunite with their families.
This month marks the second anniversary of the Chinese governments crackdown on lawyers and human rights defenders.

In July 2015, authorities began a nationwide campaign of intimidation against defense lawyers and rights defenders. Over 300 people have been interrogated, detained, arrested, placed under residential surveillance or forbidden to leave the country.

In its most recent human rights report on China, the State Department noted that a number of the lawyers who had been detained were released only after coerced and televised confessions. The report also said that [p]ublic security officials continued to harass, intimidate, and take punitive measures against the family members of rights defenders and lawyers in retaliation for their work.

At a press briefing in which she marked the anniversary of the crackdown, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said the United States 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:

We urge the Chinese authorities to immediately release those still in detention and drop the charges, and also allow them to reunite with their families. We urge the Chinese authorities to view lawyers and rights defenders as partners in strengthening Chinese society through the development of the rule of law.

The urgency of Spokesperson Nauerts message was highlighted by the recent death in custody of Chinese human rights champion and Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Liu Xiaobo. Dr. Liu, who had been influential in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and in promoting the famous Charter 08 manifesto calling for democratic reform and adherence to the rule of law in China, died under guard in a hospital in the city of Shenyang. Reportedly his death was due to organ failure from advanced liver cancer; Chinese authorities had refused to allow him to travel outside the country for medical treatment.

In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad wrote, As we mourn the loss and celebrate the life of this remarkable man, we call on China to release all prisoners of conscience and to respect the fundamental freedoms of all.
An 18-year-old Spanish wunderkind turned down by a leading Spanish university because he was homeschooled has been offered a place by Manchester University, in the United Kingdom. Four years after Leonel Virosta was recognized as intellectually gifted at the age of six , his parents took him out of school and began educating him at their home in the small community of Cuevas del Valle, in Avila province.

Leonel Virosta and his mother Belen Gutierrez. Carlos Rosillo / L.M. Rivas

He went on to study for his high school certificate and university entrance (PAU) exams, obtaining a very high average grade of 12.62 out of 14. He applied to study biochemistry at Madrids Complutense University, but was denied a spot by the Education Ministry because his exam results were not officially recognized in Spain.

A school education is about punishment and reward, with teachers who nag you if you dont get the right grades and students who admire you or talk badly about you. That is not real motivation. At home there is no external help, everything depends on you, says Leonel inside the Madrid offices of the British Council, which has just awarded him a 10,000 grant to pursue studies in English.

A school education is about punishment and reward Leonel Virosta

His mother, Belen Gutierrez, says that Leonel could read and write at the age of three. She and her husband decided to move to a small community where they could dedicate time to his schooling, saying they were always reluctant to hand him over to the education system. At the age of four they enrolled him at a school in the village of El Hornillo, 30 kilometers from Cuevas del Valle, where they had heard good things about a teacher there, Juana Cano.

I was comforted to know that he was in the hands of a teacher who was passionate about her work; the class size was small and the education personalized, says Gutierrez.

Cano remembers Leonel well: When he arrived he demanded more attention than the rest, I had to hold him in my arms, it was clear he hadnt had much contact with other children, she says, noting that his abilities soon showed themselves. His answers were different, not the usual ones, he saw things from a different perspective, she says.

Leonel Virosta talks about winning a 10,000 British Council grant to study English.

At the age of six, Cano and the schools educational psychologist recommended that Leonel take an IQ test. He was recognized as gifted and was moved up to classes for children two years older than him.

At the age of 10, after enduring difficulties with teachers who failed to understand his needs, Leonels parents decided not to send him to high school, and to homeschool him instead.

In Spain there are no high schools for gifted children, and the CIDEAD, which offers distance learning, didnt accept Leonel, says Gutierrez.

To certify their sons studies, Gutierrez and her husband found homeschooling centers in the United States and Panama that provided online examinations. Their problems began when he turned 16 and he sat his PAU exams to attend university, obtaining a grade of 12.62 out 14. But the Education Ministry said Leonel could not attend university because the paperwork provided by the Instituto Internacional del Pacifico, based in Panama, where Leonel sat his university entrance exams, is not recognized in Spain.

When he arrived he demanded more attention than the rest Juana Cano, Leonel Virostas teacher

Over the next two years, Leonel, who lives with his parents and three younger siblings, all of whom attend school, created a YouTube channel to teach biology.

Finally, Leonel was accepted by Manchester University. The British system is much more flexible than the Spanish one; to get into Manchester they valued his motivation and the fact that he has the required knowledge, says Carolina Jimenez, head of education policy at the British Council in Spain.

Leonels mother says she regrets her son not having had the opportunity to socialize with other young people his age, but adds: It is important to learn to be alone. Leonel says he is happy with who he is and would change nothing, emphasizing that science is his passion and that if he had not been educated at home he would not be so committed to his studies.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Salvador Dali is resting once again. Officials at the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation made this announcement on Friday morning, just hours after the Surrealist artists remains were exhumed and samples taken from his nails, hair and two bones as part of a paternity claim brought by a woman who says she is his daughter.

Funeral service workers leave the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain. Albert Garcia (EL PAIS)

The managers of the artists estate had been fighting the exhumation tooth and nail, saying that Dalis remains should be left alone. Ever since his death in 1989, the controversial artist has been lying inside a crypt under the stage of the Dali Theater-Museum in the Catalan town of Figueres.

Foundation officials called the move totally uncalled for and said the court order was unsubstantiated. Critics of the decision have also cast doubt on the validity of the kinship claim made by Pilar Abel, a woman who works as a fortune-teller for a living and who previously brought an unsuccessful suit against Spanish writer Javier Cercas for allegedly using her as the basis for one of his characters.

Pilar Abel at home in 2015. MARTA RODRIGUEZ

Enrique Blanquez, Abels lawyer, said that the results of the DNA test might be ready in two weeks. The official forecast is for August or early September. The trial date for the paternity claim is set for September 18.

Albert Segura, the foundations legal representative, said that if Abel is found to be Dalis daughter she would be entitled to 25% of his estate at the time of death. The loser would be the Spanish state, which the childless Dali designated as his sole heir.

Dalis mummified body was taken out of its resting place between 8pm and midnight on Thursday, and samples extracted between that time and 1am. The remains were in a good state of conservation, said Figueres Mayor Marta Felip, one of the few people who were allowed into the crypt during a process shrouded in secrecy.

The mustache still preserved its classic ten minutes after ten angle. Seeing that was a very exciting moment, admitted Lluis Penuelas, the secretary general of the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation.

For the first hour and a half, infrastructure was put in place to lift the 1.5-ton slab that was sealing the grave shut. After that, operators took out the wooden, zinc-covered coffin containing the mummified remains of the creator of iconic 20th-century art objects such as the lobster-telephone and the Mae West Lips sofa.

The exhumation had been preceded by a flurry of activity at the popular Dali Theater-Museum, which the artist built during his lifetime to his own greater glory.

Shortly before 8pm, a group of around 300 local residents, reporters and police officers milled around the entrance. Onlookers were clearly divided into twmusto camps: those who strongly believe that Abel is Dalis daughter, and those who do not.

Carmen Moreno had skipped her daily knitting club meeting to be here. Holding the sweater she is making for her daughter, she asserted that Abel cannot be Dalis daughter because it was always said that he was impotent. Her husband, standing next to her, added that Abel is doing it for the money.

Tourists visit the tomb of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali.

But Marisol Garcia had a different opinion: I have known her for years and I would like for her to be right. Her lawyer deserves it: a court-appointed counsel fighting against so many powers, and getting so far already. Garcia, who is retired, used to work at a clothing store named Tamaris, which both Gala and Dali were customers of. I think Pilar looks like Dali.

But there is yet another theory out there: Lluis Duran, owner of the Hotel Duran and Cafe Astoria, is convinced that the paternity claim is a ploy by the Spanish government to take the Dali museum to Madrid. The political situation is very difficult right now, I wouldnt be surprised if they wanted to take is, as a form of revenge.

In any event, Mayor Marta Felip was clear on one thing: that Thursday was the second most important day in the history of Figueres  after the day that Dali was buried. After all, the confrontation and media attention all fits in with the artists own life, which was devoted to provocation and show business.

English version by Susana Urra.
Supporters of Catalan independence have received a new setback, with the latest poll carried out by the regional governments Opinion Studies Center (CEO) showing public support for secession from Spain has dipped 3% since March.

Celebrations for the 2016 Catalan National Day. ALBERT GARCIA

The survey results released Friday show 41.1% of people in the region are in favor of independence, down from the 44.3% of four months ago  a drop described as considerable by CEO director Jordi Argelaguet.

Meanwhile, 49.4% percent of people surveyed by the CEO are against the region splitting from Spain, up from 48.5% in March.

According to the poll, the gap between the pro- and anti-independence camps is at its widest in several years  bad news for the Catalan regional government, which hopes to hold a referendum on the issue on October 1, now just over two months away.

A total of 49.4% percent of people surveyed by are against the region splitting from Spain, up from 48.5% in March

In terms of projected participation, 67.5% of people polled by the CEO said they will vote in the October 1 referendum if it goes ahead, with 62.4% of this group saying they would vote yes and 37.6% saying they would vote no.

The Spanish central government is fiercely opposed to a unilateral referendum on the independence issue, arguing Spanish sovereignty resides with all Spaniards and all Spaniards would be entitled to vote in the event of any such ballot. Madrid has attempted to block the October poll in the Constitutional Court, insisting it will not go ahead.

The Catalan regional government  known as the Generalitat  held an informal referendum on November 9, 2014 which was ruled illegal by Spains Constitutional Court. Spanish authorities turned a blind eye to avoid direct confrontation at a time when there was strong support for independence, with huge numbers of people turning out for street marches to demand a break with Spain.

However, with support for the independence cause waning, Madrid has been much firmer in its opposition to the planned October 1 referendum.

In fact, the political arm wrestle between Madrid and Catalonia continues and the recent appointment of a self-declared secessionist to head the Catalan Mossos dEsquadra police force has upped the ante in the political game between Madrid and Barcelona.

Legal experts are now citing article 155 of the Spanish Constitution as the only ordinary way  short of declaring a state of exception  that the central government could legally take over the regional law enforcement agency should the latter decide to cooperate with the Catalan executives secessionist plans.

English version by George Mills.
This is a change for the better, inshalla [God willing], repeats 22-year-old Duaa Al Said, as though to convince herself, as she rocks her two-month-old baby in her arms. Her husband Aqba, 30, hugs her shoulder while keeping an eye on their two other children: Mohammed, aged four, and Amina, two.

The Al Said family waits inside Beirut airport for their flight to Spain. Natalia Sancha

Just a few hours later, the family boarded a plane for the first time in their lives and landed in Spain on Thursday, joining 199 other Syrian refugees living here. In total, the Spanish government has taken in 1,742 international protection seekers out of the 17,337 that were negotiated two years ago in Brussels. That is barely 9.9% of the total. And the deadline expires on September 26.

But before taking their flight, the Al Saids spent the night in the company of around a dozen people, including relatives and neighbors from the impoverished neighborhood of Uzai, in the outskirts of southern Beirut. In the early morning hours before their scheduled flight time, the adults sat on plastic mats, smoked and sipped coffee as they recalled life in Syria in the old days. Around 15 children lay asleep here and there, emitting a chorus of snores. Everyone was out in the open, as the heat and humidity were staggering and there was no electricity to power fans.

I have two brothers in Turkey, and of the two who were here, one of them is leaving. Our family is breaking up

Sausa, sister to Aqba Al-Said

Yesterday we left our apartment and came to my brothers rented house, said Aqba, as his nephews helped him weigh the two 20-kilogram suitcases and two 5kg backpacks that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told them they could take with them. Some clothes, a handful of photographs and a pack of diapers: that is all they would be able to keep from their previous life. There were no toys in the luggage.

When a plane flew overhead, the interviewer suddenly became the interviewee.

- Will we be able to take milk on the plane? And diapers? asked Duaa nervously.

- Do they accept women with veils in Spain, or are they forced to remove them? added Sausa, who is Aqbas sister.

Tension in Lebanon The same country that let in the Al Said family seven years ago, along with another 1.5 million refugees from Syria (a quarter of the population), says it cannot take the pressure anymore. This week, Lebanese lawmakers held a heated debate over a plan to return the refugees to their home country. The UN sees the move as premature, and so far only 850 refugees have agreed to voluntarily go home. Relations between Syrians and Lebanese are increasingly strained in a country with deficient infrastructure and soaring unemployment. The tension climaxed on June 30, when four of 350 Syrian refugees who had been arrested by the police died in custody. Suspicion that they were tortured unleashed a war on social media between Syrian activists and supporters of the Lebanese army.

- Are there jobs in Spain? Is it difficult to learn Spanish? joined in Mazen, Aqbas older brother.

The questions flew before an answer could be provided. But the joy of knowing that they are part of the privileged few who will be able to start afresh in a country with schools and hospitals (just like in prewar Syria, noted Mazen) was tempered by the fear of the unknown. A day before flying, the family did not yet know which city they would live in.

The separation from friends and relatives was also hard in a culture where families tend to live in the same neighborhood and their members see each other on a daily basis.

Once we travel to Spain, we cannot return to Lebanon for the next five years, those are the rules set by the Lebanese government, explained Duaa, who has not seen her own parents for six years. They live in the Syrian province of Idlib.

Meanwhile, baby Zeid slept unconcerned about his future. He had not even been born when his parents were informed that they had been selected by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for resettlement in Spain.

We left [Syria] at the very beginning, in August 2011. Three siblings went to Lebanon and two moved to Istanbul with our parents, said Aqba, showing his smartphone screen to reveal some of the latter waving hello from Turkey via a Skype video conference. Aqba was not able to attend his fathers funeral.

The numbers Forecast. According to the Spanish executive, by September 2017 a total of 1,010 Syrian refugees in Lebanon will resettle in Spain. Of these, 286 already arrived last summer; 375 are landing in Madrid this month, and another group of 350 will come in September.

Conflict. The war in Syria has already claimed 331,000 lives (a third of them civilians), left over one million injured and displaced over half of Syria's population of 23 million from their homes.

The situation quickly deteriorated in the first few months, there was a lot of violence and crime, so we decided to move to Lebanon and find jobs here. I tried to work as a taxi driver, but we Syrians get stopped at every military checkpoint. Now I fear we might start getting sent back to Syria. So we are stuck in limbo, added Aqba.

It is 4.30am and in half and hour the Al Saids have to be at a meeting point to board the bus that will take them to Beirut airport. The tears begin to flow as Mazen starts the van that will take the family to the agreed spot. Once there, they join other teary, scared-looking refugees. Some IOM employees take their documents and tag their luggage. Everyone embraces, aware that it will be years before they see each other in person again.

I have two brothers in Turkey, and of the two who were here, one of them is leaving. Our family is breaking up, grumbles Sausa, rubbing her eyes.

Slowly, the buses roll away on their way to the airport. A while later, dozens of Syrian refugees clutching their passports stand in line to go through the police check. Duaa gestures goodbye with her head as she whispers: This is a change for the better, inshalla.

English version by Susana Urra.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

The European Union (EU) supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and this position remains unchanged, Fuad Isgandarov, head of the Azerbaijani mission to the EU and the countrys ambassador to Belgium, said in an interview with Trend.

The European Union has repeatedly expressed unequivocal support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the countrys position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, despite the fact that it doesnt have a mandate to resolve it, noted Isgandarov.

This position was voiced by President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, as well as the European Parliament, as it was in 2013, when it was clearly stated that territories of a member country of the Eastern Partnership shouldnt be occupied by another member country of the Eastern Partnership, added the ambassador.

Meanwhile, it was clearly stated about the need to implement the four resolutions of the UN Security Council on the conflict and the withdrawal of all occupying forces of Armenia from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, he added.

The diplomat noted that heads of the EUs executive institutions have also repeatedly spoken about the support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity during their speeches.

Azerbaijans positive assessment on this position was expressed by the countrys President Ilham Aliyev during the visit to Brussels in February 2017, said Isgandarov.

Speaking about the relations of Azerbaijan with the European Parliament, the ambassador emphasized that they continued after a one-year break.

He reminded that these relations were frozen in 2015, both at the bilateral level and at the level of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly after the adoption of a completely blatant and inadequate resolution against Azerbaijan by the European Parliament.

Subsequently, the Azerbaijani parliament adopted a relevant resolution, where it was clearly stated about the termination of cooperation with the European Parliament, continued Isgandarov.

However, in 2016, the European Parliament took several positive steps towards Azerbaijan in order to revive these relations, added the ambassador.

The Azerbaijani side reacted positively, and representative delegations of the European Parliament visited Azerbaijan in September 2016 and in May 2017. During these visits, it was clearly stated about the position of the European Parliament on supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

In this context, the relations are developing quite predictably, noted the ambassador.

According to him, there are also some problems in relations; a number of members of the European Parliament are trying to damage the relations with Azerbaijan. Criminal cases have been filed in Azerbaijan against three MEPs for illegal visits to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.

Moreover, the ambassador recalled the rather strong reaction of many members of the European Parliament to the recent shelling of Azerbaijani civilians by the Armenian armed forces in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district, as a result of which a two-year-old girl and her grandmother were killed, and another resident of the village was seriously wounded.

Such a reaction of MEPs shows the attitude of the European Parliament to the situation as a whole, added Isgandarov.

Attempts by unfriendly individuals to neutralize this position of the EU through attacks on Azerbaijan related to human rights are doomed to fail, said the ambassador.

"For example, there are statements that Azerbaijan is allegedly not interested in reflecting the provisions on cooperation in the field of democracy and human rights in the new agreement, but this is not true. The draft agreement, presented by Azerbaijan, sets out these provisions in a detailed form, which were assessed very positively by our European partners," noted Isgandarov.

"I want to emphasize that the negotiations on the new agreement are based on the project presented by Azerbaijan. This says a lot," added the ambassador.

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 21

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony to launch a drinking water supply project in Pirallahi district, Baku.

Prior to the ceremony, the head of state met with the representatives of the general public in the district.

On behalf of the district public, Ulkar Shirinova thanked President Ilham Aliyev for his attention and care.

President Ilham Aliyev then viewed the stands reflecting technical and economic indicators of the work done under the project Reconstruction of drinking water supply and sewage systems in Pirallahi district.

Chairman of Azersu OJSC Gorkhmaz Huseynov informed President Ilham Aliyev about the work done here.

President Ilham Aliyev then pressed a button to launch the drinking water supply system.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today attended a groundbreaking ceremony of indoor and outdoor farms at the CMS Properties LLC fish hatchery complex to be established under the Narakand project in Pirallahi district.

The head of state was informed about the complex. The closed-type farm will produce 75 tons of Russian sturgeon, 25 tons of starlet, as well as four tons of caviar per year.

President Ilham Aliyev then laid the foundation of the fish hatcheries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

According to preliminary information, there are no Azerbaijani citizens among victims of todays earthquake near the Greek island of Kos, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend, citing Azerbaijans Embassy in Greece.

The 6.7-magnitude quake struck in the Aegean Sea east of the Greek island of Kos and south of the Turkish city of Bodrum.

Hajiyev noted that the Azerbaijani Embassy in Greece continues to stay in touch with the local authorities.

Apart from that, the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Turkey, told Trend that no Azerbaijani victims have been reported as a result of the quake.
Headline changed, details added (first version posted at 11:57)

Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

According to preliminary information, there are no Azerbaijani citizens among victims of todays earthquake near the Greek island of Kos, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend, citing Azerbaijans Embassy in Greece.

The 6.7-magnitude quake struck in the Aegean Sea east of the Greek island of Kos and south of the Turkish city of Bodrum.

Hajiyev noted that the Azerbaijani Embassy in Greece continues to stay in touch with the local authorities.

Apart from that, the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Turkey, told Trend that no Azerbaijani victims have been reported as a result of the quake.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

After the commissioning of the third airport in Istanbul, Istanbul Ataturk Airport will operate as an exhibition center, the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications told Trend July 21.

The information about shutting down of Ataturk Airport is false, the ministry said. Ataturk Airport will be able to receive light aircraft.

The first airport in Turkey was built in 1912 and was used for military purposes.

For the first time the Istanbul airport was opened for international flights in 1953 and in 1985 it was renamed in honor of founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Currently, 55 airports operate in Turkey.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today attended the opening of Pirallahi solar power plant.

Chairman of the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources Akim Badalov informed the head of state about the technical and economic indicators of the power plant.

The project aims to ensure power supply to the population and social facilities in Pirallahi district through local alternative and renewable energy sources.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The first part of the third airport will be fully commissioned in Istanbul in late October 2018, the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications told Trend July 21.

However, the new airport will be able to receive aircraft from February 2018, the ministry said.

According to the source, the third airport in Istanbul will contribute to the economic development of Turkey.

"AIRPORT CITY", which will include a network of shops, logistics and exhibition centers, will be also built at the airport.

Limak-Kolin-Cengiz-MaPa-Kalyon consortium of companies won the tender for construction of the airport.

Earlier, the air transport department of Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications told Trend that the construction of this airport will cost 10 billion Turkish liras.

Turkey's Ziraat Bankasi allocated 1.54 billion euros, while Halkbank and Vakifbank - 1 billion euros, Denizbank - 500 million euros, Garanti and Finansbank - 300 million euros in October 2016, according to the report.

The third airport is being built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul.

Initially, the airport will serve 90 million passengers per year and further, this figure will increase to 150 million.

This airport is expected to be one of the biggest ones in the world and will be named after the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Currently, 55 airports operate in Turkey.

(3,536.8 TRY = 1 USD on July 21)
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Hotels in Rhodope regional unit in the north-eastern part of Greece are given a breath of life thanks to the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Greek media outlets reported.

Hundreds of workers involved in the construction of the pipeline stay in the hotels of city of Komotini in Rhodope. The occupancy of the hotels here reaches almost 100 percent.

"The number of customers has increased due to TAP," Giannis Papanastasiou, a hotelier in Komotini said, adding that the majority of them are TAP employees from Greece and abroad, i.e. India, Portugal, Spanish and other countries.

Meanwhile the number of tourists in the city remained at the level of last year, according to Papanastasiou. These are mainly Turks coming from Germany. Majority of the thousands of tourists passing through the customs through Greek-Bulgarian border are destined for Greek islands and just few of them stay in Rhodope.

TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project transformed Turkey and Azerbaijan into biggest energy players in the region, Hakan Aridemir, assistant professor at Turkeys Dumlupinar University, told Trend.

The TANAP project implementation will ensure the energy security of Europe, he noted.

Despite the fact that volumes of Azerbaijani gas do not suffice to fully provide Europe with natural gas, there is no doubt that Europe very much needs Azerbaijani gas. The need for it especially increased after the gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine, the expert said.

For Turkey, TANAP is important not only from the political but also economic point of view, according to him.

TANAP will contribute to the development of Turkish regions, said Aridemir.

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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian gas transmission companies DESFA, Bulgartransgaz, Transgaz and FGSZ and ICGB AD consortium, the contractor for the Greece-Bulgarian Interconnector (IGB) pipeline project, signed a memorandum of understanding on the Vertical Gas Corridor project, DESFA said in a message.

"The full activation of the Vertical Corridor will give the entire region an opportunity to significantly benefit from diversified natural gas import that Greece has and which will soon be further increased, via an upgrade of the LNG Terminal in Revythousa and the Caspian Sea gas that will be transported by the TAP pipeline which is under construction," DESFA said.

DESFA President and CEO Sotirios Nikas noted that this memorandum serves the country's energy strategy and one of DESFA's most important company goals: to activate a Vertical Corridor for moving natural gas from Greece up to Ukraine and vice-versa, a development that will contribute decisively to making Greece a regional natural gas hub and a factor reinforcing supply security in the surrounding region.

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.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 21

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend

An Israeli delegation headed by Alexander Ben-Zvi, head of the department for Eurasia of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, is on a working visit to Ashgabat, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said July 21.

The sides paid attention to the development of cooperation in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian spheres, as well as discussed the need to expand the inter-state cooperation at various levels.

Stressing the importance of organizing high level visits for the development of friendly relations between the two countries, the sides agreed to continue cooperation in this direction.

Israel, having rich experience in agriculture and irrigation, is ready to share its experience and know-how in purification, desalination and rational use of water resources with Turkmenistan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 20

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

A senior Iranian military official has rejected recent speculations suggesting that the Islamic Republic plans to form bases in Syria.

Brigadier General Mohammadali Asvadi, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), has described the remarks on the Islamic Republics intention to create military bases in the Arab country as sheer lie, Tasnim news agency reported.

He further added that Irans military presence in Syria is restricted to dispatching military advisors and Tehran has no intention to set up naval and aerial bases there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently speculated that establishing a ceasefire may lead Iran to expand and fortify its military presence in Syria and Lebanon by building naval and aerial bases.

The new truce brokered by the US and Russia kicked off in southwest Syria on July 9.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

At least three gunmen have been killed and four got injured in an armed clash with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) along Irans northwestern borders.

IRGC announced on July 21 that the gunmen planned to carry out terrorist acts in the country, Tasnim news agency reported.

According to the report one member of the terrorist group has been captured.

The shootout claimed the life of IRGC Major Yasin Qanbari with another IRGC member getting wounded.

The report further added that other members of the terrorist group managed to flee.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

Tehran has denied any scheduled meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his American counterpart, Rex Tillerson.

The spokesman of Foreign Ministry of Iran, Bahram Qasemi, has said that Zarif had no plans for meeting with the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during his recent visit to New York, IRNA news agency reported.

Zarif who has visited New York to attend the United Nations' High-Level Political Forum 2017 had earlier denied having any intentions to meet with the US officials.

Unconfirmed social media reports have suggested that the top Iranian diplomat was given the task of meeting Rex Tillerson.

Back in 2013, Zarif met former Secretary of State John Kerry during Irans nuclear talks with the world powers, marking the highest-level discussion in three decades between the two nations.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

An Iranian MP has criticized a controversial proposal on transferring water from the Caspian Sea to the drought-hit Semnan Province, warning about the catastrophic consequences of the long awaited plan.

MP Qasem Ahmadlashaki for Nowshahr City has expressed concerns over the proposal, saying the countrys northern coastal area may turn into a desert following the implementation of the plan, Tasnim news agency reported.

He added that the plan on transferring water from the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth would leave serious impacts on the lives of about nine million people living in the region.

The plan was first introduced in 2012 but the critics of the proposal have argued that pumping water from the sea will eventually lead to an increase in the Caspian Seas salinity, endangering the countless habitats it supports.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

A fire has engulfed a fishing wharf in Irans southern port city of Kangan burning at least seven vessels.

The city governor, Abdolnabi Yousefi, has said that the blaze took place at 13:45 (GMT+4:30) local time on Friday, IRNA news agency reported.

The governor added that firefighters were battling the blaze and there were no reports on any possible casualties.

He further said that the officials were probing into the incident in the southern province of Bushehr.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Since the beginning of the Qatar crisis, Turkey has held a number of diplomatic meetings to resolve it and today one can see the results of those efforts, Atilgan Bayar, Turkish foreign policy strategist, told Trend.

Stable position of Doha is of particular importance for the Qatar crisis resolution, according to him.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE announced about breaking their diplomatic relations with Qatar June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East. Later, the authorities of Libya, Yemen, as well as the Maldives and Mauritius also announced about severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

Previously, the countries boycotting Qatar demanded the implementation of 12 conditions, while now the number of conditions has been reduced to six, Bayar said, adding that closure of the Turkish military base Al-Rayyan in Qatar was also removed from the list of demands.

Turkey continues to send military contingent to Qatar and is expected to do so until the end of 2017, he said.

Bayar further added that Turkey's support for Qatar, undoubtedly, affects Ankara's relations with other countries.

It was earlier reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on July 23-24.

Since Turkey has good relations with Saudi Arabia, the visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may facilitate revealing the key points of the Qatar crisis, said Bayar.

He further said that while Qatar supports the Muslim Brotherhood organization, it is also worth noting that certain statements of this organization cause concern to Qatar itself.

Like Qatar, Turkey is also concerned over certain actions and statements of the Muslim Brotherhood. Turkey had previously demanded that this organization makes some changes to its activities and approaches, but it did not happen, Bayar said.

During his visit to Egypt, the current president, then-Prime Minister Erdogan spoke at the Al-Azhar University and urged the Muslim Brotherhood organization to become secular.

Bayar does not exclude that in the future, Turkey may again request Muslim Brotherhood to become a more secular organization.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Friday the small Gulf emirate was willing to hold constructive talks with Arab rivals if they stopped meddling in its home affairs, Sputnik reported.

In a statement carried by the Foreign Ministry of China where he is on a working visit, the Qatari top diplomat urged Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to make an effort to bridge the gap after the four nations imposed sanctions on Doha over its alleged support of terrorists, an accusation it denies.

"Qatar is ready to start constructive talks with all parties if they respect sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the countrys internal affairs and stick to international laws in order to rebuild mutual trust and make a serious step toward resolving the existing dispute," Al-Thani said during his meeting with the Chinese counterpart in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the Arab states to urgent direct talks to stop the crisis from escalating and urged all sides of the standoff to exercise restraint. He also remarked on an "important role" that the Gulf Cooperation Council played in previous efforts to resolve regional rows.

The four allies cut diplomatic relations with Qatar last month and issued it with an ultimatum. Qatar rejected their list of 13 demands, which included closing the Al Jazeera news channel and scaling down ties with Iran, saying they were unrealistic and violated its sovereignty.
Rival Syrian Islamist insurgent groups Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Friday agreed to a ceasefire following days of infighting in Idlib province, an online statement from Ahrar al-Sham said, Reuters reported.

Ahrar al-Sham and rebel factions would also withdraw from the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the border with Turkey, it said, ceding control to a "civilian administration".

Tahrir al-Sham, which is headed by al Qaeda's former Syria branch, had earlier surrounded Ahrar al-Sham after advancing toward the crossing.
A young man died and three others were injured in the suburbs of the Venezuelan capital Caracas after opposition called for a general strike this Thursday, local authorities said, Sputnik reported.

"Prosecutor's office Nr. 1 in Miranda is investigating the death of Ronney Tejera (24) and 3 injured during a demonstration in Los Teques [neighborhood] this July 20," the Public Ministry tweeted.

The Nacional news website reported the victims had been fired at by grassroots militia supporting the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Nearly a hundred people, most of them protesters, have lost their lives since anti-government demonstrations swept the oil-rich South American nation in early April.

Opposition activists accuse President Maduro of mismanagement and demand that he drop his plans for a new legislative body and call an early election. His term expires in 2019.

A 24-hour general strike organized by Venezuelan opposition began in the country on Thursday in an attempt to put pressure on the government.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

More than 20 citizens of Turkey became injured as a result of the Aegean Sea quake, the Turkish media outlets quoted the countrys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as saying July 21.

The 6.7-magnitude quake struck in the Aegean Sea on July 20 night south of the Turkish city of Bodrum and east of the small Greek island of Kos.

Yildirim noted that there are no casualties as a result of the quake, but there are small damages.

According to him, currently, the consequences of the earthquake are being dealt with.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Turkeys president on Friday condemned what he called baseless remarks by Germanys economy minister scaremongering investors away from Turkey, Anadolu reported.

I strongly condemn the German economy ministers baseless [...] message aimed at frightening companies investing in my country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a signing ceremony in Istanbul.

He said that Turkeys National Intelligence Organization and the Interior Ministry had told him there was no investigation of German companies operating in Turkey.

Erdogan's remarks came amid heightened tensions between Ankara and Berlin.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday that Berlin would not encourage German businessmen to invest in Turkey, nor would it provide investment guarantees to German firms.

The same day Germanys government announced several economic measures in an attempt to increase pressure on Ankara, and demanded the release of several German citizens arrested in recent months.

I would like to remind my German friends and the entire world: You do not have the power to defame Turkey, Erdogan said, offering reassurances to German companies doing business in Turkey.

Their guarantee is us and their assurance is us, he said. Our countrys doors and nations hearts are open to German companies to the end."

Erdogan added that the German government "hides terrorists and should first account for this.

Terrorist networks

Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained in recent months as Turkish leaders slammed Germany for turning a blind eye to the activities of outlawed groups and terrorist organizations hostile to Turkey.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which organized the foiled coup bid in Turkey last year that martyred 250 people, has a large network in Germany, which is home to more than 3 million Turkish immigrants.

Since the coup attempt, nearly 4,000 FETO suspects have come to Germany from Turkey and other countries, according to local media reports.

Apart from FETO, the terrorist PKK also has a large network in Germany and carries out significant propaganda, recruitment, and funding activities.

During the recent tension, the German Foreign Ministry also told German travelers it could no longer guarantee their safety in Turkey.

In his statement, Erdogan called the warnings "baseless and malicious".

Governments cannot be run by gossips," he said.

The president also blasted the European Union on stalling Turkeys membership bid, saying that those "who dont want Turkey to enter the union include other countries whose conditions are unsuitable."

He added, We have nothing to do with those who destroy their own trustworthiness with their own hands.
Turkeys president said on Friday that Turkey never saw Africa as a "virgin continent" with resources ripe for exploitation, Anadolu reported.

Speaking in Istanbul, at an International Congress Gala Dinner on Health in Africa, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey wants to develop long-term business alliances on the continent with a win-win approach based on "mutual respect and equality."

The president said that the last 12 years proved that Turkey's interest in the African continent was not a passing whim, adding: "Our trade with all of Africa in 2005 was about $7 billion, but by 2016 this figure had risen to $17 billion."

"The Turkey-Africa partnership summit, meeting for the first time in Istanbul in 2008, and then in Equatorial Guineas capital Malabo in 2014, showed Turkey's seriousness and the importance Turkey places on relations with the continent."

Touting Africa's future, he said that despite its current troubles, Africa will leave its mark on the 21st century.

In 2005, Turkeys official outreach to Africa gained new momentum when Erdogan, then prime minister, declared 2005 the Year of Africa, and Turkey was accorded observer status by the African Union.
The Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will lead a new $9 million project aimed at removing technical barriers to commercialization of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), a clean energy technology with the potential to power 100 million American homes.

Berkeley Lab will partner with seven other DOE national labs and six universities to develop field experiments focused on understanding and modeling rock fractures, an essential element of geothermal systems. Scientists will use the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota to create small-scale fracture networks in crystalline rock 1,500 meters below ground.

"We will be putting instrumentation within tens of meters of the fractures and will be able to detect fracturing at a higher resolution than what has ever been done before," said Berkeley Lab's Tim Kneafsey, who leads the project. "The goal is to work towards increasing our understanding of fracturing and fluid flow in EGS, which could provide a significant amount of electricity as a large quantity of accessible hot rock lies untapped across the U.S."

In geothermal systems, heat acquired from water circulating in rock fractures deep in the Earth's crust is extracted for conversion to electricity. Conventional geothermal technology is possible only in locations with particular geological characteristics, either near active volcanic centers or in places with a very high temperature gradient, such as much of Nevada and parts of the western United States. These locations have the three components essential to extracting geothermal energy -- heat, fluid, and permeability, a measure of how easily fluid can circulate through the rock's fractures, picking up heat as it moves.

With EGS, a fracture network can be enhanced or engineered, thus bypassing the geographic limitations of conventional geothermal energy. EGS could eventually provide more than 100 gigawatts (GW) of economically viable electric generating capacity in the continental United States, a huge increase over the current geothermal capacity of 3.5 GW.

"Although geothermal energy production is already used effectively, there is a lot we need to learn about how to create and develop an EGS reservoir," Kneafsey said. "This project will seek to understand the relationship between permeability creation and heat extraction in crystalline rocks under certain stress and temperature conditions."

Dubbed EGS Collab, the project has been awarded $9 million for the first year by DOE's Geothermal Technologies Office. Other national labs partnering in the project include Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, Idaho, Los Alamos, Pacific Northwest, Oak Ridge, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Douglas Blankenship, manager of geothermal research at Sandia National Laboratories, is the co-lead with Kneafsey. Additionally, professors from Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the Colorado School of Mines, Penn State University, and the University of Oklahoma will also contribute.

Feeding into FORGE

Knowledge gained from this project will feed into the flagship DOE geothermal project, the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE). FORGE aims to develop technologies needed to create large-scale, economically sustainable heat exchange systems, thus paving the way for a reproducible approach that will reduce risks associated with EGS development.

There are currently two FORGE sites: one in Fallon, Nevada, led by Sandia National Laboratories; and the other in Milford, Utah, led by the University of Utah. FORGE R&D activities will include innovative drilling techniques, reservoir stimulation techniques, and well connectivity and flow-testing efforts. The site will also require continuous monitoring of geophysical and geochemical signals.

"The success of FORGE will be accelerated by the EGS Collab testing and activities," Kneafsey said. "Using test beds at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, we'll be able to refine and further develop thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) modeling approaches, investigate fracturing methods, and improve novel monitoring tools."

For example, scientists will deploy a dense array of sensors to monitor and understand micro-seismicity associated with the fracturing. They will also use electrical imaging and tracer techniques to predict heat transfer in 10 meter-scale fractures and validate the predictions experimentally.

Berkeley Lab scientists have already built an experimental facility at SURF called kISMET, for permeability [k] and Induced Seismicity Management for Energy Technologies, to study stresses and fracture control and monitoring. EGS Collab will expand the scale of that work and incorporate a variety of monitoring and imaging tools to focus squarely on the research needs of EGS.

"We're going to use the best techniques to understand these fractures," Kneafsey said. "This collaboration includes some of the world's most skilled and experienced scientists and engineers in the areas of subsurface process modeling, monitoring, and experimentation."

###

This project is supported by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Geothermal Technologies Office.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Do you crave a Lincoln?

A Lincoln what, you might justifiably ask. A Lincoln biography? A Lincoln penny? A Lincoln, Nebraska? Then you might recall that Lincoln is a luxury car brand associated with Ford, and remember hearing something about Lincoln trying to make a comeback.

The new Continental is Lincolns declaration of relevance, a statement intended to announce something big is happening at the faded brand. The Continental, introduced all the way back in 1939, grew more ostentatious through the years along with America itself. The limousine President Kennedy was riding in when he was shot in 1963 was a modified Continental. The marquee lost its brash styling in the 1980s and 90s, as German broughams began to muscle it aside. Lincoln retired the Continental in 2002.

Its now back, after 15 years, seeking whatever slivers of distinction might still exist in the cram-packed luxury segment. Lincoln has been careful to say it doesnt hope to out-German the performance chops of European sedans such as BMWs 5 or 7 series, Mercedes E Class or Audis 6 and 8 lineup. Smart, probably. Instead, Lincoln hopes to wow buyers with good-enough performance (for a vehicle starting at around $45,000), blended with fancy technology, La-Z-Boy comfort and brawny styling you might call gangster-elegant.

Standard seating includes 10-way power seats in the front. But the fussiest sitters can opt for 30-way power seats that perhaps ought to come with a personal valet trained in the precise use of each button. There are electronic door handles that ease the burden of grasping and pulling a latch, and signal their novelty through an unusual location at the doors beltline instead of the usual position a bit lower down. The car is big, with a rear seat spacious enough to make this a chauffeured saloon.

Im an automotive pragmatist, impressed by clever engineering, innovative efficiency and a high fun-for-the-buck factor. My colleague Pras is more of a passionista enamored with horsepower ratings and museum-quality design. We both struggled to pinpoint the Continentals identity and place it among its peers as youll see in the video above. Luxurious? Sure. Commanding? Check. Trying too hard? Yep.

Story continues

Lincoln has cultivated a Zenlike image through its use of bull-whisperer Matthew McConaughey as a kind of Confucian spokesmodel. Lincolns marketing department may have figured the best way to mend its muddled image is to offer car buyers an abstract, ink-blot template and let them define Lincoln on their own terms. In that regard, perhaps the Conti is whatever you want it to be.

One thing its not, notably, is a crossover or SUV. That matters because utilities are hot and sedans are not, which limits the extent to which the Continental can serve as a flagship for Lincoln. The brand does have a handful of utilities, including three you probably cant name (they all begin with M) and a new version of the gigantic Navigator, coming soon. Zen, optional.

Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Encrypted communication available.

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Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman
GOP Women Foiled Their Own Party's Obamacare Repeal After Being Excluded from the Process

The failure of Senate Republicans last-resort plan to repeal Obamacarerolling back the law with nothing to replace itis being called an epic failure and devastating political defeat for the party, as well as a major embarrassment for President Trump.

The nature of the bills collapse is something elsejust a little bit ironic.

The GOPs seven-year quest to repeal President Barack Obamas landmark legislative achievement all but imploded Tuesday night as three Republican senators, Susan Collins (R-Maine), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vowed to vote down the latest proposal to repeal major parts of the law without replacing them. GOP leaders pushed that fall-back approach after earlier plans to repeal and replace the legislation also failed to garner enough Republican support.

Subscribe to The Worlds Most Powerful Women, Fortunes daily must-read for global businesswomen.

Its especially notable that three Republican women delivered what could be the efforts death blow since Senate Republicans excluded all of their female members from the initial working group convened to decide the fate of Obamacare. Instead, the group was made up of 13 men.

At the time, the move was seen as an effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to placate the staunchly conservative arm of his party, but it also alienated the more moderate blocincluding the three female lawmakersin the process.

At the time, Collins said that leaders have the right to choose whomever they wish, and that being left out of the group would not keep her from working on health care.

I spent five years in state government overseeing the Bureau of Insurance many years ago, she said, and I think I can bring some experience to the debate that will be helpful.

Collins assembled her own working group for health care, which reached out to Democrats for input. And Vox reports that Capito attended a few meetings of the Senate Republicans men-only working group to talk about Medicaid, but she was never a full member.

Story continues

In addition to being male-dominated, the Senate Republicans drafting of the bill was historically opaque.

At one point, Murkowski slammed the closed-door process, telling the press, I am not a reporter, and I am not a lobbyist, so Ive seen nothing.

Earlier versions of the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare that scaled back key federal insurance regulations and delivered deep cuts to Medicaid over time failed to gain enough support from conservative Republicans, as it didnt roll back enough of the existing laws insurer mandates. The proposals also didnt appease moderate Republicans, especially those from states that had taken up Obamacares offer of expanded Medicaid eligibility, since proposed cuts to the program could have forced states to either slash enrollees health care benefits or shoulder a massive new financial load.

Collins, Capito, and Murkowski opposed the latest fallback planrepeal with no replacementas irresponsible, saying that it would snatch health care away from Americans who have come to depend on it.

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

In a statement explaining her stance, Moore Capito said she could not vote to repeal Obamacare without a replacement that meets the needs of her constituents in West Virginia, a state hit especially hard by the growing opioid crisis.

My latest statement on the Senate health care bill & planned vote to repeal Obamacare: pic.twitter.com/yAVIxgptCu  Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) July 18, 2017

As I have said before, the statement says, I did not come to Washington to hurt people.
Elon Musk, founder, CEO and lead designer at SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla, speaks at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on Thursday said he had received "verbal" approval to start building an ultra-high-speed underground transport system linking New York and Washington that would cut travel time between the cities to about half an hour.

He offered no details on what entity had greenlighted the project that could result in the world's longest tunnel.

Musk, the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc and rocket company SpaceX, is seeking to revolutionize transportation by sending passengers and cargo packed into pods through an intercity system of giant vacuum tubes known as the "hyperloop."

Officials in Washington and New York said they had not approved any project, and under federal rules Musk would need extensive environmental and building permits to mount such an ambitious project.

Musk recently started an enterprise called the Boring Company to build transport tunnels for the system, which he says would be far faster than current high-speed trains and use electromagnetic propulsion.

In tweets on Thursday Musk said he had "just received verbal government approval for the Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins."

Amtrak's high-speed Acela train currently takes nearly three hours to cover the roughly 220 miles (355 km) between the two cities, assuming no delays.

Asked for details on who had offered approval, the Boring Company said in a statement it expected "to secure the formal approvals necessary to break ground later this year."

Musk also tweeted that a first set of tunnels would be to "alleviate greater LA (Los Angeles) urban congestion," adding that the company would also "probably" do a loop from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and another in Texas.

"City center to city center in each case, with up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators in each city," he wrote.

Musk acknowledged there was still a "lot of work" to do before formal approval was granted, but said he was optimistic.

Story continues

Signaling that Musk's tweets may be premature, the press secretary for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a reply: "This is news to City Hall."

Musk said in a later tweet that supporters should lobby government officials. "If you want this to happen fast, please let your local & federal elected representatives know. Makes a big difference if they hear from you," he wrote.

Last month, Musk tweeted that he had "promising conversations" about a tunnel network with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

By traveling in vacuum tubes on magnetic cushions, hyperloop trains would avoid being slowed down by air pressure or the friction of wheels on rails, making them faster and cheaper to operate, supporters say. A number of startups have begun to develop the technology, despite concerns about the cost and practicality.

On its website, the Boring Company says some tunneling projects today cost as much as $1 billion per mile but its goal is to lower costs by a factor of 10 or more.

In 2013, Musk said a hyperloop covering the roughly 400 miles (640 km) between Los Angeles and San Francisco would cost less than $6 billion and take seven to 10 years to build.

President Donald Trump in March met with Musk, who raised the Boring Company idea then, White House officials said. Musk also talked about his plans to launch a mission to Mars.

White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn in April praised the idea of Musk using tunnels to speed rail transit on the densely populated east coast of the United States and also to cut traffic congestion in Los Angeles.

In a statement, the White House said it had had "promising conversations to date" with Musk and was committed to "transformative infrastructure projects."

(Reporting by Peter Henderson, David Shepardson and Alexandria Sage; editing by Bernard Orr and Tom Brown)
Man talking in front of stained glass window.

The thatched roof held back the suns rays, but it could not keep the tropical heat at bay. As everyone at the research workshop headed outside for a break, small groups splintered off to gather in the shade of coconut trees and enjoy a breeze. I wandered from group to group, joining in the discussions. Each time, I noticed that the language of the conversation would change from an indigenous language to something they knew I could understand, Bislama or English. I was amazed by the ease with which the meetings participants switched between languages, but I was even more astonished by the number of different indigenous languages.

Thirty people had gathered for the workshop on this island in the South Pacific, and all except for me came from the island, called Makelua, in the nation of Vanuatu. They lived in 16 different communities and spoke 16 distinct languages.

In many cases, you could stand at the edge of one village and see the outskirts of the next community. Yet the residents of each village spoke completely different languages. According to recent work by my colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, this island, just 100 km long and 20 km wide, is home to speakers of perhaps 40 different indigenous languages. Why so many?

We could ask this same question of the entire globe. People dont speak one universal language, or even a handful. Instead, today our species collectively speaks over 7,000 distinct languages.

And these languages are not spread randomly across the planet. For example, far more languages are found in tropical regions than in the temperate zones. The tropical island of New Guinea is home to over 900 languages. Russia, 20 times larger, has 105 indigenous languages. Even within the tropics, language diversity varies widely. For example, the 250,000 people who live on Vanuatus 80 islands speak 110 different languages, but in Bangladesh, a population 600 times greater speaks only 41 languages.

Story continues

Why is it that humans speak so many languages? And why are they so unevenly spread across the planet? As it turns out, we have few clear answers to these fundamental questions about how humanity communicates.

Some ideas, but little evidence

Most people can easily brainstorm possible answers to these intriguing questions. They hypothesize that language diversity must be about history, cultural differences, mountains, or oceans dividing populations, or old squabbles writ largewe hated them, so we dont talk to them.

The questions also seem like they should be fundamental to many academic disciplineslinguistics, anthropology, human geography. But, starting in 2010, when our diverse team of researchers from six different disciplines and eight different countries began to review what was known, we were shocked that only a dozen previous studies had been done, including one we ourselves completed on language diversity in the Pacific.

These prior efforts all examined the degree to which different environmental, social, and geographic variables correlated with the number of languages found in a given location. The results varied a lot from one study to another, and no clear patterns emerged. The studies also ran up against many methodological challenges, the biggest of which centered on the old statistical adagecorrelation does not equal causation.

We wanted to know the exact steps that led to so many languages forming in certain places and so few in others. But previous work provided few robust theories on the specific processes involved, and the methods used did not get us any closer to understanding the causes of language diversity patterns.

For example, previous studies pointed out that at lower latitudes languages are often spoken across smaller areas than at higher latitudes. You can fit more languages into a given area the closer you get to the equator. But this result does not tell us much about the processes that create language diversity. Just because a group of people crosses an imaginary latitudinal line on the map doesnt mean theyll automatically divide into two different populations speaking two different languages. Latitude might be correlated with language diversity, but it certainly did not create it.

Can a simple model predict reality?

A better way to identify the causes of particular patterns is to simulate the processes we think might be creating them. The closer the models products are to the reality we know exists, the greater the chances are that we understand the actual processes at work.

Two members of our group, ecologists Thiago Rangel and Robert Colwell, had developed this simulation modeling technique for their studies of species diversity patterns. But no one had ever used this approach to study the diversity of human populations.

We decided to explore its potential by first building a simple model to test the degree to which a few basic processes might explain language diversity patterns in just one part of the globe, the continent of Australia.

Map of Australias 406 languages before contact with Europeans. (Credit: Claire Bowern, Yale University, with support from the National Science Foundation BCS-1423711, CC BY, via The Conversation)

Our colleague Claire Bowern, a linguist at Yale University, created a map that shows the diversity of aboriginal languagesa total of 406found in Australia prior to contact with Europeans. There were far more languages in the north and along the coasts, with relatively few in the desert interior. We wanted to see how closely a model, based on a simple set of processes, could match this geographic pattern of language diversity.

Our simulation model made only three basic assumptions. First, populations will move to fill available spaces where no one else lives.

Second, rainfall will limit the number of people that can live in a place; our model assumed that people would live in higher densities in areas where it rained more. Annual precipitation varies widely in Australia, from over three meters in the northeastern rainforests to one tenth of a meter in the outback.

Third, we assumed that human populations have a maximum size. Ideal group size is a trade-off between benefits of a larger group (wider selection of potential mates) and costs (keeping track of unrelated individuals). In our model, when a population grew larger than a maximum thresholdset randomly based on a global distribution of hunter-gatherer population sizesit divided into two populations, each speaking a distinct language.

We used this model to simulate language diversity maps for Australia. In each iteration, an initial population sprung up randomly somewhere on the map and began to grow and spread in a random direction. An underlying rainfall map determined the population density, and when the population size hit the predetermined maximum, the group divided. In this way, the simulated human populations grew and divided as they spread to fill up the entire Australian continent.

Our simple model didnt include any impact from contact among groups, changes in subsistence strategies, the effects of the borrowing of cultural ideas, or components of language from nearby groups, or many other potential processes. So, we expected it would fail miserably.

Incredibly, the model produced 407 languages, just one off from the actual number.

The simulation model predicts virtually the same number of languages (407) as were observed in reality (406). (Credit: Gavin et al DOI: 10.1111/geb.12563, CC BY)

The simulated language maps also show more languages in the north and along the coasts, and less in the dry regions of central Australia, mirroring the geographic patterns in observed language diversity.

And so for the continent of Australia it appears that a small number of factorslimitations rainfall places on population density and limits on group sizemight explain both the number of languages and much of the variation in how many languages are spoken in different locations.

Michael C. Gavin/Global Ecology and Biogeography Journal

A simulation model based on a few simple processes predicts much of the geographic variation in language diversity in Australia. (Credit: Gavin et al DOI: 10.1111/geb.12563, CC BY, via The Conversation)

Applying the model elsewhere

But we suspect that the patterns of language diversity in other places may be shaped by different factors and processes. In other locations, such as Vanuatu, rainfall levels do not vary as widely as in Australia, and population densities may be shaped by other environmental conditions.

In other instances, contact among human groups probably reshaped the landscape of language diversity. For example, the spread of agricultural groups speaking Indo-European or Bantu languages may have changed the structure of populations and the languages spoken across huge areas of Europe and Africa, respectively.

Undoubtedly, a wide variety of social and environmental factors and processes have contributed to the patterns in language diversity we see across the globe. In some places topography, climate, or the density of key natural resources may be more critical; in others the history of warfare, political organization, or the subsistence strategies of different groups may play a bigger role in shaping group boundaries and language diversity patterns. What we have established for now is a template for a method that can be used to uncover the different processes at work in each location.

Language diversity has played a key role in shaping the interactions of human groups and the history of our species, and yet we know surprisingly little about the factors shaping this diversity. We hope other scientists will become as fascinated by the geography of language diversity as our research group is and join us in the search for understanding why humans speak so many languages.

The Conversation

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

Read more: Until now, the German language had 30 uppercase letters but only 29 lowercase ones

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Donald Trump

President Donald Trump's lawyers are looking into whether Trump can pardon himself, family members, and his aides in preparation for the outcome of the Russia investigation.

The probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign is led by special counsel Robert Mueller and has so far lassoed top White House aides, Trump's immediate family, and the president himself into a wide-ranging examination that has stymied the Trump administration for months.

The Washington Post reported Thursday night that some of Trump lawyers are also looking for ways to "limit or undercut" Mueller's investigation, citing people familiar with his legal counsel's thinking.

The Trump administration has already employed such tactics to a degree by accusing Mueller and his investigative team of various conflicts of interest. At one point, Trump alleged that Mueller was hiring prosecutors who openly supported his rival, Hillary Clinton, in the 2016 election.

The question of whether Trump can pardon himself of any crimes has been floated before. One of Trump's advisers told The Post the president "has simply expressed a curiosity in understanding the reach of his pardoning authority."

This is not in the context of, I cant wait to pardon myself, the adviser said, according to the newspaper.

On the matter of conflicts of interest, Trump has previously floated that allegation against Mueller as a possible reason for potentially removing the former FBI director from the investigation.

Trump appeared to suggest as much in an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday. On Thursday, the White House walked that back, saying Trump "has no intention" to remove Mueller from the Russia probe.

Still, the White House is said to be intent on finding fault in Mueller's investigators, The Times reported Thursday night, looking for ways to discredit the investigation or force some members of Mueller's team to recuse themselves from the probe.

Story continues

Critics, including some Democrats, have described Trump's behavior toward Russia probe investigators and the investigation itself as unbecoming of someone who is innocent.

Sen. Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Thursday night, "Russia's interference in the 2016 elections was an attack on our democracy. ... The possibility that the President is considering pardons at this early stage in these ongoing investigations is extremely disturbing."

"Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line."

NOW WATCH: What its like living in North Korea  according to a North Korean defector





More From Business Insider


Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Iran to halt all executions for drug-related offenses while the parliament discusses amendments to reform the country's drug law.

The Iranian parliament is expected to vote in two weeks on amendments that could drastically reduce the number of drug-related executions.

"It makes no sense for Iran's judiciary to execute people now under a drug law that will likely bar such executions as early as next month," HRW's Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson said in a July 20 statement.

"It would be the height of cruelty to execute someone today for a crime that would at worst get them a 30-year sentence when this law is amended," Whitson added.

The New York-based rights group said the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, which documents executions in Iran, has recorded the executions of 39 people since July 5 on drug-related charges.

Under Iran's current drug law, the trafficking, possession, or trade of as little as 30 grams of heroin is punishable by death.

Earlier this week, the parliament approved a proposal to amend Iran's 1997 Law to Combat Drugs to limit the death penalty for some nonviolent, drug-related offenses.

However, the draft legislation was sent back to the parliamentary judiciary commission to deliberate the proposed changes for certain offenses.

Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world. Most of the executions are carried out for drug-related convictions.

At least 567 people were put to death in Iran in 2016 mainly for drug-related crimes, according to a report by London-based Amnesty International.
Ocean View, Delaware, July 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Global Barite Market is estimated to exceed USD 4.1 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Rapidly growing oil & gas industry primarily in the U.S. owing to excess availability of shale reserves along with changing industry dynamics to increase dependency on alternative energy sources has pushed barite market size in the past few years. This is prospective to continue owing to strong need to meet energy demand in several industries including transportation, power, etc. which will subsequently generate ample growth avenues for barite market size by 2024.

In addition, positive growth indicators in the pharmaceuticals industry primarily in Asia Pacific will complement barite market size by 2024, owing to improving healthcare standards and rising geriatric population. This is due to widespread product applications in diagnosis and as fillers in plasters.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1328

Sturdy growth in paints & coatings industry owing to rapid industrialization and urbanization in Asia Pacific will propel barite market size by 2024. White & off-white barite is majorly used to prepare pigments in the paints industry. Rapidly growing construction industry primarily in China and India due to mounting population and improving socio-economic factors will be driving paints & coatings demand across end user business such as automobile.

Inadequate geographical barite occurrence along with high transportation cost may hinder barite market size by 2024. Furthermore, easy accessibility to existing alternatives including hematite, ilmenite, etc. which are also used as weighing agent in the energy sector is likely to hamper barite market size by 2024.

Browse key industry insights spread across 172 pages with 219 market data tables & 14 figures & charts from this 2017 report Barite Market in detail along with the table of contents at:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/barite-market

Upto grade 3.9 barite market size is probable to attain CAGR over 3% by 2024. It is lower grade and is formed by 50/50 ratio of product and other alternative weighing material such as ilmenite and hematite. Grade 4.2 is projected to grow at a CAGR near to 4% by 2024, as it is widely used in the oil & drilling industry owing to its excellent rheological properties, which makes it desirable as a weighing agent. They are premium quality grades and are found beneath the earth surface. However, grade 4.2 is gradually being replaced by grade 4.1 in the oil & drilling industry as it possesses similar attributes and is cost effective compared to grade 4.2. This replacement is also due to increasing transportation issues related with grade 4.2.

Grey barite market size is estimated to attain CAGR of over 4% owing to its extensive application in oil & drilling industry by 2024. It helps in cooling the drill bit and subsequently suspend the rock bits by increasing the hydrostatic pressure which compensates for high-pressure zones experienced during drilling. White & off-white barite grades will experience average industry growth as it is used in paints & coating, cosmetics and rubber applications.

Rising population in the Asia Pacific along with progressive consumer lifestyles is driving automobile industry which in turn will propel rubber industry over the projected timespan. This tendency is expected to make noteworthy contribution to rubber & plastics segment of barite market size by 2024. Furthermore, rapid pace of oil & drilling industry due to the U.S. shale boom will also contribute towards the product market size by 2024. North America is likely to witness CAGR of over 4.5% over the projected time spell.

Key industry share contributors of barite market size are Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp., New Riverside Ochre, Halliburton, Excalibar Minerals, Ashapura Group of Industries, Barium & Chemicals, Inc and Deutsche Baryt Industries.

Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1328

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Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Market Size 20172024

Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Market Size was estimated over USD 9.5 billion in 2016 and the industry will likely grow by a CAGR more than 4% up to 2024. Key players in the PMB market include Tiki Tar Industries, Ooms Avenhorn Holding India Pvt Ltd., AMT Techno, Offshore Petrochem Pvt Ltd., MBD Industries, Maruti Group, Veekay Industries, L N Petro Chem, Lagan Asphalt Group Ltd, IKA group, Gulf Petrochem, Marini S.P.A., Royal Dutch Shell, The Richmond Group, Bitumat Compan6y Limited, South Machinery, Allied Bitumen Complex, Space Petro Energy Pvt. Ltd. (SPEPL), Ratnamani Industries, and RoadStar to name a few.

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Sodium Hydrosulfite Market size was estimated over USD 1 billion in 2016 and the industry will likely grow by a CAGR of about 4% up to 2024. The rising paper products demand in Asia Pacific will drive the global sodium hydrosulfite market growth till 2024 owing to its extensive application as a reductive bleaching agent for pulp in the paper manufacturing process. Guangdong ZhongCheng Chemicals Inc., AZ Chemicals, Inc., BASF SE, and Jinhe Group are the top players in the industry.

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U5UWZLP5 wrote:

Well now... hold the phone... if the admissions contact is gently telling you to wait a bit before applying...

that is something to pay attention to...

Absolutely on the pro side- your odds are best in ED

No this can be important- it is really not fun to spend the holidays scrambling to finish interviews... and I have watched many ruin holidays over this- so avoid it if you can!

2018?

not

one

Thank you--that is very helpful! Hmm, I did have the chance to meet with a Yale admissions representative recently, and he definitely encouraged me to wait a little bit before applying. But as you say, I can't know unless I try.I have one additional question, and it's a tricky one. I am trying to figure out if I should apply to Columbia Early Decision, and although I have a couple years to decide, I would greatly appreciate your input on this as well. I see a number of pros and cons to going ED:1. I believe there's a good chance that applying ED will boost my chances of admission to Columbia. If I have a weak interview or some other part of my application (such as work experience) is lacking from the adcoms' perspective, the ED choice could make up for that. The results for recent years indicate that your chances of admission at Columbia may be much higher in the early acceptance round, though the applicant pools may also be different.2. I also think that Columbia could be more likely to give me some scholarship $$$ if I go ED, although I know there's a lot of debate about this.3. Really not as important, but it would be nice to be done with MBA applications if I find out early that I got admitted there; it would make the rest of the year much less stressful!4. Submitting the application early (in June or July 2019, for example) would give me more time to work on my other applications. Columbia would be a Round 0.5 of sorts. I know I could also apply early for ED too and just get it out of the way, even if I won't hear back for a while. (yes- that is a good way to look at it)5. Columbia' Loan Assistance Program would potentially allow me to pay back much less debt in the long run. If I'm $100,000 in debt when I graduate, but work for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (which is my plan anyway) and get approved for the program, Columbia could pay off $10,000 in loan money a year for 10 years, which would ultimately be a lot more valuable than a $20,000 scholarship. I know that some other programs offer this as well, and many of them are also on my list of prospective schools.6. Columbia is, in my mind, tied for "first choice" along with Harvard, UPenn, and Yale. I would be overjoyed to attend any of those schools. So I can say with a straight face that Columbia is "a" first choice school for me.7. And finally, based on your input, I'm wondering if I could have a realistic shot at getting in if I apply EDI would only be matriculating with 32 months or so, but if I get dinged it wouldn't be a huge deal, and I would just be submitting one application. I'd also have the chance to learn about the admissions process, as you mentioned.The disadvantages:1. If I'm admitted, I won't be able to compare the scholarship/aid packages that any other schools offer me. If I get a substantial scholarship (or a full ride--I can dream, right?) to another school on my list, I won't be able to accept it.(yes- that is trueAlong with Yale, Columbia, Harvard, and UPenn (my top four choices), I'm also planning to apply to Duke and Cornell in Round 1. If I don't get in to any of those schools, I would plan to apply to Michigan, UNC, Virginia, and Georgetown in Round 2. (All of these are subject to change, of course!) So if one of those schools gives me a much better deal than Columbia, it doesn't matter, and I probably wouldn't ever know anyway.So maybe apply now to ED as if you get in great- if not, you have more time in next year to be choosier.2. Columbia's Loan Assistance Program looks great, and I think I'll have a good shot at benefiting from it, but I know that it's not an entitlement--so I might not receive money from it after all, or potentially a lot less than I'd expect. If I'm making less than $80,000 (which is quite possible given that I'm most drawn to the social services sector), I could be in rough shape financially for a decade. (This will be a potential problem regardless of what round I apply in, of course.)What are your thoughts? I know that I have a good shot at getting into Columbia during regular decision as well, but I don't want to take anything for granted, and it seems that going ED could boost my chances. Oh, and declining the ED admissions offer isan option for me.And I suppose I havemore question: if applying ED makes sense, what might my chances be at getting in if I apply in 2018? (As you can see, part of me is still inclined in that direction--perhaps out of impulsivity.)
School decisions when $$$ is a factor [ #permalink

Dear ,



OK, so this post sort of turned into the War and Peace of What are my chances? threads. I hope its not a TL;DR! And I realize that I just sent a long post your way too.



Thank you for all the help you have already provided. It has definitely helped me navigate the complex world of MBA admissions, and has also given me a lot more confidence.



First, here is my background (though if you remember if from previous questions you can just gloss over it):





26 y/o white American male

3.63 GPA (magna cum laude) from a top-5 LAC; graduated in 2013

Currently in a Master of Social Work program--will graduate in May 2018

780 on the GMAT (Q50, V48, AW 6.0, IR 8) (took it in November of last year)

Past work experience: 1.5 years (40 hrs/week and received a stipend to cover living expenses) as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. I researched and gave presentations on unaccompanied child migration from Central America. (Before that, I had been in a religious order for a year, and although I wouldn't really count it as work experience, I figure I should put it on my resume so schools aren't wondering what I did the year after I graduated from college)



Future work experience: after I graduate with my MSW, I plan to practice clinical social work (case management, mental health care, or a combination of the two) with a social services organization for about 26 months before matriculating into an MBA, bringing my total experience up to 44 months/3.6 years.



Intern/volunteer experience: The MSW program entails about 1,000 hours of field experience. I worked at a mental health center for the first half of those hours, and for the second half, I plan to do a combination of mental health and social services work. I'm also interning at a men's transitional home this summer, and am working on a project to see how we can improve the program. I also spent 3 months living and working with immigrants from Central America at a shelter in Houston back in 2013.



I am looking forward to graduating with an MSW, getting my license, and engaging in clinical social work on the 'micro' (direct practice) level. However, I am ultimately hoping to pursue an MBA and specialize in nonprofit management, as I feel that I can serve more people by being an effective administrator than I can doing one-to-one meetings with clients. Following graduation, I would like to join the administrative team of a regional branch of a social services nonprofit organization. I envision myself serving as a department director or vice president of social services.



So, heres whats new : I had a good couple of conversations with my Very Wise Parents this week. They pointed out that I must take finances and debt into account when choosing an MBA program, since I cant expect the sector Ill be entering (nonprofit social services) to pay very well. $100K or more in debt wouldnt be as big a problem if I were going into venture capital or investment banking, but if Im only making $60K or $80K a year after school, I would have a lot of trouble paying back those loans. They also pointed out that I shouldnt go into heavy debt at a school just because its prestigious or highly ranked.



In order to reduce or even eliminate the amount of debt Ill need to repay, I see two paths towards getting an MBA education at a Top-25 school thats also affordable:



1. Enter one of the 9 MBA programs that offers a Loan Forgiveness Program/Loan Assistance Program for MBA students. These programs offer somewhere between $2,000 to over $10,000 a year, for 5-10 years, to students who work in the nonprofit sector after they graduate. Although Ill have to read the fine print very carefully, these programs could substantially reduce my debt burden. If I got a scholarship at one of these programs and/or need-based aid, that would also help.



2. Enter a program that doesnt have loan forgiveness, but has a lower program cost than other schools and/or gives me a great scholarship/financial aid package. I cant expect a full ride, but I know that some programs have a reputation for being generous with scholarships.



With those goals in mind, here is my current list of schools. Ill be applying in 2019 in hopes of matriculating in 2020. The Poets and Quants resources on average debt and scholarship funding helped me narrow down the list, but I could see myself narrowing it further.



Round 1:

For round 1, I want to apply to 5 or 6 schools that offer loan forgiveness. Ideally, some of these programs may be willing to offer a scholarship or need-based aid as well. If my chances seem particularly good or poor at any of the schools, please let me know. I would get started on the applications early so that I could send in all 6 by the deadlines.



1. Columbia (I would apply as early as possible, maybe even in June and July, given their rolling admissions program. This would free up time for other rounds.)



2. Stanford (Im choosing the GSB over Harvard as my long shot school. It seems like Stanford would be a better fit.)



3. Michigantheir loan assistance program isnt as generous as the other schools, but theres always the chance of a scholarship too



4. Yale



5. Duke



6. UPenn



[Note: the other three schools with a Loan Assistance Program are Berkeley, NYU, and Harvard. I dont have the same sense of fit at these schools as I do at the above six, but Im definitely open to considering them.]



I know these schools are very selective, but if I can make a solid case for why Im pursuing an MBA, I think I have a shot in getting into at least 3 of these. If the financial package at any of these schools looks really good, I probably would accept their offer and not apply to Round 2 schools.



If not, here are the Round 2 schools Im thinking of:





1. UVA (I may have in-state status)



2. UT-Austin (I may have in-state status, and even if I dont, its one of the more affordable programs)



3. Georgetown



4. UNC



However, Im much less certain about my Round 2 schools, since there are a lot of other programs in the top 25 that may offer a generous scholarship/aid package, including:



1. Washington University in St. Louis (20.5% of their students got full-tuition scholarships in 2013!)

2. Indiana University (also awfully generous with scholarships, and 19% of their students got full rides, although attending out-of-state would make the cost higher)

3. Emory

4. Carnegie Mellon



Also, Rice and Notre Dame are tied for 29th in US News, but theyre still great programs with much lower average debt loads than many other top schools.



My hope is that by April 2020, I can evaluate the financial offers these schools give me with the Round 1 schools that admitted me. Of these 10 potential round 2 schools, are there any that have an especially high chance of giving me a generous scholarship/aid package, or any that you think would be a poor fit?



Thank you so much for helping me come up with a preliminary list of schools! Even though Im a couple years away from applying, I want to start cultivating relationships with schools now so that they know Im interested in their programs.
Nigerians have come out to blast controversial Nigerian Senator Dino Melaye for coming out to publicly seek N19 million funds for boy who was paralysed by Boko Haram three years ago.

Legit.ng earlier reported that 6-year-old Ali Ahmadu was paralysed three years ago during the Boko Haram kidnapping of girls in Chibok, Borno state. He was just three years old when this unfortunate incident happened.

The boy was said to have ran out of the house and fell while running for dear life when a Boko Haram bike man rode on his back. Ever since little Ali has been unable to walk until he met an NGO who is ready to take him to Dubai for corrective spinal cord surgery.

Senator Dino Melaye with Ali Ahmadu

READ ALSO: 29-year-old Nigerian man dies after alleged wrong diagnosis by Lagos state hospital (photo)

The boy who has been brought to Abuja from Borno state is set to be present at the press conference which will help raise funds for his surgery on Friday, July 21.

Legit.ng exclusively spoke with a representative of Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC), Nuhu Fulani Kwajafa and he exclusively disclosed that the fund raising program is going to be chaired by Senator Dino Melaye.

Ali Ahmadu in Senator Dino Melaye's house

On his part on Thursday, July 20, the senator took to his Instagram handle to post a picture with Ali and urged Nigerians to help donate to his recovery. Melaye disclosed that: Ali Ahmadu 6 years old Boko Haram victim in my house today preparing for fund raising tomorrow to operate his Spinal Cord injury. Please show him some Love.

PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ Gossip App

See post below:

Following his post on social media, Nigerians have come out to attack the senator saying he should use part of his acquired funds to treat the boy while others praised him for his kind gesture.

Senator Dino Melaye, Ali Ahmadu and other members of the NGO

See reactions below:

Watch Legit.ng video below:

Source: Legit.ng
One product to protect all your devices, without slowing them down.

Dark web marketplaces AlphaBay and Hansa were shut down following the largest takedown operation conducted by Europol, the FBI and the US Department of Justice in collaboration with Internet security technology company Bitdefender.

The capability of drug traffickers and other serious criminals around the world has taken a serious hit today after a highly sophisticated joint action in multiple countries, said Rob Wainwright, the Executive Director of Europol at a special press conference in Washington DC. By acting together on a global basis the law enforcement community has sent a clear message that we have the means to identify criminality and strike back, even in areas of the Dark Web. There are more of these operations to come.

The servers were hijacked following close collaboration between authorities in Thailand, Lithuania, Canada, Britain and France.

AlphaBay and Hansa were two of the largest online terminals for illicit trades, including heroin, fentanyl, firearms and computer hacking tools. AlphaBay was 10 times larger than the Silk Road, with over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors, according to the Europol investigation. The total spent between May 2015 and February 2017 was $450m, writes BBC News.

After it was taken down, users massively migrated to Hansa, which registered an eight-fold increase, authorities announced. As Hansa had already been taken over by Dutch authorities in June, it was easy to covertly monitor incoming traffic from AlphaBay and record user names, passwords and bitcoin transactions, including 10,000 physical addresses of Hansa customers.

This is likely one of the most important criminal cases of the year, said US Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday morning.

Make no mistake, the forces of law and justice face a new challenge from the criminals and transnational criminal organizations who think they can commit their crimes with impunity by going dark. This case, pursued by dedicated agents and prosecutors, says you are not safe. You cannot hide. We will find you, dismantle your organization and network. And we will prosecute you.

While awaiting extradition, AlphaBays co-founder, 26 year-old Canadian national Alexandre Cazes, was found dead in his cell in Bangkok, after hanging himself, shortly after his arrest last week.

After months of coordination, the international investigation brought down the most elaborate underground criminal systems. The operation will be followed by a significant number of arrests of drug traffickers and other criminals. The FBI and Europol refused to comment further.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
VANISHING PALESTINE

Creating a Jewish state in Palestine was a deliberate, drawn-out and violent process. Palestinians were dispossessed of vast swathes of land. Over 80 percent of Palestinians in what became Israel in 1948 were made into refugees overnight. The process may have culminated in 1948, but it had begun in the early 20th century  and it still continues today.

To create the State of Israel, Zionist forces attacked major Palestinian cities and destroyed some 530 villages. Approximately 13,000 Palestinians were killed in 1948, with more than 750,000 expelled from their homes and becoming refugees  the climax of the Zionist movements ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Today, the refugees and their descendants number more than seven million. Many still languish in refugee camps in neighbouring Arab countries, waiting to return to their homeland.
Heres where to start:

Put someone in charge

Dallas is a city known for its philanthropy, and that shines through in the help available to the citys poorest residents. This weeks series showed Ebony Green finding refuge at the Dallas Interfaith Family Services while she and her 13-year-old daughter move from homelessness to standing on their own feet. Kiala Proctor waited six years, but she eventually won a place on the Dallas public housing list, and she and her two small children now have a free apartment as she works full time and continues her education, thanks to help from the Wilkinson Center. Ron Reney is getting help from Literacy Instruction for Texas, which is teaching him to read better in hopes of expanding his job choices.

But all of these programs are working more or less in isolation. For many who go looking for help, it is only through luck and perseverance that they find an agency that can help them.

Catholic Charities officials told us last month that by their count there are some 27,000 entities trying to help those in need in their nine-county diocese, ranging from large organizations like themselves to much smaller efforts. Imagine how much overlap and inefficiency is baked into this system.

The city should free up money to establish an office that can keep a running inventory of what help is available from every resource in the area, from tiny church operations to large-scale nonprofit agencies to corporate-sponsored programs. That way, when someone in need asks, theyll be given a quick list of every agency that might help, whether its a shuttle service to work, a subsidized place to live, or anything in between.

This is a question of both scale and consolidation, and the city can play a big role in this citywide problem; sizable numbers of the working poor are living in every council district.

a checklist worth checking

The Mayors Task Force on Poverty, launched by Rawlings more than three years ago, has suggested that City Hall assess all major initiatives for their impact on the citys 30,000 working poor. That would be a meaningful step in the right direction.

A low score shouldnt doom any given initiative, but it would focus the citys attention on how its decisions affect folks who often dont have significant influence in City Hall.

transit

For many poor workers, long commutes are more than just inconveniences. They actively reduce the number of jobs they can apply for. Fewer choices means smaller chances of moving out of poverty with a better-paying job.

The city must find ways to convince its suburban partners in DART to expand bus service in Dallas and other cities where its needed.

Expanded by how much? We arent sure. But, then, neither is DART. The agency has never compared side-by-side equal investments in buses and rail to truly figure out where it can most effectively spend its dollars to help the greatest number of people.

A DART train heads across the Trinity River basin toward the Eighth Street station. (Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer)

What if the agency spent $3 billion in sales taxes on stepped-up bus services over the next three decades, as it has planned to spend on the new Cotton Belt rail line? Would it help poor workers significantly? Would it attract more riders than the rail line?

DART should find out.

To be fair, jobs keep moving farther from where most of the low-income workers live. Thats not an easy pattern for any transit agency to keep up with. Most of the citys economic development muscle is aimed at luring jobs attractive to white-collar workers.

But neglecting job opportunities that can help workers move out of poverty threatens to create an uneven and destabilizing growth. Dallas should increase its efforts to lure employers to areas of the city where poor workers live.

The more choices such workers have, the more likely theyll find ways to bolster their incomes.

jobs

Another way for workers to have more choices is for them to become qualified for more jobs. There are a wide array of efforts already in place to help  businesses, nonprofits, community colleges, DISD and the city  and all could be more effective if they better coordinated resources. Here are areas where people who need the help say it would do the most good:

Subsidize the cost of training and schedule training at times and places convenient to the schedules of the working poor.

Help low-income residents obtain the cars they need for jobs and daily life.

Provide more opportunities for low-income youths to obtain classroom training and internships with a corporate partner as a step toward a real job.

education & literacy

Its not just distance that creates a gap between the jobs the working poor want and the ones they can get. Too often, Dallas residents lack the education and skills required.

Overall, Dallas residents lag behind the state and nation when it comes to educational attainment.

This skills barrier is much more acute among the working poor. Many poor workers in Dallas are locked out of poverty-busting jobs simply because they cant speak English well enough to get them. Many foreign-born workers live in Dallas, and while their children learn English just fine in school, too many of the parents never do.

And its not just foreign-born workers, either. In Dallas, many native English speakers have found that a lack of basic reading skills are keeping them poor, too.

The Task Force on Poverty has recommended that more employers create on-site ESL programs, and thats a smart start. Rawlings has suggested that perhaps the city could provide the teachers if employers would agree to count the extra hour workers would stay to learn as work-time, and pay the learners. Its these kinds of smart partnerships that have the potential to cut through a pernicious problem.

Ron Reney, doing a literacy class exercise as he works to improve his reading skills, has gotten help from family and friends but says, I want to make it on my own. (David Woo/Staff Photographer)

We have focused on the working poor, rather than poverty as a whole, because we believe the plight of those who work so hard for so little should convince all Dallas residents  even those who do not come into contact with poverty themselves  to want to help. That desire to help is key, because we are convinced that this problem has solutions.

So we offer these ideas not as an exhaustive catalog of fixes, but rather as a concrete starting point for a city ready to stop talking about poverty and to start addressing it.

We have detailed the need, but its worth recounting: The 30,000 full-time employees living in poverty in Dallas do not endure this poverty alone. About 1 out of every 2 impoverished workers here has a spouse living in poverty with them. Three out of 4 impoverished workers have children at home, who are also in poverty.

For the working poor, not even hard work has been enough to bring them prosperity.

But we earnestly believe it should be enough. If thats not at the heart of the American Dream, then what is?

Housing is getting more expensive for everyone in Dallas  but for the working poor, the problem is magnified. High rents and low wages mean that those families are more likely to spend too much of their income on housing, finding themselves more frequently on the move.

Dallas educational challenges and role as an immigration hub also plays a factor: Poor literacy and the tendency for older immigrants to not quickly learn English greatly limit job choices.

But Dallas need not sit idly by while these factors shape the future of its residents and its economy. The actions it takes now can help the city change the shape of what Mayor Mike Rawlings calls its barbell economy by pushing up some of the poorest workers toward the increasingly narrow band of Dallas middle class.
American filmmaker Martin Scorsese is supporting an international project to preserve African movies.

It is called the African Film Heritage Project. Its goal is to protect the work of Africa's most important directors, and restore some of the films.

The Film Foundation, a nonprofit launched by Scorsese, created the project. According to Scorsese, its goals are similar to the Film Foundations World Cinema Project.

"The idea of the world cinema foundation was to restore and make available as best as possible films made in areas that really don't have the infrastructure, the archival infrastructure to take care of these films and take care of that cultural heritage."

The project will locate, restore, and preserve these films. Many important films from the continent are difficult to find, especially for the average movie viewer.

The Film Foundation is partnering with the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) and UNESCO in this project.

FEPACIs advisory board is identifying 50 films for restoration. The board is made up of archivists, scholars, and filmmakers who are active in Africa. Scorsese says the films are a hidden part of the continent's history.

"Those films were made by Africans, about Africans for Africans, for the world and it is time to take that as another facet of the culture. The creative thinking, the creative action of the entire continent."

Director Yemani Demissie teaches filmmaking at New York University. He says:

"Many African films that were made in the previous century don't have the opportunity to be screened by filmmakers all over the world.

Demissie adds that this project will allow a wider audience to see these films.

Irina Bokova is UNESCO director-general. She says the project will give justice to the African history and encourage creativity among young filmmakers.

Scorsese agrees:

I think it is something that could be very fruitful, for young people who are beginning to make their own films or are making their own films."

In the past ten years, Scorsese's World Cinema Project has helped restore films from Egypt and Senegal as well as from India, Armenia, Brazil, and the Philippines.

Im Phil Dierking.

Arzouma Kompaore reported this story for VOA News. Phil Dierking adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

Are there important films from your country that you think everyone should see? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

archive - n. a place in which public records or historical materials are kept

cinema - n. the film industry

fruitful - adj. producing a good result

infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

preserve - v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

restore - v. to return (something) to an earlier or original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.


Comedian George Carlin is famous for talking about language. He is famous for criticizing indirect or overly pleasant speech. Consider these lines from one of his performances:

"I don't like words that hide the truth. I don't like words that conceal reality. I don't like euphemisms  or euphemistic language. And American English is loaded with euphemisms. Because Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality."

Today we will explore the case of euphemisms  pleasant or nice words that take the place of direct language. We will give you examples of euphemisms, and explain why they are so common.

Direct speech and politeness

In earlier Everyday Grammar stories, we discussed how Americans sometimes choose indirect speech. They consider it to be more polite.

What takes the place of direct speech?

Americans often replace it with creative noun phrases, phrasal verbs, or expressions. These words give the same basic meaning as direct language, but they have a very different style.

Americans often use euphemisms when talking about sensitive topics  death, love, body processes, anything they might not want to speak of directly.

Here is an example.

Consider the noun, alcohol. Alcohol consumption can be a taboo topic in American society. So, some restaurants and stores sell adult beverages instead.

The term adult beverages is a euphemism. It refers to alcohol, but in an indirect manner.

Euphemisms and death

You might think that euphemisms are very informal, or slang. You might think that euphemisms are silly.

But, Americans often use euphemisms when talking about serious issues  death, for one.

Consider the verb die. In euphemistic language, Americans often replace it with the phrasal verb, pass away.

When expressing news about a person's death, Americans might say, "I was sad to hear that so-and-so passed away."

Americans often send condolence cards to those who have lost friends or family. These condolence cards often do not use the verb die. Instead, they use euphemistic or indirect language.

Here is another example. Instead of saying euthanize, or even kill, Americans might say, put to sleep.

Put to sleep sounds much gentler and kinder than euthanize or kill.

Parents often use this structure when a child's beloved pet needs to be euthanized by a veterinarian. The reason they do this is to avoid making the child sadder about the situation.

Food and euphemisms

Euphemisms are not always used to talk about sensitive topics. Sometimes business people create euphemisms to increase sales.

Consider this example.

If you were to ask Americans if they would like to eat Patagonian toothfish, they would probably say no. Toothfish just does not sound like an appealing food to eat.

However, if you were to ask Americans if they would like to eat Chilean sea bass, they might say yes.

The two names refer to the exact same kind of fish.

Ralph Keyes is an author. He wrote "Euphemania," a book about euphemisms.

In an interview with NPR, Keyes noted that "[At] one time, Patagonian toothfish was freely available to anyone because no one wanted to eat ituntil a very clever entrepreneurial sea importer renamed it Chilean sea bass."

Now, you will see Chilean sea bass on menus at expensive restaurants. The lowly toothfish has come a long way!

Euphemisms and style

Euphemisms often make sentences longer. They can also take away clarity  especially in writing.

For these reasons, writing style guides often recommend that writers not use euphemisms or indirect language.

Whether you like euphemisms or not, you should learn some of the common ones. They play a part in American culture  for better or for worse.

The next time you are watching a film, listening to music or reading the news, try to look for euphemistic language. Ask yourself why the speaker or writer might want to use a euphemism instead of direct language.

We will leave you with a euphemism from the 2004 comedy, Anchorman. Actor Will Ferrell is expressing surprise. Instead of using bad or offensive words, he refers to Odin, a character in Norse mythology.

Americans do not use this expression. They rarely refer to Norse mythology. That is part of the humor of the line.

Great Odin's Raven!

I'm Pete Musto.

And I'm John Russell.

John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. When is it right or wrong to use a euphemism? Write to us in the Comments Section.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

conceal  v. to prevent disclosure or recognition of

euphemism  n. a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive

creative  adj. having or showing an ability to make new things or think of new ideas

taboo  adj. not acceptable to talk about or do

sensitive  adj. likely to cause people to become upset

condolence  n. a feeling or expression of sympathy and sadness especially when someone is suffering because of the death of a family member, a friend, etc.

euthanize  v. to kill or permit the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy

veterinarian  n. a person qualified and authorized to practice veterinary medicine

entrepreneurial  adj. a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money

mythology  n. the myths or stories of a particular group or culture
A robot entered a damaged reactor at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant this week to take pictures of the reactor destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The robot, nicknamed 'The Little Sunfish,' is very small  about the size of a loaf of bread. It has lights, five propellers, and two cameras, among other data collection tools.

Toshiba Corp., the electronics and energy company, and the International Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, a government-funded group, developed the Little Sunfish.

Four operators control the Little Sunfish from afar. It is designed to tolerate radiation of up to 200 sieverts, a level that can kill humans instantly.

Robots are important for decommissioning the plant

Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is the plant's operator. TEPCO spokesman Takahiro Kimoto praised the robot's work, saying it took pictures of the underwater damage that had not been previously seen. However, the pictures showed no sign of the melted nuclear fuel that researchers hope to find, he said.

Robots are a key part of the plan to decommission the damaged plant. However, high levels of radiation and damage have stopped robots from doing their work in the past.

In previous tests, two robots became stuck inside two of the plant's other reactors.

A scorpion-shaped robot failed inside the plants Unit 2 reactor. A snake-shaped robot designed to clear debris for the scorpion probe was removed after two hours when its cameras failed. The cameras failed because radiation levels were five times higher than anticipated.

Kimoto said the Little Sunfish showed that the Unit 3 reactor chamber was clearly more severely damaged than Unit 2, which was explored by the scorpion probe.

Scientists need to know the melted fuels exact location and understand the damage in each of the three wrecked reactors. This information will help them to decide on the safest and most efficient ways to remove the fuel.

Japanese officials say they want to decide on methods for removing the melted nuclear fuel this summer. They hope to start the removal work in 2021.

I'm John Russell.

The Associated Press reported this story. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

reactor  n. a large device that produces nuclear energy

propeller  n. a device with two or more blades that turn quickly and cause a ship or aircraft to move

decommission  v. to officially stop using (a ship, weapon, dam, etc.) : to remove (something) from service

sievert  n. physics the standard unit in the International System of Units (SI) of dose equivalent having the same biological effect as one joule of x-rays per kilogram of recipient mass (or one gray)

efficient  adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy
Intel hasnt announced a firm launch date for its 8th-gen Core chips yet, but last wed heard they were on schedule to hit the streets by the end of the year. And its looking more and more likely that well see the first laptops with Intel Coffee Lake chips unveiled this fall at the IFA trade show in Germany, if not sooner.

Earlier this week specs for an upcoming Acer laptop with a Core i5-8250U processor were leaked. Now Notebook Italia has uncovered specs for an upcoming Lenovo Yoga 920 convertible laptop with support for either that chip or a more powerful Core i7-8550U processor.

The Yoga 920, which showed up recently at the FCC website, would be the latest member of Lenovos Yoga 900 series of high-end convertibles. In addition to the next-gen processor, its expected to to have an active digitizer with support for digital pen input, a fingerprint reader, support for up to a 3840 x 2160 pixel display, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of solid state storage.

The notebook has a 13.9 inch display, JBL speakers, two USB Type-C ports, and a charger that plugs into one of those ports.

Its likely that an entry-level model will have just 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 1920 x 1080 pixel display, much like the current-gen Lenovo Yoga 910, which sells for $1199 and up. In fact, if Notebook Italias report is accurate it looks like the new model is a pretty modest update to the Yoga 910, with the new CPU options being the most noteworthy change.
The Saudi-led coalition stopped a UN flight to fly from Djibouti to Sanaa, Yemen, because of security concerns. The flight was to carry an aid agency staff to the rebel-controlled city and also had three journalists from the BBC onboard.

Ahmed Ben Lassoued, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen, revealed that the reasons forwarded by the coalition was that the security of the journalists could not be guaranteed in Sanaa and also advised the three journalists to travel on commercial flights.

The Saudi-led coalition controls the Yemeni airspace. A source from the coalition said the UN is not concerned with transporting journalists, except those who are coming to cover its own activities. The source also added the official point of entry for civilians is the Aden airport, under the control of the Hadi-led government.

It is unclear if the journalists had visas or not but the source underlined that foreigners must have visas issued by the Yemeni government and travel on commercial flights to Aden.

OCHA spokesman Lassoued thinks that such unfortunate measures partially explain why one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises, is not getting enough attention in international media.

The Saudi-led coalition began its military operations in March 2015 with the objective of reinstating Hadi as the legitimate president of the country. Progress on the ground has been slow since mid-2016 amid increasing hunger, poverty, disease, and lack of basic amenities. A recent cholera outbreak has worsened the situation.

Lassoued lamented that the lack of coverage is also hindering humanitarian efforts to draw the attention of the international community and donors to the humanitarian catastrophe the country is experiencing.

However, a statement released by the Hadi government and published by Saudi Press Agency alleged that the rebels are using the visit as a cover-up of their efforts in propagating their destructive project through humanitarian stories, manipulating catastrophic conditions of the Yemeni people living under difficult conditions and western media finds fatty stories to present to its audience. It also urged journalists to refrain from being used as propaganda tools by the rebel group.
Offering $100 to patients eligible for a preventive colonoscopy screening more than doubled the rate of screening when compared to a simple emailed request, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Screening colonoscopies improve the chance of early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer, but tens of millions of Americans who should have preventive screenings fail to get them. The new study, published this week in Gastroenterology, suggests that a simple financial incentive may be able to persuade many of those holdouts to undergo this important medical procedure.

"Colonoscopy is challenging for patients, requiring a day off from work, a bowel cleansing preparation, and transportation, in addition to non-financial costs of anxiety and discomfort," said lead author Shivan J. Mehta, MD, an assistant professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine and associate chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine. "The improvement we saw in the rate of screening colonoscopies was statistically significant, and shows for the first time that a financial incentive can at least modestly boost that rate."

Colorectal cancers kill more than 50,000 people in the US every year - second only to lung cancers - despite the fact that the vast majority of potential colorectal tumors can be detected via colonoscopy and removed easily, usually at the precancerous stage. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended screening colonoscopies every 10 years until the age of 75, for most healthy adults starting at age 50, and for adults with a strong family history of colorectal cancer starting earlier. Studies suggest that from one-third to more than one-half of eligible people fail to get screening colonoscopies.

The new study included 2,245 people between 50 and 64 years old. Following a behavioral economics technique called active choice, Mehta and colleagues sent an email to one subset of participants asking that they actively opt in or opt out of a screening colonoscopy. To another subset, the researchers sent an email with the same active choice message plus an inducement of $100 cash for a colonoscopy completed within three months. To a third group, the control group, the researchers sent an email with just a phone number for scheduling a screening colonoscopy.

Only 1.6 percent of the control group and 1.5 percent of the simple active choice group ended up receiving a screening colonoscopy within three months, compared to 3.7 percent of the group that was offered the $100 inducement. The rate of appointment scheduling was also more than double in the $100-inducement group (4.8 percent) compared to the control and active choice groups (2.1 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively).

Providing people with financial incentives to adopt healthier behaviors or follow medical guidelines is already becoming a standard practice among insurers and employers. Such incentives have been proven effective in some cases, for example in persuading people to cut back on smoking, to take their medications, and to lose weight.

Researchers have found it harder to persuade people to undergo colorectal cancer screening. For example, the Affordable Care Act of 2009 eliminated patient cost sharing for colonoscopies and other colorectal cancer screening procedures - up to a $500 value for some people - but did not lead to a wider adoption of these procedures.

The effectiveness of the inducement used in this study, he suggested, may have come from the relatively large amount of money offered as a cash reward, and the fact that it was offered along with easy access to scheduling for the procedure.

"Although a $100 incentive seems relatively large, this amount is comparable to what employers already offer for completion of health risk assessments or biometric screening activities," said Mehta, who also works with teams in Penn's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and the Center for Health Care Innovation, to lead research looking at how health care systems can leverage behavioral economics, care redesign, and information technology to improve population health. "Based on the results, the approach could be applied by employers or insurers to improve existing efforts to reduce the burden of colorectal cancer."

More information: Shivan J. Mehta et al. Active Choice and Financial Incentives to Increase Rates of Screening Colonoscopya Randomized Controlled Trial, Gastroenterology (2017). Journal information: Gastroenterology Shivan J. Mehta et al. Active Choice and Financial Incentives to Increase Rates of Screening Colonoscopya Randomized Controlled Trial,(2017). DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.07.015
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

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 study's primary aim was to assess Hollywood's progress in keeping "tobacco incidents" out of the movies most likely to be seen by America's 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.

A group called Breathe California in Sacramento keeps track of tobacco incidents in all movies that spend at least one week among the nation's top 10 highest-grossing films. At least two raters assess each movie, and their findings are collected in a database that's 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 percent of movies with youth-friendly ratings had at least one tobacco incident. By 2016, that figure had dropped to 26 percent, 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 percent 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 percent in 2010 to 35 percent 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 percent 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 percent, to 34 incidents.

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 Association 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 percent 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 aren't giving subsidies to movies that include 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 they'll 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 CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

2017 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Using genome-wide association studies, researchers are identifying more and more genes associated with psychiatric disorders. However, these studies do not take into account the influence of the environment, which also plays an important role in the risk for developing psychiatric disorders. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich were interested in the interaction between the environment and genes, they examined how such a candidate gene identified by genome-wide studies interacts with stress.

Neurobiologist Jan Deussing develops together with his team at the Max Planck Institute mouse models in order to learn more about molecular mechanisms relevant for this kind of interaction. Elisabeth Binder, neuroscientist and physician, investigates together with her research group the interaction between genes and the environment in humans. The scientists brought together their basic and translational research skills for this study.

They used the so called CACNA1C-gene, which seems to be connected to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and to a lesser extent, major depressive disorder and autism. First, the researchers developed a mouse model where the mice are born without the CACNA1C-gene. They found these mice have many features that are often seen in psychiatric disorders, like cognitive decline, reduced sociability, hyperactivity and increased anxiety. In addition, the animals were more susceptible to stress. Interestingly, when the scientists deleted the same gene in adult mice, they found the opposite happened.

The research group of institutes director Binder then looked at humans and found that CACNA1C significantly interacts with adverse life events to alter the risk of developing symptoms of psychiatric disorders. "This study shows the impact of the interaction of genes and the environment for our understanding of psychiatric disorders", says Martin Keck, head of physician and head of the clinic of Max Planck Institute.

More information: N Dedic et al. Cross-disorder risk gene CACNA1C differentially modulates susceptibility to psychiatric disorders during development and adulthood, Molecular Psychiatry (2017). Journal information: Molecular Psychiatry N Dedic et al. Cross-disorder risk gene CACNA1C differentially modulates susceptibility to psychiatric disorders during development and adulthood,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.133
Concern over the rise in use of super potent cannabis. Credit: University of Queensland

University of Queensland researchers are concerned the recent legalisation of medicinal cannabis in Australia may give rise to super-potent cannabis concentrates with associated harmful effects.

UQ Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research's Dr Gary Chan, who led the butane hash oil study, said a significant proportion of cannabis users used the concentrate.

"Butane hash oil is a cannabis concentrate that is over 10 times more potent than herbal cannabis," Dr Chan said.

"Although users were more likely to report medical use, the use of butane hash oil was associated with high levels of depression, anxiety disorder and other illicit substance use. These results were consistent globally."

The research was based on data from the Global Drug Survey, the world's largest drug survey that collects data about drug users.

The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of butane hash oil can be as high as 80 per cent. In comparison, the THC content in herbal cannabis is approximately 9-15 per cent, depending on the method of cultivation.

Butane hash oil is produced by solvent extraction (maceration, infusion or percolation) of marijuana or hashish.

After filtering and evaporating the solvent, a sticky resinous dark liquid with a strong herbal odour remains.

Dr Chan said there had been a rise of butane hash oil use in the United States, and considered it to be an unexpected by-product of cannabis legalisation.

"The production and promotion of hyper-potent cannabis concentrates with 70 to 80 per cent THC now account for 20 per cent of the markets in Washington and Colorado, and use of these hyper-potent products seem to be gaining popularity in Canada," he said.

"Given that Australia has recently legalised medical cannabis use, surveillance needs to take note of any rise in the use of concentrates because it can be produced with relatively simple equipment that is easily accessible.

"However, at this stage there is no evidence for medical use of butane hash oil for any health condition."

More information: Gary C.K. Chan et al. User characteristics and effect profile of Butane Hash Oil: An extremely high-potency cannabis concentrate, Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2017). Journal information: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Gary C.K. Chan et al. User characteristics and effect profile of Butane Hash Oil: An extremely high-potency cannabis concentrate,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.04.014
Scientists discover a new way to treat type 2 diabetes . Credit: University of Aberdeen

Medication currently being used to treat obesity is also proving to have significant health benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes. A new study published today in Molecular Metabolism explains how this therapeutic benefit for type 2 diabetes is achieved by acting in our brain.

Scientists from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute, in collaboration with teams from the Universities of Cambridge and Michigan, have discovered that the medication Lorcaserin acts in the brain to improve type 2 diabetes by modifying the activity of neurones that help to regulate blood glucose levels.

Lorcaserin is prescribed to help patients lose weight and works by regulating how hungry we feel. However, researchers have discovered that as well as doing this, the drug can also reduce glucose levels in the body and increase the body's cells sensitivity to insulin. When the body fails to produce enough insulin or the body's cells fail to react to insulin this leads to Type 2 diabetes meaning that glucose remains in the blood rather than being used as fuel for energy.

Professor Lora Heisler, who is leading the Aberdeen team, explains: "Current medications for type 2 diabetes improve symptoms of this disease by acting in the body. We have discovered that this obesity drug, lorcaserin, acts in the brain to improve type 2 diabetes.

"Lorcaserin targets important brain hormones called pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides, which are responsible for regulating appetite. So as well as sending messages telling us we are full and no longer need to eat, leading to weight loss, the POMC hormones also activate a different brain circuit that helps keep our blood glucose in check.

"This discovery is important because type 2 diabetes is an incredibly prevalent disease in the modern world and new treatment choices are needed."

The leader of the Cambridge research team Dr Mark Evans added: "Of course, more research is needed, but these promising findings provide a completely new direction for type 2 diabetes drug treatment, which may offer hope to individuals struggling with this disease."

More information: Luke K. Burke et al. Lorcaserin improves glycemic control via a melanocortin neurocircuit, Molecular Metabolism (2017). Luke K. Burke et al. Lorcaserin improves glycemic control via a melanocortin neurocircuit,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2017.07.004
Credit: Cancer Research UK

The Department of Health has published its long-awaited Tobacco Control Plan for England .

The plan aims to create a "smokefree generation" by reducing smoking rates through prevention and helping smokers to quit.

While welcoming the plan's publication and aims, campaigners were quick to point out a lack of clear targets and issues around funding.

"Cuts to public health budgets have left local authorities in a very difficult position and struggling to deliver the necessary stop smoking services," said Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK's director of prevention. "It is worrying that this was not addressed at all in the plan.

"We want to see the government commit to a timeline for getting smokers down to just five per cent of the population, and to ensure every socioeconomic group is targeted to achieve this aim."

While no date is set, the plan's ambition is to reduce smoking prevalence to below 5 in 100 people. If this was achieved by 2035, the NHS could save 67million per year, avoiding 97,500 new cases of smoking-related disease, including 35,900 cancers over 20 years.

"The sustainability of the NHS is at stake if demand - caused by preventable factors like smoking - isn't reduced," Cox added.

The plan includes aims to reduce smoking by 2022 among certain groups, from today's figure of 16 in 100 adults to 12 in 100, and from 8 in 100 young people who smoke to 3 in 100.

Cox also welcomed the government's commitment to tackle the health inequalities caused by smoking.

The plan aims to reduce smoking levels in pregnant women to 6 in 100 from around 11 in 100. For the first time the government has also set out priorities for reducing smoking in people with mental health conditions.

Four in 10 adults with a serious mental health condition are smokers and it is estimated that around 1 in 3 cigarettes are smoked by someone with a mental health condition.

The plan addresses the potential for e-cigarettes to help smokers quit, saying "the evidence is increasingly clear that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than smoking tobacco." The plan pledges to monitor the impact of regulation and policy, assess the latest research, and provide clear public guidance.

"There are great gains to be made if we can continue to drive down smoking rates," said Cox. "Fewer smokers mean fewer cancers, and fewer lives devastated by tobacco. Improving the health of the nation will benefit everyone, including smokers and their families, as well as our health service."

The plan describes Stop Smoking Services as "highly cost-effective" saying they offer smokers "the best chance of quitting". But funding for public health has been drastically cut in recent years, and figures from Cancer Research UK show that as a result, Stop Smoking Service budgets are being cut in almost 60% of local authorities and shut entirely in many places.

Also mentioned is the positive effect of mass media campaigns in promoting public health messages, though funding promised for this is around 10 times lower than recommended by the US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Local authorities have had large cuts to budgets in recent years and their central government-funded public health grant will be withdrawn in 2021. It is unclear what funding will replace the public health grant, as a proposal to use local business taxes has not been reintroduced under the new government and no funding mechanism has been announced in the plan.

As implementation of much of the plan will fall to local services, Cox called for more backing to help them.

"Cuts to the public health grant must be halted and councils given the funding they need to deliver vital support to help more smokers quit," she said.

More information: Towards a smoke-free generation: tobacco control plan for England. Towards a smoke-free generation: tobacco control plan for England. www.gov.uk/government/publicat  rol-plan-for-england
The Competition Commission will officially launch an investigation into why data costs are so high across South Africas big four networks.

According to a report by BusinessDay, economic development minister Ebrahim Patel has confirmed that a market inquiry into the state of competition in the data market and the inquirys terms of reference would be announced by 1 September 2017.

The commission will reportedly focus on how South African data prices benchmark internationally, how accessible data services are to the public, and whether the market could be made into a more competitive and inclusive environment.

Patel said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by the DAs economic development spokesman, Michael Cardo, that much evidence suggested South African data costs were higher than they could be. This constituted an impediment to economic productivity.

As a result, Patel urged data suppliers not to await the inquirys outcome but to reduce data costs on their own accord as soon as possible.

Earlier in July, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) also announced that it would be holding an inquiry to determine the priority markets in the electronic communications sector.

According to ICASA, the report would form part of a number of initiatives it is implementing to address the high cost of communication in South Africa, including the cost of data.

This article first appeared on BusinessTech and is used with permission.

Now read: Treasury sets new spectrum deadline for South Africa
While its misguided to start hailing technology as the silver bullet to the plethora of challenges faced by South African education  particularly when many schools lack basic amenities like electricity  there is a growing hope in techs potential to bridge many of the holes within our compromised system.

This is according to Alan Goldberg, Director of Education at Digicape, an Apple Premium Reseller.

Goldberg was one of the first certified Apple trainers in South Africa, and his mandate at Digicape is to assist institutions in offering learners a richer, more personalised learning experience through the use of Apple technology.

Despite South Africa having one of the highest budget allocations for education in the world (around 20% of total government expenditure), the South African education system is still chronically over-burdened and under-resourced, and its not just the case in South Africa.

All across the world governments are finding that their education systems lack infrastructure, and are not meeting the demands of these exponentially increasing populations, explains Goldberg.

Technology is being sought to expand the educational curricula at all levels of schooling, and service larger classrooms.

However, without the guidance of a skilled educator, technology in itself is redundant. If an engaged teacher facilitates and guides the learning process, the full power of technology can be harnessed to truly transform the education experience, he adds.

Goldberg refers to Dr Ruben Puenteduras SAMR model, which is designed to help educators infuse technology into learning. SAMR is an acronym of Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition, four fundamental aspects of incorporating technology into education.

The first two elements, Substitution and Augmentation, focus on enhancing the learning process, while Modification and Redefinition are concerned with transformation. The model emphasises the need for a continuum of learning through the use of technology, learning is no longer restricted to just the classroom  all locations become a space of learning, resulting in an immersive learning experience.

And theres no denying that transformation is desperately needed, given our local context.

If you set aside a host of other challenges for a moment  including the lack of amenities and misuse of resources  one of the core challenges identified is that many South African teachers do not have the basic pedagogic and content knowledge required to impart much-needed skills, due to a lack of investment in teacher training. This is where technology can bridge certain gaps, explains Goldberg.

On a practical level, the concept of connected classrooms allows a privileged school to connect with one in a rural area through an iPad, and share the learning experience.

In addition, given South Africas history and socio-economic context, the disparity in aptitude among students is vast. Goldberg sees technology as the great equalizer: Technology allows for the learning process to be tailored by the educator to accommodate each students academic strengths and weaknesses, interests and motivations, and pace of learning.

Most importantly, technology provides the child with greater agency, meaning they self-motivated students are able to process information for themselves, and seek their own solutions to problems.

It is essential that effective programmes are put in place which facilitate student access and support teacher training. If teachers lack confidence when using technology, this will lead to resistance in its adoption. Many organisations, such as Digicape, offer teacher training programmes, so that educators can feel more confident utilising new technology and guiding students in its use, says Goldberg,

In a nutshell, for the potential of technology in South Africa to be fully realised, the state and education system need to formally buy in to its potential and invest in teacher training programmes. Adequate funding for its adoption and advancement in schools  starting with those whose students are primarily from previously disadvantaged backgrounds  needs to be allocated. It also requires effective safeguarding of devices, particularly in communities prone to crime.

We, at Digicape, have a strong focus on education as we believe that it holds the key to levelling the playing field for students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, and across the full socio-economic spectrum, provided there is an equipped educator leading the learning process, concludes Goldberg.

For more information visit the Digicape website.
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Biden and Jinping meet on sidelines of G20 summit in Bali to be held on November 14
YEREVAN.  Armenia has not been directly affected by the recent executive order on issuing visas that was introduced by the White House in January 2017.

The process of issuing visas goes as usual, with interviews being granted for both the Armenian and Iranian nationals at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, one of four designated processing posts for the Iranian nationals.

Overall, 2,402 Armenian citizens got immigrant visas in Fiscal year 2016. The number of non-immigrant visas issued to Armenian citizens in the same period reached 13,875, according to statistics on the U.S. State Department website.

The U.S. administration recently proposed new measures to check eligibility of visa applicants. Under the new procedures, U.S. consular officials are able to request the five-year history of social media handles, email addresses and other information, if needed to judge a visa applicants eligibility.

Right now, we only collect additional information from visa applicants if additional administrative processing is required. If an Armenian national applies for a visa and does not require any additional administrative processing, we process them, as we always have, Consular Chief at U.S. Embassy Erin Eussen told Armenian News-NEWS.am

The Embassy said when it determines that additional administrative processing is required, it requests additional information to help facilitate legitimate travel to U.S.

It is important to keep in mind that we look at each applicant as an individual applicant, as an individual case. We establish that applicants eligibility for the visa based on the information he/she has provided during the visa interview. Once we determine they are qualified for the visa, thats when we go into possibly needing some administrative processing. We consider the need for further information on case-by-case basis. This does not depend on nationality, national origin, gender, race, religion, the Consular Chief explained, adding that additional information is used to ensure U.S. security and facilitate the entry of legitimate travelers.

In general, entering the U.S. is a two-step process. If a visa is issued by the embassy, this does not mean a person will be able to enter the United States. There is a second step, at the U.S. border, where the traveler talks to an immigration official and requests approval to physically enter the United States.

Even with the recent changes, the Embassy said there are still many Iranians -- especially students and those who have bona relationships with individuals in the U.S., schools, or businesses -- who are applying for and receiving visas from the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.
YEREVAN. - The prosecutor in the case on neutralizing an armed group in Yerevan read the indictment at the session of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash districts on Friday.

According to the conclusion, former Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Vahan Shirkhanyan got acquainted with Artur Vardanyan and advised the latter to refrain from attacking governmental buildings during the actions aimed at power change. He mentioned the assault on the President as one of the possible options. Shikhanyan also committed himself to ensuring the participation of the army or ensure its neutrality in those processes.

Artur Vardanyan also got acquainted with representative of Homeland and Honor Party Garnik Margaryan, who stated that the only way out was the armed uprising, and went on to introduce the former with his military friends Vladimir Arakelyan and Khachik Avetisyan.

The members of the armed group also discussed the possibility of downing the presidents jet during the flight but no specific steps were taken in that direction.

The armed group was preparing attacks on the buildings of the Armenian Presidents residence, Parliament, Constitutional Court, Government, and Public Television of Armenia.

During Fridays session, attorney of defendant Hrachya Saribekyan, Ruzanna Siirekanyan, and attorney of defendant Artur Vardanyan, Sirush Aghvanyan, made motions on changing the precautionary measure of arrest in regard to their clients, which the court denied.

33 persons were involved as part of the investigation. They were charged with creating a criminal gang and participating in an illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition.
YEREVAN.  A team of Kansas National Guardsmen is in the Republic of Armenia to train Armenian firefighters in first aid, life-saving techniques, and hazardous material awareness, recognition and response.

The Kansas Guardsmen are joined by soldiers from the United Kingdoms Royal Army Medical Corps, and members of the British Armys 6th Rifles Battalion. Together, they will conduct training through July 28 at six fire rescue stations across the Shirak Marz.

This military-to-humanitarian outreach event is the first-of-its-kind in the 14-year partnership between Armenia and the Kansas National Guard, part of the National Guard Bureaus State Partnership Program.

This exchange is the continuation of our strong and vibrant relationship between the Kansas National Guard and Armenia, said U.S. Air Force Maj. Donald Harper, a Kansas National Guard Airman who serves as the bilateral affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. The Armenians, British Medics and CBRN soldiers, and Kansas Guardsmen all stand to benefit from this peer-to-peer exchange of experience.

Harper said the primary goals of this exchange are to strengthen relationships between the Ministry of Emergency Situations and fire rescue stations. It will also improve Armenian firefighters capabilities to provide basic first-aid and improve their responses to any hazardous material incidents.

The exchange will help the fire departments develop their medical skills, a responsibility recently assigned to them by the Ministry. These added capabilities will complement other local and national first responder agencies. Because the fire rescue stations are assuming new responsibilities, the Kansas National Guard is also providing each station with a package of basic medical and first aid supplies.

This exchange provides a chance for the Kansas Guardsmen and RAMC soldiers to share their knowledge, broaden their worldview, and improve their team-building, instruction and presentation skills.

The multi-national training exchange will culminate with a capstone exercise on July 28 which will showcase the skills Armenian firefighters learned during the 10 days.
YEREVAN. - Armenia is a country, which exports international security.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Ashotyan told the aforementioned at the meeting with US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills on Friday.

Armen Ashotyan highly appreciated the bilateral relations, including at the inter-parliamentary level, the press service of the Armenian National Assembly informed Armenian News  NEWS.am. In this context, Armen Ashotyan highlighted the efficient cooperation between the relevant committees of the two countries parliaments and the intensification of the contacts between the parliamentary Friendship Groups.

Ambassador Mills, for his part, congratulated Armen Ashotyan on being elected in the post of the Committee Chairman and underscored the need for deepening the inter-parliamentary cooperation.

According to Ambassador Mills, the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations is one of the key structures of the parliamentary diplomacy. He also noted that they expect to continue the already formed partnership with the Committee, which is now under Ashotyans skilful leadership, together with new members, who replenished the committee, recording new achievements in strengthening the bilateral relations.

At the meeting the sides also touched on the formation of the Analytical Council Working Group set up upon the initiative of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and the objectives of its activity. In this context, the possible directions of cooperation with the US Embassy to Armenia were discussed.

Apart from this, the sides referred to the regional problems. They attached importance to ensuring stability and security in the region and the peaceful settlement of the existing conflicts. In this context, Armen Ashotyan referred to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, highlighting the peaceful solution of the issue and insurance of stability and security in the region. He also highly appreciated the role of the US in this issue as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country. Ashotyan stressed that Armenia expects a more targeted position from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Referring to the directions of cooperation between the two countries, the Ambassador underscored the strength of the Armenian-US relations.

At the end of the meeting, the sides also talked about the plans for further cooperation.
YEREVAN. - The family of Armenian driver Hrachya Harutyunyan, who was convicted of causing a major traffic accident in Russia that killed 18 people, is going to lodge a clemency request with President Serzh Sargsyan.

Harutyunyans wife, Anahit Harutyunyan, told the aforementioned to Armenian News  NEWS.am.

Hrachya Harutyunyan was extradited to Armenia on Thursday. The convicts family members have not yet seen him.

We should write an application to Serzh Sargsyan requesting to release Hrachya. Lets see whether he will accept the request or not. We think he will not refuse: Hrachya has served his punishment for four years. We hope he will be allowed to return home, Harutyunyan said.

According to her, her husband has a number of health issues. He has spine issues. He has also developed diabetes from fear. His heartHrachya says he takes medicines every day and underwent treatment there for one month, but everything has recurred.

Harutyunyan also noted that during these days she didnt manage to visit her husband at least once.

Armenian driver Hrachya Harutyunyan was extradited to Armenia on July 20.

He will serve the remaining sentence in Armenia according to the procedures envisaged by the 1983 convention on the transfer of sentenced persons.

Hrachya Harutyunyan had pleaded guilty to causing a major traffic accident in Russia. The truck he was driving had crashed into a passenger bus in July 2013, killing 18 and injuring 40 people. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.
Facebook Inc's (FB) - Get Free Report Campbell Brown says the world's largest social media platform has heard the cries of news publishers, and it's taking action.

A week after publishers asked Congress for an anti-trust exemption to negotiate collectively with large platforms, specifically Facebook and Alphabet's Google (GOOGL) - Get Free Report , Brown, the head of the company's news partnerships, said Facebook will launch a subscription-based news product with initial tests beginning in October.

The feature appears to be built on top of Facebook's Instant Articles, which aggregates stories from hundreds of publishers based on a reader's interests and preferences. In addition to steering readers to a publisher's home page to consider taking out a digital subscription, Facebook plans to erect a paywall which would require readers to become subscribers of the platform after they'd accessed 10 articles, Brown said.

"One of the things we heard in our initial meetings from many newspapers and digital publishers is that 'we want a subscription product -- we want to be able to see a paywall in Facebook,'" Brown said at the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit, an industry conference, in New York City on July 18. "And that is something we're doing now. We are launching a subscription product."

The paywall idea is based on premium and metered plans and has been in the works for a while, Brown said. It's aimed at appeasing news organizations which had complained that they had little control over how their stories were being exhibited on Facebook. The News Media Alliance, which petitioned Congress, charges that Facebook and Google benefit from the work of hundreds of newspapers without fairly compensating publishers.

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"The problem is that today's internet distribution systems distort the flow of economic value derived from good reporting," David Chavern, president and chief executive of the News Media Alliance, which represents 2,000 newspapers and digital publishers in the U.S. and Canada, wrote in a July 10 column in The Wall Street Journal. "They expect an economically squeezed news industry to do that costly work for them. The only way publishers can address this inexorable threat is by banding together."

A month ago, the Journal reported that Facebook was working on a feature that would allow users to subscribe to a publication directly from its mobile app. The feature would apply only to those stories published to Facebook through its Instant Articles product, which exists within the platform.

Brown didn't comment on whether Facebook would share in payments for a news paywall product.

The steps come six months after Facebook hired Brown, a former NBC News correspondent and charter school advocate, amid concerns about the politically-driven planting of false news reports on Facebook pages. Brown said Facebook isn't against publishers joining forces, but that it preferred to work with individual newspapers and web sites.

"Our preference is always going to be to work in partnership with publishers, and not be the opponent in this effort," she said. "Having come from this world, they're really competitive with each other and in the problems were facing, there's a lot of overlap. Working on this collaboratively and having seen publishers come together on this is not necessarily a bad thing."

Facebook shares rose 0.2% to $164.54 on Thursday in postmarket trading.

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Analysis of natural sparkling mineral water has given scientists valuable clues on how to locate hot water springs - potential sources of sustainable, clean energy.

Studies at naturally carbonated springs have shown how oxygen in the water comes to have a distinctive chemical fingerprint.

Research showed that this fingerprint is influenced by the presence of carbon dioxide gas - and not by heat from below the Earth's surface, as was previously thought.

The finding may help scientists narrow their search for sites where geothermal energy - heat generated and stored in the Earth - could be sustainably recovered.

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh analysed water from naturally carbonated springs in Daylesford, Australia, and Pah Tempe in Utah, US.

The team used computers to model the interactions between the water and surrounding rocks, based on measurements of water samples from the sites. Their findings eliminated the possibility that minerals from the rocks affected the oxygen in the water. Instead, they showed that CO 2 gas must be influencing the oxygen's composition.

The study, published in Applied Geochemistry, was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Australian research organisation CO2CRC.

Ruta Karolyte, of the School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "The oxygen fingerprint of spring waters has long been used to estimate the depth of the water's source. Our new finding, that the mixing of natural CO 2 with water changes its oxygen fingerprint, means that many sparkling spring waters previously thought to be originating from very deep in the Earth's crust actually only have this fingerprint because of mixing with CO 2 ."

Dr Stuart Gilfillan, of the School of GeoSciences, who co-ordinated the study, said "This finding changes how we can use the oxygen fingerprints of natural spring waters to identify potential geothermal resources. Estimates of how much heat a sparkling water spring has been exposed to should take into account the effect of CO 2 ."
A protein with disordered regions shown in red and numbered. The disordered regions are far more flexible than the blue, structured regions. Credit: Virginia Commonwealth University

Proteins are the building blocks of life and biological agents. They are drivers of growth and development and the spread of viruses and bacteria, and have key roles in disease pathways and virtually all cellular functions. As scientists gain knowledge about proteins, the mechanisms behind biological mysteries are revealed.

To help shed light on the workings of proteins, Virginia Commonwealth University researcher Lukasz Kurgan, Ph.D., vice chair of the Computer Science Department in the School of Engineering, has developed a series of bioinformatics programs to assist biologists in developing insights into the functions of intrinsically disordered proteins. This group of proteins lacks a fixed structure, which means they are totally or partially flexible and amorphous.

Over the last several decades, scientists have sequenced 85 million unique proteins, structured and unstructured alike, but still don't know what the vast majority of these proteins do. As more proteins are discovered, more sophisticated computer programs must be developed to help determine their functions.

"We have manually curated but understand less than 1 percent of these proteins, and right now there's over 80 million to solve," said Kurgan, a Qimonda-endowed professor and data scientist. "A program can solve these proteins faster than a single human and can help researchers speed up hypothesis generation."

Solving the puzzle

Determining a protein's function becomes even more challenging when a protein is completely or partially disordered. When a protein does have a defined structure, researchers use prior knowledge and bioinformatics programs to first decipher that structure, which then helps determine function. If the protein is disordered, biologists turn to programs built by Kurgan and other computer scientists that use predictive models to generate workable hypotheses on the protein's function.

Since 2008, Kurgan has developed four programs for this purpose. This spring, his team was awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop subsequent programs. So far, Kurgan's programs have more than 7,000 users from more than 1,300 cities in 96 countries.

Kurgan has also developed six programs that determine whether a protein is disordered or not. In 2012, his MFDp program was ranked third out of 28 participants in the biannual worldwide CASP10 experiment, which evaluates the effectiveness of computer and human predictors of intrinsic disorder. In 2014, Kurgan's lab released DisoRDPbind, the first program to predict multiple functions of intrinsically disordered proteins.

Kurgan's programs use existing collections of data on proteins whose functions have been determined to build predictive models to map the functions of unknown intrinsically disordered proteins.

"The details are not easy. Building these models takes a little bit of art, theory and experience," Kurgan said.

New ideas for disorder

It is a commonly accepted fact among scientists that disordered proteins, similar to their structured counterparts, have essential functions. This assertion was at first met with disbelief, as is initially common with many scientific discoveries.

"About 30 years ago, when disordered proteins were discovered, there were a lot of deniers. Some people said that this is just noise in the protein structures," Kurgan said. "Now, disorder as a mechanism of biology is an accepted fact. Just because a protein has no defined structure, doesn't mean it's useless. It just works in a different way."

Now, deciphering disorder is a collaborative effort in the scientific community, and various programs from multiple entities come together to provide different approaches to determine the functions of disordered proteins. Kurgan has worked with researchers from the University of South Florida, Indiana University, and Tianjin and Nankai Universities in China, on a study that used his programs to discover the incidence of intrinsic disorder in close to 1,000 species from all kingdoms of life. Several other collaborative studies have focused on the functional roles of intrinsic disorder in HIV, Hepatitis C and Dengue viruses.

"Collectively we can push the boundaries of what is being done," Kurgan said. "It's not based on the efforts of one specific researcher or group. Collectively we help each other."
A British man admitted in a German court to staging a large-scale cyber attack on Deutsche Telekom last year, saying he was acting for a Liberian client

A British man admitted in a German court Friday to staging a large-scale cyber attack on Deutsche Telekom last year, saying he was acting for a Liberian client.

The 29-year-old described as "the worst mistake of my life" the attack that knocked more than a million German households offline in November and added his motivation was money.

The defendant, who was not named, was arrested in February at London's Luton airport on a European arrest warrant for attempted computer sabotage and extradited to Germany.

German police said the goal was to infect users' computers with a "botnet"a network of web-connected machines that can be manipulated with malware and used to attack other online targets.

The Briton told the court he was paid $10,000 (about 8,500 euros) by a Liberian telecom company which wanted to use the botnet to damage a rival company.

He said he had taught himself IT skills and attended a few programming courses, testifying with the help of a translator.

The verdict was expected on Friday, July 28. If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years' jail in Germany.

Around a million of Deutsche Telekom's 20 million customers were unable to connect to its network for several hours last November.

The attack, which the company said caused about two million euros of damage, ended when it advised customers to disconnect their routers and restart them after a software update.

The large-scale strike fuelled concerns over cyber security in Germany and officials have warned that more online assaults are possible ahead of a general election in September.

The country has already been the victim of repeated hacking attacks in recent years.

In 2015, hackers targeted Germany's lower house of parliament in an attack that security services have since blamed on Russia.

Germany has also anxiously eyed the impact of leaked documents obtained by hackers during last year's US presidential campaign.

 2017 AFP
A web that passes through infinite intergalactic spaces, a dense cosmic forest illuminated by very distant lights and a huge enigma to solve. These are the picturesque ingredients of a scientific research - carried out by an international team composed of researchers from the International School for Adavnced Studies (SISSA) and the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, the Institute of Astronomy of Cambridge and the University of Washington - that adds an important element for understanding one of the fundamental components of our Universe: the dark matter.

In order to study its properties, scientists analyzed the interaction of the "cosmic web" - a network of filaments made up of gas and dark matter present in the whole Universe - with the light coming from very distant quasars and galaxies. Photons interacting with the hydrogen of the cosmic filaments create many absorption lines defined "Lyman-alpha forest". This microscopic interaction succeeds in revealing several important properties of the dark matter at cosmological distances. The results further support the theory of Cold Dark Matter, which is composed of particles that move very slowly. Moreover, for the first time, they highlight the incompatibility with another model, i.e. the Fuzzy Dark Matter, for which dark matter particles have larger velocities.

The research was carried out through simulations performed on international parallel supercomputers and has recently been published in Physical Review Letters.

Although constituting an important part of our cosmos, the dark matter is not directly observable, it does not emit electromagnetic radiation and it is visible only through gravitational effects. Besides, its nature remains a deep mystery. The theories that try to explore this aspect are various. In this research, scientists investigated two of them: the so-called Cold Dark Matter, considered a paradigm of modern cosmology, and an alternative model called Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM), in which the dark matter is deemed composed of ultralight bosons provided with a non-negligible pressure at small scales. To carry out their investigations, scientists examined the cosmic web by analyzing the so-called Lyman-alpha forest. The Lyman-alpha forest consists of a series of absorption lines produced by the light coming from very distant and extremely luminous sources, that passes through the intergalactic space along its way toward the earth's telescopes. The atomic interaction of photons with the hydrogen present in the cosmic filaments is used to study the properties of the cosmos and of the dark matter at enormous distances.

Through simulations carried out with supercomputers, researchers reproduced the interaction of the light with the cosmic web. Thus they were able to infer some of the characteristics of the particles that compose the dark matter. More in particular, evidence showed for the first time that the mass of the particles, which allegedly compose the dark matter according to the FDM model, is not consistent with the Lyman-alpha Forest observed by the Keck telescope (Hawaii, US) and the Very Large Telescope (European Southern Observatory, Chile). Basically, the study seems not to confirm the theory of the Fuzzy Dark Matter. The data, instead, support the scenario envisaged by the model of the Cold Dark Matter.

The results obtained - scientists say - are important as they allow to build new theoretical models for describing the dark matter and new hypotheses on the characteristics of the cosmos. Moreover, these results can provide useful indications for the realization of experiments in laboratories and can guide observational efforts aimed at making progress on this fascinating scientific theme.

More information: Vid Irsic et al, First Constraints on Fuzzy Dark Matter from Lyman-  Forest Data and Hydrodynamical Simulations, Physical Review Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.031302 Journal information: Physical Review Letters
Martin Winkler (right) and Thomas Happe (left) have captured an enzymes transient intermediate state. Credit: Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum

Researchers at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum and the Freie Universitat Berlin have clarified the crucial catalytic step in the production of hydrogen by enzymes. The enzymes, called [FeFe]-hydrogenases, efficiently turn electrons and protons into hydrogen. They are thus a candidate for the biotechnological production of the potential energy source. "In order to produce hydrogen on an industrial scale with the aid of enzymes, we must precisely understand how they work," says Prof. Thomas Happe, one of the authors of the study.

The team led by Happe and Dr. Martin Winkler from the Bochum-based Photobiotechnology Working Group reports on the results with Berlin-based colleagues led by Dr. Sven Stripp in the journal Nature Communications.

Enzyme works in two directions

Hydrogenases can work in two directions: they turn protons and electrons into hydrogen, and also split hydrogen into protons and electrons. These reactions take place at the active centre of the hydrogenase, which is a complex structure comprising six iron and six sulphur atoms, called the H-cluster. During the catalytic process, this cluster passes through numerous intermediate states.

When molecular hydrogen (H2) is split, the hydrogen molecule initially bonds to the H-cluster. "Hydrogenase researchers were always convinced that H2 had to split unevenly in the first step of the reaction," explains Martin Winkler. The idea: A positively charged proton (H+) and a negatively charged hydride ion (H-) are created, which then continue to react quickly to form two protons and two electrons. "The hydride state of the active enzyme, in which the hydride ion is thus bonded to the active centre, is highly unstable  so far no one has been able to verify this," says Winkler. This is precisely what the researchers have now achieved.

Trick makes unstable state visible

Using a trick, they augmented the H-cluster state with the hydride ion, so that it could be verified spectroscopically. When hydrogen is split, a chemical equilibrium is achieved between the reaction partners involved  protons, hydride ions and hydrogen molecules. The concentrations of the three hydrogen states are determined by a dynamic equilibrium of catalytic H-cluster states. When the researchers added large quantities of protons and hydrogen to the mixture from outside, they tipped the balance  in favour of the hydride state. The active centre with the negatively charged hydride ion accumulated in a larger quantity; enough to be measurable.

The team also demonstrated the hydride intermediate state, which also occurs during hydrogen production, in further experiments with hydrogenases that had been altered in a specific manner.

"We were thus able to demonstrate the catalytic principle of these hydrogenases in an experiment for the first time," summarises Thomas Happe. "This provides a crucial basis for reproducing the highly effective catalytic mechanism of the H-cluster for the industrial production of hydrogen." The enzymes can convert up to 10,000 hydrogen molecules per second.

More information: Martin Winkler et al. Accumulating the hydride state in the catalytic cycle of [FeFe]-hydrogenases, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS16115 Journal information: Nature Communications
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Los Angeles tech company behind Snapchat offers a simple sales pitch to investors: We'll release features niftier than anything our competitors can produce.

In its first four months as a publicly traded company, Snap Inc. has kept its part of the bargain. It introduced a mapping tool that reveals the location of friends and trending events, launched several short video series and made it easier for any advertiser to buy commercial time on Snapchat. The firm also caught up to rival Instagram by matching options for replaying messages.

Yet, despite the changes, investors don't consider Snap any more valuable than when it went public. Snap shares have fallen below their $17 opening price in March to $15.69 on Thursday. The company's market capitalization of around $18 billion sits right about where it did in the months leading up to Southern California's biggest initial public stock offering.

There's no shortage of concerns swirling around Snap, which is scheduled to announce its second-quarter financial results Aug. 10. But chief among them, investors remain unsure whether or how Snap will make money someday. Snap declined to comment.

Financial analysts estimate the company will lose $3.3 billion this year, according to investment research aggregator FactSet. Much of Snap's expenses are stock compensation to employees.

Questions about making money dogged Snap before its IPO, too. Investors and analysts say what has led the stock to drop is a creeping sense among investors that no matter how many creative features it launches, Snapchat just may be too small a player in the app economy to command a high valuation.

At the moment, as Snap stares "down the face of very pronounced head winds, we'd rather fish in better waters," said Christopher Versace, chief investment officer at Tematica Research, which provides guidance to individual investors.

Snap generates its revenue by selling ads that appear inside Snapchat. Varieties include 10-second commercials bought by such companies as Adidas, Spotify and Emirates in addition to small decorative graphics that anyone can buy to celebrate an event.

But it remains a work in progress for many big-budget advertisers to figure out whether the spots they're buying are worthwhile. Snap in recent months introduced more sophisticated measures to help retailers track whether ads lead to in-store visits and purchases.

Morgan Stanley stock analyst Brian Nowak reportedly said this week that the initiatives have been underwhelming, and he lowered estimates for Snap's ad sales growth. Others have voiced concerns about users skipping ads on Snapchat and the special effort required to design commercials for the app.

Martin Sorrell, chief executive of ad agency giant WPP, gave unenthusiastic mentions of Snap in TV interviews in recent days. He said Facebook - which has duplicated many of Snapchat's best-known features in its Instagram and Messenger apps - had "successfully" countered Snap.

WPP spends about $2 billion annually buying ads on Facebook for clients such as Ford and Procter & Gamble. Its spending on Snapchat ads could double to $200 million this year.

Versace, the investment research analyst, said Snap also could take a hit if companies lower their growth forecasts after initially thinking the economy would grow faster under President Trump.

"This coming earnings season, there's a high probability we see companies dialing back expectations for the second half of the year," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if we see Snap doing the same."

Credit Suisse stock analyst Stephen Ju said this week that he's had encouraging conversations with advertisers about Snap being on the right track. But he still lowered second-quarter sales assumptions.

"While we were hoping for Snap to exhibit a more comfortable growth path, we are reminded that nascent companies sometimes grow in fits and starts," Ju wrote.

Analysts estimate that Snap picked up $190 million in revenue during the second quarter, with a full-year estimate of $980 million.

"The big concern is you have a company that's not profitable and doesn't show a clear path to how it's going to become profitable," said Steven Dudash of IHT Wealth Management.

One of Snap's biggest priorities for the year has been loading the app with a daily batch of short, scripted videos about sports, celebrity life, food and dating. But analysts are getting mixed data on whether shows and other features are attracting new users or getting existing users to spend more time on the app. More users and more time spent increases the opportunities Snap has to display an ad.

Snap's moves to increase usage may be cutting both ways. For example, its new location-sharing feature led to privacy concerns that could prompt parents to more closely monitor or restrict their children's app usage. On Wednesday, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined numerous schools and public officials in alerting consumers to be cautious about Snap Map.

2017 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Academic journals are increasingly asking authors to use transparent reporting practices to "trust, but verify" that outcomes are not being reported in a biased way and to enable other researchers to reproduce the results. To implement these reporting practices, most journals rely on the process of peer reviewin which other scholars review research findings before publicationbut relatively few journals measure the quality and effectiveness of the process.

In a commentary published July 20 in the journal Science, lead author Carole Lee and co-author David Moher identify incentives that could encourage journals to "open the black box of peer review" for the sake of improving transparency, reproducibility, and trust in published research. Lee is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Washington; Moher is a senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.

Lee and Moher see this as a collective action problem requiring leadership and investment by publishers.

"Science would be better off if journals allowed for and participated in the empirical study and quality assurance of their peer review processes," they write. "However, doing so is resource-intensive and comes at considerable risk for individual journals in the form of unfavorable evidence and bad press."

To help journals manage the reputational risk associated with auditing their own peer review processes, Lee and Moher suggest revising the Transparency and Openness (TOP) Guidelines, a set of voluntary reporting standards to which 2,900 journals and organizations are now signatories. These guidelines were published in Science in 2015 by a committee of researchers and representatives from nonprofit scientific organizations, grant agencies, philanthropic organizations and elite journals.

Lee and Moher suggest adding a new category to the TOP guidelines "indicating a journal's willingness to facilitate meta-research on the effectiveness of its own peer review practices." With these, journals can choose which tier or level they take on. Higher levels of transparency would involve higher risk.

For the lowest tier, journals would publicly disclose whether they are conducting internal evaluations of peer review, in which they are able to retain the study results for internal use.

At the middle tier, journals would disclose the results of their internal evaluations of peer review, but could maintain flexibility in how they report their results for external use. For example, results could be aggregated across several journals to reduce risk to any single journal.

At the upper tier, journals could agree to relinquish data and analyses to researchers outside their institution for third-party verification. This is an option, Lee and Moher write, "that might appeal especially to publishers with fewer resources, as it places the financial burden on those conducting the meta-research." Journals conducting their own analyses could preregister their study designs then deposit their data publicly online.

By agreeing to these more stringent guidelines, the authors write, publishers and journals would have the chance to legitimize and advertise the relative quality of their peer review process in an age when predatory journals, which falsely claim to use peer review, continue to proliferate.

"Illegitimate journals are becoming a big problem for science," said Moher. "True scientific journals can distinguish themselves with transparence about their peer review processes."

Investing in research on journal peer review will be costly, they agree. Lee and Moher suggest that large experimental studies are needed to judge the effectiveness of different web-based peer review templates to enforce reporting standards, and of ways one might train authors, reviewers and editors to use such tools and evaluate research.

Also needed, they say, are ways to detect shortcomings in statistical and methodological reporting on a research paper, and to understand how the number and relative expertise of peer reviewers can improve assessment.

The largest publishers, whose profit margins compete with those of pharmaceutical and tech giants, can afford to invest in the requisite technology and resources needed to carry out these audits, the researchers say.

"Publishers should invest in their own brands and reputations by investing in the quality of their peer review processes," said Lee. "Ultimately, this would improve the quality of the published scientific literature."

More information: C.J. Lee at University of Washington in Seattle, WA el al., "Promote scientific integrity via journal peer review data," Science (2017). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aan4141 Journal information: Science
Lockheed Martin artist rendering of the NextSTEP habitat docked with Orion in cislunar orbit as part of a concept for the Deep Space Gateway.

Refurbishing a shuttle-era cargo container used to transfer cargo to the International Space Station, Lockheed Martin is prototyping a deep space habitat for NASA at Kennedy Space Center. This prototype will integrate evolving technologies to keep astronauts safe while onboard and operate the spacecraft autonomously when unoccupied.

Under a public-private partnership, NASA recently awarded Lockheed Martin a Phase II contract for the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) habitat study contract. As part of Phase II, the team will continue to refine the design concept developed in Phase I and work with NASA to identify key system requirements for the Deep Space Gateway. Included in this work, the team will build a full-scale habitat prototype in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and a next-generation deep space avionics integration lab near Johnson Space Center.

"It is easy to take things for granted when you are living at home, but the recently selected astronauts will face unique challenges," said Bill Pratt, Lockheed Martin NextSTEP program manager. "Something as simple as calling your family is completely different when you are outside of low Earth orbit. While building this habitat, we have to operate in a different mindset that's more akin to long trips to Mars to ensure we keep them safe, healthy and productive."

A full-scale prototype of the deep space habitat will be built by refurbishing the Donatello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM). Donatello was one of three large modules, flown in the space shuttle payload bay, that were used to transfer cargo to the International Space Station. The team will also rely heavily on mixed reality prototyping using virtual and augmented reality. Through this approach, the team can reduce cost and schedule, as well as identify and solve issues early in the design phase.

"We are excited to work with NASA to repurpose a historic piece of flight hardware, originally designed for low Earth orbit exploration, to play a role in humanity's push into deep space," said Pratt. "Making use of existing capabilities will be a guiding philosophy for Lockheed Martin to minimize development time and meet NASA's affordability goals."

The work will occur over 18 months and will build upon the concept study performed in Phase I. Phase II will also focus on mixed reality and rapid prototyping, and working on concept refinement and risk reduction. The new results, which will be provided to NASA, will further the understanding of the systems, standards and common interfaces needed to make living in deep space possible.

The Deep Space Gateway will rely on many of Orion's advanced capabilities that can be used while astronauts are there, and utilizes capabilities common to Lockheed Martin-built planetary spacecraft like Juno and MAVEN while it's unoccupied. Employing NASA's space-proven Orion spacecraft as the Deep Space Gateway command deck early on allows for a safe and practical approach for the incremental build-up of deep space exploration capabilities.

Additionally, Lockheed Martin will build a Deep Space Avionics Integration Laboratory in Houston to demonstrate command and control between the Deep Space Gateway and Orion. The lab will help reduce risk associated with critical data interfaces between Deep Space Gateway elements and provide an environment for astronauts to train for various mission scenarios.

"Because the Deep Space Gateway would be uninhabited for several months at a time, it has to be rugged, reliable and have the robotic capabilities to operate autonomously. Essentially it is a robotic spacecraft that is well-suited for humans when Orion is present," said Pratt. "Lockheed Martin's experience building autonomous planetary spacecraft plays a large role in making that possible."
Tuvalu is among those islands facing an imminent risk of extinction. Credit: Tomoaki INABA, CC BY-SA

Though climate change has been an internationally recognised challenge since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, efforts towards reducing carbon emissions by governments remain uneven and insufficient.

Notable effects of global warming include the melting of polar ice (as demonstrated by the giant iceberg that recently broke away from Antarctica) and rising sea levels, as well as dramatic and irregular weather, which together can put our fragile environment under stress.

Even so, as of today, out of 195 state parties to the 2015 Paris climate agreement, only 148 have ratified it. While some countries evidently do not fully appreciate the sense of urgency, island nations have no such luxury.

The first casualties of global warming

Conceptually, state sovereignty is demarcated by physical territory. For island states, that means, in effect, their shoreline.

As sea levels rise, many island states could soon be annihilated and their residents forced to flee, rendering extinct their societies.

The latest report on rising sea levels released in January 2017 by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts the worsening scenario of global sea levels rising between 0.3 and 2.5 metres by the year 2100. This projection is an increase from the group's December 2012 estimate of a maximum rise of two metres.

Driven by the urgency to deal with the effects of rising sea levels, an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) was established in 1990. Today, AOSIS consists of 19 countries in the Atlantic Ocean, 16 countries in the Pacific Ocean, four countries in the Indian Ocean, and five observers.

The Polynesian island of Tuvalu is one of them. There, freshwater supply from reservoirs are already gradually being replaced by seawater. In parallel, it is also being contaminated by sewage. Agricultural production, Tuvalu's economic lifeline, will likely be affected by the diminishing supply of potable water.

Any viable options?

Nature does not negotiate with any country, regardless of its wealth or military power. And unfortunately, right now, it's small island states such as Tuvalu and their ilk that face the brunt of it at the front lines of climate change.

These states will experience a variety of severe climate-change induced effects, ranging from coastal erosion, loss of human lives, to damaged infrastructure and the displacement of fish stocks.

Given that the territorial integrity of many island nations is so severely threatened by rising sea levels, should we expect all 39 AOSIS members to begin arrangements for the large-scale exodus and resettlement of their populations?

This would be a tall order, considering the current anti-globalisation sentiment. Many non-AOSIS countries are unlikely to accept large-scale immigration from these island nations within a short time window, though political leaders may be willing to offer sanctuary on humanitarian grounds.

In the meantime, as the international community continues to negotiate global carbon-reduction goals as if they were trade barriers, more concrete and proactive remedial steps could be taken to preserve small island states from imminent disappearance.

Taking a page from China's speedy reclamation experience in the South China Sea, one solution may be to construct and expand these small island states into sizeable landmasses.

Environmentalists and NGOs may cringe at the thought of the large-scale reclamation of island states in the Pacific, Atlantic or Indian oceans, and, like any massive engineering project, this approach raises valid environmental concerns.

But in lieu of an immediate global consensus on carbon neutrality, this is a solution that multilateral financial institutions and international organisations, such as the the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations, could consider setting up either single-handedly or jointly a fund to rebuild and re-inhabit small island states.

Based on the Dutch model, this fund could be used for land reclamation, creating new and expanded territories for these island states and erecting a five-metre storm surge barrier comparable to the Holland's Maeslantkering.

Such a grand undertaking would be an engineering marvel  with a hefty pricetag to match.

If individual small island states could negotiate with such like-minded countries as China, Japan and the Netherlands, they might start a strategic joint-venture partnership. To be sure, such relationships  with their great power asymmetries  must be delicately managed and based solely on environmental cooperation. No politics can be involved.

If better-off international partners are willing and able to exercise this extra sensitivity and, rather than take advantage of the smaller island states, grant them preferential treatment instead, it could forge a new path for global cooperation around shared climate challenges.

Small island states could grant tenure to partner countries to safeguard and invest in an island or group of islands for a 99-year period, say. Together, they would co-develop marine-based industries such as sustainable aquaculture and renewable energy sources, such as floating solar farms and tidal-powered generators.

Reclaimed land could also be developed for sustainable agriculture, and the marine ecosystem at these reclaimed islands could offer a large untapped resource for drug research and development.

Finally, in this era of responsible travel, it's easy to imagine that newly reclaimed islands could become tourist destinations, thus providing additional income for these fragile island nations as they face an ever-more-difficult future.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
In the lead-up to a total solar eclipse, most of the attention is on the sun, but Earth's moon also has a starring role. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space flight Center/SVS

In the lead-up to a total solar eclipse, most of the attention is on the sun, but Earth's moon also has a starring role.

"A total eclipse is a dance with three partners: the moon, the sun and Earth," said Richard Vondrak, a lunar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It can only happen when there is an exquisite alignment of the moon and the sun in our sky."

During this type of eclipse, the moon completely hides the face of the sun for a few minutes, offering a rare opportunity to glimpse the pearly white halo of the solar corona, or faint outer atmosphere. This requires nearly perfect alignment of the moon and the sun, and the apparent size of the moon in the sky must match the apparent size of the sun.

On average, a total solar eclipse occurs about every 18 months somewhere on Earth, although at any particular location, it happens much less often.

The total eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, will be visible within a 70-mile-wide path that will cross 14 states in the continental U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. Along this path of totality, the umbra, or dark inner shadow, of the moon will travel at speeds of almost 3,000 miles per hour in western Oregon to 1,500 miles per hour in South Carolina.

This video explains how our moon creates a solar eclipse, why it's such a rare event to see, and how data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has enhanced our ability to map an eclipse's path of totality. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio

In eclipse maps, the umbra is often depicted as a dark circle or oval racing across the landscape. But a detailed visualization created for this year's eclipse reveals that the shape is more like an irregular polygon with slightly curved edges, and it changes as the shadow moves along the path of totality.

"With this new visualization, we can represent the umbral shadow with more accuracy by accounting for the influence of elevation at different points on Earth, as well as the way light rays stream through lunar valleys along the moon's ragged edge," said NASA visualizer Ernie Wright at Goddard.

This unprecedented level of detail was achieved by coupling 3-D mapping of the moon's surface, done by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, with Earth elevation information from several datasets.

LRO's mapping of the lunar terrain also makes it possible to predict very accurately when and where the brilliant flashes of light called Baily's Beads or the diamond-ring effect will occur. These intense spots appear along the edge of the darkened disk just before totality, and again just afterward, produced by sunlight peeking through valleys along the uneven rim of the moon.

In the very distant future, the spectacular shows put on by total solar eclipses will cease. That's because the moon is, on average, slowly receding from Earth at a rate of about 1-1/2 inches, or 4 centimeters, per year. Once the moon moves far enough away, its apparent size in the sky will be too small to cover the sun completely.

"Over time, the number and frequency of total solar eclipses will decrease," said Vondrak. "About 600 million years from now, Earth will experience the beauty and drama of a total solar eclipse for the last time."
UAF researcher Anna Liljedahl puts up a wind shield around a rain gauge she installed on Jarvis Glacier. Credit: UAF, by Todd Paris.

Small mountain glaciers play a big role in recharging vital aquifers and in keeping rivers flowing during the winter, according to a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

The study also suggests that the accelerated melting of mountain glaciers in recent decades may explain a phenomenon that has long puzzled scientistswhy Arctic and sub-Arctic rivers have increased their water flow during the winter even without a correlative increase in rain or snowfall.

"I think that mountain glaciers in the Arctic and sub-Arctic have really been underappreciated as a source of water to the landscape," said Anna Liljedahl, the lead author and an associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Water and Environmental Research Center.

Liljedahl and her co-authors at the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory studied a watershed in a semidry climate in the eastern Alaska Range. The team looked at how meltwater from two small mountain glaciers flowed through the system and influenced the mountain streams, rivers and groundwater all year long.

Through extensive field measurements, the team found that Jarvis and Gulkana glaciers contributed 15 percent to 66 percent of the annual flow in mountain streams that drain the glaciers' meltwater into the Delta River. Yet when the team compared the volume of water at an upper site and another site about 35 miles downstream on one of the major mountain streams, they found that the stream lost half its water to an aquifer storing groundwater.

A UAF researcher grabs a water sample for geochemical analysis at the mouth of the Jarvis Glacier. Credit: UAF, by Todd Paris

"These headwater streams, coming off the mountains and into the lowland, are like the water line to your house peppered with holes, half of the water disappearing into the ground and recharging your neighbor's house well instead of it all reaching your kitchen faucet," said Liljedahl.

Liljedahl said the recharge of the aquifers is important because they don't freeze during the winter and are the only source of water to the rivers during this time. In the town of Delta Junction, which sits adjacent to the Delta River far downstream from the Jarvis and Gulkana glaciers, the water table drops more than 33 feet each winter as the aquifers drain. The water leaks into the Tanana River, which the Delta River also feeds.

Liljedahl said this process has probably continued for thousands of years. Yet recent temperature gains in climate may be accelerating the glaciers' melting and introducing more meltwater into aquifers and then the rivers.

"The winter discharge of the Tanana River has increased since the record keeping began in the '70s, but there are no increasing trends in precipitation," she said. "Glacier coverage has, on the other hand, decreased by 12 percent, and that is more than plenty of additional water to explain the increase in river base flow. In fact, about five times more."

But it may not be long before this process ends all together, she said. The glaciers are disappearing or shrinking to very high elevations where colder temperatures slow melting. As glacier melt decreases, so may the stream flow if there is not enough water to both feed both the aquifer and the stream.

Between 1967 (top photo) and 2016 (bottom photo), the Gulkana Glacier has lost a volume of ice equivalent to a layer of water more than 80 feet deep across its current area. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

Co-author Shad O'Neel, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center, said this study shows another way that glaciers are connected to the ecosystem and to humans in the Arctic.

"Although the traditional focus of glaciology has been on sea level rise, we are rapidly discovering that the small mountain glaciers may have large impacts on human populations," he said. "Across the globe, the mountain glaciers influence ecosystem processes like stream flow, nutrient delivery and primary production in the ocean. Human implications range from drinking and agricultural water supplies to recreation and tourism. "

Michel Baraer, professor at Ecole de Technologie Superieure in Quebec, Canada, said the study only marks the beginning of research on links between glaciers and groundwater.

"No doubt that it will be the precursor of new research in that field," he said.

Liljedahl said she is currently researching the role of mountain glacier melt in the water cycle in other semiarid landscapes, such as those in the Russian and Canadian Arctic. If the process holds true in these places, she said, then tiny mountain glaciers may be helping power watersheds throughout large portions of the Arctic.

"I think people have assumed that these tiny glaciers are not important because they're tiny, but we're in a climate where we have very little precipitation," she said. "Any additional water can make a big splash."

More information: A. K. Liljedahl et al, Glacierized headwater streams as aquifer recharge corridors, subarctic Alaska, Geophysical Research Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1002/2017GL073834 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters
KENDALLVILLE  East Noble School Corp. has saved more than $2.43 million in cost-avoidance dollars after seven years of the districts energy conservation program.

The cost-avoidance dollars is due to conservation, maintenance such as switching to LED lighting, scheduling and common sense, John Arnold, who has managed the program for the school corporation since in began in July 2010, said at Wednesdays Board of Trustees meeting.

Arnold submitted his report to East Noble school board members this week.

East Noble would have spent nearly $7.4 million on energy uses over the seven-year period without the emphasis on conserving energy, according to Arnolds report. The school corporations actual cost over the same period was about $4.94 million, good for a 33 percent savings.

Seven years ago, the school board hired Energy Education to review energy costs and energy needs and propose a conservation program. Arnold, a retired East Noble teacher, was hired to manage the program.

Arnold works closely with building principals, custodians, teachers and district staff to find ways to save on energy costs. It can be as simple as reminding teachers to turn out the lights in their classrooms.

He tours district facilities to review conservation efforts and tracks energy use via computer software.

The nighttime temperature is automatically set at 55 degrees in school buildings, for example. Our custodians wear sweaters and coats sometimes when working in the buildings at night, he said.

East Nobles energy reduction impact over the seven-year period is equivalent to 4,466 passenger cars not driven for one year, and 549,652 tree seedlings grown over 10 years.

The South Side Elementary School buildings 49.8 percent cost avoidance is the best among the school corporations facilities.

South Side has been on top each year. We dont know why, Arnold said.

The only facility with a negative cost avoidance, minus 16.5 percent, is the bus garage. Were working on it, said Arnold, whose office is located in the former car dealership building at the corner of Ohio Street and S.R. 3.

Energy cost savings primarily have come from using less electricity, water and gas. The school district has 44 monitors checking utility usage.
NASA invites eclipse viewers around the country to participate in a nationwide science experiment by collecting cloud and air temperature data and reporting it via their phones.

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, or GLOBE, Program is a NASA-supported research and education program that encourages students and citizen scientists to collect and analyze environmental observations. GLOBE Observer is a free, easy-to-use app that guides citizen scientists through data collection.

On Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will occur across the entire continental United States. Crossing the country from Oregon to South Carolina over the course of an hour and a half, 14 states will experience night-like darkness for approximately two minutes in the middle of the day. The eclipse enters the U.S. at 10:15 a.m. PDT off the coast of Oregon and leaves U.S. shores at approximately 2:50 p.m. EDT in South Carolina.

All of North America will experience at least a partial eclipse.

"No matter where you are in North America, whether it's cloudy, clear or rainy, NASA wants as many people as possible to help with this citizen science project," said Kristen Weaver, deputy coordinator for the project. "We want to inspire a million eclipse viewers to become eclipse scientists."

The public will have an opportunity to participate in a nation-wide science experiment by collecting cloud and temperature data from their phones. NASAs Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program Observer (NASA GO) is a citizen science project that allows users to record observations with a free app. On Aug. 21, NASA GO will feature a special eclipse experiment. With the app and a thermometer, citizen scientists can help observe how the eclipse changes atmospheric conditions near them, and contribute to a database used by students and scientists worldwide in order to study the effects of the eclipse on the atmosphere. Observers in areas with a partial eclipse or outside the path of totality are encouraged to participate alongside those within totality. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center/Rich Melnick

In order to participate, first download the GLOBE Observer app and register to become a citizen scientist. The app will instruct you on how to make the observations. Second, you will need to obtain a thermometer to measure air temperature.

Observations will be recorded on an interactive map.

To join in the fun, download the GLOBE Observer app observer.globe.gov/about/get-the-app. After you log in, the app explains how to make eclipse observations.

More information: To learn more about how NASA researchers will be studying the Earth during the eclipse visit eclipse2017.nasa.gov/earth

Provided by NASA
Satellite images reveal a new barrier island forming off the coast of Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

NASA has released satellite images that show North Carolina's newly formed Shelly Island was born in November.

The photos, acquired by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite, show the sands that grew into the island first registered in November 2016 in the shoal area off Cape Point.

A second image, taken in January 2017, shows waves were clearly breaking on the shallow region off the cape's tip, NASA said. The site of those breakers is where the island eventually formed.

The third image, taken this month, shows the island clearly formed, and nearly a mile in length.

"What exactly causes a shallow region to become exposed is a deep question, and one that is difficult to speculate on without exact observations," said geomorphologist Andrew Ashton in a NASA report on the island.

One possibility, he said, is water levels going down after storm-driven waters piled up sediment to near the surface.

Shelly Island came to the nation's attention about two months ago and has become known for being mysterious and forbidding, including news on July 14 that a World War II-era military training device washed up on shore. The device was shaped like a torpedo and prompted an evacuation of the island, which is popular with tourists.

The island got its unofficial name, Shelly Island, because it is littered with numerous and well-preserved shells. But it is also a treacherous place to visit, with a deadly current separating it from Cape Point. The waters in the channel are known to be popular with sharks.

Experts say the island could be swept away by the next big storm off the coast. Until then, the property is under the jurisdiction of Dare County.

2017 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A recently discovered new species of toad, the Dixie Valley toad, was found by a team from the University of Nevada, Reno in a spring-fed marsh in the Great Basin of Nevada, which was once covered by large marshes and giant inland lakes during the Pleistocene Epoch and is now among the most arid regions in the United States with only one percent of the landscape containing water. Credit: Mike Wolterbeek, University of Nevada, Reno.

Three new species of toads have been discovered living in Nevada's Great Basin in an expansive survey of the 190,000 square mile ancient lake bottom. Discoveries of new amphibians are extremely rare in the United States with only three new frog species discovered since 1985 - and toad species are even more rare, with the last species discovered north of Mexico, the now extinct Wyoming toad, in 1968.

"We've found the toads in small, wet habitats surrounded by high-desert completely cut off from other populations," Dick Tracy, a renowned biology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and lead scientist on the project, said. "These are absolutely new, true species that have been separated from other populations for 650,000 years."

The three new species, the Dixie Valley toad, Railroad Valley toad and Hot Creek toad are not connected geographically. They were found in Tracy's 10-year long survey of the desert-dominated Great Basin. His team used 30 "shape" metrics and DNA studies to analyze these toads' characteristics to determine if each were distinguishable from the closely related Western toad, found throughout the Western United States.

The evidence supports the recognition of three distinct new species. The toads are small in size, yet each have a suite of unique physical features that differ from each other, as well as other toads in the region. Each of the species have slightly different colors, and they are about two inches long when full grown.

"The Dixie Valley toad is a pretty toad, with flecks of gold on an olive background," Tracy, a long-time professor in the biology department of the College of Science, said. "It's not like the big, common green toads you might find in other marshes around the west or even in Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno."

The Dixie Valley toad is in Churchill County about 100 miles east of Reno. The toad is only found in this isolated spring-fed marsh which make up less than four square miles, surrounded by an arid region where aquatic resources are both rare and widely scattered. Dixie Valley is the hottest and most geothermally active system in the Basin and Range Province. The habitat occupied by this newly described species is also adjacent to a proposed site for a geothermal power plant that could dry up the marsh and threaten the toad's survival.

The power plant development is on hold while the Bureau of Land Management reviews the geothermal project and the possible impacts on the toad species. The Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental group based in Tucson, Arizona, marshaled more than 1000 letters to the BLM asking them to reconsider permitting the power plant being built at the site of the newly discovered species.

Potential for Endangered Species Act listing

"If this power plant goes in and the habitat is dried up, this recently discovered species could go extinct," Tracy said. "It's a good candidate for an Endangered Species Act listing. The ESA was passed under Richard Nixon in 1973, and the second species listed under the new Act was the Houston Toad. This is a tough conflict between commerce and biological resources, and we need to seek compromises so if the project proceeds, it won't hurt the toads."

Tracy's team includes his master's student Michelle Gordon from the University's Biology Graduate Program, who is the lead author of the scientific paper describing the new species, and his former doctoral student Eric Simandle from the University's Ecology and Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program. Simandle is now an associate professor at Paul Smiths College in New York and is a co-author on the study that discovered the toad in the thick underbrush of the spring-fed marsh.

The small isolated toad populations also have the smallest individuals compared to other western toads.

The Dixie Valley species has the smallest body size among the region's complex of related species in the western United States, and can be further diagnosed from other toads in the complex by the large glands on its hind legs in addition to its distinctive coloration.

The overall population numbers of the Dixie Valley toad are unknown, and the current range is severely restricted, suggesting that this species' population is likely very small and especially vulnerable to changes in environment.

"The toads are perfectly concealed in the dense vegetation of their habitat," Gordon said. "You could easily miss seeing them during the day, making accurate counts difficult. But, during one trip at dusk, toads were everywhere, giving the impression that toads were locally abundant. And, without the water in this habitat, this toad species would completely disappear."

Isolated by Desert

The Railroad Valley toad is in the Tonopah Basin in the central Nevada desert and the Hot Creek Toad is about 35 miles away but in Hot Creek Mountain Range, in a drainage isolated from the Railroad Valley toad. All three new species are natives of the Great Basin in Nevada, which was once covered by large marshes and giant inland lakes during the Pleistocene Epoch and is now among the most arid regions in the United States with only one percent of the landscape containing water.

"Our goal has been to understand the relationships among toad populations in the Great Basin," Tracy said. "We've found that our knowledge of amphibian diversity in the western United States remains incomplete and that novel discoveries continue to occur, even in unlikely settings. This is really, really neat; an exciting thing, to find something not known to exist before."

Tracy has been honored as a Guggenheim Fellow, as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as a Distinguished Scholar at Pepperdine University, and as a Fellow of the Association of Western Universities. He is the recipient of an American Society of Zoologists' Service Award, a Desert Tortoise Council Conservation Award and a Service Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tracy has authored more than 200 scientific papers, and his work is known internationally.

"Dr. Tracy has long been recognized as one of the world's leading ecologists," Jack Hayes, chair of the Department of Biology said. "In recent years as he has turned his attention to conservation issues, he has been translating his basic knowledge into studies that make a difference for Nevada, the U.S., and the biodiversity of the world. The discovery of a new species of vertebrate in North America at this point in time is extremely rare, so the research by Dr. Tracy and his graduate students is a remarkable and exciting accomplishment."

The discovery of the Dixie Valley toad was announced in the peer-reviewed science journal Zootaxa on July 6.
3-D optical model of the Corsair, a WW II military plane that sits in 115 feet water. The plane ran out of fuel during a routine mission in 1948 about two miles south west of Koko Marina, Hawaii. Credit: Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory (AIVL) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) working with Marine Imaging Technologies has developed a revolutionary new multi-function, underwater imaging system capable of generating ultra-high definition television (UHDTV) video, 2-D mosaic imaging, and 3-D optical models of seafloor objects and environments. The new state-of-the-art technology is currently being field-tested on several submerged shipwreck sites in both the U.S. and Europe.

"These new imaging systems can visualize wide areas of the seafloor and shipwreck sites at optical resolutions not previously obtainable and represent a real paradigm change in our ability to image and interpret objects and features on the seafloor," says William Lange, director of the AIVL.

The cutting-edge technology will enable rapid production of 3-D optical volumetric models of the seafloorimages that scientists can spin to view from all sides, and zoom in on to visually explore around and inside objects or ocean environments. These models are helping to transform the way scientists examine study areas, such as coral reefs, marine protected areas, maritime heritage sites, and even hazardous material sites.

Developed by AIVL in collaboration with the National Park Services Submerged Resources Group and Marine Imaging Technologies, the near-millimeter accurate 3-D models are built using digital optical imagery, rather than lasers. Unlike 3-D images, which enable a static view in three dimensions, these models are able to represent the volume of an object from all sides with high-resolution, allowing, for the first time, visual exploration at scales approaching what humans see in air.

"This new technology will enable us to virtually explore underwater worlds, such as those around hydrothermal vent sites," says Lange, "and help us better understand the structure and longevity of submerged objects, such as pipelines and sunken maritime heritage sites."

Currently, 3-D models take months of processing back in the lab. But the new underwater imaging system will make the models possible in shorter periods of timeeven during expeditions at sea.

"This is really exciting because the deep sea is a realm with very limited access," says Tim Shank, a deep-sea biologist at WHOI. "Even when scientists are able to dive in a submersible, like the Human Occupied Vehicle Alvin, we typically have just a few hours on the seafloor per day. Due to the great pressures that increase with ocean depth, it's impossible to step out of the sub and experience the terrain and its thriving ecosystems in three dimensions."

"These high-resolution 3-D models will allow us to visually walk through the seafloor landscape among the biological communities that live there, much like a wildlife biologist would walk through a rain forest," adds Shank, who plans to collaborate with AIVL to generate 3-D models of deep-sea coral ecosystems off the coast of Colombia during an expedition there later this year.

3-D optical model of the Rouse Simmons, a schooner that sank on Lake Michigan in 1912 during a violent storm. The ship, which was carrying a cargo of Christmas trees, was headed to Chicago. Credit: Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Typically, after a research expedition at sea, scientists spend weeks reviewing still images and video gathered by underwater vehicles or other instruments. Lange says the new models will help streamline the process of interpreting data.

"Instead of having to look at hundreds of thousands of individual images, scientists can examine a single high-resolution 3-D optical model," Lange says. "It allows them to see depth, scale and context, which is what most scientists like about being able to dive in a manned submersible, such as Alvin."

"When you're looking at a 2-D image, your brain has to do a lot extrapolating to fill in the details," adds Maryann Kovacs, a technician at AIVL. "These models do the work for you."

By being able to incorporate 2-D optical data gathered from previous missions, the models also allow researchers to see how a site has changed over time. For example, the methodology is already being applied to the continued time-series and archaeological site assessment efforts at the RMS Titanic Maritime Heritage Site.

AIVL has begun conversion of the lab's 2-D optical mosaics of the Titanic site, which were created in 2011. The lab will also incorporate newly-acquired imagery from the legendary wreck site that still captures the public's imagination more than 100 years after the luxury liner sank on its maiden voyage.

"We can learn things from the Titanic site about what happens to ships in the deep sea over time," Lange says. "There are very few places on the bottom of the ocean that we have a 25-year history of what's happened there. And these 3-D optical models will allow people to see it as they never have before."

In addition to benefitting science and research, Lange says the technique is a generic tool with a large number of possible applications in everything from education, film production and industry.
Five years ago Best Buy Co. looked like a retail dinosaur, another victim of e-commerce juggernaut Amazon.com and other online sellers.

The big-box electronics chain was suffering dwindling sales and profits in good part because of "showrooming," when shoppers would come in to a Best Buy store to check out televisions, computers and other items in person, and then buy them at cheaper prices on Amazon or elsewhere online.

Best Buy also was struggling with executive turmoil and facing a buyout threat from a major stockholder. The chain in 2012 named a new chief executive, Hubert Joly, but the Frenchman came from the hospitality field and had no retail experience. His appointment stunned analysts, with one saying that fixing Best Buy was "a herculean task even for an accomplished retail executive."

But Joly has proved up to the task so far. Under his turnaround plan, Best Buy has rebounded to remain one major U.S. retailer that's holding its own in the face of Amazon's relentless growth and the conventional retail industry's slump.

Best Buy "came out the other side successfully to defend itself against Amazon," said Peter Keith, an analyst with the investment firm Piper Jaffray & Co.

As more consumers shift to online shopping, other bricks-and-mortar retailers have closed thousands of stores in the last year. A few have filed for bankruptcy protection, including rival electronics chain RadioShack.

Best Buy still operates 1,600 outlets, and Joly views the stores as "a great asset" even as Best Buy also moves increasingly to online sales.

"We don't see ourselves as a brick-and-mortar retailer, we're a multichannel retailer" that combines the stores, Best Buy's website and its phone app to boost sales, Joly said in an interview. And he's planning to expand Best Buy's services, including its Geek Squad support arm, to generate more product sales.

Best Buy's sales and profit have stabilized and its stock price, which closed at $55.79 a share Tuesday, has soared more than fourfold since late 2012, far outpacing the broader market.

The company's same-store sales - that is, sales at stores open at least 14 months, and a key retail measure - have continued to rise modestly the last three years, reversing four years of declines.

Its domestic same-store sales edged up 0.3 percent in its fiscal year that ended Jan. 28, 2017, then jumped 1.6 percent in its first quarter, which ended April 29.

Best Buy's U.S. online sales rose 21 percent in fiscal 2017 and accounted for $4.85 billion, or 12 percent, of Best Buy's total sales.

But Best Buy's overall annual revenue has remained flat because the consumer-electronics industry as a whole is growing less than 3 percent a year, according to some analysts.

"While economic conditions are gradually improving and will likely boost consumer spending, individuals are buying fewer of the big-ticket items that sustained rapid growth in the past," the research firm IbisWorld said in a recent report.

"Consumer interest in big-ticket items, such as TVs and personal computers, has waned due to market saturation and slowing innovation," the firm said.

That's keeping pressure on Best Buy, based in Richfield, Minn., to keep wringing more profit from each dollar of revenue if it hopes to maintain its momentum. Joly (pronounced jo-lee) already has shown it can be done.

His first move was to match rivals' prices, especially those at Amazon, so that in-store shoppers no longer needed to buy elsewhere. "We had no choice, we had to take price off the table and match online prices," Joly said.

That appeals to customers such as Scott Vellman of Los Angeles, who bought the "Battlefield 1" video game for his Xbox One player at a Best Buy store in LA last week after Best Buy matched its $50 price on Amazon. "I bought it here (instead of online) because I didn't want to wait for it to ship," Vellman said.

Best Buy next sped up its delivery times, in part by expanding its national distribution centers, and beefed up its website and phone app so that customers could order online and pick up their products at the stores or have them delivered.

Many of the DVDs and CDs that once were a staple of Best Buy stores were cleared out, leaving room for Best Buy to invite such electronics vendors as Samsung, Microsoft and Verizon to set up "stores within the stores" inside Best Buy's outlets.

"That enabled Samsung, for instance, to have 1,400 stores in the U.S. in our stores, which would have taken years to build" on its own, Joly said.

The inside-store vendors also include Pacific Sales, a seller of appliances, fixtures and other household products that Best Buy bought in 2006, along with Magnolia, a Best Buy unit that sells premium audio and visual gear.

Best Buy shed its Chinese and European businesses in 2015. The company also has stripped $1.4 billion from its annual operating costs by renegotiating supply agreements and real estate leases and by closing more than a dozen large stores and 40 smaller ones, among many other steps.

The company plowed a chunk of the savings into better training its employees so that they can explain products to shoppers, which Joly believed was crucial because new technology often is confusing to many consumers.

Best Buy, with 125,000 employees, "has done an excellent job improving customer service," Keith said in a recent note to clients.

Juan Ortiz, who was at the Los Angeles store to buy a Nest Cam security camera, noticed the difference.

"If I'm going to spend a few hundred (dollars) on a security system, I want to talk with the employees and make sure I'm getting the best one," Ortiz said. "It also helps that they explain everything. If I got it on Amazon, I'd be on my own."

Best Buy also is rolling out an in-home advisory service, where consumers get a free consultation on how to connect products in their homes, including TVs, computers, video games, thermostats and home-security networks, among others, and how they can be controlled by voice activation.

The consultations could lead to consumers buying more products or services, such as those provided by Best Buy's Geek Squad. Currently, those services account for only 5 percent of Best Buy's revenue.

Amazon also is quietly rolling out a program of free "smart home" consultations, as well as product installations for a fee, the website Recode.net reported last week.

Joly was not alarmed.

"They're seeing the same thing we're seeing - that customers need help - and are trying to address that," he said of Amazon. "Just looking at a product on the shelf or a site doesn't necessarily tell you what you can do with it."

What's already clear is that many shoppers still prefer peering closely at products on Best Buy's shelves rather than relying solely on the internet.

"I like picking out toys here because I can look at them," 11-year-old Miguel Molina of Los Angeles said after he bought a Roblox pirate toy. "On the computer, there's only pictures."

2017 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
About one billion birds are killed every year when they unwittingly fly into human-made objects such as buildings with reflective windows. Such collisions are the largest unintended human cause of bird deaths worldwideand they are a serious concern for conservationists.

A new paper published in June in the journal Biological Conservation finds that, as one might suspect, smaller buildings cause fewer bird deaths than do bigger buildings. But the research team of about 60including three co-authors with the University of Washingtonalso found that larger buildings in rural areas pose a greater threat to birds than if those same-sized buildings were located in an urban area.

Lead author of the paper is Stephen B. Hager, professor of biology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Co-author Karen Dyson, an urban design and planning doctoral candidate in the UW College of Built Environments helped collect bird-collision data and assisted in editing the paper, along with UW alumni Anqi Chen and Carolyn Foster.

The research team monitored 300 buildings of varying size and environmental surroundings for bird mortality at 40 college and university campuses in North America in the autumn of 2014. This included six buildings on the UW's Seattle campus. They designed a standardized monitoring protocol so that the field crews documented bird mortality uniformly. In all, they documented 324 bird carcasses of 41 species. At each site, somewhere between zero and 34 birds met their feathery demise.

"Consistent with previous studies, we found that building size had a strong positive effect on bird-window collision mortality," Hager and team wrote in a statement about the continent-wide research. "But the strength of the effect on mortality depended on regional urbanization."

Why is that? The researchers think it might be related to how birds select habitats during migration, and differences in bird behavior between urban and rural populations. For example, they write, forest-adapted birds often select rural habitats with lots of open space and fairly few impervious surfaces over more urban areas.

Lighting patterns may also play a part, they reason. Lights from large, low-rise buildings in rural areas may act to attract migrating birds in what the team dubbed a "large-scale beacon effect," where this effect may be "more diluted among large buildings in urban areas."

Another theory is that urban birds may actually learn from "non-fatal" collisions and gain "new anti-collision behaviors" that help them avoid colliding with windows in urban areas. Previous research, they note, "suggests that the relatively large brain size in birds makes them primed for learning."

The results suggest, the authors write, that measures taken to prevent bird collisions "should be prioritized at large buildings in regions of low urbanization throughout North America."

More information: Stephen B. Hager et al. Continent-wide analysis of how urbanization affects bird-window collision mortality in North America, Biological Conservation (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.014 Journal information: Biological Conservation
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

(Phys.org)Scientists looking at alternative approaches to staving off global warming have published two Perspective pieces in the journal Science. In the first, Ulrike Niemeier and Simone Tilmes with the Max Planck Institute and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the U.S., respectively, address the possibility of injecting aerosols into the atmosphere as a means to limit heat passing through. In the second, Niemeier has paired up with Blaz Gasparini with the Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Science in Switzerland to look at the issues involved with attempting to disperse clouds that prevent heat in the atmosphere from escaping back into space. In an editorial in the same journal issue, Janos Pasztor, Cynthia Scharf and Kai-Uwe Schmidt consider how we might govern geoengineering attempts to prevent a reckless few from possibly destroying the planet they are trying to save.

Governments send representatives to climate meetings hoping to establish a consensus regarding carbon emission reductions, and the citizens of the world debate the source or even reality of global warming and what ought to be done about it. Yet the planet continues to warm. Scientists around the globe are convinced that unless something is done soon, the planet could become a miserable place, or worse, we could cause our own extinction. While some progress has been made in limiting carbon emissions, most would agree such efforts are falling short. For that reason, some scientists have begun looking at other ways to prevent catastrophe. Two of the most debated are aerosol injection and cloud seeding.

The idea behind injecting aerosols into the atmosphere, as Niemeier and Tilmes point out, is to mimic the cooling that occurs when volcanoes erupt. Along with smoke, volcanoes also emit a lot of sulfur, which is why scientists suggest we do the same artificially. But that might be easier said than done, Niemeier and Tilmes note, because it would involve replicating an eruption the size of Mount Pinatubo every day for approximately the next century and a half.

And there are problems with cloud seeding, too, which might be done to disperse cirrus clouds, preventing them from trapping heatthe main problem is lack of precision; doing it wrong could lead to more warming, for example.

For these reasons and many more, Pasztor, Scharf and Schmidt suggest taking a very serious look at how to prevent one country, group or even a wealthy individual from striking out on their own with such approaches. Adding a governing body to the equation, they suggest, could prevent these scenarios.

More information: Ulrike Lohmann et al. A cirrus cloud climate dial?, Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aan3325 Ulrike Niemeier et al. Sulfur injections for a cooler planet, Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aan3317 Janos Pasztor et al. How to govern geoengineering?, Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aan6794 Journal information: Science

 2017 Phys.org
A UK-built satellite which will be part of Europe's world-leading environmental monitoring programme  Copernicus  is ready for launch.

Sentinel-5 Precursor, part of a joint European CommissionESA undertaking which aims to supply geo-information products and services based on the use of data from space, is set to leave Airbus's site in Stevenage.

The satellite will provide essential atmospheric chemistry data to the Copernicus programme before the Sentinel-5 instrument becomes operational in 2021 on the MetOp Second Generation satellite.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

"The UK-built Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite and the success of the Copernicus Programme demonstrates what we can achieve through collaboration with our European partners and the UK's vital role in the programme thanks to our earth observation expertise.

We've been clear that we want our companies and universities to continue participating in key EU space programmes, and through our Industrial Strategy and ongoing investment in the UK space sector, we are ensuring we have the infrastructure and skills in place to support our ambition to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030."

Data from the Sentinel satellites benefits the UK public sector in areas such as emergency response or flooding; farming and environmental management; air quality; marine planning and fisheries. The same data also enables commercial applications that help our wider economy function more efficiently and effectively, growing our space sector at the same time.

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

"The whole of the Copernicus programme is a fantastic success for the UK. It has a global vision, providing near real-time measurements of Earth on an unprecedented scale.

Copernicus has been a major work programme for UK space technology companies, building and testing instruments and satellites. This industrial contribution helps us maintain and expand UK skills and capability, but also strengthens the whole programme, as ESA can rely on UK expertise to make sure these 'state of the art' spacecraft have the best and brightest of Europe's space sector behind them."

Sentinel-5 Precursor features the TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) instrument, developed by Airbus DS Netherlands for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Netherlands Space Office. TROPOMI will measure ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, methane and other atmospheric pollutants at a higher resolution than previous instruments. Having more accurate atmospheric data will enable improved climate models and pollutant tracking and forecasting.

Colin Paynter, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space in the UK, said:

"For Sentinel-5 Precursor we used the commercially successful AstroBus platform, enabling us to meet challenging delivery and cost efficiency targets. This mission will give Europe a new way to measure global pollution levels in much greater detail."

Sentinel-5 Precursor is due for launch on a Rokot rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia, in September 2017.
Make School, a for-profit startup in this city's South of Market district, is one of the most unusual schools in the country: It lets students enroll in classes for free if they agree to pay later after they land a job.

"We can only make money if the students are doing well," co-founder Ashu Desai, 24, said during an interview at the school, an airy space where students sit side-by-side at long rectangular tables pounding away at Mac laptops.

Desai, who attended the tony Menlo School in nearby Atherton, helped create Make School in 2012 after dropping out of UCLA after just one year.

The goal at Make School is not getting good grades. It's putting together a portfolio of practical work capable of impressing Silicon Valley companies like Google and Facebook - and prompting them to make lucrative job offers.

But the nontraditional approach to higher education is raising red flags for some experts. The model, they worry, creates an incentive for the school to admit only students it thinks can succeed - which some education officials worry could disadvantage "risky" students who come from low-income backgrounds.

Make School runs programs of varying lengths. Its "Product College" is a two-year computer science program that combines internships at big-name Silicon Valley companies with classes that are light on lectures and heavy on projects. The goal is for graduating students - most of them 18- to 24-years-old - to have created games or other apps they can take to job interviews.

That, Desai argues, is often worth more in Silicon Valley these days than a traditional bachelor's degree in computer science - and some well-known investors are betting on the idea.

The school just picked up $2 million in financial backing from a San Diego-based asset management company. And Mitch Kapor of Kapor Capital and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian also have invested in the school.

"Make School does something that many ed tech companies don't," Kapor said. "They actually narrow gaps in access to computer science education. There are a lot of coding academies out there for people who can pay full freight up front."

The company relies on something known as an "income-share agreement," which allows students to go to school at no cost initially - meaning they don't have to take out loans - if they agree to pay the school a portion of their future earnings.

Students who opt for the income-share agreement pay 25 percent of their pre-tax salary to the school for three and a half years. The agreement kicks in only if students earn more than $60,000, which Desai says encourages everyone - Make School, students and investors - to do their best to help students land lucrative jobs.

"In the last five to 10 years," Desai said, "things have really shifted away from folks focusing on a degree to folks focusing on: What can you build? Can I see your code? These are the things that get our students in the door."

About 60 percent of the 40 or so students in last year's Product College class chose the income-sharing option. About 20 percent paid $60,000 in tuition out of pocket, and the rest chose a partial income-share agreement.

While the school touts income sharing as a way to expand access, Tom Harnisch, director of state policy at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, is somewhat wary of the model in general.

"Some students are more risky investments than others," he said. "They need to have confidence that their students will enter the marketplace and then do reasonably well from a financial perspective. The question is: Are they really expanding the number of students, or are they selecting students who would be going to these programs anyway?"

Desai insists he's giving students who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to pursue higher education - including minorities who are underrepresented in the tech industry - a chance. According to Desai, about 10 percent of students in the Product College are black and 25 percent are Latino.

About 85 percent of the Product College students are male. But Desai said the school is working to raise the percentage of women through partnerships with organizations like Girls Who Code.

Lauren Weiss, 18, has attended two summer programs at Make School. While she's heading to college in her home state of Colorado this fall, it's mostly because she earned a full-ride scholarship, not because she thinks it'll be better than the Product College.

"They're able to teach students more than any other program ever could," she said. "People really are pushed to grow."

The school isn't alone in adopting income-share agreements. Several programs in the area, including the Oakland-based Learners Guild, use them, but the programs are typically a couple of months as opposed to a couple of years. Purdue University in Indiana is also experimenting with the model, and more universities are considering offering the agreements to help students avoid being burdened by loans.

But Barmak Nassirian, director of federal policy at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, warned that while the idea might be in vogue now, there are few regulations, so students can fall into traps if they don't read the terms carefully. "They have you on a tight leash because you have to fork over X percent of your earnings regardless," he said.

Nassirian said he was somewhat encouraged by Make School, though, in part because of the investors who have backed it. But he also questions how much a certificate will be worth in the long run compared to a computer science degree from, say, Stanford.

The school opened in 2012 but mostly offered programs lasting just a couple of months until last year, when the first group of two-year Product College students enrolled. Exactly where they will land or how much they will make is still unclear.

Make School has no interest in being accredited, and only about half the Product College students from last year are returning to finish the program. But Desai said he isn't concerned.

He said many of the students who dropped out received lucrative offers from tech companies like Facebook and the San Francisco-based shipping company Shyp - which Desai noted is the ultimate goal.

It might be risky, but Andrew Tsukuda is sold on the school.

The 18-year-old just finished his first year at Loyola Marymount University. But next year he's heading to the Product College.

The university, he said, seemed too focused on computer science theory. At Make School, he said, "everything you learn is about practical skills."

2017 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com

Social media platforms are facilitating surveillance by selling their users' data to apps which are used by the police and other organisations, according to the author of a new study.

The image messaging company Snapchat recently tried to soothe worries over their controversial Snap Map feature by saying that they "routinely work with law enforcement" (The Sunday Times, 16th July 2017).

However, a new report, by Dr Neil Thurman of City, University of London and LMU Munich, reveals that the practice of selling data to app providers has allowed law enforcement agencies to use social media to monitor those not suspected of any crimes, such as legitimate protesters and trade union members.

He says the Snapchat Snap Map feature, which enables users to track their friends, is the tip of the iceberg and surveillance of social media users is not going away.

Dr Thurman says Snapchat gives access to its data (via an application programming interface, or API) to third-parties for the purposes of selling advertising on its platform, and this includes data about users' locations.

However, he says there is no evidence that Snapchat is routinely providing or selling access to its users' data (including via third party apps) to law enforcement.

'Stalker-esque' apps

Dr Thurman, of the Department of Journalism at City, said: "Snap Map is just one of a range of apps that allows social network users to be monitored without their knowledge and with pin-point accuracy. Indeed some of these apps far exceed Snap Map in their surveillance capabilities, and are able to track individuals over time and across multiple social networks.

"Social media networks' reassurances over surveillance ring hollow because, as my study shows, they are selling our data in the knowledge that it is being used by third parties for a wide range of other purposes, including location monitoring."

In his latest study, Dr Thurman looked at a range of such apps  including Echosec, Dataminr, Picodash and SAM. While Snapchat's Snap Map is aimed at the public, many of the other social media monitoring apps are aimed at professional users, including the security forces, journalists and marketeers.

Their use may bring citizens and consumers some benefits. For example, one app, Dataminr, claims to have delivered alerts on shootings and explosions "ahead of major news reports", allowing "emergency responders to act quickly to protect the public." Another app, Ground Signal, allows retailers and restaurants to see when social media users post from their premises and "engage" them with "VIP treatment".

But there is a darker side to social media surveillance. In his study, Dr Thurman interviewed journalists who were given an opportunity to experiment with some of these apps professionally. One said that being able to track the locations of individual social media users felt "slightly morally wrong and stalker-esque".

Chilling effects

However, reservations like this are apparently not universal. "One of the apps my report describes, Geofeedia, was used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies, promoted as giving the police the power to 'monitor'  via social media  trade union members, protesters, and activist groups, who the company described as being an 'overt threat'", said Dr Thurman.

The Geofeedia controversy led to its demise, with social networks refusing to persist in supplying the app with a pipeline of posts for fear of further negative publicity.

However, according to an article in the business magazine Forbes, cited by Dr Thurman, the sheer number of apps that have been built on their platforms makes it impossible for the leading social media networks to prevent this form of social surveillance.

The results of the study have been published in the journal Digital Journalism.

More information: Neil Thurman. Social Media, Surveillance, and News Work, Digital Journalism (2017). DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2017.1345318
Back when the Great River Jazz Festival was drawing jazz fans to La Crosse from all over the country, one of the more popular acts had a local flavor. The Dalton Brothers Trio  consisting of bassist Larry Dalton, pianist Bert Dalton and Winona-based drummer Rich MacDonald  played the festival at least five times.

According to Larry Dalton, fond memories of those performances persist to this day, both for him and the people lucky enough to see those performances. When I play other gigs around the area, people will often come up to me and say When is your brother coming back?

Lately, the Onalaska resident has had a ready answer. The Dalton Brothers Trio will perform Saturday evening at the Pump House Regional Arts Center.

A familiar presence on the local music scene, Larry plays many such gigs. Besides performing with most area jazz artists, the former Onalaska School District finance director is a member of the gypsy jazz group Under Paris Skies, the bluegrass band String Ties, as well as traditional string bands Grand Picnic and Walk Old Shoe. He also performs regularly with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.

Meanwhile, Bert Dalton has released at least a dozen albums since the 1980s. He is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where hes the music director for National Dance Institute of New Mexico.

MacDonald, the third member of the trio, is a music professor at Winona State University who has performed with jazz legends like Milt Hinton, Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval and George Benson. In addition, hes the principal percussionist with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.

Rich is just an incredible drummer, Bert said. First of all, he swings like mad, plus hes got that Latin thing down since hes studied Brazilian music. Hes intuitive, really listens and knows how to build energy. Its been a real thrill to play with him.

Larry and Bert, of course, have been playing together since they were kids growing up in a musical home in Chicago. According to Larry, the Pump House show was kind of a spur of the moment idea.

We just had a real itch to play again in La Crosse so I talked to Toni Asher (executive director of the Pump House), Larry said. They usually dont do shows during this part of the summer so this is kind of on our own. Im looking forward to it because its such a wonderful venue!

Bert also admitted hes excited about playing with his brother again. He truly believes theres some kind of special connection that occurs between siblings in music.

Weve had a shared interest in music forever, Bert said, and we connect on so many different levels.

For his part, Larry is a huge admirer of Berts skills. Its not just because hes my brother and weve played together forever, Larry said. Hes an outstanding musician who knows how to communicate with an audience. Even though jazz is a style of music some folks may think they dont like  they havent heard my brother.

Berts latest album  Cafe Columbo  was released last month. Its a tribute to Brazilian pianist Manfredo Fest, one of the people who popularized the Bossa Nova style back in the 1960s. Fest eventually moved to the United States, where he worked closely with Sergio Mendez on some classic albums.

Bert first saw Fest in Chicago and has described his music as a perfect blend of Brazilian music and piano jazz. He never quite got the recognition he deserved, Bert said.

This album was made with Berts own Latin-tinged group  the Brazil Project. But he also he called in some heavy hitters to help out, including Manfredos son, Phill, a Miami-based guitarist whose most recent album has charted as high as No. 23 on the jazz album charts.

We really wanted to get Manfredos son involved, Bert said Also helping out was Ali Ryerson, a renowned jazz flutist who has worked with dozens of jazz greats  people like Hubert Laws, Stephane Grappelli and Art Farmer  and who consistently rates among the top jazz flutists in the annual Downbeat Jazz Poll.

According to Bert, more than three years of planning and preparation went into Cafe Colombo. We wound up recording the album live in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and El Paso and had a great time doing it, Bert said. We all connected on a musical level.

At least two tunes from the album will be performed during the Pump House show. That means that the warm, soothing sounds of Brazil will be added to what, for local jazz lovers, already promises to be a special evening of music.
Visualization of 'friendships' between online community members: nodes indicate users, edges indicate 'friendships'. Node size is proportional to user activity in the community. Colors: red - convinced denialists, yellow - doubters, blue - orthodox (i.e. supporters of medical science on the issue), grey - undetermined. Credit: Yuri G. Rykov, Peter A. Meylakhs, Yadviga E. Sinyavskaya, HSE

HSE researchers examined the structure of online communities of Russian AIDS denialistspeople who deny the reality of HIV and AIDSand the manner in which they spread their ideas. The findings are published in American Behavioral Scientist.

According to the authors, social networks have taken the debate over the existence of HIV or whether it causes AIDS to a new level. Having focused their study on Russia's largest AIDS denialist group on VKontakte, the researchers found it consistently ranked at the top of Google's search results for HIV. The group has over 15,000 participants and provides some 40 external links, mainly to other AIDS denialist online communities such as Vaccination Kills and others.

"Our earlier studies reveal some of the reasons why such online communities are so popular, including a perceived inconsistency between real-life stories and popular stereotypes about HIV, mere curiosity, doubting the accuracy of test results, wishing to convince other community members that they are wrong or, conversely, support them in their search for truth," explains Peter Meylakhs, senior research fellow of the HSE International Centre for Health Economics, Management and Policy.

The paper, "Network Structure of an AIDS-Denialist Online Community: Identifying Core Members and the Risk Group," which Meylakhs co-authored with Yuri Rykov and Yadviga Sinyavskaya of the HSE Laboratory for Internet Studies, presents the findings from their new project using content and network analysis to study the nature of interactions in the denialist community, 'friendships,' types of user activity and the relationship between these factors and susceptibility to AIDS denialism.

Visualization of interactions between the core and the risk group: nodes indicate users, edges indicate comments and/or likes. Colors: red - convinced denialists, yellow - doubters, blue - orthodox, grey - undetermined Credit: Yuri G. Rykov, Peter A. Meylakhs, Yadviga E. Sinyavskaya

Having examined active membersthose who give and get likes, and who post and comment on others' poststhe researchers identified four distinct categories of users whom they describe as convinced, doubting, orthodox (i.e. supporting the medical science on the issue) and undetermined.

The study found that the more active a user is in terms of posting and getting likes, the higher their likelihood of being a denialist. The number of user comments under others' posts is not a good indicator, since such comments may express disagreement with the poster. In terms of demographics, there tend to be more men than women among AIDS denialists.

The analysis also revealed an online community core consisting of 276 particularly active users who promote denialist views and maintain 'friendships,' each with at least one other convinced user. The core often reach out to less active users ('periphery'), but interactions within the core are more frequent than those within the periphery.

According to the authors, the echo chamber effect might be at play here, as certain ideas and beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system. By sharing comments and likes, AIDS denialists recruit more support for their ideas.

The researchers also identified some 1,369 users at risk, including virtually all doubters; the risk group is thus estimated at one-tenth of the entire AIDS denialist online community and includes users who interact with the core and are more likely to be influenced by their views.

"People share allegedly personal stories about how they have had no symptoms for years, and this produces a serious effect," according to Rykov. "This effect must be due to what is called 'social infection,' where people tend to be influenced not by information per se, but by information backed by personal contact and thus trusted more; therefore, the high-risk group are not all those who join the online community, but those who begin to interact directly with its more convinced members."

The study authors note that the issue merits further study. Understanding how online communities of AIDS denialists are structured and detecting users at risk of adopting such beliefs could help stop people from voluntarily refusing HIV treatment and AIDS prevention.

According to the researchers, the same approach could be applied to detect users at risk in other potentially harmful online communities, e.g. those which encourage vaccination refusal and others.

More information: Yuri G. Rykov et al, Network Structure of an AIDS-Denialist Online Community: Identifying Core Members and the Risk Group, American Behavioral Scientist (2017). DOI: 10.1177/0002764217717565 Journal information: American Behavioral Scientist

Provided by National Research University Higher School of Economics
A representative color image of infrared light from an infant star cluster: Young stars predominantly show up as orange. Regions where gas is being heated by intense radiation from luminous young stars show up as white. Newly discovered jets from the young stars show up as blue in the image. Credit: Adler Planetarium

A research team led by Adler Planetarium astronomer Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase has discovered new evidence of stars forming in our Milky Way Galaxy. By using a telescope equipped to detect infrared light invisible to our eyes, this exciting new science is revealing how stars, including our very own sun, grow up within clusters and groups. The Astrophysical Journal has published a paper on the subject titled, "MHOs Toward HMOs: A Search for Molecular Hydrogen Emission Line Objects Toward High-Mass Outflows."

The team found huge gas clouds moving outward from areas where "baby" stars are forming, using a new way of disentangling these outflows from other processes in densely-populated stellar nurseries. These stellar nurseries can produce dozens or even hundreds of stars with different sizes and masses.

"The sun, though isolated from other stars today, is thought to have formed in a cluster with many other stars, so the environments we're studying can tell us a lot about the origin of our own solar system," said Wolf-Chase.

Stars form when cold, rotating clouds of gas and dust in space are pulled together by gravity into flattened "disks" that spin faster as they shrink, similar to what happens when twirling figure skaters pull their outstretched arms in toward their bodies. In order for a star to form at the center of a spinning disk, the rotation of the disk must slow down. This happens through powerful outflows of gas that are channeled into tight streams, known as "jets." Jets can span more than 10 trillion miles, even though the disks that launch them are "mere" billions of miles across (comparable to the size of our solar system).

Since planets can form in the disks, the presence of a jet can be a good indicator of a nascent planetary system, even when the disk isn't observed directly. Stars more than eight times as massive as the sun bathe their surroundings in intense ultraviolet radiation that destroys their natal clouds quickly, so it's not clear if these massive stars develop disks and jets similar to stars like the sun.

The researchers used an instrument called NICFPS (which stands for Near-Infrared Camera and Fabry-Perot Spectrometer) on the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) 3.5-meter telescope at the Apache Point Observatory (APO) in sunspot, New Mexico. NICFPS peered into 26 dusty clouds thought to be forming clusters containing massive stars. Using a combination of infrared filters that allowed them to distinguish jets from infant stars from other types of light produced by the radiation in these massive stellar nurseries, they identified 36 jets across 22 of the regions. These results provide compelling evidence that, like their lower-mass siblings, massive stars also launch powerful jets. The jet shuts off shortly after radiation from the massive star begins to disrupt its environment.

More information: Grace Wolf-Chase et al. MHOs toward HMOs: A Search for Molecular Hydrogen Emission-Line Objects toward High-mass Outflows, The Astrophysical Journal (2017). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa762a MHOs toward HMOs: A Search for Molecular Hydrogen emission-line Objects toward High-Mass Outflows. arXiv: arxiv.org/abs/1706.00375 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal , arXiv

Provided by Adler Planetarium
The city of Tomah City Council has decided to express its opposition to proposed federal budget cuts that threaten Tomahs Amtrak service.

In a show of hands during Thursdays regular council meeting, all seven council members voted to draft a letter to send to state representatives expressing the councils support of Amtrak.

City administrator Roger Gorius raised the topic after a letter was mailed to him at city hall without a signature or return address.

Gorius presented it to the council at Thursdays meeting.

This is not an attempt to politicize the situation, rather it is intended to convey concerns from members of the public to the city council for their consideration, he said.

Budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration outline a 13 percent funding reduction for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The cut would eliminate federal support for Amtraks long-distance services, which include the Empire Builder route that stops in Tomah.

The loss of Amtrak services in Tomah and along the Empire Builder route, would be unfortunate Gorius said.

While modern times have given way to airlines and commercial jet travel, there is still large demand for train routes here in the Midwest, he said. Amtraks unique, I mean, I dont know of any other city where you can go down and see a modern-day locomotive sitting 150 feet away from a horse and buggy and a family getting off and being welcomed. It goes right in with seeing the Army roll past, but the Amish too. They use it a lot. Its effective. It doesnt cause a problem.

The letter stated that the route is important to the area.

This is just simply a person thats making a pretty good statement, Gorius said He talks anything from college students who use this to people who take it just for leisure down to Chicago and Milwaukee. My wife has used it. Its just in the fabric of Tomah, and I think that we should consider defending it to the best of our abilities.

In 2016 Tomah saw a sharp increase in Amtrak ridership. There were 13,083 passengers last year, compared to the 10,300 in 2015.

Milwaukee ridership on the state-supported Hiawatha Service also increased slightly between 2015 and 2016 from 594,076 riders to 597,134 riders.

Mayor Nellie Pater said she has used the route and wants it to remain.

Having a parent that has been very sick, I use the Amtrak a lot to get to Chicago to see my mom, she said. Personally  Id hate to see this (go). I think that the city of Tomah can do as much as we can to try to save the Amtrak coming to Tomah and going down all the way to Chicago.

The route is also important to veterans, council member Mary Ann Komiskey said.

The Amtrak really supports our veterans because we get a lot of people that come from Minnesota and La Crosse down here every day to visit their loved ones at the VA, she said. So thats a very strong issue.

Theres no reason Amtrak should be cut, Gorius said.

Its a concern to our community; people are worried that were going to lose it, he said. Really, if you look at the scope of things and the amount of money that they want to cut, theres just really no reason to lose it for what it does. Its not that offensive to the federal budget, I think.
The Brazilian government has deployed a thousand additional personnel to combat insecurity in Rio de Janeiro, which has seen a spike in violence in recent months, authorities said Thursday. The country's Secretary of Institutional Security, Sergio Etchegoyen, told journalists that the government had dispatched 620 officers of the national force and 380 traffic police to shore up security. "We are in the process of developing a long-term plan to reduce crime in Rio," Etchegoyen said. The national force is a reserve corps of police and firefighters that can be deployed at the request of states. The traffic police have been mobilized due to a recent sharp increase in theft of goods. The supplementary forces will also aim to stem the influx of weapons fueling wars between narcotraffickers. Insecurity has been exacerbated by the catastrophic financial situation in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which is on the brink of bankruptcy and pays its officials, including police, after months of delay. Violence has surged in the city, which hosted the Summer Olympics just one year ago. A shocking three people a day were hit by stray bullets in the first six months of the year. State governor Luiz Fernando Pezao met with President Michel Temer and several other ministers to discussion solutions to the crisis Thursday.
By Jorge Otaola MENDOZA, Argentina (Reuters) - The members of South America's Mercosur trade bloc called for an end to violence in Venezuela in a joint statement on Friday, while Brazil and Argentina expressed wariness about following the United States in preparing possible economic sanctions. Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay again called on Venezuela to release political prisoners and offered to facilitate talks between President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government and the opposition in the statement, issued as the nations met in Mendoza, Argentina to discuss trade and regional integration. Associate Mercosur members Chile, Colombia and Guyana, as well as Mexico, also signed the statement, which called on both the government and the opposition to "not take any initiative that could divide Venezuelan society even more, or aggravate institutional conflicts." The statement comes days after U.S. officials said they were preparing sanctions against Venezuelan government figures. Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes and Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie told reporters Mercosur countries were hesitant to follow suit. "None of us are willing to apply any sanctions that will affect, above all, the Venezuelan people," Faurie said. Nunes said any Mercosur decision would be "autonomous" of U.S. action, and said interruptions of food shipments from Brazil to Venezuela could "aggravate the humanitarian crisis even more." Venezuela was suspended from Mercosur last December amid concerns about human rights. Since then, four months of anti-government unrest has taken around 100 lives. On Friday, millions joined a 24-hour shutdown as part of a civil disobedience campaign against Maduro. In April, Argentine President Mauricio Macri warned that Venezuela could be expelled from Mercosur if it did not change its behaviour. The joint statement did not refer to Maduro's plan to hold a July 30 vote to elect a constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the OPEC nation's constitution. Mexico on Thursday had called on Maduro to shelve the vote. Bolivia, whose President Evo Morales is one of Maduro's few remaining allies in the region, is in the process of becoming a Mercosur member. At the meeting, Mercosur members agreed to establish common legal conditions within the bloc to encourage investment and took steps to boost trade ties with the Pacific Alliance countries of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Mercosur is also eying a trade deal with the European Union, which Faurie said could be reached in December. (Reporting by Jorge Otaola; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Tom Allard JAKARTA (Reuters) - As a lengthy, urban battle drags on between Philippine forces and Islamist militants in the southern city of Marawi, a new report by a think-tank has warned of more attacks by radicals in Southeast Asia, including on foreigners. A coalition of Philippine militant groups, augmented by foreign fighters, stormed Marawi, on the island on Mindanao, nearly two months ago. The militants, who claim allegiance to Islamic State (IS), still control a portion of the city despite a sustained military offensive. There have been similar attacks in the Philippines since last year, but the duration and ferocity of the fighting in Marawi has alarmed Southeast Asian nations and led to fears the assault could inspire and unite the region's disparate Islamist groups. "The risks won't end when the military declares victory," said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict, adding that threats would mount in neighbouring Indonesia and Malaysia, both Muslim-majority nations. "Indonesia and Malaysia will face new threats in the form of returning fighters from Mindanao, and the Philippines will have a host of smaller dispersed cells with the capacity for both violence and indoctrination." The Marawi siege had united two feuding pro-IS factions in Indonesia, the world's most-populous Muslim-majority nation, and led to soul-searching among militants there "about why they cannot manage to do anything as spectacular", the report said. "Once the battle for Marawi is over, it is possible that Southeast Asian ISIS leaders (in Syria) might encourage Indonesians to go after other targets, including foreigners or foreign institutions  especially if one of them comes back to lead the operations," the report added, using another acronym for the Islamic State. Asked about an elevated threat in Indonesia, including for foreigners, police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said: "We will stay cautious, increase our alertness and monitor the movement of those who come home from Marawi." Malaysia's police counter-terrorism chief declined comment. Authorities in the Philippines did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Authorities estimate about 20 Indonesian militants were involved in the fighting in Marawi but it is not clear how many survived. About 565 people have died in nearly two months of fighting in Marawi, according to officials, including over 420 militants, 45 civilians and almost 100 Philippines military and police. After missing several deadlines for re-taking Marawi, Philippine officials say it is not possible to say when the fighting will end. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon told reporters on Friday a hard core of fighters has been hemmed in to three barangays, or urban villages, down from the 12 they held earlier. Marawi has 96 such barangays. CHAIN OF COMMAND In a key revelation, the IPAC report tracked the chain of command for the Marawi operations. At its apex was Islamic State "Central" in Syria, represented by Katibah Nusantara, the IS military unit made up of fighters from Southeast Asia and led by Indonesian militant Bahrumsyah, likely the highest ranked member of IS from the region, it said. Bahrumsyah organised funding and helped find international recruits, liaising with Malaysian militant Mahmud Ahmad, a former university lecturer and Islamic scholar believed to be in Marawi. Mahmud "controlled recruitment as well as financing and has been the contact person for any foreigner wanting to join the pro-ISIS forces in the Philippines", the report said. Tactical decisions on the ground were made by local militant commanders but the report said "the Syria-based Southeast Asians could have a say in setting strategy for (the) region when the siege is over." The report warned the devastating damage to the city from Philippines military air strikes was being exploited by militant ideologues. It cited a post on the social media platform Telegram, a message presumed to be from a militant, that said: "We did not bomb it to ashes". "We ordained good and forbade evil ... but the response of the Crusader Army was brutal." The Philippines military has defended the use of air strikes in its offensive, noting that militant snipers positioned on top of buildings made it difficult for ground troops to make headway in the dense urban environment. (Additional reporting by Stefanno Reinard in Jakarta, Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur and Martin Petty in Manila; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
By Aziz El Yaakoubi DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's emir called on Friday for dialogue to resolve a political crisis pitting his country against four Arab states, saying any talks must respect national sovereignty, but the call was unlikely to end the rift. In his first speech since four Arab countries severed ties with Doha, a defiant Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said life was continuing as normal despite what he described as an unjust "siege". Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties and imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and supporting terrorism, which the emir denied. "Qatar is fighting terrorism relentlessly and without compromise, and the international community recognises this," Sheikh Tamim said in the televised speech. He spoke hours after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to implement an agreement aimed at combating terror financing, and urged the four states to lift their "land blockade". It also comes days before Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who had supported Qatar in the crisis, was due to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to try to resolve the rift. Earlier this month during a round of shuttle diplomacy, Tillerson signed a deal with Qatar to fight terrorism financing, part of efforts led by Kuwait to try to resolve the most serious rift in the Western-allied Gulf in decades. An official comment from the four Arab countries had yet to be issued, but a Saudi royal court advisor described it as a piece of literary work written by a school student. "Had it been written by a student in middle school he would have flunked," Saud al-Qahtani wrote on his Twitter account. Commentators hosted by the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television also denounced the speech. "This is a speech of obstinacy which sends messages that Qatar will not stop supporting terrorism," said Ali al-Naimi, editor of an online news website published in the UAE. "PREVIOUSLY PLANNED" CAMPAIGN The crisis revolves around allegations that Qatar supports Islamist militant groups, including in Syria and Libya, and hosts members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It began after a speech in late May by Sheikh Tamim appeared on the state news agency's website, which Doha said he had never made and indicated the website had been hacked from one of its neighbours, indicating the UAE. The Washington Post, citing U.S. intelligence officials, last week reported that the United Arab Emirates had arranged for Qatari government social media and news sites to be hacked in order to post the fiery but false quotes. The UAE denied any involvement. Sheikh Tamim described the sanctions as a campaign that had been pre-planned against Qatar, calling it an act of aggression against Doha's foreign policy. "Its planners planted statements to mislead public opinion and the countries of the world," he said. Sheikh Tamim vowed to withstand the sanctions and said he had instructed the Qatari government that Qataris should become more self-reliant and called for the economy to be opened up to foreign investments. "The time has come for us to spare the people from the political differences between the governments," he said, urging dialogue. "... Any solution must respect the sovereignty and will of each state." (Additional reporting by Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Writing by Sylvia Westall and Sami Aboudi; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
Photo: Facebook / Barbara Tan Cheng Cheng

A Singaporean man who was said to be missing overseas for a week has made contact with his family, according to a Facebook post by his wife.

In a Facebook message to Yahoo News Singapore, Barbara Tan said, Kay contacted me this morning at 9.10am on a borrowed phone and the first thing he said was, hello, whats happening? He was oblivious at the amount of action that had happened the last few days.

According to a post by Tan, her husband Immanuel Kay Kok Yong last communicated with her via WeChat on 14 July (Friday).

Kay, 54, who is working in Shenzhen as a sales manager, was reported to have lost contact with Singapore-based Tan on 14 July. Tan wrote in an earlier Facebook post that her husband likely went missing in Hong Kong, which is where he was on business when they last made contact.

Tan lodged a missing persons report with the Singapore police.

Early Friday morning (21 July), Tan wrote that her husband finally got in touch with her. He is safe! Got pick pocketed and lost phone, passport and money. Spent a few days at local police station in the outskirts of Guangzhou cos no identification papers, she wrote on Facebook.

She told Yahoo News Singapore, We are just very thankful Kay is found and safe. The GuangZhou Consulate told my sister that Kay has found his passport and the issue with the local police should be resolved.



Other Singapore stories:
At least two people were killed on the Greek island of Kos Friday when a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the popular summer resort holiday destinations of the Dodecanese Islands in Greece and the Aegean coast of Turkey. The epicentre of the quake was approximately 10.3 kilometres (6.4 miles) south of the major Turkish resort of Bodrum, a magnet for holidaymakers in the summer, and 16.2 kilometres east of the island of Kos in Greece, the US Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 10 kilometres, USGS said. Two people were killed on the Greek island of Kos, the ANA news agency reported. The quake caused injury and damage, the agency cited the island's mayor as saying. In the Turkish resort of Bodrum, television pictures showed throngs of worried residents and holidaymakers in the streets. "The biggest problem at the moment are electricity cuts in certain areas (of the city)," Bodrum mayor Mehmet Kocadon told NTV television. "There is light damage and no reports that anyone has been killed" in the area. The governor of the southern Mugla province -- where Bodrum is located -- said some people had been slightly injured after falling out of windows in panic. The quake was also felt on the Datca peninsula -- also a major resort area -- as well as Turkey's third city of Izmir on the Aegean to the north. An AFP correspondent holidaying in Bodrum said the major earthquake had been followed by several aftershocks. "The bed shook a lot. Some bottles fell and broke in the kitchen and the patio," said Turkish pensioner Dilber Arikan who has a summer house in the area. "I screamed I was very scared because I was alone." The quake was also felt by holidaymakers on the Greek island of Rhodes. "We were very surprised. We were scared and we immediately went outside," Teddy Dijoux, who was holidaying with his family at a Rhodes resort, told AFP. "That lasted a long time. I quickly gathered up my children to leave the hotel," said holidaymaker Sylvie Jannot. Turkey and Greece sit on significant fault lines and have regularly been hit by earthquakes in recent years. This year alone, Turkey's western Aegean coast was hit by several significant earthquakes, which brought back memories of past deadly earthquakes. In June, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake gutted a village on the Greek island of Lesbos, killing a woman and leaving more than 15 injured. The quake also caused panic on Turkey's Aegean coast. On August 17, 1999, a huge earthquake measuring more than 7.0 magnitude near the city of Izmit devastated vast areas in the country's densely populated northwestern zone, notably around Istanbul, killing over 17,000 people.
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government should agree an implementation period for curbs to immigration from the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc to allow businesses time to adapt, a committee of lawmakers said in a report published on Friday. The economics committee of the House of Lords, parliament's upper chamber, also said that without improvements to the accuracy of migration data the government would struggle to control immigration after Brexit as it would be formulating policy "in the dark". Concerns over immigration were a key driver behind last year's vote to leave the EU and the government has made controlling Britain's borders central to its Brexit plans. "It will take companies time to adapt their business models to be less dependent on EU workers and an implementation period is essential to ensure a smooth transition," Michael Forsyth, the committee's chairman, said in a statement. The report said the necessary training of the British workforce and investment in new technologies could take a number of years, and businesses would need to retain access to the EU labour market during this time. The committee also criticised existing migration data, which has a large margin of error, as "wholly inadequate". It does not provide an accurate number of migrants entering or leaving the country, or the number of migrants in work, it said, calling on the government to work to improve the reliability of the data before basing new policy on it. The government has repeatedly failed to meet a pledge to reduce the annual net migration level to below 100,000. In 2016 the figure fell to its lowest in more than two-and-a-half-years but, at 248,000, was still more than double that target. The committee said sticking with a numerical target risked causing "considerable" disruption to businesses and the economy. "The objective of reducing migration to sustainable levels should be implemented flexibly and be able to take account of labour market needs, in particular during the implementation period," it said. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Scott Palmer: The council is fully on board with it. And as I say, its just everyone trying to make the most of the spaces that weve got.

On the upside as well, the council are all for promoting getting the youth, kids, into activities and sports, and they see this just as another outlet for the kids and the youth to get involved with, so the more they encourage skating, the more people are going to actively get involved.

Mike Foreman: For instance, we have a scheme at the park where, if youre in part-time work or youre a part-time student, you can get a certain amount of vouchers for free entry to the skatepark. Thats just to get you fitter, to get you out of the house so youre not just on the X-Box or on the Playstation or whatever it is, to get you active and healthy whilst youre not in work or in uni.

Having Shop Riot coming to Hull is brilliant; it shows that the facility that is here is up there with The Works or Mount Hawke or any other skatepark of that size. The owner Mark opened his first park 25 years ago, and it came from him wanting to support the local skaters. It was the same thing again when this place reopened, hes basically got a whole new building next door and built the skatepark just from going on the internet and seeing how popular skating is here in the town at the time, and seeing there was still a need for an indoor skatepark.

As a skater myself its amazing to just have you guys skating here tonight, just to have that, then to have the whole Shop Riot event coming up, Im stoked as a skater and Im stoked as someone who is a part of the facility. Im glad when people come to skate here that theyre into what weve got to offer.

Scott Palmer: Hulls got a really rich skate history which possibly people outside of Hull arent really aware of. Theres been some really good skateboarders over the years, a lot of people who inspired me, and inspired a lot of people who came up at the same time as me  Im talking about the generation prior to myself and all my mates  and its nice that now with obviously Shop Riot coming here, all the promotion thats going to bring, were going to be in the spotlight, its nice for the area to get that acknowledgement. Its like a nod to all the effort that everybody puts in, and that everybody has put in over the years, just to create the scene that we actually have in Hull, and how good it is.
At one point in the history Pressburg, now Bratislava, was bigger and more important town than Vienna.

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Bratislava and Vienna are the closest capitals in the world, separated from each other by a distance of some 70 kilometres. Developments of the cities, both located close to their countrys borders in the fertile wine-growing regions of the Danube River, offer several parallels. But while the city now known as Bratislava dominated during the Early Middle Ages, two important events of the second half of the 12th century led Vienna to make a huge leap ahead.

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Since that time, Bratislava has never caught up to Vienna, said historian Juraj Sedivy during his lecture titled Vienna and Bratislava between 12th and 14th centuries: Parallels and Differences in the Development of the Cities and their Societies at the Austrian Forum last November. As a result, Vienna has developed into a big metropolis and Bratislava into a smaller city. This is why Bratislavans commute to Vienna for work and not vice versa.

Bratislava (Source: SME)

Danube and vineyards

There are two elements which co-created the history of this whole area and the localities on which Vienna and Bratislava were later built, said Sedivy. The first of them was the Danube River, and the second was the southern and south-eastern slopes of relatively low mountains. For Bratislava it was the Small Carpathians, and for Vienna it was Wienerwald.

About 2000 years ago, the Danube River was unregulated and, apart from its main river bed, there were plenty of branches and wetlands. In Vienna, the dense rivers branches north of it were difficult to pass, which determined that the main flow of traffic would be in the east-west direction.

The situation in what is now Bratislava was different: two inland deltas created here a funnel with a ford.

As a consequence, for armies and merchants with heavy loaded carriages, it was almost impossible to cross the Danube 100 kilometres up the river from present-day Bratislava or 100 kilometres down the river, Sedivy said.

The second natural precondition for the development of the cities was the fertile slopes of the Small Carpathians and Wienerwald, which both cities used for growing grapes and producing wine. However, winemakers in Vienna perceived those from what became known as Pressburg, and later Bratislava, as strong competition.

Wine was the only important export product of mediaeval Pressburg, said Sedivy, recalling that at that time, in Florence, wine from Pressburg cost three times more than ordinary Ugrian wine.

Another parallel in the development of the two cities during the last 2000 years was their proximity to national borders. For Pressburg this resulted in multi-ethnicity, while in Vienna this was not the case to such an extent.

Mediaeval cities

Development of a mediaeval city does not begin from scratch, and this was the case for Vienna and Pressburg, said Sedivy. Similar to other cities, Vienna and Pressburg linked up to what previous settlers had left behind.

It was not as it is now, when developers prefer to pull down all the previous constructions and build brand new development, said Sedivy, adding that people liked to use what their predecessors had built.

In Vienna the Roman period and the secondary usage of a former Roman military camp was important for the development of the early mediaeval city, while in Pressburg it was the Celts and the constructions they left behind, like on the castle hill, the so-called Celtic oppidum.

At the turn of the 9th and the 10th century the development of both localities was more or less equal, and this was also the time of their first written mentions, said Sedivy.

The Salzburg Annals, dating to the 9th and the 10th centuries, noted a battle against the Magyars in 881, though it is unclear whether this mention of Vienna refers to the city or the River Wien.

The first mention of a settlement named Brezalauspurc, which would become modern-day Bratislava, dates to 907. It related to the Battle of Pressburg, during which a Bavarian army suffered a defeat by the Hungarians.

The second written mention of Vienna followed in 1030 (when it was captured by Hungarians), while the area that is now Bratislava was mentioned in the same year (captured by Czechs) and in 1042 it was described by a Bavarian historian as a very populated city  civitas populosissima in Latin. Vienna was mentioned as civitas, or city, only in 1137.

At that time Pressburg was a more populated town with more significance than Vienna. This was proven also by existing churches, as these determined the status of a city. Vienna had two small churches  St Rupert Church, which did not have a tower added until around 1280, and St Peter church, the remains of which have not been found. Castle hill in what is now Bratislava had a larger three-aisled basilica with the highest possible patrocinium  Salvador, or Jesus Christ  and two additional small churches were down in the suburbs.

In terms of political power, Vienna probably had somebody sitting in power who had been charged by the ruler, but it was not a margrave yet. In Pressburg, the ruler himself resided in the city during some periods between the 11th and the first half of 12th century. But apart from him, his representative and a kind of a head of a large region was always present. His position can be compared to the current head of a self-governing region, explained Sedivy.

To sum this up, both localities were in the 11th century and the first half of 12th century frontier fortresses and to a certain scope multi-ethnic [proven by Slavic names of places in Vienna and German around Bratislava], while the political as well as religious lines indicate that Pressburg played a more important role, said Sedivy.

Breaking points

The situation changed in the middle of the 12th century, when new processes leading to the High Middle Ages started. At that time something happened that Sedivy compares to the developments in Slovakia during the first half of the 1990s. At the time, the country transited from a totalitarian, communist regime to a capitalist one. All this was accompanied by economic and societal changes.

While in the Early Middle Ages, the whole land was theoretically the property of the ruler [state], after the change it was privatised. While before magnates were pillars of the rulers power, later it was also the towns, said Sedivy, adding that while earlier people lived mostly in the countryside, later many of them moved into growing cities.

Vienna began to boom when the ruler Henry II Jasomirgott, the Babenberg Margrave and after 1156 also duke, moved his residence from Klosterneuburg to Vienna sometime before 1150. This resulted in the building of new, bigger churches including the St Stephan church and the launch of the Schottenkloster monastery, with a hospital probably existing already at that time. Also entire quarters of palace buildings for the duke and nobility of his court started to be built.

Thus a small settlement on the border transformed into the residence of the duke of Austria, and this was the first step towards Vienna as a metropolis, said Sedivy. The second important event followed shortly before 1200, when Leopold VI, the Duke of Austria, received a portion of a ransom paid for the captured English king Richard the Lionheart.

Thus Leopold VI suddenly had a huge amount of capital to invest.

Of course, what followed was luxury and opulence, but he also invested in the development of his residential seat  Vienna, said Sedivy.

During the following two generations, the size of Viennas settlement quadrupled. This was no ordinary demographic growth, with the huge investments resulting in a siphoning effect, drawing ordinary people as well as artists, craftsmen, scientists and tradesmen to Vienna to look for their fortune.

However, Pressburg, located in the neighbouring Kingdom of Hungary, did not experience any similar development, said Sedivy. Since then, it has never caught up to Vienna.

This lag was reflected in many spheres. For example, Pressburg received town privileges only in 1291, while Vienna already had in 1221. The hospital was launched in Pressburg two generations later than it was in Vienna, while a university in Pressburg came three generations later than in Vienna.

Juraj Sedivy teaches history at the Department of Archiving and Auxiliary Sciences in History at Comenius University in Bratislava. He is the initiator of the historiographic project publishing a five-volume history of Bratislava, as well as the www.pammap.sk website dedicated to the history of Bratislava.
The aim of the project is to get students in touch with other cultures, teach them how to cook and serve their traditional dishes.

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Students of the secondary vocational school of gastronomy and hotel services in Bratislava regularly prepare food typical of various international cuisines. In mid-May the focus was on Austria, the private broadcaster TV Markiza reported.

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The aim of the project is to get students in touch with other cultures, teach them how to cook and serve their traditional dishes. The food is usually easy to prepare and for students to learn, said the projects author Gustav Murin.

We considered it a good idea for our students and also the promotion of the school, its headmaster Jozef Horak told TV Markiza.

The addressed students praised the experiences they gain thanks to cooking international food, as well as meeting new people.

The food for the menu was selected by Austrian Ambassador to Slovakia Helfried Carl, who also chose lesser-known dishes, like tafelspitz.

This food is considered the monarchy dish and since we invited guests who represented the monarchy, I considered it appropriate, Carl said, as quoted by TV Markiza.

As he specified, it is a piece of fine beef that is cooked for a long time.

The event was also attended by other ambassadors.

This is a very nice example of dual education, Carl told TV Markiza.
The Slovak capital will have one of the oldest populations in Slovakia as well as in central Europe.

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The population of Bratislava is facing rapid ageing, which will have an impact on many aspects of life in the capital. While currently one of the hottest topics is the lack of kindergartens, in the future it will be the lack of senior homes and related services for seniors. Demographers warn that Bratislava should get prepared for the increasing share of seniors and adapt accordingly.

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If we do not address this, then there is a threat that Bratislava, as the capital, will become less important and attractive for new generations, said Bratislava Mayor Ivo Nesrovnal.

Bratislava City Council, in order to prepare for the ageing of the local population, has ordered a prognosis for the capital up to 2050. It was elaborated by the Demographic Research Centre at the Infostat, Bratislava. Nesrovnal introduced its results in early July.

The study forecasts that during the following 33 years, i.e. until 2050, the number of seniors in Bratislava will almost double from the current 17 percent to about 30 percent, while the number of people of productive age, i.e. between 15-59 years, will decrease significantly. Moreover, the share of citizens aged 80 years and above, with the concomitant special, social and medical needs, will constitute 8 percent of the citys population.

All these indicate that seniors would make up approximately one third of Bratislavas population in 2050. This means that Bratislavas population will be one of the oldest, not only in Slovakia but also in the whole of central Europe.

Demographers say that the ageing of Bratislava can be explained by the rapid growth and development the city has experienced since WWII. Moreover, in the 1950s and 60s the policy supporting young families resulted in the birth of the so-called Husaks children, a phenomenon named after the then Czechoslovak president Gustav Husak. This generation will reach retirement age around 2030. As a consequence, the average age of Bratislavan citizens will increase from the current 42 to almost 46.2 years. But other post-communist cities like Prague, Warsaw and Budapest will face the same problem as well.

Suddenly we have here a phenomenon, which we did not count on, Branislav Bleha, demographer at the Demographic Research Centre told the public broadcaster RTVS. These communist cities grew rapidly. Industrialisation and urbanisation during the communist regime was very strong too.

Then the year 1989 arrived, when the communist regime fell, and development changed completely. Fertility declined, women began postponing having children because they firstly wanted to establish themselves on the labour market and work on their careers. The death rate started to decrease, too, explained Bleha.

The authors of the study also indicate that during the following years, Bratislava will keep benefiting from migration with people moving in and the number of children born to one mother increasing. Nevertheless, this will be not enough to prevent Bratislava from dynamic ageing.

As a result, while the number of citizens in Bratislava will remain approximately the same - it is predicted to increase from the current 430,000 people to 460,000-490,000 in 2050 - the age structure will change.

Bratislava City council is aware of the challenges the ageing population means for the city and the way it functions.

The fact that Bratislava will become an old city will practically reflect in all spheres of public life  from the labour market via social expenditures, to infrastructure, said Nesrovnal.

Thus, the city council is preparing the Community Plan of Social Services of the Capital for which the prognosis should also serve. The plan should become effective as of 2019 and the city council is already starting with some preparatory work. The city council also wants to prepare a new master plan for Bratislava that will reflect the latest forecast.

One of the biggest challenges is the building of senior homes. The city council administers senior houses with a total capacity of 1,159 places. However, these are completely full with more than 900 seniors already on the waiting lists.

Other senior houses are administered by Bratislavas individual districts and others are under the Bratislava Self-governing Region. There are also some private senior homes.

Apart from senior houses the city council wants to also address issues of education and housing for young families. But it stresses that it cannot succeed without cooperation from individual districts as well as the self-governing region.

Empty coffers

Another problem facing Bratislava is the lack of money. This is due to a high share of people living in the city without a permanent residence. This means that their income taxes are not flowing into the citys coffers but into the coffers of the municipalities in which they have permanent residence.

A recent survey of active mobiles indicated that, apart from 411,000 people with permanent residence, there are an additional 255,000 people who stay in Bratislava. This makes up a 40 million difference in Bratislavas budget. An additional 130,000 people are commuting daily to Bratislava.

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Read also: 250,000 more people live in Bratislava than official statistics show Read more

Branislav Sprocha of the Demographic Research Centre says that while seniors are a specific group of people with their own interests, needs in transport, infrastructure and health care, they should not be perceived as a group who are creating a problem.

There are whole sectors, so-called silver economies, that represent huge prospects, Sprocha told the Dennik N daily.
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.
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We all know how it feels to be trapped in the bank. Maybe youre in line behind a kid depositing his summer lemonade stand money one quarter at a time. Or youre waiting behind a customer like me, who never has any of the family account numbers on him and has to ask the teller to look them up. Or youre stuck for three hours inside an ATM.

Last week a maintenance worker in Texas spent a good part of his Wednesday  he would no doubt call it a bad part of his Wednesday  trapped inside an ATM. He escaped by using an ability many of us perfected in junior high: Passing notes.

Heres the story, according to Americas leading authority on wokka-wokka wackiness, the New York Times: Just after 2 p.m., a person in Corpus Christi had just completed a transaction at a Bank of America ATM when a surprise slid through the receipt slot. Please help, read a handwritten note on a thin strip of paper. Im stuck in here, and I dont have my phone. Thats weird: When I get a surprise from the receipt slot, its a nastygram informing me the account is overdrawn.

The worker had been fixing a lock when a door shut behind him, trapping him inside the ATM. He noticed customers were using the machine, and tried passing notes through the receipt slot. Several ignored the notes, figuring it was a gag that would land them on Candid Camera. The guy might have had better luck if he had passed a $20 through the slot along with each note.

Finally one customer took the note seriously, spotted a police officer driving by  How about that? Cop when you need one!  and flagged him down. The officer suspected a prank, but heard a faint sound upon approaching the ATM. It was the workers muffled screams. The cop called the number the worker provided, confirmed he had been dispatched to the bank, and summoned help. Half an hour later, police kicked down the door and freed the worker.

So how does a guy get trapped in an ATM? This one was attached to a bank that was under construction. A door led into a vault from which the worker could service the machine from the inside. He came to repair the locking mechanism, but when the door shut behind him, he was trapped.

No one involved  not the worker, the contracting company, the bank nor the customer who flagged down police  wanted to be interviewed. Thats a shame, because it would be interesting to find out how a man feels when he has access to all the cash he could ever want, but no ability to spend it. He was surrounded by $20s, but all he wanted was fresh air.

Fortunately he was resourceful enough to use a technique that probably is becoming a lost art. When I was in school, passing notes was a key mode of communication. Whats on the chemistry test this afternoon? Is it true that Bobby and Shannon broke up? Do these tight-rolled, acid-washed Guess jeans make my ankles look fat? Such questions wouldve gone unanswered without notes. Written on actual paper. With pens.

I imagine todays middle-schoolers Snapchat such questions and answers these days. They dont know about passing notes. And they have no idea what Candid Camera was.

These same youths probably never walk into a bank to conduct business. They use the drive-up window or the ATM. After all, theyd hate to get trapped at the bank behind some guy who cant remember his account number.

That being the case, kids today need to master the art of receiving a note. Whether youre executing a lightning-fast handoff with your best friend as you pass between classes or youre on the receiving end of a distress call coming from inside an ATM, knowing how to handle a note is critical. Someones life could depend on it.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry.

The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time.

The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services.

Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America.

The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government.

The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans.

Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody.

The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams. It also develops, manufactures, and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, it focuses on the central nervous system, pain, respiratory, and oncology areas. Its products in the central nervous system include Copaxone for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; AJOVY for the preventive treatment of migraine; and AUSTEDO for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington disease. The company's products in the respiratory market comprise ProAir, QVAR, ProAir Digihaler, AirDuo Digihaler, and ArmonAir Digihaler, BRALTUS, CINQAIR/CINQAERO, DuoResp Spiromax, and AirDuo RespiClick/ArmonAir RespiClick for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its products in the oncology market include Bendeka, Treanda, Granix, Trisenox, Lonquex, and Tevagrastim/Ratiograstim. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has a collaboration MedinCell for the development and commercialization of multiple long-acting injectable products, a risperidone suspension for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
A Madagascar day gecko in the Antwerp Zoo. Credit: Frank Wouters, Antwerpen, Belgium (Shining Star)

Geckos climb vertically up trees, walls and even windows, thanks to pads on the digits of their feet that employ a huge number of tiny bristles and hooks.

Scientists have long marveled at the gecko's adhesive capabilities, which have been described as 100 times more than what is needed to support their body weight or run quickly up a surface.

But a new theoretical study examines for the first time the limits of geckos' gripping ability in natural contexts. The study, published July 10 in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, reports there are circumstances  such as when geckos fear for their lives, leap into the air and are forced to grab on to a leaf below  when they need every bit of that fabled adhesive ability, and sometimes it's not enough.

"Geckos are notoriously described as having incredible ability to adhere to a surface," said Karl Niklas, professor of plant evolution in Cornell's Plant Biology Section in the School of Integrative Plant Science and a co-author of the paper. The study's lead authors, Timothy Higham at the University of California, Riverside, and Anthony Russell at the University of Calgary, Canada, both zoologists, brought Niklas into the project for his expertise on plant biomechanics.

"The paper shows that [adhesive capability] might be exaggerated, because geckos experience falls and a necessity to grip a surface like a leaf that requires a much more tenacious adhesion force; the paper shows that in some cases the adhesive ability can be exceeded," Niklas said.

In the theoretical study, the researchers developed computer models to understand if there are common-place instances when the geckos' ability to hold on to surfaces might be challenged, such as when canopy-dwelling geckos are being chased by a predator and are forced to leap from a tree, hoping to land on a leaf below. The researchers incorporated ecological observations, adhesive force measurements, and body size and shape measurements of museum specimens to conduct simulations. They also considered the biomechanics of the leaves, the size of the leaves and the angles on the surface that geckos might land on to determine impact forces. Calculations were also based on worst-case scenarios, where a gecko reaches a maximum speed when it is no longer accelerating, called "terminal settling velocity."

"Leaves are cantilevered like diving boards and they go through harmonic motion [when struck], so you have to calculate the initial deflection and orientation, and then consider how does that leaf rebound and can the gecko still stay attached," Niklas said.

The final result showed that in some cases, geckos don't have enough adhesion to save themselves, he added.

Higham and Russell are planning to travel to French Guiana to do empirical adhesive force studies on living geckos in native forests.

The basic research helps people better understand how geckos stick to surfaces, and has the potential for future applications that mimic such biological mechanisms.

More information: Timothy E. Higham et al. Leaping lizards landing on leaves: escape-induced jumps in the rainforest canopy challenge the adhesive limits of geckos, Journal of The Royal Society Interface (2017). Journal information: Journal of the Royal Society Interface Timothy E. Higham et al. Leaping lizards landing on leaves: escape-induced jumps in the rainforest canopy challenge the adhesive limits of geckos,(2017). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0156
A little rain couldnt dim the energy of the Bike and Build brigade Friday.

More than 35 members of the group, which sponsors annual cross-country bike treks and raises funds for home-building organizations, stopped in the La Crosse area Thursday night. On Friday, the group was at the Habitat for Humanity La Crosse Area build site at Fifth Avenue and Mississippi Street, helping out with a single-family home project whenever the rain would let up.

The rain does put a damper on the mood, Bike and Build participant Tom Pagano said Friday morning as he and his group milled about in a garage near the build site. We hope the rain will pass and we can get a lot of stuff done on this build.

Habitat has three projects planned for the lot, Habitat Executive Director Kahya Fox said, with two duplexes planned to join the single-family home that was under construction. The bones of the first floor were being worked on Friday, and along with CouleeCaps plan for two housing units across the street would add seven total affordable housing units to the neighborhood when finished.

Bike and Build is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that was founded in 2002 to raise funds for home building organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and get young adults engaged in volunteering. Last year, more than 352 riders biked nearly one million miles, raised more than $1.7 million and donated nearly half a million dollars to affordable housing organizations.

Paganos group is biking the northern route of the organizations three annual cross-country rides, which started June 17 in Portsmouth, N.H., and will end in Bellingham, Wash., at the beginning of September. Along the way, the group stops and contributes to a number of building projects.

This kind of thing was the perfect match for me, Pagano, 26, said. The trip has been the time of my life. It has been incredible.

Along the way, Pagano said he has loved meeting people in the communities they have biked through and helped out. People have also been really great in donating food to the group as well as putting them up in their homes during the journey, such as Journey Lutheran Church in Onalaska, which hosted the group Thursday night.

I love getting exposed to this kind of volunteering and having fun doing it, he said. This kind of work sends a ripple effect into the world.

Before the rain started Friday, the group was able to get a lot of framing work done on the house, Fox said, even though they only had about an hour of acceptable weather. Many hands make light work, she said, and was thankful for the help from the 36 Bike and Build volunteers.

It is this idea of bringing people and volunteers together, she said. It is that piece of the puzzle that makes Habitat possible. Without volunteers on site, we will never get this thing done.
By Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping on Friday urged Germany and other countries to consider submitting a United Nations resolution about last year's contested election in the African country, vowing to continue organising demonstrations at home. Ping told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Berlin that Germany and the European Union had been supportive and vocal in their criticism of the August 2016 re-election of Gabonese President Ali Bongo, but said more action was required. "We are asking everybody to watch the situation seriously. Otherwise it's non-assistance to people in danger," Ping said. "We tell them, 'Look, don't come after we have all been killed by that man.'" Ping, a former African Union chairman, accuses Bongo of cheating to win the election, and of using security forces to violently suppress protests in the weeks that followed. He said his home has been surrounded by soldiers for two years, although he is permitted to travel. Bongo in March offered to hold talks with opposition parties in a bid to ease tensions in the central African oil producer, but Ping rejected the offer as a "masquerade." Gabon's Constitutional Court has dismissed Ping's allegations of vote-rigging, but international observers have also criticised the poll and the European Parliament in February called the results "extremely doubtful." Ping met this week with officials from the German development and foreign ministries, as well as other European backers in France, Brussels and Geneva. "They are vocal. What we can maybe complain about is that being vocal is not sufficient. At the same time, they cannot do more than is possible. They have limitations," he said. Ping said his party would also continue to organise protests and strikes to keep pressure on Bongo's government. He said he was disappointed that the United Nations had passed resolutions about violence in the Ivory Coast and Congo, but had not taken action about the situation in his country. He said he cancelled plans to visit the United Nations and meet with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. "I don't need to be just received. But I have the impression that (anything beyond that) is a long way off because of the system," he said. Bongo first came to power in 2009 after the death of his long-ruling father Omar Bongo. Unlike some of its neighbours, Gabon has little history of internal violence since independence from France in 1960, partly due to the latter's unwavering support for Omar Bongo in exchange for privileged commercial access. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal)
PARIS (Reuters) - Military commander Khalifa Haftar, a powerful figurehead in the east of Libya, and Fayez Seraj, head of the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on July 25, al-Hayat newspaper reported. The two held talks in Abu Dhabi in May, their first in more than a year and a half, about a U.N.-mediated deal that Western powers hope will end the factional fighting that has dominated Libya since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Citing unidentified sources, Saudi-owned al-Hayat said the meeting sought to build on diplomatic efforts by the United Arab Emirates, the United Nations and neighbouring Egypt. Macron said on July 13 there would be concrete diplomatic initiatives on resolving the conflict soon. He wants France to play a bigger role in coaxing Libya's factions to end the turmoil that has allowed Islamist militants to gain a foothold and migrant smugglers to flourish in the absence of a strong central government. The meeting comes at a time when Haftar has gained ground militarily with Egyptian and United Arab Emirates support, and Western states say Haftar must be part of any solution to the conflict in the oil-producing North African state. French officials fear Islamic State militants - who were driven from the coastal city of Sirte last year - and other jihadists could try to exploit the power vacuum in Libya to regroup after losing substantial ground in Syria and Iraq, and see this a window to push the sides closer together. The U.N.-backed Libyan Government of National Accord has sat in Tripoli for more than a year, but has struggled to reach agreement with eastern factions, including Haftar. Libya's neighbours and regional powers have often differed on how to help. Egypt and the UAE are closer to Haftar and his anti-Islamist militant campaign while Seraj is loosely supported by militias in the west of the vast country that include Islamist groups backed by Turkey and Qatar. Paris sees its close ties with the leaders of the UAE and Egypt as giving it some leeway in getting all sides on board, especially with the United States showing little interest in getting involved. Diplomats said a rough plan could see Paris working to refine the U.N. accord by setting up a presidential council that would include Haftar, Seraj and a third actor from the east with Haftar heading up the Libyan National Army. This would then be rubber-stamped by the U.N. Security Council and pave the way for national elections. Officials in Haftar's Libyan National Army and Seraj's government did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation. France's foreign ministry and Macron's office said they had no information on the subject. (Reporting by John Irish in Paris and Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; editing by Michel Rose and Mark Heinrich)
By Jonathan Landay ASPEN, Colo. (Reuters) - In a new assessment, the U.S. intelligence community judges that large numbers of foreigners fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria likely will stay to defend what is left of their self-declared caliphate rather than return to their homelands, a top U.S. counter-terrorism official said on Friday. Many if not most of the foreign fighters who made their way to the conflict zone will end up staying, fighting and potentially dying in order to maintain the caliphate, Nicholas Rasmussen, the director of the U.S. National Counter Terrorism Center, told the annual Aspen Security Forum. That contrasts with the previous assessment that many foreign fighters would return home, posing major security threats. Rasmussen also said that he has seen no information confirming recent reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has been killed. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday he assumes that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive. Ive seen nothing that would lead me to believe that the leader of ISIS (Islamic State) has been removed from the battlefield, Rasmussen said. We know a good bit. We just dont have information that would confirm his death and demise. The new foreign fighter assessment will be welcome news to the countries of origin of the tens of thousands of Islamist extremists. They flocked to fight for the caliphate that Islamic State declared in 2014 after storming out of Syria, seizing the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and charging to Baghdads outskirts. Extremists who have returned home have staged attacks that claimed scores of lives, and governments have been bracing for new strikes as the group loses ground in Syria and Iraq. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul this month and U.S.-backed Kurdish and Syrian Arab fighters are moving to retake Raqqa, the groups main stronghold in northeastern Syria. Rasmussen noted that the U.S. intelligence community, which estimated that some 40,000 foreigners joined Islamic State in Syria and Iraq after the conflict began, until recently assessed that many would return home. At one point, we were worried about this out-rush, outflows, massive outflows of foreign fighters once the battlefield situation changed in Iraq and Syria and that Western countries, countries in the region, would be flooded with returnees, he said. I think now speaking kind of broadly, thats less likely than we first assessed. A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that fewer than 15,000 Islamic State extremists still are fighting in Iraq and Syria. It has become harder for foreign fighters to return home because of the ongoing combat operations and because Turkey and other countries have significantly tightened their borders, the intelligence official said. While there may be no major outflow of foreign fighters, Rasmussen said he is concerned by the threat posed by Islamic State's affiliates from Asia to Africa. He said he also remains worried by those who manage to escape home, bringing with them specialised skills like bomb-making, that they acquired in Syria and Iraq. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by David Alexander and Cynthia Osterman)
MIAMI  The former general manager of a Florida-based telecommunications company has pleaded guilty for his role in a $3 million Haitian bribery scheme.

Court records show 66-year-old Amadeus Richers, who headed Cinergy and Uniplex, pleaded guilty in Miami federal court Wednesday to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 20.

Plea documents show Richers and others paid bribes from 2001 to 2004 to foreign officials employed by the state-owned Telecommunications DHaiti and to a foreign official in the executive branch of the Haitian government in order to secure a favorable contract.

Richers is the ninth defendant convicted in the scheme. The first was in 2009, but Richers had remained a fugitive until being arrested in Panama this year and extradited back to the U.S.
A year after the Dog Head Fire burned their homes and blackened their land, 23 East Mountains property owners have filed a claim against federal agencies for losses they sustained.

The 18,000-acre, June 2016 fire destroyed 12 homes and forced dozens to evacuate. An October 2016 report on the wildfire found that the blaze started when a masticator, used to shred trees and brush as a way of reducing fire fuel, struck a rock and threw sparks. The three-man team running the machine was unable to stop the fire, which grew out of control and ultimately cost $10 million to suppress.

Attorney Mark Dow, who is representing the claimants, said the agencies involved, including the U.S. Forest Service, have six months to investigate the claims and respond. If they dont respond within that period of time, Dow said, the claimants can file a federal lawsuit.

In a news release, Dow said the crew running the masticator was contracted to perform fuel reduction work by the Isleta Collaborative Landscape Restoration Project, which included the Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service and other agencies. He said crews working under that project had been thinning the forest for years, leaving behind piles of downed trees and brush that would quickly dry and pose a major fire hazard if ignited in any manner.

Dow said the crew working that day was in a fire prone area in the middle of New Mexicos fire season. He said it was unreasonable to take on such an operation when hot, dry and windy temperatures create ideal conditions for destructive fires.

The group he represents lost homes, belongings, cabins, ranches, livestock and property and are still dealing with ongoing flooding and erosion, Dow said.
SANTA FE  A man shot and killed by Santa Fe police on Wednesday after a standoff at an apartment complex threw homemade explosives at officers and also stabbed a social worker who had been called in to try to defuse the situation before a police SWAT team arrived, according to the State Police.

The State Police identified the man as Anthony Benavidez, 24. He was shot and killed by Santa Fe Police Department officers at the Tuscany at St. Francis apartments near St. Francis Drive and Siringo Road.

Hed been a tenant there and had broken in Wednesday after being served with an eviction notice the day before. He got into his old apartment by breaking a window, State Police Lt. Elizabeth Armijo said in a written statement.

Armijo said two SWAT officers fired their guns at Benavidez when they entered the apartment and tried to arrest him. Benavidez died at the hospital after measures to try to save him were administered at the scene, Armijo said.

Officers moved in after Benavidez threw two homemade improvised explosive devices  one that was a mixture of fireworks and flammable gas such as propane that didnt explode and another that appeared to emit a chemical substance  according to Armijos statement.

SFPD spokesman Greg Gurule confirmed that five officers were placed on leave after the incident  leave for officers is standard after an officer-involved shooting  and said they could be on leave for as long as 10 days.

State Police did not release the names of the officers who fired their guns.

A caseworker was called in as an effort to help build a rapport with Benavidez. The caseworker, though, was stabbed in the abdomen by Benavidez before the SWAT team arrived. The caseworker was taken to the hospital and was later released, Armijo said.

SFPD was called to the complex at 2218 Miguel Chavez Road around 9 a.m. Wednesday after Benavidez, who had been in the care of social workers, broke into the apartment.

Officers requested a social worker to help ask Benavidez to leave, Armijo said. Around 10 a.m., officers and the social worker approached the apartment with the intent to engage Benavidez in a nonconfrontational manner, but Benavidez opened the door and stabbed the social worker, whom Armijo did not identify. SWAT was called in after the stabbing.

An officer tried to negotiate a peaceful surrender for about an hour before Benavidez threw the would-be explosives at officers around 11 a.m., Armijo said.

A petition filed by Tuscany at St. Francis in Santa Fe Magistrate Court June 22 said Benavidez owed $277 in unpaid rent plus $24 per day until the restitution was paid. Peak Living, a Utah-based company that manages the complex, wouldnt comment on Benavidezs eviction but provided a written statement.

We are extremely grateful for the immediate response of the local police department to ensure the safety of our residents and are doing everything in our power to cooperate with the authorities, Vice President Kelianne Crapo wrote. Our hearts and prayers go out to the injured case worker, who tried to assist during the incident, for a speedy recovery.
There is no doubt among La Crosse Center Board members that the arena and convention center need repair and renovation, but theyre hoping the most pressing work can be done for $8 million. That would leave up to $34 million for an expansion with the wow factor capable of attracting more and bigger events.

The board voted Wednesday to put the $8 million cap on deferred maintenance items, such repairing cracked pavement and fire alarm updating. Board member Phil Addis suggested the cap, qualifying that if after further study center staff and consultants report more needs, the board will consider it.

The board has a budget of between $37 million and $42 million, depending on action by the Wisconsin Legislature, which is mired in a budget debate. The state had pledged $5 million toward the project.

Prior to Wednesdays board meeting, the centers staff and project consultants dug into the list of deferred maintenance items they had compiled and winnowed it from $31.1 million to about $14.8 million. Items not needing immediate attention could be programmed into a five-year capital improvements plan for the center, board members agreed.

The list prices the deferred maintenance tasks individually, not taking into account savings that could be found when tasks are done in concert, according to consultants. More savings is also possible when maintenance tasks are rolled into the repairs, renovation and expansion plans.

In explaining that to the board, Thomas Roepke of Kraus-Anderson Construction cautioned members not to expect $8 million to accomplish the same as a higher cap.

The more layers you peel off the onion the more you are going to know, Roepke said, noting savings can be found as priorities are set and project design and engineering progress.

The board also set its top priorities for the expansion and upgrade. The top two are adding a large ballroom that capitalizes on the Mississippi River to the centers west and a new seating for the arena. According to consultants, the ballroom will bring in the most revenue for the center.

A second tier of priorities includes a concourse connecting the north and south facilities and more restrooms. On the lowest rung are loading dock improvements, new staff offices and expanding the front lobby to make it useful for pre-event functions

Completing an expansion project that generates revenue for the center and the local economy was a key topic of discussion at the meeting.

I dont want to build a structure and then spend the next years wishing wed done more, board member Doug Farmer said.

Are we building for 2017 or for 2035, board member Amanda Halderson-Jackson asked.

When we went into this we wanted the wow factor, board member Bill Hoel said. When you spend money, theyre going to want to be able to see you spent money.

Gensler is capable of researching how much revenue various expansion concepts will bring to La Crosse. Farmer asked the firm to quote the board a price for that service.

Board Member Jessica Olson, who is also on the La Crosse Common Council, said its possible that the council, which has undergone a significant change in membership, could be open to a request for more funding.

The worst they can do is say no, Farmer said.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

For more than a decade, one of the states largest guardianship firms was routinely appointed by the courts to protect clients whose disabilities left them unable to handle their money or pay their bills.

Behind the scenes, federal officials say, Susan Harris and Sharon Moore were allegedly running up the company credit card of Ayudando Guardians to the tune of $4 million by living the life of luxury and paying the American Express bills with client trust money.

Then last June, according to court testimony Thursday, one of Ayudandos employees assigned to pay and manage the bills walked into the office of an unidentified federal law enforcement agency and blew the whistle  alleging that supervisors were embezzling client money.

Its difficult to imagine a greater betrayal of trust, said assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Pena on Thursday just before federal magistrate Steven Yarbrough released Harris and Moore pending trial under certain conditions, including that they put up their homes as security.

Both women pleaded not guilty during the detention hearing.

Moores attorney, Fred Jones, told the magistrate she couldnt afford any amount of bond for her release. She has no money  She has no credit cards. No line of credit, he said. Moore, according to Ayudandos most recent 990 tax form, had a salary of $126,720 for 2015.

Harris attorney, Robert Gorence, said Harris should be released because she has been in the community for 40 years and has significant family ties here.

The 28-count indictment unsealed this week charges the women and the company with mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.

Their arrests were the product of a years worth of investigation by the FBI, IRS, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Social Security Administration, according to federal law enforcement officials who appeared at a news conference Thursday.

The indictment alleges that Ayudando, which was set up to act as a fiduciary or a representative payee for individuals needing assistance, was run by Harris as president and Moore as secretary. Part of the alleged embezzlement scheme involved Ayudando concealing the theft from some clients accounts by replacing the missing money with funds taken from other clients, the indictment states.

IRS Special Agent Ismael Nevarez Jr. at the news conference made reference to the companys name.

This contains the word ayudando, which in Spanish means, help or to help others and is especially troubling, Nevarez said, adding that instead of helping people, the defendants were greedy and helped themselves to their clients money.

Acting U.S. Attorney for New Mexico James Tierney said the investigation was ongoing. He said authorities dont yet know how many Ayudando clients lost funds, but prosecutors in the indictment focused on the federal violations involving 10 veterans whose Ayudando account totals were inflated when reported annually by law to the VA.

The indictment alleged the two women enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of travel with client funds.

Harris, in the indictment, is accused of writing checks from the company client reimbursement account or using the credit card for a $21,852 payment to All World Travel, and more than $17,000 for two Celebrity Cruise trips to the Caribbean isles in 2013 and 2014. Moore charged a $8,958 vacation to a resort in San Diego in 2015 and used the charge card to spend $3,479 for a 13-person vacation to San Diego last December, the indictment alleges.

Tierney said the maximum prison sentence they faced under the charges was 30 years.

The U.S. Marshals Service is managing Ayudando operations, so clients with questions or concerns can call the company at 505-332-4357. The U.S. Attorneys office can be reached via email at USANM.Ayudando@usdoj.gov or at 505-346-6902.

New Mexico FBI assistant special agent-in-charge Derek Fuller said he and the other agents involved in the Ayudando case want to deliver a message.

If you are managing funds for people who depend on you for your honesty and you decide to help yourself to the till, Fuller said, we will come after you.
WASHINGTON  Nuclear weapons and waste programs in New Mexico are on track for budget increases next year after a key vote Thursday in the U.S. Senate.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved funding for weapons work at National Nuclear Security Administration facilities  including Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories in New Mexico  from about $8.9 billion in 2017 to $10 billion next year. The Senate bill does not break out spending for individual labs.

The bill approved Thursday also contains more money for nuclear waste cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory, increasing spending to $217.5 million from $194 million. Meanwhile, the budget for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, near Carlsbad, would increase to $300 million from $292 million this year.

The Senate bill rejected President Donald Trumps own budget proposals for the Department of Energy, which includes NNSA. For example, Trumps budget and a version approved by the House last week would cancel the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which conducts cutting-edge energy research. The Senate bill not only includes the funding but would set it at a record $330 million in 2018.

The House and Senate are expected to reconcile the different bills into one spending blueprint for the Department of Energy and water projects at the Army Corps of Engineers later this year.

Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat who sits on the powerful committee and was among the senators voting to approve the 2018 spending proposal in Thursdays 30-1 vote, said the bill makes critical investments in New Mexicos economy.

The essential, cutting-edge work that New Mexicans do at our national labs and Department of Energy installations helps keep this country safe and drives our states economy, Udall said.

Udall said the Senate spending bill includes full funding for life extension projects for nuclear weapons maintained at New Mexicos national labs, including the B61 and W80. The bill also includes $98 million for a new NNSA complex in Albuquerque.
Anyone who has waited to be admitted after being seen at UNM Hospitals emergency room  and odds are it was an excruciatingly lengthy wait  must wonder if the states only Level 1 trauma center, which offers many services not available anywhere else in the state, is in dire need of expansion.

Heres one reason to support that: In 2014, UNMH took in 5,300 patients from other New Mexico hospitals. In just the past 12 months, that number jumped to 6,100  and UNMH still had to turn away about 1,000 requested transfers. A quarter of those were critically ill or injured patients who ended up in a facility that might not have the capacity to treat their condition or was even farther away than UNMH, Health Sciences Chancellor Paul Roth told the states seven-member Board of Finance on Tuesday.

UNMH is proposing, once again, a multimillion-dollar expansion to meet growing demand and provide much-needed upgrades. Roth has said the current hospital is simply not adequate to meet modern medical needs of patients, and a tour of the 1954 facility in 2015 revealed issues like operating room doors too small for state-of-the-art equipment and tiny ORs half the federally mandated size that put a tight squeeze on modern surgical teams.

The plan needs the approval of the Health Sciences Centers board of directors, UNMs Board of Regents, the state Higher Education Department and the Board of Finance. It was the Board of Finance, which has the final say on whether construction can begin, that scuttled a similar expansion proposal in 2012 by declining to vote on it, saying it did not have enough information.

UNMH is now proposing a multiphase project that includes 408 beds (48 for psychological treatment) and could cost an estimated $700 million. The first phase, however, is a 120-bed facility and medical office building on land north of Lomas and east of University. The 372,000-square-foot facility is estimated to cost $230 million to $250 million, and UNM officials say they have not determined the best financing route but do have reserve funds to cover the cost.

During Tuesdays three-hour meeting, the Board of Finance, headed by Gov. Susana Martinez (who appoints four of the panels seven members), had a number of concerns  including the uncertainty about how Martinezs fellow Republican, President Donald Trump, will handle Medicaid, which accounts for about 40 percent of UNMHs revenues. Trumps so far unsuccessful attempts to gut Obamacare have one thing in common: huge reductions in Medicaid funding.

Martinez suggested UNMH wait a year or two (her term expires at the end of 2018) before moving forward, presumably until the Trump administration and Congress get their health care act together. Board member and former Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher said he would hold off, and fellow board member Del Archuleta, president/CEO of the engineering and architecture firm Molzen-Corbin & Associates, expressed concern that moving forward now could eventually embarrass the state.

At first glance, UNMHs proposal seems a necessary and responsible step. The idea that the stream of sick and injured will suddenly dry up if Obamacare goes away is specious; as a public hospital UNMH has to take everyone regardless of ability to pay. As the states only Level 1 trauma center, it is the only place for treatment of certain serious or complex conditions including brain injuries and multiple fractures. And it is trying to deliver 2017-era medical care in a 1954 built environment.

But its the Board of Finances job to ask tough questions, and its UNMHs to answer them. That should happen in the open, and end with a vote on the record, and sooner rather than later.

Because patients are still waiting in the ER.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
The Center for Public Integrity recently published a series of articles on nuclear safety lapses in plutonium pit production at the Los Alamos lab that captured a lot of national attention.

Plutonium pits are the fissile cores of nuclear weapons that initiate the thermonuclear detonation of modern weapons. The articles were largely based on the National Nuclear Security Administrations annual contractor Performance Evaluation Reports. Those reports are publicly available only because Nuclear Watch New Mexico successfully sued for them in 2012.

The former plutonium pit production site, the Rocky Flats Plant near Denver, was shut down by a 1989 FBI raid investigating environmental crimes. A special grand jury indicted both Department of Energy (DOE) officials and the contractor, but a federal judge quashed the indictments at the urging of the local federal attorney general. It was only by sheer luck that a major plutonium fire on Mothers Day 1969 didnt contaminate Denver with highly carcinogenic plutonium.

I specifically recall senior DOE officials promising New Mexicans 20 years ago that serious lessons were learned from Rocky Flats and that re-established plutonium pit production at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) would always be safe. Since then, the lab has spent billions of taxpayers money on plutonium pit production but, as the recent articles document, LANL still cant do it safely.

As the articles reported, a serious nuclear criticality accident was narrowly averted in July 2011, which resulted in the three-year shutdown of LANLs main plutonium facility. Nevertheless, according to the fiscal year 2011 LANL Performance Evaluation Report, the lab contractor was paid $50 million in pure profit for that year.

In 2014, a radioactive waste barrel improperly prepared by LANL ruptured underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), shutting down that multi-billion-dollar facility for nearly three years. Radioactive waste disposal at WIPP will remain constrained for years, raising the question of where future LANL bomb-making wastes will go.

Congress has required the Los Alamos lab to quadruple plutonium pit production, regardless of the technical needs of the stockpile. The requirement was drafted by professional staff on the House Armed Services Committee, one of whom was originally from the Sandia nuclear weapons lab.

That the existing stockpile doesnt need pit production is demonstrated by the fact that none has been scheduled since 2011 when LANL finished up the production run that was stopped when Rocky Flats was shut down.

At NukeWatchs request, former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) required an independent study of the lifetimes of pits. The expert conclusion was that plutonium pits last at least a century, more than double government estimates (the oldest pits in the stockpile are now around 45 years old). Moreover, there are some 20,000 existing plutonium pits stored at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas.

Future plutonium pit production is for a new so-called Interoperable Warhead that is supposed to function both as a land-based ICBM and a sub-launched nuclear warhead. The nuclear weapons labs are pushing this $13 billion make-work project that the Navy doesnt want.

Ironically, new-design pits for the Interoperable Warhead may hurt national security because they cannot be tested in a full-scale nuclear weapons test or, alternatively, testing them would have severe international proliferation consequences.

Given all this, why expand plutonium pit production when apparently it cant be done safely and may decrease, not increase, our national security? One strong reason is the huge contractor profits to be had under the $1 trillion-plus modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile and production complex started under Obama, which Trump promises to expand. Far from just modernization, existing nuclear weapons are being given new military capabilities, despite denials at the highest levels of government.

The directors of the Livermore, Sandia and Los Alamos nuclear weapons labs in truth wear two hats  the first as lab directors, the second as presidents of the for-profit limited liability corporations running the labs. This inherent conflict of interest skews U.S. nuclear weapons policy and should be brought to an end.

The New Mexico congressional delegation kowtows to the nuclear weapons industry in our state. I specifically call upon Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich to certify within this calendar year that future plutonium pit production at the Los Alamos Lab will be safe, or otherwise end their support for it.

Jay Coghlan is the director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico.
As the Santa Fe City Council prepares to consider for a second time whether to implement ranked-choice voting (RCV) for next years municipal elections, theres also debate around the country over whether the voting system, also called instant runoff, works as advertised.

Since 2008, when Santa Fe voters overwhelmingly approved a city charter amendment to implement RCV in municipal elections for mayor, city council seats and municipal judge, several jurisdictions across the U.S.  including Aspen, Colo., Burlington, Vt., and Pierce County in Washington state  have done away with RCV and others have decided not to adopt it.

There has also been more research on the voting method, some of which suggests RCV isnt all its cracked up to be.

In particular, says one study of the 2013 city election in Minneapolis conducted by political scientists at the University of Minnesota, our statistical analysis of voting results reveals a clear pattern: voters who were more affluent and white turned out at a higher rate, completed their ballots more accurately, and were more likely to use all three opportunities to rank their most preferred candidates compared to voters living in low-income neighborhoods and in communities of color.

The three opportunities references Minneapolis choice to allow voters to rank only their top three choices, even if there are more candidates in a race. Other jurisdictions allow for ranking all candidates running for an office, no matter how many. The Santa Fe City Council, nine years after the voters approved ranked choice, still hasnt decided which way to go on this issue.

The Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California Berkeley came up with similar findings while examining how things have worked out in San Francisco, which has used RCV since 2007.

It identified more problems with spoiled ballots filled out in districts with higher populations of African American voters. And this often occurs where more Latino, elderly, foreign-born, and less wealthy folks live, says an article published in the California Journal of Politics and Policy in 2015.

But proponents of ranked-choice voting see it differently.

Maria Perez, state director for FairVote, a non-partisan group that advocates for the RCV method, says that ranked choice actually works to create more equitable representation in government for people of color by generating a better turnout among minorities and encouraging more of them to run for office.

I think that as more jurisdictions adopt it, and the kinks get worked out, people get used to it, she said when asked about some of the issues with spoiled ballots that have taken place in jurisdictions that have adopted RCV.

She pointed to another independent study examining how RCV was working out in Minneapolis, this one performed by Minnesotas St. Cloud State University, that found 97 percent of voters of color found using a ranked-choice voting ballot to be simple.

Nonetheless, Perez emphasized the need for voter education, which she said her group is willing to help provide.

The voter education piece is something that needs to be put in place, she said, adding that there is still plenty of time for that, with the municipal election still seven months away.

The biggest obstacle to a ranked-choice election in Santa Fe in 2018, she says, is the question of whether the software capable of counting ranked votes will be ready on time. But Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver says she expects it will. Dominion Voting Systems, which is developing the software and holds the contract with the state, says it will receive testing lab results by Aug. 20. The company will meet with the Secretary of States office Aug. 25, at which time Dominion will demonstrate its product. If all goes as planned, the software could receive certification a month later after a required 30-day public comment period.

Long delay

RCV was not implemented in Santa Fe soon after the 2008 vote to adopt it because of a provision in the wording of the ballot measure that said the new voting system would go into effect when equipment and software for tabulating votes and allowing corrections of incorrectly marked, in-person ballots are available at a reasonable cost.

That time now appears imminent  software has been developed, but has yet to be certified and the cost has come way down, to $39,000. But the City Council last month, still concerned over the availability of the software in time for the March 2018 election and the need for voter education on RCV, put off the implementation for another two years.

Still, hope among RCV supporters for implementing the system in next Marchs election  during which positions for mayor and four city council seats are up for grabs  is not dead yet.

City Councilor Joseph Maestas announced last week that he plans to make a rescission motion at next Wednesdays council meeting to overturn last months 4-3 vote, which took place with two councilors absent.

For something as important as RCV thats called for in the city charter  and its been nearly 10 years since voters approved it as an amendment  I felt it was absolutely essential for all members of the governing body to be present, he said in an interview last week.

RCV comes into play when there are more than two candidates in a race. Voters are asked to rank their candidate choices in order of preference. If after an initial vote tally, no one gets more than 50 percent, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated and the second choices of those who voted for that candidate are counted as votes for the remaining candidates. Counts continue through other rounds, if necessary, until a final candidate gets a winning amount.

The method is designed, in part, to prevent fringe candidates from becoming spoilers by tilting the race among leading candidates and allowing voters to choose their real favorites instead of the lesser of two evils. It is also hailed as a deterrent to negative campaigning because engaging in such tactics candidates would run the risk of alienating supporters of rivals whose second-place or third-place votes could help determine the eventual winner.

Four paradoxes

Another argument in favor of RCV is that it ultimately results in the winner receiving a true majority of the vote. In describing the process, the 2008 Santa Fe charter amendment states that the process for eliminating candidates shall be repeated until a candidate receives a majority of the votes for that office. But that hasnt happened in some cases around the country.

A 2015 study authored by professors at the University of North Carolina and Ohio State University concluded that RCV frequently does not produce a winner who wins the majority rather than plurality of all votes cast, one of the alleged advantages of this voting that proponents sometimes highlight.

In a mayoral race in Burlington, Vt., which has since done away with RCV, the winner of a crowded mayoral race came up about 1,000 votes short of a true majority of the nearly 18,000 valid first-place ballots after 15 rounds.

In the wake of that election, the Vermont Legislative Research Shop at the University of Vermont observed that researchers Peter Fishburn and Steven Brams identified four paradoxes that can result from ranked voting: the No-Show Paradox, the Thwarted Majorities Paradox, the Multiple-Districts Paradox and the More-Is-Less Paradox.

Sixty-four percent of Burlington voters supported implementing RCV in 2005. But five years later, 52 percent voted to repeal it.

In Aspen, RCV was in effect only for the 2009 election. Though voter turnout was a record high and less than 1 percent of all votes cast were deemed to have been filled out incorrectly, voters rejected an advisory question to keep RCV in place the following year and approved a binding amendment to return to the old method a year after that.

Other cities have considered implementing RCV, but decided not to adopt it.

In San Jose, Calif., the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara conducted a study in 2011 to determine whether to support it. The consensus of its membership was not to support a change from the current system. In citing its reasons for not supporting it, the group listed the possibility of a candidate winning with plurality of the vote rather than a majority under rules that allowed for only three candidates to be ranked, that the majority voting system was preferred by its membership, and that ballots and the system could be too confusing.

Santa Fe has already adopted RCV; it just hasnt implemented it. As Mayor Javier Gonzales pointed out during discussion of the issue at the City Council meeting last month, the city could be opening itself up to a lawsuit if it doesnt follow through with what voters mandated nearly 10 years ago.

Perez of FairVote says she could see that happening, too.

I think it does open the city up to litigation if they choose to preemptively not comply with a charter mandate, she said. The software is ready. The Secretary of State has expressed confidence that it will be ready. The voters have spoken. It is the law and we need to follow it.
United Way of Central New Mexico has awarded $3.6 million from its Community Fund in the form of 104 grants to programs that operate in the Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties.

The money is headed to programs that focus on education, health and financial stability, such as the Ronald McDonald House and Casa Esperanza. Money for the Community Fund grants was raised from May 2016 to April of this year, according to Jeanette Brahl, the chief communications officer for United Way of Central New Mexico. Grants went into effect on July 1 and will be paid out monthly until June 2018.

UWCNMs grants are important because we work with the nonprofit community to reach those who most need help, Randy Woodcock, the vice president and chief development officer of United Way, said in an email to the Journal.

Community Fund programs considered the most important include United Ways Community Impact Projects, which will collectively receive about $700,000 of the $3.6 million over the next year. These projects are more long-term than the other grant recipients; they have been receiving their awards since July of last year and will continue to receive grant money until June 2019. Among them are programs that focus on illiteracy, unemployment and chronic disease.

In addition to money raised for the Community Fund, other donations received by United Way include $2.9 million that will go towards their own programs including Mission: Graduate, whose goal is to add 60,000 graduates with college degrees or certificates to central New Mexico by 2020.
The race for the 2018 Democratic lieutenant governor nomination is getting short on elbow room.

Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla of Albuquerque said he plans to launch his campaign for the office next week, joining three other candidates already in the race.

Padilla was elected to the state Senate in 2012  he represents a district that covers most of the South Valley  and was elected to the whip position in 2015. He is a small-business owner whose company builds customer service call centers.

If elected lieutenant governor, Padilla said, he would try to focus on poverty-related issues, citing his work during this years legislative session on a bill banning lunch shaming for students whose parents dont pay their cafeteria bills that received national attention.

I think we need a really strong Democratic ticket to regain the Governors Office, Padilla told the Journal.

The previously announced Democratic lieutenant governor candidates are Rick Miera of Albuquerque; a former longtime lawmaker; Jeff Carr of Eagle Nest, a former member of the Public Education Commission; and David McTeigue of Rio Rancho, a juvenile probation officer.

Another possible candidate, Sen. Bill ONeill of Albuquerque, said Thursday that hes still weighing a final decision.

DISCLOSURE BACKED: Proposed rules that would require groups spending big money in New Mexico elections to disclose their donors prompted more than 300 written comments  with a hefty majority in support.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olivers office said Thursday that 327 written comments were submitted on the proposed rules before a Wednesday deadline. Of those, 287 were in favor, 34 were opposed and six were deemed to be neutral.

Many of the comments  which will be posted on the secretary of states website  cite a perceived need to shine more light on dark money in New Mexico political advertising, while others say the rules would encroach on free speech rights.

Several out-of-state groups waded into the debate, including the National Rifle Association, which is in the opposed camp.

Among other requirements, the rules would compel groups active in New Mexico campaigns to disclose their donors if they spend more than $1,000 on political advertising during an election cycle.

Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, says the rules would increase transparency in state elections, are narrowly crafted and would not violate constitutional rights.

Three public hearings on the rules were held this month  in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces  and a decision on whether to make any changes is expected in the coming weeks. The rules could then be implemented in time for the 2018 election cycle.

Dan Boyd: dboyd@abqjournal.com
WASHINGTON  Sen. John McCain is telling his best friend in the Senate to keep it together as he grapples with brain cancer.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says McCain called him three times on Thursday about immigration legislation. Graham says McCain is yelling at me to buck up so Im gonna buck up.

McCains glioblastoma diagnosis has devastated his Senate colleagues. But hes told them hes not gone yet.

The resilience is classic McCain, the Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war turned congressman and senator. He twice ran for president, losing a GOP primary to George W. Bush and a general election to Barack Obama. Still a force in Congress, the 80-year-old six-term Arizona Republican is chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee.

The grave medical diagnosis hit McCain just as he was settling into the latest notable role in his storied career, emerging as a voice for what some Republicans feel is a party lost in the Trump era. Hes lambasted President Donald Trump as a defamer of military personnel, recoiled from Trumps willingness to cozy up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and rejected the presidents self-described boorishness toward women.

After audio surfaced in October of Trump talking about groping women, McCain broke with the candidate and said hed write in Grahams name on Election Day. When Trump won, McCain called for a special committee to investigate Russian meddling in the election. He has lamented that the Russia issue is a challenge to Washington, D.C., the way we do business, a challenge to bipartisanship and a challenge to the effectiveness of this newly elected president.

McCain says he received sensitive information last year and turned it over to the FBI, an apparent reference to an unsubstantiated report that Russia had compromising personal and financial information about Trump.

On Thursday, from his home in Arizona, McCain said the administration would be playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin if, as The Washington Post reported, Trump was ending a program to back the Syrian opposition.

I think John is a force that is unique to him. He has done things that most people could not do, said Graham. Going forward hes excited, quite frankly, about getting a second chance to finish things that have been stuck.

Yet for all of his confrontational style, McCain has voted with Trump most of the time. He backed most of the presidents Cabinet nominees and sided with Trump against several Obama-era regulations.

Longtime colleagues, even those McCain has called names, say he developed his fearlessness as a Navy aviator held as a prisoner for more than five years in Vietnam. Resilience, they say, has fueled his long Senate career and helped him overcome two failed presidential campaigns. For some, McCain has become the moral voice of the Republican Party, whose leaders have not always said out loud what they really think about Trump.

Hes not afraid of anybody or anything, clearly, said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican at whom McCain shouted, F you! in 2007. Hes unique, to say the least.

He does everything to make sure hes heard, said GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, whom McCain has called a f jerk. When he disagrees with people hes going to tell them he disagrees.

Hes been known to apologize after some of his more colorful outbursts.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said pushing back against the administration only rarely requires a public challenge of the president.

But I think John McCain figured out that his personality and his history let him do that, Blunt said. That irascibility helps keep everybody else moving in the right direction.

McCains relationship with Trump has long been testy, dating back at least to Trumps declaration two years ago that McCain was not a war hero by virtue of having been captured. McCain said Trump owed other veterans an apology.

The Arizona senator emerged early in the Trump administration as the new presidents nemesis, breaking with Trump on his immigration order, warning him against any rapprochement with Moscow, lecturing him on the illegality of torture and supplying only a lukewarm endorsement of Rex Tillerson, Trumps choice for secretary of state.

Clearly, in the Republican Party he has been completely unafraid to tell his own party when he thinks theyre wrong, said McCain friend Steve Duprey.

McCain has long given policy-watchers whiplash.

He snarled about the Obama administrations handling of the deadly assault in Benghazi, Libya, and ripped into former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel over the Iraq war.

But he also has tried to revive his past bipartisan effort on immigration, at one point reaching out to Obama, the man who beat him for the presidency.

On Thursday, McCain warned his colleagues, and Trump, not to get too comfortable in his absence.

He tweeted from afar: Ill be back soon, so stand-by!

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Astrid Galvan and Steve Peoples contributed to this report.

___

Follow Kellman at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman
TAOS, N.M.  D.H. Lawrence Ranch Initiatives is partnering with the University of New Mexico Continuing Education to host a series of online creative writing workshops.

The University of New Mexico recently announced the workshops which are aimed at giving writers feedback and the opportunity to work with writing instructors. Classes cater to poets, novelists, short story writers and nonfiction writers.

Courses run from October through November and are limited to 15 participants per class.

The English-born Lawrence wrote a number of novels, including Lady Chatterleys Lover. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, eventually moved to Taos, New Mexico, where they acquired a ranch.
SOUTHPORT, England  Sergio Garcia thought his British Open might be over after hurting his right shoulder angrily swinging a club into shrubs on the fourth hole at Royal Birkdale on Friday.

The Masters champion clutched his shoulder after the incident and took a painkiller on the fifth tee. He spoke with a medical official on the seventh hole and his shoulder still felt sore at the end of his second round.

Obviously, Im not happy about it, Garcia said, because I almost screwed up my British Open.

The shoulder problem didnt affect his power. Garcia drove the green on the 346-yard fifth hole and made eagle, and wound up shooting a 1-under 69 in gusty conditions. He was 2 over for the tournament.

Garcia said he was frustrated after sending his tee shot at the par-3 4th to the back left of the green near some bushes. He didnt have a full back swing and could only jab his second shot short of the green.

After taking his shot, Garcia looked behind him and swung his club into the shrubs. He grabbed his shoulder immediately with his left hand and grimaced with pain. He made bogey.

I hit (the shrubs) backwards, it was a very weak position, and it felt like the muscles went on top of each other, Garcia said. So it didnt feel good at all.

Sometimes you are out there and you are trying your hardest. When you cant do it, you get frustrated. Weve all had this.

Garcia said he played the fifth hole not knowing if hed be able to finish his round.

He will see a physio later Friday and get some work done on his shoulder.

Garcia played the 14 holes after his club rage in 1 under. He was one of only four players in the first 18 three-man groups to break par Friday.

___

Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency Friday for La Crosse and 16 other southwestern counties hit by storms this week.

Accompanied by the head of the Wisconsin National Guard and key state agencies, Walker surveyed damages in Arcadia and Ontario, two communities hit by flash flooding after storms brought high winds and rainfalls of up to 8 inches across the region Wednesday and Thursday.

There have been no reported casualties, but homes and businesses were flooded, and sandbagging efforts continued across the region, according to the governors office.

Walkers executive order, which also covers Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon counties, calls on state agencies to assist those with flood damage and authorizes activation of the National Guard as needed.

In La Crosse County, authorities closed West Salems Lake Neshonoc to boat traffic and were monitoring the dam as the water level remained dangerously high Friday morning, although water levels were dropping quickly by the afternoon as additional storms failed to materialize.

Water was flowing through the adjacent powerhouse and gushing from the front door Friday, but the dams owner said the structure is sound.

We dont have any concerns at all, said Scott Purlee, regional manager for Eagle Creek Renewable Energy. Its structurally sound and behaving the way its intended to behave.

The building has been disconnected from the electrical grid and none of the generation equipment is at risk, said West Salem Village administrator and backup dam operator Teresa Schnitzler.

Its just going to be a mess for us to clean up, she said.

The 77-year-old dam was last inspected in June 2015, according to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources records. It is scheduled to be inspected by its owner in 2017. Purlee said the dam has also passed federal inspections.

Boats have broken loose on the lake and at least one got stuck in the dam gates. Schnitzler said grass mats the size of trucks  ripped from shorelines upstream  are going over the dam.

Dam operators are warning people to stay away, noting that debris has torn away warning buoys.

They shouldnt be sneaking up on the dam to get a better look, Purlee said. Theres a lot of velocity there and its misleading.

The La Crosse River crested for a second time Friday in La Crosse at 4.22 feet above flood stage but was expected to level off as a line of storms missed La Crosse, said National Weather Service meteorologist John Wetenkamp.

In West Salem, the river crested around 4:30 a.m. two feet above the top of the dam but was falling rapidly Friday afternoon, according to the Weather Service.

It will continue to fall, Wetenkamp said. The threat for heavy rain has shifted south, which is good news.

In Monroe County, there were no concerns with the Angelo and Perch Lake dams as of mid-morning Friday, according to Monroe County Emergency Management.

The Mississippi River is not projected to reach flood stage in La Crosse, but the La Crosse County sheriffs office said boaters should use extreme caution because of debris in the water.

Public health officials also caution against swimming in any open water  including the Mississippi  during flooding.

These are contaminated waters, said Carol Drury, La Crosse Countys environmental health and lab manager.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas on Friday joined 19 other Democratic attorneys general around the country urging President Donald Trump to keep a program that gives temporary resident status to young immigrants in the country illegally.

In a letter to the president, the attorneys general said the 800,000 immigrant students covered under the Obama-era Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrival Program, or DACA, have been a boon to universities and employers.

They are our neighbors, co-workers, students and community and church leader, the letter said. And they are boosting the economies and communities or our states every day.

The effort is being led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

The letter came after 10 Republican attorneys general urged the president in their own letter to end the program.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the others threatened to amend a district court case to challenge the program unless the Trump administration acts to phase it out.

Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told Hispanic lawmakers that the program that protects young immigrants from deportation is likely illegal, though he personally supports it.

The program gives work permits to young people brought into the U.S. as children.

Trump pledged as a candidate to immediately end the program. But as president, he has said those immigrants will not be targets for deportation.

He said his administration is more interested in deporting criminals.
The states superintendent of insurance on Thursday said he expects insurers to dial back requested rate increases for health plans bought by individuals on the state insurance exchange.

Superintendent John Franchini, following a presentation to the New Mexico Insurance Nominating Committee at the Capitol, was asked his thoughts on health insurers rate revisions expected later this month. After reviewing the original rate requests, and considering what some of the insurers have stated publicly, Franchini said that he expected rates to be revised down to between 6 and 20 percent increases.

In June, the providers for New Mexicos health exchange, known as beWellnm, initially proposed rate increases ranging from about 20 percent to 85 percent for 2018 policies.

However, final rate requests have not been processed and will continue through the review process, with decisions being made in September.

Currently, all four carriers who participated in the individual exchange in 2017 have also filed submissions for 2018, which includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Christus Health Plan, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, and New Mexico Health Connections.

The state agency, which evaluates whether premiums are justified and checks that plans provide essential health benefits, said premiums on the high side in the first round of requests reflected uncertainty about whether federal subsides would go away for out-of-pocket expenses such as copayments and deductibles for lower-income enrollees, as well as income-based tax credits that help people buy coverage.

I think most of the companies are looking for ways to stay in the market. But those cost-sharing subsidies are critical, said Franchini in an interview when the providers submitted the first round of rate requests. If the subsidies dont survive, Franchini says some insurers are likely to pull out of the market, or they will have to increase costs for New Mexicos 55,000 exchange enrollees.

Republican plans to overhaul health care subsides and enforcement provisions have stalled in Washington.
ST. LOUIS  A federal judge on Friday approved an $11.2 million settlement between the marital infidelity website Ashley Madison and users who sued after hackers released personal information, including financial data and details of their sexual proclivities.

U.S. District Judge John Ross in St. Louis gave preliminary approval to a class action settlement that was initially announced last week by Toronto-based Ruby Corp., the parent company of Ashley Madison. Lawsuits from around the country were consolidated in the Eastern District of Missouri.

A final approval hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.

Douglas Dowd, an attorney representing users of the website, said the settlement is fair and reasonable for both sides. Robert Atkins, the lead attorney for Ruby Corp., declined comment after the hearing.

The lawsuits were filed after hackers outed millions of people who used the website two years ago. The suits said Ashley Madison misled consumers about its security measures and safeguards.

The company denied wrongdoing but said in a statement that it settled to avoid the uncertainty, expense, and inconvenience associated with continued litigation.

Ashley Madison is marketed to people seeking extramarital relationships. Its slogan is, Life is short. Have an affair. At one time, it purported to have about 39 million members.

The case is unique in that many website users not only want to remain anonymous but registered using false names, said James McDonough III, an attorney for the users. As a result, those eligible for the settlement wont be contacted directly. Instead, they will reach out to those who could benefit via magazine and web ads.

Ross agreed with that plan. Theres just no way to give direct notice to class members, he said.

McDonough said there is no estimate on how many people will seek part of the settlement money, which could range from as little as $19 for those victimized by the hack up to $2,000 for those who were victims of identity theft because of the hack.

Ashley Madisons systems were hacked in July 2015. Hackers posted the details a month later after the company didnt comply with their demands to shut down. The release of evidence of infidelity triggered extortion crimes and unconfirmed reports of suicides.

In December, Ruby Corp. agreed to pay $1.6 million in settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the data breach. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia joined the FTC in the investigation that found lax data security practices. The investigation also found Ashley Madison created fake female profiles to entice male users.

In addition to monetary penalties to the FTC, Ruby agreed in December to end certain deceptive practices, to not create fake profiles, and to develop a stronger data security program.

The company has said that since the initial hack it has implemented several measures to make customer data more secure.
When Alfred Angelo bridal store abruptly closed its more than 60 stores nationwide on July 12, it left brides across the country without dresses and without their money back. That includes the location at ABQ Uptown.

But former Albuquerque store manager, Karen Chavez is teaming up with Stacy Blackwell, owner of New Mexico Wedding Expos & Guide to help brides who were left out in the cold.

On Thursday, at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North on San Francisco just west of Pan American Freeway, Chavez and Blackwell are holding a bridal dress drive. Women are asked to donate their old wedding dresses, and former Alfred Angelo brides can pick them up, free of charge.

Were hoping that we can do some good and turn this from a bad situation to one of a community showing its strength, said Blackwell.

From 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Chavez and Blackwell will be accepting donated dresses in the Atrium of the Pyramid. Then, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., they will give the dresses to brides in need in the Kokapelli room. Chavez said they will stay longer if needed, and donors are encouraged to stay and see who gets their dresses.

Brides receiving dresses will need to bring an Alfred Angelo receipt. We just want to make sure we get the dresses to those who were hurt by the closing, Chavez said.

Chavez said she didnt find out about the closing until the day it happened. We did whatever we could to get the dresses out of the store. She told her customers with finished dresses to come get them right away, no need to pay because it doesnt matter anymore.

Afterward, Chavez said she couldnt stop thinking about the brides whose dresses hadnt come in yet. Thats when she contacted Blackwell.

Blackwell said New Mexico Wedding Expo is planning on giving out $200 customizable gift certificates to everyone who donates, and it will hold a raffle with prizes donated by Kevins photography, Casa de Suenos and the Marriott Pyramid. We want to make sure that the women giving dresses will get something in return for their generosity, she said.

According to Blackwell more than 60 women have already expressed interest in donating. Chavez said between 75 and 100 Alfred Angelo customers did not receive their dresses.

Planning a wedding is one of the most stressful times in ones life. I cant imagine what they are going through, and I would like to help ease their frustration, Cassadra Olivas-Chavez told Blackwell.

Blackwell says that is a common sentiment among the women she has spoken with. The only thing is, we have very few brides from Alfred Angelo, she said. We know they are out there!

Chavez and Blackwell are speaking with several local charities to see about donating any unclaimed dresses.

According to the Alfred Angelo website, those who wish to be contacted regarding their order as information becomes available, email alfredangelo@mjstrustee.com to reach Margaret Smith, the companys appointed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee.
Altard State, a womens clothing chain with nearly 90 locations nationwide, is the newest addition to ABQ Uptown. The store will open August 1, according to Mary Beth Fox, chief brand officer.

Altard State, which bills itself as a Christian company, is headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee. This is its first New Mexico location. But Fox said the company is Always looking for opportunities. Of course we want to expand in New Mexico.

Fox said the clothing chain has been looking at New Mexico for a long time and loves the ABQ Uptown location, a nearly 6,000-square foot store across from Williams Sonoma.

Altard State will employ roughly 25 people, depending on traffic, Fox said.

Altard State is involved in global and community charities, offering employees chances to get paid for volunteer work with different causes and donating a portion of Monday proceeds to various charities like Boys and Girls club.

According to Fox, the Albuquerque locations interior is modeled after the first chapel the company built in Peru.
Agro Global Resources (AGRL) has chosen DDB Mudra West as their creative partner for the companys four cooking oil variants  Wagga Wagga Diabetes Care, Wagga Wagga Heart care, Wagga Wagga Sautes & Salads and Wagga Wagga Superfry. The win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch. The account is being led by the agencys Mumbai office and is spearheaded by Shally Mukherjee, Senior Vice President & Business Partner, DDB Mudra West.

Commenting on the account win, Rajiv Sabnis, Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group & Managing Partner, DDB Mudra West, said, This is an interesting edible oil range being launched in the health space. Health & Wellness is becoming an increasingly relevant and future-focused space in India. With the specialised diabetes care oil being launched to begin with. Wagga Wagga promises to create a differentiated, quality offering to Indian consumers. It will be an exciting challenge to establish Wagga Wagga in a highly competitive and price-sensitive market. We look forward to the opportunity to partner this brand.

Launching its maiden campaign in India, AGRLs Wagga Wagga is positioning its debutant Diabetes care variant as the Australian that helps control blood sugar. Wagga Wagga gets its name from the Wagga Wagga region in Australia, from where the cooking oils are sourced and brought to India.

The agency was given the task of creating a multi-media campaign that would communicate the superior benefits of the product, the pristine origins of the brand and the distinguished product benefits. The agency had to get the product noticed among other more established edible oil brands.

To establish the origins of the product, the brand is personified through the character of Lucy Kaur  an Australian by birth and an Indian by heart. She is married to a Sikh man and is determined to win the hearts of her new Indian family. The opening film takes the viewers through Lucys introduction to her new family. The stern patriarch of the family is displeased by his sons decision to marry a non-Indian woman. Lucy undergoes a series of disapproving confrontations until the day she cooks aloo tikki (potato patty), her father-in-laws favourite dish. The fact that it is made in Wagga Wagga Diabetes Care oil so that her father-in-law can eat it, makes her break the ice with her new family. Wagga Wagga Diabetes Care oil thus becomes the Australian that helps control blood sugar.

The three 20-seconder films in the series take viewers through Lucys journey in her Indian household post marriage, highlighting key brand features. In one of the films, the loving mother-in-law proudly offers a range of tasty party snacks to her snobbish kitty party members while praising Lucy for cooking them in Wagga Wagga Diabetes Care Oil. This was when the mom-in-laws friends were teasing her for serving bland, diabetic food. In another film, Lucys extremely fit father walks into Lucys Punjabi home, making everyone believe in the goodness of the Wagga Wagga region. In the third film, the father-in-law jokes about his son inheriting Diabetes, knowing that it wont happen considering Lucy cooks food in Wagga Wagga Diabetes Care oil.

The films break the format of health focused edible oil communication by adding a dash of light-hearted humour, while tugging at emotions through a family drama. This campaign is further being supported by digital, print and other radio activation announcing the launch.

Sujay Naik, Project Director, Agro Global Resources, said, With a brand name like Wagga Wagga Diabetes Care Oil, you pretty much get the idea what the product is all about. This makes life simple for the consumer  but for the marketer is also a challenge. We didnt want the brand to come across as medicinal or being exclusively for the diabetic patients. We didnt want it to be preachy or prescriptive. Plus the brand and product have multiple differentiators, we wanted to do justice to all of them without diluting the core proposition. The biggest challenge is creating communication which consumers will actually register, rather than the paint-by-the-numbers approach which is so prevalent, and so happily ignored by consumers.

He further said, The DDB team worked hard in understanding the consumer and crafting an insight, to building an endearing story around it. The resulting communication strategy is distinct, with an engaging story which consumers enjoy watching. It has been an absolutely fruitful association with the team, and we look forward to seeing what Lucy does from here.

Elaborating on the campaign, Rahul Mathew, National Creative Director, DDB Mudra Group, said, There is an incredible source story that Wagga Wagga can boast of. Along with the health benefits of it being a diabetes management oil. We wanted to make sure we communicate all of that in an interesting manner. And Lucy was the marriage of all our intents.

Campaign credit

Agency: DDB Mudra West

Chairman & Chief Creative Officer: Sonal Dabral

President and Managing Partner, DDB Mudra West: Rajiv Sabnis

Account Planning Team: Amit Kekre, Mehak Jaini, Neha Kulkarni

Creative Team: Rahul Mathew, Kunj Shah, Manish Darji, Fritz Gonsalves, Prasad Rao, Arun Ganesh, Mahima Mathur, Naresh Dhondi, Akshay Keluskar, Bhaskar Dwivedi

Account Management Team: Shally Mukherjee, Yugandhar Madidi, Colin Myers

Films Team: Vishal Sane, Meenaz Lala
Today, discussions on social media over current issues and social norms are something we come across almost every day. Many take to Twitter or Facebook to express their views; reflecting a strong desire for platforms that allow for a free and open public dialogue.

In order to provide such a platform, News18 India has launched a new weekend show Chidiya Ud. The live debate show anchored by Navjyot Kaur, engages with public on what they think about various socio-political issues and how they want to get them addressed. It is a platform that gives the common citizens an opportunity to voice their concerns, grievances and opinions. The anchor conducts discussion with the public at iconic places in Delhi and also informs the viewers about the importance of the place.

Last week, News18 Indias team visited two well-known places in Delhi- Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place and the famous book market of Daryaganj to interact and discuss with public on the trending topics- Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of India and facilities provided by government hospitals, respectively.

Watch Chidiya Ud every Saturday and Sunday at 5 PM on News18 India
The news broadcasting space, especially English news, made headlines just a few weeks ago with several heated debates regarding dual LCNs and usage of landing pages. The shutting down of NDTV Profit created much flutter in this space, while the launch of Republic TV and its aftermath reverberated across the broadcast industry.

Amidst all these developments, English business news channel BTVi (formerly Bloomberg TV) has been creating a space for itself. As per BARC data for Week 28 (July 8-14) BTVi was ranked No. 4, behind CNBC TV18, ET Now, and NDTV Profit & NDTV Prime.

Megha Tata, COO, BTVi, remarked, The News genre is not an easy segment due to the tough competition, especially for BTVi because of its rebranding in the past. The English news genre has been in the news because of NDTV Profit shutting down and other players exiting the market. Thats why the launch of Bloomberg|Quint will be interesting. We have taken a conscious effort to present news which is not just talking jargons, but resonates with an average financial viewer.

Tata believes that Bloombergs exit didnt affect the channel as Siddharth Zarabi continued to be the Executive Editor for BTVi, besides the appointment of Muralidhar Swaminathan has added to the channels credibility and seriousness. What we bring forth in terms of content to our consumers is our differentiator factor, she added.

BTVi has partnered with Reuters, the worlds largest international multimedia news provider, to bring financial and business news from across the globe to Indian viewers. Most people want to know about the financial world from people with experience and expertise and BTVi presents the information for a common person to understand.

Tata noted, People in the position of power in the news space are an integral part of the ecosystem. Most of the viewers who want to know about the financial world, want to know it from people who have the experience and the expertise, but we present the news in a manner that they can understand and that is bearing fruits.

According to her, The problem with this genre is that it does not get captured in numbers, but when you start creating shows which go beyond ratings, you get a sense of whats working and whats not.

Tata also claimed that while the English news genre has grown about 104 per cent over the last few years, BTVi has grown by 240 per cent. Pathbreaking stories like the Raymond case, the India Bulls case and the Muthoot Finance case, among others, have attributed to the great numbers for the channel. The channels market share, which was in the range of 3-4 per cent, today stands at 6-8 per cent.

On the digital front, the channel has been very active on social media, especially Twitter, with their followers going up from 1,000k to 3,000k post the change in name change from Bloomberg TV to BTVi. Shows like Financial Planner help small time investors on how and where to invest, which has worked really well for the channel, Tata added.

The channels focus continues to be the major metros as that is where the maximum viewership comes from since it caters to niche audience and where English business news consumption is on the higher side. Going down the mass media route does not make sense for our genre, Tata said.

Speaking about the content strategy for the channel, Tata said that there wont be any major changes as the channel has been witnessing traction on the current shows. Segments like Bollywood, Lifestyle and Automobile are also doing well for the channel, she added.

The channel, which has so far been outsourcing its sales, is now setting up a dedicated sales team, and as the team expands, there will be more advertisers on board. Our marketing strategies are an ongoing process. Moreover, we will be using digital extensively for all the launches and shows, Tata added.
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- HRH Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud officially began his tenure as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States today with the presentation of his credentials to President Donald J. Trump at a White House ceremony.

"I am honored and excited to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America. Close friends and long-time allies, now more than ever, our two countries are aligned in shared interests and common purpose," said the Ambassador. "We are expanding trade and investment, increasing cultural exchanges, and fighting terrorism side by side."

"My first priority is to build on the outcomes of the Riyadh Summit to foster closer cooperation on our collective security and to expand our economic partnership," said the Ambassador. "I also want to reintroduce Saudi Arabia to the United States. Under our new leadership, Saudi Arabia is continuing to change and modernize. I want to engage Americans in new ways to introduce and describe the important economic and social reforms now underway."

Most recently, Prince Khalid was a senior civilian advisor in the Ministry of Defense. He also helped execute the Ministry's strategic restructuring as part of the National Transformation Program under Vision 2030.

Previously, he was an officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) where he flew F15-S combat missions in Syria and Yemen. As a result of a back condition that prevented him from flying, Prince Khalid served as a tactical intelligence officer at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran.

Prince Khalid graduated from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the RSAF. He received pilot training in the United States at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Mississippi. He also studied advanced electronic warfare in France.

Prince Khalid is the 10th Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the U.S. since 1945.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prince-khalid-bin-salman-officially-begins-assignment-as-saudi-ambassador-to-the-us-300492292.html

SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
The rumored Nokia 2 is making it into the headlines today thanks to a newly leaked sketch depicting the alleged device next to the Nokia 3. The image emerged from Chinas Baidu, and the source suggests that the Nokia 2 might share some similarities in design with the now-retired Nokia Lumia 620 which was released in early 2013 running Microsofts Windows Phone 8 operating system. But of course, that era is well behind the Nokia brand, and the Nokia 2 is expected to run some version of Android out of the box.

The Nokia 2 is supposed to be HMD Globals most affordable Android-powered smartphone expected to hit the shelves before the end of this year. The source behind the recent sketch suggests that the Nokia 2 will likely be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 system-on-chip housing four ARM Cortex-A7 CPU cores clocked at up to 1.1GHz and the Adreno 304 graphics chip. Furthermore, judging by this latest sketch, it would appear that the Nokia 2 has a similarly sized display compared to the Nokia 3, which carries a 5-inch panel. Theres no word on the number of pixels the panel will accommodate on the Nokia 2, though its worth noting that the Nokia 3s IPS LCD screen has a resolution of 1280 x 720, and its safe to say that theres not much room for HMD Global to go any lower than that. Other hardware details remain unknown but the source adds that not unlike the Nokia 3, the Nokia 2 will also lack a fingerprint scanner.

Although theres not a lot of information to go by in regards to what will make the Nokia 2 tick, its worth noting that the smartphones existence has been previously confirmed by HMD Global itself. According to a previous statement from the Finnish company, there are three additional Nokia-branded smartphones planned for a market release before the end of 2017, including the Nokia 2, as well as the Nokia 7 and Nokia 8. All three devices will be powered by almost stock Android and should be officially unveiled in the coming months. As for the Nokia 2s price, the device should cost less than the Nokia 3 which launched with a price tag of approximately $150, depending on the territory.
The Friends of the Upper Mississippi will celebrate the beauty of the Mississippi River during a concert titled Serenading the Wild Waters at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Chad Erickson Park at 3601 Park Lane Drive in La Crosse.

The event, which is free and includes food, will feature performances by local musicians Mike Caucutt and Eddie Allen, as well as updates from U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin about legislation affecting local resources.

Also on hand with exhibits and information will be agency managers and staffers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Friends of the Upper Mississippi is a nonprofit organization that works to protect and restore the rivers resources.

For more information or questions, contact Ken Visger by phone at 507-894-4715 or through email at kenff@aol.com.

More information about the Friends of the Upper Mississippi is on the organizations website and Facebook page.
Amazon acquired artificial intelligence (AI) startup Graphiq earlier this year, industry sources with knowledge of the transaction said on Thursday, interpreting the move as the tech giants latest attempt to improve its Alexa digital companion and a number of other products and services which utilize machine learning and general AI solutions. The Santa Barbara, California-based company had over 130 employees prior to the acquisition, and most of them are said to have continued working for Amazon following the purchase. The companys headquarters remain unchanged, and the same presumably holds true for its daily operations as the startup is likely still focused on big data analysis. The Californian firm was also reportedly negotiating with Google and IBM before agreeing to sell itself to Amazon, people familiar with the negotiations said.

Its currently unclear when exactly did Amazons purchase take place, though the Seattle, Washington-based company is now reportedly already hiring new data associates and software engineers that would work at its new Southern California offices. The value of the transaction remains unknown, with sources close to the company estimating the purchase at up to $50 million. Graphiq raised approximately $32 million in private funding to date and its acquisition is believed to be higher than that figure, with insiders claiming that all of the companys previous investors made significant returns on the deal. Neither party has yet issued a comment on the matter in any capacity, though the transaction itself will likely be disclosed by Amazon in some shape or form later this year seeing how the tech giant is a publicly traded company. Graphiq itself has been operational for eight years prior to its acquisition, with the firm initially being founded as a provider of data collection and management services, allowing users to easily compare prices of various vendors and monetizing its offerings through advertisements.

Graphiq also developed a proprietary data interpretation and visualization technology that was previously used by major news outlets including Reuters and Associated Press. This particular tool may be the main motivation for Amazons acquisition, sources speculate, with such a platform potentially being able to facilitate Alexas process of learning new information by allowing it to sift through massive amounts of data more efficiently.
Xiaomi will likely narrow the gap with the Indian market leader Samsung once the smartphone retail figures for the second quarter of 2017 are released. In the first quarter, Samsung held the top place for the number of smartphones sold in India with a 22 percent market share. However, recent trends show that Xiaomi, which currently holds 14.8 percent of the Indian smartphone market, will likely increase its market share and narrow the gap with the South Korean tech giant. In order to increase its market share, the Chinese manufacturer has been subsidizing some marketing costs of several smartphone retailers in the country. In addition to that, the manufacturer has successfully designed smartphones that cater well to Indian consumers, some industry watchers believe. Those smartphones usually sport more premium specs compared to competing devices in the same price point, consequently offering better value for money.

Samsung is looking to maintain its dominant position in the smartphone market and has also retaliated against the Chinese manufacturer by offering its own marketing subsidies to retailers. It also stopped supplying smartphones to brick-and-mortar stores that have been giving preference to Xiaomi. This was possibly done in order to pressure those retailers to renegotiate with the South Korean tech giant. Samsung is now likely looking to retain some influence among local retailers that it lost when Xiaomi started using aggressive marketing strategies. However, Samsungs decision to stop supplying its smartphones to retailers could backfire since other manufacturers could take advantage of the empty shelves to gain store visibility at the expense of the company. Aside from the extensive overhaul of its marketing strategy, some analysts claim that Samsung should also develop smartphones that specifically cater to Indian consumers.

India is currently the second largest smartphone market in the world, right behind China. However, there is a lot of room for sales growth in the said market as LTE networks are yet to be fully deployed and utilized. In addition to that, only one out of five Indian phone users currently possess a smartphone. This low penetration of smartphones and the continuing deployment of LTE networks in India make it a lucrative market for handset makers.
Samsung Electronics is currently developing a Bluetooth-enabled earset infused with Bixby, the companys latest artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, industry sources said on Friday. The South Korean original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is understood to be wrapping up the research and development phase of the project and may be ready to commercialize it in the coming months, possibly in time for the launch of the Galaxy Note 8, according to the report. Samsung is understood to be considering bundling the earset with its next phablet though no final decision on the matter has yet been made. Even if consumers who purchase the Galaxy Note 8 end up getting the product for free, the earset is still expected to be available for purchase individually in the coming months.

Insiders claim that the device supports Samsungs proprietary noise-blocking technology that can eliminate external audio interference in an effort to facilitate the process of making a phone call. No other specifics on the product have been revealed in the report, though the currently available information already suggests a number of things about its capabilities; being just an earset, the device is likely to be extremely compact and will communicate with Bixbys servers by connecting to a compatible handset via Bluetooth, then using its Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The earpiece may also support Bluetooth 5.0, the latest iteration of the popular wireless standard that Samsung was the first to implement into a commercially available smartphone by releasing the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus earlier this year.

Its currently unclear whether the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer is considering bundling the rumored earpiece with the Galaxy Note 8 in all of its target markets or only in select territories. The latter scenario may be more likely in light of the fact that Bixby Voice is currently only available in Samsungs home country and the United States, with the companys software engineers reportedly struggling to make the service compatible with more languages. Regardless, industry sources are seemingly fairly convinced that Samsung will introduce its upcoming earpiece simultaneously with the Galaxy Note 8. One recent report indicated that the company downscaled its AI ambitions to a degree and opted not to release a Bixby-enabled speaker until the Internet of Things (IoT) market is more mature and better defined.
The piece of footage below bring what may or may not be a typical day in the life of a Maranello halo car that get hooned as if it was a racecar.We're looking at a LaFerrari Aperta that gets put to drifting use. And we're not talking about the occasional tail dance. No. This is an all-out sliding episode, one that generates tons of smoke and the kind of slip angles that will put a huge smile on your face.The hooning, which reportedly took place in the Italian Alps, obviously required a camera car that could keep up with the LaF Aperta. And what better choice than a fixed-roof incarnation of the 963 hp Ferrari For the record, a role reversal would've probably delivered an even sweeter result and we're inviting those who disagree to check out the second clip below.As those of you who spend enough time on the car-related side of social media have probably figured out by now, we're looking at a stunt coming from the aficionado known as powerslidelover.This is far from the first time when the gear head plays the sideways game in a LaFerrari. And we have a feeling that we'll keep receiving such pieces of sideways hooning footage.We're well aware of the fact that a part of you would rather enjoy an old-school Fezza than the LaF, which is why we have a reminder to drop.This involves the time when the said aficionado pulled a similar stunt using a Ferrari F50. The camera car was also a V12 monster, one that wasn't built all that far from Maranello. We're referring to a Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce.
ONTARIO  The weather Friday morning cut short Gov. Scott Walkers survey of storm damage in Ontario.

Walker was scheduled to arrive at Brookwood High School at 11:15 a.m., but Assembly Rep. Lee Nerison, R-Westby, said he was at Ontarios newspaper office when he heard the governors helicopter was arriving early.

They left Arcadia earlier than expected, Nerison said as a light rain began to fall. They came here about 10:10 or 10:15.

Walker declared a state of emergency in 17 counties, including La Crosse, Vernon, Monroe, Trempealeau, Jackson and Crawford.

Also included in the declaration were Buffalo, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Juneau, Lafayette, Pepin, Richland, Rock and Sauk counties. Southern Wisconsin has been saturated with rain the past few weeks.According to Nerison, the governor talked with Ontarios fire chief and a few other people, including children who were playing on school grounds. Nerison said state troopers were on hand so the governor could tour Ontario, but the pilot said they had to leave because of the weather.

Monroe County has asked for assistance from FEMA, Nerison said. First the state has to declare a disaster and then they have to see if they meet FEMA requirements. ... (And t)here is the Wisconsin Disaster Fund.

Nerison said in 2005, when Viola was hit by a tornado, the village did not qualify for FEMA aid, but it received help from the Wisconsin Disaster Fund. There isnt much money there, he said.

As the rain continued, he shook his head and said: This is ridiculous  2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and now, and in September of last year, when Viroqua got hit. The sad part of it is we know what to do and do it without thinking about it because weve done it (dealt with flooding) so many times.
If we are to believe the wildest of rumors, then expect the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 to be replaced by an all-new V8 . Displacing 7.0 liters and naturally aspirated by character, the 7X isnt likely to find its way under the hood of the redesigned F-150 Raptor. Sorry folks, but something like that aint happening.A more likely possibility is an improvement of the high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. Or the same horsepower and torque figures as ever before. Such an F-150 Raptor was recently spied by Australias Motoring , and the sound of six force-fed cylinders is impossible to mistake for a free-breathing V8 tower-of-power. The spy photos in question depict a left-hand drive example of the off-road pickup with the same face as the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, albeit the tailgate features a noticeably cleaner, less macho design.The biggest update, however, hides under the bed of the redesigned F-150 Raptor. As per Motoring, the newcomer will gain a new five-link, coil-spring rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. Game on! Thats an interesting development from the current model, which features a leaf-spring setup.Remember when the Mustang was a solid-axle affair? Its refreshing the Ford Motor Company has concluded that modern suspension technology is not a matter of pretentiousness, but a necessity, especially if were talking high-performance vehicles such as the Mustang and Raptor. Having made my point, its anybodys guess when the overhauled dune bully known as the F-150 Raptor will be officially revealed by the Dearborn-based manufacturer.A quick look through the order guide for the 2018 F-150 lineup doesnt help either, for Ford has cautiously let out any details whatsoever about the Raptors rear suspension system. Fret not, though, because the 2018 F-150 Raptor will surely arrive in dealer showrooms by the end of the year.
The Civil Air Patrol says it can take days for pilots to be found after an off-airport landing, but Jim ODonnell had the first emergency vehicle on scene before he came to a stop after landing his Cessna P206 on the Sunrise Highway in Suffolk County, New York. Shortly after takeoff from Brookhaven Airport, en route to Eagles Nest New Jersey, ODonnells P206 experienced unspecified mechanical problems. The extent of power loss has not been reported, but the pilot elected to land on the highway.

Video shot from a car travelling on the Sunrise Highway shows an orderly landing on the centerlinenormally used to divide the first and second lanes of traffic. (The video does contain some moderate profanity.) Rollout is slightly squirrely, but the landing appears to be downwind, which may have contributed to difficult directional control. After passing under an overpass, a police car pulls onto the freeway and turns on its lights before the Cessna even comes to a stop. The plane was reportedly towed down the highway back to Brookhaven Airport for repairs.
When I got my first job flying freight in the mid-1970s, every single pilot I met was a white male. I didnt really think anything about itit was the way of the world. There were no women flying for the airlines or the military and the WASPs of World War II were not even a memoryno one spoke of them. Chief pilots made it clear over beers after work that they didnt hire women or minorities (sadly, I still hear that from chief pilots, although from far fewer).

At the same time, I was flight instructing and about a third of my students were women. Most wanted to become professional pilots. Flying with them, I became aware of the fact that not only did they have to work as hard as any male to master what was necessary to learn to get a ratingthey had to put up with overt and covert discrimination, personal attacks, constant come-ons and propositions from male pilots; examiners that set the bar higher on checkrides because they didnt like women pilots or didnt want to go to an accident scene and see the mangled body of a woman and, once they got their ratings, doors slammed in their faces when they sought employment.

When flying with a woman instrument student it wasnt uncommon after shed made a call to ATC for a male voice to come on the frequency with remarks ranging from nice voice, sweetheart to far more moronic. A couple of times on instrument cross countries with women students we ran into controllers who simply would not respond to a them, but would instantly respond if I called.

An Introduction

It was with that background that I was introduced to the Whirly-Girls organization by a colleague about 25 years ago. My initial reaction was that calling a full-grown adult a girl or a boy is a major league insultfighting words in some placesso this has got to be some sort of group of bimbos that maybe get to stand next to helicopters for cheesecake photos.

Was I ever wrong.

The real name for the organization is Whirly-Girls International (WGI). It was formed in 1955 by Jean Howard Ross Phelanone of the 13 known female helicopter pilots in the world at the time (nothing was known of female helicopter pilots behind the Iron Curtain)for the purpose of supporting women in the world of rotary-wing aviation. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that provides scholarships for women to further their careers as professional helicopter pilots and to mutually encourage each other in the process.

The dry language of the formation and purpose of WGI doesnt come close to describing the power and long-term effects on the professional lives of hundreds of aviators who have been members during its 62 years of existence. From the 13 original members, in three countries, it has grown to embrace 47 countries and, about the time this comes out, should welcome its 2000th member.

The practice of selflessness among the membership began when member numbers were first assignedeven though Jean Phelan organized Whirly-Girls International and became its first president, she gave all of the other original members lower numbers than herself. Its absolutely nonpolitical nature was established from the very beginning because its original members were a cross section of the political spectrum from the left to the very far rightand some had actively worked against the countries of others during World War II. The worlds first female helicopter pilot and militant Nazi, Hannah Reitsch, was one of the test pilots of the first true vertical flight machine, the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61, when it flew in 1938. She became Whirly-Girl number one. Two of the other original members had been members of the French Resistance fighting the Nazis.

The First Meeting

Six of the 13 known female helo pilots (no one had any information on the number of female helicopter pilotsif anybehind the Iron Curtain) came together in Washington, D.C. for the first meeting of WGI in 1955. They included such chronic underachievers as Dr. Valerie Andre of Franceveteran of the French Resistance in World War II, a neurosurgeon, the first female helicopter pilot to fly helos in combat zones (over 100 times she picked up wounded soldiers in combat, flew them to the field hospital and then operated on them herself) and first female General Officer in the French armed services.

Another was Ann Shaw Carter of the U.S.World War II WASP and first female helicopter pilot to fly commercially. Included in the first meeting was Nancy Miller Livingston Stratford, who, after flight instructing in California, had gone to England and joined the Air Transport Auxiliary where she spent the war ferrying some 50 types of combat aircraft. She later told an interviewer that the Spitfire, in its various marks, was her favorite. Following the war she did anything she could do in aviation to keep food on the table, including crop dusting in helicopters (while men got all the good flying jobs). She went on to co-found a commercial helicopter operation in Juneau, Alaska, which she operated until retiring and selling the company to Era Helicopters. Stratford went on to create the coveted Livingston Award for the Whirly-Girls. It is awarded annually to the living woman helicopter pilot who personifies the high standards and ideals of women helicopter pilots and who contributed in a significant way to the advancement, recognition and credit of women in helicopter aviation.

Also present at the first meeting of the Whirly-Girls was Madam Jacqueline Auriol, a French resistance fighter in WWII, airshow pilot, test pilotone of the first women to fly faster than Mach 1 and holder of five world speed recordsand four-time winner of the Harmon Trophy, awarded by the President of the United States for aviation exploits.

While the business of WGI in raising funds for scholarships for women to advance their helicopter flying skills and ratings is dead serious, the Whirly-Girl name is a recognition that its okay to poke a little fun at oneself. Its perhaps a reminder that while professional rotary-wing aviation requires cool, objective thinking, flying helicopters is about as much fun as its possible to have in aviation and its all right to smile and enjoy the heck out of what youve worked so hard to learn to do.

Texan Joni Schultz is the current president of WGI. An Enstrom owner and pilot and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, she told us that the organization has grown and changed as more women have been able to move into professional aviation as well as fly in the military. Most recently, law enforcement has increasingly opened its doors to women helicopter pilots. Schultz said that WGI members have worked to maintain its historical perspectivethere are mother and daughter memberswhile assertively focusing on mentoring younger pilots and helping new pilots network to find job opportunities.

The annual gathering of WGI is called the Hoveringone of the coolest aviation names for a get-together Ive run across. It is held in conjunction with the annual, international Heli-Expo organized by the Helicopter Association International of which Whirly-Girls is an affiliate.

At the Hovering, the recipients of the many, impressive scholarships are named, as is the recipient of the Livingston Award. During the year members of Whirly-Girls raise money through sale of WGI-themed items and actively seek donations and grants. The money goes toward the flight-training scholarships that are awarded at the Hovering. There are no paid positions within WGIeveryone working on its behalf is a volunteer. The scholarships awarded each year vary slightly, but usually include money toward flight training toward a rating; specialized flight training such as mountain flying and night-vision goggle endorsement; specialized or type-specific helicopter courses; ground school toward an advanced rating and crash survival courses.

The scholarships may or may not pay the full cost of a course or rating. If they dont, they often put enough of a dent in the total cost that it makes the difference as to whether the recipient can afford to take the course and increase her chances of professional employment in the rotary-wing world. I heard numerous stories from women now flying helos professionally who said that the scholarship she received from WGI made it possible for her to do what she is doing now. I also learned that many of the donors to WGIs scholarship fund are professional helicopter pilots who had themselves received a scholarship in years past. Many now have jobs that have allowed them to donate much more to Whirly-Girls than they originally received in scholarship money.

The second portion of a Hovering is social and networkingit generally starts with the group sitting in a circle and each member telling what has been going on in her aviation life. That often leads to another member passing along contact information that may lead to finding a job opening or additional training. It is networkingand mentoringat its finest. In his Spring 2017 Presidents Message, HAI president, Matthew S. Zuccaro wrote about the importance of mentoring young helicopter pilots and the effort HAI is now putting into it. He used Whirly-Girls as the shining example of effective networking and mentoring after describing some of the many obstacles historically placed in the path of women seeking employment in helicopter aviation. He wrote: I have been impressed with how the Whirly Girl family embraces, nurtures, mentors and provides a lifetime support network to these young women. The passion and commitment from one generation to the next is evident.

Zuccaro went on to state: When I have attended various Whirly-Girls events, I have witnessed the discussions and developing relationships between the young ladies who attended seeking guidance and advice about the helicopter community and those women pioneers who have proudly served in the industry for decades. You could see the comfort level developing in the eyes of the young attendees as they realized that someone will walk this path with them and have their backs.

Thats how mentoring and networking should beand how it is at Whirly-Girls. As one WGI member told me, Youre inspired to give back, to walk up to a woman who said she wants to know how to get from just getting her CFI to having a job and say, What can I do to help?' Those who have been around the industry often know where the job openings are and can point those members who are looking in the right direction and give them guidance as to how to land the job.

One member told me of going to her first Hovering and sitting next to a woman who looked like my kindergarten teacher and turned out to be an experimental test pilot flying jets for a manufacturer. Her accomplishments were awe-inspiring, and overwhelming, but it turned out that she was incredibly easy to talk with, without any pretension. She said that conversation set the tone for how supportive WGI members were toward her as she moved up in professional aviation.

Terri Watson, the current Livingston Award recipient, told me that talking with another member made the difference in getting her helicopter CFI rating. She had been awarded a scholarship. With the scholarship and her savings, she would have enough money to get the rating. But she didnt have enough money to rent a motel room in the Bay Area, where the training would take place. She was planning to spend six weeks living in her truck. At the Hovering, she asked a WGI member who lived in the Bay Area if she knew of any places where she might rent an inexpensive apartment. The woman told her that she had a guest house that wasnt in use and offered it to Terri as a place to stay during her trainingat no cost. Terri followed telling me about that experience with, See why I give back everything I can to this organization?

Going Forward

Joni Schultz told me that she wants to continue WGIs traditions of assertive support for women who want to fly helicopterswhile expanding the organizations outreach. She said that she wants to make members of more of the women who are flying helos in the military and law enforcement. In talking with Terri Watson, she made the same comment. I asked her if the Whirly-Girls name adversely affected recruiting members. She said that it might, but that any time a prospective member makes an adverse comment about the name, her response is, The name may be silly, but check out the scholarships, theyre amazing. That sentence often makes all the difference. I asked Watson how she came to be a member. She said that shortly after getting her Army helicopter wings a captain she didnt know came up to her, handed her a slip of paper with some information on Whirly-Girls on it and said, You should join this organization. The captain then walked away. Terri said she read what was on the paper and joined.

Livingston Award

To wrap this up, I think its appropriate to look at the background of the most recent recipient of the Livingston Award from WGI, Terri Watson. I think shes a good example of the type of people one meets in Whirly-Girls. Full disclosure, Ive known Terri for about 20 years, beginning when I was a volunteer pilot for LightHawk, a public benefit flying organization dedicated to using aircraft for conservation work and research, and she joined the staff. She gave me some excellent training in backcountry and mountain flying.

Terri Watson has over 11,000 hours of flying time, equally split between fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. She entered the Army when the aviation branch was newly formed. Although women had been allowed to fly helicopters for a handful of years, many in the Army werent particularly pleased about being required to have women aviators and seemed to do their best to flunk them out. Watson passed and was issued her helicopter wingsso the Army suddenly required that she get her commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings in a Beech Baron in 60 days. She did itmaking her one of the few fixed- and rotary-wing Army Aviators. During her active duty career she flew the Grumman OV-1D Mohawk, Bell UH-1H Huey and Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk. Following active duty in the Army, she served in the Reserves and National Guard until 1997 while starting a career in civilian aviation. In the general aviation world, she did everything from establish and run a Part 135 charter operation through two summers as operations coordinator for helicopter operations for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica to civilian contractor flying Bell 412s and 407s and the Russian Mi17 in Iraq and Afghanistan and Emergency Medical Service and Search and Rescue pilot and Night Vision Goggle instructor in an Augusta 109 and then a Cessna 421 and King Air 90.

While she was in the Army, Watson mentored and sponsored three enlisted women to apply for the Army Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Qualification Course. She has been active with local school programs and parents to show how their school curriculum tied directly to success in aviation. While an EMS pilot, she regularly volunteered to take the flight shifts to fly the helicopter to community outreach functions and fly-ins and other public displays to matter-of-factly let communities see that women were professional pilots. She served as a member of the Board of Directors of Whirly-Girls in the 1990s and is now the Executive Director of LightHawk.

After getting to know a number of Whirly-Girls members, I am convinced that the organization is made up of Type-A overachievers who should not be able to get along with anyone, but who are the most mutually supportive people Ive ever met in aviation. As a result, my opinion is that if youre a woman who likes flying helicopters, one of the smartest things you could possibly do is join Whirly-Girls International immediately.

Rick Durden is an aviation attorney who holds an ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation and is the author of The Thinking Pilots Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing It, Vols. 1 & 2.
Your Generate host chatted yesterday with Rep. Fred Upton, the former Energy and Commerce Committee chairman who now leads the energy subcommittee. A few notes from our conversation in the Michigan Republican's office...

Big picture: These days Upton is jazzed about a wide-ranging subcommittee exploration of U.S. power markets and systems.

The second hearing of what Upton says will be many is July 26, when the panel will hear from the heads of the nation's regional power system operators.

Upton stressed that he's in listening mode, and legislation that could flow from the hearing series is a long-term project. "We will see where it takes us," he said.

Upton is interested in a range of topics including: the rise of natural gas, the fall of renewables costs, the need for backup generation, the future of nuclear power, and infrastructure modernization.

"Right now natural gas is the cheapest way to go, but as one that supports all of the above...how much is too much in terms of a percentage?" he mused at one point.

Nearer term: Upton expects a bill on the House floor in coming weeks that revives the stalled Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada and authorizes the creation of "interim" storage facilities.

It sailed through the full Energy and Commerce Committee on a 49-4 vote, and Upton is hopeful that political space has opened up in the Senate. "We may get some supporters that we didn't have before," he said.

DOE structure: Another former committee chairman, Rep. Joe Barton, is taking the lead on plans for Energy Department reauthorization legislation. Upton said there have been "early discussions" and expects the effort to take further shape as Energy secretary Rick Perry gets more of his team in place.

"I think you will see us start that in earnest after the August break," Upton said.

Upton also signaled that he's eyeing another run at crafting companion legislation to the wide-ranging bipartisan energy bill that Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Maria Cantwell are seeking to advance in the Senate, but did not offer specifics. A bicameral compromise came close to final passage through Congress last year.
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders briefed reporters on-camera (for the first time in 22 days) following Sean Spicer's resignation from the White House. Sanders then brought Anthony Scaramucci, the newly appointed WH Communications Director, up to the podium, where he announced that Sanders will replace Spicer moving forward. "The president loves Sarah. He think she's doing a phenomenal job," said Scaramucci.

Highlights from Friday's on-camera briefing:

Anthony Scaramucci

Spicer's resignation: " Sean is a true American Patriot...I love the guy, and I wish him well. I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money."

Sean is a true American Patriot...I love the guy, and I wish him well. I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money." On rumored tension with Reince Priebus: "I don't have any friction with Reince... we are a little bit like brothers... we rough each other up once in a while... I have no problem reporting to him."

"I don't have any friction with Reince... we are a little bit like brothers... we rough each other up once in a while... I have no problem reporting to him." On friction with Bannon: " I have a huge enormous amount of respect for him... He's got a strong personality. I have a strong personality...I want to keep my ego low and work with Steve Bannon as much as I can."

I have a huge enormous amount of respect for him... He's got a strong personality. I have a strong personality...I want to keep my ego low and work with Steve Bannon as much as I can." WH infighting: "If we have a little bit of friction inside the WH... it's OK, we can deal with that, I'm a business person, I'm used to that."

"If we have a little bit of friction inside the WH... it's OK, we can deal with that, I'm a business person, I'm used to that." Trump's performance as POTUS: "I think he's got some of the best political insights in the world, probably in history." He later added, "He's a winner. We're going to do a lot of winning."

"I think he's got some of the best political insights in the world, probably in history." He later added, "He's a winner. We're going to do a lot of winning." On Trump's claim of 2-3 million fraudulent votes: "If the president said it, there's probably some level of truth to it."

"If the president said it, there's probably some level of truth to it." Most repeated line: "I love the president."

Sarah Sanders
Almost immediately after President Trump offered the White House communications director position to New York financier Anthony Scaramucci, Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned, telling Trump that he "vehemently disagreed" with his decision, per The New York Times' Glenn Thrush.

According to Thrush, Trump offered Scaramucci the job at 10am, and asked that Spicer remain on the team, but Spicer said the appointment was "a major mistake."

What's next: Spicer announced on Twitter that he will continue to serve as press secretary through August before officially stepping down. He also told CNN that he thinks the White House is now in a position where Trump "could benefit from a clean slate."
Top coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler is likely to be tapped as the No. 2. official at the Environmental Protection Agency, according to two people familiar with the decision-making process.

The expected appointment for deputy EPA administrator is a turnaround from last month when the White House was poised to tap Jeff Holmstead, a former top EPA official under President George W. Bush. Holmstead is considered to be a more moderate conservative compared to Wheeler and other officials inside the Trump administration.

Why it matters: Wheeler's likely nomination shows the influence of conservatives, both inside and outside the administration, over environmental and energy policy. Wheeler has been more outspoken in questioning the science behind climate change than Holmstead.

Wheeler's bio: Wheeler, now a principal at firm Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting, is a top lobbyist for Murray Energy, the coal mining company whose CEO, Bob Murray, is close with President Trump. Wheeler has steadily lobbied on behalf of the private coal producer since at least 2009, according to lobbying disclosure data. His most recent filing for the company was posted July 20, according to the federal disclosure website.

Wheeler has worked on Capitol Hill, including for Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.), when he was a leader on the environment committee. Many top officials at EPA and the White House have worked for Inhofe, who in turn has a long-standing relationship with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt was attorney general of Oklahoma before getting the EPA job.

For the record: Reached by email, Wheeler had no comment. Spokespeople for the EPA and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

What's next: No final decision has been made on the nomination, which would require Senate confirmation and is certain to face intense pushback from Democrats.
Bako Sahakian, Nagorno-Karabakhs president, is unlikely seek another term in the next presidential election due in 2020, a retired Karabakh army general currently allied to him said on Friday.

I dont think that the current president will run in 2020, said Vitali Balasanian, the secretary of Karabakhs Security Council.

Its up to him to decide. But my personal view is that I cant imagine that, Balasanian told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in Stepanakert.

Earlier this week, the Karabakh parliament controversially extended Sahakians rule by electing him as the unrecognized republics interim president. He will serve at least until Karabakh completes in 2020 its transition to a fully presidential system of government in line with a new constitution enacted earlier this year.

The previous constitution barred Sahakian from seeking a third term. But under the current one, he can run in the next presidential election slated for 2020. The Karabakh leader has not ruled out his participation in the vote, fueling more criticism of his constitutional reform by local opposition figures.

Asked whether he himself could run for president in 2020, Balasanian said: Time will tell. Its too early say yes or no now.

A former deputy commander of Karabakhs Armenian-backed army, Balasanian was the main opposition candidate in the last presidential election held in 2012. Official election results gave him around 33 percent of the vote, compared with more than 66 percent polled by Sahakian.

Balasanian described the election as free but not fair at the time, accusing the incumbent of abusing administrative resources. He agreed to become the secretary of Sahakians Security Council last year.

The 58-year-old retired general is one of Karabakhs most prominent veterans of the 1991-1994 war with Azerbaijan. He commanded Karabakh Armenians forces in the eastern Askeran district throughout the war.
21 July 2017 17:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

It is a well-known fact that Armenia has been going through a dreadful socio-economic crisis for many years and today this process continues in the country. Naturally, this causes many problems for the life of Armenias citizens, and as a result, many of them decide to leave the country.

The problem of exodus from Armenia is regularly highlighted in the countrys media. Recently, Lragir agency wrote about the dire demographic consequences caused by the wrong policy of the Armenian government.

It was noted in the article that today there are villages in Armenia where only women live. Their husbands and sons had to leave for Russia to feed their family, as they cannot find a job in Armenia because of terrible unemployment that plagues the whole country.

Thus, the population of Armenia is declining at a rapid pace and the Armenian government is unable to stop the process. The official Armenian statistics show that some 3,226,000 people lived in the country in 2000, but this figure fell to 2,981,000 million by early 2017.

That is, 245,000 people have left Armenia during this period, and these are only official figures. Most likely, the real situation is even worse. Independent experts say that more than 40,000 people annually emigrate from Armenia.

It is also noteworthy that the number of schoolchildren leaving Armenia also grows steadily. The data of the National Center of Educational Technologies under Armenias Education and Science Ministry show that 6,562 students left the country in 2015-2016 and this figure became 7,117 next year.

Thus, Armenia loses its younger generation. Therefore, the demographic situation in the country is going to be even more dreadful in some years  Armenia will be mostly populated with the elderly, there will be almost no economically active population, and as a result, the economy of Armenia will completely collapse.

Against this backdrop, last months statement of the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan seems too positive and even goofy. He promised Armenians that the number of countrys population will allegedly reach 4 million in 2040 thanks to a sharp improvement of the demographic situation. Obviously, he has no idea about the current demographic trends of Armenia. The country is at risk to become a complete desert in the foreseeable future, and the Armenian government takes no needed actions to halt the process.

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 July 2017 13:29 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

To date, the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support (NFES) under the Economy Ministry of Azerbaijan allocated 99.6 million manats ($58.5 million) for the implementation of 2,215 projects to the Sheki-Zagatala economic region.

Executive Director of the Fund made the remarks during a business meeting with entrepreneurs in the Oguz district on July 20.

In the framework of the forum entrepreneurs of the Oguz district received preferential loans in the amount of 515,000 manats ($302,700). These funds will be directed to the development of animal husbandry, tobacco cultivation, horticulture and other areas.

Abdullayev stressed that the government supports the development of tobacco cultivation, which is a traditional sphere for this economic region. He added that to date, nearly 120 entrepreneurs received 2.4 million manats ($1.4 million) for the development of tobacco cultivation.

About 150 million manats ($88 million) will be issued for granting preferential loans to entrepreneurs in 2017.

The Fund, created in 1992, issues loans to entrepreneurs through authorized banks and non-bank lenders.

The main goal of the Fund is to provide preferential loans from the state budget for small and medium business, in order to develop entrepreneurship in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Allocation of funds by NFES is aimed at mitigating the impact of global economic crisis to the national economy and minimization of its dependence on the oil sector. The country takes steps in its bid to diversify the national economy and provide for the development of entrepreneurship in the country.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 July 2017 12:17 (UTC+04:00)

Head of Ukraine-Azerbaijan parliamentary friendship group at Ukraine`s Rada Maxim Kuryachi has condemned the presidential election conducted by the puppet regime in Azerbaijan`s Nagorno-Karabakh district, which is under Armenian occupation.

The fabricated presidential election held in the Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia is another provocation and nothing but a demonstrative violation of all norms of international law, he said in a statement.

The aggressor is trying to legitimize its crime with the help of fake democratic procedures and make the international community accept the fact of the establishment of a puppet regime. The history knows a lot of such examples and all of them have one common future.

The Ukrainians consider this comedy around the fake presidential election as a continuation of the aggression and another provocation against the Republic of Azerbaijan, Kuryachi added.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 July 2017 15:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The Czech Republic considers it important to hold direct negotiations between the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Prague considers any military solution to the conflict unacceptable, Czech Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vitezslav Pivonka told Trend on July 20.

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. Today, 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 regions.

Currently, the OSCE Minsk Group is working to find a peaceful solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. While the Group acts as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, it failed to make any move to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process so far.

The Czech Republic, holding the same position as the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, supports a peaceful solution that will be based on a compromise reached by both conflicting sides and that will conform to the principles of international law, said Pivonka.

The ambassador also added that the Czech Republic supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has many times stated it is ready to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia by peaceful means and through direct, substantive negotiations. However, Armenia is not interested in putting an end to the conflict. The country aims to preserve the inadmissible status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh for as long as possible.

Therefore, Armenian officials, to be exact, the president and foreign minister do their utmost to postpone the talks with Azerbaijan. Two conflicting sides seldom meet at the negotiations table although the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the co-chairing countries personally often propose to organize meetings between the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides.

Armenia is to blame for stalling the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the international community must put pressure to the country in order to make it to come to substantive negotiations with Azerbaijan.

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

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21 July 2017 13:57 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

UN support for substantive negotiations on the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is highly appreciated, Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at his meeting with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca.

The minister told Jenca about the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and the ensuing occupation of Azerbaijani lands, APA reports.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims against the country. Since a war in the early 1990s, the Armenian armed forces 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.

Mammadyarov noted the role of the specialized UN agencies, in particular of the High Commissioner for Refugees, in preventing the humanitarian disaster that Azerbaijan faced due to the conflict, as well as solving the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons.

Today, all Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons wait for the final resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They are still unable to return to their homes in the occupied regions of Azerbaijan due to the Armenian aggression. Meanwhile, Armenia continues to ignore the implementation of four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions. Thus, the aggressor country plays for time in order to preserve the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.

During the meeting, Mammadyarov also informed Jenca about the negotiation process on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said that the Armenian armed forces should be fully and unconditionally withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, which form the basis of the conflict resolution.

Azerbaijan has long ago stated it is ready to settle the conflict through direct negotiations with Armenia through mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. However, the Armenian side is constantly trying to make up reasons to avoid substantive talks with Azerbaijan. Thus, the longstanding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict approaches its third decade of existence.

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

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21 July 2017 11:54 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has met with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan to attend the International Conference on Question of Jerusalem held jointly by the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Yenca expressed his gratitude to the government of Azerbaijan for hosting the conference and noted that the meetings and discussions held at the conference were productive, Azertac reported.

Minister Mammadyarov pointed out the importance of promoting multicultural values on the international arena to prevent and resolve conflicts in the contemporary world, focusing on the traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism in Azerbaijan.

Speaking about Armenias aggression and occupation against Azerbaijan, Mammadyarov underlined that the UNs support to the substantive negotiations to resolve the conflict is highly appreciated. He also highlighted the role of the United Nations` specialized agencies, particularly the High Commissioner for Refugees in preventing the humanitarian disaster that Azerbaijan has faced as a result of the conflict, and addressing the social problems of refugees and internally displaced persons.

Minister Mammadyarov talked about the current status of negotiation process on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said the Armenian troops must fully and unconditionally withdraw from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, which constitute the basis of the conflict.

The minister reminded that a meeting on the theme "Strengthening the partnership synergy between the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation" was for the first time organized at the UN Security Council at the initiative of Azerbaijan.

They also exchanged views on Azerbaijan-UN partnership, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

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21 July 2017 11:59 (UTC+04:00)

A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on July 21.



The new edition includes articles about FMs assemble in Baku for important discussions, Prospects for Silk Road development in focus, Lankaran, the paradise on Earth, Snakes in full force in high temperatures etc.



AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).



The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.
21 July 2017 17:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Bulgaria and Azerbaijan will intensify their joint cooperation in the field of energy. This has been agreed by the Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Murat Heydarov - Executive Director of SOCAR Balkans, daughter company of the Azerbaijani State Oil Company SOCAR.

In the presence of Petkova and the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria Nargiz Gurbanova, Bulgartransgaz EAD and SOCAR signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 21.

The main purpose of the document is to explore opportunities and capabilities for additional gas supply routes to Bulgaria and through Bulgaria to other countries in South-Eastern Europe. SOCAR is ready to examine the technical and commercial capacity of the existing transmission system, operated by Bulgartransgaz EAD, including its future extensions, such as by building the gas hub Balkan, for the transit of additional volumes of gas by the Southern Gas Corridor through the territory of Bulgaria to other European markets. The additional quantities which do not include existing agreed volumes to be delivered to Bulgaria as per the contract between SOCAR and Bulgargaz EAD as of September 2013 may be allocated in the future subject to implementation of new upstream projects.

"Main priority in the energy sector for the present Bulgarian Government is to ensure energy security, as well as diversification of supply sources and routes for natural gas. For its implementation we rely to a great extent on our cooperation with Azerbaijan," Petkova underlined to Heydarov. The realization of the concept of the Bulgarian Government to build gas hub Balkan will provide the possibility to have real functioning market of natural gas in South-Eastern Europe, she also added. According to her, the Bulgarian gas infrastructure is developing at an excellent level and could ensure access of Azerbaijani gas to third countries.

SOCAR representative, Heydarov indicated a strategic nature of bilateral energy cooperation between Azerbaijani and Bulgaria. "Bulgaria is one of the key participants in the Southern gas Corridor and a reliable partner in the realization of alternative gas deliveries to Europe from the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan and potentially from the other fields as well as from the other producing countries," emphasized Heydarov.

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

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21 July 2017 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) project, a natural gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Europe, turned Turkey and Azerbaijan into the largest energy players in the region, according to Hakan Arydemir, Associate Professor of the International Relations Department of the Turkish University Dumlupnar.

The implementation of this project, aiming to bring natural gas produced from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz-2 gas field through Georgia primarily to Turkey, but also on to Europe, will ensure the energy security of Europe, he said.

Despite the fact that the volume of Azerbaijani gas is not sufficient for the full provision of Europe with natural gas, there is no doubt that it [Europe] is in great need of Azerbaijani gas. The demand has especially increased after the gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Arydemir said.

The expert believes that TANAP is important for Turkey both in a political and economic point of view.

"TANAP will contribute to the development of the regions of Turkey," said Arydemir.

Previously, the president of the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev said that the construction of TANAP was completed by 77.3 percent.

"The first batch of natural gas via TANAP will be delivered to Turkey in the first half of 2018," Abdullayev said.

TANAP construction continues at an accelerated pace and the first batch of natural gas will be delivered via TANAP to Turkey in the first half of 2018.

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.

The project will be a central part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will connect the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP).

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

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21 July 2017 17:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Four companies have signed a Memorandum on Understanding with the contractor for the Greece-Bulgarian Interconnector pipeline project.

DESFA, Bulgartransgaz, Transgaz and FGSZ and the ICGB AD consortium inked an MoU on the Vertical Gas Corridor Project.

DESFA reported that the full activation of the Vertical Gas Corridor will give the entire region an opportunity to significantly benefit from diversified natural gas import that Greece has and which will soon be further increased, via an upgrade of the LNG Terminal in Revythousa and the Caspian Sea gas that will be transported by the TAP pipeline which is under construction.

President and CEO of DESFA Nikas Sotirios noted that this document serves the energy strategy of Greece and one of DESFA's most important goals - to activate the Vertical Gas Corridor that will allow gas to be transported from Greece to Ukraine and back, which will help turn Greece into a regional gas Hub.

IGB, which is the key part of the Vertical Gas Corridor, is a gas pipeline that will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, extracted from the Shah Deniz-2 gas condensate field. IGB will be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), through which gas from Shah Deniz will be supplied to European markets.

The interconnector with the length of 180 kilometers will have an initial capacity of 3 billion cubic meters of gas.

Four countries Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Greece agreed on the construction of a gas interconnection grid.

The European Union will allocate some 560 million to finance 50 percent of the overhaul cost. The gas pipeline is planned to be built by 2019.

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21 July 2017 12:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Kuwait ordered the Iranian ambassador on Thursday to leave the country within 48 days, Reuters reported citing Iran's ISNA news agency.

"Under the pressure of Saudi interventionist policies, and the baseless accusation of Iranian interference ... Kuwait has announced that ... Alireza Enayati, the Iranian ambassador to Kuwait, must leave within 48 days," ISNA reported, in an escalating row following a court case which implicated "Iranian parties" in a spy cell.

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21 July 2017 12:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkeys efforts regarding the Qatar crisis resolution may become a diplomatic breakthrough for the country, Naciye Selin Senocak, chair holder at UNESCO Cultural Diplomacy Governance and Education, director of Diplomatic and Strategic Studies Center, told Trend.

The upcoming visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait to resolve the crisis will return Turkey its former image of a mediator in the region, according to her.

The expert said that Turkey is a force that can ensure stability in the region.

The problem of the Muslim world is that it is not able to protect its interests.

She believes that after the Arab Spring, the role of Turkey in the region has strengthened significantly.

But Ankara's position on the developments in Egypt led to the fact that the West started their propaganda to discredit Turkey, she said.

Naciye Selin Senocak noted that Turkey should completely abandon the policy of "zero problems with neighbors" which is, in fact, a utopia.

It was earlier reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on July 23-24.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE announced about breaking their diplomatic relations with Qatar June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

Later, the authorities of Libya, Yemen, as well as the Maldives and Mauritius also announced about severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

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21 July 2017 18:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

The Persian Gulf crisis became a hot topic for discussion during the meeting of Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held on July 20.

Currently, Foreign Minister of Qatar is in Beijing on a working visit.

"Qatar is ready to begin constructive negotiations with all parties on the basis of respect for sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of the country and in accordance with international law in order to establish mutual trust and thoroughly approach the resolution of existing differences," Al Thani said.

He also approved China's objective position on the current crisis, noting that Doha is ready to continue maintaining regular contacts and coordination with Beijing.

Following the meeting, Wang called on Doha and the four Arab countries blockading Qatar to resolve their differences through talks within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to Chinese state media.

"All sides should continue restraint and conduct face-to-face talks as soon as possible, so as to avoid escalation of the situation, send out a positive signal in addressing the crisis through political and diplomatic means, and reassure the role of the GCC," he said.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain in June cut off diplomatic relations, severed air, land and sea links with Qatar, accusing the latter of supporting terrorism, and ordered Qatari citizens to leave their countries within two weeks.

In early July, the Arab states sent a list of demand and required Doha to cut diplomatic relations with Iran, close the Turkish military base, eliminate Al-Jazeera TV channel, extradite all persons wanted in four countries on charges of terrorism and pay compensation. Doha refused to fulfill these requirements calling the list unrealistic and not actionable.

On July 19, Saudi-led block reduced the list of requirements for Qatar and urged Doha to commit to six common 'principles' on combating "extremism" and "terrorism", and to negotiate a plan with specific measures to implement them without a specific time-frame.

These principles include commitment to combat extremism and terrorism in all their forms and to prevent their financing, suspending all acts of provocation and speeches inciting hatred or violence, full compliance with the Riyadh Agreement of 2013, adherence to all the outcomes of the Arab Islamic American Summit held in May 2017, and refraining from interference in the internal affairs of states.

Currently, Kuwait acts as the main mediator in the crisis.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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21 July 2017 18:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

An international transport and logistics forum which discussed the issues of increasing the cargo turnover of seaports, a single tariff for the Caspian transit corridor and mutually beneficial cooperation, was held in Aktau on July 20.

In addition, the investment attractiveness of the Mangistau region was demonstrated, Kazinform reported.

Being part of Nurly Jol' program announced by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the development of a new Eurasian logistics infrastructure is one of Kazakhstan's top priorities.

The Mangistau region plays an important role in this chain. With the implementation of logistics projects planned in Mangistau, the capacity of the Kazakhstan logistics node in the Caspian Sea by the end of 2018 will exceed 25 million tons.

Akim of Mangistau region Eraly Tugzhanov while delivering a speech at the meeting said that this region is the only one which is situated on the shore of the Caspian Sea and plays a key role in the program of the revival of the Great Silk Road.

All conditions for further active cooperation with the Caspian countries are being created in Mangistau," he said.

The second phase of construction of the Kuryk port - the automobile crossing has already been launched. The project will create competitive environment in the development of road transport along alternative routes.

A modern dry cargo and ferry fleet is being actively formed to develop multimodal logistics chains. By 2020, the fleet will be brought to 20 ships, Tugzhanov added.

A tripartite memorandum was signed between the akimat of Mangistau region, A + A Group of Companies and EnerMech. A bilateral memorandum between the ports of Aktau and Anaklia was also signed in the course of the forum.

Memorandums have been signed with a view of mutually advantageous cooperation in attracting investments in the fields of power, transport and logistics.

The forum was attended by the heads of state bodies, local oil companies, as well as the ports representatives of countries which actively develop the field of maritime logistics including Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, China, Georgia, America, Britain and Italy.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, September 22, 2022 USDL-22-1893 Technical information: (202) 691-6199 ncsinfo@bls.gov www.bls.gov/ebs Media contact: (202) 691-5902 pressoffice@bls.gov EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES  MARCH 2022 Life insurance was available to 57 percent of private industry workers in March 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Among occupational groups, access to life insurance plans ranged from 27 percent of workers in service occupations to 79 percent in management, professional, and related occupations. (See table 5.) Forty-three percent of private industry workers had access to short-term disability insurance. These benefits were available to 34 percent of workers in the South census region and 67 percent of workers in the Northeast census region. Thirty-five percent of private industry workers had access to long-term disability insurance. Among industry groups, access to long-term disability insurance ranged from 4 percent of workers in the leisure and hospitality industry to 71 percent of workers in the information industry. Among state and local government employees, 83 percent of workers had access to life insurance, 27 percent had access to short-term disability insurance and 39 percent had access to long-term disability insurance. Wellness programs were available to 43 percent of private workers. At establishments with 500 or more employees, employee assistance programs were available to 84 percent of workers. Access to childcare ranged from 5 percent for establishments that employ less than 50 workers to 28 percent for establishments that employ 500 or more workers. Access to nonproduction bonuses was available to 37 percent of state and local government workers and ranged from 15 percent of workers in the Mountain division to 61 percent in the New England division. Four percent of private workers had access to student loan repayment benefits. Workers in the highest 10 percent wage category had an access rate of 9 percent and workers in the lowest 10 percent had an access rate of 1 percent. Seven percent of civilian workers in management, professional, and related occupations had access to student loan repayment benefits. Civilian workers * Access to healthcare benefits was available to 74 percent of workers, and 57 percent of workers participated in the benefit, resulting in a take-up rate of 78 percent. * End-of-year bonuses were available to 11 percent of workers. Among establishments with less than 100 workers, 14 percent had access to end-of-year bonuses and 7 percent of workers in establishments with 100 or more workers had access. * Employee assistance programs were available to 72 percent of workers in the educational services industry and 63 percent of workers in the health care and social assistance industry. Private industry workers * Access to medical care was available to 70 percent of workers. Among goods-producing industries, medical care was available to 75 percent of workers in the construction sector and 90 percent of workers in the manufacturing sector. * Access to flexible work schedules was available to 16 percent of nonunion workers and 4 percent of union workers. * Access to wellness programs was available to 68 percent of workers in the highest 10 percent wage category and 18 percent of workers in the lowest 10 percent wage category. State and local government workers * Among census divisions, long-term disability was available to 15 percent of workers in the West South Central division and 63 percent of workers in the East North Central division. * Access to medical care benefits was available to 89 percent of workers. Ninety-nine percent of full-time workers had access and 24 percent of part-time workers had access. * Employee contributions for short-term disability were required for 12 percent of workers, including 19 percent of workers in service occupations and 7 percent of workers in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.
Donald Trump Jr. visited with a Russian attorney and others to just maybe get some dirt on Hillary Clinton during the campaign season, and thats treason, its said. Its collusion. Its the final curtain for his daddy.

Nope, none of the above, but listen: It was powerfully bad judgment. He was meeting with people who wish us drastic ill and seldom do favors for nothing. Although he got no dirt and saw through the pretense, he could have put his father in future blackmail dilemmas if he had.

We dont want Russians messing with our elections, theres more than a whiff of patriotic diminishment when you connive with them and the political naivete is writ large. For all that, it wasnt legal collusion and certainly not treason.

Legal collusion requires that you get something of monetary value from a foreign power helping you politically, as any common-sense reading of the law will inform you. And forget the lawyers who would confuse you with legalistic blather.

For instance, some have said information has monetary value, too, because it took resources to come up with. Not only is this contrary to free speech protections, as has been pointed out, but it makes you fear for our system because its a way of redefining a law to mean anything that benefits your cause of the moment.

I might add that if the Russians had actually had the goods on Clinton, it would have been conceivable they picked it up just hanging around a bar one night. I once knew a political reporter who came up with incredible stories that way.

As for treason, the definition is the high crime of assassination, a coup or taking up arms with an enemy in order to betray what resides from sea to shining sea. This wasnt close, and you wonder if the people bringing it up would call it murder if they saw someone punched in the nose. Whats more, please explain to me how much worse the Trump Jr. episode was than news outlets blasting WikiLeaks stories all over the country and playing happy games with U.S. officials feloniously releasing classified information that just could threaten national security.

From early on, the WikiLeaks stories were said to come from Russia and, if one was juicy enough, even news outlets with liberal biases would give it the kind of exposure without which it would have meant nothing. I am not against this as long as the information had been verified because the public can thus be served. I am a lot more hesitant on classified information because, even though it may have been classified for political reasons, it may also have been classified to save lives and avoid disruption of legitimate national goals.

The thunderstorm of governmental leaks about Trump points to something dramatically amiss. We do not want our own government doing its illegal best to oust a president anymore than we want Russians hacking computers.

There have, of course, been all kinds of Democratic scandals worse than this one, such as the Clintons making lots of dough helping the Russians become the worlds foremost uranium power. Or Bill Clinton having a secret meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch while his wife was being investigated. Or Hillary Clintons team destroying subpoenaed emails.

Its still the case that two wrongs dont make a right and that Trump Jr. initially misled the public about what went on with the Russians. As a Wall Street Journal editorial wisely says, President Donald Trump and friends would be better off being wide open about everything than letting others disclose the facts for them. In that direction lies disaster in which the left takes troubling power even if the Trump Jr. incident by itself should produce no such outcome.
It was announced today that Independent News & Media (INM) and the Trustees of two of INMs Defined Benefit pension schemes, Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Limited Contributory Pension Plan and Independent Newspapers Management Services, have reached an agreement to commence wind-up of the schemes, following proposals put by the company to the Trustees.



INM will make phased contributions amounting to over 50m, between now and 2023, into Defined Contribution pension schemes for members of the two Defined Benefit pension schemes upon wind-up. The agreement will ensure that all of the deficit repair contributions contained in the 2013 Funding Proposal are guaranteed to be paid.

In addition the company has agreed to make further supplementary payments to ensure pension pots (Transfer Values and deficit repair) are no lower than as at 2013 and to make a special provision for those closer to retirement over the age of 62.



In total, INM has committed to pay over 70m in respect of members of these DB schemes in the period, 2013 to 2023. This is in addition to the 5% of issued share capital transferred to compensate members whose pension entitlements had been reduced as a result of the 2013 restructure.

Under the new agreement, each member will have their own ring-fenced Retirement Account within the Defined Contribution pension scheme. Details of each members pension pot and entitlements under the new agreement will be communicated to them in a letter issued over the next couple of days.



INM will continue to make substantial pension payments to its remaining schemes and is projected to invest c115m in all schemes between 2013 and 2023.



In a joint statement today, it was noted, "These pension changes are not unique to INM. Many companies, including other media organisations providing Defined Benefit pension schemes, have changed from a Defined Benefit to a Defined Contribution model. Over the last ten years the number of Defined Benefit schemes in Ireland has reduced from circa 1300 to circa 600."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
WASHINGTON (TNS)  President Donald Trumps well-known press secretary, Sean Spicer, resigned Friday, as the beleaguered president shuffled his legal and communications team amid mounting investigations and legislative troubles.

The decision came after Trump hired Anthony Scaramucci, a New York financier, as communications director. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will take over as press secretary.

Spicer will leave the White House in August, he wrote on Twitter.

For months, Spicers daily news briefings were must-see television, although he took on a more behind-the-scenes role in recent weeks. Sanders had largely taken over the briefings, with most of them taking place off-camera.

Spicer hasnt given a press briefing since June 23.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Scaramucci said Spicers departure is obviously a difficult situation.

I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money, Scaramucci said, taking questions from reporters. When asked what he would do to right the ship at the White House, Scaramucci said the administration is going in the right direction, and he will be focused on improving the communications strategy.

The ship is going in the right direction. Weve got to radio signal the direction very, very clearly, he said.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with his administrations agenda being overshadowed by the FBIs investigation into Russian meddling in the election and what he sees as the inability of the White House communications team to counter the steady drip of damaging headlines linking his campaign to the Russian government.

In recent weeks, Spicer has borne the brunt of the presidents ire. Trump has told close advisers that Spicer had been beaten into submission by the press, according to a person close to Trump, and no longer was able to punch back forcefully enough.

Those concerns came to a head this week, as Spicer continued to be absent from the podium and Scaramuccis name was floated as someone who could jab and parry more effectively with the media.

Spicer was an ally of White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, having worked for Priebus when he headed the Republican National Committee.

Trump has admired Scaramuccis defense of him on television. But Priebus and White House strategist Steve Bannon were both reported to have opposed Scaramuccis appointment.

To explain the tension with Priebus over his appointment, Scaramucci said he and Priebus are like brothers and sometimes rough each other up.

Like other Trump advisers, including Kellyanne Conway, Trump wasnt the first candidate Scaramucci backed in the 2016 election. He served as national finance chairman for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and supported Jeb Bush after Walker withdrew from the race.

Scaramucci called Trump another hack politician during a 2015 Fox Business appearance. On Friday, he apologized for that statement, saying that Trump had continued to remind him about it.

Once he came around to supporting Trump, Scaramucci became a full-throated advocate for Trumps policies in television news shows.

But his views havent always been in lockstep with the president.

In March 2016, Scaramucci wrote on Twitter in favor of policies to combat climate change that dont hurt the economy, calling it disheartening that some people still believe climate change is a hoax.

You can take steps to combat climate change without crippling the economy. The fact many people still believe CC is a hoax is disheartening, Scaramucci wrote at the time. Trump has repeatedly called climate change a hoax.

Years earlier, in 2012, Scaramucci wrote on Twitter in favor of gun control.

We (the USA) has 5 percent of the worlds population but 50 percent of the worlds guns. Enough is enough. It is just common sense it apply more controls, Scaramucci wrote.

Trump also shuffled his legal team in the past week, hiring Washington attorneys John Dowd and Ty Cobb to join White House lawyers.

Trumps longtime attorney Marc Kasowitz will have a reduced role on Trumps legal team. He publicly defended Trumps firing of FBI director James Comey in early June, but reportedly he is not eligible for security clearance.
Modified On Aug 31, 2017 07:17 PM By Raunak for Hyundai Verna 2017-2020

This is your one stop destination for all your 2017 Hyundai Verna related questions!

Major Update: 2017 Hyundai Verna Launched At Rs 7.99 Lakh (article updated post its launch)

The 2017 Hyundai Verna is all set to go up against its age old arch rival, the Honda City, in an all-new avatar. Heres what we know about the fifth-gen Hyundai Verna.

A Quick Recap Of The New Verna

The 2017 Verna made its debut at the 2016 Chengdu Motor Show in September in China. As far as India is concerned, it is the third-gen model, but technically, its the fifth-gen of the Accent nameplate. The third-gen Accent was renamed as the Verna, making it the first-gen model for the Indian market.

The one that well be getting was revealed in Canada (known as Accent there) and Russia (known as Solaris there) earlier this year. When compared to the Chinese version (check out the picture above), this sedan features subtle differences on the front and the rear profile. Overall, they all are more or less similar! It is based on an all-new K2 platform (shared with the Hyundai Elantra) which features around 50% of Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS).

Prices (Ex-Showroom, New Delhi)

Introductory prices valid for the first 20,000 customers only

Petrol

Verna E (Manual): Rs 7.99 lakh

Verna EX (Manual): Rs 9.06 lakh

Verna EX (Automatic): Rs 10.22 lakh

Verna SX (Manual): Rs 9.49 lakh

Verna SX (O) (Manual): Rs 11.08 lakh

Verna SX(O) (Automatic): 12.23 lakh

Diesel

Verna E (Manual): Rs 9.19 lakh

Verna EX (Manual): Rs 9.99 lakh

Verna EX (Automatic): Rs 11.39 lakh

Verna SX (Manual): Rs 11.11 lakh

Verna SX+ (Automatic): Rs 12.61 lakh

Verna SX(O) (Manual): Rs 12.39 lakh

Rivals

As mentioned above, the Honda City remains its prime adversary in the mid-size sedan segment. The new Verna will also have to go head-to-head against the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Sedans from Volkswagen Group, the VW Vento and the Skoda Rapid, got major updates recently. The Skoda received a significant facelift, while the Volkswagen gained a new feature-loaded range-topping trim. This, combined with their class-leading dual-clutch automatic drivetrains, has helped the company attract a lot of customers in the segment. The Verna has to look out for them as well.

Dimensions

Check out: Hyundai Verna: Old Vs New

Engine And Transmission

The 2017 Hyundai Verna carries forward the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines from the previous model, while it no longer offers the 1.4-litre ones.

Petrol

1.6L Dual VTVT: 123PS/155Nm (6-speed MT/ 6-speed AT)

Diesel

1.6L: 128PS/260Nm (6-speed MT/ 6-speed AT)

While a 6-speed manual is now standard (earlier the 1.6-litre petrol was mated to a 5-speed manual), the 2017 Verna has borrowed the 6-speed automatic from the Creta for both of its 1.6-litre petrol and diesel motors. The new 6AT has replaced the previous and ancient 4-speed auto.

Variants And Features

It is available in six variants each for its diesel and petrol engines.

Petrol

Verna E (Base trim)

Verna EX

Verna Auto EX (Base petrol automatic trim)

Verna SX

Verna SX (O) (Range-topping manual trim)

Verna Auto SX (O) (Range-topping automatic trim)

Diesel

Verna E (Base diesel trim)

Verna EX

Verna Auto EX (Base diesel automatic trim)

Verna SX

Verna Auto SX+ (Top-spec diesel automatic)

Verna SX (O) (Range-topping diesel trim: manual only)

Unlike before, theres no full-spec diesel automatic trim, the Auto SX+ will offer more goodies than the SX trim, but surely not as much as the SX(O). The petrol, on the other hand, is now available in the range-topping SX(O) trim, which was not the case with the previous model.

Don't Miss: 2017 Hyundai Verna: Variants Explained (with features)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 21, 2017

Contact: Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org +1-404-420-5129

ATLANTA  The Carter Center announced today eight U.S. recipients of the 2017-2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. Selected from a pool of highly competitive applicants, the 21st annual class brings the total to 189 journalists who have been awarded the fellowships to date. (See below for a list of journalist names and project topics.) An announcement of the 2017-2018 fellowships to journalists from Colombia, Qatar, and The United Arab Emirates will be made in August 2017.

"The Carter Center has worked for more than two decades to develop a cadre of journalists who can have a significant impact on the public's understanding of mental illnesses," said former First Lady and Carter Center Co-Founder Rosalynn Carter. These journalists are making important contributions to lifting some of the stigma associated with mental health issues."

Mental illness and substance use conditions are among the most common health conditions in the world, yet sensationalized news coverage or underreporting of these issues can perpetuate myths and misconceptions and discourage people from seeking effective treatment.

Carter Center fellows receive intensive training from leading mental health and journalism experts and a $10,000 stipend (or a comparable amount for international fellows) to report on a mental health topic of their choice. The fellowship program challenges recipients to delve deeper into learning about a mental health issue of interest to ensure the general public is provided with reliable information about mental illnesses.

Over the history of the program, Rosalynn Carter fellows have produced more than 1,500 mental health-related stories: eight books in conjunction with the fellowship; five documentary films; hundreds of newspaper, magazine, and online pieces; multiple hours of radio and television airtime; and innovative uses of multi-media. Former fellows have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won Emmy and Peabody Awards for their fellowship projects.

The fellowship program is part of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program, which works around the world to improve access to mental health care and reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses.

The 2017-2018 recipients of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism are:

United States

Peter C. Baker

Freelancer, Contributing Editor at Pacific Standard Magazine

Illinois

Topic: Illuminate the mental health costs of the ongoing Illinois budget stalemate and the difficult work of Illinoisans who have tried to stanch the damage.

Allyn Gaestel

Freelance

California

Topic: Explore the issues of trauma and mental health intertwined with the potential for peacebuilding in the aftermath of Boko Haram.

Courtenay Harris Bond

Freelance Journalist

Pennsylvania

Topic: Explore whether a mental health model of using medication-assisted treatment and counseling can help save the drug-ravaged Badlands of Philadelphia.

Anne Hillman

Urban Affairs Reporter - Alaska Public Media

Alaska

Topic: A radio project examining Alaska-specific solutions for preventing and treating mental illnesses.

Jacki Lyden

Author, Lecturer, Journalist

Maryland

Topic: Write her second memoir, Sheba, Dark and Lovely, which looks at a parent's chronic mental illness and aging.

Audrey Quinn

WNYC Radio Health Reporter

New York

Topic: Investigate the changing landscape of autism awareness, as led by adults on the spectrum

Holly Ramer

The Associated Press/Reporter

New Hampshire

Topic: Examine the needs of children struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders, as well as the potential solutions.

Lauren M. Whaley

Multimedia Journalist, Independent

California

Topic: Tell the stories - in their own words - of how low-income women access care for perinatal mood disorders; examine policies related to depression screening for pregnant people and evaluate programmatic solutions.

Editor's Note:

Learn more about the Carter Center's Mental Health Program >

Learn more about Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism >

###

"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Dangote Cement's pan-African expansion boosts financial strength

21 July 2017

Dangote Cement's strategy of rapid capacity build across Africa with prudent financial management has led the company to recently be recognised for its financial strength. The next wave of development sees Dangote almost doubling capacity, further consolidating its position as sub-Saharan Africa's leading cement supplier.



Earlier this month two global rating agencies, Moody's Investors Service and Global Credit Ratings (GCR), rated Dangote Cement positively for its financial strength and corporate outlook. Both agencies described the outlook of the Africas largest cement producer as stable.



Moody's assigned three respective high ratings to the cement company, including a first time Ba3 Local Currency Corporate Family Rating (CFR), Ba3-PD Probability of Default Rating and Aaa.ng National Scale Rating (NSR). Assistant vice president and lead analyst for Dangote Cement at Moody's, Douglas Rowlings, said the ratings reflect Dangote Cements strong stand-alone credit profile and track record of demonstrated financial support from a larger and more diversified parent Dangote Industries Ltd. The ratings factor in the diversification of the company's revenue streams as Dangote Cement's new cement production plants are commissioned in Africa with pan-African volumes expected to reach 40 per cent of total sales volumes by 2020. The stable ratings outlook in part reflects Moody's expectation that Dangote Cement will continue to maximise output from existing plants outside Nigeria, while continuing to observe conservative financial policies.



Global Credit Ratings assigned long-term and short-term national scale issuer ratings of AA+ (NG) and A1+ (NG) respectively to Dangote Cement. The ratings recognise the evolution of Dangote Cement into one of the worlds top 20 cement companies by installed capacity, and its position as the largest corporate on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.



Dangote Cement's CEO, Onne van der Weijde, noted that "the publication of these credit ratings highlights the financial strength we have achieved through our unwavering focus on the profitable expansion of the business, underpinned by our belief that we must remain prudent in our financial management."

In recent years the company has swiftly but surely built up a sizeable presence across sub-Saharan Africa to become the continent's leading cement producer with nearly 46Mta of capacity. In its home market of Nigeria, Dangote has a production capacity of 29.25Mta and almost single-handedly turned the country from a net importer to a net exporter. In addition, the company has invested almost US$3bn to build manufacturing plants and import/grinding terminals. It has operations in Cameroon (1.5Mta clinker grinding), Congo (1.5Mta), Ghana (1.5Mta import), Ethiopia (2.5Mta), Senegal (1.5Mta), Sierra Leone (0.7Mta import), South Africa (2.7Mta), Tanzania (3Mta), Zambia (1.5Mta).

Despite its domestic market falling into recession in 2016, the group increased its total cement sales volume by 25 per cent that year to nearly 23.6Mt, compared to 18.9Mt in the previous year. In 1Q17 Nigerian operations total sales volumes went down from 4.5Mt to 3.8Mt while pan-African volumes rose by 21 per cent to 2.3Mt, with a 23,000t maiden contribution from Sierra Leone, over 0.5Mt of cement sold in Ethiopia, almost 0.4Mt sold in Senegal, 0.3Mt sold in Cameroon, 0.3Mt in Ghana, 0.2Mt in Tanzania and 0.15Mt in Zambia. As at the end of 1Q17, pan-African operations accounted for 38 per cent of group volumes and provided nearly 28 per cent of group revenue.

The next wave of expansion

Going forward, a senior company executive has said Dangote Cement aims to almost double the size of its Africa plants in three years. Devakumar Edwin told Reuters last week that the company was seeking to expand across the continent, stating: "Our focus in the next three years is that we should be going toward 80Mta of cement production," he said, adding that the expansion would be funded through loans from Chinese and Indian banks and cash flows.

By 2023 the company plans to expand its existing operations in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal and Zambia, as well as establishing new facilities in Kenya (3Mta), Liberia (0.5Mta), Mali (1.5Mta), Niger (1.5Mta) and Zimbabwe (1.5Mta). Commenting on future growth plans, Global Credit Ratings said: "Dangote Cement's aspirational medium-term target of over 75Mta of installed capacity will substantially increase free cash flow as plants across several territories are completed and bedded down. While this represents material investment risk, comfort is taken from managements proven execution with respect to identifying new markets and the timely completion of large capex projects. Dangote Cement will pace the rest of its capex, depending on foreign currency availability."

Published under
Vietnam government urged to reduce export duty

ICR Newsroom By 21 July 2017

Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the government to reduce export duty on cement to help domestic cement producers to promote exports.



According to the governments Decree No 100/2016/ND-CP, exported cement products are not eligible to enjoy input value-added tax (VAT).

Furthermore, the product is subject to a five per cent export tax, which has lifted export costs to US$4.50/t clinker and US$7.50/t of cement (based on average FOB prices of US$30 and US$50, respectively. This puts Vietnamese cement producers at a competitive disadvantage with rivals from China, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan, said the ministry.





Published under
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.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.

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Church of England criticised over its response to clergy abuse claims

The Church of England has been criticised for the way it responded to clergy abuse survivors.

Several abuse survivors have claimed contact with victims was cut by the Church on the advice of its insurer, Ecclesiastical. The insurance group have denied the allegation.

One independent reviewer said that for one victim, 'financial interests were allowed to impact practice', according to BBC News. The Church of England has said it was taking on board the criticisms, and endeavoured to separate its pastoral care from insurance matters.

One survivor, a middle-aged man named Gilo, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme that he had been raped by London clergyman the Rev Garth Moore in the 1970s. After several unsuccessful attempts made several attempts to contact the Church, they eventually examined his claim, and on the advice of Ecclesiastical reached a compensation settlement of 35,000.

However, Gilo claimed that after this was agreed, the Church cut all pastoral contact with him  he said this was on the advice of Ecclesiastical.

'I think because of the relationship that the Church has with the insurers, the pastoral response is so fused with the legal response it's really effectively led by the insurers,' Gilo said.

'When that insurer has got such significant presence of senior clerics on its board across the years, then you're into an area of moral responsibility.'

Ecclesiastical denied that contact was cut based on its counsel.

An independent review was undertaken by Ian Elliott, a child safeguarding specialist, who made similar criticism of the Church's relationship with its insurer. He said Ecclesiastical's advice had 'directly conflicted' with the Church's pastoral obligations.

'That's not the direction or advice that is compliant with a compassionate pastoral response which is the stated policy of the Church,' Elliott said.

Ecclesiastical's compliance director John Titchener protested that Elliot's report was based on 'factual inaccuracies', and said he had not been consulted in the investigation.

The Church of England however has accepted the criticism of the investigation, with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby agreeing to take on its recommendations.

A Church of England spokeswoman said: 'The Church of England is absolutely committed to its pastoral response to alleged victims and survivors and published new guidance in 2015 emphasising that this needs to be separated as far as possible from the management processes for the situation, and from legal and insurance responses.

'That superseded all previous advice and ensures that the pastoral needs of survivors must never be neglected and pastoral contact can continue whatever legal issues exist.'

Ecclesiastical gave the following statement to Christian Today following the BBC broadcast.

'We have great sympathy for the survivors who have suffered such awful abuse and it is hugely disappointing that their view of us has been damaged by factual inaccuracies relating to our company in the Elliott Report,' the statement said.

'The assertions in the Report misrepresent the facts and we have the documentary evidence to prove it. We were not asked to participate in this review and were not given the opportunity to set the record straight. Contrary to what the Elliott Report claims, we did not advise the Church of England to withdraw pastoral care from the survivor. We have always been clear that pastoral care and counselling can and should continue in parallel with an insurance claim.

'We are an independent insurer that is authorised and rigorously regulated in the same way as any other insurer. We are entirely independent of the Church of England. Like other companies, we have representatives of our customer groups on our Board, from heritage, charity and the arts, as well as one cleric. As a non-executive director, she has no operational involvement in the day to day running of the company.

It added: 'We are renowned for the care and empathy we demonstrate in handling and investigating claims, and this approach is embodied in our own Guiding Principles for the handling of PSA claims, which have been praised by survivors' lawyers.'
Dunkirk review: a magnificent light in our darkest hour

The evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk is part of a period in World War Two history that Winston Churchill called 'the darkest hour'. France had fallen, the US army were still far away, and the British Empire stood alone and in retreat against the rising forces of Nazi Germany and its allies. It's hard to imagine a more bleak or desperate prospect than an army of 400,000 men trapped on a beach, as brutal enemies closed in. And thanks to Christopher Nolan, we no longer need to imagine.

Nolan's Dunkirk absolutely translates the oppressive, relentless horror of that 'darkest hour' to the big screen. Plunged into the heart of the action from three overlapping vantage points, we follow the lives of the men who fought, fought for life, and fought for others in the famous evacuation. In three different narratives, and across three different timescales, we follow Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), an army private struggling to get off the beach, Farrier (Tom Hardy), an RAF pilot trying to desperately provide air support to fend off murderous German pilots, and Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance), a civilian sailor who answers the call alongside hundreds of others to come to the army's rescue.

What follows is as brutal as history demands it to be. The Germans, intent on wiping out the whole British army as it retreats, constantly shoot, bomb and torpedo their terrified foes, and as such the tension barely relents for a single moment of the film's 106-minute running time. As escape and rescue attempts flounder one after another, all hope appears to be extinguished. Tommy's efforts are frustrated, Farrier and Dawson's seem all in vain. Despite what we might know as fact, Nolan manages to totally convince us that the darkest hour offers no escape.

And yet, as the history books remind us, hope was not defeated on that French beach. Instead, what's become known as 'the miracle of Dunkirk' took place, as by sheer force of will and collective courage, Britain returned close to 340,000 soldiers home to England  men who would go on to play a part in the eventual reversal of the war. Dunkirk is as true to this part of history as it is to the first half of the story, and Nolan delivers glorious redemption at the hands of ordinary people. But boy, is there a lot of darkness before we get to the light...

It's no overstatement to call Dunkirk a masterpiece. Nolan is a story teller and film-maker of mercurial rarity, and despite making an ambitious story much more complicated by it's triple-layered viewpoint, he manages to produce a war film that is absolutely like no other. It is fantastically immersive; it is masterfully told; it insists that you care about a whole cast of characters, even if you've only met them for a moment. A grand story of nations is told through just a few seemingly insignificant players, and the result is a film which takes hold of your being and forces you to see history afresh.

The cast are uniformly excellent, from the heroic pier-master Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh), who will not leave France until every man is safely off the beach, to Harry Styles as Private Alex, cast when Nolan was allegedly unaware of his pop stardom. Hardy gives his best performance in a mask since The Dark Knight Rises, but the real star is Rylance  astonishingly sympathetic as the humble old mariner who never thinks of his own safety before setting sail for war. Let's hope the Academy members' memories are able to reach back this far come awards season - Rylance absolutely deserves recognition.

If Rylance's character is the heart of the film, it is because the extraordinary redemption story of Dunkirk is all due to humble, ordinary people who decided to play their part. These men  and boys  left behind because they were deemed the wrong age to fight, were absolutely average. All that set them apart was their willingness to see light defeat darkness, even if it meant laying down their own lives. For once, the clearly-resonant Christian themes hardly need pointing out.

Shot deliberately for IMAX screens in 65mm format, Dunkirk looks, sounds and feels like no other movie. If you want to see what a real-life miracle looks like, see it, and on the biggest screen available. Like the light-over-dark triumph that it depicts, Nolan's film truly is extraordinary.

Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
Plea for Katie Hopkins to apologise after she was photographed with former Holocaust denier

The Board of Deputies has called on Katie Hopkins to apologise after she was photographed with a former Holocaust denier.

Hopkins, who recently addressed Church and Media Network Conference, and is a columnist with Mail Online, was pictured in a photo together with Peter Sweden, who has posted a number of contentious tweets in the past, including one stating that 'The claim that 6 million jews were gassed seem highly unprobable. The concentration camps didn't have the facilities for that'. However, Sweden has subsequently changed his mind and no longer holds these views.

It's weird. Why would Katie be afraid to be seen hanging around with little Peter? pic.twitter.com/99mgRlZJXa  Tom (@CcwTom) July 18, 2017

Ms Hopkins tweeted a photo of herself and Sweden but then deleted it, and tweeted another with a different photograph.

Hopkins, who was recently fired by LBC radio in London after she called for a 'final solution' in response to the Manchester terror bombing, has been in Sicily investigating unproven allegations that charities helping migrants and others in danger in the current refugee crisis are actually working with people traffickers.

Marie Van der Zyl, Vice President of the Board of Deputies, told the Jewish Chronicle that it was 'distressing' to see Katie Hopkins posing for a photo with Sweden, as part of her trip to support the 'Defend Europe' campaign.

'This follows Ms Hopkin's previous call for a "final solution". Ms Hopkins should apologise,' she added.

Dr Edie Friedman, executive director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality, also told the JC: 'Freedom of speech is precious. Using this freedom to preach hate and division should be consigned to the dustbin of history.'

Sweden has himself issued a statement stating that he no longer holds his former views on the Holocaust:

I have had opinions in the past that I strongly regret. Please retweet. pic.twitter.com/sf8CBRVQwW  PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) July 19, 2017

This article has been corrected to reflect the fact that Peter Sweden is no longer a Holocaust denier, and that he strongly abhors such views. Sweden has asked Christian Today to point out that these views were from over a year ago and that a year is a long time when a person is only 22 years old.
South Sudan's child refugees in mental health crisis: 150,000 need therapy for post-conflict trauma

More than 150,000 child refugees in northern Uganda require mental health therapy after fleeing intense violence in South Sudan.

Nearly all South Sudanese children arriving at Uganda's Imvepi and Bidi Bidi refugee settlements require 'psychological first aid', the international children's charity World Vision has warned. As many as 60 per cent require specialist therapy to combat the effects of the stress disorders caused by conflict.

'The majority of children arriving at the Imvepi and Bidi Bidi refugee settlements have faced horrendous experiences. Most have witnessed killings and brutal violence. Some saw their parents murdered in front of them,' said Brenda Madrara, a World Vision child protection facilitator working in the Bidi Bidi camp.

'Every child here has psychosocial needs and it can take a very, very long time for them to recover. If South Sudan's children are not given the therapeutic interventions they need, it will affect generations to come.'

Almost one million refugees have now fled South Sudan for Uganda, 62 per cent of which are children. Reports suggest about 100 new child arrivals at the north Uganda settlements every day, with many experiencing insomnia, regressive behaviour, social withdrawal and violent or self-destructive outbursts.

'Most of the children suffer nightmares, inability to sleep, and are withdrawn. Some have hallucinations  believing that people who attacked them in South Sudan have found them in Uganda,' said Dorothy Namara, a clinical psychologist at the Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation, who have been working with World Vision to support traumatised children.

She added: 'Trauma is like a wound  a silent wound. When a silent wound is not treated, it keeps eating slowly. When trauma is not treated in early childhood, then it manifests in adulthood.'

Groups seeking to alleviate the psychological crisis in Uganda say that the demand currently outweighs the available resources, with most aid being channelled to other relief efforts.

'We need to tackle the extreme levels of conflict-caused trauma now', Namara said. 'If this trauma is normalised, it can devastate children's lives for generations to come as well as create a cycle of violence and underdevelopment in the region. The future of South Sudan is dependent on the mental health of these children.'

In response to the crisis World Vision UK is today launching the #BearsOnStairs campaign to raise awareness of the brutal psychological cost of war of South Sudan's children. The campaign will culminate with 700 teddy bears being placed on the steps of London's St Paul's Cathedral on 27 July, representing the number of children arriving in Uganda every week.

World Vision UK's CEO Tim Pilkington urged action from the international community on behalf of child refugees. He said: 'The horrendous crisis faced by South Sudan's refugees poses an urgent need for mental health relief. Children who have survived years of war don't only have physical scars. They may carry mental scars from the conflict for the rest of their lives.

'The Ugandan government and NGO partners on the ground are overwhelmed by this refugee crisis. Tens of thousands of distressed children are not getting the support they need to recover from the horrors of the South Sudan conflict. We've only scratched the surface of the mental health problems the war is leaving in its wake.'

You can read more about rhe #BearsOnStairs campaign and the work of World Vision here.
A report from umbrella body Bond has said Brexit could leave UK aid organisations with a funding shortfall of up to 317m.

Civil society organisations in the UK receive the second highest level of aid funding from the EU - both grant and service contracts combined. When grant funding alone is considered, UK CSOs are the biggest recipient.

Between 2012 and 2016, EU development and humanitarian aid funding for UK CSOs averaged 266m (300m). Last year, it was 316.7m (356.9m). Bond says all of this could potentially be lost.

The impact of Brexit on EU funding for UK CSOs revealed that agencies operating in countries and regions currently prioritised by EU funding will be particularly affected, as once the UK leaves the EU, UK CSOs will no longer be able to access EU funding for interventions in some key countries.

It said that humanitarian funding is a particular concern, as spending to UK CSOs in 2016 through European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) was 180m (205m).

It adds that it is unclear whether UK CSOs relying on humanitarian funding from ECHO will still be eligible after Brexit based on current rules and technicalities, or how much leverage the sector might have in negotiating favourable access to the new ECHO framework partnership agreements for 2019 to 2021.

Uncertainty impacting sector

Bond says that this uncertainty is already having an impact on the sector, notably through currency devaluation and fluctuations. It said that Brexit will leave most UK CSOs that currently access EU funds facing a significant funding shortfall and this will have an impact on the work they do in developing countries, at least in the short to medium term.

Smaller and medium UK CSOs, with higher rates of dependence on EU grants, are said to be more at financial risk. The report said that the UK should separately negotiate terms and contribution rates to stay in those EU development cooperation programmes that score highly in terms of effectiveness.

It said that UK and CSOs must influence current policy debates and processes setting the direction for the EUs future development cooperation and humanitarian aid policies and financial frameworks.

Tamsyn Barton, chief executive of Bond, said: This timely piece of research shows that UK CSOs could risk an annual funding shortfall of up to around 360m a year because of Brexit. This significant chunk of funding goes to projects that help the worlds poorest by providing children with quality education, access to healthcare, as well as skills and jobs for women and men around the world facing poverty.

To protect the vital contribution UK CSOs make they must be given a voice during negotiations. The UK Government should aim to secure their continued participation in selected development and humanitarian programmes, which may mean reforming some funding instruments to allow for co-financing from non-EU countries, including the UK.

It is important that the UKs exit from the EU doesnt hurt the poorest people around the world, and that the leading contribution of UK CSOs to EU and global development policy and programmes isnt lost.

Bond has also produced a second report on The impact of Brexit on UK and EU international development and humanitarian policy, which looks at the potential impacts and opportunities associated with Brexit on a number of priority policy areas in international development and humanitarian aid.

Civil Society Media is hosting its NGO Insight 2017 conference on 28 November 2017. For more information, and to book, click here.
Marie Stopes International has said that one of Donald Trumps first actions as President of the United States has left it with a $30m (23m) annual funding gap due to his anti-abortion policy.

The US governments Mexico City Policy, which Trump signed an executive order to re-introduce, bans state funding for any international organisations that either perform or actively promote abortion.

Simon Cooke, chief executive of Marie Stopes, said in the introduction the charity's recently filed accounts for the financial year ending December 2016, that his organisation refuses to change its operations to continue receiving US state funding.

Cooke says the charity had been planning for the $30m funding gap prior to the policy announcement but it was still a troubling development.

He says: The funding gap is likely to impact a number of our country programmes in 2017 and beyond and puts womens right and access to safe abortion and contraception in jeopardy.

Last year Marie Stopes recieved 23.8m from the United States Agency for International Aid, which administers foreign aid on behalf of the US government.

Highest ever income

Meanwhile, the charity recorded its highest ever income of 290m last year, a more than 20m rise from the previous year, its accounts show.

Marie Stopes income from restricted funds dropped slightly but its unrestricted funds rose by 26m.

Its largest single funder remained the Department for International Development, which provided 46.5m of mostly restricted funding last year, down slightly from 2015.

Income from the charitys sexual and reproductive healthcare services rose by 7m year-on-year.

The charitys expenditure rose from 256m in 2015 to 280m last year, with its staff costs increasing from 114m to 130m.

Cooke added: 2016 was the most successful year in our history for helping women to have children by choice, not chance.

We estimate that the services we provided averted 7.6m unintended pregnancies, 4.8m unsafe abortions and 21,600 maternal deaths, and saved countries where we operate 311m in direct healthcare costs.
Sean Spicer, who came to office a respected, if combative, Washington insider, resigned on Friday as White House press secretary, leaving office with a damaged reputation after completing an ignoble six months in the office. Spicer, as first reported by The New York Times, chose to resign rather than serve under new White House communications chief Anthony Scaramucci.

Coming to the job with years of experience in the Capitol and solid relationships with many members of the press, Spicer quickly demonstrated a willingness to serve as President Trumps attack dog, castigating reporters over coverage of the inauguration and demonstrating a tenuous relationship with reality that would continue in later months.

The demands of the job, along with criticism from both from the press and the president, along with a mocking Saturday Night Live imitation, seemed to wear on Spicer as spring progressed. By May, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was taking more turns behind the Brady Briefing Room lectern, as rumors swirled over Spicers outster.

RELATED: White House journalists most meme-able moments

Perhaps in an effort to avoid that outcome, Spicer doubled down on criticism of reporters. Instead of working to bridge the divide between a often-incredulous press corps and an administration that referred to the media as the enemy of the American people, Spicer chose to parrot his bosss most strident and disingenuous criticisms, attacking the press for fake news and complaining about a biased agenda.

He also dealt with problems of his own making, including a condescending confrontation with American Urban Radio Networks April Ryan and a comparison between Bashar al-Assad and Adolph Hitler that necessitated a rare apology.

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RELATED: We analyzed two weeks of Spicer press briefings. Heres what we learned.

Former Clinton Press Secretary Mike McCurry told the White House Historical Society that The press office has to be an advocate for the press and the publics right to know inside the White House. Sometimes you will lose out to other priorities, but at least the press will sense that someone is looking out for its interestsThe modern presidency cannot work effectively if it is constantly at war with the media. Spicer never served as that advocate. He chose self-preservation and professional expediency over any sense of duty, and still ended up serving the shortest term of any press secretary since Jake Siewert took over in the final days of the Clinton administration.

The temptation is to view Spicer as a tragic, beleaguered figure, placed in an untenable position by a boss who demanded absolute loyalty. Dont do it. Spicer proved on his first full day in office that he had no qualms about defending an ultimately meaningless falsehood. For six months, he presided over a communications team that actively undermined the work of the press. That Scaramuccis hiring would be the one red line he couldnt cross speaks not to any sense of ethics or professionalism, but to the limitations of a man who had the opportunity to serve as a moderating force on the administrations subversive attacks on the press, and failed.

ICYMI: Two dozen freelance journalists told CJR the best outlets to pitch

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Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
A great interview is one of the journalists most powerful tools. It can be informative, entertaining, thoughtful. For the next five weeks, the Columbia Journalism Review and MaximumFun.org will broadcast conversations with some of the worlds greatest interviewers. Hosted by NPRs Jesse Thorn, the podcast, called The Turnaround, will examine the science and art of journalism.

This episode features Anna Sale, host of Death, Sex & Money. An edited transcript is below.

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

Jesse Thorn: Your show, Death, Sex & Money, is a very particular kind of interview show. I thought I would ask you to describe it because it sounds like the kind of show that has a real tight solid elevator pitch.

Anna Sale: It does have a tight elevator pitch, but I think its actually much broader than the way it sounds. The idea for the show when I pitched it was I wanted to have an interview show where you didnt skip over the actual meat of what I consider to be the things that actually drive our decisions in life. And that is relationships, money, and the fact that were all going to die. So, its a personal interview show, but I try to make sure that we dont skip over those parts, and that I focus on those parts. Like if were talking about a moment of career transition, I want to know how someone supported themselves when they made the leap. Or if they had a huge change in their life, how that changed their relationship. So that was the idea. Everybody deals with death, sex, and money. So its a show that you can interview people who are really famous and also people who listeners havent heard before.

Jesse: Thats like private stuff, Anna.

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Anna: I know. But its stuff that its nice to hear other people talk about.

Jesse: Before you started this show with WNYC, you were a reporter, right? What kind of reporter were you?

Anna: I covered all sorts of things for almost 10 years, just in public radio newsrooms. But mostly focused on politics and towards the end of my time, mostly political campaigns.

Jesse: When you talked to people in politics, did you ask them about things that were closer to what you do now?

Anna: Yeah I did. I mean I did it in two ways. In one way, covering elections is pretty much what I do now. Because when youre talking to voters, you are trying to get at what are the core, hot, emotional issues that are driving them to make decisions. So I had a lot of conversations with voters about whether they felt like they had enough money. How their politics changed because they were now a divorced woman in their 50s and had to send their kid to school. Actually my conversations with voters were a lot like what Death, Sex & Money has become. My conversations with the candidates were not because candidates are trained to not kind of go to vulnerable places. But I always tried. I remember covering the New York City mayoral election and talking to Bill de Blasio about how he felt comfortable basically using images of his kids in his political campaign, when he talked about how central his family was to his identity and his political identity, whether he thought he was putting them in some way possibly in harms way by putting them up for public consumption. So those were the kinds of questions I found interesting as a political reporter as well.

TRENDING: Thank God the brain cancer waited for the Pulitzer

A GOOD INTERVIEWER

Anna: One of the really important traits of an interviewer is to communicate to the person youre asking questions of that you are sincerely curious and theres a reason youre asking them these questions. Because your interview is only going to be as good as the persons willingness to participate. I sort of think of it as youre kind of creating this together. You know with the start of every Death, Sex & Money interview I say, You know this is what the name of the show is, but this is why we explore these topics. Its because these are things that everybody goes through but also can feel the most isolated around. So Im going to ask you about these things, but its not just to be provocative. Im looking for places of resonance. And so I explain that at the beginning, and I think that does help make the person Im talking to feel more comfortable opening up. Because its in service of something, its not just me poking and trying to expose. Its more about exploring something together.

Jesse: Do people believe you when you say that?

Anna: I think so. I also say, And if theres something I ask you that you dont want to talk about, you can say that. And so, I think by giving permission to sort of not take away all their power, it feels more comfortable. And I will say my producers and I take it really seriously that were going to treat these interviews with respect, and were not going to then have sort of tabloidy headlines. Like, we try to be sensitive to the stories that were telling.

Jesse: Because youre asking about such a particular thing and something that often people are uncomfortable asking about, do you know whats coming? And to what extent are you really flying blind?

Anna: Well I think its more flying blind when were talking to somebody whos well known, because most often when those interviews get scheduled, none of my producers have an opportunity to talk to the person ahead of time. When I get into a room and Im beginning the conversation and talking about what the show is and the kinds of things I want to talk about, thats our first interaction. I can go in with the plan and the things that I want to explore. But I really have no idea how game someone whos famous is going to be. And sometimes its incredibly surprising and satisfying what they have to say, and the interviews can go places I never expected. But I would say with people who arent famous, producers on the show get to talk to [them] ahead of time and get a sense of this story. So, theres a little bit less of a question of, What are we going to be allowed to talk about? But still, I think the most interesting interviews preserve that sense of spontaneity and dont have that rehearsed feeling. So I try not to talk to anybody ahead of time before were rolling because I like the freshness of that interaction.

GO-TO QUESTIONS

Jesse: Do you have arrows in your quiver when youre talking to someone? Like, if you run out of juice.

Anna: I mean thats where the premise of Death, Sex & Money is really helpful because I can come back to, And as I told you, the name of the show is Death, Sex & Money, so Im going to ask you about death, Im going to ask you about sex, and I going to ask you about money. And then I will ask big, broad questions about if theres someone in your life thats died thats left you with regrets. I ask about what sex is like at this point in their life if theyre in their 50s or if theyre in their 20s. I ask if theyre making more money this year than last year. And those are sort of just simple questions. But because the premise of the show kind of gives me permission to ask these questions that you probably wouldnt ask in another interview, they can open up new avenues. We dont always use the answers to those questions, but sometimes its really interesting. I asked Dan Savage about money, and he went on and on about how that was the single biggest point of tension in his marriage. Because he doesnt like to spend money and his husband does. And it was just interesting to me because thats not often what I hear Dan Savage talking about. I hear him talking about how to negotiate your sex life with your partner. To hear him talk about how to negotiate online spending with your partner was new.

Jesse: You give people the opportunity to say to you, Oh, I would rather not talk about that. Do you also give them the opportunity to say, I would rather you did not run that?

Anna: Thats a hard thing. Because I come from journalism and I come from where if you say something on the record, its on the record and thats that. But its because these are very personal conversations where someone might start talking about something they didnt anticipate talking about. You know I do try to be sensitive about that. One example is we were doing a series of interviews at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Brooklyn and talking to people who walked through the door, people who volunteered there, people who were patients. And I was talking to one woman who was a volunteer and started the conversation talking about the political reasons why she was a supporter of Planned Parenthood. As we continued talking, she started talking about the abortion that shed had.

Its not something that she talked about or really shared with even people she was activists with. And so at the end of that conversation I said, You gave me your full name at the beginning of this conversation. I dont know if you knew you were going to go there. How do you feel about using your full name? And we just had a conversation over the next few weeks as we were getting the episode ready. She knew what was going to be in it, and she ended up choosing to use her full name and felt comfortable with that. But I felt like it was the right thing to do, to just loop back around and make sure. In the case of a famous person when thats come up, its often not the famous person who has complaints, its the publicist who gets worried if their famous person said something provocative. And in those cases, we can usually justify how were using their tape and saying, Were doing this. Were going to include that tape. But were doing it in this way and so its not going to come off in the way that I think you fear. And we have that follow-up conversation. But we do try to be sensitive because when youre asking people to come in and talk about death, sex, and money, its very private stuff. Its stuff that affects other relationships sometimes,so we do try to be really sensitive to that.

ICYMI: Two dozen freelance journalists told CJR the best outlets to pitch

THE TENSION OF INTERVIEWS

Anna: You have two objectives that are in tension with one another. You have to forge a relationship and make the person youre talking to feel safe and make them feel like youre not some hack whos just asking for them to repeat the story theyve told 16 times or ask them to talk about the thing theyve said 16 times they dont want to talk about. You have to take care with that dynamic, but you also have to serve your listeners. So if you listen to an interview with Paul Reubens, there was a critical juncture in his career. To skip over it or to act like it didnt happen or to not ask the question or acknowledge it all in an interview might make the listeners feel like you dodged the hard question. I think thats the hardest part in structuring interviews and interview questions is how do you both: protect the relationship with the person that youre talking to and make sure youre not wimping out and youre serving the audience.

GETTING THE RIGHT TAPE

Jesse: Are there other things that you learned to do when you were interviewing a city council person or talking to some scientist about water safety that helped you do the kind of emotional narrative reporting that you do now?

Anna: When youre covering a straight news story, what youre trying to getand particularly for radiois someone to answer a question to you in plain language that feels sincere and that feels like its answering the question you have. When youre a roving reporter on deadline, youve got to figure out how to have those interactions within three minutes, so you can get your tape, get back on the subway, and file before deadline. So you have to figure out, Whats my first question? Whats my second question? Whats my third question? Whats the follow up if they dont answer it in this way? Its intense listening, and its planning and figuring out, Whats the tape that Im trying to get here? When I sit down to do a Death, Sex & Money interview, its the same feeling. Its like Im going into a chamber of intense concentration where you do the prep, you write out your list of questions that you think youre going to ask. But then once youre in that interaction its like being there in that moment and listening carefully and hearing the tape that youre collecting and making sure its going somewhere. I think that, being a reporter, it was important for just figuring out how to make sure you get the tape that you set out to get, to answer the questions that your listeners are going to have.

Jesse: What do you do to prepare for an interview? Like what time do you spend and how do you spend it and what do you bring into the room?

Anna: If the person is a well-known person whos done a lot of interviews, I do a deep dive, with the help of awesome producers who will put together preps and pull together profiles and radio interviews. I will listen to what theyve done before, so that when Im in the interview, if I hear them going to a place where theyre retelling a story that theyve told before, Ill try to kind of interject to mix it up a little bit. I try to understand someones body of work. I try to understand the critical moments of transition. Whether its when they move from place to place, or when they got married, or when they had kids, or when they decided to leave the band and go solo, et cetera. I like to have that on a timeline, like on one piece of paper, so that I can have that in the room with me and be able to look at it and say, So when you were 30, this happened in or something like that. Just to place it in time, and it helps me understand, OK if this big thing happened when they were in their mid-20s, it probably was a different emotional experience than if it happened in their mid-50s, for example. I will go in with a timeline, and then Ill have like, two pages of questions, so that they can both be face up to me. So Im not rifling around with papers during the conversation. I actually dont often look down at the list of questions that I bring in. Its more the practice of writing them out and figuring out the beginning, middle, and end. What are the moments and interesting dynamics that we want to make sure we get to? I have a conversation with our producers ahead of time, and we all sit and we say, What are we wondering about this person? So well have a list of questions, well add different questions, and then Ill sit with that before I go into the studio. Thats sort of a guide, but Im not often reading questions.

A GOOD JOB

Jesse: What is your objective? Like, when you step out of the booth, or wherever youre conducting the interview, how do you judge whether youve done a good job or whether this one has worked out?

Anna: Sometimes I cant tell. Sometimes Ill walk out and Ill think, God. They just didnt play ball, and that was terrible. Then I go back and listen to the tape, and the moments where I was feeling frustrated as an interviewer actually are very revealing. That was the case when I interviewed Bill Withers. And I know youve interviewed him, too. But he has this way of not going somewhere that he doesnt feel like going.

I remember coming out of that feeling like, Oh God. I dont know. There were so many moments when I just asked him a question he just dismissed it as a dumb way to ask a question. But then the tape itself, showing those moments where he was kind of batting me around, was so revealing about his character and his personality. I realized listening deeper that it was just a string of pearls strung together because of the way hes such a gifted communicator.

INTERVIEW HEROES

Jesse: So, who are your interview heroes?

Anna: I mean my first interview hero, always, has been Terry Gross. I mean thats how I fell in love with radio, and thats who I realized I was jealous of when I was a year out of college and knew I needed to quit my nonprofit job because I wasnt doing what I wanted to do. And what I wanted to do was do what Terry Gross got to do. Shes my always and forever hero. I mean, you know, sentimental. Its like laying in the back of the seat of the car with my parents listening to public radio. She taught me about pop culture and art and also how to be respectful about someones craft and also try to understand the personal dimension of it.

CLICHES

Jesse: What is the thing that you feel the least confident about, and maybe the least comfortable asking a colleague about, that you would like to know about how to do interviews?

Anna: I think what I feel the most anxiety about is becoming a cliche of yourself. I have a style in how I interact with people, whether its at a dinner party or in an interview, when Im trying to make them feel comfortable or when Im thinking [about] asking a probing question and then a follow-up question. The way that I will sort of audibly respond, like, the way Ill say uh huh or the way Ill laugh. There are certain ways that, as an interviewer, who you are is just the way that you sound on tape and the way that your show therefore sounds. And so I worry about that becoming so predictable and not an exciting experience for listeners. Theres so much in so many places to go to listen to interesting things. Like, how do you keep evolving as a journalist, and as an interviewer and as a storyteller, and the things that you think about, and the kinds of stories you tell? How do you keep mixing that up? Because in the midst of when youre trying to keep putting out episodesthats a real pressure. So how do you keep finding and pushing yourself to take risks and to do new kinds of things? Because as you get better as an interviewer, you also get more predictable.

The Turnaround is available on MaximumFun.org. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts to get new episodes as they become available.

Photo credit: Amy Pearl

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.
On another night jam-packed with news about the president and those in his circle, sad news about one of Washingtons legendary figures provided a moment of unity. Around 8 pm, we learned that John McCain has brain cancer. The longtime Arizona senator, former presidential candidate, and Vietnam War hero recently underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic to remove a blood clot behind his eye. Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot, said a statement released by the senators office.

The shocked response from around the political and media world demonstrates the rare position the 80-year-old McCain occupies as a figure respected on all sides. President Trump and former Presidents Obama, Clinton, and George H.W. Bush all released statements of appreciation and support. Media members expressed respect for McCains candor and decency.

The son and grandson of US Navy admirals, McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and endured five years of captivity and torture, refusing numerous offers of release. He entered the Senate in 1986, and earned a reputation for working across the aisle on issues such as campaign finance reform.

In a time of vicious political polarization, McCain is one of the few figures in Washington who often manages to rise above the fray. Though he has recently been criticized by some for voting along party lines even as he speaks out forcefully against President Trumps more troubling actions, McCains legacy as a giant of the Senate is secure.

Below, coverage past and present of McCains life.

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Other notable stories

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.
How can typography save your life? Can bad design actually damage our democratic process? How can sneaker and tire treads tell a story?

These are just a few of the fascinating questions ProPublicas Lena Groeger explores in her Visual Evidence essay series. She also speaks regularly at conferences about, for instance, the explanatory power of GIFs. That is, when shes not contributing code, design, and data visualizations to ProPublicas award-winning investigative storiessuch as Insult to Injury, which looked at disparities in workers compensation among states. Just yesterday, Groeger published The Immigration Effect, a tool that models the effect of immigration rates on US economic growth.

Groeger joined ProPublica in 2011, and her current, hybrid job title is journalist/developer/designer. In June, I spoke with Lena about her process. Below are edited excerpts of our conversation.

Editors note: This is the second of a series of interviews with visual journalists who write code and work with data. The first, with David Yanofsky of Quartz, can be found here.

I love your Visual Evidence design essays. How did these start?

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I started last year. It was basically all these ideas I had, like, Oh this would be a fun potential future talkLets talk about how typography can save your life. I think about it like taking a bit of a step back from doing design work, or data viz work, and thinking about it from a regular persons perspective: Why does this matter?

The first design write-up was after the NICAR and OpenViz conferences , where I gave a talk on Wee Things [a look at how small, repeated visual elements are used in information graphics]. I basically turned that talk into a written article. I use talks as an excuse to think about subjects that may be tangentially related to stuff that I do every dayissues that come up in design or data collectionand think about them from a perspective of someone like my mom.

What is your favorite challenge when working on a story?

My favorite challenge usually has to do with exploring some unique way of visualizing data: figuring out what it is about this data that you could take advantage of to make it a little more interesting than a bar chart.

Working with Michael Grabell and Howard Berkes at NPR, we did a series about workers compensation. Depending on where you live, when you get injured on the job, your body parts are worth dramatically different amounts of money. One piece of this long story chronicled the tale of two men who both lost their arms on the job. One was relatively generously compensated and set for the rest of his life, and the other one was totally ruined. They lived across state lines. It was hundreds of thousands of dollars difference depending on the state in which you were injured.

We had dollar amounts for 12 different body parts for each state So we asked, How do we go about showing this? We came up with the idea to show the cost of each body part, sizing each arm, or leg, or toe according to how much money you would get from each state.

We knew going in that this was going to be newbody part visualizations are not super commonso we were certainly going to give up some ease of readability. It is hard to overcome this hurdle of, How do I read this thing? Ive never seen it before. In some cases [a novel visualization] may not be worth it, or may be too confusing. So we were trying to walk that line of what will be able to get out of it. We want to make it as intuitive as possible, but at the same time, still try to do something different with the dataset.

ICYMI: Two dozen freelance journalists told CJR the best outlets to pitch

What did you study in college and how does it apply to your work today?

I double majored in biology and philosophy. In college I was thinking I would do the pre-med requirements, and possibly go to med school, but that didnt really happen. I realized I didnt really miss labs, but I did really like science topics, and talking about science and society, psychology and neuroscience, was really interesting to me.

I went to NYUs science journalism graduate school program, which is geared toward people who have a science background but want to become journalists. I thought, Ill write about science topics and talk to scientists but I wont be doing the actual research, this will be fun!

In grad school, I came across data journalism. When I started out in journalism, I thought, Oh Im going to write long articles about the brainwhich Im still really interested inbut now [my job] is more about perception and peoples ability to perceive information in a visual form.

You have some experience in graphic design, correct?

Ive always really liked fonts, typography, and print design. I was fiddling around using Photoshop for a long time. In high school there was a technical art program, and one of the classes I took was commercial design. For college, I went to Brown University, which is right next to Rhode Island School of Design, so I took a couple of classes there.

My Toolkit Sublime text

Ruby

JavaScript

HTML / CSS

D3

Sketching

Photoshop

Google Drive

The year after college, I worked at Browns health education department creating posters for the student body about drinking, nutrition, and sexual health. A lot of the work was pamphlets to hand out to students, or posters to put around campus. Thats where my design skills were used for a good cause.

When I came across data visualization, I didnt know much about it except that you have to use the visual part of your brain to come up with an easy, clear visual display. How do you visualize different complex biological processes, or how do you explain some phenomenon thats not in a physical form? I liked that idea, but I didnt know how to do anything for the web.

In grad school I took one class in basic HTML, but pretty much everything else I learned at ProPublica, when I started interning. I wanted to do a visualization, but I didnt want to just mock it up in Photoshop. I wanted to see if I could build it.

Do you write a lot of code now in your job?

Yes. Depending on the project.

Because there are so many different ways of building a data visualization or coming up with a story idea, or telling a story, every project is going to be totally different. Even if you have lots of skills in one area, theres bound to be another project that comes up where I have to learn QGIS [for example], which I didnt know. On every new project, theres bound to be things that youve never seen before, data with interesting problems youve never encountered before, and you have to figure that out.

There are some days where I couldnt possibly sit down and think about writing paragraphs, and in that situation, making the mobile version of a chartwhich is what I was doing todaythats really appealing. I can procrastinate on one while doing the other. And then with writing, I really, really enjoy being done. The satisfaction I get with coding is more immediate: I solved this puzzle! I hit refresh, and it worked. Writing takes a bit longer, it takes going back and forth with the editor. Its more of a painful process, but ultimately pretty rewarding.

ICYMI: What kind of journalist are you?

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Keegan is a senior research fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism and a former visual correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Find him on Twitter @jonkeegan.
How to do an exe on visual studio attach to sqlite. I have tried it and voicke code error: Unable to open the database file

It makes me self that I search on the net may not have concrete answer that helps me. I was advised sqlite to embed the database but how to do it ?? I need your help



Member 13322378 wrote: Unable to open the database file

Perhaps that file does not exist. This is the first thing to note, if the file does not exist how can you even read it?



Also, you did not mention which language you are using? You are in the Visual Basic forum and only mentioning Visual Studio here. I will assume you want to use the C# library (or VB.NET, they are both same).

c# - SQLIte unable to open database - Stack Overflow



Secondly, it might be that the server or program requires some additional permissions so that the library can properly connect to the database. There is a long conversation and they all boil down to the permissions (read and write, both) of your database + directory where that file is, so that SQLite can easily update the data in the database.



Fixing Sqlite error "unable to open database file"



For simplest of the tasks, you should try using this Firefox addon for SQLite manager, and see if it can access and open the database for you: SQLite Manager :: Add-ons for Firefox... It will help you understand whether there is a problem or not.

The sh*t I complain about

It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem

~! Firewall !~





All my apologies I program under visual studio in csharp. And I installed sqlite server 3.9.1. I would like to know if I need to uninstall and use firefox ??

And how do I go about doing the exe and install it on another computer



Member 13322378 wrote: I program under visual studio in csharp. So why post in the Visual Basic forum? But, be that as it may, you can take a look at System.Data.SQLite[^]



not a server-database, it is meant as a lightweight database-solution for local usage of your application. That gives SQLite some advantages and some disadvantages over a server-product.



Richard linked you the System.Data.SQLite page; that wiki explains how to use and deploy SQLite. You'll probably end up xcopying two files along with your executable.



Some other points; if you have been "searching for five months" than you have wasted time that you could have used to read the documentation. Next, "help me" is not a decent subject-line. Everyone who posts here is looking for help - and your question is rather specific to SQLite and C#.



So, post your code, and let us see how you connect to your datafile. Once we have code, we can talk about possible locations where things can go wrong and what it is exactly that you need to verify.



If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] Bastard Programmer from Hell



Hi Sorry for the topic " help me"

I used the dataset

Here is my code

using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.ComponentModel; using System.Data; using System.Drawing; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using System.Windows.Forms; using System.Data.SQLite; namespace ACode { public partial class Form1 : Form { public static string randomstring( int length) { const string chars = " ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWYZ0123456789" ; Random random = new Random(); return new string (Enumerable.Repeat(chars, length).Select(s => s[random.Next(s.Length)]).ToArray()); } public Form1() { InitializeComponent(); } private void infoCodeBindingNavigatorSaveItem_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { this .Validate(); this .infoCodeBindingSource.EndEdit(); this .tableAdapterManager.UpdateAll( this .dBCodeAleatoireDataSet); } private void Form1_Load( object sender, EventArgs e) { this .infoCodeTableAdapter.Fill( this .dBCodeAleatoireDataSet.InfoCode); } private void btn100_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { labelAffichage.Text = randomstring( 4 ); codeTextBox.Text = labelAffichage.Text; prixCodeTextBox.Text = " 100" ; } private void btn250_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { labelAffichage.Text = randomstring( 5 ); codeTextBox.Text = labelAffichage.Text; prixCodeTextBox.Text = " 250" ; } private void btn500_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { labelAffichage.Text = randomstring( 6 ); codeTextBox.Text = labelAffichage.Text; prixCodeTextBox.Text = " 500" ; } } }



file.



If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] Bastard Programmer from Hell



Hi



Please forgive me, this may be a simple answer for some. I have self taught myself VB.net and have developed some software for myself. I often get code samples for hardware that i use, but it is in C#. I have used code converters, but I still seem to get issues. The major issue I have is below. The C# code works perfectly, but the VB code gives me a "Object reference not set to an instance of an object.'" error when I call the connect sub. Please help.



C# Code

using SPORTident; using System.Windows.Forms; using SPORTident.Communication; using System; namespace SportidentMinimal { public partial class MainForm : Form { public Reader reader; public MainForm() { InitializeComponent(); reader = new Reader { WriteBackupFile = true , BackupFileName = System.IO.Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, $ @" backup\{DateTime.Now:yyyy-MM-dd}_stamps.bak" ) }; reader.DeviceConfigurationRead += new DeviceConfigurationReadEventHandler(reader_DeviceConfigurationRead); reader.InputDeviceChanged += new ReaderDeviceChangedEventHandler(reader_InputDeviceChanged); reader.InputDeviceStateChanged += new ReaderDeviceStateChangedEventHandler(reader_InputDeviceStateChanged); reader.CardRead += new SPORTident.DataReadCompletedEventHandler(reader_CardRead); } private void reader_DeviceConfigurationRead( object sender, StationConfigurationEventArgs e) { writeLog( " StationConfigRead, OperatingMode: " + e.Device.OperatingMode); writeLog( " StationConfigRead, LegacyProtocolMode: " + e.Device.LegacyProtocolMode); writeLog( " StationConfigRead, AutoSend: " + e.Device.AutoSendMode); writeLog( " StationConfigRead, FirmwareVersion: " + e.Device.FirmwareVersion); writeLog( " StationConfigRead, CodeNumber: " + e.Device.CodeNumber); writeLog( " StationConfigRead, SerialNumber: " + e.Device.SerialNumber); } private void reader_InputDeviceStateChanged( object sender, ReaderDeviceStateChangedEventArgs e) { writeLog( " InputDeviceStateChanged: " + e.PreviousState + " => " + e.CurrentState); } private void reader_InputDeviceChanged( object sender, ReaderDeviceChangedEventArgs e) { writeLog( " InputDeviceChanged: " + e.PreviousDevice + " => " + e.CurrentDevice); } private void reader_CardRead( object sender, SportidentDataEventArgs e) { SportidentCard card = e.Cards[0]; writeLog( " Card read: " + card.Siid); } private void button_refresh_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { writeLog( " Refresh pressed" ); clearSIDevices(); getSIDevices(); } private void button_sportidentConnect_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { writeLog( " Connect pressed" ); try { connect(); } catch (Exception ex) { MessageBox.Show(ex.Message); } } private void button_sportidentDisconnect_Click( object sender, EventArgs e) { writeLog( " Disconnect pressed" ); disconnect(); } private void writeLog( string text) { if (listBox_log.InvokeRequired) { listBox_log.Invoke( new Action(() => writeLog(text))); } else { listBox_log.Items.Add(text); listBox_log.SelectedIndex = listBox_log.Items.Count - 1 ; listBox_log.SelectedIndex = -1; } } private void clearSIDevices() { writeLog( " Clearing list of devices" ); comboBox_sportidentDevices.Items.Clear(); } private void getSIDevices() { writeLog( " Scanning for available devices" ); ReaderDeviceInfo.GetAvailableDeviceList(); foreach (ReaderDeviceInfo device in ReaderDeviceInfo.AvailableDevices) { comboBox_sportidentDevices.Items.Add(device); writeLog( " Adding device: " + device.DeviceName); } if (comboBox_sportidentDevices.Items.Count > 0 ) { writeLog( " Found " + comboBox_sportidentDevices.Items.Count + " devices" ); comboBox_sportidentDevices.SelectedIndex = 0 ; } else { writeLog( " No devices found" ); } } private void connect() { ReaderDeviceInfo readerDeviceInfo = (ReaderDeviceInfo)(comboBox_sportidentDevices.SelectedItem); reader.InputDevice = readerDeviceInfo; reader.OutputDevice = new ReaderDeviceInfo(ReaderDeviceType.None); reader.OpenInputDevice(); reader.OpenOutputDevice(); comboBox_sportidentDevices.Enabled = false ; button_refresh.Enabled = false ; button_sportidentConnect.Enabled = false ; button_sportidentDisconnect.Enabled = true ; } private void disconnect() { comboBox_sportidentDevices.Enabled = true ; button_refresh.Enabled = true ; button_sportidentConnect.Enabled = true ; button_sportidentDisconnect.Enabled = false ; reader.CloseInputDevice(); } } }



VB.NET Code

Imports SPORTident Imports SPORTident.Communication Public Class Results_Capture_Enduro Public reader As Reader Public Sub New() InitializeComponent() reader = New Reader() With { .WriteBackupFile = True, .BackupFileName = System.IO.Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, " backup\{DateTime.Now:yyyy-MM-dd}_stamps.bak" ) } AddHandler reader.DeviceConfigurationRead, New DeviceConfigurationReadEventHandler(AddressOf reader_DeviceConfigurationRead) AddHandler reader.InputDeviceChanged, New ReaderDeviceChangedEventHandler(AddressOf reader_InputDeviceChanged) AddHandler reader.InputDeviceStateChanged, New ReaderDeviceStateChangedEventHandler(AddressOf reader_InputDeviceStateChanged) AddHandler reader.CardRead, New SPORTident.DataReadCompletedEventHandler(AddressOf reader_CardRead) End Sub Private Sub reader_DeviceConfigurationRead(sender As Object , e As StationConfigurationEventArgs) writeLog( " StationConfigRead, OperatingMode: " & e.Device.OperatingMode.ToString) writeLog( " StationConfigRead, LegacyProtocolMode: " & e.Device.LegacyProtocolMode.ToString) writeLog( " StationConfigRead, AutoSend: " & e.Device.AutoSendMode.ToString) writeLog( " StationConfigRead, FirmwareVersion: " & e.Device.FirmwareVersion.ToString) writeLog( " StationConfigRead, CodeNumber: " & e.Device.CodeNumber.ToString) writeLog( " StationConfigRead, SerialNumber: " & e.Device.SerialNumber.ToString) End Sub Private Sub reader_InputDeviceStateChanged(sender As Object , e As ReaderDeviceStateChangedEventArgs) writeLog( " InputDeviceStateChanged: " & e.PreviousState.ToString & " => " & e.CurrentState.ToString) End Sub Private Sub reader_InputDeviceChanged(sender As Object , e As ReaderDeviceChangedEventArgs) writeLog( " InputDeviceChanged: " & e.PreviousDevice.ToString & " => " & e.CurrentDevice.ToString) End Sub Private Sub reader_CardRead(sender As Object , e As SportidentDataEventArgs) MessageBox.Show( " got here" ) Dim card As SportidentCard = e.Cards( 0 ) writeLog( " Card read: " & card.Siid.ToString) End Sub Private Sub btnRefresh_Click(sender As Object , e As EventArgs) Handles btnRefresh.Click writeLog( " Refresh pressed" ) clearSIDevices() getSIDevices() End Sub Private Sub btnConnect_Click(sender As Object , e As EventArgs) Handles btnConnect.Click writeLog( " Connect pressed" ) connect() End Sub Private Sub btnDisconnect_Click(sender As Object , e As EventArgs) Handles btnDisconnect.Click writeLog( " Disconnect pressed" ) disconnect() End Sub Private Sub writeLog(Text As String ) If listBox_log.InvokeRequired Then listBox_log.Invoke(New Action(Sub() writeLog(Text))) Else listBox_log.Items.Add(Text) listBox_log.SelectedIndex = listBox_log.Items.Count - 1 listBox_log.SelectedIndex = -1 End If End Sub Private Sub clearSIDevices() writeLog( " Clearing list of devices" ) cbbSportIdentDevices.Items.Clear() End Sub Private Sub getSIDevices() writeLog( " Scanning for available devices" ) ReaderDeviceInfo.GetAvailableDeviceList() For Each device As ReaderDeviceInfo In ReaderDeviceInfo.AvailableDevices cbbSportIdentDevices.Items.Add(device) writeLog( " Adding device: " & device.DeviceName.ToString) Next If cbbSportIdentDevices.Items.Count > 0 Then writeLog( " Found " & cbbSportIdentDevices.Items.Count.ToString & " devices" ) cbbSportIdentDevices.SelectedIndex = 0 Else writeLog( " No devices found" ) End If End Sub Private Sub connect() Dim readerDeviceInfo As ReaderDeviceInfo = CType((cbbSportIdentDevices.SelectedItem), ReaderDeviceInfo) reader.InputDevice = readerDeviceInfo reader.OutputDevice = New ReaderDeviceInfo(ReaderDeviceType.None) reader.OpenInputDevice() reader.OpenOutputDevice() End Sub Private Sub disconnect() ' reader = New Reader() cbbSportIdentDevices.Enabled = True reader.CloseInputDevice() End Sub End Class





The exception seems to come when I have called the connect sub. I am assuming it doesn't like the 4 lines where I reference "reader".



Private Sub connect() Dim readerDeviceInfo As ReaderDeviceInfo = CType((cbbSportIdentDevices.SelectedItem), ReaderDeviceInfo) reader.InputDevice = readerDeviceInfo reader.OutputDevice = New ReaderDeviceInfo(ReaderDeviceType.None) reader.OpenInputDevice() reader.OpenOutputDevice() End Sub

Shane



modified 21-Jul-17 7:43am.





What do you see by using the Debugger (in case of exeption) ?







Yes I select a Com port. For my current scenario it happens to be COM5. Its weird that it all works perfectly in C#, but in my project, when I have converted to VB, it gives this exception.





I never thought that you assign a Com-Port at this place.

So ... there are some Information missing to go further.

How is ReaderDeviceInfo declared ?

How and where do you have the COM-Port in your code ? Where do you assign an initialize it ?



I think that are parts which belong to the Designer-Scripts from the C#-Project - you should look also there and perhaps complete your code.

If not try to answer my questions ...







The writelog is just a list box which provides a log of all the steps taken and events which are initiated by the reader.



Hope this helps



Regards

Shane





when I compare both codes (C# vs. VB) I can't see any relevant difference. For me both codes should do the same.

But any difference must be there ...

So : what about the Visual Studio Settings ? Have you added the required DDL's to the references (I hope the name is right - In German it's called 'Verweis') of your Project ?



Greetings

Ralf







Private Sub connect() reader = New Reader() Dim readerDeviceInfo As ReaderDeviceInfo = CType((cbbSportIdentDevices.SelectedItem), ReaderDeviceInfo) reader.InputDevice = readerDeviceInfo reader.OutputDevice = New ReaderDeviceInfo(ReaderDeviceType.None) reader.OpenInputDevice() reader.OpenOutputDevice() End Sub





I can't see a code-line where the ComboBox is assigned/filled AND with what it is filled.

I suggest that you should look there ...



Shane James wrote: If I put the reader = New Reader() in the connect sub, the error goes away, but nothing works like it should. it doesnt pick up the events or anything

This is normal: you create a new instance of the Reader class but this one is not configured like the first one was in the constructor of Results_Capture_Enduro . But I don't think the problem is here, you should remove this line.



You did not tell us which variable triggers the exception. To find it you can remove the try...catch block around the call to connect() to let the debugger stop at the line the exception occurs.



There is one line where the VB code is not equivalent to its C# counterpart:

Dim readerDeviceInfo As ReaderDeviceInfo = CType((cbbSportIdentDevices.SelectedItem), ReaderDeviceInfo)

The strictly equivalent version would be:

Dim readerDeviceInfo As ReaderDeviceInfo = DirectCast((cbbSportIdentDevices.SelectedItem), ReaderDeviceInfo)

See this article:

DirectCast vs. CType[^]

for explanations. In general using CType for a simple type cast is dangerous because it will try to do something even if the cast is not possible, so that the error may propagate to other parts of the code where it is difficult to understand.



NB. Also be careful when translating from C# to VB.NET as the latter is not really case sensitive which may cause compilation errors:

vb.net - Is VB really case insensitive? - Stack Overflow[^]



Shane James wrote: it shows a list of (COM1 and COM5 on my laptop) in the combobox. I am going to guess that it does not contain a list of strings that represent comports, but objects.



Show us how the VB version that initializes the combobox looks like.



If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^] Bastard Programmer from Hell



I've got this code that queries a table and returns a model:



Public Function GetRightCategory(Id As Integer) As RightCategoryModel

Dim result As New RightCategoryModel Dim queryCmd As String queryCmd = " SELECT RightCategoryId, Category, Description, IsDeleted FROM tblRightCategories WHERE RightCategoryId = " + CStr(Id) Dim Db As Database Dim rs As Recordset Set Db = DBEngine( 0 )( 0 ) Set rs = Db.OpenRecordset(queryCmd) If rs.RecordCount > 0 Then With result .Id = rs.Fields( " RightCategoryId" ) .Category = rs.Fields( " Category" ) .Description = rs.Fields( " Description" ) .IsDeleted = rs.Fields( " IsDeleted" ) End With End If set GetRightCategory = result

Everything works great until I get past the last line. Then I get "Object doesn't supprot this property or method"



What's wrong here?

If it's not broken, fix it until it is.

Everything makes sense in someone's mind.

Ya can't fix stupid.



result defined as a RightCategoryModel type. How is GetRightCategory defined?







"Public Function GetRightCategory(Id As Integer) As RightCategoryModel"

If it's not broken, fix it until it is.

Everything makes sense in someone's mind.

Ya can't fix stupid.






However, I am not in a position to guarantee you no problems, if you have some particularly esoteric settings in web.config



I stopped receiving the Codeproject daily newsletter a while ago even though sending it was still enabled in my account. Tried signing up with a different account, same story. Is it still being sent out?







Rather certain it is manually created. Certainly doesn't show up all the time.



Last one I got was 9/11/2017.



Perhaps check your spam folder.



Email Consent Form[^], which was mandated by your government?





"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."

- Homer









As a background for other readers, the Canadian government passed legislation a while ago trying to reduce SPAM, so now there's a lot of permissions required for a company to send you e-mail. If you ask me, the pendulum swung a bit too far.



I'm trying to apply the Windows 10 CU to a 32GB netbook. The only thing installed on it is Windows 10 and Notepad++, and I've run the Admin Disk Cleanup, so there is nothing left to come off the drive, and there is just over 9GB free.



If I run the CU updater, it says that the CPU, RAM and free space pass the tests, and starts the download. It all downloads and then starts the verification. During the verification process, it slowly fills up the disk completely and falls over.



Looking online, if you have attached storage, the upgrade is supposed to offer to use it for temporary files, but I don't get that option regardless of what I plug in.



I'd be grateful for any suggestions!







I have a laptop, which contains 32GB of SSD and I have an external storage of 500GB HDD. I do all sort of unnecessary stuff on the HDD, and keep the OS files only on the SSD, but still it is not at all helpful. Of course, whenever I plug out the HDD a lot of things go out of order, multimedia, some software etc. Plus I also had to manage a lot of stuff in the Registry to get things done properly in order to always look for executables in external storage.



What I do, for installation (if you want to install it), download the media from somewhere else. Create a bootable media (I used, copy + paste to a USB  it works, please let's not talk about formatting etc or bootables!), then start the setup from beginning and perform a clean install. I don't think there are any other ways likely. Because, at the end, no matter how much painfully you get to download the Windows 10 CU in the machine, you are going to use a USB stick to install it, so why not get it beforehand?



Trust me, 32GB of C: drive is painful and a torture which you have brung unto yourself.

The sh*t I complain about

It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem

~! Firewall !~



hairy_hats wrote: the upgrade is supposed to offer to use it for temporary files, but I don't get that option regardless of what I plug in



Basically a guess but as I read that...



The installer doesn't offer that. What you need to do is

1. Plug in the external driver

2. Alter the OS to use the external drive for temporary storage.

There might actually be several such configurations (or just one.)

3. Do the install

4. Undo step 2

5. Undo step 1



I have noticed that somehow the file listing in Windows 10 is in the form of a tree with these 3 alphabetic sections; it is there for at least both Details & Extra Large Icons. I'd like for it to go away, but I can't seem to figure it out in the menu, and I as well I can't get do a god internet search. Thanks



swampwiz wrote: I can't seem to figure it out in the menu Have you checked all the View settings, especially "Group by"?



Hello there. I am trying to find upload URL of any of the above email providers using wireshark. I have tried the following filter and tried to see where I go but in vein.

ip.addr == MY_IP_ADDRESS && http

I have tried to Follow TCP Stream , Follow HTTP Stream on several http packets but, again, I could not find the upload url of a file.



How do I find file upload URL of any of the above email providers? Thanks for any input.



modified 30-May-17 6:40am.







Basically when you "upload" a file to an email what the client, not server, does is add the file to the email. So there is no URL.



There is a specification for how this is done somewhere.

You should be able to see this for yourself by sending a short file to yourself then, in your email client, find the "view source" button (which you might need to hunt for) and then look at that. The "file" will be at the end with some header information.



It will look something like the following



... --------------1C04F503A23694EFB77EC37B Content-Type: text/xml; name="pom.xml" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: attachment;



Hi, I have been the lucky one at work tasked with finding and removing all corrupt files on a 10 TB network drive. I have spent a lot of time looking for a command/script/program that will search the drive and identify all corrupt files, automatically deleting them would be nice but what I need is them identified so that i don't have to keep checking every file manually. I can perform this on either Linux or windows so a command on either platform that can achieve this task would be great!



Thanks in advance!





=========================================================

I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.

=========================================================







You'll need to attempt to parse files as specific file types and make sure that they can be read. That means you'll need the spec or a fast execution environment for each and every file type on the system.



If you generally have a lot of one sort of file (say, .pdf) you can speed your search up by making a script that verifies that it can open each with itextsharp, for instance.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."

- Benjamin Disraeli



Hi folks,



Thank you for addressing my issue here. I have a win8.1 pro installation and I purchased a third party software package last year installed remotely. The third party built the software and activated Bitlocker encryption. This year I needed to decrypt for maintenance. The problem is that Bitlocker starts decrypting and then quickly starts re-encrypting. Basically I cannot decrypt from the control panel. My guess is that there is a hidden process that is keeping the drive encrypted. Any help or suggestion would be appreciated.



ps. I can use kernel monitoring tools under guidance.



Thank you.







Secondly, would you be able to decrypt that drive and read the content from within the software application they provided you? If, there is a system service that keeps blocking you from reading the content, contact their team, or sales department and ask them to guide you on this one.



Also, please in future make sure you only buy such services from vendors you can trust.

The sh*t I complain about

It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem

~! Firewall !~







This is a fellow who installs automotive diagnostic software (for a specific German brand)



>...Ever heard of ransomware?



Yes I have, I've been working with this fellow for about 3 years and never had a problem.



>...Secondly, would you be able to decrypt that drive and read the > content from within the software application they provided you?



The software is a copy of what a dealership would have and thus does not need encryption. The encryption on my drive is probably to keep me from collecting all files and build the system on someone else's machine.



What I really need is someone to guide me through using something like process explorer or gmer.



edit: My machine in question here has not been attacked with ransomware, it is and has been functioning normally as any user of a drive encrypted with Bitlocker. The problem is when I needed to turn off Bitlocker did the abnormal functionality show up.



modified 30-Apr-17 17:56pm.



Member 13161686 wrote: This is a fellow who installs automotive diagnostic software (for a specific German brand) Then you should be talking to him.







Do you, however, know how to write an executable that listens for a user's decrypt command to Bitlocker (from the control panel) and prevent decrypting? Or would you know how to track down a process like this? This is why I came to this forum.



Thank you


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De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V..

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GameStop Corp. is a specialty retailer founded in 1999 and headquartered in Grapevine, Texas. The company was originally known as GSC Holdings Corp. but later changed its name following its IPO. Originally a brand of then dominant Babbages, Gamestop altered the way video games were distributed and it is now the world's largest retailer of video games and video game accessories. The company went public in 2004 and operated 4,573 stores at the start of 2022. Brands under the company umbrella include Gamestop, EB Games, and Micromania as well as 50 pop-culture-themed Zing Pop locations.

Gamestop Corp. provides video games and entertainment products through its global network of e-commerce properties and stores. The company sells new and pre-owned gaming platforms and accessories like controllers, headsets, memory cards, and gaming software as well as in-game products like digital currency, downloadable content, and games. The company also sells new and used memorabilia and collectibles. Genres include TV, movie, comic book, and game characters as well as many other items from pop culture. GameStop Corp. also operates Game Informer, a magazine and website dedicated to the gaming industry including reviews, updates, and new developments in technologies.

Game enthusiasts enjoy two primary benefits of using Gamestop. The first is access to the full range of games and gaming accessories. The second is the ability to sell or trade their old equipment and games for fair prices. All old equipment is refurbished to a like-new state before resale.

In 2021 Gamestop announced it was entering the world of cryptocurrency. The company revealed plans to build an NFT (non-fungible token) platform for listing, selling, and holding digital or digitized artwork and collectibles. The beta version launched in 2022 and has so far seen great success with an average daily volume exceeding $1 million. The NFT marketplace also featured Web3.0 games in which characters and in-game items are held forever on the blockchain. As of September 2022, the most successful retailer on the NFT marketplace was Gamestop Presents, a collaboration of cover art from Game Informer Magazine. Sales at the time were just under 168 ETH or about $221,500.00.

GameStop began a slide in 2016 following a series of bad investments that included a foray into the world of mobile phones. The slide came to an end in late 2021 when shareholders using the Reddit thread Wallstreet Bets orchestrated a short-squeeze and brought on the age of meme stocks.
Add West Sea shipyard in Portugal to the list of yards welcoming their first cruise ship building projects as an expedition newbuilding program is well underway.

Quark Expeditions recently announced the addition of a new expedition cruise vessel for the 2018-2019 Antarctica season, the World Explorer, which will be the first in a series of 176-passenger ships built in Portugal.

Cruise Industry News has confirmed the ship is under construction at West Sea, which is located near Porto and part of the Martifer Group. Navalria shipyard, which is located nearby in Portugal, is also said to be involved and shares the same owners.

A source familiar with the plans said it is the first of a series of up to four Rolls-Royce-based expedition vessels that will be chartered out to relevant parties. The plans are known internally as Project Dolphin.

Portuguese businessman Mario Ferreria is behind the new concept which falls under the Mystic Cruises and Mystic Invest banner, according to a spokesperson.

Ferreria is also the CEO and owner of Douro Azul, a boutique Portuguese river cruise line that also builds vessels at WestSea.

In addition, Ferreira is also the owner of Nicko Cruises, a German river cruise company.

In 2014 Ferreira was the center of attention when he won the Atlantida car ferry at a bankruptcy auction for 8.7 million euro. After various plans fell through, it was reported the company was able to sell the ferry to Hurtigruten for 17 million euro just eight months later. Hurtigruten quickly turned it into the MS Spitsbergen, a dedicated expedition cruise ship.

The World Explorer is the 20th expedition vessel ordered in the last 16 months.
Lets talk about turnover. One of the most expensive events for a company is the loss of a key employee. High-performing, well-trained employees help an organization function at optimal levels. Losing employees can cost in time, resources, culture, and institutional knowledge. However, turnover is inevitable and becomes even more so as new and younger generations enter the workforce. The career advice given to Millennials is often that it is a disadvantage to stay in one company too long  their skills will become stagnant. Millennials have a concern that future employers will see them as unambitious or not well developed if they stay at an employer more than two or three years. It is logical advice  many industries are rapid to change to keep up with regulation and technology. Switching companies can provide an opportunity to learn new skills and advance personal knowledge. What is missing from this advice is the fact that deep expertise can also come with staying in one place. To really understand an industry, a person needs to stay long enough to see the range of consequences of company decisions. For example:

What happens when a person launches a new loan product but doesnt administer it long enough to see the cycle of delinquencies or charge-offs?

What happens when a company spends money converting a critical vendor, and a significant event negatively affects the vendor relationship before the end of the contract?

How does a company handle a situation when a key partner closes its doors?

What happens when a strategic investment becomes obsolete or declines in value contrary to initial projections?

These types of situations can take years to develop, and understanding how to handle them takes experience. One way of learning experience that is currently undervalued is the experience gained by being on both the front and back end of the situation. This type of experience creates an intuitive understanding of both the launch and exit phase of a project or relationship. It creates an internalized understanding of cyclical events. The opportunity to develop these skills gets missed when a person moves from company to company too often. Broad experience provides perspective. Deep experience provides wisdom. Both are critical to organizational culture.

So what should Millennials do when people they respect advise them not to stay in one place too long? Nothing. The burden is on credit unions to keep their employees from stagnating. The days where people stay 10 years or more at one company are mostly over. Millennials still need to understand both ends of project management and economic cycles. But employees should no longer be expected to remain in one role for the duration of their employment or defined by a few key projects or responsibilities in their workplace. High-performing employees will leave, and if they are stagnating they should leave. Credit unions must be intentional about developing employees and giving them opportunities to learn and take on interesting projects. Asset size should not be relevant to a credit unions ability to provide these opportunities. In large organizations, there are more resources to be spent on employee development. There is also greater role definition, which sometimes creates less opportunity to stretch outside of a defined role. Small and mid-sized credit unions may lack resources, but with a greater burden of operational demand on fewer employees, more opportunities exist to learn and try new things.

Even with the best employee development programs, people will still leave. People change, and new opportunities come along. As an industry, we should not overlook the opportunity to collaborate and help keep the talent pipeline within our movement. I have seen this type of collaboration first hand  an executive will recommend a key employee for a higher position at another credit union because they recognize there is no longer room for advancement for their employee internally.

What if many more credit unions embraced this sharing mentality? Many people make career moves within the credit union industry. We could see more collaborations develop between large and small credit unions. Leagues or other associations could administer a preferred hiring program that allows small credit unions to hire talented employees with an intentional avenue to promote the employee to a participating larger credit union when the time is right for the employee. Perhaps larger, better-staffed credit unions could provide a temporary employee when a small credit union goes through a transition. Small credit union employees are hands-on in many pieces of the operation so can offer tremendous perspective to larger organizations. An industry-wide development program could give small credit unions the critical ability to plan for turnover and send their strong employees to a role suited to their skill set. Credit unions of all sizes, particularly CDFIs and low-income designated credit unions, are perfect organizations to offer fellowship opportunities because of our mission-driven culture. Lets adapt to the current culture, and recognize the opportunities we have to offer when we work together. We are a creative, cooperative industry! What other opportunities exist to help create a talent pipeline in the credit union industry, and make sure our employees are growing, learning and stretching?
The dream of leaving your leather wallet at home and using other form factors for payments, primarily smartphones, has been the dream of analysts and prognosticators for many years. Every year, at least one publication stakes the claim that the next year will finally be that year.

In 2013, Mobile Payments World asked :  2013: The Year of the Mobile Wallet? 

The following year, Kantar US Insights stated :  2014 Could Very Well be the Year of the Mobile Wallet. 

In 2015, Lowestrates.com asked :  Will 2015 Finally Be the Year of the Mobile Wallet?

And in 2016, Affinion titled an article :  2016: The Year of the Mobile Wallet?

Given the inaccuracies of these predictions, it would seem that the use of mobile wallets has simply stalled for the past five years. But looking back a little further, it is amazing to see how radically the mobile wallet space has changed. Going all the way back to 2011, PC Magazine was already asking the question: Could our wallets be replaced one day soon by our smartphones?. That article contained an infographic depicting the top contenders at the time to replace credit cards with your smartphone.

Source: PC Magazine, July 8, 2011.

Back in mid-2011, the top four wallets that could be used from a smartphone were Google Wallet, ISIS, the Visa Wallet and Serve, none of which still exist in the same form they were in 2011. Google Wallet has morphed several times to become a stored value/prepaid card and a P2P utility (Android Pay later took up what was the mobile payment capability of the original Google Wallet). Serve, from AmEx, followed a similar path as the initial Google Wallet, morphing to become a Prepaid card.

The wallet that was called ISIS looked like it was on a track to success, and was named for the Egyptian goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom. It derailed when the name it had chosen became associated with a terrorist group; it relaunched as softcard, but never recovered.

The Visa Wallet also morphed, gave up trying to be an NFC wallet, and instead turned to become a token-enabled online payment button on e-commerce sites, with a new name, Visa Checkout.

So, is it true that everyone is still waiting for the year of mobile wallets? Yes and no. No, because we are still nowhere close to being able to leave home without a leather wallet; there are still many brick and mortar merchants that do not accept Apple/Android/Samsung Pay, and more realistically, you still need all the other items in your wallet  like your drivers license, gift cards, loyalty cards, maybe some cash. But, yes, because mobile payments have started to infiltrate the way we pay, even if it is not so obvious. When you step out of an Uber or Lyft, you dont swipe a card; a mobile payment is made behind the scenes. Buy something on Best Buy.com from your phone and swipe your finger on the home button to pay, and the magic of mobile payments is at work, invisibly, but safely.

It will be interesting to look back on today from 2022 and see how far weve come. What do you think well be looking back from?

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Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.
State officials and lawmakers are working on an incentive package to lure giant Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to Wisconsin.

If lawmakers settle on an incentive package, it won't be in the 2017-19 state budget, but moves to help fund the package could be part of current budget negotiations, Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal.

"Foxconn is part of the long-term conversations about the budget," said Nygren, co-chairman of the Legislature's budget committee.

Any incentive package for Foxconn would be contained in separate legislation, he said.

Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, and Nygren said the state could announce it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Foxconn by the end of the month, according to the Associated Press, which first reported on the incentive package.

Foxconn employs about 1 million people to assembly iPhones and smartphones for BlackBerry and Sony.

The company is considering building a $7 billion U.S. plant that could employ as many as 10,000 people to build display panels. Foxconn officials also are looking at building in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, told the AP that lawmakers are talking about "huge, big numbers" to offer to Foxconn officials.

Fitzgerald's spokeswoman Myranda Tanck said while Fitzgerald his aware of efforts to bring Foxconn to Wisconsin, "all negotiations with the company are being conducted with the administration and have not significantly included legislators."

"He anticipates that any legislative action to help facilitate an agreement with Foxconn would likely come outside of the budget and hopefully garner bipartisan support," she said.

Nygren said the potential incentive package is "not directly" affecting passage of a new state budget, which was due July 1.

But he said lawmakers are now mulling a proposal from Gov. Scott Walker to eliminate a $203 million income tax cut to lower bonding levels to help pay for road projects and potentially help create incentives for Foxconn.

He said lawmakers are considering how this move would affect future budgets.

For weeks, lawmakers have been at odds over how to close a nearly $1 billion transportation funding gap. The Senate has proposed $721 million borrowing; the Assembly opposes more borrowing.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported in recent weeks that Foxconn officials have held a number of meetings in the state, looking at potential sites in southeastern and central Wisconsin including Dane County.
Kayla Beals was just 12 years old when she realized she wanted to work in the health-care sector  and it wasnt an easy realization.



Thats how old she was when her grandmother, who lived with Kaylas family in their small house in Eastern Passage, N.S., suffered a major stroke that left her unable to eat normally.



Despite her young age, Kayla stepped up to help out by assisting her mother and the nurses with her grandmothers feeding tube and medicines. She also accompanied her grandmother on visits to the hospital.



That experience in being around nurses and doctors and going to the surgeries with her made it concrete that thats what I wanted to do, says Kayla. I wanted to help people like that.



She began volunteering in nursing homes and hospitals in the community after her grandmother passed away in 2012. And when an opportunity arose to participate in a new health camp for African Nova Scotian youth being launched at Dal in the summer of 2014, she jumped at the chance to take part.



Be the change you want to see



Now, four years later, shes preparing for a return to campus  only this time as a Medical Sciences student with nearly $50,000 in scholarships and a dream of becoming a medical doctor.



The week-long camp, which has nearly doubled in size to 27 participants this summer from 15 in that first year, offers teens across the province in grades eight through 11 the chance to learn more about the different health professions, where African Nova Scotians are still vastly underrepresented. It includes interactive sessions on everything from nursing and medicine to dentistry and physiotherapy.



Going through the hospitals, very seldom did I see people who looked like me or came from a background like mine, says Kayla of her time volunteering in the health sector. That was a little discouraging, but as I grew up I think I learned that youve got to be the change you want to see.



She says the Dal camp helped her decide that she wanted to focus on becoming a medical doctor (MD) and gave her the knowledge and connections she needed to plot that path.

Making it happen



Eager to set herself up for medical school down the road, Kayla began to look into program options at Dal in high school. She applied and was accepted into bachelor programs in Nursing and Science, but was waitlisted for her top choice of Medical Sciences  a preparatory undergraduate program of sorts for students looking to eventually move into professional health programs.



Shy a few percentage points of the necessary entrance average for the program due to being in and out of hospital with gastrointestinal disorder throughout grade 12, Kayla hired a tutor and raised her grades until she got in this April.



She shared this and other stories about her own journey toward medicine with this years campers during last Fridays closing ceremony.



Its rough getting to where you want to be, she told the teens. Youre going to face things that could potentially hold you back, but what gets you to the point where you want to be is pushing through those obstacles.



Guidance and support



In Kaylas case, that includes potential future hurdles. With years of schooling ahead, she is reluctant to burden her parents with the costs of her schooling or saddle herself with student debt.



Kayla speaks to current students in the African Nova Scotian Health Sciences camp. (Provided photo)



She emphasized the important role Michelle Patrick, program director of Dals PLANS (Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians) program that the summer camp is part of, has played in guiding her toward the four different scholarships she has since received.



Michelle has presented me with so many life-changing opportunities since I started high school, says Kayla. She has stayed in contact with me, always messaging me with different opportunities.



Its that continued contact, guidance and mentorship that can make all the difference when it comes time for those students to start thinking about post-secondary plans and when they eventually arrive.



We offer mentorship programming with older students and professionals from the community, explains Patrick, noting that last year PLANS hosted a group mentoring session for Nursing students with registered nurses and nurse practitioners.



Finding her path



She said students like Kayla are also encouraged to joined the Health Association of African Canadians-Student Organization, a student-led group connected to PLANS that aims to bring students together to learn about Black health issues, career development and community engagement.



While Kayla is still years away from applying to med school, she says she is happy to see more students of African descent taking that path at Dal. This year, the university graduated six MDs of African descent  its largest class yet.



I want to be one of a class of 10 or 12 or 15, she says. Thats what I want to see.


Pan African Resources , forecast higher production even as gold produced for the full-year to 30 June came in below its own guidance.

Pan African said it expected production in excess of 190,000/oz. in 2018.

Cobus Loots, the CEO of Pan African, commented: the 2017 financial year was operationally challenging in many respects, however the Group is now seeing the benefits of the remedial actions implemented by management. We look forward to a much improved performance in 2018, with a substantial increase in gold production."

However, the board also announced that gold output at period-end was 4.4% below guidance for 173,000oz management itself had provided, due to a slower than anticipated restart of the underground mine at Evander Gold Mining Proprietary and operational challenges endured at Barberton Mines Proprietary, which had since been rectified.

The African-focused precious metals producer also highlighted some of milestones reached at other projects during the year.

Evander Mines 7 refurbishment was successfully completed alongside the material aspect of the restructuring programme.

A study was completed on the high grade Fairview Mining operation at Barberton Mines, from which it was estimated that capital expenditure of R105m would be necessary over a two-year period, which was expected to yield an additional 7-10koz of gold per annum.

The high grade drill result at Evander Mines 2010 pay channel was deemed encouraging and prompted a feasibility study to assess the economic viability of expanding the underground mining operations.

Elikhulu Tailings Recruitment Plant was reportedly fully-funded, with construction on track.

The company's net debt reduced to R66.7m as of 30 June 2017 from R339.7m at the end of the prior year, although it continued to have a available debt facilities of R880.2m.

Pan African remained optimistic about the future despite an operationally-challenging financial year:

The Elikhulu project was on track to delivering first gold as originally planned, and was expected to contribute low-cost ounces and profits over the next 18 months, company boss Cobus Loots said.

"We are excited about the prospects for the Evander Mines 2010 Pay Channel project; the Evander Mines team now has to bring the project to account in the near term, in a profitable and value-accretive manner. During the past year, Pan African has reaffirmed our gold focus and again delivered transactions that crystallise shareholder value."
US oil corporation ExxonMobil has been fined $2m by authorities in the country for the violation of sanctions handed out to Russia during Rex Tillersons time as CEO.

Sanctions were imposed on the Kremlin following its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, with several Russian businesses and individuals placed on a blacklist.

Exxons dealings with Igor Sechin, the president of oil giant Rosneft, came under scrutiny ahead of the fine handed out by the US Treasury.

Tillerson was appointed as Donald Trumps secretary of state at a time when connections between the Kremlin and his administration were under scrutiny, and remain to be today.

Exxon Mobil demonstrated reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements, the Treasury said in a report announcing the penalty.

Exxon Mobil caused significant harm to the Ukraine-related sanctions program.

The oil giant has vehemently denied the penalty, and vowed to sue the US Treasury over the decision.

It slammed the fine as unlawful and capricious, despite the fact the $2m penalty handed down is a relatively minor one in terms of the size of Exxons balance sheet.
Britain should remain in the EU Customs Union following Brexit in order to avoid problems with the Irish border, the countrys ambassador to the UK said on Friday.

In an interview with Sky News, Dan Mulhall urged the UK government to push to stay in the common trading area as anything to the contrary would cause major problems for Ireland.

The soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic has become one of the major points of contention in the ongoing Brexit talks between UK and EU negotiating teams, with issues of immigration and customs standing alongside political instability in the North.

"Our hope and wish is that Britain should remain as closely connected as possible with the EU and one aspect of that would be if Britain were to remain in the Customs Union," Mulhall said.

Alongside the Irish question, the other key priorities for Brexit talks ahead of the UKs departure in 2019 are an exit bill and citizens rights.

There has been increasing talk of a so-called transition period, so that businesses and government agencies will be able to cope with the substantial changes which will accompany the exit.

Mulhall added that EU membership had brought great benefits to Ireland and its relationship with the UK.

"EU membership was a huge benefit to British-Irish relations... it helped bring peace to Northern Ireland, he said.

"For all of those reasons, and for our close bilateral relationship, personally Ireland will miss the UK badly.
AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot has played down recent rumours that he was to leave the London-listed drug giant for Israeli generic colossus Teva.

The French-born executive, who has led the FTSE 100 company since 2012, told staff in an internal memo that he expected to work "together" with them to see the company succeed, Reuters reported on Friday.

Rumours were "part of everyday business", Soriot said, and the company has stood firm on its policy of not commenting on speculation.

A week ago, Tel Aviv-based Teva, the world's biggest generic drugmaker, was said to be close to naming Soriot as its new CEO and that he had met Teva's chairman and agreed to take the role.

Teva has been without a permanent CEO since February, when Erez Vigodman stepped down, with its chief financial also resigning last month.
Beazley edged past forecasts with its interim results, bumping up its pay-out as a result, but the company's boss sounded a very realistic note when discussing the outlook.

The insurance underwriter posted a combined ratio of 90% (Numis: 91%) which drove a 6% increase in profits before tax for the six months to 30 June of $158.7m (Numis: $155m).

On a per share basis, earnings rose 17% to 20.2p.

Net investment income was ahead from $62.7m in the comparable period of the year before to $79.4m.

Meanwhile, gross written premiums increased by 2% to $1,149.3m. However, at $83.4m prior-year reserve releases were ahead of the 2016 number of $77.4m (Numis: $75.0m).

At the interim stage of the year, the firm's dividend was bumped up from 3.5p to 3.7p.

In terms of the outlook, company boss Andrew Horton described then current market conditions as "not conducive to growth", but said the underwriter was capable of mid-single digit growth and of remaining profitable.

An absence of any "market-turning catastrophe events (which would of course generate sizeable short term losses)", would only compound the challenge, he added.

Nonetheless, "We will not sacrifice profitability for growth, which means that we will continue to walk away from underpriced business. We will also continue to invest in the skills and infrastructure needed to succeed in any rating environment," he said.

-- More to follow --
After missing its self-imposed deadline of June 30, Lloyds said Friday it was close to making offers of compensation to less than half of the customers who had been impacted by counts of fraud by former bankers.

Lloyds have received significant criticism regarding the amount of time it has taken to offer restitution to the victims of the fraud.

Lyndon Scourfield, 54, a senior director of HBOS in Reading, England was one of two former bankers jailed in February which siphoned money from struggling businesses. The scam, which forced firms to borrow cash through a consultancy firm operated by associate David Mills cost small firms as much as 1bn, according to police sources.

Victims have accused Lloyds of dragging out the compensation process for the crimes committed between 2003 and 2007, as well as grossly underestimating the amount of the final pay-out from its 100m compensation pool.

Of the 67 customers affected, only 5 customers have accepted the final offer and Adrian White, chief operating officer for commercial banking has said that the bank is continuing to make progress in getting offers to victims of the HBOS Reading fraud
Let us consider the qualifications of President Donald Trumps nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Holy See: one Callista Gingrich of Virginia.

She is a former clerk on the House Agriculture Committee.

She is the author of childrens books about an elephant named Ellis.

She sings in the choir at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

She plays French horn in City of Fairfax Band.

And, she testified Tuesday, she has looked at some of Pope Franciss encyclical on climate change.

But really, Gingrich was receiving a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because of one qualification: She is married to Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House and a major backer of President Trump.

And now, for his support of Trump, he is getting the ultimate patronage: the chance to live in Rome on the taxpayers dime while his wife, the president of Gingrich Productions, enjoys a plum posting. Newt, who converted to Catholicism several years ago, set his wife up nicely for the job by co-hosting two videos with her about Pope John Paul II, produced with a Gingrich political ally.

But if it is good news for the Gingriches, it is an(other) insult to Francis from Trump, who has sparred with the pope over immigration and climate change. Newt carried on a six-year extramarital affair with Callista in the 1990s when she, 23 years his junior, was a House staffer and he, as speaker, led the impeachment of Bill Clinton over his extramarital affair with an intern.

National Catholic Reporters Michael Sean Winters called it astonishing that a party that celebrates family values at every turn has a president who is on his third wife and who has bragged about his extramarital affairs and who is appointing an ambassador to the Vatican who had a six-year affair with her future husband while he was still married to his second wife.

The nomination of Callista is also Trumps beatification of Newt, who has done as much as anyone to coarsen American politics  and to pave the way for Trump  with his name-calling, demonizing and brinkmanship.

All presidents reward supporters with patronage. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson will be our man in London. On Gingrichs panel Tuesday was George Glass, a big Trump donor, tapped to be ambassador to Portugal though he doesnt speak Portuguese.

But the choice of Callista Gingrich is another category of cronyism for an administration populated by friends and relations rather than appointees of merit. This has fueled the Russia scandal, stalled the agenda in Congress and made the administration seem singularly incompetent  yet Republicans in Congress have been unwilling to say that this is unacceptable.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced Gingrich on Tuesday by noting that she was valedictorian of her high school class.

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., who succeeded Newt in the House before moving to the Senate, declared that one of her great, great persuasive talents is to not only convince Newt to marry her, but convert him to Catholicism.

Gingrich, an uncomfortable smile fixed on her face, provided, in lieu of actual answers to questions, strung-together snippets of cliches.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked about refugee policy, on which Francis and Trump disagree. Gingrich responded with a bromide about a deep commitment in this country to work to forward peace and stability.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., asked how she would work with the Vatican to counter extremism. Gingrich responded with a word salad about looking forward to working on those issues of our shared policy opportunities.

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., asked about the popes climate change encyclical. She responded with boilerplate about how President Trump wants to maintain that we have clean air and clean water.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., asked if she had even read the encyclical.

I have looked at some of it, the witness replied.

Are there pieces of it that particularly resonate for you?

Well, Gingrich replied generically, I think were all called to be stewards of the land.

Staffers on both sides of the committee were now grinning at the pained responses.

Johnson, attempting to rehabilitate the witness, urged her to talk about her study of John Paul II and what she learned about U.S. and Vatican leadership. Gingrich retreated again to platitude: Its so important that we reach out to places like the Holy See to forward good in this world, she said.

That was enough for Johnson, who pronounced her perfectly suited for this position.

Perfectly situated, at least.
A class action lawsuit against Mastercard to claim for 14bn of collective damages in the UK has been rejected by a Competition Appeal Tribunal, though an appeal is being mulled.

The case was brought by former chief financial services ombudsman Walter Merricks to seek damages on behalf of 46.2m consumers who used MasterCard credit and debit cards in the 16 years up to mid-June 2008, claiming that the card company applied anticompetitive fees to process the payments, which were then passed onto consumers.

The CAT's judgment was that the claim was not suitable to be brought under the collective actions regime, with the tribunal not satisfied that evidence could be produced to show that fees charged by Mastercard to businesses were then passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

The claim, which was originally calculated at 19bn but has since been cut due to a lower estimated damage to consumers, is the biggest in UK legal history.

Merricks has acted as the representative for this consumer-focused collective action case, which is being funded by litigation funding specialist Gerchen Keller Capital.

Merricks, whose collective case is one of several being brought against Mastercard and Visa, said he was "actively considering" with his advisors and litigation funders the possibility of an appeal.

I am surprised and disappointed that the Competition Appeal Tribunal has rejected my application to bring collective proceedings against Mastercard."

The former regulator noted that the collective action regime was introduced asp art of the Consumer Rights Act to overcome the difficulty for consumers seeking to recover losses from competition law infringements.

"I am concerned that this new regime, designed to benefit consumers, may never get off the ground. The granting of the collective proceedings order in this case would have allowed 46m consumers to recover the losses caused to them by Mastercards proven illegal conduct.

"It is, however, unfortunate that the Tribunal considered that it was not satisfied that my experts would be able to get the evidence to show that the illegal fees charged by Mastercard to businesses were then passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices."

He also expressed disappointment that the CAT determined that even if he could identify accurately the loss suffered by all 46m consumers, the fact that he could not precisely calculate the individualised loss for each of those 46m consumers, meant they should get nothing at all.

"I believe these are matters my advisers could have addressed and overcome had the claim been allowed to proceed. I am actively considering with my advisors and litigation funders the possibility of an appeal."

Mastercard welcomed the CAT judgment refusing certification for the proposed collective action.

"As set out in Mastercards arguments to date, we believe that the claims were completely unsuitable to be brought under the collective actions regime. The Tribunal sided with this position," a spokesman said.

"We firmly believe that consumers derive real value from our network through the benefits of security, convenience and consumer protection, and we remain committed to investing in our services in order to continue to meet the rapidly evolving needs of all our customers."
CALIFORNIA  UK boutique brand Stella McCartney has announced a new partnership with US biotechnology company, Bolt Threads, a creator of high performance fabrics. The partnership will focus on sustainable fashion and luxury materials development, aiming to "push the boundaries in fabric innovation and usher in the next generation of cutting-edge textiles."
Eleven peaceful activists from the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise have taken to the water in inflatable boats with handheld banners to oppose the Statoil Songa Enabler oil rig, 275 km North off the Norwegian coast, in the Arctic Barents sea.

The banners say: People Vs. Arctic Oil and are directed at Statoil and the Norwegian government, which has opened a new, aggressive search for oil in the waters of the Barents Sea.

Climate change survivor and activist Joanna Sustento from the Philippines, and actress and activist Lucy Lawless from New Zealand, are among the 19 nationalities who have traveled to the high Northern waters onboard the Arctic Sunrise. Sustento wants the Norwegian government to take responsibility for its climate commitments and development of a new oil frontier in the Arctic. She lost her entire family, except for her brother, to Super-typhoon Haiyan in 2013 which left large parts of her hometown, Tacloban, in ruins.

It is hard for me to grasp and accept that a government like Norways is opening up new Arctic oil drilling, knowing full well it will put families and homes in other parts of the world at risk. Im here in the Arctic to see this irresponsibility with my own eyes; share my story about the human consequences of climate change; and call on the Norwegian government to put a stop to this dangerous search for new oil, said Sustento.

Activist Joanna Sustento in the Barents Sea. Will Rose / Greenpeace

Just two weeks after signing the Paris climate agreement, the Norwegian Government awarded 13 oil companies 10 new licenses in a completely new area, for the first time in more than 20 years.

It is scary to think that super-typhoons could become the new normal if governments like Norways allow more oil drilling. I couldnt stop the typhoon that destroyed my home, but Norway could play a role in curbing the severity and frequency of these storms right now. It gives me hope to see that right now people are taking peaceful action for the climate all over the world and holding governments accountable, added Sustento.

Greenpeace and the Norwegian organization Nature and Youth, have also filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian government, arguing that the new oil licenses violate both the Paris climate agreement and paragraph 112 of the Norwegian Constitution, which commits the government to safeguard the peoples right to a clean and healthy environment for future generations.

More than 250,000 people have added their names to support the climate lawsuit, and these witness statements will be used to support the case in court.

Lucy Lawless in RHIB with Arctic Sunrise in the background. Greenpeace

I cant stand by, doing nothing, when we know beyond a doubt that we cant burn a single barrel of oil from a new well if we are to avoid a climate catastrophe. I dont ever want to look my kids in the eye and explain why I didnt do all I could to protect them from climate change. It is beyond my understanding that the Norwegian government is giving Statoil a ticket to drill like mad at the expense of future generations, said Lawless.

The Statoil rig Songa Enabler is currently looking for new oil at the Gemini North license, and is expected to continue to the Korpfjell license later this summer. Both licenses were awarded in the 23rd licensing round that is subject of the court case filed by Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, scheduled for hearing on November 14. Statoil and the Norwegian government have decided to go ahead with the drillings despite the legal dispute.
A new law passed this week in South Miami will require all new homes built in the city to install solar panels. The measure, which was inspired by a proposal from a teenage climate activist, will go into effect in September.

The text of the ordinance details the climate impacts facing South Miami.

The law makes South Miami one of only a few cities around the country, including San Francisco, to require solar panels on new homes.

As reported by Climate Central:

Mayor Philip Stoddard says the city is trying to cut its carbon footprint because the region will be deeply affected by climate change, especially as sea levels rise.

Were down in South Florida where climate change and sea level rise are existential threats, so were looking for every opportunity to promote renewable energy, Stoddard said. Its carbon reduction, plain and simple. We have a pledge for carbon neutrality. We support the Paris Climate Agreement.'

Stoddard is a biology professor at Florida International University who powers his home entirely with solar, drives an electric car and spends about $10 per month on his electric bill, the Miami Herald reported.

For a deeper dive:

Climate Central, AP, Miami Herald, Motherboard

For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for daily Hot News.
Mumbai: Reliances Jio phone Good time is going on. While the company has given the feature phone users a stairway to step in the new digital world, the company has also shut down the phone by making it cheap phone makers. Indias 4G smartphone Jio phone comes with a number of great features, but it does not work if you prefer Whatsapp.

Many live apps in Jio phone are preloaded, such as Jio Cinema, Jio TV, and Jio Music. But it has not given a WhatsApp. Neither the company has given some information related to it in its AGM. It may be possible to see WhatsApp in this phone in the coming time.

While it may also be that companies do not support Whatsapp support to promote their chatting platform Jio Chat. However, WhatsApp is extremely popular in India. The company has built this phone keeping in mind the Indian feature phone. This is similar to other feature phones, but its features are not less than any smartphone. Its voice commands seem absolutely superb. With it, you can control all the apps. Jio Phone has also given the app of Modi Mann ki Baat. In which you can hear the episodes by Narendra Modi. The distant message feature of the phone is also excellent. It will be fun to see the answers of other telecom companies. After this plan, what companies like Airtel and Vodafone are going to do.
Following the region's inaugural green bond this year, what is the potential for further green-labelled bonds or sukuk from the region? This round table, sponsored by Latham & Watkins, London Stock Exchange Group, and S&P Global and hosted by the Gulf Bond & Sukuk Association, canvassed the opinion of market players.

Speakers: Chair: Peter Cripps, Environmental Finance

Darko Hajdukovic, London Stock Exchange

Gus Schellekens, EY

Hani Ibrahim, QInvest

Karim Nassif, S&P Global

Lee Irvine, Latham & Watkins

Michael Grifferty, Gulf Bond and Sukuk Association

Mohammad Awad Al Duwailah, Kuwait Finance House (KFH)

Rohit Sinha, ACWA Power

Sam Mirza, Standard Chartered

Peter Cripps: We have had more than $200 billion of green bonds but only one from the Middle East, from NBAD in March. Is there potential for more green bonds or green sukuk from the region?

Michael Grifferty: Y es, no doubt about it. Just look at the debt capital market at this time. Last year was a breakout year, in a sense, where issuance more than doubled and this year is going to be very strong again. Having said that, the region is just arriving, it is still early days, but we are poised to become a consistent, significant issuer in conventional and Islamic debt.

It has also been instructive that, in the past 18 months, issuers have been looking at debt capital markets at the expense, for the first time, of syndicated lending, which is a game changer. We have the combination of the general market in the process of exploding, and huge infrastructure need, much of which is green, broadly speaking, whether it is water, transport or energy, all of which are potentially huge.

We are starting from a low point and the only way is up.

"We have the combination of the general debt capital markets in the process of exploding, and huge infrastructure need, much of which is green"  Michael Grifferty, Gulf Bond and Sukuk Association

Peter Cripps: This region is probably best known for oil. We have had the Paris Agreement on climate change; how is the Middle East fitting into this?

Gus Schellekens: There is some action in the area of climate change. It is worth noting that the whole GCC region was an active participant in the lead up to the Paris discussions and also hosted the Abu Dhabi Ascent in May that year. What is encouraging is that ambitious targets have also been announced by most GCC governments, and in some cases these have already been revised upwards, particularly in terms of renewable energy.

The other thing that has helped move renewable energy up the government agenda is the drop in costs, particularly for PV. With some of the headlinegrabbing costs that have been achieved here in Dubai, and most recently in Abu Dhabi, it is a game changer. For once, the economics mean that it is suddenly cheaper than gas, it is cheaper than oil, it is cheaper than a lot of conventional infrastructure options.

Peter Cripps: What we need, if this region is to become a substantial issuer of green bonds or green sukuk, is substantial capex on green projects. Is it happening?

Rohit Sinha: Yes. As a region, GCC was slow on the uptake and there were a few reasons for that, one of them being the price of oil. Once you factor in that the cost of solar panels and the technology itself has come down  the underlying fact is that it is really cheap now.

Dubai has shown the way; in Abu Dhabi, there are mega projects that are reaching financial close; and Saudi has announced certain transactions. Within the broader MENA region, Jordan is looking at renewables quite seriously; and Morocco is a market leader in a lot of ways.

We think that this is a trend that will keep gathering momentum and more capacity will come.

Peter Cripps: Hani, you are an arranger, is this something that comes up in conversation when you are talking to companies or organisations that have some kind of green capex or green projects?

"The green market is quickly getting to a place where issuers listing green bonds will be able to achieve a pricing differential"  Darko Hajdukovic, London Stock Exchange

Hani Ibrahim: Not as such. It is not that they are doing it because it is green, they are doing it because it will make them a profit and it happens to be green and it serves a further agenda that goes with that.

Gus Schellekens: It is important that we recognise that this market may not develop as quickly or as fully as we would like it to by itself.

The pipeline is not huge. It is not as though we are overcome by so many opportunities that all need to be financed. We are still hunting. NBAD is still looking for projects where it can apply the proceeds of its bond. There are not enough projects of the right shape, size, etc that they feel happy to finance.

Peter Cripps: Do SSAs need to get involved to set a trend going?

Sam Mirza: I think you are exactly right. You need a sovereign to step in first and show the way for everyone.

Right now, every time we talk to the issuers the fundamental question we have to answer is, 'What is the key benefit for us?'

If it is a clear pricing advantage, like a sukuk for example, or we cannot confirm that this is going to generate the right marketing value, issuers will not have the same kind of traction with issuers.

The marketing benefit of the transaction is helpful, but a key decision maker too will be when issuers ask, 'Well, I have not seen many issuers do a green bond, is the market tried and tested and should I not see a significant cost saving for venturing into this market?'

When you look at the sukuk market in Hong Kong, for example, the Sovereign's debut Sukuk worked to open up the Islamic instrument for the northeast Asian market, so having a big brother step in to show how it is done and popularise the approach is ideal.

Pricing considerations

Darko Hajdukovic: Issuers will only consider green bonds if it is clear to them that the green certification is beneficial. The green market is quickly getting to a place where issuers listing green bonds will be able to achieve a pricing differential.

There are other considerations which will have an effect on pricing. For example, issuers who list green bonds are perceived generally to have better corporate governance and to be more forward-thinking companies. This, along with the investor diversification achieved through a green issuance, will eventually impact the price.

"I am an investor and I will accept having less coupon  I would say between five and 10 bps  from a green sukuk issuer if it trades like a regular sukuk in the market" - Mohammad Awad Al Duwailah, Kuwait Finance House

Mohammad Awad Al-Duwailah: From the investment point of view, I am an investor and I will accept having less coupon  I would say between five and 10 bps  from a green sukuk issuer if it trades like a regular sukuk in the market. It shows me that this guy is succeeding, the management is socially responsible, and this is a good sign generally. The management of this corporation is thinking about the long term, they are thinking about the environment, they are thinking about the health of my family. This is my point of view.

There are striking similarities between green bonds and sukuk, because both of them are asset based, so there should be a project. From a concept point of view, Islamic finance supports the development of land and society and this is totally in line with something like a green project.

It is like the chicken and the egg; which comes first? If we showed our money first, the project would come. The market for sure will support a green sukuk.

Peter Cripps: Does your organisation have some kind of ESG or SRI commitment, are you a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment?

Mohammad Awad Al-Duwailah: No. The problem in the GCC is that it is not like in Europe, where the pressure came from individuals, from the bottom up, until they brought in laws and regulations. Here, the government is trying to impose it and, individually, there is no environmental culture in our countries.

This can be a good point from a PR perspective. For example, I do not want Kuwait Finance House not to be in the first green sukuk, because we are a pioneer and that could be used by our competitors against us. We want to be the pioneer, because we will use it as PR. It is a PR move, in fact.

Gus Schellekens: There is a perception, as you were saying, that companies that embrace this tend to perhaps have better governance, take a longer-term view on returns, invest responsibly, and look after society as well as business. They are not just about profit maximisation, they are about longevity and sustainability of the business itself, as well as the community within which they are investing. Research has increasingly shown that this gives a much better payback in the long term.

Karim Nassif: Coming to the issue of transparency and governance, these are central pillars in this Green Evaluation Tool that we have just launched. Indeed, transparency and governance are two important categories and then we look at either mitigation and/or adaptation. You have a total weighted aggregate score for all of those things, assessed on a scale of E1 to E4 or R1 to R4 for adaptation projects.

"We would be more than happy to do a green bond. If there are investors, if it is priced at least the same as conventional bonds, then we will look at it quite seriously"  Rohit Sinha, ACWA Power

Lee Irvine: Are you expecting better pricing perhaps if you are E1 as opposed to E4 or are you expecting some of the big investors in green bonds to have limits and say, 'I can only invest in an E1 or E2', which obviously then would have an impact on pricing anyway?

Karim Nassif: It is purely an evaluation and one that, ultimately, investors can use to form their own opinions about whether they want to invest in this particular corporate or project issuance. We have only just performed our first assessment, on a US project financing, followed more recently by another on a Swedish municipality. Certainly there is a lot of money in the world that wants to be dedicated towards responsible investment.

Building the market

Hani Ibrahim: Being the first (NBAD) is great, but there needs to be a way of creating a market that is not just the first, but there is also a second, a third, a twentieth and a hundredth. If you look at the sukuk market, one of the reasons it took off is that it was comparable as a borrowing instrument, potentially even slightly cheaper for the borrower, at one point in time and it still is, depending on the issuers, etc.

However, it is adding an additional amount of liquidity to any borrower's ability to borrow. That happened as Islamic bank balance sheets grew and so there was capital there needing a home. Once there is capital in the green funds space and investors being able to invest in green bonds, we will naturally see that grow. In this region, as far as I know, we do not have any green portfolios or green funds or SRI funds that look for assessments or ratings of environmental compliance.

Karim Nassif: Rohit, on the issuances that you guys have been doing, especially the longterm issuance, you are seeing a lot of investment from outside the region, so a large share of the invested portfolio resides in places like the US, Europe, Asia?

Rohit Sinha: The $800 million issuance that we did had a lot of demand from the US, Europe and the UK because of its specific nature, long tenor and the kind of structure we had.

What I understand is that regional issuances typically, if they are 510 years, will get a lot of regional demand, but otherwise it is not something that the investors are able to look at.

Going back to Michael's point that 18 months back the focus was still on syndicated lending, for us, as well, it has been true, because we have about $22 billion of project financing sitting in our assets and it is all syndicated lending. Syndicated lending makes sense because it has been cheaper, it has been competitive, and it is available.

The reason we went for the specific issuance that we did is because that kind of syndicated lending was not available, and a second very important reason was that we wanted to diversify our investor sources.

We would be more than happy to do a green bond. If there are investors, if it is priced at least the same as conventional bonds, then we will look at it quite seriously.

But, if it is expensive or more problematic or we do not find the investors, we would not force-fit it into our capital structure.

Investment demand

Hani Ibrahim: The Middle East will pick up the trend [for issuing green] and, when it does, it will pick it up very quickly  we have seen GCC sovereigns such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and more recently the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia embrace both the bond and sukuk markets.

In a similar way, as the investment community in Europe and the US etc, is shifting towards an SRI/green agenda, I hope that a similar trend is picked up by the investor community in this part of the world.

However, as was mentioned earlier, the limitation is that the trend for green was pushed up in the developed world from people, here it is pushed down from government initiatives. That investor trend may also need to be pushed up, and the catalyst may need to be pension funds and sovereign wealth funds saying: 'We will allocate 10%, 20%, 50% of our portfolio as green' for it then to be taken on by the wider community. That is probably one big catalyst that is needed, but I do not know how likely or feasible it is.

Michael Grifferty: Yes, that is a key point. When we talk of pension funds here, we are talking about a very small and inactive pension community, with some exceptions, but one that is totally unmobilised as far as SRI and so on. However, that is growing: we hosted a regional pension reform event earlier in the year and there is a growing consensus that the eventual unsustainability of public pension funds in the region has to be addressed, as well as the provision of alternatives for private retirement savings. The green and SRI agenda will inevitably be built into that process.

We also need to draw the sovereign wealth funds a little bit more into this discussion.

Mohammad Awad Al-Duwailah: Green sukuk and green bonds are similar to normal sukuk or bonds, it is just we add another factor, which is the rating from E1 to E4, to show that this money is invested in green projects. That is all.

For sukuk, it will open a new market for me, in Sweden for example, and I am sure those investors will be interested. In this kind of market, I will not open it with a normal refinery sukuk or something, I will go with a green sukuk.

The sustainability agenda

Gus Schellekens: Part of the reluctance to engage with 'sustainability' may be a psychological one. I have been in the region since 2010 talking about sustainability and the opportunities that it offers. For many people, as soon as they hear the term 'sustainability', they turn away and look at their phone  'Sorry, I have a call I need to take'.

"The Middle East will pick up the [green] trend and, when it does, it will pick it up very quickly"  Hani Ibrahim, QInvest

What I started doing from an early point onwards is not to use the word sustainability. What may be holding the market back in this area is the 'green' label, which is not taken seriously, and also because different people understand 'green' in different ways.

People should build Sustainability into their decisions as part of business as usual, and every now and then it will impart additional benefits.

Read part two of this round table here.
Funding will expedite development, access to new products that would empower women with new ways to prevent HIV and protect their health

SILVER SPRING, Md. (July 20, 2017) -- The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) announced today that it has received a 12 million (US$15.6 million) award over four years from the United Kingdom (UK) government through the Department for International Development (DFID) to advance promising HIV and multipurpose prevention products that women could use to protect their sexual and reproductive health.

The UK aid grant will support regulatory, licensure and market introduction activities for IPM's monthly dapivirine vaginal ring, which IPM developed with support from previous UK government awards and other donors. The ring is designed to offer a discreet, long-acting and affordable HIV prevention option for women, who insert and replace the ring themselves every month. Last year, the ring became the first microbicide shown to reduce women's HIV risk in two large clinical trials. IPM recently submitted the product for review to the European Medicines Agency and plans to submit applications next to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (formerly the Medicines Control Council) in late 2017 and to the US Food and Drug Administration in 2018. Following potential WHO pre-qualification, IPM will also seek regulatory approval in African countries where women face the highest HIV risk.

In addition, the award will fund the development of next-generation microbicides that build on IPM's dapivirine ring technology. These include a three-month dapivirine-only ring that would offer women greater convenience and lower costs, and a three-month dapivirine-contraceptive ring, designed to offer simultaneous protection against HIV and unintended pregnancy, that recently entered its first clinical trial.

"This investment in research and development for innovations like the dapivirine ring underscores the UK government's commitment to empowering women and girls who face alarmingly high risk for HIV infection," said Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, IPM's founder and CEO. "We are proud to continue partnering with the UK government to give women a range of long-acting options they can use on their own terms to prevent HIV and protect their sexual and reproductive health."

HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy are two of the leading threats to women's health, particularly in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, women make up nearly 60 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS, and young women are as much as three times as likely as young men to become infected. An estimated 214 million women in developing countries wish to use but lack access to a modern contraceptive method.

The new award will also help speed development of other promising products in IPM's pipeline such as three-month rings that combine different antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to offer potentially increased protection against drug-resistant HIV. IPM holds an exclusive worldwide license for dapivirine from Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and holds royalty-free licenses for eight other ARVs from five major pharmaceutical partners. These licenses help ensure that women in low-resource settings have affordable access to future products.

The UK government through DFID is one of IPM's founding donors, and this is DFID's fifth grant to the nonprofit, bringing UK aid's total investment in IPM to 55.7 million. IPM also receives generous support from the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs, Irish Aid, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the KfW Development Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

###

About IPM: IPM is a nonprofit organization that developed the monthly dapivirine vaginal ring, and is dedicated to developing other new HIV prevention tools and sexual and reproductive health technologies for women, and making them available in developing countries. Our partnerships with public, private and civil society bring scientific ingenuity, political will and financial resources to bear on developing and delivering products designed to have significant public health impact. IPM has offices in South Africa, the United States and Belgium. Visit us at http://www.IPMglobal.org.

Contact:

IPM Global: Holly Seltzer, hseltzer@IPMglobal.org, +1.301.608.4277

IPM Africa: Leonard Solai, lsolai@IPMglobal.org, +27.84.660.6776
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- The fact that vaccines typically don't work as well in older people presents a challenge to influenza vaccine makers, particularly because the illness often results in serious respiratory infections in frail patients such as elderly nursing home residents.

A large, randomized clinical trial tested whether a flu vaccine with four times the antigen of a standard vaccine could reduce the risk of hospitalization among those especially vulnerable seniors. The results, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, reports that it did so significantly.

Lead author Dr. Stefan Gravenstein, a professor at both the Warren Alpert Medical School and the School of Public Health at Brown University, said that while a prior study showed that older individuals could respond better to the high-dose vaccine, that study focused on relatively healthy older adults.

"It still needed to be established that it would help even the frailest folks, like those who reside in nursing homes," Gravenstein said. "In our study, a quarter of the sample was over 90. So we asked if the high-dose vaccine also would work better than regular-dose vaccine in the population we consider least able to respond. This paper says yes, it can."

The study compared hospitalization rates among more than 38,000 residents of 823 nursing homes in 38 states during the 2013-14 flu season based on Medicare claims data. Just under half the homes, 409 to be exact, administered the high-dose vaccine while the other 414 provided a standard dose. In the end, the hospitalization rate for respiratory illnesses among high-dose patients was 3.4 percent compared to 3.8 percent among standard-dose patients over the six months after vaccination. Statistical analysis revealed that the relative risk of hospitalization for respiratory illness was 12.7 percent lower for the high-dose group.

Moreover, Gravenstein and his co-authors found that the rate of hospitalization for any reason, respiratory or otherwise, was significantly lower in the high-dose group as well. For every 69 people given the high-dose vaccine vs. the standard-dose vaccine, one more person stayed out of the hospital during the flu season.

"Respiratory illness as the primary reason for hospitalization accounted for only about a third of the reduction in hospitalization that we measured," said Gravenstein, who is also affiliated with the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center and is an adjunct professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University. For many patients, the vaccine appeared to help prevent hospitalization for other problems also, including cardiovascular symptoms.

Sanofi Pasteur, the company that makes the high-dose vaccine, supplied it and provided funding for the study, but had no role in its design or the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, Gravenstein and his co-authors disclosed in the paper.

Gravenstein said the finding of a significant reduction in hospitalizations was particularly notable because the predominant flu strain during the 2013-14 season, A/H1N1pdm, was believed to be less virulent in older people who had spent a long lifetime building up immunity to similar strains.

"That there was differential protection in this context both underlines the potential importance of even low-virulence or less transmissible strains to older populations and the fact that vaccines may afford relevant effectiveness among frail older persons even when A/H1N1 predominates," the authors wrote.

The study did not find a significant difference in the rate of death. In the paper, the researchers speculate that while the standard-dose vaccine might not have been strong enough to stave off illness entirely, it may still have been sufficient to prevent deaths in combination with hospital care.

But a significant reduction in hospitalizations can still be a benefit, Gravenstein said, even though the high-dose vaccine is more expensive than the standard-dose vaccine. Especially for older, frail patients, he said, reducing otherwise necessary trips to the hospital can maintain a higher quality of life.

Ultimately, Gravenstein said, the study should provide nursing home leadership with useful information to consider as they plan for future flu seasons.

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In addition to Gravenstein, the paper's other authors are Pedro Gozalo, Vincent Mor and Jessica Ogarek of Brown; Monica Taljaard of the University of Ottawa; and H. Edward Davidson and Lisa Han of Insight Therapeutics.
The controversial Snap Map app enables Snapchat users to track their friends. This is the latest in a series of monitoring tools to be built on social media platforms. A new Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich study assesses the benefits and risks associated with their use.

The image messaging service Snapchat is particularly popular among young adolescents, and the recent release of its latest feature - Snap Map - provoked widespread concern among parents, and protests from child protection agencies. Snap Map enables users to monitor their friends' movements, and determine - in real time - exactly where their posts are coming from (down to the address). Many social media users also expressed their indignation, referring to the app as 'stalking software'.

"However, Snap Map is just one of a range of apps that allows social network users to be monitored without their knowledge and with pin-point accuracy," says Professor Neil Thurman of the Institute for Communications Studies and Media Research at LMU. "Indeed some of these apps far exceed Snap Map in their surveillance capabilities, and are able to track individuals over time and across multiple social networks."

In his latest study, which has been published in Digital Journalism, Thurman lists a range of such apps - including Echosec, Dataminr, Picodash, and SAM. While Snapchat's Snap Map is aimed at the public, many of the other social media monitoring apps are aimed at professional users, including the security forces, journalists, and marketeers.

Help with verification

Thurman analysed how journalists reacted to these new tools for locating and filtering content on social networks, and monitoring the activities and movements of its authors. It turns out that these apps are particularly useful in verification, enabling journalists to judge whether witness accounts were actually posted from the supposed scene of the action.

"These apps have been welcomed by some journalists who see them as an 'early warning system'" says Thurman, but they also have consequences for users' personal privacy, he argues. In the course of his study, he interviewed journalists who were given an opportunity to experiment with some of these apps professionally. One said that being able to track the locations of individual social media users felt "slightly morally wrong and stalker-esque".

Fear of negative publicity

However, reservations like this are apparently not universal. "One of the apps my report describes, Geofeedia, was used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies, promoted as giving the police the power to "monitor" - via social media - trade union members, protesters, and activist groups, who the company described as being an "overt threat"." The Geofeedia controversy led to its demise, with social networks refusing to persist in supplying the app with a pipeline of posts for fear of further negative publicity.

According to an article in the business magazine Forbes, cited by Thurman, the sheer number of apps that have been built on their platforms makes it impossible for the leading social media networks to prevent this form of social surveillance. "As we've seen with the launch of Snap Map, social media surveillance is not going to go away," he warns. "Although we might now know how to go 'ghost' on Snapchat, how many of us know that our other social media posts could be betraying our whereabouts to the thousands of organisations around the world using social media monitoring apps most have never heard of?"

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In the lead-up to a total solar eclipse, most of the attention is on the sun, but Earth's moon also has a starring role.

"A total eclipse is a dance with three partners: the moon, the sun and Earth," said Richard Vondrak, a lunar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It can only happen when there is an exquisite alignment of the moon and the sun in our sky."

During this type of eclipse, the moon completely hides the face of the sun for a few minutes, offering a rare opportunity to glimpse the pearly white halo of the solar corona, or faint outer atmosphere. This requires nearly perfect alignment of the moon and the sun, and the apparent size of the moon in the sky must match the apparent size of the sun.

On average, a total solar eclipse occurs about every 18 months somewhere on Earth, although at any particular location, it happens much less often.

The total eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, will be visible within a 70-mile-wide path that will cross 14 states in the continental U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. Along this path of totality, the umbra, or dark inner shadow, of the moon will travel at speeds of almost 3,000 miles per hour in western Oregon to 1,500 miles per hour in South Carolina.

In eclipse maps, the umbra is often depicted as a dark circle or oval racing across the landscape. But a detailed visualization created for this year's eclipse reveals that the shape is more like an irregular polygon with slightly curved edges, and it changes as the shadow moves along the path of totality.

"With this new visualization, we can represent the umbral shadow with more accuracy by accounting for the influence of elevation at different points on Earth, as well as the way light rays stream through lunar valleys along the moon's ragged edge," said NASA visualizer Ernie Wright at Goddard.

This unprecedented level of detail was achieved by coupling 3-D mapping of the moon's surface, done by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, with Earth elevation information from several datasets.

LRO's mapping of the lunar terrain also makes it possible to predict very accurately when and where the brilliant flashes of light called Baily's Beads or the diamond-ring effect will occur. These intense spots appear along the edge of the darkened disk just before totality, and again just afterward, produced by sunlight peeking through valleys along the uneven rim of the moon.

In the very distant future, the spectacular shows put on by total solar eclipses will cease. That's because the moon is, on average, slowly receding from Earth at a rate of about 1-1/2 inches, or 4 centimeters, per year. Once the moon moves far enough away, its apparent size in the sky will be too small to cover the sun completely.

"Over time, the number and frequency of total solar eclipses will decrease," said Vondrak. "About 600 million years from now, Earth will experience the beauty and drama of a total solar eclipse for the last time."

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

For more information about the upcoming 2017 solar eclipse, visit: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lro

Video link: https://youtu.be/jxanWTR8-yM
The ascension of Donald Trump was supposed to change everything in the GOP. As it happens, perhaps one very important thing hasnt: The Republicans may well still be The Stupid Party.

That Obamacare repeal has one or maybe two feet in the grave, depending on how youre counting, is testament to jaw-dropping disarray and bad faith.

On the cusp of a historic failure, the party has begun the finger-pointing, and its hard to argue with any of it. The establishment is right that Trump is incapable of true legislative leadership. The Trumpists are right that the establishment is ineffectual. Conservatives are right that moderates dont really want to repeal Obamacare, whatever theyve said in the past. And pragmatists are right that a few conservatives are beholden to a self-defeating purity.

The Republican members of the worlds greatest deliberative body arent covering themselves in glory. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky have always been noes, leaving no margin for error. Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas are additional noes on the current repeal-and-replace bill, while Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have joined Collins as noes on repeal-only.

At least Collins, an ideological outlier in the Republican Conference, has been consistent. She voted against the repeal-only bill in 2015, and the GOP leadership never thought she was gettable. The same cant be said of her cohorts. Capito and Murkowski both voted for the repeal-only bill a year and a half ago. The only plausible reason theyve switched now is that they knew the bill would be safely relegated to oblivion by a Barack Obama veto, whereas Trump will now sign any legislation into law.

Then there is another tranche of Republicans, like Rob Portman, who are nervous fence-sitters. The Ohio senator doesnt have to appear on a ballot again until 2022, yet gives every indication of quailing at taking a tough vote.

For Rand Paul, clearly, a perhaps once-in-a-generation opportunity to significantly reform two entitlement programs isnt as important as scoring cheap points against his colleagues in the cause of getting as many cable hits as possible.

Lee is a thoughtful, public-interested conservative who isnt a showboater. He has an outsize influence on the prospects of the bill because he is one of the few Republicans willing to be the decisive vote against it. This is why its particularly important that the Utah senator keep the big picture in view; torpedoing the entire effort over a relatively technical question about the insurance risk pools  Lees current posture  would be a disastrous mistake.

Its not just senators who are falling down. President Trump has very little idea what is in the health care bill, and doesnt particularly care. This prevents him from helpfully engaging in detailed negotiations, and he hasnt made a public case for the bill except in tweets and at the highest level of generality.

Repealing Obamacare was never going to be easy. The law has created facts on the ground that are inherently difficult to undo. Mitch McConnell has 52 Republican senators, whereas Harry Reid had 60 senators. But Reid held all his members.

At the end of the day, the most important difference between the parties on health care may be that the Democrats had a vision that they were thoroughly committed to and were astonishingly courageous in effecting. No one had more to lose from sticking with the forced march toward passage of Obamacare than Nancy Pelosi, and yet no one was as devoted to the cause. If she becomes speaker again in 2019 after Republicans  disunited, selfish and fearful  have whiffed on repealing her handiwork, it will be the sweetest revenge.

Like the Democrats in 2009, Republicans have a historic opportunity that will quickly vanish unless it is seized. A majority is a terrible thing to waste. Six months in, Republicans are giving every indication that is exactly what they might do, to their everlasting disgrace.
The evolutionary history of a salivary protein may point to interbreeding between humans and an enigmatic ancient relative

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In saliva, scientists have found hints that a "ghost" species of archaic humans may have contributed genetic material to ancestors of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa today.

The research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that sexual rendezvous between different archaic human species may not have been unusual.

Past studies have concluded that the forebears of modern humans in Asia and Europe interbred with other early hominin species, including Neanderthals and Denisovans. The new research is among more recent genetic analyses indicating that ancient Africans also had trysts with other early hominins.

"It seems that interbreeding between different early hominin species is not the exception -- it's the norm," says Omer Gokcumen, PhD, an assistant professor of biological sciences in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.

"Our research traced the evolution of an important mucin protein called MUC7 that is found in saliva," he says. "When we looked at the history of the gene that codes for the protein, we see the signature of archaic admixture in modern day Sub-Saharan African populations."

The research was published on July 21 in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. The study was led by Gokcumen and Stefan Ruhl, DDS, PhD, a professor of oral biology in UB's School of Dental Medicine.

A tantalizing clue in saliva

The scientists came upon their findings while researching the purpose and origins of the MUC7 protein, which helps give spit its slimy consistency and binds to microbes, potentially helping to rid the body of disease-causing bacteria.

As part of this investigation, the team examined the MUC7 gene in more than 2,500 modern human genomes. The analysis yielded a surprise: A group of genomes from Sub-Saharan Africa had a version of the gene that was wildly different from versions found in other modern humans.

The Sub-Saharan variant was so distinctive that Neanderthal and Denisovan MUC7 genes matched more closely with those of other modern humans than the Sub-Saharan outlier did.

"Based on our analysis, the most plausible explanation for this extreme variation is archaic introgression -- the introduction of genetic material from a 'ghost' species of ancient hominins," Gokcumen says. "This unknown human relative could be a species that has been discovered, such as a subspecies of Homo erectus, or an undiscovered hominin. We call it a 'ghost' species because we don't have the fossils."

Given the rate that genes mutate during the course of evolution, the team calculated that the ancestors of people who carry the Sub-Saharan MUC7 variant interbred with another ancient human species as recently as 150,000 years ago, after the two species' evolutionary path diverged from each other some 1.5 to 2 million years ago.

Why MUC7 matters

The scientists were interested in MUC7 because in a previous study they showed that the protein likely evolved to serve an important purpose in humans.

In some people, the gene that codes for MUC7 holds six copies of genetic instructions that direct the body to build parts of the corresponding protein. In other people, the gene harbors only five sets of these instructions (known as tandem repeats).

Prior studies by other researchers found that the five-copy version of the gene protected against asthma, but Gokcumen and Ruhl did not see this association when they ran a more detailed analysis.

The new study did conclude, however, that MUC7 appears to influence the makeup of the oral microbiome, the collection of bacteria within the mouth. The evidence for this came from an analysis of biological samples from 130 people, which found that different versions of the MUC7 gene were strongly associated with different oral microbiome compositions.

"From what we know of MUC7, it makes sense that people with different versions of the MUC7 gene could have different oral microbiomes," Ruhl says. "The MUC7 protein is thought to enhance the ability of saliva to bind to microbes, an important task that may help prevent disease by clearing unwanted bacteria or other pathogens from the mouth."

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In addition to Ruhl and Gokcumen, the research team included Duo "Erica" Xu, the study's first author and a UB PhD student in biological sciences; Pavlos Pavlidis, PhD, and Nikolaos Alachiotis, PhD, of the Foundation for Research and Technology -- Hellas in Greece; Colin Flanagan, a UB undergraduate who has completed his degree in biological sciences; Ran Blekhman, PhD, of the University of Minnesota; and Michael Degiorgio, Ph.D., of Pennsylvania State University.

The research was funded primarily by the University at Buffalo Research Foundation, with additional support from InnovCrete and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
CLEVELAND - In the largest nursing home study to date on the effect of a high dose (HD) flu vaccine, researchers found that vaccines with four times the antigen of standard flu (SD) vaccines significantly reduced the risk of respiratory and all-cause hospitalization during flu season.

The study found a 12.7 percent relative reduction in the incidence of hospitalization for respiratory illness, such as pneumonia, and an 8.5 percent reduction of all-cause hospitalizations among residents on Medicare who lived at nursing homes that received HD instead of SD flu vaccines.

The findings are published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

Lower respiratory tract infection, including pneumonia, bronchitis and tracheobronchitis, is the leading cause of infectious hospitalizations and mortality in older adults and greatest among frail older adults such as those residing in nursing homes. Furthermore, the flu is the most common, clinically important viral infection, annually affecting the lives of 4 million adults over the age of 65 in the United States at a cost of $8.3 billion, according to the study authors.

"Our study is the first randomized, controlled prospective study to demonstrate the comparative effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in reducing respiratory-related hospitalization in a very frail, long-stay nursing home population," said Stefan Gravenstein, MD, MPH, lead author of the study, on faculty at both the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University and at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

"Our finding that the high dose vaccination is more effective than a standard dose in reducing hospitalizations is remarkable for several reasons. For one, the flu season's predominant circulating strain was one where benefit to older adults from vaccination had been questioned," said Dr. Gravenstein. "The fact that we observed a lower rate of hospitalization from all causes, too, suggests that vaccine offers protection beyond flu-related outcomes, perhaps including heart and other conditions."

"If given to all approximately 1.5 million nursing home residents, a one percent drop in hospitalizations would translate to thousands fewer being hospitalized," he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of hospitalization is one in five during the flu season, the same as in this study.

The study involved more than 38,000 participants 65 years old and older from 823 nursing homes in 38 states, and compared two FDA licensed influenza vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for older nursing home residents. The residents were given influenza vaccines in the fall of 2013 to help protect them from influenza during the period of November 2013 to March 2014.

Flu in a nursing home population is a major cause of hospitalizations. In addition to pneumonia, flu can contribute to heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes, especially in an older nursing home population where it can easily spread among residents.

"In our study, we estimated that for every 84 individuals receiving the high dose vaccine a person was prevented from being hospitalized during the influenza season," he said.

Nursing homes in the study were randomly assigned to either HD or SD for residents.

Whether the higher dose becomes the preferred procedure for nursing homes would be determined by the ACIP, a group of medical and public health experts that develop recommendations on use of vaccines in the civilian population.

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Other researchers on the study are H. Edward Davidson, PharmD, MPH and Lisa F. Han, MPH, both with Insight Therapeutics LLC; Monica Taljaard, PhD, of Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada; Jessica Ogarek, MS, and Pedro L. Gozalo, PhD, of Brown University, and Vincent Mor, PhD, Brown University School of Public Health and Providence Veterans Administrative Medical Center.

The study was funded through an investigator-initiated grant by Sanofi Pasteur.

The paper will be available post embargo date at this site: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(17)30235-7/fulltext?elsca1=tlxpr

About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 40 outpatient health centers and 200 physician offices in 15 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system's flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located on a 35-acre campus in Cleveland's University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including "America's Best Hospitals" from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals - part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is the second largest employer in northern Ohio with 26,000 employees. For more information, go to UHhospitals.org
The causes of severe antisocial behaviour may differ between boys and girls, which could pave the way for new sex-specific treatments, according to a major new study published today (Friday 21 July).

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-techniques to map the brains of over 200 teenagers aged 14 - 18 years, researchers from the University of Bath (UK) and several other European universities conducted the most comprehensive study ever to analyse differences in brain development between children with conduct disorder (CD) and a group of typically-developing children (the control group).

Findings from the study, which involved 96 young people with CD and 104 typically-developing young people, are published today in the prestigious Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

They show that the brain's prefrontal cortex - the region responsible for long-term planning, decision-making, and impulse control - is thinner in boys and girls with CD compared to typically-developing boys and girls, and that young people with more severe forms of the condition have more abnormal brain structure.

It also shows that specific areas of the brain differ in structure between boys and girls with antisocial behaviour - for example, some brain areas showed lower cortical thickness in boys with CD, but higher thickness in girls with CD. This highlights, for the first time, that there may be sex differences in the brain-based causes of CD.

CD as a condition is poorly understood and thought to be under-diagnosed and often untreated. Symptoms range from lying and truancy, through to physical violence and weapon use at its more extreme end. It is thought that at least 5% of school age children are affected by the disorder, and it is three times more common in boys than girls. Previous studies have shown that around half of those who develop CD in childhood go on to show serious antisocial behaviour or criminality in adulthood.

Current treatments largely depend on parenting programmes, as the condition is often attributed to poor parenting or growing up in a dysfunctional family. The researchers behind the new study were keen to point out that although sometimes useful, these programmes are not widely available and may not get to the root of the problem. No specific drug treatment exists yet for CD, although ADHD medication, such as Ritalin, is sometimes given.

Senior author from the University of Bath's Department of Psychology, Dr Graeme Fairchild, explains: "Our results indicate that the development of the brain is disrupted in boys and girls with severe antisocial behaviour. These findings suggest that the causes of severe antisocial behaviour, and particularly the biological basis of these behaviours, may differ between boys and girls. This could lead to the development of sex-specific treatments or prevention programmes for at-risk young people."

Lead author, Dr Areti Smaragdi from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, added: "We hope that our findings will prompt other researchers to consider possible sex differences in future studies of antisocial behaviour and other disorders that are more common in boys, such as ADHD. Our findings may also have practical implications for treatment or prevention programmes."

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Analysis of natural sparkling mineral water has given scientists valuable clues on how to locate hot water springs - potential sources of sustainable, clean energy.

Studies at naturally carbonated springs have shown how oxygen in the water comes to have a distinctive chemical fingerprint.

Research showed that this fingerprint is influenced by the presence of carbon dioxide gas - and not by heat from below the Earth's surface, as was previously thought.

The finding may help scientists narrow their search for sites where geothermal energy - heat generated and stored in the Earth - could be sustainably recovered.

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh analysed water from naturally carbonated springs in Daylesford, Australia, and Pah Tempe in Utah, US.

The team used computers to model the interactions between the water and surrounding rocks, based on measurements of water samples from the sites. Their findings eliminated the possibility that minerals from the rocks affected the oxygen in the water. Instead, they showed that CO 2 gas must be influencing the oxygen's composition.

The study, published in Applied Geochemistry, was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Australian research organisation CO2CRC.

R?ta Karolyt?, of the School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "The oxygen fingerprint of spring waters has long been used to estimate the depth of the water's source. Our new finding, that the mixing of natural CO 2 with water changes its oxygen fingerprint, means that many sparkling spring waters previously thought to be originating from very deep in the Earth's crust actually only have this fingerprint because of mixing with CO 2 ."

Dr Stuart Gilfillan, of the School of GeoSciences, who co-ordinated the study, said "This finding changes how we can use the oxygen fingerprints of natural spring waters to identify potential geothermal resources. Estimates of how much heat a sparkling water spring has been exposed to should take into account the effect of CO 2 ."

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Serious organisational failures in public administration involving risks for life and limb are rare but dramatic in their consequences. Salient examples include collapsing buildings or devastating fires caused by insufficient public oversight or failure to comply with fire safety regulations, child abuse due to the failure of child protection authorities, or the failure of security agencies as in the case of the NSU serial killings in Germany. Rareness does not necessarily imply insignificance. "Given their dramatic consequences, cases of serious organisational failure in public administration cannot be treated as negligible statistical outliers", says Professor Wolfgang Seibel of the University of Konstanz, who has been granted a sum of 500,000 euros for related research within the framework of the German Research Foundation's (DFG) prestigious Reinhart Koselleck programme, which was set up to support "particularly innovative and risk-prone research". The research project, which is entitled "Black swans in public administration: rare organisational failure with severe consequences", will be funded for a period of five years.

The fact that life-threatening failures of public administration are rare does not imply that the relevant causal mechanisms are rare as well, providing Seibel with a reason to investigate structural flaws and systemic weaknesses within public administration. Despite the fact that public administration in rule-of-law-based democracies is committed to a zero tolerance policy when it comes to risks to the physical integrity of humans, risk-prone decision-making and dangerous organisational flaws do occur. Seibel analyses the institutional mechanisms and leadership behaviours that inform related risks and threats. The main empirical fields of his research are public infrastructure and construction, public child protection, counter-terrorism and criminal investigation, disaster relief and the planning and organisation of mass events and crowd management.

Funding within the framework of the Reinhart Koselleck programme is granted in support of pioneering research that, according to DFG guidelines, is "risk-prone in a positive sense". That criterion applies to Wolfgang Seibel's research on drastic organisational failure in public administration since it is dependent on human sources and insider knowledge. In that context, researchers may face latent or manifest resistance, concealment strategies and biased narratives.

The project title "Black swans in public administration" refers to a famous metaphor used by the philosopher Karl R. Popper. The idea that all swans are white is instantly neutralised (or "falsified", as Popper puts it) by the occurrence of a black swan. It is precisely the extreme rareness of the black swan that triggers research into its specific genetics. According to Wolfgang Seibel, the same logic applies to rare and extreme cases of organisational failure in public administration that violate the physical integrity of human beings. These are extremely rare deviations from regular administrative procedures. However, for ethical reasons alone - including prevention - they cannot be treated as negligible statistical outliers. As Seibel emphasises, any research into this phenomenon has to focus on the genetics or general causal mechanisms that underlie disastrous outcomes.

Wolfgang Seibel is one of the leading scholars of public administration in Germany and a member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. His latest book is "Verwaltung verstehen. Eine theoriegeschichtliche Einfuhrung" (understanding public administration. a history-of-theory-based introduction), Suhrkamp Publ., 2nd printing 2017. Amongst other things, Seibel is responsible for the scientific agenda of the special programme on "Security, society and the state" funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, which also includes the research area "Public administration and human safety".

Facts:

Reinhart Koselleck Project awarded to Professor Wolfgang Seibel, professor of politics and public administration at the University of Konstanz.

"Schwarze Schwane in der Verwaltung: Seltenes Organisationsversagen mit schwerwiegenden Folgen" (black swans in public administration: rare organisational failure with serious consequences).

Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Total funding: 500,000 euros, plus an additional 110,000 euros in DFG overhead funding.

Funding period: five years.

Reinhart Koselleck Projects are awarded by the DFG for "exceptionally innovative, higher-risk projects".

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Note to the editors: You can download a photo here:

https://cms.uni-konstanz.de/fileadmin/pi/fileserver/Bilder/Seibel.jpg

Caption:

Professor Wolfgang Seibel, professor of politics and public administration at the University of Konstanz

Contact

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Phone: + 49 7531 88-3603

E-Mail: kum@uni-konstanz.de
RENO, Nev. - Three new species of toads have been discovered living in Nevada's Great Basin in an expansive survey of the 190,000 square mile ancient lake bottom. Discoveries of new amphibians are extremely rare in the United States with only three new frog species discovered since 1985 - and toad species are even more rare, with the last species discovered north of Mexico, the now extinct Wyoming toad, in 1968.

"We've found the toads in small, wet habitats surrounded by high-desert completely cut off from other populations," Dick Tracy, a renowned biology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and lead scientist on the project, said. "These are absolutely new, true species that have been separated from other populations for 650,000 years."

The three new species, the Dixie Valley toad, Railroad Valley toad and Hot Creek toad are not connected geographically. They were found in Tracy's 10-year long survey of the desert-dominated Great Basin. His team used 30 "shape" metrics and DNA studies to analyze these toads' characteristics to determine if each were distinguishable from the closely related Western toad, found throughout the Western United States.

The evidence supports the recognition of three distinct new species. The toads are small in size, yet each have a suite of unique physical features that differ from each other, as well as other toads in the region. Each of the species have slightly different colors, and they are about two inches long when full grown.

"The Dixie Valley toad is a pretty toad, with flecks of gold on an olive background," Tracy, a long-time professor in the biology department of the College of Science, said. "It's not like the big, common green toads you might find in other marshes around the west or even in Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno."

The Dixie Valley toad is in Churchill County about 100 miles east of Reno. The toad is only found in this isolated spring-fed marsh which make up less than four square miles, surrounded by an arid region where aquatic resources are both rare and widely scattered. Dixie Valley is the hottest and most geothermally active system in the Basin and Range Province. The habitat occupied by this newly described species is also adjacent to a proposed site for a geothermal power plant that could dry up the marsh and threaten the toad's survival.

The power plant development is on hold while the Bureau of Land Management reviews the geothermal project and the possible impacts on the toad species. The Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental group based in Tucson, Arizona, marshaled more than 1000 letters to the BLM asking them to reconsider permitting the power plant being built at the site of the newly discovered species.

Potential for Endangered Species Act listing

"If this power plant goes in and the habitat is dried up, this recently discovered species could go extinct," Tracy said. "It's a good candidate for an Endangered Species Act listing. The ESA was passed under Richard Nixon in 1973, and the second species listed under the new Act was the Houston Toad. This is a tough conflict between commerce and biological resources, and we need to seek compromises so if the project proceeds, it won't hurt the toads."

Tracy's team includes his master's student Michelle Gordon from the University's Biology Graduate Program, who is the lead author of the scientific paper describing the new species, and his former doctoral student Eric Simandle from the University's Ecology and Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program. Simandle is now an associate professor at Paul Smiths College in New York and is a co-author on the study that discovered the toad in the thick underbrush of the spring-fed marsh.

The small isolated toad populations also have the smallest individuals compared to other western toads.

The Dixie Valley species has the smallest body size among the region's complex of related species in the western United States, and can be further diagnosed from other toads in the complex by the large glands on its hind legs in addition to its distinctive coloration.

The overall population numbers of the Dixie Valley toad are unknown, and the current range is severely restricted, suggesting that this species' population is likely very small and especially vulnerable to changes in environment.

"The toads are perfectly concealed in the dense vegetation of their habitat," Gordon said. "You could easily miss seeing them during the day, making accurate counts difficult. But, during one trip at dusk, toads were everywhere, giving the impression that toads were locally abundant. And, without the water in this habitat, this toad species would completely disappear."

Isolated by Desert

The Railroad Valley toad is in the Tonopah Basin in the central Nevada desert and the Hot Creek Toad is about 35 miles away but in Hot Creek Mountain Range, in a drainage isolated from the Railroad Valley toad. All three new species are natives of the Great Basin in Nevada, which was once covered by large marshes and giant inland lakes during the Pleistocene Epoch and is now among the most arid regions in the United States with only one percent of the landscape containing water.

"Our goal has been to understand the relationships among toad populations in the Great Basin," Tracy said. "We've found that our knowledge of amphibian diversity in the western United States remains incomplete and that novel discoveries continue to occur, even in unlikely settings. This is really, really neat; an exciting thing, to find something not known to exist before."

Tracy has been honored as a Guggenheim Fellow, as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as a Distinguished Scholar at Pepperdine University, and as a Fellow of the Association of Western Universities. He is the recipient of an American Society of Zoologists' Service Award, a Desert Tortoise Council Conservation Award and a Service Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tracy has authored more than 200 scientific papers, and his work is known internationally.

"Dr. Tracy has long been recognized as one of the world's leading ecologists," Jack Hayes, chair of the Department of Biology said. "In recent years as he has turned his attention to conservation issues, he has been translating his basic knowledge into studies that make a difference for Nevada, the U.S., and the biodiversity of the world. The discovery of a new species of vertebrate in North America at this point in time is extremely rare, so the research by Dr. Tracy and his graduate students is a remarkable and exciting accomplishment."

The discovery of the Dixie Valley toad was announced in the peer-reviewed science journal Zootaxa on July 6.

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DALLAS -- July 21, 2017 -- A study by scientists at the Childrens Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) is providing insight into the genetic basis of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this research, the first mouse model of a mutation in the arid1b gene was created and then used to show that growth hormone treatments reverse some manifestations of the mutation.

The ARID1B gene is one of the most commonly mutated genes in patients with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders, but scientists have not yet discerned if and how defects in the ARID1B gene contribute to these clinical manifestations. To understand how reduced levels of the protein product of the gene might cause these disorders, a team of researchers led by Dr. Hao Zhu and including graduate student Cemre Celen genetically modified mice to carry a mutation in one of two copies of the ARID1B gene. This mutation replicates the genetics of Coffin-Siris syndrome, a disorder that some patients with defects in the ARID1B gene have that is characterized by speech and social development problems, intellectual disability, and delayed physical growth.

The hope is that by understanding the molecular basis of Coffin-Siris syndrome, scientists will gain a deeper understanding of more common diseases involving intellectual and social impairment.

Scientists found mice with the mutated ARID1B gene exhibited the same type of physical and social changes seen in children with Coffin-Siris syndrome, such as abnormal brain development, muscle weakness, and increased anxiety and fear. The mice also displayed features consistent with autism spectrum disorder, such as social interaction abnormalities, repetitive behaviors, and abnormal squeaks or vocalizations. Further testing found these mice had lower-than-expected growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF1) levels in the blood, potentially explaining the small stature and delayed development seen in human patients. Treating mutant mice with growth hormones restored body size and muscle function, but did not significantly change the behaviors associated with the syndrome.

These results suggest that growth hormone treatment could be a useful therapy for ARID1B patients. This is an interesting finding because we know some pediatricians already treat Coffin-Siris patients with growth hormones, although they were unaware that this response might be common to many people with ARID1B mutations, said Dr. Zhu, an Assistant Professor at CRI with joint appointments in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research.

Dr. Zhu said he believes the study provides the scientific community with an important animal model to further investigate ARID1Bs role in human brain disorders and will be a useful tool for therapeutic testing of potential treatments for autism, intellectual disability, and Coffin-Siris syndrome.

###

The study was recently published in eLife, an open access journal supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust.

Co-authors included Dr. Jen-Chieh Chuang, former Assistant Instructor at CRI; Dr. Xin Luo, a data scientist at CRI and in Bioinformatics at UTSW; Nadine Nijem, a research technician in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at UTSW; Dr. Angela Walker, postdoctoral researcher in Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at UTSW; Dr. Fei Chen, research associate at CRI; Shuyuan Zhang and Liem Nguyen, graduate students in the Zhu lab; Andrew Seungjae Chung and Albert Budhipramono, Medical Scientist Training Program students in the Zhu lab; Dr. Ibrahim Nassour, a clinical fellow in surgery at CRI; Dr. Xuxu Sun, Assistant Instructor at CRI and of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at UTSW; Dr. Shari Birnbaum, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UTSW; Dr. Craig Powell, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at UTSW; Dr. Woo-Ping Ge, Assistant Professor at CRI and of Neuroscience, Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, and Pediatrics at UTSW; and Dr. Maria Chahrour, Assistant Professor in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development and of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at UTSW. Dr. Powell holds the Ed and Sue Rose Distinguished Professorship in Neurology at UT Southwestern.

Other contributors were from the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, Leiden University Medical Center, Maxima Medical Center, St. Georges University Hospitals, and Queen Mary University of London.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the Pollock Foundation, and other donors to the Childrens Medical Center Foundation supported this study.

About CRI

Childrens Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) is a joint venture of UT Southwestern Medical Center and Childrens Medical Center, the flagship hospital of Childrens Health. CRIs mission is to perform transformative biomedical research to better understand the biological basis of disease. Located in Dallas, Texas, CRI is home to interdisciplinary groups of scientists and physicians pursuing research at the interface of regenerative medicine, cancer biology and metabolism. For more information visit: cri.utsw.edu. To support CRI visit: give.childrens.com/about-us/why-help/cri/.

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This news release is available on our website at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/news.

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subscribe at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews.
DETROIT - A team of Wayne State University researchers recently received a $1.9 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to better understand leukodystrophies (LD) and genetic Leukoencephalopathies (gLE), rare genetic disorders affecting the white matter -- myelin -- in the central nervous system. Patients diagnosed with a leukodystrophy experience a gradual decline in development, including a progressive loss in gait, body tone, vision, hearing, swallowing and/or ability to eat.

LD and gLE disrupt the growth or maintenance of the myelin sheath, which insulates nerve cells. LD and gLE affect motor and sensory systems, including visual systems, causing vision to slowly worsen until vision is lost. Most leukodystrophies are genetic, but many of the genes that cause the disease are currently unknown.

The Wayne State team, led by Ryan Thummel, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology and ophthalmology in Wayne State's School of Medicine, recently discovered that a mutation in Vacuolar Protein Sorting 11 (VPS11) is a cause of a type of leukoenephalopathy. The team, which includes Thummel; Robert Skoff, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and cell biology at Wayne State; James Granneman, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Wayne State; and Brian Perkins, Ph.D., associate professor at the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, will use a previously characterized zebrafish mutant line of VPS11 to better understand the progression and model for this disease, with a special focus on progressive vision loss.

"Zebrafish are a highly suited model for this disease and can be used to test behavioral and biological aspects of the disease," said Thummel. "In addition, given their small size and large number of offspring, they are highly amenable to use in a screen for compounds that rescue the disease. Finally, with the expertise of Dr. Skoff, we will develop a mammalian brain cell culture technique to analyze how defects in VPS11 effect myelin formation and support of adjacent neurons."

According to Thummel, one in 8,000 individuals suffers from vision loss associated with LD and gLE. The results from their research study are expected to provide insight into how disrupted protein trafficking can lead to white matter diseases and provide potential therapeutic targets.

In addition to his work with LD and gLE, Thummel is working with a collaborative team on a project known as the "Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative," funded by Kids Without Cancer through a gift to Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. This initiative is investigating the impact of potential toxins such as pesticides on the development of leukemia, which will lay the foundation for large-scale screening for other causative agents. The first pesticide being tested is propoxur, a commonly used insecticide used to control lawn and turf insects, household pests, and fleas.

###

The grant number for the National Institutes of Health grant is EY026551.

About Wayne State University

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu.
The CLA has unveiled a new vision of farm support after the UK leaves the EU, one which redeploys public money in a way that rewards farmers for managing land for the benefit of society.

The CLA, a rural organisation which represents over 30,000 landowners, farmers and rural businesses, revealed the new policy framework today (21 July).

It wants to end the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), which has in the past been criticised due to the fact it pays farmers and landowners based on the amount of land they farm.

Instead of the BPS, there would be a switch to a new Land Management Contract that supports farmers who choose to manage land in a way that delivers public benefits, such as improvements in soil quality.

The CLA is hoping the policy should also make it possible for a new wave of vital private and public investment to help the farming sector harness opportunity in a global market place.

Transparent

The CLA has set out how the Land Management Contract could give farmers a choice to deliver outcomes in return for public money, if they agree conditions that are more transparent, easier to administer and demonstrate value for money for the taxpayer.

The CLA shows how the contract would form one important part of an overarching Food, Farming and Environmental Policy that would also see budget allocated to measures that will support an increase in farming productivity and rural economic prosperity.

Defra Secretary Michael Gove will also mention the topic of future subsidies today.

He will say that future farm subsidies must be assessed on environmental and public benefits the land brings rather than simply how much land is owned.

Profitable and sustainable

CLA President Ross Murray said farmers and landowners want to run a 'profitable and sustainable' businesses.

We want to produce quality food that receives a fair price and we accept the same risk and reward as any other business in our economy. That is why ending reliance on subsidy should be a long-term ambition of post-Brexit agriculture policy across the UK.

Our vision is for fundamental reform, but not for ending payments to farmers. Payments are necessary because there is vital work to be done across our countryside to manage soils and preserve the productive capacity of the land, to plant the trees we need, to clean and store water, to support the farming practices that make up our iconic landscapes or to make it possible for people to enjoy our beautiful natural spaces. These responsibilities bring costs and burdens that other businesses do not have to bear.

'Divisive view'

Mr Murray said it is right to continue to invest public money in remunerating farmers to deliver the things people want from the countryside.

He continued: The Land Management Contract is a new way to deliver what is needed, using public money cost-effectively. It turns a system based on entitlement to one of business contracts for defined services.

These are contracts under which any farmer or forester, from the smallest hill farmer to the large estate owner, can choose to undertake in return for a financial reward based on what they contribute, not the amount of land they own.

He said reform of this kind can end once and for all the divisive view that farmers are receiving subsidies for nothing.

If delivered alongside a new industrial strategy for our food and farming sector, this contract can truly harness the opportunities of leaving the Common Agricultural Policy and unlock a new lease of life for farming, our rural economy and communities across the countryside.
Aashka & Brents Wedding In Ahmedabad

Apparently, Aashka and Brent considered many locations for their marriage, but finally zeroed in on Aashka's hometown - Ahmedabad, as Brent wanted a wedding with all the rituals.

Why They Chose Ahmedabad As Their Wedding Destination?

Aashka was quoted by TOI as saying, "Brent wanted a wedding replete with all the rituals, which seemed possible only in my hometown."

Aashka Added

"Another reason is that I have so many memories associated with the city. I have spent 16 years of my life in Ahmedabad and Gujarat is extremely rich, culturally."

Its Gujarati Style Wedding For Aashka & Brent

She added, "I am sure my in-laws will enjoy the traditional garba, Gujarati delicacies and the hospitality in my hometown."

Why Brent Chose Ahmedabad For His Wedding?

Aashka further added, "Having the wedding in Ahmedabad was Brent's idea as he had attended my cousin's shaadi in the city."

Brent Loves Gujarati Cuisine!

"And yes, he is a big fan of Gujarati cuisine and he loves aam ras, theplas, and khaman dhokla. It's a classic case of American ban gaya Gujarati!"
The weather Friday morning cut short Gov. Scott Walkers survey of storm damage in Ontario.

According to a media advisory sent by the governors office, Walker was scheduled to arrive at Brookwood High School at 11:15 a.m.

Rep. Lee Nerison, R-Westby, said he was at Ontarios newspaper office when he heard the governors helicopter was arriving early.

They left Arcadia earlier than expected, Nerison said as a light rain began to fall. They came here about 10:10 or 10:15.

According to Nerison, the governor talked with Ontarios fire chief and a few other people, including children who were playing ball on school grounds. Nerison said State Troopers were on hand so the governor could tour Ontario, however, the pilot said they had to leave because of the weather.

Monroe County has asked for assistance from FEMA, Nerison said. First the state has to declare a disaster and then they have to see if they meet FEMA requirements. There is the Wisconsin Disaster Fund.

Nerison said in 2005, when Viola was hit by a tornado, the village did not qualify for FEMA aid, so they used the Wisconsin Disaster Fund. There isnt much money there. This is so wide spread from Arcadia to Wauzeka.

As the rain continued, he shook his head and said, This is ridiculous  2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and now, and in September of last year when Viroqua got hit. The sad part of it is we know what to do and do it without thinking about it because weve done it (dealt with flooding) so many times.
Pelamushi with dried fruit and walnuts hits the market - Georgian students' startup - GeorgianJournal
The partnership memorandum signed between Personal Lawyer Agency and airline company Atlasglobal Georgia - GeorgianJournal
Google releases Motion Stills for Android News oi -Vijeta Google has finally unveiled Motion Stills feature for Android which creates a 3-second loop video through a camera app while also providing users with an option to record hyperlapse videos.

Google has launched its Motion Stills feature on Android, a year after introducing the feature on iOS. Although the feature for Android is completely different from the iOS version. While Motion Stills create shareable GIFs of Live Photos captured on iOS devices, it works entirely in a different way on Android.

Now, since Android does not have an alternative to Live Photos all it does on the OS is it takes pictures and creates a GIF.

The app allows users to take two different kinds of shots. The first kind of the shot that users can take is the 'Motion Stills'. This feature like already mentioned creates a GIF like video which runs in a 3-second loop. Motion Still captures only videos and no pictures, which makes room for the confusion to arise regarding its name.

However, the second feature is called 'Fast Forward' and this feature allows users to capture hyper-lapse videos with several options to customize the recording as well as the recorded video. Fast Forward is an alternative to Instagram's Hyperlapse app and in fact is better than the latter.

Fast Forward stabilizes the video and it also presents an option to users to speed up the recording from 2 to 8 times the original elapsed time. Once a video has been shot and saved on the smartphone user can still edit the hyper-lapse speed.

The Motion Stills in iOS also has a few features more than the Android app such as an option to make cinemagraph and add moving text. These features have not yet been provided in the Android version of the app.

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Latest leaked renders claim to disclose Samsung Galaxy Note 8's final design News oi -Vijeta A leaked render has surfaced for Samsung Galaxy Note 8 design which is supposedly the final design of the smartphone which will be launched in late August.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8's detailed renders have been leaked by case maker Ghostek with the smartphone launch hardly a month away. The render is supposedly based on genuine details.

The leaked renders show the smartphone's front panel, back panel, right and left side edges and top and bottom edges of the handset. The render has is oddly dissimilar to other leaked images and render prototypes of Note 8. The latest design leak for Note 8 is oddly dissimilar to all the other leaks. According to the leak, Note 8 will have rounded screen edges similar to Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. The top and bottom bezel of the smartphone looks quite thin.

The back panel shows a dual camera setup next to fingerprint scanner. If the renders are in fact true, Samsung has given up plans to incorporate the fingerprint scanner under the glass cover.

Galaxy Note 8 is expected to come out with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor which will be complemented with 6GB of RAM. The smartphone will boast dual 12MP cameras. Note 8 will have a 3,300mAh battery and a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with the Univisium 18:9 aspect ratio.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that was launched in 2016 derailed the brand's reputation after the smartphone batteries started blowing up. Samsung Galaxy Note series has had a keen fan following in India and the upcoming Galaxy Note successor is expected to be a game changer for Samsung.

Samsung has had a great year so with it flagship smartphones Galaxy S8 and S8+ plus enjoying a great response from consumers as well as from critiques.

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Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) with dual rear camera setup leaks again News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Galaxy J7 (2017) with dual camera hits the web.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) went official in the last month along with the Galaxy J5 (2017). Following its announcement, the smartphone has been made available in a few global markets too.

However, there are reports that the Chinese variant of the Galaxy J7 (2017) will arrive with a dual rear camera setup. We have also seen an image of the alleged smartphone emerge online a few days back. Today, a couple of more images of the dual camera setup equipped Galaxy J7 has been leaked showing the design of the smartphone. From the leaked images, the design seems to be similar to the one we have seen earlier.

At this point in time, the details regarding the Galaxy J7 (2017) seem to be scarce. There is no word on what other changes will be made in the Chinese variant of the smartphone. Currently, the details about the pricing and availability of this device are also not known. Samsung is yet to reveal an official confirmation regarding the dual lens rear camera smartphone that is making the rounds right now.

Talking about the dual lens rear camera setup, the Galaxy J7 (2017) Chinese variant will be one of the devices with such a camera arrangement coming from the stable of the South Korean tech giant.

In the meantime, we like to mention that the Galaxy J7 (2017) with a single camera sensor at its rear has been released in the company's home market South Korea. The handset is priced at KRW 396,000 (approx. Rs. 22,800). The device is available via the South Korean carrier KT.

Via: SamMobile

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be unveiled on August 23; Unpacked event invites are out News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Galaxy Note 8 invites are out.

After confirming that the Galaxy Note 8 might be unveiled in August and go on sale in September, Samsung has started sending media invites for the next Unpacked event.

Well, the South Korean tech giant will be hosting the Unpacked event on August 23 in New York City. You read it right. Last week, we told you the same date as the reports from Korea pointed out at an August 23 launch date for the Galaxy Note 8. However, the invite from Samsung does not mention the words Galaxy Note 8. It shows a blue silhouette resembling the Samsung S Pen tipping that the Note 7 successor will be launched next month.

From the existing rumors, the Galaxy Note 8 is speculated to adorn a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display. It is likely to use an Infinity Display as seen on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ featuring an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The upcoming flagship phablet is likely to be launched with a Snapdragon 835 SoC or an in-house Exynos 8895 SoC depending on the region. This processor is said to be coupled with 6GB RAM and a 3300mAh battery.

There are claims that the Galaxy Note 8 will arrive with an updated S Pen stylus. Remember that the Galaxy Note 7 came with an advanced S Pen that could do numerous capabilities. The handset is believed to be the first one from Samsung to feature a dual camera setup at its rear.

Going by the recent reports, the Samsung flagship phablet might feature a fingerprint sensor at its rear as on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ and an iris scanner at the front along with the selfie camera. However, there seems to be a major difference in the positioning of the fingerprint sensor. It is said to be positioned next to the dual camera setup making it difficult to reach.

We still have one more month for the Galaxy Note 8's launch and we can expect more details regarding the device to hit the web in the meantime.

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Everything about Reliance Jio's achievements and future plans so far News oi -Priyanka The company has broken all records by adding 100 million customers in 170 days i.e 7 per second every day. Today, Jio has over 125 million customers

Reliance Jio which is known for giving jitters to the whole telecom industry has once again done the same by announcing Jio Phone for free at Reliance Industries Limited Annual General Meeting.

The 10-month-old operator has also announced its achievements and Jio's future plans and we are sharing same with you.

Jio's achievement so far

1) The company has broken all records by adding 100 million customers in 170 days i.e 7 per second every day. Today, Jio has over 125 million customers

2) Jio users consistently make more than 250 crore minutes of voice and video calls every single day.

3) In just 6 months of Jio's launch, data consumption in India went from 20 crores GB to 120 crore GB per month."

4) The company has also recorded the biggest free-to-paid migration in history. The majority of free Jio users converted to Jio Prime. Over 100 million customers are Jio Prime subscribers.

5) Jio is now the largest mobile video network with 125 crore data consumption.

6) Jio is the only operator which has deployed pan-India LTE network across the 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2300MHz bands.

7) Reliance Jio has emerged as the fastest network yet again for the month of May 2017. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has released the speed test data, which says that the company has registered an average download speed of 18.809 Mbps in May 2017.

8) The company has launched "India ka smartphone" Jio Phone.

9) Jio Phone will be available for buyers for Rs. 0. Free of cost. But buyers will have to deposit Rs. 1,500, which will be refundable after three years. Availability starts August 15 in the 70th year of India's Independence Day for beta testers.

Jio's Future plans:

1) The company is working on the roll-out of its Fibre to the Home (FTTH) business offering with beta trials initiated in a few locations. It also said the scope of beta trials would be expanded over the next few months.

2) In the coming months, the Jio network will be present in nearly all the cities, towns and villages of India... and cover 99 percent of our country's population.

3) The company is targeting a revenue market share of 50 percent by 2021.

Although the journey was not so easy as interconnection usage charges have been the bone of contention between incumbents and Jio.

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Haiti - France : Record seizure of tortoiseshell from Haiti





The French Customs officers discovered and seized at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport (North East of Paris), thousands of turtle scales of contraband, from Haiti to Vietnam. The turtle scales were concealed in 13 packages bearing the identification "molds for helmets and pucks..."



The scales of this record seizure, valued at more than 300,000 euros, originated from an estimated 400 sea turtles "Eretmochelys imbricata" or hawksbill turtle, a protected species since 1970 by the "United States Fish and Wildlife Service" that some countries like Haiti, Cuba and Indonesia do not comply. The Scallop Turtle is one of the species most threatened with extinction and whose trade is strictly forbidden since 1992 including from naturally dead turtles.



Turtle Scales are used amongst others in the manufacture of pendants, rings, eyeglass frames, and for decorating various valuable personal items.



Nicolas Hulot, the French Minister of Ecology, traveled in person to Roissy to welcome this historic seizure.



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : At the World Regulators' Symposium, CONATEL promotes its action plan





The last Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-17), which was held in Nassau, Bahamas, ended last week with the theme "Living in a World of Digital Opportunities". This important annual meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) brought together the telecommunications regulatory bodies of most of the 192 ITU member countries. This summit is known as a privileged forum for exchanges between regulators to share their experiences on the ever-increasing stakes of an industry that is evolving at an accelerated pace.



A delegation of the Haitian Telecommunications Administration led by Jean David Rodeney, Director General of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) was composed of Jean Robert Magloire, Director of the Laboratory Unit; Eng. Gregory Domond, Director of the Telecommunication and of Capacity Development Training Center (CFTDC) and Eng. Reynold Guerrier, Private Sector Representative.



The new administration of CONATEL, which is its first participation in these conferences, has seized this window of opportunity to promote the Action Plan of the Haitian administration for the period "2017-2022" which is the tool the most structuring that the Haitian telecommunications administration ever disposed to ensure that the sector's contribution to the development of the country is finally a reality.



Action plan of CONATEL :

"The incompressible axes of the action plan adopted by the new administration of CONATEL, which are in perfect harmony with the international telecommunications and ICT agenda, are as follows: 1.- Creation of an enabling environment through the adoption in the short term of a new legal and regulatory framework for the sector and the implementation of the legislative framework allowing the country's integration into the Information Society. In this context, it was agreed to identify the elements likely to be the subject of a specific legislation and to elaborate the preliminary draft laws;



2.- Consolidation of the telecommunications infrastructure through the development of broadband in the context of the negotiation of the allocation of new resources for the operation of 4G LTE. The assumption is that we can not afford to "maintain infrastructure at a discount", a legacy of accommodations of the past, when we put the same wireless resources on it as neighboring countries, which, with the same operators present in their market are in the process of leaving to their posterity a quality infrastructure capable of ensuring a competitive positioning that is valorizing for their development;



3.- Digital development of the territory by equipping all communities and neighborhoods into multipurpose community telecentres built around the innovative concept of "Boundary of Inclusion to the Digital Economy" (BIEN) around which the activity of appropriation of ICT by the formation of the Young people, by the creation of jobs, by the empowerment of women, the promotion of national production, through the cohesion of populations around common and commonly controlled projects;



4.- Integration into the Information Society consisting in the implementation of the various lines of action resulting from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which contain provisions to allow us to make qualitative and quantitative leaps for our development. Here, it is quality education, health, good governance, the fight against poverty etc... which can be addressed in a productive way; It is the creation of wealth, the empowerment of women and girls, in short, the Sustainable Development Goals in general that find a place of dynamic management and full of strong opportunities. It is in this registry that we must also look at which positioning is more identical and economically appropriate to this integration. Is it for us to subject ourselves to a "follow-up of uses" in what is defined as the Services "Over The Top" or it is a matter of giving us the means to provide us a place;



5.- Development of capacities because, in an essential way in this vast process of transformation, the materials and the methods essential to the appropriation necessitate systematically to develop a training plan which can address all the needs both in terms of regulation, management of the technologies uses. CONATEL therefore needs to put in place physically the Telecommunications Training and Capacity Development Center, which will provide the framework for the development of the 'Training Plan' and its optimized implementation."



Back in Haiti, CONATEL intends to organize a restitution of these assizes not only through the mission report, but also through presentations for the benefit of all stakeholders in the sector under the aegis of the Telecommunications Training and Capacity Development Center.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















If these is so much fear in Chinas mind about Hindu Rashtra, then what will be its situation if Hindu Rashtra is established in India ?  Editor, Hindujagruti

New Delhi : Amid simmering border tension over Dokalam in Sikkim, China state-controlled media has said that Hindu nationalism risks pushing India into war with China.

An article published in Chinas Global Times has hit ou at Prime Minister Narendxra Modi saying, Nationalist fervor that demands revenge against China has taken root in India since the border war. The election ofdel Indian PM Modi has fueled the countrys nationalist sentiments. Modi took advantage of rising Hindu nationalism to come to power.

This, on one hand, has enhanced his (Modis) prestige and ability to control the country, but on the other, has made India more subject to the influence of conservatives, thus hampering reform. In diplomacy, New Delhi is demanded to act tougher in foreign relations, especially toward countries like Pakistan and China. The border row this time is an action targeted at China that caters to the demand of Indias religious nationalists, the article read.

The Chinese media outlets have been spewing venom against India, ever since the two Asian giants got engaged in the standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction since last month 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.

In the wake of an Army face-off and chill in ties with India over Dokalam stand-off, China has moved tens of thousands of tonnes of military vehicles and equipment into Tibet, a report said on Wednesday.

Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, quoting the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Daily said, The project took place late last month and involved hardware being moved simultaneously by road and rail from across the entire region.

Amid the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the Dokalam area, the PLA also conducted live-fire exercises in Tibet.

State-run China Central Television (CCTV) reported that the PLA conducted live-fire exercises in Southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region.

India has said Beijings action to unilaterally determine tri-junction points violated a 2012 India-China pact which says the boundary would be decided by consulting all the concerned parties.

The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from Chinas PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

Source : Zee News
Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CDOR), a hotel-focused real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered and incorporated in the state of Maryland, will ring the opening bell tomorrow morning at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate its listing on the NYSE MKT. The Company's common stock will trade under its previous symbol "CDOR," beginning at the open of market trading July 21, 2017.

President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Blackham accompanied by the Executive team will ring the opening bell. He will be joined by Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Gantt, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Dougan, Chief Accounting Officer Arinn Cavey, and General Counsel Lauren Green, together with other key Condor team members and alliance partners.

"Ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange celebrates an exciting new chapter in Condor's history that was brought about by our numerous achievements over the past two years," said Bill Blackham. "Condor is pleased to partner with the New York Stock Exchange and is appreciative of their support and for providing us with this historic opportunity."

About Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc.

The Company is a self-administered real estate investment trust that previously specialized in the investment and ownership of upper midscale and upscale, premium-branded, select-service, extended-stay, and limited-service hotels in the top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas ("MSAs") with a particular focus on the top 20 to 60 MSAs. Prior to the Company's portfolio sale on November 19, 2021, the Company owned 15 hotels in 8 states. The Company's hotels were franchised by a number of the industry's most well-regarded brand families including Hilton, Marriott, and InterContinental Hotels.
Checks and Balances Project (C&BP), a national investigative watchdog blog, today called upon Florida International University (FIU) to immediately release both the initial and final research grant applications that the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) decided to fund.

This disclosure is necessary to erase any question about the integrity of the University's hotel lobby-funded research.

C&BP's public records request asks for all communications and documents relating to FIU's grant proposal, awarded $68,210 from AHLA.

A similar request was made via email to AHLA Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Relations Rosanna Maietta.

"The hotel lobby has a secretive, pay-to-play academic research program," said C&BP Executive Director Scott Peterson. "The question is: Will FIU be a willing party to it?"

According to records already provided by FIU, the University submitted an initial grant application, which AHLA rejected because they sought a proposal with a "scope of work." This suggests a robust back-and-forth between the University and the hotel lobby. The FIU professor commissioned to do the research said that it will be "a challenge" to remain independent in the face of this funding.

FIU has refused to release records of the grant, thus far, claiming the application is "exempt and confidential."

"We think this response shouldn't be allowed to stand, which is why we are escalating our efforts to get to the bottom of how and why this grant was funded and how much AHLA shared with FIU officials," Peterson said.

In a records request emailed to FIU this morning, C&BP declared that we "are not seeking to review parts of the proposal that contain proprietary or confidential information. Nor do we seek to review the proposal's methodology. Rather, we request to review sections of the proposal that pertain to aims and objectives, dissemination of results, budget and literature review, and correspondence related to any kind of coordination around the study, including discussions of conclusions, framing, results, edits and feedback."

AHLA board books obtained by The New York Times show the hotel lobby has extensive plans to develop or grow financial relationships with key universities. In this aggressive pay-to-play academics campaign, universities such as FIU, Penn State and, potentially, University of North Carolina, have often taken substantial amounts of money from the hotel lobby in exchange for producing research that reinforces the hotel lobby's talking points.

About Checks and Balances Project

Checks and Balances Project holds lobbyists and others who block the growth of a sustainable economy accountable to the public. Through hundreds of stories and dozens of diverse investigations since 2009, we have achieved real results. Funding for C&BP comes from sustainable economy philanthropies and donors. To learn more, visit us at https://checksandbalancesproject.org/.
It's long been on my bucket list to visit the beaches of Normandy and experience just a sliver of what our fathers and grandfathers went through on June 6, 1944. Coupled with some fine cuisine including exquisite wine and delicious camembert cheeses as well as a few walkabouts through picturesque Northern French towns and other historic sites, this would make for an unforgettable summer vacation.

Talking over this dream in conversation, it became apparent that many of my friends and colleagues have similar ambitions or have already completed such a journey. And I'd imagine that you or your friends are in the same boat. In fact, while touring the D-Day Invasion locales may represent the pinnacle of war tourism, it is hardly an anomaly insofar as popular travel motivations.

Just consider how much war history is out there and how much effort has been put into preserving these locations and offering guests a fun yet meaningful trip. There are WWII battle sites scattered all over the globe as well as many other museums like the USS Midway in San Diego that I recently visited and the USS Intrepid docked in New York City or even the far more somber museums in Warsaw and those places dedicated to retelling the Holocaust. Then there are the WWI battle sites in such locations as Eastern France or Belgium where, as a patriotic Canadian, one of my previous holidays in this region compelled me to include a daytrip to Vimy Ridge. Plus, Civil War battle sites continue to be prominent attractions for those of us here who prefer to travel domestically.

In short, this list is exhaustive and worldwide. Even though in an ideal world there would be no war, the sad fact is that such violent events have taken place throughout our past and it is important that we continue to visit them so that we can act more sensibly in the future. Hence, as I see it, war tourism is not only a worthy pastime but a vital part of every traveler's journey of self-discovery.

For you as the avid hotelier, though, such excursions tie perfectly into the concept of local authentic experiences wherein you strive to not only service a guest's accommodation needs but also provide them with something they can't quite get anywhere else. If your property is next to or within a reasonable drive from an attraction of this sort, it is definitely worth promoting on your website and other collateral materials or going a step further by arranging for group tours.

While the latter of these two endeavors is significantly harder to set up as it entails partnering with other businesses or negotiating deals with local vendors, the former, including putting up the necessary information on your website, can be completed properly inside of a week. Given that the degree of difficulty is low, there's no reason why you shouldn't be advertising all the possible experiences that a guest might have once they've checked in at your hotel.

Describing them on your hotel or listing their availability in a brochure can even work nearer to the top of the sales funnel whereby the multitude of regional attractions may convince a customer to choose your property or a competitor down the road. More likely, however, it will come down to how you package these with other activities into preplanned itineraries that give peace of mind to incoming travelers who won't want to do all this legwork.

Let me give you two examples that show how this war tourism packaging might work with differing levels of flexibility. The key message from both is that such attractions are a good way to offer a change of pace from other pursuits.

First and close to home are the many quaint inns in Toronto's neighboring viticulture zone, Niagara-on-the-Lake. While it's perfunctory for these hotels to offer wine tours and other gourmand experiences, a few have started to point out that their grounds are within a ten-minute drive of Fort George, a colonial stronghold that can be explored through-and-through inside of two hours. While guided tours are still rare, front desk clerks should be adequately trained to keep this site  as well as all the other non-wine-related activities  on the backs of their minds just in case they are asked by meandering guests to offer some variety to their epicurean-centric itineraries.

Second pertains to my month-long sojourn to Japan happening later this fall. As part of a larger tour group, the main stops are Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. But I specifically chose this operator because its schedule included full-day excursions to both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If I were to venture out on my own in a country where the language was completely foreign, not only would I mostly likely only travel to one of the two places but I would also not get nearly as much out of it as I would with a guide.

Even though this last comment is less about hotels than specific tour operators, understanding these types of travel motivations will nonetheless help you in crafting experiences that will greatly benefit those people who are staying with you. It's all about creating lasting memories to propel guest satisfaction further skyward, and if setting up war tourism programs is possible for your location then it's definitely worth pursuing.

(Article by Larry Mogelonsky, originally published in HotelsMag on June 6, 2017)

Larry Mogelonsky

Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited

View source
NEW YORK  As North American hoteliers push forward into the third quarter of 2017, both average daily rates (ADR) and bookings remain inconsistent across all travel segments, according to new data from TravelClick's July 2017 North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). This marks an ongoing trend for the year.

However, some travel segments are experiencing noteworthy signs of growth during the quarter. For example, group travel is up 1.3 percent in ADR and transient leisure up 2.6 percent in bookings.

"Accepting unpredictability as the new norm, hoteliers are finding this year's summer months a bit unusual compared to those in the past," said John Hach, TravelClick's senior industry analyst. "While ADR for all travel segments is slightly up 0.1 percent and bookings are slightly down -0.8 percent, there is some indication in the numbers that healthy gains are on the horizon in the coming months."

Twelve-Month Outlook (July 2017  June 2018)

For the next 12 months (July 2017  June 2018), transient bookings are up 0.5 percent year-over-year and ADR for this segment is slightly up 0.2 percent. When broken down further, the transient leisure (discount, qualified and wholesale) segment is up 2.8 percent, and ADR is slightly down -0.4 percent. The transient business (negotiated and retail) segment is down -3.5 percent; however, ADR is up 1.5 percent. Lastly, group bookings are up 0.8 percent in committed* room nights over the same time last year, and ADR is up 1.7 percent.

"Moving into the latter part of the summer season and into the fall, hoteliers must leverage business intelligence tools and forward-looking data for guidance to stay ahead of the competition in this continued period of inconsistency," added Hach. "Any number of factors could be contributing to this uncertain time  the current economic climate, global events, the continuation of the on-demand / sharing economy. As such, data is the key for hoteliers to stay informed and on top of the industry."

The July NAHR looks at group sales commitments and individual reservations in the 25 major North American markets for hotel stays that are booked by July 1, 2017 for the period of July 2017 to June 2018.

*Committed Occupancy  (Transient rooms reserved + group rooms committed) / capacity

The third quarter combines forward-looking data (July  September).

About TravelClick, an Amadeus Company

TravelClick offers innovative, cloud-based and data-driven solutions for hotels around the globe to maximize revenue. TravelClick enables over 38,000 hoteliers to drive better business decisions and know, acquire, convert and retain guests. The Company's interconnected suite of solutions includes Business Intelligence, Reservations & Booking Engine, Media, Web & Video and Guest Management. As a trusted hotel partner with more than 30 years of industry experience, TravelClick operates in 176 countries, with local experts in 39 countries and 14 offices in New York, Atlanta, Bucharest, Chicago, Barcelona, Dubai, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Ottawa, Paris, Shanghai and Singapore. Additionally, the Company fosters more than 600 travel-focused partnerships for hotels to leverage. Follow TravelClick on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Caitlin Kasunich

KCSA Strategic Communications

212.896.1241
Hotel room rates in the top-25 most popular U.S. destinations are nowcast to average $203.69 this July, down from $221.3 in June, according to hotel online room rates derived from trivago's unique real time global multi-provider platform. The U.S. online average room rate (oARR), the world's best predictive analytic and hoteliers' only tool for "predictive benchmarking ", ranges among the top-25 destinations from a high of $359 to a low of $98 this July. Based on industry surveys, eforecasting.com estimates that in 2017 about 70% of all reservations are made online via brand websites and travel agent merchant websites, compared with only one-fourth eight years ago.

On year-over-year basis, the U.S. average online room rate is now up (+0.1%), this July, from a year ago, which is lower than the previous month's year-over-year growth rate of (+2.8%). This July, the average online room rate in Boston, after rising (+3.5%) from last year, hit $359 a night, making the city the most expensive destination among the top-25 U.S. hotel markets. Seattle takes the second place now, in July, with an online room rate nowcast at $328, after an increase of (+4.1%) from a year ago. In New York, the online room rate in July is now shrinking (2.4%) from last year to $280 a night, ranking the city in the third place of the most expensive destinations in the United States.

At the bottom of the list, the three least expensive, or most affordable, cities to visit this July are: San Antonio nowcasting an online room rate of $134 a night after a (5.6%) change from a year ago; Houston posts now an online room rate of $112 following a (9.7%) change from last year; and lastly, the most affordable popular destination in the country is now Phoenix with an online room rate of $98 after a nil change from a year ago. With a median online room rate of $185 amongst the top-25 most popular U.S. destinations, San Jose is nowcasted to be the country's average affordable city to visit this July.

Moving from data to hotel-biz-analytics, eforecasting.com's Smoothed Seasonally Adjusted (SSA) predictive analytic, which measures the so called (underlying) trend in online room rates, nowcasts $202.81 for July. On a month-over-month basis - the hoteliers' predictive analytic for tracking what's now and not what's the past - "nowcasts the national trend in online room rate this July to have increased (+0.4%) from the previous month, which is the same percent change as in June", said Evangelos Simos, editor of predictive analytics databases and professor of economics at the University of New Hampshire.

Combining the demand-driven trend effect with the market-specific periodic effect, e-forecasting.com offers hoteliers unparalleled predictive intelligence to optimize both what's now and what's next "predictive benchmarking ". "Looking at the top-25 hotel destinations, the month-to-month percent change in the trend of online room rates in July ranges from a high of (+2.0%) in Seattle to a low of (0.4%) in Salt Lake City. Amongst the top-25 destinations, the trend (SSM) in online monthly room rates is growing in 14 cities; and is falling or staying flat in 11 cities," Simos added.

"Looking at profitability, hoteliers' ultimate gauge for decision-making, profits per room based on online room rates are down (2.6%) on a year-over-year basis in July", said Maria Sogard, CEO at e-forecasting.com. It is the result of changes in two predictive analytics: the average online room rate is flat of its value, while eforecasting.com national unit (per room) cost index is up (+2.8%). In our last month's report - June 2017 - year-over-year profit margins posted a reading of (+0.3%). A year ago - July 2016 - profit margins based on online room rates had posted a reading of (3.2%). Using nowcast trivago's online hotel room rates for the top-25 U.S. destinations and nowcast eforecasting.com's city-centric hotel unit (room) cost indices, year-over-year percent change in profits per room currently range from a high of (+19.0%) in Detroit to a low of (18.6%) in Philadelphia in July. Amongst the top-25 destinations, nowcast predictive analytics on profits per room, based on online rates, are up in 9 cities; they are down or are flat in 16 cities.

On tracking monthly the risk for business losses in providing services per room from online reservations, eforecasting.com nowcasts the probability for hoteliers being in a losses (negative profits) phase of the hotel industry's business cycle for each individual hotel market and the national economy. For U.S. hoteliers, the probability of losses is nowcast to have hit 18% this month - July, which is lower than June's reading of 33%. In the top-25 hotel destinations, the risk for hoteliers being in a period of business losses per room - from online reservations - this July, ranges from a high of 94% in Philadelphia to a low of 1% in Seattle. "The predictive analytic for business losses per room is above 50% in 10 cities out of 25 cities; it is 50% or below in 15 cities," Maria added.

About e-forecasting.com

Founded in Durham, NH in 1994, e-forecasting.com is a predictive intelligence consulting firm offering to clients customized solutions for whats next. For over 15 years, its hotel insights division has focused on hotel predictive analytics and forecasting products for the top destinations around the world to enhance its clients competitive advantage and improve their bottom line.

About trivago

Founded in Dusseldorf in 2005 with operations in 39 countries, trivago is the worlds largest online hotel search site, comparing room rates from over 700,000 hotels on over 200 booking sites worldwide. Each month, more than 45 million visitors use trivagos unique online technology, which compares 5 billion hotel deals a day - more than a trillion a year - and saves them an average of 35% per booking. Visit online http://www.trivago.com.
For the week of 9-15 July, the Canadian hotel industry reported mostly positive year-over-year performance. Occupancy was mostly flat (+0.1% to 79.2%), but ADR rose 1.3% to 172.67 Canadian dollars ($136.93) and RevPAR increased 1.3% to CA$136.79 ($108.48).

The Canadian hotel industry recorded positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 9-15 July 2017, according to data from STR.

In comparison with the week of 10-16 July 2016, the industry reported the following:

Occupancy: +0.1% to 79.2%

Average daily rate (ADR): +1.3% to CAD172.67

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +1.3% to CAD136.79

Among the provinces, Nova Scotia experienced the largest year-over-year increases in ADR (+12.7% to CAD159.18) and RevPAR (+24.3% to CAD142.95). Occupancy growth in the province was the second highest overall (+10.2% to 89.8%).

Manitoba posted the weeks largest rise in occupancy (+11.3% to 74.8%).

Newfoundland and Labrador reported the steepest declines in occupancy (-3.6% to 79.6%) and RevPAR (-8.1% to CAD122.93).

Saskatchewan reported the weeks largest drop in ADR (-5.8% to CAD114.81).

STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com.
- Women are less likely to apply to a company negatively in the press than men - More than a quarter of employers have experienced negative publicity, say it has impacted hiring, morale, turnover and sales

Negative publicity not only damages a company's brand, but also its ability to recruit talent. According to the latest CareerBuilder survey, 71 percent of U.S. workers would not apply to a company experiencing negative press. Female workers are much more likely not to apply to a company experiencing negative press than their male counterparts, 79 percent compared to 61 percent respectively.

The national survey, which was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from May 24 to June 16, 2017, included representative samples of 2,369 full-time employers and 3,462 full-time U.S. workers across industries and company sizes in the private sector.

"In today's 24/7 news cycle and social media world, earning and maintaining a good reputation can be a challenge," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "It's easier than ever before for job seekers to research potential employers. Employers that value transparency and take a proactive approach to issues or complaints will have a better chance of securing trust and loyalty and maintaining a positive reputation that can strengthen their recruitment and retention strategies."

Negative press and the bottom line

Bad publicity can have a serious ripple effect across companies. More than a quarter of employers (26 percent) say their company has experienced negative publicity, resulting in a hit to their hiring process. Sixty-one percent of these employers combined report fewer job offers being accepted, fewer candidate referrals from employees and fewer job applications as a result of the negative publicity. Other negative impacts to the business included lower employee morale, higher voluntary employee turnover and a decline in sales.

Bad publicity may turn off candidates from applying  but it rarely deters current workers from leaving their jobs. Less than 1 in 10 workers (6 percent) have left a company because of negative publicity.

Positive press, positive results

While negative news travels faster in our social world, companies should share their positive news to strengthen their company overall. Nearly 4 in 5 employers who have experienced positive press have seen beneficial impacts such as:

Higher morale among employees (42 percent)

Employees were most likely to share positive things about the company on social channels (36 percent)

Boost in sales (36 percent)

More job applications (32 percent)

More job candidate referrals from employees (22 percent)

More job offers being accepted (21 percent)

Lower voluntary employee turnover (19 percent)

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,369 hiring and human resource managers ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) and 3,462 employees ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between May 24 and June 16, 2017 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With pure probability samples of 2,369 and 3,462, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have sampling errors of +/- 2.01 and +/- 1.67 percentage points, respectively. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is a global, end-to-end human capital solutions company focused on helping employers find, hire and manage great talent. Combining advertising, software and services, CareerBuilder leads the industry in recruiting solutions, employment screening and human capital management. It also operates top job sites around the world. CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
The U.S. hotel industry reported mostly positive year-over-year performance during the week ending 15 July. Occupancy was mostly flat (-0.1% to 77.4%), while a 1.7% ADR increase to $130.76 drove RevPAR up 1.6% to $101.15.

The U.S. hotel industry reported mostly positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 9-15 July 2017, according to data from STR.

In comparison with the week of 10-16 July 2016, the industry recorded the following:

Occupancy: -0.1% to 77.4%

Average daily rate (ADR): +1.7% to US$130.76

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +1.6% to US$101.15

Among the Top 25 Markets, New Orleans, Louisiana, registered the largest year-over-year increase in RevPAR (+12.7% to US$88.03), due primarily to the weeks only double-digit rise in ADR (+10.9% to US$129.79).

Two additional markets recorded a double-digit lift in RevPAR for the week: Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (+11.9% to US$141.83), and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida (+11.4% to US$92.64).

Tampa/St. Petersburg saw the weeks largest increase in occupancy (+5.6% to 77.6%).

The weeks three largest RevPAR decreases were reported in: Dallas, Texas (-7.9% to US$76.61); Chicago, Illinois (-7.7% to US$121.41); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-New Jersey (-6.8% to US$104.92).

Among those markets, Chicago reported the largest decrease in ADR (-5.5% to US$146.29), while Dallas experienced the largest decline in occupancy (-6.8% to 74.5%).

View weekly U.S. hotel performance review

STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com.
AC Hotel Guadalajara Expo Opens in Mexico

The hotel is within the Plaza del Sol commercial area. This mall is located only 5 minutes from the Expo Guadalajara, one of the most important convention centers in Latin America, and easily accessible from the citys industrial district as well as the growing Zapopan business area.

Deutsche Bank Mexico, S.A., Banking institution, Trust Division F/1616 or Fibra Inn (BMV: FINN13, ADR OTC: DFBRY) anounced the opening of the AC Hotel Guadalajara Expo, a full service, 180-room hotel. The venue will be operated by the hotel operator, a Fibra Inn-related company.

The Company maintains its positive perspective regarding the addition of the global AC Hotels by Marriott brand to its portfolio of hotels. This line of hotels falls under the lifestyle premium concept, offering the Company the ability to maximize on the benefits of a strategic location, as was the case with other hotels in the portfolio found in similar areas.

The hotel is within the Plaza del Sol commercial area. This mall is located only 5 minutes from the Expo Guadalajara, one of the most important convention centers in Latin America, and easily accessible from the citys industrial district as well as the growing Zapopan business area.

To date, Fibra Inn has a total portfolio of 43 properties in operation. The total is 7,115 rooms, of which 222 are under construction. Additionally, Fibra Inn has minority participation with third parties in the Strategic Hotel Acquisition Pipeline model, which represents 430 rooms.

Fibra Inn is a Mexican trust formed primarily to acquire, develop and rent a broad range of hotel properties in Mexico aimed at the business traveler. The Company has signed franchise, license and brand usage agreements with international hotel brands for the operation of global brands as well as the operation of national brands. Additionally, the Company has development agreements. These hotels enjoy some of the industrys top loyalty programs. Fibra Inn trades its Real Estate Certificates (Certificados Bursatiles Fiduciarios Inmobiliarios or CBFIs) on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FINN13; its ADRs trade on the OTC market in the U.S. under the ticker symbol DFBRY.
The Grayson Hotel in New York City Opens As Part the Unbound Collection: The 296-room hotel has views of The Empire https://t.co/GBjV1ooi6c
Crowded CEO to Share Insights on HRExaminer Radio Executive Conversations

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 07-21-2017 3:45 am

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NEW YORK CITY (July 20, 2017) WHO:             Howie Schwartz, CEO of Crowded, the rapidly growing online sourcing and engagement platform for tech jobs WHAT:            Will join industry analyst John Sumser as the featured guest on an upcoming episode of HRExaminer Radio - Executive Conversations.  WHEN:            Friday, July 28, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (9:00 a.m. CDT / 8:00 a.m. MDT / 7:00 a.m. PDT) WHERE:            Listen live at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hrexaminer/2017/07/28/hrexaminer-executive-conversations-w-howard-schwartz-crowded-jul-28-7am-pdt. . The same link can be used to replay the episode after the show airs. DETAILS:           HR technology is constantly evolving, offering recruiters and hiring organizations new ways to source and engage with job seekers. During his appearance on HRExaminer Radio Executive Conversations, Howie Schwartz, CEO of Crowded, will join industry analyst John Sumser to disc...

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Emotional Intelligence: Are your employees costing you?

Posted by Adam Jet on Wednesday, 07-19-2017 1:14 pm

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What characteristics do companies typically look for when hiring new employees? The standard answers revolve around communication and responsibilities. Hiring managers want to know that theyre getting quality professionals that will bring overall growth to the company and improve the workplace environment within. Hiring a bad apple in that mix can be detrimental. So detrimental, in fact, that U.S. Department of Labor has looked into the effects of a bad employee and has estimated that companies can suffer monetarily as much as 30% of that employees annual earnings. Because of that, hiring managers have been keeping their eyes peeled for a new characteristic. Emotional intelligence refers to an individuals self-awareness and discipline, motivation levels, their empathetic nature, and their ability to socialize. These skills indicate whether someone will work well in a team or group environment, which most workplaces are, and helps to ensure that the other workers and ultimately the...

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Women Owned Recruiting Firm Lands on Forbes 250 Best of Recruiting List

Posted by Press Releases on Friday, 07-21-2017 4:19 am

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BVOH is a boutique recruiting firm solely focused in the San Francisco Bay Area in finance and accounting. The Forbes list placement adds to a growing list of acknowledgment, recognition and awards for the company.SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PRWEB) JULY 19, 2017Firms who receive the coveted spot on the Forbes list are determined by a survey of over twenty-one thousand recruiters, employees and HR personnel. Participants are asked to judge firms based on quality, communication and price-performance ratio.According to the American Staffing Association there are over 20,000 recruiting firms in the U.S. alone. Leslie Boudreaux, Sr. Managing Partner and one of BVOHs founders says, To be considered one of the top 250 companies in recruiting against other firms over 100 times our size is a tremendous honor for the company and a testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff to providing the best possible experience for their candidates and clients. I could not be more proud of my team.About...

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Send in the clowns and bring the circus to town  it may propel your organization to new heights. In 1986 while serving as Vice President for advancement and community relations at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, our hospital brought the Kelly Miller Brothers Circus to town, for what would become the first of several consecutive years. The lions share of the credit for this phenomenal run goes to my late colleague, Bob Reinhart, who knew many of the principles of different circus organizations. The hospitals annual circus weekend was held each June and was a big hit with families. The weekend included a fundraising Circus Gala Dinner and Performance on Thursday night that was supported by buyers of tickets and tables, a parade on Friday with circus wagons, marching bands and clowns, and then several shows held for the public Friday through Sunday. Thousands of dollars were raised for specific hospital programs. The public perceived our hospital as a genuine community member and the place to go for the highest quality, compassionate care provided by an outstanding team of physicians, nurses and other health professionals. The circus and events around it were planned to reinforce the values of our sponsors, the Religious Sisters of Mercy. Dozens of corporate sponsors, donors and volunteers made this annual weekend a true community event. St. Josephs Circus Weekend continued for 12 years, until 1997. ...
We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
Ankara, Jul 21 (IBNS): The idea that impressionable minds might find Darwin's Theory of Evolution a bit tough to handle has prompted Turkey to swap it for a more jingoistic lesson on 'Jihad'.

The queer move has been backed by government officials, who have argued that Darwin's theory is not relevant in modern times, raising question about its secular stance.

Both Christianity and Islam does not recognise the theory, who believe that mankind was God's creation, contrary to Darwin, whose approach was more scientific.

When quizzed about the theory's exclusion, Turkey's education minister Ismet Yilmaz said that it is above the students' level and not directly relevant, prompting sharp criticism from the opposition.

A lawmaker from Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party, Mustafa Balbay was quoted in the media as saying: "You go and give an 18-year old student the right to elect and be elected, but don't give him the right to learn about the theory of evolution...This is being close minded and ignorant."

Ruing the recent change, the chairman of a teachers' union said that it was designed to shun a generation who ask questions.

Stating that the real meaning of Jihad is 'loving your nation', Yilmaz told reporters: "It is also our duty to fix what has been perceived as wrong. This is why the Islamic law class and basic fundamental religion lectures will include jihad."

However, contrary to Yilmaz's statement, jihad has had a serious effect globally.

Though it translates to 'holy war', many scholars have stated that jihad also refers to personal, spiritual struggle against sin, but militants have chosen another explanation, a more bloody option of waging war against enemies of Islam, thus giving rise to several Islamist terror groups.

Under the incumbent President Recep Tayyip ErdoAYan, Turkey, an otherwise quiet and peace-loving nation, has witnessed turbulent times.

The government has been accused of being intolerant and has dealt with critics in a severe way, causing several watch-dogs to question its functioning.

Opponents in the country are also worried about the significant rise of Imam Hatip religious schools. Erdogan has attended one such schools and has roots in political Islam.

Critics have blamed Erdogan of trying to undo the work of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Ataturk believed that the country should be free of religious teachings.

"The new policies that ban the teaching of evolution and requiring all schools to have a prayer room, these actions destroy the principle of secularism and the scientific principles of education," commented Mehhmet Balik, chairman of the Union of Education and Science Workers.



image: Wallpapers
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 21 (IBNS): The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit in Kerala has sacked a local leader over bribery allegations, reports said.

The sacked leader has been identified as RS Vinod, who allegedly took Rs. five crores from a healthcare facility, promising them a Medical Council of India (MCI) accreditation.

Following the incident, V Muralidharan, the national executive Council member of BJP, was quoted in the media as saying: "I don't believe that the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be influenced by any type of corruption or bribery. Last 3 years, our govt has not succumbed to any of this. I am sure our stand will not change if anyone is found guilty."

The leader was removed after an internal report found him guilty of having links with hawala dealers.

The report also stated that he had indeed taken the bribe and the money was transferred from Kochi to Delhi through the hawala dealers.

Crying foul, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president MM Hasaan urged the state government to launch a probe into BJP, accusing them of money laundering.

Hasaan stated: "The state government should order a vigilance probe. BJP is involved in corruption of over 400 crore rupees in 70 medical colleges across India."

Echoing his sentiments, CPI (M) lawmaker MB Rajesh has asked the PM to 'walk the talk' and has sought an explanation from the central government.

"This is only the tip of the entire scam. We want the PM to walk the talk on the issue of political corruption which he raised in all party meeting. This is not just about the bribery in Kerala but over 26 colleges have got recognition from MCI through various channels," he said.
Ahmedabad, Jul 21 (IBNS) : Congress veteran in Gujarat, Shankarsinh Vaghela, said to be unhappy with his party, is likely to quit it on his 77th birhday on Friday, media reports said.

Vaghela will make an "important announcement" and share his "feelings" with his supporters.

The former Chief Minister has reportedly been sulking for not having been given a free hand for the party's campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections to be held later this year.

Earlier, Vaghela slammed the state Congress over lack of homework for the assembly polls.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Congress issued a warning to Vaghela on Thursday not to play any politics under the guise of his birthday celebrations.
New Delhi, Jul 21 (IBNS): Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the Central governmentas flagship national agricultural insurance programme, is a classic case of poor implementation of a good scheme, said Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment's deputy director general Chandra Bhushan.

On Friday, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released its first detailed independent evaluation and analysis of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

Across the world, agriculture insurance is recognised as an important part of the safety net for farmers to deal with the impacts of extreme and unseasonal weather due to climate change.



According to Chandra Bhushan, The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is a far superior scheme than the previous agricultural insurance schemes. However, at the state level, its vision is diluted and at the district level, its implementation is seriously compromised. PMFBY.



This assessment is based on our field study in Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, as well as national level engagement with various stakeholders including farmer and farmers organisations, insurance companies and government departments, Bhushan added.



The Central government launched the PMFBY in the kharif season of 2016 to help farmers cope with crop losses due to unseasonal and extreme weather.

The scheme came into operation from April 1, 2016.

It replaced the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and the Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).

Although the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) remains in place, its premium rates have been made the same as in PMFBY. A state can decide whether it wants PMFBY or WBCIS or both.



PMFBY has more farmer-friendly provisions than NAIS and MNAIS, said CSE. It has reduced the burden of premium on farmers significantly and has expanded the coverage of risks. It also promotes use of advanced technologies for accurate estimation of losses and quick payments to farmers.



What has the CSE assessment found?



The positives:

At the all-India level, coverage of agricultural insurance has significantly increased in kharif 2016 compared to kharif 2015. The number of farmers insured reached a little over 4 crore during kharif 2016; during kharif 2015, this number was about 3.09 crore.

The sum insured is now closer to the cost of production than before. On an average, during kharif 2015, the sum insured per hectare of land was about Rs 20,500; during kharif 2016, it had gone up to Rs 34,370. This means that in case of losses, farmers should theoretically get significantly higher compensation than before. However, in some states like Rajasthan, the sum insured remains very low  about one-third of the cost of production.



The negatives:

Gaps in assessment of crop loss: Assessment of crop loss remains a major concern because the sample sizes in each village are not large enough to capture the scale and diversity of crop losses. In many cases, district or block level agricultural department officials do not conduct such sampling on ground and complete the formalities only on paper. CSE also noted other issues such as lack of trained outsourced agencies, huge scope of corruption during implementation as well as non-utilisation of technologies like smart phones and drones to improve the speed and reliability of such sampling.

Inadequate and delayed claim payment: Insurance companies, in many cases, did not investigate losses due to a localised calamity and, therefore, did not pay claims. For kharif 2016, the claim payment to farmers was inordinately delayed  till April 2017; claims for kharif 2016 were not paid or were partly paid in 14 out of 21 states. Only 32 per cent of the reported claims were paid out by insurance companies, even when in many states the governments had paid their part of premium.

High actuarial premium rates: Insurance companies charged high actuarial premium rates during kharif 2016  the all-India rate was approximately 12.6 per cent, which was highest ever. Much higher rates were charged in some states and regions. The average actuarial rate in Gujarat was 20.5 per cent, in Rajasthan 19.9 per cent, and in Maharashtra 18.9 per cent.

Massive profits for insurance companies: CSEs analysis indicates that during kharif 2016, companies made close to Rs 10,000 crore as gross profits.

Coverage only for loanee farmers: PMFBY remains a scheme for loanee farmers  farmers who take loans from banks are mandatorily required to take insurance. The percentage of non-loanee farmers availing insurance remained less than 5 per cent during kharif 2016 and 2015. Like previous crop insurance schemes, PMFBY fails to cover sharecropper and tenant farmers.

Poor capacity to deliver: There has been no concerted effort by the state government and insurance companies to build awareness of farmers on PMFBY. Insurance companies have failed to set-up infrastructure for proper implementation of PMFBY. There is still no direct linkage between insurance companies and farmers. Insured farmers receive no insurance policy document or receipt.



The CSE report has also identified issues like delayed notification by state governments, less number of notified crops than can avail insurance, problem with threshold yield estimation etc. that has diluted the usefulness of PMFBY.



One of the key conclusions of the report is that PMBY is not beneficial for farmers in vulnerable regions.

Said Chandra Bhushan, For farmers in vulnerable regions such as Bundelkhand and Marathwada, factors like low indemnity levels, low threshold yields, low sum insured and default on loans make PMFBY a poor scheme to safeguard against extreme weather events. Our analysis shows that farmers in these areas might not get any claim even if more than half of their crops are damaged."



After looking into the scheme's intention and the implementation, CSE has come out with a series of recommendations to improve implementation:

Coverage of tenant and sharecropper farmers should increase.

All important crops should be covered under crop insurance. Diversification of crops and mixed farming should be promoted.

Instead of threshold yield, Potential yield should be used for crops for which historical average yield data is not available.

Damage caused by wild animals, fire, cold waves and frost to crops should also be considered at the individual level. Damage caused by unforeseen weather events like hailstorms should also be included in the category of post-harvest losses.

Farmers must be informed before deducting crop insurance premium. They must be given a proper insurance policy document, with all relevant details.

Panchayati Raj Institutions and farmers need to be involved at different stages of implementation.

The insurance unit (IU) must be reduced over a period of time. In any case, it should not be more than village level. If the IU cannot be at the individual level and is kept at village panchayat level, premium should also be collected at the village panchayat level.

Incentivise groups of small farmers or women farmers and promote group insurance.

Sum insured should not be less than scale of finance and/or cost of production.

PMFBY timelines from insurance coverage to claim payment should be strictly adhered to.

Robust assessment of crop loss should be done through capacity building of state governments, involvement of PRIs and farmers in loss assessment, auditing and multi-level checking to ensure credibility of data and testing incorporating technology such as remote sensing, drones and online transmission of data.

All PMFBY related data related to farmers must be available in the public domain and shared openly with farmers.

The clause addressing prevented sowing and post-harvest losses must be implemented appropriately by issuing state notifications prior to sowing.

Robust scheme monitoring and grievance redressal mechanism should be in place.



Bhushan said, In an era of climate change, a universal, subsidised agriculture insurance is crucial to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of farmers. But we need a farmer-friendly, fair and transparent agriculture insurance. An agriculture insurance driven by profit-motives will do more harm than good. Our hope is that the recommendations of this report will help government improve the provisions and implementation of PMFBY and make it a truly effective scheme.



The CSE report pointed out that Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) keeps Bihar in the same conundrum as previous insurance schemes. The premium rates charged by insurance companies in Bihar have remained higher than that in other states and the all-India average in PMFBY.



Said Bhushan, This trend, however, is not limited to PMFBY, but has been visible over previous crop loss insurance schemes too. The CSE analysis shows that insurance companies have charged a relatively higher actuarial premium rate in Bihar compared to other states, even though the claims paid in Bihar have been historically low.



The all-India average actuarial premium rates have been in the range of 9-11.5 per cent under the Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS). But in Bihar, the actuarial premium rates charged in MNAIS during kharif 2011 to kharif 2013 had been in the range of 18.5-23.1 per cent.



Key highlights of this trend

In kharif 2016 under PMFBY, the premium rates charged amounted to 17.2 per cent against the all-India average of 12.6 per cent.

Claim payouts, however, amounted to only 20.6 per cent of the gross premium, as compared to the 37.5 per cent all-India average.

In kharif 2013 under MNAIS, the premium rate was 18.5 per cent against an all-India average of 11.2 per cent. For the same period, the claim payouts for Bihar were 80.7 per cent, while the all-India average was 131.7 per cent.

In kharif 2012 (MNAIS), the premium rates for Bihar were as high as 23.1 per cent against the all-India average of 11.5 per cent, while claim payouts were only 24.1 per cent against the all-India average of 110.5 per cent.

For kharif 2011 (MNAIS), the premium rate for Bihar was 22.9 per cent against the all-India average of 9 per cent. Claim payouts, however, were 19.8 per cent for Bihar as against the all-India rate of 78.9 per cent.



Actuarial premium rates under previous crop insurance schemes in Bihar have been higher despite the fact that claim payouts have been relatively lower than other states, indicating lower risk profile. Similar has been the case during kharif, 2016 under PMFBY. Insurance companies however, have charged a high premium rate of 17 per cent in Bihar compared to the all-India average rate of 12.6 per cent for kharif 2016. This makes the risk profile of Bihar similar to states such as Maharashtra, added Bhushan.
New Delhi, Jul 21 (IBNS) : Flaying the Narendra Modi Government for "mishandling" the Kashmir issue, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said its policies have set fire to the valley, reports said.

"I have been saying this for a long time that the policies of Narendra Modi and NDA has burned down Jammu & Kashmir," he told reporters.

Gandhi said the Kashmir issue is an internal matter and there is no need of involving a third party in discussion over controversial issue.

"India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India. This is our internal matter and we don't need any third party's involvement in it."

The problem in Kashmir snowballed into a major challenge for both the Centre and the state government as incidents of stone pelting at the Army by common people, continuous protests and cross-border terrorism have increased. The situation turned for the worse particularly after the encounter death of Hizbul leader Burhan Wani in July, 2016.

After the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag on July 10, Rahul Gandhi had come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) alliance with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP).

In a series of tweets, Gandhi had said Modi's policies have created space for terrorists in Kashmir which is a "grave strategic blow" to India.

Earlier in the day, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullahsaid India should approach to to third parties like the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.

He called for holding bilateral dialogues between India and Pakistan to defuse the border tension, saying violence and warfare are not the solution to the Kashmir problem.

"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to catch the bull by the horns. War means annihilation, as they (Pakistan) have atomic bombs, just like we do. The way (to resolve the issue) is through dialogue," he said.

Image: twitter.com/OfficeOfRG
Kolkata, July 21 (IBNS): In an unsparing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that Trinamool Congress (TMC) will oust the saffron party from political power in the next Lok Sabha election.

Banerjee made the comment while delivering her speech from the public gathering on the Martyr's Day which is celebrated by TMC on July 21 every year.

In a 50 minutes speech, the TMC supremo chose the BJP as her prime opponent, attacking the latter on a number of issues.

She had alleged that BJP is the sole reason for fanning the communal stirs in the state, which were evident recently in Basirhat and Dhulagarh.

She said: "BJP is using Facebook (social network) as a tool to stir communal riots in West Bengal."

"Cyber crime is a big crime," Banerjee added.

The WB CM even called for a unity among all opponent parties to give tough contest to the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election. "West Bengal is with Congress, RJD, DMK and all others who would fight against BJP."

She even stated that in 2019 General Election, the saffron party would fail to get even a single seat from the state.

The TMC chief even attacked the central government run by BJP for not co-operating with the state counterparts.

Image: Official Facebook page of AITC.
Kuala Lumpur, Jul 21 (IBNS): Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee may have taken YouTube by storm, breaking its counter, but it hasn't stuck a similar chord with Malaysian authorities, who have rejected the song for its 'offensive' lyrics.

"When in Rome..." and when in Malaysia don't indulge in anything 'Un-Islamic', for the slightest walk over the line can get you banned among other things.



While the country has ordered state-run station to chuck the song from their playlist, it has 'encouraged' private stations to 'practice self censorship'.

The only good thing that has emerged from the row is the uniformity of rage in both the incumbent and opposition parties.

The chairwoman of women's wing of Parti Amanah Negara, the country's opposition party, Atriza Umar has described the song as 'porn'.

She has stated that the music is unsuitable for children and can prove to the detrimental to the conservative Malaysian society.

Fonsi hasn't reacted to the news yet.

The country has also banned the remix version of the song, which featured Canadian music sensation Justin Bieber.
Kabul, Jul 21 (IBNS): At least five Taliban insurgents were killed in an airstrike conducted by the US forces in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, local Khaama Press reported.

The raid was was conducted on Wednesday night using a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

At least 10 insurgents were injured in the airstrike.

A statement from the provincial government added that the local and the army did not suffer any casualty.

The Taliban has not issued a statement on the news as of yet.

Image: Wikimedia Commons
Burma More than 2,000 Locals Protest Cement Factory in Mon State

Locals protest a coal-fired power plant in Mon State. / Hintharnee / The Irrawaddy

MOULMEIN, Mon State  More than 2,000 locals from villages in Kyaikmayaw and Moulmein townships staged a protest march in Moulmein on Friday against a cement factorys coal-fired power plant.

This is the second protest against the US$400 million, 500-ton cement factory, run by Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL)  a joint venture between Thai firm Siam Cement Group (SCG) and Pacific Link Cement Industries.

One of the protest leaders, Nai Ye Zaw, said that locals staged the protest because the President, the Mon State government and Parliament did not respond to their complaints about the cement factory.

The factory was not built transparently and we havent received a proper response regarding our complaints, so we are protesting, Nai Ye Zaw announced at the protest.

He said that a petition was sent to the president calling for use of a fuel other than coal at the factory, as well as the conservation of the environment and waterways.

Locals would not have accepted the cement factory project if the company had said openly that it was going to be powered by coal, said Nai Shwe Win, a member of a local community group named after Mt. Pyataung from which raw materials for the cement factory come.

We only found out when vessels began transporting coal on the Attaran River in 2015, he said. If we had known earlier, we would have protested then.

According to officials of Mon States Myanmar Port Authority, nearly 200,000 tons of coal have been shipped from Moulmein Port to the plant along the Attaran River since 2015.

Fisherman U Aung Tin Oo from Kyaikmayaw Township complained that fishing has been largely disrupted due to engine noise and waves created by these coal-carrying ships.

Locals are gravely concerned that coal will have negative health impacts, and many have recently covered water wells in their homes out of fear that rainwater polluted by coal fumes would enter the wells, said Ma Ni Ni Aung from Kun Ngan Village.

The factory started commercial operation in April despite local opposition.

On Feb. 18, about 7,000 locals from seven villages near the factory staged a protest against the coal-fired power plant. In April last year, locals sent a petition with 3,780 signatures to the Presidents Office, demanding the termination of the project.

Protesters originally planned to stage a march toward the Mon State government and Parliament with up to 10,000 people, but the Mon State government only allowed 3,000 protesters to participate and would not permit the demonstration to take place in front of the divisional government or parliament.

The minister of natural resources and environmental conservation in June instructed the Mon State government to submit monthly environmental impact assessment reports on the MCL cement factory.

Under the agreement with the Myanmar Investment Commission, the factory will operate for 50 years from the start of commercial operations.
Burma Munitions and Drugs Seized From Two Loikaw Homes

Munitions seized from homes of U Dah Rae and U Nay Soe Htwe Min, in Loikaw. / Saw William Kyaw / Facebook

MANDALAY  Munitions and drugs were seized in two homes in the Karenni State capital of Loikaw on Thursday, in connection with a large seizure of arms one day earlier in Mandalay Division.

According to the Loikaw police, the bust was related to a case in which 22 guns were seized in Mandalay Divisions Tharzi Township on Wednesday.

The accomplice, U Dah Rae, is on the run. His wife, Daw Oo Sar, was arrested and the case is under police custody, said a duty officer from the Loikaw District police office.

From U Dah Raes home, police seized ammunition, a car, three grams of opium and 8,900,000 kyats in cash. From the home U Nay Soe Htwe Minarrested in Mandalay on Wednesdaydetonators, grenades, gunpowder and cash worth 140,000,000 kyats were seized.

According to the police, U Dah Rae is believed to have sold arms to the couple arrested for illegal possession of the guns in Mandalay Division, and he is allegedly a member of the Karenni State Liberation Front.

We are investigating the case in order to take action against everyone who is involved in this illegal arms trade, said the police.

On Wednesday, U Nay Soe Htwe Min and Mya Hsu Hninhis wifewere arrested in Tharzi Township, Mandalay Division during a routine search of their car at a toll gate. The couple was reportedly driving to Mandalay from Loikaw. According to their statements to the police, the guns were intended to be sold in Kale Township in Sagaing Division, near the Indo-Burma border town of Tamu.
Burma New Companies Law Submitted to Parliament

Union Parliament. / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  The Myanmar government submitted a draft of the new Myanmar Companies Law to the Upper House on Thursday.

The draft law combines elements of the Myanmar Companies Act of 1914 and the Special Companies Act of 1950, reworked in hopes of attracting foreign investment, said Deputy Minister for Planning and Finance U Maung Maung Win as he put forward the draft law to the Upper House.

The eight-part draft law includes 478 provisions in 32 sections, designed with input from the attorney generals office, concerned ministries and economic partners, said the deputy minister.

The deputy said the Companies Act needed to be updated to be compliant with the new Myanmar Investment Law  which replaced the Myanmar Citizens Investment Law and the Foreign Investment Law  that was signed into effect by President U Htin Kyaw in October 2016.

Dr. Myat Nyana Soe, secretary of the Upper House Bill Committee, told reporters: There are a lot of restrictions on business operations under the existing Companies Act, which is why the country has difficulty attracting foreign investment.

The new law will be very different from the old one. It will easier to set up companies and it will be possible to register them electronically, he added.

U Thein Naing, a Yangon-based businessman, told The Irrawaddy that the registration process used to be cumbersome but that he had heard that steps were being taken to improve it as of late.

The draft law is also expected to promote capital market in the country, and was designed with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Shan General: 2017 Not a Year of Peace

General Yawd Serk at a press conference on July 21, 2017, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  Gen Yawd Serk, chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), has said that 2017 may not be the year of peace that State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Htin Kyaw envisioned.

He made the remark at a Friday press conference regarding the militarys objection to a meeting by the Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU), a coalition of Shan political parties, ethnic armed groups and civil society groups, in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

If the situation continues as it is, it cannot be, the general said, responding to The Irrawaddys question on the year of peace.

For the idea to succeed, Yawd Serk said, first we need to be constructive. Our leaders have to build mutual trust. We must have a common understanding on every agreement we made, whether they are bilateral, Union level or the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). But we now have none of it.

President U Htin Kyaw said in his New Year speech that they have aimed for 2017 to be a peaceful year, which State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also stressed in her speech during the second session of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference in May.

But the peace process under President U Htin Kyaw is in limbo and faces deadlock, especially due to the Tatmadaw not following the NCA path, said Gen Yawd Serk. The RCSS is one of eight ethnic armed group signatories to the NCA, which was also signed by the government and the Tatmadaw in October 2015.

Despite signing the ceasefire agreements, Yawd Serk said the RCSS and Myanmar Army troops had experienced clashes. The RCSS complained about the clashes through the Shan State Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, but there has been no intervention yet, he said.

The chairman also said they had contacted people at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and asked about the objection to the CSSU meeting issued by the military attache from the Myanmar embassy. He said they were told that the government did not prevent the meeting from being held.

Regarding the case, he said, they would send formal letters to the State Counselor and to the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Army, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
MYITKYINA, Kachin State  Men and women with bags of honey-colored stones in cars and on motorbikes arrive at the Gems and Jewelry Trade Center in Myitkyina, Kachin State at around 7 a.m. This is the place that people searching for and selling amber come to make a deal.

In an open-air building, vendors sit in front of piles of raw amber, pouring water over the stones to make them appear shinier, while buyers rummage through them with small flashlights looking for quality pieces. The center launched four years ago and it has become the hub of the local market.

Forty-year-old Seng Pan, who owns an amber shop in Waingmaw Township, bought a pile of about 30 viss (1 viss equals approximately 1.6 kilograms) of raw Burmite amber worth 7 million kyats (about US$5,000) at the market. He told The Irrawaddy that while the cost of raw amber has increased, the price of fine and polished products has decreased over the last two years.

Recently, there has not been a consistent supply of quality, raw amber since mines in Tanai Townshipwhere amber is primarily extracted in the statehave been closed due to military engagement between the Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Seng Pan said.

Since clashes broke out in early June, gold and amber miners have fled the area and sought shelter in Tanai town, Hkamti in Sagaing Division, or their respective hometowns.

Myanmar Army helicopters dropped leaflets over the area in the second week of June, asking people in the mining region to leave by June 15 or be recognized as insurgents supporting the KIA. Military tensions between the two sides persist in the area.

Daw Moe Khine, 40-year-old Mogok native and amber trader, told The Irrawaddy that she used to buy amber from mines around the Tanai area to sell at the China-Myanmar border. Since the mines closed, she has gone to Myitkyina to observe how deals are made between buyers and sellers at the center.

Trading in amber is a quick and easy way to make money, unlike jade, said Daw Moe Khine, explaining that amber is the less expensive of the two stones.

Amber has become very popular. Many people believe that it is good for their health if they wear it, she added.

The discovery of a dinosaur tail embedded in a piece of amber by a Chinese paleontologist, which made headlines across the globe late last year, shined a light on the popularity of Myanmar amber, which is considered some of the highest quality in the world.

Traders and sellers at the market said that it was not unusual to find animal parts embedded in the raw Burmite, showing photos of amber with spider legs and other appendages inside, which traded for high prices. They said, however, that it is nearly impossible for ordinary traders to know if the feathers or animal parts inside the amber are fossils or not.

For 24-year-old Ko Zaw Aung, trading in amber is not as risky as jade.

Even when you lose money from trading amber, it is not as much as with jade, he told The Irrawaddy. But when you get cheated in trading jade, it is like holding onto a useless piece of rock.

The market in Myitkyina usually finishes around noon but a different building in the same compound continues to sell and trade polished amber rings, bracelets and necklaces throughout the day.
Australia's second largest telco Optus says it will spend $1 billion to update and expand its mobile network in regional areas by the end of next year as part of an ongoing investment programme that has spent more than $3.6 billion on its mobile network since 2015.

The money will be used to:

build 500 new mobile sites across regional and remote parts of Australia, including 114 sites under the federal governments Mobile Blackspots Programme;

complete the 4G upgrade programme which will upgrade more than 1800 sites from 3G to 4G technology;

add additional 4G capacity to more than 200 sites, delivering improved customer experience during periods of high usage;

continue to roll out satellite small cell technology, which provides mobile voice and data services to remote areas of Australia, building on Optus existing rollout of 30 small cell sites across regional Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory; and

meet the cost of spectrum licences in regional areas.

Optus chief executive Allen Lew claimed the investment was among the single biggest in regional mobile infrastructure in Australia.

"Optus funding is earmarked to expand coverage and improve overall network performance for residents, businesses, and our wholesale partners," he said. "It will also help build the network resilience that is critical to supporting public safety and emergency services during natural disasters.Optus is building out its mobile network in the places where people live, work and travel to ensure they can lead a vibrant online life. Importantly, we are boosting the mobile network to provide better download speeds for data-hungry applications such as video streaming."

As part of the investment, Optus says it will spend $4.5 million in Tamworth and the surrounding areas to build 16 new sites at Calala, Tamworth CBD, East Piper Street, Emerald Hill, Carroll, Curlewis, Gunnedah, Tamworth / Oxley Vale, Attunga, Duri, Hallsville, Piallamore, Moonbi, Barraba Central, Bendemeer and Kingswood. Nine sites are being built jointly with another carrier.

Regional communities rely on a strong mobile network to support their key industries, and to deliver critical services like health care and education. Through this investment, Optus will help propel regional businesses into national and international markets by providing network reliability; high speed connectivity; and advanced technologies such as cloud and cyber security services that industries need to thrive and grow," Lew said.
Offices and other workplaces are re-opening, but there is a 'third way' between working in the workplace and working at home.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield clearly believes in the slogan that a former Labor prime minister, Julia Gillard, used in her last election campaign: moving forward.

Fifield has moved on to the next phase of his life: yesterday he gave a 2368-word speech at a telecommunications conference in Sydney and did not mention the word NBN even once.

He waxed lyrical about 5G, the proposed next telecommunications standard. You can see the entire speech here.

Fifield said: "I believe that the imminent arrival of 5G mobile technology will be a truly revolutionary event in the telecommunications industry. In fact, the arrival of 5G may well be an inflection point not just for the telecoms sector, but for the entire Australian economy."

One would think that the national broadband network, the project that's often called the biggest such endeavour in the country's history  NBN chief executive Bill Morrow sometimes calls it one of the biggest and most difficult in the world  would have figured even momentarily.

Fifield did use the word "broadband" twice  but once it was in reference to mobile broadband and on the second occasion he used the variation "wireless broadband". That's all.

He mentioned the activities of his cabinet colleagues Arthur Sinodinos, Fiona Nash and Angus Taylor that would, in his opinion, contribute to what 5G would bring. And he spoke abut the ACMA, the AMTA and other organisations.

Fifield's avoidance of the NBN is particularly significant given that The Australian chose to run stories about the network on its front page this week. When reports that reflect badly on the government appear in this spot in the paper, one can count on a reaction from Canberra.

Until now, The Australian has been largely supportive of the government's multi-technology mix NBN and rarely said a word against it. But on Tuesday, the newspaper's lead story proclaimed that NBN costs were the reason for the slow speeds experienced by customers. That is a fairly old story, as many publications, including iTWire, have been shouting out that fact for at least a few years.

Fifield clearly does not see any mileage in mentioning the NBN. It appears to be becoming as much of a thorn in the flesh for him as it is for consumers who are seeing their speeds fall as they move over to the network.

But there is no way out  unless Fifield chooses to announce an upgrade. That would, of course, be premature given that the end of the rollout has been scheduled for 2020.

Fifield is in a classic Catch-22 situation. As with many other escape routes his government has chosen, what Labor has done in the past gave him a temporary way out. Moving forward.
More than a month after a ransomware attack on their Windows computers, journalists at San Francisco's public TV and radio station KQED are still reduced to doing most of their work manually.

KQED was not one of the many companies or organisations that were affected by WannaCry in May or a second big attack in June  variously known as NotPetya, ExPetr, Nyetya or GoldenEye  that affected mainly Windows systems in Europe.

A report in the San Francisco Chronicle said all its Internet-connected devices, tools and machinery were disconnected in a bid to isolate and contain the ransomware which hit the organisation on 15 June.

And, as of 18 July (19 July AEST), many of these devices were still offline.

The report quoted Queena Kim, a senior editor at the station, as saying: "Its like weve been bombed back to 20 years ago, technology-wise. You rely on technology for so many things, so when it doesnt work, everything takes three to five times longer just to do the same job.

Immediately after the attack, the station's email server stopped working. All network-connected devices were taken offline and the broadcasts went off the air for more than 12 hours overnight.

Radio journalists lost hours of work and everyone who was using Windows was told not to touch their machines. Wireless Internet did not work for many days and the staff had to manage without email for a fortnight.

The station has managed to continue its broadcasts for the most part, with the television newscast recording segments from UC Hastings for two successive weeks due to problems caused by the ransomware.

While the report did not give any name for the ransomware, it said that the ransom demanded was 1.7 Bitcoin per file, about US$3637 (A$4572 at today's rates). Given the number of files stored on its computers, the total demand would have been more than KQED's annual revenue of US$71.6 million of which US$39.7 million comes from audience contributions, according to KQED's annual financial disclosure.

KQED chief technology officer Dan Mansergh said anti-virus software had been updated on the morning of the attack. Additionally, the station had firewalls that had been updated, email-scanning software and more than one malware detection program running.

He could not give a figure for the cost of the attack as the station is yet to fully recover from the attack.

The ransomware encrypted files on a "small percentage" of the Windows computers but it appeared that many more were in line to be infected and only timely action by KQED's technical staff prevented a bigger infection taking place.

The report said KQED decided not to pay the ransom and reported the attack to the FBI.
The biggest criminal marketplace on the dark web has been taken down through a co-ordinated operation launched by authorities in the US, the Netherlands, Thailand, Lithuania, Canada, the UK, France and Europol.

The US Justice Department announced on Thursday that AlphaBay, which had been selling illegal drugs, stolen and fraudulent IDs, counterfeit goods, malware, hacking tools, firearms and toxic chemicals, had been put out of operation.

The man who ran AlphaBay, Alexandre Cazes, a Canadian citizen living in Thailand, was arrested by Thai authorities on 5 July. He apparently committed suicide on 12 July.

Public information on AlphaBay prior to its takedown indicated that that were more than 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors using the site.

By comparison, the Silk Road website, which was taken down in November 2013, had about 14,000 listings for illicit goods and services at the time of its takedown and was the largest dark web marketplace at the time.

US attorney-general Jeff Sessions said: "This is likely one of the most important criminal investigations of the year  taking down the largest dark net marketplace in history.

Make no mistake, the forces of law and justice face a new challenge from the criminals and transnational criminal organisations who think they can commit their crimes with impunity using the dark net.

"The dark net is not a place to hide. The Department will continue to find, arrest, prosecute, convict, and incarcerate criminals, drug traffickers and their enablers wherever they are. We will use every tool we have to stop criminals from exploiting vulnerable people and sending so many Americans to an early grave."
And the winner is  sorry, you will have to read the article to find out. But HPs new x2 Spectre raises the bar in some areas, as does Microsofts Surface Pro 2017.

The purpose of a shootout is to objectively measure, Apples for Apples and declare a winner. Spoiler alert: they may look similar and do a similar job, but I suspect both have slightly different markets  enterprise and consumer/small business  in mind.

The real hybrid, two-in-one, tablet and detachable keyboard device started showing up around 2012 with the Surface RT.

But for more than 30 years, manufacturers have been trying to achieve the same  maximum compute power in a minimum size  Bondwell, Toshiba, IBM, Osborne, to name a few. All that held them back was the available technology.

Well, today you have devices that are 7-8mm thin, weigh under 1kg, and have enough compute power to send a man to the moon thousands of times.

The real question is has the hybrid market proven itself as a thoroughly useful computing device that fills a real need? The answer is yes!

First, we need to compare specifications  boring, but necessary.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 HP x2 Spectre 2017 Model M3-7Y30 1-2.6GHz, Intel HD Graphics 615 i5-7300U 2.6-3.5GHz Intel HD Graphics 620 i7-7660U 2.4-4GHz Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 N/A i5-7260U Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 i7-7560U Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 Surface offers the lower cost and the lower powered m3 may be useful in some circumstances but the sweet spot is i5 and for power users the i7. Winner: draw Display 12.3, 2736 x 1824, 267ppi, PixelSense, 3:2 aspect Edge-to-edge glass, 10-point touch Supports a wide DCI-P3 colour gamut N-Trig digitiser Pixel Sense controller hardware acceleration, touch, and Dial 12.3, 3000 x 2000, IPS WLED (included White LED backlight plus RGB) Edge-to-edge glass, 10-point touch x2 has more pixels and the WhiteLED backlight gives a whiter but cooler colour. However, the Surface PixelSense secret sauce (hardware acceleration) and its sRGB/Enhanced colour profiles put it ahead, Winner: Surface by a nit Processor Review unit Intel Core i7-7600U, 2.2/3.4GHz, 2 core/4 thread Core m3 and i5 are fan-less Review: Intel Core i5-7260U, 2.2/3.4GHz, 2 core/4 thread Also i7-7560U, 2.4/3.8Ghz Both with fan Surface is slightly faster using higher specified CPU but it is much of a muchness. I like the m3  so dont write it off. The x2 did get hotter under load. Winner: Surface Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 Supports 3840 x 2160 external display or two via DP daisy chain Same While both use the same GPU the Surface offers colour temperature adjustment but the x2 has the harder to use Intel HD Control panel and it offers similar control. Winner: draw RAM 8-16GB, DDR3L-1600 8-16GB-LPDDR3-1866 Both use older DDR3L (low power) and that is because of shortages in DDR4LP. The x2 is slightly faster. Winner: x2 SSD 128/256/512GB and 1TB, PCIe, NVMe, M.2 256/512GB SSD, PCIe, NVMe, M.2 Both use very fast PCIe NVMe, M.2 but only the Surface has a 1TB option, But with microSD support so who cares. Winner: draw microSD Yes  size unspecified, but at least 256GB. External hard disk storage at least 2TB Yes, size unspecified Same Winner: draw Wireless Marvel Avastar 88W8897, AC, 2x2, MIMO, Wi-Di Intel 8265, AC, 2x2, MIMO, Wi-Di While both are capable of 867GB/s the x2 has a faster throughput. This could be a driver issue. Winner: x2 Bluetooth 4.1 4.2 There is little between 4.1 and 4.2 but the latter has better sound quality over Bluetooth. Winner: x2 by .1

TPM Nuvoton NPCT650SBBWX for mobile device management N/A TPM is vital for enterprise however, in the consumer market is means little so there it is. Winner: Surface for enterprise and x2 for consumer Keyboard Trackpad Stand Full size, chiclet, 1.5mm/60g throw Available in standard and Alcantara fabric with four colour options  Platinum, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue, Black Oversize glass touchpad with up to five finger gestures Flap to 165 - almost flat Approx 310g Full size, chiclet, 1.5mm/60g throw Oversize Elan glass touchpad with up o four finger gestures U-shape to 150 Approx 370g x2 comes closest to the Surface Book standard and it has almost eliminated key bounce. Its metal fascia is going to last longer than Alcantara. Winner: x2 Stylus Optional 4096 pressure levels 12g actuation force AAAA battery powered Optional Surface Dial HP 2 button active (AAAA battery operated) stylus  no details available This is difficult to call as only Surface publishes specifications and on that basis, it is a winner. In real life, both do an amazing job. Winner: Surface by a specification Audio Realtek ALC3269 chip 2 x 1.6W, front firing with Dolby Audio Premium max volume 68dB Dual stereo mics Realtek High Definition Audio (SST) 2 x Bang & Olufsen tuned, front firing speakers with HP Audio boost Max volume 80db Same x2 is the clear winner offering an EQ and presets and higher volume. This is academic if you use it for a personal device. Winner: x2 Ports 1 x USB-A, 3.0 1 x Mini-DisplayPort 1.2 Surface Ribbon - power delivery upstream (charging tablet) and data 1 x 3.5mm combo audio 1 x microSD slot POGO Pins for keyboard power and data Microsoft is working on a Ribbon to USB-C dock - TBA 2 x USB-C, Gen 1, 5Gbps, DisplayPort 1.2 Interchangeable - power delivery upstream (charging tablet) and downstream (charges devices) 1 x 3.5mm combo audio

1 x microSD slot

POGO Pins for keyboard power and data The Surface is more flexible sans a dock  mini-DisplayPort, full USB-A and ribbon charger. While the 2 x USB-C are good Surface is slightly ahead in normal use. Winner: Surface by a nose although x2's 2 x USB-C is tempting but you need dongles.

LTE Will be available on m3 and i5 models N/A Due to the way Australian Telcos charge for data this may or may not be advantage  of course, you can always log into Telstra Air or use your smartphone hotspot. Winner: Surface if you need this Dimensions 292.1 x 201.42 x 8.5 mm (tablet) 293.9 x 207.1 x 7.7 mm (tablet) Winner: draw Weight 768/770/784g coreM2/i5/i7 plus keyboard 310g 760g plus keyboard 370g Winner: draw Chassis Uni-body machined magnesium alloy Uni-body machined alloy (unspecified) Both are extremely well made. X2 looks better. Winner: draw Battery 45 WHr Claimed up to 13.5 hours TI Quick Charge circuit 41.58 WHr Claimed up to 8 hours Quick charge circuit Surface has an indefatigable battery and like x2 has a fast charge circuit. If you travel a lot, the extra 4-6 hours is invaluable. Winner: Surface by half a day

Charger 65W includes 12V/2.58A and 5V/1A USB charge port 65W - 5V-9V/3A, 10-12V/5A, 19/4.33A, 20V/3.25A While I suspect x2 has better fast charging, the addition of a USB 5V/1A port on the Surface brick is a lifesaver. Winner: Surface by a port Webcam Front: OV5693, 5MP, 1.4 m, 3673.6 x 2738.4 image area, 2x2 pixel binning, EIS, sensor, fixed focus, auto black level calibration, 1080p video IR: OV7251 for Windows Hello: 3 m pixel made for machine vision Rear: OV8865, 8MP autofocus, 1.4 m, 4614.4 x 3472 m image area, 2x2 pixel binning, HDR, auto black level calibration, 1080p @30fps video, 10-bit RAW output Front: 5MP, OV5670, 1.12 m, 2592x1944, 2x2 pixel binning IR: Intel AVStream Camera 2500 for Windows Hello Rear: 13MP, Sony IMX214, 1.12 m, 4224 x 3200, HDR, autofocus, 1080p @30fps, Based on specifications the HP would blitz this category but in practice, Surface took better shots in good and low light. The key was the larger 1.4 m pixels and probably a faster lens. Winner: Surface OS Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Home If you are a corporate user you will want Pro to join domains etc. Winner: Surface Apps Trial of Office 365 HP Audio Switch; HP Documentation; HP ePrint; HP JumpStart; HP Orbit; HP Pen Control; HP Recovery Manager; HP Support Assistant; HP Sure Connect It is all bloatware and Surface has much less  it is cleaner. In any case, do a factory reset and wipe out bloatware and install what you want from the support site. Winner: Surface Warranty 1-year return to base 1-year on-site swap On-site is very compelling even if it's just a swap. The Surface has that as an option. Winner: x2 Price Retail pricing is as follows (plus a keyboard $200/250 and pen  TBA but assume around $150)  Core m2, 4/128GB $1,199  Core i5, 4/128GB $1,499  Core i5, 8/256GB $1,999  Core i7, 8/256GB $2499  Core i7, 16/512GB $3,299  Core i7, 16GB/1TB $3,999 JB Hi-Fi prices (RRP/current special price to 26 July)





 N/A  N/A  Core i5, 8/256GB, $2198/1868.30  N/A  Core i7, 16/512GB, $2798/2378.30  N/A Cost is always an issue. Remembering that Surface requires the pen and keyboard at $350/400 extra, the x2 is a clear price leader especially if you grab a bargain before 26 July. Winner: x2 by a long way

So that covers all the technical aspects. What would I want and buy?

To be fair I should have reviewed the HP x2 EliteBook against the Surface Pro as it is a commercial product too.

The HP x2 Spectre i5 or i7 version on special at JB would tempt me  no questions. It does everything the Surface does except there is a niggling doubt that the Surface is better in corporate use e.g. TPM security, battery, and colour presets.

There is no way you could be disappointed if either the Spectre x2 2017 or the Surface Pro 2017 turned up under the Xmas tree.

And the winner is:

The subjective winner for consumer and small business is HP x2 Spectre in its i7, 16/256GB guise, very nice dark ash and copper finish and price. OK and perhaps I am being shallow here it looks great too so the heart can rule the head.

The objective winner for corporate use is the Surface for its battery life, PixelSense screen, and TPM chip  it just does it so well.

Full Reviews:

Surface Pro 2017

HP x2 Spectre 2017
A survey of Australian consumers and senior decision-makers has found nearly half (46%) had experienced cases where the adoption of new digital tools was proposed, only to find the IT department acting as a drag factor and preventing the move.

The survey, carried out by digital signature and digital transformation management company DocuSign in Australia, obtained responses from 1000 consumers and 100 decision-makers across legal, human resources, sales, finance and IT departments.

DocuSign's interest in promoting the idea of digitisation is understandable given that the company stands to benefit from such moves. The company has indicated that it will undertake an IPO early next year.

The survey found that 64% of businesses with more than 1000 employees had a project delayed by their IT departments; for small- and medium-sized firms the figure was much less (36%).

Another finding was that 89% of the consumers and small businesses felt digitisation was a priority while 56% of the consumers opined that the use of paper forms was outdated. A smaller number (24%) said it was an inconvenience to complete documents manually.

Fifty-three percent were unhappy with documents being sent by mail; the reasons advanced were that they would lost in transit or that their data would be shared without their leave.

"A customer-centric mindset today isn't just about being close to the customer, it's about fitting in with their lifestyles and serving them in the way in which they want to be served," said Brad Newton, vice-president APAC at DocuSign. "Businesses need to take the vital step of embedding digital convenience into their products and services, or risk losing out to their more customer centric competition."

The survey found that while some businesses were struggling to put their digital strategies into action, decision-makers understood the consequences to brand reputation and ultimately revenue.

The top three areas of business they aimed to improve using digital tools were customer and lead generation focused:

47% aimed to improve client satisfaction/their client experience with digital technologies;

46% aimed to convert new business leads; and

43% were looking to digital to improve customer relationship management.

"It's evident that businesses are aware of the importance of digitisation, yet there is a disconnect, with many still asking their customers to do business with paper. This disconnect needs to be resolved if Australian businesses want to be considered customer-centric," Newton added.
South Australia is participating in a Singapore conference aimed at exploring new opportunities from emerging technologies, and their impact on skills and international trade.

The Third Australia-Singapore Relationship Conference  to be held on Monday, 24 July  will be hosted by the University of Adelaides Institute for International Trade, and its Singapore-based Asia Growth Research Centre.

The theme of this year's conference is technologies, skills and globalisation: Impact on Trade and Growth in Australia and Singapore and the conference is designed to coincide with the state government's trade mission to South-East Asia.

The South Australian Minister for Investment and Trade Martin Hamilton-Smith said the event was a unique opportunity to bring together some of the top minds from South Australia and the South-East Asian region to discuss how changes in technology and the change in demand for skills will have a positive impact on opportunities for international business in both Singapore and Australia.

This event represents our continuing efforts to work with Singapore on common trade issues, and our quality education systems, which will lead the response in the demand for skills.

As part of the conference, experts from the University of Adelaide and the South-East Asian region will consider the challenges and opportunities presented by disruptive technologies, such as how technology will change the way production is organised and how trade flows, what the impact will be on the demand for skills in the region and the value of better connectivity between trade partners.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - July 21, 2017) - Focus Ventures Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:FCV) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with established fertilizer trading company, Keytrade A.G., for the off-take of phosphate rock from the Company's Bayovar 12 phosphate project in northern Peru.

Highlights of the MOU are:

Bayovar 12 rock phosphate product to be purchased by well-established international fertilizer merchant.

Volume is up to 1,000,000 tons per annum of the planned annual production.

Initial 5 year term.

Product destined for the direct application agricultural plantation business and phosphate fertilizer producer markets.

This MOU marks a significant milestone for the Company since it released the findings of its Pre-Feasibility Study on the Bayovar 12 project in May 2016. Under the MOU, Keytrade will purchase, on an FOB Incoterms basis, up to 1,000,000 metric tons per annum of rock phosphate from future production from the Bayovar 12 project. Product will be delivered by Keytrade for direct application use by plantations markets and downstream phosphate fertilizer producers

Securing this MOU demonstrates that there is demand for Bayovar 12 rock phosphate product, and begins the process for the Company to develop an off-shore marketing strategy with Keytrade that can provide the platform to finalize off-take arrangements.

Focus President, Gordon Tainton, commented: "We are very pleased to have secured our first export off-take MOU for rock phosphate from the Bayovar 12 project and we are looking forward to converting this MOU into a commercial purchase contract in the future. This first MOU covers a relatively large share of our planned future production which underpins the development of our project."

About Keytrade A.G.

Keytrade was founded in 1997 as a merchant of fertilizers, intermediates and raw materials. It is one of the fertilizer industries' well known independent trading groups and has strategically invested in distribution assets to create a platform for international expansion. Keytrade sources and trades nitrogen, potash and phosphates from more than 100 countries across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe.

About Focus

Focus is developing the Bayovar 12 phosphate deposit located 40 km from the coast in the Sechura District of northern Peru. Bayovar 12 hosts a large resource of highly-reactive sedimentary phosphate rock - a key raw material input for phosphate fertilizers and vital to world food production. Reactive phosphate rock from Sechura is a natural, slow-release source of phosphorus that can be applied directly to crops. One of Focus's objectives is to supply direct application phosphate rock to the agricultural regions of Central and South America and Southeast Asia.

For further information, please visit our web site www.focusventuresltd.com.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - July 21, 2017) - Columbus Gold Corp. (TSX:CGT)(OTCQX:CBGDF) announces that it intends to spin-out its mineral projects in the United States into a separate publicly traded company to be named Allegiant Gold Ltd. Columbus is also pleased to provide an update on its drilling activities in Nevada.

SPIN-OUT OF ALLEGIANT GOLD LTD.

Columbus intends to proceed with a restructuring transaction whereby it would spin-out its subsidiary Columbus US Property Holdings Ltd. (to be renamed Allegiant Gold Ltd.) ("Allegiant"), with the intent of listing Allegiant on the TSX Venture Exchange. The transaction is being undertaken to focus the efforts of Columbus Gold on its activities in French Guiana, while seeking to maximize the value of the United States properties, in particular the Nevada gold projects, to shareholders by highlighting them in a separate public company.

It is proposed that the spin-out would be effected by way of a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") which would see shareholders of Columbus Gold receive one share of Allegiant for every 5 shares of Columbus Gold. The intention is for a private placement to be completed concurrently with the Arrangement.

Further details of the spin-out transaction and the Arrangement will be contained in the management information circular to be mailed to shareholders of Columbus and filed on SEDAR in connection with the meeting of shareholders to be held to approve the transaction, currently contemplated to be held in the fall of 2017.

The Arrangement remains subject to approval by the shareholders of Columbus, receipt of a final court order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange to the listing of Allegiant Gold Ltd. Notwithstanding receipt of all requisite approvals, the directors of Columbus reserve the right to elect to not to proceed with the Arrangement.

NEVADA DRILLING PLANS 2017 and 2018

Proceeds of the private placement to be undertaken in connection with the spin-out of Allegiant, will be utilized principally to advance resource expansion drilling at the Original Target of the Eastside gold project, where the deposit remains open at depth, to the south and to the west. In addition, Columbus plans to carry-out an unprecedented exploration program to drill test up to 8 high-quality exploration properties (7 in Nevada) in a period of 12 months, beginning in the fall of 2017. The 8 projects which were identified over about the last decade by Columbus Gold's exclusive exploration team - Cordex, host high-priority drill targets. Further details on the projects will be provided in the management information circular to be mailed to shareholders of Columbus.

BOLO GOLD PROJECT DRILLING UNDERWAY

Columbus commenced drilling at its 100% controlled Bolo gold project in Nevada on July 11, 2017. The drill program consists of up to 12 reverse circulation drill holes totaling 3,330 meters (11,000 feet). Drilling will concentrate on the newly acquired Uncle Sam patented claim which contains the southern extension of the South Zone along the Mine Fault at Bolo. Surface sampling at Uncle Sam yielded encouraging results.

Figure 1. Map indicating the position of the Uncle Sam patented claim in relation to the position of South Zone drill holes and the overall project claim block





Drilling by Columbus in 2013 in the South Zone of the Mine Fault, includes 133 meters of 1.28 g/t gold from surface (including 30.5 m of 3.24 g/t gold) in hole BL-38, 89.9 meters of 1.0 g/t gold (including 40.9 m of 2.05 g/t gold) from surface in hole BL-39, and 51.8 meters of 1.27 g/t gold from surface in hole BL-41. Significant silver is also present in a number of holes (best interval 35.0 m of 58.1 g/t silver, including 3 m of 360.5 g/t silver in BL-37)3.

Figure 2. Cross sections for these holes





A table of significant Bolo drill results (Columbus Gold drill holes)



Bolo is a Carlin-type gold and silver project, where surface sampling has defined widespread gold mineralization, associated with jasperoids and iron-stained structures, along two parallel north-south trending faults known as the Mine Fault and the East Fault. Alteration along the Mine Fault has been traced for 2,750 meters along strike, with surface gold in outcrop sampling from anomalous to 8.6 g/t gold. The East Fault has been mapped for 2,200 meters of strike with values from anomalous to 4.7 g/t gold. Gold mineralization in the South Zone of the Mine Fault is logged as oxide and is Carlin-type, associated with weak silicification and decalcification of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Preliminary metallurgical testing indicates the gold is amenable to cyanide recovery.

EASTSIDE TARGET 5 DRILLING RESULTS

An initial reverse circulation drilling program consisting of 10 holes totaling 2,938 meters (9,539 feet) was completed at Columbus Gold's 100% controlled Eastside gold project-Target 5, in Nevada in April 2017. Target 5 is five miles (8 km) south of the Original Target at Eastside, where Columbus announced an initial NI 43-101 pit-constrained Inferred resource estimate consisting of 35,780,000 tonnes grading 0.63g gold equivalent per tonne, for a total of 721,000 ounces1 of gold equivalent (using a cut-off grade of 0.15g gold per tonne and a gold/silver ratio of 60:1). Eastside also hosts an historical resource of 11,177,761 tons grading 0.024 ounces gold per ton (0.82g gold per tonne) for a total of 272,153 ounces2 gold. Detailed mapping and sampling of the entire claim block by Columbus geologists has yielded numerous targets at Eastside:

Most of the initial drilling was centered around an outcrop yielding surface samples up to 1.08 g/t gold. All holes encountered thick zones of anomalous gold mineralization exceeding 35 meters. Results were generally low-grade with the best intercepts being 24.4 meters of 0.30 g/t gold from 7.6 m to 32 m in hole ES-137, 4.6 meters of 0.50 g/t gold from 102.1 m to 106.7 m, including an additional 24.4 meters of 0.26 g/t gold from 172.2 m to 196.6 m in hole ES-146, and 10.7 meters of 0.43 g/t gold from 249.9 to 260.6 m in hole ES-143. Silver mineralization was present within the gold intercepts in several holes with the best intercept in ES-142 containing 4.5 meters of 19.7 g/t silver, 10.7 meters of 9.9 g/t silver, and 7.6 meters of 15.4 g/t silver.

Columbus is encouraged by these initial drilling results that can be interpreted to suggest that Target 5 is a large mineralized system, with the potential for better grade. Mineralization is open in all directions and below the initial drilling. Gold extends from surface to nearly 1,000 feet of depth. Very strong alteration (mainly quartz veins and stockwork within adularia flooding and illite replacement) is continuing in all directions and to depth. Oxidation exceeds 1,000 of depth at Target 5, which is the deepest drill penetration so far. The area of initial drilling is contained within less than 5% of the total area of the Target 5 geochemical anomaly in arsenic, antimony and gold, determined from surface sampling. Columbus is completing new mapping and interpretation and plans additional drilling at Target 5.

Gold and silver assays for 2017 drilling were performed by American Assay Labs in Sparks, Nevada. American inserts blinds and standards in the drill-hole assay string; generally 7% of all assays performed are of standards or blinds. Gold analyses are by fire assay with atomic absorption finish. Silver assays are by fire assay with gravimetric finish. In addition, Columbus also inserts blank samples and also standard samples of known gold and silver assay values in the drill assay string for quality control. Additional check sampling is ongoing and, if material differences occur, will be reported. The position of all drill-holes were surveyed with a submeter GPS system and also surveyed downhole by IDS.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Andy Wallace is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Mr. Wallace is a VP of Columbus Gold (US) Corporation, and the principal of Cordilleran Exploration Company (Cordex) which is conducting exploration and project generation activities for Columbus Gold on an exclusive basis.

1 For more information, see news release: "Columbus Announces Maiden Resource Estimate at Eastside Gold-Silver Project, Nevada" dated December 5, 2016 and filed on SEDAR and the NI 43-101 technical report: "Resource Estimate and Technical Report, Eastside Gold-Silver Project, Esmeralda County, Nevada" prepared by Mine Development Associates for Columbus Gold Corporation with an Effective Date of November 17, 2016, dated December 2, 2016, and filed on SEDAR on December 7, 2016.

2 The historical resource estimate was completed by James D. Greybeck, Senior Geologist for Cordex Exploration Co. in April, 1999, under the direction of Andy B. Wallace, then Manager of Cordex Exploration Co. and Vice President of Rayrock Mines, Inc. This report and the data used in its preparation have been recently reviewed by Andy B. Wallace for the purpose of this press release under his responsibilities as a Qualified Person for Columbus Gold. Drill data used for Greybeck's report was from Cordex Exploration Co., Kennecott Exploration, Houston Oil and Minerals, Falcon Exploration, and Mintek Resources which data is on file in the offices of Cordex Exploration Co. The data is judged relevant and reliable by Andy B. Wallace. The resource was termed a "Geologic Resource" at the time of Greybeck's report, which was in line with current practice for the time. Greybeck prepared geological cross sections and calculated the resource by hand, using a polygonal method with a lower cut-off of .005 opt Au (0.17 g/t Au). Where drilling was closely spaced gold values were interpolated between cross sections using weighted averages projected 50 feet on either side of the cross section. Columbus plans additional drilling to confirm Greybeck's interpretations and to fill in gaps in the drilling. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Columbus is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. For more information, see news release: "Columbus Acquires Claims Hosting a Historical Estimate of 272,000 Ounces of Gold Resources Contiguous with its Eastside Gold Project in Nevada" dated and filed on SEDAR on January 20, 2017.

3 It was noted in the press release dated September 25th, 2013 that assaying for silver at Bolo using fire assay with a gravimetric finish might produce higher silver grades than were being reported from silver assaying using ICP analysis; Columbus Gold therefore re-assayed 257 samples (1.5 meter drill samples) from Bolo drilling. Samples selected were those that had originally been assayed by ICP techniques at 7 g/t silver or more. Of the 257 samples, 247 assayed higher for silver using fire assay with a gravimetric finish than previous assays reported from ICP analysis. The average upgrade for all the samples was 40%, with the maximum upgrade being 276%. The 257 samples were also assayed for gold by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. These checks of previous assaying by Columbus Gold, using fire assay with an AA finish, provide confirmation of gold assaying announced previously, with no significant variations. Gravimetric check assays were performed at American Assay Lab in Sparks, Nevada. Standards of known value were inserted in the assay string by Columbus, and American Assay routinely inserts blanks and standards (7% of analyses) as well.
The Oroville Spillway emergency in California may have one silver  or gold  lining: The debris kicked up by weeks of heavy rain and runoff is now flecked with gold, and amateur gold panners are enjoying quite the bonanza.

The "gold rush" is occurring along the Feather and Yuba rivers, which are fed by the Oroville Dam. Of course, would-be panners should take note: It's unlikely that panners will hit the jackpot and retire with steamer trunks full of gold bars; the average haul from panning the river lately is worth just $40 to $300, CBS5 reported.

The emergency spillway for the Oroville Dam in northern California was damaged by weeks of heavy rain in late February, after high water levels forced officials to use the relief spillway to divert some of the flow from the main dam. When the spillway was damaged and shut down, waters threatened to overtop the dam, the officials declared a state of emergency and evacuated 188,000 people. Ultimately, the damaged spillway was used to prevent a more catastrophic overtopping of the main dam; the spillway held up through the rest of the rainy season but sustained severe damage. [Photos: Dramatic Images of the Catastrophic Damage at Oroville Spillway]

Gold-rush history

The foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains are famous for their gold. James W. Marshall first found gold at Sutter's Mill along the South Fork American River in 1848, according to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Within a few years, hundreds of thousands of people had flocked to the Golden State in hopes of striking it rich. While some did, about half found too little gold to make up for the costs of mining it, Live Science previously reported.

Early miners could simply scoop gold out of the water, because the precious metal is much heavier than water and quickly settles to the bottoms of creeks or rivers. But as these easy pickings were exhausted, miners turned to more damaging and expensive methods of extracting gold for the region, such as blasting rock and pulling gold ore from the rock veins using cyanide and mercury, Live Science previously reported.

Though the first gold strike was at Sutter's Mill, over time, gold panners fanned out from this original spot to areas such as the Yuba and Feather rivers, which are farther north in the Sierra Nevada. Millions of tons of gold are likely still lurking in the rock in the Sierra Nevada, but much of it is either difficult to access or released in tiny flecks that are not economical to gather, according to a 1982 U.S. Geological Survey report.

The new gold rush likely is occurring because runoff carved huge chunks off the mountain below the spillway during the heavy rains. The state is rushing to repair the Oroville Spillway before the rainy season starts in November, The Sacramento Bee reported. Initially, officials from the state's Department of Water Resources planned to repair and replace the lower two-thirds of the spillway this year and fix the upper portion next year. But now, they're asking permission to make both repairs simultaneously. They hope the repairs will prevent problems that could occur if drought or other weather issues come up, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Originally published on Live Science.
Cecil the iconic lion and his pride in Hwange National Park in November 2012. Cecil's son, Xanda, was shot and killed on July 7, 2017.

The 6-year-old son of Cecil the Lion was shot and killed on July 7 just outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, meeting the same end his father did in 2015, according to news reports.

The young lion, Xanda, was the pride male of a group that included two lionesses and several cubs.

"Xanda was one of these gorgeous Kalahari lions, with a big mane, big body, beautiful condition  a very, very lovely animal," Andrew Loveridge, a researcher at the University of Oxford who fitted Xanda with a GPS tracking collar last October, told The Guardian. "Personally, I think it is sad that anyone wants to shoot a lion, but there are people who will pay money to do that." [5 Ways Cecil the Lion Helped Scientists Understand Big Cats]

A private hunter in Zimbabwe reportedly led the hunt that brought down Xanda, though his clients' identities are not known, according to a statement by Lions of Hwange National Park

See more

There are some 550 lions living in Hwange National Park, which stretches over 5,800 square miles (15,000 square kilometers), so the death of Xanda should not directly harm that population, Loveridge told The Guardian.

Even so, according to the Humane Society International (HSI), which issued a statement on July 20 condemning the killing, actions like trophy hunting are threatening lion. "Poachers and trophy hunters are driving lions to extinction. Fewer than 30,000 African lions  and possibly as few as 20,000  are estimated to remain today," Masha Kalinina, international trade policy specialist for HSI, said in the statement. "Lions exist in 8 percent of their former range and are suffering from loss of habitat and prey in addition to poorly regulated trophy hunting."

Public outcry after an American dentist named Walter Palmer shot and killed Xanda's 13-year-old father, Cecil, in summer 2015, seemed to bring attention to controversial sport hunting. Palmer, who hired professional guides, paid $54,000 in hunting permits for the trip. Apparently, he and his guides lured Cecil just outside the park (where lions are protected) with a dead carcass, and then Palmer shot the male lion with a crossbow. The lion didn't die immediately, and according to a statement from the African Wildlife Foundation, Palmer tracked Cecil for about 40 hours before lethally shooting the lion with a gun.

Trophy-hunting fees can help fund wildlife conservation, if the hunted animals are not considered threatened and if the government or another permit-granting organization is transparent about how the money is spent on conservation, Kathleen Garrigan, a spokeswoman for the African Wildlife Foundation, previously told Live Science. (The foundation is a nonprofit group in Kenya that promotes the protection and conservation of African wildlife.)

Though Namibia is known to be relatively transparent about how those funds are spent, Zimbabwe and Tanzania are less forthright, according to Garrigan.

Xanda had fathered several cubs before his death; his deceased dad, Cecil, was thought to have been survived by 13 sons and daughters and 15 "grandcubs," according to The Guardian.

In May, two lionesses were reportedly lured outside Hwange National Park with cow meat before being shot and killed, according to a statement by the Conservation Action Trust.

Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Note: This article was updated to include a comment from the Human Society International.
Don Lincoln is a senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab, the country's largest Large Hadron Collider research institution. He also writes about science for the public, including his recent "The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Things That Will Blow Your Mind (opens in new tab)" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014). You can follow him on Facebook. Lincoln contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Big science usually means hard thinking and clever planning, which lead to cutting-edge facilities and, hopefully, paradigm-changing discoveries. Today, scientific leaders and invited dignitaries to take a concrete step toward making these dreams a reality: They will break ground on a scientific laboratory that they hope will reveal something about the rules that govern the universe.

This new facility, called the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), will be housed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in what was once the Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota.

DUNE will detect subatomic particles called neutrinos, created over 800 miles (1,280 kilometers) away at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, west of Chicago. (Full disclosure: I am a senior scientist at Fermilab, although I have never participated in neutrino research. I am, however, a huge fan.)

DUNE is a huge endeavor involving more than 1,000 scientists from across the globe. The detector is enormous and will require the construction of a cavern 4,850 feet (1,500 meters) underground, in the Homestake mine. To make this cavern, workers need to excavate 800,000 tons (725,000 metric tons) of rock, which is equal to the weight of about eight modern aircraft carriers. At peak effort, this digging will create about 2,000 jobs in South Dakota and a similar number in Illinois near Fermilab. [6 Cool Underground Science Labs]

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), housed in what was once the Homestake gold mine in South Dakota, will detect neutrinos created at Fermilab in Illinois. (Image credit: Sandbox Studios)

Ghostly particles

Neutrinos are subatomic particles, but unlike protons, neutrons and electrons, they dont play a key role in the structure of atoms. Instead, on Earth, they are created when radioactive elements decay  a process called beta decay  specifically when a neutron decays into a proton. The weak nuclear force is what causes beta decay. In fact, of the three known subatomic forces (electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces), neutrinos feel only the weak force. Because the weak force is, well, weak, neutrinos interact very little with matter.

These ghostly particles are ubiquitous in the universe. In addition to being created in beta radiation, they are copiously made in nuclear reactors. However, while the nuclear power stations sprinkled across the globe do make neutrinos, the biggest nuclear reaction around, by far, is the sun. The sun emits so many neutrinos per second that, even though Earth is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) away, on average, about 100 trillion neutrinos from the sun pass through you every second of your life. These neutrinos pose no danger to you at all.

To give a sense of why that's true, suppose you were a neutrino-phobic person and wanted to shield yourself from this constant rain from above. That is possible, at least in a theoretical sense. Neutrinos do interact weakly with matter. And if you wanted to shield yourself from the neutrinos from the sun, you could use a thick block of lead. And by thick, I mean really thick  to stop just half of the sun's neutrinos, this block of lead would have to be thick enough to fill up the space between Earth and the second-closest star after our sun: Alpha Centauri, which is more than 4 light-years away. If neutrinos can pass through that much lead, they certainly can pass through you (and even Earth, for that matter).

Neutrino surprises

So, why are neutrinos interesting? Well, they have surprised scientists many times over the past century or so. Even though neutrinos are emitted in beta decay, they interact so weakly that scientists were unable to detect them long ago. Consequently, it looked like beta decay broke the laws of physics, as energy and momentum seemed not to be conserved. (In other words, the energy of the initial atomic nucleus could not be fully accounted for after it decayed.)

In 1930, physicist Wolfgang Pauli proposed the invisible, and essentially undetectable, particle as a "desperate remedy" to explain the problems of beta decay. (And, as a side note, Pauli presented his idea at a conference by way of a letter, rather in person. It seems that he was indispensable at a party and couldn't come to the conference. That's not so surprising  physicists are well known as the "fun" scientists.)

Not until 1956 did scientists detect neutrinos emitted by a nuclear reactor. The scientists who performed the experiment, Frederick Reines and Clyde Cowan, had considered trying to capture the neutrino pulse from a nuclear detonation before they decided to use the less dramatic reactor. [The 18 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics]

Also in 1956, a different experiment, performed by Chien-Shiung Wu, used beta decays of cobalt nuclei to show that the force that governs neutrinos  that is, the weak nuclear force  had a surprising feature. Phenomena involving the weak force that can be observed in our familiar universe were impossible in a mirror universe, which is to say one in which the directions are switched  for example, right and left are swapped, up and down are flipped, etc.

This idea contrasts starkly with the strong nuclear force and electromagnetism, in which this swapping of directions could be done. But because the weak force does not obey this type of up-down, left-right symmetry, if Alice really did go through the looking glass, she would have encountered a reality very different from our own. It was eventually demonstrated by Russian physicist Lev Landau that the laws that govern matter in our universe govern antimatter in the mirror universe, or that matter and antimatter are mirror images. This discovery involving neutrinos and the weak force caused the textbooks to be rewritten.

Misbehaving particles

In the 1960s, neutrinos had a couple more surprises for us. In 1962, physicists Leon Lederman, Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger discovered that two types of neutrinos existed. (Scientists observed a third neutrino type at Fermilab in 2000.) The bigger surprise occurred when chemist Raymond Davis tried to detect neutrinos from the sun by using an Olympic-pool-size vat of dry-cleaning fluid to serve as a neutrino detector. The chlorine in the fluid interacted with neutrinos from the sun, converting to radioactive argon and an electron. By measuring the argon, the scientists indirectly detected the neutrinos. As an interesting historical note, his detector was also located in the Homestake gold mine.

Although Davis observed solar neutrinos, he saw only a third as many as he expected. While that could have been due to an error in either the measurement or the prediction, subsequent experimentation showed that his measurement was correct. The reason for the discrepancy could have been that neutrinos were decaying in flight  but as it turned out, that was not the answer. Another possibility was that neutrinos could morph from one variant to one of the other two. This morphing is called neutrino oscillation, as the neutrinos could morph from one type to another and back again. Neutrino oscillation was proved in a series of experimental results announced between 1998 and 2001.

Mysteries of antimatter

With the discovery of neutrino oscillations, it was imperative for scientists to get a better understanding of the phenomenon. This knowledge is most easily gained using particle accelerators. In the U.S., Europe and Japan, scientists generated beams of neutrinos. The most powerful beams were constructed at Fermilab. An early experiment called the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) was based in the Soudan mine in northern Minnesota. Fermilab shot beams of neutrinos through the Earth to the MINOS detector. (Remember that neutrinos interact very little with matter, so there is no tunnel. The neutrinos literally shot through the Earth.) The MINOS experiment ran from 2005 to 2016. A follow-up experiment is called NuMI Off-Axis Neutrino Appearance (NOVA). The distant detector, located in Ash River, Minnesota, began operations in 2014. Fermilab also provides the neutrinos for this experiment.

So, naturally, Fermilab would be the host accelerator laboratory to shoot neutrinos to DUNE  this time, in South Dakota, not Minnesota.

So, what do scientists hope to accomplish with DUNE? Well, it will better characterize the properties of neutrino oscillation, but there is one question that is particularly intriguing. Fermilab can make beams of both neutrinos and antimatter neutrinos, and the DUNE experiment can use both sets of beams to study the oscillation properties of both matter and antimatter neutrinos. Our best theory describing the behavior of matter and energy (called the Standard Model) predicts that these two kinds of oscillations are the same. The DUNE experiment could determine whether that's the case.

Why is it such a tantalizing possibility that matter and antimatter neutrinos might oscillate differently? It might address an issue with the Standard Model. The Standard Model says we can convert energy into matter and vice versa. But when energy is converted into matter, an equal amount of antimatter should also be created. And at the Big Bang, there was a lot of energy. Thus, our universe should consist of equal amounts of matter and antimatter, but it is made solely of matter. We don't know why.

But remember that Wu's 1956 experiment showed that the laws of the weak force that govern matter in our universe govern antimatter in a mirror universe. So this difference may also manifest in differences in matter and antimatter neutrino oscillation. If scientists observe an asymmetry in these oscillations, that might reveal something about the matter-antimatter asymmetry.

DUNE has other capabilities, too. For one, it will be able to detect neutrinos from supernovas (star explosions) that occur in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. It also can search for neutrino emissions from violent astronomical events in which neutron stars merge, or maybe even say something about black hole interactions.

DUNE will also hunt for proton decay. The Standard Model predicts that protons are stable and do not decay. Experimentally, we know that if protons do decay, their half-lives are longer than 10^34 years. (That is, if they decay at all.) However, some new theories extending the Standard Model predict that protons might decay on timescales only slightly longer than current limits. Thus, if DUNE sees proton decay, this will teach us something very profound about the universe and will do so at energies much higher than those accessible to the Large Hadron Collider, which is the world's highest-energy particle accelerator.

DUNE (and its associated Fermilab neutrino beamline) is expected to be the United States' flagship experiment for the next couple of decades. A huge collaboration of experts will probe the data, looking to see if neutrinos do something unexpected. That's a real possibility, and it won't be the first time they've surprised us.

Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates  and become part of the discussion  on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.
Eden Carlson experienced brain damage after she nearly drowned in a swimming pool. A controversial report claims that oxygen therapy reversed her brain damage, but experts are very skeptical.

Two doctors claim to have used controversial oxygen treatments to reverse brain damage in a 2-year-old from Arkansas who nearly died by drowning in a cold swimming pool, but other experts are very skeptical of the claims the doctors made in their report of the case.

"I found the publication to be sufficiently suspect," said Dr. Ian Miller, a pediatric neurologist and medical director of the comprehensive epilepsy program at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, who was not involved in the report. "I really worry that other people who read about this on the internet will think that this is a legitimate type of therapy" for people with brain damage, when there is no proof of this, Miller told Live Science.

In the new report, the authors describe the case of 2-year-old Eden Carlson, who fell into her familys swimming pool last year and was submerged in 41-degree-Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) water, for about 15 minutes. In total, she spent 2 hours without a heartbeat, and was not expected to survive, her family said in a YouTube video. Doctors were able to revive her, but she had experienced brain damage. After a month in the hospital, she couldn't speak, walk or respond to commands. An MRI showed she had damage to her brain's gray and white matter.

Fifty-five days after the girl's near-drowning, Dr. Paul Harch, clinical professor and director of hyperbaric medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, began an oxygen treatment on the girl, giving her oxygen at the same air pressure as air at sea level for 45 minutes twice a day. After these treatments, Eden became more alert and started to speak and even laugh again, according to the case report. Then, 78 days after her near-drowning, the doctors gave Eden hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which provides oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Harch co-owns a company that offers hyperbaric oxygen treatments. [The 10 Most Controversial Miracles]

After about 40 sessions of this therapy, Eden could walk again with assistance and had normal cognition, Harch's report said. An MRI after the hyperbaric treatments showed a "near-complete reversal" of the brain damage, Harch and his co-authors said. The report was published in the July issue of the journal Medical Gas Research.

But other experts had serious concerns about the report, saying that the authors did not provide evidence that the oxygen treatments helped at all in Eden's recovery. Rather, these experts said this type of recovery could happen without these specific oxygen treatments.

Miller said everyone can be grateful that Eden is doing so well. However, Miller said he found the report "to be really underwhelming in terms of its evidence."

For example, Miller said, the report did not provide evidence that brain cell death occurred, or that these brain cells were "resurrected" by the oxygen treatment.

"There is just no way that providing oxygen to a dead brain cell makes the brain cell recover," Miller said. "That's not how the brain responds to injury and to oxygen once neurological death has occurred."

Dr. David Cifu, professor and chairman of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, was similarly concerned about the paper.

"This proves nothing," Cifu said. People can recover brain function after near drowning, he said, and "it has nothing to do with hyperbaric oxygen."

Recovery can happen because of the brain's plasticity, or flexibility, meaning that different brain areas can take over for those that have been damaged, Cifu said. Cifu has conducted rigorously designed studies, some for the military, on the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for people with traumatic brain injuries. In these studies, participants received either a hyperbaric oxygen treatment or a "sham" treatment that was not expected to have an effect. But both groups showed the same level of improvements in their symptoms, regardless of whether they received the real or sham treatment. The hyperbaric oxygen "just didn't help the people" any better than the control-group treatment, he said.

In addition, Miller said Eden's recovery may have been related to the temperature of the water when she was submerged. It's known that people who have near-drowning experiences in cold water tend to have better outcomes than those in warmer water, because cold water can have a "protective" effect on the brain.

When Live Science reached out to Harch about these criticisms in an email, Harch said "the child made progressive accelerated neurological improvement with each week of HBOT. That neurological improvement can only be explained by improvement in brain function which is consistent with the regrowth of brain tissue. Spontaneous recovery and growth of tissue can possibly occur over time, but the child was not improving at this rate until the introduction of each of these therapies."

Miller said a recovery over months is not unexpected in someone with a brain injury.

Harch added that his report did not claim to "resurrect" brain cells with oxygen treatments, but rather, it said the oxygen treatments led to the growth of brain tissue, likely because the oxygen stimulated the expression of certain genes. In addition, Harch said he refutes Cifu's studies, in part because he says the studies did not include a proper sham control group.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat certain conditions, including carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness (often called "the bends" by divers) and burns caused by heat or fire.

Under the pressurized conditions of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the lungs can take in more oxygen than they would when breathing at normal air pressure. The increase of oxygen in the blood may improve the delivery of oxygen to tissues and help minimize cell injury, according to the FDA.

Studies on hyperbaric oxygen for treating brain injury have had mixed results, with some studies suggesting a benefit in the case of stroke patients, while other studies, like Cifu's research, finding no effect.

Earlier this year, the FDA issued a warning to consumers that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been promoted as a treatment for many conditions that it is not approved to treat. The FDA clarified that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not approved to treat brain damage, Alzheimer's disease, autism, diabetes or many other conditions for which it has been promoted.

Editor's note: This article was updated on July 24 to include several additional quotes from Harch.

Original article on Live Science.
With the world facing increased warming, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, intense weather events and other global disasters, scientists are exploring ways to re-engineer the planet to counter the effects of global warming.

Earth's surface has warmed, on average over land and sea, 1.53 degreesFahrenheit (0.85 degrees Celsius) since 1880, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international organization created by the United Nations to evaluate the state of climate change science. [Changing Earth: 7 Ideas to Geoengineer Our Planet]

In the most recent issue of the journal Science, published online Thursday (July 20), two researchers provided perspective on two geoengineering methods that could reduce the so-called greenhouse effect, under which gases and clouds in Earth's atmosphere trap the sun's heat. Both schemes could contribute to a cooler climate, but they are not without risks. And as both researchers made clear, neither idea addresses the rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere that is primarily to blamefor global warming and higher levels of oceanic acid. This acidity is killing the coral reefs that shelter marine life and support the fish that humans eat.

Ulrike Lohmann and Blaz Gasparini, both researchers at the Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Scienceat ETH Zurich inSwitzerland, proposed a counterintuitive plan : Seed the upper atmosphere with tiny particles of desert dust to reduce cirrus clouds. These are the wispy, nearly invisible clouds that form at high altitudes. Unlike fat, billowy clouds that reflect sunlight, these clouds trap heat energy radiating up from Earth out into space.

"If cirrus clouds behave like a blanket around the Earth, you're trying to get rid of that blanket," Lohmann, a professor of experimental atmospheric physics at ETH Zurich, told Live Science.

Thinning the clouds

Seeding the atmosphere with dust would paradoxically thin out cirrus clouds, Lohman said. Under normal circumstances, the atmosphere at altitudes of about 16,000 to 40,000 feet (4,800 to 12,200 meters) is full of tiny particles. Some are solid particles like mineral dust, and some are liquid aerosols, such assulfuric acid. The liquid aerosols freeze instantly and create ice crystals that form long-lasting cirrus clouds.

Cirrus thinning changes this dynamic, Lohman said. The idea, Lohmann said, is to inject solid particles, like desert dust, into the atmosphere at spots slightly lower than where cirrus clouds would naturally form. The quantity of dust introduced would be far less than the number of particles that exist higher up. This part is key, because fewer particles will attract more water vapor, creating larger crystals. As the ice crystals grow to larger and heavier, they would and fall as precipitation, and depending on the conditions would evaporate before reaching the ground.

"You remove the water vapor, you remove the humidity and you prevent the normal cirrus cloud formation," Lohmann said. [8 Ways Global Warming is Already Changing the World]

Ideally, the method would be applied to locations most susceptible to cirrus cloud formation, Lohmann said  geographical latitudes above 60 degrees, including the Arctic, where temperature increases from CO2 are the greatest.

The researchers' computer models have shown that if done correctly, cirrus thinning could reduce global temperatures by 0.9 degrees F (0.5 degrees C), Lohmann said. But if done incorrectly, the activity could produce cirrus clouds where none existed before, contributing to the very problem it's meant to solve, she added.

Risky business

The risk of doing more harm than good is a concern, said Ulrike Niemeier, a climate scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, and her colleague Simone Tilmes, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Niemeier and Tilmes published a separate commentary in this week's issue of the journal Science that discusses a geoengineering method called stratospheric aerosol modification (SAM).

SAM involves injecting sulfur aerosols into the stratosphere to increase the reflectivity of Earth's atmosphere. Computer models have shown that SAM could reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the planet's surface. The effect would resemble that of ash clouds that linger after volcanic eruptions, which have been shown to lower global temperatures, the researchers wrote.

But the science behind SAM is in its very early stages, and the technologies to deploy it are not developed, the researchers added.

"It was our intention to say that [geoengineering] is not something that we should have in the back of our minds as the main solution," Niemeier told Live Science.

Niemeier and Tilmes wrote that different computer models consistently identify side effects to SAM. For example, reducing incoming solar radiation also reduces evaporation, which in turn reduces precipitation, and that can slow the hydrological cycle, particularly in the tropics, the authors wrote. Less rainfall could increase droughts that are already devastating parts of the world.

Although computer models tend to agree that its best to inject the aerosols into the stratosphere above the tropics or subtropics, and that the aerosols would disperse globally, the models differ on the extent of injection required for a given level of cooling, the authors wrote.

"Most current Earth-system models do not adequately capture important interactions, such as the coupling between stratospheric aerosols, chemistry, radiation and climate. They cannot, therefore, simulate the full impact of the interventions," Niemeier and Tilmes wrote.

Complicated solutions

Even if scientists could figure out a precise method, the economics are mind-boggling. Using SAM to bring down global temperatures just 2 degrees F (1 degree C), to preindustrial levels, would require injection amounts equivalent to one volcanic eruption per year the size of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo blast in the Philippines  the largest volcanic eruption in the last 100 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The cost of dispersing that much content artificially would cost $20 billionper year and require 6,700 aircraft flights per day over 160 years, the researchers wrote.

No single method can solve the climate change problem as a whole, either, they said.

"Any geoengineering method we know of can only offset part of the global warming that we have," Lohmann said.

And no method designed to cool the planet deals with the gases in the atmosphere that are the sources of the problem and are contributing to increasing levels of acid in the oceans, the researchers said.

"It doesn't get at the heart of the problem," Lohmann said. "The ocean acidification is ongoing."

If society decides to undertake any geoengineering method, she said, this action should be accompanied by large efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Niemeier said emission reductions should be the primary focus. "We are quite critical about [geoengineering], and we want people to be aware it would be a difficult."

Original article on Live Science.
by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, July 21, 2017

Old Navy, which has backed away from its funny-girl advertising, is bursting into inspirational song for back-to-school, with a series of music videos starring some of Americas most-talented teachers.

Working with music star Pharrell Williams' creative collective, i am OTHER, the retailer created a series of eight videos that all support ONward!, the retailers new cause-marketing platform. All eight teachers use original music to inspire students, and the creative helped them make dance videos that highlight both the teachers particular passions (being true to yourself, for example, or the computational challenges of getting dressed for school) and kids showing off Old Navys back-to-school looks.

Among them is a new song from Dwayne Reed, a fifth-grade teacher from Chicago who had something of a viral hit last year with "Welcome to the 4th Grade."

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Real-life students get into the act on several of the videos as well. The title track of the ONward! effort is from Cedric Gardner, a professional dancer and youth specialist from Milwaukee, with Boys & Girls Clubs kids as back-up dancers. And Beth Fortune, an orchestra teacher from Seattle, rocks a folkie tune called Be Myself, backed up by her middle-school students on fiddle, cello and guitar.

The teachers videos are exclusively digital and running on Old Navys YouTube page, within its social channels and on music platforms like Vevo, says an Old Navy spokesperson. A separate broadcast back-to-school spot is scheduled to premiere in early August and run through Labor Day. The creative direction of that spot reflects our new 'Hi, fashion platform that was launched in March, and focuses on kids rather than celebrity talent, she tells Marketing Daily. Until then, Old Navys campaigns had starred the likes of comedians Amy Schumer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Amy Poehler.

As part of the effort, Old Navy says it hopes to raise $1 million during the back-to-school season to benefit both the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada, by matching in-store donations of up to $350,000.
by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, July 21, 2017

Whether or not the eyes of the entire nation were riveted on every variety of video screen on Thursday for the parole hearing of Orenthal James Simpson wont be known until someone tallies up the audience -- if that is even possible.

Not that long ago, a day-after TV column commenting on a televised news event like this one would be all about TV -- how many networks carried it, who they were, and what some of them did that was noteworthy or different.

Once upon a time in a newspaper office some years back, I actually had a device hooked up to my television set that split my screen into four images, so I could watch four networks at a time during times of breaking news. This device had been designed for security camera systems but it worked on a TV set too.

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Nowadays, however, a summation of who aired what during an afternoon live event such as O.J.s parole hearing is not really relevant. People today generally know where to find their live news content no matter where they are. And they dont need a TV set to do it.

As it happens, even I dont watch these things on TV anymore. For trivial reasons, I ended up sticking with MSNBC.com throughout this unusual live telecast.

I chose it because for reasons I cannot explain I could not sign on to CNNGo on CNN.com with the username and password I had long established with my cable carrier, Charter-Spectrum (the mysterious authentication process). The same username and password worked for MSNBC, however, so they won.

I did make a check of my TV at some point during this two-hour show and found that the hearing was carried live on just about every network you would expect. As mentioned in yesterdays TV Blog, that included ESPN.

This was one fascinating telecast. It was the only parole hearing that I can recall in my entire 34-year career writing about television that was so momentous that it rated national live coverage and probably the attention of millions.

On Friday morning close to midday, someone will circulate some data about that audience, but Ill wager it will be television-only data. And if thats all it is, it wont be accurate as a measure of this events total audience.

Whoever watched it got an eyeful. They even got a surprise ending. While many had predicted in the days before the hearing that Simpson would likely win his parole, it seemed much less clear-cut during the actual hearing.

The view from here was that Simpson was in danger of blowing it. In his statements to the four-member Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners, he seemed to take little or no responsibility for his actions, reiterated claims he has made many times that seemed to blame others for putting him in a position to commit this attempted robbery in Las Vegas, and even showed a flash or two of anger.

He even admitted to breaking a promise he had made to the board previously to attend AA meetings to address a drinking problem. As a spectator watching this hearing, I felt that admission alone would earn him an extension on his prison stay.

As it turned out, however, many of his statements had no bearing on the panels eventual decision to grant his parole. They granted it based on his pristine prison record, the fact that various people were vouching for him, and also because he seemed to have a stable home life awaiting him when he got out.

Still, viewers had to cringe when O.J. would sit there and insist hes a guy who has led a conflict-free life, and never lived a criminal life, as he put it.

Sure, he was acquitted in the double murders of his estranged wife Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman, but most people think he did it. Plus, plenty of the O.J. documentaries that have aired on TV this year have included Nicoles calls to 911 when a very angry O.J. was threatening her.

And so, the boards decision to set him free did come as a surprise. It came after a build-up of suspense lasting about 20 minutes from the time the hearing ended. All told, the O.J. Parole Show lasted about two hours.

I spent the time before the decision watching MSNBC.com, which had a great lineup of guests including former prosecutor Chris Darden from the O.J. murder trial, and one of O.J.s defense lawyers from that trial, Carl Douglas.

Some of MSNBCs panel thought O.J. had blown it too. They too were surprised by the outcome. And here we are: The Juice is not yet loose. But he will be this coming fall.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, July 21, 2017

Google has been trying to gauge the number of fraudulent ads that run across the advertising ecosystem, and along with a few media companies, has been "quietly" running tests to examine the problem, according to one report.

The media properties cited by Business Insider, from unnamed sources, include NBCU, CBS, and The New York Times.

"The Tech Lab and their members, including Google, started working on a new supply chain protocol in partnership with TAG late last year." Alanna Gombert, GM of the IAB Tech Lab, confirmed in an email to Digital Daily News. "Ads.txt was born from those working group conversations," she explains.

Google is taking the lead on an industry initiative called ads.txt spearheaded by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Ads.txt aims to wipe out fraud known as spoofing and increase transparency in programmatic advertising by keeping a public record of the Authorized Digital Sellers of the ads.

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Business Insider's report points a finger at programmatic and the lack of checks and balances. The example provided: "spoofers can buy cheap ad space, from a low-quality site, on an exchange and then falsely list it as space on a premium site  like, say, CNN.com at a higher price. The ad in question will never run on CNN.com."

The tests require Google and partners to turn off their programmatic ad inventory for brief time and then search the ad exchanges to see the ads listed. During that time, thousands, if not millions, of video and display ad spots remained available on multiple ad exchanges, although no ads actually would be for sale at the time.

Business Insiderreports that other companies have also identified the bogus ads, and that those committing the fraud are selling YouTube ad inventory as well.
by Ray Schultz , July 21, 2017

Moneysupermarket.com, a price-comparison website, sent 7.1 million emails to people who had opted out of direct marketing. And it is now paying the price: A 80,000 fine imposed by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), according to UK media reports.

The company acknowledges its responsibility. "We apologise unreservedly to the customers affected by this isolated incident and we have put measures in place to ensure it doesnt happen again, it states, according to Daily Post.

The messages, which were sent during a ten-day period last year, updated customers on terms and conditions, and included a section called Preference Centre Update, according to the Independent.

We hold an e-mail address for you which means we could be sending you personalised news, products and promotions, the emails said. Youve told us in the past you prefer not to receive these. If youd like to reconsider, simply click the following link to start receiving our e-mails.

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This email blast violated UK privacy regulations.

When people opt out of direct marketing, organisations must stop sending it, no questions asked, until such time as the consumer gives their consent, states Steve Eckersley, the ICOs head of enforcement. They dont get a chance to persuade people to change their minds.

Eckersley adds: "Emails sent by companies to consumers under the guise of 'customer service', checking or seeking their consent, is a circumvention of the rules and is unacceptable. We will continue to take action against companies that choose to ignore the rules."

Of the 7.1 million messages sent, almost 6.8 million were successfully received.

Moneymarket.com offers bargains on a variety of merchandise and services. According to copy on the site, the firm makes its money as follows:

Click what youd like to buy Go to that companys site You get the deal you want That company pays us a fee

In January, the Advertising Standard Authority reported that Moneysupermarket.com had drawn 2,500 complaints over its advertising, thus dominating the overall list, Daily Post reports.
In the global steelmaking raw materials markets, this weeks mood was generally positive.

Scrap prices mostly remained firm, except in India.

Turkey continued to pay higher prices for imported scrap in line with rising billet and finished steel prices, while scrap prices in the USA and Taiwan followed a similar trend.

Export prices for Brazil-origin pig iron rose this week amid renewed trading activity and a bullish outlook.

Seaborne coking coal prices ended the week higher, with traders continuing to have a bullish outlook amid robust domestic coking coal and steel markets in China.

Iron ore prices, meanwhile, gained strength at the beginning of the week, staying above $70 per tonne cfr on Wednesday, but prices fell at the end of the period due to thin trading.

On Friday, Metal Bulletins 62% Fe Iron Ore Index was $67.14 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $0.91 per tonne on a daily basis.



Steel

Prices for different steel products and regions have all increased this week.

In China, export prices for hot rolled coil (HRC) have risen for a sixth week on continued upward momentum in the domestic market.

Eastern Chinas steel major Shagang has raised its prices for long steel to be delivered in late July.

In Southeast Asia, import billet prices continued to rise last week, supported by the positive trend in the global semi-finished market.

Turkish billet import prices continued to increase in line with rising imported scrap values, while Turkeys rebar export market started to strengthen with growing demand from Southeast Asia.

CIS-origin export HRC prices have gone up over the past week, as values were supported by the growth in the Chinese export prices, while CIS export slab prices continued to increase, driven by the continuing uptrend in the finished flat steel products and raw materials sectors.

In Russia, offer prices for cold rolled (CR) sheet have widened upwards over the past week by 1,400 roubles ($24) per tonne.

In Brazil, ArcelorMittal and Gerdau will follow Usiminass move and increase their domestic prices for HRC.

Northern European steelmakers have increased their official HRC offers on higher raw material costs and a recovery in the global flat steel market.

And in the USA, NLMK USA has increased flat steel base prices for all new spot business by $40 per tonne, while California Steel Industries Inc (CSI) has increased prices for flat rolled steel by at least $25 per tonne.

Trade policy

Mexico has launched a review of an existing countervailing duty on imports of galvanized welded steel mesh from China.

A bi-national panel of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) countries will review anti-dumping duties issued by the USA against imports of steel pipe from Mexico.

The US Court of International Trade (CIT) has decided that a Taiwanese tube mill can have its anti-dumping duties reduced, based on rebates that did not appear in sales contracts.

In Europe, the European Commission (EC) has excluded Serbia from its anti-dumping investigation into HRC imports from five countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran and Brazil.

As a consequence, Serbian steelmaker Zelezara Smederevo is to focus its attention on the EU coil market.

Russias Severstal, meanwhile, expects to continue to make shipments of HRC to Europe after proposed trade restrictions are imposed.

European steel association Eurofer believes the application of a minimum import price (MIP) on HRC will not be enough to stop dumping of the material from four countries named in a trade case.

Around the world

In the USA, the multiple postponements to any announcement of a Section 232 action on steel products are allowing additional factors to complicate the decision, and the prolonged uncertainty threatens to strain customer relationships.

The top executive at US steelmaker Nucor has suggested that US president Donald Trumps administration might disappoint the steel industry with its Section 232 investigation into steel imports.

A new steel plant with the capacity to make 1.20 million tpy of steel billet has started operations in the Yazd province of central Iran, German equipment supplier SMS Group said.

Russias Metalloinvest has launched a 1.80 million-tpy hot briquetted iron (HBI) production facility in the countrys Belgorod region.

And Brazil-based steelmaker Gerdau has started up a 650,000-tpy steel mill in Argentina.

Major global miners disclosed output figures this week.

BHP reported all-time high output at its 85%-owned Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) operations in the financial year 2017 ended June 30, and has raised its guidance for the current financial year.

Its met coal output, however, fell 6% to 40 million tonnes due to the damage levied on the network infrastructure of rail track provider Aurizon by Cyclone Debbie.

Rio Tintos iron ore production for the three months ending June 30 dropped by 1% year-on-year, to 79.80 million tonnes.

Vales iron ore production set a record for a second quarter in a row in April-June 2017, at 91.85 million tonnes.

Worldsteel data showed that global crude steel output increased by 3.23% year-on-year in June, up to 141.05 million tonnes, as China stepped up its steelmaking activity.

And global output of direct reduced iron (DRI) rose by 4.81% over the same period, to 4.85 million tonnes, according to Worldsteel.
Rev Eddy Eyison

21.07.2017 LISTEN

Gospel musician Rev Eddy Eyison is back on the music scene with his new 12-track CD album which will be released in August this year.

Titled 'Great Mercy, the much-awaited gospel album has been equipped with songs such as 'Change My Life', 'Jesus Win Am Again', 'Time Of Reward', 'Shine, Adey Call Am Again', among others.

The album which features gospel giants such as Celestine Donkor, Princess Nightingale from Nigeria, Sam Dupey and Nana Yaw Boakye is made up of praise and worship songs.

On the album, he revealed that he is praising God for the wonderful things He has done in his entire life, especially throughout his musical career.

In an interview with BEATWAVES, he said, My music is the word of God, and it is meant to encourage, admonish and transform the lives of people. Its not all about money, but people getting saved, is my priority.

The songs are inspirational, danceable, encouraging and above all soul winning. The album is full of anointed-filled tracks, he underscored.

Known for his creative and unique style of delivery, Rev Eddy Eyison, who hinted that most of the songs on the album have mid-tempos with good rhythms, believes his latest album would be loved by all because of the huge investment he has made into it.

I have never disappointed my fans since I started my music career and this album will be no different. I brought 'Agape Love' in 2002 which was a massive hit and then 'So Me Mu' in 2004 and now 'Great Mercy' in 2017 which is also mind-blowing, he told BEATWAVES.

The gospel artiste expressed his gratitude to all who have supported his music career and made him who he is today.
20.07.2017 LISTEN

"Onaapo!" became a household word in every Ghanaian home in last election. It simply means "you wouldn't get." I hope I had it right? This article sees to bring to bare things that would move the nation, Ghana forward.

I have been doing some hard thinking about the nation. Ghana has been blessed with all natural resources. We have all it takes to develop. Is it that because we are extremely blessed that is why we are not developing? What is hampering our growth and development? Why are we where we are? Is it the faults of our leaders? Who is to blame for our woes? Is it our politicians, clergy, parents, students or perhaps the devil?

Ghana has been a beacon of hope since her independence. She was blessed and has undergone through all pains but that should not stop her from developing. She might speak of slave trade, brain drain, low technological advancement and all other misfortunes that has affected her (and some are still affecting her) but she needs to grow.

I would like to bring my knowledge to bare to help policy initiators (government) to help make our nation grow. I will like to touch on four thematic areas. They are education, employment, attitude and lastly, the love for our nation.

Education has been with us since the first day man was created. Adam schooled Eve. This suggests to us that, any individual or society that does not really invest in the future of it's citizenry is playing. Ghana's education must be a serious subject that should be looked at. We go to school to acquire knowledge to help the nation and our society grow but it looks like, we are now placing much emphasis and weight on certificates rather than what people can do. I think we need to critically examine our educational policies.

The free Senior High School policy is a very good initiative that will help a lot of people become literate but I would want the government to critically examine the policy again. The issue is, every policy should be sustaining and help everyone. It should stand the test of time. I would plead with the government to look critically into the free Senior High School policy again before it is officially out-doored. The Non-Formal Education Sector should also be given attention to help our people who are old and have not had the opportunity to go to school, to be able to read, write and also be functional in our society.

Also, every educated individual can contribute meaningfully to society when he/she is employed. Most graduates from our tertiary institutions are either unemployed or employed but under paid. It is a sad revelation to know the number of graduates unemployed in our nation today.

I would recommend to the government to start creating jobs for the graduates and the youths of Ghana. The unemployment situation should be addressed from the first day a Ghanaian child is born. As soon as the child starts schooling, the family and the government should invest in the child (and also invest for the child's future through treasury bills and others) so that, when he or she is done schooling, he or she has something to start business or life with. I would be more than proud to see the government "walk the talk" of building one district, one factory.

The last but the least issue is, our attitude as Ghanaians. We turn to throw rubbish in our gutters and when the city is flooded, we play the blame game of politicizing everything. We heap insult of various sorts on our leaders mean while we are religious nation. We turn to condemn everything but not give solutions to problems. We speak ill of people that we do not know and we make away with that. How is our attitude at work? How do you relate with your workers as Chief Executive Officer? Some care less about what you take home as pay. Some take soo much money from the services they render to the public but little is given to their workers especially in private schools (not all private schools though.)

We need to change and stop politicizing everything. We need to stop insulting our leaders and suggest pragmatic solutions to them for them to help our nation grow. Let's remember that, they are humans like us. They can make mistakes but we should pray for them and give them the support they need to steer the helms of Ghana's affairs.

Finally, our love has grown cold for our nation, Ghana. We have to rekindle the love that, we have for our nation. It takes nothing but true love for our nation to make things change for the better. I heard the President say in his inaugural address to the nation on the 7th January, 2017 that, "...be a citizen not a spectator." Let's prove our citizenship by truly loving our motherland. Humbly, show your motherland love in everything that you do.

As a writer, I will urge every personality to join me rally the flag of Ghana high by being a true Ghanaian with distinction.

God bless our homeland, Ghana.

Please, all comments on this article should be sent to the writer's email address : [email protected]
The Ghanaian Republic is now fully entrenched in a mesh of democratic fibers. This is to say that Ghana is now fully bent on practicing the system of its oppressors: democracy. To some, this is progress. To others, we know all too well that this system is nothing but a smokescreen for heathen government where the answer to all things is money.

I confess that I do not trust democracy as a form of government. This is mainly because I have lived in a democracy for a significant period of life and have seen that its ideals are mostly just that, nothing but ideals.

Elections come and elections go. However, inequity and injustice persist as taxation increases forevermore. This article explores why as a result of democracy, Ghana is on a firm path to economic slavery and national servitude to the unknown gods of the West.

In the name of the Almighty God or the Almighty Dollar I swear

Sure, on January 7, 2017, Nana Akufo Addo swore to uphold the constitution of the republic as he eloquently parroted the words coming from the then Chief Justice Theodora Wood.

Like most presidents, he swore in the name of the Almighty God to do something. What exactly? I dont really know. I do know this though. Ghanas constitution refers to the name of some God whose vagueness in government dealings makes me often smirk. Surely, Ghanas constitution was framed by deists pretending to be doing righteousness for a people.

In Ghana, supposedly it is the sovereign will of the people that framed government. Whatever happened to the will of God? By never mentioning who this Almighty God is, or even making direct reference to his name, some of us have been left highly skeptical about whether righteousness will ever be practiced in the land of Ghana, that is, as long as democracy prevails.

And Given that Ghanas democratic credentials have been largely funded by international donors, one can be sure that Ghanaians will eventually bow down to the strange gods of the Westis the Almighty Dollar one of them? Perhaps it is?

Heathenism and the Democratic Order

In the visage of the lady called democracyI heard she is a whoreI have often noticed that her make-up is nicely painted on a face that could cause many a voter to want to propose. But behind that lipstick and mascara are two things that often make me wonder in awe of the naivety of African peoples in particular.

The first is heathenism. The second is economic slavery in the name of capitalism. Why would any slavery conditioned people choose such options by governing themselves according to the tenets of Western-style democracy?

Coming back to this issue of the constitution of Ghana, I would like you to carefully consider a burning question. Did the framers of Ghanas constitution ever really consider the God of Yisrael as the one in whose name future presidents would swear an oath to the people of the republic? I dont think so since the Torah is His law and His anointed one said something conclusive about swearing oaths.

It is written, But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Mattityahu/Matthew 5:35-37 KJV).

Say it plainly or as Yeshua (Jesus) said it, let your YES BE YES, NO TO MEAN NO. President Akufo Addo swore in big English to uphold the constitution. Why do we have these ceremonies anyway? We all know that politicians of the democratic order always have their hidden agendas and rarely keep their word!

Money and the Ghanaian Psyche

I have long desired to have a talk with Ghanas post-independence generation about the topic of money.

Do they generally know where it comes from? Do they understand why the nation is always lacking it? And why do they often believe that they need to beg foreigners to give it to them? These are pertinent questions for a generation that has failed miserably in the area of family, business and government. Yes, the post-independence generation is a failed generation.

When a nations worship is turned from the living God unto idols of stone and wood, know that it will fail and that divine judgement looms not far off. So it is that among the wise, there is every indication that Ghana is in for a big surprise in the coming year. Ghana will definitely pay for voting for the foreign gods of the heathen West. It is this influence on the Ghanaian psyche that makes it so base (in my view).

Conclusion: Whose God is that of the Ghanaian Constitution?

It was quite smart of the deists that wrote the Ghanaian constitution to insert their fanciful blurb in its preamble: IN THE NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD. They even spoke in the first person about We the People of Ghana as if their committee of experts consultations were that in depth to gauge the temperature of a majority of Ghanaians regarding the constitutional clauses they came up with.

I am still wondering why they just didnt tell everyone that they wanted to worship the West and do the bidding of nations like America?

The author is a professional designer and communications specialist. He writes on contemporary issues of faith, science, politics, economics, righteousness and reason in the church and beyond.
20.07.2017 LISTEN

Takoradi, July 20, GNA - Mrs Eugenia Gifty Kusi, the Deputy Western Regional Minister, has called on procurement officers in the various public sector offices to ensure that they always operate within the confines of the law.

She said government was committed to implement and apply sanctions regarding malpractices in public acquisition of goods and services to the letter to ensure value for money, transparency and efficient service delivery.

Mrs Kusi said this at the opening of a day's workshop on the amended Public Procurement Act, 2003 (ACT 663) organized by the Procurement Authority for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives , coordinating directors, heads of public owned senior high schools and health facilities, and heads of decentralized agencies.

The workshop was to help state agencies have a good appreciation of the essential provisions of the Act as amended, appreciate key amendment of Act 914 and understand the 'yellow flags' of procurement fraud.

She urged the participants to work in harmony within the ACT to ensure that the citizenry got the best from the taxes paid and the overall cost savings to speed up development.

Mr Adjeinim Boateng Adjei, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority, called on the institutions concerned to continually broaden their knowledge and understanding of the provisions of the Act in order to effectively deliver on their mandate as state institutions.

He said the quest to achieve a more transparent, corruption free procurement procedure has seen little results due to the flagrant abuse of the sole sourcing to loot state resources.

The CEO said the Authority in a bid to stem the practice in the bud, established the Due Diligence/Value for Money and the Procurement Audit Units to particularly forestall the wanton abuse of sole sourcing.

Mr Adjei said Ghana's procurement system was still vulnerable to abuse due to its complexities, the size of the financial flow it generated and the close human interface between the public and the private.

In this regard, he said, the Procurement Authority with support from the World Bank would soon pilot an electronic government procurement system among six entities; COCOBOD, Ghana Health Service, Kofridua Technical University, Volta River Authority, Tema Metropolitan Assembly and the Department of Feeder Roads to achieve even greater accountability, transparency and fairness in the procurement process. GNA

By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA
Accra, July 20, GNA - The Accra South Territory of the Christ Apostolic Church International (CACI) has donated items worth Gh10,000.00 to the James Camp Prison Complex at Maamobi in Accra.

The items, including bags of rice, sugar, cartons of milk, gallons of cooking oil, toilet and powdered soap, toilet rolls, biscuits, detergents and assorted drinks, were donated to the Prison as part of the Centenary Celebration of the Church.

Activities lined up for the year-long celebration, on the theme: '100 Years of Impacting the World through Pentecostalism,' include lectures, health screening, quiz competitions, donations and radio and TV discussions to be climaxed with a thanksgiving service in November, 2017.

All activities are taking place at the local, area, territorial, national and international levels of the Church.

The Accra South Territory consists of Nungua, Nima and Pig Farm Areas of the Church where a number of local assemblies are located.

Apostle Richard Ohene Gyan, the Accra South Territorial Head, who made the presentation, expressed happiness that God had blessed the Church enough in its 100 years of existence hence the need for members to extend same to people in the community, especially those in need.

'As we celebrate this milestone, members of the Church found it necessary to extend a hand to their neighbours because the Bible says there is more blessings in giving,' he said, and expressed the hope that the donation would go a long way to solve some of the challenges of the institution.

The Most Right Reverend Anthony Brown, the Superintendent of Prisons in charge of the James Camp Prison, received the items and thanked the Church for the gesture.

Rev. Brown said the donation had come in good time to assist the Prison authorities to cater for the needs of the inmates who, themselves, were excited about it and asked other institutions and individuals to help.

The donors also prayed for the inmates as well the officers, the nation, the people and leaders as a whole. GNA
20.07.2017 LISTEN

Nkoranza (B/A) July 20, GNA - The rate of teenage pregnancies in the Nkoranza South Municipality is on the increase, Madam Dinah Attaa-Kusiwaa, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has said.

Madam Attaa-Kusiwaa said this at a recent ceremony held to fete about 160 senior citizens drawn from various communities in the municipality and to congratulate them on their various contributions towards the development of the nation.

She expressed worry that many school children roamed about the streets during the nights and urged parents to be mindful of the movements of their children.

Madam Attaa-Kusiwaa, also a teacher by profession, appealed to senior citizens to serve as mentors to the youth and guide them in their various activities.

She promised open door policy administration adding that ideas and suggestions by opinion leaders and concerned citizens in the municipality would always be welcome.

Mr Kwame Adu-Gyamfi, the Nkoranza South Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said the development of the Municipality did not rest only on the MCE and the members of the NPP but all residents.

He appealed to all citizens to contribute in diverse ways for the progress of the municipality.

GNA
Bankyim (W/R), July 20, GNA - AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem (AAI) mine has offered free medical services for residents of Bankyim in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipal area.

The residents were screened for malaria, hypertension, diabetes and other primary diseases by a team of medical officers from the company's hospital.

Dr Gyasi Annor, medical officer of AAI mine, who led the team, said about 1,500 residents benefited from the free medication and counseling programme.

He said the programme was one of the series of events that the company was rolling out for this year's first aid and safety competition which is being organized under the auspices of Minerals Commission and the Ghana Chamber of Mines.

He said management of the firm selected Bankyim which is one of its host communities for this programme because they have identified various that needs to be addressed in the area.

Dr Gyasi Annor said those with special cases were referred to nearby hospitals to enable them seek further medical attention.

The medical officer appealed to the people of Bankyim and its environs to keep their surrounding clean to help reduce malaria cases being recorded in the area.

Nana Kwasi Truh I, Odikro of Tarkwa Bankyim, who was the first to be screened, expressed appreciation to the company for extending healthcare services to his people.

GNA

By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA
Washington (AFP) - The United States on Thursday praised Sudan's efforts in fighting terrorism ahead of a decision expected in October on whether to lift decades-old sanctions on Khartoum.

"The United States notes Sudan's improved counterterrorism efforts through enhanced interagency and international cooperation to address the threat from ISIS and other terrorist organizations," Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said in a statement.

"The United States welcomes the recent announcements by the governments of Sudan and Saudi Arabia underscoring Sudan's commitment to sustain positive dialogue with the United States," the statement added.

Relations between Washington and Khartoum improved significantly under the administration of former US president Barack Obama, who had in January eased the sanctions imposed in 1997 with a view to lifting them completely after a six month review.

President Trump last week extended the review period to October 12, angering Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who initially announced he would cut-off talks before reversing his decision and saying he would continue to work for an end to the embargo.

The US outlined "five tracks" that Sudan must adhere to, including an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan, halting support for insurgents in neighboring South Sudan and counterterrorism cooperation with Washington.

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.

Washington has also pointed to accusations of scorched-earth tactics by Khartoum against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the Darfur conflict erupted in 2003, the UN says.

But a reduction in fighting in the region prompted the UN to downsize the number of peacekeepers deployed there, a top official said Thursday.

"The fact is that there is much less fighting in Darfur," Jean-Pierre Lacroix, chief of UN peacekeeping operations, told reporters in Khartoum.

He said a trimmed down force will be redeployed mainly to the mountainous Jebel Marra region which still is "complicated and more tense."
Oil prices held steady on Thursday, hanging on to gains made the previous session when falling U.S. crude inventories lifted the market, as analysts offered mixed supply outlooks for the commodity ahead of a key OPEC meeting next week.

Crude oil prices are still capped below the $50-per-barrel mark on concerns about high production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) despite its pledge to cut output along with some other producers.

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $49.68 per barrel at 0650 GMT, just 2 cents down from their last settlement.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $47.09 per barrel, 3 cents below their last close.

Prices for both crudes jumped more than 1.5 percent in the previous session on a report showing U.S. crude and fuel stocks fell last week.

U.S. crude inventories dropped by 4.7 million barrels in the week to July 14, according to the data from the Energy Information Administration, against analyst expectations for a decrease of 3.2 million barrels.

"Over the past 15 weeks, U.S. oil inventories have fallen ... 13 times, and in most cases, the falls were more pronounced than expected," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at futures brokerage Forex.com.

"Yet, U.S. crude oil inventories still remain near the upper half of the average for this time of the year."

Traders said this was in part due to steadily rising U.S. production, which has increased by almost 12 percent since mid-2016 to 9.4 million barrels per day (bpd).

Climbing U.S. output and high inventories as well as the increased production from some OPEC members are preventing prices from rising much further, traders said. U.S. crude stockpiles are just over 490 million barrels versus an average of about 401 million barrels over the past five years.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers are due to meet in St. Petersburg, Russia, next Monday to discuss the current situation in oil markets. OPEC and non-member producers, including Russia, have pledged to cut production by 1.8 million bpd between January this year and March 2018.

But a lack of compliance by some and exemptions for Nigeria and Libya have undermined that OPEC-led effort, preventing prices from rising by much.

Analysts, however, pointed to rising political risk factors, including potential U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and tensions in the Middle East and North Africa, that could impact oil prices.

"We don't expect to see this quietness to last forever, as geopolitical risks are rising again," ANZ bank said in a note.
Luederitz (Namibia) (AFP) - On a thin strip of land at the bay of Luederitz in southern Namibia are dozens of gravestones bearing the names of each German soldier killed during a largely forgotten colonial war.

Nearby is a single marble plaque anonymously marking all their fallen adversaries.

Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of men, women and children belonging to the Herero and Nama tribes that stood up to German rule were killed in battle, or died of starvation, cold or mistreatment in their isolated corner of southern Africa.

"Shark Island" was the name given to a concentration camp in Luederitz which was used as a tool in Germany's systematic repression that is today considered by some historians as the first genocide of the 20th century.

For many years, the bloody episode was little-known, both in Africa and in Europe. Shark Island was transformed into a campsite popular with foreign tourists.

"There is real pain,' said Ida Hoffmann, 69, a Nama-origin MP and activist.

Gravestones in Luederitz in southern Namibia bear the names of German soldiers killed during the largely forgotten colonial war with the Herero and Nama tribes.

"If the German government... respected the pain and the feelings that we went through and paid reparations, that thing that became now just a camp, where people go and have their honeymoon, would not be there," she said. 'Shame on them.'

Hoffmann is as equally damning of the German authorities as she is of the Namibian government, which have been negotiating the recognition of the killings and possible compensation.

Uprising, then bloody repression

The facts of the bloodshed are uncontested: in 1904, Namibia was engulfed by conflict when the Herero people, and later the Namas, rose up against German colonial rule, which had been in place since 1884.

The Germans responded with ferocious repression that included massacres, forced deportations and forced labour, with the orders for the clampdown signed on Berlin's behalf by General Lothar von Trotha.

Nama-origin MP and activist Ida Hoffmann is equally damning of the German authorities as she is of the Namibian government, which have been negotiating the recognition of the killings and possible compensation.

Some of those targeted fled to neighbouring Botswana but, according to historians, 80,000 Hereros -- out of 100,000 -- were killed, along with 10,000 Namas.

Germany long refused to take the blame for the episode, only accepting responsibility on the 100th anniversary of the massacres in 2004.

But it ruled out the possibility of reparations.

Compensation dispute

Germany's foreign ministry insisted that "very generous" foreign aid money given to Namibia represented an acknowledgement of responsibility for the slaughter.

The German position is woefully inadequate for Herero former MP and culture minister Kazenambo Kazenambo, who is calling for the return of all of the land confiscated during the colonial era.

According to historians, 80,000 Hereros -- out of 100,000 -- were killed, along with 10,000 Namas, under the colonial-era German repression between 1904 and 1908.

"The genocide has resulted in displacement where people find themselves in underdeveloped areas," he said.

"We have our people living in overcrowded land when others are owners of acres and acres of land that are not fully utilised -- and the owners are in either Berlin or Frankfurt."

Okakarara, 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of the Namibian capital Windhoek, was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the colonial-era conflict as well as a bastion of the Herero community.

Sarafia Komomungondo reflects on the past, sat outside her shack, feet trailing in the sand that surrounds her home.

"Before the war, we were better off... we had our sources of living, the animals especially," said the former traditional dancer with piercing blue eyes and traditional headwear, now in her 80s.

"Today we don't have anything... people are going to bed without eating anything, so those reparations will do us very good."

Government support?

Many Herero want a response from their own government, which is negotiating with the German authorities on recognition of the killings and possible compensation.

Perhaps as much as recognition and help from Germany, many members of the Herero community want their own government to respond to their plight.

"Herero people are not part of the tribe that is leading the government so we don't think the government will support us," said Komomungondo's neighbour, 69-year-old Veronika Mujazu.

Since independence in 1990, Namibia has been ruled by the SWAPO liberation movement, which is controlled by the majority Ovambo ethnicity.

Hereros make up just 10 percent of Namibia's 2.5 million people.

"In Africa to be strong politically you need the numbers," said Ester Muinjangue, director of the OvaHerero Genocide Foundation.

"In Namibia we are the third or fourth (largest) group. We are excluded, so we can't influence the discussion and its outcome."

'Not about money'

Traditional Herero and Nama leaders have for months been demanding a seat at the negotiations between Windhoek and Berlin -- along the lines of the reparation talks between Germany, Israel and representatives of the Jewish community following the end of World War II.

But both Germany and Namibia have refused to allow the Hereros and Namas to participate.

The two tribes have formally accused Germany of genocide at a court in New York under a statute allowing non-US citizens to make claims before a US federal court for violations of international law.

A judge agreed in March to hear their case and another hearing is set for Friday.

Namibian government negotiator in talks with Germany, Zed Ngavirue, says that 'any meaningful agreement will be reached at state level'.

Namibian authorities have dismissed their efforts, insisting that they will end in an inconclusive stalemate.

"The people who initiated the case come from a side that's not our camp, in terms of politics," said Namibian government negotiator Zed Ngavirue.

"The basic thing is to understand that any meaningful agreement will be reached at state level. It must be an agreement between states."

Ngavirue said that progress was being made in the talks but declined to give details.

But Herero former minister Kazenambo remains sceptical and is prepared to continue his fight.

"For us it's not about money, it's about morality and justice," he said. "We won't ever give up on that."
Johannesburg (AFP) - A trophy hunter in Zimbabwe has shot dead a cub of Cecil the lion whose death in 2015 caused worldwide outrage, researchers tracking the pride confirmed Friday.

Xanda, a six-year-old lion fitted with a radio collar, was killed on July 7 in northwest Zimbabwe, close to where US dentist Walter Palmer shot Cecil with a high-powered bow and arrow two years ago.

"Xanda was shot by a trophy hunter on a legally sanctioned hunt in a hunting area outside Hwange National Park," Andrew Loveridge from Oxford University's zoology department told AFP.

"As researchers we are saddened to lose a well-known study animal we have monitored since birth."

In 2015, Cecil's killing triggered fierce controversy as he was a popular attraction for visitors to the famed Hwange National Park.

Both Cecil and Xanda wore electronic GPS tracking collars in a project run by Oxford University's wildlife conservation research unit.

But they had strayed out of the park boundaries and into a legal hunting area.

The trophy hunter has not been named, but many hunters are from the United States or South Africa, paying tens of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to kill lions and other wild animals.

Pro-hunt groups say hunting provides an essential economic incentive to promote long-term conservation and that the income pays to safeguard wildlife and catch poachers.

Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper named the hunt's professional expedition leader as Zimbabwean Richard Cooke, and said that the hunt was legal as Xanda was six years old.

It added that Cooke had handed in the collar after discovering it on the dead animal, who was the head of the pride with two lionesses and several cubs.

Palmer, who shot Cecil, a 13-year-old male, was hounded on social media and went into hiding after demonstrations outside his dental practice.

He was reported to have paid $55,000 for the hunt.

No charges were brought against Palmer or the local guide as the hunt was also found to be legal.

Scientists, who say that Hwange has a healthy population of about 550 lions, are pushing for a 5-km (3-mile) hunting exclusion zone to protect lions who wander outside the park's boundaries.

Cecil had at least 12 surviving cubs last year, according to the Oxford research project.
21.07.2017 LISTEN

In recent times, it has become fashionable for the apologists of this aberration headed by President Mohammadu Buhari euphemized as an "administration" to accuse critics of HATE.

Any slightest protestation of the grotesque inanities being showcased by this APC nonsense called a government is tagged HATE with a befuddling alacrity. It doesn't matter how reasonable, factual, true and logical such a protestation is.

Not only that, this so called administration, it's sympathizers, apologists, sentries and shameless operators have been gallivanting all over the place acting as inebriated agents of an emperor. It seems they are oblivious of the fact that this is a democracy. It is not an empire. It is not a monarchy. It is not a kingdom. It is not a dictatorship. It is not a Praetorian.

In a democracy, people are free to express themselves. They have the liberty to complain if the need arises. They have the right to rebuke, chastise, admonish, disapprove, castigate, berate, blame, chid and condemn government officials. The people are the masters. The public servants are what THEY are - SERVANTS of the people.

The use of the word HATE in the present political dispensation has become dubious and fraudulent. It has become an instrument of chicanery in public discourse. Many charlatans have mischievously appropriated the use of the word HATE, to short-circuit, kneecap and cripple meaningful debates.

The use of the words HATE and HATERS have become instruments of blackmail and "docilisation" (permit the usage) of those with active and functioning minds. It is aimed to make well meaning people concerned about the travesty enthroned in our government houses to keep silent in the face of tyranny. It is to project an undeserved sense of guilt to an otherwise well-meaning citizen.

The use of those obnoxious words have become a subtle form of blackmail in the hands of the apologists of Buhari's government to make people afraid to express their disgust about the government of the day that is busy destroying the social, economic, religious and political fabrics of the country. It is a diabolical practice that well-meaning public spirited citizens should not entertain.

More so, one is at a loss whether these shameless sentries of this APC nonsense called government want Nigerians to continue to show love to a government that is busy destroying their lives. They want Nigerians who are daily under the siege of hunger, poverty, want, insecurity among many other woes to continue to praises to tragedy so as not to be tagged HATERS.

That is not going to happen. Hate could only beget hate. Hate could never elicit love. The hate being demonstrated with abominable flair by the Buhari Administration through its policies towards Nigerians is enough to make any reasonable human being detest them. You can't make someone's life miserable and expect such a person to love you.

Social critics and commentators have a very grave responsibility not to echo vacuous concepts that reinforces docile and intimidated citizenry. They have a duty to call out duplicitous use of diction that is aimed at destroying the already encumbered democracy that Nigeria is trying to practice.

Social critics and commentators have to operate at a higher intellectual level and not be collaborators in the intimidation and victimisation of the people. Active citizenry is the lifeline of a democracy. Stoking the fire of freedom is a noble responsibility.

"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility  I welcome it.

- John F. Kennedy, in his Inaugural Address January 20, 1961

Please follow me on Twitter: @OyeyemiRemi
Those that have been reading my articles will by now realize that l have always found and positioned myself in the role that the police service plays in any functioning state. Also times again, l have appreciated and made echo of the fact that police service is the pinnacle, apex, beacon, axis and spokes of the wheel on which a country is run ( pardon the pun ) in contemporary times

In developed countries the accolade of police-state is mere epithet of police work or function. According to policing proficiency index, 600 police officers is equivalent to 100,000 population of people. That is to say, to provide policing security for 100,000 people there is for 600 cops. For arithmetic workout of 100,000 population to the proportion of over 600 police officers to 27 million population of Ghana

I cannot tell with certainty the numerical strength of our police force. But if we should base our judgment on the 6:1000 police personnel to demographic ratio, there will be a gaping deficit with account to police force. In other words, Ghana doesn't have 162000 police officers to march its 27 millions of people as recommended by UNESCO. We may think of citizen vigilantism for auto-protection as our next option. Citizen vigilantism to protect our communities has its side effect. The death of Major Mahama and many other similar incidents are glaring fact that Ghanaians can't be entrusted with self-protection task

Since inception of first republic by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a plague of rampant and gratuitously arbitrary coup d' etats rocked Ghana. The hesitation to use the military as internal security structure was born out of that. The military is meant to defend the nation from external aggressions from un/known enemies. The military force being part of national security is used in times of extraordinary exigency. For example, earth quake or natural disasters as relief team

Then we have to accept the security reality in the country. The truth of the matter is security has broken down to its lowest minimum ever since ex-president Kufour took over from NDC of JJ Rawlings. And continued through Mills's, Mahama's and now Akufo-Addo's administration

My study of criminology reveals that a criminals do not want to shed spot on their accomplice/s not to talk about Themselves. In essence operating under the cover of darkness is strategy of criminals. The main reason they hide in the shadow. Nowadays in Ghana, there have been reported cases of armed robbery in a broad daylight. The recent one happened at Lapaz in the heart of the city. In that robbery attack two police officers were shot with glee. With one running while the other killed instantly. The police officer who ran for his dear life, managed from where he kept cover to arrest the robbers. Kudos to the police officer!!

But definitely, this incident is sneering, gibing and scoffing at us as a nation. And we, the good people of Ghana can't fold our arms and watch with nonchalant paroxysm or do-little media hype. Now going down the memory lane, Rawlings era was the opposite of the police state. He guaranteed the internal security largely using the military. By rightly targeting the armed robbers and giving them their deserved doses or shots. Needless to say Ghanaians felt safe under Rawlings's strategy of using the military to thump out armed robbers

The strategy worked largely because it was being coordinated by security wizkid or wizard Captain (rtd) Kojo Tsikata. I think this is the man whose advice on how to guarantee our security should be sought. Now, under constitutional rule our security reposes on the work of ministery of interior. And can't perceive any agitation on part of military personnel when put together with members of police service to guarantee our safety. In the so-called "juntos pero no revueltos"

Am firm believer and as attested by police IG, Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, that the notoriety of criminals or society miscreants currently is largely due to the fact the police force is under resourced. A starkly revelation which majority of Ghanaians identity with. Hence the ministry of interior has to do the yeomen's job of working together with the military to curb this pervasively prevailing high level of crimes. France is just a typical example where police and military work together efficiently in harmony to enforce national security

Note: 6/1000 police-population ratio was chosen at random because some UNESCO reports indicated 4.5, 5 and 5.5 to 1000. Also my research revealed Ghana's police force amounts to 30,000

Agobodzo, Richard

You can contact Agobodzo Richard through [email protected] or www.facebook.com/Agobodzo Richard
21.07.2017 LISTEN

By GNA Reporter

Accra, July 20, GNA - Dr Mufti Menk, a renowned Islamic preacher and global icon, is expected to visit the country from July 21 - July 23 to deliver lectures on the theme: 'Points to Ponder," in Accra, Tamale and Kumasi.

The lecture will be held in Accra at the Forecourt of State House on July 21, while that of Kumasi will be held at the Kumasi Central Mosque on July 22, and in Tamale at the Jubilee Park on July 23.

A statement by Globe Production, Event Organisers for the event and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the Zimbabwean-born celebrated Islamic Preacher would also lead the Jummah Prayers at the National mosque in Accra and hold meetings with the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharabutu, as well as other Islamic leaders in the country.

Dr Menk is one of the most effective Muslim lecturers in the world and one of the top 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World since 2010.

He studied Shariah in Madina, specialised in Jurisprudence in India and holds a Doctorate of Social Guidance from Aldersgate University.

The Islamic Scholar is loved by millions across the globe for his balanced approach, deep knowledge, his wisdom and his wit and outspoken against terrorism, extremism, intolerance and injustice.

He engages in humanitarian and educational activities in Zimbabwe and lectures internationally.

He has a very strong social media presence and inspires people from all walks of life to do good, help others and reach out to humanity.

Mufti Menk will be accompanied by Dr Muhammad Salah, a former assistant Professor in Pharmacology and a PhD holder in Comparative Fiqh.

Dr Muhammad Salah works as the "Religious Adviser" of Huda Satellite TV, one of the world's leading Islamic Channels broadcasting exclusively in English since 2005.

Special guests include the Vice President Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia, Sheikh Nuhu Sharabutu, Chief Imam of Ghana and Regional Ministers and Members of Parliament.

GNA
21.07.2017 LISTEN

Accra, July 20, GNA - Saha Global, TREND and CONIWAS, non-governmental organisations in the water sector, have each won the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Philanthropy Platform Challenge Prize Grants in the three intervention pathways to address water challenges.

Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and Mr Dominic Sam, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director, jointly presented the awards to each of the three selected organisations: Saha Global $32,000, TREND $40,000 and CONIWAS $40,000.

Ms Morganne Hodsdon, Expansion Co-ordinator, Sahal Global; Mr Eugene Larbi, Managing Director, TREND Group; and Mrs Victoria Norgbey, CONIWAS - Executive Council Member received the awards on the behalf of their organisations.

Saha Global won the category for the challenge to find demand-driven business models for accountably-managed systems to deliver affordable, safe water, effectively challenging community perceptions of free water.

Saha Global seeks to expand getting the cleanest water to the rural poor by utilising basic materials to treat contaminated water.

Through this approach, Saha Global creates 'waterpreneurs' of vulnerable women in rural areas.

Under it local women are trained on how to run the business, mentored over time, and closely monitor water quality and consumption.

TREND won the category for a challenge to create an adaptable participatory model to standardised water system quality control in rural, peri-urban and small towns in Ghana.

This project seeks to promote the concept of water Safety Plan (WSP) as a key strategy for improving water services delivery in Ghana.

TREND would work closely with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to advocate integration of WSPs in sector activities and develop replicate tools for capacity building within the Sector and within Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure uptake and replicability of the WSP concept.

CONIWAS was declared winner of the challenge to identify schemes to provide reliable safe water access to the most vulnerable household in every community.

The project involves three important elements in addressing challenges from systemic perspectives.

These include reviewing and aligning national standards and guidelines within the SDGs in concert with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the CWSA, as well as relevant stakeholders.

It covers analysis of existing boreholes in rural areas to determine which ones have sufficient yields to enable mechanisation and piping to households and providing the basis for extending pipe connections to rural households.

The SDG philanthropy Platform is a global initiative that was launched in 2014 by philanthropy and the greater international developments community led UNDP, Foundation Centre and Rockefeller Advisors, with the objective of facilitating philanthropy's engagements and fostering dialogue between philanthropy and development stakeholders to continue to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The platform is funded by Conrad n. Hilton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Master Card Foundation, Branch Charitable Foundation, and UN Foundation.

The Platform is being implemented in eight countries: Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Columbia, Indonesia, Brazil, the United States and India. China would launch later in the year.

Mr Sam said since the launch of the Platform in Ghana in July 2015, and subsequent stakeholders consultation workshop in December of the same year, the Platform had catalyse the engagement of philanthropy in the context of national and sub-national development planning as well as multi-stakeholder partnerships and accelerating specific catalytic SDG collaborations.

He said the platform sought to promote how philanthropy could better align with national development priorities, promoting the enabling environment for local and global grant-making foundations to effectively engage with government and relevant development actors.

He said the three organisations emerged winners out of more than 20 applicants; and urged them to live up expectations.

Mr Adda commended the SDGs Philanthropy Platform for their good works; and appealed to the award winners to use the funds judiciously for the benefits of Ghanaians.

He appealed to Ghanaians to promote the concept of philanthropy in the country; stating that government alone could not address the challenges in the water and sanitation sectors.

He said government was committed to addressing all challenges saddling the water and sanitation sectors of the economy.

GNA

By Iddi Yire, GNA
A presidential staffer, Ibrahim Adjei, has stated that Charlotte Oseis dismissal of the petition demanding for her removal as chairperson of the Electoral Commission is dangerous.

Some aggrieved staff of the commission on Wednesday July 19, 2017 in a petition to president Akufo-Addo called for the removal of Mrs. Osei because she lacks the managerial skills needed to lead the commission.

Also, they alleged that she single-handedly gave out contracts to the tune of $21,999,592 without going through tender contrary to the Public Procurement Act. They also claim that the EC Boss has spent over 4 million Ghana cedis on her residence.

But Mrs. Osei in a statement described as frivolous, baseless the petition and actuated by malice and ill will.

These allegations are in my view, the product of an overactive evil imagination, and do not deserve any serious attention, she added.

The presidency has since acknowledged the receipt of the petition which was subsequently forwarded to the Chief Justice for the necessary actions to be taken.

But commenting on Mrs. Oseis outright dismissal of the petition, Friday July 21, 2017 on Morning Starr, Mr. Adjei said it is dangerous for Charlotte Osei to say the allegation is frivolous, adding that I do not believe the allegations are a personal attack.

Calling for a full-scale investigation into the allegations contained in the petition, he told host of Morning Starr Francis Abban that We know a rebranding took place and definitely, an amount was paid.
21.07.2017 LISTEN

GHANA'S INVESTMENT FUTURE IN THE HANDS OF ALL:The expected sensible leadership for which Nana Addo was elected is about to manifest through the private sector investment.

Upon assuming government, NPP was ridden with serious economic liquidity problems the scale of which is unprecedented. This is manifested in the current delinquency of the government in its salary obligation, contract payment obligations

,huge arrears in its provider payments under NHIS etc. The NHIS( National Health Insurance Scheme) as well thought out and crafted by its originators, The Kufour government, has suffered enormous mismanagement of the program by NDC under Mahama and has consequently given it the true meaning-----SCHEME. Another meaning of a scheme is our infamous "419" operations. Thankfully the current administration has pledged a determination to restore confidence in such a laudable service to the nation. Financial liquidity challenges delay the realization of that determination. Several other sectors of the economy face the same challenges. Until our economy matures or gives the semblance of maturity Ghana is heavily dependent on foreign investment of mutual economic benefit not withstanding foreign aid that has historically stagnated the minds of our financial leaders. The year 2017 marks the ushering in of The New Economic Order --Emphasis on The Private Sector as the engine of growth and poverty alleviation.

The whole country is hailing Vice President,Dr Mahamadu Bawumia's Economic

Trip to China. Yes this $2Billion investment package deal he signed in China may be traced as far back as Prof. Atta Mill's time as president ( may he rest in everlasting peace), but after the initial disbursement,several reasons were given for withholding the rest. In the typical Chinese diplomacy, the real reason of fiscal incompetence on the part of Mahama administration was not prominently cited. Suffice it to say, right or wrong, that The Chinese now sees fit to do business with a more responsible government. But the whole world is watching the economic dynamics

between China as an economic power and its vulnerable recipient partners. Discussion of such dynamics deserves another day.

But for Ghana to be attractive to needed foreign investment partnership, certain discipline has to be demonstrated. Corruption though ubiquitous is pandemic in some neighboring countries but definitely epidemic in Ghana. Nana Addo is determined to combat it. Confidence shown by our investment partners depends on how other investors are treated when they come into the country. Access Contractors scheming huge sums of money from the potential investors just for them to sit down and talk with the minister or high government official is ridiculous and must stop. So called local representatives in the course of doing business with the foreign partner, device unscrupulous means to defraud the partner and consequently drive the investor away. A case in point happening right now at a Metropolitan Assembly: A local company by name Faseta is alleged to have managed to forge the signatures of The Directors of a prominent UK company and submitted documents to The Metropolitan Assembly that are impeding the progress of the investment that stands to benefit a huge population of Ghana. Such fraudulent acts should not be tolerated and investors need assurances of legal protection and good judgement by the sector leaders in taking decisions for the general good of Ghana rather than allowing individuals to hold the country and the potential investor at ransom while Ghanaians lose the gains of the investment. I hope this is not an effort by others to undermine the government as it attempts to bring to the people such a monumental investment edifice. For us as citizens , all we care for is "Poverty alleviation and honest economic opportunities for all." When government suffers from liquidity problems and are unable to pay for example, contractors, especially in the road and housing sectors such problems reverberate in every corner of the economy.

THE FUTURE OF GHANA IS IN YOUR HANDS NOT JUST IN NANA ADDO'S ALONE. IT STARTS WITH A CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN OUR ATTITUDE TO NATION BUILDING.

Alexander Sarfo
Al Hoceima (Morocco) (AFP) - A protester was in a coma after being struck on the head during clashes between demonstrators and security forces in northern Morocco, local authorities said on Friday.

He was taken to hospital overnight after being wounded by "stone throwing" in the clashes on Thursday in the city of Al-Hoceima, official news agency MAP quoted the authorities as saying.

Authorities are seeking to "identify the person and clarify the circumstances of the incident", MAP said, adding that the patient would be flown to a hospital in the capital Rabat for further treatment.

On Thursday, police in Al-Hoceima fired tear gas to disperse protesters and stop them marching in defiance of a government ban to demand the release of fellow activists.

MAP earlier reported 72 police officers were wounded from stones being thrown and 11 of the protesters were injured from the tear gas. It said two officers were in a serious condition.

Al-Hoceima, the main port in the Rif region, has been hit by unrest since a fishmonger was crushed to death in a garbage truck last year as he tried to retrieve swordfish confiscated for being caught out of season.

Calls for justice evolved into a protest movement dubbed Al-Hirak Al-Shaabi demanding jobs, development, and an end to corruption in the mainly Berber region.

After months of demonstrations and frequent clashes between protesters and police, authorities cracked down, arresting more than 175 people including the movement's leader Nasser Zefzafi.
Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia had a vision of Ghana as the industrial, science and technology knowledge hub of Africa as our ancient Egypt was to Rome and Greece. In his own way, he set out to achieve this without fanfare but his mission was curtailed by the Acheampong coup of 13th January 1972 which successfully overthrew the Busia regime which had Justice Edward Akufo-Addo as the ceremonial President.

To achieve his mission Prime Minister Busia invited a foremost American systems developer and educational psychologist to assist him. Dr Myron Woolman answered Busias call and relocated to Ghana in late 1970. Woolman was given the entire sprawling estate of the Afienya Gliding School to turn it into a massive skills training and development production factory to roll out an army of highly trained and tooled professionals imbued with patriotic zeal into industry, farms, public and civil service, schools and colleges, hospitals, construction and housing sectors, research and development centres to change the face of Ghana within a generation. Woolman had a proven track record of accelerated transfer of both technological and social sciences skills enabling high school and college drop-outs to make up, catch up and surpass those in industry, agriculture, medicine, health, teaching, science and technology with advance degrees and qualifications within a far shorter period. What an ITT top electrical engineer took six years to achieve Woolman could bridge the learning gap by taking a high school drop-out through his culturally synchronous system to out-perform the ITT engineer after 18 months. These Woolman students were able to achieve comparable high industrial, engineering and academic tolerance levels that were truly amazing. Busia believed in Woolman and boldly invited this unassuming mathematical and theory-of-learning genius to make his dreams for an enterprising Ghana come true.

Dr. Myron Woolman is credited with the development of ground simulation systems for the training of Air Force pilots and the telemetering system for accurate target delivery of missiles. He had been principal investigator for major projects of the United States Department of Labour, Agriculture, Agency for International Development, Institute of Mental Health, Office of Economic Opportunity and Office of Child Development. Woolman is a renowned designer of manpower development and learning systems for education, government and industry. He was a multi-genius and an incredible human being with a social conscience. In 1979 I took Dr. CLR James to him and after three hours in the company of Dr. Woolman, James could only but exclaim that Sir, you are what Lenin and Nkrumah needed It was CLR James who taught Nkrumah the art of political organisation and also introduced Nkrumah to George Padmore. Myron Woolman worked closely with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, James Famer of the Congress of Racial Equality and Whitney Young of the Urban League as systems consultant developing several pioneering learning and training programmes for blacks to make up, catch up and compete on equal terms with whites in all fields of human endeavour. President Kennedy and later Johnson supported Woolman in the full knowledge of the civil rights movement leadership.

Dr. Woolman started putting in place the physical structures and the training modules after an extensive evaluation of prevailing conditions in order to create a micro-social learning environment appropriate to Ghanaian cultural values. Woolman believed in local content enhancement and so he scouted for key staff and technicians and prepared training manuals with in-built quantified method of measuring project impact in order to equip the local personnel accordingly. So close to Busia and with the eye of the US Embassy on this valuable national asset, the usurping soldiers who had taken over could only ruffle him a bit but did let him pack baggage and leave with his dear wife, Eugenia, an accomplished portrait and water colour artist who fell in love with the cultural dynamism of Ghana and the welcoming embrace of the people.

I am narrating this historical incidence for the public to know another side of Dr. Busia and the lesson this presents to President Akufo-Addo as it is in the national interest that Akufo-Addo succeeds with the benefit of hindsight. Akufo-Addo must have a Dr. Woolman by his side and several of them too for it is not his cabinet or his ministers who are going to lift up Ghana and make Ghana make up, catch up and surpass. National development tasks are special to experts who exercise delegated powers for manifesto promises to be met in the national interest. It is not the lot of ministers to drive development as it is humanly impossible for them to do so because of the social demands on their time. Ministers, from sunrise to sundown and late into the night, are bombarded with distracting demands that make it impossible for them to attend to detail and digest tomes of policy and project implementation documents placed on their desks and in their briefcases. Circumstances force them to feign competence and being in charge and on top of affairs at the expense of scheduled service provision and delivery. Richard Wright, George Padmore and CLR James saw this pretence and acting up as a defect in the armour of the Nkrumah administration and especially the corruption in the CPP apparatchiks. In a later evaluation in 1968 Nkrumah surmised in Conakry that the conduct of many of those in the higher party leadership demonstrated that they were serving personal interests. And that, the lesson, however, which their conduct provides is that they had no loyalty to the state or understanding of the social purposes which the CPP were attempting to achieve.

Akufo-Addo must find his Woolman as Busia did and as CLR James reminisced about what Nkrumah and Lenin would have achieved with Woolman. In our own history, nation builders like Osei Tutu had an Okomfo Anokye; Sundiata Keita had a Kamara and King Zoser of Ancient Egypt had multi-genius Imhotep, the real father of medicine and architecture, by his side. Imhotep was so revered by the Greeks and Romans that he was worshipped as the Prince of Peace.

Nation building is a serious business that requires clarity of vision and self-sacrifice preparing the grounds for succeeding generations to prosper. (I was humbled when the then leader of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of North America, Michael Thomas, revealed to me in 2005 that they plan for seven generations.) It is not the prestige and grandeur of office that facilitates development and progress but the due attendance to the responsibilities of office. The pecks of office must be duly earned rewards conferred after service and as approved by gracious guidelines set by the peoples representatives in parliament. The usurping soldiers gave as one of the reasons for their takeover as being denied the little amenities they were entitled to by the Busia regime.

Busia got so ruffled and distracted by the constructive criticism of editor Kofi Badu and the Spokesman that he could not get Ghanaians to buy into his development vision. Some months before the Acheampong coup I had written to Dr. Busia cautioning him to be patient with and tolerant of criticism as although he had his own eyes to look at himself he often has to resort to a mirror in order to look at himself better. The press, the fourth estate, was his mirror and to crack it was to impair his vision. I was therefore so incensed when in the early hours of the January 13, 1972 harmattan season I heard the voice of a Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong announcing a takeover. I sat by my typewriter and wrote a rallying speech calling on the people to rise up to resist. I decided to go to the regional broadcasting house in Kumasi to make a broadcast. On my way from Asawasi to Nhyiaeso I passed through the offices of the Ashanti Pioneer in Adum to show my speech to the veteran editor, A D Appea. After going through the speech Mr. Appea excused himself to get me a glass of water but locked the door from the outside and detained me in his office for about four hours before he returned to ask me if I was sober enough to review what I sought to do. A D Appea saved my life then in the same manner as Mr. Orleans-Pobee, the headmaster of Adisadel College, saved my life on 24th February 1966 when I had mobilised my Young Pioneer colleagues to march into town to resist the Kotoka coup announcement.

Dr. Woolman became my abiding mentor and he gave me the opportunity to learn and study at his feet. I carried his bags and demonstration tools to consultative meetings and forums at the World Bank, IMF, the State Department, Department of Agriculture and USAID. He was quite patient with me because of my weak mathematics and science background but what he instilled in me is that what America took over 200 years to achieve can be achieved in a generation by Africa with the right leadership. He demonstrated to me that all the scientific and technological advancements that Africa needed to develop exist and are accessible but it is a matter of choice and the self-confidence to succeed against all odds. His inventions were used for war purposes during the Vietnam episode. Once at dinner table, Marcia, Bruce and Diana refused to eat in his presence because they were fed up with seeing on television the precise bombing of targets of innocent Vietnamese villages and the death and suffering of children, women and the aged. Wolmans children rebelled against the handiwork of their father which enabled the American war machine to measure accurately targets and release weapons of mass destruction devastating the Vietnamese countryside and ecosystem. Their father then decided to turn his mind to turning swords into ploughs or his weapons of mass destruction to tools of mass development and poverty and illiteracy elimination. Therefore, by the time Busia was introduced to Woolman, Woolman had developed most of the tools for accelerated national development. While in Ghana, Woolman had finished fine tuning his methods and systems to achieve that critical cultural synchrony in development implementation when the soldiers struck. The speed of his cultural understanding was greatly assisted by the then Mampong Omanhene, Nana Amaniampong and of course by Prime Minister Busia himself. He travelled to all corners of the country to understand and measure the industrial tolerance levels of the Ghanaian worker and his conclusion was that Ghanaians would measure up under enlightened and forward looking leadership.

When Nigeria faced great port congestion problems in the 70s Woolman was consulted by the Federal government to proffer a solution. His proposal of a twin-port method to decongest Lagos harbour was approved and implemented by the government in 1977.

In 1981, I introduced Kenneth Dadzie, then Director-General for Development and International Economic Cooperation within UNCTAD, to Dr. Woolman. A few days after Ken Dadzie called me and told me bluntly that African leaders and their ruling elite would listen to and be fascinated by what Woolman does but would not like to have him close by because some of his methods have in-built systems of accountability and tracking that make it almost impossible to steal and also divert government project funds.

It was Marcia who introduced me to his father in 1976 after persisting for months and when I yielded and met Dr. Woolman it was the greatest encounter of my whole life as he graciously changed my perspective about national development imperatives underpinned by educational methods which feed on the values and industry of the people thereby propping up self-confidence to release that innovative impulse imbedded in our DNA. Woolman believed strongly that the necessity of cultural synchrony in national development is a human right that must not be denied developing nations. He impressed upon Busia that national development planning and implementation must engender viable economic communities.

Akyaaba Addai-Sebo

Independent Consultant on National Interest and Development

*Tel: 0246390024 Email: [email protected]
21.07.2017 LISTEN

Text: 2 Chronicles 20:1-24

During the reign of King Jehoshaphat in Judah, there was a war.

King Jehoshaphat was informed about an army from Edom preparing to attack him and the entire city of Judah.

Upon hearing that he was frightened. Yet stood firm and God gave him a victory.

12 lessons from Jehoshaphat's triumph.

1. Upon such frightening report he prayed to God.

2. Later he authorised the entire people in the city to fast and pray.

3. The entire city obeyed God's word

4. King Jehoshaphat and his people followed the instructions of God ahead of the war

5. He reverence God

6. King Jehoshaphat and together with people in Judah worshipped God

7. King Jehoshaphat surrendered the battle to the Lord

8. When they needed support he and his people sought help from God in the temple

9. Jehoshaphat believed in the voice of God via Jahaziel after they have prayed to God.

10. They trusted God for a victory

11. King Jehoshaphat and his people marched ahead of the army praising God to battle their enemies

12. God entered the camp of the Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed.

The enemies were wiped out by God before Jehoshaphat and his people had arrived at the battleground.

You are next to triumph over that problem.

God bless you.

Prayer

Father in heaven, the battle is yours.

Confession

Jehovah Nissi is your name.

WordDigest writer's/whatsapp page #: +233246646694
21.07.2017 LISTEN

Motive of a person reflects his/her desires when he or she carries out some action.After listening to lawyer Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang on his petition and reaction by ( from) other lawyers including his closest friend lawyer Joe Debrah, I came to the conclusion that the agenda to get rid of the EC boss is premeditated, or planned in advance.

The opportunity and ability to carry out this planned agenda has come and the environment favours the intended action. Lawyer Joe Debrah, this morning confirmed my suspicion or position taken when he spoke on Kasapa FM. Lawyer Joe said lawyer Opoku Agyemang is just pulling the wool over the public's eyes.

To him, there are ulterior motives behind Lawyer Agyemang's action but said he won't disclose the alleged motives. I visited the Facebook wall of lawyer Agyemang and the little information I gathered, support lawyer Debrah's assertion. Lawyer Opoku, from 2015 had not hidden his avowed intention to get the EC boss out of her position and he explicitly made that intention clear in his write-ups and commentariescommentaries

Check this out on GhanaWeb: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Shed-combative-posture-Lecturer-tells-EC-boss-481657?channel=A1&channel=D1

President Mahama, in accordance with Article 70(2) of the 1992 constitution, appointed the lady as head of the EC. The appointed received condemnation from some personalities including lawyer Opoku Agyemang. The Npp through its agents and conduits, used all proceeded to court to challenge her appointment, senior members of the party openly insulted her and derogatorily,attacked her in the media. Notable personalities who led this onslaught on the EC boss, were the featured prominently and constantly in anti- Charlotte discussions on Lawyer Opoku's Facebook wall. Reacting to lawyer Joe Debrah's interview on Kasapa FM, lawyer Opoku confirmed all that Joe said about the the three lawyers, Charlotte, Opoku and Joe Debrah but repeated his earlier statement that the relationship notwithstanding, he will ensure that his reliefs and requests are granted.Earlier, the EC boss issued a statement in reaction to the issue which has dominated media discussions since MondayMonday

*ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ME ARE BOGUS*

(Accra, 21/07/2017) My attention has been drawn to a litany of phony allegations made against me by a certain Maxwell Opoku Agyemang in a supposed petition on behalf of unidentified person(s), asking for my removal from office.

The contents of the said petition which has been widely circulated on social media and published by the mainstream media, are frivolous, baseless and are actuated by malice and ill will. These allegations are in my view, the product of an overactive evil imagination, and do not deserve any serious attention.

I wish to state categorically that all the defamatory allegations are outright lies and without any merit whatsoever.

I understand from the media that the Presidency has received the alleged petition. I have my full responses ready for each and every allegation made in the so-called petition. However, in deference to His Excellency the President of the Republic, for whom I have the highest levels of respect, I would respectfully wait to be formally informed by the Presidency before I make my responses public.

I take the opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to the staff of the Electoral Commission, political leaders from the various political parties, and members of the general public for the overwhelming support shown to my family and I so far. I am absolutely certain that once again, history and the truth will vindicate the just.

The political motive hunting would not serve the greater purpose. The 'motiveless malignity' behind this Petition are self-seeking and faceless individuals with the sole motive of satisfying their purely personal vendetta against my person and protecting illegal financial interests.

Finally, the Electoral Commission is an independent governance institution, non- partisan and with full protections for its officials under the 1992 constitution of Ghana. I would wish that the political actors would respect the constitutional framework provided for the Commission and support in upholding the supreme interest of the Commission for the wider interest of our democracy.

Thank you.

Signed

Charlotte Osei (Mrs.)

*Chairperson*

Electoral Commission Ghana"

When people are trying to persuade you, the seldom do it for solely altruistic reasons. It therefore makes sense to question other motives behind lawyer Opoku's motives to know if he is just framing the argument. A meeting was held at Amakom yesterday and it was all about how to persuade Ghanaians to rise up against the EC boss.Part of their plan is a planned move to link this wicked agenda to some NDC using faceless NDC members. They have contracted some journalists to be used as instrumentalists in this wicked agenda.

I am not a lawyer and doesn't come near the least in the profession but I think by releasing the petition to the media, lawyer Opoku and the office he forwarded the petition to, have published what the EC boss described in her statement as false accusations. The accusations have been transmitted to a third party ( the public). The accusations damage the reputation, character or integrity of the EC boss and the latter has the right to recover damages from the lawyer and his faceless petitioners who uttered the false accusations. The matter to me has transcended the arena of just petition because, the lawyer is all over adding flesh to the matter and making all kinds of frivolous statements against his former friend. The public and the EC deserve to know the persons behind the petition because of the content and the effect the petition can have on our fragile democracy

THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

The Christian council, the Chief Iman's office, Peace Council, The Catholic Secretariat and all the other religious bodies must quickly intervene before this useless petition creates serious crisis. The political parties should not handle this crucial matter as one of the normal banters the strings attached are dangerous and if not handled from a dispassionate perspective, could plunge the country into serious crisis.

BACKGROUND

Can the lawyer and his faceless petitioners produce evidence of electoral fraud,election manipulation, or vote rigging or acts of illegal interference against the EC boss, did she in anyway did anything to increase the vote share of the NDC? I am asking these questions because, reading the accusations, the main point pushing the other bogus allegations is the allegation of manipulation or act they claim could have disrupted the 2016 election. Did the winner of the 2016 election congratulate the EC boss? Did any of the parties raised issues against the EC over how it handed the election? These are the questions we must ask ourselves and lawyer Agyemang as the discussions rages on.

1992- The Npp boycotted the Parliamentary elections and wrote the stolen verdict.Justice Ofori Boateng (EC boss) came under serious attack

1996- The Npp came up with few allegations and demanded for reformations

2000- The NDC complained about few issues but graciously accepted the result

2004- Jake Obetshebi called the results from the seat of government ( Castle)the NDC proceeded to court but magnanimously withdrew the case.

2008- Nana Addo and his mean in connivance with the CJ prepared to go to court on public holiday to place injunction on the election.

2012- Eight (8) months we were in court over the famous petition case

2016 - so far the election which recorded no incident, all parties accepted the results peacefully. The best election held in the country since 1992 so why this wicked machinations.
The Ghana Standards Authority and Invest in Africa have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is aimed at making Ghanaian businesses, especially SMEs, become more competitive globally through improved quality and access to financial and technical support.

Following the 2016 African Partner Pool (APP) Business Forum the relevance of information on quality standards for business growth was evident hence the signing of this MOU to help bridge the knowledge gap of Ghanaian businesses, especially the SMEs.

This MOU will allow Invest in Africa to advertise the services of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) on the Invest in Africa and African Partner Pool websites, with direct links to the GSA website so as to inform and simplify the process of accessing the services of GSA.

SMEs will also have the opportunity to participate in events, training programmes and forums that focus on quality standards and their application to business growth and development.

Signing the MOU, the Executive Director for Ghana Standards Authority, Prof Alex Dodoo pointed out the need to create awareness for the services of the Authority, and their readiness to facilitate, direct and assist SMEs to produce quality made in Ghana goods and access their services to meet the required standards.

Invest in Africa (IIA), a cross-sector partnership of companies with the vision to create thriving African economies, has been set up to give businesses access to skills, finance and new markets.

This is done through its key initiatives - the African Partner Pool (APP), an online business platform that connects international companies to validated local businesses.

Another initiative of Invest In Africa is the Business Excellence Programme, a combined Development Partners & Private Sector funded programme with the aim of building businesses to be more competitive.

Sam Brandful, the Ghana manager for Invest in Africa said the collaboration with the GSA will guide local businesses to expand, understand and meet Ghanaian and international standards.

He said this will also empower local businesses to support the Ghanaian economy while addressing major challenges which affect their growth.

Ghana Standards Authority joins the cross sector group of companies that IIA is currently working with through various initiatives.

These include: Tullow Ghana, EY, AGI, AB & David Law, Ecobank, Modec Ghana, UT Bank, GIPC, Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Newmont Mining, Guinness Ghana, GE, AFDB,FMO, B&FT, Multi Media Group (MMG) and Dun and Bradstreet.
The Accra High Court (Criminal Division) has adjourned until October 25, the hearing of the case involving 52-year-old Gregory Afoko over the murder of Adams Mahama, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The court, presided over by Justice L.L. Mensah, set the date for the resumption of the trial yesterday after the defence lawyers had completed their cross-examination of the third prosecution witness  Asigiri Quinn.

The witness has over the weeks been telling the court about the circumstances leading to the death of Adams (after a reported acid bath).

So far, state prosecutors led by Matthew Amponsah, a chief state attorney, have presented two witnesses, including Hajia Zainabu Adams, wife of the late NPP regional chairman.

Under further cross-examination, Quinn told the court that Adams spoke to one Tauffic at the hospital in the presence of the nurses before his death.

He disputed the assertion by Osafo Boabeng, counsel for the accused person, that the late Adams was unconscious when he was brought to the hospital, insisting that if Adams was unconscious, he (Adams) would not have been able to give him the number of Tauffic to call.

The witness again did not agree with the position of the defence that the late Adams never mentioned the name of Tauffic to him at the hospital.

Quinn noted that although Tauffic did not answer the call he placed to him with the telephone of one of the nurses at the hospital, he could not tell when he (Tauffic) arrived at the hospital.

The witness said he did not know Tauffic neither could he remember his telephone number which he (witness) had called..

Gegory has been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and murder of Adams Mahama in May 2015.

Meanwhile he has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Adams Mahama died of extensive acid burns and shock lungs (acute respiratory distress syndrome), an autopsy report has indicated.

Gregory's alleged accomplice, Asabke, is still on the run.

[email protected]

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


A VULCANIZER with Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Depot in Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has been arrested for allegedly stealing one of the batteries of the Metro Mass buses.

Patrick Salifu, who was arrested by a police officer last Saturday having reportedly concealed the battery in a fertilizer sack and was carrying it away, was accosted by the police officer.

The cop was suspicious of Salifu's movement and when he (police) questioned him, he said he worked with Metro Mass Transit in Sunyani. According to sources, when the sack was searched, the battery was found in it. He was subsequently arrested and sent to the Sunyani municipal police station and locked up. Saliful, who has worked with the company for the past eleven years, DAILY GUIDE learnt, has been given a query to answer and at the same time interdicted by the company according to an insider.

Meanwhile, the police have charged Salifu with stealing and would be processed for court, according to the Sunyani Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Augustine Luguyare. He has since been granted bail.

According to our source, the stolen battery is one of the VDE batteries the company imported from Holland. Hitherto, some workers of the company were being allegedly accused by a radio station (Moonlit Fm) of siphoning petrol/diesel from the buses for sale.

Management has commenced internal investigations into the case whilst the police carry on with criminal proceeding.

[email protected]

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani


An Accra Circuit Court yesterday acquitted and discharged one of the four persons standing trial for allegedly robbing Akua Donkor, founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP).

According to the court, state prosecutors have filed to link Opoku Agyemang to the crime.

The acquittal of the accused follows a submission of no case filed by Vincent Aikins, lawyer for the accused person, who insisted that his client was innocent.

Opoku Agyemang, a trader and three others Banabas Kayase, driver/secretary, Razak Shaibu, a member of the GPRTU Taskforce and Yakubu Yusif, trader and the Central Regional Chairman of the GFP, have been in police custody over the alleged robbery of the controversial founder of the party.

The prosecution said the accused persons, at about 2:30 am at Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra on December 30, 2016, and at Taifa in Accra, conspired to rob the GFP 2016 flagbearer at gunpoint and snatched her travelling bag containing plane ticket, Ghanaian passport, voter ID card, $30,000 and GH3,000.

Two other accomplices-Joe and Nuamah aka Lion, are currently on the run.

No Case

Lawyer Aikins, a Managing Partner of 1st Law Firm, in the submission of no case application filed on July 11, 2017, stated that a critical look at the prosecution's facts showed that the facts do not support the charges against his client.

He argued that the facts, as adduced by the prosecution, led by Chief Superintendent Duuti Tuaruka, are porous so as to sustain the charge of conspiracy to rob against Opoku Agyemang.

The senior lawyer, among others, stated that in the light of the above stated arguments, I respectfully submit that the prosecution has woefully failed to prove the guilt of the accused person for conspiracy the requisite degree required by law.

Mr. Aikins contended: It is pellucidly manifest that the evidence against the accused person is so flawed to the extent that any straining object will whittle it away. I hope that judicial notice will be taken of the fact that the burden imposed on the prosecution to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt has been miserably discharged and could not stand the test of times.

Ruling

In a ruling, the trial judge, Aboagye Tandoh upheld the no case application of the lawyer, saying the court was unable to invite Opoku Agyemang to open his defence in respect of the matter.

He stated that the court conjectures when the evidence of the prosecution is insufficient.

Mr. Tandoh stated that the prosecution failed to adduce sufficient evidence against Opoku Agyemang.

According to the court, the prosecution has however been able to establish a prima facie case against the other three accused persons.

Case Close

The prosecution on June 27 told the court that the prosecution had closed its case.

In all, five witnesses, including the complainant, Akua Donkor, Detective Sergeant Jonas Ghebe and the case investigator, took turns to testify in the case which was dramatic.

[email protected]

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


President Akufo-Addo taking a selfie with some of the participants at the ceremony in Accra

Government has given assurance that it would see to the passage of the much-awaited Right To Information (RTI) Bill.

President Akufo-Addo, who gave the assurance, said, It is the intention of government also to ensure the long overdue passage of the Right To Information Bill by parliament.

This was when he addressed the 2017 Africa Open Data Conference in Accra yesterday.

His comments immediately attracted a loud and spontaneous applause from participants, drawn from across the African continent.

It was under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and the National Information Technology Agency (NITA).

President Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that as the continent seeks to identify key issues relating to the access and use of open data, engagement among business, media, government, civil society and the general public would be deepened.

It is anticipated that these engagements would help promote the development and harmonization of data content across the continent.

He has since welcomed partnership and technical assistance across the continent.

Ghana, and indeed Africa, welcomes partnerships and technical assistance from our friends and open data industry leaders in our quest to develop effective and efficient open data systems, he underscored.

With regard to countries that have not yet started on the path of open data, the president had this message for them, I will urge them to start before they are left out in the emerging digital society.

In the meantime, he indicated that government is addressing data gab; building the administrative data system, strengthening censuses and surveys and pioneering the uses of new types of data.

It is also encouraging data use; creating an interactive feedback loop between producers and users whiles making data more available, providing training in key areas and demonstrating the potential of data to achieve development outcomes and strengthening the data echo system.

According to him, government is equally coordinating the establishment of strategic partnership, creating a harmonized policy and an enabling environment.

The implementation of these recommendations, the president said, is driving the country's open data initiative as the government works towards achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
Deputy Minister of Finance Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng came under bombardment by the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) members on how much has so far been spent on Ghana's 60th independence anniversary celebrations.

The deputy minister who was standing in on behalf of the substantive minister said the Ministry of Finance released an amount of GHC5.26 million which was budgeted money towards the celebration of the anniversary.

According to him, the money was made up of GH3.1 million from Government of Ghana sources and GH2.16 million from the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).

He indicated to parliament that out of the amount released, GH3 million went to the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Ghana @ 60 Secretariat while GH100,000 and GH2.16 million were given to 10 regional capitals and the 216 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies respectively.

Actual disbursement, according to the Office of the Chief of Staff, indicate that an amount of GH2.98 million was spent by the Ghana @ 60 Secretariat out of the release from the GoG sources, the deputy minister said. He stressed that GH2.16 million spent by the 216 districts and the GH100,000 spent by the regional coordinating councils brought the total expenditure to GH5.24 million out of the GH5.26 million.

After providing the substantive answer, the deputy minister came under a barrage of questions from the minority members  all of who were virtually trying to catch the speaker's eye to ask follow-up questions.

Some of the minority members wanted to know how much had been contributed by corporate bodies, individuals and organizations.

Others wanted to know the detailed expenditure by the Secretariat and even contractors who were contracted to undertake certain functions or projects.

Others too wanted to know whether the money given by the DACF would be reimbursed to the Fund.

The MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said that he did not understand why President Nana Akufo-Addo publicly said that the supposed GH20 million meant for the celebration of the 60th anniversary would only come from the corporate world but the ministry of finance also decides to budget some money towards the same celebration.

The deputy minister said the amount had already been budgeted in the 2017 Budget statement for that purpose.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr


An Accra High Court has struck out a contempt application brought against Paul Adom Otchere, host of Metro TVs 'Good Evening Ghana' programme by Dr. Yaw Akoto, a former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).

The applicant had also wanted the court to attach and commit Isaac Osei, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the current MD of TOR, for contempt.

The court, presided over by Justice Kweku T. Ackah-Boafo, held that it does not have jurisdiction over the case.

According to the judge, the court could not hear the case, which has an aspect of it currently before the Court of Appeal for adjudication.

Dr. Akoto had sued the two over a documentary on the operations of TOR in which the issue regarding his accommodation  which is currently a matter before the Court of Appeal  popped up.

The applicant is accused of having occupied TOR's bungalow, a government property, for 15 years.

Unhappy with the development, Dr. Akoto filed a motion for contempt at the court on July 13, 2017.

Thaddeus Sory, counsel for the respondents, making a point on jurisdiction, said once an issue relating to the case was pending before the Court of Appeal, the high court is out of jurisdiction, adding that the court ought to decline jurisdiction.

According to him, the respondents had made reference to the matter currently pending before the court.

Applicants' Case

In an affidavit in support of the motion, the former TOR CEO said that per the commentary on the subject before court, Mr. Osei deliberately sought to attract public sympathy for his case and thereby incite the public against his adversary and the judicial process.

He said to give their contemptuous statements maximum coverage and effect, the respondents advertised widely in advance of the airing of the said programme on various social media platforms, including Whtasapp.

The applicant said that on June 21, the respondents aired on Metro TV's 'Good Evening Ghana' hosted by Mr. Adom Otchere, the said contemptuous statements on the programme, which is watched by millions throughout the world.

Dr. Akoto said the respondents further put the contemptuous material on Youtube, another social media platform, under the headline, Former TOR MD refuses to leave office for 15 years

He, among other things, indicated that at the time the respondents published the said material, they were very much aware not only of the fact that the matter was pending before the Court of Appeal, but also all the processes, including the Court of Appeal dismissal of TOR's application to set aside the order for stay of execution on May 16, 2017.

Dr. Akoto said the conduct of the respondents is intentional, deliberate and calculated to undermine the trust and confidence in the judiciary.

Respondents' Case

The respondents, in their separate statements of case in opposition to the contempt case, variously denied any wrong doing.

Lawyer for Mr. Osei said that as a responsible citizen of the country, he (Osei) has respect for the judiciary and all of its organs, orders and processes and would not act in any way in relation to them or the court itself so as to bring its authority into disrepute.

He said Dr. Akoto's application is an abuse of the contempt jurisdiction of the court which had only been exploited by the applicant for purposes of pursuing a personal vendetta against his client.

Mr. Osei argued, In so far as the merit of the application is concernedthe allegations upon which the applications were grounded are without substance and cannot legitimately found any charges of contempt against me.

Enters Paul

Mr. Paul Adom Otchere averred, The reading of the applicant's affidavit will leave this court in no doubt that I merely and honestly asked 1st respondent (Mr. Osei) a question regarding the reason for which 1st respondent found his work stressful, to which question 1st respondent answered by saying that he still had to commute from Accra, his current place of residence, to Tema, his workplace.

Mr. Otchere added, I then asked why 1st respondent had to commute between Accra, where he resides, and Tema, his place of work; 1st respondent answered that he had no access to his official residence in Tema, which is at all times material to the present application, still in applicant's possession.

The 27-paragraph affidavit further indicated that the reading of the verbatim reproduction of the exchanges between them shows that the programme was not calculated to disparage the judicial process and bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

He said the statements complained about do not by themselves amount to contempt of court unless and until applicants can establish beyond reasonable doubts that the said statements actually prejudice pending proceedings before the court.

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By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


21.07.2017 LISTEN

Teacher Danquah Research Institute (TDRI) dispatched its team of competent researchers to assess the performance of the most hard working Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe constituency in the person of Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah. This research work is necessitated and motivated by the recent first ever media encounter organized by the office of the presidency led by His Excellency Nana Addo Addo Akufo-Addo, the first gentleman the Republic of Ghana and man of the moment.

Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah was the Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2016 Parliamentary election in Weija-Gbawe Constituency. The Parliamentary election which was closely marked and keenly contested by her close contender, Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, was won by her. She won the most keenly contested Parliamentary election with 9,129 solid votes ahead of her close contender who was on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The votes obtained was an improvement over the last 4 years Parliamentary Election held in the constituency in 2012. A total vote of 14,405 votes was also obtained ahead of the NDC in the Presidential Election held in the constituency.

The vote secured by Obuobia Darko-Opoku and the NDC in the constituency according to the research clearly indicates that a cross section of constituents did not support the candidature of Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah now MP.

The Parliamentary elections held across the country is characterized by a simple majority unlike the Presidential election which require a 50+1 votes in percentage terms to declare a party a winner.

However, 6 months on as a Member of Parliament, she has been so far impressive amid the numerous challenges confronting the constituency-Weija-Gbawe. Among these challenges described as major per the research carried out by the institute are; flooding, poor road networks and youth unemployment.

These challenging situations have existed over a long period in the very constituency. The situation under the two former MPs; Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and Hon, Rosemond Comfort Abrah is quit not different from now. In the midst of all these challenging times, the current MP, Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah who is also Deputy Minister assigned with specific responsibilities at the Health Ministry by the President of the Republic has been able to deal with the problem half way within this short period of as Member of Parliament for the constituency. She has been very impressive in terms of the various sectors of the constituency.

In the area of education, there are 29 public schools in Weija-Gbawe constituency; most of which are challenged with inadequate furniture, textbook and infrastructure among others. As part of the Member of Parliaments wish to see education flourish in the constituency, she has hinted the Ga South Municipal Education Directorate of her intention to supply 400 dual desks for the Primary, 200 mono desks for the JHS and 50 sets of KG tables and chairs.

In June, this year, the MP supplied 195 quality dual desks at the cost of GH47,410.00 to the Primary department of Oblogo M/A 2&3 Basic Schools which were in dying need of desks. The primary department which has a population of about 681 pupils was without desks. Most of the classrooms were empty of desk making the situation serious for an urgent need, hence the timely and swift intervention by the MP.

The remaining desk will be supplied by the MP to the Education Directorate in subsequent months for onward distribution to the needy schools. It is worth however noting that, the said school was handed over for use by then MCE, Hon. Jerry Akwei Thompson of the previous NDC administration on 26th February 2016 without any supply of school furniture to run a shift system.

Still on education, the Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe constituency, Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah on June 2, 2017 supplied 1,500 mathematical sets to final year students in both public and private basic schools in her constituency. Out of the total number of mathematical sets, 1,371 candidates from all29 public basic schools benefited from the supply. The rest of the mathematical sets were supplied to 10 other private schools with less enrolment.

The MP followed up to see how they were faring during the 2017 BECE. She also supported the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) with an amount of GHC1, 000 during the commissions annual citizenship week celebration which was marked in some selected schools in her constituency. It is equally important to mention that, the MP assisted the Education Directorate during the 60th Anniversary celebration of the country in March, this year with some amount of money to refreshed pupils, teachers and officers who took part in the match pass at the celebration. This gesture by the MP was highly appreciated by the Education Directorate.

As part of the MPs plan for education for the year, 2017, she intends to supply exercise books among other things to Primary 1 pupils during "my first day at school" at the beginning of the first term in September. This will be at the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year. She also intend to set up a scholarship fund as a subsidiary of her foundation to support brilliant but needy students in the constituency. Currently she is paying schools fees of a handful of students.

Health is one other area Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah has distinguished herself creditably. As Deputy Minister of Health, issues of health are a major concern to her. She always yearn to see her constituents healthy; she believes that a sound mind resides in a healthy body, hence good health is her ultimate concern.

To ensure that the community is kept clean, she collaborated with Mrs. Comfort Mildred Amofah, Hon. Alice Ofori Atta and the Ga South Municipal Assembly to observe the first ever Sanitation Day on July 1, 2017 under her watch as Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe Constituency. She also partnered with health professionals from Georgia Fox University, USA to organize a physic therapy health screening for constituents on June 2, 2017.

To support both public and private hospitals and clinics in her constituency, she taken delivery of 10 modern hospital beds and other hospital and clinic accessories to be supplied to public and private hospitals and clinics in her constituency.

The MP assisted and personally donated blood in support of a blood donation exercise organized by Knight of ladies and Marshals, a Catholic Humanitarian Group. This blood donation exercise was organizd and held at St. Jude Catholic Basic School in New Weija.

In the area of empowerment, the MP has mapped out plans to be rolled out in September, this year to help equip the youth, the old and the young with employable skills in various vocation or trade. Currently she has taken delivery of 30 sewing machines and 20 hair dryers to be used to train youth in her constituency who are willing to learn a trade. More of the sewing machines and hair dryers are yet to be received to kick start the training programme in September, this year.

Women and men empowerment is another area the MP is working so hard. She has given some startup capitals to some men and women to revamp and also grow their businesses. She intends to set up a foundation to provide a broader spectrum of assistance for all men and women in the constituency. She has assisted a handful of party members and constituents to gain employment.

Application details of a lot more people have been sent to, Cocoa Board, NIB, SSNIT, GRA, NHIS, National Security, among others, pending to be recruited and employed. She has processed a lot for the nursing and military. Human empowerment is key to her and the evidence within this short period under review attest to that. It is worth stating that, the MP on regular basis provide financial assistance to constituents, party members, among others for rent, personal things, etc.

Security in the constituency is one other area dear to the heart of Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah. It can be recalled that, in the electioneering season, the constituency was charged by the NDC's presence and their quest to snatch the seat from its landlords-NPP. This created some disaffections within the constituency.

But with the coming of Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah, she has so far demonstrated to constituents that she represented the interest of all, the constituency as we speak now is enjoying some atmosphere of peace. People can now move about freely without any fear.

To ensure that security of constituents is b to guarantee the safety of constituents, the MP has taken delivery of 180 LED street lights being branded for distribution to be installed in vulnerable communities which are hideout for criminals. More of the LED street lights are yet to be taken delivery for distribution and installation in most principal streets in the constituency.

Keeping constituents safe from the obnoxious activities of some unscrupulous persons in and out of the constituency is her primary concern. In order to resource the police service in the constituency to be able to fight crime and maintain security, the indefatigable Member of Parliament has supplied furniture set worth GH5,000 to a renovated police station. This police station which is pending to be opened soon has since not been supplied with furniture since 2004 until her timely intervention in May, this year, 2017.

Flooding in the constituency is a major issue which posses security threat. The flooding situation is a major worry to the MP. In view of this worry situation and the number of people who have perished through flooding, the MP extended an emergency call the Ministry of Works and Housing to visit the constituency to conduct a survey to assess the drainage problems in the constituency. The Director of works at the Ministry and a team from the hydrological department have visited the constituency to assess the drainage problems pending action to be taken soon by the ministry.

In bridging the gap between the various religious groups in the constituency, Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah is playing major roles in both religious divide. She supported 10 central mosques in the constituency with some assorted items such as bags of sugar, boxes of water, several boxes of tea bags, cuttings of milk, among others during their fast in the month of Ramdan.

This gesture by the MP shows her commitment to the Moslem communities in her constituency. She also assisted the Gbawe Royal family, the traditional owners of the land during the burial and funeral of the late Nii Kwatei Onimra, the chief of Mallam. She has also hinted her intention to assisted the traditional authority celebrate the incoming Homowo in the constituency.

The success chalked by Hon. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah need to be praised and commended by all and sundry.
Johannesburg (AFP) - Nelson Mandela's widow on Friday threatened legal action over a book by his personal doctor that laid bare intimate details of his final illness and death in 2013.

Mandela's physician Vejay Ramlakan revealed several undignified episodes at the end of Mandela's life as well as bitter family squabbles over his care and legacy.

"I condemn the book in the strongest terms," Graca Machel said in a statement released by her charity foundation, local media reported.

"I am taking legal advice on whether to institute legal proceedings against the author and its publisher."

Machel accused Ramlakan of breaching patient confidentiality with his candid book, which was released to coincide with Mandela Day on July 18, an annual day to honour his memory.

Machel said she planned to meet the executors of Mandela's will to discuss how to "best protect Madiba's good name and reputation", using Mandela's clan name.

In the book, titled "Mandela's Last Years", Ramlakan reveals that an ambulance transporting Mandela to hospital during his final months caught fire on the highway forcing him to wait 30 minutes to wait for a backup.

He also detailed how the liberation hero regurgitated blood due to a lung infection and disclosed that after Mandela's death at the age of 95, a spy camera was found in the morgue where his body was held.

Mandela's widow Graca Machel says physician Vejay Ramlakan breached patient confidentiality with a book including intimate details of the president's final days

Mandela married Machel, his third wife and the widow of Mozambique president Samora Machel, in 1998.
Life is indeed not fair and so is nature, in my opinion. One of my favourite television programmes is Nageo Wild. I take delight in looking at the behavior of nature, particularly living organisms. I love the inter dependence of animate objects to preserve nature. Many animals survive on plants, indeed as these animals even feed on plants, they are selective of the plants they can survive on. It is not every plant that a herbivorous animal feeds on. Herbivorous animals have great sense of scent and that is what they use to select edible plants.

Other animals are carnivorous, feeding on other animals for their survival and existence. While I accept that those animals also need to live, I always pity the prey of those carnivorous animals. The prey ranges between small rats to huge buffalos depending on which animal is hunting for survival. Sometimes I marvel at the agility and the tactical approach with which some of these carnivorous animals attack their victims in the jungle.

It is also amazing to observe the alertness and sense of security with which some of these preys escape danger and survive the aggression of their attackers. However, it is also very chilling to see a helpless and defenceless antelope being attacked by a number of hungry looking tigers. The only defence of the antelope is its ability to outrun its attackers. The animal at this point is so helpless and will have to succumb to its attackers with its life.

Human beings are endowed with all the defence mechanisms to survive based on how productive they use their brains. Human beings have dominion over all things and are supposed to use them in a manner that will meet their needs and the needs of generations unborn. There is however, one thing that the human mind cannot know and act upon. The ability to know what is in the mind of a person before he acts. Shakespeare puts it nicely when he says 'there is no art to find the mind's construction from the face'. No one can determine the thoughts of a person by merely looking at the face of that person.

The image of many otherwise innocent people have been tarnished not by what actions or inactions they have exercised but by what some believe they are or are capable of doing. Some people have been judged by one single action they took at a particular point in time or on the basis of a prevailing circumstance to address a situation. It is also very sad that a man's principled position on a matter where almost everybody else has joined the band wagon towards another direction, has been branded 'too known'.

Some individuals on the basis of their convictions, self-esteem and confidence have been tagged arrogant and they have carried this cross in their lives when their accusers have not been able to provide a shred of evidence to support their claim.

If there is any single individual in this country who has been given a tag and has had to live with it all his life, that individual is President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. I have not known him that much, but at least from my secondary school days when he was an active member of the then Movement for Freedom and Justice (MFJ) which stood up against the Supreme Council government of the late Gen. I.K Acheampong, and when I was a practicing journalist.

The regime had imposed untold hardships on the country; the economy was on its knees. Scarcity of basic everyday consumables which come to be known as essential commodities had hit the nation. The regime was bent on holding onto power in spite of the anguish and covert agitations and protestations of the generality of the Ghanaian populace against it.

The regime, at the peak of its bankruptcy in ideas had imported what it termed UNIGOV as a substitute for a return to democratic governance in this country. A number of sycophantic organisations funded with the tax payers' monies had been formed to propagate the UNIGOV idea. People like Kwesi Ghapson, S.K. Danso, Kankam Dacosta, just to name a few, were criss-crossing the country preaching the gospel according to UNIGOV. Who dared speak against UNIGOV at the time?

Then emerged the MFJ with very prominent politicians in the persons of K.A. Gbedemah, Prof. Albert Adu Boahene, Gen. A. A.Afrifa and others and among them was a vibrant young man in the person of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, openly countering the propagandist information on UNIGOV being forced down our throats. These were very challenging times in our political history. The result of the actions of the MFJ and other such bodies like the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) led to the palace coup of August 1978 which paved the way for constitutional rule.

Then with time, the PNDC took over power and kept all of us as a people in an open cage but with no right of movement for 11 years. Once again, covert agitations and indoor whining and pining, hastened by the collapse of the Berlin wall gave us the right to elect our leaders. Even though the nation was ushered into a democratic governance, the freedoms and liberties of the citizenry in relation to leadership of government and its policies were limited.

In the midst of all the political and economic hardships, a further policy of new tax system, the Value Added Tax (VAT) was introduced. The poor implementation of it in a period we describe as lean season in the agricultural calendar of this nation had worsened the plight of the citizenry. The nation needed salvation, and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo was available.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) he led with other patriots in the persons of Kweku Baako, Dr. Charles Wereko Brobbey, Akoto Ampaw, Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe, Kwesi Pratt, Victor Newman, Kakraba Cromwell and a few others came to the rescue of the nation. A series of regional demonstrations were held, a few of them I partook and reported for the Ghanaian Chronicle then. These demonstrations led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo at the time compelled the government of the NDC at the time to with draw the VAT.

The tenacity of purpose and his firm belief in the democratic process and his courage to confront dictators in the interest of Ghana attracted the tongue lashing and perceptive adjectives which indeed are not the true characters of the man, Nana Akufo Addo. He has been described as arrogant and warlike by his political opponents simply because he will express his views and hold on strongly to his beliefs.

That accounts for the 'near disappointment' by people who have not been very close to the President, and that emanates from the perception built in the minds of many that he has bellicose and aggressive personality  dispositions he had not been exhibited since he became the President of the Republic. A lawyer of his stature, no matter his personality, cannot engage in actions against anybody outside the confines of the law.

That is the cross that people like him have to carry in a society of docile sycophantic individuals who complain in the quiet about situations they are not comfortable with. And when an individual gets the courage to talk about those things that bother the whole society, he is given names that are at variance with his personality.

My humble self, have and still carry some of these adjectives and sometimes some epithets that are not in tune with my character because I speak my mind and stand by what I believe in even when the majority disagree with me. That is the world we were put in by our maker. Such perceptions have had very negative effects on otherwise very good people in our society. But for the fact that he has become the President of this country, he might have left this world leaving behind a certain perception in the minds of some people that he is a violent person.

Daavi, just three tots for today.

[email protected]

By Kwesi Biney
Country Director for non-governmental organization, SEND-Ghana, George Osei-Bimpeh is expressing concern about what he says is the lip service government institutions are paying to social protection programmes.

According to him, the implementation of key social protection programs has been characterized by poor budget planning and execution which he believes are inconsistent with the commitment of reducing poverty and inequality in Ghana.

Funds disbursement to support social protection programs are irregular, unpredictable and inadequate. Collaboration and coordination are weak among key Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other policy makers responsible for social intervention programs, he explained.

Mr. OseiBimpeh also expressed concern about the limited number of people benefiting from government social intervention programmes in the country. He cited the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme as one good intervention which unfortunately reaches only one out of eight qualified poor households.

Mr. OseiBimpeh also expressed concern about the increasing inequality gap in the country, noting since the 1990s, Ghana has seen the inequalitygap spiral out of control. Citing a report by the United Nations International Childrens Fund (UNICEF), he noted the situation of general poverty in the country is still high, especially in rural areas and some regions.

He said the highest level of inequality is in the Upper West region and it represents the largest increase since the 1990s. He added the gap between the poorest 10% and the richest 10% of the population has been increasing since 2006 with wealthiest consuming 6.8 times than poorest 10%.

Mr. OseiBimpeh was speaking at a workshop in Accra organized by SEND Ghana in collaboration with the UNICEF, OXFAM, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Christian Aid, SOS Children Villages, Ghana Integrity Initiative and Action Aid on the theme: Financing Social Protection to Reduce Inequality.

The workshop is aimed at coming out with clear policy options and recommendations to influence government policy choices in the 2018 budget. In the short term and medium to long term, civil societys aim is to come out with strategies that will enable government mobilize resources and use same to fight inequality and poverty aggressively he explained.

The Country Director indicated that civil societies are ready to partner government in helping develop the country. We see it as responsibility to move away from our spectating stance to becoming active citizens, we will demand prudent use of any public resource allocated for addressing inequality, he said.

Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection OtikoAfisahDjabacharged stakeholders and donor partners to keep supporting government in financing social inequality projects to reduce poverty in the country.

She believes the protection of the rights of the vulnerable is a collective responsibility and called on all Ghanaians to play a role in that. She applauded development partners especially SEND- Ghana for their support and commitment to securing inclusion for the vulnerable and alleviating poverty in the country.

Also present at the workshop were representatives from the Centre for Budget Advocacy Ghana, Ministry of Finance and Parliamentary Select committee on Poverty Reduction.
A former Foreign Affairs Minister, Hanna Tetteh has dismissed claims by an NPP presidential staffer that the Chairperson of Electoral Commission Mrs. Charlotte Osei attended Cabinet meetings under the John Mahama administration.

Ibrahim Adjei, who is a presidential staffer made the allegation on Morning Starr Friday. Despite efforts by the host Francis Abban to get Mr. Adjei to retract until he provides evidence, he refused and stood by his claims.

He claimed that the petition against the EC Boss demanding her removal was not surprising because of her constant appearance at cabinet meetings during the previous government.

But in a response to the claims, Hanna Tetteh who was a member of Cabinet strongly dismissed the allegations on her twitter page.

According to the former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya, the minutes can easily be checked to verify the claims.

4h

#SimplyTheBest @Starr1035Fm I am not aware but I am made aware that Mad. Charlotte Osei attended cabinet meetings under @JDMahama 's admin - Ibrahim Adjei #MorningStarr

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Hanna Tetteh @HannaTetteh That's not true, I was a member of Cabinet, the Electoral Commission Chair did not attend meetings, the minutes can be checked for attendees 11:44 AM - 21 Jul 2017



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Some aggrieved staff of the commission on Wednesday July 19, 2017 in a petition to president Akufo-Addo called for the removal of Mrs. Osei because she lacks the managerial skills needed to lead the commission.

Also, they alleged that she single-handedly gave out contracts to the tune of $21,999,592 without going through tender contrary to the Public Procurement Act. They also claim that the EC Boss has spent over one million Ghana cedis on her residence.

The presidency has since acknowledged the receipt of the petition which was subsequently forwarded to the Chief Justice for the necessary actions to be taken.

But Mrs. Osei is fighting back describing the allegations made against her in a statement as outright lies and an attempt to defame her.

The contents of the said petition which has been widely circulated on social media and published by the mainstream media, are frivolous, baseless and are actuated by malice and ill will. These allegations are in my view, the product of an overactive evil imagination, and do not deserve any serious attention.

I wish to state categorically that all the defamatory allegations are outright lies and without any merit whatsoever.
Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - The Gambia's justice minister has promised a new constitution to be voted on by referendum as the tiny west African country transitions from the long rule of former strongman Yahya Jammeh.

Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said Thursday the new national charter would entirely replace the 1997 version written largely to consolidate Jammeh's power after he took control in a 1994 coup.

A Constitutional Review Commission would consult a broad cross-section of society for a maximum two-year period, Tambadou said, to "reflect faithfully and accurately the views of the generality of Gambians both at home and abroad."

The results would be put to a referendum, he added, but did not say when the commission would start work.

Jammeh's 22 years in power were marked by significant rights abuses and the earmarking of state funds for the eccentric former leader's personal use, the new government and rights groups say.

He only left the country in January under threat of a west African military intervention after losing to President Adama Barrow in a December election and refusing for weeks to acknowledge the result.

Tambadou also gave an update on an asset freeze placed on Jammeh and his associates in May, saying 49 additional properties had been traced in connection with investigations into criminal seizures of land by the former leader, with 180 now identified overall.

Tambadou has meanwhile found himself in hot water this week after his brother, a fellow lawyer, was forced to recuse himself from the prosecution team of the so-called "NIA nine".

The National Intelligence Agency (NIA), since renamed, was Jammeh's main tool to control political opponents and sow fear during his years in power.

Sheriff Tamabadou had a conversation with the wife of an NIA operative accused of the murder of a political activist, in which he was recorded saying his minister brother hadn't wanted the case to come to court.

The justice minister admitted this "could reasonably be interpreted as creating the impression that my decisions... could be influenced by extraneous factors," before praising his brother for resigning.

Jammeh ran everything from bakeries to farms during his 22-year tenure and was regularly accused of taking over successful businesses for his own gain.

Gambian police continue to investigate dozens of forced disappearances under Jammeh's rule, with the families of the victims clamouring for justice.
21.07.2017 LISTEN

Assin-Fosu (C/R), July 21, GNA - Mr. Robert Ahomka-Lindsay, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry has said preparations are far advanced for the establishment of 30 new factories in the Central Region to create employment for the youth.

The move formed part of Government's grand scheme to provide jobs for the youth through the "One District, One Factory" policy initiative.

Mr Ahomka-Lindsay said this during the Central Regional Delegates' Conference of the Party held at Assin Fosu in the Assin Central Municipality last Saturday.

He said the Ministry was determined to support the private sector to occupy its rightful position as the "engine of growth and the catalyst for Ghana's industrialization drive."

Consequently, the Ministry had put in motion a "job creating engine" in all its policies to address the country's unemployment challenges, he added.

In line with this, he said, the Ministry was focused on nurturing entrepreneurs and business friendly policies to move the country's reliance on taxation to full production to spark national development.

He charged the youth to exert their energies and skills into productive ventures to enable them benefit from government incentive packages for businesses.

'The youth must take advantage of the numerous programmes and policies the government had put in place to curb the rising unemployment.'

The Deputy Minister cited land accessibility as one challenge and therefore appealed to chiefs to readily release lands to support the project.

Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson, a Deputy Minister of Government Special Initiatives, said the President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo had setup the Ministry as a sign of his personal commitment to job creation and economic transformation.

She said Government remained committed to developing the entire districts and would encourage the siting of businesses according to the competitive advantage and natural endowments of the various districts across the country.

She mentioned that Government will continue to provide farmers especially the youth in agriculture with necessary logistical and technical support to excel in the agricultural sector to ensure food security and sustainable national development.

The Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East Constituency said the vision of the government was to modernize agriculture, improve production efficiency, achieve food security and profitability for farmers, all aimed at significantly increasing agricultural productivity. GNA

By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has on several occasions assured Ghanaians he is committed to dealing with any sort of scandal by government officials at high levels. Therefore, as part of our responsible journalism and the quest to champion the change we need against corruption, we have made efforts to help the President fight corrupt officials.

We at the Salis Newspaper have taken up the initiative to support government with our series of investigations exposing corrupt public servants from all sectors of public office. Since corruption is a major concern to everyone, this is the contribution being made by the Salis Newspaper to helpPresident Nana Akufo-Addo.

We have managed to gather video evidence to the effect that, indeed some stinky deals are already taking place and being executed by some officials at the road sector.

The Salis took up the challenge to investigate corruption at the road construction sector after our investigators received reports of massive extortions and kickbacks being taken from potential investors and contract bidders.

Our investigators posed as investors seeking contracts from the road construction sector and it was quite amazing how the kickback drama unfolded.

Our first point of call was the Tema Regional Department of Urban, Roads, where we met the Tema Metro Director of Urban Roads, Benjamin Bampoe.

We then arranged to meet him. The team was warmly welcomed with interactions, out of which, we made our mission clear to him that we were investors targeting the road sector. Mr. Benjamin Bampoe then opened up for discussions and offered to help but, as you know, there seems to be nothing like free help in Ghana. Some way somehow, someone definitely needs to pay these big men.

Mr. Bampoe immediately placed a call to the action man and the main man himself, Francis Torsu, who happens to be the New Juaben Municipal Director of Urban Roads. This is the big man running the show.

He is based in Koforidua in the Eastern region but he is mostly in Accra making deals with his personal interest apparently ahead of any other thing; a very big and busy man, we were told. The team then met Francis Torsu at the African Regent Hotel to discuss business. Mr. Torsu, upon seeing the team of young men, questioned whether they had the capital and necessary huge financial muscle.

At this point, he assured the investigators of getting them contracts from the road construction especially the Ghana Highways Authority,among others, since he had a lot of influence in the system and was well linked to the big people at the top. After a successful first time meeting with Francis Torsu, we went back to Tema to see Benjamin Bampoe on the way forward.

Mr. Bampoe revealed that there had been a delay in the inauguration of the Road Fund Board, which usually has the Minister For Roads & Transport as the Chairman of the Board. He explained that the delay in the inauguration of the Board has brought everything to a standstill at the road sector. He revealed that this delay also hindered the approval of new construction projects, where it is their jurisdiction since that is where they have big influence.

Mr. Bampoe mentioned that there should be a package for the big man to make him happy and to convince him well that 'you are indeed serious investors.'

A start-up token for the big man, Francis Torsu, usually ranges from GHC1,000 (One Thousand Ghana Cedis) and above.

As usual, then came the token of appreciation after fruitful discussions. Mr. Bampoe is captured in a secret video recording taking this money. He looked more than happy to receive the money.

A second time meeting was arranged with the investigators, where Francis Torsu was given his share of the booty. These are the kind of characters running the show at the road sector and obviously at the end of the day execution of shoddy works by contractors is the price Ghana has to pay for.

This is the kind of system we find ourselves in. Corruption here, corruption there, corruption everywhere and from all indications it appears there is no end in sight.
In keeping to the mandate of oversight, the Parliamentary joint Committee on Health and Lands and Forestry has visited the Pantang Hospital.

The visit follows recent agitation of the staff over the encroachment of developers on lands belonging to the Hospital.

At the time of the visit, some encroachers were seen busily building.

This prompted the joint committee to direct that construction works on the hospital's lands be suspended immediately.

The Director of the Hospital, Dr Frank Bening, told journalists that the encroachment on the lands of the hospital was only a fraction of the challenges that bedevil the facility.

He said that funding was the greatest challenge owing to the failure of successive governments to allocate the required resources to the facility.

He lamented the current indebtedness of the hospital which he said stands at GHs3.5m.

Dr Bening concluded that, until something was done about the sprawling private development of their land and the financial difficulties facing the facility, a time may come where the hospital cannot live up to its mandate.

He expressed shock at a court ruling two weeks ago that a section of the 344 acres Pantang Hospital land developed in 1967 belonged to a private developer and called on the committee to intervene before the hospital lost its entire space to private developers by the courts.

The Chairmen of the Health and Lands and Forestry Committees of Parliament, Dr Kwabena Twum Nuamah (MP, Berekum East) and Francis Manu Adabor (MP, Ahafo Ano South East) briefed the media after touring the area indicating that parliament were going to invite all stakeholders in land administration to find a solution to the encroachments that has hit the facility.



By: Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Join me on a journey to some very special places in our country, places that tell a remarkable story for the whole world.

Many international tourists, and some South Africans, would have experienced parts of the trip when they visited the tourist sites that relate the story of our first democratic President on Mandela Day. I hope that many more will have an opportunity to do so before Mandela Month draws to a close.

For those of us who cannot travel right now, lets start our tour among the rolling hills around Qunu in the Eastern Cape. Scattered homesteads are sometimes clustered into little villages reached only by dusty, bumpy roads.

The cattle that you can see dotted around the landscape would have been tended by a young Rolihlala Mandela as they grazed all day long, nearly a century ago. There would have been a small school in this area, where a teacher bestowed the name Nelson upon a young man, little knowing that he was to become a universal symbol of the spirit of humanity and reconciliation among people.

Places like this are not just about picturesque hills and sparse dwellings. They reveal layer upon layer of our history and heritage. They reflect the thoughts and values of leaders like Nelson Mandela, and convey the collective consciousness of our people.

You can have an authentic interaction by living in private homes and local lodges in many rural communities like these. Here, you can gain first hand insight into how traditional beliefs and cultural practices intermingle with modern life. You can understand how the history and hardships of our people guide our aspirations to transform our economy and bring marginalised communities into the tourism mainstream.

This place was so important to former President Mandela that he chose to return here to retire, after leading a divided nation striving to reconcile itself, and serving our country as the worlds most revered statesman.

Lets leave the quiet rural countryside of Qunu for now, we will return later.

Lets head north to Gauteng, to Soweto in Johannesburg. It was here, in Vilakazi Street, that Nelson Mandela lived in a small red brick house typical of apartheids townships. Further down the road lived Desmond Tutu. Together with church colleagues and comrades in arms, Tutu and Mandela led the long struggle to tear down the policies that confined their people to live within their tiny boxes. Vilakazi Street became the heart of the struggle against apartheid.

Today, the precinct is bustling with restaurants and street vendors who depend on the busloads of visiting tourists for trade. It is the only street in the world that was once home to two Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Most visitors are international tourists, but more and more of our people are starting to experience the benefits of exploring their own country as our domestic marketing and promotional campaigns take root.

More tourist traffic through Vilakazi Street means better prospects for the economy of the precinct. Here, the layer of our historic social struggle is interweaved with many economic dimensions: the precinct supports jobs, small businesses and many entrepreneurs. Tourist guides, transport operators and vendors of memorabilia all benefit from tourism.

The former home of Nelson Mandela, and the Vilakazi Street precinct that developed around it, demonstrates the power of tourism to convert cultural heritage assets into tangible benefits for communities today.

We leave the city of Johannesburg and head for the quiet town of Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. It was here, along a winding back road, that Mandela was captured by security police, leading to the Treason Trial, his imprisonment on Robben Island, and the remarkable transformation in our country following his release.

The capture site is marked by an iconic sculpture which gives visitors a sense of the important historic event which changed the course of our history so dramatically. The tourism economy around the site is not as well developed as that of Vilakazi Street, but it has become a must-see site for passing tourists.

That single moment in time, when a policeman stopped a car driven by a man disguised as a chauffeur, was to become a defining moment in our history.

Standing here at the capture site, you feel the full significance of that momentous event along this very ordinary road.

From here, our journey follows Nelson Mandela to the prison cell he occupied for over two decades on Robben Island. A short ferry ride from Cape Town takes you to the islands small harbour. A tour of the prison conveys the hardship its occupants were subjected to.

Standing in the cell that held Mandela captive is an extraordinary, life-changing experience. You cannot stop thinking about how someone who was confined to the brutality of this place can emerge with such humanity, even towards his captors.

This experience forces all of us to look deep within ourselves, and to question our own sense of humanity towards others. It forces us to discover the Mandela within each of us, and to express the values he espoused in whatever ways we can.

The penultimate leg of our trip once again follows the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, this time from Robben Island to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where the prisoner became the President.

On the front lawns, an imposing statue of a smiling Nelson Mandela stretches out his arms, protecting his people with the warmth it exudes. It is a fitting tribute to Mandela the man, the statesman, the father of our democratic nation.

From here, we will make one more stop before our journey ends. We return to a traditional family gravesite at Qunu, to Nelson Mandelas final resting place. As his family and comrades gathered here to return his body to the very soil that sustained his early life, the nation resumed life without one of the greatest sons of Africa.

But the story is far from over: Nelson Mandela will be with us forever, through the political legacy that brought freedom and democracy for all in our country, and through the many sites that continue to reflect on momentous events in his life. From Qunu to Vilakazi Street, from Howick to Robben Island and Pretoria, and, finally back to Qunu, a journey through these sites brings our history and heritage to life.

I hope that many more South Africans will be able to make this remarkable journey, during Mandela Month and afterwards. And I wish that corporate South Africa, philanthropic foundations and others join hands and work together to make the trip possible for those who cannot afford to travel, especially our youth.

They will also return home with a renewed sense of what these sites mean for all of us in South Africa, and for humanity all around the world.

Experiencing the story of Nelson Mandela, and understanding the values and principles it reveals, makes each one of us a better person, and this is what makes the world a better place for all of us.

We end our journey as changed people, with a deeper understanding of ourselves and each other, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of tourism.
21.07.2017 LISTEN

Government is awaiting the report of Parliaments Committee on Road and Transport before taking a decision on the controversial tow tax.

The mandatory levy for vehicle users to tow broken down vehicles was suspended last month after pressure from the public and civil society.

It is unclear when the report of the committee would be ready.

After briefing Parliament on what had become of the implementation process, Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah told Citi News Duke Mensah Opoku that further consultations will be held before a decision on the two tax is made.

We are waiting for the report from the parliamentary select committee and based on that we will take a decision on the matter. The process has began but we are having challenges with the implementation so we are consulting further, he said.

Suspension of implementation tow tax

Government had plans of implementing the tow tax but subsequently suspended it after after the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament met with the Road Safety Commission, the DVLA and other stakeholders over the matter.

The Ranking Member on the Committee, Kwame Agbodza had explained that the committee wants to probe the issues surrounding the implementation and possibly recommend the recall of the Legislative Instrument supporting the fee.

Some MPs including the Deputy Minority Leader, James Avedzi Klutse, had earlier called for the policy to be scrapped following these reactions. But Osei Owusu said the critics lack understanding of the issue.

Prior to the suspension, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei-Owusu, had described as narrow-minded, arguments against the mandatory towing fee.

In a Citi News interview, Mr. Osei-Owusu however argued that, the policy is in the supreme interest of road users after research showed that a huge number of road accidents are caused by broken down vehicles.

The NRSC was expected to begin a nationwide towing programme in July 2017, to ensure that all vehicles that breakdown on highways were cleared off the roads.



By; Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
The Chairman of the Peace Council, Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante has urged the feuding factions at the centre of the confusion at the Electoral Commission to cease fire and opt for an amicable solution.

Professor Asante in a Citi News interview advised the Chairperson of the Commission, Charlotte Osei and the aggrieved workers to resolve their issues internally as according to him, the consequences of their action could hurt Ghana's democratic credentials.

The EC is a very important institution in the country's democratic governance, they are responsible for our election and everything which is very central to the democracy we are practicing so if there are wrangling going on in the EC, it creates all sorts of problems. And again a lot of people have deep sense of respect for us especially for the last election which was very peaceful. Now this comes up with all sorts of accusations and counter accusations and all that tarnishes the image of our democracy and that is why I would plead that the EC chairperson must have a meeting with the staff; there must be some form of arbitration to listen to both sides. And try to find out whether the issues that are there can be thrashed

Professor Asante noted that the factions must dialogue to iron out their differences since the nation will suffer if the situation is not handled professionally.

Reading through what people are saying, they are not the things that we should be fighting about outside. Perhaps when we jaw jaw, when we sit and talk, we might know what is actually happening and through arbitration and dialogue they will be able to solve their problem and that will augur well for our democracy of our nation because if the institution that is the pillar for our democracy is at loggerheads then we are in for trouble, he added.

Background

Some staff of the EC are on the heels of the Chairperson over her role in the investigation of some top officials of the commission by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) over the missing GHc480, 000 from the Commission's Endowment Fund for its staff.

Some of the top officials were subsequently ordered to proceed on leave while investigations continue.

Meanwhile, days after the issue came to the fore, some employees of the EC petitioned the president to sack Mrs. Osei accusing her of corruption.

They also accused her of breaching public procurement regulations and disregarding administrative procedures in her management of the electoral body; claims she has rubbished .

Charlotte Osei has however threatened to sue the employees for defamation.



By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
The leader and founder of the All Peoples Congress (APC), Mr Hassan Ayariga has waded into the discussions on the petition asking for the removal of the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei and questioned why the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has jumped to the defence of Mrs Osei.

My concern is I don't understand why the NDC is defending the EC boss and asking the president not to do witch-hunting, Mr Ayariga said in a radio interview with Accra based Class FM Friday afternoon.

I have read the letter or the petition that some group of EC workers sent to the President. I read many of the allegations and I assume that if all these allegations are true, then its very serious because we are told that the EC Chair used Ghc4million to renovate her residence. I think it is on the higher side, without even the approval of the commission, I think it is abuse of power. And then they made mention of she using $4million to award a contract to a company that is associated with her, that is also abuse of power, if it is true.

But my concern here is that, I don't understand why the NDC as a party, and a group of members of the NDC are defending the EC boss and asking the President not to do witch-hunting. When you say witch-hunting, witch-hunting means that the person that is witch-hunted is a member of your party. Because if you say that the government is witch-hunting the EC boss, does it mean that the EC boss is a member of the NDC, that's my problem, Mr Ayariga questioned.

Adding, the comic politician said: Let me put it clear, it is not members of the NPP that petitioned the President. It was not members of the APC that petitioned the President, but it was members of the commission. They say that she is abusing her powers as a member, she is not doing things right, she is not involving them in meetings and many other issues and she is arrogant.

Asked about why the petition should be taken serious when the petitioners are not even known as of now, Mr Ayariga said, we don't need to know who the petitioners are for now. What is important is the petition was signed by somebody on behalf of those people, that is enough. Because the person cannot sign on behalf of himself without giving an authority to do that. But here is the case, he is a lawyer and he has been given the mandate to write the petition on their behalf to be sent to the president.

My point here is that we should allow the law to work. It's been noted that the president has received the petition, so let the president act as the President of the Republic of Ghana not because anything that does not favour the NDC, then it is witch-hunting, he said.

Mr Ayariga described the actions of those calling on the president to ignore the petition as being hypocritical. I will call it hypocritical for some institutions like the Peace Council to call on the President to be careful with how he impeach the EC boss.

When APC in 2016, the presidential candidate was disqualified without proper reasoning, I did not hear Peace Council coming out to say that the EC should thread cautiously or the EC should be careful because we are practicing multi party democracy and for that matter, we want multi party participation, he said.

-Graphic.com.gh
Nollywood actor, John Njamah for a year now has enjoyed what marriage life is all about as he and his wife Angwi Tangi Njamah, are currently celebrating their one year wedding anniversary.

John who had for a while kept his love life secret, shocked many last year 2016, when he released pictures of his wedding to his Cameroonian wife which got many applauding his choice of woman.

Appreciating how far God has brought them the actor wrote, #ANNIVERSARY we just want to say thank you lord for seeing us through this year and the many years to come #anniversary #family #blessedunion#njamah #wifey #thankful @johnnjamah @angwinjamah
- The Nigerian Senate noted that some banned malaria pills in Europe were being stockpiled in Nigeria

- They listed 42 medications that Nigerians need to stop taking

- Some of the remedies listed are Arinate 100mg tablet (artesunate) B/6, Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/55 blisters and others

The Nigerian Senate has provided a list of 42 banned anti-malaria medicines that are still in circulation in hospitals and pharmacies and are consumed by Nigerians.

According to report, the medications have been banned in Europe but are still in the Nigerian market.

The Senate mandated its committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), led by Senator Olarewaju Tejuoso, to urgently carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and report back for further action.

READ ALSO: Nigeria must continue to remain as one - Emir of Katsina

Senator T.A Orji representing Abia central who raised the motion said: The Senate notes that recently the European Union banned the sale and consumption of 42 Anti-Malaria Medications in all countries within the European Union.

It notes that the 42 Anti-Malaria Medications are:

1. Alaxin 60mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B / 8

2. Alaxin oral suspension (dihydroartemisinine) FL / 80ml

3. Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B / 1000

4. Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B / 1000

5. Arinate 100mg tablet (artesunate) B / 6

6. Arinate 50 mg tablet (artesunate) B / 6

7. Arsumax 50 mg tablet (artesunate) B / 12

8. Artemax 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B / 8

9. Artemedine 40 mg capsule (artemether) B / 12

10. Artemedine 50 mg tablet (artemether) B / 12

11. Artenam 50 mg tablet (artemether) B / 14

12. Artenam 60 mg tablet (artemether) B / 8

13. Artesiane 300 mg child powder oral suspension (artemether) FL / 38g

14. Artesunate 100mg compressed B / 120

15. Artesunate 50 mg tablet B / 120

16. Artexin 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B / 8

17. Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B / 9

18. Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B / 25 blisters

19. Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B / 55 blisters

20. Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiquine) B / 24

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21. Camoquin 600 mg tablet (amodiaquine) B / 3

22. Camoquin oral suspension 50mg / 5ml (amodiaquine) FL / 60ml

23. Cotecxin oral suspension (dihydroartemisinine) FL / 80ml

24. Cotecxin 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinine) B / 8

25. Daraprim tablet (pyrimethamine) B / 30

26. Falcinil 50mg tablet (artesunate) B / 12

27. Flavoquine oral suspension 50mg / 5ml (amodiaquine) FL / 90ml

28. Flavoquine 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B / 16

29. Flavoquine 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B / 240

30. Gunate strong tablet (artesunate) B / 6 gvs labs

31. Tvitter powder oral suspension (artemether) FL / 100ml

32. Halfan 250mg tablet (halofantrine) B / 6

33. Halfan 250mg tablet (halofantrine) B / 120

34. Halfan oral suspension 5mg / 5ml (halofantrine) FL / 45ml

35. Malartin 200mg tablet (artesunate) B / 6

36. Malartin 50 mg tablet (artesunate) B / 12

37. mmh-malarex 450 mg capsule (peschiara fuchsiaefolia) B / 20

38. Paludrine 100mg tablet (proguanil) B / 56

39. Plasmotrim 200mg tablet (artesunate) B / 25 blisters / 6

40. Plasmotrim 200mg tablet (artesunate) B / 6

41. Plasmotrim 50 mg lactab (artesunate) B / 12

42. Plasmotrim 50 mg lactab (artesunate) B / 25 blisters / 6

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate passed the whistle-blowers protection bill meant to protect persons making disclosures for public interest and others from reprisals.

Legit.ng reports that the bill was passed by the upper chamber during plenary on Wednesday, July 19, after it was read for the third time.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nigerians speaking about Buhari's illness and travel for medical treatment:

Source: Legit.ng
Do you want to become a model? We will provide you with 5 steps to work with best modeling agencies in Nigeria! You can join them! Find below the most important information on how to become a model step by step!

Models of the contest Elite Model Look

Every model wants to work with worldwide-known brands, take part in the best photo session and show his/her skills on the best modelling stage in the world. But its difficult to understand all the nuances of the fashion industry, especially if the model is very young and they are at the beginning of their career. For this purpose, there is a vast number of modeling agencies in big cities. They help models to find a good job.

Casting of Africa fashion week

How to become a model? Five steps to start modeling!

Step 1. Getting ready for ... work

First of all, it is crucial that your understand that being a model is a business first of all. You are in it to make money. You'll have to participate in various castings (about 10 per day, sometimes even at different parts of an unknown city). How to be a model? You should get up at 5 am and go to bed at one o'clock in the morning, work hard on a set and be ready to be away from your family from time to time. You can begin by earning little money but as you grow, you will soon begin to earn a great living.

Nigerian models' working day

Famous supermodels, during interviews, have shared stories about how, at the beginning of their career, they had to live in the same room with several girls and to sustain on bread and water. They have had to run all around in the name of casting and they might even get the chance to audition and submit their portfolios, but all with nothing fruitful at the end of the day. A lot of new models ended up giving up and doing something else with their lives. Are you ready to go through thorns to achieve your rosy goal and become a world famous model? If yes, go ahead.

Step 2. What is your appearance?

How should you look to become a model? There are not many requirements, but they are all very strict. To all who do not match them, their path to becoming a model ends. So if you want to become a top model Nigeria, the most important thing is height. Girls should not be less than 171 cm tall, and for high fashion - at least 175 cm. The hips should not exceed 90 cm, the waist - not more than 63 cm. The chest measurement is not very important. The main thing is that you do not look too"heavy."

In modeling, it is better to get started as early as possible. Beginning at the age of 17 or 18 is ideal so you have enough time and chances to make a successful career. However, there are no age restrictions. Think about the recent triumphant return of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer. As for your body, you should not have any scars, piercings, and tattoos. Long hair is usually desirable. Hair color should be natural. It must be healthy and well-groomed. The same can be said about nails and feet. Your face must be beautiful and bright.

Nigerian models in training

Step 3. Learn, learn and learn

Appearance is important, but it's only a half of the battle. You need to work on your character and features. A model should have such qualities as the ability to communicate well, determination, hard work, modesty (moderately), charisma, and ability to represent oneself. It is essential to know English well!

Many girls, striving to become a model, pay minimal attention to moral, psychological, and educational training, thinking that beauty is enough. This is a huge mistake because you need to learn about language, communication and poise before coming face-to-face with a fashion designer. It's better to be prepared in advance.

READ ALSO: See the hot pictures of the most beautiful model in Nigeria

Black and white photos of models

Step 4. Finally a photo ...

Let us proceed to the creative part. This is about your first portfolio. You need to take a couple of good pictures, where you will be seen from all sides and angles. Snapshots are divided into two categories: Snap and the photos themselves. Snaps are your "technical" stuff. In these pictures, you should be as you are in everyday life. Its usually a set of 6 photos: 3 full-length (front, profile, rear) and three portraits (the same areas).

You can also play with emotions - show a smile, anger, etc. In these photos, there should be no over-the-top retouching, makeup, or jewelry. You should also take some photos in your swimsuit (to see your figure) and black shoes with heels. In daylight, they can be done at home on any digital camera. You can ask someone to take this photos (not necessarily an expert photographer) and you can use a one-colour background (you can hang a sheet to achieve this).

The other sets of photos for your portfolio should be beautiful, ideological, interesting. Demonstrate yourself, your strengths and uniqueness. For this purpose, a good photographer is needed. He or she can work for a fee or on DFT terms. DFT is a joint project between a model and a photographer, where both work for free, but agree to the conditions of the image use for other purposes. You can find them on the Internet and social media.

Step 5. Agency and application form

Furthermore, to become a model, you need to take your pictures to a modeling agency. Where should they be sent and how not to get involved in a scam? Unfortunately, no one can give you insurance. Just be sure to do some investigations. Firstly, find some information about all the agencies on the Internet. If you are from a small town or village where there are no modelling agencies, it does not matter. Big city agencies can work with you remotely, sending for you to immediately come to work in America, Europe or Asia or even finding a way to work with you while you stay here.

Nigerian models at the show

You can find a list of modeling agencies in Nigeria on the Internet. Look at the girls that have been featured on the site. Consider the level of the Nigerian models, and the quality of pictures. Models should be beautiful, with experience and an excellent set of professional images. Study the agency media portal and read about their achievements. Find out what kind of work the girls do, where and how often they move, and with what companies/brands they work. All these are objective indicators of the agency success. The agency age is also significant. The more time it has been in business, the more experience, customers, models, and better reputation it has.

Have you already chosen the agency you want? Now, safely fill in an Application form. Do you like several agencies? Write to all of them. On the website of each agency, there is either registration section or contact information (email) where you can send an Application form. Do not forget to indicate your height, age, parameters, and feedback. Attach snaps and photos. You might have to be patient for a response but you should not give up on your dreams.

READ ALSO: Most beautiful girls in Nigeria 2017

Source: Legit.ng
- All eyes are on Anambra state as the preparations for the forthcoming governorship election are in top gear

- Political activities in the state are gaining momentum

- At the forefront of it all is Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

The campaign train of Senator Andy Uba is not relenting in it quest to interact with all sections of the society in Anambra state.

Despite his tight schedule as a senator and a governorship aspirant, Dr. Andy Uba, still makes out time to socialize with his own people at the grass root level.

In his usual character of interacting with the populace and show of benevolence, Legit.ng gathered that the senator fed thousands of people today, Thursday, July 20 at Umuoru- Uga in Aguata local government area of the state.

Senator Andy Uba interacting with Anambraians today, Thursday, July 20

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The senator who represents Anambra South Senatorial District told journalists present that he loves being around his people and sharing in their experiences.

His words: I believe in helping my people and you cannot help a man if you do not know what his problems are and how he feels, that is why from time to time I come down to my people to take care of their well being.

Secondly, there is so much hunger in the country, people are suffering. No money! No food! It gives me joy to feed these thousands of people here today, it is my way of showing that I care and if given the mandate to be their governor, my government will be a government that is based on the people.

Senator Andy Uba interacting with locals during his visit to Uga today, Thursday, July 20

Those who were beneficiaries of the senator's gesture expressed joy and satisfaction with his actions.

Truly I am overwhelmed, I have not seen this type of thing before. This is what we need. Every day I hear about government supporting people and feeding school children only on pages of papers... it is never acted upon but with what I have witnessed I strongly believe Andy Uba is a man of action who also cares for his people, one of the beneficiaries, Nwankwo Joseph told journalists.

Ezibe Blessing a student of Girls High School Uga, who was also present with many other students, said she was full of delight and surprise.

I am highly delighted at what the senator is doing. Feeding this massive crowd including students is really encouraging. I also want to use this opportunity to thank the senator.

Any time we call on him he answers us . He renovated our school and is currently rehabilitating our school hostels, she said.

Senator Andy Uba dining with students of Girls High School, Uga today, Thursday, July 20. Photo credit: Andy Uba media office

READ ALSO: Mass defection hits Lagos PDP, LP, others ahead of Saturday local govt election

Legit.ng reported on Wednesday, July 19 that Senator Uba led 40 APC senators to the national secretariat of the party to pick up his nomination form for the party's primary election.

Senator Uba was accompanied to the secretariat with heavy weights such as Senator Dino Melaye, Shehu Sani, Bayero Nafada, Monsurat Sunmonu and John Enoh.

The atmosphere at the secretariat was fully charged as supporters of the senator were around to welcome and drum up support for his ambition.

Watch the video report of the historic occasion on Legit.ng TV below:

Source: Legit.ng
- Hon. Frederick Agbedi (PDP-Bayelsa) who moved the motion, stated that members of the Joint Task Force had invaded the Ogbobagbene community, following the death of a soldier during a criminal attack by miscreants on a military checkpoint

- The lawmaker chided the military for the havoc it wreaked on the community, stating that there was no justification for their brutal actions, even though it was done as a result of the killing of one of their own

- Following the debate, the motion was unanimously adopted; after which, a minute of silence was observed to honor the dead

The chief of defense staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, has been directed by members of the House of Representatives, to put a halt to the ongoing military invasion in Bayelsa state, New Telegraph reports.

The lawmakers also directed Olonishakin to stop the attack on innocent civilians residing in the Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

READ ALSO: Lekki flood leads to increase in rental prices in Lagos Mainland

Legit.ng notes that the lower legislative house gave the directive on Thursday, July 20, following the adoption of a motion by Hon. Frederick Agbedi (PDP-Bayelsa).

The motion, Military incursion into Letugbene community and others in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state, was made under issues of national importance.

According to Agbedi, the administration of the late Umaru YarAdua had commissioned a Joint Military Task Force which was then stationed in the Niger Delta region to protect oil installations, following incidents of pipeline vandalism.

On July 12, however, a joint military checkpoint in Ogbobagbene community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State was attacked by some unknown persons, leading to the death of a soldier.

Arms and ammunition were also carted away by the miscreants.

As a result of the criminal act, the community was invaded by the Joint Task Force.

Houses were set ablaze while residents of the community- including women and children- were beaten severely.

He stated: The incident resulted in the indigenes running away into the forest for safety.

Up till this very moment, the whereabouts of one Mr. Abraham Ajasco, Mrs. Rebecca Warenumu and her eight months baby are still unknown.

I am convinced that there is an urgent need for the prompt and immediate cessation of the actions of the Military Joint Task Force in Letugbene and any other community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to avert further loss of lives and property.

I am further convinced that a globally respected armed forces such as the Nigerian Armed Forces, cannot afford to exhibit such uncivilized acts even in the face of the provocative and mindless killing of a member of the Nigerian Army.

Rather, the military high command should have engaged their efficient defense intelligence agencies to conduct thorough investigation and apply surgical precision raids to bring these miscreants to justice.

Section 217 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) creates the Nigerian Armed Forces for the purpose of defending Nigeria from external aggression and maintaining its territorial integrity and securing its borders from violation on land, sea or air.

Following a voice vote by the deputy speaker Hon. Sulaimon Yussuff Lasun, who presided over the session, the motion was unanimously adopted by members of the house.

The lawmakers also observed a minute of silence for the dead.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the crackdown on militants by the Army in the Niger Delta region intensified after armed soldiers invaded three communities in Bayelsa state.

The communities where the military raid was carried include; Peremabiri, Akamabugo and Tikogbene in Southern Ijaw Local Government Council Area.

The military offensive was part of special Operation Crocodile Smile which was carried out by the army against insurgents in the oil rich Niger Delta region.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking Nigerians if they would support a military take-over:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Northern Elders Forum warned agents of secession in the country to desist from it

- The NEF reminded those championing the agitation for secession to learn lessons from the Nigerian civil war

Northern elders in Nigeria have warned those fanning the embers of disunity in the country to immediately desist from it.

Under the Northern Elders Forum, the leaders in the region said Nigeria cannot break-up and that they were committed to this unity which started since 1914.

While cautioning against the quit notice issued to Igbo people in the north, they also described those agitating for secession as agents of disunity.

READ ALSO: 52 bishops, 144 priests attend burial of Governor Obiano's mother

They also condemned some elders in the region for making alleged unguarded comments that could further cause chaos in the country.

It is unfortunate that at this moment, such unguided remarks are coming out from supposedly elders of the region, a leader of the forum, Dr. Paul Unongo said when he paid a condolence visit to the family of late Maitama Sule.

According to Unongo, those causing troubles in the country do not understand the reality of the country.

He also said those issuing the quit notice and are speaking in favour of it do not represent the north and have not learnt any lesson from the Nigerian civil war.

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He said: No safe haven of those whose penchant for disunity is on a crude pedestal, regardless of the consequences of their campaign of attrition.

An evidence of our commitment as one northern entity and to sustain the legacy left behind by Danmasanin is the decision of my colleagues in the Forum to trust me with its leadership.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Igbo indigenes in the north under the auspices of Ndigbo Youth Council in 19 northern states recently cautioned some senior members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo against utterances capable of heating up the polity and putting their lives in danger.

Leader of the group, Chief Obinna Nwankwo, gave the warning in a statement sent to journalists on Tuesday, July 18.

Watch this video concerning the quit notice to Igbo people in the north:

Source: Legit.ng
- The OPC stated that it supports the genuine aspirations of all self-determination groups who pursue their aims through non-violent means

- However, while it supports such non-violent agitations, the OPC stated that it had to rebuke Nnamdi Kanu for casting aspersions on revered Yoruba leaders

- According to the OPC, respect for elders is a fundamental part of Yoruba culture; and the group warned Kanu and others to desist from such blatant disrespect

For berating former president Olusegun Obasanjo and insulting the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, the Reformed Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), has described the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, as a 'nonentity'.

According to reports, the groups comments were contained in a statement released by its national president, Dare Adesope.

The OPC warned that it will not sit back any longer and watch as Kanu insults Yoruba elders.

READ ALSO: APC convention will hold - Rochas Okorocha

The statement read in part: The OPC also supports the genuine aspirations of all self-determination groups who pursue their aims through non-violent means.

The Nigerian constitution and several international charters, to which the country is a signatory to, recognize the right to freedom of association by anybody, whether individual, corporate or institutional.

However, in supporting such agitations, we must not shy away from rebuking Nnamdi Kanu for the aspersions he has been casting in the direction of our revered leaders.

Kanus repeated condemnation of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, former governor of Lagos state Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and others, is condemned in the strongest possible terms.

The idea of respect for elders might be alien to Kanu and his ilk, but it is a fundamental part of the Yoruba culture and tradition and we cannot afford to overlook such transgressions.

We therefore use this medium to warn Kanu and other such individuals who are fond of making careless comments in relation to our leaders; that OPC will no longer sit back and allow this bunch of nonentities to disrespect our leaders or to use them to score cheap political scores.

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Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu on Thursday July 6, said former president Olusegun Obasanjo is going to die for saying he and the agitation for Biafra must be stopped.

He said that the former president was going to die for speaking those words so that they will know how powerful the people of Biafra are.

The IPOB leader stated this in reaction to Obasanjo's comment that Nigerians must do everything possible to stop the agitation for Biafra led by he (Kanu).

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of Nnamdi Kanu speaking about Biafra agitation:

Source: Legit.ng
On a daily basis, we are bombarded with stories of women who have being abused physically and emotionally by the opposite gender. They are abused at home, in their work place, on the streets, everywhere and every day.

Though sometimes, the abuse comes from their fellow women.

Some are forced into marriages where they are more or less like slaves who have to do the bidding of masters (husbands).

There are women who face the worst kind of torture and degradation any woman could go through when they lose their husbands. Some are forced to drink the water used to bathe the husbands corpse. Some are thrown out on the streets with their children by their husbands relatives, leaving them to their fate.

Aside being abused when they lose their husbands, women are victims of domestic violence and this ugly trend is getting worse every day.

In 2016, John Edobor, a staff of Zenith Bank, was dragged before the Bode Thomas Magistrate's Court in Lagos for breaking his wife Ivies legs with a metal rod.

It was the intervention of her neighbours who saved her, but the damage to her two legs had already been done. She is still recovering while her husband has moved on without facing any serious punishment.

About three months ago, a Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe shared photos of her battered face which were given to her by her abusive husband. She revealed how he constantly beat her during their marriage.

So many other Nigerian women go through the same every day. Some are afraid of speaking out. Some cannot walk out of their marriages because they have nowhere to go to. Some do not even know who to approach to help them.

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, headed by Aisha Jumai Alhassan, promotes the development of women with equal rights and corresponding responsibilities. The ministry, amid other responsibilities, reviews substantive and procedural laws that affect women.

Minster of Women Affairs Aisha Alhassan with some Chibok schoolgirls released by Boko Haram. Photo credit: VOA

The ministry is mandated to promote womens well-being.

However, this ministry cannot do the work of fighting for womens rights alone. It is a thing of great concern that womens rights are trampled on. Activists have continued to promote campaigns for womens rights in Nigeria amidst suppression.

What are the groups that fight for womens rights in Nigeria

There are many womens rights groups in Nigeria at the moment doing a great job and helping women fight for their rights. Most of these organisations focus on the many cultural and religious practices in the country which tend to violate the rights of women and girl children.

1. Women's Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON)

Founded by late Chief Olabisi Olateru-Olagbegi, the WOCON has been engaged in various programs and activities for the enforcement of the rights of Nigerian women and children particularly the girl-child since its inception in 1995.

This is a non-political and non-profit making association was founded out of Olateru-Olagbegis concern for the plight of women in Nigeria and the sufferings they go through in the name of tradition.

What the WOCON does:

Renders free legal services to victims of gender abuse through its Pro Bono services

Campaigns for the elimination of gender-related persecution of women in Nigeria

Alerts civil society on any violations of women's rights in Nigeria

Advocates for gender equality and equity in Nigeria and environs

2. International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria

FIDA Nigeria has been in existence for over fifty years and has branches in thirty-three states of the nation. Photo credit: FIDA

This is a non-governmental, non-profit organization made up of women lawyers practising law in Nigeria.

Top on the agenda of FIDA Nigeria are issues of violence against women and girls.

FIDA is committed to promoting, protecting and preserving the rights, interests and well-being of women and children through the use of legal framework to ensure that they live free from all forms of discrimination, violence and abuse in the society.

3. Womens Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA)

Established in 1999 by Hon. Justice Fati Lami Abubakar, the wife of the then head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, the WRAPA seeks to advance and protect the rights of women as provided by national laws and policies.

It facilitates access to justice for aggrieved women and offers humanitarian support for women and families in difficult circumstances and victims of gender violence.

The organization has instituted a number of court cases to seek redress on behalf of women victims of human rights abuses. One of such is matrimonial cases involving wife battering. Others are harmful traditional practices that inflict physical and psychological trauma on women and civil rights matters involving the property rights of women.

The WRAPA seeks to:

Stimulate and motivate women at the grassroots to achieve a better and higher standard of living

To promote and protect all human rights of women

To support women in difficult circumstances including victims of gender violence

To promote reform of discriminatory laws and policies against women

4. Project Alert on Violence Against Women (PROALERT)

Project Alert promotes and protects the rights of women and young girls. Photo credit: Facebook, Project Alert

Set up in January 1999, the organization promote and protect the rights of women and young girls. The non-governmental women's rights organization seeks to influence society by actively advocating for zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women / young girls.

Its founder, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, has taken several international courses in human and women rights in Africa and the United States of America

It has a shelter project, known as Sophias Place which caters to battered women in Nigeria. It is located in a suburb of Lagos.

5. Women Aid Collective (WACOL)

This independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization is dedicated to helping women and young people whose rights are threatened and/or have been subjected to physical, mental, and/or abuse and assault.

It operates an ultramodern shelter and safe haven which provides temporary accommodation to females victims of battery and violence and also displaced women and girls. A good number of battered and displaced women and girls have benefited from the shelter services. It gets donations from private and international foundations.

6. BAOBAB for Womens Human Rights

This is a not-for-prot NGO whose mission is to promote and protect womens rights under religious, statutory, and customary laws in Nigeria. It operates from a national office in Lagos, with outreach teams in 14 states across Nigeria.

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Baobab works with Women Living under Muslim Laws (WLUML) to support women human rights defenders, including gender rights activists.

What the Nigerian constitution says about womens rights

Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution which takes care of the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizens prohibits all forms of discrimination against women. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender.

Unfortunately, this has not stopped society from subjecting women to all forms of oppression.

Women have a right to inherit property according to the Nigerian Constitution. This is taken care of by section 43 of the Constitution which provides that every citizen (irrespective of gender) of Nigeria shall have the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria.

What can be done

- The Ministry of Women Affairs should sponsor laws to protect women and ensure the enforcement of existing laws that seek to protect females.

- The police force should undergo training on how to handle assault and abuse cases.

- Measures should be taken to protect women from violence, such as: criminalising domestic violence and marital abuse; making it easy for victims to access justice; and prosecuting offenders.

- Measures should be taken to combat harassment in the workplace.

- Measures should be taken to stop all forms of discriminatory cultural practices such as the widowhood rites.

- Shelters should be provided for victims of domestic violence, assault and all other forms of abuse.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of women from all walks of life staging a rally against gender-based violence.

Source: Legit.ng
- The Police have killed a four-man armed kidnappers syndicate in Aba, Abia state

- The kidnappers had abducted a man identified as Onyemaechi Mbamaonyeukwu Ijeoma, the Managing Director of Mba Hotels Aba

- The detectives swooped in on the hoodlums den where the gang opened fire on sighting them

The Nigeria Police have smashed a four-man armed kidnap syndicate terrorizing Aba and its environs.

The Punch reports that police detectives attached to Omoba Division got the upper hand on the syndicate on Wednesday July 21 at Ovungwu, Isiala-Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia state.

READ ALSO: OPC chides Nnamdi Kanu for insulting Obasanjo and Tinubu

Legit.ng gathered the syndicate had on July 18, 2017, in Osisioma Ngwa abducted a man identified as Onyemaechi Mbamaonyeukwu Ijeoma, the Managing Director of Mba Hotels Aba in his ash colour Nissan Infinity SUV with Reg. No. GWA 807 DH and held him hostage in an uncompleted building at Umuajuju Ovungwu, Isiala Ngwa South LGA while negotiating for a ransom.

Acting on a tip off, the detectives swooped in on the hoodlums den where the gang opened fire on sighting them.

During a shootout, two of the Kidnappers later identified as Nwadibia and Monday were gunned down while others escaped with bullet wounds. The victim was rescued unhurt and one of the detectives sustained injuries.

Items recovered include the victims SUV, two motorcycles, and four GSM phone.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the governor of Ebonyi state David Umahi 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.

Watch this video as Legit.ng takes a more critical look at Evans and his way of life:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Muhammadu Buhari's government has never hidden its intention to strengthen Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

- Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo is carrying on with the mandate

- He predicted that the MSMEs will dictate the Nigerian economy in the nearest future

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo attended the launch of the MSMEs clinic held at the Eagles Square, Abuja on Thursday, July 20.

Accompanied by several governors and ministers, an excited Osinbajo was freely interacting with the entrepreneurs who displayed their products at the venue.

In his remarks at the event, Professor Osinbajo stated that the future of the Nigerian economy lies in the small and medium scale enterprises.

Professor Osinbajo interacting with one of the entrepreneurs at the event

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His words: This has been a very exciting afternoon for me because I have seen the future of the economy of our country and that future lies in the small and medium scale enterprises, many of who are here today advertising their products.

Just today, I have come across BIMKAF Palace who produces coconut oil, flour, ginger powder, carrot oil and so on, Cura Foods and Disposables, Euphrates Renewable Enterprises, Bob-ella Decor & Event Management, Nwamaka Ventures and several other MSMEs. The list is far too long to go on mentioning them.

I want to say that all of the businesses we have seen here today, many of them are young men and women who believe in this country and who are using Nigerian products, Nigerian crafted machines in many cases, fabricated and who are producing incredible things with what they have.

A lot of the capital they have is from several of the micro finance businesses that are working with them.

I want to say that the future of our country is in small businesses, medium size businesses doing great things, and that is what we are seeing here today.

Professor Osinbajo said he was impressed with the enterprising spirit of the entrepreneurs. Photo credit: Novo Isioro

The acting president however noted that it is not enough for the MSMEs to produce and manufacture, stressing that government must do its own part to support them.

He stated that government has a key role to play in creating an environment for businesses to prosper and for businesses to make good.

He admitted that small businesses have challenges with regulatory agencies and also source of funding to sustain them, but added that the federal government has already created an interface between the MSMEs and the regulatory bodies and also the MSMEs and banks that can assist them financially through the MSMEs clinics.

Professor Osinbajo admiring one of the products on display at the event. Photo credit: Novo Isioro

We have done this in Aba, Ilorin, Sokoto, Jos, Kastina and in Calabar, and this in Abuja is the latest one. We are still going round the states and the different geo-political zones with the regulatory agencies and we are bringing about this interaction.

I recently signed two Executive Orders which are closely related to improving the business environment for MSMEs. These Executive Orders are also important in the work we are trying to achieve, he added.

He also reserved praise for the organisers of the event, the Abuja Enterprise Agency, and applauded them for funding many MSMEs.

READ ALSO: National Bureau of Statistics releases lists of federal government allocations to states

Professor Osinbajo went to the MSMEs clinic straight from a meeting with state governors at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The meeting came days after the federal government released the second tranche of the Paris Loan refund to state governments.

Legit.ng TV in this video asks Nigerians if they believe President Buhari has taken Nigeria out of recession. Here are their responses:

Source: Legit.ng
Nigeria in safe hands with Tinubu as president, says Aisha Buhari

Aisha Buhari has assured Nigerians that the country will be in safe hands if they elect the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 polls.
- The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, has revealed the relationship it has with IPOB

- The group said that no amount of foul comments would pitch it against IPOB

- It however warned against making unguarded statement that could drag its image in the mud

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, has revealed the kind of relationship it shares with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Legit.ng gathered that in a statement issued in Abakaliki on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, the National Publicity Secretary, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga described the relationship between the national leadership of Ohaneze and IPOB as that of father and son.

The group declared that no amount of foul comments will pitch it against members of IPOB, noting that their relationship was cordial.

READ ALSO: OPC chides Nnamdi Kanu for insulting Obasanjo and Tinubu

It warned unscrupulous elements from making unguarded statements targeted at dragging the image of the group in the mud. It also denied any crack or division in its operations and constitution.

Ohaneze Ndigbo added that no amount of pressure or attack in any form could derail or deform the resolve of the group towards protecting the views, interests and aspirations of Igbo in Nigeria.

It disowned the group led by one Chris Isiguzowho it alleged was parading and issuing statements on behalf of Ohaneze Youth.

The statement reads: It is pertinent to note that the leadership of the Ohaneze Youth Wing was suspended way back in 2016 by former NEC led by Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey through the Imeobi of Ohaneze.

Owing to some inconsequential and discordant actions of the leadership of the Youth Wing, the Imeobi suspended the wing in May, 2016 (more than eight months before the current NEC was elected on January 10, 2017) relying on Article 23(iv)(b) of the Ohaneze Constitution to wit: Imeobi shall have the powers to dissolve the leadership of any wing, scrap or modify any wing as it deems fit in the interest of the Ohaneze.

The suspension was not and has not been lifted. Instead, the suspension order was inherited alongside that of the Women Wing by the present NEC on assumption of office and has been looking at the problems of the two wings in order to arrive at a final and acceptable solution.

On the above premise, it is imperative to note that Ohanaeze has no crack or division and does not issue staccato statements and will not allow any illegitimate group or persons to issue statements and credit it to Ohanaeze in any guise. We are not oblivious that they are machinations tailored to drag Ohanaezes name, image and integrity in the mud.

Currently, we have in custody a concrete and undeniable evidence of meetings and engagements of some Igbo sons (including Chris Isiguzo) and some other sponsored persons from a far geopolitical zone to distract and dismember Ohanaeze and create the impression that Ohanaeze is not one and does not speak for Ndigbo.

We state in clear terms that the relationship between the national leadership of Ohanaeze and the IPOB is that of father and son. They remain our wards and the pages of newsprints cannot be the appropriate channel to admonish them.

"No sane man would chide his son in the market. Those who publish unguarded statements create crises between the Ohanaeze and the IPOB and infer bodies would only eat their disappointments.

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At any rate, we are focused and undaunted in Ohanaeze so that no amount of pressure or attack in any form can derail or deform our resolve to protect the views, interests and aspiration of Ndigbo.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-political organisation of the Igbo dissociated itself from Independent People of Biafra (IPOB)s agitation to secede from Nigeria.

Below is a Legit.ng video in which Nigerians react to the possibility of achieving the Biafra dream, as clamored for by many from the Southeast:

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigerians will be returning back to polling stations to elect their leaders in 2019

- Politicians have started their campaigns underground

- Some others have come out openly to declare their interest in various positions

- One of such people is Edo-born Monica Ambrose who is based in The Netherlands

A Nigerian woman based in The Netherlands has declared her interest to vie for the presidency in 2019.

Edo-born Monica Ambrose who has been based in The Netherlands for 17 years, says she wants to change Nigeria by running for President in 2019.

READ ALSO: About 2 months quit notice, northern elders breathe hot, send strong statement

Monica, who is also a mother of three, called on Nigerians to support her in her quest to become the country's number one citizen.

She stated that she will contest under a political party named Nigerian Peoples in Diaspora Party (NPD).

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu is a nonentity - OPC thunders after IPOB leader insulted OBJ, Tinubu

Legit.ng checks however reveals that there is no party with such name under the registration of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

She also solicited for the support of Nigerians in diaspora to help her actualize her dream.

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Watch the Facebook video where she declared her ambition below:

Two months ago, Ibrahim Abubaka Lajada, a 34-year-old Nigerian billionaire living abroad declared his intention to run for presidency in 2019.

In an exclusive report to Legit.ng, it was revealed that Lajada believes he is not too young to contest.

You can also watch this Legit.ng video of Nigerians listing President Muhammadu Buhari's achievements in two years:

Source: Legit.ng
- Chief Chekwas Okorie said Ojukwu did not want to take the Igbos out of Nigeria with his agitation for Biafra

- He insisted that the Biafra leader only wanted equal rights for the Igbos

- He said Buhari's lopsided appointments should have been questioned but the National Assembly is not bothered

Chief Chekwas Okorie has revealed the Biafra agitation championed by the late Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was not to secede from Nigeria but to get equal opportunity in the country.

Okorie who is the national chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the partys presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections in an interview with Vanguard, said Ojukwus Biafra declaration was not to leave Nigeria.

READ ALSO: OPC chides Nnamdi Kanu for insulting Obasanjo and Tinubu

He insisted that Ojukwu was more concerned about the fate of the Igbos and championed equal opportunities for them.

He said: If you are looking at the Biafra that Ikemba talked about before he died, or Biafra as an ideology, count me in because the Biafran ideology ought to be the Nigerian ideology, a true Nigerian ideology.

We have had a situation here where a book was written entitled, We are all Biafrans and that book was presented by Atiku Abubakar. Not long ago, in May actually, the Yar adua foundation convened a seminar to mark 50years of Biafra.

The Acting President was there as a special guest and he spoke. Former President Obasanjo was there and so many top Nigerian leaders including my humble self. So the issue of Biafra is something that would remain topical and it depends from the angle you see it

If you see it from the angle that what led to that war should be avoided, then that is positive. But if you are looking at it from the point of view of breaking away from the country that is the negative side for which no political party that is national in nature would be part of. I have always talked about restructuring, self determination and giving Nigerians the opportunity to decide their fate through referendum.

Okorie noted that Nigeria would have been better if the people questioned the lopsided appointment made by President Muhammadu Buhari.

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He said: The national assembly is not bothered that there is a law that says that if the PENCOM DG is removed, another one would come from the same zone, they are not bothered about what the law say. They are only concerned about the office of SGF, the office of EFCC and all that. I am not impressed.

Meanwhile, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, revealed the kind of relationship it shares with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Legit.ng gathered that in a statement issued in Abakaliki on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, the national publicity secretary, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga, described the relationship between the national leadership of Ohaneze and IPOB as that of father and son.

The group declared that no amount of foul comments will pitch it against members of IPOB, noting that their relationship was cordial.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nnamdi Kanu speaking about his Biafra agitation:

Source: Legit.ng
- Some of the South-West states in Nigeria have raised concerns over the newly released Paris Club Refund

- The state governments said that the money will be not be enough to offset debts owed by the states

- Some of these states are Ekiti, Osun, Ondo and Oyo states

Some of the states in the South-West region are groaning despite the recently released Paris Club fund by the Federal Government.

The states in their complaint said the fund released in the latest tranche is not enough for them to offset debts owed.

While the Ekiti state government confirmed that it received N4.7 billion in the second tranche of funds released, it however said that the monthly wage bill for states and local government workers is at N2.6 billion and N2.4 billion respectively.

READ ALSO: What Ojukwu said about Biafra before he died - Chief Okorie

Speaking on the matter, Lere Olayinka, the special assistant to the governor of Ekiti state said the refund o f N4.7 billion is N3 billion short of the state's expectation.

Olayinka said the state's wage bill which is a total of N5 billion.

Same goes for Ondo state government which received N7 billion.

READ ALSO: About 2 months quit notice, northern elders breathe hot, send strong statement

The state government said it will allocate 32.68% of the funds to the local government while 67.32% will go to the state.

The chief press secretary to the Ondo state governor Segun Ajiboye said 75% of the retained amount will be used to pay salaries and pensions owed while the remaining 25% will serve as funds for capital projects.

He also said that the fund will not be sufficient for the state to offset all the salaries and pension owed state workers.

READ ALSO: 2019 presidential election hots up as Holland-based Nigerian woman declares interest

He said the state was trapped in a monthly wage bill of N3.8 billion with a backlog of five months salaries and pension owed to workers.

Also, in similar complaints, the Osun and Oyo state government said the fund, though good, will not be enough for the states to clear its debts.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government earlier released N388.304 billion out of the N522.74 billion from the Paris Club Refund.

The federal government said the funds were released following protests by states against over deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002.

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While the money was paid to the states to help offset debts it owed, some Nigerians called for accountability and details of the funds released.

This demand by Nigerians followed controversies that some of the governors who received the funds diverted the monies for personal use.

You can watch this Legit.ng video of Nigerians listing President Buhari's achievements in two years:

Source: Legit.ng
- A Borno state media outlet warns that the humanitarian situation in the state could deteriorate soon

- 81 students displaced by Boko Haram resume study in Kaduna

Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly carried out 97 bombings in Borno state between March and June 2017.

READ ALSO: We will not condone agents of disunity in our region - Northern elders

The reports on the bombings carried out in the state was reported by a Borno state media outlet, danborno.blogspot.com.

The media outlet warned that the humanitarian situation in Borno state could deteriorate if aide efforts in the state are not expanded and sustained.

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Meanwhile, Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme ministers in Maiduguri, Borno state has revealed how Boko Haram is becoming stronger in the North east.

Reports have it that bishop Doeme said that corruption has strengthened the insurgent.

He however, called on foreign donors who wish to help the needy to send funds to the church, rather than the government.

In other news, no fewer than 81 students displaced by Boko Haram insurgency are studying under the Safe School Initiative in Kaduna.

Tijjani Tumsah, vice chairman, Presidential Committee on North East Initiative, made this known on Wednesday, July 12 during a routine evaluation and monitoring of students under the initiative in Kaduna.

According to him, the students were making progress and should be encouraged to be useful to themselves and the society.

He said five of the students had passed their JAMB and had written the West African Examination (WAEC) and were now waiting for the NECO examination.

Tumsah said the federal government would sustain the scholarship programme and encourage the students so as not to abscond from the programme.

Edith Obianwuzia, vice principal, Federal Government College, Kaduna, said the school had to come up with a new curriculum for the students because they had been out of school for a while.

In the video below, Legit.ng visits the IDP camp near Abuja to see how children are being treated after the horrors they have experienced.

Source: Legit.ng
- The disclosure was made by Senator Hope Uzodinma who said there were documents to back up the claim

- The Senate is currently investigating the disappearance of some vessels as well as the loss of revenue to the government

Nigeria recently lost N30 trillion to a cabal at its ports, documents available to the countrys Senate have shown.

The Nation reports that chairman of the Senate joint committee on Customs and Marine transport investigative panel, Senator Hope Uzodinma, as making the disclosure on Thursday, July 20.

Senator Uzodinma reportedly said that early findings by the committee into activities of Customs, financial leakages and malpractices in the countrys port and revenue system showed that a group of unpatriotic persons brazenly constitute themselves into cabal to inflict infractions at the nations sea ports.

The senator said the issue had become a daily occurrence at the countrys sea ports just as he accused commercial banks, shipping companies, terminal owners and operators of conniving with Customs officials and those of the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) to defraud the country.

READ ALSO: Nigerians condemn APC for appointing El-Rufai as chair of restructuring committee

According to him, the alleged infractions come with various strategies including abuse and violation of foreign exchange issued by Central Bank of Nigeria, incorrect classification and under valuation of vessels coming into the country.

The Senate had earlier asked the managing director of Nigeria Port Authority, Hadiza Bala Unman, to account for 282 missing vessels.

The Senate also queried the NPA and Customs for not allegedly collecting charges on the vessels. It wants to know who authorized the release of the vessels from the ports.

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Senate, determined to end the villainous assault on the economy of the nation and has taken the bull by the horn and set to get to the bottom of this organized crime and come up with future proof and ways of eradicating this gruesome menace, Uzodinma said.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that following what it described as monumental fraud and incompetence and lack of vision, a group under the auspices of Nigerian Anti Corruption Crusaders (NAC) called on President Muhhamadu Buhari to order the immediate investigation, dismissal and prosecution of Mr Habib Abdullahi the MD of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

Watch this video as Nigerians react to whether the Senate should be scrapped:

Source: Legit.ng
- IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, receives heros welcome by mammoth crowd in Port Harcourt

- Kanu says there is nothing like one Nigeria, insisting that Biafra is the reward of the people

- OPC describes Nnamdi Kanu as a 'nonentity' for berating Olusegun Obasanjo and insulting Bola Tinubu

A large number of pro-Biafra supporters converged in Igweocha in Port Harcourt to receive the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on Friday, July 21.

READ ALSO: We will not condone agents of disunity in our region - Northern elders

Addressing the crowd which was reported to be over 3 million, Nnamdi Kanu said there is nothing like one Nigeria, insisting that Biafra is the reward of the people.

The IPOB leader described Biafra as the destiny of the people.

He urged his supporters to demand for Biafra now for the benefit of their children and their grand children who have been marginalized by those in Abuja.

Kanu also led the crowd in prayers for the divine help to actualize Biafra.

IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu in Port Harcourt, photo credit: Screen grab of video from Somto Okonkwo s Facebook page

IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, addressing supporters in Port Harcourt, photo credit: Screen grab of video from Somto Okonkwos Facebook page

Pro-Biafra supporters at the rally in Port Harcourt, photo credits: Radio Biafra Facebook page

Meanwhile, Kanus visit to Port Harcourt is sequel to his recent visit to Nri, regarded as the ancestral home of Ndigbo in Anambra state where he said the alleged plot to Islamise Nigeria was real.

The IPOB leader had told a crowd of Biafra activists that he would resist the plan to Islamise any part of Igbo land, adding that such an evil agenda will not succeed in his life time.

Kanu reiterated his opposition to the November 18 Anambra governorship poll, insisting that no election will be allowed in Biafra land beginning with the Anambra election.

He urged the crowd to remain indoors and be non-violent on the day of the coming election.

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In other news, the Reformed Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), has described the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, as a 'nonentity' for berating former president Olusegun Obasanjo and insulting the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu.

The OPC warned that it will not sit back any longer and watch as Kanu insults Yoruba elders.

See video of Nnamdi Kanu's visit to Port Harcourt below:

In the video below Legit.ng TV takes a critical look at Nnamdi Kanu and the struggle for the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra.

Source: Legit.ng
- Indigenes of Gwoza insist Boko Haram terrorists still control some villages

- This is contrary to the claim of the army that they have been wiped out

- They said the terrorists now give judgments and settle dispute for the villagers

Indigenes of Gwoza local government area of Borno state have revealed that Boko Haram terrorists still control some parts of the villages saying the claim by the military was wrong.

The army has insisted that it has taken control of villages that were once under the control of the terrorists but Gwoza indigenes said this was false.

READ ALSO: OPC chides Nnamdi Kanu for insulting Obasanjo and Tinubu

According to report, they claimed that except the local government headquarters and Pulka, where the returning refugees from Cameroon and displaced persons brought back from Maiduguri and other areas are kept and protected by the military, other places were under the control of the terrorists.

According to Musa Mohammed, he and his kinsmen have vowed not to return to Gwoza until it is fully liberated from the terrorists who are currently gathered behind the Mandara Mountains

Suleiman Nasir who is an IDP at Bakassi Camp in Maiduguri said many people are reluctant to return home due to fear of terrorists attacking them.

He said: I am from Ngolollo, my village is still under the control of Boko Haram fighters. I cannot go back home.

He noted that places like Kunde village, Zalidva, Gava2, Kughum, Hadawa and Hadakaya were still under the control of the terrorists.

He said: They are the authorities in all these villages. Whatever is the problem of the people, they are the ones that would judge cases, settle dispute and give sentences.

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Those who went to the village and ran back said they no longer kill unnecessarily as they did before. They only execute people who refused to abide by instructions or fail to do certain task given to them, or those they suspect take information to the military either in Pulka or in Gwoza town.

Meanwhile, Boko Haram terrorists invaded Korongilim village near Chibok local government area of Borno state and razed the village to the ground.

According to reports, the terrorists arrived the village around 8pm and met a deserted village after villagers were alerted to their presence by a rogue gun fire.

The terrorists who were said to be on their way to the village was stuck in the mud and in efforts to pull out the vehicle, there was an accidental discharge by one of the insurgents.

This consequently alerted the villagers and saved them from untimely deaths.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of the Air Force's operation against Boko Haram:

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sought the collaborative supports of Nigerians on new minimum wage

- NLC said if Nigerians do not rise up as workers to canvass for their right, by 2018, they will not be able to talk of a new national minimum wage

- The Congress also said that the N56,000 minimum wage implementation will help to reduce the suffering of workers

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in its efforts to achieve the proposal for a new national minimum wage for workers sought for workers' collaborative support.

Mr James Esutace NLC Assistant General Secretary, made the congresss proposal known in a conference that was held in Abuja on Thursday, July 20.

Legit.ng gathered that the conference was based on the N56,000 Minimum Wage; Implication for the Nigerian Workers.

READ ALSO: I have seen the future of Nigeria's economy; it's in MSMEs  Osinbajo

The symposium was convened by the Socialist Workers League. The league is an organisation of activists within the labour movement and civil society organisations, The Nation reports.

Esutace said:''If the N56,000 minimum wage is implemented, it will help to reduce the suffering of workers.

There is no alternative to the N56,000 minimum wage which is long overdue for review, although it was underestimated yet Nigerians would enjoy it.

This is why the organised labour, collectively put a demand on the Federal Government.

If Nigerians do not rise up as workers to canvass for their right, by 2018, they will not be able to talk of a new national minimum wage.

Esutace said that the National Assembly can remove the minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list any moment from now.

He also said that if the National Assembly achieved the aim, adding that the implication was that the country would not have a minimum wage.

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The national minimum wage is supposed to set a minimum benchmark. The philosophy behind the wage is to protect the unorganised and the vulnerable workers who do not have strong bargaining powers, he said.

On his part, Mr Yahaya Abdullahi, the former chairman of NLC in the Federal Capital Territory, said what Nigerians are passing through is a result of economic recession.

Abdullahi also said that the N56,000 minimum wage proposal was not enough to provide the basic needs of the citizens.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, the Rivers state governor said that Nigerians are not happy with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

Wike on Friday, July 14, disclosed that Ayuba Wanna, president of NLC, paid him a courtesy call at government house, Port Harcourt.

Watch this Legit.ng TV Video a man saying he will steal if that is what the government wants for him:

Source: Legit.ng
- Suspected members of Badoo gang have killed two lovers in Ojodu Berger Lagos

- The Badoo gang had been terrorizing Ikorodu area of the state, killing many lives

- The Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni has however, warned residents of the state against false alarm about the dreaded gang

Suspected members of the Badoo cult early Friday morning, July 21, killed two lovers in their apartment in Ogun state.

The Punch source revealed that the heads of the victims were smashed.

Legit.ng gathered that the incident happened at a storey building located on Hassan Abiodun Street, off Ojodu Berger, in Ifo Local Government Area of the state.

Many of the residents could not be consoled as policemen from Ojodu Abiodun Division took away the remains of the deceased for onward transfer to the General Hospital Sagamu.

Many of the residents wailed as the corpses were brought out of the room and wrapped in wrappers.

A resident told Punch correspondent that the victims were to be officially married in December.

The lady recently lost her father and the man she was to marry only came on a visit. She was a tall, beautiful lady and was also pregnant, the resident said.

READ ALSO: What Ojukwu really wanted from the Biafra agitation - Okorie

It was gathered that their assailants tore the window net to gain entry and thereafter smashed the lovers heads.

Another resident said none of the tenants knew what happened until daybreak.

The resident said: There is a police officer who lives next door to the deceaseds Boys Quarter. He did not hear anything. It is very sad and this development will create panic in the area.

It was also learnt that the police station is a stones throw from where the murder took place even as residents said vigilantes patrol the street every night.

The police also arrested a man who tried to take a picture of their van and the vehicle the victims were put in.

As of 11 am, the occupants of the building were still crying at the frontage.

The spokesperson for the police in Ogun, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, could not be reached for comments as his mobile indicated that it was switched off.

Meanwhile, the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has appealed to residents of the Ikorodu area of the state, those in the state generally and to the media to be careful of how they raise alarm and report issues regarding killings linked to the Badoo gang.

Killings alleged to be perpetrated by members of a gang widely known as Badoo have been causing panic in Lagos state, especially in the Ikorodu area, since last year and residents are now quick to link any killing to the gang.

The modus operandi of the gang has been identified as smashing of the head of their victims with a grinding stone, or any big, heavy stone for that matter, after which the killers would wipe the victims blood with a white handkerchief, which they allegedly use for money rituals.

Owoseni told journalists how a stone found behind an old womans house in the Agbowa area of Ikorodu caused pandemonium in the area.

He said that someone who was linked to the stone was almost lynched by residents of the area who trooped to the compound to catch a glimpse of the object.

He said: One morning, a woman woke up in the morning to discover a mystery stone behind her window. She raised the alarm which attracted other neighbours to the area. A search was conducted and a young man was found to be hiding behind the womans house. The young man was almost lynched by an angry mob but for the timely arrival of the police who rescued the situation.

All those questioned about the mystery stone could not give satisfactory statements as regard the stone and the young man. If the police had not arrived at the place on time, the suspect would have been killed.

"This is why we are trying to discourage people from carrying out jungle justice on supposed suspects. Any strange persons arrested should be handed over to the police for further investigation.

He advised that the Badoo issue required professional handling, stressing that till now, nobody has been able to say that he or she saw someone climb into the home of a victim.

All we have heard are mere rumours. The command is working tirelessly to see how it can control the situation. The whole thing seems to be getting out of hand because of the media hype.

"If a driver of a car with a tinted glass parks his vehicle at a junction, the tendency is that he will be lynched there once his face is not known to anyone in the area.

We are seeking the cooperation of the media. It is not all about incompetence on the part of the police. We should join hands to condemn the jungle justice being meted out to suspects, he said.

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Owoseni revealed that the command was still profiling all those arrested for their alleged involvement in the activities of the Badoo gang in Ikorodu, stating that at the end of the profiling all those found wanting would be charged to court.

According to him, among the screening panel are officials of the Department of State Security (DSS), the police and members of the Neighbourhood Security Watch group.

Legit.ng had previously reported that angry residents of Ikorodu in Lagos state tried to stop officers of the Nigeria Police Force from arresting a suspected member of Badoo, a deadly cult group killing people in the area.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of a family speaking about the attack they suffered from Badoo members:

Source: Legit.ng
- Olu Onagoruwa, former attorney-general, suffered a stroke after his son was brutally killed by the military

- Many civil and human rights activist have continues to mourn the demise of Onagoruwa considered as one of them

Nigerias former attorney-general Dr Olu Onagoruwa is dead.

Onagoruwa, a known human rights activist, was said to have died in the early hours of Friday, July 21 at age 80.

The former Attorney-General of the Federation under the military government between 1993 and 1994 was said to have suffered a stroke following the brutal killing of his son by the military.

READ ALSO: We will not condone agents of disunity in our region - Northern elders

Respected across Africa, Onagoruwa was part of those who drafted the Ethiopian constitution in 1994.

The lawyer reportedly studied at the University of London for his LL.B; LL.M and PhD degrees. He returned to Nigeria to attend the Law School.

Before becoming the Attorney-General of the Federation, he set up the Onagoruwa Chambers through which he championed the rights of citizens becoming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1993.

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While confirming the incident, Chidi Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said: Olu Onagoruwa, patriot, thinker, activist before it became fashionable to be one, good man, SAN. #RIP

On his death, Gbenro Adegbola tweeted: Dr Onagoruwa sadly never really got over the killing of his son, allegedly by Abacha. Had stroke soon after. I o ray his soul finds rest.

The incident came at a time Nigerians are still mourning the death of elderstatesman, Maitama Sule.

Former Head of State General Abdulsalam Abubakar on Sunday, July 9, described the death of late Maitama Sule as touching.

Abubakar, who said this in Kano when he paid a condolence visit to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, stressed that the elder statesmans death was a great loss to Kano and Nigeria as a whole.

Meanwhile, watch as women on the platform of the PDP speak about Nigeria's current situation:

Source: Legit.ng
Are you a graduate looking to build a career in digital media, an entrepreneur who wants to move his business forward via digital media, or perhaps a manager who wants to improve his digital media knowledge? Then this an opportunity of a life time for you.

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Source: Legit.ng
Editors note: Festus Ogun, thethe Legit.ng partner blogger, in this piece, explains why the politics behind Senator Ademola Adelekes victory at Osun-west senatorial bye-election.

Festus Ogun, a human right activist and Law undergraduate, is the convener of Hi-Legal Initiative.

He could be contacted via: festusoguntv@gmail.com.

More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest bloggers.

Let me begin this piece by congratulating Senator Ademola Adeleke on his victory. As the saying goes, the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. The emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke is in fact worth more than the more criticized dance. It was a triumphant entry into the National Assembly.

The rookie Senator was the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He contested under the political party which was about going into political relegation in Nigeria polity. As much as PDP was widely rejected in the 2015 polls, Adeleke still emerged in a state ruled and not governed by the APC. This sends in some serious signals to be discussed herein.

We were taught in civics that in democratic settings, political parties are voted for and not the candidates. And this is the reason only names of political parties appear on ballot papers.

However, the case in Osun is different. The PDP never won the election in Osun-west but Adeleke did. As much as this appears very illogical, it is the reality we must accept if we want the enhancement of our democracy.

READ ALSO: We will not condone agents of disunity in our region - Northern elders

This needs be stated in reaction to claims by many chieftains of PDP that the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke was the consequence of hard labour put in place by the party leaders and its acceptability amongst the people.

Both Ali Momodu Sheriff and Senator Markafi said: "that the victory recorded by the party in the Osun-west Senatorial election by Alhaji Nurudeen Adeleke was as a result of hard work."

Many PDP leaders have persistently boasted that the victory is a prophecy of the party's takeover of power come 2019.

Unfortunately, all of these are quite far from the gospel truth. It was not PDP that made Senator Adeleke won. It was the ego and the "junta" tormenting spirit in Mr Rauf Aregbesola that made him won. It was the people's will that made him won and not PDP strategies or hard labour.

PDP must resist from self-deception, that same attitude that brought about the attempted sui*cide done to itself in 2015.

It was the expensive error the APC made at the primary that made Senator Adeleke became more acceptable amongst his people. One must not equally forget the "pity votes" cast by the electorate to compensate the deceased, Senator Isiaka Adeleke's family.

The issue of internal democracy is a serious one in any given election. The lack of internal democracy in PDP was one of the reasons the party was swept away from power. The same reason APC was defeated in Osun too.

In fact, the bedrock of democracy is giving its true definition not just at general elections but also at the primaries.

Governor Aregbesola, who hasn't done well to his people and has provoked anger in many by abysmal failure rocking his administration, ensured that his anointed candidate emerged as APC flag bearer at the expense of Senator Ademola Adeleke who was the people's voice. He imposed Mr Mudashiru Hussein on the people of Osun West. He never allowed democracy to prevail.

He never knew that the APC, with the 2015 elections enlightened many Nigerians politically. That electorate are now wise and detest imposition. He never knew that our nation cannot move forwards if what obtain from within is not aligning with the tenets of democracy. He, therefore, used his hands to send and sell away the selling point of his party at the primary.

Senator Adeleke ran to PDP to contest. It was a day preceding the party's primary that he got the ticket and he "won". Many stepped down for him. But why? It was, in my view, the fact that Aregbesola's autocratic nature is now believed to be old fashion and evil.

Senator Adeleke contested and won under PDP, but PDP never won the election. It was the people's will that did. It was not as a result of PDP's hard work. It was not as if the party has been reformed. It was not as if the party is a preferable option. It was not as if the party is now better.

But, the people knew what they wanted.

In fact, the PDP leaders in the state never ascribed the victory to any hard work or restructuring. They never ascribed it to its preparedness to take control of governmental machinery. The PDP chair in the state, interestingly, ascribed the victory to God. The chair, Mr Soji Adagunodo ascribed the victory to God saying the victory was beyond human calculation.

The party leaders in the state understand that PDP was merely a beneficiary of the sorry circumstances occasioned by Aregbe's rigidity. The truth is: even if Senator Adeleke were to contest under APGA, UPN or any party whatsoever, he would have won!

And that is how politics in Nigeria ought to be. We ought not to continue to dwell in blind politicking. We need to in fact put on our glasses should we find it difficult to pick the right candidates in elections, regardless of parties.

In my humble submission, there are chief lessons to be learnt from the election. First, the mistake made by Aregbesola and acceded by other chieftains is too terrible for our growth. We cannot grow in midst of imposition. For the country to move forward, transparency must be observed in all political dealings. The era of manipulative imposition should be a bye gone in this present stage of our democracy.

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But, would the Aregbesola annointed candidate have been defeated if he, Aregbe, had delivered the expected goods as governor? Aregbesola appears more of a disaster to his people and so no one will never support a candidate brought by "hardship" himself. Can you see why it's good to be good? The PDP wouldnt have won Osun-west, but for Aregbesola.

The second is to the PDP. As much as the party is not prepared for being a viable opposition party, the time to come up together and set goals is still available for the party before it becomes too late. The victory at Osun should not give the party any hope of acceptability. It shouldn't give them any hope of it standing as a "threat" to the ruling party, APC.

As it stands, there is no opposition in Nigeria. The PDP needs critical reforms for it to stands as one. If the party isn't a good opposition, the possibility of good governance should it get to power is slim like the road to heaven.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Ademola, a younger brother to late Senator Isiake Adeleke of PDP won 9 of the 10 local government areas to defeat the APC in its stronghold

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Legit.ng.

Legit.ng welcomes writers, bloggers, photographers and all sorts of noise makers to become a part of our Bloggers network.

If you are a seasoned writer or a complete newbie  apply and become Nigerias next star blogger. Send us some info about your career, interests and expertise and why youd like to contribute to the Blogger Network at blogger@corp.legit.ng Also, please send us the link to your blog and three examples of your work.

More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest bloggers.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nigerians expressing their mind on who who they would vote for in 2019 if faced with the option of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ayo Fayose:

Source: Legit.ng
- Army troop rescued a Boko Haram terrorist who got injured during cross-fire with the troop

- He was reportedly abandoned by other terrorists when he lost his leg

- 8 other Boko Haram terrorist were reportedly killed during the encounter

A Boko Haram terrorist, Abba Mustapha, has been rescued by the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, during an cross-fire exchange between the army and the terrorists.

Mustapha, who was injured and abandoned to his fate by his colleagues in the heat of heavy fire fight with Nigerian Army troops in one of the remote Forward Operating Bases in Ngala Local Government Area.

In a statement made available the the Army's spokesman, SK Usman, some of Mustapha's colleagues lost their lives during the raid.

Usman said: "Abba was captured during a counter attack operation launched by the troops following an attack at their location. As narrated by Abba, 8 of his Boko Haram colleagues were killed.

"Also recovered from the Boko Haram group were 3 AK 47 rifles, 2 AK 47 magazines, 2 FN rifle magazines and 3 PKM link belts.

"The surviving terrorist was full of joy and praises for his survival. He thanked the Nigerian Army for sparing his life and taking care of his wounds.

The terrorist thanked the Nigerian army for saving his life. Photo credit: SK Usman

READ ALSO: Entertainers urge Osinbajo to sack Lai Mohammed, issue 7-day ultimatum

"He said that he and his other BHT colleagues were subdued by superior fire power of the troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE. He further recounted that his other fleeing Boko Haram colleagues abandoned him to his fate after he was hit by a bullet.

"To worsen his situation one of his legs was crushed by their own vehicle as they scampered for safety.

"He said if the troops had not taken him and administered first aid on him he would have bled to death, adding that he owes his life to the good treatment received from the troops.

"Mustapha said though he lost a limb in the cause of the fighting owing to the heartless abandonment by his fellow terrorists, he thanked God that he is stable and recuperating in hospital."

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Meanwhile, the University of Maiduguri has debunked widely circulated news that the institution was attacked by Boko Haram insurgents on July 16.

The institution posited that the report which claimed that bombers attacked the institution and many lives were lost in the process was nothing but a false report.

The university claimed that editors of news medium who published the said false report have apologised but the report remains in circulation, hence, reason for the press release.

Watch a Legit.ng documentary on the survivors of Boko Haram:

Source: Legit.ng
- Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB members have been warned about their call call for the boycott of Anambra governorship election in November 18

- Chief Onwuka Ukwa of the APGA said the people of the state will be the losers if the governorship election is boycotted

- He urged them not to allow the federal government impose a military administrator on Anambra

An All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chieftain, Chief Onwuka Ukwa, has advised the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to stop the no-election-in-Anambra threat and avoid plunging the state into chaos.

Ukwa, who claimed to be one of the foundation members of APGA, made the call at a stakeholders forum organised by Ogilisi Foundation, a socio-cultural organisation, in Oba, near Onitsha, on Friday.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu visits pro-Biafra supporters in Port Harcourt

It would be recalled that IPOB, the group agitating for independence of Biafra, had threatened that it would ensure that the Nov.18 governorship election in Anambra did not held.

Ukwa said that such threat was expensive and could deny the people of the state democracy, which other states were enjoying and return it to the dark days of military administration.

He cautioned that such situation must be avoided and urged the pro-Biafra group to allow the Anambra election to progress unhindered.

According to him, the ugly experience of last census in 2006 was still being suffered by the people of the South-East when there was such call by MASSOB.

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We should preach against anything that will stop election holding in Anambra on Nov. 18.

We should not allow the federal government to impose a military administrator on Anambra when other states in the country are enjoying democratically-elected government.

I know we are annoyed about the happenings in Igboland, but I beg you to allow the Nov. 18 election in Anambra as well as work together for a better region.

If there is no election in Anambra, who is at a loss  the Igbos or Yorubas or Hausas? We should be wise, he said.

Ukwa urged APGA to make itself more formidable and become more entrenched by winning more states in the Eastern region and other parts of the country to enhance the political participation of Igbos in Nigerias democracy.

APGA should win the five eastern states; that is practical Biafra. APGA is the only party that will make Igbos voice to be heard in Nigeria, support and embrace it, he said.

In his remarks, the founder of the organisation, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, said that there was need for elders to guide the youth constructively and ensure that they did not derail or jeopardise their future.

Ezeonwuka, who is also the spiritual leader of APGA, said Ogilisi Foundation would continue to provide the platform to discuss issues of common interest with a view to proffering a win-win solution.

He solicited support for APGA in the gubernatorial poll.

We must join hands to bring Igboland back to life through APGA.

APGA is our own, we shall hold firmly to it. This is our negotiation power in Nigerias democracy, he said.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Nnamdi Kanu revealed that federal government offered him five south eastern states to make up the proposed Biafra state. The leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) made this comment when leaders of Igbo Civil Society Coalition led by Prof. Obasi Igwe paid him a solidarity visit at his Umuahia home.

Kanu who spoke on Wednesday, July 19, said while he was in detention, he was offered Imo, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu state to form Biafra but he rejected it. He instead insisted that he wanted a Biafra with Rivers and Benue states.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below focusing on Kanu's Biafra agitation:

Source: Legit.ng
- Several buildings located inside popular Kuje Prison, Abuja, was engulfed in flames

- A group called the Prisoners Against Injustice in Nigeria (PAIN) claimed responsibility for the attack

- The fire which allegedly started around 10:45 am meant to draw the attention of the world to the sad state of prison system

Online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, has reported that a major fire has engulfed in several buildings inside Kuje prison, Abuja.

Legit.ng gathered that a group calling itself the Prisoners Against Injustice in Nigeria (PAIN) has claimed responsibility for the fire which reportedly started around 10:45 am.

The buildings affected are the moribund clinic block, Custody 2, which is the home to 153 awaiting trial inmates, convicts block (custody 3) where 322 inmates are crammed into, and Custody 4, another awaiting trial block where additional 306 inmates are packed.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu visits pro-Biafra supporters in Port Harcourt

The group made the claim in a handwritten statement posted on the prison notice board before it was removed by the prison authorities.

According to PAIN the attack was meant to draw the attention of the world to the sad state of prisons and corruption within the system.

PAIN said they burnt down the overcrowded cells to ensure that spacious replacements is built.

The group in its statement described the recent death of Samuel Mba, on Tuesday, June 27 an inmate awaiting trial but remanded in Kuje prison for the past four years as the last straw.

The group blamed Mbas death and many other inmates on gross negligence, corruption and lack of basic medicines and equipment to treat emergencies and routine health challenges.

The group described the prison clinic building as a dead place housing non-functional equipment to deceive visitors.

In spite of the annual budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Prison Service, the group said inmates must buy medicines through prison staff and seek funds to treat serious conditions in healthcare facilities outside the yard.

While a total of 781 inmates have been displaced, PAIN added that the situation should get the attention of the judiciary to accelerate trials and grant bails where applicable.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

In a previous report by Legit.ng, Adedeji Adeleke, father of Nigeria's award-winning musician Davido secured the release of two hundred prisoners in Osun state after he paid their fines.

According to the vice chairman of the Springtime Development Foundation owned by Adedeji Adeleke, the foundation also provided seven hundred mattresses and pillows for inmates at the prison in Ilesha.

Vice Chairman Banji Adesuyi who was at the prison on Tuesday, July 18, noted that the foundation decided to help the inmates after Adeleke visited the prison.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians if they can name any politician in the country who has not been accused of corruption.

Source: Legit.ng
- Six Nigerian youths have been selected to debate global issues before UK Houses of Parliament

- The selection is part of intensive policy and leadership development programme scheduled in London

- The programme which will hold from October 18 to October 27 was organised by British Council Nigeria

Six Nigerians have been selected as part of a new generation of leaders to join individuals from 10 other countries for an intensive policy and leadership development programme scheduled in London.

As part of the Future Leaders agenda, participants will meet inspiring leaders in public policy as well as members of the UK Parliament during an intensive conference entitled; Fast Forward: Preparing the World to Come.

READ ALSO: IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu receives heros welcome from over 3 million pro-Biafra supporters in Port Harcourt (photos, video)

The programme, which holds from October 18 to October 27, will consist of discussions and debates on some of the most pressing global issues.

6 Nigerians to represent the country, debate global issues in UK Houses of Parliament

Representatives from Nigeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the United States will participate in the debate.

Participants are also expected to be part of a leadership development programme, participate in a series of work sessions aimed at developing their skills to aid public policy-making, as well as generate positive changes in their countries.

Once back in their countries, the programme seeks to keep members in active communication and to continue to take advantage of the opportunity to develop their skills, share their knowledge and experiences with other colleagues around this global network.

At the pitch event to select candidates to represent Nigeria, which held in Abuja on Friday, Louisa Waddingham, the Director Programmes, British Council Nigeria said that the programme was geared toward solving global issues.

British Council is pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to six young people that will enable them to connect with exceptional individuals from around the globe, who have big ideas and want to change the world through policy making.

 The six exceptional young leaders who have been selected intend to push for policies that will improve the lives of all Nigerians in gender equality, maternal health, industrialisation, Youth in Enterprise and eradication of malaria.

Our six winners will join others selected from British Council countries and connect with the UK Houses of Parliament through an immersive conference, learning from todays decision makers, seeing effective policy making first hand and discussing the most significant global issues facing the next generation globally.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

The six people selected to represent Nigeria in London are Seun Tuyo, Nwamaka Ogbonna, Oladotun Olatunji, Olaoluwa Abagun, Blessing Omakwu, and Hauwa Liman.

The winners said they believed in the strength of policy making was fundamental to the strength of government as a whole and the larger society.

According to Tuyo, through stakeholders commitment and buy-ins, he hopes to ensure that all malaria control interventions continue to reach the public in an equitable and consistent manner so as to contribute greatly to the eradication of malaria.

In her remarks, Ogbonna said he was passionate about the structural transformation of African economies, given the development deficit between Africa and the world.

With adequate buy in from key stakeholders, I plan to revamp the manufacturing industry by making conscious efforts to facilitate collaboration between the public and private sector.

I also want to ensure that investments are made into developing the capabilities of those implementing the industrial policy in both the public and private sector.

Also speaking, Olatunji was of the view that successful policy-making would alleviate poverty and greatly reduce food insecurity.

Oladotun expressed plans to implement a proof-of-concept and influence the Federal and States Governments to implement same or similar models, thereby, creating a ripple effect for smallholder farmers across the nation.

In her remarks, Abagun said she would work hard to achieve Gender Equality in Nigeria with particular focus on education, economic empowerment and political participation by engaging in strong advocacy for a paradigm shift in creating policies that deliver for women and girls.

It is my hope to create policies that encourage women to inaugurate careers in male-dominated sectors by fostering multi-sectoral/inter-generational partnerships across the private sector, public spaces and civil society because all sectors and generations are critical to policy design and implementation.

The Future Leaders programme, the first edition received more than 10,000 applications from the 10 participating countries, with more than 4,000 entries coming from Nigeria.

Legit.ng had reported that seven of the newly elected members of the British Parliament are persons with Nigerian heritage.

This was revealed by United Kingdom-based Nigerian university lecturer, Dr Adebisi Adewole, who is also the managing editor of African Pulse Magazine.

According to him, Nigerians across the UK are excited over the development, adding that the elected MPs success appears justified as they have broken various forms of historical barriers.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of a summary of some trending topics in and outside Nigeria:

Source: Legit.ng
Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1 takes Marvel's secret history to a whole new level with a real world historical figure

If you know who Gavrilo Princip is, prepare to be shocked
GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
China authorizing the maximum speed of the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed rail line to increase to 350 kilometers per hour. China is upgrading its high speed rail trains to new trains with a 400 kph top speed. Hundreds of trains will be upgraded to the higher top speed and more lines will be permitted to run at the higher 350 kph speed and perhaps in two years or so the trains will be permitted to run at 400 kph.

Travelers will be able to zip between the two cities in just 4 hours aboard the G1. Currently, those bullet trains crawl across the country at max speeds of only 300 kilometers per hour, making the 1,318-kilometer trip in an excruciating 4 hours and 49 minutes.

When the 400 kph top speed is permitted then the travel time from Shanghai to Beijing will drop to 3.5 hours.



China is also working on new trains that could reach top speeds of 600 kph. This would enable travel times to drop to 2.3 hours (2 hours and 20 minutes) between Shanghai and Beijing. The higher speeds will cause more travelers to switch from airplanes to high speed rail on longer and longer routes.

High speed rail provides people with more space and comfort and generally lower ticket costs.

China cut the speed of Chinese high-speed trains after a July 2011 accident. The speed of the second-tier D trains reduced from 250 to 200 km/h (155 to 124 mph). The speed of the remaining 350 km/h (220 mph) trains between Shanghai and Hangzhou was reduced to 300 km/h (186 mph) as of 28 August 2011.

Railway officials are currently hard at work testing and getting ready for the big speed boost which will include both Chinas old-school Hexie trains, as well as its newly-developed Fuxing bullet trains, which have a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour.

New Fuxing trains last longer and consume 17% less energy than their outdated predecessors and have the 400 kph top speed. The new train is designed to be more user-friendly, with Wi-Fi and more power sockets.

Systems on the new EMU range, including traction, braking and local area networks are wholly owned by China, Zhao Hongwei, vice main engineer and researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences.

This solves the problem that internal layout and replacement parts on existing high-speed trains do not couple together, she said.

There are four types of in-service bullet trains in China, introduced from Japan, Germany, France and Canada, Zhao Ting, a professor at the Beijing Jiaotong University, told the Global Times.

The China-designed trains will be reducing less system maintenance costs, since 84 percent of its products are of Chinese standards  and China will soon replace existing trains with the new ones within a couple of years, Zhao Ting said.

According to the China Academy of Railway Sciences, the new model has a service life of over 30 years, compared with the existing ones that can operate for 20 years.

The Fuxing trains are 4,050 millimeters high, compared with 3,700 millimeters of the Hexie. Thanks to new designs, the Fuxings wind resistance is 7.5 to 12.3 percent less than the previous generation, and noise in the carriage is noticeably reduced, said Zhang Bo, a research fellow at the Locomotive and Car Research Institute under the China Academy of Railway Sciences.



Current high speed rail network, 4X4 grid complete

China has 22,000-kilometers of high-speed railway, representing 60 percent of the worlds total. The network set to reach 38,000 km (24,000 mi) in 2025.

China has completed the National 4+4 grid. They are now working on a larger 8+8 high speed rail grid serving the nation and expanded intercity lines for regional and commuter services for large metropolitan areas of China. The proposed completion date for the 88 network is 2030.



Future 88 high speed rail network grid, with expected 2030 completion
DARPA created the Safe Genes program to gain a fundamental understanding of how gene editing technologies function; devise means to safely,>A responsibly, and predictably harness them for beneficial ends; and address potential health and security concerns related to their accidental or intentional misuse. DARPA announced awards to seven teams that will pursue that mission, led by: The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; North Carolina State University; University of California, Berkeley; and University of California, Riverside. DARPA plans to invest $65 million in Safe Genes over the next four years as these teams work to collect empirical data and develop a suite of versatile tools that can be applied independently or in combination to support bio-innovation and combat bio-threats.

UC Berkeleys Jennifer Doudna, who co-invented CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, will investigate whether these gene editing tools might someday be capable of disabling bioterrorism threats, such as novel infectious agents or weapons employing CRISPR itself.

Scientists have also uncovered numerous variants of the Cas9 protein that have potential use in research or medical therapy, plus proteins called anti-CRISPRs that throw a wrench into the Cas machinery and stop gene editing. The UC Berkeley-led collaboration will explore the potential of all of these.

Our focus is not only to make new Cas proteins that are more accurate, but also ones that dont necessarily cut the genome, said Kyle Watters, a postdoctoral researcher in Doudnas lab who is overseeing some of the work. These engineered Cas proteins might instead prevent certain genes from being expressed, for example, so that even though they change fundamental processes in your body, they are not ultimately changing the blueprint of your DNA.

This could involve targeting messenger RNA, the working copy of the gene used to build proteins, or recruiting enzymes to modify the epigenome  chemical signals like methyl groups that signal the cell whether to transcribe genes or leave them alone.

The researchers hope to generate new and better tools from these specialized Cas enzymes, develop anti-CRISPR proteins as a kill switch to halt gene editing  a sort of fail-safe mechanism  and explore new ways of delivering fully functional CRISPR-Cas complexes into live cells.

Gene editing technologies have captured increasing attention from healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community leaders in recent years for their potential to selectively disable cancerous cells in the body, control populations of disease-spreading mosquitos, and defend native flora and fauna against invasive species, among other uses. The potential national security applications and implications of these technologies are equally profound, including protection of troops against infectious disease, mitigation of threats posed by irresponsible or nefarious use of biological technologies, and enhanced development of new resources derived from synthetic biology, such as novel chemicals, materials, and coatings with useful, unique properties.

Achieving such ambitious goals, however, will require more complete knowledge about how gene editors, and derivative technologies including gene drives, function at various physical and temporal scales under different environmental conditions, across multiple generations of an organism. In parallel, demonstrating the ability to precisely control gene edits, turning them on and off under certain conditions or even reversing their effects entirely, will be paramount to translation of these tools to practical applications. By establishing empirical foundations and removing lingering unknowns through laboratory-based demonstrations, the Safe Genes teams will work to substantially minimize the risks inherent in such powerful tools.

The field of gene editing has been advancing at an astounding pace, opening the door to previously impossible genetic solutions but without much emphasis on how to mitigate potential downsides, said Renee Wegrzyn, the Safe Genes program manager. DARPA launched Safe Genes to begin to refine those capabilities by emphasizing safety first for the full range of potential applications, enabling responsible science to proceed by providing tools to prevent and mitigate misuse.

Each of the seven teams will pursue one or more of three technical objectives: develop genetic constructsbiomolecular instructionsthat provide spatial, temporal, and reversible control of genome editors in living systems; devise new drug-based countermeasures that provide prophylactic and treatment options to limit genome editing in organisms and protect genome integrity in populations of organisms; and create a capability to eliminate unwanted engineered genes from systems and restore them to genetic baseline states. Safe Genes research will not involve any releases of organisms into the environment; however, the researchperformed in contained facilitiescould inform potential future applications, including safe, predictable, and reversible gene drives.

During the course of the program, teams will engage with potential stakeholders, including government regulators, to increase the value of the science and to shape experiments around their questions and concerns. Additionally, as an aid to policymakers, the teams will establish models for incorporating stakeholder engagement into future decisions on whether and how to apply such tools.

Part of our challenge and commitment under Safe Genes is to make sense of the ethical implications of gene editing technologies, understanding peoples concerns and directing our research to proactively address them so that stakeholders are equipped with data to inform future choices, Wegrzyn said. As with all powerful capabilities, society can and should weigh the risks and merits of responsibly using such tools. We believe that further research and development can inform that conversation by helping people to understand and shape what is possible, probable, and vulnerable with these technologies. Gene editing is truly a case where you cant easily draw a line between ethics and pure technology developmenttheyre inextricableand were hopeful that the model we establish with Safe Genes will guide future research efforts in this space.

The efforts funded under the Safe Genes program fall into two broad categories: gene drive and genetic remediation technologies, and in vivo therapeutic applications of gene editors in mammals.

* A team led by Dr. Amit Choudhary (Broad Institute/Brigham and Womens Hospital-Renal Division/Harvard Medical School) is developing means to switch on and off genome editing in bacteria, mammals, and insects, including control of gene drives in a mosquito vector for malaria, Anopheles stephensi. The team seeks to build a general platform for the rapid and cost-effective identification of chemicals that will block contemporary and next-generation genome editors. Such chemicals could propel the development of therapeutic applications of genome editors by limiting off-target effects or protect against future biological threats. The team will also construct synthetic genome editors for precision genome engineering.

* A Harvard Medical School team led by Dr. George Church seeks to develop systems to safeguard genomes by detecting, preventing, and ultimately reversing mutations that may arise from exposure to radiation. This work will involve creation of novel computational and molecular tools to enable the development of precise editors that can distinguish between highly similar genetic sequences. The team also plans to screen the effectiveness of natural and synthetic drugs to inhibit gene editing activity.

* A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) team led by Dr. Keith Joung aims to develop novel, highly sensitive methods to control and measure on-target genome editing activityand limit and measure off-target activityand apply these methods to regulate the activity of mosquito gene drive systems over multiple generations. State-of-the-art technologies for measuring on- and off-target activity require specialized expertise; the MGH team hopes to enable orders of magnitude higher sensitivity than what is available with existing methods and make this process routine and scalable. The team will also develop novel strategies to achieve control over genome editors, including drug-regulated versions of these molecules. The team will take advantage of contained facilities that simulate natural environments to study how drive systems perform in mosquitos under conditions approximating the real world.

* A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team led by Dr. Kevin Esvelt has been selected to pursue modular daisy drive platforms with the potential to safely, efficiently, and reversibly edit local sub-populations of organisms within a geographic region of interest. Daisy drive systems are self-exhausting because they sequentially lose genetic elements until the drive system stops spreading. In one proposed variant, natural selection is anticipated to favor the edited or original version depending on which is in the majority, keeping genetic alterations confined to a specified region and potentially allowing targeted populations of organisms to be restored to wild-type genetics. MIT plans to conduct the majority of its work in nematodes, a simple type of worm that reproduces rapidly, enabling high-throughput testing of different drive configurations and predictive models over multiple generations. The team then aims to adapt this system in the laboratory for up to three key mosquito species relevant to human and animal health, gradually improving performance in mosquitos through an iterative cycle of model, test, and refine.

* A North Carolina State University (NCSU) team led by Dr. John Godwin aims to develop and test a mammalian gene drive system in rodents. The teams genetic technique targets population-specific genetic variants found only in particular invasive communities of animals. If successful, the work will expand the tools available to manage invasive species that threaten biodiversity and human food security, and that serve as potential reservoirs of infectious diseases affecting native animal and human populations. The team also plans to develop mathematical models of how drives would function in mice, and then perform testing in contained, simulated natural environments to gauge the robustness, spatial limitation, and reversibility of the drives.

* A University of California, Berkeley team led by Dr. Jennifer Doudna will investigate the development of novel, safe gene editing tools for use as antiviral agents in animal models, targeting the Zika and Ebola viruses. The team will also aim to identify anti-CRISPR proteins capable of inhibiting unwanted genome-editing activity, while developing novel strategies for delivery of genome editors and inhibitors.

* A University of California, Riverside team led by Dr. Omar Akbari seeks to develop robust and reversible gene drive systems for control of Aedes aegypti mosquito populations, to be tested in contained, simulated natural environments. Preliminary testing will be conducted in high-throughput, rapidly reproducing populations of yeast as a model system. As part of this effort, the team will establish new temporal and environmental, context-dependent molecular strategies programmed to limit gene editor activity, create multiple capabilities to eliminate unwanted gene drives from populations through passive or active reversal, and establish mathematical models to inform design of gene drive systems and establish criteria for remediation strategies. In support of these goals, the team will sample the diversity of wild populations of Ae. aegypti.

The teams intend to refine their research over the course of the program, building initial mathematical models of gene editing systems, testing them in insect and animal models to validate hypotheses, and feeding the results back into the simulations to tune parameters. Teams will also incorporate insights garnered from engagement with regulators and in some cases from local communities considering gene editing applications, and may run additional experiments to collect data that address concerns and could inform future regulatory reviews.

Given the potential of gene editing systems to broadly impact national security, health, and the environment, DARPA is committed to a high level of transparency and engagement in its Safe Genes research. The program will work with independent experts to help DARPA and the teams think through Legal, Ethical, Environmental, Dual-Use, and Responsible innovation (LEEDR) issues. In a separate but related effort, DARPA previously co-funded a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on gene drives to help initiate the development of a framework for considering the implications of advances in gene editing, and to make recommendations on a responsible way forward.

One aspect of Safe Genes that Im most proud of is that were involving potential stakeholders from the beginning, many of whom are already considering gene editing technologies as options for responding to different health and environmental challenges but who have questions about how solutions involving gene editors would actually work, said Wegrzyn. DARPA sees their involvement in the Safe Genes program as invaluable for developing a model in which consideration of societal impact isnt an afterthought, but instead a foundation on which science advances.
If Elon Musks Boring company makes a New York City to Washington DC hyperloop tunnel, then it would be 226 miles long. This would be nearly three times longer than the current longest tunnel.

Elon Musk tweeted out that he has been given verbal approval by someone in the US government to build a New York to DC hyperloop tunnel.

Here is the wikipedia list of longest tunnels.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) is a railway tunnel in the heart of the Swiss Alps expected to open in 2016. With a route length of 57 km (35.4 mi) and the tunnel system totals 151.84 km (94.3 mi) of tunnels, shafts and passages. It is the worlds longest rail tunnel, surpassing the Seikan Tunnel in Japan.
In less than an hour on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump found a way to impugn the integrity and threaten the livelihoods of nearly all of the countrys top law enforcement officials, including some he appointed, for one simple reason: They swore an oath to defend the Constitution, not him.



For a president who sees the rule of law as an annoyance rather than a feature of American democracy, the traitors are everywhere.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions endured the worst abuse, which came during Mr. Trumps gobsmacking Oval Office interview with The Times. Mr. Sessionss offense? Recusing himself in March from all investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign, a decision that infuriated Mr. Trump. If he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else, the president said. He called the recusal extremely unfair  and thats a mild word  to the president.

Never mind that Mr. Sessions had no real choice but to step aside. Given his proximity to the campaign  Mr. Sessions was one of Mr. Trumps earliest and most vocal supporters  his ability to be impartial was reasonably in doubt. The unfairness, as Mr. Trump saw it, was that Mr. Sessionss partiality was exactly what he hoped to exploit, mainly to help quash the F.B.I.s inquiry into his campaigns possible ties to the Russian government, whose meddling was aimed at tipping the election in Mr. Trumps favor.
Hengqin has launched a tax payment system which allows Hong Kong and Macau residents to pay mainland taxes online, according to a report by TDM. Eligible SAR residents must work in Hengqin; previously, they had to visit the mainland to pay their taxes. Currently, 618 enterprises from Hong Kong and 860 from Macau are registered in Hengqin. More than 1,500 Hong Kong and Macau residents are qualified to apply for Hengqins special talented human resources awards and for the tax subsidies.

Nineteen arrested for fake VIP room

Nineteen mainland residents were arrested yesterday for setting up a fake casino VIP room inside a hotel room at the ZAPE area. Fifteen men and four women, all aged between 32 and 54 years old, pretended to be casino security guards, dealers, public relations employees, VIP room owners, and gamblers. The mastermind of the group was from Guangdong. According to the Judiary Police, the group had operated the fake room for more than two years, although only one victim  who claimed to have lost RMB400,000  filed a police report.
Sands Chinas 11 signature restaurants have been recognized for their outstanding wine programs by U.S. lifestyle magazine Wine Spectator.

Restaurants that received a Two Glasses Best of Award of Excellence commendation include Portofino, North and Canton at The Venetian Macao, Brasserie and Lotus Palace at The Parisian Macao, and Golden Court and Copa Steakhouse at Sands Macao. Mortons Steakhouse at The Venetian Macao received a One Glass Award of Excellence.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Wine Spectator has commended Sands China restaurants for their outstanding wine lists with these awards.

The awards have three levels: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence, and Grand Award. The awards are granted according to the depth, range and display of the wine lists.

Vice President of Food and Beverage for Sands China, Philip Chong, commented on the awards, saying: We are honored that so many of our great restaurants have been recognized by Wine Spectator. We are committed to offering the complete fine dining experience to our customers and these prestigious awards are one of the best indicators that we are succeeding in this.

Michelin guide street food festival to debut at Studio City

Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau will organize its first Michelin Guide Street Food Festival at Studio City Macau in October.

Chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants and Michelin-recommended eateries across Asia will serve their street food creations and signature delicacies.

According to a press release issued yesterday, dishes will be priced at value-for-money rates, with small plates starting from MOP40.

Eateries from Singapore and Japan will be visiting Macau for the first time, including the worlds first-ever street food stall to be awarded a Michelin star, Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle from Singapore. Humble hawker-turned-Michelin-acclaimed chef Chan Hon Meng will be flying in to cook at Studio City alongside fellow Singaporean Wayne Liew from Keng Eng Kee, the popular street food stall known for its fusion of Hainanese cuisine with Malaysian home-style food. Meanwhile, Japans takoyaki eatery Kougaryu Honten will serve Bib Gourmand-awarded takoyaki in three different flavors.

In addition, three of Studio Citys signature restaurants  including one-Michelin-starred restaurant Pearl Dragon, and Michelin-recommended restaurants Shanghai Magic and Bi Ying  will also showcase creative delicacies specially made for the festival.

The gourmet festival is free to attend and will be held at Studio Citys Macau Gourmet Walk from 12p.m. to 8p.m. between October 5 to 8 this year.
RIVERSIDE, Calif.  Just after dawn, a line of officers marched to the gate outside Fidel Delgados home here with guns drawn, one holding a rifle. Mr. Delgado emerged barechested from his home and with a look of confusion.

Que necesita? he asked: What do you need?

About 20 minutes later and 10 miles away, Anselmo Moran Lucero sensed exactly why officers had come. He spotted them as he was returning from a night out, and turned his truck around. But an unmarked S.U.V. pulled in front of him and another flashed its lights behind him, blocking his escape.

They asked his name. They asked if he knew why he was being arrested. Mr. Lucero nodded.

Every day around the United States, from before sunrise until late into the night, people like Mr. Delgado and Mr. Lucero are being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the front-line soldiers in President Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration.

More than 65,000 people have been arrested by the agency since Mr. Trump took office, a nearly 40 percent increase over the same period last year and as sure a sign as any that the United States is a tougher place today to be an undocumented immigrant.

But I.C.E. is in some ways operating in enemy territory in California, home to more than two million undocumented immigrants and hostile to the idea of mass deportations. Because local law enforcement often will not turn over undocumented immigrants in their custody, I.C.E. must make most of their arrests at homes, at workplaces and out on the street, which is more complicated than simply picking people up from jails  and potentially more dangerous.

So when a team of immigration agents gathered at 4:30 on one already warm morning in June, their chief, David Marin, warned them to stay away from any sign of danger.

After going over notes on each of the men they were after, the team pulled out in their unmarked S.U.V.s. Eight hours later, five men would be in custody, awaiting the start of deportation proceedings.

The New York Times followed the team for a day as it navigated the streets and politics of Southern California, and spoke with some of the men it arrested and the families they may soon be leaving behind.

An Unplanned Arrest

As the sun crept above the horizon, the officers gathered on a hill just a few yards away from Mr. Delgados home. But it was not Mr. Delgado they had come for; it was his son Mariano.

Mariano Delgado, 24, had returned to Mexico in 2011 after he was convicted of drunken driving. Since illegally re-entering the United States, he has been arrested four times for assault with a deadly weapon.

Immigrants like him are called criminal aliens, and there are so many of them in Southern California that Mr. Marin says it is effectively impossible to go after anyone else. But under President Trump, agents are encouraged to also arrest undocumented immigrants without serious criminal records, a break from the Obama administrations policy of mostly leaving those immigrants alone.

So here and across the country, agents now make more collateral arrests  undocumented people they come across while looking for someone else. That was about to happen.

When officers, guns out, approached the chain-link fence surrounding the home, the dogs began barking loudly, joining the squawking chickens. Fidel Delgado emerged.

The elder Mr. Delgado, 46, and his wife, Maria Rocha, told the officers that their son had moved to Texas months ago. They readily admitted to being in the country illegally, but added that they worked. Their youngest son, 16, is an American-born citizen. When the agents shook him out of bed, he began to sob.

After taking Mr. Delgados fingerprints, they ran them through a database. Within minutes, they learned that he had once crossed the border illegally, twice in the same day, and had been sent back to Mexico.

A couple of officers debated what to do: Should they take both parents and call Child Protective Services for the boy? Did they believe that Mariano Delgado was no longer living there, even though they thought he was home as recently as the week before?

If he doesnt give up the son, were going to take him, one officer said.

They left the wife behind and led Mr. Delgado to a van, where he was soon shackled. The handcuffs would leave marks.

Later that morning, Ms. Rocha, 50, leaned against the chain-link fence that surrounds their home, bleary-eyed and in shock.

My husband, they had no reason to take him, she said. They werent searching for him.

The family has lived in the three-bedroom white house in a blue-collar, semirural enclave of Riverside for three years, paying $1,300 a month in rent. Ms. Rocha, who cleans offices in nearby Corona, a more upscale community, said she brought home about $1,200 a month. Her husband, who milks cows at a dairy, earns about $12 an hour.

The couple married in Mexico 24 years ago, just before heading north. We came here for a better life, she said. In all her years in the United States, she said, she had never had problems with la migra, as the immigration agency is known.

By the afternoon, Mr. Delgado had been released by the immigration agents, who decided that he was not a threat to public safety. He was given a notice that he must comply with any orders from immigration agents and returned to work the next day.

Agency Under a Microscope

Before heading out to their targets for the day, the I.C.E. team gathered in the darkness in the parking lot of a small hardware store. Mr. Marin, the enforcement supervisor, quizzed his officers:

What time will this man start to leave his home? Which way will that one turn when he pulls out of his driveway? When will the other one arrive back from his night shift?

The officers had been watching the men they were after for days, learning their habits so they could capture them easily.

Mr. Marin, 48, has worked in immigration enforcement for more than two decades, starting when the agency was called Immigration and Naturalization Services. In the 1990s, he said, officers would spend much of their time rounding up immigrants in front of home repair stores, routinely arresting people so many times that they would know them by sight. Within hours of a bus ride returning them to Mexico, Mr. Marin said, they would be on their way to the United States again.

Like roughly half of the other officers, Mr. Marin began his career in the military, serving as a Marine. He amassed tattoos the way others collect shot glasses: On his left forearm is the first letter of the word Christian written in Arabic, commemorating his work collecting intelligence on the Taliban in Pakistan.

Though he had to pass a basic Spanish course early in his career, today Mr. Marin hardly speaks a word of it. But many officers do. Nearly 40 percent of Mr. Marins officers are Latino, he said, and many of them hear refrains of How can you do this to your own people? They do not apologize.

But the agency is under a microscope here. Arrests in the Los Angeles region are up only 17 percent since Mr. Trump took office, far less than in the rest of the country, according to I.C.E. statistics.

Members of Congress and local officials routinely call Mr. Marins cellphone when they hear of arrests in their area.

People want to know if weve gone into schools, if were standing in the market, but thats not what we do, Mr. Marin said, driving before dawn. We know an arrest is a traumatic event for a family. We know the impact it has, and we take it very seriously.

Luck Runs Out

While Mr. Delgado was being questioned, other members of the team were waiting for Mr. Lucero, who had already been deported once.

Mr. Lucero, 51, and his wife, Jamie, 47, arrived from a small village in the Mexican state of Puebla more than three decades ago. He had built a thriving landscaping business, tending to yards of homes in upscale Orange County.

In 2006, Mr. Lucero was convicted in a domestic violence case and spent several months in jail, then was deported. But he had reconciled with his wife and was eager to return to her and their six children, two of them born in the United States. So he crossed the border illegally again.

Immigration officials had tried to get the Orange County sheriffs office to hold Mr. Lucero for them when he was in jail for a day on a new domestic violence charge in 2014. But the sheriff declined, according to I.C.E. Many California sheriff and police departments do not cooperate with immigration officials, saying it erodes trust in law enforcement among immigrant populations. Mr. Trump has threatened to punish these so-called sanctuary cities and counties, saying they harbor lawbreakers.

For several nights before the I.C.E. team showed up, Mr. Lucero said, he had dreams of immigration agents coming to get him. The night before, he and his wife tried their luck at a nearby casino, playing the slot machines until daybreak. They had won a couple of hundred dollars and left just before 6 a.m.

When they began driving home, Ms. Luceros brother, with whom the family lives, warned them that immigration officers were near. But Mr. Lucero was unable to evade them.

Hours after his arrest, Jamie Lucero, her eyes red with tears, pulled out a blue folder with Mr. Luceros papers neatly organized, including documents showing he had completed an anger-management program and followed the rules of probation from his domestic violence case. She was planning to take the folder with her when she visited him in detention, though the papers are unlikely to have a bearing on his new deportation case.

Their 29-year-old son, Urie, said that the week before, four officers had come to the door holding a picture of a bald man they said they were after. They never mentioned the mans name, and Urie Lucero said he did not recognize the man.

But the officers came inside the home and looked around. The family is convinced that the visit and the picture of the bald man were ruses to try to scope out Anselmo Luceros whereabouts. Thats how they are getting people, Urie Lucero said.

Jamie Lucero said the officers had told her not to bother paying for a lawyer because he faced certain deportation.

By lunchtime, the agents had five immigrants in custody: three of their six targets of the day, as well as Mr. Delgado and another man they found in the home of a target. Typically, officers successfully arrest about half the people they are looking for, Mr. Marin said, so this was a good day.

Criminals off the street, thats our goal, he said while standing inside the San Bernardino processing center, where immigrants from the region are taken each day.

The men they had arrested sat inside a small holding cell clutching their brown-bag lunch of a turkey sandwich and apple. Mr. Marin and one of his deputies headed for lunch at a small Mexican taqueria.
From Counterpunch



Election, Politics, Vote, Democracy

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The unraveling of a society's institutions, stability and reasonable order does not sound alarms to forewarn the citizenry, apart from economic yardsticks measuring poverty, jobs, wages, health, savings, profits and other matters economic.

However, we do have some signs that we should not allow ourselves to ignore. Maliciousness, profiteering and willful ignorance on the part of our political and corporate rulers undoubtedly contribute to worsening injustice. Let's consider some ways that we as citizens, far too often, collectively allow this to happen.

1. Democracy is threatened when citizens refuse to participate in power, whether by not voting, not thinking critically about important issues, not showing up for civic activities or allowing emotional false appeals and flattery by candidates and parties to sway them on important issues. Without an informed and motivated citizenry, the society starts to splinter.

2. If people do not do their homework before Election Day and know what to expect of candidates and of themselves, the political TV ads and the plutocrats' campaign cash will take control of what is on the table and what is off the table. This leads to the most important changes a majority of Americans want ending up on the floor.

3. Too often, you have a grievance as a consumer, worker, taxpayer or citizen and you hit the wall trying to reach someone who should be helping you. Robots, either nonhuman or human, on the telephone are of little help. Repeated failure to productively voice one's grievances leads to alienation, anxiety and withdrawal, rather than resurgence to demand remedy.

4. When a majority of people think their government doesn't work for them, but instead serves the rich and powerful, people begin to forget the good that government and honest civil servants at all levels do, or can do (see Jacob Hacker's 2016 book, American Amnesia), thereby disregarding their crucial watchdog role as citizens. In the process, they passively surrender control of government to the plutocrats and oligarchs -- leading to a corporate state defined by crony capitalism. The military industrial complex and the corporate welfarists know how to extract dollars for boondoggles from our government, which is all-too-willing to turn its back on taxpayers.

5. When people make up their minds about an ideology or politician without the facts and relinquish any willingness to hear alternative views, societies become polarized. People are stereotyped, the marketplace of ideas goes bankrupt and instances of incivility and dehumanization increase.

6. When people constantly consume media fueled by violence, political insults, crime and celebrity misbehavior, rather than giving voice to the good that people do every day in civil society or to important points of agreement between liberals and conservatives, the way we relate to news and each other becomes needlessly skewed. This problem has increased exponentially in recent years.

7. If people of all backgrounds feel powerless, they will be powerless. This self-perception stifles democracy and often results in people turning their blame against one another and ignoring the power structures at the root of the problem.

8. Readers think; thinkers read. That includes learning from the mistakes of societies throughout history that wrongly believed that they were impervious to crumbling from within. In our culture of virtual reality and Twitter-length propaganda, we all too often forget the valuable lessons of past mistakes. History is a great teacher, as anyone who has studied how the bloody World War I was triggered by a teenager assassinating an archduke in Sarajevo or how a few rulers of autocratic nations, without institutional civic and political resistance, caused the deaths of 60 million people in World War II, can attest.

9. At this point, some readers may be wondering about the powerful people who comprise the Wall Street and Washington supremacists. Aren't they heavily responsible for the disintegration of our society's economic and political health? Of course. But we citizens, day after day, let them get away with actions that embolden them further through what they see as our habitual passivity.

10. Supporting good candidates who so often lose to silver-tongued bad candidates would be a start. Given what people think of Washington politicians, tens of millions of voters are choosing bad candidates. They may want to ask themselves whether the candidates and their rhetoric they bond with are hiding cruel records and votes against the voters' own interests. The Washington Republicans' current effort to take away or make less affordable health insurance, even of Trump voters, is a case in point.

For a top-down analysis, read Peter Wehner's searing column, Declaration of Disruption in the July 4, 2017 issue of the New York Times, regarding how the rulers at the top are now leading our country "toward chaos, disarray and entropy."

Half of democracy is showing up at community gatherings, marches, meetings and elections with your fellow citizens. No one can stop you from saying yes to your neighbors, near and far, when they send you their kind invitations to meet new people, hear new ideas, and be urged to pull together for a better community, state, nation and world.

Democracy and its blessings work, but only if we don't drop out and recommit ourselves to securing these blessings for our posterity. It's easier than we think!
From Unz Review

What will those rascals in Moscow do next?



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It has been another week full of news about Russia. Americans might be surprised to learn that nearly every aspect of their lives has been somehow impacted by the insidious covert activity of a former global enemy that now has an economy the size of Spain or Italy.

One of the latest claims is that Moscow has been covertly funding some environmental groups, most particularly those opposed to the use of fracking technologies. The allegations, which have recently surfaced in Congress, conceded that the Russians allegedly moved forward with their strategy to damage America's energy independence without leaving behind "a paper trail," thus there appears to actually be little or no supporting evidence for what is little more than a series of claims, which have been denied by the groups in question, including the highly respectable Sierra Club. Moscow has not commented.

To be sure, there is a certain logic inherent in assertions that Russia might be behind such a development as Moscow's economy runs on energy exports and high prices are good for it. Consequently, it ought not surprise anyone that Russia would seek to discredit competitive technologies that work to increase the supply of energy and thereby cause prices to fall. It's simple math, but is it true given the fact that environmental groups are widely popular due to the appeal of the product they are promoting and have their own reliable sources of income?

Now the irony in all this is that a major producer of relatively dirty oil is being accused of targeting an even dirtier and environmentally destructive energy resource, which is fracking, in collusion with organizations that are seeking to encourage the production of much cleaner power. And, of course, cleaner energy is a global interest whether one believes in climate change or not, which underlines the essential hypocrisy of the U.S. media in denouncing something that just might be good for the planet purely because Russia is allegedly involved.

And, of course, the congressmen involved in the revelation come from fracking states. If Moscow is for something then surely Washington must be against it, ignoring the fact that many genuinely patriotic Americans who care about such matters support more strict environmental regulations, no matter what the Wall Street Journal, the White House and the loony tunes in congress are saying.

There was a lot more anti-Russian agitprop in the U.S. media during the week, part of an endless stream of titillation provided free of charge to the American public in an effort to remind everyone that Russia is the enemy and will always be the enemy. Even Donald Trump's milquetoast initiative to mend fences with Vladimir Putin cobbled together during their meeting in Hamburg has been assailed from all sides, most particularly by the usual parties who seem to be locked into an anti-Trump non-de'tente mindset come what may.

I was particularly bemused by the comment by former CIA Chief John Brennan who denounced Trump's performance during the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg over the lack of a hard line against Putin and his failure to support the "word of the U.S. intelligence community" about Russian interference in the recent election. In an interview Brennan complained "He said it's an honor to meet President Putin. An honor to meet the individual who carried out the assault against our election? To me, it was a dishonorable thing to say."

Former weapons inspector Scott Ritter has demonstrated how the "word" of U.S. intel is not exactly what it might seem to be. And Brennan is not exactly a tabula rasa. As he observed in his comment, his ire derives from the claims over Russian alleged interference in the U.S. election, a narrative that Brennan himself has helped to create, to include his shady and possibly illegal contacting of foreign intelligence services to dig up dirt on the GOP presidential candidate and his associates. The dirt was dutifully provided by several European intelligence services which produced a report claiming, inter alia, that Donald Trump had urinated on a Russian prostitute in a bed previously slept in by Barack and Michelle Obama.

And along the way I have been assiduously trying to figure out the meaning of last week's reports regarding the contacts of Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort with two alleged Russian agents while reportedly seeking the dirt on Hillary. As it turns out, there may not have been any discussion of Hillary, though possibly something having to do with irregularities in DNC fundraising surfaced, and there may have been a bit more about the Magnitsky Act and adopting Russian babies.

Barring any new revelations backed up by actual facts revealing that something substantive like a quid pro quo actually took place, the whole affair appears to be yet another example of a politically inspired fishing expedition. This observation is not necessarily naivete on my part nor a denial that it all might have been an intelligence operation, but it is an acceptance of the fact that probing and maneuvering is all part and parcel of what intelligence agencies do when they are dealing with adversaries and very often even with friends. It does not necessarily imply that Moscow was seeking to overthrow American democracy even if it was trying to advance its own interests.

Assuming even the worst case scenario that the media has been promoting, the Trump Tower meeting appears to have involved three political aspirants who were a bit on the novice side and a Russian lawyer and lobbyist who might have been intelligence cut-outs. What did happen anyway? Apart from not reporting the encounter by the three apparent victims of the planned corruption of America's democratic process, nothing apparently happened except that the event itself has now given the esteemed Senator Charles Schumer and the Honorable Adam Schiff something new to mouth off about. Oh, and it keeps Rachel Maddow and Stephen Colbert, who is celebrating Russia Week on his program, employed.

Politics is a dirty business, based on power and money in these United States. Presumably back in mid-June there was enough salacious information floating around emanating from both parties to provide employment for plenty of individuals who were prepared to do whatever it would take to dig up something damaging up from any source available, including foreigners. That game was played by both sides and anyone who does not think that is so is avoiding the hard edge of the pervasive political corruption that greases the wheels in the United States.

So maybe Russia is funding some environmental groups or maybe not. And if it is, so what? I would welcome anyone who challenges fracking. And so what if a cluster of political tyros met with a couple of Russians who may or may not have been sent by Putin. Clearly, nothing came of it and meeting with a Russian and talking is not yet ipso facto a crime in this country.

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Hugo Chavez

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Venezuela is a step closer to civil war after July 20th's "fake referendum " held by the government opposition. Corporate Fake News (i.e. mainstream corporate media) haled the fake referendum as a vote of "no confidence" for President Nicolas Maduro.

The vote count of the "fake referendum" has not been released and likely never will be. Only the number of the turnout is reported as being over 7 million, but who needs to count votes when the referendum was only a symbolic protest?

The U.S. Empire propaganda mill is already churning out that President Nicolas Maduro is no longer the legitimate president of Venezuela. As in Syria, when the Empire labels a president illegitimate it uses it as a fig leaf for illegal aggression against a sovereign country. The fake referendum now opens the door for more U.S. meddling. The Empire has had its foot firmly inside the door for 17 years.

The U.S. started gunning for Hugo Chavez and his Bolivarian Revolution from the moment that he was democratically elected in 1998. Chavez's election and his Bolivarian Revolutionary challenged the ideology of neoliberalism, pushed by the Empire to exploit developing countries and their resources.

Zealots of neoliberalism, led by the high priests of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, preach that privatization of state owned enterprises, devaluation of the currency, cutting social services for the poor, exploitation of natural resources by international corporations, consolidation of agricultural land into large private holdings, importing cheap subsidized U.S. agriculture, forcing small farmers into city sweatshops, and opening markets to foreign imports will create economic prosperity. It does not. It is Voodoo Economics and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund know it. What neoliberalism does is guarantee that international bankers will be repaid their crippling loans.

The Bolivarian Revolution rejected neoliberalism and enacted a new socialist constitution in 1999, which lead the way for President Hugo Chavez to nationalize Venezuela's oil wealth, so its revenues could be used to provide essential services and anti-poverty programs. Chavez used Venezuela's natural resources for Venezuelans, which is heresy to neoliberals. Chavez's charismatic personality, commitment to the poor and concern for social justice made him a hero loved by the people.

Socialism that denies international corporations profits are fighting words to the U.S. Empire. In 2002 President George W. Bush was caught red handed as the instigator of a plot that kidnapped Chavez and tried to overthrow him in a coup d'etat. The coup failed because the people turned out in the streets demanding Chavez's return and reinstatement. Bush was left with egg on his face, the blood of dozens murdered in the coup attempt and a smoking gun in his hand (The Guardian).

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From Sputnik

President Trump's announcement this week to end the CIA's covert arming of militants in Syria is an admission of defeat. The US has lost its six-year war for regime change in the Arab country. It's time to wrap it up.

It's not over yet, of course. It remains to be seen if Trump's decision can in fact be implemented. Can the CIA be reined in to obey orders? Will the US be able to stop regional client regimes, like Saudi Arabia, from stepping up their covert supply of American weapons to the militants in Syria?

Also, Trump's decision does not mean the US and its allies will withdraw ground and air forces from Syria, where they are illegally operating in violation of international law.

Nevertheless, the American president's declared ending of the CIA's role in fueling the insurgency in Syria should be seen as a welcome move. It is the right thing to do, and a brave one also because of the anti-Russia flak he is bound to receive for taking the decision. It would have been politically expedient for Trump to have not pulled the plug on the CIA in Syria. But by doing so, he is bound to compound the anti-Russia hysteria gripping Washington and large sections of the media accusing him of being a "Kremlin stooge."

Any rational person would have to agree that the best way to end the violence in Syria is for foreign countries to halt pouring weapons into the country. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has long maintained this logical position: if nations want Syria's bloodshed to stop, as they claim, then they should stop supplying arms and cut out sponsoring militant groups.

By its own admission, the US has been funneling weapons into Syria since at least 2013, according to media reports, and probably before that date right back to the beginning of the war in March 2011. Not only the US but its NATO partners, Britain, France and Turkey, as well as regional allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel. This is an admission of a criminal conspiracy to destabilize a sovereign country by supporting illegally armed anti-government militant groups. It matters little whether these groups are arbitrarily designated "moderate rebels." They are illegally armed.

With a Syrian death toll of up to 400,000 over six years of war, millions of refugees and a culturally rich country driven to the brink of destruction, it is blindingly obvious that Trump made the right call to at least partially reduce the flow of weapons, by ending the CIA program. It is well past time to bring the US-led criminal assault on Syria to an end.

Trump's call was also a brave one because the US media immediately and predictably depicted the move as a "concession to Russia." With the US president already being assailed with endless accusations of "colluding" with Russia in winning the election to the White House last year, his decision to leash the dogs of war in Syria this week only lends more grist to the Russophobia rumor mill.

The Washington Post headlined the news with: "Trump ends covert CIA program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria, a move sought by Moscow."

Several other US media outlets followed suit, making snide comments that the move "will please the Kremlin" and that Trump was "appeasing Putin" by closing down the CIA covert operations in Syria.

The American corporate media persist with the myth that the CIA has been backing "moderate rebels." When in reality, the "moderate rebels" and the "terrorist jihadists" are one and the same motley army of mercenaries. Mercenaries who have barbarized the Syrian people with sickening massacres, under the tutelage of the CIA and other foreign military services.

With contorted logic, US media spin that Trump's shuttering of the CIA program to train "moderate rebels" in Syria may now strengthen the hand of "extremists."

The president is accused of capitulating to Putin on Syria. There are mutterings in the US media suggesting that this is what Trump talked about with Putin during their meetings in Hamburg at the G20 summit earlier this month. Especially, during the so-called "secret meeting" in front of 18 other heads of state while at dinner.

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By Georgia Logothetis



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Donald Trump's comments during an interview this week with The New York Times reveal a president who believes he is above the law and who has no qualms about hinting at the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller. Indeed, as The New York Times reports:

"President Trump's lawyers and aides are scouring the professional and political backgrounds of investigators hired by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, looking for conflicts of interest they could use to discredit the investigation -- or even build a case to fire Mr. Mueller or get some members of his team recused, according to three people with knowledge of the research effort."

Here is The New York Timeseditorial board on the interview:

"In less than an hour on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump found a way to impugn the integrity and threaten the livelihoods of nearly all of the country's top law enforcement officials, including some he appointed, for one simple reason: They swore an oath to defend the Constitution, not him. "For a president who sees the rule of law as an annoyance rather than a feature of American democracy, the traitors are everywhere. [...] "In the end, Mr. Trump is concerned with nothing so much as saving his own hide, which means getting rid of the Russia inquiry for good. He previously said this was why he fired Mr. Comey, and it may yet be the undoing of Mr. Sessions, Mr. Rosenstein and Mr. Mueller."

The Boston Herald:

"The New York Times interview published yesterday was a scary -- but perhaps not surprising -- look into the mindset of a man who is playing the political game by his own rules -- loyal to no one, other than family perhaps, and unbound by convention. "That is, of course, part of why he was elected in the first place. Many voters found that appealing. But at the six month mark of his presidency the Trump quirkiness has turned to anger and to grievance. Even his most loyal supplicants -- those charged with the grunt work of carrying out the Trump agenda even as he tweets himself into a frenzy -- are suspect."

The Washington Post rewrites portions of The New York Times interview "with imagined quotations of what an ethical president might say" because...:

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The final version of Turkey's national school curriculum has left evolution out and added the concept of jihad as part of Islamic law in books.

Announcing the new school curriculum, Turkish Education Minister -degreessmet Ylmaz told a press conference in Ankara on Monday, "Jihad is an element in our religion; it is in our religion" The duty of the Education Ministry is to teach every concept deservedly, in a correct way. It is also our job to correct things that are wrongly perceived, seen or taught."

"In this manner, in the lessons on Islamic law and basic religion sciences, there will be [the concept of] jihad. But what is this jihad? What our Prophet [Muhammad] says is that while returning from a war, we are going from a small jihad to a big jihad. What is this big jihad? It is to serve our society, to increase welfare, to ensure peace in society, to serve the society's needs. The easiest thing is to wage war, to fight. The skill is the difficult one, which is to ensure peace and tranquility," he said.

Speaking about the controversial decision to exclude evolution, Ylmaz said it was not included in the national curriculum "because it is above the students' level and not directly relevant."

Ylmaz said the new curriculum will also include topics on the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FET-), the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The Saudi Textbooks

The Turkish inclusion of Jihad in school textbooks is juxtaposition to the Saudi Arabia's move in recent years to eliminate from the 'controversial' definitions of Jihad in kingdom's school text books. After the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks Saudi Arabia, accused of fostering the intolerance and animosity through its educational system, was under pressure to revise school text books which allegedly teach hate and extremism.

The American government called on Saudi Arabia to reform its educational curriculum, including textbooks in Saudi schools and distributed worldwide, by reviewing and revising educational materials and eliminating any that spread "intolerance and hatred" towards Christians and Jews and promoted holy war against "unbelievers."

The Saudi government has repeatedly said that it has undertaken extensive educational reform. One Saudi official announced in 2006 that 36 of the 66 major textbooks had been revised. Another official said that Saudi Arabia had removed 31 controversial items from its curriculum.

Dr. Abdulilah Al-Mosarraf, director of planning and evaluation at the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has said that almost all Gulf countries have made major changes in their school curriculums. Saudi Arabia, for example, has removed 31 controversial items from its curriculum. Referring to the educational reforms carried out in Saudi Arabia, he said, Riyadh has removed the offensive books and passages from the curriculum. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Tellingly, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its annual report of 2017 recommended that Saudi Arabia should make public an annual assessment of the relevant Ministry of Education religious textbooks to determine if passages that teach religious intolerance have been removed.

The Commission also recommended that the US administration should press the Saudi government to denounce publicly the continued use around the world of older versions of Saudi textbooks and other materials that promote hatred and intolerance, and to make every attempt to retrieve, or buy back, previously distributed materials that contain intolerance.

How extremism and intolerance crept into the school text books?

Let us pause here to refresh our memories how the so-called extremism, hatred and intolerance crept into the school text books.

In the twilight of the Cold War, the United States spent millions of dollars to supply Afghan schoolchildren with textbooks filled with violent images and militant Islamic teachings, part of covert attempts to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation, according to the Washington Post.

The primers, which were filled with talk of jihad and featured drawings of guns, bullets, soldiers and mines, have served since then as the Afghan school system's core curriculum.

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Anthony Scaramucci at SALT Conference 2016

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Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon were both left out of the decision making process (vile chemicals in Trump's skull, otherwise known, for most beings, as a brain.) It is being said that he doesn't have the qualifications for this. I'd have to disagree. Trump wants an attack dog who makes a living faking. Scaramucci will make Trump much happier. Expect him to routinely attack the media, insult journalists and to build the message that the Trump White House has been excreting that the media offers fake news. Scaramucci is reportedly worth $1.5 billion dollars and owned the hedge fund of hedge funds-- investment firm SkyBridge Capital, which he sold to a Chinese Bank for $11.5 billion, earlier this year. That gives him great experience for selling out America to Russia, China and whatever other buyers POSPOTUS Trump lines up

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Rob Kall Social Media Pages:

Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media. Check out his platform at RobKall.com He is the author of The Bottom-up Revolution; Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity He's given talks and workshops to Fortune 500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful people on his Bottom Up Radio Show, and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and opinion sites, OpEdNews.com more detailed bio: Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, debillionairizing the planet (more...)



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A jet-set lifestyle doesnt have to be all private planes and decadent digs. In our Jet-Set Bohemian series, we blend the best of high and low for just the right balance  enticing everyone from backpackers to luxury boutique hotel lovers to come along for the ride.

Glancing out the window from my seat in the corner of Italian hair legend Rossano Ferrettis new hair spa, I can catch glimpses of megayachts cruising in and out of Monte-Carlos harbor below. The view may be one benefit of Ferrettis first Riviera-based salon, but the location was a strategic one. Set inside Monacos landmark Hotel de Paris, which will wrap up four years of renovations next winter, the salon will be just as much of a destination as the hotel itself.

It makes sense to be here, Ferretti explains as hes analyzing my hair in preparation for The Method, his revolutionary cutting style thats become a fave of everyone from Reese Witherspoon to the Duchess of Cambridge. Monaco is international and open year-round, while other towns like Saint-Tropez shut down in winter.

Over 20 years ago, Ferretti redefined the salon concept, making it more about an experience that starts with the most heavenly scalp massage. Thats one of my favorite parts, he says with a smile. Now his brand of hairspas has expanded to 20 locations in some of the most exclusive addresses on the globe, from the Four Seasons Hotel Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives to the rue Cambon in Paris.

Just as he revolutionized the salon concept, hes now taking his services one step further in a style that falls perfectly into place along the French Riviera: on board yachts. The Fly to You service will be the Rivieras first and only jet and yacht salon service, with a team of Ferretti-trained stylists jetting off to yachts anywhere along the Cote dAzur for onboard appointments.

Ferrettis new yacht service is just one of a handful catering to luxury yacht living this summer. In addition to making on board salon appointments, travelers can now even order a yacht itself. Thanks to apps like UberYACHT and Airbnb-style GetMyBoat, hopping on board a private yacht has never been easier (or cheaper).

One of our core goals at GetMyBoat is to help everyone experience the water all over the worldand at any price point. Most people using GetMyBoat are looking to get away from everyday life to relax with friends and family, though were seeing a growing number of travelers seeking hidden coves and secret beaches that are only accessible by boat, explains GetMyBoat COO Bryan Petro.

Similar to the accommodation-based Airbnb, GetMyBoat is an app with 66,000 boats scattered throughout 171 countries, with some of the most popular destinations being Bali and Split, Croatia. The best part: you can book by the day or hour. In Capri, for example, travelers can snag a motor yacht for $143 per hour or $1,027 for the day.

The two-year-old Yachtlife app, meanwhile, operates more as a hotel booking platform for boats. Think of it as a Soho House for yacht charters, where members pay an annual fee to access a network of yachts that can be booked as easily as hotel rooms, with a concierge accessible 24/7 to take care of anything you may need. Launched in Miami, the app now has charters available in over a dozen haute yachting locales around the world, from The Hamptons to Ibiza and Mykonos.

If youd rather stay on board longer than a day, YachtLife even offers trips from Miami to Cuba, pausing in luxe islands like Little Palm in the Florida Keys along the way. Not only can you vacation like the jetset crowd, you can also live like them (at least for a few days) with your own personal chef on board and crew ready to make restaurant reservations at spots on shore.

Uber is another app that brought yachting to the masses when it debuted UberYACHT in the Dubai Marina last spring. For one day, the app offered a party boat experience that travelers could reserve 48 hours in advance. For just $82, you could hop on board and whisk off with everything you needed for a half-day fete on the water: food, drinks and Nikki Beach DJ included.

Following seasonal stints in Miami and Istanbul, Uber launched another option last month dubbed UberBOAT. The summer service will run along the Dalmatian Coast, offering private speedboat transfers from some of Croatias most-visited locales, such as Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik.

We want to offer a safe and straightforward service for our riders, as well as for numerous foreign and domestic tourists in Croatia, explained Davor Tremac, general manager of Uber in Croatia and Southeast Europe, in a press statement. By launching UberBOAT, we aim to provide a new way of exploring and traveling around the Croatian coast.

With the app, you can opt between two services: transfers from the coast to the island of Hvar (which costs around $400 for eight people from Split) or a half- or full-day trip at sea, island hopping on a 12-person UberBOATXL, which costs around $1,100 (captain included), depending on where youre sailing. Not only does this option take out the hassle of planning and paying cash for a boat charter in a foreign country (and language), it also makes splitting costs even easier for friends traveling as a group, thanks to Ubers signature Split Fare feature.

Lane Nieset is Pastes Jet-Set Bohemian columnist and a freelance writer covering all things travel from her home base in Nice, France.
One of the most important events on the art calendar, the 57th Venice Art Biennale (affectionately known as La Biennale to regulars) opened in mid-May and runs through Nov. 26. Tickets begin at 31.50 euros for a 48-hour visitwe recommend taking your timeand discounts are available for students and those under 26.

Officially, the biennale takes place in the vast space of the Arsenale and in the national pavilions of the Giardini. But dont be afraid to go off script and wander to collateral, or satellite, events. Venice is the capital of wandering, after all. To get the most out of this art bounty, purchase an ACTV Vaporetto ticket for unlimited travel. The passes cost 30 euros for two days, which can be more economical than paying as you go.

Here are our picks of some of the best shows to see.

German Pavilion



Photo courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia

Faust by Anna Imhof seemed to attract the longest lines of the biennales opening weekend and, appropriately, earned the top prize: the Golden Lion award for best national pavilion. Two black Dobermans prowl around, guarding the entrance to a performance space situated below a raised glass floor. Beneath visitors feet, black-clad performers crawl without emotion while a harsh, metallic soundtrack thrums in the background. Its an unnerving and powerful take on contemporary alienation, power and powerlessness.

Tunisian Pavilion



Photo courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia

The Absence of Paths, curated by Lina Lazaar, is just one of several shows addressing the current refugee crisis, but it does so in perhaps the most innovative way. Three kiosks (staffed by unsuccessful asylum seekers) issue visas, AKA Freesas, to visitors. The visas are authentic-looking, even including the text visible only under UV light. Recipients are not compelled to take any action upon receiving their own unique visa and stamping it with their thumbprint, but in accepting it, effectively endorse a philosophy of universal freedom of movement without the need for arbitrary state-based sanction, as the passport-sized booklet notes.

South African Pavilion



Photo by Karen Gardiner

Forced migration is the topic of Candice Breitz and Mohau Modisakengs joint exhibition for the South African Pavilion. Both work with film. Modisakeng presents a sublime three-channel installation named Passage in which boats slowly fill with water, submerging the bodies lying in them. The piece is a meditation on slavery and its impacts on African identities. Breitzs Love Story features the actors Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin reenacting interviews with refugees. In another room you can listen to the original interviews with headsets. It is a work that raises questions of what and with whom the viewer empathizes.

Mexican Pavilion



Photo by Karen Gardiner

Music features in a number of the national pavilions, one of the most popular of which is the French artist Xavier Veilhans Studio Venezia, which turns the French pavilion into a working recording studio. Over in the Mexican pavilion, for Life in the Folds, Carlos Amorales has created ceramic musical instruments in order to give sound to each of the letters of his invented alphabet. Seemingly random and pleasant notes are played as the visitor walks around the space, but they take on a more sinister tone as they all converge in a film telling the story of a lynched migrant family.

Ireland at Venice

In her film work depicting the actress Olwen Fouere as a giantess, Jesse Jones imagines the Irish pavilion as a site of alternative law, and a fictional past when women held power. She proposes the return of the witch as a feminist archetype and disrupter. Focused on bodily autonomy, witchcraft and the rise of social movements in Ireland, Tremble, Tremble, takes its name from a 1970s Italian wages-for-housework sloganTremate, tremate, le streghe sono tornate! (Tremble, tremble, the witches have returned!)and its inspiration from a rising social movement in Ireland that calls for a transformation of the relationship between the church and the state.

Malta Pavilion

For its return to Venice after a 17-year absence, the Malta pavilion (curated by Bettina Hutschek and Raphael Vella) presents a kind of mini museum filled with contemporary artworks and historical cultural artifacts. The collection, titled Homo Melitensis  An Incomplete Inventory in 19 Chapters, represents an attempt to define Maltese identity. The displayed items range from the serious (religious iconography) to the absurd (a box of Maltesers candy).

Scotland + Venice (Collateral Event)

In a dimly lit deconsecrated church in the Cannaregio district, the rapidly ascending Scottish video artist Rachel Maclean presents a wry commentary on Brexit, Trump and post-truth political rhetoric. Spite Your Face, her 30-minute looping film, takes the tale of Pinocchio as inspiration for one of a young boy named Pic (played, like every character, by Maclean) who, seduced by wealth, finds himself embroiled deep in a web of lies.

Catalonia in Venice (Collateral Event)



Photo by Karen Gardiner

How do you see Venice if not with your eyes? That is a question posed by Anton Abaldi in La Venezia che non si vede in the Castello district. The Catalan artist has created a sensory map of the city in collaboration with blind and visually impaired residents. Download the specially created app and you can listen to their site-specific commentary as you explore the installation. You can also join a free boat tour guided by a blind Venetian who describes their experiences navigating the cityone that is not very accessiblewhile passengers wear blindfolds.

What Else is On in Venice



Photo courtesy of Shezad Dawood

While it is not part of the biennale proceedings, Damien Hirsts mammoth Treasures From the Wreck of the Unbelievable tells the tall tale of an ancient shipwreck and its bounty. It is on view at the Palazzo Grassi and Punta Della Dogana through Dec. 3. At Palazzina Canonica and Fortuny Factory, London-based Shezad Dawood presents the first two chapters of his ambitious 10-part film project Leviathan (pictured above). The film cycle is set in an imaginary future whose inhabitants are the survivors of a cataclysmic solar event.

Where to Stay

Hotel rates are generally steep in Venice but if you are looking to save a little, you could do a lot worse than the Generator hostel on Giudecca. If the word hostel conjures up unenticing images, note that this one is very clean and design-savvy, and you have the choice of staying in a private room or in a dorm. Otherwise, B&B Venezia (a stones throw from the Giardini) and the stylish Ca Pisani, member of the Design Hotels collection, are two well-located and reasonably priced options.

Karen is a Scottish freelance writer now based in New York City.
Civil forfeiture, the seizure of property by the government, is being used unjustly and unethically. Property is not sacred, but the well-being of my fellow citizens is. When forfeiture is used against the meek, it becomes everyones business. Asset-grabbing is part of the grotesque process where law enforcement parasites off the population it is there to protect. As the forfeiture expert Christopher Ingraham wrote in the Post:

Under civil forfeiture, the burden of proof is on the property owner to prove their innocence to get their stuff back. This turns the common criminal-law principle on its head: When it comes to civil forfeiture, you are guilty until proven innocent.

Stop and seize really took off after September 11th, and the government never looked back. Why would they? Money for nothing and checks for free. Since Ingrahams original article on the topic, about $2.5 billion in cash has been grabbed on the highway. And thats not considering everywhere else forfeiture predominates.

Recently, under Trump, forfeiture has roared back to life. According to Ingraham, the Sessions Department of Justice just turned the $65 million asset forfeiture spigot back on:

The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it will be restarting a federal asset forfeiture program that had been shut down by the previous administration.

JUST IN: DOJ new asset forfeiture policy  police can seize property from people not charged w/crime even in states where it's been banned. pic.twitter.com/P8K0g80m4E  Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) July 19, 2017

Sessions knows a profit opportunity when he sees one. It was a return to form for the Department of Justice. Until recently, the blatant money-grubbing from federal and local law enforcement was much more obvious. Ingraham explained:

Known as adoptive forfeiture, the program  which gives police departments greater leeway to seize property of those suspected of a crime, even if theyre never charged with or convicted of one  was a significant source of revenue for local law enforcement. In the 12 months before Attorney General Eric Holder shut down the program in 2015, state and local authorities took in $65 million that they shared with federal agencies, according to an analysis of federal data by the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm that represents forfeiture defendants. While adoptive forfeitures amount to just a small percentage of the annual multi-billion dollar forfeiture haul, theyve come under harsh criticism for allowing local authorities to sidestep state guidelines and instead take cash and property under much more permissive federal rules.

Ingraham elaborates on the problem: thirteen states have statues which mandate conviction before assets are seized. He writes:

Under federal guidelines, the state and local agencies making adoptive seizures are entitled to up to 80 percent of the proceeds, while federal agencies would receive at least a 20 percent cut. The median value of those seizures was about $9,000, not exactly indicative of major drug trafficking operations. Some of the seizures were as low as a few hundred dollars, including $107 taken by Kanakee, Ill., authorities on March 12, 2014. That money was turned over to the DEA, which is entitled to keep $21.40 of it, with the remaining $85.60 to be returned to Kanakee police.

Who gets the short end of the seizing stick? Why, those who can least afford to contest it:

These numbers comport with numerous other investigations that have found that forfeiture efforts tend to target poor neighborhoods. Between 2012 and 2017, for instance, the median value of assets seized by Cook County police was just over $1,000. A 2015 ACLU analysis of cash forfeitures in Philadelphia turned up a median value of $192.

The small dollar values often at stake, Ingraham writes, undercut forfeiture defenders claims that the practice is necessary to disrupt major criminal organizations.

According to C.J. Ciaramella, poor folk are regularly hit by forfeiture:

Police in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs seized $150 million over the past five years. Those seizures were heaviest in low-income neighborhoods, according to public records. Law enforcement in Cook County, which includes Chicago, seized items from residents ranging from a cashiers check for 34 cents to a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost with an estimated value of more than $200,000. They also seized Xbox controllers, televisions, nunchucks, 12 cans of peas, a pair of rhinestone cufflinks, and a bayonet.

Sarah Stillman, writing for the New Yorker, notes

Yet only a small portion of state and local forfeiture cases target powerful entities. Theres this myth that theyre cracking down on drug cartels and kingpins, Lee McGrath, of the Institute for Justice, who recently co-wrote a paper on Georgias aggressive use of forfeiture, says. In reality, its small amounts, where people arent entitled to a public defender, and cant afford a lawyer, and the only rational response is to walk away from your property, because of the infeasibility of getting your money back. In 2011, he reports, fifty-eight local, county, and statewide police forces in Georgia brought in $2.76 million in forfeitures; more than half the items taken were worth less than six hundred and fifty dollars. With minimal oversight, police can then spend nearly all those proceeds, often without reporting where the money has gone. When you allow the profit incentive, thats when you start getting problems, Porter said. Its like the difference between serving in the Army and working for Blackwater.

A Justice Department study said that about 87 percent of their seizures required no criminal charges. You could write a ballad about how clumsy the laws ledger-bolstering actions have been.

Co-opting public assets is not a new proposition. The reason for the Holder-era reversal was the amount of bad press that profit-hungry John Law got during the Obama Years.

We saw it (and see it) in Ferguson and other American cities, where the police departments pimp out the ordinary people to fatten the departmental wallet. It happens in Florida and Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia, Alabama, Missouri, and North Carolina.

Martinez, Meeks, and Lavandera reported for CNN in 2015:

Just about every branch of Ferguson government  police, municipal court, city hall  participated in unlawful targeting of African-American residents such as Hoskin for tickets and fines, the Justice Department concluded this week. The millions of dollars in fines and fees paid by black residents served an ultimate goal of satisfying revenue rather than public safety needs, the Justice Department found.

There was Awesome! excitement about revenues, according to a report by the Obama-era Justice Department:

The Justice Departments report details how Ferguson operated a vertically integrated system  from street cop to court clerk to judge to city administration to city council  to raise revenue for the city budget through increased ticketing and fining. Fergusons budget increases were so sizable that city officials exhorted police and court staff to levy more and more fines and tickets against violators, who turned out to be largely African-American, the Justice Department said. The demands for revenue were so intense that the police department had little concern with how officers do this, even disciplining officers who failed to issue an average of 28 tickets a month, the Justice Department report said. Officers competed to see who could issue the largest number of citations during a single stop, the Justice Department said. One apparent winner was an officer who issued 14 tickets at a single encounter, according to the federal investigation report.

Gwynn Guilford, writing for QZ, noticed the same effect:

Fergusons economy steadily withered over the last decade, as did its population. Yet even as the number of adult residents fell 11% between 2010 and 2013, fines collected by the citys court system surged 85%, hitting $2.6 million last year. ... In fact, arresting people for minor violations is exactly the point, as Brendan Roediger, professor at the Saint Louis University School of Law and supervisor of a local civil advocacy clinic, told Governing magazine in its must-read piece. They dont want to actually incarcerate people because it costs money, so they fine them, Roediger said, adding that Fergusons court sometimes hears as many as 300 cases per hour.

Terrence McCoy, writing for the Post, told the story of the ghoulish collection agencies running many American police departments:

This, as the Atlantics Ta-Nehisi Coates pointed out on Twitter, is plunder made legal and Municipal employees in Ferguson report sound more like shareholders. Gangsters. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called it a system primed for maximizing revenue  one that now basically serves as a collection agency instead of a law enforcement entity focused primarily on maintaining public safety. The new Department of Justice report depicts a system in Ferguson that is much closer to a racket aimed at squeezing revenue out of its population than a properly working democracy, wrote George Washington University political scientist Henry Farrell  As described in the report, Farrell and others pointed out, Ferguson is reminiscent of medieval Europe, when gangster governments collected tribute and bamboozled the subject population at every turn.

Then (as now) for-profit law enforcement system rules everywhere, what Human Rights Watch has deemed the Offender-Funded Business Model. In post-industrial capitalism, where everything is outsourced, why not outsource the running of departments to the offender? This model rules the roost in probation, in court, in everything.

Time after time, the goods of innocent people have been grabbed by overzealous law enforcement in the pursuit of ambiguous ends and little-defined goals. Where can the victims turn? What authority do they petition? Asset grabbing, when unwarranted, is a body blow to people of small property and little power. It is part of the encroaching militarization and armoring of law enforcement against the populace. It was done during the hysteria of the Eighties and Nineties, and the powers of John Law were augmented during our unjust drug war. The world of terrorism is forfeitures golden age. It is long past time to dismantle the hungry hands of justice. We get the law enforcement we pay for. Literally. Crime may not pay, but seizure certainly does.
A member of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee, PIAC, in charge of communication, Mr Samuel Zan Akolgo has said the issue of security in Ghanas oil and Gas industry must be closely monitored and demystified to bring transparency in the system.



He expressed concern about how the operators in Ghanas oil and Gas industry are preventing stakeholders from knowing the exact happening in the industry and making the entire industry look like a monster.



He is of the view that dense security in the oil and gas industry has become a major issue and threatening transparency. He wondered why the president of Ghana scheduled to visit the Floating production Storage Offload Vessel FPSOs, would require permission from the oil operators. Can you imagine that a whole president of Ghana does not have access to the oil rigs and platforms unless he is given permission by the Partners, he grumbled.



The whole issue about oil and Gas business in Ghana is chalky and I think we need to look at how we can make it transparent.



There is a need for us to look at security surrounding Ghanas oil industry, especially when the president of Ghana needs permission to be on the FPSO. The secrecy surrounding the oil industry is a worrying issue.



Research indicates that since 2010 when oil and gas production offshore Ghana commenced no member of PIAC has been on any of the oil platforms to ascertain what goes on there.



Mr Zan Akologos concerns are also expressed by some major stakeholders like, Joseph Winful, Chairman of PIAC and Allan Larsey of the German Technical Cooperation who argue that such practices could compromise transparency in crude oil lifting and distributions.



Ghana could be producing more crude oil in its Jubilee Field than the production figures being recorded due the unavailability of proper checks and control measures on the Floating Production Storage, Offload Vessels, (FPSOs), Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee(PIAC), Mr Joseph Winful has stressed.



Speaking in an interview with the New Crusading Guide at the Launch of the 2016 report on oil and Gas production in Ghana recently, Mr Winful said he doubts some of the figures being recorded by the oil companies as production figures for the year. Mr Winful said stationing one officer of the Ghana Revenue Authority on the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah and other oil platforms to check and verify the quantity of oil being produced is a great risk since such an officer could be compromised.



He said this happened and continue to happen in the mining sector where mining companies compromise officers of state and the Ghana revenue authority on daily bases in order to have their way. He has therefore called for proper measures to be set in place to ensure that the right quantities are calculated and recorded. We should have more GRA officials on the FPSO. We cant rely on only one person for information. We need to do more ensure that or oil resources are properly accounted for he stated.



The Head of Governance at the German Technical Corporation, Allan Larsey in a related development corroborated this view and said the positioning of a single officer of the Ghana Revenue Authority is breeding disaster in the fight against accountability in the oil and gas sector. He therefore suggested that the number of GRA officials should be increased from one to either two or three on the FPSO to ensure that they undertake proper monitoring checks and balances to help record the right figures for Ghana

Source: New Crusading 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.

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The Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Heather Cameron, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye where he announced that a high-powered delegation from Canadas Parliament and the House of Commons consisting of the Africa-Canadian Parliamentary Network Association will be visiting Ghana and Senegal from 24-25 August, 2017.



The visit, according to her, is to help strengthen the relationship between the parliaments of Ghana and Canada.



The Canadian High Commissioner said the visit would also afford the group the opportunity to assess the assistance Canadas Parliament has been giving to Ghanas Parliament to strengthen the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Ghanas Parliament.



She said the Canadian government would continue to offer the necessary technical and financial support to the country to advance its development and sustain democracy.



The speaker, Prof Mike Ocquaye, on his part, thanked the High Commissioner for the visit and the refreshing information.



He stressed the need for MPs from Ghanas Parliament to have an exchange programme with their Canadian counterparts so that the MPs can learn from their experiences.



He also asked Canadas government and for that matter its Parliament to help build the capacity of staff of Ghanas Parliament and also give them the opportunity to visit Canadas Parliament to learn from their Canadian counterparts.

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.

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Country Director for non-governmental organization, SEND-Ghana, George Osei-Bimpeh is expressing concern about what he says is the lip service government institutions are paying to social protection programmes.



According to him, the implementation of key social protection programs has been characterized by poor budget planning and execution which he believes are inconsistent with the commitment of reducing poverty and inequality in Ghana.



Funds disbursement to support social protection programs are irregular, unpredictable and inadequate. Collaboration and coordination are weak among key Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other policy makers responsible for social intervention programs, he explained.



Mr. Osei Bimpeh also expressed concern about the limited number of people benefiting from government social intervention programmes in the country. He cited the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme as one good intervention which unfortunately reaches only one out of eight qualified poor households.



Mr. Osei Bimpeh also expressed concern about the increasing inequality gap in the country, noting since the 1990s, Ghana has seen the inequality gap spiral out of control. Citing a report by the United Nations International Childrens Fund (UNICEF), he noted the situation of general poverty in the country is still high, especially in rural areas and some regions.



He said the highest level of inequality is in the Upper West region and it represents the largest increase since the 1990s. He added the gap between the poorest 10% and the richest 10% of the population has been increasing since 2006 with wealthiest consuming 6.8 times than poorest 10%.



Mr. Osei Bimpeh was speaking at a workshop in Accra organized by SEND Ghana in collaboration with the UNICEF, OXFAM, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Christian Aid, SOS Children Villages, Ghana Integrity Initiative and Action Aid on the theme: Financing Social Protection to Reduce Inequality.



The workshop is aimed at coming out with clear policy options and recommendations to influence government policy choices in the 2018 budget. In the short term and medium to long term, civil societys aim is to come out with strategies that will enable government mobilize resources and use same to fight inequality and poverty aggressively he explained.



The Country Director indicated that civil societies are ready to partner government in helping develop the country. We see it as responsibility to move away from our spectating stance to becoming active citizens, we will demand prudent use of any public resource allocated for addressing inequality, he said.



Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisah Djaba charged stakeholders and donor partners to keep supporting government in financing social inequality projects to reduce poverty in the country.

She believes the protection of the rights of the vulnerable is a collective responsibility and called on all Ghanaians to play a role in that. She applauded development partners especially SEND- Ghana for their support and commitment to securing inclusion for the vulnerable and alleviating poverty in the country.



Also present at the workshop were representatives from the Centre for Budget Advocacy Ghana, Ministry of Finance and Parliamentary Select committee on Poverty Reduction.





Source: Nana Yaw Reuben Jnr, Freelance Journalist









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

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The German government increased pressure on Turkey yesterday after the jailing of a human rights activist, telling all citizens traveling there to exercise caution and threatening to withhold backing for German investments in Turkey.

Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Berlin had shown patience amid rising tensions with Turkey, but time and again we have been disappointed. While Germany stopped short of more drastic immediate action, his statement marked a shift to a more hawkish public stance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman called Gabriels comments unfortunate, and the Foreign Ministry accused Berlin of blackmail and threats, saying that it would not make concessions regarding Turkeys judiciary. Ankara rejects complaints about the jailing of German Peter Steudtner and five other activists accused of links to terror groups.

German-Turkish relations have been souring for over a year, particularly since last Julys coup attempt in Turkey. Twenty-two German citizens have been taken into custody in the ensuing crackdown. Nine are currently in jail, including Steudtner and journalists Deniz Yucel and Mesale Tolu.

The countries also have tangled over Turkey blocking German lawmakers visits to German troops serving in the campaign against the Islamic State group at two Turkish air bases and over authorities refusal to allow rallies by Turkish government politicians in Germany. The latter spat prompted Erdogan to accuse Germany of committing Nazi practices.

The immediate trigger of Germanys ire was a Turkish courts decision Tuesday to jail Steudtner and the other activists, including Amnesty Internationals Turkey director and a Swedish IT trainer, who were detained in a July 5 police raid on a hotel on the island of Buyukada, where they were attending a digital security workshop.

Amnesty says Steudtner was providing training on non-violence and wellbeing. Its unclear which terror group the six are accused of aiding.

Berlin was alarmed because Steudtner has no previous links to Turkey and yet was still accused of links to terror, which Germany says are far-fetched. Gabriel said the case shows that German citizens are no longer safe from arbitrary arrests.

The cases of Peter Steudtner, Deniz Yucel and Ms. Tolu are examples of the absurd accusations of terror propaganda that obviously are only meant to serve to silence every critical voice in Turkey [] and also voices from Germany, Gabriel said. He also complained that German companies are being accused without evidence of helping terrorists.

We must be clearer than before so that authorities in Ankara understand that such policies are not without consequences, Gabriel told reporters after interrupting his vacation for consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders.

The Foreign Ministry issued travel advice which, while short of a formal warning, stated that people traveling for private or business reasons to Turkey are advised to exercise elevated caution and to register with the German embassy or consulate even for short stays.

Gabriel also cast doubt on the future of government export guarantees for German companies investments in Turkey in light of the threat of arbitrary expropriations for political reasons. The government offers such guarantees to insure exports to many countries, but Gabriel said that you cannot advise anyone to invest in a country if there is no longer legal security.

He added that Berlin will discuss with its European Union partners the future of financial aid for Ankara allocated to help prepare Turkey to join the bloc, even as talks on its possible membership have stalled. And he said that credits from European development banks should be examined.

The German government will consider those questions and further measures over the coming weeks, Gabriel said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said the rights activists now arrested were involved in a meeting that had the nature of a continuation of the coup attempt.

Erdogans spokesman argued that Gabriels comments were geared toward a domestic audience ahead of Germanys Sept. 24 election. Merkels and Gabriels parties are rivals in that vote, but both have made clear that the new stance toward Turkey was coordinated.

We strongly condemn statements that German citizens who travel to Turkey are not safe and that German companies in Turkey have hesitations and concerns, Ibrahim Kalin said. There is no such thing.

Kalin also urged Germany to respect decisions by the Turkish judiciary, saying the human rights defenders werent ordinary visitors but as far as the judiciary could establish, people who engaged in illegal or suspicious activities.

In its statement, Turkeys Foreign Ministry said that the two countries were going through a crisis of confidence, blaming it on what it said was Germanys double-standard attitude toward Turkey.

Over the past year, more than 50,000 people have been arrested and 110,000 dismissed from their jobs for alleged links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen  on whom Ankara blames the coup attempt  and other terror groups. Geir Moulson, Berlin, AP
The Government of Ghana spent over 5 million Ghana cedis on the countrys 60th anniversary celebrations.



The deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng who made the revelation on the floor of Parliament Thursday stated that government allocated 5.26 million for the year-long celebrations.



The Ministry of Finance released an amount of GH5.26 million cedis towards the celebration of the 60th independence anniversary of Ghana. This was made up of GH3.1 million from government of Ghana sources of funding and GH2.16 million from the District Assembly Common Fund.



Out of the total GH5.26 million, GH 3 million went to the office of the Chief of Staff at the Ghana at 60 secretariats while GH100,000 and GH2.1 million went to the 100 regional coordinating councils and 216 district assemblies respectively, Mr. Kwarteng told Members of Parliament Thursday.



The revelation by the Deputy Finance Minister contradicts claims by the President that funds for the 60th anniversary would be sourced from the private sector.



Several private companies donated towards the year-long celebrations but it is unclear if the monies were part of the amount spent.



Mr. Kwarteng, however, had a tough time in Parliament as he could not disclose how much was generated from donations towards the celebration.

Source: starrfmonline.com









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

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There have been a couple of pretty wild moments in the past few days for those in the Australian media.

When former Greens senator Scott Ludlam announced his shock resignation from office on account of his lingering dual citizenship with New Zealand, we rushed to ascertain exactly what the hell had happened. Once we had the facts, we let you know about em. It was a, uh, turbulent half hour.

Then, when we got word that former Greens senator Larissa Waters had an important announcement several days later, we engaged breaking news mode in preparation for the seemingly impossible. Of course, it was true: Waters, too, admitted she was ineligible to serve over her Canadian citizenship.

So, imagine winding down on a Friday afternoon to see this from Greens leader Richard Di Natale:

I will be making an important announcement shortly.  Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) July 21, 2017

The horror.

In preparation for the most concentrated (and avoidable) episode of political devastation in recent memory, we anticipated the news that Di Natale would tell us he was actually a dual citizen with Peru, Mongolia, or the Principality of Sealand.

Finally, he cleared up his citizenship status with a letter from the Consulate General of Italy, confirming that Di Natale is not an Italian citizen.

Like, good for him. It would be a genuine loss to Australias political landscape if the Greens leader also had to step down, following the resignation of two politicians who werent objectively evil. At the same time, we must say this:

You got us, Richard. We are howling and hollering. Goddamnit.

Politicians have been rushing to prove that they are, in fact, eligible to serve the Australian public. Thats all well and good, but we prefer it done without any heart-attack inducing shenanigans on an otherwise peaceful Friday afternoon.

You can start the Luigi jokes now.  Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) July 21, 2017

No doubt our friends in the media will require all other MPs in a similar situation to provide the same level of documentation.  Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) July 21, 2017

Source: Richard Di Natale / Twitter.

Photo: Anadolu Agency / Getty.
Scott Blumstein Takes Huge Lead in WSOP Main Event; Only Seven Remain

July 21, 2017 Brett Collson Chief Editor

The plan on Thursday for the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event was to play down to the final six players, then bag up chips and return Friday to play down to the final three. Those plans changed early Friday morning with seven still left, including one massive chip leader and several short stacks vying for the $8.15 million top prize.

Scott Blumstein collected nearly half the chips in play on Thursday despite not knocking out a single player. It was a huge hand against fan favorite John Hesp that allowed him to double up and take a massive lead heading into Friday's second stage of the finale.

"If I was going to play a big pot with John, it was going to be with top set."

The clash began when Blumstein, the second-biggest stack at the time, opened the hand from under the gun for 2.2 million and Hesp, the chip leader, called from the big blind. Both players checked on ace-seven-five rainbow and an off-suit ten hit the turn. Hesp checked again and Blumstein bet 3 million. Hesp check-raised to 7 million, and Blumstein responded with a three-bet to 17 million.

Hesp shot up out of his chair, then moved all in. Blumstein snap-called, creating the biggest pot of the tournament thus far. Hesp had top two pair with ace-ten suited but was drawing dead against the top set of aces of Blumstein, who ran over to his rail to celebrate even before the river card was dealt. The meaningless three of clubs completed the board and Hesp lost the 156 million-chip pot, leaving him with only 24 million. Blumstein was still stacking his huge pile of newfound chips a couple hands later.

"It was nice knowing he was probably drawing dead," Blumstein said about the hand afterward. "In poker, it's not very often do you get to celebrate when the chips get in the middle. It was nice playing a big pot with aces, and if I was going to play a big pot with John, it was going to be with top set.

Hesp loses a massive pot to Blumstein

Before that hand took place, it was Hesp commanding the table. He won the first three hands of the day, one of them a big bluff that he happily showed to get a big rise out of those in attendance.

On the fourth hand of the final table, the crowd got even louder as the first all-in confrontation took place. Ben Lamb shoved with ace-nine suited out of the big blind against Jack Sinclair who had opened from the button. Sinclair called with ace-queen, which held up through the flop, turn and river. Lamb was the first player out and took home $1 million for his ninth-place finish. The high-stakes poker pro finished third place in this event in 2011 for $4,021,138.

"I thought I played really well. So I'm not going to beat myself up about any of that."

"My plan was basically to pick up a hand against Jack because I thought he was going to be raising," Lamb said in his exit interview. "I picked up ace-nine suited with a little over 20 big blinds and felt great about it. "When he snap-called I was pretty sure I was dead to three outs."

On making a second final table in the Main Event in six years, Lamb said the thing he'll look back on most is the amount of enjoyment he had the second time around. "I had so much fun in this tournament," he said. "I was happy with all of my plays. I thought I played really well. So I'm not going to beat myself up about any of that."

Another former November Niner, Antoine Saout, was close to being the second player eliminated but escaped when his ten-nine came from behind against the king-eight of Sinclair after all the chips went in preflop. Dan Ott then got a double through Blumstein when his ace-jack held up against Blumstein's queen-ten on a jack-high board, leaving eight players still in contention.

A short while later, Sinclair ended up on the rail in eighth place. The Englishman moved all in with king-jack suited right into the aces of Bryan Piccioli. The flop brought a king to keep Sinclair hopeful, but the turn and river bricked end Sinclair's run in eighth place for a payout worth $1,200,000.

Piccioli celebrates with his rail

That pot sent Piccioli back into third position on the leaderboard. The longtime pro felt fortunate to find the premium hand at the right time.

"I had a few close spots where I made some tight folds Im sure people saw on the stream but with my stack and being kind of short but having other stacks that were shorter than me," Piccioli explained. "So yeah I basically had enough to keep me out of trouble. Then Jack (Sinclair) moved in and obviously when you see a guy all in in front of you, you always dream to look down at aces, and that happened. The flop was a bit scary could have been scarier but Ill take it."

Play continued for 35 more minutes after Sinclair's exit, but the same seven players were still grinding away. Then, shortly after Blumstein won a big pot off Ott to increase his lead, tournament organizers called for the bags to come out and play was halted for the day. Instead of the original plan of playing down to six players, seven will return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Blumstein is way out in front with 178,300,000 in chips, while Frenchman Benjamin Pollak (77,525,000) is the only other player above 40 million. Blumstein was asked what was going through his mind after the day was over.

"A lot of thoughts, and a lot of nothing," he replied. "It's overwhelming. I didn't expect tonight to go as well as it did. That hand was pretty brutal for John. He had two pair on the driest board and I was lucky enough to have top set. I accumulated around 80 million chips, how I could be upset with that?"

Final Table Seat Draw/Results

Seat Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds % Trend Since Start 1 John Hesp United Kingdom 22,475,000 18.7 6% -63,225,000 2 Scott Blumstein United States 178,300,000 148.6 49% +81,050,000 3 Antoine Saout France 14,550,000 12.1 4% -7,200,000 4 Benjamin Pollak France 77,525,000 64.6 22% +42,350,000 5 Damian Salas Argentina 15,625,000 13.0 4% -6,550,000 6 Bryan Piccioli United States 35,750,000 29.8 10% +1,950,000 7 Dan Ott United States 16,350,000 13.6 5% -10,125,000 Place Player Country Prize 8 Jack Sinclair United Kingdom $1,200,000 9 Ben Lamb United States $1,000,000

Stay tuned to PokerNews as we continue to bring you hand-for-hand action of the World Series of Poker Main Event final table starting at 5:30 p.m. PDT on Friday.

Sharelines Scott Blumstein won the biggest pot of the tournament against John Hesp to take a huge lead with seven left.
Priority: Well-being

While the whole world is celebrating World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14, which is the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin alo Read moreIntegrate diabetes education into workplaces and schools
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Banyan Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Calgary, Alberta (FSCWire) - Banyan Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:BYN). has issued a press release with the following headline:Banyan Gold Corp Closing Second Trance Of Non-Brokered 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 Banyan 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/Banyan Gold Corp.Source: Banyan Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: BYN)Date: July 21, 2017Time: 6:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Banyan 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.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Jadestone Energy Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Singapore (FSCWire) - Jadestone Energy Inc. (TSX Venture:JSE). has issued a press release with the following headline:Notice of 2017 Financial Results and Conference CallTo 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 Jadestone Energy 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/Jadestone Energy Inc.Source: Jadestone Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: JSE, ISIN: CA46989Q1000, WKN: A2DHZ1)Date: July 21, 2017Time: 7:25 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Jadestone Energy 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.)
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.




Its natural to be scared of betting big just after losing a great hand. But savvy gamblers know that just because the first game played out one way, the next wont necessarily follow.

Thats the case in Macau, where a junket operators recent warning of large-scale money-laundering investigations has sparked a sense of deja vu among investors fearful a renewed crackdown on Macaus high rollers could deal another blow just as the gambling hub was starting to feel steady again.

The Bloomberg Intelligence Macau Gaming Index has dropped 4 percent this month, compared to a 6 percent rise in the MSCI China Index, on reports of mainland police investigating questionable money transfers and freezing accounts of junket operators who find and ferry in wealthy players to gamble large sums, mostly on credit.

The worries are understandable: Memories of President Xi Jinpings anti-corruption drive, which began after the last twice-a-decade Communist Party Congress in 2012, have only recently faded with year-on-year revenue growth among VIP customers rising by double digits for three straight quarters.

As officials try to manicure the countrys finances ahead of the 2017 congress, investors might fear casino operators will again bear the brunt of Beijings political maneuvering.

But this time around, things could be different. And investors who look past the politics could benefit by scooping up some bargains.

For one, theres an end game in sight. The most recent Macau purge is coming before the congress this time and there are just a few months to go before the fall confab.

Meanwhile, the very public investigations into financial heavyweights like Anbang Insurance Group Co. and overseas dealmakers such as HNA Group Co. and Dalian Wanda Group suggest officials will spend more time going after entities whose ballooning debt levels and off-balance-sheet investing pose the largest systemic risks to the countrys financial sector, rather than showy casino patrons who flaunt their wealth.

While Beijings tightening grip on VIP gambling in Macau reflects real concerns over capital flight, this need not choke the life out of the citys leisure business  particularly as casino operators develop alternative revenue streams that are less dependent on money flows from the mega rich.

Companies including MGM China Holdings Ltd. and SJM Holdings Ltd. are already much less reliant on high rollers than they used to be, with the VIP share of casino revenue slipping below 50 percent.

Theyre also running tighter businesses, with return on capital, profit margins and return on assets rising in recent quarters.

Tourists are visiting to do more than gamble, too: Macaus retail sales and spending in the first quarter rose by 12 percent and 16.6 percent respectively from the year before, according to the Macau Statistics and Census Service.

Meanwhile, companies including MGM, Sands China Ltd., SJM and Wynn Macau Ltd. are opening new resorts. Diverse attractions such as concert halls and gourmet restaurants should help boost takings, as mass-market guests from mainland China embrace the lower prices ushered in by additional competition.

As casino operators rely less on junkets, they will have to spend more on other kinds of marketing to appeal to lower-income customers who can provide a more dependable source of revenue. That will also help fend off other destinations trying to make inroads in gambling, such as Japan and Vietnam.

A share sell-off might even usher in some good news in the form of contracting valuations. The enterprise value to Ebitda multiple for the BI gaming index is expected to drop to 13.6 in the third quarter of this year, from a second-quarter multiple of 17.4, Bloomberg estimates show.

Ignoring politics is almost impossible when doing any kind of business in China. But if casino operators continue to focus on what they can control, they might be able to tilt the odds back in their favor. Shelly Banjo, Bloomberg
PART M Regulatory Training  Twice the experience ! with Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com) and EASAOnline (www.easaonline.com)

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-- PART M Regulatory Training  Twice the experience ! with Sofema Aviation Services (www.sassofia.com)and EASAOnline (www.easaonline.com)3 Day Part M intensive EASA Compliant Regulatory Training unbeatable prices highly experenced UK Instructor with a Bonus!What is the most effective way of learning Part M  Online or Classroom Training? Wellin the UK September 2017 you can have the Best of Both Worlds.Delegates who sign up for our 3 day Part M classoom Training at Manchester airport will receive free access to www.easaonline.com Part M Foundation Course.What better way to prepare for an intensive classroom training than to go through an online course at your own pace to introduce you to the subject matter and to provide an understanding of the concepts which which you will neeed to become familiar.Unbeatable price Part M 3 days 755 GBP 11th  13th September with free access in advance of the Classroom course to www.easaonline.com Part M Foundation Course.EASAOnline (EOL) is a service provided by SAS, offering a range of EASA compliant online video & regulatory courses.The training courses are designed to be both effective and to help you reach the correct level of understanding in the comfort of your own home or office.The course content is followed by an online examination after which you are able to print out your certificate.Through its Learning Management System (LMS), EOL is able to offer a number of tailored services to support our major clients with in-company courses covering internal procedures and "mini" training courses.The portfolio of available training courses is constantly being expanded and includes all the 145 recurrent training courses, ESDS, SMS, Maintenance Planning and Production Planning. As well as the generic courses which are loaded and available for all users. There are company specific courses, which can only be accessed by your nominated delegate.For addtional details please see HERE ( https://sassofia.com/ course/easa- part-m-subpart- c-g-i-tra... https://sassofia.com/course/easa-part-m-subpart-c-g-i-training-3-days-manchester-england/or email office@sassofia.com
Central to this year's Mid Year Retreat (MYR) was a clear theme - Putting the Customer First.

1 2 3 Member of Alpha Direct Team 2 Some Members of The Alpha Direct Team Alpha Direct Team Members pictured with Dereck King

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-- July 14 to 16, was the second Alpha Direct Agency Mid Year Retreat. The Company which is a preferred Insurance Agency by many City and Suburban dwellers and Businesses alike puts on a retreat for its hard working Employees Mid-Year. With this Mid-Year Retreat aka MYR (pronounced Mya) "Our goal is to give our Team a chance to pause and reflect. It was a weekend full of memorable dinning experiences, some relaxation and reconnecting with all members from our 4 Offices" says Emmanuel Osuyah, Principal and Founder of The Alpha Direct Agency LLC.This year, the retreat included Seminars, and Presentations from different Insurance Companies, Guest Speakers, plus Awards for Key Employees & Supportive Underwriters.our Associate Agent was honored with a 5 Year Service Award whileour Raleigh NC Office, Associate Agent was honored as the First recipient of the "Tom Krolack Achiever's Award". The award is given in the recognition of active goal setting and achievement. Named after Thomas Krolack a Nationwide Insurance Sales Manager who worked very closely with The Alpha Direct Agency for more than a decade.Additional Award recipients include: Pat Latchman a Head Underwriter at Brokers Facilities Corp and Dereck J. King - Marketing VP & Underwriting Manager at JJ Farber Lottman Inc. Both Companies are General Agencies that have worked with the Agency for over 10 years."At Alpha Direct Agency, we share a passion for gratitude and so even though I'm surprised to receive this first of its kind Achiever's Award in the Company, it is not out of character for our Company", says Yinette Betances; one of the honorees.Central to this year's Mid Year Retreat was a clear theme - "Putting the Customer first at all times". Says Gisbell Tejada, the Company's Operations Manager who was also honored in 2016 for 10 Year Service Award. Other notable Guest Speakers during this 2 day event:who in 40 minutes challenged the team with a few trending retention techniques that resonate with customers and breed loyalty andfrom Aflac; one of the Company's Premiere spokespersons.Mr. Osuyah, the founder closed the event with the group recital of afollowed by a raving applause. The inspirational closing speech titledreminded the Team about the importance of building a loyal customer base by working tirelessly to earn each customer'swith every opportunity;in person, on the phone and especially over emails.The Alpha Direct Agency will like to thank the accommodation and event Management Staff at the following establishments:for their hospitality during our Weekend Retreat.See photos from this event at #ALPHADMYR17More about Alpha Direct Agency at www.alphadrct.com
Aroma Bravo encourages consumers to drink coffee more responsibly and support brands that fairly compensate coffee farmers.

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-- Behind the enormous success of the gourmet coffee industry lies some bitter truths: that climate change is severely affecting global coffee production, coffeehouse specialty drinks are ridiculously overhyped and overpriced, and the majority of coffee farmers are still underpaid to this day. Aroma Bravo Coffee and Tea could not agree more with these realities. As an organic retailer of gourmet coffee beans, it has unfortunately seen the ugly parts of the industry and couldn't help but worry about the direction it is going."There are a lot of issues to tackle about the coffee market. In my opinion, we need to be more mindful about our coffee drinking habits because our actions directly affect the livelihoods of millions of people," a representative from Aroma Bravo said in a recent interview."One of the first things we have to change is wasting coffee. Many people simply throw out their coffee once it gets cold or perhaps order more than the amount they actually need. I think it's really disrespectful of the tremendous effort that goes into a cup of coffee. Aside from the grave changes in the climate, most coffee farmers have to put up with very little pay for the laborious job of producing gourmet coffee beans for our pleasure. We should appreciate their efforts by drinking coffee more responsibly instead of carelessly wasting it," he continued.Another way to become a responsible coffee drinker is to only buy coffee beans from companies that fairly compensate their workers."The proper compensation of coffee farmers is still a serious problem in the industry. Some retailers take advantage of the poor farmers by paying them so little, and then selling the coffee beans to consumers for a much higher profit. We completely reject this practice, that's why we've set up a profit-sharing system for our Honduran coffee farmers so they can all get their fair share. We want them to know how much we appreciate their hard work by giving them the income they deserve," the representative further added.Responsible coffee consumption doesn't only benefit the coffee workers but the coffee drinkers as well. When people are more mindful about their coffee choices, the farmers will get better treatment which will naturally lead to higher-quality gourmet coffee for everyone to enjoy. Aroma Bravo hopes that coffee lovers around the world will soon realize this and follow suit.More info about Aroma Bravo Coffee and Tea can be found at https://www.amazon.com/ review/R1XP3CNCOBGXVS/ ref=cm_cr_rd... Aroma Bravo is a trusted brand of gourmet coffee beans from Honduras. Grown in organic farms and roasted in small batches, Aroma Bravo Gourmet Coffee is highly recommended for coffee lovers.
With more than 45 Years of experience behind us we know the importance of managing competence and we share passionately our view that compliance with EASA regulations should be considered as minimum compliance.

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-- No other training organisation offers the depth and breadth of CAMO related Courses than Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com taken together with the Online Foundation Training offered through www.easaonline.com we believe we off offering an unrivalled opportunity to raise the competence levels of your employees.With more than 45 Years of experience behind us we know the importance of managing competence and we share passionately our view that compliance with EASA regulations should be considered as minimum compliance.With the foundation series we offer a range of cost effective learning opportunities including online  webbex  and classroom training.Employees with skill level and knowledge gaps are not necessarily a safety risk, however without doubt they operate at a lower efficiency level and create a "hidden" cost to the organisation.Any organisation considering optimising its processes should as a matter of best practice consider at the same time the process for managing and developing competence throughout the business.The EASA Regulatory environment is ever changing and very specific and is often a challenge for the HR department to maintain an appropriate level of engagement.Using SAS to support your regulatory and vocational objectives will help yo to Maximise employee efficiency.Ensure currency related to EASA regulatory changes.Promote internal development and competence building leading to organisational organic growth.Are you aware of the Competence Level of your staff, EASA provides guidance in respect of EASA Part 145, but this is not the complete picture, however in respect of Part M and Part 21 Subpart G this guidance is quite minimal.It is left to the organisation to develop appropriate Competence Management Processes.Consider as the regulations are sparse in several areas it is not possible for regulatory auditors to identify exposures which do not relate to specific findings but never the less hurt the organisation.Our training courses (currently more than 300) our focused on practical engagement and relevancy to the subject matter. Sofema Aviation Services prides itself in being able to support the measuring management and training of competence related to both the regulatory environment and functionality within the business.Organisations looking for specific competence related support are encouraged to contact office@sassofia.com to see how we can help you to assess your competence in a meaningful way and to develop cost effective in-company training programs which can be optimised specifically for your organisation.Please see www.sassofia.com www.easaonline.com
Aroma Bravo recommends homemade cold brew coffee for its great flavor and affordability.

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-- Coffee retailers used to dread the summer months because the hot weather means lower sales. But that notion is quickly changing now that cold brew coffee has exploded in popularity. For Aroma Bravo Coffee and Tea, this booming cold brew business is a great opportunity to serve more coffee to consumers all year round."Now that cold coffee beverages are in demand, businesses won't be experiencing dry spells anymore. We can serve both hot and cold coffees throughout the year. It's incredibly beneficial for the specialty coffee market." said a spokesperson for Aroma Bravo.Based in Nevada, Aroma Bravo offers gourmet whole bean coffee sourced directly from Marcala, Honduras. Many of its customers brew the whole beans at home with a French press, espresso machine, moka pot or a pour over dripper. More recently though, people have also been using the gourmet coffee beans to make cold brew coffee."Our Honduras whole bean coffee is very versatile because it isn't just suitable for hot drinks but for iced coffee drinks as well. Some of our customers say our beans are great for making coffee concentrates. They grind the whole beans, steep them in filtered water overnight, strain the coffee grounds the next morning, and then simply add some ice, milk and sugar to create a refreshing cold brew drink," the spokesperson explained the process.Considering that coffeehouse prices for cold specialty drinks have risen dramatically this summer, producing cold brew coffee at home is the most practical option."It's definitely a lot more affordable to make your own. The result will always be more flavorful than the ones served in coffee shops," the Aroma Bravo spokesperson remarked. "As long as you have a bag of gourmet whole bean coffee, you can create all the cold brew coffee you want to last all summer or even all year long."To encourage iced coffee lovers to switch to home brewing, Aroma Bravo is currently having a 10% discount on its medium dark roast coffee. By entering the coupon code DQEE827D on the final checkout at Amazon, customers can get some quality beans and start brewing away.More information about the 10% off on whole bean coffee is available at https://www.amazon.com/ review/R1FLTTM81TLQPR/ ref=cm_cr_rd... Aroma Bravo is a trusted retailer of organic whole bean coffee. Grown in Honduran organic farms and roasted in small batches, Aroma Bravo Coffee is highly recommended for coffee lovers.
Nicaragua's participation in the summit aims at promoting the competitive advantages the country offers compared to long-standing footwear manufacturing countries, for the development of footwear manufacturing projects.

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-- A delegation from Nicaragua's official investment promotion agency, PRONicaragua, will participate in the forthcoming edition of the "Footwear Sourcing Intelligence Summit", an event organized by the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA). The summit will bring together high level representatives of the world's most important brands in the footwear industry.Gen. Alvaro Baltodano, Nicaragua's Presidential Delegate for Investment, leads the Nicaraguan delegation taking part in the event. Nicaragua's participation in the summit aims at promoting the competitive advantages the country offers compared to long-standing footwear manufacturing countries, for the development of footwear manufacturing projects.Among the most valuable assets offered by Nicaragua are: the most competitive labor costs in the region with a salary of US$1.19 an hour within the Free Zone System. This is particularly favorable for the footwear industry, which requires labor-intensive processes. Likewise, the country's proximity to the world's largest markets, and access to over 1.5 billion people through Nicaragua's Free Trade Agreements.Nicaragua's footwear industry is composed of medium and small enterprises (SME's). Currently, there are roughly 1,650 businesses producing 10 million pairs of shoes a year, which generate US$50 million in revenues for Nicaragua annually.Nonetheless, Nicaragua is moving towards an industrialized production model. In 2011, Tecshoes, a leading footwear manufacturing company based in Brazil, set up shop in Nicaragua, taking advantage of Nicaragua's attractive free trade zone incentives. Tecshoes constitutes the only exporter of brand footwear in the country. The company is currently manufacturing for international brands such as Clarks (UK), Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and Under Armour. Tecshoes is a subsidiary of Aniger, one of Brazil's most important footwear manufacturing groups.Nicaragua's main footwear export products are: footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastic, leather or composition leather and uppers of leather, and sport shoes with textile uppers (which are within the 6403 category). This is due to CAFTA benefits which represent a great advantage through the "single transformation", which allows manufacturers to bring raw material from other countries, manufacture in Nicaragua, and export to the United States, free of duties. It is important to highlight that some of the footwear categories manufactured in Nicaragua would pay up to 37.5 percent of taxes if produced in Asia.According to a study conducted by the FDRA in 2012, which recognized Nicaragua as a "rising star" in the world's footwear industry, "the country is especially competitive for the production of women leather heels."For additional information write us at pr@pronicaragua.gob.ni
Laura Dassow Walls's definitive biography, Henry David Thoreau: A Life, is an amazing achievement, a merger of comprehensiveness in content with pleasure in reading, following Thoreaus progress as a writer and also as a reader, as well as his social and political involvements and scientific pursuits. Walls discusses Thoreau's legacy and why he still matters today.

Thoreau, we hear, was a hermit in the woods. What a ticket to irrelevance: who, in our Facebook age, can approve such selfishness, such misanthropy? But we labor, as Thoreau warned, under a mistake. As detailed in Henry David Thoreau: A Life, Walden Pond was just a few minutes walk from the center of town, where he went often to help with chores and join his family for dinner. Is this hypocrisy? Only to shallow purists; Thoreau met a few and mocked them, which, since they were often men with power, didnt help his cause. As for him: he was a sworn realist. He had to be: Thoreau was born into a family of French immigrants and Yankee tradesmen just scraping by. His mother made ends meet by running their communal home as a boarding house, and the family scrimped to send him to Harvardthe scholarship boy, derided because he couldnt afford a proper coat. The Thoreaus prospered only after Henry applied his Harvard education to his fathers pencil business, inventing both a better pencil and the machinery to make it. To keep it all afloat took hard work and Yankee thrift.

Yet there was something strange about Henry, a restless, fierce desire to see into the heart of the cosmos. Even as he relished good conversation, he guarded the solitude he needed for creative life, a tension that drove his creative process. Hed gone to Walden with his life in crisis, having veered from one dead end to another until the only option left was the crazy dream hed cherished since childhood: to go away and live by the pond, and write his way through the changing seasons. For two years, from July 1845 to September 1847, he followed that dream faithfully. For the rest of his life, he lived in large and bustling households, earning a living as a pencil-maker and land surveyor, walking, traveling, lecturingand, not incidentally, authoring a stack of books that put him among the worlds great writers. So: does he have anything to say to us?

1. Why go to Walden Pond? Thoreau went to Walden to think deeply about a world in which he feared thinking no longer had a place. I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, he tells us: the human capacity to deliberateto weigh our life choices consciously rather than go with the flow of our habits and prejudicesasserts a freedom weve forgotten we have. The first step is to identify the rock-bottom essentials. What is it you simply cannot live without? Simplify, simplify, he pleads. Keeping it simple makes both our mistakes and our desires easier to see. Thoreau identified our mistakes cuttingly enough: we surrender to an economy that lures us into mindless consumerism. He also identified his true desire: to become a serious writer, with a unique voice and an original stance. At Walden he drafted two books and three major essays, turning his life around.

2. But why leave Walden? Thoreau doesnt tell us the real reason: because Emersons wife asked him to live with her while the great man was lecturing abroad. That is, he left to do his friends a favor. But he admits he was ready to leave: ironically, his life of escaping ruts had itself become a rut. It was time to shake loose. Even though changing his address hadnt much changed his relationships with friends and family, moving back to town did made a big difference, for it put everything hed learned at Walden to the test. If it were real, he wouldnt leave Walden behind so much as bring it along. That is, the solution lay not in where he lived, but how. Walden is not a place but a philosophy: living deliberately turns out to be portable.

3. Sometimes Walden isnt where you need to be. In 1854, when Walden was in press, Thoreau learned that Anthony Burns, a fugitive slave living in Boston, had been captured and remanded to slavery. As protests veered into violence, the author of Civil Disobedience questioned his deepest faith. I walk toward one of our ponds, he asked, but what signifies the beauty of nature when men are base?asked while standing on a stage, facing hundreds gathered at an angry political rally, and treading on the ashes of the U.S. Constitution which William Lloyd Garrison had just burned in protest. Slavery in Massachusetts was a scorching indictment of his neighbors complicity with Southern slavery. Sometimes one walks not to Walden but to a public stage, to offer, without flinching, ones most searching deliberations to the world.

4. Because politics is big, but the cosmos is bigger. Thoreau worried about his own complicity with injustice, too. As he asked himself following Burns arrest, Is our life innocent enough? Do we live inhumanelytoward man or bestin thought or act? Thoreau had good company in his antislavery thinking, but when he extended civil rights to the natural world, he stood virtually alone. Who hears the fishes when they cry?, he challenges us, while speculating what a crow-bar might do against the dams that destroyed them. After witnessing the clearcutting of Maines forests, he asserted that trees have souls, in a passage deemed so outrageous that his editor censored it. No bright line divides social justice from natural justice; sometimes Walden is exactly where you need to go, because thats where you can see how political injustice and environmental depredation share a common cause.

5. Beware of losing the commons. Emerson, dripping contempt, called Thoreau the captain of a huckleberry party who should have engineered for America. But thats just what Thoreau thought he was doing, by leading neighborhood children on berry-picking parties. Stewardship of the land meant recognizing nature as a commons, and everywhere he looked, as woods were felled for profit and hilltops were engulfed by housing projects, Thoreau saw the commons under threat. He was furious when he found his favorite huckleberry patches fenced off with No Trespassing signs. In response he called on the town to protect its natural features as a common possession forever, for their beauty, but also for their educational value. That is, stewardship meant defending the communitys spaces of knowledge, inquiry, and discussion as welltown meetings and public schools, libraries and reading rooms, the Lyceum where he lectured regularly. It is time that villages were universities, he insists, where all men and women can get a lifelong liberal educationuncommon schools worthy of America.

6. Some places shouldnt be common, but wild. Thoreaus manifesto is eight words long: In Wildness is the preservation of the world. He found wildness on faraway mountaintops, but also in the heart of a swamp a few minutes walk from home, and in the woods of Walden, too, even after theyd been farmed, logged, and abused for generations. Wildness meant willed, self-willed, untrammeled by human control and appropriation. Knowledge, too, is wild: not cut and stacked like cordwood, but a flash of insight, a spark connecting mind and world, the lighting up of the mist by the sun.

7. The same is true of people. Thoreau believed that true democracy could tolerate a few souls who, like himself, lived independent livesdemocracys wild fruits. He was painfully aware of his differences: his resistance to convention, his unyielding need for solitude, his profound love for all wild beings, his shyness and inability to make small talk, his sexual confusion and unnamable longings, his compulsion to write. Critics call him a misfit, though friends love him deeply. Is Thoreau a pain and a braggart? Of course. But as he said of Walt Whitman, in whom he recognized a fellow-spirit: there are a few who earn that right.
For better or worse, California likes to decide drug policy at the ballot box. Voters have already approved marijuana legalization, but criminal sanctions against users of heroin, cocaine and other drugs are very much intact, though they've been moving in a more lenient direction. It would not be surprising to see a proposition entirely eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession in the near future.

The removal of criminal penalties for drug possession  which is very different from allowing legal sales  is not a new idea. It has been implemented in other countries, and a joint statement from the United Nations and World Health Organization last month recommended the review and repeal of laws that criminalize or otherwise prohibit  drug use or possession of drugs for personal use.

California already moved in this direction in 2014 when voters approved Proposition 47, which reduced to a misdemeanor the possession of heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs. Possession of these drugs, however, is still a criminal offense.

Possession arrests and convictions can have devastating effects on users and their families  especially for young men of color, who are disproportionately targeted, and for immigrants, who can be deported for a criminal offense. There are a number of additional sanctions associated with drug convictions; for example, they can make it harder to receive federal aid for college, or access public housing. The stigma around criminalization can also make it harder for users to get help or discuss their problems with family members and health professionals.

On the other side, there are two main arguments for criminalizing possession.

First, there's deterrence, with the goal of discouraging use by threatening users with sanctions.

Second, there's leverage  that is, using arrest and prosecution to steer those with substance-use disorders toward treatment.

A big question is whether removing the criminal penalties for possession will increase use.

A big question is whether removing the criminal penalties for possession will increase use. Fortunately, we have several decades of empirical research on different forms of decriminalization, in U.S. states and abroad.

For cannabis, the consensus based on available data is that decriminalization has either no detectable effect on use, or increases it to a very modest extent. Indeed, research suggests that most Americans were unaware of the penalties for cannabis possession in their state.

Portugal receives a lot of attention because it decriminalized all drugs  not just cannabis. The research suggests Portugal didn't see a large increase in drug use after a modest legal change in 2001 that removed criminal penalties for those possessing a small amount of drugs for personal use. Administrative sanctions, however, can still be applied. Those possessing a large amount or dealing are subject to criminal conviction.

Less is known about the role of possession sanctions as a means of leverage.

Without the threat of a criminal sanction, will it be harder to get people into drug courts or obtain information for police investigations? What will happen to dealers arrested for felony sales who typically would have been offered a plea bargain for simple possession instead of serious time behind bars?

Here, again, the Portuguese experience is relevant. Portugal didn't just eliminate criminal penalties for possessing small amount of drugs; it also dramatically increased funding for treatment and other social services.

Portugal's approach has survived several different governments, suggesting that the approach is feasible.

There was a serious effort to reintegrate heavy users into society. Those detected by the police with a small amount in their possession have to meet with a dissuasion commission, which determines whether the person should enter treatment, receive an administrative sanction such as a fine, receive a warning, or have their proceedings suspended. Portugal's approach has survived several different governments, suggesting that the approach is feasible and that the Portuguese believe the benefits outweigh the costs.

We think that a constructive new debate about decriminalizing drug possession can start with three observations:

Decriminalizing drug possession and use does not give users a free pass to commit other crimes. If substance use leads individuals to drive impaired or engage in violence, they should be punished for those offenses. Jurisdictions could consider bundling decriminalization with innovative treatment and/or sanctioning regimes for those whose use leads them to commit crimes that threaten public safety.

Eliminating criminal penalties needn't mean eliminating all sanctions on use. Many jurisdictions outside California punish cannabis possession with civil fines, and the same could be done for other drugs. (A failure to pay the fine could still be punishable by jail time.) Many citizens will be subjected to drug testing at work. And the informal social sanctions of stigma and shame will continue to play an important role, as we see with tobacco smoking and heavy alcohol use.

Decriminalizing possession does not have to be permanent. Risk-averse decisionmakers could adopt a sunset provision that automatically reimposes criminal penalties after a fixed amount of time unless the Legislature acts to extend the change in policy.

Californians have a lot to consider when it comes to decriminalizing possession, especially because we are still learning about the consequences of Prop. 47. But now is the time for a rigorous discussion about removing criminal penalties for drug possession, rather than rushing to judgment in the heat of a future election season.

Beau Kilmer is interim director of RAND Corporation's San Francisco Bay Area office and co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. Robert MacCoun is the James & Patricia Kowal Professor of Law at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute.

This commentary originally appeared on San Francisco Chronicle on July 20, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Mexicos TV Azteca has seen content sales continue to grow as the Grupo Salinas company refocuses on production investment.





Looking to the financial results of the last two years, its easy to see that TV Azteca has become stronger by focusing on content production rather than telecoms.As revealed by the groups Q2 report , TV Aztecas net sales continued to increase (up 9% year-on-year) as did expenses (up 8.4%), mostly due to investment in content production and format development in Mexico. Net sales for the period amount for $211 million, while expenses were $145 million.Innovative formats which have conquered the audience for our clients have driven solid growth of advertising sales in Mexico during the quarter, said Benjamin Salinas, GM, TV Azteca.Regarding local sales, Mexicos media operations contributed $86 million (up 10%) and the US channel Azteca America $18.6 million (up 17%). Content exports tripled during the period, accounting for $5 million.As for the telecom operations that still remain active in Peru and Colombia - Azteca Comunicaciones - income continued to decrease as in previous quarters
The Philippine president flew for the first time yesterday to a besieged southern city to cheer troops who have been trying to quell a nearly two-month uprising by Islamic State group-linked militants, who he warned were plotting to attack other cities.

Clad in a camouflage uniform, President Rodrigo Duterte gave a talk to troops and inspected recovered rebel rifles and other weapons in a military camp in Marawi city that is outside of the battle zone but remains dangerous because of stray bullets.

His past attempts to fly to the lakeside city were aborted because of bad weather.

The soldiers and police are very happy over his visit because this proves that the president is very firm, very dedicated in supporting most specially the operations here, military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera told reporters.

Duterte thanked the troops for their heroism and sacrifices, Herrera said.

Duterte told Congress in a letter this week that even though troops have regained control of much of Marawi and killed hundreds of militants, the rebellion persists and a lot more remains to be done to completely quell the same. The militants leadership, he said, remains largely intact and has funded diversionary attacks on other southern cities.

The seven-page letter, a copy of which was seen by reporters yesterday, aims to convince lawmakers to extend Dutertes 60-day declaration of martial law in the south until the end of the year. The statements in the letter appear to differ from his assurance last week that the Marawi crisis, the most serious he has faced so far, could end in 10 to 15 days.

In a separate report to the Senate, the military said the attackers main leader, Isnilon Hapilon, allowed the escape of 96 young recruits fighting in Marawi and instructed them to continue jihad outside Marawi. Jihad is an Arabic word that militants use to refer to holy war.

Officials say at least 565 people, including 421 militants and 99 soldiers and policemen, have been killed in the worst urban uprising by Muslim militants in the volatile south in decades. Nearly half a million residents have been displaced in Marawi and outlying towns by the fighting.

Duterte wrote in his letter that the leadership of the Marawi siege largely remains intact despite the considerable decline in the number of rebels fighting in the main battle area. Other radical armed bands are ready to reinforce Isnilon Hapilons group or launch diversionary attacks and similar uprisings elsewhere, he said.

The attackers lasting power and large arsenal of weapons have surprised Duterte and his top security officials, who acknowledged they underestimated the combat strength of the militants and their preparations, including the stockpiling of assault firearms in lakeside Marawi. Troops long used to fighting insurgents in the jungles have struggled to rout the gunmen from Marawis dense urban sprawl.

Despite the large number of troops and checkpoints around the city, there have been reported entries of reinforcements, weapons, ammunitions and other logistical supplies from outside Marawi city through clandestine routes, Duterte told the lawmakers. Followers of local politicians have backed the siege, which was partly funded by drug money, he said.

The crisis has sparked alarm that the IS group may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia, through allied local militants, as it faces major setbacks in Syria and Iraq. The United States and Australia have deployed surveillance planes to Marawi, and China has provided weapons for Filipino troops, including those fighting in the besieged city. MDT/AP
Media technology company Newstag has unveiled plans to launch a video news service for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) later this year.





Newstag Arabic   will feature professionally produced news content in Arabic from suppliers including the Associated Press, AFP and Euronews. Talks are also ongoing between the Stockholm-based companies and regional news providers to secure more content.The new mobile first application enables users to create and watch their own personalised video news channels comprising news and causes they find relevant. Together, all the users create a crowd curated news experience. As well as video supplied by media groups, Newstag also has content relationships with NGOs and research organisations.Newstag creates an environment for modern social engagement and offer a relevant, personal, news experience empowering an audience that takes news seriously and wants to make a difference, said Camilla Dahlin-Andersson, co-founder, Newstag.Fellow co-founder and CEO, Henrik Eklund, added: Currently 60% of existing Newstag users are based in the MENA region which is what prompted us to set up Newstag Arabic. Six per cent of the global population live in the Middle East and yet the region accounts for only 0.6% of the global advertising market. We believe there is potential for enormous growth in the coming years.
Amazon has added the reworking of Peter Weirs classic 70s Australian film Picnic at Hanging Rock to its basket of Prime Video series in the US.





Picnic at Hanging Rock will plunge viewers into the mysterious disappearances of three schoolgirls and one teacher on Valentines Day 1900. The complex, interwoven narrative follows the subsequent investigation and the events far-reaching impact on the students, families and staff of Appleyard College and the nearby township.Following a deal with FremantleMedia International , the miniseries stars Natalie Dormer as English headmistress Mrs Hester Appleyard, in a re-imagining of Joan Lindsays Australian novel.The Appleyard College student roles are filled with a contingent of rising stars, including Lily Sullivan as Miranda Reid, Madeleine Madden as Marion Quade, Samara Weaving as Irma Leopold, Ruby Rees as Edith Horton and introducing Inez Curro as Sara Waybourne.Commenting on the deal, Caroline Kusser, SVP, sales & distribution, FremantleMedia in North America, said: The stylish re-imagining of the provocative Picnic at Hanging Rock story will no doubt capture contemporary audiences across the US. With fantastic scripts, outstanding cast and bold editorial direction from Larysa Kondracki, Picnic at Hanging Rock is set to be a must-see series in 2018. We are thrilled to be working with Amazon Prime Video to bring this powerful drama to US screens.Picnic at Hanging Rock will have its world premiere on Foxtel in Australia in 2018. It is a FremantleMedia Australia production made with key production investment from Screen Australia. The series was shot in Victoria, Australia, with the significant assistance of the Victorian Government through Film Victoria.
The top five pay-TV operators in Latin America  America Movil, AT&T, Televisa Group, Telefonica Group and Clarin Group  account for almost two-thirds of the market, research has revealed.





According to Dataxis  latest quarterly research (Q1 2017), the top three own more than half of the market. The leader, America Movil, gathers one fifth of the subscribers in the region (14.6 million subscribers), more than the total markets of Argentina and Colombia.All of these groups are multinationals that operate in two different countries (Grupo Clarin) or more (up to 14 for America Movil ). Dataxis research shows that they have a very high mark-up quota (30% or more) in countries where the strongest operators are. For example, with its subsidiaries Izzi Cable and Sky Mexico, Televisa Group occupies 61% of the pay-TV market in Mexico. America Movil meanwhile acquired more than 51% of Brazil's subscribers with Claro Brazil and Blue.In addition to geographic diversification, these groups have a diversified business. All of them operate as fixed-line and broadband players, generally in countries where they already offer a pay-TV service.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he believes that the leader of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is still alive.

His comments on July 21 come weeks after Russia and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had said Baghdadi had been killed in a Russian air strike, although U.S., Iraqi, and other Western officials have never confirmed the report.

"I think that he's alive, and I'll believe otherwise when we know we've killed him. But we're going after him we assume he's alive, Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

Nicholas Rasmussen, the director of the U.S. Counter-Terrorism Center, echoed those comments.

He said he has seen nothing that would lead me to believe that Baghdadi has been removed from the battlefield."

"We know a good bit, he added. We just dont have information that would confirm his death."

Baghdadi's death has been erroneously announced several times in the past.

From the Iraqi city of Mosul in July 2014, Baghdadi declared an Islamic "caliphate" over territory held by IS fighters in Iraq and Syria.

However, U.S.-led Iraqi troops have retaken Mosul, and coalition forces have pushed back IS in the rest of Iraq and in Syria.

Based on reporting by Reuters
Toomaj Salehi's lyrical support for protesters in Iran has landed him behind bars before, but this time the popular rapper's fortune-telling has fans and family members fearing for his life.

Just days before his September 30 arrest, the 32-year-old Salehi released his latest music video, in which he makes foreboding predictions about the future of Iran's clerical regime if it continues its violent crackdown against ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

"I am the predictor, the fortune teller," he raps in the video for Omen, which shows him reading the patterns left in his coffee cup and warning that brute force will not prevail.

"I saw a cage in the coffee grounds -- a lion was hunting a jackal," he explains, alluding to a fairy tale about wisdom defeating physical strength. "We will rise from the bottom and target the top of the pyramid."

Salehi goes on to warn that the regime's protectors -- including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Basij paramilitary forces, the Intelligence Ministry, and the state media -- will all get their day in court.

Salehi followed up on the new video by posting on social media images of him standing alongside protesters and chanting against security forces in his native city in Isfahan Province. The rapper, an ethnic Lur who was arrested last year after releasing other songs critical of the government, offered to turn himself in if protesters detained in his hometown of Shahinshahr were released.

In subsequent posts, he called the provincial authorities "cowardly vermin" and "scum who suppress and arrest [innocent] people."

Shortly afterward, Salehi went missing and has not been heard from since.

State media reported on September 30 that Salehi had been arrested, and a news agency close to the IRGC published a photo of the blindfolded rapper inside a car.

A short video later released by a press club associated with Iran's state broadcaster purports to show the rapper admitting he made a mistake.

But the reports' claims he had been caught while "illegally exiting the western borders of the country" have been fiercely disputed, and the video confession has been labeled a fake by some and a coerced confession by others.

Family members as well as Salehi's official Twitter account have said the rapper was, in fact, arrested in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, hundreds of kilometers from Iran's western border.

In a statement, Salehi's uncle Eghbal Eghbali said his nephew was in the province's city of Borujen on the morning of September 30 when he wrote saying "suspicious things" were happening outside his home. Soon after, Salehi stopped communicating. Eghbali said he learned from Salehi's neighbors and friends that security personnel had arrived to take the rapper away.

Later on September 30, a prosecutor in nearby Isfahan Province was quoted by the Meezan news agency, which is close to Iran's judiciary, as saying Salehi was arrested "in one of the provinces of the country." The prosecutor alleged the rapper had played a key role in "creating disturbances and inviting and encouraging the recent disturbances in Isfahan Province and in Shahinshahr."

The official IRNA news agency, meanwhile, quoted a judiciary official from Isfahan Province as saying Salehi stood accused of "propagandistic activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments, and the formation of illegal groups with the intention of creating insecurity in the country."

Thousands of Iranians, many of them from the younger generation, have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's hijab law requiring that women cover their hair.

As the protests have continued, the authorities have intensified their crackdown, resulting in the deaths of at least 305 people, including 41 children, according to the latest figures released by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) on November 6.

Salehi is among the hundreds of prominent young voices, including activists, artists, and athletes, who have been arrested for speaking out against the states bloody crackdown on the protests. Overall, activists estimate thousands of people have been arrested by the authorities since the rallies erupted.

Faced with a potential existential threat to Iran's clerical rule, 227 of 290 Iranian lawmakers this week called for even greater force by urging the judiciary to "deal decisively" with those behind the protests.

In recent years, Salehi has gained notoriety for his open opposition to the country's leadership, using his music and social media presence to take on issues that resonate with Iranian youths.

In the song Normal, he highlights the effects of poverty, saying "Our children sleep hungry at night" and asking Iran's leaders how their conscience can let them sleep.

The song Rathole, released in 2021, accuses members of the media and art community both inside and outside Iran of being an "ally of the tyrant," a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In another song, he blasts Tehran's close relationships with Moscow and Beijing, asking: "Haven't you robbed us enough? Now, you want to give away half [of our resources] to China and the rest to Russia."

Salehi was detained in September 2021 after security agents raided his home in Isfahan, with Human Rights Watch decrying the detention of the artist for "exercising his right to freedom of expression."

Salehi was charged with "spreading propaganda against the state," but after more than a week was released on bail. In January, he was sentenced to six months in prison but was released on a suspended sentence in February.

While out, he continued his work and released Omen amid the states increasingly violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.

"Someone's crime was dancing with her hair in the wind," he raps. "Someone's crime was that she was brave and criticized."

Listing a litany of violent acts carried out by the authorities against protesters, Salehi asks, "How many young people did you kill building a tower for yourself?" and predicts that next year, the 44th year of the clerical regime's rule, will be its "year of failure."

Salehi's arrest has led to widespread condemnation inside and outside Iran, and his advocates have spread the #FreeToomaj hashtag on Twitter to shed light on his situation.

His family has said they do not know Salehi's whereabouts or health, leaving them wondering if he is even alive.

But the authorities have shed some light on the fate of another Iranian rapper arrested shortly before Salehi. The judiciary announced on November 7 that Saman Yasin, a rapper from Kermanshah Province -- a northwestern region with a significant Kurdish population and that has been a focus of the government crackdown -- has been accused of waging "warfare" against Iran and acting against the country's security.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, with contributions by RFE/RL senior correspondent Michael Scollon
The White House on November 12 hailed Russias withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson as an "extraordinary victory" for Ukraine.

"It does look as though the Ukrainians have just won an extraordinary victory where the one regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back under a Ukrainian flag -- and that is quite a remarkable thing," national-security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters as he accompanied President Joe Biden to the ASEAN summit in Cambodia.

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.

Sullivan spoke hours after 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.

Separately, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on November 12 that Moscow's "strategic failure" in Kherson will sow doubt among the Russian public about the point of the war in Ukraine.

"Russia's announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them. In February, Russia failed to take any of its major objectives except Kherson," Wallace said in a statement. "Now with that also being surrendered, ordinary people of Russia must surely ask themselves: 'What was it all for?'"

Video posted online showed people on the streets, flying Ukraine's national flag and chanting as Ukrainian troops arrived in the city. Photos circulating on social media on November 12 showed Ukrainian activists removing memorial plaques put up by the occupation authorities the Kremlin installed to run the Kherson region.

"We are winning battles on the ground. But the war continues," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after Ukraine's recovery of Kherson.

Speaking at the summit in Cambodia on November 12, Kuleba said that reclaiming the city was "quite an exercise.

I understand that everyone wants this war to end as soon as possible. We are definitely the ones who want that more than anyone else," Kuleba said during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the summit.

Sullivan said that the Russian retreat would have "broader strategic implications," including relieving the longer-term threat by Russia to other southern Ukrainian cities, such as Odesa.

"It's a big moment, and it's due to the incredible tenacity and skill of the Ukrainians, backed by the relentless and united support of the United States and our allies," Sullivan said.

Asked about reports that the Biden administration has started to press Zelenskiy to explore negotiations with Moscow, Sullivan said that Russia, not Ukraine, was the side that has to decide whether or not to go to the table.

"This whole notion, I think, in the Western press of, 'When's Ukraine going to negotiate?' misses the underlying fundamentals," Sullivan said.

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.

Russia, he added, continues to make "outlandish claims" about its self-declared annexations of Ukrainian lands, even as it retreats from Ukrainian counterattacks.

"Ultimately, at a 30,000-foot level, Ukraine is the party of peace in this conflict and Russia is the party of war. Russia invaded Ukraine. If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine," he said.

"In that context, our position remains the same as it has been and fundamentally is in close consultation and support of President Zelenskiy, he said.

The Ukrainian military said on November 12 that it had carried out stabilization measures near Kherson following the end of the eight-month Russian occupation.

In a regular social media update, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said the Russians were fortifying their battle lines on the river's eastern bank after abandoning the capital. About 70 percent of the Kherson region remains under Russian control.

With reporting by AFP
CHISINAU -- Moldovan lawmakers demanded that Russian troops pull out of the pro-Moscow breakaway region of Transdniester, intensifying the ongoing standoff between Moldova's pro-Western government and its Russia-friendly president.

In a July 21 vote supported by 61 of the 101 members of parliament, lawmakers approved a symbolic statement that called for the removal of Russian troops, weapons, and other military equipment from Transdniester.

The declaration said presence of Russian forces "violates the constitutional provisions on independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity" of Moldova.

Moscow-backed and mainly Russian-speaking Transdniester, which borders on Ukraine's Odesa region, declared independence from Moldova in 1990.

The two sides fought a brief war in 1992 that ended when the Russian military intervened on the side of Transdniester, which is not recognized as an independent nation by any country.

Pro-EU Moldovan lawmaker Marian Lupu praised the vote, calling it "symbolic as it came on the 25th anniversary of the end of the 1992 war.

But Socialist President Igor Dodon, who was elected in November, immediately hit back, calling the move "another provocative step" that was "intended to worsen relations with Russia."

Molovan politics is split between a pro-Western government that seeks closer links to the European Union and the United States and a president who wants to tighten ties to Moscow.

Relations between Moldova and Russia have heightened this year with disputes over the treatment of Moldovan officials traveling to or through Russia and the expulsion of diplomats on both sides in May.

Meanwhile, domestic tensions also increased on July 21 as hundreds of opposition activists protested in front of the presidential office in Chisinau against a bill introducing a mixed electoral system signed into law on July 20.

The new law provides for half of the lawmakers to be elected on party lists and another half in individual constituencies.

The ruling Democratic Party initially pushed forward the idea to fully abandon party lists system, but opposition parties protested, saying the ruling party's goal was to secure its victory in 2018 parliamentary elections amid its declining popularity.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
The eldest daughter of the slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has appealed against the verdicts and sentences of five men convicted for her father's killing and called for the case to be reexamined.

Zhanna Nemtsova has called for prosecutors to change the classification of the case from murder to political assassination, her lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, said on July 21, according to state-run Interfax news agency.

Nemtsov, a reformist former first deputy prime minister who was a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin-installed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was shot from behind on a bridge just outside the Kremlin in February 2015.

A Russian court on July 13 sentenced five men from Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya to prison terms ranging from 11 to 20 years for the killing.

Relatives and former associates of Nemtsov claim the killing was ordered at a higher level and said justice would only be served when the real masterminds are identified and prosecuted.

Lawyer Mikhailova said the Nemtsov family "categorically does not agree with the classification of the defendants' actions as murder and considers the crime should be reclassified as assassination of a state or public figure."

Nemtsov was a lawmaker in the region of Yaroslavl and a co-chairman of PARNAS political party at the time of his killing.

Based on reporting by Interfax and AFP
KYIV -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has blamed Russia for the recent deaths of eight Ukrainian soldiers in its eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, where Moscow-backed separatists have intensified shelling of Ukrainian forces.

Poroshenko told reporters in Kyiv on July 21 that "Ukraine will adequately respond to the death of every Ukrainian citizen," without being specific.

The Ukrainian leader made the comments after meeting with visiting Belarusian counterpart Alyaksandr Lukashenka.



Poroshenko said he plans to raise the issue of Russia's actions during July 24 telephone talks of the Normandy group consisting of leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia.

Poroshenko called Russia "an aggressor country," and claimed that "11,000 Ukrainians were killed" in the ongoing military conflicts in Luhansk and Donetsk, where some districts have been controlled by pro-Russia separatists since April 2014.

Poroshenko said he will "demand the immediate and genuine provision of a cease-fire along the entire frontline" on the terms of the so-called Minsk agreements.



A deal brokered by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany in the Belarusian capital Minsk in 2015 calls for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line, and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy, although it has yet to be solidified on the ground.

In his meetings, Lukashenka said he proposed organizing humanitarian convoys from Belarus to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions "without any mediators."

According to the United Nations, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it began in 2014, shortly after Moscow illegally annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea and offered support to pro-Russia separatist in the east.

Russia has denied its involvement in eastern Ukraine.

Separately, the U.S. administration said its new special representative for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker, will be traveling on July 21 to eastern Ukraine.

The State Department said Volker will meet with people "affected by Russian aggression" and in subsequent days meet with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Municipal authorities in the Czech capital, Prague, have decided not to rehang a memorial plaque honoring the Soviet marshal who participated in the city's liberation at the end of World War II following the ongoing restoration of the Old City Hall.

A spokesman for the mayor's office, Vit Hofman, said on July 20 on that the plaque honoring Red Army Marshal Ivan Konyev had been removed because of "historical inaccuracies" in its text.

He added that the memorial would be given to the City of Prague Museum, although the city would be willing to consider gifting it to Konyev's living relatives in Russia.

On May 5, 1945, Prague residents rose up against the Nazi German occupying forces. Shortly after, units of the Russian Liberation Army (ROK) -- Soviet soldiers who had agreed to fight under German command against Soviet leader Josef Stalin -- joined the fight on the side of the uprising.

On May 8, German forces began their retreat from Prague after signing a cease-fire with the insurgents. On May 9, after the city had been almost entirely cleared of Germans, units of the Red Army under Konyev's command entered the capital.

Units of U.S. General George Patton's 3rd Army reached the outskirts of Prague around this time but did not act in support of the uprising because of previous political agreements with Stalin.

Czech historians maintain that among Konyev's troops were forces of the Soviet secret police who rounded up thousands of Czech citizens with anti-Bolshevik reputations and sent them to Soviet labor camps.

Konyev commanded the forces of the Warsaw Pact from 1956 until 1960, and oversaw the 1956 suppression of the Hungarian Revolution. He later served as commander of Soviet occupation forces in East Germany.

In 1991, a statue of Konyev was dismantled in the Polish city of Krakow, which his forces liberated in January 1945.

A large statue of Konyev still stands in an outlying neighborhood of Prague.

In 2014, it was vandalized with pink paint. Despite periodic calls to remove that monument, monument, district head Ondrej Kolar told RFE/RL he does not think it should be dismantled.

"It would probably be better to add to it an educational text that told what [Konyev] managed to do in addition to his role in liberating us," Kolar said.
Russia's strongman president, Vladimir Putin, has raised eyebrows with an uncharacteristic visit to the Moscow home of one of the country's staunchest and most respected human rights advocates.

In a post on social media on July 20, economist Anders Aslund labeled Putin's visit earlier in the day to Moscow Helsinki Group founder and longtime dissident Lyudmila Alekseyeva "ruthless exploitation." 

New York Times Moscow journalist Ivan Nechepurenko echoed the sentiment, writing on Twitter that "hopefully, pro-Kremlin groups will never target [Alekseyeva] again." 

Veteran Voice of America Moscow correspondent Danila Galperovich called Putin's gesture "trolling" and said it was "pure vileness" (the Facebook post was later deleted.)

Putin's visit to Alekseyeva's 90th birthday created a double portrait that was suffused with contrasts: the confident former KGB officer who has overseen a significant crackdown on democracy and human rights over the last 17 years (as well as the ongoing rehabilitation of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin) deferentially sipping champagne with a visibly frail Alekseyeva, who was driven out of the Soviet Union in 1977 because of her activism; spent nearly 15 years living in the United States; and who has been repeatedly detained, arrested, and harassed for her uncompromising positions since Putin took power in 2000.



'Foreign Agent'

Her famed Moscow Helsinki Group was one of the first organizations to say it would not comply with a Russian law forcing nongovernmental organizations receiving foreign funding to adopt the loaded, Stalin-era label "foreign agent." In 2010, the Kremlin-organized Nashi youth group labeled Alekseyeva a "Nazi" and an enemy of the Russian people.

From 2002 until 2012, Alekseyeva served on the Russian president's advisory human rights commission. In 2012, she resigned in protest of several developments, including Putin's return to the Kremlin for a third term as president. She rejoined the body in 2015 saying that she wanted to do what she could to protect civil society from the "foreign agents" law.

At the July 20 meeting, Putin gave Alekseyeva two gifts. One was an engraving showing the city of Yevpatoria where Alekseyeva was born in 1927. Yevpatoria is in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. In September 2014, Alekseyeva was obliged to issue a statement denouncing false reports in Kremlin-friendly media stating that she supported the annexation of Crimea.

"I have repeatedly said and I will say again -- I am convinced that the seizure of Crimea has shamed my country," she wrote. "I am a citizen of Russia and I do not shirk from responsibility from my country's behavior in regards to its neighbors and its own citizens."

Putin also presented Alekseyeva with a platter decorated with an image of the Stalin-era main building of Moscow State University, from which the activist graduated in 1950. Alekseyeva pointed out to him that she did not actually attend classes in the building, although she and other students were forced to work on its construction.

"I understand," Putin said, according to a transcript of the encounter posted on the presidential website. "But the building isn't important. What is important is the institution."

'If You Can Save One Person, That Is A Great Joy'

Putin also compared Alekseyeva to Nobel Prize winning author and former Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who served 11 years in Soviet labor camps and in internal exile. Solzhenitsyn was later exiled and stripped of his citizenship for his exposes of the Soviet government's horrendous crimes against its own people. In the last years before his death in 2008, Solzhenitsyn met with Putin several times and praised him as a stronger leader than Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev or Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

"Solzhenitsyn had one key idea -- saving the people," Putin told Alekseyeva. "He did this in his own way. And you are doing it in yours."

Alekseyeva retorted: "I do it one person at a time. But if you can save one person, that is a great joy."

She used the meeting to secure from Putin a commitment to grant clemency to Igor Izmestyev, a former lawmaker in the upper house of Russia's parliament who is serving a life term in prison after being convicted in 2010 of funding a criminal gang authorities said killed 14 people between 1992 and 2004.

But if Putin was "trolling" Alekseyeva, then the activist may have had a go at the president as well.

After saying that she sometimes thinks about Izmestyev sitting in prison when she can't sleep at night, she turned the conversation to Putin.

"You know," Alekseyeva said. "I also think about you. Sometimes, when I can't sleep -- which doesn't happen to me very often. Even though I am old, I sleep like a child."

"My conscience is clear," she added.

"That's very good," Putin responded.

Russian journalist Yulia Kalinina wrote on Facebook that she was certain Alekseyeva would use her unexpected access to Putin to ask a favor for someone else.

"I don't care who is trolling whom," Kalinina wrote. "The main thing is that, as a result, someone got their freedom."

Paul Goble, a longtime U.S. specialist in Soviet and Russian affairs, wrote on his blog that Putin's "one-time action" to honor Alekseyeva "should not detract attention from the fact that he continues to be proud to have been an officer in the Soviet KGB, the organization that persecuted and then drove her out of the Soviet Union for 15 years."

"And it should not detract attention either from all the steps Putin has taken against the human rights of Russians since becoming president 17 years ago," Goble added," steps that Alekseyeva has consistently protested and helped others to protest as well. Truly, she has helped preserve the Russian people. At best, Putin has only helped to save the Russian state."
Russia and China have started weeklong naval maneuvers on the Baltic Sea, flexing their muscles in a region where tensions have risen in recent years.

The joint exercises began on July 21 at the port of Baltiisk in the Kaliningrad region, a Russian exclave sandwiched between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

The Chinese destroyer Hefei and frigate Yuncheng were set to take part in the exercises, as were the Russian corvettes Steregushchy and Boiky.

Russia has stepped up its pursuit of stronger relations with China in the past three years as it faces off with the West after seizing Crimea and backing separatist in a deadly war in eastern Ukraine.

Russia and China are the leading members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Eurasian military, political and economic bloc formed in 2001.

In recent years Russia has increased its military activity in the Baltic region, stoking concern about its intentions and provoking debate in Sweden and Finland about whether to join NATO.

The Baltic Sea drills started amid Sea Breeze, an annual exercise co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine in the Black Sea that ends on July 22.



The drills also started a day after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree laying out goals for the Russian navy through 2030.

The document says that the navy is a major, effective instrument of strategic containment, including against potential threats from the United States.

Russia and China hace shown solidarity at sea in recent years, holding their first joint exercises in the South China sea in 2015 and conducted maneuvers in the Mediterranean in 2016.

But the new plan signed by Putin says the Russian navy must "aim to secure the second place in the world in terms of combat capacity" -- a goal that seems go point to rivalry with an ambitious China.

Earlier this month, China dispatched personnel to begin construction of its first foreign military base, in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti.

With reporting by TASS, Interfax, dpa, and The Economist
A Kremlin aide told Russian news agencies on July 20 that the United States formally asked Moscow for information on its alleged election hacking one week before last year's U.S. presidential vote, and that it replied the next day.

"We supplied them with a preliminary response the following day. In January when [former President Barack] Obama was still in office, before the inauguration [of Donald Trump], we gave a detailed answer," Andrei Krutskikh, a special presidential aide on cybersecurity was reported as saying.

Krutskikh added that U.S. leaders have been silent about it ever since. "They clammed up," he said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, RIA Novosti, and Interfax


UFA, Russia -- Hundreds of people have protested in the Republic of Bashkortostan, demanding the resignation of the Kremlin-appointed official who has led the Russian region on the Volga River since 2010.

Protesters at the July 20 demonstration in Bashkortostan's capital, Ufa, said that regional leader Rustem Khamitov has no support among the populace.

Demonstrators held signs saying "We're fed up!" and lamenting what they said was the closure of schools, a high mortality rate among children, poor health care, and other problems.

One sign read, "1,000 schools closed in seven years," another: "Khamitov's seven years -- first place in children's death rate."

The protest was organized by the Bashkir People's Congress, a nongovernmental organization.

Khamitov, 62, was appointed to head Bashkortostan shortly after his predecessor, longtime leader Murtaza Rakhimov, resigned amid accusations of corruption in July 2010.


Russian President Vladimir Putin is receiving both criticism and praise online over remarks he made about the languages of ethnic minorities in the diverse country.

Visiting the Republic of Mari El on July 20, Putin suggested that ethnic Russians were being forced to learn the languages of minorities in regions that have sizable minority populations.

"It is impermissible to force someone to learn a language that is not [his or her] mother tongue, as well as to cut the hours of Russian language [classes at schools] in Russia's ethnic republics."

Many people discussing Putin's remarks online said that they contradicted the principle of federalism and would undermine efforts by many ethnic groups in Russia to revive their languages and cultures.

Many others applauded his statement, saying that Russians do not need to study Russia's other languages.

About 52 percent of Mari El's 700,000 residents are ethnic Mari, many of whom are seeking to preserve their language -- which belongs to the Uralic linguistic stem.

In Mari El and several other republics and regions with large populations of indigenous ethnic groups, local languages have the status of a state language and are taught in schools alongside Russian.

In recent years, some ethnic Russian residents of these regions have protested against mandatory classes in languages other than Russian.

In April, residents of Mari El, Tatarstan, and Chuvashia -- neighboring republics on the Volga River -- marked Language Day with a big campaign called I Speak My Mother Tongue!




Moscow and Washington are in negotiations to create a joint cybersecurity working group, Andrei Krutskikh, a special presidential envoy on cybersecurity told Russian news agencies on July 20.

"The talks are underway... Different proposals are being exchanged. Nobody denies the necessity of holding the talks and of having such contacts," Krutskikh was reported as saying.

"This is routine diplomatic work which naturally should produce its result, taking account of the realities, primarily internal political ones, which exist in the United States."

Svetlana Lukash, a Russian official who was at the recent Group of 20 summit in Germany, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed during their talks there to discuss cybersecurity questions, either via the United Nations or as part of a working group.

Trump said also after the summit that he had discussed the idea of creating such a group with Putin.

But after U.S. congressional leaders criticized the plan in light of Russia's alleged hacking of last year's presidential election, Trump appeared to back away, saying on Twitter: "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't."

Thomas Bossert, Trump's top counterterrorism adviser, told reporters after the summit that it would be premature to suggest the United States agreed to form a cybersecurity "partnership" with Russia.

"A partnership suggests that you've reached a place where you believe that you have a trusted relationship and you've come to some common agreement on ideals and goals and behaviors," he said.

"I don't believe that the United States and Russia have come to that point yet in cyberspace," Bossert said. "And until we do, we wouldn't have the conversation about partnership. But we had to have a dialogue, and that's where we'll start."

A U.S. intelligence official told Reuters that cooperation on cybersecurity is only a "pipe dream" for Russia as long as Moscow continues to deny what U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year: that it hacked the U.S. election.

With reporting by Reuters, RIA Novosti, TASS, and Interfax


It was the main political event for Russias chattering classes in a slow political season: opposition leader Aleksei Navalny taking on Igor Girkin, a notorious former commander of Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine, in a debate.



But the July 20 showdown, in which the two opponents clashed over their nationalist credentials, was greeted with widespread disappointment among Russian political players and watchers -- both over the substance of the discussion and Navalnys decision to engage with a man whom critics call a "war criminal.



The live-streamed debate -- in which Navalny and Girkin discussed corruption, the war in eastern Ukraine, and Russias relations with the West -- was derided by some as boring. The assessment echoed that of moderator Mikhail Zygar, a prominent journalist who said as the event came to a close: "It wasnt much of a show.



"Its a limp debate so far. Both are discussing minutiae, Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst and one-time insider of President Vladimir Putins Kremlin, wrote on Twitter.



Rustem Adagamov, a well-known Russian blogger and Kremlin opponent, called it a "snoozefest.

There were, indeed, few major revelations that emerged from the debate, and Navalny was criticized for not pressing Girkin over his role in the war between Kyivs forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,000 since April 2014.

'Pulled The Trigger Of War'

An ultranationalist and war-reenactment enthusiast known by the nom de guerre "Strelkov, Girkin once boasted that it was he, not Putin, "who pulled the trigger of war" in eastern Ukraine. He has also said publicly that he oversaw executions of suspected looters in separatist-held areas.



Television journalist Pavel Lobkov suggested Navalny was lending legitimacy to a war criminal -- a term the opposition leader refused to endorse during the debate, saying that such a label is for a court to assign.



"Mr. Strelkov, when you eat children, do you need to hold the fork in your left and the knife in the right, or is that unnecessary? Lobkov said in a mocking tweet.



Others ridiculed Girkin, who said he previously served in Russias Federal Security Service, for his reticence about who has financed the separatists and who shot down a passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people aboard.



Kyiv, NATO, and Western governments accuse Russia of backing the separatists, while an international investigation has said the jet was brought down by a Russian-made Buk missile system that was fired from separatist-controlled territory and taken back to Russia shortly thereafter.



Girkin said his status as a retired officer prevented him from going into detail on either question, though he said the separatists did not have the weapons capable of taking down the Malaysia Airlines jet.



One debate observer imagined Girkin taking that approach while ordering chicken wings.



"Spicy wings or original? As an officer, I wont answer that, because it could rob me of my officers honor, the Twitter user wrote.



But Anton Barbashin, the managing editor of the analytical site Intersection.eu, which is highly critical of the Kremlin, suggested Girkins cageyness was an implicit statement of Russian involvement in the downing of flight MH17.



Some social-media users suggested Navalny failed to sufficiently condemn Russias role in the war in eastern Ukraine, noting that the anticorruption crusader accused Girkin of "starting" a war that has drained Russia financially.



"Navalny: Theres no money for war, so we wont go to war. (But if we defeat corruption, then there will be more money), Kirill Martynov, the politics editor for the respected independent Russian daily Novaya Gazeta, quipped on Twitter.



Girkin and Navalny, who has repeatedly faced criticism from some in Russias liberal opposition camp for his flirtations with ultranationalist elements, also sparred at times over who was the true nationalist and patriot.



But Martynov wrote in subsequent analysis that the debate was a "political loss for Navalny, in part because its unlikely that he managed to win new supporters among Girkins ultranationalist base. On substance, Navalny "did not appear stronger than his opponent, Martynov added.



The prominent Russian journalist and political commentator Oleg Kashin, however, wrote that simply taking part in the debate was a powerful political statement by Navalny, who is seeking to get on the ballot for the March 2018 presidential election that is expected to hand Putin another six-year term.



"Demonstratively disregarding the values of his core supporters, he is letting them know that hes more confident in himself than ever, Kashin wrote of Navalny, who has been convicted three times in financial-crimes trials that he calls Kremlin-orchestrated retribution for his activism.



Russias Central Election Commission said last month that Navalny is not eligible to run, citing one of his convictions that the politician says was aimed at blocking his candidacy.



"He even refused to call Strelkov a war criminal -- who else among the opposition could be so bold? Kashin added.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says the status of a controversial Russian center in the country's third largest city, Nis, will soon be clarified.

Dacic told Vecernje Novosti daily in an interview published on July 20 that Belgrade will soon decide whether to grant diplomatic status to staff at the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center, reiterating that he personally supports the idea.

Dacics interview came three days after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Washington. Their discussion touched on Serbia's ties with Russia.

Staff at the Russian-Serbian center have said they want the same diplomatic status that NATO staff in Serbia have.

When the center was established in 2012, Russian officials said its goals were to prevent natural disasters and technological accidents and were not political.

The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Hoyt Brian Yee said in May that the center may have ulterior motives such as influencing public opinion.

With reporting by Balkan Insight


The United States won't insist on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's immediate ouster as it seeks a political settlement of the country's six-year civil war, President Donald Trump's counterterrorism adviser said on July 20.

"I don't think it's important for us to say Assad must go first," Tom Bossert said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. "The U.S. would still like to see Assad go at some point. That would be our desired outcome."

The White House's position represents a significant change from Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, who insisted Assad must go as part of any political settlement in Syria.

Other Western powers have also softened their opposition to Assad recently, most notably France under recently elected President Emmanuel Macron, who like the White House says that Assad's stepping down is not a precondition for reaching a peace agreement in Syria.

Bossert said there needs to be a political outcome in Syria, not a military solution, and the Trump administration still believes that Assad staying in control does not offer the best hope for a peaceful Syria.

Whether Assad's leaving "comes first or second or soon thereafter, it would be a nice outcome," he said.

Bossert spoke following news reports that Trump had decided to halt the CIA's covert program to arm and train Syrian rebels battling the Assad government.

Both changes in the U.S. position are sure to please Russia, which has long pushed the United States to stop arming anti-Assad rebels and has insisted that Assad should be able to run for reelection and stay in power if he's elected again during a negotiated political transition in Syria.

The phasing out of the secret weapons program was reported by The Washington Post on July 19. Officials told the newspaper that ending the operation reflects Trump's interest in finding ways to work with Russia.

The program was begun by the Obama administration in 2013 to put pressure on Assad to relinquish power.

Bossert said the Trump policy of working with Russia in Syria, starting off by forging a cease-fire agreement in the southwestern part of the country, is paying off.

"What clearly this president has done has obtained some cease-fire that's durable through some cooperation with the Russians despite all the domestic political brouhaha...I think he has demonstrated a desire at least to have safe havens so that we don't have a refugee and a migration problem that plagues Europe and eventually the United States in a way that we can't maintain security control of," he said.

With reporting by AP, Politico, and Daily Caller


WASHINGTON -- The United Nations top official in Belarus warned against the danger of politicizing human rights issues in the country, and called for more international engagement with Belarusian society and average citizens.

Sanaka Samarasinha made the comments at a July 21 hearing by the Helsinki Commission, a U.S. government agency charged with monitoring human rights in Europe and elsewhere.

Samarasinha said Belarus had made progress in alleviating poverty over the past two decades, and working to curtail human trafficking.

He said those achievements should be acknowledged by foreign governments and civil society groups.

Other experts speaking at the commission said democratic and economic reforms had stagnated, fueling in part the massive street protests that rattled the country this spring.

Samarasinha said younger Belarusians were getting independent news and information not through traditional media, such as radio and television, but through social media, via smart phones.

Katie Fox, a Eurasia expert with the National Democratic Institute, warned that cuts to international aid and development budgets proposed by President Donald Trumps administration could leave a void in Belarusian civil society that could then be filled by the Russian government.
The Pentagon says a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province mistakenly killed a number of Afghan security forces.

Helmand provincial Governor Hayatullah Hayat on July 21 confirmed the incident and said at least two commanders were among those killed but that the total casualty toll was not yet known.

The U.S. military said its forces were supporting Afghan troops carrying out an operation against the Taliban in the province's Gereshk district when the incident occurred.

"We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families affected by this unfortunate incident," the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.

"During a U.S.-supported ANDSF (Afghan National Defense Security Force) operation, aerial fires resulted in the deaths of the friendly Afghan forces who were gathered in a compound."

Afghan forces have been waging fierce battles to retake territory in Helmand Province, which remains largely under the control of Taliban

extremists.

U.S. and other coalition forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001 helping the national government in Kabul in its battle against the Taliban and other extremist forces.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
WASHINGTON -- Russian corruption is no longer a topic for just the country itself, it is a matter of concern for the United States and the West, says Ilya Zaslavskiy, a research expert at the Free Russia Foundation.

Zaslavskiy on July 20 also said that corruption will not be eradicated in Russia in the foreseeable future and that there remains a fear of repression facing those who protest the countrys kleptocracy.

Zaslavskiy was speaking in Washington at a conference on corruption in Russia -- called Kleptocrats of the Kremlin -- sponsored by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the U.S. Helsinki Foundation.

Kleptocracy was described as the use of political power to steal the country's resources from the people.

Zaslavskiy warned that Russian corruption poses national security issues for the West, especially because Russian kleptocrats are taking their corrosive practices and corruption to Europe and the U.S.

He cited various "corrosive" Russian activities, including lobbying media organizations, manipulating information, and influencing the discourse at think tanks and universities.

The West, and especially the U.S. as leader of the democratic world, has been so negligent and appeasing of post-Soviet Russia corruption and subversion of democratic values and institutions under (Russian President Vladimir) Putin over the last 18 years, he said.

Even under the best-case scenario, Russian kleptocracy will not be eradicated in the foreseeable future.

The best the West can hope for, he said, is to contain the negative global impact of rampant corruption coming from the post-Soviet space and try preserving its own democratic institutions and values.

Corruption is no longer just about Russia, but it is really about the U.S. and the West.

He also said there are not any systemic or really any kind of liberals in the Russian government.

It is a big myth, which is somehow spread in Europe, especially in countries looking to do business with Moscow.

When asked about potential protests in Russia against corruption, Zaslavskiy pointed out that many young people in the country still have a fear of repression, especially in view of the countrys history.

Daniel Fried, the former coordinator of U.S. sanctions policy under the Obama administration, said U.S. efforts to fight Russian corruption must be part of a wider strategy and cannot be done without international help.

A U.S. policy designed to push back against Russian kleptocracy and corruption needs to be integrated in a complete Russian policy," he said.

There is nothing incompatible between pushing back on Russian aggression in various forms and seeking those areas of common ground where it may be possible, said Fried, who also served under the administration of George W. Bush.

He pointed out that Americans may have discovered Russian corruption recently, but it has been an issue with other countries for decades.

The Europeans have been dealing with it for a long time. The Baltic states, Poland, Bulgaria have been dealing with it since 1991, he said.

Therefore, the answer should not be Made in the U.S., it must be coordinated in Europe, he said.

He listed two methods to potentially contain the problem.

The first is exposure, he said. We should not allow the corruption to take place in the shadows, in the darkness.

He said that was a job for nongovernmental agencies, investigative journalists, and tech-savvy, younger people adept at exposing maligning influencing, including in Russia itself.

Expose what the Russians are doing Just as it was not popular in the United States to be associated with the Soviet Union as their agent or their useful idiot, there should be a price to pay for doing the Kremlins work for it, he said.

The second option was pressure, which, he said, was more of a government function.

There are both sanctions, and there is enforcement of financial regulationsgoing after financial crimes.

He said Russian investment must be closely watched, as it is often used strategically to buy up key elements of a countrys infrastructure using cutouts, Cypriot money, false fronts.

Fried said that sanctions have a role and can be a "useful tool," but added that he did not want to overestimate the ability of sanctions to solve the problem.


PHILIPPINES The countrys president flew for the first time yesterday to a besieged southern city to cheer troops who have been trying to quell a nearly two-month uprising by Islamic State group-linked militants, who he warned were plotting to attack other cities. President Rodrigo Duterte landed with top generals in a military camp in Marawi city, which briefly came under fire from militant snipers shortly before he arrived.

THAILAND A former monk known for a jet-setting lifestyle was back in Thailand yesterday after he was extradited from the United States, where he fled to escape charges including statutory rape and fraud.

EAST TIMOR Almost two dozen parties are contesting parliamentary elections in East Timor this weekend that are likely to return independence heroes to power despite frustration in the young democracy with lack of economic progress and warnings the country could be bankrupt within a decade.

CAMBODIA Wildlife researchers have found a breeding location for the masked finfoot bird, one of the worlds most endangered, raising hopes of its continuing survival, the researchers announced yesterday.

AUSTRALIA-SRI LANKA Australia is contributing funds to help Sri Lanka combat its worst outbreak of dengue fever, which has claimed 250 lives and infected nearly 100,000 people so far this year in the Indian Ocean island nation.

ANGOLA Media say President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has returned to the country from Spain, where he has received medical treatment this year. The state-run news agency Agencia Angola Press reported yesterday that dos Santos and his wife, Ana Paula dos Santos, arrived at a military base in Luanda, the capital.

POLAND Lawmakers voted yesterday to approve a contentious law that gives control of the nations Supreme Court to the president instead of to judges, sparking new protests outside parliament in Warsaw.

AUSTRIA-ITALY The Austrian foreign minister says he has told his Italian counterpart that migrants arriving by boat to Italys islands should not be permitted to travel on to the mainland because that acts as a gateway to the rest of Europe.

BRAZILs justice minister and the top prosecutor both insisted Wednesday that the corruption probe theyve led against their countrys top politicians will continue in full force, even after ensnaring President Michel Temer.

US A New York City couple has pleaded guilty to enslaving two children from South Korea who were in their care. Fifty-four-year-old Jeong Taek Lee and his wife, 50-year-old Sook Yeon Park, both pleaded guilty to two counts of labor trafficking Wednesday.
A survey conducted across 10 cities and 5 metros in India, which have the highest vehicle density, has revealed that 60% of drivers, possessing valid driving licenses, have never been put through a driving test. The survey was conducted by SaveLife Foundations, a road safety advocacy group, and these startling facts have been brought into focus.

Just 12% of drivers in Agra received their licenses through the proper means by giving driving tests while 88% stated that they did not go through the regular process for receipt of their licenses. It was the same story in Jaipur and Guwahati where 72% and 64% drivers respectively stated that they did not give any driving test while in Delhi and Mumbai it was found that 52% drivers skipped the mandatory test.

This survey conducted draws attention to the fact that these discrepancies in issue of driving licenses have been noted by the Government of India. In fact, Raya Sabha has initiated an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act passed by the Lok Sabha. The amendment seeks an IT based driving test for applicants and a fine in case fake licenses are held or if drivers hold more than one license.

On an average, the 997 regional transport offices across the country issue 1.15 crore new licenses or renew driving licenses each year. This averages to 40 licenses each day and in some cases this could go upto 130 licenses per day (in case of big city like Delhi).

While driving test is mandatory, the licensing system is so corrupt that agents rule the system and issue driving licenses without conducting these tests. The Supreme Court has also urged that RTO officers should not be issuing more than 15-20 driving licenses per day as it is just not possible to conduct driving tests for 130-150 drivers on a daily basis.

Issuing driving license without testing the rider / driver skills, is not only dangerous for the person, but also for others who will be sharing the road with such people. Driving license test makes sure that you can ride / drive your vehicle, you understand road signs, understand the importance of traffic rules and regulations, etc.

Everyday, we see examples in front of us. There are drivers / riders who have no regard for traffic discipline, are cutting lanes, not stopping at red light, over speeding and what not. India registers the highest number of road deaths in the world. Along with better infrastructure, we also need drivers / riders who are responsible.
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In a survey of the sky, WISE found more brown dwarfs farther from the sun than it did nearby. In this image of our astronomical back yard, shown from a the view of 30 light-years from the sun, brown dwarfs within 26 light-years from the sun are circled, with objects in blue having been previously identified, while red circles indicate new brown dwarfs revealed by WISE.

Nemesis is a theoretical dwarf star thought to be a companion to our sun. The theory was postulated to explain a perceived cycle of mass extinctions in Earth's history. Scientists speculated that such a star could affect the orbit of objects in the far outer solar system, sending them on a collision course with Earth.

While recent astronomical surveys failed to find any evidence that such a star exists, a 2017 study suggests there could have been a "Nemesis" in the very ancient past.

The argument for Nemesis

In the early 1980s, scientists noticed that extinctions on Earth seemed to fall in a cyclical pattern. Mass extinctions seem to occur more frequently every 27 million years. The long span of time caused them to turn to astronomical events for an explanation.

In 1984, Richard Muller of the University of California Berkley suggested that a red dwarf star 1.5 light-years away could be the cause of the mass extinctions. Later theories have suggested that Nemesis could be a brown or white dwarf, or a low-mass star only a few times as massive as Jupiter. All would cast dim light, making them difficult to spot.

Scientists speculated that Nemesis may affect the Oort cloud, which is made up of icy rocks surrounding the sun beyond the range of Pluto. Many of these chunks travel around the sun in a long-term, elliptical orbit. As they draw closer to the star, their ice begins to melt and stream behind them, making them recognizable as comets.

If Nemesis traveled through the Oort cloud every 27 million years, some argue, it could kick extra comets out of the sphere and send them hurling toward the inner solar system  and Earth. Impact rates would increase, and mass extinctions would be more common.

The Kuiper Belt, a disk of debris that lies inside of the solar system, also has a well-defined outer edge that could be sheared off by a companion star. Researchers have found other systems where a companion star seems to have affected the shape of the debris disks.

The dwarf planet Sedna lends further credence in the eyes of some to the existence of a companion star for the sun. With an orbit of up to 12,000 years, the planet presents a puzzle to many. Scientists have suggested that a massive object such as a dim star could be responsible for keeping Sedna so far from the sun.

Another theory is there is a huge ice giant, nicknamed "Planet Nine," that is at the edge of our solar system. Researchers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown (both from the California Institute of Technology) suggested in 2016 that such a body might be stirring up smaller icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt. A search for Planet Nine is ongoing. Notably, Brown was part of the research team that found Sedna and several other icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt, and he was one of the lead advocates for reclassifying Pluto (once considered a planet) to a dwarf planet in 2006.

A theory under fire

Though some scientists find the Nemesis theory plausible, others do not. The initial cyclical nature of mass extinctions is still under discussion. Studies of craters seem to indicate that such a pattern does not exist. Other studies of fossil records suggest that mass extinctions are more likely to happen around those peaks, though extinction events occur during other epochs.

In order to avoid significantly affecting the orbit of the planets, as well as to avoid observation, Nemesis must remain at a distance from the sun. But astronomers argue that such an orbit would be inherently unstable. Traveling so far out, Nemesis would be affected by other stars moving through the galaxy. The resulting orbit would not provide a steady kick to the Oort cloud but would be constantly changing.

In 2017, a new study suggested that nearly all stars like the sun were born with companions. The astronomers did detailed studies of young stars in the Perseus molecular cloud and backed up their work with modeling. But "Nemesis," if it did indeed exist at that time, broke free of the sun early in its history and moved into the rest of the Milky Way's population, the astronomers said.

Spotting the unseen

A solar companion may be hard to find, but it would still be visible by sensitive telescopes. Astronomers have scoured the sky using the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), which studied the sky over four years in three infrared wavelengths. The instrument discovered 173 brown dwarfs farther away than our solar system, but none near enough to be the infamous Nemesis.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer completed its 1.25-year mission in February 2011, having discovered a number of brown dwarfs within 20 light-years. Again, none of these were located near the solar system.

The lack of discovery of a viable candidate by these two sensitive instruments led many scientists to conclude that the sun is a single star and does not have a companion.

According to NASA's "Ask an Astrobiologist" page,

(T)he Sun is not part of a binary star system. There has never been any evidence to suggest a companion. The idea has been disproved by several infrared sky surveys, most recently the WISE mission. If there were a brown dwarf companion, these sensitive infrared telescopes would have detected it.  David Morrison, Astrobiology Senior Scientist, October 17, 2012

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor
The city of Alpha in Luc Besson's latest fantasy film, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," shares a few similarities to the existing International Space Station, which is highlighted in the opening scene of the movie.

In the new adventure movie "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," directed by Luc Besson, the title city of Alpha has a present-day origin: the International Space Station.

The opening of "Valerian"  a film inspired by the popular French comic series "'Valerian et Laureline," created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres  has a scene that showcases the International Space Station (ISS) as it grows into a galactic United Nations, hosting meet-and-greets with representatives from Earth and, later, aliens. It grows physically, too, until it is large enough that it needs to be moved out of low-Earth orbit. [Read our full "Valerian" review!]

The fictional metropolis Alpha was inspired by Point City, which was first written about in the sixth volume of the "Valerian and Laureline" graphic novel series, entitled "Ambassador of the Shadows." (Image credit: Dargaud)

The ISS' evolution is a plausible one: The station has a history of bringing cultures together to build itself and to exchange ideas. In "Valerian," the first greeting in the montage takes place in the not-too-distant year 2020, where two human astronauts are shown embracing, and as we advance in time, we see increasingly strange aliens introduce themselves to humans on board the station.

Certainly, the international crews that have continuously occupied the existing ISS since 2000 would have milder reactions to meeting foreign astronauts than hypothetically meeting alien life-forms. However, the ISS was nevertheless groundbreaking in its ability to unite five space agencies to expand scientific research possibilities and to mend older nationalistic divisions. Many of the space programs involved with the station  NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), CSA (Canada), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe)  include countries that have warred with one another in the last century.

This image is a side-by-side view of early space station concepts in fact and fiction. In the decade following these illustrations, the "Valerian and Laureline" comic was written, later inspiring director Luc Besson to create the 2017 "Valerian" film. (Image credit: Karl Tate, Space.com)

Early concepts for the ISS had the space station taking the shape of a giant wheel. Wernher von Braun developed an ISS station concept in 1952 that was round in order to provide simulated gravity through rotation, with a capacity to house dozens of scientists, according this Space.com infographic.

Science-fiction storytellers were clearly inspired by these concepts, and a few years later, in 1968, Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey" developed a model for a space station that was in a similar wheel shape. The year before, 1967, the first issue of "Valerian and Laureline" was published by Dargaud, according to "Valerian" film representatives. Point Central, a vast space station that lies at the crossroads of space that inspired Alpha in the film adaptation, appeared a few years later, in the 1975 comic "Valerian Vol 6: Ambassador of the Shadows."

Right now, NASA and U.S. officials have only promised to fund the ISS through 2024, so it's uncertain what the future will hold for the orbiting lab. But as crews from around the world work together to research and live in space, science-fiction writers have inspiration to continue writing tales of the ISS expanding someday into that kind of vibrant metropolis.

Mission specialists Lopez-Alegria and Herrington working on a newly installed Port One (P1) truss on the International Space Station in 2002. (Image credit: NASA)

Follow Doris Elin Salazar on Twitter @salazar_elin. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Two huge, Apollo-era NASA computers and more than 300 data-recording tapes were found in the Pittsburgh basement of a dead engineer in late 2015, according to media reports.

In November 2015, a scrap dealer was invited to clean out the basement of the recently deceased IBM engineer, who did some work for NASA at the height of the Space Race, Ars Technica reported. The dealer found about 325 magnetic data tapes and the two giant computers, both of which were marked "NASA Property."

The scrap dealer contacted NASA to inform the agency of the find, and NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) performed an investigation. Ars Technica obtained the OIG's report via a Freedom of Information Act request.

"Please tell NASA these items were not stolen," the engineer's heir told the scrap dealer, according to the OIG report. "They belonged to IBM Allegheny Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. During the 1968-1972 time frame, IBM was getting rid of the items, so [the engineer] asked if he could have them and was told he could have them."

The relevant names have been redacted in the OIG report.

NASA officials told the deceased engineer's family that the agency did not need the computers back. After further investigation, an agency archivist determined that 93 of the tapes contained data from Pioneer 10 or Pioneer 11, flyby missions to Jupiter and Saturn that launched in the early 1970s.

A few of the other tapes recorded data from the Pioneer 8, Pioneer 9, Helios 1 and Intelsat IV missions, but most of the recordings  about 215 of them  could not be identified. The archivist recommended that all the tapes  which were moldy and in generally poor condition  be destroyed, because they didn't contain anything of historical significance.

You can read the NASA OIG report here and the full story at Ars Technica here.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The lunar sample return bag used to hold the first moon rocks and soil collected by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong sold for $1.8 million at Sotheby's in New York on July 20, 2017.

NEW YORK  A cloth bag used to protect the first-ever moon rocks collected by an astronaut on the lunar surface 48 years ago Thursday (July 20) has made history again  this time by selling at auction for more than any other U.S. space program artifact to date.

The sale fell short, however, of commanding the most ever paid for a space artifact overall , closing at a lower hammer price than its pre-auction estimate of $2 million to $4 million.

The moon dust-stained "lunar sample return" pouch, which Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong used to store a small "contingency" cache of material from Tranquility Base, sold for $1,812,500 million at Sotheby's New York on Thursday (July 20), the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 first moon landing . The bag's sale was part of Sotheby's first auction to focus on artifacts from NASA's space missions. [NASA's Historic Apollo 11 Moon Landing in Pictures]

"Here it is, to my right, up front, at $1.5 million," announced auctioneer Joe Dunning, before striking down the hammer, completing the sale to an unidentified bidder on the phone. (The $1.8 million includes Sotheby's buyer's premium.)

The bag, and the lunar sample it once held, is testament to NASA's planning if something were to have gone wrong on the Apollo 11 mission requiring a quick departure after the moon landing. Following his "small step," Armstrong took a few more steps to scoop up a contingency sample of rocks and soil so if the moonwalk had to be ended unexpectedly, the mission would still come back with a lunar sample.

Of course, as history records, there was no emergency, and the contingency sample became just a small bit of the 47.5 lbs. (21.5 kilograms) of rock and soil that Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin gathered during their 2.5-hour exploration of the lunar surface. When they lifted off as scheduled and reunited with their crewmate Michael Collins on board the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia , Armstrong invited Collins to look inside the "decontamination bag" to see the contingency lunar sample bag inside.

Sothebys auctioneer Joe Dunning leads the bidding on the Apollo 11 lunar sample return bag at the firm's gallery in New York on July 20, 2017. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

"If you want to have a look at what the moon looks like, you can open that up," said Armstrong to Collins, referring to the same bag that sold at Sotheby's, now 48 years later.

Once back on Earth, everything  the command module, the moon rock collection bags and even the astronauts  entered quarantine to protect against the chance of "moon germs." The lunar samples were transferred to a specially prepared laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where most are still held today (the crew was cleared after 18 days to return to their homes).

At some point, the no-longer-needed decontamination bag ended up with the artifacts held by a co-founder of a space museum in Kansas (when and how that happened is not clear). In the intervening years, an inventory error merged the Apollo 11 bag with another similar bag flown on Apollo 17, such that the provenance of the Apollo 11 bag became muddled.

In 2006, the same curator was convicted of stealing and selling space artifacts from the museum, which resulted in part in his forfeiting his collection  including what is now known to be the Apollo 11 contingency lunar sample return bag  to underwrite paying restitution. The U.S. Marshals Service consigned the items, including the moon rock bag, to a Texas auction house, describing it simply as flown. [Lunar Legacy: 45 Apollo Moon Mission Photos]

After failing to attract a single bid three times when offered at $42,500, the bag finally sold on Feb. 17, 2015, for $995 to Nancy Lee Carlson, an attorney from Inverness, Illinois. Six months later, Carlson sent the bag to NASA in Houston to be tested for the presence of moon dust.

NASA found traces of the lunar material and was able to identify the bag as having flown on Apollo 11, but it could not find a record of ever having released it from its property. So instead of returning it to Carlson, as she requested, the space agency sought to compensate her for her expenses and retain the bag. Carlson rejected that offer.

The dispute became the subject of court cases in Kansas and Texas. In late 2016, a District Court in Kansas ordered that the lunar sample bag belonged to Carlson , citing that the government had not provided sufficient justification to overturn the U.S. Marshals' sale. A Texas judge followed suit, instructing NASA to turn over the Apollo 11 moon rock bag to Carlson.

Carlson subsequently consigned the bag to Sotheby's .

Sotheby's first entered the space memorabilia market with a pair of high-profile Russian artifact auctions in 1993 and 1996. Its now U.S. record-setting sale of the Apollo 11 bag fell short of its 2011 auction of a Soviet Vostok 3KA space capsule for $2.9 million.

Previously, the most paid for a U.S. space artifact was the $1.625 million for a Bulova chronograph worn by Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott on the moon in 1971. The 2015 sale was held by RR Auction of Boston.

The Apollo 13 flown flight plan, with original caricatures and crew notations, sold for $275,000 at Sothebys Space Exploration Sale in New York on July 20, 2017. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

After the lunar sample return bag, the next highest amount commanded by the 173 lots Sotheby's auctioned Thursday was $275,000 for the flown flight plan used by the crew on the 1970 Apollo 13 mission.

An original Chesley Bonestell illustration sold for $125,000. The artwork of a stone architecture on Mars appeared in a 1960 book authored by rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun.

Overall, Sotheby's sale totaled $3.8 million, with more than 87 percent of the lots sold  64 percent above their high estimates.

"The tremendous excitement around Sotheby's first space-themed sale in nearly 20 years translated into a great result," said Cassandra Hatton, vice president and senior specialist for Sotheby's books and manuscript department, in a statement. "The $1.8 million achieved for the Apollo 11 lunar sample bag and strong prices for objects related to other missions were driven by over 500 participants from dozens of countries."

According to Sotheby's, Carlson planned to share part of the sale proceeds with a number of charities, including the Immune Deficiency Foundation and Bay Cliff Health Camp Children's Therapy and Wellness Center in Michigan. She is also planning to fund a scholarship for students studying speech pathology at Northern Michigan University.
On June 22, The Mars Society launched the second phase of its ambitious Mars 160 Twin Desert-Arctic Analog simulation to study how seven crewmembers could live, work and perform science on a true mission to Mars. Mars 160 crewmember Paul Knightly is chronicling the mission, which will spend 60 days in the Canadian arctic at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island after completing a similar 80-day mission at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah in late 2016. Here's his first dispatch from the mission:

The "Journey to Mars" being carried out by NASA and other organizations from around the world is just that  a journey. We started our journey to Mars on Earth on June 22, and, after being delayed due to weather and ground conditions, we finally reached our outpost this past weekend. After staging in Yellowknife, a city of nearly 20,000 in the Northwest Territories of Canada, for a few days, we made our way to Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut. Resolute is an Inuit community that serves as a staging area for many expeditions of exploration and science throughout the Canadian arctic. It is here that we found ourselves waiting for nearly three weeks, due mostly to the chaotic weather of the north and waiting for enough snow to melt that we could land. Even in waiting, our mission had started.

Recent years have seen various simulations conducted in order to reproduce different aspects of a crewed mission to Mars. Some of them have purely been isolation studies, looking largely at the long-term psychological impact that the long voyage to and from Mars can have on a crew. Other simulations have incorporated occasional "spacewalks" to conduct predetermined science and engineering tasks while still focusing primarily on the effects of isolation. All prior simulation efforts have been focused on just one research station, laboratory setting or field site. [Inside Mars 160: The Mars Society's Red Planet Simulation in Pictures]

The goal of Mars 160 is to accomplish something different: Send two nearly identical crews to two nearly identical Mars habitats in two different Mars analog environments on Earth, and then compare the scientific return of both halves of the mission while preserving an isolated environment during each mission. It is with this goal in mind that we began our journey on June 22 as the crew of Mars 160 converged at Yellowknife from around the world.

A crewed mission to Mars could be compared to the inner workings of a clock, where each spinning gear represents a task or a condition that must meet with a multitude of others in order for the mission to progress. Each of our stops in Yellowknife and then Resolute represented the pre-launch and launch phases of the mission. Most of our gear had been delivered weeks or months prior to our arrival, and it was our job on arrival to each of these destinations to check and cross-check that gear, making sure that we were well equipped for our two-month mission to the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS).

With all of our provisions accounted for, we were ready to land on Mars. Just one final condition had to be met  the weather conditions at our landing site. FMARS is situated on the rim of the Haughton Impact Crater, a 10-mile-wide (16 kilometers) structure created nearly 39 million years ago. The crater has survived several major ice ages, and the region is still prone to weather typical of the arctic, including at times atypical amounts of snowfall. 2017 has been a snowier year than average, and we found ourselves delayed from the outset due to melting snow on the ground. Call it the equivalent of arriving in Mars orbit as a global dust storm is beginning to wane. [Mars 160 Coverage: Training for a Manned Mission to Mars]

Crewmembers of the Mars 160 mission at Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station, on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic, in July 2017. (Image credit: Mars Society)

After biding our time in Resolute for just shy of three weeks, we finally had an opportunity to land. Our Mars lander was a propeller-driven Twin Otter aircraft, a mainstay of arctic transportation. We landed on two separate flights and, as would be expected of a Mars crew returning to a previously established base, we set ourselves to work to bring FMARS back online. The tasks are what one might expect of a structure that saw its last occupants four years before, including thoroughly cleaning every surface. As much as humans pride themselves on good hygiene, we serve as carriers for a multitude of bacteria and spores that will almost certainly travel with us to Mars. Research stations of any kind on Mars will likely face the same battle against dust and mold that we encountered, so our cleaning lesson is one to pass along to Martian astronauts who follow us.

As I'm writing this, we have nearly completed bringing the station back into full operation. Once all systems are operational, we will enter into our simulation. To enter into "Sim," as we call it, means that all field science activities to be carried out through the rest of our stay must be done in spacesuits. We entered into our simulation on July 20  a fitting date considering it is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 and Viking 1 landings.

Waxing philosophical from weeks of waiting to travel to FMARS, I've been thinking of the difference between our mission and simulation. Our mission began long before we landed in Yellowknife and started rounding up the rest of the gear we needed to survive Mars on Earth. But even in our time in Canada, we have continued to bond as a crew in addition to carrying out many of the studies and research related to our mission goals. Any mission to Mars will begin when the crewmembers are selected and begin their training together, and it won't end until they depart their spacecraft when they return to Earth.

Though our simulation did not start as soon as we had hoped, the delays have taught us valuable lessons that can be applied to future missions to Mars that face similar weather-related delays. But now that we have entered into simulation, our mission has entered its prime. It's good to be on Mars!

Editor's note: To follow The Mars Society's Mars 160 mission and see daily photos and updates, visit the mission's website here: http://mars160.marssociety.org/. You can also follow the mission on Twitter @MDRSUpdates.

Paul Knightly is a geologist and PhD student at the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is a member of The Mars Society's Mars 160 Twin Desert-Arctic Analog simulation, where he is conducting geological field research to better understand the arctic environment and its implications for Mars. Follow The Mars Society on Twitter at @TheMarsSociety and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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The rise of the social media generation has allowed us to instantly share photos, videos, and our opinion (unpopular or not) whenever we want. Unfortunately, many social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have been the conduit through which extremist ideologies such as those espoused by ISIS and others have been allowed to flourish and used as a recruitment tool. Governments have since criticized the most influential social media platforms for not taking enough steps to curb extremism (despite the possible censorship and free speech issues).

Last June, it was reported that Twitter may allow certain tweets to be flagged as "fake news". Facebook has also implemented several ways to fight fake news on its platform. Now YouTube is trying its hand at dispelling extremist and terrorist views on its own platform. Today the company announced that it was partnering with Jigsaw, another Alphabet subsidiary, and using their "Redirect Method"; a method in which searching for certain English keywords will result in displaying playlists of videos that debunk "violent extremist recruiting narratives" from ISIS and other terrorist groups.

According to the Redirect Method website, "It focuses on the slice of ISIS' audience that is most susceptible to its messaging, and redirects them towards curated YouTube videos debunking ISIS recruiting themes. This open methodology was developed from interviews with ISIS defectors, respects users' privacy and can be deployed to tackle other types of violent recruiting discourses online."

Apparently it seems to be working as a pilot program for the Redirect Method led to 320,000 individuals viewing "over half a million minutes of the 116 videos we selected to refute ISIS's recruiting themes."

YouTube is working closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to create additional video content that could possibly influence those most susceptible to an extremist ideology. YouTube will also be adding other languages and expanding the program into Europe while using machine learning to dynamically update a list of "trigger" keywords that activate the anti-terrorist playlists.

YouTube previously announced additional steps to combat extremist content to include increasing the number of independent experts in its "Trusted Flagger" program and take a tougher stance on videos that violate YouTube's content policies. While the Redirect Method is focused on Islamic extremism, this approach could presumably counter other extremist hate groups and ideology.

A larger issue still looms over what actually defines "extremist ideology". What's extreme for one person may be just fine to another person. Who gets to decide what is extreme? Could this lead to widespread censorship on every major social media platform? Regardless, it seems that the sheer magnitude of combating extremism will keep Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others busy for quite some time.
The following companies are subsidiares of Newmont: AC40689 Limited, Administradora de Negocios Mineros S.A. de C.V., Australian Capital Territory, Battle Mountain Resources Inc., Cayman Pampas Ltd., Con Exploration Ltd., Datawave Sciences Inc., Dawn Mining Company LLC, ELLC Grazing Membership LLC, EMH (BVI) Inc., Elko Land and Livestock Company, Empresa Minera Maria SRL, Fronteer Development (USA) LLC, Fronteer Development LLC, Fronteer Royalty LLC, GCGC LLC, GMK Investments Pty Ltd, Galore Creek Mining Corporation, Galore Creek Partnership, Glamis Rand Mining Company, Gold S.p.A., Goldcorp (Barbados) Inc., Goldcorp America Holdings Inc., Goldcorp Aureus Inc., Goldcorp Aurum Argentum Inc., Goldcorp Canada Ltd., Goldcorp Capital Corporation, Goldcorp Exeter Ltd., Goldcorp Faja de Plata S.A. de C.V., Goldcorp General Holdings Ltd., Goldcorp Global Services Inc., Goldcorp Holdings Europe B.V., Goldcorp Holdings GmbH, Goldcorp Inc., Goldcorp Insurance Company Inc., Goldcorp Internacional S.A. de C.V., Goldcorp Kaminak Ltd., Goldcorp Latin America Finance Limited, Goldcorp MC Holding S.p.A., Goldcorp Penasquito S.A. de C.V., Goldcorp Porcupine Nominee Ltd., Goldcorp Red Lake Nominee Ltd., Goldcorp Stratum Inc., Goldcorp Tesoro Inc., Goldcorp Trading GmbH, Goldcorp USA Holdings Ltd., Goldcorp USA Inc., Goldcorp USA Services Inc., Goldfields Power Pty Ltd, Hemlo Gold Mines (Ghana) Limited, Holdco S.p.A., Honduras Holdings Ltd., Hospah Holdings Company, Idarado Mining Company, International Mineral Finance S.AR.L., MMC Acquisition Limited, Mexicana Resources Inc., Minera Alumbrera Ltd., Minera BMG, Minera Choluteca S.A. de C.V., Minera Faja de Plata S.A. de C.V., Minera Los Tapados S.A., Minera Newmont (Chile) Limitada, Minera Penasquito S.A. de C.V., Minera Yanacocha S.R.L., Miramar Gold Corporation, Miramar HBG Inc., Miramar Northern Mining Ltd., Montana Exploradora de Guatemala S.A. de C.V., Moydow Limited, Musto Explorations (Bermuda) Ltd., N.I. Limited, NP Kalgoorlie Pty Ltd, NVL (USA) Limited, NVL Haiti Limited S.A., NVL PNG Limited, NVL Solomon Islands Limited, Nevada Eagle Resources LLC, Nevada Gold Mines LLC, New Verde Mines LLC, Newmont (Guyana) Incorporated, Newmont AP Power Pty Ltd, Newmont Australia Investment Limited, Newmont Boddington Pty Ltd, Newmont Bolivia Limited, Newmont CC&V Mining Corporation, Newmont Canada Corporation, Newmont Canada Holdings ULC, Newmont Capital Limited, Newmont Capital Pty Ltd, Newmont Colombia S.A.S., Newmont Euronimba B.V., Newmont FH B.V., Newmont GTR LLC, Newmont Galore Creek Holdings Corporation, Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, Newmont Gold Company, Newmont Gold Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Australia Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Boddington Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Exploration Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Integrated Services Inc., Newmont Goldcorp Red Lake Holdings Ltd., Newmont Goldcorp Services Pty Ltd, Newmont Goldcorp Tanami Pty Ltd, Newmont Golden Ridge Limited, Newmont Holdings ULC, Newmont Indonesia Investment Limited, Newmont Indonesia LLC, Newmont International Exploration Pty Ltd, Newmont International Group BV, Newmont International Services Limited, Newmont Investment Holdings LLC, Newmont Landco Pty Ltd, Newmont Latin America Limited, Newmont McCoy Cove Limited, Newmont Mineral Holdings B.V., Newmont Mines Limited, Newmont Mining Finance Pty Ltd, Newmont Mining Holdings Pty Ltd, Newmont NGL Holdings Pty Ltd, Newmont Nevada Energy Investment LLC, Newmont North America Exploration Limited, Newmont Nusa Tenggara Holdings B.V., Newmont Overseas Exploration Limited, Newmont Pacific Energy Pty Ltd, Newmont Peru Limited, Newmont Power Pty Ltd, Newmont Realty Company, Newmont Second Capital Corporation, Newmont Suriname LLC, Newmont Technologies Limited, Newmont USA Limited, Newmont Ventures Limited, Newmont Woodcutters Pty Ltd, Newmont Yandal Operations Pty Ltd, Newmont de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Normandy Company (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Normandy Overseas Holding Company Sdn Bhd, Nusa Tenggara Partnership B.V., Orcana Resources Inc., Oroplata S.A., PT Newmont Minahasa Raya, Pequop Exploration LLC, Peridot S.A., Pittston Nevada Gold Company Ltd., Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation, Red Lake Gold Mine Services Ltd., Resurrection Mining Company, Saddleback Investments Pty Ltd, San Juan Basin Holdings Company, Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation, Sermineros de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Sermineros de Mexico S.A. de C.V. <0.0010% Sermineros Zacatecas S.A. de C.V., Sociedad Contractual Minera El Morro, Suriname Gold Project CV, Takari Mining SAS, Talapoosa Mining Inc., The LeClair Consolidated Mines Company, The Matoa Gold Mining Company, US Mineral Company Inc., Vol Mines Limited, and West Pequop Project LLC.

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Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH.

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Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut.
Telecom Argentina S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Argentina and internationally. The company offers telephone services, including local, domestic, and international long-distance telephone services, as well as public telephone services; and other related supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller ID, voice mail, itemized billing, and maintenance services. It also provides interconnection services, such as traffic and interconnection resource, dedicated Internet access, video signals transportation in standard and high definitions, audio and video streaming, dedicated links, backhaul links for mobile operators, data center hosting/housing services, dedicated links, layer 2 and layer 3 transport networks, video links, value-added services, and other services. In addition, the company offers mobile telecommunications services, including voice communications, high-speed mobile Internet content and applications download, online streaming, and other services; and sells mobile communication devices, such as handsets, Modems MiFi and wingles, and smart watches under the Personal brand. Further, it provides internet connectivity products, including virtual private network services, traditional Internet protocol links, and other products; data services; and programming and other cable television services. The company was formerly known as Cablevision S.A. and changed its name to Telecom Argentina S.A. in January 2018. Telecom Argentina S.A. was founded in 1979 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Justin Bieber, Sean Spicer, Steve Bannon. Photo: Getty Images

Every week brings such an overwhelming onslaught of news, that sometimes the most entertaining bits can fall through the cracks. Here, well recap the pettiest squabbles, juiciest feuds, and other niche drama you didnt know you were living for.

Ann Coulters Plane Meltdown

Even though it feels like approximately 15 years ago, it was just last weekend that conservative pundit Ann Coulter had a full-scale meltdown because she was bumped from her plane seat.

If you thought it was about $30, @Delta, why didn't you give this woman $30 and let me stay in my PRE-BOOKED, ASSIGNED seat? pic.twitter.com/sR1g8tuRWX  Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 17, 2017

Notably, Coulter  who devotes much of her rhetoric to claiming people are too sensitive and entitled these days  claimed it cost her $10,000 worth of her time to select the plane seat in the first place.

$30! It cost me $10,000 of my time to pre-select the seat I wanted, investigate type of plane & go back periodically to review seat options https://t.co/eaj1QOpvHq  Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 17, 2017

Delta agreed to refund her $30, before telling her off politely.

@AnnCoulter Additionally, your insults about our other customers and employees are unacceptable and unnecessary.  Delta (@Delta) July 16, 2017

The greatest accomplishment here is that, even in this day and age, Coulter managed to make the American people side with an airline company.



Steve Bannon Burned Paul Ryan

If you dont have anything nice to say about something, well, youre probably going to say it anyway and then its going to come out in the future when you work with that person and its going to be pretty awkward.

Such is the case of Steve Bannon, who reportedly issued a devastating burn about Paul Ryan back when he was worried that the House speaker was going to unexpectedly get the Republican nomination. According to Joshua Greens new book, Devils Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency (you can read an excerpt of it here), Bannon once referred to Ryan as a limp-dick motherfucker who was born in a petri dish at the Heritage Foundation.

So, uh, wheres the lie?

China vs. Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber, who we are constantly surprised to learn is not still a teen, has been banned from the entire country of China. Why? The reason the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture gave was his bad behavior, by which we believe they mean encouraging everyone to get the same terrible tattoo he has.

Vine Star vs. His Own Neighborhood

In a quiet enclave of West Hollywood, a war is brewing. On one side: the Vine star Jake Paul, his cohort of pranksters and the millennial fans who swarm to meet him; on the other, the families who are convinced Paul is going to burn down the neighborhood.

Paul is apparently paying $17,000 a month to rent the McMansion and use it as a set for his prank videos, which neighbors say has turned the area into a living hell and a war zone. When KTLA attempted to interview Paul about his neighbors complaints, they found it difficult to communicate with him, as he apparently speaks only in meme:

Jake Paul accused of terrorizing an entire LA neighborhood and the interview he did on it is INSANE https://t.co/A6c1HMSNle pic.twitter.com/yAf2W9HxNk  Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) July 18, 2017

This summer, Paul was also accused of emotionally abusing his girlfriend, so he sounds like a fun guy all around.

Spicey Out

Its funny how someone can be in your life for only a short amount of time, but their presence is so memorable that you start to forget what it was like before you knew them. That is how we feel about Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary who lied and fumbled and garbled his English all the way into our hearts. On Friday morning Spicer resigned from his position after reportedly rejecting to Trumps plan to appoint Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, bringing the Spicer drama to an abrupt end. At least this should clear the path for him to become the spokesperson for Orbit.

The Usher Herpes Lawsuit

Did Usher pay a woman $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit in which she alleged he gave her herpes? The answer is:

The court docs, published by Radar Online, show the suit was settled in 2012 in California, where its illegal to knowingly or recklessly transmit an STD. Really gives Burn a whole new meaning.

Catch up on previous drama here.
Photo: Getty Images

A weeklong series dedicated to skewering the traditions, expectations, and psychodrama that surround wedding season.

When I tell people Ive recently gotten engaged, they tend to ask the same questions: How did he ask? is one. Can I see the ring? is my favorite. But I also get this a lot: Was it a surprise?

The first two are easy to answer; the last, less so. It was a fake surprise. My now-fiance, Andrew, and I had talked to death every detail about getting married, except for the official ask itself. Did I know we were going to spend the rest of our lives together? Yes. Did I know he would propose to me when he did? No. One weekend, Andrew surprised me with an overnight trip to Wallingford, Connecticut  one of several towns that are said to have inspired the cozy New England setting for Gilmore Girls  and asked me to marry him in the town freaking gazebo, which was all aglow in white twinkly lights like something out of Stars Hollow. It was corny, and it was thoughtful, and it was perfect.

But it was also a little surreal, even absurd, and in the moment it felt like we were actors playing out a scripted scene. Today, engagements are typically the result of much deliberate negotiation and planning between a couple; even the proposal itself isnt a true surprise, but rather part of a carefully choreographed series of events. So why do we keep doing this? What does this ritual signify to us, and how might that explain why the surprise proposal has held on?

Ellen Lamont, a sociologist who is writing a book about modern courtship rituals, has found that the fake surprise proposal is pretty much standard practice when it comes to straight couples. Of the many heterosexual women she interviewed for a 2013 article published in Gender & Society, only a handful told stories of receiving proposals they werent expecting. And those did not go well, she said, adding that most of those eventually called off their engagements. I dont know the details of the rejected Fenway Park proposal in May, but I would guess that was also an unwelcome actual surprise. The majority of the women featured in that paper said that their engagements came after careful consideration, like mine. Most of the couples discussed marriage extensively before getting engaged, often going over how they envisioned their lives together, as this was considered pragmatic, she writes. After the couple decided when they wanted to get engaged, the man was expected to surprise the woman with a proposal.

So many of us are telling half-truths about half-surprises.

One reason why the surprise proposal is valuable to us, Lamont suggested, has to do with concerns around gender roles. She pointed to a 2013 study, where psychology researchers surveyed a few hundred heterosexual college students about their attitudes on gender norms and marriage traditions, including the proposal. The title of the paper is essentially a spoiler for its findings: Girls Dont Propose! Ew. Of the 277 undergrads they interviewed, about two-thirds  men and women  said proposing was definitely the guys role. The women in that study confided to the researchers that they would feel too awkward to propose, that it would seem like they were coming on too strong.

The surprise proposal narrative helps counter those insecurities, Lamont said. The guy is typically asking, which means hes not being dragged into this; the woman is typically being asked, which means shes not being overly pursuant. Its a speculative, overgeneralized explanation, as Lamont only spoke with a few dozen heterosexual men and women for her research. But its an intriguing one, too.

As we chat, its clear that Lamont was amused by some of the people she spoke with in her research, and the way they threw their hearts into this odd surprise-that-isnt ritual. But shes also concerned with the way it implies a power imbalance within the relationship, one that betrays its true nature. The woman is involved in this decision to get married  obviously  and it troubles Lamont how the typical proposal story casts that part aside, for the sake of assuaging fears about gender roles.

She says the majority of her study participants expressed a desire for an equal partnership, and indeed most did seem to be in one, with both partners deciding together to take that next step. [I]t isnt as though there is necessarily one sole actor, even in cases where the man proposes to the woman, the journalist Tracy Clark-Flory wrote of a 2010 study that drew similar conclusions to Lamonts work. Its just that the womens part in that decision tends to get edited out of the official version of the story.

Instead, it happens behind the scenes. A woman named Caroline, for instance, told Lamont that her boyfriend initially proposed during a fight about why he hadnt proposed yet. I didnt tell any of my friends what actually happened, she said. He proposed [again] three weeks later on a boat. Thats the story our friends know.

Caroline, buddy, I hear you. The Gilmore Girls proposal was incredibly sweet, but it was on the heels of a ten-day trip to Berlin, and Id been bewildered, and crushed, when he didnt ask then. I dont tend to tell that part. A woman named Holly, who lives in Chicago, recently told me she was so certain her boyfriend would propose on one of five specific dates that she enlisted five friends in a betting pool, each one wagering on a different day. Holly edits the bet out of her story. So many of us are telling half-truths about half-surprises, and by doing so were often accidentally reinforcing gender stereotypes neither half of the couple may actually believe.

There is only one correct way to get engaged, and it is this: Do whatever you want. A few of the LGBTQ couples Lamont interviewed for a not-yet-published paper told her that each partner planned a surprise proposal for the other, an incredibly sweet twist on the tradition. If you plan to get engaged soon, you could do that! But whatever you do, I just wish we could all be a little more honest in the telling. Did it happen while you were watching Netflix in your underwear? That I want to hear about. Did your much-younger sibling get engaged first, and is that why your boyfriend finally bought a ring? Tell me everything. If the research suggests that the behind-the-scenes parts often represent the womans role in the decision, then these are parts that seem worth hearing.
One thing we know for sure about a renegotiated NAFTA, even before talks over a reworked North American Free Trade Agreement begin as early as Aug. 19 in Washington:

There is nothing in the Trump Administrations opening set of demands for a new NAFTA, released by Washington on Monday, that remotely suggests a nightmare scenario for Canada.

Donald Trump has railed against NAFTA as the worst deal weve ever done for more than a year and a half.

Yet what Trump finally presented Monday by way of remedies to a grossly unfair NAFTA is not the set of ultimatums that many anticipated.

Instead, it is a mere wish list. Or, as some experts have said this week, a list of aspirations.

A hardball negotiation  as we were told to brace for  begins with near-impossible demands.

In the course of heated negotiations  and a set of seven negotiating sessions is planned for the NAFTA talks  each side eventually backs off from its unrealistic opening position, and compromises are made. In the end, the two sides emerge with a deal that neither likes but each can live with.

Yet the Trump administration  which as recently as April was poised to rip up NAFTA altogether  has turned traditional negotiating on its head. Its opening position is a softball one, aiming to simply adjust NAFTA rather than recast it as one of his America First executive orders.

The explanation for this turnabout  one of the several that has characterized this young U.S. administration  will have to wait.

Justin Trudeaus charm offensive in Washington and with U.S. governors may be a factor in this milquetoast opening U.S. position.

Another might be the elaborate cross-border supply chains in autos, retailing and agriculture that effectively bind the U.S. and Canadian economies.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will continue to defend its supply management system in upcoming NAFTA talks. Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the negotiation objectives released by the U.S. were what Canada expected. (The Canadian Press)

And yet another is the fact that Canada is Americas biggest customer. Canada buys more goods and services from the U.S. than from China, Japan and Britain combined. Several industrial U.S. states count on Canada as their biggest export market.

This is one applecart you dont want to overturn.

So, in the end, Canada has a list of aspirations it can work with.

For instance, the Americans would like to increase by 40 times the amount of goods Canadians can buy online without paying an import tax. As it happens, Canada has one of the most restrictive online-shopping regimes in the world, allowing duty-free purchases of just $20 (Cdn.) The Yanks want that limit pegged at $800.

In that yawning gap, a compromise should be achieved with relative ease. Among other things, it would be a windfall for Canadian consumers.

Many of Americas proposals for a new NAFTA, including stronger labour and environmental protections, enhanced support of digital trade, and a streamlining of cross-border trade, are measures already agreed to by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in the course of negotiating the ill-fated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) killed by Trump earlier this year.

The TPP may be dead (or just resting, as Japan insists), but the agreed-upon provisions in it should be rolled into a modernized NAFTA with minimal effort.

The U.S. has not called for the eradication of a Canadian supply-management system in dairy products  long an irritant to the U.S.  that Canadian consumers also despair of. Canadians would welcome a modernization in this sector, resulting in a system more tilted to consumers than farmers. And given that the U.S. enjoys a trade surplus in dairy with Canada, hardball negotiating tactics arent called for.

The U.S. has long complained of investment restrictions on foreign (that is, American) investment in Canadas financial and telecommunications sectors. This actually is a moot point. U.S. and other non-Canadian banks have come and gone from the Canadian market for decades, unable to compete with the entrenched Big Five.

It's possible that U.S. negotiators might seek a provision in a new NAFTA by which Bank of America Corp., say, could buy Toronto Dominion Bank. After the laughter died down, the Canucks would ask if it would be OK for the Royal Bank of Canada to then buy Wells Fargo & Co. or American Express Co. Or, in telecom, for Rogers Communications Inc. to buy AT&T Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. or Comcast Corp.

The U.S. doesnt hesitate to block non-U.S. takeovers of what it regards as U.S. companies of national strategic interest. The U.S. rejected a proposed acquisition of Union Oil Co. of California, for instance, though that companys assets were entirely outside the U.S. And Charles Schumer, U.S. senator of New York, succeeded in thwarting an offshore purchase of U.S. Eastern Seaboard port facilities.

The biggest stumbling block is likely NAFTAs dispute-settlement system, by which trade grievances are mediated by an international panel. Canada fought tooth and nail for its inclusion. The U.S., which never liked it, wants the mechanism removed.

One is tempted to say, more power to the Yanks. In the 24 years of NAFTAs existence, the dispute mechanism has seldom worked. Why? Because the U.S., under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has simply ignored its findings. Those findings have usually favoured Canada.

So as long as were renegotiating NAFTA, and the U.S. is seeking greater access to Canadian government procurement contracts, we could grant that access  provided it doesnt violate provisions of the World Trade Organization, of course. We'd ask in exchange for a modernized dispute-resolution mechanism that Americans can't chronically renege on.

It must be said that the 17-page mandate of U.S. objectives for a new NAFTA unveiled Monday is sufficiently vague on treatment of certain sectors that concern about Canadas interests is certainly merited. And the possibility of a rope-a-dope strategy cant be dismissed.

But Canada has an advantage in the talks. Trump, as noted, withdrew the U.S. from the TPP. He also scrapped predecessor Barack Obamas groundwork for a U.S.-European Union free trade deal modeled on the Canada-E.U. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

By contrast, Canada has negotiated six free-trade deals in the past seven years. Theres not much by way of demands or negotiating tactics that the Canadian negotiating team hasnt seen.

The irony is that a new NAFTA, no matter what form it takes, might not pass muster with Mexico or the U.S.

Mexico has a presidential election in July 2018. And U.S. mid-term elections are held later that year.

Many U.S. Democrats on Capitol Hill are at odds with the Trump Administration over what they claim is a secretive NAFTA negotiating process. While a year is an eternity in politics, the Democrats currently stand a fair chance of reclaiming the U.S. Senate and making sizeable gains in Congress.

Democrats are traditionally the anti-free-trade party. Christmas after next, we might find ourselves stuck with an unchanged NAFTA, wondering what all the fuss was about.

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MONTREALRadio-Canada is reporting that two employees of the equestrian touring show Cavalia have been arrested in China for alleged marijuana use.

The network says two Quebecers were arrested at their Beijing hotel on July 14.

Global Affairs Canada confirmed it is providing consular assistance to two Canadians who have been detained in China.

A spokesman for Cavalia says Chinese officials have contacted the company to ask them to purchase plane tickets so some individuals could be repatriated.

Read more: The stars of Cavalia's Odysseo take a four-legged furlough

Eric Paquette says the company is not confirming any of the details of the report for privacy reasons.

The Montreal-based company has been running its horse-themed shows in China since 2015.

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Hum If You Dont Know the Words, the title of a delightful yet deadly serious novel by Bianca Marais, is also a metaphor for how Robin, a white girl in apartheid South Africa who co-narrates with an educated black maid named Beauty, muddles through a fraught childhood. In 1976, when Robin is nine years old and oblivious to life outside her Johannesburg suburb, her parents are murdered for the colour of their skin. The perpetrators are black men enraged by the polices gunning down of at least 176 protesting black schoolchildren in the now-famous Soweto uprising.

Marais, who is white, lives in Toronto, but was born and raised in South Africa. She manages to capture, sometimes simultaneously, the abominable nature of apartheid and the racial/cultural complexity of her homeland, as when Robin discovers that some people are neither white nor black. If people didnt come in the right colors, how would we know who to be scared of?she asks.

Of course, Marais isnt the first white South African writer to do this. And highlighting the absurdity of what purportedly sophisticated grown-ups have wrought by presenting it through the eyes of a mystified child is hardly original. Robin initially seems like the heroine of a young adult novel. Marais even has her grapple with forms of bias other than anti-black racism, such as homophobia and anti-Semitism, in a heavy-handed attempt to illustrate their commonalities.

Yet two story elements steer Hum If You Dont Know the Words away from the predictable and the pedagogic. The first assumes the form of Beauty, a black character who  in contrast to Robin  narrates her chapters in the present tense, imbuing them with immediacy. In Johannesburg, Beauty becomes nanny and surrogate mother to Robin, whose maternal aunt/nominal guardian is often abroad for work. However, Beautys main concern is finding her 19-year-old daughter Nomsa, who was living with her uncle in nearby Soweto but has gone missing since the uprising began. Has the fiery Nomsa joined the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC) resistance organization?

I allowed her to come to this city to study so long as she promised she would not get involved in anything dangerous, recounts a desperate Beauty, who was at the time living in the far-off Transkei region, but I should have known she was lying. The only thing a warrior cannot fight is her own fierce nature.

Meanwhile, Robin cannot bear to be separated from Beauty, even for the sake of Nomsa. So she makes a selfish, shocking, and fateful decision. A sure-footed Marais then tracks Robins attempts to rectify the mess shes made. And in the process, the author turns Hum If You Dont Know the Words into a brave girls rousing quest for redemption.

Rayyan Al-Shawaf is a writer in Beirut.

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LALIBELA, ETHIOPIA-Its a darkness so complete, it feels like a physical thing. The guides bright scarf serves as my beacon, until it disappears into the deepest gloom imaginable, and I start to feel a bit claustrophobic as I follow him. All of the cliches apply, including the one about (not) seeing your hand in front of your face. Ive never known the true meaning of that other one  about the light at the end of the tunnel  until we near the end of this 30-metre one, and emerge in a church courtyard. I ask the guide, Moges Melkamu, what people call that particular passage. Oh, we just call it hell, he says, lightly.

Im in Lalibela, a small town cradled in the mountains of northern Ethiopia and home to 11 rock-hewn churches. Commissioned by King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela back in the 13th century, these places of worship had been created as a new Jerusalem for Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrims. Now recognized and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they continue to pull in people by the thousands from around the world, drawn to the biggest attraction in a country where tourism is on the rise.

I start the day at the largest of them all, Biete Medhane Alem, or House of the Saviour of the World, descending from ground level and circumnavigating the structure before we enter. Melkamu explains the basics as we go. We pass portraits of devotion  an impossibly elderly woman with a red-crossed hat reciting prayers, a man folded in behind the pillars of the church, doing the same  and Melkamu notes that Ethiopia had been one of the first countries to adopt Christianity. Actually mentioned in the biblical Book of Acts, Ethiopia adopted Christianity as its official state religion in the fourth century.

The churches here had been constructed at the direction of King Lalibela after the sultan Saladin captured Jerusalem in 1187. Carved from grey basalt and volcanic red scoria, these were built by Ethiopians  with the help of the angels, of course, Melkamu says.

It seems wherever we go, we see the faces of angels  Ethiopian ones with beautiful round faces flanked by wings, staring at us from the ceiling, or from frescoes on the walls.

At Biete Maryam (House of Miriam), Melkamu pauses to kiss the doors before entering, then shows us the icons inside, which include ancient frescoes depicting the Holy Familys flight to Egypt.

We also see priests everywhere, their heads wrapped in turbans and a wooden staff always at the ready. They gather together and walk past, reading and talking and, like everyone else, praying.

We see deacons, too, clustered and crouched against the round wall of a traditional tukul, with mud walls and a thatched roof, a mantra falling from their mouths like a sort of song, a stream of foreign words being lifted from the little scripture books held before them to the heavens above. Theyre speaking in Geez, the ancient language of Ethiopian liturgy, Melkamu explains. These boys are considered deacons. If they pass the exams and get married, they will one day be priests in the church.

In single day, we tour all 11 churches, clamouring up and down stone steps and crouching through tunnels and even once climbing up on a roof for a panoramic view of Biete Golgotha Mikael, which is said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela himself. We cross the Jordan River, now at the end of the dry season, just a sliver of green, filmy water. We make our way through dark tunnels and even visit Biete Lehem  literally, Bethlehem  the House of Bread, where loaves were baked for Holy Communion.

Exhausted, we make one final descent into the carved rock, the sun casting long, warm rays on top of Biete Giyorgis, the Church of St. George, the jewel in Lalibelas crown, named for the patron saint of Ethiopia. We make our way down a small path into the crevices that surround the cross-shaped and intricately hewn church, slipping our shoes off, one last time, as we ascend the steps. We enter a church devoid of tourists, the priests chants cutting eerily through the silent space.

As I sit down next to him, Melkamu calls out to the man, asking him to give me a blessing. And just like that  before I expect it  his cross is on my face. I react poorly, giving a quick start, before getting hold of myself and settling down. I thank the priest and, at his encouragement, slip him a small bill for his efforts. No, it wasnt a good blessing, but is there such thing as a bad one? Slipping my shoes back on, I decide that, either way, Im relieved  after all, now, theres no way I will have to go (back) to hell.

Tim Johnson was hosted by FKLM Ethiopia, which didnt review or approve this story.

When you go

Do this trip: A boutique firm based in Addis Ababa, FKLM Tours (fklm-tours.com), provides tailor-made itineraries all over Ethiopia. Using local guides who know the lay of the land, as well as top-notch equipment that includes luxury Land Cruisers, many of its itineraries include at least two days in Lalibela.

Get there:Ethiopian Airlines (ethiopianairlines.ca) provides the only direct air service between Canada and Africa. About 13 hours (flying east, from Toronto to Addis Ababa), the trip is undertaken in Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, whose Cloud Nine business-class cabin includes spacious seats that fold into fully flat beds.

Stay: With both traditional rooms and large, rather luxurious tukul with patios that overlook a valley, Sora Lodge (soralodgelalibela.com) in Lalibela provides comfortable nights and good meals at its on-property German-themed restaurant.

Eat: In Lalibela, try excellent local or international cuisine at Ben Abeda (benabeba.com). Crowning a small mountain with a structure that looks straight out of The Jetsons, lunch or dinner here comes with 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape.

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EDMONTONCanadas premiers have warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau they may ask him to delay legalization of cannabis until more questions are answered about public safety concerns.

These issues have to be addressed by the federal government in order for us to meet the deadline, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said Wednesday as the annual premiers conference ended.

We will move forward as quickly as we can, depending upon the federal government.

In their final communique, the premiers said they are concerned the federal timeline of next July 1 may be unrealistic.

They stated a failure to properly deal with provincial questions about traffic safety, enforcement, taxation of cannabis, public education campaigns and the relationship of supply and demand of pot in relationship to the black market will require an extension of the implementation date.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who proposed a one-year delay to his fellow premiers Tuesday, said the issues are too important to rush into legalized sales, with provinces deciding how cannabis products will be sold and what the age of majority will be.

We have one chance to get it right.

Trudeau said Wednesday in Quebec City that the federal government is standing firm with plans to table legislation to make cannabis legal next summer.

The current framework is hurting Canadians. Young people have easy access to marijuana, and they shouldnt, he told reporters.

Criminal organizations and street gangs are making millions of dollars of profit off the sale of marijuana, and we need to put an end to this policy that does not work.

Premier Kathleen Wynne said Ontario  like other provinces  is working toward next Julys deadline, with public consultations underway on how to handle cannabis sales.

But the questions raised must be answered by the federal government as soon as possible, she added.

The starting point is: Have we met the public safety concerns? 

Pallister said the prime minister needs to heed the premiers warning to legalize cannabis on schedule next summer.

If he wants to stick to his deadline thats super-duper, he added. A deadline is fine if the commitment is there to work with us . . . we need help.

Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said their provinces are working together on issues such as an age of majority given their shared boundary that so many people cross each day.

The age of majority must be the same, he told reporters, citing the example of cars on bridges between Ottawa and Hull if the ages are different.

Imagine the traffic.

With files from Alex Ballingall

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While Al Gore has plenty of praise for Justin Trudeaus efforts to combat climate change, he says theres still room for improvement on the prime ministers environmental agenda.

Trudeau makes a brief cameo in Gores new climate-change documentary An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.

The former U.S. vice-president is seen having a quick chat with Trudeau during the 2015 United Nations climate-change conference in Paris.

Trudeau was among the world leaders, including former U.S. president Barack Obama, who helped formally ratify the global treaty to reduce emissions, adapt to climate change and pay for mitigation measures. U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced plans to withdraw from the agreement.

Ill tell you, for me, Justin Trudeau has been a real breath of fresh air, and Canadians should know that he and his team made a huge difference in the Paris negotiations in helping the world come together, Gore said in an interview Friday. Hes really provided outstanding leadership.

I dont agree with everything hes doing, but I admire his leadership and the vision and the speeches and what hes been doing and saying, and what hes been doing has really made a huge difference.

When asked about his specific areas of disagreement, he pointed to the continued heavy use of fossil fuels, such as Trudeaus support of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He didnt single out Canada, noting that the U.S. is also heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

I completely understand that this is a time of transition and so moving forward to get the policy right, to get the price on carbon to work with the provinces, to work in the global community to get the right agreement worldwide, thats really a crucial step that we have to take right now, he said.

Jeff Skoll, the Canadian-born producer of An Inconvenient Sequel, said that they had a recent screening of the film in Washington, D.C., a few nights ago for individuals from the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and other Washington insiders. He said the Trudeau introduction to Gore elicited an overwhelming response.

Literally everyone in the theatre burst into applause at that moment, really in recognition that Canada has been showing the way and the courage to tackle these environmental issues, said the Montreal-born, Toronto-raised Skoll.

Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has a real mandate and real budget to do real things and American companies are looking at ways to work with Canada directly to make a difference. So I think theres a lot of good stuff that is going on here in Canada and I think its important for Canadians to know that.

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OTTAWAThe Liberal-dominated House of Commons trade committee has quashed a move to invite the prime minister and other high-ranking cabinet members to answer questions about Canadas NAFTA renegotiation priorities, as calls continue for more transparency about how the government plans to handle upcoming talks on the deal.

The committee, instead, approved a Liberal plan to hear from Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is the lead member of cabinet for NAFTA and Canada-U.S. relations. She is slated to attend a meeting on Aug. 14, two days before negotiations are set to begin in Washington.

NDP MP Tracey Ramsey spearheaded the defeated motion to question Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with Freeland and the finance and international trade ministers. She said she is not happy with the result of Fridays meeting, especially after Trudeau said this week that he would be willing to share Canadas strategy on NAFTA with the opposition.

Were not asking for the specifics on how theyre going to negotiate every item, but we can clearly see from the 18 pages of priorities with the U.S. that theyve made public  we could do the exact same thing, Ramsey said.

She was referring to the document published by the American government Monday that outlined the countrys broad objectives in the renegotiation of the 23-year-old trade deal with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Unlike Canada, the U.S. is legally obliged to release its general objectives.

These include a push to reduce its trade deficit, implement buy American provisions while gaining better market access for its companies in Canada and Mexico, and eliminate the agreements dispute resolution panel, which has previously ruled in Canadas favour.

Why not go public with our priorities in the same transparent way that we see happening with our largest trading partner? I think, if we did, that it would provide a lot of security and comfort to Canadians who are feeling extremely nervous about this renegotiation, Ramsey said.

Conservative MP Randy Hoback, who also sits on the trade committee, said the opposition doesnt want detailed strategy on negotiations, just a better idea of Canadas objectives.

The business community wants some security and comfort in knowing whats on the table and whats not on the table, he said.

Not knowing anything creates lots of rumours and panic.

Andrew Leslie, an Ottawa-area Liberal MP who is parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister, also attended Fridays meeting. He said afterwards that the government has already announced its broad goals with NAFTA, which include modernizing the agreement and creating win-win-win conditions for the member countries.

It is illogical to unmask and to lay down detailed objectives when we dont have to, Leslie said. Thats giving up a negotiating advantage.

Lawrence Herman, trade counsel at Herman and Associates and a senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, said, in an interview Friday, that the U.S. has taken over the trade agenda and that Canada is just reacting to the announced priorities of the Donald Trump administration.

My sense is that thats not a strategically good position to be in, he said.

Canada should counter that and say theres more to the talks than the U.S. unilateral set of objectives.

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The Ontario Provincial Police has charged Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs, a former police officer, with extortion and obstruction of justice in connection with an investigation into allegations of criminal wrongdoing that include a municipal official and local resident.

Hobbs wife Marisa, 53, was also charged with extortion and obstructing justice.

The OPP alleges that Hobbs, 65, his wife, and a third person, Mary Voss, 46, attempted to induce a prominent local lawyer to purchase a house (for Voss), by threats, accusations, or menaces of disclosing criminal allegations to the police, thereby committing extortion, court documents show.

Hobbs lawyer Brian Greenspan said his client denies the charges. Mayor Hobbs told the Star in an email that he felt Confident! Calm! Weve had hundreds of well-wishers call, text and e-mail us today. Those that really know us believe in us.

The Star could not reach Voss for comment.

Mayor Hobbs and his wifes obstruction charges are both related to their alleged attempt to interfere with an investigation into an allegation of extortion reported to the RCMP, court documents show. Hobbs is now on a paid, indefinite leave, a city official said at a press conference. He has not been asked to resign.

The charges, which have not been proven in court, are the latest in a breakneck series of criminal and civil allegations that not only saw the prominent lawyer, Sandy Zaitzeff, arrested on sexual assault charges late last year but have also drawn in the police chief.

Zaitzeff is a well-known class-action litigator who built a reputation as a confident winner  the man who took on the RCMP. He has had a dramatic and public fall from prominence, including a YouTube video rant  that has increased scrutiny on a city already under pressure from a series of unrelated investigations.

Only slivers of information about the cases have been made publicly available. The strange YouTube video has offered locals one of the only clues about the ongoing scandal.

In the video, an emotional Zaitzeff, with his collection of clown dolls as a backdrop, pulls off his T-shirt, parades his bruised torso, alleges unnamed assailants tried to steal his fortune, expresses anguish over his dead son, then gets on his knees to propose marriage. Mayor Hobbs is seen in the video watching the rambling, cryptic monologue.

After the video was posted to YouTube, Mayor Hobbs sued Zaitzeff for defamation, claiming the video somehow harmed his reputation and chances for re-election, and on the same day as that lawsuit Zaitzeffs former law partner issued his own statement of claim which alleged Zaitzeff took his clients and threatened his life. That statement of claim has not yet been served on Mr. Zaitzeff, according to the former law partner, Chris Watkins, who told the Star he is strongly considering never serving that claim.

Then, Thunder Bay police Chief J.P. Levesque was charged with breach of trust and obstruction of justice for allegedly disclosing confidential information about the mayor. Exactly what information was disclosed and to whom is not publicly known.

An OPP spokesperson said the charges laid against Hobbs, his wife, and Voss stem from the same investigation into Levesque, but did not provide details. The officer who charged Levesque is the same officer who charged Hobbs.

Zaitzeffs lawyer Scott Hutchison has said he denies the allegations against him. Chief Levesque has told the Star he cannot comment on his case.

Meanwhile, Mayor Hobbs and his wife have hired Greenspan and Naomi Lutes as their lawyers.

The Truth will get us through this, Mayor Hobbs told the Star. We have the best lawyer in Canada looking after us. We will be cleared of these charges.

A statement from Greenspans office said the charges were unjustified and will be vigorously defended.

Hobbs was arrested Thursday afternoon after he arrived at an OPP detachment with a lawyer, according to the OPP.

He was released on a promise to appear in court and conditions that include no communication with a number of people and that he remain in Ontario, according to OPP Det. Supt. Dave Truax, who was the major case manager on both the Levesque and Hobbs cases.

The three accused are scheduled to appear in court in Thunder Bay on Sept. 26.

On Thursday night, councillors were hastily called to Thunder Bay City Hall for an emergency meeting. The charges against Hobbs were made public Friday morning, followed by a news conference.

A city official said that a member of council can be away up to three months under city policy. After that, it will be in councils hands to determine next steps, said Karen Lewis, spokesperson for the Thunder Bay City Council. Council could extend the leave, the vacancy policy could kick in and then council has options around how to proceed around the vacancy policy, she said, adding they could declare the seat vacant.

Councillor Trevor Giertuga will serve as acting mayor for July and Linda Rydholm will take over for August, Lewis said.

In a statement, Giertuga said council will work together to cover the mayors duties while he works through this personal matter.

Were going to remain positive, were going to work to confront any problems or issues that come forward and just look forward to the future, he told the Star after the news conference.

Hobbs was first elected mayor in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

Before municipal politics, he worked with the Thunder Bay Police for 34 years.

Thunder Bay has been in crisis, with racial tensions running high since the deaths of several Indigenous youth in the spring. They were from remote reserves and were in the city to either go to high school or access mental health services.

Among them was Tammy Keeash, a 17-year-old high school student from North Caribou Lake First Nation, who on May 6 of this year, failed to make curfew at her group home.

That same night, Josiah Begg, a 14-year-old from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation vanished. He was in town with his father for Josiahs medical appointments. Both teens were found dead in Thunder Bay waterways within two weeks of their disappearance.

For years, many Indigenous people have complained about the level of racism they face daily in the city.

During a recent eight-month long inquest into the deaths of seven other Indigenous high school students, who died between 2000 and 2011, many youth complained they were subjected to racial taunts, unprovoked assaults and had garbage thrown at them from passing cars.

Of the seven students whose deaths were investigated during the inquest, five were found in the rivers and of those, three of the deaths were ruled undetermined by the coroners jury.

Indigenous leaders have said they no longer trust the local police force, and they held a Queens Park news conference asking for the RCMP to be brought in to investigate the deaths of Keeash, Begg and the unexplained death of 41-year-old Stacy DeBungee, an Indigenous man found in the lake in October, 2015. Ontarios chief coroner has announced that York Region police would be brought in to investigate Beggs and Keeashs deaths.

The Thunder Bay Police have been under investigation for alleged systemic racism in how they handle all Indigenous death and disappearance cases since last November by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director  a civilian oversight body. Also under investigation is the Thunder Bay Police Services Board by their provincial oversight body.

Most recently, Ontarios Special Investigations Unit said it is investigating the death of an Indigenous man who died in Thunder Bay police custody Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, Zaitzeff has hired Marie Heneins law firm, which represented former radio star Jian Ghomeshi, to deal with his considerable and lurid list of charges.

Zaitzeff, 68, is a self-proclaimed millionaire who has worked on some major class-action cases. He gained national attention as one of the main architects of a successful class action lawsuit filed by women against the RCMP, alleging workplace harassment. The Mounties established a $100-million fund to settle claims.

Since Zaitzeffs on-camera outbursts, he has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, including allegedly inviting a minor to touch his penis. In all, there are five complainants. Most of the assaults allegedly happened last fall, before and after the video was reportedly recorded.

Zaitzeff faces four counts of assault; eight counts of sexual assault; and one count each of sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, mischief under $5,000 for allegedly damaging a door, breach of recognizance, unauthorized possession of a firearm and improper storage of a firearm, according to court documents.

His licence to practise law has been suspended. Zaitzeff did not tell the Law Society of Upper Canada about his charges, the regulator said.

As a condition of his bail, Zaitzeff had to give up his passport, cannot drink or buy liquor, and was ordered to attend the Bellwood addiction treatment centre in Toronto.

Sandy Zaitzeff has consistently asked the people of Thunder Bay to reserve judgment until all the evidence surrounding his case can be aired before the courts, Hutchison, Zaitzeffs lawyer, told the Star in an email. Today is an important step towards that day.

Hutchison has previously said his client is a respected lawyer, has battled the loss of his beloved son, addiction issues and health issues.

In June 2014, Zaitzeffs son Sandy Zaitzeff Jr., then 33 years old, was on crutches, hobbled by a broken ankle, when he slipped and fell while getting a snack from the fridge, suffered a severe head injury and died instantly, an obituary said.

Fourteen years earlier Zaitzeffs wife, Marilyn, then 50, went missing, last seen reportedly leaving the family cottage and getting on her Sea-Doo around 9 p.m.

Marilyn Zaitzeff was a physical fitness enthusiast who often rode her Sea-Doo, sometimes at night and sometimes without a life-jacket or wetsuit, according to the OPP.

The next morning the Sea-Doo was found a kilometre away, overturned in the water not far from shore. The Sea-Doo was undamaged, inspected to be mechanically sound and had a third of a tank of gas, according to the OPP.

While Marilyn is presumed drowned, OPP Det. Supt. Dave Truax told the Star: This is an open missing person investigation where the individual has not been located.

With files from Julien Gignac

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Toronto Star readers have helped a female genital mutilation survivor raise the funds she needs to have reconstructive surgery in the United States.

Last week, the Star published the story of Yasmin Mumed  a 23-year-old University of Guelph student who was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of 6 in her village in Ethiopia. Since, dozens of people have helped her reach her fundraising goal of $6,650 through her GoFundMe page.

The surgery itself is free, covered by a Las Vegas based organization, Clitoraid. The funds raised will be used to pay for transportation for Mumed and a support person. As well as prescription drugs and a hotel while she is recovering from the surgery.

Mumed said this week she was touched by donations made by people she knew but had lost touch with, including an elementary school classmate who wrote on the GoFundMe page that she remembered Mumeds beautiful smile and a high school drama teacher who Mumed said always made me feel smart.

You are even more amazing than I thought way back when you were in my class, wrote her former teacher, Fiona McPhaden, on the page.

Mumed added she was surprised by the many strangers who donated. People were giving so much for someone they only knew through a story, she said.

Alongside a donation of $25, Megan Radford de Barrientos wrote: I hope this surgery brings you hope and that your story encourages the government and the medical community in Canada to reassess their services to women who have gone through this, or girls who are at risk. Your courage is inspiring.

Female genital mutilation  also known as female genital cutting  varies from partial removal of the clitoris to its most severe form, a procedure known as infibulation, in which the clitoris and labia are excised and the vulva stitched together, leaving only a small opening.

It has no health benefits for girls and women and can cause severe bleeding, problems with urination, and later cysts, infections, complications in childbirth and an increased risk of death for newborns, according to the World Health Organization. It can also deny women sexual pleasure.

FGM affects more than 200 million women worldwide, according to UNICEF.

Read more: I just remember screaming: Toronto FGM survivor recalls the day she was cut

Mumed, who immigrated to Canada when she was 9 and grew up in Scarborough, is currently on a waitlist to have surgery with Dr. Marci Bowers, a California-based gynecologist who has performed more than 250 operations on women who have had FGM. The surgery removes the scar tissue from the clitoris and cuts ligaments around it, allowing it to descend, in the hopes of giving the woman back some sensation.

Mumeds clitoris and part of her labia was cut with a razor blade in a darkened room when she was just a child. She remembers a group of women holding down her arms and legs. The piercing pain. And then the blood.

Having pushed the cutting out of her mind for many years, she didnt remember what had happened to her until she became sexually active in her teens. She recently looked for support services in the Toronto area to help her live with the anxiety and confusion she was feeling because of the cutting, and to help her navigate day-to-day life, including dating. Thats when she found Dr. Bowers.

The surgery has given Mumed hope. And, more importantly, she says, it has given her choice.

Its something that was taken away from me without my consent, she said of her cutting, adding that she is pursuing the surgery to have that power back.

Ive made a decision over my body and Im choosing to do it.

In addition to the donations, Mumed said she has been getting support from her friends and community, including women who, after reading her story, told her that they are now having conversations with their mothers, who have been cut, about FGM. Young men have called her to say that they are now thinking about the harmful effects FGM has on women, she said.

She is happy to hear this, she says, because she did not make the difficult decision to speak publicly about such a sensitive topic because she wanted people to feel sorry for her. Im a warrior, she says, smiling.

She wanted to help empower young women like her, particularly Black Muslim women like her, to address FGM.

We can actually start talking to our moms, our grandparents, our cousins, says Mumed. This is how we stop it.

FGM is practised in 29 countries, mainly in Africa, the Middle East, India and other parts of Asia. It is seen by some as a rite of passage into womanhood or a condition of marriage. It occurs in both Islamic and Christian communities, but is largely a cultural tradition that dates back hundreds of years. In many areas, there is huge social pressure on families to have their daughters cut.

An ongoing Star investigation has previously revealed that the federal government knows Canadian girls are being sent abroad to be subjected to FGM and is lagging far behind other developed countries in its efforts to prevent it. Experts say there is also a lack of support services in Canada available for women living with the physical and psychological effects of FGM, regardless of when and where it happened to them.

In Ontario, some women have asked their doctors to reverse the most severe type of FGM. According to provincial records, in the past seven years Ontario has performed 308 repairs of infibulations, a surgery that creates a vaginal opening where it has been sewn mostly shut. There are currently no known procedures in Canada that replace tissue.

Jayme Poisson can be reached at jpoisson@thestar.ca or (416) 814-2725

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Criminal lawyers and advocates for survivors are disappointed by a Superior Court judges decision to overturn the conviction in a sexual assault trial, saying such guilty verdicts are a rare occurrence.

Mustafa Ururyar, accused of sexually assaulting fellow student Mandi Gray, had appealed his July 2016 conviction, alleging that now-retired Ontario Court Justice Marvin Zuker, who oversaw his trial, was biased against him and gave an illogical analysis of the evidence.

When a conviction is overturned because the trial judge was found to have made errors in his reasons, the burden falls on the survivor to engage with the (trial) process again, said Deepa Mattoo, legal director at the Barbra Schlifer Clinic.

Its the system that is failing, said Mattoo. This is an indication that judicial education is needed in sexual assault cases.

Read more: Judge overturns incomprehensible conviction of Mustafa Uruyar for alleged sex assault of Mandi Gray

Original trial that convicted Mustafa Ururyar of sexual assault was a baffling spectacle: DiManno

The original 179-page explanation of the conviction was deemed incomprehensible, with unclear citations and a heavy use of third-party source materials.

The Star spoke to four lawyers who all stressed the importance of a meaningful verdict, especially as it applies to sexual assault cases, which are challenging to corroborate.

The explanation of why someone is found guilty or not guilty is important . . . to maintain confidence in the administration of justice, said Toronto-based criminal lawyer Daniel Brown. Cases like this are an important reminder to judges about the role they play.

Anytime theres an overturned guilty verdict, it creates a detrimental impact on all parties involved, said Pam Hrick, a counsel for the Barbra Schlifer Clinic. Enduring a cross-examination on a sexual assault . . . and agreeing to participate in a lengthy criminal trial is a financially and emotionally difficult process.

Mattoo calls the process agonizing, commenting that if the courts were survivor-centric they would consider the impact the trial process has on the survivor.

It will have an impact on womens willingness to report sexual assault to the police, which we already know is already dismal, said Angela Chaisson, a Toronto activist lawyer. In the rare cases where we actually get a conviction on sexual assault and we see those being overturned on appeal, that can be discouraging.

Farrah Khan, Sexual Violence Support and Education co-ordinator at Ryerson University, said people have been watching Gray talk about going to the police, getting a rape kit, and going through the trial.

When we see a survivor go through that and get a positive conviction and the see it overturned, its gutting, she said. People feel that they cant trust that the criminal justice system is a space to get justice

Chaisson said the decision is indicative of how courts are struggling with the new legal landscape that it trying to put a greater emphasis on the rights of victims and complainants.

We are witnessing very interesting times, said Mattoo, because were seeing a lot of legal reforms, which are coming from the federal and provincial level, and discourse on these issues. And in the mix of all that we see a decision like this.

While Mattoo is disheartened to see a conviction overturned, she agrees with Chaisson that there is opportunity to learn and make progress.

Says Hrick, I think a lesson to be drawn from this is that where judges see and want to confront rape myths or stereotyping in sexual assault trials they need to do so in a way that doesnt distract from the ultimate purpose of a trial.

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Jessica Chan has tried almost every activity at her school, from playing trombone, joining the volleyball team, participating in the youth business program DECA to volunteering in the library.

This busy student was named the Toronto District School Boards top scholar for the 2016-17 academic year, graduating from Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute with an average of 99.7 per cent.

I got 100s and 99s in a bunch of my business courses, social science courses, music courses and those were my top marks, Chan said.

Chan attributed her success to the many different activities she participated in during high school.

I think that volunteering, doing these sports, doing all these different things helps you figure out who you are, Chan said. Trying all these things out was a big part of figuring out where I wanted to be and who I wanted to be.

Chan and seven other TDSB students with averages more than 99 per cent gathered at Bethune on Thursday morning to celebrate their achievements and talk about how they succeeded.

They all are amazing, well-rounded, smart, charismatic, terrific, said Shari Schwartz-Maltz, TDSB media relations manager.

The other Toronto top scholars were Ryan Lin, Jason Huang, Hannah He, Jacqueline McLean, Aviv Padawer-Blatt, Gwyneth Campbell, Roi Levy and Maunica Toleti, who all got between 99 and 99.5 per cent.

Chan was the last to speak. When Schwartz-Maltz introduced her, she said, She is our top, top scholar. Is there anything in school that you didnt do?

Chans father Kenny Chan said he and his wife Ellen Yu never pressured their daughter or told her which careers to pursue.

Growing up, the only thing I said to her over and over was, be healthy, do what you like, be passionate, if you want to do something, do what you can regardless of the outcome,  her father said. When I know shes happy and doing what she likes and enjoying it, thats a really good thing. Getting the achievement, getting an award, is just a bonus.

In the fall, Chan will be studying psychological and health sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus.

Shes excited to start the new chapter of her life and discover new things at university.

I'm really happy about the program I ended up choosing and I think I can do a lot more good for other people there, she said. There arent any doors that are really closing, its more about finding more doors to open all the time and I think that was a big part of why Bethune was so helpful to me.

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The other top scholars in the GTA:

Toronto Catholic District School Board: Mackenzie Fijardo and Adyn Miles, both with 100 per cent.

York Region District School Board: Mathew Bub and Edward Cui, both with 100 per cent.

York Catholic District School Board: Chris Staykov, 99.67 per cent.

Durham Catholic District School Board: Adrian Arulseelan, 98.17 per cent.

Peel District School Board: Rahman Ladak, Aman Brar, Gurleen Kaloty, Vishvam Mazumdar, Vishwa Sheth, Apurva Dixit, Jason Liu, Jovana Pajovic and Anjali Thatte each earned 100 per cent.

Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board: Michael Matyszczuk, 99.33 per cent.

Halton Catholic District School Board: Katarina Camacho, 98.21 per cent.

Information wasnt available on who the top students were in the Durham Region District School Board and Halton District School Board.

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What kind of a city tells young people to leave?

Toronto, apparently.

Radio host Matt Gurney received a considerable amount of scorn after he wrote a column last week suggesting young people should consider leaving Toronto because its too expensive to live here. His was a response to a blog post by a millennial who said she was moving north because she was priced out of the Toronto market.

Gurney is not a heartless goon, and as he explained subsequently on Twitter, the column came out of place of frustration and pessimism around the lack of political action on affordable housing and public transit, issues hes written about in the past. His was a realists take, but to many it was shocking and infuriating.

Im frustrated too, but where I fundamentally disagree is telling people to leave the city as an option. If all of Canada suddenly became too expensive, would we tell folks to leave? Rich, poor or somewhere in between, we have the right to live anywhere in Canada. Thats enshrined in the Charter. What if we extend that right to cities too?

Today many of our cities have become near city-states, juggernauts of economy and culture that attract people to them. Many of us here in Toronto are economic migrants too; some of the journeys here were relatively easy  just up the 401 from Windsor for me  and others fraught with all manner of risk and peril.

Over at TVO, John McGrath wrote a response to Gurneys column and pointed out the GTA would actually be losing people if it wasnt for international immigration, as more people leave the region than arrive from the rest of Canada. Though the housing crisis is most acute in big cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, other cities, Halifax, Calgary and Ottawa for example, experience similar problems of high home prices and rents. Friends and relatives in Windsor are even complaining of Toronto style bidding wars. This is increasingly a Canadian problem.

Of course other Canadian cities are worth living in, with robust cultures and economies, but there are still an awful lot of reasons, jobs or otherwise, that draw people to Toronto. Should millennials or anybody else seeking a job in a particular industry here be penalized because this is the system and structure theyve been given? It seems like an economic bait and switch: heres the carrot you need to thrive, but the restaurants cover charge is too expensive to get in.

One of Torontos slogans is You belong here. Just a Mel Lastman-era bumper sticker to some, but theres considerable philosophical and political thought that supports such a notion. In his influential 1968 book Le droit a la ville (or Right to the City) French philosopher Henri Lefebvre recognized just how urban-centric modern life had become. To fully participate in it everyone must have a right to it, all of it including the culture, economy, public spaces and the very life rhythms cities provide. He examined the structures that made that participation unequal.

More recently, urban theorist and geographer David Harvey has expanded on the notion of Right to the City: it isnt just the right to be in the city, but the right to transform the city itself and reshape the processes of urbanization. Further, since cities are where so much opportunity lay, its a human right.

Both Lefebvre and Harvey present radical (to some) ideas from the left of the spectrum, but even if you dont buy into their arguments, its just dumb to ignore the fact that people are forced to leave your city because of economics. If people, even those with good jobs, feel they must leave, then youre driving away talent and creating a brain drain. Only a completely foolish city would tell its young people to leave instead of tackling the problem. Mayors around the world are actively trying to do this.

Last week Londons mayor Sadiq Khan announced a $2.9 billion (Cdn) deal to build affordable homes, some rental, some shared ownership. Its part of his commitment to build 90,000 new homes in London. Across Europe and beyond, much higher percentages of urban populations, both working and middle classes, live in some form of social housing, giving them a foothold in expensive cities. It isnt stigmatized the way it is here, perhaps a reason why were so slow to create a national housing policy.

Building more housing is a way out of this, making sure a large amount of it is truly affordable, but in his column McGrath mentioned another Toronto truth that gets at the root of the kind of pessimism many feel here. If you dont currently own a house in Toronto, preferably a detached one, the citys political class doesnt care about you and doesnt even really want you, he wrote. They rail against nearly every new tower; even timid attempts to make tower-induced density work better, like the King streetcar pilot council approved last week, are watered down so as not to offend home-owning motorists.

This truth was made explicitly clear to me last week at a screening of Citizen Jane at the Revue Cinema, the documentary on urban activist and thinker Jane Jacobs. Though ostensibly filled with progressive-minded, Jane Jacobs fans, during the Q & A session after the film the sneering at the new residential buildings along the Mimico waterfront came fast and easy.

A slum in the making, an epithet tossed at so many housing clusters, was used, almost wishing for failure. The new buildings in Mimico certainly arent what we would call affordable housing, but theyre a lot cheaper than the single family houses we venerate so much and they give thousands of people the chance to live near the lake. Yet, we sneer at and resist apartment housing across the city, even when its a rental building rather than a condo.

Anti-housing sentiment isnt a right or left thing, its a Toronto thing. Everybody can find some way to justify why theyre against new housing going into their neighbourhood. Make no mistake, if Toronto rolled out a genuine affordable housing plan, this citys anti-housing sentiment would target it.

You belong here? Maybe. Maybe not.

Shawn Micallef writes every Saturday about where and how we live in the GTA. Wander the streets with him on Twitter @shawnmicallef

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When Jocelyn Godroy left behind her three kids in the Philippines to work abroad as a live-in caregiver, they were 10, 7 and 3.

After working in Hong Kong for four years, she arrived in Toronto in 2008 under Canadas live-in caregiver program.

Two years later, she applied for permanent residency to reunite with her family as soon as she met the live-in work requirement.

Over the 13-year span working abroad, the former midwife has only managed to visit her children  now 23, 20 and 16  three times because the money for trips is better spent on her kids education and basic needs.

Im taking care of others children but cant take care of my own kids, who are living by their own selves, said Godroy, 43, whose marriage has broken down and whose mother  the care provider of her children  has passed away during her time away from home. Please put yourself in my shoes as a mother.

Godroys story is not uncommon, especially among the Filipino community, the main source of Canadas foreign caregiver workforce, said Vilma Pagaduan, a Filipino TV and radio host in Toronto, who herself came to Canada in 2007 under the same program.

There are a lot of heartache, pain and disappointment, Pagaduan said. This is killing families.

According to the immigration department, there are currently 29,000 foreign caregivers caught up in permanent residency backlog and they wait an average of 53 months to have their applications processed.

Read more:

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They are waiting and waiting and waiting. The backlog is astounding, said MP Jenny Kwan, the NDP opposition immigration critic, at a Toronto news conference on Thursday. The conference was held to urge the Liberal government to put in the resources to process these caregivers permanent residence applications.

The stories of live-in caregivers are heartbreaking and really highlight the devastating impact of these immigration policies on families. If Canadians knew of the injustices and hardships live-in caregivers have to endure, I dont believe they would find this acceptable.

All it takes to eradicate the backlog is for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen to issue a special order to expedite the processing of the caregivers permanent residence applications, said Kwan, herself a mother of two.

It has to stop. It can stop. It just takes political will, Kwan said.

Although Ottawa has made the live-in requirement of the caregiver program optional and removed the four-year limit on migrant workers work permits, advocate Jesson Reyes said the caregiver program still smack of indentured servitude.

The temporary nature of the caregiver program is what exposes the workers to abuse, mistreatment and the feeling of being a second-class citizen in this country, said Reyes of Migrante Canada, an umbrella group of 19 organizations across the country that promote the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers.

The demand of good enough to work, good enough to stay must be realized in policy implementation by giving caregivers landed (immigrant) status upon arrival.

Immigration officials said only 11,000 eligible caregivers were granted each year between 2009 and 2013, a level way below the number of applications received. This year, the government has raised the target and hoped to grant permanent resident status to as many as 20,000 caregivers and their family members, noted immigration department spokesperson Nancy Caron.

Godroy said its hard to be apart from her children, especially when they are sick. She scrambled to locate her daughters and son for months by phone and social media after the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), the deadliest tropical cyclone on record in the Philippines, flattened her home in Leyte.

Its depressing, she said.

Advocates also urged Ottawa to require only one medical exam for the caregivers, their spouses and children to be done prior to entry to Canada. Many are asked to repeat the costly exams multiple times because results expire while their applications are in process.

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FRESNO, CALIF. A chimney and a cinder block wall is all thats left standing among rubble that was a house Miki Crawford and her family called home for 22 years after a wildfire raced through her Northern California rural community, the former nurses aide said Friday.

Everything else is obliterated, Crawford said. Its just a feeling of complete devastation and loss.

Crawford said she and her husband, Jai Crawford, packed two cars with clothes, photographs, family heirlooms, their four pugs and one hound dog and fled Tuesday after the blaze burning in the hills near Yosemite National Park doubled in size.

Their son hiked to the area in Mount Bullion the following day and took photographs revealing a nightmare  their three-bedroom home and at least five other nearby houses destroyed in their neighbourhood.

The aggressive wildfire sweeping through the Sierra Nevada foothills covered with dense brush and dead trees destroyed 58 homes and 60 other buildings. But it spared Mariposa, a historic Gold Rush-era town popular with tourists bound for park

Firefighters lifted an evacuation order for residents of Mariposa and reopened Highway 140 between the town and Yosemite, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Andy Isolano said.

The wildfire that has scorched 298 square kilometres threatened at least 1,500 homes and forced almost 5,000 people to evacuate.

Roughly a dozen of the destroyed homes had dotted hills about 15 kilometres west of Mariposa. Residents a few kilometres to the north also saw damage, including Mount Bullion.

Crawford, 56, said there have been wildfires near her community in Mariposa County. But this was the first time they had to flee.

We saw a video that showed the blaze coming from two different directions at one time, and it just looked like a fire storm, she said. It was such an erratic fire coming from all direction that there wasnt anything firefighters could do.

Relatives have started a GoFundMe page to help the couple rebuild.

Firefighters were battling 17 blazes across California.

Outside Sacramento on Thursday, authorities say they arrested a boy suspected of sparking a small wildfire while smoking marijuana. The 12-acre fire near Auburn did not damage any homes.

The fire near Mariposa was 15 per cent contained after nearly $11 million was spent to battle the blaze, officials said. The cause remained under investigation.

The blaze had crept within a kilometres of Mariposa, but crews were able to stop it by dropping red fire retardant and using bulldozers and hand crews to build fire brakes, said Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Motta.

Located about 55 kilometres southwest of Yosemite National Park, Mariposa features a charming main street with covered sidewalks and historic wood and brick buildings that house antique shops, restaurants, pizza parlours and art galleries.

Carol Dewey, who owns a downtown bed and breakfast, was one of several business owners allowed in Thursday to check on their shops.

The place is like a ghost town, said Dewey, 64. This fire has really devastated the area. Business is just flat.

Yosemite does not appear at risk from the fire, which was moving south, away from the park.

Read more: These 8 apocalyptic photos take you up close in the Wests raging wildfires

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The Treasury Department on Thursday fined Exxon Mobil $2 million for violating sanctions that the United States imposed on Russia in 2014 while Rex Tillerson, now the secretary of state, was the oil companys chief executive.

The penalty was relatively small for the Treasury and a blip on Exxons mammoth balance sheet, but it came as controversy over Russia policy has engulfed Washington. The Trump administration is facing questions about Russias intervention in the 2016 election, and Congress has considered stiffening sanctions out of concern that President Donald Trump will try to ease those already in place.

The move also underscores concerns over Tillersons deep business connections in Russia.

Exxon Mobil demonstrated reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements, the Treasury said in a report announcing the penalty. Exxon Mobil caused significant harm to Ukraine-related sanctions program.

Hal Eren, a former official in Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, said the fine showed that the departments staff members would not be cowed.

It gives the message that theyre going to do what they have to even though Rex Tillerson is secretary of state, he said. Perhaps it was a bit of assertion of independence by the staff of OFAC

Exxon violated sanctions imposed after Russias armed actions against Ukraine when presidents of the companys U.S. subsidiaries did business with individuals whose assets were blocked, according to the foreign assets control unit. The violations involved the signing of legal documents related to oil and gas projects in Russia with Igor Sechin, the head of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company, and another person.

Tillerson had personal business dealings with Sechin. In 2013, Tillerson was awarded the Russian governments Order of Friendship after he signed deals with Rosneft that opened the Kara Sea in the Arctic to oil drilling.

Tillerson was the only U.S. official to join Trump at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Germany this month.

Relations between the United States and Russia have been strained by the allegations of election meddling and by the subsequent inquiries into Trumps campaign. The president has signalled a continuing desire to improve relations, and he recently praised the brokering of a ceasefire in part of Syria as the fruit of his rapport with Putin.

U.S. and European sanctions were imposed on Russia in March 2014 after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Even as the crisis in Ukraine deepened, Exxon continued to press for deeper involvement in Russias oil industry.

Tillerson expressed opposition to the sanctions, before they were tightened in late 2014. At Exxons annual meeting in 2014, he said, We do not support sanctions, generally, because we dont find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented comprehensively, and thats a very hard thing to do.

The State Department declined to comment on the penalty and referred questions to Exxon.

In a statement, Exxon called the penalty fundamentally unfair. The company also filed a lawsuit against the Treasury challenging the fine.

The company said that it had adhered to guidance from the White House and the Treasury, and that its representatives had done nothing wrong by signing documents related to active business with Rosneft, which was not blocked by sanctions. Sechin was acting in an official capacity, Exxon said, not a personal one.

In its suit, Exxon argues that the Treasury penalty is out of sync with the guidance that the department and the White House provided when the sanctions were announced. The company also notes that BPs American chief executive was allowed to participate in Rosneft board meetings with Sechin so long as the activity involved Rosneft business and not Sechins personal business.

A Treasury official said the penalty came after a multi-year investigation.

It was not the first time in recent months that Exxon had drawn attention for its handling of the Russia sanctions. In April, the company asked the Treasury for a waiver from sanctions against Russia so it could drill in the Black Sea in a venture with Rosneft, stirring speculation that Exxon hoped to influence the administration through its ties to Tillerson. That request was denied.

There were signs Thursday that the penalty could energize the push in Congress for tougher sanctions against Russia.

I am disappointed that an American company would so clearly act in divergence from U.S. national security interests, said Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Todays news only underscores the urgency for new sanctions on Russia that increase pressure on the country and tighten loopholes in existing sanctions.

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MIAMIIt may be reprehensible and morally outrageous, but legal experts say a group of Florida teens had no obligation to rescue a drowning disabled man who they instead mocked, laughed at and recorded on a video that was later posted online.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in a 2012 legal argument, summarized that across the U.S. theres no general duty to render aid to someone in distress.

You dont have the duty to rescue someone if that person is in danger. The blind man is walking in front of a car and you do not have a duty to stop him absent some relation between you, Kennedy said in arguments on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

Kennedy added that there are some severe moral criticisms of that rule, but thats generally the rule.

The case in central Floridas Brevard County involves the July 9 drowning of Jamel Dunn, 31, in a retention pond. Police in the city of Cocoa discovered later that five teenagers, ages 14 to 16, had made a video of the drowning, which was published Friday by Florida Today. The teens can be heard laughing at Dunn, telling him hes going die and that they werent going to help him as he struggled and screamed.

Police identified and interviewed the five teens involved. The office of State Attorney Phil Archer determined there was no immediate indication that a crime was committed because state law does not require people give or call for help when someone is in distress. Archers office said Friday prosecutors will review the entire police file to see if any other criminal violations might apply.

Were doing to give a thorough review to all the evidence, spokesperson Todd Brown said.

Many countries, including Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy and Russia, do have laws requiring people to render aid, even if it means only summoning authorities. And violations in some countries can result in prison time.

But Floridas law is hardly unique across the U.S., legal experts said.

Generally, throughout the U.S., there is no duty to rescue, said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice. Still, he added: It seems like common sense that those kids should have tried to help the guy instead of filming it.

There are some differences in various states, but Weinstein said exceptions typically include required assistance in car crashes; for people in special relationships with others such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, married couples, common carriers such as bus drivers and employers; and if you yourself put the other person in danger in the first place.

Some states, such as Nebraska, require most people  especially professionals  to report suspected child abuse or face possible misdemeanour charges, said attorney Jeffrey Lapin in Lincoln, Nebraska. He agreed the Florida teenagers committed no crime.

While it is morally and ethically wrong, it is not illegal to not render aid or make extremely despicable comments, Lapin said in an email Friday.

Lapin pointed that in the final episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, the four main characters are convicted of violating a purported city ordinance by failing to assist an overweight man who is getting carjacked  instead joking about the mans large size and doing nothing. The judge character said the four had callous indifference and utter disregard for a positive society.

Most U.S. states have no such laws.

There are situations in which U.S. law does require assistance to be rendered. One of those is on the high seas, where federal law requires the master of any vessel under U.S. jurisdiction to help anyone found at sea in danger of being lost, according to the statute. A 1989 international treaty extends that obligation to mariners around the world.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia also have Good Samaritan laws aimed at protecting people from being sued for anything they did while rendering aid or attempting to rescue someone in danger. There are exceptions to those laws as well.

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JERUSALEMEscalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the Holy Lands most contested shrine boiled over into violence on Friday that killed six people  three Palestinians in street clashes in Jerusalem and three Israelis in a stabbing attack at a West Bank settlement.

After nightfall, a Palestinian sneaked into a home in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank and stabbed to death three Israelis.

The military said the attacker apparently jumped over the fence and infiltrated the familys home, surprising them as they ate the traditional Sabbath evening meal. It said the Palestinian killed a man and two of his children, while their mother was wounded and taken to hospital. The mans grandchildren were present but not harmed, it said.

The army released footage showing a blood-covered kitchen floor. It said senior military officials are meeting overnight to discuss how to proceed.

Read more: Islamic leaders call for boycott of Jerusalem holy site following new security measures

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A military spokesman called the Palestinian attack a massacre.

Israel TVs Channel 10 said the assailant was in his late teens and had posted on Facebook that he was upset by the events at the Jerusalem shrine. Eli Bin, the head of Israels rescue service MDA, said an off-duty soldier next door heard screams, rushed to the home and shot the attacker through a window. Bin said the wounded attacker was taken to a hospital.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, announced that he is freezing ties with Israel, dealing a blow to fledgling Trump administration efforts to try to renew long-dormant peace talks.

Abbas said contacts with Israel would be suspended on all levels. It was not immediately clear if this means long-standing security co-ordination between Israeli troops and Abbas forces will be halted.

At issue in the current round of violence are metal detectors Israel installed at the Jerusalem shrine this week in response to an attack by Arab gunmen there.

The metal detectors are perceived by the Palestinians as an encroachment on Muslim rights and portrayed by Israel as a needed security measure following the attack that killed two Israeli policemen.

Earlier Friday, several thousand Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank clashed with Israeli troops, burning tires or throwing stones and firecrackers. Troops fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen hospitalized with live or rubber bullet injuries.

White clouds of tear gas rose from Jerusalem streets and West Bank flashpoints. In one neighbourhood, Palestinians threw stones from behind a mattress used as a shield.

Israel also faced growing criticism from the Muslim world, and thousands staged anti-Israel protests after Friday prayers in Jordan and Yemen. Turkey and Egypt also condemned the violence.

The confrontations could escalate in coming days as both sides dig in.

Israel said the metal detectors would remain in place. Lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel would not surrender to what he said was violence and incitement by those attempting to drag us into a religious war.

Jerusalems top Muslim cleric, Mohammed Hussein, said protests, including mass street prayers outside the shrine, would continue until the devices are removed. He told worshippers Friday that they should prepare for a long test of wills with Israel.

We will not back off, he said.

The shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, sits at the emotional epicentre of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, symbolizing the rival religious and national narratives of the two sides.

Disputes over the 15-hectare walled hilltop platform in Jerusalems Old City have repeatedly triggered major confrontations in the past.

Muslim leaders have portrayed the metal detectors as part of a purported Israeli campaign to expand its control over the shrine  a claim Israel denies. Muslim clerics urged worshippers to pray in the streets near the shrine, rather than submit to the new security procedures.

The faithful complied. Thousands flocked to the Old City each day this week for street prayers, kneeling on mats spread on cobblestone and asphalt.

On Friday, the highlight of the Muslim religious week, Israeli police severely restricted Muslim access to the Old City to prevent mass protests.

Some 3,000 officers were deployed at checkpoints in and around the city, turning away Muslim men under the age of 50, including those trying to reach the city from Israel and the West Bank.

In the end, only a fraction of the typical Friday turnout of tens of thousands of worshippers reached the Old City.

After peaceful prayers, clashes erupted in several areas of Jerusalem and across the West Bank.

Palestinian health officials said three Palestinians were killed by live fire in different areas of Jerusalem.

The Red Crescent said 390 Palestinians were hurt, including close to 100 who were hospitalized for live fire or rubber bullet injuries. Israeli police said five officers were wounded.

The perceived threat to the shrine, home to the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, has galvanized Palestinians  especially those in east Jerusalem which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and quickly annexed.

Since 1967, Israel has increasingly cut off east Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland, leaving the citys Arab residents without a political leadership.

Muslim clerics stepped into the void this week, taking the lead in prayer protests.

Under the post-1967 arrangements, Muslims administer the compound. Jews can visit, but not pray there. For decades, the status quo held, in part because leading rabbis, citing religious purity laws, banned Jews from entering.

In recent years, religious opinion has shifted, and growing numbers of Jews are visiting the compound. This shift has stoked Muslim fears that Israel may try to expand Jewish control there. Israel has reiterated that it has no intention to change the status quo.

Fakhri Abu Diab, a 55-year-old worshipper, said he feels Muslims must stand their ground.

If we let them, they (Israelis) will take over the mosque completely, he said, standing near the Old City. If we resist them, they will stop.

The compound is the third holiest site of Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is also Judaisms holiest site, once home to biblical Temples.

Jordan, the custodian of the Jerusalem shrine, has repeatedly appealed to Israel to remove the devices. The two countries co-operate closely on regional security issues, but frequently disagree on Israels policies at the shrine.

On Friday, several thousand Jordanians protested against Israel in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

Demonstrators chanted, the people want to liberate Al Aqsa, referring to one of the mosques in the compound.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country is in touch with Israeli officials to try to end the crisis. Speaking in Ankara after Friday prayers, he called Israels security measures radical, saying limits imposed on Muslim prayers would not contribute to a solution.

Laub reported from the West Bank. Associated Press writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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There werent a ton of people commenting on U.S. Senate hopeful Deedra Abbouds campaign Facebook page before Tuesday.

Then Abboud, a little-known candidate in Arizonas 2018 Democratic primary, posted a short tribute to the Founding Fathers, religious freedom and the separation of church and state  and the flood gates opened.

Sorry no room for Muslims in our government, wrote Chris Siemers.

Towel headed piece of (expletive), wrote Brian Zappa.

Abboud, a liberal 45-year-old attorney and first-time political candidate, might be a long shot in red-state Arizona. But the fact that Abboud, who converted to Islam in her 20s, also wears a visual marker of her faith  a head scarf  might also have just landed her unlikely campaign in the national spotlight.

Now, Im more on radar. More people know that Im out there, Abboud said in an interview Wednesday, noting a silver lining to the larger ugliness that she said the online attacks had exposed.

Read more:

Quebec town should not have held referendum on cemetery for Muslims: Paradkar

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/07/04/indigenous-ceremony-on-canada-day-disrupted-by-5-canadian-servicemen.htmlCanadas top general apologizes for incident at Indigenous ceremonyEND

Originally from Little Rock, Ark., Abboud moved to Arizona as a young adult in the late 1990s, and spent most of her career since then doing advocacy work, including as the founding director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Arizona chapter, before attending law school and working as an immigration and estate law attorney.

Her campaigns Facebook page is filled with posts on her policy positions in favour of environmental protection, LGBTQ rights, health-care access and a higher minimum wage. But it wasnt until this week, amid the onslaught of xenophobic and racist insults that other people started to respond to her policy prescriptions as well. (Many of the negative commenters assumed that Abboud is a Middle Eastern immigrant, which she is not.)

Id have to say I agree, Desiree Miller wrote in response to a post about raising the minimum wage.

Do you really think that the corporation is going to willingly double their payroll without passing that cost on to the consumer? wrote Aaron Kuhne.

Running for political office as a Muslim in 2017  when non-profit watchdog groups are recording dramatic spikes in anti-Muslim rhetoric and harassment across the country  can seem fraught or exceedingly stressful.

President Donald Trump has painted Islam as a religion at odds with American values and Muslim immigrants as part of a potential Trojan horse plot aiming to attack or destroy the United States from within.

Such political rhetoric has fuelled noticeable spikes in hate crimes, as well as hate incidents  typically verbal attacks such as insults plastered on a Facebook page or hurled in the aisle of a grocery store that dont rise to the level of a crime  said Brian Levin, a criminologist and hate crimes expert at California State University at San Bernardino.

When political leaders are perceived to make intolerant statements with respect to Islam or pursue political policies that may appear intolerant, we see a correlation in hate crimes over the short term, Levin said.

The uptick in harassment has created a siege mentality in some Muslim communities, and particularly among recent immigrants, said Wael Alzayat, a former Obama administration official who is now the chief executive of Emgage, an organization that works to foster political participation and representation for American Muslims.

But paradoxically, Alzayat added, the attacks appear also to have spurred an increase in Muslim political participation, including in the form of candidates like Abboud, who says on her campaign website that the verbal attacks born of the 2016 presidential campaign spurred her to quit practising law and return to advocacy work.

Theres an awakening here, said Alzayat, who has never met Abboud but says he will soon reach out to her. With what happened in the last campaign and the anti-Muslim rhetoric, I think a lot of the Muslims are looking at America and theyre thinking, OK mom and dad, I know youre worried about Iraq, but our own backyard is burning. I think the community is under siege, and a lot of people are responding by getting engaged.

For Abboud, the first series of verbal attacks came in May, when a pair of right-wing militant groups, the Fraternal Order of Alt Knights and the Proud Boys, got word of a campaign event she had planned at a Phoenix restaurant and staged a protest outside. The armed demonstrators alarmed Abbouds campaign staffers and drew the attention of police.

Even after working for years as the director of two Muslim advocacy groups, Abboud appeared to bristle at the idea of having to spend time on the campaign trail defending Islam or her personal religious beliefs. And its unclear how she plans to manage such challenges.

If questions about my religion are relevant, then I will answer them, she said.

But the candidate said she also expected such attacks to continue, as she said she would for any minority candidate in todays America, and especially, perhaps for a Muslim woman like herself.

The silver lining, she suggested, is that the backlash might fuel some necessary reckoning.

This is part of what needs to happen in this country, she said. We need to have a conversation about what is an American and who gets to decide.

It was after midnight Tuesday when Abboud finally went to bed after the initial wave of Facebook comments, thrusting her for the first time into the national spotlight. And it was around 5 a.m. Wednesday when she was waked by her phone still pinging. By then, her campaign had gotten more attention than at any other point since she announced her candidacy in April.

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake  a Republican whom Abboud would run against if they each win their respective primaries  had joined the debate too, defending her on Twitter. Hang in there @deedra2018. Sorry you have to put up with this. Lots of wonderful people across AZ. Youll find them, he wrote.

Scores of other people from Arizona and beyond had also jumped to Abbouds defence, urging her to ignore the haters, with some even pledging their votes.

Ignore the ignorance and hatred, Deedra. Arizona NEEDS you. You have my vote! wrote L.J. Roberts.

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WASHINGTONLaughably dishonest, relentlessly combative and impossible to not watch, Sean Spicer was the perfect spokesperson for Donald Trump.

And now hes taking his props and going home.

Six months and one day into his tenure as the presidents chief public propagandist, the White House press secretary famously skewered on Saturday Night Live resigned Friday after a long string of self-inflicted and Trump-inflicted humiliations.

Spicer had become an improbable celebrity, an afternoon sensation whose televised briefings produced almost no useful information but drew more viewers than General Hospital. Trump, a television obsessive who often watched The Spicer Show himself, bragged about Spicers ratings as if they were evidence of his own popularity.

They were not.

Viewers were tuning in for the political equivalent of the four-alarm-fire coverage on the local newscast, and other aides knew the briefings were going badly even if the president didnt. When new communications director Anthony Scaramucci and new press secretary Sarah Sanders took the podium after Spicers resignation, it was the first on-camera briefing in three weeks.

In truth, Spicer was always an odd hire for Trump: stammering for a president who cherishes smooth; rumpled where the president prefers suave; a loyal party man for an outsider president suspicious of his party.

What he did have was a willingness to lie. All the time. About virtually everything.

Read more:Donald Trump said 414 false things in his first six months. Heres what weve learned

Spicers first post-inauguration briefing set the tone for the rest. Slamming the news media for alleged unfairness, he declared that Trumps inauguration had drawn the largest crowd of all time, period. It was not even close.

The performance was aimed, as many of Spicers future deceitful performances were, at an audience of one. Spicer often appeared to be striving to please Trump rather than serve any particular strategic goal.

Spicer could be helpful and charming to reporters in private. Republicans who know him sympathized with his plight: trying to explain and defend the words and acts of a president prone to the inexplicable and incomprehensible.

Hs attempts at spin were regularly undermined by Trump himself. After Spicer insisted that Trumps policy on travellers from seven (later six) Muslim countries was not a travel ban, Trump tweeted: I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!

Spicer frequently appeared out of the decision-making loop, time and again telling questioners that he would have to get back to them. At times, he attempted to subtly indicate that he did not personally share Trumps inaccurate views.

He has been, was, and will be again well-respected in this town. He took on a role that redefines impossible. In the dictionary, impossible: the definitions going to be spokesman for Donald Trump,  Rich Galen, former press secretary for prominent Republican legislators Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich, said in an interview.

But nobody was forcing Spicer to stick around to do Trumps dissembling.

Being Donald Trumps press secretary is probably an impossible job but Seans willingness to lie and debase himself and the office was particularly noteworthy, Dan Pfeiffer, who was Obamas White House communications director, said in a message to the Star. He chose to lie and undermine the traditional role of the media, so he has no one to blame but himself.

Press secretaries have always sparred with reporters. Under Spicer, the usual chiding gave way to an all-out assault. Spicer depicted obvious questions as bias, reporting of verifiable facts as shameful.

Much of Trumps base appeared to delight in the lambasting. But Spicers words alarmed democratic watchdogs who worried about the consequences of such broad disparagement of the press. His diatribes were so outlandish that he became SNL gold for Melissa McCarthy, who played him as a raging, puppet-wielding imbecile.

Trump, Politico reported, was bothered  less that his spokesperson was being depicted as an inept liar than that his spokesman was being played by a woman.

Even as he professed continued support in public, Trump was reportedly cruel to Spicer in private. Spicer, a Catholic, let it be known that he badly wanted to meet the Pope during Trumps May visit to the Vatican. Trump left Spicer off the list.

Spicer suffered through, though he moved to a less visible role in June. His final straw, according to the New York Times, was Trumps Friday decision to hire Scaramucci, a well-coiffed, well-dressed financier with almost no political experience, as communications director.

Scaramucci, a regular guest on Fox News, delivered a hyperbolic first performance on Friday in which he declared his love for Trump and hailed the presidents karma.

At one point, Scaramucci was asked whether he believed Trumps lie that three million people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

If the president says it, Scaramucci said, theres probably some level of truth to that.

Let me do more homework on that, and Ill get back to you, he added, and it was like Sean Spicer never left.

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BURLEY  A Fifth District judge has denied a request from Ronnie G. Kincaid Jr. to withdraw his guilty plea to a murder charge.

Kincaid, 36, was charged in the death of his wife Melissia Dawn Kincaid, 34, after she was found dead at the couples home on Sept. 5, 2015.

Judge John K. Butler said in an opinion on Thursday that he denied Kincaids request to withdraw his Alford plea because Kincaid entered a knowing, voluntary and intelligent plea and he did not otherwise show a just reason to withdraw his plea.

Kincaid entered a motion to withdraw the guilty plea on June 30. His attorney, Anthony Valdez, filed a request to withdraw as Kincaids attorney on June 9, which was denied without prejudice, after Kincaid announced his intentions to file the motion to withdraw his plea.

Under a plea agreement with the state and using an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence while acknowledging a jury would likely convict him at trial, he pleaded to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. The state agreed to dismiss charges of mayhem, destruction of evidence and two counts of sexual penetration by forcible use of a foreign object. He was originally charged with first-degree murder.

Under the agreement the sentence recommendation is 15 to 20 years to life in prison.

In his request to withdraw his plea Kincaid argued that he would forever be judged by the conviction in court and by public opinion and it was impossible for him to live with that.

Kincaid said given the magnitude of that reality his guilty plea, even an Alford plea, was not truly voluntary.

Butler said factors weighing against Kincaids request to withdraw the plea included the fundamental interest in the finality of guilty pleas arising from plea bargains, which should not be set aside lightly. Other factors were that Kincaid did not present facts suggesting that his waiver to the right of a jury trial was constitutionally defective and that he knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently entered his plea along with judicial estoppel, which precludes a party from gaining an advantage by taking one position and then switching.

Butler wrote that Kincaid did not suggest his counsel was ineffective in his representation, and Kincaid saying that his attorney told him he would withdraw if Kincaid did not accept the plea deal was not coercive.

Kincaids claim of innocence without more evidence to support it was not sufficient cause for Butler to accept the withdrawal of the guilty plea.

Police say Kincaid didnt call police until the morning after his wife died.

He told investigators his wife had been experiencing female medical problems, and she became unresponsive after the couple had sex.

Police said he put her in the shower to wake her up and then moved her back to the bed and slept beside her.

A sentencing hearing in the case is set at 3 p.m. Aug. 7 in Cassia County District Court.
JOHANNESBURGFirst there was Cecil, a Zimbabwean lion whose allegedly illegal killing by an American hunter in 2015 ignited international outrage. Now Cecils son Xanda has been legally killed in the same area, bringing fresh scrutiny on the trophy hunting of a species whose numbers in the African wild have plummeted.

Some conservation groups denounced 6-year-old Xandas killing, saying commercial hunting bans and robust wildlife tourism in countries such as Kenya and Botswana are among the best ways to protect threatened species. The hunting industry, meanwhile, counters that it has a conservation role if it is well-regulated, channelling revenue back into wildlife areas that otherwise could end up neglected or turned into livestock farms.

Many researchers agree that Africas lions face greater threats, including human encroachment on habitats and the poaching of animals for food, which deprives lions of prey. A more recent concern is the legal export of South African lion skeletons to a traditional medicine market in Asia, which some critics believe could lead to increased poaching of wild lions to meet demand.

The species is in free-fall, said Will Travers, president and co-founder of Born Free, an international conservation group. He cited estimates that there are only 20,000 wild lions left in Africa.

Xanda, who was wearing a GPS collar so researchers could track him, was killed on or around July 7 just outside Zimbabwes Hwange National Park and the shooter is a client of Zimbabwean professional hunter Richard Cooke, a group called World Heritage Species said on Facebook. Group members include Brent Stapelkamp, a researcher who monitors lions in Hwange park, where Cecil and Xanda lived.

Although the hunt was reportedly legal (all the proper papers were in order, Xanda was over the age of 5, and he was outside the boundaries of the park), Cooke has refused to divulge the identity of his client. Cooke also led the hunt in 2015 that killed Cecils other son, the group said.

Efforts to reach Cooke by email and phone were not immediately successful.

Zimbabwe would not name the person who shot Xanda because doing so would invite retribution and loss of business for the hunt operator, an official said.

We dont have any laws prohibiting the hunt of collared animals. We are in the process of crafting a law to protect such animals, said Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority. He said the hunter did not know that Xanda was collared, possibly because the device is not always visible under a male lions mane, and that the collar was returned to authorities.

Farawo said wild animals often wander outside unfenced areas of national parks in Zimbabwe, and the wildlife agency is struggling with human-animal conflict in areas surrounding parks.

Like Cecil, Xanda had been monitored by WildCRU, a group affiliated with the University of Oxford in Britain.

The World Heritage Species group said researchers were aware that Xanda had been spending more time outside the park and that the dead lions GPS collar was fitted in October.

Cecil was killed in a hunt in which he was illegally lured out of the wildlife park with bait and initially wounded by an arrow, according to authorities. The death unleashed an extraordinary outpouring of anger at Walter Palmer, the American dentist who shot the lion, and other foreigners who have travelled to Africa to kill wildlife.

Xanda had a pride with cubs, said the World Heritage Species group. It said their safety and survival is now in jeopardy if a new male comes along and attempts to take over.

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WASHINGTONAmerican citizens will be barred from travelling to North Korea next month following a prohibition on using U.S. passports to enter the country, the State Department said Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson decided to impose a geographical travel restriction on North Korea following the death last month of American university student Otto Warmbier, who fell into a coma while in North Korean custody.

Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Koreas system of law enforcement, the secretary has authorized a Geographical Travel Restriction on all U.S. citizen nationals use of a passport to travel in, through or to North Korea, department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

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The restriction will take effect in late August, 30 days after it is published as a legal notice in the Federal Register sometime next week.

Once it takes effect, Americans wanting to travel to North Korea may do so legally only with a special validation passport, which will be granted by the State Department on a case-by-case basis for certain limited humanitarian or other purposes, the statement said.

It did not elaborate on what other purposes the department would consider to be legitimate for travel to North Korea.

A coroner's office in Ohio is investigating the death of 22-year-old college student Otto Warmbier who died less than a week after his return to the U.S. after nearly a year and a half in North Korean detention. (The Associated Press)

It wasnt clear how many Americans the move will effect, as figures about how many Americans go to North Korea are difficult for even the U.S. government to obtain. The U.S. strongly warns Americans against travelling to North Korea, but has not until now prohibited it despite other sanctions targeting the country. Americans who venture there typically travel from China, where several tour groups market trips to adventure-seekers.

Barring Americans from setting foot in North Korea marks the latest U.S. step to isolate the furtive, nuclear-armed nation, and protect U.S. citizens who may be allured by the prospect of travelling there. Nearly all Americans who have gone to North Korea have left without incident. But some have been seized and given draconian sentences for seemingly minor offences.

The travel ban comes as the Trump administration searches for more effective ways to ramp up pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyangs recent successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile  the first by the North  has created even more urgency as the U.S. seeks to stop North Korea before it can master the complex process of putting a nuclear warhead atop a missile capable of hitting the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration that his initial strategy  enlisting Chinas help and influence to squeeze the North economically and diplomatically  has not yielded major results. Trumps administration is also considering other economic steps including secondary sanctions that could target companies and banks  mostly in China  that do even legitimate business with North Korea, officials said.

Under U.S. law, the secretary of state has the authority to designate passports as restricted for travel to countries with which the United States is at war, when armed hostilities are in progress, or when there is imminent danger to the public health or physical security of United States travellers. Geographical travel restrictions are rare but have been used by numerous administrations in the past for countries where it has been determined to be unsafe.

Since 1967, such bans have been imposed intermittently on countries such as Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Cuba and North Vietnam. But the U.S. doesnt currently prohibit its passports from being used to travel to any countries, even though financial restrictions limit U.S. travel to Cuba and elsewhere.

Americans who violate the restriction could face a fine and up to 10 years in prison for a first offence.

Warmbier, who died after being medically evacuated in a coma from North Korea last month, suffered a severe neurological injury from an unknown cause while in custody. Relatives said they were told the 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been in a coma since shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in North Korea in March 2016. He had been accused of stealing a propaganda poster while on a tour of the country.

The United States, South Korea and others often accuse North Korea of using foreign detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. At least three other Americans remain in custody in the North.

Tillerson had been weighing a North Korea travel ban since late April, when American teacher Tony Kim was detained in Pyongyang, according to a senior State Department official. Those deliberations gained even more urgency after Warmbiers death. Lawmakers in Congress have also pushed their own, legislative solutions to try to ban travel to the North.

Two tour operators that organize group trips to North Korea said they had already been informed of the decision by officials from Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea because the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.

Simon Cockerell, Beijing-based general manager of the Koryo Group, one of the leading organizers of guided tours to North Korea, said the ban would affect 800-1,000 Americans who visit North Korea annually. Although Pyongyang does not publish exact figures, Americans are thought to account for a mere 1 per cent of all foreign visitors. Westerners make up 5 per cent of total visitors, Americans about 20 per cent of the Western contingent, according to statistics.

Cockerell said the ban would likely have a tangible impact on business for his and similar outfits, and said that would turn back the clock on engagement with the North.

Its unfortunate because we criticize North Korea for being isolationist and now were helping isolate them, Cockerell said. Thats not what soft power is about.

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U.S. President Donald Trumps exclusive interview with the New York Times on Wednesday touched on plenty of weighty topics, including the Republicans unsuccessful attempts to pass a health-care bill and what would constitute a red line in the Russia investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

But one excerpt in particular set afire a corner of the internet. In it, Trump describes a dinner for Group of 20 leaders that took place in Germany earlier this month and mentions that he had been seated next to Akie Abe, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

There had been a language barrier, Trump told Times reporter Maggie Haberman:

TRUMP: . . . So, I was seated next to the wife of Prime Minister Abe, who I think is a terrific guy, and shes a terrific woman, but doesnt speak English.

HABERMAN: Like, nothing, right? Like zero?

TRUMP: Like, not hello.

HABERMAN: That must make for an awkward seating.

TRUMP: Well, its hard, because you know, youre sitting there for 

HABERMAN: Hours.

TRUMP: So the dinner was probably an hour and 45 minutes.

It wasnt long before people cried foul. Motoko Rich, the Timess Tokyo bureau chief, described it as a false note. Early Thursday, a YouTube video was unearthed that showed Akie Abe giving a 15-minute keynote address  in English  at a 2014 symposium on coastal resilience in New York. Before long, the video was circulating on social media, often juxtaposed with Trumps comments about her language ability.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

By Thursday afternoon, speculation was running rampant online: Had Abe pretended not to speak English to avoid talking to Trump at the nearly two-hour dinner?

Japans first lady Akie Abe mysteriously couldnt speak English when she met Donald Trump at G20, a Newsweek headline pondered.

Trump says Japans first lady doesnt speak English  but this clip shows otherwise, MarketWatch declared.

However, as with so many stories about Trump that go viral online, the reality is more nuanced than the Internets fast-moving theories.

The question of how proficient Abe is at English was a guessing game Thursday among Japanese journalists and diplomats in Washington, as well as some Japan hands in U.S. think tanks.

Though no one could say for certain what her fluency level was, most agreed that what had been characterized as a possible political snub had more likely been a convergence of Abes limited English abilities and a desire not to misspeak.

It is, of course, false that Abe speaks zero English. (At the very least, its unthinkable that the Japanese first lady doesnt know the word hello, even if she may not have said it to Trump at the G20 dinner.) According to a lengthy profile of Abe by the Japan Times, she attended the English-speaking International School of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo from kindergarten through high school and later worked at Dentsu, Japans largest international public relations company.

But its clear in the video of her 2014 keynote address that Abe was consulting a script and, even then, occasionally stumbling over a word or two. Abe has regularly accompanied her husband to Washington through his three stints as prime minister, and footage from her past visits shows that she has almost always used a translator when in the United States.

In 2015, she and then-first lady Michelle Obama visited Great Falls Elementary in Virginia, where they were welcomed by students who were part of the schools Japanese immersion program. While at the school, Abe used an interpreter and addressed the students in Japanese.

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In speeches at a 2014 Womenomics forum and a 2015 Finding Balance summit, Abe gave her remarks in Japanese and had an interpreter translate them for the audience. She did not speak English during a 2014 interview with The Washington Post.

Abe again visited Washington in February, when her husband met with Trump at the White House. Though she made stops at Gallaudet University and at the Japanese Embassy, Abe did not make public remarks. She and her husband spent the ensuing weekend with the Trumps in Mar-a-Lago, the presidents resort near Palm Beach, Florida.

Several interviewed by The Washington Post said they had never heard Abe speak English and speculated that she would not feel comfortable having more than a simple conversation. Most people interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity because they had not spoken to Abe directly or extensively and did not have firsthand knowledge.

I have only heard her speak in Japanese, said one Japan expert at a think tank. In international meetings, she speaks through an interpreter. I expect she may be able to have a courtesy-type conversation, but you should not assume more than that.

A former aide to president Barack Obama said in a text message that he never heard her speak English with Mrs. Obama.

During her 2015 visit to the United States, Abe met with a small group of Americans who had taught English in Japan through a government-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching program.

Nicole Uehara, an American who helped set up the event and participated in it, said Abe did not speak in English during the meeting and instead made remarks through an interpreter, who was seated behind her. Uehara said she was told that the Japanese first lady does know some English but is not fluent.

At formal multilateral events, some foreign officials are concerned about protocol and worried about misspeaking if they are not speaking in their native language, foreign affairs experts said.

I really dont think she understands English very well, one Japanese television reporter in Washington wrote in an email. He said the story has not made a big splash in Japan since Trumps interview was published late Wednesday. Even the second meeting between Trump and Putin was not a big story in Japan, he said.

An American assistant at the Washington bureau of another Japanese television network said the consensus in his office is that she cant really speak it. She can definitely say hello or greet people in English, but can she hold a conversation beyond pleasantries? Were not so sure.

At the Japanese Embassy in Washington, one diplomat called Trumps remarks about Abe a strange story and added that  although he has seen the video on social media of Abe reciting the coastal-resilience speech in English  he wasnt sure about her English skills.

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The development of Pearson International Airport as a Greater Golden Horseshoe Area (GGHA) transit hub or Union Station North is inevitable. Regional suburban growth simply demands greater connectivity among suburban cities and easier access to downtown Toronto.

The 50,000 airport workers also need better access to the airport via transit. The question remains how to pay for not only the hub at Pearson but the new lines feeding into it.

Privatization of the airport was floated by the Liberals earlier this year. A major transportation policy review released last year recommended it. Private sector investors and pension funds on Bay Street are willing to finance it. The government is eager for the short term revenues gained by it. And airport executives stand to profit greatly from it.

Yet airport privatization is not popular with the public. People rightly fear increased airline fees and the loss of significant government revenues to for-profit airport corporations.

The privatization agenda will not, however, go away easily. The construction of a transit-hub at Pearson is another means of the government ushering privatization in through the backdoor.

In order to finance the hub, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA), the non-share corporation that administers Pearson, has kept privatization efforts on the table. The GTAA could itself become a for-profit share corporation and issue an IPO to raise money for the hub, airport lands could be sold off to private investors, and there is also the appeal of the new $35 billion Canada Infrastructure Bank. Indeed, the transit-hub is an ideal project for the new bank given that it is not only of public interest but has great revenue-generating potential.

But privatization is far from the only tool available to finance the hubs construction.

First, there are dedicated infrastructure improvement fees. Establishing an airport transit infrastructure fee continues the user pay approach that major airports have relied upon for decades to finance improvements.

The GTAA projects passenger growth to surpass 60 million per year in 2030, which would yield significant revenues in fees. Admittedly, passengers are weary of these surcharges, but they are tolerated if they are transparent. Real frustration stems from fuel and airport security surcharges that generate revenues that are not dedicated to their stated purpose.

Second, the federal government can amend the current ground lease agreement that demands the GTAA turn over 13 per cent of its revenues to the federal government. In 2016, $147 million was paid in ground rent. A ground lease that directed these funds to transit-hub development is possible. Similarly, Pearson paid more than $34 million in payments-in-lieu of real property taxes last year. These payments could be adjusted as part of local government contributions.

Third, the GTAA has a very healthy operating budget. In recent years it has contained or even reduced slot fees as airlines demand competitive rates. Pearson still generates well over $1 billion in annual revenues. Last year, it had a surplus of close to $100 million available for further debt repayment and future investment  including the transit-hub.

Lastly, we must not discount direct government investment. The new light-rail and potential high-speed rail lines flowing into the hub should be financed by different levels of government, not the airport itself.

Pearson ranks among Canadas primary strategic economic assets generating billions of dollars in economic activity and tens of thousands of jobs. Government investment in a transit-hub is necessary to ensure the city-region has the international, intraregional, and local connectivity it requires for the future.

Transit development at this scale requires careful planning with many complex considerations. The communities surrounding Pearson must be places people want to live and work. The privatization of a new transit-hub would create a planning regime dedicated only to maximizing revenues for investors.

Keeping Pearson airport a public asset as it expands its economic, social, and environmental roles in the GGHA is vital. Privatization of our airport in exchange for a transit-hub is simply unnecessary  and people know it.

Steven Tufts is an associate professor in the department of geography at York University and a spokesperson for the Toronto Airport Workers Council. @wsteventufts

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The tax reforms Bill Morneau proposed this week are a welcome, if modest, step toward realizing the finance ministers oft-touted top goal of tax fairness. The government has set its sights on three iniquitous tax breaks that allow wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share. They should be scrapped.

But such loopholes, which have proliferated in recent decades, are everywhere in Canadas sprawling tax code. We hope the sensible package now before Canadians is not all the Trudeau Liberals have to offer on this issue, but is instead a down payment on the comprehensive reform we need and they promised. There is still much work to be done.

The three measures now being floated all aim to limit the ability of high earners to use the small-business tax system to dodge paying their share on income. The most far-reaching of these would constrain the practice of so-called income sprinkling, which allows individuals to significantly reduce their tax burden by transferring large portions of their income, through a corporation, to family members. Taken together, the package could save Ottawa hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

This is a start, but it likely wont get Morneau even a tenth of the way toward his stated aim of saving $3 billion annually through a review of so-called tax expenditures.

The promised review is crucial. Over the last century, Canadas tax code has grown into an unwieldy mess. The code is now roughly 200 times longer than it was in its original form, a result not mainly of thoughtful economic design, but of the slow accretion of politically micro-targeted tax breaks. The Harper Tories were particularly fond of such boutique tax credits, which allowed them to appeal to certain politically important constituencies while essentially shrinking government.

Tax expenditures now account for upwards of $100 billion of forgone revenue annually, about a quarter of all government spending. Yet, unlike other government outlays, they are not subject to significant parliamentary scrutiny or even government study. No one seems to know exactly how much is lost through these loopholes, or whether they achieve their stated objectives. As Auditor General Michael Ferguson warned in 2015, even the finance department seems to be in the dark.

What we do know, however, suggests that these tax breaks, like the ones Morneau is now seeking to tackle, too often benefit most those who need help least, deepening rather than mitigating economic inequality. A recent study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that of the 64 tax breaks on which good data are available, all but five provide more benefit to the top half of earners than to the bottom.

Take pension income splitting, for example, which allows the higher-earning spouse to shift pension income to the lower earner. This costs Ottawa $965 million annually, 83 per cent of which goes to the richest 10 per cent. Or the tax break on dividends for shareholders of Canadian firms, which costs $4.1 billion a year, half of which goes to the top 1 per cent. At a minimum, both should be capped.

The obscene executive stock option loophole, which drains about $1 billion annually from the public purse, is even more regressive; 90 per cent of its benefits are enjoyed by the top 1 per cent. This tax break was conceived, in part, to help capital-starved start-ups attract top talent, but it has since been co-opted by executives at established companies as a way to dodge taxes. It is both unfair and ineffective.

Same goes for the $900-million Canada Education Savings Grant. As economists have long warned, Ottawas richest post-secondary program does not appear to significantly expand access to education, instead disproportionately helping the well-off pay for school they can already afford.

These are just a few of the much-criticized, highly questionable and largely unscrutinized tax expenditures that, for both fairness and revenue, might be capped or scrapped.

The Liberal government, which came to power promising to make life better for the middle class and those who aspire to join it, is highly attuned to the growing anxiety about economic justice. In the wake of the last U.S. presidential election, Trudeau said that Donald Trump was elected in part because too many Americans felt they were not sharing in their countrys economic success. He has made much of his commitment to cracking down on the sort of tax cheating exposed by the Panama Papers.

Yet more than a year and a half into the Trudeau governments mandate, its record on tax fairness has been mixed. The last federal budget included only very marginal tax reforms, and the tax-expenditure review has apparently been put on hold until the Trump administration clarifies its own tax policy.

Its not uncommon for governments to promise to constrain tax expenditures, and then to back off. Thats because every loophole, once established, has its passionate defenders. It takes political courage to follow through.

But at a time of slow growth, ballooning debt and sagging commodity prices, of rising anxieties about economic justice and inequality, the Trudeau government has little choice. In a number of senses, it cant afford to keep transferring billions of dollars to the wealthiest few, especially when theres no evidence that any larger policy objective is being met.

The government should do as it promised and conduct its review. And it should ensure that tax expenditures are submitted to the same level of scrutiny as any other government spending.

Its been more than 50 years since the Carter Commission, the last time Ottawa took a comprehensive look at our tax system. Since that time, Canadas tax code has expanded exponentially in an often thoughtless, piecemeal fashion. Weve lost track of whether our tax system is doing the job it is intended to do. In taking another look, we will no doubt find significant savings to be had and injustices to redress.

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Facebook (FB) - Get Free Report says it has the best interests of news publishers in mind. And toward that end, Campbell Brown, a former broadcast news correspondent hired by Facebook six months ago to heads up its news partnerships, teased a subscription-based news product that the world's largest social-media platform plans to launch later this year.

David Chavern, president and chief executive of the News Media Alliance, which represents 2,000 newspapers and digital publishers in the U.S. and Canada, says the idea of a product that might drive digital subscriptions would be warmly welcomed, though he said Facebook has yet to unveil details about the product.

"It's too soon to tell," Chavern said in a phone interview from Washington. "There's been a longterm request that Facebook have better integration with the publishers' subscription models. We're hopeful. I would love for it to be a great product that was really great for publishers but we don't know yet."

The News Media Alliance has begun talks with federal legislators about securing an anti-trust exemption to allow publishers to collectively negotiate content deals with platforms, most prominently, Facebook and Alphabet's Google (GOOGL) - Get Free Report . Chavern argues that the very business model that sustains legacy newspapers is at risk for the simple reason that Facebook and Google currently control about two-thirds of all digital advertising.

And digital advertising is fast becoming the largest category of ad spending, surpassing television.

Securing such an exemption from Congress is a long shot, but one that the publishers' group is willing to explore as it seeks to reverse more than a decade of declining advertising and circulation sales. Weekday circulation for U.S. daily newspapers -- both print and digital -- fell 8% in 2016, the 28th consecutive year of declines, the Pew Research Center reported last month. Sunday circulation also fell 8%.

Facebook and Alphabet are holdings in Jim Cramer'sAction Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells FBor GOOGL? Learn more now.

Advertising revenue at the seven publicly-traded newspaper companies revealed a faster rate of decline in 2016 -- 10% -- than the year earlier's 8% drop, Pew said.

The upshot, Chavern emphasized, is that newspapers need to get more revenue from the places that more readers are going to for their news: Facebook and Google.

In response, Brown said on July 18 that Facebook will launch a subscription-based news product with initial tests beginning in October. The feature appears to be built on top of its Instant Articles platform, which aggregates stories from hundreds of publishers based on a reader's interests and preferences. Once the paywall product is launched, readers would have to become subscribers of either an individual publication or a Facebook service to be able to access more than 10 articles from a particular media outlet during a single month.

"One of the things you'll find about publishers, particularly these days, is that they're willing to experiment like crazy," Chavern said. "They're willing to try a lot of different options for getting to the point that what they produce is valuable. You can't infinitely produce something of value that doesn't get a return on that work.

"It's too early to tell but we look forward to seeing how it works."
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Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated insurance holding company in the United States. The company develops, markets, and underwrites insurance products for personal residential insurance, such as homeowners, renters/tenants, condo unit owners, and dwelling/fire; and offers allied lines, coverage for other structures, and personal property, liability, and personal articles coverages. It also advises on actuarial issues, oversees distribution, administers claims payments, performs policy administration and underwriting, and assists with reinsurance negotiations; places and manages reinsurance programs for the insurance entities; and operates Clovered.com, an online platform in which consumers receive side-by-side quotes from various carriers across multiple states, as well as educational materials about homeowners' insurance policies. It offers its products through a network of independent agents, as well as Universal Direct, a direct-to-consumer online platform, which enables homeowners to directly purchase, pay for, and bind homeowners' policies. The company was formerly known as Universal Heights, Inc. and changed its name to Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. in January 2001. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The following companies are subsidiares of UnitedHealth Group: 1070715 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1st Avenue Pharmacy Inc., 310 Canyon Medical LLC, 4C MSO LLC, 4C Medical Group PLC, 5995 Minnetonka LLC, ABCO International Holdings LLC, ACN Group IPA of New York Inc., ACN Group of California Inc., AHN Accountable Care Organization LLC, AHN Central Services LLC, AHN Target Holdings LLC, AMIL International S.a.r.l., APS  Assistencia Personalizada a Saude Ltda., ASC Holdings of New Jersey LLC, ASC Network LLC, ASC Operators-East Bay LLC, ASC Operators-San Francisco LLC, ASC Operators-San Luis Obispo LLC, ASC Operators-Santa Rosa LLC, ASC Operators-South Bay LLC, ASV-HOPCo-SCA Cornerstone LLC, ASV-HOPCo-SCA Florida LLC, AbleTo Behavioral Health Services P.C., AbleTo Inc., Accurate Rx Pharmacy Consulting LLC, Administradora Clinica La Colina S.A.S., Administradora Country S.A.S., Administradora Medica Centromed S.A., Advanced Surgery Center of Clifton LLC, Advanced Surgical Center LLC, Advanced Surgical Hospital LLC, Advocate Condell Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., Advocate-SCA Partners LLC, Aliansalud Entidad Promotora de Salud S.A., All Savers Insurance Company, All Savers Life Insurance Company of California, Alliance Surgical Center LLC, Allina Health Heart and Vascular Surgery Center LLC, Allina Health Surgery Center-Brooklyn Park LLC, Aloha Surgical Center LLC, Ambient Healthcare Inc., Ambient Holdings Inc., AmeriChoice, AmeriChoice Corporation, AmeriChoice of New Jersey Inc., American Health Network of Indiana Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Indiana II LLC, American Health Network of Indiana LLC, American Health Network of Kentucky LLC, American Health Network of Ohio Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Ohio II LLC, American Health Network of Ohio LLC, American Physicians Inc., Amico Saude Ltda., Amil, Amil Assistencia Medica Internacional S.A., Angiografia e Hemodinamica Madre Theodora Ltda., Anne Arundel-SCA Holdings LLC, Anne Arundel-SCA Surgicenter LLC, Antelope Valley Surgery Center L.P., Analisis Clinicos ML S.A.C., Apothecary Holdings Inc., AppleCare Medical Management LLC, Aquitania Chilean Holding SpA, Arcadia JV Holdings LLC, Arcadia Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., ArchWell Health LLC, ArchWell Health MSO LLC, ArchWell Health Professional Services Holding Co., ArchWell Health Professional Services of Alabama LLC, ArchWell Health Professional Services of North Carolina P.C., ArchWell Health Professional Services of Oklahoma LLC, Archwell Health Professional Services of Arizona LLC, Archwell Health Professional Services of Nebraska LLC, Arise Physician Group, Arizona Physicians IPA Inc., Arlington Surgery Center LLC, Aspectus Inc., Associacao Lusiadas Knowledge Center  Health Education and Research, Audax Health Solutions LLC, Aurora Hospitalist P.C., Austin Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Avella Specialty Pharmacy, Aventura Medical Tower Surgery Center LLC, Avery Parent Holdings Inc., Aveta Inc., AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings LLC, AxelaCare LLC, B.R.A.S.S. Partnership in Commendam, BOSC Holdings LLC, BSC Holdings LLC, Ball Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Banmedica Colombia S.A.S., Banmedica Internacional SpA, Banmedica S.A., Barranca Surgery Center LLC, Beach Surgical Holdings II LLC, Beach Surgical Holdings III LLC, Beach Surgical Holdings LLC, Beaver Medical Group P.C., Bedford Physicians Risk Retention Group Inc., Behavioral Healthcare Options Inc., Beltway Surgery Centers L.L.C., Benefit Administration for the Self Employed L.L.C., Benefitter Insurance Solutions Inc., Bergan Mercy Surgery Center LLC, Bergen-Passaic Cataract Laser and Surgery Center LLC, Bessler MD PLLC, Bind Benefits Inc., Bind LH Holdings Inc., Bind Re Inc., Birmingham Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Birmingham Outpatient Surgical Center LLC, Bloomfield ASC LLC, Blue Ridge Day Surgery Center L.P., Blue Ridge GP LLC, Blue Ridge Properties LLC, Boca Raton Outpatient Surgery & Laser Center LTD., Bordeaux Barbados Holdings I SRL, Bordeaux Barbados Holdings II SRL, Bordeaux Barbados Holdings III S.r.l., Bordeaux Holding SpA, Bordeaux International Holdings Inc., Bordeaux UK Holdings I Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings III Limited, Bosque Medical Center Ltda., Brandon Ambulatory Surgery Center LC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 102 LLC, BriovaRx of Florida Inc., BriovaRx of Maine Inc., BriovaRx of Massachusetts LLC, CCEC Anesthesia Management LLC, CDC Holdings Colombia S.A.S., CLISA  Clinica de Santo Antonio S.A., CMO  Centro Medico de Oftalmologia S/S Ltda., CMS  Central de Manipulacao e Servicos Farmaceuticos Ltda., COI  Clinicas Oncologicas Integradas S.A., Cabin Enterprises LLC, Cabin Holdings LLC, California Medical Group Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, Camp Hill Ambulatory Centers, Camp Hill-SCA Centers LLC, Capital City Medical Group L.L.C., Cardinal Holding Company LLC, Care Improvement Plus Group Management LLC, Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus Wisconsin Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus of Texas Insurance Company, Care Logistics LLC, CareMount Dental Member LLC, CareMount Health Solutions ACO LLC, CareMount Health Solutions Employer LLC, CareMount Health Solutions LLC, CareMount Holding LLC, CareMount Medical Foundation Inc., CareMount Value Partners IPA LLC, Carr PLLC, Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha Ltda., Castle Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Castle Rock SurgiCenter LLC, Catalyst360 LLC, Catamaran 2 Unlimited Company, Catamaran Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, Catamaran S.a.r.l., Cedar Park JV Partners LLC, Cedar Park Surgery Center LLC, Cemed Care  Empresa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Center for Quality Improvement LLC, Center for Restorative Surgery at Maple Grove LLC, Center for Surgery of North Coast L.P., Central Indiana Care Organization LLC, Central Ohio Care Organization LLC, CentriHealth Corporation, CentrifyHealth LLC, Centro Medico Hospitalar Pitangueiras Ltda., Centro Odontologico Americano S.A.C., Centro de Entrenamiento Capacitacion en Reanimacion y Prevencion Limitada, Centro de Servicios Compartidos Banmedica SpA, Centromed Quilpue S.A., Centros Medicos y Dentales Multimed Ltda., Centura-SCA Holdings LLC, Centurion Casualty Company, Channel Islands Surgicenter L.P., Channel Islands Surgicenter Properties LLC, Charleston Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Charleston Surgery Properties LLC, Charlotte Surgery Center LLC, Charlotte Surgery Properties LTD., Charlotte-SC LLC, Chatham Orthopaedic ASC LLC, Childrens Surgery Center LLC, Citrus Regional Surgery Center L.P., Claims Management Systems Inc., Cleburne Surgical Center LLC, Clinical Partners of Colorado Springs LLC, Clinton Partners LLC, Clinica Alameda SpA, Clinica Bio Bio SpA, Clinica Ciudad del Mar S.A., Clinica Davila y Servicios Medicos S.p.A., Clinica Iquique S.A., Clinica Medico Cirurgica de Santa Tecla S.A., Clinica Portoazul S.A., Clinica San Felipe S.A., Clinica Santa Maria S.p.A., Clinica Sanchez Ferrer S.A., Clinica Vespucio S.A., Clinica del Country S.A.S., Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare Inc., Coalition for Advanced Pharmacy Services Inc., Cobranzas Banmedica SpA, Cogent Healthcare IPA of New York Inc., Cogent Healthcare Inc., Cogent Healthcare Management of New York Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Arizona P.C., Cogent Healthcare of California Prof. Corp., Cogent Healthcare of Georgia P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Illinois LLC, Cogent Healthcare of Iowa P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Jackson MS LLC, Cogent Healthcare of Jacksonville LLC, Cogent Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Missouri Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Montana P.C., Cogent Healthcare of New Jersey P.C., Cogent Healthcare of North Carolina P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Oregon P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Pensacola L.L.C., Cogent Healthcare of Tennessee P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Washington P.C., Cogent Medical Care P.C., Cogent Patient Safety Organization Inc., Cogent/Endion Medical Care of New York P.C., Collaborative Care Holdings LLC, Collaborative Care Services Inc., Collaborative Realty LLC, Colmedica Medicina Prepagada S.A., Colonial Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Colorado Innovative Physician Solutions Inc., Colorado Springs Surgery Center Ltd., Comfort Care Transportation LLC, Comprehensive Hospital Physicians of Florida Inc., ConnectYourCare Inc., ConnectYourCare LLC, Connecticut Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Connecticut Surgery Properties LLC, Connecticut Surgical Center LLC, Consorcio Regenero S.A., Constructora Inmobiliaria Magapoq S.A., Consumer Wellness Solutions Inc., Continuum Physicians Group Inc., Continuum Physicians Group of Washington PLLC, Cornell Surgicenter LLC, Cornerstone Surgery Center LLC, Cornerstone Surgicare LLC, Corpus Christi Endoscopy Center L.L.P., Country Scan Ltda., Critical Care Physician of New York P.C., Critical Care Physicians of Illinois LLC, Critical Care Physicians of New Jersey PC, Critical Care Physicians of Pennsylvania P.C., Cross Timbers Surgery Center LLC, Cypress Care Inc., DBP Services of New York IPA Inc., DSP Flint Real Estate LLC, DSP-Building C LLC, DTC Surgery Center LLC, DWIC of Tampa Bay Inc., Dallas Inpatient Specialist PLLC, Danbury Surgical Center L.P., Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company LLC, Definity Health, Dental Benefit Providers Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of California Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois Inc., Denton Endoscopy Surgery Center LLC, Denton Surgery Center LLC, Derry Surgical Center LLC, Diagnostico Ecotomografico Centromed Ltda., Diasnostico por Imagenes Centromed Ltda., Digestive Disease Center L.P., Dilab Medicina Nuclear Ltda., Diplomat Blocker LLC, Diplomat Corporate Properties LLC, Diplomat Pharmacy, Diplomat Pharmacy Inc., Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy Great Lakes Distribution Center LLC, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy of Chicago LLC, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy of Ft. Lauderdale LLC, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy of Los Angeles County LLC, Distance Learning Network Inc., Divisadero Holdings LLC, DocASAP Inc., DocASAP India Technologies Private Limited, DocASAP US LLC, Doctor + S.A.C., Dry Creek Surgery Center LLC, Dublin Surgery Center LLC, Duluth Surgical Suites LLC, Durable Medical Equipment Inc., E Street Endoscopy LLC, EM Orange Tree LLC, EP Campus I LLC, EPIC Health Plan, EPIC Management Services LLC, East Bay Endoscopy Center L.P., East Brunswick Surgery Center LLC, Echo Locum Tenens Inc., Electronic Network Systems Inc., Elual Participacoes S.A., Emerald Coast Surgery Center L.P., Emisar Pharma Services LLC, Emmaus Holdings LLC, Emmaus Surgical Center LLC, Empire Physician Management Company LLC, Empremedica S. A., Endion Hospitalist North P.C., Endion Hospitalist of Western New York P.C., Endion Medical Healthcare P.C., Endion Medical Services P.C., Endoscopy Center Affiliates Inc., Enterprise Life Insurance Company, Equian, Equian LLC, Equian Parent Corp., Esho  Empresa de Servicos Hospitalares S.A., Everett MSO Inc., Excelsior Insurance Brokerage Inc., Executive Health Resources Inc., Executive Surgery Center L.L.C., Eye Clinic Oftalmologia Clinico Cirurgica e Diagnostico Ltda., Eye Specialists Surgery Centers LLC, FMG Holdings LLC, Family Health Care Services, Family Home Hospice Inc., Ferrell Physician Services P.C., Fideicomiso Clinica Barranquilla Portoazul FA-517, First Coast Orthopedic Center LLC, First Family Insurance LLC, Florence Surgery Center L.P., For Health Inc., For Health of Arizona Inc., Fort Sutter Medical Building a California Limited Partnership, Fort Worth Endoscopy Centers LLC, Fortified Provider Network Inc., Foundation Surgery Affiliate General of Huntingdon Valley LLC, Foundation Surgery Affiliate of Huntingdon Valley L.P., Franklin Surgical Center LLC, Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, Freeway Surgicenter of Houston LLC, Frontier Medex Tanzania Limited, FrontierMEDEX Inc., FrontierMEDEX Kenya Limited, FrontierMEDEX US Inc., Fundacion Banmedica, GLBESC LLC, GRANTS PASS SURGERY CENTER LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center LLC, Gainesville Surgery Center L.P., Gainesville Surgery Properties LLC, Genoa, Genoa Healthcare Inc., Genoa QoL Wholesale LLC, Genoa Technology Canada Inc., Genoa Technology Inc., Genoa Telepsychiatry Inc., Genoa of Arkansas LLC, Gladiolus Surgery Center L.L.C., Glenwood Surgical Center L.P., Glenwood-SC Inc., Global One Ventures LLC, Golden Gate Endoscopy Center LLC, Golden Outlook Inc., Golden Rule Financial Corporation, Golden Rule Insurance Company, Golden Triangle Surgicenter L.P., Grandview Surgery Center LTD., Greater New Haven ASC LLC, Greensboro Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Greenville Surgery Center LLC, Greenway Surgical Suites LLC, Grossmont Surgery Center L.P., Grove Place Surgery Center L.L.C., H&W Indemnity SPC Ltd., H.I. Investments Holding Company LLC, HCP ACO California LLC, HCentive Technology India Private Limited, HFHS-SCA Holdings LLC, HMG Holding Corporation, HMG Holdings LLC, HMP of Baltimore  USH P.C., Harken Health Insurance Company, Harrison Endo Surgical Center LLC, Hawthorn Place Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Hays JV Partners LLC, Hays Surgery Center LLC, Health Care-ONE Insurance Agency Inc., Health Inventures Employment Solutions LLC, Health Inventures LLC, Health Plan of Nevada Inc., HealthCare Partners ASC-LB LLC, HealthCare Partners Affiliates Medical Group, HealthCare Partners Management Services California LLC, HealthCare Partners RE LLC, HealthEast Surgery Center-Maplewood LLC, HealthFirst IPA Inc., HealthMarkets Group Inc., HealthMarkets Inc., HealthMarkets Insurance Agency Inc., HealthMarkets LLC, HealthMarkets Services Inc., HealthSCOPE Holdings Inc., HealthScope Benefits Inc., Healthcare Solutions Inc., Healthplex America LLC, Healthplex Dental Services Inc., Healthplex I.P.A. Inc., Healthplex Inc., Healthplex Insurance Company, Healthplex of CT Inc., Healthplex of DC Inc., Healthplex of MD Inc., Healthplex of ME Inc., Healthplex of NC Inc., Healthplex of NJ Inc., Healthplex of TX Inc., Heartland Heart and Vascular LLC, Help Seguros de Vida S.A., Help Service S.A., Help SpA, Hemonefro  Hemodialise e Nefrologia Ltda, Highlands Ranch Healthcare LLC, Home Medical S.A., Honodav SpA, Hospice Inspiris Holdings Inc., Hospitais Associados de Pernambuco Ltda., Hospital Alvorada Taguatinga Ltda., Hospital Ana Costa S.A., Hospital Santa Helena S.A., Hospital de Clinicas de Jacarepagua Ltda., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of Broome County PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Binghamton P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Buffalo P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Newburgh P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Nyack P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Patchogue P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alabama  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alabama  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alaska  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alaska  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Goodyear Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Nogales Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Phoenix II Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Phoenix Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Sierra Vista Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Tucson II Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Tucson Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arkansas  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arkansas  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Buncombe County PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Apple Valley PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Bakersfield PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Camarillo PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Crescent City PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Fairfield PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Fremont PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Grass Valley PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Jackson PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Oceanside PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Oxnard PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Salinas PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - San Bernardino II PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - San Bernardino PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - San Leandro PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Sonoma PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Stockton II PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Stockton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Thousand Oaks PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Vacaville PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado - Brighton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado - Denver PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut - Manchester LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut - Rockville LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut - Wallingford LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of DC PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of DC  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of DC  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Delaware  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Delaware  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Ft. Lauderdale LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Jacksonville II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Jacksonville LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Palm Coast LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Fredericksburg LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - Atlanta PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - East Point PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - Lavonia PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - Savannah PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Hawaii - Kealakekua Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Hawaii  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Hawaii  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Idaho - Nampa PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Idaho  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Idaho  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Downers Grove LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Elmhurst LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Rockford LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Winfield LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana - Clinton LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana - Mishawaka LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana - Terre Haute LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa - Cedar Rapids PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa - Mason City PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas - Topeka LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas - Wichita II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas - Wichita LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Alexandria Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Bossier City Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Lake Charles Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Shreveport Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine - Bangor PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine - Lewiston PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Cheverly PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Cumberland PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Frederick PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Laurel PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Rockville PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Brockton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Dorchester PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Framingham PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Holyoke PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Natick PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Norwood PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Springfield PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Stoughton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Taunton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Worcester PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Alpena PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Dowagiac PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Escanaba PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Grand Blanc PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Grayling PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Kalamazoo PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Plainwell PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Port Huron PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Saginaw PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Tawas City PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Minnesota  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Minnesota  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Mississippi LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Mississippi  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Mississippi  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri - Bridgeton Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri - Richmond Heights Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Billings PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Butte PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Miles City PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Missoula PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Multiple Practice Sites LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nebraska  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nebraska  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Henderson Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Henderson II Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Las Vegas Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Las Vegas II Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada  TCG Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada  TCS Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Hampshire  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Hampshire  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Jersey - Hackensack PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Jersey - Paterson PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Jersey - TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Jersey  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Mexico - Clovis LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Mexico - Rio Rancho LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Mexico - TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Mexico - TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New York PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina - Burlington PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina - Clyde PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina - Elizabeth City PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina - Jacksonville PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina - New Bern PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina - Rocky Mount PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Carolina  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Dakota  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of North Dakota  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Akron Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Batavia Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Canton Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Cincinnati II Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Cincinnati III Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Cincinnati Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Circleville Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Columbus II Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Columbus Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Dover Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - East Liverpool Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Fairfield Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Martins Ferry Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Westerville Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio - Youngstown Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio  TCG Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Ohio  TCS Professional Corporation, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Oklahoma - Oklahoma City LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Oklahoma  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Oklahoma  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Oregon - Portland PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Oregon  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Oregon  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Pennsylvania P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Pennsylvania  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Pennsylvania  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Rhode Island  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Rhode Island  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Richland County Ltd., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of San Luis Obispo County Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of South Carolina - Aiken LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of South Carolina - Rock Hill LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of South Carolina  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of South Carolina  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of South Dakota  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of South Dakota  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Tennessee  Columbia PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Tennessee  Franklin PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Tennessee  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Tennessee  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Amarillo PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Atlanta PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Austin II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Austin PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Bryan PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Burnet PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Corpus Christi II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Corpus Christi PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Cypress PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Dallas PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - El Paso II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - El Paso III PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - El Paso PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Fort Worth II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Fort Worth PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Fredericksburg PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Houston PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Humble PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Kerrville PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Kyle PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Livingston PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Lubbock PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Lufkin PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Mount Pleasant PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Plainview PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Rockwall PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Round Rock PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio III PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio IV PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio V PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio VI PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio VII PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Marcos PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Texarkana PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Tyler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Utah  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Utah  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Vermont  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Vermont  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Alexandria LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Front Royal II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Front Royal LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Mechanicsville LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Midlothian LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Richmond II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Richmond LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Winchester LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Arlington PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Auburn PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Bellingham PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Bremerton PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Burien PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Coupeville PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Enumclaw PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Federal Way PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Gig Harbor PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Lakewood PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Mount Vernon PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Puyallup PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Tacoma II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Tacoma III PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Tacoma PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Vancouver PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington County LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of West Virginia PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of West Virginia  Martinsburg PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of West Virginia  South Charleston PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of West Virginia  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of West Virginia  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of West Virginia  Wheeling PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Wisconsin Ltd., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Wyoming - Casper LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Wyoming  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Wyoming  TCS LLC, Hospitalists Management Group LLC, Humedica, Humedica Inc., Hygeia Corporation, Hygeia Corporation Ontario, IEC Holdings LLC, IHD Holdings LLC, INOV8 Surgical at Memorial City LLC, INSPIRIS of Texas Physician Group, Illinois Independent Care Network LLC, Imagen Technologies Inc., Impel Consulting Experts L.L.C., Impel Management Services L.L.C., InTouch Pharmacy LLC, Indiana Care Organization LLC, Indiana Endoscopy Centers LLC, Inland Surgery Center L.P., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3001 S.A., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3600 Ltda., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo S.A., Inmobiliaria Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Inmobiliaria Vinamed Ltda., Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Alameda S.A., Inpatient Services P.C., Inpatient Specialists of California P.C., Inspiris, Inspiris Inc., Instituto Radium de Cammpinas Ltda, Inter-Hospital Physicians Association Inc., International Healthcare Services Inc., Inversiones Clinicas Santa Maria SpA, Ironman Holdco Inc., Ironman Intermediate Holdco LLC, Isapre Banmedica S.A., JPM Healthcare LLC, Johnston Surgicare L.P., Joliet Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Jordan Ridge Family Medicine LLC, Joyable Inc., Kansal Inc. A Professional Corporation, Knox Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, Kokomo Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, LDI Holding Company LLC, LDI Management Services LLC, LGH-A/Golf ASTC L.L.C., LHC Group, La Esperanza del Peru S.A., Laboratorio ROE S.A., Laboratorios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., Landmark Group Holdings LLC, Landmark Health Holdings LLC, Landmark Health LLC, Landmark Health NY IPA LLC, Landmark Health NY PO LLC, Landmark Health Technologies Private Limited, Landmark Health of California LLC, Landmark Health of Massachusetts LLC, Landmark Health of North Carolina LLC, Landmark Health of Oregon LLC, Landmark Health of Pennsylvania LLC, Landmark Health of Washington LLC, Landmark India LLC, Landmark Intermediate Holdings LLC, Landmark MSO LLC, Landmark Medical of Idaho PC, Landmark Medical of Massachusetts PLLC, Landmark Medical of Tennessee PC, Landmark Primary Care LLC, Laser Acquisition Holdings III LLC, Leehar Distributors LLC, Lemhi Ventures Fund I LP, Lemhi Ventures Fund II LP, Level2 Medical Services P.C. Alaska, Lexington Surgery Center Ltd., Liberty Anesthesia Services LLC, LifePrint Health Inc., LifeWell. Ltd. Co., Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization LLC, Limestone Medical Center LLC, Litomedica S.A., Logan Surgical Suites LLC, Lotten-Eyes Oftalmologia Clinica e Cirurgica Ltda., Louisville S.C. Ltd., Louisville-SC Properties Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook L.P., Lusiadas - Parcerias Cascais S.A., Lusiadas A.C.E., Lusiadas Algarve S.A., Lusiadas S.A., Lusiadas SGPS S.A., Lutheran Campus ASC LLC, MAMSI Life and Health Insurance Company, MCNA Health Care Holdings LLC, MCNA Insurance Company, MCNA Systems Corp., MD Ops Inc., MD-Individual Practice Association Inc., ME AHS UC LLC, MGH/SCA LLC, MHC Real Estate Holdings LLC, MIAMI SURGERY CENTER LLC, MSLA Management LLC, Main Line Spine Surgery Center LLC, Managed Care of North America Inc., Managed Physical Network Inc., Mansfield Endoscopy Center LLC, March Holdings Inc., March Vision Care IPA Inc., March Vision Care Inc., March Vision Care of Texas Inc., Marin Health Ventures LLC, Marin Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Marin Surgery Holdings Inc., Marlin Holding Company LLC, Maryland Ambulatory Centers LLC, Maryland-SCA Centers LLC, Massachusetts Assurance Company Ltd. PIC, Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center LLC, McKenzie Surgery Center L.P., MedExpress Primary Care West Virginia Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care Alabama LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Inc. - Ohio, MedExpress Urgent Care Maine Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care New Hampshire Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach LLC, MedSynergies, MedSynergies LLC, Medical Clinic of North Texas PLLC, Medical Hilfe S.A., Medical Support Los Angeles Inc., Medical Surgical Centers of America Inc., Medical Transportation Services LLC, Melbourne Surgery Center LLC, Memorial City Holdings LLC, Memorial City Partners LLC, Memorial Houston Surgery Center LLC, MemorialCare Surgical Center at Orange Coast LLC, MemorialCare Surgical Center at Saddleback LLC, Mesquite Liberty LLC, Metro I Stone Management Ltd., Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee, Midlands Orthopaedics Surgery Center LLC, Midwest Center for Day Surgery LLC, Mile High SurgiCenter LLC, Mississippi Medical Plaza L.C., Mobile Medical Services of New Jersey PC, Mobile-SC LTD., Modality Accountable Care Organisation Limited, Moen M.D. P.C., Mohawk Surgery Center LLC, Monarch Management Services Inc., Montgomery Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Monument Health LLC, Moore Orthopaedic Clinic Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Morris County Surgical Center LLC, Mt. Pleasant Surgery Center L.P., Multiangio Ltda., Murrells Inlet ASC LLC, Muskogee Surgical Investors LLC, Mustang Razorback Holdings Inc., My Wellness Solutions LLC, NAMM Holdings Inc., NPN IPA Washington PLLC, NSC Channel Islands LLC, NSC Greensboro LLC, NSC Greensboro West LLC, NSC Lancaster LLC, NSC Seattle Inc., NSC Upland LLC, Naperville Surgical Centre LLC, National Foundation Life Insurance Company, National Pacific Dental Inc., National Surgery Centers LLC, Navigator Health Inc., Nebraska Spine Hospital LLC, Neighborhood Health Partnership Inc., Netwerkes LLC, Nevada Pacific Dental, New Orleans Regional Physician Hospital Organization L.L.C., New West Physicians Inc., New York Proton Management LLC, Newton Holdings LLC, Niagara Hospitalist P.C., Nomad Buyer Inc., North American Medical Management California Inc., North Coast Surgery Center Ltd. a California Limited Partnership, North Dallas Surgical Center LLC, North Kitsap Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, North Puget Sound Oncology Equipment Leasing Company LLC, Northern Nevada Health Network Inc., Northern Rockies Surgery Center L.P., Northern Rockies Surgicenter Inc., Northern Utah Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Hills JV Partners LLC, Northwest Medical Group Alliance LLC, Northwest Spine and Laser Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Surgicare LLC, Northwest Surgicare Ltd. an Illinois Limited Partnership, OC Cardiology Practice Partners LLC, OCC MSO LLC, OSB  Tecnologia e Servicos de Suporte Lda., Omesa SpA, OmniClaim LLC, Oncocare S.A.C., One World Surgery, Ophthalmology Surgery Center of Dallas LLC, Optimum Choice Inc., Optum Bank Inc., Optum Biometrics Inc., Optum Care Inc., Optum Care Networks Inc., Optum Care Services Company, Optum Care of New York Management Inc., Optum Clinics Holdings Inc., Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings Inc., Optum Compounding Services LLC, Optum Digital Health Holdings LLC, Optum Direct To Consumer Inc., Optum Financial Inc., Optum Frontier Therapies Holdings LLC, Optum Frontier Therapies II LLC, Optum Frontier Therapies LLC, Optum Genomics Inc., Optum Global Solutions Colombia S.A.S., Optum Global Solutions India Private Limited, Optum Global Solutions International B.V., Optum Global Solutions Philippines Inc., Optum Government Solutions Inc., Optum Growth Partners Holdings Inc., Optum Growth Partners LLC, Optum Health & Technology Holdings US Inc., Optum Health & Technology Hong Kong Limited, Optum Health & Technology India Private Limited, Optum Health & Technology Servicos do Brasil Ltda., Optum Health & Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd., Optum Health & Technology US LLC, Optum Health Plan of California, Optum Health Services Canada Ltd., Optum Health Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Optum Health Solutions UK Limited, Optum Health and Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services LLC, Optum Inc., Optum Infusion Services 100 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 101 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 103 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 200 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 201 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 202 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 203 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 204 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 205 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 206 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 207 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 208 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 209 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 301 LP, Optum Infusion Services 302 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 305 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 308 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 401 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 402 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 403 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 404 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 500 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 501 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 550 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 551 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 553 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 554 Inc., Optum Insurance of Ohio Inc., Optum Labs Inc., Optum Labs LLC, Optum Life Sciences Canada Inc., Optum Management Consulting Shanghai Co. Ltd., Optum Networks of New Jersey Inc., Optum Operations Ireland Unlimited Company, Optum Oregon MSO LLC, Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Pennsylvania Inc., Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Texas Inc., Optum Perks LLC, Optum Pharma Services Holdings Inc., Optum Pharmacy 601 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 700 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 701 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 702 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 704 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 705 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 706 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 707 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 800 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 803 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 805 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 806 Inc., Optum Public Sector Solutions Inc., Optum Rocket LLC, Optum SCA CS JV Holdings LLC, Optum Senior Services LLC, Optum Services Inc., Optum Services Ireland Limited, Optum Services Puerto Rico LLC, Optum Solutions UK Holdings Limited, Optum Technology LLC, Optum UK Solutions Group Limited, Optum Venture Global Partners II LP, Optum Venture Global Partners LP, Optum Venture Partners II LP, Optum Venture Partners III LP, Optum Venture Partners LP, Optum Washington Network LLC, Optum Women's and Children's Health LLC, Optum of New York Inc., Optum360 LLC, Optum360 Services Inc., Optum360 Solutions LLC, OptumCare ACO New Mexico LLC, OptumCare ACO West LLC, OptumCare Clinical Trials LLC, OptumCare Colorado ASC LLC, OptumCare Colorado LLC, OptumCare Colorado Springs LLC, OptumCare Endoscopy Center New Mexico LLC, OptumCare Florida CI LLC, OptumCare Florida LLC, OptumCare Holdings Colorado LLC, OptumCare Holdings LLC, OptumCare Management LLC, OptumCare New Mexico LLC, OptumCare New York IPA Inc., OptumCare Portland LLC, OptumCare South Florida LLC, OptumCare Specialty Practices LLC, OptumHealth Care Solutions LLC, OptumHealth Holdings LLC, OptumHealth International B.V., OptumInsight Holdings LLC, OptumInsight Inc., OptumInsight India Private Limited, OptumInsight Life Sciences Inc., OptumRx Administrative Services LLC, OptumRx Discount Card Services LLC, OptumRx Group Holdings Inc., OptumRx Health Solutions LLC, OptumRx Holdings I LLC, OptumRx Holdings LLC, OptumRx Home Delivery of Ohio LLC, OptumRx IPA III Inc., OptumRx Inc., OptumRx NY IPA Inc., OptumRx PBM of Illinois Inc., OptumRx PBM of Maryland LLC, OptumRx PBM of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumRx PBM of Wisconsin LLC, OptumRx PD of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumRx Pharmacy Inc., OptumRx Pharmacy of Nevada Inc., OptumRx of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumServe Technology Services Inc., Oregon Healthcare Resources LLC, Oregon Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Orlando Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., OrthoNet Holdings Inc., OrthoNet LLC, OrthoNet New York IPA Inc., OrthoNet West Inc., OrthoNet of the South Inc., OrthoWest MSO LLC, Orthology Inc., Orthopedic Center of Palm Beach County LLC, Orthopedic Surgery Center of Palm Beach County LLC, Orthopro Management LLC, Ovations Inc., Owensboro Ambulatory Surgical Facility Ltd., Oxford Benefit Management Inc., Oxford Health Insurance Inc., Oxford Health Plans CT Inc., Oxford Health Plans LLC, Oxford Health Plans NJ Inc., Oxford Health Plans NY Inc., P2P Link LLC, PCCCV Inc., PHC Subsidiary Holdings LLC, PHYSICIANS DAY SURGERY CENTER LLC, PMI Acquisition LLC, PMSI Holdings LLC, PMSI Settlement Solutions LLC, POMCO Inc., POMCO Network Inc., PPH Holdings LLC, PPH Management Company L.L.C., PPH-Columbia Inc., PPH-Gardendale Inc., PS Center LLC, PacifiCare Health Systems, PacifiCare Life Assurance Company, PacifiCare Life and Health Insurance Company, PacifiCare of Arizona Inc., PacifiCare of Colorado Inc., Pacific Cardiovascular Associates Medical Group Inc., Pacific Casualty Company Inc., Pacifico S.A. Entidad Prestadora de Salud, Panama City Surgery Center LLC, Park Hill Surgery Center LLC, Parkway Surgery Center LLC, Patient Care Associates L.L.C., PatientsLikeMe, Patrimonio Autonomo Nueva Clinica, Payment Resolution Services LLC, Peninsula Eye Surgery Center LLC, Penzo Enterprises LLC, Peoples Health, Peoples Health Inc., Perham Physical Therapy LTD, Perimeter Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Pharmaceutical Technologies LLC, Physician Alliance of the Rockies LLC, Physicians Health Choice of Texas LLC, Physicians Health Plan of Maryland Inc., Physicians' Surgery Center of Downey LLC, Pinnacle III LLC, Plano de Saude Ana Costa Ltda., Plus One Health Management Puerto Rico Inc., Plus One Holdings Inc., Pocono Ambulatory Surgery Center Limited, Polar II Fundo de Investimento em Participacoes Multiestrategia, Polo Holdco LLC, Pomerado Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Pomerado Outpatient Surgical Center L.P., Post-Acute Care Center for Research LLC, Practice Partners in Healthcare LLC, Preferred Care Network Inc., Preferred Care Network of Florida Inc., Preferred Care Partners Holding Corp., Preferred Care Partners Inc., Preferred Care Partners Medical Group Inc., PreferredOne, PreferredOne Administrative Services Inc., PreferredOne Insurance Company, Premier Choice ACO Inc., Premier Surgery Center of Louisville L.P., Premiere Medical Resources LLC, Presidio Surgery Center LLC, Prime Health Inc., PrimeCare Medical Network Inc., PrimeCare of Citrus Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Corona Inc., PrimeCare of Hemet Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Inland Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Moreno Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Redlands Inc., PrimeCare of Riverside Inc., PrimeCare of San Bernardino Inc., PrimeCare of Sun City Inc., PrimeCare of Temecula Inc., PrimeDoc St. Francis P.C., PrimeDoc of Richmond P.C., ProHEALTH Care Associates L.L.P., ProHEALTH Care Associates of New Jersey LLP, ProHEALTH Medical Management LLC, ProHealth Physicians ACO LLC, ProHealth Physicians Inc., ProHealth Proton Center Management LLC, ProHealth/CareMount Dental Management LLC, Procura Management Inc., Professional Coverage Services PLLC, Progressive Enterprises Holdings Inc., Progressive Medical LLC, Promotora Country S.A., Pronounced Health Solutions Inc., Prosemedic S.A.C., Prospero Benefits Management LLC, Prospero Care Management LLC, Prospero Management Services LLC, Providence & SCA Development LLC, Providence & SCA Off-Campus Holdings LLC, Providence & SCA On-Campus Holdings LLC, Providence & SCA Outreach Markets Holdings LLC, Pulse Platform LLC, QoL Acquisition Holdings Corp., R Cubed Inc., RABessler M.D. P.C., ROC Surgery LLC, ROCS Holdings LLC, RX Ricardo Campos Ltda., Rally Health Inc., ReMedics LLC, Real Appeal Inc., Redding Surgery Center LLC, Redlands Ambulatory Surgery Center, Redlands-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., Reliant MSO LLC, Reliant Medical Group Inc., Reliant Medical Group The Endoscopy Center LLC, Research Surgical Center LLC, Resonancia Magnetica de Colombia Ltda., Resonancia Magnetica del Country S.A., RightCare Solutions Inc., River Valley ASC LLC, Riverside Corporate Wellness LLC, Riverside Electronic Healthcare Resources Inc., Riverside Medical Management LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Meadowlands LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Newark LLC, Robert A. Bessler MD PLLC, Rockville Eye Surgery Center LLC, Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization Incorporated, Rush Oak Brook Surgery Center LLC, SC Affiliates LLC, SCA AHN JV Holdings LLC, SCA Alaska Surgery Center inc., SCA Athens LLC, SCA Austin Holdings LLC, SCA Austin Medical Center Holdings LLC, SCA Aventura Holdings LLC, SCA BOSC Holdings LLC, SCA Bloomfield Holdings LLC, SCA Cedar Park Holdings LLC, SCA Clifton LLC, SCA Colorado Springs Holdings LLC, SCA Community Service Foundation, SCA Cottonwood Holdings LLC, SCA Danbury Surgical Center LLC, SCA Denver Holdings LLC, SCA Development LLC, SCA Duluth Holdings LLC, SCA Duncanville Holdings LLC, SCA Duncanville MSO LLC, SCA ESSC Holdings LLC, SCA Englewood Holdings LLC, SCA Global One Holdings LLC, SCA Greenway Holdings LLC, SCA Grove Creek Holdings LLC, SCA Guilford Holdings LLC, SCA Hays Holdings LLC, SCA Health Value Enterprise LLC, SCA Heartland Holdings LLC, SCA High Point Holdings LLC, SCA HoldCo Inc., SCA Holding Company Inc., SCA Holdings Inc., SCA IEC Holdings LLC, SCA Indiana Holdings LLC, SCA Lutheran Holdings LLC, SCA Maple Grove Holdings LLC, SCA Mohawk Holdings LLC, SCA Murrells Inlet LLC, SCA Northern Utah Holdings LLC, SCA Northwest Holdings LLC, SCA Outside New Jersey LLC, SCA Pacific Holdings Inc., SCA Pacific Surgery Holdings LLC, SCA Palisades Holdings LLC, SCA Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, SCA Pinnacle Holdings LLC, SCA Premier Surgery Center of Louisville LLC, SCA Providence Holdings LLC, SCA ROCS Holdings LLC, SCA Rockledge JV LLC, SCA Rush Oak Brook Holdings LLC, SCA SSSC Holdings LLC, SCA Sage Medical LLC, SCA Sage Medical MSO LLC, SCA San Diego Holdings LLC, SCA Skyway Holdings LLC, SCA South Ogden Holdings LLC, SCA Southwestern PA LLC, SCA Specialists of Florida LLC, SCA Specialty Holdings of Connecticut LLC, SCA Stonegate Holdings LLC, SCA Surgery Holdings LLC, SCA Surgicare of Laguna Hills LLC, SCA Teammate Support Network, SCA West Health Holdings LLC, SCA Westgreen Holdings LLC, SCA Woodbury Holdings LLC, SCA eCode Solutions Private Limited, SCA of Clarksville Inc., SCA-Albuquerque Surgery Properties Inc., SCA-Alliance LLC, SCA-Anne Arundel LLC, SCA-Applecare Partners LLC, SCA-Bethesda LLC, SCA-Blue Ridge LLC, SCA-Bonita Springs LLC, SCA-Brandon LLC, SCA-Castle Rock LLC, SCA-Central Florida LLC, SCA-Charleston LLC, SCA-Chatham LLC, SCA-Chevy Chase LLC, SCA-Citrus Inc., SCA-Colonial Partners LLC, SCA-Colorado Springs LLC, SCA-Connecticut Partners LLC, SCA-DRY CREEK LLC, SCA-Davenport LLC, SCA-Denver LLC, SCA-Denver Physicians Holdings LLC, SCA-Derry LLC, SCA-Doral LLC, SCA-Downey LLC, SCA-Dublin LLC, SCA-Encinitas Inc., SCA-Eugene Inc., SCA-First Coast LLC, SCA-Florence LLC, SCA-Fort Collins Inc., SCA-Fort Walton Inc., SCA-Franklin LLC, SCA-Frederick LLC, SCA-Freeway Holdings LLC, SCA-Ft. Myers LLC, SCA-GRANTS PASS LLC, SCA-Gainesville LLC, SCA-Gladiolus LLC, SCA-Glenwood Holdings LLC, SCA-Grove Place LLC, SCA-Hagerstown LLC, SCA-Hamden LLC, SCA-Hilton Head LLC, SCA-Honolulu LLC, SCA-Houston Executive LLC, SCA-IT Holdings LLC, SCA-Illinois LLC, SCA-JPM Holdings LLC, SCA-Kissing Camels Holdings LLC, SCA-MC VBP Inc., SCA-Main Street LLC, SCA-Marina del Rey LLC, SCA-Mecklenburg Development Corp., SCA-Memorial City LLC, SCA-Memorial LLC, SCA-Merritt LLC, SCA-Midlands LLC, SCA-Midway Management LLC, SCA-Mobile LLC, SCA-Mokena LLC, SCA-Morris Avenue LLC, SCA-Morris County LLC, SCA-Mt. Pleasant LLC, SCA-Naperville LLC, SCA-Naples LLC, SCA-New Jersey LLC, SCA-Newport Beach LLC, SCA-Northeast Georgia Health LLC, SCA-PORTLAND LLC, SCA-Palm Beach LLC, SCA-Palm Beach MSO Holdings LLC, SCA-Panama City Holdings LLC, SCA-Paoli LLC, SCA-Phoenix LLC, SCA-Pocono LLC, SCA-Practice Partners Holdings LLC, SCA-River Valley LLC, SCA-Riverside LLC, SCA-Riverside Partners LLC, SCA-Rockville LLC, SCA-Sacred Heart Holdings LLC, SCA-San Diego Inc., SCA-San Luis Obispo LLC, SCA-Sand Lake LLC, SCA-Santa Rosa Inc., SCA-Somerset LLC, SCA-South Jersey LLC, SCA-Sparta LLC, SCA-Spartanburg Holdings LLC, SCA-St. Louis Holdings LLC, SCA-St. Louis LLC, SCA-St. Lucie LLC, SCA-SurgiCare LLC, SCA-Swiftpath LLC, SCA-VERTA LLC, SCA-VLR Holdings Company LLC, SCA-Wake Forest LLC, SCA-Western Connecticut LLC, SCA-Westover Hills LLC, SCA-Winchester LLC, SCA-Winter Park Inc., SCA-Woodlands Holdings LLC, SCAI Holdings LLC, SCLHS-SCA Holdings LLC, SCP Specialty Infusion LLC, SHC Atlanta LLC, SHC Austin Inc., SHC Hawthorn Inc., SHC Melbourne Inc., SJ East Campus ASC LLC, SRPS LLC, SSSC Holdings LLC, SVHS-SCA Florida JV LLC, Sacred Heart ASC LLC, Saden S.A., Sage Medical Prof. LLC, Salem JV Holdings LLC, Salem Surgery Center LLC, Salveo Specialty Pharmacy Inc., San Diego Endoscopy Center, San Diego Sports and Minimally Invasive Surgery Center LLC, San Francisco Endoscopy Center LLC, San Luis Obispo Surgery Center a California Limited Partnership, Sand Lake SurgiCenter LLC, Santa Barbara Endoscopy Center LLC, Santa Cruz Endoscopy Center LLC, Santa Helena Assistencia Medica S.A., Santa Rosa Surgery Center L.P., Santos Administracao e Participacoes S.A., Sanvello Health Holdings LLC, Sanvello Health Inc., Sanvello Health Limited, Scanner Centromed S.A., Seashore Surgical Institute L.L.C., Seisa Servicos Integrados de Saude Ltda., Senate Street Surgery Center LLC, Senior Benefits L.L.C., Serquinox Holdings LLC, Servicios Integrados de Salud Ltda., Servicios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., Servicios Medicos Bio Bio Ltda., Servicios Medicos Ciudad del Mar Ltda., Servicios Medicos Santa Maria Ltda., Servicios Medicos Vespucio Ltda., Servicios de Entrenamiento en Competencias Clinicas Ltda., Serviclinica Inmobiliaria S.A., Serviclinica S.A. Ex Los Leones La Calera, Servisalud Inmobiliaria S.A., Servisalud S.A. Ex Los Carrera Quilpue, Shark Holdings P.C., Sierra Dental Plan Inc., Sierra Health Services Inc, Sierra Health Services Inc., Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company Inc., Sierra Health-Care Options Inc., Sierra Home Medical Products Inc., Sierra Nevada Administrators Inc., Sistema de Administracion Hospitalaria S.A.C., Small Business Insurance Advisors Inc., Sobam  Centro Medico Hospitalar S.A., Sociedad de Inversiones Santa Maria SpA, Solstice Administration Services Inc., Solstice Administrators Inc., Solstice Administrators of Alabama Inc., Solstice Administrators of Arizona Inc., Solstice Administrators of Missouri Inc., Solstice Administrators of North Carolina Inc., Solstice Administrators of Texas Inc., Solstice Benefit Services Inc., Solstice Benefits Inc., Solstice Health Insurance Company, Solstice Healthplans Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Arizona Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Colorado Inc., Solstice Healthplans of New Jersey Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Ohio Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Tennessee Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Texas Inc., Solstice of Illinois Inc., Solstice of Minnesota Inc., Solstice of New York Inc., Solutran LLC, Somerset Outpatient Surgery L.L.C., Sound Inpatient Physicians Inc., Sound Inpatient Physicians Medical Group Inc., Sound Inpatient Physicians of Ohio LLC, Sound Inpatient Physicians of Texas I Inc., Sound Inpatient Physicians  Michigan PLLC, Sound Intensivists of Nevada RBessler M.D. PLLC, Sound Kenwood Hospitalists of Cincinnati Inc., Sound Kenwood Hospitalists of Cincinnati LLC, Sound Physicians Advisory Services Inc., Sound Physicians Alaska Hospitalist Group LLC, Sound Physicians Anesthesiology of Texas PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Arizona Inc., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Georgia P.C., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Illinois LLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Kansas LLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Kentucky PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Louisiana Inc., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Michigan PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Nevada Bessler PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of South Carolina LLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Southern California P.C., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Texas PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Washington PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of West Virginia PLLC, Sound Physicians Holdings LLC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of Arizona Inc., Sound Physicians Intensivists of Georgia PC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of South Carolina LLC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of Virginia LLC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of Washington PLLC, Sound Physicians Palliative Care of Maryland P.C., Sound Physicians Telemedicine Inc., Sound Physicians of Florida IV LLC, Sound Physicians of Georgia III P.C., Sound Physicians of Hawaii Inc., Sound Physicians of Idaho PLLC, Sound Physicians of Illinois LLC, Sound Physicians of Indiana LLC, Sound Physicians of Iowa PLLC, Sound Physicians of Kankakee Illinois LLC, Sound Physicians of Massachusetts II P.C., Sound Physicians of Massachusetts Inc., Sound Physicians of New Jersey LLC, Sound Physicians of New York PLLC, Sound Physicians of North Carolina PLLC, Sound Physicians of South Carolina LLC, Sound Physicians of Wyoming LLC, South Arlington Surgical Providers LLC, South County Surgical Center LLC, South Sound Inpatient Physicians PLLC, Southern California Medical Practice Concepts LLC, Southland Hospitalists P.C., Southwest Medical Associates Inc., Southwest Michigan Health Network Inc., Southwest Surgery Center LLC, Southwest Surgical Center LLC, Space Coast Surgical Center Ltd., Spartanburg Surgery Center LLC, Specialists in Urology Surgery Center LLC, Specialized Pharmaceuticals Inc., Specialty Benefits LLC, Specialty Billing Solutions LLC, Specialty Surgical Center LLC, Spectera Inc., Spectera of New York IPA Inc., Sports and Spinal Physical Therapy Inc., St. Cloud Outpatient Surgery Ltd. a Minnesota Limited Partnership, St. Cloud Surgical Center LLC, St. Louis Cardiovascular Institute LLC, St. Louis Specialty Surgical Center LLC, Stonegate JV Partners LLC, Stonegate Surgery Center L.P., Summer Street ASC LLC, SunSurgery LLC, Surgery Center Holding LLC, Surgery Center at Cherry Creek LLC, Surgery Center at Cottonwood LLC, Surgery Center at Grove Creek LLC, Surgery Center at Kissing Camels LLC, Surgery Center at South Ogden LLC, Surgery Center at St. Vincent LLC, Surgery Center of Boca Raton Inc., Surgery Center of Colorado Springs LLC, Surgery Center of Des Moines LLC, Surgery Center of Easton LLC, Surgery Center of Ellicott City Inc., Surgery Center of Fairfield County LLC, Surgery Center of Fort Collins LLC, Surgery Center of Lexington LLC, Surgery Center of Louisville LLC, Surgery Center of Maui LLC, Surgery Center of Mt. Scott LLC, Surgery Center of Muskogee LLC, Surgery Center of Rockville L.L.C., Surgery Center of Southern Pines LLC, Surgery Center of The Woodlands LLC, Surgery Centers of Des Moines Ltd. an Iowa Limited Partnership, Surgery Centers-West Holdings LLC, Surgical Care Affiliates, Surgical Care Affiliates LLC, Surgical Care Affiliates Political Action Committee, Surgical Care Partners of Melbourne LLC, Surgical Caregivers of Fort Worth LLC, Surgical Center of Greensboro LLC, Surgical Center of San Diego LLC, Surgical Center of South Jersey Limited Partnership, Surgical Center of Tuscaloosa Holdings LLC, Surgical Eye Experts LLC, Surgical Health LLC, Surgical Health of Orlando LLC, Surgical Hospital Holdings of Oklahoma LLC, Surgical Management Solutions LLC, Surgicare LLC, Surgicare of Central Jersey LLC, Surgicare of Jackson LLC, Surgicare of Jackson Ltd. a Mississippi Limited Partnership, Surgicare of Joliet Inc., Surgicare of La Veta Inc., Surgicare of La Veta Ltd. a California Limited Partnership, Surgicare of Minneapolis LLC, Surgicare of Minneapolis Ltd. a Minnesota Limited Partnership, Surgicare of Mobile LLC, Surgicare of Mobile Ltd., Surgicare of Oceanside Inc., Surgicare of Owensboro LLC, Surgicare of Salem LLC, Surgicenters of Southern California Inc., Symphonix Health Holdings LLC, T.M. Carr M.D. P.C., THE SURGICAL CENTER OF THE TREASURE COAST L.L.C., THR-SCA Holdings LLC, TeamMD Holdings Inc., TeamMD Iowa Inc., TeamMD Physicians of Texas Inc., TeamUP Insurance Services Inc., Tecnologia de Informacion en Salud S.A., Texas Health Craig Ranch Surgery Center LLC, Texas Health Flower Mound Orthopedic Surgery Center LLC, Texas Health Orthopedic Surgery Center Alliance LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Alliance LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Bedford LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Chisholm Trail LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Irving LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Las Colinas LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Preston Plaza LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Rockwall LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Southwest Fort Worth LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Waxahachie LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Willow Park LLC, The Advisory Board Company, The Alaska Hospitalist Group LLC, The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company, The Eye Surgery Center of the Carolinas L.P., The Intensivist Group of Langhorne LLC, The Lewin Group Inc., The Outpatient Surgery Center of Hilton Head LLC, The Polyclinic MSO LLC, The Surgery Center of Easton L.P., The Surgical Center of Connecticut LLC, Thomas Johnson Surgery Center LLC, Three Rivers Holdings Inc., Three Rivers Surgical Care L.P., Tmesys LLC, Topimagem Diagnostico por Imagem Ltda., Touchpoint Health Plan, Trails Edge Surgery Center LLC, Trauma Surgery Affiliates LLC, Travel Express Incorporated, Treasure Valley Emerald Properties LLC, Treasure Valley Hospital Limited Partnership, Tri-City Medical Center ASC Operators LLC, Tri-County Surgery Center LLC, Trinity Cardiovascular Care PLLC, Tufts Health Freedom Insurance Company, Tufts Health Freedom Plans Inc., Tuscaloosa Surgical Center L.P., U.S. Behavioral Health Plan California, UCSD Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, UCSD Center for Surgery of Encinitas L.P., UCSD Surgical Center of San Diego LLC, UCSD-SCA Holdings I LLC, UCSD-SCA Holdings II LLC, UHC Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, UHC International Services Inc., UHC of California, UHCG Holdings Ireland Limited, UHCG Services Ireland Limited, UHCG  FZE, UHG Brasil Participacoes S.A., UHG Holdings UK IV Limited, UHG Holdings UK V Limited, UHG Holdings UK VI Limited, UHIC Holdings Inc., UMR Inc., UPHT-SCA Holdings LLC, USHEALTH Academy Inc., USHEALTH Administrators LLC, USHEALTH Advisors LLC, USHEALTH Career Agency Inc., USHEALTH Funding Inc., USHEALTH Group Inc., USMD ASC IV1 LLC, USMD ASC IV2 LLC, USMD Administrative Services L.L.C., USMD Affiliated Services, USMD Holdings Inc., USMD Hospital at Arlington L.P., USMD Hospital at Fort Worth L.P., USMD Inc., USMD PPM LLC, Unidad Medica Diagnostico S.A., Unimerica Insurance Company, Unimerica Life Insurance Company of New York, Unison Health Plan of Delaware Inc., United Behavioral Health, United Behavioral Health of New York I.P.A. Inc., United Group Reinsurance Inc., United Health Foundation, United HealthCare Services Inc., United Medical Park ASC LLC, United Resource Networks IPA of New York Inc., United in Advancing Health Equity Foundation, UnitedHealth Advisors LLC, UnitedHealth Group Employee Assistance Fund, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, UnitedHealth Group International Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, UnitedHealth International Inc., UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services LLC, UnitedHealthcare Benefits Plan of California, UnitedHealthcare Benefits of Texas Inc., UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of California Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Georgia Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas L.L.C., UnitedHealthcare Consulting & Assistance Service Beijing Co. Ltd., UnitedHealthcare Europe S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare Global Medical UK Limited, UnitedHealthcare Inc., UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of America, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of the River Valley, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Designated Activity Company, UnitedHealthcare Integrated Services Inc., UnitedHealthcare International Asia LLC, UnitedHealthcare International I B.V., UnitedHealthcare International II S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International III B.V., UnitedHealthcare International III S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International IV S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VII S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VIII S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International X S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company, UnitedHealthcare Parekh Insurance TPA Private Limited, UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley Inc., UnitedHealthcare Service LLC, UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits LLC, UnitedHealthcare of Alabama Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Arizona Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Arkansas Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Colorado Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Florida Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Georgia Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Illinois Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Kentucky Ltd., UnitedHealthcare of Louisiana Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New Mexico Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New York Inc., UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Ohio Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Oklahoma Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Oregon Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., UnitedHealthcare of South Carolina Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Texas Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Utah Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Washington Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Midlands Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Midwest Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Rockies Inc., Unity Health Network LLC, Upland Holdings LLC, Upland Outpatient Surgical Center L.P., Urgent Care Holdings Inc., Urgent Care MSO LLC, Urology Associates of North Texas P.L.L.C., VERTA MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC, VPay Benefits Corporation, VPay Inc., VPay Intermediate Holdings LLC, Valley Hospital L.L.C., Valley Physicians Network Inc., Vascular Labs of the Rockies ASC LLC, Vascular Labs of the Rockies PLLC, Via Vitae MSO LLC, Vida Integra S.p.A., Vida Tres S.A., Virtua-SCA Holdings II LLC, Virtua-SCA Holdings LLC, Vivify Health Canada Inc., Vivify Health Inc., WESTMED Practice Partners LLC, Wake Forest Ambulatory Ventures LLC, Walnut Creek Endoscopy Center LLC, Walnut Hill Surgery Center LLC, Wauwatosa Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Wauwatosa Surgery Center LLC, Wayland Square Surgicare Acquisition L.P., Wayland Square Surgicare GP Inc., Waypoint Minnesota PC, WellMed Medical Management Inc., WellMed Medical Management of Florida Inc., West Coast Endoscopy Holdings LLC, WestHealth JV Holdings LLC, WestHealth Surgery Center LLC, Western Connecticut Orthopedic Surgical Center LLC, Westgreen Surgical Center LLC, Wilson Creek Surgical Center LLC, Winchester Endoscopy LLC, Winter Park LLC, Winter Park Surgery Center L.P., Woodbury Surgery Center LLC, XAS Infusion Suites Inc., XLHealth Corporation, XLHealth Corporation India Private Limited, divvyDOSE, divvyMED LLC, eCode Solutions LLC, gethealthinsurance.com Agency Inc., hCentive Inc., inPharmative Inc., naviHealth Care at Home LLC, naviHealth Coordinated Care LLC, naviHealth Coordinated Care SC P.C., naviHealth Holdings LLC, naviHealth Inc., naviHealth Michigan HBPC P.C., and naviHealth SM Holdings Inc..

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FILER  Mayor Rick Dunn has reassigned the city police chiefs duties to Sgt. John Darnall in the wake of the City Councils firing of former Chief Tim Reeves.

Sgt. John Darnall took over the duties Wednesday, Dunn said in an email forwarded Thursday by Darnall to Jackie Frey, Twin Falls County emergency management coordinator, who forwarded it to the Times-News. The firing of the chief followed an executive session at the end of Tuesdays City Council meeting.

In addition, Dunn told another officer Thursday morning that his position on the police force is on the chopping block.

Jay Wiggins position  as the last officer hired  will be eliminated at the end of the fiscal year, Dunn confirmed Thursday. After Sept. 30, Wiggins will no longer have a job with the city.

Rumors are flying in town as residents try to make sense of the citys actions. Dunn is declining to say much, saying he cant because the issues involve city personnel.

The whole idea that you cant comment makes people go crazy, the mayor said.

But Dunn was quick to dispel one rumor  that he has a personal vendetta against the former chief.

Ive heard that for a long time, he said, denying the accusation. Dunn said his record of approving Reeves previous budget requests shows he has nothing against Reeves personally.

The city is in the budgeting process now, he said. Dunn asked every city department early this year to cut its budget by 10 percent and Reeves didnt comply. Dunn didnt say that was the reason for Reeves firing, but he offered the explanation to show the whole city is taking a cut.

But some in town arent buying Dunns side of the story. Dunn has instructed city employees not to talk to the press  another reason townsfolk are suspicious about the citys intentions. A petition to recall the mayor  and all but one city councilman  is circulating.

I dont think the budget is in that bad of shape, said Councilman Russell Bud Sheridan, a former Filer mayor who has 28 years in city government under his belt. I dont think it was the right time to fire the chief.

Sheridan, who issued the only no vote to the mayors proposal to fire Reeves, said he is going over the budget now to decide whether shrinking the police force is the wisest way to save the city money.

In June, Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter presented a proposal to the City Council outlining some of the citys costs if the sheriffs office were to take over law enforcement for the city.

Meanwhile, petitioners are gearing up to fight the budget cuts, saying the mayor has ulterior motives. If the police force drops below five employees, the city is exempt from paying officers overtime, said Tara Wiggins, wife of Jay Wiggins, quoting the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Filer citizens do not have transparency (from the city), she told the Times-News Wednesday. (Citizens) absolutely are being kept in the dark, and they do not have a voice.

Tara Wiggins is the Republican central committee chairwoman for Filer District 1. She and Natalie White are behind the recall effort. Neither live in Filer, but both have children in the Filer school system.

For the first time in Filers history we have a community that has no faith in our leadership, said resident Amanda Bohr, who is also involved in the recall effort.

Dunn said he doesnt intend to run in November for a second term.

I ran on the promise of one term, he said.
UBS Group AG provides financial advice and solutions to private, institutional, and corporate clients worldwide. It operates through four divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, and Investment Bank. The Global Wealth Management division offers investment advice and solutions, and lending solutions to ultra high net worth and high net worth clients. This segment also provides estate and wealth planning, investing, philanthropy, corporate and banking, and family advisory services, as well as mortgage, securities-based, and structured lending solutions. The Personal & Corporate Banking division provides personal banking products and services, such as deposits, cards, and online and mobile banking, as well as lending, investments, and retirement services; and corporate and institutional solutions, including equity and debt capital markets, syndicated and structured credit, private placements, leasing, traditional financing, trade and export finance, and global custody solutions, as well as transaction banking solutions for payment and cash management. The Asset Management division offers equities, fixed income, hedge funds, real estate and private markets, indexed and alternative beta strategies, asset allocation and currency investment strategies, customized multi-asset solutions, advisory and fiduciary services, and multi-manager hedge fund solutions and advisory services. The Investment Bank division advises clients on strategic business opportunities and helps them raise capital to fund their activities; enables its clients to buy, sell, and finance securities on capital markets and to manage their risks and liquidity; and offers clients differentiated content on major financial markets and securities. The company was formerly known as UBS AG and changed its name to UBS Group AG in December 2014. UBS Group AG was founded in 1862 and is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
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.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 offers a smooth 120Hz display, improved cameras and 5G in a fairly compact design, but the battery life could be better.

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 .

The Samsung Galaxy S20 is the Android flagship for people who actually like smaller phones. Thanks to its 6.2-inch display, the S20 is easy to use with one hand, and yet this compact device packs quite a punch. However, the price is not small at $999.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Specs OS: Android 10

Screen size: 6.2 inches

Screen resolution: QHD+ (563 ppi)

Refresh rate: 120Hz

Processor: Snapdragon 865

RAM: 12GB

Storage: 128GB + microSD

Battery: 4,000 mAh

Battery life: 9 hours 31 mins

Rear cameras: 12MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 64MP telephoto

Video: Up to 8K resolution at 24 fps

Front cameras: 10MP

Size: 5.9 x 3 x 0.31 inches

Weight: 5.7 ounces

Just like its bigger and even pricier brothers, the Galaxy S20 gives you a fluid 120Hz display, powerful new camera system with improved zoom and 5G speeds. However, the battery life isn't the best.

If you want a bigger 6.7-inch screen, check out our Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review; it's our favorite of the three new Galaxy S20 phones. And if you want a more powerful 10x lossless zoom and monster 6.9-inch screen, check out our Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review.

Some may prefer the OnePlus 8 Pro, which offers a bigger display than the Galaxy S20 and longer battery life for $899. But as you'll see in our full Galaxy S20 review, we really this phone because of what Samsung packed into such a sleek package.

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy S20 had a release date of March 6, 2020. The Galaxy S20 cost $999 when it debuted; it comes with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage standard. You cant opt for a model with more RAM or storage but you can add up to 1TB of storage via the phones microSD card slot.

The Galaxy S20 remains available through all major carriers, including a model that supports Verizon's mmWave 5G network.

The S20 was a pretty expensive flagship, even at the time it launched, as you can see in this LG Velvet vs. Samsung Galaxy S20 face-off that illustrates how well some midrange phones compared to Samsung's then-flagship. Samsung seems to have gotten the message  the Galaxy S21 that came out this year costs $799, which is $200 less than the S20. (The S20's price has fallen since then.)

Anyone interested in snapping up one of Samsung's older flagships for the least expense possible should have a look at our best Galaxy S20 deals or Samsung promo codes before pulling the trigger.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy S20 doesnt look radically different from the Galaxy S10, but there are some welcome refinements. The cutout for the front camera is smaller this time around, and its placed in the top center of the display instead of on the right side, so its less of a distraction. In addition, the display has less of a curve to it, which I appreciate because theres less of a chance of accidental touches when youre just shifting the phone in your hands.

I feel like its not a huge deal at this stage, but its definitely notable that the Samsung Galaxy S20 does not include a headphone jack. This is the first Galaxy S flagship phone missing this feature, so youll probably want check out our best wireless earbuds and best wireless headphones recommendations. If you want to keep it in the brand family, check out the new Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, which promise 11 hours of battery life.

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy S20s color options are not exciting, but at least there's some variety. In the U.S you'll find three Galaxy S20 colors in Cosmic Gray, Cloud Blue and Cloud Pink. Im partial to the lighter Cloud Blue, just because it looks and feels new. I would have liked to see something more captivating, like the Aura Glow finish that we saw in our Samsung Galaxy Note 10 review .

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Cameras

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung had fallen behind Apple and Google in photo quality, but the Galaxy S20 looks to beat the competition with bigger sensors, a bigger zoom and new features that make it easier to shoot and share.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 has a triple rear camera that starts with a 12-MP wide sensor thats 1.8 microns. The telephoto lens uses a 64MP sensor thats 0.8 microns and the 12MP ultra-wide camera uses a 1.4-micron sensor.

Why am I rattling off all these numbers? Well, the larger the sensor, the more light it lets in, which should result in brighter and sharper images. By comparison, the Galaxy S10s wide-angle, telephoto and ultra-wide cameras were 1.4, 1 and 1 microns, respectively. So at least two of the lenses are significantly larger.

Indoors under normal lighting conditions, the Galaxy S20 captured a more delicious looking shot of these cookies. You can make out the nooks and crannies  and fudge in the dark chocolate cookies  although Samsung had some help from its AI Scene Optimizer mode that automatically recognizes food.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 doesnt have the Galaxy S20 Ultras monster 100x Space Zoom, but it does have a more powerful zoom than the Galaxy S10. The Hybrid Optic Zoom goes up to 3x, which is supposed to be lossless zoom, and the digital zoom goes up to 30x. As you get closer to 30x the camera view gets shaky, but overall this is an improvement on the 2x zoom in the Galaxy S10.

In our first zoom test of the Chrysler building from a few blocks away, the Galaxy S20, captured a darker but crisper image than the iPhone 11 Pro Max. There's a bit more noise in the iPhone's shot.

I noticed a more dramatic difference when we set the zoom on both phones to 10x, which is digital zoom. You can make out more detail in the building and the windows in the Galaxy S20's photo. With the iPhone 11 Pro Max, you can tell that it's a zoom photo, but with the Samsung phone you're just closer to the subject.

The Samsung Galaxy S20's cameras didn't shine in all situations. With this flower close-up I'd give the edge to the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which shows more gradations of color and delivers and overall brighter image. However, the S20's photo provides more detail in the center of the flower.

I also give the edge to the iPhone 11 Pro Max over the Samsung Galaxy S20 in this portrait. My face is brighter and pops more in the S20's pic, but the iPhone does a better job rendering the lines in my shirt and the texture in my jacket, details that get lost in the S20's photo.

If you look closely, the Galaxy S20 also has trouble with the light behind my head in Live Focus mode, as it seems to dig into the sides of my head.

So how about Night mode? The Galaxy S20 did a pretty good job capturing this scene in almost complete darkness. You can make out the gold USS Enterprise in the foreground more clearly than you can in the iPhone 11 Pro Max's photo. However, the overall image is brighter from the iPhone, as it's easier to see the desk, the pedestal for the space ship and objects in the background.

My favorite Samsung Galaxy S20 camera feature is Single Take. When you press the shutter button in this mode, the phone takes a series of photos while also recording 10 seconds of video. The phone then gives you a gallery of results, including an AI Best moment, and ultra-wide shot, a Live Focus (portrait mode) pic, as well as a fast forward video thats great for social and the original video.

Single Take on the Galaxy S20 (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Galaxy S20 is a beast on the video front, as it can record 8K video at up to 24 frames per second. Youll also be able to cast videos to Samsung 8K QLED TVs -- if you can afford one -- and take 33MP photos from 8K videos you might want to share.

I'll update this Galaxy S20 review with my impressions once we can access an 8K monitor, but I can say the footage looked very crisp on my MacBook Pro's Retina Display. I could easily make out the gradations in bark in the surrounding trees and even fine details in a man's blue hoodie 50 feet away.

The Samsung Galaxy S20s front camera uses a 10MP sensor thats 1.22 microns and a f/2.2 aperture. Thats the same resolution and size as the S10s front camera but that camera had a f/1.9 aperture.

(Image credit: Future)

A selfie I took with the front camera made my face look a little too smooth, an issue we also found with the Galaxy S20 Plus. At least the Galaxy S20 did a fine job capturing the dots in my shirt and my hair.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Display

(Image credit: Future)

While a fast processor helps, the refresh rate of the display can make a phone feel smoother in everyday operation, whether youre scrolling through webpages or playing games. The Samsung Galaxy S20s 6.2-inch OLED display has 120Hz refresh rate, which is double the 60Hz rate on the Galaxy S10 and higher than the 90Hz screen on the OnePlus 7T.

Another plus? The Samsung Galaxy S20 sports a new 240Hz touch sensor thats supposed to be more responsive. In our testing, the Galaxy S20's 120Hz mode did feel smoother when using Chrome and the Twitter app.

(Image credit: Future)

When using the phone during our hands-on time, the Galaxy S20 felt pretty fluid, and you can easily toggle between 60Hz and 120Hz in the display settings menu. The bad news is that selecting 120Hz dials the resolution down from quad HD to full HD.

The Galaxy S20 has one of the brightest and most colorful displays we've ever tested. The OLED display registered a very high 857 nits of average brightness, which is even brighter than the beaming 752-nit iPhone 11 Pro.

The S20's panel also hit an impressive 162.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, cimpared to just 83% for the iPhone 11 Pro. The only area where the iPhone edges out this Galaxy is with color accuracy; the S20 turned in a Delta-E score of 0.37 (where 0 is a perfect score), compared to 0.27 to the iPhone 11 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Performance

As the first phone with Qualcomms Snapdragon 865 processor, the Samsung Galaxy S20 should provide speed aplenty, especially since its paired with a robust 12GB of RAM. Samsung is giving you control over how you use this memory, too, as you can assign up to three apps to be stored directly in RAM. The result should be near-instant load times for resource-intensive apps and games.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with 128GB of storage and there isnt a 512GB model as there is with the Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Fortunately, you can add up to 1 TB of storage via the microSD card slot.

The Galaxy S20 performed very well in various benchmarks, including Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance. The S20 hit 3,147 on the multi-core portion of the test, which is the best score we've every seen on an Android phone. The iPhone 11 Pro's A13 Bionic processor scored an even higher 3,509, so Apple maintains its lead for now.

On the GFXBench graphics test (Aztec Ruins Vulkan test off-screen), the Galaxy S20 reached 1,319 frames (21 frames per second), which beats the OnePlus 7T (1,169). The iPhone 11 Pro notched a higher 2,174 frames or 33.8 fps.

To test the Galaxy S20's real-world performance, we transcoded a 4K video to 1080p after applying an effect and transition in Adobe Rush. The Galaxy S20 took 1 minute and 15 seconds, which is an improvement on the Galaxy Note 10's time of 1:34. The iPhone 11 Pro needed only 46 seconds.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S20 supports 5G networks, so you should be able to enjoy faster speeds for surfing the web and downloading content on the go. However, at launch, the S20 wasn't available on Verizons 5G network . That's because, unlike the larger S20 Plus and Ultra variants, the 6.2-inch S20 normally lacks millimeter-wave connectivity, and Verizon's 5G infrastructure is exclusively millimeter wave, for the time being.

(Image credit: Future)

Fortunately, Verizon and Samsung are finally addressing that oversight. On June 4, a special edition of the S20 will arrive on Big Red with millimeter-wave support intact, for the same $999 price. It will also run on Verizon's long-range, low-band network, when that goes live later in 2020.

In my initial Galaxy S20 speed tests over T-Mobile's network, I saw very good performance in some locations and poor performance in other spots. For example, in central New Jersey the Galaxy S20 hit downloads as high as 183 Mbps, but in New York City the phone notched as low as 5.2 Mbps with a 5G icon showing.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Battery life and charging

(Image credit: Future)

Given its 5G connectivity and 120Hz display, the Samsung Galaxy S20 will need a beefy battery to get you through the day. And Samsung has answered the call with a 4,000 mAh battery in this phone. The Galaxy S10 had a 3,400 mAh battery, so this is a fairly big jump.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy S20 endured an average of just 9 hours and 31 minutes while set to the 60Hz mode across two sessions of Tom's Guide's custom battery test, where devices repeatedly load web pages over T-Mobile's network until they run out of battery.

The phones with the best battery life last 11 to 12 hours. The Galaxy S20 Plus lasted a decent 10 hours and 31 minutes and the the Galaxy S20 Ultra hit an epic 12:03.

How does the regular S20 compare to similarly-priced flagships? The iPhone 11 Pro lasted 10 hours and 24 minutes on the same test, and last year's Galaxy S10 managed 10 hours and 19 minutes. The iPhone 11, which costs $300 less than the Galaxy S20, fared even better than both, at 11 hours and 16 minutes.

After the S20 completed those tests, we went back and ran two more, now with the device's refresh rate set to 120Hz. This time, the phone only averaged 8 hours and 4 minutes of runtime  nearly an hour and a half less than it managed when operating at 60Hz.

Power users or those especially concerned about their device lasting a day or more on a charge will want to have a look at the Galaxy S20 Plus or Galaxy S20 Ultra instead. But with those devices demanding a $200 and $400 premium over the standard S20, respectively, that peace of mind won't come cheap.

The Galaxy S20 comes with a 25-watt charging adapter in box that can take the device from empty to 53 percent in a half hour. It also supports 15-watt wireless charging with compatible stands.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Software

The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with Samsungs new One UI 2 software, which streamlines the interface to make it easier to jump into your favorite apps, change settings and more. This rides on top of Android 10, which includes great new features like Smart Reply, a dark mode and better privacy controls.

Samsung is also trying to build better experiences into the Galaxy S20, starting with Google Duo integration. Googles answer to FaceTime, this video chat app is built right into the phone dialer and contacts apps, and you can video chat with up to 8 people. Plus, you can video chat in full HD for the first time.

I conducted a Google Duo video call with my colleague, Adam, and I appreciated that I could start the video call right from the phone app. He said I looked pretty clear coming through his Pixel 4, and his face and voice were both clear on my end after some initial buffering.

Other software features include Music Share for sharing out your Bluetooth connection to your car (so someone else can control the playlist for a while) and Spotify integration with Bixby routines, so the Samsung Galaxy S20 will recommend playlists based on your preference and even the moment of the day.

Galaxy S30/S21: Should you wait?

The Galaxy S30/Galaxy S21 is on the horizon, which should deliver faster performance and a 120Hz display that's dynamic to save battery life. The latter feature is already available on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The next Galaxy S phone may also feature a camera under the display to deliver a true full-screen experience. But the Galaxy S21 likely won't launch until February at the earliest.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Verdict

Galaxy S20 (left) and Galaxy S20 Plus (right) (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

At $999, the Samsung Galaxy S20 isnt cheap, but it is the most affordable Galaxy S20 phone. Its also the most compact phone in Samsungs flagship lineup, making it the best choice for those looking for an Android device that wont bulge out of their pockets or require two hands to operate. The star of the show is the new camera, which impresses with new features like Single Take and a more powerful zoom.

The biggest reason not to get the Galaxy S20 is its battery life. It's runtime is about an hour behind the iPhone 11 Pro, and that delta increases nearly 2.5 hours with the S20's 120Hz display mode enabled.

Overall, our top pick among Samsung's new Android phones is the Galaxy S20 Plus, because it offers a larger display and longer endurance. But for that you'll have to step up to $1,199. If you prefer a smaller device, you should be very pleased with the regular Galaxy S20.
TWIN FALLS  Smoke was so thick Thursday afternoon it was difficult to see which house was on fire on Hidden Trail Lane.

Homeowner Ryan Johnson was at work when the neighbor called him just before 5 p.m. with the news that his home at 452 Hidden Trail was engulfed in flames. Minutes later, Johnsons Dodge pickup came skidding to a stop behind police cars blocking the intersection. By then, his wife, Becky, was waiting for him. No one was inside the house.

The nearly hysterical Johnson collapsed to his knees as a Twin Falls cop tackled him to keep him from entering the home.

My dogs are in there! he screamed.

Choking smoke poured from the burning home as firefighters pulled two dogs from the rear of the house.

Spartacus, a five-year-old Gladiator Dane, and Boss, a year-old boxer, were near the back door of the house, but refused to leave  until rescuers finally enlisted Johnsons help. A crowd of neighbors gathered on the street gave a collective sigh of relief when the two dogs appeared in the front yard.

Becky Johnson broke into tears of joy at the sight. Others ran for water to give the dogs a drink. The dogs appeared to be uninjured.

An hour after the 911 call came in, the smoke had cleared as firefighters from Twin Falls and Filer dowsed hot spots in the home, flames still erupting on the roof.

Battalion Chief Brian Cunningham said he would have more information after the investigation is complete.

Magic Valley Paramedics also responded.
-A kindergarten pupil has died in a nasty accident in Majengo area, Mombasa

- The school boy was run over by a school bus he was riding in at around 6:30 am

- He was run over by the bus after a seat he was sitting on caved in

A school boy has died after he was run over by a school bus he was riding in.

READ ALSO: NASA reveals next move after losing terribly in Al-Ghurair ballot tender case

The kindergarten pupil from St. Augustine's Preparatory School in Mombasa died on the spot after a school bus he was riding in ran him over.

READ ALSO: Dubai-based Al-Ghurair kicks off presidential ballot papers printing

The school headteacher and a section of pupils at the scene of the accident Photo:Nation

READ ALSO: Governor punished by IEBC for using Raila's image

According to Nation, the back wheel of the bus ran over him after a seat he was sitting on caved in.

The child fell after a section of the floor of the bus caved in Photo: Courtesy

The incident occured in Majengo on Friday at 6:30pm witnessed by the boys's elder sister who was also in the bus during the incident.

READ ALSO: Secret behind UhuRuto offer for Kalonzo - Raila

Install TUKO App To Read News For FREE

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that the bus driver and the attendant fled from the scene after the accident.

Police officers and officials from the school rushed to the scene of the accident.

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

What will Gatundu residents do if Uhuru Kenyatta loses in August?

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- The race for Kenya's presidency is now being competed for by 7 candidates

- This is after Simon Gichira announced that he's dropping out of the race.

- Gichira can be best recalled for allegedly attempting to take his life at the IEBC offices when the poll body initially failed to clear him to vie

Another presidential candidate has pulled out of the race 17 days to the General Election.

Peter Solomon Gichira announced his exit on Friday, July 21, as he announced he will be supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta for re-election on August 8.

Gichiras short political stint is best remembered for when he attempted to take his own life by jumping off the sixth floor of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission offices at Anniversary Towers on May 27.

READ ALSO: Gladys Kamande, the lady who used to walk with an oxygen tank angers Kenyans

Former independent presidential candidate Simon Gichira. Photo: Standard.

READ ALSO: MP's life in danger after hosting Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka

This was after the poll body did not clear him to vie for president and compete against five other candidates whod been cleared too.

According to the Standard on Sunday, May 28, Gichira turned violenct in the offices when his demands to meet with IEBC boss Wafula Chebukati fell on deaf ears. He then pushed open a window with the intention of jumping but security guards pounced on him.

READ ALSO: Not again! Hassan Joho attacked by Kenyans on social media and TUKO.co.ke has the details

IEBC boss Wafula Chebukati. Photo: Citizen TV.

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He was arrested, charged with causing disturbance, destruction of property and attempting suicide.

He later claimed hed never attempted to take his own life.

He also went to court to challenge his disqualification by IEBC, and on June 5, the court ruled in his favour.

Gichira filed the application seeking to be allowed to submit signatures of people who had nominated him to vie for presidency.

Presidential candidates meeting with IEBC commissioners at a past meeting. Photo: Citizen TV.

READ ALSO: Mary Wambui sets record straight on Kibaki's health

The race for Kenya's presidency now boils down to 7 presidential candidates namely President Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, Ekuru Aukot, Joe Nyaga, Abduba Dida, Cyrus Jirongo and Joseph Kaluyu.

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The President General of the NUGFW and NATUC, James Lambert says, too many people in the cou
If anyone in the community has items they would like to donate, please bring them to the Vendor Blender, 588 Addison Ave. W., from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday or on Saturday morning. The garage sale will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Vendor Blender and Event Center in Twin Falls.
The Interior Ministry of Ukraine will deepen cooperation with France in the field of civil security.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine Isabel Dumont discussed this issue at the bilateral meeting on Thursday, the Ministrys press service reports.

"France and Ukraine are expanding cooperation in the field of civil security and in the area of countering cybercrime. I want to thank you for your support and the significant contribution of France to the reform of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine," the minister said.

According to the report, the parties agreed to organize trainings with participation of the Ukrainian and French sides.

In turn, Ambassador Dumont noted that the Interior Ministry of Ukraine had managed in a short period of time to improve security situation in the country and gain the trust of the population, as evidenced by recent sociological surveys.

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Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO issues Andriy Lysenko said this at a press briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed as a result of combat actions over the past day. In particular, one serviceperson was shot dead by a sniper near Novhorodske, three were killed near Krasnohorivka, another one was killed as a result of enemy attacks on the position Butovka mine. Eight Ukrainian soldiers were wounded, of whom seven  near Krasnohorivka, and one  near the Butovka mine, Lysenko said.

In addition, according to the Defense Ministry's spokesperson, one Ukrainian soldier was taken prisoner.

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During the first five months of 2017, Ukraine's exports to the Republic of Belarus increased by 45% compared to the same period in 2016.

President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hennady Chizhykov said this at the Ukrainian-Belarusian Business Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Currently, we have good indicators of bilateral trade, although we still have not reached the record of 2012. The dynamics are positive. During the first five months of 2017, Ukraine's exports to the Republic of Belarus increased by 45% compared to the same period in 2016. The imports have also grown," Chizhykov said.

According to him, Ukrainian and Belarusian enterprises can cooperate within the framework of increasing exports to the European countries. After all, according to the trade preferences the European Union provides to Ukraine today, up to 70% of raw materials and components imported from Ukraine can be supplied from another country, and this could be Belarus.

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Ambassadors of the G7 countries stress the importance of continuing the investigation into the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet and bringing those responsible to justice.

This is said in a statement made by the G7 Ambassadors, posted on the website of the Italian Embassy to Ukraine.

"Today is the one year anniversary of the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet. On this occasion, G7 Ambassadors stress the importance of continuing the investigation into his death and bringing those responsible to justice," the statement reads.

The G7 Ambassadors add that they continue to support media freedom in Ukraine and the important role of independent and free media.

As a reminder, Pavel Sheremet was blown up in a car downtown Kyiv on the morning of July 20, 2016. Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuri Lutsenko called the main version of the journalist's murder a revenge for his professional activities. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov did not rule out the version that it could be Russian authorities behind the assassination.

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Indigenous peoples and human rights organizations have expressed solidarity with the indigenous peoples of Ukraine (Crimea): Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks and called on both Russia and Ukraine to respect the self-determination of the indigenous peoples of Crimea and support their natural rights.

The corresponding petition has been posted on the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

"We, the representatives of the Indigenous Peoples and Non-governmental Human Rights Organizations, taking part in the 10th Session of UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, Switzerland, express our highest concerns for the situation of Human Rights in Crimea," the petition says.

The representatives of the indigenous peoples and non-governmental human rights organizations also state that they wish to draw, in particular, the attention to the Indigenous Peoples of Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks and who are under the pressure of both sides of the powerbrokers.

The petition also points that the Indigenous representative organization, such us Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and Indigenous non-governmental organizations in Crimea are under particular pressure and need protection, respect and support.

"We therefore ask both the states, Russia and Ukraine to respect the self-determination of the Indigenous Peoples of the Crimea and uphold their freedom of speech and all ancestral rights," the petition notes.

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Italys Chairmanship of the OSCE will in every way contribute to the establishment of peace in Ukraine.

Italys Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said this as he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on the upcoming Chairmanships priorities.

"Alfano said Italy would continue supporting all OSCE efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict and urged the implementation of the Minsk agreements, in full respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and independence of Ukraine," reads the statement on the OSCE website.

According to the Italian Foreign Minister, the situation in Ukraine once again stressed the importance of such an institution as the OSCE.

"The crisis in and around Ukraine has called into question the principles on which the OSCE is based; on the other hand, however, it has clarified  once and for all  how much the world needs the OSCE to resolve the crisis," he said.

Italy will assume OSCE chairmanship next year. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz is the incumbent OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

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President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has assured that the territory of his country will never become a platform for waging aggression against Ukraine.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said this during a joint press conference, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Today I have once again received assurances from you, Mr. President, that the territory of Belarus will never be used for aggressive actions against Ukraine," Poroshenko said, referring to Lukashenko.

The Head of the Ukrainian State also noted that the Belarus-Ukraine border "will never be the border of war."

As reported, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko makes an official visit to Ukraine on July 20-21.

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TWIN FALLS  Two events testing physical abilities of all levels will benefit a fund for children with special needs.

The 11th annual fundraiser for the St. Lukes Magic Valley Health Foundation Children with Special Needs Fund is Saturday. The day includes a Splash n Dash event starting at 7:30 a.m. where individuals or teams of three paddle from Centennial Park to the Perrine Bridge and back. Then participants will run/walk a 5K from the canyon up to the C3 parking lot behind Costco, then bike 13 miles to the CSI Expo Center parking lot.

The Amazing Race starts at 9 a.m. at the Expo Center at CSI for teams of two to six participating in nine stations of various activities and challenges. Teams will have stagger start times to accommodate groups. This is a family-friendly event for persons of all abilities. Participants all receive prize bags with great coupons and gifts from local merchants.

To register go to kidsbridgetosuccess.org or bluecirclesports.com. You may also register the day of the events. Registration for Splash n Dash will be at the C3 parking lot behind Costco from 6 to 7 a.m. and the event starts at 7:30 a.m. at Centennial Park. For the Amazing Race, same-day registration is at 8:30 a.m. at the CSI Expo Center parking lot.

Post-race food is available, and prizes will be given to winners in each event. There will be fun activities, live music and DJ music from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities include dunk tank, photo booth, making tool boxes, face paining, duck draw and an art activity. Police department representatives will be there with a fire truck and police car.

The Children with Special Needs Fund has awarded hundreds of grants to help children and their families in the Magic Valley. Grants have helped children with physical therapy, speech therapy, wheelchair lifts and hearing aid replacements.
MOSUL AFTERMATH Iraqi forces re-take the city of Mosul from militants, but now comes the hard part - getting a million people displaced by the protracted fight out of refugee camps, and back to their homes. VOA Kurdish Service journalist Khalid Fatah and VOA National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin in Washington talk about the Iraqi Armys defeat of Islamic State militants in Mosul, and what might happen next for the one million people who have been displaced by the conflict.
President Donald Trump is expected to announce his policy for Afghanistan before the end of this month, amid growing concerns about the increasing presence of Islamic State and other terrorists groups in the region.

Trumps move to give more authority to the Pentagon is welcomed across the board, from U.S. army officials to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

U.S. lawmakers have many issues to consider, but a new policy in Afghanistan has been one of the most talked-about topics in Afghan and Pakistani media since Trump took office.

Analysts are divided over the probability the Trump administration plans a major policy shift in Afghanistan. However, the administration has been vocal about increasing the number of troops on the ground.

Strategy first, analysts say

Its pointless to commit to a troop surge when theres no strategy to support it, said Michael Kugleman, a senior analyst at Washingtons Wilson Center. You need a plan for how to engage with a very weak and divided Afghan government and a plan to approach the issue of Taliban reconciliation.

Trump recently said he is still trying to understand what the U.S. has been doing in Afghanistan for so long.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, is looking to the U.S. leader to get tough on Pakistan, which Afghan officials have repeatedly accused of supporting the Taliban. Islamabad has denied the charge.

In a recent tweet, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmey Khalilzad suggested targeting terrorists safe sanctuaries in Pakistan. Even Pakistans former ambassador to Washington, Hussain Haqqani, has recently advocated the U.S. take a tougher position against Pakistan for a solution to problems inside Afghanistan.

Troop increase welcomed

Afghan President Ghani has welcomed the Pentagons decision to increase the number of troops, but in the absence of a concrete and defined strategy, security affairs experts say, the increase does not give them much hope for peace in the region.

The Trump administration and Obama administration before it, and even to some level the Bush administration, have all suffered by too much focus on the troops number and then coming to the strategy afterwards, professor Daniel Markey of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said. The troops number should be the end of the conversation, the beginning should be what the broader strategy is.

Experts agree there is a need to take a tougher stance against Pakistan for allegedly providing haven to the most notorious terror groups, including but not limited to, the Haqqani network.

You will have to convince Pakistani policymakers that their current strategy wont work, and that means going after their favorite proxies. But threats alone wont help, Markey said. Pakistan has said it does not support terrorist groups and has suffered heavy casualties fighting terrorists.

Kugleman said he thinks Pakistan does go after some terrorists groups but turns a blind eye to the others. He said the Trump administration will have no patience for this policy.

Thats a position Trump himself would likely find insupportable. A logical consequence of a tougher position on terrorism in Pakistan would be to step up the drone war and take out terrorist targets that Pakistan refuse to take out itself, he said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department released its annual Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, which accuses Pakistan of not taking significant action to constrain the activities of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network.
U.S. allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine are worried that Russia's planned war games in September could be a "Trojan horse" aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus, the U.S. Army's top general in Europe said on Thursday.

Russia has sought to reassure NATO that the military exercises will respect international limits on size, but NATO and U.S. official remain wary about their scale and scope.

U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who heads U.S. Army forces in Europe, told Reuters in an interview that allied officials would keep a close eye on military equipment brought into Belarus for the Zapad-2017 exercise, and whether it was removed later.

"People are worried, this is a Trojan horse. They say, 'We're just doing an exercise,' and then all of a sudden they've moved all these people and capabilities somewhere," he said.

Hodges said he had no indications that Russia had any such plans, but said greater openness by Moscow about the extent of its war games would help reassure countries in eastern Europe.

Artificial buffoonery

A senior Russian diplomat strongly rejected allegations that Moscow could leave military equipment in Belarus.

"This artificial buffoonery over the routine Zapad-2017 exercises is aimed at justifying the sharp intensification of the NATO bloc (activities) along the perimeter of Russian territory," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told the Interfax news agency on Friday.

NATO allies are nervous because previous large-scale Russian exercises employed special forces training, longer-range missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Such tactics were later used in Russia's annexation of

Crimea in 2014, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and in its intervention in Syria, NATO diplomats say.

Hodges said the United States and its allies had been very open about a number of military exercises taking place across eastern Europe this summer involving up to 40,000 troops, but it remained unclear if Moscow would adhere to a Cold War-era treaty known as the Vienna document, which requires observers for large-scale exercises involving more than 13,000 troops.

Some NATO allies believe the Russian exercise could number more than 100,000 troops and involve nuclear weapons training, the biggest such exercise since 2013. Russia has said it would invite observers if the exercise exceeded 13,000 forces.

Hodges said NATO would maintain normal rotations during the Russian war game, while carrying out previously scheduled exercises in Sweden, Poland and Ukraine.

The only additional action planned during that period was a six-week deployment of three companies of 120 paratroopers each to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for "low-level" exercises, Hodges said. "We want to avoid anything that looks like a provocation.

This is not going to be the 'Sharks' and the 'Jets' out on the streets," Hodges said in a reference to the gang fights shown in the 1961 film "West Side Story" set in New York City.
U.S. allies in Eastern Europe and Ukraine are worried that Russia's planned war games in September could be a "Trojan horse" aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus, the U.S. Army's top general in Europe said Thursday.

Russia has sought to reassure NATO that the military exercises will respect international limits on size, but NATO and U.S. official remain wary about their scale and scope.

U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who heads U.S. Army forces in Europe, told Reuters in an interview that allied officials would keep a close eye on military equipment brought to Belarus for the Zapad 2017 exercise, and whether it was removed later.

"People are worried this is a Trojan horse. They say, 'We're just doing an exercise,' and then all of a sudden they've moved all these people and capabilities somewhere," he said.

Hodges said that he had no indications of any such plans by Russia, but that greater openness by Moscow about the extent of its war games would help reassure countries in Eastern Europe.

NATO allies are nervous because previous large-scale Russian exercises employed special forces training, longer-range missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Such tactics were later used in Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and in its intervention in Syria, NATO diplomats say.

Hodges said the United States and its allies had been very open about a number of military exercises taking place across Eastern Europe this summer involving up to 40,000 troops, but it remained unclear whether Moscow would adhere to a Cold War-era treaty known as the Vienna document, which requires observers for large-scale exercises involving more than 13,000 troops.

Some NATO allies believe the Russian exercise could number more than 100,000 troops and involve nuclear weapons training, the biggest such exercise since 2013.

Russia has said it would invite observers if the exercise exceeded 13,000 forces.

Scheduled NATO exercises

Hodges said NATO would maintain normal rotations during the Russian war games, while carrying out previously scheduled exercises in Sweden, Poland and Ukraine.

The only additional action planned during that period was a six-week deployment of three companies of 120 paratroopers each to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for "low-level" exercises, Hodges said.

"We want to avoid anything that looks like a provocation. This is not going to be the Sharks and the Jets out on the streets," Hodges said in a reference to the gang fights shown in the 1961 film West Side Story, set in New York City.
BUHL  A Twin Falls man was injured Thursday night after his vehicle hit a fence and tree near Buhl.

Idaho State Police investigated the single-vehicle crash at 10:43 p.m. on River Road at Silver Creek Road, off Highway 46.

Teodoro Garza, 34, was traveling east in a 1993 Honda Accord. He failed to negotiate a curve and went off the right shoulder of the road, where the car hit a fence and then a tree, ISP said in a statement.

The car came to rest in the eastbound lane.

Buhl residents Tony Tellez, 37, and Heraclio Garza Nevarez, 22, were passengers in the vehicle. They were wearing seatbelts, but Garza Nevarez wasnt.

Garza Nevarez was transported to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise by helicopter.

The road was blocked for about five hours. The crash remains under investigation by Idaho State Police, who were assisted at the scene by Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office and Buhl Police Department.
The Indian army fired at worshippers outside a mosque in disputed Kashmir on Friday, killing one man and injuring another, after some threw rocks, police and residents said.

Police said soldiers on patrol were pelted with rocks near the main mosque in Beerwah town, where worshippers had gathered to offer Friday prayers. A firecracker was hurled toward the soldiers, who mistook the loud noise for a grenade and retaliated, police said in a statement.

Residents, however, said only a few rocks were thrown and none hit any soldier. Witnesses said the soldiers fired indiscriminately after some rocks hit the iron shutters of shops that were closed because of a general strike against Indian rule in Kashmir.

The slain man, a tailor in his mid-20s, was hit by multiple bullets and died on the way to a hospital. The injured man was reported to be in stable condition.

The killing triggered anger and widespread protests in the town. Police fired tear gas, fearing the funeral procession would turn into larger protests in the area as thousands carried the man's body to a graveyard for burial while chanting slogans against Indian rule.

Some threw rocks at police, who fired shotgun pellets to quell the protest. No one was reported injured.

Shops, businesses and schools were closed in most parts of the region because of the general strike, called by separatists who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir. The separatists also called for a march to the United Nations office in Srinagar, the region's main city.

Authorities imposed a tight curfew in downtown Srinagar and areas near the U.N. office in anticipation of the march and anti-India protests.

Armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear patrolled streets and blocked roads with razor wire and steel barricades.

Later Friday, scores of people led by a top separatist leader, Mohammed Yasin Malik, defied the security lockdown and tried to hold a protest march in Srinagar. However, police detained Malik and several other activists.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for the Indian-administered portion to become independent or merge with Pakistan. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir's mostly Muslim population and most people support the rebels' cause against Indian rule.

India has accused Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, which Pakistan denies.

Rebel groups have largely been suppressed by Indian forces in recent years and public opposition to Indian rule is now principally expressed through street protests.
Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has invited people who fled the country during violent political unrest two years ago to return home.

Nkurunziza extended the invitation Thursday during a visit to Tanzania, his first trip outside Burundi since a coup attempt on May 13, 2015.

The U.N. refugee agency says Tanzania currently hosts more than 240,000 Burundians, most of them living in camps near the two countries' shared border.

Nkurunziza met with Tanzanian President John Magufuli in the Ngara district. The two men addressed a large crowd, in which Nkurunziza, speaking Kiswahili, delivered his appeal.

Today I want to tell Tanzanians and Burundians that Burundi is now peaceful and I am inviting all Burundi refugees to return home, he said.

Magufuli reiterated Nkurunziza's appeal and said he has asked Tanzania's interior minister to stop granting citizenship to Burundians, arguing that the process encourages them to settle in Tanzania.

Magufuli said he is not kicking out Burundians, but rather wants them to go home and participate in building their country.

President's visit questioned

Opposition leaders downplayed the importance of President Pierre Nkurunziza's visit.

Leonard Nyangoma, former chairman of the opposition coalition CNARED and current chairman of the opposition party CNDD, described the visit as a non-event.

We learned that President Pierre Nkurunziza crossed the border to an adjacent town in Tanzania. First of all, it is not far from Burundi and secondly, the trip does not imply that his fears of being toppled are over, he said in an interview with VOA's Central Africa service.

Nyangoma suggested that inviting all the refugees to come home was unwise.

"You don't invite refugees to return home because when and if peace finally returns to Burundi, the flow of refugees voluntarily returning home will be so huge, the Interior Ministry will have a hard time accommodating them all, he said.

2015 elections boycotted

Burundi erupted in protests and violence after Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term in 2015. Critics said he was violating a two-term limit in the constitution. The president won an election mostly boycotted by opposition parties, but violence prompted more than 420,000 Burundians to flee to Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Talks to resolve the situation have made no progress, in part because the government will not talk to politicians it accuses of playing a role in the failed coup.

Spokesperson Jean Claude Karerwa Ndenzako characterized the president's visit to Tanzania as successful. He said he did not know whether Nkurunziza will attend the next round of inter-Burundian dialogue.
The U.S. Constitution grants the president broad authority to pardon those accused or convicted of federal crimes; but, does it allow the president to pardon himself? Nobody really knows for sure.

The question has become relevant following reports Donald Trump and his legal team have been discussing the limits of the president's pardoning power, including whether Trump has the power to pardon himself.

The internal White House discussion reportedly is part of an effort to undercut the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russians who tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Vast pardon power

The section of the Constitution that deals with presidential pardons is brief: "The President  shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."

That brevity means the president's pardoning power is expansive  essentially, the president can issue a full pardon or reprieve [which reduces or eliminates a sentence] to anyone accused or convicted of federal crimes, as long as the move does not relate to impeachment.

Notably, the clause does not mention whether a president can pardon himself. And since no president has ever tried to do so, the issue has never gone to court and is therefore unresolved.

"I think the better arguments are on the side that says he can't," says Brian Kalt, a law professor who studies presidential power at Michigan State University. "But anyone who tells you that he definitely can or definitely can't is talking out of school, because we can't know until a court actually rules on it."

Constitutional restrictions?

Those who argue the president cannot pardon himself say that doing so would implicitly violate the Constitutional principle that someone cannot sit in judgment of themselves. Essentially, they argue, if a president could pardon himself, he would be above the law.

The argument in support of the president being allowed to pardon himself basically amounts to this: the Constitution doesn't explicitly say he cannot. Those who espouse this view include Judge Richard Posner of the 7th U.S. Court of Appeals, who addressed the issue in a 1999 book on the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton.

It has generally been inferred from the breadth of the constitutional language that the president can indeed pardon himself," Posner said. "And although this conclusion has been challenged, it is unlikely that the present Supreme Court would be bold enough, in the teeth of the constitutional language, to read into the pardon clause an exception for self-pardoning."

Never tried before

Trump wouldn't be the first U.S. president to consider pardoning himself. During the Watergate scandal of the 1970's, some of President Richard Nixon's lawyers argued a self-pardon would be legal; however, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel took the position that he could not.

Nixon eventually decided against pardoning himself. After resigning, Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him for all federal crimes he "committed or may have committed or taken part in" while in office.

Former President Bill Clinton was also reportedly urged by advisers to pardon himself during the Monica Lewinsky scandal of the 1990's, but he eventually decided not to do so.

Bad precedent?

Some have argued that a presidential self-pardon would set a bad precedent, effectively making the office of the president untouchable.

Even if Trump could pardon himself, plenty of political and legal damage could still result from such a decision, warns Kalt.

"First of all, he could still be impeached for pardoning himself," Kalt says. "Second, he could be prosecuted," if he were found to have used the pardon to obstruct justice.

Jeffrey Crouch, a professor at American University and author of a book on presidential pardons, also sees a presidential self-pardon as extremely risky.

"An old Supreme Court case suggests that accepting a pardon is also admitting guilt," he says. "So a president granting a self-pardon may actually be setting himself up for impeachment."
They dove in, splashed around and blissfully floated in the murky river water.



Intrepid swimmers got a once-a-year chance to beat the summer heat with a dip in the once-notorious dirty water of Boston's Charles River on Tuesday.



The annual "City Splash'' is one of the few days a year the state permits public swimming on the city's stretch of the 80-mile river, which gained notoriety in the Standells' 1960s hit "Dirty Water.''



The event, now in its fifth year, spotlights the nonprofit Charles River Conservancy's efforts to build a "swim park''  floating docks where swimmers can safely jump into the river without touching the hazardous bottom and where water quality would be regularly tested.



Nearly 300 people signed up to take the plunge.



"It felt refreshing and wonderful,'' said Ira Hart, a Newton, Massachusetts, resident as he hopped out of the river, goggles in hand. "They used to talk about how it was toxic sludge and you'd glow if you came out of the Charles. Well I'm not glowing, at least not yet.''

Boston is among the cities hoping to follow the model of Copenhagen, Denmark, which opened the first of its floating harbor baths in the early 2000s. Paris opened public swimming areas in a once-polluted canal this week, and similar efforts are in the planning stages in New York, London, Berlin, Melbourne and elsewhere.



In Boston, the Charles River Conservancy still needs to raise several million dollars and garner approvals from state, federal and city agencies.



But S.J. Port, the group's spokeswoman, said the biggest hurdle already has been overcome: The Charles is now among the cleanest urban rivers in the country.



The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this month the river earned a "B" grade for water quality last year, meaning it met the standards for boating 86 percent of the time and 55 percent of the time for swimming. That's a marked improvement from the "D'' the Charles was given in 1995, when cleanup started in earnest, but down from 2015's "B+'' grade.



Here's a sampling of where other efforts to reclaim urban rivers for swimming stand:



Portland, Oregon



The city partnered with a local civic group to entice residents to take a dip in the Willamette River this summer.



They opened the first official public beach with lifeguards on the river earlier this month. They've also launched a public awareness campaign and scheduled a range of water-centered events.



Among them was last weekend's Big Float inner tube river parade that drew about 2,500 revelers.



London



A group of architects, designers and engineers have proposed a series of pools in the middle of the iconic River Thames, where river water would be constantly filtered.



Chris Romer-Lee, a lead organizer of the Thames Baths project, said the group aims to submit plans to local authorities by early 2018.



The group launched an online crowd-funding campaign last year that raised about $182,000 to refine their design but are working to secure almost $19.6 million in outside investment for the project itself.



New York



Four local artists and architects launched the idea for +Pool , a floating, filtered pool in the shape of a plus sign in 2010.



Since then, they've successfully tested a filtration system that removes bacteria without using chemicals, said Kara Meyer, deputy director for the nonprofit effort.



She said organizers also have raised nearly $2 million to continue developing the project, are exploring potential sites on the East and Hudson rivers and are preparing to seek necessary city approvals.



Melbourne, Australia



The nonprofit Yarra Swim Co. unveiled its concept for a floating pool on the city's Yarra River at Australia's Venice Biennale Exhibition last year.



Michael O'Neill, the effort's co-founder, said the company will be reaching out to community groups and government agencies starting next month to get their feedback on what the Yarra Pools project should offer and to promote its broader vision for use of the river.



Berlin



The long-gestating Flussbad project calls for cleaning up a canal off the German capital's Spree River for public bathing.



Barbara Schindler, a spokeswoman for the effort, said the idea has been around since the 1990s, but has reached notable milestones in recent years.



She said the organization completed a water quality study in 2015 and has received $4.6 million in government funding to hopefully turn the concept into reality.
Venezuela's opposition-controlled Congress appointed a new slate of judges to the Supreme Court on Friday, a move that the high court immediately voided.

The Supreme Court ruled that the National Assembly's appointment of 13 new judges and 20 substitute judges violated the constitution and was an illegal attempt to usurp authority.

The Congress, which is dominated by the opposition, has been in conflict with the high court judges, who have consistently backed President Nicolas Maduro in the country's political stalemate. Opposition lawmakers see the president's plan to rewrite the constitution as a power grab, while the Supreme Court has supported the effort.

On Thursday, the death toll from four months of anti-government protests in Venezuela topped 100.

Officials said four people were killed Thursday during demonstrations in Valencia, on the outskirts of Caracas, and in northern Zulia state.

One of the victims was a 15-year-old boy who was killed in skirmishes with police in Zuila, as opposition protesters engaged in a 24-hour nationwide strike.

Another man died during anti-government demonstrations just outside Caracas after being shot four times. Authorities said two other men died during demonstrations related to the strike.

Protesters block roads

In cities across Venezuela on Thursday, tree limbs, wires, trash and furniture were transformed into roadblocks as Venezuelans heeded the opposition call to strike against the Maduro government.

Groups of masked young men set fire to a handful of blockades and hurled stones at riot police, who fired back tear gas.

In Caracas, astride a motorcycle and wearing a black helmet, Luis Carmona told VOA he was not going to be swayed by Maduro's overtures.

"What we have here is hunger," he said, "and they [the government] think they are going to buy us off with that little bag of food? No, sir. We are going to keep in the street every day."

The announcement of the additional deaths came after a senior Venezuelan diplomat at the United Nations said he had resigned, citing systematic persecution of civilians, "state terrorism'' and violations of the constitution by the Maduro government.

Speaking to The Associated Press on Thursday night, Isaias Medina said Venezuela "is a failed state," adding that "this is a fugitive government and a complete dictatorship. ... Maduro does not have the right to be in that office.''

Medina, an international lawyer specializing in environmental issues, who was a minister counselor at Venezuela's U.N. mission, called on Maduro to "leave the office so that a new government can take place and do their job.''

Venezuela's U.N. ambassador said Medina was fired for acting dishonestly.

Constitutional assembly

The 24-hour strike was meant as an expression of national disapproval of Maduro's plan to convene a constitutional assembly that would reshape the Venezuelan political system to consolidate the ruling party's power over the few institutions that remain outside its control. The opposition is boycotting a July 30 election to select members of the assembly.

Maduro said on national television that he'd press ahead with plans to rewrite the nation's constitution and that hundreds of Venezuela's largest companies were functioning "at 100 percent'' despite the strike. The claim could not be immediately confirmed.

Violence during four months of anti-government unrest has injured thousands, left hundreds in jail and further damaged an economy in its fourth year of a debilitating decline.

The opposition has called on Venezuelans to take to the streets again on Saturday in a show of support for the new Supreme Court justices they are trying to appoint.

VOA Spanish service correspondent Alvaro Algarra contributed to this report from Caracas.
The Republican-controlled Senate will make one more attempt to repeal Obamacare next week, hoping to make good on a major campaign pledge made by President Donald Trump.

Trump and his Republican allies suffered a major setback when the latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare failed in the Senate, riven by divisions between conservatives and moderates over what should come next.

The next attempt at a vote will come Tuesday. On Thursday, the White House and GOP leaders looked for ways to win over senators. It didn't help that the Congressional Budget Office said Majority Leader Mitch McConnells latest bill would produce 22 million additional uninsured people by 2026 and drive up premiums for many older Americans. The budget office also said it would boost typical deductibles  the money people must pay before insurers cover costs  for single people to $13,000 that year, well above the $5,000 theyd be expected to pay under Obamas statute.

With the fate of the health care overhaul in doubt, Trump supporters, opponents and analysts are all trying to figure out what happens next to Trump's ambitious domestic agenda.

Trump made a fresh appeal to senators bused to the White House even as protests continued at Senate offices in the Capitol.

"For seven years you promised the American people that you would repeal Obamacare. People are hurting. Inaction is not an option," Trump implored at a luncheon meeting.

'Just let Obamacare fail'

Earlier, Trump suggested it might be time to "just let Obamacare fail," adding, "We are not going to own it. I am not going to own it. I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it."

The Republican effort next week will be focused on winning a vote on whether to have a debate on a simple repeal resolution, which Democrats strongly oppose.

"Make no mistake about it. Passing repeal without a replacement would be a disaster," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Trump's intensified effort to push for a health care overhaul bill comes at the six-month mark of his presidency, a tenure marked by low poll ratings and plenty of frustration that Trump has not been able to get more through Congress. "Particularly for a president who has made a lot of his campaign and his early term in office about winning, that is a real loss for him," said Brookings Institution scholar Molly Reynolds.

Despite the latest Trump appeal and late night meetings, Senate Republicans remain divided over how to replace Obamacare.

"There is a large majority in our conference that want to demonstrate to the American people that they intend to keep the commitment they made in four straight elections to repeal Obamacare," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.

A divided caucus

McConnell has yet to find a way to bridge the divisions between conservatives who want a more thorough repeal of Obamacare and moderates who fear the blowback from millions who could lose their health insurance coverage if the Republican replacement proposal became law.

"If they take over health care and pass something that resembles Obamacare and doesn't work, then we will own a terrible and tragic health care system," said Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul on ABC's Good Morning America. Paul is one of a handful of conservatives who oppose the Senate bill because it does not go far enough to roll back Obamacare.

On the other hand, moderates point to the latest Congressional Budget Office analysis of the bill that estimates 22 million people could lose their insurance coverage over the next 10 years if it became law.

"I do not think that it is going to be constructive to repeal a law that at this point is so interwoven within our health care system," said Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.

House control at risk

The political stakes for the president and the Republicans, should they fail on health, care could be significant, since ending Obamacare was at the heart of their campaign themes for seven years.

"Ultimately I think the House [of Representatives] is certainly at risk next year for Republicans," said University of Virginia political analyst Kyle Kondik, "particularly if the president's approval rating stays at 40 percent or below, because historically speaking, presidents with poor approval have suffered significant losses in the House."

If Republicans fail to resolve their differences, they may have to turn to Democrats for a compromise effort to shore up existing law.

"If this legislation were to fail, there would be some interest in bipartisan negotiations looking at some narrower changes, particularly affecting the individual health insurance market," said Matthew Fiedler, an expert on health care policy at the Brookings Institution.

The time spent on the lengthy health care effort has put off action on some of Trump's other key domestic agenda items.

"It could have been used on a tax package that has been delayed up until now," Reynolds said. "It could have been used on infrastructure and other legislative priorities. But instead they invested all this time on health care, and at this point they do not have anything to point to."

Eager for a major legislative triumph and mindful of the long congressional recess scheduled for next month, Trump told senators this week "they should not leave town" unless they could agree on a health care bill.
Whether Kenya's elections next month turn deadly violent, like the 2007 vote, or remain mostly peaceful, like the 2013 poll, international monitors will be on the ground to see whether the final outcome is trustworthy and fair.

With political tensions running high, it's too early to tell how the August 8 elections might go. But Marietje Schaake, the head of the 2017 European Union Election Observation Mission to Kenya, says the voters she's met with ardently hope there will be no election drama this time around.

I myself have visited Mombasa, Eldoret and two other regions of Kenya, other than Nairobi, to talk to as many Kenyans as possible about what they see as important elements of this election. The vast majority of Kenyans want nothing more other than this election to be credible, transparent and peaceful," Schaake told VOA's Horn of Africa service in an interview Friday.

HRW has concerns

That's not guaranteed, given that opposition parties have complained of alleged irregularities in the electoral system, and Human Rights Watch released a statement Friday criticizing the conduct of security forces and expressing concern about Kenyans' rights to free expression and assembly ahead of the vote.

Earlier this month, the rights group urged Kenyan authorities to urgently investigate allegations of threats and intimidation between communities in Nakuru County's Naivasha area.

Schaake, a European Parliament member and a politician from the Netherlands, said the EU observers are trying to determine if those concerns are legitimate.

We hear different opinions from different people and we are assessing the extent to which there is a founding in this or whether there is no reason for concerns, she said.

EU mission has started

In late June, the EU mission deployed 15 two-person teams around the country to begin monitoring the run-up to the elections. They will be joined by more than 100 short-term observers in the days before the vote.

About 20 million Kenyans are registered to vote in the election, now less than three weeks away. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is running for a second term against seven opponents, most prominently former prime minister Raila Odinga. It was Odinga's loss in the hotly-disputed 2007 election that set off weeks of political and ethnic violence across Kenya, leaving more than 1,100 people dead.

Thousands of other contenders are vying for posts as senators, governors, members of parliament, members of county assemblies and women representatives.

All aspects of campaign being studied

Schaake says the EU observers are watching all aspects of the campaign, including the actions of the media, law enforcement, the parties, and the electoral commission.

We talk to all kinds of stakeholders representative of political parties, police, and civil society to assess how the election have been organized, she said. To look at the extent candidates can share their viewpoints. The way in which state resources have been deployed. Whether police and government are acting even handedly.

We really assess how the legal standards are applied and respected in practice, she added.

Free and fair?

With a team of 130 observers, Schaake acknowledges the EU mission will not be able to monitor all polling stations on Aug. 8.

We will only share about our observation what we have been able to see with our own eyes, she said. We are ambitious but we can't be in every town and township in this large and important country.

The EU observers will stay in Kenya until after the election and prepare a final report on whether the poll was free and fair.
Lebanons Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an offensive to drive insurgents from their last foothold at the Syrian-Lebanese border Friday, a pro-Damascus military commander said.

The operation targeted insurgents from the Nusra Front group in the mountainous outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and areas near the Syrian town of Fleita, the commander said.

A Lebanese security source said refugees living in the area were fleeing toward Arsal and the Lebanese army was facilitating their passage with U.N. supervision. It was not yet clear how many refugees were on the move, the source said.

Several thousand Syrian refugees occupy camps east of the town in an area known as Juroud Arsal, a barren mountainous zone between Syria and Lebanon that has served as a base for Islamic State militants, jihadists and other rebels fighting in Syrias six-year civil war.

Hezbollah, a Shiite group backed by Iran, has played a critical part in previous campaigns against insurgents along the border, part of the much wider role it has played supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war.

The Lebanese army is not taking part in the operation, the commander in the pro-Damascus military alliance and the Lebanese security source said. The Lebanese source said the army had assumed a defensive position, was monitoring militant movements and would fire if it came under attack.

The Lebanese National News Agency later reported that the army had fired on a group of militants trying to flee the fighting toward Arsal town.

The Lebanese army, a recipient of U.S. and British military support, deployed reinforcements on the outskirts of Arsal in anticipation of the operation this week to prevent militants from crossing into Lebanon.
An Illinois man charged with kidnapping Chinese student Yingying Zhang pleaded not guilty Thursday and will go on trial Sept. 12.

Brendt Christensen entered his plea at his brief arraignment before a federal judge in Urbana, Illinois, south of Chicago.

Zhang has been missing since June 9. Investigators are sure she is dead, but have not found her body. Some of her relatives who came to Illinois from China to help with the search were in the courtroom Thursday.

Zhang came to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign as a scholar in environmental science and crop production.

Watch: Illinois Man Pleads Not Guilty to Kidnapping Visiting Chinese Student

Video shows Zhang

Investigators say she disappeared while scrambling to make an appointment to sign a lease on an apartment.

Surveillance video shows her failing to flag down a bus. A car investigators say matches the description of Christensen's car, including minor damage on the front wheel, pulls up and she gets in. She has not been seen since.

Different accounts

Police say Christensen gave different accounts of where he was the day Zhang disappeared. They also say he visited a fetish website for people who like to fantasize about kidnapping and bondage.

Christensen's lawyer has cautioned reporters against jumping to conclusions, saying, "There's a lot the public doesn't know" about the case.
An Illinois man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping a visiting Chinese university scholar, a case that has sparked social media debate in China about the safety of studying abroad. VOA's Stella Hsu reports from the University of Illinois, where friends of the missing young woman are not giving up their search.
MOUNTAIN HOME  The Central Health District has issued a water quality advisory for Little Camas Reservoir in Elmore County because of possible blue-green algae, says the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

High concentrations of a toxin-producing algae were documented at the reservoir. Actual toxin levels, however, were relatively low, Doug Megargle, regional fisheries manager, said in a statement.

An advisory was issued on the basis of past hazards and the likelihood of toxins present in the near future, Megargle said.

Only a fraction of all water bodies in Idaho are monitored, says the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. A water body with no advisory is not an indication that a bloom or bacterial outbreak is not present.

Be aware and when in doubt, stay out, says the IDEQ website.
India must campaign on social media, rewrite text books and engage its young men if it is to tackle child marriage in a country where nearly half of females wed before the legal age, according to a report released on Friday.

Despite a law banning girls from marrying before they turn 18, the practice is deeply rooted in tradition and widely accepted in society. Yet it is rarely reported as a crime and officials are often reluctant to prosecute offenders.

As a result, India ranks among countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world, accounting for a third of the global total of more than 700 million women, according to UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency.

"Despite the policy attention given to child marriage, implementation has remained ineffective in curbing the root causes, and failed to produce a substantial impact on its eradication," charity ActionAid India said in its report.

"Legal efforts have failed to break the stranglehold of tradition and culture that continues to support child marriage."

While boys also marry in childhood, girls are disproportionately affected.

Early marriage makes it more likely that girls will drop out of school, and campaigners say it also increases the risks of exploitation, sexual violence, domestic abuse and death in childbirth.

While poverty and low levels of female literacy are often blamed for child marriage, the practice is prevalent even in wealthy households.

A report released last month showed nearly one in four girls in rural areas and one in five in urban areas married early, challenging a long-held assumption that child marriage is largely a rural phenomenon.

This is why the government must be more innovative in getting the message out, using social media and school text books, and starting from a young age, ActionAid said.

Boys and men must also be actively engaged, and religious and cultural institutions brought on board, too.

Government school teachers should be given legal authority to rescue children at risk of child marriage, it said.

Some recent efforts have helped, including a cash incentive, where the state transfers a lump sum to the girl's bank account if she remains in school and unwed at age 18.

Community efforts have also succeeded: suppliers of wedding tents in Rajasthan state have stopped dozens of child marriages by alerting officials.
A silent protest in front of the Indonesian Presidential Palace in Jakarta has convened every Thursday afternoon for the last 10 years, and its participants have no plans to stop until the government addresses their human rights concerns, many dating back to the Suharto era.

The action is known as Kamisan, after Kamis, the Bahasa Indonesia word for Thursday. The regulars carry black umbrellas, necessary for a recurring event in a city where it rains every month of the year. The umbrellas are inscribed with things like Stop impunity.

The original Kamisan activists were families of several protesters who were shot dead in late 1998, after the collapse of the Suharto regime, at the Semanggi intersection in Jakarta. They initiated the weekly action Jan. 18, 2007, and it has rolled on, absorbing victims, sympathizers and curious observers ever since.

A diverse turnout

Among the crowd on a recent Thursday as the city was rousing itself from festivities marking the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, were two teenage girls; several old men who had seen family members killed in the 1965 anti-Communist panic; college-aged recurring volunteers; and Maria Catarina Sumarsih, a 65-year-old woman who is one of the original Kamisan founders. Her son was shot dead in Semanggi in 1998.

Seventy-seven-year-old Tumiso was a young man in Surabaya in fall 1965 when the anti-Communist purge started. He has lived in Jakarta since 2000 and been attending Kamisan since its inception, prompted by abuses and murders inflicted on his family in 1965.

About 500,000 people were estimated to have been killed and more than 1 million imprisoned between 1965 and 1966, after a failed coup led to a political panic during which forces targeted Communists, leftists, ethnic Chinese, and dissidents.

Our action must have an effect, said Tumiso, still hopeful.

They have, sort of. In May 2015, the present administration announced plans for a reconciliation committee to resolve past abuses. But its mandate is still unclear, disappointing many who hoped President Joko Jokowi Widodo would turn a new page on human rights.

Sarif, now 78, was a farmer in Malang, East Java, in 1965. He came from an artistic family and said that many of his relatives, including his parents, were killed in the massacre. He moved to Jakarta to work as a laborer.

It was the first time at Kamisan for Cabee, a 17-year-old high school student in Tangerang. She had come at the behest of her friend Regina, 16, both enjoying the free weekdays of summer vacation. Even though they werent alive in 1998, they were curious.

Strength from constancy

Every Thursday, Sumarsih signs and delivers a letter addressed to the Indonesian president that says if the government addresses its human rights violations, the Kamisan protest will end.

She is small and compact, with a flop of gray hair and pragmatic sandals. Under her watch, yesterdays protest was the 497th Kamisan. Sumarsih used to work as a schoolteacher in Semarang, and then as a civil servant in the House of Representatives, but since the death of her son, activism has come to be a full-time job.

The protest has spread to four other cities in Java since its inception: Bandung, Malang, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.

It inspires young people [in disparate locations] to voice problems on behalf of people who have not been treated properly by the government, said Sumarsih. The purpose of the Kamisan action is not only the way we stand together in the struggle for remembrance and against impunity, but also that we socialize human rights issues in our society, she said.

The Kamisan action will only stop if we get fewer than three participants, or if in the country of Indonesia no longer commits state violence, or at least seven files of the Human Rights Commissions investigations are completed, according to the mechanism set forth in Law No. 26/2000 in the Human Rights Court, said Sumarsih. Until then, she can be found every Thursday afternoon in the same place.
Furat Media, the Russian-language branch of Islamic State's propaganda apparatus, has released three high-quality videos since the start of July. Furat's Twitter and Telegram accounts feature daily updates and multimedia posts, suggesting the group's Russian branch may not be affected as strongly by the decline in propaganda capabilities that IS has reportedly been experiencing.

Aimed at Russian-speaking Muslims, Furat Media serves as IS's main recruitment tool in Russia, Transcaucasia, the North Caucasus, Central Asia and elsewhere.

Suicide bombers and snipers

In a two-part video, Convoy of the Martyrs, Furat Media features men it claims have died in suicide attacks in Iraq and Syria.

One of those featured is a young, bearded man wearing a khaki headscarf and holding an automatic rifle, who speaks in front of the camera in Russian with a heavy Chechen accent. The 10-minute video was released July 6 as Part Two of the Convoy of the Martyrs series.

In the video, which includes footage of IS attacks, the man, identified as Abu Abdul Aziz al-Shishani, praises the establishment of the "caliphate" and curses the United States, along with Muslims who decline or postpone joining IS. He also threatens Russia with a new wave of jihad in the North Caucasus. His last words, addressed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, praise the IS leader and urge him to never give up, and to remain strong "like we remain strong in the besieged city of Mosul." That last reference indicates the video could have been shot any time during the nine-month battle for Mosul.

The video ends with drone footage of a white vehicle driving on a street in a city and then blowing up, with white smoke rising from the site of the explosion. The caption reads: "Abu Abdul Aziz al-Shishani's act of martyrdom."

A week later, on July 14, Furat Media distributed another video, which included footage of IS training and attacks by IS snipers. An infographic in the video claims a single sniper killed 164 Kurdish fighters and wounded 90 in one month. One of the sniper instructors in the video, identified as Zayad al-Adhri, speaks Russian with a Dagestani accent.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group, parts of the video may have been shot as recently as July 4, and the footage was shot in Syria's Raqqa province.

'Cracks in the Online "Caliphate"'

The latest issue of Perspectives on Terrorism, a magazine published by the Netherlands' Universiteit Leiden, includes an academic study headlined "Cracks in the Online 'Caliphate': How the Islamic State is Losing Ground in the Battle for Cyberspace."

"The Islamic State's cyber jihad fully launched in 2014, is currently undergoing a regression that is demonstrated by the weakening of its quality, coverage and effectiveness," the study states.

Analysts differ over whether the study's findings are true for the Russian-language branch of IS's propaganda machine.

"We have not noticed any notable decline in the quality of the productions," Adam Raisman, an expert with the SITE Intelligence Group, told VOA's Extremism Watch Desk.

"The propaganda from Furat Media has always been sporadic, not quasi-regular like that of official IS media divisions," he said. "Most Furat Media releases focused on individual fighters, and they've continued that in the past month."

But according to Joanna Paraszczuk, a freelance researcher with Britain's IHS Jane's analytical center, there are signs that IS's Russian-language cyber activities have also weakened.

"IS's Russian-speaking contingent in charge of propaganda was based in Mosul, so the loss of territory there disrupted propaganda activity," Paraszczuk told VOA's Extremism Watch Desk.

In recent months, she said, IS's official Russian-language Telegram channel "has declined in output and is mostly just posting Russian translations of Arabic IS news from the Amaq news agency.

"The tone of the propaganda has also shifted, from praising IS as a state with territory to presenting the battle for Mosul as being akin to dramatic battles fought by the early Muslims," Paraszczuk said.

Magomed Tuaev, a special correspondent in Turkey for the Russian news agency Caucasian Knot, believes that propaganda aimed at recruitment is "at this point out of the agenda" for IS's Russian-language branch, partially due to tightened security measures in Turkey, from which "some of these channels had been operating."

Despite IS's decline, the impact of its messages on the younger generation of Russian-speaking Muslims remains significant, Tuaev said, especially in Russia, "due to the government's repressive policies that actually push the youth toward radicalization instead of helping them to understand this dangerous influence."

Added Paraszczuk: "Apart from the reduction in official propaganda, there has been a shift among the unofficial pro-IS channels to call for and actively provide material to support lone-wolf attacks by individuals outside IS-controlled territory, and here has been a growth of Telegram channels which distribute information about how to manufacture homemade explosives."

The man behind IS's Russian-language media

Very little has been reported in the Western media about Abu Jihad, the man who runs IS's Russian-language media, other than occasional mentions of his close ties to IS military commander Abu Umar al-Shishani and the IS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, both of whom were killed in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

A 34-year-old ethnic Karachai from Russia, Islam Atabiev, aka Abu Jihad, was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. State Department in October 2015.

According to multiple sources, Atabiev received introductory education in Islamic theology from al-Azhar University in Egypt. After returning to his small hometown in the southern Russian republic of Karachai-Cherkessia, he was, according to Russian security, involved in the local radical Islamic underground. Atabiev was arrested and imprisoned for a year on charges of "banditry."

In 2011, Atabiev reportedly left his home for Turkey, then moved to Syria to join IS. In Syria, he reportedly became close to al-Shishani, who tasked Atabiev with creating the Russian-language propaganda unit that later become known as Furat Media.

After al-Shishani's death in 2016, some Russian experts speculated Atabiev would replace him as a commander of the IS's Russian-speaking forces. This was unlikely, however, because of Atabiev's lack of combat experience: He is known for fighting in cyberspace, not on the battlefield.

Russia's security services suspected Atabiev of masterminding several attacks in Russia and elsewhere, including the April 2017 bombing on the St. Petersburg metro.

According to several sources, Atabiev is obsessed with the idea that Russia's FSB security service is plotting to assassinate him using undercover agents. Ironically, non-IS fighters from the North Caucasus, who are in Syria, have accused Atabiev of being a Russian agent on jihadist forums and social media chats.

Atabiev is said to be the man who makes the final decisions for IS's sharia court in cases involving Russian-speaking suspects. A Dagestani woman was reportedly executed on his orders, and her execution was profiled last year in Istok (The Source), the Russian-language IS propaganda magazine that Atabiev was producing until earlier this year.
Israel banned Muslim men younger than 50 from a contested Jerusalem shrine Friday, ahead of expected protests over the installation of metal detectors there.



Police reinforcements poured into Jerusalems Arab neighborhoods in the morning, particularly in an around the walled Old City where the shrine is located.



The security measures came just hours after Israels security Cabinet reportedly decided in an overnight session not to overrule a police decision earlier this week to install the metal detectors at the gates of the shrine that is revered by Muslims and Jews.

Attack at holy site



The gates were fitted with metal detectors after Palestinian gunmen launched an attack from there last week, killing two Israeli policemen. Muslim leaders alleged that the metal detectors are part of a purported Israeli attempt to expand control over the site, which sits at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



Israel has denied such allegations, arguing that metal detectors are routine security devices.



Muslim leaders have called on worshippers to pray in the streets near the shrine rather than walk through metal detectors. Over the course of the week, growing numbers of Palestinian worshippers have participated in such street prayers, particularly in the evenings. Following such prayers, smaller numbers of Palestinian protesters have clashed with police.

On Thursday evening, police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters who, according to police, threw rocks and bottles.



Paramedics from the Red Crescent said 37 people were injured by rubber bullets, three of them seriously.

Thousands of worshippers



Friday is the highlight of the Muslim religious week, and tens of thousands of worshippers typically perform prayers at the shrine, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.



Muslim leaders have urged the faithful to forgo prayers in smaller Jerusalem neighborhood mosques Friday and converge on the shrine, in an attempt to increase the crowd size.

Israeli media reported earlier Friday that the security Cabinet decided to defer to police on the metal detectors. The decision came despite appeals from key Muslim countries, particularly Jordan, to remove the devices.



Jordan is the custodian of the Muslim shrine. Israel and Jordan have close security ties, but frequently clash over Israels policies at the holy site.
Late Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobos supporters abroad and at home have vowed to exert the maximum amount of pressure on China to free his widow, Liu Xia, whose whereabouts remain a mystery a week after her husbands death.

If they [China] dont let Liu Xia go, where Im going to be campaigning for relentlessly is for every country on earth, every democracy, to rename the streets of all Chinese embassies into Liu Xiaobo Plaza, said Jared Genser, a U.S. lawyer who represents the couple.

That will provide physical locations for supporters worldwide to remember Liu while serving as a public shaming of the Chinese government, which the lawyer said has spared no effort to erase the existence of Liu Xiaobo from the Internet and inside China.

Genser added that hes working with officials at the highest levels in the U.S. government, which may join many other governments, including France, UK and Germany, to seek to engage with China publicly and privately regarding the matter.

Exerting pressure

The lawyer called on world leaders to hold Chinese authorities accountable for mistreating the countrys most famous rights defender and placing his wife under unlawful incarceration.

Liu Xia, a 56-year-old poet, painter and photographer, has been under continual police guard and house arrest since 2010 after her husband was given the Nobel title. She has been diagnosed with depression and heart conditions while being disheartened by the passing of her beloved parents and husband, one by one, over the past two years.



If the international community stands silent and allows China to flagrantly lie to the international community about her condition and what shes going through, then that is an equivalent to a license to China and Xi Jinping to act with total impunity with respect to every other dissident they want to persecute, Genser said. If you [fail] to hold them into account, thats tantamount to total complicity with what the Chinese government does with her and everyone else.



He expressed worries that Liu Xia may be forced to disappear, tortured or killed by the Chinese government.



Missing widow

According to the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, Liu Xia and her younger brother Liu Hui were still out of reach as of Friday afternoon.

With no signs of her return, her apartment in Beijing remains heavily guarded by secret police, the group added, citing Lius relatives.

One day earlier, when supporters worldwide paid tribute to Liu Xiaobo on the seventh day after his death, Liu Xia was said by the group to be held by police on forced vacation in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

According to a Chinese belief, a persons soul is said to return home seven days after his death to bid farewell to his loved ones.

The latest development runs contrary to the assertion made by an official in the city of Shenyang that Liu Xia is free.

She last appeared in a video clip, released by Shenyang authorities, in which she seemed to openly agree to have Lius body cremated and ashes scattered at sea during a sea burial on Saturday  two days after the 61-year-old Liu died of terminal liver cancer in state custody.

A sea-burial deprives his family and supporters of a physical location to pay respects to Liu. Yet, Shenyang authorities claimed funeral arrangements were made in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs.



But many of Lius supporters are unconvinced.



I firmly believe the funeral arrangements were against the will of Lius family because his widow apparently was forced to record the video clip and appeared to be was reciting from a note, Ma Shaofang, one of the 21 student leaders wanted after the 1989 Tiananmen protests.

He made the allegation in a prerecorded video prior to a secret Wednesday memorial service he attended in Beijing, along with 30 intellectuals who once endorsed Lius Charter 08  a political manifesto calling for political reforms in China.

Hu Jia, a rights activist and friend of Liu and his family, agreed. He said the authorities attempt to dismiss Lius legacy by scattering his ashes into the ocean has backfired. Supporters worldwide now find it easy to commemorate the late democracy activist anywhere near the water.

Hu expressed grave concern over Liu Xias well-being, as she has had a history of emotional meltdowns. He said hes afraid she may take her own life following Lius death.

It would be ideal for her to eventually leave China, he said, although many observers believe Beijing would be reluctant to let her do so because she could become a figurehead of resistance.

Authorities are concerned that Liu Xiaobo may have left behind dying words or a final political statement, which may be passed on by Liu Xia to the local Chinese society or the international community, Hu said.



So far, international rights groups, the Norwegian Nobel committee and the U.N. all have spoken up for Liu Xia. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights pledged to discuss the matter with Chinese officials to "ensure that she has freedom of movement and that if she wants to leave China, she should be able to leave China."
There has been an outpouring of bipartisan support from current and former lawmakers for Republican Senator John McCain, a singular figure in American politics, after it was revealed he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma.

The Arizona Republican is widely regarded as an American hero for his service as a U.S. Navy pilot in the Vietnam War, where he narrowly escaped death twice. His plane was shot down over a Hanoi lake, and he was captured.

He spent the next five years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, including two years in solitary confinement. His injuries were neglected and he was beaten and tortured. He was offered early release, because his father was a four-star admiral, but he rejected it, choosing to stay until his fellow POWs were also released.

Visits to Vietnam

VOA interviewed McCain last May, ahead of then-President Barack Obama's historic trip to Vietnam and Hiroshima. McCain said he had been back to Vietnam more than 20 times since the war, working to promote normalization of relations and to bring back the remains of American servicemen killed during the war.

McCain is passionate about the power of reconciliation to bring two former enemies, the U.S. and Vietnam, together,

"First of all, I worked very, very hard for normalizing our relationship," he said. "I wanted to heal the wounds of war. I wanted many of our veterans, who have been unable to do so, to come all the way home. I can't tell you, by the way, the number of veterans that I have met who have brought their families back to Vietnam to show them where they served and fought. ... And the relations between the Vietnamese people and the United States of America has never been better."

After the war, McCain was elected to the U.S. House, then to the U.S. Senate in Arizona, his home state.

After 31 years in the Senate, McCain now chairs the powerful Armed Services Committee and is a staunch champion of the U.S. military. He is viewed as a tough foreign policy "hawk," championing U.S. intervention in hot spots such as Syria and remaining a deep skeptic about improving relations with Russia.

McCain has been seen as an independent thinker who has not shied away from questioning decisions made by fellow Republicans. He supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 but criticized how the Bush administration waged the war.

He is also known for reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats on a number of issues, such as climate change, comprehensive immigration reform and campaign finance reform.

McCain and Obama

He has run for president twice. He dropped out when running behind Republican George W. Bush in the primaries in 2000.

Eight years later, he was chosen as the Republican nominee to run against Obama, then a U.S. senator from Illinois.

A few weeks before the November election, at a time when some McCain supporters shouted racist insults about Obama, McCain corrected one of his supporters in this famous exchange:

"I don't trust Obama," the woman told McCain. "He's an Arab."

McCain stopped her and said: "No, ma'am," he said. "He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with."

Watch: Outpouring of Support for Senator John McCain, an American Hero

After Obama won, McCain congratulated him, saying he recognized the special significance his victory had for African-Americans.

One of the first people to respond to the news breaking late Wednesday of McCain's brain cancer diagnosis was Obama, who tweeted: "John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John."

This same sentiment has been echoed by President Donald Trump and a number of foreign leaders, and by many of McCain's Democratic and Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, who are hoping to have the 80-year-old fighter back in the Senate soon.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Russia has no plans to leave Syria and will continue to try to meddle in U.S. affairs to stick it to America.



He reiterated his belief that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election and described the U.S.-Russia relationship as complicated.



Pompeo also said he has seen only minimal evidence that Russia has pursued a serious strategy against Islamic State militants in Syria. He said any suggestion that Russia has been a U.S. ally in Syria is not borne out by whats happening on the ground.

The CIA director spoke in a wide-ranging conversation at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts in Aspen, Colorado.

Syria and Iran

He said its difficult to imagine a stable Syria with President Bashar Assad still in power. He called Assad a puppet of the Iranians, who now have a significant foothold in Syria.



Russia will stay in Syria, he said, because it loves its naval port in Tartus, off the Mediterranean Sea.

Pompeo continued his criticism of the Obama administrations nuclear deal with Iran. The Trump administration recently confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the deal but warned it would face consequences for breaching the spirit of the accord  a reference to Irans continued pursued of a ballistic missile program.



He noted that President Donald Trump has been working with Gulf states and Israel to find a common way to push back against Iranian aggression in the region.



When we have our strategy in place, Im confident you will see a fundamental shift in policy toward Iran, Pompeo said.

North Korea front of mind



Pompeo also addressed the threat from North Korea and said Trump asks questions about Pyongyang nearly every time he sees him.



Its one thing for North Korea to have a missile that can harm the United States and another for it to have an arsenal of such weapons, he said, adding that things can be done to narrow its capacity to develop a stockpile.



While some people believe North Koreas leader is irrational, Pompeo said he is convinced Kim Jong Un understands his core mission, which is to keep himself in power.



While he avoided saying the U.S. might favor a regime change, Pompeo said hes hopeful that we will find a way to separate that regime from its nuclear capabilities.



The North Korea people  Im sure are lovely people  and would love to see him go as well. You know they dont live a very good life there, Pompeo said.
North Korea has so far not responded to a South Korean offer made earlier this week to engage in military talks.



The Defense Ministry urges North Korea to immediately respond to our proposal once again, said South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun on Friday.



Rejected again



South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office in May, has advocated a dual track policy to resolve the North Korean nuclear stand-off by supporting U.S.-led sanctions against the Kim Jong Un government, but also increasing inter-Korean dialogue and assistance where possible.



The Defense Ministry in Seoul proposed holding talks with Pyongyang on Friday to reopen the military channel between the two countries to reduce the potential for miscommunication and miscalculation at a time when tensions are high over the Norths continued testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.



It was the first formal overture by South Korea since cross-border ties broke down early last year under the government of Moon's predecessor, who imposed unilateral sanctions on the North for its nuclear tests and missile launches.



But so far North Korea has ignored or rejected not only this request for military talks but also a proposal to hold a reunion of families separated since the Korean War, and offers of humanitarian aid.

There had been speculation and concern that Seoul might offer unilateral concessions such as suspending loudspeaker broadcasts at the border that are highly critical of the North Korean leader to re-establish contact.



South Korea may end up giving up too much to North Korea without receiving something in return, said political analyst Bong Young-shik, with the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.



But North Koreas state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun, on Thursday called the Souths outreach efforts nonsense and indicated that inter-Korean relations will not improve as long as Seoul supports sanctions against Pyongyang.



China has proposed that the United States suspend joint military exercises with South Korea in exchange for North Korea putting on hold further nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Neither side has agreed to this proposal, but Moon indicated he would support resuming the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang, projects that generated millions of dollars in revenue for the North in return for a nuclear freeze.



Wary allies



Moons outreach has so far not only been rejected by North Korea, it has also raised concerns with South Koreas main ally, the United States, which is working to increase sanctions to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.

Washington has set conditions for engaging with North Korea, including that it take concrete steps to halt its nuclear program and agree to discuss the denuclearization issue. Earlier in the week White House spokesman Sean Spicer seemed to dismiss the idea of talks with North Korea as far away from where we are now.



Advocates for strong sanctions worry that President Moons outreach will only undermine international pressure.



This just by definition gives the North some breathing room and the potential for splitting the coalition against itself, said regional security analyst Grant Newsham with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo.



At the U.N. Security Council, the United States has called for stronger sanctions against North Korea for its July 4 test of a possible long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). However, Russia has reportedly blocked the measure saying the recent test was not an ICBM but a medium range missile, and did not warrant further punitive action.



The U.S. Congress is also working on a bill authorizing secondary sanctions on international companies and individuals that do business with North Korea, particularly in China where over 90 percent of trade with the North takes place.

Regime change



Also on Thursday the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Pompeo, indicated the United States' ultimate goal is to remove Kim Jong Un as leader of North Korea.



"It would be a great thing to denuclearize the peninsula, to get those weapons off of that. But the thing that is most dangerous about it is the character who holds the control over them today. So from the administration's perspective, the most important thing we can do is separate those two, right? said Pompeo at a security forum in Aspen, Colorado.



The CIA chief said the intelligence community is preparing a range of options to end the North Korean threat. His comments seem to contradict statements by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who said in May that the U.S. does not seek regime change in North Korea.

Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
Mohamed Noor was celebrated when he became a Minneapolis police officer 21 months ago, joining a handful of other Somalis on the police force in a city with one of the United States' largest Somali communities.

Now he is now under investigation in fatal shooting of Justine Damond, an Australian woman who had made Minneapolis her home and who was killed by a single gunshot wound to the abdomen that state law enforcement officials say was fired by Noor.

Noor, 31, still has supporters after the shooting of Damond, who had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in her neighborhood on Saturday.

But some are worried about a backlash in the Somali community, while one former politician had only harsh words. The eldest of 10 children, Noor came to the United States as a child and has been held up by the Somali community as an example. He was one of only about 20 Somali police officers in Minnesota.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges had touted his arrival to the police force in a Facebook post.

"I want to take a moment to recognize Officer Mohamed Noor, the newest Somali officer in the Minneapolis Police Department," she said in a May 2016 post, a few months after he joined the department, alongside photos of Noor smiling at a community meet-and-greet. "His arrival has been highly celebrated, particularly by the Somali community."

'Inspiring' to youths

He remains a role model for some.

"He is inspiring to young people in the community," Abdikadir Hassan, a candidate for a Minneapolis Park Board seat, told the city's Star Tribune said this week.

Others said the community could suffer.

"A lot of people are holding the Somali community accountable," said Abdirizak Bihi, director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center in Minneapolis. "That's absolutely wrong."

Among the most vocal critics was Michele Bachmann, a Republican former U.S. representative. On Wednesday she called Noor an "affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis," the Star Tribune reported.

Noor has refused to be interviewed by authorities about the shooting, which has sparked outrage in Minneapolis and in Australia. Police are investigating why body cameras on Noor and the second police officer who arrived at the scene and the dashboard camera on their patrol car were not turned on at the time.

His record has not been spotless. In his 21 months on the force, he received three complaints. The police union said that rate is not very unusual.

Police records show that one of the complaints closed with no discipline and two remain open. It did not detail the issues involved, and police have not yet released his personnel file.

Sued in rights case

Noor was sued in June along with two other officers in a case now in federal court for an alleged rights violation over their role in transporting a woman to a hospital after a relative reported concern about her mental health. The case is pending.

It is not clear when Noor came to the United States, but in 2011 he earned a degree in business administration, management and economics from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, according to a spokeswoman for the school.

He worked as a hotel manager in Minnesota and at a real estate business in St. Louis, court documents show.

Noor has a 7-year-old son, according to court documents filed as part of a child custody proceeding. At one point, he lived alone in a sparse one-bedroom apartment, where he had a box of Lego blocks for his son, the documents said. It was not clear where the son currently resides.

"He joined the police force to serve the community and to protect the people he serves," his lawyer, Tom Plunkett, said in a statement. "Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he loves."
There has been an outpouring of bipartisan support for Republican Senator John McCain, after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. McCain is widely regarded as an American hero for his service in the Vietnam War and his five years as a prisoner of war, and for his 31 years as a U.S. Senator from Arizona. VOA's Cindy Saine interviewed McCain last May and has this look at his legacy as an 80-year-old fighter who plans to return to the Senate soon.
If Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were to die tomorrow, his legacy as a patriot, hero and maverick would be secure, but I dont think history is done with him yet. I think his finest hours may lie ahead.

Every now and then in Washington something happens that temporarily shakes the body politic out of its cynical torpor: the death of a president; a terrorist attack; the mass shooting of children. And now the terrible news that McCain has the same form of aggressive brain cancer that felled Ted Kennedy may have a similar impact. It may awaken our leaders to a new sense of whats important, whats possible, whats required of them.

McCains potential death sentence may have given him new life to write a final chapter in his life. Already beloved by many of his colleagues, revered by the press and respected by the public, McCains voice can ring louder and clearer than ever. He can summon Congress to work together to pass a bipartisan health-care bill and to engage in job-creating tax reform. He could even consider resuming his leadership on immigration reform and global warming that waned in recent years. He would be the center of attention and affection, and he has a rare opportunity to make what could be his last days count.

Finally, can one think of a starker contrast to Donald Trumps narcissistic laziness than John McCains selfless heroism? Just by living, McCain reminds Americans of what a leader can do and be, and that they dont have to settle for the low standards set by our current president.

McCain is almost free, free from a life of expectations, the burdens of torture and also much joy. But he will not go quietly. Once again, he will lead by example and show us the way it can be done.
Pakistans Supreme Court concluded hearings Friday in a high-profile corruption case that could unseat Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and disqualify him from politics.

The three-judge panel did not say when a verdict would be announced.

In concluding remarks, one judge promised the panel would consider if Sharif should be disqualified from political activity as part of the verdict.

Sharif has denied wrongdoing, a position Sharif family lawyers repeated throughout the week-long proceeding.

I believe legally and constitutionally we have a solid case, said Salman Akram Raja, who represented Sharifs three children.

It is impossible to say anything but I think we should wait for at least two to three weeks, the attorney said when asked when to expect a ruling.

But lawyers representing the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, which filed the case against the Sharif family, sounded confident the prime minister would be disqualified.

Our lawyers maintained before the judges the prime minister must be disqualified because he lied in his address to the nation, he lied to the court and he lied while addressing the National Assembly (lower house of the parliament). So, the prime minister has continuously demonstrated dishonesty, party spokesman Fawad Hussain Chaudhry told reporters outside the heavily guarded Supreme Court building.

Legal experts and political observers say the final ruling is expected to change Pakistans political landscape, citing the conclusions of a high-powered investigation the court ordered.

If Sharif is disqualified, his ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, must elect a new leader from within parliament to replace him and complete the government's constitutionally set five-year term. The government's term is due to end in June 2018. Some Sharif aides have hinted he may dissolve parliament and call early elections.

This week's hearing focused on allegations that the prime minister and his three children had engaged in money laundering and tax evasion, and amassed overseas assets through off-shore companies, while concealing their wealth.

The case stems from leaked financial documents known as the Panama Papers that listed the prime ministers two sons and a daughter as holders of offshore bank accounts and posh overseas property. The documents also named hundreds of other Pakistani citizens.

Sharif twice served as prime minister in the 1990s and on both occasions his government was accused of massive corruption and mismanagement. The 67-year-old politician was elected a third time in 2013, after he had returned from years of exile in Saudi Arabia.

Shortly after Fridays proceedings, Sharif went into emergency consultations with senior ruling party leaders, cabinet ministers and legal aides to discuss possible outcomes of the case and their implications.

Pakistani media reported the meeting participants also considered possible candidates to replace Sharif if he's disqualified. Officials were not immediately available to discuss details of the meeting.

In a related but worrying development for Sharif, personnel with the federal investigation agency Friday arrested the head of the state-run Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan on charges he changed Sharif family business records in an attempt to cover up wrongdoing.
At least two Palestinians were killed Friday in east Jerusalem after neighborhood clashes broke out Friday over a disputed Jerusalem holy place sacred to Muslims and Jews.

Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police near the Mosque of al-Aqsa in Jerusalems Old City, the site Jews call the Temple Mount. Palestinian leaders called for a day of rage to protest Israels installation of metal detectors at the holy place, after three Arab gunmen killed two Israeli policemen at the site a week ago.

News agencies said two Palestinians have been shot dead, and Agence France Presse is reporting a third may also have been killed

Fearing riots, Israel banned Muslims under the age of 50 from attending Friday prayers at the mosque, which marks the third holiest place in Islam. Worshippers who were turned away from the holy place were outraged.

This is crazy and it violates freedom of worship, said an Arab citizen of Israel, adding that the metal detectors are humiliating to Muslims. He described it as a black Friday.

But Israel says Muslims crossed a red line when they brought firearms into the holy place and the metal detectors are necessary to prevent further acts of terrorism.

Every holy, sensitive place in the world is protected," said Yaakov Perry, a former head of Israels Shin Bet security service. "Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the Vatican in Rome and many other holy places are tightly secured. And I dont think that if Israel will add some tools to tighten security its a change of the status quo, and I hope it will prevail.

In the past, tensions over the holy place have led to explosions of violence, including the Second Palestinian Uprising which erupted in the year 2000. But Israel deployed 3,000 police and soldiers in and around Jerusalems Old City, and they were able to keep the situation under control.
As Vice President Mike Pence prepares to visit Montenegro for talks with Western Balkan leaders, a senior State Department official says U.S. engagement in the region remains strong.

The comments by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Hoyt Brian Yee, come amid concerns that deep cuts in the proposed State Department budget could diminish Washingtons role in fragile democracies exposed to Russian interference.

Watch: Is Washington Sending a Signal of Renewed Commitment to the Western Balkans?

On issues where U.S. and Russian interests align in the region, such as counterterrorism, Yee said the United States will try to work closely with Russia.

But where Russia and the United States do not see eye to eye, where we are perhaps working along different lines, the United States, as Secretary [Rex] Tillerson has said, as Vice President Pence has said, the United States will defend the interests and the values of the United States and its allies very firmly, and thats what we are doing.

Russian influence

The Western Balkans are one example of where, Yee says, the United States thinks it is important remain vigilant without exaggerating the seriousness and magnitude of Russian election meddling and influence campaigns.

We are taking steps where we can to strengthen countries of the Western Balkans against malign influencewhether its from Russia or other sources, other countries, other factorsto be sure that it is not going to be as easy for Russia, or any other actor, to influence through malign means the foreign policy or domestic policy of countries in the Balkans, he told VOA.

One case that should be worrisome to every democracy in Europe, he says, is Russia's interference in Montenegro.

If Russia is willing, as the evidence overwhelmingly indicates, to not only interfere in elections, but to topple the government of a democratically elected state, of a state which just became a member of NATO, then other countries in the Balkans need to be very cautious," Yee said. He was referring to Podgorica's trial of Russian-funded coup plotters who allegedly planned to kill Prime Minister Milo ukanovic in order to derail the small Balkan nation's bid to join the Western alliance.

That thwarted coup plot, which would have been carried out on Montenegro's election day in 2016, was followed by its June 2017 accession to NATO.

Moscow had strongly opposed not only Montenegros NATO bid, but has actively sought to deter other Balkan countries from getting closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions, including the European Union, and to expand its presence in the region. Russia has reportedly been meddling in Macedonian internal affairs for nearly a decade, and has tried to use its traditional ties with Serbia to maintain its clout.

The United States recently expressed concern about (( a disaster relief center Russia is operating in Serbia https://www.voanews.com/a/united-states-sees-russia-humanitarian-center-serbia-spy-outpost/3902402.html )), which some Western groups and military analysts see as a subtly disguised military base set up by the Kremlin to spy on U.S. interests in the Balkans.

Vucic meeting

Pence's upcoming Balkans trip comes on the heels of a White House meeting with newly inaugurated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

According to analyst James Hooper, a former senior State Department official on the Balkans, Vucic used the meeting to prove to Serbian people that hes trying to strike a diplomatic balance between East and West.

Serbia has a very close relationship with Russia, and ... I think there was some criticism, some concern that they were getting a little too distant from the West, from the United States," Hooper said. "After all, Serbia wants a future within the EU.

Because a non-alignment policy may not be sustainable in a globalized world, Serbia, Hooper added, should align its foreign policy with the goal of EU integration.

Pence and Vucic also discussed the need to normalize relations with Kosovo, whose independence is not recognized by Serbia or Russia.

Yee also says the recent White House meetings and Pences upcoming Balkans trip only affirms the new administrations commitment to the region.

EU, NATO integration

Although Yee believes Balkan-wide EU and NATO integration will continue to square with U.S. interestsas it has across numerous administrations and party linesDaniel Serwer, professor of conflict management at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, says it may be too soon to say.

Like the previous administration, they have a lot of issues on their plate; like the previous administration, they have delegated the Balkans to the Vice President, which is not all bad, but it is not all good either," he said. "It seems to me that it is doubtful that there will be a great deal more attention, but I dont think we know yet.

What may compound the situation in the Western Balkans is the fragility of its democracies. Reform benchmarks required for NATO and EU accession have so far been mixed.

They need our support and we realize that," said Yee. "We intend fully to provide that support, but we need on the other side the political will, the resistance to corruption, the commitment to focus on solutions rather than political games. If there is this genuine partnership between both sides, than I believe we can be successful.

Yee also said Balkan leaders who are resolved to see through the reforms that enable European integration will make their countries more resilient in the face of outside influences and be better positioned to determine their own national fate.

Although Serwer would like to see a more robust engagement in the Balkans, he agrees with Yee.

We didnt do what we did in the Balkans in order to control the Balkans," he said of prevailing U.S. policies. "We did what we did in the Balkans so [those] people ... could control their own destiny.

This story originated in VOA's Albanian Service.
The government of Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Thursday that it was firing its special counsel in a corruption probe of Brazilian builder Odebrecht, sparking accusations of interference.

Justice Minister Marisol Perez said she dismissed special attorney Katherine Ampuero for blocking Odebrecht's sale of its irrigation company Olmos. Perez said the decision put thousands of jobs at risk and deprived the state of revenues it would have seized as payment for reparations under a new anti-graft law.

Ampuero argued that Odebrecht would have used the sale of Olmos to pay its creditors abroad instead of Peru, which the company denied.

"Trust in Ampuero was lost because she did not apply the law, and by not applying the law she created economic loss for the state," Perez told reporters on Thursday.

The announcement put the Odebrecht graft probe in Peru under increased scrutiny and renewed tensions between Kuczynski's year-old government and the opposition-controlled Congress, which has already pressured three of Kuczynski's ministers to step down.

"The president should ask Perez to resign immediately," Popular Force lawmaker Hector Becerril said in broadcast comments on local broadcaster RPP. "This is a government of lobbyists."

Odebrecht has been offloading its assets as it faces at least $2.6 billion in fines and graft probes in several countries where it has admitted bribing officials. In Peru, the company has been negotiating a plea deal with the attorney general's office in which Ampuero had taken part as the state's representative.

Anti-corruption state attorney Julia Principe said she was fired for refusing to dismiss Ampuero and noted that Ampuero had asked the attorney general's office in March to look into any links that Kuczynski might have had with Odebrecht.

"This situation is a clear interference by the executive branch," Principe said in a news conference flanked by Ampuero.

Kuczynski's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kuczynski has denied knowing about or being involved in the $29 million in bribes that Odebrecht has said it paid to officials in Peru over a decade.

Last year Odebrecht said it agreed to sell Olmos to Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP and Suez SA for an undisclosed sum.

The sale will remain blocked pending an appeals court's decision on whether to allow it.
Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has issued a decree to amend the countrys anti-terrorism laws, a move that appears aimed at countering charges by Gulf Arab states that Doha supports terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut ties with its regional neighbor over allegations it supports terrorism, a charge Qatar denies.

The decree issued by al-Thani includes definitions for the words terrorist, crime, terrorism and acts of terrorism, as well as freezing of funds and financing terrorism.

It also creates two national terrorism lists and sets rules for listing individuals and groups on each list.

The Arab nations have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and imposed strict sanctions on the Gulf state.

Last week, Qatar signed an accord with the United States that provided for measures to work together to fight terrorism financing. Details of the accord have not been released.
President Donald Trump's legal advisers are looking into possible conflicts of interest within special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team that they could use to discredit Mueller's inquiry into Russian election meddling, according to multiple sources and news reports.

The New York Times' Friday edition reported that Trump aides were conducting wide-ranging checks into the professional and political ties of the investigators in preparation for what it described as a "looming showdown" between the president and Mueller.

The Trump team is reported to be scrutinizing everything from donations to Democratic Party candidates by investigators, to the personal relationship between Mueller and former FBI chief James Comey, whom Trump fired.

A member of Trump's outside legal team, Jay Sekulow, said the lawyers "will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue," even complaining to Mueller directly if needed.

Mueller's Russia probe has assembled a team of high-powered prosecutors and experts to look into the president's financial history and examine whether any of his advisers aided the Kremlins campaign to disrupt last years presidential election.

In recent weeks, Trump has expressed anger about the probe after being informed about the legal questions that he and his family could face.

The Washington Post reported that Trump had told aides he was especially disturbed to learn that Mueller would be able to access several years of his tax returns.

In an interview Wednesday with the Times, the president said Mueller was leading an investigation riddled with conflicts of interest, and that the special counsel should not expand the probe to include the financial dealings of his family.

"I think that's a violation," Trump said. "Look, this is about Russia."

George Washington University legal expert Jonathan Turley said Friday that while the Trump team's move to investigate the investigators might hold a visceral appeal, it could come at a great legal cost.

"Such investigations can easily cross the line into obstruction or other charges," Turley told VOA. "It would also degrade the office of the president in reducing this controversy to the level of a bar brawl."

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, senior White House adviser and Trump's son-in-law, will testify next week about their meeting last year with a Russian attorney.

Mueller's team has begun examining financial records and requested documents from the Internal Revenue Service related to Manafort, the Times reported, citing a senior U.S. official. The records are from a criminal tax investigation that had been opened long before Trump's campaign began. Manafort was never charged in that case.

Presidential scholar Thomas Whalen of Boston University said any move by Trump to undercut Mueller's investigation would take the country closer to a constitutional crisis. "It appears obvious that Trump does not want Mueller to mess around with his personal financial affairs and that of his companies and his families that might turn up some skeletons that Trump wants hidden from the public," Whalen said.

Political analyst Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics cautioned, however, that legal experts indicate that the only entity that can take what amounts to legal action against a president is Congress.

"Congress is controlled by Republicans, and Republicans still give Trump 80 percent approval or more," Kondik told VOA. "So things are going to have to get significantly worse for the president, in all likelihood, for Congress to take action against him."

Trump appeared to be trying to shore up his team Friday, appointing Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci to the vacant position of White House communications director. That move may have created further chaos, however, leading to the immediate resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer, whose influence had diminished in recent weeks. Spicer tweeted that he would stay on through August.

Adding to the challenges facing Trump's external team of lawyers, the team's spokesman, Mark Corallo, resigned Thursday, news reports said, citing two people familiar with his departure. Corallo was one of several people who cautioned against publicly criticizing Mueller, with whom Corallo had a close relationship.

Corallo became increasingly frustrated with the operation and infighting, the sources said. One of the people said Corallo was also troubled about whether he was being given factual information about various developments.
A South Korean report using advanced technology to pinpoint scenes of North Korean atrocities marks a crucial step forward in documenting human rights abuses and setting the stage for future prosecutions.

The Transitional Justice Working Group's preliminary report released earlier this week identifies more than 300 execution sites and 47 burial grounds in North Korea.

Using Google Earth satellite imagery and testimony from 375 North Korean defectors, the Seoul-based human rights group focused on documenting the North's atrocities as "a crucial first step in pursuit of accountability for human rights crimes" committed in the country for decades under the Kim family regime, which was established in 1948. The group says it decided to not disclose the exact locations of sensitive sites lest the North Korean regime tamper with evidence.

"Sites of mass killings and mass burials tend to leave traces and  evidence that is scientific and tangible," said Lee Younghwan, who heads the Transitional Justice Working Group. "Through this report, I hope people who are committing atrocities realize that all of their actions are being monitored and recorded in detail and that someday they will face consequences for their misdemeanor."

Report draws praise

Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, hailed the group's efforts in documenting the sites and collecting evidence.

"For a very long time, we've been aware of the brutality taking place, in particular, at detention facilities in North Korea, political prison camps, labor camps and other facilities. So this surely comes as no surprise," Scarlatoiu told VOA's Korean Service. "But being able to thoroughly research and document these violations, it's an entirely different story."

In 2014, the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) issued a report documenting North Korea's systematic human rights abuses committed against its population. The COI found extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, beatings, forced starvation, sexual assault, forced labor and torture to be pervasive. Many of them, the report noted, are committed in the North's political prison camps, where an estimated 80,000 to 120,000 men, women and children are incarcerated.

Some facilities have been shut down

When documenting the sites, Scarlatoiu suggested it is important to continue monitoring developments under the Kim Jong Un regime, saying "the North Korean political prison camps system has been in flux since it was established in 1950s."

For example, facilities close to the border with China have been shut down, detention facilities inland have been expanded and other new detention facilities have appeared, Scarlatoiu said.

"We have to continue to focus on collecting evidence both through direct contact with witnesses  with former prisoners and those who used to run camps and have defected  and through the use of technology  satellite imagery in particular," Scarlatoiu said. "This is a very powerful combination and I firmly believe that it is technological developments that will ultimately shatter the firewall surrounding the North Korean regime."
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will never visit the United States while he is in office, and adds that he has "seen America and it's lousy."

Duterte delivered his latest verbal attack on the United States after he was asked in a news conference Friday to react to an American lawmaker's threat to lead a protest if Duterte accepts President Donald Trump's invitation to visit the White House.

Duterte asked, "What makes that guy think I'm going to America?"

He added: "There will never be a time during my administration that I'll be going to America or thereafter. ... I've seen America and it's lousy."

Duterte's spokesman said in April that Trump had invited the Philippine leader in a telephone call to visit the White House.
Sears will begin selling its appliances on Amazon.com, including smart appliances that can be synced with Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa.

The announcement Thursday sent shares of Sears soaring almost 11 percent. The tie-up with the internet behemoth could give shares of the storied retailer one of its biggest one-day percentage gains ever.



Sears, which also owns Kmart, said that its Kenmore Smart appliances will be fully integrated with Amazon's Alexa, allowing users to control things like air conditioners through voice commands.



The launch of Kenmore products on Amazon.com will significantly expand the distribution and availability of the Kenmore brand in the U.S., Sears Chairman and CEO Edward Lampert said in a company release.

Sears bleeding money?

Sears has struggled with weak sales for years, and announced more store closings earlier this month, partly due to the emergence of Amazon.com and other internet operators. It said in March that there was substantial doubt it could continue as a business after years of bleeding money.



Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData Retail, said it's a win for Sears, putting its products where customers are shopping.

Sales at existing Sears stores, a key measure of a retailer's health, have been in rapid retreat for years.



Other channels and routes to market are needed, Saunders said.

Lifeline for Sears

Many saw the agreement with Amazon.com as a lifeline for Sears, with the volume of trading company shares enormous on Thursday.



And the law of action-reaction is almost always visible when Amazon.com is in the mix.



Shares of other major retailers that sell appliances, Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe's, fell between 4 percent and 6 percent.

Sears will handle after-sale services



The agreement with Seattle-based Amazon goes beyond the point of sale for Sears. Also part of the deal is delivery, installation and the service work that comes with product warranties, which will be provided by Sears Home Services.



While Saunders doesn't think the deal represents a big shift for the retail sector, he said that it does illustrate how retailers must adapt and offer goods through multiple channels if they want to thrive. He believes others are already scrambling to do so.



Shares of Sears Holdings Corp., based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, jumped 92 cents to close at $9.60.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday said he would continue in his job, a day after President Donald Trump harshly criticized him in an interview with The New York Times. As VOA's Bill Gallo reports, the president's frustration stems from Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in last year's presidential election.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has resigned.

Sources quoted in media reports say his decision to step down is linked to the appointment of new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. They say President Trump's spokesman offered his resignation shortly after Scaramucci, a New York financier, was named.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement on behalf of Trump in which the president thanked Spicer for his service.

"I am grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people. I wish him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities  just look at his great television ratings," she said on behalf of Trump.

Watch: Spicer Quits as Trump Names New Communications Director

Spicer's press briefings had drawn large audiences on television and social media. Recently, Sanders has taken over most briefings, and held them off camera.

The Scene in the White House

In introducing Scaramucci, Sanders continued quoting Trump as saying he has "great respect for Scaramucci" and looks forward to working with him.

"He's been a great supporter and will now help implement key aspects of our agenda while leading the communications team," she said. "We have accomplished so much and we are getting credit for so little. The good news is, the people get it even if the media doesn't."

Who is Scaramucci?

Scaramucci, a fierce defender of Trump on cable talk shows, has long been considered a contender for the White House staff. In January, he sold his hedge fund, SkyBridge Capital, with the expectation of being named assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs.

But the White House ethics committee found that SkyBridge was sold to a Chinese conglomerate with ties to the government, so the post went instead to another contender, Ideagen founder and former CEO George Sifakis. Scaramucci last month was named senior vice president and chief strategy officer at the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

Scaramucci, a registered Republican, has backed political figures in one way or another for nearly a decade. In 2008, he was a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. In 2012, he served as National Finance Co-Chair for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Scaramucci first backed Republican Scott Walker and later Republican Jeb Bush. After Walker and Bush both dropped out of the race, he joined the Trump Finance Committee. He also served on Trump's transition team.

Educated at Tufts University and Harvard Law School, the 53-year-old Scaramucci has said he comes from a middle-class background.

He told Yahoo Finance in May that he is well-suited for a White House position. "I think I'm a reasonably good communicator," he said. "I think I understand the policies reasonably well. I'm a trained economist, entrepreneur. ... I'm not bragging. I just think I have an interesting enough skill set." Regarding his background, he said, "I came from a middle-class family, so I have identification for the struggle, and I think there's a number of ways I could serve."

Scaramucci has television experience, both as a defender of peers and politicians under fire, and as host of the financial television show Wall Street Week, which built up its reputation at public broadcaster PBS before the name was sold to SkyBridge in 2014.

Scaramucci's White House appointment was reportedly not supported by some members of Trump's staff, including spokesman Spicer, who resigned Friday, and chief of staff Reince Priebus, who has had differences with Scaramucci in the past. Priebus, however, told the Associated Press on Friday that he supports Scaramucci "100 percent." He added, "It's all good here."

The New York Times reports that the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross supported the appointment.

Friday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News that Scaramucci is "somebody who has been an incredible asset to President Trump all during the campaign [and the] transition." She added, "Anthony is someone who is a friend to the administration."
Tanzania's President John Magufuli has threatened to close down all gold mines in the country if mining companies delay talks with his government aimed at resolving allegations of tax evasion.

The announcement by Magufuli, nicknamed "the Bulldozer" for his forceful leadership style, marks a further escalation of a dispute with foreign companies like Acacia Mining over export revenues.

"We have asked them to come for talks ... they have agreed to come. But if they delay those talks, I will close down all the mines," Magufuli told a cheering crowd at a public rally in the northwestern town of Kigoma.

Magufuli has sent shock-waves through the mining community in Africa's fourth-largest gold producer since his election late in 2015 with a series of actions he says are aimed at ensuring that mining companies pay a fair share of taxes.

The government has accused Acacia Mining, the country's biggest gold miner, of evading taxes worth billions of dollars by under-declaring export volume and value of its minerals.

Acacia denies the allegations. The company said on July 4 it was seeking international arbitration to resolve the dispute.

The company's decision to seek arbitration came a day after Tanzania passed new laws to increase mining taxes, force companies to re-negotiate their contracts and allow the state to own up to 50 percent of shares in mining companies.

AngloGold Ashanti, which owns Tanzania's biggest open-pit mine, Geita, also said last week that it was filing for international arbitration after the overhaul of the mining laws.

Barrick Gold Corp., which owns a 63.9 percent stake in Acacia, agreed last month to hold talks with the government to resolve the tax evasion claims against Acacia.

The talks are yet to begin but officials said they could start "soon."

The president said he had taken on multinational companies for the sake of the country. "I have launched an economic war," he told the crowd at the rally.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday the United States was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to implement an agreement aimed at combating terror financing, and urged Arab states to lift a "land blockade" on the tiny Gulf nation.

Tillerson shuttled between Gulf countries last week to convince them to help ease the worst regional dispute in years but left the region without any firm signs the feud would be resolved soon.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab states' arch-foe Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.

The countries made 13 demands of Qatar  including that it shuts down a Turkish military base and the Al Jazeera pan-Arab television network - which Doha has rejected.

While in the Gulf, Tillerson signed an accord with Qatar on terrorism financing in a bid to ease the crisis, but Qatar's opponents said it fell short of addressing their concerns.

"They have been very aggressive in implementing that agreement, so I think we're satisfied with the effort they're putting forth," Tillerson told reporters just before meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the

State Department.

Tillerson said Qatar was willing to sit with the four countries to discuss their demands, but that it was important to Doha "that the sovereignty and dignity of all five countries be respected in those discussions."

In a move to counter the four states' accusations, Qatar has set rules for defining terrorism, freezing funding and terrorism financing and established national terrorism lists.

In one of the first positive signs from the four Arab states since they imposed the sanctions last month, the United Arab Emirates on Friday welcomed Qatar's decision to amend its anti-terrorism laws.

The four states cut diplomatic, transport and commercial ties with Qatar on June 5, disrupting the import of food and other items and causing foreign banks to scale back business with Qatar.

"I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade which is really having the most, I think, negative effects on the Qatari people," Tillerson said.
Two top U.S. officials are shooting down claims that the leader of the Islamic State terror group is dead.

There have been multiple reports in recent weeks from Russia, Syria, Iran and even from a human rights organization that the Islamic State's self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in Iraq or Syria.

On Friday, however, both U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National Counterterrorism Center Director Nick Rasmussen said there is no proof Baghdadi has been killed.

I think Baghdadi's alive, Mattis told Pentagon reporters, adding that despite keeping a low profile, the IS leader likely was still involved in the terror group's decision making.

We're trying to track him pretty closely, Mattis said. He's declared war on us so he's going to reap his reward for it.

Earlier Friday, Rasmussen said those claiming Baghdadi is dead have yet to produce any sort of proof.

We know a good bit, Rasmussen told an audience at an annual security forum in Aspen, Colorado. Ive seen nothing that would lead me to believe that the leader of ISIS has been removed from the battlefield.

Matter of time

Other senior U.S. military leaders say it is likely just a matter of time before Baghdadi is killed.

We will get him eventually. It's not safe for him on this earth, U.S. Special Operations Commander Gen. Raymond Thomas said at the security forum in Aspen.

We've been close, Thomas said, adding, Unfortunately, there were some leaks that caused the leads that his forces had on Baghdadi's whereabouts to dry up.

Thomas specifically referenced some of the reporting on the 2015 raid by U.S. special forces into Eastern Syria that resulted in the death of IS oil minister Abu Sayyaf.

During the raid, the special forces also captured the oil minister's wife, Umm Sayyaf. Thomas said Umm Sayyaf had been traveling with Baghdadi in the week before the raid.

Push-back on rumors

This is the second consecutive week that high-ranking U.S. officials have pushed back against rumors of the IS leader's death.

The commander of the anti-IS coalition in Iraq was the first to dismiss the claims.

"We've heard all kinds of reporting that he's alive, that he's dead," Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told Pentagon reporters during a video briefing from Baghdad on July 11. I don't have a clue. Simple as that.

Mattis reiterated Townsend's assessment three days later.

Until we prove it, we don't speculate that he's dead, Mattis told reporters earlier this month.

Some analysts also have suggested IS leaders have tried to signal to supporters that Baghdadi is still in charge.

The new issue of Islamic State's weekly publication,al-Naba, contains several references to al-Baghdadi, which are intended to convey he remains alive, said Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst who specializes in the influence operations of IS and al-Qaida, in an email earlier this week.
The U.S. will prohibit American citizens from traveling to North Korea due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention, the State Department said on Friday, following a travel warning on May 9 that alerted all Americans not to travel to the country.

The Secretary has authorized a Geographical Travel Restriction on all U.S. citizen nationals' use of a passport to travel in, through, or to North Korea, said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement.

The decision came after the death of U.S. student Otto Warmbier who passed away after falling into a coma into a North Korean prison.

Once in effect, U.S. passports will be invalid for travel to, through and in North Korea, and individuals will be required to obtain a passport with a special validation in order to travel to or within North Korea, added Nauert.



Individuals seeking to travel to North Korea for certain limited humanitarian or other purposes may apply to the State Department for a special validation passport.



Touring companies had been informed of this travel ban by the Swedish embassy, which acts for the U.S. because Washington has no diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.



Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours said the ban would be formally announced on July 27, and then would go into effect within 30 days of July 27.



Americans are thought to account for one percent of all foreign tourists, and the ban would affect estimated 800-1,000 Americans who visit North Korea annually, according to touring companies.



State Departments travel warning on May 9 said U.S. citizens in Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) are at serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under its system of law enforcement.



It said Pyongyang imposes unduly harsh sentences for actions that would not be considered crimes in the U.S. and threatens American detainees with being treated in accordance with wartime law of DPRK.



Koryo Tours Beijing-based general manager Simon Cockerell told The Associated Press that the ban, which likely would have a tangible impact on business for his and similar outfits, would turn away from engagement with the already isolated country.



"It's unfortunate because we criticize North Korea for being isolationist and now we're helping isolate them," Cockerell said. "That's not what soft power is about."



Experts told VOA the case of Warmbier should be sufficient warning to all of the dangers of traveling to North Korea.



North Korea targets U.S. citizens for detention and then uses them as political hostages to gain U.S. concessions, Dennis Wilder from Georgetown University's U.S.-China Initiative told VOA on Friday.



Unless or until North Korea promises to alter this practice, the ban should remain in place and no U.S. passport holder should attempt to go to North Korea, even if they hold additional passports from other countries, added Wilder, who served as the senior director for East Asian affairs at the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush.



While in principle, we should encourage people-to-people engagement, Atlantic Council senior fellow Robert Manning told VOA, I think Pyongyangs pattern of behavior clearly justifies a ban.



Over the long run, the international community should do all it can to isolate Pyongyang as much as possible, said Harry Kazianis from the Center for the National Interest, killing tourist travel to that country is one smart way to cut off much needed cash  cash that can help make more advanced missiles.



Sadly, there is no room for people-to-people engagement when North Korea murders American citizens. There is not much room for dialogue at present when you actively kill the people you would have such dialogue with, added Kazianis.



Central Intelligence Agency director Mike Pompeo said on Thursday at a security forum in Aspen, Colorado, that the threat from North Korea is in the front of President Donald Trumps mind, and the intelligence community is preparing a range of options to end that threat.
President Trump said he intends to nominate John Bass as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. The longtime diplomat has been the American ambassador to Turkey since 2014.

In announcing the nomination, a White House statement said over the past decade the ambassador has supported "efforts to mobilize allies and marshal resources to combat terrorism and instability in Iraq, Syria and Southwest Asia." Bass has served at six U.S. missions overseas since becoming a diplomat in 1988.

He joins Alice Wells, a career Foreign Service Officer (FSO), who was quietly named the acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, late last month.

The two officials arrive at a pivotal time as the Trump administration deliberates its military and diplomatic strategy in Afghanistan, after nearly 17 years of war.

The administration's decision on whether to send more American troops to the country is not expected for "weeks," a Pentagon official told VOA Thursday.

Ambassador Wells' appointment came with little fanfare at a time when there is increasing attention on the expected closure of Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), which is part of the planned downsizing and restructuring of the State Department.



Critics said it prompted confusion about U.S. diplomacy in the region where nearly 10,000 American troops are deployed.



Wells assumed the duties on June 26, according to the State Department.

Ambassador Wells is ensuring that the department's approach to Afghanistan and Pakistan is integrated within our broader approach to the region, a State Department spokesperson told VOA.
Tunisia's prime minister vowed on Thursday to push ahead with a war against corruption to restore trust in the state, adding this would exclude no-one whatever their political affiliation.

Youssef Chahed's speech to lawmakers is part of a campaign that has gained him some plaudits among Tunisians even as he tries to push through unpopular austerity measures.

Corruption was one of main catalysts of the 2011 revolt against autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and many Tunisians complain raft is as widespread six years after their North African country emerged into democracy and free elections.

During the two last months, Tunisia's government has confiscated the property and frozen bank accounts of 15 prominent businessmen arrested on suspicion of corruption.

Soon after, authorities dismissed more than twenty employees in customs and transferred dozens of others for investigation on suspicion of involvement in corruption.

"During our war on corruption, we confiscated about 700 million dinars ($286 million) in foreign currency and about one billion dinars of smuggled goods," Chahed said in his first speech addressing the graft campaign.

"Our slogan today is no immunity for corruption to anyone, no to hiding behind political cover. Corruption crimes will not pass," he said.

This was an apparent reference to influential businessman Chafik Jaraya, a media mogul who maintains political contacts in Tunisia and Libya and helped finance Chahed's own Nidaa Tounes ruling party during the last elections in 2014.

Jaraya was detained in May. His lawyer dismisses charges against him, saying he is victim of a political vendetta.

Some have criticised Chahed's campaign as nothing more than political showmanship and infighting within Nidaa Tounes.

"Why have you arrested Jaraya now? Jaraya financed your party and its meetings, this is not a war on corruption, but it is just narrow political battles," opposition party Popular Front lawmaker Ammar Amroussia said after Chahed's speech.

Chahed rejected the suggestion his campaign was political.

The country's anti-corruption committee has warned graft is still common and threatens Tunisia with billions of dollars a year in losses. It has said it has presented cases against 50 senior state officials alleged to be involved in corruption.

($1 = 2.4471 Tunisian dinars)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan starts a two-day tour of Gulf states Sunday in an effort to resolve a crisis involving Qatar, and four Arab states accusing the small peninsular nation of supporting terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have severed relations with Qatar. They are enforcing a land and sea embargo, accusing the oil-rich nation of supporting extremist groups and destabilizing the region, allegations Qatar has denied.

Turkey is trying to contribute to efforts to facilitate toward peace and stability, said Mithat Rende, a retired Turkish ambassador to Qatar. "Erdogan will try to bring people together if possible or communicate messages from one side to another."

Erdogan starts his trip in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, where he will meet with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Turkish president will then travel to Kuwait for meetings with Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, before heading to Qatar to see Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.



Some observers have voiced skepticism about Erdogans tour. Atilla Yesilada, a political consultant with Global Partners expressed doubt that Turkey can achieve anything, given its negotiating skills.

Turkey does not pull any weight in the Arab world," he said. "[Ahmet] Davutoglu [the former Turkish prime minister] might have made a difference, or [Abdullah] Gul, [former Turkish president], but Erdogan wont.

Analysts say any effort by Erdogan to position himself as a facilitator will likely be handicapped by Ankaras strong backing of Doha in the diplomatic crisis. Turkey has been in the forefront of breaking the blockade of Qatar, airlifting large amounts of food and even sending milk cows.

In the middle of the crisis, Ankara opened a military base in Qatar as part of an agreement dating back to 2014. Turkish deployments of equipment, like tanks, to the base, have been steadily rising. The Saudi-led group had come up with a list of 13 demands on Qatar, including closing the Turkish base; but that demand was withdrawn, a move for which Ankara took credit.

Turkey has always made constructive calls to parties. These have already yielded consequences, said Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, speaking at press conference Wednesday. Reducing the number of demands from 13 to six and the removal of a demand to shut the Turkish base are positive developments.

Ankara argues its military base in Qatar should not be viewed as being partisan. We are also contributing to United Arab Emirates," said Rende. "Turkey has been training F-16 [fighter jet] pilots from the UAE and also ... other military planes. All these took place in Turkey so we are interested in maintaining good relations with all."

Under Erdogans rule, Turkish foreign policy has been re-balanced with more of a focus on the Gulf region. Ankara has been courting Arab investment and is seeking to project its influence. But, some analysts are warning Turkey could be the ultimate loser in the crisis over Qatar.

If Qatar wins and maintains its policy course that's so widely criticized by the rest of the Arabs, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE will never trust Turkey," warned Yesilada. "Any hopes of building a military alliance over Syria or against Iran or substantial foreign investments from those countries is an illusion."

Alternatively, he added, "in the more likely scenario, if the Qataris lose, one of the conditions will be the sheikhdom should not invest in Turkey in a large magnitude. Whoever wins, Turkey has lost. Given Turkey's history of colonialism in Arab countries, it wasn't smart to get involved in these countries in the first place."

The Turkish Ottoman empire once stretched across the Arab world. Erdogan maintains there is little historical resentment over past colonial rule, arguing Turkey shares a common Muslim identity. But Rende said Erdogans two-day trip could be as much about protecting Turkish interests as resolving the ongoing regional crisis.



"The Turkish president, while visiting the region, will probably tell the interlocutors that this [crisis] is not in the interest of anyone, said the former ambassador. ... Turkey as a country is interested in maintaining good relations not only with Qatar but with all parties."
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently named Alice Wells, a career Foreign Service Officer (FSO), as the acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, a spokesperson confirmed to VOA on Thursday.

Wells, the acting assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, will work to integrate the operations of the two offices.

The State Department is at the beginning of a process to determine the bureaucratic and management steps required.

The appointment came with little fanfare at a time when there is increasing attention on the expected closure of Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), which is part of the planned downsizing and restructuring of the State Department.

Critics said it prompted confusion about U.S. diplomacy in the region where nearly 10,000 American troops are deployed.

Wells assumed the duties June 26, according to the State Department.

The appointment also came at a time when President Donald Trump's administration is reviewing the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The discussion of "South Asia strategy" includes the possibility of sending more troops to Afghanistan, as well as examining new ideas in Washington's dealings with Pakistan.

"Ambassador Wells is ensuring that the department's approach to Afghanistan and Pakistan is integrated within our broader approach to the region," a State Department spokesperson told VOA.

"Ambassador Wells brings over 28 years of experience as a career Foreign Service Officer to the position. She was previously U.S. Ambassador to Jordan and has also served in Islamabad, New Delhi, Moscow, Riyadh, Dushanbe, at the White House, and throughout the department," the spokesperson added.

Laurel Miller, the State Department's former acting special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan who was on loan from the RAND Corp., left the office of SRAP June 23.
The U.S. has lifted its ban on carry-on laptop computers on foreign flights headed to American airports.

The Department of Homeland Security's ban list originally affected 10 airports and nine airlines, mostly Middle Eastern carriers. The agency announced that the countries where the airports are located were complying with tightened security measures and anyone flying to the U.S. can now bring a computer onto the plane.

The toughened security measures include checking electronic devices for possible explosives and pulling more people out of airport security lines for more extensive screening.

Ban started in March

Homeland Security imposed the laptop ban from the Middle East in March and threatened to expand it to more than 280 airports worldwide unless all of them carried out the intensified screenings.

Many global airlines feared a laptop ban, especially for business travelers, would hurt their business.

The quick and decisive action taken by airlines, nations, and stakeholders are a testament to our shared commitment to raising the bar on global aviation security, Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said Thursday.

DHS tests laptop bomb

U.S. authorities imposed the ban in March when intelligence said Islamic State was working to build a bomb inside a laptop.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told a U.S. security conference Wednesday that experts carried out such a test.

We tested it on a real airplane on the ground, pressurized, and to say the least, it destroyed the airplane, he said.
For five consecutive sessions this month, Taiwans legislature received world attention, not for any laws it passed, but because of the violent brawls that erupted in the legislative chambers. Such scuffles, which are not infrequent, have shaken parliament because of weak rules and tacit agreements to avoid punishing offenders.

Over the past two years, aggressive actions such as shoving, chair tossing and grabbing fellow lawmakers in headlocks have not gone to the parliaments Discipline Committee, which can suspend instigators from future appearances, the committees executive secretary said Thursday. Legislative speakers seldom use their power to call police to stop assaults, scholars in Taipei have noted.

A dogfight between the members of the house in Taiwan is legal, said Liu Yih-jiun, public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan. They never impose any physical or lawful actions and try to regulate the behavior of the legislators, even (if they) hurt someone very badly.

Reputation for brawls

Taiwan has built a reputation among world television audiences since the 1980s for legislative brawls that often start with opposition party members trying to block the majority party from reaching a podium. The blockade can stall votes on contentious issues.

As the majority party pushes back, sometimes scores of lawmakers punch, grab, yank neckties and throw objects. Three people were hospitalized after a brawl in December. One MP pulled out a stun gun in 2006.

Experts say fighting persists in Taiwan partly because political parties are unwilling to share power or accept they lack power, mirroring trends in some newly democratized Eastern European countries.

Blocs of voters in Taiwan also expect their parliamentarians to stand strong on particularly sensitive issues such as Taiwans relations with its old rival China. Some fights are staged for television cameras, individual legislators have said over the years.

Taiwans legislature in central Taipei lacks a sergeant at arms who controls security and can escort people out of the meeting chambers. In Britain, parliaments sergeant at arms carries a sword.

Weak leadership

The past two Taiwanese legislative speakers have been kind of weak and lack political wisdom to settle disputes peacefully, Liu said, giving way to physical fights. When opposition Nationalist Party MPs shoved people and mobbed the podium to block the chairman of parliaments finance committee Monday, the chairman called a recess.

Over the past two years, neither the speaker nor parliament as a whole has honored periodic requests by individual lawmakers or party caucuses to send cases of violence to the in-house Discipline Committee, its executive secretary said.

The caucus of the majority Democratic Progressive Party had asked, for example, that a Nationalist Party legislator be sent to that committee after three people were hospitalized following a brawl in December, according to local media reports.

MPs hope to avoid dividing parliament further by punishing one of their members, said Raymond Wu, managing director of the Taipei-based political risk consultancy e-telligence. That level of punishment could raise the heat in future sessions, reducing odds of the parties working together.

I think even though the rules have stipulated that the chairperson could possibly use the police force to remove the members from violent behaviors and other disruptive behaviors, but I think (lack of force) is primarily for the sake of inter-party harmony, because if you resort to the use of police force, this could create very divisive consequences, Wu said.

Little talking, more fighting

Relatively little negotiation between parties sometimes leads to physical fights, because MPs believe they have no recourse to satisfy voters.

Over five sessions that started July 13, legislators hurled chairs and water balloons, sometimes screaming as they fought. The Nationalist Party had challenged the budget for funding phase one of the governments plan for new infrastructure. The budget item received initial approval Wednesday, as more water balloons sailed through the air.

We will do our best to explain to the public why were blocking this meeting, opposition legislator Lin Wei-chou said Monday after members of his party shoved rival lawmakers to stop the finance committee chairman from reaching the podium. The chairmans job should rotate among parties, he said, but the majority camp wasnt letting that happen.

The process is illegal and also this budget is too huge, so we would need to borrow money, he said. The public is actually pretty worried. So in one aspect were reflecting peoples voices. We will do our utmost to explain to people why were so intensely blocking this meeting.
White Zimbabwean commercial farmers who were driven off their land during President Robert Mugabe's controversial land seizures are disputing claims by the finance minister that they got $134 million in compensation last

year.

Zimbabwe grabbed world headlines in 2000 when supporters of 93-year-old Mugabe invaded white-owned farms and evicted their owners, often violently. Mugabe defended the seizures as necessary to redress colonial exploitation.

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa told parliament on Thursday that his government had paid $134 million in unbudgeted money in compensation last year. He did not give details and his official statement did not include the figure.

Ben Gilpin, acting director at Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (CFUZ), a group with less than 200 members, down from 4,500 at the start of the land seizures, said on Thursday he was not aware of anybody who had been compensated.

"We haven't seen or heard of those payments from people whom we have been in contact with. We would need to check where those payments have gone," he told Reuters.

Another farmer who lost his property and follows issues of compensation also disputed Chinamasa's assertion.

"This is most definitely not the case," said the farmer, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution. "Where he is coming from I have no idea."

Last year, Chinamasa said Harare could issue treasury bills and impose a land levy to raise money to pay evicted farmers, but he admitted the process would take a long time.



Another CFUZ official who declined to be named said the last time the government paid a substantial amount of compensation was to a citrus company, Interfresh, which lost some of its farms in Mazowe, north of Harare.

"We got to hear that Interfresh was paid in the region of $44 million, but that was a while ago," the official said. "We have done some quick checks and it does not seem to be true that such an amount ($134 million) was paid last year."

Mugabe has previously said the land seizures have ended. But at political rallies this year, he has been repeating threats against the remaining white farmers, saying they should be

completely driven out.
President Donald Trump's legal advisers are looking into possible conflicts of interest within special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team that they could use to discredit Mueller's inquiry into Russian election meddling, according to multiple sources and news reports.

The New York Times' Friday edition reported that Trump aides were conducting wide-ranging checks into the professional and political ties of the investigators in preparation for what it described as a "looming showdown" between the president and Mueller.

The Trump team is reported to be scrutinizing everything from donations to Democratic Party candidates by investors, to the personal relationship between Mueller and former FBI chief James Comey, whom Trump fired.

A member of Trump's outside legal team, Jay Sekulow, said the lawyers "will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue," even complaining to Mueller directly if needed.

Mueller's Russia probe has assembled a team of high-powered prosecutors and experts to look into the president's financial history and examine whether any of his advisers aided the Kremlins campaign to disrupt last years presidential election.

In recent weeks, Trump has expressed anger about the probe after being informed about the legal questions that he and his family could face.

The Washington Post reported that Trump had told aides he was especially disturbed to learn that Mueller would be able to access several years of his tax returns.

In an interview Wednesday with the Times, the president said Mueller was leading an investigation riddled with conflicts of interest, and that the special counsel should not expand the probe to include the financial dealings of his family.

"I think that's a violation," Trump said. "Look, this is about Russia."

George Washington University legal expert Jonathan Turley said Friday that while the Trump team's move to investigate the investigators might hold a visceral appeal, it could come at a great legal cost.

"Such investigations can easily cross the line into obstruction or other charges," Turley told VOA. "It would also degrade the office of the president in reducing this controversy to the level of a bar brawl."

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, senior White House adviser and Trump's son-in-law, will testify next week about their meeting last year with a Russian attorney.

Mueller's team has begun examining financial records and requested documents from the Internal Revenue Service related to Manafort, the Times reported, citing a senior U.S. official. The records are from a criminal tax investigation that had been opened long before Trump's campaign began. Manafort was never charged in that case.

Presidential scholar Thomas Whalen of Boston University said any move by Trump to undercut Mueller's investigation would take the country closer to a constitutional crisis. "It appears obvious that Trump does not want Mueller to mess around with his personal financial affairs and that of his companies and his families that might turn up some skeletons that Trump wants hidden from the public," Whalen said.

Political analyst Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics cautioned, however, that legal experts indicate that the only entity that can take what amounts to legal action against a president is Congress.

"Congress is controlled by Republicans, and Republicans still give Trump 80 percent approval or more," Kondik told VOA. "So things are going to have to get significantly worse for the president, in all likelihood, for Congress to take action against him."

Trump appeared to be trying to shore up his team Friday, appointing Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci to the vacant position of White House communications director. That move may have created further chaos, however, leading to the immediate resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer, whose influence had diminished in recent weeks. Spicer tweeted that he would stay on through August.

Adding to the challenges facing Trump's external team of lawyers, the team's spokesman, Mark Corallo, resigned Thursday, news reports said, citing two people familiar with his departure. Corallo was one of several people who cautioned against publicly criticizing Mueller, with whom Corallo had a close relationship.

Corallo became increasingly frustrated with the operation and infighting, the sources said. One of the people said Corallo was also troubled about whether he was being given factual information about various developments.
President Robert Mugabe is today expected to addresses Zanu PF youth in Matabeleland North as part of his party's recruitment of young people ahead of next years local government, parliamentary, senatorial and presidential elections, which he will contest as a 94-year-old candidate.

This is the first time he will speak in public after going to Singapore for the third time this year to seek medical treatment earlier this month.

President Mugabe has already held so-called public meetings with youth in two provinces as most parties hit the campaign trail.

Youth are expected to play a crucial role in the next elections following similar outreach activities being conducted by fragmented opposition parties.

The Zimbabwean leader has been in power since the country attained independence from British rule in 1980.

At 94, he will be the oldest person ever in the world to contest a presidential election.
After more than three years helping lead one of the countrys most powerful Wall Street regulators, Sharon Bowen is ready to step down.

Her pending departure from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission will leave the five-member board with just one member. And that is a problem for a panel responsible for regulating some of the countrys most complex financial markets.

It is also a problem for President Trump. This week, his administration again reiterated its pledge to rid the government of cumbersome regulations it contends are strangling business. But the task is proving difficult to achieve, because many regulations are written to enforce congressionally authorized laws and the White House cannot unilaterally remove them. And even in the areas where the administration has the power, it needs to write new rules to replace old ones.

While there may be plenty of career bureaucrats to craft the new language, there is a decided lack of deciders at the helm of many agencies to approve them, particularly in the financial regulatory sphere.

[Trump administration cancels hundreds of Obama-era regulations]

In addition to openings at the CFTC, the Securities and Exchange Commission needs two more commissioners, and three positions remain open on the Federal Reserves Board of Governors. Trumps pick to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Jim Clinger, recently withdrew his nomination, citing family issues.

Many presidents struggle to quickly fill vacant seats, but the Trump administration has just done it much worse, said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group that studies government management. At this point in the Obama administration, 203 positions that require Senate confirmation were filled, while Trump has been able to fill just 50 of those positions, according to data tracked by the group.

Bowen said she hoped her departure  a year before the end of her term  would give the administration an extra shove to begin filling seats on the CFTC. Just two board members could legally approve noncontroversial items, but legal experts say it is unclear whether one would have the same power.

I am not running for the exit, Bowen said in an interview, adding, I am hoping it will create momentum to put people in place.

Some on Wall Street, once excited about the prospects of a businessman in office, are growing impatient.

For example, Federal Reserve leaders have indicated they would be willing to simplify the yearly stress tests big banks must endure to prove they could survive an economic crisis, a long-held Wall Street wish. But, so far, it has not happened.

If they had more governors they could do it more quickly, said Wayne Abernathy, a lobbyist for the American Bankers Association.

Compared with his predecessors, Trumps nomination process has been slow, industry officials say, noting that President Barack Obama was facing a financial crisis when he took office and quickly outlined his economic team. But the slow place is part of a long-term pattern, said Justin Schardin, director of the Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

It now takes three times as long as it did before 1990 for a president to nominate and the Senate to confirm a financial regulator, according to a March study by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The trend is most apparent at the Fed. Between 1947 and 1986, it took 93 days to return the board to its full seven members. Since then it has taken an average of 676 days, according to the study.

When youre in the area of financial services, you want to get people who know what theyre doing. Finding those kinds of people takes time, Abernathy said. It is not at all unusual that you would have this many openings halfway through the year.

But the problem can also be traced back to stalling tactics deployed by Republicans during the Obama administration, said Ed Mills, a policy analyst at the investment bank FBR Capital Markets. Some nominees never received a Senate hearing, he said, so when Trump took office there was already a higher-than-normal level of vacancies. At the time, Republicans were attempting to slow the implementation of the 2010 financial overhaul legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Act, Mills said.

If you couldnt repeal Dodd-Frank, not confirming the commissioners needed to implement the regulations was just as good, he said.

At the SEC, which is tasked with protecting investors and policing corporations, it was Democrats who prevented the Obama administration from filling two open seats on its five-member commission. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democrats opposed the nominees because they did not support requiring publicly traded corporations to disclose political spending. Their objections left the seats unfilled and gave any one of the three remaining commissioners the ability to grind action to a halt by simply not showing up for a meeting.

That is about to change. We are going to see a push to have commission members approved so they can fulfill the deregulatory agenda pushed by President Trump, Mills said.

The White House appears to be accelerating its efforts to fill these key positions, especially since the appointment of Andrew Olmem as special assistant for financial policy for the National Economic Council. The Senate approved the nomination of Jay Clayton, a Wall Street lawyer, to lead the SEC in May, and Trump announced that he will nominate Randal Quarles, a former Treasury Department official and private-equity investor, to fill a vacant seat on the Feds Board of Governors, an influential position overseeing the banking system. But two more positions remain open on the Fed board, and speculation has already begun about who could replace Fed Chair Janet L. Yellen when her term expires next year.

The administration is making very good progress on filling nominations in the face of unprecedented obstruction from Senate Democrats, Natalie Strom, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. The President already has Jay Clayton in place at the SEC and has nominated a series of other highly qualified individuals to other financial regulatory positions . . . whom he looks forward to seeing confirmed soon.

And despite the delays, industry officials say they have begun to notice a change among regulators. Instead of pushing aggressively toward new rules, many agencies have indicated that they are reviewing the current regulatory regime, they say.

We welcome that change in tone. We have some ideas, and we are finding a receptive audience on the government side, said Eric Hoplin, executive director of the Financial Services Roundtable, whose members include major banking, insurance and credit-card companies. When it comes to these incredibly complex jobs and finding people that have the experience to do that, it can be difficult. . . . Were being patient.

For us, the right people is more important than speed, he said.

At the CFTC, the task of filling the empty positions is significant and comes as the agency continues to adjust to drastically broader powers it was given after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate some of the most complex parts of the financial market.

The CFTC went from an agency that no one cared about to one of the most aggressive enforcers of Dodd-Frank, Mills said.

The agency has not had a full commission with five members since 2014. The problem became more acute when Trump came into office and the head of the agency, Tim Massad, stepped down. Work at the agency has been hampered with the lack of manpower, said Bowen, the commissioner who wants to step down.

The agency currently has only two members, Republican Chris Giancarlo, whom Trump has nominated to take over as commission chair, and Bowen, a Democrat. Both members must agree for the agency to take major action, but they are not allowed to meet privately to discuss potential policies, because it would constitute an official meeting open to the public. Instead, their staff members often shuttle messages between them and serve as conduits to debating issues, Bowen said. It just makes for some inefficiencies, she said.

For Wall Street, this has meant slowing the process of loosening regulations. At a March industry conference, Giancarlo announced the launch of Project KISS, or Keep It Simple Stupid, an agency-wide review of CFTC rules and regulations to make them simpler, less burdensome and less costly.

Americans have voted for a change in the direction of the country, a change back toward economic growth and broad-based prosperity, Giancarlo said during a conference in March. And our industry has a role to play.

But such significant changes are not likely until the vacant positions are filled.

The happy impact is that arguably less is taking place than with a full complement of commissioners, said Bart Naylor, a financial-policy advocate for the public interest group Public Citizen. When he has a full commission, he wont have anything to retard that ambition.

Trump has nominated two Republicans, Dawn Stump and Brian Quintenz, to fill positions on the commission. The Senate Agriculture Committee has scheduled nomination hearings for next week, but it is unclear how quickly the full Senate will vote. Giancarlo is leading the agency on an acting basis, since the full Senate has yet to approve his nomination.


Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, holds up what he described as President Barack Obamas regulations during a news briefing on Thursday at the White House. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News)

The White Houses Office of Management and Budget detailed Thursday how it would jettison hundreds of existing or planned regulations as part of its larger push to ease federal restrictions on the private sector, upending federal policies on labor, the environment and public health.

The list, issued as part of a semiannual report on the entire governments regulatory agenda, shows the extent to which this administration is determined to erase many of the Obama administrations policy priorities. In several instances, the administration is dropping rules aimed at tightening worker safety standards or omitting species the government had pledged to protect under the Endangered Species Act. In other cases, it is proposing new regulations that provide employers with more leeway in how they run their businesses or report their activities to federal officials.

The Trump administration said it was pulling or suspending 860 pending regulations. Of those, 469 were being completely withdrawn. Another 391 were being set aside or reevaluated. These proposed regulations could be revisited at some point or dropped altogether.

The rules the administration targeted govern everything  from the basics of everyday living, such as a product safety standard for mattresses flammability when it comes to cigarettes, to what sort of precautions construction firms should be required to take so their workers are not run over by other vehicles on site.

I cannot express to you enough how much things have changed when it comes to the regulatory burden, the attitudes towards regulations, in this country, and you are just going to see more of that for the next eight years, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters Thursday. Our philosophy has been that the previous administration fudged the numbers  that they either overstated the benefits to people or understated the costs  and we are going to look at it in a much more pragmatic perspective.

Consumer and worker advocates countered that Trump officials were scrapping critical government safeguards, and the implications of these actions could ripple across the country for years.

These rollbacks of critical public protections will leave American workers, consumers and children vulnerable on a daily basis, said Amit Narang, regulatory policy advocate for Public Citizens Congress Watch division, to risks such as air and water pollution, unsafe products and tainted food, dangerous workplaces and a newly deregulated Wall Street that once again could threaten economic collapse.

[Trump undertakes the most ambitious regulatory rollback since Reagan]

President Trump has promised to eliminate 80 percent of all federal regulations, arguing that the plethora of rules is harming economic growth and making it harder for companies to create more jobs.

But OMB officials have suggested that could be very difficult to achieve because many regulations are written to enforce congressionally authorized laws, and the White House cannot unilaterally remove them.

Susan Dudley, who directs George Washington Universitys Regulatory Studies Center, said in an interview that the agenda does signify a slower pace of new regulatory actions, although it was too early to know whether officials would follow through on their pledge to eliminate two regulations for every new one they propose, and ensure these actions did not add to the federal deficit.

Still, the White Houses updated regulatory agenda on Thursday shows that it is taking steps to freeze, slow or remove many pending regulations, some of which have been in the works  and at times, languishing  for years. For example, one proposal that the Trump administration is suspending would have created new standards for the way meat and poultry products are processed. That rule was first proposed in 2001.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a conservative economist and former Congressional Budget Office director, said in an interview that at the end of Obamas second term there was a lot of overreach as it finalized a slew of rules, and the new administration is taking corrective action. Holtz-Eakin cited a recent study by the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank, which estimated that the previous administrations regulations imposed a cumulative burden of $890 billion in compliance costs.

Theres no question the Obama administration went too far, Holtz-Eakin said. The notion that you should stop and reexamine things is perfectly sensible.

Manufacturers have also hailed these moves: In the National Association of Manufacturers most recent survey of its members, 80 percent say that Trumps actions on regulation are headed in the right direction.

Raj Nayak, the National Employment Law Projects director of research, said in an interview that the regulatory rollbacks touted in the new agenda have a consistent theme. They are deemphasizing the projects that help workers, said Nayak, who served as deputy chief of staff to Obamas second labor secretary, Tom Perez.

The administration has touted several regulatory changes already, including the Environmental Protection Agencys move to repeal a sweeping rule governing what water bodies qualify for federal protection and one limiting greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants.

EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said the agencys move to withdraw 25 separate regulations reflects the administrations commitment to refocusing the agency on our core mission of protecting the nations air, water and land while reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on Americans.

And in late March, the Energy Department withdrew proposed regulations designed to make products more energy efficient. The regulations concerned gas-fired indoor or outdoor fireplaces, natural gas compressors and computers.

The list the White House issued Thursday was notable for what it said about its plans to address lower-profile measures that govern the operations of businesses and other regulated entities.

Mulvaney noted that many of these federal requirements often escape public notice: None of them are very sexy, none of them are very glamorous, none of them really rise to the level of getting national attention.

[EPA rules emerge as major target after administration solicits industry input]

But they often have major implications for how companies operate and what sort of federal enforcement actions they will face.

The Labor Department, for example, removed from its long-term agenda a proposal to stiffen exposure standards for styrene, a chemical used in plastics that has been identified as a carcinogen, and 1-bromopropane, a chemical solvent that is a neurotoxin. It is also jettisoning plans to change permissible exposure limits for some substances that were set in 1971.

In a 2011 letter to the department, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote that given the fact that the permissible exposure limits were set four decades ago, they do not reflect current technology or contemporary understandings of exposure levels and should be updated.

Clearly, what this administration is saying is that no further work will be done on health standards, said David Michaels, who headed Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration under Obama and now serves as a public health professor at George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Labor Department spokesman Michael Trupo said department officials are not commenting beyond what is in the agenda.

In a major win for restaurateurs, Labor indicated Thursday it would reverse an Obama-era rule that prohibited them from sharing some of the tips that servers earning the full minimum wage received with other employees, such as cooks and dishwashers. The National Restaurant Association had challenged the 2011 rule, and there had been conflicting rulings from the 9th and 10th Circuit on whether the regulation was legal.

Angelo Amador, executive director of the associations Restaurant Law Center, described the move as a reaction to the years of litigation, noting that the rule had been stayed since 2013.

Amador said that confining tips to just servers creates a disparity between them and those in the back of the house washing dishes and preparing the meal. Theyre all working towards the same goal, he said. If your food is burned or your plates are dirty, you might not get a good tip.

But Nayak argued that by allowing the employer to pool tips, Its essentially subsidizing wages that the restaurant should pay. Fundamentally, the employer should not be taking a portion of the tips.

And while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to designate protections for several species under the Endangered Species Act by Sept. 30, nearly a dozen of these measures are missing from OMBs agenda. Federal officials are under court order to determine whether to list the Kirtlands snake, a rare and secretive reptile in the Midwest, but there is no mention of the species in the document.

Many of these species are highly imperiled and need all the protection they can get, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group.

Abby Phillip and Chris Mooney contributed to this report.


Tyler McGlothlin hugs his mother, Sheila McGlothlin, who is stressed out about money and her failing health. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Five days earlier, his mother had spent the last of her disability check on bologna, cheese, bread and Pepsi. Two days earlier, he had gone outside and looked at the train tracks that wind between the coal mines and said, I dont know how Im going to get out of this. One day earlier, the family dog had collapsed from an unnamed illness, and, without money for a veterinarian, he had watched her die on the porch. And now it was Monday morning, and Tyler McGlothlin, 19, had a plan.

About time to go, said his mother, Sheila McGlothlin, 57, stamping out a cigarette.

Im ready, Tyler said, walking across a small, decaying house wedged against a mountain and strewn with dirty dishes, soda cans and ashtrays. They went outside, stepping past bottles of vodka his father had discarded before disappearing into another jail cell, and climbed a dirt path toward a housemates car.

He knew his plan was not a good one. But what choice did he have? He had looked inside the refrigerator that morning, and the math didnt add up. Five people were living in the house, none of whom worked. It would be 17 days before his mother received another disability check and more food stamps. And the refrigerator contained only seven eggs, two pieces of bologna, 24 slices of Kraft American cheese, some sliced ham and one pork chop.

It had to be done.

Tyler would hold a sign on the side of the road and beg for money. He would go to a town 30 miles down the road and stand at one of the regions busiest intersections, where he prayed no one would recognize him, to plead for help from people whose lives seemed so far removed from his own.

To Tyler, the collapse of the coal industry had left two kinds of people in these mountains. There are those who work. And there are those who dont: the unemployed, the disabled, the addicted, and the people who, like his family, belonged to all three groups. Those who work rarely mix with those who dont, except in brief encounters at the grocery store, at the schools or, for Tyler, along the side of the road, where he knew he was likely to encounter acts of generosity as well as outbursts of resentment.

As he walked toward the car and got inside, he had so many hopes in his head. He hoped he would get enough money to feed his family. He hoped the cops wouldnt arrest him. But most of all, he hoped he wouldnt run into a man named David Hess.



Tyler McGlothlin holds a sign seeking monetary donations to feed his family in Richlands, Va. (Terrence McCoy/The Washington Post)

It was Hess who had surfaced the subterranean tensions between those who work and those who dont in this depopulating and remote stretch of Virginia. In a moment that continues to resonate here, in the counties of Tazewell, where one in six working-age residents collect federal disability benefits, and Buchanan, where more than one in four do, Hess had confronted the McGlothlins late last year for panhandling, then issued a mocking social media post that soon had everyone talking and taking sides.

Were the McGlothlins pitiable or contemptible? Was Hess cruel or simply unafraid to say what others thought?

The morning of the first confrontation, in November, Hess, a man with a crew cut and hands scarred from years of work, slept until noon. His moving company had done a big job the day before, and when he awoke, he noticed he was nearly out of dog food, so he left his house, a brick ranch atop a steep hill. After collecting the dog food from a grocery store, he saw Tylers father, Dale McGlothlin, a former coal miner living on disability, holding a sign along the side of the road. Need donations to help to feed my family, it said.

Hess pulled over. He offered him food, then told him he could do him one better: Would he like a job? McGlothlin, whose arms had been damaged in the coal mines and who hadnt worked in more than a decade, declined the offer, and Hess drove off, outraged.

Living at the center of an opioid crisis, and in the aftermath of a decades-long surge in the nations disability rolls, Hess had long perceived a resistance to work. He had seen it when he couldnt find anyone to hire who could pass a drug test and had a drivers license. Or when someone complained they couldnt find work, and he knew fast-food restaurants were hiring. Or when he saw someone claiming a disability despite having what he thought was a mild condition. He would come away thinking he worked 60 hours a week  despite a thyroid condition, despite two bankruptcies, despite the depressed local economy  not because he felt like it but because that was who he was. And now here was another person who didnt want to work  he wanted a handout, a concept that so angered Hess that his Facebook profile picture was an outstretched palm with a large red strike across it.



Tyler McGlothlin looks at a Facebook posting showing his father begging for money and another man who is harassing him for begging. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Morgan McGlothlin and her husband, Tyler, smoke and play video games most of the day and night with friends at home. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

He drove home. He emerged a while later with his own sign and returned to the intersection. There, Hess stood beside McGlothlin, who he said had told him he could make more money panhandling than working, and raised the sheet of cardboard.

I offered him a job, the sign said. And he refused.

He posted a picture of it on Facebook. Many of you know I am very pro work, he wrote, recounting what he had done. I made up my own sign and joined him. PLEASE SHARE.

Dozens did. Then hundreds. Then, to Hesss surprise, the incident quickly spread to thousands of Facebook pages across the region, exposing frictions that have become common in scores of communities reshaped by the historic rise in the number of participants in federal disability programs. A Washington Post analysis of government statistics found 102 counties, where, at minimum, about one in six working-age residents receive either Supplemental Security Income, a program for the disabled poor, or Social Security Disability Insurance for disabled workers. These are places  primarily white, rural and working-class  where once-dominant industries have collapsed or modernized and the number of people who are jobless or receiving public-assistance benefits has soared.

There is a critical divide in the minds of low-income whites, between people who work, even if they struggle, and what has historically been called white trash,  said Lisa Pruitt, a professor at the University of California at Davis who researches rural poverty and grew up in Newton County, Ark., which has one of the nations highest disability rates. The worst thing you can do in rural America among low-income whites is not work. Theres a mentality, she said, that only lazy white trash accept whats derided as handouts.

Were you morally upstanding or were you not? was a question Jennifer Sherman, the author of Those Who Work, Those Who Dont: Poverty, Morality, and Family in Rural America, came to associate with the idea of work and public benefits while living in a remote California community where the timber industry had capsized. Could you make some claim to work and having a work ethic or could you not? It was your claim to moral capital and your identity.

Nearly two-thirds of rural Americans say its more common for irresponsible people to receive government help they dont deserve than for needy people to go without assistance, compared with 48 percent of city residents, according to a recent Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Rural Americans are also more apt to say poverty is the result of laziness.

And as Hesss post continued to spread throughout the region, some commenters were beginning to conclude that this, too, was what ailed the panhandler.

He is a lazy bum, one woman wrote. Im sorry if he can stand there outside and hold a sign he could work in some capacity..I have cancer and Im ill but I work yet.

Why dont his wife get off her butt and get a job? another woman said.

IM JUST TIRED OF BEING RIPPED OFF BY PEOPLE! another person said.

Meanwhile, the panhandlers son, Tyler, began sending messages to Hess, and the conversation quickly became vitriolic.

He is a 58 year old man that is disabled, Tyler wrote. He worked 30 years in the coal mines which is a whole lot [harder than] what your lazy a-- is doing.

I work, Hess told Tyler. You bums should try it too. He added in another message: I am not a dead beat I do not get any disability.

More confrontations followed. Hess later found Tylers father begging on the same road, this time closer to his house, and yelled at him to stay away. Another time, Hess called the cops on Tyler and a friend of his. I grew up in one of the roughest households ever, Hess said. If I can come out of what I came out of, why cant everyone else? . . . I would work anywhere. I would shovel s--- or flip burgers. . . . Hard work is what pulled me out of poverty.

And then came Monday morning, and Hess, following another night of work, was again resting at home, unaware that the McGlothlins were, at that moment, taking a serpentine road through the mountains, about to arrive at the intersection down below.



Sheila McGlothlin smokes while weeping about her lack of money and her failing health. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

A grade school photo of Tyler McGlothlin sits next to a stack of bills in the home he shares with his mother and wife. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Tyler sat in the back seat beside his mother. As the car, driven by a housemate, banked along a curve, he put his arm around her and lit a cigarette.

Im trying to stay away from jail, he said.

I reckon you are, said Sheila, who planned to visit a doctor while he begged. You better not. Youre all I got left.

Youre all I got left, he answered.

He could hardly remember a period in his life when it seemed he had more. He never knew the good times his parents would sometimes recall, when the coal mines were open, and his father was getting work all over Buchanan County. He knew only what happened after. The mining accident in 2001 that nearly killed his father, then the anxiety and depression that led to disability benefits. His fathers addiction to prescription pills, taken to dull the pain from the mines, and, later, the drug charges and incarceration in 2005. Tyler asking Sheila, also on disability because of depression and anxiety, also addicted to pain pills, to quit drugs. And her saying she would, but only if hed promise to finish college, find a job somewhere else and take her away from here.

The car went past the McDonalds where Tyler had worked until he was fired for missing a shift during a snowstorm. Next it passed the Food City, where, the year before, Tylers father had seen a man holding a sign and begging for money, which gave him the idea to do the same.

Tyler used to feel certain that he would keep his promise to Sheila. He had avoided the traps that had ensnared so many others around him. He hadnt gotten a girl pregnant. He hadnt used drugs, like his brother, now incarcerated, as well. He had graduated high school, something neither of his parents had done, then married his girlfriend, Morgan, who was 17. And after securing financial aid and buying a car with money saved from work, he started welding classes at a community college nearly an hours drive away. In the mornings, he would take his father to a corner to beg, head off to class, and in the afternoons, theyd return home together. But then came the confrontations with Hess, his fathers second incarceration in March for selling hydrocodone and clonazepam, and a car crash that took away his drivers license and totaled his car. Without transportation, he decided to drop out of school and stay home with his mother, wife and other housemates.

Sheila rested a hand on Tylers right knee, ashed a cigarette into a soda can and looked out the window. She had wanted something more for him, something other than what she felt most days: shame. She knew how she must look, in her pajamas and mismatched socks, to people who work. She knew what they must say about her disability: Its only anxiety, only depression. Why couldnt she work? Why did she buy soda and cigarettes when they needed food? How could she afford the Internet and cable TV bills on a $500 monthly disability check? She would sometimes consider how she would answer. She would say that cigarettes and soda make hard days a little easier. That television is just about her only connection to a world that hasnt seemed to want her anymore. But its simpler to say nothing at all, so she rarely leaves the house now.

Once you get a name, you always got a name, she had said the day before to a relative who also draws disability. You can never disappear.

The only way something dies on you around here is if the people dies out, the relative had said. I worked in the coal mines, and my nephews wont even give me the damn time of day. Act like Im going to steal something off them all the time because I aint got much.

Yeah, Sheila had said, nodding. Yeah.



Sheila McGlothlin walks back to her house in her pajamas after checking the mail. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Tyler McGlothlin and his wife, Morgan McGlothlin, at home in Grundy, Va. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Thats the shame, he said. Coal miners is what made this United States what it is.

Sheila gave Tyler a long look. He was studying the paint stains on his jeans and boots. They were left over from some community service he had done a few days before as punishment for stealing two items worth less than $200 at a Walmart, one of which was some ear buds, and returning one for money.

I was supposed to go work off my fines today, he said.

You know Id rather have you do that than do what youre doing now, she said.

If I was making money doing it, I wouldnt care, he said. But you go work for nothing.

There was a silence.

So which hill are you going to? Sheila asked.

The top of the hill, he said of the location outside Hesss house.

Youll get run off. I wish youd go on out there, she said of another location.

It aint got no money out there, he said.

Maybe you can, she pleaded. Maybe you can go out there.

They were then quiet as the car approached the Clinch Valley Medical Center, the largest hospital in the region. He looked over at Sheila, who had another cigarette going as the car pulled into a parking spot. You cant smoke this, Mama, he said, tugging it away. Youll get a ticket.

She dropped the butt into a soda can, slowly got out of the car and started for the entrance. She turned back.

I love you, she told him.

I love you, too, he said, giving her a quick hug.

Ill call you as soon as I get out.

All right, he said. Ill go hold a sign.



Tyler McGlothlin and his mother, Sheila McGlothlin, chat on their front porch. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

He couldnt bring himself to call it what it was. It was never begging. When his father went to jail, and he told Tyler what to do if he became desperate enough, and the family didnt have enough to eat, he didnt tell him to beg or bum. Bums knock on car windows and accost people in the streets, and the family didnt do that. He told his son to hold a sign, so thats what Tyler called it.

And now, standing in a parking lot beneath Hesss house, he looked down at 11 signs in the trunk of the car, most of which his father had made, trying to decide which would be best. Need help to feed my family, said one that was too big and floppy for such a windy day. Need Donations to help with my wifes surgery, said another of an operation that had recently removed four inches of Sheilas intestines. God bless you! said another. Tyler lifted one more that said, Layed off need donations to feed my family. He knew it wasnt exactly truthful. Had he been laid off from McDonalds, or fired? But he also wanted people to know he would work  wanted to work, even  so he chose that one, hopeful it would bring donations and maybe a job offer.

He got back in the car, parked outside a store selling auto parts, gripping the sign. He glanced up at Hesss house, wondering whether anyone was home.

Them are his two Jaguars, he said. That brick house is his.

Now, look, said housemate Nick Owens, 27, behind the wheel. If hes on that hill right there. If he comes down . . . 

If he comes down, Ill just leave. I dont want him to get in my head or anything.

Right, Owens said.

If you see his vehicle come up or anything, just holler at me, if you can. Honk your horn or something, Tyler said and got out of the car. Sidestepping traffic, he reached the center of the intersection, where cars were waiting at a traffic light. He held the sign out before him, and, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone, kept his head down. He didnt see one driver staring at him. He didnt see another talk to his passenger, who looked at Tyler and quickly turned away. He glanced up only when a man stopped and gave him four singles. And again when a blond woman in a blue Ford Focus slowed in front of him. She rolled down her window. He stepped toward her car. She stuck out her head to say something.

Why dont you go get a job! she said. Go cut some grass!

Then she was gone, and he was alone, thinking she was wrong  he had tried to find jobs, after all  but also thinking she was right. Why couldnt he get a job? Was he to blame? Maybe people were right when they told him tattoos would turn off employers. He also could have walked through the snow that day McDonalds had fired him  it was less than a mile from his house  but he hadnt done that, either. And when his father told him to hold a sign, he could have refused, but he hadnt.

A man in a truck rolled down his window. He handed Tyler a roll of dimes worth $5.

Its all I got right now, the man said.

I appreciate it, Tyler said. God bless you.





Some days he could make $100 in three hours, and other days he would make less than the gas money it took to get here. It all depended on how long he was able to stand at the intersection before he was chased off by Hess or asked to leave by a county deputy, one of whom had just stopped on the other side of the intersection and was motioning at Tyler to approach him.

We get so many complaints, said the deputy, Brian Triplett. Just dont stand on the state property.

Im just trying to make, Tyler began, then started again. I applied for jobs, dude, and dont hear nothing back. My mom only gets $500 in Social Security disability.

And it was his mother he thought of after the deputy had left, and he was walking back toward the car, which took him to a grocery store, which had a phone near the managers desk that made free calls.

Standing at the phone, he punched in Sheilas number.

Hi, he said into it.

He told her he had made less than $10.

I stood up there for 15 minutes, and I got ran off.

He would have enough to buy only bologna, bread and cheese.

David Hess, I didnt even see him anywhere.

All around him  in the checkout line, in the stores office, in the aisles helping customers  were those who worked.

I dont know what to do.

And here he was, someone who didnt.

What should I do?

Scott Clement and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.


Falernum and a dark rum such as Goslings Black Seal, go into a good Rum Swizzle. (Evy Mages/For The Washington Post)

Youre thinking cool thoughts, about island breezes and chaises near the water. And whats in your hand? A refreshing adult beverage, with rum. Here are some classic ways to go, from the Recipe Finder.

Rum Swizzle., pictured above. So called because a swizzle stick or bar spoon is used to agitate the drink until its well chilled.



(Mark Finkenstaedt/For The Washington Post)

(Max Hirshfeld/ForThe Washington Post)

Mai Tai; Dark & Stormy. We have Victor Trader Vic Bergeron to thank for the first one, and Bermuda to thank for the latter.



(Deb Lindsey/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

(Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)

Jamaican Punch; Pina con Lima. Ones pretty in pink, with a recipe thats centuries old, while the others a newer classic, with flavors in balance thanks to the addition of fresh lime juice.



(Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Rum Manhattan. Made with rhum agricole, from cocktail master Derek Brown.
Kayla Johnson, 25, married James Castaneda, 27, on July 1. The couple met as students at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. James was Kayla's campus crush for years before they began dating. (Zoe Prinds-Flash Photography)

Kayla Johnson didnt have a script in mind when she approached the crowded booth of men at the Plaza Tavern, a Wisconsin bar, in April 2013.

Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt,she ad-libbed. We were just sitting here and my roommate lost her wallet. Any chance youve seen it?

The men scanned the space thoughtfully, checking every crack and crevice to see where it may have fallen. No luck.

The truth was there wasnt any wallet. The line was a ploy, made up on the spot by Kayla to spark conversation with the cute guys and, hopefully, score a round of free drinks for her and her girlfriends. It worked like a charm, she says.

What Kayla didnt realize was that James Castaneda, her college crush for four years at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, was in the group.

Kayla and James led their wedding crowd in a parade down Main Street to the reception venue. We danced the entire way, says Kayla. It was sensational. (Zoe Prinds-Flash Photography /Zoe Prinds-Flash Photography )

Although she had talked to James only once, fleetingly, at a concert her freshman year, she had always admired him from a distance and texted friends when she spotted him on campus.

Seizing the moment, Kayla decided to reintroduce herself and take a seat. Suddenly, she got butterflies and her heart began to race. She tried to push past it.

I did not play it cool, she admits. At all.

[A refresher on wedding etiquette, from tricky plus-one scenarios to cash bars]

Fortunately, she didnt have to. James was smitten with her bubbly, outgoing personality. She was very present in the conversation and asked all the right questions, he recalls. I didnt want to stop talking to her.

The conversation flowed easily, and they exchanged numbers at the end of the night. Heeding the advice of friends, James tried to wait a full day before asking her out, but he couldnt.

Hes incredibly enthusiastic, says Kayla. In his early texting, he would write me things with, like, seven exclamation points.

Kayla and James surprised their 270 guests with a duet, rather than a first dance, and sang Randy Newmans Youve Got a Friend in Me. (Zoe Prinds-Flash Photography)

Days later, he invited her to a concert. But, perhaps distracted by excitement, he failed to mention that his sister would also be there.

I didnt give Kayla any warning, James says. Or think to tell my sister, Hey, Im going to be on a date, so actually it would be cool if you didnt come. 

Despite the oversight, the date was a success, and they shared their first kiss. Soon they were spending much of their free time together, having picnics at the park and going to concerts around town.

We saw each other constantly, Kayla says. I couldnt get enough of his energy and wanted to see him again and again.

I was actively trying to talk myself down from being totally in love with her right away, James adds.

Three weeks in, at the height of their puppy-love stage, they went on a weekend camping trip at Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville, Wis. The trip was far from perfect.

We had such tunnel vision of each other that we didnt think to pack a proper sleeping bag, cooking utensils or even a flashlight. We had one blanket between us [and] it was freezing cold and pouring rain, says Kayla. It was terrible, but we had so much fun.

Things continued to progress steadily and easily, and by early July they were official. A few weeks later, Kayla, now 25, moved to Washington to work for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) as a legislative correspondent. After several months of long distance, James, now 27, followed and began working as a music teacher at Goding Elementary School in Northeast Washington.

Life, however, threw them a curveball in May 2015 when Kaylas father was diagnosed with cancer.

[Forget the big wedding. More of todays couples include you through Facebook]

It went from knowing James and I could have fun together to me needing [him] in a way that Ive never needed anyone before. I take pride in the fact that I can take care of myself, so for me to turn to him and say I cant do this was challenging, says Kayla. Theres beauty in having a partner wholl say, Here, I got this. Its okay to not be okay. 

With Jamess full support, Kayla moved back to Minneapolis for a month to be closer to family. It cemented the fact that [he] was not only my boyfriend, he was my partner, she says.

When Kayla returned to D.C., they moved into an apartment on Capitol Hill. There, they began building a life together. James attributes Kaylas career ambition and drive for inspiring him to pursue his dream of starting a schoolwide orchestra program, while Kayla credits James for keeping her sane, day in and day out, by showing her the importance of valuing relaxation, embracing her goofy side and living in the moment.

When I go to grab my morning cup of coffee, he makes me dance with him and give him a kiss before I can take it, says Kayla. He brings joy to every part of my life.

Over Memorial Day weekend in 2016, James invited Kayla on a sunset walk along the beach at Chincoteague Island, Va. With the help of friends, he surprised her with a romantic display in the sand  a heart made out of shells and candles  and proposed. Since Kayla loves dogs, he gave her a plastic pug ring as a placeholder, which was later replaced with a green jade and white sapphire ring.

Their friends, hidden behind some sand dunes, cheered excitedly and presented them with champagne, sparklers and a plastic Frozen-themed tiara for the bride-to-be.

Weeks before the wedding, they moved to Minneapolis to be closer to family, and Kayla accepted a position as the Minnesota Democratic Partys communications director.

On July 1, the couple exchanged vows at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Minneapolis. The bride, and the father of the bride, fought back tears as she made her way toward her groom.

Seeing the faces of all my loved ones  friends, family from every era of my life  was incredible, Kayla says, like watching a movie of my life, all the characters from every scene.

[Are you getting married in the Washington region? Tell us why we should feature your nuptials here.]

Right after the newlyweds shared their first kiss, a friend pulled a trumpet from the choir loft and began playing Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros hit Home. Twelve guests followed suit, playing a variety of instruments, and led the crowd in a parade down Main Street to the reception venue.

We danced the entire way, says Kayla. It was sensational.

Instead of a first dance, the musical pair surprised their 270 guests with a duet, singing Randy Newmans Youve Got a Friend in Me.

Youve got troubles, and Ive got em, too

There isnt anything I wouldnt do for you

We stick together and can see it through

Cause youve got a friend in me.

Are you getting married in the Washington region? Tell us why we should feature your nuptials here at wapo.st/weddings.
Theres something about Sean Spicer that inspires pity. Hes had so much to deal with: The brutal Saturday Night Live skewerings. The fact that his boss, President Trump, wouldnt let him meet Pope Francis during the Vatican visit. That ill-fitting suit he started out in. And so, so much more.

But dont give in to that emotion. To use current parlance, resist.

Because Spicer should have known from the very start that this would end badly. There was never any other possibility for a press secretary who was in the most unacceptable position for a White House press secretary. A classic CNN chyron last month got it just right: Presidents Spokesman Says He Cant Speak for the President.

Thats been a problem.

Spicer  awkwardly combative, cringingly defensive and ever-so-easy to parody  started out with a world-class disaster.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration  period  both in person and around the globe, the former Republican National Committee official told reporters on Jan. 21, just one day after Trump took the oath. The Washington Posts Fact Checker gave this claim its worst grade: Four Pinocchios.

The Posts Glenn Kessler wrote:



This is an appalling performance by the new press secretary. He managed to make a series of false and misleading claims in service of a relatively minor issue. Presumably he was ordered to do this by Trump, who conjured up fantastic numbers in his own mind, but part of a flacks job is to tell the boss when lies are necessary  and when they are not.

Spicer earns Four Pinocchios, but seriously, we wish we could give five.

The tone seems almost quaint. It was an era long ago  six full, insane months ago  when everyone still expected the White House press secretary to hew to reality.

Spin, everyone understands, is in the job description. But serving up outright falsehood as truth, with a side of outrage at not being believed? This was new.

Nevertheless, the president wanted it to be so and insisted that Spicer defend his claim vigorously.

This was the moment when Spicer should have hung it up and walked away.

That would have been uncomfortable, and certainly unprecedented, but it would have had something important going for it: integrity.

Instead Spicer toughed it out. This was poor decision-making for where could it lead?

The worst moment  and its a matter of debate because the competition is fierce for that distinction  may have come on the mid-May night that Spicer told the assembled members of the press to work in the dark.

Just turn the lights off, he pleaded, as he emerged from half-shadow to address, more or less, the presidents abrupt firing of FBI director James B. Comey.

But that statement, which seemed an all-too-apt metaphor at that fractious moment, has become reality, too, as more and more, press briefings have been held off-camera, audio-only.

As the lights go out on Sean Spicers unforgettably awful tenure, we can only wish  for his sake  that he had seen this moment coming and saved himself months of humiliation.

Instead, likable as he is said to be, Spicer goes down in history as a joke: The presidents spokesman who couldnt speak for the president.

For more by Margaret Sullivan visit wapo.st/sullivan
The White House press corps is culling its ranks, separating whos officially in the club and who isnt.

Officially out: Reporters for the likes of Breitbart News and Mother Jones magazine.

Officially in: Journalists whove already been approved by a committee that hands out congressional press credentials.

The club, in this case, is the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), the organization that has long represented journalists in negotiations with the White House over access to the president and information about him. The group is best known for its annual dinner, a celebrity-studded affair thats lost luster under the Trump administration.

In a vote by its members last week, the WHCA decided to tighten up its membership rules, laying down more specific criteria for who can claim full membership.

Bottom line: Reporters and news organization that dont qualify for a congressional press credential dont qualify for full-fledged status in the WHCA.

The arcane change in the groups bylaws doesnt affect who can cover the White House itself. Passes to White House briefings are handed out by the White House press staff, and almost anyone with a plausible connection to journalism tends to qualify. Since President Trump took office, for example, the staff has granted temporary passes to representatives of Gateway Pundit, a conspiracy-minded, pro-Trump blog.

But not being a WHCA member could have some practical consequences nevertheless.

WHCA members tend to get priority for pool duty  that is, covering the president when he travels with a limited group  since the organization controls the rotation of pool reporters. (Pool reporters provide eyewitness details that are shared with reporters at large for incorporation into their news stories.)

While anyone can apply for pool duty, nonmembers rarely get assigned. Jeff Mason, the WHCAs outgoing president, acknowledged in an interview that accreditation is taken into account when the WHCA makes pool assignments.

By applying the congressional accrediting criteria, we are using the gold standard to determine membership, Mason said.

Members are also the only ones eligible to vote for the WHCAs leadership. The membership-rule change will thus restrict who determines control of the organizations board.

The changes drew objections from a faction of reporters from Breitbart, NewsMax and the Daily Signal  all conservative news outlets  and from liberal commentator Bill Press when they were first proposed.

In a letter sent to members, they said the vote was being rushed. An unintended consequence of this proposed rules change could be undermining the WHCA boards public credibility when fighting for access and transparency if the WHCA has arguably excluded some outlets from full membership, this faction wrote.

The argument failed to persuade members, who voted for the bylaw changes.

The change will leave several news organizations that cover the White House ineligible for full WHCA membership. For example, Breitbart, the site previously headed by now-White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon, has been unsuccessful in gaining congressional accreditation. Mother Jones, a liberal-oriented publication known for its investigative reporting, doesnt have a regular congressional correspondent (Mother Jones declined to comment; Breitbart did not respond to requests for comment).

The vote also excludes the likes of the Daily Signal, a news site founded by the conservative Heritage Foundation. The Signal cant qualify for congressional accreditation because of a rule barring organizations owned by entities that engage, directly or indirectly, in any lobbying or other activity intended to influence any matter before Congress.

In an interview, the Signals editor, Rob Bluey, said the WHCA should be fighting for journalists, not making it more difficult for veteran reporters to have a voice in the decision-making process. He added, Were disappointed by the decision, but it wont stop the Daily Signal from covering the White House with truthful, fair and accurate reporting.
A plane lands at Dulles airport as workers build the second phase of Metro's Silver Line to Dulles. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

A new study shows Metro workers pay and benefits are in line with those of other major transit systems, blunting long-standing criticism of the agencys labor costs.

But Northern Virginia Republican lawmakers said it would still be necessary for Metro to restrain costs and weaken union powers to persuade the GOP-led General Assembly in Richmond to back increased funding for the transit system.

The report by a consulting firm hired by the state of Virginia undermined complaints that Metros labor costs are excessive  an allegation aired frequently by critics including GOP political leaders.

The study by the firm WSP USA said total employee compensation at Metro was $56 for every hour worked by a Metro employee, compared with an average of $58 at four other transit systems that, like Metro, do not allow workers to strike.

The average was $61 for four systems that do permit strikes.

[Virginia Gov. McAuliffe taps Ray LaHood to head panel to study Metro.]

The study is the first significant report released publicly to guide the work of a politically important commission that is studying Metro and is chaired by former U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood.

LaHood plans to issue a report in September recommending changes in Metros funding and governance aimed at winning broad support across the Washington region.

The new study, on which LaHood will rely, weakens the case for seeking a major rollback of labor costs and union power, as some GOP lawmakers in Virginia and Congress have advocated.

Basically what were finding is both wages and benefits [at Metro] are average for the transit industry, said WSP consultant Roy Kienitz, who conducted the study for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Kienitz presented the results Wednesday evening at a public committee meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission in Arlington.

[Lawmakers suggest Metro unions derailing efforts for internal cost-cutting.]

The WSP study found Metro was more generous than other transit systems in a few respects. Unlike most systems, Metro credits overtime pay in calculating pension benefits. Also, the average Metro union employee contributes just 3.1 percent of salary to their pension, compared with an average of 7.1 percent for U.S. public employees.

But Metro was squarely in the mainstream by numerous other measures:

The average Metro employee earns 106 percent of the amount needed for one adult and one child to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living in the D.C. region  equal to the average for eight other major transit systems.

Average retirement benefits at Metro are 56 percent of final salary, compared with 60 percent for 20 selected local governments.

Metros pensions are 77 percent funded, which is the average for the nations 100 largest public pension funds.

Some previous studies have also found that Metros pay levels were generally in line with industry norms. But critics have said it was necessary nonetheless to strengthen managements hand in bargaining with unions over pay and operating procedures.

[Metro GM proposes new business model and $500 million a year in extra funding to save D.C.-area transit agency.]

At the Wednesday meeting, Virginia Del. James M. LeMunyon (R-Fairfax) pressed Kienitz to explain why Federal Transit Administration data show Metros rail operating cost is 62 cents per passenger mile, compared with 32 cents in San Francisco and 39 cents in Chicago.

Kienitz said the higher costs were attributable to higher maintenance expenses at Metro, and because Metro keeps trains in service for more hours each week relative to its ridership. He also noted Metro pays more than other systems for riders comfort, offering big wide cars and nice, comfy seats.

After the meeting, LeMunyon questioned that those factors alone could explain such a large cost difference.

I have a hard time buying that, he said.

He also told the transportation commission meeting the Virginia legislature would need to see a much more detailed plan for a Metro turnaround before it agreed to give the system additional funds.

Metro has said it needs at least $500 million a year in additional funds, starting mid-2018, for new equipment and maintenance to restore it to a state of good repair.

If you want them [legislators] to invest in something, they want to know what theyre investing in, LeMunyon said.

In a related development, Loudoun Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) presented a four-page document urging changes in Metros collective bargaining agreement with its largest union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, to save money and improve efficiency.

The proposal included calls to allow Metro to hire more part-time employees, and allow management to fix work schedules without being subject to outside arbitration.
D.C. Council member David Grosso, chairman of the Education Committee, said he plans to introduce legislation to reduce student suspensions and ensure that schools are accurately tracking the number of students barred from class for disciplinary problems.

Possible measures include limiting the number of suspension days students can receive and banning the use of do not admit lists, which are sometimes used to bar students from school even when they are not officially considered suspended. Another potential proposal would allow zero-tolerance policies that lead to automatic suspensions only in cases involving physical injuries.

On Thursday, Grosso (I-At Large) presented his ideas to a group of educators and advocates for feedback before he introduces a bill to the council this fall.

We have made some progress on discipline in the District, Grosso told the representatives of 25 school and advocacy organizations. But we still have a long way to go.

District public charter and traditional schools have reported a drop in suspensions in the past three years as schools attempt to turn to less-punitive punishments for misbehavior. But education advocates continue to raise concerns about schools suspending students for minor infractions and for kicking students out of school without properly documenting the suspension.

D.C. Public Schools reported a 40 percent drop in suspensions from 11,078 in 2013-2014 to 6,695 in 2015-2016. But many of the education advocates at Thursdays meeting questioned if those numbers are valid.

Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that at least seven of the Districts 18 high schools underreported suspensions. During at least the past two years, the schools sent daily messages to staff listing students who had misbehaved and were not permitted to enter the building, according to emails that The Post obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

[Some D.C. high schools are reporting only a fraction of suspensions]

But attendance records show that only a fraction of those cases were recorded as suspensions. Some students barred from school were marked as present, while others were marked as attending an in-school activity or absent without an excuse.

The Washington Post was unable to do a similar review of charter school suspensions because they are not subject to open-records laws. The charter sector has reported a more modest decrease in suspensions  at 13 percent  compared with DCPSs 40 percent reduction in the past three years.

Patrice Wedderburn, an attorney with Advocates for Justice and Education, called Grossos recommendations a great first start.

Ideally, we also want to see a ban on suspensions for nonviolent offenses, Wedderburn said.

Advocates for Justice and Education is part of a coalition of nine organizations that has asked for a thorough review of DCPSs suspension numbers and legislation setting out how suspensions should be recorded.

Earlier this week, DCPS officials stood by the school systems data. A DCPS representative also lauded the school systems 40 percent reduction in suspensions at the meeting with Grosso on Thursday.

Grosso plans to hold at least three more meetings with the 25 school and advocacy officials before introducing legislation in mid-September.

People are trying to do better every day, Grosso said. But at some point, we need to say we are back up front and doing better on this issue than any other jurisdiction in the country.
Demonstrators gather outside a D.C. middle school in February 2017 to protest the visit of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. (Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Teachers are planning to gather on the Mall in D.C. on Saturday to march in support of public schools  and against the Trump administrations efforts to slash federal education funding and expand private-school vouchers.

Organizers of the March for Public Education say they expect several thousand demonstrators at the D.C. event, which is set to begin at the Washington Monument at 10 a.m. And they expect thousands more to show up for sister marches in 15 cities around the country, including Detroit, Austin, Miami and Lincoln, Neb.

They say they want to send a message that public education is essential to a strong democracy, and that the Trump administrations proposal to cut federal funds by nearly 14 percent  while reinvesting in private-school vouchers and other forms of choice  is unacceptable.

Were educators that care about our profession, and weve just felt that public education is under threat, said Steve Ciprani, a high school social studies teacher in West Chester, Pa., who is co-chairing the march.

[DeVos tells conservative lawmakers what they like to hear: More local control, school choice]

Ciprani said he and other teachers were inspired to organize the demonstration after attending the Womens March on Jan. 21, the day after President Trumps inauguration. Two days later, he started a Facebook group dedicated to an education march, he said  and within a week, it had attracted 5,000 members.

The Womens March took place just days after Betsy DeVos struggled through a rocky Senate confirmation hearing that turned her into an Internet meme and a household name. She was a target of critics then and has remained one since taking office in February, as the administration has rolled back consumer protections for student loan borrowers, narrowed its approach to civil rights investigations and proposed slashing federal funding for teacher training, after-school programs and work-study programs for college students.

Months later, we still have the same concerns that we had in February about her leadership, said Pavithra Nagarajan, a former teacher now studying for a doctorate at Columbia Universitys Teachers College.

[The popular uprising that threatens the DeVos nomination]

DeVos  who was most recently the target of protests in Denver, where this week she addressed a gathering of conservative lawmakers  has pushed back against the notion that shes opposed to public schools. She supports ensuring a range of choices for all families, she says, dismissing critics of her push for school choice as flat-earthers and defenders of the status quo who are content to perpetuate a system that has failed too many struggling students.

Saturdays march was planned to coincide with a national meeting in D.C. of the American Federation of Teachers, the nations second-largest teachers union. Expected speakers include AFT Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker and National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia, as well as representatives of the NAACP and the immigrant youth advocacy group United We Dream.
Attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia are urging President Trump to save an Obama-era program that protects nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation, and offering to help him defend it in court.

Led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the group of Democrats is twice the size of the 10-state coalition of Republican officials that have threatened to sue the Trump administration if it does not start to phase out the program by Sept. 5.

Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, in 2012 to allow immigrants who arrive in the United States as minors to legally work and live in the United States. Donald Trump vowed as a Republican candidate to end the program for Dreamers, but since the election he has wavered, calling DACA recipients incredible kids and saying they should rest easy because they are not priorities for deportation.

[Senators file Dream Act again, hoping to legalize threatened DACA program]

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D). (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

You have repeatedly expressed your support for Dreamers, said the letter to Trump from 20 attorneys general, including Karl A. Racine of the District. The letter was released at midnight Friday. There is broad consensus that the young people who qualify for DACA should not be prioritized for deportation.

Under Trump, the government has continued to renew DACA holders work permits and issue new ones. But Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told lawmakers last week that the program might not survive a legal challenge.

Becerra and the other attorneys general said in their letter that DACA had transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, allowing them to earn college degrees, forge careers and boost their spending power.

Rescinding the program, they said, could cost American businesses billions in turnover costs.

The consequences of rescinding DACA would be severe, not just for the hundreds of thousands of young people who rely on the program  and for their employers, schools, universities and families  but for the countrys economy as a whole, the letter said.

In addition to Becerra, the attorneys general who signed the letter include Racine of the District, Brian E. Frosh of Maryland, Mark R. Herring of Virginia, and the attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state.
Hoping to fend off a legal challenge to a program that has spared nearly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation, two veteran senators made a long-shot appeal to President Trump on Thursday to support legislation that would put those immigrants and thousands of others on a path to U.S. citizenship.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) introduced Dream Act legislation that would grant permanent legal status to more than 1 million young people who arrived in the United States before they turned 18, passed security checks and met other criteria, including enrolling in college, joining the military or finding jobs. Immigrants must have lived in the United States for at least four years to apply.

I am hoping we can find a pathway forward with President Trump, Graham said at a news conference. Wouldnt it be ironic if the man who started his campaign talking about illegal immigration in a very tough way would be the man who started the country on a path to solving the problem?

As a candidate, Trump blasted President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, saying it was wrong to bypass Congress and give deportation protection  including Social Security numbers and work permits  to undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children.

Trump, who has made cracking down on illegal immigration a cornerstone of his administration, vowed as a candidate to end the program. But he faltered after taking office, saying he wanted to deal with the immigrant youths with heart. His administration has renewed thousands of work permits for DACA recipients and issued new ones, prompting Texas and nine other states to threaten to sue if the administration doesnt start phasing out the program by Sept. 5.

(Meg Kelly,Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

With that deadline looming, Durbin said he is actively engaged with the White House on the issue. He first filed dreamer legislation 16 years ago; other versions passed the House in 2010 and in the Senate, as part of a larger immigration bill, in 2013. But no bill has ever been passed by both chambers.

Obama created the deferred-action program in 2012 because Congress had not acted on the issue.

We believe there are people within that White House who want to continue this dialogue and conversation, and we are going to work with them, Durbin said.

Trump indicated some reason for hope last week, telling reporters on Air Force One that ending DACA is a decision thats very, very hard to make.

What Id like to do is a comprehensive immigration plan, Trump said. But our country and political forces are not ready yet.

White House officials signaled this week that the president will not support the Dream Act. I think that the administration has opposed the Dream Act and likely will be consistent on that, said Marc Short, the presidents legislative affairs director.

Another White House aide said the president is committed to first enforcing immigration laws and protecting American jobs, and is in talks with the House and the Senate on legislation such as the Davis-Oliver Act, which would crack down on criminal immigrants, and on merit-based changes in the legal immigration system. Trump is also seeking $1.6 billion to start construction of a border wall.

Still, advocates for immigrants hailed the reintroduction of the legislation and said they hoped it would gain traction, especially since the people it would affect are widely viewed as among the most sympathetic of the nations 11 million undocumented immigrants.

But critics said they doubted the Republican-controlled Congress would pass the measure.

Given Congresss track record . . . I dont think theres much of a chance now, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies and an opponent of DACA.

The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 1.8 million immigrants would qualify for conditional legal status under the proposed Dream Act, and a subset of 1.5 million probably would meet the criteria for green cards. After a five-year waiting period, those in the latter group could apply for U.S. citizenship.

Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, many of whom have been in the United States since childhood, have received protections from the DACA program. With Obama out of the White House, many are afraid of being deported.

Angelica Villalobos, a mother of four who lives in Oklahoma, said she is reluctant to pin her hopes on Congress. If DACA is taken away, I wont be safe, she said Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said last week that legal advisers have warned him that DACA probably would not survive a court challenge.

Late Thursday, 20 state attorneys general, led by Californias Xavier Becerra, urged Trump to preserve DACA, saying it had been a boon to the economy by allowing students to study and work, becoming soldiers, nurses, church leaders and more.

The Democratic officials  including the Districts Karl A. Racine, Marylands Brian E. Frosh and Virginias Mark R. Herring  offered to help the administration defend the program in court if Texas and other states challenge it.

The consequences of rescinding DACA would be severe, not just for the hundreds of thousands of young people who rely on the program  and for their employers, schools, universities, and families  but for the countrys economy as a whole, the attorneys general said in the letter. And as the chief law officers of our respective states, we strongly believe that DACA has made our communities safer, enabling these young people to report crimes to police without fear of deportation.

Graham, who also criticized Obamas decision to bypass Congress and create DACA, said passing a law would avoid the need to have the program survive a court challenge. He made a similar point during the confirmation hearing in January of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The best way to do it is for Congress and the administration to work together and pass a law, not an executive order, Graham said then.

Exactly, Sessions replied.

The Justice Department declined to comment Thursday.

Graham said the United States faces a moment of reckoning.

To President Trump, youre going to have to make a decision. The campaign is over, Graham said. To the Republican Party: Who are we? What do we believe? . . . When they write the history of these times, Im going to be with these kids.
THE DISTRICT

Temple Hills man fatally shot in NE

A 26-year-old man from Maryland was fatally shot Thursday night in the Carver-Langston area of Northeast Washington, D.C. police said.

The shooting occurred in an alley shortly before 11 p.m. in the 1000 block of 17th Street NE, two blocks off Bladensburg Road.

The victim was identified as Marcus Andrew Stephens of Temple Hills, Md.

 Peter Hermann

MARYLAND

Day-care worker charged with abuse

A Maryland man was charged with sexual offenses in connection with the abuse of a 3-year-old girl at a day-care center in Montgomery County, police said.

In November, detectives learned that Raul Teroy Tuban, 56, of Montgomery Village allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with the girl while she was at KinderCare Learning Center at 18000 Sioux Lane in Gaithersburg, where he worked as a cook, police said. Tuban also worked as a driver for KinderCare, transporting children to and from the center, they said.

An investigation showed that the girl was taking a nap at KinderCare on Oct. 22 when she awoke and found Tuban touching her inappropriately, police said. The girl told a family member about the incident later that day, and detectives were alerted on Nov. 22, police said.

After further investigation, Tuban was arrested at his home on July 14, according to police, and provided what they said were inconsistent statements about his contact with the child. He was charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual offense against a juvenile female victim, police said, and was released on a $25,000 bond.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

VIRGINIA

Woman dies after Alexandria attack

A 39-year-old Alexandria woman who was assaulted outside a convenience store last week has died, Alexandria police said.

Fedelia Montiel Benitiez died Thursday, according to police. She was found unconscious on the ground outside a building near the Mark Center on Seminary Road shortly before midnight July 10. She was taken to a hospital.

Robert Coleman, a 26-year-old city resident, was arrested the day after the assault and charged with malicious wounding. The possibility of additional charges is being investigated, police said.

Police did not provide details on a possible motive but said they did not believe Benitiez and Coleman knew each other.

 Rachel Weiner

Babysitter charged with neglect

Police said Friday they have caught a 30-year-old Woodbridge, Va., babysitter who went on the run after she allegedly left a young boy and baby unattended outside their apartment while she slept.

Amanda Sue Allen has been charged with two counts of felony child neglect and one count of giving a false identity to law enforcement.

Police in Prince William County said Allen was babysitting two children  a 2-year-old boy and an 11-month-old girl  at their home on July 15. Police were called to the home in the 3500 block of Briarwood Drive in Dumfries for a report of child neglect.

Officers found the children outside their apartment and Allen asleep inside.

At some point during the investigation, Allen climbed out of a rear bedroom window and fled the area, police said. Police also found that Allen was wanted for a probation violation.

The children were not injured.

 Dana Hedgpeth
Herbert L. Needleman, a pediatrician and psychiatrist who demonstrated in the late 1970s that children exposed to even small amounts of lead could suffer intellectual and behavioral deficits, a finding that spurred and emboldened wide-ranging safety regulations, died July 18 at an assisted living center in Pittsburgh. He was 89.

The cause was pulmonary edema, said his daughter, Sara Needleman Kline.

Dr. Needleman, who was associated most recently with the University of Pittsburgh, spent the better part of his professional life crusading against what he termed the national disaster of lead poisoning among children.

His research attracted the anger of lead industry executives and the criticism of some scientific researchers who considered his research flawed. But Dr. Needleman also earned the admiration of colleagues who regarded him as a dogged and creative scientist, one who forced national attention on a scourge that threatened the well-being and future of millions of children.

Before environmental laws curtailed its application, lead was widely added to paint used in homes and schools, to varnish used on toys, to plumbing pipes and to fuel for cars.

Dr. Needleman died July 18 at 89. (Jim Harrison/Heinz Awards)

By the time Dr. Needleman was practicing medicine in the 1950s, physicians knew significant exposure to lead could cause lead poisoning, a condition that, in extreme cases, could result in seizures and death. The effects of minor exposure, however, were not well understood.

Dr. Needleman first encountered the toxin in the infant ward at a childrens hospital in Philadelphia. If the child eats more paint, he recalled telling her mother, theres no question shell be brain damaged.

Where can I go? the mother replied. Any house I can afford will be no different from the house I live in now.

Haunted by the experience, Dr. Needleman devised an experiment years later, while working at Harvard Medical School, to measure the effects of lead poisoning. He and colleagues collected and analyzed baby teeth of Boston-area children. The pulp in teeth, more than blood samples, reveals the long-term build up of lead in the body.

The researchers measured the participants IQs, as well as surveying teachers about their classroom behavior.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1979, were marked. The mean IQ of children with high lead levels was more than 4 points lower than that of children with low lead levels.

Teachers also reported that children with high lead levels more commonly had difficulty following instructions. Those children also were more likely to be described as hyperactive or impulsive. A follow-up survey of the same students in 1990 showed a link between lead poisoning and difficulty reading and completing high school.

The study was significant because it suggested even small amounts of lead were enough to produce pernicious effects. It helped highlight the socioeconomic element of lead poisoning, which posed a particular threat to families living near certain industrial facilities or in poor communities with substandard paint and construction.

Dr. Needlemans research was credited with accelerating the elimination of lead from gasoline, with the establishment of a ban on lead pipes, and with stricter enforcement of lead paint abatement and disclosure regulations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no safe blood lead level in children has been identified.

In the early 1990s, after years of opposition by the lead industry and scientists who supported its position, Dr. Needlemans research was investigated by the federal Office of Research Integrity. The probe cleared him of accusations of scientific misconduct but cited errors such as a failure to obtain a representative population for his experiment. The probe did not find that any such mistakes influenced his ultimate conclusions.

An ethics panel at the University of Pittsburgh reached a similar judgment. He subsequently received awards including a $250,000 Heinz Award, in memory of the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.).

It is not surprising that Dr. Needlemans work made him a frequent target of criticism by the lead industry, or that he was once forced to defend himself against charges of scientific fraud and misconduct, the citation said. Not only was he exonerated, but he fought for and won the right for those accused of such charges to an open hearing with legal representation  a right that has benefited the entire scientific community.

Herbert Leroy Needleman was born in Philadelphia on Dec. 13, 1927.

His mother was a Jewish immigrant from Russia whose family sold pickles, building a pushcart operation into a company that later merged with Vlasic. His father was a furniture salesman.

Dr. Needleman received a bachelors degree from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., in 1948 and a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1952. He served in the Army and the Army Reserve, attaining the rank of captain.

During the Vietnam War, he was arrested and spent a night in jail with Benjamin Spock, the renowned pediatrician, for their participation in an antiwar protest. While teaching at Temple University in the 1960s, he chaired the Committee of Responsibility to Save War-Burned and War-Injured Vietnamese Children, a civilian group that sought to bring wounded children to the United States for medical care.

Dr. Needlemans first marriage, to the former Shirley Weinstein, ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, the former Roberta Pizor, of Pittsburgh; a son from his first marriage, Samuel Needleman of Pittsboro, N.C.; two children from his second marriage, Joshua Needleman of the Bronx, N.Y., and Sara Needleman Kline of Arlington, Va.; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

After decades of research and experience with lead poisoning, Dr. Needleman never forgot his first patient with the illness, the young girl with nowhere to go but her contaminated home.

It wasnt enough to make a diagnosis and prescribe medication, he told a publication of the University of Pittsburgh in 2001. Id treated her for lead poisoning, but that was not the disease  the disease was much bigger and caused by forces embedded in the childs life. Her disease was where she lived and why she was allowed to live there.
Ralph Regula, an 18-term congressman from Ohio who became a prominent supporter of protecting public lands  and keeping the name of the Ohio-born President William McKinley on the continents highest mountain  died July 19 at his farm near Navarre, Ohio. He was 92.

A son, Richard Regula, confirmed the death but did not specify the cause.

Mr. Regula, a Republican, was elected to the House in 1972 to represent a district in northeastern Ohio and described himself as a conservative on spending, a progressive in programs. He maintained the same stance for 36 years in the House, serving longer than any other Republican in Ohio history.

A onetime teacher and country lawyer, Mr. Regula had a low-key approach that included making friends and winning support across the political aisle. Two of his early friends and mentors in Congress were Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich.), the minority leader who later became president, and House Speaker Thomas P. Tip ONeill Jr. (D-Mass.).

Mr. Regula had a moderate voting record and sometimes battled legislative initiatives of his own party, including some efforts to restrict access to abortion. He opposed legislative initiatives of Ford, President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush, while remaining on friendly terms with all of them.

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio) in 2001. (Kamenko Pajic/AP)

I served for 24 years as part of the minority and, therefore, learned early that achieving legislative goals required bipartisanship, he wrote in a 2010 column in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Listening to the points of view of others, finding common ground to cooperate and making friends on the other side of the aisle helps to achieve ultimate success.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a long-serving Democrat from Toledo, told the Plain Dealer that Mr. Regula was the kind of public official who should get recognition rather than these loudmouthed, egotistical blowhards.

Among other achievements, Mr. Regula helped steer federal spending to northeastern Ohio, which helped expand medical education in the region. He was instrumental in supporting legislation to establish Ohios Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which opened in 2000.

In the 1990s, Mr. Regula helped negotiate among various Republican and Democratic legislators and the White House of President Bill Clinton. leading to the creation of what is now the Ohio & Erie Canalway, which includes towpaths and historic sites.

He also secured funding to establish the National First Ladies Library, which was founded by his wife and is housed in Canton, Ohio.

For decades, Mr. Regula introduced language into appropriation bills or used procedural maneuvers to fight efforts to have Alaskas Mount McKinley renamed Denali, which is derived from a native Alaskan term for the high one.

Mr. Regula held the same congressional seat once occupied by McKinley, the 25th president, who was assassinated in 1901. As a graduate of the old William McKinley School of Law in Canton, Mr. Regula did not want to see the name of his fellow Buckeye erased from the tallest peak in North America.

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio) in 1999. (Leslie Kossoff/AP)

In 2015, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced that the mountains name would be changed to Denali. Mr. Regula, who left Congress in 2009, criticized the move and denounced President Barack Obama as a dictator.

The law says its Mount McKinley, he said, and he cant change a law by a flick of the pen.

Ralph Straus Regula was born Dec. 3, 1924, in Beach City, Ohio, and grew up on a family farm. He served in the Navy during World War II and graduated in 1948 from what is now the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. A center of public service at the university is now named in honor of Mr. Regula and his wife.

While working as a teacher and school principal, he attended law school at night, graduating in 1952. He served in both houses of the Ohio legislature before he was elected to an open congressional seat in 1972. He did not seek reelection in 2008.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Mary Rogusky Regula, and three children, Martha Regula, David Regula and Richard Regula, all of Navarre; and four grandchildren.

Mr. Regula came to lament the increasingly shrill and unyielding tone of Capitol Hill and longed for the sense of comity and shared civic duty that he found in his early days in Congress.

The importance of bipartisanship in achieving the goals of our nation, going back to our founding, is self-evident, he wrote in 2010. Inflammatory rhetoric may satisfy the partisans, but it does little or nothing to move the legislative ball to the goal line.
D.C. police are searching for one man who covered his head with a scarf and used a gun to rob three businesses last month in Northeast and Northwest Washington, according to authorities.

The first robbery occurred a few minutes after 3 p.m. on June 13 in the 3600 block of 12th Street NE, in the Brookland neighborhood. Police said the man displayed a handgun and demanded money from a store clerk.

A surveillance video made public by D.C. police shows a man with a black and white scarf wrapped around his head taking money from a cash register drawer.

The next day, about 4:30 a.m., police said a man walked into a store in the 1100 block of U Street NW, again displayed a handgun and ordered a clerk to hand him money.

Police said the man then walked eight blocks north to a store in the 2300 block of 14th Street NW and, 11 minutes after the earlier robbery, demanded money from a clerk at gunpoint. Police said that occurred about 4:41 a.m. Police said he also took a wallet from a customer.

A surveillance video of this robbery shows a man dressed in black and wearing the same scarf pointing a gun at a store clerk as a patron watches. The clerk takes the register drawer out and puts it on the counter and gunman grabs all the bills.
Michael E. Rich, 77, passed away on Friday July 14, 2017. Rich was Assistant United States Attorney, for the Eastern District of Virginia (N/A/ U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia)

On June 26, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Rich stood up in court and made one of the last of many jokes.

The case reminded him of infamous bank robber Willie Sutton, he told a jury. The criminal supposedly had a simple answer when asked why he robbed banks: Thats where the money is.

The gun store burglary trial, Rich said, would yield a similarly easy answer.

The verdict came back guilty. Eleven days later, Rich was dead. Only a few close friends knew that about a year earlier, the 77-year-old prosecutor and Vietnam veteran had been diagnosed with leukemia and given little time to live. He chose to spend that time in court.

I am confident that he wouldnt have wanted it any other way, said Dana Boente, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mike Rich was a patriot and a warrior, in the true sense of both words.

Michael E. Rich, 77, passed away on Friday July 14, 2017. Rich was Assistant United States Attorney, for the Eastern District of Virginia. (N/A/ U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia)

Rich, who died July 14, was considered by many colleagues the brightest and hardest-working person in the office. He retired from the Marines on a Friday in 1990, having over three decades risen to the top of the services legal system as a brigadier general and director of the Judge Advocate Division. The next Monday, he started in the U.S. Attorneys Office and stayed there for 27 years.

He brought to the office the high standards and salty language of his previous profession.

More than once I heard him dress down an agent or a prosecutor as if he was a general dressing down a private, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Gillis said. He really suffered no fools; he really demanded excellence.

Despite his gruff tendencies, young prosecutors considered it an honor to be taken under his wing.

You had to earn his trust, but once you did he would do anything for you, said Zachary Terwilliger, acting chief of staff in the Justice Department. He had this really loud bark, but behind it was a heart of gold.

Chuck Rosenberg, now head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said that when he left his post as U.S. attorney in the Eastern District in 2008 he wanted to appear in court one last time. He knew he wanted to partner with Rich.

I just figured if I never tried a case again, I wanted to do my last one with Mike, he said.

Rich always preferred tackling major crimes: murders, robberies, gun violence. He prosecuted the 19-year-old Cell Phone Bandit and members of MS-13 . He loved going to trial and did more often than most prosecutors. His experience in the armed forces helped him put one former Marine on death row for strangling a fellow service member and another in prison for life for killing his wife and hiding her body so well it was never found.

But he also handled complex fraud cases, including a $55 million scheme involving the countrys largest hotel broker.

Rich took on that case and other white-collar crimes in large part out of loyalty to the FBI agent involved, Charlie Price.

Price, now a consultant, met Rich just after the Sept. 11 attacks on a case with suspected terrorism ties. The arrest happened on a Friday; Rich gave Price his home phone number and said to call if he needed anything over the weekend.

In 15 years, Price said, hed never gotten such an offer from a prosecutor hed just met.

I said something to the effect of, Will you marry me?  Price recalled. I never took a case to another prosecutor again.

Rich was known for his wicked sense of humor and his hatred of new technology, as well as his humility. When co-workers cleaned his office, two major Justice Department awards were found stuffed in his file cabinet. He never talked unless asked about his service in Vietnam, which earned him a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

He managed to take his law school entrance exam from Da Nang, Vietnam, in the middle of the war. He was called up from the infantry to a field command after one superior officer was killed and another severely wounded.

When I heard that a lawyer was coming up to take over the company, I was a little worried, recalled Dennis Zoerb, who became Richs platoon leader in 1967. But he became a good infantry commander.

In the Judge Advocate Division, Rich helped reorganize the Marine Corps rapid response elements to be better prepared for crises across the globe.

I dont know that theres a single individual, including superior officers . . . that didnt believe he was the smartest guy in the room, said Stephen Columbia, who served with Rich. He had the capacity to read incredible volumes of information, assimilate it almost instantaneously, and never forget it.

His stamina and efficiency were also unmatched. Once, after hitting a curb and cracking several ribs on his daily 4:30 a.m. run, Rich showed up to the office the next day.

He rarely took vacations, and he told the few who knew of his illness that prosecuting criminals was what he most wanted to do with his remaining time. Terwilliger remembered Rich telling him that he had once gone on a Caribbean cruise with his wife, Queta Rich. At dinner, he looked around and saw other older passengers popping open bottles of pills.

They left the cruise early and took a flight home.

He had the fire, Terwilliger said. If you looked up tough SOB in the dictionary, there would be Mike.
A 26-year-old man from Maryland was fatally shot Thursday night in the Carver-Langston area of Northeast Washington, according to D.C. police.

The shooting occurred in an alley shortly before 11 p.m. in the 1000 block of 17th Street NE, two blocks off Bladensburg Road.

A police spokeswoman said the victim was found unconscious. He was identified in a police report as Marcus Andrew Stephens, of Temple Hills. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The police report says Stephens was shot in the chest, both arms, hip, buttocks and head.

The fatal shooting was the first homicide in the District since July 8, when a a man was shot on Water Street in Georgetown. There have been 59 homicides in the District so far this year, down from 70 at this time in 2016.
UPDATE:

On Sept. 8, prosecutors said charges against Raul Teroy Tuban were dropped.

Upon further investigation it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to move forward with this case, Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for the States Attorneys Office for Montgomery County, wrote in an email.

David Martella, Tubans attorney, said Tuban would seek to have the charges expunged from his record, and planned to return to employment at KinderCare.

Mr. Tubans family is very relieved, he said. We look forward to clearing his name and getting this off his record.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A Maryland man was charged with sexual offenses in connection with the abuse of a 3-year-old girl at a day-care center in Montgomery County, police said.

In November, detectives learned that 56-year-old Raul Teroy Tuban of Montgomery Village allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with the girl while she was at KinderCare Learning Center at 18000 Sioux Lane in Gaithersburg, where he worked as a cook, Montgomery County Police said in a statement. Tuban also worked as a driver for KinderCare, transporting children to and from the center, the statement said.

An investigation showed that the girl was taking a nap at KinderCare on Oct. 22 when she awoke and found Tuban touching her inappropriately, according to the statement. The girl told a family member about the incident later that day, and detectives were alerted on Nov. 22, police said.

After further investigation, Tuban was arrested at his home on July 14, according to police, and provided what they said were inconsistent statements about his contact with the child. He was charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual offense against a juvenile female victim, police said, and was released on a $25,000 bond.

Police said they are trying to find out whether there are other allegations of abuse by Tuban, and they asked parents of children who attended KinderCare to talk to their children about their interactions with him. Anyone with further information can contact police at 240-773-5400.
The case of a man who was wounded in a 2015 shooting and died two years later has been declared a homicide, according to Prince Georges County police.

Delonio Richburg, 22, of Annapolis was shot at around 1:30 a.m. along with another man on July 26, 2015, in the 3500 block of Hubbard Road, police said. They were admitted to a hospital in critical condition but were later released.

Richburg was rushed to a hospital for a medical emergency on July 1 and died, police said. A medical examiner later determined he died of complications from the shooting and declared the case a homicide, police said.

The shooting was not random, police said.

Police are still investigating the case and have not made an arrest. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call 1-866-411-TIPS.
A man who served more than a decade in prison for robbing banks and was freed in March was arrested Friday after D.C. police said he robbed or tried to rob several banks in Washington, three of them in a half-hour on Friday.

Timothy Louria Jennings Sr., 60, who lives in the District, was charged with two counts of attempted bank robbery and two counts of bank robbery, and was awaiting his initial appearance in court. Police said that in the all of the recent cases, he used a demand note and escaped in a 2003 champagne-colored Cadillac.

Police allege the suspect robbed a SunTrust on Monday in the 900 block of 17th Street NW at Farragut Square, and obtained an undetermined amount of money.

On Friday, police said the suspect at 9:15 a.m. robbed an M&T Bank in the 500 block of 12th Street NW, obtaining money, and then 15 minutes later attempted to rob a BB&T Bank in the 800 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Police said no money was taken.

At 9:45 a.m., police said the suspect went to a Bank of America across the street in the 800 block of 17th Street NW, which they said he also tried to rob. Police said that he handed a teller a note but that the teller became confused and backed away from the counter.

A police report says that the man left without money and that a bystander copied down the license plate of the Cadillac seen being driven away. Hours later, police said they found the vehicle in the Michigan Park neighborhood of Northeast Washington and arrested Jennings.

In 2006, court records show, Jennings pleaded guilty to robbing three D.C. banks of $9,924 after handing tellers notes similar to one that read: I have a gun and a bomb in my bag you have 30 seconds to hand over 20s, 50s, & 100s only. No dye packs if so, you die! He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and prosecutors noted in the plea deal three other bank robberies they say he committed in Maryland.

Court documents state that Jennings had previously worked as a Metrobus driver and wore his uniform in some of the robberies in 2005 and 2006. The documents say he had been fired as a bus driver before the holdups but had kept his uniform.
A 39-year-old Alexandria woman who was assaulted outside a convenience store last week has died, police said Friday.

Fedelia Montiel Benitiez died Thursday, according to police. She was found unconscious on the ground outside a building near the Mark Center on Seminary Road shortly before midnight July 10. She was taken to a hospital.

Robert Coleman, a 26-year-old city resident, was arrested the day after the assault and charged with malicious wounding. The possibility of additional charges is being investigated, police said.

Police did not provide details on a possible motive but said they did not believe Benitiez and Coleman knew each other.

Benitiezs death is the third homicide in the city this year.
D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson, seen here in 2002, said in an interview, We have made progress with child deaths in the District, and we want to keep going in this direction. (Ray Lustig/The Washington Post)

The number of children who die each year in the District has decreased significantly over the past decade, even as the citys population has increased. Between 2008 and 2015, fatalities dropped by 32 percent, from 182 to 124.

The decline was stark for teens, with deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds falling by 53 percent. The number of infant deaths also decreased by 28 percent, from 100 to 72 between 2008 and 2014.

Despite the declines overall, there was an uptick in child deaths between 2014 and 2015. And child fatalities remain far more prevalent in the District than nationwide. The death rate for every 100,000 children in the city was 88.7 in 2015, compared with 52.4 nationwide. It was 56.7 in Maryland and 52 in Virginia.

The numbers were highlighted in a report by the D.C. auditor, published Friday, that analyzed annual reports by the citys Child Fatality Review Committee, which investigates deaths and makes recommendations for improving systems to prevent future deaths.

We have made progress with child deaths in the District, and we want to keep going in this direction, said D.C. Auditor Kathleen Patterson in an interview.

Improved medical technologies for premature babies and a reduction in gun-related deaths are factors in improvements, she said. Demographic changes are also a likely factor, as the citys population is growing more affluent.

But Patterson emphasized that the review committee is well-positioned to play a more powerful role in the trend by identifying ways city agencies can work together to protect infants and children.

Children continue to die from homicide at far higher rates in the District. Racial disparities are stark, with African American children dying at much higher rates.

The infant mortality rate in the District was 27 percent higher than the national rate in 2014, with 7.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 6 per 1,000. The death rate for African American infants was nearly three times as high as the rate of non-Hispanic whites, 10.5 compared with 3.7.

Disparities reflect inequities in access to health care, the report said. In 2014, black mothers were less likely to begin prenatal care in their first trimester  57 percent compared with 83 percent of white mothers  and more than twice as likely to have low-birth-weight babies as white mothers, the report said.

Infant deaths largely occurred in the first weeks of life and were tied to chromosomal abnormalities or deformations or complications related to pregnancy.

Unsafe sleep environments were a major factor among infant deaths that did not have natural causes. In 2014 alone, the committee reviewed six infant deaths that were attributed to sudden infant death syndrome associated with unsafe sleeping conditions.

The Child Fatality Review Committee, established by a mayors order in 1992, includes members from 13 D.C. government agencies. They are tasked with looking for ways they can work together to prevent future deaths.

Similar child death review teams in other cities and states have been credited with spurring system-level reforms, the report said. A death review team in Virginia prompted a public awareness campaign about shaken baby syndrome; A Massachusetts team inspired a broad campaign to educate new parents about safe sleeping practices; and a Tennessee team pushed for a new law requiring helmet use on all-terrain vehicles.

The panel in the District has made scores of recommendations over the years, but few have yielded concrete changes, Patterson said.

The report quoted people involved with the committee describing a pattern in which agency officials would respond to recommendations by saying, Were already doing that, or Thanks, but no thanks.

The auditors report recommends that the D.C. Council hold a public hearing on each annual report, as required by law, and that the city administrator ensure that city agencies incorporate the committees recommendations into annual performance plans.

The report also recommends that the city fund more staff members to conduct investigations. The District has had as many as eight employees in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to investigate child deaths, but that number dwindled to less than half that in recent years. As a result, the number of child fatalities being reviewed dropped from 122 in 2010 to 35 in 2015.

Patterson, who served three terms on the D.C. Council earlier in her career, said the reports are a valuable and underused resource. As a policymaker, she said she has often turned to the child death reports to help her understand trends affecting some of the citys most vulnerable residents.

I found them an extraordinary source of very tough information on things not working in DC government, she said in an email.
Two little words are on Ed Gillespies lips of late: President Trump.

Since launching his bid for Virginia governor, the establishment Republican had treated the man in the White House like a Voldemortian unmentionable.

That was widely considered a smart strategy in a swing state that went for Hillary Clinton in November and where the presidents approval rating sat at 36 percent in a Washington Post-Schar School poll in May.

Then Gillespie nearly lost the June 13 GOP primary to a Trump-style populist, Corey Stewart. And ever since, senior Republicans have been pushing him to embrace the president and hire some of Trumps strategists to shore up the Republican base ahead of Novembers election. Some aired their concerns in a Washington Post article last week.

[Gillespies primary scare has White House, others urging Trump world hires]

As of this week, Gillespie and campaign surrogates began conspicuously dropping Trumps name.

Having a governor who can work with a Republican House, a Republican Senate, President Trump, Vice President Pence, the Trump administration  I think is an asset for us in Virginia, Gillespie told reporters Monday.

This week, his campaign sought to reframe his November contest with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who called Trump narcissistic maniac in one widely seen television ad, as a battle between a Trump loyalist and an obstructionist foe.

Virginia needs a governor who is eager to work with President Trump, not be at odds with him, said a statement the Gillespie campaign issued from two Republican state senators.

And on the John Fredericks radio program Thursday, Gillespie said: I want to lead Virginia. Ralph Northam wants to lead the resistance. . . . I seek to serve my fellow Virginians, and I will work with the administration  youre darn right I will.

Fredericks, who helped lead Trumps Virginia campaign, cheered the pro-Trump rhetoric as a significant shift, although he remained disappointed that the campaign has not acted on his advice to hire Corey Lewandowski, Trumps bombastic early campaign manager, or other Trump campaign veterans.

The political reality is such that you cant thread the needle and you cant run away from your partys standard-bearer, Fredericks said hours after his interview with Gillespie.

Its essential that he not only embrace those policies of the president that he agrees with, but do so in a way that motivates the Trump voter base to come out for him in November. . . . I think Ed realized on June 13 that he didnt connect with Trump voters and he didnt inspire them.

Gillespies campaign declined to directly respond to a request for comment, but it issued a statement dismissing that any perceived strategy shift was an invention of political punditry.

Ed is running a positive campaign of policy ideas to get Virginia growing again after the stagnation of the McAuliffe-Northam administration, Gillespie spokesman David Abrams said, referring to outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D). Out-of-state liberal media outlets like The Washington Post are free to engage in all the political punditry you want.

Democrats, who had sought to tie Gillespie to Trump all along, celebrated the shift.

The state party launched a Trump Gillespie 2017 Tour  complete with campaign-style signs  to highlight Ed Gillespies enthusiastic support for Donald Trumps most extreme policies and the threat the Trump-Gillespie agenda poses to Virginias economy, health care and working families.

The two-day tour included appearances by Northam supporters at stops in Richmond, Norfolk, Charlottesville and Arlington.

Hes embraced, as of a couple of days ago, bringing Donald Trump onto the campaign trail with him, said Del. Alfonso H. Lopez (D-Arlington) at a conference Thursday in a Northam field office in Arlington.

What does that say? Is this now a Trump-Gillespie ticket? It doesnt say anything good about the future of Virginia.

The Republican Party of Virginia countered with theatrics of its own, dispatching an intern to the Arlington event with a gift basket for Northam that included one of Trumps red Make America Great Again hats.

To be sure, Gillespie has not begun embracing Trump with complete abandon.

He first talked up his ability to work with the administration in Norfolk, in the context of military spending that would be popular in the defense-heavy state. And he noted that he would still push for state priorities that Trump might oppose, such as Chesapeake Bay cleanup.

If Im elected governor of the commonwealth of Virginia, its not going to be my job to always be for President Trump or to always be against President Trump, which is how Ralph Northam sees his job, Gillespie said. Its to always be for Virginia, and to fight for my fellow Virginians every single day.

When Fredericks sought a yes-or-no response to whether he would want the president to campaign with him, Gillespie felt the need to offer a long justification before ultimately saying yes.

[With fireworks, Ed Gillespie tries to light a fire under his bid for Virginia governor]

Id like to take the president, the vice president, Cabinet secretaries, other governors to our ports and, you know, see what we need to do to deepen and widen our channel and be the biggest port on the East Coast, he said. Would like to take the president  hes been to coal country . . . and tell him about what were doing there.

Take him into the Shenandoah Valley and talk about our agriculture sector. . . . When youre a commonwealth where . . . 20 percent of your GDP is directly affected by federal spending, direct federal spending, to have a president who understands the needs of Virginia and a vice president, as well, and Cabinet secretaries, thats in the service of the people of Virginia. So, absolutely!

Fenit Nirappil contributed to this report.
HANDOUT - Cliff Hyra, the Libertarian candidate for Virginia governor, is pictured with his wife, Stephanie and their three children: Cheyenne, 7, Bridgette, 5, and Thomas, 3. (unknown/Cliff Hyra for Governor of Virginia)

Cliff Hyra will be on the ballot in November but wont be on the stage Saturday when his two rivals in the Virginia governors race square off in their first debate.

Hyra, the Libertarian Party candidate, met the states daunting hurdle for ballot access, collecting 10,000 signatures from across Virginia for the right to be listed on Election Day along with Republican Ed Gillespie and Democrat Ralph Northam.

But he did not meet the Virginia Bar Associations criteria for an invite to Saturdays debate at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs. The bar association opened the event only to significant candidates with a reasonable chance of being elected  and concluded Hyra does not meet that definition.

A 34-year-old suburban Richmond patent attorney making his first bid for elective office, Hyra has politely and fruitlessly urged the bar association to reconsider. He has no plans to schlep to Hot Springs to protest or to take the seat the bar offered him in the VIP area at the 90-minute debate, which will be moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS NewsHour.

He intends to watch the debate remotely  it begins at 11 a.m. and will not be televised, but it will be live-streamed on the NewsHours YouTube channel and Facebook page. Later in the afternoon, he will meet voters in Richmonds bustling Carytown shopping district.

It would be really unfortunate if somebody comes to the polls and says, Oh, who is this guy?  Hyra said. Its really the Virginia voter who loses when Im excluded from the debates. I think it would spur a lot more interest.

His trip to Carytown is part of a strategy targeting the citys booming dining-and-drink sector. Hyra is betting his message of social tolerance and smaller government will resonate with entrepreneurs and young urban dwellers who are drawn to food trucks and craft breweries but neither major political party.

As part of that pitch, he has vowed to do away with some of Virginias quirkier liquor regulations, such as the requirement that bars make at least 45 percent of their revenue from food sales and that state liquor authorities approve all cocktail recipes.

Free mixologists to innovate with craft cocktails, reads his campaign website, which also includes a call to privatize state-owned liquor stores, something then-Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) tried and failed to do.

In Virginia, a bar cant partner with a food truck because it wont be counted [toward required food sales], Hyra said in an interview this week in his Mechanicsville home. Bars are not allowed to advertise drink prices, he noted, or use the word discount in advertising. I mean, thats just bizarre. Its just harassing small-business owners.

The offspring of a Republican father and Democratic mother, Hyra grew up in Falls Church and Springfield. He attended Fairfaxs Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, earned a bachelors degree in aerospace and engineering from Virginia Tech and then a law degree from George Mason University. It was at George Mason, while taking courses on law and economics, that he became attracted to libertarian philosophy.

[Gillespie shifts from avoiding Trump to dropping the presidents name]

For Hyra, that means supporting a range of individual freedoms that neither major party champions as a set. He advocates for gun rights and opposes a higher minimum wage as a Republican might, but he also supports abortion rights and marijuana legalization as some Democrats would.

He calls for exempting the first $60,000 of household income from state taxes  and says he could pay for that with criminal justice reforms that would drastically reduce incarceration rates, such as pardoning users of any drugs once they have completed treatment programs.

He contends his approach would bring a little bit of sanity back to politics. Nobodys looking for any common ground, he said. I feel like Im in the middle, and I feel like Im the more moderate and centrist position.

Hyra is a partner in Symbus Law Group, specializing in domestic and international patent and trademark cases. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in her home town of Mechanicsville with their three children: Cheyenne, 7; Bridgette, 5; and Thomas, 3. They are expecting their fourth at the end of August.

From a purely financial standpoint, Hyra is the longest of long shots.

He had raised just under $31,000 for his bid by the end of June, compared with Gillespies $6.7 million and Northams $9.4 million. Heading into July, Hyra had $3,492 in the bank. Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, lobbyist and adviser to President George W. Bush, had $3.2 million on hand. Northam, the states lieutenant governor, a former state senator and pediatric neurologist, had $1.75 million.

[In Virginia governors race, Democratic primary takes toll on Northams war chest]

In the governors race four years ago, Libertarian Party nominee Robert Sarvis played the role of spoiler. He won 146,084 votes, or 6.5 percent  more than the 56,435-vote margin of victory between now-Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R).

Sarvis was shut out of formal debates in that race, but toward the very end, as he was polling around 10 percent, he was included in several forums.

His showing was more modest in 2014, in the U.S. Senate race with Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) and Gillespie. Sarvis won 53,102 votes for 2.4 percent. Just 17,727 votes separated Warner, the winner, from Gillespie.

Hyras campaign director is John Vaught LaBeaume, who managed Sarviss 2013 gubernatorial bid. LaBeaume was assistant communication director for former New Mexico governor Gary Johnsons Libertarian Party bid for the White House in 2016.

In a letter pressing the bar association to include Hyra, LaBeaume said the Libertarian nominee would help elevate the tenor and quality of the debate  as Sarvis was credited with doing at a forum opened to him in 2013.

[Sarvis injects fresh face into Va. governors race forum]

A central theme to Hyras campaign is the notion of respecting Virginians of all beliefs and backgrounds, LaBeaume wrote. Cliff Hyra extends that notion to his political opponents, as well. When Hyra presents his vision for an inclusive and innovating Virginia, he will draw a strong distinction between his and the visions of the other candidates, but he will do so on decidedly respectful terms, free of the personal invective all too common in todays political debate, and, indeed, in previous Virginia gubernatorial debates.

Asked about Hyras request to be included, bar association spokeswoman Marilyn Shaw provided a copy of the groups criteria that said, in part, a candidate must, at least 30 days before a scheduled debate, have demonstrated substantial voter interest and support. In assessing the significance of a candidacy, the VBA may consider (a) the results of major, reliable, nonpartisan public opinion polls, (b) coverage by the news media as a recognized candidate, and (c) evidence of a significant and sustained level of financial support and receipt from a significant number of contributors.

The candidates have agreed to two more formal debates and seven other joint appearances before November, although Gillespie is pushing for a total of 10 debates. So far, Hyra has not been invited.
Texas state Rep. Shawn Thierry (D-Houston) is pushing for lawmakers and health officials to focus harder on maternal mortality given increasing death rates, especially among black women. (Jeremy Carter/ Houston Chronicle)

Black women in Texas are dying with frightening frequency after childbirth  at a rate up to nearly three times higher than that of white women. And no one has figured out why.

In a state with the worst overall maternal mortality in the nation, the Texas legislature opened a special session this week that will address the issue as one of 20 items that Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) listed in calling lawmakers back to work. The most they may do, however, is extend and expand the scope of a task force that started studying the problem a few years ago.

That 15-person panel, set up by the legislature in 2013, initially looked at cases from the previous two years and identified 189 such deaths. Last July, it completed a report showing rates of maternal mortality had roughly doubled between 2010 and 2012  and that black women were far more likely to become seriously ill and die during pregnancy or within the first year after having a baby.

But the task force has yet to explain the root cause or recommend how to avert future tragedies.

For state Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Democrat from Houston and a black woman who had a complicated delivery in 2012, the report hit uncomfortably close to home.

This one statistic was blazing right off the page, which is that African American women make up 11 percent of births in Texas but 30 percent of maternal deaths, she said. I hadnt heard anyone discuss it.

The data spurred her to propose a bill this spring that called for a study on how race and socioeconomic factors affect access and care for pregnant black women.

A woman who chooses to bear life shouldnt pay for it with her own, Thierry stressed last week.

Despite having bipartisan support, the legislation died because of a parliamentary move by the House Freedom Caucus  one of dozens of measures caught up in what was dubbed a Mothers Day massacre.

[Our maternal mortality rate is a national embarrassment]

On July 10, one minute after lawmakers could officially file bills for the special session, Thierry again filed hers. Now shes rallying her constituents and local activists to ensure it gets a hearing.

House Bill 51 asks the task force to look at factors and health conditions that disproportionately affect the most at-risk population  already identified as black women  and to evaluate options for reducing maternal deaths.

If [Thierrys bill] gets heard, Im fairly confident it will pass, said Deane Waldman, director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Its not highly contentious, and its not going to cost us. So, who is going to stand up and say, Lets not solve this?

As lawmakers began working this week, a coalition of reproductive health and justice rights organizations was watching, with plans to hold sit-in protests in the capitol rotunda and other events on each of the sessions 30 days  all to press for greater attention to womens health in Texas.

Theres a combination of reasons why this is happening in our community, but one common denominator is there dont seem to be any concerns with our legislators, and thats because this is about black women. Theres no other reason the bills should not have passed already, said Marsha Jones, a 55-year-old activist from Dallas.

Jones quit her job as an accountant in 2008 to set up the Afiya Center, a Dallas nonprofit organization run by local black women to champion reproductive rights for women of color. And despite her work on issues including HIV, homelessness and domestic violence among black women in her city, she was shocked when she read the state task forces report last summer.

We knew our women were dying, because we were burying them. But were we making the connection with maternal mortality? Did we realize it was because of underlying health issues? Or access to care? No, she said.

Jones had lost her own daughter-in-law to cardiac disease diagnosed during pregnancy and helped to raise her young grandson. But she had not connected that death to larger, systemic issues.

Theyre not talking about it in the pulpit in the black churches. Im not hearing women come to my office and say, You know, my sister died after she had her baby. I needed to know why black women are dying, and nobody was talking about it, Jones said.

She now easily cites the statistics: In Texas, 27 percent of black women live in poverty, and 22 percent are uninsured. Nearly a third of those older than 18 do not see a doctor regularly because of cost, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Its not just poverty and lack of access to health care  its also our fear and limited understanding of the health-care system, she explained earlier this month. We also have this thing about black women being strong all the time, so admitting youre sick is a sign of weakness.

[Republicans health-care efforts would set black women back, report says ]

The task force found that 60 percent of the states maternal deaths occurred between 42 days and a year after delivery. It noted that Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers ends 60 days after birth and suggested that many women were falling into a gap and receiving no health care soon after childbirth. In September, research published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that Texass rate of maternal deaths had spiked from 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010 to 35.8 in 2014  higher than the rate of virtually any country in the developed world.

Lisa Hollier, a maternal fetal-medicine specialist at Texas Childrens Hospital and chairwoman of the task force, who wrote its report, agreed with Jones about obvious socioeconomic and racial inequalities. The panels report identified five factors linked to maternal death: diabetes, high blood pressure, late prenatal care, Caesarean delivery and obesity.

Yes, black women were at increased risk for these complications. And many did not have any health care at all, Hollier said. We havent yet identified the why, but there is no question that is very important to us.

The task force has only 18 months left unless it is extended by lawmakers to 2023. Hollier says it needs more time to finish reviewing specific medical cases and to recommend potential solutions. But Joness goal is twofold. First, she wants to increase awareness among the people who matter, by telling black womens individual stories. She is working to get these stories out into the community every chance she gets: on a Tuesday evening radio program she hosts, in local churches, during Texas Health Department meetings.

She also wants to help improve outcomes using culturally familiar methods, like training more doulas and midwives to help with local pregnancies and births among women of color.

As for Thierry, she has spent the past two months drumming up support in her own city, including hosting a town hall for 120 people at a Houston YWCA chapter and a tour of 12 district churches to educate them about the issue. She talks about her own near-tragedy, when she had a serious allergic reaction to a drug during delivery.

My childbirth almost cost me my life, she said. And she mentions what her grandmother used to tell her: When a woman gives birth, its the closest to death that shes ever gonna get.

In some ways, Thierry says, its still true.
PAKISTAN

Sharif family corruption hearing concludes

Pakistans top court concluded its hearing into corruption allegations Friday against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs family, but it wasnt immediately clear when the tribunal would announce its decision, defense lawyers and attorneys for the petitioners said.

Under Pakistani law, the Supreme Court has the authority to dismiss the prime minister. Sharif has maintained his innocence throughout the scandal and has appeared before the court in recent weeks, along with his daughter and two sons.

The court heard arguments from the government and the opposition after a court-ordered investigation found there was a significant disparity between the declared wealth and known sources of income of Sharifs family.

A three-judge panel headed by justice Ejaz Afzal Khan will weigh whether the evidence is adequate to dismiss Sharif from office, according to Khursheed Ahmed, a legal expert.

 Associated Press

MOLDOVA

Lawmakers demand Russia pull out troops

Moldovan lawmakers have demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from the separatist region of Trans-Dniester in a move that could heighten tensions between the pro-Western government and a president who favors closer ties with Moscow.

A total of 61 of lawmakers in the 101-seat legislature approved a symbolic statement Friday calling for the removal of about 1,500 Russian troops, weapons and other military equipment from the pro-Russian region.

The statement said Russian troops stationed there since a 1992 war where 1,500 were killed violate the . . . independence, sovereignty (and) territorial integrity of Moldova.

President Igor Dodon criticized the vote, saying it was intended to worsen relations with Russia.

 Associated Press

EGYPT

Amnesty wants probe into death in custody

An international rights group has urged Egyptian authorities to investigate the death of a Coptic Christian man who died in police custody, apparently of torture.

In a report released Friday, Amnesty International documented the death of Gamal Aweida, 43, who was arrested Tuesday and held in Cairos Mensheyet Nasirs police station on allegations of forgery. Hours later, police officers claimed that he had committed suicide.

Amnesty, after speaking to family members and lawyers, found evidence that officers were implicated in torturing the man.

Najia Bounaim, Amnestys North Africa campaigns director, said that years of impunity have emboldened perpetrators of such abuses in Egypt, giving security forces free rein to torture and ill-treat detainees without fearing any consequences.

 Associated Press

U.N., aid group: Cholera in Yemen likely to worsen: The U.N. health agency and an international aid organization warned Friday that Yemens cholera epidemic, the worlds worst since Haitis 2010 outbreak, is likely to worsen in the rainy season. The World Health Organization stressed that Yemens cholera outbreak is far from being under control, with the rainy season having begun, and possibly increasing the pace of transmission, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

U.K. students on charity trip sent home by India: A group of British school students on a charity trip to India were sent home from Chennai airport after officials said they had the wrong visas, the schools head teacher said Friday. The 16 students and three staff from Poynton High School in northern England were denied entry by immigration staff for having tourist visas. Head teacher David Waugh said that the school had made three previous trips and that the students had always traveled on tourist visas.

 From news services
Focus, America, focus. The most urgent task right now is to make sure a stake is driven through the heart of the Republican effort to gut Medicaid and balloon the ranks of the uninsured.

I know that the Russia investigations are charging ahead, with Capitol Hill appearances by members of President Trumps inner circle scheduled for next week. I know that Trump gave an unhinged interview to the New York Times on Wednesday, bizarrely undermining his own attorney general. I know that one of the few remaining giants in Washington, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has received a tough medical diagnosis.

There will be time to digest all of that. At present, however, health care is still the main event.

Keep in mind that this isnt the first time the GOPs gratuitously cruel effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has looked dead. Back in March, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) called off a showdown vote and glumly declared, Were going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future. But he managed to get a revised bill passed in May, prompting Trump to hold a sophomoric victory rally at the White House.

That bill would have caused 23 million people to lose health insurance over a decade and slashed Medicaid spending by more than $800 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The action then shifted to the Senate, which came up with legislation that would grow the numbers of uninsured by 22 million and cut Medicaid by $772 billion. Experts who tried to parse the details gave differing opinions on which version was more heartless.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells attempt to ram through his monstrosity collapsed in a heap this week, as both the far-right and moderate wings of the GOP caucus balked. In desperation, McConnell (R-Ky.) then proposed an approach that Trump once ruled out but now eagerly embraces: repeal the Affordable Care Act now and worry about replacing it later.

According to the CBO, taking the repeal-only route would mean 17 million more uninsured within a year and 32 million more in a decade. Insurance premiums would soar, and in more than half of the nations counties, there would be no insurers willing to service the individual market. Appalling.

McConnells gambit appeared to fail Tuesday when three GOP moderates  Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.)  announced they would vote no. Their stance means McConnell lacks the votes even to open debate on repeal-only, let alone pass it. That should be the end of the story.

But it would be a mistake to take anything for granted. Senate naysayers are under tremendous pressure to give in, and the reason has nothing to do with health care. Its pure politics.

For seven long years, since the day the Affordable Care Act was passed, Republicans have been vowing to eradicate it root and branch, as McConnell likes to say. And for seven long years, the GOP has reaped political benefit from that categorical promise  while giving no serious thought to what a replacement system would look like.

Obamacare, you will recall, was once Romneycare; it was fashioned after a system that Mitt Romney successfully implemented when he was governor of Massachusetts. It is based on ideas originally developed at the conservative Heritage Foundation, ideas the Republican Party once liked  until President Barack Obama embraced them.

While Obama was in office, Republicans in Congress could blithely pass repeal bills knowing that the president would never sign them. Now that Trump sits in the Oval Office with pen in hand, however, repeal becomes a real possibility  as do the awful consequences.

McConnell says he will bring the bill up for a vote next week anyway. In effect, he threatens to call the opponents bluff. Fortunately, they do not appear to be bluffing. There is no indication that a lunch Wednesday for GOP senators at the White House  at which Trump basically threatened revenge against anyone who votes no  or a smaller gathering of senators that evening changed any minds.

But the right-wing message machine will continue to loudly accuse no voters of committing political treason. So it is more important than ever to remind senators that the repeal-and-replace bill is monumentally unpopular  a recent poll shows the approval rating at 13 percent  and that the legislations cost would be paid in human suffering. We would return to the days when medical expenses were the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.

Keep the pressure on. The war is not yet won.

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.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) talks to reporters as she walks through the Senate subway inside the U.S. Capitol on July 18. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Regarding the July 19 front-page article Health bill collapse roils Republicans:

It seems fitting that three women  Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)  should drive the final nail into the coffin of the latest Republican legislative adventure (drafted by men only) in attempting to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

There may be a place to debate the size and responsibility of the federal government, but it is not on the backs of the most vulnerable in our society.

As a physician, I took the Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. Perhaps our duly elected representatives should be bound by that same standard.

Raymond Coleman, Potomac

The Senates plans to repeal and replace Obamacare appear to have failed. President Trump said Tuesday that he would allow Obamacare to collapse so that Democrats would beg for his help. Meanwhile, millions of Americans would suffer, and some could die. That would show em. This was not leadership. This was a temper tantrum.

Jim Biggar, Herndon
Denis McDonough was White House chief of staff from 2013 to 2017.

I have watched with concern the tone, substance and trajectory of the national debate about Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. I write today to set the record straight about the events of last fall and, more important, to ensure that we as a nation do not lose sight of what happened  and what we must do to preserve our democracy.

On Oct. 7, as part of a painstaking intelligence, homeland security and diplomatic effort to safeguard the integrity of our election infrastructure and the sanctity of each Americans vote, the homeland security secretary and director of national intelligence released an unprecedented joint statement about an unprecedented development. In that statement, these two senior officials stated unequivocally that the Russian government, had directed the theft of emails from U.S. persons and institutions. . . . These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process. . . . [and] only Russias senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.

The events that led to that public statement began last summer, as national security professionals in the government grew increasingly concerned about Russian intentions to interfere in our election. President Barack Obama directed his staff to brief appropriate members of Congress, prepare possible responses, assess the vulnerabilities of the electoral infrastructure, and help state and local election authorities secure their networks.

Congressional briefings began in early August and finished once Congress returned to Washington after the summer recess. At that point, the president invited the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate to the White House, ostensibly to discuss the budget and his trip to Asia. The real purpose of this meeting was to discuss the alarming news about Russian ambitions to interfere with the election and ask the four leaders to draft a statement of concern. This joint, bipartisan statement was thought by the White House to be particularly important since state and local authorities had been reluctant to accept the assistance being offered by the Department of Homeland Security, and we believed a bipartisan statement would help persuade them to put aside their concerns and work with the federal government to protect our election infrastructure.

This bipartisan outreach was harder and more time-consuming than it needed to be, but it was ultimately successful, with a statement released by the four congressional leaders on Sept. 29. By Election Day, 33 states and 36 counties and cities had used Homeland Security tools to scan or strengthen their systems.

During this period we took extraordinary steps to avoid letting our legitimate concern about Russian interference be characterized as partisan. For instance, I asked two Democrats to withhold a public statement on the matter mainly to avoid politicizing the issue, and they initially honored that request. We did this not just because it was the right thing to do in the heat of a campaign, but also because we were extremely concerned that the perception of partisan motives would undermine Americans confidence in the vote and make state authorities more reluctant to cooperate.

While these efforts were underway, we were simultaneously conducting urgent diplomatic efforts to make sure that the Russians understood that we knew what they were up to, that it would not be allowed to succeed and that it needed to stop. On Sept. 5, Obama delivered this message to President Vladimir Putin with stark clarity about the consequences if the Russians continued their efforts. Later that month, a similarly unambiguous message was passed through Russias embassy. We believe that these direct warnings in fact caused the Russians to dial back their efforts to interfere.

Because we assumed that Russia might have ambitions to interfere in elections in other democracies, as it appears to have tried to do in France, we set out to capture and make public as much as possible the evidence of what Russia had done. That public description of Russian actions also served to ensure that Russia paid a price  as did the individual and economic penalties we applied to Russian actors in December. We viewed the Russian efforts as a serious national security threat unrelated to the outcome of this particular election, and we firmly believed that Russia should be punished irrespective of who won.

That is why it remains important that the new administration follows through on the steps we took to make clear that the United States is united in our opposition to Russian interference and will not tolerate such activities in the future.

Findings since that Oct. 7 statement prove that the intelligence community was dead right: Russia poses a threat to our democracy. Yet the past several months have also seen too much denial, finger-pointing and partisan posturing on this issue. Instead, we must build on the experience of past year, find a bipartisan path to complete a comprehensive review of what happened  and ensure that renewed efforts by Russia will not succeed.
Wells Fargo pledged last year to eliminate product sales goals in retail banking as it worked to win back trust after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accused the bank of secretly opening accounts without customers' knowledge. (Karen Bleier/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Normally, Republicans are in favor of giving consumers more choices.

Normally, Republicans are all about law and order.

And normally, Republicans claim to be strong defenders of the Constitution.

For some reason, though, the idea of giving consumers the choice to participate in a court of law  a right enshrined in the Seventh Amendment  leaves some GOP legislators quaking in their loafers.

Thats the implication of a resolution introduced in both the Senate and House on Thursday. While you were busy pondering President Trumps views of Napoleon, members of Congress were working to keep you from your day in court.

Heres the context.

When you get a new bank account, credit card, payday loan or auto lease, theres a lot of fine print. Often, the fine print says that if the company harms you  say, charges you a questionable hidden fee, blocks your ability to access your own money or opens a sham account in your name without your knowledge  you cant sue it in court.

Instead, you have to resolve the dispute outside the court system, bound by a decision made by a private individual rather than a judge or jury. Sometimes this private individual, called an arbitrator, is selected and paid by the very company that you believe ripped you off.

Which does not exactly suggest theyre a neutral party.

Another consequence of this fine print  called a forced arbitration clause  is that it prevents you from bringing or joining a class-action suit against the company that harmed you. Thats true no matter how many other people were victimized by the exact same company, even if they were victimized in the exact same way.

Wells Fargo, for example, opened millions of fake accounts in the names of unsuspecting customers. But because these consumers had other accounts that included forced-arbitration clauses, Wells Fargo repeatedly tried to use this fine print to block class-action suits over those bogus accounts.

The Wells Fargo case is perhaps the most notorious recent example, but there are lots of others. Tens of millions of Americans are bound by these forced-arbitration clauses, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The vast majority dont realize theyve signed away their rights until something goes wrong.

Removing the ability to join a class-action suit is a big deal. Joining others who have been harmed is often the only sensible strategy if the harms are small but widespread.

As federal Judge Richard Posner once wrote, The realistic alternative to a class action is not 17 million individual suits, but zero individual suits, as only a lunatic or a fanatic sues for $30.

Once upon a time, Congress recognized that the proliferation of mandatory-arbitration clauses was a problem.

As part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, Congress gave the newly created CFPB the authority to ban or limit forced arbitration in connection with consumer financial products or services, though the law said the agency had to do a study first.

Since then, the CFPB has conducted two studies examining the prevalence of these clauses, and their effects on consumers and the financial system. After an extended comment period, the agency issued a final rule this month saying such clauses can no longer be used to block class-action suits.

Consumers can still go through arbitration if they wish. But they also now have the option of banding together with other consumers if a lot of people have been hurt similarly.

In other words, the CFPB gave consumers more choices.

Which, again, sounds like something Republicans should support.

Instead, on Thursday, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) announced legislation to kill the CFPB rule using the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to nullify executive-branch regulations by a simple majority vote, so long as they act within 60 legislative days.

The Trump administration also appears to be developing a Plan B, should Congress not act in time.

A Trump appointee, the acting comptroller of the currency, has suggested he might try to obstruct the rule through a regulatory route, based on the absurd argument that the rule could threaten the stability of the financial system.

Note that the CFPBs rule only applies to financial products and services, since those are what falls under the agencys jurisdiction. The Trump administration has meanwhile also begun to repeal or reexamine other Obama-era regulations designed to curb forced arbitration for disputes involving nursing homes and for-profit schools.

So much for the presidents pledge to look out for the little guy.
Sean Spicer wasnt a Trump guy.

During the primaries, when he was chief strategist to the Republican National Committee, Spicer told friends that he was confident Donald Trump wouldnt win the nomination and that if Trump did, both Spicer and RNC chairman Reince Priebus would have to do some soul-searching about whether they could remain in their jobs.

Not only did Spicer and Priebus continue, but also they became fierce advocates for Trump during the general election and took senior roles in his White House. A cynic would say they saw Trump as their meal tickets. A more charitable interpretation is that they were hoping to tame Trump, to temper the crazy. Mike Pence, who had reservations about Trump but accepted the vice presidential nomination, made a similar calculation.

The choice wasnt irrational. I dont blame them for trying. But they were wrong: This beast will not be tamed.

Spicer, disgraced for the past six months because of his extravagant pugilism and lavish untruths on Trumps behalf, finally quit Friday.

(Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

Priebus, suffering the shame of being a chief of staff with neither power nor the presidents ear, will likely follow soon, at least if he wishes to keep intact some dignity.

Pence plainly cant talk sense into Trump, either, and he could yet get the ultimate prize if Trump doesnt finish his term  but it would be under the most ignominious circumstances.

In business, Trump tended to destroy those around him, walking away from failure relatively unscathed while others  lenders, partners, vendors  paid the cost. Something similar is happening to those around Trump now, but this isnt a casino  its our country.

Nobody has been more slavishly loyal to Trump than Attorney General Jeff Sessions, one of his earliest supporters in the Senate; now Trump is publicly savaging him. Trump is likewise disparaging Rod J. Rosenstein, the man he appointed to be the No. 2 at the Justice Department, as well as the special counsel that Rosenstein appointed. Trump has publicly contradicted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson twice (on Qatar and Russia sanctions) and has denied Tillerson even the dignity of staffing his own agency. Trump accepted Chris Christies over-the-top support during the campaign, then cast him aside.

He demands loyalty but offers little. Bodies, meritorious and otherwise, pile up: James B. Comey, Preet Bharara, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Corey Lewandowski, Carter Page, Mike Dubke, Monica Crowley, Mark Corallo, Marc Kasowitz and, now, Spicer.

In comes Trump pal Anthony Scaramucci, financier and Fox News chatterbox, named White House communications director Friday. He appeared before the cameras to praise Trump (hes genuinely a wonderful human being), to suspend disbelief (I actually think the White House is on track and were actually, I think, doing a really good job) and to say that there is probably some level of truth even to things Trump says that sound patently false. Asked if hell be truthful, he replied, I hope you can feel that from me just from my body language.

Hell fit right in. This is more of the same for a president who prefers friends and kin to the threat to his ego that could come from appointing people with the experience to run the federal government and the heft to tell Trump when he is wrong. Steven Mnuchin produced a good film in The Lego Batman Movie but, as treasury secretary, he doesnt know much about negotiating with Congress and is barreling toward a default on U.S. debt. Trumps Cabinet of billionaires has proven more adept at flattering their boss (Incredible honor! Greatest privilege of my life!) than navigating the bureaucracy. Young son-in-law Jared Kushner, out of his depth as he runs everything from Middle East peace negotiations to reforming the federal government, has, along with Donald Trump Jr., worsened the presidents Russia headaches.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Conservative foreign-policy academic Eliot Cohen in November wrote a prescient op-ed for The Post saying conservatives should not serve in the administration because Trump is surrounding himself with mediocrities whose chief qualification seems to be unquestioning loyalty.

Cohen argued that the presidents team would be triumphalist rabble-rousers and demagogues, abetted by people out of their depth and unfit for the jobs they will hold, gripped by grievance, resentment and lurking insecurity. Their mistakes  because there will be mistakes  will be exceptional. He predicted that until the administration can acquire humility and magnanimity, it will smash into crises and failures.

So it has. Luckily, the lack of expertise in the White House hasnt been tested by a major crisis yet, such as war, a large-scale terrorist attack or economic collapse. The troubles Trump faces are of the self-inflicted variety.

Scaramucci wont succeed any more than Spicer. The problem is more than personnel  its the principal.

Twitter: @Milbank

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George W. Casey Jr., a retired general, was chief of staff of the Army from 2007 to 2011 and the commander of coalition forces in Iraq from 2004 to 2007. He is an adviser to the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation.

Over the past two weeks, the House and Senate Natural Resources subcommittees held hearings for identical bills swiftly moving through both chambers of Congress. The committees and chambers at large soon will make a decision of vital importance with respect to the veteran and military communities and the public at large: They will decide how we will memorialize those who have made the ultimate sacrifice over the past 16 years of sustained combat.

The committee will determine whether now is the time to authorize a National Memorial for the Global War on Terrorism.

By building a National Global War on Terrorism Memorial, we would forever preserve the memory of those we have lost in the fighting that followed Sept. 11, 2001, continues today and will continue into the foreseeable future. It will be the first national memorial in Washington authorized for an ongoing war. The men and women it would recognize volunteered from every race, creed and religion and from home towns across our great country. This memorial would stand as a place to educate our country about selfless service and sacrifice. It would inspire future generations of heroes in service to our nation. It would help connect members of our civilian population who too often are unaware of what its warriors are asked to sacrifice when they defend our freedoms.

How would a physical memorial do these things? We need look no further than our existing national war memorials on the Mall to understand. For 35 years, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has stood as a source of healing and pride for the country and for the generation of veterans who fought in Vietnam. Veterans, some of whom were treated very poorly by their countrymen upon their return from war, take solace in the communal healing space the Wall provides. The Korean War Veterans Memorial gave veterans of the Forgotten War much-needed recognition of their service, which was largely overlooked. The World War II generation was welcomed home as victors with ticker-tape parades all across our nation. It took our nation 59 years to formally recognize the Greatest Generation with a national memorial. It is an inspiring and moving experience to witness a group of WWII veterans come to see their national memorial.

The impact of these memorials extends beyond the warfighters themselves. It also provides a common bonding place for families of the fallen to grieve. Memorial Day is a day that we come together as a nation to remember our loved ones lost in war. However, for the widows, children and Gold Star family members of our service members lost in todays war, there is no communal space for them to collectively pay tribute to their loved ones lost fighting on our nations behalf except Arlington National Cemeterys Section 60. This memorial would change that.

While these memorials have been places of great healing for the veterans and families of previous wars, they also have been great sources of education for younger generations of Americans. Every spring and fall in our nations capital, you will find children on school field trips who have traveled from around the country walking around the Mall. They learn why they are standing before 58,300 names inscribed on a dark granite wall or in front of a grand fountain that recognizes a generation of Americans who saved the world from tyranny. Walking on hallowed ground, our citizenry gains an understanding of the effect these periods of history had on our country.

People often ask, Why now? We are in the longest sustained combat in our history. The warriors who shouldered the burden of war for the past 16 years, and the families who stood alongside them, should not have to wait 59 years to be recognized in our nations capital.

My sincerest hope is that the legislators making the decisions on this important piece of legislation recognize the courage, the perseverance and the sacrifices of the men and women who have served our country so well over the past 16 years and authorize the memorial to go forward.
Chief Rabbi of Israel David Baruch Lau lights the sixth candle of the Hanukkah menorah at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on Dec. 21, 2014. (Abir Sultan/European Pressphoto Agency)

Regarding Gil Steinlaufs July 16 Outlook essay, Im an American rabbi. Israel rejects my religious authority:

The false report of an Israeli blacklist of rabbis was discredited before the essay was published. More important, Israel balances the needs of diverse religious and secular communities. Rabbi Steinlaufs claim that the ultra-Orthodox have sole control over Jewish personal-status matters is pejorative and groundless; Israel uses the same common standards that Jews around the globe have observed for centuries. Rabbi Steinlauf appeared to regard that tradition as outrageous and immoral, yet seemed genuinely surprised that those who revere that tradition might look at his beliefs the same way.

Yaakov Menken, Baltimore

The writer, a rabbi, is director of the

Coalition for Jewish Values.
In the normal course of events, the revelation of attempted collusion with Russia to determine the outcome of a presidential election might cause an administration to overcorrect in the other direction. A president might find ways to confront the range of Russian aggression, including cyber-aggression, if only to avoid the impression of being bought and sold by a strategic rival.

But once again, President Trump  after extended personal contact with Vladimir Putin and the complete surrender to Russian interests in Syria  acts precisely as though he has been bought and sold by a strategic rival. The ignoble cutoff of aid to American proxies means that Putin won in Syria, as an administration official was quoted by The Post. Concessions without reciprocation, made against the better judgment of foreign policy advisers, smack more of payoff than outreach. If this is what Trumps version of winning looks like, what might further victory entail? The re- creation of the Warsaw Pact? The reversion of Alaska to Russian control?

There is nothing normal about an American presidents subservience to Russias interests and worldview. It is not the result of some bold, secret, Nixonian foreign policy stratagem  the most laughable possible explanation. Does it come from Trumps bad case of authoritarianism envy? A fundamental sympathy with European right-wing, anti-democratic populism? An exposure to pressure from his checkered financial history? There are no benign explanations, and the worst ones seem the most plausible.

There is no way to venture where this approach ends up, except that it involves greater Russian influence and intimidation in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East (where Iran, the Syrian regime and Hezbollah are winners as well). But we can already count some of the costs.

Trump is alienating Republicans from their own heroic foreign policy tradition. The conduct of the Cold War was steadied and steeled by Ronald Reagan, who engaged with Soviet leaders but was an enemy of communism and a foe of Soviet aggression. In fact, he successfully engaged Soviet leaders because he was an enemy of communism and a foe of Soviet aggression. There is no single or simple explanation for the end of the Cold War, but Republicans have generally held that the United States strategic determination played a central role.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Now Trump pursues a policy of preemptive concession with a Russia that is literally on the march in places such as Georgia and the Ukraine. Trump is the Henry Wallace of the populist right (which more than occasionally finds common cause with the populist left). We should recognize, Wallace argued following World War II, that we have no more business in the political affairs of Eastern Europe than Russia has in the political affairs of Latin America, Western Europe and the United States. The difference now is that Russia has made the political affairs of the United States very much its business. With almost no serious American response. Russian interference in Americas self-defining civic ritual has been almost costless.

And this points to the main cost of Trumps Russophilia. It is effective permission for a broad, unconventional Russian offensive, designed to undo the color revolutions and restore lost glory at the expense of neighbors and American interests. Russia has employed a sophisticated mix of conventional operations and cyber-operations to annex territory and destabilize governments. It has systematically encouraged far-right, nationalist leaders and supported pro-Russian, anti-democratic parties across Europe. It is trying to delegitimize democratic processes on the theory that turbulence in the West is good for a rising East. This is a strategy that allows Russia to punch above its strategic weight, especially since Trump has chosen to abdicate the United States natural role in opposition.

How deep is this transformation of Americas global self-conception? I suspect (and social science seems to indicate) that most foreign policy views of the public are shallowly held and that leaders play a disproportionate role in legitimizing or delegitimizing opinions on things such as trade, foreign aid and Russia. So 49 percent of Republicans now identify Russia as an ally or friend, taking their political signal from the head of their party. But this cognitive conformity would probably work in the other direction with a more traditional Republican leader.

The problem is the damage to U.S. interests done in the meantime. It now seems that the Russians  by meddling in a presidential election and by playing down such aggression  have achieved an intelligence coup beyond the dreams of the Soviet era. The result is an America strategically and morally disarmed.

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There are many ways to evaluate the Trump presidency at the six-month mark. What I am struck by is the path not taken, the lost opportunity. During the campaign, it was clear that Donald Trump had many flaws, but he tapped into a real set of problems facing the United States and a deep frustration with the political system. Additionally, he embraced and expressed  somewhat inconsistently  a populism that went beyond the traditional left-right divide. What would things look like at this point if President Trump had governed in the manner of a pragmatic, jobs-oriented reformer relentlessly focused on the forgotten Americans of whom he often speaks?

We have an interesting template to assist our imagination. After Trumps election, a small group of pro-Trump intellectuals, from both left and right, banded together to launch a journal, American Affairs, that promised the discussion of new policies that are outside of the conventional dogmas. Its the best forum for the articulation of the ideology behind Trumps rise, and there has been so much interest in the journals views on various subjects that the editors opened the second issue with a brief summary of their editorial stance.

On trade, immigration and foreign policy, the editors endorse modest changes to standard U.S. policies, some of which the administration is pursuing. But on the central questions of domestic economic policy, American Affairs seems markedly different and genuinely populist. Taking on the subject at the center of Republican ideology, taxes, the editors profess to be quite skeptical of the conservative orthodoxy that reflexively prescribes tax cuts as the cure-all for every ill. Although corporate tax reform is warranted, the editors say, reducing upper-income tax rates is unlikely to address core economic challenges in any significant way. Instead, they recommend eliminating mechanisms by which the rich evade taxation. In addition, the journal denounces financial deregulation and calls for higher taxes on hedge-fund and private-equity managers. It embraces large and direct government expenditures on infrastructure, warning against relying heavily on the private sector. On health care, the editors come out openly in favor of universal coverage and suggest two options, a single-payer system or a version of the Swiss system, which is basically Obamacare with a real mandate.

Needless to say, this has not been the Trump agenda. But reading these intelligent ideas raises the interesting question, why not? All of the policies proposed above would have helped the forgotten people whose cause Trump champions.

There have been two cardinal features of the Trump presidency so far. The first is that, far from being a populist breakout, it has followed a fairly traditional Republican agenda  repeal Obamacare, weaken Dodd-Frank, cut taxes, deregulate industry. Trumps anemic infrastructure plan is little more than tax credits for private investors. The only real break with Republican tradition has been on foreign policy, where Trump is pursuing a truly bizarre and mercurial agenda that seems to be inspired by his own personal passions and peeves  instituting the travel ban, demanding payment from allies, embracing autocrats who flatter him and his family.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

The second defining feature of the Trump administration has been incompetence. As many have pointed out, had Trump chosen to begin his presidency with a large infrastructure bill, he would have put the Democrats in a terrible bind. They would have had to support him, even though this would have enraged the partys base. Instead, Trump chose health care, a complicated, difficult issue sure to unite his opposition and divide Republicans. Consequently, very little has actually been done. Obamacare has not been repealed, no money has been appropriated for the border wall, NAFTA is still standing, and there is no tax reform bill, nor an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. Even in deregulation, an area of broad presidential authority, little of substance has been accomplished. Many of Trumps executive actions have been to review various measures. An environmental activist told me that he has tried to cheer up his staff by pointing out that the Trump administrations words have rarely been followed by successful deeds.

Trump could have quickly begun reshaping American politics. He discerned voices that others didnt, understood what those people wanted to hear and articulated much of it. But when it came time to deliver, it turned out that he had no serious idea or policies, nor even the desire to search for them. He just wanted to be president, meeting world leaders, having Oval Office photo ops and flying on Air Force One, while delegating the actual public policy to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) or Vice President Pence. So far, Trump has turned out to be something far less revolutionary than expected  a standard-issue, big-business Republican, albeit an incompetent one, wrapped in populist clothing.

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Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, drive on the western front in Raqqa, Syria, during an offensive by the SDF to retake the city from Islamic State fighters. (Bulent Kilic/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

What did the CIAs covert assistance program for Syrian rebels accomplish? Bizarrely, the biggest consequence may be that it helped trigger the Russian military intervention in 2015 that rescued President Bashar al-Assad  achieving the opposite of what the program intended.

Syria adds another chapter to the star-crossed history of CIA paramilitary action. These efforts begin with the worthy objective of giving presidents policy options short of all-out war. But they often end with an untidy mess, in which rebels feel they have been seduced and abandoned by the promise of U.S. support that disappears when the political winds change.

One Syrian opposition leader highlighted for me the danger for his rebel comrades now: The groups that decided to work with the U.S. already have a target on their back from the extremists, but now will not be able to defend themselves.

The demise of the Syria program was disclosed by The Post this week, but its been unraveling since President Trump took office. Trump wanted to work more closely with Russia to stabilize Syria, and a program that targeted Russias allies didnt fit. The White Houses own Syria policy remains a hodgepodge of half-baked assumptions and conflicting goals, but thats a subject for another day.

The rise and fall of the Syria covert action program conveys some useful lessons about this most delicate weapon in the United States arsenal. To summarize, the program was too late, too limited and too dependent on dubious partners, such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. It was potent enough to threaten Assad and draw Russian intervention, but not strong enough to prevail. Perhaps worst, the CIA-backed fighters were so divided politically, and so interwoven with extremist opposition groups, that the rebels could never offer a viable political future.

Thats not to say that the CIA effort was bootless. Run from secret operations centers in Turkey and Jordan, the program pumped many hundreds of millions of dollars to many dozens of militia groups. One knowledgeable official estimates that the CIA-backed fighters may have killed or wounded 100,000 Syrian soldiers and their allies over the past four years. By the summer of 2015, the rebels were at the gates of Latakia on the northern coast, threatening Assads ancestral homeland and Russian bases there. Rebel fighters were also pushing toward Damascus.

CIA analysts began to speak that summer about a catastrophic success  in which the rebels would topple Assad without creating a strong, moderate government. In a June 2015 column, I quoted a U.S. intelligence official saying, Based on current trend lines, it is time to start thinking about a post-Assad Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin was warily observing the same trend, especially after an urgent visit to Moscow in July that year by Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of Irans Quds Force and Assads regional patron.

Putin got the message: He intervened militarily in September 2015, decisively changing the balance of the Syrian war. What Trump did in ending the CIA program was arguably just recognizing that ground truth.

What could the United States have done to provide a different outcome? Here are some thoughts gathered from U.S. and Syrian officials who have followed the CIA program closely.

CIA support could have started earlier, in 2012, when extremists werent so powerful and there was still hope of building a moderate force. By 2013, when the program got rolling, the military opposition was dominated by jihadists and warlords.

The United States could have given the rebels antiaircraft weapons, allowing them to protect rebel-held areas from Assads brutal bombing. The rebels trained with such weapons but could never use them on the battlefield.

While negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran, the United States didnt want to kill Iranians in Syria. And once Putin intervened, the United States avoided Russians. Those limits were prudent, but they neutered the U.S.-backed military operations.

The United States didnt have a political strategy to match the CIAs covert campaign. There was no there there, in terms of a clearly articulated national security objective and an accompanying strategy, said Fred Hof, a former State Department official who has followed the Syria story closely. The American effort unintentionally created massive divisions and rivalries instead of being used as a tool to unite disparate factions, another former official said.

Contrast the sad demise of the CIAs anti-Assad program in western Syria with the rampaging campaign against the Islamic State in the east. Whats the difference? In the east, motivated, well-organized Syrian fighters are backed by U.S. warriors on the ground and planes in the sky. In this game, halfway is not the place to be.

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One cannot imagine a more wrenching moral dilemma than the case of little Charlie Gard. He is a beautiful 11-month-old boy with an incurable genetic disease. It depletes his cells energy-producing structures (the mitochondria), thereby progressively ravaging his organs. He cannot hear, he cannot see, he can barely open his eyes. He cannot swallow, he cannot move, he cannot breathe on his own. He suffers from severe epilepsy, and his brain is seriously damaged. Doctors arent even sure whether he can feel pain.

For months hes been at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. His doctors have recommended removing him from life support.

His parents are deeply opposed. They have repeatedly petitioned the courts to allow them to take Charlie for experimental treatment in the United States.

The courts have denied the parents petition. They concluded that the proposed treatment had no chance of saving the child and would do nothing but inflict upon him further suffering. They did, however, allow the American specialist to come to London to examine Charlie. He is giving his findings to the court. A final ruling is expected on July 25.

The Telegraph of London reports that Charlies doctors remain unconvinced by the American researcher. Indeed, the weight of the evidence appears to support the doctors and the courts. Charlies genetic variant is different and far more devastating than the ones in which nucleoside bypass therapy has shown some improvement. There arent even animal models for treating Charlies condition. Its extremely unlikely that treatment can even reach Charlies brain cells, let alone reverse the existing damage.

The parents have garnered support from thousands of petitioners and from such disparate luminaries as the pope and the president of the United States, both of whom have offered to bring Charlie to their facilities.

What to do? There is only one real question. Whats best for Charlie? But because he cant speak for himself, we resort to a second question: Who is to speak for him?

The most heart-rending situation occurs when these two questions yield opposing answers. Charlies is such a case.

Let me explain.

In my view, two truths must guide any decision: (1) The parents must be sovereign, but (2) the parents are sometimes wrong.

I believe that in this case the parents are wrong, and the doctors and judges are right. Charlies suffering is literally unimaginable and we are simply prolonging it. This is a life of no light, no sound, no motion, only moments of physical suffering (seizures? intubation?) to punctuate the darkness. His doctors understandably believe that allowing a natural death is the most merciful thing they can do for Charlie.

As for miracle cures, I share the courts skepticism. They always arise in such cases, and invariably prove to be cruel deceptions.

And yet. Despite all these considerations, I would nevertheless let the parents take their boy where they wish.

The sovereignty of loved ones must be the overriding principle that guides all such decisions. We have no other way. The irreducible truth is that these conundrums have no definitive answer. We thus necessarily fall back on family, or to put it more sentimentally, on love.

What is best for the child? The best guide is a loving parent. A parents motive is the most pure.

This rule is not invariable, of course. Which is why the state seizes control when parents are demonstrably injurious, even if unintentionally so, as in the case of those who, for some religious imperative, would deny their child treatment for a curable disease.

But theres a reason why, despite these exceptions, all societies grant parents sovereignty over their children until they reach maturity. Parents are simply more likely than anyone else to act in the best interest of the child.

Not always, of course. Loved ones dont always act for the purest of motives. Heirs, for example, may not the best guide as to when to pull the plug on an elderly relative with a modest fortune.

But then again, states can have ulterior motives, too. In countries where taxpayers bear the burden of expensive treatments, the state has an inherent incentive (of which Britains National Health Service has produced notorious cases) to deny treatment for reasons of economy rather than mercy.

Nonetheless, as a general rule, we trust in the impartiality of the courts  and the loving imperative of the parent.

And if they clash? What then? If it were me, I would detach the tubes and cradle the child until death. But its not me. Its not the NHS. And its not the European Court of Human Rights.

Its a father and a mother and their desperate love for a child. They must prevail. Let them go.

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President Trump seems to live atop his own petard. Every time it seems like he should have an advantage, he squanders it by torpedoing a legislative package, firing a government official, making absurd utterances to foreign leaders or ranting on Twitter, often against the better judgment of many who work for him. No wonder that, since Inauguration Day, his approval rating has never risen higher than the 46 percent of the vote he won last November; a Washington Post-ABC News poll out last weekend showed it at 36 percent.

But these unforced errors dont quite explain his inability to take advantage of a boost in economic confidence or to expand, even slightly, the passionate base that carried him to victory. The problem lies with that very victory  the one that won him not only the presidency but also 3 million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. The legacy of such deficits suggests theres little he can do to gain the trust of the majority. American history is clear: Presidents whove lost the popular vote dont win popular support.

The four previous presidents who finished second in votes cast all struggled to convince Americans that they were doing a good job. Each battled the perception that his victory was undemocratic and illegitimate; each soon lost the confidence of his own partisans in Congress and led an administration that historians regard as a failure. Each faced an uphill struggle to keep his base happy and mobilized while also reaching out to the majority, which preferred policies his voters detested. Most, like Trump so far, did not even try to square that circle.

[Yes, Trump can pardon himself or his family. No, he shouldnt.]

Only George W. Bush seemed to escape this fate, for a time. But his temporary success had more to do with the acclaim he received after the attacks of 9/11 than anything else he accomplished in office. And this crisis-induced honeymoon didnt last: During most of his second term, Bushs rating stalled far below the 48 percent of the vote he had won in 2000, when half a million more Americans preferred Al Gore.

The three other presidents who lost the popular vote all lived and governed in the 19th century. None managed to overcome his initial political deficit or to enact any of the major policies he desired. In the 1824 election, John Quincy Adams drew just 31 percent of the popular vote. The conditions of that contest have never been repeated: Adams was one of four candidates, all of whom nominally belonged to the same party, the Democratic-Republicans. Because no man won an electoral-vote majority, the decision fell to the House of Representatives. Adams triumphed, largely because he agreed to appoint Henry Clay, one of his erstwhile rivals, as secretary of state. Andrew Jackson, whose popular-vote count had easily topped that of Adams, screamed that his rivals had made a corrupt bargain; if citizens accepted it, he charged, they may bid farewell to their freedom.

Old Hickory need not have worried. Adams was a brilliant man but a clumsy politician. He urged Congress to enact an ambitious program of public works and to establish a national university. But Adams sabotaged his own cause by declaring, in his first annual message no less, that if voters did not like such expensive measures, lawmakers should not be palsied by the will of our constituents. It was an oddly cavalier way to talk about what American voters wanted. After all, how courageous was it to turn away from their desires when youd never reflected them in the first place?

Politicians who believed that Jackson had been cheated out of the presidency took full advantage of this unintentional gift. They organized a formidable coalition to oppose Adams at every turn, touching a deep popular reserve of resentment against the president. In 1828, Jackson took the presidency, carrying nearly every state outside the incumbents home region of New England.

Half a century later, President Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican nominee, proved unable to banish the specter of his own highly controversial triumph. In 1876, his opponent, Democrat Samuel Tilden, won a clear majority of the popular vote. But the result turned on disputed ballots from three Southern states where Republicans had clearly committed fraud yet where white Democrats had also violently intimidated many African Americans, keeping them from voting. A divided Congress threw the power to decide a winner to a special commission, which narrowly sided with Hayes.

Unhappy Democrats branded the new president His Fraudulency and vowed to resist his agenda in Congress. Hayes actually helped the opposition party by removing federal troops from most of the South, where they had at least tried to stop racial terrorism by former Confederates, nearly all of whom were Democrats. Neither was the president a friend to wage-earners, many of whom were suffering amid a long depression. In the summer of 1877, Hayes dispatched soldiers to break a national railroad strike, which morphed into riots against property in several big cities. A year later, the Democrats captured the Senate and maintained control of the House; Hayess only power was the veto, which he used on 13 occasions. In 1880, Republican operatives were relieved when the unpopular president honored his earlier pledge not to run for reelection. Hayes must have known he stood no chance.

GOP pols were sorry a dozen years later when President Benjamin Harrison declined to do the same. In 1888, Harrison had defeated the incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland by winning every big industrial state in the Northeast and the Midwest. But his share of the popular vote, at just under 48 percent, lagged behind Clevelands. And, like Adams, Harrison lacked the ability to appeal to voters who had not warmed to him before. In fact, Harrison was such a stiff, pompous fellow that even officials of his own party dubbed him a refrigerator and a human iceberg. Although Republicans enjoyed a majority in Congress throughout his term, they failed to enact the only bills Harrison really cared about: to give federal aid to public schools and to protect black voters in the South. In 1892, the Democrats nominated Cleveland again. This time, he thumped Harrison in both the popular and electoral votes, and his party seized back control on Capitol Hill.

Trump is the very opposite of a human iceberg, but he shows a similar reluctance to alter his style of political persuasion. When the president lies that millions of votes were cast illegally for Clinton in 2016, he betrays an insecurity that stems both from his personality and from knowing that most Americans wanted someone else to run the country. If Trump had begun his administration by reaching out to Democrats on a plan to rebuild the nations infrastructure, he may have had a chance to confuse, if not divide, the opposition. Instead, he decided to wage a relentless battle against the federal bureaucracy and the news media  which comes off as defensive instead of confident. Any chance Trump has to gain majority support and get reelected probably depends on changing his behavior. That is a difficult task for any politician, much less an inexperienced one in his 70s. The knowledge that millions of Americans consider his 2016 victory undemocratic and illegitimate could render it impossible.

Twitter: @mkazin

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Donald Trump still cant escape Hillary Clinton

President Trump cares more about himself than his country

Sitting presidents cant be prosecuted. Probably.

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In the seven years after the Affordable Care Act became law, Republicans voted more than 60 times to repeal it. Each time, the legislation passed the House easily, only for Democrats to block it in the Senate; in 2015, though, a repeal bill passed the Senate, too, forcing President Barack Obama to veto it. So when the GOP began this year in control of Congress and with President Trump in the White House, the laws fate might have seemed sealed.

Instead, efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare collapsed Tuesday, although the Senate will still try to push ahead this coming week. But if the effort fails, a promise that has been at the heart of Republican campaigns since 2010  abolishing the ACA  could go unfulfilled at the peak of the partys recent power.

That should not come as a surprise: My research has found that its extremely rare for a majority party on Capitol Hill to deliver on its agenda if the minority holds strong against it. And passing a partisan messaging bill that everyone knows will have no real-world consequences, such as the past repeal votes, is nothing like actually legislating  a distinction well understood by congressional party leaders and rank-and-file members.

Majority parties in Congress rarely succeed in passing laws along party lines. In a recent paper, James Curry and I show that most legislation  major and minor bills alike  passes with majority support from both parties. Minority party support for enacted legislation seldom falls below 70 percent in the Senate or 60 percent in the House. Fewer than 15 percent of new laws are enacted over the opposition of a majority of the minority party in the Senate. These patterns are consistent across Congresses with either unified or divided party control. Likewise, the tremendous growth in party conflict in Congress has hardly budged these figures. No matter how many one-sided messaging bills majority parties ram through one chamber of Congress, actual legislating today remains overwhelmingly bipartisan.

Curry and I also specifically examined the ability of majority parties in Congress to enact their agendas. We identified the 197 items that majority leaders flagged as priorities at the start of each Congress between 1993 and 2017. We found only 10 cases in which a majority party succeeded over the opposition of most minority party members and the minority partys leaders in both chambers.

The Affordable Care Act was one of those exceedingly rare cases. But repealing it hasnt been.

[Senate Democrats have the power to stop Trump. All they have to do is use it.]

Most of the time, when parties pass something they promised voters, they do so by co-opting the minority party in at least one chamber of Congress, usually with the support of at least one top opposing leader. This pattern holds regardless of unified or divided party control of government. What Republicans have been attempting to do with health care this Congress is something parties rarely succeed at doing.

Issues that make for great campaign pledges typically present thorny problems of governance, as Republicans have been demonstrating. No issue was better than health care for GOP messaging during the Obama presidency: It excited base voters, motivated donors, fueled candidacies, and provided a ready argument to criticize the performance of the opposing party and its president.

But when parties engage in messaging, they do not have to confront hard choices. Partisan talking points make simplistic promises  only upsides, without any downsides. You should have the freedom and the flexibility to choose the care thats best for you, read House Speaker Paul D. Ryans Better Way agenda last year. . . . You and your family should have access to the best life-saving treatments in the world.

Actually legislating on health care, however, entails unavoidable policy trade-offs. If you limit how much insurers can charge older consumers, younger ones will have to make up the difference. If you allow health insurers to attract young, healthy people with cheaper plans, you concentrate the old and the sick in plans that will have to charge higher premiums. If you guarantee that people can purchase health insurance despite preexisting conditions, you give them an incentive to not sign up for insurance until they are sick, raising premiums and destabilizing insurance markets. If you lower taxes, you reduce the money available for Medicaid coverage for the disabled, elderly and poor. Every policy move has losers and winners.

Health care is not unusual, either: Parties normally have a hard time living up to their platforms. Fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets have been hoary mainstays of both parties messaging since long before the Republicans 1994 Contract With America. A balanced budget has great appeal to voters who worry about saddling future generations with unsustainable debt. But taking concrete policy action to close deficits is entirely different: Fiscal retrenchment imposes real-world pain. This is why you dont typically hear as much about balancing the budget from parties in control of Congress or the White House.

[Congress is a dysfunctional mess. Heres why you should still want to work there.]

Or consider the policy ideas in the Senate Democrats 2014 Fair Shot agenda. One proposal, a higher minimum wage, is very popular in public opinion polls and made a great message for Democrats. But actually writing legislation to increase the federal minimum wage requires balancing the interests of large and small businesses, the different costs of living in wealthy and poor states, and possible effects on employment levels. Similarly, equal pay for equal work for men and women is a great Democratic Party rallying cry. But it is not easy to figure out in practice how much regulation of private employers personnel decisions is either feasible or desirable.

In 2014, though, Senate Democrats did not need to work out the complex details of their agenda items: Controlling only one chamber of Congress, they knew that any of these initiatives would run into a brick wall of opposition in the Republican House. Any legislation they could get out of the Senate would just be a messaging bill, no different from the many times Republicans attempted to repeal Obamacare during the Obama presidency. (Democrats lost control of the Senate in that years elections, anyway.)

The main political problem Republicans face is that American parties rarely find themselves on the hook to deliver on their promises the way the GOP is now. Divided government is the normal state of affairs. Control of national government has been divided 79 percent of the time since 1980 and 69 percent of the time since 1954. Although our research shows that parties enjoying unified control do not rack up substantially better records of accomplishment, at least under divided government, parties have ample opportunity to pass the buck when they are unable to deliver. Even under unified government, majority parties can usually point to the minoritys ability to block via the Senate filibuster.

But in choosing to pursue repeal and replacement of Obamacare via a congressional budget process not subject to the filibuster, Republicans took upon themselves alone the burden of managing all the policy trade-offs and the full responsibility for all the pain their choices would impose. Parties typically struggle to coalesce on complex legislative issues. It is hardly surprising that a decisive number of Republicans, faced with bearing the blame for all these difficult political and policy decisions, would balk. As one longtime congressional aide told me in an interview for my last book: Theres a big difference between governing and campaigning. Governing is a hell of a lot harder.

outlook@washpost.com

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This is what its like answering all those phone calls to Congress

The GOP has long dreamed of cutting Medicaid. Trumpcare might really do it.

Republicans couldnt kill Obamacare. Thats the genius of its design.

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President Trump is reportedly looking into using his pardon power in response to an expanding special counsel investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 election. If he really did pardon his aides, his family or himself to head off Robert Muellers inquiry, the move probably would be constitutional but ultimately self-defeating for the president.

In using his power to pardon potential witnesses against him, Trump probably would convert a weak criminal investigation into a full-fledged impeachment effort. In 1833, Chief Justice John Marshall upheld a presidential pardon by Andrew Jackson by saying that a pardon is an act of grace by a president. A pardon in these circumstances would not be viewed as an act of grace, but a gratuity from an isolated president.

Trump clearly possesses the authority to pardon associates and family members under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which states that the president shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. Although presidents have tended to wait for convictions before issuing pardons, Trump can do so in anticipation of federal charges. In Ex parte Garland in 1866, the Supreme Court ruled that the pardon power may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or during their pendency, or after conviction and judgment. That is precisely what Gerald Ford did when he pardoned Richard Nixon before any charges were brought against him.

The issue of whether a president can pardon himself is one of the unanswered questions of the Constitution; it has never happened in the history of our republic. Even Nixon did not stoop to a self-pardon, although he did research it. Neither did Andrew Johnson or Bill Clinton, both of whom were impeached by the House but not removed from office by the Senate. Such an act would make the White House look like the Bada Bing Club. After a self-pardon, Trump could wipe out the Islamic State, trigger an economic golden age and solve global warming with a carbon-eating border wall  and no one would notice. He would simply go down in history as the man who not only pardoned his family members but himself.

[Sitting presidents cant be prosecuted. Probably.]

Pardoning his associates at this stage would clearly have a tactical benefit, but the historical and political costs of that would be immense. The most obvious reason for issuing pardons now would not be to protect any of the key people from jail but to limit Muellers leverage over witnesses. Mueller has selected a team of prosecutorial heavies, some of whom are known for flipping witnesses and using pressure to secure their cooperation. A pardon removes that option and reinforces the ability of close associates to take a hard line with investigators.

Of course, the use of the pardon power to protect the presidents political allies and family members would be legitimately decried as an abuse. It would not, however, be unprecedented.

President Thomas Jefferson pardoned Jeffersonian Republicans accused of treason under the Alien and Sedition Act. He also issued a pardon for Erick Bollman that would have allowed Bollman to testify against Aaron Burr in 1807. Jefferson and Burr had received the same number electoral votes for the presidency (a tie broken by Alexander Hamilton, whose own conflicts with Burr would later lead to the duel in which Burr killed him). After Burr became vice president, Jefferson wanted Bollman to testify against Burr for alleged treason in plotting with the British to create a new country out of territory in the Southwest and Mexico. Bollman, however, refused to accept the pardon and thus did not testify.

The most recent abuse of pardon power was by Clinton. He waited until his last day in office to pardon billionaire Marc Rich, generally considered one of the least worthy recipients of a pardon in history. Jimmy Carter denounced the abuse of the pardon power for Rich as disgraceful and attributed Clintons decision to his large gifts. Worse yet, on the same day, Clinton pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton, in an open abuse of pardon power to benefit his family.

Trump could attempt to justify pardons on the basis that any mistakes committed last year were simply the result of novice aides unfamiliar with politics. After all, in 1795, George Washington pardoned the leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion, justifying his decision by dismissing one of them as little short of an idiot. The idiot rationale, though, does not sit well with Trumps anyone would have taken that meeting defense. Nor would it be in keeping with Trumps carefully maintained public image of himself and his children.

Some of Trumps aides could obviously use a pardon. Paul Manafort and Michael T. Flynn are facing credible claims of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. However, FARA violations are almost uniformly addressed administratively, not through criminal prosecutions. Indeed, there have been only three prosecutions under FARA since 1966, when the law was last revised. Nevertheless, prosecutors could threaten a FARA charge to induce cooperation. Likewise, Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner will be questioned before congressional committees starting next week; the risk of false or misleading statements will be at their apex. One such false statement to investigators can be charged as a violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001, or a false statement under oath to the committees can be charged as perjury. That can be considerable leverage for prosecutors.

[Michael Flynn has absolutely nothing to fear from the Logan Act]

But pardons would not end the investigation. Even if everyone were pardoned, Mueller could  and probably would  issue a report to Congress. Likewise, the congressional investigations would continue. Indeed, with pardons, witnesses could lose protections against self-incrimination and could more easily be forced to testify. New crimes such as perjury could fall outside of the pardon, and such a pardon would not protect against state charges. Finally, the difference could be that the focus would shift from potential counts for indictment to counts for impeachment. That change is not an improvement. The existing claims of criminal conduct on Trumps part are relatively weak and speculative. To move from the legal to the political forum is to leave strategic high ground for a quagmire.

Tactical pardons are like burning bridges to slow an investigation. That has rarely stopped a determined foe. Indeed, it tends to encourage and swell the ranks of opponents.

In the end, a pardon of Trumps allies and family  let alone himself  would destroy any legacy of Trumps and demean his office. The presidential pardon remains one of the most majestic and storied powers of our Constitution. Hamilton once stated that the unfettered power given to a president reflects its foundation in humanity and good policy. Neither would justify pardons at this stage of the investigation.

Twitter: @JonathanTurley

Read more from Outlook:

Sorry, Donald Trump Jr. is not a traitor

Trump or Congress can still block Mueller. I know. I wrote the rules.

President Trump cares more about himself than his country

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Nothing is more important to President Trump than loyalty  to him.

In business and in politics, he has demanded it from the people closest to him. Some employees who abandoned him were never welcomed back. Politicians who did not defend him after the most politically damaging moments of the 2016 campaign are still suspect in his eyes. And after six months as president, Trump is still known to publicly jab at people who did not support his presidential bid.

But as Attorney General Jeff Sessions learned this week, the loyalty Trump expects isnt always reciprocated.

Sessions was one of Trumps earliest supporters in Congress and one of the intellectual godfathers of the nationalist movement that propelled his candidacy. Sessions lent his support, and even his closest aides, to boosting Trumps core campaign promises on immigration and terrorism. At a time when Trump had no allies in the Senate, Sessions voiced support for Trumps movement.

But the attorney generals decision in March to recuse himself from the investigation of Russian interference in last years election and possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign seems to have made that history irrelevant.

(Taylor Turner/The Washington Post)

Trump unleashed his long-simmering fury at Sessions in an interview with the New York Times published Wednesday, calling Sessionss decision unfair and expressing regret about choosing him as attorney general.

How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? Trump said. If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, Thanks, Jeff, but I cant, you know, Im not going to take you. 

In Trumps view, the recusal only served to increase the intensity of the Russia investigation, which the president calls a witch hunt, by leading to the appointment of a special counsel.

On Thursday morning, as he tried to highlight a successful drug operation during a news conference at the Justice Department, Sessions faced only questions about whether he would step down in the face of Trumps public criticism.

The episode seems to vividly capture a Trump trait that is familiar to many of his aides, including chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, White House press secretary Sean Spicer and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus  all of whom have at one time fallen out of Trumps good graces.

In business and in politics, people who do not measure up might be at risk of losing their jobs, no matter how loyal they have been to Trump. Those closest to him have come to accept this as a reality of his leadership style. Some even remain loyal to Trump after being discarded, knowing he may call on them again in the future.

Heres the deal: If youre doing a good job, hes not going to fire you, said former aide Sam Nunberg, who was at one time fired by Trump. Nunberg, who began working for Trump in 2011, calls him a great manager despite Trumps decision to sue him for $10 million in 2016 after their falling-out.

President Trump listens as Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office in February. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Nunbergs experience is not unique. Trump fired Corey Lewandowski as his campaign manager after Lewandowski was accused of roughing up a female reporter on the campaign trail and Trumps children grew disenchanted with his stewardship of the election effort. But Lewandowski has remained a vocal surrogate, phone pal and outside adviser to the president.

The White House is dominated by the uncertainty of Trumps loyalty to and feelings about his aides and Cabinet secretaries. His spokespeople are repeatedly questioned about whether the president still has confidence in his top advisers, even his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Early in his presidency, Trump surveyed his friends and associates about Priebuss performance, and rumors that the chief of staff might be replaced have been an ever-present feature of the first six months of the administration.

Bannon, who, like Sessions, helped hone Trumps ideology during the campaign and entered the White House as one of its most powerful figures, recently found himself flying too close to the sun and risked Trumps disapproval.

I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late, Trump told a New York Post reporter in April. I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didnt know Steve.

Im my own strategist, the president added.

Like many things about Trumps foray into politics, his redefinition of loyalty is a striking change from recent presidents.

Its different, remarked Ari Fleischer, who was press secretary for President George W. Bush. Its not how they describe personnel management in business school, but its also something that I suspect his top people got used to.

I personally would never fit in an environment like this, but theres more than one style that can be made to work, even if it makes things harder  and I do think this makes things harder, he added.

For those in Trumps orbit, this kind of loyalty has always been in his manual for success.

In Trump Revealed, a biography written by Washington Post reporters, a former employee recalled a seminal incident in the early 1990s when the opening week of Trumps Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City teetered on the brink of disaster. Trump was eager to look around for blame, promising to fire any employees who contributed to the failure. He even sought to blame the casinos problems on the staff connected to a Trump deputy who had recently died in a helicopter crash.

Trump has acknowledged that his willingness to prioritize his success and well-being over that of other people close to him is a feature of his leadership style.

In his 2005 book, Think Like a Billionaire, Trump compared himself to wealthy business executives such as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Turner Broadcasting founder Ted Turner, whom he characterized as successful in part because they are narcissists who devote their talent with unrelenting focus to achieving their dreams, even if its sometimes at the expense of those around them.

To make the comparison, Trump drew on the work of psychoanalyst Michael Maccoby, who wrote the book The Productive Narcissist.

In an interview Thursday, Maccoby said that Trumps focus on one-way loyalty is common in politics, but it is also common among the narcissistic personalities that Trump identified in Think Like a Billionaire.

The problem is that theres no mutual loyalty, Maccoby said. Trumps relationships can be extremely close, but you never know whether hell change his mind.

The only people that he remains loyal to are his actual family, he added.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer walks into the West Wing on Friday after resigning from his post earlier in the day. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Sean Spicer had not fully moved into his West Wing office in January when he interrupted an informal chat with reporters to show off a prized new possession  the ceremonial White House press secretary flak jacket passed down by his predecessors.

It was meant to symbolize the incoming blasts from reporters. But for Spicer, who announced his resignation Friday after just six tumultuous months on the job, it was the crossfire from inside the West Wing that brought him down.

To a degree unseen before at the White House lectern, Spicer, 45, became a household name, a constant target for critics and late-night comics. He was lampooned on television and social media as the chief spokesman for a White House that is frequently off message and prone to falsehoods. He gained a reputation as a pugnacious, often tongue-tied defender of a boss in President Trump who never really wanted him in the job and always thought he could do better at defending himself.

On Friday, as news broke that Trump had hired Anthony Scaramucci, a brash New York financier, as his new communications director over Spicers personal objections, the situation was no longer sustainable. Trump, who undercut Spicer time and again and dragged him through a series of public humiliations, had made clear he no longer had much use for him.

Better to give them an opportunity to have a clean slate and evaluate what weve done  to figure out whats working and what needs to be improved upon, Spicer said in a brief telephone interview with The Washington Post. Ever the loyal staffer, Spicer said he would remain at the White House through August to help smooth the transition for Scaramucci and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Spicers deputy who was promptly named to replace him.

(Meg Kelly,Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post)

Its been an unbelievable honor and privilege, Spicer said. This is something you dream of. I cant thank the president enough.

The dramatic denouement was an appropriate metaphor for a Trump White House that has been defined by backbiting and infighting. But the decline that led to Spicers departure has been long in the making and extraordinarily public in its nature.

The humiliations started with his first appearance at the lectern a day after Trumps inauguration, when Spicer, in an ill-fitting light-gray suit, insisted in strident tones that reporters had sought to undermine the new president by comparing his inaugural crowd unfavorably to the historic size of President Barack Obamas inauguration.

That was the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period, Spicer declared, a statement that was proved false by fact-checkers and obviously wrong to the naked eye of any impartial observer. Spicer left the room without taking questions.

It was later revealed that Trump, angered by cable news coverage of empty expanses on the Mall, had personally ordered up the performance.

The job as White House press secretary is hard to begin with, but when youre being undercut by your boss and his senior people are providing false information, that makes it nearly impossible to do the job, said Jennifer Psaki, who served as White House communications director and State Department press secretary under Obama. What I saw was somebody who clearly was put in a compromising and difficult position at the White House podium.

Spicer was never an obvious match for a president who had no Washington political experience and reveled in a freewheeling campaign in which he dominated the airwaves with outlandish and often conflicting statements. Spicer, who was not part of Trumps campaign, was a prototypical Beltway insider and Republican Party loyalist who had served as spokesman for the Republican National Committee when it was overseen by Reince Priebus, now the White House chief of staff.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

It was Priebus who persuaded Trump to name Spicer to the job.

Sean kind of tried to bridge two worlds  old Washington and new Washington, said Dana Perino, who served as President George W. Bushs press secretary. He did the best he could.

Spicer made changes to the ritual of the daily briefing aimed at placating Trump, who harangued the press corps as fake news and reacted to news several times a day in real time on Twitter.

Spicer called more frequently on reporters from conservative news outlets. He installed monitors in the briefing room that beamed in live questions over Skype from news organizations outside the Beltway. And he held one smaller gaggle for reporters in his office that excluded several major news outlets, including the New York Times.

But it was his live, on-camera briefings that became appointment viewing. Spicer spoke quickly and forcefully, but he was prone to flubbing attempts to match the hyperbole and rhetorical flourishes of his boss. He was forced to apologize after he asserted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had crossed more red lines than Adolf Hitler because the Nazi leader had never gassed his own people.

The briefings were entertaining, if at times surreal, and the ratings reflected it. That cut both ways for Trump, a New York real estate promoter who had made a fortune in reality television. Trump appeared to offer a backhanded compliment about Spicers notoriety in thanking him Friday.

Im grateful for Seans work on behalf my administration and the American people, Trump said in a statement. I wish him success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities  just look at his great television ratings.

Yet in recent weeks, the public perception of Spicer stumbling around the briefing room spraying water guns at reporters  as popularized by Melissa McCarthys portrayal of Spicey on Saturday Night Live  was no longer in step, even as satire, with his actual role at the White House. Spicer had largely disappeared from public view, relegated to a behind-the-scenes role for a White House that had lost control of the narrative amid the mounting Russia investigation.

Reports that Spicer had eluded reporters by ducking behind bushes in the West Wing driveway on the night Trump fired James B. Comey as FBI director became a meme for a spokesman who did not know how to explain what his boss was doing.

The press office had not conducted a televised briefing in more than three weeks before Friday, and Sanders had taken over at the off-camera sessions. Spicer, a devout Catholic whom Trump had denied an audience with Pope Francis on a visit to the Vatican in May, did not travel with the president on his most recent trip to Paris.

Perino said Spicers relatively graceful exit is likely to preserve his relationship with Trump, adding that he has a story thats so amazing that hell be able to tell it for years.

In the briefing room, Scaramucci put it a little bit differently, bidding Spicer good luck in a way that perhaps showed why hes better suited for Trump: I hope he goes on to make a lot of money.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, above left, walks into the West Wing on Friday after abruptly resigning his position in protest of President Trumps decision to install Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump overhauled his White House on Friday in a dramatic shake-up of his senior team at the six-month mark of his presidency, which so far has been beset by a special counsels widening Russia investigation, a floundering legislative agenda and seemingly constant chaos and infighting within his West Wing.

Trumps decision Friday morning to install wealthy financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director set off an unexpected chain reaction, with White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigning in protest, according to people familiar with the departure. By afternoon, Spicers deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, had been named to replace him.

As the reorganization unfolded throughout the day, Trumps communications shop  not known for finely tuned messaging  offered its best attempt at a display of unity, a Kabuki-theater performance juxtaposing polite public statements with sniping and complaints behind the scenes.

The president wanted to bring on some folks, to add to the team, Spicer said in a brief interview on Friday. This is something you dream of. I cant thank the president enough.

Asked if he had any regrets, Spicer replied: None.

(Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

In a statement Sanders read during the daily briefing, Trump said he was grateful for Seans work and wished him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities  just look at his great television ratings.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus called a private meeting of the White House communications staff Friday morning and said that Spicer, who will remain through August to help Scaramucci transition into the role, is leaving to give the new communications director a clean slate, according to someone briefed on the meeting who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Priebus also tried to play down any tensions between him and Scaramucci, saying the two have known each other for a long time, and Scaramucci told his new team that he is not a top-down manager, this person said.

Scaramucci and Spicer then attempted an awkward hug, with Spicer stiffly accepting Scaramuccis embrace, the person said.

Spicers abrupt and angry departure  which caught even senior West Wing staffers by surprise  reflects the latest upheaval in a White House that has been consumed by tumult and warring factions since almost the day Trump took office. Bringing Scaramucci into the White House could further heighten tensions among Trumps senior staff.

Scaramucci has a contentious relationship with both Spicer and Priebus, each of whom vehemently objected to Trumps decision to install him in the top communications job. Scaramucci has coined a particularly crude nickname for Priebus and, in private conversations with associates in recent weeks, repeatedly savaged both the chief of staff and the entire White House press operation.

Scaramucci has argued to confidants that the media operation mobilizes aggressively whenever critical coverage of Priebus emerges, but that it is far less diligent about defending the president himself, which he characterized as disloyal.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Priebus, meanwhile, previously blocked Scaramucci from several key White House jobs, including director of the office of public liaison. In a last-ditch attempt to keep Scaramucci out of the communications director role, Priebus offered him the public liaison job, a senior White House official said.

A Priebus ally, however, rejected the notion that the chief of staff had tried to block Scaramucci, saying he was simply trying to slow down the process.

Some Trump loyalists inside the West Wing view the hiring of Scaramucci over Priebuss wishes  and the sudden resignation of Spicer  as a blow to Priebuss already fraught standing with the president and his leadership of the senior staff.

This exposes Reince as neither a leader nor a manager, one senior White House official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer a candid assessment.

Stephen K. Bannon, Trumps senior strategist, also opposed the hiring, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Although Bannon  the former chairman of the conservative Breitbart News website  likes Scaramucci personally, he worried that the financier does not have the right set of skills for the job and symbolizes the corporate Wall Street interests that Bannon and others in the nationalist wing of the White House have railed against.

The communications post had been open since Michael Dubke vacated it in May.

The latest staff changes come amid growing legal headaches for Trump, as well as his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who during the campaign attended a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer promising incriminating information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trumps legal team, which underwent its own shake-up Thursday, has begun working to undermine the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into possible collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia by looking into ways to highlight alleged conflicts of interest on Muellers team, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The president has also inquired about his pardon authority  including his ability to pardon aides, family members and even himself, according to people familiar with the effort.

Another wave of controversy washed over the administration late Friday when The Post reported that U.S. intelligence intercepts show Attorney General Jeff Sessions discussed Trump campaign-related issues with the Russian ambassador.

[Trump legal team seeks to control, block Muellers investigation]

Scaramucci addressed reporters Friday afternoon during a news conference, thanking Spicer for doing an amazing job and adding, I love the guy. I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money.

Scaramucci insisted he has a good relationship with Priebus and said he offered to bring him on board as chief operating officer at his SkyBridge Capital company following the 2012 presidential campaign. Priebus, then the head of the Republican National Committee, declined the offer, he said.

Were a little bit like brothers, Scaramucci said. We rough each other up a bit, and thats totally normal for brothers. Hes a dear friend.

But in the same briefing, he also made clear whom he views as his ultimate boss, saying he has no problem working for Reince, but adding: The president said I report to him directly.

Several times during Fridays briefing, Scaramucci said he loved the president and that his goal is to make sure Trumps message is heard by the public and better represented in the media.

I think theres been, at times, a disconnect between the way we see the president and how much we love the president and the way some of you perhaps see the president, he said. And I certainly see the American people probably see the president the way I do. But we want to get that message out there.

Ivanka Trump, her husband, Kushner, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had all been pushing Scaramucci for the job  and on Friday, as some West Wing officials made a final plea to the president to rethink his decision, both his daughter and son-in-law reached out to Scaramucci, to reassure him, according to a senior White House official.

The president has been particularly taken in recent weeks with Scaramuccis hard-charging defenses of his administration on cable TV news, several people familiar with his views said. The president was impressed with how Scaramucci  known as the Mooch  fought back against a CNN article about himself, ultimately leading to the resignation of three CNN staffers involved with the story. Trump views Scaramucci as a natty combatant with a smile.

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, complimented Spicers service to Trump and praised Scaramucci in a brief interview. Like the president, Anthony is a tough, self-made, successful New Yorker who can be both a street fighter and run a C-suite meeting, she said. The president likes that.

Scaramucci was slated to join the White House in another capacity earlier this year, but he had challenges resolving ethical conflicts associated with SkyBridge Capital, which he sold to a Chinese conglomerate with ties to the government just before Trumps inauguration.

On Friday, he told reporters he has been assured by government ethics officials and the White House counsel that there should be no obstacles to him joining the administration now.

My start date is going to be in a couple of weeks, so that its a  100 percent totally cleansed and clean, he said.

Spicers allies, in explaining his departure, said he feared Scaramucci would be communications director in name only because he has little experience working in either communications or politics. Spicer also wanted the new communications director to report to him, which would not have been the case with Scaramucci. Instead, Spicer worried he would find himself serving in two roles simultaneously, even while Scaramucci fell outside his chain of command, these allies said.

This is a joke, said one person close to the press office. Trump wanted Scaramucci on television as a surrogate for the White House and wanted to give him a more formal title.

Spicers resignation marks a sudden end to a short and rocky tenure. The press secretary undercut his credibility during his first full day on the job when, at Trumps urging, he publicly made false statements about the size of the presidents Inauguration Day crowds.

Trump regularly nitpicked and criticized Spicers on-camera briefings, polling his friends about how long he should retain Spicer in the high-profile role. There were other slights. During his first trip abroad, Trump pointedly kept Spicer, a devout Catholic, from a meeting with Pope Francis.

Spicer, a longtime Republican communications operative in Washington, began his time at the podium with a warm relationship with the press corps. But just six months later, many now associate him primarily with his red-faced shouting binges and his caricature on Saturday Night Live, where he was ruthlessly parodied by actress Melissa McCarthy dressed as a man.

In private, Scaramucci seemed to have at least entertained the idea of the top communications post since June. Speaking at former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romneys private retreat in Deer Valley, Utah, last month, Scaramucci said that he believed the White House was faltering in part because the communications director job was empty and that communicating directly with the public was the key imperative of this White House, according to one attendee.

If he were in the role, Scaramucci continued, he would consider starting a daily administration television broadcast at 7 a.m., complete with a desk on the White House lawn and guests that included Democratic leaders.

I like Anthony, but Pelosi and Schumer arent going on his state-run morning show, the attendee said, referring to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The attendee spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private discussion.

Spicer, meanwhile, said in the brief interview that he hopes he is just midway through the book of his life. This most recent chapter, he said, might best be entitled, Exciting Times.

Rosalind S. Helderman, Philip Rucker and Ben Terris contributed to this report.
President Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is set to make a second appearance on Capitol Hill next week to speak with the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, one day after he is scheduled to speak with Senate Intelligence Committee investigators behind closed doors.

The interview, which is also expected to take place behind closed doors, was announced by the House Intelligence Committees ranking Democrat Adam B. Schiff (Calif.) and Rep. Michael K. Conaway (R-Tex.), who is running the panels Russia probe.

Word of the interview came as the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Friday that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the presidents son Donald Trump Jr. had agreed to turn over documents and speak to panel members behind closed doors as part of its ongoing probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The date for their closed-door interviews has not been decided.

Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) still expect Manafort and Trump Jr. to speak to the committee publicly. But because both are cooperating, the panel leaders said in a statement they would not issue subpoenas requiring their presence at the Wednesday hearing but reserve the right to do so in the future.

Both Donald Trump, Jr. and Paul Manafort, through their attorneys, have agreed to negotiate and provide the committee with documents and be interviewed by committee members and staff prior to a public hearing, they said in a statement.

The focus on top Trump surrogates indicates the panels respective probes have entered a new phase of their investigations, as lawmakers seek answers about various meetings with Russian officials. Lawmakers of both parties have focused particular attention on a June 2016 meeting that Kushner, Manafort and Trump Jr. held in Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer who once represented a Russian intelligence unit in a court dispute.

In letters to Trump Jr. and Manafort this week, the Judiciary Committee leaders asked them to furnish all documents related to that June 2016 meeting , as well as any communications or records of attempts to obtain information from Russians about Hillary Clinton or the 2016 presidential campaign. Those documents are due to be delivered to the committee by Aug. 2.

But Grassley and Feinstein did issue a subpoena Friday night for Glenn Simpson, the chief executive of Fusion GPS, a firm behind the production of a dossier depicting salacious but unverified details of Donald Trumps experience in Moscow. Simpson was slated to appear on a panel with Manafort and Trump Jr. on Wednesday, but in a Friday letter from his lawyers, Simpson turned down the committees invitation, claiming Simpson could not attend due to long held vacation plans.

They also wrote that they would challenge a subpoena by asserting applicable privileges . . . under the First and Fifth Amendments.

Grassley has focused acutely on Fusion over the past few months, asking the Justice Department why the research firm has not been required to register as a foreign agent.

Simpson was invited to testify before the Judiciary Committee this week at a hearing on enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but the hearing was postponed until next Wednesday. Manafort and Trump Jr. were scheduled to appear on a panel with him; their appearance at the hearing is no longer expected.

Read more at PowerPost
1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Where We Live | Braddock Metro in Alexandria View Photos The neighborhood, named for its transit hub, is balancing the preservation of its single-family housing stock with development of high-rise rentals and condos. Caption The neighborhood, named for its transit hub, is balancing the preservation of its single-family housing stock with development of high-rise rentals and condos. Braddock Metro, a neighborhood in Alexandria, Va., so named for its proximity to the transit hub, is shifting in its northern part from predominantly industrial to more residential development with high-rises closer to the Metro station. Justin T. Gellerson/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

After spending time with friends who lived not far from the Braddock Road Metro station in Alexandria, Teri and Phil Gennarelli decided to look for houses in that neighborhood.

They had been renting a two-bedroom Cleveland Park apartment in the District since 1999 but wanted to buy a house.

After searching online, they went to open houses for about 18 months. They eventually found an attached rowhouse with a yard and moved in three years ago.

For the Gennarellis, a one-car family, the neighborhood met just about all their needs.

We like the walkability, the access to everything, Teri said. Its really convenient. They have a choice of three nearby supermarkets, including a Whole Foods Market, a Trader Joes and a Harris Teeter, all within walking distance.

Since moving into the neighborhood, the Gennarellis have added a bedroom to the two-bedroom rowhouse. Phil commutes to work at Deloitte in Rosslyn, while Teri is a full-time mother. Both are 40. Their daughters are 4 and 6.

Teris only concern is that Metro trains arrive at the Braddock Road Metro station less frequently than they did when they first moved to the area.

More density: Braddock Metro has been and still is in the midst of change.

The northern part, closer to the Braddock Road Metro station, is shifting from predominantly industrial to more residential development, with high-rises closer to the Metro station.

Its in a huge transition, said Judy Noritake, president of the Braddock Metro Citizens Coalition.

[D.C.s Kalorama Triangle is a nook of serenity tucked into a bustling city]

The southern section, closer to Cameron Street, already has undergone change with more retail stores arriving. This part of the neighborhood already has transitioned, said Leslie Zupan, a past president of the West Old Town Citizens Association, referring to the area between the Braddock Road and King Street Metro stations on the Blue and Yellow lines. Zupan has lived in the area for 37 years.



We like the walkability, the access to everything, resident Teri Gennarelli said. Its really convenient. (Justin T. Gellerson/For The Washington Post)

The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan of 2008, one of 18 Small-Area Plans that help control the type of development in each part of the city of Alexandria, has aimed to find the right balance between preservation and change in this area where the Metro stations opened in 1983.

This Plan is about writing another chapter in the story of this great neighborhood, according to plan documents. It focuses on preserving and enhancing those aspects of the neighborhood that are beloved  its traditional scale and character and walkable streets  while at the same time helping the neighborhood adapt to emerging opportunities and challenges  the changing nature of its diversity, the increased importance of transit, and the evolving value society places on sustainability.





New development in the region is focused around Metro stations, said Jeffrey Farner, the citys deputy director of planning and zoning. The changes closest to the Braddock Road station have been consistent with those near other Metro stations around the Beltway, he said, with the tallest buildings typically closest to the Metro station and shorter structures farther away.

The area also includes the Parker-Gray Historic District, several public housing developments and parts of historic Alexandria. The Alexandria Black History Museum is in the neighborhood at 902 Wythe St. across from the Charles Houston Recreation Center, a city facility at 901 Wythe St.

The Parker-Gray Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. High- and mid-rise rental buildings as well as condominiums and low-rise townhouses have sprung up in the past 10 years or so.

[North Rosslyn has walkability and energy in the hills above the Potomac]

For example, two luxury rental buildings opened in 2013 and 2014 near the Braddock Road Metro station, on the site of an early 20th-century glassworks, the Belle Pre Bottle Co., aptly named 1111 Belle Pre. If you ride the elevator to the roof, youll encounter an expansive view of Alexandria as well as a pool and a landscaped rooftop terrace. The south building has five floors with 94 apartments; the north building has seven for a total of 266 apartments.

The Braddock Neighborhood Plan calls for the eventual relocation of a third of public-housing residents to other parts of Alexandria. Mixed-income housing and ground-floor retail are in the works. So far, a few new retailers have opened in the northern part of the area.



New development in the region is focused around Metro stations, said Jeffrey Farner, Alexandrias deputy director of planning and zoning. (Justin T. Gellerson/For The Washington Post)

Were trying to make it better, said Noritake, an architect. She and her husband, Rae, also an architect, raised their daughter, now 32, in the area. Five years ago, they moved from an apartment above their architectural firm in Old Town to a townhouse closer to the Braddock Road station. Noritake welcomes the additional density in the area. Density brings us the things that we want  good retail, good open space, good design, she said.

Living there: The Braddock Metro neighborhood is bounded roughly by Columbus Street to the east, Cameron Street to the south, West Street to the west and First Street to the north.

In the past 12 months, according to Toni Larios, an agent with Fairfax Realty, 124 properties have sold in the area, ranging from a 1940 cabin for $189,000 to a four-bedroom, four-bath 1906 townhouse for $2.032 million.

There are 20 properties on the market, ranging from a contemporary one-bedroom, one-bath condominium for $339,977 to a traditional three-bedroom, three-bath townhouse listed for $974,900.

Transit: Metro options include the Braddock Road Metro station to the north and King Street to the south. There also are Metro buses as well as the Alexandria Transit Companys DASH buses.

Schools: Jefferson-Houston (K-8), George Washington Middle and T.C. Williams High.

Crime: According to the LexisNexis Community Crime Map, in the past 12 months, there were 10 robberies, nine burglaries and seven aggravated assaults in the area, as reported by the Alexandria police.

To see more photos of Braddock Road, go to washingtonpost.com/realestate.


The DowntownDC BID is partnering with the District and the National Park Service to improve federally owned Franklin Square. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

When you see those nearly ubiquitous business improvement district banners affixed to lightpoles in retail areas throughout the Washington area, you may think the BIDs are merely serving a public relations function for the shops and eateries there.

BIDs do more than that  they perform particular services that local governments may be unable or unwilling to provide, usually because of inadequate annual budgets. Thus, jurisdictions often rely on BIDs.

Yet many residents know little about BIDs: how and why they exist, how they are funded, where they are situated and what improvements they effectuate.

The District has several BIDs, as do Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland jurisdictions. Hundreds of BIDs operate in cities, towns and counties throughout the United States. New York City has 74 BIDs.

What is the purpose of a BID?

[More Lewis: Demolished or repurposed for the future: What decides a buildings fate?]

BID goals and activities are diverse, but all BIDs seek to bring about desirable improvements benefitting the defined district as well as the city, town or county as a whole. Improvements range from being simply cosmetic to significantly transformative. Here are some of the ways BIDS help communities:

 Basic housekeeping: BID employees help keep the improvement district cleaner than it might otherwise be, picking up trash left on sidewalks and streets and disposing of it in trash receptacles. BID workers report potholes, broken streetlights, malfunctioning traffic signals, illegal dumping and other urban shortcomings.

 Enhanced public safety: Increased street presence of recognizable BID workers in uniform is an effective deterrent to lawbreakers looking for victims, especially where police are less present and visible. People occupying and walking along streets often feel more secure with BID workers in sight.

 Enhanced hospitality: BID workers conducting housekeeping and improving public safety also interact with local citizens and tourists. They greet visitors, make them feel welcome and help them find the destinations or activities.

 Aesthetic enhancement: BIDs may actively advocate and promote civic art installations in public spaces or on publicly visible private properties in the district. They call attention to and propose elimination of unsightly or blighted conditions adversely affecting properties and property values. Aesthetic enhancement of district streets and neighborhoods attracts more people to shop, work and live in the district.

 Economic development: All BIDs and BID services aim to promote and expand district business activity, thereby creating more jobs and furthering economic vitality or revitalization. A BID, in effect, acts as a localized chamber of commerce.

 Enhanced identity and public awareness: Raising the profile and elevating public awareness of a business district, locally and regionally, is a corollary objective of all the activities cited above. BIDs can help brand or rebrand a district to impart a new, more positive identity. This is a goal of Arlington Countys Crystal City and Ballston BIDs.

BIDs sometimes co-sponsor major urban projects, in addition to keeping an improvement district clean, safe, attractive and welcoming. The DowntownDC BID is currently partnering with the District government and the National Park Service to significantly improve federally owned Franklin Square, the large, tree-covered park bounded by 13th, 14th, I and K streets NW.

[More Lewis: Beijing and Washington face similar challenges]

Whats involved in establishing and operating a BID?

It begins with a proposal to a local government for authorization to create a specific, geographically delineated BID within the jurisdiction. A BIDs size and shape can vary greatly, and BIDs are not limited to central cities and downtown areas. But, as the name indicates, most real estate within a BID is owned and used for business purposes.

In addition to establishing BID boundaries, a BID charter and operational plan stipulate how the BID is to be managed and, most important, how its activities are to be paid for.

BIDs are financed primarily through a dedicated, add-on BID tax, assessed over and above normal real estate taxes. Only businesses within the improvement district pay the extra tax. Typically the jurisdiction collects the additional BID tax, which is then available to the BID for its budgeted operating costs. However, BIDs are not official government agencies but, rather, function as independent, nonprofit organizations.

And BIDs can be controversial. A BID is being proposed to encompass Alexandrias Old Town, its waterfront and business areas farther west along King Street. But there is opposition because of the add-on tax, based on assessed real estate values, needed to support the BID.

A number of Alexandrias business and professional organizations do not depend on street and sidewalk exposure or walk-in customers. They perceive the BIDs streetscape goals providing little or no benefit while imposing an unfair tax burden that eats into meager profits and could prove unaffordable.

Imbalances between type, size and location of diverse businesses within the BID also stoke the controversy. Numerous small businesses worry that a few much larger businesses will overly dominate the BIDs decision-making, programs and expenditures.

Proponents and opponents, along with the city, are working to resolve the conflict, which might entail adjusting BID boundaries and instituting a multi-tiered membership, voting and taxing formula.

Ultimately, a BID is worth creating only if it proves beneficial, directly or indirectly, for everyone in the jurisdiction as well as for the BIDs business constituents.

Roger K. Lewis is a practicing architect, a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland and a regular guest commentator on The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU (88.5 FM).

BIDs perform services local governments often cant or wont
The Trump administration plans to prohibit Americans from traveling to North Korea, the State Department announced Friday, citing serious risks of arrest and imprisonment in the isolated totalitarian state.

The ban, first disclosed by tour groups that specialize in travel to North Korea, comes in apparent retaliation for the detention of U.S. citizens there and the death of a young tourist who was held for nearly 18 months before being flown home in a coma.

Two tour companies, Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours, said they were told the ban would be formally declared July 27 and would take effect a month later.

The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Friday in a statement announcing the forthcoming ban. Due to mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Koreas system of law enforcement, [Secretary of State Rex Tillerson] has authorized a Geographical Travel Restriction on all U.S. citizen nationals use of a passport to travel in, through, or to North Korea.

The ban would make U.S. passports invalid for travel to North Korea, although exemptions would allow Americans to obtain passports with a special validation for visits to the country. The restrictions will take effect 30 days after a notice is published in the Federal Register next week, Nauert said.

Supporters stage a memorial rally for the late American student Otto Warmbier near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Friday, June 23, 2017. (Ahn Young-Joon/AP)

Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student from Ohio, used China-based Young Pioneer Tours to travel to North Korea in January 2016, only to be arrested on charges of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor. He died June 19 at age 22, six days after being released in a coma and flown home to Cincinnati. Three other U.S. citizens remain imprisoned in North Korea.

[Otto Warmbier dies days after release from North Korea]

It is expected that the ban will come into force within 30 days of July 27th, Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement. After that, it said, Americans who travel to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government.

North Korea marks Victory Day annually on July 27, when it celebrates the 1953 Korean War armistice as a military triumph in elaborate ceremonies.

Koryo issued a similar statement, saying the ban would make it illegal to visit North Korea as a tourist.

Young Pioneer Tours announced last month after Warmbiers death that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea anyway. Now, the assessment of risk for Americans visiting North Korea has become too high, the company said.

The U.S. government had discouraged Americans from traveling to North Korea but previously had not issued an outright ban.

[State Department official met with three imprisoned Americans]

Bill Richardson, a former New Mexico governor and Clinton administration Cabinet official who has negotiated with North Korea for the release of several U.S. prisoners, said the travel ban would reduce Pyongyangs ability to hold Americans as bargaining chips but would not stop it from using the tactic again.

There are still some Americans in North Korea, mostly Korean Americans teaching at Pyongyang University, he said. Dual citizens are particularly vulnerable. If I were one of them, Id get out right away.

Evan S. Medeiros, an Asia specialist for the Eurasia Group, said a travel ban would be far more effective than the increasingly dire travel warnings issued by the State Department in the past year. The warnings have been aimed in part at deterring Americans from traveling to North Korea to slake their curiosity about the strange Stalinist state sometimes called the hermit kingdom.

American citizens need to hear very strong signals about how dangerous it is to travel to North Korea, he said. It closes an important loophole to eliminate things like Otto Warmbier going to North Korea for adventure travel.

Anthony Ruggiero of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said the travel prohibition would be stronger if it came from the Treasury Department with steep financial fines. But he said a travel limitation is necessary to keep more Americans from being arrested by the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un and used to extract concessions from the U.S. government.

[North Korea calls Trump a psychopath who may launch preemptive strike]

Unlike Warmbier, none of the three Korean Americans known to remain imprisoned in North Korea entered the country as tourists. One is a businessman who previously lived in Northern Virginia, and two had taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, a school attended by the children of North Koreas elite.

The longest-held American is Kim Dong-chul, a businessman in his early 60s who was working in a special economic zone in North Korea when he was arrested in October 2015 and accused of being a South Korean spy.

Kim Sang-duk, a 58-year-old U.S. citizen also known as Tony Kim, was teaching accounting at the university. The first American to be detained since President Trump took office, he was arrested at the Pyongyang airport in April while trying to fly to China with his wife. He was accused of unspecified hostile criminal acts.

Similar vague charges were lodged against Kim Hak-song, another teacher at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, who was arrested in May as he was about to leave North Korea.

As of May, the university employed about 40 Americans, most of them ethnic Koreans.

An estimated 1,000 to 1,300 Americans visit North Korea every year, and the loss of their tourism dollars is not expected to have much impact.

But Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies at Tufts Universitys Fletcher School, said prohibiting U.S. passport holders from traveling to North Korea suggests the United States is prepared to get tougher with Pyongyang.

It sends the right message to North Korea, and to friends and adversaries alike, that the United States now is much more serious about enforcing sanctions and putting pressure on North Korea, he said. The United States is now trying to galvanize the international community to do their best to enforce sanctions.

Read more:

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After a long, hot day of violent protests that saw three Arab Muslims fatally shot during clashes, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced Friday night that his government would freeze contact on all levels with Israel until newly installed metal detectors are removed from the entrances to al-Aqsa Mosque.

As news of Abbass ultimatum broke, the Israeli military spokesmans office reported that three Israelis were fatally stabbed late Friday by an assailant who entered their home in Halamish, a Jewish settlement in the northern West Bank. The attacker was shot. Israels Channel 2 news station said the assailant was Palestinian.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry, a hospital and the Red Crescent ambulance service reported that three Palestinians were killed in the clashes and dozens more wounded. Many more suffered from inhaling tear gas, the medics said.

In his statement, Abbas did not say whether his ultimatum would mean a halt to the security coordination between Palestinian police and intelligence units and their Israeli counterparts  an uneven but working relationship that senior Israeli military commanders have long credited with tamping down potentially explosive violence in the West Bank.

The fast-moving events came as Israel and the Palestinians are locked in a dangerous showdown over Israels decision to install the metal detectors at the entrances to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound after a shooting rampage at the site last week.





On Friday, thousands of Muslim worshipers knelt in prayer on hot pavement and cobbled alleys around the Old City in an escalating protest.

After peaceful midday prayers ended, a wave of tire burning and stone throwing by Palestinians began in Arab communities around East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The protests were met by harsh Israeli countermeasures, including the use of water cannons, rubber bullets, stun grenades and live ammunition.

Palestinian authorities and media reports identified the three dead Palestinians as Muhammad Abu Ghanam, Muhammad Sharaf and Muhammad Mahmoud Khalaf.

Israeli officials said the circumstances were being investigated in the deaths of the three Palestinians. Five Israeli police officers also were lightly wounded in the earlier clashes.

Israeli authorities said thousands of Palestinians, from Israel, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, participated in the demonstrations and the rushed funerals that followed.

Israeli police units in riot gear shut down entrances to the Old City with barricades, conducted searches and checked identification cards, and refused entry to Arab men under age 50.

Palestinian Muslims pray next to the Lions Gate, a main entrance to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, on July 20, 2017, as they protest new Israeli security measures. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images)

The days protests were sparked by a decision by Israel to erect metal detectors at the entrance to the mosque compound in the Old City.

Israeli authorities said the detectors were necessary to protect Muslim worshipers and Israeli forces after three young Arab Israelis smuggled a pistol and two homemade machine guns into the compound and emerged to shoot and kill two Israeli Border Police officers a week ago. The three gunmen were killed in a shootout with police.

Many Palestinians, who say it is their sacred duty to defend the mosque, saw the introduction of metal detectors as an additional instrument of control by Israel and refused to believe that the added security was for their own protection.

Muslim spiritual leaders called on their followers to come to Jerusalem to pray at the barricades Friday, the Muslim holy day, as a form of protest.

One of those who joined the gathering Friday, Jamal Hassan, 58, a religious leader from Qalqilyah in the West Bank, said the worshipers would not back down.

We will not pass through their metal detectors, he said. Al-Aqsa is our place of worship, not theirs.

Jowad Dibis, 50, from the Shuafat Palestinian refugee camp in East Jerusalem, voiced suspicion of Israels motives. This is all part of the Israeli plan, he said. Little by little, they want to take al-Aqsa away from us and put up their own temple.

Israeli officials have pointed out that the Jewish center of prayer, the Western Wall, is accessible only to those who first pass through security checkpoints, including metal detectors. Israeli leaders also said that metal detectors are used at Muslim holy sites around the world, including in Medina and Mecca.

Mecca is completely different, said Dibis when asked why he opposed the new security measure in Jerusalem. That is Saudis for Saudis  Saudi Arabia protecting Muslims. This is an occupation, a big difference. You think they want to protect us? Everything is about controlling us.

The raised esplanade in the heart of Jerusalems Old City is revered by both Muslims and Jews. Muslims call it Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, and it is the spot where the faithful believe the prophet Muhammad went on his night journey to heaven. Al-Aqsa is Islams third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina.

Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount. It is Judaisms holiest site, believed to mark the foundation stone of the worlds creation and the place where Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. It was also once the site of two Jewish temples.

Israel and Jordan share responsibility for running the site under a complicated status quo agreement that has been in place for decades. Any change to that agreement  by either side  is seen as a provocation. Under the arrangement, Muslims are allowed to enter and pray freely, while Jews and other visitors can go inside but are forbidden to pray there.

Jordan and other Sunni Muslim states pressured Israel this week to remove the metal detectors and ease the new security measures, fearing a flare-up of violence.

The White House released a statement Thursday expressing concern over the rising tensions in the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met late Thursday with senior ministers and representatives from the Israeli police, the army and the internal security service to decide whether to leave the metal detectors in place or find alternative security measures.

The Israeli army and the internal security service were reported to be advocates for removing the metal detectors, while the Israeli police and Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan wanted them left in place.

Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo and freedom of access at the holy sites. Israel is also committed to protecting the safety of all worshipers and visitors, according to a statement released by the government after the meeting.

Israeli Arab member of parliament Jamal Zahalka said the decision to transfer the matter to the Israeli police was a sham.

Erdan, the minister, told The Washington Post on Thursday that the measures were implemented purely for security reasons and to prevent copycat attacks.

Many, many mosques around the world have exactly the same security checks, and many use metal detectors, he said. Any protest over this is really an issue over who has sovereignty at the Temple Mount.

Sufian Taha contributed to this report.

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The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trumps eldest son and other senior campaign advisers in a highly scrutinized meeting at Trump Tower last year had previously represented Russias top spy agency in a land dispute in Moscow, according to court documents.

Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Moscow lawyer with powerful government contacts, represented a military unit founded by the Federal Security Service in court cases in 2011 and 2012, court rulings seen by The Washington Post show.

In those cases, Veselnitskaya represented Military Unit 55002 in a dispute over a five-story office building in northwest Moscow where a number of electronics companies were based. It was not immediately clear what the spy agency, known as the FSB, used the building for. But the state-run company that now occupies the property provides electronic components for Russian tech companies.

The news was first reported on Friday by Reuters, which said it had seen documents showing Veselnitskayas role in the legal tussle began as early as 2005 and lasted until 2013.

According to legal records, Military Unit 55002 was founded by the FSB, and it is located next to the Lubyanka, the headquarters of the Soviet Unions secret police and intelligence agency for decades. The military unit works on procurement for the FSB, which directs Russias counterintelligence and border security agencies.

There is no information suggesting that Veselnitskaya is herself an intelligence agent or an employee of the Russian government. But the information adds to the intrigue surrounding the June 2016 encounter, in which Donald Trump Jr. met with who he was told was a Russian government attorney, who could offer damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of cyberattacks and propaganda aimed at undermining the American presidential election and discrediting Clinton. A special counsel is investigating possible coordination between Trumps associates and Russian officials during the campaign. President Trump has denied that his campaign received assistance from Russia.

Veselnitskaya could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

The court rulings are the first legal evidence to emerge of a relationship between Veselnitskaya and the Russian intelligence establishment. Rinat Akhmetshin , a Russian American lobbyist who accompanied her to the meeting at Trump Tower, has also reportedly told friends that he was a former counterintelligence officer. He has told journalists that is untrue.

Veselnitskaya, a former Moscow regional prosecutor from 1999 until 2001, became well-known for defending developers in property disputes. She was married to a former deputy prosecutor for the Moscow region, and she represented the family of former Moscow region transportation minister Pyotr Katsyv.

She has said that she is in regular contact with Yuri Chaika, who has been the Russian prosecutor general since 2006. In emails that Trump Jr. received setting up the meeting, he was told that the negative information about Clinton originated with a top Russian prosecutor and was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Chaikas office has denied supplying such information.

The lawsuit that came to light Friday was filed by the Federal Agency for Property Management, which had given the FSB-run military unit the right to use the commercial property in 2007. The property agency was suing a private firm called Module B that claimed rights to the building. The military unit represented by Veselnitskaya was a third party in the lawsuit and supported the demands of the claimant  the federal property agency  the 2011 ruling read. The court ruled in favor of the property agency in 2013.

The five-story office building has served as a hub for state-run tech development since the era of the Soviet Union. According to the court documents, the building was used by the Soviet Ministry of Electronic Industry until 1991, when it was put on the market as part of a sweeping privatization of state assets, and then resold in 2000. A Russian appeals court in 2011 ruled that the original sale was illegal, saying the building had been taken from government control against the will of authorities.

A company called Electronintorg, which is owned by the state-run corporation Rostec, now says that it occupies the building. Rostecs chief executive is Sergey Chemezov, a former KGB employee who served in East Germany alongside Putin.

A description on the companys website says it fulfills the requirements of industries of the Russian Federation for domestic and imported electronic components, technologies, and is also involved in promoting Russian electronic products abroad.

Procurement records show that Electronintorg has filled a little under 3.4 million rubles ($57,435) in government orders since 2015. Mainly, the orders are for niche industrial chemicals and supplies, such as photoresist, water glass and ion-exchange resin.

Some of the chemicals are used to create ultrapure water, which is commonly used in the semiconductor industry.

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Russian lawyer says Kremlin didnt tell her to meet Trump Jr.

Putin says he thinks Trump agreed with assurances that Russia did not interfere in U.S. elections

Donald Trump Jr. was told campaign meeting would be with Russian government attorney, according to emails

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From left, Othmane Salem al-Hamoud, Qatars deputy director of security; Mohammed al-Mohannadi, head of the Interior Ministrys technology division; and Abdullah Khalifa al-Muftah, the director of the public relations department, attend a news conference in Doha, Qatar, on July 20 to discuss the hacking of Qatari government websites. (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that the United States was satisfied with Qatars counterterrorism efforts under a new bilateral agreement, and called on a four-country bloc led by Saudi Arabia to lift its land blockade of Qatar as a sign of good faith.

I think it would be a good sign if the four countries would do that, Tillerson said before a meeting here with Omans foreign minister. I hope they will begin to take some positive action.

Tillersons remarks came after he spent last week in the Persian Gulf region, shuttling among capitals to press for a negotiated settlement of the ongoing conflict among key U.S. counterterrorism partners. During that visit, he signed a new agreement with Qatar outlining cooperation to stem what the Saudis and others have said is Qatari funding of terrorist groups.

Four nations  Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt  severed relations and imposed a land, air and sea blockade of Qatar in early June, accusing its government of supporting terrorists and providing safe harbor to dissidents intent on destabilizing their governments.

The crisis was sparked when comments appeared on Qatari news sites in late May quoting that countrys leader, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, as calling for improved regional relations with Iran and defending groups that others in the region consider terrorists.

Qatar, which said the statements were false and charged its sites had been hacked, said Thursday that the cyberinterference had begun more than a month earlier, when hackers first infiltrated its network.

Lt. Col. Ali Mohammed al-Mohannadi, the head of an internal Qatari investigation of the events, stopped short of claiming proof of who was responsible for the hacking campaign. The only thing we are sure of is that . . . the anticipation and the benefit from this hacking was in the UAE, Mohannadi said of the investigations results at a news conference in Doha, the Qatari capital.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt had broadcasted the false story, which first appeared just after midnight on May 24 on the Qatari governments news agency site and was then repeated on its social-media sites, within hours, ignoring official Qatari denials.

This week, The Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had confirmed that senior UAE officials were involved in planning and orchestrating the cyberattack, although the hacking itself may have been carried out by a contracted third party.

[UAE orchestrated hacking of Qatari government sites, according to U.S. intelligence officials]

Mohannadi said that other friendly states had helped investigate the hacking, but he did not name them. Earlier, the government said it had requested FBI assistance. The FBI has declined to comment.

In a timeline of events, Mohannadi and other officials said that the first infiltration of the Qatar News Agency network took place on April 19 and that malware was installed in the system on April 22. Later that month, they said, addresses, passwords and emails of all employees on the system were collected, copied and shared with another person via Skype.

The officials showed graphs indicating that immediately after the false articles were posted, traffic on the site from browsers in one of the countries imposing siege on Qatar  sharply increased in an apparent attempt to verify that the hacking was successful.

Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis expressed early concern about the crisis. Qatar hosts a major U.S. air base that is the regional headquarters for U.S. operations in Iraq and Syria, and other countries in the region play significant roles in the fight against the Islamic State and overall U.S. counterterrorism operations.

Although President Trump has said the Saudi-led diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar was necessary to stem financial support for terrorist groups, Tillerson has repeatedly called the measures too harsh and has urged the group to temper its demands on Qatar.

Other than the new U.S.-Qatar counterterrorism agreement, Tillersons shuttle diplomacy showed no early success. Oman and Kuwait, who share the Arabian Peninsula with Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have also tried to mediate the dispute.

This week, Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United Nations said the four countries list of 13 demands basically came down to six principles. Among them, while they were calling for Al Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite television network, to temper what they say is its Arabic-language destabilization of neighboring countries, they were no longer insisting that the network be shut down.

Qatar said it had received no official information concerning the new proposals.
Russias ambassador to Washington told his superiors in Moscow that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to public assertions by the embattled attorney general, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Ambassador Sergey Kislyaks accounts of two conversations with Sessions  then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump  were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.

One U.S. official said that Sessions  who testified that he had no recollection of an April encounter  has provided misleading statements that are contradicted by other evidence. A former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had substantive discussions on matters including Trumps positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.

Sessions has said repeatedly that he never discussed campaign-related issues with Russian officials and that it was only in his capacity as a U.S. senator that he met with Kislyak.

I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign, Sessions said in March when he announced that he would recuse himself from matters relating to the FBI probe of Russian interference in the election and any connections to the Trump campaign.

[Obamas secret struggle to punish Russia for Putins election assault]

Current and former U.S. officials said that that assertion is at odds with Kislyaks accounts of conversations in two encounters during the campaign, one in April ahead of Trumps first major foreign policy speech and another in July on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention.

The apparent discrepancy could pose new problems for Sessions as his position in the administration appears increasingly tenuous.

Trump, in an interview this week, expressed frustration with Sessionss recusing himself from the Russia probe and indicated regret at making the lawmaker from Alabama the nations top law enforcement officer. Trump also faulted Sessions as giving bad answers during his confirmation hearing about his Russia contacts during the campaign.

Officials emphasized that the information contradicting Sessions comes from U.S. intelligence on Kislyaks communications with the Kremlin, and they acknowledged that the Russian ambassador could have mischaracterized or exaggerated the nature of his interactions.

Obviously I cannot comment on the reliability of what anonymous sources describe in a wholly uncorroborated intelligence intercept that the Washington Post has not seen and that has not been provided to me, said a Justice Department spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores, in a statement. She reasserted that Sessions did not discuss interference in the election.

Russian and other foreign diplomats in Washington and elsewhere have been known, at times, to report false or misleading information to bolster their standing with their superiors or to confuse U.S. intelligence agencies.

But U.S. officials with regular access to Russian intelligence reports say Kislyak  whose tenure as ambassador to the United States ended recently  was known for accurately relaying details about his interactions with officials in Washington.

Sessions removed himself from direct involvement in the Russia investigation after it was revealed in The Washington Post that he had met with Kislyak at least twice in 2016, contacts he failed to disclose during his confirmation hearing in January.

I did not have communications with the Russians, Sessions said when asked whether anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign had communicated with representatives of the Russian government.

He has since maintained that he misunderstood the scope of the question and that his meetings with Kislyak were strictly in his capacity as a U.S. senator. In a March appearance on Fox television, Sessions said, I dont recall any discussion of the campaign in any significant way.

Sessions appeared to narrow that assertion further in extensive testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, saying that he never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States.

But when pressed for details during that hearing, Sessions qualified many of his answers by saying that he could not recall or did not have any recollection.

A former U.S. official who read the Kislyak reports said that the Russian ambassador reported speaking with Sessions about issues that were central to the campaign, including Trumps positions on key policy matters of significance to Moscow.

Sessions had a third meeting with Kislyak in his Senate office in September. Officials declined to say whether U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted any Russian communications describing the third encounter.

As a result, the discrepancies center on two earlier Sessions-Kislyak conversations, including one that Sessions has acknowledged took place in July 2016 on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention.

By that point, Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to embark on a secret campaign to help Trump win the White House by leaking damaging emails about Trumps rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.

Although it remains unclear how involved Kislyak was in the covert Russian campaign to aid Trump, his superiors in Moscow were eager for updates about the candidates positions, particularly regarding U.S. sanctions on Russia and long-standing disputes with the Obama administration over conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

Kislyak also reported having a conversation with Sessions in April 2016 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, where then-candidate Trump delivered his first major foreign policy address, according to the officials familiar with intelligence on Kislyak.

Sessions has said he does not remember any encounter with Kislyak at that event. In his June testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sessions said, I do not recall any conversations with any Russian official at the Mayflower Hotel.

Later in that hearing, Sessions said that its conceivable that that occurred. I just dont remember it.

Kislyak also was a key figure in the departure of national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to leave that job after The Post revealed that he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with Kislyak even while telling others in the Trump administration that he had not done so.

In that case, however, Flynns phone conversations with Kislyak were intercepted by U.S. intelligence, providing irrefutable evidence. The intelligence on Sessions, by contrast, is based on Kislyaks accounts and not corroborated by other sources.

Former FBI director James B. Comey fueled speculation about the possibility of a Sessions-Kislyak meeting at the Mayflower when he told the same Senate committee on June 8 that the FBI had information about Sessions that would have made it problematic for him to be involved in overseeing the Russia probe.

Comey would not provide details of what information the FBI had, except to say that he could discuss it only privately with the senators. Current and former officials said he appeared to be alluding to intelligence on Kislyaks account of an encounter with Sessions at the Mayflower.

Senate Democrats later called on the FBI to investigate the event in April at the Mayflower hotel.

Sessionss role in removing Comey as FBI director angered many at the bureau and set in motion events that led to the appointment of former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III as a special counsel overseeing the Russia probe.

Trumps harsh words toward the attorney general fueled speculation this week that Sessions would be fired or would resign. So far, he has resisted resigning, saying that he intends to stay in the job as long as that is appropriate.

Matt Zapotosky and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
Protesters hold a flag with the Solidarity trade union logo and shout slogans outside the senate building in Warsaw on July 21. Parliament is debating a contentious bill that gives politicians influence on the nation's top court. (Alik Keplicz/AP)

The Polish Parliament moved this week to expand political control of the judiciary, threatening a showdown with the European Union over legislation that Brussels has condemned as an assault on democracy and the rule of law.

Proposed by the ruling Law and Justice party, the measure would remove current members of the Supreme Court, except those handpicked by the justice minister, and grant the governing party power over future appointments. The proposal cleared the lower chamber Thursday and was passed by the Senate late Friday. Its proponents were undeterred by the finding of lawyers advising the upper chamber that parts of the measure would be unconstitutional. The body with the authority to invalidate it, the Constitutional Tribunal, has been filled with government loyalists.

The U.S. State Department sounded an alarm about the legislation, warning in a Friday statement that the bill appeared to undermine judicial independence and weaken the rule of law in Poland. In a recent speech in Warsaw, President Trump praised Poland as a model for the West.

As the Senate debated the measure late Friday before voting 55 to 23, protesters descended on the government building in central Warsaw, carrying candles and white roses and singing the national anthem. Mass demonstrations have unfolded across Poland for the past week.

From a window high up in the building, a former leader of the Senate, Bogdan Borusewicz, called out encouragement to protesters, saying, You are giving us strength.

Below, a former head of the Constitutional Tribunal, Andrzej Rzeplinski, told the crowd, which briefly fell silent, We were guarding the constitution for you. Drawing on Polands history of resistance under communism, he urged: Protest peacefully like we did the last 45 years.

Im terrified of not living in a free country, said Paulina Wilk, a 37-year-old writer. Fair elections will be next to go.

Popular protest has again become urgent, government critics say, as opposition lawmakers lack means to impede the Law and Justice party, which controls Parliament.

The threat to the independence of the Supreme Court is the latest maneuver by the right-wing party, which gained power in 2015, to bring the judiciary under its control. Another measure it has advanced would disband an independent body that selects new judges, transferring that power to Parliament.

The measures require the signature of President Andrzej Duda, whose veto is becoming the last hope for opponents of the legislation. Still aligned with Law and Justice despite formally separating himself to become president, Duda sought to moderate the changes but is expected to fall in line with the party. He is closely tied to Jarosaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice and architect of the politicization of the courts.

The government has also clamped down on state media and moved to restrict the right to democratic assembly. But c ritics say the judicial reorganization is the clearest sign yet of the populist, anti-democratic direction in which Law and Justice is taking Poland, a country that overthrew communism in one of the earliest and most fervent democratic movements that swept Europe in 1989.

Jan Rulewski, a senator and former activist with the labor union that led the independence movement, Solidarity, wore prison clothes to the chamber to announce his opposition to the measure. Poland is becoming a penitentiary, he said.

Law and Justice says the measures are long-overdue judicial reforms purging communist influence from the courts. TVP Info, a public broadcaster that has become a mouthpiece of the state, hailed the end of post-communism in Poland. Marek Pek, a Law and Justice senator, said the aim is to restore the proper balance of powers.



E.U. officials disagree, and if the Supreme Court measure goes into effect, it could trigger an effort in Brussels to strip Poland of its voting rights in decisions of the bloc  a never-invoked nuclear option.

The rule of law is one of the values on which our union is founded and which defines our union, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans told reporters in Brussels.

But any move to deprive Polish leaders of their voice in E.U. decisions would require the unanimous consent of the other 27 leaders, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said he does not support the idea.

Klaudia Kocimska and Magdalena Foremska in Warsaw and Michael Birnbaum in Brussels contributed to this report.

Read more:

Trump needs some nice pictures from Europe, and Poland will likely oblige

Thousands protest in Poland against court reorganizations

E.U. closer to sanctions on Poland over changes in judiciary

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A U.S. F-15 fighter in 2011 after an airstrike against Taliban insurgent positions in eastern Afghanistans Kunar province near the border with Pakistan. (Nikola Solic/Reuters)

A U.S. airstrike killed at least nine local security personnel aligned with Afghan Government forces, a spokesman for the U.S. military confirmed late Friday.

U.S. forces apparently mistook the police for the Taliban militants the U.S. and Afghan forces were fighting.

The airstrike took place in the Gereshk district of Helmand province, where U.S. and Afghan forces have been locked in fierce fighting with the Taliban. The airstrike killed 12 police officers and injured two others, Helmand provincial police chief Abdul Ghafar Safi said Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

A U.S. military statement said that an investigation would be conducted to determine the specific circumstances that led to this incident.

Helmands governor, Hayatullah Hayat, said that two commanders of the national police were among those killed and that many bodies were still under rubble, making an exact toll hard to determine.

According to Hayat, the Taliban had recently seized a number of police posts and captured Humvees stationed there, making it easier for aircraft to confuse the two groups.

The police had recaptured a post from the enemy, and it was hit by mistake with the belief that the Taliban fighters were still dug in there after they took the post on Thursday, said Hayat, who was reached by phone. He claimed that 70 Taliban fighters had also been killed in the offensive, which took place around midday Friday.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because official details about the strike had yet to be released, said that U.S. Marines in Helmand had helped coordinate the strike with Afghan security forces. The official said that the area had recently been taken over by the Taliban and that their Afghan counterparts indicated that the positions were not friendly or manned by government forces.

When aircraft were overhead, they saw a group of individuals not wearing uniforms and firing in what appeared to be the wrong direction, the official added.

The U.S. air war in Afghanistan has returned to a level of intensity not seen since the troop surge in 2012, when 80,000 U.S. forces were spread across the country, going on patrols and engaging the Taliban on a daily basis.

Data released this month by the Air Force said that as of June 30, U.S. and coalition aircraft had dropped or expended 1,634 munitions in Afghanistan during the first six months of 2017. By comparison, that figure was 298 in 2015 and 545 in 2016.

The sharp upward trend is due in part to new powers given to commanders on the ground in June 2016 by President Barack Obama. U.S. forces had previously been able to conduct airstrikes only when troops, Afghan or American, were deemed to be directly under threat.

U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said this week that 70 percent of all airstrikes in the country were directed against the Taliban, while about 20 percent were part of counterterrorism operations, such as going after the Islamic States Afghan affiliate.

Sayed Salahuddin contributed to this report.

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Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Morning high of 55F with temps falling to near 45. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 34F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc..

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The following companies are subsidiares of Laboratory Co. of America: 1957285 Ontario Inc. dba Quality Underwriting Services, 2089729 Ontario Inc., 2248848 Ontario Inc., 3065619 Nova Scotia Company, 3257959 Nova Scotia Company, 8165335 Canada Inc., 8348596 Canada Inc., 896988 Ontario Limited, 9279-3280 Quebec Inc., Accupath Diagnostic Laboratories Inc., Assets of Pathology Inc, Beacon LBS IPA Inc., Beacon Laboratory Benefit Solutions Inc., CannAmm GP Inc., CannAmm Limited Partnership, Center for Disease Detection International, Center for Disease Detection LLC, Centrex Clinical Laboratories Inc., Chiltern, Clearstone Central Laboratories (U.S.) Inc., Clearstone Holdings (International) Ltd., Clinical Outreach Laboratory Services, Clipper Holdings Inc., Colorado Coagulation Consultants Inc., Colorado Laboratory Services LLC, Correlagen Diagnostics Inc., Covance Inc., Curalab Inc., Cytometry Associates Inc., Czura Thornton (Hong Kong) Limited, DCL Acquisition Inc., DCL Medical Laboratories LLC, DCL Sub LLC, DIANON Systems Inc., DL Holdings Limited Partnership, Decision Diagnostics L.L.C. (aka DaVinici/Medicorp LLC), Diagnostic Services Inc., DynaLifeDX, Dynacare - Gamma Laboratory Partnership, Dynacare Company, Dynacare G.P. Inc., Dynacare Holdco LLC, Dynacare Laboratories Inc., Dynacare Laboratories Limited Partnership, Dynacare Northwest Inc., Dynacare Realty Inc., DynalifeDX Infrastructure Inc., Envigo's nonclinical contract research services business, Esoterix Genetic Counseling LLC, Esoterix Genetic Laboratories LLC, Esoterix Inc., Execmed Health Services Inc., FirstSource Laboratory Solutions Inc., GDML Medical Laboratories Inc, Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratories GP Inc., Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratory Limited Partnership, HHLA Lab-In-An-Envelope LLC, Health Testing Centers Inc., Health Trans Services Inc., Home Healthcare Laboratory of America LLC, IDX Pathology Inc., Impact Genetics Corporation, Impact Genetics Inc., Kaleida LabCorp LLC, Lab Delivery Service of New York City Inc., LabCorp BVBA, LabCorp Belgium Holdings Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Canada) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (China) Inc., LabCorp Colorado Inc., LabCorp Development Company, LabCorp Employer Services Inc., LabCorp Health System Diagnostics LLC, LabCorp Indiana Inc., LabCorp Japan G.K., LabCorp Limited, LabCorp Michigan Inc., LabCorp Nebraska Inc., LabCorp Neon Ltd., LabCorp Neon Switzerland S.a.r.l., LabCorp Specialty Testing Billing Service Inc., LabCorp Specialty Testing Group Inc., LabCorp Staffing Solutions Inc., LabCorp Tennessee LLC, LabCorp UK Holdings Ltd., LabWest Inc., Laboratoire Bio-Medic Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America, Lifecodes Corporation, LipoScience Inc., Litholink Corporation, MEDTOX Scientific Inc., MNG Laboratories, MedAxio Insurance Medical Services GP Inc., MedAxio Insurance Medical Services LP, Medical Neurogenitics LLC, Medtox Diagnostics Inc., Medtox Laboratories Inc., Monogram Biosciences Inc., Monogram Biosciences UK Limited, Myriad Autoimmunes Vectra Testing Business, NWT Inc., National Genetics Institute, New Brighton Business Center LLC, New Imaging Diagnostics LLC, New Molecular Diagnostics Ventures LLC, Orchid Cellmark ULC, Ovia Health, PA Labs Inc., Paclab LLC, Path Lab Incorporated, Pathology Associates Medical Lab LLC, Pee Dee Pathology Associates Inc., Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc., Persys Technology Inc., Pixel by LabCorp, Princeton Diagnostic Laboratories of America Inc., Protedyne Corporation, SW/DL LLC, Saint Josephs-PAML LLC, Sequenom Biosciences (India) Pvt. Ltd., Sequenom Inc, Sequenom Inc., Tandem Labs Inc., Toxikon Corporation, Tri-Cities Laboratory LLC, Viro-Med Laboratories Inc., Visiun, and Yakima Medical Arts Inc..

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Photo credit: USAF/David Dixon

From Popular Mechanics

In 1944 Germany launched the V-1 "Buzzbomb" against England-the first practical use of what we now call armed drones. In the 73 years since, UAVs have evolved from surveillance tools to full-fledged battlefield weapons. By 2011, the U.S. Air Force was training more pilots for advanced UAVs than for any other weapons system, and there's been a steady stream of sensor testing to make drones better and better.

There's only one problem: How can you test sensors on an aircraft with no cockpit? Much like the military drone's own origins, the answer comes from World War II.

Photo credit: Lyle Devore

Affectionately called the "Gooney Bird", the DC-3 is a twin engined, propeller-driven Depression-Era transport that now helps improve the most lethal drone in the world-the MQ-R Reaper. The Reaper is a high-altitude turboprop UAV, with a 65 foot wingspan that can the can carry 3,000 pounds of munitions while staying aloft up to 14 hours. With stats like these, it's no wonder the Reaper became the Obama Administration's favorite strike tool.

To fire its collection of Hellfire missiles, Paveway II laser-guided bombs, and GBU-38 JDAM, the Reaper uses a variety of sensors carried in pods purpose built for different missions, whether providing close air support to protect Army special forces or targeting ISIS militants during an hours-long sortie over Raqqa, Syria. Each mission calls for a different pod, but the Air Force instead wants just one pod able to handle any mission.

Enter the AgilePod. A reconfigurable pod ranging from 28 to 60 inches, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) designed the AgilePod with common electro-mechanical connections and open-architecture software, transforming the addition of laser or other sensors to the Reaper's fuselage into a plug-and-play affair. Making sure that the sensors play well together inside AgilePod required flight test engineers working in real-time onboard an airplane that could carry the pod, the people, and their test instruments.

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Photo credit: Isaac Brekken / Getty

But the oddity of using an WWII airplane to improve next-generation UAVs isn't lost on USAF Captain Russell Shirey, program manager for Blue Guardian, which flight tested the AgilePod.

"I've had people asking, are we doing flight testing or a D-Day reenactment?"

Designed in 1934, the Douglas DC-3 revolutionized air transport as an airliner and airlifter. Over 16,000 DC-3s and military-variant C-47s were built with more than 300 still flying today. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association magazine, the DC-3 possesses among the best payload/efficiency numbers ever met in a commercial airplane design. Newer test aircraft often can't carry the same payload or use short/unprepared runways. They also usually burn too much fuel and are simply too costly, so that's why DC-3 pilots have long said, "the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3." This particular C-47 was built in 1943 and is owned by Airborne Imaging, a sensor development firm.

"It's a true workhorse," Airborne business manager and pilot, Dave Wheeler, says. "The ability to carry custom sensor mounts is amazing. You can just cut holes in it."

The company adapted existing hardpoints on the DC-3's belly to carry an Air Force-standard BRU-15 weapons rack-the same rack used by the MQ-9-for mounting the AgilePod. In a succession of 14 test flights, engineers flew eight different sensors and five different pod configurations.

"I've had people asking, are we doing flight testing or a D-Day reenactment?"

With its two 1,350 horsepower engines set to cruise power, the DC-3 flies along at relatively low altitude at about 180 mph. It can stay aloft for up to eight hours, far longer than smaller, more modern airplanes. It also carries flight test engineers in relative comfort.

"In an airliner you feel the airplane [rotate] and lift off the runway," says University of Dayton Research Institute flight test engineer, Bryan Miller. "In the DC-3 you just feel a slight lift and the next thing you know, you're off the ground. It was louder than an airliner but not as noisy as I expected."

The DC-3's large, unpressurized cabin allows flight test engineers to mount extensive test racks in relative comfort. "We had engineers onboard who could literally change [software] code in-flight," Capt. Shirey adds. "That's a real benefit. Once we go to the MQ-9, we don't have that luxury."

Although the mission was improving the AgilePod, researches also relished the opportunity to fly in the belly of an aerial legend.

Photo credit: USAF

"It's not often that you get to fly in a WWII aircraft," Deputy Program Manager Juliana Nine says. "It was pretty sweet. I was telling all my friends, 'Guess what I flew on?"

"Seeing the DC-3 in the hangar for the first time was unique  it took you back in time," says Mark DiPadua of AFRL's Electronics and Sensors Branch. "It was a wonderful surrogate to mimic the flight conditions we'd find on the MQ-9."

Capt Shirey says that it's likely AFRL will use the vintage airplane for flight testing for other programs in the future.

With several weeks of fine-tuning on the the C-47, the AgilePod will be moved to a MQ-9 test drone next. It could be operational in two years and flying on unmanned and manned aircraft. In the meantime, Airborne's DC-3s aren't sitting idle. They've been used in recent Air Force Red Flag exercises, flying with F-22s and F-35s, and they continue to develop the UAV tech of tomorrow.

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Senator Ben Cardin has proposed fining Americans who support boycotts of Israel: Aaron P Bernstein/Getty Images

A bill that would criminalise boycotts against Israel has been signed by 45 US senators and 237 congressman.

The so-called Israel Anti-Boycott Act would impose fines of up to $250,000 (192,000) on any US citizen engaged in interstate or foreign commerce who supports a boycott of Israeli goods and services.

The US has long defended Israel in territorial disputes in the Middle East, even as the Israeli military has expanded into areas assigned to the Palestinians by international law.

This position runs counter to that of the United Nations, which claims Israels settlements in occupied Palestinian territory have no legal validity, and constitute flagrant violation of international law.

In their new legislation, members of Congress claim the UN is considering a resolution to withhold assistance from  and prevent trade with  settlements in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights.

The Israel Anti-Boycott act would punish any American who supported such measures.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has argued that the bill would impose civil and criminal punishment on individuals solely because of their political beliefs about Israel and its policies, in a letter sent to members of the Senate.

In short, the bill would punish businesses and individuals solely based on their point of view, it wrote. Such a penalty is in direct violation of the First Amendment.

Still, the bill  reportedly drafted with the help of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)  has received widespread bipartisan support.

Even liberal-leaning senators like Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Maria Cantwell of Washington, and representatives like Adam Schiff of Massachusetts, have signed on to the legislation.

Conservatives like Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida also support it.

When asked by The Intercept about this support, many legislators seemed unfamiliar with the details.

Whatever your opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it's clear the Constitution protects the right to boycott.  ACLU National (@ACLU) July 20, 2017

Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan responded by asking: Whats the Act?

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Senator Claire McCaskill claimed she had not read the ACLU letter, but would take their position into consideration, just like I take everybodys position into consideration.

Meanwhile, Senator Benjamin Cardin  the bills primary sponsor  said that he doesnt think the bill criminalises participating in boycotts, as the ACLU has claimed.

We are very sensitive to freedom of speech; we are very sensitive to people having different views, he said. Were not trying to weigh in at all on the differences between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
When most investors think of the best dividend stocks, they often think of Johnson & Johnson (ticker: JNJ) or Procter and Gamble Co. ( PG). Both are massive corporations with payouts around 3 percent annually, so they spring to mind for good reason.

But for savvy investors, there is a lot of opportunity in lesser-known dividend stocks. These smaller capitalization companies often have better growth prospects than entrenched megacaps like J&J and P&G, and sometimes they have even bigger dividend payouts to boot.

Remember, small-cap dividend stocks come with more risk to cyclical trends in the economy or disruption to revenue. These five small-cap players offer big potential for dividend investors.

[See: 10 Ways to Invest in Pharmaceuticals with ETFs.]

Extended Stay (STAY). Extended Stay America is a hotel operator that caters to those looking for longer-term lodging. And thanks to moderate growth in the both the top and bottom line for this consumer stock, STAY has managed to climb more than 30 percent in the last 12 months versus a gain of just 14 percent or so for the broader Standard & Poor's stock index.

The best part for income investors, however, is that the reliable revenue stream from Extended Stay properties mean this $4 billion company can provide reliable dividends. That payout is almost twice that of 10-year Treasurys right now, too. It has a dividend yield of 4.2 percent.

Escalade (ESCA). Escalade is a lesser-known sporting goods brand that makes everything from archery gear to free weights to paddles for pickleball. The company is valued at about $200 million, so you would be forgiven if you haven't heard about it. But the company is growing nicely, with shares up roughly 115 percent in the last five years versus just 80 percent for the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

Its dividend payouts are growing nicely, too -- 12 cents a share per quarter currently, up from 7 cents a share at the beginning of 2012. That shows this company is committed to returning capital to shareholders as it thrives. The yield is currently 3.7 percent.

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Gannett Co. (GCI). USA Today and regional newspaper publisher Gannett was spun out of a media conglomerate in 2015. There's not a lot of history for shares as a result, but one thing is clear -- a big commitment to big dividends, despite being valued at just under $1 billion in market capitalization.

[See: 8 Stocks to Buy For a Starter Portfolio.]

The company has a dividend yield of 7.2 percent that's more than triple the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds. The future of newspapers isn't exactly rosy in a digital age, but investors should have confidence that dividend will stick around going forward. Right now the payout is roughly 60 percent of earnings, giving ample wiggle room should profits decline.

Citizens & Northern Corp. (CZNC). Citizens & Northern is a regional bank that serves a small area from northern Pennsylvania to southern New York state. The company had been in a rut as it struggled to recover from the Great Recession, but recently has been looking better based on hopes of less burdensome financial regulations out of Washington to help lending and profits.

Of course, those same regulations should give investors confidence in the dividend as long as they last. After all, safeguards after the financial crisis demand banks prove they can afford every penny they dole out to shareholders -- so CZNC's 4.5 percent dividend is as solid as they come.

American Eagle Outfitters (AEO). Income-oriented investors need to tread carefully in retail stocks, since a lot of high dividend stocks in the space are also high risk. But investors can have faith that this retailer is much better than others.

[See: 8 of the Most Incredible Investments of the 21st Century.]

For starters, AEO is comfortably profitable and its 12-cent dividends are sustainable at about 60 percent of forecast earnings. Also, Wall Street has all but given up on the stock and is valuing it at just 11 times future earnings -- a big bargain compared with a typical a forward earnings multiple of about 20 for components in the S&P 500. All this while AEO is actually expected to improve both profits and sales marginally in the coming year. AEO's dividend yield is 4.2 percent.

Jeff Reeves is currently executive editor of InvestorPlace.com. He is a stock analyst and financial commentator with almost two decades of newsroom and markets experience, contributing to The Wall Street Journal network, USA Today, CNBC, TheStreet.com, Fox Business Channel and US News. Follow him on Twitter @JeffReevesIP.
Washington (AFP) - Two dozen congressional Democrats Wednesday launched a no-confidence motion against Donald Trump, an effort that will have no practical effect but highlights the rancor aroused by the US president.

"This is an attempt at a political intervention," Representative Steve Cohen told reporters as he unveiled the resolution questioning Trump's fitness to serve as commander in chief.

Congress cannot remove a president except by impeachment, so a no-confidence motion would be non-binding.

But Democrats are hoping to send a message of frustration with a leader who has refused to release his taxes, launched verbal attacks on women and the press, pulled the United States out of a pivotal climate pact and cast doubt on the usefulness of traditional alliances.

If Cohen were to use procedural tactics to bring the resolution to the House floor, even for a simple request for a vote, it could serve as a strong if symbolic rebuke.

Cohen said the resolution details "misdeeds and actions that give people lack of confidence in him and the direction he is taking our country."

They include accusations that Trump accepted payments from foreign powers including from officials staying at his hotels, and fired the FBI director because of the ongoing investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia.

The resolution urged the president to release his tax returns; "unequivocally acknowledge" that Russia interfered in the 2016 election; and refrain from using Twitter inappropriately.

Cohen said he discussed his motion with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and that she did not object.

"We have a president who actively undermines the very principles of our government, and a Republican Congress that makes excuses for him as though his behavior were normal," said congresswoman and co-sponsor Judy Chu.

"It is not normal. Trump's behavior is cruel, unethical and it is driving people's faith in government to dangerously low levels."

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US resolutions of congressional censure are rare.

In 2007, the Senate considered a no-confidence motion against Bush-era attorney general Alberto Gonzalez, but it failed to advance.

Earlier this month a Democratic congressman formally filed the first article of impeachment against Trump, but the effort has been ignored by Republican leadership.
Since Obama ended the wet-foot, dry-foot preferential treatment, 1,000 Cuban migrants have gathered in Nuevo Laredo to try to gain US citizenship

Cuban migrants stuck in Nuevo Laredo wave flags and placards during a protest. Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters

Ana and Victor arrived worn out and weary on an early morning bus and made their way straight for the bridge across the Rio Grande into Texas. The Cuban couple headed toward the US immigration offices, where they planned to apply for political asylum.

But American border officers blocked their way before they could plead their case.

I told him: Wait. Were asking for political asylum, look at my passport. And he said they were not accepting Cubans, said Ana, 49. They threw us into the street.

Ana and Victor, who preferred not give their surnames, are among an estimated 1,000 Cubans who have arrived in Nuevo Laredo since 12 January, the day Barack Obama ended a policy of preferential treatment for Cuban migrants.



The wet-foot, dry-foot policy allowed any Cuban who reached US soil to become legal residents; its repeal as part of Obamas detente with Havana effectively closed the border to Cuban migrants.

But Cubans have continued to converge at the border regardless, in the hope that Obamas successor would return to a more hostile Cuba policy.

But when Donald Trump recently announced a partial rollback of Obamas Cuba opening in June, he kept immigration restrictions intact.



Why the hope with Trump? Because he is the only path we have to leave Cuba and reunite with family, said Ana as she sat in a waiting room at a drug rehab clinic run by evangelical pastors, which has been turned into a makeshift shelter for Cuban migrants.



As for Obama, she said: He only wanted to get along well with the king of Cuba.



Obamas sudden change in immigration policy caught Cubans off-guard, including those already en route.



Ana and Victor, fierce critics of the Castros, had not started their trip in January. But they were determined to see through their plan to leave Cuba  and they felt they had no other option: several months earlier, the couple had sold their one-bedroom apartment in Old Havana to finance the journey.



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Cubans march outside the international border bridge in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters

Money from the sale paid for their daughters US visa application  which was eventually approved  and their own Mexican visas and plane tickets to Cancun, where they arrived in mid-May. For a few weeks, they washed cars and worked in restaurants to pay for their passage to Nuevo Laredo.



Others have taken more circuitous routes to the border, flying first to Ecuador  where the Cubans can still travel visa-free  then trekking through Colombia, Central America and the whole of Mexico.



When the policy changed, the Cubans congregated in public plazas near the border until local pastors started providing space in churches and rehab centres. Others now gather at a local Catholic-run shelter, which was already anticipating a surge in demand after Trumps anti-migrant rhetoric and pledges to deport undocumented migrants.

We were preparing for the Trump emergency when the Obama emergency arrived, said Father Giovanni Bizzotto, a Scalabrini priest directing the Nazareth migrant shelter.



There were a lot of people hoping and praying that Trump would change the Obama policy, he said.



The municipality has provided the Cubans with three months of medical insurance, while immigration officials issued visas allowing them to reside and work in Mexico.



But approximately half the Cubans tired of waiting in Nuevo Laredo, walked across the border bridge and surrendered to US officials in the hope of claiming asylum. Others have requested asylum in Mexico, though most have not abandoned their hopes of entering the US.

Most of the migrants at the shelter are Central Americans fleeing gang violence and poverty, or Mexicans deported from the US and dumped in a city currently convulsed by organised crime violence.

The treatment of the Cubans, who can pass through Mexico with the proper papers, contrasts sharply with the thousands of Central Americans transiting the country as they flee poverty and violence back home.



Mexican immigration officials now detain and deport more Central Americans than their American counterparts, while migrants are often preyed upon by crooked cops and criminal gangs as they make their way north.



Its difficult to cross Mexico. With some luck you can cross it, said Luis Oviedo, a Honduran who barely avoided a kidnapping attempt while travelling through the country and at one point walked for 10 days to avoid checkpoints.



Among the Cubans who remain at Bizzottos shelter, anger at Obama runs high.



The US is a country of immigrants and they slammed the door in our face, said Israel, 64, a heavy equipment operator.



Israel, who didnt want to give his surname, spent seven years trying to reach Mexico. He worked along the way, including two years as a barman in Panama. He pulled out a tattered blue passport stamped and showed an Ecuadorian entry stamp dated 12 February 2010  but still he seethed that the US border closed to Cubans before he could cross.



I renounce the US, he declared, raising his voice over the roar of a noisy ceiling fan. A little later, he admitted that he still hoped to cross the border one day to be reunited with a son living in New Orleans.


Guns N Roses in 1987. (Photo: Ross Halfin/Geffen Records)

When Guns N Roses full-length debut, Appetite for Destruction, came out on July 21, 1987, it met with resistance and controversy. But of course, anything less from L.A.s resident bad-boy rockers would have been disappointing. At the time, vocalist Axl Rose, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler were the hellions of the Sunset Strip. When they werent making music, they partied hard enough to kill most young men  or at least leave them with their heads hanging over the toilet for days.

They drank, doped, fought, and f***ed with the conviction that what didnt kill them would make them stronger and the realization that theyd probably never make it to 30  let alone celebrate their greatest album more than 30 years after its release, with one of the most popular reunion tours of the decade.

But the reason why the 18 million-selling Appetite has stood up over the decades  and is getting the deluxe reissue treatment this week, via the Locked N Loaded boxed set priced at a whopping $999  is Guns N Roses played as hard as they partied. Sure, their tunes covered subjects popular among other Sunset Strip bands  booze (Nightrain), drugs (Mr. Brownstone), debauchery (Rocket Queen)  but the quality of their songwriting was astonishing for such a young band. Influenced by Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, Elton John, and Queen  just to name a handful  GNR cultivated their own daring, infectious, and dangerous blend of melody and mayhem. It wasnt something they even needed to cultivate  the volatility of Roses voice (which veered between raw vulnerability and wide-eyed aggression), the lockstep groove between Stradlin and Adler, the bluesy and blazing guitar leads of Slash  it just was.

In 1985, when Rose, Slash, Stradlin, McKagan, and Adler began writing together, it was clear that they had the kind of chemistry and outsider charisma that bands like their obvious predecessors the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith possessed before them. At the same time, like their heroes, they were regularly drunk or high, and they had a reputation for missing shows or appearing incredibly late, which irked fans and gave their handlers ulcers. Offstage, GNR were even more unpredictable. All this presented a rebellious nihilism that could have backfired, had the band not been able to perform from muscle memory.

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The building we lived in was the first apartment building on Clarke Street, across from the Whisky a Go-Go, the bands first manager, Vicky Hamilton, said in Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal. Once, Steven was trying to help me pick up empty Jack Daniels bottles and beer cans while Axl was sleeping on the couch. We woke him up and he was so mad he picked up a heavy wood coffee table and heaved it at Steven with everything on it. Then he started punching him. It was the day before a showcase and I said, Great, you want to kill your drummer the day before an industry showcase. Perfect!

Hamilton helped put out fires when she could, but she left before Guns N Roses released anything. Randy Phillips took over as manager, but he didnt last either. Guns N Roses first manager to last more than a few years was Alan Niven, who realized the group had enormous potential to be rock stars, if only he could get them a record deal and keep them out of jail  or worse.

Niven, who had worked with Motley Crue when they were on Greenworld Records, brought GNR to Geffen A&R man Tom Zutaut, who had signed the Crue and was eager to see what he could do with Guns. So on March 26, 1986, he signed the band for an estimated $250,000. In his memoir, Slash wrote that he spent most of his share of the money on heroin.

When I first signed Guns N Roses, they were a complete mess, but they already had great songs and were a great live band, and you could see that, Zutaut tells Yahoo Music. They were doing these unplugged gigs in conjunction with their electric gigs, and they sounded really good and proved that they didnt need blaring electric guitars to connect. They had real songs.

To get GNRs engine fired up, Zutaut paid producer Spencer Proffer $15,000 to record Nightrain and Sweet Child O Mine, which the label planned to use to build support for the band. Beyond the scheduled studio time, Rose, who made many of the business decisions back then, set up impromptu recording sessions.

I might get a phone call at one in the morning from Axl saying, Hey, we want to go in the studio, Zutaut recalls. The studio would roll out the carpet and they would sit on chairs on the carpet and wed record ideas. So there was this mindset of being ambitious and inventive long before Appetite was completed.

As intoxicated as they often were, Guns N Roses still wrote well-structured songs that mixed primal swagger with insouciance and volatility. And when they covered other artists songs, such as Bob Dylans Knockin on Heavens Door, they put their own spin on the music.

Yeah, they were indulging in whatever, but songs were still just flying out of them  even when they werent really trying to write, says Slashs childhood friend and early band photographer Marc Canter. One guy in the band would hear another member practicing in the next room and come over to him and say, Hey, play that again! And then hed pick up an instrument and the two would start working on it. It didnt matter which one was playing it. You take any one of them out of the mix and they wouldnt have been nearly as good. Slash used to come up with these funky hard rock riffs, but Axl knew just what to do with them and how to inject melody in there. And Izzy would add his two cents. But when Izzy would come up with a riff, Slash would change it and make it better. Songs just came to them because they were all in agreement of what needed to be done. They were influenced by great music and they didnt like the way things were going, so they were doing their version of what they thought music should be.

By the time Guns N Roses started seriously working on Appetite, they already had a head start. Nightrain and Sweet Child were already in the can and just needed to be rerecorded, and a couple of the songs had been written from the bandmates previous projects. Slash, McKagan, and Adler had started working on Rocket Queen in their group Road Crew, and Anything Goes was written for Hollywood Rose, the pre-GNR group formed in 1983 by Rose, Stradlin, and guitarist Chris Weber. In a short period of time, McKagan co-wrote Its So Easy with friend West Arkeen, and Stradlin composed Think About You. Then there was Mr. Brownstone, which Slash and Stradlin wrote about the dangers of heroin. For a while, they were able to hide their addictions from friends and workmates, but eventually, their dependencies caught up with them.

All of a sudden, Slashs personality changed, says the bands former personal publicist, Arlett Vereecke. A few people had told me he was doing smack, but I sort of brushed it off and said, No, hes just doing coke. Whatever. I dont care. But, of course, smack is a whole different story and I didnt see it coming. One time, he was here with his guitar tech Adam, and Slash said, Will you make me a cappuccino, Arlett? I said, Sure, so I made one for him and one for me. He left and came back half an hour later and said, That cappuccino made me sick. It sucked. I said, Thats strange. I had the same one. Mine didnt suck. And somebody else who was here said, You know what just happened, dont you? He just shot up and hes sick. I said, I dont think so. He said, Absolutely. I used to be a heroin addict. I know the signs. So we went in his room and looked and found 18 needles and a bag of brown sugar, and that was it.

Determined to get her friend to kick, Vereecke gathered a group of Slashs peers and bandmates to support her when she addressed the issue in a quasi-intervention. She called Rose and a couple other people to help her talk to the guitarist. I said to Axl, You better be here when he wakes up, because I will kill him myself! Vereecke recalls. And Axl said, Arlett, hes been blue before. I said, Well, not in my house! The only one who could scare him was Axl, so I needed Axl to come. Slash passed out until midnight. And at midnight, he came out all dressed up, top hat and all, and said, Hey! Whats everybody doing here? And Axl said, Do not say anything, Arlett. Well take over. I said OK.

Sensing what was happening, Slash got defensive, then angry. He denied that he had a problem, claiming his use was recreational. I was in the kitchen and Slash shoved the door open and said, Arlett, did you put your foot in your mouth? And I said, Yeah, let me put it in yours! And I started slamming him with pots and pans and everything I could get my hands on. After I calmed down, I told him he could go to rehab or stay with me and I would detox him. He chose to stay with me, so with the help of some friends and some heavy-duty medication, we got him through it.

Of course, it didnt last. In a fit, Slash threw a hammer through Geffens office window, which caused problems for management and the bands A&R. Fed up with the criminal activity, instability, and attitude of a group that had only released a relatively unknown concert EP (Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide), Geffen president Eddy Rosenblatt threatened to drop Guns N Roses. But by that time, the band was on a musical roll.

The group wrote some of their best material, penning lyrics that were often based on life experience and resonated with listeners. Rose wrote Welcome to the Jungle about the first colorful experiences he had in New York in 1980, after he stepped off the bus from his hometown of Indiana. And Out Ta Get Me was about his inability to stay out of trouble with the police. Other songs were equally undeniable. Sweet Child O Mine, which was about Roses relationship with then-girlfriend and future ex-wife Erin Everly (daughter of the Everly Brothers member Don Everly), and My Michelle, which Rose wrote about one of Slashs childhood friends, presented an almost sensitive side to the band. Paradise City and Its So Easy were more traditional radio-ready rockers about fast times and hot chicks.

Ironically, some executives at Geffen were actually frustrated that Guns wrote such good songs, since the band was always asking for more time in the studio and more money to record. Theyd use money theyd get from Geffen to buy equipment they said they needed, and then theyd hock it instantly for drugs, Canter recalls. Everyone was out of control other than Duff. They had a bunch of great songs, but the band wasnt really cooperating. Geffen would put them up in an apartment and they would ransack it and get evicted and the police would come. It was a bad scene. You didnt know if someone was going to die or if someone would go to jail. No one knew what was going to happen.

Guns N Roses started tracking Appetite for Destruction with producer Mike Clink after expressing unhappiness with Proffers demos. They talked to KISSs Paul Stanley, but he wanted to make too many changes to the songs, and Mutt Lange (Def Leppard, AC/DC, Foreigner) proved too expensive. Finally, they settled on Clink (Motley Crue, Heart) because the price was right. It was a good move. Clink had the patience to tolerate the bands unpredictable work habits and the tenacity to work on mixes late into the night. Guns N Roses began recording with Clink at Daryl Dragons Rumbo Recorders in January 1987.

They spent two weeks tracking the drums, bass, and preliminary guitar. Over the next month, Slash worked on solos and overdubs and Rose recorded his vocals, which took more than a month since he insisted on recording a single line at a time, one song after another. This aggravated his bandmates, who frequently left him alone in the studio with Clink while they ran amok. During this time, Rose decided Rocket Queen should begin with sex noises, and since Adlers girlfriend was hanging out in the studio at the time, Rose suggested he and the woman have sex and record her moaning so they could add it to the album. She consented, and while the result sounds effectively authentic on the record, the move infuriated Adler, further contributing to the tension within the band, Zutaut says.

Guns N Roses added last-minute overdubs and mixed the record at Mediasound Studios and mastered it at Sterling Sound in New York City. By the time Appetite for Destruction was finished, in April 1987, Geffen had spent $365,000 on the recording without seeing anything in return.

And then came the albums first big, public controversy  which had nothing to do with any of the songs. The cover artwork for Appetite was supposed to feature a Robert Williams painting that depicted a mechanical beast that looked like it had ravaged a defenseless woman.

The original Appetite for Destruction cover. (Photo: Geffen Records)

Its this picture of a big red monster jumping over a fence, in armor, Rose explained in a 1986 interview with Rip. Theres a lot of energy, and theres like an old man robot, and his brains exploding, and hes smashing little pink robots. I found the painting in a book.  Its called Appetite for Destruction. The picture is really strange; you cant quite figure out whats going on, and that always bothers you. But it captures the band. I submitted it to the band as a joke and they all went, This is it! The girl, her shirts open, she was abused by somebody; I dont know if its the robot or the monster.

Several major music retailers balked after seeing the proposed cover, so Geffen put the arguably offensive artwork on the inside of the album and replaced the front design with a Celtic cross and skulls representing each of the band members. Finally, Appetite for Destruction was ready for release, and GNR supported it with tours with the Cult and T.S.O.L.

The final Appetite for Destruction cover. (Photo: Geffen)

The shows were hardly hassle-free. Sometimes Rose showed up late, forcing the band to take the stage an hour or more after they were scheduled to play  and sometimes he didnt show at all. One such incident happened when Guns N Roses were supposed to go on after T.S.O.L. in Phoenix, but Rose had gone missing.

As T.S.O.L. prepared to leave the stage after their opening set, Niven coaxed them back on while he hoped that Rose would eventually show up. I was trying to buy time, Niven tells Yahoo Music. Finally, these poor guys in T.S.O.L. came offstage after playing Beatles covers. They looked at me mournfully and said, Weve played absolutely everything we know. Were beat. Can we quit now? That was the moment I had to walk onstage and say, Tonights performance by Guns N Roses, unfortunately, will not occur due to a medical emergency. Immediately, people started throwing s*** at me and it got ugly fast. The crowd rioted and it spilled out into the parking lot, and at least one car was turned over and set on fire.

Today, Appetite for Destruction is viewed as one of the most successful, authentic, and abrasive rock n roll records of the 80s, and the last great arena rock album before the music business was consumed by more self-effacing grunge bands and less outwardly hedonistic alternative groups. However, Appetite wasnt an overnight sensation. By October 1987, three months after its release, the record had sold 150,000 copies  a respectable number, but it paled in comparison to many hard rock bands of the era and was disappointing considering the hype that had accompanied the album. Then sales leveled off and executives at Geffen considered taking GNR off the road and putting them back in the studio. The big problem, as it turned out, was that MTV  then a powerful tastemaker for music fans  refused to play the bands video for Welcome to the Jungle.

Zutaut pleaded with David Geffen to convince MTV to play the video. Some favors were extended by the networks president, Tom Freston, and six months after it was submitted, the network aired Welcome to the Jungle at 5 a.m. on a Sunday. The video generated requests from lots of insomniacs and early risers, so MTV shifted it into semi-regular rotation and its popularity soared. Pretty soon it was a priority at the channel, receiving several spins a day. Radio became just as enthusiastic, and thanks to the airplay and a triumphant tour opening for their heroes Aerosmith, Guns N Roses finally blew up.

As thrilled as they were by their success, Guns N Roses were also overwhelmed. Rose suffered from stage fright, and the larger the crowds got, the longer it took him to take the stage. In addition, touring was running the band ragged. Then came the final straw, one year and one month after Appetites release, on Aug. 20, 1988, at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Donnington, England. It was intensely hot, there were too many fans at the venue, and security was unable to control the crowd. When Guns went on, people just stormed towards the stage and got crushed in the rush, Vereecke says. Later we found out two people had died, which the guys were just devastated about.

Zutaut says that the Donnington incident had a lasting effect on Guns, who came to the conclusion that their concerts werent mass celebrations  they were chaotic, potentially deadly events. After that happened, they made it very clear that they didnt ever want to put themselves in a position where they were responsible for a stampede, where people were injured or killed again, Zutaut says. I think mentally they understood that they were not personally responsible, but they were so upset that I think it contributed to the excesses of the band. Its hard enough when you explode like that and you become larger than life  an icon, a godlike figure that people worship. That, in itself, psychologically messes with peoples heads. But to throw a tragedy like this on top of it.  I think that there are a few ways that people escape it. One is alcohol, one is drugs, and the other one is religion. You become obsessed with one of those three things, and you use it like a crutch to try and survive.

For a while, it was questionable if the band would survive their indulgences and the disenfranchisement such behavior caused with certain less hedonistic members in their camp. The tension reached a peak during a show at the L.A. Coliseum opening for the Rolling Stones, in which Axl Rose stated, I hate to do this onstage. But I tried every other f***ing way. And unless certain people in this band get their s*** together, these will be the last Guns N Roses shows youll f***ing ever see. Cause Im tired of too many people in this organization dancing with Mr. Goddamn Brownstone.

When Rose left the stage, he was determined to make good on his threat. As David Geffen walked down the steps at the back of the Coliseum, he bumped into Rose. Delighted by the show, Geffen congratulated Rose, who shot back, Well, I hope you liked it, f***er, because its the last f***ing one! Niven remembers. You should have seen Geffens face. I was, like, 15 paces behind, trying to keep up, and Im waving my hands at Geffen, like, Leave him alone! Leave him alone! Get out of the way! Dont stop him now! And then Axl shut himself off and then went back to his apartment.

Roses sentiments  though perhaps ill timed  were genuine, as was everything regarding Guns N Roses, from their adoration of music to their complete adherence to the rock lifestyle. Fortunately, the Coliseum incident didnt tear the band apart, and the lineup stayed together through all the bumps and bruises. In November 1988 Guns released G N R Lies, which featured the Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide EP tracks along with four new songs. That kept the momentum moving forward as sales of Appetite continued to skyrocket. Lies itself went five times platinum.

Though Adler was fired from the band in May 1990 due to worsening dependency and was replaced by the Cults Matt Sorum, Rose, Slash, McKagan, and Stradlin managed to maintain a professional relationship through the release of the dual CDs Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, both released on Sept. 17, 1991. Stradlin left later in 1991 and is the only main member who refused to have anything to do with the bands recent Not in This Lifetime tour.





As good as some of the songs on the Use Your Illusion records were (they would have made a hell of a single CD), its Appetite that continues to reign as Guns N Roses benchmark release. Not only did it feature the bands best, most straight-ahead rockers, but it echoed the spirit of its time, reflecting a self-destructive batch of talented miscreants barreling along way too fast to see whats in front of them and too far gone to care.

There was always drama with those guys and it always seemed like they were on the verge of falling apart, Zutaut says. They were who they were, and I think people appreciated that and accepted them as these flawed individuals because what was most important to everyone was that they wrote great songs.




One day after hundreds of teachers, parents and students protested Betsy DeVos in Denver, the Education Secretary spoke Thursday to a friendly crowd in the city at the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

DeVos has long had ties to ALEC, a business-backed group that crafts conservative legislation at the state level and advocates for limited government. Nearly 2,000 state legislators across the country are members of ALEC, according to its website. Like DeVos, the group is a strong proponent of school choice, and she praised ALECs advocacy work in her speech as she discussed the causes that drew protesters to the Capitol.

This advocacy has led to some  lets call it excitement, on the left. Youre certainly no strangers to organized protests by defenders of the status quo, DeVos said, drawing applause. But I think its the first time in recent history Ive been to an event where the protesters arent necessarily here just for me.

The protesters who marched on Wednesday from Denvers statehouse to the hotel where ALECs events are being held said they objected to DeVos policies and her collaboration with ALEC. They carried signs that read, I am DeVos-stated, and Education is a right, not a privilege, according to the Denver Post.

In prepared remarks, DeVos described the protests as a badge of honor. Our opponents, the defenders of the status quo, only protest those capable of implementing real change, she said. You represent real change.

The protesters had criticized DeVos support for school vouchers, arguing that voucher programs will threaten public school systems by driving money to private schools. Such arguments have also been fueled by recent findings that voucher programs dont improve student performance.

She needs to do whats right by students and educators and not whats right by the corporate interests that are trying to make profits off of education, said Mike Wetzel, spokesperson for the Colorado Education Association, which participated in Wednesdays protest.

At a different event on Thursday in Washington, D.C., American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said school voucher programs were the slightly more polite cousins of segregation, according to USA Today  a remark that drew condemnation from school-choice advocates.

DeVos defended voucher programs for giving decision-making power to parents and states. My job is to get the federal government out of the way so that you can do your jobs, she said.
Graphic bodycam footage has been released of the moment a Minnesota cop shot a family's two dogs.

The officer with the Minneapolis Police Department was responding to what turned out to be a false security alarm July 8 when the dogs approached him in a family's fenced backyard.

Watch: 5-Year-Old Who Patrols Neighborhood With Kindness Gets Cute Canine Dog Partner

In the footage, the first dognamed Cirocapproaches Officer Michael Mays slowly and with his tail wagging. Mays then shoots Ciroc in the face, the video shows.

The second dog, Rocko, then runs at Mays, who fires off additional rounds to the animal's body, according to the footage.

"I dispatched both of them," the officer reports after the shooting, before climbing over a fence and walking to the front of the house.

The officer then encountered a sobbing teenage member of the family.

"I don't like shooting dogs, I love dogs," Mays told the teen.

In a report he subsequently prepared, Mays wrote that he'd been charged by the dogs. His police officers' union defended Mays, saying the dogs had growled at him, though no such sounds can be heard in the footage because audio didn't turn on until after the gun discharged.

Both dogs managed to survive, but require extensive surgery.

Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau called for a review into the use of force and said the department would help pay for the dogs' treatment.

Mays is not currently facing disciplinary action.

A GoFundMe page has also been created to help raise money for the dogs.

Read: Woman Arrested After Dead Dog, 2 Other Pets Found in 113-Degree Vehicle: Cops

"Our family would like to thank everyone for all of your support and help throughout this. Both dogs are home. Ciroc is going into surgery tomorrow morning. Rocko is still recovering. Every donation has helped greatly. Every share is extremely appreciated," poster Karli Jones wrote on the page.

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As of this writing, the fund has raised over twice its $15,000 goal.

Watch: UPS Driver Adopts A Dog On Her Route After Owner Dies

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Yahoo Finances call of the week is a bullish one on Chipotle (CMG) following news that the chain had temporarily closed one of its locations in Sterling, Virginia after some of its customers fell sick.

On the same day two Wall Street analysts downgraded the Mexican restaurant chain, analysts at Telsey Advisory group said nows the time to buy. Analyst Bob Derrington upgraded the stock to outperform from market perform while reiterating his $440 a share price target.

Since Derringtons upgrade on Wednesday, Chipotles week went from bad to worse. The number of customers saying they had fallen ill after eating at the chains location in Virginia has reportedly jumped to more than 130, renewing peoples fears about eating at the companys restaurants. Remember, this isnt the first time Chipotles dealt with a health crisis. In fact, the chain is still struggling to recover from the E.coli and norovirus outbreaks that hit its restaurants in 2015.

But the latest spate of illness reports isnt affecting Derringtons outlook on the stock  at least not yet. While he did tell Yahoo Finance that the recent outbreak adds risk to future earnings expectations, he was also quick to point out that investing in Chipotle is not for the faint of heart.

If Derrington is right, and Chipotles stock does bounce back, investors will be kicking themselves for not taking his advice and buying this weeks dip in share price. The stock recorded a weekly loss of 12.8%, hitting its lowest level in more than four years.

Wall Street will get a better glimpse inside Chipotles business when the company reports second-quarter earnings on Tuesday after the closing bell. Analysts are expecting earnings of $2.19 a share on revenue of $1.19 billion.
Sen. John McCains cancer diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence, according to a woman who suffered the same disease and beat it.

Not that its easy, Heather Knies told Inside Edition Thursday. But if anyone can fight it, he can.

Read: Sen. John McCain Diagnosed with Brain Cancer After Surgery to Remove Clot

The Phoenix resident says doctors gave her six months to live 10 years ago when they told her she had glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-moving cancer. I didnt believe it, and just said Bring it.

McCains office announced Wednesday the Arizona Republican had undergone emergency brain surgery for the removal of a malignant tumor. McCain initially was under the knife for the removal of a blood clot, but surgeons discovered the growth during the procedure.

Daughter Meghan did not appear on her Fox News show Outnumbered Thursday, instead deciding to fly to Arizona to be with her father.

Read: John McCain Defends Family of Fallen Muslim Soldier After Trump's Disparaging Comments

My love for my father is boundless, she said in a statement. And like any daughter, I cannot and do not wish to be in a world without him. I have faith that those days remain far away, she said.

My rock, my hero, my dad, she wrote.

The senator tweeted Thursday, I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support  unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, Ill be back soon, so stand-by!

Watch: Boy Donates Hair to Kids with Cancer After Family Friend Gets Chemo

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Two years ago at Comic-Con, Channing Tatum publicly announced his presence in the X-Men cinematic universe, posing onstage alongside his fellow movie mutants for what was billed as the Worlds Largest Superhero Selfie.

By that point, Tatum had spent a year developing a standalone X-verse installment focusing on Gambit, the card-slinging Cajun who became a fan favorite in the 1990s. Flash forward to 2017 and the actors anticipated adaptation has yet to land a definitive date on Foxs release slate.

So when Tatum swung by Yahoo Movies suite at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday to promote his spy sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle, our conversation eventually turned to Gambit: specifically, whats up with it?

Its a great question. I have the same question, Tatum says (watch the clip above).

Tatum attributes the delay in part to Foxs success with recent envelope-pushing R-rated entries, notably Ryan Reynolds bleepin irreverent Deadpool and Hugh Jackmans brutal Wolverine send-off, Logan.

We got really lucky. We had a first draft it was good, he says, but we were coming to it at a time at that creative phase of [the X-Men], where these movies went through a bit of a paradigm shift, where the X-Men movies and the superhero movies with Logan and Deadpool really broke down a lot of doors for us. We were trying to do some things that we actually werent allowed to do, and they just smashed down the doors, so were giving it a bit of a rethink.

But Tatum isnt ready to commit to making Gambit an R-rated film: Were not quite going there, because I enjoyed Gambit as a kid so I dont want to rule out PG-13.

A quick refresher: Gambit was created in 1990 by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee. Hes a mutant with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy, typically demonstrated with his trademark playing cards. He also fancies himself a ladies man. Gambit previously appeared in forgettable X-Men Origins: Wolverine played by Taylor Kitsch. (That also happens to be the film where we also first met a very different Deadpool.)

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Gambit is one of several X-Men spinoffs in the works at Fox. Aside from Deadpool 2, there are New Mutants and X-Force, as well as the X-Men: Apocalypse sequel, Dark Phoenix, due out 2018.

Keep coming back to Yahoo Movies for the latest from San Diego Comic-Con 2017.

Read more from Yahoo Movies:
UPDATE: 1:17 a.m. EDT  After the tweets posted from Talinda Ann Bentleys official Twitter account that said Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington did not kill himself were deleted Friday, another tweet was posted from the account that read she encouraged him to kill himself I (sic) told him no one cared.

Talinda Ann Bentley

Photo: Twitter Screenshot

Original Story:

Tweets posted from the official account of Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington's wife Talinda Ann Bentley on Friday suggested her husband didnt kill himself, and the latter cheated on him with bandmate Mike Shinoda. The tweets were deleted later, and it remains unclear at the moment whether she actually posted the tweets or whether her Twitter account was hacked.

The tweets were posted hours after 41-year-old Bennington was found dead at his Los Angeles home in an apparent case of suicide. His family is yet to issue an official statement on his death.

Read: Who Is Mike Shinoda? Chester Bennington's Wife Confesses To Cheating

Talinda Ann Bentley

Photo: Twitter Screenshot

Shinoda, Linkin Parks rhythm guitarist, is yet to respond to the tweet. Ann Bentley followed the first tweet with another tweet that said: he was already did before he hung himself, I have proof.. It's not clear what her tweet meant.

Talinda Ann Bentley

Photo: Twitter Screenshot

Ann Bentleys third tweet then mentioned she never really loved him."

Talinda Ann Bentley

Photo: Twitter Screenshot

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Read:Chester Bennington's Last Instagram Post Before His Suicide

A social media user said her account was apparently hacked.

Another user expressed remorse over the vocalist's death

Bennington and Ann Bentley got married in 2005 after his divorce from his first wife Samantha Marie Olit was finalized. The couple lived with their children  son Tyler Lee Bennington and twins Lilly and Lila  in Gilbert, Arizona. Bennington has three other children son Jaime from a previous relationship with his ex-girlfriend Elka Brand, adopted son Isaiah, and son Draven from his first wife.

Ann Bentley  a former Playboy model  regularly posted tweets and photos of her husband while he was away on musical tours. Most recently, she posted a photo of herself along with one of their daughters July 6, saying they missed Bennington  who was on tour.

She also called Bennington the man of her dreams when she wished him on Fathers Day on June 18.

Shortly after she wed Bennington, Ann Bentley was harassed by a cyberstalker Devon Townsend. In 2008, Townsend was sentenced to two years in jail. During the cyberstalking incident, Ann Bentley said she could trust no one except her husband. I didnt know who to trust. I literally only trusted my husband. Our family and closest friends were all suspects, she said.

Ann Bentley is yet to issue a statement following her husbands death. Shinado has been the only person so far close to Bennington who confirmed the Linkin Park frontmans death. He wrote on Twitter: Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.

Linkin Park is scheduled to start the American leg of their promotional tour for their seventh album One More Light on July 27. It remains unclear whether the group will still go on with planned concert without their frontman.

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NASAs New Horizons team based in Argentina made another groundbreaking observation of a distant Kuiper Belt object over the weekend. The object is four billion miles away and researchers were able to detect it because it passed in front of another star, said a news release from NASA. In just a few seconds, the researchers caught its shadow passing the bright light of a distant star. The object effectively fully blocked the star, an event called an occultation, and the researchers were able to capture the event.

It was no coincidence that the researchers were able to catch the object on the move. The team set up telescopes in a fairly remote area in Argentina to get a glimpse of the object, called 2014 MU69. This makes five occultations the team has observed and record to beef up their data on the 2014 MU69.

Read: 10 Of The Most Exciting NASA Missions Scheduled To Launch In The Next 5 Years

The researchers had known they would be able to capture the occultation since May. They knew the occultations would be occurring on certain days, June 3, July 10 and July 17, so they were able to prepare. They had more than 60 observers ready with 24 mobile telescopes ready for 2014 MU69. All of this was done to help prepare for an even more grand observation planned for New Years Day 2019.

In addition to the research team working to see the KBO the government and people of Argentina had a hand in making the observation possible. To ensure the best conditions possible to observe street lights were turned off, a major highway was shut down for two hours and people even parked their cars to help block wind from the observation sites, according to NASA.

Read: Sotheby's Space Exploration Auction: Apollo 11 Lunar Sample Bag, Hundreds Of Items Up For Sale

On Jan 1, 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft is set to fly by the Kuiper Belt Object and the hope is that these observations made from Earth will give researchers a better idea about the shape and size of the object before the craft gets there. Before the recent observations, only the Hubble Telescope had been able to detect the object, and it wasnt able to determine the size or shape. Even now with the observations it will take the researchers weeks to make any determinations about the object.

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The observations New Horizons makes as it flies by the object will set the record for the furthest distance between a craft and the object its observing. The craft launched on Jan 19, 2006, and has been sending back observations since. It was observing Pluto and its surroundings for much of its mission but is now past the distant planet and soon enough it will conduct an extended mission to study the Kuiper Belt and MU69.

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After a Florida mans drugs were allegedly missing from his car, the man reportedly responded by alerting the police. Soon after he reported the drugs stolen, the man found himself in police custody.

David Lashawn Blackmon, 35, of Fort Walton Beach, called police Sunday about his missing drugs and money. Authorities responded to the call and discovered that Blackmon was a drug dealer.

READ: Burned Body Found On Suburban Roadside In Massachusetts

Blackmon allegedly told Okaloosa County deputies that someone burglarized his car and stole $50 in cash and a quarter ounce of cocaine from the center console, the Miami Herald reported. Police confirmed the items Blackmon reported were in fact missing, but they reportedly found another bag of cocaine in the car, which got him arrested.

The Okaloosa County Office took to Facebook Monday and posted details of the police report. It specified Blackmons incident with the police and subsequent events.

"A Fort Walton Beach man called the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office Sunday morning to report that someone had stolen a baggie of cocaine and cash from his car," the post read.

cocaine20n

Photo: OKALOOSA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Blackmon identified himself as a drug dealer to the Okaloosa County police officers.

"32-year old David Blackmon of 119 Carson Drive, who identified himself as a drug dealer, told the responding deputy that someone entered his car while it was parked at 400 Ed Street and stole $50.00 and about a quarter ounce of cocaine off the center console," the post read.

In addition to the bag of drugs, police reportedly discovered drug paraphernalia on the dash. Police never recovered the missing money that Blackmon reported stolen.

READ: Why Recreational Weed Will Never Be Legal In All Of The US

"The deputy, however, spotted cocaine still in that spot," the Okaloosa County Office wrote on Facebook. "He also found a crack pipe on the floorboard by the drivers door and seat and a crack rock on the center console by the cocaine. The money was not located."

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Police charged Blackmon with possession of cocaine resisting arrest with violence and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into Okaloosa County Corrections Sunday afternoon on $4,000 bail. He was released Monday, jail records showed.

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The Duchess of Cambridge wearing lavender on the final day of the royal tour. [Photo: PA]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were spotted boarding a train to Hamburg this morning as they prepared for a celebration in honor of the U.K.-German year of science.

Kate arrived in another stand-out look; this time, opting for a lavender dress by British designer Emilia Wickstead.

Kate chose a lavender dress by Emilia Wickstead. [Photo: Getty]

The long-sleeved shift dress appears to have been custom-made and was paired with nude court shoes and a contrasting red leather clutch.

The Duchess only jewels came in the form of her sparkling engagement ring and a pair of lavender amethyst Kiki McDonough earrings reportedly worth almost 4000.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte were nowhere to be seen as the royals greeted the crowd at Berlins main station.

The royal couple were greeted by crowds upon leaving Berlin. [Photo: Getty[

After the train ride, the couple will spend time in Hamburgs Maritime Museum before heading to a performance by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra.

They will then take a tour of the Airbus headquarters before joining their children and boarding a private plane back to the U.K.

The tour, which has lasted five days and has seen the royal family travel across both Poland and Germany, has given us some great looks from Kate including bold numbers by Alexander McQueen and lots of stand-out prints.

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

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Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.




Michael Hayden, a former director of the NSA and the CIA, on Friday called Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election the most successful covert influence operation in history.

Frankly, [the Russian meddling] is the most successful covert operation in history, Hayden told a national security panel in response to a question from moderator Yahoo News Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff. Hayden said the original cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee was not that surprising  and even from an intelligence perspective, impressive.

I just have to admit as a former director of NSA, [Russias hack and theft of email] is honorable state espionage, Hayden said to audience laughter, speaking at the Aspen Security Conference.

Isikoff interjected, asking if the Russian dissemination of the emails through WikiLeaks should still be considered honorable state espionage.

If we as NSA could have an insight into  Russia through the same techniques, game on, Hayden said. But now you make the great distinction: What the Russians then did with the information. And then that turned [it] into what we call a covert influence operation.

Hayden argued that the release of stolen Democratic emails on WikiLeaks was the Kremlins egregious act, not the hacks to obtain the information.

This is, at its heart, not a cyber issue. At its heart, this is a Russia issue, Hayden said. The cyber-thing was a preliminary action in order to get some raw materials,  but thats not what made this different. Thats not what made this egregious.

Isikoff asked why the U.S. government has yet to clearly delineate a red line when it comes to cybersecurity violations from other countries even though the cyberthreat has existed for years.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, also on the panel, responded that the Defense Department had issued a guideline which said attacks warrant a response if they result in loss of life or serious economic damage.

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The truth is the technology and the techniques that can be used have actually evolved more rapidly than our thinking about it, Chertoff said. The value of norms would be it would start to create a basis for law-abiding countries to know when they can respond to a cyber act as if it were an act of war.

The U.S. lacks a standard of proof, which makes it difficult to prove whos responsible for a cyber attack, Chertoff said.

If we confront the Russians, their response is, Well, you dont have 100 percent proof, so we reject it, Chertoff said. We have to establish a consensus about how much is enough.

Isikoff then pivoted to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis, which he said has resulted in 4.9 million refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, noting that former FBI agent Ali Soufan called it the greatest humanitarian disaster of our lifetime.

National Counterterrorism Center Director Nick Rasmussen, another panel participant, said he wouldnt want to draw a straight line connection between someone being displaced by the Syrian civil war and that person becoming a potential recruit for terrorists.

But Rasmussen said that Soufans description still holds. First and foremost, its a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, but it does have a long-term security piece to it that were going to be managing for a number of years, he said.

The counterterrorism expert also said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah poses a threat to the U.S. The Iranian-backed organization is recognized by the intelligence community as one of the most capable terrorist groups in the world, with access to technology and state sponsorship, he said.

But FBI arrests of individuals with ties to Hezbollah in the U.S. suggests that theres a presence of Hezbollah operatives in the homeland, Rasmussen said.

Weve known they look to lay infrastructure in all parts of the world to give itself options, to develop a playbook, Rasmussen said.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation in the House and Senate on Thursday that would increase sanctions on Hezbollah for its actions in Syria and near the Israeli border.

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A great white shark got dangerously close to a pair of paddle boarders while they swam in the ocean. The predator surprised the two friends when it swam nearby last Saturday at Santa Claus Beach in Carpinteria.

Francesca Nash and her friend Rose Lebow paddled past the shore break when the shark arrived. Nash said she started recording as the shark moved between them.

Nash is a marine science student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California and said she was "thrilled at the opportunity to witness a great white shark" so close. Nash claimed that the shark was no small fry, as it appeared to be between 10 to 12 feet in length.

"It was a bit shaking to see the shark so close to where all the children were and where surf camp was taking place, but it is clear that the sharks are not interested in the people and are minding their own business, eating the stingrays in the area," she told SF GATE Thursday.

READ: WATCH: Mysterious Deep-Sea Shark Captured On Camera By Scientists

Nash captured footage of the great white behemoth moving around her and Lebow for almost a minute until the shark jetted off. Nash claimed that the shark might have been in search of food. They were on a beach located near the Channel Islands, a national marine reservation with lots of prey for great white sharks to nibble on.

Researchers learned that Carpinteria is located near a nursery for great white sharks, making it a prime location for the predators to feast. Shark attacks and sightings have been on the up and up this year. The City of Santa Cruz initiated a four-day travel restriction July 11 that covered a three-mile radius after a great white confronted a kayaker.

READ: Huge Great White Shark Caught By Local Fisherman In Massachusetts

The increased shark sightings are happening partly because of increased environmental protections, according to Chris Lowe, a marine biologist professor at CSU Long Beach. Other marine wildlife such as otters and sea lions flourished, giving sharks a selection of prey to devour. This population boom may have resulted in a boost in the shark population, Lowe told SF Gate in May.

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"The number of seals, sea lions and otters that have been observed with white shark bites has been steadily increasing since 2002," Lowe said.

Shark attacks troubled many swimmers for years and scientists apparently don't know why. The attacks may be attributed to self-defense, or sharks may just mistake humans for prey, according to Lowe.

"A shark may feel threatened by the presence of a human," said Lowe. "It may be sending signals, too, that the person can't see. When those warnings go unperceived, the shark could attack."

However, Lowe stated that the ocean is the sharks natural habitat.

"We have unfettered access to the ocean," he said. "Humans have forgotten how to share habitats with wild animals, and they have to be re-educated."

Nash seemingly echoed Lowes point.

"I think it is important now, as their presence is increasing, that locals and visitors develop a healthy relationship with the ocean and sharks," Nash said. "I think it is experiences like this that help to demonstrate they are peaceful creatures of the ocean."

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By Joe Bavier ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Gunmen, some of them in military uniforms, attacked the base of an elite security unit in Ivory Coast's main city, and stole stocks of weapons as part of a series of overnight clashes, the defense minister said on Thursday. The raid, late on Wednesday in Abidjan, was the latest outburst of violence after months of military mutinies. It came just hours after the government reshuffled key security posts, and two days before Ivory Coast hosts an event that will bring in thousands from around the French-speaking world. Shooting broke out at around 9.30 p.m. (2130 GMT) at the national police academy in Abidjan's Cocody neighborhood and lasted for around an hour, according to one Reuters witness. The academy houses a unit of the CCDO, a rapid response unit composed of police officers, gendarmes and soldiers that is one of the best-equipped units in the Ivorian security forces. "Last night the police school, which houses a CCDO detachment, was attacked by armed men, visibly with the goal of taking weapons," Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko told Reuters during a visit to the base early on Thursday. Bakayoko, who had previously served as the minister of the interior, was appointed defense minister on Wednesday. The move was part of a government shake-up seen as an attempt to end successive waves of armed uprisings by members of the security forces demanding bonus payments. Bakayoko said security forces had clashed with the attackers, who then fled with stolen weapons. Spent bullet casings littered the parking lot outside the CCDO base and bullet holes marked the walls inside. Following the initial attack, a second Reuters reporter later heard sustained gunfire near the base of the police anti-riot brigade in the Yopougon neighborhood in northern Abidjan, which also houses a CCDO unit. Bakayoko said security forces had clashed with the same group of attackers. "We found their vehicle in Yopougon. There was an engagement between our forces and these people, and we found weaponry that was taken here (at the police academy)," he said. Authorities were trying to determine if any arms were still missing, Bakayoko said, adding that he was not yet able to say if there had been any casualties during the clashes. Witnesses and a police source had reported gunfire in other parts of Abidjan overnight, but the city was calm by early morning and two attack helicopters patrolled the skies. From Friday, Abidjan will host the Jeux de la Francophonie, a 10-day sporting and cultural event expected to see the participation of around 3,000 athletes and artists from around the French-speaking world. (Additional reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly and Ange Aboa; Editing by Sandra Maler, Larry King)
Halle Berry chugged whiskey onstage at Comic-Con Thursday. (Photo: Getty Images)

Halle Berry is in her prime, and she is not afraid to show it. When the 50-year-old actress attended San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday afternoon with her co-stars from Kingsman: The Golden Circle, she was ready to impress all the fangirls and -boys with perfectly laid-back hair, an army-green romper casually opened just-so, and a very unexpected trick up her sleeve.

First: The hair, which she was definitely feeling, as she posted a photo of it Thursday evening, writing: When you know your hair is on fleek. Those thick waves, the caramel and copper highlights, and gorgeous little bun are just stunning enough to make us forgive her for using on fleek.

When you know your hair is on fleek A post shared by Halle Berry (@halleberry) on Jul 20, 2017 at 3:58pm PDT

The Izzy Utility Romper from Hudson Jeans (thanks to The Daily Mail for identifying that one), which sells for $295 at Nordstrom, is one of those styles that mysteriously manages to look simultaneously like it would suit a factory worker and a highly paid action star. For Berry, its all in the styling: Rolled-up sleeves and shirt unbuttoned to the navel to reveal her lacy black top and layered black necklaces.

(Photo: Getty Images)

So, beauty and fashion fans are totally impressed by just looking at still photos of this, right? Then she had an unexpected opportunity to show off a completely different side of herself during the panel. The movie, a sequel to 2014s Kingsman: The Secret Service, features the British spy agencys alliance with their American counterparts, the Statesmen. The Statesmen produce bourbon called The Statesman Reserve, The Wrap reports, and a bottle of the stuff was passed around to the folks on the stage. Were not sure if it was on purpose, but Berry somehow received a pint glass instead of the shot glass everyone else got. Channing Tatum poured her glass half full, for laughs.

Channing Tatum gave Halle Berry quite a heavy pour. (Photo: Getty Images

The last laugh was Berrys, though, when the moderator urged, Chug!

Oh I can, now, she replied. Would you like to see that?

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Someone please check on Halle Berry after chuggin' this pint of whiskey at the 'Kingsman 2' #SDCC17 panel. pic.twitter.com/w8NmkYh4lD  Collider (@Collider) July 20, 2017

At which point, everyone in the audience, and those of us at home became frat boys, completely impressed with her drinking ability (not that anyone condones binge-drinking, of course). Actually, it might be even more impressive that she was able to walk off the stage without falling.

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By April Benshosan

Yes, you read that correctly: its 20 times hotter than Tabasco. Milk chasers, anyone?

If youre the type to vehemently shake the Tabasco bottle in hopes of upping its mild spiciness to something a bit more eye-watering, this brand new pepper sauce is probably up your alley. Tabasco recently released its hottest hot sauce yetintimidatingly dubbed Tabasco Scorpion Hot Sauceand its nearly 20 times hotter than the Original Red Sauce!

This metabolism-revving devils juice is made out of a blend of scorpion peppers (ahem, potentially some of the hottest peppers in the world), guava, pineapple, and a dash of OG Tabasco. If youre assuming that the addition of sweet tropical fruits lessen this bottled infernos fiery kick, think again. And if youre willing to give it a shot, make sure to have a glass (or gallon) of milk on hand.

Wondering where to get your hands on the new hurts-so-good sauce? For a limited time starting July 19, it's available online at the manufacturers McIlhenny Company Country Store for $7.98 (although, given the uncmpromising heat, it wouldve been more fittingly priced at $6.66. Ha!). Interested in how Tabasco stacks up against its competitors? Check out our report on 18 Best And Worst Hot SaucesRanked!





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Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is debating whether to remove new metal detectors at the centre of a dispute with Palestinians over access to a religious site in annexed east Jerusalem, Israeli media said Wednesday.

The reports came as thousands of Muslim worshippers prayed for a fourth night in a row outside the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, rather than enter through the metal detectors.

After the prayers, the Palestinians staged a protest against the enhanced security measures, chanting they were ready "to sacrifice ourselves for Al-Aqsa (mosque) with our soul and our blood", as Israeli border guards looked on.

Fresh clashes broke out on Wednesday near the Palestinian refugee camp of Shuafat in east Jerusalem, but without any immediate reports of casualties.

Netanyahu, who is on a visit to Hungary, was consulting with security aides on whether to remove the metal detectors ahead of Friday's weekly prayers, which normally draw more than 30,000 worshippers to the compound.

Former police chiefs, quoted in the media reports, have warned that efforts to ensure such a large gathering passes through the metals detectors would trigger major unrest.

Protests and scuffles between demonstrators and Israeli police have erupted outside the holy site in Jerusalem's Old City on previous nights.

Last Friday, three Arab Israelis opened fire on Israeli police, killing two officers, before fleeing to the compound where security forces shot them dead.

Israel sealed off the site in the aftermath of the attack, saying the closure was necessary to carry out security checks.

The site reopened on Sunday, but with metal detectors at entrances, prompting the Palestinian boycott over alleged Israeli efforts to expand their control over the sensitive site.
Beirut (AFP) - Clashes in Syria's Idlib province between a powerful jihadist group and a key rebel faction intensified overnight, spreading to a border crossing with Turkey, a monitor and AFP correspondent said Friday.

The running battles between the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group have so far killed at least 65 people, including 15 civilians.

The clashes erupted earlier this week, and quickly spread through the province, which is one of the last remaining bastions of opposition-held territory.

Overnight, fierce battles raged in several parts of the province, including inside the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, which was previously fully controlled by Ahrar al-Sham.

"The fighting is now inside the crossing. It has become a battlefield, with part of it under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's control, and part under Ahrar al-Sham's control," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

An AFP correspondent in the province also reported heavy clashes on the outskirts of the town of Binnish and attempts by HTS to break into the village of Ram Hamdan.

HTS and Ahrar once formed the backbone of the Army of Conquest that captured most of Idlib province from the government in 2015.

But tensions between the two factions have been rising for some time and the latest clashes erupted in part over Ahrar's attempts to fly the flag of the Syrian revolution in the provincial capital Idlib city.

HTS is dominated by the Fateh al-Sham faction, which was previously known as Al-Nusra Front before dropping its official designation as Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.

The clashes have been accompanied by sporadic demonstrations against HTS in several parts of the province, including in the town of Sarmada where the jihadists on Wednesday and Thursday opened fire on protests against them.

On Wednesday, the fire killed a media activist participating in the demonstrations in the town.

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Both sides have set up new checkpoints, and the fighting has turned parts of the province into virtual ghost towns with residents staying at home for fear of being caught in the fighting.

The Observatory said at least 15 civilians, including four children, have been killed in the fighting so far, including the media activist killed in the Wednesday demonstration in Saraqeb.

Another 50 fighters from both sides have been killed in clashes and executions, the monitor said.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Senator John McCain speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

John McCains brain cancer diagnosis has been described as "Godly justice" by members of the alt-right, angry at the senator's criticism of Donald Trump.

Messages of support flooded in for the veteran Republican following news he was suffering from an aggressive form of the disease.

But among the positive messages sent from former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush, was an outpouring of anger and hate.

The far-right message board 4chan was awash with toxic comments, with Newsweek quoting one post saying: The last president for McCain will be Trump.

Theres some godly justice right there.

Another wrote: Im pretty sure that God is punishing him. God made it pretty clear that he supports New Right now.

Others social media sites were also filled with messages for Mr McCain, with one twitter user posting: Finally cancer has helped our society.

Another tweeted: Hey John !! Hows The Headache??

A third wrote: An unfortunate tumour found itself inside the skull of a malignant John McCain.

The senator for Arizona has been vocal of his disdain for Mr Trump, criticising the presidents stance against the media earlier this year.

The former presidential candidate said Mr Trump labelling the media as the enemy was how dictators get started".

John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.

 Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 20, 2017

In an interview given in February, The Washington Postquoted Mr McCain as saying: When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press.

And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history.

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Mr Trump has also lashed out at the former Navy pilot, saying in 2015: Hes not a war hero.

He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured.

Just hours after his diagnosis, Mr McCain took another swipe at Mr Trump and the decision to end a CIA backed programme for Syrian rebels fighting Bashar Al-Assads regime.

He issued a statement saying: "If these reports are true, the administration is playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin.

"Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and short-sighted."

After news of Mr McCains diagnosis Mr Trump sent a message of support to him and his wife, Cindy.

It said: Senator John MCain has always been a fighter, Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family.

Get well soon."
President Donald Trump's decision this week to end the CIA's program to arm moderate Syrian rebels indicating his inclination for developing a constructive working relationship with Russia  hasn't gone down well with Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Just a day after being diagnosed with brain tumour, Mc Cain plunged into the political scene Thursday by condemning the president's move to halt the program, which was training the rebels to fight Bashar al-Assad's regime.

McCain, an ardent critic of Trump's policies in Syria, said in a statement if the reports were true, the Trump administration was clearly "playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin."

"Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and short-sighted. The administration has yet to articulate its vision for Syria beyond the defeat of ISIL, let alone a comprehensive approach to the Middle East," he said.

The Arizona senator also tweeted his disapproval of Trump's decision Thursday.

Read: John McCain Has Skull Opened To Remove Blood Clot Above Eye

Trump's officials said the decision to scrap the program was made nearly a month ago after an Oval Office meeting with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. This meeting was held ahead of the July 7 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Germany, according to the Washington Post.

After Trump's meeting with Putin, the two countries agreed to support a new cease-fire in southwest Syria, along the Jordanian border, where units of Syrian rebels backed by CIA have been operating for many years.

Not just Syria, McCain also blamed Trump for not formulating a strategy for the Middle East.

"There is still no new strategy for victory in Afghanistan either. It is now mid-July, when the administration promised to deliver that strategy to Congress, and we are still waiting," he added.

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Last month, Trump gave Defense Secretary Jim Mattis authority to send more troops to Afghanistan to train Afghan forces to push back the gains made by the Taliban, the Islamic State group (ISIS) and other militant groups, the New York Times reported, citing officials.

Read: US Army Private Killed In Afghanistan, 7 Other Military Fatalities In 2017

However, critics say the U.S. has still not created an effective strategy for Afghanistan, where it is involved in the longest war in America's history.

Last month, McCain criticized the military strategy in Afghanistan, less than two weeks after three U.S. soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack, reports said. Citing an Afghan soldier who had turned his gun against Americans, McCain said it was time to "turn the situation around in Afghanistan." He also expressed his concern that even after 16 years of war, the U.S. was at a stalemate in Afghanistan, and the most worrisome aspect was that Washington had no strategy to end that stalemate and achieve victory.

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(WASHINGTON)  Americans overwhelmingly want lawmakers of both parties to work out health care changes, with only 13 percent supporting Republican moves to repeal Obamacare absent a replacement, according to a new poll.

Although a deep partisan divide endures over the 2010 Affordable Care Act, people may be less far apart on what policymakers should try next, says the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey.

In the poll, 8 in 10 said Republicans should approach Democrats with an offer to negotiate if the current GOP overhaul effort fails, rather than sticking with their own repeal and replace campaign of the past seven years. And nearly 9 in 10 said Democrats should take Republicans up on such an offer.

The poll was conducted as the GOPs plan floundered in the Senate during the past week.

A foundation for common ground seems to be this: Nearly everyone wants changes to the Obama law, while hardly anyone wants to see it abolished without a substitute in place.

Among Democrats, only 22 percent actually want the ACA kept just as it is; 64 percent want it kept but with changes. Among Republicans, 27 percent want immediate repeal, while 54 percent favor repealing the law when a replacement is ready.

Since we are a nation thats founded on compromise, I dont see why we cant compromise on this, said Valcee Cox, a retired high school history teacher in Big Spring, Texas. He votes Republican, but says with his party in control of Washington, they should act like grown-ups.

Republicans including President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have recently pushed the notion of repealing as much of Obamacare as possible, then figuring out a replacement later. Thats not what the public wants, the poll found.

When they talk about repeal and not replacing, that scares me half to death, said Andrea Martin of Taylor, Michigan. Disabled and dealing with diabetes and other health complications, Martin is keenly sensitive to deep Medicaid cuts proposed by Republicans. That would just totally destroy me, she said. Id just go downhill.

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Former President Barack Obamas law extended coverage to some 20 million people, reducing the nations uninsured rate to a historic low of about 9 percent. But it was passed without a single Republican vote and has faced entrenched opposition ever since.

The laws private insurance markets are shaky in many areas, with premiums rising and insurers exiting due to financial losses. The laws Medicaid expansion has worked more smoothly, but 19 states still refuse it, amid debates about costs and the governments role in health care.

Candidate Trump promised voters that repeal would be a slam-dunk, and that better, more affordable health care would take its place. Instead the first six months of his presidency have been consumed with fitful efforts to move GOP-only legislation. Republicans took a hit when nonpartisan government analysts concluded at least 22 million more people would be uninsured under GOP plans.

With McConnell lacking the votes to pass his overhaul in the Senate, or a straight repeal bill, the Republican campaign may be sputtering to an end.

The AP-NORC poll suggests the debate over Republican plans actually may have nudged the nation toward the left on health care.

In the poll, 62 percent said it is a federal responsibility to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage, a 10-point increase from just a few months ago. Thirty-seven percent said health care for all is not a federal responsibility, down from 47 percent in March.

When confronted with millions losing coverage, Americans are more supportive of the principle that the federal government should cover people, said Robert Blendon of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who reviewed the AP-NORC findings.

Indeed, 59 percent said they preferred leaving Obamacare in place over its outright repeal.

The poll found a deep sense of unease over Republican plans.

Thirty-seven percent said they or their families would be made worse off by the GOP proposals. Thats striking because the ACA covers only about 20 million people in a nation of more than 320 million.

Part of the explanation may be that Republicans also proposed major cuts to Medicaid, and that could have increased public misgivings. Sixty-two percent in the poll opposed Medicaid cuts.

Of major elements in the GOP plan tested in the poll, only the idea of allowing young adults to stay on their parents insurance until age 26 got majority support (65 percent). Thats a holdover from Obamas law.

Repealing Obamas unpopular requirement that nearly all Americans have coverage or pay a fine got the support of 44 percent, while 39 percent were opposed.

Allowing insurers to charge older customers higher premiums based on their age got the support of only 7 percent, while 78 percent were opposed. Among Republicans, 75 percent were opposed.

Denying federal funds to Planned Parenthood was supported by 25 percent, while 57 percent were opposed. Among Republicans, 53 percent support denying Planned Parenthood funding.

Overall, 51 percent of Americans said they were opposed to the Republican health care plan, while only 22 percent supported it. Among Republicans, not quite half were in favor, while 2 in 10 were opposed.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 13-17 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit in a federal district court in Texas challenging the states attempts to restrict abortion access. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood filed a new lawsuit in a federal district court in Texas on July 20, challenging one of the states latest attempts to further restrict access to abortion care.

The suit takes on Texass Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which was signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in June and is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1. In addition to requiring the burial or cremation of embryonic and fetal tissue when a woman has a miscarriage management procedure, ectopic pregnancy surgery, or an abortion, SB8 also bans dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedures for abortion.

D&E is the most common and safest method of abortion in the second trimester, and the ban attempts to severely reduce the number of second-trimester abortions in the state, if not outright ban them all together.

This new suit underscores that D&E bans arent just an extreme piece of one-off legislation passed in one state but a momentum-gaining new trend when it comes to state legislatures working to restrict abortion access nationwide.

In 2015, Kansas and Oklahoma both passed D&E bans  both bans were challenged in state courts and are currently not in effect. In 2016, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia all passed D&E bans too. While the Alabama and Louisiana laws have been challenged in federal court and are currently not in effect, the bans in Mississippi and West Virginia are in effect. In 2017, both Arkansas and Texas passed their own D&E bans. In Arkansas, the ban is not yet in effect and the judge hearing the case has not yet issued any order on whether enforcement of the law will be blocked while the case moves through the legal system. In Texas, SB8 is likewise not yet in effect yet, and because the legal filing just occurred on July 20, there has likewise not be any order from the judge on whether it will be enacted while legal proceedings continue.

In 2015, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a statement on the new bans of D&E being passed, noting that D&E is the most common approach to abortion after 13 weeks and is evidence-based and medically preferred because it results in the fewest complications for women compared to alternative procedures.

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The statement went on to call D&E bans legislative interference at its worst: Doctors will be forced, by ill-advised, unscientifically motivated policy, to provide lesser care to patients. This is unacceptable.

Furthermore, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has affirmed in a policy, which has been in place since 1993, that induced abortion is an essential component of womens health care. Like all medical matters, decisions regarding abortion should be made by patients in consultation with providers and without undue interference by outside parties. Like all patients, women seeking abortion are entitled to privacy, dignity, respect, and support.

To best understand why anti-choice lawmakers in the states are introducing and passing D&E bans with mounting national momentum, you have to first take a look back to the 1990s, says Elizabeth Nash, the senior state issues manager for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive and sexual health research and policy group.

This is pretty much taken from the playbook of the 90s, when you saw the development of the bill to ban  and this is non-medical language  what is called by some a partial-birth abortion, Nash tells Yahoo Beauty. The strategy was to ban a type of abortion but to really turn public opinion against abortion by using words to describe it that made abortion sound really unappealing.

In 1995, Congress passed what is known as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban for the first time, though the bill was ultimately vetoed by President Bill Clinton. Congress again passed the ban in 1997, when Clinton again vetoed it. The law was ultimately passed and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003  at which point it was immediately challenged in the courts.

Nash continues, Were seeing a repeat of that strategy with bills designed to ban D&E abortion, which of course they use another term for. This is not a new tactic. Its a very deliberate way to use language to try to change public opinion.

She adds that another reason D&E bills are gaining traction in the states is because they specifically deal with abortion after the first trimester  and some voters are more likely to be less supportive of abortion access as a woman progresses in her pregnancy.

And Nash says to understand the significance of the legal challenge to SB8, one also must look to the history surrounding the federal partial-birth abortion ban.

One of the reasons why the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the so-called federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban was because the court said, Well, theres another procedure available. They were essentially saying that law could stand because patients still had the option of D&E abortion available to them, Nash notes.

She adds, After 12 weeks of pregnancy, we start to see the use of D&E as the primary method of abortion used in the second trimester. Should that be prohibited, were talking about making it very, very difficult to access certain kinds of services during pregnancy. Already, the number of [abortion] providers starts to decline in the second trimester, and so if you eliminate a method, you make it very hard to access services.

When the D&E ban in Texas was first raised in the state legislature in February 2017, the Texas chapter of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sent a letter to the chairman and members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, voicing their strong opposition to the measure. In their letter, Texas-ACOG explained that they opposed the bill because it would prevent physicians from offering the safest medical care possible to patients, would take decision-making away from women and their doctors and criminalizes physicians who perform a procedure that in many cases is necessary to protect a womans health or future fertility, causes a physician to compromise his or her medical judgment about what information or treatment is in the best interest of the patient, and criminalizes physicians and puts them in the unconscionable position of having to deny a woman the evidence-based, compassionate care that results in the fewest complications, which would have a chilling effect on the availability of medical care for women in our state.

The Texas-ACOG letter also calls out that the ban offers no fetal health exception, no rape or incest exception, no mental health exception, and does not use medical terminology and creates a dangerous environment for patients that would prevent doctors from having every option available when providing a patient with the best possible care in any given situation.

Nash also explains that one of the most obvious reasons for the broader movement for restricting abortion access happening in state legislatures versus at the federal level is that abortion opponents have simply been less successful in their lobbying efforts there.

Not that many abortion restrictions have been passed through Congress, she says, noting that other than the Hyde Amendment and some other funding-related restrictions, no other federal restrictions have passed other than the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban.

For decades, abortion opponents have looked to the states to get abortion restrictions passed, and state legislatures have been more receptive to adopting these kinds of restrictions, especially in the past six years. We have seen nearly 400 abortion restrictions enacted in the states between 2011 and 2017  with that kind of track record, it makes sense for abortion opponents to keep looking to state legislatures, Nash says.

In a statement given to Yahoo Beauty, Danielle Wells, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, reiterates, When politicians legislate bad medicine, its not only wrong, its dangerous. This law makes it illegal for doctors to provide care based on their medical expertise and whats best for their patient. This ban is part of a coordinated national strategy by politicians to ban abortion step by step, law by law, and method by method, regardless of how many women it hurts. Each of us deserves the opportunity to control our lives at the most basic level  our bodies, our families, and our lifes path, including whether and when to become a parent.

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Beirut (AFP) - Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah group said on Friday its fighters had begun an operation against militants on both sides of the country's border with Syria.

The operation has been anticipated for several weeks, and comes after Lebanese soldiers carrying out raids on Syrian refugee camps in the area were met with suicide bombings and a grenade attack.

That attack heightened tensions over the presence in Lebanon of more than a million refugees from the civil war across the border.

Hezbollah media outlets announced "the start of a military operation to purge Jurud Arsal and Qalamun of armed terrorists".

Jurud Arsal is a mountainous area around the Lebanese border town of Arsal, which lies directly across from the Syrian Qalamun region.

Hezbollah media said the operation had been launched on two axes -- from the Syrian town of Flita and from the southern part of Jurud Arsal, already under the group's control.

There was intermittent shelling throughout the day on the outskirts of Arsal, but the town itself remained relatively calm, a local source told AFP.

A Hezbollah statement provided to AFP confirmed that two of its fighters were killed in the clashes Friday.

Last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whose fighters have been battling inside Syria alongside government forces for years, warned that extremists in Jurud Arsal were "a threat to all, including the Syrian refugee camps".

"It is time to end this threat," he said.

- Refugees flee -

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said "the Lebanese army would conduct a planned-out operation in Jurud Arsal and the government gives it freedom (to do so)."

But there was little official comment on the Hezbollah offensive, with Lebanese President Michel Aoun saying he was "following the military developments" without elaborating.

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri discussed the Arsal clashes with Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdulkarim.

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"We discussed the consecutive victories in Arsal and in Syria," Abdulkarim said after Friday's the meeting, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

Lebanon's army has not officially announced its participation in the offensive but said Friday it had "targeted, with heavy weapons, a group of terrorists that was trying to infiltrate Arsal".

It also said it had "authorised a group of women and children coming from a (refugee) camp close to the position of armed men to enter the town of Arsal".

The border between Lebanon and Syria is ambiguously demarcated in places around the town of Arsal, which is home to around 45,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations.

Other refugees are believed to be living in camps in the Jurud area, directly on the border, cut off from the town by checkpoints, but their numbers have not been confirmed.

While much of Qalamun is now under Syrian government control, pockets of rebel-held territory remain, particularly along the border.

Ahead of the operation, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Lebanon, Christophe Martin, told AFP that preparations had been made to receive wounded civilians from Jurud Arsal.

"We support two hospitals in Arsal and we have supplied them with more medicine and surgical material because they have limited resources," he said.

- Detainee deaths -

More than a million Syrian refugees have flooded into Lebanon since the conflict in their country erupted with anti-government protests in March 2011.

They live in apartments and homes but also informal camps across the country, and their presence has been largely tolerated despite testing the limited resources and ageing infrastructure of a country of just four million citizens.

But the security situation in Arsal has long been a concern, with Lebanese security forces fighting fierce battles with jihadists in the area in 2014.

When the jihadists withdrew, they kidnapped 30 soldiers and policemen, subsequently killing four of them while a fifth died of his wounds.

Sixteen were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015 but another nine are still being held.

Friday's operation comes at a time of rising frustrations over the refugee presence, with growing calls for a plan to repatriate the enormous population.

The Lebanese president warned this week against anti-refugee rhetoric in the wake of the June 30 attack on troops in Arsal.

After the raids, the Lebanese army arrested dozens of people, four of whom were subsequently declared to have died of pre-existing conditions while in custody.

Human rights groups have demanded an independent investigation into allegations that up to five Syrian detainees were tortured to death.
Mark Cropp said his DEVAST8 facial tattoo has stopped him from getting a job - Caters News Agency

A New Zealand teenager who complained his large DEVAST8 face tattoo was hampering his employment prospects has finally landed a job.

Mark Cropps photo was shared around the world after he admitted on social media the tattoo was a drunken mistake from his time in prison and he was devastated with the results.

However, the former prison inmate made more headlines after revealing he had turned down 45 job offers, saying he was waiting for the right one.

The amateur inking covers his cheeks, mouth and chin Credit: Caters

Now the 19-year-old father is ready to start work after accepting a job offer near his home in Auckland.

Mark has accepted a local scaffolding job, his girlfriend, Taneia Ruki, told Daily Mail Australia.

He could be starting as early as Monday. We are all still locking in the starting day.

On rejecting dozens of job offers, she added: Most of those were outside New Zealand, so they werent on the cards.

Mark Cropp with his girlfriend Taneia Ruki Credit: Caters

Meanwhile, tattoo laser removal company Sacred Laser has offered to remove the DEVAST8 lettering from his face for free.

It will take between eight and 12 sessions to completely remove the facial inking, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Bad celebrity tattoos

Mr Cropp posted a job appeal on Facebook earlier this month after being turned away by several recruitment agencies over his appearance.

Im keen as to work but have one thing that is stopping me and thats my tattoo on my face, he wrote.

I dont have a CV as of yet but have worked at NZ brick distributors before, also a scrap metal yard  Keen as on job or work place that will take me on.

Surprising celebrity tattoos
People march in memory of Justine Damond People march from the site of Justine Damonds shooting to Beards Plaissance Park during the Peace and Justice March for Justine, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Photo: Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Hundreds of people gathered Thursday night at the Minneapolis site of Justine Damonds fatal shooting, where they held a vigil before marching to a nearby park to continue their remembrance of the Australian expatriate.

Damond, 40, called 911 on July 15 to report a suspected sexual assault outside her home. Once two officers  identified as Matthew Harrity and Mohamed Noor  arrived at the house, she approached the drivers side of the squad car, just after Harrity heard a loud sound near the car, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Noor, who was sitting in the passenger seat, then fired his weapon through the open drivers side window, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said. Damond was pronounced dead at the scene.

A large crowd gathered outside Damonds home, including Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, an African-American man who was shot and killed by a police officer one year ago, according to ABC affiliate KSTP.

The crowd stood silently and hugged each other, while one speaker said, We gather here before you in our heartbreak, in our longing for healing.

After congregating at the home Damond shared with her fiance Don Damond, the crowd marched to Beards Plaissance Park on Lake Harriet. Along the way, marchers stopped traffic at some intersections for several minutes, KSTP reported. (GMA)

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Associated Press

President Joe Biden promised Saturday that the United States would work with a strategically vital coalition of southeast Asian nations, telling leaders that we're going to build a better future that we all want to see in the region where U.S. rival China is also working to expand its influence. Citing the three Association of Southeast Asian Nations summits he's participated in as president, Biden said the 10-country bloc is at the heart of my administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and promised to collaborate to build a region that is free and open, stable and prosperous, resilient and secure. I look forward to continuing our work together with ASEAN and with each one of you to deepen peace and prosperity throughout the region to resolve challenges from the South China Sea to Myanmar and to find innovative solutions to shared challenges," Biden said, citing climate and health security among areas of collaboration.
A moon has pulled off one of the solar systems best photobombs, sneaking into the Hubble Space Telescopes pictures of Mars.

NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center released photos on Thursday of the sneaky moon creeping into the Martian shots, although Phobos is so small that it just looks like a star in the distance. Hubble took 13 images in a little more than 20 minutes, so the telescope was able to catch Phobos moving quote a bit around Mars. When the photos are stitched together, they look like a movie of its orbit.

It was just one small piece of the moons rapid loop around its host planet, which it orbits three times a day  faster than Mars can rotate on its axis. According to NASA, Phobos is the only moon in the solar system that orbits faster than the number of hours in its planets day.

phobos-mars-orbit

Photo: NASA

But its quick orbit is not the only thing that makes Phobos unique. The moon, whose name means fear in Greek and comes from a son of Ares, the god of war, is also closer to its planet than any other moon, at just 3,700 miles from the planets surface. It is also one of the smallest moons in our solar system, measuring only 16.5 miles long.

It is so tiny that it would fit comfortably inside the Washington, D.C., Beltway, NASA said.

Read: 5 Moons to Explore in Our Solar System

Scientists arent exactly sure how Phobos got to be orbiting Mars. Some speculate that, with its oblong shape, it is an asteroid that originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter  the ring that separates the inner and outer solar system  but got swept up in the Red Planets orbit. Others say it formed from debris that was thrust into space as other objects crashed into Mars while it was forming.

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One theory that recently emerged plays upon the idea of those collisions, which would have been common when the solar system was younger. Researchers have suggested that an enormous asteroid the size of a dwarf planet crashed into Mars about 4.4 billion years ago. They say such a collision would have thrown rocky debris into orbit around Mars that would have eventually stuck together and formed Phobos and the other Martian moon, Deimos, which orbits farther out.

That model, the researchers say, would also explain why Mars northern hemisphere has such different geography from its southern hemisphere  smooth, flat land compared to crater-pocked highlands  and why Mars has so rare metals in such high quantities its mantle.

Read: Did a Dwarf Planet Crash into Mars? That Would Explain Its Weird Moons

For now, Phobos remains a bit of a mystery, although some scientists are planning a trip that could make its origin a little clearer. France and Japan announced earlier this year that they might work together to launch a space probe that would land on Phobos in 2024 and collect samples that would be brought back to Earth. If no other mission to another location in our solar system beats these nations to the punch, it would be the first time scientists have had samples on Earth from another otherworldly body besides our own planets moon. Experts from those countries suggested that having the samples would help them understand Phobos origin.

That could, in turn, help understand the origin of Deimos as well. And a space probe on Phobos would have an interesting view of Mars itself.

We have between 30 million and 50 million years to figure it out. After that time, Phobos is expected to crash into Mars or be torn into pieces. The moon has long grooves in it that are likely caused by the gravitational pull of Mars, NASA explained  they are basically planetary stretch marks. And it moves 6.5 feet closer to the planet every 100 years.

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U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating President Donald Trumps business dealings as part of the Justice Department's probe into connections between Russia and Trumps campaign, according to a Thursday Bloomberg report.

Justice Department instructions to Mueller included investigating any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign, and to follow up on any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation. Trump said that any investigation into his financial dealings outside of Russia by Mueller would cross a line in a Wednesday New York Times interview. He did not say, however, whether he would consider firing the special counsel or not.

READ: Special Counsel Robert Muellers Trump-Russia Investigation Not To Affect House Intelligence Committees Probe

Bloomberg reported that the FBI is investigating a Trump SoHo project with Russian partners, Russians buying apartments in Trump properties, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and Trumps sale of a Florida mansion to a Russian oligarch.

Those transactions are in my view well beyond the mandate of the Special counsel; are unrelated to the election of 2016 or any alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and most importantly, are well beyond any Statute of Limitation imposed by the United States Code, one of Trumps lawyers John Dowd told Bloomberg.

Trump was dismissive of Russian financial ties to his real estate empire in the Times interview.

I mean, its possible theres a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows? I dont make money from Russia. In fact, I put out a letter saying that I dont make  from one of the most highly respected law firms, accounting firms, said Trump.  I dont have buildings in Russia. They said I own buildings in Russia. I dont. They said I made money from Russia  I dont.

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Another person of interest in the financial investigations is Paul Manafort for possible money laundering. Manafort for a time served as the campaign manager for Donald Trump.

READ: Jared Kushners Middle East Role Not Affected By Robert Muellers Investigation Into His Business Deals

Muellers investigation is one of several stemming from possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. Others include the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.

Trump has repeatedly taken shots at all investigations calling them a witch hunt. In the interview with the Times, Trump also called Mueller being named special counsel a conflict of interest because he was being considered for the role of FBI Director. Trump fired the previous director, James Comey, over concerns about the FBIs investigation into connections between former national security advisor Michael Flynn and Russia.

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North Koreas human rights violations are more gruesome and astounding than previously thought, a new report revealed. Three hundred and seventy-five defectors from the country detailed mass graves, public executions and other crimes against humanity in a report released Wednesday by Seoul-based human rights organization the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG).

The interviewees said North Korea frequently carried out public executions on school grounds and river banks for the smallest of crimes, like stealing rice or distributing South Korean media. They detailed the locations of mass graves and executions and just how such executions were carried out.

Read: Watch Defector Yeonmi Park Detail Life In North Korea In Viral Video

Most executions, they said, were shootings. But it was not unheard of for people to be beaten to death.

RTR2M60U

Photo: Reuters

Some crimes were considered not worth wasting bullets on, one person said.

Oftentimes, government officials were executed while others were forced to watch as a form of deterrence, the report stated. The report also included detailed maps of the locations of executions and burials, the first time such maps were ever compiled, TJWG said.

The findings may be used for future investigation and prosecution of crimes against humanity, TJWG said in a press release. Such evidence is important for supporting any future criminal justice proceedings against perpetrators of human rights abuses in North Korea. But it is also essential for connecting families with the remains of loved ones who may have disappeared or been killed and buried in unknown locations by agents of the state.

The report is not the first time North Koreas crimes against humanity have been detailed. A 400-page United Nations report issued in 2014 found that the gravity, scale and nature of violations in North Korea did not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

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These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation, the UNs Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights said at the time.

Read: North Korea Increasing Plutonium Production For Nuclear Weapons

Defectors have also spoken out in the past. A video of Yeonmi Park, a young defector, went viral after she shared her story with an organization for young leaders.

North Korea is indescribable, she said through tears. North Koreans are desperately seeking and dying for freedom at this moment. When I was nine years old, I saw my friends mother executed. Her crime? Watching a Hollywood movie.

RTR243S8 (1)

Photo: Reuters

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Youve probably used Google Street View to check out a potential new place to live or maybe even to explore a new city. Now Street View has gone off road and taken to the sky, space and the International Space Station to be exact. In its most recent addition to Googles Maps feature, Street View travels through the modules of the ISS where astronauts work and live day in and day out.

The ISS is home to up to ten astronauts at any given time and requires a minimum of three to maintain it regularly. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet returned from a six month stay on the station in June. In addition to his research and daily tasks while in space, Pesquet took the first photos used for the new Street View. In a blog post written for Google he welcomed those on Earth to take a look into life on the station. In the post he briefly explained life on the ISS and what it was like to try to capture images of life in space.

Read: Space Station Chores: Keeping ISS Clean, Free Of Germs

iss view

Photo: Google

The conditions on the station, including the lack of gravity and the amount of equipment covering the walls, made traditional Street View capturing techniques impossible. So a team of NASA and Google employees on the ground had to come up with a method of capturing the photos in space. The method they devised ended up including a set up of bungees to help steady the camera in the astronaut's hands as well as give them specific reference points to shoot the photos from.

The resulting views are stunning and give a good idea of what the station is really like inside. Traditional photos make it seem small and cramped, but astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren says its actually not. In a video about the making of the ISS Street View, Lindgren said the station actually has about the volume of a five-bedroom house. I never felt claustrophobic there, in fact if we were scheduled for different activities over the course of the day you may not see another crew member for hours and hours, Lindgren said in the video.

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Read: How To Spot The International Space Station: When Will It Fly Over?

ISS street view

Photo: Google

The view covers all of the United States part of the station but also the other compartments of the station. The US Lab Module, the SpaceX Dragon docking vehicle, the Rassvet Mini-Research Module and several others are all part of the view. Users can even zoom from one module to its connecting parts. This function gives a slight simulation about what it might actually be like for the astronauts who float around the station.

Each part of the view also has an information card that accompanies the stunning 360 photos. So if youre not exactly sure what youre looking at be sure to read that. To explore the station click here.

Watch NASA and Google work to add the ISS to Google Maps and Street View:

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Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel speaks at the Ohio Republican Party election night celebration in Columbus, Ohio, in November 2014. (Photo: Tony Dejak/AP)

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a candidate in next years Republican Senate primary, sided Thursday with two prominent right-wing nationalist commentators over the Anti-Defamation League, which put them on a watch list of what it called alt-lite figures.

Mandel was responding to an online article on the ADL website listing Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec among other alt-right and alt-lite figures. It defined alt-lite as a loosely connected movement of right-wing activists who reject the overtly white supremacist ideology of the alt right but embrace misogyny and xenophobia and abhor political correctness and the left.

Cernovich likened the listing to terrorism. In a tweet, Mandel backed Cernovich and Posobiec, calling the ADL, which was formed in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism and has broadened its mandate to ensure justice and fair treatment for all, a partisan witchhunt [sic] group.

Sad to see @ADL_National become a partisan witchhunt group targeting people for political beliefs. I stand with @Cernovich & @JackPosobiec https://t.co/N3nC78t4CS  Josh Mandel (@JoshMandelOhio) July 20, 2017

In an email to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Erica Nurnberg, a Mandel campaign spokeswoman, said: As the grandson of Holocaust survivors and as a Marine who defended our freedom, Treasurer Mandel believes the ADL is dead wrong for creating hit lists on American citizens. Of all organizations, the ADL should know that making target lists of people based on their political beliefs is a dangerous practice and slippery slope.

The ADL article listed, with brief profiles, people it identified with the movements, but there is nothing to support the characterization of it as a hit or target list.

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The comment from Nurnberg echoes a video Posobiec posted to Twitter on Thursday. In it, Posobiec is outside the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp and states, Wise to remember what happened the last time people made lists of undesirables.

The @ADL_National would be wise to remember what happened the last time people made lists of undesirables pic.twitter.com/yZJ7VfPmb0  Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) July 20, 2017

Cernovich has risen to prominence among right-wing media figures in the past year, earning a New Yorker feature, an appearance on 60 Minutes and an endorsement from Donald Trump Jr. for the Pulitzer. He was one of the main propagators of the Pizzagate conspiracy that led to gunshots in a Washington, D.C., restaurant and has also likened diversity to white genocide, stated that date rape isnt a real thing and said the Black Lives Matter movement regularly slaughters the innocent. Posobiec has been a prolific spreader of conspiracies surrounding the 2016 shooting of Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer whose death has been a topic of interest to right-wing media figures despite pleas from his family to stop politicizing his killing.

The Mandel campaign did not respond to a request for comment on whether the candidate condoned Cernovichs comments. Mandel will compete against Cleveland banker Mike Gibbons in the GOP primary for the right to take on Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador has opened up about the real reason why shes gained so much weight. Previously, she claimed that it was actually the stress that co-star Vicki Gunvalson gave her that led to her weight gain. But the fault, she admitted, actually lies on her.

On Thursday, Beador opened up to Us Weekly about the increase in her body weight. This time shes singing a different tune from the time she said on the hit reality series that Gunvalson triggered her 40-pound weight gain. I just went off the wagon a little, Beador said, before adding, Im the one that put the stuff in my mouth.

In the past, Beador put the blame on Gunvalson after the latter revealed in the eleventh season of their show that David Beador, the formers husband, was physically abusing her. That stress caused me to eat more, caused me to drink more and thats a huge part of why I gained my weight, she said of Gunvalsons allegation at the time.

READ: Shannon Beador, Lydia McLaughlin feud in Real Housewives of Orange County Season 12 preview

Gunvalsons accusation has obviously led to a rift between the television personalities, who have yet to fix their broken relationship. After all, Beador has admitted that the weight gain affected her badly. My weight gain has affected me and how I feel about myself. Im embarrassed of my body, she was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

For now though, Beador is exerting effort in losing the weight she gained over the past year. She said shes working out at least 30 minutes a day and doing the math when it comes to the calories she eats. Im working on it. Slowly but surely getting there, she said after revealing shes shed off 8 pounds.

Early last week, Beador also addressed the weight gain issue via Instagram. She posted a close-up photo of her face and vented her sentiments in the caption. Yes, I have gained weight. A lot of weight. About 40 pounds to be exact, she wrote. I have not had plastic surgery or fillers, its just plain and simple weight gain.

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READ: Who is Real Housewives of Orange County new cast member Peggy Sulahian?

Beador then went on to reveal that the different factors that caused her to gain weight will be addressed in the new season of the Bravo series. There are multiple factors that have contributed to my size and it will be addressed this season on the show, she said.

The reality TV actress then addressed her bashers and haters, saying, To those people who intend to write cruel or derogatory comments to me, I want to let you know you will be blocked and the comment be deleted. Gaining weight and trying to take it off is a struggle that most women will face at some point in their lives.

Shannon Beador

Photo: Getty Images/Imeh Akpanudosen

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Beirut (AFP) - At least 28 Syrian government soldiers and pro-regime fighters were killed Wednesday in a rebel ambush in the Eastern Ghouta region near Damascus, a monitor said Thursday.

The fighters came under attack by the Army of Islam rebel group as they attempted to advance in the town of Al-Rihan, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Eastern Ghouta region is a major rebel stronghold near the capital, and it has been the frequent target of government military operations.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said rebels opened fire on the government troops as they entered an area where the opposition fighters had planted mines.

He said the ambush was the deadliest incident for government fighters in Eastern Ghouta since February 2016, when 76 regime troops were killed in Tal Sawane.

Eastern Ghouta is in one of the four proposed "de-escalation zones" designated in an agreement reached by government allies Iran and Russia and rebel backer Turkey in May.

But the deal has yet to be fully implemented over disagreements on the monitoring mechanism for the safe zones.

In recent weeks, government warplanes have bombed the Ain Terma area that links Eastern Ghouta to the rebel-held parts of the Damascus neighbourhood of Jobar.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since its conflict broke out in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Robert Mueller is investigating alleged Russia interference in the presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign: AFP

The lawyer investigating alleged links between Donald Trump's election campaign and Russia is examining transactions involving the US President's businesses, it has been reported.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is also expected to look into the activities of Trump associates and family members, despite the President claiming it would be a "violation" if the probe encompassed his personal finances.

The billionaire this week warned the lawyer off investigating his family finances, amid reports his own legal team was digging into Mr Mueller's background looking for potential conflicts of interest.

But Bloomberg reported investigators were already looking into deals with Russians including apartment purchases in his buildings, a controversial New York development project, the multimillion-dollar sale of a Florida home, and the 2013 Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow.

The special counsel is reportedly also interested in transactions with one of the Trump empire's main lenders, Deutsche Bank.

Several of Mr Trump's family members and close advisers have become ensnared in the investigation, including son Donald Trump Jr and son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Probing the family's sprawling business ties would bring a probe the President has called a partisan "witch hunt" even closer to the Oval Office.

Donald Trump introduces his eldest son, who is likely to be scrutinised by Mr Mueller's probe, during last year's election campaign(Brian Snyder/Reuters)

In an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, Mr Trump insisted he does not "make money from Russia". Asked if Mr Mueller investigating his finances would be "a breach of what his actual charge is," he answered: "I would say yes."

"I think that's a violation," he added.

The President is making clear that the special counsel should not move outside the scope of the investigation, said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday.

Mr Trump told the newspaper he was aware that members of Mr Mueller's investigative team had potential conflicts of interest and would disclose the information "at some point".

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Mr Trump's lawyers have been delving into the political affiliations and work history of investigators, a source told the Associated Press anonymously.

The President's attorney Jay Sekulow said Mr Trump's lawyers "will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue".

Ms Huckabee Sanders said on Thursday that Mr Trump had no intention of firing the special counsel "at this time," but she did not rule out doing so in the future. She also reiterated Mr Trump's concern about the scope of Mueller's investigation, saying it "should stay in the confines of meddling, Russia meddling, and the election and nothing beyond that".

But California Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Mr Mueller had the authority to investigate any ties the Trump family has to Russia, "including financial, and anything that arises".

"That is his duty," he added.

William Jeffress, a longtime defence attorney at Baker Botts who represented former President Richard Nixon, said Mr Mueller's inquiry would almost certainly involve examining financial information as he looks for any connections between Trump associates and Russia.

He suggested the President's threats towards the special counsel were not helping his case, adding: "If I were his lawyer, I would be telling him to dial it down."

Mr Trump has also asked advisers about his power to to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with Russia probe, it emerged on Friday.
MOSCOW  President Donald Trump may have held more meetings with Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit earlier this month, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday  but he shrugged off the importance of the encounters. "They might have met even much more than just three times," he told NBC News' Keir Simmons in an exclusive interview, dismissing speculation about the leaders' meetings. "Maybe they went to the toilet together," he joked. RELATED: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet Asked whether the two presidents had other conversations or met in the corridors of the G-20 meeting, Lavrov used the analogy of children mingling at a kindergarten. MOSCOW  President Donald Trump may have held more meetings with Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit earlier this month, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday  but he shrugged off the importance of the encounters. "They might have met even much more than just three times," he told NBC News' Keir Simmons in an exclusive interview, dismissing speculation about the leaders' meetings. "Maybe they went to the toilet together," he joked. Asked whether the two presidents had other conversations or met in the corridors of the G-20 meeting, Lavrov used the analogy of children mingling at a kindergarten. There may have been even more Trump-Putin meetings, Russian minister says 3:08 "When you are bought by your parents to a kindergarten do you mix with the people who are waiting in the same room to start going to a classroom?" he asked. He added: "I remember when I was in that position I did spend five or ten minutes in the kindergarten before they brought us to the classroom." Lavrov echoed the White House account of a third meeting between Trump and Putin during a social-dinner at the summit in Hamburg. The other two meetings  one a scheduled bilateral meeting and another when the pair shared a handshake  had already been widely reported. "After the dinner was over...I was not there...President Trump apparently went to pick up his wife and spent some minutes with President Putin...so what?" he said. Lavrov also said the U.S. presence in Syria was illegitimate and accused C.I.A director Mike Pompeo of having "double standards" regarding the establishment of military bases in the country. He said Pompeo's comments criticizing Russia's presence in Syria and the establishment of military bases on the Mediterranean coast, at the Aspen Security Forum Thursday, showed that "something was wrong with double standards." Lavrov cited reports of ten U.S. bases built in Syria, "not to mention hundreds of hundreds of military bases of the United States all over the world and all around Russia." Turning to North Korea, the Russian foreign minister confirmed that Russia would not support regime change. "We do not believe in regime change anywhere," he said. Lavrov said Russian intelligence showed that North Korea's test missile launch earlier this month was not an intercontinental weapon, as reported by U.S. officials. "Our objective data we received from our radars located just on the border with North Korea and according to that data it is not an intercontinental missile," he said. Asked why Russia does not consider North Korea a threat, Lavrov responded: "I cannot say we are not considering a threat what is going on on the Korean peninsula, because of what North Korea is doing in gross violation of the Security Council resolutions." He added that he did not understand the purpose of portraying Russia as "appeasing" North Koreans and "acquiescing with what they have been doing." However, he said Russia would not support United Nations Security Council resolutions which are "designed to completely suffocate the North Korean economy," saying the U.N. could not stop nuclear programs "at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives of North Koreans."
Ms Veselnitskaya has said she will travel to the US under the condition that she is provided security - Kommersant

The Russian lawyer who held a controversial meeting with Donald Trump's son has said she is ready to testify in front of the US Senate about the encounter, in which she allegedly offered him information that would incriminate Hillary Clinton.

Given the mass hysteria today [about this meeting], I am ready to clarify the situation through lawyers or by testifying in the US Senate, Ms Veselnitskaya told Russias Kremlin-sponsored RT TV channel on Wednesday.

The lawyer refuted the allegations that she acted on behalf of Russian authorities and was trying to pass information about the Clinton campaign to Donald Trump Jr.

Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-born US lobbyist who was also present at the meeting, claimed that Ms Veselnitskaya had brought documents with her that detailed what she believed was the flow of illicit funds to the Democratic National Committee.

Ms Veselnitskaya did not respond to numerous requests to comment on this claim sent by The Telegraph.

But she told RT her goal was to expose Bill Browder, the British hedge fund boss who successfully lobbied the Magnitsky Act in the US. The act imposed sanctions on Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009.

Ms Veselnitskaya added that she was ready to travel to the US in order to testify in front of the Senate intelligence panel probing the Trump campaign's links with Russia on one condition  that she would be provided security because she fears for her safety.

The June 2016 meeting involving Mr Trump Jr and Ms Veselnitskaya and brokered by a British music publicist Rob Goldstone prompted a media storm when it was revealed last week.

In his emails with Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone called Ms Veselnitskaya a Russian government attorney who had information about the Clinton campaign.

Andrei Nekrasov, a Russian documentary maker known for his anti-Magnitsky film and an acquaintance of both Ms Veselnitskaya and Mr Akhmentshin, told The Telegraph he believed Natalia's main, if not the only, goal, was to convince whoever she could in the US political establishment that the Magnitsky Act was based on a hoax.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - Ryanair will slash flights between Britain and the EU if London and Brussels fail to agree on terms for post-Brexit air travel by September next year, a senior executive said Friday.

If there is no "clarity" on the issue by September 2018, the Irish no-frills airline will remove flights from and to the UK from its summer 2019 timetable, chief commercial officer David O'Brien told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Ryanair will also remove some 85 aircraft currently based in Britain to airports on the European mainland or in Ireland, he added.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary made similar comments to the European Parliament's transport committee earlier this month.

The outspoken airline boss has repeatedly criticised the British government for its approach to post-Brexit air travel.

He said London ministers "don't have an idea" of the possible impact on the industry, speaking at a Frankfurt press conference in February.

Last week, British competitor EasyJet said it would create a new division based in Austrian capital Vienna to avoid Brexit fallout.

Britain's airline industry has soared over the past two decades under the Single European Sky system, which lifted trade restrictions on EU airlines.

Unless British negotiators manage to secure preferential conditions, British airlines could lose this status once the country leaves the EU.

This will mean they no longer enjoy rights including being able to freely set airfares, and to launch any route in Europe without getting prior authorisation.

Passengers leaving or arriving in the United Kingdom will face new taxes and British airlines face obstacles and delays in developing new routes.

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019 after voting in a shock referendum last year in favour of departure.
It was heartbreaking news on Nashville when Scarlett suffered a miscarriage. The tragedy took place the morning after her and her on-again, off-again lover Gunnar were mugged. While the incidents seemed linked, the doctor said, "It must have been awful but it wouldn't affect your pregnancy." The doctor went on to say, "It's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, often it's a chromosomal problem...But I can tell you, it's not because of anything you did or didn't do." Riddled with guilt, Gunnar refused to listen to the doctor. Instead the musician drove around looking for the kid who assaulted them. When he finally found the kid he let him go after just a few punches because he realized it wasn't going to help. And as if their lives couldn't get any more complicated, the miscarriage forced Scarlett to reevaluate their relationship. She decided they weren't working out. And even though it broke Gunnar's heart, she said she needed to take a break.
WASHINGTON  White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned on Friday amid changes to President Trumps communications shop.

The news of Spicers resignation was first reported by the New York Times. A White House staffer subsequently confirmed it to Yahoo News.

According to the Times, Spicer departed because he vehemently disagreed with the appointment of New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. Multiple sources familiar with the situation confirmed to Yahoo News that Scaramucci was given that position on Friday morning.

Scaramucci appeared with White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a briefing on Friday where he officially announced his appointment. He also said Sanders would be replacing Spicer as press secretary.

Trumps communications team has been a center of turmoil and tension in the White House. Multiple White House sources and Trump allies have expressed frustration with its performance as the administration has been battered by negative stories about the presidents relationship with Russia, potential conflicts of interest and mismanagement.

At the briefing where she and Scaramucci discussed Spicers resignation, Sanders read a statement from Trump in which he described Scaramucci as a person I have great respect for and who will be an important addition to the administration. The statement also included a comment indicating that Trump has been frustrated with the public perception of his administration.

We have accomplished so much and we are being given credit for so little, Trump said.

Sean Spicer in a White House briefing. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

In addition to his role as press secretary, Spicer had been filling in for Mike Dubke, who resigned as communications director in May. In a tweet posted shortly after the news of his resignation broke, Spicer said it was an honor and a privilege to be part of the administration and indicated he plans to stay on for the short term.

I will continue my service through August, Spicer wrote.

Story continues

Spicer came to the White House from the Republican National Committee where he was communications director. He is a longtime deputy and close ally of White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who was RNC chairman before Trump took office.

Trumps White House is notoriously factional, with distinct groups frequently butting heads. The presidents children, including his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, are both top advisers in the West Wing and a major sphere of influence. Another key bloc includes White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and adviser Stephen Miller, both strong advocates for the nationalist and populist agenda that was a key part of Trumps campaign platform. Trump also regularly consults with veterans of his presidential campaign and his longtime associates in New York, many of whom do not work in the White House but have become de facto advisers. And then Priebus and Spicer head up a contingent of RNC veterans who make up a large portion of West Wing staff.

The RNC presence in the White House has been viewed skeptically by many of Trumps loyalists. Trump ran as a political outsider and many of his longtime allies see Priebus and his allies as part of a Washington Republican establishment that doesnt understand Trumps vision.

Scaramucci, who has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Yahoo News, was a campaign fundraiser for Trump and served as a member of the executive committee of Donald Trumps transition team. He previously served as a co-managing partner of SkyBridge Capital, a hedge fund he founded. Scaramucci began his Wall Street career with Goldman Sachs, a company that employed several key figures in Trumps administration.

One Trump campaign veteran and Scaramucci ally told Yahoo News that the White Houses messaging would improve under Scaramucci.

The White House will finally have a professional that understands the presidents mandate. This hire will attract the best communications people to the White House, the source said.

New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci addresses the daily briefing at the White House in Washington. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Shortly before Trump took office in January, Scaramucci sold his hedge fund business to RON Transatlantic EG and a Chinese company, HNA Capital. Scaramucci had put the company up for sale as he was eyeing a position in the Trump White House. Scaramucci is a visible figure on Wall Street through his firms annual Las Vegas event, the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference, or SALT. In the finance world, he is often called by the nickname Mooch.

Despite being floated for multiple positions in the West Wing in the past six months, Scaramucci remained outside the White House. A longtime Trump loyalist attributed that, in part, to Priebus, whom they described as Anthonys No. 1 enemy. The loyalist said Priebus raised concerns about Scaramuccis business interests to Trump and was a major factor in blocking him from the West Wing.

Anthony wanted to work in the West Wing. He deserved it. He raised a lot of money during the campaign, the person said.

With Scaramucci officially entering the West Wing, the longtime Trump loyalist said his appointment is a strong sign Priebus and his RNC veterans are losing influence. They expressed hope the shakeup would lead to a comeback for a New York faction comprised of campaign allies and other longtime Trump associates.

The RNC apparatchiks are on a death watch, the loyalist said.

But on Twitter, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman wrote that a person close to Priebus said he is 100 percent supportive of Scaramucci and they have a great relationship. Haberman further said the source claimed that Priebus wasnt trying to block Scaramucci from the White House, but was merely trying to slow down the process for unspecified reasons.

Scaramucci also denied reports of tensions with Priebus when he appeared with Sanders at the briefing on Friday.

Reince and I have been personal friends for six years, Scaramucci said. We are a little bit like brothers where we rough each other up once in a while,  but we are dear friends.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, with new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, holds a daily briefing at the White House. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Scaramucci has been active in Republican politics for years. He previously served as national finance co-chairman for Mitt Romneys 2012 campaign. Scaramucci didnt initially back Trump in last years election. He raised funds for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and backed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush after Walkers early exit.

Though Scaramucci wasnt part of the White House during Trumps first six months, he regularly appeared on cable news where he was a staunch defender of the president. Scaramucci has no prior public relations or political communications experience, but multiple sources close to Trump said the president and his family were strongly impressed by Scaramuccis performances on television. And while Ivanka and Kushner backed Scaramucci coming into the White House, the longtime loyalist stressed that it was ultimately Trumps decision. The person said Trump was particularly happy with an instance in which Scaramucci got CNN to retract a story linking Scaramucci to Russia-related investigations. In his ongoing feud with the media and what Trump has dubbed fake news, CNN has been one of the media outlets that has particularly drawn Trumps ire.

The White House was greatly impressed that Anthony fought back against CNN of all networks, the longtime loyalist said.

Scaramuccis appointment came after a chaotic evening for the White House. Axios first reported that Scaramucci would get the job late Thursday night and that it came as a surprise to Priebus. At the briefing where he discussed his new position on Friday, Scaramucci disputed the reports Priebus wasnt aware of his appointment. However, in the wake of the initial report, another White House official also appeared caught off-guard by the news and told Yahoo News that Scaramucci had not even interviewed for the job. And in the hours after the initial Axios story there were multiple reports that Scaramuccis position and title were not finalized.

Spicers departure is certainly a blow to Priebus, as he was the chief of staffs most visible and highest ranking ally. As press secretary, Spicer became, for better or worse, the public face of the administration. One day after the inauguration, Spicer infamously came out and made a clearly false statement that Trumps swearing in had the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration period. Spicer initially said photographs of the event were intentionally framed to minimize the crowd, but after a backlash, he suggested that he meant the true size of the audience should include television and online viewers.

Sean Spicer holds a press briefing in May. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

During Spicers tenure as press secretary, his daily briefings with reporters were widely watched on television. Spicer developed a reputation for combativeness with reporters. He also made a series of memorable comments, including claiming that a small group of people understood the secret meaning behind Trumps infamous covfefe tweet, and defending Trumps claim that the late 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass was being increasingly recognized by arguing that, through the White Houses Black History Month celebrations, the contributions of Frederick Douglass will become more and more. His reputation for aggressively backing Trump on matters great and small, with or without supporting facts, was lampooned on Saturday Night Live by actress Melissa McCarthy in a series of sketches. In Trumps statement on Spicers departure, the president referenced his run behind the briefing room podium.

I am grateful for Seans work, Trump said, adding, Just look at his great television ratings.

Spicer had been seen less and less at briefings with reporters in recent weeks, often ceding the role to Sanders. Multiple White House sources have said Sanders had her eye on the press secretary job prior to being tapped as Spicers replacement. She did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News.

As Spicer has receded into the background in recent months, the briefings have become less frequent. The White House has also increasingly barred cameras from briefings. The briefing with Sanders and Scaramucci in the wake of Spicers departure was the first one to be held on camera since the end of June. As he began his remarks, Scaramucci wished Spicer success in the private sector.

I wish him well and I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money, Scaramucci said of Spicer.

Last updated 3 p.m. ET.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
The long-anticipated shake-up of Donald Trumps communications team has finally taken place with Sean Spicer resigning as press secretary and Anthony Scaramucci appointed director of communications.

After months of speculation that the 45-year-old was poised to leave the White House, it was announced that deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had been promoted to fill his position.

Its been an honour & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country, Mr Spicer tweeted, adding that he would remain in his position until August.

Mr Trump had asked his press secretary to stay on, according to The New York Times, but Mr Spicer told the President that the appointment of Mr Scaramucci was a big mistake.

Mr Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime supporter of Mr Trump, will replace Mike Dubke, who resigned from the job in May amid the fallout from primarily Russia-related scandals.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus  a former Republican Party chairman who had brought Mr Spicer into the White House  also reportedly disapproves of Mr Trumps pick for communications director.

During the transition, Mr Trump had intended to appoint Mr Scaramucci as director of his office of public liaison, but the offer was pulled at the request of Mr Priebus because of concerns about the financiers overseas investments.

It is likely that the President selected Mr Scaramucci because of his demonstrated loyalty. The financier, who founded the global investment firm SkyBridge Capital and is a Fox News contributor, has on multiple occasions spiritedly defended the President on television. Mr Trump has constantly felt that his communications team was not doing enough to defend him.

Mr Scaramucci will be joining the administration when friction between the White House and the press is high. Mr Trump has criticised several news organisations, and his communications team has received backlash for holding fewer on-camera briefings. Mr Spicer has said the change was meant to draw more attention to the Presidents remarks, but some reporters have asserted that the White House should have the backbone to answer questions during on-camera proceedings.

Story continues

Mr Spicers resignation comes after the President reshuffled his personal legal team, which is building Mr Trumps defence against allegations of collusion with the Russian government around the 2016 election.

Jonathan Karl, the chief White House correspondent for ABC News, tweeted that when he asked Mr Spicer a question about the new director of communications, the press secretary slammed the door in his face.

Minutes later, it was reported that Mr Spicer had resigned.

Throughout his six-month tenure as the White House press secretary, Mr Spicer became known for his combative style with the press that inspired a caricature of him on Saturday Night Live.

A former Republican National Committee spokesman and strategist, Mr Spicer was on the frontline defending Mr Trumps directives and decisions, from the controversial travel ban to the Presidents abrupt firing of James Comey as FBI director in May.

Mr Trumps social media use and off-the-cuff communication style are also likely to remain a thorn in the side of his staff. The Presidents tweets and statements he makes during interviews often contradict messages from his own White House  issues that Mr Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders have had to deal with during press briefings.
Donald Trump and Sergei Lavrov in May 2017 - Rex Features

President Donald Trump may have had yet more undisclosed meetings with Vladimir Putin, the Russian foreign minister has said  but he mocked the US for their obsession with the encounters.

Sergei Lavrov, the wily, wise-cracking veteran politician, laughed when asked by NBC News whether there had been more than the three meetings now known about at the G20 in Germany, earlier this month.

Mr Trump and Mr Putin held a bilateral session in Hamburg, which was widely reported. They also met for the leaders photo.

But on Tuesday it emerged that Mr Trump had another hour-long discussion with Mr Putin which was not disclosed by the White House, and at which Mr Trump relied on Mr Putins translator. Eyebrows were raised at the absence of American officials during the discussion.

On Friday Mr Lavrov said they may have met again  although he joked about the possibility.

They might have met even much more than just three times, he said.

"Maybe they went to the toilet together.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the G20 in Germany on July 7 Credit: AP

Asked whether the two presidents had other conversations or met in the corridors of the G-20 meeting, Mr Lavrov used the analogy of children mingling at a playschool.

When you are bought by your parents to a kindergarten do you mix with the people who are waiting in the same room to start going to a classroom? he asked.

"I remember when I was in that position I did spend five or ten minutes in the kindergarten before they brought us to the classroom.

Mr Lavrov, echoing the White House, downplayed Tuesdays revelations about the undisclosed conversation.

After the dinner was over - I was not there - President Trump apparently went to pick up his wife and spent some minutes with President Putin.

So what?

The White House is yet to respond to Mr Lavrov's comments.

Fake News story of secret dinner with Putin is "sick." All G 20 leaders, and spouses, were invited by the Chancellor of Germany. Press knew!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2017

American media critical of Mr Trump reacted with horror to the news of the undisclosed dinner conversation, with Rachel Maddow, MSNBC anchor, describing an audible tsunami of shock reverberating around her office as the news broke.

Story continues

But Mr Trumps defenders have dismissed the news as irrelevant, saying that it is common for world leaders to cross paths informally.

Mr Trump himself said the conversation  which surprised other world leaders at the table - was mainly pleasantries.

So the meal was going, and toward dessert I went down just to say hello to Melania, and while I was there I said hello to Putin, he told The New York Times.

Really, pleasantries more than anything else. It was not a long conversation, but it was, you know, could be 15 minutes.

Just talked about  things.

Actually, it was very interesting, we talked about adoption.
There are only so many possible fates for the president: an early departure, defeat in his re-election bid or a second term. Which will it be?

Under the constant attack of impeachment, and unable to pass any meaningful legislation, Trump will likely do what every other impotent president has done: focus on foreign affairs. Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr is apparently feeling miserable and wants these four years to be over, according to People magazine. We feel your pain, Don, we really do. At the six month stage of your fathers presidency, we all want these four years to be over. At least thats one way President Trump has brought us closer together.

Since we have to suffer through this purgatory together, we may as well tally up the toll of the last 180 days  and look forward to how the next 1260 days will end. Like the long term inmates of Alcatraz, we know that escape is a highly risky proposition that is the figment of our shared despair and the subject of some wonderful myth-making.

First, lets look at how far weve traveled together. President Trump started his term in office with approval ratings of 45% and equal disapproval ratings. Since then, his approval rating has slumped 8 points and his disapproval rating has hiked 12 points, in Gallups presidential tracker.

Reporters have written endless stories about the loyalty of Trump voters to their president, but these narratives do not square with the numbers. Its very hard to get elected, or re-elected, with 37% approval.

For some context, its worth noting that Barack Obama was 22 points higher at this six-month stage of his presidency, in the middle of the worst recession in living memory. Gerald Ford was languishing at this level at the same stage of his presidency after he pardoned Richard Nixon, who left office in disgrace with 24% approval. At his current pace, Donald Trump will hit Nixons departure numbers in another 10 months. Just in time for the congressional elections.

But enough of the fake news. What about all those legislative accomplishments? Trump himself has told us that with the exception of FDR no president has been as great as he. Theres never been a president thats done more in this time, he told reporters last month. Whos passed more legislation, whos done more things than weve done.

Story continues

If you missed all these historic moments, you werent alone. Among Trumps legislative record is the renaming of the veterans outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He also appointed three people to the board of regents at the Smithsonian.

Mere trifles? I think not.

Yes, we all know about the collapse of his big Obamacare repeal, despite the celebration of its passage through the half-way House of Representatives. OK, so theres been no infrastructure investment, or Mexican border wall, or tax reform. But Rome wasnt built in a day, and nor was the Trump hotel in Washington.

Presidential honeymoons come and go, along with congressional majorities. But the Trump legacy has already begun to write itself. Who else could have fundamentally realigned Americas position in the world as quickly as the master builder himself? Global confidence in the US has plummeted 42 points since Trump moved into the Oval Office. Only one country has gained anything like that amount of confidence in Trumps America at the same time: Russia.

In his first six months, Trump has pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, alongside war-torn Syria and the noble state of Nicaragua. Having dismayed most of the world, Trump sent the only man he really trusts  Donald J Trump  on a one-man mission to make friends with the French. This he accomplished by traveling to Paris, shaking hands for a very long time with the French president and admiring his wifes physique out loud. In Paris, they say Trumps legacy is a fait accompli.

So what if he spooked his Nato allies and cozied up to Vladimir Putin over dinner at the G20 in Hamburg? Conventional politicians do conventional things like nurturing allies and isolating enemies. Trump was elected to blow up that model, if not the rest of the planet.

Trump himself has marked this auspicious six-month moment by hosting a panel investigating the fraudulent votes that he suspects undermined his own election. This is once again a presidential first: a sitting president who insists that his own victory was tainted. In fact, the vice-chair of his own panel admits that he doesnt know for sure if Trumps votes were above board.

Talking of tampering with elections, Trump capped his half-birthday in-office with a doozy of an interview with the New York Times in which he dwelled at length on the Russia investigation that is already undermining his entire presidency.

In particular, Trump lamented appointing an attorney general who failed to stop the Russia investigation. Perhaps Jeff Sessions can ask James Comey how to sign a great book deal after getting iced by Trump. The former FBI director will surely have some friendly tips for his old boss.

What does the next chapter in the Trump Saga look like? There are only so many possible fates for our president: an early departure, defeat in his re-election bid or a second term. The first scenario hinges on the outcome of the congressional elections next year. The second and third depend entirely on what follows.



Early departure is not, like Nixon, going to happen voluntarily. Even in a coerced state, the president shows no sense of shame or expectation of defeat. Trump will need to be impeached and convicted at his impeachment trial, in order to leave office ahead of an election.

For impeachment to happen, Democrats need to win back at least the House. So far, the signs look promising: the generic congressional ballot gives Democrats a 14-point lead, which is pretty much what they were polling before they swept both sides of Congress at Bushs low point in 2006 and Obamas high point in 2008.

Lets assume the House under Nancy Pelosi cannot help itself with impeachment: there are just too many high crimes and misdemeanors to choose from  too many secret Russian meetings, too many dubious financial arrangements, and too much obstruction of justice.

What happens at Trumps trial in the Senate? Even with Democrats swiping back control of the Senate  against all the odds, given the seats up for election next year  they will never enjoy the two-thirds majority required to remove Trump from office.

If you think it was hard for Republicans to vote to repeal and replace Obamacare, you might ask yourself how hard it is for them to repeal and replace Donald Trump.

Under the constant attack of impeachment, and unable to pass any meaningful legislation, Trump will likely do what every other impotent president has done: focus on foreign affairs. He will also be sorely tempted to do what no other sane president has done: start a war to make himself look something other than impotent.

The provocations are not hard to find if you take Iran and North Korea at their word and ignore all the consequences of military action. Trump is especially expert at failing to see the consequences of his actions.

So after another three and a half years of a half-baked war, endless Russia revelations, unethical family business deals and a running Twitter commentary on all things Fox and Friends, President Trump will run for re-election with the national debate entirely focused on his specialist subject: Donald Trump.

Should he stay in office when the Senate could not force him out? Is he qualified to remain as president when he has compromised national security with the Russians so many times? Who but Trump could tackle the urgent challenge of the renaming of the main post office in Guam?

Anyone can talk about making America great again. Only one man can talk about making Trump great again. That may be his only mission for the next several years of our great national nightmare, but it is one he is uniquely qualified to accept.

For Democrats, the challenge is going to be to make the national conversation about something other than one loud, large man who is unhealthily obsessed with himself.




Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump took office trailing a string of promises made during a bruising election campaign.

Six months into his presidency, here is where the 45th occupant of the White House stands in fulfilling some of the most notable promises in his ambitious agenda:

BUILD A WALL ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER, MAKE MEXICO PAY FOR IT

Trump issued an executive order on January 25, five days after taking office, directing the Department of Homeland Security to identify and allocate funding for "planning, designing, and constructing" the barrier along the US-Mexico border.

The anti-illegal immigration project has been stalled, however, by Mexico's refusal to pay for the wall and reluctance in Congress to dedicate funding for the barrier, which could cost as much as $20 billion according to some estimates.

STATUS: INCOMPLETE

PULL US OUT OF PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE ACCORD

Trump annnounced on June 1 that the United States will withdraw from the 196-nation Paris agreement on climate change and seek to negotiate a new global deal.

Declaring that he was "elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris," the US president complained that the accord signed under Barack Obama was giving other countries an unfair advantage over US industry and destroying American jobs.

Because of the wording of the agreement, the earliest possible date for an official US withdrawal from the accord is November 4, 2020 -- just one day after the country's next presidential election.

STATUS: PROMISE KEPT

REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMACARE

Trump pledged to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act -- better known as Obamacare -- within the first 100 days of his presidency.

But he was thwarted this week when the Republican-controlled Senate failed to come up with the votes to overturn the health law.

The White House insisted, however, that the fight was not over and Trump said he intended to "let Obamacare fail" and come up with a new bill.

Story continues

STATUS: PROMISE BROKEN

NAME A CONSERVATIVE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Trump promised during the campaign to nominate a conservative Supreme Court justice to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, a right-wing icon on the court who died in February 2016.

Trump named federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch, 49, a Scalia disciple, to the vacant seat and Gorsuch was confimed 54-45 by the Senate.

STATUS: PROMISE KEPT

BLOCK ENTRY OF MUSLIMS INTO THE US

During the campaign, Trump controversially called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" until US lawmakers "can figure out what is going on."

Since taking office, however, his efforts to temporarily ban entry into the United States of citizens from six Muslim-majority countries have met with repeated challenges from lower courts.

But Trump secured a partial victory as the Supreme Court approved a temporary ban on nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who cannot prove that they have close family relations in the United States.

STATUS: PROMISE PARTIALLY KEPT

TRADE: PULL OUT OF TPP, RENEGOTIATE NAFTA

Trump withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- the trade agreement with 11 Pacific nations -- within days of taking office.

Formal talks with Canada and Mexico on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement could begin as early as August, according to The Washington Post.

STATUS: PROMISE KEPT

RENEGOTIATE THE NUCLEAR DEAL WITH IRAN

During the campaign, Trump derided the 2015 agreement aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions as "the worst deal ever."

The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran on Tuesday over its ballistic missile program, but Trump has not followed through so far on his threat to force Tehran to renegotiate the accord.

STATUS: INCOMPLETE

DEFEAT ISIS

Trump pledged during the campaign to crush the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and the Pentagon presented him in February with the outlines of a plan to do so.

Since then, IS fighters have been driven out of Mosul and Raqa, the capital of the so-called caliphate, is under seige.

STATUS: INCOMPLETE

IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

Trump repeatedly praised Vladimir Putin while on the campaign trail and said he would improve US relations with Russia if he was elected president.

But Trump's fledgling administration has been dogged by charges that members of his campaign may have colluded with Russia to get him elected. A special prosecutor is looking into the allegations.

Trump met face-to-face with Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg this month and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said they had "clear positive chemistry" during "very constructive" talks.

What comes of it remains to be seen.

STATUS: UNCERTAIN
Salvador Dali's moustache remains in a perfect state, 'marking 10 past 10, as he desired' - AP

Salvador Dalis famous moustache remains in a perfect state, witnesses to the surrealist artists exhumation for DNA testing have revealed.

Narcis Bardalet, Dalis embalmer, said that upon opening his crypt, the body was found to be exactly as it was when it was interred 28 years ago.

The handlebars of his moustache were still marking (the time of) 10 past 10 as he wished, he said.

Workers bring a casket to the Dali Theatre Museum Credit: Manu Fernandez/AP

His moustache remains intact, marking 10 past 10, as he desired, Mr Bardalet told local television. Its a miracle. Dali will be with us for a long time.

The Spanish master was raised from his tomb in his hometown of Figueres late on Thursday night in a highly controversial operation to settle a paternity claim from a TV fortune teller that she is his secret lovechild.

Pilar Abel poses for the media upon her arrival to the Toxicology National Institute to undergo a DNA test, in Madrid earlier this month Credit: EFE via EPA

Pilar Abel, 61, also from Figueres, has for more than a decade been fighting to prove she is Dalis daughter, claiming to have learned from her mother and grandmother at the age of eight that she was the product of an affair with the married artist.

Despite being dismissed by many as a fraud, Ms Abel in June won a court order to exhume Dalis body, a Madrid judge ruling there was no other way to settle the claim.

Salvador Dalis moustache was an iconic trademark of his appearance Credit: AFP/Getty

The artists two tibias have been extracted as well as nails and teeth, and will now be taken to Madrid for testing before being replaced to preserve the integrity of the body, Lluis Penuelas, secretary of the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, said.

Just 15 people were present at the exhumation Credit: LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty

He stressed that the Foundation, which administers Dalis estate, regards the exhumation as completely inappropriate and Ms Abels claim as "baseless".

The exhumation was far from simple. Cranes were installed to lift the one and a half ton tombstone from Dalis crypt, which lies beneath the stage in the artists self-designed Theatre-Museum.

Workers take scaffolding inside the Theatre-Museum Dali to be used in the exhumation Credit: LLUIS GENE/AFP

The operation took place under the cover of night, with media banned and tarpaulins placed over the top of the building to prevent drones spying from overhead.

Story continues

Just 15 people were present and all phones and cameras were prohibited to prevent images leaking out.

The exhumation took place at the Theatre-Museum Dali in Figueras Credit: LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty

Marta Felip, the mayor of Figueres, said it was grotesque that the fortune tellers claim had been taken so far.

She said the results would be known in the first week of September, and said that if Ms Abel was found not to be the artists daughter, the Foundation and the local government would be seeking to recover their considerable costs.

Tourists visit the tomb of Salvador Dali at the Theatre-Museum Dali following the exhumation Credit: LLUIS GENE/AFP

But if Ms Abel is proved right, she could be entitled to a 25 percent share of Dali's considerable estate. That will open up another legal battle with the Foundation and the Spanish state, to which he left his works.

"The question of tracing any inheritance will be a difficult one," Michael Mylonas QC of London barristers' chambers Serjeants Inn told The Telegraph, suggesting that the Foundation "must be feeling some heat".

Ms Abel told the Telegraph that she was unconcerned by the criticisms, and dismissed the Dali Foundations questioning of the court order as pathetic.

I am very happy because at last its going to come to light, and this means a lot, it doesnt matter to me what the Foundation says, she said.

She insisted that she was not motivated by any potential inheritance but by a desire to know who she was. Its about my identity, and nothing else, said Ms Abel, adding that the first thing she would do if the test came out positive was change her name. But then, she acknowledged, probably I am going to ask for what is mine.

The fortune teller, who for eight years hosted a tarot card reading show on local television, claimed that the visionary Dali was the source of her powers. I have had this gift since I was little, and where else can it come from? It cant be from anyone else but him.

Ms Abel said she believed the artist knew she was his child, relating an encounter told to her by her mother Antonia, who has given her blessing to the paternity suit. Her mother was pushing her in a pram when the pair ran into Dali; he allegedly patted her head and remarked So this is my daughter Pilar, eh?. Ms Abel had crossed paths with him again as a teenager, and the pair had exchanged looks that were more than looks, she said.

Shrugging off suggestions of an unseemly spectacle, the fortune teller said she was happy to have put Dali back in the news. It is what I wanted, to lift him up again. He deserves it. A great genius, a great person, and a great painter.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - China flew several fighter and reconnaissance aircraft near Taiwan in a training exercise, the self-ruled island's defense ministry said on Friday. Despite decades of growing trade across the Taiwan Strait, China has never renounced the use of force, if necessary, to reclaim what it considers a breakaway province to which the defeated Nationalists fled after losing a civil war in 1949. "We were in a position to monitor their movements from the beginning to the end," defense ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said, describing what he called a routine exercise. "There's nothing for our people to worry about." The ministry released two photographs, one showing a Chinese warplane as it flew near Taiwan on Thursday. The Chinese government has not issued a statement on the exercise. In a similar military exercise last week, China flew six warplanes over the Miyako Strait between Japan's islands of Miyako and Okinawa to the northeast of Taiwan, which Taiwan's defense ministry said it had also monitored. Such exercises were legal and proper and Japan should "get used to it", China's defense ministry said at the time. The flyover by the formation of Xian H-6 bombers was "unusual", Japan's defense ministry said in a statement, but added there had been no violation of the country's airspace. China's navy and air force have held exercises in the Western Pacific in recent months, as they hone their ability to operate far from home shores. (Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Florida police said a group of teenagers filmed the dying moments of a disabled man last week, with the teens cursing, laughing at and mocking the man as he drowned in a fenced-off pond. Jamel Dunn, 32, drowned in a retention pond on July 9, and his body wasn't recovered until July 14. Shortly after, a friend of Dunn's found a video of the incident online and sent the footage to authorities in Brevard County. RELATED: A history of notable crimes and cases involving the FBI In footage of the incident published by the Florida Today newspaper on Thursday, teens -- ages 14 to 16 -- can be heard laughing off-camera as a man screamed in the distance, splashing futilely in the water as he called for help. WARNING: FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE "Get out the water, you gonna die," one teen yelled in the minute-long video, while another yelled "ain't nobody fixing to help you, you dumb (expletive)." As Dunn submerges into the water, one of the teens said, "Oh, he just died." "They just laughed the whole time," Cocoa Police Department spokeswoman Yvonne Martinez told the newspaper. "He was just screaming ... for someone to help him." The Brevard County State Attorney's Office called the incident a "tragedy" and said the teens had "no moral justification" for not acting while the man drowned and added that the teens are unlikely to face charges as their lack of action is not a violation of any laws.
A leader of Thailand's 'Red Shirt' movement was jailed Thursday for defaming an ex-prime minister, sidelining a key voice of dissent against the ruling junta ahead of polls expected in 2018.

Thailand's Supreme Court sentenced Jatuporn Prompan over a 2009 speech accusing then-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva of being a "tyrant" and ordering the military to shoot at protesters in clashes that year.

He is "sentenced to one year in prison without suspension", despite his case being twice dismissed by lower courts, Jatuporn's team confirmed on his Facebook page.

The verdict is likely to fuel anger among the Red Shirts, a once-vociferous, pro-democracy street movement that has been silenced by the junta that seized power in 2014.

Thailand's pro-democracy supporters complain of judicial bias in favour of their rivals who are drawn from the royalist Bangkok elite and a military with a penchant for coups.

The junta has promised to hold elections in 2018, though previous poll dates have slipped.

Since the coup Jatuporn has been targeted by a number of court cases, and been forced to attend mandatory "attitude adjustment" sessions for his criticism of the regime.

Ex-PM Abhisit filed the lawsuit that has seen Jatuporn jailed.

Abhisit's government killed scores of Red Shirt protesters in 2010 as political protests left much of central Bangkok in flames.

In 2016 Abhisit was acquitted of murder charges linked to that crackdown.

On Friday Thailand's last civilian premier, Yingluck Shinawatra, is due to appear in court for what could be her final hearing over a costly rice subsidy policy.

She faces a criminal negligence charge over the policy which carries up to a decade on jail.

A civil lawsuit is seeking $1 billion in damages from Yingluck.

Analysts say the case is an effort to smash the influence of her powerful family.

Yingluck's brother Thaksin, another ousted premier seen as the godfather of Red Shirt movement, has lived in exile since 2008 to avoid graft convictions.
A family vacation to Mexico ended in tragedy recently after a young woman died at an all-inclusive resort after reportedly being drugged. According to other victims, several resorts in Mexico seem to be serving tainted alcohol to tourists, resulting in sexual assault, injuries and robbery. Several tourists are now sharing their experiences after staying at Iberostar Hotel & Resorts' Paraiso del Mar and other resorts around Cancun and Playa del Carme. They suspect they were either drugged or the alcohol was tainted because hotels served cheap liquor to cut costs. For one family, the injuries were deadly. 20-year-old Abbey Conner drowned at Paraiso del Mar just hours after arriving at the hotel. She and her older brother, Austin, were found facedown in the pool, unconscious. Abbey was declared brain dead and, a few days later, was flown to Florida where she was taken off life support. Her brother survived and has no recollection of what happened. One Wisconsin woman interviewed by the Journal Sentinel said she was assaulted while both she and her husband were unconscious. He woke up with a broken hand. A 2015 report from Mexico's Tax Administration Service found that 43 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the nation is illegal, produced under unregulated circumstances, resulting in potentially dangerous concoctions.
Amanda Radican was simply trying to help her boyfriendhed called from work and said he forgot his phone at homewhen she saw flashing lights in her rearview mirror on State Highway 114 in Grapevine, Texas.

Confused, Radican pulled over and rolled down her window. Grapevine police officer Chad Hale informed her that not only was she going 52 mph in a 45 mph zone, but that there was also a warrant out her car. He asked her to get out of the car so they could clear things up. She didnt realize that her boyfriend, Stephen Smith, was tracking her every move via the Find My iPhone app, and that Hale, who was recording the interaction with his body cam, was in on the proposal setup of a lifetime.

Crying and visibly shaking, a shocked Radican did what she was told. As she was explaining to the officer that her boyfriend was a dispatcher for the Grapevine Police Department, and that she on his way there to bring him his phone, another squad car pulled up behind her. As Radican struggled to comprehend the situation, Smith snuck out of the second car and knelt down on one knee beside her.

WATCH: 100 Years of Breathtaking Engagement Rings

You are wanted... he announced, pulling out a ring. By me, he added, dramatically. It took a little while for the shock to wear off, but she eventually gave him the yes he was after.

The entire traffic stop lasted under five minutes, but the memory will last an eternity, Grapevine Police Department wrote alongside the video of the proposal on their Facebook page. We couldnt have said it better ourselves.

Congratulations to the happy couple!
The son of Cecil, the beloved African lion unceremoniously killed by a Minnesota dentist, has been slaughtered in the same manner as his father.

The 6-year-old lion, named Xanda, was fatally shot in Zimbabwe this week.

Watch: Before Killing Cecil the Lion, American Dentist Illegally Hunted a Black Bear

Like Cecil, Xanda wandered outside the safety of Hwange National Park and was shot by a big game hunter.

According to the Telegraph, the Zimbabwean professional hunter on the shoot, Richard Cooke from RC Safaris, discovered the dead lion had a collar and handed it immediately back to the researchers.

Richard Cooke is one of the 'good' guys. He is ethical and he returned the collar and communicated what had happened. His hunt was legal and Xanda was over 6 years old so it is all within the stipulated regulations," Andrew Loveridge from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University told the paper.

Conversely, in Cecil's case, observers were hard-pressed to find a 'good guy' in the story of the lion's 2015 killing. In fact, the incident caused worldwide outrage that some credit with spurring changes in international laws and business practices related to big game hunting.

Dr. Walter Palmer even took a weeks-long hiatus from his dental practice after he was inundated with protesters, hate mail and threats. He was not criminally charged.

Watch: Lion, Tiger and Bear Are Inseparable After Being Found Abused in Basement

Cooke has not revealed the name of Xanda's killer.

Loveridge reportedly said he hopes an "exclusion zone" will be created surrounding the park in order to prevent tagged lions like Cecil and Xanda who had wandered out of the protected area before being shot.

Watch: See Horrifying Moment a Lion Cub Tried to Snatch Screaming Toddler Live on TV

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Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump launched a highly controversial investigation into election integrity Wednesday, with a demand that reluctant US states turn over data about voters.

"This commission is tasked with the sacred duty of upholding the integrity of the ballot box and the principle of one citizen, one vote," Trump said in launching the panel at the White House.

"Every time voter fraud occurs, it canceled out the vote of a lawful citizen and undermines democracy. You can't let that happen."

The panel was set up after Trump made unsubstantiated claims that his loss of the popular vote in the November elections was caused by voter fraud.

Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a margin of three million ballots, but did not win the state-based Electoral College tally that decides US elections.

"In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally," Trump claimed in a November 27 tweet that prompted widespread outrage.

Experts say there is little evidence to support the idea that voter fraud is a significant problem.

On Wednesday, Kris Kobach, the man Trump appointed to lead the panel day-to-day, threw his credibility into question by also appearing to question the election result without any evidence.

Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, told MSNBC that "we may never know" if Clinton won the popular vote, or if Trump won the electoral college fairly.

Trump's critics say the panel is cover for an assault on voting rights. In protest, many states have refused to hand over data to the Republican-led commission, some saying their state laws forbid them to do so.

"I'm pleased that more than 30 states have already agreed to share the information with the commission, and the other states, that information will be forthcoming," Trump insisted.

"If any state does not want to share this information, one has to wonder what they're worried about," Trump said. "There's something. There always is."

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The American Civil Liberties Union, a rights advocacy group, has initiated a series of legal challenges.

"The Trump administration are launching a nationwide assault on voting rights," said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's voting rights project.

"Asking for details on every single voter in the US is deeply alarming and raises significant privacy concerns.

"States are right to balk at turning over massive reams of personal information in what clearly is a campaign to suppress the vote."

Rights groups and Democrats have long accused Republicans of trying to suppress the votes of poor and black voters -- who tend to vote Democratic -- via onerous ID and registration requirements.
President Donald Trumps growing discomfort over the Justice Departments Russia election probe was out in the open during his recent interview with the New York Times, when he warned Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is heading the investigation, against expanding the probe into his familys finances.

Trump told the Times that Mueller would cross a red line if the investigation expanded beyond ties with Russia. The report published by the Times on Wednesday said the president left open the possibility of ordering the Justice Department to fire Mueller.

Read: Donald Trump Thought Robert Mueller Was Part Of Witch Hunt Against Him, Report Says

A day after the public warning, a report Thursday by the Washington Post indicated the presidents lawyers may be looking into possibilities of blocking the special counsels probe. Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, the Post reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The presidents lawyers have also been discussing the pardoning powers among themselves, according to the report that further said Trumps legal team declined to comment on the matter.

However, the special counsel is already investigating a broad range of business transactions involving Trump and his associates, according to a Bloomberg article that also cited anonymous sources. The presidents involvement in a controversial SoHo development in New York with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and Russian purchases of apartments in Trumps buildings are under the scanner, as per the report published Thursday.

Trumps remarks on Mueller were carried by the Times in the same article where he said he would have never appointed Jeff Sessions as the attorney general if he knew Sessions would eventually recuse himself from the probe. Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, when asked in one of the press briefings about whether the president was mulling over firing Mueller, said: While the President has the right to, he has no intention to do so.

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Read: Special Counsel Robert Muellers Trump-Russia Investigation Not To Affect House Intelligence Committees Probe

However, Trumps warning to Mueller and reports of his attempt to block the probe have sparked sharp reactions from all quarters. Referring to Trumps interview to the Times, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia) told CNN on Thursday: The president has no power to delimit or set the contours of a special prosecutors investigation wherever he leads.

Another Democratic leader Sen. Mark. R Warner (D-Virginia) issued a statement over reports of Trump considering issuing pardons. He called the possibility of issuing pardons disturbing.

Former Manhattan Attorney Preet Bharara, who was recently fired by Trump, also reacted to the speculations about Muellers firing. He reflected on the possible consequences of firing Mueller in a series of sarcastic tweets.

While talking to Fox News, Political commentator Charles Krauthammer said special prosecutor was politically unfirable." Meanwhile, former Attorney General Eric Holder referred to the speculations saying Trump could not constrain the probe.







Meanwhile, a flurry of reactions also poured in on Twitter from other social media users.













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President Donald Trump attacked his Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein during the explosive New York Times interview published Wednesday for being from Baltimore, even though he was born and raised in and around Philadelphia.

"There are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any," President Trump said during the interview, seemingly irritated by Rosenstein's supposed place of origin.

Trump has been irritated at Rosenstein after the Deputy Attorney General appointed Special Counsel John Mueller in May to lead the investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself.

Trump on "unfair" Sessions recusal: "I end up w/2nd man, a deputy. Who's he? from Baltimore - few Rs in Baltimore" https://t.co/0HFAp79tYp  John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 20, 2017

Rosenstein was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in 2005 where he oversaw federal civil and criminal litigation in the state. He later took a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit after becoming a resident of Maryland.

However, the Deputy Attorney General was not originally from Baltimore. He was born in Philadelphia, raised in Lower Moreland Township, Pennsylvania, and got his education from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

READ: Who Is Rod J. Rosenstein? President's Deputy Attorney General Pick Declined Appointment Of Special Prosecutor In The Russia Probe

This inattention to detail about Rosenstein's origins was quickly pointed out on social media platform Twitter.

I know there are like a million more important things in this story, but Rod Rosenstein lives in Bethesda you guys. https://t.co/r6YccFACKq pic.twitter.com/KAT9GRjAJq  Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) July 20, 2017

He still lived in Bethesda, even when he was U.S. Attorney for Maryland. And he's from Philly originally. He is in no from Baltimore.  Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) July 20, 2017

He worked in Baltimore. He wasn't from Baltimore. It is where he was selected to serve as a US attorney.  Chris knorr (@knorr_chris) July 20, 2017

Trump's attack on Rosenstein and the Maryland city came during the interview immediately after he lamented Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recusal from investigating the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.

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"Yeah, what Jeff Sessions did was he recused himself right after, right after he became attorney general," the president said in the interview. "'Why didnt you tell me this before?' I would have  then I said, 'Whos your deputy?' So his deputy he hardly knew, and thats Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein, who is from Baltimore."

READ: Rod Rosenstein Condemns Reports Of Intelligence Leaks Amid 'Investigation' Of Jared Kushner's Business Deals

The New York Times interview with the president came out the same day as White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump declined an invitation to speak at the NAACPs annual convention next week in Baltimore, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Trump did not speak to the NAACP convention last year, citing conflicts with the Republican National Convention.

Trump's pick for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson is known for his work when he was a neurosurgeon at Baltimore's John Hopkins Hospital. Like Rosenstein, Carson did not come from the city and was born in Detroit, Michigan.

GettyImages-695592382

Photo: (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

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By Doina Chiacu and Julia Edwards Ainsley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday brushed off sharp criticism from President Donald Trump over his recusal from the Justice Department's Russia investigation, saying he loved his job and planned to continue serving. "We love this job, we love this department, and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate," Sessions said at a news conference announcing a cyber crime bust. Sessions was flanked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Andrew McCabe, who were both also criticized by the president in an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday. Trump took a broad swipe at his administration's top law officers in the interview, saying he would not have appointed Sessions as attorney general if he had known he would recuse himself. The Republican president also noted Rosenstein's connection to Democratic Baltimore and that McCabe's wife took money from a leading Democrat during a political campaign. The public lashing came after a turbulent first six months in office during which Trump fired national security adviser Michael Flynn and FBI Director James Comey, then the top official leading the probe into whether Russian meddled in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties to the Trump campaign. Sessions recused himself in March from the Russia criminal investigation. He did so after failing to disclose at his confirmation hearing that he had held meetings last year with Russia's ambassador. "Sessions should have never recused himself and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else," the Times quoted Trump as saying. White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said later on Thursday that, while Trump was disappointed in the recusal, "clearly he has confidence in him or he would not be the attorney general." Sessions was Trump's first supporter in the U.S. Senate and helped shape his political team throughout the campaign and into the transition after the Nov. 8 election. He declined on Thursday to acknowledge Trump's criticism. "I have the honor of serving as attorney general. It's something that goes beyond any thought I would have ever had for myself," Sessions said. Similarly, Rosenstein declined to comment when asked about Trump's remarks that there were very few Republicans in Baltimore, where he was a former federal prosecutor. "I was proud to be here yesterday, I'm proud to be here today, I'll be proud to work here tomorrow," he said. "NOTHING NEW" They took only a few questions before a spokesman asked if there were any questions about the department's dismantlement of AlphaBay, a "dark web" market. Seeing no hands, Sessions left as reporters shouted questions about whether he would resign. An aide to Sessions said the recent disparaging remarks from Trump are "nothing new," given news media reports last month that the president was upset with the attorney general over the Russia recusal. A federal special counsel has been appointed to take over the Russia investigation, and several congressional committees are conducting probes. Next week, Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser, Jared Kushner, and the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., are scheduled to testify before Senate panels, as well as former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. The Kremlin says it did not interfere in the election, and Trump has denied any collusion. In the Times interview, the president also took aim at the special counsel appointed to take over the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, saying Mueller would be crossing a "red line" if he began investigating Trump's personal finances. "I think that's a violation. Look, this is about Russia, Trump told the Times. At the White House, Sanders said Trump has no intention of firing Mueller at this time. The Times also reported on Wednesday that Deutsche Bank AG has been in contact with federal investigators about Trump's accounts, citing two people briefed on the matter. And the bank was expecting to eventually have to provide information to Mueller, they said. Deutsche Bank, which has loaned the Trump Organization family business millions of dollars for real-estate ventures, late last month rejected demands by Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide details of Trump's finances, citing privacy laws. On Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Trump's pick to replace Comey at the FBI, Christopher Wray. The full Senate was expected to confirm Wray before its August recess. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said at the hearing that Trump's latest comments raised troubling questions about the independence and credibility of the Justice Department. "Now what happens next as members close to the president, his own administration, and his family are being asked critical questions?" Durbin asked. "We have to make it clear that no one in this country, including the president of the United States, is above the law." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Julia Edwards Ainsley; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis)
By Malena Castaldi MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Pharmacies in Uruguay began selling cannabis directly to consumers on Wednesday, culminating a long and pioneering legalization effort that began over three years ago. The South American country of 3.4 million people is the first in the world to legalize the entire process of marijuana production for recreational use, including its cultivation and sale. The law was passed in late 2013 as Uruguay sought to shift the market from criminals to its own government. The product is grown, packaged and distributed by two companies, Symbiosis and Iccorp, authorized and taxed by the state. But the rollout has been slow as the government has faced internal opposition and tricky logistics. In the meantime, several other countries have moved toward a more flexible approach to regulation. In Uruguay, any citizen over the age of 18 can now register to buy cannabis. Aided by fingerprint recognition technology, they can buy up to 40 grams (1.41 ounces) monthly for their personal use. Registered users - nearly 5,000 so far - can buy 5-gram (0.18-ounce) sealed packets for $6.50 each. One of the first to take up the opportunity was Xavier Ferreyra, a 32-year-old public sector employee. "Now we're at a point where freedom to consume is guaranteed," he said, as he waited in line to buy his first packet. For pharmacists like Sebastian Scaffo, who runs one of the 16 pharmacies in Uruguay authorized to sell the drug, it is an opportunity to bring in more clients and profit. In the first hour, he sold 15 packets. Smokers can choose between two brands - "Alfa 1," an "indica" variety that relaxes users, and "Beta 1," the more energizing "sativa" strain of cannabis. Both varieties have a relatively low content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), local experts said, referring to the active ingredient in the plant that creates the high. Its production will be carefully monitored to prevent sales to foreigners or people leaving the country, the government says. The original government-sponsored legislation emerged during the presidency of Jose Mujica, a leftist ex-guerrilla who promoted a number of progressive reforms in Uruguay. But the authorization for pharmacies to sell cannabis - initially expected by the end of 2014 - was postponed several times. Since then, other countries in Latin America have moved toward allowing cannabis for medical use. A number of U.S. states have legalized recreational use and Canada is on track to legalize the drug by next year. (Reporting by Malena Castaldi; Writing by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Frances Kerry and Matthew Lewis)
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned on Friday after President Donald Trump offered the position of White House communications director to Trump fundraiser Anthony Scaramucci, according to the New York Times.

Spicer was also serving as the communication director in addition to his duties as press secretary.

Spicers tenuous status and his anticipated fall from grace has long been a topic of speculation in Washington. Trump often contradicted Spicer in his tweets and public comments, and White House aides leaked word of the presidents dissatisfaction with Spicers performance. Rumors swirled from early in Spicers tenure that Trump was unhappy with Spicer, especially after comedian Melissa McCarthys devastating caricature of him on Saturday Night Live as a petty, angry spokesman delivering fabricated facts.

Trump reportedly did not like the idea of a female comedian portraying Spicer, and that it made one of his staff look weak.

In June, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders replaced Spicer in daily White House press briefings, fueling speculation that his firing was imminent.

Surely one of Spicers most memorable lines as press secretary came on May 31. When asked what covfefe meant  the apparent typo that Trump tweeted out late one evening that soon became an immensely popular meme  Spicer did not acknowledge any mistake on the part of the president, instead replying, The president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant.

Spicer posted on Twitter that he would stay on until the end of August, saying it had been a honor & privilege to work for the president:

It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August  Sean Spicer (@PressSec) July 21, 2017

Scaramucci, like Trump, hails from New York; and also like Trump, he brings little direct experience to his new position. Scaramucci made a name for himself as a Wall Street hedge fund manager and has made regular TV appearances himself but has not worked in press relations. A fundraiser for Trump during the campaign, Scaramucci then served as the White House liaison to the business community.

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At an on-camera White House press briefing on July 21, his first public appearance since being tapped for communications director, Scaramucci channeled the id of the Trump administration, at one point saying, The presidents a winner, and were going to do a lot of winning and mentioning that he had been very very loyal to Trump.

Scaramucci dodged tough questions with the deftness of a slick financier. Responding to one question about the administrations use of the term fake news and its overall treatment of the media, Scaramucci said that there is a little bit of media bias out there, expressing hope that the administration can de-escalate that and turn that around.

His smooth demeanor contrasted with Spicers tendency to get flustered when reporters pressed him on thorny issues.

Scaramucci also offered parting words for his predecessor.

I love the guy, and I wish him well, and I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money.

Below, as a final parting ode to the outgoing press secretary, is McCarthys inaugural skit featuring herself as a hostile, gum-chewing, podium-wielding Spicer:

This piece has been updated to include comments from the July 21 press briefing.

Alex Wong/Getty Images
Washington (AFP) - White House press secretary Sean Spicer abruptly resigned Friday in protest at a major shake-up of Donald Trump's scandal-tainted administration, as pressure mounted from a broadening investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.

Spicer quit after Trump named Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and one-time critic, as the new White House communications director -- a role Spicer had hoped to play.

"It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August," Spicer tweeted.

In a written statement, Trump said he was "grateful" for Spicer's work and praised his "great television ratings" -- a reference to Spicer's keenly watched, combative and often-satirized news briefings.

"Spicer is a wonderful person who took tremendous abuse from the Fake News Media - but his future is bright!" Trump tweeted.

Spicer was replaced by deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

In an interview with Fox News, Spicer said he stepped aside to "not have too many cooks in the kitchen" to convey Trump's message.

Spicer's resignation marked an escalation of tensions within an administration that has seen its legislative agenda falter at the same time it has been buffeted by an investigation into alleged collusion with Russia.

The Washington Post reported late Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, contrary to his prior testimony, discussed campaign-related and policy matters with Russia's ambassador to Washington, citing intelligence intercepts.

The report will heap pressure on Sessions, who already was on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing by Trump over the Russia probe. The president suggested Sessions had betrayed him in stepping away from the investigation.

And in another blow, Mark Corallo -- who was coordinating the Trump legal team's public response to the Russia crisis -- told AFP that he, too, had stepped down.

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After months of denials, the White House was recently rocked by emails showing Donald Trump's eldest son and two top aides met with a Russian lawyer in the belief they would get dirt on the Republican billionaire's 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton.

In response, Trump aides have floated the idea of pre-emptive presidential pardons and Trump himself has warned investigators not to look into his family finances.

Spicer's decision appears to have happened quickly, with neither he nor Sanders giving any indication of changes afoot when they had drinks with a group of journalists on Thursday evening.

Spicer had "no regrets" on his way out the door, he said on Fox late Friday.

Yet he angrily lashed out at US media, claiming they were "obsessed" with Russia after US intelligence agencies said that Moscow was involved in meddling with the US presidential election Trump won.

"I was increasingly disappointed in how so many members of the members here in the media do their job, or rather, don't do their job. The bias which they come from it at," Spicer said.

And it is no exception, he stressed.

- 'On track' -

"The majority of folks that are now in this -- in the briefing room, that are going into journalism. They're not there for the facts and the pursuit of the truth. Rather, they're trying to figure out, how do I get on TV, how do I become a YouTube star. And that's disappointing."

In addition, in terms of staffing, Spicer explained: "I thought it would be a bit confusing having additional people at the top. And so I wanted to move on to give both Anthony and Sarah that clear lane in each of their respective areas."

Scaramucci dismissed reports of infighting when he took questions from the press for the first time. "I think the White House is on track," he told reporters.

Spicer had been a close ally of chief of staff Reince Priebus, and his departure will likely weaken both Priebus and the bridge between the White House and the Republican Party establishment.

In an expansive interview with The New York Times earlier this week, Trump plunged his White House into fresh crisis when he attacked special counsel Robert Mueller, and warned him against looking at Trump family finances.

Mueller is examining whether Trump or his aides colluded with Russia's apparent efforts to help tilt the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favor.

With the probe apparently extending to financial transactions, US media reported that Trump allies were looking for ways to discredit Mueller's investigation.

Trump himself has suggested that Mueller  a widely respected former FBI director  may have a conflict of interest.

The White House has pointedly refused to rule out the possibility that Trump would fire Mueller -- an act that would prompt a political firestorm and perhaps a constitutional crisis.

- 'Crossing a line' -

Republican House Homeland Security Committee chairman Michael McCaul warned Trump would face a "tremendous backlash response from both Democrats but also House Republicans" if he were to sack Mueller.

"Trump cannot define or constrain Mueller investigation. If he tries to do so this creates issues of constitutional and criminal dimension," said former attorney general Eric Holder.

Trump has already fired his FBI director James Comey over the Russia investigation.

The top Democrat on the Senate's intelligence committee, Mark Warner, warned that pardoning anybody who may have been involved in potential collusion "would be crossing a fundamental line."
Navy members Danielle Hinchliff and Anna Schnatzmeyer - not the special forces candidates - training in 2013: AP

The US Navy has revealed it has its first two female candidates for special operations posts previously unavailable for women, including one who could become its first female Navy SEAL.

One of the candidates is seeking to become a special warfare combatant crewman, while the second is seeking to become an officer with the SEALs. Neither of the candidates has been identified, as is usually the case with members of the special forces.

They are the first candidates that have made it this far in the process, Lt Cmdr Mark Walton, spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command, told NPR.

The US Navy SEAL programme has an attrition rate up of to 75 per cent (Getty)

Yet, the two women still have a long way to go if they are to make it. Both candidates face a notoriously rigorous training and selection process.

Indeed, Military.Com, which was the first news site to report the development, said the women will have to make it through one of the toughest selection processes of any military.

Anywhere between 73 to 75 per cent of SEAL candidates fail to make the cut, while the special boat operator attrition rate stands at 63 per cent. The attrition rate for SEAL officers, which the female midshipman is seeking to become, is slightly lower, at 65 per cent.

The news comes around 18 months after the Pentagon announced women could apply for ground combat and special operations posts that had previously been restricted.

Yet the news site said there had so far been few successful candidates. In January, a woman graduated from Army Ranger school and was set to join the 75th Ranger Regiment.

However, no other women soldiers have made it through selection for other elements of the Army special operations programme, and while the Air Force and Marine Corps have had a number of candidates for special operations, there has yet to be a successful passing-out.


The Balmain army was out in full force on Thursday night to celebrate the opening of its Flagship Los Angeles boutique, as well as the release of a collaboration with Beats By Dre.

For the party, held at the new Melrose Place outpost, a number of A-listers joined the French brands creative director Olivier Rousteing in his designs, including Kerry Washington, Hailee Steinfeld, Kim Kardashian West, and more.

However, there was one Balmain loyalist that was noticeably missing. Kylie Jenner, who serves as the face of the campaign for the special edition headphones, skipped. According to Snapchat, she was driving around Calabasas at the time of the event. While the reality stars makeup was done, selfies show her wearing a white zip-up hoodie, which definitely didnt mesh with the Balmain dress code: tight, leather, fringe, sheer.

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Samsung has confirmed weeks of rumors about when its next premium smartphone will be unveiled. The manufacturer will host an Unpacked event Aug, 23, where the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will likely be announced. Invites were sent out to press members Thursday afternoon.

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Photo: Fionna Agomuoh

Several launch date suggestions have circulated as rumors in recent weeks. Primarily, the Galaxy Note 8 was expected to be announced between the third and fourth weeks in August. Reports from earlier this week indicated that Samsung CEO, DJ Koh told Taiwanese press the smartphone would be announced in August; however, no date was specified. Other reports hinted at Aug. 23, as well as Aug. 20 and Aug. 26. The latter two dates were likely always implausible considering they are weekends.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Release Date Returns To Old Strategy; Confirmed By CEO?

Following the August launch, the Galaxy Note 8 is expected to go on sale starting in September for major markets including U.S., Korea, China and Europe. Smaller markets are expected to begin selling the device in October. This release strategy is very similar to how Samsung released its Galaxy Note devices before more recent models like the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy Note 7. Devices such as the Galaxy Note 4 and older models also hit stores in the September to October timeframe. However, after Apple released the redesigned iPhone 6 in 2014, Samsung pushed its Galaxy Note 7 release all the way up to August. It was likely a rush to market, which partially caused the demise of the Galaxy Note 7. That smartphone was unveiled Aug. 2, 2016.

The Galaxy Note 8 will be unveiled ahead of several rival devices, including the LG V30, which is expected to be announced Aug. 31 during the IFA conference and the upcoming iPhone, which will likely be unveiled in early September. Google may also reveal its Pixel 2 sometime in October.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S9 Release Date Could Come With Design Similar To Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8

Story continues

The Galaxy Note 8 release will, in particular, reveal what Samsung has done with the devices design. Several leaks suggest the smartphone may have a thick upper bezel, slightly taking away from the thin-bezel infinity display first introduced on the Galaxy S8. The launch will confirm whether or not Samsung will once again include a rear fingerprint scanner on its premium smartphone. Reports indicate the manufacturer had to scrap plans to introduce an on-screen fingerprint sensor. Rumors also suggest the Galaxy Note 8 may have increased RAM and internal storage capacities but may feature a smaller battery than the Galaxy Note 7 and the Galaxy S8+.

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On Wednesday, Samsung unveiled a new Galaxy S8 version thats going to be available in stores later this week.

Don't Miss: This smartphone controlled paper airplane has a built-in live streaming camera

No, its not the Galaxy S8 Active that some of you may have been waiting for. Instead, its the Coral Blue version that we heard of last week. We already knew it was only a matter of days until Samsung unveiled the new color option, and Samsung delivered.

Theres nothing exciting about this phone version other than the new color option. Youll still get the exact same design, specs, and features that you expect from the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

The Coral Blue versions will be available exclusively from Best Buy and Samsung.com, which is in line with what the previous rumor said.

Starting July 21st, consumers will be able to buy Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint carrier-specific versions of the phone at Best Buy, the press release says. However, unlocked Blue Coral Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ versions will also be available from both Best Buy and Samsung.

Best Buy and Samsung.com will also sell matching Samsung cases for the Coral Blue color option. Both companies will also host special Galaxy S8 deals in the coming days, featuring discounts from $150 to $400, assuming certain conditions are met.

Before you buy your next Galaxy S8, you should know that carriers currently offer a special deal on the Galaxy S8 that might be even hotter. Make sure you check it out before you purchase the Coral Blue model.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Attorney David Shimron has no ideology. He is neither right-wing nor left-wing. He is supposed to be transparent to the odd Israeli measure, in which each person defines corruption according to his own political camp. Shimron is a professional lawyer, a confidant who makes money from advising large business and makes a name for himself from advising one businessthe Israeli prime minister. His title is associate.

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Since the beginning of time, government members needed advisors and associates, and vice versa. There is no legal or moral problem in being a government crony. The problem begins when the affiliation is an economic rather than ideological tool. Instead of influencing the advancement of construction in the Galilee or in Gush Etzion, they advance the construction of luxury towers. Instead of writing ideology, they write business plans. It happened to Shimon Sheves, the director-general of the Prime Ministers Office under Yitzhak Rabin, and it happened to Ariel Sharons family in the Greek island affair. It happens to everyone in African countries and to certain businesspeople in the United States. It always stinks and it always leads to corruption.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his personal lawyer and relative, David Shimron. This isnt the submarine affair, its the conflict of interest affair (Photos: Emil Salman, Yaron Brener)

In the real world, it takes people time to become closer. They drink coffee together, go to a movie, talk a little or a lot, smile, get to know each other and sometimes become friends. In politics, the closeness arrives at once. There are interests which shorten the long road of the human character. I think I first understood that after being at the Prime Ministers Office for a while. I came and I went. I got physically close for work purposes only, yet I remember how surprised I was when a Likud member asked me to relay a certain message, assuming that youre an associate. And I didnt even know I was one.

A large part of the associates industry in Israel is the result of guided imagery. An industry of falsehood. The paying side assumes that the associate has abilities, and the associate doesnt deny it even if he doesnt have any. There is so much imagination, that no one knows whos close to who and when. In Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus case, the list is long. The longer he remains at the top and the higher the turnover of people around him, the more the industry develops. The top secret in this industry is that being close to Netanyahu is good for a limited period of time. Netanyahu has many abilities; friendship and mental closeness are not among them.

David Shimron and Yitzhak Molcho are the exception. They run a successful law firm which is active in different kinds of areas and have close relations in other areas: From foreign relations to domestic relations; from libel suits and family woes to coalition demands. Thats the reason Shimron should have been more cautious than others, stayed away from deals with the state while representing its prime minister, stayed from meetings with defense establishment officials on business matters and avoided making private money as long as he has absolute influence.

In 2012, I spent many hours with his partner, attorney Yitzhak Molcho, while travelling for peace talks in Jordan on behalf of Netanyahu. I meet him sometimes. I see him as a decent and impressive person. I know and have a lot of appreciation for Major-General (res.) Eliezer Marom from my military service. Im very critical of Netanyahu, but Im almost convinced that he didnt pocket any money. All these impressions make no difference.

Whoever works for the state should do the rational thing and put everything on hold, lose money he could have earned at the same time had he worked outside. Theres no other way. This isnt the submarine affair or the Bezeq affair. Its the associates and conflict of interest affair. The small perks affair, the search for cigars which lead to the turning of a blind eye.

A journalist cant take money indirectly to write words he doesnt believe in, even if its a private business. A public servant cant advance private businesses, neither as a ministrys director-general nor as an external advisor. Its so simple and clear that it raises questions about the intelligence of the affairs heroes, and mainly about ours. Its hard and painful, but without the medias pressure and investigations, corruption would not be rooted out. The only offensive Likud members should launch is for a clarification of the truth, regardless of what it may be.
- Ghanaian, Nicolas Donkoh, is claimed to have returned to Ghana from France by land

- His entire journey, by road, saw him cover over 7000 kilometers

- Click here for the latest stories in Ghana

Who ever told you that Ghana is not made up of adventurous citizens might probably be telling you a different story altogether!

Ghanaian man breaks barriers, drives from France to Ghana

This follows a supposed posed by a man by name Nicolas Afedi Donkoh who boasts of taking the risk to drive all the way from the European country of France to Accra, Ghana.

According to Donkoh, his journey started from the capital of Paris in France enroute to Spain where he subsequently continued by boat to the North African country of Morrocco.

Making the calculation in terms of Kilometers, YEN.com.gh, can confirm that his total journey (if indeed it was a journey by road) saw him cover 7,154 kilometers of land to get to his homeland Ghana.

Just so you understand how long a journey this Ghanaian took, YEN shows you a map on the distance between Ghana and France:

Distance of France from Ghana shown in black ink

Do you think Nicolas deserves an award for his bravery? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

We are looking for unique stories and photos about developments happening in your area. Get in touch with YEN on Facebook and email via info@yen.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh
The Qatari ruler Thursday issued decrees amending the countrys counterterrorism laws, few days after the isolated Gulf state signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US on the fight against terrorism funding.

The new decrees by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani include new definitions for the terms terrorist, crime, terrorist acts, terrorist entities, the freezing of funds and the financing of terrorism according to Qatari news sources.

The amendments also allow individuals accused of terrorism to challenge charges until they are proven guilty.

Qatar is currently isolated by its neighbors namely Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, in addition to Egypt over its alleged sponsorship for terrorism.

The boycotting countries have also imposed sea, air and land blockades against the tiny gas-rich country. They have conditioned normalization of ties on Qatars commitment to curb its support for terrorism.

The amendments to the provisions came few days after Doha and Washington signed an agreement to fight terrorism and extremism funding.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praised Qatar over the deal deemed as the first between the US and a Gulf country.

The four boycotting countries early this week issued six principles including Qatars commitment to combat extremism and terrorism, prevent financing and granting safe havens for such groups, and suspend all acts of provocation and speeches inciting hatred or violence in an apparent drop of the 13-demand list handed to Qatar last month. Doha had rejected the list as unrealistic and unenforceable.
Jordan, in its capacity as the custodian of the Al-Aqsa mosque, has sent its Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to Brussels to meet with European Unions Foreign Policy Chief Federica Moghreini.

State-run Jordanian Petra News Agency reported that Safadi warned against the repercussions of the recent tensions, which could be de-escalated by obliging Israel to respect the historical and legal situation in the mosque and to fully and immediately open the holy shrine before worshippers.

Muslims have refused to pass through metal detectors erected at the gate to access the mosque but Israeli authorities argue that it is a necessary security measure following the killing of two Israeli police officers around the premises.

Safadi said Israel must cancel all its unilateral actions before the situation degenerates following the series of confrontations that have taken place since last week between worshippers and security personnel.

President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the US to intervene. In a telephone conversation with Jared Kushner, senior adviser to President Donald Trump, he requested that the metal detectors be moved from the site. Israels Minister of Internal Security, Gilad Erdan, argues that he does not notice any inconvenience with the new measure stating during the past week, there have not been any voices against the establishment of electronic gates, or even any condemnations at the international level.

President Erdogan of Turkey stressed that any restriction on Muslims entering Al-Aqsa Mosque is unacceptable.

Al Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam but it is also a sacred place to Jews and Christians. Opening the doors of the compound to all the three religions has often not been an issue but increasing Israeli control over the area and East Jerusalem, where it is located, has raised eyebrows among Muslims and Palestinians in particular, who consider it as a home.
President Masoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has revealed that the independence referendum scheduled for September 25 will be followed by presidential and parliamentary elections in November.

The announcement is expected to increase the displeasure of Baghdad and other regional countries such as Turkey and Iran over the plan of the semi-autonomous region to gain independence.

Although the Kurdish region has been holding such elections under Iraq as a federal state, it is unclear if it will have a new meaning after the referendum for independence. An aide to Barzani said all concerned parties are committed to do the necessary work and will support and coordinate with the Kurdistan Higher Independent Election and Referendum Commission to implement this decree.

The Kurdistan parliament, which has not held a session since 2015 due to partisan conflicts between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Gorran (Change), is expected to sideline differences in order to work towards holding the referendum.

Speaker Yousif Mohammed has been barred from entering the Erbil, the regions capital, for two years.

Iraqs Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi had warned that the referendum is unconstitutional and it is in the interest of the Kurds to stay with Iraq.

About 5 million Kurds live in majority Arab Iraq, which has a population of more than 30 million.

Mala Bakhtiar, a senior member of the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), who led a delegation to Iran for consultations ahead of the referendum, said Tehran does not support the initiative. Turkey has also warned that the Kurdish region will regret the move, Bakhtiar said.

Our response was that this country has failed to create a common national identity for 97 years so that every Kurd would feel proud to live in Iraq, he said, adding that there are no plans to delay the scheduled referendum.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
The inaugural Youth Connekt Africa summit opened in the Rwandan capital Kigali Thursday with the participation of over 2500 delegates from all over the continent.

The summit is looking into ways to realize the potential of the continents youths, forming the worlds largest youth population.

Besides setting up networks among participating delegates, the gathering will address issues such as skills development, entrepreneurship, access to finance and employment.

According to experts, this will ensure that the continents youthful population becomes an asset instead of being a challenge.

The United Nations estimates that there are over 226 million people aged between 15-24 on the continent, making Africa the most youthful continent.

However, these youths are facing the chronic challenge of unemployment, which is estimated at about 60 per cent.

The summit will highlight by the launch of the YouthConnekt Africa Empowerment Fund, an initiative that seeks to empower young people to have an impact in their communities.

The fund will be supported by private sector, donors, national governments, foundations and civil society organizations.

The fund is expected to offer regional support to youth empowerment initiatives such as grants, financing and training to youth-led projects, investment in creation of innovative and highly scalable start-ups, among others.

The summits concept was born from an initiative launched in 2012 by the Government of Rwanda in collaboration with One UN Rwanda, allafrica.com, recalls, adding that the concept came up as a solution to address concerns of Rwandan youth.
Amnesty International has accused Cameroonian troops of committing what it called war crimes against alleged supporters of the terror group Boko Haram.

Hundreds of people in Cameroon accused of supporting Boko Haram, often without evidence, are being brutally tortured by security forces, Amnesty International said in a new report published Thursday.

Using dozens of testimonies, corroborated with satellite imagery, photographic and video evidence, the report Cameroons secret torture chambers: human rights violations and war crimes in the fight against Boko Haram documents 101 cases of incommunicado detention and torture between 2013 and 2017, at over 20 different sites.

We have repeatedly and unequivocally condemned the atrocities and war crimes committed by Boko Haram in Cameroon. But, nothing could justify the callous and widespread practice of torture committed by the security forces against ordinary Cameroonians, who are often arrested without any evidence and forced to endure unimaginable pain, said Alioune Tine, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for West and Central Africa, adding These horrific violations amount to war crimes.

The human rights watchdog urged Cameroonian authorities, given the weight of the evidence uncovered, to initiate independent investigations into these practices of incommunicado detention and torture, including potential individual and command responsibility.

The report also highlighted the regular presence of US military personnel and the occasional presence of French personnel at one of the unofficial detention sites -the Rapid Intervention Batallion (BIR) in Salak, near the northern city of Maroua- calling on Washington and Paris to investigate the extent to which their personnel stationed at Salak, or regularly visiting, may have been aware that illegal detention and torture was taking place on site.

Amnesty International said it wrote to the Cameroonian authorities in April 2017 to share the reports findings, but no response was provided and all subsequent requests for meetings were refused.

According to AI estimates, Boko Haram has killed over 1,500 civilians in Cameroon since 2014, and abducted many others.